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Seven alleged gang members, including one previously unnamed, made their first appearances in a Chesterfield County courtroom Friday morning after being arrested Thursday in the killings of two participants of an illegal mansion party last month attended by more than 300 people.

Six of the seven defendants were appointed attorneys by Chesterfield General District Court Judge Pamela OBerry after affirming under oath they couldnt afford to hire legal representation. The judge also scheduled their preliminary hearings for Dec. 14.

The seventh defendant, whom police did not name among the others they arrested Thursday, also appeared in court, but he has not been charged with second-degree murder like the others.

Devontrey G. Harris, 18, of the 11600 block of Waterford Drive in Chesterfield, faces charges of participation in a criminal street gang and being a principle in the second degree to shooting into an occupied dwelling. Defense attorney Ericka Battle was appointed to represent him.

The six facing murder charges also are charged with felony use of a firearm and participation in a criminal street gang.

Djion C. Bowles, 20, of the 2900 block of Blendwell Road in Richmond, will be represented by defense attorney Russell Bowles, who is unrelated to the defendant.

Kennson Clairsaint, 20, of the 2700 block of Geneva Drive in Richmond, will be represented by attorney Travis Williams.

Corey T. Harris, 19, of the 3200 block of Kingsdale Road in Chesterfield, will be represented by attorney John Rockecharlie.

Kendric R. Hill, 20, of the 4100 block of Mallard Landing Circle in Chesterfield, will be represented by attorney Melvin Todd.

Devin D. Taylor, 19, of the 4000 block of Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond, will be represented by attorney Mary Adams.

Tevon J. Todd, 19, of the 2900 block of Ridge Terrace in Chesterfield, told the court that he plans to hire his own attorney.

All seven defendants appeared via video hookup from either Riverside Regional Jail or the Chesterfield jail. The judge did not consider setting bail for any of the seven defendants, so they will remain held without bond until they can meet their attorneys.

Corey Harris asked the judge if he could be considered for bail immediately, saying, Ive never been in trouble before. The judge declined.

More than 100 law enforcement personnel from six local, state and federal agencies in the Richmond area participated in Thursdays roundup of the suspects. Police simultaneously conducted multiple search warrants at their various residences and took them into custody.

All but Devontrey Harris are accused of killings of Duval Turner, 22, of Richmond, and Marc Starkes, 24, of Amelia County, who were shot Sept. 4 during a party where hundreds of young people had gathered in a home still under construction in the 15000 block of Chesdin Green Way in the upscale community of Chesdin Landing. A third partygoer was shot but survived.

The party was promoted on Instagram and other social media outlets.

Chesterfield police Capt. Michael Louth said the seven defendants are all known to one another as members of the same gang. He declined or say whether their alleged involvement in a gang played a role in the killings. Police have not divulged a possible motive for the slayings or said whether the defendants knew the two victims.

They also have not said with which gang or gangs the suspects allegedly are affiliated.
Two candidates are running for the District 2 seat to replace Kim Gray on the citys School Board: Mariah White, 50, an employee at the Defense Logistics Agency, and Scott Barlow, 28, a contract manager with Fahrenheit IT.

Heres where they stand on issues facing the citys school district.

What is your opinion of Superintendent Dana Beddens tenure and do you intend to support him if elected?

White: Dr Beddens tenure has brought fresh ideas to RPS, and improved the system. He has been faced with many challenges, that he inherited from the previous years. My role as a School Board member is to support the Superintendent, but not to agree on all of his decisions.

Barlow: Our schools need stable, effective and accountable leadership, so I plan to support Dr. Bedden. If we have allies willing to collaborate with a shared vision for RPS in the community, mayors office, city council and school board, our schools will be well positioned for sustainable improvement.

What is a School Board members role in the day-to-day administration of RPS?

White: The School Board member role is to work with their community to improve student achievement in RPS.

Barlow: The school boards role is to provide oversight of the superintendents day-to-day operation of the schools and set RPS policies. The relationship of the administration and board must be rooted in trust and mutual respect with a commitment to being responsive to the needs of all RPS stakeholders.

School administrators have said that a possible solution to dealing with some fiscal issues facing RPS and to create a more efficient district is to close some schools. Will you support closing schools if the administration recommends that it will be best in the long term? Why or why not?

White: No, I will not support it. School closing is done to right-size due to a budget shortfall. In order to properly execute closures time, leadership attention and money is required. If you are lacking in any of the three variables, there is no need for closure.

Barlow: Im willing to support responsible consolidation of some schools if we have a fair and transparent long-term plan to ensure that every student in Richmond has access to a quality classroom. Such a plan must be vetted with community input, not merely as a knee-jerk reaction to budgetary constraints.

One issue you may face early on is redistricting. When it comes to moving school lines, what should the priorities be?

White: My priorities would be substandard facilities, overcrowded and under-crowded schools.

Barlow: The main priorities to me will be to ensure that every student has access to a quality education in our city no matter their background, neighborhood or experiences. Our redistricting process must ensure that our teachers have manageable class sizes and schools that fit the size of the student body.

Given the budget realities facing RPS, where can the district make cuts that save money without affecting academics?

White: Dr. Bedden, administrative staff, which consist of 86 employees.

Barlow: We can streamline costs of RPS operations by reducing the costs of hiring new teachers through improved teacher retention efforts and by fully implementing the adopted capital improvement plan. We need to invest as much of our schools budget as possible directly into classroom instruction.

Attracting and retaining teachers is seen as key to turning RPS around. What will you say to current and prospective teachers thinking about going elsewhere about why they should stay?

White: I would tell them our children needs you, and I appreciate you. As a board, we will be working to make things better for the teachers and administrators in RPS. Our goal is to provide better pay, incentives, and working conditions.

Barlow: Actions  not words  will solve our teacher recruitment and retention issue. We must treat our teachers as professionals, provide the classroom resources needed to teach our kids, offer more competitive pay packages, and ensure that our teachers have comfortable and manageable work environments.

The number of schools gaining full accreditation and the on-time graduations rate are both down. What needs to be done to turn those around and do you support RPSs current School Progress Plan?

White: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) goes into effect the beginning of 2017-2018 school year. I would support the new law, and not RPS current plan. Students taking SOL online need a review on equipment proficient. Test should be bilingual, and more computers are needed.

Barlow: I find the drop in accreditation and graduation rates disheartening. Im open to all options to improve RPS performance because every child deserves access to a quality education. The school progress plan is strong, but we must collaborate to find the resources necessary to fully implement it.

While RPS faces a slew of issues and problems, name something positive being done in the district or at a school and how it can be duplicated elsewhere in the district?

White: George Washington Carver Elementary is a Blue Ribbon School. Also earned the distinction as Title I Highly Distinguished School for the second year. The techniques used by this school and all accredited schools can build a Lesson- Learn Standard of Procedures for RPS to follow.
The Virginia Department of Education is asking for the publics input as it works to implement new federal accountability standards.

To get feedback, the department has posted a four-question survey on its website. The answers will help inform the development of the commonwealths plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The survey, which is anonymous, gauges the academic measures important to respondents and what other factors should be considered when creating a new accountability system.

We are asking parents and other members of the public to tell us what they think is important when evaluating how well a school is serving students, Steven R. Staples, superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement Friday.

Were asking them to think about achievement on state tests, graduation and dropout rates, absenteeism, parent satisfaction and other indicators of school quality and then tell us which of these they think are extremely important, moderately important and so forth.

Every Student Succeeds Act, an overhaul of No Child Left Behind, was approved with bipartisan support and signed by the president in December.

ESSA, as the legislation is known, helps bring to an end a period when schools were graded and deemed to be successes or failures based on their students standardized test scores. The law gives states flexibility to consider additional measures, such as graduation rates.
The University of Virginia has announced the creation of an endowed professorship in honor of Julian Bond, the late civil rights leader and longtime U.Va. professor.

Ian Baucom, dean of the U.Va. College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, made the announcement Thursday morning at the opening of a symposium held in Bonds honor.

The Julian Bond Professorship of Civil Rights and Social Justice will be awarded to a scholar whose thought and writing and shaping power of the imagination can mirror, exemplify and extend Julian Bonds lifelong (mission), Baucom said, speaking in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.

The professorship has come to fruition after a 10-year, $3 million fundraising effort and will allow the university to attract top faculty in the field, Baucom said.

As so much of the world around us constantly and troublingly reminds us, it is a vital and urgent time to be taking on that task, he said.

The two-day symposium, titled Keep the Movement Coming On! provides an opportunity for the university to look back on Bonds life, as well as the future of the movement he helped champion.

Bond  a key organizer in the civil rights movement of the 1960s who went on to become chairman of the NAACP  began teaching at the university in 1992. Bond taught popular courses on the history of the movement and led a weeklong tour of landmarks in civil rights history.

But Bond was not one to coast on his past accomplishments, recalls Deborah McDowell, professor of English at U.Va. and director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies.

Bond stayed involved in the civil rights movement long after the 1960s and expanded his involvement to include gay rights, the living wage movement and environmentalism.

He was not merely checking the boxes, but rather connecting the dots, or tying the threads that make us all inextricably connected in a common struggle, to make the world a better place, McDowell said.

In his tenure at U.Va., which lasted until his retirement in 2012, Bond taught more than 5,000 students. But his teaching went beyond the classroom, said U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan. He was an ardent supporter of the Legal Aid Justice Center and often held dinners hosting both local officials and faculty members.

Bond also was a prominent supporter of the Serpentine Society, the universitys LGBTQ alumni network.

Julian Bonds fight for civil rights was never finished, Sullivan said.

His death in August 2015 at the age of 75 was noted across the country.

The Small Special Collections Library, one of the sites of the two-day symposium, still houses about 47,000 documents written by Bond  letters, speeches and drafts  that faculty and students continue to study and catalogue.

In that sense, McDowell said, students are still learning from the late U.Va. professor. As Bond himself said in 1998: You cant rely on what you did in the 60s. In this fight, you renew your credentials every day.
When you read the familiar statistics that one in four women and one in seven men have experienced violence committed by an intimate partner, it can be easy to say, Not in my community, not in my life. It can feel like a national issue rather than one very close to home. We do not realize how many of our friends and neighbors right here in the Richmond Region are impacted by domestic violence.

The Greater Richmond Regional Hotline (GRRH) received 4,908 calls last year from people looking for help  an average of 20 per day. The GRRH is a local, collaborative, crisis response system for survivors and allies across the region impacted or affected by domestic, intimate partner, and/or sexual violence. It was created in 2014 to provide a single centralized resource for callers in the region in need of crisis intervention, services and resources.

When you read these numbers, look at the people in your life and ask, Who of these has been directly impacted? Domestic violence is indiscriminate in who it impacts, and it takes many forms. Domestic violence does not necessarily happen in the home nor does it always involve physical violence. Domestic violence is defined as any abusive behavior by an intimate or dating partner which can include physical, sexual and/or psychological violence. Domestic violence impacts everyone from children who witness violence in the home, to teens in dating relationships and those in later life who have been married for many years.

As a staff member at Safe Harbor I have seen men, women and children of all ages, nationalities and classes come through our doors seeking help. Each one has a different story and takes a different path to healing. The two things they share is the knowledge that something is wrong and the desire to get help.

Abuse comes in many forms, including:

Emotional abuse: using insults and mind games to make the victim feel worthless;

Isolation: keeping the victim from seeing friends or family;

Coercion and threats: threatening to harm the victim or those they love, threatening to commit suicide, or reporting them to authorities if they do not stay;

Economic abuse: denying access to money or a job, or taking money the victim has earned without asking;

Using children: having children relay messages or using visitation as a means to harass the victim.

The list goes on. Abuse occurs when one person in a relationship uses violent, hurtful or manipulative means to control another. The impact of this can last long after the relationship ends. The Center for Disease Control found that children who witness domestic violence in the home are at a higher risk for developing anxiety, depression and academic problems as well as drug and alcohol addictions later in life. Some of the most common side effects for adults are suicidal behavior, depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Many people ask why victims of domestic violence stay. A better question is: Why do abusers hurt their intimate partners? More importantly, what can we, as a community, do to stop it?

Raise awareness. Take the time to educate yourself about what domestic violence looks like. Talk to your friends and family about abuse and how to avoid it. Research your local domestic violence agency and ask for a speaker to come to your work, school, church or club. The more we talk about domestic violence, the more we can change our community.

Listen to those around you. Victims in an actively abusive relationship may not know that what they are experiencing is abuse. Look for the red flags. Children especially may not know that abuse is not normal.

Provide a safe space for people to talk. Many people are uncomfortable admitting that they are in an abusive relationship. The shame of what others may think keeps people silent. If someone comes to you to talk, remember, you may be the first person they are telling. Kindness from you may help them choose to get help.

Be supportive. If you have a friend or family member who is being abused, you may wonder why they stay and why they cannot just run away. When you ask, they may not have an answer. Behind even the unhealthiest relationship is a bond of love. Victims may be afraid, feel alone, or not be ready to admit there is a problem. Let them know they are not alone. If you do not know what to do or say, call the GRRH at (804) 612-6126.

Advocate. Virginia is our home and the laws are designed to protect us. Let your local officials know that you care about domestic violence in our community. Let them know you support laws protecting victims. If you want to be more hands-on, contact a local domestic violence agency and ask about volunteering. Making Virginia safe for everyone starts with you.

If you or someone you know is being abused, please call the Greater Richmond Regional Hotline at 804-612-6126. We are here to help. Even one person can make a difference, and you can be that person.
YORKTOWN  The old Yorktown Victory Center has a new home, a new name and a bigger story to tell.

New galleries and films debuted last weekend under the banner of the American Revolution Museum at York-town, a handle reflective of the more ambitious telling of the story of the war that transformed the 13 British Colonies into the United States of America. The building housing the museum also is relatively new, having opened in March 2015. It has operated on a limited basis since then as the new museum developed.

The new museum features 22,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, hundreds of newly acquired historical artifacts, strategically placed high-tech interactive components and an experiential theater that features fog, wind and butt kickersreverberations that thunder through the benches as cannonballs fly on the screen. The new place has a similar mission to the old place  telling the story of the war that essentially ended at Yorktown where the British surrendered  but the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown takes a far more elaborate approach.

Its the difference between a narrow road going from Boston to Yorktown, said Tom Davidson,cq/google senior curator, and a multilane highway going from Boston to Yorktown.

While last weekend was a major milestone, the museums official grand opening isnt scheduled until next spring when improvements to the outdoor living-history components are completed. The re-created Continental Army encampment will triple in size with additional space for artillery demonstrations and military drills. The revamped revolution-era farm will include a larger farmhouse as well asand a structure representing slave quarters.

The project has been in the works since 2007 when the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of Trustees adopted a master plan that ultimately included plans for replacing the Yorktown Victory Center that opened in 1976 as part of Virginias bicentennial celebration.

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is a state agency that operates the Yorktown site as well as Jamestown Settlement. Planning, site renovations, and building and exhibit construction were financed by the state. Private donations paid for acquisitions of artifacts, elements within the galleries and outdoor exhibits, and educational resources.

The original facility housing Yorktown Victory Center closed in March 2015 (and was later demolished), and the new 80,000-square-foot building opened the next day on the museums 22-acre site, just off the Colonial Parkway and less than 2 miles from Yorktown Battlefield.

War viewed in context of world events

By design, the museum now takes a more holistic view of the revolution, said Peter Armstrong,cq/google senior director of museum operations and education.

The story of the American Revolution is a world story, Armstrong said during an open house for the media before last weekends opening. Were very much focusing on that story and how it affects the whole world.

The new galleries focus on the relationship between the American Colonies and Britain  culturally, economically and politically  before and after the war, the challenges faced by the United States as a new nation and the emergence of a new national identity after the revolution and the influences that shaped it.

The battles of the shooting war are also well-represented, but the stories sometimes take a less-familiar path. For example, the Battle of Great Bridge,cq/google fought in December 1775 an hours drive from Yorktown in what is now Chesapeake, receives a good bit of attention. The important victory by American forces led to the departure of Virginias royal governor Lord Dunmore,cq/google who fled to the coast and sailed back to England.

Everybody knows about Lexington and Concord and the shot heard round the world,  Davidson said. We chose to represent another battle of the first of the war, which is the Battle of Great Bridge. Sometimes the conventional telling of Revolutionary War history focuses too narrowly on events in the Northeast. The same kinds of things were going on throughout the Colonies.

The museum also is using 20 historical though lesser-known characters to depict life in America during that era. These characters show up throughout the galleries, including on an 80-inch-tall, high-resolution touch-screen monitor on which visitors can scroll through the life-size characters and select a person to learn about through interactive video.

Its like theyre talking to you, said Heather Hower,cq/google the museums media project manager.

The galleries feature other interactive kiosks that invite visitors to delve into the demographics at the time or try their hand at leading armies into battle, but there also are encased artifacts that tell the story: a portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, cq/googleone of the earliest known portraits of an African who had been enslaved in the Colonies, an early (June 1776) printing of the Declaration of Independence and  one of the few holdovers from the old Victory Center  a wooden British cannon carriage from 1781.

Theres even an American long rifle on loan from Queen Elizabeth II of England. The rifle had been captured in South Carolina during the war and presented to the royal family by a British officer.

This is the first time its been back to America since 1782, Davidson said.

The rifle will be on display for several months.

Battles are real with sensory technology

The stories told in the galleries are reinforced with short films in three mini-theaters, plus the new Liberty Fever film that serves as an introduction to visitors in a 170-seat theater before they enter the galleries. The theater-in-the-round within the galleries features a film just shy of nine minutes that puts viewers in the middle of the Siege of Yorktown through the use of scent cannons, which make the smells of battle seem real, and other sensory technology, including low-frequency sound vibrations that rumble through the theater benches at appropriate times.

It helps immerse you in the film, Hower said.

Naturally, an underlying theme of the museum is what drove the Americans to revolt in the first place, which strikes Davidson as remarkable and an interesting study.

Late Colonial Americans, by the standards of the 18th century, are not oppressed people, heDavidson said. Theyre relatively prosperous, and theyre relatively free, but they had this irritant of the mother country dominating their affairs.
The streets of Lexington are paved with history, from Gen. Robert E. Lees legacy to that of George William Crump, who as a Washington College student in 1804 became the United States first recorded streaker.

Whether noble or notorious, the stories of Lee, Crump and 68 other local historic figures are engraved on 70 granite pavers inserted along the brick sidewalks of downtown Lexington.

A ceremony Friday afternoon marked the completion of the first phase of the project, dubbed The Righteous and Rascals of Rockbridge.

Brief inscriptions on each paver memorialize the most significant characters of Lexington and Rockbridge County history, people both reverent, rascally and those  like most of us humans  with a touch of both, said Eric Wilson, executive director of the Rockbridge Historical Society.

When organizers began the project four years ago as a way to promote the past of a city steeped with history, their first job was to decide who should get a paver.

The first prerequisite: Youve got to be dead, Wilson said

Beyond that, some of the choices were no-brainers. There was Lee, who after the Civil War served as president of Washington College and is buried on campus. And his fellow Civil War general Thomas Stonewall Jackson, who lived in Lexington and is also buried there. And Thomas Jefferson, who purchased the Natural Bridge landmark from the King of England. And Gen. George C. Marshall, a soldier and statesman who was a cadet at Virginia Military Institute. And Lewis and Clark expedition leaders William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, who also had ties to Rockbridge County.

It was a lot easier to find the big boys, the George Marshalls and the Robert E. Lees, said Mark Cline, a local artist who served on a committee that spearheaded the project.

In their search for the lesser-known among the rascals and the righteous, committee members researched the history of people like Crump, who was charged with public indecency in 1804 when he was a senior at what is now Washington and Lee University.

Crump is considered the pioneer of streaking  probably enough in itself to earn a paver, but that was not all that he did in life.

When not running naked through the streets of Lexington, Crump later made a career of running for office, serving in the Virginia House of Delegates and the 19th U.S. Congress from 1826-7, according to a biography that appears on the Righteous and Rascals website, rrRockbridge.org.

Although his tenure as an elected official was but a flash, the website states, Crump was later appointed by President Andrew Jackson to serve, more tamely than in his youthful days in Lexington, as chief clerk of the Pension Bureau, for 16 years running.

Other less-celebrated luminaries include Mary Greenlee, the first white woman settler in the region whose success as a feisty tavern owner might have prompted accusations by some that she practiced witchcraft, and Chief Cornstalk, a Shawnee warrior murdered by local militia in 1777.

The pavers were funded by sponsors, who paid upwards of $1,000 to underwrite a tribute to someone like George Washington (the countrys first president surveyed the Natural Bridge property and helped establish the Lexington college that bears his name along with Lees). Sponsorship of a rascals paver might cost $250 or so.

At Fridays celebration, management of the program was passed from its founding committee to the Rockbridge Historical Society.

The society plans to promote the walk  which takes visitors through four centuries of local history on four downtown streets  with organized tours. Also in the works is an improved website, which will offer more details of the historic figures lives than what appears on the notebook-sized pavers, that by necessity include fewer words than are found in most tweets.

Wilson said the society likely will add more pavers, which are engraved by Shawn Hamric of C.L. Hamric Memorials in Lexington.

Maybe every two or three years, well put another five or seven down, he said.

Already, organizers have been pleased to notice more pedestrians in downtown Lexington with their heads down  although it can be hard to tell whether they are checking out a paver or just checking their smartphones.

Sometimes its a little of both, Cline said, because they are taking pictures.
gerryh said: best thing, turn the middle east into a giant glass bowl. Click to expand...

of course that's way preferable to them never having been born in the first place.:roll::lol::?:binky:isn't it interesting though, that in order to defeat the ideological scourge known as Islam, who are simply adhering to what they believe, one must turn their back on their own philosophy to get the job properly done.
Curious Cdn said: ... a larger market with an overvalued currency, like the Yanks have. We might even be able to sell them manufactured goods ...cars! .... and not just wood and ore because our labour will be cheaper. Click to expand...

petros said: We have the best tradesmen in the world to farm out to train the lesser. The labour and human capital of Canadians is incredible. Click to expand...

Danbones said: India graduates more engineers then the US does graduates, and the Chinese do it cheaper...



we are about to go through a quadcore speed industrial revolution to robots and AIs

it's all going to change and our politicians can't keep up as it is



brits don't need our cars, they make some nice ones themselves already

they have been through several revolutions more then most, and might recover more quickly because of past experience Click to expand...

Trade would certainly tend to limit itself to higher-valued non-perishables due to the transatlantic transportation costs, but that would still be something.We might benefit from the undervalued CAD and the overvalued GBP initially, but a growing Canadian balance of trade surplus relative to the UK would naturally impose an upward pressure on the Canadian dollar and a downward one on the GBP until they eventually reach equilibrium. So any advantage we have on that front would be short-lived.However, both sides would continue to benefit from greater economies of scale.Plus if we have an open border, some Canadians whose skills are in demand in the UK and some Britons whose skills are in demand in Canada would cross over so as to fill labour sortages on each side. Employers have access to more qualified labour market and workers have access to a lager job market.It would also tend to equalize wages between the two countries too.This would give them greater access to jobs in trades education in the UK. Inversely, Britons might come to Canada to apprentice.IN an open-border agreement, we could benefit from that experience too.As long as the UK agrees that any agreement between it and us limits neither side to trade with others too. So no domestic-content requirements, no restrictions on trade agreements either side might sign with other states, etc.
TRADERS affected by black market tobacco dealers have called for tougher punishments for criminals caught peddling illicit cigarettes.

They described the market for dodgy tobacco and cigs as "rife" in the borough and told how it impacts on their businesses.

HM Revenue and Customs estimates up to 2 billion a year is lost in tax through smuggling - and livelihoods are hit at stores which follow the rules.

Adeed Kassim, who runs the Millmoor Store in Masbrough, said: "It does have a big effect on us. Customers will come in and ask for the cheap cigarettes or tobacco, and we say that we only do UK duty paid.

"So they go to places they know sell the other, where they can get 50g of tobacco for 3.

"I've had people come back to our shop after buying illegal tobacco somewhere else and it was rotten but they couldn't get a refund. I advise them to only buy UK duty tobacco."

Mr Kassim called for HMRC to carry out more check ups on small shops - and severely punish owners selling illegal products.

He said: "They should have their officers going in and recording conversations with cameras.

"Shops that are breaking the rules should be banned from selling tobacco. I think that would make other shopkeepers take notice and realise they have to take it more seriously."

About nine million adults in the UK are smokers - including nearly one in five in Rotherham.

Raids at three shops - in the town centre, Bradgate and Eastwood - uncovered 10,000 cigarettes worth 2,000 on October 4, with stashes hidden in secret compartments.

And tobacco firm JTI has reported that 61 per cent of rolling tobacco bought in the Yorkshire region is non-UK duty paid.

Terry Fieldhouse, who owns TC's Minimart in Catcliffe, blamed high prices for legal products and restrictions like plain packaging for fuelling the black market.

"Illegal tobacco is very rife," he added. "Brinsworth and Catcliffe is a high unemployment area, everyone is trying to save a bob or two, so people buy illegal tobacco.

"Because customs and excise are more interested in the big boys, the smaller places get away with it more.

"They should look at the small places and when they catch someone that's doing it, shut them down rather than just giving them a slap on the wrist.

"For businesses like us, it's getting harder and harder to keep going. The minimum wage is going up, bills are going up, but takings are down."

Steve Wilkins, JTI's anti-illicit trade director, said: "Smokers buying cheap, fake cigarettes and tobacco may be getting more than they bargain for.

"Many of these fake imitations sold by criminals have been found to contain asbestos, mould, dust, dead flies and even rat droppings.

"And the availability of cheap, illegal tobacco across towns and cities in the UK is damaging communities.

"Along with retailers, suppliers and the Government, we all have a role to play to combat this issue."

Roger Critchell, Crimestoppers director of operations, said: "As a crime-fighting charity, Crimestoppers has a responsibility to tackle all types of crime, and working alongside JTI, we hope to be able to clean the streets of illicit tobacco.

"The link this trade has to serious and organised crime is very real, and with the help of information from the public on those supplying and selling these fake products, our aim is to ensure your community is a safe place to live."
A SHOP owner has died in hospital seven weeks after being attacked.

Judith Ducker (64) was attacked in a robbery at Wellgate News, Wellgate, on Thursday, September 1, between 11 am and 11.25am.

Mrs Ducker suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital but died yesterday (October 20).

Detectives investigating the incident want to trace the people pictured in the CCTV images as potential witnesses to the crime and have stressed they are not in any trouble.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: A post-mortem examination was carried out this morning and while Mrs Ducker did have underlying health conditions, the results were inconclusive and the cause of death has not been ascertained.

Further tests have been requested.

Det Sgt Andy Shields said: This is an incredibly sad time for Mrs Duckers family and friends and my thoughts and sympathies are with them.

We are continuing to investigate the incident and we are very keen to identify and trace the man and woman on the CCTV images, as we believe they may have entered the store between the times stated and be the last people to have possibly seen or spoken to Mrs Ducker prior to the alleged attack.

I want to make clear they are not in any trouble at all and we do only want to trace them as potential witnesses, as they may have vital information that is crucial to our investigation.

Call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting incident number 388 of September 2.

Paul Storm Blueitt (36), of Cambridge Crescent, Rotherham, was charged with attempted murder and robbery on September 6 in connection with the incident.

He appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on October 3 and was remanded in custody until his next court date on December 19.

No pleas have been entered but a seven-day trial has been provisionally listed for March 6, 2017.
Christies Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction on 8 November Christies Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction on 8 November 2022 presents the very best in outstanding gemstones, alongside historic and modern jewels, led by The Fortune Pink (estimate: CHF25,000,000-35,000,000), an exceptional fancy vivid pink...

SUNLIGHT opens flagship in the legendary place of Old Arbat Jewelry chain No. 1 SUNLIGHT revives jewelry traditions by opening the doors of its flagship store in Old Arbat on the site of the elite boutique "Gems", known for having a separate entrance and a secret VIP room for the "Soviet nobility"...

Call for KPCS to commit to serious reforms The Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC) has called on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) to come to terms with the shortcomings of the certification scheme and to commit to serious reforms. A KPCS plenary...

Barrick Gold secures future of DRC mine with exploration success Barrick Gold says the ability of the Kibali mine, Africas largest gold mine to replace its reserves beyond depletion will secure its position as one of the companys tier-one assets well into the future. Company president and chief executive Mark Bristow...
Botswana Diamonds and its joint venture partner Alrosa commenced the first phase of a four-hole drilling programme on Prospecting Licence PL 135 in the Gope region of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana.

It said the licence was their top priority target and the drilling programme would target new kimberlites.

Intensive soil sampling and electromagnetic studies had identified anomalies in the geology. The Gope drill campaign is breaking new ground in one of the most remote deserts on earth, said Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling.

no mining companies have ventured here before to undertake drilling programmes. And yet the preliminary geochemical and geophysical indicators are strongly positive.

We are at the cutting edge of diamond exploration and are cautiously optimistic of finding kimberlites.

The core resulting from the drilling programme would be analysed by Alrosa mineralogists present in Botswana.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




NEHAWKA  A family of six was killed in an early morning house fire northeast of Weeping Water, but the cause remained under investigation late Thursday.

Nebraska State Fire Marshal investigators couldnt confirm the number of deaths in the rural Cass County home at 10014 McKelvie Road, according to a news release. But a family member said on Facebook that Mike and Michelle Speer and their four daughters, Elli, Adilyn, Emma and Anniston, were killed

Autopsies will be performed following recovery efforts, the release said.

Late Thursday afternoon, investigators patrolled the property as fire crews sprayed water on the charred remains of the white two-story farmhouse, located in a grove of trees surrounded by soybeans along a gravel road.

Part of the green-shingled roof lay on the pile of ashes with the chimney the only part of the house intact.

Its basically a two-story house, and its completely on the ground, Deputy State Fire Marshal Adam Matzner told Flood communications. We dont have any walls standing.

A neighbor called 911 reporting people were inside the burning home just after midnight Thursday, the release stated.

Fire and rescue crews from Weeping Water, Manley and Avoca along with sheriff's deputies arrived to find the two-story home engulfed in flames, the release said.

But they couldn't get inside the blazing home, Matzner said.

The State Fire Marshals Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Cass County Sheriff's Office and the Cass County Attorneys Office.

Investigators didnt release additional details Thursday and authorities said the investigation could likely continue into Friday.

The Speers bought the house six miles northeast of Weeping Water in July, according to the Cass County Assessors Office.

Family members couldn't be reached for comment Thursday evening.
Mining major Rio Tinto has announced third quarter production, where Argyle registered 10.37 mn cts for nine months 2016 that is 3% higher than previous year's nine month production; and Diavik production was 3.0 mn cts, an increase of 2% from year 2015 production. The total 9 month diamond production of Rio Tinto recorded 13.37 mn cts, that recorded 3% more than the production during same period of the previous year.

According to the company, diamonds carats produced at Argyle were higher due to continued ramp-up of the underground mine, resulting in higher volumes processed, which was partially offset by lower grades. At Diavik, carats recovered in the third quarter were slightly lower than the previous quarter, reflecting lower grades, offset by higher ore availability.

Rio Tinto's total production figures for Q3 2016 indicated 4.40 mn cts, a 3.4 % increase from Q3 2015. Argyle contributed 3.49 mn cts which is 1% less than Q3 of 2015, and Diavik recorded 0.92 mn cts, which is 22% more than Q3 of 2015.

Despite diamond production increased in the third quarter, Rio Tinto has lowered the top end of its diamond output guidance for this year. The mining major expects to produce between 18 mn cts and 20 mn cts this year, compared with an earlier forecast of 18 mn cts to 21 mn cts. Rio Tinto owns 100 percent of the Argyle mine and 60 percent of Diavik.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




The All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), the national nodal trade body for the promotion and growth of trade in gems and jewellery across India, has raised concerns for Goods and services Tax (GST) rate of 4% and has proposed GST rate of 1.25% for the gems & jewellery sector. GJF sought minimal GST rates even as the GST Council commenced a crucial 3-day meeting to set rates.

Indian authorities plan to replace indirect tax with GST, and GJF has proposed that the GST Council should consider levying excise duty on the unorganised gems & jewellery sector.

G.V. Sreedhar, Chairman, GJF, said, Gold is a very sensitive product and cannot be taxed at higher levels. While the G&J Industry is now gearing up for the forthcoming GST era, the proposed rate of 4% will hamper the growth of the industry and turn into unorganized sector. There is an entire precedent on VAT collections in the past and 1% was the highest revenue collector from G&J industry. Therefore GJF has proposed that the GST rate for the gems & jewellery sector should be kept at 1.25%, if the Government expects the industry to be compliant and get organized.

He also added that GJF will be sending the representation to FM on GST in this week, highlighting various concerns of the sector.

Ashok Minawala, Member-High Level Committee (HLC) on excise duty, Director-GJF, said that earlier small jewellers were kept out of purview of the Excise Duty.

"Therefore, while we welcome GST, we request the GST Council to kindly recognize the practical issues faced by the sector as highlighted in the HLC Report before making any decisions,  he added.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




FMC Technologies Inc. (FTI) has agreed to pay a $2.5 million penalty to settle charges it overstated profits in one of its segments, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday.

Two former executives at the Houston-based solutions company have agreed to settle charges that they caused the violations to meet internal targets.

The SEC's order found that after being pressured to improve the financial performance of the energy infrastructure segment at FMC Technologies, the segment's then controller Jeffrey Favret and a business unit controller Steven Croft artificially reduced the value of a liability recorded by the company for employee paid time off.

These improper adjustments overstated the segment's pre-tax operating profits by $800,000, which enabled the business to meet an internal target for the first quarter of 2013, the SEC said.

In addition, Favret and Croft also corrected a $730,000 error recorded in 2012 that increased their segment's operating results for first quarter 2013, but did not inform the company's controller.

Later, the two signed management representation letters attesting they did not make out-of-period adjustments larger than $250,000 recorded during that period.

FMC Technologies, Favret and Croft consented to the SEC's order without admitting or denying the findings. In addition to the $2.5 million penalty to be paid by FMC Technologies, Favret agreed to pay a $30,000 penalty and Croft agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty.

"Companies must accurately report their financial performance without regard to internal targets. Favret and Croft manipulated results to create the impression that the business was performing better than reality," Stephanie Avakian, Deputy Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, said.

Favret and Croft, who no longer work at FMC Technologies, also agreed to suspensions from appearing or practicing before the SEC as accountants. This includes not participating in the financial reporting or audits of public companies. However, they can apply for reinstatement after two years.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
British American Tobacco plc (BATS.L,BTI) reported Friday that its nine-month revenue grew 10.2 percent, further enhanced by the relative weakness in Sterling against the company's key trading currencies.

Revenue at constant rates of exchange increased 8.1 percent, while the increase was 6.2 percent on an organic basis.

Cigarette volume from subsidiaries was 497 billion, 2.2 percent higher than last year. Total tobacco volume was up 2 percent to 515 billion.

Higher Cigarette volume in a number of , notably in Ukraine, Bangladesh, Russia, Vietnam and Turkey, was partly offset by industry declines in Pakistan, Brazil and Venezuela. Volume in the three months to September was flat, but fell 1.3 percent on an organic basis.

Market share was up 40 bps year-to-date, driven by the Global Drive Brands, which grew market share by 90 bps.

Looking ahead, the company said it is on track to deliver another year of good earnings growth at constant rates of exchange.

Separately, BAT, which owns 42.2 percent of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), has made a proposal to acquire the remaining 57.8 percent stake. The proposed merger values Reynolds at $56.50 per share.

The total consideration for the remaining 57.8% of Reynolds would be $47 billion, of which approximately $20 billion would be in cash and $27 billion in BAT shares.

The company noted that the U.S. securities law required BAT to announce its merger proposal promptly after it was made to the Board of Reynolds. As a result, BAT has been unable to have prior negotiations with Reynolds regarding the proposal.

The proposed price represents a 20 percent premium to the closing share price on October 20. Settlement is proposed to be by a mix of both $24.13 in cash and 0.5502 shares of BAT for each Reynolds share.

The proposal is earnings accretive in the first full year, including modest cost synergies and is expected to result in an accretive dividend per share for shareholders.

According to BAT, the combined company would be the world's largest tobacco and Next Generation Products by net turnover and operating profit.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Employees of Facebook, the world's largest social network, reportedly considered to censor hate posts from US Presidential candidate Donald Trump, however, the matter was resolved by CEO Mark Zuckerberg intervention.

According to The Wall Street Journal, some Facebook employees accused certain posts of Trump on Facebook, like the call to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S., promoted hate speech, which violated the website's regulations.

However, Zuckerberg intervened in to the matter and deemed "it would be inappropriate to censor the candidate," the report says.

"When we review reports of content that may violate our policies, we take context into consideration," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider. "That context can include the value of political discourse. Many people are voicing opinions about this particular content and it has become an important part of the conversation around who the next U.S. president will be. For those reasons, we are carefully reviewing each report and surrounding context relating to this content on a case by case basis."

Many employees across the company have voiced their complaints on Facebook's internal messaging service and Zuckerberg for bending the site's rules for Trump, with some event threatening to quit the company.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The Fremont City Council continues its public hearing process at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 8 inside the City Council Chambers, 400 E. Military Ave., to receive public comments and conduct second and third readings of the ordinance involving the establishment of a downtown Business Improvement District (BID).

The BID, like the old DID (Downtown Improvement District), would work to strengthen existing businesses and attract new investments to downtown, information released by the City of Fremont says. Projects can include promotions and marketing, continued work through MainStreet of Fremont, beautification, physical improvements and other efforts to heighten interest in the downtown area. These projects are designed to combine Fremonts unique history with updates to present a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere for people to dine, shop, live, work and play.

The proposed BID would be funded by assessments on real properties valuations within the BID and collected with County property tax. Former DID fees would end, reducing overall costs for businesses. For example, a property valued at $100,000 would pay $185 per year. Annual budget for costs and expenses of work are estimated at $48,195.62, and work to be performed over a five-year period would not exceed $240,978.08. Properties that are owner-occupied residential and properties that are exempt from ad valorem taxes will not be subject to the assessment.

Discrepancies in BID boundaries and property owner notification were discussed During an Oct. 11 Council meeting. The City has since mailed property owners the boundary clarifications and notice of upcoming public hearings, released information says.

Thanks to the comments received during the public hearing on October 11, several inaccuracies were brought to light regarding the proposed BID boundary and effected property owners, said Brian Newton, interim city manager. A corrected boundary description, which aligns with the existing downtown zoning district, has since been mailed to property owners in the proposed BID. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the changes at the October 25 and November 8, 2016 public hearings.

The proposed BID will replace the existing Downtown Improvement District (DID) that has been actively working to develop and promote downtown Fremont for over 10 years. The authority given to the City Council to establish a business improvement district is through the Nebraska Business Improvement District Act, released information says.
Walking into the Dodge County Clerks Office Thursday afternoon, a small, red, white and blue booth was tucked away neatly in the corner.

Since Sept. 23, Dodge County residents have been visiting the Office, 435 N. Park St, Room 102 inside of the Dodge County Courthouse, filling out and handing in absentee ballots.

Per state law, Nebraska residents can begin submitting absentee ballots 45 days prior to an upcoming election. Dodge County Clerk Fred Mytty said that so far, right around 1,800 Dodge County Residents have mailed in absentee ballots or stopped by the office  the only open polling station  to complete the voting process.

The record is around 2,300 (absentees), Mytty said. Presidential years are far different though than Gubernatorial years  this could break the record this year for the most absentees.

During the primary election held in May, around 30 percent of Dodge County residents filled out ballots, Mytty said. Of that number, 41 percent were Republicans and 27 percent were Democrats.

Mytty expected a drastic increase in voter participation in the November election, which is why the high number of absentee ballots doesnt shock him.

Im not surprised, theres a lot of interest in the races this year, he said. Youve got the Fremont races, youve got the Legislative race, youve got the presidential race, youve got the capital punishment referendum  just a lot of stuff on the ballot this year.

While many people have completed the voting process, its important for those who havent to be informed about a few important upcoming dates.

Friday, Oct. 21, is the final day for mail-in registrations, and the final day deputy registrars can register people to vote. Deputy registrars are agencies outside of the County Clerks office. A common registrar is the DMV.

The main agency that accepts voter registration is the DMV, because when you apply for a drivers license you can also check that you want to be registered to vote.

Additionally, between Friday and Oct. 28, people who havent registered to vote must do so by visiting the County Clerks office. This time period is also the last time people can request an absentee ballot be mailed to their home address.

The absentee ballot must be returned to the County Clerks Office, or dropped off in the drop-box in the alleyway between the Courthouse and Judicial Center, by 8 p.m. on Nov. 8  election night.

For more information, people are encouraged to contact Mytty at 402-727-2767.
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
By SA Commercial Prop News

SA government agreed with seven listed construction groups found to have participated in collusion. The companies will contribute R1.5 billion to help black-owned partners grow.



The South African Government reached an agreement with seven listed construction groups found to have participated in collusion. The companies will contribute R1.5 billion to help black-owned partners grow.

This is in addition to a R1.4 billion fine imposed on WBHO, Aveng, Murray & Roberts, Group Five, Basil Read, Raubex and Stefanutti Stocks by the competition authorities. The companies have a combined annual construction revenue of approximately R45bn.

The seven major construction and engineering firms met secretly in 2006 to allocate tenders on FIFA World Cup stadium projects and to agree on a 17.5 percent profit margin.

ALSO READ: Black women-owned company to buy majority stake in Aveng

The groups agreed to sell at least 40% of their shares to black people or help up to three black-owned companies build their turnover.

These commitments were part of an overall agreement imposed by the Competition Tribunal and payment of a further R1.5bn to a fund to support social investment initiatives.

ALSO READ: Murray & Roberts shifts focus, quits the lucrative Construction sector

Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe announced at a post cabinet media briefing on Thursday that the CEOs of these companies would sign "integrity commitments" to wide ranging steps to ensure no collusive or corrupt practices took place in their companies in dealings with competitors government and other private sector clients.

"The settlement agreement provides for certain formal processes to be finalised within the next few weeks and these are being processed and attended to and an announcement will be made on conclusion of these processes Radebe said.

He noted that the "partner model"  the alternative to the "equity model" to sell shares to blacks  would involve construction companies working with up to three black-owned construction partner companies to help them generate turnover equal to 25% of its own turnover.

ALSO READ: SA Property Sector speaks out on collusive tendering in Construction Industry

"This commitment has been valued in excess of R9bn annual turnover by the end of the agreement period Radebe said.

The agreement he noted would accelerate transformation of the construction industry.

In addition to paying fines and the commitments made under the new agreement with government, the construction companies also face legal action by a range of institutions such as the Cape Town city council and the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), which say they had to pay more for their projects as a result of the collusion and bid-rigging.

ALSO READ: Construction Companies are in for another Penalty

The agreement also provides a framework for settlement of claims by the industry regulator, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) as well as civil claims by public entities against companies arising from the investigations by the competition commission for a period up to 2010, which were brought before the Competition Tribunal in 2013.

In June 2013, altogether 15 construction companies agreed to pay fines totaling R1.4bn for collusive tendering. Settlements in the collusion cases were reached in terms of the construction fast-track settlement process, which had been started early in February 2011.



In terms of this process, companies were encouraged to make full and truthful disclosure of bid rigging, in return for penalties lower than what the Competition Commission would have sought if the cases were prosecuted.

ALSO READ: Construction sector looks up to Government's planned infrastructure spend



Gugile Nkwinti, Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, and chairperson of the Management Committee of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC), said the agreement that was reached heralds in a new relationship between government and the construction industry.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Basil Read continues to be buffeted by the R4.6bn St Helena Airport it is building on behalf of the British government.



Basil Read continues to be buffeted by the R4.6bn St Helena Airport it is building on behalf of the British government, despite the UK department for international development confirming there are no legal claims around wind-related project delays.

The JSE-listed construction and engineering group has a 10-year contract to operate the airport.

The company says it is not to blame for the design debacle, which has seen wind shear and turbulence prevent commercial flights from landing on the remote south Atlantic island, despite the opening of the airport to traffic. But the British media has been having a field day over the saga, made more spicy as a post-Brexit government struggles to keep the issue at the top of its agenda.

Funded by the department for international development, it has been a millstone around the necks of project participants, including Comair. The South African airline is contracted to service the island with a 10 hour return flight from Johannesburg once a week. But these have not begun because of safety concerns.

ALSO READ: Black women-owned company to buy majority stake in Aveng

Basil Read says, however, that the airport has allowed for a number of medical air evacuations that were previously not possible. The island is home to about 4,000 permanent inhabitants. Until recently, it could be reached by sea only.

A representative of the department said there are no legal claims relating to the wind shear problem.

Basil Read says that after more than four years of construction, the aerodrome certificate was issued on May 10 by regulator Air Safety Support International, a subsidiary of the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

In reporting its six-month results to June, Basil Read also says that liquidity remains tight, especially in the construction division, and that cash outflows are largely due to working capital changes, as advance payments received on the St Helena airport project are being unwound as the contract nears completion.

No, Basil Read is not to blame [for the wind shear problems], says Jimmy Johnston, executive officer responsible for the St Helena airport project. The airport has been fully operational since the aerodrome certificate was issued, with various charter flights landing on a regular basis.

He says: Wind shear affects all aircraft to a greater or lesser degree, subject to weather conditions, but if the wind conditions are good, then there is no wind shear.

The development of the airport was approved in 2010 by the then UK development secretary Andrew Mitchell, according to The Guardian newspaper.

The cliff-top landing strip was part of a plan to end the islands dependency on UK government subsidies. The RMS St Helena, which carries tourists and locals on a five-day journey between the island and Cape Town, is due to be retired but will continue for the time being.

The scope of construction work for the airport caters for aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320 and Boeing 737800, an airport terminal building of 3,500m and a bulk fuel installation for 6-million litres, along with a 14km airport access road. Phase two work will run to 2026.

The departments representative says that UK Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel has appointed an external expert to review the evidence. The department will establish a panel to find a solution.

The representative also says steps are being taken to tackle turbulence and wind shear, which are notoriously difficult to predict in advance.

All the parties are committed to work intensively to find a solution, and getting it right will take some time, the representative says.

While delays are always frustrating, safety is our paramount concern and we will not commence commercial flights until we are satisfied with every aspect of airport operations.

Stuart Cochrane, Comair executive manager of business processes, says Comair is not directly involved in gathering weather information at St Helena airport, but an implementation flight was conducted to ensure the airline would be able to offer a safe, reliable air service.

Data from this flight indicates that more work needs to be done to mitigate turbulence and wind shear on the approach. We remain willing to work with all stakeholders to provide an air service to the island, Cochrane says.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Murray & Roberts, Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon, Group Five, Stefanutti Stocks, Raubex, Basil Read and Aveng agreed to pay annual dues over 12 years into a trust governed by trustees appointed by the government.



Competition Tribunal on Wednesday confirmed an immunity agreement between JSE-listed construction group Aveng struck with the Competition Commission.

Layne Quilliam, counsel for the commission, said at a tribunal hearing that the purpose of the consent agreement and application was to confirm the collusive conduct of Aveng as a contravention of the Competition Act to allow third parties to seek civil damages.

Quilliam said the commission was not seeking a penalty in this application because Aveng had been granted conditional immunity in terms of the commissions corporate leniency policy.

ALSO READ: Black women-owned company to buy majority stake in Aveng

He said the collusive conduct that formed the subject of this consent agreement related to 10 construction matters that Aveng informed the commission of in terms of the fast-track settlement process.



Quilliam said Aveng was also the leniency applicant for the 2011 complaint related to the Transnet Railway Maintenance tenders.



He said the consent agreement was based on two complaints, the first involving the September 2009 complaint initiated by the commissioner against pervasive collusive conduct in the construction industry.



Aveng was cited in this complaint and it included collusive tendering through the exchange of prices, he said.

The commission has been cracking down on collusion across many sectors, with Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel increasingly taking a hard line on companies.

Several state entities including the City of Cape Town, have threatened civil action against construction companies accused of collusion.

Seven of SAs major construction and engineering companies agreed last week to participate in a R1.5bn voluntary settlement agreement to allay competition penalties and speed up transformation in the sector.

Murray & Roberts, Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon, Group Five, Stefanutti Stocks, Raubex, Basil Read and Aveng agreed to pay annual dues over 12 years into a trust governed by trustees appointed by the government, the construction companies and the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors.

The R1.5bn agreement with the state is in addition to the R1.46bn already levied on 15 construction firms for collusion.

Aveng spokeswoman Sorita van Tonder said on Wednesday: Aveng confirms it has signed a consent agreement with the Competition Commission, which relates to the historical projects for which it was the immunity applicant in 2013.

No relief is sought against Aveng and the company will not incur penalties. Aveng has processes ... to ensure that this type of behaviour is never again associated with the Aveng brand.

The tribunal said Aveng was the first company to apply for immunity when the commission launched its fast-track project in February 2011 and had concluded an agreement with the commission over various projects.

The projects included water works, a mining crushing project, processing plant project and export railway line, a block of flats in Mossel Bay, rehabilitation of a national road in the Eastern Cape and Transnet railway maintenance tenders.

The fast-track process by the commission gave companies in the construction industry an opportunity to settle with the commission on favourable terms, the tribunal said.

In return for conditional immunity, Aveng disclosed its participation in collusive tendering in a number of projects between 2004 and 2007.

The Competition Commission now confirms that Aveng has complied with the requirements set out in the leniency policy, it said.

Group Five was also among the first construction companies to approach the Competition Commission.

Aveng shares fell 2.64 percent on the JSE yesterday to close at R7.
As Historic Downtown Fremont flooded with thousands of people Thursday evening during Halloween Hysteria, once spectacle drew in more people than the majority of the others.

For the 16th year, First National Bank Fremont hosted its annual Haunted Bank inside of the downtown branch, Sixth and Main St.

For the first 14 years, the event was designed as a fun event primarily for adults  it was actually intended to be scary. However, the past two years of the haunted house havent been intended to be scary, rather, the attraction is intended to be family-friendly, engaging children of all ages.

We had a ton of feedback last year that parents liked the kid-friendly version, said Kim Schwarz, assistant bank manager.

This years theme revolved around the storied author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss.

After transforming the bank into a Candy Land-themed adventure in 2015, bank staff thought that incorporating the Dr. Seuss theme would make for an entertaining, fun evening for everyone who walked through the banks doors.

And it sure was.

Throughout the course of Thursday evening, more than 2,500 people walked through the Seuss-themed rooms on display.

Each room was based off a classic Seuss tale, Schwarz said.

Upon entering, people were immediately surrounded by Whoville, the fictional town featured in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Prior to leaving the bank, people entered rooms based off of The Cat and the Hat, The Lorax, a Grinch-themed room and a Horton Hears a Who-themed room.

All of the props used Thursday came from an Omaha business that hosted a similar event, Schwarz said.

Transforming the bank into the big Seuss tale took quite a bit of time and effort.

We started on Tuesday night by pulling everything out of the basement, Wednesday we do a mock run to make sure all of the rooms are going to be set up with all the materials we need, we close Thursday at 3 oclock and then we set everything up between 3 and 5 (p.m.), Schwarz said. So it really is about a three-day process.

All told, 25 First National Bank Fremont employees helped with the Haunted Bank for Kids, and six more actually dressed up as Seuss characters.

Schwarz said that the event serves as a great way to do something fun for the community during Halloween Hysteria.

We love supporting the community and it is a way for us to be even more involved, she said.   We had just a huge turnout this year, it really did exceed our expectations.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Karl Lagerfeld announced his plans to launch his own branded hotel chain, with the first property set to open in the Chinese gambling hub of Macau.



Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld announced on Monday that he plans to launch his own branded hotel chain, with the first to open in the Chinese gambling hub of Macau in 2018.

The 83-year-old German-born designer has already collaborated with luxury Parisian address Le Crillon and the Metropole in Monaco, but the new business will see him and his company design entire hotels.

ALSO READ: Marriott International gains foothold in South Africa with new Hotel Brands

Leading fashion houses from Dior to Diane von Furstenberg have developed a lucrative side-business away from the catwalk by designing suites and other interiors for hotel owners.

Lagerfeld intends to follow the example of rivals such as Armani, Bulgari and Versace which have gone one step further and opened properties under their own names.

ALSO READ: Southern Sun, Hospitality Property Fund given merger green light

His first hotel is being built with a local partner in the luxury Lisboa Palace Complex in Macau, but the Lagerfeld group is "in the process of studying other opportunities to open other properties around the world," it said in a statement.

The current artistic director at Chanel will also lend his talents and trademark to luxury residences, restaurants and private clubs, the group said, as part of a push into the interior design business.

The Lisboa Palace Complex in Macau -- an enclave that is the only place in China where gambling is legal -- will include casinos, restaurants and various hotels, notably the Versace Palace.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Equites Property Fund CEO Andrea Taverna-Turisan said that the continued strong financial results are a reflection of persistent demand for modern well-located logistics facilities.



A strong performance from its industrial warehouse portfolio and other buildings used by the logistics industry, boosted the interim dividend by 20% to 54.44c at JSE-listed Equites Property Fund.

Equites CEO Andrea Taverna-Turisan said that the continued strong financial results are a reflection of persistent demand for modern well-located logistics facilities and the companys focus on institutional tenants and sound property fundamentals.

He said the company is aiming to have a property portfolio that is 25% offshore and 75% local. Equites has achieved rapid growth in its property portfolio from R1bn at listing in June 2014 to R5.9bn in just over two years.

ALSO SEE DEVELOPMENT: Mon Tresor Industrial Freeport Zone In Mauritius

Equites created a strategic partnership with listed group Attacq to pursue industrial developments initially resulting in the acquisition of eight completed industrial properties for R733m at Waterfall City Midrand at an acquisition yield of 8% and an average lease expiry profile of 8.4 years.

It also acquired a Tesco distribution centre in Hinckley England for a purchase consideration of 28m at an acquisition yield of about 7.2% based on the first years rental income of 2.016m. The property is located in a strategic position in the Golden Triangle which is the logistics hub in the United Kingdom. There are seven and a half years remaining on the lease with Tesco.

Equites acquired a 20410m distribution centre in Trentham Lakes Stoke-on-Trent UK which is let to Amazon on a 10-year lease that commenced in July 2016. The acquisition yield was about 6.14% based on the first years rental income of 1.044m. The property is in the centrally located Midlands which benefits from continued strong demand from logistics users in the UK.

The company had previously forecast full year distribution growth for the year ended 28 February 2017 to be 10  12% higher than the previous financial year. But the company has now revised its full year distribution growth forecast to 12  14% higher than the prior year, given the better than expected trading performance and yield accretive acquisitions concluded in the United Kingdom.

Taverna-Turisan concluded: We see strong demand for further development leases on our existing land and will continue to pursue opportunities to acquire logistics properties that meet our investment criteria locally and in the UK. This should continue to provide robust growth to the portfolio value, as well as the distributions.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Wikus Lategan, MD of Calgro M3 said the results were satisfactory given the unpredictable economic environment.



Affordable housing and private memorial parks developer, Calgro M3 Holdings this week said revenue moved up 25.7% to R720m in the interim period to August.

The group acknowledged a big jump in operating profit of 82.5% for the period to R114m was due to its Fleurhof property development now being accounted for as a subsidiary of the company, and not being equity accounted as previously.

ALSO READ: Black women-owned company to buy majority stake in Aveng

In the meanwhile, combined revenue  including from joint ventures and associates  fell 9.9% to R923m in the six months, mainly due to a slowdown in government infrastructure investment in the lead up to recent municipal elections. The group said community unrest at various projects, the worst being at South Hills, in the south of Johannesburg, saw that project brought to a standstill.

I think it has been a challenging period, Wikus Lategan, MD of Calgro M3, said on Monday.

It is no secret that the governments budget has been under pressure for some time now, Lategan said.

ALSO READ: Colluding construction firms agree to pay R1.5bn to help transformation

He said the results were satisfactory given the unpredictable economic environment, and that bottom-line growth would be restored in the second half.

Lategan will take over as CEO from Ben Pierre Malherbe, who will become a nonexecutive director of the company from March 1 2017.

In anticipation of a slowdown in infrastructure spend by the state, Calgro M3 had increased its focus on the private sector.

The groups strategy is to diversify within residential market sectors, he said. Effectively, we want to be able to move more easily between sectors.

He said the government had not stopped spending, but was focusing more on how and where it would spend in light of the poor economy and a possible sovereign ratings downgrade.

Alpha Wealth fund manager Keith McLachlan said on Monday the results were a little bit below expectation, and were largely driven by a lack of infrastructure spend. Even though it was tough times, earnings are down 2%  which is relatively benign, he said. This saw profit after tax of R82.7m, slightly down from R84.2m in the period in 2015.

Lategan said Calgro M3s net debt-equity ratio of 0.53 from 0.59 in February 2016 was comfortable and provided an opportunity to increase gearing.

Accounting the Fleurhof project as a subsidiary resulted in a jump in revenue, cost of sales and gross profit, and a fall in share of profits from joint ventures and associates.

It also affected the group tax rate as the share of profits from joint ventures and associates were accounted for net of tax.

Calgro M3 said the construction of units sold to the private sector commenced only towards the end of the reporting period and would start contributing to profit in the next six months.

It said that cash outflows associated with the R93m payment of the final instalment of the Fleurhof purchase price and a net settlement in borrowings of R13m during the period were supported by positive cash generated from operations.

This was further supported by much lower than usual capital investment in long-term projects due to the consolidation by management of operations ahead of the municipal elections.
By SA Commercial Prop News

The implementation of the Regulation of Land Holdings Bill would reduce foreign investor confidence in South Africa, affecting the economy as a whole, said SAPOA CEO Neil Gopal.



Last week's announcement by President Jacob Zuma during his State of the Nation Address (SONA), regarding proposal to restrict foreign nationals from owning land, has disappointed the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA).

The security of the ownership of properties owned by foreigners, including multinational corporations that have invested in South Africa, has been placed in doubt by comments made by the President.

According to SAPOA, the Presidents statement raises concern about the possible impact on foreign land ownership of property companies, game farms as well as foreign investments in hotels in South Africa.



The government has been publicly discussing the policy for over two years but it is back in the spotlight after President Zuma announced in last weeks State of the Nation Address that Foreigners will not be allowed to own land in South Africa.

"Regulation of Land Holdings Bill will be submitted to Parliament this year, Zuma said.

Under the proposed Bill, foreign nationals and juristic persons [] as well as juristic persons whose dominant shareholder or controller is a foreign controlled enterprise, entity or interest will be prohibited from owning land and instead only eligible to lease land for periods of between 30 to 50 years.

The ban is aimed at farm or agricultural land not residential property.

In addition, the Bill sets a ceiling of land ownership that restricts the amount of land that any individual  regardless of nationality  can own to 12,000 hectares.

Should an individual own land in excess of that amount, the government will purchase and redistribute the land.



The implementation of such a policy would reduce foreign investor confidence in South Africa, affecting the economy as a whole, highlights Neil Gopal, Chief Executive Officer of SAPOA.



The issue of land reform proposals in South Africa is nothing new, says Gopal. As the issue escalates, it has the potential to hamper investor confidence in the country and curb foreign direct investment flows. Foreign investment in property boasts benefits for the commercial property industry, and with such proposals put forward, the industry falls prey to negative knock-on effects, adds Gopal.



SAPOA feels that the change in policy is not justified. South Africas property market is best served by a policy framework which offers investors certainty of land tenure, the promotion of domestic and foreign investment and which supports the allocation of land to its highest and best use on a sustainable basis, explains Gopal.



While we support initiatives to redress the injustices of the past in a balanced manner, we don't believe such land reforms will be positive as the policy is discriminatory and will most likely impede foreign direct investment and job creation, adds Gopal.



I do not believe that the Deeds Registries is in any position to provide reliable or accurate information on the actual extent of foreign land ownership in South Africa. Until we know this, one cannot implement policy changes, says Gopal.



We would like to engage with government with the view of jointly finding solutions to this matter, concludes Gopal.



Of further concern is the plan to do away with the willing buyer willing seller principle. "Section 25 of the SA Constitution enshrines the right to property. No law may permit arbitrary deprivation of property." Says Gopal



"It is critical that South Africa navigates through the sensitivities of land reform with greater vision to ensure that the injustices of the past are dealt with and that economic stability continues to be reinforced" added Gopal
Several local companies successful in Best of the Best awards

Several local companies them beat out national chains to take top spot in this year's Salina Best of the Best awards.
Dear Editor,

Guns

The Police have been associated with many different terms throughout the years in the way they work. However a new association has alarmingly took hold within a very short time. This is the police association with GUNS in the carrying out of their duties.

About a year ago Samoa recruited a new Police Commissioner. This new Commissioner was not shy about showing his preference in using guns in policing today. He went as far as to admit it to the Ombudsman when he was investigated for the raid at the Fugalei Market last year.

Samoa has all heard of the drug raids and searches with armed police officers, the arrest of Suitupe Misa at the Fugalei Market, a raid at the house of a woman and her children who was traumatised enough to raise a complaint directly with the Ombudsmans Office, and the raid at Faleatiu to name a few.

And now a police officer has been charged with pointing and firing a gun at another police officer. There is reportedly an ongoing investigation on the guns given to police to destroy but were not destroyed, specifically an AK47, an unlawful gun.

We have always been proud of our political and social stability within our Pacific region. We looked at our Pacific neighbours such as Fiji and disassociated ourselves from their situation, telling ourselves that we would never get that far as we do not have a military.

We instead have the faasamoa, our culture in knowing how to do things.

We may not have a military, but what is the difference with an armed police force? Some may say armed police officers is necessary and has always been there for Samoa in the past. That may be the case in only the most serious cases, but Samoa has rarely heard of guns used by police officers for just any police operation. Now it is a common occurrence. So common that police thought using guns in a public market place with hundreds of innocent lives was the best response.

If this is policing today, I wonder what policing will be in the future for Samoa? And is Suitupes lawsuit against the government only the start as Samoan onosai is stretched so far? Even the woman who had a heart attack when police came at them in the market with guns has also filed a lawsuit against the government.

If this is the reaction of the public now, I wonder how many more lawsuits before the Government realises there is a serious issue to address?

Faimasealofa Oleaematauatu

Ex-law enforcer
Taiasina Taia Iu, from the village of Falelauniu, is a worried man.

Aged 49, Taiasina says he is especially concerned about a Chinese owned alcohol factory being build in their area.

For many years now, the villager have had to endure the toxic chemicals produced by the factory and Taiasina says that its a real health risk, especially for the children.

The biggest challenge we face is that alcohol factory on the other side of the road, he told the Village Voice.

If you look on my roof, its all black due to the smoke from those chimneys. We have requested P.U.M.As assistance for so long now but they dont seem to want to help.

That smoke cant be right. The residences in this area are forced to inhale the toxic smoke every day and its a real health risk.

My children are growing up and it seems like they will have to endure breathing in that smoke for about ten more years.

Taiasina said that the factory has gotten the ok from the government despite the risks it posses to the residence in the area.

I went to ask them to explain themselves and they said that they have approval from P.U.M.A, he said.

Compared to cigarettes, the smoke produced from that factory is far worse. And everyone in this village has no choice but to smoke it.

This cant be right. Thats a big problem here. 

Weighing the pros and cons, Taiasina says that the risks to the people heavily outweigh any benefit the alcohol factory has.

We should have some rights because this is our land, we paid for it, he said.

Now those Chinese come over and build their alcohol factory and we suffer from it. I was wondering what they were making over there and its spirits.

I dont thats a good enough excuse to make the people suffer. The chemicals are also affecting the growth of my banana trees. This is just not healthy.

Taiasina also says that with one of his friends going through with building an accommodation business in the area, the smoke will paint a bad picture of Samoa for the tourists.

I dont know what I am going to do; I cant just go and chase those Chinese people away, he said.

Someone in power should come and help the residence in the area. Everyone is just eating that smoke every day.

Another one of my friends is trying to build a small accommodation on the other side and to be honest, as soon as the accommodation guests smell the smoke they are going to leave Samoa right away.

Aside from problems with the factory, the villagers also have to deal with the very bad road condition in the area.

Another problem we are facing in our village is the road condition, he said.

We just dont know where else to go to for help. The government wont come and assist us and those entrusted with road services wont look our way.

We have also given our car to our other family members because it was starting to get badly damaged due to our roads.

After the constant neglect from the government, Taiasina explains how desperate they are to have a voice.

Our election candidate made a lot of promises and none of it has been met, he said.

It seems like we have to wait for the next election to hear more broken promises. Thats why I like programmes like what your company is doing.

Its the only way we can make people see whats happening in our everyday life. Many things are overlooked but when we finally have a voice, then people will see the truth.
BEIJING (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that his country is separating from the U.S. in a speech before a Beijing economic forum on Thursday, after handing China a major diplomatic victory, agreeing to resume dialogue on their South China Sea territorial dispute following months of acrimony.

The rapprochement between the two Asia nations could widen a political rift between the United States and the Philippines, whose recently elected leader has made no secret of its antipathy for America and ordered an end to joint maneuvers between their militaries.

"Your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States ... both in military and economics also," Duterte said. His remarks were met with applause, but Duterte was not more specific.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Duterte's remarks were "inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship we have with the Filipino people as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective."

Following talks in Beijing between Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a senior Chinese diplomat announced the sides had agreed to restore the full range of contacts, although he said the leaders touched only briefly on the South China Sea.

"Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters.

The two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue, Liu said.

That was followed with an announcement by Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez at a bilateral economic forum that his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals this week. He did not elaborate.

Separately, the Philippines Presidential Communications Office said Xi committed more than $9 billion in low-interest loans to the country, with about a third of the loan offer coming from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.

In opening remarks to his talks with Xi, Duterte hailed a warming of relations with China.

"China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed," he said. "Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship."

Xi, who greeted Duterte with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing, said the meeting had "milestone significance." In a reference to the South China Sea tensions, Xi said that "although we have weathered storms, the basis of our friendship and our desire for cooperation has not changed."

While not mentioning the South China Sea specifically, Xi said that the two sides could set aside "issues on which an agreement is hard to reach" in their discussions, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Bilateral talks had been suspended after China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, off the main Luzon island in the northern Philippines, and the Philippines launched the arbitration process under Duterte's predecessor. The Philippines has insisted the ruling form the basis for any negotiations, while Beijing has insisted on the opposite.

Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country's claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippine leader known for his devil-may-care, profanity-laden speeches had said he would not raise the issue that has angered China unless his Chinese counterpart first brought it up, out of "courtesy" to his host.

Duterte's visit showed his desire for economic benefits, while the Chinese want to manage issues between the two countries through bilateral talks, Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., wrote in an email.

"This is an interesting courtship between China and the Philippines," Glaser wrote. "It remains to be seen whether China will seek Manila's respect for Chinese sovereignty. That would likely be a deal breaker."

In Washington, officials seemed puzzled by Duerte's comments.

"We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from us," Kirby told reporters. "It's not clear to us exactly what that means and all its ramifications."

Kirby said the top U.S. diplomat for Asia, Daniel Russel, is traveling to Manila this weekend and would hold conversations with Filipino government officials.

"It isn't just the United States that is baffled by this rhetoric," Kirby said. "We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are likewise confused about where this is going."

Despite Duterte's increasingly sharp criticism of the United States, Kirby said the two countries' 70-year alliance hasn't yet been affected.

"We remain rock solid in our commitment in the mutual defense treaty we have with the Philippines. That hasn't changed," he said, adding that he hoped the alliance would "grow and develop and deepen."
HONOLULU (AP)  Federal officials said Thursday a new contract being used to address concerns about foreign fishing crews in Hawaii's longline commercial fleet is not within their jurisdiction to enforce, leaving the industry responsible for enforcing its own rules.

Federal and state officials met with vessel owners, captains and representatives from Hawaii's fleet at a pier in Honolulu.

The normally private quarterly meeting was opened to media and lawmakers to discuss conditions uncovered in an Associated Press investigation that found some foreign fishermen have been confined to vessels for years.

A federal loophole allows the foreign men to work, but it exempts them from most basic labor protections. Many foreign fishermen have to stay on the boats because they are not legally allowed to enter the United States.

U.S. Custom and Border Protection "does not review contracts, we just make sure that these fishermen ... are employed on the vessel," said Ferdinand Jose, Custom and Border Protection supervisory officer. "Whatever you negotiate ... is between you folks, not us."

The Hawaii Longline Association, which represents fishing boat owners, created a universal crew contract that will be required on any boat wanting to sell fish in the state's seafood auction.

The group began distributing the contract to boat captains on Oct. 1. John Kaneko, program manager for the Hawaii Seafood Council, estimated less than 60 boat owners have returned the contract so far.

On Wednesday, Hawaii state Rep. Kaniela Ing held a public meeting at the state Capitol on the issue.

Ing and other lawmakers pressed representatives from the fishing industry and government agencies about what can be done to increase oversight and improve conditions in the industry.

Ing asked Jim Cook, board member of the Hawaii Longline Association, whether fishing boat captains could provide copies of contracts between fishermen and boat captains to the state. Cook said he believed that would be possible.

"It's very frustrating to just hear people just kind of punt or say maybe over time we can find a solution." Ing said. "I think the universal contract is a good first step, but it's far from sufficient."

A woman who worked as a federal observer on fishing boats that docked in Honolulu described for lawmakers what it was like to work on boats without toilets, showers or hot water.

"You have a cold water deck hose as a shower ... the water tastes like iron," said Ashley Watts, a former observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"There are a lot of ideas for reform," said Khara Jabola, chapter coordinator for Af3irm Hawaii, an organization that focuses on human trafficking. "At a minimum, there needs to be a rejection of the industry's proposal for self-regulation."

Over six months, The Associated Press 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.

Federal law requires that U.S. citizens make up 75 percent of the crew on most commercial fishing vessels in America. The fleet in Hawaii has an exemption carved out years ago, largely by lawmakers no longer in office.
A limit on building heights in Carlsbads downtown Village and the construction of a railroad crossing for pedestrians in the nearby Barrio are among the biggest wrinkles still to be ironed out in the third and final draft of a 20-year plan for the citys two oldest neighborhoods.

The proposed Village-Barrio Master Plan was initially set to be approved by the end of this year, but in June city officials delayed the decision until next year to incorporate suggestions from residents and to wait for a detailed parking study still under way. A second draft of the plan, which outlines suggested goals and policies to be used as guidelines for development over the next two decades, was released in April.

During an update presented this week to the Carlsbad Planning Commission, officials said residents want to ensure the plans makes sidewalks and streets more welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists, and that it preserves the areas character as a welcoming beachfront community. They also want the city to finish and adopt it already, after more than two years of working on it.

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More input is expected over the next several months.

Other ideas will pop up, city Senior Planner Scott Donnell said Wednesday. People will continue to comment.

Residents have already said they fear taller buildings in the Village could undermine its small-town atmosphere. The updated plan had recommended the current height limit of 45 feet, or about four stories, be increased to 55 feet for specific architectural features such as pitched roofs and facades. Donnell said that increase will be removed in the third draft of the plan.

Planning commissioners supported a suggestion by some residents that the upper stories of taller structures be set back from the front of the building to soften the appearance and make them look less massive.

I do not want to see tall buildings in a Village environment, said Commissioner Neil Black.

A pedestrian railroad crossing for the largely residential Barrio neighborhood has been discussed for years. Planning commissioners agreed with residents that the master plan should emphasize the need to build that crossing at Chestnut Avenue. Residents of that area now can only reach the beach by crossing the tracks at Carlsbad Village Dive and Tamarack Avenue, which are a long walk from Chestnut.

Planning commissioners also said the pedestrian crossing should be built whether or not the railroad tracks are trenched, another idea examined in the master plan. Lowering the tracks below street level would improve safety, reduce noise, and ease access to some downtown areas, but it also would be expensive and would take years to achieve.

The city is working with the San Diego Association of Governments on a study of the costs and benefits of trenching, possibly as part of building a second set of tracks through downtown Carlsbad. That report is expected to be released early next year.

Double-tracking will happen with or without trenching, said Commissioner Hap LHeureux, so the city needs to know more about how the second set of tracks will affect public safety before deciding what to do about trenching.

Not everyone likes the idea of trenching.

Commissioner Marty Montgomery said trenching the tracks seems ludicrous and that it would only further divide the downtown area unless the tracks could be covered and turned into a promenade to unite the two sides.

Downtown resident Mike McDonald told the commission a trench would look horrible and would scar the village. He said its not worth the millions of dollars the construction would cost.

In addition to the railroad pedestrian crossing, residents and city planners have said the Barrio neighborhood also needs improvements such as wider sidewalks, better lighting and improved street crossings for pedestrians, and that those things need to be encouraged strongly in the master plan.

Donnell said the master plan will not call for any changes to building densities or to the predominantly commercial nature of the Village and the residential nature of the Barrio.

The proposed plan would replace the Carlsbad Village Master Plan adopted in 1996 and would include the Barrio neighborhood for the first time.

Twitter: @phildiehl
An ambitious plan to build a new Escondido city library near Grape Day Park and to expand the park out toward that site was enthusiastically endorsed this week by the City Council, though it will take several years  and a voter-approved financing measure  to make the project a reality.

The council agreed Wednesday that the new library should be built at the corner of Escondido Boulevard and Washington Avenue  covering land between Woodward Avenue and Washington where a gas station, sushi restaurant and some retails shops now sit.

Theyd also like to see the footprint of the park eventually stretch north to Washington and asked the city manager to look at how many properties that would entail and whether the owners would be willing to sell.

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A bond measure in the tens of the millions of dollars would be needed to pay for the project, which could include new park amenities like a competitive swimming pool and an amphitheater.

This is going to be huge for Escondido, said Councilman John Masson, who helped ignite the citys vision for the project.

We do truly have one shot at this thing and I dont want to fumble the ball, he said.This will put us back on the map, to create our Central Park of Escondido. Its going to revitalize downtown. Our inner core city is going to explode with economic activity. Im so certain of this. I can see it.

Discussions about replacing the citys 35-year-old library with a new 70,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility near the park have been ongoing for more than a decade with little progress. Late last year, however, Masson reinvigorated the idea when  during a regular council meeting  he rapped a song called Lose Yourself from Eminems famous Eight Mile album to emphasize Escondido will have only one shot at a new library and should put everything into making it happen. The rest of the council quickly jumped on board.

The panel was enthusiastic about the ideas discussed at Wednesdays meeting, though Mayor Sam Abed said he thought any bond measure should probably be limited to the library.

Olga Diaz, who has long been a supporter of a new library, thanked Councilman Eight-Mile for his work on the issue. She said a bond measure should include everything the council can envision for the expanded park, and a vigorous campaign should be mounted to make sure the voters approve the measure by the required two-thirds majority.

We need to go full speed ahead, she said. We just have to go for it.

Councilman Mike Morasco said he thinks the library could be a catalyst for renovation and huge economic development for the whole area.

Go big or go home, he said.

Abed said he too liked the plan and ultimately supports the expansion of the park, but said he preferred seeing the library built next to the existing park just north of the Performing Arts Center instead of a block further north.

He said having it closer to the existing park would bring synergy to the area quicker. He also favors a bond measure, perhaps in the $40 million range, to build the library rather than one that could be perhaps double or even triple that figure to encompass grander park plans.

It will be a while before plans are firmed up, and Abed and the others on the council all stressed that the public should be engaged in the process from the beginning and that conversations with private developers who might want to partner with the city on various elements should commence soon and are vital to the ultimate success of the grand plan.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones
The one thing that both supporters and opponents of Measure B agree on is thats its passage will set a precedent.

Whether it will be good or bad depends on perspective.

The so-called Lilac Hills Ranch initiative seeks permission from voters countywide to build a 1,746-home master-planned community in Valley Center about a half-mile east of Interstate 15 and half way in between Escondido and Temecula.

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Supporters say approval of the project would signal a tremendous first step toward solving the countys housing crisis by building middle-class homes in a region that desperately needs more housing. It would give people who commute from the Inland Empire to San Diego for jobs another option, proponents argue, thereby reducing drive time and pollution.

But opponents say Measure B would set a disastrous precedent that could alter the landscape of the less populated parts of the county forever and start a new trend of developers eschewing normal planning processes by going directly to voters via the ballot.

They say Measure Bs passage would also make a mockery of the countys recently updated General Plan, which calls for large residential developments to be built near existing infrastructure such as mass transit and schools.

The project is being put forward by Accretive Investments, whose CEO Randy Goodson was one of the principal developers of the San Elijo Hills master-planning community in San Marcos, where thousands of first-time and move-up homebuyers snapped up homes in the early 2000s.

Goodson sees similar potential in Lilac Hills Ranch

Of course it would be a great precedent, Goodson said. This is potentially a road map to solving the regions (housing) problems.

James Gordon, who lives near the project site and is one of the leaders of the NO on B campaign, vehemently disagreed.

This is just a bad precedent for planning, he said. The General Plan will be gone. It will have been a waste of time and money. It will just be developers doing whatever they want.

Lilac Hills Ranch would be built just south of West Lilac Road on 608 acres of mostly farmland. Current zoning would allow only 110 homes to be built on the property.

Goodson says his project would use less water than whats currently used to irrigate farms in the area.

Raising the stakes of the vote is the fact that numerous other large housing projects are in the pipeline in the countys rural and semi-rural areas, including at least three major development proposed for Inland North County. Those projects are going through the countys normal planning process, the path Accretive first took with Lilac Hills Ranch until suspending the process late last year.

Goodson began buying the Valley Center property a decade ago. After first being rebuffed by county planners, he was given the go ahead to pursue development in 2010. He submitted his plans in 2012 and a years-long environmental and planning review began.

Advisory planning groups in Valley Center and Bonsall both recommended the county deny the project, citing traffic, noise and other concerns.

Last fall, however, the county Planning Commission voted 4-3 to forward the project to the Board of Supervisors with several conditions. The county board was set to make a final decision by the end of last year.

Instead, Accretive abruptly switched course after Supervisor Bill Horn  who represents the part of the county where the development would be built, and who was widely considered a supporter  learned he would have to recuse himself because he owns and lives on a citrus ranch just a couple miles from the Lilac Hills site. At the same time, the state Supreme Court issued a controversial ruling on green house gas emissions that appeared to affect developers throughout California

The court decision said the process for calculating how big projects would affect green house gases was insufficient, meaning new standards might eventually be put in place. The ruling could have nullified findings in the Lilac HIlls Ranch environmental report and delayed the project for years. Goodson said it was that uncertainty that caused him to go the initiative route.

Accretive and its investors are pushing the vote hard having already committed $2.4 million to an advertising campaign featuring television and radio ads that stress the need for more housing in the county. In fact, if all voters knew about the measure came from the advertising, they wouldnt even know it dealt with a specific housing development.

Opponents have raised about $240,000, of which $40,000 has come from West Lilac Farms LLC, which owns two lemon farms near the project site. The company is owned by the San Diego Pardee development family.

My motivation is to keep the character of the community the way its always been out there and follow the General Plan, said Jim Pardee.

He said he opposes the project for numerous reasons, including that it does not follow the General Plan. I think its going to create some real problems for future developing.

Pardee also mentioned traffic concerns in the semi-rural area.

 Ive been traveling those back roads for 20 years with our farming business and they are very, very dangerous roads, he said. I know they are not really mitigating some of this at all...I think there are going to be a lot of fatalities back there and I think the county will have a serious responsibility for that.

Both sides accuse the other of stretching the truth at best, lying at worst.

Opponents like Pardee say nearby roads are woefully inadequate to support what would likely be nearly 20,000 car trips a day should Lilac Hills Ranch be built to capacity.

Needed (road) improvements may cost taxpayers more than $1.005 billion, the opposition rebuttal to the argument in favor of Measure B states in the official voter guide.

That assertion was fiercely argued in court in September where Accretive challenged virtually every word in the oppositions voter guide statement, winning in several areas.

The $1 billion figure refers to a report made by the San Diego Association of Governments before the Lilac Hills Ranch plans were even submitted to the county. The report states that to alleviate overcrowding on Interstate 15 between Temecula and Escondido, the highway will need to be widened at a cost of a billion or more by the year 2050 because more and more people will be commuting from the north for jobs.

The traffic that would be added to Interstate 15 by the project will add to congestion on the already overburdened highway, but in no way will the project alone cause a $1 billion problem. The judge allowed the wording to remain however, saying he was hesitant to get in the way of free political speech.

Supporters say Lilac Hills, by providing housing opportunities for San Diego workers within the county, will reduce the problem, not add to it. And they insist sufficient money to improve local roads has been set aside.

Opponents also say the initiative failed to include many of the conditions the county Planning Commission placed on the project.

Goodson said the differences are minor. He said Accretive would have asked the supervisors to ignore many of the conditions anyway, had it gone to a vote.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service released an environmental impact statement Thursday on a proposed Otay River Estuary Restoration Project.

The public is invited to weigh in on the project during a public review and comment period, which begins today and ends Dec. 5.

The environmental statement describes and analyzes various alternatives for the project, which is designed to restore roughly 125 acres of coastal habitats for native fish and wildlife.

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The Otay River estuary project is on the southern part of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge protects endangered, threatened, migratory and native species and their habitats in a highly urban coastal environment. It encompasses about 2,620 acres of land and water in and around San Diego Bay.

A public meeting on the draft statement is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the San Diego County Swiss Club, 2001 Main St., in Chula Vista.

Written comments can be submitted by:

Email: Otay_EIS@fws.gov (include Otay Estuary EIS in the subject line of the message)

Fax: Attention to Brian Collins, 619-476-9149

U.S. Mail: Attention to Brian Collins, USFWS, San Diego NWRC, P.O. Box 2358, Chula Vista,CA 91912

The project will help the San Diego Bay refuge achieve the goals and objectives for wildlife and habitat management that are in its conservation plan.

Poseidon Water is funding the restoration project as part of a requirement by the California Coastal Commission and the Regional Water Quality Control Board to mitigate the effects of the companys new desalination plant in Carlsbad on marine organisms.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also participating in the process.
Flames tore through a large hillside home Thursday night in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, and tenants feared the homes owner had died in the smoldering ruins.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey confirmed that one person remained unaccounted for.

Were searching as best we can. All three levels of the home have collapsed in some way, Humphrey said. Were hoping this person has gone to a neighboring home.

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The fire was reported about 8:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of North Sea View Avenue at a three-story home on a hillside.

Flames overtook the 9,100-square-foot home, and about 9:15 p.m., an explosion was reported. Aerial footage from KCBS-TV Channel 2 showed blue-colored flames shooting from the structure.

Daniel Nateras of Oxnard said he was one of the homes many tenants. Up to 15 people lived at the property at a time, he said.

 Mt. Washington house fire (OnScene.TV)

A roommate alerted Nateras to the fire, saying that it had started in a lower floor, he recalled.

After learning of the fire, the landlord, an 81-year-old man, ran toward his bedroom and never came out, Nateras said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

More than 140 firefighters responded to the home, and at one point three helicopters circled, surveying the property and monitoring whether embers ignited nearby brush.

At least one person was injured: a 74-year-old woman who suffered from smoke inhalation. Humphrey said she was in fair condition.

As of 11 p.m. the fire was not yet extinguished, but the large flames had subsided. Some spot fires cropped up as firefighters continued to douse the home with water.

Fire crews were expected to work until dawn.

The home was largely destroyed. Humphrey likened the instability and partial collapse of the homes floors to a Jenga puzzle, requiring delicate maneuvering.

The Department of Building and Safety was called to the scene to help stabilize the structure and determine whether nearby homes were in any danger.

On the narrow, winding street  characteristic of Mt. Washington, a neighborhood northeast of downtown Los Angeles  tenants cried and embraced. Others seemed bewildered as they recounted what had led to their abrupt displacement.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.

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UPDATES:

11 p.m.: This article was updated with details on the landlord returning into the home.

9:40 p.m.: This article was updated with officials saying up to four people were unaccounted for.

This article was originally published at 9:30 p.m.
Trick? Treat? Who says you cant have both?

If the trick is finding a reasonably priced Halloween costume without stepping into a scary Halloween super store, and the treat is patting yourself on the (caped) back for a job well done, your local Goodwill store is the haunted castle of your consumer dreams.

If you havent darkened a Goodwill door in awhile, youre in for a surprise. And not the Creepy Clown in the Woods kind. October is Goodwills busiest month, and the stores have well-stocked costume racks, a nicely curated selection of new costume accessories and trained clerks who will help turn your Walking Dead fantasies into freak-out reality.

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With prices on previously worn costumes starting in the $7.99 range, it wont cost you a bloody arm or severed leg. And your money goes to help Goodwill fund job training, child care and much more. Trick. Treat. Done and done. Heres a look at the goodies inside Goodwills Halloween bag.

Trends R Us

According to this years Goodwill National Halloween Poll Fact Sheet, the most popular costumes for its adult customers are witches, pirates, vampires and zombies. But according to Vicki Pina, manager of the Goodwill Store and Donation Center in the Rancho San Diego Village Mall in La Mesa, San Diego customers are all about steampunk.

Everyone is looking for steampunk costumes. It is probably our most popular costume right now, Pina said of the hot look, which mixes Victorian-style clothing with gear-head accessories inspired by steam-powered machinery. People also like fairy-princess costumes, doctors, nurses and zombies.

And to make your DIY experience a little less labor-intensive, Goodwill stores are assembling complete Halloween looks by pairing clothes from their donated stash with new accessories and make-up, most of it at below super-store prices.

At the La Mesa Goodwill store, manager Vicki Pina goes through the princess outfits. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Earlier this week, the rack just inside the entrance to Pinas store (3713-3717 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa) held a complete steampunk ensemble (pre-worn black lace-up dress, new steampunk choker and goggles); a mens vampire get-up (pre-worn white shirt and black pants, new top hat and cape); and a wonderful Zombie Bride look (Jessica McClintock dress and zombie make-up kit).

You dont have to buy all of the pieces, but if you do, you will have plenty of money left for the good Halloween candy. The grand total for the vampire package was $24. Snickers for everybody!

Rhymes with Boo

Last year, Goodwill started augmenting its collection of donated costumes (and costume-worthy clothes) with new accessories at bargain prices. So now, you can turn a $6.99 red mini dress into a Devils Doll doll get-up. Just add a new horns-and-tail kit for $7.99 and a new red boa for $9.99, and you are officially sexy, scary and frugal. Talk about hot.

Other new items include wigs ($9.99 and up), crowns ($9.99), pirate swords ($2.99), steampunk bowlers ($9.99) and thigh-high stockings ($3.99 and up). And if the money-saving excitement gets to be a little too much, make your way over to the Sexy Nurse display, where stethoscopes are going for $6.99.

Last year was the first year we had new items, and it tested really well, so we brought it back on a larger scale, said Darlene Cossio, director of communications for Goodwill Industries of San Diego County.

Attention Halloween shoppers

If the thought of creating your own thrift-store Halloween statement gives you a case of fashion fright, fear not. Each Goodwill store has staffers who are trained in the art of costume mash-ups. If you cant find what youre looking for (or you have no idea what youre looking for) just give a yell.

Halloween is a really important time for us. Its one the biggest times of the year, said Pina, who has been with Goodwill for 26 years. This is a way to thank our customers and make it easier for them to shop with us.

Halloween costumes and accessories take center stage on the wall displays at the La Mesa Goodwill. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Looking for a no-sweat costume option? Pina suggests the following: Nurse (White dress, accessories, youre done.); vampire (black everything); princess (fluffy dress, crown, wand); or your standard 1950s guy (jeans and a T-shirt).

And as she flipped through a rack of donated costumes in the wildly decorated Halloween corner, Pina came across the easiest costume ever. A T-shirt that read, Just Give Me Candy. A steal and a statement at $3.99.

Families on a budget will be happy to know that Goodwill has a respectable inventory of kids costumes. Earlier this week, you could outfit Spiderman for $6.99, Sleeping Beauty for $14.99 and a baby pumpkin for $8.99.

Best of the rest

Hot buy award: One of the most popular outfits of this year is Suicide Squad hell-raiser Harley Quinn. The Party City adult version goes for $49.99, but with Goodwill selling denim shorts for $3.99, tiny T-shirts for $2.99 and denim jackets for $6.99, you can dress the part and still pay for the therapy youll need if you decide to also act the part.

Best current events: A tie between the Hillary Clinton-esque blazer ($8.99, from Ralph Lauren), slacks ($7.99) and pumps ($7.99); and a Donald Trump-ian blazer ($9.99, from Highlander), slacks ($7.99), Franco Sarco loafers ($7.99) and a tie with Can I Get You a Drink? printed all over it for just $4.99.

Best costume packages: For the glamour gang, a beautiful red flapper dress ($6.99) paired with pearls ($3.99), feathered headband ($2.99) and boa ($9.99). For the grunge contingent, a perfectly worn-in Metallica T-shirt ($2.99) accessorized with a Quicksilver flannel shirt ($5.99), Levis ($8.99) and a mullet wig ($9.99).

Biggest case of non-buyers remorse, reporters version: Not snapping up the Metallica T-shirt, which was softer than a dry-ice cloud and, if worn by a 50-something woman, is the scariest thing ever. Boo!

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
A bomb planted by Islamic State fighters killed a Coronado-based sailor in northern Iraq on Thursday, U.S. military officials said.

Chief Petty Officer Jason C. Finan, 34, of Lake Forest in Orange County died after suffering injuries from an improvised explosive device near the town Bashiqa. He was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 in Coronado.

Finan leaves behind his wife, Chariss, and their 7-year-old son, Christopher, in Imperial Beach.

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The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the sailor we lost, Rear Adm. Brian Brakke said.

According to the Pentagon, the highly decorated Finan served as a combat adviser to Iraqi forces, which have joined Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in battling the jihadist group Islamic State, or ISIS, for control of Mosul, a city about the size of Chicago.

Rudaw TV in Kurdistan released footage on Thursday showing American and British commandos alongside Peshmerga soldiers engaged in combat during the hilly approach to Bashiqa, once the homeland of Yazidis and Christians before ISIS invaded northern Iraq in 2014.

The Florida-based EOD Warrior Foundation, a nonprofit that aids the families of wounded or killed bomb technicians, learned of Finans death on Thursday.

The Department of Defense put us on standby yesterday, said Melissa Tackitt, a former Navy EOD technician like Finan. She also said Finan became the 132nd military EOD member to die in the line of duty since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that launched the United States into war, first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq.

Finans name will be etched into the EOD Memorial Wall at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and a memorial service will be held there to honor him next May. He was a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The explosive-ordnance-disposal community is renowned throughout the military both for the bravery of its teams and the diversity of its members  techs from the Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force train at the same schools and often serve with their fellow services in combat.

Its the risk-taking that attracts us to the job, but when were on the job we dont get a second chance when something bad happens, said Tackitt, who retired in 2009.

Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, who chairs the bipartisan Congressional Special Operations Forces Caucus, extended his condolences in a statement to Finans family and the entire Naval Special Warfare community, which is enduring the loss of another of its finest as it occupies the front lines in the fight to destroy (Islamic State) and preserve our freedom and security.

Chief Petty Officer Jason Finan is a hero who represents the best of San Diego, the best of our special operations community, and the best of America. He will not be forgotten, Peters wrote.

Finan enlisted in the Navy in 2003.

Before his death, his decorations included the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a Combat Valor designation, the Army Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the NATO Medal.

Suspected Islamic State militants killed 18 people in Kirkuk on Friday, four days after Iraqi and Kurdish forces started an offensive to take back control of Mosul.

cprine@sduniontribune.com
Contraband has been flowing across the Mexico border into the U.S. for the past century, beginning with alcohol during Prohibition and moving onto drugs, namely marijuana and later cocaine.

The birth of Mexicos major cartel can be traced to Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, nicknamed The Godfather, who in the 1980s became the countrys liaison with Colombian cocaine trafficker Pablo Escobar of the infamous Medellin cartel.

Gallardo went increasingly underground after the arrest of his cartels co-founder, Rafael Caro Quintero, for the murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique Camarena in 1985, and the drug lord later held a summit among Mexicos larger drug traffickers. The meeting divided up Mexico into plazas  or regions  to be controlled by various drug-trafficking organizations.

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The agreement solidified major players in the trade, including the Sinaloa Federation and the Arellano Felix brothers of Tijuana.

Since then, drug lords have come and gone  and new groups have risen to power as loyalties fade, political protection changes, and killings and arrests leave vacuums in leadership to be filled.

This file photo taken on January 08, 2016, shows drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman escorted into a helicopter at Mexico Citys airport following his recapture during an intense military operation in Los Mochis, in Sinaloa State. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images )

In Tijuana, law enforcements takedown of the Arellano Felix Organization led to a split in the group and a bloody war for control of the drug corridor. The Sinaloa, led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and Ismael El Mayo Zambada, has dominated for the past several years, although the group has been the subject of a piece-by-piece takedown by U.S. authorities nationwide, including in San Diego.

The Sinaloa are also facing a new threat by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a newer player from central Mexico that has quickly expanded its influence. The cartel, often called CJNG, has been recruiting former members of the Arellano Felix Organization and urging Sinaloa traffickers to flip.

The war on drugs has been costly, in both lives and resources.

Mexico has felt the brunt of the violence, with assassinations of drug gang affiliates, law enforcement officers, crooked officials, snitches, journalists and civilians.

RELATED: How would legalizing marijuana affect drug war at San Diegos border?

Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon in 2006 waged a fierce battle against the cartels, deploying the military to the streets and the countryside to wipe out the drug trade. Violence escalated as a result.

Mexican media and researchers who have closely tracked drug violence estimate 45,000 to 55,000 organized crime-style killings in Mexico from 2007 to 2012 during Calderons administration.

Some of the bloodshed has spilled into the U.S.

In 2002, an enforcement crew that used to do work for the Arellano Felix Organization, called Los Palillos, moved from Tijuana to San Diego for safety. They brought with them cartel-style violence that resulted in kidnappings, killings and bodies dissolved in vats of acid in a San Ysidro horse corral. Seventeen people were indicted in San Diego; others remain at large.

Putting a figure on the economic impact of violence in Mexico and the war on drugs in general is not easy.

RELATED: Back Story: Exploring cartels and legal marijuana

In 2015, the economic impact of violence in Mexico  with much of that violence believed to be drug related  was pegged at $134 billion, according to the London-based Institute for Economics and Peace.

In the U.S., untold billions have been spent combating traffickers.

The U.S. has worked to tighten security at the border, an effort that has included a massive hiring push by the Border Patrol and deployments of National Guard troops to the border.

In 2007, a formalized partnership was developed between the U.S., Mexico and Central America to go after the drug trade. From 2008 to 2015, the U.S. set aside $2.3 billion for Mexico under the agreement.

Would legalizing marijuana in California have a visible effect on law enforcement, on the courts, on government coffers, on taxpayers?

No one knows the answer for certain. It could be one question voters consider as they head to the polls Nov. 8.
Juan Melendez repeats the numbers often: 17 years, eight months, one day.

Thats how long he spent on Floridas death row, having been convicted of a killing he did not commit.

Since he was released in 2002, hes been sharing his experience with all who will listen and consider his message  that the death penalty should be done away with.

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Thats why Melendez, 65, was in San Diego on Thursday, to tell his story to 25 law students, lawyers and professors at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law  and to urge California voters to repeal the death penalty in the Nov. 8 election.

I have a confession to make, he said. Im still a dreamer. I dream and I pray to God every day that in my time I can see the death penalty abolished. But this dream cannot come true if all of you dont get involved in it.

Youre a part of my dream now, he told the audience, his accented speech a clue to his Puerto Rican heritage. People need to know that (the death penalty) is racist. People need to know that it costs too much. People need to know it do not deter crime. People need to know that its cruel and unnecessary. We have alternatives!

But the most important thing he wanted people to recognize is that innocent people, like himself, can get caught in the system. Unlike him, they may not be lucky enough to get out.

We always can release an innocent man from prison, he said. We dont have problems with that. But we can never release an innocent man from the grave.

Melendez, who lives in New Mexico, urged the group to vote for Proposition 62, which would end the death penalty in California.

If the measure passes, it would convert the sentences of the more than 740 inmates on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, including 39 from San Diego County.

Melendez also spoke against Proposition 66, also on the November ballot, which would change some procedures for legal challenges to death sentences by imposing time limits and changing the rules to increase the number of lawyers who can handle those cases. The idea is to speed up the time between when a defendant is sentenced to death row and when he or she is actually executed.

Many of Californias top law enforcement officials oppose the measure to repeal the death penalty. Mike Ramos, San Bernardino Countys district attorney, wants to see the death penalty in California reformed  not repealed. He is co-chairman of the Yes on 66 campaign.

Ramos said in a telephone interview that the death penalty should remain an option because it is justice for the victims who have suffered the most terrible, tragic events in their lives, referring not only to those who were killed but also the family and friends left behind.

He said he and other district attorneys in the state and around the country use their discretion in deciding whether to pursue the death penalty, and that it is applied in only 1 percent of all eligible cases.

Its not an easy decision to make, Ramos said.

In California, it can take decades for someone sentenced to death to actually be executed by the state.

Since 1978, only 13 people have been put to death in California, while more than 100 have died of other causes, including suicide, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The majority died of natural causes. The last execution was in 2006.

Melendez, who was a migrant worker at the time, was sent to Floridas death row in 1984 for the killing of Delbert Baker. No physical evidence linked him to the crime.

Eventually, Melendez was granted a hearing and a Florida judge determined prosecutors had withheld information in the case, including a taped confession from another man. Melendez was granted a new trial, but prosecutors chose not to pursue it, determining they did not have enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Speaking at Thomas Jefferson, Melendez said he was in a state of shock but smiling on the day he was told 14 years ago that he would soon walk out of prison.

Im still smiling today, he said.

RELATED

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
A man accused of killing three homeless men and injuring two others is mentally incompetent to stand trial, a San Diego judge ruled Friday.

Jon David Guerrero, 39, will be sent to a state hospital in San Bernardino County until his doctors determine that competency has been restored.

Meanwhile, his criminal case will remain suspended.

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Superior Court Judge Steven Stone made the ruling after reviewing a psychological evaluation completed by Dr. Matthew Carroll, a psychiatrist in San Diego.

Carroll contacted Guerrero twice in order to interview him, but the defendant would not cooperate.

The doctor made his recommendations based on a review of police and medical records, including documentation of Guerreros extensive mental health issues, Deputy Public Defender Dan Tandon said.

Based on Carrolls recommendation, the judge also authorized doctors to administer anti-psychotic medications to Guerrero involuntarily if needed.

The defendant is accused of committing violent attacks on five homeless men over a 12-day period in July. He was arrested shortly after a pair of officers in Golden Hill encountered the last victim, who was screaming in pain.

The first victim, Angelo DeNardo, was found early July 3 under a freeway bridge in Bay Park. A railroad spike had been driven into the 53-year-olds head and chest. He was then lit on fire, Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said.

A second man, Manuel Mason, 61, was found critically injured in the Midway District on July 4. He had a railroad spike driven into his sinus cavity. He survived his injuries, but was rendered blind, Harvey has said.

Shawn Mitchell Longley, 41, was found dead in Ocean Beach on July 4. Dionicio Derek Vahidy, 23, was injured on July 6 but died days later, and a final victim, Michael Papadelis, 55, was found screaming and bloodied on July 15. Papadelis survived.

Each was injured with a railroad spike, the prosecutor said.

When Guerrero was arrested, police found a mallet and railroad spikes in his backpack, along with identification belonging to two of the victims, authorities said. A bucket that contained rocks, railroad ties and more spikes was found in his downtown apartment.

Guerrero faces three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Because he has been deemed mentally incompetent for trial, it means he is unable to understand the court proceedings and assist in his own defense.

The judge ordered the defendant to be sent to Patton State Hospital for a maximum of three years. If Guerreros mental competency is restored sooner than that, his criminal case would resume.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
School districts pay for building new schools and updating older ones with a mix of local and state money, generally financed through bonds. Its been a decade since California voters approved a bond measure allowing the state to borrow money for school construction. Now the states existing stash of school construction money is almost gone, yet local school districts report a backlog of construction projects that will cost billions to complete.

What would it do?

Proposition 51 authorizes $9 billion in bonds to build new schools and modernize existing ones. Most of the money would be for K-12 schools, with about $2 billion for community colleges.

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What would it cost?

Borrowing the $9 billion would cost the state an extra $8.6 billion in interest. The state would likely pay off the debt over 35 years, at a cost of about $500 million a year.

Why is it on the ballot?

Usually school bonds land on the ballot because the Legislature puts them there. That hasnt happened in recent years, so home builders, developers and school construction companies got together to put this measure on the ballot on their own.

What supporters say:

Californias aging campuses need safety repairs and tech upgrades, while growing neighborhoods want to build new schools. The bonds will provide students a better learning environment, without directly raising taxes.

What opponents say:

Proposition 51 benefits suburban home builders without doing much to help schools in low-income communities. Bonds are expensivecosting almost as much in interest as the amount borrowedand put the state further in debt.
Rising healthcare costs remain at the top of the national agenda  not just for patients but for the hospitals who treat low-income patients. Hospitals rely on both state and federal matching funds for reimbursement. In the past, however, California, has used state funds for other programs, costing hospitals federal matching dollars.

What would it do?

Proposition 52 would extend the current fees hospitals pay to receive more matching Medicaid funds from the federal government. It would also make it harder for the state Legislature to divert the fees to other state programs.

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What would it cost the government?

The measures fiscal impact is unclear because we dont know if the Legislature would have extended the existing hospital fee if Proposition 52 were not on the ballot. If lawmakers had declined to extend the fee, Proposition 52 would have saved the state roughly $1 billion and increased funding for public hospitals in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Why is it on the ballot?

The California Hospital Association is sponsoring Proposition 52 in a bid to stabilize and protect state funding that hospitals receive for treating low-income patients. Although the Legislature established the hospital fee in 2009 as a means to reimburse hospitals, lawmakers have diverted some of the money into the states general fund. Proposition 52 is one of three measures on the ballot that will boost Medi-Cal funding.

What supporters say:

It will ensure California hospitals can continue to recover some of the money they spend to provide services to low-income patients, providing a stable revenue stream and drawing an estimated $3 billion in federal matching funds.

What opponents say:

It will divert millions of dollars away from patients and into a health-care bureaucracy with no oversight, no accountability and no guarantee it is spent on health care.
Gov. Jerry Brown has championed two major infrastructure projects: a high-speed rail system to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a pair of massive tunnels in the Delta to move water from the northern to the southern end of the state. The projects would bring jobs to inland California, but have stirred controversy among farmers and environmentalists. Many fiscal conservatives object because the projects would likely rely on borrowing billions of dollars, adding to the states debt load which is already more than $300 billion.

What would it do?

Proposition 53 would require voter approval before any revenue bond over $2 billion can be issued by the state for state-managed projects. Few projects require bonds of that amount, but the threshold would likely complicate both of Browns priority infrastructure projects by requiring a public vote.

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What would it cost the government?

Analysts couldnt determine the fiscal impact of this measure because it depends on how voters and governments respond. It could have no impact if voters approve bonds and a project proceeds as planned. It could save money if voters reject bonds and the government instead uses existing infrastructure or a less expensive financing mechanism. It could cost money if the government plans several smaller projects to avoid the $2 billion threshold or finances the large project with higher-interest loans.

Why is it on the ballot?

Stockton farmer Dean Cortopassi, who opposes the Delta tunnels project, put Proposition 53 on the ballot.

What supporters say:

It would give voters a say in major infrastructure projects and could limit growth of the states debt load. Government debt will burden future generations, who could see reduced services or increased taxes to pay it off.

What opponents say:

It could delay or block more public works projects than anticipated, like water storage or bridge repairs. By requiring a statewide vote, it could allow voters in faraway regions to shoot down a project supported by those in the community. The type of bonds at issue in this measure  revenue bonds  are paid back by users of the project thats built, not by taxpayers at large.
A year after passing on a presidential run, Biden is a determined Trump foe nonetheless

(Glenn Russell / Burlington Free Press via AP)

Exactly one year ago, Vice President Joe Biden announced he would not run for president. But if there were any thought he might not inject himself into the campaign with typical vigor, hes put it to rest with a campaign schedule on behalf of Hillary Clinton and Democratic Senate candidates as busy as anyones.

But that doesnt mean hes happy about the way the campaign is going. In fact, the famously blunt Biden is casting the choice before voters in especially stark terms, casting Donald Trump as either stupid or dangerous -- perhaps even both.

The press always asks me, Dont I wish I were debating him? he said at a campaign event near his home town of Scranton, Pa., on Friday.

No I wish we were in high school. I could take him behind the gym.

Theres no doubt that Bidens hope of being president himself did not fade after he became vice president. He was openly exploring the idea at the start of his second term until family crisis -- his son Beaus cancer diagnosis and ultimately untimely death -- made that third bid for the White House an impossibility.

But while at times last year it seemed he might be eager to run against Clinton in the primaries, hes become a loyal foot soldier on her behalf -- not just because of their ideological and personal ties but because of how seriously he views the threat of a Trump presidency to the calling he has devoted his life to: public service.

On Thursday, while campaigning in New Hampshire, Biden shared a conversation he was having with another political journalist, trying to explain why he had this nagging feeling of almost frustration about this years campaign.

His answer: Trumps unbreakable habit of making outrageous statements has prevented the public from the election it deserved: a referendum on ideas.

Theyre supposed to be a debate on ideas so that when whomever is elected, they can say with certitude the majority of people preferred my ideas over the other person. Thats how you solidify a country, he said. But Trump has been so outrageous that reporters have to cover these asinine assertions that are being made.

Friday, he referred to it as a dumbing down of the American dialogue.

Bidens case for Clinton is a personal one, directed at the kind of middle-class voters he has long viewed himself as the avatar of. And as he prosecutes it, he sometimes is candid about Clintons vulnerabilities and even inability to connect with those voters in the same way he can.

Friday, he said part of that was because of a double standard for male and female candidates. And to illustrate it, he offered a personal example from just the day before that reflected his own journey over the last year.

At an event in New Hampshire, a supporter approached him with two newborn children. The man had named one Beau, he told the vice president, after Bidens son.

I started to cry. And the press said, Well thats just because Joe Bidens a decent, honorable father, Biden said. If Hillary did that, shed be accused of playing the womens card.

Its not a surprise that this generous woman I know has closed up, is unwilling many times to show her heart, he added. But she gets it, guys.
The final debate of the presidential race is now over and as has been the case throughout much of the campaign, Donald Trump is the story, though not necessarily in a good way.

Fox 5 News interviews San Diego Union-Tribune Government Editor Michael Smolens about what Trump did wrong, what he did right and how he could have done better. Almost lost in all this is that Hillary Clinton has, as she did in 2008, proved herself a tough debater who comes prepared and with a clear strategy to get her message across and appeal to voters she needs.

Watch presidential debate highlights On Now Who won the third debate? 1:30 On Now Final debate wrap-up 2:50 On Now Video: Trump: 'I'll keep you in suspense' 1:49 On Now Video: Closing statements of the final 2016 presidential debate 2:47 On Now Video: Putin's puppet 1:44 On Now 'If you become President, this country is going to be in some mess' 1:55 On Now Video: Trump: 'We have bad hombres here' 0:52 On Now Twitters take on the final presidential debate 1:47 On Now Video: Clinton: 'What's really important about WikiLeaks' 1:16 On Now Video: Presidential candidates...compliment each other? 1:04
A man was shot in his arm on a street in Linda Vista Friday, and San Diego police detained another man for questioning.

The victim called police himself about 8:40 a.m. Officers found him in a home on Crandall Drive, near Gateshead Street.

He had a gunshot wound to his left arm, police said.

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Police said the victim related that hed been outside and heard at least one shot, and realized he was wounded.

Officers detained a 38-year-old man for questioning and later booked him into jail on a count of assault with a deadly weapon.

Medics were called in to assist the wounded man.
How would legalizing marijuana affect

drug war at San Diego's border?

Over the past few decades, the U.S. has spent hundreds of billions of dollars trying to stem the flow of drugs from the Mexican border.

San Diego is on the front lines of that battle: filling in underground tunnels, taking down smuggling organizations, prosecuting corrupt border officers, freezing money-laundering operations and seizing loads of illegal drugs that come in by semi, car, person, boat and even drone.

By far, marijuana has historically been the cash crop traffickers have depended on.

So what happens if California voters decide to legalize recreational marijuana on Nov. 8? Would a legal marijuana market cut into the profits of the Mexican drug cartels enough to cripple them? Or would it make it easier for traffickers to grow pot in the United States under the shadow of legitimacy?

The answers are a game of speculation, experts acknowledge, although recent drug-smuggling trends and the experiences of other states that have pioneered recreational marijuana laws provide some clues as to what drug-trafficking at our border might look like.

One thing the experts do agree on: The battle over drugs at our border will rage on regardless.

Obviously, anyone involved in drug trafficking is there for the money. You weigh the risk versus the money you can make, said Tom Gorman, who has witnessed the effects of legalization in Colorado as director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, an enforcement program overseen by the White House. When Prohibition ended, the mob didnt go away. They just transitioned a bit.

Marijuana legal in four states

Four states  Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon  and Washington, D.C., have recreational marijuana laws on their books, but adding California to the mix could be a tipping point for legalization efforts across the nation. A game-changer is how many put it.

Also voting in November on legalizing recreational pot are Arizona, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine. And other states are voting on medical marijuana laws.

A national Gallup poll released Wednesday shows Americans are increasingly embracing legalization, with 60 percent approval.

Under Proposition 64, it would be legal for those 21 and older in California to possess and transport up to an ounce of marijuana. People would also be allowed to grow up to six plants each and to store the marijuana harvested from those plants on their private properties.

What the law doesnt allow is the consumption of marijuana in public, other than in licensed marijuana cafes similar to those in Amsterdam. So it would be fine to smoke a joint in your own home, but not on a sidewalk or at a concert.

The law calls for marijuana businesses to be regulated by various state agencies and gives local governments the power to impose their own regulations and taxes  including an outright ban on marijuana business in their jurisdictions.

The measure would levy a 15 percent tax at the retail level  money that would be diverted to pay for youth programs, environmental cleanups related to illegal marijuana growing, and other public safety programs relating to potential negative side-effects of marijuana use.

The states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office predicts the law would trigger tens of millions of dollars in savings in criminal justice costs, and eventually earn state and local governments revenues ranging in the high hundreds of millions to more than $1 billion annually.

Public support for the measure has slid somewhat over the past month as the election draws closer. A SurveyUSA poll last weekend found 51 percent of California voters back legalization, while 40 percent oppose and 8 percent are undecided.

Last month, a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found 58 percent were for legalization and 34 percent against it.

Voters in 2010 rejected a similar measure, with 53.5 percent opposed.

If Proposition 64 passes, the states medical marijuana laws, approved by voters in 1996, would remain separate and intact.

Cartels respond to pot law changes

Mexican cartels may already be responding to the initial waves of legalization.

Marijuana seizures at the U.S. border and in related trafficking investigations have fallen significantly over the past few years, according to data at the national and local level.

Lance LeNoir of the Border Patrols Tunnel Rat team, walks to the end of the Galvez tunnel, which came north from a warehouse in Tijuana, near Otay Mesa. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) (Peggy Peattie/U-T )

In the Border Patrols San Diego sector, marijuana seizures fell to 8,158 pounds in fiscal 2015, an 88 percent drop compared to a decade-high of 68,825 pounds seized in fiscal 2011. At the ports of entry along the California border, marijuana seizures only fell by 2 percent during the same time period, Customs and Border Protection data show.

The trend coincides with the recreational legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington in 2012, as well as the growing medical marijuana market in California, which in turn has sharpened Americas appetite for higher-grade, locally grown weed.

RELATED: A short history of Mexican drug cartels

Of course, one explanation for the drop in pot seizures is that law enforcement is getting better at catching the drugs coming across. Another reason  one that many experts say is more plausible  is that Mexican drug-trafficking organizations are pushing less marijuana through the border.

The price of marijuana in Mexico and stateside has also fallen over the past few years, pointing to increased competition with legal U.S. markets.

As marijuana seizures have declined, other drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine are skyrocketing at the border. Traffickers are capitalizing on the growing opiate epidemic, as well as their ability to cheaply produce enormous amounts of pure meth from Chinese precursor chemicals in Mexican superlabs.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Stratton unloaded 34 tons of cocaine that it brought to San Diego after a four month operation in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Central and South America. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) (John Gibbins/U-T )

The cartels are also on the cusp of the newest drug craze, the powerful painkiller fentanyl. Law enforcement is seeing rising amounts of the drug coming across the border, the pills often disguised as other drugs such as oxycodone.

Big amounts of weed still headed here

While at lower levels than before, marijuana is still coming across the border in massive amounts.

Take the month of April. In an Otay Mesa lot, federal authorities uncovered the longest tunnel ever on the California-Mexico border and seized 7 tons of marijuana. Two weeks later, a Freightliner semi truck supposedly hauling furniture was inspected at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Inside, another 7 tons of marijuana were found hidden in cardboard boxes, worth a street value of $7.1 million.

And on Thursday, five tons of marijuana were found at the entrance of a cross-border tunnel, located near the Tijuana airport in Mexico.

Marijuana is absolutely a cash crop for Mexican drug cartels. It has been for decades. Its a huge profit margin, said Mike Unzueta, who served as the special agent in charge of San Diegos U.S. Homeland Security Investigations for six years until 2011.

There has been a theory for a long time that the sale of marijuana is what fuels the day-to-day running of their infrastructure, Unzueta said, money that pays for expenses including tunnel construction, bribes and labor.

If its legalized, the California market for Mexican marijuana is expected to continue to shrink. By how much is where expert opinions diverge.

Unzueta and other law enforcement sources believe bricks and bales of the drug will continue to be smuggled across the border in San Diego  at least in the short term. The marijuana will just mostly go to other states where recreational use remains illegal.

Its going to end up in New York or Nebraska or Iowa, Unzueta said.

And while marijuana appetites in the U.S. have matured to higher-grade products, he suspects there will still be a market here for the cheaper Mexican pot.

Whether (Proposition 64) passes or fails, youre certainly not going to see drug cartels walking away from that cash crop. Theyre going to continue regardless, he said.

David Shirk, a professor at the University of San Diego who studies the drug trade and criminal justice in Mexico, as well as other academics who have researched the issue believe the change will be more drastic. Shirk said he expects Mexican cartels will leave the marijuana business behind and find profit elsewhere.

When you have a prohibited substance, and a criminal organization develops a monopoly or near monopoly on distribution of that substance, prices tend to go up dramatically. Thats why they go into business and thats why they are so powerful, Shirk said. What happens when you decriminalize and take away the monopoly, you take away the profit. You see those criminal organizations losing money or losing the ability to profit from that sector.

Weve already seen that with marijuana, he said, pointing to the seizure rates at the border. The cost of exporting marijuana is much greater than local production inside the U.S.

Mexican authorities seized 10 tons of marijuana in connection with a suspected drug tunnel linking Tijuana with San Diego. (Policia Federal) (Policia Federal )

What happens as a result? The same as in any other business: layoffs and diversification.

The big organizations that can continue to maintain supply chains into the U.S., those are the ones doubling down on heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine because theyve got to make money somewhere, Shirk said.

The change may be harder on smaller drug gangs in Mexico.

Small time operations that dont have those supply chains are now moving into a very different direction, moving into predatory territories  extortion, kidnapping, etc., Shirk said. If youre a local street thug, you dont have the submarines and logistical capability or capital to bribe everyone you need to finance and operate cocaine trafficking. Youre going to say, I do have a gun. I know where rich people live in Tijuana. Im going to go into kidnapping.

He added, Unfortunately for the average Mexican citizen, theres a much higher risk of being targeted by organized crime.

So would drug-related violence south of the border decrease? Not in the short term, he said.

When you legalize, you are now changing the nature of organized crime. ... It will be a painful and problematic process in Mexico, Shirk said.

The RAND Corp., a nonprofit public policy research group and think tank, tried to answer this question in 2010, the last time legalization was on Californias ballot. (Notably, this was before other states had passed recreational marijuana laws.)

RAND calculated, very conservatively, that Mexican drug-trafficking organizations earned $1.1 billion to $2 billion a year from exporting marijuana to the U.S. and selling it to wholesalers in southwestern U.S. cities. The researchers noted that other much larger figures in reports could be inflated and were not proven.

The study concluded that legalization would cause Mexican marijuana to dry up in California, as consumers would opt to buy in the legal market if the costs were comparable. Even so, the study predicted the loss of the California pot market wouldnt hurt cartels much in the pocketbook, estimating a revenue dip of only 2 percent to 4 percent. RAND pointed to other U.S. states the cartels could still sell marijuana to, as well as the diverse holdings on other drugs and illegal activities, from human smuggling to kidnapping.

RELATED: Back Story: Exploring cartels and legal marijuana

Cartels, if they want to stay in the marijuana business, might get creative and try to specialize in butane hash oil or wax, a process that reduces marijuana to a more concentrated, potent substance. A booming market for oils and waxes has developed in the U.S. in recent years, especially as marijuana edibles, such as lollipops and gummi bears, have grown in popularity.

Law enforcement sources agree a move to hash oil may help solve the value-to-weight ratio that has always been problematic with smuggling bulky, smelly bales of marijuana.

Heroin and diamonds, its really worth smuggling those things, explained Nathan Jones, a professor at Sam Houston State University in Texas who studies Mexico drug trafficking. They are small and worth so much money.

Cartels could operate U.S. black market

Mexican drug-trafficking organizations also could decide to move their marijuana growing operations to California and control sales on the black market.

Thats exactly what San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore is worried will happen.

Its easier. Instead of smuggling, cartels can go in and buy commercial warehouse space and grow it inside, Gore said. To think the cartels will be out of it is very naive. Theyre going to say now we have a market of 36 million people. They wont be paying taxes. All they have to do is undersell the people who are licensed marijuana dealers.

Why in the world would they pass this up? Its going to be the Wild West out there when it comes to cultivation, said Gore, who like most law enforcement officials in California opposes legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.

RAND researchers agreed this could be a possibility, noting: Indeed, one of the difficulties of estimating the overall effect of marijuana legalization on the Mexican (drug-trafficking organizations) is that we do not know how involved they will be in the domestic distribution of legal marijuana smuggled from California.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at news conference supporting Proposition 64, the Adult Marijuana Act, at Liberty Station on Oct. 13. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) (John Gibbins/U-T )

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who supports legalization and coordinated a commission to explore legalization issues, suspects some cartel involvement will occur in the short term, specifically that the traffickers will continue to illegally grow the drug in Northern California on public land and export it to other states.

We consume a very small fraction of what we produce as a state, said Newsom in an interview during a Yes on 64 campaign stop in San Diego this month. There will still be illegal (state-to-state) cross-border activity.

To help combat that, Proposition 64 sets aside some tax money for law enforcement programs to go after organized crime, he said.

The target effort focuses not on street corners, not on black and brown kids, not on poor neighborhoods, but going after bad actors out there that destroy habitat and destroy lives, Newsom said. They dont care what they sell and they dont care what the chemicals are. That money goes back to beheadings south of the border  funds human trafficking.

Newsom remains hopeful: Im of the opinion that California legalization is going to impact that cash flow in a very significant way.

Many experts expect a black market of some kind to exist under legalization  whether the Mexican cartels are involved in it or not  unless the price of marijuana is allowed to fall to an amount close to the cost of production.

Doing so, however, will mean a substantially smaller tax revenue than currently anticipated from this change in policy, advised RAND researcher Rosalie Liccardo Pacula in 2009 testimony to the California Assembly.

Newsom said black market economics was a big consideration in finding that sweet spot in terms of how much tax should be levied on legal pot businesses under Proposition 64.

The black market is going to persist for some time. Its going to take a number of years to truly address that, Newsom said. Take, for example, whats happened in Colorado.

Colorado as a case study

In 2014, Colorado became the first state to begin retail sales. It has been the guinea pig to this public policy and social experiment, and is where many are looking for answers.

When legalization was first approved there, law enforcement thought it was a good possibility that the Mexican cartels would be coming in droves to horn in on the action. Pot shop owners at first were braced for the possibility of competing with violent cartels already operating in the area. But that doesnt appear to have happened, said Gorman of the Rocky Mountain drug task force.

Authorities said the cartels have seemed to move away from marijuana, and the law has apparently had little effect on them otherwise, as they have continued to peddle heroin, cocaine and meth. In some cases, Mexican cartels have smuggled the harder drugs into Colorado and traded them for high-grade Colorado marijuana to be smuggled back into Mexico, said Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

We have seen quite a bit of cartel activity, Coffman said. It did not go away by any stretch with the legalization of marijuana.

But a new black market for marijuana has emerged in Colorado, consisting of other criminal organizations that are taking advantage of the laws loopholes to grow marijuana and sell it in other states, often by driving it across state lines or mailing it. One ring ferried pot and cash back and forth to Minnesota using a skydiving plane, Coffman said.

As long as there are states that are haves and states that are have-nots, there will be a black market, she said.

Many of the organizations are being run by Cuban nationals with ties to Florida, as well as Russian and Vietnamese groups that are operating large-scale growing operations in suburban homes, according to a report last month by the Rocky Mountain task force.

Criminals figure there is not as much enforcement in Colorado due to the law, authorities said, and indeed it has presented challenges for law enforcement there.

You have people who operate under the radar. They may have licenses to legally grow, but they grow over the amount allowed under the law. The excess product is not in dispensaries but goes into the black market, Coffman said. Its difficult. Its hard to keep up with it.

Officials agree that legalization in California could be a whole different challenge.

Being a border state, you will have your own set of issues if this passes, the Colorado attorney general warned.

Law enforcement tactics wont change

For most in law enforcement who deal with the border, not much will change in terms of how they do their jobs, experts said.

Drugs will still come across the Mexican border, and they will be just as illegal as before.

Should legalization occur, law enforcements focus on large-scale drug-trafficking operations would continue, and a renewed effort would be put toward interstate smuggling.

Gore, whose department is part of San Diego Countys Border Crime Suppression Team, said there would be the added challenge of determining legal versus illegal marijuana when officers come across it in areas farther from the border.

Federal investigators would also likely continue to walk a fine line when it comes to marijuana. Marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug under U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration guidelines. In August, the Obama administration announced it would not recategorize it, keeping it in the most dangerous class of narcotics along with heroin.

Over the past decade, the clash between federal and state laws played out in numerous federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries and growers.

The Obama administration softened its stance in 2013 as recreational use laws came into play, announcing that federal authorities would leave legal operators alone as long as they met eight requirements, including following local laws and not selling to minors.

Could any of this change with a new administration in the White House come January? Maybe.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
The sister of Alfred Olango, who was fatally shot by police last month, filed a claim Thursday against the city of El Cajon saying the officer who shot her brother was negligent.

Attorney Dan Gilleon, who is representing Lucy Olango, said in the claim that Officer Richard Gonsalves ignored his police training when he aggressively confronted Olango, despite being told by dispatchers that Olango may be mentally ill.

The claim also asserts Gonsalves should have used less-than lethal force or de-escalated the situation until a Psychiatric Emergency Response Team arrived. The team of mental health professionals is specially trained to assist officers dealing with people who are experiencing a mental health crisis.

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The lawsuit is demanding that officers follow the rules so the rest of us can have faith that we can call 911 and a loved one wont get shot and killed, Gilleon said.

Lucy Olango called 911 three times because her brother wasnt acting like himself the afternoon of Sept. 27. Dispatchers referred to the call as a 5150, which can refer to an incident involving a person who is mentally ill.

Two officers arrived nearly an hour after her first call, the claim said. Following a brief interaction, Olango, 38, pulled a vaping device out of his pants pocket and pointed it at the officers in a shooting stance, police said. One officer fired a Taser at him, and Gonsalves shot him with his gun. The shooting occurred about a minute after the officers arrived.

The claim also blames the department for the shooting, saying sexual harassment allegations against Gonsalves in 2015 indicated he was unfit for duty. Gideon said the officer, who was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant, should have been fired.

Mayor Bill Wells said he stands by the citys decision at the time to keep Gonsalves on the police force. He said his city manager and human resources department extensively investigated the matter.

Im confident that they took the matter very seriously, Wells said.

He said Thursday evening that he had not learned about Lucy Olangos claim.

This will be a chance for all the grievances to be aired, the mayor said. And for the court system to work the way its supposed to.

Gilleon said his 45-year-old client feels guilt and regret for trusting the El Cajon Police Department and calling them for help.

Lucy Olangos claim, a precursor to filing a lawsuit, asserts she suffered emotional distress in the wake of the shooting. It asks for more than $10,000 in damages to cover economic damages for medical expenses and lost wages.
When methane started leaking out of a well at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility outside Los Angeles last October, noxious fumes blanketed the nearby Porter Ranch neighborhood for months. Residents complained of nausea, nosebleeds and vomiting; more than 8,000 families were forced out of their homes by the stench of the chemical odorant added to natural gas to help detect leaks.

Two thousand miles away, in a poor Alabama community, residents are complaining of similar symptoms after lightning struck equipment at an underground pipeline. An estimated 500 gallons of the same chemical spilled into the soil and groundwater, according to state environmental officials.

But, unlike in affluent, predominantly white Porter Ranch, residents in Eight Mile have been largely ignored, stuck for eight years with the stifling rotten egg stench that still hovers over the low-income, mostly African American enclave just north of the Gulf of Mexico.

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Residents say there have been no relocations to hotels or rented homes. No transfers to schools out of harms way. No U.S. Cabinet members swooping in to investigate. No national media hordes.

Because we dont have the financial wherewithal to put pressure on these people, they simply turn their heads, said Eight Mile resident Carletta Davis, one of hundreds of people suing Mobile Gas Service Corp. over the leak of the chemical mercaptan. Our children are sick.... Its absolutely an outrage.

The two leaks have another thing in common: San Diego-based Sempra Energy owns and operates Aliso Canyon and, for most of the eight years since the lightning strike, it also owned the Eight Mile facility.

Sempra spokesman Art Larson referred all questions to Mobile Gas. He said the Eight Mile leak was discovered a few months before Sempra acquired the Alabama utility in October 2008; it sold the company last month. Mobile Gas declined to comment because of pending litigation.

At least three lawsuits out of 14 filed by hundreds of Eight Mile residents are still pending, according to Sempra Energy securities filings. The residents allege damage to health and property values. In one typical case, the lawsuit accuses Mobile Gas of continuing to expose residents to noxious mercaptan pollution, which is annoying, unpleasant, obnoxious, disturbing, and harmful to the plaintiffs health.

Mobile Gas acknowledged the leak in court documents but claimed that waste cleanup firms they had hired failed to get rid of the spilled chemical. Those firms did not return calls for comment.

Mercaptan, a class of chemical that includes compounds of sulfur and mercury, has been used for decades to give odor to natural gas and has been considered fairly harmless by government and industry. Whether the smell is the source of the illnesses in Porter Ranch and Eight Mile has been a subject of debate.

At the Aliso Canyon facility, mercaptan was released along with vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, during a leak from a single well.

The response from government officials was heightened by the potential for a catastrophic explosion and by significant air quality and climate change concerns. And yet it still took four months to seal the problem well.

At Eight Mile, only mercaptan  not natural gas  leaked in June 2008, according to Mobile Gas.

Robert Jackson, a senior fellow at Stanford Universitys Woods Institute for the Environment, said a spill into groundwater, as at Eight Mile, could remain in plumes with irritating effects lasting for years.

Our sense of smell is acutely sensitive to mercaptans, Jackson said. Theyre irritants. They irritate our eyes. Theyre designed to smell bad, to be unpleasant.

Dr. Jeffrey Nordella, an urgent care physician in Porter Ranch, said he has been conducting his own research on mercaptans health effects since the Aliso Canyon leak.

Mercaptan is toxic to the human body, Nordella said. The question is exposure  how much and for how long?

Exactly how the chemical affects human health is unclear, though at least three workers have died after exposure to extremely high levels of methyl mercaptan, one of several variations of the chemical, according to reports by two federal agencies.

The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry cited a 1970 case of a 53-year-old worker who developed anemia, fell into a coma and later died after he opened and emptied tanks of the compound. He also suffered seizures, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency noted in a 2013 report.

In 1979, a 19-year-old was exposed to methyl mercaptan at high concentrations for a few minutes and died 45 minutes later as a result of respiratory arrest and heart failure. In 2001, a 24-year-old worker was found dead at a chemical factory with what tests showed were large quantities of methyl mercaptan in his liver, kidneys, lungs, blood and urine.

The EPA report said that exposure to methyl mercaptan even when not at those extreme levels can depress the central nervous system and affect respiratory function. Signs of exposure can include mucous membrane irritation, headache, dizziness, staggering gait, nausea and vomiting.

Markell Williams was just 3 years old when a powerful chemical oozed into the soil and water less than a mile from his home. By age 5, he was having seizures.

His mother, Raquel Williams, 33, blames the chemicals pungent smell that permeates the air in their community. Whenever the odor would grow strong  and it can hit with a blast that sometimes forces people to run for cover  it seemed to trigger Markells seizures with growing intensity and frequency, his mother said.

Over the last year, the seizures have become so frequent that Markell, now 11, has missed months of school.

This year, hes been hospitalized five times because his seizures didnt get any better, said Raquel Williams as she sat next to his hospital bed in September.

More than 1,300 residents have filled out health assessment questionnaires describing symptoms such as nosebleeds, respiratory distress, nausea, vomiting, seizures, vision problems and hypertension.

The Facebook page for the We Matter 8 Mile Community Assn. includes photos of infants and toddlers on ventilators, children with blood dripping from their noses and adults wearing medical masks to protect themselves from the stench.

But Davis, who is the associations president, said that Mobile Gas and government officials are treating the problem as merely an unpleasant odor despite reports  for eight years running  that residents are being sickened.

Likening the struggle to the Flint, Mich., water crisis, Davis said she intends to keep fighting.

Nobody is going to do this for us, she said. Were just falling through the cracks.

On its website, Mobile Gas acknowledges that its investigation and treatment of the mercaptan spill have taken a long time because of complex geology and groundwater flow.

But it says that two water treatment systems built to remove mercaptan from surface water and groundwater have helped mitigate the problem.

The new owner of Mobile Gas, St. Louis, Mo.-based Spire Energy, said employees have not detected any odor. And recent visits by state environmental agents didnt reveal any problems.

What happened in Alabama only involved mercaptan, which has been safely used to odorize natural gas for nearly 100 years, Spire Energy spokeswoman Jenny Gobble said in a statement. There is no evidence linking low levels of mercaptan in the air to any lasting health effects.

The company declined to discuss specific cases.

Dr. Mary McIntyre, chief medical officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said through a spokeswoman that the agency was working with other state and federal agencies to find solutions for the Eight Mile community, and it has also contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, though, the agencies are unable to determine any association between reported conditions and the 2008 mercaptan spill, she said.

The years of troubles in Eight Mile have led some residents to pack up and move. But most of the 3,000 residents dont have the resources to leave.

The median income in Eight Mile in 2014 was $35,000, or more than $8,000 lower the state median. In Porter Ranch, by comparison, the median income in 2014 was $105,602, more than $44,000 higher than the California median income.

Southern California Gas paid more than $500 million to temporarily relocate about 8,000 Porter Ranch families and clean more than 1,700 homes. Eight Mile residents say they got nothing approaching that assistance. Some have settled their cases with Mobile Gas for undisclosed amounts. Local media reported that most settlement payouts ranged from $3,000 to $10,000 apiece.

Jeremiah Hollins, a 65-year-old retired truck driver, used to find relief when he boarded his rig for out-of-town trips. But, now in his retirement years, he said the constant smell of mercaptan is taking its toll.

My doctor told me that I need to get out of this area, Hollins said. Hollins wrestles with respiratory trouble and holds himself up with a walker because of trouble in his legs that he believes is made worse by breathing in mercaptan.

Marcus Richardson, 39, works as an environmental safety and health professional. Long before his headaches and nosebleeds began, he smelled a problem.

I started smelling sulfur, Richardson said. I said, Ma, I think youve got a gas leak. She didnt have a gas leak. The whole community had a gas leak.

Richardson thought he had escaped the effects of mercaptan when he left Eight Mile looking for a change of scenery. He moved in with a girlfriend in the Northridge area of Southern California, just two miles from the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility.

He was in Northridge when Aliso Canyons leak started Oct. 23.

I got exposure on both ends, said Richardson, who said he felt pure outrage over the contrast in how the leaks were handled in the two communities.

The response that they had in California was immediate; it was swift, Richardson said. The prestige of that community propelled a swifter action than in this community.

Dozens of Eight Mile residents marched on the state Capitol in Montgomery on Thursday to voice their years-long frustrations to state leaders. They chanted Eight Mile, we matter and many wore surgical masks. By the time they boarded buses to go back home, the governor had agreed to meet with them next week.

We will not stop until we get answers, said DaShaun Taylor, holding a poster of her cousin breathing on a ventilator. Because literally, as the signs says, we cannot breathe.
For the second time this year, the California Public Utilities Commission has replaced the judge overseeing an internal investigation into the San Onofre nuclear plant closure.

State utility regulators issued a notice Oct. 19 stating that Administrative Law Judge Darcie Houck was taking over the case for Maribeth Bushey  who succeeded Melanie Darling in January.

Darling retired after records involving her and 21 others were sought in a search warrant issued as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the commissions private dealings with the utilities it regulates. The state Attorneys Generals Office has not filed any charges in the criminal case.

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Administrative Law Judge Judge Kevin Dudney was assigned to the commissions San Onofre proceeding along with Darling between 2013 and 2015.

The single-sentence notification installing the latest judge offers no explanation. Spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said the case was reassigned because Bushey announced that she will be leaving the CPUC at the end of the month.

Michel Florio was also replaced as the utilities commissioner assigned to oversee the case in 2015 after U-T Watchdog reported that he engaged in weekly communications with Southern California Edison, majority owner of the failed power plant.

The San Onofre proceeding was opened in October 2012, nine months after the power plant north of Oceanside shut down amid a radiation leak from newly installed steam generators.

Consumers are paying $3.3 billion of the $4.7 billion in premature closure costs under a deal that was discussed at an undisclosed meeting in Poland between the top state regulator and a utility executive. Bushey ordered the deal reopened in May amid mounting criticism that it was skewed in favor of utility company shareholders.

Consumer advocates said the change in judges could further delay any refunds that might come to utility customers from a renegotiation of settlement terms.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
City lawyers are asking a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit against the San Diego Police Department and one of its officers, which was brought by a homeless man who claimed he was wrongfully targeted.

The case, filed in U.S. District Court in August, accuses the department and Officer Colin Governski of singling out Zack Green because he is African-American and has lived on the streets of Pacific Beach without a fixed address for decades.

According to attorneys representing the city, the case should be dismissed on several grounds, including case law establishing that federal rules require more than an unadorned the defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.

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While specific detail is not required, every complaint must at a minimum plead enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face, lawyers for the city wrote in a federal filing.

The lawsuit is scheduled for a hearing Nov. 7 before Judge John A. Houston, who will decide whether to grant the citys request to dismiss the case.

In the August complaint, Green alleged that Governski wrongly stopped Green while he was riding his bicycle past the Pacific Beach library. Green was prohibited from loitering on library property under a previous court ruling  something Governski knew at the time  but Green said he was only passing by, the claim says.

Criminal charges were never formally charged to plaintiff. Plaintiff spent three days in San Diego Central Jail. Upon his release, plaintiffs dentures and Samsung cellphone were never returned to him, the lawsuit alleged.

The legal filing also accuses Governski of discriminating against Green because of his race and violating his constitutional rights. It blames the department for failing to properly train officers and for condoning discriminatory practices.

In the latest court filing, city lawyers dispute those claims. Plaintiff will be unable to point to any specific statute imposing direct liability on a public entity for failure to train and supervise its employees, the city told the judge.

Green, who is 68 and has been homeless for more than 25 years, is seeking damages in excess of $1 million.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
What can the city of Rialto, in San Bernardino County, teach the worlds criminal justice agencies? After all, its Police Department of 54 officers only serves 100,000 residents. But heres what you may not know: The Rialto Police Department led the world in the understanding of how body-worn cameras can change policing.

In 2012, we joined the Rialto police in conducting the worlds first randomized experiment of the effect of body cameras on relations between police and the public. This experiment came about through the foresight of then-Police Chief Tony Farrar, with whom we  two academics with expertise in criminal justice  co-authored the research.

Each week, all shifts were randomly assigned to treatment or control. On a treatment shift, all officers had to wear cameras, had to keep the cameras turned on for their whole shift and had to give verbal warnings to anyone they encountered that they were wearing a camera. On control shifts, no one wore cameras. The study then compared those shifts where cameras were being used to those where they werent.

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The results were surprising  because they were so clear. When officers were wearing cameras on shifts, police use of force against suspects was 50 percent lower. Similarly, complaints against the police fell to almost zero in the 12 months after the cameras were introduced.

Police use of force and the complaints it engenders are expensive for police departments. They cost the trust and cooperation of communities. And a single complaint against a police force can cost upward of a million dollars in compensation. For a small force like Rialto, thats a big blow to the budget.

Does success in Rialto predict success in places like Houston and Baton Rouge, where weve seen police come under public scrutiny for excessive use of force?

Recently, we ran a series of new experiments with 10 police forces across the U.S. and U.K., with more underway. The results from these studies generally confirm the Rialto Police Department experiment findings. But there are two crucial caveats: It cannot be left to the officers to determine the shifts during which they will wear the cameras, and the cameras must stay turned on for the entire shift.

As soon as officers are given the power to decide which cases should be recorded, or at which point during the interaction with the citizen to turn the camera on, body-worn cameras not only can fail, but may backfire. We found that when officers used their discretion to turn cameras on and off during their shifts, this was associated with an increased use of force.

What we take from this is that when making the decision to invest in body cameras, police departments need to be thinking hard about how they want them used  we think the evidence is good enough to say that cameras should be on before officers are engaged with suspects and (ideally) kept on throughout their whole shift.

And this isnt just about use of force, but also their role in evidence, police-community interactions and police accountability. The Rialto Police Department, like many other law enforcement agencies, began using an online system operated by Taser called Evidence.com to streamline tracking of evidence and delivery of cases to the District Attorneys Office. This is part of a wider movement of digitization in policing, and Rialto was one of its leaders. Having all the interactions recorded, available for audit if necessary and electronically coded, added to the overall design of the experiment. We anticipate that this will soon be standard procedure for policing.

If being observed by a body camera leads to greater professionalism, accountability and a more consensual style of policing, officers may not resort to unnecessary or excessive force. At the same time  and as important  citizens who are videotaped while talking to cops may exercise more self-control and take part in a respectful dialogue with officers of the law, even if they are suspected of breaking the law. The camera keeps both the officer and the citizen in check by reminding them they are being watched.

Body-worn cameras alone cannot solve the problems with policing in America today. But used properly they can help address the mistrust that has grown between some communities and their police.

Sutherland is a research leader at RAND Europe, part of the not-for-profit RAND Corp. Ariel is a lecturer in Experimental Criminology at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, and at Hebrew University, Jerusalem. This essay is part of a Zocalo Inquiry into what makes a healthy neighborhood, produced in conjunction with the California Wellness Foundations Advancing Wellness Poll.
A city attorney candidate recently told the U-T editorial board the city attorneys job is limited to acting as general counsel for the mayor and City Council. Lost in the exchange was a key historical fact  San Diego voters had a different role in mind when they decided on April 7, 1931, the city attorney would be an elected office.

A 1931 voter brochure from proponents described the role of the elected city attorney: INDEPENDENT CITY ATTORNEY The city attorney is to be elected by the people. This is a guarantee that the legal head of the government will be able to fearlessly protect interests of all San Diego and not merely be an attorney appointed to carry out wishes of council or manager.

While San Diegos city attorney from 1943-1961, Jean F. DuPaul was the champion of the people of San Diego. He held the mayors and City Council members feet to the fire when it came to obeying laws designed to protect the public. Former District Attorney Ed Miller, who was a highly regarded deputy city attorney, told me under DePaul the attorneys in the office joked San Diego had a strong city attorney form of government.

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After City Attorney DuPaul retired, the City Council appointed a series of city attorneys  with each appointment, the role of the city attorney, as the fearless protector of all of San Diego, grew more attenuated.

Under Charter Section 40 the voters approved in 1931, the first obligation of the city attorney is to protect the people of San Diego. The city attorneys duty is to do more than just advise, represent and defend the city, its departments and officers. What does this mean in practical terms? The city attorney must make sure city officials hold open meetings and provide records to the public, as required by the state Constitution and City Charter. Under our direct democracy form of government, the public has a right to witness and participate in the conduct of the peoples business. When the City Council voted 7 to 1 to impose an unconstitutional tax to expand the convention center without a vote of the people, it was the city attorneys job to say no. Instead, the citys lawyer hid behind the smoke screen that it was a policy issue. Violating the constitutional rights of voters to approve taxes is not a policy issue.

When the mayor and council members unlawfully rigged city pension rules to bestow billions of dollars of unearned pension benefits creating over $12 billion of pension debt (according to Stanford University researchers), it was the city attorneys job to use every legal means possible to bring pension rules within legal boundaries. Again, violating debt limit and fiduciary legal duties is not a policy issue.

In 1931, San Diegos legal community and city reformers of both political parties came together to create the elected office of San Diego city attorney to be their fearless protector. A city attorney cannot morally abandon this duty. The city attorney must have the courage and fortitude to stand up to the council, the mayor and department heads in order to make sure the legal rights of the public to honest government is protected.

Voters have a right to know if the candidates have done their homework to understand the duties of the office. Its not up to the candidates to determine the duties of the office  those were set in place by the voters when they established the office of city attorney to be an elected position in 1931.

Aguirre is a former San Diego city attorney.
The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board met recently with District 9 City Council candidate Georgette Gomez. Here is an edited transcript of the interview.

SEE ALSO: Interview with District 9 City Council candidate Ricardo Flores

For the record: A question in this editorial board interview misstated Police Chief Shelley Zimmermans comments on crime and has been removed. Zimmerman did not connect Black Lives Matter to an increase in crime.

QUESTION: Tell us why you should be elected and not Ricardo Flores, whos kind of been there in the trenches.

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GOMEZ: Well, looking at the outcome of June 7th, the way that the primary ended, its pretty indicative of where the district is. I mean over 65 percent of the voters voted for somebody else, not Ricardo. So that, from my perspective, reflects that they want real change. They want somebody that hasnt been in the trenches as. For the community that means business as usual, the community not getting real representation. And honestly, theyre tired of being ignored. Our neighborhoods are tired of being ignored. Theres a lot of emphasis in Downtown San Diego and, you know, its been business as usual at City Hall. I bring a different perspective. Ive been in the trenches in terms of putting pressure on their government to be more responsive to the neighborhoods both at the local and at state level, and thats my drive.

I truly believe that we can do much better for San Diego for our neighborhoods. And I honestly dont see that at City Hall happening right now in terms of the policy conversations, so I really am bringing different perspective. And, once again, making reference to June 7th, where I was triple spent, I came very close in beating Ricardo. The fact that we only had a 3 percent difference I am very, very proud of that. And the fact that I was able to pick up Sarah Saezs support, thats also indicative of what November can look like. So I honestly dont think that our residents in District 9 want business as usual. You can look at June 7th. And theyre ready for something different, the fresh perspective, and somebody who has been a fighter for the community, and thats me.

Q: You talked about policy. The big issue identified statewide, also in San Diego, is housing. What would you do to make that less of a burden for San Diegans?

GOMEZ: Housing has been something that Ive been working on for a bit already. In fact, Ive worked with community and developers and really getting behind projects that normally would be controversial high density and higher up than usually what communities want to see but thats a reflection of facilitating a good conversation with the community and holding developers accountable to actually develop the product that the community wants to see happen, right? So Ive been very successful in getting behind several different affordable housing developments at the city of San Diego and in other cities as well, but for me, you know, housing is a priority. And I think its pretty shameful that the city of San Diego has declared a housing crisis for the past 12, 13 years, but yet theyre not talking about the issue as a form of moving it forward. So Im definitely looking forward at ensuring that it becomes a priority at City Council.

I think zoning is a big thing in terms of ensuring that theres guarantees for developers. I think that thats what they want. They dont want to go through a permitting process a design process that is very convoluted. You know, it takes very long to go to the planning process, to the permitting process, and then the, you know start with community input process. All that takes time. Time means money for a developer. So for me Im really, really committed and trying to make it more efficient, but really also starting with the community at the table and really ensuring that there are guarantees for the community that the developers being help accountable. Weve had had some projects in the district that have become very controversial where the developer was working with the community and the community went ahead and approved that development a completely different development got developed. So then you lose the trust of the community. So when another project comes in, instead of starting from a good place, you already start with this wall of we dont want any development. I see that happening over and over at the city level. And I think we need to do better. We need to do much better for the community, but also ensuring that we are bringing good development in the community. So definitely facilitating better conversations is one thing.

The other is just really working through the planning and zoning process, ensuring that we are planning accordingly and zoning accordingly so that way we dont have to take a year or two years going through that process. So thats something that I want to move faster. I want to make sure that the community is for sure being guaranteed that were not, you know, changing the fabric of the community, but also ensuring that were being responsive. We have several corridors in the district that could be higher density, but ensuring that one of the biggest things is the infrastructure. Whos going to take care of it and how are we going to address it being that we have a current deficit? So thats another issue that has to be addressed immediately before we start talking about bringing more people in. And its something that the city really is always constantly pushing to the future, and then you get residents once again pushing back against it because were already living with that deficit. So theres several things.

And then I think the third one that I see the city not being really aggressive whatsoever actually is theres state funding for to support housing development. The city isnt going after that money. And I know that because I was part of National City project that we were able to partner with the city to go after that money. They got it, we were trying to work with the city of San Diego to go after some housing money, but they chose not to. So is the city of San Diego just not being aggressive enough to go after other resources to be able to support development? And I just feel like thats thats wrong, especially in the era of the absence of redevelopment, right? Thats no longer there, so we have to be more creative. And theres state money, and the city isnt going after that money. And I just feel like thats something we can be more aggressive. So definitely doing something like that.

Q: You talk about infrastructure. That was maybe your top priority in the primary. What would your approach be? The city has a billion dollar hold toward infrastructure projects. How do you close that gap when theres not an appetite for bonding?

GOMEZ: Well, we have a perfect opportunity I mean theres the Citizens Initiative, which is going to the ballot in November. For me, the reason that I got behind that is because we have an opportunity to create more money for the city. And from my perspective, that money should be dedicated to infrastructure. So thats new money. And its really unfortunate that not a lot of current council members are not getting behind it. Its becoming such a political fiasco from my perspective. And I think thats a creative way of creating a little bit of more money that can be dedicated to infrastructure. Thats why Im behind it because I think thats a way. And there are other conversations that need to be had, but I think thats a starting point for sure. From my perspective, Im still fully in support of that initiative because it does two things. One, it removes the possibility of providing any public funding to build a stadium, which I think that shouldnt be a priority at the moment, especially talking about infrastructure deficit, housing deficit, homeless population increasing theres a lot of significant issues occurring that are impacting our quality of life. And then secondly. it creates more money that can be allocated for some of these issues that arent being addressed.

Q: So if elected with your point-of-view, if the Chargers leave, you would be one member on the council that could be blamed for them leaving. Does that worry you or are you fine with them leaving San Diego?

GOMEZ: Well, my perspective with the Chargers is I feel that they have enough money to to me its always been about ensuring that the money that we have on behalf of the city has in terms of managing on behalf of the residents of San Diego, it should be done in a proper way. And for me, in the conversations that Ive been having in District 9, I mean infrastructure, housing, the increase of homelessness, thats serious. And there isnt anything moving forward to address those issues, right? I have conversations with the residents and about the stadium. And I can honestly say and Im not exaggerating maybe Ive come across five people that have said Im willing to do anything the city should do anything to keep them, right? Thats about five people. And Ive spoken with a lot of residents within District 9. Its not a priority. You know, the priority is improve maintain our infrastructure, improve our streets, the lighting, you know, safety, homelessness. All of these things are a priority. You know, I have the responsibility when to move those issues forward and respond to that. Im not hearing you know, five people that have said do anything possible to maintain the Charger Stadium. Thats not even 50 percent of the residents within District 9. To me, thats an indication. My campaign ran on no public money for the stadium. They can pay their way. And there are things that the city can do in terms of land, in terms of permitting to assist in them staying, but in terms of funding, I think thats the wrong thing to do. I honestly do.

Q: Would you reconsider your no public money stance if this downtown measure fails and what were left with is looking back at Mission Valley and another proposal another stadium there or is that a kind of hard-fast policy that you have no public money for a stadium ever?

GOMEZ: Im pretty solid in saying no public money. I think there are other things that the city is able to do, and it should do, but in terms of funding, especially in the era of theres only so much funding the city has and theres a deficit, I think its truly the wrong thing to do. It really is.

Q: So what do you think they could do then?

GOMEZ: I go back to planning. You know, theres permitting processes they need to do. In Qualcomm I know that theres some environmental issues occurring there. And so what can the city do, right? You know, theyre going to need some cleanup if we are looking at Qualcomm as a possibility of the site, but obviously theyre pretty loud and clear that thats not a site that theyre willing to consider. So is there a different one? I dont know. Its a conversation thats been going on forever. So I dont know. I think that theres theres clean up to be occurred that the city can help with and go after some state money, go after some EPA money to support them in the cleanup load because thats very costly for sure. And fast tracking some permitting, I would be open to things like that.

Q: What do you think about ... social protests over police brutality?

GOMEZ: I mean weve got to recognize right now that we have a local and national problem in terms of trust within our police enforcement and community. Im very much a product of some of that experience myself. I want to make sure that there really is a true transparency and true trust creation within the Police Department in their community. And we went through this whole body camera releasing, and were still in that dilemma, right? You know, its our responsibility as leaders to ensure that were creating trust with the community. And within that Im a firm believer that those tapes should have been released, so Im going to be fighting for that. I know that theres changes on that, but I dont I dont think it goes far enough.

So definitely I want to make sure that those videos are being released in a quick manner because thats a form of, you know, really buying trust from the community. So thats one thing. The other I dont believe that violence should be utilized as a form of enforcement. I think thats the wrong thing to do. I think thats when you start going backward instead of going forward. I firmly believe you know, a while back, we had a program that was very much efficient in community policing. Thats something that I think should be brought back. The city has the responsibility to put money behind these programs. And instead of supporting them theyre cutting them left and right. And I think that once again this is going back to the city is not investing in their communities, and that is result of the distrust. And I want to change that. You know, I truly want to ensure that, you know that were healing the relationship between the community and their government. And that includes policing, you know. I want to make sure that I had a personal experience and where I was coming back from whatever I was doing, going home and this woman got hit by a car. I happened to call 9-1-1, police came pretty fast, but the folks that came couldnt communicate with this woman because shes a Vietnamese woman, spoke only Vietnamese. They couldnt communicate. And the way that they were able to communicate is her friend had to call a friend to be able to hand the phone over to the police so they can communicate with her. I just thought as I was looking at this whole situation, I was like what if that person wasnt here, what would have happened? That could have been her life, right?

So I started reflecting on that. We need to be hiring people that are reflective of our communities, you know, wherever these police are being sent to enforce. Because, A), it matters in how you operate and how you relate to people and, B), when were hiring people from the community, I think theres a different relationship because these are people who are part of the make up of the community. You take more pride. And were were going away from that. You know why? Because the cost of living is getting higher. In San Diego our police enforcement is theyre not able to live in the communities. Were not hiring people from our [communities] diversity is not a priority. And I definitely want to make sure that that also happens. So theres a lot of things that I want to see happen within the police enforcement to build that strength you know, that relationship, that trust. And weve got to start with acknowledging that we dont have it and that were getting away from that.

Q: Specifically on body cameras, we editorialized that the new policy kind of sounds good. But theres a lot of caveats, and so youre never going to see that video. What can you do, if anything as a council member, to change that or pressure those members of law enforcement to have a different policy, or is there nothing that you can do?

GOMEZ: No, I think you can. I mean definitely. I think those policies are some of it is guided by our elected ... And I have a different perspective, and that perspective Im going to fight for and Im going to make sure that, you know, I dont just sign off on something that is politically correct. For me, its not about being politically correct. For me, its about doing the right thing for the community. And like I said, right now we got to start with acknowledging that we have an issue, and that issue is mistrust. And if were going to move forward its not about one party being stronger than the other. Its about ensuring that were coming at the table collectively together to be able to move forward. It makes no sense to give all this power to the police or have them misuse it or abuse it. Im not saying thats whats happening, but the fact of the matter is, our police enforcement theyre being asked to do more with less because its not a priority of the city council, its not a priority of our government. And that creates an interesting dynamic at the community level. I was walking in Southcrest during the primary, and I ran into this older gentleman African-American gentleman. And he brought up something that was really interesting to me. He was talking about policing. And he said, you know, back in the day, when the police used to come and there wasnt an emergency, they would actually get out of their cars and door knock, you know, on peoples homes just to say, hey, Im so and so, whats been going on, anything that I should know about? Hes like, thats no longer happening. They just come and theyre actually looking for crime. Theyre looking for things instead of building that relationship investing, right? And we are getting away from that. And I think thats a sad thing to say and a sad reality because that creates a different environment. And I think that environment were seeing it. And I think we need to backtrack and we need to go back to the way that, you know that was working. And I think that comes based on leadership. You know, definitely those policies are set by City Council. And body cameras the policy that was created was set by City Council, so definitely we have the responsibility of doing much better.

Q: From about 2009 to 2013, we had a series of police scandals. Now, the normal thing that happens when theres years and years of police scandals, people assume that theres problems with the internal culture and they appoint an outsider. And now Shelley Zimmerman is going to leave next year because of her pension, unless some state law is passed to create some exemption, and yet there doesnt seem to be an appreciation that its smart to bring in an outsider because youve got a troubled internal culture. Instead we seem to think oh, no, lets just look from within. Do you think there should be a national search when she leaves next year?

GOMEZ: I think yeah, most definitely. I want to make sure that were bringing the best person possible to move these conversations forward. And Im not a firm believer that we should take the easy way out. I think thats shortchanging our communities. And for sure I think we should look to bring the best person that we can attract to ensure that they have the right qualifications. And what those are from my perspective is ensuring that we are moving forward in a more community-friendly approach, creating a different environment, creating different structures, creating different dialogues, and starting from a point of, we have a problem. And that takes a lot to say to actually acknowledge. So that would be something that I would be looking for and somebody that has experience working with a set of different communities. Its not just a particular focus. We are a very diverse San Diego. You know, we are not just one one type of community. And we need to be able to work within all of them. And all of that means different experiences. So having said that, I think we do need to we owe it to our community we owe it to San Diego to do a national search because I think sometimes playing it safe and looking within its not the right thing to do. Its not. And sometimes, you know, a fresh perspective is a good thing.

Q: Speaking of fresh perspectives, District 9 is a new district, but you would be the first person of color elected in the district. I think that might mean that the council has more people of color on it or higher a percentage of people of color than it has before. You talk about reflecting your community. Talk a bit about that and how that matters to voters or not. I mean obviously, Ricardo and the other candidates were Latino as well, so

GOMEZ: No, I think definitely, you know, having the City Council that reflects the make-up of the population matters. I would be the first LGBTQ Latina. Thats pretty significant because that brings a different perspective, a different story. We have different experiences, right? And that influences conversations occurring at City Council, and that hasnt occurred. So there is there is excitement about that at at the community level, at the city level as well. And I think Im excited for that as well because its about time. You know, the fact that we havent had a Latina at City Council, it doesnt speak well for a city, especially looking at our population, looking at the location of our city, right? So I think definitely that does bring a different perspective, a different story, but, you know its not just about that. Its about ensuring that were doing the right things for San Diego. So, yes, I have that mindset, but Im not just going to be reflective or Im not just going to be representing that population. One thing that brought me to District 9 one thing that brought me to City Heights is the diversity that our community has. And I dont think thats been acknowledged to the level that it should be. I want to fight for that. I want to make sure that our region is aware of that from a cultural, from an economic perspective, from a humanistic perspective. And I think we have a long way to go. And thats one of my priorities as well for the district to actually acknowledge them.

Q: You talk about homelessness. Thats a big issue. The problem seems to be getting worse both anecdotally and looking at the numbers, not just downtown, but in other neighborhoods now people are complaining about that. What can the city do? Is that a perpetual problem or is there a way to put a drastic dent in that population?

GOMEZ: I think definitely one of the things that I want to see happen is I know that theres been a lot of traction on the Housing First policies and looking at other cities moving in that direction. From my perspective, thats a new way. It would be a new way for the city of San Diego to look at the you know, moving some resources to thatto doing something more of Housing First. I think that we can be more aggressive on that. I think the city is being a bit cautious in moving in that direction. I would want us to redirect more on that. Theres efforts right now by certain people to do Tiny Homes related to homelessness. I think it should be something that we should explore. One of the things that is bothersome for me is and this is related to leadership is we fear the unknown. And we like to do the same things, expect a different outcome. And thats what I see the city of San Diego doing quite a bit, especially around housing and especially around homelessness, right? And thats not improving the issue. Its increasing. I think we need to get away from that. I think this is where we need to be a bit more bold and more creative and stop doing the same thing and expect something different because its not going to happen. So this is where I would want to see Housing First take a priority and definitely explore the Tiny Home opportunities.

Q: So thats kind of a buzzword, Housing First. What specifically, other than Tiny Homes, does that mean to you? What would you do?

GOMEZ: Well, Housing First so the way that were operating our homelessness is there is a requirement for homeless people to basically commit to go through these treatments, right? If theyre not ready [to commit] theyre not allowed to be sheltered. I think when youre dealing with mentally ill people or folks that are abusing substances theyre not going to be ready. So I feel like we need to be OK and not having that be a first step and providing them shelter, creating stability. I think its a number one priority from my perspective. And I think everything else comes later. So this is where I mean, in terms of Housing First, its more about ensuring that there is stability and that stability is providing shelter you know, providing a roof and then going after the services whenever theyre ready versus the other way around, right? I dont think thats something that is going to be very subsistent and its not working because they might not be ready. So instead of coming in they stay in the streets.

And also were seeing now families that theyre not mentally ill or theyre not tying to substance [abuse], its just they are losing their homes because they cant afford it. So definitely affordability is a big thing and ensuring that we are building more housing that is available to all sectors of our community and not just higher incomes. You know, we need to build for low income people. We need to build for our medium medium income folks. I think for medium down we are falling short. And thats something that I truly want to make sure that its happening because were seeing some of those families in the streets. Were seeing some of those families having to triple, double up with other families, and thats happening in District 9. I personally have experienced that with other people.

Q: Summarize why youre the best candidate?

GOMEZ: I think, you know, I go back to June 7th was a true indication of the voters wanting real change. Ive been somebody that has been an advocate for the community as an outsider. People seem to be wanting something different, a fresh perspective, somebody that is not tied to the downtown special interests, to business as usual. As part of the work with Environmental Health Coalition, Ive been working both at the city of San Diego influencing policies from, you know, more recently the Climate Action Plan. I was very engaged in ensuring that whatever policies were being adopted that underserved communities would benefit they would see the implementation first because these communities have been in the front line of pollution high level pollution. So here we have an opportunity to reduce that. Ive created policy in that to ensure that happens. Ive been a full proponent in trying to reduce air pollution overall. I participated in the general plan when the city was adopting its general plan several years ago to ensure that were moving the city in a sustainable manner. So theres policies there that were created, and I was a part of those policies creations. Ive worked to support over 500-plus affordable housing units that have been built already that have had very little community resistance, and thats because I facilitated the conversations between the community and developers. So thats something that Im extremely proud of.

In the district, as a resident, Ive been very involved in various planning groups as a member of the Southeastern Planning Group, City Heights Planning Group. When we have redevelopment, I was part of the Redevelopment Area Committee  an elected member. I helped bring the farmers market to our community in City Heights. I worked a couple years with other residents to secure SANDAG money that will be invested in our neighborhood, so over $20 million for walking and biking infrastructure improvements. And one of the last things that I participated in as a part of the Redevelopment Area Committee we actually in City Heights we actually bonded money to basically dedicate it to a certain community, one of the most high crime areas, its called Colina Park, to basically bring in more lighting, sidewalks to activate the community. And that was very intentional because we wanted to create that community to be more safe and secure. So this was a way that we were trying to be very creative, and thats something that Im very proud of six years later. Ive been working on putting pressure at SANDAG to move our city forward. Not just continue doing the safe thing, which they continue to do, meaning spend our money in a wiser way in terms of activating our communities, improving our transit system to have it be a true system that we can actually have real options both because its good for the environment, but also its good to remove cars from the highways. I think its a good thing. But also District 9 being one of the very high dense community and that community is very dependent on public transit, I think we have that responsibility as well to create a real option.

Ive been working also with the Port of San Diego as the Port of San Diego is talking about increasing its freight movement. I want to make sure that its done in a sustainable manner. I want to make sure that its done in a way that creates more jobs, who is getting those jobs. I want to make sure that (it is) San Diegans, so Ive been working with them to ensure that happens. And Ive been working at the state level, too. I was part of a couple of bills that I helped shape that we adopted and that resulted in hopefully holding polluters accountable and also creating better more resources to be invested at the local level. So thats a little bit of my background.

Im a firm believer that we need change at City Hall, and that change has to be something different. You know, from my perspective, I bring that a different voice. I bring a different experience. You know, Ive been a community leader, a community activist, a policymaker on behalf of communities, and thats something that we havent seen. Its been normally people that have been staffers from other elected or they come from the business community. I think I truly do bring a different perspective. And I have a long history at the community level, you know, not only as somebody whos been living in the community for longer than 10 years. I see what the community issues are, I live them every day, and theyre not being addressed. Theyre getting worse by the day. And I just theres a sense of ... you know, Im beyond open spaces. I think open spaces are important in our communities, but I think, for me its about shelter. Its about housing. Its about the infrastructure of our communities. Its about the public safety of a community. Those to me thats my drive. I want to make sure that our communities are healthy, are thriving, and that people are invested or proud of where theyre at. And, you know, its something that we have a long way to go. And that truly is my commitment.

I want to make sure that were doing business differently, you know, in terms of policy making, in terms of budgeting. I truly want to create transparency, I truly want to create trust within the residents, and that means bringing those conversations to the community and getting guidance from residents. Sometimes our elected shy away from that. And that voice the community voice is missing. Its been truly it has been about, you know, downtown folks and its been about business as usual, controlling those conversations. And I think we need to get away from that. And thats what Im looking forward in doing just bringing the different perspective, bringing the voice of the community, but also bringing City Hall to the community. And thats something that you dont see very often.
Proposition 57 is a dangerous and misleading constitutional amendment that will put the citizens of California at serious risk.

The proponents of Proposition 57 have said this law will only affect nonviolent felons. They claim that only people in prison for nonviolent offenses will be eligible for early release. But the truth is there are few prisoners left in state prison that are truly nonviolent.

Nonviolent offenders have already been released in California due to AB 109, also known as realignment and Proposition 47, which sent prisoners from state prisons to overcrowded local county jails or back onto the street.

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SEE ALSO: Yes on Prop 57: Ensures no inmate automatically released

In the wake of AB 109 and Proposition 47, crime is on the rise throughout California for the first time in decades. FBI statistics show violent crime up more than 10 percent in just the past year alone. Homelessness and the use of serious drugs like heroin are increasing dramatically across our state.

Now we have Proposition 57 which will only make an already bad situation worse. This measure will allow the early release of some of the most violent criminals in our state prisons  often after serving only a small percentage of the years they were originally sentenced to by the trial judge. This will put their victims and our communities in danger.

The proponents of Proposition 57 would have you believe that these are so called nonviolent criminals. But the following crimes qualify as nonviolent under Proposition 57:

 Rape by intoxication (refers to a circumstance in which the victim was under the influence).

 Rape of an unconscious person.

 Human trafficking involving a sex act with minors.

 Assault with a deadly weapon.

 Domestic violence involving trauma.

 Drive-by shooting.

 Hostage taking.

 Attempting to explode a bomb at a hospital or school.

 Supplying a firearm to a gang member.

 Hate crime causing physical injury.

 Failing to register as a sex offender.

 Arson.

 Discharging a firearm on school grounds.

 Lewd acts against a child 14 or 15 years old.

 False imprisonment of an elder through violence.

I became a prosecutor to protect victims and to make sure that the people who commit crimes are held accountable and our communities are kept safe. This measure single-handedly wipes out decades of protections passed by voters to protect victims and the public safety.

If Proposition 57 passes, it will virtually eliminate:

 The California Victims Bill of Rights

 Marsys Law

 Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act

 Gang Violence and Crime Prevention Act

This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Decades ago, victims of domestic violence often felt that they had nowhere to go because they feared their abuser would get out and hurt them further or worse yet hurt their children or family. However, after much-needed reforms by voters, victims were finally afforded some peace of mind and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. This measure would have us go back to a time when victims of domestic violence, hate crimes or gang violence live in fear of testifying because their attacker could be out of prison within a few years.

The California District Attorneys Association, the California Police Chiefs Association, the League of California Cities, Crime Victims Groups, Sheriffs and Police Organizations throughout the state all oppose Proposition 57.

I urge you to look at the list of so called nonviolent crimes above one more time. Now ask yourself again if it would be acceptable if that criminal was let out on early release after not being held fully responsible for the crimes they had committed.

Proposition 57 may be the most dangerous and misleading measure ever to be on a California ballot. Please vote no on Proposition 57.

Hestrin is Riverside County district attorney.
Every day an officer puts on his or her uniform, it represents a commitment to protecting our neighbors and doing everything we can to ensure dangerous criminals are brought to justice. As a career probation officer, Ive spent my career keeping our communities safe  supervising former inmates to keep them from entering back into a cycle of crime.

Today, however, California stands at a crossroads  and our communities stand to suffer if we do not come together and implement common-sense measures to ensure violent offenders stay locked up.

SEE ALSO: No on Prop 57: Early release of violent criminals would be allowed

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Thats why I am joining law enforcement leaders across California to support Proposition 57  the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act. Proposition 57 focuses resources on keeping dangerous criminals behind bars while investing in proven evidence-based rehabilitation strategies and saving tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Over the past several decades, Californias jail and prison population has skyrocketed. Our number of inmates increased by 500 percent, necessitating 23 new prisons, and spending that reached nearly $10 billion annually with the one of the highest recidivism rates in the nation.

Overcrowding, violence and a staggering lack of rehabilitative programs led to what is accurately described as a correctional crisis  one so pressing the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the state to make significant changes.

What exactly does that mean for Californians?

Put simply: California must implement a common-sense, fiscally responsible plan to rehabilitate nonviolent offenders or the court could order an arbitrary release of prisoners back onto the streets.

Make no mistake: An arbitrary prisoner release represents a threat to the safety of communities up and down our state.

Passing Proposition 57 this November will make sure that doesnt happen. Proposition 57 will save taxpayer dollars, while helping ensure the court doesnt order an arbitrary prisoner release.

First, Proposition 57 invests in evidenced-based public safety strategies that decrease the likelihood paroled nonviolent inmates will reoffend.

Over the past 10 years, Californias recidivism has ranged from between 50 percent to 70 percent. That statistic is not just troubling; it represents an epidemic that plagues our neighborhoods and tears families apart.

Rehabilitation is unquestionably one of the most effective tools for decreasing crime, with countless studies showing the more inmates are rehabilitated, the less likely they are to commit another crime when released.

By implementing a system of credits that can be earned for rehabilitation, good behavior and education milestones (or taken away for bad behavior), Proposition 57 incentivizes nonviolent inmates to get on track, so they dont end up back in the system if they are released.

Second, Proposition 57 requires judges rather than prosecutors determine whether a youth  sometimes as young as 14  should be tried as a juvenile or an adult. Evidence shows minors who remain in the juvenile system are less likely to commit new crimes, yet today they are often warehoused with the adult population, where they are far more likely to become a serial offender. Its common sense to give judges the power to help juvenile offenders turn their lives around while decreasing recidivism in the process.

Third, Proposition 57 reduces wasteful spending in our correctional system and saves taxpayer dollars. By rehabilitating nonviolent inmates and reducing recidivism, California will save tens of millions of dollars and put our state on stronger fiscal footing.

Finally, and most importantly: Proposition 57 keeps the most dangerous criminals locked up.

Eligibility for Proposition 57s rehabilitation-based release applies only to prisoners convicted of nonviolent offenses and excludes violent criminals and sex offenders. Plus, any inmate must demonstrate he or she is rehabilitated before they are granted parole. If they earn parole, they will be released to community supervision where we at the local level are responsible to ensure they continue their successful rehabilitation and return them to custody should they violate the terms of their supervised release.

Proposition 57 puts public safety first  and ensures no inmate is automatically released. Instead, the vigorous process established by this initiative will ensure inmates who pose a potential danger are kept behind bars rather than potentially set free by a looming federal court order.

As a law enforcement agent for over 20 years, I know what works. Proposition 57 will make our state safer and it will encourage prisoners to turn their lives around.

We Californians pride ourselves on our forward-thinking approach to the challenges that face our state and the country. This November, we must tap into that forward-thinking spirit once again to tackle a crisis that threatens our safety.

The choice is clear: we either endure court-mandated, arbitrary prisoner releases that will put communities in danger, or we come together to protect those communities by passing a common-sense initiative that implements proven public safety strategies, keeps violent criminals locked-up and saves taxpayer dollars.

Lets choose wisely: Keep California safe by passing Proposition 57 this November.

Bonini, Amador County chief probation officer, is president of the Chief Probation Officers of California.
The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board met recently District 9 City Council candidate Ricardo Flores. Here is an edited transcript of the interview.

SEE ALSO: Interview with District 9 City Council candidate Georgette Gomez

QUESTION: Why you think you are the person to lead the 9th District.

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FLORES: Well, I think I have the experience. I think I have the ability to do the job, and also the background and the ... service to the community. Ive served District 9 for over a decade. I served it with seven years with Congresswoman Susan Davis, and for the past four or so years with council member Marti Emerald. So I really understand the communities, I understand how they operate, and been able to really be effective in those communities in pushing a lot of good projects forward and a lot of policy issues at the city that I think are making the city a better place definitely for the city and for the residents.

Q: Last time we met, you said that public safety was your top priority. Is it still and have your priorities changed since the primary?

FLORES: Yeah, a little bit. I mean public safety is still very much very important. We still continue to see escalation of break-ins in peoples homes and in their cars, so I think thats a big positive thing that we have to work on, but also I think we need to look at making sure we have infrastructure in our neighborhoods, the streets, the lights, the sidewalks. I think thats very important. We also need to make sure that we consider looking more at homelessness, and thats an issue that continues to grow and were hearing more about that in the district. And then lastly, I think one of the issues that really we need to touch on and I think weve been seeing a lot of it in the newspapers and other media outlets, is the rental issue. I really do think that we need to think very seriously about whats going on with the escalation of rents because there are folks in District 9 that are suffering immensely because of the escalation of rents.

Q: Does that mean youre interested in rent control as your opponent has talked about?

FLORES: Well, I dont know the actual formula of what we can do, but I do think we need to have a discussion about that in a committee. And I think rent control needs to be on the table. So does supply need to be on the table. I think we need to bring in experts and folks from our local universities that really understand this issue. And I think that we need to have a comprehensive discussion so that we can start to address this particular issue. Its very important.

Q: Ninety-three percent of economists surveyed agreed that rent control does not increase housing stock and, in the long term, makes housing more costly. New York City is the champion of rent control in America, and Bill de Blasio, the mayor, a liberal Democrat, is trying to build 200,000 new units because he says rent control has failed. So what do you say to the people who say this has not worked elsewhere and why would it be a panacea here?

FLORES: Well, Im not pushing it. Im just saying we need to fix the problem. Im agnostic as to how we get to that point of controlling the rents or making sure the rents dont continue to escalate. How we get there is going to be up to a matter of the council, the members of the council, and obviously folks and leaders in the community, but I think more importantly we need to get to a point where we do deal with this particular issue. What I would like to see, though, is I would like to see us copy some counties and cities up in Northern California that are putting bonds on out there for the voters to vote on to consider affordable housing. Thats definitely something I would like to see going forward in the future.

Q: Affordable housing programs in California have a long history of being like lotteries helping that small handful of families and not helping people broadly. Gov. Brown and recently President Obama said the key is adding housing stock. So that seems to be more of an answer than two things that have not worked elsewhere.

FLORES: Well, I think you cant just say either or. Youre going to have to do a little bit of everything. I mean this is a very complicated issue, and to think that one council member in the city of San Diegos going to solve the states problems thats been bedeviling I dont know how many legislators in the state of California, how many other council people that are in the state of California. But I think we have to start to acknowledge that it is a serious problem and the public needs to know that we are concerned about this and that were taking steps to address this.

Q: District 9 has some of the oldest neighborhoods in San Diego, and subsequently (older) sidewalks and its streets. Are you seeing improvement in a way theyre addressing the streets and the sidewalks and that stuff under this new plan?

FLORES: We are seeing improvement, but its scattered improvement. You know, well pave one street, but another street wont be paved. When it comes to sidewalks, we are building some sidewalks, but overall the sidewalks in the neighborhoods havent really been dealt with. Were seeing more streets being paved. Thoroughfares are being paved. These are positive steps forward, but I think the residents and the community is looking for comprehensive steps, not piece by piecemeal approach dealing with these big issues.

Q: And you live in Kensington, right? The whole Adams Avenue area those are some of the most weather-beaten sidewalks Ive ever seen.

FLORES: Yeah. I mean there are streets everywhere. I kind of make this joke about, you know, I want to take a picture of a sidewalk and take a picture of a Roman ruin and say what is it, San Diego District 9 sidewalk or Roman ruin? Which is it? There are some sidewalks out there that are just in horrible condition, and theyve been that way for a very long time. Until we have a methodical approach to deal with all the sidewalks, not just one sidewalk at a time, its not going to work. Its just not going to work for us.

Q: What is that methodical approach?

FLORES: Well, what I would like to do is I would like to Ill step back a second the Chargers have a plan that theyre interested in and theyre putting out to the voters. And that plan, as you know, is going to raise about $120 million to pay for a stadium thats about $1.8 billion, and they want the city of San Diego to pay $1.1 billion of that. Now, just to give you all perspective, our budget and operating budget every year is $1.3 billion, right? Now, the Chargers propose to raise a TOT [transit occupancy tax] 6 percent. Each percentage that you raise a TOT is $20 million. The city of San Diego can fix all the sidewalks for $200 million. We can fix all we can put all the lights in that residents are asking for for another $200 million. For $100 million we can continue working on our streets more comprehensively. Thats $500 million. We need $30 million for 30 years to bond off that. If we raise our TOT tax 2 percent thats $40 million, $10 million we can leave over for cop retention issues that were facing. So we can actually do these things. If were talking about raising $120 million for the Chargers plan or $100 million for the citizens plan of which nobody that I speak to in District 9 wants, we can take that same revenue source and we can actually comprehensively address all the sidewalks, all the streets, all the lights in the city of San Diego.

Q: So youre proposing that once this fails assuming it does youre proposing a new TOT increase, is that what youre saying?

FLORES: I definitely think that if theres folks out there and leaders out there that are supporting the Chargers initiative and they think theres nothing wrong with raising $120 million for a stadium then I would like to think that they may have some interest in also raising half of that just half of that to actually address some issues that weve been facing as a community for decades. You know, some of those sidewalks in City Heights and other places have never been repaired, never been done. They look the same way probably since the developer put them in, especially with lighting. There are some parts in our community with hardly any lighting. And if were really talking about actually doing something, if were really talking about neighborhoods first, which has been the mantra, lets actually do it. Lets actually get out there and do something about it.

Q: But the way to do that is with a TOT increase, not through a general obligation bond?

FLORES: Well, I think the reason why the TOT to me is so interesting is because were already having a conversation right now about it. Were already discussing this. Were already taking sides. People are already making the choice. Folks, in my mind, arent saying no to raising the tax. People are just saying to what the tax is going to. So why dont we take that same conversation that were all engaged in and lets really do what the residents want. Lets really go out in the neighborhoods and lets fix these communities. Lets really go out there and do it and lets show the residents that we really care about their neighborhoods.

Q: Measure C and D, how do you feel about them?

FLORES: Im against them both flatly. And Im actually the only person in this race thats against them both. And the Chargers one, to me at least its straightforward. At least theyre telling us what theyre going to do, right? But again, I go back to the metric that theyre providing us, which is its a $1.8 billion stadium of which we, the citizens, need to pay $1.1 billion when our operating budget is $1.3 billion. I mean how do they even think thats an appropriate thing to ask of the citizens of San Diego? Now, the Cory Briggs one, to me, is I dont know why theres so much support from the environmental community because it clearly says it exempts CEQA. And thats a concern to me. I even brought the documents because I walk around with them. I mean if you look at this page 14, 15 and 16... Right here on page 15 it says that no, you have to go through CEQA. Then you keep reading and you go to the next page and it says no, it exempts CEQA for a convention center, exhibition space, any of the infrastructure around it, or a stadium. He says within a span of three pages two different things two different things. And were going to build a $1.8 billion stadium or convention center whatever the price tag would be of that and were not going to go through CEQA? How is this going to affect the communities in Barrio Logan? How is this going to affect the East Village? This would be the biggest thing that the city is going to build in my lifetime, but yet were not going to go through CEQA, were not going to understand what the ramifications are? That, to me thats a red herring, and Im very concerned about that. And I dont know why any environmentalist would support that.

I go back to what I said before, which is hes raising $100 million to do everything that residents dont want. They want streets, lights, sidewalks, police, homeless addressed, and rents. Weve got to do something about the rents. This proposal does none of the above. The Chargers proposal does none of the above. We have to start to do something very novel. We have to listen to what the residents want. We need to listen to what people are interested in, and what were not doing is, in this discussion with the Citizens Initiative or the Chargers Initiative, is were not listening to the public. And the public is very, very clear. I think that we can take, again, the same metric of financing, not even as much, and actually do something in peoples neighborhoods. I dont think people quite realize that the city of San Diego is in a much better place than it has been for a very long time that we can actually have this type of conversation. We actually have the ability to raise revenue if were talking $100 million from Cory Briggs or $120 million from the Chargers, we have the ability to take that revenue and go into the neighborhoods and actually do something that they want us to do. How incredible would that be? It would be astounding to actually not just sit there and say well, were going to fix a sidewalk here, were going to fix a street here, or eventually well get to that light that we can actually go into a neighborhood and do that.

Theres another piece to this that is also just as important, especially with District 9. I cant tell you how many people when I go into some of our neighborhoods that say the city wont invest in me because of my background, because of my economic status. They dont care about me. Thats not true. Imagine if we were to go into those neighborhoods and make the investment that Im talking about. What do you think that would say to those communities? How do you think those communities would feel? So this is an important thing that we need to do, and I feel strongly that we can do it, I feel strongly that we need to have the leadership to do it, I feel strongly that the leadership has to be able to work with every other other individuals, other organizations and groups to do it, and I think that at the end of the day, if we were able to accomplish this, I think that that would be a huge boom for the city of San Diego in building the trust that we need from our residents.

Q: So you wouldnt mind losing the Chargers? Because there are people in the city who also say that they want the Chargers to stay.

FLORES: I dont have a decision with respect to the Chargers leaving or staying. Its not my decision. It belongs to Dean Spanos and his family and their organization. To say that because I want to fix streets and build sidewalks and put lights in there and take care of the homeless and do police to say that that decision actually makes them leave because of me thats just the wrong way to look at it. I would say Im not telling them to leave. Theyre a private business. If they want to leave the city of San Diego, theyre free to leave the city of San Diego like any business is free to leave the city. What I disagree with is them wanting to take $120 million of our money to for us to build a $1.1 billion stadium when its very clear to me that the residents in our neighborhoods are asking for something completely different. Sure, there are going to be people that are going to say well, they left because of you. So be it, but at the end of the day lets do at least what the residents are asking for. I would much rather have my time on the City Council be that this is the council member who actually proposed a way to fix our streets, our sidewalks, help rebuild our communities and actually gave us what we were interested in seeing. I would much rather have that be something that I accomplish rather than say well, this is the council member that kept the Chargers here, built a stadium, but the communities kept falling apart.

Q: Is there any way you would support a public subsidy for the Chargers? Say this measure fails, they go back to Mission Valley, theres somebody that it can work out there. Or are you just no public subsidy, period?

FLORES: I think when we talk about this issue, were spending a lot of energy talking about things that really arent of interest to the community. Lets do what the community wants first. Lets go out there, and lets build the streets, the sidewalks, the lights, the police, deal with the homelessness. Lets do something novel. Lets do something for our customers first, and then once we do that lets talk about the building Circus Maximus. Lets do something different for a change. I think that having worked on the council, Ive had this incredible privilege for four years working with Marti Emerald... you know, you have to be wise in what you choose to take on because the ability for individuals to spend political capital is not unlimited. You have to be able to choose things and issues that are important because, ultimately, youre going to set a tone and a direction. So if we spend our times trying to build a stadium or build a park on Qualcomm or whatever plans are, were not going to be able to do other things like streets, lights, sidewalks, police. Its just that simple. We have to choose. Theres that famous line to govern is to choose. I choose streets, lights, sidewalks, police.

Q: We had some people in here on Measure A. How do you come down on Measure A? Your community is very much part of the discussion.

FLORES: So Measure A I have concerns with, too. I have concerns with it because of the amount of transit versus car allocation for streets and freeways, but the other thing that concerns me about Measure A is that I really think the city of San Diego needs to have a strategic document thats going to tell us how were going to move goods and people around our own city. We work with MTS, we work with SANDAG, but we dont have any actual documents to talk about what we want out of these two groups whether SANDAG or MTS. In fact, often times our folks from the City Council will vote cross-purposes, as we saw on SANDAG. They vote in cross-direction because were even the poor were appointing individuals to some of these bodies when we have no real idea what we want to get out of these important bodies. And I really do think we need to sit down and say how are we going to move goods and people in this city as we grow? What are the things were looking to do? What are the things that are important to us? And then take that vision and go to MTS and go to SANDAG and implement that vision with our sister cities around here. So I think the idea that were just going to lock ourselves in for a giant tax raise and not really have a comprehensive understanding of what were going to do. And then the other factor, too, is our Climate Action Plan. I mean thats an important document. So if were adding more density to our neighborhoods, weve got to figure out how were going to move individuals, how are you going to move goods, how are you going to move those through our communities expeditiously and in a manner thats consistent with our laws? I think to just vote on the SANDAG [measure] I think puts the cart before the horse.

Q: In the winter of 2014, we interviewed the mayoral candidates Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez. I asked Faulconer what are you going to do as mayor to help make San Diego the Silicon Valley of Biotech and life sciences. And somewhat to my surprise he broadened the question out quickly and said we shouldnt just be talking about this, we should be talking about south of the 8 how wed bring economic development south of the 8. And Alvarez when I told him about that later, he laughed and said, yeah, well check back in a couple years, well see what theyve done for south of the 8. I wonder, what has been done south of the 8? Does the city not focus enough on economic development in certain parts of the city?

FLORES: Yeah, I think theres definitely opportunity to develop more, absolutely. I mean if you ask me, though, the biggest business in our community is SDSU and south of the 8. Its a huge business huge enterprise. So look, I think sometimes we get caught in these metrics of north of 8, south of 8. I think what we need to focus on is finding good jobs for everybody, we need to focus on making sure that everybody has the opportunity to advance and have the skill sets to fulfill whatever dreams that theyre interested in doing. There are a lot of folks you know, one of the things Ive learned about the biotech industry is its a cultural thing as well. They like being close to some of the research institutions up there, you know, so I dont know if theyre going to move or not. Again, this is something that the private sector has to make those decisions. What the government can obviously do, from our side of it, is we can make it so that we can zone those areas if thats of interest, we can make it so that we can provide the transportation or make sure that the transportation flows from those areas. You know, one of the huge things south of 8 that I think we need to continue to work on is our port. I mean our port is a real estate company, as far as I know. Why dont we do more with our port? Why arent we looking at the opportunity to really bring in more cargo here in this port? I think that the metrics that I would look at is not so much trying to say lets pick up one whole industry and take it to another place, but lets see if we can foster new industry.

One of the things I would like to see happen if the Chargers leave is I would like to see us do a hub for cyber security. Why not cyber security literally in Mission Valley right in the middle of south of 8, north of 8. I think thats something to look at. I mean were seeing what other countries around the world are doing with respect to security cyber cyber warfare. Were seeing it probably in our own information. Some of us probably dont realize weve been compromised, but I think thats a trend going future. Why dont we use that as a hub for cyber security? So instead of arguing about lets just take what we already have and just mushroom it out, lets build something new that we havent done and lets see what we can do about that. And lets continue to work with our community colleges. Thats one of the best sources of help in our communities any community is our community college system. In fact, there are 5,000 or so high-tech manufacturing jobs was my understanding years ago, that go unfilled. Theres only City College here has a manufacturing school thats hardly used.

Q: You mentioned homelessness. Something has definitely changed in the city over the last five years. Downtown has been the center of where all the services are, and subsequently thats where the homelessness tend to gravitate you know, homeless people tend to gravitate. But somethings changed in the last five years and now were seeing more and more homelessness in our canyons, in our neighborhoods further and further away from downtown. What has changed? What is the city doing wrong?

FLORES: Well, I can tell you what were doing in District 9. Were partnering with Alpha Project, and what were going to be doing and were going to be rolling this out. Alpha Project is going to go into District 9, and residents will have the opportunity to call Alpha and say weve got homeless in our canyon, weve got some homeless here on the park. And Alpha, as you all know, is a service provider, and they employee friendly homeless individuals. Theyre going to actually go out to those areas, and theyre going to try to get those individuals off the street and into a facility in downtown. Thats what were trying to do because we have to do something. I think long-term or to answer your question about why are we seeing it, you know, Dan McSwain has had some really interesting articles on this. I dont think anybody really knows why were seeing it. We have some anecdotal ideas. Proposition 47 is something thats been mentioned. Its hard to really understand how why its continued to mushroom. You know, Dan brought up the point in his article where people say well, theyre all just shipped her to San Diego. Well, thats not necessarily true, at least according to what his reporting says. I think that instead of looking at why theyre here, lets look at what we do when theyre here, and lets figure out how to help them. And again, I go back to the idea of having somebody that can deal with this issue. One individual who can be held accountable for this particular issue I think is really important.

And then going back to the idea that I had initially about a bond, affordable housing bond. We know that veterans in San Diego, at least Ive read that veterans in San Diego actually have access to Section 8 and to health services, but theres no place for them to go with that Section 8 voucher. They have no place to go because the rental market is squeezed. We need to build housing. We need to build more housing back to your point. So, you know, weve got to look at all these things, put them together, but ultimately we have to come up with some plan. And what I mean by plan to me its just you know, Im a manager or supervisor. Ive got to tell my team a way to do something. Ive got to say these are the three things were working on, team, and Ive got to be able to go back to them periodically this is where were at and this is what were doing. Thats being a good leader. Youre bringing folks forward. Now, the plan is not set in stone. This isnt the Ten Commandments. What it is is a document to just move us forward. The plan may change, the way were approaching it may change, but at least the public knows youre trying to address it. At least the public feels something. Theres a concern that you know, I think theres a lot of people who think well, the homeless issue is just homeless. What are we going to do? Theres nothing to do. I think weve got to get a handle on that a little bit more.

And the other thing, I think we interestingly enough at the city, you know, we have seen that theyre coordinating better now. So if you went to Alpha Project on Friday and went to Rescue Mission the following Monday, at least we know you were there. The other thing, too, is its good to see that the countys stepping up a little bit with some mental health services. Thats a positive thing. The mayor has an initiative to get rid of veteran homelessness. Thats a positive thing. But again, somebody has to speak out there to say this is what were doing, this is how were doing it, folks, let me give you some assurances its being taken care of, and let me update you and let me tell you whats going on, or else were going to have theres going to be this continued feeling that theres just no one at the helm.

Q: What do you think of the Police Department? Police conduct has been an issue, obviously, nationally. Almost week by week that conversation kind of ratchets up. Do you have faith in the San Diego Police Department that if an incident happened here things would remain calm or do you think all hell would break loose?

FLORES: I have faith in the men and women that serve our Police Department. I have faith that theyd go out there and do the job every day, and they want to do the best job that they can, that their their goal is to serve the public. Whether or not that happens continuously every single day, I dont know. Theyre human. One of the things that I think we should consistently do with persons that are in a very high stressful job like that is take them out of the field periodically, get them a little bit extra training, make sure we tell them about some of the issues that the the changes of the community. Like were seeing new refugee populations coming into San Diego. Kind of share with them who the individuals are, what their background is, why theyre coming to San Diego. Lets get them some language skill sets so they can at least communicate with them. Being a police offer is a very, very challenging job. And I think that it would do very good for them to periodically have an opportunity to sort of reflect on the job that theyre doing and to learn new skillsets and have new training. I think thats a really important thing. But again, you know, when theres someone coming in your house and youre not sure who it is, youre going to call one number, 9-1-1. And I think thats very standard for anybody in the community because theyre the folks that are standing between us and often time what can be perceived or crime or anarchy.

Q: Chief Zimmerman and District Attorney Dumanis have a view of releasing body camera footage that is far more restrictive than a lot of other places. In Fresno they recently had an officer shot someone dead on Friday and they released the video on Monday. Do you think that we should have a Fresno-type policy or do you content with the city and countys go-slow policy?

FLORES: I think the more transparent you are with the public, the better because my mantra is if theres a vacuum it will be filled, and so dont let the vacuum get filled with whatever theories others have. And so thats really important. I know at the city of San Diego, one of the things we do thats a little unique my understanding is that when an incident like that happens we bring in the federal government, we bring in other agencies as well to really look at that apart from the city of San Diego. I think thats very good to do. Again, whether or not you say youre just going to release everything and anything, I think youve got to be kind of careful because not every circumstance is going to be the same. But, yes, I would err to the side of releasing video because I do think it builds trust with the community. And ultimately, I think at the end of the day look, police officers want to just get home to their families and they want to serve their communities. I dont think theres anything that they want to hide from the public.

Q: We covered a lot of ground, but is there a 30-second close that you have?

FLORES: Yeah. You know, Im a third-generation Democrat. My grandfather was an FDR Truman Democrat. My parents were JFK, LBJ Democrats. Im an Obama, Clinton Democrat. I believe strongly in that. Im a second-generation San Diegan. I believe strongly in the city of San Diego. Im actually from this district. I believe strongly in the community that Im serving, that I have served for over a decade. I hope that the voters see all that and they see the good work that we have been able to accomplish and that they understand and see that experience is important, the ability to bring people together is important, and lastly that the divisive politics that we had in the past really, theres no place for that in San Diego. That we can disagree because thats what politics is about, but at the end of the day we need to be able to put that away and move forward and do the peoples business. And in this case the streets, lights, sidewalks, police, homelessness and dealing with our rental issue, thats what the people want us to accomplish, thats what we should focus on. Everything else is just ancillary.
Gavin Newsoms name isnt on the Nov. 8 ballot, but Californias lieutenant governor has a lot riding on the outcome.

Newsoms personally sponsoring two of the ballots 17 statewide measures, one that would legalize recreational marijuana, Proposition 64, and another that would impose new regulations on gun owners, especially on their ammunition purchases, Proposition 63.

Newsom portrays them as moral crusades aimed at rationalizing drug laws that make criminals out of harmless users and protecting the public from gun violence.

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However, the two measures are also ways for the occupant of an obscure office to raise his public profile for his already declared campaign for governor two years hence and develop mailing lists and fundraising bases for that campaign.

Newsom, then the mayor of San Francisco, wanted to run for governor six years ago, but Jerry Brown jumped in and Newsom had to settle for biding his time in the lieutenant governors almost powerless position, trying as best he could to gain traction for 2018.

There was more than a tinge of irony to Newsoms lowering his sights in 2010: The Brown and Newsom families have been personally and politically intertwined for decades, and Newsom was, in effect, compelled to give way to a quasi-uncle 29 years his elder.

The two have had an occasionally prickly relationship since then. Newsom has been trying to rise above the obscurity of his office but hasnt been given any noticeable career-boosting help by Brown, and the two have disagreed on some issues, such as the bullet train system that Brown wants to claim as a legacy.

Im not opposed to the vision, Newsom told the Sacramento Press Club this week, citing his support for the original bond issue that voters narrowly approved in 2008.

But he quickly added that he hasnt yet seen a way to finance its $60 billion-plus cost. Its a math issue right now, Newsom said.

He was even less committal on Browns other big legacy project, boring two water tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, saying, Im in the very interesting position of continuing to develop a firm position on this.

Newsom also deflected questions about the other three men who he could be facing in 2018. Treasurer John Chiang has already announced, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is weighing a bid, and billionaire Tom Steyer, a Brown ally on climate-change issues, is making precampaign moves of some kind but being coy about his intentions.

With virtually no potential Republican candidate on the horizon in an increasingly Democratic state, its entirely possible, even likely, that it will be a Democrat vs. Democrat race under the states top-two primary system.

However, Villaraigosa and Steyer could be tapped for Cabinet positions by Hillary Clinton should she, as expected, win the presidency, and its also possible that Dianne Feinstein would retire from the Senate, opening that high-profile position in 2018.

It would be a good bet that Newsom will be one of the finalists for governor in two years, but whom he would face is still very much up in the air.

Walters is a columnist with the Sacramento Bee.
I take issue with Shain B. Haugs letter (We should not let our urge for revenge guide us, Oct. 16) where he states that the proponents of the death penalty want closure by way of revenge.

I support the death penalty because I feel that, if enforced properly, it would be the most effective deterrent to the most heinous of crimes. Revenge has nothing to with it.

Letters and commentary policy

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

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E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

You can also leave a comment below

Letters and commentary policy

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

E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

You can also leave a comment below

If the death penalty was swiftly and consistently enforced, I believe we would see fewer horrendous crimes. I also think that death by firing squad would be a much more effective and financially feasible method.

Dan Collins

Temecula

Expect stalemate to continue after election

Congratulations on your recent editorial Debt, entitlements: Both candidates weak (Oct. 17). Serious discussions about real issues have been almost non-existent in the 2016 presidential campaign. I like the way you summarized the debt issue and explained the flaws in both candidates plans so clearly.

I remember the high hopes when the 2010 Simpson-Bowles plan was first released. Likewise, for the Obama-Boehner Grand Bargain in 2011 that also included entitlement cuts and revenue increases. The 2016 candidates are only saying what they believe it takes to get elected.

Of course, as we all know, no matter what they propose, it wont get through a divided Congress. Sadly, the stalemate over settling the really important economic issues that face this country is likely to continue well beyond this election.

Bob McCleary

Poway

Trump has no one to blame but himself

So The Donald says the elections are rigged. So when he won the primaries, were they rigged? Or is it only when he is losing that they are rigged?

A candidate has to put on his big boy pants and run for president. If he loses, he loses. I will be one of those rigging the election by casting my vote for Hillary.

Mark Sprengelmeyer

Downtown

Well all be sorry when Clinton is president

President Obama has openly campaigned for a third term through Hillary Clintons election. The U-T has strongly supported this effort.

When the country continues to sink into the abyss created by a corrupt, nefarious and manipulative administration, I hope you will have enough courage to accept your portion of responsibility for the sad outcome.

D.J. Bradt

San Diego

Debate showed a clear choice for president

Regarding Who won the final debate? (Oct. 19): Early on, Donald Trump revealed himself to be a petulant man-child marbled with bigotry. He is a self-confessed groper who is easily baited. With the final debate, he has refused to respect our democracy as to conceding loss for sake of country. This is only too revealing.

Clinton is not without faults but all have been bared. Yet there is no equivalency in factors that might be held against either. She is the clear, if only, safe choice. She is also not Bill Clinton and she deserves the right to define her own presidency as the first woman to do so.

Barry John Johnson

Imperial Beach

Its time to consult Trumps tax attorneys

Im curious. Donald Trump says he has spent $100 million of his own money on his campaign. Do you think that if he loses hell find a way to avoid paying federal taxes for another bunch of years because of his huge financial loss?

Gini Pedersen

Mission Hills

Additional letters

We of Far North County are again faced with a land decision foisted upon us by the voters south of Escondido. We dont get to vote on the city stadium so why should South County vote on developments 75 miles away in the Far North? Measure B is a climate accelerant and environmental end run around what are already developer-easy county regs.

Lilac Hills wont help the housing crunch and offers minuscule numbers of affordable dwellings. There is no bow wave of home seekers to satisfy in Far North County. So this would be a commuter village; all residents woul have to drive somewhere daily, producing even more greenhouse gasses. Vote no on big bucks B.

John Watson

Fallbrook

* * *

Unrestricted urban sprawl is bad for San Diego, yet this is what will ensue if Measure B is passed.

The General Plan was created to promote smart growth, and many developers are working within its guidelines. Others, like those behind the Lilac Hills Ranch development, choose to build anywhere, disregarding the environment, the community and safety. Voters, who now will be deciding where new housing will go, should be aware that taxpayers, not the builder, will foot the bill for infrastructure.

Lilac Hills Ranch violates the General Plan and will endanger lives. It will NOT, as the developer wants us to believe, create affordable housing. I hope that voters will not be fooled by the misleading hype surrounding Measure B. Vote NO on B.

Debbie Groyer

Escondido

* * *

We will likely legalize marijuana (Proposition 64) largely because it will decrease crime and increase state revenue. We should legalize prostitution next.

Think less crime, more revenue for the state, and maybe happier marriages. After all, we have legalize gambling, made some crimes misdemeanors (proposition 47), and now marijuana.

What crimes can we legalize next to lower the prison population while making the state richer?

Sherman May

Clairemont

* * *

The Union Tribune editorial of Oct. 18 states that Donald Trump is damaging to our democracy. I do not defend Mr. Trump. Yet, incessant whining and being a sore loser even before you lost is not damaging to a democracy.

What is damaging are media outlets offering propaganda disguised as factual news. Every American deserves news presented without willful or unintentional bias. That has not happened in this election cycle. Too often today media tolerates, even encourages, gross misrepresentation of the facts by campaign surrogates and even their own staff.

Especially if the information promotes a narrative with which they agree. There are four public relations professionals for every working journalist. Both groups received their education in the same schools of Journalism across America. Both groups depend on the other to do their jobs. Media counts on us being too busy with our lives to notice any connection. I noticed.

Mike Glass

San Marcos

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Regarding Pot measure foes cite Colorado (Oct.19): If voters knew the real facts about Proposition 64s legalization of marijuana, they would oppose it. Proposition 64 allows every house and apartment to grow six marijuana plants, which can produce 6,000 joints that will be untaxed, unregulated and easily accessible to our kids.

Letters and commentary policy

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

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E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

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The American Automobile Association opposes Proposition 64 because it will increase marijuana-impaired driving accidents/fatalities, which surged in the state of Washington after pot legalization. It wont free up law enforcement, since not one California prisoner is in jail for pot alone.

Proposition 64 would lead to marijuana advertising, which will lead more kids to use pot. Young brains are still developing until age 25 and compelling research shows that marijuana stunts this brain development, decreases motivation, increases school dropouts and increases the risk of developing psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.

Marcie Beckett

San Diego

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
Enjoy the classical chamber music of Camarada at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the Rancho Bernardo Library, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive.

This concert is free and open to the public, although donations are encouraged to cover the costs of the musicians. It is part of the librarys Chamber Music concert series, sponsored by the Rancho Bernardo Friends of the Library.

Camarada is a classical chamber music ensemble founded 22 years ago by Beth Ross-Buckley, Ann Chase and Mary Barranger. While Chase and Barranger have since retired, Ross-Buckley, a flutist, still leads the ensemble.

More than just traditional classical chamber music, Ross-Buckley said that Camarada performs whatever speaks to us, including tango, Celtic music, Baroque and more.

We do whatever grabs us, she said. We do the whole span.

Ross-Buckley said she also became interested in jazz after seeing Peter Sprague play. She has performed with him for seven years and has taken jazz flute lessons from San Diego favorite Holly Hofmann.

Ross-Buckley will be joined by Joanna Morrison Pernela on cello and Dana Burnett on piano for the concert at the Rancho Bernardo Library.

Unlike many of Camaradas other concerts, the library concert will not revolve around a theme. Instead, it will be a sampler concert, Ross-Buckley said, intended to show audiences the variety of music Camarada offers.

The concert is about getting to know us, she said. We decided to jump all over the place musically.

The concert will feature compositions by Franz Joseph Haydn, Aaron Copland, Antonin Dvorak, Gyorgy Ligeti and Astor Piazzolla. Camarada weill begin by performing Haydns Trio in G Major, Hob. XV:15, followed by Coplands Duo for flute and piano. The show will continue with Dvoraks Songs My Mother Taught Me and Ligetis Sonata. Piazzollas Grand Tango will finish the concert.

The pieces chosen span not only genres but time as well, said Ross-Buckley. Haydn composed in the last 1700s, while Coplands piece was composed in 1971.

Ross-Buckley said that while Camarada has changed over its 22 years, her love for classical chamber music hasnt. I completely love playing chamber music, she said. This is a vehicle to get it out there and its so important.

When she moved here from San Francisco 22 years ago, there werent any classical chamber ensembles in San Diego, Ross-Buckley said. Now, there are many. San Diego has really responded to classical chamber music, she said. Its amazing.

Ross-Buckley is the artistic director of Camarada along with Burnett and the two bring in guest artists as required by whatever music they will perform. We get an idea of what music we want to play and bring it people to play it, she said. Its more like a collective chamber music ensemble.

For more information on this or any other concert at the library, visit friendsoftheranchobernardolibrary.org.
It has become as predictable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. During early- to mid-October in every presidential campaign in recent history opponents launch a deluge of vicious personal attacks designed to torpedo their opposition. The aim is to create such aversion that supporters of the attacked candidate will either not vote or will vote for the opposition. Its why we elect more survivors than leaders to higher level offices.

It shouldnt come as any surprise that the October assaults in this years presidential campaign are the worst ever, since the campaign until now has been the worst ever. Both candidates have the highest negatives and the lowest trust levels of any presidential candidates for which we have data, which means probably the lowest trust and highest negatives in American history.

The problem is that when the stink of this campaign blows away, Americans are going to be left with one or the other of these two candidates as their president for the next four years. Therefore, it is critically important that we filter out the personality-based attacks on both candidates and determine who will best address the most important challenges we face with the best interests of the country in mind.

Three critically important issues will be affected by the outcome of this election. Since more than four fifths of all Americans agree the country is on the wrong track, the most important question is, Which candidate will most likely make the right changes to get America back on track? The next most important question to most Americans is Which of the two candidates will make America safer against terrorism and external threats? Polls indicate voters other top concern is, Which candidate is most likely to improve the economic wellbeing of both America as a nation, and every American citizen?

In regard to the first question, even though Donald Trump is an unproven commodity, he says hes going to make changes, has obviously run without support of the existing political elite and has outlined numerous specific changes he will implement. Hillary Clinton says the changes she will make are largely incremental improvements to policies and practices already in place. Shes promised to continue Obamacare by fixing its increasingly more challenging problems. Shes also promised to continue foreign policy which she helped design, along with economic policy that has America stuck in a quagmire.

In regards to making America safer, the nod must go to Trump. In this case our choice is between what Trump says hell do versus what weve seen Clinton actually do. ISIS was spawned, Iran was strengthened, and Russia renewed its interest in global aggression on her watch. She hasnt expressed concern about these or the breakdown of border security that happened during her tenure as secretary of state. Logic dictates we vote for someone who is committed to different outcomes rather than someone who shaped and supports our current direction.

Then comes the issue of economic wellbeing. Both candidates are close to the big money Wall Street crowd. Although Wall Street shapes the economy to its advantage, Wall Street isnt the economy. The backbone of the American economy is the hundreds of thousands of small businesses who never set foot on Wall Street. Small businesses are suffering, which is why our job market is suffering and the economy is stumbling. Trump understands this better than Clinton. She will add taxes and regulations that stifle small business while she grows government.

We must overcome the shameful state of this presidential campaign by voting based on logic rather than emotion and insult.

Lyles, a Poway resident, is a management consultant and best-selling author. Reader comments through letters to the editor are encouraged
The Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS (SDAR), the regions largest association of real estate professionals, is delighted to acknowledge the teams and individuals who have excelled in the local real estate industry this year.

The Real Estate Circle of Excellence honors the standards of excellence and efforts made by real estate agents, culminating with an event on January 21, 2017.

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SDAR will be honoring top-producing teams and individuals at the highest sales levels in a category known as the Recognition of Excellence. Teams and individuals will be recognized at the Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels of achievement based on volume of units sold and/or total sales dollars.

Agents, Brokers, Office Managers and Affiliate members of SDAR will also be eligible to receive awards and recognition as recipients of the Awards of Excellence. This year SDAR is pleased to announce the expansion of the program to include an award for Rookie of the Year, as well as The Big Heart Award (highlighting a story of generosity, spirit, and going above and beyond for a transaction), and The Most Unusual Deal of the Year (featuring the funniest, wackiest, or most difficult transaction).

The deadline is approaching for submitting a nomination for yourself or another colleague for the Awards of Excellence: December 1.

The production time period for the Recognition of Excellence is November 1, 2015, through October 31, 2016, and MLS Sales Reports will be required as documentation. The deadline to submit Recognition of Excellence applications is December 16.

All finalists and winners will be honored at the SDAR Circle of Excellence taking place with the Installation of SDAR officers and directors on Saturday, January 21, 2017, at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. All winners will also be featured in a Sunday edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune, which is partnering with SDAR for the awards.

For more information about the process, eligibility requirements, and to submit a nomination or RSVP for the Circle of Excellence gala, visit www.sdar.com/awards.
San Diego commutes are about to get a little easier.

The Mid-Coast Trolley Project, which is about to launch, will extend trolley service from Old Town to UC San Diego and University City with nine new trolley stations. The 11-mile extension will improve residents and visitors commutes by offering more transportation options and take pressure off of Interstate 5.

The Mid-Coast Trolley Project will meet current and future demands for transportation especially during rush hour. According to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the agency in charge of building the trolley extension, population in the Mid-Coast corridor is expected to increase resident figures by 19 percent and employment by 12 percent by 2030.

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The Mid-Coast Trolley will bring fast reliable transit to the places where its most needed, including our largest research university and biggest employment center, said SANDAG Chair and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Ron Roberts.

Construction for the Mid-Coast Project will begin this month with service slated to begin in 2021. Preliminary construction has startedcrews are working on relocating utilities to prepare for construction of the Trolley tracks and guideway on the aerial portion of the route. Construction updates are available at KeepSanDiegoMoving.com/MidCoast.

On Oct.22, the community is invited to join a free celebration to help launch construction for the project. On hand at the event will be live music, free food, crafts and giveaways, as well as health screenings for kids.

Some of the areas that will be served by the new trolley line, such as UC San Diego and the Genesee Avenue area in University City, have some of the highest housing and employment densities in the region. Currently, commuters cant get directly to these areas by regional transit. SANDAG expects this new service to attract 20,000 new transit trips a day.

The nine new stations will be built at: Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, Nobel Drive, VA Medical Center, Pepper Canyon and Voigt Drive on the UC San Diego campus, Executive Drive, and the Westfield UTC Transit Center.

The Mid-Coast Project will not only take residents directly to locations along the Mid-Coast Corridor, it will also connect people to Trolley lines going to Mission Valley, East County and South County. In addition, it will offer a no transfer ride from the border and neighborhoods south of Downtown to University City.

Mid-Coast Project Trolley ExtensionKick-off celebration

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22

Where: Manchester Field at The Preuss School UCSD, 3750 Voigt Drive, La Jolla

Cost: Free

What to expect: Free food and lemonade, live music, henna and face painting booths, Rad Hatter crafts, free t-shirts, giveaways and free eye testing and health screening for kids. Free parking will be readily available and the SuperLoop Rapid stops near the event.

Online: keepsandiegomoving.com/Midcoast/midcoast-events.aspx
At Apex, homebuyers dont have to sacrifice function for style  Laurie Massas

Builder and developer CalAtlantic Homes has released its final homes at award-winning Apex at Civita, a neighborhood of 58 tri-level residences located within the lively urban community of Mission Valley. The contemporary, single-family detached homes are priced from $816,900.

At Apex, homebuyers dont have to sacrifice function for style, says Laurie Massas, vice president of sales and marketing for CalAtlantic Homes San Diego. Forward-thinking floor plans at Apex are spacious and stylish with vibrant textures and glass woven throughout.

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Homes at Apex range from 2,092 to 2,229 square feet with up to five bedrooms, four baths, multi-generational suites and dual outdoor living spaces. Decorated with five design and architecture awards, the homes are also equipped with energy efficient LED fixtures that set the tone for every occasion.

For a limited time, home shoppers who purchase a home at Apex can take advantage of unprecedented below-market rates offered through CalAtlantics preferred lender. Savings opportunities are available on select homesites. For more information, please contact Stephanie Norris at (949) 751-8951 or visit CalAtlanticHomes.com/SanDiego.

Located in the heart of San Diego, Civita combines an urban lifestyle with proximity to shopping and restaurants and easy trolley access to downtown San Diego, Old Town and more. Civita is a sustainable, 230-acre master-planned village thats walkable with parks and open spaces.

About CalAtlantic Homes

CalAtlantic Group, Inc. (NYSE: CAA) is a combination of Standard Pacific Corp. and

Ryland Group, Inc., two of the nations largest and most respected homebuilders. Prices, plans, and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. Square footage/acreage shown is only an estimate and actual square footage/acreage will differ. Buyer should rely on his or her own evaluation of useable area. Depictions of homes or other features are artist conceptions. Hardscape, landscape and other items shown may be decorator suggestions that are not included in the purchase price and availability may vary. Plans to build out this neighborhood are subject to change without notice. CalAtlantic Group Inc. California Real Estate License No.01138346.
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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/21/2016 -- Laser Capture Microdissection Market: Overview



Laser capture microdissection (LCM) technology is a contamination free procedure for obtaining subpopulations of tissue cells under direct microscopic visualization. Furthermore, laser-capture microdissection technology isolates specific cells by dissecting unwanted cells. Laser capture microdissection technology harvests the cells of interest directly to give pure enriched cells. This technology helps in preserving the genuine morphology of the dissected cell or tissue sample. The laser capture microdissection technology by type can be segmented into software, instruments, consumables, and services. Furthermore, the market for laser capture microdissection by system can be segmented into infrared LCM, ultraviolet LCM and Immunofluorescence LCM. In addition, by end users the laser capture microdissection market can be segmented into biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and government research institutes among others. Moreover, by application the market can be segmented into research and development and diagnostics among others.



The laser capture microdissection market by geography has been segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and Rest of the World (RoW).



Laser Capture Microdissection Market: Trends and Opportunities



Increasing expenditure on healthcare along with technological advancement in the field of healthcare is one of the major driving factors for the laser capture microdissection market. Furthermore, increasing information regarding the technical advantages obtained from laser-capture microdissection techniques is fueling the market at the global level. In addition, growing funding and expenditure on research and development activities of companies involved in this market is stimulating the growth of this market. High maintenance and manufacturing cost of accessories and equipment along with lack of expertise professionals in this field is some of the restraining factors which may hinder the growth of this market.



Research and development and diagnostics among others are major application areas of laser-capture microdissection technology. Furthermore, government research institutes and hospitals are major end users of this technology. Moreover, ultraviolet LCM and infrared LCM are leading the market globally. Increasing preference of laser-capture microdissection technology in forensic science and molecular biology under the research and development application segment is one of the major driving factors for the market.



View exclusive Global strategic Business Report : http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=7682



Laser Capture Microdissection Market: Geographical and Competitive Dynamics



With the increasing technological advancement and growing application of laser-capture microdissection (LCM) technology in pharmaceuticals, hospitals and research and development institutes are fueling the market globally. North America dominated the market for laser-capture microdissection in 2014 and is expected to maintain its position over the forecast period 2015 to 2023. U.S. is the major market across North America. Moreover, with the increasing expenditure on research and development activities of companies dealing in this market along with increasing awareness regarding the technological advancement is driving the market for laser-capture microdissection across Asia Pacific. China, Japan, India, contributes in the positive growth of this market across Asia Pacific. Growing application areas of this technology in the fields such as forensic science, diagnostics and molecular biology are having a positive impact on the growing market for laser-capture microdissection in Rest of the World (RoW).



Some of the key players operating in the laser capture microdissection market are Carl Zeiss AG (Germany), Molecular Machines & Industries (Germany), Ocimum Biosolutions LLC (U.S.), DeNova Sciences Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Danaher Corporation (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Indivumed GmbH (Germany), AvanSci Bio, L.L.C. (U.S.), Theranostics Health, Inc.(U.S.) and 3DHISTECH Ltd. (Hungary) among others.



The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.



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Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/21/2016 -- The report "Mooring Inspection Market by Type (BWI, AWI), Technology (CVI, MPI, UT, Electromagnetic Detection, Mooring Line Dimension Measurement, Others), Region (APAC Latin America, North America, Middle East & Africa, Europe) - Global Forecast to 2020", The global mooring inspection market is projected to reach USD 362.5 Million by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 3.4%. The market is growing due to regulatory requirements and escalated awareness regarding the necessity of an inspection process in the oil & gas industry.



Browse 34 market data Tables and 31 Figures spread through 100 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Mooring Inspection Market - Global Forecast to 2020"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mooring-inspection-market-154985700.html



Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.



CVI (Close Visual Inspection) segment is the biggest technology segment



Among the applications, the CVI technology segment held the largest share of the mooring inspection market in 2014. This technology segment is also projected to be the fastest-growing application segment of the mooring inspection market between 2015 and 2020 due to its reliability as compared to other technologies.



BWI segment dominates the type segment in the mooring inspection market



Based on the type of mooring inspection services, the mooring inspection market has been segmented into below water inspection (BWI) and above water inspection (AWI).



BWI is the largest segment of the market because of the higher inspection cost compared to AWI; underwater inspection requires sophisticated equipment, diving experts, and risk-based assessment of mooring components.



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Asia-Pacific is the biggest geographical market segment



Asia-Pacific was the largest market for mooring inspection in 2014. The rising demand for energy has led to increased offshore oil & gas production in the region as offshore oil & gas production sites are critical in balancing the demand supply ratio. This has consequently resulted in the growth of the mooring inspection market in the region.



The major market players in mooring inspection market are Welaptega (Canada), Oceaneering International (U.S.), DeepOcean (Netherlands), Acteon Group (U.K.), Deep Sea Mooring (Norway), DOF Subsea (Norway), Moffatt & Nichol (U.S.), Delmar (U.S.), and other global players that are expanding their reach into the mooring inspection market considering the lucrative business opportunities. This market is mainly driven by some of the factors such as rising concerns towards increasing mooring safety and regulatory requirements driving scheduled inspection practices. Among the countries in the Middle East & Africa region, Angola, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are the largest prospects market for mooring inspection.



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An in-depth market share analysis, in terms of revenue, of the top companies is also included in the report. These numbers are arrived at based on key facts, annual financial information from SEC filings, annual reports, and interviews with industry experts, key opinion leaders such as CEOs, directors, and marketing executives. This research report categorizes the global mooring inspection market on the basis of type, technology, and region.



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/21/2016 -- Snoring is generally regarded as a first sign of obstructive sleep apnea. Although common among many adults, snoring is considered unhealthy on the long run as it leads to deprived oxygenation state during sleep and is found to be the major factor in increasing cardiac atherosclerosis, stroke and even natural death. Besides these obstructive sleep apnea is regarded as a big threat to the overall health to a person as it results in a number of other conditions like insomnia, lethargy, daytime sleepiness, weakened immunity, blood pressure hypertension, anxiety, depression, gastrointestinal reflux disease, hypoxia, nerve damage, decreased motor and memory function, and many more. Snoring can be as a result of many factors itself, some of them being: obesity, alcohol or other sedative, muscular degeneration as a result of old age or muscular dystrophy, obstruction of nasal cavity by the tongue/tonsil/oral plate, etc to name a few. Snoring is generally found to increase with age and is reportedly more common among men. Globally around 1/3 to  populations, depending upon the demographic region, are known to have snoring problems. In Philippines, folktales have been made around middle aged and older men suddenly dying in their sleep, which is often blamed on the local spirits that supposedly takes random souls away.



View Full Report@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/snore-ceasing-equipment-market.asp



In many regions snoring is considered a pandemic among the genetic pool, patients and medical practitioners therefore prefer snore ceasing equipments as an easier alternative to surgical procedures. Nasal strips and nose clips (nasal expiratory positive airway pressure), lubricating sprays, mandibular advancement splints, Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), variable positive airway pressure (VPAP), infra red snore sensor, etc to name a few are some of the most commonly used snore cessation equipments or devices. The type of snoring aid depends upon the condition persisting and the cause of snoring pattern. Snoring as a result of the tonsils and adenoid regions are often solved by mandibular splints, whereas those caused by nasal cavity collapse are often cured by the application of nasal strips or nasal dilators. Sleep apnea pillows and recliners are also shown to decrease overall snoring among adults and are often used in conjunction with other snoring aids. Automatic PAP machines are used in chronic patients who reject surgery as an option and are highly effective in soothing muscles near the oral and nasal cavity. Many of these devices employ steam or positive air pressure via a nasal tube that allow for greater air flow from the nasal cavity.



A majority of sales for sleep apnea and snoring devices lie majorly in the western nations of the North American and European region as well as Australia and New Zealand. The overall snoring cessation market by volume and revenue lies majorly in the region of North America and Europe, Asia Pacific region is expected to grow in the near future with increased awareness and rising standard of living. The rest of the world region is expected to maintain its growth as public awareness of snoring and its side effects are limited and are often not regarded as life threatening. he middle eastern region in RoW, is however expected to see growth in the near future as availability of nasal and mouth aids to stop snoring are made available readily.



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Companies that manufacture or market such products include: Omnisleep solutions, British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, SnoreDoc, NOSnores, etc to name a few.



About Persistence Market Research

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.



To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.
A University of Oxford-led team of scientists has observed bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally producing sharp-edged flakes that have the characteristics and morphology of intentionally produced hominin tools.

Our understanding of the new technologies adopted by our early ancestors helps shape our view of human evolution, said lead co-author Dr. Michael Haslam, from the Primate Archaeology Research Group at the University of Oxford, UK.

The emergence of sharp-edged stone tools that were fashioned and hammered to create a cutting tool was a big part of that story.

The fact that we have discovered monkeys can produce the same result does throw a bit of a spanner in the works in our thinking on evolutionary behavior and how we attribute such artifacts, he added.

While humans are not unique in making this technology, the manner in which they used them is still very different to what the monkeys seem capable of.

Dr. Haslam and his colleagues from the University College London and the Universities of Sao Paulo and Oxford observed the bearded capuchins in Serra da Capivara National Park in northeast Brazil unintentionally creating fractured flakes and cores.

While hominins made stone flake tools for cutting and butchery tasks, the researchers admit that it is unclear why the monkeys perform this behavior.

The capuchins are seen licking them, so the team suggests that the monkeys may be trying to extract powdered silicon  known to be an essential trace nutrient  or to remove lichen for some as yet unknown medicinal purpose.

At no point did the monkeys try to cut or scrape using the flakes, the scientists said.

The capuchins were observed engaging in stone on stone percussion, whereby they individually selected rounded quartzite cobbles and then using one or two hands struck the hammer stone forcefully and repeatedly on quartzite cobbles embedded in a cliff face.

This action crushed the surface and dislodged cobbled stones, and the hand-held hammer stones became unintentionally fractured, leaving an identifiable primate archaeological record.

As well as using the active hammer-stone to crush passive hammers (stones embedded in the outcrop), the monkeys were also observed re-using broken hammer-stones as fresh hammers.

Dr. Haslam and co-authors examined more than 100 fragmented stones collected from the ground immediately after the capuchins had dropped them, as well as from the surface and excavated areas in the site.

They gathered complete and broken hammer-stones, complete and fragmented flakes and passive hammers.

Around half of the fractured flakes exhibited conchoidal fracture, which is typically associated with the hominin production of flakes.

Within the last decade, studies have shown that the use and intentional production of sharp-edged flakes are not necessarily linked to early humans who are our direct relatives, but instead were used and produced by a wider range of hominins, said study lead author Dr. Tomos Proffitt, from the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford.

However, this study goes one step further in showing that modern primates can produce archaeologically identifiable flakes and cores with features that we thought were unique to hominins.

This does not mean that the earliest archaeological material in East Africa was not made by hominins.

It does, however, raise interesting questions about the possible ways this stone tool technology developed before the earliest examples in the archaeological record appeared. It also tells us what this stone tool technology might look like.

The findings were published online this week in the journal Nature.

_____

Tomos Proffitt et al. Wild monkeys flake stone tools. Nature, published online October 19, 2016; doi: 10.1038/nature20112
[ACCRA] The Canadian government is rolling out a training programme to build the capacity of African mathematical scientists to create climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions to tackle socio-economic related problems.



Over the next five years, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences  Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI) will receive 22.6 million Canadian dollars (about US$17.3 million) from Global Affairs Canada and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Whether it is modelling climate change adaptation or analysing food and water, the solutions require experts with strong mathematical skills. Jean Lebel, IDRC

The funding allows AIMS to develop a specialised programme in climate change at its centre in Rwanda and also offer climate change course option at other AIMS centres in Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.



Another AIMS centre is expected to open in Francophone Africa. AIMS seeks to assist three research chairs to build capacity of 50 Africans in specialised knowledge to solve climate change effects in Africa.



Jean Lebel, the president of the IDRC, told SciDev.Net in an interview done last month (29 September) that the ultimate objective is to create future leaders who can address the continents complex economic, health, agricultural and environmental challenges.



"It is in all of our interest for experts from all continents, including Africa, to work together to solve these problems," Lebel says.



She states that the specifics of training areas are yet to be developed, but explains that some AIMS alumni have developed crop models to estimate the future of food security and used mathematical modelling to help industry convert waste to energy.



"Whether it is modelling climate change adaptation or analysing food and water, the solutions require experts with strong mathematical skills, the kind of expertise AIMS can help to develop in Africa," Lebel tells SciDev.Net.



Thierry Zomahoun, president of AIMS, says that initiative aims to increase the critical mass of mathematical scientists contributing to sustainable development in Africa.

Zomahoun explains that the fund would help tailor efforts aimed at achieving sustainable development and youth empowerment to tackle developmental challenges in Africa.Daniel Oberko, the coordinator of Food Security Policy Advocacy Network, Ghana, adds that the programme shows the commitment made by developed countries meetings to help developing countries solve problems posed by climate change.He recommends that African scientists to focus on the interests of the entire continent in developing solutions to solve challenges such as food insecurity to transform Africans.This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
The misuse of painkillers is a growing concern in the United States. However, a new study shows that about three out of four patients who suffer from a major trauma and receive a new prescription for an opiate pain reliever discontinue the use of the drug almost a month after discharge.

According to the results of the study presented at the 2016 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, only about a percent of trauma patients have been reported to still use prescription opiates, or opioids, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, and fentanyl, a year after their discharge.

"We were really surprised by how low the numbers were for long-term opiate use," reported senior investigator Andrew Schoenfeld, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston in a press release. "It appears that traumatic injury is not the main driver for continued opioid use in patients who were not taking opioids prior to their injuries," reported Medical Daily.

According to Medical Xpress, for the study, researchers used the 2007 to 2013 database of the Department of Defense health care system. It included patients aged between 18 and 64 years, who have suffered severe injuries, as indicated by an Injury Severity Score of 9 or higher. Dr. Schoenfeld explained that patients who have experienced major trauma are expected to be given opiate prescription after they are discharged from the hospital.

It was also stated in an analysis expanded after submission of the abstract and presented at Clinical Congress, investigators included 15, 369 patients. Investigators also reported that none of the patients had filled an opiate prescription six months prior to their injuries.

Even though more than 50 percent of the patients in the study, 8,282, filled at least one opiate prescription soon after they got discharged, the investigators reported that only 8.9 percent (1,371 patients) continued to fill their opiate prescription three months later. Continued prescription opiate use reportedly dropped to 3.9 percent (597 patients) at six months and 1.1 percent (175 patients) at one year.

Meanwhile, a report in the Harvard Health Newsletter stated that the researchers also measured the effect of several other factors on the possibility to continue opiate painkiller use. They used age as an example. According to the report, older patients were more likely to continue using painkillers than young adults.

The report also said stated that lower socioeconomic status increases the use of the medication. Furthermore, marriage was also identified to be one of the factors that showed an increased likelihood of married patients continuing opiate use for longer.

"We wish to emphasize that health care providers should not withhold opiate painkillers because a patient has any of the identified risk factors from this study," Dr. Schoenfeld said. "At-risk patients can benefit from closer follow-up with their health care providers and, for those at high risk, a referral to the hospital's pain management service."
How the climate changed and influenced the Antarctic ice-sheet 23 million years ago has been explained by the discovery of fossilized leaves from a crater lake in New Zealand. A scientist stated on Thursday, the fossil leaves found in Foulden Maar, in the Ontago region of South Island, has evidences of a sharp increase in the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. This sudden hike might be associated with a major collapse of the ice-sheet.

The study conducted by a group of US scientists found that certain changes in the stomatal cells and carbon isotope rations in the discovered leaves indicated a remarkable increase in the levels of CO2. The carbon dioxide levels have been raised from 500 ppm (parts per million) to somewhere between 750 and 1,550 ppm over a span of 10,000 years, approximately, according to The Indian Express.

Historic Shrinking of Antarctic Ice Sheet Linked to CO2 Spike https://t.co/lrLtRpWm0i pic.twitter.com/IiJ3WcLI16  Popular Science (@PopSci) October 18, 2016

"What surprised us was how such large CO2 fluctuations occured over geologically, relatively short time scales," said Beth Fox, a Waikato University paleoclimatologist and member of the research team. She added further that the team found a link between the increase in CO2 levels and decline of the ice-sheet.

As soon as the carbon dioxide levels started to hike rapidly, the ice-sheet began to melt. More importantly, once the process of melting was initiated, it kept going on by itself because the ice did not stop melting even when the carbon dioxide levels dropped back to normal. Some recent models have suggested that at the present rate, the Antarctic ice-sheet might arrive at a critical tipping point and begin destabilizing itself rapidly which had happened previously.

As per the report by Time India, the scientists are not yet sure at which point between 500 and 1,550 ppm did the destabilization take place. Now, they want to experiment and study different plant species in order to confirm their findings and draw appropriate conclusions.
FLORENCE, S.C.  During a self-exam in January, Victoria Revell found a small lump in her right breast.

Ive always been told to do them monthly and routinely, said the 34-year-old mother of two girls. It felt like a small knot.

Shes had blockages before, likely from clogged milk ducts that were remedied with meds, so she wasnt badly worried. Nonetheless, she called her physician, Dr. Emily Stonerock of Drs. Phillips & Coker OB/GYN in The Womens Center at Carolinas Hospital System, and set up an appointment.

She went in on a Wednesday and was scheduled for a mammogram and ultrasound on Friday. A needle biopsy was very scary, she says, because it was unexpected, and the procedures took several hours.

They sent in a wonderful woman, Toni McGiboney, Revell said, referring to a registered nurse who is a lung and breast nurse navigator. She talked a little about the biopsy before it happened.  She kind of kept my nerves calm for a little while.

Revell was given a Monday appointment to get the results. She said she saw McGiboney sitting in the corner that day and started to cry.

I knew it was not good  that I had cancer, Revell said, her voice catching.

The diagnosis was grade three infiltrating duct carcinoma.

Once you hear the C word come out of the doctors mouth, you dont hear much else, she said.

A consultation with Dr. James Harris of the Floyd Medical Group apprised her of her options. It was small enough that she and her husband, Guy, decided a lumpectomy would be followed by chemotherapy treatments and then radiation. After surgery, six rounds of chemo were next. Treatments fell on Thursdays and lasted from 7:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m., she said. The most difficult aspect of her experience was having to tell her daughters Kailey, 10, and Kristen, 8, what was going on.

It was probably one of the hardest conversations Ive ever had, but we wanted them to know from the beginning what was going on, she said. We didnt hold anything back. We told them I have cancer and were going to fight as hard as we can, and they were involved as much as can be.

Abundant support from family and friends was a key in her making it through the ordeal. Though weakened by chemo, Revell felt fortunate to not endure too much nausea.

It hits you like a ton of bricks, and you mostly stay in bed all weekend, she said.

Her last chemo treatment was on May 12, and on June 9, she had a partial mastectomy with axillary lymph node removal to ensure the cancer had not spread. A follow-up on June 16 brought the news that she was cancer free.

I was very relieved but still knew I had to do radiation due to the fact I did not have a full mastectomy, she said. I was very happy  joyful. A group of friends took us out to dinner to celebrate being cancer free.

Her first radiation treatment was Aug. 10, and she was surprised to find it lasted only about 10 to 15 minutes. Revell had a total of 33 treatments, with the last one on Sept. 26 .

I feel good, Revell said, but she still has days when she feels tired. Its been a very long year.

Shes found a new normal, she said. She attends Tonis Tigers, a support group at Carolinas Hospital System that has brought her into contact with a wonderful group of people.

Emotional days are met with resolution, she said, as she knows God has intended her to go through it.

He doesnt put any more on you that you cant handle, she said.

Shes also decided to go back to school and is auditing classes at Florence-Darlington Technical College to become a licensed practical nurse. Although she earned a surgical tech degree from Florence-Darlington Tech after graduating from Wilson High School, she ended up working with her family at Tommys Wholesale Florist. Shed always wanted to go back to school, but the timing wasnt right.

Im looking forward to getting back into it, she said.

As for self-exams, she urges women to know what their breasts feel like normally and to be aware of any change.

I probably saved my own life by doing it, she said.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  Governor Nikki Haley will visit Marion on Oct. 28, for a Team South Carolina Hurricane Matthew relief event.

Team South Carolina Pee Dee Day will serve residents impacted by the storm from Darlington, Dillon, Florence and Marion counties and will be held from 11 a.m. 3 p.m. at the Marion County Administrative Building.

For those impacted by river flooding in the Pee Dee area caused by Hurricane Matthew, the Team South Carolina event will serve as a one-stop where residents can find out about resources available to families and businesses to aid recovery.

Team South Carolina events bring together representatives from state and federal agencies and non-profit organizations to assist those in need in the wake flooding and other destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew.

The event will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Marion County Administrative Building, 2523 East Highway 76, Marion.

At the Team South Carolina Pee Dee Day residents can:

Register for financial assistance from FEMA

Apply for disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration

Learn more about repairing and flood proofing their home from FEMA

Get information about assistance for farmers with crop losses or damage from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency

Apply for unemployment benefits from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce

Apply for food and financial assistance from the S.C. Department of Social Services

Get information about mental health and other healthcare services from the S.C. Department of Mental Health and the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services

Get help with insurance claims from the S.C. Department of Insurance

Receive a free kit to test well water from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control

Receive a free tetanus shot from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control
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The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved a two-decade, multimillion development plan for Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala at its meeting Friday in Ponca.

The plan is expected to transform Nebraskas largest lake, Lake McConaughy in Keith County, boost its on-shore amenities and place new restrictions on about half the areas beloved beaches.

The goal is to better manage visitors and natural resources at McConaughy and nearby Lake Ogallala, improving safety while preserving the lakes recreational appeal. They draw nearly 1 million visitors annually.

No price estimate has been attached to the project, but its expected to cost millions.

Game and Parks has already set aside $2 million for improvements over the next two years. That money was raised through park permit fees and similar sources, but additional funds could come from private donors and federal grants.

Also Friday, the commission raised vehicle entry fees. The new resident permit fees are $30 for an annual, $6 for a daily and $15 for a duplicate annual. The permit fees for vehicles not registered and licensed in Nebraska are $45 for an annual, $8 for a daily, and $22.50 for a duplicate annual. All of these park entry fees are scheduled to become effective on Jan. 1, 2017.

In addition, the commission:

Authorized one bighorn sheep auction permit and one bighorn sheep lottery permit for 2017;

Approved buying 57 acres of land adjacent to Platte River State Park.

Changed the fee schedule for the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln, lowering some firearm range fees and annual passes and creating monthly passes to accommodate new and beginning shooters;

Approved its 2017 meeting schedule: Jan. 19-20, Lincoln; March 16-17, Grand Island; April 20-21, Norfolk; June 21-22, Scottsbluff; Aug. 16-17, North Platte; and Oct. 19-20, Omaha.

Rejected a staff recommendation to change the start of shooting hours for upland game and webless migratory birds (rail, snipe, woodcock, dove, grouse, pheasant, quail, partridge, cottontail and squirrel) from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunrise.
The US Bankruptcy Court has granted STX a temporary restraining order to block creditors from seizing its US assets, it was reported.

The troubled shipyard had filed for a court-led restructuring in May this year with the the Seoul court granting the receivership in June.

Since then, STXs efforts to restructure had since been impeded by many civil lawsuits it had to handle.

STX was once Koreas fourth largest shipbuilder just behind the countrys big three of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.

Recently, Frontline cancelled four VLCC newbuildings ordered at STX, as it was unclear if the yard can still deliver the ships in 2017.

The financially distressed STX has been under the control of its creditors since April 2013, and has failed to regain financial stability despite receiving more than KRW4trn ($3.5bn) in aid from its creditors over the years.
Net profit for its full year ended 31 August 2016 was recorded at $17.79m, down 34% from $27.15m in the previous corresponding period.

Revenue, however, rose by 20% year-on-year to $324.89m driven by contributions across all products and geographical segments.

Chan Eng Yew, ceo of Triyards, commented that while oil prices have recovered slightly since the beginning of this year, we are keenly aware that customers remain cautious.

The group expects market conditions to remain extremely challenging for the next 12 months and anticipates continued margin pressure.

The group continues to build on our product range and client base, focusing on within-budget and on-time execution of quality and high performance vessels. This strategy has allowed us to grow our revenues despite the challenging market conditions, Chan said.

Meanwhile, Triyards announced it has been awarded a contract for its facility, Saigon Offshore Fabrication and Engineering Limited, to build a floating dock for a client in the Middle East.

The group also revealed it has secured new fabrication and service vessel contracts totalling $27.55m, bringing its orderbook to $422m to-date.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2016-222

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Tennessee-based lawyer who served on the executive committee of the board of directors at Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners with insider trading based on nonpublic information he learned about an impending merger.

The SEC alleges that James C. Cope obtained more than $56,000 in ill-gotten gains by purchasing securities in Pinnacles acquisition target, Avenue Financial Holdings, prior to the banks joint public announcement later that month. According to the SECs complaint, Cope learned confidential details about the planned merger during a board executive committee meeting on Jan. 5, 2016, and proceeded to place his first order to purchase Avenue Financial stock while that executive committee meeting was still in progress. He allegedly placed four more orders within an hour after the meeting ended.

We allege that Cope completely disregarded his responsibilities as an attorney and public company director and illegally seized the moment to purchase stock in an acquisition target after learning confidential, nonpublic information at a board executive committee meeting, said Walter Jospin, Director of the SECs Atlanta Regional Office.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Tennessee today filed a parallel criminal case against Cope.

Cope lives in Murfreesboro and resigned from Pinnacles board in April, according to the SECs complaint filed in federal district court in Nashville. The complaint charges Cope with violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5.

The SECs investigation was conducted by Micheal Watson with assistance from Taryn Hairston, and supervised by Stephen E. Donahue and William P. Hicks of the Atlanta Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Robert Schroeder. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Climate change has caused mountain glaciers in the Bolivian Andes to retreat by 43 percent between 1986 and 2014, threatening rural and urban populations alike - in South America's poorest country - with long-term water shortages and possibly even catastrophic flooding.

According to Simon Cook of Manchester Metropolitan University in the U.K., Bolivia holds 20 percent of the world's tropical glaciers - which, despite being at the latitude of the tropics, are able to exist because of their high altitudes.

"Bolivia has a distinct wet and dry season, rather than a hot and cold season," Cook explained to Seeker. "During the dry season, which is during the Southern Hemisphere winter, they tend to lose more mass. So the weird thing is they tend to lose more mass in winter because you've got clearer skies and less precipitation falling as snow; and counter-intuitively they tend to gain mass in summer, which is the wet season."

RELATED: Bolivia's Bizarre Red-Orange Lake Is Spied from Space

However, in a paper published in the journal The Cryosphere, Cook and four co-authors describe how, using satellite images from Landsat, the U.S. Geological Survey's and NASA's Earth Observation Program, they determined that the area of the Bolivian Andes covered by glaciers decreased from a little over 200 square miles in 1986 to only around 115 square miles in 2014. One important consequence is that fewer and smaller glaciers means less meltwater in rivers and thus a diminished water supply for some of the country's biggest towns and cities.

"These glaciers supply between 15 and 30 percent of the water to major cities like La Paz and its neighboring sister city of El Alto," Cook said. "Combined, they have a population of something like 2.3 million inhabitants and growing, because you have a lot of urban migration going on in Bolivia. These glaciers have retreated quite rapidly, and the very rough, almost back-of-the-envelope calculation is that these glaciers will be more or less gone by the end of the century. So the problem there is that in 50, 60 years' time, during the dry season, where is the water coming from? There will still be water coming from groundwater, precipitation and runoff and so on, but the glaciers are really a buffer, or a store. If you take that away, you become immediately more vulnerable to changes in precipitation, or drought."

There is another, potentially catastrophic, scenario. As glaciers form, Cook observed, "they take big bite marks out of the landscape." As they melt and recede, the "bite marks" fill with meltwater and become lakes. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem, Cook said, except that "these lakes can burst, and when they do they can wash away villages or roads."

RELATED: Seeking Solitude in Bolivia's Salt Flats

If that sounds overly apocalyptic - well, it's happened. On Dec. 13, 1941, a large piece of glacier ice crashed into Lake Palcacocha in Peru, causing it to wash over its borders and down into the valley below, killing 5,000-7,000 people in the city of Huaraz. Cook told Seeker that there are very few published records of similar such events in Bolivia, although "one village elder said that his father had witnessed a flood from a glacier when he was working as a miner in a neighboring valley." In addition, Dirk Hoffmann, a researcher at the Bolivian Mountain Institute and co-author of The Cryosphere study, recently documented a glacial lake outburst flood in the Apolobamba region that happened in 2009 and killed farm animals, destroyed cultivated fields and washed away a road that left a village isolated for months.

"As those locations are very remote and far away from the cities, authorities at the national level and the wider public are often not even aware of the new dangers that mountain dwellers are facing due to the impacts of climate change, and no appropriate measures are being taken," Hoffmann says.

Cook and his co-authors identified 25 glacial lakes across the Bolivian Andes as potentially dangerous to communities and infrastructure. If the smallest of these 25 lakes were to drain completely, it would yield a flood with a peak discharge of 21,000 cubic feet per second. The largest could result in a discharge of almost 4.5 million cubic feet of water, about 50 times the volume of an Olympic swimming pool, in a second.

"The next phase of our work is one of my Ph.D. students is going to be doing numerical modeling, to see just what kind of damage floods from those lakes would do," Cook explained.
When Stephen Hawking talks, people listen.

In recent years, Hawking has issued some rather apocalyptic warnings about artificial intelligence. "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," he told the BBC in 2014. So when the world's most famous scientist praised the opening of a new A.I. research center earlier this week, the Earth wobbled slightly as a million heads turned at once.

On Wednesday, Hawking spoke at the official opening of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at Cambridge University. While Hawking tempered the rather dire tone of his previous conjecture on A.I., he didn't mince his words, either.

"The rise of powerful A.I. will be either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity," Hawking said. "We do not yet know which."

Hawking's revised, cautiously neutral approach to A.I. is likely inspired by the mission of the new institution. Rather than work to develop the technology of artificial intelligence, CFI is dedicated to assessing the impact of A.I. on civilization. In fact, the research center hopes to proactively anticipate both the benefits and dangers of machine intelligence, and advocate for appropriate public policy.

RELATED: A.I. Computers Should Be Named as Inventors on Patents

CFI brings together four of the world's leading research universities, Cambridge, Oxford, UC-Berkeley and Imperial College, London, and plans to establish an international, interdisciplinary community of researchers. The CFI will work with both government and industry to develop plans for specific issues - for example, the regulation of autonomous weapons.

According to press materials issued by Cambridge, the institute will initially focus on seven distinct projects in the first three-year phase of its work. Among the initial research topics:

It seems like much of the academic and scientific community is bracing for imminent arrival of advanced A.I. We recently reported on an A.I. ethics conference in New York City that addressed topics ranging from autonomous currency exchanges to sex robots. The government is getting in on preparations, too. On October 12, the White House issued a 60-page report Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence.

RELATED: 'Ex Machina': Science vs. Fiction

The CFI is the most recent of several high-powered think tanks dedicated to assessing and prepping for A.I. Over in Cambridge, Mass., the Future of Life Institute has a broad mandate to safeguard life and develop optimistic visions, but much of its focus has been on A.I. specifically. At the University of Oxford, the Future of Humanity Institute has a similar mission statement.

Entrepreneur Elon Musk's OpenAI organization is more overtly dedicated to developing A.I. technology, but clearly has big-picture concerns in mind regarding, you know, civilization itself. From the OpenAI website: "Our mission is to build safe A.I. and ensure A.I.'s benefits are as widely and evenly distributed as possible."

Hawking's endorsement of the new research center is important, if only from a public relations standpoint. As the planet's resident rock star scientist, Hawking can effectively communicate to civilians in a way that other experts can't. So if anyone has remaining doubts as to the proportional significance of A.I., Hawking's assessment is blunt:

"The research done by this center will be crucial to the future of our civilization and of our species," Hawking said.

Video of Hawking's CFI remarks below, or you can find a full transcript here.
India and Afghanistan have forged one of the world's most enduring alliances, which may be more important now than ever before. Jules Suzdaltsev has the story in today's Seeker Daily report.

The two countries, as they exist today, share a similar origin story. Both were once part of the sprawling British empire before they gained independence. In 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, India was one of the first non-Communist countries to recognize the new Soviet-backed government. Perhaps even more importantly, India supported the the country again when it transitioned out of Soviet rule a decade later.

The alliance was severed in 1996, however, when Afghan government was overthrown by the violent Islamist group known as the Taliban. India refused to recognize the Taliban government, and relations bottomed out when the Taliban ordered the destruction of two ancient stone Buddhas. As the birthplace of Buddhism, India was deeply offended.

RELATED: India And Pakistan's Looming Water War

When the Taliban were overthrown, India and Afghanistan renewed diplomatic ties - and the alliance has strengthened ever since. India has pledged more than $2 million in aid to its neighbor and cooperates with various humanitarian and security initiatives, like training police and emergency workers.

Bilateral trade has doubled in the last decade, surpassing $680 million in 2015. India is also pouring money into Afghan infrastructure projects, including a massive hydroelectric friendship dam. India's longtime rival Pakistan threatens to complicate matters, however. Pakistan is suspicious of India's motives in helping Afghanistan, and suspects a regional power play. As such, Pakistan - which is situated directly between the two countries - has blocked Indian goods from passing through, forcing India to build a sea port in Iran.

Today, with the U.S. pulling troops out of Afghanistan, India's friendship will be more important than ever. Watch Jules' report here for more details.

-- Glenn McDonald

Learn More:

Office of the Historian: The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. Response, 1978-1980

Council on Foreign Relations: India-Afghanistan Relations

NPR: Panetta Calls on India to Step Up in Afghanistan
Press Release

October 21, 2016 Legarda Hails Agreement Phasing Down Climate-Harming HFCs Senator Loren Legarda hailed the approval of a global agreement that will prohibit the use of a climate-harming compound. Legarda, UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, said that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is crucial in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as it phases down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that were found to contribute to global warming. "The Kigali Amendment is another historic breakthrough in our fight to save humanity and our planet from dangerous global warming. In eliminating HFCs, we have taken a huge step towards implementing the Paris Agreement," she said. "This will pave the way for the development of new and innovative low-carbon technologies, sending a strong signal to the global market to replace hazardous chemicals with a new generation of environment- and climate-friendly alternatives," Legarda added. The HFCs, which are widely used in fridges, air conditioning and aerosol sprays, replaced chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) after the CFCs and HCFCs were banned under the Montreal Protocol because these were responsible for ozone depletion. The HFCs are not harmful to the ozone layer and, in fact, studies have shown that the ozone, which helps shield the planet from the harmful rays of the sun, has started to heal. However, it has been found that HFCs contribute to global warming. The Kigali Amendment is considered as the biggest and fastest climate change mitigation strategy available in the near-term. The Amendment aims complete elimination of HFCs by the year 2050. This move is estimated to prevent about 0.5 degree Celsius rise in global temperatures by the end of this century. For this reason, the Kigali Amendment is considered absolutely vital for reaching the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and even possibly staying below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Legarda also lauded Professors Durwood Zaelke and Antonio Oposa Jr., international environmental lawyers, for their hard work and relentless efforts for the adoption of the Amendment. Durwood, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development based in Washington, D.C., conceptualized the Amendment; while Oposa, a Filipino, was the principal delegate, spokesman and legal adviser of the Federated States of Micronesia, who, along with Mauritius and Morocco, submitted the first formal proposal in 2009 to amend the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs. "The Montreal Protocol is clear proof that despite formidable odds, transformative results can be achieved through concerted global efforts. We should learn from this example and apply its lesson to the urgent task of addressing climate change," Legarda concluded.
Press Release

October 21, 2016 STATEMENT OF 4 SENATORS ON PRESIDENT DUTERTE'S NEWEST PRONOUNCEMENTS ON FOREIGN POLICY (SENATORS AQUINO, DE LIMA, DRILON, PANGILINAN) The President is the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy. But this power is not his alone -- he shares this with the Senate in the case of treaties. Taking the President's statement literally entails an abrogation of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, a binding security and military agreement. The Senate needs to be clarified if the President did indeed intend to terminate the MDT. Moreover, our Constitution and laws dictate the general direction and tone of our foreign policy - one that adheres to peace, equality, justice, considers our national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination, and promotes the welfare and interest of Filipinos overseas. This means we don't start a fight. At the same time, we don't back out of a fight for our sovereignty and territory. We fight using the diplomatic and legal instruments and stages available to us, such as taking the battle over the West Philippine Sea to the international arbitral tribunal where we were able to win our case without any gunshots fired. We are in agreement that the Philippines needs an independent foreign policy, one that protects and champions the interests of the Filipino people, one that is not pro-American and not pro-China but pro-Filipino, ensuring that the conventions and agreements we sign will benefit Filipino citizens. International realities must also be considered. Our total external trade in goods for the first semester of 2015, according to latest government data, reached $ 59.61 billion -- with Japan ($8.765 billion), China ($7.812 billion), and the United States ($7.743 billion) as the country's top three trading partners. Approved foreign investments to the country in 2015 was P245.2 billion, with Netherlands first at P82.7 billion, and Japan and South Korea ranking second and third with investments amounting to P54.7 billion and P23.2 billion respectively. In terms of warms bodies, we have more than 10 million overseas Filipino workers, who sent $25.8 billion in remittances last year alone. They include almost 4 million Filipinos in the US. Given these, we support Senator Bam Aquino's Senate Resolution 158 calling on the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Economic Affairs to conduct a hearing, in aid of legislation, on the foreign policy direction of the government with the end view of protecting our national interest. The hearing is imperative following the recent pronouncements of President Duterte regarding the new direction of Philippine foreign policy. The hearing should reveal the terms of the 13 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including the reported $6 billion in soft loans, $3 billion in credit facilities through private Chinese banks, and the Joint Coastal Guard Committee on Maritime Cooperation in disputed waters, signed during the President's state visit to China. The hearing should call on the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Trade and Investments to explain the ramifications of the President's latest foreign policy pronouncements on Filipinos living here and abroad. The Filipino people deserve to know what the official position of the administration is and how these affect the lives of our countrymen residing in all corners of the globe. *Data on trade and investments from the Philippine Statistics Authority, and data on Filipinos overseas from the Commission of Filipinos Overseas.
Press Release

October 21, 2016 On the 'end' of US relations, joining Russia-China 'axis' Foreign policy rebalancing should not mean that we swing the pendulum to the other extreme, that we dump old friends for new suitors. We should practice big-tent diplomacy, welcoming all, and shunning no one. The national interest is served by extending amity to all, and hostility to none. In rewriting the country's foreign policy playbook, the President can perhaps pick up a few pointers from his Facebook team. These are : You need not unfriend someone to befriend another. If you don't like him at the moment, you can unfollow him without unfriending or blocking him so that you retain the option to follow him again. Any drastic shift in our foreign policy direction should be well-thought-out and not simply blurted out. It should be a product of deep study and wide discussion. Because of its far-reaching implications, it cannot be an announce now, study later thing. Crafting an independent foreign policy requires introspection, not impetuousness. This is all the more true object if the object of the President's pique is not a backwater failed state, but a nation that is home to the largest number of Filipinos abroad, the biggest source of foreign exchange remittances, one of the biggest ODA donors, a major market of our products and services, like the BPO. Yes, our relations with the United States may not be perfect. But a country which has illegally built a great wall of sand in our seas is not, and far from, the epitome of a good friend either. By all means, let us push all the reboot buttons with all countries but without having to blast to pieces some of the good relations our nation has nurtured for generations. As to our joining Russia and China in a new axis, let us fix our traffic first before we insert ourselves in the power games of nuclear states.
Press Release

October 21, 2016 Villar leads opening of rehab program for drug surrenderees A training program aimed at making productive citizens out of former drug abusers was launched Friday in Las Pinas City under the sponsorship of Sen. Cynthia A. Villar. Villar, in partnership with various government agencies led by the Philippine National Police (PNP), welcomed drug surrenderees from Las Pinas City to the Villar SIPAG farm school during the launching of the 'SAGIP BUKAS: A Drug Rehabilitation Training Program for a Better Life.' 'SAGIP BUKAS' is a 12-week drug rehabilitation training program that will provide free trainings on agri farming and health and wellness, and lectures on ethico legal aspects of substance abuse. Program participants will likewise do coastal clean-up and mangrove planting with environment advocates like Villar and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). They will likewise do physical training and will learn to dance Zumba "Everyone deserves a better, more productive tomorrow. We must never get tired of helping our fellowmen in becoming more useful citizens. I will always be supportive of any and all undertakings that will help our less privileged kababayans ," Villar said. Villar also said: "We must help these drug surrenderees in their desires to live normal lives again. Let us help them find alternative sources of livelihood, like agri-farming, so that their stigma of being illegal drug users is disabused." The rehabilitation training program is in line with the government's goal of helping former users of illegal drugs to go back to their normal lives and become productive citizens. The program is in partnership with Villar SIPAG, PNP, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Office of the President (OP). Other partners include the Allied Botanical Corporation, Las Pinas General Hospital (LPGH), Diocese of Paranaque, Las Pinas City Health Office, and Las Pinas City Mayor's Office. Participants to the program will be drug users from Las Pinas City who have already surrendered under the Oplan Tokhang initiative of the government. A total of 1700 drug users from Las Pinas have surrendered to the PNP. Out of this number, 135 will join the SAGIP BUKAS training program. The participants are currently undergoing medical check-ups, like X-rays and urinalysis at the LPGH. After the check-up, they will go through the assessment and screening process to be conducted by the Las Pinas City Health Office and DOH-accredited doctors. All activities are being coordinated and monitored by PNP.
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The family of a woman who was killed by a San Francisco police sergeant as she drove a suspected stolen car in the Bayview neighborhood  a shooting that led to the resignation of Chief Greg Suhr  filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court.

Jessica Williams, 29, was unarmed when she was killed May 19 after allegedly crashing into a parked truck while attempting to flee from two officers following a brief pursuit near Elmira Street and Shafter Avenue.

The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, accuses Sgt. Justin Erb of using objectively unreasonable and excessive force when he fired at Williams, striking her once.

Williams was black and Erb is Asian American. The suit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of Williams mother, Carol Walker.

The San Francisco city attorneys office said Thursday that it could not comment specifically on the suit because it had not been served with it.

But an office spokesman, John Cote, said the offices preliminary investigation reveals that Ms. Williams was in a stolen car apparently trying to avoid arrest when San Francisco police followed her into a cul-de-sac.

While attempting to get away, Cote said, Williams accelerated the stolen car toward one of the responding officers, placing him in immediate peril and justifying his use of lethal force.

Subsequent investigation, he said, found Williams had a significant amount of methamphetamine in her system at the time of the incident, which might explain her erratic conduct.

The issue of police officers firing at drivers in vehicles had been hotly debated in the months before the incident.

Officers are permitted to use deadly force on suspects who present an imminent threat, but not those seeking to get away. In addition, police tactics experts have long described shooting at cars as unsafe, because a vehicle operated by a person who is shot may continue to move and hurt someone.

A growing number of law enforcement agencies, including the New York Police Department, have restricted the practice.

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.

Following the Dec. 2 shooting of Mario Woods, also in the Bayview neighborhood, the city Police Commission reopened the departments use-of-force policy for the first time since 1995.

Under the previous policy, officers were prohibited from firing at a moving vehicle unless the driver was threatening to use another deadly weapon like a gun; or the driver had already committed violence and appeared bent on doing more; or the driver was about to run down the officer, who had no way to retreat.

After the shooting, the Police Commission tightened the policy, passing a version that allows for firing at the driver of a moving vehicle only if the driver threatens to use another deadly weapon.

The police officers union, which is negotiating proposed revisions with the city, has long said officers need to have the option to fire at moving vehicles in some circumstances.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which did a collaborative review of the Police Department following the Woods shooting, supported the more restrictive version.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
Kasey Wyatt and Austen Trainer have unusual jobs: Theyre robot sales clerks.

Their store in Palo Alto has no human staffers, save for a cleaning crew that comes in after hours. All sales are transacted from afar, and even the doors are opened and shut remotely. The futuristic store sells telepresence robots, which show a human face on their monitor. The clerks robots help sell other robots.

This is so cool, said Adrian Dalley, 28, as he chatted with Wyatts robot.

The Palo Alto store, Suitable Technologies, is not the only retailer to use robots. The Lowes home improvement chain has experimented with a robot in its Sunnyvale store that makes sure the shelves are well stocked. It is rolling out a customer-service robot named LoweBot in a San Jose store. Target has also tested robots in some of its San Francisco stores.

For Suitable Technologies, going all-robot was the best way to showcase the device, said store manager Michelle Posey, who has never met some of her 12-person staff members, who work from as far away as Bermuda and New York.

Being able to see it in person and develop a rapport with the person who is operating the (robot) is really important, she said. It shows the legitimacy of the technology and how much it can change communication in the future.

Suitable Technologies robot is called Beam. It is designed to help remote workers interact with people in their companys offices even though they are not physically present. A video camera and microphone allow the remote worker to conduct conversations with co-workers. Using a computer, they can command the Internet-connected robot to roll to different desks or meeting rooms.

Suitable Technologies opened the Palo Alto store in October 2014 as a temporary pop-up outlet to showcase its two models, one costing $1,995 and another priced at $13,950 (it also leases the pricier one). But enough customers bought robots to persuade Suitable to keep the store open.

All transactions are handled remotely. When the customer is ready, the clerks pop open the back door to let the customer load the robot into a car.

The store has become so popular its now a stop on some Silicon Valley tech tours. One hot day, a big group came in, so a robot clerk outfitted with a small basket rolled across the street to an ice cream shop to bring back treats. The robot dutifully used the crosswalk and paid using PayPal.

Two guys came in here one night and serenaded me with a song about burritos, Wyatt said. That was very interesting.

On a recent weeknight, Wyatt, 24, sat in her home in Berkeley, while Trainer, 22, was in Davis, yet they both stood outside cheerily greeting everyone who walked by. A few people wore quizzical looks and strolled quickly past the store, but many more stopped because they were amused and intrigued.

Our busiest days are definitely Friday and Saturday nights, especially after theyve had a couple of drinks, Trainer said. They want to see what that crazy robot is all about.

Bobbi Emel, a Palo Alto marriage and family therapist, stopped to talk to Trainer to learn more about how she might use Beams in her practice.

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I dont like to do phone therapy or Skype because the connection is so sketchy, but this is really awesome, said Emel, 52. Im kind of excited about this. Im a little bit of a Luddite, but this doesnt scare me, it doesnt intimidate me in any way.

Are robot clerks the wave of the future? Probably not, although in a way, theyre already here, said Evan Neufeld of the research and consulting firm L2.

Retail automation is taking place in the form of self-checkout stands, price-check kiosks and loyalty programs that push discount deals to shoppers, said Neufeld, director of L2s intelligence team.

Even Apples innovation of allowing any clerk to process transactions from any place in the store shows that automation doesnt have to come in the form of a robot that resembles a human, he said.

Its not Hal, its not C-3PO, but theres technology available today that isnt complicated, Neufeld said.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
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David Bunnell, a pioneer in technology publishing, died Tuesday night of pancreatic cancer, according to his wife, Jackie Poitier. He was 69.

Bunnell took writing about computers from the realm of hobbyists to a mass-market media phenomenon, launching glossy titles like PC Magazine, Macworld and PC World.

Many of those whose careers he influenced wrote remembrances of Bunnell this week. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, in a letter sent to Bunnell before his death, credited him with shaping the modern computer industry. Your work, of course, helped launch Microsoft, and the personal computing company it became, Gates wrote. We all have you to thank for transforming a niche interest into a ubiquitous tool.

Early in his career, Bunnell was a teacher, first in Chicago and later at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. During the siege at Wounded Knee in 1973, he smuggled food to members of the American Indian Movement.

That year he also began working as a technical writer at MITS, where he worked alongside Gates and Paul Allen. A few years later, Gates and Allen left to found Microsoft in Seattle. Bunnell started his first magazine, Personal Computing, but parted ways with its backers and moved to San Francisco.

There, he got the idea for a magazine dedicated to the then-brand-new IBM PC. He and Poitier, then his girlfriend, along with some other friends, ran it out of a living room in the Sunset District.

That magazine was a success, and Bunnell planned to sell it to Pat McGovern, the head of technology publisher IDG. A partner sold the magazine instead to IDG archrival Ziff-Davis. Bunnell and most of the staff of PC Magazine left and went to work for IDG instead, launching PC World. At IDG, he also started Macworld and Publish.

Bunnell left IDG and joined Upside, a magazine chronicling the business of technology. Known for cheeky covers like one that depicted Wired co-founders Louis Rossetto and Jane Metcalfe as Adam and Eve, it struggled after the dot-com bust and ended up being sold in foreclosure. The business struggles were accentuated by the loss of his son, Aaron, who worked on Upsides website and died in 2000 at the age of 26.

"Sometimes I think, I should have just quit then," Bunnell told The Chronicle in 2002.

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Instead, he went on to try new ventures. Eldr, a magazine for aging Baby Boomers launched in 2007, proved short-lived. One last publication will outlive Bunnell: Good Friday on the Rez, a memoir of his time at the Pine Ridge Reservation, comes out next April.

PC Magazine, PC World and Macworld, while no longer in print, continue to thrive online. And Bunnells legacy shapes those who worked for him.

His death comes at a time when the technology sector needs more than ever the sort of humbling, irreverent, technically sharp journalism and satire that David pioneered, wrote Ryan Tate, a former Upside employee, in an email. What was most brilliant about David, in my eyes, was that he always saw the essential humanity of the valley.

Bunnell, who lived in Berkeley, is survived by Poitier and three children, Mara Vander Veur, Buffy De Luna, and Jennifer Poitier.

Owen Thomas is the San Francisco Chronicle business editor. Email: othomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @owenthomas
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For two hours, users around the country had trouble accessing certain websites on the Internet because Dyn, a firm that hosts domain name servers, was attacked electronically.

Domain Name System (DNS) servers are key to directing traffic on the Internet. The servers take in Web addresses typed by users and route them to the sites they seek  in this case, sites like Twitter, Spotify and Reddit. When those servers get bogged down by attacks, they are unable to redirect the Internet traffic to the appropriate sites, resulting in sites not loading properly on computers and smartphones, until a backup server picks up the traffic.
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In a sign of the seismic changes coming to the automotive world, two major car makers, General Motors and Audi, have launched car-rental operations in San Francisco to experiment with different ways of linking vehicles and drivers.

GMs program, called Maven, offers hourly rentals that consumers access directly from parking lots and garages citywide using a smartphone app to unlock the vehicles, which dont require keys. Audis program, Audi on Demand, offers rentals by the day that concierges deliver to renters who can book them via an app.

While plenty of carmakers partner with traditional rental companies like Hertz or Dollar, it is new for the manufacturers to work directly with renters.

Automakers are laying groundwork to have a role in the future of how people access cars, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Kelley Blue Book, which covers the automotive world. This is a step for them to provide vehicles directly to consumers but not on a purchase basis, but for temporary use.

Maven Chief Operating Officer Dan Grossman said General Motors is preparing for a shift in how people buy cars.

The auto industry will change more in the next five years than in has in the past 50, he said. Either GM can continue to spend money to convince people who dont want to buy a car to buy one  or it can look at other revenue streams.

Thats where Maven comes in, as well as GMs ExpressDrive partnership with Lyft to rent cars to its ride-hailing drivers; its $500 million investment in Lyft to work together on autonomous vehicles; and its acquisition of San Franciscos Cruise Automation, which makes a kit for self-driving cars.

Maven prices range from $8 an hour for sedans like the Cruise and Malibu, up to $24 an hour for an Escalade (which is getting a lot of use, Grossman said). The price includes fuel and insurance. If a vehicle is low on gas, GM asks renters to fill it up using a gas card included in the car.

GM is starting with 60 vehicles in 30 locations in the Financial District, South of Market, the Mission, Castro and Haight-Ashbury. For now, rentals must be round trips One-way trips most likely will be offered in the future. Its model of hourly rentals in dispersed locations is fairly similar to Zipcar (where Grossman previously worked), as well as Enterprise CarShare and City CarShare.

GM started Maven early this year and operates in eight other U.S. cities. The division has 70 employees, a fraction of GMs worldwide 216,000 workers. Maven and ExpressDrive together have 10,500 members.

With the rentals, GM and Audi can give consumers who might not own a car the ultimate test drive. But the two automakers are entering an increasingly competitive space, in which not all entrants have been successful. In July, for example, the San Francisco startup FlightCar shut down; it had offered peer-to-peer airport rentals.

GM and Audis plans are very different from FlightCars, however. And both want to make sure their rentals are tricked out with the latest and greatest technology.

GMs rentals, all with leather seats function as mobile Wi-Fi hotspots and include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, GMs OnStar and SiriusXM radio, for instance. Audis rentals come with Quattro all-wheel drive (except for its e-tron electric car), and also are mobile hot-spots. Add-ons like bike racks and child booster seats are free, as is a FasTrak pass.

Audis program, which it has been quietly piloting in San Francisco since last year, offers 18 models ranging from its plug-in e-tron for $120 a day to its luxury R8 Spyder convertible for $1,235 a day  the same model used in the Iron Man films. Insurance and gas are extra.

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These are higher performance vehicles to celebrate special occasions; theyre less for the function (of getting around) and more for the emotion of driving them, said Andrea Sievers, product manager of Audi on Demand.

The company has found that 15 percent of renters use the service for an extended test drive. Theyre in the market for a vehicle and want to try it out in everyday life, she said.

Audi decided to offer concierge delivery and pickup to emphasize the services premium nature, she said. While its currently only available in San Francisco, eventually it will spread to other parts of the Bay Area, as well as other areas nationwide.

Were helping people embrace different ways to access a vehicle, that gives them more flexibility, Sievers said.

The carmakers can ramp up the number of vehicles for rent as quickly as the market demands.

I could have thousands of cars in San Francisco in a year if we need them, Grossman said.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @csaid
Data  floods of it  are upending virtually every industry. Stores are no exception: They want to track and predict what shoppers want, just as online merchants can.

B8ta, a store selling high-tech gadgets in downtown Palo Alto, is trying to do just that. Video cameras inside the store and iPads on the tables keep tabs on which products are most popular and the time shoppers spend on each.

The store also monitors the type of information shoppers accessed on the iPads and whether changes in the products price, color or display increased or decreased sales.

Weve built a new entirely new structure for how retail is done, said B8ta CEO and co-founder Vibhu Norby.

The innovation is not just in data collection: B8ta also has an unusual business model. The stores customers arent really the people who walk in from the street to buy products. Rather, B8ta makes its money leasing table space to the device makers  mostly tech startups touting everything from smart door locks to virtual reality headsets or electric bikes  for a monthly retail as a service subscription fee. Those companies, in turn, use that space to directly sell to shoppers  not unlike an online transaction in which customers buy from a manufacturers website.

The companies receive real-time notices through the messaging service Slack when one of their products gets sold, and they also get information on what variations of the product customers are checking for on the iPad positioned next to each product.

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This is Silicon Valley reinventing retail, said Norby, a software engineer who, like his co-founders, is an alumni of the Google-owned Nest Labs. This is how engineers would think about retail.

Such information-collection techniques will be a priority for retailers of the future.

With all the things you can do online, to be able to do that right in the store is even better, said Gregory Simpson, an executive with Synchrony Financial, a Connecticut financial services firm.

Cosmetics brand Sephora, for example, showcases its data capabilities at an innovation-oriented store in San Franciscos Dogpatch neighborhood. As reported by The Chronicle last year, the company can remind a shopper whether she has items in her online basket, so she can find them at the store.

Data is kind of a currency to us, Sephora executive Angel Singh said at a retail conference this year, according to the industry publication Mobile Commerce Daily. Sephora, headquartered in San Francisco, declined to comment for this story.

Retailers also want to personalize relationships with customers, said Synchronys Simpson, whose firm advises and provides millions of private-label credit cards to retailers like the Gap, Walmart and J.C. Penney (but not B8ta).

Synchrony can sort through details of customer purchases to try to predict what (is) the next most likely transaction theyre going to make so we can offer them specific deals or targeted offers that fit what they really want, Simpson said.

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For example, if a male customer just bought a blue suit, We can say, OK, maybe he needs to buy mens dress shoes, so that would be a good thing to offer next, he said.

Retailers can also push personalized deals through in-store sensors known as beacons that can detect loyal shoppers. Sephora, for example, could use beacons to detect where a customer is standing in the store and then send messages to them through a smartphone app  for example, information on a makeup tutorial might pop up near a certain part of the shop.

Frequent-buyer cards stored on the customers smartphone are another personalization tool.

But Simpson said that while his companys research showed personalization is a good thing, retailers must also be cognizant of becoming Big Brother-ish.

If someone walked into a furniture store that we do credit for and we happen to know this because theyre a customer of a completely different merchant, so we told the furniture guy, then it gets really creepy, he said. You have to figure out where that line is. Its probably in different places for different generations.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
Two suspects were arrested in connection with a shooting outside a high school in San Franciscos Excelsior neighborhood that left four students wounded earlier this week, police said Thursday.

Officer Giselle Talkoff, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Police Department, confirmed the two arrests in an email.

She did not identify the suspects or provide any additional information about them  including their age or gender.

The shooting at the June Jordan School for Equity, a public school with a curriculum emphasizing social justice and opposition to violence, occurred around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday as school let out for the day.

At least one gunman opened fire in the parking lot of the school located at Brazil and La Grande avenues, striking four 15-year-old June Jordan students, including a girl who suffered serious injuries.

The shooter, whom police described as a 15-year-old earlier this week, ran from the scene with three other young male individuals.

The female victim remained in a hospital Thursday and is expected to recover. The three male juveniles wounded in the shooting were treated and released from a hospital, according to officials.

Police believe that only one of the victims was targeted by the suspects.

School administrators said the attack was carried out by outsiders unaffiliated with the school.

Classes resumed as scheduled Wednesday morning, with grieving students, staff and faculty members holding a candlelit vigil and denouncing the violence at their campus. Of June Jordans approximately 250 students, roughly half stayed home Wednesday, the day after the shooting.

Grief counselors were on hand to talk with students troubled by the shooting, and administrators held a forum where friends and acquaintances of the victims could discuss the brutal attack.

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Students at June Jordan described widespread panic during the shooting Tuesday, with several of the teenagers reporting hearing half a dozen shots. Police did not confirm the number of shots fired.

Amidst the confusion came fear, as the young adults of June Jordan were corralled into classrooms by teachers and staff as they sprinted for cover as the barrage of gunfire broke out in the schools parking lot.

Administrators at the school said they had to figure out how to make the space feel safe again for their young charges.

Its going to take lots of time to get over this  to heal from this, and it will hurt every day, said 17-year-old senior Maria Zaragoza.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
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If you think of Keeping Up With the Joneses as a movie thats all about Gal Gadots face, and Isla Fishers timing, and Zach Galifianakis comical humanity, and Jon Hamms brooding handsomeness, its possible to be charitable about it. Its just a vehicle, after all, a means for providing the actors with certain moments, a showcase for some of the things they do that we already like.

But even thinking of it as just a vehicle, heres the problem: Were stuck in that vehicle. This isnt just five or 10 minutes of each of them, thrown together and tied up in a bow. Were talking about 105 minutes that have to be filled with something besides star power. There are story demands that have to be fulfilled, reasons that must be given to persuade an entire audience to sit there until the end. But these reasons never come.
It was hell on Earth.

The Chronicles front page from Oct. 21, 1991, covers the Oakland hills fire that killed 25 people, injured 150, burned more than 3,000 homes and caused $1.5 billion in damage.

A murderous fire roared out of the East Bay hills yesterday, spreading panic, ruin and death through Oakland and Berkeley neighborhoods, the story read. It was the worst Bay Area fire in generations. Thousands of people had to flee for their lives and some did not make it.

A small grass fire started on Saturday just above the Caldecott Tunnel and Highway 24, and crews rushed to the scene to extinguish it. They thought they had it under control, but on Sunday morning a few embers crackled, and the flames were fed by 65-mph Diablo winds, so called because of the nearby Diablo Range and Mount Diablo.

Within a few hours, a large apartment complex and dozens of single-family houses were engulfed. The winds carried burning debris across Highways 24 and 13 and into more neighborhoods. The blaze spread fast. So did the fear in Montclair, Upper Rockridge and Piedmont.

My own reaction is one of horror, Gov. Pete Wilson said after flying over the burn area. To call it devastation doesnt really describe it.

A firefighter interviewed by The Chronicle said the land in the fires path looked like Hiroshima. Another witness said the thick ash made it resemble the lunar surface.

It was an inferno, a firestorm, an unprecedented blaze that tore through a populated area and threatened thousands more lives before being beaten down and controlled.

There were flames a hundred feet high at the outset, 50 feet high when it calmed down  all fed by huge old trees as dry as death after five years of drought, current Chronicle columnist Carl Nolte wrote that day. Even water to fight the fire was a problem. Some hydrants ran out of water, and one reservoir went completely dry.

Entire neighborhoods had to be evacuated. The streets and freeways for miles around were clogged with residents who left their homes with whatever they could carry.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

Chronicle Covers highlights one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken and producers Kimberly Chua, Michelle Devera and Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke

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The eyes of the new U.S. resident cast a curious gaze.

As 18-month-old Nisreen dawdled between her parents, Mohanad Abdulwahab Hussein and Hadeel Naser Jabr, who sat on the bed in their studio apartment in East Oakland, her chestnut brown eyes trailed the conversation.

Her tiny feet pitter-pattered on the wood floor as she changed positions to peer around the notebook propped on my crossed leg. It obstructed her view. Never too old to play peekaboo, I lifted the notebook to block my eyes.

Hussein, 23, and Jabr, 25, are Syrian refugees who came to the United States almost two months ago after spending four years in Zaatari, a refugee camp in Jordan. The makeshift desert city of aluminum prefab houses and trailers, tents and tarps holds 80,000 residents displaced by the Syrian civil war.

Zaatari is now one of the largest cities in Jordan, a country that has absorbed 1.5 million Syrians. Nisreen was born there.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

The Syrian civil war, which has claimed half a million lives and left millions homeless, has been a flash point in the presidential debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Trump has reduced the tragedy to political bluster, claiming hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees are coming into the United States.

Wrong.

In 2016, of the 85,000 refugees resettled in the country, only 12,000 came from Syria, and 34 were placed in Oakland this year.

America was built by immigrants, and this Syrian family is part of the new wave of foreigners who will frame our countrys multicultural identity. A campaign of intolerance and fear cant delay the arrival of the future Americans.

One rambunctious new resident wears a blue bow in her hair that matches the flowers on her dress, and she makes Hussein laugh as she yanks the hood of his sweatshirt.

Shes just happy. Always happy, Jabr says through an interpreter.

She doesnt know anything, Hussein says.

There are 65 million refugees and displaced people in the world, and 12 million to 14 million will never be able to return to their homes.

One of the groups helping refugees is the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit that responds to humanitarian crises, helping rebuild lives affected by disaster and conflict. The U.S. accepts less than 1 percent of refugees applying to its resettlement program.

On a humanitarian level, these numbers are teeny compared to the need, says Karen Ferguson, executive director of the IRCs Northern California offices. But theyre also vital. How can the U.S. encourage other countries to step up and help if were not even beginning to do our part?

Generally, IRC doesnt place refugees without local ties in Oakland because its one of the most expensive cities in the country. With real estate tracker Trulia calculating the median rent at $3,125, theres not much time to adjust after arrival.

We get all their needs taken care of as quickly as possible so they can focus on starting to figure out how theyre going to pay rent, Ferguson says.

Hussein and Jabr grew up in Daraa, a southwestern city with a high poverty rate about 10 miles from the Jordanian border. In March 2011, during the Arab Spring protests that swept the Middle East, a Daraa boy and his friends were arrested for writing in graffiti, The people want the fall of the regime. The residents protested corruption, and Syrian troops responded with a siege and bullets, killing hundreds and arresting thousands.

Syrian nationalists, Syrian rebel forces and the Islamic State group continue to skirmish in the city gutted by building-toppling explosions.

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The first night in Oakland two months ago was the first time Hussein and Jabr had unpacked their suitcases since leaving Daraa four years ago. They have about 20 family members who remain in Zaatari.

In Oakland, the family takes daily walks around Lake Merritt.

Here is better, Hussein tells me, his Arabic relayed by Sohail Morrar of the IRC. But Hussein misses many things about home  the land, the people, my friends, my country.

The Syrians are the first IRC clients for Morrar, an Oakland-born caseworker. Hes introduced them to the Yemeni grocery store owner on 14th Avenue. Hes shown them how to ride the bus. He keeps in touch.

Inside the apartment, Jabr sets a tray of cold, fizzy Coca-Cola on the coffee table. Nisreens drink spills out of her sippy cup as she offers wet high-fives. Jabr goes into the kitchen, where a rack of clothes dries in front of the window, to get paper towels. She later brings out apples and bananas.

I accept a banana for the road. When I turn the door handle to leave the apartment, the knob falls from the mounting plate.

Its OK, Morrar assures me. Im not worried about putting clients into Oakland, but at the end of the day, paying attention to whether or not they can afford the place and if the place is safe and if the place is clean, thats a different story.

Outside of their apartment, Hussein raps a cigarette out of his pack as Nisreen clings to his leg. As I leave, the young new U.S. resident waves goodbye.

Otis R. Taylor Jr. is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist whose column appears Tuesday and Friday. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr
Airbnbs free-form world of casual rentals and home sharing is finally taking on rules and a dose of self-policing. San Franciscos patience with the popular service is wearing thin, bringing on tougher limits.

Theres no surer sign than the home-sharing platforms pledge this week to go after hosts offering more than one address. The aim is to cut down on emptying out scarce apartment rentals and limit landlords to their own residences.

Its a welcome step and should have happened months ago. Also, the policing of this promise remains to be seen. The one host, one home idea could stop the process of spinning badly needed rentals into mini-hotels. It also preserves the positive benefits of home sharing, such as smaller bills for visitors and extra cash for homeowners.

But its still short of a comprehensive set of rules. Airbnb and similar services say that a city registry is clunky and paper driven, a reason why only 1,650 hosts out of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 have signed up as required.

Websites that broker short-stay rentals are less than a decade old and need tailored rules for a burgeoning and popular business, the companies say.

Airbnb has dug in further by taking its complaints about the city registry to federal court. That challenge may be decided by a judge soon.

That lawsuit, plus local politics, is bringing on the latest changes and doubts about Airbnbs sincerity. An anti-Airbnb majority of the Board of Supervisors may be heading toward a flat 60-days-per-year ceiling on short-term stays, a sharp drop in existing limits only lightly observed. That figure is stricter than one contained in a ballot measure last year that the public voted down.

The push to rein in Airbnb with serious rules is clearly strengthening. In response, the firm is adopting a new approach that goes beyond slugging it out via lawsuits and heavy-spending ballot fights.

But the company needs to demonstrate genuine commitment. The promised changes to curb abusive behavior and take city laws seriously are important. Even more so is Airbnbs follow-through.
After paying $185 million in fines and waving farewell to its top executive, Wells Fargo could still face added penalties from the state of California. The mega-banks sleazy practice of signing up thousands of customers for unwanted services may be a form of identity theft, not just an unethical business practice.

The charges being weighed by state Attorney General Kamala Harris add to the firing squad of public officials including federal prosecutors, Congress, and a string of states and cities including San Francisco and California investigating the bank or severing ties.

Harris, on the ballot for a U.S. Senate seat next month, is probing whether bank employees essentially faked the identities of customers and used their personal information to set up credit cards, loans and other accounts to meet sales quotas. The impersonation goes beyond the general story line of Wells employees pressuring unsophisticated customers to accept fee-laden banking features.

Its also a new use of state law that protects consumers whose finances are hacked or wallets stolen. Wells conduct would be ID theft on an industrial scale. It remains unclear who might be targeted if the charges materialize: bank executives who pushed unreasonable sales goals or underlings who carried out the identity thefts, one customer at a time.

Along with upending the banks leadership and savaging its reputation, Wells is losing business. New accounts are down, its investment rating is dimming as investigations widen, and its stock price has ebbed.

These marketplace woes describe only part of the banks predicament. Wells has become a poster child for runaway banking institutions exposed on the eve of a national election. Harris may be relatively late to the party, but her offices criminal investigation raises the stakes significantly for Wells Fargo.

The attorney general has made financial crackdowns a hallmark of her tenure. Her office should pursue her hunch and the inquiry must not fade away if Harris moves to the U.S. Senate. Wells customers suffered harm, and those who directed these schemes must be held accountable for the banks shabby tactics.
The 27th law in Robert Greenes The 48 Laws of Power is to create a cultlike following. Toward that end, Greene suggests that the modern day prince use words of great resonance but cloudy meaning, words full of heat and enthusiasm. You wonder if Donald Trump read the book when you consider such pronouncements from the final presidential debate as this: NAFTA, its a disaster. Trump also promised amazing economic growth  I think you can go to 5 percent or 6 percent.

Most people want to hear that a simple solution will cure their problems, Greene explains. And: Instead of the complicated explanations of real life, return to the primitive solutions of our ancestors, to good old country remedies, to mysterious panaceas. Trumps motto: Make America great again.

Greene also advises power-seekers to create an us-versus-them dynamic. In refusing to stipulate that hell accept the result of the election in November, Trump doubled down on the division. He blamed the corrupt media and a rigged election system secure in the knowledge that his followers will rally for the cause. When he told a rally Thursday he would accept the results if I win, his fans cheered.

Hillary Clinton is riding Law 33, Discover each mans thumbscrew. Look to a persons childhood, Greene advises. Thus the former first lady and secretary of state commented on Trump starting his business with a $14 million loan from his father  Trump says it was a $1 million loan. She jabbed Trump for his big-mouth gaffes  he mocked a disabled reporter, called a Miss Universe an eating machine and dismissed some of his female accusers as not being attractive enough for him to push himself on them. She did everything she could to prod Trump to overreact.

Trump didnt lose it totally when Clinton read out her list of his sins. He saved his anger for later when moderator Chris Wallace asked the candidates to discuss entitlement spending. Thats when Trump interrupted Clinton to call her such a nasty woman. Female voters should have little trouble recognizing Trumps issues with women. As Greene wrote, when you poke a childhood weakness, the person will often act like a child.

As Greene observed, People in the grip of these emotions often cannot control themselves, and you can do the controlling for them.

Clinton didnt even try to convince voters that she is forthcoming. She dodged questions about the Clinton Foundations pay to play proclivities and her remarks in support of open trade and open borders in a paid speech to a Brazilian bank. Clinton gave undecided voters no reason to support her  other than the fact that she is not Donald Trump.

After the debate, Twitter was flush with praise for Wallace as the best moderator in the presidential debates. But despite Wallaces best efforts, the final presidential debate was not a contest of ideas. It was not like a drag race where the fastest driver wins the cup so much as a demolition derby where voters tuned in to see how much damage one driver could inflict upon the other. But at this race track the drivers have revved their engines and plowed into the stands.

Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DebraJSaunders
Sponsors say Proposition 57, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016, will save taxpayers money by making nonviolent felons eligible for parole earlier and improve fairness by having judges, not prosecutors, decide whether juveniles are tried as adults. Critics call it a Get Out of Jail Early card. I would add its the sort of dishonest measure that becomes commonplace under unaccountable one-party rule. State pols gamed the system to get it on the ballot. The title promises public safety when it could result in the early release of repeat offenders. Yet California voters are likely to approve Prop. 57 because they dont know what the measure really does.

Prop. 57 originally was submitted as a measure to let judges decide whether juveniles are tried as adults. Later, sponsors changed its focus to expand adult parole. In Sacramento, when you gut a bill and replace it with something else, its called gut and amend.

The California District Attorneys Association went to court because sponsors changed the language after a 30-day public comment period. (A 2014 reform was supposed to improve the initiative process by giving critics a chance to comment and proponents an opportunity to correct their product. Instead, Gov. Jerry Brown and company used the new timetable to rewrite the language when it was too late for a fix.)

The California Supreme Court ruled 6-1 in Browns favor. In his lone dissent, Justice Ming Chin lamented the top court setting a precedent of turning a true reform into just another rule that can easily be evaded with a little imagination.

California has been under U.S. Supreme Court order to reduce the prison population  which Brown has overseen. But also, this is personal for Brown. In 1976, during his first stint as governor, Brown signed a determinate sentencing law with fixed penalties for serious crimes. I didnt think about incentives, Brown recently told the Chronicle editorial board. My point was to avoid arbitrariness and have a clear punishment.

The second time around, Brown sees a prison system that is criminogenic  he means, prison creates more crime  because it is run by gangs. Theres dope, violence, intimidation and rape. Most inmates are going to get out anyway. If Prop. 57 passes, more inmates will participate in rehabilitation programs, Brown argues, as he frames Prop. 57 as a scheme where people have to earn their way out.

Michael Rushford of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation maintains that Californias crime rates have been low over the past decade because of laws like the 1994 three strikes measure that increased sentences for criminals who re-offend. Prop. 57 peels back that focus.

The ballot argument assures voters Prop. 57 does not authorize parole for violent offenders. But as former GOP Gov. Pete Wilson points out, thats not entirely accurate. Prop. 57 would allow the state to parole an inmate after serving time for shoplifting, a nonviolent crime  but even if the shoplifter had an earlier conviction for assault with a deadly weapon that lengthened the sentence under three strikes. You are putting a dangerous person back on the street, Wilson warned. Instead of concentrating on keeping recidivists behind bars, he added, we will be letting out people who are in fact dangerous.

By making repeat offenders as eligible for parole as first-timers, Wilson argued, Prop. 57 also would undercut automatic sentence enhancements for ex-cons who carry guns when they re-offend. And because Prop. 57 is a constitutional amendment, its extra hard to fix.

What could go wrong? Well, in 2014 Californians approved Proposition 47, which downgraded property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors; most voters did not realize they had downgraded gun theft and possession of date-rape drugs to misdemeanors. Last year, violent crime jumped 10 percent. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe the surge was the result of reforms  see chart  that cut the states prison population by a quarter.

The states nonpartisan legislative analyst estimates Prop. 57s savings to be in the tens of millions annually, but thats based on estimates that 30,000 inmates would become eligible for parole. Brown tells a different story. He told The Chronicle that Prop. 57 would make some 1,300 inmates eligible for parole; likely half, or 700 inmates, would win early release. But if the legislative analyst is right, half of 30,000 inmates could get out of prison early. In short order, Californias prison population could drop by a third, to 110,000 from 166,000 in 2010.

Would Prop. 57 free 15,000 or 700 inmates? If sponsors hadnt hopscotched public comment, a vote for Prop. 57 wouldnt be a total crapshoot. Wilson fears Prop. 57 will take California back to the 1970s, when crime was so scary that San Franciscos best-known movie cop was Clint Eastwoods Dirty Harry. After a shoot-out, the detective would ask bad guys if they wanted to bet whether a bullet was left in his .44 Magnum: Do you feel lucky? So, 15,000 inmates or 700? Do you feel lucky, voter?

Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DebraJSaunders

Californias declining prison population

Year Event State Prison Population 2010 Jerry Brown elected g overnor 165,817 2011 Browns realignment plan* adopted 162,368 2014 Voters approve Proposition 47** 135,484 2016 Brown urges voters to approve Proposition 57 124,360
If Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez was unhappy when President Obama endorsed Kamala Harris in the race for U.S. Senate, imagine how she feels now that the president has cut a TV ad for the state attorney general.

In a 30-second spot now running in California, Obama says Harris knows you got to be fearless against the special interests and talks of how she fought big banks, transnational gangs and predatory for-profit colleges  and won.

As senator, Harris will be a fearless fighter for the people of California, every day, the president added.

Sanchez, who finished a well-beaten second to Harris in the June primary, slammed Obamas July endorsement of her opponent, saying then that she had hoped the leader of the Democratic Party would be focused on defeating Donald Trump and supporting Democratic Senate candidates against Republicans, rather than backing one Democrat against another.

She also suggested that Obama had endorsed Harris because both are black, only to quickly walk back the comments in the face of angry complaints from Democrats.

 John Wildermuth

Oakland fight: A scrappy race for the Oakland City Councils at-large seat got even more testy this week, when challenger Peggy Moore urged the states Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate incumbent Rebecca Kaplan for alleged ethics violations.

Kaplan and Moore are former allies who became bitter rivals in the course of this campaign. Each has accused the other of breaching state campaign finance law. Kaplan has sent what Moore calls bullying letters to Moores campaign vendors, accusing them of illegally donating thousands of dollars in goods and services to the candidate.

In response, Moore accused Kaplan of similar violations during her 2010 and 2014 mayoral runs, as well as her 2012 bid for City Council, and called on the Fair Political Practices Commission to look into them.

So far, Kaplan has an edge in name recognition and fundraising  she reported a $65,439 cash balance at the end of September, compared with Moores balance of $15,642. Moore also reported $62,364 in debt, compared with Kaplans debt of $12,281.

But with two weeks to go before Election Day, Moore is unshakable.

I think Peggy is in it to win it, said Erica Kwiatkowski, one of Moores campaign advisers. She noted that Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, and the at-large ballot is actually fairly crowded, with eight candidates.

Anything can happen, Kwiatkowski said.

Kaplan said that while shes gratified by the level of support her campaign has garnered, I would not prejudge an outcome.

 Rachel Swan

Trump talk: At Vanity Fairs New Establishment Summit, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took to the stage to discuss, among other topics, his long-running beef with Donald Trump.

The Republican presidential nominee has said the Washington Post, which Bezos owns, is biased against him and helps online retailer Amazon to avoid taxes.

At first, Bezos said, he was inclined to take Trumps insinuations lightly. Post editor Marty Baron has said he has received no instructions from Bezos regarding campaign coverage, and Bezos also said he doesnt weigh in on newsroom decisions.

Dismissing Trump with a tweet in which he joked about sending the GOP candidate into space was wrong, Bezos said. But, he added, Trumps remarks threatening retribution for people who criticize him, threatening to lock up his opponent if he wins ... erode democracy around the edges.

On venture capitalist Peter Thiels support for Trump, Bezos had this to say: Peter is a contrarian, and contrarians are usually wrong.

 Owen Thomas

John Wildermuth, Rachel Swan and Owen Thomas are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com rswan@sfchronicle.com othomas@sfchronicle.com
SACRAMENTO  Dead people voting. Noncitizens casting ballots.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps claim that there are millions of people that are registered to vote that shouldnt be elicited a pointed response Thursday from California elections officials.

False, false, false, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. There are safeguards in place to protect against it.

While Trumps comments during Wednesdays presidential debate are just the latest in a divisive campaign filled with busy fact checkers, election officials say its important to set the record straight on the incidence of voter fraud. Otherwise, Padilla said, people could believe their votes dont count.

Honoring the results (of the election) is no laughing matter, Padilla said.

Padilla said voter fraud does happen, but its minuscule. The state has seen just seven convictions for voter fraud in 20 years, he said.

Each of Californias 58 counties has its own election office that manages voting for local, state and federal races. While most counties rely on paper ballots, some use electronic voting machines at their polling places. But California bars those machines from being connected to the Internet so that they cannot be hacked. Those electronic machines record the votes on paper to allow voters to see that their decisions were correctly recorded. The paper also allows counties to audit the results. Counties are required to manually recount 1 percent of precincts after the election to certify the results.

County registrars say they routinely vet their voter rolls against vital records to remove the names of people who have died. Most counties use a database of deaths in California, leaving open the possibility that a voter moved out of state and remains a registered voter here.

Our system is really solid, said Tim Dupuis, Alameda County registrar.

I have complete confidence in how the elections are conducted in Santa Clara County, said Philip Chantri, spokesman for that countys elections office.

Registrars said they do not have a system in place to check a voters citizenship. However, voters sign under penalty of perjury that they are citizens when registering to vote and are required to show identification the first time they vote in a federal election.

There is no evidence to suggest voter fraud is a widespread issue, said Neal Kelley, Orange County registrar of voters. You are talking about systems around the country that are decentralized, fragmented. You are talking about hundreds of thousands of people needing to be involved.

Kelley said that while checking voter rolls this year, his office found 24 cases of people appearing to vote in the place of a deceased person during 2014 elections. He said those cases were the result of similar names of fathers and sons and not election fraud.

I can tell you when you look at the numbers (for voter fraud cases), you are talking about a handful, said Kelly, whose county has 1.5 million registered voters. It's just not a serious issue. But, do we need to look at it? Yes, we always need to always look at it.

Trumps comments about election fraud quickly became one of the most talked-about parts of the presidential debate this week. When Fox News anchor Chris Wallace asked Trump whether he would accept the results of the election, Trump declined to answer the question.

I will tell you at the time, Trump responded. Ill keep you in suspense.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called Trumps response horrifying. That is not the way our democracy works, she said.

At a Thursday rally, Trump made light of the previous nights comments, saying he would accept the election results if I win.

Political data expert Paul Mitchell said unqualified voters casting ballots is not the issue Americans should be concerned with, as Trump suggested. He said legitimate votes arent always counted because signatures dont match or the ballot arrives late.

By 1,000-to-1 you have more legitimate votes not counted for administrative problems than illegitimate votes being cast. Mitchell said. It just doesnt happen.

As for the possibility of hacking electronic machines to change votes, Kim Alexander of the California Voter Foundation said the Golden States system is secure because paper records are created  with or without electronic machines  and the systems are not online.

Thats not the case in some battleground states, she said. So to be honest, Im worried about Florida, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

She said that California moved away from paperless electronic machines after the 2004 election. Those older machines allowed Californians to electronically cast ballots but did not keep a paper record that could be verified. The state passed a law after that election that requires electronic voting machines to maintain paper records.

Its important to sort out the real risks, Alexander said. The kind of election fraud I worry about is from paperless electronic voting systems.

Alexander said that in California, shes worried about a different way votes could be manipulated.

There is an increasing concern for voter intimidation at polling places, Alexander said.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
At first glance, Hamiltons America may look like an infomercial to hawk tickets to the musical no one can get into. But the Great Performances film is actually a well-crafted effort both to summarize Hamiltons road from inspiration to Broadway history and to give us historical perspective on the man who created the nations banking and economic system. The film kicks off the fourth annual PBS Fall Arts Festival on Friday, Oct. 21.

Hamilton mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda shares the screen with several cast members from the show (Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., Christopher Jackson, Phillipa Soo, Jonathan Groff) as he tells the story of how he picked up Ron Chernows biography of Alexander Hamilton and was struck by inspiration.

He hadnt made much progress in 2009 when he was invited to the White House to perform for the Obamas, but he did have one rap song written that became the song Alexander Hamilton. The video of the performance went viral, which meant Miranda had to pursue his crazy idea.

What was it about the patrician first U.S. Treasury secretary that struck a chord in Miranda? Hamilton was born an illegitimate child on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. With little hope for a bright future, he made his way to the American colonies, where he attended Kings College (later Columbia University), fought with the colonists in the American Revolution and became a trusted adviser to the nations first president, George Washington (played by Jackson).

Joan Marcus/Associated Press

From a dramatic point of view, Miranda saw a parallel between Hamiltons drive to rise above his humble beginnings and the lives of immigrants and people of color in our own time. He also saw the competitive relationship with future Vice President Aaron Burr (played by Odom) as the most important relationship in the musical.

At the start of the show, Burr tells the audience outright that Im the damn fool that shot him. The reason for the early revelation, Miranda says, is to ensure that the drama of their relationship wasnt eclipsed by the audience waiting for the fatal duel at the end.

Miranda wanted the focus to be on the shows operative parallel to contemporary life, Burr representing the establishment, holding fast against allowing outsiders to share their social status.

Miranda wrote some of the music for the show in Burrs actual bedroom, and, with new footage, takes us with several cast members to points of historical interest, including Valley Forge and Mount Vernon.

Jackson still feels conflicted about seeing the slave quarters at Washingtons sprawling home on a hill overlooking the Potomac. He cannot forgive Washington for being a slave owner just because it was legal during his time, but the information adds to the complexity of the character Jackson built to earn a Tony nomination for himself (he lost to Odom).

As we learn about the real Hamilton and his kind, we are treated to sections of several numbers from the musical itself, enabling us to understand why Miranda was inspired by Hamiltons story and how he saw a way to use it to tell stories of the United States in our own times.

Hamiltons America is far from just an inside-showbiz documentary. Commentary from former Treasury Secretaries Timothy Geithner and Hank Paulson, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Presidents Obama and George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and others help us understand Hamiltons importance in the founding of the nation. Questlove, Black Thought, John Weidman, Nas and Stephen Sondheim help us understand the artistic roots of the show. Jimmy Fallon also appears but offers little beyond gushing about the show.

Perhaps the most important contributor is Oskar Eustis, the artistic director of the Public Theater where Hamilton tried out before moving to Broadways Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Eustis unabashedly compares Miranda to Shakespeare, specifically, on the subject of taking the voice of the people and elevating it to poetry, as Shakespeare did in his history plays. Eustis says Miranda is the first person since Shakespeare to take that approach and that the process ennobles everyday people.

Its fascinating to think of Will Shakespeare applauding in the audience of the Richard Rodgers Theatre, but of course that would only happen if he could rise from the grave. That might be easier than getting tickets to Hamilton.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and co-host of The Do List every Friday morning at 6:22 and 8:22 on KQED FM, 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

Hamiltons America: On Great Performances. 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, on KQED.
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The family of a woman who was killed by a San Francisco police sergeant as she drove a suspected stolen car in the Bayview neighborhood  a shooting that led to the resignation of Chief Greg Suhr  filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court.

Jessica Williams, 29, was unarmed when she was killed May 19 after allegedly crashing into a parked truck while attempting to flee from two officers following a brief pursuit near Elmira Street and Shafter Avenue.

The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, accuses Sgt. Justin Erb of using objectively unreasonable and excessive force when he fired at Williams, striking her once.

Williams was black and Erb is Asian American. The suit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of Williams mother, Carol Walker.

The San Francisco city attorneys office said Thursday that it could not comment specifically on the suit because it had not been served with it.

But an office spokesman, John Cote, said the offices preliminary investigation reveals that Ms. Williams was in a stolen car apparently trying to avoid arrest when San Francisco police followed her into a cul-de-sac.

While attempting to get away, Cote said, Williams accelerated the stolen car toward one of the responding officers, placing him in immediate peril and justifying his use of lethal force.

Subsequent investigation, he said, found Williams had a significant amount of methamphetamine in her system at the time of the incident, which might explain her erratic conduct.

The issue of police officers firing at drivers in vehicles had been hotly debated in the months before the incident.

Officers are permitted to use deadly force on suspects who present an imminent threat, but not those seeking to get away. In addition, police tactics experts have long described shooting at cars as unsafe, because a vehicle operated by a person who is shot may continue to move and hurt someone.

A growing number of law enforcement agencies, including the New York Police Department, have restricted the practice.

Following the Dec. 2 shooting of Mario Woods, also in the Bayview neighborhood, the city Police Commission reopened the departments use-of-force policy for the first time since 1995.

Under the previous policy, officers were prohibited from firing at a moving vehicle unless the driver was threatening to use another deadly weapon like a gun; or the driver had already committed violence and appeared bent on doing more; or the driver was about to run down the officer, who had no way to retreat.

After the shooting, the Police Commission tightened the policy, passing a version that allows for firing at the driver of a moving vehicle only if the driver threatens to use another deadly weapon.

The police officers union, which is negotiating proposed revisions with the city, has long said officers need to have the option to fire at moving vehicles in some circumstances.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which did a collaborative review of the Police Department following the Woods shooting, supported the more restrictive version.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
San Francisco police released new details of last weeks gunbattle near Stern Grove that left a mentally ill Pacifica man dead and an officer critically injured Thursday night at a meeting with residents.

Acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin and a panel of officials hosted the meeting at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center at 2850 19th Ave., less than a mile from the site of the shooting near Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center last Friday that injured Officer Kevin Downs.

The mood was calmer than at past meetings following officer-involved shootings. Several residents thanked officers for keeping them safe, although at least one raised concerns about the use of force, and several expressed worry about gun violence in the city, particularly in light of Tuesdays shooting outside June Jordan School for Equity that injured four students, one critically.

Last weeks shooting came a week after Mayor Ed Lee announced a plan to use licensed mental health professionals to help police officers resolve conflicts with suspects with minimal force.

Chaplin said the department remained committed to working with the Department of Public Health on best practices for responding to the mentally ill.

Were looking at strategies to deal with these situations, he told the crowd. Its a huge issue, its a national issue. It really is a tough one to crack.

The gunman, 26-year-old Nicholas McWherter, died Sunday from his injuries. His family released a statement Wednesday saying McWherter had a strong heart and faith but had struggled with mental illness.

Cmdr. Greg McEachern gave an updated account of the incident, saying McWherter began firing the second Downs exited his patrol car, and that it appears no words were exchanged.

He also said police have obtained video of a confrontation between McWherter and a security guard, who pepper-sprayed him twice inside Big 5 Sporting Goods before police responded.

Investigators said they know how McWherter obtained the .22-caliber gun used in the shooting but would not inform the public, citing an active investigation.

Police shot McWherter about an hour after he opened fire on officers on Everglade Drive near Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center around 8:15 p.m. Police said Thursday the shots fractured Downs skull, missing a main artery by less than a centimeter. His right leg was paralyzed and he lost some use of his right arm.

According to police, officers arrived at Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center after receiving a report of a man threatening people and acting erratically. The security guard who had pepper-sprayed McWherter pointed the officers toward him on Everglade Drive. Downs drove a patrol car in front to intercept McWherter, who began firing toward the car as soon as he exited.

The gunman then fled across Sloat Boulevard into Stern Grove.

About 9:15 p.m., officers spotted McWherter running near the end of 28th Avenue. When officers caught up to him inside a wooded area on 28th Avenue near Vicente, McWherter fired shots and officers returned fire. It appears two officers shot 22 rounds, striking McWherter four times, McEachern said.

McWherter fell to the ground, kept a gun near his chest, and refused to surrender despite police commands, police said. Officers moved back, used a distraction device and took him into custody within 20 minutes of the initial shooting.

Thursday marked the first police town hall meeting since the May 19 shooting of unarmed Jessica Williams, which led to Chief Greg Suhrs resignation.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @JennaJourno
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The San Francisco police officer who was shot in the head while responding to reports of a mentally ill man  who himself was fatally shot during the ensuing standoff  has been discharged from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation facility, the police union said Friday.

In the week since he was shot and partially paralyzed, Officer Kevin Downs has regained some movement of his right arm. The bullet that missed his main cerebral artery by less than a centimeter caused a skull fracture and brain trauma and left his right leg paralyzed, officials said.

Kevin is determined through intense physical therapy and state-of-the-art neurological treatments to walk again and ultimately return to full duty as a San Francisco police officer, the Downs family said in a statement.

The gunman, 26-year-old Nicholas McWherter, who grew up in Pacifica and recently battled mental illness, died Sunday, two days after he was shot during the confrontation.

At a town hall meeting Thursday , San Francisco police provided more details of the incident. According to Cmdr. Greg McEachern, McWherter began firing as Downs exited his patrol car, and it appeared no words were initially exchanged.

Police have obtained video of a confrontation between McWherter and a security guard, who pepper-sprayed him twice inside a Big 5 Sporting Goods at Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center before police responded, McEachern said at the meeting with city residents.

Investigators said they know how McWherter obtained the .22-caliber handgun used in the shooting but did not release details.

Officers arrived at the shopping center after receiving a report of a man threatening people and acting erratically, officials said. The security guard who had pepper-sprayed McWherter pointed the officers toward him on Everglade Drive.

Downs drove a patrol car to intercept McWherter, who began firing toward the car as soon as Downs exited, police said. The gunman then fled across Sloat Boulevard into Stern Grove.

About an hour after they were called to the scene, officers spotted McWherter running near the end of 28th Avenue. When officers caught up to him inside a wooded area on 28th Avenue near Vicente Street, McWherter fired and officers returned fire, officials said. It appears two officers fired 22 rounds, striking McWherter four times, McEachern said.

McWherter fell, kept a gun near his chest, and refused to surrender despite police commands, officials said. Officers moved back, used a distraction device and took him into custody within 20 minutes of the shooting.

Downs and his wife, Corey, asked those wishing to give financial assistance instead donate to the organization he co-founded, Ranchin Vets, which helps veterans who served after the 9/11 attacks find opportunities in the agricultural industry and transition to civilian life.

Kimberly Veklerov and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov @jennajourno
For millions of people on Friday, it felt like someone had pulled the plug on the Internet.

A series of malicious cyberattacks  known as distributed denial of service, or a DDoS attack  took down Dyn, an Internet infrastructure company that, among other things, provides domain name services, online traffic management and email connectivity to hundreds of companies. (See sidebar for more.)

That meant that beginning around 4 a.m. Pacific time, Web traffic to companies that use Dyn to operate their sites came screeching to a stop.

The attack may turn out to be among the biggest in history, as mounting evidence pointed to similarities between Fridays attack and a record-setting assault last month that shut down the website of a security journalist using compromised devices from the so-called Internet of Things.

Any number of devices  including televisions, smart watches, alarm clocks, vacuum cleaners, childrens toys and anything else with an Internet connection  are vulnerable to being infected and, without their owners knowledge, used in that kind of attack.

It was, security experts said, a reminder to many of how vulnerable the Internet can be, and supported fears that DDoS attacks may be growing stronger in their ability to shut down wide swaths of the Internet with a single, targeted strike.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security were monitoring the situation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday. He said he had no information about who may be behind the disruption, and no one immediately came forward to claim responsibility or demand cash in exchange for a cease-fire. (Extortion is a common motivation for such attacks.)

One thing security experts could say with certainty was that the assault on Dyn was no ordinary DDoS attack. It was much, much bigger.

Typically, DDoS attacks are targeted at single websites, not a big DNS hosting provider. So, one website is unavailable for a while. This Dyn attack took an untold number of very popular sites out, including GitHub, which many software companies use for hosting code. The scope is much bigger than the usual attack, said Brian White, chief operating officer of security firm Red Owl Analytics. Taking out one DNS provider can affect thousands and thousands of websites, turning big sections of the Internet black for a while. Without DNS the Internet goes dark.

Dyn and other DNS providers link the letters of a websites URL (such as www.sfchronicle.com) to its numerical IP address.

DDoS attacks launch large quantities of phony traffic  usually co-opted from hacked devices  at a companys servers in order to overload the system and shut down its ability to respond to real users.

Fridays attack, which was characterized as malicious by the White House, targeted New Hampshire-based Dyn and impacted Internet users across the country.

The reach and economic impact of the shutdown was not immediately clear. Many companies have contingency plans in place to offset the damage done by such an outage.

But customers and small businesses that rely on websites like Twitter or Etsy to do business are the most affected. Unless the website or app they use can reroute its operations and get back online, theres nothing a customer can do but sit and wait.

I am pulling my hair out trying to figure out what I am going to do because I lost an entire day of work, said Taylor Nikolai, CEO of Viral Spark, which does social media consulting. I had a lot of things scheduled out today and I dont know whats happening.

For some, Twitter was down nearly half the day.

The list of affected companies included some of the most frequented websites online: Amazon, Netflix, Twitter, Kayak, Spotify, Airbnb, Reddit, SoundCloud, Shopify, GitHub and Etsy.

It shut down Web operations at local companies, like San Francisco office catering firm Zesty and customer service provider Zendesk.

And it stopped traffic to news outlets like the Boston Globe, CNN, Wired and the New York Times.

Dyn said the onslaught of junk traffic crippling its servers seemed to be coming from tens of millions of IP addresses from around the world.

Several security firms pointed out that the attack was reminiscent of a record-sized attack launched against cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs website last month.

Typically in a DDoS attack, hackers will deploy a botnet, or a network of computers infected with malicious software (or malware), to route phony traffic to a certain site or server with the intent of shutting it down.

The attack on Krebs website was slightly different in that the specific botnet used, known as Mirai, was built using infected devices like Internet-enabled cameras. Devices that are a part of the so-called Internet of Things are notoriously susceptible to malware.

Security firm Flashpoint reported on Friday that there was evidence that a Mirai botnet had been used in the attack on Dyn.

There are a number of reasons why someone might want to do this, said Jeremiah Grossman, SentinelOnes chief of security strategy. The easiest one is theyre just jerks  and thats not uncommon. Reason No. 2 is extortion, though that doesnt seem to be the case here. Reason No. 3 is maybe youre just stretching your legs, trying to figure out what youre capable of.

Fridays first major assault lasted about two hours. A second attack began just before 9 a.m. and lasted about an hour. A third began sometime in the early afternoon.

In the midst of the attack, WikiLeaks official Twitter account sent out a message to its supporters calling for restraint. It was not immediately clear if, or how, WikiLeaks or its supporters may have been involved in the attack.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is still alive and WikiLeaks is still publishing, the tweet said. We ask supporters to stop taking down the U.S. Internet. You proved your point.

(The Ecuadoran government cut off Assanges Internet access this week at its London Embassy, where he has asylum.)

DDoS remains a popular protest attack, White said. Most attacks today are designed to avoid detection and steal information, but DDoS is a very public demonstration. Though we dont yet know the intention or a perpetrator, this attack was clearly designed to grab attention.

Amazon, Zendesk and other companies rerouted their domain operations through different service providers to mitigate the damage from the attacks on Dyn.

Today we had a disruption across Zendesk that was caused by a widespread distributed denial of service attack against our DNS provider Dyn. Like for many companies, this interfered with our customers being able to access our products and services, Zendesk said in a statement. We were able to recover quickly because we have a secondary provider in place, and all of our services are now available.

Local in-office catering startup Zesty said the midday outage prevented some customers from viewing its online menus, but it was able to maintain service by switching to phone communication, rather than relying on its website.

While the first attack largely impacted Internet users on the East Coast, subsequent assaults appeared wider-reaching, with people in California and other parts of the U.S. reporting connectivity issues, as well as some in parts of Europe and Asia, according to several outage monitoring sites.

Some companies continued to experience ongoing connectivity problems throughout the day as Dyn engineers worked to investigate and counter the numerous attacks aimed at the companys infrastructure.

DNS is one of the key, core infrastructures of the Internet, said Robert Graham, CEO of Errata Security. And we still dont take it seriously.  Thats kind of stupid.

The Associated Press and S.F. Chronicle staff writers Wendy Lee and Sarah Ravani contributed to this report.
An Oakland police officer was charged Thursday with engaging in prostitution and obstruction of justice, the latest jolt to a department roiled by scandals and the loss of its former chief.

Officer Ryan Walterhouse, 26, had sex with a prostitute on Oct. 1 in a Castro Valley motel and paid her in cash, prosecutors said in court records. He warned her twice last week about undercover prostitution operations, the prosecutors said.

Walterhouse was arrested when he showed up for work Wednesday following a weeks-long investigation that involved surveillance of his home, officials said.

The original tip of possible misconduct came from one of Walterhouses rank-and-file colleagues, said Deputy Chief John Lois of the Oakland Police Department. Investigators discovered that some of the alleged criminal activity happened while Walterhouse was on duty, Lois said.

Prosecutors said Walterhouse called and texted a sex worker to warn her about the undercover stings.

You might want to call it an early night tonight, he told the unidentified woman during a phone call Oct. 13, according to court records. You might want to stick to the online thing right now.

The following day, prosecutors said, he texted the woman when she should stay off the streets. Ill let you know when to, he wrote in the message, according to court records. Not yet, they still out, probably after 12, he said in another message.

Walterhouse had befriended the woman over the last half year during his duties as a police officer, Officer Omega Crum wrote in an affidavit. Tipping her off to the stings put other officers in harms way, Crum said.

He was booked at 1 a.m. Thursday at the Glenn Dyer Jail in downtown Oakland and bailed out three hours later, said Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriffs Department.

The Alameda County district attorneys office charged him with two felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice and one misdemeanor count of engaging in prostitution.

Walterhouses arrest comes weeks after District Attorney Nancy OMalley filed charges against three current or former Oakland police officers in connection with their dealings with a sexually exploited teenager. Two others will be charged, prosecutors said. They said they are waiting for key reports from the Police Department before charging the pair.

The scandal spread to several Bay Area law enforcement agencies and led to the abrupt departure of Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent in June. Oakland has been without a chief for four months.

At a news conference Thursday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf denounced Walterhouses behavior while praising the officer who turned him in.

It is incredibly disturbing that, in light of whats happened, any officer could think its acceptable to engage in this type of behavior and further sully a department that has worked so hard to rebuild the public trust, Schaaf said.

She and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth applauded Walterhouses colleague for initiating the criminal investigation, deeming it a sign of hope for the embattled department.

Although the conduct today is disturbing, this demonstrates that the administrative processes weve put in place are working, said Landreth, who has overseen the Police Department since June.

Although Walterhouses arrest is not linked to the previous sexual misconduct scandal, some city officials saw it as another illustration of systemic problems in the police force.

Even if theyre claiming its unrelated in the sense that its not the same young woman, its still related, said City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan. She said the city has helped perpetuate a macho culture in the department by making little effort to recruit more women or to screen out people with misogynistic attitudes.

I think its a mistake to believe that you can hire people with attitudes of disrespect and train them to stop, she said. You have to screen for that.

Walterhouse was a recent hire who graduated from the 170th police academy in October 2014. His class of 35 cadets boosted Oaklands ranks to 715 officers, the highest number since a crippling round of layoffs in 2010.

When Mayor Jean Quan took office in January 2011 there were only 656 officers working in the Police Department, and the number fell as some retired or transferred to other departments with more resources and higher morale.

By 2013, the city had only 613 rank-and-file police officers, and officials were desperate to beef up the force and bring down the citys crime rate.

Although Schaaf has continued the effort to hire more officers, she has also expressed concern about recruitment and hiring practices following a recent string of disciplinary cases. Walterhouse and several other officers who were implicated in misconduct scandals this year were hired between 2012 and 2014, right before Schaaf took office.

The city is currently conducting an audit of police recruitment and hiring to look for patterns in the recent misconduct cases.

In a statement released Thursday, the Oakland Police Officers Association distanced itself from Walterhouse.

This officers actions have no place, nor are they condoned in any way by the police officers who work diligently to keep our Oakland community safe, said Sgt. Barry Donelan, who heads the association.

He went on to describe Walterhouses behavior as a blemish on the department and an embarrassment to the community.

In addition to the city audit, several City Council members are pushing reforms of their own. Councilmen Dan Kalb and Noel Gallo co-authored a November ballot measure for a citizen-led police commission that would have the power to discipline and fire officers. Kaplan is advocating for new recruitment methods to bring more women, LGBT candidates and people of color into the force.

At the news conference Thursday, Landreth and other officials said the department is already making reforms. In recent months, it has hired more background investigators and strengthened its oversight of police cadets as they move through the training process, said Deputy Chief Danielle Outlaw of the Police Departments Bureau of Services.

The next police academy, which starts Oct. 31, will have a very small class, Outlaw said.

Rachel Swan, Kimberly Veklerov and Michael Bodley are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com kveklerov@sfchronicle.com, mbodley@sfchronicle.com, Twitter: @rachelswan @kveklerov @michael_bodley
Two suspects were arrested in connection with a shooting outside a high school in San Franciscos Excelsior neighborhood that left four students wounded earlier this week, police said Thursday.

Officer Giselle Talkoff, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Police Department, confirmed the two arrests in an email.

She did not identify the suspects or provide any additional information about them  including their age or gender.

The shooting at the June Jordan School for Equity, a public school with a curriculum emphasizing social justice and opposition to violence, occurred around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday as school let out for the day.

At least one gunman opened fire in the parking lot of the school located at Brazil and La Grande avenues, striking four 15-year-old June Jordan students, including a girl who suffered serious injuries.

The shooter, whom police described as a 15-year-old earlier this week, ran from the scene with three other young male individuals.

The female victim remained in a hospital Thursday and is expected to recover. The three male juveniles wounded in the shooting were treated and released from a hospital, according to officials.

Police believe that only one of the victims was targeted by the suspects.

School administrators said the attack was carried out by outsiders unaffiliated with the school.

Classes resumed as scheduled Wednesday morning, with grieving students, staff and faculty members holding a candlelit vigil and denouncing the violence at their campus. Of June Jordans approximately 250 students, roughly half stayed home Wednesday, the day after the shooting.

Grief counselors were on hand to talk with students troubled by the shooting, and administrators held a forum where friends and acquaintances of the victims could discuss the brutal attack.

Students at June Jordan described widespread panic during the shooting Tuesday, with several of the teenagers reporting hearing half a dozen shots. Police did not confirm the number of shots fired.

Amidst the confusion came fear, as the young adults of June Jordan were corralled into classrooms by teachers and staff as they sprinted for cover as the barrage of gunfire broke out in the schools parking lot.

Administrators at the school said they had to figure out how to make the space feel safe again for their young charges.

Its going to take lots of time to get over this  to heal from this, and it will hurt every day, said 17-year-old senior Maria Zaragoza.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
MIAMI  President Obama on Thursday defended his health care program, long a target of Republicans and recently criticized by some Democrats, saying millions of Americans now know the financial security of health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act.

Its worked, he said, even while allowing that the program isnt perfect. No law is.

Less than two weeks before the Nov. 1 start of the enrollment period for Affordable Care Act health plans, Obama flew to a south Florida college to kick off a push by the administration to encourage more people to sign up, with a particular emphasis on young adults.

Obama is trying to burnish his legacy as the president who, after decades of failed attempts by Washington, finally brought health care to millions. But what he attempted Thursday was a difficult sales job, as the 2010 law faces new and troubling challenges.

Premiums are rising by double digits in many parts of the country, and some major insurers have quit the program, leaving consumers with fewer choices next year and contributing to higher prices that are plaguing the program.

The troubles have bolstered the arguments of Republicans and added some top Democratic allies to the crowd of critics.

Former President Bill Clinton, while campaigning in support of his wife, Hillarys, presidential bid, called the Affordable Care Act the craziest thing in the world. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said it is no longer affordable.

In his remarks, Obama chalked up GOP criticism of the law to nothing more than politics and envy that a Democratic president named Barack Obama passed the law. Thats just the truth.

He called on both parties to set aside the political rhetoric and be honest about whats working, what needs fixing and how we fix it. He urged the new president and the next Congress to take what weve learned over the past six years ... and make the ACA better.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., wasnt buying the presidents pitch.

At this point, one thing is clear. This law cant be fixed, Ryan said, calling for the law to be replaced with patient-centered reforms that would give people more choice and control over their health care needs.

Congressional Republicans have failed to repeal the law, despite numerous attempts. Obama said doing so would just make things worse.

Right off the bat repeal would take away health care from 20 million people, plus cancel other protections that benefit millions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said this week that she expects 13.8 million people will sign up for 2017 coverage.
PHOENIX  In his pursuit of a sixth term, Republican Sen. John McCain reluctantly stood by Donald Trump for months despite personal insults and the bombastic businessmans string of controversial claims.

That tepid support ended earlier this month after the release of a 2005 recording in which Trump used crude, predatory language to boast about groping women. The Arizona lawmaker said the GOP presidential nominees behavior and demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults made it impossible to offer even conditional support.

Some Republicans are clearly angry. Conservatives routinely boo McCain when Trump mentions his name at rallies in Arizona, and some are unwilling to back his candidacy over his disavowal of the nominee.

It puts us into a very difficult position because I support the Republican candidates, but I will not support anybody who will not support our nominee, Donald Trump, Phoenix resident Vera Anderson said this week. So I will not support McCain.

The 80-year-old senator and two-time presidential candidate still has a solid advantage in polls over Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, even as conservative Arizona grows more competitive in the presidential race.

But McCain, a pragmatic senator who has worked with Democrats on immigration. took a surprising stand on Supreme Court nominees, pledging this week that Republicans would unite against any pick from Clinton if she becomes president.

An aide later clarified that he will examine the record of anyone nominated for the high court and vote for or against that person based on their qualifications.

McCain has spent most of the year doing a delicate dance in offering lukewarm support of Trump even after the presidential nominee bashed McCain as a loser and not a war hero because he was shot down and captured during the Vietnam War.

The senator criticized Trump for making disparaging remarks about NATO, immigrants, Muslims and a Gold Star family who lost a son in Iraq but stuck by him until this month.

McCain has grown visibly frustrated after reporters ask him about Trump, and his latest strategy essentially is to avoid the media.

Kirkpatrick is running ads that remind voters how McCain voiced his support for Trump on 60 different occasions.
In anticipation of the busiest travel week of the year, Americas Railroad is prepared to accommodate the surge of holiday travelers with additional capacity on several routes in the Midwest. Extra trains will operate to and from downstate Illinois and Michigan and Amtrak will also operate every available passenger railcar in its fleet.

Tickets sell out quickly so customers are encouraged to plan ahead and book tickets early for availability and pricing. Amtrak Lincoln Service and Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg trains are operated under a contract with the Illinois Department of Transportation and all Amtrak services in Michigan are under a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation. Schedules for the extra trains are attached.

Amtrak is working to provide a hassle-free travel experience while connecting customers with friends and family. Improvements to the boarding process have been made at Chicago Union Station in time for Thanksgiving travel, including:

Business class travelers on these trains have a new Metropolitan Lounge, located near the stations historic Great Hall and next to a new ticket area for those who are making cash transactions. These customers, along with Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus or Select Executive Members, board ahead of coach customers.

Customers traveling in Coach class on reserved trains can receive priority boarding by buying Legacy Club access. Other coach customers, who will be boarded in the order they check in, can receive a same-day boarding pass at the new service center in the Great Hall, and at other locations in the station.

The South Boarding Lounge in the stations Concourse level is set aside for the assisted boarding of customers age 62 and over, those with disabilities, families traveling with children 12 and under, and active duty military personnel.

These additional tips will help to ensure a smooth trip:

Purchasing Tickets: eTicketing is available on every train route throughout the nation. Travelers may purchase tickets early using Amtrak.com, Quik-TrakSM or ticket windows at staffed stations (where available), Amtrak mobile apps, or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.

2+2 = Free: Amtrak has the friendliest baggage policy in the travel industry. Passengers can bring two bags and two carry-ons, up to 150 pounds collectively, for free! We encourage customers who are carrying multiple bags to use the elevator whenever possible for safety and convenience during the holiday rush.

Avoid the Rush: The busiest travel days are the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday. Other than on Thanksgiving Day, morning trains typically have more available seats than those in the afternoon or evening.

Arrive Early: Allow plenty of time at stations prior to departure  at least 45 minutes beforehand if picking up tickets. Arrange for pre-boarding if you need extra time or assistance, and use Amtrak Red Cap agents to help you with your baggage.

Check Train Schedules: Make sure to check holiday train schedules prior to arriving at the station with a helpful, online-only timetable provided by Amtrak.

Carry Photo ID: Passengers are required to show valid photo identification when purchasing tickets. Make sure to carry valid photo ID at all times, as it may be requested aboard trains.

Be Safe: Be aware of your surroundings, stand back from the edge of the platform, do not leave your bags unattended, and watch your step when boarding or leaving the train or when walking between cars when the train is in motion.
During the holiday season, VIA Rail Canada travellers will have more opportunities to leave their cars behind and enjoy the comfort of the train cars, freshly prepared meals*, unparalleled customer service and the outstanding scenery of Eastern Canada.

From December 18 until January 6, VIA Rail will offer 24 departures between Montreal and Halifax on its Ocean service, six more than its regular schedule. In total an additional 1,500 seats and 800 beds will be available on this route, giving more people the opportunity to take the train to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

The addition of these six trips of the Ocean during holiday season shows our commitment to increase service for our clients in the Maritimes and to contribute to the development of public transport of the region, said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail. Passenger rail is a smarter choice for all of us, and its more environmentally friendly. Why not enjoy the comfort, the relaxation, and the beauty that train travel offers during this hectic season?

Holiday departures for the Ocean are scheduled for the following dates:

From Montreal to Halifax  train No. 14

Sunday, December 18

Monday, December 19**

Wednesday, December 21

Thursday, December 22**

Friday, December 23

Monday, December 26

Tuesday, December 27**

Wednesday, December 28

Friday, December 30

Sunday, January 1

Wednesday, January 4

Friday, January 6



From Halifax to Montreal  train No. 15

Sunday, December 18

Wednesday, December 21

Thursday, December 22**

Friday, December 23

Monday, December 26**

Tuesday, December 27

Wednesday, December 28

Friday, December 30

Sunday, January 1

Monday, January 2**

Wednesday, January 4

Friday, January 6

*In Sleeper Plus class

**Added departures

Please note that the departures on Sunday, December 25 have been rescheduled for another date.

For more information regarding the holiday schedule and VIA Rail's Sleeper Plus class, or to book your trip now, visit viarail.ca or call 1 888 VIA RAIL (1 888 842 7245) or 1 800 268 9503 (ATS for the hearing impaired).
Coulrophobians will get a temporary sigh of relief this month in Kemper County, Miss., where a new ordinance makes it illegal for people of all ages to wear clown costumes, makeup and masks.

Since Monday, people have had to put their clown act on hold and will not be able to dress as one until after Halloween, on Nov. 1.

The law has a short shelf life but the Kemper County Sheriff's Office wont tolerate any funny business. Violators can be charged up to $150.

"In order for it to be effective you have to put teeth into it," board attorney Bo Bailey told the board, the Kemper County Messenger reports.

Clowns have gained national attention since August when residents of Greenville, S.C., reported clowns were hiding in the woods and trying to lure children. The reports have not been confirmed.

The Bay Area has also had its fair share of creepy clown incidents.

NBC reports that this month alone there have been nonviolent threats in San Jose, San Mateo, Oakland, Antioch and Fairfield.

On Oct. 4, Fairfield police were on high alert after a Twitter account called "Clown Ganng" threatened it was coming to elementary and high schools in the city.

Then on Oct. 5, a man wearing rainbow polka dots and blue curly hair tried to grab a toddler from her parent at a bus stop. The mother managed to kick the assailant in the shin before the person ran off.

There are no Bay Area ordinances similar to Kemper County's, but the FBI has been investigating clown incidents at Bay Area schools, ABC7 News reports.
Introduction

Everyday, millions of people of people put on headsets for work and for play. And when it comes to gaming headsets, the reputation hasn't always been great. But with HyperX, there is respect.

Over the past few years, Kingston's HyperX brand has done an excellent job of delivering the kind of wired gaming headset that everyone should want. I'm referring of course, to the Cloud and Cloud II. More recently, HyperX has begun branching out in interesting ways. The latest incarnation is the HyperX Cloud Stinger.

The Cloud Stinger is a lightweight headset with a boom mic, but its flat black, fold-flat body promises more than meets the eye.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger

Few things are more indispensable in gaming than a headset, but there is a catch. Said headset must be useful in a variety of situations, it must be dependable, and it must be wearable while still being durable.

At $49.99, HyperX is entering the Cloud Stinger into an extremely competitive price bracket. That's with good reason, after all, the first stop once players decide to move up from $15 earbuds is the sub $50 range.

But like with video games themselves, the price point only takes you so far.

And speaking of video games, let me diatribe here in my review, and offer a little insight. Whenever something really successful and grand, like say 'Deus Ex' or 'Grand Theft Auto' is ported over to a weaker platform, the developer doing the port has to make certain choices. A good port of a game contains the boiled down essence of original experience.

So where the HyperX Cloud II (easily one of my favorite headsets) does it job so well, the less expensive Cloud Stinger does its job well, but in a slimmed down package.

But the sound isn't so slim. The Cloud Stinger uses 50mm drivers, which when combined with the plush but taught memory foam in the earpads does an excellent job of making the most the of the 3.5mm port on the PS4's DualShock 4 controller. Firing up both 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered' and 'Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare' on the PS4, and it's immediately obvious that the Cloud Stinger sounds excellent. The stereo presentation is clean, and the lightness of build, and the way that the ears rotate just enough to orient the drivers toward the ear while allowing the fit to be comfy, all make for a stellar headset offering.

It's not just lightness and fit that helps the comfort level, the Cloud Stinger has a volume slider which is essential, especially on the PS4 or on the new Xbox One controllers, including my beloved Elite Xbox controller. That volume slider is on the bottom of the right ear (opposite the mic on the left ear), and that leaves the cable free of any inline controls (which can normally wind up tugging in some way).

The cord has a nice rubber texture and mercifully is not covered in nylon. Nylon cables are really in vogue right now, and unfortunately most of them transfer noise. (But you know, only when anything like the wearer's shirt rubs on the cable.)

Adding the Cloud Stinger to the Xbox One S (via controller) and playing 'Forza Horizon 3,' and It would be easy to wonder why you need a better sounding headset. Once again, the Cloud Stinger makes the most of the stereo sound coming out of the controller.

The boom mic on the left ear pad flips down, and its rubberized casing holds whatever angle I choose for it. This flipping up and down motion has an audible click which signifies when the mic gets muted and unmuted. This feature and mic shape is quite reminiscent of the ASTRO mics, but the feel is tighter here. Again, I like that having the mic mute not on an inline control leaves the cable free to just be a cable and not an anchor.

The cable ends in a four pole 3.5mm that mates with everything with a headphone jack. (So not an iPhone 7 unless using an adapter, but everything else.) There is a combination audio and mic splitter and extension for use with a PC (or a least a PC with mic and audio separated in the classic fashion). This is a nice inclusion and a great bonus, and I like this particular cable better than many other, shorter adapters. With 'Civilization VI' right around the corner, having a new comfy headset that I can use while getting sucked into my first run is nice a pairing. On my main PC, I have an external DAC, soundcard, and headphone amp, and so that extra cable included with the Cloud Stinger is necessary.

This headset checks in under 10 ounces, and those ten ounces are distributed carefully. Underneath the matte plastic casing, (there's a dark red logo on each ear, which keeps the look sedate) there is a steel band, which gives the light headset a stout feel. The ears of the Cloud Stinger fold flat which is a feature that really makes wearing the headset on the neck and packing it away much easier than a fixed design.

The cable is fixed and feels smartly made, but this is one area of concern. A detachable cable, though still a potential failure spot, would have been nice to have.
SF Animal Care

If this doesn't encourage pet owners to microchip their pet, we don't know what will.

A family presumably got the shock of their lives when they were contacted about their missing dog, Mooshu. Turns out their family pet was missing  for 10 years.
Tajikistan began joint antiterror drills with China on October 20 near the border with Afghanistan as part of Beijing's drive to boost security in the region.

Tajikistan's Defense Ministry said the exercises would last until October 24 and involve at least 10,000 troops as well as military vehicles and helicopters.

Tajik authorities said last month that China would be building infrastructure to increase security on the 1,300-kilometer border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, which is a haven for drug traffickers.

China and Tajikistan entered into an antiterror alliance with Pakistan and Afghanistan earlier this year.

Security issues in former Soviet Central Asia, a region that borders China's restive Xinjiang province, were once the exclusive preserve of Russia.

But China has dramatically increased its presence in the region and a suicide attack against the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan in August highlighted Beijing's security concerns.

Kyrgyz authorities blamed the attack, which injured three people and resulted in the attacker's death, on radicals from the Uyghur community, a mostly Muslim minority from Xinjiang.

The U.S. security footprint in the region has shrunk since Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan ended agreements for bases used in U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AFP and RFE/RL's Tajik Service
DAVENPORT  Anastasia Somoza, a disabilities rights advocate whos endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, was in Davenport on Friday, praising the former secretary of state and saying more needs to be done to fully integrate all people into society.

Somoza, who mesmerized delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with a speech there in July, said even though laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act have helped to make it easier for people with disabilities to gain physical access to buildings, more work needs to be done to fully include them.

The ADA has been really successful in terms of increasing physical access, meaning the physical world. Buildings like this are physically accessible so people with disabilities are more visible, Somoza told about a dozen people at Clintons Davenport campaign office. But she added, Its more than just this inclusion revolution were in the middle of. We need to continue to include, but we also need to find ways to engage people with disabilities. And thats the piece that still needs to be worked on.

Advocates for people with disabilities have pushed for greater advancements in employment, housing and education. Even with her education, Somoza, a graduate of Georgetown University and the London School of Economics, said shes still had difficulty getting hired.

Somoza and her sister, Alba, were born prematurely and diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. Anastasia currently works for an organization in New York that helps people with disabilities and their families. She also is working with the Clinton Global Initiative to stop babies and children with disabilities from being abandoned in China.

Somoza first came to public attention in 1993 at the age of 9 when she took part in a White House event in which she tried to get help from President Bill Clinton to help her non-verbal sister get into a mainstream class in their New York school district.

Since then, Somoza said, she and the Clintons have stayed in touch. In September, she introduced Clinton at an event in Orlando, Florida, where Clinton gave an economic speech focusing on people with disabilities.

Public opinion polls have said that both Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump are looked upon unfavorably by most Americans. But in remarks at the Davenport campaign office, Somoza called Clinton someone who is genuine and who truly wants to make the world a better place.

In addition to being in Davenport, Somoza was going to Iowa City, Ames and Des Moines on Friday.
MASON CITY  The hand bell choir at Bethlehem Lutheran Church got a big lift recently, thanks to the family of the churchs late choir director Dan Djuren.

Djurens wife, Diane, and their children donated the money for chimes that can be played along with the bells, as well as new music stands and extensions to lift the tables for the bell choir, which was brought back earlier this year after a 10-year absence.

Pews were moved to create a loft area for the bell choir.

It has been a big process to make this happen, said Ernie Reineke, the current choir director who has also become a member of the church.

Djuren, who died in September 2015, was the choir director at Bethlehem Lutheran for nearly 20 years. He also was an elder in the church.

Between the church, directing the Clear Lake High School Band for many years and then directing the Clear Lake Municipal Band after his retirement from teaching in 2003, Djuren touched many lives, according to Reineke, who plays in the Clear Lake Municipal Band.

The bell choir at Bethlehem Lutheran fell by the wayside around 2005 or 2006 because there werent enough people to play the bells on Sundays, said the Rev. Mark Lavrenz, pastor at the church.

Reineke wanted to bring the bell choir back, so the donation from the Djuren family came at an opportune time, Reineke said.

The renewed bell choir, which plays twice a month except during the summer, made its debut in February. Reineke said the congregation is without a doubt happy to have it back.

The new chimes will be dedicated during both the 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services on Oct. 30, which is Reformation Sunday.

Reineke said the chimes are a great addition because they have a mellower sound than the bells.

He said the acoustics in the church and the sanctuary lend themselves well to both the bell choir and the vocal choir.

Many of the 11 bell choir members are also in the vocal choir, Reineke said.

Bell choir member Kay Mortimer, who also was a consecrated deaconess, died in May.

Reineke said he decided to include the song How Can I Keep from Singing? in the Oct. 30 dedication service for the chimes because it reminded him of her.

He said Mortimers husband, George, keeps her gloves  which bell choir members wear to keep from tarnishing the bells  and a rose on his music stand to remember her while he is playing.

She loved music and she loved the bell choir, Reineke said.
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad signed a letter Friday asking President Obama to issue a presidential disaster declaration for public assistance as a result of damage sustained in 19 Iowa counties from last months severe storms and flooding.

The governors request did not include activation of the federal individual assistance program as the damage incurred to private homes during flooding did not meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) criteria.

Iowa counties included in Branstads request included Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Des Moines, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Howard, Linn, Mitchell, Winneshiek and Wright.

The governor requested funding under FEMAS public assistance program, which is used to rebuild damaged infrastructure. That may include roads, bridges, culverts and other public facilities, covering costs of emergency work and debris removal after the storms.

A joint federal, state, and local preliminary damage assessment of the 19 counties found the severe weather caused an estimated $22 million worth of damage that could be eligible under the public assistance program. The governor also requested funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state.

John Benson, communications bureau chief in the Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, said the damage estimates compiled by FEMA, state and local officials of $22 million ranked this years Cedar River flooding as the seventh worst weather disaster dating back to 1990, Benson noted. Two other counties  Black Hawk and Butler  had public infrastructure damages exceeding $1 million.

In Linn County, the damage estimated at $12.7 million includes about $11.3 million for the city of Cedar Rapids, about $630,000 for the county, $314,000 for the city of Palo and $373,000 for the Mercy Medical complex, Benson said. Damage to infrastructure in upstream Black Hawk County totaled at least $3.4 million and Butler Countys damage assessment totaled $1.6 million, he added.

Benson said about 500 homes and businesses in Iowa also were damaged by the flooding event  including 103 that were assessed as destroyed or having sustained major damage. The number with damage not covered by insurance was 79, which Benson said is below threshold needed to trigger individual FEMA eligibility.

Branstads request for a presidential disaster declaration does not include a request for the federal individual assistance program, which provides assistance to homeowners, renters and businesses to pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses.

Officials from the state and FEMA completed a joint preliminary damage assessment for federal individual assistance earlier this month which determined the 79 uninsured homes that sustained major damage or were destroyed during this event fell far below the FEMA threshold to request federal funding.

The U.S. Small Business Administration did grant an SBA disaster declaration to make low-interest loans available to impacted residents and businesses in Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, and Hardin counties. Also, SBA officials have opened a Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Butler County to assist residents in applying for loans.

Iowas entire congressional delegation also wrote the president urging him to declare 19 Iowa counties a federal disaster area, making them eligible to receive federal aid for the damage inflicted by high winds, severe thunderstorms, heavy rains, hail and flash flooding and resulted in riverine flooding Sept. 21 to Oct. 3.

The governor determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments to handle effectively and federal assistance is needed, the delegation wrote. In many locations, the flooding was at a near record level, second only to the flood of 2008.

Signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and U.S. Reps. Rod Blum, Steve King, Dave Loebsack and David Young.

Also Friday, Branstad announced the creation of a flood recovery task force  comprised of state and local agencies  to address the unmet needs of impacted residents as part of an effort to assist Iowans in their recovery from flooding and severe weather. The task force will focus on working with communities to develop long-term housing recovery options, he added.

This task force has been established to help meet the unmet needs of those who have sustained damage from the recent flooding, Branstad said in a statement. Members of the task force will bring with them a number of resources and creative solutions to help communities and people rebuild their homes, businesses, and most importantly, their lives.
BRITT  Hes only in fourth grade, but hes already interviewed the mayor.

Though Brandon Peterson admitted to being a little nervous before asking him questions for his Scholastic Kid Reporter article.

Talented and gifted coordinator Elizabeth Gretillat said Scholastic was looking for applications for Kid Reporters that cover news for kids, by kids.

Students have to write about a community in the area that is making a difference. The article also has to include two quotes from at least two interviews, Gretillat said.

Peterson decided to write about the communitys annual Hobo Days event.

Hobo Days and the Hobo Committee The National Hobo Convention has been held in Britt, IA every year since 1900. Hobos were wo

Its a special holiday that the town celebrates, he said.

He liked getting to learn more about Hobo Days through the article.

You get to talk to people you havent seen before. And learn facts you didnt know before, Peterson.

Facts like Hobo Days started back in the 1900s. Or, Peterson said, that hobos were workers who traveled on trains to help people.

He doesnt plan to be a reporter. But his new-found interview skills might come in handy.

When I grow up I want to be a meteorologist. You have to be a reporter and go in the field to interview people, Peterson said.
BEIRUT  A cease-fire to allow wounded civilians and rebels to leave besieged parts of Aleppo has been extended into the weekend by Russia, but hoped-for medical evacuations didnt materialize by Friday evening because of a lack of security guarantees, officials and residents said.

The dawn-to-dusk humanitarian pause that began Thursday will last into Saturday on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, said Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, speaking in Moscow. It had been due to expire Friday.

The lull had been greeted with high hopes by U.N. officials, and the Syrian government opened a new corridor for those wanting to flee the neighborhoods shattered by weeks of Russian and Syrian air strikes.

But by Friday evening, no evacuations were seen along the corridor, reflecting the intractable nature of Syrias civil war, now in its sixth year.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the United Nations humanitarian aid agency, described an astronomically difficult situation, although he declined to specify who was responsible for the breakdown.

He told reporters in Geneva that the evacuations couldnt begin because the necessary conditions were not in place to ensure safe, secure and voluntary movement of people.

A U.N. official said Syrian opposition fighters were blocking the evacuations because the Syrian government and Russia were not holding up their end of the deal and were impeding deliveries of medical and humanitarian supplies into Aleppo.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity pending release of an official statement, said intensive efforts were under way in Damascus, Aleppo, Geneva and Gaziantep, Turkey, to try to move forward on the evacuations.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said al Qaeda-linked militants in Aleppo were refusing to leave the city along the corridors created by the Russians and Syrian forces despite the gestures of goodwill from Moscow and Damascus.

Militants from the al Qaeda affiliate formerly known as the Al-Nusra Front are believed to make up a minority of the several thousand fighters in the besieged district.

Rudskoi, of the Russian Defense Ministry, accused militants of firing at humanitarian corridors and using the break to prepare for an offensive.

Residents of eastern Aleppo have said many wont use the corridors because there are no guarantees they wont be arrested by government forces.
MANILA  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday he did not mean he would cut off ties with the United States when he said in China that he was separating from the U.S., adding its in his countrys best interest to stay with America.

Despite the clarification, the tough-talking president kept up on his tirades against the U.S., saying in a late-night speech in his southern hometown of Davao city that he would never travel to America in this lifetime.
BARTELLA, Iraq  In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a predawn assault on an Islamic State-held town east of the besieged city, and the U.S. military announced the first American combat death since the operation began.

U.S. officials said the American service member died Thursday from wounds sustained in a roadside bomb explosion north of Mosul. More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases.

The American had been advising members of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss details.

Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the U.S. advisers who are with them. The Islamic State, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

As they charged toward the town of Bartella, nine miles from Mosuls outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favored weapon in the Islamic State arsenal: armored trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. The militants signature battlefield tactic, the weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists biggest urban bastion.

The predawn assault on Bartella was part of a multipronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire.

The U.S.-trained special forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraqs most professional and least sectarian fighters, and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against Islamic State. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

Islamic State militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armored Humvee, said Lt. Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble, said Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari. He said Islamic State had few defenses in the town, which was almost completely empty of civilians. They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs, he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains northeast of Mosul descending from their positions and charging toward the front line.
1 U.S. sanctions: The U.S. government is sanctioning a Hezbollah commander and a number of other operatives and financiers linked to the Lebanon-based militant group. The executive order, announced Thursday by the Treasury Department, is a joint action with Saudi Arabia aimed at disrupting Hezbollahs worldwide commercial and financial infrastructure. Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai and a number of other individuals are named under the executive order. The State Department also added Tabatabai to its Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a serious risk of committing, acts of terrorism. The State Department said Tabatabai commanded Hezbollahs special forces and has operated in Syria and possibly in Yemen to provide training, materiel and personnel in support of its destabilizing regional activities.

2 PLO elections: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is pushing for leadership elections in his Fatah movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization before the end of the year, as part of what senior officials say is largely an elaborate attempt to block the return of an exiled rival backed by several Arab states. Abbass decision to hold such elections is a response to growing Arab pressure to take back Mohammed Dahlan, a former top aide and millionaire businessman who in exile forged close ties with leaders of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region. The 81-year-old Abbas has no plans to step down or designate a successor, despite a recent health scare in which doctors ordered an unscheduled heart exam prompted by complaints of fatigue.
1 No recall vote: The Venezuelan oppositions campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro has been thrown into disarray with elections officials decision to suspend a recall drive against the socialist leader a week before it was to start. With the latest actions, the government has effectively halted the plan to stage a recall effort that polls suggest Maduro would have lost by a wide margin. The ruling is particularly dramatic because it comes just days before critics of his administration were to start gathering the one-fifth of voters signatures needed to place the issue on the ballot. Officials cited alleged fraud in a preliminary effort to get 1 percent of voters signatures as justification for blocking the opposition from proceeding to the next stage of the referendum. Maduros critics blame him for Venezuelas economic collapse, bare store shelves and the jailing of opposition leaders.

2 Train crash: Cameroons transport minister says at least 53 people have died Friday after a train overloaded with passengers derailed along the route that links the countrys two major cities. The derailment, which also injured at least 300 people, occurred in Eseka, about two hours from the capital, Yaounde. Rail officials say the train had been carrying 1,300 passengers instead of the usual 600. The accident comes as heavy rains have caused landslides along roads in the region.
CORWITH  A Corwith man has been charged with felony first-degree kidnapping for allegedly binding a woman with zip ties and assaulting her.

The Hancock County Attorneys Office filed that charge Thursday, as well as a charge of misdemeanor domestic abuse, against Randy Dann, 45.

He was arrested by the Hancock County Sheriffs Office Oct. 11 on the domestic abuse charge.

Dann bound the woman with zip ties and assaulted her throughout the evening of Oct. 10 and into the morning of Oct. 11 at their home in Corwith, according to a statement from Sheriff Scott Dodd.

The woman reported Dann kneed her back and groin and struck her in the head, according to the criminal complaint.

The woman had reddened wrists and marks on her face and body, the complaint states.

When law enforcement went to speak to Dann, he had barricaded himself in the house and officers had to use force to get past the obstacles, according to the complaint.

Dann told officers the only contact he had with the woman on the date in question was when he was trying to hold her down while she was having a seizure.

Officers found zip ties cut into small pieces in the garbage during a search warrant of the residence.

If convicted on the kidnapping charge, Dann faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Dann is being held on $101,000 cash-only bond. His arraignment is set for Nov. 1 at the Hancock County Courthouse.
JOHANNESBURG  South Africa on Friday reversed its early support for the International Criminal Court and said it will withdraw from it, raising concerns of a possible African exodus that would undermine a human rights tribunal accused by some leaders of unfairly targeting the continent.

The announcement followed a similar decision by Burundi this week and was criticized by human rights groups that see the ICC as the best means of pursuing perpetrators of the worlds worst atrocities. The treaty creating the court entered into force in 2002 after years of efforts by South Africas post-apartheid government and others.
BEIRUT  Turkish jets and artillery struck U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters in northern Syria on Thursday, and Turkeys state-run news agency said as many as 200 militiamen were killed in a major escalation of Turkeys offensive in northern Syria.

A senior commander with the main Syria Kurdish militia confirmed the Turkish attack on his forces north of Aleppo, but disputed the casualty toll, saying that no more than 10 fighters had been killed so far.

Further south, in the rebel-held city of Aleppo which has been besieged by pro-government troops, a humanitarian pause announced by Russia took effect on Thursday.

Senior U.N. aid official Jan Egeland said the U.N. received verbal assurances for the extension of the three-day pause by another day until Monday to allow for U.N.-supervised medical evacuation of wounded from inside the city.

Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed an extension but only mentioned the pause was being prolonged by one more day. The discrepancy between his and Egelands statements could not immediately be reconciled.

So far, there were no sign of residents taking up the offer of safe passages. Clashes were heard at one of the corridors advertised by the Syrian military. Using loudspeakers, the military urged residents to evacuate and gunmen to lay down their weapons.

Even as the city of Aleppo enjoyed a relative lull, Turkey escalated its bombing in the Aleppo province, striking Kurdish militias.

Kurdish forces in Syria have been battling the Islamic State and have made significant territorial gains, including advances in the last few days against the militants in Aleppo province, upsetting Ankara. Turkey, which is dealing with a homegrown Kurdish insurgency, has been trying to prevent an expansion of Kurdish influence in Syria.
KIRKUK, Iraq  Islamic State militants launched a wave of predawn attacks in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday, killing at least 14 people and setting off fierce clashes with Kurdish security forces that were still raging after sundown.

The assault appeared aimed at diverting attention from the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, and raised fears the extremists could lash out in unpredictable ways as they defend the largest city under their control and their last urban bastion in Iraq.

Multiple explosions rocked Kirkuk, and gunfire rang out around the provincial headquarters, where the fighting was concentrated. Smoke billowed over the city, and the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers. The Islamic State said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters in a claim carried by its Aamaq news agency.

North of the city, three suicide bombers stormed a power plant in the town of Dibis, killing 13 workers, including four Iranian technicians, before blowing themselves up as police arrived, said Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the assault, which he said also wounded three Iranian workers, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

The Turkmeneli TV station, which had earlier shown live footage of smoke rising from outside the provincial headquarters, said in a news bulletin that one of its reporters, Ahmet Haceroglu, was killed by a sniper while covering the fighting.

There was no immediate word on casualties among other civilians or the Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. Police and hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

Kirkuk is some 100 miles from the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale offensive on Monday. Islamic State has in the past resorted to suicide bombings in and around Baghdad in response to battlefield losses elsewhere in the country.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city claimed by both Iraqs central government and the largely autonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish forces assumed full control of the city in the summer of 2014, as Iraqs army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by Islamic State.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early Friday, but that his forces repelled the assault.

He said Islamic State maintains sleeper cells of militants in Kirkuk and surrounding villages. We arrested one recently and he confessed, he said, adding that Fridays attackers may have posed as displaced civilians in order to infiltrate the city. Kirkuk province is home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched an assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas  the largest operation undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
New Zealand welcomed record migrants and tourists in the year through September, Statistics New Zealand says.

Annual net migration reached 70,000, surpassing the previous annual record of 69,1000 set in the year to August 2016. That was driven both by more arrivals and fewer departures, Statistics NZ said.

Migrant arrivals reached a record 125,600 in the September year, up 6 percent on the year to Sept. 2015, with the biggest increases in arrivals from South Africa, China, Australia and India. Annual migrant departures fell 3 percent from 2015 to 55.700, with fewer departures to Australia and the UK. New Zealand citizens leaving to live overseas accounted for about 60 percent of all migrant departures.

At the same time, overseas short-term visitor arrivals reached 3.39 million in the year ended July 30, up 11 percent on the year earlier, with a 17 percent lift in holidaymakers to 1.74 million largely responsible.

A swelling population stoking more activity and record inflows of tourists have helped offset the impact of a rural sector reeling from weak dairy prices. At the same time, a rising population has posed problems for policymakers by fuelling demand for an already-stretched housing market in Auckland, while restraining wage growth. The nation's per-capita growth has been anaemic.

The Treasury said in the Budget that it expected annual net migration would peak in June at 70,700, before returning to the long-run average of 12,000 by June 2019.

Today's data show there was a net gain of 2,000 migrants from Australia in the September year, the twelfth consecutive month to show an annual net gain from that country.

More migrants came in on work visas in the September year, up 10.7 percent to 40,200 on a year earlier, with 32 percent of migrants now arriving on work visas. Some 16,000 migrants, or 13 percent, arrived using residence visas in the September year, up 15 percent on 2015.

Earlier this month, the government announced it was tightening immigration policy for skilled migrants, with the range for residence approvals over the next two years lowered to 85,000-to-95,000 from a previous range of 90,000-to-100,000. People on residence visas in September mostly came from China, the UK, Samoa and India, Statistics NZ said.

Migrants arriving on student visas dropped 5 percent to 25,600, while New Zealand and Australian migrants increased 4.5 percent to 37,044.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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The government is suggesting Fonterra Cooperative Group will no longer have to sell raw milk to large independent processors from the 2019 season onwards.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced the proposed changes to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act today, after a discussion paper was triggered last year when independent processors in the South Island passed the threshold needed to review the law.

Guy said submissions on the government's proposed changes had been split between those who wanted Fonterra to be further deregulated and those who said the country's largest dairy processor was still dominant. The Commerce Commission report found that competition wasn't yet sufficient to warrant deregulation, with Fonterra still holding 86 percent of the local market.

Under the proposed changes, Fonterra would no longer be required to sell regulated milk to large, export-focused processors from the start of the 2019/20 season, and all processors purchasing regulated milk will have reduced flexibility in forecasting the volume of regulated milk they intend to purchase from Fonterra from the start of the 2018/19 season.

But the government has backed off its intention to also reduce the volume of raw milk Fonterra has to make available to other processors by 60 percent over three years. That followed Ministry for Primary Industries' advice that removing eligibility for large, export-focused processors to source regulated raw milk would affect firms that enter the local market without their own supply, and may not develop the factory gate market with new entrants in the future, while the reduction of the volume of raw milk available would hit ingredients firm Goodman Fielder the most.

"Consultation provided new information about risks of some of the originally proposed changes to regulated milk  particularly for downstream markets and consumers," Guy said. "The government is therefore deferring the consideration of those potential changes to regulated milk for Goodman Fielder and small or domestically focused processors. Officials will start a body of work to understand the complexities in this area and any outcomes will inform the next review."

Guy would also allow Fonterra "discretion" to accept applications for new dairy conversions to become shareholders from the 2018 season. It is still required to accept all other new milk offered.

Fonterra said removing the requirement it sell raw milk at cost to large, export-focused processors was "a small step toward creating a level playing field for all farmers" but overall the proposals are "a lost opportunity to address the artificial constraints that are holding Fonterra and its farmers back from delivering maximum value to rural communities and the wider New Zealand economy."

Chief operating officer Miles Hurrell said the New Zealand dairy industry had "changed immensely" since DIRA was introduced 15 years ago, with internationally-backed competitors now investing in New Zealand.

"The current requirement for Fonterra to take all milk forces us to build large scale commodity plants instead of investing capital into assets that produce higher-value consumer and foodservice products," Hurrell said. "This is the wrong outcome as it constrains our ability to create maximum value for our farmers and their rural communities. It also means that Fonterra farmers continue to underwrite normal business costs and risks on behalf of our competitors."

The proposed changes would also prevent DIRA provisions from expiring in the South Island, meaning another state of competition review in the 2020/21 season.

"The scope of this review will be wider than just competition policy to take into account any impacts from the work on downstream milk markets," Guy said.

An amendment bill will be considered by the Primary Production Select Committee in early 2017, Guy said, with public submissions possible in the select committee stage.

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Manuka honey and health products company Comvita has placed some 2 million ordinary shares with China Resources Ng Fung, taking the Shenzhen-based Chinese food giant's stake from less than 5 percent to around 9 percent.

The move would "strengthen working capital and provide funding to support several strategic initiatives currently under consideration by Comvita," the company said in a statement to the NZX after close of trading today, and will give it access to the Chinese firm's huge distribution network, with thousands of Chinese supermarkets, and help smooth out supply chain volatility that have affected sales this year.

Comvita shares closed at $10.70, up 0.3 percent and 10 cents per share above the $10.60 value at which the placement was struck. The shares have risen 26 percent so far this year.

China Resources Ng Fung is a leading integrated food enterprise in China, wholly-owned by China Resources Enterprise Limited.

In a memorandum of understanding on co-operation in the Hong Kong and mainland China markets, Ng Fung will stock Comvita products in its stores and more than 4,000 supermarkets belonging to affiliated retailers, and will assist with regulatory processes "where appropriate".

Comvita announced a joint venture distribution partnership in China last month and its partner in that agreement was fully supporting the latest initiative.

The Ng Fung deal would "allow Comvita to access potential channels into China for existing and future Comvita products which may otherwise be unavailable to Comvita" and reduce reliance on third party exporters, which have proven volatile in the last few months, but which remain "important for Comvita".

"China Resources Ng Fung is a highly reputable corporation," said Comvita chief executive Scott Coulter in a statement. "The executives respect our culture and the need for Comvita to be a New Zealand controlled business. We are comfortable from numerous discussions that the key executives of China Resources Ng Fung really do buy in to our culture and values.

China Resources Enterprises chief executive Weiyong Wang welcomed the invitation to become "a substantial shareholder in Comvita".

"Comvita has been selling into China for 12 years and we hold the brand in the very highest regard. We believe retention of significant New Zealand ownership in the long term was and will continue to be a vital ingredient of the business.

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OSAGE  Daniel Andersen always knew he wanted to have a career working with animals.

When he started at North Iowa Area Community College, he took all of the advanced science classes with the intent on becoming a marine biologist.

Though hed grown up in land-locked Osage, the ocean had always held a special appeal for him.

I used to do some of the aquatic stuff out of my house, Andersen explained. I was the only apprentice Hip Nyugen ever had at Saigons in Mason City. I used to help between classes scooping the fish out for people.

Andersen finished an associates degree in science, then associates degrees in art and business.

He won a regional competition with the John PappaJohn Entrepreneurial Center. His business plan involved aquatics.

After obtaining a bachelors degree in animal ecology, with a focus on aquaculture, Andersen was finally able to achieve his dream of moving to southern Florida, where he met his wife, Lieren.

His now 10-month-old daughter, Aria, is the reason he returned to Osage.

A big seller was the Osage school system, Andersen said. We decided we wanted our daughter to grow up in this community and attend school here.

They set up Oceans Oasis Fish & Pets, Andersens second pet shop. He plans to sell fresh and saltwater fish, reptiles and other small animals.

He and his wife have already been contacted by Osage Superintendent Barb Schwamman to set up field trips, so students can see the fish that will soon be in place.

The Andersens have many plans for their new business, including adding a grooming salon and obedience courses for dog training.

We will also be helping to design the dog park in town, Andersen said. Within a week of being open, weve been able to start helping people and make a difference, and thats really why we are doing this.

Chrystal Berche is a correspondent for the Mitchell County Press-News, another Lee Enterprises newspaper.
Editorial

Humanitarian: A Group Of Good From Local Stories...

I'm going to focus on several items about how things work in this world. All are local, within our coverage area, and deal with those who work in the public sphere.

We were interested to finally hear reports about the silent Black Lives Protest that took place at Pine Bush high school over homecoming week when a group of students wore black T-shirts on Red, White and Blue Day, in support of protests against police shootings of unarmed black men, among other issues of racial tension. Principal Aaron Hopmayer saw a "teachable moment" immediately and within a week had put together a meeting between about sixty Pine Bush students and officers from Town of Wallkill and Town of Crawford police departments, state police and lawyers from the Orange County district attorney's office. The panel answered students' questions submitted in writing, prompting one state trooper to discuss his college-age daughter's involvement in the BLM movement, and how she helped him see that it was about how, "Black lives matter too, and need to be valued by police equal to white lives." There was also much talk about the situations that police officers face where violence occurs.

Afterwards, all involved spoke about how much had been gained from the gathering, and protest, despite earlier fears expressed by some in the community. More such events are planned. Talk about learning how to move forward despite the challenges posed by deep issues facing our nation.

Then there was the fact of the mother of the young man killed at a New Years Eve party coming forth about the many visits she's gotten from state police, with updates that have included the recent arrest of a local youth for having erased material from his smartphone the day after the Pine Bush tragedy.

"They know Justin and to hide any information, erase anything on the phone, not to help ... It's hurtful," she said last week in a newspaper, adding her hopes that the first arrest for evidence tampering will push others, now, to start discussing what happened that night nine months ago. In such ways things move forward.

On another front, we were glad to see that the state has decided to start pushing towards new parole regulations that would require parole board commissioners to consider both an inmate's current risk to public safety and that individual's own needs, as well as offer explanations of those findings, before making any release decision. If adopted, the proposed regulations would require the Board's release determination to incorporate an inmate's current score on a risk and needs assessment called the Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions. If the Board departs from the scores, it must specify the reason for doing so, after discussing each applicable factor, including the applicant's behavior in prison and the seriousness of the offense on the record. If release is denied, the Board must articulate reasons in factually individualized, non-conclusory terms. Additionally, the regulations would direct the Board to consider the diminished culpability due to age at the time of the crime and to weigh any demonstrated growth and maturity since the time of the offense when considering individuals serving a maximum sentence for crimes committed when they were under the age of 18.

For anyone who's been reading the columns of Matthew Hattley in our pages over recent years, that's welcome news... and responsive to true concerns. It's humanitarian.

Finally we've got to give another nod of approval to Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach, from Ellenville, for continuing to push a two percent bed tax for Airbnb customers, which could bring in over $200,000 in revenue a year, despite some objections that the legislation involved might not be legal. Hey, Auerbach does his homework, actually spoke with Airbnb about what he's proposing, and there are five other counties in New York who are working successfully with similar laws already.

Our sense, having rented rooms in our home via the company? Do it... no one gets hurt, the cost is added into the amounts spent (which are never that great) and everyone benefits.

Maybe, we think, the days of declaring all taxes bad are waning. After all, it's a small price to pay for affording more services for everyone in our communities. Which is good...

As well as humanitarian.








MASON CITY  Incumbent State Rep. Sharon Steckman and her challenger, Barbara Hovland, differ on how to regulate hog confinement facilities in Iowa  a divisive issue in their legislative district.

Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City, is seeking her fifth term in the Iowa House from District 53 which includes Mason City, Rockwell and central Cerro Gordo County.

Hovland, also of Mason City, is the Cerro Gordo County Republican chairwoman and has been active in Republican politics for many years.

Earlier this year, Steckman took an active role in opposing the Prestage pork processing plant that was proposed for Mason City and was ultimately rejected by a 3-3 vote of the City Council. Prestage now plans to build its $240 million plant near Eagle Grove in Wright County.

One of the concerns of opponents was the proximity of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, to residential areas because of possible environmental hazards.

Counties are bound by state laws governing the building of CAFOs. If a proposed CAFO meets requirements of the state matrix, it must be approved.

Steckman believes there should be local control; Hovland disagrees.

The state matrix was put together in 2002 by 12 legislators, including Mark Kuhn, said Steckman. The matrix has too many holes in it. There needs to be local control.

A big concern is water quality. I dont want to see water quality impaired any more than it already is, she said.

Hovland said there is a lot of fear mongering going on with respect to CAFOs.

Control of CAFOs should be at the state level, she said. The EPA and DNR are overseeing it. There are strict guidelines on water.

CAFOs have been around for a long time. We shouldnt take away from other programs to fund water quality, she said.

Cerro Gordo County supervisors recently learned firsthand how local control is not an option. Supervisors rejected a proposed CAFO near Ventura because of its proximity to residences and wildlife areas. But the application met state standards so the Department of Natural Resources overturned the county recommendation. The county appeal to the Environmental Protection Commission was denied.
RUDD  For nearly a quarter century, thousands have descended to an abandoned rural schoolhouse for an annual dose of terror.

Now in its 24th year, the Rudd House of Horrors has expanded from a modest footprint near the former locker rooms to the full building with 11 scenes of terror.

After the old Rockford High School burned to the ground in 1989, all of RRMRs schools were consolidated into a single building.

That year, voters approved a $2.65 million bond issue to add a single elementary section onto the rebuilt high school and junior high.

Once the Rudd Elementary School building was shuttered, the towns betterment committee looked for ideas to save it for community use.

One member and his wife suggested using it for a haunted house, said long-time volunteer Dan Sinning.

The idea stuck. A few years after the district closed the building, the committee took it over, he said.

Last year, nearly 2,000 people came through their doors  in a town of 369.

Ive always said it's the best $6 scare youre going to get in North Iowa, said volunteer Matt Smith, in his ninth year.

The 20-minute experience takes a crew of 35 to 40 volunteers to man.

Every once in awhile youll get that guy who will say, Oh that didnt scare me, said volunteer Denny Schallock, thats the wrong thing to say coming through here, because we will getcha.

Schallock builds most of the scenes, but Smith is is in charge of the ideas. Both also terrorize ticket goers in the house each year.

A new addition this year  a Beetlejuice room complete with a whore house from the 1988 movie.

Ive always been a Halloween lover, Smith said. One of the first haunted houses I ever went in was in an old abandoned school in Finchford, Iowa, down by Shell Rock.

I had a guy chasing after me with a chainsaw, he said. I was scared to death. I couldnt get away from that guy fast enough.

Building up the Rudd location is a year-long enterprise that starts days after the it close in October.

I think the following week we started tearing apart and rebuilding, said Schallock.

Most years, they break down and reuse the same materials. Smith estimated they spend no more than $100 per scene.

Tomorrow, thats our payback, Smith said of opening day. Curtain call.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump needed less than half an hour Wednesday night to transition from a quiet and composed discussion of important issues to chaotic bickering, interruptions and non sequiturs. The worse the bickering got, the more it worked in Clintons favor.

The turning point came an hour into the debate, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump directly whether he would accept the results of the Nov. 8 election, and Trump repeatedly refused to commit.

I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense, Trump responded. Asserting that the election is rigged, he alleged without any substantiation that millions of people are registered to vote who shouldnt be.

Thats horrifying, Clinton responded. And she was correct. The notion that any major party candidate would refuse to accept the will of the American people on Nov. 8 is appalling. That exchange underscored, as Clinton said, agreeing with her primary opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, that Trump is the most dangerous person to run for president in the modern history of America.

Issues of nuclear proliferation, immigration, gun control and abortion got lost in a barrage of accusations and assertions that ultimately prompted Trump to fall into his own worst rhetorical trap  the one where he begins uttering half-sentences and spluttering disconnected thoughts that simply make no sense.

For example, a question about allegations that he groped women prompted Trump to jump to Clinton aides deletion of 30,000 email messages. Then he jumped to the Islamic State  all within a 30-second interlude.

Trump repeatedly lost but regained his composure, demonstrating exactly the kind of mercurial behavior that accentuates why hes unfit to be president.

Clinton entered Wednesdays debate with an eight-point average lead in national polls, an unprecedented advantage in a modern presidential race. This late in the campaign, it would have required an epic stumble on her part to put Trump back in contention.

Clinton had a straightforward mission: Avoid responding to Trumps taunts, maintain composure and just allow Trump to be Trump. He gladly obliged.

Trump tried as best he could to rattle her with references to recent email exchanges among senior staffers in the Clinton campaign, published by WikiLeaks. U.S. officials say the emails appear to have been obtained via hacking by Russian intelligence operatives.

A tepid Trump supporter, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, warned Wednesday that the campaign needed to back away from exploiting these hacked emails, saying, Tomorrow, it could be us.

Rubio also joined Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway in rejecting the presidential candidates unfounded assertions that the vote was rigged against Trump.

Its exactly these kinds of outlandish statements that are giving millions of voters good reason to reject him as a serious presidential candidate.

At this stage, the only thing rigging the vote against Trump is Trump himself.
Lithuanian English

Vilnius, Lithuania, 2016-10-20 15:09 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the initiative and decision of the Management board of AB INVL Baltic Real Estate (legal entity code 152105644, address of the registered office: Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania, hereinafter, the Company), the Companys extraordinary general meeting of shareholders is to be held on 10 November 2016 at 9:30 a.m.

The extraordinary general meeting of shareholders will be held in the premises at Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius.

Registration of the shareholders will start at 9:00 a.m.

Only the persons who are the shareholders of the Company at the end of the accounting day of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders are entitled to participate and to vote at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders.

The accounting day of the meeting is 3 November 2016.

The total number of the shares issued by the Company, with the nominal value of EUR 0.29 each, and the number of votes carried by such shares in the general meeting of shareholders are the same  65 750 000 shares. ISIN code of the Companys shares is LT0000127151.

Agenda of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders:

1. Approval of the new wording of the Articles of Association of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

2. Approval of the Management Agreement of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate with the management company UAB INVL Asset Management.

3. Selection of the depository of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

4. Approval of the Depository Services Agreement of special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

5. Approval of the rules for formation and activities of the audit committee of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate, election of members of the audit committee and setting remuneration for the independent member of the audit committee.

Draft resolutions of the Companys extraordinary general meeting of shareholders:

1. Approval of the new wording of the Articles of Association of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

To approve new wording of the Articles of Association of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate, by replacing the text of the Articles of Association in full (enclosed).

To authorise Egidijus Damulis (with the right to re-delegate the authority) to sign the Articles of Association of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

2. Approval of the Management Agreement of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate with the management company UAB INVL Asset Management.

To approve the Management Agreement with the management company UAB INVL Asset Management (legal entity code 126263073, address of the registered office: Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania) (enclosed).

3. Selection of the depository of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

To select Swedbank, AB as a depository of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

4. Approval of the Depository Services Agreement of special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

To approve the Depository Services Agreement of special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate, prepared by the Management Board (enclosed).

5. Approval of the rules for formation and activities of the audit committee of a special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate, election of members of the audit committee and setting remuneration for the independent member of the audit committee.

To approve the rules for formation and activities of the audit committee of a special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate (enclosed).

To elect Danute Kadanaite and Tomas Bubinas (independent member of the audit committee) as members of the audit committee of special closed-end type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate.

To set remuneration for the independent member of the audit committee for his work in the audit committee at the hourly rate not higher than EUR 145. To instruct the management company UAB INVL Asset Management (legal entity code 126263073, address of the registered office: Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania) to determine the procedure of payment of the remuneration to the independent member of the audit committee after the issuance of the license for the closed-end type investment company.

The shareholders may review the documents related to the agenda of the meeting, draft resolutions on every item of the agenda, documents which have to be submitted to the general meeting of shareholders and other information related to exercise of the shareholders rights in the premises of AB INVL Baltic Real Estate at Gyneju str. 16, Vilnius, during working hours.

The shareholders are entitled: (i) to propose to supplement the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders, submitting a draft resolution on every additional item of the agenda or, where there is no need to take a decision, of the shareholders explanation (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes). A proposal to supplement the agenda is to be submitted in writing by registered mail or delivered in person against signature. The agenda is supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the general meeting of shareholders; (ii) to propose draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders at any time prior to the date of the general meeting of shareholders (in writing, by registered mail or delivered in person against signature) or in writing during the general meeting of shareholders (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes); (iii) to submit questions to the Company related to the issues on the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders in advance but no later than 3 business days prior to the general meeting of shareholders in writing by registered mail or delivered in person against signature.

A shareholder participating at the general meeting of shareholders and having the right to vote, must present a personal identity document. Each shareholder may authorize either a natural or a legal person to participate and to vote on behalf of the shareholder at the general meeting of shareholders. The proxy has the same rights as the represented shareholder would have at the general meeting of shareholders. The authorized persons must have personal identity documents and a power of attorney approved in the manner specified by law, which must be submitted to the Company no later than before the commencement of registration for the general meeting of shareholders. A power of attorney issued abroad must be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalised in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law. The Company does not establish a special form of a power of attorney.

A shareholder is entitled to issue a power of attorney by means of electronic communications to legal or natural persons for participation and voting on his behalf at the general meeting of shareholders. The shareholder must inform the Company about the power of attorney issued by means of electronic communications no later than before the commencement of registration for the general meeting of shareholders. The power of attorney issued by means of electronic communications and the notice about it must be written and may be submitted to the Company by means of electronic communications, if the security of transmitted information is ensured and the identity of the shareholder can be verified.

A shareholder or his proxy may vote in writing by filling in a general ballot paper, in this case the requirement to present a personal identity document does not apply. The form of a general ballot paper is presented on the Companys website. Upon a shareholders request, the Company shall send the general ballot paper to the requesting shareholder by registered mail or shall deliver it in person against signature no later than 10 days prior to the general meeting of shareholders free of charge. The shareholder or his authorized representative must sign a completed general ballot paper. The completed general ballot paper signed by the shareholder or other person having the right to vote and the document confirming the right to vote must be presented to the Company in writing no later than on the last working day preceding the meeting, sending them by registered mail to AB INVL Baltic Real Estate at Gyneju str. 14, LT-01109 Vilnius.

The Company does not provide possibilities of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications. Information in connection with the convened general meeting of shareholders (notice on convocation of the general meeting of shareholders, information about the Companys shares, draft resolutions, etc.) is available on AB INVL Baltic Real Estates website at www.invlbalticrealestate.lt.
TROY, Mich., Oct. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Julius H. Giarmarco has been named as a 2016 Michigan Super Lawyer in the area of Estate and Probate.

Mr. Giarmarco is chair of the firms Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Julius received his law degree from Wayne State University, and his master of laws from New York University. He is licensed to practice law in both Michigan and New York. Julius primary practice areas include estate planning, business succession planning, wealth transfer planning, and life insurance applications. He is a former instructor in both the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) programs.

Mr. Giarmarco also lectures frequently on a national basis, including speeches before the American Law Institute  American Bar Association (ALI-ABA), the International Forum, the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the Life Insurance and Market Research Association (LIMRA), the Financial Planning Association (FPA), Strafford CLE Webinars, and numerous life insurance companies, brokerage firms and trade associations.

Mr. Giarmarco has published a number of articles on estate planning appearing in professional journals such as the Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal (BNA), The Practical Tax Lawyer (ALI-ABA), the Journal of Practical Estate Planning (CCH), the Journal of Financial Service Professionals, the Michigan Bar Journal, and Advisor Today magazine. He is also the author of the nationally-acclaimed brochure, The Five Levels of Estate Planning, and is a featured columnist on estate planning topics for producersweb.com. He is the author of the chapters on succession planning in Advising Closely Held Businesses in Michigan and The Michigan Business Formbook published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE).

Mr. Giarmarco has been selected by his peers as a Michigan Super Lawyer in estate planning; Leading Lawyers in Trust, Will and Estate Planning Law; as one of the Best Lawyers in America in Trusts and Estates; and as a Top Lawyer by dbusiness magazine. He also enjoys the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards by Martindale-Hubbell.

Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, P.C. ranks as the 12th largest law firm in Michigan. Founded over 40 years ago and located in Troy, Michigan, Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, P.C. is a full service law firm with 66 attorneys. GMH has been recognized as a Top Tier Law Firm in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. Additional recognitions include Crains Detroit Business Cool Place to Work and Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.




BEIJING: Chinese cellphone maker Xiaomi has sold a record 1 million smartphones in India in 18 days during the Diwali festive season, despite boycott calls of Chinese goods in the country, state media reported on Thursday.

The Beijing-based company now aims at becoming largest smartphone vendor in India, the world's fastest growing handset market, in the next three to five years, said Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi.

Lei, in an internal letter on Wednesday, announced that the company has sold 1 million smartphones in the first 18 days of this month in India, state-run China Daily reported.

"India is an extremely important market in Xiaomi's globalisation strategy. It has become our largest market outside of the Chinese mainland," Lei said.

The announcement comes after its arch-rival Huawei Technologies Company Limited said it would start assembling phones in India from October.

The move highlights Xiaomi's latest efforts to revive declining sales as the Chinese smartphone market, its home turf, is reaching saturation, the report said.

It came in the midst of anxieties among Chinese investors over growing calls for boycott ofChinese goods in India following China's blocking of India's move to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar at the UN and blocking India's bid to become the member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

According to Lei, the firm has sold 1 million smartphones within 18 days in October in the run-up to Diwali, the biggest festival in India.

In September, Xiaomi became the third-largest smartphone vendor within India's top 30 cities with 8.4 per cent market share, the firm quoted data from International Data Corporation (IDC) as saying.

"We will continue investing in India-expanding our supply, and further improving our after-sales service," Lei said.

Launched in 2010, Xiaomi achieved a rapid rise by seizing the e-commerce boom in China to sell handsets directly to consumers. But as online sales of smartphones peak, it is struggling with declining sales and facing mounting pressure from rivals such as Oppo and Vivo, the report said.

IDC China research manager Jin Di said it is hard to say whether Xiaomi can prevail in Indian market, given the growing competition from both its Chinese peers and Indian vendors.

"Almost every major Chinese smartphone brand is eyeing a presence in India. I do not think Xiaomi has a big edge, especially when India's e-commerce business, which Xiaomi is most good at, is not as well-developed as that of China," Jin was quoted as saying by the report.

Also, it will take time for Chinese brands to properly localise their operations, given the different business environments and polices in India and China, she added.

In the second quarter of 2016, smartphone shipments in India grew by a healthy 15 per cent annually, while the global smartphone market grew at a modest three per cent.

Chinese brands' captured almost 27 per cent of the Indian market, data from Counterpoint Research show.

Xiaomi's arch rival Huawei said on Tuesday it would start manufacturing its first smartphone model in India in October by partnering with a local factory whose annual production capacity will reach 3 million units by the end of 2017.

Zhao Ming, in charge of smartphone business at Honor, the sub-brand of Huawei said, "The India smartphone market is likely to exceed 100 million units this year. It is a market no one can neglect. We have long-term commitment to it".

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NEW DELHI: Social networking giant Facebook today said it is witnessing strong growth in the Indian market, adding users at a faster pace than in the US, and the country could become its largest base in coming years.



Adam Mosseri, VP of Product at Facebook, said the Indian market saw a 22 pct growth last year, while the same in the US was "much slower than India".



He, however, did not disclose the growth rate numbers for the American market.



"India could become larger than the US. By when, that is something I can't say right now," Mosseri added.



India has the second largest userbase of Facebook with 155 million monthly active users. Of this, 77 million logged in every day at the end of June quarter.



At the end of the second quarter, daily actives onFacebook in India had grown 22 pct year-on-year, compared with a 17 pct increase in daily actives globally.



Interestingly, about 147 million Indians use their mobile devices to browse through Facebook.



Mosseri said the company is focussing its efforts on improving news feed on its platform for users, regardless of device or network connection.



"We are now launching a new architecture so you can see less grey boxes, regardless of your network connection. We have also worked on optimising stories in News Feed for each session, so users can see the most relevant stories even if they're on slow internet connections," he said.



Mosseri said "reactions" -- introduced to allow users options to express feelings like anger, sadness and surprise to posts on Facebook -- have also found huge uptake in the Indian market.



"Not including Likes, more than 50 pct of the reactions used in India are Love, and more than 30 pct of Reactions used in India are Haha," he added.



He, however, did not comment on whether the company would launch the "dislike" button as has been demanded by many users worldwide.

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BENGALURU: India and Russia signed an agreement at BRICS 2016 summit at Goa to build Brahmos missiles with the range of 600km. Currently Brahmos have the capability to hit a target within the range of 300km. This defense agreement is signed after India became a member of MTCR group. Brahmos is a supersonic cruise missile build on a joint venture of India and Russia. The Economic Times analyses, why these Brahmos missiles scare other countries.

Brahmos are the most powerful and deadly weaponry of Indian Army, which is very lethal for its precision strike capability. It works on the principle of fire and forget that means just lock the target and fire. It will destroy it without any extra control. An arsenal like Brahmos in its weaponry gives India an operational advantage to destroy any enemy target in the hidden and difficult terrains.

The current hitting capability of Brahmos missile is 290 km and can move with a maximum velocity of 2.8 Mach at the altitude from 10m to 15km. Indian warships are equipped with the Brahmos missiles in a configuration of eight or 16 each, while sets of two or four are equipped to go with the smaller vessels. DRDO explained that Brahmos missiles can be launched from any platform, like sea, land, and air with the help of submarines, aircraft, mobile launchers, and ships to destroy targets on land and sea.

Indian Army already has three Brahmos regiments into its weaponry. All regiments are equipped with Block-III missile tested on May 8 and May 9, 2016. The Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPOM, Russia, and DRDO, India, build these Brahmos missiles by a joint venture. The biggest threat other countries takes is that this missile doesn't need any further guidance once fired. It will destroy the target without even sighting the target. Therefore, our enemies are scared of these missiles and the example is the reaction of China when a report floated that India is going to deploy Brahmos at China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

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PS31.jpeg

The FDNY responded to a smoke condition at PS 31 in New Brighton on Friday morning.

(Anthony DePrimo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The FDNY responded to smoke at P.S. 31 in New Brighton on Friday morning.

The smoke was connected to an electrical condition and it was not an actual fire at the William T. Davis School at 55 Layton Ave., said a spokesman for the FDNY/EMS.

A total of four units were on the scene of the incident reported at 9:34 a.m. and closed out at 9:44 a.m., the spokesman said.
Outerbridge.JPG

(Staten Island Advance Photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Graniteville man was caught driving a car with stolen plates after authorities stopped him for speeding in New Jersey early Friday morning, police allege.

Artem Krushelnitskiy. (Courtesy of PAPD)

At approximately 12:30 a.m., Port Authority police on duty at the Outerbridge Crossing saw Artem Krushelnitskiy, 33, speeding in a black 2009 Mercedes Benz GL 550 eastbound in Perth Amboy, according to a Port Authority spokesman.

A records check revealed the New Jersey plates on the vehicle had been reported stolen from a dealership in Avenel, N.J., the spokesman said.

Krushelnitskiy's license was suspended and he had two outstanding warrants in New Jersey, one from East Brunswick and another in Rahway, the spokesman said.

Krushelnitskiy was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, driving with a suspended license and given a traffic summons.

He is due back in court on Nov. 9.
A first-class ride for Cowboy Kel Bridle Path residents show love for mail carrier

For the past six years, Kelvin Hoang has been delivering mail and smiles to people living in Simi Valleys Bridle Path neighborhood. We love Kelvin. Hes the best. Hes like...

SV Womans Club to meet Detectives Kelly King and Jessica Getchius of the Simi Valley Police Department will discuss the problems faced by victims and perpetrators of domestic violence at the monthly luncheon meeting of...

Womans flight aboard B-25 bomber honors grandfathers WWII bravery As Kerri Braemer-Castro looked down at the mountains and valleys of Camarillo from the cockpit of a World War II B-25 bomber earlier this month, she finally felt connected to...

Shred your documents The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a drive-thru document shredding event from 1 to 4 p.m. Fri., Nov. 11 in the parking lot behind the Chamber office, 40...
PARIS, Oct. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ESI Group, leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping software and services for manufacturing industries, announces their collaboration with global aerospace manufacturer Safran Nacelles. The aerospace company has recently deployed an R&D project to demonstrate how they can use ESI's Virtual Reality solution IC.IDO to conduct process design reviews and validation, to set-up new manufacturing and assembly processes, and to deliver interactive maintenance training. The project has already delivered successful results for Safran Nacelles, who intend to roll out Virtual Reality within the entire company. ESI IC.IDO has proven its ability to deliver Safran Nacelles greater agility in their design and development process, while promoting collaborative and interactive work.

Image: Safran Nacelles engineers conduct an immersive and interactive process design review using ESI IC.IDO.

In early 2015, Safran Nacelles launched an R&D program to evaluate the potential of Virtual Reality to improve their new product and process design. In order to incorporate innovative concepts and new materials, Safran Nacelles engineers needed a tool that could enable them to visualize and validate new manufacturing and assembly line set-ups, to conduct ergonomic studies, and to train their operators efficiently.

Safran Nacelle's site at Gonfreville l'Orcher in Normandy, France, hosts a design office, a materials laboratory, a Center for Excellence in composite materials applied to engine nozzles, customer support, and service departments. After a test phase and a 6-month benchmark during which the Safran Nacelle project team exchanged experiences with ESI IC.IDO customers at Boeing, Airbus and Renault, Safran Nacelles chose to adopt IC.IDO, running on Immersion's Virtual Reality hardware.

The first entity in the Safran Group to deploy Virtual Reality technologies on site, Safran Nacelles purchased a 2 sided "cave" and placed it at the heart of its design facilities. The system projects an image measuring 4 meters wide by 2.5 meters high. Since deploying the system on site in March 2016, Safran Nacelles engineers developed over 60 use cases. Their Virtual Reality (VR) room has become a true hub for local and remote users, and is used daily for collaborative design reviews. Engineers can easily discuss current design projects and swiftly detect errors early in the design process, thus avoiding bad surprises in later product development stages.

The IC.IDO implementation of Virtual Reality enables users to see the 3D image of any given CAD part "real-size" and to interact with it in real-time. Engineers can test the reachability of parts, evaluate early feasibility for even the most complex maintenance operations, validate tool design, assess the ergonomics of a workstation, and simulate realistic operating conditions.

"IC.IDO is profoundly changing the way Safran Nacelles engineers work: Virtual Reality reduces the need for physical prototypes and costly retooling, while promoting live team discussion to deploy optimum designs much faster than when working in silos," says Philippe JAMES, Vice President Continuous Improvement and Risks at SAFRAN Nacelles.

Today, Virtual Reality is a trusted process validation tool and is truly integrated in Safran Nacelles' design and development processes, at an industrial scale. Thanks to this collaborative tool, engineering teams save time and get their parts right the first time. Ten champion users from different teams at Safran Nacelles have been thoroughly trained to ensure the fast integration of Virtual Reality at Safran Nacelles and to assure best practices for several use cases. As an added benefit, Safran Nacelles can now schedule remote and on-site collaborative process design reviews with their customers who use the same technology.

Image: Transcowl A330neo assembly line in Virtual Reality (left) and in reality (right).

For more information about ESI IC.IDO, please visit www.esi-group.com/icido

Join ESI's customer portal myESI to get continuously updated product information, tips & tricks, view the online training schedule and access selected software downloads: myesi.esi-group.com

For more ESI news, visit: www.esi-group.com/press

ESI Group - Media Relations

Celine Gallerne

Celine.Gallerne@esi-group.com

+33 1 41 73 58 46

For additional information, please feel free to contact our international communications team:

About ESI Group



ESI Group is a leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping software and services. Specialist in material physics, ESI has developed a unique proficiency in helping industrial manufacturers replace physical prototypes by virtually replicating the fabrication, assembly and testing of products in different environments. Today, coupled with Virtual Reality, animated by systems models, and benefiting from data analytics, Virtual Prototyping becomes immersive and interactive: ESI's clients can bring their products to life, ensuring reliable performance, serviceability and maintainability. ESI solutions help world-leading OEM's and innovative companies make sure that their products will pass certification tests - before any physical prototype is built - and that new products are competitive in their market space. Virtual Prototyping addresses the emerging need for products to be smart and autonomous and supports industrial manufacturers in their digital transformation.

Today, ESI's customer base spans nearly every industry sector. The company employs about 1100 high-level specialists worldwide to address the needs of customers in more than 40 countries. For more information, please visit www.esi-group.com/

Follow ESI

News Release in PDF http://hugin.info/156812/R/2050655/767075.pdf
SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Armanino LLP, the 24th largest accounting and business consulting firm in the nation with revenues of $195 million, today announced it has come to an agreement with Dallas-based Travis Wolff, a $23 million firm, to combine effective January 1, 2017. The combined firm will operate as Armanino LLP. This transaction brings Armanino to Dallas, a top economic growth city in the United States.



We are eager to join forces with the talented people of Travis Wolff. By entering Dallas, one of the leading economies in the country, we continue our expansion as the most innovative and entrepreneurial firm in the country, said Andy Armanino, managing partner of Armanino. Armaninos consulting solutions and tax specialties seamlessly complement those of Travis Wolffs Dallas team. Together we are poised to make a major positive impact for clients in Texas.

Both firms offer core audit and tax services, while Travis Wolff complements and strengthens Armaninos high net worth individual practice. Additionally, Armanino brings expanded service offerings in audit and tax, as well as a consulting practice and business management services (including family office). As a value-added reseller of technology consulting offerings, Armanino supports the growth of its clients with custom-tailored solutions including ERP, CRM, budget and forecasting, business reporting and analytics.

This combination is the result of thoughtful consideration about our firms future growth, said Perry Kaufman, managing partner of Travis Wolff. Armanino is the perfect fit for us, both in client service approach and firm culture. Our clients and staff will greatly benefit from the deep bench of expertise Armanino brings with its wide breadth of industry experience and new innovative solutions we can now offer our clients.

The combined firm will continue to operate in Dallas at 15950 Dallas Parkway, while also serving clients from its other existing offices. Clients will experience no disruption of services during the transition.

Armaninos aggressive growth is anchored in its pursuit of expanded service lines, technology solutions and specialized expertise. The firm has been listed on Inside Public Accountings Best of the Best Managed Firms list for 14 out of the last 15 years and is regularly featured in best places to work lists.

This transaction with Travis Wolff is scheduled to close on January 1, 2017, subject to customary closing conditions.

About ArmaninoLLP

Armanino LLP (www.armaninollp.com) is the largest independent accounting and business consulting firm based in California and one of the largest in the United States. Armanino provides an integrated set of audit, tax, business management, consulting and technology solutions to companies in the U.S. and globally. The firm helps clients adapt and change in every stage of business from start-up through rapid growth to the sale of a company. Armanino emphasizes smart technology; leading a cloud revolution of financial, operational, sales and compliance tools that are transforming the way companies do business. Armanino extends its global services to more than 100 countries through its membership in Moore Stephens International Limited  one of the world's major accounting and consulting membership organizations. In addition to its core consulting and accounting practices, Armanino operates its division  AMF Media Group (www.amfmediagroup.com) a media and communications services agency and The Brenner Group (www.thebrennergroup.com), an Armanino company dedicated to interim CFO and permanent placement services and a comprehensive suite of specialized financial and management services.

About Travis Wolff

Founded in 1991 by Ken Travis and Ed Wolff, Travis Wolff is a growing, independent accounting and advisory firm that offers a full range of assurance, tax and consulting services to emerging companies, established companies, and successful individuals and families. Additionally, Travis Wolff provides specialized services in the areas of business transaction advisory services and estate and wealth transfer planning, IT auditing, forensic accounting & fraud investigation, collaborative divorce consulting, compensation and benefits planning, and employee benefit plan audits.

As a member of Moore Stephens International, Travis Wolff extends its service offerings to clients doing business throughout the global market. Travis Wolff participates in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Peer Review Program and is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2016 Federal Budget announced a proposal to eliminate the deferral of capital gains tax for investors switching between different classes of shares within a mutual fund corporation. After evaluating the impact of this change to the tax treatment of switches between classes of shares of a mutual fund corporation, Sprott Asset Management (Sprott) today announced that it has decided to terminate each of Sprott Canadian Equity Class, Sprott Gold and Precious Minerals Class, Sprott Gold Bullion Class and Sprott Silver Bullion Class (the Terminating Funds) effective on or about December 30, 2016 (the Termination Date). Sprott has made this decision based on the size of the Terminating Funds and the fact that there is an existing trust fund version of each Terminating Fund.



Investors may switch their shares of a Terminating Fund into another mutual fund offered by Sprott prior to the Termination Date. To maintain exposure to a similar investment mandate, investors may switch shares of a Terminating Fund to the existing trust fund version noted in the chart below. This switch will be a disposition for tax purposes and capital gains or losses will be realized on the switch.

Terminating Fund Corresponding Trust Fund Sprott Canadian Equity Class Sprott Canadian Equity Fund Sprott Gold and Precious Minerals Class Sprott Gold and Precious Minerals Fund Sprott Gold Bullion Class Sprott Gold Bullion Fund Sprott Silver Bullion Class Sprott Silver Bullion Fund

Investors may also switch shares of a Terminating Fund to another fund that is a class of Sprott Corporate Class Inc. before the Termination Date on a tax-deferred rollover basis so that no capital gains or losses will be realized on the termination of the Terminating Fund.

Effective today, Sprott will waive any redemption fees, short-term trading fees and switch fees for redemptions or switches of shares of the Terminating Funds, and each Terminating Fund is closed to all purchases, including purchases made pursuant to pre-authorized chequing plans.

Sprott will send a notice to each investor in the Terminating Funds regarding the termination.

For further information on Sprott Asset Management LP and the Sprott Mutual Funds, please visit www.sprott.com or call us at (866) 299-9906 or email us at invest@sprott.com.



Sprott Asset Management LP (www.sprott.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprott Inc. (www.sprottinc.com), is a fund company dedicated to achieving superior returns for its investors over time. Sprott Asset Management LP manages assets primarily for institutions, endowments and high net worth individuals and is the investment manager of the Sprott Mutual Funds. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer or solicitation by anyone in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation. Prospective investors should consult their financial advisor to determine if the Sprott Mutual Funds may be sold in their jurisdiction.
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Lachhu Thapa says his restaurant the Hungry Buddha has completely changed his life - and not in the way that you'd expect.

The popular Nepalese restaurant is expanding to Belconnen, opening on Friday on Luxton Street to serve momos and goat curries. But this isn't a tale of MasterChef style, foodie empire building. Instead, the Hungry Buddha has led Thapa to a newfound life of charity and is calling him back to his homeland, Nepal.

Goat curry at the original Hungry Buddha in Curtin. Credit:Melissa Adams

Thapa moved to Canberra for work about five years ago, searching for a different lifestyle. With a mate, Ben Richardson, he also opened a cosy Nepalese restaurant in a hidden basement dining room in Curtin. "And it really balanced out my life immensely when we opened first up," he says.

The restaurant gave him creative fulfilment, serving Nepali beers behind the bar, talking to customers on the floor about the food. It did well enough for Thapa and Richardson to open a second venue, a cafe in Phillip called Wheat and Oats.
The consumer watchdog has won court approval to continue its action against a defunct vocational education provider accused of misleading vulnerable members of the community into signing up for appropriate courses.

The Federal Court on Friday decided to permit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to pursue the Phoenix Institute for penalties despite it not technically being a creditor to the parent of the company, Australian Careers Network, which collapsed in 2015.

About 20 officers raided the Australian Careers Network head office in Spotswood earlier this year. Credit:Vince Caligiuri

The ruling is important as it stops companies trying to avoid prosecution by regulators by placing themselves into administration and then being shortly after resurrected through a deed of company arrangement.

"If the allegations made by the ACCC are established, the respondents sought to procure a very substantial sum of up to $360 million from public revenue through misleading, deceptive and unconscionable conduct," Justice Melissa Perry said.
A sharemarket float is an option being considered by the NSW government for the sale of its remaining electricity sector asset, with the formal process, which could yield about $4 billion, to kick off by year's end.

The government announced on Thursday the sale of a controlling 50.4 per cent interest in the state's largest power distributor, Ausgrid, to local superfunds IFM Investors and AustralianSuper for $16.19 billion which, after the repayment of $10 billion of borrowings, will raise a net $6 billion.

A sharemarket float is one option being considered with the planned sale of half of the government's stake in Endeavour Energy. Credit:Louie Douvis

The sale is the second asset sold by the Baird government following the $10 billion sale of all of the equity in Transgrid, the state's high voltage operator, a year ago.

The earlier planned sale of Ausgrid to Chinese interests was blocked by the federal government.
Charter Hall has its Moe retail investment. Credit:Nicolas Walker South Melbourne office sells Local property investor Brendan O'Sullivan is understood to be paying about $13.5 million for a South Melbourne office near the top of Albert Park Lake. At 163-165 Eastern Road, and with access to two other streets, the 750sq m block includes a seven-level office and 39-bay basement car park. It also offers postcard views of the CBD, the lake and Port Phillip Bay  a point marketed to developers who might consider replacing the site with something taller. The precinct has seen high density apartment development over the past decade with some towers rising more than 25 levels.

The Eastern Road office was marketed by CBRE's Melbourne Middle Markets team. Agents Mark Wizel, Kiran Pillai, Josh Rutman and Lewis Tong closed an expressions of interest campaign on October 12. In May, agency Lemon Baxter listed for sale the 52 Albert Road, a four-level office, part-leased to Seven Nightclub. Another Coles complex trades Another suburban retail asset occupied by a Coles supermarket has sold, this time in Lalor. The busy property on the corner of McKimmies Road and Darebin Drive, about 18 kilometres north of town, includes a 2300sq m building within a complex containing 26 specialty shops and 148 onsite car parks.

Coles has an option to renew its lease at the supermarket for 10 years once its current contract term, for the same period, expires. The retail group pays annual rent of nearly $426,000 for the space. The asset is speculated to be exchanging for about $8.5 million but this could not be confirmed with Gross Waddell selling agents, Alex Ham and Michael Gross. Last month, it was reported the Coburg North Village Shopping Centre, a new complex majority leased to Coles, also found a buyer following a campaign managed by Savills. Eight kilometres north of town, this 1.8 hectare property with a 6283 square metre shopping centre and 303-bay car park, is speculated to be selling for around $38 million, a yield of 4.94 per cent based on the annual rental return of $1.88 million. Brunswick factory sells with apartment plans An enormous factory that occupies one of Brunswick's best positions  overlooking parkland in two directions  is expected to be repurposed after selling for a speculated price of more than $8 million. The 2323sq m parcel at 395 Albert Street includes a double-storey, 1225sq m building, leased until next April. It was offered with a planning scheme for an eight-level apartment complex potentially capturing CBD views over Gilpin Park, to the south, and further parkland views to the north, over Clifton Park and beyond that, Brunswick Park.

Recent council zoning amendments mean this and many nearby Brunswick factories, which also abut parkland, will be encouraged to make way for residential developments. Butera and Company directors David Butera and Robert Butera marketed 395 Albert Street. Ken Biddick's $32m Brighton outlay With the ink barely dry on a contract to sell a vacant CBD office, Newspaper House, for $23.95 million, horseracing identity Ken Biddick and his wife, Catherine, have paid $32.08 million for a secure, Brighton retail investment. The Middle Brighton Woolworths complex, at 100 Church Street, at the southern end of the ritzy retail strip, exchanged on a low yield of 3.77 per cent.

Leased until 2040, the 4700sq m land holding contains a 3307sq m freestanding supermarket, which Woolworths pays annual rent of $1.21 million to occupy. A short walk to the Middle Brighton train station, the property, last traded in 1985, abuts a 200-bay council-owned car park. The sale campaign was managed by CBRE's Justin Dowers, Joseph Du Rieu, Kevin Tong and Mark Wizel. The agents said a third of the 280 enquiries were from offshore-based investors. Fifteen formal offers were lodged for the 100 Church Street complex. The sale price was the highest paid for a passive supermarket investment, nationally, the agents added. When it was listed for sale, marketing material suggested yields were between 5 per cent and 6 per cent. On that basis, the Brighton complex carried price expectations of between $20 million and $24 million. The Biddicks, landlords of several local commercial properties, recently sold the Art Deco building, Newspaper House, to Lian Beng Group, a Singaporean group. Built in 1932 and formerly known as the Sydney International College, the listed Lian Beng plans to retain as a passive investment that six-storey, 2048sq m building on 478sq m at 247 Collins Street.
The country's largest private hospital operator Ramsay Health Care will open its first central-city pharmacy, starting a mooted push into providing more services "beyond the hospital walls".

Ramsay has taken a lease over about 300 square metres in a Melbourne building owned by Blackstone and Brookfield, where it will create a hyper-store selling medicines and medical services.

Ramsay Health Care chief executive Chris Rex. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The hospital giant was "undertaking preliminary work, with intention of opening in Q1 2017", a spokeswoman said. "It will be a full-line Ramsay pharmacy providing [a] full service model."

That includes dispensing medicine, providing space for allied health professionals and screening services such as blood tests. The model emulates, and will compete with, many medical practices that also provide extended ancillary services.
The final tallies from last Saturday's ACT election have yet to be posted, but what's more important for party analysts is investing Labor's return with meaning. Exactly what factors enabled it to hang on  despite numerous predictions it'd lose office or struggle to hang on and despite the .5 per cent swing against it?

With Labor winning 12 seats, the Liberals 11, and the Greens victorious in two, at first glance the result appears to offer a ringing endorsement of the previous government. Superficially, perhaps, but a deeper examination throws up three significant factors impacting on the result.

The Liberals' deputy leader Alistair Coe and leader Jeremy Hanson examine the audit report into the Land Development Agency's City to the lake purchases. Credit:Kirsten Lawson

The first unsolved issue is why, despite 16 years of Labor government, the Liberal vote actually went backwards. Open warfare has broken out and bitter recriminations are already being traded between erstwhile allies.

The intellectual right argues the party's platform lacked sufficient ideological balance and was too "wishy-washy", turning the party into a version of Labor-lite. This line is being pushed, unsurprisingly, by those on the right with an eye to their own future leadership prospects. Doing this would, however, risk leaving the party stranded in an unelectable wasteland. The way to appeal to the vital middle-ground isn't by traipsing off to the extremity.
Something deeply unsettling has been happening to the English language in Australia recently. Or, more particularly, to some important words in the English language, which are increasingly dismissed as loaded or partisan:

Human Rights. Compassion.

Since when were these words owned by the left? Some of the greatest reformers of the modern era have come from the right. Yet I have had numerous people in public life tell me that conservatives now eschew these words for fear of being slurred as a "bleeding heart".

What an enormous failure by the right if true. As Senator George Brandis argued in 2012: "The greatest intellectual error the parties of the centre-right made in the West in the years after World War II was to abdicate the field and concede the human rights debate to the left."
It is a matter of obvious public interest for Australians to know what is happening to the people we send to Nauru and how our obligations under Australian and international law are being met.

To do this, the media must be able to freely investigate what is happening there.

Setting aside all the obstacles of a lack of access, a paucity of information and sometimes difficult dealings with governments, investigating this story is what Four Corners did on Monday night. It found a way to tell real stories about children who are detained on Nauru and the teachers who had been responsible for their education.

The Nauru Regional Processing Centre is operated on behalf of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection  that is, on behalf of the government of Australia; that is, all of us. Currently, Nauru is the living place of almost 1200 refugees and asylum seekers who under international law are the responsibility of Australia.
This week's Four Corners program was about teenage internees on Nauru. I will not forget the 15-year-old Muslim girl from Burma saying she argues with her mother. The girl wants to go back to Burma, where she is at risk of being raped or murdered, saying the chance of freedom she has there is preferable to her existence on Nauru.

After America won its independence and refused to accept any more convicts from England, the prison hulks were soon also filled to overflowing. The British Empire responded by finding a Nauru of its own. It was called Australia. Like the so-called "Pacific Solution", which shields the Australian public from the 21st century revolution that is mass migration and the 60 million refugees on the move around the globe, it was a case of out of sight, out of mind.

The explosion in the number of convicted criminals in Georgian times came after the Industrial Revolution caused impoverished villagers to flood into the new industrial centres, creating waves of crime and disease. The government reacted by making its penal code more draconian. There were soon more prisoners than the overcrowded prisons could handle, hence the idea of storing the excess unwanted humanity in former warships rotting on the Thames.

Last month, comedian Anthony Morgan tweeted, "Manus and Nauru are the modern equivalents of rotting prison hulks in the Thames". I retweeted it. The government will dismiss this statement as hyperbole, but there is an important sense in which the two historical experiences are one.

Nor will I forget the two young men who knew the Iranian refugee, Omid Masoumali, who set himself ablaze on Nauru after being told he would be there for another decade. Masoumali's critics said he did it to get to Australia. As the young men said  who wants to get to Australia if it means arriving with life-threatening burns? (Masoumali died the next day). As for the four Australian teachers formerly on Nauru who spoke to camera, I thought they personified what is finest about their vocation.

I am currently reading a history from the time of the hulks, Joyce Marlow's The Tolpuddle Martyrs. It starts in 1835 with the wages of rural labourers being reduced from 10 shillings a week to six; their children are already semi-starved. The authorities have responded to the labourers' protests and riots by hanging the ring-leaders and transporting hundreds of their followers.

George Loveless, a Methodist lay preacher and farm labourer, takes what he understands to be a lawful path, starting one of the earliest trade unions, the members of which are required to take an oath of loyalty to one another. Under an archaic law to do with oaths, he and five others, known to history as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, are convicted and transported to Australia after a brief taste of the hulks off Plymouth. George Loveless ends up in Hobart, assigned to Governor Arthur.

I read a lot of histories and biographies about the Georgian period. In them, I find the social conditions from which we come, and to which we could return, laid out bare. With the passage of time, we can see the events of the period in a cool, detached way, free of rhetoric and distractions.

We see government ministers saying they have to enact the law to the letter or anarchy will prevail, we see most of the citizenry not affected by the crisis paying little heed, we see the odd brave individual standing up. It is in this sense that Nauru and Manus Island are the rotting hulks of our day and, as a Tasmanian, let me say that it is how they will be remembered.
Yvette Chauvire, one of the 20th century's outstanding ballerinas and the most lustrous star of French ballet from the 1940s through the 1960s, died on Wednesday at her home in Paris. She was 99.

Originally a child prodigy at the Paris Opera Ballet, Ms Chauvire (pronounced shaw-vih-RAY) was acclaimed as a national symbol of French culture by an adoring public and by the French government, which bestowed its highest honours on her.

1950: Prima ballerina assoluta Yvette Chauvire, star of the Paris Opera ballet, as Giselle. Credit:Getty

Although she belonged to a generation of gifted ballerinas at the Paris Opera, she was set apart by a mesmerising elegance that was never confused with chic. Critics at home and abroad defined her dancing as "velvet and steel," a warm lyricism coating a virtuoso technique and perfect classical form.

Early in her career, in the 1930s and '40s, she was identified mainly with experimental works by Serge Lifar, the controversial director of the Paris Opera Ballet whose choreography dominated its repertoire. Yet she also made the 19th-century classic Giselle, in which she danced the title role, her signature piece.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott's National Schools Chaplaincy Program has so far been left alone. Credit:Andrew Meares Scott would say only that "the service we provide depends on the funding envelope provided". For a moment it looked like Peppa might get it in the neck. This week, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull showed little trace of that relaxed, confident, outward-looking guy with the sense of humour. Credit:Andrew Meares But then Turnbull  the old, loveable, leather-jacket-wearing, Q&A audience-wooing Turnbull we used to know  came to the rescue.

"Contrary to media rumours, Peppa's is one snout we are happy to have in the ABC trough," he tweeted, along with a cuddly picture of himself sitting next to a superimposed Peppa on the steps of the Opera House. Illustration: John Shakespeare How things have changed. This week, there was little trace of that relaxed, confident, outward-looking guy with the sense of humour, the guy who could please the crowds with a tweet, the one most Australians thought they were voting for at the last election. This week, we saw an inward-looking Turnbull appear to sympathise with the gun lobby, in a transparent attempt to win favour with the Nationals. He even repeated in Parliament the absurd claim that gun-fanciers have been "vilified".

We saw a Prime Minister who was dragged off a carefully designed campaign to sell an important piece of legislation (the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission) and into a fight with his predecessor about gun laws, of all things. Last week, few outside the Nationals party room were even thinking of guns, except perhaps the Law Abiding Firearm Owners of Australia  a lobby group that has sent a petition to the Australian Human Rights Commission claiming that another lobby group, Gun Control Australia, is fomenting hatred against it. Gun laws are one of the few issues in Australian political life that are more or less settled, despite the push-back from gun lobbyists, Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm and the presence of two men from the Shooters and Fishers party in the NSW upper house. Our strict gun controls don't just enjoy the overwhelming support of the Australian people, they are a point of pride for us. Along with Medicare, our gun laws are one of the things that set us aside from what many consider the barbarism and madness of the US. And yet, Turnbull has managed to steer his government into a fight about both, even while telling us there is no basis to either fight  he has repeatedly said there would be no changes to Medicare, and no changes to gun laws.

How much of this can be blamed on Abbott? The former prime minister has become a terrible pest, to use one of the kinder descriptions employed by his colleagues this week. On Thursday, we saw an extraordinary showdown between Abbott and Turnbull that spilled onto the parliamentary floor, where Abbott declared to the Speaker he had been "most grievously" misrepresented by his own leader over the inner-inner-inner beltway issue of emails documenting a deal done in the last Parliament allegedly to secure the vote of Leyonhjelm on legislation which has long since passed. Got that? Even political tragics found the details difficult to parse. Labor said the controversy was about guns for votes, but it wasn't. It was about Abbott and Turnbull and the guns issue was just a proxy war. It demonstrated that as long the Coalition's two strongest personalities are gazing into each other's eyes, engaged with each other, the Coalition will be unable to engage with the broader electorate.

The modest achievements the Prime Minister has made so far reflect this inward focus  the changes he made to his superannuation reforms, the backpacker tax issue, even the legislation to reintroduce the Australian Building and Construction Commission, which was supposed to be the big propaganda victory of this week. But the ABCC, whatever it's worth (and the government leaked a lot of material damaging to the thuggish CFMEU this week to argue the case for its reintroduction) is just not something that fires the hearts or the imaginations of the electorate. It is a pet issue of the conservative wing of the Coalition, not something that occupies the thoughts of the mothers on the school run that Liberal pollster Mark Textor likes to keep front of mind when formulating vote-winning policy. Turnbull and his Treasurer Scott Morrison have also passed an omnibus savings bill that delivers $6.5 million to the budget, but they received little credit for it. Nick Xenophon, who controls three votes in the Senate, has announced he will not support tax cuts for businesses with a turnover of more than $10 million, which rather ruins the main policy Turnbull took to the election.

Abbott seems intent on running a sort of sliding doors prime ministership, popping up regularly to speak his mind on matters of state, being careful to choose issues where he can take a morally pure position  greater democratisation in the NSW Liberal Party, or the ban on weapons that could hurt large numbers of people. Underpinning these interventions is Abbott's strong sense of entitlement. As a former prime minister, he sees himself as a party elder, who can, and should, weigh in on important subjects. His promise not to snipe from the sideline, made on being ousted from the prime ministership, now seems laughable. Abbott's interjections also serve to remind his party room that, where Turnbull is prolix, he is pithy, and while Turnbull might allow the agenda to drift, he is deft at hoiking it back onto firm Coalition territory  witness how easily the former prime minister linked gun control to terrorism during his many public comments this week. Abbott's popularity within the party room is weak and there would have to be a sea change within the Coalition and the electorate for his return to the leadership to morph into a serious prospect.
On Tuesday, Qantas announced it plans to offer 10 days' domestic violence leave to all 30,000 of its employees by the end of the year. These employees will now join more than 1 million other Australian employees who have access to domestic violence leave. However, this still leaves more than 10 million Australian workers with no special leave for situations of domestic violence.

Amid renewed calls from unions, state governments and private industry to amend the Fair Work Act to guarantee domestic violence leave for all workers in Australia, it is worthwhile to explain what domestic violence leave is, and why it is a crucial part of a whole-of-community response to this problem.

Specific domestic violence leave covers circumstances which otherwise wouldn't fall within personal leave. Credit:Michael Mucci

Domestic violence leave is additional paid leave for employees affected by domestic violence. It is separate to annual leave and personal or carers' leave, which are guaranteed in the Fair Work Act.

When reflecting on the value of this type of leave, it is important to recognise that domestic violence is a workplace issue. Statistics showing us that one woman in Australia is killed each week by a current or former partner are grimly known in Australia, thanks to the efforts of national campaigners including Rosie Batty and local domestic violence advocates.
Colin McPhedran, who endured too much torment too early, has been gone for six years now.

But this gentle man, who lived out most of his life in the Southern Highlands of NSW because their hills reminded him of his lost childhood home in Burma, has left behind a story that will never die.

The McPhedran Commemorative Trekkers with Colin's son, Ian McPhedran Left to right: Kevin Commins, Jacob Garrett, Ian, Kenton Reeder and Michael Clarebrough.

It is a story with such power that more than 70 years after it occurred, four men from Melbourne are setting out in a few months to retrace its long and painful path and to film a documentary of it to help the women and children of today's Myanmar, previously named Burma.

Colin McPhedran struggled out of Burma, a child barely alive, in 1942. Tens of thousands of others died on the same little-known journey, one of the most harrowing refugee tragedies in world history.
When they're done, they'll be free to apply for a permit to demolish it again. But because the building is in a heritage overlay area with protections against any significant alterations to historic buildings, they will almost certainly be knocked back.

While debate rages about what action should be taken against those responsible for the destruction of the two-storey 1859 brick hotel formerly known as the Carlton Inn, there is an answer of sorts in the plan to rebuild, stick by weathered stick, the 1860 house built for Ned Kelly's family in rural Beveridge .

There is a dark symmetry to The Corkman Irish Pub being demolished by "cowboy" developers in the same week that plans were revealed to restore the home of our most famous Irish-Australian bushranger .

Would it matter that it was no longer the original building that was being protected? Well, yes and no. It would clearly be preferable that the building had never been destroyed in the first place, but as the Kelly plan demonstrates, the notion of heritage can encompass reconstruction when that is the only viable option.

The Corkman Irish Pub, formerly known as the Carlton Inn, as it was last month. Credit:James Bowering

Should the developers be forced to rebuild  as urged by a petition online that has attracted more than 16,000 signatories  and should they then be denied a permit to demolish (again), they would be several million dollars poorer. More importantly, they would have no chance of reaping the profits that might flow from erecting a high-rise apartment block on their erstwhile vacant site.

Their folly would stand as a monument to all who might be tempted to similarly disregard our heritage and the law.

Shed no tears for the developers, Stefce Kutlesovski and Raman Shaqiri, or the Shaqiri-owned Shaq Demolition and Excavation, in this fantasy scenario. They must have known full well that they ought to have applied for a permit to demolish, and to have abided by the outcome  almost certainly negative. But according to the City of Melbourne, there is no evidence any permits were issued other than one for a road closure  which we now know was to facilitate the illegal demolition.
With news last week that record numbers of Victorians were traipsing through the state's museums and galleries, I surveyed my mug, coaster and fridge magnet collection with pride. Ai Weiwei's one-finger salute to the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a mug? Tick. Andy Warhol's Flowers screen print on a fridge magnet? Tick. More of Weiwei's stick-it-up-the-establishment photos on coasters? Tick.

When I exit through the gallery gift shop, I release my wallet as readily as if I were being invited to hand it over in a dark alley. But what exactly have I bought into? Recalling his visit to the mummy of all blockbusters, Treasures of Tutankhamun at the British Museum, opened by the Queen in March 1972, English cartoonist Michael Heath told The Telegraph 30 years on: "The whole country had gone Tutankhamun mad: there were Tutankhamun stamps, Tutankhamun pencil-sharpeners, Tutankhamun vacuum flasks, Tutankhamun cocktails, Tutankhamun slippers. I couldn't see the exhibition with 8 million other people in the way. We queued for days. Inside, it was packed with thousands of people in overcoats." Oh for the innocent days of stamps, pencil sharpeners and vacuum flasks.

Crowds flocked to the Melbourne Museum to get close to Tutankhamun's treasures. Credit:John Woudstra

Can conspicuous consumption co-exist with a meaningful museum experience? More importantly, can a meaningful museum or gallery experience be had among the crowded chambers of so-called blockbuster exhibitions? You know the sort  if they're not associated with the Egyptian boy king, they're commonly linked to cinematic blockbusters such as Titanic and the Jurassic Park movie series. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, held at the Melbourne Museum in 2011, holds the national record for visitor numbers  796,000 people ogled the dazzling ancient Egyptian artefacts the mummified boy king took with him into the hereafter. Museums are the custodians of bona fide objects  and it's the desire to see the real thing that pulls the crowds, particularly in the digital age.

When it comes to art, it's the Impressionists  Monet and his ilk  who generally trigger mass excitement. But they have just been usurped by a pair of contemporary lads  Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei, who drew more than 400,000 people to the National Gallery of Victoria last year, making it the gallery's most popular ticketed show ever.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (161 minutes) MA

Sergio Leone's first great film was this grandly conceived, savagely comic 1966 spaghetti Western in which a search for buried treasure launches Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach on an epic battle of wits, with the American Civil War as a backdrop. Ennio Morricone's score is one of the most memorable in cinema. Digitally projected. Astor, tomorrow, 7pm.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was Sergio Leone's first great film.

THELMA AND LOUISE (130 minutes) M

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon are a couple of "ordinary" Southern women on the run from the law in this 1991 feminist classic, one of the few modern Hollywood films with the force of myth  an achievement that belongs as much to its stars, and to first-time screenwriter Callie Khouri, as it does to director Ridley Scott. Digitally projected. Cinema Nova (check listings for session times).
Former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden helped publicise the issue of secret backdoors. Credit:AP "It was a huge amount of sensitive information," says Lowry. "All these individuals' personal histories for the last 20 years, their relatives, where they'd travelled, whether they were gambling, having affairs, all the stuff you don't even tell your partner or banker. The amazing part was that these thieves were inside the OPM network for a year taking this data and nobody saw what they were doing. "The cyber guys had identified an entity bumping around inside the OPM system but while they were focused on that, the real actor was taking data with the other hand  it was a deliberate decoy." Lowry's key message is beware the insider, whom he likes to refer to generically as "Dave". You can control your perimeters with all the latest firewalls and up-to-date routers and every other kind of technological barrier, he argues, but eventually "a Dave" will breach your external defences. "Dave can physically live in Tajikistan, but he doesn't have to pass through a gate or a guard to get to the interior of your system. Dave can live in your system and you won't know it until something happens," Lowry says.

In 2013, Lowry had a brush with one of the most notorious "insider" breaches of the modern era. He was working for the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence when Edward Snowden, the former subcontractor to the National Security Agency, leaked a mass of top-secret files to The Guardian and other media outlets revealing the industrial scale of the NSA's covert monitoring of global communications, public and private. There was a worldwide outcry at the news. Civil liberties and privacy advocates hailed Snowden (who has since taken refuge in Russia) as a hero for exposing the scale of the surveillance programs. Not surprisingly Lowry, who was part of the team assessing the damage from the Snowden leaks, takes a radically different view . "Less than 1 per cent of the material he took has ever been published," says Lowry. "We only know a small portion of what was exposed. It's been nearly four years now, and we are still trying to work that out." He believes that Australian government departments are at " serious risk" of large-scale sensitive and classified data loss unless they step up insider threat assessments. David Irvine, the former head of Australia's top spy agencies, ASIS and ASIO, also took aim at Snowden this week, telling Fairfax in a joint briefing with Lowry that he'd been " horrified" at the Snowden leaks. "People say nobody lost their lives as a result of Snowden, but how do you know that? Once your capabilities which are there to defend the country [are] exposed ... they become much weaker capabilities. And that was the impact of Snowden," he said.

Another intelligence source says, bluntly, "all of the encryption difficulties that we are having flow from [the Snowden] leaks". Lowry, now 63, trained in psychology and worked as a detective in San Jose before joining one of the first police cyber crime units in the US in the early 1990s. He later became a "master interrogator"  "my teams went to Gitmo [Guantanamo Bay]," he says  before becoming the human intelligence manager for the Department of the Navy, and later moving to the National Intelligence Directorate. Since early last year he has teamed up with Nuix, a leading Australian cyber security company, and is now the company's US-based vice president. Nuix's Sydney-based CEO Eddie Sheehy says the firm is developing a software "engine" that tries to anticipate and detect the kinds of anomalous behaviours that signal the presence of malicious actors inside a network. "Did they download a whole bunch of critical value data and put it on a USB stick? Did they take a whole bunch of information that looks like they shouldn't have had access to it, and put it in a folder called Mum's Recipes?" he cites, as examples. "Every major company in Australia is getting pinged at least once a second by people or malicious actors or algorithms trying to penetrate their firewalls."

Such an assessment gains credence from the second annual threat report put out by the federal government's Australian Cyber Security Centre earlier this month. It revealed that the centre's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) had responded to 14,804 cyber security incidents affecting local businesses in the past year, more than 400 of which could have impacted on "systems of national interest and critical infrastructure". Many cyber breaches still went undetected or unreported, it warned, and many executives remained unaware of "the harm malicious cyber activity can cause their business, do not understand the value of the data they hold and cannot conceive why they would be targeted". Its finding that terrorists were "unlikely" to be able to penetrate cyber networks for destructive effect "for at last the next two to three years" was hardly reassuring. Sheehy says "so far terrorists have not had the skill-sets to do this. But in this industry, if you can dream it, eventually it will happen."

Irvine told Fairfax: "The potential of cyber to attack systems and disable systems is an area where critical infrastructure in Australia really has to focus in the next few years." Since retiring as the head of ASIO two years ago he's taking an increasing interest in cyber security and now chairs a non-profit, the Australian Cyber Security Research Institute. "I would like to see a much strong national cyber capability," the former spy boss says. One mystery no one inside or outside government yet seems to have cleared up is the scale of an attack (allegedly by China) on the Parliament House computer system, first reported in 2011. "The intruders open-cut the entire system," one well-placed source told Fairfax this week. "We think they took private emails, personal emails, everything." Loading
Former prime minister Tony Abbott hits back in Parliament. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Until recently, Abbott has limited his public interventions to discrete issues like party reform (which many view as merely a proxy war against Turnbull), or what he thinks of Donald Trump (many of the Republican nominees positions are "reasonable enough", Abbott says). But this week the Member for Warringah broke cover to insert himself into a public fight over the issue of the importation of an obscure shotgun, the Adler, which some Nationals would like to see legalised with strict conditions. Tony Abbott listens as Malcolm Turnbull launches the 2016 election campaign. Credit:Jason Edwards An amendment to the original ban on the Adler shotgun, which included a sunset clause negotiated with pro-gun crossbencher David Leyonhjelm, was put through Abbott's "kitchen cabinet", rather than the whole cabinet, in July last year.

That means Abbott's office should have known about it and, considering how centrally run the government was under Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin, it would be surprising if it did not. Nonetheless, Abbott was unrelenting in his attack on Turnbull this week. It was was a fight which only served to inflame Liberal-Nationals tensions, which embarrassed the Prime Minister publicly, when he was forced to come out and defend his ministers, in what amounted to a rebuke of Abbott. Abbott returned fire by making a public statement in parliament claiming he had been misrepresented "most grievously" by his own leader. Even Rudd and Gillard resisted airing their tensions in the House of Representatives.

On Friday, Turnbull was at pains to point out that, under him, the Adler issue had gone to cabinet. "The decision to impose the sunset clause was not a cabinet decision last year ... it wasn't a decision of the Abbott cabinet," he said. "I ensured that the extension of the ban that was made by my government was a decision of the cabinet." But the whole fight constituted an own goal for the government, leading some to question whether Abbott should stay in parliament at all. Abbott's Coalition colleagues are caught midway between dismay and bemusement at their former leader's behaviour, particularly after a recent party-room meeting where he raised the party reform issue. People who were present say the weekly meeting is always polite and respectful, but Abbott broke with that tradition and was "berating" people who disagreed with him.

Despite his pledge, on leaving office, that there would be "no wrecking, no undermining and no sniping", Abbott appears to be on a campaign of some sort. "It's like Abbott unleashed again, like a few years ago, when he was free to follow his own desires," one government minister says. "In the last few weeks, he's attacked Ronald Reagan, endorsed Trump, launched into the moderates in the NSW Libs and now he's thrown [ministers] Keenan and Dutton under a bus. "Someone should be standing there saying, 'Is that really that smart, Tony?' but he doesn't seem to have those people around him anymore." The comparisons with Kevin Rudd, who undermined the prime ministership of Julia Gillard from the backbench, before launching a successful political assault on her, are too tempting.

But any comeback would involve wooing his party room, and instead Abbott seems determined to blow it up. For months, the former PM has sought to pressure Turnbull, and other members of the NSW moderate-conservative alliance which put Turnbull into power, over the issue of party reform. "This is a power struggle between Tony and Malcolm, that's exactly what this is about," says one senior NSW Liberal of the party reform issue, set to be debated at this weekend's state council meeting. According to senior NSW Liberals, Abbott's reform plan for pre-selections done by plebiscite, was likely to go down in a "screaming heap". Those counting the numbers said Abbott could have relied on the votes of about 38 per cent of the council  well short of the 60 per cent plus one vote needed to amend the NSW Liberal constitution.

Liberals who have worked on the Turnbull-Baird compromise say it's a comprehensive proposal that seeks to give the membership a direct hand in formulating party policy, while addressing open sores like female representation. They say Abbott's plan, called "the Warringah proposal", is solely focused on pre-selections. "Abbott and [hard-right party operative and numbers man] Walter Villatora would back this if they were serious about party reform," says one NSW Liberal MP. "But reform is the secondary motive. The first motive is a power grab by Abbott and the Trump element of the party." Another NSW Liberal MP said the Turnbull-Baird counter-proposal was about achieving a reform outcome while sparing Abbott the "humiliation" of having his proposal defeated. "What will happen if this thing goes down in a flaming heap? Alan Jones, other columnists and Abbott are going to go ape shit and say it's another factional stitch-up."

Another Liberal who said he backed the introduction of rank-and-file plebiscites said the proposal put forward by Villatora was riddled with holes that could result in a return of ethnic branch stacking in the NSW party. He said the plebiscite model put up "removed all safety valves" from the current pre-selection system, which combines rank-and-file votes with a central state executive component. "This would allow someone to sign up 1500 new members on the Monday and see them vote in a pre-selection on the Tuesday." Abbott's reform push might have been tolerable, his colleagues say, if he'd kept it in NSW. But he is using it in Canberra to embarrass the Prime Minister. Even leader of the house Christopher Pyne was forced to admit tensions exist between the two men, saying "they have a difference of opinion about who the Prime Minister should be".

"Everyone is concerned about the appearance of Rudd versus Gillard playing out again," says one of the NSW Liberal MPs. A Cabinet minister observes that Abbott "inflicted more damage on himself than anyone else" this week, but the government was still the "net loser". "Where does it go from here? That depends very much on Tony's attitude," the minister says. "If he's going to do everything publicly there will be a continuing distraction ... Maybe the events of this week will cause him to reflect on the wisdom of doing that." Does Abbott believe he might return to the prime ministership? His language leaves the possibility open. Last week he told Fairfax Media he stood "ready to serve", but was "perfectly content serving as the member for Warringah".
"Has it damaged his standing? Probably. It escalated and it didn't need to. He was defending his legacy, his greatest legacy is national security, so it was fierce," one said.

Mr Dutton had reached out to Mr Abbott to broker peace with the former prime minister on Thursday but to no avail.

Conservative MPs sympathetic to Mr Abbott said on Friday the near-week long stoush between the current and previous prime ministers had damaged the former leader and his relationship with a fellow leading conservative, Mr Dutton, in particular.

"It wasn't a decision of the Abbott cabinet. I ensured that the extension of the ban that was made by my government was a decision of the cabinet," he said.

"We are all behind Malcolm but we don't want to see Tony's reputation trashed in the process. It would have been useful if he [Abbott] didn't weigh in, though."

Another Abbott friend agreed the former PM had spoken up to protect his legacy but "it didn't help the government".

"I don't think his standing is something we spend much time on. If it's 'standing' as in returning for leadership, we just aren't thinking about it. The fundamental difference is that [Kevin] Rudd was popular, whereas Tony is popular with the base but that's not enough."

Other Liberals friendly to Mr Abbott, however, have told Fairfax Media this week that the former prime minister had handled the political attack from Labor over guns - which is largely viewed as a distraction that has kept the government from discussing its workplace reform agenda - as more forceful and more direct than Mr Turnbull.

Mr Abbott, meanwhile, said he would back the Turnbull-Baird motion on Saturday but that his branch's motion, which calls for all members to be given a vote in preselections as soon as practical, would not be withdrawn and was not inconsistent with the Turnbull-Baird proposal.
Lynden White at her Balmain home, with her collection of letters from her pupils. Credit:Louise Kennerley "How would they feel about having their old kindergarten teacher friend them?" she wonders. Still, she's delivered nearly all of that year's letters to their owners - 21 of 26 - just as they begin the new stage of their lives, the end of school, the HSC and a world beyond the school gate. Some years, her strike rate isn't as good. "When I grow up I want to be a detective", Tom Newby wrote in 2004. "They go missing and you never know where they end up but even if you get to 50 per cent, that's good."

So why does she pick this time of year? As a kindy kid, Tom Newby dreamed of being a detective. "I want them to be content with whatever happens ... the HSC is not going to be the be all and end all. And I want them to be happy. There is more to life than those exams," she says. She knows that some of her former students will be disappointed in their results  but she wants them to look beyond, to think about how far they have come since those early days of school. Tom Newby, now aged 17.

"In kindergarten, you are learning a lot about yourself. [Teachers] concentrate a lot on social skills and laying foundations for later in life." That's not to say that academic achievement is unimportant but it's different for different students. "When I grow up, I want to be a bling-bling". In 2004, Ned Taranto dreamt of the rapper life. "I have high expectations for kids and there is also all the curriculum expectations but I have always wanted kids to have fun, cooperating, collaborating, learning about themselves. "To be in a classroom where we can make a mistake and it is not a problem, without being pressured. Just give them time, don't be in a hurry and once they are ready, they will fly.

Ned Taranto, now 18, admits the "bling bling" life still appeals. "I want them to remember how far they have come, where they have come from, and recapture some of that innocence." When Ned Taranto, 18, Birchgrove kindy class of 2004, opened his letter last Sunday, he was reminded just how good Mrs White's memory was. When he was in kindy, the tuckshop had run out of tomato sauce for meat pies. At the time, the feisty five year old said it was an outrage! And Mrs White's note to him this week said that the speed with which 12 years had passed was an "outrage". "She had a great memory," he remembers. His own letter reminded him of his unusual aspirations. "I drew some weird gangster guy," says Ned. At five, he wrote: "I want to be a bling-bling because they are cool."

Ned now jokes: "Things haven't changed, I still like the jewellery and the gangster life." With Tom's letter was also a note from Mrs White. "Dear Tom," she begins. "I wonder if your career choice has changed. I ... want to wish you all the best and hope you achieve what you want." At least one parent whose child received one of these letters told her: "You had us all in tears around the breakfast table." Tom had no tears. He remembers Mrs White as a brilliant teacher who found exactly the right books for him to read and who saw him in the playground when he was in third class and they spent all lunchtime talking about painting.

"She was still keeping an eye on us all those years later," Tom remembers. And the letter? "It was very weird coming across something from myself that long ago. Also, the fact that she cared about me was really stunning. And god, I was adorable." He's laughing. Turns out he was also adorable in kindy, an inquisitive kid, filled with life, really interested in the physical world, says Mrs White. He still wants to be a detective.
What message were you trying to convey in this series as the photographer? I just wanted to document and witness this life-changing process of this young boy from a third-world country by using a limited amount of pictures, which is quite challenging. Your series captures a real sense of optimism and humanity. What was it like covering this story? It was a great experience ... also very lucky that I got to travel to a remote village in PNG, where Koko's home is, with a group of Aussie volunteer doctors and nurses, where they set up clinics to give medical help to the villagers.

Standing Tall documents the journey of Koko, an eight-year-old Papuan boy who travelled to Australia to have life-changing surgery to straighten a profoundly deformed bone in his leg. The series documents not only Koko's journey but his recovery under the care of Dr Leo Donnan at Melbourne's St Vincent's Private Hospital.

Fairfax photographer Eddie Jim spoke to Clique about his moving series, Standing Tall , which has been nominated for an Amnesty International media award and the 2016 Nikon-Walkley award in the feature/photo essay category.

Koko had orthopaedic surgery on his deformed left leg. Credit:Eddie Jim

I absolutely respect those Aussie angels, because they all use their own time and money to go there and offer help to those villagers for nothing.



Tell me about how you would go about documenting children differently as opposed to adults  is it any different?



To photograph children nowadays, the photographer has to 100 per cent make sure the parents are OK and aware of what you are doing as well as what you are going to use those photos for.

Clarify all details before the shoot. Then it's also good to spend time with the subject, to get to know him/her, build a bond. Do not start shooting at the minute you meet with the kid.



When working on a photo essay do you think through what sort of photos you might need to tell a story, or is it a process of 'bouncing off' things as they happen?



To build up a good photo essay it's always best to think ahead what sort of images you'd like to get. Then keep that in mind, but try not to push or pose your subject.

Spend more time to observe, capture the moments spontaneously.



What's your advice to budding documentary photographers?



Choose a topic or subject that you are familiar with, do research on your topic before the shoot starts.

Keep a good communication with your subject, don't focus too much on your camera settings, or keep checking the images on the back of your camera. Treat your subject as one of your best friends or a family member.
President Bill Clinton during his 1996 re-election campaign. Credit:David Burnett The photographers who cover the White House are professionals at the top of their game, and in even very ordinary situations they'll make pictures and see things that the rest of us would probably miss. It's it's those moments that I fear may be lost to history going forward. Has it been harder to get those intimate moments with the rise of 'media management'? President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev at the Geneva Summit in Switzerland, November 21, 1985. Credit:David Burnett There is no question that everybody wants to be in charge of their image. Everyone wants to be in charge of how they are seen and perceived. The freewheeling days of the last 50 years have come grinding to a halt with the rise of a whole new strata of public relations professionals who see their mission as controlling images.

It's too bad because when you look back at the pictures of JFK and Bobby Kennedy, for example, you see the spontaneity that real photographers got  real moments, and it's not something that a PR person can think of and make happen. You just need to let photographers do their job. Bill Clinton and Al Gore prepare for an interview with Larry King. Credit:David Burnett Did you have a favourite president, so to speak, in shooting this series? One that left a powerful impression perhaps? Perhaps because he was the one I got to know the best  his personal photographer was a good friend of mine  and was someone who went out of his way to bring other photographers into the Oval Office, was Gerald Ford. Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter campaigns in New Hampshire in February, 1976. Credit:David Burnett

And the thing that probably separated Ford from those who came afterwards is the fact he was never someone who set out to be president. Because he was chosen by Nixon to be his vice president and then when Nixon resigned he ascended to the presidency he was not someone who was so fuelled by his ego  just look at the people who ran for president this year and you'll see what I mean. John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States. Credit:David Burnett Gerald Ford was a real human being, and a real Mensch, and I fear we shall not see anyone like him again very soon. If Donald Trump became president, how would you go about documenting him and would you approach it differently to the presidents you'd documented previously?

Given the barriers that the Trump campaign has held up to the press this year both written and photographic, you just have the feeling that it will be a nightmare to cover this White House. And it's not just a bunch of photographers complaining  it's a real sealing off of access to the president which the public has a right to, and that's what worries me the most. Which president was the most difficult to document, and why? There have been some great pictures of Barack Obama in the last eight years but ... his White House has not been the most friendly to photographers. Maybe it's just a trend that was set in motion decades ago and there is some sort of natural force pushing it forward, but the fact is still photographers remain capable of creating images that are hugely helpful to understanding the day-to-day workings of the presidency and the White House, and the diminution of their work is something which I think the public will eventually come to rue.
Controversial lender of last resort, Ian Lazar, has swapped a prison cell for an upmarket private hospital in Mosman after his lawyers successfully argued his mental health was deteriorating and that Corrective Services could not provide the appropriate treatment.

Mr Lazar, 45, was bail refused in August after threatening to kill a business associate.

Ian Lazar has swapped his jail cell for an upmarket mental health facility in Mosman. Credit:Courtesy: Four Corners

"I will burn your house and your family" and "Your wife will be a widow when I slice your throat in front of her," Mr Lazar allegedly texted to Penrith car dealer Henry James.

At the time Mr Lazar was already on bail for a string of offences, including several counts of fraud, stealing cattle, receiving stolen goods and using a gold bar, allegedly stolen from a crime figure, as payment for the intimidation of a police officer.
His offending started during a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when the paedophile and former dance teacher pulled one of his female students, aged 10, aside in the wings and put his hands down her leotard.

Grant William Davies' predatory behaviour would continue for another 13 years against nine underage victims, all of whom were students at his inner-west dance studio.

Jailed: Paedophile dance teacher Grant Davies. Credit:Facebook

The victims were aged between nine and 15 at the time of the offences, which occurred between 2001 and 2013.

Davies, who ran the now-defunct RG Dance Studio in Chiswick, was arrested in May 2013 after his wife found inappropriate messages to a student on his phone.
Calculated planning led up to the suspected murder-suicide of a family in Sydney's north as investigators traced the gas used in the tragedy to an order placed weeks ago.

As the Colombian family of Maria Claudia Lutz, 43, prepare to arrive in Australia to take their loved ones back home, police are slowly piecing together what led to their deaths.

Floral tributes gather outside the Sir Thomas Mitchell Drive home in Davidson after a suspected murder suicide. Credit:Nick Moir

It is understood Mrs Lutz's husband Fernando Manrique, 44, had set up an account with a gas company, that allowed him to order carbon monoxide in recent weeks.

It is also understood the gas was not delivered to his home but to another address. The tanks were then kept outside his property, although the family did not know the deadly purpose for which they were to be used.
As astronomical house prices shatter the home ownership dreams of many Sydneysiders, government research has found the equivalent of 20 years of housing supply is tied up in empty bedrooms.

Over half a million homes, most of which are occupied by "empty nester" older couples or singles in their 50s or older, had at least two empty bedrooms, according to a study by the Department of Planning and Environment.

The research highlighted the potential benefit to the city's housing supply if some homeowners chose to live in smaller dwellings, allowing young families to fill the larger houses. But efforts to encourage this shift were thwarted by a lack of alternative options, Planning Minister Rob Stokes said.

"Our households are more diverse than ever, so logically our housing options need to match that," said Mr Stokes.
A suspect batch of north Queensland bananas has tested negative for Panama disease.

The samples were taken from a property at Tully after the owner raised concerns to authorities late last month.

The TR4 strain is difficult to detect and a potentially serious threat to the Australian Cavendish banana industry. Credit:Andrew Quilty

Panama Tropical Race 4 (TR4) program leader Rebecca Sapuppo confirmed after extensive testing in Brisbane that the plants were negative for Panama disease TR4, a soil-borne fungus which attacks banana plants.

Another Tully property has been under quarantine since last March after Panama TR4 was found in its banana plants.
None of those things, however, matter to most people who actually buy phones. Everyday consumers don't need their phones to have unlocked bootloaders, to be easily rootable, and to be a development reference point. Instead, Nexuses were for niche groups: developers, manufacturers, and enthusiasts.

Ever since Google released the Nexus One in 2010 , the company has launched a new Nexus device each year to coincide with a new version of Android. That phone (or occasionally tablet ) would serve as the reference point for Android development. If you wrote apps or built phones, this was the device that you'd base your work on and branch out from there.

The reviews are in and most agree, Google's new Pixel phones are awesome. They also mark the death of the Nexus line. With the shift towards Pixels, Google is turning its eye from the experimental world of Nexus devices, to the bigger world of phone buyers everywhere.

This distinction showed in a few areas. For starters, Google never really wanted the Nexus to be a top seller. Even if they were better and cheaper than the competition, Google rarely advertised directly, letting enthusiasts do the selling for them. Most people would be hard-pressed to recall any specific ads for a Nexus phone, but who can forget Samsung's long-running campaign poking fun at iPhone lines? Customers could also walk into every single major carrier store and buy an iPhone since 2011, or the newest Galaxy phone since 2012. While the last Nexus generation worked on every carrier, you couldn't buy it in any carrier stores. If Google's top priority was selling as many units as possible, these were pretty big oversights.

Google's Pixel phones feature 24/7 support built in.

Instead, Google was focused on experimenting and developing Android as a platform. Since 2010, Google has released eight phones from five different manufacturers. Each time, a different company like Huawei, HTC, and Motorola were put into the spotlight, so customers could see their other products. Google made a really awesome, affordable Nexus 7 tablet that was easily one of Google's biggest sales hits ever, but there hasn't been a new one since 2013. Instead, Google let other companies like ASUS make cheap, small tablets. Meanwhile, Google focused on a hybrid tablet laptop that came out before Android even supported multiwindow apps. The goal of the Nexus program was to try out new hardware, see what works, and built that into Android itself, rather than to sell any one particular device to as many people as possible. In fact, Much of that experimentation is paying off with the Pixel phones.

You might never have even heard of the Nexus Q, but it helped bring you this.The Nexus program has always been a launchpad for Google. It let the company experiment with hardware that didn't already exist on the market, then hand it over to the rest of the industry to build on. It even allowed them to create whole new products. The Nexus Q was a colossal flop, but it eventually led to the wildly popular Chromecast. Nexuses were never about dominating the market. They were about giving Google a place to experiment.

Google's Pixel phones finally offer the support the average customer needs
The man accused of bashing toddler Nikki Francis-Coslovich was "nice" and "never hurt any of us", the toddler's sibling told police.

John Clifford Torney, 32, has pleaded not guilty to murder, saying it was Nikki's mother Peta-Ann Francis who killed the toddler, while he helped hide the body in the roof cavity.

One of Nikki Francis-Coslovich's siblings told police that accused murderer John Torney was 'nice, good and honest'.

Video evidence of two of Nikki's siblings, taken the day after her death, was played to the jury on Friday at the Supreme Court trial sitting in Mildura.

One sibling said in the video that "Johnny" was "nice", "good" and "honest" and had never hurt any of the children.
A total ban on the heaviest trucks crossing the West Gate Bridge will start on November 1, forcing more hulking B-Doubles to mix with inner city traffic.

VicRoads has deemed Melbourne's busiest bridge can no longer support the weight of 77.5-tonne container trucks while also carrying an average 200,000 vehicles a day.

Heavy truck traffic on the West Gate Bridge. Credit:Jason South

The authority is set to revoke permits held by several freight companies to use fully loaded 30-metre B-Double trucks on the bridge, and will limit loads to 68.5 tonnes.

The ban, to protect the ageing bridge, will sever the only freeway link between the Port of Melbourne and the industrial parks of Melbourne's west for the longer trucks, known in the industry as high-productivity freight vehicles because of the bigger loads they shift.
A BMX rider and registered sex offender has pleaded guilty to almost two hundred child sex offences. Fabian Meharry, well-known in Echuca's BMX scene, pleaded guilty to 193 charges, mostly involving child sexual offences, in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday. Fabian Meharry was well known in the Echuca BMX scene. Credit:Instagram Many of the offences related to forcing minors to perform degrading sex acts on themselves. A number of his crimes were committed in northern Victorian towns Echuca, Nathalia and Yielima.

Fabian Meharry pleaded guilty to child sex crimes. Credit:Instagram Meharry 27, is charged with rape, sexually penetrating children under 16, and making child pornography. He also used a carriage to procure, groom and engage in sexual activity with children. He has been a registered sex offender since as 2011, with a number of charges involving failing to report to police that he had been in contact with children. The amateur bike rider was also previously a part-time web developer and at one point started Magic Grinding Wax, a company that sold wax to BMX riders and skateboarders on the internet. Magistrate Belinda Wallington said that while "much of the material is shocking" Meharry deserved some credit for pleading guilty, which ensured that his victims would not have to give evidence at a trial.
A man has driven a car into a hospital building in Melbourne's north-west.

The car is believed to have smashed into the building at Sunshine Hospital on Furlong Road, St Albans, shortly before 9pm.

The driver was a 34-year-old Caroline Springs man.

He did not appear injured but would be taken to hospital to be assessed further, a police spokeswoman said.



"Police are not aware of anyone else injured during the incident," she said.



"Anyone who was injured as a result of the crash and left the scene before speaking to police is urged to come forward."

An engineer will assess the building.



Police urge anyone who witnessed the incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or subit a report via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.




A 13-year-old year girl is in a critical condition after falling six metres down an embankment while on a school camp in the Grampians.

The girl, from Moama Anglican Grammar, was on a grade 8 school camp when she fell down an embankment near Mt Zero Road at Laharum.

Emergency services at the scene in the Grampians. Credit:Courtesy of Seven News

"She suffered a critical head injury," an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.

Do you know more? Email scoop@theage.com.au
High-profile racehorse trainer Gerald Ryan - the man at the centre of explosive allegations by jockeys of historical sexual abuse - was allowed to set up stables in Queensland after fleeing Victoria, but only under under strict conditions.

One condition, according to a former board member of the Queensland Principal Club (QPC), the state's racing regulator in the days before Racing Queensland, was that he not hire any male staff under the age of 21.

Gerald Ryan at Ascott Lodge on the Gold Coast. Credit:Heath Missen

"We kept a very close eye on him," the former board member said.

It was this week revealed by Fairfax Media that Ryan allegedly sexually abused controversial jockey Danny Nikolic in 1996. He is also alleged to have abused former jockeys Jamie Evans and Mark Goring in 1986. Sources said a prominent Perth jockey was also sexually abused when he was an apprentice with Ryan in Melbourne.
A 49-year-old woman accused of having sex with a minor will be forced to have her pelvic region photographed, after a magistrate ruled the images could help prove or disprove sexual assault charges against her.

Katrina Arredondo was a youth officer at the Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre in Parkville in the 1990s, when she allegedly had sex with a boy detained at the centre, and after his release, between 1994 and 1995.

Credit:Penny Stephens

The boy was 15 at the time of the first alleged offence. She was 27.

Detective senior constable Sarah Kendall told Melbourne Magistrate's Court on Friday the boy told a Department of Human Services worker about the alleged abuse in 1996.
London: British police said on Friday they had arrested a man under terrorism laws following the discovery of a "suspicious item" on a London underground train near the Canary Wharf financial district a day earlier.

Officers discharged a stun gun while arresting the 19-year-old suspect in north London. He was detained on suspicion of preparing terrorism acts, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

"Officers are keeping an open mind regarding any possible motive. They are not looking for anyone else in relation to this investigation at this stage."

The suspect item, which is being forensically examined, was found by staff on Thursday morning on a train at North Greenwich station in east London, near Canary Wharf and close to the O2 music venue.
A key part of the internet's infrastructure was hit by a series of attacks in the past 24 hours, causing major services such as Netflix, Twitter, Spotify, Airbnb and news sites such as The New York Times to be inaccessible for many users.

The attacks targeted Dyn, a company that helps people connect to websites, with a huge amount of traffic in an attempt to knock the service offline, according to Dyn's director of internet analysis, Doug Madory.

The first digital assault appears to have started around 7.10am New York time on Friday in the US, and Dyn said it was resolved at roughly 9.20am. A second attack began around 11.50am, according to the company. And a third attack occurred in the afternoon.

The service that Dyn provides is called the Domain Name System or DNS. It works sort of like a phone book for the internet  translating URLs into the numerical IP addresses for the servers that actually host sites so your browser can connect to them.
Bangkok: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte insulted and mocked Americans during a strongly anti-US speech in China's Great Hall of the People where he announced his "separation" from the United States.

"Americans are loud, sometimes rowdy. Their larynx is not adjusted to civility," Mr Duterte said before mimicking an American accent.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, right, makes a speech during the Philippines-China Trade and Investment Fourm at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. Credit:Getty Images

"They are discourteous people," he said, adding that is wise not to do business with them because "that is the surest way of losing your money".

Video of the speech aired on Rappler.com shows those in the audience laughing at the jibes.
Ankara: Turkey and Iraq have reached an 'in principle' agreement that could pave the way for a Turkish role in the campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday following talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

The breakthrough came as Islamic State launched a major attack on the city of Kirkuk as Iraqi and Kurdish forces pushed to seize territory around Mosul in preparation for an offensive on the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq.

Mr Erdogan has previously voiced frustration that NATO member Turkey has not been more involved in the US-backed assault on the Iraqi city, once part of the Ottoman empire and still seen by Turkey as firmly within its sphere of influence.

Iraq, meanwhile, views Turkish military moves on its territory with apprehension and any agreement on Mosul would defuse a major source of tension between the neighbours.
Hillary Clinton, in mimicking his tactics, has out-trumped Trump. Credit:Bloomberg Giuliani took the conspiracy to even more absurd levels  the Democrats would steal the election in swing-state Pennsylvania by busing in out-of-state people to vote in the names of the dead; and by paying voters to cast multiple ballots. Giuliani can't seriously believe this  he has shown himself to be politically inept but not completely stupid. Yet, because he says it, it becomes gospel in the Trump echo chamber  for which reason, The Washington Post indulged the former New York mayor and, as Americans say, did the "math". The day after the debate Donald Trump doubled down, saying he would accept the result  "only if I win". Credit:AP Based on past votes and current polls, Clinton likely will hold Pennsylvania by a margin of about 372,000 votes. Now, in visualising each of these options for rigging the vote, bear in mind that to work, they must be covert:

At 72 voters per bus, more than 5000 buses would snake into Pennsylvania, a convoy more than 70 kilometres long if the vehicles were to travel bumper-to-bumper.

But wait, some of these people are required to vote four or five times, in the name of dead locals; so only about 75,000 out-of-staters would be required and they could be stuffed into a convoy of just over 1000 buses.

In Philadelphia, which the Trump mob claims is Pennsylvania's hotbed of electoral theft, about 14,000 adults died last year, which means that for all the out-of-staters to have their multiple identities, all those who died in Philadelphia in the last 30 to 40 years would need to be registered as living voters. Election 2016 now comes down to a clash of the "poisoned" versus the "deplorables"  Clinton supporters who Trump claims have been poisoned against him by a media conspiracy; and Trump supporters who Clinton judges to suffer "irredeemably" from Trump's negatives  bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia or Islamophobia. Clinton has her faults and, after Trump, she remains the second-most-disliked presidential candidate ever. But like them or not, the political skills she displayed in Wednesday's debate were remarkable. She was able to quote Trump verbatim when he denied what he had said previously  whether it was about Miss Universe's eating habits or Japan, South Korea and others acquiring nuclear weapons. Where the line of questioning might have cornered her, be it about her husband's sex scandals, her emails, the Clinton Foundation or Syria strategy, she could pivot to safer ground. She made mileage of Trump's Putin obsession  that he would abrogate decades of US and GOP foreign policy, all because Putin has said "nice" things about him; that he would challenge the consensus of the 17 US intelligence agencies that Moscow is behind hacking attempts to throw the US election; and that he could discuss Syria without condemning Russia's role in the crisis.

When Gingrich tells CNN that the US "resemble[s] Venezuela and Argentina, more than we resemble traditional America", the phrase "traditional America" is the dog-whistle, invoking a time and values that, in the shorthand of campaign coverage, are referred to as the Mad Men era, when men were in charge and women knew their place. In the last debate women were often in the frame, either as accusers who had wronged Trump with allegations that he had sexually abused them, which he claimed improbably had been "debunked"; or as Trump's scattergun targets  asked about future appointments to the Supreme Court, he had to have a go at Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, because she criticised him; Clinton was "such a nasty woman", the fact of whose candidacy made the race unfair for him; and all women would be brought into line with the overturning of the Supreme Court's Roe v Wade abortion rights ruling. The debate was an outing for the two personas that Trump surrogate Gingrich says inform his leader - "Big Trump" and "Little Trump". Big T is the guy who was seen for a time in the first debate and again in the last  capable of engaging in snatches of sensible policy-based argument. Little T is a guy who abuses women and offends minorities, as he did while discussing migration on Wednesday, when he said: "We have some bad hombres here and we have to get them out." And it was the Clinton political skills that ushered Little T on stage. Trump didn't meltdown spontaneously - Clinton made him do it.

And that'll be a key conclusion at the end of this campaign  after Trump's march through the Republican primaries, in which he made 15 guys, mostly professional politicians, simply curl up and die politically; he ran into a brick wall called Clinton who, in mimicking his tactics, has out-trumped Trump. Re-run the debate tape, check her calculated needling, goading and baiting of Trump  note her mention of him "choking" in his meeting with the Mexican president, her addressing him as "Donald" and telling him he was "Putin's puppet". With his history of misogyny and sexism, it must be hard for the alpha male to be taken down by a girl. Trump inadvertently revealed just how poorly he understood his circumstance  at one stage, accusing Clinton of being a puppet, he didn't see that on the night and in the campaign, she is the puppet master. Trump awoke on Thursday to a backlash from Republicans in tight congressional races for his refusal to commit to accepting the outcome of the election  and elsewhere in the party, officials were contemplating how to rebuild in the wake of Trump's rampage after the election. There's an expectation that his base will be even more aggrieved in the event of him being defeated; and that more moderate down-ticket, congressional representatives will be the collateral damage as voters reject the GOP  leaving rump delegations of Trump and Tea Party supporters in Congress that will render the party even less manageable.

"The revolt that has been going on in the Republican Party, that brought Trump to where he is, is not going away. If anything, it's going to intensify," Patrick Caddell, a veteran Democratic strategist who advises Breitbart, the Trump-aligned news website, told The Washington Post. "Republicans are living in a dream world if they think their voters are going to stop fighting the political class," he said. "The American people will not go gently into the good night of obscurity." But Republican strategist Rick Wilson was more sanguine: "After 2008, there was a little Sarah Palin cult that has lasted, but it hasn't changed the party. I see the same thing with Trump  a group of diehards building a whole mythology about [how] 'he was betrayed'. "[House Speaker Paul] Ryan is going to have to crack the whip and instil some discipline to remind these guys that they don't run the party." In Las Vegas, the man who so rudely cuts people off, telling them they are "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!" would have us believe he was beating his chest  more of the "dominating silverback gorilla", as the bonkers British politician Nigel Farage described Trump's performance in the second debate in St Louis 10 days earlier.
Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump and her have a lot in common: the Republican National Committee are not spending a dime on get either of them elected and they both like ripping Ted Cruz.
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GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that NV GEBE will be carrying out water works on Sunday, October 23 which will result in multiple road closures.

NV GEBE will be carrying out a number of water connections at different locations.

These water connections will take place on Union Road, intersection Rubber Tree Drive. The road closures will begin from 6:00 am through approximately 6:00pm.

Road closures and diversions are as follows: No through traffic coming from Brouwers Road, Welfare Road and G.A. Arnell Road in the direction to Union Road (Marigot).

Motorist will be diverted from Kruythoff Roundabout via Welfare Road, Wellington Road, through Orange Grove Road for direction Marigot.

Traffic will flow from Union Road direction to Brouwers Road (Philipsburg) via Orange Grove Road, Wellington Road, through Welfare Road.

The contract to execute the works will be carried out by Clean St. Maarten.

Motorists and pedestrians in the area should pay keen attention when commuting as heavy equipment will be in use. Pay attention to traffic diversion signs and workmen who will be present to help direct the flow of traffic.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.
Eco-Shift Power Corp. Announces Appointment of National Sales Director

GUELPH, ON  (Marketwired)  10/20/16  Eco-Shift Power Corp. (OTC PINK: ECOP), a global producer of advanced LED lighting products, today announced the appointment of Michael Redmond as National Sales Director.

Eco-Shift Power Corp. is a contract manufacturer of advanced, high-efficiency lighting products and components designed for state-of-the-art energy management systems and cloud-based software platforms.

Michael brings more than 15-years experience and proven track record as a Senior Account Manager, and National Sales Manager with leading LED Lighting companies, responsible for direct impact to the P&L of millions in sales. Further, Michael brings a balanced, well managed and established network of leading Industrial, Commercial, E-Commerce, and Retail-Big-Box sales clients.

Michaels timing is perfect, as ECOP has received new inventory and is well stocked with residential and commercial LED products in its Calgary and Vancouver warehouse locations, ready for shipment to clients, and allowing Michael to hit the ground running.

Commenting on the agreement, Jim Hughes, CFO of Eco-Shift Power said, We are very pleased to have Michael joining the team. Its a perfect fit combining Michaels experience and connectivity to market, with ECOPs industry leading LED products and 10-year warranty program.

About Eco-Shift Power Corp.

Headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, with affiliate and distributor offices strategically located in key markets California, Florida, Auckland NZ, and Scotland, Eco-Shift Power Corp. is a contract manufacturer of advanced, high-efficiency lighting products and components designed for state-of-the-art energy management systems and cloud-based software platforms. It has strong relationships with a growing worldwide customer base composed primarily of major OEM/ODM lighting designers and distributors. Please visit us at

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements may be preceded by the words intends, may, will, plans, expects, anticipates, projects, predicts, estimates, aims, believes, hopes, potential or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Eco-Shifts control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) the highly competitive nature of lighting industry sales and distribution, (ii) development and protection of our key OEM/ODM and distribution partnerships, (iii) unexpected industry technological development. More detailed information about Eco-Shift and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward looking statements is set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Investors are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SECs web site at . Eco-Shift assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Los Angeles Office:

Direct: +1-310-869-0405

+1(844) 779-7900 (toll free)

Eco-Shift Power Corp.

53 Speedvale Avenue West

Guelph, ON N1H 1J6

Canada
Stingray to Release its Financial Results for the Second Quarter of Fiscal 2017

MONTREAL, QUEBEC  (Marketwired)  10/21/16  Stingray Digital Group Inc. (TSX: RAY.A)(TSX: RAY.B) will release its financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2016, on Thursday, November 10, 2016, before the market opens. Management will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results the same day a 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Details of the Conference Call

Via telephone: (877) 223-4471 or (647) 788-4922

Via the internet at

Conference Call Rebroadcast

A rebroadcast of the conference call will be available until midnight, December 8, 2016, by dialing (800) 585-8367 or (416) 621-4642 and entering passcode 4935097.

The replay of the webcast will remain available on the website until midnight, December 8, 2016.

About Stingray

Stingray (TSX: RAY.A)(TSX: RAY.B) is a leading business-to-business multi-platform music and in-store media solutions provider operating on a global scale, reaching an estimated 400 million Pay-TV subscribers (or households) in 152 countries. Geared towards individuals and businesses alike, Stingrays products include the following leading digital music and video services: Stingray Music, Stingray Concerts, Stingray Brava, Stingray DJAZZ, Stingray Music Videos, Stingray Lite TV, Stingray Ambiance, Stingray Karaoke, Festival 4K, and iConcerts. Stingray also offers various business solutions, including music and digital display-based solutions, through its Stingray Business division. Stingray is headquartered in Montreal and currently has close to 300 employees worldwide, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Israel, Australia and South Korea. Stingray was recognized in 2013 and 2014 as a finalist in the Top 50 of Deloittes Technology Fast 50 list, and figures amongst PROFIT magazines fastest-growing Canadian companies. In 2016, Stingray was awarded best IR for an IPO at the IR Magazine Awards  Canada. For more information, please visit

Contacts:

Mathieu Peloquin

Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Communications

Stingray Digital Group Inc.

(514) 664-1244, ext. 2362
Huawei Releases Gigaband Network Development White Paper

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM  (Marketwired)  10/21/16  Today, Huawei released its Gigaband Network Development White Paper at the Broadband World Forum (BBWF). This white paper is the industrys first guide for developing Gigaband networks with higher efficiency and lower cost. This is a new contribution that Huawei as a leader in the ultra-broadband industry has made for the development of global Gigaband industry and also proven its industry leadership.

It has become a consensus of the entire society and ICT industry that Gigaband is the basis of a smart society in the next 10 years and the foundation for sustainable global social and economic development. For the last two years, Huawei has been conducting industry surveys for exploring how to promote and deal with Gigaband development challenges. Based on more than 10 years of experience in ultra-broadband development and in-depth research efforts of more than 30 experts in the broadband field, Huawei officially released this white paper to the entire industry.

This white paper covers the practices and global typical cases of fiber to the home (FTTH), copper cable, coaxial cable, and wireless access modes. It is also discussed in the white paper that cost and efficiency are the core challenges of Gigaband network development and ultra-broadband network construction cost mainly lies in optical fiber deployment requirements, such as network planning, fiber engineering, and project management. The average cost of active devices such as the optical line terminal (OLT) and optical network unit (ONU) in FTTH accounts for only a small portion of less than 10% of the total cost of ultra-broadband access.

For infrastructure network construction, the white paper focuses on cost reduction, efficiency increase, and penetration rate increase and proposes nine solutions: infrastructure synergy, industry alliance cooperation, electricity infrastructure monetization, construction regulation optimization, business innovation, network planning tool, resource transaction, innovative engineering technology and delivery management.

The white paper also highlights that copper and coaxial networks are still existing valuable resources and operators can achieve smooth network evolution in a smarter way by improving equipment capabilities and using efficient site delivery solutions. For example, based on G.fast and DOCSIS3.1, copper and coaxial networks will be able to provide gigabit access for users. For coordinated deployment of wired and wireless accesses, the white paper summarizes that microwave backhaul helps operators overcome geographic barriers in wired network deployment, and provides up to 10 Gb/s backhaul bandwidth.

The release of this white paper will help global ultra-broadband industry partners better understand key problems in Gigaband network development, and will encourage supervision institutions, operators, contractors, and vendors to make joint efforts to achieve Gigaband business success. Huawei would like to take this opportunity to team up with global industry partners to build a better-connected world.

For more details on the Gigaband Network Development White Paper, please visit the following link:

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to build a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huaweis 170,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the worlds population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at or follow us on:

Huawei

Miranda Liu
EMEA PC Market Stabilized in 2016Q3 Thanks to Strong Commercial Notebook Shipments in Western Europe, says IDC

Posted by Publisher Internet

PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) performed above expectations, reaching 17.9 million units and posting a 3.3% YoY decrease in 2016Q3, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). Notebook shipments increased by 0.7%, supported by interest in new thin and light solutions from Western European enterprises and by political stabilization in the Middle East and Africa.

Also in this quarter EMEA continued to be affected by uncertainties, such as exchange rate fluctuations, currency weaknesses, and political instabilities including Brexit talks. Despite these challenges, commercial notebook shipments remained strong, growing 5.6% in EMEA compared with 2015Q3. Contrarily, consumer notebooks decreased 2.6% in the region. The planned increase of panel prices for notebooks before the end of 2016 drove notebook orders up earlier for year-end business. This resulted in some cases in shortages. Overall, the large shipment volumes are expected to contribute to a buildup in stock. Inventories will be monitored in the coming months. The Windows 10 anniversary edition did not seem to have a significant impact on renewals. Chrome, despite being marginal, is performing well for the second quarter in a row. The back-to-school season together with the upcoming Black Friday in late November and Christmas holidays contributed to shipment uplift and stock intakes rose, but desktops in EMEA continued to contract by 10.6%. This confirmed the continuous erosion in profit for more mobile solutions. The bankruptcy of Hanjin, a South Korean shipping company, had an impact on shipments from some PC vendors. However, Western Europe seems to be only marginally affected.

The PC market continued to be differentiated in EMEA, with only one common trend: a decline in desktops, said Andrea Minonne, research analyst, IDC EMEA Personal Computing. Although desktops registered again negative results and demand was low across EMEA, notebooks performed differently across all subregions. Once again, the Western European commercial market performed positively in 2016Q3, thanks to increasing adoption of notebooks in response to enterprise mobility needs.

Notebooks performed well in both Western Europe and the Middle East and Africa, increasing respectively by 1.0% and 14.5%, but registered a 10.2% decline in Central and Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, the consumer market continued to be a challenging segment. Many factors related to price increases and market uncertainty are leading price-sensitive consumers to extend the lifespan of their devices. But preferences are evolving towards thin and light solutions, especially for back-to-school, Black Friday, or the Christmas holidays. In 2016Q3 the PC landscape continued to be varied and highly fragmented in Western Europe. The aftershocks of the Brexit vote were more tangible in 2016Q3, with the pound weakening and with some PC vendors announcing price increases. U.K. and Ireland faced challenges, especially in the commercial segment. Overall, Sweden and Italy posted higher YoY PC growth, which was supported by the strong performance of commercial notebooks. The other Mediterranean countries (Greece, Portugal, and Spain) performed below market average and continued to be challenged by slow market rebound. In particular, political instabilities are affecting Spain, where a fully empowered government has not been formed for a few quarters. Contrarily, the Nordics continued to post growth and performed strongly in the commercial segment. Germany did not show dramatic changes compared with last year and remained overall flattish.

While anticipation of hikes in panel prices drove vendors to stock up large PC volumes, a usual large back-to-school volumes contributed to strong seasonality in the commercial space, said Malini Paul, senior research analyst, IDC EMEA Personal Computing. The Nordics and DACH regions posted solid growth in commercial PC (respectively 20.2% and 4.6%) as well as France (5.7% YoY growth). Southern Europe was relatively weaker, with Italy being the only exception, recording stronger results (3.1% YoY growth).

The PC market in Central and Eastern Europe reported worse results than expected overall, posting a double-digit decline, contrary to the forecast single-digit decrease.

The Central European market suffered the most: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia all reported a double-digit declines compared with 2015Q3, said Nikolina Jurisic, product manager, IDC CEMA. In 2015, during the crisis in Russia and the CIS, vendors focused their market strategies towards the Central European markets and pushed large volumes into the channels across the countries. However, what is becoming clear is that the inventory and stock situation in some of these countries is affecting sales-in, as demand remained low. In contrast, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine performed reasonably well. Russia, in line with the forecast, remained negative at -7.0% YoY.

The PC market in the Middle East and Africa was quite different from Central and Eastern Europe, performing slightly better and reporting a flat market with a slight growth.

The winner of the region was Turkey, with an annual increase of 30.3% YoY, said Stefania Lorenz, associate VP CEMA. The PC market is finally regaining momentum in the country after the very negative results recorded in the five quarters between 2015Q1 and 2016Q1. The PC market showed improvement thanks to the political stabilization which was in question immediately after the attempted coup. Financial factors such as cash-flow management were a serious problem for retailers in the previous months, but it has also improved thanks to a more stable currency against the U.S. dollar, and consumers have reached into their wallets.

Vendor Highlights

Market consolidation is ongoing, with the top 5 players increasing overall market share from 71.4% to 76.8% vs. 2015Q3. The major three players accounted for 57.0% of the total market volume vs. 53.6% last year, outlining marketing consolidation.

HP Inc outperformed the market and reinforced its position in EMEA with a 26.0% market share. Innovation is HPs core strategy, which remained powerful and once again gained in the commercial notebook and consumer desktop segment, thanks to the raise of gaming for the latest.

Lenovo consolidated its second place with a 20.1% market share, almost flat compared with last year. The vendor continued to lead in the consumer space, supported by new product launches as announced at IFA in Berlin.

Dell ranked third and increased its share to 10.9% vs 2015Q3, driven especially by a positive double-digit performance in the commercial notebook segment. Consumer notebook performance was particularly strong in the U.K.

ASUS climbed to 4th place and posted a market share increase in the consumer notebook market, as well as a very positive performance in both the Norwegian and Italian markets.

Acer ranked 5th. The vendor remained challenged in some geographies, but performed positively throughout the Nordics. The launch of new products contributed to its momentum in some market areas.

Below the top 5, Apple kept its 6th place ahead of potential product refreshes. Fujitsu ranked 7th thanks to good results in Germany, and MSI ranked 8th supported by very strong notebook shipments. Wortmann and CMS Computers closed the top 10 ranking in 9th and 10th positions respectively.

Top 5 Vendors: Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) PC Shipments*

* PC shipments = desktops and notebooks (including workstations)

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 50 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the worlds leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Richard Allen, suspect in Delphi teen slayings, led unassuming life

Five and a half years after two teen girls were slain, Delphi, Indiana resident Richard Allen has been arrested in the case. His community is shocked.
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Jupiter appears to be smiling at the solar system in this image created by citizen scientist Randy Ahn, using data from Juno's JunoCam instrument. In JunoCam's view, Jupiter is only half-lit, so Ahn copied the image and flipped it to create a fully illuminated circle.

Jupiter appears to be flashing a big smile at the solar system, in an image that was created using data from NASA's Juno spacecraft.

On Aug. 27, the probe made a close pass by Jupiter, and an instrument called the JunoCam took some snapshots of the half-lit planet. Those data are made available to the public, and citizen scientist Randy Ahn mirrored the image to create a fully illuminated circle. He then processed the image in such a way as to give it the yellow tint, and bring out features that seem to create two eyes and a smiling mouth.

The Juno probe is scheduled to make a series of close flybys of Jupiter from now through February 2018. The Aug. 27 flyby was the first time the probe flew close to the planet with its instruments turned on. The probe gets to within 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) of Jupiter's cloud tops, which is the closest any probe has ever come to Jupiter. [Amazing Jupiter Photos by NASA's Juno]

The JunoCam instrument's primary purpose is to engage the public and send back images of the planet that are taken in visible wavelengths of light (those that the human eye can see). Different image-processing techniques conducted by other citizen scientists have highlighted different features on Jupiter, including many swirling storms.

Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator, from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, announced some early results from the Aug. 27 flyby at the 2016 meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences in Pasadena, California. But Bolton said that any deep scientific analysis is yet to come. Juno was supposed to fire its engines on Oct. 19 in order to shorten its orbit around Jupiter from 53 days to 14 days, but a problem with the engine valves has delayed that maneuver indefinitely.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The advocacy group Color of Change and the Center for Constitutional Rights on Thursday filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI seeking to compel the agencies to turn over records relating to the surveillance of protesters affiliated with the Movement for Black Lives, a loose coalition of civil rights organizations.

According to a complaint filed in federal court, CoC and CCR filed a FOIA application in early July seeking information about surveillance of protests against police violence, inequities in the criminal justice system and racial inequality. The complaint demands expedited processing of the requests, as well as a fee waiver.

The complaint claims that the agencies have failed to offer a legitimate legal basis for denying the FOIA requests and that they have ignored statutory deadlines to produce the relevant documents,

Numerous media outlets have reported on government surveillance of civil rights protests over the past few years. The complaint cites a range of stories on the subject, including coverage of FEMA's monitoring of protest activity through social media posts, including geolocation data; the Chicago Police Department's alleged use of "Stringray" phone interceptor technology to block phone calls during protests; and California and federal law enforcement agencies' use of joint anti-terror infrastructure to spy on activists.

"Government is supposed to protect our rights, not suppress our freedomand yet for decades we've seen our government engage in a number of illegal surveillance practices that do just that," said Brandi Collins, campaign director at Color Of Change, in a press release announcing the suit.

"Despite their denials, it is clear the Department of Homeland Security and FBI are continuing their disturbing legacy of employing secretive surveillance tactics with murky legal parameters to chill the Movement for Black Lives, along the way targeting individuals in a number of terrifying ways," Collins added.

Spokespeople for DHS and the FBI wrote in emails that the agencies do not comment on ongoing litigation.

The Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic Center at Case Western Law School is also providing counsel for the suit.


Caption: There are plenty of astronomical sights to see using a regular pair of binoculars. Mobile astronomy apps tell you what's up in the evening (or morning) sky and where the objects are located.

Not everyone owns a telescope, but there are plenty of astronomical sights to see using a regular pair of binoculars  and mobile astronomy apps can tell you what's up in the evening (or morning) sky and where to look. In this edition of Mobile Stargazing, we'll help you choose binoculars for astronomy and tell you about a range of fascinating objects in the fall sky, from the nearby moon to a galaxy far, far away.

Binocular basics

When you break it down, binoculars are simply a matched pair of small telescopes mounted precisely and rigidly together to deliver a stereo image into your two eyes. The lenses at the front are called objectives. As with any optical device, the larger the area of those lenses, the more light they collect and concentrate into your pupils. In binocular specification numbers, such as 7 x 50, the second number is the diameter of the objective lenses in millimeters. The small lenses you look into are called eyepieces or oculars, and they do the job of magnifying the twin images you see. In the case above, the 7x means the binoculars magnify by seven times.

Regular telescopes invert and/or create a mirror image of the view, but a set of prisms inside the binoculars act to correct for that. (Similar prisms are used in portable telescopes called spotting scopes, intended for use in viewing Earthbound targets, and in birdwatching telescopes.) Large binoculars are spaced wider than human eye separations, so the prisms in those binoculars also redirect the light path to decrease the separation. Additionally, the wider lens spacing in larger binocular pairs enhances the depth of field. [How to Choose Binoculars for Astronomy and Skywatching]

Binoculars are terrific for astronomy because they have an inherently wide field of view, making it far easier to hunt for objects in the sky. These instruments are also easy to carry around. Their limited magnification, usually under 10 times, is more than enough for many classes of objects. And their light-gathering ability makes dim objects shine. Viewing with two eyes is easier than single-eyed telescope viewing, too. In fact, many beginner astronomers spend months or years learning the sky with binoculars before graduating to telescopes.

Larger binoculars gather more light from dim objects, but are heavy to hold, especially for youngsters. Simple mounting brackets available from most photo and sporting goods stores allow you to mount the binoculars on a camera tripod. (Image credit: Astronomical League of the Philippines App

The binoculars' field of view is usually expressed by saying how many horizontal feet of landscape at 1,000 yards away will be in view (or how many meters at 1,000 meters). These values are often labeled along with the magnification and aperture size. In astronomy, we express the size, or angular diameter, of objects in degrees, minutes and seconds of arc. There's 1 degree of view for every 52.5 feet at 1,000 yards (1 degree for every 17.5 meters at 1,000 meters). So binoculars that are rated as 420 feet at 1,000 yards show you 8 degrees of sky. The bowl of the Big Dipper is about 10 degrees wide, while the moon is only one-half of a degree, or 30 arc-minutes, across.

Most binoculars work perfectly well for astronomy. But if you are buying specifically with astronomy in mind, choose a pair that comes with large objectives, but which is still comfortable for you, and the kids, to hold. You can buy a bracket for mounting the binoculars on a tripod, as well. (Check for a mounting-screw receptacle. It might be hidden under a cover.)

Coated optics are essential, so you can maintain contrast and avoid unwanted colors appearing on the edges of bright objects. Better binoculars will allow one ocular to be focused independently, in case the prescriptions in your eyes are different, and you can use some binoculars while wearing glasses. A good pair of binoculars will last a lifetime. The name brands have a range of quality levels. The telescope manufacturer Celestron sells binoculars, too, including the large SkyMaster series. Due to manufacturing variations, it's always a good idea to try binoculars in the store before buying, so you can be sure they achieve focus and deliver a crisp, blended image.

Exploring the moon

Generally speaking, planets are not very impressive in binoculars, because these objects are too small in angular diameter for details to be visible. If your binoculars are strong enough, you should be able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons as tiny pinpoints in a line flanking the planet. The moons change position nightly as they orbit Jupiter. You can use your astronomy app to zoom in and see the current arrangement. Likewise, Saturn should appear slightly oblong due to its rings.

Binoculars aren't useful for meteor showers, either. For those, you'll want to be able to watch large swaths of the sky.

The moon, however, is always an attractive sight in binoculars. You'll have no difficulty seeing the starkly shadowed terrain; the large, dark gray plains of cooled magma called maria, or "seas," where most of the Apollo missions landed; and the medium and large craters. Your astronomy app should offer the option to display the labels for major lunar features. In SkySafari 5, tap With Surface Labels under the Solar System settings. You will also be able to see the long streaks of ejecta splayed out from recent craters such as Tycho (near the southern pole) and Copernicus. Additionally, you can search for features by name, and center the view on them.

Every few months, for a few hours near the first-quarter moon, a feature called the Lunar X becomes visible on the moon. When the rims of the craters Parbach, la Caille and Blanchinus are illuminated from a particular angle of sunlight, they combine to form a small, but very clear and bright "X" shape. It's located on the line that divides the sunlit side of the moon from the side in shadow, called the terminator, about one-third of the way up from the southern pole (bottom) of the moon. The prominent, round crater Werner sits to the lower right. The next Lunar X will form in twilight during the late afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 6, peak in darkness around 7:44 p.m. EDT (2344 GMT)and last until approximately 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT on Nov. 7). It will be visible wherever the moon is in darkness during those hours, including the central and eastern US and Europe  use your mobile astronomy app to see where the moon will be for your location. [2016 Full Moon Calendar]

The moon is a wonderful binocular target, especially along the terminator boundary separating the satellite's lit and unlit sides. For safety, most of the Apollo missions landed in the featureless, dark grey lunar maria regions. Binoculars will also show the mountains and craters in the light-colored highlands, including the large rays of ejecta blasted out of the recent craters, like Tycho at bottom center. (Image credit: SkySafari App

More distant binocular targets

The best targets for binoculars include small asterisms (star patterns), widely separated double stars, open star clusters, globular clusters and large galaxies. Below is a sampling of targets visible annually in autumn evenings; you can use the search function on your astronomy app to find the area of sky where these targets are located. To gain a sense of scale, the SkySafari 5 app allows you to display a field of view (FOV) circle that matches that of your binoculars. Under the settings menu, tap Display and then toggle on one of the "Custom field of view" options listed. By tapping the right arrow for that list, you can manually enter your own FOV, or choose standard, 10 x 50 binoculars.

Double stars are popular with amateur astronomers. Many of the stars that were named before the invention of the telescope have turned out to be pairs or multiples of closely spaced stars. Some of them can be separated visually, or split, using binoculars. Epsilon Lyrae sits only 1.5 degrees from the bright star Vega in Lyra, and is popularly known as the Double Double. To the naked eye, it looks like one star. In binoculars it splits into twin, closely spaced stars, and a good telescope splits each of those into another tight pair! In the northern sky, at the bend in the handle of the Big Dipper, is the bright star Mizar, with its dim, naked-eye companion Alcor just above it. In strong binoculars, Mizar splits into a pair of stars.

Many naked-eye stars are revealed under magnification to be closely spaced doubles or multiples. The naked-eye star Epsilon Lyrae, or Double Double, in the constellation of Lyra splits easily in binoculars. Each of the pairs splits again when viewed in a telescope. Several other stars in Lyra make nice targets, including Delta Lyrae and Sheliak. The blue circle represents the field of view in standard 10 x 50 binoculars. (Image credit: SkySafari App

Asterisms are pictures made up of groups of stars that may include parts of a larger constellation. Examples include the Big Dipper (in the constellation Ursa Major) and the Northern Cross (in Cygnus). Some are small patterns best seen in binoculars or telescopes. One of the best of these is the Coat Hanger, an asterism 1.5 degrees across, or three times the diameter of the full moon, and shaped like an old-fashioned straight hanger with a curled hook. It sits in the Milky Way, about midway between the bright stars Altair and Vega. Watch out, though  it's upside-down for Northern Hemisphere observers!

The Coat Hanger is an asterism, a picture made from a grouping of stars. Some asterisms, like the Big Dipper, are large and bright, and use only part of a constellation. Other asterisms are smaller, combining small groups of fainter stars, making these formations ideal binocular targets. The Coat Hanger lies midway between the bright stars of Altair and Vega, overhead in the October evening sky. The blue circle represents the field of view in standard, 10 x 50 binoculars. (Image credit: SkySafari App

Also popular with astronomers are the 110 objects in the Messier List, many of which are excellent binocular targets. Starting in 1751, the French comet hunter Charles Messier catalogued a series of faint fuzzy objects that resembled comets. These objects included star clusters, nebulas and galaxies. Astronomy apps list the objects by Messier number: M1, M2 and so on. SkySafari allows you to sort the list by how bright they appear (visual magnitude) and to highlight all of them in the display. Tap the Search icon, scroll to Messier Objects and tap the Sort By label. Tapping Highlight Objects will draw a small blue circle where the objects are located.

Many of the Messiers are large, extended objects that are easier to see in the brighter view and magnification of binoculars. The Wild Duck Cluster, or M11, sits in the southern sky, in the Milky Way below the bright star Altair. Look for a dim but dense clump of stars about 14 arc-minutes across (half a moon in diameter). It contains several thousand stars. While you are there, scan the rich star fields of the Milky Way northward from the area near Sagittarius. There are more knots of stars, nebulas and dark dust lanes to be discovered in your binoculars, especially if you can find a site away from city lights.

The Andromeda Galaxy, or M31, sits in the evening eastern sky to the left of the great square of Pegasus. It's a large spiral galaxy 2.5 million light-years distant that is easily seen in binoculars. Depending on your sky conditions, and the size of your binoculars, you may see only the bright galactic core, or also the extended disk that stretches to six full-moon diameters across! A few more Messiers to try for are Messier 22 and 24 in Sagittarius, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (M13), and the Pleiades in Taurus (M45). [Andromeda Galaxy Photos: Amazing Pictures of M31]

The SkySafari 5 app can highlight the set of Messier objects visible in your night sky, shown here for 7:30 p.m. local time in mid-October. Some, such as the Andromeda Galaxy, are better known by their proper names. If you tap a blue circle, you can summon more details, including the object's type, size and visual magnitude. About half of the 100 Messier objects are observable using binoculars. (Image credit: SkySafari App

Binoculars are also terrific for viewing comets, whose tails can span many degrees of sky. As of this writing, there are no binocular comets observable, but a good one could be discovered any time  so stay tuned!

Going beyond

The Astronomical League website has plenty of information about astronomy using binoculars. It also includes links to binocular objects and spreadsheet lists for double stars, asterisms, star clusters and Messier objects. In a future edition of mobile stargazing, we'll review more objects you can find using binoculars.In the meantime, keep looking up!

Editor's note: Chris Vaughan is an astronomy public outreach and education specialist, and operator of the historic 1.88-meter David Dunlap Observatory telescope. You can reach him via email, and follow him on Twitter @astrogeoguy, as well as on Facebook and Tumblr.

This article was provided by Simulation Curriculum, the leader in space science curriculum solutions and the makers of the SkySafari app for Android and iOS. Follow SkySafari on Twitter @SkySafariAstro. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
A Russian Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko nears the International Space Station ahead of docking in this still image from a video camera on the space station captured on Oct. 21, 2016.

The newest space station crew has arrived at last.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko docked with the International Space Station at 5:52 a.m. EDT (0952 GMT) this morning (Oct. 21) after a smooth two-day trip aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The trio launched into orbit early Wednesday, nearly a month later than their initial Sept. 23 liftoff target due to a technical issue with their spacecraft.

The Soyuz linked up with the space station as as both spacecraft sailed 251 miles (403 kilomters) over southern Russia. Ryzhikov, who piloted the spacecraft, is experiencing spaceflight for the first time; both Kimbrough and Borisenko have been to space once before. [Launch Photos: Soyuz Rocket Lofts Expedition 49 Crew Into Space]

A Russian Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko nears the International Space Station ahead of docking in this still image from a video camera on the space station captured on Oct. 21, 2016. (Image credit: NASA TV)

The three crewmembers will be able to open their hatch to the space station by approximately 8:35 a.m. EDT (1235 GMT), when they will be greeted by Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, the space station's current commander; along with NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi. The hatch opening and greetings, along with the new arrivals' first chance to talk with their families back on Earth, will be streamed live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.

The three new crewmembers will remain on the station until February, and their first few days will be busy ones. Beyond adapting to life in microgravity, just two days after their arrival, Orbital ATK's Cygnus supply spacecraft will arrive at the station, bringing more than 5,100 lbs. (2,300 kilograms) of supplies, according to NASA.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko arrived at the International Space Station Oct. 21, 2016 after a two-day journey on the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft. Here, they pose with their Sokol launch and entry suits Sept. 9. (Image credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

The supply spacecraft launched Oct. 17 but took a long route to the station to avoid conflicting with the crew's arrival. After Onishi and Rubins grapple the spacecraft with the station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, and berth it to the station, the astronauts will begin the long unloading process.

"We look forward to all those vehicles arriving [and] taking them on the space station," Kimbrough said at a news conference in July. "It's kind of like Christmas every time one shows up, because there's a bunch of fresh food and new clothes and new equipment for us to work on."

They won't have to share those supplies for long: Less than a week later, on Oct. 29, Rubins, Onishi and Ivanishin will head home on the Soyuz spacecraft they arrived on in July, and Kimbrough will take over as space station commander.

On Nov. 15, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet will launch toward the station. The crew will also entertain a Russian Progress supply spacecraft's arrival and a Japanese HTV craft full of supplies before the end of the year.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The Mars Society is conducting an ambitious two-phase Mars 160 Twin Desert-Arctic Analog mission to study how seven crewmembers could live, work and perform science on a true mission to Mars. Mars 160 crewmember Annalea Beattie is chronicling the mission, which will spend 80 days at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah desert before venturing far north to Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island, Canada in summer 2017. Here's her third dispatch from the mission:

There's no sound in the desert in the early morning, no birds fly by.

I listen for the odd crow or the quick prate of fast-flying finches, but no. [See more Mars 160 photos here, and get daily images by the Mars 160 crew]

This morning, there's nothing. It's so still.

I am awake in my loft in the roof of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the Utah desert.

It's 6:30, and I'm thinking about people I love who live on the other side of the world and about what might happen if I really did go to Mars. I'm also wondering about my art-based research and the challenges for today's field-science EVA (extravehicular activity). This morning I'm going on a science-sampling EVA to two different kinds of hypolith sites. As well, I'll be doing some geological field drawing in the spacesuit.

While on the surface of Mars, fieldwork during EVAs will be key to scientific exploration.

On our mission, the goal is five science EVAs a week, at three to four hours on average each. The amount of research, planning and writeup both before and after each EVA is phenomenal. Nothing is left to chance. What we really want for the field science is efficiency on the EVA, as there are hazards out there, even in simulation.

With the goal of enabling more effective planning of fieldwork, Australian geologist Dr. Jon Clarke is conducting an EVA operation analysis in conjunction with Dr. Bill Clancey from Stanford University, California.

By documenting the process during the two halves of the Mars 160 mission, Jon will collect data on the stages of the EVA to investigate how this process actually works, from the emergence of the idea that provides the EVA goal, through its initial stages of planning and execution, to the processing and analysis of preliminary results, then from data return and laboratory analysis, through to publication.

Jon says the conduct of EVAs is vital to the effective performance of field sciences. The field scientist, such as a geologist or biologist, works in a different way than a scientist in the laboratory. The systematic generation and testing of hypotheses are less important than the collection of meaningful observations that allow the data to be placed in context. For instance, the significance of a piece of granite differs, depending on if it occurs as part of a massive outcrop or as pebbles in a conglomerate. It's the importance of context that separates field science from lab science. In the lab, the context is standardized (standard solutions, pressures, temperatures, atmospheres), to universalize the subject being studied, such as a chemical reaction or a physical process.

So understanding how field scientists work on an actual simulated Mars mission is crucial to maximizing the effectiveness of limited EVA time on future Mars missions. [Buzz Aldrin: How To Get Your Ass To Mars (Video)]

For example, one of Jon's personal projects looks at the exhumed and inverted channels near the MDRS as analogous to landform conditions onMars. He has investigated these extensively during previous visits to MDRS, both in and out of simulation. Now he is using his prior experience to not only study the science but science operations that support it. Jon says, "On an EVA while in a spacesuit, many of the standard methods of the field geologist either can't be used or take much longer. Places you can scramble to normally can't be reached for safety reasons. You can't use a hand lens to study the rock, for example, or sight through a compass or clinometer. Working around these challenges on the EVA helps define the tools and processes needed for planetary field science on Mars."

Mars 160 crewmember Jon Clarke on an EVA in the Utah desert. (Image credit: The Mars Society)

Yesterday the EVA gave me my first opportunity to test out geological field drawing in the new spacesuit. Jon Clarke set me a task, and I sat in an ancient, partially exhumed channel (Jurassic, about 175 million years old).

I drew an outcrop of cross-bedded sandstone with a conglomerate top.

Annalea Beattie makes a geological field drawing during an EVA. (Image credit: The Mars Society)

In terms of the simulation, I learned so much so quickly on this EVA about time constraints and tools as well as useful techniques for observational field sketching in simulation. Although the sketch itself was less than ordinary, Jon Clarke was pleased with it because he said it captured all the essential features of the outcrop, which he claims is the purpose of scientific field sketching. I've never drawn through a Lexan visor before, only Perspex, and the clarity was unexpected. (Lexan is what bulletproof glass is made out of, as well as cockpit canopies of jet fighters, and astronaut visors). [Evolution of the Spacesuit in Pictures (Space Tech Gallery)]

This morning I'm looking forward to my EVA where the goal of my second field test is to draw fluvial patterns in another dried creek bed and then give the drawing to Jon as blind data. We want to see what he can understand from the field sketch in comparison with documentation of the same site through photography and mapping.

But today's drawing experiment on the EVA was never going to happen.

After breakfast, the daily briefing, the science briefing and then the EVA briefing, it was necessary that our engineers tackle the problem of adjusting my spacesuit so that I could drive the ATV (all-terrain vehicle) with ease. Yesterday, while driving, somehow the backpack continued to push my helmet and my neck forward, decreasing vision and causing strain. Our crew engineers spent a while addressing this problem, with me in the full suit.

An ATV is necessary for field trips in the desert. On every EVA while driving, we stay on scheduled tracks, as the ATV vehicles easily damage the delicate desert crust. Driving in the spacesuits is a necessary skill for the EVA. These machines are basically huge, four-wheeled bikes that can be dangerous and hard to reverse if you are wearing a suit because you can't turn your head without difficulty.

Mars 160 crewmembers stick to established trails while riding ATVs, to avoid damaging the Utah desert's fragile crust. (Image credit: The Mars Society)

So far, all of our EVAs have run like clockwork  but not today.

Science operations have to be perfect for us to leave the hab, but even astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have human error and continually meet problems with technology. EVAs in space have had to be cancelled because it's not safe to proceed. But, as sometimes happens, we sort out one problem and another takes its place. Our engineers noticed that although the backpack fit was better, the fan that pushes air through the backpack into the helmet of my spacesuit sounded irregular. Again we were delayed as everyone worked to resolve this second problem. In this case, a decision was made that I could proceed with the EVA, but not too far in the field. I had to remain close to the hab because of the safety risk.

In terms of safety, apart from the basic medical training, EVAs require our crew to be trained to deal with all kinds of emergencies. For instance, part of the EVA training here for the second phase of our mission in the Arctic Circle is gun training.

At the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station, we will have a designated person to carry a gun on every EVA. This person will not be in simulation mode.

On a field trip in the Arctic, bears are a real danger. I keep thinking of the five besieged Russian scientists locked in their research facility for two weeks in September with 10 adult polar bears and their cubs at the window. While the team was waiting to be rescued, the bears ate their dogs.

On this morning's EVA, after a number of hitches, we finally manage to get out of the hab. Our crew engineer and crew commander watch out of the hab windows as we complete half an hour's practice ATV training.

Annalea Beattie in her EVA spacesuit. (Image credit: The Mars Society)

It was at this point that the battery charge on my suit died. The fan stopped working, and, immediately, the helmet fogged.

If the fan switches off inside the helmet, you basically rebreathe your own air, and there is a buildup of water vapor and carbon dioxide as oxygen depletes. When the air can't escape, it quickly gets very hot and you start to puff.

Within two minutes I'm back in the decompression chamber.

By the time decompression is over, so is my EVA.

I'm disappointed and I'll try to re-schedule as soon as I can.

At least I went outside.

Mars or bust.

Annalea Beattie

To follow The Mars Society's Mars 160 mission and see daily photos and updates, visit the mission's website here:http://mars160.marssociety.org/. You can also follow the mission on Twitter @MDRSUpdates. For information on joining The Mars Society, visit: http://www.marssociety.org/home/join_us/.

Annalea Beattie is an artist and writer based in Melbourne, Australia, and her art practice is based on space science. She is a member of The Mars Society's Mars 160 Twin Desert-Arctic Analog mission, where her art-based research explores how observation is key to the role of all field geologists, including those on a planetary exploration crew. Follow The Mars Society on Twitter at @TheMarsSociety and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
PASADENA, Calif.  The ExoMars 2016 mission is in business despite the apparent failure of its lander to touch down softly on the Red Planet Wednesday (Oct. 19), European Space Agency (ESA) officials stressed.

The lander, known as Schiaparelli, seems to have deployed its parachute too early and fired its thrusters for an insufficient amount of time as it streaked through the Martian atmosphere Wednesday, ESA officials said. Still, ExoMars team members continue to analyze data and have not yet officially declared the lander dead.

As Schiaparelli was experiencing its "six minutes of terror" descent, the second part of the ExoMars 2016 mission, the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), was firing its main engine for more than two hours in a crucial orbit-insertion burn. [In Photos: Europe's Schiaparelli Mars Landing Day]

TGO aced this maneuver and is now circling the Red Planet as planned.

"Following yesterday's events, we have an impressive orbiter around Mars ready for science and for relay support for the ExoMars rover mission in 2020," ESA Director General Jan Worner said in a statement Thursday (Oct. 20).

From the ground

The European Space Agency's ExoMars project involves an orbiter, lander and rover, launched on two separate Proton rockets (infographic) (Image credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

Launched in March 2016, Schiaparelli and TGO zoomed across the solar system together for seven months. Schiaparelli separated from TGO on Oct. 16 to line up its landing attempt. The plan called for Schiaparelli to touch down Wednesday morning using a combination of aerobraking, thrusters and a parachute to slow its descent. Less than a minute before it should have reached the ground, however, mission controllers lost the lander's signal.

In the seemingly unlikely event that Schiaparelli did manage to land safely, it should have some data onboard. The Combined Aerothermal and Radiometer Sensors Instrument Package (COMARS+) monitored the conditions Schiaparelli experienced as it plummeted toward the ground, while the Descent Camera (DECA) captured 15 black-and-white images during the descent.

"Those images were supposed to be transmitted right after landing, so we have to wait for a successful landing," TGO project scientist Olivier Witasse said here at a joint meeting of the American Astronomical Society'sDivision for Planetary Sciences and the European Planetary Science Congress. [What Happened to Europe's ExoMars Lander? What We Know (Video)]

Schiaparelli is primarily a demonstrator module designed to test entry, descent and landing technologies for future missions, including the life-hunting rover that ESA and its chief partner on the two-phase ExoMars program, the Russian space agency Roscosmos, plans to launch in 2020. As a result, the lander was designed to have a short lifetime; it was built with nonrechargeable batteries that would last for just a few days on the Martian surface.

The original plan called for Schiaparelli to measure wind, humidity, pressure and temperatures for that brief stretch. The lander would also peer up through the atmosphere to determine its transparency and study the atmosphere's electric field  a phenomenon produced as dust lofted into the air forms clouds that discharge electricity.

"The electric field can be larger than it is on Earth," Witasse told Space.com. "That matters if we send humans to Mars."

For example, a massive enough electric field can help shield astronauts from dangerous radiation that slices through the thin Martian atmosphere, researchers have said.

From the air

TGO will relay data from the ExoMars 2020 rover, but the orbiter will also do quite a bit of science work of its own. TGO is currently in a highly elliptical, four-day-long orbit of Mars. In January 2017, the spacecraft will begin moving into an orbit more conducive to data collection. If all goes according to plan, TGO will reach that orbit  a circular path with an altitude of 250 miles (400 kilometers)  in March 2018, at which point it will begin its two-year science mission.

According to Ann Carine Vandaele, the principal investigator of the Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery (NOMAD) instrument on TGO, the orbiter will perform a full inventory of the types of molecules in the Martian atmosphere.

One of the many mysteries TGO should address is the origin of Mars' atmospheric methane. According to Witasse, methane could come from either geological processes in the crust or from organic sources. This latter possibility is of course intriguing to astrobiologists, some of whom believe that microbial life might exist on Mars today.

"Thats a very hot topic," Witasse said.

Because TGO will be combining multiple observations, "it will produce a three-dimensional version of the atmosphere," Vandaele told Space.com.

TGO will gather data for two years, so the spacecraft should also pick up any changes over time, often referred to as the fourth dimension.

"We will have a four-dimensional view of the Martian atmosphere," Vandaele said.

Most importantly, she said, TGO will help prepare the ground for the ExoMars 2020 rover by providing a global view of the Red Planet now and developing the chemical context for what the next mission might discover.

"The main scientific mission is to back up the 2020 mission," Vandaele said.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd, Facebookor Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebookor Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Infrared images of Uranus' two hemispheres taken with the Keck telescope July 11 and 12, 2004. The planet's north pole points down and to the right.

Weird waves in Uranus' rings suggest there might be two tiny, unknown moonlets orbiting there.

Researchers know little about the distant, icy planet Uranus compared to other planets in the solar system. Only one spacecraft has flown by it, Voyager 2 in 1986, and scientists have pieced together the rest of their observations through views from Earth-based and orbiting telescopes. The planet has rings  narrower and much darker in color than most of Saturn's, with uneven widths and strange, sharp edges  and is tilted dramatically on its side, giving rise to decades-long seasons and extreme weather patterns.

Uranus has a crowded consortium of at least 27 moons named for literary figures, some orbiting in tight, unstable-looking formations. And now, new analysis of data from the Voyager 2 flyby suggests that two more tiny moons lurk even closer to the planet than those already known. [Photos of Uranus: A Strange, Tilted Planet]

Robert Chancia, a graduate student at University of Idaho, Moscow, investigated the patterns created when Voyager 2 beamed radio waves through the planet's rings toward Earth. Based on how much light makes it through the rings, researchers can discern how much ring material there is at a particular spot, Chancia told Space.com.

This image of Uranus from Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer, taken in 1997, caught the planet's rotation and the movement of many of its moons over the course of 90 minutes. The three colors on the body of the planet correspond to three wavelengths of infrared light; blue indicates clearest atmospheric conditions, penetrating further down, whereas green shows a haze of methane gas and red shows hydrogen. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/STScI)

And he found something unexpected around two thin inner rings, called alpha and beta: "At the edges of the rings  it's almost like the amount of stuff is going up and down in a periodic fashion that looks kind of like a wave, with crests and troughs," Chancia said. "It seems consistent with something disturbing the rings there," he added.

The waves' composition seem to reflect the rippling wake of a passing moon, Chancia said. Plugging the data into a model used to discover one of Saturn's moons, the group found that the waves could be caused by small moonlets orbiting just outside each of the rings.

Although the moons would have moved on from their exact positions 30 years ago, the waves reveal their approximate masses and radial locations, which likely still apply today, Chancia said. To try and verify the new moons' existence, Chancia combined Voyager 2 images of the planet in which the moons should have been visible. While other known moons were highlighted using this method, the potential new moonlets did not materialize.

"Based on the amplitude of this wave pattern and that distance from the ring  and our attempts to find the moon in images, it basically points toward if they exist, they're pretty tiny," Chancia said. That means the moons are likely smaller than 3 miles (5 kilometers) in radius, which would make them smaller and closer in than any of Uranus' known moons. "The most likely scenario is that it's a small object that's right at the level of the noise in the images."

Understanding Uranus' rings, and the moons interacting with them, can help reveal more about the planet's gravity and interior structure. Eight of Uranus' nine main rings are very thin, less than 10 km (6 miles) thick, Chancia said. Researchers aren't sure how the rings stay narrow over time when the particle collisions should cause them to spread out, or how long they've existed around the planet, but the actions of "shepherd moons" orbiting along with the rings may be keeping some of them in line. The moons Cordelia and Ophelia appear to keep Uranus' outermost, widest ring relatively confined between around 20 and 100 km (12 and 62 miles) in width, for instance, and a similar setup may corral one of Saturn's rings.

"Finding a small moon like this that could be helping to keep the alpha and beta rings confined and shed some light on that story could help  or just confuse things more," Chancia said.

Mark Showalter, a researcher at SETI Institute in California, told New Scientist (opens in new tab) that the moons' presence is "certainly a very plausible possibility." Chancia said that Showalter and others can investigate data about Uranus from the Hubble Space Telescope to try to scope out traces of the two new moons. A lot of what scientists know about Uranus came from similar telescope observations, and this data offers the best opportunity to verify the moons' existence, Chancia said  at least until some future mission approaches the ice giant once again.

The new work has been accepted to The Astronomical Journal, and is available online at the preprint site arXiv.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
There are hundreds of satellites in geostationary orbit, meaning that they orbit the Earth at roughly the same pace that our planet spins. It's a long way from where humans currently roam in space; while the International Space Station is about 250 miles above Earth, geostationary orbit is about 10 times higher  at 27,000 miles.

So how do you get one of these satellites up to this extreme altitude? The traditional methods include strapping on an extra rocket or rocket stage to kick them into high orbit, or using a lightweight electric thruster on the spacecraft that slowly pushes the satellite to the right spot. Both options are expensive, especially when you factor in the lost time as companies wait for their satellites to get up and running.

Surprisingly, an answer to this dilemma could come from an asteroid mining concept. Joel Sercel, who heads startup mining company TransAstra, and Phil Metzger, a planetary physicist at the Florida Space Institute, are among the advocates for a spacecraft that would fly back and forth, from Earth and then out to a propellant depot. This so-called "space tug" could not only provide a ride for satellites, but also extract valuable resources from asteroids.

RELATED: Asteroid Mining: Booming 21st Century Gold Rush?

Scientists and engineers recently came together at the Asteroid Science Intersections with In-Space Mine Engineering (ASIME) conference in Luxembourg to discuss the best paths to our potential asteroid mining future and how to make it more cost-effective for customers. The space tug is one of those ideas. The depot idea has actually been kicking around for a few decades, but coupling the idea with asteroid mining is relatively new.

"We agree that there is a business case," Metzger told Seeker. "You can recover the capital investment and deliver the spacecraft at a cost savings and make a profit."

While the exact locations of the spacecraft network are being worked out, this is the bare bones of the proposal: Deep in space on a mission in a few decades' time, a mining spacecraft would head out to an asteroid and extract water from it (along with other materials and precious metals). Once its mission is complete, the mining spacecraft would come back to the Earth-moon system with the water on board.

A propellant depot somewhere near Earth would then accept the water. It would break down the water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen gas, which are both excellent rocket fuels. And this is the genius of the plan  space launch companies don't need launch fuel into space; the fuel is already there, waiting in the depot to refuel any spacecraft that requires it.

Now comes the space tug. Once a satellite is launched, the space tug nabs the satellite and brings it up to the propellant depot to pick up a load of fuel. Then the tug zooms up to geosynchronous orbit, where it releases the satellite to do its mission.

RELATED: Mining Asteroids: Not Mankind's Silver Bullet

With such a network in place, argues Sercel, we could greatly reduce the costs associated with our current method of sending satellites to high orbits and accessing deep space. Currently, if we want to break free of Earth's orbit, the only option we have is to launch a mission with everything we need on board -- all the fuel, the electronics, and in the future astronauts. With this space tug infrastructure, we at least don't need to launch huge quantities of fuel out of Earth's gravitational well.

NASA is currently developing a large rocket called the Space Launch System that is supposed to better open up the solar system to the agency and its astronauts. SLS could be used for future missions to Mars, if NASA's plans to get there materialize as planned in the 2030s. The SLS concept is currently envisioned as an "all in one" rocket where everything, including all the fuel for the entire Mars mission's lifetime, is transmorted from Earth's surface. An obviously expensive undertaking.

Sercel argues that it's time for NASA to embrace other methods, just like it does with services to the International Space Station. NASA has a commercial cargo program with SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, and is developing a commercial crew program with SpaceX and Boeing.

"They can build the capsules in the traditional method and have the astronauts, but the NASA rocket and transportation systems are too expensive," Sercel said. He argues that by using rockets such as SpaceX's Falcon 9  a rocket that is designed to land and be re-used again in space, although the technology is still being tested and developed  that there will be an immense cost savings in space transportation compared to government services. It will be increased "even more than that if all the propellant comes from asteroids," he added.

How much of a cost savings is hard to determine, however, because SpaceX is a private company and does not release all its figures. Earlier this year, Space News' Peter B. de Selding pointed out that SpaceX isn't the first to try to reuse space hardware. The space shuttle's main engines were designed to be re-used 55 times, but it cost far more money than what designers expected, the article said.

"In March, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company could expect a 30 percent cost savings from reusing the first stage," de Selding wrote, then quoted the base prices of the Falcon 9 to launch a satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. Anything higher would naturally cost more.

"If this translated into a 30 percent price reduction to customers," de Selding added, "that would drop Falcon 9's advertised price to $42.8 million from today's $61.2 million."

Space mining itself is still in the early stages, with several startup companies eager to get going. However, the industry right now is mostly focused on technology development and identifying candidate asteroids. So it'll be a few years or decades before the space tug idea ever is implemented in space, if it is, indeed, found to be the best path. But it's interesting to think that a key asteroid mining infrastructure can be used to also drive down the costs of launching satellites and getting humanity into deep space.

Originally published on Discovery News.
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The NFYFC survey - Considerations for a Future British Agricultural Policy  gathered views from young people involved in farming following the decision this summer for Britain to leave the European Union. Topics covered included future farm business culture; employment skills and training; farming regulations; building farm businesses; and farming subsidies. A desire for parity with the EU on animal welfare legislation and maintenance of effective environmental conditions were key considerations for future farming.

NFYFC office holders will discuss the survey results with Defra so that young peoples views are considered as part of a future British Agricultural Policy.

Availability of finance was highlighted as one of the most important issues in the next five years of having a farm business career.

Responses included:

39% of respondents stated availability of finance for farm investments

29% stated availability of farm land or farm buildings

21% stated availability of working capital

10% stated the availability of other resources.

NFYFCs Agricultural and Rural Issues Chairman Sam Dilcock said:`

Getting started in farming has many challenges. Weve now got the Land Partnerships Service, to help bring together farmers and land with new entrants and business ideas, which is great. But we need to look at short- and long-term finance too  which are especially big barriers to new entrants.

FARMING SUBSIDIES

Feedback showed there was a sense amongst many young farmers that existing land owners and farmers, who have control of the land and an income from subsidy, are a barrier to new entrants who want to establish themselves in business. While the majority of respondents wanted to see subsidies continue  46% wanted it to continue only for a limited time.

Many of these young farmers do not expect to be given subsidies, but they recognise the unfairness of a system which is loaded against them. Existing farmers are provided with support, but those at the foot of the ladder are not.
The Udder Farm Shop near Gillingham will also be selling pink cakes and serving drinks in pink cups at their Deli counter throughout October, with a percentage of all proceeds going to the Breast Care Clinic at Salisbury Hospital.

Farm shop owner Jane Down has a very personal reason for wanting to do her bit to help highlight the cause, as she is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Jane said:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK - 1 in 8 women will develop it in their lifetime, as I have. Its a horrible and frightening disease but the good news is that, thanks to things like Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the hard work of research organisations and treatment centres, people are catching it early and getting treatment and over 85% now survive breast cancer beyond 5 years.
STAMFORD  A city man accused of trying to set the Norwalk courthouse on fire because he feared deportation for a larceny charge will head to trial next week.

Joseph Stephenson, 49, of Stamford, faces up to 30 years in jail for the 2014 incident, but his attorney said the states case is circumstantial.

Im just going to let the trial speak for itself, said Wade Luckett who is trying the case with attorney Amy Zurlo. He has maintained his innocence from day one.

Assistant States Attorney Michelle Manning said she could not comment on a pending case.

Jury selection concluded on Thursday with four men and four women selected and testimony is scheduled to begin Monday at the Stamford courthouse.

Stephenson faces attempted arson, attempted tampering with evidence and third-degree burglary charges for the March 3, 2014 incident.

Stephenson has been accused of breaking into the Norwalk courthouse about 11 p.m. that night. The Belden Street courthouses security system notified the state police, which have jurisdiction over all Connecticut court properties.

A state trooper who responded 90 seconds after the alarm sounded saw a man peering at him through window blinds on the south-east side of the building, but could not identify the person because it was too dark, Stephensons arrest affidavit said.

Police said Stephenson fled through a back door and escaped before officers surrounded the building.

State troopers found inside the prosecutors office a canvas bag containing six 32-ounce canisters of Coleman kerosene, the arrest affidavit said. The labels were cut off to remove the store price tags. The incident cost the state $3,328 in repairs.

Surveillance footage showed the man fled in a 2002 or 2003 Land Rover Freelance. Investigators found there were 167 of the vehicles registered in the state, including one to Stephensons stepfather, police said.

Stephensons stepfather told investigators he bought the SUV for his wife, but his son often drove it, police said. Investigators also discovered Stephensons mother was in a rehabilitation center recovering from an accident on the night of the courthouse incident, the affidavit said.

The vehicle in the surveillance footage also had a broken upper brake light and aftermarket push bumpers and rear brake light brush guards just like the one Stephensons stepfather owned, the affidavit said.

Stephenson, who feared deportation to his native Jamaica because of his previous larceny convictions, contacted the public defenders office the day after the incident to find out if his court appearance would be changed because he said he heard of a break-in at the building, the affidavit said.

Stephenson was ultimately convicted of the larceny charge and sentenced to a year in jail.

State police obtained jail phone conversations between Stephenson and his brother that contained lengthy discussions between the brothers (on) how to sidetrack detectives, discussions of false explanations of why the Land Rover was in the area of the Norwalk courthouse at the time of the crime and attempts to establish an alibi for Joseph Stephenson, according to his arrest warrant.

DNA samples from the canvas bag also matched Stephenson, according to the affidavit.

Stephenson has been held in lieu of $250,000 court appearance bond since his arrest for the courthouse break-in.

Steve Kobak contributed to this report

JNICKERSON@SCNI.COM;
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STAMFORD  The University of Connecticuts first satellite dorm will do more than provide housing for nearly 300 students in Stamford: It stands to elevate the reputation of the states flagship public university, which has been working for more than a decade to raise its academic profile nationwide.

University officials expect there to be healthy interest in on-campus housing from students who up until now have commuted to classes in Stamford from across Fairfield County.

Its a real game-changer for the campus, not just because we anticipate having higher enrollment, but because it allows us to attract a different type of student, said UConn-Stamford Director Terrence Cheng, who started in February after a 12-year career with the City University of New York, most recently as an associate provost at Brooklyn College.

There are students within the state as well as outside that might not have thought about UConn-Stamford as an option, Cheng said. Now, we will become an option. And not just because of the fact that the building is new and nice. Its because you will have an environment similar to the traditional college environment where you can live, learn and also have a social and cultural life.

Debuting next fall, the UConn dorm will occupy the residential portion of a six-story, mixed-use building on Washington Boulevard developed by Stamford-based RMS Companies.

In addition to its main campus in Storrs, UConn has regional campuses in Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, Torrington and Waterbury  none of which offer on-campus housing.

More Information Signing up Total enrollment 31,624 Regional enrollment 4,581 UConn-Stamford enrollment 1,564 Stamford target dorm capacity 280 See More Collapse

UConn-Stamfords student body of nearly 1,600 represents just 5 percent of the universitys total enrollment of 32,000.

In 2015, the Stamford campus enrolled 370 freshmen, more than it will be able to accommodate in 116 dorm apartments, which will be available to undergraduate and graduate students.

If were lucky, the problem we have is that there will be much more interest in housing than we have capacity for, Cheng said. That would be a great problem to have.

With next years admissions and housing assignments yet to be finalized, UConn President Susan Herbst said its unknown how quickly the dorms will fill up and when their impact will be felt.

(The dorms) will change the kind of destination Stamford is, she said. Right now, its an excellent campus. Its a commuter campus.

Urban campus

With its own housing, Herbst and Cheng envision UConn-Stamford serving as an in-state study-abroad for students who want to pursue an internship in Stamford or New York City.

Suppose you are an actuarial science major or an accounting major in Storrs and you want to do a semester-long internship, Herbst said. You need some security and a place to live thats affordable.

Stamford is also a draw for students who want to be in an urban environment that is less intense than New York or Boston.

These are kids who see places like NYU or George Washington that are completely of the city and they like that vibe, Herbst said.

Adding to its appeal, UConn-Stamford has forged relationships with local employers like NBC Universal and Indeed that have provided students with internships  and jobs.

The Stamford campus also offers majors that reflect industries that are thriving in the city. In 2013, the university launched a digital media and design program that is exclusive to Stamford. Next year, UConn-Stamford will offer a four-year computer science major that students can complete without transferring to Storrs.

But about half of the undergraduate majors offered in Stamford require students to complete their studies at the universitys main campus more than two hours away.

Many majors, such as the sciences, demand it, so we will give them a great general education and prerequisite experience and allow them to move on to Storrs, Cheng said.

Flagship

While UConn-Stamford has existed for decades  with a downtown location since 1998  Cheng said hes committed to weaving the university into the fabric of the city.

Folks look to UConn as the flagship of the state, and they want us here in Stamford to be that flagship as well, Cheng said. So in that vein, weve been advancing more high-profile activity on a cultural level.

Last week, the Stamford campus held a panel discussion ahead of a viewing party for the presidential debate that was open to the public. On Monday night, the UConn symphony orchestra will perform a free concert for the public at the Palace Theatre.

The university also recently drew attention  some negative  for hosting a controversial art exhibit called Race and Revolution.

Stamford, to me, is all the good of living in a city, Cheng said. Its small enough you can know people and see and feel their work in a very tangible way.

eskalka@scni.com
The presidential debates  done. No surprise, they left the elephant (and donkey) in the room untouched. There was not one moderator question on poverty in America, though 43 million of our fellows live below the poverty line ($24,300 for a family of four). Not one question on hunger in America, when one in five children even here in Connecticut will go to bed hungry tonight. Nor on vast food deserts in inner cities and rural countryside making it hard for low income families to find nourishing food.

Not a question addressing the racialized face of poverty, with almost a quarter of black families, a fifth Latino, and 27 percent of Native Americans are living in poverty. No question on the racial wealth gap caused by institutionalized racism of our countrys policies where in 2016 for every dollar of wealth held by a white family, a family of color owns six cents, a Latino family $.07.
Last month we were tipped off to a stupid new scam in town: letters that were supposedly from the city's "Vermin Control" section of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, claiming recipients were in violation of an unnamed regulation regarding vermin and had to pay a fine. And a little over a month after the city issued a warning about the scam, the U.S. Attorney's office has announced a Queens resident has been arrested and charged with mail fraud for sending the notices.

The scam was engineered by two men, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office: Myong Hwan Han (a.k.a David Han) and an unnamed co-conspirator. According to the criminal complaint, Han's co-conspirator set up a P.O. Box in a Whitestone print shop, and asked the shop to print up 10,000 copies of the envelope, return envelope and false vermin control notice used in the mailings, in April of this year. The co-conspirator also, optimistically, allegedly told someone at the print shop to expect a lot of mail at the P.O. Box.

Prosecutors say Han and the co-conspirator then sent the letters, which warned people they were in violation of the vermin regulation, and that they to pay a non-appealable fine of $120. While the address on the notice from "Vermin Control of New York" was a law office in Whitestone, the return envelope had the address of the print shop where the P.O. Box was located.

But there was a problem: the print shop hosting the P.O. Box had closed, so in September Han allegedly went to the Whitestone Post Office to collect mail sent to it, which was where he told a postal investigator he assumed he would find mail sent to the P.O. Box. Han had allegedly brought incorporation documents for what he said was a pest control company called "Vermin Control of New York," which he had given to a post office employee to try to get any mail addressed to the company.

According to the criminal complaint, Han told the postal investigator that he had set up the bank account for Vermin Control of New York, and that he and his co-conspirator had sent the fraudulent notices with plans to split the proceeds from any checks they got. The postal inspector determined that 101 people had sent checks of at least $120 to the P.O. Box, and that based on postmarks from undeliverable envelopes containing the notices, they were sent on August 30th or 31st this year.

Han has been charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, both of which carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
B ritish American Tobacco took the market by storm today, unveiling a $47 billion (38 billion) deal to take full control of US giant RJ Reynolds.

The deal, if approved by the Americans, would see BAT grab the 58% of Reynolds it doesnt already own, creating the biggest privately-owned tobacco company in the world. Only state-run China National Tobacco Company would be bigger.

It would bring together the maker of Dunhill and Lucky Strike with the firm behind Newport and Camel, and is the latest big deal in the sin sector.

Gambling companies have been racing to merge to achieve cost cuts. This year Budweiser brewer AB InBev merged with Peroni and Grolsch maker SABMiller in a 79 billion deal.

BAT is offering $20 billion in cash and $27 billion in shares for the rest of Reynolds, a 20% premium to Reynolds stock market value last night.

BAT shares have benefited from the Brexit effect that has seen investors pour money into the shares of companies with strong overseas earnings. They leapt 183p to 4986p this morning and are up from 4100p in mid-June.

BAT has been a shareholder in Reynolds since selling its litigation-hit US business to it in 2004. The company said the merger was the logical progression in our relationship. One analyst said: These are two equal companies. They have tried to do this in the past. The stars are now aligned.

Change at the top BATs approach to Reynolds comes only two days after the US company unveiled a new chief executive. Debra Crew, 45, at present president and chief operating officer of RJ Reynolds, will replace Susan Cameron at the companys helm. Crew is number 47 on Forbes magazines most powerful women. She will jostle for position in the merged company with BATs Nicandro Durante: the 60-year-old Brazilian is well regarded in the City but has had trouble with investors over his pay: he received 8 million last year, about 3 million more than an average Footsie boss.

BAT is small in America, which means there will be few problems with competition authorities. That lack of overlap also means there are limited synergies. Cost cuts of just $400 million are predicted, a small amount for a deal of this size.

Guy Ellison, head of UK equities at Investec Wealth & Investment, said: The timing is a surprise, but the strategic rationale makes perfect sense, pivoting BAT further towards the high-value US market, consolidating some strong brands and Reynolds position in next-generation tobacco.

The combined company would be valued at about 157 billion.

Nicandro Durante, BATs chief executive, said: We have been a shareholder in Reynolds since its creation in 2004 and have benefited from its growth in the US market.

It would rank among one of the biggest overseas takeovers by a UK company.
B AT's deal with RJ Reynolds puts immediate pressure on arch rival Imperial Tobacco, the firm behind Davidoff and Golden Virginia.

City analysts speculate that Imps boss Alison Cooper will now look to do a deal with Japan Tobacco International, the one obvious remaining consolidation play in the industry.

A merger of Imps and JTI would create a company of comparable size to the new BAT/Reynolds giant.

Cooper is one of the seven female bosses of a FTSE 100 company.

Analysts say a deal with the Japanese would be problematic for Imps because it would have too large a share in several markets.

The possibility of the enlarged BAT coming in for Imps in a few years has not been discounted.

Guy Ellison at Investec Wealth & Investment said: I dont think this is a disaster for Imps and I dont think they necessarily have to do a deal. The rumour has always been that Imps was a bid target rather than an acquirer. Maybe the Chinese will come in.

Imps shares rose 76p to 3938p, valuing it at 38 billion.
T he Chinese appetite for UK energy assets is showing no sign of slowing down, with Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing considering entering the race for UK smart-meter company Calvin Capital.

Lis Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings is among a number of suitors circling Calvin for a possible 1 billion deal, according to Bloomberg.

Cheung Kong is also mulling a bid for a stake in National Grids gas networks, but could face regulatory hurdles. Li already has investments in UK power, water, ports, rail and Three mobile.

The steady income provided by Britains infrastructure and energy businesses has attracted investors from around the world. This week, energy firm SSE sold a stake of a gas network to Abu Dhabis sovereign wealth fund for 621 million.

Manchesters Calvin is owned by Infracapital, the European asset management division of Prudential. It funds smart-meter programmes and will profit from plans to install the devices in in every home and business in Britain by 2020.
T iming is everything for Luke Ellis. As markets spun out of control in 2008, the man whod done more than most to foster a small enclave of hedge funds in Mayfair was sitting quietly outside the blast zone, tending to his farm in rural Sussex.

Ellis was 44 when he retired from the City, escaping the cut and thrust of financial markets just before they went into a tailspin. Hed helped give birth to funds launched by the likes of Sir Michael Hintze and Alan Howard but had given it all up for the peace and quiet of life on the farm.

Then the phone rang. It was Manny Roman of hedge fund GLG, a friend of Ellis from his time running global derivatives for JPMorgan in the mid-Nineties. Roman, who had done something similar at Goldman Sachs, was now a hedge funder and feeling the burn.

I remember a call from Manny and he said can you come and sit in a corner? Weve got a series of meetings today which are making some quite fundamental decisions and, if you think were going to do something stupid, can you put your hand up and say Oi! and Ill take you for dinner afterwards to say thank you, Ellis recounts.

It was the start of the country-loving executives climb back to the top of hedge-fund land, capped last month when he was made chief executive of Man Group, the worlds biggest listed hedge fund. Better-known to most as the sponsor of the prestigious Man Booker literary prize, unveiled next week, Man is a powerhouse in financial circles with $80 billion (65 billion) of funds run for clients from Singapore to San Francisco.

Ellis joined the group in 2010, lured back to the City by Roman, who had gone to Man after it bought GLG, and went on to become chief executive.Roman left last month to run bond manager Pimco, handing the reins to Ellis.

Though hes been back for six years, hes excited by the challenge. It definitely feels like a new stage in my life now, and it works out quite nicely, he says. All of my kids have left home, my youngest has just graduated. Theyve grown up and are heading off in their own lives.

Now I have a new challenge and it is different  even if on paper its not different, in reality it is. To be the CEO of a FTSE 250 company is a great responsibility but its also very exciting. I get to be the final decision-maker. Thats pretty cool.

We meet at the glass-walled City offices of Mans headquarters overlooking the Thames, the day after the Man Booker shortlist dinner. Tall and tieless, Ellis is drinking from a bucket-sized cup of Starbucks coffee, and reels off ideas with the exuberance of a quick-witted professor.

How is he finding life as a chief executive? "At the big-picture level, nothing has changed. At another level, it is different. People do behave slightly differently. One has to recognise that theres a danger when people take something you say as an edict instead of a comment.

The Man that Ellis joined in 2010 is very different from the firm he inherits now. Too much bureaucracy from the former regime and an over-reliance on a flagship fund, AHL, had driven the firm into the ground and it was losing assets rapidly. Roman, Ellis and new recruit Jonathan Sorrell  son of Sir Martin  were tasked with turning the group around after a shareholder coup kicked out the old management in 2012 .

"Rebuilding from scratch appealed to me as a really interesting intellectual challenge."

It was very clear that the place needed a complete rebuild, he says. This wasnt about rejigging the engine, this was about stripping the whole thing down and rebuilding it from scratch, and that appealed to me as a really interesting intellectual challenge. The experience of being part of that is integral to my role today.

A new strategy of diversifying its sales by growing in the US and getting more of its staff face to face with clients was put in place. Bolt-on acquisitions also helped Man move away from a reliance on AHL. It seems to be working, and the feelgood factor returned this year. The groups shares soared last week after it agreed to buy US property group Aalto Invest, and new money is flowing in again.

Ellis, dubbed the continuity candidate, says the strategy he and Roman pursued will remain. But does losing half a duo make life running the company slightly harder? I miss Manny as a friend, but he wouldnt want anybody here to be pining for him  and, of course, the world moves on. We built the strategy together and we ran the place together. We worked very closely together all the way through so theres no need for a radical rethink on anything.

The way we operated wasnt to bounce ideas off each other all the time. We thought in a very similar way, so we didnt need to spend a lot of time together, honestly. Because we were so aligned, there hasnt been a decision since Ive become CEO where Ive sat there thinking I dont know how to take this without talking to Manny. The firm hasnt missed a beat with the change.

Ellis was born in London in 1963 but moved to Oxford as a child. He has trade and industry in his blood: his grandfather and great-grandfather were part of the Ellis industrial family that dominated civic life in Leicester before the last war and gave birth to trade stalwart Ellis & Everard, once listed on the FTSE 100.

ESSENTIALS Car Range Rover Education Bristol University, economics and maths Man Booker shortlist favourite His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnett Brexit In or Out? In  I objected to the fact an argument that featured clear untruths beat a dull certainty

He was going to go into medicine (both his parents are doctors) but followed his love of numbers and studied maths and economics at the University of Bristol. He says he knew he wanted to come into the City at the age of five after developing a love of card games in a bid to win what every five-year-old covets: the chance to stay up past bedtime.

In my family, when we were little, we played cards. It started on holiday where we used to have one of those VW camper vans. You couldnt all go to bed at the same time because you had to take it in turns to set up a bed so we would play cards to see who would have to go to bed first, he recalls. This is when I was four or five and I didnt like going to bed first. Im six years younger than my older brother and I was competitive. I dont know if I was good with numbers but I was good at cards and at recognising patterns.

After seeing three ads for jobs in the City, he went for an interview with a little-known company called Nomura. They did ask me somewhere in the interview why I wanted to spend time in Japan. I thought it was just a random interview question and I made up a good story about it and, as it turned out, they were Japanese.

That competitive streak and talent for numbers led him to JPMorgan, where he set up and ran the global derivatives desk, and then to Financial Risk Management (FRM), which seeded early-stage hedge funds with capital. It was a time of hedge-fund glitz and glamour when generous fees and runaway markets created an industry that would become a poster boy for City excess. That perception still lingers for most of us  an unfortunate hangover from the old days, Ellis says.

He adds: Twenty years ago, it was remarkably easy to start a hedge fund and have a reasonable chance of becoming extremely successful. Today, its really hard to, and the likelihood of the same success is close to zero  but Im not sure that is a bad thing. Collectively, not enough people are willing to stand up and speak for the industry. As one of the worlds largest hedge-fund businesses, we have an obligation to stand up for it.

Another issue ties the public and the City now: Brexit. Despite the high-profile hedgies who benefited from the vote, Man was one of scores of companies to see the Leave result hit its shares.

Ellis makes no secret about what he views as a flawed campaign. I was quite emotional because I felt people behaved really poorly and lied in order to win a vote. The trouble was, I think, that the people were voting without all of the facts, he says.

All the plans have been laid out to investors for a Man renaissance. Now, can Ellis convince them it was worth parking up the tractor?
B ritish American Tobacco took the market by storm today, unveiling a $47 billion (38 billion) deal to take full control of US giant RJ Reynolds.

It is the biggest overseas takeover by a British business since RBSs $97 billion takeover of ABN Amro in 2007.

Britain fell further into the red last month, with another budget shortfall that was wider than the City had been predicting.

The deal, if approved by the Americans, would see BAT grab the 58% of Reynolds it doesnt already own, creating the biggest privately-owned tobacco company in the world. Only state-run China National Tobacco Company would be bigger.

The Government borrowed 10.6 billion in September to make ends meet  2 billion more than forecast by economists.

Thats a headache for Chancellor Philip Hammond who is working on a budget to be delivered on November 23. It is assumed he would like to deliver higher spending plans to boost the economy after the Brexit vote, or tax cuts.

InterContinental Hotels Group has suffered increased competition as a flood of new hotels has opened in London, it said today as it revealed a sluggish performance in the capital.

The Crowne Plaza owner said over-supply of rooms available had left London revenues flat in the third quarter.

The Chinese appetite for UK energy assets is showing no sign of slowing down, with Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing considering entering the race for UK smart-meter company Calvin Capital.

Lis Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings is among a number of suitors circling Calvin for a possible 1 billion deal, according to Bloomberg.

Microsoft's share price hit an all-time peak after cloud computing took it to new heights.

The Xbox and Windows owner saw shares rise 6% to $60.63 in after-hours trading, surpassing a previous high of $59.56 during the dot-com bubble in 1999.

Business Inteview: Back from the farm, the hedge-fund high-flyer reaping a rich harvest at Man

Timing is everything for Luke Ellis. He was 44 when he retired from the City as markets spun out of control in 2008. Now he's back as the chief executive of Man Group.

Comment highlights:

Jim Armitage says the BAT mega-deal is because of UK flight - so put away the Union Jack

"How British is BAT really? Run by a Brazilian, it has had little UK presence for decades, while Americans, with 40% of the stock, own twice as many shares as Brits."

Market report:

Shareholders in Israeli gaming tycoon Teddy Sagis Playtech were betting on the firm hitting the jackpot today with its acquisition of bingo software business ECM Systems.

In a deal worth about 15 million, Playtech said the purchase of the firm, which supplies support services to Gala
L ast night, the participants in an event at the Young Vic organised by the Good Chance Theatre, which built a theatre in the Calais Jungle, called for more, not fewer, children to be brought to Britain. One, Bafta-winning Carey Mulligan, described the row over the age of child migrants arriving in Britain as a distraction. She is right.

The row has reached the point where older arrivals to Britain now come swathed in blankets, lest there be another outcry about whether they are quite young enough. It is certainly true that children, as defined for the purposes of admitting refugees from the Jungle, includes anyone up to the age of 18 who has relatives here, and this can include strapping older teenagers. But the numbers we are talking about are tiny, certainly by comparison with the million-odd refugees who came to Germany in a single year.

Some refugees coming in are palpably young; others more mature. But they have in common the fact they are fleeing a situation that made the danger and cost of the terrible journey worthwhile. The first tranche of children being admitted are those with family here, but the next tranche, the so-called Dubs children, will be those whose welfare will be served by being given refuge, and that will include some of the most vulnerable young people.

Having said which, the Home Office and the charities that advise it must make proper enquiries into the back-ground of applicants. The admission to Britain of child migrants is a one-off move, not a policy for the future, lest families deliberately send children to brave the horrors of the journey. But we should consider first the need of those coming here  and show compassion.

100 Maydays

The Witney by-election has inevitably seen the return of a Conservative candidate but with a drastically reduced majority  down from 25,000 when it was David Cameron standing to about 6,000 votes on a low turnout. But the real interest of the result is that the Lib-Dems took second place, not Labour. Its not what Jeremy Corbyn wants to see as he celebrates his first anniversary as Labour leader. A poll suggests that just a quarter of the electorate views Labour as a party of government.

For now, politics is going Mrs Mays way. Duly, she showed combative form in her first meeting with EU heads of government  even though her contribution was brief and to the point. She insists that Britain must be allowed to play its full part in EU policy-making up to the time it leaves. She has moreover her own anniversary: her first 100 days as leader. She has established her objectives and set a tone for her government in that period, but now its time to set a clear course for the Brexit negotiations and for achieving the social mobility that she has made her objective. For all the energy of Tim Farron and the Lib-Dems, Mrs May is still without real opposition from Labour. That should not be an excuse for complacency.

Not going to waste

It is remarkable that only a month after the launch of the Standards Food for London campaign, our flagship charity, The Felix Project, has secured funding in excess of 1 million. Just as strikingly, more than 750 people have volunteered to help with sorting and delivering its food supplies. Zac Goldsmith today calls for the introduction of a Good Samaritan law that would offer legal protection to those both donating and receiving food when it is given in good faith. This proposal is spot-on  we should remove as many barriers as we can in seeking to end both food waste and food poverty.
I t must be hell being Donald Trump. Even though he defeated 16 other Republican candidates in one of the most heavily covered primaries in history, has amassed a Twitter following of 12 million and had his face plastered across every TV channel for a year now, he just cant seem to get his message across.

Nor has the support of Roger Ailes, until recently boss of Fox News until some unsavoury allegations of sexual misconduct triggered his resignation; or of Steve Bannon, who runs fist-pumping alt-Right site Breitbart and is now CEO of Trumps campaign; or the cheerleading of Fox interviewer Sean Hannity helped matters. Nothing seems to get through to the Mainstream Media. Weve barely been able to hear what Trump has to say above the hullabaloo of liberal America.

What can a man in this situation do? What only Donald could do: launch his own coverage of his brilliance, which he duly did on Wednesday after the last election debate. On an alternative platform.

As the major network coverage of the presidential debate wound down, and Hillary Clinton went off to high-five all her friends in the Mainstream Media, over on Facebook, Trumps team was broadcasting an analysis of the slugfest against Clinton using the social networks streaming service Facebook Live.

With pundits including former New York Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani and son Eric Trump leading the plaudits, Trump was deemed a triumph with a capital T. All six of the 15-minute segments  total home runs for him, said one of the commentators. So was the broadcast. It had 200,000 viewers live  small by TV standards but when archived it was accessed by nine million people, beating the ABC network, which had topped the TV ratings.

The old saying went never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel  ie, the newspaper publisher who both had the power and the money to squash the little guy. Nowadays that phrase needs an update: never pick a fight with someone who can access bandwidth by the gigabyte.

Trump, furious with what he perceives as bias against him, has even launched a mainstream media accountability survey as part of his campaign, asking his followers to agree or disagree on whether the mainstream media needs to do more to expose the shady donations to the Clinton Foundation.

Hillary Clinton v Donald Trump: US Presidential Election 1 /93 Hillary Clinton v Donald Trump: US Presidential Election Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump votes at PS 59 in New York Carlo Allegri/Reuters U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton fills out her ballot at the Douglas Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua, New York Brian Snyder/Reuters Topless protestors cause commotion at the site where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to work at PS 59 located at 233 East 56th Street in Manhattan NY Daily News via Getty Images Republician presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives at a polling station in New York to cast his ballot in the presidential election Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives to vote in the U.S. presidential election at Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua, New York Mike Segar/Reuters A voter looks at a sample ballot as he waits in line at a polling location in Kansas City, Missouri. Whitney Curtis/Getty Images Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton cookies are on sale at the Oakmont Bakery in Oakmont, Pennsylvania Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and her husband former President Bill Clinton, leave their polling place in Chappaqua Seth Wenig/AP lay Smith is the first voter to cast the ballot in the US presidential election, in the small village of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire Herb Swanson/EPA Poll workers look on as US President Barack Obama gestures towards the press as he votes early at the Cook County Office Building in Chicago, Illinois Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Elise Amendola/AP Donald Trump takes a break from speaking to compare his face to a mask during a rally at the Sarasota Fairgrounds in Sarasota, Florida Loren Elliott/The Tampa Bay Times via AP Lady Gaga speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Raleigh Gerry Broome/AP Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and husband, former President Bill Clinton take the stage during a campaign rally in Raleigh Gerry Broome/AP Madonna sings a song as she campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a surprise performance at Washington Square Park in New York Matt Rourke/AP Musician Bruce Springsteen performs at an election eve rally for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Spencer Platt/Getty Images Supporters hold signs and a copy of the Bible during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Manchester Charles Krupa/AP Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, speaks to a campaign rally before the arrival of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Manchester Bill Sikes/AP Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga perform during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Raleigh Gerry Broome/AP Musician Jon Bon Jovi performs at an election eve rally for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on November in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Spencer Platt/Getty Images Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton boards her plane at Philadelphia International Airport Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Part of a Nov. 6, 2016, letter from FBI director James Comey to Congress is photographed in Washington. Comey tells Congress that a review of new Hillary Clinton emails has "not changed our conclusions" from earlier this year that she should not face charges Jon Elswick/AP Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cheer during a campaign rally in Leesburg Evan Vucci/AP Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan Carlo Allegri/Reuters NBA basketball player Lebron James introduces U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio Carlo Allegri/Reuters A member of the audience holds a sign during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Sterling Heights, , Michigan Paul Sancya/AP President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Kissimmee. Florida John Raoux/AP Secret Service agents rush Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the stage during a campaign rally in Reno John Locher/AP Hillary Clinton smiles holding a mask onboard her campaign plane on Halloween Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Supporters of Donald Trump pose with a Hillary Clinton character during a campaign rally at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas John Gurzinski/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump holds a rainbow flag given to him by supporter Max Nowak during a campaign rally at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of University of Northern Colorado Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event at The Manor Complex in Wilton Manors, Florida Getty Images A Donald Trump supporter's pet bulldog is decked out in campaign stickers Jason Connoll/ AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton joins Jennifer Lopez at a campaign concert in Miami, Florida Brian Snyder/Reuters A Donald Trump mural covering a building in Miami, Florida Rhona WiseAFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, greet supporters during a campaign rally in Winston-Salem Chuck Burton/AP A crowd gathers to watch as Donald Trump's vandalised star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is cleaned up Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton delivers birthday cake to reporters on her campaign plane Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A Donald Trump look-a-like walks with bikini-clad women in Times Square. The stunt was organized by artist Alison Jackson Drew Angerer/Getty Images Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hugs a the American flag as he arrives to speak to a campaign rally in Tampa Evan Vucci/AP Katy Perry speaks at a rally in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas AP Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves to a member of the audience as she walks off the debate stage as Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump remains at his podium after the conclusion of their third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada Mike Blake/Reuters NFL fans wear Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton masks during a game between the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals Norm Hall/Getty Images Donald Trump holds a child onstage during a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon) and Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) take on the 'Town Hall Debate Cold Open' on SNL Saturday Night Live Hillary Clinton chats to Ellen DeGeneres during a commercial break during the filming of the Ellen Show Brenan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images A Donald Trump themed fortune telling machine stands on the street in Columbus Circle in New YorK Lucas Jackson/Reuters Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kisses a "Women for Trump" placard during a rally at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the town hall debate at Washington University Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Kevin Lake of Jefferson, Iowa, wears a wall outfit in honour of Donald Trump's pledge to build a wall along the Mexico border Scott Morgan/Reuters Donald Trump holds two-year-old Hunter Tirpak, who is dressed as Trump, during a rally at Mohegan Sun Arena Christopher Dolan/The Citizensi Voice via AP Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the town hall debate at Washington University Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images Ken Bone found himself going viral after his attention-grabbing question during the town hall debate at Washington University Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Donald Trump's daughters-in-law Lara Trump and Vanessa Trump and daughter Tiffany Trump Scott Olson/Getty Images Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump leave the stage after the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Melania (L) and Ivanka (C) Trump sit next to Republican vice presidential nominee Governor Mike Pence ahead of the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Joe Raedle/Pool/Reuters Hillary Clinton shakes hands with husband and former U.S. President Bill Clinton after the first Presidential Debate Joe Raedle/Getty Images Donald Trump with wife Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr.'s wife Vanessa Trump, Eric Trumps wife Lara Yunaska, and Eric Trump Paul J. Richards/AFP US actresses Lena Dunham and America Ferrera speak at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Peter Foley/EPA Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Hillary Clinton attempts to open a pickle jar on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Andy Holmes/ABC Donald Trump greets supporters at a rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images Denis Leary and James Corden on The Late Late Show CBS Donald Trump reacts to the cries of three-month-old Kellen Campbell, of Denver, right, while holding six-month-old Evelyn Keane, of Castel Rock, Colorado Joe Mahoney/Getty Images Bill Clintonon on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mike Segar/Reuters Alicia Keys performs at he Democratic National Convention Shawn Thew/EPA Meryl Streep at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center Alex Wong/Getty Images Donald Trump hugs his daughter Ivanka Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump's run for the Republican presidential nomination Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Donald Trump during a campaign stop on the campus of the University of Central Florida Joe Raedle/Getty Images

But his rage seems to have lost sight of the rather large fact that for those in old media there has been a slow and painful contraction over the past decade, as their business seeps online. Sure, ABC can still pull in the figures but Facebook Live can too, on a channel that launches with a few minutes notice. The New York Times driving you crazy with its piousness? Try the Drudge Report, the original alternative news site that picked up 1.5 billion page views in July this year, making it the second-biggest media site in the US after Microsofts MSN. Or Breitbart, in which you can slowly sink into a parallel universe in which Hillary Clinton is a dark, manipulative force trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the US public. If you ever begin to relax and think Clinton is going to walk this election, turn on Breitbart for a sharp corrective.

In the UK, too, accusations against the mainstream media have become, well, mainstream, most notably in the bitterly fought Scottish National and EU referenda, and within Labour over Jeremy Corbyn. The noises that Trump makes, accusing the media of liberal and progressive bias, are rather familiar to British ears, whove been hearing similar accusations from such diverse groups as the cybernats, Momentum and Ukip supporters. The common grievance of insurgent movements is the ferocity of the crossfire of the media against their own cherished stance; their common answer is to launch their own attacks through the unmediated platforms of Twitter and Facebook as a kind of guerrilla warfare.

But what may be the greatest irony in the US election is this: it was the sunny optimism of Silicon Valley that delivered President Obama in 2008. Now the state of California, steeped in Democrat blue, might also be the very people who deliver Donald Trump up as the victor. This isnt about the Mainstream Media at all. It is about the power of the digital to bind people into new movements.

When Obama went to win the affection of California in 2007, he was dubbed the hottest start-up of the year. Silicon Valleys long-standing support of his establishment rival Hillary Clinton, vying against Obama for the Democrat nomination, faded away, and so did arguments that she had the experience for the job. As one of Obamas team in California observed: No one in Silicon Valley sits here and thinks, You need massive inside-the-Beltway experience: Sergey Brin and Larry Page were in their early twenties when they started Google. The YouTube guys were also in their twenties. So were the guys who started Facebook.

Rather the sort of argument Trump might make over insider Hillary.

And when Clinton, as Secretary of State, campaigned internationally for the rights of access to the internet in 2010 and 2011, spurred on by the Arab Spring, she was arguing that online access could create better societies by bringing together groups of the disparate and dispossessed to shape the political narratives. It is a means that the Trump campaign uses to greater effect than Hillary.

Facebook chief executive Sheryl Sandberg publicly endorsed Hillary for president earlier this year, and Mark Zuckerberg turned to Clinton for advice, but online platforms such as theirs, or Twitter, have always regarded themselves as politically neutral: California doesnt do content, it just does the means of delivery.

But what theyve managed to do, therefore, is create a vehicle for Trump to rival TV networks with his self-created broadcasts, circumventing any mediation by pesky interviewers wanting to check his facts or his ethics.

Mainstream Media may be the punchbag of the day but it is Silicon Valley that handed out the gloves.
K en Loach is arguably one of our greatest living film directors. Even at 80 he is prolific. His latest film I, Daniel Blake, about a seriously ill Geordie carpenter trying to navigate the labyrinthine benefits system, won the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the second time he has picked up the most prestigious award in European film-making in a 50-year career spanning Cathy Come Home to Kes to the 2006 winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

So when Loach has something to say about film-making, as opposed to Julian Assange or Jeremy Corbyn, it is probably worth listening to. This week Loach criticised the current state of TV drama and accused shows such as Downton Abbey and Victoria of wallowing in fake nostalgia. Period dramas undoubtedly veer more towards escapism than reflecting the gritty realities of modern or even yesteryear Britain, but then nostalgia, even the fake kind, is a powerful weapon in a storytellers arsenal. Something that Loach isnt afraid to deploy himself.

Strip away the 2016 scenery of Jobcentres and food banks, and what remains is a mid-20th century view of the world. A political outlook of Left and Right as sharply  and simply  delineated as goodies and baddies. Loach isnt the only one with this world view.

Most contemporary political drama subscribes to these principles. It goes like this: American imperialism is the worst, then the state, then corporations and then any system or ideology that represses an individual, whether it be Catholicism or sexism.

Never mind that the Syrian crisis goes hand in hand with a retreat of American imperialism, that the refugee and migrant flow into Europe is due to failing states in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, or that globalisation and the decline of manufacturing are the real causes of chronic joblessness in places like the North-East. Simpler times had simpler answers and made for simpler drama. Or so some would have you believe.

Loach is right when he says there isnt the appetite for the kind of drama he makes on TV any more. Viewers are probably as much to blame as broadcasters. The BBC, which Loach accuses of being manipulative and deeply political, doesnt show obviously working-class stories and characters in the same way that it used to. Yet that might be because those stories dont exist in the same obvious way they used to.

The world of Downton Abbey was certainly a lot more complicated, messy and nuanced than its depicted. But then so is the world of I, Daniel Blake.

Obama and the rise of political purity

In just under three months America will have its first black ex-president. This is no small feat. Think back to 2008, and even with that optimism there was a fear that Barack Obama might not survive his term in office.

Eight years later, during which a financial meltdown was averted, 20 million Americans were given access to healthcare, a nuclear deal was agreed with Iran, gay marriage was legalised, Osama Bin Laden was assassinated and no new wars started or sex scandals exploded, it still feels as if his presidency was one of unrealised hope rather than transformational change.

Only history will be able to judge his legacy accurately. Its too soon to say what the implications of drone warfare and a reluctance to put boots on the ground will mean but one trend is apparent  purity. We should have guessed it when Jonathan Franzen decided to name his latest novel that.

Obamas tenure has been as much defined by what he couldnt do as what he could, seeing his efforts foiled by the Republican-controlled Congress and Senate. The solution to political paralysis seems to be a doubling down on political ideology, an insistence on purity.

Hillary Clinton may win the election but the real story has been Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, both driven by fanatical supporters who see themselves above the grubby compromises of politics. Is this the end for purity or the beginning? Well have to wait for Franzens next book.

ITV, a haven for shiny, happy people

ITV boss Kevin Lygo says he is sick of endless murders and depressing crime dramas. Instead he wants more happy, life-affirming stuff. Happily, his channel has two such shows  The Durrells, about a middle-class British familys adventures in Thirties Corfu, and coming our way soon The Good Karma Hospital, about middle-class, middle-aged British people in India.

As the nights draw in, it makes perfect sense. Watching people who look and sound like you on holiday in a hot country is almost as good as being there yourself. Itll certainly be a lot easier to sell ad breaks to airlines and hotels than knife-makers and manufacturers of blunt instruments.

* Single men and women without any medical problems could become eligible for IVF treatment following a change in the definition by the World Health Organisation of what it means to be infertile.

Not having a partner is now a biological condition, and there could be some serious implications for our cash-strapped NHS if all those childless singletons start queuing up for treatment. However, there could be an obvious solution  NHS matchmaking. Whats more romantic than an A&E department at 3am?
The fashion world was in mourning today for London-born designer Richard Nicoll who died aged just 39 of an apparent heart attack.

The designer, a regular at London Fashion Week, was reportedly found by paramedics after an ambulance was called to his apartment in the Kings Cross district of Sydney, Australia, in the early hours.

He was taken to St Vincents Hospital where he died. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann today paid tribute to the award-winning designer.

She said: Richard was an extraordinarily talented designer and a wonderful, warm, generous human being.

Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very difficult time, and at Vogue we will celebrate and remember his unique talents, always.

Richard Nicoll - A Fashion Timeline 1 /64 Richard Nicoll - A Fashion Timeline A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS07 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS07 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS07 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW08 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW08 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW08 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW08 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW08 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS09 Dan Kitwood/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS09 Dan Kitwood/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS10 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS10 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS10 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS10 Chris Jackson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW10 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW10 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW10 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW10 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS11 Samir Hussein/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS11 Samir Hussein/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW11 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW11 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS13 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS13 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS13 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS13 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men AW13 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men AW13 Stuart Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men SS14 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men SS14 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men SS14 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS14 Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS14 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS14 Ian Gavan/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men AW14 Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men AW14 Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men AW14 Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW14 Stuart C. Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW14 Stuart C. Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week AW14 Stuart C. Wilson/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men SS15 Leon Neal/AFP/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Collections: Men SS15 Leon Neal/AFP/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS15 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS15 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS15 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS15 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS15 Tim P. Whitby/Getty A Richard Nicoll design London Fashion Week SS15 Tim P. Whitby/Getty

Nicoll, who was born in London, moved to Perth in Australia at the age of three. His parents divorced soon after and his mother, a lawyer, returned to Britain.

Nicoll stayed with his father, sister and stepmother in the suburb of Shenton Park before moving back to London to study, graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2002 with a MA in Womenswear, when his entire graduate collection was famously purchased by Dolce & Gabbana.

He worked for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Cerruti Paris, and high street retailer Topshop, designing a bridal range in 2012, as well.

London fashion designer Richard Nicoll dies aged 39

He was also creative director for Jack Wills and collaborated with sportswear brand Sweaty Betty.

Nicoll, whose creations have been worn by Kylie Minogue and Kate Bosworth, had put his own label on hold and spent the past year in Australia working on various projects.

Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, called Nicoll wonderful and kind hearted.

She said: We are all deeply saddened by the news that the wonderful, kind hearted and talented Richard Nicoll passed away. He had many friends here and in the British fashion community and he will be truly missed.

Central Saint Martins said it was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of our friend, the wonderful Richard Nicoll.

Emily Sheffield, deputy editor at British Vogue, added online: Shocked and saddened by news of Richard Nicolls death; literally one of the nicest men in fashion. A tragic cutting short of a life.

Spice Girl Emma Bunton said: Such sad news about Richard Nicoll, I met him way back when he was at central saint martins, a beautiful soul. Thinking of his loved ones.

10 Magazine editor Alison Veness-McGourty said Nicoll was due to leave Sydney in January to begin a creative director role with Adidas in Germany.

She said: He enabled people to go for it, so many people. He brought ideas, random stuff, crazy thoughts, wonderful thinking and always a hug. I really loved him and we are all bereft. He will never be forgotten.
Review at a glance









A school prom in 2005, a Chorley living room in the 70s and a supermarket self-checkout a few weeks ago. All these places are conjured up on stage in Quarantine's Wallflower, a show that asks: can you remember every time you ever danced?

So far, they've catalogued 1,364 dances, from chasing waves on the beach to the 'longing for a boyfriend dance', and every show, three performers attempt to find more in forgotten corners of their brains and bodies in this lo-fi, freewheeling and rather brilliant parlour game.

The use of movement as a memory trigger shortcuts us to the personal, with the telling details that give life texture. Jo Fong (the only professional dancer in the cast) recalls with delight her first skinny-legged ballet partner aged 16. Writer Sonia Hughes reenacts a shy slow dance with a man she'd just met on a bargain trip to Gambia  "159 for two weeks!".

Lust, death, heartbreak and petty shoplifting, all the big and small stuff is here, reminding us that memories are lived experiences, not just mental Polaroids. It's the warmth and easy rapport of the cast that makes it work; they're good company and there's much mileage in the format, which is just as well because on Saturday they're doing a five-hour version (instead of 90-minutes). It'll make you feel like dancing.

Until 22 Oct, Battersea Arts Centre; danceumbrella.co.uk

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I saac Gracie is feeling a little unsettled. The 21-year-old from Ealing has moved quickly from fantasising that he might, perhaps, one day like to be a rock star, to actually being expected to be one right away. Hes got the look down, at least, sprawled outside a St Johns Wood cafe with a mane of blond hair, various bracelets and necklaces and one too many buttons undone on his floppy vintage shirt. But he confesses hes been feeling less prowling lion, more rabbit in the headlights since putting one song online last summer and watching the music business trip over itself in desperation to sign him.

I was entirely, only rabbit. I was nothing else but that, he tells me. Because you dont know what to make of it all, and what to make of yourself in relation to it. When you value the music really highly, it becomes a challenge because you have a responsibility to carry that forward for an audience. Its a lot to juggle.

At the moment things are relatively quiet. Hes holed up in RAK Studios writing and recording, an atmospheric place full of retro kit to suit his stylings as a tortured troubadour in the vein of his idol Jeff Buckley. You may have spotted him supporting Michael Kiwanuka at Shepherds Bush Empire earlier this month, strumming an electric guitar alone and singing in a skyscraping, choir-trained voice. He doesnt have a band yet.

A band will definitely happen but sometime next year. When it does come, I want it to be frickin awesome, not just some faceless people behind me to pad out the sound, he says. For now, all you can buy are two deliberately low-key EPs: Songs from My Bedroom (which is exactly that) released in March, and a new one, Songs in Black and White. Its four songs were recorded live in July in Stoke Newingtons tiny Waiting Room venue. No ones expecting hits just yet but I can sense hes approaching the top of the rollercoasters long initial climb, ever closer to a high-speed 2017 of teeth-rattling loop-the-loops.

Rabbit in the headlights: Isaac Gracie / Charlotte Patmore

The buzz began with the only other song you can currently buy: Last Words, again recorded in his bedroom using Apples basic GarageBand software. Its so simple, it could be a dusty folk recording unearthed from the Tennessee countryside; so dark that you wouldnt be surprised to learn that its composer was already long dead in tragic circumstances, like Robert Johnson or Judee Sill. Blood in your nails and youre scratching for the face/With a noose round your neck and a needle in your vein, he sings. Heavy stuff for a teenage veteran of the Ealing Abbey Choir, and striking enough for Lucian Grainge, head of Universal Music and the most powerful man in the record industry, to fly from LA to attend Gracies gig at Kings Cross pub venue The Lexington at the start of this year. Gracie is now signed to Universals Virgin EMI imprint, home of two of the last British men with guitars to make major breakthroughs: James Bay and Jake Bugg.

Unlike most of the songs he writes, Gracie says he knew this one was a winner straight away. I wrote it and recorded it in one night, and played it at a gig the next day. I see everything thats happened since then as kicking off from that night, he says. It was this weird thing, where even in the act of writing something, or even in the very first thought you have about a song, it feels strong from the outset.

The response since he posted it on SoundCloud last July has been so overwhelming that he cant mix metaphors fast enough: Its very rare to be put in a position where you can go from nought to 60 like that and be thrown in at the deep end and challenged to swim. If youre a person who sets high expectations for yourself and are also aware of how things can go wrong, its a perfect storm in a way, he says.

It put him in a position where he had to decide what kind of musician he wanted to be, in terms of how to present himself to the world, at a stage when he ought to have been worrying about how he could persuade enough mates to drag themselves to his latest pub gig.

The idea of goals is a new thing in itself. But when you do start thinking of this as a career, my aim for sure is unashamedly to play in front of as many people as possible, for as many people to hear and love the music as possible. Its the same kind of secret lust anyone else might have in that situation.

He already had performing experience with his esteemed choir, including going on tour to Rome (probably a shade more wholesome than his next tour will be) but didnt begin to teach himself guitar until he was around 16, and didnt think about gigging until he found himself with too much time on his hands during his gap year. He was sacked from a pub job for falling asleep on a bench. I was like, What do I do at this juncture? I had a bit of money saved up. Do I bugger off to Paris and flaneur around the streets for a while, writing poetry or some crap? Im not sure why it occurred to me to play some shows.

I want the band to be frickin awesome, not just some faceless people behind me to pad out the sound

Even then, he didnt seem to have caught the bug, choosing to study English literature and creative writing at the University of East Anglias renowned author factory. His mother, Judith, is a psychotherapist who has also published a book of poetry with the daunting title Lost in Space: Amexane  Paths of Impossibility. His own vague poetic inclinations werent solidified at university. It was quite challenging but I was never too enamoured with what I was faced with. It didnt blow my mind.

So he wrote some songs in his bedroom  he says he has about 30 now  and watched surprised as a passionate audience began to form around him. He may have been discovered on the internet but the always-on culture of social media more often leaves him feeling out of step with modern times. Its hard to convey honesty and integrity to the world when youve got a profession that needs this relentless self-promotion. How do you create a mystique these days?

So he looks to Jeff Buckley for inspiration  without the drowning too young part  rather than any contemporaries. I found Jeff on my gap year and he was such a massive influence on me. He was so honest and human. I love the live recordings, theres such a vibe going. I hope to do the same. He should find that even in 2017, when big things will surely happen for him, the world still warms to sad young men with their heart on display and a vast voice soaring upwards.

Songs in Black and White (Live) is out now on Virgin EMI. Isaac Gracie plays at Annie Macs AMP Collected Night, Nov 10, Jazz Cafe, NW1 (0844 847 2514, thejazzcafelondon.com)

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Wake up this weekend to breakfast in Spain with an Andalusian-inspired brunch at Iron Chef Jose Garces' newish Brookfield Place restaurant Amada. The midday feasting includes dishes like Huevos Flamencos ($13), a tomato pepper stew with eggs, migas, and serrano ham and a brunch special ($29) that includes a bread basket, coffee or tea and a choice of dishes including serrano ham, smoked salmon opened faced sandwiches or brandade with green olive and potato.

Meanwhile in East Williamsburg, new Taiwanese-American soul food restaurant Win Won also has a global brunch on the weekends. Snack on garlic and cilantro-marinated cucumbers ($5) and dou jiang you tiao ($7), a fried dough with salty soy milk. Larger entrees include a Taiwanese take on chicken and waffles ($15) and tsung you bing jia dan ($11), a scallion pancake with an herb omelette.



French Onion Soup from Bar Tabac (Yelp)

On Saturday, the Smith Street Soup Festival returns with a lineup of local restaurants offering their takes on the liquid dish. From 1 - 4 p.m., stop by the corners of Bergen, Butler and President to purchase tastes ($5 for 5 tastings and $10 for 12), then walk around to sample soups from Fawkner, Bar Tabac, Avlee, Stinky Brooklyn, Vinny's, Sunken Hundred and a dozen more. Proceeds benefit the culinary arts program at the nearby High School For International Studies.

The Kings County Distillery hosts New York Times editor and author Clay Risen on Sunday as part of The Spirited Pen: Writers Talk About Whiskey. Risen's book, American Whiskey, Bourbon, and Rye: A Guide to the Nation's Favorite Spirit, makes him an ideal candidate to discuss the whiskies coming out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard-based distillery. Attendees will get a one hour guided tour of the facility, including the barrel aging room, plus a taste of four whiskies from Kings County Distillery. Tickets $14.

Get another glimpse of NYC's robust alcohol production scene with the Bushwick Brewing Tour on Saturday afternoon. Tour guide Chris Heuberger leads the group around northern Brooklyn for some insight into the area's brewing history as well as general history of the city. The tour ends with a few pints at craft beer bar The Well. Tickets $30.
A vast new 400-cover eating and drinking complex being dubbed a department store of dining is coming to the City next month.

The Kitty Hawk will feature a coffee shop, bar and all-day dining area as well as a private-hire wine bar, lunchtime food-to-go, a more upmarket evening-only restaurant and a florist.

It will be the first of several planned large-scale London venues from Wright & Bell, a new restaurant company backed by the team behind the Drake & Morgan bar group.

It is the latest in a growing trend for multiple-use venues including Trade Union in Greenwich which features a bar, built-in pizzeria, barber shop and florist, and forthcoming Victoria pub Greenwood which will include a brow bar and ping pong tables.

Interiors: An illustration of how the space will look

The Kitty Hawk will serve coffees, juices and pastries from 7am on weekday mornings, as well as offering takeaway sandwiches, salads and deli goods. Its ground-floor all-day restaurant will serve tapas-style dishes and flatbreads until 1am while a bar will offer wines, craft beers and cocktails. Brunches will also be served on Saturday mornings.

A more high-end restaurant downstairs, which will be flanked by walls of wine bottles and feature an elevated open kitchen, will specialise in steak.

The on-site florist will be run by Hubbards which has won three gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

It will open on South Place near Moorgate in the middle of November.

Managing director Jayne Baker said: Our vision is to create a holistic dining and drinking experience with a touch of retail that people can come to at anytime of the day and for any occasion.

Visit thekittyhawk.co.uk.

Visit standard.co.uk/restaurants for the latest news and reviews from Londons food scene.

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S tella Creasy is examining a picture of one of the child refugees who came to London from Calais this week. He has stubble, wears a hoodie, and face-recognition software estimated that he is

27 years old. But his real age is a grey area. As with many of the people fleeing the camp in Calais before it gets bulldozed, assessing whether he has the right to live in Britain has been complicated.

Its moving very quickly in Calais, says the Labour MP for Walthamstow, who has visited the camp and lobbied our government to protect the children there under UK welfare laws. Theres a lot of chaos and its hard to know what the situation is but at least now there are social workers and lawyers there, verifying paperwork to see whats in the childrens best interests.

The children who arrived this week have had a mixed welcome. Many were expecting cherubic toddlers and girls, so were taken aback when instead they saw young men. Conservative MP David Davies demanded dental tests to find out their ages, and others have worried about the consequences of what councillor for Hillingdon David Simmonds called uneducated guesswork.

Creasy admits that a week is not a lot of time to deal with a thousand children and is concerned that the French authorities refused the offer of a centre to help processing. But she finds Daviess suggestion about dental records a distraction. Over a late lunch of a toasted sandwich at a cafe in Millbank, she says: The dental thing is wacky. Dentists say it doesnt show your age reliably and it involves radiation. We dont want to put health at risk because we dont have a better way. David Davies lashing out is not going to shed light on what is going on. As parliamentarians we have a responsibility to show that you should do your homework and fact- check. Its never wrong to be concerned, its wrong not to do your homework.

Despite this weeks outcry, Calais is, she says, a relatively simple problem to resolve. We need to put into place a fair and systematic mechanism where people can have an answer about whether they have a right to be here. But doing that in a period of heightened emotion is harder, and thats the frustration. A process takes time to be tested and there isnt time to do that.

Sage haven: two young refugees in Croydon this week from the Jungle camp / PA

Screening refugees is an imperfect system. Simmonds says that 60 per cent of those who seek asylum claiming to be children are in fact over 18. But Creasy insists that Calais is a singular case. Ive been working with David Simmonds. He has to deal with people at Heathrow who show up by illegal means. Whats happening in Calais is a legal process. The children are being extensively checked. The idea that weve gone lets just let them all over and figure out what to do later is not the case. Its important that when a process like this has been put in place, we acknowledge it and support it.

So why are the refugees overwhelmingly male? The children that have come here so far are Dublin kids, says Creasy. But a lot of the girls are Dubs so there are around 40 of them still in Calais, in limbo, waiting to be processed. Shes referring to the EU Dublin III regulation, which allows a child to come to Britain if they have family here, and the Dubs amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill that allows unaccompanied children to be offered safe refuge in the UK if it is in their best interests. The Dubs amendment was passed in May but the infrastructure to enforce it is still being implemented.

Calais volunteers - in pictures 1 /22 Calais volunteers - in pictures Data Analyst Ellis Cresswell, 27, from Hackney, has taken a week off work to help maintain shelters Matt Writtle Libby McCorry of Enfield, north London and Faith Hamilton of west Wales, of the Ashram food kitchen Matt Writtle Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson who created the Good Chance Theatre in 'The Jungle', Calais, France Matt Writtle Susannah Butter in 'The Jungle', Calais, France Matt Writtle Carrie McAlinden of Hackney, teaches English at the Library Matt Writtle Barry Fallon, 30, of Newport, south Wales, sorts through all the donated food at The Warehouse, Calais Matt Writtle Marie Eisendisc, 32, of Dalston, has quit her career as a fashion videographer to become a full time volunteer in The Jungle Matt Writtle Volunteer Ben Harrison, 20, who was born in Dulwich and now lives in Harpenden, Herts, has taken a gap year before he heads to Yale to study for his degree Matt Writtle Hettie Colquhoun, 23, of Frome, Somerset, who manages logistics at The Warehouse Matt Writtle Royal College of Art student Tom Hatton who has spent the past two weeks documenting The Jungle with his 5x7 plate camera  copyright Matt Writtle 2016. Libby McCorry of Enfield, north London, volunteers at the Ashram food kitchen Matt Writtle Volunteer librarian and podcaster Rowan Farrell Matt Writtle One of the many restaurants springing up in The Jungle A fruit and provisions store Matt Writtle Volunteer Liz Clegg in front of her truck renowned in The Jungle Matt Writtle Graffiti in the Jungle Matt Writtle The Calais Jungle Matt Writtle

Will it be counterproductive if we dont get it right and reports continue to focus on the country being flooded with people lying about their age? We live in a world where you have the Donald Trump effect  as long as somebody speaks loudly enough and regularly enough people think what they say is true. This isnt a refugee problem, its a politician problem. For too long politics has meant being governed at a distance, so its understandable that people feel sceptical.

She continues: But its a step up from where it was a month ago. Back then we thought the Government wasnt going to do anything  I asked Amber Rudd for a meeting about the kids at the start of September and she said things were fine. Now theres been a sea-change.

Shes been heartened by the amount of people here interested in fostering. But these children are not puppies. Getting them here isnt the answer, its the start of a whole new chapter. They need education, language skills, someone to explain the Tube map.

Should there be a limit on how many refugees we take? Id like to see the Government taking a much stronger line about why accepting refugees matters and how we solve the root cause of these problems. We shouldnt accept everyone but, she says, we should be doing our bit for refugees and thats a difficult thing to say. I know as soon as I say it the grief Ill get.

This doesnt mean ignoring anti-immigrant or anti-EU sentiment. A third of Walthamstow voted for Brexit. You must respect that and not polarise people.

Theresa May doesnt inspire confidence for Creasy. She seems to be consistently making forced errors. On Brexit it feels shes going for a quick answer, not the right answer. I worry she doesnt have a coherent plan for Britain and its our job to offer an alternative.

Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures

The Labour Party has become a different space this year. She identifies a worrying thread of people who talk about creating a movement, but what they want to do is create an audience who sit there while they tell people the world is unfair.

Clement Attlee said the Labour Party is what its members make it. Leadership and culture matter  we should stand up and say anti-Semitism and hatred have no part in the Labour movement  but all of us can be part of changing that culture. She calls the Houses of Parliament Hogwarts and prefers talking to constituents in E17 to debating in the chamber. Would she like to be leader? She laughs. Its a question you cant win on. If you say no, people dont believe you. Im going to be 40 next year and Im as impatient as I was as a teenager to change the world, which is why I refuse to let those people who want to turn the Labour Party into a talking shop define who we are.

Creasy was an early adopter of Twitter and one of the first female MPs to speak out about trolling. Theres a lot of ingrained misogyny in politics, she says. It breaks my heart when young women tell me they dont want to go into politics because theyve seen whats happened to me. I cant pretend that the past year has been pleasant but my mum says its not about me; its about how we can change it.

Is it exhausting? Of course it is. But otherwise politics becomes about blaming, dividing, and feeling smug that you werent part of the bad side. Its easy. Except it doesnt change the world. I became an MP because I believe somewhere in my community there is a kid who could cure cancer, they just need the right opportunities. What if that kid is living in a refugee camp right now and well miss out? We need to resolve what the Dubs tests are, and long-term we need to make sure we have a process for safeguarding children in Europe because this situation will continue.

Follow Susannah Butter on Twitter: @susannahbutter
E ven though we went for the less vibrant paint job on our Smart Fortwo, not expecting it to do anything other than sing out the Smarts presence, its not what youd call bland or hard to see. Nevertheless it has taken its first hit on the mean streets of London.

Someone else's colour blindness means well be footing the bill for that persons misjudgement - a polite term for a hit and run. Maybe the CCTV footage will shed some light on the culprit. Its a mean spirited driver who can cause such damage and then feel able to leave the scene without sharing details in some form.

Fortunately the damage appears superficial, not quite impacting on the silver Tridion safety cell and therefore hopefully less expensive to repair. Perhaps the miscreant should invest in a nippy number like a Smart Fortwo, if negotiating car parks isnt their forte?

Because while we're disappointed with the inept mystery driver, we're not with our pleasantly surprising updated Smart. Weve found Sport mode with the auto boxs manual shifting facility to be the city driving preference.

It gives the vim and agility required to negotiate busy streets with confidence. The 260-litre boot capacity blooms on request to accommodate an extra 100 litres cleverly housed in the lower half of the split tailgate. Thats a plus when modestly-sized items need stowing away securely so as not to reel around the larger boot when the zippy Sport mode is used. The split tailgate has its share of critics but in this car its a design plus. The ability to access boot space while parked in snug areas is a real bonus.

Long-term Review: Smart ForTwo 1 /6 Long-term Review: Smart ForTwo Smart ForTwo Smart ForTwo Smart ForTwo Smart ForTwo Smart ForTwo

So far so good, then. Paint damage caused by a nameless flea bag doesnt alter the practicality and snappiness of a Fortwo. Let the adventure continue.



Part one of our long-term review of the Smart ForTwo is online here.
A fraudster has conned jobseekers out of thousands of pounds in cash by offering them fake jobs for a fee, an investigation has alleged.

The man, who goes by the name of John Phillips, offers applicants positions at non-existent companies. He then requests money so they can be accredited to start work with a promise they will get the cash back once they start.

But Phillips, who also uses other aliases, then disappears, leaving the victims deep in debt and still jobless.

Phillips finds the applicants on job websites that can be accessed by employers, according to BBC1s Inside Out. He contacts them pretending to be MD of a large human resources company and invites them for interviews.

Once they are successful and offered a position, they are told to pay a fee of a few hundred pounds up front and told it will be refunded once the job starts.

One alleged victim, Atiya Ahmed, said: The job was an admin assistant role supposed to be in London Bridge.

Its quite embarrassing... you want to be helping and supporting your family and yourself and being able to do things. When you come across something like this, it does take you low, very low.

Another alleged victim, Sajida Yassin, paid 480 once she was offered an HR job with a purported salary of 24,750. An undercover BBC reporter posed as a jobseeker and was offered a position to find more candidates for Phillips.

At her interview to work for Phillipss fake company Premiere Employment, she was also told her employer would put 100 a month into her pension fund and that she would be able to join the private health care plan and be given free gym membership.

Another alleged victim, Maz Uddin, said: I couldnt have been happier, my family was happy for me and personally, I felt like, Oh wow, finally Ive made it. He said when he realised it was a con, it left him in a state where I was completely stressed financially and struggled to cope with life in general.

The BBC found Phillips, who also goes by the names of Nathan Phillips and Bill Barnet, set up at least 10 companies, all with fake company directors and professional looking websites.

When Phillips, originally from St Lucia, was confronted by the investigation team, he denied everything and has since gone to ground.

Giovanni Pace, who fell for the scam, said: There is no company, there is no office... how can you possibly do that, where is his humanity? There is no humanity. Young people like me, just got in this country and scamming them? Youre just stealing from the poorest, its ridiculous.

BBC Inside Out is on BBC1 tonight at 7:30pm.
A Breaking Bad fan accused of murdering a police officer and dissolving the body in an acid bath may have eaten parts of his victim, the Old Bailey heard today.

Stefano Brizzi, 50, strangled PC Gordon Semple at a chemsex party after meeting through gay dating site Grindr, it is said.

The Italian, who used to work at Morgan Stanley, then chopped up the body with a saw, throwing some limbs in the Thames and trying to dissolve others in the acid bath, the court heard.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told jurors yesterday they needed "strong stomachs" when hearing the evidence, and has been outlining the grisly discovery of PC Semple's remains in April last year.

He said a foot was found near the bank of the Thames, some parts were discovered near bins at Brizzi's home in Bermondsey, and other body parts were in his flat.

However Mr Aylett bones, and most of the PC's internal organs have not been found.

"This does I'm afraid take us inexorably back to the kitchen", he told jurors.

Victim: Gordon Semple / Metropolitan Police

Prosecutors said the victim's DNA was found inside the oven and that other remains were found inside the flat.

"The defendant cannot have confined himself to dismembering Gordon Semple and disposing of his body in acid in the bath or else in the dustbins", he said.

"Instead the prosecution suggest it would be open to you to find that the defendant cooked part of his body and then ate it."

A sketch of Brizzi in court (Elizabeth Cook/PA ) / Elizabeth Cook/PA

He said PC Semple's DNA was also found on a chopping board, blender, a pair of scissors, and the inside of a silver cooking pot.

PC Semple, who had been in a relationship with a long term partner, died on April 1 after bunking off work to have sex with Brizzi.

Brizzi claims he died accidentally in a sex game gone wrong, having asked to be put on a leash.

The body was discovered almost a week later when neighbours complained of the revolting smell coming for his flat.

When he was first challenged, Brizzi claimed the smell was burnt food and he had been "cooking for a friend".

Brizzi denies murder but has pleaded guilty to obstructing a coroner.

The trial continues.
A woman was dragged into woods and sexually assaulted in a terrifying attack in south London.

The victim, in her 40s, was attacked after getting off a bus at Caterham train station, police said.

She was then suddenly dragged from behind from Weald Way into a wooded area and seriously assaulted.

The incident is reported to have happened between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday, October 12.

Police said the suspect is a man in his 50s with dark hair down to his ears that is straight and curls at the end.

He was wearing a white short sleeved t-shirt with two stripes on the sleeve and dark coloured bottoms.

Detective Sergeant Ross Linaker said: No one should ever be subject to such an awful ordeal which has left this woman feeling violated, scared and upset.

We are continuing to do everything we can to track this man down, but we still need your help: Did you see someone matching the description acting suspiciously or were you in the area around the time of the incident?

I also want to take this time to reassure the public that we are and will always do everything we possibly can to track down offenders and will always aim to bring justice to all involved.

A police spokesman added: "The public are reminded to stay vigilant; know your surroundings and consider carrying a personal attack alarm. If you are attacked, shout for help as loudly as possible and when you can, try to get to a safe place and call the police."

If you have any information call police on 101 quoting 45160092307.
P olice arrested 18 people and seized 35,000 in cash during nighttime prostitution and slavery raids in Chinatown and Soho last night.

Six massage parlours thought to be running as brothels with trafficked women were stormed by officers on Thursday night.

Police swooped in and rescued 10 women as part of an ongoing operation to tackle human trafficking, prostitution, firearms, immigration offences and money laundering.

The aim is to find victims and take them to safety while shutting down premises which are a hotbed for these types of crimes.

Raided: Police carried out six warrants on suspected brothels in Soho and Chinatown. (Westminster MPS) / Westminster MPS.

The operation  called Operation Lanhydrock  was launched to crack down on organised crime which have beset the central London areas.

Protection: Police rescued 10 women and took them to safety. (Westminster MPS) / Westminster MPS.

Westminster Police said Thursday night's raid saw six premises closed, another four searched and the arrests made for controlling prostitution, firearms, fraud and immigration.

Photos taken by the police team show bags of cash seized as well as officers standing outside massage parlours in central London.

Seized: Police said they took 35,000 in last night's raid. / Westminster MPS

Temporary Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan, from Westminster, who is the Met's lead for this operation, said police wanted to send a message that London is hostile to these crimes.

"The operation is aimed at bringing to justice those who seek to profit from the exploitation of vulnerable people, she said.

"We are sending a message to the criminals in this area that London is a hostile environment for this type of activity, and that those who are involved can expect to be caught and punished."

Similar raids in Soho in the past have seen dozens of people arrested after police swooped in on premises allegedly linked to rape, sex trafficking and muggings.

Earlier this month local businesses and residents in the area claimed there had been a "dramatic rise" in blatant drug-deling on Soho' streets.

According to latest Met Police crime figures for the area, thefts are the most common crime in Soho, followed by anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and theft from the person.
A 25-year-old man has been jailed after sending a death threat to a councillor involved in the controversial decision to shut down superclub Fabric.

Sebastian Clark-Darby, of Linford Avenue, Milton Keynes, was jailed for eight months after sending a malicious message to Flora Williamson, chair of Islington council's licensing committee.

The council announced its decision to revoke the licence of the Farringdon nightclub on September 7 after finding it had a "culture of drug use" which staff were "incapable of controlling".

Clark-Darby, who worked in the IT sector at the time, admitted emailing Ms Williamson just hours after the decision during a hearing at Highbury Magistrates' Court on September 23.

In the message, entitled "Closure of Fabric", he wrote: "Please note you have received official death threat."

In a victim statement, read to Blackfriars Crown Court by prosecutor Patricia Deighan, Ms Williamson said: "After this email, I am much more worried I am not safe and concerned this will affect the way I carry out duties as a councillor."

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Worsley QC said the courts "will not tolerate" threats to public figures, adding that they "undermine the whole system of democracy".

He said: "Councillors, other elected representatives and employees of public bodies carry out their public duties for the public good.

"They have to balance competing interests in the community's best interests. It's a difficult job and one undertaken by many, and very often by councillors, with scant reward.

"The courts will not tolerate threats to them. Any such threats or interference with their proper judgment undermine the whole system of democracy."

He added that malicious messages were "grossly unnerving" for recipients such as Ms Williamson.

In October last year Clark-Darby had been given a 12-month suspended sentence after being convicted of three counts of possessing Class A drugs with the intent to supply and one count of supplying the drugs.

He was sentenced to four months' imprisonment for breaching the suspended sentence and four months for sending the threatening message to Ms Williamson by Judge Worsley, who acknowledged the message was "not at all pre-mediated" or "sophisticated".

Defence lawyer Shauna Ritchie said her client realised he had committed an act of "extreme stupidity" and felt regret for his actions.

The closure of Fabric was met with fierce criticism by both politicians and figures from the world of music, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and British DJ Goldie.

The club is expected to appeal the decision at Highbury Magistrates' Court next month.

Additional reporting by the Press Association
A rmed police chased a man down the street before Tasering him in a dramatic counter-terror operation near a London university, witnesses said.

The 19-year-old was arrested on Holloway Road this afternoon in connection with an alleged bomb threat yesterday on the Jubilee Line.

North Greenwich station was put on lockdown for eight hours after a suspect item was found inside a packed train. It was later detonated by the bomb squad.

A witness today told how the suspect was "walking normally" down the busy Holloway Road near London Metropolitan University when five police officers ran from behind him shouting "armed police" and tackled him to the floor.

Ali, 30, said: "They got him on the floor straight away but he was struggling for five minutes as they tried to arrest him. It was very uncomfortable to watch.

Police at Holloway Road incident

"It was terrible to see as the university is so close and there were lots of young people around."

He went on: "The guy was white with long shoulder-length hair and a beard.

"He was wearing a long coat and blue jeans, it didn't look like he had shaved in a while.

"They had him on the floor for almost 15 minutes before they threw him in the back of a custody van.

Arrest: Police descended on the road in a counter-terror operation

"The scene was closed for about 45 minutes but there were lots of people around very shocked."

Workers in nearby Dirty Burger restaurant described hearing police sirens and seeing people rushing to see what had happened.

A member of staff at a nearby cafe said the police carried out a very "calm, professional" operation.

"There wasn't much panic as they had it all under control with officers blocking off the street," she added.

A spokesman for London Metropolitan University said: "We are aware of an arrest on Friday afternoon on Holloway Road.

"Given the proximity of the arrest to our Islington campus, we are in contact with the police to ensure the safety of our students and staff."

Scotland Yard said officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command - backed up by armed colleagues - arrested the 19-year-old in the street in Holloway Road at 12:20pm.

Incident on Holloway Road

A spokeswoman said: Officers discharged a Taser during the arrest. No firearms were discharged.

The 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts, under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He has been taken to a London police station where he remains in custody.

The Met and British Transport Police have been working tirelessly since the item was found to follow up all potential leads.

Officers are keeping an open mind regarding any possible motive. They are not looking for anyone else in relation to this investigation at this stage.

Police continue to appeal to anyone with information to call the Anti Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. The public is urged to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police through the anti-Terrorist Hotline or in an emergency 999.
A man is believed to have been beaten to death in a busy east London high street today.

Police have launched an investigation after a 52-year-old died following a suspected assault in the early hours of this morning.

He was rushed to an east London hospital with a serious head injury shortly after 2am and pronounced dead just before 9.30am.

Police were called to the hospital by staff at about 6.15am. They are treating the death as suspcious.

The London Ambulance Service had earlier been called to Leytonstone High Road, near the junction with Lancaster Road.

A crime scene remains in place and Leytonstone High Road is currently partly closed.

The manager of a business close to where the man was discovered told the Standard a police cordon was put up at about 11am.

He added: "Leytonstone is a pretty rough area. This sort of thing happens quite frequently.

"It is worrying but it is not a suprise."

A worker at a nearby shop said: "We didn't know anything until police started putting the tape up.

"I am frightened because I live around here.

"No one is being let into the cordon at the moment so we aren't getting any customers."

Next of kin have not been informed.

A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

There have been no arrests. Officers remain on scene and enquires continue.
Six-year-old Zymere Perkins, who died last month after his mother delivered him to Saint Luke's Hospital with bruising to his head and body, suffered from fatal child abuse syndrome, according to the Medical Examiner's report released this week. His death has been ruled a homicide.

"This cause of death means that the child had evidence of acute and chronic abuse and neglect that ultimately led to his death," said Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the city Medical Examiner.

Zymere's mother Geraldine Perkins, 26, and Perkins's boyfriend Rysheim Smith, 42, were both arrested last month in connection with Zymere's death, and preliminarily charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child.

Perkins, who has five child abuse allegations on her record (three substantiated), reportedly told police Smith beat her son with a broomstick for defecating in an ice bucket the day he died. Smith than allegedly hung Zymere, limp, by his T-shirt from a bathroom door hook. After Smith left the apartment, Perkins said she laid the child on a bed for several hours, thinking he was asleep.

According to the NYPD, officers responded to a 911 call regarding an unconscious 6-year-old boy at 606 West 135 Street in Harlem just before 2:30 p.m. on September 27th. When they arrived at the address, police were informed that Perkins had already transported her son to Saint Luke's Hospital.

Perkins told DNAInfo in an interview at Rikers Island that while she was afraid of her boyfriend, and found it hard to leave him, Smith had not beaten Zymere before the September incident. Investigators have said that Smith abused Zymere for over a year, without intervention from Perkins.

In the aftermath of Zymere's death, Mayor de Blasio announced a series of Administration for Children's Services reforms. Among them, more audits to hold staff accountable to their casework, and collaboration with the Department of Education to ensure ACS follows up with children who are frequently absent from school (Zymere apparently wasn't enrolled).

"We know the system failed. That's what we have to get at here," de Blasio said, adding, "Anyone who works for the city of New York who is found to be negligent in this case will face serious consequences."

Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio also announced that five ACS staff had been placed on administrative duty while Zymere's case is investigated. Staff member names were not released, but the Daily News reported that the Department of Investigation had probed a caseworker involved in Zymere's case, 48-year-old Nitza Sutton, for allegedly falsifying records. According to the tabloid Sutton was promoted a few months ago. Four other high-ranking ACS officials tasked with overseeing Zymere's case were suspended for 30 days without pay.

The mayor's office deferred comment on the cause-of-death ruling to ACS.

"This case is a tragedy and the review of the circumstances that led to this incident is ongoing," the city agency stated. "The City continues to examine this case, and is implementing targeted reforms.

The DOI released a report in May faulting ACS for lax investigations and incomplete record keeping. According to DOI, about 16% of children whom ACS identified as abuse victims during the investigation period were victimized again within the same year. ACS countered at the time that a recent investment of $100 million in the child welfare system was reducing caseloads and funding new training for caseworkers.
S adiq Khan has hailed the outstanding work of police who today arrested a teenager for allegedly leaving a suspected bomb on a crowded Tube train.

The 19-year-old was shot with a Taser on Holloway Road this afternoon after counter-terror officers swooped on the busy shopping street.

His arrest on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts, came after the bomb squad detonated a suspect device left on a packed Jubilee Line train at North Greenwich yesterday.

Following the arrest, the mayor praised the outstanding professionalism of the Met, Transport for London (TfL) staff and the British Transport Police in dealing with the terror alert swiftly and safely.

Incident on Holloway Road

And he said more police officers would be out and about around the transport network over the weekend in a bid to reassure worried Londoners

He said: I have been in constant contact with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the TfL Commissioner throughout the past two days.

Keeping Londoners safe is my highest priority.

I am urging all Londoners to check with TfL before they travel, and to remain calm and vigilant at all times.

Over the next few days you will see more officers in and around transport hubs to provide reassurance about public safety, he added.

The remains of yesterdays package are still being forensically examined but there are fears that it may have been a viable explosive device.

Police continue to appeal to anyone with information to call the Anti Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. The public is urged to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police through the anti-Terrorist Hotline or in an emergency 999.
A rmed police today swooped on a teenager who allegedly left a suspected bomb on a packed London Underground train.

In dramatic scenes the 19-year-old was shot with a Taser in front of bystanders on a busy shopping street in north London shortly after midday today.

The man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts, under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He was held in connection with a package left on a Jubilee line train at North Greenwich station yesterday morning which sparked a major terror alert.

Police at Holloway Road incident

The Armys bomb squad was called in and carried out a controlled explosion in the station before the device was declared safe.

Today police said the remains of the package were still being forensically examined but there were fears that it could have been a viable explosive device.

Police at the scene in Holloway

One source said: It is looking like it was the right decision to blow it up.

Counter terror detectives are liaising with the security services and have not discounted a link to Islamic terrorism.

A TfL source told the Standard that a worker found an abandoned bag full of wires and carrried it through the train to the drivers compartment.

Witnesses described a dramatic police operation on Holloway Road just after midday today as vans and forensic teams descended on the busy shopping street.

Emi Koizumi, 42, described the terrifying moment armed police swarmed the road as he walked to get lunch at a nearby Dirty Burger restaurant.

She said: We saw loads of police, including armed (police) and also plain clothed (officers) with their faces covered.

The plain clothed police ran off down the street towards Highbury Corner right as we walked up.

No one would tell us what was going on under the railway bridge.

Student journalist Leanne Carr added: They had cordoned the road off on one side.

Police vans and three undercover cars turned up as well.

Leanne Carr wrote on Twitter: Some serious police action happening on #hollowayroad.

Counter terror detectives have been hunting a suspect for 24 hours and pounced as he walked along the street outside Costa Coffee and Sainburys supermarket.

TfL said the road had been closed southbound at the junctions with Tollington Road and Hornsey Road.

Scotland Yard said officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command - backed up by armed colleagues - arrested the 19-year-old in the street in Holloway Road at 12:20pm.

A spokeswoman said: Officers discharged a TASER during the arrest. No firearms were discharged.

The 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts, under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He has been taken to a London police station where he remains in custody.

The Met and BTP have been working tirelessly since the item was found to follow up all potential leads.

Officers are keeping an open mind regarding any possible motive. They are not looking for anyone else in relation to this investigation at this stage.

On guard: Police in Holloway Road / PA

Extra police patrols - including armed units - have ben deployed on trains and the Tube network across Lodnon following the discovery.

Officers continue to encourage the public to remain vigilant and alert at all times and report anything suspicious to police.

Police continue to appeal to anyone with information to call the Anti Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. The public is urged to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police through the anti-Terrorist Hotline or in an emergency 999.
P olice have released an image of a man they are hunting over a sickening racist attack when a womans hijab was torn from her face on a busy London street.

The Goldsmiths University student was walking with a friend when the two men grabbed her from behind before one ripped off the veil.

Scotland Yard have today released an e-fit of a man believed to be involved the incident in Tottenham High Road at 7.30pm on September 28.

The 21-year-old British-born woman, who the Standard has agreed not to name, described how the pair flanked her on either side as she waited to cross the busy road outside the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (Chenel).

She said: I started feeling trapped and knew something was wrong so I asked him whats going on? and he started pointing at my hijab.

The other guy, who I couldnt see, came from behind and grabbed it shouting in broken English you look more beautiful without it.

Victim: the Standard has agreed to protect the woman's identity

I was so shocked and distressed that it took me a while to realise it was happening. I couldnt believe someone would attack me like that. He didnt physically harm me but I didnt feel safe at all.

Following the attack, the pair fled towards Pelham Road.

The first suspect  featured in the image  is said to be aged in his late 20s or early 30s, with blond or ginger shaved hair and stubble.

He was described as being 5ft 6is tall and wearing a burgundy hooded top.

At the time of the attack he was carrying a Tesco bag in his right hand.

The second man is believed to be aged in his late 20s or early 30s and clean shaven with spiky hair.

He was described as wearing a grey hooded top.

Detective Constable Ben Cousin of Haringey Community Safety Unit said: This was a shocking attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street.

Racially and religiously motivated crimes will not be tolerated I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this attack to contact police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Haringey Police via 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
B ungling thieves have been caught on CCTV stealing a motorbike in east London in footage which shows one of the men fall over during the theft.

The suspected burglar is seen falling over with his legs swinging in the air as he tries to steal the bike from the underground car park in Tower Hamlets.

The camera footage shows the two men ride a moped into the car park, in Wapping High Street, before stopping next to a parked motorbike.

The pair can be seen breaking the lock on the grey Suzuki motorbike and then pushing it out of the car park before fleeing the scene.

Tumble: One of the suspects falls over as he tries to move the bike. / Met Police.

The commercial burglary happened at around 7am on Saturday, September 10  but it was not reported to police until Tuesday.

Detectives have now launched an investigation and want to speak to the two men seen in the video.

Suspect: One of the men police want to speak to. / Met Police.

The first suspect is described as a white man wearing a black motorbike helmet, dark blue jumper, light coloured jeans and black shoes.

The second suspect is described as white, with a black and grey motorbike helmet, dark blue jumper with a white logo and dark blue trousers and trainers.

Second suspect: Police have put out an appeal to find the men. / Met Police.

PC Ryan Smith, the officer in the case for Tower Hamlets CID, said: We are keen to hear from anyone who may recognise those shown in the footage or the still released, or anyone who witnessed the theft.

No one has yet been arrested, the Met Police said.

Anyone that can assist the investigation is asked to contact Tower Hamlets CID via 101. To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org
I t started as a low murmur. Slowly, the distant buzz grew louder until suddenly a dozen UberEATS motorcyclists riding in formation turned the corner and bore down on the warehouse of The Felix Project.

The sight of so many delivery riders descending on its Park Royal depot caused something of a stir. For one afternoon, they had put aside their usual deliveries of lamb balti and chicken chow mein to help the project ferry surplus food to a charity that feeds more than 100 vulnerable people every day.

It marked Ubers backing of our Food for London campaign. The taxicab firm is donating 50,000 to The Felix Project, which is at the heart of our initiative to tackle food waste and hunger.

The money will be used to buy two electric delivery vans as the charity seeks to expand its operations across London.

Jo Bertram, regional general manager for Uber UK, said: Weve been helping people get around London for years and recently launched UberEATS so Londoners can get lunch or dinner to their door as well.

But while tapping a button on your phone to order a car or food is now second nature for many, sadly there are thousands who cant always afford a proper meal. We jumped at the chance to support this campaign and help get surplus food to those who need it.

Were really grateful to our UberEATS courier partners who made this delivery possible, and to complement our move into electric cars were funding two electric vans to carry out future deliveries.

Back at the depot, Felix staff got down to work, loading up bikes and scooters with carrots, broccoli, potatoes, bread, milk, pastries, crisps and smoothies.

Cyclist Jeremy Langye, 23, had travelled 13 miles from his home in Surrey Quays to help with the drop. Im ready, he said, gulping down a bottle of water. I have noodles and other bits. Im excited about taking part. Courier Giuseppe Conti, 45, from Beckenham, added: I have mince pies and other sweet pies and some bananas. Im all set.

As soon as they were loaded up, the riders zipped off around the back streets of west London before arriving at The Upper Room, a charity that assists people who are homeless, mentally ill or ex-offenders.

The charity, based at St Saviour Wendell Park Church, had heard about Felix through the Standards Food for London campaign and applied to be part of its burgeoning network. They provide a three-course dinner five days a week to 120 people at their kitchen on the borders of Shepherds Bush and Acton.

How you can help The Felix Project The Felix Project is looking for: Food suppliers, especially supermarkets, food wholesalers and catering companies. Volunteer drivers able to make a regular commitment of one morning/afternoon/evening per week. Please email Daisy@TheFelixProject.org Our food for london campaign What is it? This 1.3 million initiative seeks to redistribute surplus produce to tackle food poverty. What are we doing? 1. Backing the scale-up of The Felix Project  our flagship charity  which picks up surplus fresh produce from food suppliers and delivers it to charities that provide meals for those in need. 2. Awarding grants to groups through an open grants programme. Who can apply for grants? If you are a charity, community group or social enterprise tackling food waste and/or using fresh food to address hunger, you can apply for a grant of up to 20,000. Apply by November 11 to The London Community Foundation at: http://www.londoncf.org.uk/ grants/food-for-london.aspx

Cecilia Seres, head of meals at The Upper Room, said: It is amazing to have the support of The Felix Project. To put it simply, we need more food. We never have enough. A lot of the people we serve are ex-drug-users, ex-convicts. Some are just very lonely. A lot of people we feed dont have money to eat or are struggling. It is a painful thing to see how these people suffer. This fresh free food will help a lot.

Chef Kazik Dyra was preparing the meal for guests, who queue at the centre from 5pm every day. Today I am a happy man, he said, surveying the hamper,before chopping and dicing.

Fiona Cook, a fundraiser for The Upper Room, said it provided more than 30,000 meals last year: Any food we get free is invaluable. Milk and bread are essential, vegetables and fruit a must.

"Meat is great if we can get it too. We give vulnerable people a lifeline and we rely on donations. Some people come back to us and say, You saved me, thank you. We cannot thank Felix enough for supporting us.
A Tube union boss today demanded an emergency summit between transport, police and City Hall chiefs to discuss security after the terror alert at North Greenwich.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA white collar transport union, demanded assurances about the safety of passengers and staff - and warned he would demand the Tube network be closed if they were not forthcoming.

His comments came as one source claimed that the alert was sparked after a worker discovered an abandoned bag full of wires on an eastbound Jubilee Line train yesterday morning.

The TfL worker is said to have carried the unattended bag into the drivers compartment as the eastbound Jubilee line service approached North Greenwich station at just after 11am yesterday.

North Greenwich station evacuated due to suspect package

More than 300 passengers were evacuated in just five minutes as officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command surrounded the station before specialist teams carried out a controlled explosion at around 2pm.

Cordoned off: The scene inside North Greenwich station / Daniel O'Mahony

A TfL source said: A driver took a bag they found into their cab and realised it was full of wires. They raised the alarm immediately triggering the emergency evacuation procedure.

One theory is that the bag was a deliberate hoax left with the intention of disrupting the transport network.

Security sources said that no motive had yet been identified and that it was unclear who had left the item and whether there was any terrorost link.

Alternatives included the possiblility that it was a hoax inteded to cause chaos or that it had been left by a person with mental health problems.

It is looking like it was the right decision to blow it up, one source added. But there is still very much an open mind as to why it was there.

There were claims today by union officials that evacuation procedures of nearby Transport for London (TfL) sites, including the bus station, were not carried out as effectively as they should have been.

Bomb squad: A blast curtain was put up at one of the platforms / Daniel O'Mahony

This was robustly denied by TfL which described the evacuation as text book.

Mr Cortes said: In light of very serious concerns raised about security by our members following todays alarming events, we are urgently pressing for an emergency and immediate security summit with London Underground, British Transport Police, Scotland Yard and City Hall.

Our members are telling us that they are scared and that the company is giving them scant reassurance. The network should be shut until we are given assurances that its made as safe as possible for them and for passengers. 

North Greenwich station, next to the 02 arena, remained closed until 7pm with dozens of officers guarding the entrances as forensic officers and explosives experts gathered evidence.

A section of platform three, where the detonation took place, remained sealed off behind blue blast curtains late into the evening.

Fans of US rock band Nickleback streamed in to the plaza once the cordon was lifted to attend a concert at the O2, with many having driven to avoid the Tube disruption.

Delays: Passengers were forced to get out the station because of the alert / Dan Worth, Twitter.

Analysts are today scouring CCTV systems along the Jubilee line in a massive operation to identify who carried the item onto the train and where.

They will also use records of electronic travel payments by Oyster and bank cards in an attempt to identify anyone linked to the package.

Senior officers, including Scotland Yard commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, were kept updated during a remembrance service for fallen officers in Hendon.

The Met said the forces counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation because it has the expertise to deal with incidents of this kind.

They urged anyone on the Jubilee Line train who saw anything suspicious to contact them urgently.

A City Hall spokesman said: The Mayor is in contact with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the TfL Commissioner, and is being kept closely informed on events at North Greenwich Underground Station.

Steve Griffiths, London Undergrounds Chief Operating Officer, said: We understand the concern on the part of some of our staff, and kept everyone informed during the incident today.

"We have been working closely with the police and continue to take all appropriate measures to keep customers and staff safe.

Our teams are trained and very experienced in managing the security of our operations and responded professionally to this incident.

Police were on high alert across the capital today while Tube, train and bus passengers were urged to be vigilant.

A bomb scare outside Westminster Magistrates Court caused chaos in central London at the start of yesterday evenings rush hour last night and a fire alert closed Stratford Underground station this morning for 20 minutes.

Anyone who sees anything suspicious should call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or dial 999 in an emergency.
T his is the first look inside the floating parliament on the Thames that could house MPs and peers during the years-long refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament.

London-based architects Gensler today unveiled plans for the 92,000 sq ft glass bubble perched on a purpose-built 820ft barge.

It would be home to both the Commons and Lords chambers, each of which would be recreated with their respective green and red leather benches, but also featuring a stunning glass ceiling over each.

The Royal Gallery and Central Lobby would also be relocated to the project during the 4 billion repair work to the Palace of Westminster, which is unlikely to begin until after 2020. The Government has yet to indicate whether the Gensler design will be considered, but Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Standard that he thought the idea had merit.

Architects' plan: A design for the floating Houses of Parliament

The favoured option is moving MPs to the Department of Health building in Whitehall, while peers would go to the Queen Elizabeth Conference centre, but Ian Mulcahey, managing director of Gensler, said: We just want parliament to seriously consider this as an option.

We thought, Why not create a temporary parliament on the river and give a sense of continuity for the Government, rather than having one House in a bunker somewhere and another in a courtyard somewhere else? People will be able to continue taking selfies in front of Parliament.

How the Commons chamber could look / Gensler

The glass-clad structure would be built on steel platforms with a wooden frame and components would be made in shipyards around Britain. Gensler said the design was inspired by the Palace of Westminster, with the glass ceiling drawing on the design of the huge hammer-beam roof over the 900-year-old Westminster Hall.

Mr Mulcahey said the structure could also draw more tourists to the capital if the plan was approved by the Government.

The company believes that once politicians are able to return to the Houses of Parliament the structure could be converted into a museum or tourist attraction.

Mr Mulcahey said: London is famous for its juxtaposition with ancient buildings next to shiny new ones, and this would encapsulate that idea perfectly. This is the only occasion when we could do this. It really is a unique moment in time.
P lans for a luxury 1 billion hotel and apartment complex in an Edwardian building where Sir Winston Churchill had an office and James Bond visited M have been revealed for the first time.

The vast Grade II* listed Old War Office block on Whitehall will have a ballroom for 600 guests, a 25-metre swimming pool, spa, wine cellars and roof top bar as well as 125 bedrooms and 88 flats, the plans show.

The Indian and Spanish developers behind the scheme claim in documents lodged this week that the world class hotel will set new standards in luxury.

It is not yet known which company will operate the hotel but there has been a suggestion that it will be the owners of Singapores famous Raffles.

Images with the planning application show how rooms where Secretaries of State for War, including Churchill, Lord Kitchener, David Lloyd-George and John Profumo, once worked will be turned into facilities for guests.

In 007s sights: the building featured at the end of Skyfall, above, as Daniel Craig gazed at the rooftop

The building, sold by the Ministry of Defence for 350 million earlier this year, was used as the MI6 headquarters in three James Bond movies, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and Licence to Kill. More recently Daniel Craig can be seen gazing over its rooftop cupolas at the end of Skyfall.

One of the four entrances to the building is still known as The Spies Entrance and was used by members of MI5 and MI6 to enter the Old War Office discreetly. The 580,000 sq ft development was designed by London architects EPR on behalf of owners the Indian Hinduja Group and Spains OHL Desarrollos.

A planning application filed with Westminster council said: Our vision is to convert this historically important building in one of the most important conservation areas in the country, into an international landmark, mixed use luxury hotel and residential development of exceptional quality, with corresponding amenity, public access and heritage benefits.

The Portland stone building, which has more than 1,000 rooms and two and a half miles of corridors, was completed in 1906. It has never been open to the public.

Graham Craggs in the hotel team at property advisers JLL said he estimated that the value of the development will be well in excess of 1 billion.

He added: The development shows continued confidence in London as a world leading destination.
L eading figures from the world of fashion today paid tribute to designer Richard Nicoll after he died aged just 39.

The chief executive of the British Fashion Council said they were deeply saddened and paid tribute to the wonderful, kind-hearted and talented London-born designer.

Mr Nicoll grew up in Australia but returned to London to study at Central Saint Martins.

He worked for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs as well as designing a bridal range for top high street retailer Topshop.

Tributes: The fashion world have called him a "kind-hearted and talented" man. / Getty Images

Caroline Rush, head of the BFC, which runs London Fashion Week where Mr Nicolls collections were shown, said he will be truly missed.

We are all deeply saddened by the news that the wonderful, kind hearted and talented Richard Nicoll passed away, she said.

He had been part of NEWGEN, Fashion Forward, shortlisted for the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and BFC/GQ Menswear Fund and showed both at London Fashion Week and the first few editions of London Collections Men.

He had many friends here and in the British fashion community and he will be truly missed.

A spokeswoman for Topshop said the news was shocking and sad.

Central Saint Martins, where Mr Nicoll graduated with a BA in menswear in 2000 and MA in womenswear in 2002, said they were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of our friend, the wonderful Richard Nicoll.

Willie Walters, director of the fashion programme at Central Saint Martins, said: Richard Nicoll was a perceptive and extremely sensitive designer.

He was versatile AND had the most acutely honed sensibility for colour of all the designers of his generation.

She added: As an individual he was reserved and wore his talent lightly, he was thoughtful and had a great sense of humour.

I am very saddened and shocked by his sudden death. It is difficult to believe he is gone.

Fabio Piras, the director of MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins, said: It is with immense sadness that I heard the news this morning of Richards passing.

My thoughts are with him and with his family and many friends.

Richard will be remembered as both a very talented designer and a charming and elegant human being.

I knew him first as a kind hearted, sensitive, and gifted student, and he took these qualities with him throughout his successful design career.

Richard was one of these special alumni who touched and inspired his fellow students.

He showed them that to find an original and audible voice you do not necessarily have to shout.

He will be greatly missed.

Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou said on Twitter Mr Nicoll was his first real love.

He wrote: Devastated to hear that Richard Nicoll has died. He was my first real love; a beautiful man both inside and out. I'll miss him terribly.

Nicoll was reportedly due to leave Sydney in January to begin a creative director role with Adidas in Germany.

Paramedics was called to his apartment in the Australian city of Sydney in the early hours and he was taken to hospital where he later died.
H undreds of commuters were evacuated from Stratford station in this morning's rush hour because of a fire alert.

Alarms sounded at the busy east London station at around 9am and crowds of people were herded outside.

Witnesses reported seeing armed police as officials told people to leave the station.

Trains running on the Jubilee line were delayed - the second day of delays on the line after North Greenwich station was put on lockdown yesterday after a security scare.

Fire alert: Alarms went off and people were cleared from the station. / @JanezFeasey

British Transport Police and London Fire Brigade told the Standard they were called to the scene in Stratford.

Janez Feasey on Twitter said: "Stratford station evacuated after an "emergency". Armed police on scene."

Shut: The station was closed for around half an hour this morning. / @jxysays

Lauren Bell tweeted she had just been evacuated out of Stratford station and called it a "scary experience".

A spokesperson for BTP said the station was briefly closed while firefighters investigated a fire alert but there was "no cause for alarm".

Journey: The evacuation caused delays for passengers travelling during rush hour. / @cocoblush

At just before 9.30am, Transport for London said the station had reopened and Tube trains were running through Stratford again.

North Greenwich station was evacuated for more than five hours after a security alert on Thursday.

Counter-terror police later carried out a controlled explosion.
I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission.

A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it.

Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Womens Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy.
P olice were today praised after rescuing an abandoned puppy while on footpatrol in south London.

Officers from the Grange Neighbourhood Police Team in Bermondsey came across the tiny female Jack Russell puppy in St James Road on Wednesday afternoon.

The pup is believed to be between four and five weeks old and was taken to a local vet for a check up.

She is now being nursed back to health by staff at the Battersea Dogs and Cats home where staff have named her Minnie.

Rescue: Minnie was picked up by police on patrol

A Battersea spokesman said: A four to five week old Jack Russell Terrier puppy was brought into Battersea thanks to the Metropolitan Police and she was rushed into our Veterinary Hospital as shes in a very bad way.

Our Vet nurses have named her Minnie but as shes a stray we dont know her background.

"Our clinic team are giving her constant care and attention and trying to discover the full extent of her medical problems.

Battersea exists to help poor puppies like Minnie and in the next few days we will find out the full extent of her medical problems.
B rexit talks will not be held in French despite demands by the EU's chief negotiator, Theresa May said today.

Michael Barnier, a former foreign minister in France, had reportedly wanted all of Britains exit negotiations to be conducted in his country's language.

But at her end-of-summit press conference today, Mrs May appeared to slap down the demand, saying the negotiations would be held in a way that would get the best deal for the UK.

She promised give and take and urged for a smooth Brexit, repeated her demand that Britain be allowed to trade freely with Europe after it has left.

Ms May said: Those negotiations will take time, there will be some difficult moments, it will need some give and take.

But Im optimistic that we can achieve the deal that is right for the UK, because I actually think the deal that is right for the UK will also be right for the EU.

Mrs May said she wanted to cement Britain as a close partner of the EU once we have left, able to control immigration as well as trading freely with the continent.

The UK will continue to face similar challenges to our European neighbours, we will continue to share the same values, so I want a mature, co-operative relationship with our European partners," she said.
A senior German politician gloated today that the falling pound had succeeded in binding the rest of Europe more tightly together.

Manfred Weber boasted that economic damage to Britain and the threat of a new Scottish breakaway referendum had sent support for the EU soaring in other countries.

The Bavarian MEP is one of the most powerful figures in the European Parliament, where he chairs the powerful European Peoples Party grouping.

I have to say, for the rest of the European Union I am extremely positive for the future, he told BBC Radio 4.

Because of the developments in Britain, the Pound Sterling, the economic damage for Britain and the debate about the future of Scotland.

People all over Europe see this. So we have in Germany, in the Netherlands and in France the highest support for the EU since the last 30 years.

People see Brussels is not perfect, the EU is not perfect, but people see it is risky to take this Union into question.

A senior German banker, however, warned that Europes capitals would all lose out if they did not protect London as one of the worlds main financial centres.

Hubertus Vath, head of Frankfurt Main Finance, the 40-member group representing Germanys main financial centre, said: We in Frankfurt clearly have an interest that London will remain Europes foremost financial centre.

Why? Because London is Europes best hope to maintain a leading role in the global financing world.

So we certainly do not want to weaken the City. We want to keep it strong.

But it would be wishful thinking to think that any losses could be avoided.

He believes there are areas in terms of passporting and euro clearing which would almost certainly be relocated.
B ritain paid a new price for Brexit today as Theresa May was cast into the sidelines of her first EU summit.

In a snub to the Prime Minister, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker threw his hands in the air with a dismissive pfff when asked how her debut at a dinner had gone.

Mrs Mays first speech to a full EU summit was relegated to the end of a six-hour dinner and was met by silence, with leaders adhering to their refusal to discuss Brexit until the UK starts exit procedures by moving Article 50.

Mr Juncker, who was due to have a private lunch with Mrs May after the other leaders had gone home this afternoon, said: We had no special event with Theresa May yesterday.

She was explaining what her intentions are. Ill have lunch with her and then we will see what happens.

Mrs May, marking her 100th day in office, had no private meetings with other leaders this morning, in contrast with past summits when her predecessors usually negotiated at bilateral talks with other big players.

It emerged she was forced to protest during last nights dinner that the other 27 leaders were trying to make decisions without her.

According to a diplomat, she said: I accept that 27 needs to meet, but I want the UK to play an active part. Thus, we should meet as 28, otherwise it will be hard for me to accept things you agreed among yourselves. I expect to be fully involved in all discussions related to the EU 28.

The other 27 have held two informal meetings without the UK since the June referendum for Brexit. Another is planned in Malta in January. But Mrs Mays plea was angrily rejected by a senior German MEP. Manfred Weber, the chairman of the European Peoples Party, hit out at the UK for blocking long-term measures to beef up EU military and cyber-warfare defences.

Boris Johnson: Brexiteers are a "nest of singing birds"

He told BBC Radio 4: Its not really normal that a member who wants to leave a club wants to decide about the future of this club. That is really creating a lot of anger, the behaviour of the British Government. Its totally understandable if we, as Germans, as French, as Italians, think about our  not your, our  long-term project, Please dont stop it, dont block it, because that will have a lot of impact on the Brexit negotiations if you do so.

There was a more positive response from German chancellor Angela Merkel, who welcomed Mrs Mays assertion that Britain would uphold both rights and duties.

She said as long as Great Britain hasnt concluded negotiations it will continue to be a member with all rights and duties that entails. That was a good piece of news for us, she said.

Mrs Merkel also expressed approval of Mrs Mays first proper speech, which was left until 1am at the end of the dinner, where she promised to protect the interests of a strong European Union.

As far as the practical terms are concerned, it is going to be rough-going, I think, said Mrs Merkel. It will not be that easy. But what she said today is ok. It is a good foundation on which to continue to work with Great Britain.

Scottish independence plausible within 'two year' Brexit period

However, the frontrunner in the French presidential race said he would tear up a treaty allowing UK border officials to carry out migration checks in Calais.

Alain Juppe, the bookies favourite to succeed Francois Hollande in next years election, said the border should be pushed back to the British side of the Channel where the UK should deal with migrants seeking to enter the country.

He blamed the 2003 Le Touquet agreement, which allows British officials to check passports on French soil, for the creation of the makeshift Jungle migrant camp in Calais. Asked whether the border should be moved to Kent, he said: Of course. Dont tell me that its difficult because the British dont want it.
B ar staff at 15 universities will be among workers trained in counselling victims of rape or sexual violence.

The scheme, led by Brunel University London, was announced as a report calls for "behavioural and cultural change" across universities in the UK.

The Universities UKs report urges universities to follow Brunels lead and tackle violence against women, harassment and hate crime.

Brunels Dr Pam Alldred, Reader in Education and Youth Studies, said: "Sexual bullying and harassment happens everywhere.

Universities are no exception  but have a unique opportunity to tackle it through education. I hope universities see this as the starting point of an agenda for cultural change and commitment to equalities."

Eigthty tutors and staff who work in bars, security and halls  people who could be the first person victims tell about sexual assault  will be trained to support victims under USVreact (Universities Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence).

The scheme will be rolled out at Brunel University London, University of York, University of Sussex and others in Greece, Spain and Italy.

Alison Phipps, Director of Gender Studies at Sussex University said: We are using this training to make a positive change in university cultures  to foster the openness and empathy which both facilitate disclosures and may help prevent harassment and violence from happening in the first place.

The 1.1m EU funded pilot project is based on 20 years of combined research from Sussex, York, Lancaster and Brunel Universities and on the experience of services for women facing violence.

Anne Chappell, USV React co-ordinator at Brunel, added: "The focus of this project is to support students. Thats what makes this unique. We want to enable staff to effectively help and support student victims of sexual violence.

The 1.1m EU funded pilot project is based on 20 years of combined research from Sussex, York, Lancaster and Brunel Universities and on the experience of services for women facing violence.
G ary Lineker today hit back in a row over the age of child migrants brought to the UK.

The Match of the Day host was at the centre of a storm after criticising media coverage questioning the age of children brought to Britain from Calais.

He shared a reportedly false claim that a migrant pictured in The Sun newspaper was in fact an adult working for the Home Office.

The Government then stepped in by saying the refugee  pictured arriving in Croydon from Calais earlier this week - was in fact among those who claimed to be a child, according to the paper.

Officials are facing mounting questions over their age tests on children brought to the UK from the Calais Jungle / Reuters

And former England striker Lineker today hit back - saying he had been "given a spanking after being inundated with abuse over the claims on social media.

He posted on Twitter: Getting a bit of a spanking today, but things could be worse: Imagine, just for a second, being a refugee having to flee from your home.

He also thanked fans for their support, adding: Thank you for a massive amount of support on here.

Proof that the vast majority of people in this country are decent, caring human beings.

Journalist Caroline Criado-Perez, actor David Schneider and law lecturer Simon McCaffrey were forced to apologise following the row.

Mr Schneider wrote on Twitter: Home Office say guy in Sun pic isnt their interpreter. I therefore apologise to The Sun, will delete tweet.

Ms Criado-Perez said: Apparently not a Home Office interpreter. My bad not checking. Press coverage still shameful, however. Ppl fleeing conflict deserve refuge.

In a statement, a spokesman for charity TACT Foster and Adop, which shared the tweet, said: With regard to a recent tweet by TACT questioning the status of an individual male in a photograph at Calais, our information was from a credible source.

However, if the male is indeed a migrant and not an interpreter, TACT regrets any concern caused. The tweet has now been withdrawn as we do not want to cause any further distress to the individual depicted."
O ne of the first 'child' refugees to arrive from Calais is in fact an adult, it was claimed today.

The Sun newspaper said immigration officials identified him as being over 18 after his fingerprints were run through a biometric database, just 72 hours after he arrived to the UK.

The man is said to be just over 18, and is believed to already be on the UK's biometric database.

He may get asylum regardless of his age if officials rule he meets strict criteria.

It came as Charity TACT Foster and Adopt, as well as celebrities including Gary Lineker, came under fire over an incorrect claim about one of the most controversial arrivals.

Critics of the scheme had questioned the age of the man - who was seen when he arrived in Croydon wearing a blue hoodie - because they believed his facial features and build could not be that of someone under 18.

TACT then said he was, in fact, an adult interpreter helping the children, only to then admit he was one of the migrants.

Officials are facing mounting pressure to carry out more rigorous tests of the Calais migrant children - supposedly aged 14 to 17.

Former Home Secretary Jack Straw yesterday backed calls for stringent checks, including dental record tests, to verify the age of migrant children brought to the UK from the Calais Jungle.
A thug who who stabbed a carpenter to death with a screwdriver before stealing his phone has been found guilty of murder.

Rory Anderson, 25, was knifed four times in the back and chest by Alex Azadbakht after stepping in to break up an argument outside a flat party near his family home in Ealing last March.

Mr Anderson died four days later in hospital.

After leaving Mr Anderson fatally wounded, Azadbakht, known by his street name 'Ace', removed his victims clothing and stole his mobile phone, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Two 21-year-olds, Jermaine Lewis and Stephan Bassily, were convicted for perverting the court of justice and were each jailed for four years..

Azadbakht, of Evesham Close, Greenford, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years and four and a half years for perverting the course of justice.

Navnit Dosanjh, Crown Prosecution Service London reviewing lawyer, said: The prosecution was able to use CCTV footage and witness statements to piece together the defendants movements in court and bring about these convictions. Azadbakht and his accomplices are now facing significant prison terms.

What began as a gathering in a flat in Ealing ended in tragedy. Rory was attacked inside the flat and made his way outside where he called the police for help.

When the defendants saw how badly hurt Rory was, they made no attempt to help him, and instead stripped him of his phone and clothing in an attempt to mislead the police and fled the scene.

Our sympathies go to Mr Andersons family at this difficult time.

Family and friends of Mr Anderson described him as having a heart of gold.

One of his friends who spoke to the Standard in March said: "He was a lovely guy  loved by all. He was part of our community.
A n American bomb disposal expert has become the countrys first combat fatality in the fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State.

US officials said the service member was fatally wounded in a roadside bomb explosion north of the besieged Iraqi city. He had been working as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of the Kurdish peshmerga.

More than 100 US special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive and hundreds more are playing support roles in staging bases.

Iraqi forces are leading an offensive against IS in the northern city, which the terror group seized in 2014 and where up to 5,000 fighters are believed to be entrenched.

But today, while the battle for Mosul raged, militants armed with assault rifles and explosives launched an attack on the city of Kirkuk about 100 miles to the south-east.

At least 11 workers, including two Iranians, were killed when the fighters stormed a power plant and blew themselves up.

Gun battles were under way in the oil-rich city, according to witnesses, with much of the fighting was centred on a government compound.

However, a local TV station said the IS fighters involved had been killed except for two who were holed up in a hotel.

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Kirkuk is claimed by both Iraqs central government and the countrys Kurdish region and has been the scene of multiple attacks by Islamic State.

The city has absorbed hundreds of thousands of displaced people from neighbouring provinces since IS first overran wide stretches of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early today. He believes the attackers infiltrated Kirkuk posing as refugees.

Many of them, Im sure they are working with Isis, Mr Kerkuki said. We arrested one recently and he confessed.
D onald Trump was booed as he laid into White House rival Hillary Clinton in a scathing speech at a normally light-hearted charity dinner.

Guests were angered at the billionaires ugly wisecracks at a black tie event that traditionally provides presidential candidates with a welcome break from the campaign battlefield.

With the former First Lady sitting just a few feet away at the Al Smith Memorial Foundation dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, the outspoken Republican candidates jokes quickly deteriorated into insults.

He was showered with boos as he branded Mrs Clinton corrupt and accused her of hating Catholics.

Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission, he said, looking awkwardly down at his notes. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate commission? Pretty corrupt.

The joke fell flat but rather than lighten up, Mr Trump doubled down.

Hillary believes its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private, he said.

However he got some laughs when he made fun of his own wife, Melania, for borrowing parts of an old speech by First Lady Michelle Obama.

I must say the media is more biased than ever before. Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves her. My wife Melania gives the same speech and people get on her case, he said.

Mrs Clinton even cracked up at a jibe about his claims that his Democrat opponent should be jailed for using her private email accounts for official business while Secretary of State.

Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, Pardon me, he said.

This is corny stuff, Mr Trump admitted at one point.

But many of the 1,000 guests complained they were left with a bad taste in their mouths when Mr Trump launched more personal attacks during last nights fundraiser for Catholic charities.

Last night, I called Hillary a nasty woman. This stuff is all relevant. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on and I dont think so badly of Rosie ODonnell, Mr Trump said, referring to his long-running feud with the actress.

Here she is in public, pretending not to hate Catholics, Mr Trump said of Mrs Clinton to gasps in the room.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was seated between the pair, described his spot as the iciest place on the planet.

Mrs Clinton, looking more relaxed than at the previous nights televised duel in Las Vegas, was not above taking a few digs of her own at Mr Trump.

People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, she said.

After a brief pause for effect, she continued: Maybe a five if she removes the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

She also said: Donald wanted me drug tested before last nights debate. I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. Now actually, I did. Its called preparation.

In the past, candidates have used the opportunity to jokingly trade blows but also congratulate one another. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were both widely praised for their performances in 2012.

Last nights confrontation showed theres unlikely to be a thaw in relations between the pair as the US election campaign enters its final stretch.

But at least they shook hands, which is more than they did at the ill-tempered debate the night before.
I felt I had been fighting off some illness for the last few days but woke up in the middle of the night this morning with a sore throat and...
A preacher accused of trafficking children is fighting to stay in Britain after the Government tried to extradite him to his native Kenya for the third time in eight years.

Gilbert Deya, 64, who runs an evangelical church in Peckham, has been wanted in Kenya since 2004 over claims he stole five children.

He has said he can deliver miracle babies to post-menopausal or infertile women in Britain. The women, convinced they were pregnant, travelled to Kenya with his wife Mary where they gave birth in backstreet clinics and were then presented with a baby.

The infants are alleged to have in fact been taken from their real parents. More than 50 families in Nairobi have said their children were stolen.

Home secretaries Jacqui Smith and Theresa May ordered Deyas extradition in 2008 and 2011 but he has fought a long legal battle.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd decided last month the extradition should go ahead but he has applied for a judicial review, the Home Office said this week. Deya has earlier denied wrongdoing and did not respond to attempts to contact him.
T he UK is among the top five countries in the world for young people to live, it has been revealed.

People aged between 15 and 29 based in wealthy European countries have the greatest access to health care and education and benefit from higher standards of living, the research showed.

Germany came out top in the new global index of youth development, which ranks countries on categories including health, education and political participation.

The UK came fifth, trumped by Denmark, Australia and Switzerland.

The only non-high-income country to feature in the top 30 was Costa Rica which performed well on health and wellbeing and young peoples attitude to politics.

Sub-Saharan African countries were ranked worst for youth development.

Top 5 countries for young people 1. Germany 2. Denmark 3. Australia 4. Switzerland 5. UK

The Central African Republic was rated the lowest of 183 countries involved in the study.

However, despite ranking poorly South Africa, Niger, Togo and Malawi have seen the largest improvement in living conditions for young people over the past five years.

People in Pakistan, Angola and Haiti, were faced with the biggest decline in conditions.

The Middle East was the only region to show a decline in political participation since 2010.

Israel was ranked highest in the Middle East for health and wellbeing, while Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia  none of which are democracies  also scored very highly overall.

Joseph Muscat, prime minister of Malta and chair-in-office of the Commonwealth, said: Health and wellbeing are also factors that weigh heavily in youth development, and world leaders need to focus more on promoting mental and sexual health, as well as education and nutrition.
B enedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter are reportedly expecting their second child together.

The British Sherlock star is about to become a father again, after the couple welcomed their first child, Christopher, back in June 2015.

According to E!, Cumberbatch confirmed the news as the pair hit the red carpet at the LA premiere of Doctor Strange on Thursday night.

Cumberbatch, 40, and Hunter, 38, announced that they were expecting their first child back in January last year, just two months after they got engaged.

Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch at the Doctor Strange premiere ( Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) / Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

They got married just a month later on Valentines Day in a private ceremony on the Isle of Wight.

Last year Cumberbatch admitted that he was keen to extend his brood, telling Graham Norton:

Doctor Strange Los Angeles Premiere 1 /25 Doctor Strange Los Angeles Premiere Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Doctor Strange' at the TCL Chinese Theatre Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Benedict Cumberbatch poses with fans at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange' in Hollywood Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams pose at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange' in Hollywood Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Benedict Cumberbatch and actor Robert Downey Jr. greet each other at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange' in Hollywood Mario Anzuoni Rachel McAdams signs autographs at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange' in Hollywood Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Stan Lee Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Rachel McAdams strikes a pose Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Benedict Cumberbatch walks by co-stars Benjamin Bratt, Benedict Wong and Mads Mikkelsen Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Tilda Swinton Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Benedict Cumberbatch (L) and actor Robert Downey Jr. greet each other Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Mads Mikkelsen poses at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange' in Hollywood Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Robert Downey Jr. poses at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange' in Hollywood Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Tilda Swinton signs autographs Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Sophie Hunter and actor Benedict Cumberbatch Kevin Winter/Getty Images Benedict Cumberbatch and Benjamin Bratt Kevin Winter/Getty Images Rachel McAdams attends the premiere of Disney and Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange' at the El Capitan Theatre Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Robert Downey Jr. attends the premiere of Disney and Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange' at the El Capitan Theatre Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Tilda Swinton attends the premiere of Disney and Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange' at the El Capitan Theatre Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Ken Bone arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Doctor Strange' at the TCL Chinese Theatre Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

I've become a father and a husband, and in the right order  just. I might go for a Cumber-batch of boys.

Doctor Strange - Trailer

Talking about family life, he added: It's everything. I have a new life form that needs his father's help in the world and his mother needs a little help once in a while.

It's what being a parent is about so it's not an excuse to get away from what I am doing  it's what I ought to be doing. After three and a half hours of Hamlet, I think that's okay."

Cumberbatch is currently promoting his leading role in the new Marvel film, in which he plays neurosurgeon-turned-sorcerer Stephen Strange.
C arey Mulligan says more child refugees should be allowed into the UK, branding the row over their ages a distraction.

Young people began arriving in the UK from the Jungle migrant camp in Calais this week ahead of its demolition.

But questions have been raised over whether some of those arriving at the Croydon immigration centre are genuinely under 18, with Conservative MP David Davies calling for dental tests to verify their ages.

Suffragette star Mulligan said: Its just a distraction. We cant be focusing on those comments. Its a divisive issue but what we are talking about is children and that we should treat these children the way we would expect to treat our own.

Juliet Stevenson, Joely Richardson, Carey Mulligan and Vanessa Redgrave / Yui Mok/PA Wire

Any comments about age and dental checks is a distraction to the issue. There is a generation of children who are traumatised, illiterate and innumerate because they have been taken out of their schools.

"We have the facilities, we can take care of these children, and its legally our responsibility. Thats the key  its not even up for debate. We passed a law.

She spoke out as Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker faced a backlash after tweeting about the hideously racist and utterly heartless treatment of migrants.

Mulligan, an ambassador for War Child, joined Juliet Stevenson, Joely Richardson and Samuel West on stage at the Young Vic for a politically charged reading of EU regulations on the treatment of refugees last night.

Calais volunteers - in pictures 1 /22 Calais volunteers - in pictures Data Analyst Ellis Cresswell, 27, from Hackney, has taken a week off work to help maintain shelters Matt Writtle Libby McCorry of Enfield, north London and Faith Hamilton of west Wales, of the Ashram food kitchen Matt Writtle Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson who created the Good Chance Theatre in 'The Jungle', Calais, France Matt Writtle Susannah Butter in 'The Jungle', Calais, France Matt Writtle Carrie McAlinden of Hackney, teaches English at the Library Matt Writtle Barry Fallon, 30, of Newport, south Wales, sorts through all the donated food at The Warehouse, Calais Matt Writtle Marie Eisendisc, 32, of Dalston, has quit her career as a fashion videographer to become a full time volunteer in The Jungle Matt Writtle Volunteer Ben Harrison, 20, who was born in Dulwich and now lives in Harpenden, Herts, has taken a gap year before he heads to Yale to study for his degree Matt Writtle Hettie Colquhoun, 23, of Frome, Somerset, who manages logistics at The Warehouse Matt Writtle Royal College of Art student Tom Hatton who has spent the past two weeks documenting The Jungle with his 5x7 plate camera  copyright Matt Writtle 2016. Libby McCorry of Enfield, north London, volunteers at the Ashram food kitchen Matt Writtle Volunteer librarian and podcaster Rowan Farrell Matt Writtle One of the many restaurants springing up in The Jungle A fruit and provisions store Matt Writtle Volunteer Liz Clegg in front of her truck renowned in The Jungle Matt Writtle Graffiti in the Jungle Matt Writtle The Calais Jungle Matt Writtle

The event, organised by Good Chance theatre, called for more unaccompanied children from the Jungle camp to be allowed into Britain.

Mulligan, 31, who has a one-year-old daughter called Evelyn, told the Standard: These children have been traumatised, seen unimaginable horrors and fled things we cant even begin to understand.

"They are just like children in the UK. They need personal attention and they are all individual.

Refugees who have been resettled in the UK also took part in the reading of the Dublin III Regulation, which sets out the responsibilities of member states when granting asylum.

Good Chance founders Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy built a theatre at the Jungle camp.

Mr Murphy said the children were living in desperate conditions with eviction looming.

It came as London councils today wrote to the Home Office to offer homes for 100 Calais refugee children.

The letter explains that the boroughs want to step up to the plate and assist in the migration crisis, but want assurances from the Government the childrens costs will be covered.
A ctress Shailene Woodley has accused the US of ignoring the plight of Native Americans and vowed to continue protesting against a planned oil pipeline despite being arrested.

Woodley, 24, the star of the Divergent film series, was held with 26 others by police on October 10 for demonstrating against the pipeline, planned to run from North Dakota to the US Gulf Coast.

She had joined more than 200 protesters, many of them Native Americans concerned that rivers and drinking water on a Sioux reservation could be contaminated if the oil pipe bursts.

Woodley pleaded not guilty to criminal trespass and engaging in a riot at a North Dakota court on Wednesday, and faces up to 60 days in jail if she is convicted at a later hearing.

She said in a statement after her court plea: I was in North Dakota, standing side by side with Native Americans.

Shailene Woodley is arrested at pipeline protest

You know, those who were here before us. Well, guess what, America? Theyre still here. And they are still fighting the good fight.

And guess what else, dear America? They are still being ignored. We are still throwing them in jail.

"We are still silencing their dedication to protect us from the planetary consequences that will catastrophically bleed from our ignorance.

Treaties are broken. Land is stolen. Dams are built. Reservations are flooded. People are displaced. Yet we fail to notice. We fail to acknowledge. We fail to act.

"So much so that it took me, a white non-Native woman being arrested on Indigenous Peoples Day, to bring this cause to many peoples attention.

Woodley said the incident was another example of disrespect shown to Native Americans in the US, and added:

We wear their heritage, their sacred totems, as decoration and in fashion trends, failing to honour their culture.

"Headdresses, feathers, arrows, moccasins, sage, beadwork... you know what Im talking about. We are allowing Native American voices to be swallowed.

She likened construction of the $3.7 billion (3.08 billion) pipeline to the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, which went into meltdown after the 2011 tsunami. @RashidRazaqES
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Romania can export beef to Turkey after two slaughter facilities in the counties of Calarasi and Bistrita-Nasaud received the relevant certification from Turkish experts; this is a reversal of the situation so far, given that since the moment it joined the European Union Romania was denied access to this market, Minister of Agriculture Achim Irimescu told agerpres.

"Ever since we joined the European Union we haven't exported live cattle and beef to Turkey because they massively opposed the market's opening to the EU over concerns about the bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as the mad cow disease. Recently, in the context of its bid for EU membership, Turkey revised its stance and unlocked its market for some EU countries. After performing a tour de force, Romania managed to also obtain from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) the status of country with low BSE risk," said the Minister of Agriculture.

He argues that the reopening of trade in cattle and beef with Turkey is also the effect of negotiations with his Turkish counterpart Faruk Celik, and of approaches by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority with the Turkish counterpart institution. Thus, following an audit mission between October 3 - 7, 2016 by experts of Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Livestock, the first Romanian cattle slaughter units were certified for beef export.

In this context, Irimescu said that Romania's Agriculture Ministry needs to slightly change its policy on this segment in order to encourage producers to fatten the calves to an optimum weight because it adds value to exports.

As of June 1, 2016 Romania had 2.08 million heads of cattle, up by 0.2 percent from the similar period of 2015.
Romanian actress Medeea Marinescu on Thursday was presented a French National Merit in rank of Knight decoration at a ceremony hosted by the French Embassy in Bucharest, with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and Culture Minister Corina Suteu in attendance.

Host Francois Saint-Paul, the French ambassador to Romania, accompanied Marinescu on piano, for a short recital before the award ceremony.

In a speech to the ceremony, Saint-Paul mentioned the Marinescu's thespian talents as well as her involvement in social causes.

"You are so beautiful," he told the actress, a reference to the eponymous film by French director Isabelle Mergault starring Marinescu.

Saint-Paul also mentioned Marinescu's career that started in her childhood, and her presence in cult movies.

"But Mrs Marinescu, dear Medeea, your merits ate not limited to your thespian talents. You are also committed, in the best sense of the word, having offered this embassy your commitment and generosity," said Saint-Paul.

He also said that Marinescu accepted to be the ambassador of the Paris Climate Change Conference 2015.

"You have not spared your time or efforts for this important cause," said Saint-Paul.

He added that in her speeches, Marinescu underscores the fact that "climate change concerns should not be the concerns of the rich only".

"This is not a cause for the privileged ones who have time, money and the luxury to deal with it," said Saint-Paul.

Medeea Marinescu talked in her turn about her personal relationship with France.

"Mr Ambassador, I am sure we have at least two things in common - care for the environment and passion for jazz music," Marinescu told the ambassador.

"I am 'the East's daughter' - as the initial title of the 'Je vous trouve tres beau' (You Are So beautiful) was. I am also 'the little Romanian woman,' as director Georges Lautner calls me," said Marinescu, adding that she was privileged to work with French actors and be "adopted" by the French public.

Medeea Marinescu's filmography includes "Saltimbancii" (Circus Performers) (1981); "Maria Mirabela" (1981); "Promisiuni" (Promises) (1985); "Domnisoara Christina" (Miss Christina) (1992); "Patul lui Procust" (Bed of Procust) (2001); TV series "Doctori de mame" (Mother Doctors) (2008) and "Weekend cu mama" (Weekend with Mom) (2009).

She has been a constant presence in France, starring in TV series such as "Une mere comme on n'en fait plus" (A Mother Like No Other) by Jacques Renard (1997) and "Le Record" (The Record) by Edwin Baily (1999).

She has received accolades from the Francophone public for her performance in "Je vous trouve tres beau" (You Are So Beautiful) (2005), directed by Isabelle Mergault, alongside Michel Blanc, the story of a young Romanian mother who gets to France's countryside via a matchmaking agency, as well as her part in "Donnant, donnant," (Fair is Fair) by Isabelle Mergault, where he starred along Daniel Auteuil.

Medeea Marinescu is also a highly-acclaimed stage actress, having performed in Bucharest, London, Brussels and Paris.

agerpres.
President Klaus Iohannis on Friday announced that an agreement has been reached between Romania and Canada for Canada to lift the visa requirements for Romanian nationals travelling to Canada as from 2017.

"I've got good news. This morning, an agreement was reached with Canada, a reasonable agreement for both sides, and so we are now in a very favourable position for Romania to withdraw its objection over the signing of Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Romania has no longer any objection over the agreement with Canada. This is quite a good agreement," said Iohannis.

He said May 1, 2017 is the date when the visa requirements would be lifted for Romanian nationals previously issued with a Canadian visa, while on December 1, 2017 the lifting would be valid for all Romanian nationals travelling to Canada.

He added that that a "snap pack" mechanism will be set in place so that if the number of Romanian immigrants reaches a sizeable level, Canada will be allowed to exercise its right to reinstate the visa regime temporarily.

"This snap pack provision will be in police for at most three years, after which it will be revoked under international agreement only," said Iohannis.

He mentioned that the agreement with Canada enters into force when the CETA is signed.

"The visa agreement we negotiated with Canada will come into force when the CETA is initialled," said Iohannis.

He added that a similar agreement was reached between Bulgaria and Canada, and that only the province of Wallonia still has objections over CETA.

"I hope the other parties with reservations over the agreement will reach an agreement with Canada so that we may have the agreement, which I believe is an excellent one in essence," said Iohannis.

agerpres.
The Danubius Drobeta penitentiary trade union on Friday filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office against Justice Minister Raluca Pruna for repeated misinformation.

Danubius says in a press statement released on Friday that the trade unions reported Pruna to the attorney general for her statement at a meeting of the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM) that she had lied when telling the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) about Romania having almost one billion euro earmarked for the building of seven penitentiaries.

"Today, October 21, 2016, we have sent to the Prosecution Office with the Supreme Court of Justice a complaint against Mrs Raluca Alexandra Pruna for the offence of repeated false representation before an international organisation of which Romania is a member. We believe that besides being deplorable and immoral, the offence of Justice Minister Raluca Alexandra Pruna, is criminal in nature because such statements imply willing disinformation related to Romania's commitment to the European Court of Human Rights able to generate legal consequences as the aim of the misinformation was to avoid possible penalisation," reads the Danubius statement.

The union members claim that Pruna's alleged offence meet the description of Article 236 of the Criminal Code concerning false statements and Article 328 of the Criminal Code regarding false-related offences in connection with an international organisation.

On October 6, Pruna told a meeting of the Supreme Council of Magistrates that she had lied to ECHR when saying that 150 million euros each had been earmarked for the building of seven penitentiaries, when in fact the money was on paper only.

"(...) I went before ECHR and lied - and I mean lied well - by telling that we had secured the 150-million-euro budget for each of seven penitentiaries, almost one billion euro in total, but that was just good intentions, as in reality the money was not in the budget," Pruna said back then.

agerpres.
President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that in the European Council meeting there haven't been any constraints from any member state regarding the sanctions for Russia, in the context of the situation in Syria.

"The discussion was profound and based on principles about Russia, about Russia's involvement in Donbass, in Syria, about what we must do. However, there haven't been any arguments and under no circumstance constrains from one or another of the European Council member states. I have read something very strange, that some would have wanted to apply sanctions against Russia and someone would have saved the Russians. There was no such thing. There were discussions on formulations in conclusions and the entire discussion focused on the formulations of the conclusions to be firm, to reflect the will of all 28, and to make it clear for Russia that we don't approve of this approach. Any other interpretation is exaggerated and doesn't match reality," Iohannis said at the end of the European Council meeting.

He underscored that the discussions on Russia were on the text whether to include possible sanctions or not. "Our position was that, if we included all options, it is comprehensive and we are satisfied with that," Iohannis said. The head of state pointed out that the European Council agreed on a stronger involvement of the EU in promoting the diplomatic solutions for peace in Syria. "We have all condemned the unwise actions that took place there [in Aleppo] and drawn the attention that Russia's actions are erroneous," Iohannis added.

Agerpres
We have a new (6/11/16) grandson. Hes our first grandchild to be born in Montana. He is John MacGregor Pierce. John is Grace -- which we sinners need. And MacGregor means: Son (Mac) of the Vigilant One (Gregor). And the most Vigilant is God. Jesus teaches us that God the Father numbers the hairs on our heads (Mt. 10:30). We sinners desperately need him to watch over us.

A little backstory about MacGregor. My wifes Uncle John and Aunt Jane MacGregor had six children. Uncle John was a pastor -- and he loved a good joke. However, in a convincing brogue he told me how, early on, his beloved but strict Scottish mother warned him: John MacGregor, the pulpit is no place for humor.

Jesus would have objected. In Jesus, we find wit personified.

The word 'wit'

Wit is defined as mental sharpness, inventiveness, keen intelligence; an aptitude for using words in quick, inventive ways to create humor. Wits most primitive meaning was simply to be conscious -- to know. But as wit matured, such generalized existence grew into astute shrewdness. Since 1540, this diminutively agile word has meant mental quickness or intuitiveness.

As a result, a wit is jocular without being facetious. Not a joker, not a clown; a wit demonstrates keen and clever humor.

But, is God a wit?

Wit's corollary -- wisdom

On our way to a partial answer to that question, lets stop at wisdom. James wrote: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (1:5). God gives -- literally, donates (present active participle -- God keeps on donating) wisdom generously -- unfoldedly-- holding nothing back.

Pastor Chuck Swindoll gives us this definition: Wisdom is the God-given ability to see life with rare objectivity and to handle life with rare stability. We can either lose our jobs or we can be promoted in our work, and neither will derail us. Why? Because we see it with God-given objectivity (Living on the Ragged Edge"). Jesus teaches us to build upon the Rock of Gods wisdom. No doubt, in the ups and downs of life, we treasure Swindolls wisdom that gives us equilibrium.

But, is this balanced view of life what God gives when he is so generous with wisdom? I wonder.

The disequilibrium of a witty providence

Many years ago, I was up at the top of the Ulm Buffalo Jump. Three sons asked if they could run the trail from the top down to the Visitors Center. Wed seen rattlers. I told them to watch out.

As I was talking with an airman from Malstrom AFB, suddenly, he warned: There is a rattler behind you! At that very moment, the phone in my pants pocket vibrated. I thought: How did that snake get into my pocket so fast?! I jumped, like a white man -- not very high -- and got away without being bit. Actually, our son in Georgia was calling at that very moment. After we laughed, what struck me was Gods perfect comedic timing.

You have stories of such uncanny timing too. God enjoys a good joke. Providence can show us the wily wit of God.

An example of disequilibrium caused by Jesus wit

Jesus is famous for his one-liners -- for his penetrating questions -- for causing disequilibrium by his wit. For example: Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax. And they brought him a denarius (a coin paid for a days work).

Lets interrupt the passage to read Lois Tverbergs historically informative account of this incident. As the priest's hand fumbled through the folds of his robe to withdraw a coin, guffaws arose from the crowd. As the shiny disk glinted in the sun, the realization dawned on him that he had just revealed his own hypocrisy. Denarii were strictly forbidden in the Temple, because they bore Caesar's blasphemous claim to be divine. But the cleric had no qualms about carrying these pagan money pieces in his pocket in the temple. The man's face reddened as he saw how easily the Galilean rabbi exposed his insincerity (Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus).

Pressing on: 20 Jesus said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this?

As you read Jesus question, you know the trappers were trapped. Clearly, Jesus has outwitted them. Here the disequilibrilizing wit of Jesus shines -- again. Instead of a metal detector at the airport, here we have Jesus -- The Hypocrisy Detector -- in the Temple. Can you imagine him smiling at the humor of what had just taken place?

Scripture records their stammered answer: 21 They said, Caesar's.

Then he said to them, Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.

22 When they heard it, they marvelled (other possible translations are: they were awestruck, dumbfounded, astonished, knocked off their feet). And they left him and went away.

Jesus wit baffled them. Thirty-one times (!) the writers of the four Gospels use this word to describe how people respond to Jesus. Did you have any idea?

Christian, and those yet to follow Christ, have you been stunned by Jesus? If not, what false distances -- what superficial prejudices -- have you allowed between you and him? Ask him to show himself to you. Get to know the real Jesus. When the impact of who he really is knocks you off your feet, will you too leave and go away? Instead, again and again, dare to draw near to be dazed by his wit -- and more.
NEW YORK  Morrie Low, a 27-year-old Seattle cocktail server, has found an unlikely new source of pleasure: credit card companies.

After working off card balances he built up during college, Low started collecting new cards in May specifically to reap the increasingly lucrative travel awards banks are offering to encourage spending on their cards.

In August, Low snagged a new Sapphire Reserve card, from JPMorgan Chase & Co., which has become a magnet for millennials willing to pay the $450 annual fee for a sign-up bonus worth as much as $1,500 in travel, plus $300 in annual spending credits and more freebies.

Now Low is planning a trip to Germany with his girlfriend on JPMorgans dime. I have never been to Europe, so that is something pretty cool about this hobby, he said.

The Reserve card opens up a new front in the war among banks to build up their lucrative credit card businesses. While it may be fun for customers, investors and analysts worry that battle will eat away the fat profit margins that made the sector so attractive to banks in the first place.

You have five or six big national players and they are going around killing one another, said Chris Kotowski, an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co.

Metal cards run out

Low illustrates the problem. JPMorgan wont know if he will become a profitable customer for another year because the upfront rewards are so great. He may drop the Reserve card before the next annual fee. He has already acquired two more cards and now is spending on those to meet their requirements for more sign-up bonuses.

And he doesnt intend to borrow on his cards. That could be bad for JPMorgan because credit card companies historically have made about three-fourths of their revenue from interest. The rest has come from fees, which are being whittled away by the rising costs of the givebacks.

Still, JPMorgan executives say they are thrilled that many more young people applied for the Reserve card than they ever expected. Thats especially true with millennials  people who reached adulthood around 2000  who are the next generation of depositors and borrowers.

It has been a huge success, said Kevin Watters, the banks chief executive for cards. The bank so underestimated the demand that it quickly ran out of its initial stock of metal cards and had to resort to plastic for a while.

To make money from the card, JPMorgan has to have the right mix of customer spending, annual renewals and borrowing with repayments, said John Grund, a partner at card industry consulting firm First Annapolis.

Marianne Lake, JPMorgans chief financial officer, declined to say how much card debt the bank needs customers to take on.

I am not going to give you the details of our business case, but I will tell you that we obviously have a lot of experience in a number of different (card) products, Lake told reporters on Friday after the bank posted results.

Historically, airline travel award cards have been successful, with about 50 percent of customers borrowing, said Grund. High-fee cards used by the wealthy have worked with less borrowing, but with less valuable incentives than the Reserve card.

Card war

Like JPMorgan, Citigroup Inc. also has been spending hundreds of millions of dollars to encourage additional spending and borrowing on its cards.

The other two banks among the four biggest in the U.S., Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co., have also been looking for more card business, but less aggressively.

Citigroup intensified the card war last year by giving retailer Costco Wholesale Corp. such a sweet deal for running its Costco card that it took the business from American Express Co., which said the winning terms were uneconomical.

Citigroup said last week that its Costco deal drove spending on its cards to $73 billion in the latest quarter, 57 percent higher than a year earlier. JPMorgan said spending on its cards rose 10 percent to $139 billion.

The banks do not report clear and mutually comparable figures for actual profits from cards. But executives say cards are among the most profitable of any business, with returns on equity of as much as 25 percent, about twice banks recent overall return.
SAN FRANCISCO  The apparent lack of interest in Twitter Inc. by potential suitors may force the social media company to consider a route anathema to aspiring tech startups: a major restructuring and cutting some of its nearly 4,000 employees.

The popular but money-losing micro-blogging service spent aggressively on product development and marketing in recent years, betting that it could afford to post losses as long as it attracted new users.

But that growth stalled this year after it exceeded 300 million active monthly users, less than a fifth of Facebook Inc.s users and below Facebooks Instagram.

Earlier this month, Twitter hired bankers to explore selling itself. Technology and media companies including Salesforce.com Inc., Walt Disney Co. and Alphabet Inc.s Google looked at the company but ultimately passed on buying it.

The aborted sales process  and the companys strategy as an independent company  will be back in the spotlight when Twitter reports earnings on Oct. 27. The company declined to comment.

Its going to take some bold moves here, said David Hsu, a management professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, suggesting job cuts may be an option. It takes a very lean staff to maintain the core Twitter as an advertising and messaging platform, Hsu said.

According to SunTrust analyst Robert Peck, Twitter could cut 10 percent of its workforce and save about $100 million a year.

Major layoffs, though, could hurt the companys image in San Francisco, where the competition for engineering talent is fierce.

Big spender

The company may look first at cutting sales and marketing, an area in which it spends more than twice as much as its rivals to earn each dollar of revenue.

Twitters cost structure was originally built to grow into a much larger user base, said Peck. But with user growth stagnating, the company likely needs to reduce excess costs.

In the first six months of this year, Twitters sales and marketing spending totaled $473 million, or about 40 percent of its revenue. By comparison, spending in that area accounted for 19 percent of revenue at Yahoo, 15 percent at Facebook, and 12 percent at Google-parent Alphabet, according to a Reuters analysis of quarterly financial reports.

Twitter also spends more, proportionately, than its peers on research and development. First-half spending on R&D accounted for $334 million, or 28 percent of revenue, compared to 24 percent at Facebook, 23 percent at Yahoo and 16 percent at Alphabet, according to a Reuters analysis.

Twitter could also reduce expenses by cutting products and moving some engineering positions to lower-cost overseas locations, analysts said.

It may also need to reform its stock-based compensation plans when it hires new employees. Twitter doled out $682 million in stock-based compensation last year, a large portion of its roughly $2 billion in annual revenue, which weighs on its profitability.

Private equity firms that examined a buyout of Twitter last year were turned off by the amount of equity-based compensation that would have to be paid out to employees in a deal, according to sources at the time.

Activist in the wings?

If Twitter does not slash its costs, activist investors  who have aggressively pushed U.S. companies in recent years for better cash management, leadership changes and new strategies  may see Twitter as an appealing target.

Carl Icahn  Twitter needs you, Bronte Capitals John Hempton, an investor known for short-selling, or betting against stocks, wrote in a blog post earlier this month, referring to the well-known activist investor. Twitter should be fixed with extreme prejudice by a disinterested outsider before it is sold again to a strategic buyer, he added.

Companies often resist activist campaigns, and sometimes a proxy fight takes place, where the investor tries to replace board members with its own nominees.

On rare occasions, companies invite friendly activists to get involved before they become hostile. Last month, hard-drive maker Seagate Technology Plc invited ValueAct Capital in as an investor, selling a roughly 4 percent stake to the activist hedge fund. ValueAct received an observer board seat as part of the deal, but no voting power.

Twitter could also explore ways to bring in an outside strategic investor to assist in a turnaround. But finding the right company to invest in Twitter without it looking like a desperate move could be tricky, private equity executives said.

Whatever Twitter does, it needs to act fast. Former high-fliers Zynga Inc. and Groupon Inc., which now trade at a fraction of their initial public offering prices, stand as startling evidence of how quickly an internet star can fade.

Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York.
Seven organizations were named Businesses of the Year in the citys annual business awards.

The winners, selected for special commitments or investments in the city, were: Imos Pizza, KPMG, LTI Trucking Services, Nestle Purina Petcare, Penn Services, Square and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The following, one per city ward, were named Neighborhood Businesses of the Year: Dr. Jerome Williams (1); Broadway Sporting Center (2); Robert Guy and Associates (3); MC Appliance (4); LeFit Bras and Shapewear (5); Grove East Provisions (6); Broadway Oyster Bar (7); OConnells Pub (8); Killeen Studio Architects (9); Southwest Auto Parts (10); Degenhardt Heating and Cooling (11); Hi-Way Florist (12); Hess Meat Machines (13); Foca General Construction (14); Tower Grove Farmers Market (15); Schultz Family Dentistry (16); Everest Cafe and Bar (17); Diversity Gallery (18); Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. (19); St. Louis Hop Shop (20); Claytons Barbershop (21); Sportsmens Barbershop (22); Pint Size Bakery and Coffee (23); Green Shag Market (24); Grbic Restaurant (25); Nicks OFallon LLC (26); Amiri Image (27); and Straubs CWE (28).

Developers/Developments of the Year were: Arcade Apartments, St. Louis Community Credit Union Gateway Branch, Garcia Development Corp., The Orion, National Blues Museum and UIC.

Quality of Life Awards, for those improving life in the city, were given to: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation, Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis and St. Louis Food Truck Association.

The Mayors Award for contributing to economic development in the city was given to Great Rivers Greenway.

Innovation Awards went to the Cortex Innovation Community, including BioGenerator, Capital Innovators, Center for Emerging Technologies, CIC St. Louis, TechShop and Venture Cafe; and to T-REX, including Arch Grants, Cultivation Capital, ITEN, Prosper Women Entrepreneurs Startup Accelerator and SixThirty FinTech Accelerator.
Despite some predictably acidic atmosphere, Cardinal Timothy Dolan  Ballwin native, Cardinals fan and archbishop of New York  was not called into blessed peacemaking duties Thursday night.

Dolan was literally the only person between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

The white-tie soiree, which has historically drawn presidential candidates during election years, raises money for Catholic charities in the name of Smith, who was a former New York governor and became in 1928 the first Catholic presidential candidate.

Tradition dictates that the candidates deliver humorous remarks poking fun at each other and themselves, in a celebrity-roast style of exchange.

According to the Washington Post, which described Trump's remarks as "a eulogy for his presidential campaign," said his remarks "landed with such heavy bitterness that it prompted scattered, uncomfortable laughter."

Calling Clinton "corrupt," Trump joked that he might consider prosecuting her if he ever gets elected president, accused the media of working for her and brought up the FBI's investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, the Washington Post reported.

At one point, he wondered aloud if the crowd was booing him or Clinton, to which someone in the crowd answered: "You!"

Clinton took her shots, but with well-written barbs. For example: "Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 'four.' Maybe a 'five' if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."
BILLINGS -- Gov. Steve Bullock spoke about his opposition to school choice education policies at a campaign stop in Billings Thursday.

Speaking at the Billings teachers union office, he told a group of educators that investments in the education system should remain in the public sector.

We support the right of all families to choose what they deem is best for their kids, but I dont support any policy thats going to take money from our public education system and privatize it, Bullock said.

School choice policies refer to the idea that if families choose to put their children in private schools, certain public programs could help pay for that education.

Bullock called for continued focus on public schools and cited the state's high graduation rate, 86 percent, as a barometer for success in the system.

A recent state report shows that while the overall state graduation rate exceeds the national average, a large gap still exists for Native American students, who came in at 71.6 percent.

Bullock also chided his opponent, Republican candidate Greg Gianforte, for his stances on private education.

Gianforte is the board chairman of Petra Academy, a private school in Bozeman. While he has supported school choice policies in the past, his campaign spokesman declined to specifically address school choice policies.

"Greg Gianforte has proposed clear plans to increase funding for our great public schools," said campaign spokesman Aaron Flint. "A job creator like Greg Gianforte will make sure our kids are prepared for the high-wage jobs of the future."

On the campaign trail, Gianforte has suggested greater focus on computer science and trades education. On his website, he calls for "local control" and "more parental say," as well as strong public schools.

This year, Bullock has also proposed voluntary public preschool and expanded dual enrollment programs.

In May 2015, Bullock allowed a school choice pilot program  which provides income-tax credits for donations of up to $150 made to scholarships for private K-12 education or "innovative educational programs" at public schools  to become law without his signature. The Department of Revenue initially excluded religious schools  and therefore the vast majority of private schools in Montana  from the program. A lawsuit challenged the rule, and the department dropped the rule after a Kalispell judge issued a preliminary injunction to stop the department from enforcing the rule.
ST. LOUIS  A motorist told police he was shot by someone who tried to run his car off Interstate 44 about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The victim, 45, was shot in the leg. He was stable, police say, although officials did not release his medical condition.

He was shot on westbound I-44 near North Broadway.

St. Louis police have made no arrests and say they don't have any suspects.

The victim told police he was driving on I-44 when a brown Chrysler 300 rammed his car from behind, at high speed.

"The Chrysler then struck the victims vehicle in an apparent attempt to ram it into the guardrail," according to a police summary.

The victim then saw the driver of the Chrysler pull a gun and fire shots at him. After being shot in the leg, the victim pulled to the side of the highway. A witness called police.

Leah Freeman, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Police Department, said the victim told police he hadn't seen the Chrysler before this happened.
ST. LOUIS  Two men were shot, one fatally, in the city's Academy neighborhood late Thursday night.

Lindell Browden, 34, of Wentzville, was killed in the 5100 block of Kensington Avenue. He was found dead outside in that block at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday. Police say he had been shot.

A second victim, a 28-year-old man, showed up later at a hospital, and police say he had been shot by the same man who killed Browden.

Police say they have a suspect in mind are were searching for him on Friday. Police only said he is 21 years old. The victims knew the gunman, police say.
On Twitter, Donald Trump said: Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day.

In the third presidential debate on Wednesday he said that he would keep you in suspense about whether he would accept results of the Nov. 8 election.

Experts say there has never been evidence of the type of election rigging that Trump has obsessed over.

Voter fraud happens, just not on the scale that could swing a presidential election. For example, a Post-Dispatch investigation last month pointed to irregularities in absentee voting in the Democratic primary for a state House seat. A judge ordered a new election because the St. Louis Election Board accepted 142 absentee ballots without envelopes.

Absentee ballot manipulation is rare, but its still the most common type of election fraud. It can occur in a tight local election, when dozens of votes could swing the result, said Rick Hasen, an election law expert and professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine, who also organizes the Election Law Blog.

In perhaps the most extreme case, thousands of absentee ballots were fraudulently cast in the mayoral race in Miami in 1998.

A scheme to fix a presidential election in a battleground state would take thousands of votes. Despite Trumps comments, John Hancock, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, said hes not concerned about that.

I dont think there is the kind of widespread, multimillion-vote fraud that occurs in this country, he said, precisely because elections are administered at the local level.

About the GOP nominees vote-fraud allegations, Hancock said he couldnt speak for Trump. But he said Trumps campaign has been clear that the comments about the election being rigged are in response to his opinion that the news media is biased in favor of Hillary Clinton.

Studies show that many Americans are worried about voter fraud.

In a 2012 Washington Post poll, 48 percent of respondents said voter fraud was a major problem and 33 percent said it was a minor problem. Polling during the 2014 elections showed that substantial percentages of Americans continued to believe voter fraud was a problem.

Blame the news media, says a recent study that included two professors from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The news gives free coverage to the GOPs fraud concerns, creating the appearance of being a real problem, said the study, by UMSLs Lea-Rachel Koskik, an economics professor, and David Kimball, a political science professor, working with Brian Fogarty, a social scientist at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

By pushing for laws requiring photo IDs at the polls, Republicans could be seen as taking action and solving problems, and not standing by allowing tainted elections, the study found.

Missouri voters will be asked whether to amend the state constitution to require voters to present a photo ID. If they approve, the law would go into effect next year.

Are there areas of concern, where people who would be so inclined would have opportunity to manipulate votes? Yeah, said Hancock. Thats one of the reasons why Republicans generally support photo ID laws to just cut down on the easy vote fraud opportunities that are out there.

A much publicized report in 2014 by Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola University Law School in Los Angeles, detailed just 31 instances of in-person voter fraud that would have been prevented by a stricter ID law.

Hasen said a scheme involving voter impersonation would be a tough way to swing an election.

Youd have to tell people to show up  vote at multiple locations  and pay multiple people to commit fraud, and then expect them to remain silent about it.

Lorraine Minnite, a political science professor at Rutgers University in Camden, N.J., and author of the book The Myth of Voter Fraud, said the idea of widespread voter impersonation was illogical.

It would take several people willing to put themselves in jeopardy of being caught. There could be felony charges.

And you have to commit the crime in front of the people whose job it is to prevent it, she said. And youd have to know ahead of time that your vote might be decisive. It doesnt make sense to do.
The willingness of people to spread the anti-abortion message will determine the effectiveness of the 40 Days for Life tour, David Bereit, CEO of the organization, said Thursday.

More than 200 people came for the rally. Helena was the only stop in Montana for the 50-state tour that began Sept. 23 in the District of Columbia and is to conclude in Virginia on Nov. 6.

The Helena location was on the public right-of-way in front of the Planned Parenthood building on Cannon Street. White paint on the parking lot delineated between public and private property. Those who came for the rally policed one another to remain off the private property.

What happens tomorrow, Bereit told the crowd that gathered for the 6 p.m. event, is the true measure of the campaigns success.

He called for greater commitment to the mission of ending abortion if those at the rally wanted to see more unborn children and mothers saved.

A representative of Planned Parenthood of Montana declined to comment on the rally and said the clinic is routinely closed on Thursdays.

Most of the people who are here, obviously, are fairly well-formed in their pro-life convictions. But what they do tomorrow and the next day, thats whats going to change peoples minds as they interact with family and friends, Bereit said after the roughly hour-long rally as participants departed and many sang Amazing Grace.

The interaction between those who support the anti-abortion position and others, he explained, has changed lives.

The tour is intended to thank people nationwide who stand together and to encourage them to keep on doing what theyre doing, Bereit said.

People want to know theyre united in something bigger than themselves, he added.

The bus in which the tour arrived was signed by many of those who have attended the 70 previous rallies held prior to the Helena event. The bus also proclaimed that the lives of 12,102 unborn children had been saved as a result of the tour, a figure that Bereit said came from reporting by crisis pregnancy centers.

A Helena Police Department car passed to inspect the crowd, as did a lone heckler in a vehicle.

Helenas police were not planning to increase staffing because of the rally, Assistant Chief Steve Hagen said on Wednesday.

The city issued a noise permit for the rally. A small microphone was authorized for use by two speakers, Bereit and Cindy Brunk, to speak to the estimated 50 people in attendance.

The applicant advises that this will be a quiet and peaceful event, the permit stated.

Hagen said the police department had spoken with those involved in the event and they know what the laws are.

They have done these before and weve never had a problem with them, Hagan said and added that no issues with the event were anticipated.

Ann Morren of Conrad was among those who came for the rally and carried several anti-abortion signs.

Life  the first inalienable right, read one of her signs.

You dont get any more basic than that, she said.

Every time this procedure is performed, someone dies, Morren said as she waited for the rally to begin. And it wounds the rest of that family.

The truth is this is a human being, a human being whose life is being taken without justifiable cause, she added.
FRONTENAC  The city is being sued over its decision to deny a zoning change that would allow for a development with an assisted-living center.

City officials disclosed the lawsuit Wednesday. It was filed on Oct. 12 by Grove Assisted Living, LLC.

The company wanted to put a 100-bed senior living facility on the 11-acre site of the former Ladue Early Childhood Center. The site is southeast of Highway 40 (Interstate 64) and and Spoede Road. The site was last used by the school district in 2011 and has been for sale.

The construction plan was filed June 6, and on July 19 aldermen adopted a regulation that specifically excludes "assisted living" from allowed uses in residential zoning, like that at the site. The plan was turned down by aldermen on Aug. 16.

The company's attorney has told aldermen the prohibition against assisted living should be invalidated because the application was already pending. Aldermen have said the new regulation merely clarifies what had been the city's established intent at the site for 10 years, to allow some multi-family use of the land but not uses that require state licensing.

The lawsuit seeks almost $13 million in actual damages and unspecified punitive damages, city officials said.

In a statement Wednesday, city officials said: "The City believes the allegations of the petition are groundless and that the plaintiff is not entitled to any of the relief it seeks. We understand the defense may be lengthy and costly, however the City intends to defend the case fully and expects to be successful in protecting the interests of the people of Frontenac."

An earlier plan for the same site involving Pulte Homes was turned down in May 2015. Pulte filed a lawsuit over that decision but eventually dropped the suit without comment.

Nearby residents have generally opposed anything but single-family zoning at the location, citing concerns about traffic and potential crowding.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the name of the business filing the lawsuit.
A letter from Missouri Department of Natural Resource officials has outlined numerous sources of groundwater contamination at Bridgeton Landfill and has requested that the site's operator, Republic Services, pursue "corrective measures" to mitigate the impact of an underground fire smoldering within the landfill, while continuing environmental monitoring efforts.

Based on sampling conducted at the site, the state found "statistically significant evidence of contamination" affecting groundwater at and around the landfill.

The letter dated Oct. 14 was addressed to Erin Fanning, a lead environmental manager of the site, and identified contaminants such as dichloroethane, benzene, toluene, and xylenes, that exceed allowable safety thresholds.

The samples were collected by environmental consulting firms on behalf of Republic Services and sent to the Department of Natural Resource's Solid Waste Management Program for analysis.

The site has been under increased public scrutiny ever since the 2010 detection of the underground fire within the landfill  referred to as a "subsurface smoldering event" by landfill officials, since the reaction is taking place in the absence of oxygen.

The "smoldering event" not only exacerbated odor issues at the landfill, but more notably sparked concerns about its proximity to radioactive waste in the adjacent West Lake Landfill.

Republic Services has spent approximately $200 million in its ongoing efforts to fight the fire, which includes the installation of pipes that send cooling fluids through the landfill to control temperature.

The landfill's operators say that odor concerns peaked in 2013 and 2014 but have since been curbed by mitigation efforts. The spread of the fire, they say, has also been slowed to a rate of about six inches per day and is confined to one of the parts of the landfill farthest away from the known radioactivity at West Lake.

Russ Knocke, Republic Services vice president, asserted the state's findings won't affect federal regulators' plans to address ongoing environmental issues at the landfill.

Knocke said in a statement: "After years of intensive ground water monitoring, there has been no evidence of off-site, downgradient impacts attributable to the landfill. As important, federal regulators have been clear that no one will ever drink or use the groundwater at the site. It will never be a public water source. The landfill is in a managed state. With the cooling barrier in the neck area now fully operational, more than $200 million in new treatment and monitoring infrastructure, and the EPA nearing completion of its permanent remedy for West Lake, these test results are unlikely to affect any regulators' plans. In addition, MDNR's letter will not change the ongoing, comprehensive groundwater monitoring regime and liquids management processes at the site."
BILLINGS -- The majority of Montana voters oppose the medical marijuana expansion proposed in Initiative 182, according to a recent poll commissioned by Lee Newspapers.

The findings add to the evidence that Montana is bucking the national trend of acceptance of the drug, and the campaign for the initiative says that its own data paints a different picture.

A Lee Newspapers poll conducted from Oct. 10 through 12 had 51 percent of people responding that they would vote no on the ballot initiative. The initiative would remove some current restrictions on the state program and add other measures, such as licensing and product testing.

Of those polled, 44 percent favored the measure, leaving 5 percent undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

The majority of Democrats and Independents favored the initiative, the poll showed. But it wasn't enough to overcome Republicans, who came out 72 percent against I-182.

Craig Wilson, a political science professor at Montana State University Billings, suggested that in a battle over public perception, medical marijuana might have been hurt by its tumultuous history.

"I think that a real initiative on medical marijuana would have a chance in Montana," he said. "But this one is tainted by the past and also the extent to which (Steve) Zabawa and his folks have weighed in against it.

Zabawa is the founder of Safe Montana, an anti-drug group.

More than 60 percent of voters approved medical marijuana in 2004, but it has since undergone drastic changes.

As the number of medical marijuana cardholders exploded around 2011, concerns arose about abuses of the system by recreational users. The Montana Legislature passed a law reducing the scope of the program, and that law stands today.

The I-182 campaign views the current law as too strict. A three-patient limit for providers has left many registered card holders without medical marijuana.

Opponents of the initiative worry that any expansion of medical marijuana will lead to increased use.

There is no doubt in my mind that the people that started medical marijuana did it as a first step to legalization of recreational marijuana, said Jeffrey Kushner, statewide drug court administrator.

Montana Citizens for I-182 has run a high-dollar campaign, and the committee has received nearly $230,000 from the Montana Cannabis Industry Association to amend the state program.

But the campaign's opponent, Safe Montana, has run a visible operation as well. Zabawa has put part of his $125,000 investment into billboards and a video ad.

Much of that money was spent on Safe Montana's ballot initiative, I-176, which would have repealed the state medical marijuana program but failed to reach the ballot.

The Lee poll echoes work done by MSUB political science students under Wilson, who co-directs an annual poll. In 2004, the majority of Montanans supported medical marijuana, according to MSUB's results. The medical program passed a statewide vote that year.

In recent years, the MSUB poll has shown that medical or recreational marijuana fell out of favor with the majority of voters.

You're getting into a question that deals with social acceptability, Wilson said.

The trend seems to be reversing nationally. On Monday, a Gallup poll found that 60 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana.

Those in the I-182 campaign say that the majority of voters remain on their side. The campaign's own poll, conducted by Colorado-based Harstad Strategic Research, had 59 percent in favor of the measure, with 32 percent against and 9 percent undecided.

Paul Harstad of Harstad Strategic Research chalked up the difference in poll results to the questions asked.

The wording in the Mason-Dixon poll is biased and dramatically oversimplified, and theres no resemblance to the ballot summary that will be available to all voters, Harstad said.

Mason-Dixon Polling and Research conducted the Lee Newspapers poll with a brief question: "Ballot initiative I-182 would allow for wide use of medical marijuana. If you were voting today, would you vote ... ."

Pollsters asked about statewide and national races, as well as other ballot initiatives in the same phone call.

Harstad's poll asked a 121-word question to voters, which detailed the removal of measures from the current law. The question also went over I-182's provisions for licensing, annual inspections and the addition of post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of qualifying illnesses.

Campaigns for and against the initiative will ramp up efforts in the final weeks before Election Day. The I-182 campaign is hosting a series of Get Out the Vote appearances across the state.

Zabawa said Thursday that he plans to roll out television ads.
I have to admit I didnt know much about this cigar until recently. As it turns out, my knowledge of Cubans is lacking  but Im looking forward to changing that.

So I turned to the web to do a little background research on the Partagas Serie D No. 4 before diving into a couple that have been gracing my humidor. What I found was a heap of praise making the stogie out to be the greatest robusto ever created. Several reviewers claimed it was the best smoke theyve ever had.

Needless to say, I was anxious to try the Serie D, one of the top-selling Havanas in the world. Its reputation as a full-flavored, New School Habano with rich notes of wood and spice meant that I couldnt wait any longer to give the 4.9 inch by 50 ring gauge No. 4 a try.

The golden wrapper is extremely smooth with only a few minor imperfections. With a new-age appearance, the band doesnt look anything like what youd expect from a company that has been rolling tobacco since 1827.

After toasting the foot and establishing an even burn with just a few wooden matches, I was underway. The Cuban leaves quickly produce a big taste of cedar and black pepper  very similar to the flavors that are advertised. While the immediate impression is milder than I expected, the strong spice really kicks in during the aftertaste.

After the first third is completed, the $13 to $23 cigars true colors begin to shine through. Thats when a buttery almond flavor enters the equation and the stick is at its best.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed by the physical properties of the two No. 4s I tried before writing this review. While the draw was clear and each puff produced a ton of smoke, the burn required constant surveillance and several touch-ups to remain even and lit. Even though I took all the appropriate measures, I couldnt prevent canoes from forming. Whats more, the ash is flakey and unstable.

As you can imagine, these construction shortcomings are quite distracting, and they completely interfere with the smoking experience. Notwithstanding the excellent flavor, I found this Cuban to be somewhat of a disappointment  especially considering all the wonderful reviews I had read.

When you get right down to it, I would not feel comfortable paying in excess of $10 for one of these again, let alone the cigars commanding price. For terrific flavor and unfortunate construction, I give the Partagas Serie D No. 4 three out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick A
Since it came out this summer, the new Montecristo Petit Edmundo has earned a heap of praise, not the least of which was a whopping rating of 94 from Cigar Aficionado. The magazine also named it one of Cubas Stars in the July 2007 issue.

The whole idea behind the cigar is to deliver lots of smoking pleasure in a short format. At four and 1/3 inches with a 52 ring gauge, its the same size as the legendary Edmundo vitola, just one inch shorter.

This is in line with the newest Cuban style: short and stubby sticks for a modern, on-the-go life. That trend seems a bit ironic to me, especially since cigars are meant for relaxation and should never be rushed.

But Im not about to complain. The Petit Edmundo is gorgeous in every way, from the classic Montecristo band to the red-tinted wrapper to the flawless cap. I wanted to wait a few months longer to review it, but I just didnt have the willpower. (Damn my glass-top humidor!)

The cigar is strong and spicy from the get-go with notes of cedar, nutmeg, and pepper. Sweet and floral flavors are also present  both of which nicely round off the finish  and butter and almond tastes provide a creamy texture. A warm tobacco flavor with hints of cocoa is prevalent down the stretch.

Now some early reviews have said the Petit Edmundo lacks complexity. As you can see from the preceding paragraph, I thoroughly disagree. But Im also interested to see how this Cuban puro performs with an additional six months of aging.

With a very even burn, a solid gray ash (I only tapped the ashtray twice), and an easy draw that yields tons of smoke with each puff, the physical properties are also excellent.

In all, this is a well-balanced, full-bodied, complex masterpiece that wont disappoint  whether you pay as little as $10 or as much as $20 for a single. One of the best all-around Cubans Ive ever had the pleasure to enjoy, I give the Montecristo Petit Edmundo five out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys
Over 335 million premium cigars were imported to the United States in 2007, most from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Every time I see that figurewhich is up about 8% from 2006I wonder how many more entered American soil under the radar of Uncle Sam.

The amount of black market cigars in this country has to be astronomical given the U.S. governments hypocritical trade embargo against Cuba. Just think of how many enthusiasts you know who have stashes of Cubans, or ponder all the websites that sell outlawed sticks to Americans, or consider how poorly U.S. Customs examines each bag coming in from a foreign country. Since these activities arent accurately documentedat least not publiclycoming up with a solid figure isnt easy.

Lets just say a lot of Cubans are imported annually, and lets just assume youve smoked at least several. What Id like to know is, generally speaking, how do Cuban cigars stack up to their Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan counterparts?

Make no mistake about it, Castros oppressed island nation produces some fine stogies, from the Partagas Serie D No. 4 and the RyJ Short Churchill to the Cohiba Siglo VI and the Monte Petit Edmundo. Weve published 15 full reviews of various Cubans here at StogieGuys.com since our founding in May 2006and weve reviewed over 200 others from a myriad of other countries.

Our average rating on the Cubans weve examined is just over four stogies out of five, above the total overall average of about three and a half stogies. But take that with a grain of salt; weve never been big fans of bringing numbers into cigars.

I personally question whether all the Cuban cigar hypeand the excessive prices that come with black market goodsis justified. I think many of us give sub-par Cubans a pass simply because were not supposed to smoke them. The forbidden factor unquestionably makes them more attractive.

Also, dont forget that we live in a golden age of cigars with countless non-Cubans that are nothing short of exceptional. Those of you who only smoke Cubans (Ive seen this many times in correspondence with readers in Europe) are seriously missing out. Seriously.

After thinking on this broad, esoteric subject for many months, my conclusion is this: The worlds finest non-Cuban cigars can stand up to most of Cubas best, but the worlds standard stogies are no match for Cubas average. Id love to hear your thoughts on my pseudo-hypothesis in the comments below.

Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr
Canon No. 1, of the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct, states: A JUDGE SHALL UPHOLD AND PROTECT THE INDEPENDENCE, INTEGRITY AND IMPARTIALITY OF THE JUDICIARY, AND SHALL AVOID IMPROPRIETY AND THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY.

Many Montana District Court Judges and Justices of the Supreme Court are deeply concerned by the dark money attacks on a present candidate for the Montana Supreme Court, and its potential impact on the integrity and independence of the Montana Judiciary.

Dirk Sandefur has been a respected Cascade County District Court Judge for 14 years. He is widely respected for his intelligence, integrity, common sense and work ethic. In his last election, he received 88% of the votes in Cascade County, where he is best known. Before he went to law school, he was a police officer in Havre. To suggest he is soft on crime is not true.

Yet, he is being portrayed in political attack ads as soft on sex criminals and basically unfit for office. Cherry picked, from the thousands of cases Judge Sandefur has handled, are a few cases which are then inaccurately portrayed. The sentences in each of those cases were consistent with the recommendations of the prosecuting attorneys, and the guidelines established by the legislature.

The media attacks against Judge Sandefur are extremely misleading and unfair. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be spent on television, newspapers and direct mail attacks, paid for by undisclosed dark money. Neither the source of the money nor the agenda of the contributors are ever revealed.

This is not intended to be an endorsement of either candidate. It is intended to strongly encourage voters to seek out information about judicial candidates from reliable sources, not from this kind of misleading political attack.

Hon. Robert B. Allison, District Judge, Kalispell

Hon. Elizebeth Best, District Judge, Great Falls

Hon. Kathy Bidegary, District Judge, Sidney

Hon. Holly Brown, District Judge, Bozeman

Hon. John C. Brown, District Judge, Bozeman

Hon. Robert L. Dusty Deschamps, District Judge, Missoula and Superior

Hon. Amy Eddy, District Judge, Kalispell

Hon. Ingrid G. Gustafson, District Judge, Billings

Hon. James A. Haynes, District Judge, Hamilton

Hon. Kurt Krueger, District Judge, Butte

Hon. John Kutzman, District Judge, Great Falls

Justice William Leaphart (Ret), Montana Supreme Court, Helena

Hon. James Manley, District Judge, Polson and Thompson Falls

Chief Justice Mike McGrath, Montana Supreme Court, Helena

Hon. Ed McLain (Ret), District Judge, Missoula

Justice Jim Nelson (Ret), Montana Supreme Court, Helena

Justice Jim Regnier (Ret), Montana Supreme Court, Helena

Hon. Mike Salvagni, District Judge, Bozeman

Hon. Kathy Seeley, District Judge, Helena

Justice James Jeremiah Shea, Montana Supreme Court, Helena

Hon. Gregory R. Todd, District Judge, Billings

Hon. Karen Townsend, District Judge, Missoula and Superior

Justice Terry Trieweiler (Ret), Montana Supreme Court, Helena

Hon. Loren Tucker, District Judge, Virginia City, Dillon and Boulder

Justice John Warner (Ret.), Montana Supreme Court, Helena
Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director, Gregory Doran, is pictured hanging the Chandos portrait with actor Simon Russell Beale who is playing Prospero in the forthcoming production of The Tempest. Photo: Andrew Fox/RSC.

THE world famous Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare  which is thought by some to be the only portrait of the playwright painted from life  has arrived in Stratford for the first time.

It will be on display from tomorrow, Saturday, 22nd October, until 18th December in the Swan wing of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as part of the RSCs visitor attraction called The Plays the Thing.

The painting is on loan from the National Portrait Gallery in London where it has been since the institution was founded in 1856.

It was the first portrait to be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery and it came from Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere. It gets its name from a previous owner, the Duke of Chandos.

It is in a fragile condition and rarely leaves London, though it was on display in Moscow in spring and summer this year and went to Washington in 2007.

This week an RSC spokesman told the Herald that during its stay in Stratford the portrait would be continually guarded.

CLICK HERE for more on The Play's The Thing Exhibition
Jefferies maintained a Buy rating on Crown Holdings (NYSE: CCK), and cut the price target to $63.00 (from $64.00), following the company's 3Q earnings report. With the floods and a drought in Europe weighing on volumes during 3Q, it is impressive that CCK was able to drive good expansion from cost takeout. However, 4Q guidance was lighter than expected, largely due to higher start up costs, with CCK ramping up new capacity at Nichols, Monterrey, and Custines.

Analyst Philip Ng commented, "With expectations high and start up costs larger than expected, the stock was weak today, but we believe the underlying story remains unchanged and CCK is positioned for profitable growth and to start returning cash back to shareholders in 2017."

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Crown Holdings click here. For more ratings news on Crown Holdings click here.

Shares of Crown Holdings closed at $54.76 yesterday.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA), which seeks to expand the use of Opdivo to patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) that has progressed on or after platinum-containing therapy. The FDA granted the application priority review and previously granted Opdivo Breakthrough Therapy Designation for mUC in June 2016, reinforcing the need for new treatment approaches in this patient population. The FDA action date is March 2, 2017.

We are pleased that the FDA has accepted our application for Opdivo in previously treated patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, an advanced form of bladder cancer, said Vicki Goodman, M.D., development lead, Melanoma and Genitourinary Cancers, Bristol-Myers Squibb. We look forward to working with regulatory authorities to potentially bring Opdivo to this patient community, which has historically had limited treatment options.

The submission was based on data from CheckMate -275, a Phase 2, single-arm clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Opdivo in 270 patients with metastatic or unresectable urothelial carcinoma that has progressed or recurred following treatment with a platinum-based agent in the metastatic setting or within one year after neoadjuvant/adjuvant platinum therapy. The primary endpoint in the trial was confirmed objective response rate (ORR) based on assessments by the blinded independent review committee. Key secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), safety and quality of life. Data from this study was recently presented at the 2016 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

About Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer, which typically begins in the cells that line the inside of the bladder, is the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, with an estimated 430,000 new cases diagnosed per year and over 165,000 deaths per year. Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer, accounting for approximately 90% of cases. The majority of bladder cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, but rates of recurrence and progression are high and approximately 78% of patients will experience a recurrence within five years. Survival rates vary depending on the stage and type of the cancer and when it is diagnosed.

Bristol-Myers Squibb: At the Forefront of Immuno-Oncology Science & Innovation

At Bristol-Myers Squibb, patients are at the center of everything we do. Our vision for the future of cancer care is focused on researching and developing transformational Immuno-Oncology (I-O) medicines that will raise survival expectations in hard-to-treat cancers and will change the way patients live with cancer.

We are leading the scientific understanding of I-O through our extensive portfolio of investigational and approved agents, including the first combination of two I-O agents in metastatic melanoma, and our differentiated clinical development program, which is studying broad patient populations across more than 20 types of cancers with 11 clinical-stage molecules designed to target different immune system pathways. Our deep expertise and innovative clinical trial designs uniquely position us to advance the science of combinations across multiple tumors and potentially deliver the next wave of I-O combination regimens with a sense of urgency. We also continue to pioneer research that will help facilitate a deeper understanding of the role of immune biomarkers and inform which patients will benefit most from I-O therapies.

We understand making the promise of I-O a reality for the many patients who may benefit from these therapies requires not only innovation on our part but also close collaboration with leading experts in the field. Our partnerships with academia, government, advocacy and biotech companies support our collective goal of providing new treatment options to advance the standards of clinical practice.

About Opdivo

Opdivo is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor that is designed to uniquely harness the bodys own immune system to help restore anti-tumor immune response. By harnessing the bodys own immune system to fight cancer, Opdivo has become an important treatment option across multiple cancers.

Opdivos leading global development program is based on Bristol-Myers Squibbs scientific expertise in the field of Immuno-Oncology and includes a broad range of clinical trials across all phases, including Phase 3, in a variety of tumor types. To date, the Opdivo clinical development program has enrolled more than 25,000 patients. The Opdivo trials have contributed to gaining a deeper understanding of the potential role of biomarkers in patient care, particularly regarding how patients may benefit from Opdivo across the continuum of PD-L1 expression.

In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 57 countries, including the United States, the European Union and Japan. In October 2015, the companys Opdivo + Yervoy combination regiment was the first Immuno-Oncology combination to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is currently approved in more than 47 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

U.S. FDA APPROVED INDICATIONS FOR OPDIVO

OPDIVO (nivolumab) as a single agent is indicated for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on progression-free survival. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) as a single agent is indicated for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 wild-type unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on progression-free survival. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving OPDIVO.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and post-transplantation brentuximab vedotin. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

Please refer to the end of the Important Safety Information for a brief description of the patient populations studied in the CheckMate trials.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: IMMUNE-MEDIATED ADVERSE REACTIONS

YERVOY can result in severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions. These immune-mediated reactions may involve any organ system; however, the most common severe immune-mediated adverse reactions are enterocolitis, hepatitis, dermatitis (including toxic epidermal necrolysis), neuropathy, and endocrinopathy. The majority of these immune-mediated reactions initially manifested during treatment; however, a minority occurred weeks to months after discontinuation of YERVOY.

Assess patients for signs and symptoms of enterocolitis, dermatitis, neuropathy, and endocrinopathy and evaluate clinical chemistries including liver function tests (LFTs), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, and thyroid function tests at baseline and before each dose.

Permanently discontinue YERVOY and initiate systemic high-dose corticosteroid therapy for severe immune-mediated reactions.

Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis. Fatal cases have been reported. Monitor patients for signs with radiographic imaging and for symptoms of pneumonitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or more severe pneumonitis. Permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 and withhold until resolution for Grade 2. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, fatal cases of immune-mediated pneumonitis have occurred. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.1% (61/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 6% (25/407) of patients.

In Checkmate 205 and 039, pneumonitis, including interstitial lung disease, occurred in 4.9% (13/263) of patients receiving OPDIVO. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.4% (9/263) of patients receiving OPDIVO: Grade 3 (n=1) and Grade 2 (n=8).

Immune-Mediated Colitis

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated colitis. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of colitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 (of more than 5 days duration), 3, or 4 colitis. Withhold OPDIVO monotherapy for Grade 2 or 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 or recurrent colitis upon re-initiation of OPDIVO. When administered with YERVOY, withhold OPDIVO and YERVOY for Grade 2 and permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 or recurrent colitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 2.9% (58/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 26% (107/407) of patients including three fatal cases.

In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe, life-threatening, or fatal (diarrhea of 7 stools above baseline, fever, ileus, peritoneal signs; Grade 3-5) immune-mediated enterocolitis occurred in 34 (7%) patients. Across all YERVOY-treated patients in that study (n=511), 5 (1%) developed intestinal perforation, 4 (0.8%) died as a result of complications, and 26 (5%) were hospitalized for severe enterocolitis.

Immune-Mediated Hepatitis

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated hepatitis. Monitor patients for abnormal liver tests prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater transaminase elevations. Withhold for Grade 2 and permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 immune-mediated hepatitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 1.8% (35/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 13% (51/407) of patients.

In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe, life-threatening, or fatal hepatotoxicity (AST or ALT elevations >5x the ULN or total bilirubin elevations >3x the ULN; Grade 3-5) occurred in 8 (2%) patients, with fatal hepatic failure in 0.2% and hospitalization in 0.4%.

Immune-Mediated Neuropathies

In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, 1 case of fatal Guillain-Barre syndrome and 1 case of severe (Grade 3) peripheral motor neuropathy were reported.

Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated hypophysitis, immune-mediated adrenal insufficiency, autoimmune thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of hypophysitis, signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, thyroid function prior to and periodically during treatment, and hyperglycemia. Administer hormone replacement as clinically indicated and corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater hypophysitis. Withhold for Grade 2 or 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 hypophysitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 3 or 4 adrenal insufficiency. Withhold for Grade 2 and permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 adrenal insufficiency. Administer hormone-replacement therapy for hypothyroidism. Initiate medical management for control of hyperthyroidism. Withhold OPDIVO for Grade 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 hyperglycemia.

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypophysitis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, hypophysitis occurred in 9% (36/407) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 1% (20/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 5% (21/407) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypothyroidism or thyroiditis resulting in hypothyroidism occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients. Hyperthyroidism occurred in 2.7% (54/1994) of patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, hypothyroidism or thyroiditis resulting in hypothyroidism occurred in 22% (89/407) of patients. Hyperthyroidism occurred in 8% (34/407) of patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, diabetes occurred in 0.9% (17/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, diabetes occurred in 1.5% (6/407) of patients.

In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe to life-threatening immune-mediated endocrinopathies (requiring hospitalization, urgent medical intervention, or interfering with activities of daily living; Grade 3-4) occurred in 9 (1.8%) patients. All 9 patients had hypopituitarism, and some had additional concomitant endocrinopathies such as adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism, and hypothyroidism. 6 of the 9 patients were hospitalized for severe endocrinopathies.

Immune-Mediated Nephritis and Renal Dysfunction

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated nephritis. Monitor patients for elevated serum creatinine prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grades 2-4 increased serum creatinine. Withhold OPDIVO for Grade 2 or 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 increased serum creatinine. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 1.2% (23/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 2.2% (9/407) of patients.

Immune-Mediated Skin Adverse Reactions and Dermatitis

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated rash, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), some cases with fatal outcome. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 3 or 4 rash. Withhold for Grade 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 rash. For symptoms or signs of SJS or TEN, withhold OPDIVO and refer the patient for specialized care for assessment and treatment; if confirmed, permanently discontinue. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated rash occurred in 22.6% (92/407) of patients.

In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe, life-threatening, or fatal immune-mediated dermatitis (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, or rash complicated by full thickness dermal ulceration, or necrotic, bullous, or hemorrhagic manifestations; Grade 3-5) occurred in 13 (2.5%) patients. 1 (0.2%) patient died as a result of toxic epidermal necrolysis. 1 additional patient required hospitalization for severe dermatitis.

Immune-Mediated Encephalitis

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated encephalitis. Evaluation of patients with neurologic symptoms may include, but not be limited to, consultation with a neurologist, brain MRI, and lumbar puncture. Withhold OPDIVO in patients with new-onset moderate to severe neurologic signs or symptoms and evaluate to rule out other causes. If other etiologies are ruled out, administer corticosteroids and permanently discontinue OPDIVO for immune-mediated encephalitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, encephalitis occurred in 0.2% (3/1994) of patients. Fatal limbic encephalitis occurred in one patient after 7.2 months of exposure despite discontinuation of OPDIVO and administration of corticosteroids. Encephalitis occurred in one patient receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (0.2%) after 1.7 months of exposure.

Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

Based on the severity of adverse reaction, permanently discontinue or withhold treatment, administer high-dose corticosteroids, and, if appropriate, initiate hormone-replacement therapy. Across clinical trials of OPDIVO the following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred in <1.0% of patients receiving OPDIVO: uveitis, iritis, pancreatitis, facial and abducens nerve paresis, demyelination, polymyalgia rheumatica, autoimmune neuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, hypopituitarism, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, gastritis, duodenitis, sarcoidosis, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis), myositis, myocarditis, rhabdomyolysis, motor dysfunction, vasculitis, and myasthenic syndrome.

Infusion Reactions

OPDIVO can cause severe infusion reactions, which have been reported in <1.0% of patients in clinical trials. Discontinue OPDIVO in patients with Grade 3 or 4 infusion reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with Grade 1 or 2. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, infusion-related reactions occurred in 6.4% (127/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.5% (10/407) of patients.

Complications of Allogeneic HSCT after OPDIVO

Complications, including fatal events, occurred in patients who received allogeneic HSCT after OPDIVO. Outcomes were evaluated in 17 patients from Checkmate 205 and 039, who underwent allogeneic HSCT after discontinuing OPDIVO (15 with reduced-intensity conditioning, 2 with myeloablative conditioning). Thirty-five percent (6/17) of patients died from complications of allogeneic HSCT after OPDIVO. Five deaths occurred in the setting of severe or refractory GVHD. Grade 3 or higher acute GVHD was reported in 29% (5/17) of patients. Hyperacute GVHD was reported in 20% (n=2) of patients. A steroid-requiring febrile syndrome, without an identified infectious cause, was reported in 35% (n=6) of patients. Two cases of encephalitis were reported: Grade 3 (n=1) lymphocytic encephalitis without an identified infectious cause, and Grade 3 (n=1) suspected viral encephalitis. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) occurred in one patient, who received reduced-intensity conditioned allogeneic HSCT and died of GVHD and multi-organ failure. Other cases of hepatic VOD after reduced-intensity conditioned allogeneic HSCT have also been reported in patients with lymphoma who received a PD-1 receptor blocking antibody before transplantation. Cases of fatal hyperacute GVHD have also been reported. These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between PD-1 blockade and allogeneic HSCT.

Follow patients closely for early evidence of transplant-related complications such as hyperacute GVHD, severe (Grade 3 to 4) acute GVHD, steroid-requiring febrile syndrome, hepatic VOD, and other immune-mediated adverse reactions, and intervene promptly.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on their mechanisms of action, OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with an OPDIVO- or YERVOY- containing regimen and for at least 5 months after the last dose of OPDIVO.

Lactation

It is not known whether OPDIVO or YERVOY is present in human milk. Because many drugs, including antibodies, are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from an OPDIVO-containing regimen, advise women to discontinue breastfeeding during treatment. Advise women to discontinue nursing during treatment with YERVOY and for 3 months following the final dose.

Serious Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, serious adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=268). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving OPDIVO . The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse drug reactions reported in 2% to <5% of patients receiving OPDIVO were abdominal pain, hyponatremia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, and increased lipase. In Checkmate 066, serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=206). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were gamma-glutamyltransferase increase (3.9%) and diarrhea (3.4%). In Checkmate 067, serious adverse reactions (73% and 37%), adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation (43% and 14%) or to dosing delays (55% and 28%), and Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions (72% and 44%) all occurred more frequently in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) relative to the OPDIVO arm (n=313). The most frequent (10%) serious adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm and the OPDIVO arm, respectively, were diarrhea (13% and 2.6%), colitis (10% and 1.6%), and pyrexia (10% and 0.6%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, serious adverse reactions occurred in 46% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in at least 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. In Checkmate 025, serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients were acute kidney injury, pleural effusion, pneumonia, diarrhea, and hypercalcemia. In Checkmate 205 and 039, among all patients (safety population [n=263]), adverse reactions leading to discontinuation (4.2%) or to dosing delays (23%) occurred. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 1% of patients were infusion-related reaction, pneumonia, pleural effusion, pyrexia, rash and pneumonitis. Ten patients died from causes other than disease progression, including 6 who died from complications of allogeneic HSCT. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 21% of patients in the safety population (n=263) and 27% of patients in the subset of patients evaluated for efficacy (efficacy population [n=95]).

Common Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, the most common adverse reaction (20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=268) was rash (21%). In Checkmate 066, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=206) vs dacarbazine (n=205) were fatigue (49% vs 39%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 25%), rash (28% vs 12%), and pruritus (23% vs 12%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) were fatigue (59%), rash (53%), diarrhea (52%), nausea (40%), pyrexia (37%), vomiting (28%), and dyspnea (20%). The most common (20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO (n=313) arm were fatigue (53%), rash (40%), diarrhea (31%), and nausea (28%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418) were fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In Checkmate 025, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406) vs everolimus (n=397) were asthenic conditions (56% vs 57%), cough (34% vs 38%), nausea (28% vs 29%), rash (28% vs 36%), dyspnea (27% vs 31%), diarrhea (25% vs 32%), constipation (23% vs 18%), decreased appetite (23% vs 30%), back pain (21% vs 16%), and arthralgia (20% vs 14%). In Checkmate 205 and 039, among all patients (safety population [n=263]) and the subset of patients in the efficacy population (n=95), respectively, the most common adverse reactions (20%) were fatigue (32% and 43%), upper respiratory tract infection (28% and 48%), pyrexia (24% and 35%), diarrhea (23% and 30%), and cough (22% and 35%). In the subset of patients in the efficacy population (n=95), the most common adverse reactions also included rash (31%), musculoskeletal pain (27%), pruritus (25%), nausea (23%), arthralgia (21%), and peripheral neuropathy (21%).

In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, the most common adverse reactions (5%) in patients who received YERVOY at 3 mg/kg were fatigue (41%), diarrhea (32%), pruritus (31%), rash (29%), and colitis (8%).

CHECKMATE Trials and Patient Populations

CheckMate 069 and 067 - advanced melanoma alone or in combination with YERVOY; CheckMate 037 and 066 - advanced melanoma; CheckMate 057 - non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); CheckMate 025 - renal cell carcinoma; CheckMate 205/039 - classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Please see U.S. Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING regarding immune-mediated adverse reactions, for YERVOY.

Please see U.S. Full Prescribing Information for OPDIVO.
Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire the business assets of Calvert Investment Management, Inc. (Calvert), an indirect subsidiary of Ameritas Holding Company. In conjunction with the proposed acquisition, the Boards of Trustees of the Calvert mutual funds (Calvert Funds) have voted to recommend to Fund shareholders the approval of investment advisory contracts with a newly formed Eaton Vance affiliate, to operate as Calvert Research and Management, if the transaction is consummated.

Calvert is a recognized leader in responsible investing, with approximately $12.3 billion of fund and separate account assets under management as of September 30, 2016. The Calvert Funds are one of the largest and most diversified families of responsibly invested mutual funds, encompassing actively and passively managed U.S. and international equity strategies, fixed income strategies and asset allocation funds managed in accordance with the Calvert Principles for Responsible Investment. As a responsible investor, Calvert seeks to invest in companies that provide positive leadership in their business operations and overall activities that are material to improving societal outcomes.

Founded in 1976, Calvert has a long history in responsible investing. In 1982, the Calvert Social Investment Fund (now Calvert Balanced Portfolio) was launched as the first mutual fund to oppose investing in South Africa's apartheid system. Other Calvert innovations include the first responsibly managed fixed income and international equity funds, and pioneering programs in shareholder advocacy, corporate engagement and impact investing.

"I am extremely pleased that Eaton Vance has chosen to make Calvert the centerpiece of its expansion in responsible investing," said John Streur, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calvert. "By combining Calvert's expertise in sustainability research with Eaton Vance's investment capabilities and distribution strengths, we believe we can deliver best-in-class integrated management of responsible investment portfolios to investors across the U.S. and internationally. Eaton Vance is the ideal partner to help Calvert fulfill its mission to deliver superior long-term performance to clients and achieve positive impact."

"As part of Eaton Vance, we see tremendous potential for Calvert to extend its leadership position among responsible investment managers," said Thomas E. Faust Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eaton Vance. "By applying our management and distribution resources and oversight, we believe Eaton Vance can help Calvert become a meaningfully larger, better and more impactful company."

Completion of the transaction is subject to Calvert Fund shareholder approvals of new investment advisory agreements and other closing conditions, and is expected on or about December 31, 2016. Because the transaction is structured as an asset purchase, liabilities in connection with Calvert's previously disclosed compliance matters and other pre-closing obligations will remain with the seller. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

"The acquisition of Calvert provides significant potential benefits to Eaton Vance shareholders, both long-term and near-term," said Laurie G. Hylton, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Eaton Vance. "Calvert is a leading brand in one of the most promising categories of investing, and we expect to help them achieve substantial growth over time. Reflecting the current profitability of acquired operations and anticipated cost savings, we also expect the transaction to be immediately accretive."
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") affirmed the ratings of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (NYSE: GWR), including the Ba2 Corporate Family Rating ("CFR") and the Ba2 ratings of the company's credit facility, following the announcement that it plans to acquire the internal rail haulage operator of Glencore Plc ("Glencore") in the Hunter Valley coal region in Australia ("GRail") for A$1.14 billion ($866 million). The ratings outlook remains stable.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The affirmation of Genesee & Wyoming's ratings considers the limited incremental effect on financial leverage from the planned acquisition, the unique familiarity that Genesee & Wyoming has with the GRail operations as well as the mitigation of risk from long-term coal exposure through a new take-or-pay rail haulage contract with Glencore.

The GRail acquisition is structured as a joint investment by Genesee & Wyoming and funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets ("MIRA"). Genesee & Wyoming will contribute its existing Australian rail operations and MIRA will contribute approximately A$644 million ($489 million) in equity and shareholder loans, resulting in a 51% ownership for Genesee & Wyoming of the combined entity ("GWA JV"). Taking into account new acquisition debt issued by GWA JV of A$690 million ($524 million) and a A$250 million ($190 million) repayment of Genesee & Wyoming's outstanding Australian term loan, Moody's estimates debt/EBITDA of 4.1 times in 2016 on a pro forma basis for the transaction, compared to an expected 3.8 times in 2016 for Genesee & Wyoming on a standalone basis. The estimated pro forma debt/EBITDA includes the impact of the $126 million planned acquisition of U.S. regional railroad operator Providence and Worcester Railroad Company. While this level of financial leverage is high for Genesee & Wyoming's Ba2 CFR, the company has a consistent financial policy of deleveraging its balance sheet following debt-funded acquisitions.

Genesee & Wyoming is uniquely familiar with GRail because it currently operates the coal haulage business under a contract with GRail. GWA JV will enter into a new 20-year contract to haul coal on an exclusive basis from Glencore's mines. The contract provides for minimum guaranteed volumes over the first 18 years, mitigating the risk from long-term exposure to coal. Moody's expects that the GRail acquisition will materially enhance the profitability of Genesee & Wyoming's Australian operations.

Genesee & Wyoming maintains good liquidity (SGL-2). Moody's estimates free cash flow to be $230 million in 2016, including grants from outside parties, ample to fund mandatory amortizations under the company's term loans of close to $25 million per quarter that commenced in the third quarter of 2016.

The stable outlook is predicated on Moody's expectation that the challenges posed by weak freight demand across the company's geographies will abate, which, together with the earnings enhancement from the GRail acquisition, will help to improve margins to more than 20% in 2017. Taking into account the company's scheduled debt repayments, Moody's expects debt/EBITDA to decrease to 3.6 times in 2017.

The ratings could be upgraded if Genesee & Wyoming increases its scale, demonstrates an improvement in operating margins towards historical levels of 25% and if debt/EBITDA is sustainably maintained at around 3 times. Meaningfully diminished risks in relation to acquisitions would also be important to consider a rating upgrade.

The ratings could be downgraded if demand for rail freight weakens or if there is a meaningful deterioration in pricing or cost structure that sustainably affects profit negatively, specifically if operating margins fall materially below 20% over an extended period. The ratings could also be downgraded if we expect a deterioration in credit metrics, such as debt/EBITDA moving towards 4 times or EBIT/Interest of less than 3.5 times. Further, share repurchases or an initiation of dividends is also likely to impact ratings negatively.

Affirmations:

..Issuer: Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

.... Corporate Family Rating, Affirmed Ba2

.... Probability of Default Rating, Affirmed Ba2-PD

.... Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating, Affirmed SGL-2

....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility, Affirmed Ba2 (LGD3)

..Issuer: GWI UK ACQUISITION COMPANY LIMITED

....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility, Affirmed Ba2 (LGD3)

..Issuer: Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd

....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility, Affirmed Ba2 (LGD3)

Outlook Actions:

..Issuer: Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

....Outlook, Remains Stable

..Issuer: GWI UK ACQUISITION COMPANY LIMITED

....Outlook, Remains Stable

..Issuer: Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd

....Outlook, Remains Stable

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Global Surface Transportation and Logistics Companies published in April 2013. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
I have known Kristen Juras for a long time. Born and raised in Montana, Juras practiced law for many years and has a broad range of legal experience. She taught extensively at the Law School, has a keen intellect, and would bring to the Court new expertise in multiple areas of the law, including family law, taxation, property, and, critically, water law, which is a growing part of the Supreme Courts caseload and a critical issue to Montanas future. Juras has been awarded the highest rating for competency and ethics by her peers. There is no question she would be a positive addition to the Court.

Ordinarily, I would not publicly comment on the election campaigns of those running for the Supreme Court. However, this year I have been disturbed by the attack on Juras religious beliefs by her opponent (see Missoulian, Sept. 15, 2016). Religious-based animus has no place in a campaign for any public office, but especially for a judicial office. Citizens must be able to trust that the courts will make decisions based on the law, without regard to a persons beliefs. Such campaign attacks undermine confidence in the courts and demonstrate an unacceptable willingness to sacrifice the fundamental principle of impartiality for political gain.

Recently, when District Court Judge Russell Fagg of Billings endorsed Juras, he explained that she has the right temperament, background, and legal expertise to make an excellent Supreme Court Justice. To that I would add my confidence that Juras would serve with impartiality, respecting the rights and beliefs of all people. When it comes to their judges, Montanans should not settle for anything less.

I invite you to consider the candidacy of Kristen Juras for the Supreme Court. Thank you.

Justice Jim Rice has served on the Montana Supreme Court since 2001.
An attendee looks at a monitor at the Parsons booth during the 2016 Black Hat cyber-security conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. August 3, 2016. REUTERS/David Becker

By Joseph Menn, Jim Finkle and Dustin Volz

(Reuters) - Hackers unleashed a complex attack on the internet through common devices like webcams and digital recorders and cut access to some of the world's best known websites on Friday, a stunning breach of global internet stability.

The attacks struck Twitter, Paypal, Spotify and other customers of an infrastructure company in New Hampshire called Dyn, which acts as a switchboard for internet traffic.

The attackers used hundreds of thousands of internet-connected devices that had previously been infected with a malicious code that allowed them to cause outages that began in the Eastern United States and then spread to other parts of the country and Europe.

"The complexity of the attacks is whats making it very challenging for us," said Dyns chief strategy officer, Kyle York. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said they were investigating.

The disruptions come at a time of unprecedented fears about the cyber threat in the United States, where hackers have breached political organizations and election agencies.

Friday's outages were intermittent and varied by geography. Users complained they could not reach dozens of internet destinations including Mashable, CNN, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Yelp and some businesses hosted by Amazon.com Inc.

Dyn said attacks were coming from millions of internet addresses, making it one of the largest attacks ever seen. Security experts said it was an especially potent type of distributed denial-of-service attack, or DDoS, in which attackers flood the targets with so much junk traffic that they freeze up.

VULNERABILITIES EXPLOITED

Dyn said that at least some of the malicious traffic was coming from connected devices, including webcams and digital video recorders, that had been infected with control software named Mirai. Security researchers have previously raised concerns that such connected devices, sometimes referred to as the Internet of Things, lack proper security.

The Mirai code was dumped on the internet about a month ago, and criminal groups are now charging to employ it in cyber attacks, said Allison Nixon, director of security research at Flashpoint, which was helping Dyn analyze the attack.

Dale Drew, chief security officer at communications provider Level 3, said that other networks of compromised machines were also used in Friday's attack, suggesting that the perpetrator had rented access to several so-called botnets.

The attackers took advantage of traffic-routing services such as those offered by Alphabet Inc's Google and Cisco Systems Inc's OpenDNS to make it difficult for Dyn to root out bad traffic without also interfering with legitimate inquiries, Drew said.

"Dyn can't simply block the (Internet Protocol) addresses they are seeing, because that would be blocking Google or OpenDNS," said Matthew Prince, CEO of security and content delivery firm CloudFlare. "These are nasty attacks, some of the hardest to protect against."

GOVERNMENT WARNED OF ATTACKS

Drew and Nixon both said that the makers of connected devices needed to do far more to make sure that the gadgets can be updated after security flaws are discovered.

Big businesses should also have multiple vendors for core services like routing internet traffic, and security experts said those Dyn customers with backup domain name service providers would have stayed reachable.

The Department of Homeland Security last week issued a warning about attacks from the Internet of Things, following the release of the code for Mirai.

Attacking a large domain name service provider like Dyn can create massive disruptions because such firms are responsible for forwarding large volumes of internet traffic.

Dyn said it had resolved one morning attack, which disrupted operations for about two hours, but disclosed a second a few hours later that was causing further disruptions. By Friday evening it was fighting a third.

Amazon's web services division, one of the world's biggest cloud computing companies, reported that the issue temporarily affected users in Western Europe. Twitter and some news sites could not be accessed by some users in London late on Friday evening.

PayPal Holdings Inc said that the outage prevented some customers in "certain regions" from making payments. It apologized for the inconvenience and said that its networks had not been hacked.

A month ago, security guru Bruce Schneier wrote that someone, probably a country, had been testing increasing levels of denial-of-service attacks against unnamed core internet infrastructure providers in what seemed like a test of capability.

Nixon said there was no reason to think a national government was behind Friday's assaults, but attacks carried out on a for-hire basis are famously difficult to attribute.

(Reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco, Jim Finkle in Boston and Dustin Volz in Washington. Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankurt, Malathi Nayak in New York, Jeff Mason and Mark Hosenball in Washington, Adrian Croft and Frances Kerry in London; Editing by Bill Trott, Lisa Shumaker and Jonathan Weber)
Whitney Bank and FHLB Dallas Award Affordable Housing Grant to Project Homecoming

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Project Homecoming, a 501c3 nonprofit, has been awarded a $70,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from Whitney Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). The funds will support critical repairs to 10 houses, allowing families to return home 11 years after Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans is still rebuilding and bringing hundreds of families back home, said Kris Pottharst, executive director at Project Homecoming. Without partners like Whitney Bank and FHLB Dallas, who are aware of this still-urgent need and are willing to invest in this very special community, these homes would not be repaired and these long-term residents would not live in safe and healthy homes once more. We are thankful for this critical partnership and generous grant that allows us to return these families home.

The AHP grant, the first to Project Homecoming, will be matched by other funding sources as part of a $485,000 restoration project.

Whitneys commitment to the city of New Orleans drives us to do all we can to help our nonprofit partners preserve affordable homeownership for our friends and neighbors, said Ashley Aubrey Harrison, assistant vice president and community affairs representative at Whitney Bank. We appreciate our FHLB Dallas membership and the ways in which it helps us support our hometown.

FHLB Dallas annually returns 10 percent of its profits in the form of AHP grants to the communities served by its member institutions, like Whitney Bank. AHP grants fund a variety of projects, including home rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly, and special-needs residents; down payment and closing cost assistance for qualified first-time homebuyers; and the construction of low-income, multifamily rental communities and single-family homes.

Project Homecoming began as a foundation in 2006 under the auspices of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and the Presbytery of South Louisiana, taking its name in 2007. The nonprofit hosts volunteer groups from around the country to help rebuild the Big Easy.

The AHP was designed, in part, for relief efforts like this, said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. But we could not reach community-based organizations like Project Homecoming, without the commitment of Whitney Bank to facilitate AHP grants. Our partnership is helping to restore the city for all citizens.

In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded $7.8 million in AHP grants to 27 projects across its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. The grants will help create 1,499 new or rehabilitated housing units. Since the inception of the AHP in 1990, FHLB Dallas has awarded more than $245 million in AHP grants to assist more than 45,500 families.

About Whitney Bank

Since 1883 the Whitney Bank name has embodied core values of honor and integrity, strength and stability, commitment to service, teamwork, and personal responsibility. Part of the Hancock Holding Company financial services family, Whitney Bank locations in Louisiana and Texas and Hancock Bank locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida provide a full array of traditional and online consumer, business, commercial, private banking, trust, investment, and mortgage services. More information and online banking are available at www.hancockwhitney.com.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $54.4 billion as of June 30, 2016, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005767/en/

Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

Corporate Communications, 214-441-8445

www.fhlb.com



Source: Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
GUELPH, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 10/20/16 -- Eco-Shift Power Corp. (OTC PINK: ECOP), a global producer of advanced LED lighting products, today announced the appointment of Michael Redmond as National Sales Director.

Eco-Shift Power Corp. is a contract manufacturer of advanced, high-efficiency lighting products and components designed for state-of-the-art energy management systems and cloud-based software platforms.

Michael brings more than 15-years' experience and proven track record as a Senior Account Manager, and National Sales Manager with leading LED Lighting companies, responsible for direct impact to the P&L of millions in sales. Further, Michael brings a balanced, well managed and established network of leading Industrial, Commercial, E-Commerce, and Retail-Big-Box sales clients.

Michael's timing is perfect, as ECOP has received new inventory and is well stocked with residential and commercial LED products in its Calgary and Vancouver warehouse locations, ready for shipment to clients, and allowing Michael to hit the ground running.

Commenting on the agreement, Jim Hughes, CFO of Eco-Shift Power said, "We are very pleased to have Michael joining the team. It's a perfect fit combining Michael's experience and connectivity to market, with ECOP's industry leading LED products and 10-year warranty program."

About Eco-Shift Power Corp. Headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, with affiliate and distributor offices strategically located in key markets California, Florida, Auckland NZ, and Scotland, Eco-Shift Power Corp. is a contract manufacturer of advanced, high-efficiency lighting products and components designed for state-of-the-art energy management systems and cloud-based software platforms. It has strong relationships with a growing worldwide customer base composed primarily of major OEM/ODM lighting designers and distributors. Please visit us at www.eco-shiftpower.com

Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Eco-Shift's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) the highly competitive nature of lighting industry sales and distribution, (ii) development and protection of our key OEM/ODM and distribution partnerships, (iii) unexpected industry technological development. More detailed information about Eco-Shift and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward looking statements is set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Investors are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. Eco-Shift assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact: Michael Redmond: [email protected] Los Angeles Office: [email protected] Direct: +1-310-869-0405 +1(844) 779-7900 (toll free) Eco-Shift Power Corp. 53 Speedvale Avenue West Guelph, ON N1H 1J6 Canada

Source: Eco-Shiftpower
AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The FirstEnergy Foundation has donated $10,000 to the Cuyahoga County Public Library System to support the efforts of 22 Homework Centers in branches across Greater Cleveland. This after-school program helps thousands of at-risk children improve their grades and increase subject comprehension.

The Homework Centers are open after school, Monday through Thursday, from September through mid-May. Each center offers two daily programs that can accommodate up to 25 children each.

"The key to our economic future, both in northeast Ohio and at FirstEnergy, is to develop a well-educated workforce that's prepared to take on future challenges," said Dee Lowery, president of the FirstEnergy Foundation. "Helping our at-risk students to acclimate to school and focus on academic success through this program is a major part of assuring we continue to have a viable economy and workforce into the future."

The FirstEnergy Foundation is funded solely by FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) and provides support to non-profit, tax-exempt health and human services agencies; educational organizations; cultural and arts programs and institutions; and civic groups in areas served by FirstEnergy's 10 electric operating companies and in areas where the company conducts business.

www.firstenergycorp.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/firstenergy-foundation-donates-10000-to-cuyahoga-county-public-library-system-to-support-22-homework-centers-300349236.html

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SHEDDING LIGHT

Profile America  Friday, October 21st. An invention was demonstrated on this date in 1879 that lit the way for a dramatic change in the rhythm of Americans' daily lives. At his Menlo Park, New Jersey laboratory, Thomas Edison set up the first incandescent light bulb, which burned for almost 14 hours. Within a few years, some cities had installed electric streetlights. The number of homes across the U.S. with electricity grew steadily, but even in 1940, more than one-in-five houses was without power. Today, 100 percent of the U.S. has access to electricity. American homes on average consume nearly 11,000-kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The national average bill for this power is $114 per month, but over $187 in Hawaii. Profile America is in its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:Invention of light bulb/accessed 7/29/2016: http://www.menloparkmuseum.org/thomas-edison-and-menlo-park 1940 electrification: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 827Availability of electricity/accessed 7/29/2016: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS Average home electric consumption/accessed 7/29/2016: http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=97&t=3 Table of average electric bills by state/accessed 7/29/2016: http://www.eia.gov/electricity/sales_revenue_price/xls/table5_a.xls

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu).

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-census-bureau-daily-feature-for-october-21-shedding-light-300341815.html

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The marine terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach yesterday held a workshop with industry stakeholders to evaluate potential alternatives to the current extended gates model used at the ports under the OffPeak Program.

The 13 container terminals that comprise the West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) met in San Pedro with more than 70 leaders representing importers, exporters, trucking companies, logistics providers, government representatives and other stakeholders. The OffPeak program is managed by PierPass Inc., a not-for-profit company formed by WCMTOA to coordinate multi-terminal programs addressing congestion, air quality and security.

PierPass launched the OffPeak program in 2005 to reduce severe cargo-related congestion on local streets and highways around the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. Using a congestion pricing model, PierPass charges a Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) on weekday daytime cargo moves to incentivize cargo owners to use the OffPeak shifts. The TMF also helps pay for the labor and other costs of operating the OffPeak shifts.

Since 2005, OffPeak has taken more than 35 million truck trips out of daytime Southern California traffic and diverted them to less congested nights and weekends.

Various interested parties have proposed alternate models for the extended gates. These include variable pricing, under which the TMF would be higher in times of high gate activity and lower in times of low gate activity; a lower flat fee applying both to day and night moves, with appointment systems to help regulate traffic flow; and port-wide peel-off, in which trucks would operate like taxis in an airport queue and each pick up the next available container.

Working with PierPass staff, the PierPass Advisory Committee has been tasked with compiling the feedback received at the workshop and producing a report, with possible recommendations, on proposed changes to the model. PierPass will distribute the final draft of the Extended Gates Report and Recommendations in mid-April. A follow-up to the Extended Gates Workshop has been scheduled for early May.

The stakeholders who gathered yesterday share the goals of moving cargo efficiently and productively through the ports while minimizing impacts on neighboring communities, said PierPass President John Cushing. We welcome stakeholder input on potential alternatives to meeting the needs of operating and funding extended gates and distributing truck traffic between day and night to minimize road congestion.

The West Coast MTO Agreement is filed with the Federal Maritime Commission, and comprises the 13 marine terminal operators serving the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005809/en/

Sherer Communications LLC

Paul Sherer, 1-415-385-5970

[email protected]

Source: West Coast MTO Agreement
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Security forces in Burkina Faso foiled a coup attempt planned for earlier this month by about 30 ex-members of the elite presidential guard, known as the RSP, Interior Minister Simon Compaore said on Friday.

Compaore said the coup, which was scheduled to take place at midnight on Oct. 8, included a planned attack on the presidential residence, as well as on army barracks and a prison in the capital, Ouagadougou.

"Investigators from the judicial police discovered the ongoing preparation of a vast conspiracy aimed to destabilize the institutions of the republic and the seizure of power by force of arms," he said.

Security forces initially clashed with the coup leaders on Oct. 8, when four former RSP members were stopped by police as they returned from a "neighboring country". Two were killed in the confrontation that ensued.

Nineteen people have been arrested for trying to overthrow President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and his government. An investigation into the coup attempt is ongoing, Compaore said.

The coup attempt - led by an ex-RSP member called Gaston Coulibaly, Compaore said - marks the latest threat to Burkina Faso's fragile security. In September last year, RSP soldiers loyal to a former president, Blaise Compaore - who is not related to the interior minister - mounted a six-day putsch attempt in which members of the cabinet were taken hostage.

The RSP was a pillar of Compaore's rule before he was ousted by demonstrators in 2014 when he attempted to change the constitution to prolong his 27 years in office.

(Reporting By Mathieu Bonkoungou and Nadoun Coulibaly, writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Joe Bavier, Larry King)
ROME (Reuters) - The crew of a speedboat labeled "Libyan Coast Guard" attacked a migrant boat packed with some 150 migrants, beating them with sticks and causing many to fall into the water and at least four to drown, humanitarian group Sea-Watch said on Friday.

Rescuers recovered three more dead bodies on a different rubber boat and picked up a total 3,300 survivors from 24 different boats during the day, Italy's coast guard said.

Germany-based Sea-Watch, one of several non-governmental organizations operating vessels off the coast of Libya, said the speedboat swooped in just as they were about to go to the aid of the overcrowded rubber boat in the early hours of Friday.

"The violent intervention of the Libyan Coast Guard caused a situation of mass panic on board the rubber boat in distress," Sea-Watch said in a statement. "One tube of the rubber boat collapsed, causing the majority of the 150 people to slip into the water."

The Sea-Watch crew recovered four bodies, spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told Reuters. They brought about 120 others safely onto their ship and transferred them to an oil tanker from which they were later moved to another rescue ship bound for Italy.

Four people found unconscious were given rehydration treatment and recovered enough to stand later in the day, although they still needed help to walk, Neugebauer said.

A spokesman for Libya's naval forces in Tripoli said he had not heard about the incident. A spokesman for the EU's anti-smuggling mission Sophia said they had no information about it.

An Italian coast guard spokesman said the rescues and fatalities it counted on Friday included those reported by Sea Watch. Most of the people rescued were from sub-Saharan Africa and had set off from Libya, the spokesman said.

Italy has taken in more than 146,000 boat migrants so far this year and arrivals are set to top 153,000 counted last year. Friday's rescues take the total since Sunday to about 5,500.

The rescues were carried out by the Italian coast guard, the Sophia operation, an Irish navy ship, a merchant ship, Sea Watch and four other humanitarian groups.

LIBYAN COAST GUARD TO BE TRAINED

It was not immediately clear if the incident would affect the planned start of training next week of up to 100 Libyan coast guard members as part of the EU mission Operation Sophia. The spokesman for Sophia had no immediate comment.

The U.S. military, which also operates ships in the region, had no immediate comment on the incident.

"Next week training starts with the Libyan coast guard," Neugebauer said. "We think it's quite important to think about with whom we are collaborating."

According to information the German government has provided to parliament, the first session of training is to take place on two ships  one Italian and one Dutch - off the coast of Libya, with equipment and trainers provided by Germany, Italy, Greece, Belgium and Britain.

The Libyan coast guard currently has three boats in Tripoli, three boats in Misrata and two boats in Zuwarah, according to the German government report. The German military said it had no information about the incident.

In August, another humanitarian group that operates rescue ships off the coast of Libya, Doctors Without Borders, said it had been attacked and boarded by armed men on a Libyan navy boat. The Libyan navy said it fired "warning shots" because it thought the ship was involved in people smuggling.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer and Isla Binnie, additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Editing by Larry King)
By Ed Cropley

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - If Donald Trump is interested in rigged elections, Zimbabwean opposition leader Tendai Biti says he could teach him a thing or two. Biti was arrested for treason and detained for a month after daring to suggest his party had defeated President Robert Mugabe in a vote in 2008.

"They denied me food. They beat me up. They put me in leg irons. They beat me in the private parts," Biti, a lawyer who later served as finance minister in an eventual unity government, told Reuters. "That's real election rigging."

To opposition figures in Africa, and in other parts of the world that lack the 240-year U.S. history of peaceful transitions of power, Trump's assertion that November's U.S. presidential election will be "rigged", and his declaration that he may not accept the outcome, are dangerous words.

"Donald Trump is a gift to all tin-pot dictators on the African continent. He is giving currency and legitimacy to rigging because if it can exist in America, it can exist anywhere," Biti said.

"He has no idea what he's talking about, absolutely no idea," said Biti, who speaks from the experience of three election defeats to Mugabe, a 92-year-old ex-guerrilla who has run Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. "It makes us cross because in Africa there's real election rigging."

Long-serving rulers who have faced U.S. criticism in the past are already using Trump's remarks to counter Washington's pro-democracy message.

When Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 30 years, won re-election to his seventh term in February, U.S. officials accused his government of arresting opposition figures, harassing their supporters and intimidating the media.

Trump's comments, said Museveni's spokesman Don Wanyama, "should be an eye-opener to them. As they sit down to lecture other countries, they should realize that it's not easy."

"Democracy is a process and it really takes time."

HORRIFIED

Trump refused during a debate on Wednesday to say whether he would respect the result of the Nov. 8 poll. That sent a chill down the spine of Musikari Kombo, a former local government minister in Kenya, where 1,500 people were killed in a wave of ethnic bloodletting unleashed by disputes over the result of a 2007 election.

"I was shocked. I was horrified," Kombo said. "People in Africa who have always challenged elections will say: 'You see, we are vindicated. Even in the Mother of all Democracies, the presidential candidate is not willing to accept because there is rigging.'"

U.S. officials, including state governors from Trump's own Republican Party, say there is no serious vote fraud problem in the United States and the election will be clean.

Nevertheless, Trump and some allies have alleged anomalies in the voter roll in cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago that could allow the votes of dead people to be counted on behalf of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

It is hard to think what they would have made of this year's election in Gabon, where opposition leader Jean Ping cried foul after narrowly losing to President Ali Bongo, whose family have ruled the oil-producing former French colony for half a century.

The focus of Ping's concern was the province of Haut-Ogooue, where results showed 95.46 percent of voters backed Bongo on a turnout of 99.9 percent, more than double anywhere else.

Gabon's constitutional court - led by the long-time mistress of Bongo's father, Omar - upheld the result.

"I would say to Mr. Trump 'Come to Gabon to see what a fake democracy looks like, to see what a stolen election looks like,'" said Alexandre Barro Chambrier, a senior Ping adviser.

"There is no democracy here. There is the rule of one family and one man imposing a dictatorial regime," he added. "Mr Trump is not serious."

(Additional reporting by Edward McAllister, Edmund Blair and Elias Biryabarem; Editing by Peter Graff)
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed Papua New Guineas Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato to New Zealand for formal foreign policy talks today.

PNG is an important partner for New Zealand in the Pacific and our second largest trading partner in the region, Mr McCully says.

During Minister Patos visit we will discuss PNGs plans for the hosting of APEC 2018 and how New Zealand can best support this undertaking. Our talks will also focus on regional trade and political issues.

SOURCE: Office of Murray McCully
Members of the Bethlehem Community Patrol were handed the keys to their new patrol vehicle during a special ceremony held at Tauranga Central Police Station on Friday.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges was there to hand over the keys, along with Mayor-Elect Greg Brownless and police representative Inspector Clifford Paxton.

All three spoke of the important role community patrols play in assisting police, and thanked the generous sponsors who provided much-needed financial assistance in purchasing the new 2008 Nissan Dualis.

Representatives from BayTrust, AMI, and Trustpower were in attendance, receiving certificates of appreciation for their sterling support. Other key sponsors include Pub Charities, and Farmer Auto Village, which provided the vehicle.

Bethlehem Community Patrol coordinator Bryan McKenzie says the patrols serve as an extra pair of eyes and ears for the police.

Our patrol was formed three years ago, and is one of 280-odd such patrols throughout the country working under the guidance of local police.

Bryan notes all patrols have to be financially self-sufficient, and are required to raise funds by appealing to the community and businesses.

So were very grateful for the support weve received.

He says the Bethlehem Community Patrol is looking to recruit more volunteers, which would enable it to broaden the number of patrols. They hope to start some daytime patrols to assist in burglary prevention.

They are looking for volunteer patrollers with a minimum age of 18 years, although to drive a patrol vehicle you must be 25 years old.

You must be of good character, have a current drivers license, and most importantly, have a desire to help make our communities safer.

Those interested in volunteering for the Bethlehem area  which covers as far afield as Te Puna and Matua  should contact Bryan either at bryanmckenzie@xtra.co.nz or by calling 07-570-2483.
SPRINGFIELD  A ruling by a McLean County judge that the state's sex offender registration mandate is unconstitutional has been reversed by the Illinois Supreme Court.

In a ruling released Thursday, the Supreme Court disagreed with Judge Robert Freitag's July 2015 decision that a requirement that sex offenders report all internet sites they use violates their free speech rights.

Mark Minnis, 23, of Normal is charged with failure to register his home address with local police, missing the deadline by three days in August 2014. As part of his registration requirement, he disclosed two email addresses but did not list a Facebook and eBay account he uses, according to court documents.

Minnis' defense lawyer Stephanie Wong argued to Freitag that the law needs to be "more narrowly tailored" to protect a sex offender's free speech rights.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court disagreed with the lower court decision, finding that the internet disclosure requirement "is tailored to avoid chilling more speech than necessary, or in other words, to lessen the number of unconstitutional applications."

The Supreme Court decision comes in response to an appeal of Freitag's ruling by the state.

In May arguments to the Supreme Court, Assistant Attorney General Joshue Schneider said the disclosure of online identities used by offenders and the forums they visit is needed "to protect the public from recidivist sex offenders."

The internet must be closely monitored by authorities, Schneider said, to make certain offenders are not taking advantage of potential victims.

Online venues "allow people to interact less cautiously," said the state prosecutor, adding that "the risks are magnified in some respects online."

Daaron Kimmell with the Office of State Appellate Defender, countered that free speech rights are lost in the enforcement of the statute that "bars free speech for too many people who present little or no risk." An evaluation of sex offenders, including offenders such as Minnis who were juveniles when the sex crime occurred, could more adequately determine a person's risk to offend again, Kimmell said.

The defense lawyer called Minnis' case "a great demonstration of how this system can go wrong."

Joining the defense with supporting briefs in favor of Freitag's interpretation was the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group concerned with free speech and privacy in the digital world.

Minnis' case was sent back to the local court for proceedings that were put on hold after Freitag's ruling.
The new train line through Loja could see Malaga and Granada separated by just an hour by autumn 2017

Rafael Catala during a visit to one of the construction sites in Granada last week. :: EFE

Works on the AVE line through Loja, in Granada province, which have been halted for the past year, will recommence following an agreement reached between the Ministry for Public Works (Fomento) and Dragados and Tecsa, the companies which jointly won the concession.

The acting minister for Fomento, Rafael Catala, announced this latest development last week, after meeting with business and institutional representatives. According to Catala, the agreement will mean that the construction will be completed by next summer, with the service operational by autumn 2017.

Works were initially brought to a standstill after the company proposed an alteration to the agreed budget for the project. However, the differences have been settled, according to Catala, who wouldnt divulge any details, though the modification will total less than ten per cent of the official tally, as decreed by law.

Now that the deadlock is broken, Granadas detachment from the train network, which has exceeded 560 days, has an end in sight.

Government commitment

Catala was also keen to reiterate the governments commitment to connecting Granada to the high-speed train network, stating that 1.4 billion euros of the total 1.6 had already been invested and that work to put this new infrastructure to use was already 90 per cent complete.

The acting minister also explained that once the project was complete, that the journey from Granada to Malaga would take an hour, Granada-Madrid would take three hours, while it would take a little over six hours to get to Barcelona, and just two to Seville from Granada.

The Fomento chief said that currently, with a bus from Granada to Antequera then the rest by AVE to Madrid, that a journey time of three hours and forty-five minutes was reasonable, though he did acknowledge the need to lower prices to make it more competitive, with Renfe offering the trip for 30 euros (40 to Barcelona) from 1 November.

Still no movement

Despite Catalas promise that works would restart immediately, IDEAL reported that until this Wednesday, there had been no sign of any machinery nor workers on any of the sites around Loja. This prompted the mayor of Granada, Francisco Cuenca, to call Fomento to demand an explanation.

However, ADIF, part of Fomento charged with the management of most of Spains rail infrastructure, responded with a statement that said that not all parts of the project needed a human presence. It added that works were ongoing and would escalate progressively.
All they want "is for pregnant women to continue to be vaccinated" and they plan to donate the money to the Vicente Ferrer Foundation

Lupe and Antonio, with the demand for compensation. :: Miguel Gamez LARA'S MOTHER IS PREGNANT AGAIN AND EXPECTING A BABY GIRL IN DECEMBER Lupe Gonzalez, Laras mother, is seven months pregnant and is expecting a daughter in December. A month ago, she was vaccinated against whooping cough, and she is being closely monitored by the hospital for psychological reasons. She regularly goes to Marbella, to a therapy group for women who have lost a child. We are excited about the new baby but we will never forget Lara. When something like this happens it changes your life, your way of thinking and valuing things. You see how some people argue or fight over silly little things, says Antonio. Were calling the baby Iris, because babies who are born after a loss are said to be arcoiris (rainbows) says Lupe. We are fighting in Laras memory to prevent more unnecessary deaths and for the compensation to be used to help children in need.

Lupe Gonzalez has been having psychological treatment since her daughter Lara, just 18 days old, died from whooping cough on 20 October last year at the Materno Infantil hospital in Malaga. She was cremated on 22nd, her father Antonio Garcias birthday. The couple had been trying for two years to become parents and during Lupes pregnancy they had asked the Junta de Andalucias Health Department for a vaccine against whooping cough, but it never arrived.

The Ministry of Health had recommended that the autonomous regions of Spain which did not vaccinate pregnant women (Andalucia was one of them) should do so from June to avoid the risk to babies. The Junta de Andalucia originally announced that it would be doing so from January 2016, but in the end the date was brought forward to November 30th 2015.

It was after the complaint to the Malaga prosecution service that, coincidentally, the doses appeared, explains Rafael Prieto, the lawyer acting for this couple from Mijas, who is not charging them for his services. Five weeks after baby Laras death, pregnant women were being vaccinated in Andalucia.

A year after that tragic day, after receiving a notification from the Malaga Prosecution Service, which denied that there had been negligence, they lodged an official complaint with the Junta de Andalucia, asking for 200,000 euros in compensation, claiming that it was at fault and negligent.

However, Antonio and Lupe do not want the money for themselves: they want to donate it to the Vicente Ferrer Foundation which helps and sponsors children. In fact, they are already sponsoring one, after Antonios aunt, Isabel Martin, who works with him in a butchers, recommended that they do so. She has been very supportive to the couple at this difficult time.

The money isnt going to bring our daughter back. We dont want Laras death to be forgotten; we want the vaccinations for pregnant women to continue. This was a terrible blow. We so wanted to be parents. She was only at home with us for a few days, says Antonio in a choked voice, as Lupes eyes fill with tears again. Laras case was not the first, but it was only after they lodged their official complaint that other cases came to light. Even the Patients Ombudsman supported their case to the Malaga Prosecution Service.

Four days in intensive care

On Friday 16th we took Lara to the Materno because she wasnt feeding, explains Lupe.

At first the doctor thought it was bronchiolitis but she quickly got worse and her pulse was racing. They did a test for whooping cough the same day. She was worse on the Saturday and was taken into intensive care. They had to intubate her. On the Monday they confirmed that she had whooping cough. She only weighed 2.6 kilos. Whooping cough attacks the respiratory tract, says Antonio before falling silent. It is very hard for them to remember that moment.

Lara died at midday the next day. The medical team did everything they could for our daughter. There were always at least four people looking after her: a pediatrician, two surgeons and a nurse, say Antonio and Lupe.
Many observers were shocked Wednesday night when Republican Donald Trump suggested at the final presidential debate that he might not accept the results of the Nov. 8 election.

Legal, electoral and political experts, however, disagree somewhat on whether Trump is generally right to take a wait-and-see approach. Its impossible to predict what might happen on Election Day or whether legal action will be needed to determine the outcome, even though the possibility of a rigged election is virtually nonexistent.

Its hard to draw a conclusion until you actually have the election, said former Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter. Sometimes, there can be miscounting of votes or irregularities that are not necessarily criminal, and thats what gets fixed in a recount.

Carter, a Republican, said theres nothing particularly dangerous about Trump advising his supporters that hell protect his interests in a fair outcome.

After all, he said, there are processes in place for candidates to review and contest election results, just as Democrat Al Gore did in Florida during the 2000 presidential election against Republican George W. Bush.

But Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, sees it differently.

Mooney said Trumps statements should give pause to voters of all political stripes.

Thats hugely dangerous, he said. To satisfy his own ego, basically, he is calling into question some of the fundamental, bedrock principles of American democracy.

Mooney cited the 2000 election as an example of a smooth transition of power after a contentious race.

Carter, who has experience in ferreting out voter fraud, said another reason to wait is that the effects of electoral misdeeds may not be immediately apparent on election night.

East Chicago, Ind., Mayor Robert Pastrick appeared to have lost his 2003 re-election bid until mail-in absentee ballots counted several days later gave him a razor-thin margin of victory.

However, further investigations determined that Pastrick campaign workers fraudulently produced many of those ballots.

Ultimately, 47 people were convicted of various crimes out of that election, and the Indiana Supreme Court later overturned the result.

However, researchers widely agree that in-person voter fraud is extremely rare.

Illinois and Iowa authorities say there are safeguards in place to ensure that the type of widespread election rigging Trump has warned about is virtually impossible.

Jim Tenuto, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, noted there are 109 individual election authorities across the state, each responsible for counting its own ballots.

Its hard to imagine how you would put something together to rig an election, Tenuto said.

The elections board issued a statement Thursday outlining its safeguards, which include public testing of voting equipment prior to Election Day and the presence of five election judges, composed of both Democrats and Republicans, at each of the states roughly 10,000 voting precincts.

The board encourages those who are concerned about the integrity of the process to volunteer as election judges.

In response to an earlier Trump tweet alleging large scale voter fraud, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Monday that politicians should knock it off when it comes to casting doubt on the voting process.

This state has a pretty darn good track record, and I really resent anybody trying to blemish it, said Pate, a Republican who also serves as Iowas election commissioner.

The office of Democratic Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan takes steps each election to uphold the integrity of the voting process, spokeswoman Annie Thompson said.

Our office will be sending out teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators to monitor elections throughout the state to make sure that voters rights are protected, Thompson said. We encourage voters to contact our office if they encounter suspected improper or illegal activity, and we will have hotlines up on Election Day.

The Madigans office, the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of Illinois and the state elections board quickly met with Kankakee County officials earlier this month in response to dueling allegations of voter fraud and intimidation. That area is home to one of this years most hotly contested Illinois House races.

Political science professor Andrew Downs of Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne heard gasps at a debate viewing party Wednesday when Trump said he might not accept the election results.

But after thinking it over, Downs said he realized technically, legally that is the correct answer since the law provides numerous methods for a candidate to challenge or correct the vote count.

Downs is doubtful Trump will be able to pile up enough electoral votes to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, or even come close, making any localized ballot counting errors all but irrelevant to the national outcome.

But he said Trump certainly has his reasons for claiming the election could be rigged.

He manages to motivate his base. The pro-Trump base gets to get excited a little bit longer, and thats all good for him, Downs said. But the problem for him, I think, is his base is not big enough to win an election.

At the same time, Downs said, Americans who arent supporting Trump are rightfully shocked by his rhetoric.

It is dangerous to say things like that because youre talking about institutions that for a couple hundred years weve trusted to pick the winners of the election, he said. To say youre not going to accept them says you dont trust the entire system.

Trump clarified his position in a speech Thursday, joking that he happily will accept the results  If I win.

He later committed to participating in a peaceful transition of power.

Of course I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result, and always I will follow and abide by all of the rules and traditions of all of the many candidates who have come before me, Trump said.
NORMAL  The king of the forest is coming down at Illinois State University.

A red oak tree that is estimated to have stood near the corner of what is now Fell Avenue and North Street for about 235 years soon will be removed for safety reasons  but not without a proper sendoff.

We're here today to honor part of our history, said Patrick Murphy, horticulturalist and curator of ISU's Fell Arboretum. Let this tree know that we give a darn.

People gathered around the tree over the lunch hour Wednesday to hear Murphy sing the praises of the mighty oak and learn what is being done to preserve its legacy.

It's the king of the forest, indeed, Murphy said as he described how the tree has survived more than two centuries of disturbances: buildings being built and torn down, parking lots being paved, roots being cut as pipes and foundations were installed.

But those years have taken their toll.

Struck by oak wilt and other diseases, the old oak is a hollow shell of its former self. Literally.

There's a void in this tree large enough for me to fit in, said Murphy.

After a heavy rain, water weeps out of cracks in the tree's bark and base, sometimes for days, he said.

Using a device called a resistograph, the university learned the core of the tree is hollow and there are cracks inside, Murphy explained.

This decision was not made arbitrarily, he said.

As if to verify the decision was correct, a large limb broke off during strong winds earlier this week, narrowly missing the Educational Administration Building.

Even the untrained eye can see bark pulling away from the tree because of advancing decay.

Angelo Capparella, associate professor of biology, whose fourth-floor office window in the Science Laboratory Building overlooks the oak, said, I'll miss this tree.

The squirrels that ate its acorns and may have called it home will miss it, too. So will migrating birds who dined on various bugs that Capparella said are found on native oaks.

But, as the saying goes, mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

Murphy has used acorns collected last year from the tree to grow small saplings. Acorns also are being collected this year for the same purpose.

It will take five to seven years for the little oaks to grow into whips  about 5 to 6 feet tall and the thickness of a finger  suitable for transplantation, said Murphy.

Although those little oaks are staying put at ISU for now, people attending the oak's farewell party were able to take home a piece of the tree.

A branch of the tree was cut into small sections, less than an inch thick and about 2 to 3 inches in diameter, for people to take as a remembrance. Almost 200 smaller pieces, less than a inch wide, were turned into lapel pins by Jessica Chambers, director of ISU's horticulture center, so people could have  a little token of the tree, she said.

Once the tree is taken down, some of the wood will be saved for educational purposes, said Murphy. The contractor has been asked to make a 12-inch thick slice as close to the ground as possible.

We absolutely are going to do a ring count, said Murphy.

Capparella, who estimated the tree's age by using a formula taking various factors into account, is looking forward to the growth rings being counted once the tree is down.

This will be a good test of that formula, he said.
Syracuse, NY -- A 17-year-old boy with a criminal past was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison today for rioting on Father's Day during a Near West Side barbecue.

Johanen Pizzarro was the third rioter to plead guilty to a felony in the aftermath of the June 19 shootout at Syracuse's James-Geddes housing complex that included a police-involved fatal shooting.

But there are others -- including some seen on video firing weapons -- who have never been identified.

Prosecutor Kerry Buske said Pizzarro was identified on security video running toward the gunshots with what appeared to be a firearm. He later shouted at responding officers: "We got guns and we're going to kill cops," Buske said.

Syracuse.com took a screnshot from the publicly released video of the shootout. Pizarro is identified based on the description the prosecutor gave in court.

Buske said Pizzarro was further identified because he was wearing the same jersey when stopped by police the next day.

After court, the prosecutor said Pizzarro wasn't charged with having a gun because it wasn't known whether it was an actual, operable handgun. Pizzarro told police he may have had a BB gun, she said. (See the full video below.)

During sentencing, Buske argued that Pizzarro should not get youthful offender treatment, which would seal his record upon release from prison.

Defense lawyer Chris Gaiser responded that the footage was too blurry to know for sure whether that was Pizzarro or not. He said it wasn't something that should stick with Pizzarro the rest of his life.

County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller noted that Pizzarro already had a record despite his age. Pizarro was adjudicated in Family Court for a felony assault charge in 2013, the judge said. He was back in Family Court for illegal weapons possession in 2015.

Pizzarro was convicted again in Syracuse City Court in January 2016 of another crime and his record was sealed, the judge said. (Details of that case were not provided.) Pizarro violated probation in that case.

Then he was arrested again in the aftermath of the June 19 riot at the Syracuse housing complex.

"You don't take any responsibility for behavior in this current offense," the judge noted, reading a pre-sentence report.

The judge ruled against giving Pizzarro another chance to maintain a clean record. Pizarro will leave prison a convicted felon.



The other accused rioters:

So far, seven people have pleaded guilty to felony riot charges.

Johanen Pizzarro was sentenced today to 1 to 3 years in prison.



Kaveece Fulwiley was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison.

Rasheena Jenkins-Ortiz was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison, to be served with a 3-year sentence for assault.

David Herndon, Savon Ellick-Sanders, Shaquan Bibbs and Edwight Laflair have also pleaded guilty to rioting and will be sentenced next month. Buske is asking for prison sentences for each of them.

Six others are planning to take their cases to one massive trial in January. Those are: Takim Hawkins, Luis Reyes, Arthur King, Arthur Hunter, Jamie Crawford and Elonzo Wilson.

The Jan. 17 trial will include all six defendants and six defense lawyers.
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About 50 people came to a protest Thursday night to call for the end to solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-old inmates.

(Douglass Dowty | ddowty@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, NY -- One mother said her 16-year-old daughter wanted to kill herself after being held in solitary confinement at Syracuse's jail. Another mom said her 16-year-old son tried to take his life.

Their testimonials were read tonight during a protest in front of the Onondaga County Justice Center jail downtown.

Protesters pointed out that New York is one of only two states -- the other being North Carolina -- that treats all 16- and 17-year-old suspects as adults. That means they are all -- regardless of alleged crime -- sent to adult jail (not juvenile detention) and face adult punishments for misbehaving in jail.

In Onondaga County, child inmates in solitary confinement are placed in "the box." It's described as a bank of "barren" cells that are 7 feet by 9 feet where inmates are kept for 23 hours a day.

New York's state prisons don't punish children of that age with solitary confinement. Neither does the New York City system nor the federal prison system. All of them changed their policies in recent years due to growing criticism.

Onondaga County's continued practice is now the subject of a class-action lawsuit. One protester, Luchele Chisunka, said today many people were led to believe that teenager solitary confinement ended last year.

They celebrated last October when Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney announced that it would end at the county jail in Jamesville.



Instead, the practice was simply moved to the sheriff's office jail downtown.

Since then, 86 children who are 16 or 17 years old have been held in solitary -- or 23-hour-a-day -- confinement at the South State Street jail.

Sheriff's office officials have declined comment about the practice, citing the pending lawsuit. It's true that more services -- including education -- are available downtown.

But the lawsuit says children in "the box" aren't getting any of those services.

One girl, Charnasha, 16, was locked up for speaking too loudly, according to the lawsuit.

Her mom, Yvette Williams, said Charnasha wrote her from jail that she wanted to kill herself. Charnasha felt humiliated by male guards making comments about her naked in the shower.



"I was locked up 23 hours a day, and sometimes 24 hours," Charnasha wrote. "And it seemed like all the guards I was there with were grown-up men.

"In the box we had no shower curtains and the guards would walk by and watch me and the other girls when we were in the shower. I felt so uncomfortable and exposed," she wrote.

Another mom, Walta Williams, argued that she would be in jail herself if she treated her son the way the jail did. "What is happening to these children is child abuse," she wrote.

Her jailed son, Randy Pope, said the "box" made him suicidal.

"You can't see anything, just black walls closing in on you. It's like the cells are designed to make you act crazy, like start yelling until someone gets you out of there. I tried doing crossword puzzles but I kept thinking about killing myself."

A varied group

Tonight's protest attracted about 50 people in front of the South State Street jail. It was timed around an annual campaign to end the so-called "school-to-prison pipeline."

School-aged inmates locked up 23 hours a day cannot attend school classes in jail, the protesters noted. In contrast, the state prison system guarantees two hours of educational programming each week day and at least five hours out of a cell.

Tonight's protest included institutions like the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Community Alternatives to grassroots groups like Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse to on-the-street voices like Clifford Ryans, founder of OGs Against Gun Violence.

The NYCLU and Legal Services of Central New York are spearheading the federal class-action lawsuit to end solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-olds in Onondaga County.

Protester Chisunka noted that none of this would be needed if solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-olds had been ended last year -- as it seemed.

"We wouldn't be here right now if that was true," she said.
Guinea Pig's day out

The name "Linda Germain" should be familiar to anyone who has picked up a local publication in the past 10 years. Working as a freelance writer, Germain has had work published in The Post-Standard, The Palladium Times, Oswego County Business Magazine, and the Catholic Sun.

Germain's love for Oswego County has been apparent in her previous publication, "A Common View: With Affection, Hope, and Humor - Reflections on the Port City of Central New York" which was sold to benefit Oswego Public Library's 2006-2008 renovations, and in her newest publication, "Kirby's Krazy Karrot Kaper," which takes place in Oswego, and from which a portion of the proceeds will once again go to the library.

Germain's previous experience as school teacher and her love of drawing, coupled with her great affection for her own four guinea pigs formed the foundation for her first children's book. Germain shares some of the special landmarks in the book, explaining, "The basic premise of the book is that Maggie gets lost while looking for carrots and Kirby travels around Oswego, on his super-fast carrot skateboard to find her. He visits Fort Ontario, Charles E. Gallagher Pool, the Oswego Public Library, the Oswego Speedway, Rudy's Lakeside Drive-in, SUNY Oswego, and Breitbeck Park of Harborfest fame."

Germain will be doing book signing event at the Oswego Public Library on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. Books will only be sold through Germain, including at the library event and at future craft shows.

Explosive fun

If Aaron Starmer's penchant for a bit of the absurd wasn't already apparent (his bio is riddled with improbable facts, including enjoying inserting lies into biographical information) then his newest book, "Spontaneous" will certainly give readers the idea.

The Fayetteville Manlius graduate has published five books prior to "Spontaneous," including popular "The Riverman" trilogy which takes places in a fictionalized version of the area in which he grew up, but none have been quite as strange as his August 2016 publication.

In "Spontaneous" Mara Carlyle is seemingly living a completely average teenage life until her fellow classmates begin to spontaneously explode. Full of both snark and honesty, the book is about a girl that above else just wants to make it through her senior year of high school and to graduation in one piece. One reviewer called the book "a bit Monty Python, a large dollop of Heathers, and a scoop of Andrew Smith."

To learn more about Starmer, including upcoming events and his other publications, visit his website. "Spontaneous" is available wherever books are sold.

An illustrated alternate history

Author and illustrator Tobias Inigo, credits random doodling as the inspiration for his book, explaining that while sitting on the phone at his home in Cortland he began drawing on scraps of paper, eventually tossing all but one that he titled "Paul Klee's Dog". Suddenly, Inigo could picture the dogs that belonged to other great artists of the 20th century.

Tobias says of his growing collection of dogs, "Once I had established the rules, which was essentially that there were no rules, it became pure whimsy and fun."

Inigo imagines that Pollock, Rothko, Warhol and many more artists had dogs that not only served as companions, but as inspirations, and even the driving force behind each artist. As an example Inigo asks, "Who knew that Jasper John's dog could make a martini?"

Currently available exclusively through Amazon Kindle, "Dogs of Famous Artists" is sure to delight artists and dog lovers alike.

Have a book to share?

Are you a local author or have you come across a book set in Central New York? Tell us about it. Send a brief description of the book and the author and we'll add it as a candidate for coverage. Write us at features@syracuse.com.
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NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces the planned sale of FitzPatrick nuclear plant in August. Behind him is the cooling tower of Nine Mile Point 2, which is adjacent to FitzPatrick. A consumer group is requesting public disclosure of a state agreement that facilitated the sale.

(Dennis Nett)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A consumer group is asking federal energy regulators to help disclose the details of New York's $35 million agreement to backstop a state-brokered sale of the FitzPatrick nuclear plant.

Public Citizen filed the request Thursday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is reviewing the proposed sale of FitzPatrick.



The New York Power Authority made the agreement with plant owner Entergy Corp. at least two months ago to guarantee Entergy a $35 million termination fee if the FitzPatrick sale falls through as a result of inaction or obstruction by state agencies.

The power authority thus far has not released a copy of the agreement, and has not provided any reason for keeping it secret. Activists at Public Citizen, who oppose the nuclear sale, are asking federal regulators to require disclosure.

The administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo provided the guarantee to persuade Entergy -- which had planned to close FitzPatrick -- to save the plant by selling it to Exelon Corp.

Cuomo's effort to save 600 jobs at FitzPatrick has drawn loud praise in Oswego County. Likewise, preserving the plant's output of carbon-free electricity finds favor with some environmentalists who see nuclear power as a weapon against climate change.

But other environmental groups, consumer groups and Downstate political leaders have voiced adamant opposition to the deal. They say Cuomo is propping up a dying and expensive technology.

Neither side has been able to see details of the $35 million termination fee guaranteed by NYPA.

Entergy and Exelon have asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - one of several regulatory bodies that will review the nuclear plant sale -- to grant approval by Nov. 18.

Public Citizen has urged FERC to reject the $110 million sale, arguing that Entergy and Exelon have not provided enough information about power price impacts to determine whether the deal is in the public interest.

The consumer group's main argument is that the application from Entergy and Exelon failed to mention New York's plan to provide up to $480 million a year in subsidies for Upstate nuclear plants, which Public Citizen says should be part of the evaluation. The nuclear companies responded that the information sought by Public Citizen is not relevant to FERC's review.

Public Citizen's letter Thursday said it was "highly unusual'' for a public entity like NYPA to issue a letter of credit for a private sector transaction. The letter of credit raises "collusive concerns'' about whether New York officials have adequately considered the FitzPatrick sale's effect on market competition and electricity rates.

In response to a verbal request from Syracuse.com for a copy of the letter of credit in late August, New York Power Authority officials refused to provide it, but offered no explanation.

In response to a written request Aug. 26 under the Freedom of Information Law, NYPA officials said they needed until Nov. 4 to either approve or deny the request, despite the normal 20-day deadline for response. They have not specified a reason for the delay as required by law.

The agreement is "clearly public,'' according to Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government.

NYPA officials did not respond to a request for more information Thursday.

Contact reporter Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023
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Candidates for the 22nd Congressional District will meet with the Syracuse Media Group editorial board today.

The three candidates seeking to represent the 22nd Congressional District are scheduled to meet with Syracuse Media Group's editorial board at 1 p.m. today to ask for its endorsement.

Martin Babinec, Kim Myers and Claudia Tenney are competing for the seat vacated by the retiring Rep. Richard Hanna. The 22nd Congressional District covers all of Madison, Oneida, Cortland and Chenango counties and part of Oswego, Broome, Herkimer, and Tioga counties.

Babinec, of Little Falls, is a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and a millionaire. Babinec is running on the Upstate Jobs Party line, an independent party he helped establish after losing the Republican primary to Tenney.

Republican nominee Tenney, of New Hartford, is a member of the New York state Assembly and runs a publishing business.

Democrat Myers, of Vestal, is a Broome County legislator and former retail store owner. Her family started Dick's Sporting Goods.

We'll be live-tweeting from the editorial board meeting from the @CNYOpinion account. You can follow along on Twitter or in the comments below. Pose a good question for the candidates and we'll ask them for an answer, if time permits.
Sen. Charles Schumer has never met a hand he didn't want to shake or a problem too small to take on. His affinity for retail politics brings him to every one of New York's 62 counties every year, meeting voters where they live and achieving a level of local engagement other senators would be hard-pressed to match.

Schumer is equally at home discussing the finer points of domestic and foreign policy. He does not hesitate to use the levers of power and his prodigious media presence to get action.

The Syracuse Media Group editorial board endorses Schumer for a fourth, six-year term based on his tangibles -- real results for Central New York, New York state and the nation -- and his intangibles -- his tireless work ethic, ability to work with Republicans, accessibility to constituents and "I'm still-the-kid-from-Brooklyn" humility.

You can see Schumer's impact on Central New York nearly everywhere you look. In 2013, Lockheed Martin was planning to shutter its radar plant in Salina, costing the region 1,600 good-paying jobs. As soon as Schumer got wind of it through Syracuse.com's reporting, he persuaded Lockheed's CEO to drop that plan. He since helped Lockheed land a $4.5 billion missile defense contract from Germany.

Schumer's intervention also helped Nucor in Auburn compete with cheap foreign steel. He pushed for Central New York to become one of six test sites in the country for groundbreaking drone research. Working with Rep. John Katko, they restored Centro funding in the Highway Bill. Schumer helped to pry hundreds of Syracuse homeowners from FEMA's new flood insurance maps. He aided the expansion of Oswego's port..

If Schumer wins re-election, he is in line to become the leader of the Senate. Whether he becomes majority leader or minority leader, Schumer will play a key role in setting the nation's course over the next few years - a win for New York and for the nation.

Schumer said he is determined to break government gridlock by focusing on issues where bipartisan agreement can be negotiated: immigration reform; corporate tax reform that funnels repatriated profits from abroad into an infrastructure bank; investing in basic research, including a "moon shot'' for cancer; and making college more affordable. Schumer displays a deep understanding of the nuances of these issues.

Schumer's challenger is Republican Wendy Long, of Manhattan, a lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk who ran unsuccessfully four years ago against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Long made headlines in August when she tweeted disparagingly about blight on Syracuse's North Side, with some Muslim-baiting thrown in for good measure. Long declined to meet with the editorial board to discuss her remarks and her strategy for ameliorating poverty and urban decay in Syracuse and Upstate New York. In her platform, she advocates deregulation, lower taxes, a repeal of Obamacare and military action against ISIS.

Schumer sees a "moral imperative" to raise middle-class wages. His prescription for urban blight is to boost federal funding for cities through the Community Development Block Grant program. To attack Syracuse's high poverty rate, he advocates an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit, putting more money into poor people's pockets. Schumer must also recognize that a solution for the middle class alone is not sufficient; it leaves too many people behind. They need more help to make the jump from the lower class to the middle class.

Schumer will have a strong ally in the White House if his former Senate colleague Hillary Clinton wins. Clinton will have an ally, too - but one who has shown he is willing to buck his president. Schumer voted against President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran and helped override Obama's veto of a controversial bill allowing 9/11 survivors to sue the government of Saudi Arabia. The senator will need to resist pressure from the Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren wing of the party to tack too far left.

Schumer also will be key in shepherding a Supreme Court nominee through Senate confirmation. He dismisses talk that Republicans will not consider any potential Clinton nominees and thinks Obama's choice to replace the late Antonin Scalia, Merrick Garland, has a chance at being confirmed in the lame-duck session after Election Day.

For all the criticism of Schumer's style, he remains the kid from Brooklyn whose relentless travels keep him in touch with the concerns of New Yorkers. Experience is too often seen as a bad thing in today's political landscape. When it comes to Schumer, experience is a win for the state and the country on all levels, from local issues to global affairs.

With Schumer, what you see is what you get: a hardworking man who is passionate about his job and cares about people. He has earned our endorsement.

Why we endorse candidates

The purpose of an editorial endorsement is to provide a thoughtful assessment of the choices voters face in an election. The Syracuse Media Group editorial board offers editorial endorsements to stimulate the public conversation and promote civic engagement.

The editorial board operates independently and separately from news coverage.

We believe voting is a privilege and an obligation of citizenship and urge you to exercise your right to vote.
White House Halloween

The White House can be a scary place.

(Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP)

Stephen Kimatian, of Syracuse, is a former television executive and previously was a candidate for mayor. He is a regular guest columnist for The Post-Standard and syracuse.com.

Through the window the Halloween moon was low in the sky. I rested my book for a moment.

Next thing, I was walking down a long corridor, credenzas, plants, gold framed oil paintings of familiar faces. Ahead a big, white-paneled door with a brass plate. Squinting in the dark, I put my nose to the plate: "Oval Office." The White House! Holy moly! I hesitated as I turned the knob, the door creaking as it opened. Even in the eerie darkness I could make out the medallion rug, the twin sofas and chairs, the flags. Sitting atop the President's desk were two glowing jack-o'-lanterns. One was carved with the face of Donald Trump and his unmistakable smirk. The other was Hillary Clinton, with her raised eyebrow know-it-all smile.

I jumped when the Trump pumpkin boomed, "It's rigged folks, by a corrupt media. Really rigged." The Clinton pumpkin laughed with a cackling sound. I retreated to the sofas, but the pumpkins in unison were getting louder and louder, growing bigger and bigger into the room, repeating the phrases as the sound crescendoed. I put my hands over my ears and ran for the door.

Into the hallway I ran, knocking over a bust on a pedestal. I picked it up. Putin! Yikes! A sign with an arrow pointed to "Clinton Foundation." I got to the foundation door. On a table was a box that said, "Key inside. Please deposit $1 million - 20 minutes, guaranteed results."

I raced down the hallway. Two doors were marked "Presidential Library." Entering the Trump library, my footsteps echoed against the walls. There were no books. The shelves were bare except for a DVD of "Celebrity Apprentice, Season 1" and a copy of Hustler magazine. On the coffee table, a just published sequel: "The Art of Losing the Deal." A roulette wheel was on the desk with piles of chips on one edge and a copy of the Bankruptcy Code on the other. Over the sofa were draped Miss Universe dresses.

Opening the Clinton door, out fell an avalanche of books and papers, knocking me to the floor. Loose-leaf binders everywhere. A book on the desk, "How to be President by Hook or Crook." In one closet computers and file servers were piled to the ceiling with a sign marked "cleaned." There was a whole shelf full of recorded "Saturday Night Live" skits. On the wall hung a paper practice target of Julian Assange. Enough!

I got to the Lincoln Bedroom and slammed the door shut. In the darkness, I could see on the back of the door, "Check-in 3 p.m., checkout noon. Holiday rates apply." On a table was a guest list with amounts contributed: Spielberg, Streisand, Oprah, Hanks. Then I heard a voice, more like a moan. I turned around. Silhouetted against the giant rosewood headboard sitting on the edge of the bed was the ghost-like apparition of Abe Lincoln, his hands holding his head, saying in a sorrowful voice: "What have they done to my country?" I walked closer. He didn't get up so I sat down next to him and put my arm around him but my arm just went through thin air. And then he disappeared.

Quickly, I took to the stairs to the first floor and saw an oak door with an etched gold plate "1% only." I peeked in to see fat-faced men in tuxes and women in gowns feasting on crudites and caviar from silver plates. Across the hall, skeletons of men, women and children, shackled in chains, lined up before a scary Uncle Sam in clown-face handing them dollar bills.

I ran down the marble hallway to the East Wing. Noise was coming from the end of hallway. I put my ear to the door - it abruptly opened. Music was blasting. It was a masquerade party. Hundreds of holograms, all in costumes and masks, were dancing and laughing and having a marvelous time. I saw Donalds and Hillarys, Melania, Bill, Obama, Michelle, Monica, Podesta, and even FBI Director Comey. Two Trumps were hitting a pinata hung from a chandelier. The punch bowl was flowing and I heard Hillary's cackling laugh carrying over the din.

By this time, I was out of breath running from room to room and wanted out. But every door I opened was blocked by a fence stamped "made in Mexico." Out of desperation, I ran to the top of stairs to get to the roof. The door was locked - my back to the wall -- and then I heard the partygoers. Hordes of them were running up the stairs toward me - the masks, the ghoulish faces, all holding blazing Trump and Clinton pumpkin heads!

And then, thank God, I woke up from my dream, only to find it was reality - one that may haunt us long after Nov. 8.
An Upstate New York farmer took his combine to a soybean field to write out a massive marriage proposal.

Dan Stein, of Caledonia in Western NY, began dating Leslie Hamilton after meeting her at a John Deere dealer in Avon two years ago, WHAM-TV reported. On Wednesday, he decided it was time to pop the question.

"Usually you go straight back and forth in a row. I just got really creative and artistic and wrote letters instead of going straight back and forth in the field," Stein told the station.

The letters spelled out "Marry me?"

A Caledonia farmer used his combine and a soybean field to proposal to his girlfriend! How it all came together on @13WHAM at 5. pic.twitter.com/55iUT9ULHp  Matt Molloy (@mattmolloy) October 20, 2016

"I could see that he had cut something out in the field, so I was like, 'What did you do over there?'" Hamilton said. "Because he's always a perfectionist; it's always very straight."

That's when Stein showed her a photo of the field taken with a drone.

"He was like, 'I don't know if you can read that, but this is what it says,' and I was like, 'Oh my God,' and he got down on one knee," said Hamilton.

The couple, both farmers, met at ..... wait for it.... a @JohnDeere dealership! pic.twitter.com/54TXU5CVc6  Matt Molloy (@mattmolloy) October 20, 2016

"I just wanted to do something special for her. It didn't really matter who saw it and how much recognition I got for it. I just wanted it be special for her," Stein told the station.

The couple plans to wed in 2018.
Discount retailer T.J. Maxx will be relocating to Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth next year, said Cathy Mitteer, the shopping center's general manager.

The store is currently located at 3076 N. Water St. in Brettwood Village in Decatur. The chain features stylish brand-name apparel, shoes and accessories, plus housewares.

T.J. Maxx spokeswoman Brittany Farrell declined to provide details, as she said the company was not yet ready to announce its plans for a new store.

Mitteer said Thursday bringing in T.J. Maxx is an exciting addition for the mall, which is owned by Tennessee-based CBL Properties.

To make space for T.J. Maxx, Mitteer said Shoe Dept. Encore will be relocated.

The new development will encompass that space along with other vacancies, she said.

Shoe Dept. Encore opened at the mall in 2010 offering the latest styles and popular brands of footwear. It is currently located on the northeast end of the shopping center near Hobby Lobby.

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Decatur City Council approval earlier this month to rezone currently vacant property at 3718 E. Mound Road means plans to build an Aramark Distribution Services facility can move forward.

The property was rezoned to intense commercial/light industrial from single family residential. The 20-acre site was located outside city limits and needed to be annexed into the city.

We're able to retain an existing business, said Billy Tyus, assistant city manager. It means jobs in the community.

Aramark is intending to build a 105,000 square foot distribution center/warehouse at the site.

The facility would be located near other recent development in the area, including buildings for Union Iron and Parke Warehouses.

It's great for the community, Tyus said. It shows all their commitment to Decatur.

Aramark has been located at 2394 Hubbard Ave. for about 34 years. Construction of the new facility is expected to allow the company to retain 68 jobs with the possibility of creating new ones.

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Stratas Foods has completed the purchase of Supreme Oil Company based in Englewood, N.J. as its manufacturing presence is expanded in the Northeast.

Supreme offers a variety of oils, shortenings, mayonnaise and dressings to the foodservice and retail industries. It was founded in 1945 and has three sites in New Jersey, Tennessee and Alabama.

Stratas, which is part of a joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland Co. with a production facility in Decatur, is a supplier of fats and oils to the foodservice, food ingredient and retail private label markets in North America. The addition of Supreme's product line gives Stratas the ability to offer a broader portfolio of products and solutions to customers.

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Jerry's Pizza and Pub at 1508 4th Street in Charleston has closed with the owner planning to retire from running the business.

Owner Larry Keck said he will be retiring from the pizza game with growing competition from new pizza restaurants in the area. He mentioned Eastern Illinois Universitys dwindling population played a huge role in making it more challenging each year to survive.

Keck has owned the pizza place and pub downstairs for 19 years, working at the pizza place for years beforehand. The business was started in 1978.

Keck said he was not sure what would be done for the property in the restaurants absence, but for him, it will be the end.

It is a possibility under someone else and that may be in the works, he said in a Facebook post. But for me, this love affair is over after 33 years and 3 months.

Keck will be moving on, managing the Veterans of Foreign Wars Charleston Post 1592.

We gave it a great run, he said. It was a blast.

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BIZ BITS: A Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened in Effingham. The new fast casual restaurant is located at 1207 N. Keller Drive.
ICS contests Canadas proposed moratorium on crude oil shipments

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has written an open letter to Canadian Transport Minister, Marc Garneau, expressing dismay on the proposed moratorium on oil shipments off Northern British Columbias waters.

The letter said: The global shipping industry fully recognises the importance of robust environmental protection measures, and is committed to the goal of zero pollution, consistent with the comprehensive global regulatory framework adopted by IMO in accordance with the United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which Canada of course is a State Party. The environmental record of the shipping industry, especially the tanker sector, is impressive. On average, worldwide, there are fewer than two significant oil spills (over 700 tonnes) per year, compared to around 25 such incidents 30 years ago, despite a doubling of the amount of oil transported by sea. Our primary concern in writing to you is to emphasise the great importance of Canada adhering to its obligations under UNCLOS, in particular the rights to freedom of navigation and innocent passage through a Partys territorial waters as enshrined in Articles 87 and 90. We believe that a moratorium applicable to Canadian waters would be draconian step that could lead to serious concerns being raised by Canadas international trading partners. Such a measure would set an unwelcome precedent that might be emulated elsewhere, including by individual US states, with the potential to impact greatly on the efficiency of world trade as well as that of Canada. We would therefore be very grateful if you could take full account of the comments submitted by the Canadian shipping industry, in particular the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia, including the suggestion that the Government of Canada might consider alternative approaches to managing risks associated with coastal shipping. As suggested by the Canadian industry, such alternatives could include the establishment of marine transportation corridors to assist in the prevention of any risk of maritime incidents, the ICS said.




Markets - VLCCs remain on the up

In general, VLCC activity was not as high as was expected when the Saudi stems for November were reported on Monday, while the BOT programme for early November was also thinner than expected, Fearnleys said in its weekly report.

However, MEG rates continued to firm but with a bigger gap between the older types and the modern units, which were thin on the ground. MEG/West and West Africa/East therefore firmed. Americas/East volumes also continued briskly, absorbing tonnage in the area. Optimism remained for VLCCs with owners waiting for volumes to increase, while charterers were attempting to work quietly, as tonnage supply may become tight, due to weather and inventory delays. The Suezmax market stabilised in the 3rd decade at WS72.5 levels. Charterers began to drip feed the cargoes starving the owners of much needed momentum. Several ships remained prompt into the early part of this week and finally the pressure told with WS66.25 recently being paid for TD20. The Black Sea programme for November revealed a larger than average cargo count and vessel supply was tight around early Nov dates. As a result, the pressure told with TD6 experiencing a jump to WS85. The West Africa outlook is softer in the short term until prompt tonnage is cleared out, while the Black Sea and Med will likely continue to firm, the broker said. North Sea and Baltic Aframaxes had all the fundamentals in place for an increase in rates for 3rd decade fixing. However, this did not materialise as expected, due to ballasters from softer neighbouring markets. One North Sea fixture paid a WS7.5 point premium, as the charterer needed large capacity during a rush of end month cargoes. At the time of writing (Wednesday), both markets could be on the verge of stepping up a notch, Fearnleys said. Med and Black Sea continued to be troublesome areas for owners. Laden ships keep coming down from the north, and as a result, supplying the charterers with a lot of tonnage. However, rates have stabilised at mid to high WS60s, due to decent amount of cargo actively. The two first decades of the Black Sea programme is looking healthy making it an interesting period ahead in which rates can improve, Fearnleys concluded. News of new orders continued to trickle in. Among the latest reported were Enterprises Shipping and Tradings contracts for two Suezmaxes at Hyundai for an estimated $57 mill each. Options were also thought agreed for two more. Drybulk specialist Byzantine Maritime was also said to have entered the tanker market by ordering an LR2 at Daehan for delivery next year, plus an option for a second, which if declared, would be delivered in 2018. The price was believed to be $45 mill. Frontline has cancelled contracts for four VLCC newbuildings at STX Offshore, due for delivery next year. The contracted price of these vessels was $364.3 mill, of which Frontline has made instalment payments of $45.5 mill, the company confirmed. Following the contract terminations, Frontline said it was released of any and all obligations relating to the newbuildings and received all instalment payments made to STX, less an $0.5 mill cancellation fee per vessel. Frontline also said that it believed the market will continue to present attractive opportunities and it will assess on-the-water and resale assets, which are at historically low prices. The company's low cash breakeven levels and access to attractively priced capital, gives it significant operating leverage and positions, it claimed. Following the cancellations, Frontline's fleet consists of 73 vessels, including newbuildings, with an aggregate capacity of about 13.5 mill dwt. These include 25 VLCCs, 22 Suezmaxes, 22 LR2/Aframaxes and one MR. In addition, the company has three MRs chartered in on short term contracts. In the S&P sector, Russian interests were thought to have purchased the 2001-built VLCC Astro Chorus for $24.5 mill. The deal was thought to be on long subs. Two 2017 delivery Metrostar newbuilding VLCCs - Crude Med and Crude Progress - were believed sold to Kyklades for $83 mill each in a deal, which included three year timecharters to Reliance at $29,000 per day per vessel. Indian buyers were believed to have snapped up the 2006-built Aframax Ocean Mare at auction for $17 mill. The vessel is laid up in the Singapore area. Greek interests were said to have picked up the 2000-built LR1 Jacques Jacob for $10 mill. Broking sources also reported the charter of the 2016 VLCC DHT Tiger to Koch for four to five months at $28,000 per day, while ST Shipping was thought to have fixed the 2016-built Aframax Lyric Camellia for six to nine months at a rather disappointing $11,500 per day. Norient Product Pool was said to have taken the MRs Bright Fortune and Nord Imagination for 12 months at a softer $10,250 per day each.




Panama signs up to BWMC

This week, Panama become the latest flag state to accede to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments - BWM Convention (BWMC).

This brought the proportion of global shipping tonnage covered by the treaty to 53.28%, with 53 contracting parties. The BWMC will enter into force on 8th September, 2017 and will require ships to manage their ballast water. Jorge Barakat Pitty, Minister of Maritime Affairs of Panama, presented the country's instrument of accession to the BWMC to the IMO secretary general on 19th October, 2016. Panama is the worlds largest flag state in terms of tonnage, with 18.02% of world merchant shipping tonnage entered IMO secretary general Kitack Lim welcomed the latest accession and urged countries which have not yet ratified the treaty to do so as soon as possible. Last month, accession by Finland ensured that criteria had been met for entry into force of the treaty. "I am heartened by the fact we now have more than half of the world merchant shipping tonnage signed up to this treaty, which will not only minimise the risk of invasions by alien species via ballast water, it will also provide a global level playing field for international shipping, setting clear and robust standards for the management of ballast water on ships. "I now encourage other States which have not yet ratified the treaty to do so as soon as possible, in order to ensure that the greatest percentage of the world fleet as possible will be subject to the treaty's terms upon its entry into force in September, 2017," Lim said. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard Marine Safety Centre has said that it is reviewing applications for the USCG ballast water management systems (BWMS) type approval from Optimarin, Alfa Laval and OceanSaver. We have been in contact with the manufacturer and independent laboratory throughout the course of our review, said Capt John Mauger, the USCG Marine Safety Centre commanding officer. For each of the systems, we have requested additional information from the manufacturer and/or the independent laboratory. While we are committed to completing our review as quickly as possible, our primary focus is verifying that each submission meets the US Coast Guard requirements. Once the Marine Safety Centre has taken final action on an application, the USCG will publish information on its outlet Maritime Commons.




RMI calls for a BWMC five year cooling off period

At a meeting in Athens this week, the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry said that it foresaw difficulties and possible complications caused by the introduction of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC), both in the implementation process as well as commercially, despite having ratified it.

RMI participated in a discussion co-ordinated by the Marine Technical Managers Association (MARTECMA) on 18th October, 2016 at Maran Tankers Managements auditorium in Athens. Rear Admiral (RADM) Robert North (retired) and Thanos Theocharis represented the registry and provided information regarding its position, which will be put forward next week during MEPC 70. The RMIs main stance on BWMC implementation is the harmonisation of all processes required in order for all relevant parties to smoothly and safely adapt to the new requirements. More specifically, the registry said that it will support proposals for bringing revised Guidelines for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (G8) in line with the United States (US) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV), so that a system approved for the US Coast Guard (USCG) can be approved for the BWMC, and vice-versa. The RMI stressed that it does not object to early renewal of the International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP) Certificate, and noted that this can be a method of allowing time for harmonising the revised G8 Guidelines and US ETV. As currently drafted, the proposed amendment to the BWMC is linked to the renewal survey associated with the IOPP Certificate. Therefore, if this is the actual amendment, then the early renewal of the IOPP Certificate will allow five years from the point of renewal for ballast water management system (BWMS) installation, the registry said. The RMI also said that the trial period, which will commence at the BWMCs entry into force, was vital to ensure the implementation is practical, it does not penalise ships that installed BWMS in good faith (early movers) and continues to maintain and operate these in line with the manufacturers guidance. It again stressed that it fully supported the non-penalisation of early movers during and after the trial period. The RMI Registry has qualified and experienced technical personnel across the globe, in order to support workable solutions for the industry, and has established a ballast water management team, said Theofilos Xenakoudis, Director, Worldwide Business Operations at International Registries, Inc (IRI), which provides administrative and technical support to the RMI Maritime and Corporate Registries. This MARTECMA meeting has provided the Hellenic technical community an opportunity to listen to the RMI Registrys position and exchange positive and productive feedback ahead of MEPC 70, he said. Thanos Theocharis, Regulatory Affairs, European Liaison for IRI thanked MARTECMA and its board for accepting the registrys participation to discuss the important issues and concerns surrounding the BWMC. The BWMC has been ratified by 52 contracting parties that brings the combined tonnage of contracting States to 35.14% of world tonnage. In light of the upcoming MEPC 70, which both RADM North and I will be attending, it is important to note that the RMI Registry is working towards the best guidance for industry stakeholders, providing them with technical advice, recommendations, and suggestions that will promote the best practical solutions to the BWMC requirements, he continued. Dimitrios Heliotis, MARTECMA Council chairman, said, The implementation of the BWMC will be a great challenge for our industry; therefore, we must have in place the appropriate tools and procedures in order to mitigate the risks involved in the technical operations and vessels commercial performance. We support a comprehensive postponement of the implementation schedule for all existing ships by at least five years after September, 2017 as the only sustainable way forward to achieve cost effective and safe solutions with full commitment to the protection of the environment, he concluded.






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"Earlier this week, I visited a United Nations center for Afghan refugees, on the outskirts of Kabul. The center acts as a transit facility for refugees, returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan, where authorities have recently pressured Afghans to leave. Thousands of people come through this center and others each day, often with few belongings and no plan for the future. The United Nations vaccinates the children for polio, and also scans for signs of malnutrition. Here, a United Nations employee gives Vitamin A to a young Afghan child. The childs mother arrived at the center with four children."

Erin Cunningham

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Medical device manufacturer Animas on Tuesday warned that its OneTouch Ping insulin pump system was susceptible to hacking.

We have been notified of a cybersecurity issue with the OneTouch Ping, specifically that a person could potentially gain unauthorized access to the pump through its unencrypted radio frequency communication system, reads the companys letter to users of the device.

The probability of anyone accessing the pump without authorization was extremely low, the letter notes. Animas is owned by Johnson & Johnson.

It would require technical expertise, sophisticated equipment and proximity to the pump, as the OneTouch Ping system is not connected to the Internet or to any external network, the letter notes. In addition, the system has multiple safeguards to protect its integrity and prevent unauthorized action.

Internet of Insecure Things

However, Animas may be deluding itself about the difficulty of exploiting the cybersecurity issue in its pumps.

The idea that this requires expensive sophisticated technology is just not the case, said Chris Day, CISO of Invincea.

There are very inexpensive software-defined radios that can be had for (US)$300 to hack RF, he told TechNewsWorld.

It requires some skill in reverse-engineering network protocols and wireless, he continued, but those skills are broadly extant in the security community today, particularly with the community that focuses on RF IoT.

A high degree of sophistication would not be needed to gain control of Animas pump, Lee Ratliff, principal analyst for low power wireless at IHS Markit, also observed.

Im an electrical engineer, and reverse-engineering an unencrypted protocol is not rocket science, he told TechNewsWorld, especially if the attacker has access to a pump and a remote for testing.

Botnet Vehicle

Because the Animas pumps arent connected to the Internet, they may have less value to hackers than medical devices that have such connections, however.

There is a real risk to connected medical devices right now  the risk of service disruption due to those devices becoming infected by botnet malware and leveraged to support large denial-of-service attacks, maintained Anthony DiBello, senior director for product management and marketing at Guidance Software.

The source code for Mirai  the software used to corral millions of IoT devices into a botnet that recently launched one of the largest DDoS attacks in Internet history  recently turned up online for anyone to download.

With the Mirai source code out in the wild, it is not a stretch to imagine malicious developers augmenting it to take advantage of additional device types, such as those used in the medical fields, to increase the scope of botnet-driven activities even further, DiBello told TechNewsWorld.

Securing the Insulin Pump

Users of OneTouch Ping insulin pumps can take a number of steps to secure their device against unauthorized access, according to Animas.

For example, the pumps wireless feature can be turned off. If thats done, however, glucose readings will have to be entered manually on the pump.

Further, insulin amounts can be customized. Any attempt to alter those amounts without a patients knowledge would set off an alarm.

Animus recommends activating the vibrating alert feature on the device so that when an insulin dose is about to be delivered, the patient has an option of canceling the delivery.

Im impressed with the thoroughness of the alert, as well as the alternatives patients have, said Scott Montgomery, chief technical strategist for Intel Security.

Its also a great idea that they dont do any of the updates and changes via the Internet, he told TechNewsWorld. It makes the vectors to the device harder to get to.

Pumps Targeted Before

This isnt the first time that a vulnerability has been found in an insulin pump. Five years ago, a proof-of-concept attack was demonstrated at the Hacker Halted conference in Miami on an insulin pump made by Medtronic.

Using home brewed software and hardware, McAfee reseracher Barnaby Jack demonstrated how he could seize control of the pump from up to 300 feet and issue commands to it, including dumping its reservoir all at once.

Insulin pumps arent the only devices shown to be vulnerable to attack, either. Academic researchers in 2008 demonstrated how implantable cardiac devices and pacemakers could be compromised  either turned off, or used to issue life-threatening electric shocks to a patient.
Always be careful what you post online; it could come back to haunt you, no matter how much you try to distance yourself from it. Greg Gopman recently discovered this harsh truth. A few weeks after Twitter hired him to work on the company's virtual reality endeavors, an unearthed Facebook rant he posted in 2013 about San Francisco's homeless population resulted in his termination.

On October 18, TechCrunch reported that Twitter had hired the AngelHack co-founder to become its VR project manager. The article referred to his anti-homeless tirade, and questioned whether Twitter should be hiring someone who feels this way, especially as the company faces constant criticism for not clamping down on trolls.

Less than a day after the story appeared, Twitter fired Gopman. "anddd I'm fired. Thanks TechCrunch," he wrote in a Facebook post. "They [TechCrunch] wrote a smash piece on me last night and comms didn't want to deal with it," he reportedly told friends.

After complaining that San Francisco's streets were "overrun by crazy, homeless, drug dealers, dropouts, and trash," Gopman says his views changed as he began to understand the situation better. In a blog post last year, called "How I learned to care for the homeless," he called his "arrogant post" the stupidest mistake of his life, and has since been involved with several initiatives to help those in need.

Possibly the strangest thing about the entire incident is how Twitter never knew about the controversial post. It's hard to imagine a large company not looking into the background of an important hire, and a simple Google search on Gopman's name reveals what he did in 2013. But then maybe the microblogging site did know and just hoped nobody would bring it up.

Twitter provided "no comment" when asked for a statement.
Tesla yesterday afternoon revealed that every new vehicle it builds will come equipped with the necessary hardware to enable fully autonomous driving. The feature isn't yet live, however, as the electric automaker said it still needs more time and real-world driving data to further calibrate the system for maximum safety.

Early this morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Twitter published a video demonstrating what the hardware is currently capable of in a Model X SUV. Needless to say, it's pretty impressive.

Electrek says the first part of the video was shot in the hills of Menlo Park meaning the vehicle drove itself from Menlo Park to Tesla's headquarters in Palo Alto. While there is a person in the driver's seat, they're there strictly for legal purposes as the vehicle is driving on public roadways. Only when the vehicle reaches Tesla's headquarters do we see its "passenger" exit as the car goes and finds a parking spot on its own.

When you're ready to go, simply tap "summon" in the app and the car will come pick you up.

Musk notes that, because the car can read parking signs, it skips past the handicap parking spot as you see in the video.

Musk said Tesla's goal by the end of next year is to demonstrate a vehicle travelling from Los Angeles to New York in full autonomous fashion.
Back in 2009, the European Commission hit Intel with a $1.45 billion fine for violating Europe's antitrust laws. The chipmaker appealed the decision in the hope of escaping the costly punishment, or at least see it reduced. But the courts refused in 2014. Now, the views of a top EU court adviser is giving Intel's battle a boost.

Advocate General Nils Wahl offered the opinion that the EU General Court's dismissal of Intel's appeal was the wrong decision, and that the case should be heard again.

"Intel's appeal against the imposition of a 1.06 billion euro fine for abuse of its dominant position should be upheld. The case should be referred back to the General Court for a fresh review," Wahl said in a non-binding recommendation.

Between 2002 and 2007, Intel gave rebates to tech firms such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo, and paid a German retailer, Media Saturn, to stock only Intel-based PCs. The EU courts said this was anticompetitive and "a strategy aimed at foreclosing a competitor, AMD, from the market for x86 CPU microprocessors."

Nils said that the rebates did not prevent the companies from buying processors from Intel rivals such as AMD, which brought the original complaint in 2000. He added that the court had failed to establish how Intel's actions had harmed competition in the EU.

A ruling from The Court of Justice of the European Union is expected in the coming months. Should it agree with Nils, other ongoing EU anticompetitive cases involving Qualcomm, Apple, Google, and Amazon could be affected.

To find out more about the Intel vs. AMD rivalry that resulted in this case, check out our Biggest Rivalries in Computing History feature.
Global PC shipments may be down for the eighth consecutive quarter, but Microsoft's revenues are still moving in the right direction, thanks to the popularity of its cloud, Office, and Surface businesses. The company posted earnings for its first fiscal quarter of 2017 yesterday, showing results that beat many analysts' expectations.

Microsoft reported revenue of $20.5 billion and net income of $4.75 billion, or 60 cents a share. Non-GAAP results were 76 cents a share on revenue of $22.3 billion for the first quarter, exceeding Wall Street estimates of 68 cents a share on adjusted revenue of $21.71 billion.

Revenue from Surface products reached $926 million during the last quarter, up from $672 million a year ago, with the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book selling particularly well. Microsoft will no doubt be pleased with the line's 38 percent YoY increase, but the Surface sector still has some way to go before it matches Apple's iPad business, which brought in $4.9 billion in revenue last quarter. So expect the Windows maker to continue its series of iPad-mocking ads.

Again, the intelligent cloud area was a big earner for Microsoft. The section, which includes Windows Server and Azure, grew 8.3 percent overall to $6.4 billion, with Azure revenue increasing 116 percent from the same time last year.

Strong Office and Office 365 sales helped the company's productivity and business process segment grow 6 percent to $6.7 billion.

It wasn't all good news from Microsoft; unsurprisingly, revenue from its phone business declined 72 percent, while price cuts and declining Xbox sales saw its revenue drop 5 percent. Windows OEM Pro and non-Pro revenue remained flat.

However, the overall personal computing section, which covers all Windows licensing and devices, was down just 2 percent to $9.3 billion - better than expected, considering the continuing decline in commercial PC sales.

We'll find out in the next quarter what effect the LinkedIn acquisition and rumored all-in-one surface device has on Microsoft's finances.

The positive report saw the company's share price jump 6.1 percent to $60.73, adding more than $27 billion to its market value. It's the first time the shares have passed the $60 mark since December 1999.
Google is rolling out a new tool to help consumers and advertisers get in touch much more easily via SMS, through ads in Google Search.

Amit Agarwal, Google's senior PM for mobile search ads, explained the advantages of the new feature, noting that his company has been tweaking the "click-to-message" ad message extension for a few months now, and that the feature will soon go live.

The message extensions are SMS-based, which means that they will only pop up on devices that can send text messages, making this a mobile exclusive offering. This means that advertisers who want to tap into the potential of message extensions must use a phone number that can both send and receive SMS.

Advertisers who are accustomed to using AdWords should find the message extensions intuitive. Shortly put, marketers only need to provide a few extra info in the Ad Extensions tab in AdWords. As that step is completed, customers who use keywords on Google to search for something, such as "pasta restaurant in San Francisco," will see a tiny message icon next to the ad.

Keep in mind that the advertiser should already pay Google to associate the ad with those keywords.

As the customer taps the message icon, their default SMS app will start a pre-defined message. The message, which is crafted by the business through AdWords, can be edited by the client, who can ask the business about opening hours, the day's menu and other relevant information.

It is unsurprising that Google is looking to expand the means through which customers can contact ventures.

Facebook is bulking up its proprietary Messenger app to offer better customer service. What is more, Facebook stated earlier this year that it is developing a click-to-message ad product. As the social media platform jumped the 1 billion user threshold, Messenger is a force to be reckoned with.

However, basic mobile texting is still popular with a lot of people, and a Pew research from 2015 shows that a whopping 97 percent of Americans use SMS at least once a day. This might have motivated Facebook to push its Messenger app towards becoming a default SMS app.

With a surging interest in mobile messaging apps, Google's AdWords efforts could make an even greater impact when backed by an internet-based platform such as Facebook Messenger. Customer behavior shows that clients are happy to know that their inquiry is seen by the recipient, and even happier to see that the recipient is typing a reply.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Chinese tech company LeEco wants to have its presence felt in the United States, hence the reason it has decided to launch its first smartphone known as the Le Pro 3.

This won't be the only hardware, as LeEco also plans to showcase an 85-inch 4K TV, ripe for the U.S. market.

The Le Pro 3 is quite interesting, as it comes with the same processor found in the Google Pixel, but the device will only cost $399. We doubt it will manage to undercut the Google Pixel, but at that price, it should at least garner some new fans.

The CPU in question is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, but that's not the only thing it brings to the table. The device comes with Android Marshmallow 6.0, a 16-megapixel camera and a decent-looking 5.5-inch display.

The design here is quite elegant with its aluminum casing and Gorilla Glass touchscreen, so overall, this device should be able to take some serious beating before tapping out for the count. Furthermore, we're quite impressed with the 4,070 mAh battery.

In terms of the RAM, the Le Pro 3 has 4 GB and 64 GB of internal storage. It doesn't come with a microSD card slot, so users will have to make do with the built-in storage. We expect 64 GB to be enough for most people, but video and audiophiles might need quite a lot more.

Speaking of audio, LeEco decided to do something rather interesting with its flagship handset. The company took a page from Apple's book and chose to remove the 3.5 mm headset jack from the phone. In its replacement, the Chinese company added what it calls Continual Digital Lossless Audio.

From what we have come to understand, this technology offers high-quality sound through USB-C. It simply means if the phone is being charged, there's no way to listen to music. Folks who enjoy listening to music could have a problem with such a design, but time will tell.

The Le Pro 3 is expected to launch in the United States come Nov. 2 for the cool price of $399. Since there's a $99 rebate, the price will slip to $299.

It should be noted that the handset comes with LeEco's EcoPass service, and it offers free unlimited video and photo storage, along with 5 TB of storage for everything else.

Several Chinese tech companies are looking to burst into the U.S. market, but LeEco could end up being the first to achieve such goals.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
While BlackBerry has effectively raised the white flag in its hardware business, it does not mean that it has abandoned consumers who have bought its recent BlackBerry handsets. Last Oct. 19, the company announced that it will now directly provide over-the-air (OTA) software update for unlocked AT&T BlackBerry Priv after the carrier stopped supporting devices with non-AT&T SIM.

In a BlackBerry Support page originally posted last May, a new update indicated that Priv users will now get their hands on the OTA update via the Notification shade.

There is no official statement regarding this development, and the Support page offered scant information. But it is welcome news for unlocked Priv users who were left in the cold by the recent AT&T move. Now, as BlackBerry assumes the software update responsibility, some Priv users are wondering whether future updates and security patches will roll out in timely and consistent manner. BlackBerry's latest action should give consumers insight into this issue.

When AT&T software support was halted early this year, BlackBerry reassured Priv consumers that it will look into the matter.

"BlackBerry is currently working on a solution to allow updates to be made available to these devices," the support page stated in May.

The Canadian tech company made good on its promise, and the post has since been updated five months after. The period should give Priv users some idea about software development and rollout timeframe. Priv users should also be reassured that BlackBerry's record is spotless when it comes to software upgrades. Sometimes, it even beats Google when fixing security issues.

Most importantly, BlackBerry ultimately develops the software updates for all its devices, and they are sent to carriers so they can modify it for themselves. Consumers must have noted that their telecommunications provider always bundle their own bloatware in their smartphones. The update process for smartphones under contract, therefore, is always delayed. With AT&T out of the picture, Priv users could possibly enjoy faster OTA updates in the future.

AT&T has decided to stop supporting Priv after consumers were found purchasing the device and using them in a different network. One should note that when BlackBerry first launched Priv, the device was exclusive to AT&T. So while it is already available in T-Mobile and Verizon, the first wave of buyers got their device from the carrier. AT&T has also been holding Priv sales recently, attracting droves of consumers who prefer a different network.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung might be tapping into LG Chem's manufacturing capabilities for batteries in its upcoming S8 flagship, as the company faced disaster with the Galaxy Note 7 power sources.

As a reminder, the Note 7 devices featured faulty batteries that made the devices prone to explosions and catching fire.

Insiders familiar with the matter hint that Samsung is negotiating with LG Chem to secure a battery supply partnership for the next premium phone of the company. Currently, Samsung uses power sources crafted by a sister company of Samsung, dubbed Samsung SDI, as well as Chinese manufacturer ATL.

From the total number of Note 7 batteries, 70 percent were built by SDI, while the other 30 percent came from ATL.

"We are looking at diverse suppliers, including LG Chem," Korean Herald quotes a Samsung executive.

As Samsung decided to recall the flamboyant Note 7 on Sept. 15, initial reports indicated that the faulty batteries came from SDI's pool. However, later mishaps showed that replacement units equipped with ATL batteries are also prone to overheating and bursting into flames.

Looking at the number of reported flammable Note 7s, Samsung got 96 such complaints, 23 of which landed after the recall announcement of Sept. 15. The flagship is responsible for 13 burn reports and 47 property damage reports, which eventually prompted Samsung to cease production of Note 7 for good.

Speculations about Samsung outsourcing its battery orders to LG surfaced as soon as the first recall was official. However, people familiar with the procedure point out that the deal is still in discussion between Samsung and LG.

So far, Samsung deploys camera models built by LG Innotek, a firm belonging to the LG Group.

The Note 7 fallout marks an important moment in mobile history, with the largest recall of smartphones ever registered. About 2.5 million units are called back, a move which will have serious implications for Samsung.

Not only is the company's reputation dented by the scandal, but its upcoming profits are estimated to take a nose dive.

The leader of Samsung's smartphone business, Koh Dong Jin, talked to the media about the financial impact of the battery issue during a press event. Jin kept mum on an exact figure, but his words were more than telling as he estimates that Samsung will lose a "heartbreaking amount" in the wake of the Note 7 debacle.

This is why the company cannot risk another fluke in its upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship, and the LG partnership for reliable batteries could be its winning ticket.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Name: Erin Cunningham

Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA, USA

Resides: Istanbul, Turkey

Profession: Journalist

Hobbies: Reading, annoying friends with incessant picture-taking, too much time spent on planes

Hipstographer since: 2012

Year of Birth: 1983

Favorite Combo: Libatique 73 + Cheshire + Apollo

Favorite lens: Yoona

Favorite Film: Love 81

Favorite Flash: Apollo

"Afghanistan is currently suffering some of the worst violence since the U.S. invasion in 2001, and not even the capital, Kabul, is spared from Taliban attacks. But life goes on and this city of nearly 4 million is still a vibrant hub for culture and trade. These are just small snapshots of everyday life on the streets of Kabul, 15 years after the Taliban were ousted in a U.S.-led war."

Erin Cunningham

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Earlier this month, scientists announced the discovery of a new fault line in Southern California that runs parallel to the San Andreas Fault. Now, geologists have found a direct link between two fault lines underneath the waters of the San Francisco Bay.

The connection places the area and the people who live there at risk of a big earthquake in the near future.

In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey used a specially designed seismic profiler to build a new map that can show where the Hayward Fault and the Rodgers Creek Fault connect, which allowed them to find a clear link between the faults.

"Detailed subsurface imaging provides definitive evidence of active faulting along the Hayward fault as it traverses San Pablo Bay and bends ~10 to the right toward the Rodgers Creek fault," the researchers wrote in their study. "Integrated geophysical interpretation and kinematic modeling show that the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults are directly connected at the surface."

Knowing how these faults are connected allows scientists to more accurately estimate how these faults may rupture together in the future, which could potentially set off a large earthquake.

Study researcher and USGS geophysicist Janet Watt explained that the size of earthquakes that can possibly occur on a fault will depend on the length of the fault. Two faults that are interlinked instead of being separate fault segments make a longer fault and this raises the possibility of a larger earthquake.

In the new study, Watt and colleagues estimated that if the two faults would rupture together along their entire length that spans 118 miles, the event could possibly generate up to a magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

If such quake would happen, it would be California's fifth largest earthquake. Study researcher David Ponce from the USGS said that this quake could happen soon, with a 32 percent likelihood it could occur anytime in the next 30 years.

Given the population in the affected area, an earthquake this strong is likely to be very deadly. More than 2.4 million people currently live right along the fault and the whole area is populated by around 7.5 million people. Gas, water, major transportation and electrical lines also cross this fault, which means that a big earthquake would be very disastrous.

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake would release energy fivefold of that released by the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that struck California in 1989, which killed 63 people and caused damage estimated between $6 billion and $10 billion.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The popular Dragon Ball Z franchise continues in Dragon Ball Super, but keeping up with the ongoing new series has been a challenge for those outside of Japan. While new episodes have aired in Japan for more than a year, English-speaking fans (and many others) have been left in the dark, with no official English subtitled or dubbed version of the show existing.

That's at long last changing. Starting on Oct. 22, fans will be able to stream episodes Dragon Ball Super with official English subtitles on Crunchyroll, Anime Lab and Daisuki.net. Furthermore, Crunchyroll, Daisuki.net and Anime Lab will now be simulcasting new episodes of the show as they air in Japan.

According to a press release from Toei Animation, the streaming services will start by offering all the episodes that make up the current "Future Trunks" story arc, in preperation for the soon-to-be-aired episode 63. Starting on Oct. 30, the complete series will begin to roll out, with 10 episodes released each week until every episode is available.

It's big news for Dragon Ball fans. The wait for fans outside of Japan may have been a long and painful one, but it looks like that wait is finally paying off. It might not be an English dub (I, for one, will never get used to the Japanese voice of Goku), but at long last fans have an easy and legal way to watch the continuation of one of the most popular anime franchises of all time.

You can read the entire press release from Toei below:

Toei Animation Inc. will debut an English subtitle simulcast of Dragon Ball Super on multiple digital platforms. For the first time, fans in North and Latin America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will be able to view Dragon Ball Super simulcast. Since its debut in Japan in July 2015, the hit follow-up to one of the greatest anime series of all time has been eagerly awaited by followers around the world. Through non-exclusive streaming partnerships with Crunchyroll, Daisuki.net and Anime Lab, Dragon Ball Super will finally be available.

Kicking off on Saturday Oct. 22 at 6:00 p.m. PST, viewers of Crunchyroll, Daisuki and Anime Lab can log in for a non-exclusive English-subtitled simulcast of episode 63, "Don't Define Saiyan Cells! The Curtain Rises on Vegeta's Intense Battle!!" which leads into the thrilling conclusion of the "Future Trunks Arc." Audiences will get to join Japan live during the broadcast, and then tune in weekly for future new episodes.

Crunchyroll: USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand for subscription viewing on demand (SVOD) and advertising video on demand (AVOD). Latin America and South Africa can only be viewed on SVOD.

Daisuki.net: USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand for SVOD & AVOD

Anime Lab: Australia and New Zealand for SVOD & AVOD

Dragon Ball Super's fourth arc features the return of Future Trunks. Hunted by a mysterious being bent on destruction, Future Trunks is brought into a fight spanning time and space. Episode 63 follows Future Trunks' epic battle against Goku Black, and Goku's acquisition of the powerful "Evil Containment Wave" technique.

To prepare for episode 63's debut, viewers will also be able to stream the entire Future Trunks arc (the arc begins at episode 47). Then, starting on Oct. 30, the complete series will roll out, with 10 episodes released a week at a time.

"Patience always pays off, and we're delighted to finally share Dragon Ball Super with our fans around the world. And believe me when I say there's more to come. Stay tuned for additional exciting news before the end of the year!" said Masayuki Endo, President of Toei Animation Inc.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Dinosaurs used to rule these lands millions of years ago, but now they are no more and we have been discovering them ever since. A new species was recently brought to light, and it came all the way from Australia.

Not very surprising, considering all manner of things can be found in Australia. According to paleontologists who located the creature, it's a plant eater with a long neck, wide hip and four legs.

Since dinosaur fossils in Australia are rare, it could mean the creatures did not live there, and might have only passed through during certain seasons.

The chairman of Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, David Elliot, came across the fossils back in 2005. At the time, he was a sheep herder and was performing his trade when he stumbled across the bones. He and his wife, Judy Elliot, were not certain of what they came across, but after fitting two of the bones together, everything came to light.

The additional skeleton reveals that this dinosaur was an entirely new species, and it only fed on plants. Surprising, right? One would have expected a meat-eating dinosaur to be found in Australia instead.

Paleontologists decided to reveal the findings on Oct. 20, 2016, after 10 years of research. The team was led by Australian paleontologist Stephen Poropat. The team published the findings in the journal Scientific Reports.

The team named the dinosaur Savannasaurus elliottorum, which comes from the Elliot family name and the grassy region where the fossils were located.

At the moment, the team has no idea how dinosaurs spread to Australia. However, at the time, the country was connected to South America through Antarctica, so there lies a possible pathway. It's possible dinosaurs traveled to Australia during the warming periods.

The team also believes these creatures could have already been in Australia, but their bones did not last long enough to be found.

"It's been bandied about whether or not this is a bias in the fossil record," Poropat says in a statement reported by The Verge. "But given the thousands of fossils that have come out of these sediments, to not even have a single tooth of a sauropod, or a limb bone, or anything like that seems quite strange."

We all know that dinosaurs are large and have traveled thousands of miles across the planet. However, one big and important question that has eluded us for quite some time, is whether or not dinosaurs can sing.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
For the past few weeks, it's been easy to prematurely relegate Samsung as a company in dire straits given its tumultuous trouble with exploding Note 7 devices and the media appropriation that automatically comes along with it. While that subject alone deserves in-depth scrutiny and reportage, it's equally remarkable that Samsung is moving past the debacle and doing what they are most compelling at: developing system on a chip and memory processing technology.

Tech Times previously reported that the company has started mass producing semiconductors with 10 nanometer FinFET technology, the first of its kind in the smartphone industry.

Today, Samsung has announced that it's been hard at work developing new memory chips. The company is introducing the industry's first 8 GB low power double data rate 4 (LPDDR4) mobile DRAM package. It will utilize four of the newest 16 Gb LPDDR4 chips and advanced 10-nanometer technology.

The 8 GB mobile DRAM package operates up to 4,266 Mbps and is expected to greatly enhance the mobile experience, especially for devices that have large Ultra HD displays. The package can run twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM found in PCs.

"The advent of our powerful 8GB mobile DRAM solution will enable more capable next-generation, flagship mobile devices around the world," Joo Sun Choi, executive VP for Samsung's Memory Sales and Marketing, said.

With the 8 GB mobile DRAM, future mobile devices can take full advantage of the high capacity available since smartphones are usually undercut by memory-intensive activities such as 4K video playback, virtual machine operation and PC-level premium features. That said, the new DRAM package, while banking on high-end memory processing, will still feature efficient power consumption using the latest 10-nanometer processing technology and Samsung's circuit design that boasts low power consumption.

Samsung's new DRAM package has a dimension of 15 mm x 15 mm x 1 mm, which is well within the acceptable size to fit inside ultra-slim smartphones or other mobile devices in the future.

Virtual reality and 4K content are the big bets of future smartphone technology, and Samsung's new DRAM package makes it easier for manufacturers to design their devices around those features without having to worry about finding a balance between high performance and power consumption. Samsung's new 8 GB LPDDR4 DRAM signals the forthcoming standard for powerful, slim mobile devices that are ready for virtual reality, 4K, greatly improved multitasking support alongside a host of other features.

However, PocketNow notes that while the future may look hopeful in broad strokes, it's worth considering that Samsung still hasn't provided much about the Galaxy C9, which supposedly houses 6 GB of RAM. Those chips were announced back in 2015, so it means that just because Samsung is making the technology available doesn't mean that we'll see the immediate aftereffects of its implementation.

It remains to be seen how Samsung plans to turn this technology into an industry standard, although there's a chance that it could bundle the memory chips inside its forthcoming Galaxy S8 since the device is rumored to primarily feature 4K video streaming and VR.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Android 7.0 Nougat support has been a slow crawl for smartphones, often with scarce information that's causing a slight upset from users eager to try out Google's newest operating system.

Motorola's Moto G4 Plus seems to be one of the first phones gearing up for an Android N update, as evidenced by a soak test that reportedly kicked off for the device in Brazil.

Brazilian owners of the G4 Plus who are subscribed to the Motorola Feedback Network are beginning to receive the Android N update, clocking in at 953 MB.

The update seems to be part of an ongoing soak test in the country, the purpose of which likely concerns evaluating the stability of the build and checking to see if the software runs seamlessly on the device before it could potentially push for a wide rollout including other countries. The developers are presumably on a keen lookout for bugs and glitches that might plague the build and fix those accordingly. The soak test is, of course, temporary.

No concrete plans have indicated that Android N will come to the Moto G4 Plus outside of Brazil, but if the devs are administering a measured test run, then it's likely that the United States is within the planned trajectory.

As a little refresher, Android Nougat is Google's most recent operating system, carrying over the saccharine naming scheme of previous Android releases. It features split-screen multitasking, faster app-switching, a night mode feature, bundled notifications and a sizable amount of security fixes. It also runs more smoothly, offering a polished and stable experience compared with its predecessor, Android Marshmallow.

Many users are anticipating the release of Android N on different smartphones. You can check if your smartphone is going to receive the software update, but it's still expected to take a while before that happens. Motorola previously promised that its other smartphone lineup will get Android N beginning in Q4, and with the Moto G4 Plus able to run the software update, it's likely that it's also developing the builds for its other phones as well.

The Moto G4 was released back in May this year, featuring a 5.5-inch 1080p display with 401 ppi. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset with an Adreno 405 graphics processor. It can have up to 64 GB of internal storage and 4 GB of RAM. On the back of the device is a 16-megapixel camera, and on the front is a 5-megapixel camera and a fingerprint scanner.

The Moto G4 Plus is available on Motorola's site starting at $249.99.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An ancient fish that swam in tropical seas during ancient times may have something to do with the development of the human jaws.

The armored fish from China, which lived 423 million years ago, suggests that the jaws of humans and other modern-day land vertebrates and bony fishes may have their origins in an extinct fish group known as placoderms.

In a new study published in the journal Science on Oct. 21, paleontologist Per Ahlberg, from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and colleagues reported a primordial fish known as Qilinyu rostrata.

The creature, which belonged to the placoderm group, had a bony armor that covered the head and much of its body, as well as jaws with bony plates that functioned like teeth to slice its prey.

Fish became the first vertebrates on Earth when they appeared more than half a billion years ago. The first fishes though were jawless and featured sucker-like mouths. Placoderms, on the other hand, were the first vertebrates to have jaws, an important evolutionary advance that allowed them to grasp their prey albeit the ancient marine animals did not have teeth.

Placoderms have long been viewed as an evolutionary dead end, but the fossils of the Qilinyu and those of another placoderm, the Entelognathus, were found to have three bones: the dentary, maxilla and premaxilla, which are also seen in the jaws of modern-day vertebrates.

The maxilla and premaxilla, the upper jaw's bones, and the dentary, a bone of the lower jaw, appear to have evolved from the bony plates that placoderms used to slice flesh in lieu of teeth. This suggests that the elements of the modern jaw first appeared in this group of ancient marine animals.

"We propose that the maxilla, premaxilla, and dentary are homologous to the gnathal plates of placoderms and that all belong to the same dental arcade. The gnathal-maxillate transformation occurred concurrently in upper and lower jaws, predating the addition of infradentary bones to the lower jaw," researchers wrote in their study.

The findings are in contrast with the long-held idea that the architecture of the modern jaw evolved later in the earliest bony fish. The study provides evidence that the Qilinyu and Entelognathus were nearly perfect intermediates between placoderms and bony fishes.

Researchers likewise think that the key jaw elements of bony fishes and all terrestrial vertebrates including humans evolved from the bony blades of placoderms.

"This is part of our own early evolutionary history," Ahlberg said. "It shows where our own jaws came from."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
1. Data-Sharing

2. Municipal Permits

3. Mandatory 15-Point Safety Checklist

Federal Safety Self-Checklist Data Recording and Sharing Privacy System Safety Vehicle Cybersecurity Human Machine Interface Crashworthiness Consumer Education and Training Registration and Certification Post-Crash Behavior Federal, State and Local Laws Ethical Considerations Operational Design Domain Object and Event Detection and Response Fall Back (Minimal Risk Condition) Validation Methods

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  Nearly 200 local government officials, federal transportation policymakers and private industry representatives gathered in the California Capitol building on Oct. 19 to comment on and share concerns about recent revisions, released in late September, to the California Department of Motor Vehicles' (DMV) draft guidelines for the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the state.The goal is to get this type of life-saving technology on the streets as soon it can be, said DMV Chief Counsel Brian Soublet. But also, to make sure that it is done in a safe manner.Over the last several years, the DMV has taken a collaborative approach, working with manufacturers, consumers, public interest groups, the disabled community, local agencies, academic/research institutions and other stakeholders.However, many at the hearing were still not pleased with the latest revisions. The concerns generate primarily from the discrepancies between the federal policy released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the DMV draft regulation. Also at issue is that the revisions would require companies to self-certify that their vehicles meet both federal vehicle safety standards and NHTSAs guidelines for autonomous vehicles.Many of the speakers who addressed the panel represented automakers and trade groups, and their concerns with the DMV's guidelines generally fell within three particular areas.A lot of confusion surrounds how much data and what type of data must be disclosed.The federal policy states that a data-recording and data-sharing policy should be worked out with relevant standards-creating bodies in order to hasten the process of deployment. California's draft regulations, however, require manufacturers to equip the vehicles with data recorders and release the data within 24 hours to law enforcement agencies.The primary understanding is that sharing data will help manufacturers to understand mistakes made by other developers. By sharing information on collisions, sudden braking and acceleration, for instance, there will be a reduction in errors that cause such mistakes.Data sharing is an essential component, said Jennifer Cohen of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Crash and disengagement data must be shared with local municipalities and with the state.But a potential fear among AV developers is that this data could become public record and reveal information about how to operate and program a self-driving vehicle. This could create competitive disadvantages for California manufacturers.Regulations that require manufacturers to describe how they achieve their results is tantamount to forced disclosure of intellectual property and trade secrets, said Peter Leroe-Munoz, vice president for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, whose sentiments were echoed by representatives from General Motors and Audi.Another point of contention was the requirement that any AV testing must receive municipal permits or specific ordinances allowing the experiment. The draft regulations maintain that any testing of vehicles without a human driver present can only be done with the explicit consent of the local community in the form of an ordinance or resolution.But this creates an unnecessary amount of red tape that hinders the deployment of autonomous vehicles, explained Ron Medford, safety director for Google's self-driving car.Having three layers of government overseeing the testing of self-driving cars, he said, could create a patchwork of regulations.Perhaps the most common concern voiced was fear that the DMV has effectively mandated the U.S. Department of Transportations 15-step safety self-checklist. The NHTSA policy clearly states that the checklist, which the administration refers to as the "Guidance," is not mandatory, "and is not intended for States to codify as legal requirements for the development, design, manufacture, testing, and operation of automated vehicles.The federal policy suggests that manufacturers submit a "self-check" letter to state and federal agencies signaling that it passed all of the tests, but does not require this.The DMV drafted rules, however, state that the manufacturerssubmit a safety assessment letter explaining how it performs in relation to the aforementioned test. By requiring this letter, many automotive representatives argue that the DMV has effectively mandated the voluntary guidelines. If adopted in its current form, the DMV regulations run contrary to the NHTSA goal of having its policy and rules be a flexible, living document.The panel committed to taking concerns raised into consideration before releasing finalized regulations, and DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said that together, through collaboration, the department will be able to get the final guidelines right the first time around.The CA DMV draft regulations can be viewed here (PDF). The NHTSA AV policy can be viewed here (PDF).
Kickass Torrents is a reliable BitTorrent site and is admired by the entire torrent community.

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Even the original staff of the Kickass team tried to revive Kickass movie torrents at a new address katcr.co

Kickass Torrents original website is now found to be redirecting to a new domain newkatcr.co

NOTE: Techworm does not condone using torrents to illegally obtain content. Using the following torrent websites for illegal purposes is done entirely at your own risk. Techworm takes no responsibility for any legal problems you encounter.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Monday that he agreed with Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to resume the cooperation agenda between both nations. | Read More
Even in prairie soils with little to no exposure to humans or animals, antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be readily detected. That is according to research conducted on 20 native prairies in southeast Nebraska.

Lead scientist on the project, Lisa Durso, who is a microbiologist at USDAs Agricultural Research Service, explained that antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes have occurred naturally for thousands of years.

Studies have shown antibiotic resistance in soil samples dating back to the time of woolly mammoths. This is because antibiotics, such as penicillin, came originally from fungi or other bacteria found naturally in soil, she shared in a recent AgResearch magazine article.

Of the 20 native prairies, none had human or animal interaction for at least two decades. All the prairies produced soil samples with bacteria resistant to tetracycline and cefotaxime. Of all the bacteria isolated from the samples, half were resistant to two or more antibiotics.

The goal of Dursos continued research is to identify the levels of these naturally occurring antibiotic-resistant bacteria to use as a base when testing resistance levels in potentially contaminated conditions.

The situation is complex in that measures can be taken at many levels, including measuring the prevalence of the drug, bacteria resistant to it, and even the gene of resistance. The last is an important monitor to understand because even if an antibiotic-resistant bacteria dies, the cells resistant gene can persist in the soil.
A former Baton Rouge Fire Department captain accused last year of raping a child in Memphis, Tennessee, was acquitted of all counts Thursday, according to a Memphis newspaper.

Roman Bates, 57, who spent 25 years with the department before retiring after the allegations, faced counts of rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery, sexual battery and aggravated statutory rape.

Bates was charged with abusing the child between July 2008 and June 2014, beginning when the girl was 10 years old, the Commercial Appeal, the Memphis newspaper, reported.

Jurors, consisting entirely of women after the dismissal of two male alternates, returned not guilty verdicts on all counts, the paper reported.
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Federal prosecutors dropped fraud and conspiracy charges against embattled Sorrento Town Councilman Randy Anny late Thursday shortly after his wife told a federal judge her husband knew nothing of her scheme to defraud the BP oil spill claims fund by falsely claiming his boat had been damaged by the spill.

The three-term councilman and his wife, Barbara Falgoust Anny, 53, were scheduled to stand trial next week in Baton Rouge federal court on conspiracy and wire fraud charges, but she pleaded guilty late Thursday afternoon to two counts of wire fraud.

"My husband, Randy, had no knowledge whatsoever of this at all," she told U.S. District Judge James Brady with her attorney, John McLindon, at her side.

A short time later, federal prosecutors filed court documents dismissing the federal charges against Randy Anny.

"Although Randy is understandably upset about his wife's predicament, he is satisfied with the government's dismissal of all charges against him," said his attorney, Michael Reese Davis, who was in the courtroom when Barbara Anny pleaded guilty.

The documents filed by prosecutors say Barbara Anny admitted she devised the scheme to defraud the Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that she filed the fraudulent claim using her husband's name and personal information in her communications with the GCCF, that she electronically submitted a false invoice, and that the proceeds of the fraudulent claim were sent to a bank account she designated in 2011.

"Based on Ms. Anny's guilty pleas and additional investigation, the United States has determined that it cannot meet its burden of proof in the prosecution of Randy Anny at this time," prosecutors wrote.

Brady, who did not set a sentencing date for Barbara Anny, told her he will order to pay $7,800 in restitution to the GCCF.

Randy Anny also faces unrelated state charges after an Ascension Parish grand jury indicted him and his personal attorney, Roy Maughan Jr., in June in an alleged scheme to pocket more than $77,000 of town money connected to a sewer project that Sorrento officials say was never done.

Anny is charged in that case on counts of theft, malfeasance in office, forgery and prohibited profit-splitting on the public sewer job. His next court date is Nov. 28. Maughan is accused of forgery and theft. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

In the case involving the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a Baton Rouge federal grand jury indicted the Annys in August 2015 and accused them of defrauding the oil spill claims fund of $7,800 in 2011 over a bogus oil damage to his 26-foot sport boat, dubbed "Who's Ya Daddy," and trailer while in Grand Isle.

The boat, seized from the Annys' Sorrento home, was later returned.

The Annys, according to the indictment and prosecutors, used a joint email account to keep track of their claim and received the payment in a joint bank account.
The Daily Reveille will no longer be daily, at least in print, beginning in January.

LSU's more than 120-year-old student newspaper will move from five days a week to a once-a-week publication with a greater focus on its website: www.lsunow.com.

We understand the significance of this decision, especially considering the presence The Reveille has had on campus since its inception in 1887, and we are certain this shift is in the best interest of preserving the status and efficacy of the same paper that university students and alumni have read for more than a century, students wrote in an editorial. This reduction in print doesnt mean well fade as the Universitys primary news source. In fact, were growing our services, widening our presence across campus and innovating the ways we tell you stories.

The Reveille's finances were the driving factor, the students said.

"Advertising revenue for the Reveille's print edition is in decline, consistent with the national newspaper industry trends," the editorial said.

By June 2015, the Reveille's revenue, driven largely by ads, was half of what it was in 2007. As a result, Student Media has depleted its financial reserves.

Reveille Editor Quint Forgey said the decision was not an easy one.

"These past few weeks of decision-making have been trying ones, but student leaders took matters into their own hands and demonstrated an ability to make tough choices governed by practicality and an optimism for the future of student media," Forgey said.

Another student editor said it was a bittersweet day.

"As someone who started her Student Media career with The Daily Reveille, it's heartbreaking. I learned so much from working on the daily paper," said Carrie Grace Henderson. "But I am excited that this decision will give us the opportunity to improve our digital product."

The shift will allow for a larger single paper with at least 32 pages and an expanded circulation. The student organization will also hire more digital journalists have more online video and expand its social media presence.

Steve Buttry, director of student media, said he looked forward to helping the students implement their plans.

"I am pleased with the students' initiative and their thoughtful plans," Buttry said. "I am eager to work with them in launching the new weekly newspaper and executing their digital coverage plan."
Saint-Gobains $11.5 million expansion in Portage has resulted in 60 new jobs  and the company hopes to fill another 70 jobs by the end of the year.

The company adding 60 new workers is faster than what we expected, human resources manager Jane Berg noted Wednesday, minutes before executives cut ribbon to commemorate the expansion in a ceremony for employees. Saint-Gobains 48,000-square-foot addition, completed in May, made room for more equipment and increased customer orders.

There are a lot of places in the world for expansion, so why Portage? Steve Maddox, general manager of Saint-Gobains Life Sciences division, told a crowd of about 75. We have the capabilities (in) design  and its about the people  what you guys can deliver and will deliver.

Saint-Gobains expansion marks only the latest investment in the Portage plant, said Tom Kinisky, the president of Performance Plastics. Since 2008 the company has invested $30 million in the Portage plant, which opened in 2001, he said.

The plant, Knisky added, has quickly become one of the largest PPL sites in the world.

This is our future, he said.

The Portage plant belongs to the innovative materials group of Saint-Gobain and manufactures components for medical devices. Recent hirings have brought its workforce to about 400. The 70 open jobs are all injection mold operator positions, though the company has other openings  like in accounting and manufacturing-engineering, Berg said.

Saint-Gobain would be happy to have all of its 70 remaining jobs filled already, Berg said, but very low unemployment numbers  something thats otherwise positive for communities  has slowed the hiring process somewhat. Unemployment in Columbia County is at 3.3 percent, according to August numbers from the Department of Workforce Development. Unemployment in Dane County is even lower  2.8 percent  while Sauk and Marquette counties are at 3.1 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively.

The company has boosted its efforts in recent years to attract younger workers, including hiring five high school students for temporary jobs in the summer. Keeping students in Portage when theyre ready to work is very important to Saint-Gobain, Berg added, classifying the openings as good, family-sustaining jobs that keep our local economy strong.

Part of that focus on younger workers, Berg said, involves a strong tuition-reimbursement program for students to further their education while they work. Saint-Gobain has been working with local schools to, in part, help spread awareness that manufacturing jobs are no longer the dark, dingy jobs of yesteryear.

Steve Sobiek, the citys director of business planning and development, said Saint-Gobains expansion reflects an exciting trend for Portage.

Weve seen a 1.17 percent increase in new jobs created in the past year, and that surpasses all communities in this region, from Baraboo to Beaver Dam to Reedsburg, Sobiek said. And its because of companies like SaintGobain (that are) filling these jobs.

The numbers Sobiek referred to reflect 2015 to 2016 and come from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Three manufacturing plants  Loggerhead Deco, Winport and AMM, Inc.  have opened in the past year in Portage, Sobiek said, and just about every manufacturer in the city or out of the city has seen an expansion in the past five years.

Our job creation numbers demonstrate that not only are new jobs being created in Portage, but were filling those with a pipeline of skilled workers, Sobiek said.

We have to do more  all communities are challenged. Saint Gobain is doing an incredible job in trying to recruit trained employees, and we have a lot of things in place assisting that effort.

Our job creation numbers demonstrate that not only are new jobs being created in Portage, but were filling those with a pipeline of skilled workers.  Steve Sobiek, city of Portage director of business planning and development
The last time Louisiana had an open U.S. Senate seat up for grabs, a savvy up-and-coming congressman named David Vitter pulled off what seemed like the perfect electoral coup.

The lone Republican in a field that also included three prominent Democrats, Vitter didn't have to worry about courting conservatives, so he softened his habitually harsh tone and focused on middle-of-the-road issues such as prenatal health care and the high cost of prescription drugs. And while the Democrats were still busy duking it out for the second runoff spot, Vitter swooped in and picked off enough swing voters to win outright in the primary.

Eleven years later, Vitter found himself on the opposite end of that dynamic. This time he was one of three well-known Republicans competing to be governor against one Democrat. And while he spent last year's primary season brutally attacking GOP rivals Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne, Democrat John Bel Edwards quietly positioned himself to appeal to the middle. Edwards didn't avoid a runoff, but he used the primary to focus on conservative social issues and to avidly distance himself from the national party, something he might not have been able to do if he were still competing for the affection of the Democratic faithful.

Both campaigns were smart, but they were only able to pursue those strategies because they were also lucky.

No such luck for any of the candidates hoping to replace Vitter in the Senate now that he's about to retire.

There are 24 candidates competing in the Nov. 8 open primary, five of whom have the resources and name recognition to credibly compete for the top two spots. And not one of them is positioned to follow in Vitter's 2004 footsteps or replicate Edwards' 2015 success.

That's why the campaign in general, including this week's first televised debate, have played out more like the sort of elections they have in most other states. Even though everyone runs against everyone else in Louisiana, this year it feels as if Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is running in a Democratic primary against lawyer Caroline Fayard and Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy is vying in an all-GOP contest with U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming. In essence, the candidates from each party still seem to be talking mainly to their own bases, or potential bases, rather than trying to broaden their appeal.

Campbell and Fayard don't disagree on many issues, but much of their rhetoric has focused on which of them is the truer Democrat. Kennedy, Boustany and Fleming are on a similar page ideologically, with some minor variations, but they're attacking one another with gusto, just as Vitter, Angelle and Dardenne did last year.

At Tuesday's debate, sponsored by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Council for a Better Louisiana, Fleming somewhat awkwardly touted himself as the "trusted conservative"  probably better to let others say that about you than to say it about yourself  and bashed Kennedy for having backed John Kerry back in 2004, when he was one of those Democrats running against Vitter. Boustany, he suggested, is too willing to compromise with Democrats.

Kennedy attacked Washington as a whole, including the Republican Congress where his rivals work, but made it plain that his complaints are with President Barack Obama's policies. And Boustany joined with Campbell to link Kennedy's oft-repeated line about drinking weed killer to a cavalier attitude toward mental health issues and suicide. Kennedy responded by doubling down and saying that he'd "rather drink weed killer than answer that question," a joke that landed with a thud.

Of the Republicans, Boustany came closest to playing to the center by talking about his record of working with Democrats. But Campbell went further, by saying he'd support the Democratic nominee rather than saying Hillary Clinton's name out loud, and by suggesting that he might apply an anti-abortion litmus test to Supreme Court nominees, which may well rule out Clinton's choices. Fayard, meanwhile, not only said she'd back Clinton but implied that her family's relationship with the presidential frontrunner's family could help Louisiana. She also rejected the idea of litmus tests for Supreme Court nominees.

Campbell may have gone there because he's feeling confident. Or perhaps he's just trying to emulate Edwards, who has endorsed him.

It would be a mistake to risk taking the support of Democratic voters for granted, though. This time around, nobody has that luxury.
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Analysis of last week's ACT election results reveals a city sharply divided across suburbs favoured by Green, Labor and Liberal supporters.

Look for the Greens and you'll find them in the inner north. South of the lake, the political landscape is painted blue, with big support for the Liberals concentrated almost entirely in southern suburbs. Labor's stronghold is Belconnen.

The final outcome of the ACT election is expected to be known on Saturday, although the results of close races in Brindabella and Ginninderra were clearer on Friday.

Sitting member and cabinet minister Chris Bourke appeared to have lost his seat in Ginninderra to fellow Labor member Gordon Ramsay, while moderate Liberal Nicole Lawder strengthened her lead and was expected to be re-elected for the last seat in Brindabella.
A breakaway Canberra Liberals group has called for the party to be subject to an in-depth, independent review following Saturday's election loss.

The Menzies Group released its second public letter in as many days late Friday afternoon, describing the election defeat as "significant" and "slightly worse than the poor result of the 2012 election".

Canberra Liberals Jeremy Hanson and Alistair Coe on Saturday night. Credit:Jay Cronan

The Liberals looked had won 36.7 per cent of first preferences on Friday afternoon, compared to 48.6 per cent for Labor and the Greens.

The group called for a "full, honest, and in-depth review" and commit to change, saying it was the only way the Liberals would avoid another defeat in 2020.
Hala Gorani responds to criticism from the Trump camp that coverage is skewed in favour of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Credit:Nic Walker "This is why covering a story like this is so interesting," she says. "They are the two most disliked presidential candidates in modern history. But she [Hillary] was liked when she was secretary of state. Is it possible if she is elected president those [current negative] feelings will change? I don't know; it's a deeply polarised political landscape." A journalist for over 20 years, Gorani has travelled the world and led coverage of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and more recently the Paris Charlie Hedbo shootings and ISIS attacks. She still believes journalism, despite its imperfections, remains a public service. Karl Stefanovic wore the same blue suit on TV for a year to show the disparity in the way men and women are treated. Sure there are problems with the way the media portrays Muslims. Gorani's family is from Syria and she spent time living in Algeria and France. She expresses a little annoyance over the often-used expression "terrorism cannot be ruled out".

She also says that, despite spending years covering refugee stories, there's audience "fatigue", so sometimes stories on the Syrian war or Boko Haram get less air time. Stories on the Syrian war or Boko Haram often get less air time due to audience 'fatigue'. Credit:AP At the very least with all your flaws and all your mistakes, it [journalism] is still a craft. In the new age of click-bait journalism, and news instantly being fed to audiences via social media giants like Facebook (which she believes will end up becoming a news service) the balance between giving the public what they need to know versus what they want to know becomes harder, she admits. It's also the case that when news happens closer to home it's more newsworthy- take the Paris terrorist attacks that got more coverage than attacks in Beirut. Gorani was herself criticised for "humanising a monster" by interviewing the sister of one of the convicted terrorists immediately after the Paris attacks. At the summit she defended it, saying: "we do these stories precisely because they give us understanding of the very things that make us uncomfortable, that disgust us and that scare us as well.

The day Kim Kardashian got held at gunpoint, it was CNN's top-rating story online. Credit:AP Though we live in a time where we never have had this much news, now more than ever is the role of traditional, solid journalism essential. ... there has never been more information out there but there's never been more fake, fabricated and distorted news out there." She notes that even CNN, which still draws tens of millions of viewers, is "not perfect; sometimes we make a mistake". But, speaking for herself anyway, she tries to be fair and balanced. Her way of staying true to the craft is keeping a check on which guests get booked and which stories get favoured. For instance, she says, the day Kim Kardashian got held at gunpoint, it was CNN's top-rating story online. While it was big news, it wasn't the most important, so it got included 40 minutes into her one-hour program. Or when attacks happen, her show refrains from booking guests that will immediately speculate that Muslims are to blame. "At the very least with all your flaws and all your mistakes, it [journalism] is still a craft," she says. Gorani, who started her career in print journalism but moved to television when she witnessed the impact live TV had via the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, hopes that she will get a chance to go to Syria again when the war ends, and do a documentary retracing her family roots to Aleppo.

She says she's learned to dismiss the torrent of abuse female journalists are subjected to on social media. When things get too serious at work, she relaxes with singing ("smooth jazz classics and a bit of Edith Piaf") and interior decorating. Gorani doesn't see herself as a celebrity journalist ("I take The Tube to work everyday"), but is thankful she has enough recognition that gives her access to current news-makers like French politician and president of the National Front Marine Le Pen and British politician and Brexit campaign leader Nigel Paul Farage. At 46, Gorani has spent much of her working career in conflict zones. Last year she married photojournalist Christian Streib, but she says the toll of being a foreign correspondent for females is much greater than for men and often results in a solitary life. "By their late 30s most women are married or in relationship, but for female correspondents the vast majority are single while the majority of their male counterparts are married". She also points out that despite much improvement in the way women anchors get treated, there's still greater focus on their appearance than a man's. "If you're under constant pressure to look like you're under 40 it's very difficult," she says, joking she moisturises three times a day. "Male anchors can be older, greying, overweight and still be fine." And she could never do what Australian television personality Karl Stefanovic did - he wore the same blue suit on TV for a year to show the disparity in the way men and women are treated. "Men can get away with this stuff all the time. A woman: forget it," Gorani says.
Eight present and former BHP Billiton employees are facing potentially lengthy prison terms after Brazilian prosecutors filed "qualified homicide" charges against them following the collapse of a dam at its part-owned Samarco iron ore mine last November that killed 19 people.

Brazil's public prosecutor on Friday said charges would be laid against 21 individuals who were employed by Samarco directly or the mine's joint owners, BHP and Vale.

"It is at the top of the severity of the pyramid of crime in Brazil," said lawyer Flavia Ribeiro de Souza, of the "qualified homicide" charge. A qualified lawyer in Brazil and partner at Australian law firm Teddington Legal, she said prison sentences could run to 50 years on a guilty verdict.

"In Brazilian law, this is viewed as a 'heinous crime', she said, in light of prosecutors' claims that some Samarco employees were aware of potential problems with the dam.
It has become clear with his scorched-earth campaign in the home stretch of the election that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is preparing to lose. And lose big.

Nothing else rationally explains him going to war with the women who claim he made unwanted sexual advances, the sitting president and his wife, the Republican Party, a shadowy and unnamed conspiracy, the press that built him up and now tears him back down and, well, everyone. At first blush, this would seem to be the final days of an unstable megalomaniac. And they might well be.

Yet when it comes to someone as dangerous as Trump, it would be prudent to believe that he knows precisely what he is doing. Knowing the election is lost, he is laying the groundwork to tell about 30 million angry and disaffected Americans that he was robbed on election day without a shred of evidence. That is enough people to create a right-wing rump political movement that would also double as a lucrative, right-wing media empire. Trump is preparing to lose. But he has no intention of going away.

Consider that if Trump is viewed over the longest term  the past 40 years or so of his public life  he has displayed a ruthless ambition, a quenchless thirst for fame, a passing interest in power for its own sake, an absolute ignorance of governing and, of course, a disdain for most people. He has constantly telegraphed these qualities.
Sydney is in for a wet and windy weekend, with temperatures expected to drop tonight as strong winds move in on the NSW coast.

A low pressure trough and cold front will move over the state on Friday night, hitting the east coast early on Saturday morning.

Surfers on Sydney's Bronte Beach last Saturday, which was sunny with warm temperatures. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Temperatures are forecast to be a maximum of 21 degrees in Sydney on Saturday, a maximum of 18 degrees on Sunday, and a few degrees warmer in the city's west.

The weather contrasts with last weekend, which had no rain, gentle winds and temperatures in the mid to high 20s.
Australia's police ministers have failed to reach a unanimous agreement to reclassify the controversial Adler shotgun, leaving the import ban on the firearm in place.

Victoria was among the states pushing for tougher classifications to restrict access to the firearm. But NSW is understood to be the only state that refused to fall into line with the others.

Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the import ban would remain until an agreement can be reached.

But he told reporters he hoped a deal could eventually be struck.
Celebrity fitness guru Michelle Bridges has lost her legal battle to have an apprehended violence order taken out against a Sydney photographer.

In the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, magistrate Joanne Keogh said Bridges' frustration at intrusions into her private life were understandable but the conduct of the photographer did not warrant the making of an order.

Bridges, who rose to fame as a trainer on reality television show The Biggest Loser and was not in court for the decision, had sought to have the AVO taken out against 21-year-old paparazzo Liam Mendes.

Outside court, Mendes said the decision was an important demonstration of the right of the media to do its job. He did not respond to any questions, including if he intended to continue photographing Bridges.
Which leads me to this  is it any wonder that more and more women are feeling like the only option left to us is to expose these creeps when we come across them? A man vying to be the most powerful leader in the world literally embodies all that is wrong with male entitlement, but still retains his millions of followers. And this is just the cherry on top of the comprehensively shit sandwich that sees women harassed and abused day in and day out yet always expected to keep quiet and play nice lest we spoil the boys fun. What are women to do except to band together and become each other's last line of defence?

Despite all this, Trump asserted during the third and final debate in the Presidential race that "no one respects women more than me". This is a patently false statement, almost laughable in its absurdity. Trump has called women "fat slobs" and "pigs" who act out against him because they're "bleeding out of their wherever". It couldn't be possible to have less respect for women than Trump does. Still, he has made this claim and it will be backed up by millions of other men who want to retain their 'right' to speak about and treat women in the most appalling of manners while pretending they are True Allies of the Real Cause.

This has been on full display in the aftermath of revelations that Donald Trump considers the sexual assault of women to be little more than a jolly jape. Caught on tape advocating that men "grab [women] by the pussy", Trump has since dismissed as lies further allegations of sexual assault being levelled against him by suggesting the women making the claims are too unattractive for him to pursue in that manner. This is, of course, yet another tool used to deny the validity of women's testimonies of harassment or assault  by indicating they are simply too ugly for the discerning abuser to bother with.

One of the chief methods used to silence women who speak out against harassment is to discredit their recollection of events. Instead of being believed when we recount the circumstances of our own lives, we are frequently labelled oversensitive and/or paranoid. Our apparent inability to assess a situation objectively makes us unreliable witnesses.

The myth about internet trolling is that it's somehow "virtual". Credit:Stocksy

Abuse relies on silence to succeed. It is through silence that abusers retain power. In a world where social media has such high currency (and harassment continues to be executed in such hidden, deliberately covert ways), sometimes the only means available to us is to signal boost actions for other people to see. The purpose of this is twofold. Firstly, it's to warn other women to be wary of particular threats (a kind of feminist round robin, if you will). And the other is to expose the behaviour of individuals who thrive on the power of secrecy to a public scrutiny from which they can no longer hide.

When I've done this before, screenshotting and exposing abusive men's words or actions, I've been surprised at the lengths to which some people have gone to shift the focus of blame onto me. I've been told I'm "just as bad, if not worse" than the men guilty of harassment or abuse  because the disparity in our platforms somehow makes it unfair.

It's led me to believe that some men view this backlash against gross, vile sexism or harassment as their equivalent of "revenge porn". But that thing women do, when we post men's photographs and/or the evidence of their misogyny online? It isn't revenge porn. It isn't designed to humiliate and dehumanise ordinary blokes in order to get back at them for some perceived slight. It doesn't happen in quiet corners of the internet, where men trade women's humiliation as a means of restoring their masculinity via bonding with each other. It's done because women are sick of dealing with this shit and, at every turn, being told we're overreacting or demonising male behaviour. That we're just failing to 'get the joke'. Faced with widespread minimisation of our experiences, the only option left to many of us is to engage in the Hollaback method of warning each other to keep an eye out.



If you don't think the deck is stacked against us no matter what we do, think on what happens when we do go through 'the correct channels'. Here are two examples. A few months ago, I shared a post directly from the Victoria Police page looking for a man suspected of flashing women in a Melbourne park. He was photographed by a female jogger who reported him to the police. Despite the fact even the police considered this legitimate enough to seek further information on, my post was quickly filled with angry men insisting this woman had gone too far. That we couldn't be sure she was telling the truth. That she might be getting revenge on him. And  my favourite  that she was just doing it for attention. Never forget that women are not allowed to dictate what kind of attention we do or do not want.

And then there was this story last week. A flight attendant on Alaskan Airlines objected to the rude and sexist way a passenger spoke to her during the safety demonstration. She alerted her colleagues and, presumably, someone with authority in the airline. The passenger was escorted from the plane. A post describing this incident has since been inundated with people  mainly men  blasting her and other women for being too sensitive and not knowing how to 'take a joke'.



And there it is. That sickening feeling again that women are just expected to smile and play nice, to let the boys have their fun and to never ever call them on it or fight back because to do so is to execute the most vile and hateful of misandries.
A seriously mentally ill man has been caught in a "bureaucratic catch-22" after spending eight months in jail for trying to grab a baby boy from his mother while under the delusion that he was helping the boy, a court has heard.

Ronnie Ramirez, 39, attempted to grab the seven-week-old baby from the woman while she sat at Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs earlier this year.

The court heard on Friday that Ramirez lunged at the baby, yelling, "This is not your baby, give it to me, I'm taking it."

He grabbed the mother with both hands, pulling her to her feet, and throwing her on the ground.
A Queensland couple have each been given life in prison for the sadistic torture and murder of mother-of-four Tia Landers.

Drug supplier John Edward Harris and his partner Linda Eileen Appleton were sentenced in Brisbane's Supreme Court on Friday after pleading guilty to murdering Ms Landers in a brutal and bloody encounter at their Brighton home in June 2014.

Tia Landers' body was discovered, wrapped in a blanket, in a shallow grave at Beerburrum State Forest with 30 wounds. Credit:Facebook

Harris will have to spend at least 27 years behind bars before being eligible for parole, while Appleton must serve at least 23 years.

Justice Jean Dalton ordered their parole eligibility to be set beyond the statutory 20-year minimum for the "sadistic" killing, where Ms Landers was cut with a machete, bashed, kicked, stomped, and then twice shot in the head.
The trial of Gable Tostee has triggered calls for a review into the charge powers of prosecution as well as changes to the Queensland Jury Act to possibly "quarantine" jury members.

Mr Tostee was acquitted on Thursday on the charges of the murder and the manslaughter of Warriena Wright, who plunged to her death from the balcony of his 14th-floor Gold Coast apartment.

Queensland Council for Civil Liberties vice-president Terry O'Gorman on Friday questioned whether there had been sufficient evidence to charge Mr Tostee with murder.

"Whilst some legal commentators say that the Director of Public Prosecutions had no choice but to move forward with the case and that there was sufficient evidence for the matter to be put in the hands of a jury, other commentators take the position that there was not sufficient evidence to justify a charge and that the matter should have been referred in the first instance to the State Coroner", Mr O'Gorman said.
Almost half of doctors surveyed say they would help a terminally ill person commit suicide if that patient was suffering intolerably, in the latest sign of growing momentum towards voluntary euthanasia.

As the Andrews government decides whether to allow physician-assisted death in Victoria, a survey in health magazine Australian Doctor suggests the majority would support a shift, while many admit helping patients to end their life already happens in the medical system.

Danny Vadasz, CEO of the Health Issues Centre, with Mischa Long's artwork Heart of the matter. Still under construction, it will be a giant heart where people can enter and contemplate the end of their life. Credit:Penny Stephens

The survey was based on the assisted-dying model put forward by a parliamentary committee earlier this year. The Andrews cabinet is currently considering whether it should be adopted.

Under that model, only patients over 18 with decision-making capacity would have the right to ask for help to die  not a relative or another party. They would also be required to make the request three times: first by asking their doctor, then by filling in a form, and finally by verbally reaffirming their wish.
Pamela Thomas was 51 when she was diagnosed with a deadly "one in a million" neurological disease, and told she had only weeks to live.

Her daughter Nicolle Ward nursed her "beautiful mum Pammy" for six weeks and three days, until she died in 2000.

Nicolle Ward with a picture of her mother Pamela Thomas, who died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in 2000. Credit:Justin McManus.

Nicolle, her family and friends created "Team Pammy" three years ago for The Sunday Age City2Sea, to bring her mother's fatal brain disease  Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease  out of the shadows.

"She was healthy as you or I, but then she began to lose her balance and her vision became blurred," Nicolle said.
A man stinking of raw meat has sexually assaulted a woman on a tram in Melbourne's east.

The man rubbed himself against the 42-year-old woman just before 8am on Monday, detectives were told.

The man involved in the Bundoora attack had distinctive yellow nails like this. Credit:Victoria Police

He had boarded the Kew-bound tram near the Kooyong Railway Station.

He exited the tram at Manningtree Road and was last seen heading towards Power Street.
By all accounts, Alan Turing was a genius. At the age of 15, he wrote an abridged version of Einstein's theory of relativity for his mother.

By 22, he was cracking long-unsolved conundrums that had vexed Europe's most cunning mathematicians.

The portrait and notebook of British mathematician Alan Turing, who was stripped of his security clearance because he was gay, and later committed suicide. Credit:AP

By the onset of World War II, he'd become the British military's most brilliant code breaker.

He is credited with deciphering the Nazis' "Enigma" code, which they used to communicate war plans in secret.
Jakarta: The infamous Jakarta rat is wanted dead or alive (preferably alive) with a hefty price on its head, as the city outsources its vermin eradication program to the people.

Everyone who lives in the teeming metropolis has a rat story, with the bloated corpses of dead vermin littering footpaths and clogging up sewers.

A Balinese man with a caged rat. On Bali, a symbolic Hindu cremation ritual is sometimes performed for rats in the hope that they will spare local crops. Credit:Getty Images

This week Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat announced a bounty of 20,000 rupiah ($2) would be offered for every rat captured.

This is a significant amount of money in Indonesia, where about 40 per cent of the population hovers around the international poverty line of $US2 a day.
Washington: China's Defence Ministry says a patrol by a US warship in the South China Sea on Friday was "illegal" and "provocative" and that it had lodged a protest with the United States.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said two Chinese warships had warned the US warship to leave during the patrol.

US defence officials said the guided missile destroyer USS Decatur was challenging "excessive maritime claims" in a patrol near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbours.

China said two of its warships, the Guangzhou and the Luoyang, warned the US vessel to leave.
Auto Lab Radio LIVE From NYC - Saturday October 22, 2016; 7-9 AM (EDT)







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Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice.

Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format.

Listeners can hear the past 18 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on www.theautochannel.com.

Listen - Auto Lab Page (Includes Audio-on-Demand Archives, Auto Programs at Community College Database, Guests Pictures

Auto Answers - Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Ombudsmen Suggestions. From These Auto Lab In-Studio Experts

Broadcast Date: October 22, 2016;

Harold Bendell- Major Auto

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A Morton County Sheriff's deputy officer arrests actress Shailene Woodley at a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline near St. Anthony, N.D., Oct. 10, 2016. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)
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Alzheimers Foundation to host free conference The Alzheimers Foundation of America will host a free virtual educational conference from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tues., Nov. 15. The event is part of the foundations 2022 national Educating America Tour. The conference, which is free and open...

Authorities warn about rainbow fentanyl Victims often arent aware theyre taking it

The Ventura County Office of Education and state health officials have issued a warning to schools and families about rainbow fentanyl, a form of the potentially fatal synthetic opioid that comes in bright colors. Rainbow fentanyl can be found in...

Cancer support community to host remembrance event Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara invites family members and friends of those who have died from cancer to attend the second annual Evening of Remembrance from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 3 at Cancer Support Communitys Garden of Hope,...
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There are no surprises anymore for Syrians when it comes to denying the realities of their suffering and when it comes to the shamelessness of of those who accuse truth-tellers of being outright liars. This is especially the case when the shameless one is Bashar al Assad.

As Syrians would put it, Lie, lie again, then lie some moreat some point there are people who will believe you. And its unfortunately those gullible dupes who are the target audience of Assads latest flagrant falsehood. In an interview today with Swiss TV SRF1, the dictator claimed that the most infamous photograph to emerge from his many years of war crimes was nothing more than an airbrushed fake. You know the one Im talking about: the shot of little Omran Daqneesh, sat in an ambulance shellshocked after being pulled from a pulverized building, covered in dust and blood, a photograph that almost every front page of every major international newspaper carried weeks ago as a symbol of Aleppos misery. This, Assad professes with a straight-face, was a forgery.

He claimed that the picture was used to describe two separate events and that the first-responder White Helmets who saved Omran were part of a conspiracy associated with the al-Qaeda affiliate formerly known as the Al-Nusra Front. Baseless allegations against the White Helmetsthat they are terrorist accomplices or agents of regime changeare ever-present, from Syrian state media to far-left useful idiots, but few have had the gall to de-humanize the most recognized victim of the Syrian civil war. To recap the facts: Omrans picture was taken after an airstrike on the residential neighborhood of rebel-held al-Katerji, Aleppo, on August 17 of this year. Six people were killed and 12 were wounded in that airstrike. The destruction, as eyewitnesses recounted and the sheer scale of damage caused broadcast to anyone with a working pair of eyes, was the result of a missile launched from a flying object in the sky. I am not the first to point out that only two air forces are carrying out raids on east Aleppo: neither belong to al-Qaeda or the Syrian opposition.

It really isnt surprising that Assad has the temerity to mock these grim events as cynical inventions. His chemical weapons attack on the al-Ghouta district of Damascus in 2013 killed 1,400 civilians and forced the regime, through a U.S.-Russian-brokered deal, to hand over much (if not quite all) of its previously undeclared chemical weapons program. Three years later, however, top regime officials continue to deny their atrocity, blaming the anti-Assad opposition as the chemical culprit, which gassed themselves to gain global sympathy or prompt a military intervention on their behalf.

Perhaps the most perverse aspect to Assads latest lie is that his own wife has debunked it. Asma al-Assad, who on a number of occasions has been described as living on Mars owing to her comments which contradict the very laws of physics, told the Kremlins state propaganda channel Russia Today yesterday, by way of pleading for moral equivalence between the crimes of her husband and the human rights abuses of his enemies: Why was the fate of the children in Zara not given the same media coverage as the tragedies of Aylan and Omran? (Aylan refers to Aylan al-Kurdi, the subject of that other haunting photograph of a young refugee boy who washed up dead on the shore of Turkey two years ago.) If Asma concedes that Omrans brush with death was a tragedy, then how can it have been a forged one?

In totalitarian regimes, mistakes happen all the time. Maybe Bashars wife wasnt in on the real conspiracy on how to spin a symbol of Syrian suffering into a jihadist frame-up. But as for Assad, it scarcely matters. Hes escaped overthrow, received unbelievably small penalties for using sarin gas in his capital city, and is now set to outlast Barack Obama in power. After five years, his lies have got him this far. Why stop now?
Jorge Ramos lets out a small laugh when I ask him what he thought of Donald Trumps promise to deport bad hombres during Wednesday nights third and final presidential debate. But the Univision anchor and Fusion host doesnt find anything about the Republican presidential nominee particularly funny.

Ramos, whose new documentary special Hate Rising explores how the Trump effect has spurred a rise of hate crimes and white nationalist groups in America, is feeling more confident than ever after last nights debate that Trump will never reach the White House. But as he explains in the film, he fears the damage has already been done.

Donald Trump did absolutely everything he needed to do last night to lose the Latino vote. Everything, Ramos says. He insulted immigrants again by calling them bad hombres, he suggested that he wants to build a wall, he still wants to deport millions of immigrants.

On the use of that Spanglish phrase, bad hombres, Ramos added, Hes using a stereotype. And hes absolutely wrong, because all of the studies that Ive seen clearly conclude that immigrants are less likely to be criminals, or to be behind bars that those born in the United States. Thats a fact. (Hes right.)

In Ramoss view, Trump cant ask for Latinos to vote for him in one breath and in the next say, but Im going to deport your neighbor, your father, or your brother. Just this past weekend, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll shows that Trump is getting just 17% of the Latino vote. With that, he cannot win the White House. Its impossible, Ramos says.

And he has the math on hand to back it up.

Mitt Romney got 27 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2012 and he lost, he continues. McCain got 31 percent in 2008 and lost, too. So with 17 percent it is impossible. The new rule in American politics is you cannot make it to the White House without the Latino vote. And clearly Donald Trump wont be able to do that.

As for the 17% of Latinos who apparently do support Trump, Ramos has a harsh assessment of where their loyalties lie. Ive met very few Latinos who are supporting Trump, he says, and those are the ones who dont remember where they come from, or where their families come from.

But like many Americans, it wasnt Trumps use of the words bad hombres that was most troubling for Ramos about Wednesday nights debate. Instead, it was his refusal to say whether or not he will accept the results of the election, telling moderator Chris Wallace, Ill keep you in suspense.

I never expected to hear something like that in the United States, Ramos says, noting that he has covered rigged elections in Latin America for decades. I know what a rigged election is and whats happening in the United States is not a rigged election, he says. It is just a candidate who is losing badly in the polls, who is using prejudice and biases to try to win and divide the country.

Stay tuned for The Daily Beasts full interview with Jorge Ramos about his new documentary Hate Rising, his 2015 confrontation with Donald Trump and more this weekend.
OUTSIDE BARTELLA, Iraq  You see the smoke? Its from my city! Karam Hasso said excitedly as he drove down the highway that cuts between Erbil and Mosul, rosary beads and a cross dangling from his rearview mirror. Up until this morning, this stretch of road that led to Hassos hometownQaraqosh, a Christian townhad been inside ISIS territory.

This is the first time Ive seen it in two years, Hasso added.

In 2014, ISIS fighters had pushed north and east from Mosul into the Nineveh plains, unleashing terror and cutting a swath of destruction in the Christian cities and villages that dotted this area. When ISIS took over, locals said, it was the first time in 1,600 years that Mosuls church bells fell silent. The few Christians who remained were given a simple, brutal choice: convert, leave, or die.

Walking along the highway, the stocky, shaven-head Hassosporting a five o'clock shadow and clad in cargo pants and military bootssaid his family had lived in Qaraqosh from the beginning of history, and that he owned two cafes there; he hoped they werent destroyed. He pointed to a demolished concrete structure and twisted metal wreckage. This used to be a second hand shop, he said.

For now, Hassos hometown was still being held by ISIS militants. But the Iraqi Army and Kurdish peshmerga troops, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and artillery, had pushed toward towards Qaraqosh. Its part of the biggest operation yet in the fight against ISIS inside Iraq. And the fighting will not be easy; on Thursday, the U.S. military announced that an improvised explosive had killed an American service member not far from here, the first U.S. casualty in this new push to take down ISIS Iraqi capital.

The new front opened up early Thursday morning, as the combined forces aimed to liberate roughly two-dozen villages. By midday, progress in Bartella, a town eight miles east of Mosul, had been steady as the Iraqi Armys well-regarded Golden Division fought onward.

Iraqi Army Humvees sped up and down the highway leading to Bartella. Smashed concrete structures and twisted metal dotting the sides of the roads, with the occasional crater from an explosion or red flag pointing out the location of an improvised bomb. Soldiers flashed victory signs as artillery and mortars thumped in the distance. Sporadic gunfire echoed from inside the town.

Along the way, a 67-year-old former Peshmerga fighter limped along towards the sound of clashes, helped by two younger men. Muhammad Abdul Qadir, from nearby Kalak, said he had three sons and two brothers fighting at the front right now, and wanted to see what was happening.

The Bartella front, though, was an Iraqi special forces operation, with the Golden Division at the forefront. In the past, that might have made the area a no-go zone for him. The Peshmerga and Iraqi forces had previously been at odds, with many Kurds furious at an Iraqi Army that fled when ISIS swept to power in 2014. But now, the grey-haired, impressively mustachioed Qadir, dressed in an old school Peshmerga uniform of baggy pants, a sash twirled around his waist, and a checkered scarf wrapped around his headsaid, Theres no difference between us.

If anything, a sense of unity was apparent. Under the shade of an Iraqi army Humvee, a Peshmerga fighter sat with two Iraqi special forces soldiers who had just returned from the front.

The fighters said they had faced numerous ISIS car bombs that morning, as well as snipers, improvised explosives, and mortars. Sgt. Majar Haider Ravi of the Golden Division, said that the fighting had looked easy, but the car bombs and suicide bombers were tough.

At one point, he picked up a blood-splattered vest in the back of the Humvee. Three of his colleagues had been wounded, he said, and his crew had brought them to safety.

Mustafa Jabour, the peshmerga sitting with the Iraqi men, hadnt fought that day but was there because he was from Bartella and was waiting to enter his soon to be liberated village. He wished that he and the other peshmerga had joined the fighting in Bartella, but echoing Abdul Qadir, said that now with the Iraqi army, there is no difference between us.

There were pockets of resistance still in Bartella, however. Pillars of black and grey smoke rose in the distance, machine gun fire echoing off the buildings. Atop a nearby four-story building that gave the best view of the city, General Maan Al Saadi of the Golden Division shouted directions in a walkie-talkie, encouraging different groups of his soldiers to link up inside the city.

Bartella was nearly completely under control, and nearby Qaraqosh was surrounded. The general said his men would most likely enter the city on Friday.

Today, ISIS was here in this building, he added. When ISIS saw the power of the attack, it affected their morale.

As he spoke, a helicopter flew overhead, firing a machine gun and then letting off two rockets. The general said he estimated his men had killed 80 ISIS militants out of a total of 100 fighting inside Bartella.

Nearby on the roof, Taher Saeed stared off at the smoke rising from his city with tears in his eye. A TV director, he said he had spent the last three days on the frontlines, and that he couldnt stop crying. His cousin actually owned the building, and he had received calls from friends and relatives in Lebanon, Turkey and Europe of people waiting to hear when it would be safe to come back.

Saeed, a Syriac Catholic, said that entering his city again would be like a rebirth.

Once I get there, I will kiss the ground, he said, his eyes still watering.
Thursdays Al Smith Memorial Dinner offered America the opportunity to take a desperate breath from the trash swamp Americas been drowning in for the last year and a half. It delivered, but then again, 45 minutes of footage of a stranger yelling would have been more enjoyable than most of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Al Smith, the white-tie events namesake, was the first Catholic to run for president, and the multi-thousand dollar-per-plate ticket price supports Catholic charity work. For reasons that might seem opaque to the casual observer, this particular charity event features almost every four years the two major-party presidential candidates delivering jokes from behind a podium. Its the worlds fanciest open mic.

Whats the difference between an open-mic comic and Donald Trump? One spends hours every week spitting idiotic lines in front of an audience of hopeless losers in hopes that theyll gain fame, and the other is a comedian.

The Republican nominee for president hit some high notes, like the plagiarism joke about wife Melanias Republican National Convention speech, which was cribbed in part from a speech Michelle Obama had given. But then he gestured to his wife, ordering her to stand up while the crowd cheered, a bizarre break in momentum. He further lost the crowd with a joke about Hillary Clinton hating Catholics that was met with boos. Then came another one about Donna Brazile sharing all of the jokes from the dinner in advance. More boos. Then one about Hillary Clinton destroying Haitian villages, which was borderline inscrutable and met with silence. If Trump is half as effective at bombing ISIS as he is at bombing stand-up routines, hes ready to be commander in chief.

Clinton was better, at least, as shes likely friends with more people who can write jokes from the perspective of a person who hasnt spent the last five years locked in a bunker reading Breitbart. But she had her own set of clunkers, like when she stumbled over a joke about how Trump would declare the dinner rigged if it didnt turn out the way he wanted it to (too soon!). Clinton also had her gentle church party ha-ha moments, where she told a proper setup-punchline joke mildly at the expense of another party in the room. But, as in the debates, she was at her best and most likable when she was at her most brutal: When she said Trump would rate the Statue of Liberty on the one-to-10 scale or when she joked that Rudy Giuliani started his career going after rich people who avoided paying taxes and now goes on Fox News praising them.

But the most genius part of her time behind the mic Thursday night wasnt her prepared jokes at all. It was the indirect evisceration she unleashed during the last few minutes of her time onstage, or what fans of Paris Is Burning might call shade. Shadewords meant to shame or demean an individual without explicitly naming that individualhas been lacking in this campaign, characterized as it has been by insult and hyperbole. And Clinton closed out her Al Smith Memorial Dinner portion with a series of float-like-a-butterfly blows that Trump didnt even realize were hitting him until hed already been knocked out.

She mentioned that many people at the dinner were descended from immigrants, alluding to Trumps draconian immigration stance. She mentioned nutty conspiracy theories floated by the fearful during Al Smiths presidential campaign, an indirect nod to Trumps affinity for Infowars-style delusion. She brought up Pope Francis, whom she cited as a role model to wild applause. Trump, what feels like a lifetime ago, got into a very public feud with Pope Francis. She brought up climate change, another issue on which Trump doesnt vibe with the church. She said America should strive to build bridges, not walls, a direct reference to Trumps build the wall mantra. Our greatest monument on this earth wont be what we build, she said, but the lives we touch. As the kids would say: savage.

Ultimately, in a political season that long ago crossed from fresh to ironically fun to an ordeal, the dinner offered little respite. It was like glancing out the window of the dentists office while getting a root canal and noticing a mediocre rainbow.

But perhaps the Clinton joke that landed the hardest was when she informed the crowd that Election Day was almost here, that this is all almost over. There was no punchline, but there didnt need to be. The jokes on us.
The Sauk County Board voted 27-4 Tuesday to award nearly $1 million to local conservation and environmental projects.

The final vote came after more than an hour of debate, most of which focused on an attempt by two supervisors to withhold funding from projects they dont support.

Disagreements centered on the months-long effort of four committees to prioritize the available funds, and the negative opinion that two supervisors have of several nonprofit conservation groups.

Power line payment

Sauk County government is slated to receive nearly $1 million in environmental impact fees related to the construction of a high-power transmission line from La Crosse to Madison.

In July, county officials asked local organizations and government agencies to submit requests for the funds. And following a process that included four committees, the boards Finance Committee in September recommended funding for nine of the 18 requests the county received.

That was the list of projects included in the resolution that went before the board Tuesday night.

But as discussion on the resolution began, Supervisor Tim Meister of Lyndon Station offered an amendment to withhold $378,250 from the following organizations: The Aldo Leopold Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology, the International Crane Foundation, the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance and the Riverland Conservancy.

He said the money could be better spent by the countys Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department on unspecified streambank restoration and water quality improvement projects.

Quite frankly, I am appalled at this amendment, Supervisor Judy Ashford of Merrimac said, adding that her level of outrage was enough to make her consider resigning from the board.

Ashford and other supervisors said the months-long effort of Sauk County Administrative Coordinator Renae Fry and four committees to prioritize the funds was exhaustive and should not be subverted at the last minute.

This is probably one of the most thoroughly vetted action items that this board has ever taken up, Fry said. Im a little concerned that this has been ignored and set aside by the discussions that are proceeding here.

Story objection

Meisters amendment to withhold funding was seconded by Supervisor Brian Peper of Loganville. The two supervisors made a similar proposal during an August meeting of the boards Highway and Parks Committee, which Meister chairs.

At the August meeting, Meister and Peper pushed to divert $85,000 of the available funds from several conservation projects into a bike trail between Baraboo to Reedsburg. That recommendation was supported 4-1 by the Highway and Parks Committee, but later rejected by the Finance Committee, which was granted ultimate authority over the transmission line environmental impact funds.

Peper said he and Meister were crucified in a Baraboo News Republic article that highlighted their proposal to divert funds and their criticisms of two organizations: The Nature Conservancy and the International Crane Foundation.

Tuesday night, Peper repeated an allegation he made during the August meeting, suggesting that the International Crane Foundation had intentionally misled county officials in project application documents.

In one application, the nonprofit group disclosed that it had 58 employees, including 47 at its Baraboo headquarters. But in an application related to a separate project, ICF said it had 80 employees, and that 64 of them worked out of Baraboo.

How does that happen? Peper said Tuesday night.

ICF Vice President of Headquarters-Operations Kim Smith told the newspaper in August that the discrepancy was not evidence of an attempt to mislead. She said the number of people employed by the organization fluctuates throughout the year based on the projects in progress.

Staff that completed applications for county funds likely pulled employment data from two different time periods, Smith said.

Also Tuesday, Peper criticized ICF based on the number of visitors it attracts, saying the nonprofit group generates less tourism in a year than Sauk Prairies annual State Cow Chip Throw does in one weekend.

He apologized to fellow supervisors for not submitting the proposal to withhold funding in a more timely fashion.

TNC response

During the August meeting and Tuesday night, Meister said he could not support awarding government funds to The Nature Conservancy. He said the groups efforts harm local governments by taking property off the tax rolls.

If you can sit here and give money to The Nature Conservancy and take land off the tax roll, and the rest of the taxpayers has to eat the rest of that, boy theres something wrong with the system, Meister said Tuesday. I dont know how we can ever think about giving this money to The Nature Conservancy, and buying up land, and taking it off the tax roll.

Although it was not challenged during Tuesday nights meeting, Meisters assertion was not correct.

The Nature Conservancy does in fact purchase land that is later removed from the tax roll. However, the group does not plan to use county funds for that purpose.

Application documents show the organization plans to use the money for forest improvements, prescribed fires, invasive species removal, supply purchases, and improvements to hiking trails and other areas within the Baraboo Hills.

The Nature Conservancys request of $70,000 to help with the Baraboo Hills Native Biodiversity Project will not be utilized for the purchase of any land, Baraboo Hills Project Coordinator Ann Calhoun said Wednesday.

Supervisor Peter Vedro of Baraboo defended the conservation groups targeted by Meister and Pepers amendment. Sauk County has an international reputation because of many of the entities that are listed here, he said.

The amendment to withhold funding from six groups failed on a 27-4 vote.

Solar project

Daniel Holzman of Baraboo, the only person to speak during a portion of Tuesdays meeting set aside for public comments, encouraged the board to use the environmental project money to fund a county solar energy initiative that has been in the works for more than a year.

One of the 18 projects considered was a county committees push to install solar panels that would power government buildings. The Finance Committee voted to remove the Property and Insurance Committees solar project from consideration and instead use $225,395 to include energy efficient systems in the design of a building at White Mound Park.

Although Supervisor Scott Von Asten, who chairs the Property and Insurance Committee, said earlier this week that he planned to offer an amendment to restore funding for the solar energy project, he did not do so.

Supervisor Tom Kriegl, who has criticized the Finance Committees decision to divert money from the solar project into the White Mound Park building, offered an amendment to withhold the $225,395 and instead spend it on repairing damage done by the transmission line.

That amendment failed on a 25-6 vote.
In just 17 days, America may finally get the chance to say goodbye to Donald Trump, assuming the polls are right and he goes quietly . But we are going to have to start getting used to Curt Schilling.

The former Red Sox star announced this week that he plans to run as a Republican against Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2018 and his first national campaign stop came Friday when Schilling and his flannel shirt sat down with CNNs Jake Tapper.

Like Trump, whom he has endorsed, Schilling put forward his plans to run as a political outsider, noting that he is registered as an Independent and is currently as fed up with the Right as he is with the Left. It didnt take long for Tapper to bring up what would be one of Schillings biggest obstacles in getting deep blue Massachusetts to vote for him: his history of overt racism.

Last year, Schilling was temporarily suspended by ESPN for sharing a meme that compared Muslims to Nazis. Earlier this year, the network ultimately fired him for a Facebook post that mocked transgender people. You're going to have to defend that post to progressive voters, Tapper said.

In an attempt to correct Tapper, Schilling said, I compared Muslim extremists to Nazis, stressing the extremist part of that equation. If you take the word extremist out it's incredibly racist post, which is why the word extremist is in there, he said. But in his next breath, Schilling added, There's a very long standing connection between Islam and the Nazi party and you can go back to before the second World War and talk to that one.

Schilling then defended the transgender cartoon by saying he was simply reposting someone elses material, the same way Trump has defended retweeting white supremacists. My comment was men should use the men's room and women use the women's room, he said. Why do we need the federal government telling us otherwise?

Finally, Tapper, predicting Democrats would try to make Schilling the Massachusetts version of Donald Trump, asked Schilling to weigh in on the 2005 video of the Republican presidential nominee bragging about sexually assaulting women. Instead of addressing the video, Schilling did what many Trump surrogates have done and pivoted to WikiLeaks and the Clinton campaigns emails.

Then, he started going after Tapper directly. Im assuming you will vote for Hillary Clinton, Schilling said to the host, who informed him that he doesnt vote in presidential elections. But then he took things a step further.

I would like to ask you something as a person who is practicing the Jewish faith and have since you were young, Schilling said. I don't understand, and maybe this is the amateur, non-politician in me, I don't understand how people of Jewish faith can back the Democratic party which over the last 50 years have been so clearly anti-Israel, so clearly anti-Jewish Israel.

Tapper calmly informed Schilling that he doesnt speak for Jews, nor does he speak for either major political party. I would imagine, just to try to answer your question that one of the reasons many Jews are Democrats has more to do with Democrats support for social welfare programs and that sort of thing than it does for Israel. Adding that many strong Jewish supporters of Israel do vote Republican, he stated once more, But again, I dont speak for Jews.

Later, in a separate interview with MSNBCs Chris Matthews, Schilling  this time in a suit and tie  forcefully defended his question to Tapper. I'm apparently an anti-Semite, because I had the gall and the audacity to ask someone of the Jewish faith why or how they believe people of Jewish faith vote Democrat, he said, laying on some thick sarcasm. God forbid I listen to someone of the faith, rather than the media, who clearly are not biased and don't have an agenda.

I don't need Chris Matthews to tell me why people of Jewish people vote the way they do, he continued. And I don't have a problem asking people questions like that, because I'm not trying to be offensive or racist.

In response, Matthews explained to Schilling that it may not be wise to ask a person of a religious faith or a race to speak for that religious group and ask them to sort of account for it.

Not true! Schilling shot back, once more channeling Trump. Liberals do it to Christians all the time. As a white male Christian, he complained that people just assume hes a racist," adding, I'm tired of hearing the media tell me what I should care about.

If Schilling really wants to beat Elizabeth Warren in two years, hes going to have to do better than this.
Scripture advises us not to visit the sins of the father upon the son.

So nobody should hold it against Donald Trump that his father was arrested on Memorial Day in 1927 for participating in a Klu Klux Klan riot in his home borough of Queens. The riot was fueled in part by the prospect that Al Smith might become not just the Catholic governor of New York but the first Catholic president of the United States.

Americans Assaulted by Roman Catholic Police of New York City read KKK leaflets that went up in Queens the day after the arrest of Fred Trump and others.

But the son has embraced his fathers sins as his own in seeking to become president by stoking that very same kind of bigotry against Muslims and Mexicans and others.

Pope Francis said himself while visiting Mexico back in February that a man who is fixated on building a wall such as Trump has promised is not Christian. Trump responded by calling the pope disgraceful.

So why in the name of what is holy did the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York invite Donald Trump to the 71st Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner?

Yes, going back to John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, both parties candidates are traditionally invited to roast each other and honor Smiths memory in election years at this annual fundraiser for disadvantaged kids.

But in 1996, the archdiocese decided not to invite President Bill Clinton and his Republican opponent, Bob Dole, to the 51st annual dinner. The reason was said to be then Cardinal John OConnors displeasure over Clintons veto of a bill outlawing late-term abortions. Dole was also left out so the church would not be seen as taking sides.

In 2004, the archdiocese again broke with tradition and invited neither President George W. Bush nor his Democratic opponent, John Kerry, to the 59th annual dinner. The reason was said to be Kerrys pro-choice position. The archdiocese, then headed by Cardinal Edward Egan, would only say, The issues in this years campaign could provoke division and disagreement.

The archdiocese is now headed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who to his great credit resisted pressure not to invite President Obama in 2012, after his health-care bill required employers to provide insurance plans covering contraceptive services for women.

Dolan acknowledged then that some of his flock were outraged.

Some have told me the invitation is a scandal, he wrote in a blog post. That charge weighs on me, as it would on any person of faith, but especially a pastor, who longs to give good example, never bad.

Dolan noted that for seven decades, the Al Smith dinner has been an acclaimed example of such civility in political life.

The Al Smith Dinner is the venue of history, as it is the only time outside of the presidential debates that the two presidential candidates come together, at the invitation of the Al Smith Foundation, through the archbishop of New York, for an evening of positive, upbeat, patriotic, enjoyable civil discourse, he wrote. It is named after Governor Al Smith, the first Catholic nominated, in 1928, as a candidate for president, who was viciously maligned because of his own Catholic faith. Smith was known as the Happy Warrior, because while he fought fiercely for what he believed was right, he never sought to demonize those who opposed him.

He continued, The purpose of the Al Smith Dinner is to show both our country and our church at their best: people of faith gathered in an evening of friendship, civility, and patriotism, to help those in need, not to endorse either candidate. Those who started the dinner 67 years ago believed that you can accomplish a lot more by inviting folks of different political loyalties to an uplifting evening, rather than in closing the door to them.

He concluded, In the end, Im encouraged by the example of Jesus, who was blistered by his critics for dining with those some considered sinners; and by the recognition that, if I only sat down with people who agreed with me, and I with them, or with those who were saints, Id be taking all my meals alone.

All that to justify inviting an incumbent president who has sought to rouse what is truly the best in us, who symbolizes a great advance in social justice and has labored to turn symbolism into a better reality for all those who felt such hope when he was elected.

Dolans fine sentiments do not justify inviting a demagogue who has sought to manipulate and inflame the very worst in us, who has stoked fear and hatred different only in target from that expressed by those leaflets posted in the aftermath of his fathers arrest in the anti-Catholic riot dating back to the time of Al Smith.

Liberty and democracy have been trampled upon when Native-born Protestant Americans dare to organize to protect one flag, the American flag one language, the English language, the leaflets said.

Dolan would be right to say that the Happy Warrior would not have demonized Donald Trump. But that is because Smith would have seen no need to do so. Smith would have simply recognized Trump as a demon.

Smith spoke back in 1928 of those who seek to inject bigotry, hatred, intolerance, and un-American sectarian division into a campaign which should be an intelligent debate of the important issues which confront the American people. He noted that this is contrary to the spirit, not only of the Declaration of Independence, but of the Constitution itself.

Dolan has said nothing of the bigotry, hatred, and intolerance incited by the Trump campaign. Did Dolan forget what Pope Francis said when he stood in Mexico at the border where Trump had promised to build a HUGE wall?

A person who thinks only about building wallswherever they may beand not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.

Did Dolan also forget Trumps response?

For a religious leader to question a persons faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian, and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current president.

The cardinal did not mention those remarks this week, but he did take big-time exception to what he denounced as extraordinarily patronizing and insulting to Catholics remarks in leaked emails by Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta and Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri. Podesta and Palmieri are both Catholics. Dolan suggested that Clinton should offer an apology.

Hasnt happened yet, Dolan said.

Dolan is said to have been all smiles Friday, when Trumpa Protestantvisited the cardinals residence along with his wife Melania, and his soulless campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. A spokesman for the archdiocese insisted the meeting had been arranged at Trumps request weeks before.

There was a private meeting with the cardinal, the spokesman said. 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.

Only, Trump was not just someone running for national office. And that had become even clearer with the Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged of committing sexual assault with impunity because he is a star. He was now committing an assault upon Lady Liberty herself.

A demon such as Trump should never have been allowed at a church-sponsored dinner that honors a champion against bigotry and benefits some of the very people who feel targeted by his campaign.

A few boos welcomed Trump when he strode into the ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the first boos anybody can remember at an Al Smith Dinner. Cardinal Dolan was beaming.

Trump sat on Dolans left while Clinton sat on his right, as would have been only fine had this election been a contest between two candidates separated by political loyalties, but sharing a respect for what makes us Americans.

Alfred E. Smith IV, the 65-year-old great-grandson of Al Smith, once again served as the master of ceremonies, as well as the dinner chairman. Only his name excused him from starting off with a joke making light of something that should have kept Trump from being there at all.

Before the dinner started, Trump went to Hillary and asked, How are you? he said. She said, Im finenow get out of the ladies dressing room.

Ha, ha.

The night progressed as Trump himself strove to be humorous, remaining enough of a truly nasty man to inspire more boos. He said, in a serious and surprising moment, that he had come to the dinner with his father.

This was always a special experience for him and me to come together, Trump said.

The thought of Fred Trump bringing his son might have caused you to think that the father had grown and learned. More likely, he came because his connections with the Democratic machine were so important to his real-estate business. Fred used those connections to get Donald the tax breaks that launched his career. The father clearly did not seem to view the memory of Al Smith as an opportunity to school the son in the importance of tolerance.

Clinton had her turn and was tough enough and good enough that you were almost glad Trump had been invited. Then a smiling Dolan patted Trump on the shoulder.

Disgraceful.
MANILA  Ranking members of the Philippines government rushed into damage-control mode Friday as they sought to assure their citizens and the rest of the world that the countrys close relationship with the United States remains intact despite President Rodrigo Dutertes pronouncement that Manila is separating from Washington.

Yes, separating.

Since Duterte took office June 30, the populist (some would say Trumpian) president has responded with anger, defiance, and obscenities to criticism of his campaign to slaughter (and we use advisedly) suspected drug dealers and addicts across the country. Last month, he called President Barack Obama a son of whoreprompting the White House to cancel a planned bilateral meeting between the two leaders. This month, he told Obama you can go to hell and threatened to break up with America.

Now, it would seem, Duterte thinks he can make good on that threat by turning his country into a dependent satellite of Beijing. He shocked even his own administration when he said in a speech in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing: In this venue, I announce my separation from the United States both in military, but also economics.

Duterte drew cheers from stalwarts of the Chinese Communist Party when he said that in dumping America, I will be dependent on you.

On his state visit to Beijing, Duterte held discussions with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping that ended in Xi offering the Philippines $9 billion in loan credits and Duterte agreeing to renew bilateral talks with Xi to resolve the long-festering dispute over maritime and fishing rights in the South China Sea.

The latter agreement is especially puzzling, considering a United Nations tribunal recently ruled in a long-fought case that Manila has de jure access in the sea.

The trip also has seen the two countries agree to $13.5 billion in trade deals.

Among those hastening to tamp down the reaction to Dutertes remarks was the Philippines trade minister, Ramon Lopez, who told CNN that Manila will not stop trade and investment with the U.S., and that the president had merely decided to strengthen further and rekindle the ties with China as well as with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), many of whose members are threatened by China.

Also in Manila, a Duterte spokeswoman attempted to minimize the force of Dutertes words: We would not like to interpret the pronouncements of the president, said Maria Banaag, as if that were not, precisely, her job.

The comments from Lopez and Banaag sounded hollow in the face of Dutertes unequivocal statements, including one in which he told Beijing business leaders that, America has lost now. Ive realigned myself in your ideological flow.

As noted, Duterte pivoted to China, in fact, in retaliation for stern criticism from the United States and other Western countries over the bloody anti-drug campaign he launched as soon as he became presidentpart of an overarching battle against crime.

The U.S., the United Nations, the European Union, and others have condemned the campaign, which has included extrajudicial killings by police and has seen as many as 3,800 Filipinos, many of them poor residents of inner-city barrios, slain just since July 1.

Duterte critics noted that in addition to winning economic benefits from China, the president may be receiving assurance that Beijing will give him a free hand in the drug war.

The Chinese Communist regime itself has a poor human-rights record, has long insisted on a non-interference foreign policyand is highly unlikely to pressure Duterte to observe such fundamental legal principles as probable cause or due process in his anti-drug war, nor demand an end to extrajudicial killings by the Philippines National Police.

Obviously, the Chinese are not going to be perturbed by human-rights violations, says a former U.S. diplomat and veteran of the Manila embassy.

In fact, Chinese officials have lauded Dutertes drug crackdown. Some $15 million of the loan money Beijing has promised is to go to the campaign, although Philippine government officials have said the money will be spent on drug-rehabilitation projects.

Addressing Dutertes latest salvo in Beijing, the U.S. embassy in Manila said Dutertes remarks are creating unnecessary uncertainty.

Weve seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently, which is inexplicably at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments, embassy spokeswoman Molly R. Koscina said in a statement.

Indeed, the United States is very popular among ordinary Filipinos. Many often express a strong affection for America, and say that they appreciate Americas role in liberating the country from the Japanese during World War II.

Im not sure about these drug killings. A lot of Pinoys [Filipinos] like it because they feel safer, even though we all know people in our neighborhoods who are mistakenly killed, tour driver Armando Pablo tells The Daily Beast. But we are friends with America and we like Americans. I dont know how far he [Duterte] will go.

This Filipino president not only does not thank the United States for any wartime liberation, he suggests that the Japanese would not have bothered to attack the Philippines in the first place if the U.S. had not been in the country. Its a bizarre claim given the archipelagos strategic location and Japans drive to expand its empire in all directions in the 1930s and 1940s. But Duterte apparently felt comfortable making such a pronouncement in a contentious interview on Al Jazeera.

Duterte, the former mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he first introduced his take-no-prisoners approach to fighting against illegal drugs and where he was known as both the Dirty Harry of Davao and the Punisher, is famously impetuous and quick to be offended.

His outbursts have become ever more frequent, defiantand vulgar. He has insisted that he doesnt give a shit about outside opinion, and vowed to continue his drug offensive for another six months, regardless of criticism and despite the fact that the Philippines senate is investigating the extrajudicial killings.

In the past few months, the U.S. has played down Dutertes insults and threats, hoping he eventually would curb the rhetoric and continue to pursue business, political, and economic cooperation. Washington has been particularly wary of Dutertes promise to abandon the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, signed by previous president Benigno Aquino, that allows the U.S. to rotate ships, aircraft and personnel through five Philippine bases. The EDCA is considered critical to projecting American power in the Pacific, even as China becomes more powerful and bellicose.

With Duterte apparently in no mood to compromisehes even talking about making deals with Russia as wellit remains to be seen whether the his administration and the Filipino people can pull him away from the brink and keep Manila in the Wests embrace.
Just 17 days from Election Day, its clear that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump has a plan to reverse the growth of our national debtand Trump would make it much worse.

When Chris Wallace asked both candidates at the third debate why they are ignoring the debt problem, Trump said his policies would create tremendous jobs and 4 percent economic growth. I think you can go to five or six percent, he said. Thats impractical. The last time the U.S. even had sustained 3.5 percent growth over a ten-year period was during the tech boom of the 1990s. But with our aging population, the retirement of baby boomers, and a mounting debt, Trumps growth assumptions are simply unachievable. Not to mention the fact that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that real economic growth will average 2 percent over the next decade.

Clinton, on the other hand, answered the same question by stating that her polices are paid for and she wouldnt add a penny to the national debt. But as Wallace rightly points out, our analysis shows that Clintons policies would allow debt as a share of the economy to continue on its current course to 86 percent of GDP over the next decade. It would increase at a much higher rate, reaching 105 percent under Trump. In dollar terms, Clinton would add $200 billion to the debt over a decade while Trump would increase the debt by $5.3 trillion.

These increases to the debt come on top of current law projections that show our debt growing by $9 trillion over the next decade. As a share of the economy, our debt is currently 77 percent of GDP, higher than at any point since just after World War II and nearly twice the average of the last 50 years. CBO projects that it will exceed the size of our entire economy by 2033 and grow unsustainably thereafter. Just last week, the Treasury Department reported that the federal deficit widened to $587 billion for fiscal year 2016, which is almost a 35 percent increase from last yeara reminder that the era of declining deficits is officially over.

It is clear we are on an unsustainable path and the candidates failure to address this issue would have damaging consequences on the future of our economy and the financial well-being of all Americans. Excessive debt levels would squeeze out other national priorities and important investments in education, infrastructure, and basic research that can help grow the economy and improve our standard of living. CBO also estimates that within three decades the growing debt will reduce average income by $4,000 per person compared to what it would be if debt were on a declining path.

When it comes to fixing the long-term finances of our entitlement programs, both candidates offered more of the same old easy fixes. Im cutting taxes, were going to grow the economy, Trump said in response to the question on entitlements. But the reality is that making Social Security solvent over the next 75 years would require real growth rates to average nearly 4 percent per year over that time period. Again, thats unachievable.

Clinton, meanwhile, said we need to put more money into the Social Security trust fund. Thats part of my commitment to raise taxes on the wealthy. Yes, raising the taxable maximum cap above the current $118,500which is scheduled to go up to $127,200 next year  and applying the payroll tax to incomes above $250,000, as Clinton has suggested, would help. But it wont be enough.

Ultimately, tough choices need to be made and unfortunately both candidates are shying away from that reality. We deserve credible solutions to our fiscal challenges, not wishful thinking on economic growth. Current and future retirees deserve answers on how the next president would shore up our social safety net for generations to come, not easy fixes that kick the can down the road.

More importantly, our children deserve a prosperous future, not one where they are saddled with a debt burden that hinders their ability to reach their full potential.

This is one of the big unanswered issues at stake in this election.
LAS VEGAS  Irma Aguirre sat defiantly in her elegant, upscale Mexican restaurantthe oldest one in Sin Cityand began defending the man many Latinos believe is indefensible.

I get his personality and style. I have a deep admiration for someone who has been able to accomplish so much in his lifetime, she told The Daily Beast. Being in business isnt easy. The fact that he has been able to survive in business for decadeshe has created brands that are top of the line.

Aguirre is, of course, talking about Donald Trump. She is one of a few dozen Latino small business owners in Las Vegas who support himcausing an uproar among pro-immigration activists who called on customers to boycott her after she held a roundtable with the GOP nominee earlier this month. But the negative reaction only seemed to strengthen her support for the man.

Trumps Latino supporters, like Aguirre, are a minority within a minority, many of whom feel they are not properly represented by pro-immigration activism, which much of the Hispanic community supports.

The Donald has deeply alienated Hispanic voters with controversial and racist comments that disparage their communitywe have some bad hombres here, and were going to get them out, Trump said at the presidential debate Wednesday night. Any broad outreach efforts have been sparseif not non-existentoften grouping them in with African American voters in speeches as if they are one large minority group.

I will do more for African-Americans and Latinos that she can do for ten lifetimes, Trump boasted in his closing statement at the debate Wednesday night. All shes done is talk to the African-Americans and to the Latinos, but they get the vote and then they come back, they say well see you in four years.

But in Nevada, he has placed a special emphasis on the group, which make up more than a quarter of the population in the key swing state. During a meeting with pro-Trump Hispanic small business leaders earlier this month at Aguirres restaurant, he returned repeatedly to the notion that he would help impoverished Latinos.

Im also going to fight to help millions of Latinos trapped in poverty by fixing inner cities, Trump said.

After the states caucuses in February, Trump boasted that entrance polls showed that 45 percent of Republican Latinos voted for him. But they represented a very small subset: most Latinos arent registered as Republicans, and they only made up 8 percent of the GOP electorate in Nevada.

"People dont know how well were doing with the Hispanics, the Latinos. Were doing really well, he bragged after a private meeting with two dozen Latino supporters in Las Vegas two months ago.

Polls have been mixed on whether Trumps outreach to Latinos in Nevada has worked beyond the primaries: a CNN/ORC poll released this week shows that 33 percent of registered Hispanic voters in the state support Trump, compared to 54 percent for Clintonmeaning that she is underperforming compared to President Obamas previous elections there. But Latino Decisions, which specializes on polling this community and has worked for Clinton campaign on the Hispanic community, has polled Trumps support at closer to 17 percent.

Hispanic voters are less pro-Trump than they were anti-Clinton. When The Daily Beast asked Latino Trump supporters in Nevada why theyre supporting a politician who has called Mexicans rapists and questioned whether a judge with Mexican heritage could fairly oversee his casethey rarely responded with a rousing, pro-Trump response. What youll more likely receive is a long, passionate speech about the evils of Hillary Clinton.

The people who are voting for Trump are people who strongly identify as Republican, and they would vote for Donald Trump or Donald Duck, or theyve built up antipathy to Hillary clinton over the many years she has been in public office, said Sylvia Manzano of Latino Decisions.

Its the lesser of two evils, agreed Tom Sanchez, a vocal pro-Trump protester at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Hillary and the Democrats have become globalists. They believe in a one world order that the very wealthy determine the rest for the lesser.

Trumps Hispanic supporters werent willing to defend his comments on Judge Gonzalo Curiel or his campaign-opening missive against Mexicans, but they were willing to overlook them.

There are some things that he should bite his tongue on. At the same time, nobodys perfect. Were getting to a day and age where everybody constantly wants their safe space. They feel entitled, said Chris, a Chilean immigrant who was waving a large Trump Train sign at the presidential debates in Las Vegas.

I dont give a shit about peoples feelings. Were voting on peoples feelings. I want to vote about policy, Sanchez added.

Jesus Marquez, another pro-Trump small business owner in Las Vegas, said that he was supporting Trump mainly because he believed the businessman could improve the economy better than Clinton ever could.

Theres still a lot of poverty in our community, the schools in our community are not the best, crime is highand look at the overall growth of the economy even though were supposedly in a recovery, the country isnt feeling it, and the Latino community isnt feeling it, Marquez told The Daily Beast. I feel that Hillary Clinton is going to be a continuation of eight years of Obama.

Marquez, who owns an air conditioning company and is also a political strategist focused on helping the GOP, argues that here in Nevada, Latinos have been hurting morethat industries that have typically hired many members of the Latino community, such as the hotel and construction industries, have not recovered quickly during the Obama administration.

Back in 2005 the Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked Nevada near the top of the country in terms of average income, at 11th. A decade later, in 2015, Nevada is now ranked 37th. While the economic growth of the country as a whole has been 3.8 percent over that time period, Nevada has lagged behind at 2.6 percent.

"People are concerned about the economy. That for me is why Im supporting him. I dont believe that any career politician is going to be able to do what it takes in terms of the economy, Aguirre said.

For this reason, Marquez expects that Trumps support from Nevada Hispanic voters will be greater than in the rest of the countryeven though he admits the businessmans political organization is relatively weak in the stateand even though Clinton will still win the communitys support handily.

We need change. Hispanics have been taken for granted from the Democratic party for so long, he said.
Donald Trump wont commit to accept whatever result he gets on Election Day. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Democratic House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt say thats a perfectly reasonable position for Trump to take less than three weeks before the election.

Trump has been warning audiences at his rallies that the entire electoral system is rigged against him. At Wednesday nights debate, he refused to say he would accept the election results. I will look at it at the time, Trump told moderator Chris Wallace. Pressed for more, Trump added, I will tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense.

Some fellow Republicans have hammered Trump for that answer, but both Gephardt and Gingrich said Trumps on solid groundwaiting for the election resultsat least so far.

Weve been able to get through a lot of tough, close elections, but its reasonable to say, lets see what happens. [Donald Trump] has every right to do that, Gephardt said Thursday night after speaking at an Atlanta event with Gingrich near Gingrichs old House district. I hope and pray that this election will be seen as fair, that there wont be huge questions to ask at the end of it.

Gingrich agreed with Gephardt that Trump is under no obligation to declare ahead of time that the vote count will be something that he can live with, no matter what. Do I think its reasonable to wait, as Ronald Reagan said, trust but verify? Gingrich said. Trump is saying that he is reserving the right to exercise options other than automatically accepting it, which is exactly what Al Gore did.

Gingrich described the confluence of institutions that he says cannot be trusted, including the news media, the FBI, and past election results in cities like Philadelphia, as evidence that Trump is right when he says the system is rigged against him.

When you ask if the system is fair, I think the system is rigged, Gingrich said. Its rigged against outsiders, its rigged against conservatives. So if youre a conservative outsider, its reasonable to be cautious. And if that makes the news media uneasy and anxiety ridden, fine, they deserve it.

Gephardt was House Democratic Majority Leader in 1994 when Gingrich led the Republican Revolution to their first House takeover in more than 40 years. It was Gephardts job to hand the House gavel to Gingrich when he took over as House speaker in 1995, a peaceful transition of power that led to a tumultuous time in American politics. Both former presidential candidates themselves and rivals from their House leadership days, Gingrich was the hard-charging skull cracker, Gephardt was the low-key dealmaker.

On Monday night, Gephardt stressed that Americans should be able to believe the results of the election are legitimate once the vote takes place.

Lets all take a deep breath and go through this election and see where we are, Gephardt said. Weve got to get down to the business of having this election, and everybody doing their part to make sure it is as fair as it possibly can be and that people believe its fair.
NAWARAN, Iraq  Shortly before daybreak the armor-plated diggers begin to eat away furiously at the berm, or earthen wall, that runs across the road to Mosul.

The two machines painted in camouflage patterns pace back and forth, headlights darting around angrily as they plunge their shovels into the soft earth like hungry beasts.

Behind them, a seemingly endless array of vehicles has massed, with Soviet-era tanks, armored vehicles, and ordinary saloon cars bunched together. Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers stand around in groups, or try to catch some sleep in the back of their pick-up trucks. Before them lies the ISIS-held village of Nawaran.

Soon, the first berm has been levelled, its earth used to fill the trench that lies at its feet. The second and final line of defense soon follows, paving the way for the Kurds to make their final contribution of the morning in the war against the so-called Islamic State.

The autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq has been keeping ISIS at bay since its Peshmerga forces managed to stop the jihadists advance with the help of U.S. airstrikes in 2014.

In November 2015, the Peshmergas pushed the insurgents back from the territory administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and launched a high-profile offensive to retake the town of Sinjar.

Now, with the campaign underway to liberate ISIS-controlled Mosul, Iraqs second largest metropolis, the Kurds are joining battle, pouring down from their front lines that straddle the mountain ranges, hills and flatlands north of the city.

Their armored formations rumble forward in a multi-pronged attack aimed at surrounding and then taking the town of Bashiqa, and the Christian town of Telskuf further west. Narawan is the launching point for one of the pincers that will encircle Bashiqa.

The Kurdish advance is expected to collapse the Islamic States northern Mosul front. It will also allow the Kurds to incorporate stretches of the fertile Nineveh plains that they consider theirs, but which were under the control of the central government in Baghdad until ISIS rolled into Mosul and the surrounding areas in 2014.

Once the towns and villages in these disputed areas have been cleared, the Peshmerga will stop their advance, and allow the Iraqi army to pass through their lines to finish the job in Mosul. The Kurds say that Baghdad has acquiesced to losing the disputed territories near Mosul in return for Kurdish support in the citys liberation.

We have an agreement with the Iraqi government to move towards Mosul and take the Kurdish areas, says Ali Awna, a leadership council member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which rules the KRG in a coalition government.

As the sun rises at Narawan, a long line of vehicles springs into life, the roar of their engines filling the morning air. One by one, the heavy frames of armored cars lumber past the Kurdish fortifications that have kept ISIS at bay for the past two years. On the ramparts the Peshmerga stand gathered to cheer on their vanguard.

From two hills along the front line, artillery pours fire into a cluster of villages that lies in the gently rolling farmland of Nineveh province. Nawaran is barely three hundred meters from the Kurdish lines, a constant source of danger from ISIS snipers and suicide bombers.

Now, two heavy antiaircraft guns repurposed to soften up its defenses are pummeling the village. Plumes of white smoke rise to the horizon where coalition airstrikes have hit with dry thuds. A little further up the road in the village of Baremi, ISIS has set alight piles of car tires and pools of oil, creating a smokescreen to obscure the view of the warplanes preying above.

To the steady crack of the cannons, the column advances past Narawan, spraying the village with heavy machine guns before veering off into the fields towards a village in the distance.

A little later, a second column ventures forward, spearheaded by two U.S. Special Forces vehicles. Sitting in their state-of-the-art armored cars, the elite U.S. operators remain invisible, but their presence on the front lines in Iraq has ceased being a secret.

The increasing involvement of U.S. troops is also sadly reflected in the growing list of U.S. casualties in Iraq.The Pentagon on Thursday confirmed that a serviceman had died from a roadside bomb blast that day, the fourth US soldier to die in the war on ISIS in Iraq. Figures for the wounded have not been made readily available.

To prevent the improvised explosive devices that ISIS has littered along the advance routes from doing any damage, a huge bulldozer rolls out from beyond the old frontline. Thick plates of steel have been welded around the cockpit and the engine compartment, the driver peering out of small windows shielded by bullet proof glass.

The driver, 40-year-old Youssef Ismail, is an experienced hand. He has been operating this metallic monster since ISIS attacked the Kurdish region. The left side of his cockpit is scarred by the impact of heavy machine gun rounds, and his shovel has detonated a dozen roadside bombs as it scraped off the surface of the paths Youssef clears for his comrades. During fighting near the town of Makhmour, a suicide car bomber crashed into him, but the huge shovel shielded him from the detonation.

Today, Youssef will be in this bulldozer from morning to evening, he says as he leaves the road to clear a way through the fields towards Baremi.

More cars stream towards the enemy during the morning. The MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles), armored Humvees and German Dingos have been largely replaced by pickup trucks mounted with machine guns or light anti-aircraft cannons. The KRG has enjoyed some U.S. and European support, but has not been lavished with military hardware like the Iraqi army.

As the Kurds fan out into enemy territory, this lack of protection begins to cost them. By the early afternoon, a steady stream of ambulances comes careening up the road. One of the advance columns has been attacked by a car bomb which succeeded in inflicting casualties.

They target the vehicles that do not have any armor, says a Peshmerga who has accompanied a wounded comrade back from the front.

The ambulances continue to arrive all afternoon.

A pickup truck pulls up, its driver careful to steer avoid bumps and potholes, because a member of the gun crew is lying in the back, his head resting on the ledge of the flatbed, hair wet with blood.

A throng of fighters gathers around each of the vehicles that arrives. The cheerful mood that has spread after the advance units pushed out has vanished, and men look on with somber faces as casualties are transferred to ambulances that drive them to a nearby hospital. The Peshmerga refuse to discuss their losses, but it is clear that the days fighting has taken its toll.

As ISIS military strength has faded, the terror group has reverted to insurgency tactics that are obvious at Narawan. Short in numbers, the jihadists do not man a coherent front line, but defend villages with small groups of fighters who wait patiently until they can spring an ambush, and who move unseen in tunnels to launch surprise attacks.

In this densely populated part of Iraq, villages lie close together, and it is impossible to move far without being fired at from several directions. Suicide attacks sap the momentum of the advance, while the heavy mining of roads and houses further slows down the Kurds and makes it difficult to clear villages swiftly.

By the end of the day, only Narawan has been secured completely, and the Peshmerga dig in for the night within sight of their old front lines.

The threadbare ISIS defense will not be able to stop the Kurds from taking their objectives and claiming the land that they feel is theirs. But the Peshmerga know that victory in the final battle against their fanatical opponents will not come easy.
It was unlike any debate watch party Ive attended in the past, and thats the point.

What better way to understand what college students voting for the first time might be thinking than to join them in their environment, a classroom equipped with streaming video in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

The rural community is home to Campbell University, a faith-based Christian college that draws an increasingly diverse student body, and like much of the state is poised on the knifes edge of an election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Fifteen students assembled to watch the debate and act like a focus group. There was a vocal pro-Trump contingent, a couple of pro-Clinton young men, and a half dozen young women who were non-committal when they came into the viewing room, and who left without voicing support for either candidate.

Campbell is traditionally conservative, and it is a point of pride that in 1992 and 1996 the campus hosted conservative firebrand Patrick Buchanan in two of his quests for the presidency. The Students for Trump twitter account originated at Campbell, and though I didnt meet its founders, they regularly tweet mostly pictures of young women wearing Make America Great Again hats.

The clash between the progressive Raleigh-Durham research triangle and the traditions of rural Buies Creek just an hours drive away play out in the everyday interactions at Campbell, where I spent a week as a Woodrow Wilson visiting fellow, a program that sends people from different walks of life to small liberal arts colleges.

I just wrote a paper on how Trump is a post-modern neo-Fascist, and Im not voting for Hillary. I dont know what Im going to do, said one male student, who didnt want to give his name.

On the other hand, Alex Ruxer and his girlfriend, Christie Williams, declared themselves, full-on Trump, and both have already voted absentee in Connecticut. Marvin Tawney, a veteran who is back in school at age 42, is a registered Democrat who doesnt like Clinton. After the debate, he said he liked a lot of what she said, but worries shed be too quick to go to war.

He was skeptical of Trump and his magical thinking on the economy, and appears genuinely anguished about what to do on Election Day.

During the debate, the Trump supporters loved it every time Trump jabbed Clinton. The whoops in their maleness mimicked Animal House, reaching a crescendo when Trump wouldnt say he would concede the election if he lost. What Im saying is I will tell you at the time, I will keep you in suspense, he told moderator Chris Wallace. That drew laughter and clapping from the Trump contingent, amplified when the candidate muttered that he should have gotten those Emmys too.

No minds were changed because of the debate. Those who love Trump or even just tolerate him didnt move off that position. He didnt do anything any different or more or less outrageous than hes been doing all along.

While Clinton said in the debate it is horrifying that Trump wouldnt say that he would abide by the election results, and the talking heads all agree this is an assault on democracy, Trumps youthful supporters cheered him on.

I think Northeasterners mistakenly think Trump supporters just need to be informed in order to see the deficits of their candidate, but this is not the case, a professor at the college emailed me, as helpful guidance to a visitor from the Northeast. Beginning with the election of President Obama followed by marriage equality, and now Black Lives Matter, the Christian, male, hetero hierarchy has been shaken to its very core, he said.

His point is well taken, and the potential election of a woman president further challenges the established order. Yet these students are not monolithic, and just when you think youve got things figured out, someone comes along to challenge your thinking. Kenly Stewart, a history major with a minor in religion, sought me out to tell me what he had discovered about Clinton.

After seeing so much of what he called negativity about her on Facebook and Twitter, he took it upon himself to know more. Once you do further research, so much of those claims appear to be false, he said. Theyve painted her into a corner of being the evil untruthful person. After learning more about her long career, and watching Frontline, he concluded, There are reasons shes more secretive.

Stewart, born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, said the debate moved him more into the Clinton camp, with one exception. He said he was yelling at the TV when Clinton said there was no other incident in history where the loser wouldnt accept the election outcome.

Shes wrong, he said, citing the election of 1860 where we didnt accept Lincoln. That didnt turn out so well for us. Enough said.
Donald Trump has to deal with his much-criticized debate performance. His poor poll numbers. A national political director who has all but disappeared less than three weeks before the election.

But behind the scenes there are ominous signs of even deeper problems.

The candidates expenditures on legal fees have already caught the eye of campaign watchdogs, who say such unprecedented rates of spending suggest there are as-yet-unknown controversies bubbling beneath the surface of the businessmans organization.

The campaign financial disclosures for September, released Thursday night, seem only to reinforce those worries: The Trump campaign spent more than half a million dollars on lawyers in just one month.

By way of comparison, Mitt Romneys campaign spent just $1.15 million over the course of his entire 2012 presidential campaign. Trumps spending on lawyers now tops $3 million.

Hard to say if any of these legal representations represents a serious problem for the campaign, since we dont know the subject matter of each one, campaign-finance lawyer Brett Kappel told The Daily Beast. The overall level of spending on legal fees, however, remains extraordinarily high, indicating that there must be a great deal going on behind the scenes we dont know about.

Trumps legal fees would be astronomical for any conventional political candidate, but of course the Republican nominee has a knack for drawing controversy, and all the lawyers that entails.

His charity has come into question after being improperly used for political purposes; and the campaign has experienced unprecedented turnover among senior staff, including the departures of managers Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort, former Trump delegate manager Ed Brookover, and communications aide Michael Caputo.

But the legal nightmare may just be beginning. It was not until early October that a recording of Trump bragging about sexual assault was released, prompting a wave of accusers to step forward and allege sexual misconduct by the Republican nominee.

Trumps spending on lawyers has been distributed over a number of law firms.

The fourth highest expenditure for legal spending, more than $55,000, went to an organization called Parliamentary Strategies LLC, which shares an office address with Harvey & Binnall PLLC. Jesse Binnall, a partner at the firm, is a parliamentarian who previously represented Dimitri Kesari, a former aide to Ron Pauls 2012 presidential campaign. Kesari was sentenced to three months of house arrest and paid a $10,000 fine for a plot to pay for an endorsement ahead of that cycles Iowa caucuses.

Over the course of September, Trump spent about $320,000 on his primary law firm, Jones Day. The campaign spent $34,000 more on New York law firm Larocca Hornik Rosen Greenberg & Blaha. It also paid more than $70,000 to Chicagos Locke Lord LLP and $3,000 to Michael A. France Trust in Sarasota, Florida.

The Trump campaign also spent more than $21,000 on research consulting with OMelveny and Myers, a prestigious law firm headquartered in California; and thousands more for lawyers at Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, as well as Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk.

With just a few weeks left until Election Day, the Trump campaigns spending on lawyers portends a long road ahead for the Republican nomineeeven as the campaign season winds down, his legal troubles may not.
Back in September Bruce Schneier, an internationally renowned security technologist, wrote about hackers probing the internet for points of weakness in an attempt to have the ability to take the entire net offline.

A lot of people blew that article off at the time as unrealistic. That was before todays attacks which temporarily took down some of the biggest names on the internet.

People have tried to do this before, attacking the root DNS (Domain Name System) servers  the yellow pages of the internet  and failing. DNS underpins all our web browsing, the glue that points us to each of our favorite internet websites.

Whats happening today is hackers are explicitly targeting a company called Dyn with denial of service attacks  where a large amount of corrupt data is sent to overwhelm a company. Dyn are a cloud-based Internet Performance Management company, who provide something called DNS services to their customers. If DNS is like a telephone book, where you type in Twitter.com and get directed to the correct internet server, Dyn is the host for about a quarter-million of these phone book entries. Thats why big websites like Twitter and Reddit are misbehaving today.

What has happened over the last few years is businesses have consolidated to professional managed DNS providers, ironically in part due to the difficulty in mitigating denial of service attacks. This has created new centralized platforms for hackers to target.

And they are being targeted. Within the past month there was a distributed denial of service attack which totalled over 1,000 gigabits per second of traffic. Thats more bandwidth than many countries have. Its a staggering volume of traffic, multiple times more than anything seen previously. (In 2015, Arbor networks reported what was then the worlds biggest DDoS attack: 334 gigabits per second.)

This is aiming to become the new normal. It is extremely difficult and costly to defend against  only a small number of companies can do it currently.

These attacks are driven, in part, by the Internet of Thingsdevices such as CCTV cameras and DVRs being directly attached to the internet, with poor security. Attackers are hacking these devices, inside homes and businesses across the world, to create botnetsa herd of infected devices, which they can use to launch attacks. Criminals are also selling attacks from these botnets for cheap prices, allowing anybody with a wallet to launch attacks against targets.

There are many examples, but here is one. This is a map of undersea cables, connecting the internet together across countries:

On many of these cables, often laid a long time ago (the first submarine data cables were laid in 1850), bandwidth is limited. For example, the LION cable,  owned by Orange  which connects Madagascar, Reunion, and Mauritius, has a maximum capacity of 1,280 gigabits per second  and that bandwidth is divided up between landing spots and providers. These undersea cables are also extremely busy with day-to-day traffic. Which means, thanks to these new, super-sized denial of service botnets, weve reached the point where attackers can bring down nations. ,

In this case, it appears people are using botnets to attack DNS servers which host a large amount of websites. By private companies consolidating their websites into a small number of DNS providers, it is providing a unique way to attack core internet services.

Another issue is the attackers themselves. For example, the worlds largest sustained denial of service attack was against the website of Brian Krebs, an internally acclaimed security researcher and journalist. Akamai, his denial of service prevention provider, opted not to provide service to the website any more due to cost of mitigation. His website is now hosted by Googles Project Shield, which aims to protect journalists from denial of service attacks.

At the time of the attack Brian Krebs was reporting on a denial of service operation, where two teenagers were selling denial of service as a service to anybody who would pay.

When you have small groups of people with enough firepower to significantly destabilize the internet  where Western economies are migrating towards  it becomes a situation which is not long term sustainable. Serious action needs to be taken by government and industry. In particular, Internet Service Providers need to seriously look into the kind of traffic they allow out of their network  for example spoofed packets  and governments may need to enforce in law requirements in this area.

Kevin Beaumont is a Security Architect for a large U.K.-based company, with 16 years of information security experience. This article was adapted from a piece originally posted to Medium.
1

Trump Attorneys Ask to Bar Campaign Rhetoric From Trump U Case

NEVER GOING AWAY
A UW-Madison student charged this week with the sexual assault of a fellow student earlier this month turned himself in Thursday night after another woman told police he had assaulted her in February.

On Friday, a third woman reported that she, too, had been sexually assaulted by Alec R. Cook, 20, in 2015, police said.

Cook, who already was facing charges of second-degree sexual assault, battery, strangulation and false imprisonment in the alleged Oct. 13 assault, was being held in Dane County Jail on Friday on additional tentative charges of forceable sexual assault and false imprisonment, authorities said.

With the third woman coming forward, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said, Detectives will be recommending (Cook) face additional charges of second-degree sexual assault and false imprisonment.

All three of the women are age 20, DeSpain said.

The victim in the second alleged assault case came forward after learning of Cooks arrest on Monday, DeSpain said.

She told a detective I saw the news story and was empowered by another girl being able to tell what happened to her, that I thought I could now finally tell, DeSpain said.

The woman said Cook assaulted her in a Downtown apartment last February.

The woman who came forward Friday also said Cook assaulted her in a Downtown apartment sometime last year. Police released no additional details about either of the alleged earlier assaults.

Cooks lawyer, Chris Van Wagner, said Wednesday that Cook had nothing to hide and that the Oct. 13 incident was consensual.

In that case, prosecutors said, the woman and Cook studied at College Library before heading to Cooks apartment in the 500 block of North Henry Street around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 12. Sometime later, the woman told police, they began kissing but Cook became more forceful despite her demands that he stop, repeatedly assaulting her and preventing her from leaving.

After getting home, the woman told her brother by text message that Cook had held her in a death grip, adding that, I dont feel like I was assaulted ...I dont think. But I feel very weird, according to the criminal complaint.

She reported the incident on Sunday, four days later.

Cook has been suspended from the university, Dean of Students Lori Berquam said late Friday, adding that the university was assisting in the investigation.

DeSpain urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.

Berquam also noted that mental health counseling, victim advocacy and other services are available for victims of sexual assault on and off campus, regardless of whether they wish to report the incidents, at www.uhs.wisc.edu/assault.
Please note that only persons authorized by law may be inside of a polling location during voting. All other persons are not authorized and would be committing a class C misdemeanor crime by entering, Cascos wrote last month in a letter to Alexander K. Zakharov, the Russian consul general in Houston. We are unable to accommodate your request to visit a polling station.

Cascos was responding to Zakharovs request, dated Sept. 24, that Texas allow someone in his office inside a polling station on Election Day with the goal of studying the U.S. experience in organization of voting process.

In his letter, Cascos instead offered to arrange an informational meeting between the Russians and local officials. Alicia Pierce, his spokeswoman, said Friday that no such meeting was arranged.

Zakharovs office did not answer a phone call from the Tribune, and it does not appear to use voicemail.

Texas was one of three states  including Louisiana and Oklahoma  that turned down such requests from Russia, according to the Tulsa World.



The revelation comes in a presidential year in which Russia is playing a major role. Federal officials suspect the federation hacked into emails published by Wikileaks that have embarrassed Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons campaign, and Republican nominee Donald Trump has stirred controversy by expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Texas is one of 12 states that explicitly prohibit or limit international election observers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In 2012, Gov. Greg Abbott, then the attorney general, caused a stir when he more forcefully warned a group of international election observers  the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe  not to set foot in a Texas polling place.

UN poll watchers can't interfere w/ Texas elections, he tweeted at the time. I'll bring criminal charges if needed. Official letter posted soon. #comeandtakeit."
Wisconsins Department of Workforce Development will add apprenticeship programs in new fields thanks to a $1.5 million federal grant that Labor Secretary Thomas Perez announced at Madison Area Technical College on Friday.

The grant, part of $50.5 million in new U.S. Department of Labor funding for apprentice programs across the country, will go toward apprenticeships in the health care, financial services and biotech industries. It will also allow Wisconsin to expand its existing construction apprenticeship program, according to DWD.

In total, the federal funding will pay for 427 new apprenticeships in Wisconsin.

Perez touted the value of those experiences, which give students paid, on-the-job training.

Apprenticeship is the other college, except without the debt, he said.

Perez also toured an advanced manufacturing lab at MATC, and held a discussion with state workforce and education officials, employers, instructors and former apprentices to discuss the programs.

MATC, also known as Madison College, currently manages 946 apprenticeships, the vast majority of them in construction.
"Please pass the cranberry sauce, you white-privileged bigot."

No thanks.

Since our family makes it a habit to not talk politics at holiday gatherings, I will leave it to others to pollute their Thanksgivings with such unpleasant talk. The better place for such nasty political forums might be at Republican meetings across the country. After all, it is past time that my party confront the ugly undercurrents that led us to this point and have been allowed to fester in the Party of Lincoln for too long.

This November will mark the 50th anniversary of the GOP's cracking of the Democrats' "Solid South." In 1966, voters across Dixie rebelled against Lyndon Johnson's landmark civil rights laws and began electing Republicans to posts they had not held since the 1870s during Reconstruction. Next month will also mark the 50th year since the Reagan revolution was launched in California by the former actor's stunning victory over Democratic legend Pat Brown.

While Reagan voters were far removed from the Deep South's segregationist strife in 1966, that year's Golden State gubernatorial election broke for Ronald Reagan, in part, because of fears stirred by the televised violence of the Watts riots. Other factors such as the Berkeley student protests, as well as Reagan's own remarkable skills, certainly contributed to Reagan's victory. But few would deny that racial fears roiling Southern California in the mid-60s also contributed to that historic landslide.

For the half century that followed, Republicans across the United States got elected with the backing of working-class whites, usually at the expense of giving Democrats 90 percent of the black vote. GOP presidential nominees paid lip service to the needs of people of color, but candidates from Richard Nixon to Mitt Romney also benefited from the racial resentments of white working-class voters.

This year, that undercurrent exploded to the surface of the 2016 campaign with the nomination of a candidate who dismissed many Mexicans as rapists and murderers, called for the banning of a billion Muslims from the United States, feigned ignorance on the topic of David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan, and spit out other racially charged comments that diminished his chances in the general election while seemingly feeding into his support in the Republican primary.

As Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and I have said for a year now, there are not enough white guys in America to elect Trump president without the support of others. His narrow strategy worked in a 17-person primary fight, and it may have even gotten him elected president had their been a few other legitimate third-party candidates. But Trump's rhetoric seems to have limited his vote percentage to about 40 percent from the start of his campaign, and in 2016, that will not be enough to win.

Will the Trump candidacy serve as a wake-up call to Republicans? Did Romney's loss and the party postmortem do any good four years later? Of course not. But it is past time that someone in the Republican Party leadership uses his or her position of influence to hammer into the heads of recalcitrant members that a half-century later, Reagan's party is about to lose a presidential race's popular vote for the sixth time in seven elections.

The Republican Party must reform or die. Because if it stays on its current course, George W. Bush's fear may be proven right. He may be the last Republican ever elected to the White House.
Hillary Clinton is going to win comfortably. The suspense on election night will be over which red states fall into Clinton's lap and whether the GOP loses its Senate majority. Pundits, elected officials, activists, pollsters, the media and donors know it. The voters, by increasingly enormous margins, say Donald Trump is going to lose. (In this week's CBS poll, 63 percent think Clinton will win.)

Even some of the people closest to Trump know the handwriting is on the world. Donald Trump Jr. (whose own obnoxious tweets, jokes and comments suggest he doesn't have a political future, either) is already making excuses. Running for president, the Trump scion proclaimed, is a "step down" for his father. You do wonder why he is running, then. (Given all we now know about his business acumen, the lawsuits, the income in certain discrete years, his perch isn't all that high.) In any event, it's just a glaring rationalization, a pathetic attempt to tell everyone that even if Trump loses he wins.

Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has virtually checked out. She even went so far as to retweet The Post's Bob Costa's suggestion that "Bad hombres = Trump being Trump, Trump's other answers = Conway-esque." Usually, but not always, campaign staffers wait until after Election Day to throw their candidate under the bus and try to distance themselves from the wreckage. (A big exception was staffers on Sen. John McCain's team, who started trashing Sarah Palin before Election Day in 2008.)

One of Trump's most loyal flunkies, retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, could not even muster up the energy to defend Trump's refusal to concede the election. Reports Slate's Jeremy Stahl:

- - -

How to spin the possibility of Donald Trump refusing to accept the outcome of the election? "Who are you?" demanded Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Trump's military adviser who had once been considered a possible running mate. We were in the spin room after Wednesday's presidential debate, and I'd asked if he thought Trump should say he would abide by the results of the vote. "Who are you?" he asked again. When I told him, he continued to walk away without answering the question.

- - -

Flynn later insisted that Trump would accept the results, directly contradicting Trump.

And you know it's bad when even Bill O'Reilly ("You just can't play to your base, because your base isn't big enough to win. So that's the mistake he made and I don't know if he can recover from that." ) and Sean Hannity (who tried to spin up reports about a House mutiny against Speaker Paul Ryan, I guess to cheer himself up) evince lack of hope.

Even during the debate Wednesday, Trump himself seemed resigned, sarcastically wishing Clinton "lots of luck" with Syria, although he still cannot imagine a concession speech. Even his latest denial about allegedly groping women sounds half-hearted: "Discredited political operative Gloria Allred, in another coordinated, publicity seeking attack with the Clinton campaign, will stop at nothing to smear Mr. Trump. Give me a break. Voters are tired of these circus-like antics and reject these fictional stories and the clear efforts to benefit Hillary Clinton." The statement didn't actually include a straight-up denial.

Down-ticket Republicans might be looking on with horror. The turnout! He'll demoralize the base! The negative ads tying us to Trump! They should have thought of that months ago and dumped him. If they go down with the ship, it's their own darn fault.
A candidate who would get things done for the 17th District

Perhaps change should be what this election is about. Perhaps a change in Congress would lend itself to a group dedicated to compromise and "getting things done." Perhaps electing a Democrat from the 17th District would be one small piece of change toward making things better in Washington.

If not-a-part-of-the-Washington-elite is an important quality to you, then I offer you Bill Matta. Bill has spent his life focused on two things: serving his country as member of the U.S. Air Force and serving young adults as a college educator. The only time he has spent in Washington, D.C., was when he was stationed at the Pentagon.

If character is of crucial importance, then you can do no better than William Matta. He is a man of integrity and beyond reproach.

If an appreciation for diversity is a valuable quality, well, again, Bill is your man. Born and raised in Minnesota, he "got to Texas as soon as he could." He married a Hispanic Texan, and together they raised four children. He grew up chopping wood and hunting squirrels and ducks, and he went on to earn a Ph.D. from The University of Texas. He is a combat veteran who craves peace.

He truly does appreciate the differences among us -- ethnic, economic, religious, political. And I sincerely believe that he would be an extraordinary choice to represent us in the 17th Congressional District.

In closing, I urge you to look into the campaign of William Matta, truly an officer and a gentleman as well as a scholar and a regular Joe.

KENT HOEFFNER

Waco

College Station must ensure pedestrian safety on University Drive

Oct. 18 marked one year since two young adults were struck by a car while crossing University Drive in the vicinity of Northgate. It is worrying that the city of College Station has yet to make necessary improvements for pedestrian safety on this stretch of road which is crossed each day by thousands of students.

What are they waiting for? All of the buildings that are going up in this area soon will add a large number of additional pedestrians. We can hope that city management wakes up and expedites pedestrian safety improvements before someone else gets struck by a car.

Yes, it is the responsibility of the pedestrians to ensure their own safety, but it is also city management's responsibility to make sure that safe infrastructure is provided.

TIM TOUCHSTONE

Bryan

Looking forward to an ice cream cone on a January day

I just heard that Social Security will be raised one-third of 1 percent next year.

Whoopie do! Now I can look forward to buying myself an ice cream cone come January.

JOAN HOLTZAPPLE

Bryan

College Station candidates would serve the community well

I have lived in College Station for more than 25 years. This year's local elections have attracted many quality candidates. Our city is facing unprecedented growth and we need to be more proactive in solving some of the issues that are affecting our city.

I have had the opportunity to work alongside John Nichols. He is very active and committed to our community. John always does his homework on the issues and is open minded to create workable solutions. Since John has served on the College Station City Council, he has focused on the budget and finance issues as well as economic development initiatives. John would make a great mayor.

It did not take me long to put my support behind Jeremy Osborne for College Station City Council, Place 3. Jeremy's time in College Station began as a student at Texas A&M. He then moved back in 2012 to be an employer, taxpayer, as well as both a home and business owner. Jeremy's credentials are difficult to beat. He has a proven track record in making sound judgments regarding complex issues. He is very energetic and easy to know because of his friendly demeanor. I continue to be impressed with his knowledge level on all key issues that face our community.

Barry Moore is a graduate of Texas A&M University. As a small business owner, Barry understands what it means to meet payroll, create jobs, and balance budgets. He has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and he understands the importance of the role that government should play in creating a positive environment for businesses. He is very family oriented and committed in continuing to make College Station a great place to raise a family. Barry will get my support for College Station City Council, Place 4.

MICHAEL SCHAEFER

College Station

Observed mayoral candidate's leadership skills

I moved to College Station in August 1986. My husband joined the faculty in the department of agricultural economics where John Nichols was his office mate for a number of years.

After a time, John was appointed department head. I had the opportunity to observe him assume that leadership role well. John became very active in the community, serving on boards and committees. I watched him serve the city during that time.

I am impressed at how well he balanced the responsibilities of job, family and community service.

I was a young wife and mother who didn't know a soul in Texas before moving here. Carol Nichols and other faculty wives befriended me and helped me make my own way. I respect the time and effort Carol gave to me and her teaching me.

John and Carol are great people. They are honest, compassionate, hard working servants of the community. I have witnessed their actions and their integrity for 30 years. When my family needed their input and support on professional or personal matters, their advice was rock steady.

In the race for mayor of College Station, we have two fine people seeking the post. I like Karl Mooney. The city will prosper with either of these men at the helm.

My long-standing knowledge of John and Carol Nichols and the many ways they have served in our community tips my scale in their favor.

I hope you will join me in casting your ballot for John Nichols for mayor of College Station.

And I hope you will thank Karl Mooney for running a good clean race. If only all politics could be like this race, our city, state and nation would win every time.

DEBRA CAPPS

College Station

Candidates who care about neighborhoods

Over the next few weeks one of the most important things we do as citizens of the United States is to exercise our right to vote.

While national and state contests are critical, the most important election items are way down at the bottom of the ballot: the races for College Station City Council. In College Station this includes candidates for mayor and three Council seats. Over the past weeks you've seen numerous letters outlining their qualifications, so I won't go there.

I just want to call your attention to three of these contests. I know who will get my vote for mayor, but you can't really go wrong with either of the candidates, John Nichols or Karl Mooney.

It matters very much, however, that we support Linda Harvell for Place 3 and Joe Guerra Jr. for Place 4 on the city council. They are the only candidates who, through their actions and advocacy, care about our neighborhoods -- all of our neighborhoods.

Following the election, every other position on the council will be held by backers of the well-funded development and investment community. The people who will hold those positions are good people, but they concern themselves more with new construction and listening to developers than looking out for the owner/occupants of residential housing.

Don't take my word for it. Find out by studying the candidates and talking to your neighborhood representatives. Then, cast your vote for those who truly care about you: Linda Harvell and Joe Guerra Jr.

JERRY COOPER

College Station

Candidates with much experience are running

College Station is fortunate to expect continued growth for the future. The city council elections may determine how well we handle that growth.

According to his Linkedin page, Jeremy Osborne is certified as a real estate salesman and has worked extensively as a lawyer for oil and gas firms. Until now, his only political experience was as an opposition researcher for Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign. Neither on Linkedin or his website did Osborne mention any involvement in the numerous volunteer opportunities for the city of College Station.

In contrast, Linda Harvell has a long record of volunteer and civic involvement (which may be why six former mayors endorsed her) as well as running a successful small business. Linda knows College Station and when she talks about neighborhood integrity, she speaks with authority, experience, and feasible ideas for the future. I welcome Osborne's enthusiasm and hope he will become more involved with the city, but Linda Harvell has earned my vote.

Unlike Osborne, Barry Moore has volunteered for the city, serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. I worry that, as The Eagle noted (Oct. 16), "contributions from local real estate agents and developers play a large part" of his fundraising.

Joe Guerra is a certified transportation planner with nearly 30 years of experience, including five with the city of College Station. He is engaged, serving as vice president of the Castlegate Homeowners Association and is active in the Hispanic Forum. At a time when ensuring adequate transportation and infrastructure are two of the biggest challenges facing our community, we would benefit greatly from having Joe on the city council.

To ensure we do not end up like a sprawled, gridlocked suburb of Houston, we need thoughtful leadership for the future. Linda Harvell and Joe Guerra will provide that leadership.

JONATHAN COOPERSMITH

College Station
Certainly, dogma like 'It's all good' or 'We're all one' can blind us to the exigency of the planetary crisis and discourage us from making changes in our lives. Certainly, borrowed rituals and concepts of sacredness can be an insidious form of colonialism, a strip-mining of cultural treasure to compensate for and enable the continuation of our own cultural vacuity.

Can we be hard-headed Earth lovers?

However, such criticisms address a mere caricature of the thoughtful work of generations of philosophers, scientists and spiritual teachers, who have framed sophisticated alternatives to conventional phenomenological, ontological and causal narratives. Phew, that was a mouthful. What I'm saying is not to hide behind facile criticisms.

The fear of being emotional, irrational, hysterical, etc. is very close to a fear of the inner feminine, and the exclusion of the fuzzy, the ill-defined, and the emotionally-perceived dimensions of our activism in favor of the linear, rational, and evidence-based, mirrors the domination over and marginalization of the feminine from our social choice-making.

Part of our resistance to the notion of Earth as a living being could be the patriarchal mind feeling threatened by feminine ways of knowing and choosing. But that's still pretty theoretical, so let me share a little of my own introspection.

When I apprehend concepts such as 'Earth is alive', or 'All things are sacred', or 'The universe and everything in it bears sentience, purpose and life', there is always an emotion involved; in no case is my rejection or acceptance the result of pure ratiocination.

Either I embrace them with a feeling of eager, tender hope, or I reject them with a feeling of wariness, along the lines of 'It is too good to be true', or 'I'm nobody's fool.' Sometimes, beyond wariness, I feel a hot flash of anger, as if I had been violated or betrayed. Why? That wariness is deeply connected to the contempt I've described. The derision of the cynic comes from a wound of crushed idealism and betrayed hopes.

Intelligence and purpose reside in humans alone. Don't they?

We received it on a cultural level when the Age of Aquarius morphed into the Age of Ronald Reagan, and on an individual level as well when our childish perception of a living, personal universe in which we are destined to grow into magnificent creators gave way to an adulthood of deferred dreams and lowered expectations. Anything that exposes this wound will trigger our protective instincts.

One such protection is cynicism, which rejects and derides as foolish, naive or irrational anything that affirms the magic and idealism of youth. Our perceived worldview has cut us off, often quite brutally, from intimate connection with the rest of life and with the rest of matter.

The child hugs a tree and thinks it feels the hug and imagines the tree is his friend, only to learn that no, I'm sorry, the tree is just a bunch of woody cells with no central nervous system and therefore cannot possibly have the qualities of beingness that humans have.

The child imagines that just as she looks out on the world, the world looks back at her, only to learn that no, I'm sorry, the world consists of a jumble of insensate stuff, a random melee of subatomic particles, and that intelligence and purpose reside in human beings alone.

Science (as we have known it) renders us alone in an alien universe. At the same time, it crowns us as its lords and masters, for if sentience and purpose inhere in us alone, there is nothing stopping us from engineering the world as we see fit. There is no desire to listen for, no larger process to participate in, no consciousness to respect.

'The Earth isn't really alive' is part of that ideological cutoff. Isn't that the same cutoff that enables us to despoil the planet?

The wounded child interjects, "But what if it is true? What if the universe really is just as science describes?" What if, as the biologist Jacques Monod put it, we are alone in "an alien world. A world that is deaf to man's music, just as indifferent to his hopes as to his suffering or his crimes"? Such is the wail of the separate self. It is loneliness and separation disguised as an empirical question.

While no amount of evidence can prove it false, we must acknowledge that the science that militates against an intelligent, purposeful, living universe is ideologically freighted and culturally bound. Witness the hostility of institutional science to any anomalous data or unorthodox theory that suggest purposiveness or intelligence as a property of inanimate matter.

Water memory, adaptive mutation, crop circles, morphic fields, psi phenomena, UFOs, plant communication, precognitive dreams ... and a living Earth, a living sun, a living universe, all incite scorn. Anyone who believes in these, or even takes them as a valid topic of investigation, risks the usual epithets of 'pseudo-scientist', 'flake', or 'woo-woo', regardless of the merits of the theory or the strength of the evidence.

Of course, simply by making this assertion I open myself to the very same calumny. You can conveniently dismiss me as irrational, scientifically semi-literate, gullible at best and delusional at worst, perhaps knowingly dishonest, bamboozling my audience with learned allusions to impart an illusion of scientific probity to my ravings.

But if you really care about this Earth, you'll want to be curious about the emotional content of this judgment. What hides behind the contempt? The reactivity?

What moves the environmentalist?

Our discomfort with New Age-sounding concepts like 'The planet is alive' is not entirely rational, but comes in large part from a wound of betrayal, cloaked in the pervasive ideology of our culture. Is it true though? We might play with various definitions of life and come up with logical, evidence-based arguments pro and con, just as we could debate the veracity of anomalous data and unconventional theories, and never come to an agreement.

So let us look at the matter through a strategic lens instead. What belief motivates effective action and real change? And what kind of action results from each belief?

Most people reading this probably consider themselves to be environmentalists; certainly most people think it is important to create a society that leaves a livable planet to future generations. What is it, exactly, that makes us into environmentalists? If we answer that, we might know how to turn others into environmentalists as well, and to deepen the commitment of those who already identify as such.

I don't know about you, but I didn't become an environmentalist because someone made a rational argument that convinced me that the planet was in danger. I became an environmentalist out of love and pain: love for the world and its beauty and the grief of seeing it destroyed.

It was only because I was in touch with these feelings that I had the ears to listen to evidence and reason and the eyes to see what is happening to our world. I believe that this love and this grief are latent in every human being. When they awaken, that person becomes an environmentalist.

Now, I am not saying that a rational, evidence-based analysis of the situation and possible solutions is unimportant. It's just that it will be compelling only with the animating spirit of reverence for our planet, born of the felt connection to the beauty and pain around us.

The economics and liguistics of alienation

Our present economic and industrial systems can only function to the extent that we insulate ourselves from our love and our pain. We insulate ourselves geographically by pushing the worst degradation onto faraway places. We insulate ourselves economically by using money to avoid the immediate consequences of that degradation, pushing it onto the world's poor.

We insulate ourselves perceptually by learning not to see or recognize the stress of the land and water around us and by forgetting what healthy forests, healthy streams and healthy skies look like. And we insulate ourselves ideologically by our trust in technological fixes and justifications like, "Well, we need fracking for energy independence, and besides it's not that bad", or "After all, this forest isn't in an ecologically critical area."

The most potent form of ideological insulation though is the belief that the world isn't really in pain, that nothing worse is happening than the manipulation of matter by machines, and that therefore as long as we can engineer some substitute for 'ecosystem services', there need be no limit to what we do to nature. Absent any inherent purpose or intelligence, the planet is here for us to use.

Just today, the borough was removing trees on our street, and I felt grief and rage as I listened to the chainsaws, even as my mind said, "But after all, those are old trees and the branches could fall onto a person or damage a house. They are unsafe. And what does it matter? They are only trees."

So here, inhabiting my own mind, was the fundamental ideology of domination (the trees must be removed because they stand in the way of human interests) and separation (they are 'only trees'; they are not-self; they do not have the basic qualities of beingness that I do).

Look around this planet. See the results of that ideology writ large.

The love of life

The idea that our planet is alive, and further, that every mountain, river, lake and forest is a living being, even a sentient, purposive, sacred being, is therefore not a soppy emotional distraction from the environmental problems at hand.

To the contrary, it disposes us to feel more, to care more, and to do more. No longer can we hide from our grief and love behind the ideology that the world is just a pile of stuff to be used instrumentally for our own ends.

True, that ideology is perfectly consistent with cutting carbon emissions, and consistent as well with any environmental argument that invokes our survival as the primary basis for policymaking. A lot of environmental activism depends on appeals to survival anxiety. 'We have to change our ways, or else!'

Appealing to fear and selfish interest, in general, is a natural tactic for anyone coming from a belief that the planet has no intrinsic value, no value beyond its utility. What other reason to preserve it is there, when it has no intrinsic value? It should be no surprise that this tactic has failed.

When environmentalists cite the potential economic losses from climate change, they implicitly endorse economic gain and loss as a basis for environmental decision-making. Doubtless they are imagining that they must 'speak the language' of the power elite, who supposedly don't understand anything but money, but this strategy backfires when, as is the norm, financial self-interest and ecological sustainability are opposed.

Similarly, calls to preserve the rainforests because of the value of the medicines that may one day be derived from its species imply that, if only we can invent synthetic alternatives to whatever the forest might bear, we needn't preserve the rainforest after all.

Ultimately, it it's about the planet - not 'us'

Even appealing to the well-being of one's grandchildren harbors a similar trap: if that is your first concern, then what about environmental issues that only affect people in far-away lands, or that don't tangibly harm any human being at all?

The clubbing of baby seals, the extinction of the river dolphin, the deafening of whales with sonar ... it is hard to construct a compelling argument that any of these threaten the measurable well-being of future generations. Are we then to sacrifice these beings of little utility?

Besides, did anyone ever become a committed environmentalist because of all the money we'll save? Because of all the benefits we'll receive? I am willing to bet that even the survival of the species or the well-being of your grandchildren isn't the real motive for your environmentalism.

You are not an environmentalist because you are afraid of what will happen if you don't act. You are an environmentalist because you love our planet. To call others into environmentalism, we should therefore appeal to the same love in them. It is not only ineffectual but also insulting to offer someone a venal reason to act ecologically when we ourselves are doing it for love.

Nonetheless, environmental campaigning relies heavily on scare tactics. Fear might stimulate a few gestures of activism, but it does not sustain long-term commitment. It strengthens the habits of self-protection, but what we need is to strengthen the habits of service.

Why then do so many of us name "fear that we won't have a livable planet" as the motive for their activism? I think it is to make that activism acceptable within the ideological framework I have described that takes an instrumentalist view of the planet.

The Gaian love that dare not speak its name

When we embrace what I believe is the true motive - love for this Earth - we veer close to the territory that the cynic derides. What is it to make 'rational' choices, after all? Is it ever really rational to choose from love? In particular, is it rational to love something that isn't even alive? But the truth is, we love the Earth for what it is, not merely for what it provides.

I suspect that even the most hardheaded environmentalist, who derides the 'Earth is alive' crowd most vociferously, harbors a secret longing for the very object of his contempt. Deep down, he too believes the planet and everything on it is alive and sacred.

He is afraid to touch that knowledge, even as he longs for it. Often, his intellectual reasons are but rationalizations by which he gives himself permission to act on his felt understanding of what is sacred.

This person is all of us. I am no exception: the idea of a living, sentient Earth attracts me and repels me both, mirroring the polarity of opinion I observe at conferences between the nuts-and-bolts and spiritual factions. Accusations of 'naive!', 'softheaded!' and 'gullible' rattle around in my own brain, expressing a hurting thing within.

Maybe if I join the ranks of the critics and turn the criticism outward, accuse others of ignoring science and indulging in fuzzy thinking, I can find some temporary relief. But there is no real healing in that. I want to be whole. I want to feel more and not less. I want to heal these alienated parts of myself, so that I don't act from them unconsciously and sabotage the beautiful vision that asks my contribution.

Each of us (in an industrial society) wades against the tide of an old ideology as we dare to act from the felt understanding of our intimate connection to life, our interdependency, our interbeing. Critiques of the idea of a living planet make that struggle all the harder.

In the interests of honesty as well as effective strategy, we need to look at the fear and pain that that critique comes from. Then we can get people in touch with their perception of a living sacred planet, so they can feel the grief and love that perception opens, and act upon it.

Charles Eisenstein is a speaker and writer focusing on themes of human culture and identity. He is the author of several books, most recently 'Sacred Economics' and 'The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible'.

This article first appeared in Kosmos Journal and was republished by openDemocracy under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.
Safe Communities Madison-Dane County recognized five local organizations and leaders Thursday for their work to enhance safety for seniors, people in crisis and others.

The group presented its BeSafe Awards at the Maple Bluff Country Club.

The Founders Award was given to Lisa Bullard-Cawthorne, who was involved with the formation of Safe Communities and the Safe Kids Coalition. Bullard-Cawthorne was commended for her data-driven approach to injury prevention.

The Award for Advocacy was presented to the Alzheimers and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin for launching a Silver Alert system in the state. A Silver Alert can be issued for people over age 60 with a cognitive impairment who are missing. The alert is broadcast over television and radio as well as on digital billboards over highways.

Toya Johnson of United Way of Dane County received the Award for Collaboration for her work with groups to safeguard the independence of older adults and people with disabilities, to secure funds for local programs, and to aid the transition to post-high school life for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Susan Janty of UnityPoint Health-Meriter received the Award for Innovation for providing care to people with behavioral health needs and people in suicidal crisis. Janty helped apply the Zero Suicide approach at UnityPoint Health-Meriter, where staff members made follow-up calls and provided support to discharged mental health patients.

The Latino Council on Children and Families received the Leadership Award for its efforts to address addiction issues in Dane County. The council partnered with the Parent Addiction Network to provide a Spanish translation for its website, host informational radio programs on La Movida and lead educational sessions at the Catholic Multicultural Center.

The council also worked on suicide prevention initiatives and traffic safety summits for Latino community members.
Grab a homebrew with these Burlington Makers of Beer

The Burlington M.O.B.  Makers of Beer  meets nearly every month to discuss and sample each other's beers.
Public decisions  such as whether to allow snowmobiling at a state park  should be made at public meetings.

They shouldnt be hashed out and all but decided at a private dinner the night before a public vote.

So its good to see the state Department of Natural Resources ending its troubling practice of holding dinners for members of its Natural Resources Board on the evenings before board meetings. The risk and appearance of secret deliberations were too great to continue these social gatherings, which the public wasnt invited to attend.

Hobnobbing over food and drinks the night before voting creates too much potential for board members and DNR staff to discuss and tally votes behind closed doors  in violation of the states open meetings law.

Thats what opponents of snowmobiling in Blue Mound State Park, about 30 miles west of Downtown Madison, feared had occurred at a board dinner last January.

Former Blue Mound State Park superintendent Karl Heil and Blue Mound resident Kenneth Wade filed a complaint this fall with the Dane County District Attorneys Office alleging a violation of the states open meetings law. The complainants alleged that DNR staff had polled Natural Resources Board members on their positions prior to a Jan. 27 vote. And according to an email, DNR staff planned to attend the boards dinner on the eve of the meeting to answer questions and head off opposition. About 215 people had sent in public comments against snowmobiling at the park, which hadnt been allowed there since the early 1990s.

Cross country skiers, mountain bikers and other park users who wanted to preserve the parks modern tradition of catering to silent sports felt their opposition to the change had been undermined at the boards dinner meeting. The DNR didnt notify the public about the time and place of the dinner, so the public couldnt attend. And the day after the dinner, the board voted to approve a new park master plan that included a snowmobile trail.

Whether or not snowmobiles are a good fit for Blue Mound park, all sides of the issue deserve an open and fair process with generous opportunities for input.

The DNRs decision to halt the dinners will help restore public trust. So will revisiting the snowmobiling issue to ensure proper transparency by the board.

Congratulations to the DNR for getting this right in the end.
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CCH UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE  10/21/16

South Carolina amends its UI regulations regarding trust fund solvency

South Carolina has amended its Department of Employment and Workforce regulations as follows:

Trust fund solvency. This regulation provides details on how the income necessary to be raised each year to set state unemployment insurance tax rates will be determined based on economic conditions. In addition, the initial rebuilding period remains at five years, but any and all subsequent rebuilding periods will be four years.
You still have time to make it out to our local farmers market and if you haven't yet, you're missing out. Here are some of the coolest finds you'll run into around the region. It's not all just apples and oranges.
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WESTPORT  Clad in dark goggles, my classmates tried to put one foot in front of the other along bright, yellow caution tape arranged in a straight line on the floor.

During the second week of the Citizens Police Academy, I flashed back to my middle school D.A.R.E. days as we tested out drunk goggles. One thing I didnt remember was the stumbling started with the .06 to .08 blood alcohol content goggles, just under the legal limit.

Police Corporal Howard Simpson made a DUI enforcement presentation during the second week of class. While wearing the drunk goggles, many in the citizens academy resorted to airplane arms  a common move for a drunken driver trying to pass a field sobriety test, Simpson said.

Lt. Eric Woods, a shift commander, talked to the class about Westports patrol unit. The majority of Westport patrol officers wear body cameras, which Woods said have reduced the number of sustained community complaints almost entirely. Instead of going back and forth, the department will show a community unedited video from an incident to immediately set the record straight.

Theyre a godsend, Woods said, adding if an officer makes a mistake, body cameras let the department know and see exactly what happened, while an officer that did his or her job correctly would have evidence they acted properly. If an officer does make a mistake, Woods said, it matters to the department whether it was a mistake of the heart or a mistake of the mind.

Officers download and save all recordings, which are automatically deleted in six months unless they are part of an active investigation. Patrol officers can save, but not delete, footage. Woods said police use the cameras more often than not and encourage them on domestic calls and traffic stops, which can be dangerous and confrontational.

More Information Editor's note: This is the second of a 9-part series in which Westport reporter Laura Weiss takes part in the town's Citizens' Police Academy. Weiss will share her experiences with readers in this column. See More Collapse

Westport is one of a handful of area departments that uses body cams, and officers at the class seemed to like the policy and extra security of having footage to back up their word.

Tasers also came up during the presentation. Woods said not all officers are Taser-certified; the decision is with each officer. To me, that choice made sense given that to get Taser-certified, officers have to be Tasered themselves. Experiencing the shock of being Tasered helps police have confidence in the power of the weapons and know their power, so they can avoid overusing them.
NORWALK  Financial aid experts at Norwalk Community College will offer up free guidance to any prospective college students who may need help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Experts will meet students and parents at the colleges East Campus Atrium Oct. 23 from 1-4 p.m.
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NORWALK  Nirvana Spa was the subject of a prostitution sting Thursday, marking the eighth time the Main Street establishment has been raided since 2007.

A joint investigation between the Norwalk Police Departments Special Services Unit and Connecticut State Police resulted in the arrests Guishun Li and Lan Li, both 49 years old and both of Flushing, N.Y. The two were charged with promoting and permitting prostitution, and were being held in lieu of $1,500 bond.
Connecticut commuter advocate Jim Cameron in his column on Oct. 3 (A cheaper fix for a broken bridge) is correct for calling for a much less expensive option for the Walk Bridge. And so am I. At the first public discussion held by the state in the City Hall community room, I spoke of the rationale in fixing the existing bridge. I was told it would not cost less than the three other options.

I take this opportunity to hone a few points in his article. I believe the existing bridge should be analyzed for structurally enforcing FIXED and in-place without being movable to allow non-clearance boats. It evidently is as structurally sufficient as the remainder of the elevated structure now clearing the remainder of the Norwalk River. Fortifying it to be even more supportive than the rest should then be a simpler solution.
Democrats saw a surge in new voters in Pennsylvania as midterms near
The Yellow Dog Cafe & Bar will maintain its historic presence in downtown Worden, under the direction of its new owner Nikki Schreiber-Settles. A former bartender and server at the bar, Schreiber-Settles bought the business from her best friend after working at the establishment for eight years.

With expertise and support from the Illinois Metro East Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Schreiber-Settles closed on the purchase May 12.

The bar has been in existence for more than 100 years. Vintage signage and photographs hanging on the bars walls remind patrons of what the establishment looked like way back when.

Its a real landmark, said Barbara Schreiber, Nikkis mother. The Yellow Dog was first built back in the late 1800s when the railroad was going through. It has been known by that name ever since. There are Worden residents in their eighties who say they cant remember it ever being called anything else.

Schreiber and Schreiber-Settles approached the Metro East SBDC for assistance on a number of items including how to secure financing, build their business plan and budget for both the expected and unexpected. Schreiber said SBDC Interim Director and Small Business Specialist Jo Ann DiMaggio May spent a generous amount of time with them, asking about their experience, their needs and how she could help.

Jo Anns expertise was practical and invaluable to us, Schreiber said. Her assistance caused us to think through all the aspects of buying and operating a business. Jo Ann helped identify our strengths and weaknesses, and offered expert knowledge on how to structure and complete a monthly financial report.

The SBDC is incredibly valuable to small business owners. If anyone hasnt yet taken advantage of this no-cost service, it is truly their loss.

According to DiMaggio May, the womens work ethic and dedication to owning their own business is admirable.

They are eager to learn about operating in the food industry and took my advice very seriously, said DiMaggio May. I enjoy being able to guide entrepreneurs like Barb and Nikki and am happy to see these ladies succeed.

The Yellow Dog Cafe & Bar is located at 124 East Wall Street in Worden and is open daily from 6:30 a.m.-2 a.m., with the kitchen closing at 9 p.m. On Saturday nights, closing time is 3 a.m.

Music on the Patio is offered every Friday night with live musicians on the bars 65x40-foot patio. Mondays are also a festive time at The Yellow Dog, according to Schreiber, with 40-cent chicken wings and drink specials. The bar menu includes favorites such as the open-faced pizza burger.

A mens Bible study meets weekly and enjoys The Yellow Dog Breakfast, complete with biscuits and gravy, hash browns, toast and eggs. We invite any groups to come and enjoy the food and use our space for their meetings, said Schreiber.

The Metro East SBDC assists existing businesses like Yellow Dog as well as new ventures headquartered in the nine-county Metro East region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It is a no-cost service to the community supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

By aiding entrepreneurs and companies in defining their path to success, the SBDC network positively impacts the Metro East by strengthening the business community, creating and retaining jobs and encouraging capital investment. It enhances the regions economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. When appropriate, the SBDC strives to affiliate its ties to the region to support the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large. To learn how the SBDC can help your small business, contact the Metro East SBDC at (618) 650-2929 or sbdcedw@gmail.com.
As the presidential race approaches its climax, Greg Budzban, PhD, Dean of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville College of Arts and Sciences, welcomes Ken Moffett and Laurie Rice, associate professors in the SIUE Department of Political Science, to Segue for a discussion about political engagement among college students.

The 2008 election marked a tipping point for social media and its role in politics. Moffett stated that two years prior to that election, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and his campaign organization, got together with the creators of Facebook, seeing an immediate application of online tools to be able to mobilize voters. He followed this up by creating a Facebook account and using social media in ways that previously were untapped.

This provided an opportunity to investigate the ways in which social media affects civic activity, especially among young people. To do so, Moffett and Rice recently wrote a book, Web 2.0 and the Political Mobilization of College Students. They collected survey data in 2008 as the U.S. approached Obamas first presidential election, and followed it up with data from 2012. They collected data from SIUE students, and compared it against nationwide survey data to ensure that their findings can be generalized beyond a single institution.

They analyzed data gathered on the many categories of college students online activities, ranging from how often do students like or friend presidential candidates using social media, to how often students post online about politics. They found that someone, who likes a candidate for office or political party or joins groups on social media very frequently, is more likely to engage in one or two additional offline activities than someone who does not like candidates or parties at all.

Such activities range from actively participating in a political protest, patronizing or boycotting a business based on its practices, or any other number of civic activities. Because of Twitters growing popularity, Moffett and Rice found that African Americans were becoming more actively involved in political discussions in 2012.

We speculate this occurs because for groups that have not been as involved in politics, its because nobody asks them to be, Rice explains. Social media lowers the boundary of accessibility, making it so much easier to ask these groups for heightened involvement. By being active on Facebook or Twitter, suddenly, politics come to users rather easily and are now offering invitations for engagement. When these groups find out about political events, they are much more likely to attend.

Their research counters the common stereotype in American society today that young people are slactivists. Many say this because young people are seemingly on their phones all the time, dont use their time online in a productive way, arent productive in civic life, and their actions online do not lead to real world impact. This is false because the evidence indicates that the online political activities in which young people engage do lead to other forms of civic life, both online and offline.

The findings from their book have garnered national recognition. These findings have been acknowledged by the Mikva Foundation, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, and Illinois Campus Compact. In addition, their research has been profiled in recent articles on The Hill and in The Huffington Post.

The research has also qualified SIUE to participate in the All-In Challenge, which encourages colleges, universities and community colleges to increase the levels of civic activity and involvement in voting across student bodies. Depending on how well a campus does in that regard, a campus can receive different prizes and badges to be featured on a campus website, Moffett says.

At the same time, they are extending their data analyses to cover 2016 by conducting a survey of SIUE students. This will allow them to investigate several questions.

For instance, they plan to investigate whether Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders March 2016 visit created a Bernie Sanders Effect on civic activity among students. Moffett and Rice will use survey data from before and after the event to investigate how this on-campus political event impacted student civic engagement, student excitement for the 2016 Presidential Election, and variations in student voting participation. Their research will also examine the extent to which Sanders supporters transitioned their support to Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election.

For the future, Moffett and Rice are excited by the potential of their research to provide valuable insights to the success of political campaigns. Rice explains, There are a lot of people interested in, How can we get citizens more involved? How do we revitalize the democracy and get people more engaged in the political process? Our research shows ways that social media makes a difference, and were continuing to look at social media platforms to see which ones are more or less successful in getting people more politically involved.

The discussion concluded with contrasts between the Clinton campaigns more broad-based social media approach to the upcoming presidential election, as opposed to the Trump campaigns focuses on Snapchat and Twitter to promote the candidates messages.

In todays political practices, part of the success is finding social media mechanisms that encourage continuous online political involvement, Budzban explains. Weve all received emails encouraging us to do that, and I imagine theyre getting more sophisticated about targeting these messages. Eventually, there will be a shake out of which social media platforms are successful, and which are not. This research will help to establish those results.

As we are less than a month from the election, I believe we will soon see some of the most amazing political theater in the history of this country. Its going to be fascinating to watch.

Tune in to WSIE 88.7 FM every Sunday at 9 a.m. as weekly guests discuss issues on SIUEs campus.

By Logan Cameron, SIUE Marketing & Communications
As president of the Illinois chapter of USPIE, Weber is aligned with the STOP FED ED movement, a campaign led by parents, taxpayers, and educators committed to ending the U.S. Department of Education and Common Core, returning control over education policy to the states, where it belongs. Michelle Malkin serves as an advisor to STOP FED ED and there are 33 chapter presidents. The names and contact information for state chapter presidents can be located by checking this website.

Ms. Weber is a second-generation home-educator, single mom of six, and president of the Illinois chapter of the United States Parents Involved in Education ( USPIE.ORG ). For nearly 15 years, Cora has worked as an advocate for children by promoting awareness of the socialist progressive agenda in government schools. Weber is currently developing an initiative to guide and encourage religious institutions to adopt a more central role in the education of Americas children.

The Heartland Institute hosted a Stop Fed Ed event at the Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center on Wednesday, October 12. The event featured Cora Weber, who discussed her role in the grassroots effort to stop Common Core and (eventually) eliminate the federal Department of Education.

As Heartlands project manager for education transformation Lennie Jarratt said in his introductory remarks, Liberals believe that government is the answer to everything instead of the free market. As to why there is a federal department of education, its certainly not about children, Weber said. Control through federal dollars amounts to big business. The experiment with federal control of local public schools has gone on for half a century, and it has failed. Children have suffered by being treated as rats in some social engineering laboratory.

The fight against Common Core has exposed the failures of those trying to force a federally-based one-size-fits-all curriculum on states and local school districts. Even strong Common Core supporters realize the name is toxic and have accepted the premise that the federal government should not be dictating curriculum.

Remarks by Cora Weber

Webers initial remarks were accepted with nodding agreement by those in attendance: The present system is stifling instead of letting children flourish. Weber discussed the background Department of Education: In 1867 the U.S. Congress passed legislation to establish the first Department of Education. President Andrew Jackson signed the legislation that created the department with miniscule staff, resources, and power. It was a non-cabinet-level agency with a mission of improving American education by disseminating sound education information to local-and state-level authorities. In 1979, Jimmy Carter created an independent, cabinet-level U.S. Department of Education as a political favor to the teachers unions. It was not linked to the Interior Department or the Federal Security Agency (FSA), as the Department had been since its founding in 1867. Few remember that in 1980, Ronald Reagan campaigned for the presidency on a platform that included abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, as the department had failed to deliver either better test scores or more rigorous curriculum dedicated to academic excellence.

With the establishment of a cabinet-level Department of Education (DOE) came a 60 percent increase in education funding by 2015, but for what? In 1980, the departments budget was $11.5 billion. By 2015 the DOEs budget had mushroomed to $67 billion  a 600 percent increase  with these negative results:

stagnant test scores

huge bureaucraciesmassive

increases in the cost of education

In Retrospect: From 2003 to 2015, when Common Core was up and running in many states several years prior to 2015, the 8th grade proficiency level in math and reading was deplorable at 33 percent. Alabama, which traditionally has scored in the low 30s, dropped to 30th in the nation  making the state worse off than it had been before Common Core.

Weber asked: If the results from federal imposed education is so dismal, why dont state leaders just say to the federal government, We dont want your little crumbs? Some wonder how states will survive without federal education dollars. Heres how: 91 percent of education funding comes from state and local funds. The federal government provides 9 percent.  but with that 9 percent, the feds control 100 percent of the classrooms. Consider also the millions of man hours that are required to meet federal education mandates. Also, sending funds to D.C. and back to states is not efficient.

ESSA as Stealth Replacement for Common Core

Unfamiliar to many attendees were Webers remarks about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), legislation signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replace the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

NCLB breaks Common Core down into 11 different programs, which must all link with Common Core standards. There are many faults with the bill, which fails to fix the problems in Common Core. A required survey actually asks children how many times they carry a gun or a knife, and whether or not they wear a seat belt. Such personal information should be none of the governments business!

There was likewise a $25 billion increase in the funding of NCLB and a 2 percent yearly increase after that with no sunset. Despite glaring faults, which were noted at the time, Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) praised the bill to his fellow senators in a bipartisan agreement made with Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Because NCLB gives unprecedented power to the Secretary of Education, even if a state wants to establish its own educational standards, they must align with the 11 NCLB programs  which the Secretary of Education can then reject if he finds them lacking. Also troubling is that private companies were called in to create the eleven programs.

Cora Weber Pegs Department of Education As Unconstitutional

Providing guidance is an important part of what Weber seeks to do when making her presentations. She wondered why we are willing to let bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. define the term, and determine what education should look like. Weber further stated: The Department of Education is unconstitutional.How so? Because the 10th Amendment directs that powers of the federal government not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution shall be left to the states or the people. There is no Department of Education in the Constitution. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government delegated the power to regulate or fund elementary or secondary education, Weber said.

She also emphasized how the educational system needs to align with principles that never change, and not the system that bureaucrats are trying to impose upon the people. Weber further warned that home-schoolers are not immune from Common Core, which promotes relativism and socialism, as colleges are more and more requiring that students be educated in the Common Core method through admissions testing. The good news is that the free market is coming up with solutions to circumvent what is happening. To find out what a child needs to know to graduate for high school check here. The requirements for graduation in Illinois are quite lenient.

What Can We Do to Help Stop Fed Ed?

Suggestions from Cora Weber include:

Q&A with Cora Weber

Question: This nation was founded on the rule of law. What happens when individuals with great power and clout are seen as being above the law?

Answer: This nation must return back to the Constitution which represents the foundation of our nation. Law affects every sphere of our society as set forth in our Constitution. Presently, Weber is reading George Orwells 1984 to her six children. It is important that great literature be taught, because it defines who we are, where they came from, and where we are going.

Question: How can we circumvent Common Core?

Answer: Weber discussed a badge-based system. When a course is completed, and the student has demonstrated that he/she knows the material, a badge is awarded which can then be taken by the child wherever he goes. Churches, at one time, were very prominent in schooling children, and we must once again take up this mantle. It doesnt cost all that much money to educate children well. But there is a problem: Many churches are seeped in humanistic outreach and grounded in progressive ideology. There are however, lots of fine courses for free on-line.

View here the YouTube video of The Heartland Institutes Stop Fed Ed event with Cora Weber of USPIE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9PglRPYiC8

Coming Events at The Heartland Institute

3939 N. Wilke Road

Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004

Free, with supper included, but registration is required.

Oct 26, 2016

Women in Politics

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Listen, learn, and get inspired from women who are shaping free-market governing policies in America just days before the 2016 United States presidential election.

Nov 2, 2016

Alex Newman: Crimes of the Educators

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Come join Alex Newman, co-author of Crimes of the Educators, as he discusses his expose of crimes perpetrated by the education establishment against the American people and, especially, against American children.

Nov. 9, 2016

Heartland Movie Night: The Call of the Entrepreneur

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Dont face your uncertain, post-election future alone. Face it with friends at The Heartlands Institutes next Movie Night.
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Linkedin Hendri Yulius (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Amid efforts to criminalize non-normative sexuality by the Family Love Alliance (AILA), the National Police urged the government to ban gay online dating applications. The police claimed that such dating applications were aggressively used by an alleged pedophile, AR, to sell young boys for sex. They said the dating applications offered platforms to post and circulate alluring pictures to attract male customers.

This call was immediately followed by the Communications and Information Ministry banning three gay applications, namely Grindr, Blued and Boy Ahoy in an initial phase, with dozens others to follow. The ministrys director, Aidil Chendramata, argued that the applications violated the Pornography Law and the Child Protection Law.

Child trafficking, prostitution and sexual exploitation is not new in the worlds fourth-most populous country. According to UNICEF Indonesias fact sheetChildren in Indonesia: Sexual Exploitation (2010), in 2008 there were nearly 14,000 child victims of sexual exploitation in six tourist destination provinces. Furthermore, an ECPAT International Indonesia Report in 2010 revealed there were nearly 40,000 to 70,000 children victims of sexual exploitation in Indonesia, 21,000 of them involved in prostitution in Java.

Technology and social media unfortunately make prostitution easier among under-aged persons. In 2013, Indonesia was disturbed by the discovery of prostitutes aged 11 years old being sold for sex by pimps barely older than them, or aged 14 to 16. Facebook was used to attract clients, showing that social media also provides potential platforms for crime, including child prostitution. However, it appears that the government becomes obsessed about censorship only when it involves homosexuality.

While it is surprising that similar treatment is not applied to heterosexual or general social media outfits, the rationale behind this censorship also exposes a number of vague definitions and principles in most Indonesian laws.

According to the 2008 Pornography Law that provoked public debate prior to its enactment, the definition of pornographic content includes deviant sexual behavior consisting of anal sex, lesbianism, homosexuality, necrophilia and beastiality (sex with animals). It seems that the policymakers did not fully understand homosexuality, or even sexuality in general, since it differentiated lesbianism from homosexuality.

Read also: Unbalanced wings of Indonesian politics

The argument that gay applications violate the Pornography Law is absurdly confusing, since gay online applications, like most social media, are used by gay and/or male same-sex attracted people to socialize and forge relationships. And again, like most social media, gay social applications are significantly different from pornography.

In a similar vein, equating homosexuality/ non-normative sexuality with pornography could also been seen in the arrest of a male couple in Manado, North Sulawesi, after a photo of them kissing was uploaded on Facebook with the caption, With my dear love tonight. May our love last forever. These pictures went viral on social media. Nevertheless, although the photos are no longer available on social media, the couple could be imprisoned if found guilty in a court of law. Communications ministry spokesman Noor Iza announced that his ministry had asked Facebook to delete the picture. Predictably, the couple has been charged under both the Pornography Law and the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.

Similar with the Grindr case, a double standard is obvious. Displays of affection by heterosexual couples are not difficult to find on social media. However, space  both physical and online  has unquestionably been given to heterosexuality, while homosexuality and other non-normative genders and sexualities are considered to be in need of policing to avoid immorality and deviance. Take, for instance, the case of teenage social media sensation Karin Awkarin Novilda and Anya Geraldine. In their online videos, the two displayed their intimacies with their boyfriends, which also triggered moral outrage by members of the public, accusing them of spreading immorality among the young generation. However, although the videos possibly violated the Pornography Law and the ITE Law, the case seems to have fizzled after a closed-door meeting was held between Karin and the ministry and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI).

Heterosexuals displaying affection in recordings are unlikely to be charged for possessing or releasing pornographic content, while homosexuals, as stated in the law, can be easily convicted for so-called pornography. In addition to the multi-interpretation of the definition of pornography, defining homosexuality as pornographic under the law is also ambiguous. What kind of homosexual acts are considered to be pornographic? This ambiguity provides fertile ground to be used at any time to criminalize certain groups, particularly Indonesians of non-normative sexualities.

Furthermore, it is not difficult to find terms like akhlak (moral) and kesusilaan (decency) in most Indonesian laws. Since these terms share abstract qualities and are therefore problematic to assess, prove and enact empirically, they offer flexibilities to be used at any time to police certain groups. Furthermore, what makes Indonesian laws and policies more obscure is the fact that these abstract terms coexist with other words signifying development and progress. Take the ITE Law as an example. The law stipulates that as part of the worlds information society, every Indonesian should be encouraged to utilize information technology to advance their intellectual lives and cultivate insight and capacity. Nevertheless, it also restricts any person from distributing and/or transmitting electronic information/records with content that go against the so-called norms of decency. While what constitutes norms of decency is vague, the question here is, what if the norms of decency hinder Indonesians from advancing their intellectual lives, or even from benefitting from the world and knowledge development and progress, and even perpetuating discrimination against certain groups?

Abstract terms provide terrain for those in power to define and utilize them for their own interests. Similarly, along the vague meanings, Indonesian laws could also be easily used at any time to police certain groups deemed to violate the norms of morality and decency. If at present people with non-normative sexualities have constantly been the targets of a war against moral decadence, it is not impossible that this war can be expanded to any other groups, under the malleable definitions of morality, pornography and decency.

***

The writer, who obtained his Masters in public policy from the National University of Singapore, is the writer of Coming Out and a lecturer of gender and sexuality studies. He is currently pursuing his Masters by Research in Gender and Cultural Studies in The University of Sydney. See other writings by Hendri Yulius here.

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We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Jusuf Wanandi Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

US citizens have the right to choose their president, but since the US has a global presence, others, like myself, feel we should voice our opinions as the US presidential election is about to take place at an important historical juncture with one extraordinary candidate: Donald Trump.

Globalization has brought about changes that were not always positive. The gap between social classes is widening. The middle class feels left out of globalization, and the poor have become poorer. Unemployment has gone up in many countries, especially in the EU, and those left behind by globalization did not get what should have been promised to them.

It is understandable that the underprivileged are upset. We have seen what has happened worldwide: Brexit in the UK, right-wing revival in Germany and France, and now the Trump phenomenon in the US.

Another by-product is narrow nationalism based on race, religion and ethnicity. Emigration, refugees and international terrorism are manifestations of those issues. These are the reasons why people are disenchanted with the existing, political and economic systems and want something different. Trump got their support, especially from white, blue-collar voters.

The main issue is whether or not Trump is fit to be the next US president. Throughout the campaign and debates, he has lacked understanding of the issues, changed his opinion, lied and denied his lies and disparaged women. He has been rude and arrogant.

In the third and last presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Trump called democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a nasty woman and said he might not accept the results of the election.

The US is a global leader and therefore should care about international opinion. With Trump, the world can fairly ask, what is happening in the US? If America is unwilling to be a global leader, anarchy and conflict could easily erupt in the future. If Trump is elected as US president, one thing will surely happen: US leadership will lose global respect.

By comparison, Clinton, whatever her failings, is a known personality among the international community. Her foreign policies as Secretary of State are well known. One may agree or disagree with her, but these policies are there for all to see.

For example, she might be more assertive toward China, but then US-China relations have a multifaceted character, especially within economic and global issues, and competition in security, especially in East Asia. She is pro-free trade. She enjoys recognition at home and abroad as the most prepared to be the next US president, especially regarding international relations.

Between 1972 and 2010, I visited the US four times annually just to learn about US policies in Asia, which I thought highly of until the second Gulf War. Since then, I have sensed a US decline, and now I feel grave disappointment.

My critical views and disenchantment with the US began roughly a decade ago. I sincerely hope that Trump does not get elected because if he is elected, I will be completely disenchanted by the future of the US. I know countless others share my sentiment.

______________________________

The writer is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the CSIS Foundation, Jakarta. This article will be published in Forbes Indonesia Magazine monthly, November 2016
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Linkedin Colleen Barry (Associated Press) Milan, Italy  Fri, October 21, 2016

The Milan city council bestowed honorary citizenship on the Dalai Lama on Thursday over the objections of Chinese Embassy, which said the gesture would have a negative impact on bilateral relations and regional cooperation.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate accepted the honor inside a theater at the University of Milan-Bicocca campus before an audience of mostly students.

"I want to know what my right is, and what is my duty," the Dalai Lama said, getting a laugh when he quipped that he preferred rights to duties.

On the eve of his arrival, the Chinese embassy in Rome issued a statement saying that honoring the Dalai Lama "has seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people" and expressing its "strong protest and firm opposition."

Outside the theater, several dozen Chinese residents voiced their displeasure with the award, saying it was a slap at their contributions to the Italian economy. They waved Italian and Chinese flags, and stood behind banners proclaiming Chinese sovereignty over Tibet.

Tensions arose when a handful of Tibetan protesters approached the Chinese contingent, but police separated the two groups without incident, the news agency ANSA reported.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of leading a campaign to split Tibet from the rest of China. The exiled spiritual leader says he simply wants Tibet to have a higher degree of autonomy under Chinese rule.

Italy has been the favorite country in Europe for Chinese firms looking for acquisitions. Chinese firms bought 14 Italian companies last year for a combined total of $10.6 billion, according to KPMG, led by the $7.7 billion acquisition of tire maker Pirelli.

(Read also: 5 decisions that made the Nobel Prizes look bad)

The Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso holds his honorary citizenship certificate, at the Arcimboldi Theater, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. The Chinese Embassy in Rome has strongly protested plans by Milan city council to bestow honorary citizenship Thursday on the Dalai Lama, saying it would have a negative impact on bilateral relations and regional cooperation(AP/Antonio Calanni)

China has also invested billions in Italian electrical grid operators, carmakers, telecom firms and luxury brands in recent years.

In Milan alone, the number of Chinese residents has doubled over the past decade to nearly 29,000, doubling also the number of businesses, according to Francesco Wu, who leads an organization of Chinese entrepreneurs in Milan and joined Thursday's protest.

The Dalai Lama also met privately with the archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, as well as with Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala on the first day of a three-day visit that includes a series of spiritual talks.

He also is to receive honorary citizenship of the Milan suburb of Rho, home to the fairgrounds where several of his talks will take place.

In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told reporters that China opposes any official meeting with the Dalai Lama and asked that countries respect "China's grave concerns."

The Dalai Lama said in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica that the climate in Tibet "remains extremely grim and repressive, characterized by constant controls of Tibetans, who are denied many basic human rights."

"Whether they admit it or not, Tibet remains a thorn for China, which wants to play an important role in the world," he was quoted as saying.
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Linkedin Lee Ji-yoon (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)  Fri, October 21, 2016

Samsung Electronics is considering using LG Chem batteries for its next flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone after an unprecedented recall of its Note 7 due to faulty batteries.



According to news reports on Oct. 20, the Korean tech giant is talking with LG Chem for possible partnership in a move to diversify its battery suppliers other than Samsung SDI and Chinas ATL.

(Read also: Garuda Indonesia issues new ban on Samsung Galaxy Note 7)



We are looking at diverse suppliers, including LG Chem, a Samsung executive was quoted as saying by Maeil Business Newspaper.

In its first recall of the fire-prone Note phone in September, Samsung pinpointed faulty batteries made by Samsung SDI as the main cause of overheating and fires. But even after explosion reports of replacement phones using ATL batteries, the company decided to stop the sales and production of the Note phone last week.



When the first recall was issued, there was speculation that Samsung could seek help from LG. But considering at least six months of development period, it was unlikely for LG batteries to be used in the Note phones at the time.

(Read also: Samsung Note 7 recall to cost at least $5.3b)

Sources say it still needs to be seen until the final deal is inked between Samsung and LG, the compatriot rivals competing in almost all consumer electronics products ranging from smartphones to home appliances and TVs.

The two firms have rarely shared each others parts thus far due to possible tech leaks. Currently, Samsung is supplied with smartphone camera modules from LG Innotek, the parts unit of LG Group.

Samsung engineers are still struggling to find out the exact cause of Note explosions. Batteries may be the ignition point but diverse factors are believed to have affected the batteries overheating and catching fire.
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Linkedin Dee-Ann Durbin & Tom Krisher (Associated Press) Detroit, Michigan, United States  Fri, October 21, 2016

Self-driving cars hold the promise of saving thousands of lives each year on U.S. roads. But does pointing out flaws with the technology effectively put people in danger?

That claim was put forth Wednesday by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, who criticized the media for harping on the relatively few crashes involving Tesla's semi-autonomous driving system called Autopilot, while saying little about the about the 1.2 million people who die worldwide each year in human-driven vehicles.

"If, in writing some article that's negative, you effectively dissuade people from using autonomous vehicles, you're killing people," said Musk, who expects his self-driving technology to be at least twice as safe as cars driven by humans.

The comments came as Musk announced that all new Tesla vehicles  including the lower-cost Model 3  will have the hardware needed to drive themselves. The talk is bold but experts say it's premature until self-driving cars prove they're better drivers than humans under any circumstances.

"Over time, after the technology has established itself, one would expect there would be a decrease in fatalities," says Raj Rajkumar, a computer engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University who leads its autonomous vehicle research. "But this is too premature to make this claim. Tesla's technology is known to be imperfect."

In May, an Ohio man using Autopilot died when his Tesla Model S failed to spot a tractor-trailer crossing a divided highway. Neither the car nor the driver braked, and the Model S crashed into the side of the trailer. Federal investigators are looking into Autopilot's role in the crash.

There is evidence, however, that one day Musk could be proven to be right. While currently there is little data showing that fully autonomous cars would reduce deaths, there are studies that show computer controls can cut fatalities. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said it determined from 2016 police data that forward collision warning alone reduced front-into-rear crashes by 27 percent. Automatic braking cut the rear crashes in half and reduced injuries by almost 60 percent.

Tesla's Autopilot, introduced last year, can maintain a set speed and distance and keep the car in its lane. But the technology works mainly on highways and must be monitored by the driver. Autopilot will turn itself off if drivers have their hands off the wheel for too long.

Musk says Autopilot has already shown itself to be safer than humans. He tweeted earlier this month that Tesla vehicles have been driven 222 million miles in Autopilot mode, with one confirmed driver death. By comparison, the U.S. fatality rate in 2014 was 2.16 deaths per 200 million miles traveled, according to government data.

(Read also: Tesla driver killed in crash while using car's 'Autopilot')

The new autonomous system has been in testing for more than a year, and Musk said Wednesday it could cut worldwide deaths in half if all cars used it.

Rajkumar was skeptical and called the Tesla announcement "marketing hype." He said people should be skeptical of Tesla's claims because of the Florida crash. Self-driving technology "still needs to prove itself," he said, adding that it has trouble operating in dense urban traffic and inclement weather.

Consumer Reports magazine also is concerned about semi-autonomous systems such as those that allow a car to steer itself. The magazine believes automakers like Tesla "should take stronger steps to ensure that vehicles with these systems are designed, deployed, and marketed safely," it said in a statement.

One criticism of Autopilot is that the system gives drivers a false sense of security, causing them to be distracted and unprepared to take control in an emergency. The German government has told Tesla to stop using the Autopilot name because it implies that cars can drive themselves.

(Read also: Self-driving car hits truck in Singapore; no injuries)

Musk disagrees, saying the term has been used in aviation to describe a system that assists pilots.

The new Tesla vehicles will use Tesla-developed software and have more sensors. They'll have eight cameras  compared to one in previous models  as well as advanced sonar and greater computing capacity. Tesla says the system is fully autonomous and can work on city streets as well as highways. Buyers can pay $3,000 for Autopilot or $8,000 for the full self-driving system.

Tesla owners, though, won't be able to give up control of their cars just yet. The company will gradually roll out autonomous capability in software updates every few months, once there's enough data to prove it's safe, Musk said. The updates also would have to meet safety regulations in the U.S. and elsewhere.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, October 20 2016

Telecommunications giant Telkom Indonesia (TLKM) has sent a formal protest to the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulatory Body (BRTI) following a ruling to cut interconnection rates (Figure 1) in August by an average of 20 percent. Given Telkoms status as a state-owned company, the House of Representatives has summoned the information and telecommunications minister to question the interconnection directive.



At the moment, Telkom and the Communications and Information Ministry are currently in a dispute over the interconnection rates. For the three incumbent providers, the lower rates are likely to benefit Indosat Ooredoo (ISAT) and XL Axiata (EXCL).



As the government is preparing a new rule on network sharing, we understand that there is a possibility that backbone sharing among operators will be obligatory. We also expect the government to allow network sharing, including frequencies. We believe that these conditions could undermine Telkoms dominance in the outer Java areas in the medium term.



Furthermore, should these policies be implemented, XL Axiatas and Indosat Ooredos presence in the outer Java areas could start materializing in 2018, to the disadvantage of Telkom. Nevertheless, we believe that outer Java expansion may be challenging as it involves local knowledge, network and licenses.



Following Indosat Ooredos recent Rp 1 per second promotion, XL Axiata has just launched a Rp 59 per minute promotion this week. Although these promotions are in the outer Java areas only, we believe that they could disrupt the current rational pricing environment in the sector.



As Indosat Ooredoo and XL Axiata have recently modernized their networks in the outer Java areas and currently have low utilization rates, the two companies are likely to continue to cut prices to grab market share in this region. We believe that this could increase competition in the outer Java areas.



On a more positive note, we believe that the trend in strong data-usage growth supported by higher smartphone penetration will continue into the third quarter.



We forecast Telkoms revenue growth to be around 8 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the third quarter and 13 percent yoy in the January-September period.



The 2016 guidance is around 10-12 percent yoy, with the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin likely to be slightly lower than the 58 percent recorded in the second quarter.



We look for Indosat Ooredoos revenue growth of around 8 percent yoy in the third quarter and 10 percent yoy in the January-September period, and expect the company to book solid foreign exchange gains in the third quarter.



For XL Axiata, we believe that the first-half weak performance will persist into the third quarter on the continued absence of lower-value subs.



Despite positive sector catalysts in the form of its defensive nature and solid data growth on higher smartphone penetration, we cut our sector rating from overweight to neutral as we see increased competition risk in outer Java.

______________

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Linkedin Eddy Leks (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, October 20 2016

The agrarian and spatial planning minister, who is also chairman of the National Land Agency, recently issued Regulation No. 29/2016 on procedures for the issuance, relinquishment or transfer of rights over house or residence ownership by foreigners domiciled in Indonesia (Permen 29).

Permen 29 revokes a previous ruling promulgated early this year. Nevertheless, the writer views that Permen 29 does not stipulate more detailed provisions as per instructions from Government Regulation (PP) No. 103/2015 on house or residence ownership by foreigners domiciled in Indonesia but instead causes chaos and even deviates from the expected harmony.

Hans Kelsen, a philosopher of law, explains his theory on the hierarchy of legal norms by arguing that legal norms are hierarchical and leveled in one structure, where a lower norm is derived, applicable and referred to a higher norm.

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Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, October 20 2016

Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry demands that all government institutions immediately dismiss any civil servants allegedly involved in illegal levy plots.

Civil servants caught collecting illegal levies would be sacked even if there was no court ruling, Minister Asman Abnur said.

Asman said the ministry would hold talks with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN), which manages the data of civil servants nationwide, on how to process a dismissal that precedes a court ruling.

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CHICAGO - Soon after the Trump rally fiasco in Chicago in March 2016, a Trump supporter that was inside the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavillion gave an account of what happened from her perspective and shared it with Illinois Review readers. Her take lined up with what Democrat operatives described in the undercover videos being distributed by Project Veritas.

In the first video released, Democrat operatives described how they hired mentally ill and homeless persons to agitate Trump rally attenders. Outside, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) was seen stirring up the crowd.

Suzanne Monk reported on how these agitators worked to successfully shut down the rally and keep Donald Trump out of the building and out of the area.

First published on March 29 - the details are HERE, and this is Monk's conclusion:

There is NOTHING to be proud of in a riot. No protest that erupts into that kind of violence and hate has ANY dignity to express. And most sad is the loss of understanding of free speech which is protected specifically from this kind of physical suppression thru intimidation. I am changed after this. This election is not a debate. It is a BATTLE. The other side, the statists who demand larger government control and handouts, have drawn first blood. They are serious as a heart attack and will use any violent or aggressive tactic to win for their "leaders". They have no respect or understanding of Constitutional liberty, and many of them openly claim to seek to bring down society into anarchic chaos You may notice my tone has changed since Friday. I'm no longer willing to stand down while a mob of racists and statists try to commandeer our once great nation. America is a nation of individual liberty, and that fact will be changed only over my dead body. You will have to pry my freedom from my cold dead hands. And I vow to do whatever it takes to restore my nation to it's former plural glory of "one nation under God"......starting with voting.

The rest is HERE. Related Illinois Review stories
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, October 20 2016

In a bid to improve the miniscule aerospace industry in the country, newly formed Indonesia Aircraft and Component Manufacturer Association (Inacom) has committed to cooperating with Germanys firms under the BavAIRia Aerospace Cluster in knowledge and technology exchange.



The cluster covers about 500 companies employing 65,000 people doing research, development and production of plane components, generating approximately 7 billion (US$7.7 billion) in revenue a year in Bavaria. They are major suppliers for Airbus.



Provided its expertise, the German state can be of much help for Inacom with only 32 company members that consist of 31 component producers and the nations only plane maker, state-owned Dirgantara Indonesia, all of which employ less than 6,000 people.



Bavaria deputy minister for economic affairs and media, energy and technology, Franz Josef Pschierer, said as the biggest archipelagic country in the world with more than 250 million people, air transportation was the fastest mode to commute and hence the aviation industry should be developed.



However, the country still needs to improve infrastructure and train its vast manpower to accelerate the aerospace sector.



Indonesia can get huge profit from engagement in the aeronautics industry, Pschierer said, citing benefits such as solving infrastructure problems and developing the youth to innovate the technology.



That can give your country a new profile as a technology oriented state, he said after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at the Industry Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday.



Inacom chairman Andi Alisjahbana said the MoU would last for five years, during which, companies in Bavaria would help Inacom members develop more advanced components so the country could supply components domestically.



For old models, Dirgantara Indonesia has imported many components, but for new models, weve been sourcing them from the local industry but still its not enough, said Andi, who is also a director at Dirgantara Indonesia.



The firm has produced since 1976 six models of light to medium civilian and military types and 400 aircraft for domestic and ASEAN industry, under cooperation with Airbus Defence and Space.



Under the MoU, Bavarian companies, 90 percent of which are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), will help Inacoms SMEs in producing more advanced components. Inacom was established last year to focus on strengthening the industry.



First of all, most of our SMEs are newbies that never made components before and the remainder still need to attain higher qualifications to produce internationally recognized components, so we need to learn from them, we really need to catch up, he said.



Andi said the funding would come from the SMEs themselves. Bavarian firms could provide local firms here with technology to produce products. Inacom also hopes firms in Bavaria can open an engineering center to supply designs and ideas from local engineers as well as support manpower to obtain certificates, specifically from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).



At least two state institutions currently specialize in developing the aircraft industry: Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) and the Bandung Technology Institute (ITB).



Bavarias strengths are in the manufacturing of aero engines, aero-structures, weapons systems, more electric aircraft components, avionics components, aircraft interiors, cargo compartment solutions, simulation & training systems, avionics, satellites, launcher components and GMES.



Delegates from Bavarian firms are scheduled to visit the aerospace industry in Bandung, West Java, on Oct. 19, while Indonesian firms will attend the AIRTEC-International Aerospace Supply Fair in Munich, Germany, on Oct. 25 to 27.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Thu, October 20 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodo inherited an economy shrouded by the lengthy aftermath of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, with many countries worldwide still grappling with patchy economic recoveries. The Jakarta Posts Esther Samboh, Tassia Sipahutar and Viriya P. Singgih explore how the President moved from a dreamer facing many missed targets to a realist during two years of leading Southeast Asias largest economy.



From the get go, expectations from business players and investors were high for big changes from the new president who rose to power as a product of the reform era, especially considering the austere grandeur of his reform plans and targets, from economic growth and tax revenue to infrastructure spending, improved competitiveness and deregulation.



Two years on, the President has earned a positive reputation from his bold moves in structural reform, most notably the removal of fuel subsidies in 2014. Nonetheless, many other targets have been missed.



As the great poet William Shakespeare once said: Expectation is the root of all heartache.



More recently, the former furniture maker and exporter has become more realistic and pragmatic about the targets and direction of the economy, as reflected in the draft 2017 state budget, in which the Sri Mulyani Indrawati factor may play a big role.



Two years of unrealistic tax targets have seen a former tax chief withdraw from his position after meeting less than 85 percent of the set target in 2015.



A couple of weeks after her inauguration in July, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced a Rp 219 trillion (US$16.84 billion) tax revenue shortfall for this year and slashed Rp 137 trillion in state spending as a consequence.



The new draft budget for next year shows a moderate 15 percent increase in tax revenues to Rp 1.3 quadrillion, illustrating a more realistic and pragmatic approach to an economy still struggling to recover from a six-year low growth rate of 4.79 percent in 2015.



The government has also decided to be less ambitious in its spending as the state spending figure is set at Rp 2.07 quadrillion for 2017.



According to Deutsche Bank, the government has started to embrace a more realistic and prudent approach, as opposed to a previous tendency to excessive optimism.



This affliction [excessive optimism] manifested itself in yearning for 7 percent real gross domestic product ([GDP] growth, the expectation of surging foreign direct investment  despite nationalistic and protectionist measures  and a feeling of immunity from global market volatility, the bank wrote in a research note.



This led to consistently misguided macroeconomic forecasts, leading to questions about the coherence of the governments fiscal and monetary policy framework.



To turn things around and generate new revenue sources, Jokowi launched the tax amnesty program in July. The government expects the flagship program will create a massive windfall for the economy and its future direction.



Three months into the program, the government has met more than 90 percent of its declared assets target with Rp 3.7 quadrillion, and more than half of its penalty payments target with Rp 93.8 trillion.



This is a relatively successful achievement and could pave the way for tax reform as people have started to show their trust in the government, Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo said.





Meanwhile, the gush of funds from the tax amnesty may also be directed to areas not entirely favored by the government, such as capital injections into the participants own companies, property or the financial markets, analysts have said.



Jokowi would prefer, and indeed expects, funds from the tax amnesty to flow into the massive infrastructure projects his administration plans to instigate.



Months after his inauguration, the President scrapped over Rp 100 trillion in energy subsidies, considered by many as burdensome and poorly targeted, and redirected the funds into infrastructure and social spending.



Infrastructure spending in the state budget grew 63 percent to Rp 290.3 trillion in 2015 and 8 percent to Rp 313.5 trillion in 2016. Jokowi hopes to implement and develop various infrastructure projects throughout the country, including thousands of kilometers of new roads, new dams and toll roads in Java, Sumatra and Papua.



However, the same old problems are still in place, such as a lack of transparency, an uncertain regulatory framework and policy flip-flops.



The government can only provide 40 percent of the funds required for infrastructure development, while the rest is divided among state-owned enterprises at 20 percent, local governments at 10 percent and the private sector at 30 percent.



What the Indonesian government has to do more of is to understand what motivates private investors and create the conditions necessary for investment, consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) technical advisor for Indonesia Julian Smith said.



The story is no different in the transportation sector. Funding issues are making it difficult for the government to reach its target of building 24 seaports, 5,000 kilometers of railways and 1,000-km of toll roads to help address connectivity in the sprawling archipelago.



There is a plan to privatize the construction of 22 ports and six airports, since the help of private or state-run companies could cover the Transportation Ministrys financial lacunas in handling these projects.



The point is that we are giving foreign private companies the opportunity to help us with these projects because of our funding problems through a process involving governance, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said.



In a bid to improve the business climate, increase competitiveness and attract private sector investment, the government has, since September 2015, launched 13 economic policy packages.



The packages are also seen by many as industrialization efforts to revive the manufacturing sector, whose share in the countrys gross domestic product continues to slide, reaching 23 percent at present, from around 30 percent in the 1990s.



Some of the measures contained include the establishment of bonded warehouses, the approval of business permits within three hours in industrial zones and the allowance of foreign investment in the pharmaceutical industry.



Still, economists have said that while the stimulus packages will bear fruit, it might take years for them to yield results.



Bank Central Asia (BCA) chief economist David Sumual said regional administrations lacked proper information on the packages and this led to uncoordinated work in the field.



Most of these economic policies are created using a top-down approach that might not chime well with regional authorities. These policies could possibly remove a source of extra income for officials at the local level by preventing them from engaging in rent-seeking behavior. Alternatively, the policies might simply not fit with local economic structures, BMI Research Asia analyst Raphael Mok said.



After two years, it seems there is still a lot of work to be done, from reviving sectors with growth potential sectors to tax reform. However, Jokowi may be heading in the right direction in terms of deregulation.



Overall, economists are suggesting that the President avoid taking one step forward and two steps back in economic policy, because there is the risk of a middle income trap, or stalled development, facing his beloved country.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

As many as 106 Indonesian haj pilgrims who had traveled to Mecca via Manila illegally by using fake Philippine passports will face investigations by legal enforcers for their violations against both Philippine and Indonesian immigration laws, an official has said.

The group, consisting of 78 women and 28 men, would be temporarily placed under government supervision at the Haj Boarding House in Pondok Gede, West Java, said the Foreign Ministrys director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, in a statement received on Friday

The National Polices Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) and Law and Human Rights Ministry's directorate general of immigration will question them to prevent a repeat of the same crime, he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry had assisted throughout the legal process while the haj pilgrims were detained by the Philippine government

"What the Indonesian citizens had done is considered a serious offense under Philippine laws. However, through diplomatic efforts by the government, they were released from criminal charges and can return home," Iqbal said.

The majority of the pilgrims were residents of South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Jakarta and Lampung. Several were also residents of Sabah, Malaysia.

The haj pilgrims return in two flights. The first group had arrived on late Thursday via Philippines Airlines flight PR 535 and were accompanied by Indonesian Embassy officials. The second batch is expected to arrive on Friday at 11:55 p.m. (bbn)
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Linkedin Rini Winati (Bareksa) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

PT Astra International has revamped its dominance in the national automotive industry, thanks to the selling-out of low-cost green cars (LCGC). However, there is a risk of competition among the company's internal brands after its launch of new cheap cars recently.

From January to September, Astra managed to sell 422,494 cars, up 10.5 percent year-on-year (yoy). The growth was considered stellar compared to national four-wheel (4W) sales, which rose by not more than 2.5 percent yoy. The increase was mainly generated by Astra's Toyota and Daihatsu brands, with sales of their newly launched Calya-Sigra types remaining firm.

Hence, the market share of Astra has increased significantly to 54 percent from 50 percent a year ago. Astras position has been stronger since Mazda Motor was reported to be leaving the Indonesian car market, following Ford Motor, which stopped its Indonesian operations in June.

Astra's 4W market share

Source:(Gaikindo/Mandiri Sekuritas)

According to Mandiri Sekuritas' recent research report, the impact of cannibalization from the newly launched Cayla to existing Agya has been widely anticipated. However, Astra's policy continues to hamper the sales of the non-LCGCs, such as the Toyota Avanza, leading to the car-price decline of between 9 and 10 percent.

As a note, the Toyota Cayla  along with its low-end twin Daihatsu Sigra  was launched in early August. The seven-seater type may be more expensive than Toyota's first LCGC model but it is surely comparable to the mainstay Avanza.

Two other brokerage houses also note that cannibalization is a potential risk. Nomura Indonesia in a letter sent to clients on Oct. 18 also warned of some risks, such as car oversupply or potential cannibalization by new LCGC models.

LCGC contribution to national and Astra car sales

Source:(CIMB/Data)

Meanwhile, CIMB also mentioned a potential cannibalization risk given Astras current product positioning. However, the risk should not materialize in the short term as each model has its own segment.

The LCGC segment has continually grown in recent years. Astras models accounted for 75 percent of the LCGC market. According to the CIMB research report, the LCGC segment increased 14 percent yoy as of July and accounted for 18 percent of total market volume. The figures showed a wider LCGC market share compared with its only 16 percent contribution to the total market volume last year. (dan)

Source: Bareksa
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama aims to create hundreds of attractive parks across Jakarta in a bid to improve the capital's appearance.

Besides developing children's parks, known as RPTRA, across the city, the Jakarta administration has also engaged private companies to contribute to park development in the city through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.

"Jakarta must have iconic places. The parks must not only have greenery but also have a philosophical and historical concept," Ahok said during the inauguration of Diponegoro Park on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, which was developed by publicly listed tire manufacturer PT Gajah Tunggal on Thursday.

The newly inaugurated park is located in front of the state-operated Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

To make attractive parks as he envisioned, the city administration aims to have 180 children's parks in the city by the end of this year. The administration has involved architects to help create the parks, such as with lighting and suitable space arrangements for visitors.

Yori Antar, the architect of Diponegoro Park, said that he had used historical aspects in its design. He had used laser-cut Diponegoro sculptures with a batik design to attract park visitors.

"If we can make beautiful parks with a taste of art, we can take the parks to a higher level," said the man who also designed Kalijodo Park. (rin)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat have started to discuss their distribution of duties during the lengthy campaign period from Oct. 28 to Feb. 11.

I will go to villages and hold discusssions with residents. I will also carry out activities such as community service in residential areas. Meanwhile, Ahok will focus on approaching young people and will organize activities for them, Djarot said at City Hall on Friday.

Djarot did not explain the details of the program, but he stressed that the role of political parties would be very important during the campaign because they had members in residential areas who would actively deal with residents.

The pair is supported by four political parties  the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, Hanura Party and NasDem Party.

Currently, the PDI-P has organized training of trainer (TOT) sessions for election witnesses who will be deployed during the election on Feb. 15. Further, PDI-P members will visit every district to ensure the witnesses carry out their monitoring duties well.

Previously, Ahok said he would organize a low-key campaign by only accepting invitations to appear as a speaker if he was paid Rp 30 million (US$2,299) and provided with transportation.

If you invite me as a speaker, invite me to campaign, you have to pick me up and you have to pay me Rp 30 million, Ahok said. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

If convicted, 17 women from Morocco who were arrested by Jakarta immigration officials early on Friday on suspicion of being sex workers, each face a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.

We are still investigating their syndicate to prevent the spread of their [alleged] activities, Tato Juliadin Hidayawan, the head of the Central Jakarta Immigration Office, said on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com, accusing them of violating the immigration law by misusing their visas.

The arrest of the 17 women occurred after officials received reports from people who suspected foreign prostitutes were operating out of a nightclub in Senayan, Central Jakarta. They were arrested on early Friday with several pieces of evidence.

The fee was Rp 5 million (US$383)," Tato claimed. "They usually served expatriates.

He added that the Central Jakarta Immigration Office had identified a number of places in central Jakarta, like Pasar Baru, Pacenongan, Tanah Abang and Gambir, where the foreign sex workers operated. (bbn)
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Linkedin Cara Anna (Associated Press) Johannesburg  Fri, October 21, 2016

Until this week, no country had withdrawn from the International Criminal Court. Now two African states, South Africa and Burundi, have made official decisions to leave. Concerns are high that more African countries now will act on years of threats to pull out amid accusations that the court unfairly focuses on the continent. Here's a look at what it all means.

SOMEONE TO TAKE ON GENOCIDE

Many in the international community cheered when the treaty to create the ICC, the Rome Statute, was adopted in 1998 as a way to pursue some of the world's worst atrocities: genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Not all countries signed on, and before this week's decisions by Burundi and South Africa, the treaty had 124 states parties. Notable countries that have not become states parties include the United States, China, Russia and India. Some countries are wary of The Hague, Netherlands-based court's powers, seeing it as potential interference.

THE TRAVELS OF AL-BASHIR

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has become a symbol of the limitations facing the ICC, which does not have a police force and relies on the cooperation of member states. Al-Bashir has been wanted by the tribunal for alleged genocide and other crimes in Sudan's Darfur region after the UN Security Council first referred the case to the ICC in 2005. Since then, however, al-Bashir has visited a number of ICC member states, including Malawi, Kenya, Chad and Congo. His visit to South Africa in June 2015 caused uproar, and he quickly left as a court there ordered his arrest. The ICC has no power to compel countries to arrest people and can only tell them they have a legal obligation to do it.

AFRICAN FRUSTRATIONS, AND THREATS

Only Africans have been charged in the six ICC cases that are ongoing or about to begin, though preliminary ICC investigations have been opened elsewhere in the world. One case that caused considerable anger among African leaders was the ICC's pursuit of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for his alleged role in the deadly violence that erupted after his country's 2007 presidential election. The case later collapsed amid prosecution claims of interference with witnesses and non-cooperation by Kenyan authorities. The African Union has called for immunity from prosecution for heads of state, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at his inauguration in May  with al-Bashir in attendance  declared the ICC to be "useless."

HEADING OUT

Burundi kicked off the ICC departures this month when lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to leave the tribunal, just months after the court announced it would investigate recent political violence there. President Pierre Nkurunziza signed the bill on Tuesday. Now South Africa is deciding to leave as well, objecting to what it reportedly calls "perceptions of inequality and unfairness in the practice of the ICC." With one of Africa's most developed countries now pulling out, observers are waiting to see whether more states follow.

___

This version corrects to say al-Bashir visited South Africa in June 2015.
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Linkedin Lita Aruperes (The Jakarta Post) Manado, North Sulawesi  Fri, October 21, 2016

North Sulawesi Police have arrested two people suspected of involvement in counterfeiting Indonesian ID cards for 11 Filipino sailors caught on board a fishing vessel.

The arrest was a follow up to a raid on illegal fishing in September by joint task force Satgas 115, which stopped the DVon in the waters of North Sulawesi. On board the DVon, the task force found 11 Filipinos holding Indonesian ID cards issued by Bitung municipal administration.

Following further investigations police arrested the owner of the DVon, identified only as DL, and an official in Bitung Population and Civil Registry Agency, identified only as NL.

Bitung administration spokesperson Erwin Kontu said they would punish officials who were found to have helped counterfeit the ID cards. The regulations say we can fire them, and now the case is in North Sulawesi Polices hands, it is a legal process, he said Friday.

Other civil servants must learn a lesson from this case, he said.

North Sulawesi Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Marjuki said fake ID cards played a role in illegal fishing by Filipinos in North Sulawesi waters.

DL paid Rp 2.5 million [US$191] for each ID card. NL made the ID cards and got Rp 500,000 per card, said Marjuki.

Marjuki did not explain where the remaining Rp 2 million went. (evi)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

The governments ongoing efforts to eradicate poverty will likely yield better results with support from the younger generations in disseminating programs, a public discussion has concluded.



Speaking at a seminar held on Monday by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), World Bank lead economist Vivi Alatas said the contribution from young people would be crucial to address the countrys poverty issue, as they have the ability to persuade people to accept government efforts aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty.



Young people can create videos or post on social media to increase public awareness of the governments programs, Vivi said, adding that many people were still unaware of the governments programs aimed at eradicating poverty, such as the Indonesian Smart Cards (KIP), microcredit program (KUR) or student scholarship programs.



FPCI founder and former Indonesian ambassador to the US Dino Patti Djalal said that the millennial generation has an opportunity to witness zero poverty in the world for the first time in the history of the human race. This can only occur if three factors are accomplished, namely the optimization of technology, education and entrepreneurship.



Entrepreneurship drives people to takes risk and become more enthusiastic to change their current circumstances, he said.



Indonesia has seen the number of people living in poverty decline in recent years. However, the pace is slow.



The percentage of the Indonesian population living below the poverty line decreased by 2.11 percent to 28.01 million people as of March as compared to March 2015, according to data provided by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The number of people living below the poverty line currently rests at 10.86 percent of the total population, BPS reported.



The World Bank estimated that approximately 40 percent of the worlds population remains vulnerable of falling victim to poverty, as the income of this 40 percent stands only slightly above the national poverty line, set at Rp 330,776 ($25.4) per person per month.



Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who also served as speaker at Tuesdays forum, said the government would make concerted efforts to accelerate poverty eradication in the country.



The ministry, she continued, was focusing on decreasing the proportion of poor people to 7 percent by 2019 and reducing the countrys Gini ratio to 0.36 from 0.4.



Novia Eka Yulistyani, a 21-year-old student who attended the discussion, said she felt encouraged to take part in poverty eradication programs in her hometown Bandung, West Java.



I think I can contribute by teaching underprivileged children or joining local social foundations, said Novia, who studies international relations at Pasundan University in Bandung. (fac)

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George Soros gave Ivanka's husband's business a $250 million credit line in 2015 per WSJ. Soros is also an investor in Jared's business.
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Two years after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla entered office, there has been no significant improvement in Indonesias war against corruption, a watchdog has said.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) legal researcher Aradila Caesar said Jokowi had shown a positive intention to support the Corruption Eradication Commissions (KPK) works by, among others things, stopping the criminalization of the antigraft bodys investigators. The President also rejected the revision of Government Regulation (PP) No.99/2012 on remission, which aims to ease remission procedures for special crime perpetrators, including graft convicts.

The researcher said one of real challenges of Indonesias antigraft movement lied in the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) and the National Polices failing to effectively take their investigations into corruption cases to a prosecution stage. This problem resulted from a feud between the KPK and the police in 2015.

AGO and the National Police reforms and the completion of big-fish corruption case investigations should be a priority for the Jokowi-Kalla administration. The evaluation of the national anticorruption movement should also be in line with the Nawacita [Jokowi's Nine Priority Agenda Items]," Aradila said.

In its corruption case law enforcement trend report for the first semester of 2016, the ICW recorded 210 corruption cases investigated by the KPK, National Police and AGO, with state-losses amounting up to Rp 890.5 billion (US$ 68.5 million) and 500 suspects. It shows a decrease compared to the first semester of last year, during which it recorded 229 total cases involving 595 suspects and state losses of up to Rp 3.9 trillion.

ICW monitoring during the second semester of 2015 revealed that 911 corruption cases were investigated from 2010 to 2015. However, only 151 cases or 17 percent of the total entered the prosecution stage while 755 cases or 82 percent remained in the investigation stage.

Indonesias law enforcement of corruption cases has not yet shown significant improvements. The vast majority of graft cases being investigated are small-scale corruption, while big-fish corruptors remain untouched by the police and AGO," ICW investigation division staff Wana Alamsyah said. (ebf)
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

The United States would ensure that it sustains good relations with Indonesia under the new administration with the help of its newly appointed ambassador to ease the transition and is expected to continue its rebalancing policy toward the Asia-Pacific region, as the country is set to vote for its new president next month, officials have said.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, W. Patrick Murphy, who is currently in Jakarta, said good relations between the US and Indonesia would be sustained through the political transition currently taking place as elections are set for Nov. 8.

President Barack Obama has great confidence in the relationship and has appointed a "spectacular" career diplomat, Joseph Donovan, as the next US Ambassador to Indonesia, who is entrusted to strengthen cooperations, including in areas of trade and commerce, he said.

"This is a projection of our confidence in the relationship, to send such a senior qualified diplomat. And that will carry us through beyond our own political transition that is under way in the United States," Murphy told reporters on Thursday, without specifying a date of the ambassador's expected arrival.

Donovan has largely built his career in the US Foreign Service around East Asian affairs.

The embassy's Charge d'Affairs Brian McFeeters said there would be continuity in the bilateral ties with the next president regardless of political affiliation, noting that relations have been steadily growing over the past two presidents - Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Obama.

"And that's because, in general, foreign policy is bipartisan [...] there's not a lot of democratic or republican foreign policy issues - although there are some - so we see a strong continuation," McFeeters told The Jakarta Post. (dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Energy and mineral resources sector is vulnerable to illegal levies, as people often deal with red tape when applying for numerous permits, experts said on Friday.

The process of applying for mineral and coal mining permits, product mining licenses and other types of permits usually have vague time frames, Fabby Tumiwa, the executive director from the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) said.

Basically, this sector is prone to illegal levies because a huge effort is needed to obtain certain permits. The permits usually have high economic value, he explained.

As people face hurdles to obtain permits, they may find shortcuts by bribing state apparatuses, he said.

Maryati Abdullah, the coordinator for civil society organization Publish What You Pay Indonesia, said that the government has to create transparent procedures to combat illegal levies.

The government should provide an online system to minimize interaction between its officials and customers. Service standard processing times should also be published online, she said.

On Friday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto announced that President Joko Jokowi Widodo has signed presidential regulation No. 87 on Tim Saber Pungli (Eradication of Illegal Fees Team), as stated by Kompas.

The action shows the governments seriousness in combating illegal levies that have been rampant long before the President took office in 2014. (win/bbn)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Some regulations issued under the administration of President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have the potential to hamper the nations commitment to eradicating corruption, a watchdog has said.

The two regulations, namely Presidential Decree (Perpres) No.3/2016 and Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.1/2016, which both aim to accelerate strategic national projects, are loaded with business and economic interests and threaten antigraft efforts, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said.

ICW legal researcher Lalola Easter said Perpres No. 3 had the potential to downgrade graft cases and turn them into administrative violations while according to the 2001 Anticorruption Law, the restitution of state losses would not erase the criminal status of someone who had violated the law.

She referred to Article 31 (9) of the Perpres No.3, which states that if a person is found guilty of committing maladministration that causes a state financial loss as proven by a Government Internal Oversight Body (APIP) investigation, he or she must complete administrative procedures and return the state loss in a maximum of 10 days after the APIP investigation.

The Jokowi-Kalla administration has the tendency to focus more on the economy and investment. We should scrutinize this as it is possible that these regulations were issued only as a support system for economic policies being pushed by the government," Lalola said on Thursday.

ICW investigation division staff Wana Alamsyah further explained Article 6 (1) Inpres No.1 that stipulates that law enforcers should first take administrative processes, in accordance with Law No. 30/2014 on public administration, before they investigate allegations of power abuses in the implementation of national strategic projects.

While in point 5 of the article, it is stipulated that the results of a preliminary examination into a person who is suspected of committing an abuse of power should not be made public before it enters the investigation phase, he went on.

Wana said both points could be considered an anti-criminalization regulation package as they provided impunity for perpetrators and contradicted accountability and transparency principles. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama said Thursday that he had reported several contractors in charge of constructing low-cost public apartment complexes after he suspected them of foul play.

We have blacklisted them. Besides having them blacklisted, we also reported some of them to Bareskrim [the Criminal Investigation Department], Ahok was quoted by Kompas.com as saying at City Hall on Thursday.

The governor did not detail the specific reasons the administration had reported the contractors. But he said he had ordered that construction of some of the low-cost rental apartment complexes be halted because of the results of a recent audit.

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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

After months of debate over a plan to strengthen military involvement in counterterrorism measures, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved six conditions under which soldiers could step in and arrest assailants.

The new role, which will be included in the Terrorism Law revision, will go beyond what is mandated in the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, which only allows soldiers to assist terrorism operations under the command of the National Police.

If the proposal goes to the plenary session for passage in the next sitting session next month, the TNI will be allowed to launch their own operations in terrorism attacks involving the president, vice president and their families; Indonesian citizens abroad; Indonesian Embassies; Indonesian ships and airplanes and foreign ships and airplanes in the countrys territory. It will also allow the military to step in if a terrorist act extends beyond the countrys territory but threatens national sovereignty and security.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

The countrys second largest mobile phone provider, Indosat, has rejected allegations of cartel practices made by the business competition watchdog in its preliminary investigation, a company spokesperson has said.

The allegations of cartel practices against Indosat Ooredoo are untrue. Our business has never been involved with such practices, Deva Rachman GH Corp Communications Indosat Ooredoo told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) head Syarkawi Rauf said earlier that a task force was conducting a preliminary investigation into suspected cartel practices committed by telecommunications operators XL Axiata and Indosat Ooredoo.

We are still collecting information. Our focus is to question the motive of establishing the joint venture One Indonesia Synergy [OIS], Syarkawi said on Thursday.

(Read also: KPPU investigates suspected cartel practices of XL Axiata, Indosat Ooredoo)

Deva argued that OISs had been established through consultation with the KPPU to ensure the company did not violate the rules of competition, as stated in Law No. 5/1999.

The [previous] consultation concluded that PT OIS had not violated the law, she said, adding that Indosat Ooredoo had obeyed all regulations and applied good corporate governance principles.

On Tuesday, the KPPU summoned XL Axiata representatives to its headquarters in Jakarta to gain more information about the case. Indosat Ooredoo had answered its summons a day before. (dan)
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Linkedin Jusuf Wanandi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

US citizens have the right to choose their president, but since the US has a global presence, others, like myself, feel we should voice our opinions as the US presidential election is about to take place at an important historical juncture with one extraordinary candidate: Donald Trump.

Globalization has brought about changes that were not always positive. The gap between social classes is widening. The middle class feels left out of globalization, and the poor have become poorer. Unemployment has gone up in many countries, especially in the EU, and those left behind by globalization did not get what should have been promised to them.

It is understandable that the underprivileged are upset. We have seen what has happened worldwide: Brexit in the UK, right-wing revival in Germany and France, and now the Trump phenomenon in the US.

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Linkedin Indra Budiari and Margareth Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

The National Police are digging deeper to find out if the knife attack that injured three officers in Cikokol, Tangerang, Banten, had any links with the Islamic State (IS) radical group, also hinting that the perpetrator could have connections with existing terrorist groups in the country.

It was 7:10 a.m. on Thursday when a man, identified as Sultan Azianzah, suddenly attacked Chief Brig. Sukardi and First Insp. Bambang Heriadi, two on-duty officers who were directing traffic in Cikokol.

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

The government plans to revamp the system for applying for public services by basing it on information technology in an effort to combat illegal levies charged in various sector, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Asman Abnur said.

The online platform, which would be used to apply for permits and public services ranging from ID cards, land certificates and shipments to healthcare, is meant to stop direct contact between civil servants in charge of such services and citizens submitting applications, Asman said.

The current conventional system, in which citizens meet on-duty officials to get applications processed, had allowed negotiations through which bureaucrats often demanded illegal levies, claiming they would the process faster and smoother, Asman said.

"With this online mechanism, the public will no longer have to come and meet [with bureaucrats] to submit applications since the whole process can be done through this IT-based system. It's also more transparent," Asman told journalists on Friday.

Through the system, citizens could watch over the process to monitor when the application was received by the concerned officials, the completion of requirements and when the requested document would be issued, Asman said.

Financial transactions would also be done through an online mechanism, since the government would cooperate with banks that would accommodate the transactions, Asman said. Applicants could just bring the proof of transaction in order to obtain the requested document, he added. (evi)
OAS Announcement Regarding Nicaragua Dialogue

Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the news that the Organization of American States will engage in dialogue with Nicaragua on its electoral process.

We urge the government of Nicaragua to engage in open and broadly inclusive discussions with the OAS about the electoral process. We continue to call on the Nicaraguan government to respect the voices of its people and to create a more open environment for free, fair, and transparent elections that allow the Nicaraguan people to determine the future of their country.
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Linkedin Corry Elyda & Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

State Administrative High Court (PTTUN) judges have approved an appeal from the Jakarta administration and PT Muara Wisesa Samudra (MWS) regarding to the retraction of construction permit of Islet G, part of the controversial Jakarta Bay reclamation project.

Presiding judge Kadar Slamet said in the verdict issued last Monday that the panel of judges did not agree with the decision of the previous court.

Kadar said the verdict was invalid as it was proposed by the plaintiffs  fishermen and activists grouped under the Coalition for Saving Jakarta Bay  more than 90 days after they learned about the permit and the project.

When the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit at PTUN Jakarta on Sept. 16, 2015, all people, including the plaintiffs and public knew that that Islet G had been created a long time ago, he said.

He added that this meant the plaintiffs had known the project far before it was announced by the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA) on June 18.

The judge also stated that there was another legally binding verdict regarding the plan in March 2015 by another plaintiff, the Jakarta Monitoring Network (JMN).

Therefore, the court accepts the appeal proposals of the defendants and annuls the previous verdict of the Jakarta State Administrative Court, it says.

The verdict also states that the postponement of the Islet G construction permit is no longer valid.

Meanwhile, Jakarta legal agency head Yayan Yuhana said that should the fishermen and activists not file a cassation at the Supreme Court, the decision of State Administrative High Court would be final and binding. However, if they want to file a cassation, the administration is ready to face them in court, she said.

In a court ruling issued on June 31 in favor of local fishermen in Jakarta Bay, the PTUN ordered the developer of Islet G, MWS, a subsidiary of property giant Agung Podomoro Land, to halt its reclamation activities because of the environmental damage and social impacts it was causing, as well as its lack of legal standing. The court also ordered Ahok to revoke the citys permit for the development, issued in December 2014. (dmr)
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Efforts to boost infrastructure development will get another push after Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) announced its commitment to provide Southeast Asias largest economy with up to US$3.7 billion in loans this year.

The Japanese public financial institution said it would seek opportunities to fund major infrastructure projects in Indonesia, such as the construction of power plants, railways and toll roads, under the public private partnership (PPP) scheme.

The [source of ] funding for [Indonesian] infrastructure development has shifted from government bonds to the PPP scheme or funding without government guarantee, JBIC CEO Tadashi Maeda said on Thursday, citing Indonesias budget deficit threshold of 3 percent as a part of the reason.

The bank signed on Thursday a loan agreement with state electricity firm PLN to provide $310 million in loans from JBIC-led syndicated banks to finance the construction of PLNs 800-megawatt (MW) gas and steam-turbine power plant in Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, expected to be completed by 2019.

The loan will mature in 15 years and cover 70 percent of funds needed to run the $437 million project.

The power plant itself is the banks second project with PLN funded without the governments guarantee.

The other project was the construction of a 1x315 MW steam-turbine power plant in Lontar, Banten, which broke ground in June.

JBIC stated that it would also eye funding for the construction of a 2x800 MW coal-based power plant in West Java, one of the countrys biggest power plant projects.

We might be involved in the funding [of the project], he said.

JBIC will also coordinate with state infrastructure financing firm Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI) and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) to look for other potential projects to be funded, he said.

Bappenas itself has a list of various infrastructure projects funded under the PPP scheme, including the Lampung water supply project worth Rp 900 billion ($69.2 million) and the Manado-Bitung toll road in North Sulawesi worth Rp 5.1 trillion.

The government estimates it will need Rp 4.7 quadrillion to finance various infrastructure projects for the next few years. It, however, could only cover 40 percent of the funding from the state budget, providing room for private sector participation to fill in the gap.

JBIC revealed that on average, bank budget allocation for Indonesian infrastructure development reached up to $2 billion annually. The realization of funding from JBIC in the last five years has hit $8 billion.

The Finance Ministrys Fiscal Policy Office (BKF) head Suahasil Nazara urged government institutions to follow up JBICs commitment by offering potential projects to be funded.

Indonesias cooperation with JBIC is important for infrastructure development, as they said they would not just focus on physical infrastructure but also social infrastructure, he said.
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

Efforts to boost infrastructure development will get another push after Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) announced its commitment to provide Southeast Asias largest economy with up to US$3.7 billion in loans this year.



The Japanese public financial institution said it would seek opportunities to fund major infrastructure projects in Indonesia, such as the construction of power plants, railways and toll roads, under the public private partnership (PPP) scheme.



The [source of ] funding for [Indonesian] infrastructure development has shifted from government bonds to the PPP scheme or funding without government guarantee, JBIC CEO Tadashi Maeda said on Thursday, citing Indonesias budget deficit threshold of 3 percent as a part of the reason.



The bank signed on Thursday a loan agreement with state electricity firm PLN to provide $310 million in loans from JBIC-led syndicated banks to finance the construction of PLNs 800-megawatt (MW) gas and steam-turbine power plant in Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, expected to be completed by 2019.



The loan will mature in 15 years and cover 70 percent of funds needed to run the $437 million project.



The power plant itself is the banks second project with PLN funded without the governments guarantee.



The other project was the construction of a 1x315 MW steam-turbine power plant in Lontar, Banten, which broke ground in June.



JBIC stated that it would also eye funding for the construction of a 2x800 MW coal-based power plant in West Java, one of the countrys biggest power plant projects.



We might be involved in the funding [of the project], he said.



JBIC will also coordinate with state infrastructure financing firm Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI) and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) to look for other potential projects to be funded, he said.



Bappenas itself has a list of various infrastructure projects funded under the PPP scheme, including the Lampung water supply project worth Rp 900 billion ($69.2 million) and the Manado-Bitung toll road in North Sulawesi worth Rp 5.1 trillion.



The government estimates it will need Rp 4.7 quadrillion to finance various infrastructure projects for the next few years. It, however, could only cover 40 percent of the funding from the state budget, providing room for private sector participation to fill in the gap.



JBIC revealed that on average, bank budget allocation for Indonesian infrastructure development reached up to $2 billion annually. The realization of funding from JBIC in the last five years has hit $8 billion.



The Finance Ministrys Fiscal Policy Office (BKF) head Suahasil Nazara urged government institutions to follow up JBICs commitment by offering potential projects to be funded.



Indonesias cooperation with JBIC is important for infrastructure development, as they said they would not just focus on physical infrastructure but also social infrastructure, he said.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

The administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla has statistically managed to reduce the countrys poverty rate since entering office, but at the same time it has created a greater depth of poverty, an economist has said.

Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) economist Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara said the nation had seen a decline in its poverty rate as stated by the Central Statistics Agencys (BPS) latest report.

The poverty rate dropped to 10.8 percent of the population in March, its lowest rate in 20 years, he said, quoting the BPS figures.

Indonesia's Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality where zero represents complete equality and one significant inequality, fell to 0.39 in March from 0.40 in the same period last year.

If we talk about poverty, on aggregate, there has been a decline [in the poverty rate]. The inequality has also declined. However, the gap has widened in regard to the poverty depth index, Bhima told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said the greater depth of poverty recorded in the latest BPS report possibly resulted from the Java-centric development orientation adopted by Jokowis administration.

One of its major causes could be a fact that Indonesias development is concentrated in Java while eastern parts of the country lag behind, the researcher said.

The countrys easternmost region Papua is among the areas with the highest poverty rates.

Citing BPS data for this years second quarter, Bhima said almost 60 percent of development projects and 52 percent of investment were focused on the countrys most populous island. (ebf)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) has decided to return desktops and laptops granted by the Jakarta administration to avoid its neutrality coming under question in the 2017 election.

To remain neutral as the organizer of the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, we have decided to return 25 desktops and 21 laptops from the administration, said the head of KPU Jakartas legal, technical and public relations affairs manager, Sahruni, in a statement on Friday.

She denied reports that the commission had accepted 400 laptops from private companies that wanted the incumbent to win.

According to the prevailing law, the KPU Jakarta has a right to ask the administration for facilities to support the staging of the election and Sahruni said that she therefore sent a proposal to the Jakarta administration.

However, the commission decided to return the computers to avoid suspicion about its neutrality in the Feb. 15 election.

The commission will use existing facilities and rent computers from a third party, Sahruni added. We will invite independent IT experts to check the rented computers, she said.

Previously, Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama explained that the computers had been purchased by PT Sampoerna Land in compensation for the expansion of the floor area ratio (KLB) for one of its projects in the capital. (bbn)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Despite numerous achievements accomplished by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla during their two years in office, improvement of the justice system is lagging behind that of other sectors, a legislator says.

The government was too late in planning to revitalize the legal sector in the country, which remained weak because of incompetent law enforcement institutions, said Bambang Soesatyo, chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs.

He said he welcomed the first part of the legal reform package, which came out just after the Jokowi administration reached its second year and focused on combating illegal levies in public services.

However, the government should be more concerned about reforming the judicial system, especially the officials, which had long been awaited by the public, Bambang asserted on Friday in Jakarta.

"Illegal levies are not the only problem in the legal sector. It's of utmost importance to strengthen measures to improve the quality of law enforcement, especially by combating the judicial 'mafia' [who manipulate cases in court]," the Golkar Party politician said.

He also applauded Jokowis success in consolidating the support of political parties, which resulted in more stable national politics and enabled the government to realize a number of national strategic programs.

The Jokowi-Kalla administration had also been able to introduce a more "Indonesia-centric" paradigm of development and set aside the long-standing "Java-centric" paradigm, which had resulted in more comprehensive efforts to reduce disparity between Java and other regions. (ags)
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

Hopes are high for regional development banks to reach more potential customers in remote areas following the issuance of a new regulation on digital financial services by Bank Indonesia (BI).



The regulation, issued in late August by the central bank, revises a 2009 regulation on electronic money and allows medium-sized banks under the BUKU III category and regional development banks (BPD) in the BUKU I or BUKU II categories to employ individual banking agents to reach out to unbanked customers in remote areas without the need to make new investments to open physical branches.



The BUKU III category includes banks with a core capital of between Rp 5 trillion (US$385 million) and Rp 30 trillion, while banks in the BUKU I and BUKU II categories have a core capital below Rp 1 trillion and between Rp 1 trillion and Rp 5 trillion, respectively.



BI has since issued a number of circular letters to regulate technicalities regarding the services, with the latest one published on Sept. 27.



In response to the new rule, the East Java administrations regional development lender, Bank Jatim, is set to launch a digital financial service, popularly known as branchless banking, by the end of the year. The publicly listed bank has also been preparing its individual and institutional agents while waiting for the final approval from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) for its branchless banking services.



We are an inch away of securing the approval, Bank Jatim corporate secretary Ferdian Satyagraha told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.



After securing the approval, we plan to deploy our agents to five regions, namely Banyuwangi, Nganjuk, Malang, Bojonegoro and Jember, where our bank has so far managed a considerable amount of transactions.



Bank Jatim, Ferdian said, initially plans to deploy 100 individual agents, most of whom own warong (small convenience shops). A list of potential agents was previously proposed by Bank Jatims local branches before receiving final approval from the banks headquarters.



The lender is aiming to increase its fee-based income, especially that related to the use of mobile banking, short message service (SMS) banking, phone credit payment and electronic data capture (EDC) machines. Ferdian, however, said his firm was unable to mention any figure until the program was launched and provided results that could be used to calculate its target.



The potential, especially in remote areas, is huge, he said. As many as 80 percent of our 4 million customers live in such regions, as it is difficult for us to attract customers in Surabaya amid fierce competition with major national banks, he stated, referring to Indonesias second largest city, which is also the capital city of the East Java province.



Another regional development lender, Bank Jabar Banten (BJB), expressed hope the service could enable it to provide better services to its customers living in remote parts of West Java and Banten provinces.



Our customers are spread out in the areas. This service will help them [get banking services] and at the same time help our operations be more cost-effective and efficient, BJB compliance and risk management director Agus Mulyana wrote in a text message.



The lender is in the process of upgrading its information and technology infrastructure and improving cooperation with third parties, especially in terms of e-commerce, in order to be able to obtain the required licenses from the OJK. It plans to operate the digital branches next year, Agus said.



We are ready to implement it and support the governments efforts to open wider access to financial services for the public, he stated.



President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration aims for 75 percent of the population to have access to banks by 2019, higher than the 36 percent mark set in 2014.

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Linkedin (Associated Press) Bucharest  Fri, October 21, 2016

A senior NATO officer says the addition of cyber warfare to traditional threats means the military alliance faces a 360-degree threat.

Rear Adm. Peter Gumataotao, the head of NATO Strategic Partnerships, said Friday there was "a complex environment and ambiguity we see today in the operational environment."

NATO leaders confirmed cyberspace as an official "operational domain" for alliance actions at the recent Warsaw summit, along with air, land and sea.

He said that talks at the summit in July about the different threats showed "the threat base is 360 degrees."

"It is clear all these domains in the 21st centuries are interconnected. Cyber covers all these domains," Gumataotao told The Associated Press.

He was speaking at a two-day NATO Strategic Military Partners Conference held in the Romanian capital.
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

During the two years of President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration, the government has managed to certify only 660,000 out of a targeted 9 million hectares of land as set out in the 2015-2019 National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).

Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said the government would speed up the process to certify at least 5 million ha by 2017.

Next year, the certification process would hopefully cover 5 million ha of land, which will later increase to 7 million in 2018 and 9 million ha in 2019. Then, we expect to process 10 million ha of land annually in the following years. Hopefully, all land in Indonesia will be registered and certified by 2025," Sofyan said in Jakarta on Friday.

He said his ministry would also encourage licensed private surveyors to accelerate land certification. Currently, only about 1,000 surveyors were active in the field, he added.

It is predicted the government would need 2,500 to 3,000 additional licensed private surveyors next year, the minister said. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, October 21, 2016

The latest visit by President Joko Jokowi Widodo raises both hope and worry. Can he win over the hearts and minds of people in Papua and West Papua? He certainly is trying  by improving traditional markets, inaugurating power facilities and eliminating the wide price gap of fuel compared to other areas in the country.

Jokowis new one fuel, one price policy, however controversial and difficult, should serve as an example of the Presidents commitment and his clear leadership in demanding that his policy is supported.

Although state-run oil company Pertamina will have to cough up subsidies estimated at an annual Rp 800 billion (US$61.53 million) to end soaring fuel prices in Papua, whats important, Jokowi insisted, was [] justice for all Indonesians.

Papuans would certainly hope that this presidential wish and clear understanding of their sense of injustice applied beyond their neglected needs of fuel and infrastructure. Justice for all includes an end to what Papuans say is general stigma toward them as either being separatists, incompetent or both. This underlying attitude, they say, leads to discrimination and suspicion against Papuans voicing any sign of dissent, which leads to dangerous accusations of treason.

Therefore, like his new fuel policy, Jokowi needs the full support of his government, the military and police in ending that stigma, which has served to justify violence in the hunt for separatists and hurting innocents in the process, often fatally.

Societys attitude that such violence is rightly targeted at suspected rebels has immensely contributed to continued impunity and repeated abuses. As a result, earlier arrests of protesters in Papua cities, Jakarta and Yogyakarta, for instance, have led to accusations that Indonesia is surely a free and democratic country  except for Papuans voicing their grievances.

The government must also ensure serious follow up in relation to the team tasked to resolve human rights abuses in Papua by the end of the year. The team was set up by Jokowis former security chief minister Luhut B. Pandjaitan.

Despite billions of rupiah poured into Papua, the President, who has just served two years, bears the legacy of past failures to address Papuans sense of discrimination and Jakartas obliviousness to human rights abuses against them, even with the Papua Special Autonomy Law. These factors have contributed to todays louder international campaign against Jakarta regarding Papua.

Our diplomats splendidly articulated thrashings of criticism of our alleged continued neglect and abuse and/or discrimination of Papuans wont work, as long as those grievances are not perceived to be seriously addressed by Papuans.

Australias statements that an independent Papua is not in its best interest has boosted our confidence on the world stage  but it doesnt wash with Papuans who say they are not getting enough decent jobs compared to migrants, for instance, or still dont feel safe amid security personnel hunting suspected rebels.

President Jokowi now can repeat, loudly and clearly, that he wants dialogue with all stakeholders, mainly his citizens from Papua.
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Linkedin Arya Dipa, Apriadi Gunawan and Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Bandung/Medan/Jambi  Fri, October 21 2016

Police have increased raids on suspected illegal traders of protected animals with many cases being uncovered across the country.

In West Java, the police secured a total of 34 lemurs and arrested the persons allegedly behind the illegal trade in the protected primates through social media in West Bandung regency and Bandung city.

All of the lemurs are alive, West Java Polices spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said.

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Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Yogyakarta resident Z. Siput Lokasari, who is of Chinese descent, has sent another legal warning letter to Yogyakarta governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, asking him to immediately revoke a decree prohibiting non-native Indonesian citizens from owning land in the province.

Im surprised and concerned to see that the Yogyakarta governor has continued to ignore and refused to obey the recommendations of the National Commission on Human Rights [Komnas HAM]. By ignoring them, he allows the confiscation of property belonging to Indonesian minorities to happen, said Siput after he filed his second letter with the Yogyakarta governors office at the Kepatihan building, on Thursday.

He referred to a recent Komnas HAM recommendation that ordered the revocation of Yogyakarta Deputy Governor Instruction Letter No. K898/I/A/1975, which denies land ownership rights to all non-native Indonesian citizens in Yogyakarta.

Siput sent a second legal warning letter after Sri Sultan did not respond to his first letter within 30 days of the letter being accepted on Sept.14.

Komnas HAM issued two recommendation letters, one in August 2014 and one in August 2015, both of which asked the Yogyakarta governor to revoke the 1975 instruction letter.

Its not fair because with this policy, all land bought by people of Chinese descent in Yogyakarta is given the legal status of state land under the right-to-build [HGB] license. This means they have to rent the land, which actually belongs to them, from the state. The even worse thing is that once the HGB license expires, the lands legal status is changed into the property of the Yogyakarta Palace, said Siput. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Sultan Azianzah, the late suspect of an attack against three policemen in Tangerang, is allegedly linked to the Islamic State-afilliated network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah Khilafah Nusantara (JADKN) lead by terrorist convict Aman Abdurrahman, a top police official said on Friday.

"He [Sultan] was part of the network cell of Aman Abdurrahman," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said as reported by Antara news agency.

From current investigations, police allege that the 22-year-old man had visited Aman in Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap of Central Java with the leader of Anshorullah Islamic Boarding School, the late Fauzan Al-Anshori, in June of 2015.

Sultan joined Anshorullah boarding school in Ciasaga, Ciamis of West Java, from June to October 2015 where he studied religion, Boy said, adding that his family then decided to pick him up at the boarding school and that he later escaped from his parents' house.

Sultan allegedly brutally stabbed three policemen, namely Tangerang Police chief Corm. Efendi and his two subordinates First Insp. Haryadi and Chief. Brig. Sukardi, on Thursday morning at a police post in the Cikokol area of Tangerang.

He died on the way to Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta on Thursday after losing blood from the gunshot wounds that hit his legs.

Boy said that Sultan's body had been buried at a cemetery in Tigaraksa, Tangerang.

Terrorist convict Aman is still serving time in Nusakambangan after being sentenced to nine years in prison in 2010 for being involved in military training in Aceh. He was allegedly involved in the Thamrin terror attack in Central Jakarta in January where eight people died, including four civilians and four terrorists suspected to be his followers. (rin)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Fri, October 21, 2016

Riau Islands Police arrested three civil servants working for the Batam Population and Civil Registry Office for alleged extortion in providing civil registry services.

The special task force that conducted the arrest on Monday found millions of rupiah with the arrestees, believed to be the proceeds of illegal fees levied on the public.

The arrested officials were identified as Civil Registry Department head Jamaris, found with Rp 2.4 million (US$184) in cash, 43 birth certificates and six death certificates; civil registry staff member Irwanto with Rp 700,000 and numerous documents; and the head of the population migration section, found with Rp 2.1 million and ID card documents.

Task force leader Adj. Sr. Comr. Yos Guntur said the crackdown on illegal fees was conducted by order of the National Police. All documents are supposed to be free of charge, he said.

The three were taken to Riau Islands Police headquarters for questioning.

Batam administration spokesperson Ardiwinata said Tuesday his office had urged civil servants to provide public services without asking for illegal fees. This is a shock therapy. The Batam mayor has repeatedly warned against illegal fees, he said. (evi)
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Linkedin Edith M. Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations  Fri, October 21, 2016

The UN population agency is urging greater investment in the world's 60 million 10-year-old girls, saying what happens at that age can determine their futures.

The State of World Population 2016 launched Thursday said more than half of these girls live in the 48 countries considered to have the worst gender equality, and they are less likely than boys to finish school and more likely to be forced to work and to be child brides.

The UN Population Fund said if all 10-year-old girls in developing countries who never attend school or drop out early were to complete secondary education, their earnings would trigger a US$21 billion annual dividend.

According to the report, 10 is a pivotal age for girls as puberty approaches because of choices that start being made about education, work, marriage and child bearing.

While some girls enjoy limitless opportunities, it said, others are seen "as a commodity that may be bought, sold or traded," pulled out of school, forced to marry, and "begin a lifetime of servitude."

"Impeding a girl's safe, healthy path through adolescence to a productive and autonomous adulthood is a violation of her rights," the Population Fund's Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin said. "How we invest in and support 10-year-old girls today will determine what our world will look like in 2030."

The report said almost 90 percent of 10-year-olds live in less developed regions of the world, with half in Asia and the Pacific, including 20 percent in India and about 13 percent in China. Of the top 10 countries with the largest number of 10-year-olds, the only one that isn't classified as "less developed" is the United States, it said.

In the area of education, for example, the report said less than half the boys and only about a third of girls of primary school age in South Sudan were attending school in 2015, and the report said there are similarly low levels in countries like Congo and Liberia.

In Nigeria, one of Africa's most populous countries with one of the world's largest youth populations, the report said only 60 percent of girls and 71 percent of boys are enrolled in primary school.
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru, Riau  Fri, October 21, 2016

Conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Riau has presented awards to three judges of the Rengat District Court (PN) as its appreciation over their support of wildlife and environmental rescue efforts.

The three judges, Wiwin Sulistya, Petra Jeanny Siahaan and Immanuel Marganda Putra Sirait, sentenced two tiger skin traders from Kuantan Singingi, Riau, to four years in prison during a trial in the beginning of September.They also ordered each of the two wildlife traders to pay Rp 60 million (US$ 4,608.29) in fines.

WWF Riau program manager Wisnu Sukmantoro said the verdict handed down by the three judges should be appreciated as it was the heaviest sentence for wildlife crime in Riau during the last 10 years.

Previously, the maximum sentence imposed on a wildlife crime perpetrator was only one year. Many perpetrators were even sentenced to only six months in prison. Its really a record-breaking punishment, he said on Wednesday.

PN Rengat head Moh. Sutarwadi and the courts clerk Iwan Uripno also received similar awards for their support and commitment to wildlife conservation during the trial.

In Sumatra, this is among the heaviest sentences imposed on wildlife crime perpetrators in the last two years. Earlier, the judge panel of PN Arga Makmur in Bengkulu also sentenced a defendant to four years in prison after being proven guilty of possessing and selling tiger skins,said Wisnu.

Wildlife defenders  Three judges of the Rengat District Court, Wiwin Sulistya (left), Immanuel MP Sirait (second from right) and Petra Jeanny Siahaan (right) receive awards from conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Riau for their commitment to combat wildlife crimes. (JP/Rizal Harahap)

He said a maximum sentence must be imposed on wildlife crime perpetrators because 100 percent of the animal body parts they traded were obtained from hunting.

In paralyzing wildlife species, they have always used firearms. Thus, they should have been charged of violating Emergency Law No.12/1951 on illegal firearm possession with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, said Wisnu. (ebf)
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Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Fri, October 21 2016

Yogyakarta has recently inaugurated the Langenastran cultural tourist village, where visitors can appreciate the beauty of colonial style buildings, antique joglo (traditional Javanese houses) and rare ancient batik collections.

In Langenastran we can enjoy the remaining part of the Yogyakarta palace compound that is still intact, the chairman of the Langenastran cultural tourist village association, Sumartoyo, told The Jakarta Post.

Langenastran is located inside the palace compound that is surrounded by the palaces fortress called Benteng Baluwerti. The fortress, which is 3 meters thick and 4 m high, was built in the 1800s. Yet, parts of it were ruined during a major earthquake in 1867.

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Linkedin (Associated Press) Manila  Fri, October 21, 2016

Hundreds of Filipinos protesting Friday outside the presidential palace burned a mock US flag and asked President Rodrigo Duterte to punish police officers for brutally dispersing an anti-US rally and ramming a van into some of the activists.

About 1,000 left-wing protesters, carrying placards that read "US troops out now" marched 3 kilometers (1.8 mile) to the presidential palace in Manila to condemn the violent police action and seek justice for those injured.

Protest leader Piya Malayao, who was among those hit by the van in Wednesday's rally at the US Embassy, walked with crutches, her right leg bandaged. She and other protesters handed a letter to officials in which they asked Duterte for justice.

"That action coming from the police could have really taken a lot of lives," Malayao said, adding the protesters would file criminal complaints against the officers. "That attack [was] really meant to kill our people."

Police say the protesters had no rally permit and attacked officers. Nine officers have been removed from their posts, including the van driver, while a police investigation is conducted. The driver, Franklin Kho, told reporters he did not deliberately hit the protesters but was trying to drive away because they were hitting the van and he feared they would commandeer it.

Rallies are common at the heavily-guarded seaside embassy in Manila's tourist district, and police have wielded shields and batons against the large crowds previously. But Wednesday's actions against more than 1,000 left-wing students, laborers and tribal people have been seen as among the most brutal in recent years. That's largely because of the van hitting protesters, but police were also seen using a firetruck hose, lobbing tear gas and hitting people and pulling their hair.

Videos of the van hitting the protesters like bowling pins have gone viral online.

Associated Press TV footage showed the van repeatedly ramming the protesters as it drove wildly back and forth after activists surrounded and started hitting it with wooden sticks. Horrified protesters are heard screaming and cursing at the police.

Malayao and a few others were hit and injured, some hospitalized.

Lawmakers have also called for a congressional inquiry. US-based Human Rights Watch urged national police chief Ronald dela Rosa, who has expressed dismay over the violent dispersal, to carry out an impartial investigation and prosecute those behind the violence.

"Failure to do so will only guarantee that the culture of impunity for unlawful police violence continues," HRW said in a statement.

Wednesday's protesters were demanding an end to the presence of visiting US troops in the Philippines and to support Duterte's vow to chart a foreign policy not dependent on the US, the country's longtime treaty ally.

The violence happened as the police and Duterte are under increased international scrutiny for their alleged role in the killings of thousands of drug suspects and pushers as part of the tough-talking president's war on illegal drugs.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Five regions are set to be promoted as halal destinations to attract more tourists, namely Lombok, West Sumatra, Aceh, Jakarta and West Java.

The Tourism Ministry's halal tourism development acceleration team head, Riyanto Sofyan, said halal tourism was important to develop as it is a market with strong potential.

"We actually have [prepared] 10 halal destinations but for now the government will focus on five," he told Antara news agency in Jakarta on Friday. The other five destinations are South Sulawesi, East Java, Yogyakarta, Central Java and Batam.

(Read also: 12 Indonesian entities vie for World Halal Tourism Award)

Since 2014, the growth of Muslim tourists to Indonesia reportedly increased from around 8 to 10 percent to 15 percent currently, said Riyanto.

Despite being a Muslim-majority country, Riyanto said the country still needed to develop and increase its quality of halal tourism to become a halal tourist destination. "To become one, there are several factors that have to be considered by tourism players," he said, adding that halal branding was also important to attract Muslim travelers.

Based on data by independent, halal-friendly rating and accreditation standard CrescentRating, the number of Muslim tourists globally reached 117 million last year and is expected to increase to 168 million by 2025. (kes)
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Pekan Raya Indonesia (PRI) or the Indonesian Fair officially opened on Thursday at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), BSD, Tangerang.

Slated to run until Nov. 6, the fair features 1000 bands, bazaars and performances, as well as 1000 traditional and urban delicacies.

In the culinary section, visitors will find four stalls operated by business that were started before the country gained its independence in 1945. For help finding them among the plethora of scrumptious cuisine on offer, simply consult the list below:

(Read also: Plethora of local bands set to spice up Pekan Raya Indonesia)

Toko Oen Semarang

Originating from Semarang in Central Java, Toko Oen was founded in 1936 and is known for its palatable ice cream and pastry dishes. During the fair, it offers signature dishes, such as poffertjes ice cream, eierkoek (egg bread), bitterballen (Dutch meat-based snack), lumpia oen (spring roll), speculaas (spiced shortcrust biscuit) and kaastangels (Dutch cheese-based cookies). The ice cream costs Rp 25,000 (US$1.91) and the price for the snacks starts from Rp 6,500.

Kopi Es Tak Kie

Kopi Es Tak Kie is Jakartas legendary coffee shop, which was established in 1927. The original shop is located in Gang Gloria in Glodok and it specializes in ice coffee. The popular beverage is on offer during PRI alongside other Chinese dishes.

Depot HTS (Han Tjwan Sing) Malang

Residents of Malang, East Java, may have heard about Depot HTS (Han Tjwan Sing). The shop was established in 1927 and is known for its signature onde-onde (sticky rice-flour balls filled with beans). During PRI, visitors can sample this delectable delicacy for Rp 40,000 per box.

Soto Ahri Garut

Established in 1943, Soto Ahri is a must-try dish for visitors who are traveling in Garut, West Java. The meal features beef soup cooked in coconut milk and spices. This delectable concoction is available at the PRI. (kes)
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Linkedin Keshie Hernitaningtyas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 21, 2016

Since The Jakarta Post's article about Garuda Indonesia and Citilink not showing up in Traveloka's search results went online on Oct. 12, there is still no sign of the two airlines on the travel site.

When netizen @si_pung asked on Wednesday, "Dear admin, why Garuda Airlines missing from your booking list? I like to reserve my flight from your web, it's easier", @traveloka responded, "Hi Ipung, we do apologize for your inconvenience. For Garuda Indonesia is still under maintenance system."

@si_pung Hi Ipung, we do apologize for your inconvenience. For Garuda Indonesia is still under maintenance system. -IS1  Traveloka Indonesia (@traveloka) October 19, 2016

Meanwhile, Garuda's official Twitter account @IndonesiaGaruda stated on Friday that currently the airline and Traveloka were in the process of adjusting their system and it encouraged users to make a reservation via its website garuda-indonesia.com, when a customer @adriangerald1 tweeted similar question.

@adriangerald1 Saat ini Garuda dan Traveloka sdg dlm penyesuaian sistem. Utk reservasi silakan melalui https://t.co/uhlNsEn5Yc. Tks - Robby  Garuda Indonesia (@IndonesiaGaruda) October 20, 2016

(Read also: Citilink to expand network to Papua)

After being contacted by the Post a few days ago, Garuda Indonesia vice president of corporate communications Benny S. Butarbutar finally sent an official statement via a messaging app on Friday, saying that the national flag carrier as well as its low-cost arm Citilink were currently "conducting business consolidation related to cooperation commitment for the airlines ticket distribution channel on Traveloka website".

"This business consolidation is expected to maximize business cooperation pattern that is long-term and more profitable between both parties," the statement said. The consolidation is said to include "administrative aspects, cooperation pattern and technology-based development to ease Garuda and Citilink's ticket service access on Traveloka website".

The issues are said to be temporary. And that "after the business consolidation process is complete in the near future, the ticket service for Garuda and Citilink will soon be accessible". In the meantime, customers are advised to directly make bookings via both airlines' websites.

The statement also confirmed that "it was not true that there's an issue in Garuda and Citilink ticketing systems".

The Post tried to reach Traveloka for comment on the matter, but at the time of writing it still had not received an answer.
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Focusing on the concept of counterculture, Howells book guides us into the history of spirituality, from the emergence of Christianism to todays activist groups.Robert Howells, born in London in 1968, has spent a great part of his life studying secret societies and counterculture, as well as conspiracy theories. Having already published two books, Inside the Priory of Sion (2011) and The Last Pope (2013), his lastest one gathers all of the knowledge that he's acquired during his research and investigation. The Illuminati is far more than an informative book about the secret society which shares the title of the book as a name. Indeed, the book is far more concerned about the ideology on which is based the society, which is ''to liberate humanity from the religious, political and economic barriers that inhibited progress'' in order for mankind to achieve ''personal illumination'' and attain their ''Higher Self by finding the limits of human potential''. Although those words might have a strong ideological connotation, as the entire written work in itself, one has to remember that those are the terms used in the 18th century, and therefore there are subject to interpretation.Influenced by philosophers such as Rousseau and Voltaire, Adam Weishaupt created, in 1776, a secret society named The Illuminati. Weishaupt was initiated into the Rosicrucians and Freemasonry, but while the former was too preoccupied with spiritual well-being and the latter criticized for being too passive and conservative, he decided to form another spiritual gathering that would inspire real social changes in a society governed by monarchies and the oppressive Catholic Church. The members of The Illuminati had to be liberated from ''religious indoctrination and nationalistic tendencies''. Although they succeeded in infiltrated a significant number of Freemason lodges and strategic places into several institutions, accusations were made against them almost directly after their formation. Indeed, they were accused of ''plotting to overthrow Christianity and the governments of Europe''. However the secret group was not threatened as no one could find substantial proof of its existence. That is until 1883, when four academics confessed being part of the order, confirming its real existence. The Illuminati never truly dissembled as its ideology was inseminated into other societies that subsisted, but it is believed to only have survived secretly for 12 years. However, this book goes back to the ancient time and the definition of secret societies as well as the crucial role they played in protecting the past knowledge that politicians and religions across the ages wanted to be forgotten. Having explained a great deal about the Rosicrucians and Freemasons, the narrative enters on the subject of the Illuminati, even going as far as to say that they triggered the French Revolution of 1789. Then, it addresses counterculture, counter revolution, and its vital role in pushing the world towards modernism. Indeed, modernism is key to Howells as he accuses kings, priests, and now politicians and the media of holding back the evolution of our society. Also, the author writes about conspiracy theories, from UFOs in Zone 51 to the tragic events of 11th September 2001. He carefully touches on all of these theories one by one, never implying their truthfulness but nonetheless questioning the reports and media covering of the facts, sometimes even proposing another interesting theory. The book also praises the internet age, which helps shape the ideal of the Illuminati in the modern society, as well as 'digital' secret societies, such as Anonymous and WikiLeaks, and whistleblowers for their contribution towards the 'illumination' of the world by acting against those he thinks try to overrule the masses by excess of power and wealth. The Illuminati is an interesting book for readers with a confirmed critical judgement. It covers a lot of deep philosophical thinking and histories of our contemporary society in a concise and well-explained format. Howells found the right words to catch his readers attentiveness and lead them through all of his knowledge and observations. However, the reader should be careful as the author explicitly asks to join 'the battle' towards the "Old World Order", which he believes holds back people from illumination. Readers need strength in their personal judgment to challenge what is written and explained in the book.
US presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had their third and final debate on Wednesday night, and now we wait until November 8 to find out who is the new commander-in-chief of the worlds largest economic power.

So how does the presidential election work, and how does it compare with the UKs political system?

Who is involved?

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are heavily involved  you may have noticed (PA)

Presidential candidates must be natural-born citizens of the US, an American resident for the past 14 years, and aged over 35.

This year Trump, 70, is the Republican presidential nominee, while Clinton, 68, is in the same position for the Democrats. Each candidate also has a running mate  their nominee for vice-president  and Trump chose governor of Indiana Mike Pence while Clinton chose Virginia senator Tim Kaine. As a duo, the presidential nominee and their running mate is known as a ticket.

Trump and Pence are running mates, but not the jogging kind (Evan Vucci/AP)

In the UK, the Conservative and Labour parties dominate  but many seats in Parliament are taken up by other parties such as the Liberal Democrats and the SNP.

In contrast, the US Congress, their version of parliament, currently has only two delegates from other parties out of 535  this is why you almost exclusively hear about the Republicans and the Democrats.

Other presidential nominees you may not have heard of include Jill Stein for the Green Party, Gary Johnson for the Libertarians, and Evan McMullin  an independent nominee backed by anti-Trump Republicans.

When does it all happen?

Advance voting is available for election day absentees (Mike Stewart/AP)

Presidential elections occur every four years, with election day happening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November  this year that is November 8.

On election day, voters across the US choose a president and a vice-president, with the winner usually announced that night. However, when they cast their vote they are actually voting for an elector, who vote on behalf of their voters during the Electoral College in December  we will explain this slightly bizarre process shortly.

Finally, after nearly two years since the start of campaigning, on January 20 the new president is inaugurated.

Barack Obama shared a dance with his wife Michelle as he was inauguration for a second term in January 2013 (Evan Vucci/AP)

The presidential process started in spring last year, when candidates such as Trump and Clinton announced their intention to run for the White House. Following this, the candidates campaign, attend debates and hold primaries  lower level elections by party members which eliminates the weaker candidates.

There are tight limits on campaign spending for a general election in the UK, but US presidential candidates are allowed to spend big. The Washington Post reported in August that Clinton had raised $795 million (647m) and Trump $403m (328m) to spend on their promotional campaigns. In contrast, only 31.1m ($38m) was spent by all parties during the whole of the UKs 2010 election.

This graphic shows which swing states may decide this years results (PA Graphics/PA)

At each partys national convention, they vote for a nominee. This was when Republican voters chose Trump over party hopefuls such as Ted Cruz, and Democrats chose Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

How does voting work?

The latest polls dont make for good reading for Trump, who has already claimed the election is rigged (PA Graphics/PA)

A first-past-the-post electoral system in the UK sees voters choose the candidate they want to become their MP, and the candidate with the largest number of votes takes the seat in the Commons. The leader of the party with the most seats becomes Prime Minister.

The US presidents arent directly elected by the people. Voters choose their presidential candidate but electors hold the power, as written in the US Constitution. During the Electoral College, electors cast votes, generally based upon which nominee received the most support in the public vote.

This map illustrates the number of electors each state has (USAGov)

Electors are not required by the constitution to follow the popular vote, but its rare for them not to do so. These votes are then counted by Congress and the candidate who has more than half, which is at least 270, wins. If no candidate receives a majority, Congress chooses one.

The number of electors each state has is roughly based upon population and equivalent to the number of seats in the two houses of Congress, plus three extras from Washington DC the US capital.

This graphic shows the latest projection for this years election, with the candidates in their parties customary colours (PA Graphics/PA)

What are the two houses?

The US Capitol building in Washington (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

US Congress has two houses  the House of Representatives, which makes laws like the UKs House of Commons, and The Senate, sometimes called the upper house, which scrutinises new laws  like the House of Lords. Distinct from the UK however, elections are held for both houses while the presidential race is a third separate election entirely.

These houses are worth mentioning as the new president will want Congress to be largely populated by their own party  there are first-past-the-post elections for these every two years  otherwise they may struggle to pass new laws. This is a problem Democrat President Barack Obama has faced in his time in office due to the high number of Republicans in Congress.

How is the president different to the PM?

The US president and British PM, such as Barack Obama and David Cameron here, have a similar but distinct position (Ben Stansall/PA)

In the UK, the head of state is the Queen while the head of government is the Prime Minister. But in the US, the president is both.

Because the president is an elected position, they can make more decisions on their own. But in the UK, much of the PMs power rests in the size of their support in parliament. A PMs Cabinet is generally made up of MPs, but a president can technically choose anyone for their top table, as long as Senate confirms the appointment.

Clinton was appointed to Obamas cabinet in 2009, then as Secretary of State (Susan Walsh/AP)

Like the PM, the presidents job is to set the political agenda, make sure laws are administered and to manage their country in a crisis.

However, deciding whether Trump and Clinton are quite up to doing so is perhaps beyond the remit of this humble explainer.
Learning disability has been invisible for too long. Now its time to see it. Support #HereIAm Understand more here: https://t.co/MhLBtLl1Gg pic.twitter.com/2PSobu2LX5  Mencap UK Charity (@mencap_charity) October 21, 2016



The young DJ was horrified when he heard a quote from Joseph Fletcher, a leading academic on the subject of ethics in the 1960s, suggesting there should be no guilt in putting a Downs syndrome child away. So Casey, who himself has Downs, remixed the clip to turn it into something positive and upbeat.Casey, who DJs at a local venue in Meltham, West Yorkshire, told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: When I heard the quote saying people like me should be put away and forgotten I wanted to help Mencap challenge views like this. Casey is part of Mencaps Here I Am campaign, working to raise awareness about Downs syndrome and other learning disabilities. He says: A lot of people might not expect me to mix records, but Ive been doing this for a long time. I want this video to change how people think about learning disability.We can do amazing things if we are given the chance, and with Here I Am we can give people that chance.
For many years, I had held a vague desire to study in a foreign country, but was always put off by the fact that in order to enjoy my time away and understand the classes, I would have to learn a second language. So you can imagine my delight when I first heard that in Norway, not only were the classes taught in English, but everyone  the waitresses, the taxi drivers, the tourist guides  spoke it extremely well. There are plenty of things that could go wrong for me here. I could fall off one of the countrys severe mountain tops, catch pneumonia from the cold, or get stranded in some cabin under ten feet of snow. But its pretty unlikely I will ever be misunderstood.No one speaks English better than the Norwegians, boasted an article in Aftenposten, one of the countrys biggest newspapers, a couple of years back, before pointing out that they were referring to nations where English was not the native language. For an otherwise friendly and pleasant place, it is the only thing about Norway that is slightly intimidating: the extremely casual way in which residents can switch between the two languages. This tends to make a visitor assume everyone here is smarter than they are, which, of course, is not true. But it is still quite embarrassing to think that people in this country have mastered two languages when they were half my age, when back home in Glasgow it wouldnt be too difficult to find people twice my age who are still getting to grips with their first. But for countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, they really have no choice. English, unlike Norwegian or Danish, is a truly global language. The governments of Scandinavia know that their countrys children must learn English, not just so holidays in America will be easier, but in order for them to have better chances in the international career market.Yet French is taught in just about every school in Britain and despite the best efforts of our teachers, we have failed miserably to become a bilingual country. With Norway and its neighbours, however, they are not just taught English, but are brought up with it, be it from television and movies made in Britain and America, which are mostly subtitled, not dubbed. I doubt many people living in Norway quite understand what an impressive thing it is to be an almost universally bilingual country, or how much more welcoming it makes the place for an English-only speaker such as myself. Knowing that you can easily talk to anyone here, even a stranger on the street, makes a visitor feel a lot less lonely and isolated than they might otherwise be.Dan Elloways semi-serious book, A Xenophobes Guide to the Norwegians, points out something I noticed quite early on, that even if you try to speak Norwegian to a bus driver or supermarket till operator, they will speak back to you in English if they have realised you are a visitor. Helpful for a tourist, maybe, but not so much for someone trying to learn the language. I half-heartedly enrolled on a basic Norwegian course when I first arrived here, having apparently forgotten how terrible I was learning French at school. When the recurring nightmares about irregular verbs came back, I quickly dropped the class and focused on my other subjects instead. Despite picking up a few phrases, such as ha dat for goodbye and tusen takk for thanks, I will probably go home next summer knowing almost no Norwegian. Would it be the same if I moved here permanently, something I am certainly thinking about doing? Sure, there are some downsides to this country  acquiring alcohol, always a priority for a student, is not only expensive but quite difficult (shops refuse to sell it after a certain time in the evening), and Im sure the depths of the winter will be harsh. But besides all that, Norway must be the most clean and picturesque country I have ever been to, and so far, I have only really seen Oslo. If my home country of Scotland wanted to learn from its neighbours, Norway would be the place to start. Meanwhile, I think if I decided to move here permanently I would pay the locals the compliment of learning how to speak to them in their own way.
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Doctor: A dedicated king and good patient

BANGKOK: The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej always strictly followed doctors advice so he could return to work for the people as soon as possible, a royal doctor at Siriraj Hospital said yesterday (Oct 20).

deathhealth

By Bangkok Post

Friday 21 October 2016, 10:31AM

Staff of Siriraj Hospital give alms to monks to make merit for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej yesterday (Oct 20). Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya

The King had always worked hard during his reign, including during his treatment at Siriraj Hospital, said Prof Dr Teerawat Kulthanant, the former chief of royal doctors.

The monarch had first been treated for heart disease and later suffered back pain.

Dr Teerawat said as a former chief of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the hospital, he had witnessed first-hand the Kings great patience during the courses of treatment which involved orthopaedic surgery.

Later, the King was treated for a lung infection and excessive cerebrospinal fluid.

King Bhumibol always followed doctors advice so he recovered quickly. Once well, he followed reports about peoples hardships through various media, Dr Teerawat said.

After breakfast, the King usually worked in his office at the hospital where he had views of the Chao Phraya River, the Grand Palace and people, Dr Teerawat said.

The late King stayed on the 16th floor of the Chalerm Phrakiat Building at Siriraj, where he had been treated for the last two years.

The King had been kind to people of all walks of life. He had once told a group of doctors that they should be humble and refrain from looking down on others, because all people had their own good side, Dr Teerawat said.

The doctor yesterday joined staff of Siriraj Hospital in paying tribute to the late King and vowing to follow his guidelines.

Read otriginal story here.
Four arrested for murder of Phuket van driver

PHUKET: Four people were arrested yesterday (Oct 21) in connection with the fatal shooting of van driver Mr Jumnong Kaewphrod on the morning of Oct 8. One of those arrested was Mr Jumnongs wife.

crimedeathhomicidepoliceviolencetransport

By Darawan Naknakhon

Friday 21 October 2016, 06:09PM

The shooter, Mr Wittayanon Choorat, was a relative of the deceased's wife. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

Kathu and Provincial Police yesterday arrested four people in Phuket and Phang Nga who were wanted for the shooting of Mr Jumnong. The four were named as Mr Suwit Prathum, Mr Wittayanon Choorat, Ms Lamom Taweesin and Ms Paiboon Kaewphrod. Police also seized from them items of clothing and a homemade gun.

At 1am on Oct 8, Phuket International Hospital advised police that they were treating a man with a gun shot wound. The man, Mr Jumnong, 41, later died in the emergency room. The incident happened in front of the Golden View Village in Kathu.

Following the incident, Mr Jumnongs wife told police that he had many girlfriends and that she believed the attack resulted from a conflict over a woman. (See story here.)

Kathu Police Chief Col Phattanachak Chakkaphan and Deputy Chief Col Sermpong Sirikong ordered his team find those responsible for the shooting, and after checking CCTV and questioning witnesses officers learned that the incident involved a person who hired a gunman. This led police to seek arrest warrants for four people they suspected were involved.

Kathu Polices Lt Col Amponwat Sangrieng explained that they learned that the victims wife, Ms Paiboon or Bow, hired the arrested people to kill her husband. The gunmen was named as Wittayanon, the other two were his accomplices. All were relatives of Ms Paiboon.

We think the motive is personal issues, said Lt Col Amponwat.

All four are facing murder charges, while Ms Paiboon will be charged with hiring a hitman. Both Paiboon and Lamom have denied the allegations made against them, while Wittayanon has admitted to being the shooter, he added.
Monarchs, leaders to visit, pay respects

BANGKOK: The Sultan of Brunei, the monarchs and leaders of several other countries will visit Thailand to pay their respects to the late His Majesty the King, according to Prime Ministers Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana.



By Bangkok Post

Friday 21 October 2016, 09:13AM

Sri Lankan ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne attends a Buddhist ceremony at her embassy in Bangkok. Photo via Bangkok Post

Aside from Bruneis Sultan, it is expected that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Abdul Halim of Kedah state and his wife, Tuanku Haminah binti Hamidun, the Raja Permaisuri Agong, will visit. Tuanku Abdul Halim is currently the worlds second longest-serving monarch, after Queen Elizabeth II.

Other international leaders who have contacted the government about their plans to visit Thailand and pay their respects are the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (who is due today), the Singaporean leader and his wife, the Cambodian leader, the Lao leader, the Qatar leader and a representative of Saudi Arabia, Mr Suwaphan said.

The leaders of the Philippines, Zambia, the US, South Korea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Maldives, Gambia and Japan had also notified the government about their intentions to visit or send a representative. Mr Suwaphan did not disclose their arrival days.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan and Indian people in Thailand have expressed their grief and promised to follow the Kings teaching to honour his goodness. Sri Lanka and India, which have shared strong Buddhist ties with Thailand since the early centuries, have held chanting ceremonies dedicated to His Majesty the King in Bangkok over the past two days.

Sri Lankan ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne said the royal rain-making initiative known as fon luang was among environmental projects devised by the King which had saved thousands of drought-affected farmers in her country in the past.

Sri Lanka has suffered severe droughts which affected thousands of people, particularly farmers. On learning of His Majestys initiative to induce rain by cloud-seeding, Sri Lanka sought assistance from Thailand. His Majesty sent planes to induce rain and alleviate our people. We were in dire straits but the entire island was relieved, recalled the Sri Lankan ambassador.

Ms Kshenuka was speaking prior to a Buddhist chanting ceremony held by the Sri Lankan embassy at Wat Arun Ratchawararam in Bangkok yesterday (Oct 20) in memory of the late King. About 80 people attended the ceremony, including the president and members of Sri Lankan Association of Thailand, embassy staff and Sri Lankan citizens who live in Thailand.

As Thailand and Sri Lanka share similar climatic and geographic conditions, many officials and scientists have travelled from Sri Lanka to join training programmes at royal project centres related to agriculture in Thailand over the years. We are seeking further help from Thai authorities to modernise our agricultural sector, Ms Kshenuka said, adding her country views His Majestys sufficiency economy philosophy with admiration and will continue following his teaching.

The lives of Sri Lankan people who, in the 1980s, suffered from a bloody civil war also were improved by His Majestys efforts to stop opium plantations and encourage the planting of vegetables and fruits instead to encourage healthy and sustainable livelihoods among people.

His Majesty is viewed as a symbol of integrity, peace, unity and stability. His selfless dedication to the welfare of his people is recognised and honoured by Sri Lankans, she said.

Ms Kshenuka, who considers Thailand as a home away from home, said the reign of King Bhumibol will be remembered as a guideline for peoples lives. His Majestys approach ensured Thailand would not encounter the pitfalls that most countries around the world experienced while striving for accelerated development. He was a true visionary, she said.

Meanwhile, Indian-linked communities and associations attended prayer session yesterday at the Indian-Thai Chamber of Commerce to pay tribute to the late King. The event was organised by the Indian embassy in Thailand.

Read original story here.
Thai man, 22, stabs friend to death in Phuket

PHUKET: A 22-year-old Thai man was arrested for murder this morning (Oct 22) after admitting to police that he stabbed his friend to death at a rented home in Patong. He told police he did it because he was mad that his friend asked him for money he did not have.

crimedeathhomicidepolicepatongviolence

By Darawan Naknakhon

Friday 21 October 2016, 12:39PM

Prangthawas Sithikarn, 22, said he stabbed his friend twice because he asked him for money. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

Maj Korapol Leangboonjinda from the Patong Police arrested Prangthawas Sithikarn, 22, from Udonthani at 3:44am today after he stabbed his friend to death at a rented home in Soi Sainam Yen 1 on Sainam Yen Rd in Patong. Police seized from Prangthawas an eight inch knife used in the murder.

The arrest of Prangthawas came after Patong Police received a call to investigate a stabbing incident at the address around 3:44am.

When police arrived the home was locked from inside. However, they forced the door open and found Prangthawas drunk inside. Also inside was the body of the Mr Parinya Rassan lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Mr Parinya had been stabbed twice in his chest, police said.

Prangthawas told police that he stabbed Mr Parinya because he asked him for money to go home to Khon Kaen. Prangthawas did not have the money to give him so they got into an argument.

Prangthawas said he was so mad that he grabbed the knife and stabbed Mr Parinya twice.

A witness to the incident, Chaowalit Chomkhuntod, told police that he woke up in the home to find Prangthawas holding a bloody knife so he ran out of the room and called for help.

Prangthawas was taken to Patong Police Station and charged with murder.
Two Russians dead after high speed Phuket crash

PHUKET: Two Russian men were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into an electricity pylon at high speed on bypass road just after midnight today (Oct 21).

accidentsdeathpolicetransport

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 21 October 2016, 11:58AM

The vehicle the men were travelling in was said to be going at high speed before it crashed into a roadside pylon. Photo: Kusoldharm rescue workers

Maj Nattaya Suphanpong from the Phuket City Police was called at 12:31am this morning to respond to an accident near Siam Niramit on bypass road where a vehicle had crashed into an electricity pylon. Police were told two foreign men were unconscious and trapped inside the vehicle. Police arrived at the scene with Kusoldharm rescue workers to find a wrecked Honda smashed into a roadside pylon. Workers had to use the jaws-of-life to free the two men who were already dead by the time help had arrived. Maj Nattaya said, We were told that the car was heading north at high speed when the driver lost control and crashed. However, we will investigate further to find out if this was the true cause of the accident. The bodies of both men were taken to Vachira Hospital.
Ghost hunters seek spirits at Sisseton orphanage, Watertown auditorium

The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Paranormal Society have explored dozens of locations, including the Sisseton orphanage and the Watertown city auditorium.
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Voters line up Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 during early voting at Chavis Community Center in Raleigh, N.C. Voters in the key presidential battleground of North Carolina demonstrated keen interest on the first day of early voting, as some waited in line for more than an hour Thursday to cast ballots. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Smoke rises in nearby Mosul as Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces advance towards the city, Iraq, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a pre-dawn assault on an Islamic State-held town east of the besieged city. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
But the tribe has a long way to go
Superstar Aamir Khan chose to stay mum on the issue of Pakistani film not being screened at the ongoing MAMI festival in Mumbai and the threats over the release of Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

During the opening ceremony of the 18th Jio MAMI festival, Aamir was asked to give his opinion on the opposition to screening of Pakistani film and the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil controversy. The actor said, "MAMI se poocho", before walking off.

Following the Uri terror attack, the MNS has threatened not to allow screening of Johar's film which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

Aamir had earlier got embroiled in a controversy over his remarks on intolerance.

The 51-year-old star was present at the MAMI festival with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra, who play Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari in his forthcoming film Dangal.

Aamir plays the role of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta and Babita.

Since the time the film's trailer was launched, there have been reports of similarity between Dangal and Sultan.

When asked about it, Aamir said, "No, not necessary, when you see the film you will realise."





Meanwhile, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who had raised his objection on social media over demands to ban Pakistani artistes and later was criticised for his remarks, stayed silent during the film festival's opening ceremony.

When asked to give his opinion, he looked at the cameras, folded his hands and left.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a supplementary chargesheet in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case on Friday.

CBI prosecutors Bharat Badami and Kavita Patil had earlier informed special judge HS Mahajan of the same. The CBI had held Sheena's mother Indrani Mukerjea, Indrani's former husband Sanjiv Khanna and her driver Shyam Rai as accused in the case.

CBI arguments on the final framing of charges are likely to begin next week.

(File) Sheena Bora | PTI

Sheena's remains were fished out in August 2015, three years after she went missing in 2012. Rai, incidentally, blew the lid off a horrific murder involving an influential family and their divergent ways. Naming them as accused, the CBI said Indrani, Khanna and Rai are party to the larger plot to eliminate Sheena, though the investigators found it a little difficult to squarely implicate the former Star TV top honcho and Sheena's father, Peter Mukherjea. The Maharashtra government had asked the CBI to probe the case after the Mumbai police were taken out of the overall investigations into the case.

The Sheena Bora tapes added a new twist in the sordid murder saga which shocked the nation by the unabashed way in which the killing was carried out by an ambitious mother who wanted to make it big in life. Later developments dragged Peter, Indrani's husband who is also in jail, into the case with the emergence of a slew of conversational tapes.

The tapes, recorded bits of telephonic conversation, between the primary dramatis personae in the case- Peter, Indrani and their sons Rahul, Mikhail and daughter Vidhie- throw up instances where the protagonists discussed and talked about Sheena and her absence.

Peter's advocate Mihir Gheewala, however, that said the tapes were nothing new and was submitted to the team of Mumbai police officers (helmed by top cop Rakesh Maria) immediately after the arrest of Indrani in November last year. He also added that the tapes are no different from the series of emails exchanged between Indrani and Peter and and those involving other members of the Mukherjea family.

The timeline of the story added to the overall confusing dynamic of the case, as Indrani involved her former husband Sanjeev when the plot was in its final stages and eventually executed. The tapes have turned out to be fodder for the CBI, which moved court on August 27 2016, seeking for the trial to begin in the case forthwith.
In yet another indication of continuing infighting within the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday skipped a crucial party meeting convened by state unit chief and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.



Akhilesh did not attend the meeting of district presidents of the Samajwadi Party even though Shivpal drove down to his residence on Friday to invite him personally for the event.



The meeting was called to discuss the 2017 assembly elections and to prepare for a silver jubilee function of the ruling party, scheduled for November 5.



Informed sources said that the chief minister was in no mood to compromise on his stated opposition to entry of criminals and re-entry of ministers accused of graft into the SP and demand for complete say in deciding tickets for the assembly elections.



Shivpal Singh Yadav is learnt to have told the SP's district presidents at the meeting that Akhilesh will be Chief Minister again if the party returns to power in the 2017 elections.



"I am ready to give it in writing on a stamp paper that if we win a majority, Akhilesh will be the next Chief Minister" he told party leaders.
Odisha health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, on Friday, resigned from the Cabinet on moral grounds in the wake of hospital fire tragedy that killed 25 persons.

"The health minister sent me his resignation letter. He has resigned on moral grounds. I have accepted it and sent it to the Governor," said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The minister was under pressure for his alleged connection with Manoj Nayak, the owner of the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospitals here.



Atanu's wife works as a lecturer in a college owned by Manoj Nayak, who has since been arrested.



Opposition parties were mounting pressure on the chief minister to sack the Minister for his alleged nexus with the SUM Hospitals owner.



Atanu was in the eye of the storm for the deteriorating healthcare facilities in the state.



In August last year, 70 infants died at the government-run sishu bhawan in Cuttack, following which Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited it.



Then came the shocking visuals of Dana Majhi, a tribal, carrying his wife's body on his shoulders over 10 km after he was denied an ambulance to ferry it to his village in Kalahandi district in August.



The failure of the health department to contain the Japanese Encephalitis had also provided fodder to the opposition.



Over 60 children died in Malkangiri district due to the vector-borne disease.
On the morning of Tuesday, 16 Tishrei, a Beit El resident was detained on suspicion of involvement with a clash with several Arabs approximately six months ago near Beit El. At a deliberation later the same day the Jerusalem Magistrate Court extended his remand by 48 hours. The police had demanded a six-day extension, until the erev Simchas Torah. During the deliberation it became known that no Arabs were detained on suspicion of involvement with the clash.

Honenu Attorney Avichai Hajbi, who is representing the detainee, noted that the police had waited almost six months to detain his client and therefore objected to the demand for a remand extension on the grounds that his client is dangerous.

Hajbi stated that, My client denies all charges. It is difficult for me to understand the demand by the investigating unit to detain my client for six days over an incident which occurred almost six months ago. I am of the opinion that in the coming days the investigators will understand that my client has no connection to the incident.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

According to the Shin Bet report cleared for release on Thursday, 18 Tishrei, the Israeli Arab family from Sakhnin that joined ISIS was taken into custody when they returned from Iraq along with their three children last month. The ages of the children are eight, six and three.

Wissam and Sabrin Zabeidat were arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport along with their three children on September 22nd, upon their return from Iraq.

The report states the family traveled to Romania and then made their way to Turkey for a family event. While there, they met another Israeli Arab who joined ISIS back in 2013. This person assisted them in making their way to Syria where they too were recruited and their Israeli passports were confiscated. Wissam traveled along to Iraq, where he received additional indoctrination and training while his family remained in Syria.

It is added that numerous attempts to make their way back from Syria to Turkey failed, compelling them to pay smugglers to assist them in returning to Israel. When they finally succeeded in entering Turkey they were taken into custody and placed in a detention facility. After being released they headed back home and were taken into custody in Ben-Gurion International Airport. The suspects were indicted in a Haifa court on charges including membership in a terrorist organization and traveling to an enemy nation.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The U.S. Postal Service has launched an investigation after a metro Atlanta resident says she filmed a worker dumping hundreds of pieces of mail in the woods.

Kellie Campbell of DeKalb County tells WSB-TV she recorded the postal worker walking near a fence and dumping several bins of mail into a ditch.

Campbell called the Postal Service, which sent workers to collect and deliver the mail.

In a statement, the Postal Service condemned the unlawful disposal of mail and said it was investigating the incident.

Officials did not release the name of the accused mail carrier, but said the employee was working part-time. No charges were immediately filed.

(AP)
Bitter presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have one more face-to-face showdown before Election Day. And theyre supposed to make it funny.

The venue just 24 hours after their third and final debate is the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York, a white-tie gala that every four years becomes a showcase for presidential politics. Tradition dictates that the candidates deliver humorous remarks poking fun at each other and themselves, a jovial custom that seems hard to envision amid such an ugly campaign. Trump regularly calls Clinton, Crooked Hillary, mocks her stamina and says hed put her in jail if he wins the presidency. Clinton says he lives in his own reality, is running a hateful, divisive campaign and lacks the temperament to be president.

They will sit just one seat apart for the evening, with New Yorks Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer.

I certainly expect that the dinner will be what its always been: an opportunity for two candidates to put aside partisan politics for the evening, said Joseph Zwilling, the spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, which hosts the dinner. I anticipate that we will have good humor and civility that this dinner has been always been known for.

The unprecedentedly bitter campaign between Clinton and Trump could threaten the ecumenical goodwill that has defined previous roasts. Since 1960, at least one of the major party nominees has appeared at nearly every election year dinner, which is traditionally the last time the nominees share a stage before voters go to the polls.

Four years ago, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney set aside their differences to trade (mostly) warm jokes. Romney, scanning the well-heeled crowd in the gilded Waldorf-Astoria ballroom, joked that the events white-tie attire finally gave him a chance to publicly don what Ann and I wear around the house. Obama, meanwhile, used his speech that year to look ahead to an upcoming debate on foreign policy, previewing his argument by saying Spoiler alert: we got Bin Laden.

Trump will speak first Thursday night, then Clinton. Neither campaign opted to preview their candidates remarks and aides for both declined comment on the evening other than to confirm that each nominee will be there.

The evening might feel familiar to Trump, who infamously glowered through Obamas jokes at his expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and is not known for being self-deprecating. Last weekend, he tweeted that he did not appreciate Saturday Night Lives portrayal of him in a sendup of the candidates performances in the second presidential debate.

This is the first time that both partys nominees hail from New York State as a crowd of about 1,500 gathers for the distinctly Gotham event, held each October. Attendees pay between $3,000 and $15,000 to attend the dinner, which raises about $5 million to provide services for impoverished children, Zwilling said.

The dinner is named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928. And fittingly for an event named after a man nicknamed The Happy Warrior, the occasion has produced dozens of memorable presidential jokes.

In 2000, then-Texas Governor George W. Bush gazed upon the glitzy gathering and declared: This is an impressive crowd, the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base.

That same year, Vice President Al Gore touted his campaign trail ability to weave in stories of real people in the audience and their everyday challenges.

Like the woman here tonight whose husband is about to lose his job, Gore continued. Shes struggling to get out of public housing and get a job of her own. Hillary Clinton, I want to fight for you.

And in 2008, John McCain joked about the exalted manner in which the media venerated Obama, noting that Maverick I can do, but Messiah is above my pay grade. But he wound down his remarks with a note of grace that, to this point, has been largely absent from the 2016 campaign.

I cant wish my opponent luck, McCain said, turning toward Obama, but I do wish him well.

(AP)
As federal authorities in the United States await a decision on whether Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will be tried here, the danger to anyone close to El Chapo was underscored in an assassination Tuesday.

The judge in his Mexico case was gunned down while jogging.

The judge assigned to the El Chapo case in Chicago may have been paying closer attention than anyone to what happened in Mexico. Chief federal judge in Chicago Ruben Castillo would oversee the case if El Chapo were extradited there.

His counterpart in Mexico on the El Chapo case was executed on a street near his home 30 miles west of Mexico City, a bold attack caught on camera that left authorities with few clues.

In a video, you see judge Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias jogging on the left  his assassin approaching from behind.

And then on a different security camera near his home, the long gunman gets to point blank range and fires a shot to the judges head.

He is near death on the driveway as the assassin runs away the same way he came.

Judge Zacarias died a short time later at a hospital.

He has investigated some of Mexicos biggest drug gangs and was currently overseeing the case of El Chapo at the time of the assassination.

Judge Castillo is presiding over the Chicago case against El Chapo and his band of aides, associates and operatives  many of whom have already been sent to jail.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago are awaiting El Chapos extradition to the U.S. to stand trial on charges either Chicago or in Brooklyn, New York City, where he also is under indictment.

The Mexican judge targeted by an assassin Tuesday was in the middle of the extradition matter now before the court there. Most recently, he had suspended the extradition of El Chapo to the U.S., and his death will undoubtedly slow down the drug lords removal to America.

The Mexico Attorney Generals Office has now taken over the murder investigation.

One of El Chapos attorneys says theres no reason to suspect the druglord was involved in the hit because he says the judges death does nothing to improve El Chapos situation. Surprisingly it is unusual for a Mexican judge handling drug cartel cases to be killed. During the decade-old drug war in Mexico it is more likely that local police and politicians are murdered by the cartels.

(Source: WABC)
New York states attorney general says his office doesnt have jurisdiction to investigate the fatal police shooting of a mentally ill 66-year-old woman in New York City.

Activists and political leaders had called for Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to oversee the investigation into Deborah Danners death. Danner was shot by a police sergeant in her Bronx apartment Tuesday night.

Schneidermans office has the power to investigate fatal police shootings of unarmed people. But authorities say Danner was threatening the sergeant with a bat when he shot her.

Democratic Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark says she intends to conduct a full, reasoned and independent investigation.

The New York Police Department says the sergeant had a stun gun but didnt use it. The sergeant has been placed on modified duty.

(AP)
An Austrian court has found a police officer guilty of contravening anti-Nazi laws by saying Heil Hitler while on duty at the border to Hungary and sentenced him to a suspended 9-month prison term.

The 29-year old was found guilty Thursday on the basis of testimony from fellow officers. One said he heard him speak the words, while the other testified that he was present when he later apologized for saying them.

Prosecutor Christian Peto told the court in the eastern city of Eisenstadt that after stopping a car on the border with Hungarian license plates earlier this year the accused began official duties with the words Heil Hitler.'

The officer, who was not identified in line with Austrian confidentiality laws, denied uttering the phrase.

(AP)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

It seems that there are a lot of people that are at a bit of a loss as to what Simchas Torah is all about. Hopefully, this overview will help fill that gap. We begin.

EARLIEST SOURCES

Everyone, of course, should note that while in Eretz Yisrael Simchas Torah and Shmini Atzeres are celebrated on the same day, in chutz laAretz, Simchas Torah is on the second day of Yom Tov. It can only fall on a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday.

The Gemorah itself has very little about Simchas Torah, and even its very name is not used. We only find mention (Megillah 31a) that on this day we read the Parsha of vZos HaBracha. Rishonim explain, however, that there was an enactment to complete the Torah on this day.

MENTIONED IN ZOHAR AND GAONIM

We do find mention of Simchas Torah in the Zohar of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Pinchas 256b). It also states that we crown the Sefer Torah with her crown.

The next mention of Simchas Torah is found in the works of the Geonim (Ritz Gias end of Hilchos Lulav, the Siddur of Rav Saadya Gaon, and a response of Rav Hai Gaon (cited by the Rashba #260). The Rishonim discuss it as well.

WHY IS IT CALLED SIMCHAS TORAH?

The Tur (Siman 669) explains that it is called SImchas Torah because this is the day that the Torah is completed and it is proper to rejoice when we complete it.

MATEH MOSHES REASON

The Mateh Moshe (Siman 976) provides a different explanation: When Klal Yisroel learned the Torah the accusing Satan said before Hashem: They learn it, but they never finish it!

When they finished it Hashem said, See they have completed it!

The Satan responded, Yes but they do not begin it again.

When they started again the Satan had nothing further to say. Since the accuser is silenced it is called, Simchas Torah. As pointed out by the Sefer Minhagim of Worms  Hashem Himself became our defense attorney. This is certainly a day to call Simchas Torah.

ORIGINS

Rav Yoseph Karo traces the idea of Simchas Torah to a Midrash in Shir HaShirim (1:9): And Jerusalem came and stood before Hashem.. And he made a feast for all His servants. Said Rabbi Yitzchok  from here we learn to make a feast-celebration for the conclusion of the Torah.

The Abarbanel (Parshas VaYelech) writes that Simchas Torah is the last vestige of the Mitzvah of Hakel that we celebrated every seven years. He writes that the Gadol of the Kehilah receives Chassan Torah because he is compared to the king who read from the Torah during Hakhel.

The Seforno in Parshas Emor (Vayikra 23:36) explains that since Shmini Atzeres is the day that Hashem says, Son, stay with Me one more day, this is a special time in which to come closer with the Creator. This is why Chazal set Simchas Torah on Shmini Atzeres  for it is through Torah that we may cleave to Hashem.

SPECIAL CHARACTER OF THE DAY

Rabbeinu Bachya in his Kad HaKemach (Atzeres) explains that this day of Simchas Torah is likened to the day of Matan Torah itself.

The Yesod vShoresh haAvodah states that whomsoever is careful to rejoice on Simchas Torah is assured that Torah shall never cease from his descendants. This is a remarkable thing to keep in mind. However, the Simcha should be a true expression of Torah joy and not be an expression, Heaven forbid, of drunken activity. There is an age-old Yiddish expression that our Bubbies and Zeidys used to express that such behavior is decidedly not of Jewish practice.

SPECIAL PSUKIM AT MAARIV

At Maariv the custom is to recite special Psukim. This is found in the Rishonim as well. It is interesting to note that Rabbi Akiva Eiger writes in a letter (Igros Rabbi Akiva Eiger #129) that the Pasuk Atta Horaisa LaDaas should be given to someone whose main occupation is Torah study. This is kavod HaTorah and doing otherwise is a Bizayon HaTorah.

Many have the minhag to recite the Borchu of Maariv in the Nigun of Yomim Noraim and NOT that of Yom Tov. We see from all this that there is in fact a happy and somber tone to SImchas Torah  it should not be an atmosphere of drunkenness and excess.

The Shliach Tzibbur then takes the Sefer Torah in hand and declares: Please Hashem save us. This is mentioned in the Maharil and Levush (Siman 669) . This is a serious plea, and not merely something that is sung without meaning.

Because of the special Mitzvah of Simcha on this day, Yiskor is actually moved up to the previous day of Shmini Atzeres in order to better enjoy the Simcha of the day. Generally speaking Yiskor is recited on the last day of a Yom Tov.

By the same token, we change the Birchas Kohanim to Shacharis instead of Mussaf because the excess Simcha that is in the hakafos are not in line with how the Birchas Johanim should be recited. For those shuls that daven Mussaf before the hakafos the Birkas Kohanim remains at Mussaf.

TORAH SHOULD BE LEARNED AS WELL

Generally speaking, Yom Tov should be divided as Chatzi lachem vchatzi lashem  half to you, in festive eating and drinking and half to Hashem in learning Torah.

Rav Shach ztl expressed his concern that Simchas Torah has, unfortunately devolved into excessive merrymaking, when in fact, it is a day of complete holiness and Simcha involving Torah. He emphasized that the celebration should be with Torah and its study as well. Rav Shach thus urged everyone to also engage in Torah study on this day as well.

HAKAFOS

There are two sets of Hakafos  those at night and those in the day. The leining that many Kehilos do on the night is, according to one explanation, so that the Torah will not be handled for no reason at all.

The Hakafos, just like regarding the Hakafos of the Lulav are patterned upon the Hakafos on Sukkos of the Bais HaMikdash.

The Hakafos should not be taken lightly. It is one of the last vestiges of the Holy Beis HaMikdash, and serves as a reminder of what we had.

There is a bit of a problem, however. On Sukkos we do not make Hakafos without a Lulav in hand. How can we do on Simchas Torah, without a Sefer Torah in hand? Some address this point by makig sure that whenever they do a Hakafa they are dancing in front of a Sefer Torah. Others are more lenient and understand it as doing Hakafos around the Bima itself  even though there is no Torah there now. Some make sure that there is a Sefer Torah by the Bima that is stationary.

An AVEL

There are various minhagim as to what an Avel (a mourner) does on Simchas Torah. Some say that he should not do a hakafah since the hakafos are based on that of Simchas Torah. Others permit it. Yet a third opinion is that an avel may only do so by holding the Torah once or by dancing in front of it and then stopping. Each person should ask the Rav in that shul in which he is davening.

HAKAFOS ON SHMINI ATZERES

In the Nusach Sefard minyanim it is the custom to have Hakafos on the first night of Yom Tov as well. Ashkenazim do so only on Simchas Torah  the second day of Yom Tov Sheini. Rav Vosner ruled (Shaivet HaLevi IX #141 that this is not considered change in minhag if an Ashkenazi shul wished to adopt this custom after Aleinu. He writes that it is, in fact, an expression of addition of Simcha before Hashem.

EVERYONE RECEIVES AN ALIYAH

It is the custom in Klal Yisroel for every person to receive an Aliyah on Simchas Torah. It is for this reason that many shuls break up into different groups so that everyone could receive the Aliyah in a prompt fashion.

There is also a halacha that Musaf should ideally be recited before the seventh hour of the day (See Shulchan Aruch 286:1). Indeed, the Biur Halacha explains that ideally it should be recited before the 6 and  hour of the day. It is on account of this halacha that many people daven Mussaf before the reading of the Torah. This is why there are various different minhagim in different shuls and Yeshivos.

It should also be noted that there is an extra reason why Mussaf should be recited earlier. According to the Sefer Kitzur HaKavanos of Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato on Shmini Atzeres mussaf the final petek (of our future) is handed in on Mussaf. This is also cited in numerous other Kaballah sforim. It is for this reson that some recite the Kaddish preceding Mussaf in the Yomim Noraim tune.

CHOSSON TORAH

The Aliyah given on the very last Aliyah of Sefer Dvarim is called Chosson Torah. The Machzor Vitri (418) explains that this Aliyah is very important because it is considered as if he had read the entire Torah, sinve we know that a Mitzvah is only called upon the person who completes it (See Rashi Parshas Aikev Dvarim 8:1). The term Chosson is employed because of these people (the Chosson Bereishis as well) who receive the Aliyos adorn the Torah as a Chosson adorns a bride (Seder HaYom). It is a bigger matter to be Chosson Torah than Chosson Bereishis, which is also a great matter.

The Chazan who calls up the Chosson Torah recites a special preamble inviting the Chosson Torah up. In it he recites aloud, Arise, arise, arise, Ploni the son of Ploni, Chosson Torah. In Hebrew this is Amod, Amod, Amod, Ploni Ben Ploni. This is an ancient Minhag in Klal Yisroel and is founf in the Minhag of Kehilas Worms. He recites it twice, and the Chosson Torah arises to his Aliyah on the second time because one should initially decline an honor.

The Sefer Minhag Yeshurun explains that it is recited three times in order to remind the Torah leader or community leader that the three pillars of Torah in the community are upon him to strengthen. The three pillars are Torah study, Avodah (now prayer) and Gmilus Chassadim.

After his Aliyah the congregations says, Chazak Chazak vnischazaik.

Some have the minhag to bring a fruit that one has not yet eaten from in order to be able to recite a Shehecheyanu on this Aliyah (and on Chosson Bereishis as well). This is to fulfill the view of the Rokayach who says that a shehecheyanu should be recited. Some explain that this is on account of arising to greatness in having been the recipient of this Aliyah.

Others say that in recent times, no one has seen the bracha of shehecheyanu recited. Because of the preponderance of rare fruits throughout the entire season some say that a Shehecheyanu can no longer be recited on a new fruit.

HAGBAAH

Many have the Minhag of performing the Hagbaah in a different manner than the rest of the year. The magbiah switches hands and shows the ksav to the congregation rather than having it face him. It is a controversy whether this is a correct Minhag or not. The Aishel Avrohol justifies it, while the SHaarei Ephraim (8:62 and 10:16) says it is incorrect. In most places, the minhag is to do it, however. Nonetheless, if the Torah is particularly heavy or the Magbiah is not a strong person  it should not be done. Poskim have written that the Hagbaah should not specifically given to a strong man who is an Am HaAretz on this account.

KOL HANEARIM

The minhag of giving everyone an Aliyah also includes giving all the children present one main Aliyah generally done under a huge Talis or a number of Taleisim held together. One adult joins them as well.

The Mishna Brurah (669:13), citing the Levush, explains that the purpose is to train children in the Mitzvah of Krias HaTorah. The Shaarei Ephraim (8:57) states that it is so that they will love the Mitzvah and to train them in Torah. There are also those who explain that since everyone must receive an Aliyah, children are also included.

Often women wait a considerable amount of time for the Aliyos to be over so that their child can get Kol HaNearim. Rav Mordechai Gross posed the question to Rav Elyashiv zatzal as to whether Kol HaMearim can be done earlier or whether this is considered a change in Minhag. Rav Elyashiv responded that it is permitted, provided that the adults would agree to it. The reason why it is last is because the Gemorah in Gittin 60a indicates that adults come before children in terms of Kavod.

PAYING

It is the custom in Klal Yisroel (Seder HaYom, Siddur Yaavetz) to auction off these two Aliyos in order to raise money for the shul. The minhag is that much money is paid for these two Mitzvos to show the Chavivus of the Mitzvah (See Siddur Yaavetz and Seder HaYom).

Ideally, this Aliyah should be given to a Kohain to fulfill the Mitzvah of veChibadto  And you shall honor him. Nonetheless, the Minhag is to give it to the highest bidder to raise the money for the Tzedakkah of the shul. The Aliyah should go to someone who is at least either a scholar or an Askan or leader in the community.

The Knesses HaGedolah writes that these Aliyos should not be sold because they should only be given to those crowned in Torah. The Eliyahu Rabbah, however, writes that one cannot abolish a minhag in Klal Yisroel and the median of only having worthy people bid should be adopted.

CHOSSON BEREISHIS

The Aliyah given to the very Aliyah in Bereishis is called Chosson Bereishis. It is a great matter to be the first one to do something. Nachshon Ben Aminadav was the first one who entered the waters even before Kriyas Yam Suf happened. Aside from showing Bitachon in Hashem, he was the first to follow the command, which is a great zchus.

When the Baal Koreh reaches the words Vayehi Erev vayehi Boker it is the custom for the entire congregation to recite it, for all the days of Maaeh Bereishis. The custom is also for the entire congregation to say the words, Vayechulu hashamayim up until laasos.

This is only done on Simchas Torah and is not done on Shabbos Bereishis when the entire Parasha is read. The Taamei HaMinhagim (83) provides the reason for this custom. He explains that the reason for this reading of Bereishis is not to fulfill the Mitzvah. [Indeed, from the language of the Tur the reading of Sefer Bereishis is merely a minhag and not an full obligation].

The reason for this reading to entrench Emunah into the hearts of Klal Yisroel. That it was Hashem, who has given us the Torah who created the world. This is why the entire congregation recites these verses.

The reason why we all recite aloud the paragraph of Shabbos is because Shabbos has always been viewed as the symbol or flag of the Jewish nation. Just as patriots of any nation look at their flag as more than a mere dyed cloth with fancy designs, so too is Shabbos viewed in the eyes of the Jewish people. It is a sign of our deep belief in Hashem Yisbarach  that it was He who Created the world. But it is more than this too.

Our belief in HaKadosh Boruch Hu is not just limited to the notion that an omnipotent entity created the world. No. An integral aspect of Torah theology is that this omnipotent entity, HaKadosh Boruch Hu, is the source of all good.

He rewards good and punishes evil. The Jewish understanding of Hashem and His unique Oneness is that midos and emunah Bashem are intrinsically interwoven with each other .

A belief in the Oneness of Hashem perforce also includes the notion that He defines what goodness is. Altruism, goodness, and good midos are not, chalilah to say, the results of some theory of evolutionary biology  no, they are part and parcel of our conception of the Borei Olam Himself. This thought is expressed in both the Zohar (Bereishis) as well as in the writings of the Alter of Slabodka (Bereishis)

Indeed, this is the raison detre of Creation itself  so that Hashem can reward those who do good and fulfill his Ratzon.

If, in the path of life, we successfully attempt to emulate G-d  then we will be rewarded. The recitation of this pasuk alound on Simchas Torah shows that the observance of Shabbos is thus the flag of the Jewish people  the idea and notion that represents all this.

CONCLUSION

The Bikkurei Yaakov cited by the Mishna Brurah explains that Simchas Torah is a time of great rejoicing for the masses in the Simcha of Mitzvah. It is therefore wrong that some people do not make this a Simcha in the Simcha of Torah. The Torah should not be left in a corner. May Hashem rectify this, the Bikkurei Yaakov writes, and repair that which is broken.

Boruch Hashem, in many kehilos, the Torah is truly celebrated on this day with the resurgence of Torah study and recognition of its centrality in Klal Yisroel.

May we all be zocheh to yeshuos and nechamos as we celebrate the Torah on this wonderful Yom Tov!

The author can be reached at [email protected]
A fashion crisis has hit the High Street to the tune of 700million, and retailers aren't expecting younger shoppers to help reverse the trend.

Those in their 20s to mid-30s  known as millennials or Generation Y are abandoning clothes and handbags in favour of experiences.

This demographic makes up around 20 per cent of the UK population.

And unlike their baby-boomer parents who typically liked to buy houses and fill them with stuff, they are increasingly spending their cash on eating and going out.

Selfie-centered: Those in their 20s to mid-30s  known as millennials or Generation Y are abandoning clothes and handbags in favour of experiences

'Millennials tend to concentrate their spending on leisure rather than material possessions,' says Craig Bonthron, co-manager of the Kames Global Sustainable Equity Fund.

'They expect higher quality, healthier ingredients, and when they do finally settle down they have very high standards.

'It's a trend driven, in part, by the fact that home ownership is out of reach for much of this generation. The question for investors is how to profit from it.'

Holiday operators such as Tui are an obvious beneficiary of this movement, according to Helal Miah, analyst at The Share Centre.

'You might think that with terrorism fears and a weaker pound there would be issues for these companies, but people still want to travel, they just go to a different destination,' he says.

Meanwhile, Hostelworld has reported an increase in bookings from mobile phones. Its cheaper rooms and online reservations system appeal to backpackers and those on a low budget.

Restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes are a major domestic beneficiary of the millennial-about-town.

Tom Becket, chief investment officer at Psigma, says: 'Discretionary spending is the main thing leading the economy right now. Both in the UK and the US, younger people are spending more than ever in bars and restaurants.'

This could help food wholesaler Booker Group, which is supplying those restaurants and cafes seeing an uptick in trade, says Becket.

Cheers: Pubs, bars and cafes are a major domestic beneficiary of the millennial-about-town

Meanwhile, Miah rates pub chain Marston's. He says: 'It has switched its focus away from just drinks into good-quality food, and that is what people are going to pubs for these days.'

Miah also likes The Restaurant Group, which is behind chains such as Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito.

It's had a tough time in the past year, but with a new management team it could get a boost.

He says the restaurants benefit from being located at leisure parks and shopping centres where footfall is high, particularly in the Christmas season and with blockbuster movies such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story set to drive up customer numbers in coming weeks.

When they're not eating out, millennials are indulging in high-quality home cooking, according to the experts. Kerry Group is a global food ingredients firm, which works for brands and for supermarkets.

Bonthron says: 'Younger shoppers have shifted away from packaged foods with artificial processed ingredients towards fresh, organic and healthy alternatives.

That means there is a growing need for ingredients companies which can support large players to adapt their products and help emerging new brands grow.'

The Irish-listed firm recorded revenue of 2.7billion in the first half of the year.

Notoriously health-conscious millennials might also push up profits at The Gym Group, which has about 70 gyms open around-the-clock.
The 38billion takeover of Reynolds by British American Tobacco would generate a fees bonanza in the City and create a tobacco giant that makes three-quarters of a trillion cigarettes a year.

London-based BAT already owns 42.2 per cent of its US rival and is now planning to buy the remaining 57.8 per cent  creating one of the world's biggest tobacco companies.

Reynolds is understood to have told BAT it is open to a deal but may seek a higher price.

London-based BAT already owns 42.2 per cent of US rival Reynolds and is now planning to buy up the remaining 57.8 per cent

It raises the prospect of BAT being forced to come back with billions of pounds more if it wants to seal a deal that would see its brands including Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike and Rothmans come under the same roof as Camel and Newport.

Both companies manufacture Pall Mall cigarettes, with Reynolds selling them in the US and BAT in the rest of the world.

Glamorous ex-army captain battling Brazilian for top job The proposed takeover of US cigarette maker Reynolds by British American Tobacco will kick-start a power struggle at the top of the enlarged company. Nicandro Durante, who has been chief executive of BAT since 2011 and earned 4.5million last year, is well-regarded in the City and is likely to keep the top job having orchestrated the deal. But the 60-year-old Brazilian will face competition from 45-year-old American Debra Crew (pictured), who is president and chief operating officer at Reynolds but will replace Susan Cameron at the company's helm next year. Crew  who was named in the Fortune list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2014 and 2015  served in the US Army from 1993 to 1997 in military intelligence and rose to the rank of captain. She started her business career at Kraft and held senior management positions at Pepsi and Mars before joining Reynolds in 2014.

BAT has a 5 per cent share of the US market but accounts for more than half of all cigarettes sold in Latin America.

Sources said that the takeover would 'put the American back in British American Tobacco' and help it challenge Marlboro maker Philip Morris.

BAT sold 663billion cigarettes last year while Reynolds sold 83billion  meaning the combined group would sell 746billion a year or 2billion a day and 23,655 a second.

If a deal is struck it would be the biggest overseas buyout by a British company since Royal Bank of Scotland's disastrous takeover of ABN Amro and would trigger a windfall in fees, likely to be more than 100million, for advisers including Deutsche Bank and UBS.

It would also be the latest big deal in the 'sin' sector following the 79billion merger between brewers SAB Miller and AB InBev and a wave of consolidation in the gambling industry.

BAT shares fell 2.9 per cent, or 137p, to 4666p in London, while Reynolds shares jumped 15 per cent in New York. BAT's Brazilian chief executive Nicandro Durante said that a tie-up would boost both companies' presence in the fast-growing vaping market.

The industry has been grappling with widespread anti-smoking campaigns, which have forced companies such as BAT and Reynolds to diversify into nicotine replacements and e-cigarettes to meet consumer health concerns.

Durante said: 'We have been a shareholder in Reynolds since its creation in 2004 and have benefited from its growth in the US market.

The proposed merger of our two great companies is the logical progression in our relationship and offers all shareholders a stake in a stronger, truly global company.

'BAT is proud of its track record of consistent delivery for shareholders, and this transaction would further strengthen that delivery in the future.'

BAT's 38.3billion offer includes 22billion of BAT shares and 16.3billion of cash.

The deal has yet to be approved by the Reynolds board. If it gets the green light it will then be put to both BAT and Reynolds shareholders.

The proposed takeover would help BAT gain a further foothold in the US and give the new company a significant presence in high-growth markets including South America, the Middle East and Africa.

Owen Bennett, an equity analyst at Jefferies International, said the US is 'one of the most attractive profit pools in the world' and currently accounts for 45 per cent of global vapour cigarette sales.
SHELL OUT Shell is selling another 843.5million of assets in the latest attempt to trim its global portfolio by 25billion.

The oil and gas giant said it would sell 206,000 acres of land in western Canada to Calgary-based rival Tourmaline Oil Corp.

It is part of a global bid to reduce its debt pile after buying BG Group earlier this year in a 35billion deal. Shares fell 0.3 per cent, or 6p, to 2168.5p.

BID BLOCK Activist hedge fund Elliott Advisors is to block a bid for one of its investments.

Engineering group GE Germany Holdings is understood to have made a tender for outstanding shares in SLM Solutions Group.

But Elliott, which has a 20 per cent stake in SLM, said it intends to reject the offer for the 3D metal-printing company, adding that it would not be in the best interests of SLM shareholders.

PETROFAC CHIEF Petrofac has appointed a new finance chief after the exit of Tim Weller.

Alistair Cochran has joined the oil and gas giant as chief financial officer and executive director after leaving his post at BG Group, where he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions. BG Group was bought by rival Shell in February last year for 35billion.

PRICE RULING Plans to set a minimum price for alcohol in Scotland have been backed in court.

The Edinburgh Court of Session ruled against a challenge by the Scotch whisky industry, which claimed a minimum price rule breached EU law.

A price of 50p per unit of alcohol will be set under the plans, taking a bottle of spirits to at least 14.

MICROSOFT RECORD Shares in Microsoft reached a record high yesterday, climbing above the peak set during the dotcom boom 17 years ago.

The stock traded at $60.45 just after the market opened in the wake of a positive earnings report, surging 5.6 per cent and eclipsing its previous high of $59.97.

JOB CUTS Train and plane maker Bombardier is axing 7,500 jobs worldwide. Two-thirds will be in its rail division and the rest in aerospace.

About 2,000 of the cuts will be in the firm's home country of Canada.
Stephen Potter is being pursued in Brazil over his involvement in the Samarco tragedy

A British mining boss is among those facing homicide charges over the deaths of 19 people in a Brazilian dam disaster.

Stephen Potter is being pursued by the nation's prosecutors over his involvement in the Samarco tragedy last year.

Potter, who works at Brazilian mining giant Vale, is among 21 bosses who have been charged with homicide for persistently ignoring warnings about the Fundao dam at an iron mine.

It subsequently collapsed in November in what is considered to be the worst environmental disaster in Brazil's history.

Bystanders described the wall of concrete appearing to ripple like waves before it crumbled away.

A tidal surge of mud and mining waste crashed down, wiping out nearby communities and leading to the death of 14 miners and five villagers.

Investigators have since claimed bosses were told of safety failings at the dam. They also said there was no alarm system to warn villagers.

Officials from BHP Billiton, Vale and their joint venture Samarco have rejected the charges and said they will defend their employees.

Tragedy: The Fundao dam at an iron mine collapsed in November in what is considered to be the worst environmental disaster in Brazil's history

Potter, who attended the private Bedford Modern School before graduating from Imperial College in 1993, is director of global strategy at Vale.

He started his career at miner Rio Tinto before joining his current employer in 2009 and later serving as vice-chairman on the board of Samarco.
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Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG Finland Oy, PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Investment (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Refinish Distribution Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG Reunion SAS, PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Korlatolt FelelosseguTarasasag (PPG Trilak Kft.), PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Tikkurila Oyj, Tikkurila Sverige AB, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, VF Specialty Products LLC, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., VersaFlex Acquisition Corp., VersaFlex Inc., VersaFlex Intermediate Holdings LLC, Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, and Worwag Coatings.

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Equifax Inc. provides information solutions and human resources business process automation outsourcing services for businesses, governments, and consumers. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers employment, income, criminal history, and social security number verification services, as well as payroll-based transaction, employment tax management, and identity theft protection products. The USIS segment provides consumer and commercial information services, such as credit information and credit scoring, credit modeling and portfolio analytics, locate, fraud detection and prevention, identity verification, and other consulting; mortgage services; financial marketing services; identity management services; credit monitoring products; and online information, decisioning technology solutions, as well as portfolio management, mortgage reporting, and consumer credit information services. The International segment offers information service products, which include consumer and commercial services, such as credit and financial information, and credit scoring and modeling; and credit and other marketing products and services, as well as offers information, technology, and other services to support debt collections and recovery management. The company serves customers in financial services, mortgage, employers, consumer, commercial, telecommunication, retail, automotive, utility, brokerage, healthcare, and insurance industries, as well as state, federal, and local governments. It operates in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland, Russia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Zoetis Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes animal health medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products in the United States and internationally. It commercializes products primarily across species, including livestock, such as cattle, swine, poultry, fish, and sheep; and companion animals comprising dogs, cats, and horses. The company also offers vaccines, which are biological preparations to prevent diseases of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive tracts or induce a specific immune response; anti-infectives that prevent, kill, or slow the growth of bacteria, fungi, or protozoa; and parasiticides that prevent or eliminate external and internal parasites, which include fleas, ticks, and worms. It also provides other pharmaceutical products that comprise pain and sedation, antiemetic, reproductive, and oncology products; dermatology products for itch associated with allergic conditions and atopic dermatitis; and medicated feed additives, which offer medicines to livestock. In addition, the company provides portable blood and urine analysis testing, including point-of-care diagnostic products, instruments and reagents, rapid immunoassay tests, reference laboratory kits and services, and blood glucose monitors; and other non-pharmaceutical products, including nutritionals and agribusiness services, as well as products and services in areas, such as biodevices, genetics tests, and precision animal health. It markets its products to veterinarians, livestock producers, and retail outlets, as well as third-party veterinary distributors through its sales representatives, and technical and veterinary operations specialists. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Learn more .

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest, and most recognizable, stock exchanges in the world. The NYSE is in New York City, New York at 11 Wall Street. The NYSE has been in existence since the earliest days of the United States becoming a nation, in 1792 and is primarily made up of blue-chip companies with large market capitalizations. In fact, many of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Composite Index (i.e. The Dow) are listed on the NYSE.

This article gives a brief history of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, it covers topics such as what kind of stocks trade on the exchange, what are the listing requirements, how trading is performed, and what the daily price movement of the NYSE tells investors about investor sentiment.

What Were the Origins of the NYSE?

Today, the New York Stock Exchange is known as the center of the financial universe. However, the exchanges origin is far more humble. On May 17, 1792, 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement creating a centralized exchange to help provide order to the securities market in what was still a young nation. The "Buttonwood Agreement comes from the tree of the same name under which the founders signed the agreement.

An initial benefit of the exchange was how it removed the need for auctioneers when trading commodities like wheat and tobacco and to set a commission rate. The exchange initially focused on government bonds.

However, the exchange had no formal home. Business was usually conducted informally in the local coffeehouses. In 1817, the exchange changed its name to the New York Stock & Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, the exchange adopted a constitution that set the rules for trading. A group of stockbrokers met twice a day at 40 Wall Street to trade 30 stocks and bonds.

Over time, the exchange moved became the financial hub of the country and moved to its current location in 1865.

What Kind of Stocks Trade on the NYSE?

As of June 2022, the NYSE includes approximately 2,400 companies with a market capitalization of over $28.2 trillion. Although the NYSE trades stocks of all market capitalizations, its best known for trading the stocks of large cap companies. These have the benefit of being mature companies in mature industries. And many of these companies reward shareholders with dividends.

However, that also means that many of these companies are better suited for value investors as opposed to growth investors. In bear markets this stability can be a benefit for investors as these stocks tend to perform less bad than more volatile stocks. But in a bull market, these stocks are not likely to provide investors with the growth that they look for.

An interesting fact about how the NYSE and NASDAQ operate is that the companies with the five largest market caps on the NYSE are also listed on the NASDAQ exchange.

What Are the Listing Requirements For the NYSE?

The NYSE has strict guidelines that govern the types of companies that can list on the exchange. Here are the major requirements that all companies must meet:

The company must have at least 2,200 shareholders

The company must trade over 100,000 shares per month

The company must have a market valuation of over $100 million

The company must generate more than $75 million in annual revenue

However, there is at least one advantage of having such stringent requirements. That is the companies that meet the requirements generally find it easier to get more investors funds when they hold their initial public offering (IPO).

Once a company begins trading on the NYSE, it must continue to meet these requirements. If it doesnt it can be delisted. In addition to these requirements, the stock must continue to trade above $1. If the price of a stock drops below $1 for more than 29 consecutive trading days, the stock receives an Initial Price Violation Notice.

At that point, the company has 10 days to provide the exchange with a plan for bringing their shares above $1.

How are Trades Executed on the NYSE?

For over a century, the floor of the NYSE was the place for investors to be. This meant trades were conducted by traders who ran buy and sell orders across the trading floor looking to broker a deal for their clients. But with the birth of the NASDAQ exchange in 1971, the New York Stock Exchange began conducting electronic trading.

However, the NYSE continues to conduct trades in an auction style. Brokers purchase stocks on behalf of their clients or firms. Every order features a broker who will enter the order electronically and a specialist who serves as the market maker for that stock. The specialist posts bid and ask prices and manages the actual execution of the trades. And there are still a handful of stockbrokers who still traffic buy and sell orders physically on the floor of the exchange.

How Does the NYSE Signal Investor Sentiment?

Like its counterpart, the NASDAQ, the NYSE measures the risk appetite of investors. When the NYSE is moving higher over a length of time, it signals that a risk on environment. Conversely when the NYSE moves lower over a significant period, it signals that investors are moving to a risk off position.

Some Final Thoughts on the NYSE

Financial news networks plan their programming schedule around the opening and closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Its still considered a distinguished honor when individuals or groups are invited to ring the opening bell. In fact, Warren Buffett is attributed with saying that in the short term, the stock market acts like a voting machine. A fact that many U.S. presidents will attest to.

The NYSE is the oldest and most recognizable of all the stock exchanges. It also has the most stringent requirements for inclusion. And those requirements must be maintained even after a stock begins publicly trading on the exchange.

Although the NYSE still has a small in-person Trading Floor, much of the trading is done electronically to provide traders with the speed to execute trades.
Telecom Argentina S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Argentina and internationally. The company offers telephone services, including local, domestic, and international long-distance telephone services, as well as public telephone services; and other related supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller ID, voice mail, itemized billing, and maintenance services. It also provides interconnection services, such as traffic and interconnection resource, dedicated Internet access, video signals transportation in standard and high definitions, audio and video streaming, dedicated links, backhaul links for mobile operators, data center hosting/housing services, dedicated links, layer 2 and layer 3 transport networks, video links, value-added services, and other services. In addition, the company offers mobile telecommunications services, including voice communications, high-speed mobile Internet content and applications download, online streaming, and other services; and sells mobile communication devices, such as handsets, Modems MiFi and wingles, and smart watches under the Personal brand. Further, it provides internet connectivity products, including virtual private network services, traditional Internet protocol links, and other products; data services; and programming and other cable television services. The company was formerly known as Cablevision S.A. and changed its name to Telecom Argentina S.A. in January 2018. Telecom Argentina S.A. was founded in 1979 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Valley National Bancorp operates as the holding company for Valley National Bank that provides various commercial, retail, insurance, and wealth management financial services products. It operates through Commercial Lending, Consumer Lending, and Investment Management segments. The company offers non-interest bearing, savings, NOW, money market, and time deposit accounts; commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, residential mortgage, and automobile loans; loans secured by the cash surrender value of life insurance; home equity loans and lines of credit; and secured and unsecured other consumer loans. It also invests in various securities and interest-bearing deposits with other banks; and provides international banking services, such as standby and documentary letters of credit, and related products, as well as foreign exchange transactions, documentary collections, foreign wire transfers services, and transaction accounts for non-resident aliens. In addition, the company offers investment services for individuals and small to medium sized businesses; and trusts and custom -tailored investment strategies for various retirement plans. Further, it provides trust services, such as living and testamentary trusts, investment management, custodial and escrow services, and estate administration to individuals; tax credit advisory services; property and casualty, life, health, and title insurance agency services; and health care equipment lending and other commercial equipment leasing services, as well as owns real estate related investments. Additionally, the company offers online, mobile, and telephone banking services; and overdraft, drive-in and night deposit, automated teller machine, remote deposit capture, and safe deposit facility services. As of December 31,2021, it operated 232 branch offices in New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Alabama. The company was incorporated in 1927 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Anixter International Inc., through its subsidiary, Anixter Inc., distributes enterprise cabling and security solutions, electrical and electronic wire and cable solutions, and utility power solutions worldwide. The company operates through Network & Security Solutions (NSS), Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), and Utility Power Solutions (UPS) segments. The NSS segment offers copper and fiber optic cable and connectivity, access control, video surveillance, intrusion and fire/life safety, cabinet, power, cable management, wireless, professional audio/video, voice and networking switches, and other ancillary products for the technology, finance, transportation, education, government, healthcare, and retail industries, as well as telecommunications service providers. The EES Solutions segment provides electrical and electronic wires and cables, shipboard cables, support and supply products, low-voltage and instrumentation cables, industrial communication and control products, security cables, connectors, industrial Ethernet switches, and voice and data cables to the commercial and industrial, and original equipment manufacturer markets. The UPS segment supplies electrical transmission and distribution products, power plant maintenance, repair and operations supplies, and smart-grid products, as well as arranges materials management and procurement outsourcing for the power generation and transmission, and electricity distribution industries. The company serves contractors, installers, system integrators, value-added resellers, architects, engineers, and wholesale distributors in various industries, including manufacturing, resource extraction, telecommunications, Internet service providers, finance, education, healthcare, retail, transportation, utilities, and defense, as well as government customers. The company was formerly known as Itel Corporation. Anixter International Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.
Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. is a mortgage-focused REIT externally managed by Invesco Advisors Ltd. Invesco Advisors LTD is a subsidiary of Invesco which is a leading wealth manager and investment company for individuals, high net-worth clients, institutions, public entities, corporations, and governments. The firm created Invesco Mortgage Capital, Inc to focus its decades of experience in the mortgage markets to generate a steady stream of cash for its investors.

The company was incorporated in 2008 in order to acquire, finance, and manage a portfolio of mortgage-backed securities and mortgages. Invesco believes that achieving the full potential of the mortgage market requires a blend of discipline, structure, and creativity because of long-term structural changes in the way real estate transactions and ownership are handled. The units of Invesco Mortgage Capital tend to yield high-double-digits and have paid more than $26 per unit on a split-adjusted basis since the dividend was initiated.

The objective is to provide risk-adjusted returns through dividends and capital appreciation using the combined strengths of three key Invesco groups; the in-house real estate team, the Worldwide Fixed Income team, and subsidiary WL Ross & Co. Invesco Mortgage Capital is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. As of Q3 2022, Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc held $4.9 billion in assets, $4.7 billion of which were listed as agency RMBS.

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. elected to be taxed as a REIT and so distributes at least 90% of its income to shareholders each year. The fund seeks to generate a high level of income while maintaining a stable portfolio and book value within a dynamic market. The investment strategy is opportunistic and not limited to a single type of mortgage security and so provides greater diversification than most other REITs as well.

Invesco invests in a blend of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) that are and are not guaranteed by a U.S. government agency or federally chartered corporation. The fund also invests in credit risk transfer securities, residential and commercial mortgage loans, and assorted real estate-related financing. Among the opportunities, the fund is pursuing are commercial real estate loan origination, securitizing residential mortgages, and risk-sharing arrangements with federal housing authorities.
Telefonica, S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Europe and Latin America. The company's mobile and related services and products comprise mobile voice, value added, mobile data and Internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone services; local, domestic, and international long-distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; supplementary value-added services; video telephony; intelligent network; and telephony information services, as well as leases and sells handset equipment. The company also provides Internet and broadband multimedia services comprising Internet service provider, portal and network, retail and wholesale broadband access, narrowband switched access, high-speed Internet through fibre to the home, and voice over Internet protocol services. In addition, it offers leased line, virtual private network, fibre optics, web hosting and application, outsourcing and consultancy, desktop, and system integration and professional services. Further, the company offers wholesale services for telecommunication operators, including domestic interconnection and international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators; and local loop leasing services, as well as bit stream services, wholesale line rental accesses, and leased ducts for other operators' fiber deployment. Additionally, it provides video/TV services; smart connectivity and services, and consumer IoT products; financial and other payment, security, cloud computing, advertising, big data, and digital telco experience services; virtual assistants; digital home platforms; and Movistar Home devices. It also offers online telemedicine, home insurance, music streaming, and consumer loan services. The company was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. 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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The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. The company operates through Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; and Run-off Property-Liability segments. The Allstate Protection segment offers private passenger auto and homeowners insurance; specialty auto products, including motorcycle, trailer, motor home, and off-road vehicle insurance; other personal lines products, such as renter, condominium, landlord, boat, umbrella, and manufactured home and stand-alone scheduled personal property; and commercial lines products under the Allstate and Encompass brand names. The Protection Services segment provides consumer product protection plans and related technical support for mobile phones, consumer electronics, furniture, and appliances; finance and insurance products, including vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection waivers, road hazard tire and wheel, and paint and fabric protection; roadside assistance; device and mobile data collection services; data and analytic solutions using automotive telematics information; and identity protection services. This segment offers its products under various brands including Allstate Protection Plans, Allstate Dealer Services, Allstate Roadside Services, Arity, and Allstate Identity Protection. The Allstate Health and Benefits provides life, accident, critical illness, short-term disability, and other health insurance products. The Run-off Property-Liability offers property and casualty insurance. It sells its products through call centers, agencies, financial specialists, independent agents, brokers, wholesale partners, and affinity groups, as well as through online and mobile applications. The Allstate Corporation was founded in 1931 and is based in Northbrook, Illinois.
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets commercial aerostructures worldwide. It operates through three segments: Commercial, Defense & Space, and Aftermarket. The Commercial segment offers forward, mid, and rear fuselage sections and systems, struts/pylons, nacelles, and related engine structural components; and wings and wing components, including flight control surfaces, as well as other structural parts. This segment primarily serves the aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or engine OEMs of large commercial aircraft and/or business/regional jet programs. The Defense & Space segment provides fuselage, strut, nacelle, and wing aerostructures primarily for U.S. Government defense programs, including Boeing P-8, C40, and KC-46 Tanker. This segment also engages in the fabrication, bonding, assembly, testing, tooling, processing, engineering analysis, and training on fixed wing aircraft aerostructures, missiles, and hypersonics works, such as solid rocket motor throats, nozzles, re-entry vehicle thermal protections systems, forward cockpit and cabin, and fuselage work on rotorcraft aerostructures. The Aftermarket segment offers spare parts and MRO services, repairs for flight control surfaces and nacelles, radome repairs, rotable assets, engineering services, advanced composite repairs, and other repair and overhaul services. Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. has a strategic partnership with Sierra Space to enhance access to commercial space economy of the future. The company was formerly known as Mid-Western Aircraft Systems Holdings, Inc. Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.
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By Patrick Donachie

A 69-year-old woman was assaulted outside a Jamaica deli Saturday morning, and police were asking for the publics help in finding the suspect in the attack.

Police said that at 8:10 a.m. in front of the King Deli and Grocery at 107-60 Sutphin Blvd., 28-year-old Richard Springer, also known as Kwasi, exited the store, approached the woman and allegedly punched her in the head. She fell to the ground after the attack and Springer fled the scene, according to the NYPD. The New York Post reported the woman was going to meet with fellow women in a church group when she was attacked.

EMS and NYPD officers responded to the scene of the attack, and the EMS workers transported the woman to Jamaica Hospital where she was in stable condition, according to the NYPD. The Post reported that the woman had suffered a brain aneurysm and underwent surgery at the hospital, and also had a surveillance video of the incident, showing the assailant fighting with someone inside the deli before exiting and striking the woman in the head. She falls backward and appears to hit her head on the sidewalk in the video. The assailant continues around the corner, disappearing out of the surveillance footage frame.

Springers last known address was 147-21 109th Ave., a few short blocks from the site of the attack, according to the NYPD. Police released a photo of Springer to the public and described him as being 5-foot-11 and weighing 175 pounds. Springer has brown eyes, black hair in corn rows and a tattoo of the name Emily on his right arm.

Police said Springer was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans and black boots, and encouraged anyone with information about the case to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS or submit tips online at www.nypdc rimes toppe rs.com . All calls were confidential, police said.

The Post reported Springer was presently on parole after a February conviction for robbery, perjury and criminal possession of stolen property.
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By Bill Parry

The Correction Officer Benevolent Association sued Mayor Bill de Blasio, the City Council and the city Board of Correction because the group contends its complaints are not being heard while the city caters to inmates wishes. COBA President Elias Husamudeen charges that violence against officers has surged since the de Blasio administration ended the use of solitary confinement for prisoners 21years old and under.

The problem is these are the most violent individuals we have in custody. Ive got 620 correction officers who have been assaulted already this year, Husamudeen said. If 620 schoolteachers, police officers or bus drivers were assaulted in less than a year, it would be a national outrage. We cant wait until a correction officer is murdered on Rikers Island to get the mayor to reverse his policy on eliminating punitive segregation and come up with other ways to reduce violence.

On Tuesday, as COBA was filing its lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court, the mayor was signing seven pieces of legislation he said would ensure that the jails in this city treat those who have been placed in them as fairly as possible. In court papers, Husamudeen said the board is ignoring the City Charter, which requires to investigate both inmate and guard complaints.

The Board has become just another inmate advocacy group that doesnt even focus on whats happening to their own employees, he said. Our people have broken eye sockets, broken jaws, broken wrists and nobodys really listening.

The administration is aware of the complaint and is reviewing it. Meanwhile a Board of Correction representative said, The Board values the voices of correction officers, representatives of COBA and other unions, and all staff working in the citys jails. We look forward to continued productive dialogue.

But COBAs leader said the board, which is made up mayoral, City Council and judicial appointees, has no experience in law enforcement.

They take away our best tool: punitive segregation, Husamudeen said. It makes no sense. Thats like taking away a police officers gun and telling him to go fight crime.
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By Bill Parry

Children are bearing the brunt of South Coronas exploding population, according to several elected officials. Standing in front of classroom trailers at PS 16 on 114th Street, they demanded an immediate response to the districts overcrowded schools, urging the city to downgrade South Coronas existing zoning code to lower the neighborhoods density.

What was a one- or two-family home now becomes a six- or seven-story building, state Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-East Elmhurst) said. In South Corona, we see the consequences of letting too much happen too soon. The neighborhood cant absorb the burgeoning population and students end up suffering for it. Our schools are well over-capacity, forcing students to cram into unsafe trailers that are frigid in the winter and microwaves in the summer. Downzoning South Corona would alleviate some of the pressure these schools face and buy time for Coronas infrastructure to begin catching up where it needs to be.

According to the U.S. Census in 2010 , after the Rockaways, Corona had the steepest climb in population within Queens with a 3.3 percent increase between 2000 and 2010. PS 16 is currently at 144 percent capacity, while PS 28 operates at 178 percent capacity.

There is a clear need to look at all possible ways to alleviate the chronic school overcrowding that has been affecting our district for years and decades, state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said. Not far from here, for example, PS 143, built for 900 students, had en enrollment of 1,284 schoolchildren for the year 2008-09, jumping to 1,782 for the academic year 2012-13. Construction of new schools has not kept up with the growing population, and this is why it is important the city considers downgrading the current zoning codes in the effort to keep one- and two-family homes, which have been replaced with multi-family, multi-dwelling residences, thus creating the number of students.

Downzoning would alleviate the pressure on the schools and buy time for the infrastructure to catch up, according to Moya, who said the No. 7 subway line operates at 97 percent capacity at rush hour.

It is irresponsible, and unfair to the families that live in our communities, to allow the overdevelopment of our neighborhoods without first investing in our infrastructure and ensuring were able to provide the services they need and deserve, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said. That lack of fairness is all the more evident by the conditions under which many of the children in South Corona are forced to learn in.

Downzoning South Corona to a lower designation would limit density and the trend of replacing homes with high-rise buildings.

Were seeing overdevelopment at an alarming rate, Community Board 4 District Manager Christian Cassagnol said. The fact is that large sections of Corona were designed as a tightly woven network of one to two-family houses whose streets are far too narrowand simply not prepared to handle such an influx of population in such a short amount of time.

City officials said in the last two years, more than 3,000 new school seats have been provided; and the City has another 1,800 seats in the pipeline for the Corona community.

We are working closely with elected officials and other community leaders to alleviate the pressures on our City infrastructure without hurting what is an increasingly thriving New York neighborhood, City Hall Spokeswoman Melissa Grace said.
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By Suzanne Parker

It has been fascinating to see the changes taking place in the commercial area in Jackson Heights, running from about 75th to 72nd streets, bounded to the north by 37th Avenue, and Roosevelt Avenue to the south. A neighborhood whose numerous South Asian alimentary offerings were once dominated by Punjabi and South Indian fare has had to make room for the arrival of a steady influx of Himalayan eateries.

Now its hard to say which is more prevalent. There has been a trickle of new Nepalese immigrants making Queens their home for at least a decade, but the 2015 earthquake accelerated the flow. Consequently, a new cuisine has become readily available in our boroughnever a bad thing.

Himalayan food is something of a mashup of Chinese and Indian influences, with its own distinctive twist. In Tibet, the yak is the animal of choice for both meat and dairy products. Tsampa, made from toasted ground barley, is a favored staple. Timgmothat is, steamed bread doughis favored for sopping up sauces and gravies. Momo, the most well-known Tibetan delicacy, are Tibetan dumplings, made with various fillings. And just to confuse things, Tibetan cuisine, like cuisines everywhere, is evolving, embracing dishes from other adjacent and distant areas. Who would have expected chicken lollypops, the iconic dish of the Tangra of Kolkatta, to show up on a Tibetan menu? It is, however, one of Little Tibets specialties.

Little Tibet is a cute, friendly place to explore the cuisine of the region of the birthplace of the Buddha. The small, cozy space is lined with banquettes, upholstered with oriental rugs. It has a bar that serves beer and wine with a surprisingly deep selection of local (yes, Queens) craft brews. The menu is full bore Himalayan.

The obvious choice for starters here are the momoseither the roly-poly vegetarians ones or the juicy meat variety. Eschewing the obvious, and thinking we could kill two birds with one stone, we bypassed the momo in favor of Mokthug, beef momos in bone broth. If youre a devotee of bone broth because it is rich in minerals that support the immune system; contains healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline; and heals your gut lining and reduces intestinal inflammationthis is a novel way to get your fix. Or you can just order it because it tastes good. The Tibetan answer to kreplach soup.

We also sampled the pan fried Tibetan blood sausage called Gyuma, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Irish black pudding, but with chewy bits. Like black pudding, its pretty bland by itself, and requires copious amounts of hot sauce for flavor.

Perhaps the star of the Little Tibets offerings is Shabhaley, aptly described on the menu as Tibetan empanadas. These deep fried pockets of beef and juice erupt in your mouth in an explosion of deliciousness. They make a perfect snack food or lunch, or a shared starter.

The two entrees we tried spoke volumes about Tibets geography. The first, Chaley Ngoepa, is a stir fry of beef tongue with vegetables. The cooking style says China, the spiciness India, and the choice of meat screams Tibet (in Tibet it probably would have been yak). This is a delightful dish providing you are a lover of tongue. Be forewarned that all of the parts of the organ are included, not just the tenderest. We also sampled Phakpey Tsip-Sha, a similar dish made with pork ribs. The sauce, a little sweeter than the one used on the tongue dish, was pleasant enough, but the overcooked ribs were too chewy.

We capped it all off with a Tibetan dessertTsampa cake. Tsampa (toasted ground barley), as mentioned earlier, is a staple of Himalayan cuisine. In this case its mixed with sugar and formed into a small cake topped with ice cream. Whats not to like?

The Bottom Line

Little Tibet is a charming place to get to know Himalayan cuisine. Perhaps the best way is with a few local brews and a selection of snacks shared among friends.

Suzanne Parker is the TimesLedgers restaurant critic and author of Eating Like Queens: A Guide to Ethnic Dining in Americas Melting Pot, Queens, N.Y. She can be reached by e-mail at qnsfo odie@ aol.com .

LITTLE TIBET

72-19 Roosevelt Ave.

Jackson Heights, NY 11372

718 505-8423

Price Range: All offerings range between $4.85 and $10.95

Cuisine: Himalayan

Setting: Small, inviting.

Service: Friendly, accommodating, English fluent

Hours: 12:0010:30 pm seven days

Reservations: Optional

Alcohol: Beer & wine

Parking: Street

Dress: Casual

Children: Welcome

Music:

Takeout: Yes

Credit cards: Yes

Noise level: Acceptable

Handicap accessible: yes

WIFI: No
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By Bill Parry

For more than two months, members of the Maspeth-Middle Village Task Force have rallied against a proposed homeless shelter for families at the Holiday Inn Express on 55th Road. They built a coalition of more than 20 civic associations and traveled to Bellerose, Rosedale and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to protest outside other shelters or partly converted hotels and twice rallied outside the home of Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steven Banks, drawing the ire of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

On Wednesday morning the task force took its message, that putting homeless in hotels is bad policy, to the steps of City Hall, where they were joined by 60 protesters from Rockaway who were angry with the Department of Homeless Services for renting rooms at the Playland Motel last week. Saying he was outraged, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) reserved the steps so he and several other elected officials could denounce de Blasios hopeless homeless policies with a public demonstration.

There are 10,000 more homeless men, women and children since the day the mayor took office, Ulrich said. The mayor has no plan to help these people. Our hearts break for the 10,000 children in these shelters. People are here in the pouring rain because theyre angry with this administration.

They Maspeth protestersalso became angry with Ulrich. Before the event got underway his chief of staff Kevin Tschirhart tried to get the protesters to lower some of the more offensive signs they were holding, saying his office wanted to stick to the issue and not make it political. Tony Nunziato, the leader of the task force, threatened to takehis protesters back to Maspeth.

I didnt like him sending over his chief of staff trying to censor us, I was upset by that, Juniper Park Civic Association President Bob Holden said. Youre not going to tell us how to protest, thats our First Amendment rights. And then we werent allowed to speak. I worked with Ulrich for over a month. It was supposed to be scheduled for us, but the politicians took it over.

So after Ulrich and the other elected officials, including state Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) were finished speaking, the members of the Maspeth-Middle Village Task Force spread across the steps of City Hall and let loose chants of hey, ho, de Blasios got to go and dump the dope from Park Slope for nearly 10 minutes while mayoral spokeswoman Aja Worthy Davis was watching.

Protesters first claimed they werent notified about sitings, and then we proved them wrong when they directed their anger toward homeless women and children themselves, Worthy-Davis said. They are focused on rejecting shelters and also temporary hotel usage  leaving our city with no viable option to help shelter those in need. The mayor has been clear  homelesssness is a citywide problem and each community will play its part. Local elected officials should have the courage to take on this problem with the mayor, rather than rally against housing homeless children in their communities.

Holden was baffled by the statement.

But we dont have children in Maspeth, only single men, he said. Aja Worthy-Davis is just a mouthpiece for de Blasio and to attack constituents like that is shameful. She should have listened to the three sheltered families we had with us today. Thats what communists do. Its propaganda.

Meanwhile, Peralta sounded the alarm Thursday that a Level 2 sex offender was moved into the Holiday Inn Express on Corona, a partially converted homeless shelter at 113-10 Horace Harding Expressway. Hours later, 41-year-old Nevil Bruce, who is listed on the state sex offender registry, was transferred out of the facility.

There are currently no individuals living at this Corona location who are on the registry, DHS Spokeswoman Lauren Gray said.

Peralta was thankful DHS moved swiftly to remove him.

It is my hope that the city agency improves its vetting practice to make sure this kind of situation does not happen again, he said.
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.
John Ingle/Times Record News A sign that simply reads "Sorry, Select ER is NOW CLOSED" lets people now the 6-month-old business in Wichita Falls has closed its doors.

SHARE John Ingle/Times Record News The facade of a building that once read Select ER is now bare on Kemp Boulevard across from Barwise Middle School after the freestanding emergency room closed its doors after just opening on April 1. A simply sign on doors and windows let people now "Sorry, Select ER is NOW CLOSED."

By John Ingle of the Times Record News

Freestanding emergency room Select ER officially closed its Wichita Falls location on Kemp Boulevard across from Barwise Middle School.

The large red and white lettering that proudly displayed the Select ER logo on the front facade of the building was gone Friday morning, despite a billboard just feet from the now defunct business proclaiming it is now open. Signs printed on 8 1/2-by-11-inch copy paper simply states, "Sorry, Select ER is NOW CLOSED." The word "closed" was in larger, bold print.

The Times Record News learned of the potential closing last week and reached out to Tracey Garman, a registered nurse and principle partner in the business, for comment. At the time, she simply said Select ER would release a statement when "that happens," not confirming whether or not they were closing or denying the reports of its impending closure.

The newspaper has not received a statement from Select ER regarding the decision, and a request for comment to Garman has not been returned.

The Times Record News first reported almost a year ago that Select ER and Neighbors ER, another freestanding ER located at the corner of Kell Boulevard and McNiel Avenue, were going to bring this new-to-town emergency room concept to Wichita Falls. Select ER officially opened April 1.

According to rules by the Department of State Health Services Regulatory Licensing Unit Facility Licensing Group, "A facility shall notify the facility licensure department in writing before closure of the facility." In addition, the facility must dispose of medical records according to law; must discharge or transfer patients before the facility closes; and the license become invalid when the facility closes and must be returned within 30 calendar days after closing.

A search of the DSHS website shows Select ER's licensing status as "Current" with an expiration date of March 31, 2018, which simply indicates they are in good standing with the state.
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Wichita County landowner Kevin Hunter stands next to a t-post marking the northern edge of his land near the Red River based on an independent land survey done in April 2015. Hunter has maps and surveys contradicting what the Bureau of Land Management claims is government-owned land along the Red River. (Torin Halsey/Times Record News)

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Landowners seek protective order to keep agents from accessing their lands

By John Ingle of the Times Record News

Attorneys representing Red River landowners in Wichita, Wilbarger and Clay counties and other plaintiffs have filed a motion for a protective order to prevent Bureau of Land Management agents from accessing their lands.

The motion is part of a response filed by the plaintiffs in the Northern District of Texas Wichita Falls Division in the case of Kenneth Aderholt, et al, versus Bureau of Land Management, et al, in which the plaintiffs' attorneys explain why they objected to the BLM accessing the Red River through private property under federal law enforcement protection. The BLM had filed a motion with the court on Oct. 6, urging Judge Reed O'Connor to grant an order that would allow the government to enter and go through private landowners' property to get to the Red River to resurvey different parcels.

O'Connor denied the BLM its motion on Oct. 12.

"The Department of Justice and Bureau of Land Management's demand to enter upon our Clients' properties with armed federal law enforcement officers is outrageous," said Robert Henneke, general counsel and director of the Center for the American Future at TPPF. "The individual landowners, like Ken Aderholt, simply want to be left alone and have their private property rights respected. Now, without any legitimate justification, the federal government insists that armed guards accompany federal surveyors onto our Clients' properties.

"Our Clients have not broken the law, and BLM's demand violates their Constitutional rights. On behalf of our Clients, the Center for the American Future has filed strong objections with the federal district court and will fiercely defend our Clients' private property rights before the Court."

The motion filed Thursday by the plaintiffs said the sides were negotiating the possibility of BLM agents entering private properties when those negotiations broke down. Three reasons, the document shows, were given as to why the talks ended: The BLM would not provide liability waivers to the landowners and other plaintiffs that would address injuries to the agents and damage to the property; the BLM demanded to be accompanied by armed law enforcement; and the BLM wanted to access all of the plaintiffs' property, not just the disputed gradient boundary.

"While the Federal Rules may allow for entry on lands in certain circumstances, the Rules neither permit nor require the unfettered access that Defendants demand here," the attorneys wrote. "As Defendants can access these boundaries from their own lands, Plaintiffs' requested conditions and objections to Defendants' demands are reasonable under the circumstances."

The response said the BLM should provide the liability waivers, do not need an armed law enforcement escort, and should only have access to the gradient boundary along the Red River.

To support their request for a protective order, attorneys argued:

Entry to the lands without a liability waiver puts undue burden on the landowners as well as risks undue expenses.

Entry to the lands is a violation of the landowners' Fourth Amendment rights to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures by the presence of armed federal law enforcement agents.

The BLM demand for unlimited access to the lands is an attempt by the government to seek irrelevant information.

The BLM is able to access the gradient boundary of the Red River through their publicly owned lands north of the gradient boundary.

The plaintiffs ask for the protective order unless the BLM agrees to provide a waiver of personal liability protecting the landowner; the federal government will compensate landowners for any property damage as a result of their presence; and armed federal law enforcement officer will not be permitted on the property without a valid search warrant or landowner permission.

The lawsuit is the result of a dispute between landowners and the BLM regarding the location of the gradient boundary, an imaginary line that lies between the edge of the normal flow of water in the Red River and the south cut bank. On some properties, the BLM's monument that shows the gradient boundary, according to a survey the government agency conducted, is about a mile from edge of the Red River.
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Tokyo

Carlos Ghosn, CEO and chairman of Japan's Nissan Motor and Renault of France, will become chairman of Mitsubishi Motors, presiding over efforts to turn the troubled automaker around after a devastating mileage scandal.

The Brazilian-born Frenchman said Mitsubishi's current chairman and CEO, Osamu Masuko, had reluctantly agreed to stay on as CEO.

"I speak for all of us when I say we will give our absolute commitment to support Mitsubishi Motors," Ghosn said at a joint news conference by the two companies. "We are sending a clear message we believe in the underlying strength of Japanese car making."

Nissan paid $237 million for a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors, becoming its largest shareholder.

"I am relieved that all the processes are complete, including the payment by Nissan," Masuko said.

The changes in Mitsubishi's leadership must still be approved by a shareholder vote expected before the end of the year.

Ghosn said Nissan would provide skills and expertise to help restore trust, enhance regulatory compliance and improve governance at Mitsubishi. As chairman, Ghosn said his focus will be on ensuring Mitsubishi is run in line with shareholders' interests. Masuko will be in charge of management, he said.

"I have no intention to interfere with the management of Mitsubishi," Ghosn said.

Nissan agreed to take charge at Mitsubishi after the company acknowledged in April that it cheated to inflate mileage for two of its minicar models, the eK wagon and eK Space, and mini-vehicles it made for Nissan.

The two companies have said they plan to maintain separate identities, brands and dealerships after the deal. But Nissan will nominate four new board members. Trevor Mann, an executive vice president and chief performance officer at Nissan, will be chief operating office. Mitsuhiko Yamashita, a senior technology adviser at Nissan, will head Mitsubishi's research and development, Ghosn said.

He said Masuko had been keen to resign his post, but agreed to "sacrifice his personal taste and inclination" for the sake of the company in staying on.

The scandal widened in August after the government ordered a halt to sales of eight more Mitsubishi models after finding mileage ratings also were falsely inflated. The transport ministry said the cruise range on the i-MiEV electric car was also overstated.
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Jay Z, one of contemporary music's most celebrated lyricists and entertainers, is one of the nominees for the 2017 Songwriters Hall of Fame, and if inducted he would become the first rapper to enter the prestigious music organization.

Jay Z is the first rapper to be nominated.

The Songwriters Hall gave The Associated Press the list of nominees Thursday, a day ahead of its official announcement. Other nominees that could be inducted next year are George Michael, Madonna, Bryan Adams, Vince Gill, Babyface, Max Martin, Kool & the Gang and more.

Five songwriters, or songwriting groups, will be officially inducted at a gala in New York on June 15, 2017.

Other performing nominees include Cat Stevens, Sly Stone, Chicago, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne and David Gates Non-performing nominees are Kenny Nolan, Randy Goodrum, Tony Macaulay, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Allee Willis, Maury Yeston, Paul Overstreet and the songwriting duos Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, and Steve Barri and the late P.F. Sloan, who died last year.

 Associated Press

Prosecutor: Jenner stalker methodical

A man charged with stalking Kendall Jenner showed a single-minded focus in his efforts to meet the model and reality show star, even after he knew she was afraid of him, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.

Deputy City Attorney Alex Perez said during closing arguments at the trial that defendant Shavaughn McKenzie tracked Jenner's movements over a 15-month period and somehow managed to find her secluded Hollywood Hills home only weeks after she moved in.

McKenzie had accosted Jenner twice outside her condominium in Westwood and had been warned by police not to try to contact Jenner, Perez said.

"He knew the victim was afraid of him," Perez said. "And he still does it again."

Perez urged the jury to convict McKenzie of misdemeanor stalking and trespassing charges.

McKenzie's attorney Taylor Shramo will deliver his closing argument on Monday. He previously said his client is mentally ill and posed no threat to the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star.

 Associated Press

Radiohead to star at Glastonbury Festival

Alternative rock group Radiohead will play one of the headline slots at next year's Glastonbury Festival.

Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis confirmed Thursday on Instagram that "Radiohead will be back at Worthy Farm"  the festival site in southwest England.

The band's spokesman says Radiohead will play the main Pyramid Stage on the festival's opening night, Friday June 23.

Rumors had been circulating since Wednesday, when the bear's head logo of the band appeared in a crop circle at the Glastonbury site. Radiohead previously played Glastonbury  Britain's leading summer music festival  in 1997 and 2003. "

 Associated Press

West kids can't play with Jay Z daughter

Kanye West is lamenting that his kids have yet to play with the daughter of his friend, mentor and collaborator Jay Z

Fan video from West's show in Seattle on Wednesday night shows the rapper complaining about business disputes with Jay Z before telling the crowd: "Our kids ain't never even played together."

West's daughter with Kim Kardashian, North, is 3. Jay Z's daughter with Beyonce, Blue Ivy, is 4. West and Kardashian also have a 10-month-old son, Saint. West worked as a producer for Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella records before becoming a rap superstar.

The two collaborated on a 2011 hit album, "Watch the Throne."

 Associated Press

Costello cancels show to back strike

Elvis Costello is canceling his upcoming show in Pittsburgh in solidarity with striking Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians.

In a statement, he says his Nov. 1 show at the Heinz Hall cannot go on because he is unwilling to cross the picket line.

He asks his fans for their understanding and to "support live music wherever it is heard."

The orchestra has canceled all concerts through Nov. 18, after the musicians went on strike Sept. 30. The musicians are objecting to a 15 percent pay cut and other concessions.

 Associated Press
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Rensselaer

The Onrust is no stranger to adversity.

The 17th-century replica ship's name even means "trouble" in Dutch, and it traces its origin to the demise of another vessel.

Dutch explorer Adriaen Block's ship Tyger burned to the waterline in the fall of 1613, stranding captain and crew on the tip of Manhattan. Some mutinied, but the stalwarts salvaged what lumber they could and built Tyger's replacement, the Onrust, with the help of Lenape Indians, during the frigid winter of 1614.

More Information Experience history To book an Onrust-Crailo tour before Oct. 27, call Maeve McEneny at 434-1217, Ext. 202. Learn more at http://www.theonrust.com. See More Collapse

Now, new fiscal threats loom on the horizon for the reproduction Onrust (pronounced AHN-roost), a 52-foot, 29-ton sailing ship with a hand-carved bow figurehead of a snarling white-maned lion.

The ship is welcoming hundreds of elementary school children this month at a temporary dockage in Rensselaer, where it will remain until Oct. 27, before it departs for its winter home at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston.

Beneath the sunny demeanor of Greta Wagle, Onrust's executive director and board president, lurks a similar sort of financial strain that caused the departure last year of the replica of Henry Hudson's 17th-century ship Half Moon from Albany to the Westfries Museum in Hoorn, the Netherlands.

"It's become too much for me," said Wagle, of Glenmont, a 52-year-old retired teacher and grandmother from Belgium who has toiled without compensation for the past decade. "It's been 70-hour weeks lately."

Wagle said the support of her husband, Dr. William Wagle, a neuroradiologist at Albany Medical Center, makes it possible to immerse herself in the "labor of love."

She was involved since construction of the Onrust began in 2006 at the historic Dutch Mabee Farm in Rotterdam. The ship was launched in 2009 in time for the Hudson quadricentennial.

Wagle does not want to let the Onrust go the way of the Half Moon, but the floating classroom and museum is at a critical juncture after it lost a $10,000 annual grant from the Hudson River Foundation and with a $30,000 replacement of worn rigging needed.

Last year, elected officials and maritime aficionados tried to save the Half Moon with an 11th-hour petition and pledges of funding. But it came too late for Dr. Andrew Hendricks, a North Carolina dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon who had bankrolled the Half Moon since it was built in Albany in 1989. His massive investment was invariably met with indifference or empty promises when he sought a permanent home for the ship and the New Netherland Museum in Albany and other Hudson River cities.

The Onrust has filled an educational gap since the Half Moon's departure.

"We've gotten a lot of requests from schools after the Half Moon left and we're happy to be partnering with the Onrust," said Maeve McEneny, education coordinator for the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

McEneny has developed an integrated, two-stop field trip on Dutch Colonial history: one hour aboard the Onrust and one hour at nearby Fort Crailo, a fortified brick Dutch home built in the early 1700s by descendants of patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer.

"It's the kind of hands-on educational experience about early Dutch history that the students can't get in a classroom," McEneny said.

Student groups from Albany, Voorheesville, Rensselaer, Bethlehem, Schenectady and a home school group have booked the Onrust-Crailo field trip. Students learn about daily life aboard the Onrust and how the Colonial Dutch global trade system worked.

A focus is Adriaen Block, who is not as well-known as Henry Hudson, but who mapped much of the territory he would name New Netherland  stretching from the mid-Atlantic region into New England. Block helped establish a fur trading network with Native Americans. In 1614, he sailed the Onrust up the Hudson River to what was known as Castle Island near today's Port of Albany.

"We tell Hudson's story and Block's story," said Sam Huntington of Fort Crailo. "I don't think you need to lower the reputation of Hudson to raise up Block. They were both important explorers."

Wagle hopes to hire the first paid employee for Onrust, a nonprofit organization, and to pursue foundation grants and corporate sponsors.

"We're struggling and need more support," Wagle said. "Luckily, we have a very well-built ship. We can't survive continuing to do events for free, though. We have to generate revenue."

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623
In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a pre-dawn assault on an Islamic State-held town east of the besieged city, and the U.S. military announced the first American combat death since the operation began.

U.S. officials said the American service member died Thursday from wounds suffered in a roadside bomb explosion north of Mosul. More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases.

The American had been operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga, the U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details.

Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the U.S. advisers who are with them. The Islamic State group, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

As they charged toward the town of Bartella, nine miles from Mosul's outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favored weapon in the IS arsenal: armored trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. The militants' signature battlefield tactic, the weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists' biggest urban bastion.

The pre-dawn assault on Bartella was part of a multi-pronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire.

The U.S.-trained special forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraq's most professional and least sectarian fighters, and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against IS. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

IS militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armored Humvee, Lt. Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari said.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

"After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble," said Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari. He said IS had few defenses in the town, which was almost completely empty of civilians. "They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs," he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains northeast of Mosul descending from their positions and charging toward the front line.

Under cover of mortar and gunfire, the Kurdish troops used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches dug by the militants as part of their defense of the IS-held village of Barima, then advanced with their armored vehicles toward the extremists' positions.

Military operations also appeared to be under way in the town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where thick smoke could be seen billowing. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from peshmerga positions high above.

Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told a news conference late Thursday that the special forces had succeeded in retaking Bartella. But Iraqi forces were still facing stiff resistance inside the town shortly before he spoke, and past advances against IS elsewhere in Iraq have often proved fleeting.

Soldiers stationed a few miles from Bartella said they watched as 20 car bombs exploded in the town over the course of the day. By late afternoon the skies over Bartella were black.

IS has used the tactic in past battles to wreak havoc among front line troops, but Iraqi forces have become better at stopping the suicide attackers.

"We destroyed the bombs with tanks," Sgt. Maj. Qusay Rashid said. "They are sending all these car bombs now because we're at the beginning of this huge battle.."

After Bartella, Iraqi forces advancing toward Mosul will begin to hit villages and suburbs where civilians still live, a factor that will further complicate military operations that rely heavily on artillery and airstrikes to clear territory.

Mosul is home to more than 1 million people, and rights groups fear a humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said Mosul may fall sooner than expected. The campaign to retake the city, which began Monday, had been expected to last weeks, if not months.

Speaking by video transmission to a conference in Paris focused on post-liberation planning for Mosul, the Iraqi leader said the Iraqi "forces are currently pushing forward ... more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign."
October is Italian Heritage Month, and the folks at the American Italian Heritage Museum needed a way to celebrate it. Artist Mico Di Arpo came up with a new idea. It was also an old idea. Very, very old.

"I said, 'Well, why don't we do a connection to the ancient arts?' That's where I live," she said, "so I said, 'There are so many arts that actually go back to that.' "

By "ancient arts," she does indeed mean ancient. Di Arpo specializes in buon fresco, or painting on wet lime plaster. The art form goes back millennia, to ancient Rome and beyond, and it's practiced today by only a dozen masters worldwide  Di Arpo among them.

Her work will be included in "Stepping Back," an exhibit on display now until Nov. 27 that showcases a few venerable artforms and techniques. Di Arpo's fresco handiwork appears in the museum's special-exhibits room alongside Rosemary Prock's furniture painting, Janet Oppedisano's sculpture and oil paintings by Tony Iadicicco, Joseph Anastasio and Vince Forte. Supplementing the show are pieces from the museum's permanent collection.

More Information If you go "Stepping Back" Where: American Italian Heritage Museum, 1227 Central Ave., Albany When: Through Nov. 27 Admission: $5 adults, $4 over 65, $3 students, free for 12 and under and members Info: 435-1979; americanitalianmuseum.org See More Collapse

The old ways matter still, Di Arpo said, and not just as fusty relics from an earlier time. Art today is a product of all that came before. "It's just as important as our historical culture in any respect  whether it's an old building, or an older language. It's relevant. It's where we came from, you know?"

Canvas, for instance. "If you just take panel paintings and icons, we wouldn't have canvas if we didn't have those art forms," she said. The habit of painting on canvas came to be when artists, accustomed to painting on wooden panels, "started gluing down linen on top of it to give it more strength. And eventually they forgo the wood. ... And that's how canvas came into being."

Or consider Iadicicco's luminous oil paintings, one mostly yellow, the other tinged with red, both suggesting the warmth of a low blaze. "They're abstract pieces. In my mind, I guess they're these memory-scapes that are just abstracted, using color and movement to create a sense of peace," said the artist, who also serves as executive director of Albany Center Gallery.

Abstract or not, his work is rooted in history. Traveling in Italy two summers ago, he saw the country "in its raw state  but very textured, to me. I loved seeing the old and new architecture together." He aims for that old-and-new in his own art: "I like having that kind of feeling, that it's kind of worn, and kind of familiar, and it's been there. So it's not fresh and laid on and there's a shine to it. I like having the worn aspect to things I create."

That's one reason he prefers oil. "It gives me a chance to work with it longer," he said. "You know, some mediums, they have a quicker drying time, or they're not as easy to maneuver ... With oil paints, I have a great understanding of the time that it dries, and the movement that I can make within certain days of putting the oil on the canvas. But also kind of taking it away to give it that worn feeling."

Acrylics dry too fast for his purposes. "With acrylics, I don't necessarily get the same visuals that I want." With oils, "I can actually blend the two colors, even though I'm coming back to the piece a day later."

Also included in the exhibit is Di Arpo's "Five Angels," a graceful and colorful 24-by48-inch study of heavenly creatures  based on the 15th-century work of Fra Angelico  that, yes, looks as though it might have been rendered several hundred years ago. "It's touchable," she said. Touchable? "I want people to touch it. I want people to see what a fresco actually is."

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It's cool. A little rough, crumbling at the corners. It feels old.

Although Di Arpo conceived of "Stepping Back" and rounded up the artists, Iadicicco installed it. As he did, he said, he noticed a kinship with Di Mico's angels, which have a similar, soft luminosity  "a glowing sensation behind them." And he noticed something in his own paintings that connected them, again, with the ancients. "I noticed that the color palettes I used are also very similar to a stained-glass window  you'll see oranges and yellows and reds."

Iadicicco likes seeing communication between artworks, the links between old in the new.

"I think it's phenomenal  the fact that the work was created hundreds of years ago, so many, many years ago" and yet remains so present, so visible. "It's still lasting," he said. "And it has relevance."

abiancolli@timesunion.com  518-454-5439  @AmyBiancolli
There's a lot more than just musicians participating in events of the Musicians of Ma'alwyck lately.

Not too long ago, director Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz put a painter onstage and had him complete a canvas while her chamber ensemble performed Latin music. Last spring, there were puppets in the mix. Another recent event took place at a brewery and included a new ale inspired by the program of music and readings.

In case the group still has listeners who just want to listen, "Transfigured Night" is a music-only event on Friday night at First Reformed Church in Schenectady. Most of that program, plus some other selections, will be presented again on Saturday night at Siena College. But the encore presentation add dancers and video, plus a new title, "I Have Told Them My Dreams."

"I hope that people don't think that I do these multimedia concerts just for their own sake," says Barker Schwartz. "I start contemplating artistic ideas, and things come together in a way that then becomes its own valid artistic event."

More Information If you go Musicians of Ma'alwyck present "Transfigured Night" When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: First Reformed Church, 8 N. Church St., Schenectady Tickets: $10-$25 Info: 377-3623 "I Have Told Them My Dreams" When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Beaudoin Theater, Siena College, Loudonville Tickets: $5-$15. Info: 377-3623; http://www. musiciansofmaalwyck.org See More Collapse

Enthusiasm and affection come through whenever Barker Schwartz is discussing the music she's about to present. A current example is Schoenberg's string sextet "Verklarte Nacht" ("Transfigured Night"), which got the ball rolling for the current pair of events. "It's so lush and romantic, I've wanted to program it for years," she says. "Then I got to thinking about other pieces inspired by poetry, and I was looking for something on the bleaker side."

That led to "The Curlew" by the early-20th-century British composer Peter Warlock. The piece is a song cycle for tenor, flute, English horn and string quartet to poetry by W. B. Yeats. It will be the centerpiece of both events, which also feature music by Robert Broemel, Missy Mizzoli, Arthur Foote and Carl Friedrich Abel.

If that list of composers seems largely unfamiliar, then you've identified another aspect of Musicians of Ma'alwyck concerts  overlooked gems from current times and past eras.

Yet for some of the collaborating artists, the musical selections have proved challenging.

"The thought of having live musicians has always been exciting," says Laurie Zabele Cawley, director of the Loose Change Dance Collective. "Though the music is lovely, it's not what I would typically be drawn to for creating work. It took many weeks of listening to find my way into each piece."

Loose Change was established in 2013, and Saturday's program will be its first performance to live music. Company member Maxine Lautenberg is choreographing one piece and Cawley is choreographing two others, plus the final portion of "Curlew."

The full 22 minutes of "Curlew" will also feature imagery by Joseph Gonzalez, a video artist and recent Siena College grad. Gonzales was happy for the opportunity until he actually heard the music.

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"My first impression was 'What am I getting myself into?' " says Gonzalez. "This is totally not my style of hard rock music. And poetry I don't know! I'm a Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein kind of guy."

Cawley and Gonzales agree that the collaborative process has expanded their horizons as artists.

"This video is really making me think about what cool shots I can come up with," says Gonzales. "The shots will try and represent what the tenor is singing, but I don't want my video to take too much attention away from the musicians. It should be an addition to the music."

"This project has forced me to work outside my comfort zone," says Cawley, "but that's where that some of the most interesting things can happen. I feel so fortunate to be collaborating with all the amazingly talented artists and Siena College. It truly has been a joyful and easy process."

Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy.
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The main event in Schenectady County Court was a rarity: a former amateur mixed martial arts fighter using an insanity defense to try to beat a felony assault conviction for his vicious attack on a police officer.

The undercard was rarer: A matchup of two local psychologists with contrasting professional opinions.

In the end, former amateur MMA fighter James Hilton, 33, of Lake George was convicted on all charges for savage Aug. 1, 2015, beating of Schenectady patrolman Mark Weekes, whose skull was fractured from being struck 28 times near State Street and Broadway.

And the winners were Schenectady County prosecutors  as well as their star witness, Albany-based forensic psychologist Jacqueline Bashkoff.

More Information Contact Robert Gavin at 518-454- 2403 or email rgavin@timesunion.com. On Twitter: @Robert GavinTU See More Collapse

Assistant District Attorney Christine Tremante-Pelham called Bashkoff, who typically testifies for defendants, as a rebuttal witness to counter the testimony of Lawrence Avery, an Albany-based clinical psychologist called by Hilton attorney Lincy Jacob. And then, in turn, Jacob recalled Avery as a surrebuttal witness to counter Bashkoff.

Avery testified that he examined Hilton and diagnosed him suffering from bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder and, to him, Hilton was not guilty by mental disease or defect.

He testified Hilton was "probably psychotic" when he assaulted Weekes, 31, who is now back on the job.

"I don't think he knew what was going on at the time he assaulted the officer," Avery testified.

Bashkoff, who also examined Hilton, concluded he was unquestionably responsible for his behavior.

Avery, in practice three decades, silently stewed in the gallery as Bashkoff basically told the jury that his findings to support an insanity defense were, ahem, insane.

Bashkoff, in practice since 1982, said it was "way too simplistic" for Avery to conclude that Hilton was bipolar, which she said would not even be a mitigating circumstance for a defendant to be not guilty by mental disease or defect. That would mean they could not appreciate their behavior and understand the difference between right and wrong.

She used the words "wholly irresponsible" at another point.

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"What's very significant is Mr. Hilton has come to the attention of a number of psychiatrists and psychologists since 2005. No one has definitively diagnosed him with bipolar disorder," Bashkoff testified. "It is my expert opinion that for Dr. Avery  who saw him for two hours and reviewed nine pages of records  that he could say with certainty, as he writes in his report, that he is the only one who diagnosed him with bipolar disorder, is of great concern."

Bashkoff also tore apart Avery's testimony that PTSD could have affected Hilton's actions or caused him to experience episodic psychosis.

"Individuals with PTSD clearly know the difference between right and wrong. Even individuals who have a significantly higher degree of disability than Mr. Hilton would understand the difference between right and wrong," Bashkoff said. "There is no evidence to suggest that in PTSD that he was in a psychotic episode at the time of the alleged crime."

Ultimately, the jury took less than three hours Wednesday to convict Hilton on charges that can send him to prison for up to 15 years. Acting Supreme Court Justice Frank Milano will sentence him Dec. 2.

It probably took them a lot sooner to conclude it might not be a great idea to invite Bashkoff and Avery to the same party.

rgavin@timesunion.com  518-434-2403  @RobertGavinTU
Hani Mohammed

I applaud Congress for allowing 9/11 victims' families to sue Saudi Arabia. But it's more than a matter of justice. By challenging the concept of sovereign immunity in international law, Congress will open up the possibility of culpability lawsuits in war crimes cases. The United States itself will be vulnerable, and that's all to the good.

Case in point: the war in Yemen, a country in the Arabian peninsula home to the Shiite Houthi rebels and Sunni Al Queda. America's ally Saudi Arabia has conducted a ferocious bombing campaign in Yemen in which innocent civilians have been killed. Many congressmen, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, and, at times, the Obama administration itself, have criticized the conduct of the Saudi air campaign as a war crime.
The Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Paul Kehoe, TD, and MEP Sean Kelly will attend a special commemoration for former Fine Gael Leader Richard Mulcahy at Ballymoreen Cemetery on Sunday afternoon, where he lies in rest.

The commemoration, organised by Collins 22, a group established by former TD Noel Coonan, and Bill Martin, is being undertaken in conjunction with the ballymoreen Graveyard Committee which has been doing trojan work to have the place in ship shape for the event.

General Mulcahy, who died in December 1971 was buried in Ballymoreen and his monument has been restored to it's former glory in time for the commemoration, which may well become an annual event. It is expected that members of his family will be in attendance.

Richard Mulcahy was a former Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, was Leader of Fine Gael and a former Minister for Defence. It is only right and proper that we should remember him and we thought that it would be particularly fitting to do so this year or all years, Noel Coonan told The Tipperary Star this week.

The commemoration will commence at 2:00pm with prayers and local historian Pat Bracken will also speak on the day, before refreshments will be served in the Littleton Muintir na Tire Hall.

A wreath will also be laid at the grave of Colonel Gerry Ryan who is also buried in Ballymoreen.

General Mulcahy was educated in Thurles CBS - his father was a postmaster in Thurles and Mulcahy himself joined the Royal Mail (Post Office Engineering Dept.) in 1902 and worked in Thurles, Bantry, Wexford and Dublin. He was a member of the Gaelic League, and joined the Irish Volunteers at the time of their formation in 1913. He was also a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

He was second-in-command to Thomas Ashe (who would later die on hunger strike) in an encounter with the armed Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) at Ashbourne, County Meath during the Easter Rising in 1916. Arrested after the Rising, Mulcahy was interned at Knutsford and at the Frongoch internment camp in Wales until his release on 24 December 1916.

On his release Mulcahy immediately rejoined the republican movement and became commandant of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers.

Elected to the First Dail in the 1918 general election for Dublin Clontarf, he was named Minister for Defence in the new (alternative) government and later Assistant Minister for Defence. In March 1919 he became IRA chief of staff, a position he held until January 1922.

He and Michael Collins were largely responsible for directing the military campaign against the British during the War of Independence.

During this period of upheaval in 1919 he married Mary Josephine (Min) Ryan, sister of Kate and Phyllis Ryan, the successive wives of Sean T. O'Kelly; her brother was James Ryan. Ryan and Sean T would both serve in Fianna Fail governments.

Mulcahy supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The Provisional Government appointed Mulcahy Minister of Defence.[2] during the subsequent Civil War after the death of Collins in 1922.

After the resignation of W. T. Cosgrave in 1944, Mulcahy became leader of Fine Gael while still a member of the Seanad. He was returned again to the 12th Dail as TD for Tipperary at the 1944 general election and was faced with the task of reviving a party that had been out of office since 1932

He went on to serve as Minister for Education from 1948 until 1951. He remained as Fine Gael Leader until 1959, although John A Costelloe was the parliamentary leader from 1948 as well as being elected Taoiseach as de Valera was ousted - many Irish Republicans found it difficult to forgive him for his role in the Civil War executions carried out under the Cosgrave government.

Richard Mulcahy died in Dublin on 16 December 1971, at the age of 85 from natural causes.
Germinal Ireland, situated just outside the Horse and Jockey, has been shortlisted in two categories for this years National Agribusiness Awards -the winner will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, November 17th at the Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin.

Germinal, formerly Germinal Seeds, have been shortlisted for Agribusiness of the year in the Crops category and for Agribusiness of the year in the Merchant category.

According to Germinal Irelands General Manager, Moyne man Dermot Campion who joined the company in 2001, For too long grass and forage crops were seen as minor details in the overall picture of crop production. Grass has traditionally not been viewed as a crop, but is in fact the most efficient crop a farmer can grow from a productivity and efficiency perspective. Germinal has been instrumental in changing this message and farmers are getting rewards from what they can produce from home grown forage. To be shortlisted in the crops category is testament to this message.

Germinal Ireland started in 1983 and since then the business has evolved and grown through many stages of development and overseen extensive development and installation of seed storage and processing facilities. The 11 acre site at Horse and Jockey - the Republic of Ireland headquarters - contains 22,000 tonnes of storage capacity with the vast majority of the twenty two employees drawn from the immediate locality.

Supplying seeds of all varieties on a whoselsale basis, Germinal counts Centenary Co-Op as one of it's biggest customers with the likes of Glanbia, Dairygold, Kerry Co-Op, Bretts and Liffey Mills also featuring high in their order books.

"Most of the seed we supply would be used locally and throughout Munster. We supply grass seeds of all varities and cereals such as wheat, barley and oats," Dermot said this week.

Dermot also highlighted that investment, coupled with the companys involvement in grass and clover breeding at the Welsh based Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) and the AFBI plant breeding station in Armagh, has given them the capacity to grow into the market leading company not only in terms of market share, but also service, knowledge, research and innovation.

We are delighted to have been shortlisted in two categories and it is a reflection of the effort put in by all the team here in Germinal. Any time you are nominated for a national award is very nice because it is recognising that you are doing a good job," Dermot says.

For over thirty years Germinal have been running a seed cleaning and testing facility in their onsite licensed seed testing station. This facility is audited regularly by the Soil Association, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) as well as own internal quality management system.

Analyst in charge, Mark Hawley, runs otheir own dedicated laboratory and is a vital asset to the company. Mark and his assistant analyst Catherine Haines ensure that each Germinal product distributed to customers is of the highest standard. Working closely with their inhouse teams and through liaison with their warehouses, samples from the cleaning plant are regularly tested in order to ensure the quality of seed is consistently high. Regular germination tests are carried out on all of certified grass seed.

As part of Germinals expansion and innovation initiative they are opening very specialist services to customers. The laboratory staff will apply their expert knowledge to customers external samples sent for testing. They welcome any type of testing, from official samples for statutory testing to standard germination and purity updates.

Germinal are licensed to test the following species of seed: Alsike Clover, Barley, Trefoil, Festulolium, Fine Leaved Sheeps Fescue, Fodder Kale, Hard Fescue, Hybrid Ryegrass, Italian Ryegrass, Meadow Fescue, Oats, Perennial Ryegrass, Red Clover, Red/Chewings Fescue, Rye, Sheeps Fescue, Swede, Swede Rape (Inc. Oilseed Rape), Tall Fescue, Timothy, Turnip, Turnip Rape, Wheat and White Clover.

Germinal Holdings Limited was founded in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1825. Since then, the company has spearheaded some of the most groundbreaking work in seed development and has led the way in major contributions to the farming and amenity industries. It is now the largest family owned British and Irish Forage & Amenity Seed Company.

Direct descendants of the original founder Samuel McCausland still work in managing Germinal today
There was a great air of celebration in the parish of Cloughjordon this week following the launch of the up-dated club history of Kilruane MacDonagh, penned by local man Gilbert Williams.

'Heirs to a Proud Tradition' is a remarkable account of Gaelic Games in the parish from 1970 onwards - the history up to that period had been completed by Canon White, but there were many glory days to be recalled since, and following retirement from his job as local school Principal, Gilbert Williams took on the enormous task.

The end product of two and half years of hard work is a beautifully crafted publication which will adorn the bookcases of homes in the parish, the north division, throughout Tipperary and indeed much further afield. It is an excellent book and the magnificant launch night was very appropriate considering the quality of the publication.

http://www.tipperarystar.ie/userUpload/KIlruane_MacDonagh.mp4

Tom Williams sings The Ballad of Thomas MacDonagh at the launch

The book was launched by clubman Len Gaynor, a man who has been central to many of the glory days of Kilruane MacDonagh. He spoke with great passion about the club and about gaelic games in the parish and noted how the book will be there for many generations to come to read about days of yore.

County Board Chairman Michael Burke and North Board Chairman Dan Kennedy were also in attendance on what was a very special occasion for the entire parish of Cloughjordon.

Club Chairman Matt Cleary described the book as being an inspiration and hoped that it would inspire future generations of Kilruane MacDonagh hurlers to emulate the feats of those included in the book.

There was music and song aplenty - Tom Williams performed the balled of Thomas MacDonagh, a song written by Roscrea man Seamus Doran and which will be recorded very soon, and there was also a wonderful poem from Bawnie Hayes which captured the spirit of the evening recalling the exploits of the substitute who finally gets his chance - it was written by Noel Joyce.

Gilbert Williams admitted that the entire book was typed with one finger and the 442 photos painstakingly sought, captioned and prodeced to help enhance the publication. He thanked all those who helped to bring the publication to fruition and more importantly all those who helped to keep the club going, even at times when they were not winning much on the field.

Len Gaynor recalled many great times with the club, on and off the field. The trips ot Lanzarote and New York were highlights away from the field, but the winning of the Munster and All-Ireland club titles were the big ones on the field of play. It was, he said, and extraordinary achievement for the club and he recalled three trains leaving Cloughjordon Station on the morning of the final.

The book is available locally and is a fantastic read for anyone with an interest in Gaelic Games, but especially for someone with connections to Kilruane MacDonagh's.
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[October 21, 2016] Cape Cod Businessman, Dr. Jack Driscoll of PID Analyzers, LLC, Saluted for STEM Education Initiatives in Southeastern Mass

On Friday October 7, 2016, Cape Cod resident and business owner, John "Jack" Driscoll, American Chemical Society Distinguished Fellow and 50 Year Member of the Society, was honored as the 2016 Northeast Region recipient of the E. Ann Nalley award for volunteer service to the American Chemical Society at an awards ceremony in Binghamton, NY. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005920/en/ Jack Driscoll (PID Analyzers), at right, receiving the E. Ann Nalley Volunteer Service Award from Laura Pence (University of Hartford), ACS District I Director. Photo by M.Z. Hoffman (News - Alert) (Photo: Business Wire) The E. Ann Nalley Award recognizes the volunteer efforts of individuals who have served the American Chemical Society, contributing significantly to the goals and objectives of the Society through their regional activities. Driscoll's efforts for bringing science education based programming for adults and K-16 students in Southeastern Massachusetts for the past six years were applauded. In his role as Public Relations Chair for the Northeastern Local Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS), Driscoll, together with his daughter and Cape Cod based small instrumentation manufacturing business partner, Jennifer Maclachlan, brought their first National Chemistry Week celebration to the afterschool program at the West Barnstable YMCA in 2010 with hands-on chemistry experiments. As seed funding became available to host International Year of Chemistry programs in 2011, Driscoll and Maclachlan, with encouragement from NESACS, organized four science cafes: Protecting the Water Supply on Cape Cod, Alternative Energy, The Chemistry of Craft Beer hosted by Cape Cod Beer and Healthy Kids. The Healthy Kids science cafe attracted 150 children from Plymouth to mid-Cape. This led to an invitation to kick off a science club at a Plymouth elementary school and the public desire for more science outreach events for kids in Southeastern Massachusetts. In 2013, Driscoll became Chair of the Southeastern Massachusetts area of NESACS and organized technical lectures for fellow ACS (News - Alert) member chemists, younger chemists and students at U Mass Dartmouth, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's Marine Biological Laboratory and Bridgewater State University bringing together Southeastern Massachusetts scientists who would otherwise have to travel to Boston to attend such high quality scientific lectues and networking opportunities. Continuing to foster his passion for science education, Driscoll began a powerful partnership with the Cape & Islands Boy Scouts Council of America by bringing the Cape Cod Science Cafe for kids to the Boy Scouts Wicked Cool Autumn Welcome. Weaving Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) components into existing en masse Scout activities was well received and a stand-alone event dubbed STEM Journey launched in 2014 with Driscoll at the helm. The Cape Cod Science Cafe within the Wicked Cool Autumn Welcome has garnered two ChemLuminary national awards by the American Chemical Society: In 2014 for Outstanding Collaboration between NESACS and the Environmental Chemistry Division for a specific audience: Boy Scouts, and again in 2015 for Outstanding National Chemistry Week event for a specific audience: Boy Scouts. In 2016, STEM Journey received the Best New Public Relations Program of a Local American Chemical Society Section for STEM Journey II: Great White Sharks to Deep Ocean Exploration.



October 29, 2016 will make the fourth annual Wicked Cool Autumn Welcome and Cape Cod Science Cafe collaboration featuring a Forensic Science Cafe to coincide with the 2016 National Chemistry Week theme: Solving mysteries through chemistry. Forensic themed hands-on activities will be led by the Barnstable County Crime Investigation Unit, Cambridge Science Festival's Science On the Street, Palladium Science Academy, Smithers Viscient, LLC, PID Analyzers, LLC and Whydah Pirate Museum. STEM Journey IV: Technology is scheduled for March 25, 2017 with guest lecturer Luke Roberson of NASA. This free STEM education event attracts over 1,500 attendees and features two public interest STEM themed lectures and over 50 hands-on exhibits/demos by local area STEM education stakeholders. This collaborative event with PID Analyzers and the Boy Scouts will be held at the Sandwich STEM Academy at Sandwich High School.

While Driscoll's public outreach initiatives have been focused largely in Southeastern Mass, he also impacted NESACS Boston area scientific programming by arranging special lectures by recent Nobel (News - Alert) Laureates Martin Karplus and W.E. Moerner to the delight of the local scientific community. In 2015 Driscoll chaired the NESACS committee that commemorated Edwin Land and instant photography as Massachusetts' first National Historic Chemical Landmark during the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Boston. In addition to his volunteer work for the American Chemical Society, Driscoll serves on the Board of Directors for the Cape & Islands Boy Scouts Council of America, is an active member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association National Committee on Real-Time Detection Systems, and is an exemplary alum of Suffolk University having earlier this month delivered a talk to current science and engineering students titled Development of a Scientific Career & Job Satisfaction. Driscoll currently works full time at his manufacturing company, PID Analyzers, LLC based in Sandwich, MA and presents at least ten research papers at technical scientific conferences annually. Driscoll attended Franklin Institute, Suffolk University, Boston University and Northeastern University. He is a physical chemist and has been awarded more than 45 US and Foreign patents as well as published over 140 technical papers and one book. Driscoll is a successful chemical entrepreneur whose innovations have earned him six Research & Development awards and is a founder of HNU PID Analyzers, Nova Biomedical and Sanvista Medical. Headquartered in Sandwich, Massachusetts, PID Analyzers, LLC is a small instrumentation manufacturer that specializes in analytical and environmental monitoring systems for portable and fixed applications measuring low level hazardous chemicals and air pollutants. PID Analyzers, LLC sells their products worldwide and has offices in Europe and China. PID Analyzers, LLC 2 Washington Circle, Suite 4, Sandwich, MA 02563 Tel# 774-413-5281 Web: http://www.hnu.com Facebook (News - Alert): facebook.com/pidanalyzers Company Blog: analyzersource.blogspot.com Science Outreach blog: capecodsciencecafe.tumblr.com mailto:[email protected] View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005920/en/

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[October 20, 2016] AHF Lauds the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners for Unanimously Approving Resolution for Florida Legislature to Pass Medicaid Expansion

AIDS Healthcare Foundation lauded Miami-Dade County's commissioners for urging the Florida Legislature to grant healthcare access to roughly 1.2 million uninsured Floridians. The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution that communicates to the Florida Legislature the expectation that lawmakers expand the Medicaid program. The resolution also calls for the Florida Association of Counties to prioritize advocacy around Medicaid expansion for the upcoming Legislative Session. In its current form, Florida's Medicaid program is limited to children, pregnant women, adults with disabilities and extremely low-income parents. Many who do not qualify go without treatment or incur great debt to receive the medical they require, and thousands more rely on emergency rooms to receive care when their pain or condition is too severe to tolerate. Emergency room care is the most expensive type of care, and taxpayers are left shouldering the costs. "The federal government is offering a really good deal to states who expand Medicaid," said Michael Kahane, AHF Southern Bureau Chief. "The feds will fund expanded Medicaid up to 90% indefinitely. This is very financially favorable to Florida. Had the Florida Legislature passed expanded Medicaid from the moment it was able, the feds would have picked up the entire cost through the remainder of this year. That opportunity was wasted because members of the House of Representatives and Governor Rick Scott chose politics over people's lives." "The time to expand Florida Medicaid is long overdue," said Jason King, Legislative Affairs Manager for AHF's Southern Bureau. "If Medicaid were able to take on more HIV patients, it would alleviate the fiscal constraints placed on other HIV programs, thus allowing them to redirect funds for more effective programs that test and link people to medical treatment. The state is on the right track with expanded HIV testing and the legalization of Miami-Dade's needle exchange program. Every effort to make HIV testing and treatment readily available to those in need should be employed."



The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) created a marketplace of health plans accompanied by a federal tax subsidy made accessible to millions whose income falls between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Although this has enabled hundreds of thousands of Floridians to obtain coverage, if the state continues to block expanded Medicaid, many others will fall into the coverage gap. These people will continue going on uninsured because they do not qualify for Medicaid and they make too little to be eligible for the tax credit that helps pay for a plan in the Marketplace.

Some of the most vulnerable that would benefit under expanded Medicaid are those with serious chronic conditions, like HIV. HIV patients do not generally qualify for Medicaid unless they have children or are considered disabled. Ryan White programs, the safety net programs that care for uninsured and underinsured people with HIV, have also been unduly burdened by the inaction of lawmakers. Ryan White programs have been forced under these circumstances to use their scarce funding to cover HIV patients who would otherwise have access to Medicaid were Florida to expand. Ryan White programs are experimenting with the cost effectiveness of ACA plans versus their traditional fee-for-service reimbursement model. The programs currently use their funding to purchase Marketplace plans for eligible clients, including a large population of clients between 100% and 138% of the FPL. Medicaid expansion would free up those funds to be used to significantly enhance medical and support services, including programs that help keep people in care and on their medication. Miami-Dade County currently ranks first nationally for new HIV infections when compared to other metropolitan statistical areas. Florida ranks second as a state and has 4 of the most affected regions in the country. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 611,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161020006704/en/

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[October 20, 2016] Spreadtrum Announces Strategic Cooperation with YunOS on IoT Security Ecosystem

HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Spreadtrum, a leading fabless semiconductor company in China with advanced technology in 2G, 3G, and 4G wireless communication standards, announced a strategic cooperation with YunOS in terms of IoT security -- the safeguarding of connected devices and networks in the Internet of Things (IoT). The two companies plan to develop an IoT security ecosystem in China by jointly developing IoT Yun on Chip (YoC) based on ID2, China's first international IoT standard. In the era of connected devices, IoT is widely applied across several sectors such as the smart home, connected vehicles, wearable devices and Industry 4.0 applications -- the automation and exchange of data in manufacturing technologies, creating more value for the entire industry and users. Due to issues concerning the wide diversity of devices that are within the scope of IoT, the complexity and the inherent instability as a result of lack of security in the network, IoT security has quickly been identified as a non-negligible challenge. To address these challenges, Spreadtrum and YunOS chose to join forces where they could innovatively collaborate, creating a safe and complete one-stop solution, covering hardware, operating systems and cloud platforms. The solution will be equipped with Spreadtrum's IoT chip and run on the YunOS operating system, providing a safe, reliable and easily accessible IoT access platform solution. Spreadtrum's wide range of existing connection technologies will allow users to choose from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other short-range connection technologies, as well as 2G/3G/4 WAN connection solutions, helping the developers significantly reduce their product development cycle and focus on the value-added services provided by customized products as well as accelerate the time-to-market for innovative IoT security-based products. Based on the solution, the two companies plan to release a white paper on YoC IoT security in an effort to boost the development of China's IoT security industry ecosystem.



"Spreadtrum and YunOS have laid a solid foundation for cooperation. In terms of mobile devices, more than 10 million mobile phones that support YunOS based on Spreadtrum's chip platform have been sold," Dr. Leo Li, Chairman and CEO of Spreadtrum Communications, said. "This strategic cooperation in IoT security is an extension of the current relationship between the two companies. By working with YunOS, we look forward to providing more secure chip-to-cloud services and experience for IoT users, enabling secure connections between people, things and services." Mr. Zhang Chunhui, President of OS Business Group at Alibaba, said, "We are honored to have the opportunity to deepen our relationship with Spreadtrum. As an internet-enabled operating system, YunOS must have secure underlying capacities and infrastructure in place while providing cloud-based integrated connection services. We believe that through the cooperation with Spreadtrum, YunOS will be able to build a complete and systematic IoT network, which, in turn, will allow us to provide more complete and secure IoT services to its customers."

About Spreadtrum As an affiliate of Tsinghua Unigroup, Ltd, Spreadtrum Communications is a fabless semiconductor company that develops mobile chipset platforms for smartphones, feature phones and other consumer electronics products, supporting 2G, 3G and 4G wireless communications standards. Spreadtrum's solutions combine its highly integrated, power-efficient chipsets with customizable software and reference designs in a complete turnkey platform, enabling customers to achieve faster design cycles with a lower development cost. Spreadtrum's customers include global and China-based manufacturers developing mobile products for consumers in China and emerging markets around the world. For more information, visit www.spreadtrum.com. About YunOS YunOS, founded by Alibaba Group, is a cloud computing-based and data- and service-oriented operating system for the Internet of Everything (IoE). The highly compatible and scalable YunOS is widely used in intelligent terminals, among them, smartphones, connected vehicles, connected TVs, smart homes and wearables, as well as chips and sensors. YunOS is committed to providing better scenario-driven internet services and a compelling user experience for consumers, as well as empowering developers. As of the end of May 2016, YunOS had over 70 million activated smartphone users and 100 million intelligent terminals. For more information, visit www.yunos.com.



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[October 20, 2016] Siemens IoT Gateway Exclusively from RS Components Helps Engineers Get Started with the Industrial Internet of Things

SINGAPORE, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE: ECM), the global distributor for engineers, today announced it is extending its portfolio of industrial IoT (Internet of Things) devices with exclusive supply of the innovative SIMATIC IOT2020 open and flexible IoT gateway. Market analyst predictions are that devices connected to the Internet will number in the tens of billions in the coming years. A key global trend in IoT technology driving this growth is the increasing availability of open source software, including easy-to-use IDEs, and ever-improving hardware. Siemens and RS joined forces to offer an IoT platform for the engineers of tomorrow, and the IOT2020 encapsulates these trends, providing the simplest way for engineers to get started with the industrial IoT and meet the challenges of an increasingly connected world. The IOT2020 is an open and flexible IoT gateway that is designed for continuous industrial operation and comes with the appropriate certificates. It can be used to retrive, process, analyse and send data to almost any kind of device or network due to its various interfaces including Ethernet, USB and micro SD. The gateway is compatible with open source software such as the Arduino IDE and Yocto Linux, to benefit from programming in high-level languages such as Java, C++ and JSON. This openness enables various communication possibilities to further automation hardware or sensors via Modbus, PROFINET or other protocols, or even the direct connection to cloud solutions via MQTT or AMQP. In addition to the on-board interfaces the IOT2020 is expandable with Arduino shields and via an on-board PCIe port.



The attractively priced device, which is an industrial certified product with UL and CE approval, is perfectly suited for educational purposes. It meets the many requirements of schools and universities to provide students with the platform to get a rapid experience of practical development and also allows start-ups and makers to develop ideas in an open way into professional applications and projects. "With years of experience serving customers in the electronics and industrial sectors, RS has been proudly part of the evolution of the technology in both of these spaces. The open source technology embraced by Arduino has simplified and speeded up electronic prototyping, while Siemens has been a key actor in bringing industrial automation at levels of reliability and interconnectivity that were simply unbelievable 10 years ago," commented Paolo Carnovale, Head of Industrial Product Marketing at RS. "The SIMATIC IOT2020 is building a bridge between the two worlds and will provide the engineers of the future with the necessary flexibility to develop new amazing industrial IoT applications."

About RS Components RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the global distributor for engineers. With operations in 32 countries, we offer more than 500,000 products through the internet, catalogues and at trade counters to over one million customers, shipping more than 44,000 parcels a day. Our products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include electronic components, electrical, automation and control, and test and measurement equipment, and engineering tools and consumables. Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2016 had revenues of GBP1.29bn. For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-online.com. Further information is available via these links : Twitter: @RSComponents; @alliedelec; @designsparkRS

RS Components on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components Other Relevant Links : Electrocomponents plc: www.electrocomponents.com

RS Components: www.rs-online.com

DesignSpark: www.designspark.com Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161021/8521606762

Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150818/8521505364LOGO

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[October 21, 2016] European Shingo Conference begins November 30, 2016



All topics discussed by eminent speakers at the European Shingo Conference in Copenhagen will relate to lean processes, strategies for leadership and implementation COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has set November 30 through December 2, 2016 as the dates for the European Shingo Conference. The purpose of this conference is for attendees to hear leaders in manufacturing, healthcare, services and other industries speak about their experiences with the principles, behaviors and systems that enable organizations to achieve excellence. Along with site tours of local companies, topics of the conference will include six sigma innovation, the relationship between HR and continuous improvement, creating a principle-based culture, embedding the Shingo Guiding Principles and other similar topics. Some of the prominent speakers at the conference include: Hakan Forss from King

Christian Houborg from H. Lundbeck A/ S Denmark

from H. Lundbeck A/ Sean Kelly from Abbott Diagnostics (2016 Shingo Prize recipient)

Shahir Rona from Novo Nordisk A/S

from Novo Nordisk A/S Kenneth Snyder from the Shingo Institute

from the Shingo Institute Billy Taylor from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Ida Gremyr from Chalmers University of Technology

Marc Noppen fro University Hospital Brussels

fro University Hospital Brussels Mustafa Kemal Altay from Bosch



http://shingo.org/events/europe. During the conference gala, there will be two awards presented to these recipients:

Lake Region Medical of Ireland

Matias Thurer and Charles Protzman , authors of Card-based Control Systems for a Lean Work Design Attendees of the European Shingo Conference will have ample opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals in a highly relevant and social atmosphere. With plenty of networking opportunities throughout each day, attendees will be able to develop new contacts and beneficial relationships. They'll also be able to infuse their organizations with the Shingo Model to help transform their cultures to make continuous improvement a reality. Past attendees of the conference have reported various benefits from attending. To maximize these benefits, the Shingo Institute recommends that organizations send three or more leaders and/or managers to the event. Experience has shown that this maximizes the likelihood that the principles learned at the conference will be incorporated in the culture, behavior and systems of the organization. About the Shingo Institute

The Shingo Institute is home of the Shingo Prize, an award that recognizes organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture that fosters continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota advisor, Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo distinguished himself as one of the world's thought leaders in concepts, management systems and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Production System. Drawing from Dr. Shingo's teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model which is the basis for its several educational offerings, including workshops, study tours and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute's licensed affiliates. For more information on workshops, affiliates, or to register to attend the European Shingo Conference, please visit www.shingo.org. CONTACT: Dominic Bria

Shingo Institute

Phone: +1-435-797-0771

Email: [email protected]







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[October 21, 2016]

Yirendai to Attend Upcoming Investment Conferences in November 2016

BEIJING, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yirendai Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) ("Yirendai" or the "Company"), a leading online consumer finance marketplace in China, today announced that it will meet with institutional investors at the following upcoming investment conferences in November 2016.

On November 1-3, Yirendai will meet with investors at the HSBC 8th Annual Asia Investor Forum at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York and the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston.

On November 2-3, Yirendai will meet with investors at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2016 China Conference at the JW Marriott Hotel in Beijing.

Investors who are interested in attending these conferences and meeting with Yirendai should contact their sales representatives at the respective institutions mentioned above.

About Yirendai

Yirendai Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) is a leading online consumer finance marketplace in China connecting investors and individual borowers. The Company provides an effective solution to address largely underserved investor and individual borrower demand in China through an online platform that automates key aspects of its operations to efficiently match borrowers with investors and execute loan transactions. Yirendai deploys a proprietary risk management system, which enables the Company to effectively assess the creditworthiness of borrowers, appropriately price the risks associated with borrowers, and offer quality loan investment opportunities to investors. Yirendai's online marketplace provides borrowers with quick and convenient access to consumer credit at competitive prices and investors with easy and quick access to an alternative asset class with attractive returns. For more information, please visit yirendai.investorroom.com.







For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Yirendai

Hui (Matthew) Li

Director of Investor Relations

Email: [email protected]

Christensen

In China

Christian Arnell

Phone: +86 (0)10-59001548

Email: [email protected]

In U.S.

Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1 (480) 614-3004

Email: [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yirendai-to-attend-upcoming-investment-conferences-in-november-2016-300349039.html

SOURCE Yirendai Ltd.
[October 21, 2016] Birch Recruits New Vice President to Lead Advanced Services

ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Birch Communications, Inc. ("Birch"), a leading provider of communications, network and cloud services to small, mid-sized, enterprise and wholesale businesses across North America, announced the appointment of Joseph Haines as its new Vice President of Advanced Services and Support, effective immediately. In this role, Haines assumes responsibility for Field Operations, the Network Operations Center, and Advanced Services Activation and Support groups at the company. Haines will report directly to Jim O'Brien, EVP and Chief Operating Officer at Birch. O'Brien said, "Joe has a proven track record in leading Tier 2 & Tier 3 operations centers and field technicians with the highest degree of focus on the customer. I am excited about the future of our newly expanded Advanced Services group and to have Joe leading this team. In addition to the TotalCloud PBX product roll-out we announced this week, we look forward to releasing additional cloud solutions i the coming months, and Joe's experience will play a critical role to meet and exceed our customers' expectations."



Haines is a 15+ year communications operations executive and an expert in driving superior customer experience within telecommunications networks, architecture, fiber networks, voice, data and cloud solutions. He has held several progressive leadership roles throughout his career. Before joining Birch, Haines served as Vice President of Forerunner Technologies and Vice President Field Operations and Network Operations at Deltacom  now EarthLink. "Birch excels in serving the complete technology needs of its customers and has a keen focus on customer experience and advanced communications and technology products," said Haines, newly appointed VP of Advanced Services and Support at Birch. "I am excited to help expand the company's technology and support operations for the benefit of our business customers. Birch is an advanced services communications provider and today offers a variety of fiber products, hosted communications, collaboration platforms, data center and cloud solutions.

Haines will be based out of the Atlanta Operations Center. About Birch Communications Birch Communications, Inc. is a leading communications, network, cloud and IT solutions provider celebrating 20 years in business (1996-2016). Recognized for exceptional customer experience, Birch delivers cost-effective solutions that assist small, mid-sized, enterprise and wholesale businesses to increase their productivity. Its industry-leading product portfolio is available across North America and includes Metro-Fiber, Metro-Ethernet, unified communications (UC), hosted phone systems, hosted data centers, and hosted file storage services. For more information, visit birch.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110606/CG14010LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/birch-recruits-new-vice-president-to-lead-advanced-services-300348395.html SOURCE Birch Communications, Inc.

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[October 21, 2016] Local Gov Websites Prepare Cities, Counties for Nov. 8 Election

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nothing turns out voters like a hotly contested presidential race, and local governments across the U.S. are preparing by putting voter information front and center on their official websites. The online government innovators at Vision today shared how cities and counties are gearing up for Election Day on November 8th. "Smart local government leaders are making their websites focal points for voters looking to find information on polling places, hours and issues," said Ashley Fruechting, Vision's senior director of marketing. "They're allowing residents to access election information at their convenience and freeing up municipal staff who might otherwise be burdened with phone calls and visits. Local government agencies now have numerous communication channels available to them, including social media, emails and offline campaigns. When a website serves as the central repository for all information, it makes it easier to ensure that all these channels deliver the same message." In addition to highly publicized national and state races, local governments also must prepare for a wide variety of local contests, measures and special propositions. Vision identified five strategies being used to effectively prepare for Election Day 2016. Let residents know you're on it. The City of Hibbing, Minnesota uses their home page hero image to let residents know the information they need and want for Election 2016 is on the ebsite. A click on the image brings visitors to a central page with links to candidate affidavits, voter registration materials, polling locations and other election resources. Make a simple adjustment to your website during election season. Carver County, Minnesota updated their homepage by adding an Elections action button among its other top-requested navigation items. The button, which can easily be removed or replaced after the election, takes visitors to an election information page. Share important facts with your community. Park City, Utah uses its "In the Spotlight" feature to let voters know that the election will be conducted by mail and provides a link to further details including ballot drop locations and voter assistance centers. Without this key information, Park City voters would be more likely to pick up the phone and ask about their polling location. Park City officials took the initiative to post this important voter information on their website well in advance of the actual election date. Shine a light on lesser-known voting issues. In the City of Grand Prairie, Texas, Election Day includes a special vote on the sale of parkland. Since this topic is unlikely to receive much media coverage, the city highlights the issue under Top Stories on its homepage, and then links to a page with detailed information on the proposition. Other outreach efforts include a link to the webpage as well, keeping all communications in sync. Avoid last-minute breakdowns by planning ahead. With less than 3 weeks to go before Election Day 2016, Vision encourages all city and county government leaders to think about the general election information and important details residents need. Are they easy to find on your website? Are they linked to other communication channels? Is your website setting your agency up for a successful election?



Election Day ," said Fruechting. "Local leaders need to take the time now to make sure that their websites and their communities are ready for November 8th ." For information about Vision's transformative government website technology, please visit visioninternet.com/inforequest or call 888-263-8847.

About Vision

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Vision is a national leader in government website development with more than 700 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. For more than 20 years, Vision has created cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, transparency and interactive communications with citizens. The company's powerful, easy-to-use visionLive content management system continues to evolve with feedback from hundreds of municipal clients. In 2016, Vision was named to Government Technology magazine's GovTech 100, a listing of leading companies developing innovative or disruptive offerings to improve or transform government. The company also was named a top 10 company serving local government by Engaging Local Government Leaders in its 2016 ELGL Choice Awards. CONTACT:

Ashley Fruechting

310-656-3100

[email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/431190

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160328/348411LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/local-gov-websites-prepare-cities-counties-for-nov-8-election-300349005.html SOURCE Vision

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[October 21, 2016] Lawrence H. Summers Joins Advisory Board of LMRKTS

NEW YORK and LONDON, Oct. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LMRKTS is honored to announce that Former Secretary of the Treasury, Lawrence H. Summers, has joined the companys Advisory Board. Dr. Summers brings academic and policy expertise to the firm that, until now, has been more heavily weighted towards quantitative programming, technology and capital markets. As one of President Obamas chief economic advisors during the financial crisis, Dr. Summers helped shape the U.S. response. Dr. Summers currently is the Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard University.

LMRKTS is a FinTech firm with a fresh approach to portfolio compression, focusing on lowering counterparty and systemic risk, rather than traditional portfolio compression that is aimed at reducing accounting costs associated with leverage charges and gross notional. The firm was founded to help institutions eliminate excess derivatives exposures that can cause financial contagion. CEO and founder of LMRKTS, Lucio Biase, said, We are thrilled to welcme Dr. Summers to our Advisory Board. Dr. Summers vast experience will be invaluable as LMRKTS continues to develop offerings that are in line with capital market needs, regulatory goals and tax payer safety. His expertise will help us to further provide a market friendly means to the regulatory mandate of lowering systemic risk.



Dr. Summers commented, LMRKTS has developed an offering that will help reduce the interconnectedness of banks and clearing houses by netting and diversifying counterparty credit risk for cleared and bilateral exposures. About Lawrence H. Summers

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers is one of Americas leading economists. In addition to serving as 71st Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration, Dr. Summers served as Director of the White House National Economic Council in the Obama Administration, as President of Harvard University, and as the Chief Economist of the World Bank.

http://larrysummers.com/

http://larrysummers.com/press-contacts/biography/

About LMRKTS LLC

LMRKTS offers a more modern version of portfolio compression  a means for Sellside, Buyside, CCPs and end-users to optimize their counterparty risk in any market or payment system without changing their market risk. Whether through the addition of new positions or the terminations of existing exposures, LMRKTS takes participants total gross counterparty credit risk down to a level nearer their net market risk, often shifting exposures to more creditworthy parties.

Contact: LMRKTS LLC Tel | +1.212.918.4649 [email protected]

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[October 21, 2016] data.world Named NTIS Joint Venture Partner to Improve Use of Federal Data

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- data.world today announced its selection to enter into a joint venture partnership agreement with the Commerce Departments National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Once the partnership is formed, federal agencies will be able to further distribute their open data in order to make it more discoverable, meaningful, and collaborative to speed innovation and drive positive outcomes.

Open data concerning the nations economy, population, and environment is a major transformative force, and has the potential to solve some of our countrys hardest problems, said Brett Hurt, co-founder and CEO of data.world. data.world looks forward to helping make it easier for federal agencies to effectively share and use their data with internal stakeholders, data scientists, civic technologists, and citizens. The federal government collects an enormous amount of useful data about everything from weather and climate to statistics on the U.S. economy, population, and demographics to trade statistics by market and industry, including jobs supported by exports. Joint venture partnerships with organizations like data.world will help federal agencies efficiently use, share, analyze and gain insights from these national data resources, either alone or in combination with non-federal data. We want to accelerate the data innovation proess by quickly connecting private sector experts with agencies striving to create smart cities, deliver critical public services, enhance operational excellence or improve accessibility and interoperability among national data sets, said NTIS Director Avi Bender in a press release.



We expect the new data science platforms, tools, and apps created through these partnerships to help agencies save time and money through innovative, effective ways to manage data in carrying out their mission and operations, continued Bender. By working on challenging data problems, NTIS JVPs will be in a position to leverage spin-off benefits through improvements to their data products and services. Launched in July 2016, data.world offers a data platform and community that makes it fast and easy to find and use data to solve problems. With data.world, people who work with data can quickly and easily discover, prepare, and share it, as well as effectively collaborate in real time to solve important problems.

Additional News Facts: data.world is one of 35 organizations selected to enter into a joint venture partnership agreement with NTIS. Additional partners include Amazon Web Services, HP Enterprise Services, IBM Corporation, and Palantir, as well as leading academic institutions including Stanford University and others.

More details on the announcement can be found in NTIS press release, NTIS Announces Selection of 35 Joint Venture Partners: A Major Milestone for the Data Economy About NTIS

NTIS provides innovative data services to federal agencies, through joint venture partnerships with the private sector that advance federal data priorities, promote economic growth and enable operational excellence. As a fee-supported agency, it receives no appropriations from Congress. About data.world

data.world strives to build the most meaningful, collaborative, and abundant data resource in the world. The company eases data discovery, collaboration, and use to solve the most complex academic, commercial, and societal problems. data.world operates as a public-benefit corporation and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Visit data.world and follow @datadotworld and facebook.com/datadotworld for more information. data.world Media Contact: Renee Newby, Brady PR [email protected] (757) 641-6554

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[October 21, 2016] DATUM Announces Reseller Agreement with INNTURE

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DATUM, a leading provider of data governance & stewardship software is proud to announce its partnership with INNTURE, as the exclusive reseller of DATUM's Information Value Management (IVM) platform in Australia and New Zealand. IVM is the only data governance software powered by best-in-class capabilities in information stewardship, governance and metadata management able to align the true value of data via natural integration with key business functions across the enterprise. "Off the back of our data migration engagements in Australia it's apparent that our clients are waking up the importance of governing their data. We're finally seeing maturity in the understanding of the importance of data, and DATUM's Information Value Management is the perfect platform for those companies who are serious about accelerating their drive to a digital transformation," said Michael Curran, Data Practice Lead for INNTURE. "We are excited to bring the capabilities and the extensive IP that DATUM offers to local companies," said Curran. "IVMhelps everyone who wants to rapidly build a business case for information governance - and then helps them progress from business case to innovation. Using IVM offers a massive advantage over trying to do this work without a platform."



"INNTURE's track record of helping companies improve business performance through the implementation of best-in-class information management solutions makes them the right partner for us in the key markets of Australia and New Zealand," said Will Crump, DATUM CEO. "Together, I'm confident we'll be able to help INNTURE clients connect data stewardship and governance with measurable business outcomes, grow profitable revenues and increase market share as they transition to digital enterprises. We look forward to working closely with INNTURE as we roll out our IVM software platform around the world." About DATUM

DATUM provides data governance technology that helps large enterprises chart and navigate their best course to digital leadership. DATUM's unique methodology drives the Information Value Management (IVM) platform, the first and only data governance software powered by best-in-class capabilities in information stewardship, governance and metadata management able to align the true value of data via natural integration with key business functions. Today the IVM platform speeds better decision making, efficiency, and compliance, improves business outcomes, and fosters new business models for large global enterprises including many of the Fortune 500. Founded in 2009, DATUM has been named to the Inc 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies for the last three consecutive years and was named to Gartner's Cool Vendors list in 2012. For more information, visit www.datumstrategy.com. About INNTURE Founded in 2011, INNTURE (www.innture.com) is a privately held company in Australia with practices including Data, Analytics and Management Consulting. Our Data practice is an SAP Services partner and specializes in Data migration, Data Quality and Data Governance in the Australian market. INNTURE's portfolio of clients covers the spectrum from Federal and State Government to Energy & Gas, Aerospace, Retail, Services, and Property Management. INNTURE has regional coverage in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and New Zealand Media Contacts:

Robyn Bollhorst

Marketing Director

DATUM LLC

443-837-9618 Stuart Chambers

National Business Development Manager

INNTURE

[email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161014/428772LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datum-announces-reseller-agreement-with-innture-300349102.html SOURCE DATUM

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[October 21, 2016] David L. Herzog Named to MetLife's Board of Directors

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) today announced that David L. Herzog has been elected to its board of directors, effective immediately. Herzog most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of American International Group (AIG). He joined American General Corporation in 2000 as executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Life division. Following AIG's acquisition of American General in 2001, he was also named chief operating officer and chief financial officer for the combined domestic life insurance companies. After that, he held various executive positions including vice president, Life Insurance; vice president and chief financial officer, Global Life Insurance; and comptroller. Prior to joining American General, Herzog served as chief financial officer of GenAmerica Corp, as controller at Family Guardian Life, and as an audit supervisor with Coopers & Lybrand. "I am pleased to welcome David to MetLife's board of directors," said Steven A. Kandarian, chairman, president and chief executive officer of MetLife, Inc. "A highly respected leader, David brings more than three decades of life insurance and financial service xpertise to MetLife. His financial acumen and deep knowledge of the business make him a valuable addition to the board."



Herzog is currently a director on the board of AMBAC Financial Group. He previously was a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance, which provides advice and recommendations directly to the Federal Insurance Office. Herzog has also served on the boards of AERCAP Holdings NV and International Lease Finance Corporation, as well as numerous operating insurance subsidiary boards. Herzog's other memberships include the Strategic Development Board at the University of Missouri Business School and the Investment Advisory Committee at University of Missouri. Herzog received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from University of Missouri-Columbia and his Master of Business Administration degree in finance and economics from the University of Chicago. He holds the designations of Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI).

With the addition of Herzog, the MetLife board is now comprised of 13 directors, 12 of whom are independent. About MetLife MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005086/en/

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[October 21, 2016] Wireless, Smartphone Ultrasound Scanner a Safe Alternative to X-Ray for Lung Scanning

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarius Mobile Health, a digital healthcare startup, will demonstrate its ultra-portable smartphone ultrasound scanners at the CHEST 2016 conference in Los Angeles this week. Clarius Mobile Health's user-friendly wireless scanners pair with iOS and Android devices for point-of-care assessments including chest diseases. "Lung ultrasound has been shown in different studies to be a better test for numerous types of lung pathologies than a chest x-ray and sometimes even better than a CT scan," said Dr. Shane Arishenkoff, an internal medicine physician in Vancouver, BC. "It gives me the ability to get real-time patient information rather than waiting for results. After initiating treatment, I can go back to the patient to see if my therapies are helping." Wireless and compatible with most iOS and Android smartphones and tablets available today, Clarius ultrasound scanners are intended for physicians to use for quick scans at the bedside. The Clarius C3 multipurpose ultrasound scanner is designed to imag the lungs and abdomen; it incorporates a virtual phased array for quick scans of the heart.



"We're excited about showing our ultra-portable ultrasound scanner to members of the American College of Chest Physicians," said Laurent Pelissier, Chairman and CEO of Clarius Mobile Health. "Our C3 Scanner is the ideal tool to help treat patients quickly." The CHEST 2016 conference is organized by the American College of Chest Physicians, which promotes the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases. The organization's 18,700 multidisciplinary members are involved with pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.

"Unlike many new ultrasound machines, Clarius is ideal for lung scanning because it uses a unique imaging technology that provides excellent imaging, yet does not eliminate the artifacts that we need to scan the lung," said Dr. Arishenkoff. "It's also great not to have to deal with wires and cords." Watch a video to hear more from Dr. Shane Arishenkoff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGX8MRZqBKY Clarius Scanners are water-resistant for easy cleaning and sterilization. They are powered by a rechargeable battery and built with a magnesium case. Clarius is ISO Certified and has met all safety requirements. The company has filed for regulatory clearance in various regions and expects to be ready to sell products by the end of 2016. ABOUT CLARIUS

Founded by ultrasound innovators, Clarius Mobile Health aims to make ultrasound available to all clinicians. Our affordable handheld ultrasound scanners offer clinicians the freedom to use ultrasound anywhere they need it. Clarius is ISO certified and has filed for regulatory clearance in various regions. For more information, visit clarius.me/product. Media requests: Neena Rahemtulla, VP Marketing, Clarius Mobile Health

TEL 778.800.9975

Email: [email protected] Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGX8MRZqBKY To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wireless-smartphone-ultrasound-scanner-a-safe-alternative-to-x-ray-for-lung-scanning-300349028.html SOURCE Clarius Mobile Health

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[October 21, 2016] Chip & PIN Solutions Celebrates Its 12-year Anniversary at Money 20/20 Las Vegas

LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Many organisations in the payments arena are now on countdown for Money 20/20 next week. Chip & PIN Solutions is excited to announce that this year Founder & CEO, David Maisey, and Sales Director, Jas Lall, will be representing the company at the four-day prestigious payments conference starting this Sunday at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Chip & PIN Solutions, founded in 2004, will also be celebrating its 12-year anniversary next week and where better to celebrate than Las Vegas at the world's biggest payments industry event. Over the past decade, Chip & PIN Solutions has established itself as the UK's leading provider of card payment solutions and merchant services. Today, it is a multi-million pound turnover business, with a team of over 100 staff in its UK's headquarters and a trusted business partner to rganisations across multiple sectors in the UK and Europe; including retail, hospitality, service and transport industries. The company's customers contribute heavily to the economy and take billions in card payments each year.



David Maisey, Founder & CEO of Chip & PIN Solutions, comments, "I'm extremely proud of our achievements as a specialist payments business over the last 12 years; and I'm excited about our aggressive growth plans over the coming years. The one thing we take into our second decade is to never underestimate how fast the payment industry moves. Money 20/20 will be the perfect opportunity to network with key players and discuss our evolving range of payment services and global capabilities. We will be investing heavily into our resources, new products and payment technologies. Next week is about keeping abreast with global payment advances and developing new partnerships with International organisations." As well as engaging with global stakeholders, David Maisey is also looking forward to attending a variety of speaker sessions from worldwide industry leaders, defining the future of payments and financial services.

"For us as a company, there are a number of sessions that we will be focusing on." (David Maisey, Founder & CEO, Chip & PIN Solutions). To chat directly with David about any partnership or distributor opportunity within the UK and Europe, please contact him directly on the Money 20/20 app, email him directly [email protected] or call +44 1279 712600.



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[October 21, 2016] $70K Grant to Help 10 Families Return Home 11 Years Post-Katrina

Project Homecoming, a 501c3 nonprofit, has been awarded a $70,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from Whitney Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). The funds will support critical repairs to 10 houses, allowing families to return home 11 years after Hurricane Katrina. "New Orleans is still rebuilding and bringing hundreds of families back home," said Kris Pottharst, executive director at Project Homecoming. "Without partners like Whitney Bank and FHLB Dallas, who are aware of this still-urgent need and are willing to invest in this very special community, these homes would not be repaired and these long-term residents would not live in safe and healthy homes once more. We are thankful for this critical partnership and generous grant that allows us to return these families home." The AHP grant, the first to Project Homecoming, will be matched by other funding sources as part of a $485,000 restoration project. "Whitney's commitment to the city of New Orleans drives us to do all we can to help our nonprofit partners preserve affordable homeownership for our friends and neighbors," said Ashley Aubrey Harrison, assistant vice president and community affairs representative at Whitney Bank. "We appreciate our FHLB Dallas membership and the ways in which it helps us support our hometown." FHLB Dallas annually returns 10 percent of its profits in the form of AHP grants to the communities served by its member institutions, like Whitney Bank. AHP grants fund a variety of projects, including home rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly, and special-needs residents; down pament and closing cost assistance for qualified first-time homebuyers; and the construction of low-income, multifamily rental communities and single-family homes.



Project Homecoming began as a foundation in 2006 under the auspices of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and the Presbytery of South Louisiana, taking its name in 2007. The nonprofit hosts volunteer groups from around the country to help rebuild the Big Easy. "The AHP was designed, in part, for relief efforts like this," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "But we could not reach community-based organizations like Project Homecoming, without the commitment of Whitney Bank to facilitate AHP grants. Our partnership is helping to restore the city for all citizens."

In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded $7.8 million in AHP grants to 27 projects across its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. The grants will help create 1,499 new or rehabilitated housing units. Since the inception of the AHP in 1990, FHLB Dallas has awarded more than $245 million in AHP grants to assist more than 45,500 families. About Whitney Bank Since 1883 the Whitney Bank name has embodied core values of honor and integrity, strength and stability, commitment to service, teamwork, and personal responsibility. Part of the Hancock Holding Company financial services family, Whitney Bank locations in Louisiana and Texas and Hancock Bank locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida provide a full array of traditional and online consumer, business, commercial, private banking, trust, investment, and mortgage services. More information and online banking are available at www.hancockwhitney.com. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $54.4 billion as of June 30, 2016, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005767/en/

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[October 21, 2016] Emma Bower, Editor of Haymarket Titles GP and Medeconomics, Revealed her Top Tips for PR Professionals at Exclusive Gorkana Media Briefing

LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gorkana was joined yesterday morning (20 October) by Emma Bower, editor of Haymarket titles GP and Medeconomics. At the packed-out media briefing, she revealed how readers have reacted to GP since the title went digital-only last year, how Medeconomics and GP fit into Haymarket's wider medical portfolio and how PRs can help with content for the titles. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431336 )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431337 )

GP and Medeconomics form part of publisher Haymarket's family of healthcare brands, which also includes MIMS and MIMS Learning.



More than 50 years old, GP is a major UK B2B healthcare title in the UK and aims to be "essential reading for all UK-based family doctors". Digital-only since July 2015, GP offers its readers the latest news, careers advice, clinical education and opinion via GPonline.com and its GP Weekly app, which provides a round-up of the title's best content every Friday.



Medeconomics is a subscription site that provides GP practices with expert advice to help them run their businesses effectively and improve patient care.



Here are a just a few key top tips that Bower, a former editor of Independent Nurse, revealed at yesterday's briefing:



GP

GPs are incredibly busy people - they're under huge pressure, so going digital-only last year was a good move - "more paper is not the best way to communicate with them", said Bower. There is a dail news alert that goes out at around 11am (the biggest driver of traffic), as well as a series of more specialised weekly bulletins (i.e. Training Update, Practice Briefing and GP Education). The team is about to launch an alert centred around locum GPs.







Medeconomics

Medeconomics focuses on GP practices. Most of readership feedback will come from practice managers. Like GPs, they're extremely overworked, said Bower, so the title aims to provide a practical guide on how to run a practice, whether it's accessing money for development, how finances work or getting legal advice.



The "shop window" of Haymarket's medical content

GP and Medeconomics aim to distil information into easy-to-understand stories. "We want our readers to feel they can come to us for a balanced view of what's going on. We'll always say to people who write for us think about what your story means for GPs." Stories that tend to do well include anything to do with workforce and GP recruitment issues and changes to the NHS that will affect the way GPs work.





Working with PRs

The team tends to deal more with in-house PR teams and charities, although Bower is open to building up relationships with agencies. Surveys are used a lot, but PRs need to bear in mind that they must have a relevance to GPs and have a positive story to tell. She is less interested in "GP bashing" stories. The team uses a bank of experts, but is happy to be offered more comment from appropriate individuals. Always email if you want to contact the team. PR and comms professionals from a variety of sectors attended the media briefing, which was chaired by Gorkana's head of news and content, Philip Smith. Katie Packham, agency marketing manager at Racepoint Global, said: "As always, this morning's Gorkana Media briefing was an informative and interesting event. Targeted to the healthcare sector, it gave us an insight into the target audience, content they respond well to, future topics of discussion and the reasoning behind taking both publications online." Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today's communication professionals. Offering the industry's most comprehensive PR, IR and social media software, rich analytics, content distribution and influencer outreach, Cision enables clients to engage audiences, enhance campaigns and strengthen data-driven decision making. Cision solutions include PR Newswire, Gorkana, PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact brands.



Headquartered in Chicago, Cision serves over 100,000 customers in 170 countries and 40 languages worldwide, and maintains offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cision.com or follow @Cision on Twitter. For more information, visit http://www.gorkana.com, http://www.cision.com or follow @gorkana, @Cision on Twitter For media information please contact:

Philip Smith

Head of News and Content

[email protected]

Gorkana

+44(0)20-7674-0200



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[October 21, 2016] LoanBeam and Equifax announce Alliance on Income Verification

DALLAS, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LoanBeam announced today a joint referral agreement with Equifax Verification Services, a business unit of Equifax. Additionally, LoanBeam plans to incorporate the IRS Tax Transcript Fulfillment service provided by Equifax Verification Services, into its automated income calculation solution anticipated for early 2017. The addition of an industry-leading tax transcript fulfillment service will further automate and standardize the income verification process and support lender efforts to limit the documentation requirements of borrowers. Equifax also plans to incorporate the LoanBeam product into its suite of income verification services in 2017. The combination of both the Income Calculation Solution and the IRS Tax Transcript Fulfillment service will also help to reduce delays that could potentially slow the overall loan process as a result of rejected IRS tax transcript requests, while helping to enhance the consumer borrowing experience. "As we continue down the path of developing solutions that help to enhance the loan decisioning process on the risk management and processing side, strategic alliances become an integral component," said Craig Crabtree, general manager of Equifax Mortgage Services. "Our IRS Tax Transcript Fulfillment service has a demonstrated track record of helping to eliminate errors in the tax transcript acquisition process ad will offer tremendous value-add to the LoanBeam income calculation solution."



"LoanBeam is delighted to announce the beginning of the alliance with Equifax to create a cohesive and unified income solutions platform," said Kirk Donaldson, Founding Member of LoanBeam. "Our alliance will make it easier than ever to validate borrower income. LoanBeam has become the industry leader in qualified income calculation and the only company offering full and complete automated income calculation services; producing an output that is auditable, consistent and transparent, saving lenders significant time and money." About LoanBeam

LoanBeam is a SaaS (Software as a Service) application that uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to export data from tax return PDFs to an Excel file that automatically calculates the income of a borrower. LoanBeam is pushing the boundaries of what mortgage income calculation looks like. LoanBeam's business expertise, patented processes, advanced scanning technology, and strategic technological and financial industry partnerships are all combining to offer first-to-market income calculation solutions to some of the country's most influential companies. The company is headquartered Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.LoanBeam.com. About Equifax

Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organizations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax has grown from a consumer credit company into a leading provider of insights and knowledge that helps its customers make informed decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its databases include employee data contributed from more than 5,000 employers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,200 employees worldwide. Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Ranked 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2015); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2015); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015). For more information, visit www.equifax.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431367LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/loanbeam-and-equifax-announce-alliance-on-income-verification-300349284.html SOURCE Equifax Inc.

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[October 21, 2016] Aaron's Hosts Corporate Work Program For Atlanta Cristo Rey Students

ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has partnered with the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Corporate Work Study Program to provide eight high school students with a work/study program during the 2016-2017 school year. One of the 32 schools in the nationwide Cristo Rey Network, Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School is a college preparatory high school for underrepresented urban youth. In 2003, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with venture philanthropists B.J. and Bebe Cassin, provided seed funding to promote the replication of the Cristo Rey schools. Through rigorous academics, coupled with real world work experience, Cristo Rey students graduate high school prepared for success in college and in life. As part of the school's Corporate Work Study Program, each of Aaron's eight sponsored Cristo Rey Atlanta students will work five full days a month at Aaron's corporate office. This educational initiative aims to transform the lives of low-income, underserved students in Atlanta. "We have already been incredibly impressed by the Cristo Rey students and their enthusiasm to learn and participate in daily work/study opportunties here at Aaron's," said John Robinson, CEO of Aaron's, Inc. "In order to have economically-thriving communities, it's critical that we provide opportunities where young people are prepared and accepted into colleges that will ultimately support a strong career. Aaron's is excited to offer these teens work experience in a fast-paced business environment that they will recall for years to come."



By enrolling in this program, students earn the majority of the cost of their own education, and gain valuable real-world job skills, contacts and experience. Cristo Rey Network students go on to college in record numbers, in large part because of their early exposure to the working world. By matching business interests with the educational and economic needs of lower-income students, the program gives at-risk young people their best chance of overcoming the financial barriers that limit their educational and professional opportunities. "Many good students from low income families in Atlanta have no hope," said Bill Garrett, President Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School. "The Cristo Rey solution provides a rigorous college preparatory academic environment and surrounds the students with people and resources to drive success to assure that each Cristo Rey graduate is accepted to college."

Aaron's has a long legacy of giving back, a commitment that was started by founder Charlie Loudermilk and continues today through Aaron's Gives (www.AaronsGives.com) philanthropic efforts including Aaron's Foundation, Inc. and the Aaron's Community Outreach Program (ACORP). The Aaron's Foundation, Inc. mission is to commit to strengthening the communities in which Aaron's operates, with a focus on improving the life prospects of at-risk youth. Aaron's provides at-risk youth with the tools, resources and skills to achieve their goals and to become productive, contributing members of their communities. About Aaron's, Inc.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN) is a leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, and currently has more than 1,930 Company-operated and franchised stores in 47 states and Canada. Progressive Leasing, a leading virtual lease-to-own company, provides lease-purchase solutions through approximately 16,000 retail locations in 46 states. Dent-A-Med, Inc., d/b/a the HELPcard, provides a variety of second-look credit products that are originated through a federally insured bank. Aaron's was founded in 1955, has been publicly traded since 1982 and owns the Aarons.com, ProgLeasing.com, and HELPcard.com brands. For more information, visit www.aarons.com. About Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School

Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School is a Catholic learning community that educates young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose, and service. Cristo Rey Atlanta is located at 680 W. Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30308, and is part of the Cristo Rey Network. About the Cristo Rey Network

The Cristo Rey Network provides a quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to young people who live in urban communities with limited educational options. Our mission is clear  college success for Cristo Rey Network students. Member schools utilize a rigorous academic model, supported with effective instruction, to prepare students with a broad range of academic abilities for college. Cristo Rey Network schools employ an innovative Corporate Work Study Program that provides students with real world work experiences. Every student works five full days a month to fund the majority of his or her education, gain job experience, grow in self-confidence, and realize the relevance of his or her education. Students work at law firms, banks, hospitals, universities, and other professional Corporate Partners. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/430975

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130826/CL69318LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aarons-hosts-corporate-work-program-for-atlanta-cristo-rey-students-300349296.html SOURCE Aaron's, Inc.

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PurpleStride New Jersey Aims to Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020

More patients die from pancreatic cancer than breast cancer, making pancreatic cancer the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Additionally, only 8 percent of patients live five years. To change the course of this disease, the Northern New Jersey Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is inviting the community to attend PurpleStride New Jersey.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005852/en/

The event takes place during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month on Sunday, Nov. 13, at Mack Cali Business Campus in Parsippany, days before World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Nov. 17. PurpleStride will raise much needed awareness and funds to support the mission of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to advance research, support patients and create hope.

To register and to learn more visit www.purplestride.org/newjersey.

"After losing my dad to pancreatic cancer in 2011, I have been dedicated to raising awareness and funds for this unrelenting disease," stated Dana Quinn, PurpleStride Chair of the Northern New Jersey Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and this year's recipient of the Randy Pausch Award. "Vice President Joe Biden put a stake in the ground when he announced the Moonshot initiative which focuses on advancements in cancer. New Jersey will come together to support this national initiative in hopes of achieving our goal doubling pancreatic cancer survival by 2020."

The family-friendly 5K timed awareness walk/run will include:







Learn more about how you can support your local New Jersey Affiliate and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network by visiting www.pancan.org. Click to view this year's PurpleStride PSA and organizational PSA.

Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter, Instagram or on Facebook.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative - The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. To continue to accelerate progress, a goal to raise $200 million by 2020 is also in place. Together, we can Wage Hope and rewrite the future of pancreatic cancer.

FOR MEDIA:

Members of the media are invited to attend the event, interview and photograph participants, volunteers and special guests. Please contact Lee at [email protected] to receive further press instructions.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005852/en/
[October 21, 2016] Exiger Chosen as the Independent Monitor Of the University of Cincinnati Police Department

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Exiger, the global regulatory risk and compliance firm, has been chosen by the University of Cincinnati (UC) to act as the independent Monitor of the University of Cincinnati Police Department (UCPD). The Monitor will oversee the implementation of reforms detailed in Exiger's June 2016 report, following its completion of a four-month comprehensive review of the UCPD's policies, procedures, practices, training, and technology. Exiger's report will be used as the baseline for the University to enact voluntary reform in an effort to transform the UCPD into the gold standard for campus policing. Exiger will act as Monitor for a three-year period beginning on November 1, 2016. In the first 90 days, Exiger will provide the University with an outline of deadlines for assessments, reviews and audits. The monitorship will include providing quarterly status updates, conducting site visits and providing monthly progress updates. As the external Monitor, Exiger will: Assess progress towards implementing the recommendations of the Final Report

Report on the status of reform implementation

Work with the UCPD to address any barriers to implementation

Provide clear guidelines on all steps necessary for compliance

Provide technical assistance to the UCPD as requested Jeff Schlanger, President of Exiger Advisory, will act as Primary Monitor. Mr. Schlanger joined Exiger from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where he was Chief of Staff to District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance. Mr. Schlanger has held a number of senior advisory roles in both the public and private sectors, including acting as Deputy Primary Monitor of the Los Angeles Police Department. Mr. Schlanger has also served as Special Counsel to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity, and has led independent investigations for various state and local police agencies. Serving as Deputy Monitor will be Chief Roberto A. Villasenor, the former Chief of Police for the Tucson Police Department and a member of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century policing. In addition, Charles Ramsey, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner, who also served as co-chair of Presidnt's Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, will provide his expertise for the assignment.



"Exiger is honored to have been selected to serve as the Independent Monitor by the University of Cincinnati," said Mr. Schlanger. "By introducing an Independent Monitor, UC is further demonstrating its commitment to reforming its police department through independent oversight of the adoption and implementation of best practices. Moreover, the voluntary acceptance of independent oversight sets a significant example for both universities and municipalities across the nation of how building trust with the public can be accomplished." Members of Exiger's team include:

Jeff Schlanger , Managing Director and President of Exiger's Advisory Group, and the former Chief of Staff in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and former Deputy Primary Monitor for the Los Angeles Police Department Consent Decree

, Managing Director and President of Exiger's Advisory Group, and the former Chief of Staff in the District Attorney's Office and former Deputy Primary Monitor for the Police Department Consent Decree Roberto A. Villasenor , former Chief of Police for the Tucson Police Department and a member of President Obama's Task Force on 21 st Century policing

, former Chief of Police for the Police Department and a member of President Obama's Task Force on 21 Century policing Charles Ramsey , former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and the co-chair of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing

, former Police Commissioner and the co-chair of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing John Thomas , Chief of the University of Southern California Office of Public Safety, and a 21-year veteran of the LAPD

, Chief of the Office of Public Safety, and a 21-year veteran of the LAPD Beth Corriea , attorney and risk management consultant to police departments including the NYPD

, attorney and risk management consultant to police departments including the NYPD Sandy Jo MacArthur , 35-year veteran of the LAPD, where she oversaw the implementation of the LAPD Consent Decree requirements

, 35-year veteran of the LAPD, where she oversaw the implementation of the LAPD Consent Decree requirements Mark Porter , Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for Brown University , and a 30-year veteran of higher education law enforcement management

, Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for , and a 30-year veteran of higher education law enforcement management Nola M. Joyce , former Deputy Commissioner for Philadelphia Police Department, and former Chief of Staff of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

, former Deputy Commissioner for Police Department, and former Chief of Staff of the Metropolitan Police Department of the Maggie Goodrich , Chief Information Officer for the LAPD where she manages IT Bureau operations

, Chief Information Officer for the LAPD where she manages IT Bureau operations Patrick Harnett , public safety consultant to police departments and to agencies across the United States , and a 32-year veteran of the NYPD

, public safety consultant to police departments and to agencies across , and a 32-year veteran of the NYPD James McShane , Vice President of Public Safety for Columbia University , and a 24-year veteran of the NYPD

, Vice President of Public Safety for , and a 24-year veteran of the NYPD Denise Lewis , consultant in the area of compliance monitoring and police performance auditing, and a 14-year veteran of the LAPD

, consultant in the area of compliance monitoring and police performance auditing, and a 14-year veteran of the LAPD Elizabeth Carreno, Community Relations Manager for the USC Department of Public Safety For more information on Exiger, please click here. About Exiger

Exiger is a global regulatory risk, and compliance firm. Exiger arms governments, institutions and multinational corporations with the practical advice and solutions they need to prevent compliance breaches, respond to risk, remediate major issues, and monitor ongoing activities. Exiger was initially launched to lead the court-appointed monitorship of HSBC, the largest, most comprehensive monitorship to date. Exiger works with regulators in the U.S., UK, and around the world to evaluate the effectiveness of HSBC's money laundering and sanctions compliance controls across its approximately 6,000 offices operating in nearly 70 countries. In addition to its monitorship engagements, Exiger works with clients worldwide to assist them in effectively managing their critical compliance challenges while developing and implementing the policies, procedures, and programs needed to identify and avoid them in the future. Exiger has offices in New York City, Hong Kong, London, Silver Spring, Singapore, and Toronto. For more information, please visit: www.exiger.com Contact:

John Roderick

J. Roderick, Inc.

For Exiger

631-584-2200

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[October 21, 2016] Young Community Developers and AMCAL Multi-Housing Host Grand Opening for Pacific Pointe Affordable Housing Development

Pacific Pointe, the first 100% affordable housing development in the San Francisco Shipyard, held its grand opening yesterday led by District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen. Young Community Developers, a non-profit that serves the Bayview Hunters Point community, and AMCAL Multi-Housing, a leading affordable housing developer, joined together to develop Pacific Pointe. Located at 350 Friedell Street, Pacific Pointe includes 60 modern, fully equipped apartments, many with views of the city and bay. "I am encouraged that the Pacific Pointe project actually serves the residents of the Bayview neighborhood. Many of our neighborhood's residents live at Pacific Pointe and many have worked on its development," said Supervisor Malia Cohen. "Not only has the construction of this project provided job and training opportunities for residents but also more permanent affordable housing opportunities for Bayview residents." Joining Supervisor Cohen at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were: Tiffany Bohee, Executive Director of the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure; Kofi Bonner, Regional President of FivePoint; Shamann Walton, Executive Director of Young Community Developers; Charmaine Atherton, Senior Vice President of Southern California Community Development Banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Maurice Ramirez, xecutive Vice President of AMCAL Multi-Housing.



Pacific Pointe is already 100 percent leased to households earning no more than 50 percent of the San Francisco median income. The project was developed in cooperation with the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure and is part of the inclusionary affordable housing in FivePoint's (formerly Lennar Urban) redevelopment of the 638-acre Shipyard, the largest redevelopment effort in San Francisco history. Lennar provided a $10 million construction subsidy and the site infrastructure for the new affordable community. Bank of America is the lender and tax-credit investor for the project.

"I am excited to see the wonderful opportunities that have been available in our community finally come to fruition. One hundred percent affordable housing demonstrates that YCD is serious about keeping our community whole," said Shamann Walton, Executive Director of Young Community Developers. YCD co-developed Pacific Pointe and will be providing training and social services to residents. Residents of Pacific Pointe enjoy one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with onsite amenities including four community rooms and lounges, laundry facilities, a common space kitchen and secured parking. Two four-story buildings sit atop a one-story garage that provides 45 parking spaces and 44 bike spaces. The project provides outdoor public spaces common to market rate apartments such as a rooftop open-air deck and landscaped courtyards. The site is close to the Third Street light rail line, Muni bus line, a bicycle route, India Basin Shoreline Park and Hilltop Park, Hunters Point #2 School, and the city's Southeast Health Center. "I am thrilled to see the completion of our first development in San Francisco and very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the City, Lennar and YCD and many others," states Percival Vaz, CEO of AMCAL. The design by David Baker Architects and INTERSTICE Architects is contemporary with exterior architectural elements that vary in size and color to create a distinctive and memorable facade for the structure. The corten steel "sail" pays homage to Hunters Point's history as a shipping community. Sustainability played an important role in the design and construction of the building. Pacific Pointe achieved GreenPoint Rated status. Pacific Pointe includes a special community tribute that provides a cultural and historical narrative of the people, places and things that have influenced Hunters Point over the years - spanning from the earliest settlement by the Muwekma Ohlone to the present and future places and institutions of this vibrant community. This public-oriented entry feature was a result of an intensive collaboration with the Hunters Point community as part of the project design process. The idea to tell a story within the project was brought forward early, and was actively supported by several community members, including Pastor Joesiah Bell and Dr. Veronica Hunnicutt. The master plan for the San Francisco Shipyard and adjacent Candlestick Point includes 12,000 homes, three million square feet of office space, an urban outlet center, local retail, restaurants, a theater and performing arts space. Plans are in place to create 326 acres of parks and open space at the sites. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005918/en/

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Google Pixel 7 features coming to Pixel 6  heres what to expect

Google has announced that the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are getting some of the Pixel 7s new features, and older Pixel phones are even getting a few updates. Here's what we know so far.
Sounds Australia, the market development initiative aimed at helping young musos market their music, could be in danger thanks to the Turnbull government.

Since 2009, Sounds Australia has aimed to help young Australian musicians raise their profile and help them capture the attention of international booking agents, promoters, and buyers, effectively guaranteeing them a rewarding career.

After his speech to parliament last week, in which he name-checked your favourite bands, Shadow Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke released a statement outlining the benefits of Sounds Australia after it was said by the government that they would no longer continue to fund the initiative.

The figures speak for themselves, he began. In 2009, Australian 49 artists were appearing at international events. In just 5 years Sounds Australia took that to 263  an increase of 437 per cent.

As Noise11 reports, the music industry has been dependant on Sounds Australia for some time. Thanks to their efforts, Australia is able to send approximately 50 acts to SXSW in Austin, Texas every year. Without this aid, it may be a worrying future for the Australian music scene.

The local industry was up in arms back in May after the governments controversial arts funding program, Catalyst, spent up to half of its four-year funding allocation in less than a week, doling out more than $20 million in grants to already cashed-up organisations like The Australian Ballet, but not Sounds Australia.

I accompanied Hungry Kids of Hungary overseas about four times. Sounds Australia (mainly Millie Millgate at that time) was invaluable during, leading up to and after the events and tours we undertook, Ben Preece of PR management company Mucho-Bravado told Tone Deaf at the time.

They supported, shouted our names from the rooftops and introduced us to so many people of note, therefor instigating countless relationships, meetings and opportunities that I, as a young manager, could never have dreamed of achieving on my own.

International agents were locked in, overseas labels or distributors jumped on board, touring plots were mapped out, big festival sets were played and audiences began to grow rapidly. To not have them there, even now that Im much more experienced, would be absolutely horrifying.

That sentiment was echoed by many whom we spoke to in the local industry, including Remote Controls Lorrae McKenna, who said she cant imagine what our Australian music industry would be like without the amazing support that it receives from Sounds Australia.

I work with countless bands who have benefited greatly from the many and varied opportunities that this organisation offers both at Remote Control Records and also as an artist manger, McKenna continued.

Last year in particular Sounds Australia were instrumental in helping support our local Dot Dash roster of artists reach an international audience of music industry professionals both with via showcasing and networking opportunities.

We had five Dot Dash bands attend CMJ in 2015; Methyl Ethel, Client Liaison, Pearls, Sui Zhen & Sunbeam Sound Machine, we actually organised our own Dot Dash label CMJ showcase and were greatly helped and guided by Millie and the whole team at Sounds Australia.
After a long stint in London and Europe honing her indie pop craft, Bela Chase (formerly of her band Bela Takes Chase) has returned to Sydney and gone solo, releasing her new EP Velocity Raptor.

Working with Studios 301 producer Jack Prest (Flume, Sampa The Great, Skrillex, The Preatures), shes put together four tracks of vibrant electro pop, and has run us through each of the tracks and their long genesis overseas.

Bela will be taking to the Oxford Art factory stage on November 4 with FROYO, Sonia and Taka Perry, while Velocity Raptor is out now through Ditto Music and available for your streaming pleasure below.

Velocity Raptor

This track is still a wonderment to me, as its the first track I wrote after leaving London during my stay with my brother in Germany. I really thought the first thing I would write after such a stormy time would be really down and depressing. Instead, this upbeat pop-like riff just came to me out of nowhere!

For me, this track expresses the light-hearted side of relationships and life during a very dark time. From writing this song I gained some independence which I think was a super important realisation for me at that time in my life.

I Forgot To Say

This track evaluates the darker side of dealing with my decision to return to Australia and the transition of relocating after such a long time away. It still holds some command within me, in that, I have said all I needed to and Ive come to the realisation that I cant make everything last forever.

I guess amongst all the thinking (and overthinking), its quite easy to forget that just a few simple words like, Goodbye, is all you need. Listening back and reflecting on this track I still dont feel like I was given time to say those words and it was really the only thing that needed to be said.

Dirt Face

Im not gonna lie this track is simply about the awkwardness of a one-night stand OK, a booty call to be exact. Its a very upbeat song which is still a strange adventure for me as a musician. In my adult life, Ive found myself in some brutally awkward situations.

So, this song reflects the beginnings and quick endings of a one-night stand and that pressing question, WHY? We knew this was a bad idea!. Lyrically its a practical description of trying to make an early morning break for it, which Im sure is relatable for most of us.

Space Kicks

This is the single track and was the last song Id written for the EP. It was strung together in the studio after my producer (Jack Prest) had the idea to put two existing songs together. So, we took the chorus from one and the verse from another and its now my favourite from the EP.

Space Kicks is a raw and honest expression of how I feel about the density of my relationship with London, contrasted with all of those who had gotten under my skin for good and for bad. I felt like I didnt have the life experience to say the things that needed to be said at the time. So now I am expressing them in this song. Also, I wanted to explore that short period of time that comes after a relationship breakdown.

When you simply cant be around that person because you still love them, but you know that its over and it has to end  which is what I was feeling upon my arrival back to Australia.
As the homicide and rate of violence in Kansas City continue to soar it's clear that the media struggles to accurately report onLocal news outlets dutifully report constant stream urban core violence, shooting and murder but when we look at the crime stories over the past week that have really resonated and captured the focus and resources of local mainstream media . . . They have one thing in common.Take a look . . .A recent suspectedWhile the story was captivating and provides the public with warning about getting into fights with strangers on local streets . . . Confrontation betwixt drivers is actually quite common and urban core beef between two combatants is rarely covered so extensively.Over the past few weeks,has been evident in the tragic case of a local lady who might have had horrible judgement in the company she kept.Again, we hope this young woman is found and the media interest is understandable given. . .Moreover, this story'sthat local mainstream media is committed to providing far-reaching and sometimes exhaustive coverage of young, attractive white women who disappear . . . Let's not make this totally racial either . . . Any old lady over the ripe age of 35 who goes missing doesn't really earn this same kind of reporting.Finally, Kansas City media are so captivated by missing and/or killed attractive white women that they're willing to give top billing to long ago cold cases with very little news value and/or public interest.This weekthan most deadly drive-bys in the Kansas City urban core.In a perfect world, every Kansas City crime story would earn an appropriate attention based on its merit.In the midst of this silly election season, there's more than enough blame for misplaced priorities to go around.Still, there's no denying that Kansas City mainstream news is more apt to focus on the pretty faces of white women who are missing and/or killed despite a surge of violence throughout the nation that impacts an increasingly broad cross-section of Americans.
Mike Shanin interviews Matt Condon, Vice Chair of Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's Board, about a recent leadership exchange trip to Dallas. Then Lisa Johnston, Steve Rose, Terry Riley and Danedri Herbert discuss the final presidential debate, the Missouri Senate race between Roy Blunt and Jason Kander and the potential for changes in the Kansas legislature to create a "Better Kansas."

Tonight the Kansas Cityof political discourse was a bit more subdued as we slouch toward the election and a new round of pet projects takes hold in Kansas City.Description . . .You decide . . .
- The ongoing push for the new airport . . .





- Toy train streetcar extension . . .





- More taxes in the form of a BILLION DOLLAR bond issue vote . . .

IS MAYOR SLY STILL POPULAR ENOUGH TO PUSH THROUGH THE FINAL PIECES OF HIS DEVELOPMENT AGENDA!!!

Mayor Sly hasn't made very much news lately despite a few high profile appearances for anti-crime groups and more development schemes.For the remainder of the year the Mayor has a tough job in championing more than a few unpopular projects . . .Quick question for those who haven't left the office yet . . .We'll stipulate that he's unbeatable against any opponent in KCMO . . . But separating people from their wallets might be another question altogether.You decide . . .
FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL BLOGGY BATTLE STATION

Quick peek outside ourbasement this evening in order to take a look at an increasingly popular Kansas City celebration.Impressive crowd tonight at the Nelson-Atkins Museum Of Art. . . The local institution invite: "Celebrate, the Festival of Lights, symbolic of the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, observed by millions of people around the world. In partnership with the India Association of Kansas City."In addition to the Bollywood boogie down . . . There were also some high class artsy offering . . .And a quick peek at the Mexican death celebration on deck . . .More in a bit . . .
MORE CITY HALL TAX BREAKS FOR THE UPTOWN THEATER AND VALENTINE SHOPS THREATEN TO DOUBLE DOWN ON A LONGSTANDING LEGACY OF HIGH CRIME FAIL!!!

Uptown Theatre proposed CID

At that time it may have seemed like a viable use for a TIF. Sadly, on paper it would be a decent candidate for a TIF today. 18 years later. Let that sink in.





The TIF was reorganized 4 times.





Fun Fact: Did you know that the Chatham Hotel was once part of the TIF? In 18 years of city help this corner of Westport heaven is still a mess.

Despite a decent concert every now and then along with a few political rallies . . . The Uptown Theater and Valentine Shops are basically a good place to get robbed and/or shot.Remember that not so long ago, a jazz club hoped to bring life back to the area but then shut down less than two years later.Now, asand. . .of the plan . . .More to the point . . .Here's a memo passed around City Council yesterday that sums up the situation perfectly . . . The highlights are mine for easier reading:Dear Council Members,I am reaching out to you regarding the ongoing fiscal conundrum called Uptown Theatre TIF.If we take a walk down memory lane we will see that the original TIF was signed in 1996.The issue before you is a new way to get money to the owners of The Uptown. A wholly self contained CID.Usually, City Council's thinking is to support the ordinances of their colleagues for stuff in their colleagues' districts. Not today.So here we go:* How much money has the City expended on payments on the $5 million bond issuance.* In approximately 2009, the City of Kansas City has been paying all bond payments on behalf of the Shopping Center. The total paid to date is close to $3,000,000.00. Was the $3,000,000 that was not paid by the Uptown invested in the Center? Seems unlikely as the center is ratty.Not just the Uptown TIF but any current TIF requesting new monies. My personal query would be the revenues generated from the now defunct Bookstore.That means there is no outside oversight of the expenses and income of the CID. These 4 members will be able to vote any issue they want, the way they want.* The petition outlines the criteria for being a Board Member. Not all people listed as members are listed as owners of either real property or a business within the District, or live within the District.* It also mandates that UGA gets to pick the member of the Broadway Westport CID. That leaves 4 of the 5 members as allies of the Uptown Theater. Now that makes me as crazy as when I think about the upcoming elections.* Agreement states that monies can be spent on Public Areas within the District. The only public spaces in the District are sidewalks.* Agreement has language to help pay for management. Really?Bad precedent.Do we want to create a CID that will give, based on the proposal, $100,000 per year to a District that is controlled by one Company?########You decide . . .
For the Byzantine Greeks in the south of Europe,Vikings were known as the Varangians, and never caused a problem

The mere utterance of the word Vikings, or Northmen as they were also known, used to strike fear in the hearts of the British just before and during the high middle ages, once these raiders found their way to the west and mainland Europe. Their contact with the French and British has been a subject of extensive research, not to mention successful movies and TV series. They fought bloody battles with both the French and Britons and slaughtered many monks along their marauding raids on Monasteries.

But for the Byzantine Greeks in the south of Europe, these northmen, who became ol were known as the Varangians, and never caused a problem. On the contrary, they were sought after as fighters for the Emperors Guard. In the 10th Century Byzantine Emperor Basil II of Constantinople first enlisted Varangian fighters to serve as imperial personal bodyguards. Known as the Varangian Guard, they were legendary for their fierce loyalty to the emperors they served and the wealth bestowed upon them for their service.

The Varangian mercenaries were so well-paid for their services in the Byzantine army, that their homelands at one point experienced an unprecedented exodus of men seeking their fortune in Greece. This lead to some Scandinavian lands enacting a law denying inheritance rights to any one who dwelled in Greece. Their history is corroborated in the south by writings on Scandinavian runestones -raised stones bearing inscriptions in runic alphabets commenting about people and their adventures.

From the extant Scandinavian runestones of the Viking Age, 10% are called the Greek Runestones, and describe the sagas of the Varangian Guard members who died in Greece or returned home with great wealth.

Lion of Piraeus

An interesting story involves the famous Lion of Piraeus, taken as plunder by Francesco Morosini in 1687 in the wars of Venice against the Ottoman empire. The astonishing thing about the 3-meter high, white-marble statue is that runes were carved onto it describing the conquest of the port.

On the right side of the lion it wrote:

ASMUDR: HJU:RUNAR: ISAR: AIR: ISKIR: AUK: URLIFR: URR: AUK: IVAR: AT:BON: HARADS:HAFA:UAT: GRIKIAR:UF: HUGSAU: AUK: BANAU:

translated:

Asmund cut these runes with Asgeir and Thorleif, Thord and Ivar, at the request of Harold the Tall, though the Greeks considered about and forbade it.

On the left side:

HAKUN : VAN: IR : ULFR : AUK : ASMUDR : AUK : AURN : HAFN : ESA : IR : MEN : LAGU : A : UK : HARADR : HAFI : UF IABUTA : UPRARSTAR : VEGNA :GRIKIAIS : VAR : DALKR : NAUUGR : I : FIARI : LAUM : EGIL : VAR : I : FARU :MI : RAGNARR : TIL : RUMANIU . . . AUK : ARMENIU :

translated:

Hakon with Ulf and Asmund and Orn conquered this port. These men and Harold Hafi imposed a heavy fine on account of the revolt of the Greek people. Dalk is detained captive in far lands. Egil is gone on an expedition with Ragnar into Romania and Armenia.

As best one can tell, these Vikings were most likely a small party of raiders that decided to have some fun and boast of their great victories by writing on the Lion of Piraeus. Surely an interesting piece of history.

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

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright:Tone License: CC-BY-SA
The Greek government is confident that the second bailout program review will be complete on schedule and as such, an agreement to secure the sustainability of the debt must be reached by the end of the year. This in turn will allow Greece to return to the markets as well as be included in the ECB's quantitative easing program.

In relation to the refugee crisis, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras asked for effective solidarity instead of flexible or optional solidarity during his speech at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday which discussed migration.

PM Tsipras argued that Greece is carrying all of Europes burden on the refugee issue, adding that only 5,200 relocations to other member-states have been carried, instead of the 66,000 that have been planned. We didnt do the EU-Turkey deal to stop the flow of refugees, but to replace the illegal flows with legal flows. If some people want to seal off all flows, then this is against our common principles he told EU leaders.

Concerning the review of the common European asylum system, the PM commented that it is unacceptable as it burdens solely the countries of first entrance. The Greek Premier also said the EU must give Turkey a clear answer about the Visa issue, so as not to give Turkish President Erdogan excuses to not uphold the agreement. On the Visa issue, he also said EU must not hold double standards for Cyprus.

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
"The issues of privatizations and state arrears to the private sector are closed," a top Finance ministry official told ANA after completion of a meeting between Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos with the heads of the institutions on Friday

"The issues of privatizations and state arrears to the private sector are closed," a top Finance ministry official told ANA after completion of a meeting between Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos with the heads of the institutions on Friday.

The official said that on the issue of state arrears, the last Eurogroup has asked the Greek government to present payment figures for September in order to approve the disbursement of 1.7 billion euros of a 2.8-bln-euro sub-tranche to Greece. The Euro Working Group is expected to meet next Monday to approve the disbursement by ESM. This sum will be used to repay remaining state arrears to the private sector. On the issue of a new privatization fund, the ministry official said the two sides agreed that a supervisory council to appoint an adviser from the market to draft an international tender for the short list of candidates for the selection of the fund's board members.

The whole process is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The two sides also discussed issues regarding the internal regulation and statute of the fund. The ministry official said negotiations with the institutions will also include a medium-term framework program.

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
Turkish President Recep Erdogan continued his provocative rhetoric by calling on younger generations to not shy away from questioning the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, during a speech to local politicians in Ankara. Reminiscing the past glories of the Ottoman Empire, Erdogan said that Turkey had been trapped into signing the 1923 Treaty in order to forget its magnificent history. We drew attention to the issues of the Lausanne Treaty and the National Council. I want our youth to examine Lausanne even if this is annoying to some, he said.

The Neo-Sultan went on to recall the might of the Ottoman empires past, comparing its control of vast land masses stretching from the east into Europe with what was left after 1914! We cannot proceed forward with the logic of 1923 in todays world when everything is changing. That is unfair, we cannot accept this., he said.

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
The statement of European Parliament President Martin Schulz "I was surprised" did not refer to the Greek position on debt, but to the question itself, a spokesman of the EU Parliament chief explained.

"During the press conference that followed the speech of European Parliament President Martin Schulz, the president was asked on his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Schulz was surprised with the way the question of whether the European Parliament will act on the issue of the Greek debt relief was expressed. Schulz was not surprised with the position of the Greek government and does not disagree with it. He added that if a discussion on debt takes place, it will do so in the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee of the European Parliament," his spokesman stated.

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
Talia Richman is a beautiful model from Australia who recently visited the island of Santorini for a shoot

Talia Richman is a beautiful model from Australia and is starting to make a splash in the fashion industry, according to protothema.gr

The "saucy Aussie" recently blew the male population away when she visited the island of Santorini for a shoot.

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
The 31st Kosmima fair officially opens its doors to commercial visitors on Saturday, 22 October at the installations of Thessaloniki International Fair,

The 31st Kosmima fair officially opens its doors to commercial visitors on Saturday, 22 October at the installations of Thessaloniki International Fair, presenting glamour, inspiration and creation.

The annual autumn gathering of the jewelry and watch sector, organized by Helexpo, is addressed to professionals who want to be informed over new trends, to renew their contacts and to develop new partnerships with new and famous companies in the sector.

Kosmima is also an opportunity for contacts between the most dynamic Greek jewelry enterprises with selected invited commercial visitors from Greece and abroad.

This year's fair is larger than the previous one last year, bringing together 80 companies. Commercial visitors from Lebanon, Algeria, Russia, FYROM, Romania, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Kuwait are expected to visit the fair, which will organize the 27th jewel design contest.

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
Turkish Airlines continues to expand its network and has added Zanzibar (Tanzania) as its 293rd destination.



Already a globally recognised brand, Turkish Airlines strengthens its presence in Africa and will have a presence at 50 destinations in 31 African countries, making it one of the leading carriers to the continent, the airline said.



Zanzibar, the most prominent tourism destination of Tanzania, will be the third gateway of Turkish Airlines in the country, with existing services to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro.



Beginning from December 12, Zanzibar flights will be operated three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays in both directions.



Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Zanzibar starting at $636 (including taxes and fees), it said. - TradeArabia News Service
The UAE has opened a consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of India's Kerala state, and appointed Jamal Al Zaabi as the consul-general there.



The opening of the second UAE consulate in India comes within the context of bolstering the growing relations between the two countries, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation was quoted as saying by a Wam news agency report.



"I am delighted to announce the opening of the new UAE consulate in the Indian state of Kerala. It represents an important achievement and a new boost for bilateral relations between the two friendly countries," said Under-Secretary at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Mohammed Mer Al Raisi, in a ceremony in the presence of Kerala Governor P Sathasivam, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Elham Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of the UAE to India Dr. Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Banna, a delegation from the Ministry of Interior and a group of notable political figures and businessmen from the UAE and India.



The opening of the consulate in Kerala is aimed at furthering co-operation and partnership between the two countries in the business sector and trade and economic cooperation as well as at the level of social and cultural exchange, he added.



In collaboration with the interior ministry, the consulate will provide visa services for UAE citizens visiting Kerala and southern India, as well as residents of Kerala in particular, Al Dhaheri said, and noted this would further facilitate and speed up the entry of Indian workers to the UAE via e-gates at the country's points of entry.



Kerala, he said, is a global business and trade hub and an integral part of the fast-expanding partnership between the UAE and India. This achievement would enable the two countries to continue to build strong relations in Kerala, an important economic partner of the UAE, he added.



"We have a lot in common, from trade and investment to workforce. A large number of workers, who come to the UAE every year to realise their job ambitions and improve their living standards in our country, hail from Kerala, UAE Consul-General to Kerala Jamal Al Zaabi said.



The new consulate will play an effective role in bolstering ties with India through enhanced trade relations and increased cultural exchange and cooperation between the UAE and Kerala, he added.
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Cobalt is used to build lithium-ion batteries found in mobile technology. Much of it comes from Congo, where men, women, and children endure dangerous and unhealthy conditions to satisfy our hunger for new devices. It's time we paid attention.

Cobalt in Your Computer and Phone

You are probably reading this article on a tablet, smartphone, or laptop computer. If so, your device could very well contain cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo, an impoverished yet mineral-rich nation in central Africa, that provides 60 percent of the worlds cobalt. (The remaining 40 percent is sourced in smaller amounts from a number of other nations, including China, Canada, Russia, Australia and the Philippines.)

Cobalt is used to build rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, an integral part of the mobile technology that has become commonplace in recent years. Tech giants such as Apple and Samsung, as well as automakers like Tesla, GM, and BMW, which are starting to produce electric cars on a mass scale, have an insatiable appetite for cobalt. But unfortunately, this appetite comes at a high cost, both for humans and for the environment.

An excellent investigative piece by the Washington Post called The cobalt pipeline: From dangerous tunnels in Congo to consumers mobile tech explores the source of this valuable mineral that everyone relies on, yet knows little about.

Lithium-ion batteries were supposed to be different from the dirty, toxic technologies of the past. Lighter and packing more energy than conventional lead-acid batteries, these cobalt-rich batteries are seen as green. They are essential to plans for one day moving beyond smog-belching gasoline engines. Already these batteries have defined the worlds tech devices.

Smartphones would not fit in pockets without them. Laptops would not fit on laps. Electric vehicles would be impractical. In many ways, the current Silicon Valley gold rush  from mobile devices to driverless cars  is built on the power of lithium-ion batteries.

Child Labor and Human Rights Abuses

What The Post found is an industry thats heavily reliant on artisanal miners or creuseurs, as theyre called in French. These men do not work for industrial mining firms, but rather dig independently, anywhere they may find minerals, under roads and railways, in backyards, sometimes under their own homes. It is dangerous work that often results in injury, collapsed tunnels, and fires. The miners earn between $2 and $3 per day by selling their haul at a local minerals market.

At the same time, in cobalt-producing regions of Congo, child laborers are being employed, women are spending their days washing minerals, and babies are being born with shocking, rarely-seen birth defects.

Fairphone / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-NC 2.0

Tech Companies Don't Follow Through

All of the cobalt goes directly to a single Chinese-owned company, Congo DongFang Mining, which ships the mineral to China, refines it, and sells it to large battery cathode makers. These, in turn, sell cathodes to battery makers that supply major tech companies.

In 2010, the United States passed a law requiring American companies to source four specific minerals  tin, copper, tungsten, and gold  from Congolese mines that are free from militia control. While this is seen as an attempt to prevent human rights abuses, cobalt has never been added to the list. Analyst Simon Moores thinks this is because any crimp in the cobalt supply chain would devastate companies. Essentially its too valuable a mineral on which to place any limitations:

While cobalt mining is not thought to be funding wars, many activists and some industry analysts say cobalt miners could benefit from the laws protection from exploitation and human rights abuses. The law forces companies to attempt to trace their supply chains and opens up the entire route to inspection by independent auditors.

Companies dont want to follow through with promises of improved transparency or ethical sourcing because it comes at a higher cost. Cobalt sourced from artisanal miners is far cheaper than that produced by industrial mines. Companies do not have to pay miners salaries or fund the operations of a large-scale mine. With cheap cobalt flooding the market, some international traders canceled contracts for industrial ores, opting to scoop up artisanal ones.

Manufacturers dont have satisfactory answers. Tesla has yet to send someone to Congo, after promising months ago to send one of our guys there. Amazon, whose Kindles use Congolese cobalt, declined to comment. LG Chem, a battery supplier to GM and Ford, says its cobalt comes from New Caledonia, despite the suspicious fact that LG Chem consumes more cobalt than the entire nation of New Caledonia produces, according to analysts and publicly available data.

Apple says it supports the addition of cobalt to the 2010 anti-conflict minerals law and has promised to treat cobalt as if it were a conflict mineral, requiring all refiners to provide outside supply-chain audits and conduct risk assessments, starting next year.

Lara Smith works for a Johannesburg consultant group that helps mining companies clarify their supply chain. She points out that companies claiming ignorance is ridiculous: Because if they wanted to understand, they could understand. They dont.

The other question to be asking is what our responsibility is, as consumers of the products that drive demand for cobalt. Does an upgrade to the newest Apple product seem less appealing, knowing the human cost involved?

Many analysts do believe these risks can be managed, and perhaps they can; but it will require a complete overhaul of a system that is already deeply entrenched, and thats a very hard thing to do. In the meantime, while I continue using my old iPhone 4s until it dies, Ive got my fingers crossed that the Fairphone, made with fair trade-certified minerals, will soon be available in North America.
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Tribune News service

Amritsar, October 21

Women inmates at the Amritsar Central Jail received firsthand information on how to maintain health and hygiene to keep skin and other infections at bay. A medical camp-cum-workshop was organised by SSP Ashish Kapoor, superintendent, Central Jail, in order to combat the growing skin ailments, especially among women inmates.

Skin infections like scabies are quite common among inmates as it is a contagious disease and spreads easily due to sharing of personal hygiene items. Though we keep a check on the disease by cleaning cells and washrooms with disinfectants and giving warm water to inmates for washing clothes, the disease has somehow managed to find its footing on jail premises. So, we decided to educate inmates regarding healthy habits and maintaining personnel hygiene, said Kapoor.

Usually, these skin infections aggravate in women due to lack of education on personal hygiene and turn into other serious medical issues. We have prepared a video to educate them about precautions to be taken and symptoms of skin infections, besides medicines to be administered, he added.

There are as many as 188 women lodged at the Central Jail out of the 3,600 inmates. The SSP said overcrowding was one of the reasons for spread of the disease. We are packed above our capacity of 2,200 inmates. Overcrowding of facilitates is the main reason behing spread of contagious diseases. We have a team of five doctors, including psychiatrists, on our panel, who visit jail every week for health check up of prisoners. There is one gynecologist for the women cell, who visits jail every Saturday, he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that medical supplies from welfare fund at the Central Jail often get delayed due to long process of approvals. So, the jail authorities have collaborated with non-profit organisations and invited them to hold awareness camps for inmates. Medicines worth 1.50 lakh for the treatment of scabies were donated by Rotary Club, Civil Lines, for the inmates recently. A follow-up health camp for skin diseases will soon be organised on the jail premises.
New Delhi, October 21

Indian telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday imposed heavy penalties on three telecom players  Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular  for not providing sufficient points of interconnections (PoI) to Reliance Jio.

It also said the action of the three operators showed "ulterior motive to stifle competition".

In three similar letters to the three players, the watchdog said it had recommended a penal action of Rs 50 crore per licence service area (LSA) (except Jammu & Kashmir) where PoI congestion exceeded the allowable limit of 0.5 per cent as reported by Airtel/Vodafone/Idea Cellular through emails in September 23.

In the case of Airtel and Vodafone, the fines imposed were for 21 LSAs, amounting to Rs 1050 crore each while in the case of Idea, the fine was Rs 950 crore for 19 LSAs.

The regulator had received a letter from Reliance Jio on July 14, stating that the incumbent players were not providing it with sufficient E1s (interconnect points, with technical parameters).

After exchanging several communications with the three operators, the TRAI arrived at the decision that each of them has been non-compliant to provide anough PoI between them and Reliance Jio.

The regulator also stated that the incumbent operators were in "non-complaint with the terms and conditions of licence and denial of interconnection to Reliance Jio appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer. It defined the act of the incumbent players as against public interest.

It said non-compliance of terms and conditions of licence warrants recommendations for the revocation of licence.

"However, the Authority is mindful of the fact that revocation of the licence will entail significant consumer inconvenience and therefore in view of the larger public interest involved, the Authority recommends penal action..."  IANS
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 20

A local court today framed charges against four persons, including a 31-year-old woman, who hired three students to murder her husband, a Punjab Police commando, with the desire of getting married to a man settled in Tehran whom she had met on a social networking site.

They have been charged under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. The court has fixed November 9 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Victim Jasvir Singhs wife Sukhdeep Kaur had hired a youth for murdering her husband. The youth further hired two persons. The deal was struck for Rs 5 lakh, of which Rs 1 lakh was paid to the accused.

Jasvir, a resident of Raipur Khurd, Chandigarh, had gone missing under mysterious circumstances on March 3. The matter was reported to the Mauli Jagran police on March 5. During the investigation, Sukhdeep had come under suspicion and was arrested on April 17. On the disclosure made by her, Sahib Singh, a resident of Rajpura, who was arrested earlier and lodged in the Patiala jail, was brought on a production warrant. During interrogation, Sahib Singh disclosed that he, along with Gurjinder Singh, alias Neeta, and Jagtar Singh, both from Rajpura, threw the policeman into the Bhakra canal near Mandouli village. The policemans wife had mixed sleeping pills in his food, after which they had tied his hands. The two were also arrested by the police.

Wanted to marry Tehran man

Sukhdeep had an extra-marital affair with Harjit Singh, who was working in Tehran. She had met him on a social networking site and wanted to marry him. She had not told him that she was already married and had a child. She got her husband murdered to get married to Harjit.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21

Amid a growing bird flu scare in the national Capital, the government today ruled out any threat to humans from the current bird flu or avian influenza viral strain as it is less infective even as six more ducks were found dead today at now shut Deer Park.

With this, the cumulative death toll, suspected to be avian influenza deaths, has climbed to 24.

The Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in its report sent to the Delhi government confirmed that the strain was H5N8 and not H5N1, which is considered to be more dangerous by experts in terms of infection being passed on to humans from avians.

Development Minister Gopal Rai announced this based on the views of experts from Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), after a meeting today also attended by Chief Secretary and officials from the departments concerned.

The minister said the government had written to the Animal Husbandry Ministers of UP, Haryana and Rajasthan on bird flu scare, seeking their cooperation in monitoring the situation.

Henceforth, the samples will be sent directly to Bhopal lab and till then 25 more samples of birds have been collected from Nizamuddin, Okhla, Ghazipur and Deer Park Hauz Khas.

Among the samples of birds who died on October 14 and 15 at Delhi zoo, three were diagnosed with H5N8 avian influenza in Bhopal lab and not the H5N1 virus, which are more infective and may affect humans, Rai said.

The most dangerous is H5N1 and there was fear that it might have caused the deaths. The final report came last evening. Experts suggested that H5N8 is not harmful for human. This virus has also been found in US, Japan, Netherlands, China and other countries where H5N8 has not affected human, Rai said.

The minister who inspected the Ghazipur chicken mandi today, noted that there had been no indication of avian virus infection in the 2.2 lakh chickens that arrived in the market since this morning.

However, as a precaution, it has been made mandatory for trucks entering the market to have medical fitness certificate from Saturday and those not having it will be allowed with a warning, but from Sunday onwards no vehicles will be allowed to enter the Ghazipur market without the certificate, Rai said.

Besides, as a preventive measure, arrangements will be there for a medicated subway at the entry gate in the market which will have medicines mixed with water and every truck entering the market will have to pass through this water which will help in preventing the infection from spreading, the minister said while noting there was nothing to panic as all measures were in place to deal with the any situation.

A 15-member monitoring committee has also been set up to enforce these measures at the market.
Karthik Venkatesh

In 1981, the Jaffna library, a historic location that contained close to a 100,000 books and many rare Tamil manuscripts was burned down. It became one of the more unfortunate victims of the Sinhala-Tamil conflict that tore Sri Lanka apart over the next three decades.

Burning a library down is perhaps the ultimate act of banning. Why ban when you can burn and destroy an entire array of cultural knowledge? In history, the only comparable such action was the burning of the Alexandria library, probably by Julius Caesar, perhaps inadvertently, in 48 BC. But through the centuries, monarchs, governments and religious powers have preferred banning to burning.

Among the more versatile "banners" has been the Catholic Church. What the Vatican essentially does is that it forbids Catholics from reading or owning certain books, threatening excommunication. The Vatican issued a list of banned books called the Index Librorum Prohibitorum as early as 1559. Among the books it banned in that first list were works by the Protestant reformers, Martin Luther and John Calvin. It also forbade the Bible in languages other than Latin and turned its ire on the Quran and the Talmud as well.

As time passed, it was Catholic in its zest for banning books and banned a whole lot of other books too. It banned books by philosophers like Rene Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Stuart Mill. Among the novelists it shut its doors on were Honore de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Victor Hugo, Alberto Moravia, Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift. It was none too happy with Casanova's memoirs either and chose to blacklist him too. Even Uncle Tom's Cabin wasn't spared.

But when one comes to know that it didn't ban either Karl Marx or Charles Darwin, both of whose works didn't exactly help the Catholic faith, one wonders what the guys who did the banning were actually thinking. And surprise, surprise, they didn't ban Mein Kampf either. The Vatican abandoned the practice of listing prohibited books in 1966. In an unrelated matter, the number of church-goers has been dropping steadily ever since. But, it appears facile to suggest that these two events are even remotely related.

While totalitarian regimes like Hitler's Germany, the former USSR, China and others have banned books in large numbers, the real surprise is that even supposedly democratic regimes haven't been too far behind in this respect either.

The first book to be banned in the USA was Thomas Morton's New English Canaan, published in 1637. The book's crime: it portrayed the Native Americans in more than sympathetic terms and satirised the Puritans, who had begun to flock to the East Coast of the USA in large numbers since the Mayflower had brought the first batch of them from England in 1620. Among the other books that Americans have banned at various times are: Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Voltaire's Candide, Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and in the land of Playboy and Penthouse, D H Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover and Women in Love. In the last 50 years, J D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye has got many-a-conservative god-fearing American's goat and has been ostracised by various school and public libraries.

The UK government too has quite enjoyed itself when it came to clamping down on the printed word. Its banning of Lady Chatterley's Lover, of course, resulted in a landmark court case in 1960, a full 32 years after the book had first been banned in 1928. The case was a clash between the old world and the new, between the working class and the upper class, which clung to notions of Victorian morality even as the world was changing irrevocably. Lady Chatterley was "acquitted" and 3.3 million copies of the book were sold in the period that followed the lifting of the ban.

Among the other books that the UK has banned at one time or the other were James Joyce's Ulysses and Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. MI5spymaster Peter Wright's memoirs Spycatcher was banned by the Thatcher government in the late 1980s for ostensibly comprising covert operations.

The most famous case of a book being banned in India was The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie in 1988. India was the first country to ban the book and soon, Rushdie was the target of a witch-hunt with a fatwa being issued against him by none other than Ayatollah Khomeini. Independent India has banned many other books too. The Ramayana by Aubrey Menen, the Irish-Indian writer was banned in 1956 because of its deviation from the original text. The clout of the Ambanis ensured that The Polyester Prince by Hamish McDonald which was an unofficial biography of Dhirubhai Ambani was banned in 1988. It still remains unavailable in India.

In the last two decades, the scene has shifted from banning books to organisations, political parties and business houses literally terrorising publishers, libraries and universities into ensuring that certain books became unavailable or were not published. A K Ramanujam's essay Three Hundred Ramayanas and Wendy Doniger's The Hindus are the most famous recent victims. Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry was removed from the syllabus of the Bombay University because of objections from the Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena for some time did not allow the sale of Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh because a character in it resembled Bal Thackeray. Javier Moro's The Red Sari published in Spanish in 2008 remained unavailable in India till 2015, because its subject was Sonia Gandhi. Tamal Bandyopadyay's Sahara: The Untold Story was the target of a defamation suit till an out-of-court settlement was reached in April 2014.

While bans are usually on grounds of obscenity, defamation or other equally "weighty" reasons, the stated reasons for banning some books is cause for amusement. Black Beauty was banned in apartheid South Africa because the authorities thought "black" and "beauty" did not go together. George Orwell's Animal Farm was banned in the UAE in 2002 because it's depiction of talking pigs was deemed offensive. Alice in Wonderland was banned in 1931 in China because the governor of Hunan province thought animals should never use the human language and animals and humans should not be put on the same level.

The Jaffna story has something of a happy ending though. It has been re-established and has close to 30,000 books in its collection now. A far cry from what it lost in 1981, but still a source of some solace.

When it comes to banning and burning, the German writer Heinrich Heine's words ring true: Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.

The writer, an educationist, is a Chennai-based Consulting Editor with Westland Books.
Jammu, October 21

The BSF on Friday said it had killed 7 personnel of Pakistani Rangers and a terrorist while retaliating to a ceasefire violation on the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in which one BSF jawan was injured.

Pakistan Rangers, the border force of Pakistan, resorted to sniper attacks at Indian posts at Hira Nagar in Kathua at around 9.35 am, BSF said.

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The Indian border guarding force launched an aggressive offensive against the Pakistani firing, BSF said in a release, adding seven Rangers and a terrorist were shot dead in the retaliatory firing.

Seeking to suggest that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, the BSF said "source input" claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of five Rangers.

Shuruaat unhone kari, jawaab unko mil gaya unhi ki bhaasha mei. Dusahas na kare to behetar hoga: DK Upadhyay, IG BSF Jammu Range  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

The strong response by the BSF came after one of Constables Gurnam Singh was injured in a sniper fire attack by Pakistani Rangers this morning in the same area.

Singh, whose condition is considered to be critical, was evacuated with the cover fire to Government Medical College, Jammu.

This firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated and that has claimed the casualties of Pakistani forces, the release said.

Today's exchange of fire came a day after BSF foiled an infiltration bid by 4-6 militants, aided by cover fire by the Pakistani troops, in Bobiyan village of the same Hira Nagar sector.

At least one militant was injured or killed in that action by BSF during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday as he was seen being dragged by his associates.

Earlier in the day, BSF Inspector General (Jammu) Frontier D K Uphadayaya said the ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers had taken place in two sectors.

There were two ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers in Bobiya in Hira Nagar sector of Kathua district and Pargwal belt of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district today.

"We are replying in a befitting manner. We have inflicted heavy losses to them," he said.

He said troops are on alert and mechanism is put in place to foil any attack by Border Action Teams (BATs) of Pakistan.

"You cannot take any chances. The guard is up. Troops are alert and vigilant and keeping close watch. It is because of this alertness that we have foiled the infiltration bid," the IG said.

"Yesterday night, fire was expected and they have retaliated and in this, one of our jawans has been injured.

But we have also given the befitting reply and effected heavy losses on them," the BSF official said.

"They not only failed to infiltrate into this side but have also lost their lives and I have come to known through sources that one among them has been killed. They came back and befitting reply was given to them," he said.

He said the terrorists are desperate to infiltrate into India and that is why they are trying time and again.

"Jammu is their main target to do some damage over here, which we will not allow. The morale of troops is very very high," he said, adding, "For me, IB is always very sensitive.

We will have to be in strong position to give them befitting reply the way they want the reply."

Pak army says no loss of life

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army, however, claimed that there was no loss of life on its side in firing at the border.

"Indians resorted to unprovoked fire/shelling on working boundary in Shakargarh sector today. Pak Rangers befittingly responded. No loss on Pak side," Director General Inter- Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Bajwa tweeted.  PTI
Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 21

A massive house-to-house search operation is underway in Baramulla after security forces received intelligence of an active terror hideout.

One such operation was held earlier as well in which Chinese and Pakistan flags were recovered besides some arms and ammunition.

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According to reports, security agencies also wanted to send a message after Chinese flags were waved by protesters here.

Meanwhile, the Army and J&K Police are sweeping through the area after receiving wind of untoward elements as the entire city of Baramulla is on lockdown.

Earlier, terror group Laskar-e-Taiba had warned the Baramulla SHO for carrying out an operation in which at least 44 people were arrested for terror-related activities.

The crackdown was part of a joint operation by the Army, BSF, CRPF and police on several localities, including Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj and Jamia, considered safe havens for terrorists. With ANI
Srinagar, October 21

Try to bring back to their homes the "local boys" who have joined militancy instead of killing them in encounters, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged police on Friday amid unrest triggered by the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in a gunbattle with forces in July.

She also appealed to the police and security forces to refrain from using weapons like pellet guns while dealing with protests and instead "tolerate" stone-pelting as a "sacrifice".

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The Chief Minister said while the police had exhibited patience during the last three months of unrest in the Valley, there were some mistakes which warrant action.

She also underlined that "black laws" like AFSPA would be repealed from the state only when the situation improves.

"We all have to work together, heal the wounds of the people here. The children here are the responsibility of God first, then our police because it is they who see them every day, everywhere," she said.

"Those who have taken up arms or those who have not but are missing from their homes and want to join militancy, they are local boys. I request the police to try to bring them back to their homes. Instead of their being killed in encounters," she added.

Mehbooba, who has dealt with the unrest triggered by Wani's killing on July 8 in a tough manner, told the police, "such youth (who have taken to the gun) need hand-holding...

If it is possible to bring them back, make them a part of the mainstream. Give them bats, balls and good education, instead of guns."

Her remarks at the Police Commemoration Day function at Armed Police Complex in Zewan on the outskirts of Srinagar came close on the heels of a fresh video surfacing which shows a group of local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit displaying weapons.

Earlier, similar videos of Wani and his associates used to surface in the Valley, before he was killed in an encounter.

Cannot keep AFSPA forever

Urging local youth to shun violence, Mehbooba said, "When the situation improves here, we will end the black laws. For that we have to create an atmosphere first. I know that today the situation is not such, but tomorrow, a year after... we have to repeal AFSPA as we cannot keep it in force forever."

While stressing that ending militancy and restoring peace were a pre-requisite for repealing AFSPA and for seeking start of dialogue process in the state, she said, "We cannot force anyone to have dialogue on gun-point, stones or by lathis."

She said only when there is a "conducive" atmosphere, she can go to Delhi with her "head held high".

"How can I do it today? There is infiltration, there are encounters. We have to end militancy and create peace in Jammu and Kashmir so that we can repeal AFSPA from some areas here," she said.

She said the police should deal with militants but civilians should not be troubled.

Turning to pellet guns which have been the cause of serious injuries to thousands of protestors over last three months, Mehbooba said her government wants to ban the use of these weapons as a crowd control measure and sought cooperation of police in avoiding their use.

"If there is an injury on you, let it be, but if we save a youth's eyes or arms from pellet guns, then I think it will be your biggest sacrifice. Because this (protests) will not continue forever, it is temporary. But I need your cooperation," the Chief Minister told the security forces.

She said once peace is established in the state, she would ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to begin a dialogue process.

"Establish peace here and the next day I will go to Delhi and request the Prime Minister to talk to everyone and find a solution...to do justice with our people  those people who come out to vote on the edge of sword  for their safety, prosperity and development."

"If this vandalism, stone-pelting continues, then I will be focused on that only," she said, asking the police to help the government to establish peace.

The Chief Minister said children have to focus on their education and solving issues is the job of the elders.

Mehbooba said there were "instances where we made mistakes and which should not have happened" and cited cases like death of Junaid in Safakadal and a lecturer in Khrew area of Pulwama.

"If a family member has made a mistake, there should be action because we have to save the family," she said.

She asked the police to do hand-holding of the children and engage "in parenting and not just policing".

"Whatever amount of bullets had to be fired, they have been fired. I hope you will try from now on that even if you have to take a wound from a stone, take it, but try to avoid injuries to the children," she said.

Pak should stop cross-border terror: Mehbooba

Mehbooba also emphasised that Pakistan has a huge role in establishing peace in the region and will have to stop cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir for any dialogue with India to be successful.

She said talks were not possible in the prevailing situation which has "deteriorated".

At the same time, she said she remained hopeful about resumption of talks between India and Pakistan as Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to carry forward Atal Bihari Vajpayee's policy.

This is not a hidden thing that infiltration takes place and encounters happen on borders. Pakistan has a role to see that infiltration does not take place and there is no support to the militancy," she told reporters on the sidelines of the event.

"When the graph of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir comes down, there would be more opportunities for the two countries to talk. Those talks will then be successful," she added.  PTI
New Delhi, October 21

The CBI has registered an FIR against a UK-based arms dealer for allegedly taking kickbacks worth over USD 5.7 million from Brazilian company Embraer in the 2008 three-aircraft deal.

CBI sources said a case had been registered against a UK-based NRI whose name had also figured in another defence deal probed by the agency.

They said the kickbacks were allegedly paid in 2009 through subsidiaries of Embraer via a Singapore-based company owned by the middleman.

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It is alleged that payoffs were routed through Austria and Switzerland.

They said the agency, which had registered a preliminary inquiry in September, had converted it into a regular FIR as enough prima facie material had been found by it to proceed in the case.

The deal for three aircraft, which were to be used by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for air-borne radar systems, was inked in 2008 with Embraer. A Brazilian newspaper had alleged that that the company had taken the services of middlemen to clinch deals in Saudi Arabia and India.

According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

Leading Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo had reported that the company allegedly paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the deal with India.

The DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customised them for serving air-borne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AWACS for the Indian Air Force.

The company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans suspicions, the report said.

Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries.

After the PE was registered, Embraer had issued a statement saying, Since 2011, Embraer has publicly reported that it has been conducting an extensive internal investigation and cooperating with the authorities on investigations regarding alleged violations of the FCPA.

The company voluntarily expanded the scope of the investigation, systematically reporting the progress of the case to the market.

The company is not party of the legal proceedings in Brazil. Therefore, it does not have access to the information contained therein, it had said. PTI
Los Angeles, October 21

Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan says he was distressed by the deceptive use of his image in Indian pan masala brands advertisement.

The 63-year-old James Bond star said his contract stated that he was to advertise a breath freshener/tooth whitener, which wouldnt include an ingredient that turns saliva red.

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The actor said that he was deeply shocked and saddened to learn the pan masala product he was advertising may include ingredients that can cause cancer, reported People magazine.

Brosnan said he has the greatest love and affection for India and its people.

As a man who has spent decades championing womens healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahars unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products.

I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to ones health, Brosnan said in a statement.

According to the actor he agreed to advertise a single product only, and that it was presented as all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient.

Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting womens healthcare and research programs that improve human health and alleviate suffering, the statement continued.

Brosnan has demanded the company to remove his image from all their products, and assured that he had no knowledge that he was endorsing items that would have a negative or painful reaction in India.

I shall endeavor to rectify this matter. In the meantime, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to all whom I have offended, the statement concluded.

The actor received a lot of flak and was even trolled on Twitter for featuring in advertisement of the pan masala brand.  PTI
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 20

Ending days of speculation, senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi today joined the BJP, spelling trouble for the grand old party in the election-bound state.

As she heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi (there is no alternative to him and the BJP), she launched a no-holds-barred attack against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, someone she had been defending with equal fierceness till about a few days back. She questioned his leadership and the theka (contract) given to PK  poll strategist Prashant Kishor.

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Joshi, former president of the UP Congress, is the daughter of the late UP Chief Minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and the sister of former Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna, who joined the BJP some time back.

The whole world accepted the Modi governments action across the LoC but the Congress questioned it, she said, undermining the nation.

Joshi said many Congress leaders were upset over the way the party was being run. It had lost ground and did not provide an alternative in UP, she added.

And casting doubts about Rahuls leadership qualities, she said: Sonia Gandhi understood the organisation, she used to listen to us irrespective of whatever decision she took. But, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, even this is not possible. The people of UP are not ready to accept his leadership just as the whole country. Even senior Congress leaders are not happy with him. Stating that she had resigned as an MLA, Joshi said, I have served the Congress for 24 years and have taken this decision for the benefit of the nation.
New Delhi, October 21

A South Korean flier has been held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for carrying foreign currency worth over Rs 3.26 crore in an alleged unauthorised manner.

Officials said the incident was reported at about 12.40 am when an on-duty CISF official detected the suspicious movements of a passenger, identified as Li Chang H from South Korea, as he entered the terminal-III to take a flight to Hong Kong.

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The flier was made to undergo a detailed check and an assortment of various foreign currencies was recovered from his baggage. He could not immediately explain the reason for carrying such a huge sum of money. He was later handed over to Customs authorities, they said.

The value of the assorted foreign currency is Rs 3,26,98,000, they said.  PTI
Our Correspondent

Jaipur, October 21

A government teacher allegedly beat to death his mother, wife, and two daughters at Ranesar village in Barmer district on intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

Accused Ranaram (40), said to be under depression, surrendered before at Dhorimana police station today morning. He was arrested under Section 302 of the IPC, Barmer SP Gagandeep Singla said.

The victims were identified as accuseds mother Leela Devi (70), his wife Parvati (35) and two daughters, aged 14 and 16.

Ranaram tried to flee after committing the crime, but the villagers caught him near the house after coming to know of his doing.

In another incident, an elderly couple  Prabhati Lal Kumawat (75), and his wife Sarjoo Devi (70)  was suffocated to death with a pillow by unknown persons in Jaipurs Ishwar Nagar on Friday morning.

As per the Vishwakaram SHO, the couples elder son Amarchand (50) who was physically and mentally challenged was present in the other room when the incident occurred, but he could not even cry for help.

A team of Jaipur-West Commissionerate is looking for the culprits who probably committed the crime over property dispute, the SHO said.
New York, October 20

In a rare honour, New York City declared October 19 as Waris Ahluwalia Day in recognition of the Sikh-American actor and designer for his powerful message of countering ignorance and advocating religious understanding and tolerance.

Mayor Bill de Blasio honoured Ahluwalia at a reception to celebrate Diwali.

Lauding Ahluwalias talents of being a fashion designer, writer, actor and model, de Blasio said as a Sikh, Ahluwalia proudly wears his dastar (turban) wherever he goes and so he sends a powerful message to our city and to our country of countering ignorance, celebrating inclusion and advocating religious understanding and tolerance.

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Addressing a gathering of 300-400 Indian-Americans and other people from the South Asian community, de Blasio extended a special greeting to his Sikh brothers and sisters and underscored that an attack on any community and individual because of their faith is an attack on all of us.

Joined by his wife Chirlane McCray (in a yellow salwar-kameez), de Blasio said whenever any community is affronted, the New York Police Department is present to protect that community.

Amid loud cheers, the Mayor said a special Diwali guide will be distributed to New York teachers to help them educate students in the city about the meaning of the Indian festival of lights.

Ahluwalia thanked the Mayor for the incredible honour and said while he has called New York home ever since he moved here from India as a child, after the 9/11 terror attacks, people would glare at me with anger and hate as I walked down my own streets, in my own hometown. That was very confusing for me.  PTI
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, October 21

The district police today booked an Akali councillor on the charge of gunning down a journalist.

The victim was identified as Kewal Krishan (50), who also worked as a financier. He was shot dead late last night. The accused, Karamjit Pammi, is yet to be arrested.

As per the FIR registered at Dhuri police station on a complaint by Krishans son Neeraj Jindal, the journalist left home at 7 pm, saying that he was going to meet Pammi to demand the repayment of Rs 10 lakh.

When I reached the spot, I saw Pammi abusing my father. Then he fired from his .32-bore gun, Jindal said.

The FIR was registered under Section 302 of the IPC and Section 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.

Police officials said the accused and the victim were friends and had a tiff after drinks. Sangrur SSP Pritpal Thind said a probe was being conducted.

Cong condemns killing

Chandigarh: Condemning the murder, the Punjab Congress on Friday accused the Akalis of criminalising the state. The incident has again proved that the Akalis have no respect for the law. They are not only patronising criminals but also themselves indulging in criminal activities, said party leaders Avtar Henry, Amarjit Samra, Rana KP Singh and Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
Washington, October 21

The Sikh community in Yuba City in California has raised USD 135,000 as part of a national campaign to educate Americans about Sikhs and Sikhism.

Yuba City is home to many gurdwaras in the Northern California region and is also known for its Sikh farming community which owns large farms of almond, peach and raisins.

The National Sikh Campaign has been raising funds across the country to support media initiative to educate Americans about Sikhs and Sikhism.

The move comes in the wake of the increasing instances of hate crimes and violence against the minority community since 9/11.

In the recent weeks, two Sikhs have faced violence and hate-filled rhetoric in California.

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Balmeet Singh of Bakersfield had alcohol put on his face and turban and another Sikh Maan Singh Khalsa, an IT official, was attacked in Richmond, CA, and his attackers cut his hair and finger and also caused damage to his eye.

In both instances, attackers identified them either as terrorists or Taliban.

This effort has brought a sense of togetherness within the Sikh community across the nation. Everyone feels connected to this campaign, said Dr Rajwant Singh, co-founder of the National Sikh Campaign.

More such events are being planned in coming weeks. PTI
Ashok Kaura

Tribune News Service



Phagwara, October 21

Two people were killed and four were seriously injured when their vehicle crashed into a stationary truck in a village between Phagwara and Goraya on Friday morning.

Harpreet Singh and his sister Ashu died on the spot. Their sibling Sahiba, Ashus husband Dimple and the couples children, 2-year-old daughter Sahiba and 4-year-old son Sidhu, were seriously injured.

They were on their way back from Shri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. Dimple was resident of Rae Bareli, while Harpreet Singh is from Dugri in Ludhiana.

Jasbir Singh, an officer in charge of the Urban Estate Police, said the injured were first taken to a civil hospital but later moved to SGL Kashmira Singh Charitable Hospital in Jalandhar.

Police have registered a case and handed over the bodies to their families after autopsy.
Mansa, October 20

The police today arrested Youth Akali Dal (YAD) leader Kalyan Singh and Gurpreet Singh, son and nephew of SGPC member Sukhchain Singh Dharampura, respectively, for allegedly kidnapping a Budhlada-based businessman two months ago. The businessman returned home after the payment of ransom.

Kalyan Singh is the YAD general secretary for the Malwa zone.

The police also claimed to have recovered Rs 22.5 lakh from the accused against whom a number of cases of robbery and cheating have been registered in police stations across the state.

Businessman Chiman Lal was allegedly kidnapped near Datewas village of Budhlada division in the district on August 4. A case was registered the next day.

The accused demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore, but the deal was struck at Rs 30 lakh.

A senior police official reportedly sent his team along with the victims family to withdraw cash from the bank to pay the ransom. On August 19, Chiman was back home.  TNS
Sunit Dhawan

A new HUDA sector will be launched in Rohtak soon. The new residential Sector  21-P  will have nearly 700 plots. HUDA authorities have also decided to waive the extension fees for issuance of pending occupation certificates as part of the states golden jubilee celebrations.

Hence, the residents/shop-owners of the existing HUDA sectors who could not get their occupation certificates can now apply for these by December 31. The applicants are required to attach the requisite documentary proof(s) of their occupancy of the house/shop and no extension fee would be charged from them.

This was stated by HUDA Estate Officer (EO) Amit Kumar while addressing a news conference in Rohtak earlier this week. He said it had been decided to return the dues of the oustees along with 5.5 per cent interest and from now on, plots would be reserved for the oustees (the persons whose land had been acquired for developing a sector).

The online auction of 27 residential plots and 10 commercial sites in Sectors 2-3 parts and Sector 4 would be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 31. The interested persons should get themselves registered online by visiting the website www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in by October 28 and complete the requisite formalities, including the deposit of the earnest money. The successful bidder will have to deposit 10 per cent amount on the next day, 15 per cent within a month and the entire amount within 120 days. The other details are available on HUDA website www.huda.org.in, he maintained.
Islamabad, October 21

An anti-terrorist court in Islamabad on Friday directed the police to enforce the arrest warrant issued against Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri in the Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters attack case.

ATC judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi who presided over Friday's hearing, inquired as to why the police had not been able to submit an implementation report on the court's arrest orders, reports the Dawn.

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Expressing displeasure over the police's failure to submit the implementation report, the judge directed the authorities to carry out the arrests of Imran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and 68 others by November 17 and present them in front of the court on the said date.

70 people were booked after a mob of protesters belonging to the PTI and PAT stormed PTV headquarters and forced its staff to take two of the state broadcaster's flagship channels  PTV News and PTV World  off the air on September 1, 2014.

According to eyewitnesses, nearly 400 PTI and PAT workers had stormed the PTV building, across the road from the main entrance to the Pakistan Secretariat.

Transmission was restored shortly after noon as the occupying force dispersed peacefully, shouting pro-army slogans and hugging military and paramilitary personnel who arrived at the scene.

The protesters were also charged with attacking government properties, including the Parliament House building. The incidents took place during the 2014 sit-ins staged by PTI and PAT members and supporters, with both parties calling on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.

Today's hearing comes at the heels of PTI's planned siege of the capital city on November 2 that is aimed at pressuring the government to take concrete measures to address the party's concerns over Panama Papers.

The party has also submitted a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking Prime Minister Nawaz's disqualification.  ANI
Donald Trump: I will tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense. Ok?

Hillary Clinton: Thats horrifying. Thats not how our democracy works.

Las Vegas, October 20

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would not commit to accepting the outcome of the November 8 US election if he loses, challenging a cornerstone of American democracy.

Trumps refusal, which his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton called horrifying, was the standout remark of their third and final debate. It ratcheted up claims that Trump has made for weeks and has intensified in recent days that the election is being rigged against him.

Editorial: Presidential debates

Asked by moderator Chris Wallace if he was not prepared to commit to a peaceful transition of power, the businessman-turned-politician replied: What Im saying is that I will tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense. OK? Trumps statement might appeal to his anti-establishment followers, but was unlikely to reverse opinion polls showing him trailing, including in the narrowly divided swing states that are likely to decide the election.

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That is not the way our democracy works, Clinton said during the debate. Weve been around for 240 years. Weve had free and fair elections. Weve accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them. And that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a debate stage during a general election.  Reuters
For a number of years now, motor carriers have been among the many companies ridding their operations of paper. They have done so for a number of reasons: improved efficiencies, streamlined processes and even a desire to go green.

According to Matt Johnson, senior product manager at Omnitracs, the key ways document capture improves a carriers efficiencies include increased driver productivity during downtime, fewer stops (for courier services and LTL carriers), and improved billing payment cycle because delivery documents get to the back office sooner.

Fleets use various technologies to automate driver paperwork, says Pete Allen of MiX Telematics. Workflow apps, for instance, allow fleets to turn documents into digital forms drivers can fill out with their in-cab mobile device or a smartphone or tablet. The MiX Go forms app is one such product, providing easy data entry and allowing drivers to capture signatures, scan barcodes or take a picture.

The paperwork burden varies by particular segment, application and load type. In truckload, the paperwork involves loads and trips. LTL carriers look at paper a little differently, explains Ben Wiesen, vice president, product at Carrier Logistics Inc. Its more about flow. The difficulty the LTL industry has is keeping the paper flow up with the freight flow. Document management systems help close the gap between the paper flow and the freight flow, he says.

While fleets use less and less paper, the information  the data  that used to be on a piece of paper still needs to be captured, stored, and applied to everyday business functions, from the truck to the back office, shop, HR and management. As paper use has dropped, fewer filing cabinets line office walls. But fewer pieces of paper do not mean less data. In fact, there is more data than ever being collected and managed, because technology makes it readily available.

Of course, fleets capture a wide array of data from their vehicles such as GPS location, speed, miles travelled, etc. Vehicle sensors can also transmit tire pressure and temperature, reefer temperature, door openings and more.

For instance, Best Logistic Group, Kernersville, N.C., collects vehicle information through the PeopleNet onboard computing platform, including engine performance, driver performance and hours of service, along with capturing data from paper documents.

Because lets face it, paper still exists in trucking. Even fleets that have made a concentrated effort to become paperless still do business with customers that require hard copy documents. Hazardous materials and other specialized loads require special paperwork.

Smith & Berry Trucking, Penticton, British Columbia, collects and scans a wide range of documents. Everything from freight bills, proof-of-delivery, shipper documents, safety documents, tractor-trailer inspection documents, payables and driver to driver qualifications, says Dorothy Vankoughnett, controller and IT manager. The sky is the limit when it comes to data capture. Her company uses a document management system from Microdea.

Paul Davis, manager of process improvement and training at Best Logistic Group, says his company captures data from all load documents such as bills of lading, proof of delivery, lumper receipts, fuel receipts, driver envelopes and others. The documents are turned in by drivers and then imaged and indexed with McLeods Document Power. Document capture had an immediate impact on our receivables, he says. Before implementing the document capture technology, it averaged 7.8 days to bill. Now it is consistently 3.5 days.

According to Vankoughnett, in addition to improving back office efficiency, its the little things that can add up to real savings. They dont spend as much on postage, and they have cut printer ink and paper costs. You dont have to have real high-level ROIs, she says. There are simple ways you can measure your return.

Smith & Berry has been using a document management system to capture data for 16 years. The Penticton, British Columbia-based carrier has seen improved efficiencies across the board, says Dorothy Vankoughnett, controller and IT manager.

Capturing data

When it comes to capturing data from documents, there are a variety of options.

We see a variety of technologies used to capture documents, says Jay Duquette, TMW Synergize sales engineer. Fleets use in-cab mobile communications devices, in-cab scanners and mobile apps on smartphones  which is a growing area. Drivers also still use kiosk-scanning services at truck stops to get shipping information back to the home office as quickly as possible.

Best uses in-cab scanners in about 10% of their trucks. The rest use truck stop scanning or mail or drop off the paperwork. When an image is needed immediately, drivers use their cell phones to photograph a document.

Tyler Ashworth, a product development specialist at Apex Capital, notes that customized company mobile apps drivers can use is another avenue. There are apps to help you manage your fuel card accounts, assist with digital document management and image capture for paperwork solutions, and load searching and booking that help with day-to-day load management, he says.

For instance, Transflo Mobile from Pegasus TransTech, Tampa, Fla., is a mobile app that allows drivers to scan and transmit documents using their smartphone.

The types of documents fleets now manage has multiplied in recent years. Ten or twenty years ago, most documents came back as a scanned image  as a tiff or PDF file, Duquette notes. Now, they are likely to be in a variety of formats including picture files, video files and other types.

Managing documents and data

Capturing the data is easy, says Jerry Robertson with Bolt System, a provider of internet-based fleet management software based in Nashville, Tenn. Its what you do with it that matters. Fleet management products provide a way to process vehicle-generated information and make it readily available for use in dispatch, billing, management, the safety department and in the shop.

For documents that have been scanned or photographed, many enterprise software products provide a means to integrate those documents and data of all types so they can be easily accessed and used by personnel throughout an organization. As TMWs Duquette notes, the devices used to collect documents in the field do a good job of managing it in the field; we want to integrate these documents.

We partner with a lot of companies to facilitate getting documents from the cab. Those documents are then stored in a central location and are searchable by authorized personnel.

Vankoughnett says integration between various systems was key to the improvements her company has seen. Everything has improved. All of the systems they deploy, from their fleet management system to mobile communications and shop management system, are integrated with the document management system. If they were standalone systems that didnt integrate, it would be harder to get the efficiency out of them, she says.

Driver impact

Many of these technologies have made some aspects of a drivers day much easier. But the driver still has to collect the data. Carriers want systems that make managing data and documents simple. They want a solution that allows drivers to focus, Duquette says.

Whether the driver is using an in-cab mobile comm device, a smartphone or a scanning kiosk, you want to ultimately take the burden off the driver.

As CLIs Wiesen explains, Theres a good reason the industry talks about a professional driver, noting that drivers also have to be customer service reps and technology experts. Its not an easy job because of all the proficiencies they need to have, and the trouble they can get in if they make a misstep, he says. And while these added responsibilities can add pressure, the technologies they are using can help make non-driving duties easier. Even though he is collecting more data than ever, hes doing less work than in the past to gather that data.

Many fleets are automating driver paperwork with workflow apps, says Pete Allen, MiX Telematics. These apps turn driver paperwork into digital forms drivers can fill out on an in-cab mobile device, smartphone or tablet. The MiX Go forms app provides easy data entry and allows drivers to capture signatures, scan barcodes or take a picture.

Vankoughnett says her company just implemented automated workflows through their PeopleNet platform. It allows them to develop specific forms for each location with instructions for that location. The driver doesnt have to remember that at this place, I have to do this and at that place I have to do that, she says.

A paperless future?

The paperless office concept has been around for many decades. Many think the technology exists now for trucking companies to operate without paper. But government regulations, shipper needs and a companys comfort level may hold that concept back.

The tools are all available now, Duquette says, but paper still provides a comfort level.

Wiesen agrees the capabilities are there. Clearly it could be done. Its worked for the couriers; it will eventually expand to the rest of the industry.

Ken Weinberg, vice president of sales and co-founder of Carrier Logistics Inc., says he thought going paperless would be slower in the LTL segment. He says a very high percentage of truckload fleets use EDI and other paperless processes, but the percentage for LTL carriers was low. Part of that is due to the fact that there are more customers for an LTL carrier and they dont know who their customers will be from day to day.

Government requirements are one stumbling block, Vankoughnett says, noting that when the fleet runs loads across the border, they have to submit electronic documents for clearance, but in case something fails, the driver is still required to carry the paper documents. Even with electronic logging devices, if there is any problem the driver has to revert back to a paper log.

And government reporting requirements continue to grow, Robertson says, noting that new rules for transporting food require additional reporting and documenting for food processors, receivers and trucking companies.

Davis says he only hopes we can become paperless, adding that the company has gotten further than he thought they would after six years of using document and data capture technologies. Im looking forward to six years from now.

In the end, it will all depend on customers, Davis says. Until they go paperless, fleets will always have paper.
Controller Sean McAllister and Director of Safety John Bowlby hold the National Tank Truck Council Outstanding Safety Performance Trophy at the entrance to Carbon Express headquarters.

When Steve Rush was an owner-operator, he would have laughed at the notion that one day he would be running a tanker fleet that would be recognized as the safest carrier by the National Tank Truck Council in the 15 million miles and under category. A fleet with a safety director who was recognized by both New Jersey and NTTC as safety director of the year. A company whose drivers had been honored three years running as state Truck Driver of the Year.

Rush, president of Wharton, N.J.-based Carbon Express, was a driver for the better part of 19 years. On one of his first jobs, he worked some 20 hours a day hauling U.S. mail, and had more accidents than you could shake a stick at. He still had his share of accidents as an owner-operator. And even when he started building his own fleet in 1983, he says, he didnt really pay attention to hours of service.

Then about 10 years ago, his then-safety director turned down an invitation to be chairman of safety for NTTC  and turned it down because it would be a lie, Rush recalls. That was a wakeup call for Rush, and he and Sean McAllister, today the company controller, set out to build a safety culture that would be worthy of the declined honor.

It wasnt easy. A company that previously had rubber-stamped driver logs now had to get drivers to adhere to hours of service and fill out logs accurately. Two years later, they transitioned to electronic logs.

One of the drivers chosen to be the first to use e-logs was a great driver who really struggled, Rush says. Rush expected this driver to be one of the toughest sells for e-logs, but he was wrong. He was always getting into trouble for his logbooks. Once we put in electronic logs, that went away. His wife told me that we had made her husband the happiest man on earth.

In addition to the insight and compliance gained with electronic logs, Carbon Express started specing only day cabs to save weight and putting drivers in hotel rooms at night (or changing routes to get them home). As a result, Rush says, the company has learned a great deal about driver fatigue and sleep patterns.

The things we learn now are just incredible, he says. We now have such an understanding of sleep patterns that if we cant push the load to fit our sleep patterns, then we turn that load down, Rush says.

Respecting those sleep patterns, using electronic logs, and focusing on low driver turnover helped the company achieve no reportable accidents in its 55-truck fleet in 2015. And today, Steve Rush is an ardent supporter of electronic logs.

Without question the electronic logs have made us safer, he says.

Carbon Express buys Volvo day cabs because of Volvos emphasis on safety. Without sleepers, the trucks are lighter and drivers get better sleep in hotel rooms or at home.

A common argument among drivers and owner-operators who oppose electronic logs is that we want to stop when were tired. But Rush says since they started strictly adhering to HOS rules, his drivers have been able to follow their natural sleep patterns and get enough rest. My guys find they dont have that fatigue factor anymore. Instead of needing to stop driving because theyre tired or sleepy, he says, they may take that break, get a cup of coffee, walk around and then finish their trip.

One place Rush thinks the new electronic logging device rules missed the mark is in not requiring them for local drivers who dont stay out overnight.

The biggest cheaters are those who run less than 100 miles, he contends. And as a former cheater himself, he says he should know. In that U.S. mail job, he was home every night. But he would make a four-hour run, take a two-hour break, then do it all over again, all day long.

Not far from Carbon Express on I-287 in Mahwah, N.J., just south of the New York state line, theres a big problem with trucks lining up and idling on the shoulder at night. While part of the problem is drivers who say they run out of hours and have nowhere to park, Rush believes at least some of them are just waiting there a few hours so they can head into the city early in the morning for deliveries.

He recently was talking to a customer with a small private fleet who was transitioning to e-logs. This customers drivers are pushing back because of exactly the scenario Rush painted  instead of following the hours of service rules and shutting down for the mandated 10 hours, the drivers want to be able to simply stop and nap for a few hours and get into Manhattan early to make their delivery. I told him those days are gone, Rush says.
A McAlester man serving as a civilian employee with the military in Afghanistan was killed Thursday in an attack that also killed a soldier from Illinois and injured several other Americans.

Michael G. Sauro, 40, of McAlester died in Kabul from wounds he received when he encountered enemy forces, according to a news release from the Department of Defense.

Sauro who worked for the Defense Ammunition Center, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, was assigned to the U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Defense Ammunition Center, plant spokesman Kevin Jackson told the Tulsa World on Thursday night.

Sauro was working with a team of others at an Afghan military supply point near Camp Morehead, a training site for Afghan commandos outside of Kabul, when the group was attacked, Jackson said.

The gunman, which the Afghan Defense Ministry said was wearing an Afghan army uniform, was killed after international troops responded with gunfire, the Washington Post reported.

A U.S. defense official, speaking to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because the situation was still developing, said the Americans were at the depot as part of the NATO training mission for Afghan security forces.

Sauro and Army Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, of Fairview, Illinois, were killed in the attack. Two other civilian employees, Richard Rick Alford and Rodney Henderson, were injured and will be returning to the United States, according to a news release from the ammunition plant.

The Washington Post reported that another American was injured in the attack, but that persons name wasnt released.

Both Sauro and Riney were deployed in Afghanistan as part of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, a mission to train and advise Afghan security forces, Jackson said.

Though Jackson didnt personally know Sauro, he said he was well-liked and that when other plant employees heard of his death today, many became emotional and some had to leave the facility to go home.

People said he always had a kind word and he was always willing to lend a helping hand. Hes somebody theyre going to miss terribly, Jackson said.

Sauro, who began working for the Defense Ammunition Center in December 1999, was just over a month into his third deployment when he was killed, Jackson said.

Hed been deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February to March 2009 and as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from October 2012 to January 2013, Jackson said.

Sauro arrived in Afghanistan on Sept. 17, Jackson said.

While deployed, Defense Ammunition Center employees provide training and come up with solutions in explosives safety, hazardous materials transportation, ammunition surveillance and logistics engineering and support, according to a plant news release.

When asked if civilian employees expect to come into contact with hostile forces, Jackson said employees know its possible.

Our employees understand the risk of the work, particularly in a deployed environment, but its a risk that theyre willing to take in service to the nation, Jackson said.

Sauro some of his career in McAlester, and hed also worked at satellite training locations at Fort Riley in Kansas and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, Jackson said

Sauro wasnt married and didnt have any children. He is survived by his sister, brother, parents, paternal grandmother and maternal grandparents, according to a news release.

The U.S. official told the Washington Post it was not clear whether the assailant was in fact a member of the Afghan National Army. But the shooting appeared to be what is known as an "insider" or green-on-blue attack, where Afghan allies turn on their U.S. and foreign mentors.

At least 150 coalition troops have been killed in such attacks since 2008, according to data compiled by the Long War Journal, which is published by the D.C.-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The assaults  which have been attributed both to Taliban infiltration and cultural differences between Afghan and foreign troops  surged in number from 2011 to 2013. But the attacks became more infrequent as the bulk of U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from the country. U.S. forces have suffered only two combat casualties in Afghanistan this year, both of which occurred in the volatile Helmand province in the country's south.

At Camp Morehead, elite Afghan commando units learn ambush tactics, how to call in airstrikes, and train for short missions. But the commandos, which number about 11,000, are increasingly stretched thin.

As Afghan forces struggle to beat back Taliban militants in places like Lashkar Gah and Kunduz, which was briefly taken by insurgents again this month, casualties and desertions have depleted their ranks.

More than 2,350 U.S. troops have died supporting military operations in Afghanistan since 2001.
Earlier this week the excellent Deutschland 83 was renewed for a second season.

The Cold War drama is the first original German-language drama to broadcast on a US TV network, SundanceTV.

The new episodes will pick up three years after Season 1 with Jonas Nays East German Agent Martin Rauch on the frontlines of the battle between the Ronald Reagan-led West and the Soviet Empire.

With proxy states in Africa as the backdrop in what we now know were the final years of the Cold War, the Stasi agent ends up in the Johannesburg of the Apartheid-ruled South Africa, the Tripoli of Col. Gadhafis Libya, Paris, and both Berlins.

An eight-episode second season, which will be known as Deutschland 86, will debut in 2018.

Deutschland 83 is a key example of the terrific, entertaining content Sundance TV has collaborated on with creative voices from around the world, said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. Anna and Joerg Winger did an incredible job taking well-known historical events and framing them with a unique lens in the first season. We know that they will offer a fresh perspective to the events in Germany in 1986 and are thrilled to join them on their journey back in time.

The series airs in Australia on Stan.

Source: Deadline
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
Russian-backed militants launched 41 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

As noted, 26 ceasefire violations were recorded in Mariupol direction. The militants used heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and small arms to fire at Pavlopol (30 km northeast of Mariupol). Ukrainian troops near Krasnohorivka (29 km west of Donetsk), Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), and Marinka (35 km south-west of Donetsk) came under 120mm and 82mm mortar fire.

In Donetsk direction, six attacks on Ukrainian positions were launched. The terrorists used small arms, machine guns, and grenade launchers to shell Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk).

Nine more attacks on ATO troops were recorded in Luhansk direction. The enemy used machine guns, grenade launchers, and small arms to fire at Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk) and Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk). Ukrainian positions in Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk) came under 82mm mortar fire.

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Parents of a 5-year-old child in Brazil filed charges against their 54-year-old priest, who has been arrested, after the little girl drew explicit pictures of being sexually abused.

By India Today Web Desk: A Brazilian priest was recently arrested on the charges of sexually abusing a five-year-old girl after a shocking piece of evidence was discovered. The child's parents had found her drawing pictures of what appeared to be a child being molested.

The UK Mirror reports that 54-year-old Father Joao da Silva was questioned over child abuse charges, which he has denied.

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Watch: This sexually-abused child is trying to break her silence through her doll. Will you listen?



The little girl's parents said she has repeatedly refused to attend the priest's English classes, and had become so distressed that they had to take her to a child psychologist. The psychologist is said to have suspected sexual abuse and asked her parents to look around for for any signs.

Upon searching, they are said to have found six such drawings, hidden in her books, spelling out horrific details of sexual abuse.

Karine Maia, a member of the Delegation for Stopping Crimes Against Women, said at a press conference, "We found six drawings among the child's belongings. One of them that caught our attention shows the face of a naked man with an erect penis.'

The child and her family are residents of Minas Gerais, Brazil.



Also watch:



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The situation with competitive markets in Ukraine is currently worsening, their share decreases due to monopolistic markets.

Expert of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting Olha Krasovska said this at the round table meeting at Ukrinform news agency.

"According to the data of the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine, the situation with competitive markets in Ukraine is actually worsening," Krasovska said.

According to her, the worst trend in this regard is that the share of competitive markets decreases because of the increase of the share of monopolistic markets and markets characterized by individual dominance, i.e. those, where competition is virtually impossible.

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NATO supports Ukraines initiative to create a new road map for implementing the Minsk Agreement.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this following a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Brussels on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

I welcome that you had a meeting yesterday [on October 19] in the Normandy Format in Berlin. Including the plan to create a new road map for implementing the Minsk Agreement, Stoltenberg said.

He also said that NATOs support for Ukraine is unwavering and the alliance will continue to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

And we do not  and we will not  recognise Russias illegal annexation of Crimea, Stoltenberg said.

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President of the European Parliament Martin Schultz says that economic sanctions against the Russian Federation will be kept until Minsk Agreements are fully implemented.

And it is only through a strong European policy, by keeping EU sanctions concerning actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity that we can hope to achieve respect by Russia of its commitments under the 2015 Minsk agreement, he said in his speech at the European Council on October 20, according to the official website of the European Parliament.

He also added that Russia, in spite of being a Member of the United Nations Security Council, now breaches the principles of international law, in Syria as well.

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The Dutch Government does not have any additional political conditions in the issue of cancellation of visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens. However, the EU, first, is waiting for adoption of a new mechanism to suspend visa-free regime with all third countries.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte said this on the sidelines of the EU summit, responding to a question by an Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels.

"We do not have any special position. We support visa liberalization for Ukraine. However, the European Council decided, and now this issue is considered by the European Parliament, that there should be clear mechanisms for further visa liberalization regimes," the Dutch Prime Minister said.

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Restaurant review / Boteco

A bite of Brazil

When you know there's a new Brazil-themed eatery in town, you expect a heavy dose of meats. And that's exactly what Boteco offers-a menu that's aimed specifically at the meat lover with tenderloin steak, a New Zealand lamb picanha and sausages cooked on the charcoal grill. Inspired by his frequent travels to Brazil, founder Praveesh Govindan decided to bring the cuisine to India when he moved back to Pune from the US.



So, earlier this year, he joined hands with partner-chef Guto Souza to set up Boteco, a 4000 sq feet restaurant. Brazilian cuisine is known to have embraced the influences brought in by immigrants from various parts of Europe and Japan and the menu at Boteco reflects that with items that can owe allegiance to Portuguese, Spanish and Asian fare. So, don't be surprised to see bruschetta and momos on the menu. Vegetarians aren't starved of options though the offerings are rather limited. They've got a few vegetarian options as well such as the Pao de Queijo, a platter of Brazilian breads; momos, bruschetta and the Queijo Coalho da India, a paneer and tomato dish.

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There's some good seafood on offer, especially the Camarao do Chef-golden crispy prawns in a spicy sauce and the Seafood Symphony. But the highlight is all meat so if you're going on a carnivorous binge, this is the place to go to. Meal for two Rs 1,600 for two without alcohol At 302, Power Plaza, Lane No 7, Above State Bank of India, Koregaon Park Tel 091587 49997

Store review / SS HOMME

Made to Measure



While city designers and stores have, for years, spoilt the women for choice, there's welcome news for the fashion-conscious men. Luxury shopping has a new destination with the new SS Homme store in Koregaon Park. The bespoke and Pret-a-porter formal menswear brand from Mumbai brings its philosophy of old world tailored customised suits and shirts. The highlight here is the bespoke designs and tailoring that is made to fit perfectly. You can get all your outfits and accessories made here from couture and ready-to-wear outfits and accessories such as ties, lapel pins, leather bags and shoes. Made to order If you're looking for international elegance, opt for handmade suits, blazers, jackets and tuxedos in European worsted wool. Price Starts at Rs 30,000 At Arth Vishwa, Koregaon Park Call 7709927770

New in town/ H&M

Swedish Style



Months after it opened in Mumbai, Swedish retail brand H&M, launched in Pune with an extensive collection of casual ready-towear outfits for men, women and children and a special line of maternity wear called the H&M Mama and the plus-size collection, H&M+. Like its international format, this store too, is big, spread over 33,000 sq feet with distinct sections for different lines that makes shopping easy. Look out for their floral printed blouses in feminine silhouettes and soft pinks, the turtlenecks for the winter months and straight tailored coats in solid beige, grey, blacks and whites. Price Women wear starts at Rs 799 At Phoenix Market City, Nagar Road.

Store review / BHU:SATTVA

Conscious Chic



Planning your new wardrobe for the winter? Dress consciously with stylish outfits designed from organic fabrics that are made using fairtrade practices. Bhu:sattva, the Ahmedabad-headquartered organic fashion brand brings it creations to Pune as well with smart cotton khadi tunics, layered dresses. We recommend the organic geometric hand block printed black top that comes with a block printed yolk and an adjustable fabric belt that makes it a good pick. At store.bhusattva.com

Restaurant review / LITTLE NEXT DOOR

Pal Time



Get a feel of a beachside Mediterranean cafe at your neighbourhood pub, The Little Next Door that serves a large variety of Mediterranean fare from an extensive selection of starters, pizzas, sloppy burgers, alcohol-infused main dishes to a delectable dessert menu influenced by France, Italy, Spain and Greece, with an Indian touch. The seating is casual and cosy, giving you a feel of hanging out at a friend's beachside home with comfortable couches, textured white walls and a sunny yellow door that puts you in a cheerful mood as soon as you enter.

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Hanging out It's a casual place where you can hang out for long hours with friends playing a game as the reasonably priced beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks keep flowing. Designed to build a community of regulars, they've got a life-size jenga, foosball table and a hammock where you laze around and chat. Price Rs 800 for two At D-10, Lane 2, Nilalanjali Society Tel 67264796

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Chemical engineering student Rawan, 19, from Syria, has qualified for one of UNHCR's DAFI scholarships and will complete her tertiary education in Turkey.  UNHCR/Ali Unal

ANKARA, Turkey  The armed men knocking at the door said they just wanted to talk about a problem. Rawan Batal, then 16, opened hesitantly. They pushed into the house and, once inside, became aggressive.

They accused her of robbery. Her denials made them angrier and they punched her in the face. They demanded $1,000.

Small and soft-spoken, Rawan might seem frail at first glance. However, she sat straight-backed and described the moments of terror in a matter-of-fact voice.

With the help of her mother, she gathered the cash and handed it over. They watched the soldiers leave. Convinced the men would return, Rawan, her mother and two younger siblings ran out of the house in Aleppo.

We left everything behind, Rawan said. There was no time to grab anything. We had just the clothes we were wearing.

Thus, on August 20, 2013, began Rawans life as a refugee. Her father and older brother had escaped conscription and were already on the run in a nearby province. Reunited, the family walked for several days, crossing into southeast Turkey. They now live in the city of Konya in the Anatolian Steppe.

Rawan, keen to return to some sense of normality, immediately wanted to go back to school. She was good at maths and science. Since childhood, she had wanted to become a chemical engineer. She missed her friends but she spoke no Turkish or English. There were no Arabic-speaking schools in Konya.

However, Rawan refused to be defeated. She found online books that followed the Syrian school curriculum and she studied by herself for hours every day.

Many people told me I couldnt do it on my own. But I wanted to study, and I did do it on my own.

Over the last five years or so huge numbers of Syrian refugees, fleeing the war, have arrived in Turkey  more than 2.7 million, according to the Turkish authorities. Naturally, this impacted on the educational landscape.

In 2014, Rawan travelled to the Turkish capital, Ankara, where she took and passed her high school final exams. The Turkish government waives tuition fees for Syrian refugees applying to state universities, yet only 2.2 per cent of young Syrians have so far enrolled.

Rawan (seated) was among a small group of DAFI scholars who met the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi in the Turkish capital Ankara in August 2016.  UNHCR/Ali Unal

Many refugees need to work to help their families financially and like many refugees, Rawans biggest challenge was also the language. She needed to learn Turkish and pass a Turkish proficiency exam. She returned to the Internet.

Without Turkish, its hard to study and its even harder to find a job, she said. Since the beginning, I have studied by myself. Many people told me I couldnt do it on my own. But I wanted to study, and I did do it on my own.

She found materials online and started studying Turkish as well as chemical engineering. Her brother, who had to give up studying to work, did not believe she could pull it off. However, her love for her subject is clear.

Food, medicine, industry  everything starts with chemistry.

Everything in life is related to chemistry, she said. Food, medicine, industry  everything starts with chemistry.

In 2015, she applied for and received a scholarship from UNHCR to attend a year-long, intensive Turkish language programme certified by Turkish TOMER, which is a recognized countrywide.

This programme is implemented by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and helps high school graduates to meet the language proficiency requirements for admission to Turkish universities. Her Turkish now rolls fluently off her tongue. She has used it to volunteer, translating for Syrian refugees in hospitals and at the registration centers.

Rawan then applied to Konyas Selcuk University. Still her friends were hesitant. Her father, an electronics engineer who had his own business in Syria but now works in a factory, did not believe she would get in. However, she did.

My father was so very happy, she said. He went to work and bragged about me telling everybody my daughter is going to study chemical engineering!

A report published by UNHCR last month highlighted a crisis in refugee education, in which more than half of the six million school-age children under its mandate have no school to go to.

It has now been three years since the armed thugs punched Rawan. She is now 19-years-old. She is one of 6,598 Syrian youth who applied in 2016 for the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI), a German-funded and UNHCR-implemented scholarship. Rawan has been interviewed but the competition is tough.

In 2015, 5,800 Syrian applicants were received. The scholarship provides tuition and a monthly allowance. Due to the enormous need and interest for access to higher education programmes by Syrian refugees in Turkey, DAFI provided 820 scholarship places this year in Turkey. Rawan is not afraid of the road ahead.

I wanted this so much, she said. I set my mind on it.
The actor added that he does not take the government seriously for doing only "half a job."

By India Today Web Desk: Abhay Deol called out the government for its 'hypocrisy' on the issue of banning Pakistani artists, at the opening of the 18th Jio MAMI Film Festival.

ALSO READ: Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai film festival kicks off at Opera House

The Dev D actor questioned the ban on the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, "If you want to ban anything to do with Pakistan, then go the distance. Dont just ban the filmmakers, then ban imports, exports etc. When you do half a job, no one is going to take you seriously. I dont take the government seriously."

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The actor went on to add, "Right now its not looking like you mean it, it just looks like it gets you a lot of publicity and makes noise. I will support if you think banning anything to do with Pakistan is going to help our jawans."

Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on the same day, "As far as government of India is concerned, there is no blanket ban on Pakistani artists." Swarup's comments were in response to the ban imposed on Indian content by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

Deol's comments came two days after filmmaker Anurag Kashyap launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a show of support to Karan Johar. Kashyap said that the PM had not apologised for his Lahore trip to visit Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, so Karan Johar shouldn't have to apologise for casting Pakistani actor Fawad Khan either.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been threatening to stall the release of Johar's film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The MNS has even openly threatened to beat up Johar.

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Sumaya tried to cross the Mediterranean four times attempting to reach Europe.  UNHCR/Pedro Costa Gomes

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt  The sea tempts them with a dream of a better life in Europe. But the sea kills and these are refugees who barely escaped with their lives when the smugglers boats capsized and sank.

Sumaya is Sudanese, and a refugee in Egypt since 2014. She was desperate to rejoin her husband who had already made it to Europe. She is 41 and wants a child.

There is no money, there is no one, she said about her life in Cairo. There is no house, no husband, no family, no baby. I cannot wait here.

And so she tried, four times this year, to take a smugglers boat across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Three times the authorities caught the refugees and put them in detention.

Sudanese refugee Sumaya's harrowing voyage on smugglers' death ship.

Last month she chanced a fourth crossing, this time in a trawler that ruthless smugglers had packed with almost 500 refugees and migrants. Top heavy and overcrowded, the vessel rolled over in heavy waves and sank. Sumaya was wearing a life jacket and survived. More than 300 others did not.

I cannot forget the people dying in front of my eyes. They tried to catch me, grabbed me, and they died. And (in the water) a body came, I am swimming and the dead body is floating with me. I will never forget this for the rest of my life.

Sumaya lost her refugee papers and has had to re-apply for them. Her husband pleads with her not to try again. She hesitates, but she says she might, and this despite knowing that 3,654 refugees have died or gone missing in the perilous Mediterranean crossing this year alone.

Hussein is 26 and from Syria. He was on the same boat. It was his third try.

It was really horrible, he said. Women were screaming, children were crying. We were in the cold water for six hours until fishermen rescued us.

Women were screaming, children were crying. We were in the cold water for six hours."

Hussein spoke of his ordeal to UN High Commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi, who visited Egypt this week. He explained that he had fled to Jordan with his wife, his two children and his mother in 2012. At the end of 2015 he came Egypt in search of an operation on his injured shoulder. He was shot in the street in Syria and can still barely move his left arm.

Egyptian doctors told him the operation to repair the nerves in his shoulder was too delicate to attempt. That is when he gathered US$1,500 together, some of it his and some borrowed, and tried to go to Europe. The smugglers said he could pay on arrival.

Life is tough here, I know, Grandi told him. But its tough there in Europe as well, especially now if you go illegally. Its better to be patient here.

Later Grandi said it was hard task to dissuade people from leaving and risking their lives.

We must try to give them more support. I think the most important thing is to give them a sense that they can go back to their homes. All of them told me, 'if there was peace in my country. I would go back.'

Hussein, for one, is persuaded. He will not try again. But it was his wife, and not the High Commissioner, who convinced him.

She was angry with me," he said. And angry about me and what happened. She said that if I died at sea, she and the family would be left with no one to help them.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has several camps open and ready to shelter those displaced.  UNHCR/Rasheed Hussein Rasheed

GENEVA  The unfolding Iraqi military assault on Mosul has so far uprooted only a few thousand people, allowing UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to focus on continued preparations for a possible larger-scale displacement in the weeks ahead, a spokesperson said today.

A large ground and air operation to retake Iraqs second largest city, which was home to nearly 2.5 million people before it was taken by militants in June 2014, began earlier this week and could continue for two months, according to Iraqi forces.

So far UN data shows that 3,900 people  or 650 families  have been displaced from Mosul and Al Hamdaniya districts, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva.

These people have been transported to a nearby reception centre in the village of Al-Hood, where they are being helped. In addition, 240 people, or around 40 families, were displaced from Makhmur district, east of Mosul, were transferred to a reception centre (Debaga) yesterday, Edwards said.

In anticipation of large scale displacement from the city  believed to have a current population of around 1.5 million people  UNHCR has in recent weeks established five camps, and is also ready to work in three emergency sites established by other agencies, to provide shelter to 60,000 people. Altogether, 11 camps are planned, including the five already set up, with capacity for 120,000 people.

With full funding and readiness, UNHCR would be able to provide shelter support inside and outside camps for 600,000 people and we are appealing to donors for this additional help. We are in the process now of organizing airlifts for next week for 7,000 family tents to Iraq from warehouses in Dubai and Amman.

Altogether, 11 camps are planned, including the five already set up, with capacity for 120,000 people.

Edwards stressed that with full funding and readiness, UNHCR would be able to provide shelter support inside and outside camps for 600,000 people. He noted that the agency is appealing to donors for this additional help and is currently in the process of organizing airlifts for next week for 7,000 family tents to Iraq from warehouses in Dubai and Amman.

In neighbouring Syria meanwhile, UNHCR and its partners are also finalizing preparations to be able to provide emergency assistance for families fleeing Mosul, Edwards said. Reception capacity is being reinforced at the Al Hol camp to the east of Al Hasakeh.

Currently at Al Hol, UNHCR is providing support to 5,512 Iraqis, 4,600 of whom have arrived since April, and 912 of whom are newly arrived in recent days. Arrangements are being made to shelter 15,000 individuals, although Edwards said UNHCR hopes to make 50,000 places available.

We are ensuring that when people reach Al Hol we are able to accommodate them and provide them with needed shelter and life-saving assistance, he told reporters at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Further north at Qamishly, we have sufficient food and supplies in place for 50,000 people, he added.

The UN and its NGO partners are working to ensure that all services are running and that sufficient water, sanitation, health and protection services will be available at Al Hol. UNHCR is also reinforcing its presence in Al Hassakeh governorate with a new field office in Hassakeh City to ensure an effective response.

In a visit to Iraq earlier this week, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stressed that UNHCR required US$196.2 million to fund its full Mosul response, which includes both initial preparations and an operation that could last through the chill winter months.

So far, 48 per cent, of the budget requirement has been provided, but there remains urgent need for further funding to prepare for possible larger-scale displacement, Edwards said.

Beyond shelter, UNHCR plans to meet the core relief needs  blankets mattresses, plastic sheeting, kitchen sets, hygiene sets and jerrycans  of the most vulnerable, as well as the winter needs of the vulnerable, he said.

Donate now
UNHCR is seriously concerned by the return of Syrian nationals from Greece to Turkey. According to the information we have received, a group of 91 people arrived on the island of Milos on 9 October. On October 14th, the group was subsequently transferred to a Reception and Identification Centre on the island of Leros, where they formally expressed to the responsible authorities their will to seek asylum in Greece. Among the group were 10 Syrian nationals who were transferred to Kos and subsequently readmitted by plane to Adana, Turkey without due consideration of their asylum claims. UNHCR has sought clarification with the Greek authorities about the incident.

UNHCR is also concerned about a separate incident involving a group of 131 people who arrived in the Peloponnese on 8 October. UNHCR has sought information about the whereabouts and legal status of 33 of them who were taken to an unknown location. UNHCR and their legal representative have been denied access to these 33 individuals.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Aditya Sachdeva was killed in May after he overtook Rocky Yadav's car in Gaya, Bihar

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Mother of Aditya Sachdeva, who was killed in Gaya road rage case, has slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for not fulfilling the promise of delivering justice in her son's case.

"I am deeply disappointed by the false assurance that the chief minister gave to me after my son was killed. He has failed on his promise to ensure justice to us," said Chand Sachdeva, mother of Aditya.

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Speaking to India Today, Sachdeva expressed her anger at the bail granted to the accused Rocky Yadav, son of JDU MLC Manorama Devi and dreaded gangster Bindeshwari Yadav. Yadav is accused of gunning down Aditya in May for refusing to give way to his luxury SUV.

The family of Aditya Sachdeva carried out a silent protest in Gaya on Friday to protest granting of bail to Rocky.



SEEKING JUSTICE



"It was sad that a mother had to take to the street to seek justice for her son's death. A mother has to come on street now for justice," said the grieving mother.

Aditya's mother said that she was now pinning her hopes on the Supreme Court to get justice in the case. "I have high hopes on the Supreme Court. I want to see Rocky Yadav going to jail again. If we don't get justice, our faith over judiciary will end," said the mother.

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Mehbooba Mufti said that AFSPA is not permanent and an environment of peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir is necessary.

By Ashraf Wani: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is necessary for bringing peace and normalcy in the Valley. The chief minister added, "We have to create an environment of peace and tranquillity in J-K, AFSPA is not permanent."

Mufti was speaking at the Police Commemoration Day parade in Srinagar where she also paid tributes to the martyred police jawans.

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Mufti said that she needed people's support to maintain law and order so that pellet guns get banned in the Valley. On Pakistan, she added, "Even Pakistan has to help us as we both have to live together. Pakistan must understand we are neighbours. Indians, Pakistanis are the same people."

Also read: Kashmir: Day after 12 govt employees are sacked for anti-national activities, union threatens protest



UNREST



Kashmir Valley has been witnessing protests since Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter on July 8. Over 90 civilians have been killed and over 10,000 injured by the government forces.

The police have arrested over 6000 youths involved in various cases including stone-throwing. Over 400 political activists and separatist leaders have been booked under the preventive detention law, Public Safety Act in the Valley over the past few days.

Also read: Kashmir: 5,000 people arrested in 3 months in biggest crackdown in Valley





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With the assistance of UNICEF-supported family centres, Ahmad is finally getting the help he needs to begin recovering.



GAZA, State of Palestine, 21 October 2016  Seventeen-year-old Ahmad* has spent much of his childhood living in fear. Growing up in the Gaza Strip, he has witnessed three major rounds of armed conflict since 2009, and nearly ten years of blockade.

At home, his relationship with both of his parents is strained. Ahmads father forced him to start working when he was just a boy, prompting him to move in with his mother at the age of 10. He still lives with his mother and stepfather, but often feels unsafe at home. He is unable to sleep unless he keeps a sharp object and a stick near him for self-defence.

Ahmad is not alone in this experience  the situation in the State of Palestine has taken a heavy toll on many of the children living in Gaza. With an unemployment rate of 43 per cent  one of the highest in the world  nearly 40 per cent of Gazans fall below the poverty line, and some 80 per cent of Gazas 1.9 million people depend on humanitarian assistance.

Families often cope by sending their children into the labour market, or into child marriage. Ninety-five per cent of children aged 114 experience psychosocial aggression or physical punishment, and 29 per cent of girls are married before age 18.

To be a vulnerable child facing sexual abuse or violence in this context, where even the most basic needs of food or shelter are not ensured, is frightening.

>> Learn more about the humanitarian needs of children in the State of Palestine
UNICEF/UN012710/Georgiev

BRUSSELS, 20 October, 2016 - This weeks meeting of the European Council in Brussels is a perfect opportunity for Europe to begin putting in place specific and measurable actions to address the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children.



A number of such steps were included in the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants which was issued following an unprecedented gathering of Heads of State and Government at the UN General Assembly just over one month ago. Their inclusion underlined the reality that today, around the world, nearly 50 million children have either been forcibly displaced by violence and conflict or have migrated across borders.



Among the commitments designed to address this unprecedented level of human mobility, the signatories to the New York Declaration promised to ensure that all refugee and migrant children receive education within a few months of their arrival, and pledged to work towards ending the practice of detaining children while their migration status was being determined.



UNICEF calls on Europe and the rest of the international community to focus on six specific actions to help displaced, refugee and migrant children who have been uprooted from their homes:

Protect child refugees and migrants, particularly unaccompanied children, from exploitation and violence.

End the detention of children seeking refugee status or migrating by introducing a range of practical alternatives.

Keep families together as the best way to protect children and give children legal status.

Keep refugee and migrant children learning and giving them access to health and other quality services, including education.

Press for action on the underlying causes of large-scale movements of refugees and migrants.

Promote measures to combat xenophobia, discrimination and marginalization."

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Iranian courts indict 1,000 people involved in protests over Amini's death 31 Oct 2022 | 8:01 PM Tehran, Oct 31 (UNI) Tehran provincial courts have indicted at least 1,000 people who played a significant role in nationwide protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in mid-September, Iranian Prosecutor General Ali Alqasimehr said on Monday. see more..

China's Huawei may permanently leave Russian market 31 Oct 2022 | 7:59 PM Beijing, Oct 31 (UNI) Chinese IT giant Huawei may permanently leave the Russian market as the company has reportedly ceased the delivery of its equipment to the country, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on Monday, citing sources. see more..

Shanghai Disney visitors trapped in lockdown 31 Oct 2022 | 5:29 PM Shanghai, Oct 31 (UNI) Shanghai Disney has become the latest high-profile venue to shut its gates coutesy China's strict zero-Covid policy, trapping visitors inside. see more..

NZ imposes sanctions on Russian defense, security sectors 31 Oct 2022 | 5:19 PM Wellington, Oct 31 (UNI) New Zealand has imposed new sanctions against Russia, targeting 14 individuals and seven entities of the country's defense and security sectors, as well as media outlets, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Monday. see more..
New Delhi, Oct 21 (UNI) Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key will be on a four-day State Visit to India next week during which he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is likely to take up the issue of its NSG membership with the Prime Minister, an indication given by External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup here. '... what we are telling all our partners is what we will tell New Zealand also that why membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group is important for India. Why predictability and access are two key issues which are necessary for us to achieve our clean energy goals, he said while replying to a question on the issue at the regular media briefing. Mr Kay, who will be leading a high-level business and education delegation, will be accompanied by his wife Ms Bronagh Key. Besides, members of New Zealand Parliament Mark Mitchell, Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee and MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi will also be a part of his delegation. His first destination during the India visit will be Mumbai where he will arrive on the evening of October 24. He will deliver a key note address at an event organised by Bombay Stock Exchange in association with Chambers of Commerce, and also meet with the Governor and Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Mr Key will also be attending Innovation showcase event to celebrate innovation in New Zealand-India business partnerships. In Delhi, Prime Minister Key will hold one-to-one meeting with Mr Modi, followed by official delegation level meeting to discuss growing bilateral relations. He will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee besides attending a Business Summit. The New Zealand Prime Minister and his delegation will undertake a short tour of the new Cochin International Terminal and the work undertaken by the New Zealand company, Glidepath. He will also be accompanied by members of New Zealand Parliament Mark Mitchell, Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, MP. PM Key last visited India in 2011. The President visited New Zealand in May this year, the first ever visit of Indian President to the country. UNI NAZ SB 1241
Akhilesh Yadav did not turn up at a meeting of district and city-level leaders called by his uncle over the SP's silver-jubilee celebrations scheduled for November 5. He summoned the same participants later at his residence.

By Balkrishna: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav struck a defiant posture throughout the day towards his party's leadership as he pushed his own agenda separately, over and above his uncle and state SP president Shivpal Yadav's.

Given the wave of speculations about an imminent split in the state's governing party, the CM was expected to turn up at a meeting of district and city-level leaders called by his uncle over the SP's silver-jubilee celebrations scheduled for November 5.

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However, he didn't turn up for the meeting and summoned the same participants to his 5-Kalidas Marg residence in the evening to advise them to make preparations for his state-wide Rath Yatra starting November 3.

ALSO READ: Did Mulayam just say son Akhilesh is not a CM candidate in UP polls?



According to sources, the CM also fixed a meeting of party MLAs and MLCs for Sunday, sandwiched between Saturday's state executive meet convened by his uncle and a gathering of all SP lawmakers called for Monday by his father Mulayam Yadav.

DOWNPLAYING THEIR DIFFERENCES

On Friday, in their separate meetings with the Samajwadi Party's district and city presidents, both the CM and his uncle, however, sought to downplay their differences with each other.

Shivpal Yadav told the SP leaders that his nephew would remain the party's chief ministerial candidate in assembly elections due next year.

"No post is important for me," a senior Samajwadi Party office-bearer quoted Shivpal Yadav as having told the district and city presidents. "I can sacrifice anything for the party. If you all pass a resolution for me to quit my post, I will without any delay."

When the same participants met the chief minister later, the CM hinted he might take the time out from his Rath Yatra to attend the November 5 rally.

"We'll try to make some adjustment," a party source quoted Akhilesh Yadav as saying.

The central focus of the CM's conversation with his party's district and city chiefs, nevertheless, stayed on his own Rath Yatra. He told them to work hard to make his program a success.

In his meeting though, Shivpal Yadav stressed the importance of the party rally planned for the November 5 anniversary celebrations in Lucknow.

ALSO READ:

Samajwadi Party drama: How UP chief Shivpal is forcing Akhilesh Yadav into a corner

Akhilesh Yadav's stepmother using black magic on him: Samajwadi Party MLC in letter to Mulayam



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One week after violent protests erupted in Johannesburg which the lead government to demand that "violent campus protest stop immediately" and left student leaders and some protesters arrested, students continue to flock University of the Witwatersrand to demonstrate objection to the pending tuition fee increase effective 2017.

South African students have had a long struggle with education and they don't have a history of backing down. Last year's #FeesMustFall succeeded in achieving a 0% increase in tuition fees. However, the problem according to the UN Dispatch, is that access to institutions of higher learning persisted.

When Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education and Training announced that universities are allowed to increase tuition no more than 8%, students did not receive it well. While to government offered provisions saying that it will cover the fees for poor students, Nzimande's announcement did not include students who cannot afford to pay for their education. Further, this will be a bigger burden for students and their families who are struggling to pay the existing fees as they are, without increase. This caused unrest among the student population accusing the plan for being insufficient.

Protests began last month after the announcement. Students took to their sentiments to the streets and this time they have an even bigger end goal: free education for all and free education now.

One by one, campuses across the country are being shut down by students as they carry out their protests and make their demands.

Last week South Africa caught international attention after a student protest turned violent. Nine people were arrested for throwing stones and arson.The incident happened near the University of the Witwatersrand, also known as Wits where 2 vehicles were set on fire.

University spokesperson Shirona Patel has identified 2 of the arrested protesters as Wits students, 2 more are from other schools and five are non-students.

Wits was forced to impose campus restrictions for security reasons last Thursday night because of smashed windows and flooded rooms. Students on the other hand accused the police for indiscriminately firing rubber bullets on a residential building on campus on Friday evening and the security restrictions was equivalent to a curfew that violates student rights.

Student leader and protester from Wits, Mcebo Dlamini, was denied bail by a Johannesburg court. The student leader was one of those arrested for alleged violence and intimidation during protests. The next hearing in his case is Nov. 15.

As tensions continue to rise and classes remain disrupted, some academics from Wits called for a meeting at the the Holy Trinity Catholic Church that lies adjacent to the university, last Monday (Oct. 10). It was supposed to be "a peace accord for the university, so that it can unite to solve the goals currently facing higher education."

Students were outraged to see University of the Witwatersrand's Vice Chancellor Adam Habib inside the church. One of the student leaders protesting outside, Vuyani Pambo called out to Habib, "You are a very cruel man. I hate you,"

"Habib must go." The protesters chanted.

Habib stood to leave quietly when the skirmish broke and the parish pastor, Father Graham Pugin was hit in the face by the police with the rubber bullet while he was introducing himself outside the gates of the church wearing his robe and holding his hands up in the air.

"I had presumed they would recognize that it was a bad mistake to shoot a robed clergyman at the church gates," the reverend said Tuesday, the day after he was shot.

Habib was encircled by a number of students when he was leaving. The vice chancellor was able to go unharmed after the student leader Pambo asked that he be allowed to go "to show the country that we are not criminals."

Wits representatives say they had been invited by the church to the meeting. Habib said, "We are disappointed that people felt that we should exit the peace meeting even after we had been invited to attend it. We remain committed to working with students and student leaders in trying to find solutions to these issues, many of which can only be resolved at the national level."

Unlike Habib, other university leaders were not spared from the students' anger. Last Friday, protesters encircled Vice-Chancellor Max Price of the University of Cape Town outside a campus building, and he was pushed and took two punches to the body, according to the university.

Other institutions have also reported violent attacks that included vandalism and stone throwing in the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University in the city of Grahamstown.

Free education is not a new concept, there have been success stories where states were able to provide free tertiary education to its citizens. Education is also important in eliminating injustices and inequalities and correcting the mistakes of the past - access to it is key to empowering a new generation and high costs and tuition fees automatically deny those who cannot afford the privilege of learning and knowledge.
Stanford University has a solar expansion project that is expected to be completed in November. This is part of the school's efforts toward more renewable energy.

Stanford Daily reported that the solar expansion project will be placed with existing rooftop panels in order to produce 53 percent of the school's energy by the end of this year. The project will include a solar plant in Southern California and 16 new rooftop solar panels which will be placed on buildings throughout the campus.

With these additions, it is expected that 65 percent of Stanford University's energy will be provided by the solar panels. This figure is more than double the current percentage.

"We want to reach out, excite and educate as many students that pass through Stanford as possible," Joseph Stagner, Executive Director of Sustainability and Energy Management at Stanford, said. "That's where the power lies: in the knowledge, education and commitment of those who leave Stanford."

Stanford's solar expansion project is part of its efforts for sustainability. It joins other projects like the addition of electric vehicles in the Marguerite bus fleet. This is believed to increase the visibility of renewable energy at the university.

"It gives us a segue to talk to students about the value proposition of solar power and renewable energy," Stagner added. "Imagine the influence we could have on others if we could get 100 universities to do the same thing."

He also hopes that the project will make Stanford known as the leader of renewable energy. Some are concerned, though, that the project will not push the university toward a more sustainable future.

Stanford University has recently been deemed as the most innovative college in the world by Reuters. The school has also recently nabbed the top spot in The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education's college rankings list.

Stanford is described as a school that will engage students' minds. It also has a diverse student body as well as plenty of resources for its community to use.
By India Today Web Desk: Akshay Kumar is not just the big-hearted Good Samaritan on screen. His reel roles spill over to his real life too, as is evident from this recent instance. Kumar has offered help to Ravi Shrivastava, the ailing producer of his first film.

ALSO READ: Jolly LLB stars Akshay Kumar and Huma Qureshi send greetings from Lucknow

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ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar parties with Will Smith in Khiladi style, celebrates hat-trick of hits

Shrivastava was the producer of the first project Akshay signed as an actor, back in 1991. The movie, titled Dwarpaal, was shelved and Akshay made his Bollywood debut with the 1992 film Saugandh.

When a person shared an article about the penniless Shrivastava and his condition, and asked Akshay to do something about it, the Airlift star responded, "Yes sir, my team has reached out to him...Already taken care of."



Yes sir, my team has reached out to him...already taken care of ????? https://t.co/14w1oS3k9d Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 20, 2016

Shrivastava was the person who helped Akshay in getting a role in Saugandh.

Ravi Shrivastava, Akshay Kumar's ailing first producer

According to reports, the producer is suffering from kidney failure and needs money for the transplant. Shrivastava is bed ridden right now.

Akshay's team has reportedly raised money for the kidney transplant of his now-penniless first producer.

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Following a malware attack, in which more than 32 lakh debit cards have been compromised, the banks and agencies are working to contain the damage.

By India Today Web Desk: A malware attack has resulted in what could be one of the biggest ATM card frauds. The security of more than 32 lakh debit cards was compromised in India. Several banks have admitted to being hit by cyber attacks.

SBI, the largest bank in the country, has decided to replace over 6 lakh existing debit cards, which have been blocked. The finance ministry on Friday sought a detailed report on the data breach from the RBI and other banks.

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READ: Hitachi Payment Services says its system not compromised

HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

The story began unraveling on September 5, when some banks reported financial transactions against debit cards in China and the US, while the customers were in India. The matter was reported to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCL), which monitored retails transactions.

NPCL investigation found a security breach in the systems of Hitachi Payment Services, which provides ATM services in India. The security breach was reportedly confined to the ATMs of a private bank.

READ: 32 lakh ATM cards hacked: Is your debit card safe, should you change PIN? Everything you need to know

HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?

NPCL probe suggested that 90 ATMs were compromised and 641 customers of 19 banks suffered a collective loss of Rs 1.3 crore.

On the basis of the probe report, the service providers Visa, MasterCard and RuPay advised the banks to ask their customer to change their debit card PIN or issue new cards to them.

ALSO WATCH:







WILL MONEY BE REFUNDED?

The money, withdrawn without authorization, may be refunded by the banks if it is proven that the customers were not at the fault. But, the onus to prove innocence lies with the customers.

But, the refund process may take several months. Though, the Reserve Bank of India has directed the banks to dispose off such complaints within 90 days.

READ: 32 lakh ATM cards hacked: SBI advises customers to use SBI ATMs

WHAT SHOULD CUSTOMERS DO?

The bank customers must ensure that they have subscribed the SMS or email alert for the bank transactions.

The customers should pay heed to the emails or notification alerts from their banks requesting for change of PIN or debit cards.

GOVERNMENT SEEKS REPORT

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said that the government has sought a detailed report on the extent of debit card data compromise. The government asked the RBI and commercial banks to provide details of the data breach to ascertain the damage.

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"(I) have sought a report in the debit card issue. The idea is to contain the damage," Jaitley told reporters in New Delhi.

There are approximately 60 crore debit cards currently operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously developed RuPay ones. The rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled debit cards used by the customers across private and public sector banks.





ALSO READ:

Govt has sought report on debit card data compromise: Jaitley





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UTSA veterans share military-to-college transition experiences

Adapt and Overcome: Essays on the Student Veteran Experience book launch features special veterans panel

(October 21, 2016)  Members of the UTSA community have published Adapt and Overcome: Essays of the Student Veteran Experience, an important book to help active duty military and veterans successfully transition to college life. The narrative, which includes chapters written by UTSA veterans, describes the unique challenges faced by veterans who have excelled in college and offers solutions to help others in uniform navigate those challenges.

In Adapt and Overcome, the authors discuss why they joined the military and how their military experiences contributed to their decisions to attend college. They write about strategies that worked for them as college students and share their ideas about how colleges and universities can be more supportive. The book also includes several chapters written by veterans and civilians at UTSA who work tirelessly on behalf of student veterans.

UTSA will celebrate the launch of the book starting at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the Business Building University Room (BB 2.06.04) on the UTSA Main Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The event, hosted by the UTSA Veterans Services Advisory Committee (VSAC), will begin with a Veterans Information Fair and networking session, followed by the keynote address from retired Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, UT System associate vice chancellor for Leadership Development and Veteran Affairs

From a veterans point of view, it is hard to overstate the value of this book, said Maj. Gen. Cucolo. It combines the two things every veteran needs: the voices of peers who have walked the path before them, and the views of faculty and administrators who stand ready to help them navigate this new and challenging piece of terrain called higher education. It is a great primer for anyone trying to understand the spectrum of challenges involved in a veterans transition.

A panel discussion with UTSA alumni student veterans who contributed chapters to the book will follow. They include Brandi Cuevas, U.S. Army; Bonnie Drusky, U.S. Air Force; Jason Frazier, U.S. Marine Corps and Brian Houston, U.S. Navy. Mary McNaughton-Cassill, UTSA professor of psychology in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, edited the book and will moderate the discussion.

Books will be available for purchase and chapter authors will be on-site for autographs. All proceeds will go to the UTSA Student Veteran Association.

Free event parking on a first-come, first serve basis in the Bauerle Rd. Garage.

The UTSA VSAC assists veterans and our military affiliated community in making a seamless transition to our academic community and to provide staunch support always. The VSAC recognizes the unique experiences that student veterans bring to our campus environment and leverages these resources to help steer our student veterans toward degree, certificate, or program completion by providing a military-friendly and helpful campus environment.

 Courtney Clevenger

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Learn more about the UTSA Veteran Services Advisory Committee

Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Wyoming Business Tips for Oct. 30-Nov. 5

A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Brett Housholder, Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) program manager

I have looked into government contracting certifications for my business like the SBAs 8(a) program and HUBZone certification, but its hard to figure out exactly how the application process works. Do you have any tips for how to prepare for these certifications? Michael, Laramie

Going through any government contracting certification process -- 8(a), HUBZone, veteran-owned small business, woman-owned small business, etc. -- can be an intimidating task if you do not know what to expect.

Getting into the specific details of each certification, and all of the documents required for each, would take a much longer answer. But, below, you will find some general tips that will save a lot of stress when applying for any of the certification programs:

-- Call your PTAC representative first. Our program is available to help with the application process and can explain in a way that is clearer than most of the information you will find searching websites on your own.

-- Be organized. This applies to running any efficient business and is more of a general tip that you ideally should have implemented from the first day of running a business. But, for certification purposes, it pays to have a well-maintained and organized record-keeping system. Having access to organizational documents, such as articles of incorporation, operating agreements and by-laws, and accurate, current financial statements, is vital for most certifications.

-- Find a checklist to track progress. One of the more complicated parts of most certifications, believe it or not, is finding a complete checklist of all the required documents that will be reviewed. There are checklists available, but finding them can be challenging.

-- Take it one step at a time. No matter which certification you are going after, it will take longer than you expect. It is best to tackle one piece at a time and not get overwhelmed by the various tasks you will be required to complete before submitting an application.

-- Be patient. The application process alone may take a matter of weeks, even if you are well organized and prepared. The review process will take even longer, as the offices that review applications and make determinations are constantly inundated with new applications.

Finally, just to reiterate, the PTAC is available to assist and make this sometimes-confusing process more manageable. Although we do not have any influence over whether a company receives certification in any of these programs, we can help prepare a complete application package and increase your odds of success.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
While the first look of the much-anticipated Baahubali: The Conclusion will be out today (October 22), we give you five things to look forward to in the sequel.

By Srivatsan: Looking back at Baahubali in retrospect, goosebumps are inevitable. A humongous 120-feet statue of the mighty antagonist Bhallaladeva is raised in Mahishmati. Amid all the grand moments, the cinematographer cuts to the hordes of slaves who are seen pulling the statue.

An old man crumbles to the ground, followed by the collapse of an entire row of people, which in turn leads to the fall of the statue. When they're about to give in, a masked man comes to their rescue and drags the statue. While the old man takes charge again, the mask is off. His face is exposed. And like the people in Mahishmati, we tend to chant out loud, 'Baahubali'. This is the scene where director SS Rajamouli unleashes his iconic hero Baahubali.

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ALSO READ: Is Rajinikanth back in US for medical check-up?

Ever since the release, the audience have been waiting with bated breaths, especially after the climax of the film, where Kattappa reveals himself as the killer of Amarendra Baahubali.

While the first look of the much-anticipated Baahubali: The Conclusion will be out today (October 22), we give you five things to look forward to in the sequel.



Bigger and grander visuals:



Apart from a hardcore story, Baahubali was lauded enough for its breathtaking visuals. Be it the kingdom of Mahishmati or the montages on the top of the waterfall, Rajamouli narrated through spectacular visuals and mind boggling special effects. The impact was so much that the film made some of famous Hollywood films pale in comparison. Right from the lay of the land to the longsword gripped by Baahubali, Rajamouli was meticulous with the details. Going by the reports about the sequel, the audience are readying themselves for a whole new experience.

Rajamouli's knack of storytelling:



In Eega, the hero dies and is reincarnated as a fly. What does a fly do but buzz around is a question one might ponder over. But that's the intellectual genius of the director, who so impacts the mind of the audiences that at some point, we start empathising for the protagonist of the film - the fly.

Though there's a nod to the Mahabharata, it's fascinating how the director manages to turn a homespun story into a whole new world of Baahubali. The classic end of Baahubali, the one question which has been following Rajamouli like his shadow is an example of the geniuses of the filmmaker.

Performances of the lead actors:



For an audacious film like Baahubali, the script demanded actors and not stars. Rajamouli, who has been choosy in his films, had the most fitting cast who lifted the film with their performance. Be it the lead actors Prabhas (Amarendra Baahubali), Rana Daggubati (Bhallaladeva) or the supporting cast-Ramya Krishnan as Sivagami and Sathyaraj as Kattappa, these actors are solely responsible for keeping the audience psyched. While Baahubali didn't have the scope for actors like Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah, the sequel is said to have the duo playing prominent roles.

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Spine-chilling battle sequences:



Of course, what the film unleashes in the last 30 minutes or so, is the Kalakeya war sequence with jaw-dropping visuals which have been accomplished with sheer brilliance. According to reports, the makers have shelved out a whopping Rs 30 crore for the climax portion of the film. Going by Rana Daggubati's revelation, the film is expected to have some spine-chilly battle sequences. Also, Rana Daggubati's meaner, stronger look for the sequel gave us the glimpse of what one could expect from the sequel.





Yes, Baahubali 3 is on cards:



Going by what Rajamouli revealed in an interview, the third instalment of Baahubali is very much on cards. He also revealed that either of the lead actors will be a part of it and confirmed that it's a spin-off of Baahubali. So now, is there a possibility in the sequel where Rajamouli is expected to leave the audience awestruck just like the climax of its predecessor?

Will Kattappa's fidelity consume the warrior? Considering the song in which Shivudu had a lovemaking sequence with Avanthika, will there be a story for Shivudu Jr in Baahubali 3? Well, the answers to these questions will be revealed on April 28, 2017.

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( The writer tweets as LoneWolf_7126 )



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Baloch Republican Army fighters attacked a convoy of the Chinese explosive company with remote controlled explosives in Ormara area of Gwadar.

By Anil Kumar: Baloch Republican Army fighters attacked a convoy of the Chinese explosive company with remote controlled explosives in Ormara area of Gwadar, a vehicle was completely destroyed killing all the 4 personnel, Pakistani and Chinese, inside the vehicle, according to spokesman of the Baloch Republican Army.

Baloch Republican Army said, "We will defend each and every inch of our motherland, Balochistan"

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"Occupational Pakistan and China's exploitative 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.

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In his speech before a Beijing Economic Forum on Thursday, President Duterte proclaimed that the Philippines is separating for the United States, after a major diplomatic victory with China where both countries agree to resume talks to resolve the territorial dispute on the South China Sea.

The two Asian nations' reconciliation could widen the political gap between the United State and the Philippines, in addition to the instance where Duterte stated its opposition for US and thereafter ordered to end the joint manoeuvres of their militaries.

"It is not the time to go to war... this visit is the defining moment of my presidency," Duterte said.

"Duterte's remarks were inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship we have with the Filipino people as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective," said John Kirby, U.S. State Department's Spokesman.

A Senior Chinese Diplomat announced, after the bilateral talks between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, that the two countries had agreed to restore the full range of contact. The issue with regard to the South China Sea, on the other hand, has been tackled only shortly.

"Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said to the reporters.

Liu furthered that both sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue.

The Philippines and China have agreed to resume talks after series of dispute over the South China Sea.

Duterte, in his opening remarks in his talks with Xi hailed a warming of relations with China.

"China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed," Duterte said. "Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship."

Since 2012, Philippines and China have been locked in a fierce territorial dispute involving the South China Sea ever since China denied Philippine fishermen's access to the waters in the so-called West Philippine Sea.
H M Siddhartha, owner-cum-driver of the white Volkswagen sedan, was detained for questioning after unsual amount of money was found inside his vehicle.

By Revathi Rajeevan: The Bengaluru Police today seized Rs 2.5 crore from a private car during regular security checks at the west gate of Vidhana Soudha (Karnataka secretariat).

The car does not have a valid Vidhana Soudha pass and it came at the west gate at around 2.45 pm today.

H M Siddhartha, owner-cum-driver of the white Volkswagen sedan, was detained for questioning after unusual amount of money was found inside his vehicle. Siddhartha claimed that the money belonged to him, the police said.

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The seized amount was kept inside in a laptop bag. A lawyer's gown and few papers related to the state high court were also kept on the back seat of the car.

Vidhana Soudha DCP Yogesh is reportedly questioning the car driver to get more details.

ALSO READ:

Bihar: JDU MLC's house robbed in Gaya, cash and jewellery worth lakh missing



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In one short month, hundreds of runners and walking enthusiasts will show up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in their pajamas (Photo credit: Neal Reid).

Their casual attire will be right in line with the theme for the fourth annual PJ 5K Run & 1-Mile Walk through Glittering Lights, a fun and festive fundraising event hosted by the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Childrens Charities on Sunday, Nov. 20. Participants are invited to run, walk or push strollers through the course in their pajamas, and the more colorful and unique, the better.

Registration is set for 3 p.m. Pacific Time, with the race starting at 4:30 p.m. Those who register early can pick up their entry packets at GameWorks at Town Square from 3-7 p.m. on Nov. 18.

Glittering Lights is Nevadas largest drive-through Christmas light show and features millions of LED lights and hundreds of sparkling light displays.

Last year, more than 800 people participated in the PJ 5K event, and participants who bring a new pair of childrens PJs to donate will have a chance to win two tickets to the 2017 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS, March 10-12. Participants donated 150 pairs of pajamas at last years event.

Entry fees range from $25 to $45, and children age 5 and under can participate for free. To register in advance, please visit www.scclasvegas.org or contact Paulette Anderson at 702-917-6493 or panderson@lvms.com, or participants may register for an extra $5 on the day of the event beginning at 3 p.m.

Everyone who signs up will receive a race bib, an event completion medal and light snacks and beverages, and awards will be given to the best overall female and best overall male. There will also be raffle prizes and a Glow Zone tent where racers can purchase glow-in-the-dark jewelry.

The SCC PJ 5K is sponsored by LVMS, CBS Radio Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Big Valley Towing, El Tiempo, Levy Restaurants and IKEA. Funds raised will help local children with social, medical, physical and financial needs.

Founded in 1982 by Bruton Smith, Chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the mission of Speedway Childrens Charities is simple but important: To care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. Since its inception in 1999, the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Childrens Charities has granted more than $2.5 million to local childrens causes throughout Southern Nevada.
Fish sauce. Illustrative Photo

The announcement was made early this week by the Viet Nam Standards and Consumers Association (Vinatas).

Ho Kim Lien, chairman of the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association, said the association had filed a petition demanding a clarification of the announcement from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Health and Kien Giang Provinces authorities.

The information was unclear and threatens to push traditional fish sauce makers towards bankruptcy, she said.

Vinatas, a non-profit organisation, on Monday announced the result of its test on 150 varieties of fish sauce sold in the market. Of these, 101 varieties of 88 brands, including one Thai brand, have arsenic content exceeding the permitted limit of 1mg per litre, according to the announcement.

However, Truong Quang Hien, chairman of the Phan Thiet Fish Sauce Association, said Vinatas failed to clarify the difference between organic and inorganic arsenic compounds for the public.

"They did not make it clear. Organic arsenic compounds are non-toxic. But the ambiguity makes consumers misunderstand the information, he said.

In the past two days, some 10 members of my association have come to me demanding a clarification of the announcement to ease the anxiety of both consumers and fish sauce makers.

Experts on food technology also expressed their dissatisfaction with Vinatas announcement.

According to Vu The Thanh, a lecturer on food safety of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, arsenic is present in inorganic and organic forms.

While inorganic arsenic compounds are highly toxic, organic arsenic compounds, which are often found in sea water and fish, are considered non-toxic. Fish sauce is made from fish, therefore most of its arsenic content is organic arsenic compounds, which cause little or no harm to humans, Thanh said.

The limit of 1mg per litre set by the Ministry of Health for dipping sauce in general, including fish sauce, is applicable for inorganic arsenic compounds, he said.

He also cited a survey announced in 2008 by the Food Chemistry journal on arsenic content in fish sauce exported to Austria from Viet Nam and Thailand. The result showed a majority of arsenic compounds found in the fish sauce were organic in nature and the products were safe.

The result of Vinatas test is about arsenic in general, so it holds no meaning with regard to safety assessment of the product, Thanh said.

Associate Professor Nguyen Duy Thinh from the Food and Biotechnology Institute shared a similar opinion.

Vinatas should not have messed up the two types of arsenic, he said.

The announcement was not made in the proper way. They cannot just publish the result without clear analysis and explanation.

How can ordinary consumers know the difference between organic and inorganic arsenic? On hearing fish sauce contains arsenic, they will panic, he said.

At a meeting with the prime ministers task force team on Tuesday, Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the Food Safety Department, under the Ministry of Health, said an inter-sector team had been conducting inspection of fish sauce sold in Ha Noi and HCM City since October 12.

The team would expand the inspection to other regions, including those having a long tradition of making fish sauce, such as Phu Quoc in Kien Giang Province.

The result would be submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc before October 22, Phong said.

Meanwhile, ang Van Chinh, chief inspector of the ministry, said the ministry had asked inspectors at localities to take samples of fish sauce sold in their respective regions four months ago. This would serve as a basis to carry out a nationwide inspection on production and sale of fish sauce in 2017.

Viet Nam, currently, has some 2,800 fish sauce makers, producing around 2 million litres per year.
This opinion was expressed by Vietnam Associaation of Finance Investors (VAFI) in a document submitted to the Ministry of Finance and SCIC on October 20, to propose an alternative plan for the Vinamilk divestment.

According to VAFI, foreign strategic investors will not be interested in buying minority stakes in stated-owned enterprises because it prevents them from joining management boards. In case these investors join the sales, they will not pay very high prices to own minority stakes in Vinamilk.

Fraser & Neave Ltd. (F&N), owner of an 11 per cent stake in Vinamilk, may be the only foreign investor joining the auction because buying 9 more per cent to increase its to 20 per cent will make it the controlling shareholder of Vinamilk. F&Ns becoming a controlling shareholder in Vinamilk will decrease other foreign strategic investors excitement to buy the remaining stakes on sale.

VAFI added that by selling Vinamilk stakes in small pieces at a time, the state may earn $1 billion less than by pouring the whole 45 per cent on the market at once.

According to a source of newswire Dealstreetasia, Vinamilks stocks traded at almost VND142,000 ($6.36) on October 13 morning, representing a market capitalisation of nearly VND206 trillion ($9.24 billion). The 9 per cent stake is valued at around $831.6 million.

Thereby, according to SCICs plan, it will sell its 45 per cent share volume in 9 per cent increments, for $800 million each, making $4 billion on the divestment. However, in case SCIC sells the whole 45 per cent stake at once and some investor wants to buy the whole stake in one fell swoop, they may pay a lot higher than the auction price. VAFI calculated that if the sale succeeds, the winning price will be at least 25 per cent higher than the previous valued price.

Earlier on October 7, SCIC announced that it selected Singapore's Morgan Stanley Asia, Saigon Securities Inc and VinaCapital Corporate Finance Vietnam as consultants to advise on the sale of a 9 per cent stake in Vinamilk.

Accordingly, they will advise on the state divestment, from building plans to selling shares, defining selling prices to seek domestic and foreign investors.

The divestment is expected to be completed this year.
illustration photo

At last weeks meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and over 50 representatives from Japanese firms operating in the sectors of manufacturing, mechanics, electricity, electronics, commercial service, construction, information technology, and foodstuff production, Phuc promised to ask relevant ministries to consider relaxing the conditions for entry under a visa exemption for Japanese citizens.

The move will make it more convenient for Japanese visitors to enter Vietnam for investment, business, and travel purposes.

Earlier on the same day last week, at a meeting between the Japanese representatives and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), Deputy Minister Dang Huy Dong also said the MPI wanted to see such a move from the government.

Japanese investors have been investing dozens of billions of dollars in Vietnam, but have to apply for new visa continuously. This is a big obstruction to them from re-entering Vietnam, and so they should have visa exemption, Dong said.

According to the MPI, Japan is a key investment partner and the fourth inbound tourism partner of Vietnam. As of September 20, 2016, there were 3,212 valid Japanese investment projects in Vietnam, registered at over $42 billion. Also in this years first nine months, the country received about 555,200 Japanese arrivals, up 11.4 per cent year-on-year.

At these meetings, on behalf of the 50 representatives, Kobayashi Yoichi, chairman of Japan-Mekong Business Cooperation Committee, proposed that the Vietnamese government ease conditions for entry under visa exemption for Japanese citizens.

In fact, since 2015, Japan Business Association in Vietnam has been requesting the government to give visa exemption to Japanese citizens, regardless of the date of their last departure from Vietnam. Under the current law, Japanese citizens are denied re-entry within 30 days if they do not have a visa, according to Yoichi.

Following the amendments to the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam enacted in June 2014, entry of Japanese citizens has been restricted in many cases.

Previously, when entering Vietnam under visa exemption, a Japanese citizen not having a visa did not affect their ability to re-enter the country, even if their last exit from Vietnam had been less than 30 days ago. Now, any Japanese citizen is required to obtain a visa when they wish to re-enter Vietnam.

This change in the visa exemption limits Japanese citizens from visiting Vietnam more frequently for business or tourism, Yoichi said. As such, we request that the conditions for entry under a visa exemption for Japanese citizens be loosened or even removed in order to allow them to fully enjoy the exemption, regardless of the time of their last exit from Vietnam.

He also added that Vietnam is the sole nation in ASEAN that is applying such a visa policy for Japanese citizens and that the country should follow common practice.
Bigg Boss celeb contestants think that Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor Rohan Mehra is immature. Even Rohan's onscreen father, Karan Mehra, holds the same opinion about him.

By India Today Web Desk: One of the most loved reality shows of all time, Bigg Boss, has made its return to Indian television, and how!

Bigg Boss 10 is as full of masala and drama as its previous seasons, and we bet the viewers are having a great time watching the show. Day 4 in the house of Bigg Boss had a lot of surprises in store for the fans of the show. But not all of them were pleasant in nature, so maybe the word 'surprise' doesn't quite fit in this context. Also read:Bigg Boss 10 Day 4: Karan Mehra fasts for wife Nisha Rawal, gets emotional on Karwa Chauth

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Are you wondering what we are talking about? Well, to be specific, one of the biggest revelations made on the show recently was what housemates think of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor Rohan Mehra.

The male celeb contestants; Gaurav Chopra, Karan Mehra, and Rahul Dev while discussing Rohan Mehra's recent antics in the house, called the young actor "immature."

This happened after an ugly spat took place between 'aam aadmi' contestant Priyanka Jagga and Rohan Mehra; the latter had spilled water on Priyanka. Later while apologizing to Priyanka about the whole thing, Rohan admitted that he was upset with her, and that was the reason why he had crossed the line and had presented the glass of water in such a fashion.

After the said incident; Gaurav, Karan, and Rahul while discussing the subject, called Rohan a "baccha" and an immature young guy who is not adept at dealing with tense and tricky situations. Even Rohan Mehra's onscreen father and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai co-actor Karan Mehra admitted that Rohan has a bit of a temper issue, and is not mature enough to handle all the Bigg Boss drama.

We wonder how Rohan would react when he gets to know what the three male celeb contestants (Karan, Gaurav, and Rahul) think of him.

Bigg Boss 10 airs every Mon-Fri at 10:30 pm and every Sat-Sun at 9 pm.



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The goal of the agreement is to construct a world-class product testing facility and garner expertise in regulations that will enable Vietnamese furniture manufacturers to expand to global markets.

The Vietnamese furniture market is poised for tremendous global growth and QUATEST3 is an ideal partner for UL to erect a local laboratory, said Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager at UL Environment. Together, we can provide local testing to award certifications and conform to regulations, and act as an active bridge between global retailers and local Vietnamese suppliers.

Under the leadership and management of QUATEST3, who brings extensive knowledge of the Vietnamese furniture market and a skilled workforce to the deal, the facility will feature ULs world-class furniture testing equipment to demonstrate quality, durability, and strength.

The lab, which is slated to open in early 2017, will also feature environmental chambers to test hazardous chemical emissions from furniture, building materials, electronics, and formulated products.



According to Lam Hoang, director of QUATEST3, the new facility will give local manufacturers an advantage with convenient access to advanced testing facilities, and enable them to gain global competitiveness.

It will give manufacturers local access to testing in two critical areas: furniture durability and performance, which is critically important to demonstrate that products are of a high quality and meet the needs of the global furniture retail market. The second aspect is chemical emissions testing, which will help manufacturers meet increasingly stringent regulations on chemical exposure from products.

UL is a leading authority on chemical emissions testing and regulations, which includes California Air Resources Board (CARB) testing and certification, UL GREENGUARD Certification, and European regulations.
The dike along Cua Dai Beach, near the citys Hoi An Ancient Town, was on the verge of collapse at dawn on Tuesday when heavy rains and rough seas hit the area.

Local authorities immediately sent work forces to fortify the dike with sandbags.

Work on the dike continued until the afternoon of the following day when David, a Canadian, and his girlfriend Petra, a Slovakian, saw the workers and decided to lend a helping hand.

According to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper correspondent at the scene, Petra held the bags open while David filled them with sand and carried them to the dike.

Both their faces were lit with smiles during the work, despite the dirt and sweat that accompanied the hard job.

During a short break, Petra explained that the couple had been visiting Hoi An for two days and were enjoying their last moments in the tourist town when they saw the dike protection efforts.

The Slovakian said they both wanted to help the locals and were happy to be doing something meaningful. This is certainly an unforgettable memory, she said.
Photo : nasa.gov

The US space agency had already pushed back the launch by a day to Tuesday.

If technicians are able to finish their repairs as planned, Discovery and its six American astronauts will now launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 3:52 pm (1952 GMT) Wednesday, NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said.

The flight to the orbiting International Space Station is the fourth and final shuttle flight of the year, and the last scheduled for Discovery, the oldest in the three-shuttle fleet that is being retired in 2011.
File photo by ASSOCIATED PRESS

A teenage boy lugs two buckets of water through a street permeated with wreckage caused by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, on Oct. 7.
Here is all you need to know about the bird flu, also know as the avian flu.

By India Today Web Desk: With a fresh wave of bird flu fear hitting the state, Delhi is ready to gear up with precaution to keep the deadly disease at bay. The fear spiked after at least 10 birds were reported dead in south Delhi in the past 48 hours.

Read more: Bird flu spreads its wings: 8 more birds dead, Delhi Deer Park shuts down

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While the government does its job to contain the disease (it is indeed a bird flu breakout), here's what you need to know about the bird flu aka avian flu.



WHAT IS AVIAN FLY?

Avian flu is the type of influenza caused by Type A strain of virus carried and infected by birds. That is why it is also known as the bird flu.

Avian flu can be infected by several types of birds, including farmed poultry such as chicken, ducks, turkey etc.







HOW DOES BIRD FLU SPREAD?

Bird flu is an infectious disease. It is mostly transmitted from livestock to birds (both wild and pet), and sometimes vice-versa.

The avian influenza virus strain can spread rapidly from one infected bird to other animals and birds via its bodily secretions, feces, same feed or water bowl.

From such infected birds, the virus can spread to humans who come in contact with them. In case of human, the bird flu also spreads at a high rate from the consumption of the meat of an infected bird.

The catch here is that humans don't easily get infected with the bird flu, and it is even more rare for one human to pass virus to another. It is mostly people who are already sick or down with a fever who pick up the bird flu.







HOW DANGEROUS IS BIRD FLU?

The bird flu has a history of extremely high death rate. In some parts of the world, more than half the people infected with it die.

If bird flu became easily transmittable, it would quickly become a global epidemic, causing million to die.

There are, in total, 16 types of bird flu. The H5N1 strain is considered the deadliest of all, although humans do not become easily infected with this virus.

The more highly pathogenic strains of bird flu are known to cause severe respiratory diseases in humans. If not properly treated, the bird flue could lead to death.

Also read: Genetics make some chickens resistant to bird flu



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HOW CAN YOU PREVENT BIRD FLU?

All birds can't be killed, nor can bird migration be stopped. Therefore, humans have to be careful to prevent the flu. Here are a few tips:

Hygiene: regular hand wash with warm water and soap. Stay away from coughing and sneezing people. If you're dealing with poultry or pet birds, be extra careful.

Avoid meat: especially chicken, duck, turkey, etc. However, some reports say cooked poultry are safe to eat, as long as they are prepared properly.

Vaccination: although there aren't any vaccinations for the bird flu in particular, stay updated with other seasonal flu shots.

Dead birds: stay far, far away from those.







WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Symptoms of the bird flu are the same as normal human flu: cough, high fever, body and joint ache, fatigue, blocked and/or runny nose, , etc. There could also be nose bleeds, chest pain, cold sweats and chills, sleeping difficulties, stomach upset, and gum bleeds.



BIRD FLU IN INDIA

According to a Department of Husbandry report, India had remained free of bird flu till 2006 mid-February.

The first major wave of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak (H5N1) hit India in Maharashtra and Gujarat around February 2006. From March to April, there was an outbreak of bird flu in Madhya Pradesh.

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Following the notification of the outbreak, over 10 lakh were culled to contain the disease. By late August 2006, India was again declared bird flu-free.

Then again, there was another bird flu breakout in Manipur in July 2007. Before the disease could spread to other areas, it was contained. Again, some four lakh birds were culled, and India was declared bird flu-free in November 2007.

A fourth outbreak was confirmed in Bengal's Birbhum and Dakshin Dinajpur districts in January 2008. It soon spread to 13 other districts in the state. This time, over 43 lakh birds were culled to bring the outbreak under control.

Also read: Goa bans Karnataka poultry following bird flu outbreak



The most recent outbreak of bird flu being reported in January 2015 in Kerala's Kollam district.





After some 25 other such outbreaks nationwide, India was again declared bird flu-free last September.

Read more: India declares itself free from bird flu



But then came the latest fear attack yesterday when at least eight birds were reported dead in under 48 hours in Delhi.

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Reports have it that two more birds each were reported at Delhi Zoo and Deer Park, three were spotted in Sundar Nagar near the zoo and one in Tughlakabad, taking the total since last week to 18.

Also, 15 painted stork has been reported from the Gwalior Zoo.

The Delhi government has set up a 23-member committee to investigate the cause of the death of the birds. The state government has announced a helpline (011-2389 0318) to report cases of bird flu and seek help.

Read more: Bird Flu sneaks back in, Delhi zoo shut down



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Cambodias defense minister has said that the military plans to buy fighter jets from China to upgrade its aging air force.



Speaking to reporters on Monday, Defense Minister Tea Banh said before the deal could go ahead the government would first seek to improve its air defense system with Chinese assistance.

His remarks followed a meeting with Wang Hong Li, an officer in Chinas naval task force, and just days after Chinese President Xi Jinpings first visit to Phnom Penh as head of state.



Tea Banh, who recently returned from a security meeting in Beijing, said, We will [first] defend aerospace, rather than expand the air force. The next step will be the air force.



He added that during his visit to Beijing he had signed several military aid agreements with China aimed at modernizing Cambodias armed forces, without providing details.



The announcement came as Chinese and U.S. navy vessels docked in Cambodia in a symbolic gesture of support.



Kung Phoak, president of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies, said it was not strange that Cambodia was making moves to update its crumbling military sector, but cautioned against overspending.



China is Cambodias largest donor and lender, providing about $15 billion over the past 20 years. During President Xis visit to Cambodia last week, it wrote off about $90 million in debt and pledged another $230 million in loans, as well as $15 million in military aid.



Meas Ny, an analyst of Cambodian affairs, said Cambodia should strengthen its armed forces to protect the country in an increasingly unstable world.



However, he said Cambodias small economy meant even donations of military hardware often led to more borrowing and rising debt. Before we got planes but had to borrow money to buy gasoline [to fly them]. Thats something the government should be thinking about, he said.



The announcement came as Chinese and U.S. navy vessels docked in Cambodia in a symbolic gesture of support.



Kung Phoak, president of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies, said it was not strange that Cambodia was making moves to update its crumbling military sector, but cautioned against overspending.



China is Cambodias largest donor and lender, providing about $15 billion over the past 20 years. During Xis visit last week, it wrote off about $90 million in debt and pledged another $230 million in loans, as well as $15 million in military aid.



Meas Ny, an analyst, said Cambodia should strengthen its armed forces to protect the country in an increasingly unstable world.



However, he said Cambodias small economy meant even donations of military hardware often led to more borrowing and rising debt. Before we got planes but had to borrow money to buy gasoline [to fly them]. Thats something the government should be thinking about, he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday claimed that his so-called win-win policy that allowed Khmer Rouge militants to integrate into the Cambodian armed forces was the deciding factor that led to peace in the country.

At a meeting with former Khmer Rouge fighters in Pailin province, a stronghold of the group until the mid-1990s, Hun Sen said the policy had had a greater effect on creating a peaceful settlement than the Paris Peace Agreement of 1991 or the UNTAC elections of 1993.

He said UNTAC  the U.N. mission to Cambodia  had spent heaps to operate in Cambodia, but had left behind a country of two factions and two governments that fought each other endlessly.

Hun Sen disputed the results of the 1993 election, which he lost, and negotiated a co-prime ministerial role alongside Prince Norodom Ranariddh until a bloody 1997 coup saw him take full control.

If there was no win-win policy, he told those gathered in Pailin this week, there would be no peace like now.

Civil society groups raised concerns this week that the ideals of the Paris accords which turn 25 years old this month  were not being fully implemented, pointing to alleged partisanship in the judiciary and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Son Chhay, an opposition lawmaker, said that members of his Cambodia National Rescue Party had come under assault in a series of legal cases, despite having legal immunity from prosecution.

This is an urgent issue which needs to be dealt with soon to make state institutions stronger and reduce individual power, he said.

Keo Remy, head of the Cambodia Human Rights Committee, a government body, rejected the allegations, saying the governments human rights record was not bad.

We continue to follow international standards. The most important is peace and continued stability... Look at Arab in middle east, where is human rights? In Syria, in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.
The majority of young Cambodians live with depression and anxiety without knowing they have a problem, according to psychologists.

High levels of unemployment, combined with pressures brought on by studies, work and rising materialism, have contributed to the problem, the experts said.

Kao Sovandara, a psychology lecturer at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said mental health problems often went unnoticed but manifested in a loss of interest in activities and general inaction.

For example, the symptoms of the depression include losing interest in daily activities, looking hungry and exhausted, and sometimes suicidal feelings, he said.

Yim Sobotra, a senior psychiatrist at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital, said the root causes of mental disorders were social pressures, while peoples understanding of the issue was still very limited.

When we talk about mental health, most of people think patients are only very serious cases. And so people dare not to seek mental health support or consultation, he said.

He added that mental and physical health are closely related. When there is an emotional pain, it can cause physical pain. When people dont sleep well because of mental illness, it has physical effects, he said.

Despite the problems, Sobotra said people seeking consultations related to mental health issues had doubled since 2014.

Ean Nil, a psychologist, said stress, a key contributor to mental ill-health, is very common, but could be countered by meditation and physical activity.

In 2012, official data shows 42 young Cambodians committed suicide due to mental ill-health.
Editors note: William J. Rust is one of the foremost researchers specialized in US relations with Southeast Asian nations. His recently published book looks closely at American policy toward Cambodia during the U.S. presidential administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower during the years 1953-1961. Titled Eisenhower and Cambodia: Diplomacy, Covert Action, and the Origins of the Second Indochina War, Rusts book deals primarily with the Eisenhower administration and its relationship with Cambodian leader Norodom Sihanouk. A central focus of the book is on covert US involvement in the intriguing and little-known plot by a military commander, Dap Chhuon, against Cambodias then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk.



Born in Washington DC and currently living in East Otis, MA., Rust is a writer, editor and communications consultant. He was a researcher with the book division of US News and World Report where he contributed articles on the Vietnam War. He has published four books on US relations with countries in Southeast Asia and is currently writing a fifth about US relations with Indonesia.



In a recent phone interview with VOA Khmers Sopheada Phy, Rust explained why the Eisenhower administration was covertly involved in the Dap Chhuon affair, and how relations between the US and Cambodia were significantly damaged as a result. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Eisenhower and Cambodia - What is the book mainly about?

The book is mainly about the formulation and execution of US policy toward Cambodia during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Essentially, it is history of US relations with King, and later Prince, Norodom Sihanouk between 1953 and 1961. The book also has an epilogue that covers US relations with Cambodia during the administration of John F. Kennedy. During the 1950s and early 1960s, there were many significant events in Cambodian history, including Sihanouks crusade for independence in 1953, the Geneva Conference in 1954, Cambodias declaration of neutrality in 1955, and Cambodias troubled relations with its US-backed neighbors, South Vietnam and Thailand. The book devotes a great deal of attention to the plots against Sihanouk and his eventual decision to kick out American military and civilian advisors.

What are a few of the important issues discussed in the book?

Basically, the book examines the Eisenhower administrations inability to find common ground with Sihanouk, who was at least initially pro-Western in his political orientation. I pay particular attention to US relations with anti-communist Cambodian dissidents plotting against Sihanouk, and with their patrons in South Vietnam and Thailand. In 1959, American relations with the Prince were severely damaged by the exposure of CIA involvement with Dap Chhuon and his unsuccessful plot to overthrow Sihanouk. Cambodias relations with the Americans were severely damaged by the failure of the United States to provide any explanation for agency operative Victor Matsuis contact with the rebels.

Was the plot against Sihanouk at that time conducted secretly by the US government?

Yes, I believe so. For much of Eisenhowers presidency, national security policy provided explicit guidance for encouraging anti-Sihanouk groups and individuals. From the Eisenhower administrations point of view, the basic problem with Sihanouk was his indifference to the global ideological struggle between the so-called communist bloc and the Free World. Sihanouk, however, said that he wanted to stay out of the fight between two elephantsthe United States and the Soviet Union. The US government tended to look at all international relations through the Cold War perspective of being for the West or the communist bloc.

Neutrality, particularly in Southeast Asia, was very troubling to the United States. It was disturbing to the US government when Sihanouk established diplomatic relations with China in 1958. In the 1950s, non-recognition of China was the cornerstone of US policy in the Far East. When Sihanouk in Cambodia and Souvanna Phouma in Laos tried to come to an understanding with their giant neighbor [China], US officials were upset.

When talking about the plots against Sihanouk, you have to talk about his relations with South Vietnam and Thailand, which were not good in this period. I think part of the problem was the personalities of the leaders and part of it dated back to clashes among the Khmer, Siamese, and Vietnamese empires in Southeast Asia. The relations between Cambodia, Thailand, and South Vietnam were worsened by arbitrary boundaries established by the French in Indochina during the colonial era. The United States, however, paid little attention to historical antagonisms and focused almost exclusively on the fight against communism. The Americans were not terribly sympathetic to Sihanouks concerns about the threats from his anti-communist neighbors.

In 1956, when Sihanouk first visited China and decided to establish economic and cultural relations with that country, Siem Reap regional military commander Dap Chhuon approached the US ambassador and said he was going to resist the Princes policy of getting along with China. He [Dap Chhuon] was anti-communist, and he was prepared to take forceful measures against Sihanouk. At that time, in 1956, the United States did not back Dap Chhuon, correctly assuming that he really didnt have much political support and that it would probably make matters worse if he tried to launch a coup.

But, that changed later in the decade. In 1958, Sihanouk agreed to establish diplomatic relations with China, which deeply disturbed the United States as well as Thailand and South Vietnam. The Thai and the South Vietnamese were willing to work together to overthrow Sihanouk and to provide support for the Khmer Serei, the armed Cambodian dissidents who operated from bases in Thailand and South Vietnam. Then there is the issue of CIA involvement in plotting against Sihanouk.

Up to now, there have been two narratives about the CIAs role in the Dap Chhuon coup. One, which I called the covert story, is that CIA operative Victor Matsui merely reported on Dap Chhuons activities and that the US government tried to stop his plot against Sihanouk. There is a second narrative, which my book provides evidence for and which I find much more persuasive: The United States played an active role in the Dap Chhuon conspiracy, but unsuccessfully tried to pull the plug on the coup at the last minute. The evidence supporting this conclusion includes documents from the US National Archives and statements from such credible sources as the US ambassador to Cambodia, a CIA case officer in Phnom Penh, and a recorded conversation between President Kennedy and Assistant Secretary of State Roger Hilsman.

Why did Sihanouk establish relations with communist China during that time?

The evidence indicates that he [Sihanouk] was trying to maintain a balance between the West and the communists. He wanted to have good relation with the United States, which was underwriting all the cost of his army, and at the same time, he felt he couldnt ignore his massive neighbor to the North, China, which loomed so large over Southeast Asia. He didnt want to antagonize the Chinese communists.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Sihanouk had no tolerance for domestic Khmer communists, and he tried very hard to suppress them. The United States paid little attention to this fact. Eventually, after the collapse of the Dap Chhuon coup, Eisenhower administration officials concluded that it was really counterproductive to plot against Sihanouk, and they tried to figure out a way to get along with him, but that proved to be very difficult.

Why was the United States disturbed that Sihanouk was dealing with China?

You have to go back to the early years of the Cold War and the US view of it. The activities of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe in the late 1940s - the communist coup in Czechoslovakia, for example - the successful test of the Soviet atomic bomb, and perhaps most important of all, the success of Mao Tse-tungs communist revolution in China produced the policy of non-recognition of China. In the eyes of virtually all US officials in the 1950s, China was an outlaw state, and non-recognition of China was fundamental to US policy. A related aspect of US policy was that the conviction that neutral countries were utterly naive and vulnerable to communist takeovers. American officials also bristled at the moral equivalence implied by Sihanouks foreign policy of neutrality. Finally, the US government at this time acted as if the Kremlin ran an efficient, vertically integrated global communist conspiracy with wholly owned subsidiaries in Beijing, Hanoi, and elsewhere, and they paid little attention to national differences that would prove stronger than ideology.

The Red Army in Europe and Soviet nuclear capabilities, these were very scary realities for the United States and worthy of all the sustained national security attention they received. What US officials failed to recognizeor at least failed to act uponwas the fact that communists in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam were not controlled by Moscow, and that they operated with considerable autonomy. In other words, the United States failed to see that the threats posed by the Soviet Union, the Peoples Republic of China, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and indigenous communist movements throughout Southeast Asia as related, but distinct phenomena, each with its own dynamics, strengths and limitations. This monolithic, one-size-fits-all view of communism led US officials to the dubious conclusion that Indochina was strategically significant to US national security, which turned out to be untrue.

If Sihanouk had agreed to US support to counter communist North Vietnam during that time, what would have been the result?

Im not very good at speculative historygetting the facts straight is hard enough. You know, Souvanna Phouma in Laos had a lot of problems with the United States in the 1950s and ended up supporting the Americans. That didnt change the outcome of the Vietnam War or the outcome of communist rule in Laos. I would flip your question and suggest that greater US tolerance for Cambodian and Laotian neutrality would have been better for everyone. Instead of trying to undermine Sihanouk, instead of engaging in plots against him, instead of trying to elevate anti-communists, the United States could have told him: We dont think neutrality is going to work; we think this policy is naive, but were going to support you in it. I think that there would have been a great deal more international support for a truly neutral Cambodia and Laos if the United States had actively supported neutral leaders there rather than try to overthrow them, which only benefitted the communists.

If Sihanouk had agreed to United States support, North Vietnamese troops would have had no access into Cambodia to fight South Vietnam. What do you think about that argument?

Again, I prefer not to engage in speculative history. Interdicting North Vietnamese troops traveling along the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia proved to be very difficult for the United States. To win the Vietnam War, the United States would have had to use overwhelming force and occupied virtually all of Vietnam. If the United States had signed and abided by the terms of 1954 Geneva Agreement, the Vietnamese communists would have still won the war but with a lot less loss of life among Southeast Asians and Americans.

If North Vietnamese troops had not had access into Cambodia through the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the United States had been backed by Sihanouk, would the result of the Vietnam War have turned out different way?

The existence of the Ho Chi Minh Trail made it almost impossible for the United States to win the war in Vietnam. To really shut down the trail, at least in the view of some top US military and civilian officials, the United States would have to invade North Vietnam and sever the trail at its source. Such an operation was unacceptable to both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Do you think the United States was partly responsible for the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia?

I think that the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by both the Vietnamese communists and the Americans were partly responsible for the rise of the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge leadership were responsible for the Cambodian genocide.

My main research interest or main contribution in this book is trying to understand how and why the United States became involved in what most Americans called the Vietnam War, what most historians called the second Indochina War. Although Vietnam was the main focus of many Americans, understanding what happened in Cambodia and Laos are essential to any meaningful understanding of the war.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is visiting Beijing this week to realign himself politically with China and seek economic support for his country. The trip includes pledges to cut military and economic ties with the United States. But many people back home prefer to keep up the U.S. alliance as they distrust China. Ralph Jennings reports from the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro.
A BSF Jawan was injured after Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire along the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

By Ashwini Kumar, Jitendra Bahadur Singh: A BSF Jawan was injured after Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire along the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The (Friday) ceasefire violation by Pakistan occurred at around 9.30 in the morning (in Kathua district). It was effectively retaliated by us. Some casualties have been effected on the other side," an officer of the BSF told IANS.

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4-5 TERRORISTS TRIED TO INFILTRATE

According to sources, 4 to 5 terrorists tried to infiltrate into Indian territory, but were given a befitting reply by the Army and BSF.

Also read: Pakistan summons India's Deputy High Commissioner for ceasefire violations at LoC



"A BSF soldier suffered a bullet injury during the encounter. He has been evacuated to the Government Medical College, Jammu. His condition is critical," the officer said.



JAWANS SAW SUSPICIOUS MOVEMENT



According to sources, suspicious movement was seen by jawans at about 8.30 am today. The encounter is going on ahead of the border fencing.



This firing comes as the latest provocation in a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan since the September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army on terror launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, officials said.

(WITH INPUTS FROM IANS)

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U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday discussed the need to increase military cooperation between the two countries in the campaign to defeat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Carter arrived Friday in Ankara, Turkey, where he met with Erdogan and other top Turkish political and defense officials.

A U.S. Defense Department statement said the leaders agreed to maintain frequent communication and close coordination among members of the coalition fighting the Islamic State terror group, to ensure a "lasting defeat" of IS.

Carters trip to Ankara comes as the U.S. is increasingly worried about tensions between Turkey and Iraq surrounding the campaign to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from IS fighters.

Turkish troops

Turkey wants to have a larger role in the battle for Iraqs second city, but the Iraqi government is opposed to Turkish military involvement, and the U.S. fears tensions between the two countries could lead to the end of an agreement that is keeping rival sectarian and ethnic militias out of Mosul.

Before he arrived in Turkey, Carter said he would emphasize the need for Turkey to respect Iraq's sovereignty.

The Turkish and Iraqi governments have been feuding about the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp north of Mosul, where 500 Turkish soldiers have been training Sunni and Kurdish fighters since last December.

The Iraqi government has said the troops dont have permission to be at the base and called for them to leave, though Turkey has refused and said the soldiers will take part in the operation to retake Mosul.

Carter also toured the Turkish parliament building that was damaged during the July coup attempt and expressed condolences to those who were killed defending the Turkish government.

"I think everyone there admires the heroes and the martyrs of that terrible incident. We are your strong friends, your long time allies and staunch supporters of the great democracy in Turkey," Carter said.

(Story was updated to clarify wording of U.S. statement mentioned in 3rd paragraph.)
Though they were guest speakers at an annual benefit dinner Thursday in New York, rival U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had few charitable things to say about each other a day after facing off in a rancorous debate.

"Here she is, pretending not to hate Catholics," Republican nominee Trump said of his Democratic opponent, at the white-tie event hosted by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York.

The barb drew gasps from some of the 1,500 guests at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. So did Trumps charge that "Hillary is so corrupt.

Clinton dished, too. She took aim at Trump for judging women on appearance.

"People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world," she said. "Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4  maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and the tablet and changes her hair."

Groans arose from the audience in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

WATCH: Clinton joke about Trump and Statue of Liberty





'Awkward' chemistry

New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan, sitting between the two speakers, later charitably described their chemistry as "awkward," the Associated Press reported.

The dinner memorializes Alfred E. Smith, a Democrat and former New York governor who, in 1928, became the first Roman Catholic presidential candidate. He's remembered for working across political divisions and encouraging unity.

The archdiocese had billed the event, which raised $6 million to aid New York's needy children, as an opportunity to hear the speakers' "light humor and political savvy." The political roast had plenty of light moments.

Trump spoke first, teasing that "many people tell me that modesty is perhaps my best quality. Even better than my temperament."

He also joked about wife Melania's speech to the Republican Party convention in July, which included verbatim parts of a speech Michelle Obama gave at the 2008 Democratic convention. Trump teasingly blamed the resulting uproar on the media, a favorite target.

"The media is even more biased this year than ever before, ever," he said. "You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it, its fantastic. ... My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case."

Trump later pointed out the heads of TV network and cable news chiefs and newspapers, and implied they all were part of Clintons campaign team.

WATCH: Trump joke about wife Melania's RNC speech





'Corrupt' comment draws boos



Then Trump turned up the political roast's temperature to searing. When he called Clinton "corrupt," it brought jeering.

"Weve learned so much from Wikileaks," Trump said, referencing emails published after being stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. One exchange mocked conservative Catholics. "For example, Hillary believes that it is vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private. For example, here she is tonight in public pretending not to hate Catholics.

Clinton and Dolan looked uncomfortable.

Clinton jokes about health, speaking fees



Clinton opened her remarks by poking fun at her recent health concerns and her large speaking fees.

"This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here," she said. And as youve already heard, its a special treat for all of you, too, because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this."

She jabbed at Trumps repeated claims that the election might be "rigged" and at his assertion in Wednesday's debate that he might not accept election results.

Come to think of it, its amazing Im up here after Donald. I didnt think hed be OK with a peaceful transition of power. After listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it," she said of Trump's running mate.

Clinton joked about Trump's apparent lack of support from members of the Republican Party and implied the party wasn't helping either candidate financially.

"Every year, this dinner brings together a collection of sensible, committed mainstream Republicans  or, as we now like to call them, Hillary supporters, she said.

Common ground



Despite numerous testy moments, Clinton said she and Trump could find some common ground.

"Lets come together, remember what unites us  and just rip on Ted Cruz," she said.

Clinton and Trump did come together. After her remarks, the two shook hands, a nicety they'd ignored following the previous night's debate.
Faced with disappointing polling numbers and less than three weeks to bridge the gap, Donald Trump on Friday nonetheless stayed upbeat as he campaigned in two key battleground states.

"I honestly believe we're going to win," the Republican presidential candidate told a rally in North Carolina before heading to the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Trump highlighted three recent polls showing him ahead of his rival, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who is campaigning Friday in the hotly contested state of Ohio.

But as the race enters its final phase, the reality is that Trump is playing catchup.

Clinton leads Trump by more than 6 points nationwide, according to several respected polling averages. She is coming off a strong performance in Wednesday's final debate of the campaign. She also has a significant cash advantage, according to figures released this week.

New states in play

Clinton's most important edge is evident when you look at the state-by-state electoral map. According to the FiveThirtyEight website, Clinton is forecast to win 341 electoral votes, compared to Trump's 196.

That is mostly due to Clinton's small but significant lead in the handful of traditional swing states, which typically decide a presidential election.

Most years, those states include Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Hampshire and a few others. But this year, swing states are popping up everywhere.

Some recent polls have shown a shockingly tight race in longtime Republican strongholds such as Georgia, Arizona, Utah and even Texas.

It raises the question of whether Trump has a viable path toward winning the presidency.

"If he can't win Utah, he can't pull it off," said Reed Galen, a political consultant who worked on both successful campaigns of ex-President George W. Bush.

Utah has voted for a Republican president every election since 1968. But this year Trump faces a serious challenge there, not only from Clinton but also from independent candidate Evan McMullin.

Trump has just a one-point lead over McMullin and a five-point lead over Clinton according to the latest Utah poll, released Friday by UtahPolicy.com.

Mormons make up a large percentage of Utah, and are "singularly disgusted" at Trump's crass comments about women, Galen says. Many Utah residents may also find it attractive that McMullin is a member of the Mormon church.

Minorities, women skeptical

Trump has also struggled to win over several other crucial voting blocs, such as African Americans, Latinos, and suburban women  factors that help explain his standing in states like Georgia and Arizona.

So far there is little evidence to suggest Trump is changing his strategy to address his deficits in the new battleground states. Instead, he is focusing on traditional swing states.

Trump has also doubled down on his message to his far-right base, lashing out at more moderate Republicans who have rejected his candidacy and refusing to say whether he will accept the results of an election loss.

That pattern reflects Trump's inability to grow a sufficient base of support, says Gary Nordlinger, a professor at the Graduate School of Political Management of George Washington University.

"This could have been a very winnable campaign for him, but he would have had to stop saying and doing thoughtless things," Nordlinger said. "I have never seen a candidate with so many self-inflicted wounds."
The state of emergency in effect in Ethiopia since October 8 is being used broadly to silence critical media voices and lock up suspected dissidents, according to a range of reports coming in from the country.

More than 1,000 people who are considered ringleaders or bandits have been arrested in Ethiopia since a national state of emergency began, according to state-controlled Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC).

Some of the hotspots have included north Gonder and the surrounding region where 93 arrests were made; Kelem Welega Zone in Oromia where 110 people were arrested; Guji Zone in Oromia where 302 people were arrested and Western Arsi in Oromia where 670 people were arrested, FBC reported.

The number of arrests adds to earlier reports of 1,000 people arrested in Sebeta town according to its mayor, Ararsa Merdesa, who spoke to the Associated Press.

Information crackdown

The country is also taking steps to prevent information from getting out. The internet is shut down and the act of posting updates about the security situation on Facebook has been declared a crime.

It has also been made illegal to watch certain opposition cable and satellite channels. The Oromia Media Network (OMN), a satellite television channel based in Minnesota that broadcasts into Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Satellite Television and Radio (ESAT), one of the largest broadcasters into the country and run by the diaspora, were both labeled terrorist groups and singled out in the state of emergencys Article 2.

Jawar Mohammed, executive director of OMN said that this is not an unusual occurrence since the government has jammed his broadcast signal 15 times over the last two and a half years.

I think the key objective of the state of emergency is to reinstall fear in peoples minds, Mohammed told VOA. Because the breakdown of fear, people coming out in large numbers, is seen as threatening so thats what they attempted to do.

Mohammed said he is heartened to see that, despite the attempts at intimidation, people continue to send his station video, photo and text updates.

We have thousands of people scattered across the region reporting to us with tangible evidence: videos, pictures of the regimes brutality and the bravery of our people, he said. We are broadcasting this to Oromia, connecting all corners of the region. The government perceives that as a serious threat.

Kassahun Yilma, editor and producer of ESAT, based in Washington D.C., said his station has also been blocked. However, Yilma said the current protests will be difficult to stifle since they are not centered in one area or being led by one single source.

He sees it as mobilizing people across ethnic lines, and including both young and old people and rural and urban inhabitants. It includes all the society, Yilma said. Before it has been just the students protesting in their campus, but now it includes all kinds of people in Ethiopia.

Continued beatings and arrests

Reports from witnesses on the ground paint a picture of a widespread crackdown across much of the Oromia and Amhara regions of the country. In Ambo, a town west of the capital, a resident said that arrests occurred on the streets and students were being pulled out of classrooms and arrested.

They are taking people just because they suspect something and they check people's mobiles or they just arrest people, the resident told VOA's Amharic Service. They are also asking people to disassemble their satellite dish and if people refuse, they arrest them.

"They are also searching peoples homes and taking people who they are saying have links with OLF, the resident said.

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is an opposition group considered a terrorist organization in Ethiopia and has its bases abroad. The government blames anti-government protests on OLF and other groups that it labels anti-peace elements.

Ethiopia has charged that these groups are supported by foreign governments. We know for a fact that the terrorist group OLF is receiving all kinds of support from Egypt, said Getachew Reda, the Ethiopian government spokesman speaking to reporters earlier this month.

In small towns in the Oromia region, residents report that security forces are going door to door to enforce the information blackout. They beat people at night after 6:00 p.m. going from one house to another, a witness told VOA's Amharic service. They are asking people not to watch or use their satellite dishes and don't watch ESAT and OMN. If people's home are found with these satellite dishes, they beat them brutally, even when they are bleeding.

International call for accountability

Human rights groups and many world leaders are denouncing the crackdown and urging the government to opt for dialogue and reform. It is the governments failure to constructively engage with the protesters that continues to fuel these protests, said Muthoni Wanyeki of Amnesty International. It must now change course.

The U.S. Department of State called on the Ethiopian government to address grievances in the Amhara and Oromia regions by opening political space and respecting the freedoms and democratic rights in the countrys constitution.



Tsion Girma contributed to this report
European Union heads of state continue their summit Friday in Brussels, where the EUs response to Russias bombing campaign in Syria is high on the agenda. Syrian government forces began a 3-day cease-fire in Aleppo Thursday, but their Russian allies have refused to extend the deal, despite pressure from France and Germany.

Despite the temporary cease-fire in the skies above Aleppo, theres little sign of a lasting end to the bombing campaign unleashed by Syrian government and Russian forces. Europe and the United States accuse Moscow of killing and injuring thousands of civilians  actions that France says amount to war crimes.

Arriving in Brussels for her first European Council summit Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May called for European unity.

We must continue to work together, and it's vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling atrocities, its sickening atrocities, in Syria, said May.

Europe had debated easing the sanctions applied to Russia over its forceful takeover of Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Thats now seen as highly unlikely, said John Lough of London-based policy institute Chatham House.

The Russians were making a lot of progress in exploiting some divisions in Europe around sanctions. And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin faced with that opportunity then, to my mind, did something rather remarkable in Syria in engaging in this bombardment of Aleppo thats caused international outrage. And then [that] immediately hardened attitudes in Europe, said Lough.

Lough argues Europe needs to reformulate its policy response on Russia.

We need dialogue in certain areas where we can have it. But at the same time, we need to maintain some firm instruments that show where our limits are. We have to defend our values  in my view we have to absolutely uphold the principle of inviolability of borders, said Lough.

The Syrian civil war is among the push factors that have driven millions of refugees and migrants to European shores.

While the flow of migrants through Turkey has slowed, thousands continue to arrive every week on Italian shores from North Africa. Ahead of the Brussels summit, Italy accused Europe of a lack of solidarity in dealing with the crisis  with some justification, said Ian Bond of the Center for European Reform.

Italy is facing a problem which is absolutely not its own fault, but the EUs response has been inadequate. And thats partly because you have countries like Hungary in particular, Poland to some extent, who are saying that they are not prepared to take part in sharing out the refugees who are reaching Italy, said Bond.

In a packed Brussels schedule, Britains exit from the EU also will be featured  with both sides hardening their positions in recent weeks ahead of formal talks expected to begin next year.
Filipinos largely continue to support U.S. military aid despite a string of anti-America comments from their new president, polls and interviews show, and some worry about his proposal for an alliance with China in light of a territorial dispute.

Some people in the Southeast Asian country, however, are prepared to give China a chance as their president, Rodrigo Duterte, visits Beijing this week to discuss economic aid for his impoverished country. Duterte said Thursday he would separate from the United States militarily and economically.

The moves follow U.S. criticism of suspected extrajudicial killings in Dutertes anti-drug campaign.

But a new survey this week from the Philippine-based nonprofit research institution Social Weather Stations shows some of the highest trust ever for the United States, which colonized the Philippines from 1898 to 1946. People on the ground say they still want help from the Western superpower in resisting Muslim rebels as well as Chinese vessels in waters off its west coasts.

Kirk Nagac, 27, a job seeker in the southern Philippine city Cagayan de Oro, looks to the United States for advanced military equipment.

Its good we use American aid in the Philippines, but I dont know whether the president will allow it, but for me its not a problem, Nagac said. I dont know if we need China, because the U.S. is helping us in the Philippines.

According to Social Weather Stations, 76 percent of Filipinos place much trust in the United States and 22 percent have the same level of trust in China. Trust in the United States has risen over the year to date, the research organization says.

Duterte has said that joint military exercises with the United States earlier this month would be the last. He has also asked U.S. advisers, after 14 years, to stop helping Philippine forces fight the violent Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebels in the archipelagos southwest.

His push for a more independent foreign policy would make sense, but pushing the United States away risks a backlash at home, said Carl Baker, director of programs with the U.S. think tank CSIS Pacific Forum.

Hes at risk of alienating fairly significant numbers in the Philippine establishment who have long relations with the United States, both in the defense community and in the business community, and so I think he really needs to perhaps slow down his pace a bit and get some feedback from Philippine people themselves, Baker said.

Filipinos support the U.S. aid because it comes from the worlds strongest military and a fellow democratic country. Research database Globalfirepower.com rates the U.S. military as the worlds strongest, with the Philippines at No. 51.

The United States has also kept favor by working in the background, at the request of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, rather than deploying troops in a way that would feel awkwardly like the colonial years.

Washington and Manila signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951 obligating each side to support the other if attacked by a third party. Two years ago the two sides reached an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows a rotation of U.S. troops and joint military exercises aimed at Chinese maritime encroachments.

Duterte, during his visit to Beijing this week, told Chinese state television Wednesday that China was the only hope of the Philippines economically.

He pledged Thursday to become dependent on China for a long time and said he had aligned himself with Chinese ideology. The two countries were expected to sign deals worth more than $13 billion, according to Philippine media. They also agreed to shelve the South China Sea sovereignty dispute.

China had pushed for dialogue since losing a world arbitration court ruling in July. Dutertes predecessor Benigno Aquino filed for arbitration to stop Chinese vessels from passing within his countrys 370-km (200 nautical-mile) exclusive ocean economic zone.

Filipinos say they are leery of closer ties with China due to the four-year-old maritime dispute, which has cut into Manilas claims in the Spratly Island archipelago off its west coast. China uses historical records to claim nearly the entire South China Sea, including the Philippine exclusive economic zone.

I think were all concerned about the encroachment of China on the offshore islands of the Philippines, so I think that has to be a balancing factor even if we open relations with China, said Antonio Ledesma, archbishop of Cagayan de Oro. Maybe the statements of the president have to be taken with a grain of salt.

But China has a reputation for investing in other Southeast Asian countries rather than just handing them aid, some Filipinos argue. The Philippines is pushing for new infrastructure and factory investment to stoke economic growth now driven largely by overseas remittances and back-office work for multinationals.

China can offer the Philippines tourists and infrastructure financing in particular, said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia Pacific economist with the French investment bank Natixis, though it may come at a political cost.

Our president not only wants to be friendly to the U.S. but also to our neighbors China and Russia. Its only practical to talk, said Dexter Feliciano, founder of MyLegalWhiz, a law advice service in metro Manila. The U.S. just gives us aid. China is talking about investments. The administration wants to end welfare colonialism. What we need is really investment.
Anti-terror prosecutors from four nations say they need greater access to encrypted data on smartphones and computers in the fight against terrorism.

The prosecutors from France, Belgium, Spain and Morocco made their joint appeal in Paris after a two-day meeting. Theyre seeking new tools to respond to a new age of terror and unlock encrypted messages used by groups like Islamic State.

They issued a joint statement Friday to alert national and international authorities, internet providers, software makers and telecommunication operators about the obstacles posed by data encryption and the locking smartphones and computers, according to the Associated Press.

French prosecutor Francois Molins said protecting personal data is an essential right, but terrorism threats justified specialized judicial access to suspects data. Not having that, he said, has sometimes paralyzed investigations.

France and Belgium have both been hit by major terror attacks in recent months. Prosecutors from the four countries have been working closely to prevent future incidents.

The issue of accessing encrypted data is controversial, raising concerns about privacy and abuse. In the U.S., for example, Apple refused to help the FBI unlock an iPhone belonging to a California assailant.

Joe McNamee, executive director of NGO European Digital Rights in Brussels, was critical of the prosecutors demands.

A bad idea, badly explained, he said. Were presented with a notion  in an environment when there is more data about more individuals than at any time in our history  that certain pieces of data are absolutely crucial and on a very practical level thats just not true. On a deeper level, the issue of encryption is about everyones security.

French and German authorities have issued similar calls for encrypted data to social media platforms popular with Jihadi groups.
Officials from the electoral commission of Ghana plan to meet the chiefs and elders as well as the media next week as part of an engagement program to educate the public ahead of the December 7 presidential, parliamentary and local elections.

The electoral commission says officials will go across the country to meet and explain the electoral process and answer voter concerns.

Time with commissioners

Called time with the commissioners, the media engagement was recently launched in the capital, Accra, when the chairperson of the electoral commission, Charlotte Osei, met with editors and media representatives to underscore the measures the election body would deploy to ensure a transparent, peaceful and credible general election.

As part of our communication strategy and the voter education, we have a series of engagements with our stakeholders across the country, said Eric Dzakpasu, spokesman for the electoral commission.

And next week on the 26 October 2016, we are scheduled to meet the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs to engage with them, and at that engagement we are going to explain our activities so far and our preparedness and our preparations toward the elections on the 7th of December, he added.

He also says the electoral commission is engaging young people on social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, to explain the electoral processes as part of its voter education campaign.

Critics say the electoral commission has been ineffective in its plans to administer this years vote.

Critics: It's too late

Peter Mac Manu, the national campaign manager for main opposition leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says the electoral commission has been late in implementing its strategic plans to organize the elections.

Its rather late because if you look at when they launched their strategic plan, a strategic plan for two, three years should have been launched three years ago, so that it is implemented at this point in time. But in any case, better late than never.  Elections have timelines and you have four years to deal with an election program, so, I cant understand why we have to run around last minute, local media quoted Manu as saying.

Dzakpasu disagreed. He says the electoral commissions timetable is intact and on course for the December elections.

Dzakpasu says recent high marks that independent think tanks in the country have given the election commission show prospective voters have confidence in the electoral commissions ability to organize credible polls.

He says the electoral commission had to amend its timetable after parliament turned down a proposal to organize the elections on November 7.

The electoral commission is not distracted in the least.  When that proposal was rejected by parliament, we came up with another timetable gearing toward the 7th of December, and ever since we came out with the [new] timetable, we have been on course, we are working feverishly, Dzakpasu said.

Dzakpasu expressed surprise at politicians whom he says accuse the electoral commission of favoritism. He says the political parties discuss issues and concerns with officials of the electoral commission at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings.

Thats the most interesting and intriguing part of our relationship with some of the political parties.  We now meet once every month according to a pre-arranged timetable and very interesting enough we agree at the IPAC more than we disagree, he said.

But for some reason best known to some politicians, I think it is a deliberate attempt to run down the commission. We agree on issues [but] as soon as we leave IPAC, what they come out to say sometimes is completely opposite to what we have agreed on at IPAC, Dzakpasu said.

Ballot to be set

After a court rules on who is qualified for the ballot, he said the electoral commission will hold a secret ballot for qualified presidential candidates to choose their positions on the paper ballots to be used for the presidential vote The court has set October 25 to begin hearing petitions.

Dzakpasus remarks came after the electoral body Thursday completed the secret balloting for places on the parliamentary ballot paper to be used for the polling. He says the positions for the parliamentary election are:

1. The Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP)

2. Progressive Peoples Party (PPP)

3. National Democratic Congress (NDC)

4. United Peoples Party (UPP)

5. New Patriotic Party (NPP)

6. The National Democratic Party (NDP)

7. Independent Peoples Party (IPP)
The wife of an Iranian-Austrian man sentenced recently by an Iranian court to 10 years in prison on spying charges has told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that her husband is a "simple businessman" unjustly imprisoned.

Hanika Ghaderi's husband, businessman Kamran Ghaderi, was initially detained in Tehran in January, but his conviction and sentence for espionage and cooperation with the United States were revealed earlier this week.

"How can they say something like that about Kamran? I don't understand," Ghaderi's wife said, adding that he had no ties to the United States and was not involved in politics.

Hanika Ghaderi said the family is planning to appeal the sentence.

10-year sentences

Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on October 18 that the 52-year-old Kamran Ghaderi was among six individuals who received 10-year sentences for what he described as spying and working with the hostile government in Washington.

The others include 80-year-old Iranian-American Baquer Namazi and his son Siamak Namazi, Farhad Abd-Saleh, Alireza Omidvar and Nizar Zakka.

Ghaderi is the CEO of Avanoc, an IT management and consulting company that has worked in Iran for many years, Hanika Ghaderi told Radio Farda.

"Everything he's [been] doing is legal," she added.

Hanika Ghaderi said her husband was among a number of Austrian businessmen and companies at an official Austrian-Iranian trade meeting in Tehran in 2015 that was attended by senior officials, including former Austrian President Heinz Fischer.

"He was working in Iran; it's not forbidden," she said.

She said Ghaderi, a father of three, was detained during a business trip to Iran and was being held at Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

Kept news quiet

The family did not publicize the case at the time on advice from Ghaderi's lawyer, Hanika Ghaderi said, adding that he had assured them that her husband would be released.

Bu the prison sentence has prompted her to speak out in the media.

Her husband was allowed to call his mother in April for the first time since his arrest, she said. Since then, Ghaderi's mother has been allowed to visit him in prison every second week, Hanika Ghaderi said.

She also said that her husband has lost a lot of weight since his arrest.

The prison sentences against a number of dual nationals, whom Tehran regards merely as Iranians, comes amid a power struggle between allies of the reform-minded President Hassan Rohani and hard-line factions such as the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who oppose any opening of the country following last year's nuclear agreement with world powers to ease international sanctions.
Foreign policy experts and analysts say they are perplexed by a hacked email in which Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears to accuse the Saudi and Qatari governments of providing logistical and financial support to Islamic State extremists.

The accusation is one among thousands of messages that were stolen from the personal email of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and released on the Wikileaks website.

The lengthy message is dated Aug. 17, 2014, and comes from the email address "hrod17@clintonemail.com." It begins with a note saying "Sources include Western intelligence, US intelligence and sources in the region" and comprises a broad policy discussion of how to deal with Middle East terrorism.

It says in part, "We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region." ISIL is an acronym used by the U.S. government for Islamic State.

Clinton's presidential campaign did not respond to several attempts and requests by VOA to verify the authenticity of the emails released by WikiLeaks.

More specificity

While Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies, or individuals close to their governments, have long been suspected of financing extremist groups in the region, this accusation is more specific than anything uttered publicly by the Obama administration. It also is bewildering to terrorism experts, however, including some in the U.S. intelligence community, who say they never have seen evidence of direct Saudi or Qatari support for IS.

"I have myself [during my term] never seen intelligence from the United States government that says the Saudi government, the government, is giving any help of any kind, any material assistance, any financial assistance, to a terrorist group," former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told VOA on Wednesday.

Ford added, "However, there is a lot of information about Saudi private individuals, including charities, and particular business people, as well as others in the Gulf, private citizens, who have provided help."

He said that he was not convinced the leaked emails were "genuine," and that he could not "speculate" on the motivation behind the leak.

Washington has viewed the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar as strong partners in the Gulf area for regional security and counterterrorism efforts, and it has argued that terrorist financing comes from wealthy individuals, rather than governments.

"I think we've seen over the past 10 years a huge shift in the Saudis' approach to terrorist financing. And I really do regard them as our number one partner in the Gulf in our efforts against terrorist financing," Daniel Glaser, assistant treasury secretary for terrorist financing, said last Thursday in a webcast from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

In a statement to VOA on Wednesday, the Saudi Embassy said "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not comment on leaked documents. However, any claims that the Saudi government funds Daesh [IS] are preposterous and simply defy logic."

The statement used an alternative name for Islamic State terrorist group.

According to the State Department's annual Country Reports on Terrorism, issued this June, both the Saudi and Qatari governments are members of a regional financial action task force that combats terrorist financing.

'Appropriate' to review

A former senior congressional staff member, though, who wished not to be named, argued that a policy review on the Gulf allies would be "appropriate."

One of the tools that could be used to accomplish this is that Congress could authorize the president through legislation to designate a country as a "Jurisdiction of Terrorism Financing Concern." That designation triggers a menu of penalties and provides the president with additional leverage to pressure foreign governments that are failing to shut down terrorist financiers and facilitators.

"The Saudis and Qataris know very well the suspicion of their intentions and their actions exists in the U.S.," Middle East Institute scholar Daniel Serwer told VOA, adding that Washington has yet to "reach any definitive conclusion" about how to stabilize the situation and reduce the level of violence, given a policy that "has not been stupendously successful" in the Middle East.

While expressing concerns about Wikileaks, the State Department declined to comment on the veracity of the leaked documents.

"What I can tell you is that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are members of the counter-ISIL coalition and have been contributing members of that coalition pretty much since its founding," said spokesman John Kirby in a recent briefing.

Kirby added, "We rely a great deal on their efforts to help us counter terrorism in the region," particularly the Islamic State militants.

In October 2014, Vice President Joe Biden once apologized to regional allies after bluntly expressing concerns about their role in the rise of the Islamic State militant group in a speech at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

"The Saudis, the Emirates, et cetera," said Biden, "what were they doing? They were so determined to take down [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad, and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war, what did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad  except that the people who were being supplied, [they] were al-Nusra, and al-Qaida, and the extremist elements of jihadis who were coming from other parts of the world."

These policies ended up helping militants linked to al-Qaida and ultimately IS, according to Biden.

Bilateral tension

Glaser's praise for Saudi Arabia as the number one U.S. partner in combating terrorist financing came at a time of serious strain between Washington and Riyadh over other issues.

The U.S. is reviewing its support for the monarchy after the Saudi bombing of civilians at a funeral in Yemen.

Moreover, the U.S. Congress has voted to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that would allow lawsuits against Saudi Arabia for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In an exclusive to India Today, Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh came down heavily on Manohar Parrikar and called him the worst defence minister.

By Javed M. Ansari : Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has called for the removal of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. In an exclusive to India Today, Amarinder Singh came down heavily on Parrikar calling him the worst defence minister. He said, "In the 40 years that I have been in politics I have never seen a more incompetent defence minister. He is a joker and is absolutely clueless about his job, he should be removed forthwith."

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READ: Pak analyst confirms India's surgical strikes, says Pakistan itself to blame



The former Chief Minister also refused to give any credit to the political leadership of the country for the surgical strikes. "The Army did what it had to do, it avenged the killings of our soldiers. It is not something that has been done for the first time, it has happened earlier too," he said.

Singh accused the BJP of trying to milk the surgical strikes politically. " They want to in-cash it in the Uttar Pradesh elections. I'm a soldier and I know what the Army thinks of him. I know that it's a political move and the BJP is doing a great disservice to the country by trying to politicise the strikes," he said.

READ: Inside story of Indian Army's daring surgical strikes against Pakistan



According to Singh, the strikes would boomerang on the Akali government in Punjab. "They forced people to evacuate their villages, leave behind their crops and cattle all for drama, the government will pay dearly for this," he said.

Amarinder Singh once again offered an olive branch to Navjot Singh Sidhu, saying that he was welcome to join the Congress party but without any pre conditions. "I am neither in touch with him nor his wife , but they are welcome to join, his father was a Congressman after all," said the former CM.

READ: Parrikar attributing success of surgical strike to RSS teachings degrades Indian Army: Mayawati



He also denied suggestions that he had gone soft on the Akali's. "That can never happen. They embody everything that has gone wrong with Punjab, they are a part of the drug Mafia, the liquor and transport Mafia." He threatened to launch an inquiry against the misdeeds of the Akali's once the Congress party comes to power in Punjab.

WATCH VIDEO



Also Read:

Pakistan in a state of coma after surgical strikes, says Manohar Parrikar



Credit for surgical strikes goes to PM Modi, only helped in planning: Manohar Parrikar



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Surgical strikes in PoK: How Indian para commandos killed 50 terrorists, hit 7 camps

Did India conduct surgical strikes in the past? Allegations and denials fly after foreign secy's remarks

Post surgical strikes by India, these Pakistanis say make friends, not war







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A Mexican federal judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman against his extradition to the United States.

The Mexican foreign ministry approved the extradition request in May, but Guzman's lawyers have been fighting the decision in a district court.

One of Guzman's lawyers, Andres Granados, vowed to seek a Supreme Court hearing.

"We are not defeated," Granados said, adding that he could still take the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The head of the Sinaloa drug cartel was recaptured in January after escaping for a second time from a maximum-security prison. He is currently imprisoned in the northern border state of Chihuahua.

Mexico has said it expects to extradite Guzman by February.

Guzman is facing two extradition bids, one in California for drug distribution and another in Texas on charges that include murder and money laundering.

His extradition would set up a major trial in the United States for the head of a cartel accused of providing tons of drugs to addicts in the United States while fueling violence in Mexico.
Seven years of talks over a trade deal between the European Union and Canada are hanging in the balance, after EU leaders failed to convince Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to approve it.

Negotiations and discussions at an EU leaders summit in Brussels ended Friday with no set deadline for a deal.

The agreement between Canada and the EU called CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, would lower trade barriers, but Wallonia, the southern part of Belgium, has so far resisted EU pressure to approve it.



In an interview aired on Belgian television, Canadas trade minister blasted the failure to reach a deal. "It seems obvious to me, to Canada, that the European Union is incapable now of having an international agreement, even with a country with such European values as Canada," said Chrystia Freeland.



Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who supports the proposal, needs the approval of all regional governments before he can sign on. He said the rejection was a consequence of the democratic process but he will not overrule the Wallonia decision.

Democratic values are the DNA of the European project. That also means that sometimes we will face difficulties taking decisions, he said. Some 38 national and regional EU parliaments must ratify the deal before it can be fully activated.

EU President Donald Tusk told reporters at the summit that he is afraid CETA could be our last trade agreement if the EU does not manage to ratify the deal. But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker remained confident that we will find a solution with Wallonia on CETA in the coming days.



British Prime Minister Theresa May, who attended her first EU summit and also supports CETA, will have to negotiate a trade deal with Europe after it leaves the grouping following the June Brexit referendum. May says the CETA developments do not have to affect a future EU-UK deal:



Were not looking to replicate a model that somebody else has. What we want is to develop what is a new relationship with the UK with the EU.

The EU fears for its reputation if it fails to agree on the Canada-EU trade deal that has been in the making since 2009. EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels gave Wallonia several versions and assurances but that did not convince the Wallonia government and its parliament.



Belgium would face a constitutional crisis if the federal government was to ignore the rejection by Wallonia, says Professor of European Affairs Hendrik Vos of the Ghent University:



Belgium decided in 1994 that the regions are fully engaged in EU legislation to decide the countys position. When there is no agreement, we abstain from voting. If in this instance we would ignore the region, the entire Belgian system would fall apart.



Wallonia has a population of 3.6 million and lags economically behind its richer northern Flemish neighboring region. Of all current trade between Canada and Belgium, 98 percent goes to Flanders and 90 percent is exported from Flanders.



It is not the first time Belgiums regional governments could not agree on EU legislation but it never occurred before on EU legislation that needed unanimous approval. Usually the Belgians would abstain from voting without affecting the EU from moving forward.



Flemish European Parliament Member Sander Loones supports the CETA deal, as does a majority of the EU Parliament. He believes that if Wallonia doesnt want to be part of CETA, it should be given that option.



It wouldnt be that odd. The Schengen (visa-free) zone doesnt include all EU member states. And there are also member states that are not part of the Eurozone, he said.



Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau is set to fly to Brussels late next week for a signing ceremony, but only if EU leaders manage to convince Wallonia in the coming week.
Africa's nomadic cattle herders have for years come under pressure from governments and farmers to settle down and stop their livestock roaming, destroying crops and creating conflict along the way.

While herders are often portrayed as straying onto farmland, it is farmers who first encroached onto the nomads' grazing land, said Benjamin Mutambukah, coordinator of the Coalition of Pastoralist Civil Society Organizations (COPACSO) and a passionate advocate of the herders in Uganda.

"When you talk about the drylands of Africa, who has been the occupant of those areas right from the word go? It was the pastoralists and the wildlife," he said.

The pastoralists' ancient skills in land management should be respected, and their needs recognized to avert conflict between nomads and farmers, he said.

Crop farmers who have "failed to control" their own population growth have spread into pastoralist areas and then expected the nomads to stop moving across the land, he said.

"If you went to Iceland, and you tried to tell the people of Iceland not to do fishing, I don't think you'd be very welcome," he said on the sidelines of an annual meeting of the Committee on World Food Security, a U.N. body which brings together governments and food experts to discuss global food security.

"Another unfortunate thing is, when these people come  including governments  they look for the wettest parts of the dry lands which the pastoralists have traditionally reserved for dry season grazing," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In Uganda, nomads travel across the country's dry lands called the cattle corridor, which run from the southwest, across the center and up to the northeast.

Using very few resources, they produce most of the beef and much of the milk consumed in Uganda, Mutambukah said.

"You hear people saying that pastoralists are just roaming. I tell them people who are just roaming would have died long ago," he said.

Uganda's northeast Karamoja region, once synonymous with cattle rustling and clan violence, is one of the poorest in the country. Kenyan herders bringing cattle across the border have increased pressure on scarce resources.

Tensions have been eased by tribal elders meeting to decide how many heads of cattle can enter Uganda and when.

Since colonial times nomadic areas have been neglected across Africa, and many still have poor roads, education and health services, Mutambukah said.

"That puts them in a situation whereby they question the whole essence of being part of the state. So long as we don't solve the problem of people being  or thinking  they are marginalized, it becomes difficult to end [conflict]," he said.
Pakistan has called on warring sides in Afghanistan to resume talks, promising it will follow the priorities the elected Afghan government determines for pursuing peace and reconciliation with the Taliban.

The prime ministers chief advisor on foreign policy, Sartaj Aziz, made the remarks Friday in a meeting in Islamabad with members of an unofficial dialogue between Pakistani and Afghan lawmakers, former officials, peace negotiators and civil society activists.

Aziz said that Pakistan believes Taliban insurgents and other groups waging war should realize that Afghanistan has changed over the years, where the dominant majority would not like to go back to the past.

The Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in partnership with Afghanistans Women Peace and Security Organization arranged the unofficial interactions in a bid to foster better understanding and cooperation between the two uneasy neighbors.

Pakistan's efforts



Pakistan is doing whatever it can to persuade all Taliban factions to become part of the peace process and indications are that many of them are now interested in joining the process, the statement issued by the organizers of the meeting quoted Aziz as saying.

Pakistans message to all the combatants is loud and clear; nobody can capture Afghanistan on its own, and the key to peace lies in talks, Aziz added.

He also welcomed the peace deal Kabul recently concluded earlier this month with the insurgent group headed by notorious Afghan warlord, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, saying it appears to be encouraging other anti-government forces to come to the table. Aziz did not elaborate.

The Pakistani advisor earlier this year admitted in a public talk in Washington that Taliban leaders and fighters return to Pakistani medical facilities for treatment and have been sheltering on this side of the border. The presence of the insurgents is at the center of bilateral tensions and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has repeatedly urged Islamabad to prevent the Taliban from using Pakistani soil.

Influence in peace process



A member of the Afghan delegation, former trade minister Muzamil Shinwari, while speaking to VOA reiterated allegations that Taliban leaders sheltering in Pakistan are being barred by their hosts from opening peace talks with Kabul. Afghan authorities have traditionally asserted that the Pakistani intelligence agency does not want the insurgents to speak to the Afghan government directly because it fears losing influence in the process.

"We have managed to reach to the peace agreement with Hizb-e-Islami, the Hekmatyar and that is a major achievement. There was no involvement of Pakistan there was no other country in it. We started direct negotiations. We want to have even direct negotiations with the Taliban. But the problem is, those Taliban, they start direct negotiations with the government of Afghanistan or even if they start thinking of that they suddenly disappeared, arrested or get killed," Shinwari asserted.

The Taliban has so far shown no willingness to engage in talks with the Afghan government and has strongly rejected reports its representatives secretly met with the Afghan intelligence chief in Qatar.
U.N. human rights monitors Friday released preliminary findings into violent protests last month in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.N. says at least 53 people were killed, nearly all of them at the hands of security forces.

Four policemen were killed by protesters and 48 protesters were killed by state actors, the rights monitors have confirmed.

Human Rights Watch has released similar findings.

As of now, weve confirmed that at least 56 people were killed by security forces, said Ida Sawyer, DRC researcher for the rights group.  And weve received credible reports of over 30 other victims killed by security forces, and were still working to verify those reports.

Government blames protesters

The government says 32 people were killed in the violence, from September 19 to 21. Security forces clashed with protesters during an opposition demonstration over delayed elections.

The governments report says most of the violence was carried out by armed protesters. The opposition disputes that claim, as do local and international human rights monitors.

Congolese Minister of Interior and Security Evariste Boshab told reporters that the violence was a premeditated, and meticulously executed criminal act by the protesters, and that the government will bring those responsible to justice.

'Justice lifts up a nation'

Meanwhile, in Kinshasa the families of the victims still want answers.

It is justice that lifts up a nation, the brother of one those killed told VOA. When there is no justice, impunity can make people do a lot of things.

He said he rushed to the scene as soon as he heard his brother had been shot, but his brothers body had been taken to the morgue. The family went there, he said, but they were turned away, and were told an investigation was underway.

The government later offered his family, and the families of other victims, $5,000 each for funeral costs.

Investigation hurdles

The U.N. and other researchers say investigating the violence hasnt been easy.

Georges Kapiamba, a human rights lawyer and president of the Congolese Association for the Right to Justice, said health care personnel were told not to share information with NGOs. In most clinics, he added, security agents were there to ensure those instructions were enforced.

Sawyer of the Human Rights Watch says the bodies of some missing people were found days after the events.

Weve also documented how some of the bodies that were taken away by the security forces were dumped into the Congo River.  So these practices seem to be an attempt by the security forces to try hide the evidence or make it more difficult for families to organize funerals.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court wrapped up her visit to the Congo on Thursday.

Fatou Bensouda expressed serious concern about last months events and called on all actors to exercise restraint.
Russias largest naval deployment in years raised eyebrows as the flotilla sailed past Norway through the English Channel on the way to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to support Moscows air campaign in Syria.

The British Royal Navy shadowed the Russian fleet Friday as it passed through the channel, in what was thought to be partly a response test of members of NATO, the Western military alliance.

"It's the general feeling here that Russia is once again obtaining the status of a great power and that we are globally present everywhere," says Victor Mizin, a political analyst at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. "That's why the northern fleet, which is probably the most important of all the fleets of the Russian military, is extending its presence there."

The fleet includes: Russias only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov; a nuclear-powered battle cruiser, Peter the Great; a destroyer; and anti-submarine ships. Its headed to the Mediterranean as part Moscows military support for the Syrian government.

The website of Russias navy said Friday the carrier battle group will join the permanent naval task force in the eastern Mediterranean, which provides support for Russian and Syrian forces bombing rebels and Islamist militants. Russias navy said the deployment was expected to last four or five months before the Kuznetsov would return for repairs expected to take up to two years.

Largest deployment in decades

A diplomat with NATO told Reuters news agency it was Russias largest deployment since the Cold Wars end in 1991.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern the Kuznetsov could join attacks on Aleppo and "increase human suffering."

Russian defense analysts say the ships add little firepower to Russian forces in Syria. The deployment, they say, is more for training purposes and as a show of strength to the West and Russia's allies.

"Sending these very specialized ships to the Mediterranean  well, it's like sending a Tyrannosaur to catch mice," said Moscow-based defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer, adding that it is "not effective. Stupid, actually."

"Some of these ships can attack large targets with cruise missiles," he said. "But, basically, they can do that from any place. They do not have to go close to the Syrian coast for that."

Russia announced a temporary "humanitarian" truce Tuesday in its joint assault with Syrian forces on the city of Aleppo, to allow humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations. Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that militants were blocking both aid and civilians.

Western countries, including the United States, have accused Russia of war crimes in Syria.

Final assault expected

Many analysts believe Russia is preparing a final assault on Aleppo to score a strategic win with its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

With the U.S. presidential election looming and the administration of President Barack Obama coming to a close, the timing of the Aleppo offensive is unlikely a coincidence.

"The present administration, I'm afraid, simply doesn't have time enough to make some serious change" in Syria, said Vladimir Batuk of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute for the U.S. and Canadian Studies. "And, unfortunately, they in Moscow understand that pretty well."

But the fighting in Syria will not end even if Russian-backed Syrian government forces retake Aleppo.

"I believe it's going to be a prolonged conflict because already ... less than 10 to 20 kilometers north of Aleppo there are Turkish tanks establishing a no-fly security zone, said Felgenhauer. "Not only fighters but also the population is going to move there. The Turks are planning to build permanent refugee camps on the Syrian side of the Turkish-Syrian border. So, they can retreat there, lick their wounds and then come to fight another day. Because the Syrian and Russian forces will not be allowed in.

Lavrov, the foreign minister, expressed concern over Turkish airstrikes in northern Syria. A Kremlin spokesman on Friday said Russia was concerned also that the U.S.-supported operation to retake Mosul, Iraq, would push militants over the border into Syria.

Some political analysts say Russia does not expect to win the war for Assad but wants to help Syrian forces retake Aleppo so they can return to negotiations in a stronger position.

"Probably it's stupid to expect that Syria could remain as a united, integrated country," said analyst Mizin. "But, the feeling here is that we are there, we are Russians, and we are to prevail. It's like in the Great Patriotic War. The slogan is 'Russians Never Surrender.'"
South Africa says it plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha said Friday a bill will be submitted to parliament recommending that South Africa repeal implementation of the Rome Statute that created the court. The statue obligates its signatories to arrest anyone sought by the ICC.

Analysts fear South Africa's decision could encourage other African nations to abandon the Hague-based tribunal, which prosecutes war crimes and crimes against humanity

Broker of peace

But Masutha defended the decision, citing his nations interest in being a broker of peace in Africa.

South Africa cant provide a safe space for leaders to talk peace, he said, if it is compelled to comply with all the courts arrest warrants, such as the one for Sudans President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Bashir visited South Africa in mid-2015 for a summit of the African Union. South African officials declined to arrest him, saying he enjoyed diplomatic immunity.

In exercising its international relations with foreign countries, particularly with countries in which serious conflicts occur, or have occurred, South Africa is hindered by the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Masutha said.  This act and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court compels South Africa to arrest persons who may enjoy diplomatic immunity under customary international law.

Masutha says the nations cabinet decided this week that its only option was to leave the court and notified the U.N. that South Africa would leave in one year. A U.N. spokesman said Friday that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received a letter to that effect from South Africa.

Earlier this week, Burundi also said it will leave the ICC, citing concerns that the court targets African leaders. The United Nations recently launched an investigation into Burundis political violence, triggered by President Pierre Nkurunzizas decision to seek a third term.

Politics before justice

Dewa Mavhinga, a senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch, says South Africa is putting politics ahead of justice.

South Africas move sends the wrong message that really is about protecting al-Bashir, protecting heads of state from justice and accountability and actually sets a wrong precedent and can have a domino effect on other African states following suit.

Anton du Plessis, managing director of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, said he is not concerned about a mass African exodus from the court. He believes many of the courts member states are not politically organized enough to agree on a withdrawal strategy.

But he says he is worried about the reverberations in South Africa itself. The nation has been battered by political and legal controversies, some sparked by the leaderships refusal to arrest Bashir in 2015, and this, he says, doesnt help.

I think for South Africa its a particularly bad move, du Plessis said, because of what is going on domestically. The rule of law is under attack at a national level, South Africas reputation is in tatters, our ability to play the role a beacon of constitutional democracy is being eroded every day.

As for the man who started all of this, Bashir has not returned to South Africa since that controversial 2015 trip.

When asked what his nation would do if the Sudanese president were to show up on South African soil, Masutha shrugged and declined to speculate.
Islamic State militants launched an assault Friday on the northern oil city of Kirkuk, drawing troops and resources away from the battle toward Mosul as Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces continue to move in on the country's second-largest city.

A suicide attack Friday on an Iranian-run construction site in the town of Dibis in northern Iraq also killed at least 14 people, including four Iranians. Six Iraqi police and 12 Islamic State fighters were killed during a similar attack on a police compound in Kirkuk earlier in the day, but local news sources say armed militants are still occupying civilian houses and fighting with security forces.





A Kurdish commander told VOA's Kurdish service that the Kirkuk attack was the work of Islamic State sleeper cells in the city trying to distract government fighters from the ongoing offensive against IS-controlled Mosul. The commander said the group occupied a hotel in the city center and battled with Kurdish security forces for hours. At least 25 people were also wounded in the fight.

The Kurdish security forces said the goal of the attacks appears to be to disrupt Iraq's oil industry.

But U.S. military officials disagreed. They said Friday the IS-assault on Kirkuk was intended to force Iraqi and Kurdish leaders to divert their forces and their focus from the ongoing operations to retake Mosul.

Peshmerga forces

And on the road from Mosul, at least one brigade of peshmerga soldiers packed their tanks on transport trucks and headed to Kirkuk to reinforce local security forces.

"The situation in Kirkuk today is nervous," said Staff Brigade Rebwar Amin, as his soldiers' trucks sped away. "And that's why we've been given the order to turn back to Kirkuk to hold the front line."

Still, U.S. officials said the impact on the Mosul operation seems to have been minimal.

During the attack on police, several explosions were heard coming from the compound and gun battles followed shortly after. Video footage aired on a local television station showed black smoke rising from the compound and automatic gunfire could be heard in the background.

At least five suicide bombers attacked the main police headquarters. One of them was shot dead by police before he managed to explode his suicide vest.

Militants claim responsibility

The Islamic State group quickly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Kirkuk Governor Najmadin Karim was quoted by the Kurdish television station Rudaw as saying the militants had not seized any government buildings in Kirkuk, though two IS fighters were still holed up in a hotel. Sporadic clashes continued in parts of Kirkuk as the day wore on.

Several hours after the attack on the police compound, three suicide bombers made their way into a power plant under construction outside Kirkuk in the town of Dibis and blew themselves up, killing at least 11 people.

Peshmerga soldiers outside Mosul say suicide bombings are become more and more prevalent, as IS militants sometimes wear detonator jackets when they fight.

"When they are surrounded by peshmerga," said soldier Farhan Ibrahim, who goes to the front several times a day to fix vehicles and gas up tanks, "they blow themselves up."

U.S. military officials warned that the attack on Kirkuk will likely not be the last as IS attempts to draw as many U.S. and coalition-backed forces away from the frontlines in and around Mosul.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have also been told to brace for more high-profile, so-called spectacular attacks, like the recent string of suicide bombings in Baghdad.
At least three U.S. states have denied Russia's request to station monitors at polling places during the nation's presidential election on November 8.

Russia has not previously participated in programs to observe U.S. elections, and these requests to do so in the states appear to be "nothing more than a PR stunt," according to the U.S. State Department spokesman, Mark Toner.

There is a formal process that allows foreign governments to observe U.S. elections, Toner said, but individual states have the authority to approve or deny those requests.

At the White House, presidential spokesman Josh Earnest said it is uncertain what motivated Russia's request, but that a suspicious response by state officials is appropriate, since the U.S. government has determined that Russia was responsible for recent cyberattacks on American political figures' computer networks and email archives.

The secretary of state's office in Oklahoma said Friday it rejected a request it received in August from Russia's consulate in Houston, Texas, to have an officer present to study the U.S. voting process.

"While it would be our honor to offer the opportunity to observe our voting process, it is prohibited under state law to allow anyone except election officials and voters in or around the area where voting takes place," Oklahoma Secretary of State Chris Benge wrote in a response to Russia's consul general.

Officials in Louisiana and Texas said Friday they denied similar requests from Russia.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein says the siege and bombardment of Syrias northern city of eastern Aleppo constitute crimes of historic proportions. He is calling on the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court.

Zeid says well over 300,000 Syrians have been killed and countless others wounded and traumatized in the course of more than five years of civil war. He says the relentless bombardment of Aleppo has turned the ancient city into a slaughterhouse.

Without mentioning Russia by name, the high commissioner blames the indiscriminate airstrikes across the eastern rebel-held part of Aleppo by government forces and their allies for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties.

He says the violations constitute war crimes and calls for those guilty of international crimes to be held accountable.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, chair of the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, agrees all parties to the conflict guilty of crimes must be brought to justice.

Perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity will only cease to violate the laws of war when it is clear they will be held to account," he said. "This why referral of the conflict in Syria to the ICC (International Criminal Court) or an ad hoc international justice mechanism is critical to resolving this conflict.

Pinheiro says members of the investigative commission will continue to document war crimes in Aleppo. The British minister for Africa and the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, launched a blistering attack on Syria and Russia.

Hospitals have been bombed repeatedly. Hundreds of civilians, many of them children, have been killed since the (Bashar) Assad regime and Russia launched their assault on Eastern Aleppo.

The Russian ambassador accuses Britain and its allies of protecting terrorists from destruction and allowing them to regroup so they can continue what he calls their barbaric acts. The Syrian representative calls Britains accusations baseless and fabricated to enhance its political agenda.
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) The policy of "no-detention" upto Class X is likely to be scrapped with the reintroduction CBSE board examinations for students of this category after serious concerns have emerged that academic standards have fallen. "The policy is under review. The decision has not been taken. But we want it (reintroduction of Class X board exams)," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters at a get-together at his residence. He said a committee of ministers of five states and parents across the board have demanded reintroduction of the board exams for the 10th class saying standards have fallen. The minister said the government was, however, keen that educational "outcomes" should be maintained for respective classes even if exams are not held and schools should maintain it.

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The final decision in this regard will be taken on October 25 in a meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) which will be chaired by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.

"There have been representations from academicians as well as organisations of parents saying that scrapping the exam and with the no-detention policy being in place, the academic standards are being affected," a senior HRD Ministry official said.

"Also, it is being observed that students are unable to take the pressure of appearing directly for Class XII boards which are an important deciding factor for the career they choose," the official said, adding, while no consensus has been reached yet on when to reintroduce the system, 2018 is considered to be an approachable target.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class X examination was scrapped in 2010 and replaced with the current Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) that provides for tests and grading through the year as a means to reduce pressure on students.

The issue of bringing amendments in the no-detention policy is also on the agenda of the CABE meeting.

The policy, which applies to students up to Class X at present, is likely to take into account students till Class V only for no-detention.

If the decision is taken in this regard, states may get an opportunity to devise their mechanism of re-tests for students from Class VI to VIII while beyond Class IX students may be detained if their performance is not up to the mark. PTI GJS VSC

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Opposition activists in Djibouti say as many as 19 people were killed Monday when security forces opened fire on a religious gathering in the capital.

Witnesses said the troops targeted a crowd in the Balbala neighborhood that was commemorating the late religious leader Sheikh Yonis Muse.

Security forces raided the venue at around 5 a.m. local time and began shooting, according to the sources.

A reporter for VOA in Djibouti says more than 10 people were wounded in addition to those killed.

The government of Djibouti says security forces opened fire after being attacked by an armed group of people.

"This morning... dozens of armed individuals came together before launching an offensive against the security forces," said a statement from Minister of the Interior Hassan Omar Mohamed. The statement said nine security personnel were wounded, including an officer, but it did not mention any deaths resulting from the clash.

The minister said the violence was an act intended to destabilize our nation" and was "orchestrated by malicious individuals receiving instructions from sponsors who act from abroad."

Mohamed's statement said several suspects had been arrested in connection with Monday's incident.

Deputy opposition leader Omar Elmi Khayre told VOA's Somali Service that civilians were celebrating at the religious event when police and gendarmes attacked the crowd. He said some of those targeted were opposition supporters.

Khayre said other opposition members were attacked by police during a meeting at their headquarters. He said the leader of the opposition, Ahmed Yusuf, and an opposition MP were wounded in that raid.

Police chief Abdullahi Abdi confirmed the raid to VOA, saying the police were hunting those responsible for the earlier violence.

Djibouti, a small country on the east coast of Africa, has been dominated by the People's Rally for Progress party since the late 1970s. The party now rules the country as part of the Union for Presidential Majority coalition.
The United States has called for a special meeting with Russia over alleged violations of a landmark Cold War-era arms-control treaty, a policy reversal that echoes deepening U.S. fears about Moscow's intentions.

The planned meeting of the Special Verification Commission, scheduled in the near future, focuses new attention on concerns about the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF).

The treaty, which bans testing, producing, and possessing ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges between 500 to 5,500 kilometers, eliminated an entire class of missiles from Europe, and set up an extensive system of verification and compliance. The agreement was considered crucial in the thaw between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Developing missile system

Two years ago, the United States first asserted that Russia was in violation of the treaty, by developing a missile system that fell within the INF prohibitions. Moscow denied the allegations, and later charged that U.S.-led efforts to install elements of a missile-defense system in Europe were in fact prohibited by the INF.

Since then, U.S. officials have pressed Russia on the alleged violations; at one point, President Barack Obama raised the issue directly with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Last year, Rose Gottemoeller, the chief U.S. arms-control negotiator, warned that Russia risked provoking "military and economic countermeasures" if it continued to stonewall the INF issue.

And in December, a leading Pentagon official told Congress that Russias alleged treaty violations, and other actions in Europe and elsewhere, had prompted Washington to develop a "comprehensive response to Russian military actions."

The INF set up the Special Verification Commission (SVC) as a way to deal with disputes surrounding the treaty. Many arms-control experts have called on the U.S. administration to request an SVC meeting to air the alleged INF violations. The last time such a meeting was convened was in 2003.

Identifying missile system

But Gottemoeller told RFE/RL that an SVC meeting would not be helpful, because she said the United States had given adequate information to the Russians, identifying the missile-system question.

"When one side categorically denies the very existence of a ground-launched cruise missile that violates the treaty, then there's little prospect that an SVC request [would] result in a desired outcome," she said in the interview last year.

A U.S. government official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed to RFE/RL on October 19 that the Americans had in fact recently requested an SVC meeting with the Russians. Other ex-Soviet republics that are also party to the treaty -- Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan -- were also scheduled to attend.

The official declined to say exactly what prompted the reversal in U.S. position, citing classified intelligence information.

However, The New York Times reported on October 19 that U.S. intelligence had concluded Russia was moving ahead with a program to produce a ground-launched cruise missile, and producing more missiles than are needed to sustain a flight-test program.

INF-prohibited missiles

That has led to fears by U.S. officials that Russia might be moving to deploy INF-prohibited missiles, the Times reported.

Earlier this month, NATO reported that Russia had moved a formidable, highly sophisticated ballistic-missile system known as the Iskander to the Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. The missile's range puts cities like Warsaw potentially at risk.

Some U.S. arms-control experts have speculated that the Iskander system might in fact be the focus of U.S. intelligence fears on the INF violations, though U.S. officials have refused to comment.
Zimbabwe has cleared its 15-year-old financial arrears with the International Monetary Fund, a first step towards a new IMF loan program for the drought-stricken, cash-starved country, the Fund said on Thursday.

Zimbabwe settled obligations of about $107.9 million by transferring part of its cash holdings at the IMF to the Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said in a statement. Zimbabwe had been in continuous arrears since 2001, he added.

"Zimbabwe is now current on all its financial obligations to the IMF," Rice said.

However, a new IMF loan program for Zimbabwe cannot be considered until the country clears more than $1 billion in World Bank arrears and another $600 million-plus owed to the African Development Bank.

A spokesman for the World Bank could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday night on the funds' status of Zimbabwe.

The next step towards an IMF loan would be consideration by the Fund's executive board of a formal proposal to lift remaining remedial measures imposed on Zimbabwe because of the arrears. Reuters

"Access to IMF resources would first require the establishment of a credible plan to clear arrears with other IFIs and with bilateral creditors, in line with applicable Fund policies," the IMF said in a statement. "It would also require implementing a strong reform agenda to restore economic stability and foster sustained and inclusive growth."
Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Star Wars actor Daisy Ridley executive produces and narrates the new documentary The Eagle Huntress, a film about a 13-year-old girl who becomes Mongolias first female eagle hunter. And apparently, Ridley herself has a way with animals, too. At last nights screening, hosted by Sony Pictures Classics and the Cinema Society, Ridley told us about the time she was face-to-face with a wolf. Fun story, Ridley told Vulture. I went on a moonlit hike with wolves on Sunday at a wolf sanctuary outside of L.A. We were walking with Willow, she is the very sedate one, and I went to say, Hi. You had to be super-careful. She put her face in my face, and it was amazing. So I would like to say that animals respond well to me. Wolf whisperer  that sounds like that could be my name.

Ridley just completed filming on Star Wars VIII, but in the meantime, she is looking forward to Rogue One, which stars Felicity Jones as the new character, Jyn. I am just excited to see how it is, because I have heard it is so so different, and its own thing, Ridely said. I have no idea what happens  I know the ending, but I have no idea really what happens in it.



In terms of her own characters place in the Star Wars expanded universe, Ridley hasnt been following the fan theories closely, but knows that many people are speculating about her character Reys lineage. When Vulture asked Ridley if Jyn was Reys mother, she didnt seem to have considered the question, and worked the timeline out for herself on the spot  suggesting this is not the case, but leaving the possibility open. I mean, I think historically it wouldnt work, because she is  Darth Vader is there  so she would ultimately be my great-grandma; no, she would be my grandma, Ridley said. I mean it could happen, especially in a galaxy far, far away.



Another possibility is that Rey is related to Obi-Wan Kenobi. This theory is supported by her Kenobi-like costume, dexterity with Jedi mind tricks, and love of solitude. What does she think about that? We will see in a year, Ridley said. Just sit tight on that question.
You probably know Sarah Baker from her scene-stealing dont-tell-me-Im-not-fat monologue opposite Louis C.K. on Louie, as the clueless fast-food worker held up at fake gunpoint by Melissa McCarthy in Tammy, and as the single cat lady attending grief therapy with Matthew Perry in the short-lived sitcom Go On. Lately, Baker seems to be specializing in unhappy housewives, with turns as miserable Mormon Trinity on last nights Better Things and seething cuckold Mindy in Christopher Guests mocumentary Mascots. We spoke to the actress about her reunion with Pamela Adlon, improvising with Guest, and writing gags for McCarthys upcoming Life of the Party.

I assume you didnt have to audition for Better Things, since Pamela knows you from Louie? Was Trinity written for you?

No, I didnt have to audition for this one. Pamela was actually there for my Louie audition, and definitely played a role in my getting that part. I was thrilled when she called and asked me to do this. The show draws on things at least partially from her life, so I dont think she wrote it for me. But she asked me to play it so that was pretty cool [laughs].

Your background is in improvisation. Was anything unscripted, like the tete-a-tete in the park, or the final phone-call scene where Trinity talks about the chorus dads cock?

With both the Louie episode and this one, the scripts are worded so perfectly that Im never going to step away from them, unless Im invited to. I dont think you need to. With comedy, its more of a natural thing. I guess I did improvise a little bit on Louie, but for this role, we kept it pretty scripted. This may be the show I skip telling my parents about. I just cant visualize them hearing me saying that word. I dont want them to even know I know that word.

Turns out Trinitys not as pious as we think.

Pamela and Louis are such geniuses at making the audience figure something out through their characters. Pamela wants you to see that Sam was judgmental of this person, too, in anticipation of being judged by her. But shes the type of character whos also open and kind, as Trinity reveals herself.

Youre also Mindy Murray, a.k.a. Tammy the Turtle, in Christopher Guests Mascots (opposite Zach Woods). You already knew him from a commercial he directed. I read you dont do commercials, but made an exception for him.

About a year ago, I got a call asking if Id meet him, and I said, yes, of course. They said its just a conversation, theres no material, no actual audition. I thought there would be other people. So I did that thing where it was a small room, and I stood really close to [him], anticipating more people were coming. Then all of a sudden I looked, and the door was closed. And it was just the two of us, and I was standing so close to him. I thought, Great start. We clicked, and I did an ad for PetSmart, which he very humorously explained was a large store where they sell goods for pets. I was like, Yes, I know what it is; I live in the real world. That summer, I got a call that he was writing a part for me.

When he told you youd sometimes be wearing a big furry turtle costume, you didnt have second thoughts?

[Laughs.] No, I would wear anything to be in one of his movies. Honestly, just doing the commercial, I was like, I can cross that off my list of life goals. So I was thrilled I got to be in his movie, and have a substantial role. Fortunately, we didnt have to do that much in the costumes. Stunt people and dancers-gymnasts did most of the mascoting. Our stuff was more fight-oriented.

Would you say the Louie part changed the trajectory of your career?

As a comedic actor, and as a character actor, you dont usually get a chance to say that much, much less tackle such an interesting subject. That last scene, which was a monster monologue, was huge. [While] not a dramatic role exactly, it was more than a comedic role, and an opportunity for me to show more range.

After it aired, you said you made a point to take roles that had nothing to do with weight or looks. Actors often get typecast. Did that happen afterward, and how do you deal with Hollywoods size-zero mentality?

Truthfully, it wasnt that much different after than it was before. Those parts always come my way. I think things are getting better. I dont think thats as much of a focus anymore. But people tend to be very [unimaginative]. Every one of my friends whos an actor has something: It might be that because theyre pretty, they always have to worry about playing the boring girlfriend; or theyre kind of sexy, so now theyre being asked to play wild, sexual characters that dont have a lot to do with what real women are like. So, yeah, those parts still come my way. But Im interested in playing normal, complex women. Usually, somebodys size is not even in the top five things they would say about themselves. Because theres so much more going on than if they have blonde hair or are a size 12.

Youre filming Life of the Party with Melissa McCarthy now. You said with Tammy, Ben Falcone [McCarthys director husband], whom you know from The Groundings, simply called you with a part. Was it the same this time?

I actually just finished. I was alt writing on set, and also did a little part in the movie. For comedies, they have a few people on set to pitch alternate lines to keep it fresh. I was there for three weeks pitching jokes, and I also played a particularly nerdy partygoer in a scene with Nat Faxon.

Youre also in the upcoming HBO series Big Little Lies, with an all-star cast, including Reese Witherspoon, with whom you worked on The Good Lie.

I think I have Reese to thank for that role, along with the casting director for Mascots. I play this woman whos part of what we though of as a Greek chorus of men and women who feel free to gossip and make snarky comments about the main characters. I havent seen it yet, but the feeling they were going for was darkly comic.

Finally, for a recent Twitter hashtag to #DescribeYourselfAs 3FictionalCharacters, you tweeted Fozzie Bear, Radar from Mash, and Dee from Whats Happening. Care to explain?

Fozzies the comedian, the one who wants to make everyone happy; Radar is the part of me thats super nerdy and detail-oriented and also kind of childlike; and Dee is sarcastic.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for National Geographic

Shailene Woodley was arrested in North Dakota last week while protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is being built on grounds considered sacred by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. After pleading not guilty to criminal trespass and rioting charges on Wednesday, the actress has now penned a statement for Time explaining her commitment to the cause. She also expresses dismay that it took her involvement, that of a white celebrity, to garner mainstream interest in the pipeline issue, both as a flashpoint around national treatment of Native Americans and as a potential environmental crisis. Woodley wrote:

Treaties are broken. Land is stolen. Dams are built. Reservations are flooded. People are displaced.

Treaties are broken. Land is stolen. Dams are built. Reservations are flooded. People are displaced.

Treaties are broken. Land is stolen. Dams are built. Reservations are flooded. People are displaced.

Treaties are broken. Land is stolen. Dams are built. Reservations are flooded. People are displaced.

As for the environmental crux, Woodley spoke to the urgency of the protests, explaining, I know it is easy to be apathetic or detached from the reality that fossil fuel contamination could actually affect you and the ones you love  But hear me loud and clear: If you are a human who requires water to survive, then this issue directly involves you. She also thanked fans for their support while urging them to turn that support toward the Dakota Access Pipeline fight at large. What if we took the hashtag #FreeShailene and made it #ProtectCleanWater, or #HonorNativeTreaties, or #IStandWithStandingRock?  Simply feeding off the hype of a celebritys arrest aint going to save the world. But, standing together will, she wrote. No court date has yet been set for Woodleys case. Read her letter in full here.
Photo: Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers

This weekend, Tom Cruise returns to theaters with the second installment in the Jack Reacher film franchise, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Much like last time, Cruises Reacher is called upon to clear the name of an innocent person saddled with a heinous crime, in this case, his former commanding officer Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders). Its the latest installment in the Cruise Action Canon, a set that started in earnest with the first Mission Impossible back in 1996 and has carried through six installments in that franchise, two Reacher movies, and a handful of one-offs like Oblivion, Minority Report, and Edge of Tomorrow. And while these films are all marked by incredible stunt sequences and formidable fight choreography, theyre also notable for something else: providing the best safe spaces for women in all of action cinema.

Short of playing a Mockingjay, being Tom Cruises female co-star is the highest-profile showcase for women in the whiz-bang genre to kick ass, be sexy, and outwit their opposition, without having to worry about being grossly objectified or used as a prop to demonstrate the virility of a male lead. In his own strange way, you could make the case that Tom Cruise  onscreen, at least  is the feminist action hero 2016 needs.

Before Jason Bourne arrived on the scene, Cruises Ethan Hunt was pitched as the American answer to James Bond. But where the two spy franchises differ most is in the treatment of those women. The women in Bonds life exist to be killed, rescued, or in their highest form, to save him from himself. Even Monica Bellucci, the rare actress who was Bonds equal in age, experience, and star power, only had a few minutes of screen time in Spectre, and her big scene still culminated in a seduction. Spectres other female lead, Lea Seydouxs Madeleine Swann, was equally shortchanged, serving as little more than a mannequin to be kissed. The overt womanizing of the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras may have been trimmed down to the occasional cheeky one-liner, but the Bond films  and most action movies that dont have Fast or Furious in their titles  have still struggled to transform their female characters from objects to subjects.

All of this makes the female co-stars in Cruise movies so noteworthy. No matter how big or small their roles, they are fully fledged characters; active, not reactive. Take Seydoux, who along with Olga Kurylenko has had the distinction of playing opposite both Bond and Cruise. The difference is remarkable; in her few scenes in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Seydoux had more compelling moments than in the entire movie she spent as a Bond Girl. As the stoic assassin Sabine Moreau, she was a killer with purpose, a villain who did not fear the best because shed killed the best. Her fight scene with Paula Patton was a highlight  when she got kicked out that window of the Burj Khalifa, you were sad to see her go.

Even as love interests, actresses like Andrea Riseborough and Kurylenko in Oblivion and Michelle Monaghan in Mission Impossible III have dynamics with Cruise that are clearly rooted in mutual care and affection. Their sexuality is not a prize that Cruise alone possesses, and its never exploited by his antagonists, either  a refreshing change from films where rape is used as motivation for male leads. In Knight and Day, Cruise even literally apologizes to Cameron Diazs character for touching her without her explicit consent, and invites her to punch him in the face. All these women benefit from the innate sexlessness of Cruises star image: With the exception of his turn as an over-the-top musician in Rock of Ages, you have to go back to Vanilla Sky in 2001 to find a woman taking her clothes off for Cruise.

And over the past few years, Cruises action films have leveled up his female counterparts until their abilities have matched or exceeded his own. Emily Blunts Angel of Verdun was the primary ass-kicker in 2014s Edge of Tomorrow, and Cruise spent most of that movie learning how not to be a dead weight around her neck. And while Cruise was as capable as ever in last years Rogue Nation, franchise newcomer Rebecca Ferguson stole the show as a disavowed secret agent  so much so that shell be making a rare return in MI: 6 next year. And in Never Go Back, its Smuldurs who pops off the screen when Cruise slips into a kind of auto-pilot hero mode, finally getting the chance to be the action star weve only seen tiny teases of in the Marvel films. As the movie takes pains to make clear, Reacher and Turner are peers.

In none of these movies do Cruises characters suffer from having a female equal. And the films themselves are often better as a result, as the strength of his female leads move them further away from the genres reliable formulas. You get the sense that, as he approaches 60 Cruise is more than happy to share the responsibility of anchoring a blockbuster action movie. Its almost as if hes creating a kind of hero apprentice program. When Cruise finally does retire from the Impossible Missions Force, maybe one of those successors hes been grooming can take the lead, with a rotating cast of male support figures. You know, to give the underdogs a shot.
By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 21 (PTI) Try to bring back to their homes the "local boys" who have joined militancy instead of killing them in encounters, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged police today amid unrest triggered by the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in a gun-battle with forces in July.

She also appealed to the police and security forces to refrain from using weapons like pellet guns while dealing with protests and instead "tolerate" stone-pelting as a "sacrifice".

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The Chief Minister said while the police had exhibited patience during the last three months of unrest in the Valley, there were some mistakes which warrant action.

She also underlined that "black laws" like AFSPA would be repealed from the state only when the situation improves.

"We all have to work together, heal the wounds of the people here. The children here are the responsibility of God first, then our police because it is they who see them every day, everywhere," she said.

"Those who have taken up arms or those who have not but are missing from their homes and want to join militancy, they are local boys. I request the police to try to bring them back to their homes. Instead of their being killed in encounters," she added.

Mehbooba, who has dealt with the unrest triggered by Wanis killing on July 8 in a tough manner, told the police, "such youth (who have taken to the gun) need hand-holding... If it is possible to bring them back, make them a part of the mainstream. Give them bats, balls and good education, instead of guns."

Her remarks at the Police Commemoration Day function at Armed Police Complex in Zewan on the outskirts of Srinagar came close on the heels of a fresh video surfacing which shows a group of local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit displaying weapons. Earlier, similar videos of Wani and his associates used to surface in the Valley, before he was killed in an encounter.

Urging local youth to shun violence, Mehbooba said, "When the situation improves here, we will end the black laws. For that we have to create an atmosphere first. I know that today the situation is not such, but tomorrow, a year after... we have to repeal AFSPA as we cannot keep it in force forever."

While stressing that ending militancy and restoring peace were a pre-requisite for repealing AFSPA and for seeking start of dialogue process in the state, she said, "We cannot force anyone to have dialogue on gun-point, stones or by lathis."

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She said only when there is a "conducive" atmosphere, she can go to Delhi with her "head held high".

"How can I do it today? There is infiltration, there are encounters. We have to end militancy and create peace in Jammu and Kashmir so that we can repeal AFSPA from some areas here," she said.

She said the police should deal with militants but civilians should not be troubled. MORE PTI SSB MIJ RT AKK AKK

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Cinema halls are not a place to express love for the country which is why singing of national anthem should be discouraged, Salil Chaturvedi says.

By India Today Web Desk: Goa-based wheelchair-bound writer and disability rights campaigner Salil Chaturvedi feels the singing of national anthem should be discouraged in cinema halls, which he said is not a place to express love for the country.

"The singing of national anthem should be discouraged in cinema halls. It is not a place to express your love for the country," says Chaturvedi, who was thrashed by a couple standing in the aisle above him inside a theatre in Panaji.

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READ| My freedom to think: 'In India, humour can get you killed'

READ| My freedom to disagree: 'Freedom is now in peril, we must defend it with all our might'



The award-winning writer later said he will not go to a theatre again. "I am afraid someone will hit me even harder, and worsen my spinal injury," he had told the TOI after the attack on Wednesday.

READ| My freedom to laugh: 'Freedom is being able to shout out on issues that concern us

WHAT THEATRES NEED TO DO



Chaturvedi feels the national anthem should not be "belittled" by playing in a movie theatre. "There are many who might drink and come," he said.

"If the national anthem has to be played, then theatres should announce to their patrons that there might be some people in the hall who cannot get up," he said.

READ| My freedom to introspect: 'National interest is not a real estate game'



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A federal court jury sided with the city of Waco in its battle with an environmental consulting firm over soil cleanup at a site near McLane Stadium, but awarded far less than the city was seeking.

Jurors in Wacos U.S. District Court deliberated five hours before determining Thursday that Kleinfelder Central Inc. failed to live up to its contract with the city to oversee the remediation of toxic soil from the old Southwest Chemical site at Interstate 35 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The jury of six women and one man awarded the city $160,353 in damages, despite the citys claim for $1.1 million.

Three jurors declined to discuss the verdict after the four-day trial, and attorneys on both sides said they would not speculate how the jury determined the amount of damages.

There was nothing in the evidence to support that specific dollar amount.

This has been a long ordeal, Waco City Attorney Jennifer Richie said. We are really appreciative of the jury and the courts time. We are pleased with the verdict that the city was awarded some of its damages.

Mike Goldman, a Dallas attorney who represents Kleinfelder, declined comment after the trial.

The city claimed Kleinfelder failed to properly identify toxic soil from the site, adding $1.1 million to the remediation project.

The five-acre site housed a pesticide plant from 1950 to 1968 that contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath it. The city acquired the property in a tax foreclosure in 2006 and spent years cleaning it up at a cost of $2.8 million, the Tribune-Herald previously reported.

Kleinfelder won contracts in 2010 and 2012 to oversee remediation and ultimately received more than $1 million from the city.

In December 2012, the city hauled 28 truckloads of the contaminated soil to the Waco Regional Landfill. Ten days later, sampling of those piles by another firm found high levels of toxaphene, an insecticide popular for cotton fields in the 1960s.

The city ultimately was required by state officials to move most of the dirt to other landfills permitted for hazardous or Class I wastes, the Tribune-Herald previously reported. That cost the city an additional $1.1 million, according to trial testimony.

Closing statements

In closing statements Wednesday, Goldman, who represents Kleinfelder along with David Sibley, a former state senator and former Waco mayor, told jurors the city caused its own problems by failing to follow Kleinfelders advice. He said the city was more interested in saving money.

Jerry Campbell, a Waco attorney who represented the city with attorney Neal Pirkle, told jurors Kleinfelder did not properly screen the soil, which resulted in the soil being dumped at the Waco Landfill.

This lawsuit involves hiring an expert to do something that the expert did not do, Campbell said. They said they were going to do something. Thats what they were supposed to do. They didnt do it.

Goldman told jurors the problems would not have happened if city officials had listened to their expert advice and waited to haul the dirt away until soil analysis tests were conducted.

We gave the city of Waco advice, Goldman said in closing statements. We are the experts. They ignored our advice, and it was a recipe for disaster.

Goldman told the jury the citys problems started when they decided to get into the real estate business by acquiring the land.

The city got a $200,000 federal grant to help clean up the property. City officials feared they would lose their federal grant because the project was taking too long and changed Kleinfelders initial disposal plan to save money, Goldman said.

We warned them twice, Goldman said. They ignored our warnings.

Goldman said the soil was not properly separated at the landfill, and rain soaked the piles. There was no lining beneath, and costs were increased to clean up the mess, he said.
Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton refused to keep campaign hostilities away even at a charity event organised to raise money for underprivileged children. Donald Trump who initially managed to make crowds laugh, soon annoyed them with caustic swipes at Clinton, and got booed.

By AP: The annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a white-tie gala in New York that is often the last time the two presidential nominees share a stage before Election Day, is traditionally a time when campaign hostilities are set aside.



Not this year.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded sharp barbs and brutal takedowns on Thursday, the night after the third and final presidential debate, with many in the well-heeled crowd turning on the Republican nominee midway through his remarks and showering him with jeers.

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Trump, who had drawn big laughs earlier in the speech, appeared to lose the room as he repeatedly dug in with caustic swipes at Clinton, drawing rare boos at a charity event meant to raise money for impoverished children throughout New York.

Donald Trump booed at annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner in NYC after delivering series of jabs at Hillary Clinton. https://t.co/ke0nzZQy5S pic.twitter.com/bTCRqGZqF8 ABC News (@ABC) October 21, 2016

He appeared to straddle the line when he talked about how "listening to Hillary rattle on and rattle on" has made him better appreciate his longtime nemesis Rosie O'Donnell. But he then seemed to cross it when he referred to her as "corrupt" during a lengthy riff on the FBI's investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

"Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt," he said to loud boos and at least one call demanding he get off the stage.

He then almost appeared to segue into the standard attack lines of his rally speeches, setting aside jokes to bring up material contained in hacked Clinton campaign emails.

"Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private," he said to growing jeers. "Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics."

Clinton also veered into personal digs, making one joke in which she said the Statue of Liberty, for most Americans, represents a symbol of hope for immigrants.

"Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a '4,'" Clinton joked. "Maybe a '5' if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

Trump and Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer. And when they entered and took their seats, they did not greet each other or make eye contact, though they did shake hands at the conclusion of the roast.

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Dolan later called his seat "the iciest place on the planet."

Most eyes were on Trump, who infamously glowered through Obama's jokes at his expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and is not known for being self-deprecating.

Some of his jokes landed well, drawing laughs from both the crowd and Clinton.

His biggest laughs came as he talked about Michelle Obama getting rave reviews for a recent speech. "They think she's absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case," he said to whoops and laughs.

Watch how Donald Trump made crowds laugh with his jokes but getting booed eventually







And some of his attack lines flashed a sense of humor that has been mostly absent from the grueling campaign. Clinton was the first one to laugh when Trump joked that she had bumped into him earlier in the night "and she very simply said 'Pardon me'" - an unsubtle reference to the Republican nominee's frequent declarations that his opponent should go to jail.

Clinton, meanwhile, was more self-deprecating than Trump, joking that she's taken a break from her "usual nap schedule" to attend and suggesting that the audience should be pleased she's not charging her usual fee for speaking in front of potential donors.

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But she also got in some digs at Trump, a few of which drew scattered jeers. Clinton said she understood why Trump was leery of teleprompters because they can be difficult to follow and "I'm sure it's even harder when you're translating from the original Russian."

The dinner is named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928. And fittingly for an event named after a man nicknamed "The Happy Warrior," the occasion has produced dozens of memorable presidential jokes - and sincere moments of goodwill that have remained largely absent from the 2016 campaign.

"I can't wish my opponent luck," John McCain said in 2008, turning toward Obama, "but I do wish him well."



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The Waco Animal Shelter had become a national model even before its $3.5 million extreme makeover debuted Thursday, a widely known animal welfare consultant said at a ribbon- cutting ceremony.

Sara Pizano, a veterinarian program director for Florida-based Target Zero, traveled to Waco for the grand opening of the renovated shelter, which she has advised for several years.

As I speak around the country, the Waco story is the first I tell, Pizano told the crowd before the ribbon-cutting Thursday.

She said officials from communities trying to turn around their animal shelters are studying Wacos example, and officials from Beaumont recently came here for a visit.

Over the years, we have referred an enormous number of people to Waco, she said in an interview.

The dedication Thursday was a milestone in the four-year turnaround of the animal shelter, which now qualifies for no-kill status based on an average live exit rate of more than 90 percent for the last year. The crowd got to see a spacious new adoption center, a cheerful dog playground, a veterinary clinic and climate-controlled kennels with stainless steel cages.

The city, which owns the shelter on Circle Road, took over kennel operations in late 2012 from the Humane Society of Central Texas, assigning that nonprofit group to run the adoption center.

At Pizanos urging, the city hired a full-time veterinarian, Dr. Ron Epps; created new health and vaccination protocols; and beefed up community spay-and-neuter efforts with the Animal Birth Control Clinic.

The city council also has passed ordinances requiring most animals to be microchipped and spayed or neutered.

Pizano said thats the holistic approach Target Zero champions, but communities arent always quick to embrace it.

It doesnt always work out like this, she said. People say, Thanks, but its not going to happen here. We cant afford it. But were talking about cost savings here. Dont you want to decrease your intake by 50 percent?

Pizano said city staff and former Mayor Malcolm Duncan Jr. made the shelter and no-kill status a priority.

Deputy City Manager Wiley Stem, who oversaw the shelter turnaround, said the rapid progress would have been impossible without an all-out effort by the Humane Society, Animal Birth Control Clinic and other animal welfare groups.
Applause

Fred Hills, dean of arts, sciences and business at McLennan Community College, has been named the Lindle Grigsby Leadership Award honoree for 2016.

The award was presented at the Texas Community College Instructional Leadership (TCCIL) conference earlier this month.

The award was created in 2012 by representatives from the Texas Association of College Technical Educators (TACTE), the Texas Association of Continuing Education (TACE), and Texas Community College Instructional Administrators (TCCIA) to recognize members that have demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and dedication to at least one of the associations.

Hills was selected to receive the award for his many years of dedication and service to all three organizations.

Class acts

Cameron Yoe High School juniors Rebekah Ferguson and Diego Martinez were robed at the Texas Bioscience Institutes white coat ceremony on the campus of Temple College in August. Madison Humble will also be in the TBI program but she was unable to attend the ceremony.

Send submissions to neighborplus@wacotrib.com.
A Waco Libertarian, who says he has a slim-to-none chance, is vying for votes on election day against Republican County Commissioner Will Jones, who remains under investigation by the Texas Rangers on bribery allegations stemming from his primary election run.

David Reichert, 41, is challenging Jones, 45, for the Precinct 3 seat which includes parts of Waco, West, Leroy, Ross, Gholson, Elm Mott, Lacy Lakeview and Chalk Bluff.

Early voting starts Monday and runs through Nov. 4 for the Nov. 8 joint general election that includes races for the president of the United States; members of Congress; and state, county, city and school district officials.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Kelly Snell is running unopposed for his seat after eking out a Republican primary win by just a handful of votes. His opponent challenged the results in court after the county announced polling place errors led to the disenfranchisement of 600 voters. A judge upheld Snells win.

Early voting runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 30, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 31 through Nov. 4.

Registered voters can cast an early ballot at any of the five following locations: McLennan County Elections administration office in the Records Building, 214 North Fourth St., suite 300 in Waco; Robinson Community Center, 106 W. Lyndale Drive; Waco Multi-Purpose Community Center, 1020 Elm St.; First Assembly of God Church, 6701 Bosque Blvd., in Waco; Brazos Meadows Baptist Church, 625 S. Hewitt Drive.

In August, Judge James E. Morgan appointed Assistant Attorney General Amy Cadwell to handle all matters relating to the involvement of Jones, who graduated with a finance degree from Baylor University, in the alleged bribery or attempted bribery in McLennan County.

Texas Ranger Patrick Pena is investigating the matter. He has declined comment citing department policy precluding him from commenting on open cases.

Jones Republican primary opponent, Ben Matus, of West, told the Tribune-Herald in January that Jones offered to pay him $1,250, the amount of the filing fee for the race, to withdraw. Matus shared a recording of the phone conversation with Jones making the offer, and Jones also told the Tribune-Herald he had made the offer, calling it a business transaction.

Jones went on to win the primary in March with almost 56 percent of the vote.

Jones texted him about the offer several times and called him in December, Matus said in January. He later posted the recording to his campaign Facebook page.

He was serious. He offered to pay me to drop out of the race, Matus said at the time. He kind of blindsided me. He told me I was wasting my time and money, and I kind of got agitated. It is my time and my money. He said it is a losing cause, but it made me want to run against him even more.

Jones said in January he offered to reimburse Matus the cost of his filing fee if Matus would pull out of the race.

I did say that I would refund his money, and I told him that would be a good idea for him, Jones said at the time. There is no way it could be considered a bribe. There is nothing wrong about it.

Jones said this week he has no comment on the situation.

Reichert said Jones actions were unethical but probably werent criminal.

Reichert, who has lived in the area his entire life, said there was a time in his life when he quit voting because he realized there was never a candidate he felt represented him. In 2014, he said, he realized if more people ran for office then there would be a wider selection of candidates and perhaps more residents would get out to vote. During that time he joined the Libertarian Party and began his research.

The last day before the filing deadline, he submitted his paperwork to run for justice of the peace Precinct 1, Place 2 in November 2014. Reichert lost with 13.1 percent, or 2,667 of the votes, against the incumbent Republican Pete Peterson, who garnered 17,680 votes, or 86.9 percent.

The results of that race confirmed his belief.

There are just a lot of pissed off people, Reichert said.

Reichert said he knows his chances are slim at beating Jones, but that doesnt mean he shouldnt at least try.

The reality is that Im a Libertarian candidate in a Republican county where everybody votes straight party, he said. The chances of me winning is like winning the lottery, getting struck by lightning twice in the same day, in the same place, and getting bitten by a shark. The chances are slim to none that thats going to happen. Now, could it happen? Of course. All those other things could happen too.

Reichert said he would be the type of commissioner that questions everything and pursues issues if something didnt look or smell right. It doesnt take a Baylor University graduate who majored in business or law and only wears a suit to properly represent residents, he said.

Jones, who has had a career in the private sector as a stockbroker and in the real estate business, beat four opponents in the GOP primary and then defeated Democrat Brian Scott in 2012 with 11,805 votes, or 62.3 percent. The seat opened after longtime Democrat-turned- Republican Joe Mashek announced in 2011 he would not seek a fifth four-year term.

Jones said this week hes running for office again to ensure county operations are run efficiently and like a business. He said he also is working toward keeping more money in the taxpayers pocket, including advocating for a lower tax rate. Jones proposed the county adopt the effective tax rate for the 2017 fiscal year budget, which is the rate that would raise the same amount of tax revenue as the year before.

Jones said hes always looking for more ways to be efficient with technology, including improving the county website, and has also worked to keep the countys health plan costs down.

In an environment where health care costs keep going up and up and up, we worked real hard to minimize the impact to the taxpayers and always provide good quality health care for our employees, he said.

Now that construction of schools in the city of West has concluded, he wants to look toward getting main roads back to pre-explosion condition or better, he said.

Im going to continue fighting for the taxpayers and trying to keep the money in taxpayers pockets and doing whatever I can to minimize the impact of these large projects on the taxpayers, he said.

Jones also was a candidate in 2010 for chairman of the McLennan County Republican Party.
Two Austin-area men who were present at a 2015 shootout during a gathering of motorcycle clubs and riders in Waco have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against law enforcement officials there.

Complaints filed Tuesday allege Waco Police Department Chief Brent Stroman, Detective Manuel Chavez, District Attorney Abel Reyna and an unnamed Texas Department of Public Safety employee arrested William Brent Redding of Travis County and Thomas Paul Landers of Williamson County solely based upon their presence at the incident and the clothes they were wearing.

Redding and Landers are both members of the Escondidos Motorcycle Club, according to the complaint, whose patches bare a similar color scheme to that of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, which is listed as an outlaw motorcycle gang by the FBIs National Gang Report.

The documents say motorcycle riders from a variety of clubs including Christian clubs, military veteran clubs, clean and sober clubs, women-only clubs child abuse assistance clubs, sport riding clubs and others were in attendance when gunfire erupted, surprising most in attendance.

The complaint says many of those who were arrested were held because their patches resembled those of the Bandidos or Cossacks Motorcycle Club.
As leader of the nations largest veterans service organization, I am often asked who the American Legion supports in this years presidential election. My answer is simple: Veterans. And by that, I refer not to a candidates military service (or lack thereof) but to his or her proposals on issues such as VA health care, a strong national defense and border security.

If the questioner is unaware of our nonpartisanship, a follow-up is asked along the lines of, Who does the Legion really support, Trump or Hillary? My answer is the same: The American Legion supports veterans.

While a lot of organizations claim nonpartisanship, it is a mandate enshrined in the American Legions constitution and backed up by the examples set forth by our World War I veteran founders.

During one of the earliest meetings of the American Legion in 1919, a movement was afoot to nominate Theodore Roosevelt Jr. as our first national commander. A World War I hero and the son of a former president, T.R. Jr. was widely perceived to have political ambitions of his own. A term as national commander would be a nice steppingstone for the young Republican.

Roosevelt would have none of it. Over shouts of We want Teddy, Roosevelt told the delegates, I wish to withdraw my name for a number of reasonsWe are gathered together for a very high purpose. I want every American through the length and breadth of this land to realize that there is not a man in this caucus who is seeking anything for himself, personally, but that he is simply working for the good of the entire situation.

Roosevelt knew the best way for the American Legion to advance its pillars of fighting for a strong national defense, caring for veterans, establishing wholesome youth programs and promoting Americanism was to avoid partisanship and political labels.

While many Democrats, Republicans and independents have been active in the legion throughout our history, the organization is beholden only to God and Country, the two entities emblazoned on the back of every membership card. We endorse no political office-seeker nor any political party. We operate no political action committee and contribute to no campaign.

This doesnt mean were not engaged in the democratic process. Far from it. During election years, we routinely invite the Republican and Democratic nominees for president to address our national convention. Only time constraints prevent us from inviting the numerous independent and third-party candidates as well.

The American Legion is concerned that the candidates have barely uttered a word about veterans issues during any of the presidential or vice presidential debates. This comes at a time when an estimated 20 veterans a day commit suicide, more than 80,000 veterans have waited five years or longer to have their claims appeals decided and problems abound with the much-ballyhooed Veterans Choice program.

Moreover, ISIS, North Korea, Iran, China and Russia dominate headlines, while lawmakers and the White House continue to fund our military at pre-World War II levels. Recent terrorist attacks by immigrants in Washington state, New York and Minnesota demonstrate the government still has some deadly holes in its vetting process.

Veterans care deeply about the security of this country. If they didnt, they wouldnt have served. In our all-volunteer force, the care and well-being of these veterans is the cost of war and fielding a strong defense.

The American Legion is not interested in which candidate wins on election day. We are instead encouraging candidates to follow Roosevelts example and work for the good of the entire situation.

When that happens, America wins.

Charles E. Schmidt is national commander of the 2.2 million-member American Legion.
The polls, both in their top-line numbers and underlying data, look bleak for Donald Trump. The latest Fox News poll, for example, shows only 80 percent of Republicans support him  evidence of the remarkable success of the #NeverTrump movement. Moreover:

Overall, 61 percent of voters say Hillary Clinton has the temperament to serve effectively as president. Sixty-one percent think Trump doesnt.

By a 7-point margin, voters say Clinton has the judgment to serve (53-46 percent). Its the reverse for Trump, as by a 23-point margin they believe he lacks the judgment (37-60 percent).

This goes a long way toward explaining why Clinton is preferred over Trump by more voters when it comes to making decisions about using nuclear weapons (+25 points), handling an international crisis (+19) and handling foreign policy (+18).

Trumps personal ratings are worse than Clintons. She has a net negative rating of 4 points (47 percent favorable vs. 51 percent unfavorable). Trump is under water by 19 points (40 percent favorable vs. 59 percent unfavorable). Again, the party faithful arent all with Trump: 22 percent of Republicans have a negative opinion of him. Thats more than twice the number of Democrats who view Clinton unfavorably (9 percent).

While Trump dominates media coverage and has shaken the country and the GOP to their core, Trump actually is not politically persuasive. In the most recent Fox News poll, for example, 74 percent of Americans favor a path to citizenship; only 18 percent want to deport as many as possible.

Trumps unfavorable ratings remain sky-high. In all likelihood, he is going to lose decisively. So why should we worry if he doesnt concede or continues to whip his followers into a fury?

It seems worry about the aftermath of the election reflects a flawed assessment of his importance once he suffers a humiliating loss. If Hillary Clinton gets 300-plus electoral votes, she isnt going to wait for Trump to telephone to declare victory  nor will the networks delay calling the race. (This election may stand out as one of the medias earliest presidential-election calls.) Trump can go on ranting that the race was fixed or that the media did him in, but its not clear that anyone but his hard-core followers will care  and even some of those may wash their hands of him once he loses.

The election is likely to be bad news for the current GOP, but rather good news for the health of our democracy. Consider all the positives if Trump is beaten soundly:

The vast majority of Democrats and Republicans will have reaffirmed the security of our elections, debunking paranoia about widespread fraud.

Voters will have repudiated decisively a candidate revealed to be a racist, misogynist, narcissist and bully.

Voters will also have rejected a message claiming that the United States is a Third World hellhole that doesnt win anymore. In other words, a large majority of the electorate will have signaled that they think the United States is great already.

The election will have reaffirmed that facts do matter and that presidents are expected to know things.

Millions of Republicans will have put country above party to vote for Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson or Evan McMullin.

Sure, Trump will likely still have millions of followers, but then so do the talk-radio cranks. He will still have his Twitter account and may even try to incite his followers. The amount of attention he receives, however, will be vastly reduced. He will have no more power than he does now to determine public policy or influence those outside his narrow stratum of Kool-Aid drinkers. Trump will be just another loud-mouthed hater on the right.

Could Trump take millions of voters out of the GOP? I suppose so, but if Trumps shock troops leave the GOP, the Trumpkins would have to find others to vote for or would have to check out of politics entirely. In either case, center-right activists and candidates should be happy to reorient their appeal, making themselves accessible and their message attractive to the vast majority of Americans rather than tolerable only to a narrow fringe. The alt-right folks can go back to their cesspool.

To paraphrase Ronald Reagans comment about the Cold War, we should be able to say, We (e.g. the United States, decency, tolerance, democracy) win, he loses.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Washington Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded sharp barbs and brutal take-downs the night after their final debate, with many in the well-heeled crowd turning on the Republican nominee midway through his remarks and showering him with jeers.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sit together at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner in New York. (Photo: REUTERS)

By AP: The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a white-tie gala in New York that is often the last time the two presidential nominees share a stage before Election Day, is traditionally a time when campaign hostilities are set aside.

Not this year.

CANDIDATES EXCHANGE BARBS

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded sharp barbs and brutal take-downs the night after their final debate, with many in the well-heeled crowd turning on the Republican nominee midway through his remarks and showering him with jeers.

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Trump, who had drawn big laughs earlier in the speech, appeared to lose the room as he repeatedly dug in with caustic swipes at Clinton, drawing rare boos at a charity event meant to raise money for impoverished children throughout New York.

He appeared to straddle the line when he talked about how "listening to Hillary rattle on and rattle on" has made him better appreciate his former nemesis Rosie O'Donnell. But he then seemed to cross it when he referred to her as "corrupt" during a lengthy riff on the FBI's investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.











TRUMP GETS BOOED

"Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt," he said to loud boos and at least one call demanding he get off the stage.

He then almost appeared to segue into the standard attack lines of his rally speeches, setting aside jokes to bring up material contained in hacked Clinton campaign emails.

"Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private," he said to growing jeers. "Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics."

Clinton also veered into personal digs, making one joke in which she said the Statue of Liberty, for most Americans, represents a symbol of hope for immigrants.

"Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a '4,'" Clinton joked. "Maybe a '5' if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."



SAT NEXT TO EACH OTHER

Trump and Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer. And when they entered and took their seats, they did not greet each other or make eye contact, though they did shake hands at the conclusion of the roast.

Dolan later called his seat "the iciest place on the planet."

Most eyes were on Trump, who infamously glowered through Obama's jokes at his expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and is not known for being self-deprecating.

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Some of his jokes landed well, drawing laughs from both the crowd and Clinton.

His biggest laughs came as he talked about Michelle Obama getting rave reviews for a recent speech. "They think she's absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case," he said to whoops and laughs.

And some of his attack lines flashed a sense of humor that has been mostly absent from the grueling campaign. Clinton was the first one to laugh when Trump joked that she had bumped into him earlier in the night "and she very simply said 'Pardon me'" - an unsubtle reference to the Republican nominee's frequent declarations that his opponent should go to jail.

Clinton, meanwhile, was more self-deprecating than Trump, joking that she's taken a break from her "usual nap schedule" to attend and suggesting that the audience should be pleased she's not charging her usual fee for speaking in front of potential donors.

But she also got in some digs at Trump, a few of which drew scattered jeers. Clinton said she understood why Trump was leery of teleprompters because they can be difficult to follow and "I'm sure it's even harder when you're translating from the original Russian."

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The dinner is named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928. And fittingly for an event named after a man nicknamed "The Happy Warrior," the occasion has produced dozens of memorable presidential jokes - and sincere moments of goodwill that have remained largely absent from the 2016 campaign.

"I can't wish my opponent luck," John McCain said in 2008, turning toward Obama, "but I do wish him well."

ALSO READ:

US presidential debate: In final face-off, Trump, Hillary clash on immigration, Russia | Highlights

Cussword campaign: This is how these people support Donald Trump

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How about sleeping in a coffin within the Dracula's Castle in Transylvania on the night of Halloween? Here's how you can do it.

By Samonway Duttagupta: We have all grown up hearing those spooky vampire stories.

In fact, Bram Stroker's Dracula has made us imagine so much about the world of vampires. But what if that imaginary world turned into a reality for you? What if you could spend a night at the Dracula's Castle?

Bran castle's history dates back to the 14th century, it is most well-known as the inspiration for Dracula's castle in Bram Stoker's celebrated novel. Picture courtesy: Airbnb

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That might sound unbelievable, but it's true.

Dacre Stoker, a vampire expert, the great grandnephew of Bram Stoker, author of the legendary Dracula novel will be your host at the Bran Castle on the night of Halloween, October 31, 2016.

Enjoy reliving the legendary Dracula novel while making your own history. Picture courtesy: Airbnb

Nestled in the Carpathian mountains in Transylvania, the Bran Castle is the place where the legend of Dracula was born. When you are there at the Castle on the night of Halloween, Dacre Stroker will be personally there to "guide you through the dark passages of the castle for a private unveiling of its many mysteries".

Spend the night in Dracula's vault. The count has generously allowed you to sleep in his coffin. Picture courtesy: Airbnb

Providing accommodation to only two persons, two coffins will serve as the beds for the guests, and a candlelit dinner will be served exactly the same way the novel describes Jonathan Hawker's meal to be.

Enjoy an intimate candlelit dinner, prepared exactly as Jonathan Hawker's meal is described in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Picture courtesy: Airbnb Enjoy an intimate candlelit dinner, prepared exactly as Jonathan Hawker's meal is described in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Picture courtesy: Airbnb

The Airbnb listing of Dracula's Castle reads:

"A horse-drawn carriage carries you swiftly through Transylvania as the sun sets towards the horizon, heralding the hours of swooping bats and howling wolves. When you come around the final bend on the tree-lined road, you'll catch a glimpse of Bran Castle. This misty mountain-top manor is home for the night. The chill that suddenly fills the carriage is not the evening mist, it's a fear older than the forests now grown up around the castle rock. This is the lair of vampires, and you cannot leave until dawn.

Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker's great grandnephew, will answer your knock on the castle's imposing wooden doors. He will be your host for the night, and resident expert on Transylvanian lore. Enter the castle and explore the labyrinth of lamp-lit corridors, creepy nooks, and squeaky staircases while there is still light in the sky. You may traipse through all fifty-seven rooms, from lofty tower lookouts to deep dark crypts, and even enjoy an incomparable view of the Carpathians from the terrace as the sun makes its final descent. But once darkness comes, retreat inside. Unexpected guests have been known to come knocking in the moonlit hours.

Explore the castle's dark secrets and admire its various objects of mystery. Picture courtesy: Airbnb Explore the castle's dark secrets and admire its various objects of mystery. Picture courtesy: Airbnb

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A secret passage on the first floor leads to the grand dining room where an intimate candlelit dinner will await, prepared exactly as described in Bram Stoker's novel. Following the hearty, blood-enriching meal, you will be left to sleep in luxurious velvet-trimmed coffins in the seclusion of the Count's crypt.

Fall asleep to the creaks and whispers of the Transylvanian night, and the sound of wolves roaming outside the castle walls.

"Listen to them, children of the night, what music they make?"





And guess what? Not only your stay will be free, you will be flown in without a single penny to spend.

All you need to do is enter the contest.

For further details and the house rules, click here.

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Nearly 29 million calls to Centrelink got a busy signal in the past year as the welfare agency's performance in answering its phones got even worse.

The agency's parent department told Senate Estimates on Thursday night that another 7 million calls had been "abandoned" with customers not prepared to wait any more to have their calls taken.

The Department of Human Services, which oversees Centrelink, has spent $32,249 on Cellebrite products in the 2016 / 2017 financial year. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

The previous year, about 22 million phone calls to Centrelink went unanswered, with the welfare agency blaming emergencies and a complex payment system for its worsening performance.

The Human Services hierarchy were at pains to stress on Thursday night that the figures did not mean that 29 million individual customers had received engaged tones.
The man responsible for one of WA's most gruesome mass murders has been denied parole for a second time after slaughtering a mother and her three children with an axe 23 years ago.

William Mitchell was 22 years old when he murdered single mother Karen MacKenzie, 31, and her children Danny, 16, Amara, seven, and Katrina, five, on February 21, 1993 in the rural town of Greenough, 400 kilometres north of Perth.

William Patrick Mitchell killed Karen MacKenzie and her three children.

Ms MacKenzie had rejected Mitchell's advances earlier that evening at a friend's house, but accepted his offer to drive her home.

Later that night, at 3.30am, he returned to the isolated property after having abused cannabis, alcohol and amphetamines throughout the day.
A suspected double murder of two young children in Yanchep on Thursday night is believed to have been carried out by their 35-year-old father Jason Headland.

Mr Headland, who remains in a critical condition at Royal Perth Hospital, is under police guard after he apparently tried to commit suicide following the death of his two children aged three and five.

Jason Headland with his children.

Major Crime detectives forced entry to the children's Flight Vista home about 10.30pm on Thursday night to find the bodies of three-year-old Lily and five-year-old Andreas - who are thought to have been stabbed to death.

They also found their critically-injured father in the home and police later confirmed they were not looking for a third party.
Embraer aircraft deal was signed during the UPA regime in 2008. NRI defence consultant Vipin Khanna has been accused of receiving and distributing kickbacks.

By Shivendra Srivastava: The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed an FIR into the USD 208 million Embraer Jet deal. NRI defence consultant Vipin Khanna has been named as the main accused.

The Embraer aircraft deal was signed during the Manmohan Singh led-UPA regime in 2008 for 3 aircraft.

MAIN ACCUSED NAMED

According to the FIR, Vipin Khanna is accused of receiving and distributing bribe money.

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The deal was signed in 2008 between Embraer and the DRDO for three aircraft equipped with indigenous radars for AEW&C (airborne early warning and control systems).

Khanna is believed to have taken money Rs 42 crore from Brazilian company Embraer.

As per the defence procurement rules of India, any agent or middlemen is strictly prohibited from signing such deals.



Also read: India-Embraer jet deal under scanner for graft, Defence Ministry seeks firm's reply within 15 days



CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry in this matter in September. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had then indicated that the CBI could probe the USD 208 million Embraer aircraft deal if any criminality was indicated in the internal probe already ordered at that time.

This case was first reported when according to a Brazilian newspaper, the Embraer had availed the services of middlemen to get this deal through in Saudi Arabia and India.





UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT



Khanna could not reached for a reaction on this matter.



According to a report published in the Indian Express, the FIR has accused Vipin Khanna as having significantly benefitted from the kickbacks and from a Singapore-based company, Interdev Pte Ltd, as the entity via which the money was routed in three tranches through a subsidiary of Embraer. The alleged kickbacks were routed via Austria and Switzerland. Interdev Pte Ltd is listed as a software consultancy firm incorporated in 2000.

After these charges, first reported in the Brazilian media, of kickbacks being paid in the deal for purchase of three Embraer-145 aircraft by India came to the fore, the Ministry of Defence handed over the deal's documents and agreements to the CBI.

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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 20 (PTI) India and the European Union today sought to "broaden" their bilateral engagement, in various fields, by leveraging the strength of Indian diaspora in EU countries.

"As far as our relationship with the diaspora is concerned, currently we are at a very interesting junction as India is asserting its position on various world forums.

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"So, as India grows in stature, so does its diaspora and as the diaspora grows, it benefits India too. We need to have a very different kind of interaction. And, Indian diaspora is very fascinating," senior MEA official, D M Mulay said.

He was speaking here at a panel discussion on New Homelands: the Indian Diaspora in the European Union hosted by the EU Delegation in India.

The event was held ahead of the opening of a photography exhibition on Indian diaspora community in EU as part of the diaspora project sponsored by the EU Delegation in India, at the India Habitat Centre.

"This project is about finding new friendships and bringing together two cultures and to show EU to a larger public. And, the purpose is to further strengthen the bond between the EU and India," Deputy Head of EU Delegation in India, Cesare Onestini said.

Three photojournalists were chosen as part of the project to travel to a few European countries, including Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and Slovenia, and document their experiences of meeting Indian diaspora community there.

"We acknowledge the importance of Indian community in Europe and its importance in the future of the European Union. And, this project is part of our vision to broaden our bilateral engagement with India," a senior official of the EU Delegation in India said.

Nearly 30 million Indians are residing in various countries outside of India and about 6.3 million live in countries which are part of the European Union.

Mulay said the Centres policy toward the diaspora has "evolved" and now "we take a 360-degree view of it. So not just the economic benefits they bring to us, but also cultural enrichment. Therefore, we have a more holistic approach now."

"We will be hosting the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas next year from January 7-9 in Bangalore, as part of which a new format of the event has been designed. There would be various thematic discussions, including on diaspora and inputs from those would be made part of the policy making," he said.

The exhibition captures the struggles and triumphs of various Indians who chose to settle in a different country, and how their relationship with India "evolved" over the decades.

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Sweden-born Gautam S Bhattacharyya, who recently took charge as the Deputy Head of Mission in the Swedish Embassy, was also present on the occasion. PTI KND GVS

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Two National Workshops on the modernization of the Customs Laboratories of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro, respectively, organized jointly by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Customs Administration of these two Members, with the support of the Customs Cooperation Fund of Germany (CCF Germany), were held from 17 to 20 October. The two Workshops were co-facilitated by three Customs Chemists from the German Administration.

The Workshop of Montenegro took place in the headquarters of Montenegro Customs in Podgorica. The opening of this activity was officiated by Dzenana Tuzovic, head of the Department for the Customs Tariff, TARICG and Laboratory. In her opening remarks she highlighted the importance of the Customs Laboratory for the correct tariff classification of goods and the efforts of Montenegro Customs in establishing a Customs Laboratory with the highest standards of quality. She also noted the continuous support of the WCO and CCF Germany to meet the demands of Montenegro in its capacity building initiatives and thanked the representative from the WCO Secretariats Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate for facilitating the high level discussions on tariff classification and Customs Laboratory issues. During the Workshop the group discussed a wide range of Customs Laboratory matters, including the Customs Laboratory Guide, the HS 2017 edition, the ISO 17025 and other aspects regarding quality assurance and accreditation of Customs Laboratories. Montenegro is planning to implement soon a standard Customs Laboratory. At the closing ceremony, Dr. Siegfried Knecht, from the Customs Laboratory of Frankfurt and Martin Buhmann, from the Customs Laboratory of Berlin, who co-facilitated the Workshop, pointed out that the establishment of a modern Customs Laboratory in Montenegro would be very beneficial for the Montenegro Customs Administration

The Workshop of Bosnia & Herzegovina was held in the Customs headquarters in Banja Luka. In his opening remarks, Mr. Zoran Popovic, Head of the Customs Laboratory, thanked the continuous support of the WCO and CCF Germany for the modernization of the Customs Laboratory of his Administration. The Customs Laboratory of Bosnia & Herzegovina is a medium size laboratory that will be relocated soon to a new better equipped modern building. During the Workshop the group discussed the use and future prospects of the HS and the future of the Customs Laboratories. A wide range of quality and accreditation matters were addressed and the participants attending the Workshop were also thoroughly informed about the fundamental principles and practicalities of the ISO 17025. Present at the closing ceremony, Dr. Dirk Jacobi, from the Customs Laboratory of Munich, who co-facilitated the Workshop, emphasized the importance of the cooperation and networking between Customs Laboratories and encouraged Bosnia & Herzegovina Customs to the establishment of a modern Customs Laboratory.
NCRA Dean Yashwant Gupta said that it is a very big achievement to be chosen to track and detect the module Schiaparelli released from ESA's spacecraft that is on Mars mission.

By Pankaj P. Khelkar, Indo-Asian News Service: In a major achievement, India's Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope (GMRT) successfully detected the radio signal coming from a space craft module that was descending in the Mars atmosphere on October 19. This detection was done from Khodad near Pune which is 56 million kilometers away from the red planet.

Speaking with India Today, Yashwant Gupta, Dean of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) said that this was a very big achievement for India's GMRT to be chosen to track the module "Schiaparelli" released from ESA's spacecraft. Schiaparelli is part of the Exo Mars 2016 mission and it was sent from earth in the month of February this year.

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NASA CHOSE GMRT

Gupta shared that NASA had contacted the Director of NCRA, Professor Ghosh about this Mars landing project and the first communication from NASA happened two and half years ago . Earlier, Mars mission projects had failed during the last descend, i.e. the final phase of landing of space module on the Mars surface. So, this time NASA and ESA were jointly looking for an observatory that had the capability of detecting very weak radio signals that would be helpful in tracking the final descend of the module. Thus, India's GMRT was chosen as it has the facility to give a real time feed of the radio signal coming from Mars.

NCRA Director told with India Today that NASA had compared three different options for detecting the 400 MHz signals for the dynamics of this project landing. And they found GMRT was the most sensitive and the best option. NASA was even ready to pay for this support but the NCRA opted for project collaboration without charging anything, so that both teams learn from each other's experience rather than going for monetary gains. The process started more than two years ago but most of the activities started happening a year back with up-gradation of all antennas at Khodad.

CRUCIAL 8 MINUTES OF TOUCH DOWN

Schiaparelli space module entered the Mars atmosphere on October 19 around 7 pm (IST). The space module had to face many challenges during the last free fall at a very high speed. The space module had to decelerate so as to have a soft landing. At first, a parachute was deployed to slow down the speed from 20000 miles per hour to few meters per second, mini-rockets were fired to further slow down the speed. This was a big challenge and it happened in phases. The emitting of radio signal was switched on and so the GMRT was able to track Schiaparelli module for 80 minutes, but the critical part were the last eight minutes which were successfully tracked, explained Ghosh.

MAN WHO SET UP GMRT

Professor Govind Swaroop, now 87-years-old is the brain behind setting up of the GMRT, now being used by 30 countries for discoveries of certain signals from stars, galaxies and quasars that come under meter waves. Swaroop while talking to India Today shared his achievements in designing, building the indigenous, yet innovative and powerful radio telescope. Swaroop said, "I feel very satisfied about the latest achievement and contribution of the GMRT in the Mars mission jointly set by NASA and ESA." He added that this ESA Mars mission experience will be of great help for ISRO's future space program as it has proved that the GMRT has the capability to track and detect the descending of a space module on Mars surface.

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The GMRT is now waiting to once again detect and record the radio signals once it is switched on from the Schiaparelli space module.



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The gang stopped the victim, identified as the manager, when he was returning from work. They forcibly pushed Nagendranath into an SUV on the pretext of arresting him.

By Rohini Swamy: A group of armed men posed as policemen looted a gold loan firm of valuables after kidnapping the manager in Kengeri area on the outskirts of Bangalore.

The gang stopped the victim, identified as the manager, when he was returning from work. They forcibly pushed Nagendranath into an SUV on the pretext of arresting him. Subsequently, they took him to an isolated area where they assaulted him and forced him to divulge the security measures in the firm.

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Next day, during the wee hours, the accused took the victim to his workplace and asked him to open the safe with the keys so that the theft alarm does not get triggered.

After robbing the firm of 90 lakh worth of valuables the accused dumped the victim on Magadi Road and sped away.

A complaint has been filed with the Kumbalgodu police station and a detailed probe is being conducted based on the CCTV footage of the incident.

ALSO READ:

Naked, bound body of famed perfumer Monika Ghurde found at Goa home; robbery, rape suspected

Armed robbers strike three trains crossing Kanpur, hit passengers who protested

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White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance and other financial services in the United States. The company operates through five segments: HG Global/BAM, Ark, NSM, Kudu, and Other Operations. The HG Global/BAM segment provides insurance on municipal bonds issued to finance public purposes, such as schools, utilities, and transportation facilities, as well as reinsurance protection services. The Ark segment writes a portfolio of reinsurance and insurance, including property, marine and energy, accident and health, casualty, and specialty products. The NSM segment operates as a managing general agent and program administrator for specialty property and casualty insurance to various sectors comprising specialty transportation, real estate, social services, and pet. The Kudu segment provides capital solutions to boutique asset and wealth managers for generational ownership transfers, management buyouts, acquisitions and growth finances, and legacy partner liquidity, as well as strategic assistance to investees. The Other Operations segment offers insurance solutions to travel industry through broker channel and on a direct-to-consumer basis; and manages separate accounts and pooled investment vehicles for insurance-linked securities sectors, including catastrophe bonds, collateralized reinsurance investments, and industry loss warranties of third-party clients. White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
ICL Group Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty minerals and chemicals company worldwide. It operates in four segments: Industrial Products, Potash, Phosphate Solutions, and Innovative Ag Solutions (IAS). The Industrial Products segment produces bromine out of a solution that is a by-product of the potash production process, as well as bromine-based compounds; produces various grades of potash, salt, magnesium chloride, and magnesia products; and produces and markets phosphorous-based flame retardants and other phosphorus-based products. The Potash segment extracts potash from the Dead Sea; mines and produces potash and salt; produces Polysulphate; produces, markets, and sells magnesium and magnesium alloys, as well as related by-products, including chlorine and sylvinite; and sells salt. The Phosphate Solutions segment uses phosphate commodity products to produce specialty products; produces and markets phosphate-based fertilizers, as well as sulphuric acid, green phosphoric acid, and phosphate fertilizers; and manufactures thermal phosphoric acid for various industrial end markets, such as oral care, cleaning products, paints and coatings, water treatment, asphalt modification, construction, and metal treatment. It also develops and produces functional food ingredients and phosphate additives for use in the processed meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, beverage, and baked goods markets; and produces milk and whey proteins for the food ingredients industry. The IAS segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells fertilizers based primarily on nitrogen, potash, and phosphate, including water soluble specialty, liquid, soluble, and controlled-release fertilizers. It sells its products through marketing companies, agents, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Israel Chemicals Ltd. and changed its name to ICL Group Ltd in May 2020. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The man in a one-man band knows his instruments too well as he plays his trumpet and fires pistol to cover songs. If that's not enough, he even takes requests. Got any?

By India Today Web Desk:

A trumpet in one hand, a gun in the other gives you a great song it seems. From Massachusetts, US, Charlie Cook on a regular day talks about firearm safety and responsible use of firearms but on other days, he covers songs with guns and also entertains requests if you've got any.

From the Mario theme song to Jingle Bells, he likes to fire his best shots. Charlie has put together his affinity for the trumpet and love for firearms to create music in a way nobody has ever done before.

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If you think the birthday song was too easy, take a listen to the Mario theme.

And since Christmas is around the corner, how about 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'?

Old school we say.





One for Halloween and The Addams Family fans?





And to keep you going just like Rocky... Yo Adrian!





As far as the requests go, would Charlie cover the famous Tamanche Pe Disco song from Bullet Raja? We sure hope so.

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By Bill Hughes

Oct. 20, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By Bill Hughes Oct. 20, 2016 | 07:57 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Barkley Regional Airport is keeping its options open for the possibility of flights to larger cities by other carriers.



Marketing Director Eddie Grant recently posted a hypothetical question on Facebook, asking his friends if they would use a nine-seat plane

service to Nashville if it required them to book both flights separately and go through security at both airports.



In August, Contour Airlines began serving Bowling Green's airport with twice-daily service to Atlanta and seasonal service to Destin, Florida,

so Grant was curious if a southbound flight might prove useful for those who use Barkley.



"As a test balloon to see if those stipulations would be something this region would support, and judging by the response from the Facebook

post, it seems, at least in theory, that they would."



One of the first commenters mentioned a $100 ticket price as a threshold for her use of that type of service, and most other respondents

stayed in that price range with their opinions, too. More than 75 percent said they would take advantage of the service if it were available.



Grant chose the smaller plane size - just nine seats - because he didn't want people's opinions skewed by the size of the plane being used.

His logic is that if they would fly on a plane that small, they would likely use a larger aircraft, too. Grant said it's possible, but not

likely that another carrier in Paducah would offer 50-seat planes like United Express, which flies twice daily to Chicago.



Guessing the price per flight for another local service would be impossible, he said, since plane size, routes, and other factors would vary

from company to company.



Another consideration for companies interested in Paducah is the fact that they would not be subsidized by the U.S. Department of

Transportation. Currently, United gets a $47 subsidy per ticket, but only one airline qualifies per city.



Grant said, "We have to watch what we can offer, because the United service is subsidized, and we don't want to lose or endanger the

connection to Chicago with United because the connectivity that our current service offers is second to none - you can get anywhere from

Chicago."



Grant stressed he's just getting information right now, no discussions have been held with any airlines yet, and Nashville is not the only

city that would be considered.



"If an opportunity presented itself, it could just as easily be Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, Charlotte. There are some other airports in the

region that airlines do serve," Grant said.



He said asking folks allows the airport to have some information ahead of time, in case an opportunity presents itself. But if an airline were

to offer specifics, Grant said the airport would probably ask folks for their opinion again.
The City of Paducah to offer online payment for real estate tax bills
By Tim Brockwell Oct. 21, 2016 | 06:17 PM | MARSHALL COUNTY, KY





A Marshall County farm is home to the some of the rarest horses on earth.Berva Megson, owner of Megson Farms in Marshall County, says she currently has about 20 white thoroughbred horses. The horses possess a rare genetic mutation that gives them white fur and pink skin. There are currently only about 180 of these animals in the world, according to the Jockey Club. Megson says that as far as she knows, this makes her herd the largest in the world.One of their horses has even gained fame in Hollywood. Disney chose and trained their stallion, Arctic Bright View, to be one of the horses that portrayed Silver in 2013's movie The Lone Ranger.Lately Megson has been preparing eight of her yearlings for the racetrack, and will send five off Saturday to begin training. One of her horses, Kentucky Lake, is getting ready to make his track debut. Two others, also named after local state parks, are among those being sent off to train for the races."I've got a two-year-old that I've named Kentucky Lake, and we've named two other white ones Lake Barkley and Kenlake," Megson said. "I've got one at the track right now, Wear the Mask, He's a white thoroughbred. He's running up at Mohoney's in Ohio."Megson said her husband Paul purchased their first white thoroughbred years ago for their daughter, Valerie, and the herd has been growing ever since. She says she is always looking for sponsors and assistance with taking care of the farm."We're always trying to find someone that maybe could help us with hay or feed, and maybe interested in helping us take them to the track. Any type of help would be nice." Megson said.Click the link below to learn more about Megson Farms and their white thoroughbreds.

On the Net:
Reports of allotment of a prime piece of land to the BJP MP Hema Malini at a nominal rate had kicked up a row earlier this year.

By Vidya : Bombay high court disposed off a civil petition filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar challenged the allotment of a prime piece of land to actress-turned politician Hema Malini at a nominal rate.

The move comes after Maharashtra government informed the High Court that BJP MP Hema Malini had refused to accept the land allotted to her by the state government in suburban Andheri for a dance academy.

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Reports of allotment of a prime piece of land to the BJP MP had kicked up a row earlier this year.

Around April this year, Right to information (RTI) activist Anil Halaki had found out from suburban collector's office through RTI that Maharashtra government had allotted a 2,000 square metre prime plot to the BJP Lok Sabha MP for Rs 1.75 lakh at a rate of Rs 87.50 per square metre for construction of a dance academy. According to Halaki, this plot stood at a market value of around 70 crore and this news had created much uproar.

Subsequently, Tirodkar filed two petitions, one a civil one which was disposed off by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur bench giving Tirodkar the benefit the of filing a petition again in case they get to know that the possession has been handed over to Hema Malini.

"The state submitted that respondent has refused to take the land which is in question. The court said that cause of action ends," said Tirodkar's advocate Sadhna Kumar.

Tirodkar also filed a criminal public interest litigation in which he had asked for the registration of "criminal case against Hema Malini and the then revenue minister Ekanath Khadse.

ALSO READ:

Hema Malini's look in Balakrishna's Gautamiputra Satakarni revealed



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By The Associated Press Oct. 21, 2016 | 10:34 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

A Kentucky judge will not reverse his ruling declaring Republican Gov. Matt Bevin was wrong to abolish and replace the board of trustees at the University of Louisville.

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled last month Bevin's order abolishing the board was illegal. Bevin's attorneys asked him to reconsider, arguing Shepherd misinterpreted some facts and legal precedents in forming the opinion.

Friday, Shepherd denied Bevin's motion, saying none of Bevin's arguments are enough to reverse his order.

The effect of Bevin's motion is it gives him more time to appeal the original decision. Now that Shepherd has declined to change the order, it gives Bevin another 30 days to ask the state Court of Appeals to review the decision.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 20, 2016 | NASHVILLE, TN

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 20, 2016 | 07:02 PM | NASHVILLE, TN

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be escorting a superload Thursday night through Tennessee on I-24 eastbound. The load will take up more than two lanes of traffic, which could create significant congestion. Drivers are advised to expect delays and consider alternate routes.



TDOT says the superload is expected to cross into Tennessee from Kentucky Thursday evening and travel through the night. North of Nashville, the superload will detour around downtown Nashville via Briley Parkway eastbound before re-entering I-24 via I-40 westbound. The superload will then take I-24 to I-75 to Georgia.



The superloads maximum travel speed is 60 miles per hour. The load is 100 feet long, 24 and a half feet wide, and weighs158,000 pounds.



TDOT says it will be monitoring the superload at its regional Transportation Management Centers in Nashville and Chattanooga. Overhead message signs and portable message boards will be used to alert drivers of congestion along the route.
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Stars including Carey Mulligan, Samuel West, Juliet Stevenson and Vanessa Redgrave appeared at the Young Vic last night for a one-off performance and installation Last Chance.

Set up by the Good Chance Theatre - the theatre which opened in the 'jungle' in Calais for refugees - the night was organised to raise awareness of the unaccompanied children of Calais.

During the event, actors including Mulligan, Stevenson and West read the entirety of the Dublin III Regulation, which provides the legal basis for establishing the criteria for determining the country responsible for reviewing asylum applications.

As well as the reading, artist Sue Partridge also created life size cardboard cut outs of people in the room. It was an enactment of Partridge's artwork The Paper People Project where the artist hung 291 lifesize cut outs which represented the unaccompanied children of Calais.

Artistic directors of Good Chance Theatre Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy held a Q&A session with Stevenson about the plight of children in the camp in Calais and the work that Citizens UK is doing to help them.
The Sun have gone and made Gary Lineker the focus of their opprobrium this morning after the Match of the Day host had the temerity to show the slightest whiff of compassion for the people caught up in the current refugee crisis.

Earlier in the week, Lineker made the grievous error of emitting a Tweet that expressed his concern over the nature of the language and rhetoric being used to describe immigrants and refugees  particularly the unaccompanied children in the Jungle camp in Calais.

The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist and utterly heartless. Whats happening to our country?  Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 18, 2016

The Tweet led to Lineker getting himself embroiled in a tit-for-tat squabble with the right-wing politico arm of social media, who accused him of, among other things, being a typical well-off liberal hypocrite.

Stage two of the squabble then came about when Conservative MP David Davies suggested that dental checks should be used to verify the ages of the child refugees attempting to make it to Britain  the suspicion being that many arent quite as young as they claim to be.

Indeed, The Sun then used facial recognition software to rumble a 38-year-old man who had been presented in photographs as a child asylum seeker in Calais.

Lineker responded by sharing a (now deleted) Tweet from fostering and adoption charity TACT, who claimed that the man was actually an adult interpreter employed by The Home Office.

Alas, the Home Office subsequently confirmed that the refugee in question had nothing to do with them, leading The Sun to cobble together the following front page today, calling for Lineker to be sacked by the BBC for peddling lies

Specifically, The Sun are howling for leftie luvvie Lineker to be sacked for breaching BBC guidelines on political impartiality.

Thats right. The Sun have worked themselves up into a lather about somebody telling porky pies. Just let that sink in for a moment.

They even managed to milk a quote out of his old friend David Davies, who said:

I hope he apologises. I question if the BBC should be employing him when he seems to be using his fame to push out his rather emotive and controversial views.

The fact that Lineker works for the Beeb on a freelance basis and used his personal Twitter account to express his views should probably just about keep his arse out of the fire.

Knowing full well that hed done nothing wrong, the ex-striker responded about as calmly and curtly as youd expect.

Getting a bit of a spanking today, but things could be worse: Imagine, just for a second, being a refugee having to flee from your home.  Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 21, 2016

Funnily enough, today is the very day that high-profile Sun journalist Mazher The Fake Sheikh Mahmood is set to be sentenced for tampering with trial evidence.

Youd never have guessed, would you?
Multiple video cameras will be installed to enhance the level of security to protect the holy places in Pakistan's Sindh province.

By India Today Web Desk:

A Rs 400 million project is set to be launched in Pakistan's Sindh province to protect Hindu temples, churches and gurudwaras, the media reported on Friday according to IANS.

The Dawn quoted officials as saying that the project would mainly invest in the purchase of surveillance cameras to be installed at holy places across Sindh.



"This project will greatly enhance the level of security at places of worship," Khatumal Jeewan, special assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh said.

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He said the project involves setting up a modern surveillance and monitoring system at each place of worship using multiple video cameras installed at strategic locations around it, Dawn reported.

After attacks on Hindu temples in Larkana, Hyderabad and other places, officials said the project was planned in line with a directive of Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.



The Sindh Police have documented 1,253 places of worship belonging to the religious minorities including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians.

These include 703 Hindu temples and 523 churches. Besides, 21 such places belonged to the Ahmadi community and six were gurudwaras, and they are all set to get some massive security enhancement.

A total of 2,310 policemen have also been deputed to guard all these holy places.



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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) India and Ivory Coast today explored ways to to step up their overall bilateral engagement in a range of areas including IT and trade and investment.

The two sides deliberated extensively on boosting cooperation in their first Joint Commission meeting which was co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Foreign Minister of Ivory Coast Abdullah Toikeusse.

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Ways to enhance trade relations was one of the key focus of the meeting which also deliberated on bringing a new momentum to overall engagement.

Toikeusse had arrived here Wednesday on a three-day visit.

India and Ivory Coast have traditionally enjoyed cordial relations and trade and investment ties between the two countries have been on an upswing. The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries was USD 841 in 2014-15.

A number of Indian companies are engaged in exploration and mining of iron, manganese and gold.

There are a large number of Indian companies ? small and medium size ? involved in trading of cashew, timber and commodities.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has shown interest in exploration of oil and gas blocks in that country. Several pharmaceutical companies, including Ranbaxy, Cadila, Ajanta, Stride, Bharat Serum, Micro Labs are also have operations in Ivory Coast.

There are estimated over 1500 Indian nationals residing in Ivory Coast. Most of them are engaged in mining, manufacturing, trading and general merchandise business. PTI MPB ZMN

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Picture this. There is a long queue outside a store in Tokyo as patrons await the launch of a particular upscale bag that's been talked about in hushed tones. Cut to New York, where the Sex and the City sisterhood have made Manolo Blahniks a household name (so what if a pair costs an irreverent $1,000); or to the Champs Elysees in Paris where luxury is the norm and brands like LV and Gucci part of the city's glamorous ethos. If you look for Indian-made luxury in this chic clutter, chances are you will draw a blank. Some Indian luxury brands are making their way to big markets across the world, but it would be premature to say the Indian luxury market has come into its own.

Chew on these numbers. The 2015 Kotak Mahindra Wealth Management report states that there were roughly 146,600 high net worth households (HNHs) in 2015-16, up 7 per cent from the previous year and many with members who are discerning, well-travelled and know what luxury symbols they want to acquire. Similarly, an Assocham study earlier this year states the Indian luxury market is likely to cross $18.3 billion by the end of 2016, growing at a rate of roughly 25 per cent annually. According to Ravi Thakran, president of leading luxury goods conglomerate LVMH's South and Southeast Asia and managing partner and chairman of L. Catterton Asia, "The market for luxury goods in India has grown thanks to global exposure and aspirations. The number of millionaires has risen from 196,000 to 250,000, an increase of 27 per cent from 2014." Meanwhile, Indian brands like Titan, Gitanjali Gems and PC Jewellers made it, for the first time, to the Top 50 global brands' list in Deloitte's Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2016 report, 'Disciplined Innovation'.

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Also read:

How Oberoi, ITC, Taj are using tradition to shake up luxury market

These decor ideas will add to that extra element

How to be beautiful naturally



The luxury wheel is constantly getting reinvented. There was a point when luxury was equated with bling and baubles, when the bigger the logo the more desirable a product was deemed. Over time, though, words like 'experiential', 'discreet', 'sustainable' have come to define the new luxury lexicon as people look for new ways to spend their wealth. What remains despite these shifting definitions is the consumer's desire to feel privileged, successful and exclusive.

Today's luxury brands go beyond the pamper mantra and focus on empowering you through their global identity. There is a quiet appropriation of sectors on the basis of geographical indication. For example, the Italians virtually own the fashion space; the French perfumes, wines and cheeses; Scotland is the home of the world's finest whiskeys; Switzerland is a mecca for watch lovers. Where does India fit in this shifting algorithm? While we have a rich heritage based on royal connections, the legends of the Maharaja of Kapurthala and his LV fetish, or the rock-sized jewels worn by Rajasthan royalty are stories that are not all that relevant in the new India. Urban legend demands a newer, more astute sensibility that understands the nuances of luxury as the world today knows it.

The last year has been all about 'Make in India', one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship campaigns to bring the focus on all that's developed, made, experienced in India. While this came as a reaction to India's flagging growth rate and was devised to help position India as a global design and manufacturing hub, over time it has become more nuanced. When we look at the luxury space, Make in India seems like a good fit. Over the past 15 years, we have seen first- and second-generation entrepreneurs enter this market and attempt to make it their own. The question that begs to be asked though is, why is it that we have such few Indian brands that have managed to make a global dent despite our strengths in several of these sectors? Well, Indians have always operated by volume, and the luxury market shuns numbers, at least in the initial phase. In such a situation, you need brands that have deep pockets, vision and a willingness to endure the slow growth that comes with creating a niche brand.

Also read:

Luxury fashion for men

Add these beautiful jewels to your collection



In this special issue, we celebrate a clutch of brands across categories like fashion, decor, hospitality, jewellery, beauty and wellness that have managed to transcend geography and are unafraid to sport the Made in India tag. These brands, some of which are brand new, have in a short time span managed to make a mark, and are today seen as luxury brands that are authentic, drawn on Indian best practices and showcasing the best of India to the world. What Indian brands are quickly realising is that other countries have a historical legacy and traditions that they are harnessing into business enterprises, so in order to compete we need to be global in our outlook and start owning spaces.

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While established brands like Good Earth, Forest Essentials and Gem Palace need no introduction, others such as Bombay Perfumery, Nirav Modi or Andamen, a relatively new entrant in this space, are already garnering a lot of interest because of their Made in India thrust and their penchant for all things that are deeply evocative of India; from ingredients to motifs, fabrics, names of products and even collections.

While luxury does not mean the same thing to any two people and its definition is constantly evolving, now is a fitting time to celebrate the finest the country has to offer, on a gilded platter.

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By Shreya Goswami: We Indians have always had an intrinsic love for food, and the daadis, naanis, and mothers who have traditionally cooked for us. But when it comes to knowing or appreciating the men and women who rule the commercial kitchens in restaurants, we aren't half as appreciative, even today, as the people in the West or even Australia.

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Chefs have enjoyed celebrity status in these countries for decades now, especially with industry biggies like Julia Child and James Beard. In India, chefs enjoying celebrity status is a recent phenomenon, and mostly thanks to television series like MasterChef and food channels like Khana Khazana, Food Food and Living Foodz.

And now, there are a number of chefs who are common household names. Today, on International Chefs Day, we pay a little tribute to seven of these chefs, who have made professional cooking in India as cool as acting in Bollywood movies.

Also Read: This is the only Indian restaurant to get a Michelin star in Southeast Asia

Sanjeev Kapoor

This chef's fame isn't new to us. In fact, he was a household name before the culinary industry bloomed to its full strength. With his daily cooking show, Khana Khazana, Kapoor was a pathbreaker, and inspired a whole generation of chefs-to-be. We really don't need to tell you any more about the Master Chef of India, do we?



Picture courtesy: Instagram/ Sanjeev Kapoor

Ananda Solomon

Solomon is the undeniable giant of the Indian food industry, especially because his fame is not based on television shows or cookbooks. No, this chef's popularity is completely owed to his long and innovative contributions as one of the biggest names associated with the Taj group. He might have retired just a few months back, but his legacy is massive, and hard to live up to.



Picture courtesy: Twitter/@ChefAnanda Picture courtesy: Twitter/@ChefAnanda

Gaggan Anand

Imagine the loss the food industry would have borne if Gaggan Anand had continued his career as a musician! The chef and owner of Gaggan in Bangkok, Thailand has made a huge mark with his culinary career, especially as one of the leading progressive Indian chefs in the world. His restaurants might not be based in India, but he is taking the cuisine to new heights indeed.



Picture courtesy: Instagram/ Gaggan Anand

Also Read: 3 new cookbooks by Indian celebrity chefs you shouldn't miss

Vikas Khanna

There's very little you might have missed about this chef, especially since he has been the recurring judge on MasterChef India for four seasons now, and thanks to the many other television food shows he has hosted. With a prolific list of cookbooks, and a Michelin Star under his belt, Khanna is one of the most popular names in the international culinary scene. Talk about making his country proud!



Picture courtesy: Instagram/Vikas Khanna Picture courtesy: Instagram/Vikas Khanna

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Manish Mehrotra

If you haven't heard of Indian Accent yet, you aren't a modern Indian foodie. What Manish Mehrotra does for Indian cuisine is to elevate it to a world-class level--something that he's now doing in both New Delhi and New York. The multiple-award winning chef is undoubtedly the father of modern Indian cooking.



Picture courtesy: Instagram/ Manish Mehrotra

Ritu Dalmia

No, Dalmia isn't on this list as a token female mention. She is one chef who has earned her place as a restaurateur with a career spanning both the UK and India. What makes her stand out even more is that she's an expert in Mediterranean cuisine, a cuisine that isn't culturally her own, something that most Indian chefs can't boast of.



Picture courtesy: Twitter/@chefritudalmia

The list of notable Indian chefs is unending today, because this group of professionals is finally getting the recognition they deserve. Gone are the days when chefs toiled in hot commercial kitchens with servers and on-floor managers as the go-between the public and the chef.

Today, you can walk into a restaurant and interact with the chef, talk more about the food, its inspiration, the origins of the products, and flavours. This is not because of the hype about the food industry. This is thanks to the men and women who have taken a nation's passion for all things delicious to a level of excellence, and that's something we really need to celebrate every day.



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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba conservation officers have nabbed eight people and seized four motor vehicles for poaching moose.

The arrests were part of an enforcement blitz conducted by Manitoba Sustainable Development last week.

The operation was conducted largely out of Nopiming Provincial Park, where the moose population has dropped to a critical level. Moose hunting is prohibited in Game Hunting Area 26 and part of area 17, north of Nopiming to both licensed and rights-based hunters.

the associated press files The moose population near Nopiming Provincial Park northeast of Winnipeg has dropped to a critical level.

The park is 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Eight people were charged with a variety of offences, including hunting at night, hunting moose in a moose conservation closure area, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, having a loaded firearm in a vehicle and operating a motor vehicle while suspended.

In addition, one person was charged with possession of more fish than allowed by the daily quota.

Hunting at night and other unsafe and unsustainable hunting practices are an enforcement priority of Manitoba Sustainable Development.

Anyone with information about illegal activities is asked to call their local Manitoba Sustainable Development Office or the Turn in Poachers line at 1-800-782-0076.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SENIOR staff in the Pembina Trails School Division have the power to install secret cameras to gather evidence on suspected criminal activity.

The covert video surveillance policy does not specify any area that would be off-limits to the secret cameras.

The policy has been on the books in Pembina Trails since 2005 and appears to be the only such policy in Winnipeg schools. Indeed, some school divisions were surprised to learn it exists.

AP The policy that allows Pembina Trails School Division schools to have hidden cameras as been on the books in Pembina Trails since 2005

Weve never used it, said a Pembina Trails official. It was put in there for a what-if.

The covert surveillance policy is under review, she said  the wording of some division policies is being shortened, and trustees and administrators are considering whether the word covert will be changed.

Overt video surveillance has been common in larger schools for at least a couple of decades. Visible cameras are in hallways and entrances of larger schools, and some schools have exterior cameras, fed to monitors in the school office.

The Pembina Trails policy allows a school to install a secret camera after consultation with the division superintendent, police and division lawyer.

We dont spy on people in schools and workplaces without their knowledge and consent, University of Manitoba ethicist Prof. Arthur Schafer sais Wednesday, although he acknowledged it is not an absolute principle. There has to be serious criminal behaviour or a serious threat.

Even so, simply justifying the policy on the grounds of criminal activity isnt enough, said Schafer, founding director of the University of Manitobas Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics. It should not be used for investigating the theft of petty cash or a small amount of marijuana, he said as examples.

The benefit must outweigh the harm, said Schafer. The school division would have to be confident the secret cameras would do the job intended, would not catch innocent people going about their normal business and that there would be no alternative. These conditions would rarely be met, he said.

Given the overt cameras in schools, covert surveillance would presumably potentially be used in classrooms, staff rooms, change rooms and washrooms, Schafer said: Youre looking to places where people expect individual privacy or group privacy and are entitled to it.

The province said strict guidelines would cover secret cameras in schools.

Manitoba Education and Training expects that school divisions would consult with their legal counsels to determine that such an approach is consistent with privacy legislation and the video surveillance guidelines developed by the Manitoba ombudsman, said a provincial official. This would include conducting a privacy-impact assessment and having protocols in place related to access to and secure storage of video evidence, and policies to address retention and destruction.

The ombudsmans policy is at http://wfp.to/surveillance.

Winnipeg School Division board chairwoman Sherri Rollins said, WSD has closed-circuit television (CCTV) in the majority of our schools as a safety measure, but all the cameras are visible. The division has shared video with police when warranted, she said. The cameras are all visible, and there are stickers at eye level advising the area is under video surveillance, Rollins said.

Manitoba Teachers Society president Norm Gould said having a covert surveillance policy sends a wrong message that there are serious problems.

Why the need for a standard policy? Cases such as these are customarily dealt with on a case-by-case basis involving legal counsel and law enforcement as needed. The unintended consequence of codifying and formalizing such a policy may be to wrongly signal that the need for surveillance is prevalent when, in fact, cases like these are extremely rare, Gould said.

In 2002, the Brandon School Division ran into criticism after word leaked out secret cameras had been placed in two offices and an entranceway in Neelin High School. It has never acknowledged its reason for installing the camera.

WSD trustees signed off years ago on secret surveillance that caught a custodian using a school library computer late at night to access online porn.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

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Police believe the discovery of a critically ill child in a North End house may be connected to the powerful opiate fentanyl.

The child, who has been uPgraded to stable condition, was rushed to hospital late Tuesday afternoon, police said Friday.

The child is under 18 months old. Police would not confirm whether adults in the house were the childs parents, only that they were not strangers to the child. There were no other children in the house.

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Police say a case of a child found ill could be connected to fentanyl.

The forces Clandestine Lab Team have taken over the investigation of the home on Aikins Street.

Police have strong suspicions there was fentanyl in the house but tests will take several days to verify that. No charges have been laid at this time.

If we confirm it is fentanyl, that would be different from a child who got a toxic substance thats normally found in a household, said Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Rob Carver.

Police are releasing the information in advance of completing the investigation to serve as a public health warning, Carver said.

We chose to go public and make comments because of the gravity of the situation, and thats not something were known to do, he said.

We want people to know what we know at this point, to know the sort of risk this drug poses to the community.

Last year, 29 people in Manitoba died as a result of misusing fentanyl, a drug that is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.
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The BSF jawans gave a befitting reply to a sniper attack initiated by Pakistani Rangers at 9:35 am in Hira Nagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

By India Today Web Desk: At least one Pakistani terrorist and seven Rangers were shot dead in retaliatory firing by the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans in Hira Nagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir today.

The BSF jawans gave a befitting reply to a sniper attack initiated by Pakistani Rangers at 9:35 am in Hira Nagar.

Also read: BSF jawan injured as Pakistan violates ceasefire along IB in J-K's Hiranagar

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Pakistani forces used small arms and automatic weapons to target Indian forward posts while BSF troops guarding the borderline took positions and retaliated with equal caliber and suppressed enemy fire.



Our jawans gave a strong reply and we will keep giving such replies whenever Pakistan provokes: Hansraj Ahir,MoS Home pic.twitter.com/b6Cy4yedui ANI (@ANI_news) October 22, 2016

According to reports, Pak Post is running a news item claiming that five soldiers were killed in Indian retaliatory firing.

ALSO READ: Baramulla Army camp attack: 2 terrorists killed, BSF jawan martyred



In the intervening night of October 19 and 20, 2016, BSF jawans foiled an audacious infiltration bid near Bobiyan village of Hira Nagar in Jammu. One militant was killed in BSF firing.

Today, in the same area, Pakistani Rangers targeted the BSF domination along International Boundary and Constable Gurnam Singh received bullet injury. He was evacuated with the cover fire to GMC Jammu. His condition is said to be critical.

The Border Security Force has been put on high alert all along International Border and is ready to foil any infiltration attempt.





--- ENDS ---
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Winnipeggers who recall a massive pipeline rupture 20 years ago in St. Norbert warned Thursday that using the same pipeline to move bitumen could prove disastrous.

Louise May, of Aurora Farms, along with advocates from the St. Norbert Arts Centre, the Falcon Trails Resort and scientist Dennis LeNeveu held a community meeting at the arts centred Thursday evening, ahead of presentations they will give the National Energy Board panel tasked with reviewing the proposed Energy East pipeline.

We felt we needed to let the community know what weve learned leading up to that, May said.

Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press Files Protesters in Halifax express their opposition to the proposed Energy East pipeline.

May and her fellow advocates say the existing pipeline carries natural gas but Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. wants to move bitumen through it under the massive pipeline project designed to transport Alberta bitumen and crude oil to tide water.

TransCanada runs regular helicopter sweeps to monitor the pipeline but local residents worry without ground crews, a leak could easily go undetected.

The Energy East pipeline is a 4,500-kilometre pipeline proposed to carry 1.1 million barrels of bitumen and crude oil a day from Alberta to refineries in eastern Canada.

Across Canada, doubts have been growing over the fate of the pipeline as well as the federal regulatory process reviewing it.

For months, indigenous and environmental opposition has been mounting over the pipeline proposal.

Then, in September the three members of the National Energy Board panel reviewing the project resigned after it was revealed two of them had met a year earlier with former Quebec premier Jean Charest, a proponent of the TransCanada project.

The federal energy regulator said at the time it still planned to meet its schedule to have a decision on the $15.7-billion project by March 18, 2018.

But a month later, a new panel has yet to be named and the pipeline opponents in St. Norbert expect a delay of several months before they can deliver a local history lesson to the federal energy regulator.

When they do, they intend to draw attention to a stretch of the pipeline that runs under the La Salle River at St. Norbert, the site of a horrendous blast two decades ago.

If you lived through that explosion, and you find out It could happen again, thats a terrifying feeling, May said. We felt we needed to let people know and move quickly to demand action.

We dont want to wait months to speak out.

On April 15, 1996, the TransCanada pipeline burst open, throwing up a huge fireball, scorching trees and hydro poles, destroying one St. Norbert-area home and leaving another heavily damaged.

Local residents still remember the searing heat from the blast.

Investigators at the time reported finding a five-metre hole in the pipeline afterward.

Free Press coverage the day after noted the explosion occurred at the end of Minerva Avenue, a gravel lane off Pembina Highway on the outskirts of St. Norbert, near where the natural gas pipeline burst under the La Salle River.

Flames and searing heat from the explosion were carried more than 300 metres by the wind, igniting the shingle of a two-storey house, gutting it, the Free Presss front page story reported.

A scientist, the owner of the home, was visiting his wife in the hospital that day, and by some miracle the only living thing being in the home, a house cat, managed to escape. The couple moved out of the area afterward. No one was injured.

Minerva Avenue, then a short street only one block long with four homes, was never rebuilt.

Area residents say one property is still occupied but the homeowner has blocked off access with No Trespassing signs and put the property up for sale.

The rupture was blamed on riverbank instability and scientific instruments used to measure natural movement show instability is still a concern at the site, Mays group said.

Moreover, a plume of hydrogen sulphide, a byproduct of a bitumen explosion, would be released and while it would likely disperse quickly, the gas is deadly.

At Lac Megantic, it killed 47 people. Its rare. It depends on which way the wind is blowing, LeNeveu said referring to the July 2013 disaster in Quebec when a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded.

What concerns area residents now is not just a decades-old pipeline in a riverbank known for a measurable degree of instability.

Theres also a risk posed by proposed development in the area that could accelerate the impact of a pipeline explosion.

Part of the route for Manitoba Hydros proposed $1-billion Minnesota transmission line runs a block away from Minerva Avenue, said one resident who lives near the former blast site.

Rail and road traffic are also greater now than 20 years ago.

With the rail lines and the traffic on Highway 59 and the city pushing through the transmission line? Think about it. Its a recipe for disaster, one St. Norbert resident said.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  The Manitoba government said Ottawa must provide more information about its plans to legalize marijuana as soon as possible because the provinces have work to do in order to implement the change.

Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said all her provincial counterparts agreed at their recent meeting in Halifax theyre going to need details before legislation is introduced.

We need to know what the framework is going to look like so we can prepare, she said.

Gillian Flaccus / The Associated Press A study by the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, an Oxford University publication, says blood concentrations  though not the effects  wear off so quickly, someone would practically have to be smoking a joint at the time of a blood test "to be able to measure meaningful concentrations" of the psychoactive agent.

The federal government has said it intends to begin the legislative process to legalize marijuana next spring, but it hasnt released details.

A task force led by former health minister Anne McLellan is studying the issue.

Bill Blair, former Toronto police chief-turned Liberal MP, said this week the issue is complex, but he spent two hours on the phone with the task force Monday, and its members will be ready to deliver their report on time next month.

Provincial health ministers got an update from McLellan Tuesday during their meeting in Toronto, but Stefanson said the province is still mostly in the dark about the direction Ottawa intends to take.

Whatever happens, they have to provide clarity, she said.

The province could have to pass its own legislation or regulations on aspects of the change, including the setting of an impaired-driving limit, as well as determining whether police and court resources require adjustments and how and where marijuana will be sold.

Stefanson said distribution is going to fall under provincial jurisdiction.

Manitobas former NDP government was leaning toward marijuana sales at provincial liquor stores, which is also the route Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has said she prefers.

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott has said thats not the only option available.

Earlier this year, McLellan said regardless of what the provinces decide, implementation has to be done slowly and incrementally, pointing to experiences south of the border.

FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016 file photo, marijuana plant awaits judging in the Oregon Cannabis Growers' Fair marijuana plant competition in Salem, Ore. Nine live marijuana plants will be on display starting next week at the Oregon State Fair. The exhibit is the first time the public has been able to view pot plants at the fair and brings pot cultivation a little more into the mainstream in a state where voters legalized recreational bud less than two years ago. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File)

Pot is sold legally in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state. The District of Columbia also decriminalized possession, but it is still illegal to buy it there. Five others  California, Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts  have put retail sales legalization propositions on their Nov. 8 election ballots.

The four weed-legal states have all chosen different taxation methods, from a sales tax at the cash register to a levy at the production level. State revenues from pot sales have been much higher than what was anticipated, and taxes are being reduced, in large part, because legal sales havent taken a big enough bite out of black-market distribution.

Colorado legalized marijuana two years ago. In the 2015-16 fiscal year, state records show the revenue haul from taxes and licence fees topped $156 million. About 85 per cent of that was from retail, not medical marijuana. Colorado has a 2.9 per cent sales tax on retail marijuana as well as a 10 per cent special sales tax and a 15 per cent excise tax on wholesale weed. The special sales tax will be lowered to eight per cent next July.

Earlier this month, Colorado introduced new regulations for edible marijuana products, which have been purchased in greater numbers than expected. One of the big changes is the requirement for better, more detailed labelling.

Stefanson said Manitoba is already working on a harm-reduction strategy to address the dangers of marijuana as well as trying to find a way to have the province involved on the production side.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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Families whove lost relatives to fentanyl made a pilgrimage to the legislature Thursday to muster political muscle and save other addicts from fatal overdoses.

Arlene Last-Kolb lost her son, 24-year-old Jessie, to a fentanyl overdose two years ago and along with a dozen others whove lost relatives, shes seeking political support for better health services.

This is not a political debate. Its a community debate, Last-Kolb said after attending a legislative debate in which the Opposition NDP introduced a resolution calling for a half dozen measures to prevent fatal overdoses and clean up addicts.

Fentanyl pills are shown in an undated police handout photo.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid prescribed to help patients manage chronic pain, but its highly addictive.

Dealers use it to lace street drugs and get addicts hooked. Even a taste of it can be fatal.

Last-Kolb and other families sat in the gallery listening to the NDP put the issue before the Pallister government.

The NDP urged the province to adopt an anti-opioid strategy to stem the rising number of fentanyl-related deaths.

The number of overdoses and deaths related to the use of this highly potent opioid are continuing to increase dramatically across Canada and in Manitoba, said the NDPs Matt Wiebe.

Last year, 29 deaths occurred in Manitoba as a result of fentanyl use. Thats nearly double the average rate over the five years from 2009 to 2013 and its devastating for the families affected by this epidemic, Wiebe said.

The NDP resolution didnt make it to a vote, but the families were relieved their message was heard.

I got the sense they all agree on that, but the government wants to wait until there is this meeting in Ottawa about it, Last-Kolb said.

Ottawa has announced a commitment for a two-day conference on the opioid crisis Nov. 18-19 to be hosted by Health Minister Jane Philpott.

Manitoba will wait for the federal meeting before adopting further measures.

Recently, Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen committed the province to expand the availability of the antidote kits for fentanyl overdoses by setting up a provincewide distribution system.

Goertzen has said he expects more than 3,500 kits containing the antidote naloxone to be distributed annually within Manitoba.

Families whove lost relatives say the need is urgent, and theyre uneasy with any delay.

The concern I have is the longer we wait, the more people we lose, Last-Kolb said.

The antidote exists, and it needs to be distributed to anyone who wants it. The services exist but they need to be improved, Last Kolb said.

And there should be a Good Samaritan law so when people call 911, they dont face prosecution, said Last-Kolb whos been working with the NDPs James Allum on pushing for such measures.

Wiebe called on the province Thursday to reduce wait times for assessment and treatment services for fentanyl users and to improve information-sharing protocols between health-care professionals and law enforcement as determined by the fentanyl task force.

The NDP also called for the province to install drop boxes for needles and build a safe injection site in Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, a Winnipeg pharmacy has signed up to sell kits that can warn people if their drugs are laced with fentanyl.

A single kit will sell for $5 at Brothers Pharmacy on Selkirk Avenue Owner Michael Watts said dealers lace drugs with fentanyl to get customers hooked on opiates.

Dealers dont make a whole lot of money (on cocaine). The real money now is in opiates, Watts said.

The $5 cost is a small price to pay to make sure drugs are clean, Watts said.

The kit works much the same way as a pregnancy test. A stick is dipped into a tiny portion of drugs, such as marijuana or cocaine, mixed with water. One line means negative, two lines means fentanyl is present.

Brothers began to focus on addictions treatment three years ago.

Brothers has been approached by a group called the Addicts Mom about purchasing the test strips.

The Winnipeg Police Service has announced its officers will be equipped with the antidote.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This has not been the best few weeks for the reputation of the Manitoba legislature.

Earlier this month, Sarah Guillemard accused three opposition MLAs of sexist behaviour in shouting shame at female government MLAs, but not male MLAs, as they stood to vote against an NDP motion on sexual violence. NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine denied the heckling had in fact targeted women, but MLA Wab Kinew soon spilled the beans, admitting he had witnessed what Guillemard claimed had occurred. Accordingly, two of the accused hecklers, James Allum and Andrew Swan, apologized.

Another heckling-related incident soon engulfed the legislature. Culture and Heritage Minister Rochelle Squires accused MLA Rob Altemeyer of shouting Take your pants off! during question period. Both Squires and another government MLA went public with their complaints before checking the audio recording of the fracas. In fact, subsequent analysis confirmed Altemeyer had yelled Take a pass on it at Premier Brian Pallister for declining to rise to answer a question.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Minister for Women Rochelle Squire and other female MLAs in the Progressive Conservative caucus have complained about heckling from the NDP.

Canadians are somewhat less than amused with time-tested parliamentary antics such as heckling, rudely shouting across the aisle and asking questions during question period that are in fact badly disguised attacks. No one else is permitted to behave this way at work, the reasoning goes, so why do elected officials do so?

The new Speaker of the House of Commons, Geoff Regan, is similarly unimpressed with parliamentary shenanigans. Regan has pursued a name and shame strategy to correcting the problem.

CBC analyst Eric Grenier noted that Regan interrupted the proceedings of the House 25 times before Parliament went on summer recess in order to name heckling offenders and bring proceedings back to order.

Opposition MPs are often guilty of interrupting government ministers: of the 25 named MPs, only two were Liberals. Nevertheless, government MPs are often guilty of heckling as well, as they attempt to drown out hostile questions and distract opposition MPs during question period. This can become so intense  a veritable roar from across the aisle  that former Conservative MP Diane Ablonczy responded by simply switching off her hearing aid before rising to pepper the government with questions.

But there are two reasons why we might not want to take our denunciations of parliamentary misbehaviour too far.

First, the issues that are debated in both the Manitoba legislature and the House of Commons are often of tremendous import, and can affect the lives of everyday Manitobans and Canadians greatly. It is only natural to expect that strong disagreement on important policy issues would lead to passionate and sometimes angry debate.

Second, a hostile, rambunctious, attention-seeking opposition is an important  perhaps the most important  check on the power of governments in Canada. Much has been made of the centralization of power in the hands of the prime minister (and, for the provinces, in the hands of the premiers). Canadian governments are notorious for the severity of their party discipline, which means the prime minister can do much of what he or she wants for roughly four years until the next election.

Despite this, ministers must still trudge into the House of Commons for an hour each weekday and sit across from MPs who have almost free rein to attack them in the form of questions. This is a remarkable accountability mechanism in our system of government.

But its not particularly dignified. This is because opposition MPs fondest wish is for their questions to be picked up by journalists and reported on, since this expands the potential damage to the government. The more flamboyant or eye-catching attacks are the ones most likely to make it into a three-second clip on the evening news.

Former Conservative finance critic Monte Solberg illustrated this when he asked a question about high tax rates under former prime minister Jean Chretiens government. When is the government going to change the name of 24 Sussex Drive to 24 Sucks-Us-Dry? Solberg nonsensically asked.

The bewildered finance minister, Paul Martin, responded, Thats the best he could come up with? But Solbergs question made it onto The National that evening and was therefore considered a success.

None of this should be interpreted so as to justify elected representatives going too far in their misbehaviour and embarrassing themselves and their parties. This has clearly been the case for Manitoba MLAs over the past few weeks. But it shouldnt stop us from appreciating healthy, spirited debate in the legislature.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Opinion

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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IF children truly matter, and if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to follow through on his claims to be a feminist, we know he will do the right thing. Namely, lower eligibility criteria for maternity- and parental-leave benefits to match Quebec at 186 hours. Children need parents with income security. The federal governments proposed policy changes will not provide this basic security. It will have zero benefit for more than one-third of Canadian children.

Making maternity leave available earlier in pregnancy is a good step. It makes the system fairer to women and is in the best interests of the child. This kind of thinking needs to extend to eligibility criteria, with 600 hours in the previous 52 weeks standing as the major barrier to access. An average of 25 per cent of mothers paid into employment insurance (EI) during pregnancy but didnt have enough hours. Other mothers pay into EI for the rest of their lives but didnt make the cut when it mattered.

We know from our research  published with Sophie Mathieu in the September issue of the Journal of Industrial Relations  comparing EI to the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, that Quebecs coverage rates are far better. Of all mothers off-reserve, 64 per cent receive benefits under EI across nine provinces, compared to 89 per cent in Quebec. This means under EI, 36 per cent of mothers dont qualify, compared with only 11 per cent in Quebec.

Mothers in lower-income families are most excluded, with 56 per cent left out under EI, compared with 15 per cent in Quebec. The socio-economic difference is stark under EI with 30 per cent more mothers in higher-earning families receiving benefits compared to lower-earning families. In Quebec, this difference is only 10 per cent. Quebec improved take-up among families earning less than $30,000/year by 21 percentage points over six years, from 64 per cent in 2007 to 85 per cent in 2013.

The implication is that when mothers are excluded, newborn infants are excluded.

Quebec solved this problem by lowering eligibility criteria, including self-employed workers and changing the funding model. The federal government should follow suit. If this government cannot stand up to business pressure to reduce EI premiums for the sake of Canadian children, then parcel out special benefits and supplement these benefits through investment income (like Quebec) or general revenue (like most countries).

The current eligibility criteria for maternity and/or parental leave are indefensible. At present, a parent needs 600 hours in the previous 52 weeks. This means 17 weeks or four months and a week of full-time work. Compare this to $2,000, which is 186 hours at minimum wage ($10.75) required in Quebec, and 480 hours required in some regions for regular EI. Looking further abroad we know of at least five countries (Finland, Spain, Sweden, Austria, Norway) where zero hours of paid work are required and where leave benefits are considered a universal right.

Trudeau lowered eligibility for EI benefits this year for new entrants and re-entrants to the workforce, from 910 to 480-700 hours. Lowering eligibility is proposed for the compassionate care benefit and the parents of critically ill children benefit. There is ample international evidence and strong social equity rationales for lowering eligibility criteria for maternity and parental benefits: child development; reductions in child poverty; income security at birth/adoption; and best practice internationally, meeting International Labour Organization standards. The World Health Organization recommendation of six months of exclusive breastfeeding is undermined by lack of access to leave. Finally, children benefit in the long run but lose out at birth when born while parents earn diplomas and degrees. Womens fertile years overlap directly with years in post-secondary education.

Public consultations launched Oct. 6 are inadequate and will not achieve real change. The consultation discussion paper offers no evidence for the policy changes proposed. Extending duration or allowing non-contiguous periods simply repeat history. In 2001, then-prime minister Jean Chretien did the same thing: extending duration, improving benefits for eligible parents, while ignoring the significant proportion of parents, and therefore children, excluded. In both instances, Liberal governments avoid fixing  and through this, worsen  a child-care-spaces problem by offering parental leave instead.

What is currently on the table for revising parental leave is a poorly crafted policy for children, for women, for indigenous peoples, for lower-earning working families, for students, single parents and the self-employed. It is out of step with international best practices and will only benefit those who do not need help: higher earners in standard employment and employers, and it will help mens careers. It will exacerbate the rich-poor gap in parental leave, as well as the gender wage gap. We will all be paying for it.

Parents ability to balance work and their caregiving responsibilities will improve when they have access to leave benefits. Canadians deserve the now decade-old Quebec model and more. Exclusion is the most egregious failing of the system; lowering eligibility criteria is the first and most important step to improving it.

The federal government, led by our feminist prime minister, from Quebec, can walk the talk by lowering eligibility criteria to 186 hours. Channel benefits to all children and children who need it the most.

We call on Canadians to join us in calling for lowering eligibility criteria as the No. 1 priority and a first step in the right direction. All Canadian children have an equal right to be cared for, especially as newborn infants.

Lindsey McKay and Andrea Doucet, from Brock University, are Canadian members of the International Network on Leave Policies and Research.
Opinion

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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You have to wonder if Sanford Riley and Kelvin Shepherd have not been paying attention. Mr. Riley, the board chairman of Manitoba Hydro and Mr. Shepherd, its CEO, told a public meeting Tuesday that a major equity injection from the province is one of the things that may need to be considered as the Crown corporation grapples with its debt. Translation: a bailout from the province.

The response on Wednesday from the premier was swift: find some efficiencies first.

And so it should be. Premier Brian Pallister has been clear his government is looking at all government departments and Crown corporations to be more efficient and transparent. It was also clear when Mr. Pallister fired the Manitoba Hydro board just days after the April election, putting in place Mr. Riley along with seven other Tory appointees, that things were going to have to change. In fact, the new board members expertise was heavily weighted to senior financial management.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Hydro board chairman Sanford Riley

It was also made clear when the minister responsible for Crown corporations put in place plans to sack the civilian oversight board for crowns and replacing them with bureaucrats. Ron Schuler says the board was not doing its job and overhauling how Crown corporations operate makes them more accountable and less prone to political interference. Manitoba Hydro was one of the organizations Mr. Schuler voiced concerns about.

Another concern is Hydros tendering practices. Part of the Progressive Conservatives election promises was an improvement of the tendering process for all government contracts, which potentially could include crowns. Manitoba Hydro had to know this was coming, given it has come under fire for not releasing details on contracts awarded without tender. In particular, a 2014 contract given to Tetra Tech, an engineering management consultancy firm worth up to $85 million over the life of the project was untendered. Hydro refused to provide information on why that firm was given the bid, which was to provide project management for the Keeyask generating station. Keeyask, of course, was one of the projects reviewed by a U.S.-based consulting company indicating that costs are ballooning to as high as $7.8 billion from $6.5 billion.

Mr. Pallister said there were efficiencies to be found in Manitoba Hydro. He may have been looking at the employee compensation report the corporation released earlier this year that showed it paid out more than $13 million last year for banked vacation time, severance payments, unused sick leave and other benefits to employees leaving the company. Another report on executive salaries indicated that outgoing president and CEO Scott Thomson received a gross income of $494,908 in 2015, $121,874 of which was classified as termination/retirement pay.

The writing is on the wall. Mr. Pallister has talked openly about trimming middle-management in government and launched a value-for-money audit. Theres little doubt Manitoba Hydro has a huge target on its back because of the Bipole III debacle and the overruns on Keeyask. Mr. Riley and Mr. Shepherd should have known that any attempt to get help from the province to strengthen its balance sheet was not going to happen. So the question that Mr. Riley and Mr. Shepherd really need to answer for both Hydros ratepayers and provincial taxpayers is what were you thinking?
The trial dates have been set for one of four men arrested after a pair of armed robberies in Winona in early September.

Alex Boyd, 37, of Chicago, entered a not-guilty plea to first-degree aggravated robbery charges during a Thursday hearing in Winona County District Court. A pre-trial date was set for Nov. 17, and a trial for Dec. 12.

Boyd will likely remain in the Houston County Jail, after a request by his attorney to lower the bail amount to $10,000 and put him on electronic in-home monitoring was denied.

The prosecution argued that Boyd was a significant public safety risk when arguing for the denial. Judge Mary Leahy had set Boyds unconditional bond at $150,000, with conditional bond for $75,000.

Boyd was arrested along with Xzaviar Dominique Rian Aune, 18, of Winona, who has also been charged with first-degree robbery, after two groups of people reported being robbed at gunpoint in central Winona on Sept. 2.

After an incident near Broadway and Johnson streets, and then a second near Lake Boulevard and Clarks Lane, victims were able to describe the men and their vehicle.

Officers soon found the vehicle matching the description and pulled it over near Sarnia Street west of Huff Street. Four people inside were arrested without incident, and a handgun and items belonging to the first victims were found, according to the department.

In addition to Boyd and Aune, there were two Winona boys, aged 16 and 17, who are being prosecuted through juvenile proceedings, which are closed to the public, with names kept private.

The robbery case ties in with the burglary of a southeast Minnesota gunshop that same day, where thieves made off with nearly 80 handguns and a large amount of ammunition. The guns used in the robberies have been traced back to the shop. Several people have been arrested in connection with that incident, including two Winona County men.
Capt. Mark McKeown of Bering Bounty LLC spends most of his time in Alaska fishing the Bering Sea for cod and salmon, but hell be at Viking Express Market in Baraboo on Saturday to answer customers questions and give tips on the best way to cook his companys product.

Attendees can expect samples of McKeowns fresh-cooked fish from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and are encouraged to strike up a conversation with the captain. Hes a really social guy, said Viking store manager Ben Dorn.

McKeown was born in the United Kingdom, but grew up in Wisconsin. He started Bering Bounty in 2008 as a Wisconsin-based company dedicated to providing customers with fresh, wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

All the fish thats caught is Alaskan, McKeown said. The fish is frozen once and only once in Alaska.

Bering Bounty sells salmon and cod. Depending on the time of year and when salmon are running, Bering Bounty offers up to five types of salmon. All of the fish is 100 percent natural and contains no dyes, hormones or preservatives.

The fish is caught, filleted, frozen and transported in the United States. McKeown said no work is farmed out abroad, so all the products meet U.S. health and labor laws.

Most of McKeowns demonstration will be dedicated to advice on how best to cook his product.

He said the best technique to cook fish is to steam it directly from frozen. The end result is healthier and less dried out. Its also more convenient, as it only takes 11 minutes to steam cod and 11 to 16 minutes for salmon, he added.

Aside from cooking, McKeown will speak with customers about sustainable commercial fishing. Alaska is one of the only places in the world where commercial fishing is sustainable, he said.

Commercial fishing around the planet is really quite disgraceful, he said. Practices in Europe are particularly unbelievable.

In addition to cooking and conservation talks, McKeown said visitors can expect a fishing story or two, as he has been fishing the Bering Sea for 13 years.

I really enjoy talking to the public because you never know what youre going to get asked, he said. Quite often I end up learning something as well.

Dorn said McKeown has given numerous demonstrations at the Baraboo Viking before and always gets a good response from customers. Its neat knowing where your fish is coming from, he said. Thats one of the main things  you know this guy caught it and where he caught it.

Dorn said McKeowns simplistic approach to cooking is a draw for customers. Rather than using an abundance of herbs and seasonings, he uses only a bit of salt to prepare his fish. He really brings out the true flavor of the fish, Dorn said.
Local government officials are negotiating with AT&T over a proposed cell tower on the University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County campus.

Although much is unknown about the proposal, some already are speaking out against it.

To a person, everyone Ive spoken to about this project opposes it, said Michael Kohlman, a former UW-BSC Friends of the Campus Board member who lives near the college. That includes everyone that lives in the neighborhood and those who dont live near, but have a connection to the university.

Kohlman spoke during a portion of Thursdays UW-BSC Campus Commission meeting that was set aside for public comments.

He said the potential revenue from a 165-foot cell tower would not be worth the natural beauty that could be lost at the campus, which overlooks the Baraboo Hills.

Kohlman, a Baraboo School Board member, also said it would be hypocritical for public officials to invest in green facilities, and then permit a cell phone company to install a tower on campus. UW-BSC installed solar panels on one of its buildings in 2012.

The college is operated by the University of Wisconsin System, but its campus is jointly owned and managed by the city of Baraboo and Sauk County governments.

In a document sent to local officials in April, AT&T suggested that the tower could be located on the northeast corner of the campus, near a student dorm. The company would lease space from the Campus Commission as part of a long-term agreement.

AT&T has said the campus site is the best of four locations it is considering within the Baraboo area. Campus officials initially said the companys site proposal would have conflicted with plans for a future parking lot and dorm expansion, but an updated site plan has alleviated those concerns.

The Campus Commission has authorized government officials to negotiate terms of a proposed lease with AT&T.

Sauk County Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman said Thursday that his office has submitted changes to a proposed contract to AT&T, but has not yet heard back from the company.

Regional Dean Charles Clark said it remains unclear how much revenue a potential deal might generate for the campus.

A representative of MasTec Solutions, the company that is working with AT&T to locate several towers, has told officials the tower initially would be designed for one carrier. However, it would be possible for other carriers to collocate in the future.
Mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy went viral this week for the outrageously fancy invitations to his daughter's wedding. Little do people know about his history with extraordinary riches.

Reddy went viral this week for the outrageously fancy invitations to his daughter's wedding.

By India Today Web Desk: Mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy went viral on Wednesday for the outrageously fancy wedding invitations he sent out for his daughter's wedding.

Popularly known as "Bellari King", the businessman turned politician is being investigated by the CBI for corruption and other criminal cases. Clearly unfazed by the charges, Reddy sent out LCD screen laden wedding invitations for his daughter Bramhani's November wedding.

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The LCD played an elaborate video of Reddy, his wife and the prospective bride and groom singing and dancing. The groom is dramatically introduced with white stallions in the backdrop. Bramhani's wedding is even expected to feature celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Prabhudeva and Katrina Kaif, much like the start-studded engagement ceremony that happened last month.

Photos: 9 expensive Indian weddings that will make you rub your eyes in disbelief



So who exactly is Janardhan Reddy and how did he come about to be so powerful? Here's all you need to know:

THE TREASURE RECOVERED FROM HIS HOME

#1 Reddy, 49, was once among the most powerful men in Karnataka. He spent three years in jail on charges of illegal mining, and was released on bail just last year.

#2 Soft-spoken and polite to a fault, Janardhan reportedly believed himself to be a reincarnation of 14th century Vijayanagar king Krishnadeva Raya.

#3 When CBI raided him in 2011, Reddy owned a three-storey house, which included an office, indoor swimming pool facing a 70 mm screen, massage parlour, a bar, home theatre, and even a bomb shelter. CCTV covered at least half a kilometre of area around the house and another three layers of security surrounded the house.

#4 Gold-plated utensils including plates, bowls, spoons, forks, knives, cups, pots and even ashtrays and lighters were recovered from his house. Weighing more than 30 kg, their worth was estimated to be Rs 20.87 lakh. Rs 3 crore worth of cash stuffed in bags was also recovered.

Images: Top - India Today File Photos; Bottom: 4.bp.blogspot

#5 45 necklaces, 610 gold bangles (35 of which were diamond encrusted), 300 pairs of ear-rings (75 with diamonds), 1,200 gold rings (100 with diamonds), several bracelets, antique and platinum jewellery, were seized from his home.

#6 A 'throne' weighing a whopping 15 kg was recovered from Reddy. It was made of gold, had GJR monogrammed in diamonds and was worth at least Rs 2.2 crore. Reddy is said to have gotten himself 'crowned' on the throne, in a secret ceremony in Hampi town.



File Photos File Photos

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He had donated a similar throne, worth Rs 43 crore, to the Tirupati temple.



The crown donated by Reddy at Tirupati. Images: palanpuronline.com

#7 Reddy owned a Rolls Royce, a Range Rover, a Land Rover, a Mercedes Benz, an Audi, a BMW and over a dozen Scorpios and Boleros and even a custom-made bus. When he wasn't riding in his cars, he was flying in his Bell helicopter, nicknamed Rukmini. Its helipad was right opposite the house, and some reported that a helipad was in the house as well.

File Photos

File Photo

Image: indiawires / hyderabadi-blog.blogspot

#8 Reddy's shirts reportedly had gold thread interwoven into them, making each shirt worth at least Rs 1 lakh. He wore a jewel-encrusted belt worth Rs 13 lakh and carried a gold-plated BlackBerry.

#9 A one-foot-tall idol of Lord Venkateswara and another six inch idol of Padmavati, both made of solid gold, among various other gold idols were found stored in a pooja room in his home. Their worth was estimated at Rs 2.3 crore. A gold bell weighing 1 kg was also recovered.

THE EXTENT OF HIS EMPIRE

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#1 Under the Reddy empire between 2007 to 2010, 29.8 million tonnes of illegal iron ore -- valued at Rs 12,228 crore -- was sent to eight ports on both coasts of the country from Karnataka. About 12.7 million tonnes of illegal iron ore was also exported to countries like China, Brazil, Singapore and Hong Kong.

#2 Reddy and his brothers earned an estimated Rs 5,000 crore from these deals, with the money suspected to be salted away in tax havens, including the Isle of Man. The mining baron admitted to earning Rs 5 crore per day himself.

Photos: India's top 10 richest people



#3 Ore was shipped under false documentation across the world and Reddy's informal 'army' guarded every consignment, while reporting to him constantly.

#4 More than 20 henchmen associated with him were also raided, some of whom went underground, leaving behind wives, children, clerks and watchmen to answer the investigators.

#5 Reddy encroached upon private, revenue and forest lands, using threats, bribes and muscle power, and he systematically subverted government machinery for mining. Legitimate mine owners had to pay Janardhan 30 to 40 per cent of the consignment's market rate as 'risk money' to transport legal ore.

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#6 "The district administration, police, revenue, mines and forest officials were all on Janardhan's payroll, working as his employees, rather than the government's," mine owner and Congress MLA Santosh Lad had told India Today.

Read: Despite slowdown, India's super-rich club now numbers 7,850 millionaires worth $935 billion



HIS CLOUT

#1 "We went into his shackles even before the BJP government was formed in Karnataka. He had clout with our national leadership, with Sushma and Nitin Gadkari openly endorsing him. Our then Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa was helpless in his hands," a senior Karnataka minister had told India Today in 2011.

#2 "If some land with ore caught Reddy's eye, the owners had to quietly give it up. They were lucky if he paid them something for it," a top BJP leader had admitted to India Today at the time.

Read: Ferrari, swimming pools, helipad: An exclusive look inside Mallya's Goa villa



#3 Reddy's political and economic tied extended to New Delhi via the BJP national leadership; and Andhra Pradesh through former Congress chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and his son Jagan Mohan Reddy.

#4 Janardhan's inner circle explained the mining baron's objective was to see his brother Karunakar as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. His bigger plan, allegedly, was to make his former mentor Sushma Swaraj, the Prime Minister.

Sushma Swaraj with Janardhan Reddy. (File Photos)

TIME IN PRISON

#1 It was a report by Karnataka's former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, that helped authorities nab Reddy. Five of his officers put together the damning 8,000-page report, working undercover for evidence and correlating 40 lakh bank accounts that led to Janardhan or his wife. "What Janardhan ran was a dictatorship," Justice Hegde told India Today at the time.

#2 The 'Lord of Bellary' was initially locked up in a small cell without even an attached bathroom at the Chanchalaguda prison in Hyderabad.

#3 Many believed Reddy had been 'cursed' by Goddess Suggalamma whose century-old temple he demolished in 2006 for his Obulapuram Mining Corporation. The temple lay on the border between Bellary and Ananthapur district in Andhra Pradesh, and by blasting it, Reddy was able to blur the border and illegally mine in Karnataka.

Read: India home to 103 billionaires, sixth largest group of super rich population globally



#4 Once he was jailed, farmers began trying to reclaim their land lost to mining. Bellary's new deputy commissioner also started receiving tips -- at all hours of the day, from ordinary people -- about illegal movement of iron ore.

#5 More than 700 officials, including the then deputy commissioner of Bellary B Shivappa, were named in the Lokayukta report for colluding with Janardhan. Details of the Reddy's 'mafia' are the reason Yeddyurappa lost his chief ministerial job.

#6 "It is the Supreme Court that saved us. Neither the state, nor the Centre bothered to do so," mine owner Tapal Ekambaram told India Today. Ekambaram had filed the first private case against Reddy.

Scenes from Reddy's daughter Brahmani's wedding. (Image: Twitter, @simply_satish)



Read: The iconic Playboy Mansion has been sold: Take a look inside

Read: High and Mighty rankings: 1 to 50



--- ENDS ---
Brad Large has joined the staff at Wayland Academy, a college preparatory school for students in grades 9 through 12 in Beaver Dam, as its new dean of enrollment and financial aid.

Large arrives from Augusta Preparatory Day School in Georgia, where he served as director of admission and financial aid. A graduate of Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, he has worked in residential life and admissions since 2009. He has previously served as the assistant director of admission at Brown Mackie College, a resident manager at Oak Hill Academy, the domestic admissions officer at Squaw Valley Academy and assistant director of admission at Darlington School.

Large received a bachelor of business administration in marketing from Kennesaw State University and a master of education in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University.

Guests will have a chance to meet Large at Waylands open house on Oct. 29. The event, which begins at 8:30 a.m., is an opportunity for prospective students and families to learn more about the school. Personal campus tours with a Wayland student will be offered, along with a preview of Waylands challenging curriculum and supportive atmosphere, question and answer sessions with faculty, students and parents of current Wayland students, admission interviews, class visits and lunch in Waylands Pickard Dining Hall.

To reserve space call 1-800-860-7725 or email admission@wayland.org.
I will be voting for the proposed Beaver Dam School District referendum in November and Ill tell you why  self-defense.

In 2009, we relocated our family to Beaver Dam. Our son was going into high school and the school he would have attended in south suburbs of Chicago was out of control and not an option. Local private schools were poorly rated and not an option. Illinois doesnt allow open enrollment so our only practical option was to move.

A job opportunity presented itself and we moved to Beaver Dam. This was the best decisions we ever made.

The high school my son would have attended was the high school I graduated from. In the time period between when I graduated in 1977 to 2009, the school district had deteriorated to the point where I wouldnt entrust my sons education.

How did things get so bad? There were many issues that came into play, but the first huge nail in the coffin was lack of support from the community, specifically failed referendums.

The requests were reasonable and needed, but were turned down by the narrow-minded electorate. Some voters didnt want to pay for something they didnt need any more; there were racial issues that effected voting; and people didnt trust the school district.

Fast-forward 30 years - property values plummeted and I blame most of it on the poor quality of the school district. When my parents moved to Wisconsin, their house sold for half of what it was appraised 10 years earlier  HALF.

We have no choice folks - we can pay a little now, or a lot later. Besides that, its needed and the right thing to do. A good education is the key to prosperity. Protect property values in Beaver Dam and vote yes.

Alan Mannel, Beaver Dam
In the past 25 years, downtown Mauston has seen its share of changes, but one thing has remained constant: Art Bobergs little convenience store on the corner of East State and Hickory Streets.

Boberg opened his store, the Gas & Go Mini Mart, in January 1991 with his then wife Donna. For more than two decades, Boberg has strived to bring affordable gas and grocery service to downtown Mauston. Hes also been heavily involved in the community, supporting youth activities. But, as he enters his 60s, Boberg believes he is ready to enjoy retirement. He plans to retire after Oct. 31 and sell the store.

Will I stay retired? No. Thats not in my future, but it will allow for time away from the store, Boberg said. With the computer system and everything, youre tied to it all the time. I like dealing with people  thats all Ive done my whole life  I like it. Ive been in retail since 1970 and its all I know, but its time for me to move on and do something else.

Boberg has four children and four grandchildren that he plans to see more often upon retirement. Boberg was the first baby born in Tomah hospital, but spent most of his childhood on the north side of Chicago, not far from Wrigley Field. Despite excelling as a high school athlete, Boberg loathed big city life. Whenever he could, he fled to his relatives farm in Camp Douglas.

That was the area I knew, but I didnt know much about Mauston, Boberg said.

After spending his early employment years working for Jewel Foods, Boberg worked as a store developer in Michigan. Eventually, Jewel was bought out and the Bobergs traveled back to Juneau County to begin another business venture. Through help from his aunt, Charlotte, a local realtor, Boberg purchased the mini mart in downtown Mauston.

I checked the town over and made the decision that this one was the one for me, Boberg said. When I took over in 91, there was one gas pump out there and no canopy. As I became more involved, I started changing it to become more of a grocery store because that was my background. Back then, we didnt have Dollar General here, and Kwik Trip was only here for about three years.

During his first year operating the store, he never told customers he owned the mini mart, preferring to get to know people in town and build relationships. He enjoyed the communitys small town appeal. Back in the early 1990s, Boberg said there were several retail businesses in downtown Mauston, which isnt the case anymore.

When we moved here, we thought it was Mayberry, Boberg said, referring to the idyllic town in The Andy Griffith Show. We felt like this was the perfect town to move to.

Boberg said the city would shut down at noon on Good Friday every year and Mauston police officers would check on businesses to make sure they were locked every night after closing.

In the 25 years Ive been here, Ive put in more than $600,000 in the business, Boberg said. We used to have a hotel across the street and there was clothing stores and more retail downtown. There was a lot more activity downtown and that has really changed.

In recent years, Boberg has seen his business shift. He sees more customers during the week than on the weekends.

The younger generation still comes in, but theyre inconsistent, Boberg said. But, we have the older, loyal customers that still come in regularly.
Each month, the Juneau County Star-Times will feature notable residents of Juneau County. If anyone would like to suggest a person to be featured, contact the Star-Times at jcst-news@capitalnewspapers.com.

Lloyd Chases passion for community service and civic engagement began at a young age, growing up in the Juneau County area.

Chase, who has served as New Lisbons mayor since 2002, started a youth club at his church during his teenage years and has been a business owner since age 21. For the past 27 years, Chase has owned and operated Lloyds Auto Parts on State Street in New Lisbon.

Before moving to New Lisbon in 1999, Chase served as village president in Camp Douglas and was a member of the Tomah School Board for 12 years, including nine years as president.

From a young age, Ive always been involved in something other than my business, Chase said. My family really wasnt involved in a lot (of civic duties) growing up, but once I started doing something, people would ask me to be involved in more projects.

Chase overcame the shyness that defined him in his youth to become an approachable and engaging leader.

Some of my relatives probably never believed I would have gotten into public service, Chase said.

After serving on boards in Camp Douglas and Tomah for several years, Chase thought he was finished with public service. However, in 2000, a group of friends persuaded him to run for a seat on New Lisbons city council. Shortly after being elected to the council as a write-in candidate, Chase became acting mayor after a resignation left the position vacant.

It was at the beginning of the millennium when New Lisbons fresh, new state correctional facility on the northeast side of the city stood empty.

The prison had been built out here, but (the state) had no plans to open it, Chase said. I have no idea why. They had just built the prison in Stanley, refurbished it and opened it before opening this one, even though it was sitting here. The state was claiming it was cheaper to run prisons out of state at privately-run institutions than it was to open one here.

The city had more than $3 million invested in the prison and had donated land for its development. Chase said the facility was only generating about $12 a month in revenue for the city because it stood idle.

In discussions with the city council, New Lisbon decided it was time to push state leaders to open the prison. Chase organized an advocate group and traveled to the state capitol in Madison. The story generated so much buzz that Wisconsin Public Television interviewed Chase, which led to more news coverage.

I testified at the joint finance committee hearings and I went on public television that night and, after that, we received calls and letters from all over the state, Chase said.

Around that time, a group of men called the Sweet Old Boys, who met often for a coffee clutch in New Lisbon, asked Chase to run for mayor. But, Chase thought it was too late to mount a successful campaign.

They said because you have done so much to get the prison opened, you should really run for mayor, Chase said. They said it wasnt too late for me to run as a write-in, and so I ran again as a write-in and won.

Shortly after being elected, Chase met with Governor Jim Doyle and a news conference was held to announce the opening of the correctional institution. Unfortunately, the day before, Chase was bedridden with pneumonia.

The governors office called me at like 5 p.m. the day before and said theyre coming up and I should arrange this press conference, Chase said. I was able to get other people to arrange it because I was so sick. It was amazing how many newspapers and television stations came to talk to us through this whole experience.

After finally getting the prison opened, Chase addressed other needs affecting New Lisbon. He said one of his biggest goals was to restore pride in the city. Chase also helped turn around the municipalitys finances so it wouldnt have to keep borrowing money for projects.

I think the most satisfying thing is I feel like Ive accomplished a lot, Chase said. Ive been getting a lot of positive feedback from people in the community.

In the 1990s, after Chase opened his auto parts store, he noticed assets in the city were getting old and run down. He believed New Lisbon was a nice community, but improvements needed to be made to sustain it and draw more people into town. He oversaw the building of a new city hall and fire station in the early 2000s. Additionally, Chase has pushed for the library renovation project and has worked on a lake reclamation plan for the New Lisbon Pond.

I enjoy the history of the area and its just been interesting as heck, Chase said. Its all been a positive experience and Ive had the opportunity to meet with four governors during that time.

Through the years, Chase has developed meaningful relationships with state leaders. For example, Tony Evers, the state superintendent, was a principal in Tomah when Chase served on its school board. His father, also named Lloyd, grew up with Governor Tommy Thompson.

Chase will turn 65 next month, but he doesnt plan to step down as mayor any time soon. He has outlined some key issues he wants to work on in the coming years.

Chase is also the chairman of the Juneau County Republican Party. He also has his auto parts shop for sale, but hasnt found a buyer yet. Of course, as he slowly transitions into retirement, Chase would like to continue in his annual fishing trips to northern Wisconsin and spend time with his kids, Wayne and Jenny, and four grandchildren.

Ive also been to Europe a couple of times to visit friends and would like to get back there someday too, Chase said.
Thomas Fullerton set the tone for Baraboos oldest church when he arrived in town in 1841.

The Methodist circuit preacher encountered men working on a Baraboo River dam. They viewed him with suspicion until he rolled up his sleeves and started helping. He gained their favor, and by October the locals asked Fullerton to lead church serves in the valley.

This turn of events birthed what is now known as First United Methodist Church, whose members continue to roll up their sleeves and help when they see work to be done. The downtown Baraboo institution has hosted the Baraboo Food Pantry, the Neighborly free store, Boy Scout troops and programs for Ho-Chunk youths.

I think this spirit has been consistent throughout our history, current pastor Marianne Cotter said.

Its members have collected child carriers for refugees and shoes for the needy, and hosted free holiday meals for the hungry. We tend to open our doors, church historian Marilyn Hatfield said.

Keys to longevity

Next month, the church will celebrate its 175th anniversary with a special Sunday worship service. Several factors have contributed to the congregations longevity, in addition to its passion for mission work. The churchs downtown location, its gorgeous architecture, and the support of other Baraboo churches have played pivotal role.

The congregation started out worshiping in members homes, until the community built a log school house that was shared on Sundays by three denominations. To this day, First United Methodist works with other congregations to support ecumenical missions such as the Peanut Butter Lunch Bunch, which ensures children from low-income families are well-fed during school breaks.

Our history in Baraboo is of churches working together, Cotter said.

Congregations moved their services to the Sauk County Courthouse (then on Fourth Avenue, east of where the Al. Ringling Theatre now sits) in 1848. The next year, a temporary church was built at Fifth and Broadway at a cost of $200. A more permanent structure was built the year after that, but later burned.

In 1853, the church bought a bell for its tower at a cost of $321, an instrument that  thanks to a 1995 renovation  continues to ring each Sunday.

Building community

In 1898, the congregation built its church at the corner of Broadway and Fourth, seven years before Al. Ringling built his mansion up the street. Featuring a red brick exterior and priceless stained-glass windows, the church is the oldest in Baraboo and the only one remaining on the downtown square. The ladies of the church raised funds for the construction project by sewing a quilt and charging 10 cents to members who wanted their names embroidered on it. The quilt survives to this day.

While a church is made up primarily of its people, First United Methodist members say their building is a powerful draw. Hatfield said she was considering joining another church before she stepped inside. I was agog, especially the stained-glass windows, she said.

I think that draws people in and gives them a spiritual uplift, Cotter added.

They love the building, added church historian Janet Brice.

Amid an effort to expand the church in the 1980s, the congregation considered building elsewhere. But an architectural study determined the churchs foundation was sturdy enough to last another century. Then things took on a new life, congregation leader Virgil Kasper said. They wanted to keep their roots in the business community of downtown Baraboo.

A fellowship hall and offices were added on the church, built on the former site of the church parsonage. That addition  and the churchs central location  allows the congregation to serve needy people and community groups. Scout troops, the Rotary Club and Kids Ranch meet at the church. Plus, the congregation offers water and lemonade during the Big Top Circus Parade, and in years past served food during Old Fashioned Day.

Special service

The 175th anniversary service Nov. 13 will feature a skit dramatizing church history, a performance by the handbell choir, a multimedia overview of church history and a demonstration of how the churchs original log walls were built.

Church members have spent recent weeks preparing for the anniversary celebration, but theyll return to their mission work soon enough. The churchs women, who organized a Sewing Society in 1857 and continue to raise money for missions through an annual pasty sale, will remain busy.

Theyre living their membership vows, Cotter said.

Kasper is working to expand his multimedia presentation on the churchs history to a more detailed book. And he hopes its only a first draft. We want to keep adding pages, he said, because we want more history.
More than 250 students from Dodge County high schools took a look at career options Thursday during the annual Manufacturing Day.

We are learning about job opportunities in the area and working in the field of manufacturing, Beaver Dam High School student Joel Riehbrandt said.

Students from Beaver Dam, Randolph, Mayville, Cambria-Friesland, Dodgeland, Columbus, Waupun, Horicon, Hustisford and Fall River high schools visited 10 area factories. Horicon, Hustisford and Mayville visited Signicast on Oct. 6. The remaining schools toured Karavan, Apache, Kirsh Foundry, Federal Mogul, Breuer Metals, EK Machine, Ameripak and Lyco Thursday.

In total, 326 students toured the businesses.

Presentations and lunch for the students on Thursday were held at MEC-Beaver Dam and Savannah Oaks in Fall River.

MEC vice president of human resources Clifford Sanderson told the students that he began his career in manufacturing with no idea how much it would benefit him throughout the years. He received funding for college and his masters degree from his workplace.

With manufacturing jobs, most do promote from within, Sanderson said.

Manufacturing Days is an initiative of the Manufacturing Business Alliance of the Dodge County Region.

In the past four years, Manufacturing Business Alliance of the Dodge County Region has ramped up tours of area businesses for high school students. They also meet regularly with area schools, non-profit organizations and Moraine Park Technical College to talk about increasing the interest in manufacturing careers for high school students. The goal is to get more high school students to think about entering manufacturing as a career.

In Dodge County the average earnings in manufacturing is $52,848 and one of three jobs are in manufacturing industry.
Both of the men seeking the 14th District Wisconsin State Senate seat describe themselves as moderates.

One of them, Republican Luther Olsen of Ripon, has held the seat for almost 12 years, and survived a 2011 recall challenge from then-Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo.

The other, Democrat Brian Smith of Waupaca, is the longest-serving mayor in the history of his native community, a former teacher and a small-business owner.

District 42 occupies most of Columbia County (not including the city of Portage), and parts of Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Marquette counties.

When Smith and Olsen met Monday in a Legislative candidates forum in Portage, sponsored by the Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative, both named education as a key priority in the coming session.

In touting his support for adequate funding for local public schools  especially in small communities  Smith said, Who came up with the crazy idea that we can fund two school systems in the state of Wisconsin? We cant afford public and private school systems in our state.

Olsen has said much the same thing during budget hearings convened across the state by the Legislatures Joint Committee on Finance, of which he has been a member for five years.

The biennial budget, Olsen said, is the linchpin for nearly all the Legislatures most vital issues, including not only education, but also transportation, health care and the University of Wisconsin System.

The only bill that really has to pass the Legislature is the budget, he said. Olsen also noted that he chairs the Senate Education Committee, and he said that role entails making sure our boys and girls are prepared to compete for jobs in the 21st century with people in our state and in the world.

Smith said higher education also must be a priority in the coming session.

Higher education should not be free, but it should be affordable, he said. One way to make it more affordable, he said, would be to allow the refinancing of student loans.

On education, and on a variety of other issues, Smith emphasizes the importance, in his mind, of local control.

The most important thing, he said, is to bring control back to the local communities.

One of the key ways that the state infringes on local control, according to Smith, is by imposing a limit on the amount of property tax money collected by local government units such as towns, villages, cities and counties.

That affects a variety of aspects of local government, including roads, Smith said.

If local government bodies have the ability to collect the revenue they need, then they would have less need to rely on state financial aid for road repairs and reconstruction.

Olsen said state officials will have to look at ways to ensure that people who use the roads most pay for them  something thats not easy to accomplish, he said, now that more people are driving high-mileage or hybrid vehicles, using less gasoline and paying less in gas taxes.

Olsen also touted an audit of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as a tool to determine whether the agency charged with overseeing Wisconsins transportation system is working as it should.

Are we building roads to last, or are we getting by with the cheapest and have to rebuild roads over and over again? Olsen asked.

Smith said he, too, supports an audit of DOT, to ensure that the departments priorities are based on the greatest need, not on other considerations.

Lets not use political reasons to decide which roads were going to fix, he said.

Olsen said hes constantly trying to educate himself on the myriad issues that come before the Legislature, and he needs constituents help for that.

One thing hes learned in his years in the Senate, he said, is that well-meaning legislative measures often have unintended consequences. For example, a federal effort to increase taxes on luxury watercraft resulted in fewer people buying high-end boats  throwing boat-builders in Wisconsin off their jobs.

The least effective form of communication between constituents and lawmakers is the form letter, Olsen said.

I want to know how something is going to affect you, to help me make the decision whether to support it, or more importantly, change it, he said.

Listening to constituents is vital, Smith agreed  but he added a note of caution about unintended consequences of following constituents wishes.

The prime example of that is state-imposed levy limits, he said. Constituents said they wanted lower property taxes, but they may not have intended to starve local government bodies of the revenue they need to provide the services that constituents want.

Id ask, Are you OK with waiting for snow to be plowed from your roads? Are you OK with libraries reduced in size? Are you OK with a reduced local police force? 

Both Olsen and Smith have extensive experience in local government. Olsen was a member of the Berlin School Board from 1976 to 1997, and for a time was the boards president. Smith has been mayor of Waupaca for 15 years, and has been elected to the post eight times.
Rep. Ed Brooks has been honored by Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin.

Brooks, R-Reedsburg, received the Building Wisconsin Award during a presentation Oct. 18 at Schloughs Classic Concrete and Construction in Reedsburg.

Associated Builders and Contractors, also known as ABC-WI, is a construction industry trade association representing about 900 Wisconsin employers. Its awards recognize those who work to support the construction industry. Brooks was recognized for his legislative efforts, according to information provided by ABC-WI.

The award is presented every other year. Brooks also won in 2014.

Brooks said the workforce is one of his priorities in his Rural Wisconsin Initiative. He said he cares about having safe, quality workplaces but feels leaders can do more to eliminate unnecessary regulations. Reporting, for example, may be duplicated at the state and federal level. There may be ways to streamline regulations without putting workers in jeopardy.

Apprenticeships are another part of his plan. Brooks said he has witnessed the need for skilled laborers and sees opportunities for employers, schools and students to work together.

He added that adjusting the Affordable Care Act could further bolster business and the economy. Many employers are limiting the number of positions they create so they dont have to deal with the health care law. Brooks said it would be difficult to completely repeal the law at this point but hes open to either making adjustments or creating an alternative, especially since premiums continue to increase for many customers.

He noted that he asked for the presentation to be held at Schloughs because they are an ABC-WI member and will celebrate 25 years in business in 2017.

Brooks said his commute to and from Reedsburg gives him some additional insight into the regional economy.

When the highway is busy I always feel good because that means people are working, he said.

Brooks serves the 50th Assembly District, an area encompassing Juneau County as well as parts of Sauk, Monroe and Richland counties.

His seat is up for election this November. Brooks will face Art Shrader, a democrat, in the fall election.
Are you tired of negative political ads every night when you turn on the TV? Do you feel that your voice is being drowned out by special interests and it no longer matters whom you vote for? Do you want to do something about it?

On Nov. 8, if you live in the City of Reedsburg, you can. Vote yes on your ballot in response to, Shall the City of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, adopt the following resolution: Resolved, that We the People of the City of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, seek to reclaim democracy from the expansion of corporate personhood rights and the corrupting influence of unregulated political contributions and spending. We support passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution stating:

1. Only human beings - not corporations, unions, non-profits, or similar associations-are endowed with constitutional rights, and

2. Money is not speech, and therefore, regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.

This is a nonpartisan issue. Almost 700 U.S. communities have already passed resolutions calling for a constitutional amendment, including more than 70 local governments in Wisconsin, and 17 state legislatures. When enough states press Congress on this, they will be forced to act.

Judy Brey, Reedsburg
News flash: A Republican and a Democrat running for the same Congressional seat agree on a solution to at least one -- or at least a part of one -- issue.

Thats right, Glenn Grothman and Sarah Lloyd, Republican first-term incumbent and Democrat challenger, respectively, for the 6th District seat in the House of Representatives, both believe that allowing refinancing of outstanding student loans would help ease the more than $1 trillion in debt weighing down millions of college graduates across the U.S.

I do think we should allow refinancing of college loans, and I know thats more of a Democrat thing, Grothman said by telephone this week.

We have to be able to refinance student loans, Lloyd said in her Portage campaign office.

From there, the two candidates views diverge in keeping with their respective party affiliations. But, in true Midwestern form, both were refreshingly straightforward and polite in expressing their views about how best to the address the challenges facing the 6th District -- and why each believes he or she is the best person for the job.

The rancor and controversy that has characterized the presidential race doesnt seem to have made its way into the campaigns of Grothman or Lloyd, and each supports his and her partys nominee.

But the two differ on how best to help the people of the 6th District -- which stretches from Wisconsin Dells to Lake Michigan and has the highest concentration of manufacturing of any congressional district in the U.S.

Put simply, Lloyd believes more federal dollars should be spent, on economic development and market-building programs that raise the economic water level for everyone, while Grothman champions more of a free-market approach, with austerity on the part of the federal government.

We should be investing -- you gotta spend money to make money, Lloyd said. Lets bring (federal) resources back to the district.

Wait a minute, the time has come not to propose more spending but to cut spending, Grothman said, referring specifically to the idea of a free college education. We dont need expensive new programs like free college.

A good example of their differences is their opinion of what steps the federal government should take to address issues with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Lloyd thinks the program needs to be tweaked and built upon; Grothman says a different approach to addressing the nations health care needs should be pursued.

Dont repeal it, we need to work on making it better and fix the issues that it has, Lloyd said. People have to be assured health care -- its a basic right.

The problems (with the ACA) are predictable, to have one size fits all regulations coming out of Washington never ends good, Grothman said. Weve gotta work our way back to market-based insurance that some companies were using (before the ACA) with success."

The candidates positions regarding current issues can be found at their respective websites: Grothman at http://grothman.house.gov and Lloyd at http://lloydforwisconsin.com.

Jeff Dehlke from the Independent Party is on the ballot as well; his website is http://www.jeffdahlkeforcongress.com.

The candidates reside in towns on opposite sides of the Sixth District, which stretches from the Wisconsin Dells area east to the shores of Lake Michigan. Lloyd, lives in the town of Newport in Columbia County; Grothman lives in the town of Glenbeulah in Sheboygan County.

Prior to his election in 2014, Grothman, 59, served in the Wisconsin State Senate and State Assembly for more than 20 years. Lloyd, 44, has served as a county board supervisor and worked with the Wisconsin Farmers Union and represents Wisconsin farmers on the National Dairy Board.

Grothman and Lloyd also will be spending much of their time between now and Election Day, Nov. 8, across the district, attending community events and knocking on a lot of doors, they said.

Lloyd will appear for a candidate meet and greet between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Thunder Valley Inn on Highway 13 in the Dells. She is a local farmer and the long-time manager of the farmers market that will be taking place Sunday morning outside the Inn, for the final time this fall.

The Inn is owned and operated by Lloyds in-laws, Don and Anita Nelson. Coffee and cinnamon rolls will be served, according to Anita Nelson.

Grothman wasnt sure when he might be in the Dells-Delton area between now and Election Day, but he did not rule out the possibility.

I meet a lot of people (in the district) and it feels good, he said. Im sure I am out there more than my opponents. If meeting people wins elections, then Ill win.
Almost a month after she was admitted to Apollo hospital in Chenna, there is good news for Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa supporters.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa supporters have been praying for her good health.

By Pramod Madhav: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has shown signs of improvement though she continues to be on health support system. The Apollo hospital of Chennai, where Jayalalitha is undergoing treatment for almost a month, has said in a press release that the CM is "interacting and progressing gradually".

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22. AIADMK initially said that she had fever and suffered from dehydration.

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Later, doctors at the Apollo hospital confirmed that the Tamil Nadu CM was being treated for multiple complications including lung infection.

READ: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa completely well, will return home soon: AIADMK

JAYALALITHAA IS BETTER NOW

The latest medical bulletin said, "The chief minister continues to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and passive physiotherapy."

It further added, "The chief minister is interacting and progressing gradually."

Some reports even suggested that Jayalalithaa was taken off sedation completely as she was able to sit up. The reports also indicated that once the tracheostomy tube is removed, Jayalalithaa would be able to communicate verbally.

READ: Prayer for Jayalalithaa: Man sleeps on thorns for 24 hours, offering himself to goddess Pechiyamman

Improvement in Jayalalithaa's health was also confirmed by her party. AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathy said, "Amma (Jayalalithaa) has progressed very well under the daily monitoring of Apollo Hospital doctors and specialists and soon she will return home."

Apollo hospital says Jayalalithaa is interacting.

PRAYER FOR JAYALALITHAA

Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa supporters and AIADMK workers continue to offer special prayers across the state.

Last week, the eight portfolios that Jayalalithaa had kept with her, were handed over to O Panneerselvam, who is discharging the duties of the chief minister. Panneerselvam held a cabinet meeting earlier this week placing Jayalalithaa's photograph on the table and leaving her chair empty.

WATCH:

ALSO READ:

Traffic Ramaswamy, who filed PIL seeking information on Jayalalithaa's health, booked for spreading rumours

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Were the late Vernon Grants artistic legacy a building, Betsy Grant would have several stories built by now.

The milestones have continued to accumulate for Grant in her ongoing quest to widen the awareness of her late husbands prodigious artistic output, several books worth of cartoons ranging from the adventures of a U.S. Army Private during the Vietnam War to a lovable monsters adventures in Tokyo.

Since publishing two of Vernon Grants Point-Man Palmer cartoon books a year ago, Betsy Grant has traveled parts of the Eastern U.S. as well as all of Wisconsin, attending VFW conventions and garnering recognition for Vernon Grants work.

The 2016 highlight were the dual proclamations the artist posthumously received in his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 28, decreeing that day as Vernon E. Grant Day for both the city of Cambridge and the Commonwealth.

Betsy Grant accepted the citys proclamation during a short ceremony July 28 in Cambridge, where Betsy and Vernon Grant once lived and were friends with the current mayor, E. Denise Simmons, who signed the citys proclamation and helped garner the state proclamation as well.

A productive visit to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) national convention in July in Charlotte, North Carolina also punctuated Betsy Grants summer travels, and she attended two Wisconsin American Legion conventions and one Wisconsin VFW convention in 2016, selling copies of the two Point-Man Palmer books and spreading the word about her late husbands contributions to that eras chronicling.

Im doing what Im supposed to do to make it a widening circle, Betsy Grant said of her continuing efforts within the realm of those who have served in the military, especially during times of war.

In the process of attending American Legion and VFW conventions and interacting with veterans, Grant has become something of a veterans advocate herself. She has become an auxiliary member of the Legion in Wisconsin Dells and the VFW in Reedsburg, and she routinely visits older, retired veterans wherever they live, including assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

Grant joined Vietnam War veteran Warren Frank last week at the Rock Springs Public Library for a discussion about that era and their respective relationships to it.

Veterans are a major part of this country. I have great admiration for what all the women and men have sacrificed in all the wars weve had, she said. It takes a lot of strength, I think, and character, to do the kind of work our service people do for our country.

Interest in Vernon Grants work beyond its ever-growing military audience also expanded this year thanks in part to Betsy Grants efforts. MONSTER! magazine published back-to-back, lengthy stories about Vernon Grants cartoon book A Monster Is Loose in Tokyo!

That book, which follows the adventures of a monster as it traverses the streets of Tokyo much like any other city dweller, is out of print, but apparently has been well known for decades by MONSTER! magazines editor and well-known monster-cartoon legend Stephen Bissette, whose Vietnam War veteran brother introduced him to the art of Vernon Grant when he encountered it in Southeast Asia while serving in the war.

Contact from MONSTER! magazine a year ago regarding Vernon Grants Monster book confirmed to Betsy Grant that her husbands work in that particular genre had an audience four decades ago when it was published.

These two men knew about Vernon in the 70s and it sort of started percolating, its interesting, back in 2015, Grant noted.

After a busy year, Grant said she is not sure what she will do next to promote her husbands work. Interest in the Point-man books from veterans of all eras continues to grow thanks to her efforts, and the MONSTER! magazine stories have begun to re-establish Vernon Grants contributions to that particular genre.
An ice castle is coming to Wisconsin Dells.

A building-sized castle, made of ice and introduced to the area through a partnership between Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park and Resort and a company called, appropriately enough, Ice Castles, will grow later this fall and early this winter from the parking lot next to Top Secret on Wisconsin Dells Parkway.

The castle will open as an outdoor, winter-time attraction Dec. 26, and remain open through the end of February, weather-permitting, according to Mt. Olympus General Manager Adam Makowski.

The castle will feature pathways and slides, as well as built-in lighting that will transform the icy behemoth into a lightshow at night, Makowski said.

They put lights inside of them, so at night it can change the colors and create a magical ambiance, he said. Especially when you have the lights underneath  its beautiful.

The Wisconsin Dells Common Council at its October meeting approved a site plan application from Mt. Olympus for the attraction, which Makowski liken to a small glacier.

The palace will take approximately three weeks to grow  again, weather permitting, Makowski said  and that process is expected to begin in early December.

They grow these ice crystals from the ground, then they place them in strategic locations to create these structures, and they keep spraying them to where they just grow, he said. Eventually they start forming these glacier-like sculptures.

As long as the Dells gets a normal winter, with enough cold days in December, the building will remain solidly built until it has to be torn down in March, Makowski said. Ice Castles has successfully constructed other such outdoor ice buildings in Stillwater, Minnesota, Midway, Utah, Lincoln, New Hampshire and Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

The buildings in these other locations have attracted up to 100,000 visitors, Makowski said, and they can comfortably accommodate up to 500 guests an hour.

The walkways within the castle will be specially prepared so that it has a texture similar to gravel and thus will be non-slippery, and in addition to walking around the castle and taking photos, a few strategically placed slides will allow for a thrill ride or two.

The ticket price for the attraction has yet to be determined, Makowski said. The attraction will necessitate the hiring of a couple of dozen local workers for the duration of its residence, he said, for such tasks as the actual construction and ultimately its operation.

Lest anyone worry whether such a building will be stable, Makowski said the blocks of ice that comprise it are so big that their removal will require heavy equipment.

It would last into the summer if we didnt remove it, he said.

For more information about previously existing ice castles, go to www.icecastles.com.
By PTI: Ranchi, Oct 21 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said that the gap between government and the people could be reduced through maximum use of information technology.

And it could also rein in corruption and middlemen, Das said while addressing the Digital India Conclave organized here by India Today.

Stress was being given in every department to use IT to the maximum for taking good governance benefits to the people, the chief minister said.

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Nearly a couple of years ago Jharkhand was being discussed with regard to corruption, but now with the change in situation, now the state was being identified as digital Jharkhand, Das said.

Underscoring the need to make the state having pool of skilled and educated resources, the chief minister said these endeavours were necessary to end poverty.

A total of 4,404 panchayats are to connected through e-village, of which 1,400 have already been connected and the target to complete the exercise is December 2017, he said.

Das said that when he came he stressed upon giving corruption-free governance, accountable and transparent governance, besides giving accent on technology and further steps were being taken in this direction.

Rewards were bestowed upon those personalities and institutions working well in the IT sector in the programme.

Urban Development Minister C P Singh, CMs Principal Secretary, Sanjay Kumar, Inspector General of Police R K Malik, CM?s Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal were among other dignitaries present on the occasion. PTI PVR SUS AMS

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The mother of 27-year-old Najeeb Ahmed who went missing from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, has appealed for help, saying, "Expel him if he is found guilty, but bring him back."

JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials come out of the university's admin office after being locked inside by protesting student for more than 20 hours

By Sneha Agrawal: It's nearly been a week since she last heard her son's voice.

"Expel him if he is found guilty, but bring him back," appeals Fatima Nafees, the mother of 27-year-old Najeeb Ahmed who went missing from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University after a scuffle with some fellow students. Fatima has been waiting outside JNU's administrative block, her eyes searching for that familiar face.



WHAT HAPPENED

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Najeeb, a student of the School of Biotechnology, was staying in room number 106 of the Mahi hostel. The Left-linked All India Students Association has alleged that he was beaten up by activists of the ABVP, which is linked to the ruling BJP.

"My son called me the night he was hit by other students. And then he called me the next day at 11 am while he was on his way to get his medical test done. He told me that doctors refused to do his medical check-up as there was no FIR. 'I am waiting for you amma' were the last words I heard from him," the distraught mother said.

Also read: JNU letters doing the rounds on missing student Najeeb Ahmed



PROBE ORDERED

Following instructions from home minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi Police formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the case amid growing anger among students over investigators' failure to trace Najeeb and the allegedly sloppy manner in which the administration has dealt with the issue. The university's vice-chancellor and some other officials were virtually held captive for over 20 hours by hundreds of protesting students demanding stronger efforts to track down the missing man.

"My son is being implicated," accuses Fatima. "He is a peaceloving person. He was living in a dormitory for a month and shared space with so many people, yet no complaint was ever made against him. He was away from politics and is a broadminded person. Allegations that he was mentally ill and taking medicine are baseless. He is so nave that whenever he wanted to withdraw cash from the ATM, he used to seek my permission."

Also read: JNU students release Vice Chancellor, faculty from confinement of 20 hours even as Najeeb Ahmed remains missing

CLASSES DISRUPTED

Classes have been disrupted for days over the protests at the university, which has seen demonstrations and clashes this year after authorities slapped sedition charges on some students who allegedly organised an event commemorating Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.



FAMILY UPSET

Najeeb's mother said she wants her son back even as she alleged that the administration has been insensitive towards her. "The administration did not inform us about him going missing. I came and approached the police myself. We forced our way into the V-C's office where he just told us that he is trying his best. He has been so insensitive towards us." Najeeb's sister Sadaf Musharraf, a teacher at a Delhi government school, said she got a call from the police station that a body has been found and the family should to come to identify it.

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"Fortunately it was not Najeeb. The Rector told me that he is not responsible for whatever happens somewhere else and said that he will see me in the court," she said.

While tensions mounted on the campus, the confinement of officials attracted criticism from various quarters, including the JNU teachers' association, which has been supportive of the students union over past issues raised by them. "Howsoever peaceful the confinement is, it is wrong," JNUTA president Ajay Patnaik said.

STUDENT GROUPS

Protesters found themselves divided on the sudden change in the method of demonstration. Various student groups such as the DSU, BAPSA Collective and CAFAU have now decided to carry out the campaign in their own way after terming the calling off of the blockade a "betrayal" on the part of the JNU student body.

A protest march was carried out on campus at 9.30am to ascertain how many students wanted to participate in the campaign without any support from the student body.

"It was unanimously decided to block the V-C and not let the academic council meeting take place. The sudden change in the plan was not communicated to the common students," said Anubhuti, of the Campaign Against Fascist Attack on University..

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The students' groups had a separate meeting to discuss the future course of action even as the blame game between the Left-affiliated groups and rightwing ABVP continued.

JNU students' union president Mohit Pandey said, "He has gone missing after the scuffle with ABVP members. They definitely know about his whereabouts." Alok Singh, president of JNU's ABVP unit, said, "From the beginning of the issue, they have been claiming that ABVP has a role in this. We have nothing to do with this. We had our suspicions on Qasim who is Najeeb's roommate and had even demanded action against him in the past."

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AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, renewable generation, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. It also engages in the wholesale of electricity to municipalities, electric cooperative utilities, and load-serving entities. This segment serves approximately 8.2 million customers in 6 states in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States covering a service territory of approximately 91,000 square miles; and owns approximately 50,259 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure segment distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation natural gas customers; and owns, operates, and invests in pipeline transmission and natural gas storage facilities. It has approximately 1.6 million customers, including 1.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as 550,000 customers in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky. The Commercial Renewables segment acquires, owns, develops, builds, and operates wind and solar renewable generation projects, including nonregulated renewable energy and energy storage services to utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities, and corporate customers. It has 23 wind, 178 solar, and 2 battery storage facilities, as well as 71 fuel cell locations with a capacity of 3,554 MW across 22 states. The company was formerly known as Duke Energy Holding Corp. and changed its name to Duke Energy Corporation in April 2005. The company was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
State Street Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of financial products and services to institutional investors worldwide. The company offers investment servicing products and services, including custody; product accounting; daily pricing and administration; master trust and master custody; depotbank services; record-keeping; cash management; foreign exchange, brokerage and other trading services; securities finance and enhanced custody products; deposit and short-term investment facilities; loans and lease financing; investment manager and alternative investment manager operations outsourcing; performance, risk, and compliance analytics; and financial data management to support institutional investors. It also engages in the provision of portfolio management and risk analytics, as well as trading and post-trade settlement services with integrated compliance and managed data. In addition, the company offers investment management strategies and products, such as core and enhanced indexing, multi-asset strategies, active quantitative and fundamental active capabilities, and alternative investment strategies. Further, it provides services and solutions, including environmental, social, and governance investing; defined benefit and defined contribution; and global fiduciary solutions, as well as exchange-traded fund under the SPDR ETF brand. The company provides its products and services to mutual funds, collective investment funds and other investment pools, corporate and public retirement plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, and investment managers. State Street Corporation was founded in 1792 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
By India Today Web Desk: Hrithik Roshan has been written off more than a few times in his career spanning close to a decade and a half. And he's always found a way back from the brink with a tour de force performance. And they generally have been films with Papa Roshan, who tends to come up with unique challenges for son, Hrithik.



ALSO READ: Hrithik will play a blind mimicry artist, will imitate Amitabh Bachchan's voice

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The teaser of his latest, Kaabil, produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Sanjay Gupta is out. And all we see are smudged pictures of streetlights, and hear Hrithik's voice. His voice tells us that we won't be able to see in spite of our eyes, we won't be able to hear in spite of our ears, we won't be able to speak in spite of our voice, and won't be able to explain in spite of understanding it.

Kaabil sees Hrithik play a blind mimicry artist, where he impersonates the voice from Amitabh Bachchan and some really big names of Bollywood. The film also stars Yami Gautam and is directed by Sanjay Gupta, who has been known to deliver stylish thrillers at his peak.

Kaabil could be Hrithik's most significant film considering his bleak future otherwise, the actor's been at the recieving end since his open tussle with Kangana Ranaut and his big failure in Ashutosh Gowariker's Mohenjo Daro. Kaabil will release alongside Shah Rukh Khan's Raees on January 26, and the trailer is expected to hit with Diwali release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay on October 26.

WATCH the teaser here:

"



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A few days back, Naagin 2 actor Karanvir Bohra had flew down to Canada to be with his wife.

By India Today Web Desk: It's a twin celebration for Karanvir Bohra, literally! The actor whose show Naagin 2 has become the top show in the first week of its launch, is also celebrating the birth of his twin daughters with wife Teejay Sidhu.

A few days back, Karanvir had flew down to Canada to be with his wife. He had already negotiated a paternity break with Naagin 2 producer Ekta Kapoor. The couple also did a cute maternity shoot a couple of weeks back.

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"We are very overwhelmed right now. Earlier I was very ambitious about myself. Now I will prioritise my kid's future. I have to take calculated risks. All this while my father was called papa, I was never called a papa. It will be a happy sudden change," he had told SpotBoye.

Also read: Yay! Karanvir Bohra is going to be a father soon; actor shares an aww-dorable pic of wife Teejay Sidhu's baby bump

A few days back, Teejay had written a sweet note for her unborn child, as part of her baby diaries. "Hay baby love! :) Today let's just laugh, love and live life to the core! :) That is one of the most important things I can teach you - to not take life too seriously. :) We are allowed to disconnect and take time out for ourselves anytime we need to, okay? I want you remember this day, and how much fun we had, because after you arrive, I'll keep bringing you here. We will swing high, and laugh until our face hurts! :) Until then, know that all I want, is for you to be a happy child - and know that your Mom is always ready to be goofy with you!! :) #babydiaries



Here's another one:



Karanvir Bohra and Teejay Sindhu got married 10 years back in 2006 in Bengaluru.



Time for celebration!

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By Naseer Ganai: A day after Jammu and Kashmir government dismissed twelve of its employees, the Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) has threatened to launch agitation, if dismissal orders of the sacked employees were not revoked.

EJAC president, Abdul Qayoom Wani said that the state government has crossed all limits of suppression and if there were not revoked, there would be widespread protests. Wani added that the number of sacked employees was more than 12.

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Jammu and Kashmir government dismissed twelve of its employees, all at lower-rung positions, on allegations of participating in 'anti-national' activities and stone-throwing during the current unrest. However, officials said, no policeman was among the terminated employees. The employees have been dismissed on dossiers of the criminal investigation department.



ANTI-STATE ACTIVITIES



Officials said the administrative heads of several departments issued dismissal orders to twelve employees for "dereliction of duties and violating Rule 14 and 20 of the J&K Government Employees Conduct Rules 1971." "It was a government decision implemented by the head of the departments," said a senior official. He said any delay in proceeding against the employees would have provided them an opportunity to carry out their "anti-state activities" endanger the sovereignty and security of the state.

Also read: Jammu and Kashmir government sacks 12 employees for 'anti-national' activities



The dismissed employees belong to different government departments including Education, Revenue, Food, and Public Health Engineering.

Separatists have also condemned the government action and said, "Nation stands with these victims of state vengeance and extends support to them. All state employees at all levels, particularly at the senior level should stand up for their colleagues and take collective action against this totalitarian and revengeful measure," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement.



KASHMIR UNREST



Meanwhile, Kashmir entered into 104th day of the unrest. The protests erupted in the valley, after the killing of militant commander Burhan Muzaffer Wani on July 8. Since then, over 90 civilians have been killed and over 10,000 injured, by government forces. Two policemen have also been killed and 4000 injured in the clashes, police says.

Also read: Kashmir: 5,000 people arrested in 3 months in biggest crackdown in Valley



The police have arrested over 6000 youths involved in various cases including stone-throwing. Over 400 political activists and separatist leaders have been booked under the preventive detention law, Public Safety Act in the Valley over the past few days.

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Three politically motivated murders in three days turned October into the bloodiest of recent months in Kerala. On the 10th, K. Mohanan, 52, a local CPI(M) leader, was hacked to death by suspected RSS activists in Pathiriyad village, part of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Dharmadom assembly constituency. A gang of six sword-wielding assailants hacked him 14 times in a toddy shop. On October 12, Remith Uthaman, a 30-year-old RSS worker, was hacked to death in front of his mother and pregnant sister in Pinarayi, the CM's native village.

On October 13, Farook Neerchal, 45, a Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) worker, was hacked to death in Kannur town. SDPI, the political wing of the radical Muslim outfit, Popular Front of India, has pointed a finger at the Indian Union Muslim League, a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in the state. Six political murders have rocked the state's red bastion Kannur since the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front came to power in May, with the Marxists' toll at three, the Sangh two.

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Kannur district today is in the grip of an uneasy calm. The police remain on alert, raids and arrests continue, but a wariness seeps through it all. Over the years, violence has been sparked by the smallest of provocations-a missing party flag, an altercation at a bus stop, a casual remark directed at a party leader, even the defacing of a 'party wall'.

Political violence is endemic to this north Kerala district of 2.5 million people. Clashes between the RSS and the CPI(M) have claimed over 300 lives since 1969. So what makes Kannur such a hub of brutal political vendetta in India's most literate state? Well, the communists were here first. In the early 1940s, they found refuge and fertile ground for their ideology in the impoverished, feudal villages of northern Kerala. Political analysts say the trouble began when the RSS started making inroads into the red bastion in the mid-1960s, backed by Mangalore-based businessmen who wanted a footing in the communist-dominated district. "The businessmen wanted a stake in the furniture shops and fish trade, which was dominated by the influential Muslim Koya community. The CPI(M) supported the locals. Violence ensued. It continues even after five decades," explains Dr K.V. Kunhikrishnan, eminent historian and president of the Kerala Library Council.

Also read:

Kannur crime: 3 murders in 4 days, Governor apprised of situation

BJP holds statewide protests in Kerala after party worker's killing in Kannur

Kerala: BJP worker hacked to death, his father was killed in 2002



Political watchers say the blood feuds also have to do with the economic backwardness of north Kerala, already reeling under the downturn of its mainstays, the beedi and handloom cooperatives. Successive governments have ignored the region, a case of out of sight, out of mind, say local leaders. The district is nearly 500 kilometres from the capital, Thiruvananthapuram.

The CPI(M) and RSS today even clash over attempts to infiltrate each other's 'party villages'. Fuelling this lethal cocktail is the established martial tradition of the Malabar region as eulogised in the vadakkan pattukal and other folklore. Fallen political workers are feted as 'balidanis' or martyrs. Almost every village in the district is marked with a 'martyr's square', memorials to fallen workers. Death anniversaries are zealously observed where party leaders deliver emotional speeches and swear vengeance. (Incidentally, as a young Kerala cadre IPS officer, current NSA Ajit Doval cut his teeth managing communal tensions in the district's Thalassery town in 1972.)

Killings and counter-killings are part of the political dynamic of Kannur, explains journalist Anil Kurudath. "Political workers kill in the name of their parties," he says. "For a communist in Kannur, his party transcends personal choices, even family. The same applies to RSS workers." Among recent killings, Remith's demise was only the latest tragedy for the family. His father Uthaman, a bus driver, was murdered in 2002 by alleged CPI(M) workers. After hurling bombs at the bus, the assailants had dragged him out before stabbing him to death in full public view at a district bazaar. The violence continued even after the brutal killing. Country bombs were thrown at a jeep carrying mourners at Eyyancode when they were returning from Uthaman's funeral, killing a 70-year-old aunt and the driver.

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Dinendra Kashyap, Inspector General of Police, Kannur Range, says the "police have limitations when it's political parties who are engineering the killings and counter-killings. The slightest provocation can trigger a cycle of brutal violence in the district." The situation has followed a similar pattern over the decades. Hartals follow each murder. As the tension mounts, leaders of the CPI(M), BJP and RSS issue statements after visiting the families and condemning the killings. This time around, though, both sides know that things are getting out of hand. Both the CPI(M) and the BJP leadership in Kannur have issued statements saying they are willing to participate in peace negotiations if Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan or a reputed public personality initiates a dialogue to end the violence.

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The ruling party may also be worried by Governor P. Sathasivam's summoning of home secretary Nalini Netto and state DGP Loknath Behera over the situation in Kannur. He is said to have told the duo that he would not tolerate any further violence. The CPI(M) seems to have taken heed of the warnings. They don't want to create a situation for the possible dismissal of the Pinarayi government, as happened with EMS Namboodiripad in 1959.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) leadership sees an RSS conspiracy to malign the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the current bout of violence. "They have started killing our workers without provocation. Now their national leadership has started a misinformation campaign against the CPI(M) and the government. But we will expose them," says party district secretary P. Jayarajan.

Jayarajan, 64, is a legendary CPI(M) strongman of the district, a popular leader among the cadre. He is also a survivor of the district's violent legacy-he escaped a murder attempt in August 1999 when suspected RSS assailants viciously attacked him in front of his wife and children. The scars of the attack remain, his right arm is now useless. Jayarajan alleges that a secret RSS plot was hatched at the 2015 Kannur chintan baithak to take control the district by unleashing more political violence. Ironically, he says in the most recent incidents, "they hired contract killers", a charge that has been levelled against his own party for years.

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State BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan says it is his party and the RSS that are at the receiving end. "The CPI(M) is in power. If they want to stop the violence, they can do so in an instant. We have never been the instigators...it is their political intolerance that is at work here," he says. As usual, the blame game continues, setting up the district for more violence. In Kannur's political minefield, the martyrs have no voice and their families have only tears.

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Ketan Desai, former president of the Medical Council of India has been appointed as president of WMA. Photo: Reuters

By Reuters: The World Medical Association (WMA), a top medical-ethics body, today appointed an Indian doctor facing corruption charges as its president, despite controversy surrounding his appointment while legal cases are pending.

A statement released by the WMA said Dr Ketan Desai delivered his inaugural speech as president on Friday at the association's annual assembly in Taiwan. He will serve in the position for 2016/17.

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Desai has faced conspiracy and corruption allegations since he was first selected in 2009 as a future president of the WMA. Desai has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the pending cases. He did not respond to questions from Reuters sent via email.

When Reuters asked the WMA this week for an update on Desai's legal situation, spokesman Nigel Duncan said the association had nothing more to say. "I don't think there's anything we want to add to what we have already said," Duncan said. He did not answer questions about Desai's legal cases or what the ethics body had been told about them in recent months.

Also read: India, US agree to resolve issues related to visa, totalisation agreement



CORRUPTION CHARGES



In one case filed in New Delhi in 2010, Desai faces charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy to obtain a bribe of 20 million rupees ($450,000 at the time) from a medical college. In return, investigators allege Desai helped the school get permission from the Medical Council to add more students. When contacted last year, the college, which is not a defendant in the case, declined to comment.

Desai was jailed that year and his inauguration as the WMA president was suspended. He was later released on bail. In 2013, the WMA decided to lift the suspension after receiving assurances from the Indian Medical Association, which Desai once headed.

The Indian Medical Association did not respond to queries from Reuters this week.

A Reuters investigation published in July last year showed that the Indian Medical Association had incorrectly told the WMA that charges against Desai had been withdrawn. Representatives of major doctors organisations accepted the information as fact. The Indian Medical Association said last year that it never misled the WMA.

Also read: Brosnan shaken after Pan Bahar stirred an outrage, claims he was misled



The WMA had said it took questions raised in the Reuters article "very seriously" and would look into them. Later, in October 2015, the WMA upheld its decision to appoint Desai as president, without giving reasons.



CASE STILL ACTIVE



A source at India's Central Bureau of Investigation said this week that the New Delhi case was still active, though it was on hold due to a pending appeal in the Supreme Court. The source said Desai still needs to appear before the district court judge during hearings.

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A court document dated August 3 shows Desai, a urologist by training, submitted an application to seek an exemption from a personal appearance in court that day due to an illness. The next hearing is scheduled for November 4.

Proceedings in a separate case, alleging Desai was involved in a conspiracy to have the Medical Council of India allow a private medical school to add more students, were put on hold last year by a district court in northern Uttar Pradesh state until investigators obtain government permission to prosecute. Desai's counsel in the case, Purnendu Chakravarti, said this week there was no change in the status of the case.

Also read: Alert! Smartphone batteries can cause severe health issues



Based in France, the WMA sets ethical standards for physicians worldwide and represents millions of doctors. Known for its pioneering work in ethics, its members include the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association.

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The Kingdom of Thailand is located in the Southeast Asia region and covers a total area of 513,000 square kilometers. The country has a population of 67 million people, making it the worlds 20th most populous country. The majority of Thailands population lives in the rural areas especially around the rice-growing areas of central and northern regions. Thailand is a diverse country with several ethnic groups. However, Thai ethnic group accounts for 92% of the population while the remaining 8 % of the population belong to the other ethnic minority. Migrants from the neighboring countries such as Laos, Myanmar, and Nepal have contributed to the number of non-residents of Thailand that totals over 4 million. The largest ethnic groups in Thailand are looked at herein.

Thai

The Thai people, initially referred to as Siamese by Westerners, are the ethnic majority and the main ethnic group in Thailand. They form part of the Tai ethnolinguistic people found in the Southeast Asia. The Thai people speak the Thai language of different variations in different regions. The Thai ethnic group includes central Thai, northern Thai, southern Thai, and Isan people. The ancient Tai people in which the Thai belong migrated southwards between the 8th and 10th Centuries and settled in Chao Phraya Valley. They extended their kingdoms into the present day Thailand where they were engulfed into Theravada Buddhism of the Mon and Khmer explaining the mixture of present Thai culture. Currently, over 60 million Thai people live in Thailand representing 91.5% of the total population. Several other Thais can also be found in the US, Southeast Asia, Europe, and United Arabs Emirates. The Thai people are predominantly Theravada Buddhists with unique religious practices including ancestor worship. They also believe in household spirits and ghosts. Tham bun or merit-making is a common practice done by food other donation to the monk and contribution to the maintenance of the temple.

Khmer

The Khmer people are native to Cambodia and belong to the larger Austroasiatic Language Family. They speak the Khmer language and most follow the Khmer variation of Buddhism. In Thailand, the Khmer people are slightly over one million, which is 2.3% of the total population and live in the provinces of Surin, Buriram, and Sisaket. The Khmer are the oldest ethnic group in Southeast Asia arriving in the area over four thousand years ago. They brought with them agricultural practices including rice plantation and use of bronze. The modern Khmer identify their ethnic identity with their religious practices and beliefs which are partially influenced by the Theravada Buddhisms worship of ancestors and Shamanism. They also celebrate many religious holidays throughout the year, including Pchum Ben (Ancestors' Day). The majority of Khmer are confined in rural areas due to the rice farming.

Malay

The Malays belong to the Austronesian groups of peoples, and are generally found in the southern regions of Thailand. They are of diverse genetic and culture due to the several years of immigration and assimilation by various regional tribes and ethnic groups. The Malays are coastal-traders with a strong cultural practice. The ancient Malays were animist but, with the arrival of other religions between the 12th and 15th Centuries, the majority of them became Sunni Muslims, and Malays observe most of the major Islamic holidays and festivals. Clothing is highly regarded within the community as an item of beauty, power, and status.
Afghanistan is a country in Central Asia bordering the northern and western regions of Pakistan and eastern regions of Iran. The country borders six countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Amu Darya is the longest river to pass through Afghanistan, while the Helmand is the longest river wholly flowing within the country. The Amu Darya also flows through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The hot weather of Afghanistan dries up the rivers in the dry season. The highlands of the country and mountain streams support the rivers. During winter the river flow is continuous due to the melting ice. The rivers drain in different places depending on the course followed. The shared rivers have also led to territorial disputes and water treaty signed by individual countries has resolved the disputes. Below are the longest rivers in Afghanistan.

Amu Darya

The Amu Darya River is 879 miles long. The river is sourced from Qalehye Panjeh in Afghanistan at the junction of the Vakhsg and Panj rivers. It then flows north-westwards to drain the remains to the Aral Sea or disappear in the deserts. The river has a basin area of 534,739 square kilometers. The high mountains provide the needed precipitation to maintain the flow since downstream increased evaporation reduces the river water. The river provides water for irrigation. In the 5th Century, people settling along the river course used its waters for irrigation and establishment of towns and cities. In the past, the river provided the territorial boundary of Greater Iran from Turan. Before 1970, the river used to branch into many tributaries to form a delta before draining into the Aral Sea. In the 1950s the Soviet Union started to divert massive amounts of water that had been set up to irrigate cotton and other plantations in the lowland region of the river. By 1960, the Karakum Canal was completed to carry water from the Turkmenistan side westward to Mary and Ashgabat. This diversion resulted to decreased amount of river water flowing into the sea. As irrigation increased on the hot, dry floodplains, salinity in the river and the soils became infertile. By the 21st Century, the river no longer drained in the Aral Sea. Poplars, Jupiters, and blackberries grow in the mountain edge of the river. In the lower region willows, buckthorn, and oleasters dominate in the lower regions. Salt and drought resistant trees grow on the lowest reaches. The river is devoid of fish and birds.

Helmand

Flowing for 715 miles, the Helmand River runs entirely within the borders of Afghanistan. The river rises in the Baba Range, East-Central Afghanistan, flows southwestward into the country, changes course to a short northward flow, and empties in the Helmand swamps in the southwest boundary of the state and Eastern Iran. The river has many tributaries, including the Tarnak and Arghandab. Along the river course, a reservoir was built at Kajak to provide water for irrigation schemes and control floods. Another dam diverts the water to a canal. The river provides the perfect environment for a large group of migratory birds. The primary threat facing the river is Afghanistan pursuit concerning water resource development projects. The construction of Kamal Khan Dam on the lower reaches of the river and the renovating of Kajaki dam are destroying the river's natural flow and polluting it too.

Hari

The Hari River is sourced from the western slopes of the Selseleh-ye Kuh-e Baba Range, which are outliers of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Central Afghanistan. The river then flows west past the Chaghcharan and Herat, an ancient city, then north where it crosses into Turkmenistan and disappear in the Karakum Desert. The Jam River meets the Hari River in the Minaret of Jam, some 120 miles upstream from the ancient town of Herat. With a length of 684 miles, the Hari River provides water for irrigation some of Afghanistan productive lands. The Afghan-India Friendship Dam is a dam constructed in Heat Province for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes. History references the river as River Sarayu which provided a religious site where Buddhists monks lived and worshiped.

Panj

The Panj River, a tributary of the Amu Darya River, runs for 572 miles. The river rises from the confluence of River Pamir and River Wakhan in the village of Qila-e Panja. From the confluence, it flows westwards to form the Tajikistan and Afghanistan border. Past the city of Khorog in Tajikistan, the river meets its tributary, River Bartang, and the joined River flows southwest to accede to the river Vakhsh forming the Amudarya River. In the late 20th Century the river strategic location played a significant role in the Soviet rule and the Soviet military operations in Afghanistan. The water treaty between the country and the Soviet Union allows Afghanistan to draw nine cubic meters, but the country only draws 2 million as drawing all the water as per the treaty the process could damage the natural flow of the river.

Territorial Disputes

Afghanistan and Iran have for many generations quarreled over the rights to the waters of the Helmand River. Iran argues that it has a claim over some of the river water and also protests over Afghanistan activities that dry up the Helmand River during the dry season. The disputes continue despite water treaties and commissioners from both countries trying to discuss boundary and operations that will mitigate the existing conflicts.

All of the major rivers in Afghanistan are prone to degradation and pollution from human activities such as damming and the creation of canals, which are used to divert river water to irrigate farmlands and to produce hydroelectricity. The longest river in the country had a delta in its mouth but today hardly any water drains into the sea.
Poland is a country in Europe and officially known as the Republic of Poland. It situated between the Baltic seas in the north and mountain ranges in the south. It is the 69th largest country in the world with an area coverage of 120,726 square miles and 34th most populous country in the world with an average population of 38.5 million. It is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions and is a unitary state. Warsaw is the capital and largest city in the country. During the Second World War, a lot of destruction took place, but the country managed to preserve much of its cultural wealth. UNESCO has inscribed 14 world heritage sites in Poland some of which are discussed below.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites In Poland

Biatowieza Forest

Biatowieza forest is one of the largest existing parts of the primeval forest that had stretched across the European plain. It is home to 800 European bisons which is the heaviest land animal in Europe. It was established in August 1932 and covers an area of 547.8 square miles. The UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) in 1976 designated the polish Biosphere Reserve Biatowieza and the Belarusian Biosphere Reserve in 1993. It was inscribed in 1997 by UNESCO as a world heritage site. In June 2014, the world heritage committee approved the extension of the site to Biatowieza forest, Belarus, Poland.

Krakow Historical Center

This historic Centre was the former capital city of Poland and is located at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. It was a merchants town in the 13th century since it is home to the largest market square and numerous historic houses, palaces, and churches with breathe-taking interiors in Europe. The remnants of the 14th-century provide the towns fascinating history through various fortifications and the Middle Ages site of Kazimierz. In the southern part of the town are the Ancient synagogues, Jagiellonian University, and the gothic cathedral which acted as a cemetery to the kings of Poland. It was inscribed in the UNESCOs world heritage list in 1978 as a cultural site.

Medieval Town Of Torun

It is a historic district located city of Torun and is one oldest historical sites. It was inscribed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1997 as a cultural site. It is a small historic trading center which has preserved the original street pattern and magnificent early buildings to remarkable extents and providing an exceptional overview of the Middle Ages way of life. It covers an area of approximately 0.2 square miles and a buffer zone of nearly 1.16 square miles.

Warsaw Historical Center

In 1944 this historic was destroyed by Nazi troop (German) in the August uprising, but after the war, the old town was restored after a five-year reconstruction campaign by citizens was launched. It was an important site which ensured the survival of one of the most important testimonials of Polish culture. The restored town had important sites like churches, palaces, and market-place. Futhermore, the reconstruction enhanced symbol of elective authority and was a significant contribution to changes in doctrines related to urbanization. It was inscribed in the UNESCOs world heritage list in 1980 as a cultural site.

Other Heritage Sites In Poland

Other heritage sites in Poland include; Zamosc Old City inscribed in 1992 as a cultural center, Wrocaw Centennial Hall inscribed in 2006 as a cultural center, and the Biaowieza Forest inscribed in 1979 as a natural heritage centers.
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Oct 21 (PTI) China today described as "normal exchange" the first-ever Sino-Indian joint military exercise in eastern Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and said the drill was not targeted against any "third country" nor it had "anything to do" with its stance on Kashmir issue.

"I would like to point out that this activity is simply a normal exchange between the frontier troops of China and India to properly deal with border affairs," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told PTI.

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"It does not target any third country nor have anything to do with Chinas position on the Kashmir issue," she said in a written response to a question on Beijings view on the exercises.

The joint army exercise was held in eastern Ladakh on October 19 amid tensions between India and Pakistan after the Uri terror attack and the surgical strikes by the Indian Army in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

It was also held amid hectic diplomatic manoeuvring between India and China over Beijing blocking Indias bid for NSG membership and impose a UN ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar.

China and Pakistan view their relations as "all weather". Beijing has always maintained that the Kashmir issue should be resolved between India and Pakistan through consultations.

Hua said border troops of China and India have maintained close exchanges and cooperation for a long time in order to maintain peace and tranquility of the border area.

"On October 19, border troops of the two countries jointly held a small routine tactical exercise in the Chushul region of the western section of the China-India border close to the Line of Actual Control," she said.

"The two sides also held a similar exercise in this region in February. This exercise focuses on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief under a scenario of earthquakes in the border area, with a purpose to enhance exchanges and cooperation between the two troops and better safeguard peace and tranquility of the border area," she said.

The October 19 exercise was the first military cooperation of New Delhi and Beijing in Jammu and Kashmir. The two nations have conducted exercises at other locations in the country. PTI KJVPMS AKJ PMS

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A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took
Karl Hughes and Jessica Davidson

By: Wayne Morin

A man of the United Kingdom, decided to help his girlfriend get rid of her stalker by replying to the man with a semi-nude photo of himself.

Jessica Davidson of North Yorkshire, received perverted text messages on Facebook, from a man in her neighborhood.

Davidson, who gave birth to her daughter Victoria just three weeks ago, was not in the mood of dealing with her stalker so her boyfriend became creative and he stopped the man from coming after his woman.

Davidson said that the man, who is her Facebook friend, spotted her outside while shopping with her boyfriend Karl Hughes, 28, and their new baby.

That night, he sent Davidson a request for nude photos of herself. Hughes said that after his girlfriend fell asleep, he saw creepy messages coming in from the stalker.

Hughes decided to put the man in his place by posing as Jessica. He put on yellow panties and a wig, and he took selfies.

He then sent the photos to the stalker with the caption: aThere ya go darling.a

Hughes also shared the photos with the public.
David Mangus

By: Tanya Malhotra

A man was arrested on a charge of soliciting prostitution after trying to pay a prostitute with fast food, according to police in Wyoming.

Natrona County police said that they have arrested 22-year-old David Mangus, after being accused of trying to give a prostitute a McDonaldas burger and French fries in exchange for sex.

In court, Mangus pleaded not guilty to one count of soliciting prostitution. He was booked into the Natrona County jail, where he is being held pending a bail hearing.

According to the criminal complaint, police placed an advertisement on Backpage.com under the guise of a prostitute looking for customers.

Magnus answered the advertisement and arranged to meet the prostitute for sex. Instead of paying cash in exchange for sex, Mangus reached an agreement to provide the prostitute with food instead.

Specifically, a McDonaldas burger and French fries. Mangus was taken into custody after arriving with a bag containing food from McDonaldas.

In addition to Mangus, police arrested Bailey Bruce of Evansville, Cassandra Combs of St. Paul, Minnesota, Canisha Martinez of Casper, and Alexandra Tyler.

All women were charged with prostitution.
Dumped mail in the woods

By: Mahesh Sarin

(Scroll down for video) Officials of the United States Postal Service (USPS) have launched an investigation after a worker was recorded discarding mail.

The postal worker in Decatur, Georgia, was seen dumping multiple bins of mail in the woods by throwing them over a fence.

The mail included bank statements and other important documents. USPS sent workers to collects the dumped mail, and they promised to deliver them as soon as possible.

Kellie Campbell said that she witnessed the incident, and watched as the postal worker dumped multiple bins of mail in the woods for more than five minutes.

So far, no charges have been filed even though investigators found more than 12 bins of dumped mail. People in the area complained that they havenat received their mail.
KAMA AYURVEDA



Vivek Sahni, Director and co-founder, Kama Ayurveda. Photo: M Zhazo

Launched in 2002 by four individuals (Rajshree Pathy, Vikram Goyal, Dave Chang and Vivek Sahni) who wanted to promote the message of authentic ayurveda through the Coimbatore-based Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP), today, it is helmed by only one of its original founders today, Vivek Sahni.

Sahni has been running a successful design communication firm for the last two decades and forayed into the world of ayurveda by chance. "My business partner Dave and me created the Khadi brand for the government in 1998," he says. "When that got over, we decided to do something different. Kama was the result." Kama Ayurveda creates all its products in the south using ingredients like neem.

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Initially, the products retailed from Taj Hotel's Khazana outlets, Good Earth, etc. In 2003, it retailed only through distribution channels. In the same year, a functionary of the Paris-based Perfumerie Generale took notice of Kama and started importing its products. Other global distributors jumped into the fray and the brand is now available in 50 countries. In 2005-2006, Kama started getting certified in the EU. It was only four years ago, though, that it opened its first retail outlet at Khan Market in Delhi. It now has18 stores in eight cities.

Available at www.kamaayurveda.in

Price Starting from Rs 500

FOREST ESSENTIALS



Forest Essentials

What began as a hobby and passion-using coconut and almond oil to make soaps and candles to gift well-wishers and friends-has morphed into a highly successful brand since Mira Kulkarni founded Forest Essentials in 2000. So much so that when Kulkarni and her son Samrath Bedi met Mr Lauder, the then chairman of Leonard A. Lauder, in 2007, while he was in India for Elizabeth Hurley's wedding, he was sufficiently impressed by the American company to buy a 20 per cent stake in it the next year, which was upped further in 2014.

Samrath Bedi, CEO, Forest Essentials. Photo: M Zhazo

Relying on the strong Indian legacy of ayurveda, Forest Essentials uses ingredients ranging from cocum butter, nagkeshar, daru haldi, anantmool to apricot oil, mogra and avocado oil. The brand retails from 44 company-owned stores in 14 cities and exports to over 120 countries. Since all its R&D and production take place at the Rishikesh factory, a world-class facility was built here in 2009. "Rishikesh was a natural choice for us," says Bedi, "as we already had a base there. You get fresh ingredients in abundance."

Available at all company-owned stores; www.forestessentials.in Price Rs 275 for travel size body moisturisers and shower gels

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A meeting between the German chancellor and the French, Russian and Ukrainian presidents on Wednesday in Berlin produced no practical results.

Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande met with Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko for four hours in the Federal Chancellery to discuss the situation in Ukraine, after which there was a further two-hour discussion with Putin on the Syrian war. It was the first meeting in the so-called Normandy format since the four heads of government came together in Paris a year ago, and it marked Putins first visit to Berlin in four years.

That the discussion took place at all was considered a success by representatives of the German government. SpiegelOnline wrote that it underscored the importance that Putin grants to the German chancellor in the concert of powers. Discussions between Russia and the US had largely come to a standstill after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cancelled further meetings with his American counterpart John Kerry.

The Berlin meeting was tense. At the evening press conference that followed, Merkel spoke of a very hard session. Hollande repeated his accusation that Russia is committing war crimes in Aleppo. Merkel added to this provocative accusation, referring to inhumane bombings that could only be considered as crimes according to international law.

Merkel left open the possibility of tougher sanctions against Russia. This is to be a topic of discussion at the EU summit that began in Brussels on Thursday. There is not, however, a majority in favour. While some countriessuch as Poland, Britain, and Estoniaurge a sharper course against Russia, othersincluding Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and Greecewant to ease already existing sanctions.

Berlin faces a dilemma. It has close relations with the Eastern European states, which play a leading role in the conflict with Russia. It has played a prominent role in NATOs march toward the Russian border and does not wish to openly confront Washington on this issue. At the same time, it does not want the conflict with Moscow to lead to a complete break, as Germany has close economic ties to Russia and depends on Russian gas and oil supplies.

The German government itself is divided on the issue. While Chancellor Merkel and her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), have repeatedly spoken in favour of tightening sanctions against Russia, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) reject this.

Much of the German media has unleashed a veritable war campaign against Russia in the past week, shifting blame for the escalation of the Syrian war onto Putin alone, though the US and its European allies bear the chief responsibility for it.

On the occasion of Putins visit to Berlin, the Bild newspaper went a step further. The Springer Press tabloid turned its wrath on the Russian president, writing: In a just world, you would be put on the next flight to The Hague where you would face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the International Court of Justice.

The medias wrath does not go very far, however. The offensive against the Iraqi city of Mosul, backed by the Western powers, in which the civilian population is threatened with a greater catastrophe than in Aleppo, exposes the propaganda against Putin as hypocrisy. In Ukraine, it is increasingly clear the Western-backed Poroshenko regime and its fascist militias allies oppose a settlement of the war in the East of the country.

Even the staunchly anti-Russian Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) concluded that the Ukrainian side has systematically sabotaged a ceasefire agreement concluded by the Ukraine Contact Group on September 21. It is apparent that the Poroshenko regime, shaken by corruption scandals and growing social tensions, can only hold onto power by inciting fanatical nationalism and further inflaming the war in East Ukraine.

The FAZ has analysed the daily reports of the OSCE Observer Mission in the East Ukrainian war zone and concluded that in the last week, the Ukrainian armed forces have gone on the offensive. Despite the September 21 agreement, the Ukrainian side used heavy weaponry on the strategically decisive front east of the port city of Mariupol in particular and northwest of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk to a degree not seen for a long time.

If pro-Russian fighters broke the ceasefire more frequently than the Ukrainians in the summer, this has been reversed since the beginning of the disengagement, writes the FAZ. Over the last three weeks, the Ukrainian side was clearly observed firing 1,030 times. In contrast, there were only 79 clear violations on the side of fighters supported by Russia.

The same is true in the use of heavy weapons and military vehicles, which disregards the lines of retreat determined in Minsk. Here the OSCE found 260 violations on the Ukrainian side, and only 82 on the pro-Russian side.

The parliament in Kiev has also not yet adopted the laws agreed upon in the 2015 Minsk peace agreement concerning the status of East Ukraine and the elections there, a prerequisite for the settlement of armed conflict. According to the FAZ, the presumption exists that the Ukrainian side does not want peace because a prolonged war provides it with an excuse to delay the political process in Donbass.

In Berlin, Poroshenko, Putin, Merkel and Hollande finally agreed on a road map towards resuming implementation of the Minsk agreements. A corresponding timetable is to be worked out by the foreign ministers of the four countries by the end of November. This is nothing more than a nonbinding declaration of intent.

There was no agreement at all on the question of Syria. Putin communicated only that Russia and the Syrian government are ready under certain circumstances to extend an eleven-hour ceasefire announced for Thursday in Aleppo.
The October 8 shutdown of Nepszabadsag, a newspaper critical of the government, is a further step towards the complete abolition of press freedom and the establishment of authoritarian structures in Hungary. The right-wing conservative government of Viktor Orban has silenced the last major newspaper that did not represent the governments own line.

Mediaworks AG, which published Nepszabadsag, officially justified the closure with the allegedly high financial losses of the daily paper. A company statement declared that all editorial activities had been suspended because the paper was unprofitable and had lost 74 percent of its circulation in the past 10 years, despite all attempts to make savings.

The suddenness of the closure and its political background indicates that the paper was put under pressure from the highest government circles. Members of the editorial team wrote of a coup on the Facebook page of the newspaper, to which they still had access.

Marton Gergely, deputy chief editor, told the Austrian Standard that the editorial office had been lured into an almost perfect trap due to a planned move of offices. The papers workers had packed all their belongings for transport, prior to the surprise decision to close down.

In the past, Nepszabadsag had reported extensively on the scandals and affairs of members and confidants of the Fidesz government. For example, it recently dealt with the allegations of corruption laid against the head of the central bank, Gyorgy Matolcsy, who had been appointed to the post by the right-wing government.

Nepszabadsag, which means Freedom of the people, was Hungarys most important daily newspaper. It was founded in 1956 as successor to Szabad Nep, the central organ of the Stalinist Hungarian Working Peoples Party, which was regarded as the voice of the Stalinist state party.

After the reintroduction of capitalism it made a rapid about turn. In the same period during the early 1990s former Stalinists made a fortune selling off state-owned enterprises as part of the so-called wild privatization program, Nepszabadsag became an advocate of the free market. Free market radicalism and a pro-American orientation became the hallmark of the paper.

Under the direction of former Washington correspondent Andras Kereszty, Nepszabadsag was redesigned in the 1990s according to the American model and privatized. Shares were acquired by Bertelsmann AG, two investment funds, as well as the Socialist Party (MSZP), the successor to the Stalinist state party, which had close links to the new paper.

Nepszabadsag was considered oppositional only after the MSZP (which had ruled the country for almost two decades) completely withdrew from the government due to its ultra neo-liberal policy and following a series of corruption scandals. In this period, Viktor Orban, head of government, emerged as the countrys strong man. His party, Fidesz, which had started out as a socially liberal, anti-communist youth organization, developed ever more openly into an authoritarian, right-wing conservative party with xenophobic and even fascist features.

To secure his rule, Orban systematically took over the media. At the end of 2010, immediately after its takeover of power, Fidesz brought the media under its control with a new law. Now, a state media council, consisting of the party faithful and confidants of Orban, exercises a wide-ranging control over newspapers, television and Internet publications. The media council has broad authoritarian powers, ranging from censorship, to determining content, and the imposition of ruinous fines.

In order to also fully control the private media, the government passed a law in 2014 introducing a so-called advertising tax for the media, which can be used to destroy specific critical media outlets. There are many indications that the government has also directly influenced the editorial line of Nepszabadsag .

Mediaworks, founded in 2014, sells more than 60 media products in Hungary. The company is controlled by the Austrian investment firm Vienna Capital Partners (VCP), whose owner is Heinrich Pecina, a business partner of the well-known Hungarian media mogul Zoltan Speder.

Mediaworks recently acquired the Hungarian publishing house Pannon Lapok Tarsasaga, whose acquisition had been prohibited up to now for fears of a monopoly position. Media experts are convinced that the government gave the go-ahead for the takeover in exchange for the closure of Nepszabadsag .

In a television interview, Fidesz Deputy President Szilard Nemeth bluntly indicated that the closure was politically desirable. It was high time that the newspaper was closed, Nemeth said. The paper, he declared, continued to behave like its Communist predecessor Szabad Nep .

At the end of last week it was announced that another Hungarian daily newspaper, Nepzava, had also been sold. Although there have been no public statements, it is probable that the new owner is the Swiss group Marquard Media, which mainly publishes lifestyle magazines in Hungary, and is likely to discontinue the paper in its current form.

Now, virtually the entire media landscape is under the control of the government. A recent statement prepared by Democracy Reporting International shows that during the campaign for the countrys recent refugee referendum, which ultimately failed due to a large number of abstentions, the state broadcaster M1 supported the governments line in 95 percent of its broadcasts.

Immediately after the announcement that Nepszabadsag was to close, thousands demonstrated in Budapest. The European Union also expressed criticism, but without drawing any practical consequences. We are very concerned, a spokesman for the EU Commission said, noting that the commission was observing the situation of press freedom in Hungary. The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, tweeted: The sudden closure of Nepszabadsag is a frightening precedent. I stand in solidarity with the Hungarians protesting today.

In reality, the EU largely agrees with the policy of the right-wing government in Hungary. Twenty-five years after the introduction of capitalism in Eastern Europe, and the promise of freedom and democracy, the de facto abolition of democratic rights in these countries is not only tolerated, but also serves as a role model for similar attacks throughout Europe.
Colin Maclachlan, a former British Sergeant in the Special Air Service (SAS) is being investigated by the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police. This is over so-called mercy killings he claimed to have committed in 2003 whilst serving behind Iraqi lines.

In a soon-to-be-published book, Maclachlan wrote that he had killed two or three mortally wounded Iraqi soldiers near the Syrian border in 2003.

Killing wounded soldiers is against British military law and the Geneva Convention.

Detectives were alerted after Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials were given an early manuscript of Maclachlans book. The MoD has procedures for considering manuscripts submitted for publication and reportedly launched a probe into possible crimes after receiving an advanced copy.

Maclachlan is being investigated by the Royal Military Polices Special Investigation team, which is tasked with dealing with soldiers suspected of murder.

Once it emerged he was being investigated, Maclachlan denied killing anyone. He told the Sun this week, I certainly didnt walk up and execute three people. I stand by what happened but I didnt kill them. The Sun wrote that Maclachlan says a ghost-written draft was submitted to a newspaper without him reading it.

Before his denial, Maclachlan defended his actions, stating, Our motives were entirely humane. Ill happily go to court, Ill happily go to jail, if you think Ive done wrong. ... But everyone in our military, myself included, is held accountable for anything which the ambulance-chasing lawyers can define as a war crime.

The passages from the book already in the public domain detail some of the carnage and suffering in the immediate aftermath of a successful covert SAS mission to eliminate Iraqi troops near the town of Al Qaim, 30 kilometres from the Syrian border, at the beginning of the 2003 invasion.

In a chapter the MoD is reported to have ordered censored, Maclachlan wrote, When we got there, I could see there were a number of seriously injured soldiers. 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. ... I didnt enjoy killing those soldiers at the checkpoint but I had to put them out of their misery. I didnt want them to suffer any more.

Maclachlan recently featured in the first series of the Channel 4 television programme Who Dares Wins, glorifying the deadly exploits of military Special Forces.

In a spin-off from the television series, Maclachan co-authored with three other former SAS operativesAnthony Middleton, Jason Fox and Matthew Ollertonwho also feature in the show, a book entitled SAS Who Dares Wins: Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces.

The publishers, Headline, commissioned the book about how the skills utilised by crack professional killers can apparently be applied in everyday situations, in non-military professions. The book, to be published in November, features a chapter on leadership and decision-making from Maclachlan that includes the passage about mercy killings. The chapter is aptly entitled Handling the Dirty Work.

Before describing the circumstances of the killing, Maclachlan writes, Sometimes in the Special Forces we are called upon to execute an unpleasant task, one that makes us feel uncomfortable, even though we know its success is imperative for the greater good.

These executions, to give them their proper description, even if excused by the protagonist as a mercy killing, are illegal under international law.

Article 3 of the Geneva Convention states: Persons taking no part in the hostilities [including battlefield casualties] shall be treated humanely. To this end, violence to life and person shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place.

In addition, the wilful killing of wounded enemy combatants, or those who have put down their weapons, is forbidden under international treaties such as the Rome Statute.

This months conference of the ruling Conservative Party agreed to extricate British imperialism from any laws and rules governing its future battlefield operations. In a de facto pledge to facilitate war crimes, Tory Defence Secretary Michael Fallon stated that the UK military would withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) during future conflicts.

Fallon declared legal claims made against the UK armed forces were damaging our troops and undermining military operations. The policy would protect our Armed Forces from many of the industrial scale [legal] claims we have seen post Iraq and Afghanistan.

In her speech, Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May denounced the industry of vexatious allegations, which she accused of targeting British troops as war criminals.

May asserted, We will never againin any future conflictlet those activist, left-wing human rights lawyers harangue and harass the bravest of the bravethe men and women of Britains Armed Forces.

These changes are not retroactive, and will affect the armed forces in future wars, not those currently facing investigation.

This didnt stop Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger from demanding the MoD drop its inquiry into Maclachlan. He said, For once, start protecting our soldiers as opposed to pursuing them. The MP added that Maclachans plight proved the Prime Ministers point that we should give our soldiers immunity when they go to war.

The determination of the government to allow the armed forces to carry out whatever is required to facilitate British imperialisms interests abroad was demonstrated in its move against the now-defunct law firm Public Interest Lawyers (PIL). PIL has pursued multiple accusations of misconduct against British troops serving in Iraq. In August, PILs access to legal aid funding was removed, leading to its closure. This meant that more than 1,500 cases against the UK on PILs books were discontinued.

When the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) ruled that PIL had breached contractual requirements, Fallon said the firms closure was the right outcome for our armed forces.

The LAA took its decision to withdraw access to legal aid funds from the PIL after reviewing evidence submitted by the firm, following a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) investigation.

In 2010, PIL called for a full public inquiry into allegations made by 142 Iraqi civilians that they were abused by British soldiers in the aftermath of a 2004 battle in southern Iraq, known as the Battle of Danny Boy.

At a High Court judicial review in 2009, Khuder Al-Sweady, an Iraqi national, claimed that his 19-year-old nephew, Hamid Al-Sweady, was unlawfully killed while in the custody of British troops at Camp Abu Naji.

In a highly politicised decision, the Al-Sweady public inquiry concluded in 2014 that the subsequent war crimes allegations were based on deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility.

That report agreed the behaviour of some soldiers towards detainees breached the Geneva Convention, but criticised the claims it was initially set up to investigate. These were that Iraqi detainees had been murdered, mutilated and tortured following the Battle of Danny Boy.

According to the LAA, British forces responded to a deadly ambush by insurgents with exemplary courage, resolution and professionalism.

In January 2014, PIL submitted a legal bid with the International Criminal Court to prosecute British politicians and senior military figures, for alleged war crimes in Iraq. It submitted the bid along with the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights.

If proven to be true, the claims in Maclachlans book add to the catalogue of horrific crimes carried out by UK armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Iraq, they were carried out by British and US invading forces, following an invasion the British Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war recently accepted was tantamount to illegal, and ipso facto a war crime.

The author also recommends:

The Chilcot verdict on Iraq: A war crime by British and US imperialism

[07 July 2016]
NIRAV MODI

Luxury today boasts of an Italian or French stamp; there has rarely been an Asian perspective on luxury. I hope to change that with my jewellery, which has diamonds sourced from all over the world, but every piece is made in a workshop in Bombay," says Nirav Modi of his formula for success.

"We are opening eight new stores this year, 30 in all by 2017, and a 100 stores worldwide by 2025," he adds. With the launch of a boutique this year at MGM Macau, one of Asia's most prestigious integrated casino resorts, the man has made the diseeminating of luxury a personal mission statement. He began with a bang in 2010, by becoming the first Indian jeweller to be featured on the cover of the Sotheby's and Christie's auction catalogues. As benchmarks go, it was probably the Gold Standard.

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Fiercely possessive of his brand, he micro-manages every detail, from designing to production and visual merchandising. "We want to do things that have not only been never done before but those that are unimaginable," he says. If his patented diamond cuts and Embrace collection, jewellery that stretches like elastic, are anything to go by, he may have a point. It's not just the quality, but the experience that, he feels, distinguishes the best from the rest. All his four boutiques-in London, Macau, Delhi and Mumbai-remain open all seven days of the week.

Raised in Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world, Modi decided to move to India in 1990, when the country had just started manufacturing jewellery for export. He, however, was involved only in diamond manufacturing at the time. Designing came to him much later, quite by chance, at the behest of a friend whom he bumped into at a dinner. The rest, as they say, is history.

So what defines a fine piece of jewellery in the Nirav Modi parlance? The finest of diamonds, distinctive aesthetic, exquisite craftsmanship and minimal metal. It also has to be beautiful and comfortable. Earrings that stretch earlobes, necklaces that choke or bracelets that hamper wrist movement are anathema to his brand.

Available at Nirav Modi, D-33, Defence Colony

GEM PALACE

The mark of an icon is its ability to buck the calendar's expiry date. Gem Palace can lay claim to this-it has been immortalising fine jewellery for over a century-and-a-half.

Siddharth Kasliwal. Photo: Danesh Jassawala

The jewellery house that traces its roots to the gemstone cutters of the Mughal court now has Indian-inspired Art Deco collections in platinum with an emphasis on the finest precious stones. "We have moved away from extremely heavy jewellery towards fine, intricate pieces where the stone takes centrestage," says Siddharth Kasliwal, the late Munnu Kasliwal's son and ninth generation of the House of Kasliwals. His uncle, Sanjay Kasliwal, elaborates on the aesthetic evolution of the brand: "Our current collections combine white gold with faceted diamonds and semi-precious stones set in 22 carat gold."

While Siddharth has a by-appointment-only salon on the first floor of their flagship store on Mirza Ismail Road in Jaipur, Sanjay works out of the ground floor of the property with elder brother Sudhir and son Samir. The cousins, however, jointly source gems and refer to archival designs for inspiration.

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Gem Palace entered European aristocratic circles thanks to the erstwhile Maharani Gayatri Devi's foreign sojourns in the 1940s. Its creations were introduced to the US through an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 2001 where all 60 pieces sold out. Later, exhibitions at Somerset House in London (2006) and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC consolidated its reputation.

Available at The Gem Palace, 348, M.I. Road, Jaipur

AMRAPALI

When time stood still is not just the name of the debut collection that couturier Anamika Khanna and heritage jewellery house Amrapali have come up with, but a design language embodying resplendent bijouterie for the bold Indian consumer. "I'm happy to say that we have reinvented ourselves," says Tarang Arora, 35, creative director and CEO, Amrapali Jewels.

Tarang Arora. Photo: Rajwant Rawat

If timeless is one way to describe the Amrapali aesthetic, international is another. With Hollywood A-listers Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Emma Roberts, Sandra Bullock and Megan Fox as its clients, Amrapali boasts of a remarkable celebrity following. This fairly young brand (founded in 1978) started its roots in the bylanes of the Chameliwala bazaar in Jaipur. Famed for translating a tribal aesthetic into a fashion imperative, the brand is all set to open India's first museum dedicated solely to tribal jewellery in Jaipur this year. Today, 50 per cent of the country's silver exports are from Rajasthan, and Amrapali enjoys a share of the pie.

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Two friends trading in handicrafts-Rajeev Arora and Rajesh Almira-stumbled on a relatively neglected niche of jewellery, that of tribal women who wear a lot of silver. That was in 1980 when they were following a lead from a fellow trader on the sudden demand for garnet, a semi-precious stone cut in Jaipur. Their avant garde designs have since then translated into fine jewellery. The brand garnered international recognition in 2002, when they were invited to Selfridges for a special promotion-"23-and-a-half days of Bollywood". Although the contract was meant only for 23 days, a full 14 years on, they are still at Selfridges. They were the first Indian brand to be invited to Harrods to be part of their fine jewellery room, in 2011. "We are the point of difference in the fine jewellery market around the world that represents India very strongly," says Arora.

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Available at Amrapali, 39/39A, Khan Market, New Delhi

Also read:

How homegrown brands are shaking up luxury market



How Oberoi, ITC, Taj are using tradition to shake up luxury market

These decor ideas will add to that extra element

How to be beautiful naturally



Luxury fashion for men

--- ENDS ---
One of the manifestations of the deep unpopularity of the two main candidates in the 2016 presidential elections is the unprecedented support recorded in public opinion polls for third-party candidates. The candidates for the two media-recognized third-parties, Gary Johnson for the Libertarians and Jill Stein for the Greens, have received the combined support of more than 10 percent of respondents in many recent polls, nearly five times their combined showing in any previous U. S. election.

The bulk of this growing support for third-party candidates has come at the expense of Hillary Clinton, who is widely viewed as the personification of the corrupt status quo. This trend has been particularly pronounced among young people, setting off alarm bells within the Democratic Party, which has deployed the self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders, the overwhelming favorite among young people during the Democratic primaries, to college campuses, in order to browbeat youth into voting for Clinton, claiming that support for third parties is tantamount to a vote for Trump.

Clinton's widespread unpopularity, which has only deepened since the end of the Democratic National Convention, has not resulted in a significant rise in support for Trump, but instead a growth in support for Johnson, and to a lesser extent, Stein. Although Trump has attempted to capitalize on widespread economic distress in order to lay the foundations for a fascistic movement which would continue after the November elections, workers and young people in the United States as a whole are moving not to the right, but to the left.

It appears paradoxical that the main beneficiary of the opposition to both Trump and Clinton has been the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. For decades, the Libertarians have positioned themselves as the more fundamentalist free-market alternative to the Republicans, calling for the outright abolition of social programs such as Medicare and Social Security and opposing any restraint on profit-making ventures of American corporations. Support for the Libertarians in previous elections has typically come almost exclusively at the expense of Republican candidates.

In their most recent platform, the Libertarians write: we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

The Libertarians economic program voices the economic grievances of some of the more economically insecure layers of the American middle class through their criticisms of the domination of the major banks and corporations. Based on conceptions which originate in the right-wing and anticommunist Austrian School of bourgeois economics, the Libertarians attack monopolistic practices of Wall Street as crony capitalism, a distortion of the capitalist market introduced from without primarily through government intervention, and call for a return to real capitalism and free competition. This schema inverts the real relationship between the financial oligarchy and the state.

While a section of Johnsons support comes from disaffected Republicans opposed to Trumps candidacyhes been endorsed by a half dozen newspapers, all previously aligned with the Republican Partyhis support among young people, who voted overwhelmingly for Bernie Sanders in the primaries, has been even more substantial. A Quinnipiac poll in August found that Johnson was polling second among voters aged 18 to 29, trailing Clinton by only two points, 31 percent to 29 percent, with Trump polling 26 percent and Stein 15 percent.

In the highly restricted American political system, carefully controlled in order to prevent any possibility for the independent political expression of the interests of the working class, popular sentiment can only find a highly distorted and refracted means of expression. The increase in support for Johnson is not an indication that ultra-right free market politics have suddenly become popular, but is, in effect, a vote of no confidence in both of the two main candidates.

To a large extent, the Libertarian has become the beneficiary of the none-of-the-above vote simply because he is simply the most visible third-party candidate. Johnson, who served two terms as Governor of New Mexico as a Republican before switching his party affiliation to the Libertarians, has enjoyed the most favorable treatment by the bourgeois media, who treat him, by virtue of his previous political career, to be the most serious third-party candidate (his running mate, Bill Weld, also served as a Republican Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997). Johnson is a regular guest on television news programs, and CNN has aired two primetime Libertarian town hall programs.

In a break with past Libertarian campaigns, Johnson has consciously attempted to position himself between the two main candidates as the more moderate alternative to Clinton and Trump, a contrast from 2012, when he campaigned as a more consistently right-wing alternative to Mitt Romney. Johnson speaks a different libertarian dialect, one that has appealed as much to Democrats disappointed by Hillary Clinton as to Republicans disgusted by Trump, Politico wrote earlier this month, summing up the candidates tactical shift.

Johnson has also been able to cultivate a base of support among young people on the basis of his declared opposition to foreign interventions and government spying. He has declared, for example, that a Libertarian administration would pardon Edward Snowden.

In particular, Johnson has publicly criticized the war in Syria, to the consternation of the American media, which has been conducting an increasingly hysterical campaign for escalating the war. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Johnson declared that Clinton, as the Secretary of State in the initial phases of the war, bears responsibility for whats happened in Syria. When pushed on whether he saw a moral equivalence between deaths caused by the US and by the Syrian government, Johnson replied sarcastically, Well no, of course notwere so much better than all that. Were so much better when in Afghanistan, we bomb the hospital and 60 people are killed in the hospital.

The Clinton campaign has responded to Johnson by arguing, in a fashion similar to her attacks from the right on Donald Trump, that the Libertarian candidate is unqualified to serve as commander in chief. Her campaign seized upon an interview last month on MSNBC when Johnson failed to recognize the name of Aleppo, Syrias largest city and a key stronghold of US-backed rebels on the verge of being re-taken by Syrian government forces.

The Libertarians posture as opponents of war and government spying, even as they engage in an adamant defense of the capitalist system, the cause of both. In the sphere of domestic politics they are proponents of social policies that go even further than the Republicans, aimed at the rapid and wholesale dismantling of what little remains of social welfare programs, which could only be enacted, in the fact of massive popular opposition, through mass repression. In other words, the Libertarians claim to oppose war abroad while backing class war at home.

Johnsons electoral posturing is belied by his reactionary record as Republican Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. Before running for office, he had amassed a fortune as the founder of one of the largest construction companies in the state, and as governor he quickly earned a reputation as one of the most ardent proponents of tax and budget cuts in the country. Johnson vetoed more than 700 spending bills by the end of his second term in office.

In his first year in office he proposed $85 million in tax cuts, including a $47 million personal income tax cut  he has also reduced the number of state employees by nearly 10 percent, the right-wing Cato Institute enthused in 1998. New Mexico has long been one of the most impoverished states in the country, with the highest rates of poverty among children.

Johnson ended collective bargaining for state employees when he vetoed several efforts by the state legislature to extend a law guaranteeing it in 1999. He was also an early advocate for private school voucher programs, which has long been a key means of undermining public education in favor of the charter school industry.

In spite of his pretensions of opposition to arbitrary police powers, Johnson oversaw the first and only execution in the state since 1960 (the death penalty has since been abolished in New Mexico). He also spent tens of millions of dollars on funding for new private prisons. Today four out of the states ten prison facilities are privately operated.

The ability of the Libertarians to capture a measure of support is due above all to the bankruptcy of what passes for the left in American politics. The American pseudo-left has long since abandoned any pretense of opposition to war and moved into the camp of American imperialism. Groups such as the International Socialist Organization and Socialist Alternative are now among the most full-throated supporters of American intervention in Syria.

As far as democratic rights are concerned, over the summer the pseudo-left participated in a campaign around the Stanford sexual assault case, orchestrated by layers close to Clinton and the Democratic Party establishment, whose main demand was tougher sentencing laws in sexual assault cases, a demand long associated with the Republican right. At the same time, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is smeared in these circles as a rapist and his supporters denounced as rape apologists.

The American pseudo-left articulates the interests of a layer of the upper-middle-class which has grown wealthy over the past 20 years thanks to booming stock markets, and which is no less hostile to the interests of the working class than the Libertarians themselves. They operate in a political orbit around the Democratic Party and the trade union apparatus, and aspire to a place of influence in capitalist politics, like their co-thinkers in Syriza, now the ruling party in Greece, and Podemos, the third-largest party in the Spanish parliament.

In the 2016 campaign, this has meant supporting Jill Stein rhetorically, while in practice aligning with the pro-Clinton, pro-Democratic Party efforts of Bernie Sanders and the AFL-CIO and Change to Win union groupings. Stein and the Greens have failed to win substantial numbers of former Sanders supporters, who were motivated above all by the questions of poverty and social inequality, because the pseudo-left want to avoid any challenge to the Democratic Party which might lead to charges, like those leveled against Ralph Nader in 2000, that they were working as spoilers who might contribute to a Republican victory in the election.

The Libertarian Party is no alternative to the Democrats and Republicans, espousing merely another variant of the pro-capitalist, anti-socialist and imperialist politics of the two main capitalist parties. The Green Party is likewise no alternative, sharing the same capitalist perspective and deliberately avoiding any genuine campaign against the pro-war policies of Clinton and the Democrats.

The substantial opposition which exists to war and dictatorship must find a genuine expression. Jerry White and Niles Niemuth, the Socialist Equality Partys candidates in the presidential election, are running to build a new, socialist anti-war movement. The SEP insists that the fight against war is impossible without the fight for socialism, that is, the abolition of the capitalist system, which is the root cause of war, and the running of society in the interests of human need, not private profit.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) he appointed after the February 2015 systemic breakdown, and the chief administrator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or the T) are moving rapidly toward wholesale privatization of the public transportation system.

On Tuesday, the Boston Herald reported that MBTA management is secretively paying nearly $1 million to consulting firm McKinsey & Company for a proposal on what will be required to develop and execute privatization plans for subway and bus lines. Should the T decide to extend the McKinsey project beyond its original six weeks, the cost per week will be an additional $156,000. In a document obtained by the Herald, McKinsey warned MBTA management that our clients including the  MBTA are best served when our name is not used externally related to our support.

The Herald s article is the second time in less than a week that secret deals favoring private corporations have come to light. The Boston Globe reported Saturday that the T had forgiven nearly half of the $1.7 million in fines levied against Keolis, which operates the systems commuter rail trains under contract, after the February 2015 snowstorms. The forgiveness of fines was communicated to Keolis in a November 2015 letter that was kept secret until the Globe obtained it with a public records request. The unelected FMCB, which reports to Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and Governor Baker, would have been fully aware of both deals.

Maintenance of the MBTAs buses, subways, trolleys, commuter rail, and related infrastructure has been dangerously underfunded for years. In February 2015, record snowfall from a series of storms broke the camels back, causing several system-wide shutdowns along with weeks of cancelled or severely delayed commuter trains. During the first two weeks of the month, only 8 percent of trains on the Fitchburg line were on time; on the Newburyport/Rockport line, only 14 percent of trains to and from Boston were on time. Many of the commuter rail stations were open air, and stranded commuters had to wait as long as four hours in the cold.

Keolis was fined more than $1.7 million for its part in the crisis, a paltry amount compared to its total eight-year contract of $2.6 billion. The $839,000 was forgiven, leaving the company to pay less than $900,000 in fines. According to the Globe, Keolis has given the contradictory explanation that it paid fines for the late trains but not for not having enough trains in service, but the MBTA accepted Keoliss satisfactory explanations.

In the first three months of this fiscal year Keolis also received an extra $35 million in unrelated contract adjustments.

MBTA workers are not being treated as generously. An October 17 report from the systems general manager to the FMCB boasts that the average daily overtime costs for the systems 6,300 workers have been cut by $43,000 through limits placed on overtime hours. In a July interview with WBZ regarding regular wages, MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve expressed his expectation that the unions will agree to concessions even before the next contract negotiations in 2018.

MBTA riders will also not receive the largesse given to private contractors. As the system moves toward the requirement that all riders use stored value cards, a report to the FMCB proposes charging $5 just for the plastic card, before any value is put on it. The FMCB is also considering hiring 40-50 inspectors to watch for fare jumpers.

On October 6 the FMCB voted to privatize the MBTAs money room, eliminating 72 union jobs and awarding a $3.6 million per year contract to Brinks. The speed at which the decision was made should serve as a warning to workers. Per the boards report, it had a discussion of money room security and operations on July 11, issued a request for proposals on July 21, and made the final decision in less than four months.

Brinks will not be the only ones profiting from the arrangement. The FMCB presentation promises five new executive jobs for managing the contract.

Claiming that the laid-off money room workers will be given jobs as bus drivers, Governor Baker irritably told an October 6 audience that nobody is going to lose an opportunity to work at the T as a result of this. At the time of this statement McKinskey & Company were already looking at ways to privatize the jobs of bus drivers.

Brian Lang, president of UNITE HERE Local 26, sits on the FMCB but skipped the vote on money room privatization. The other four members voted unanimously to hire Brinks, while board member Steve Poftak was left to tell the press that Lang would have voted against. Local 26 represents the Harvard University Dining Services workers currently on strike.

The response of Boston Carmens Union Local 589s leadership has been even more craven. While seven members of its Executive Board, including President Jimmy OBrien, were arrested for disorderly conduct on October 6 for an anti-privatization protest outside the MBTA money room, the stunt was not geared toward the mobilization of workers. Instead, in an email sent out after the arrest, the union said only that were sending a message to the public that privatization is wrong for Massachusetts.

Similarly, in a September 19 email OBrien expected to have a lot of signers on a letter calling on Gov. Baker to slow down privatization, and was satisfied that union rallies had caused Baker to frame some of his comments to the media differently.

In concrete terms, at the beginning of the summer OBrien proposed to a meeting of the FMCB that the union would agree to an 11 percent pay cut for new employees if the board would agree to halt privatization.

The privatization of public transportation has bipartisan support in Massachusetts. US Representative Steven Lynch, a Democrat, State Senator Marc Pacheco and a handful of other local Democrats made a showing at an October 12 union protest. However, both houses of the state legislature have been controlled by the Democrats for decades, and gave Baker (a Republican) the privatization authority he demanded after the 2015 snowstorms.
Last week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled its new rules for how Medicare compensates doctors for services. Under the guise of providing quality care, the new rules are part of a cost-cutting strategy that incentivizes doctors to ration care for patients.

In April of last year, President Obama signed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. The 2,400-page bill had support from both the Democrats and Republicans, reflecting the bipartisan nature of the attack on all remaining entitlement programs.

The bill phases out the fee for service system, in which doctors were paid based on the volume of services provided, replacing it with a payment structure that provides financial incentives for doctors to cut costs and reduce the volume and frequency of the health care services they provide.

MACRA was presented as a permanent fix to the 1997 law that tied doctors compensation to the sustainable growth rate (SGR), a formula that rarely kept up with rising health care costs and would have drastically cut their reimbursement rate. Since 2002, Congress intervened and raised physician payment rates 17 times to make up for the shortfall.

According to the new payment schedule, payments to doctors will increase 0.5 percent annually through 2019, then freeze for six years, followed by modest increases. However, starting in 2019 doctors will be eligible to receive larger reimbursements by participating in two new tracks or payment systems that provide financial incentives to provide quality care while reducing the volume of services.

CMS estimates that 70,000 to 120,000 clinical practitioners will be in a position to participate in Alternative Payment Models (APM) starting next year. By employing electronic medical records and reporting quality measurements to the government, doctors can earn financial rewards for meeting these standards, or lose money for failing to do so. Providers who are ready to or have already begun making quality-based changes can use this track.

In one example of an APM, health care providers and suppliers can voluntarily come together to coordinate health care at lower costs by forming accountable care organizations (ACOs). These will be rewarded for reducing costs while supposedly meeting performance standards on quality of care.

The goal is to eventually move all Medicare providers to the APM track.

In the meantime, an estimated 590,000 to 640,000 clinicians are expected to enroll in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), where doctors will have lower financial risks and rewards compared to APMs. The purpose of this track is to introduce clinical practitioners to quality-based programs, i.e., programs that reduce the quantity of medical services by supposedly improving them.

The performance of clinical practitioners will be rated based on quality standards, making improvements, and employing electronic medical records. In 2018, a cost category will be added to calculate doctors payment adjustment.

The first performance period begins on January 1, 2017 and closes at the end of the year. Physicians will then submit data on their practices by March 31, 2018. CMS will provide feedback on the doctors performance, which will determine the payment adjustments made starting January 1, 2019.

Payment adjustments can be increased or decreased by up to 4 percent, and the adjustments will increase annually until a potential maximum adjustment of 9 percent is reached in 2022.

The increase in payments to doctors will be funded by premium hikes to Medicare recipients based upon income.

Another 380,000 clinicians with smaller practices will be exempt from the MACRA because they care for fewer than 100 Medicare patients annually and bill Medicare less than $30,000 a year.

The performance of physicians is based upon the quality measures developed in the CMSs Quality Measure Development Plan (MDP). They include overuse measures such as the overuse of clinical tests and procedures.

The MDP claims that an underuse of services would be an unintended consequence of clinicians focusing on overuse measures. Actually, however, reducing use of services to the point that patients suffer is a deliberate goal of the policy.

The passage of the MACRA represents a major assault on Medicare. Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who along with Democratic representative Nancy Pelosi drafted the legislation, called the bill the first real entitlement reform in nearly two decades, since the abolition of cash welfare payments in 1996 by the Clinton administration. When the bill passed, the right-wing National Review praised the legislation in an article headlined, A Medicare Bill Conservatives Need to Embrace.

The Affordable Care Act, which aims to lower health care costs for the government and corporations by rationing care, is substantially reducing Medicare spending. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in 2013 that the ACA would reduce Medicare spending by $716 billion between 2013 and 2022. The ultimate aim of the ruling elite is to transform Medicare, which has improved the health and welfare of millions of seniors since its inception, it into a poverty program with minimal coveragewhether through means testing, some type of voucher program, or through outright privatization.

Medicare, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 30, 1965, was the last major reform issued by the ruling class. Like the reforms pushed by the Roosevelt administration in the 1930s, such as the Social Security Act and the recognition of the industrial unions, Medicare was a concession by the ruling class in the face of major struggles by the working class. Ever since this time, the ruling class has sought to roll back and eliminate these popular programs, a process that has only intensified since the onset of the 2008 economic crisis.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka are holding a public meeting on October 30. Entitled, The threat of world war and the US presidential elections, the event will be addressed by the SEPs US presidential candidate Jerry White, via the Internet.

The SEP campaign in the US election, as the only socialist anti-war party, is of enormous political significance for working people and youth in South Asia and internationally. Sri Lanka, like all other countries in the region, has already been drawn into Washingtons imperialist war preparations against China, the so-called pivot to Asia.

US electoral laws and the capitalist media make it appear that the American people can only choose between two right-wing candidatesDemocrat Hillary Clinton, the choice of Wall Street and the Pentagon, or Republican Donald Trump, a fascistic billionaire. Whichever of these two candidates wins the presidential race, US war provocations against China and Russia will intensify, along with domestic state repression, social inequality and economic insecurity.

Indias military attack against Pakistan last month brought these two nuclear- armed countries to the brink of war. With India backed by the US and Pakistan supported by China, war on the Indian sub-continent could quickly develop into a global conflict. Only the working class, mobilised on a program of socialist internationalism, can prevent this danger.

It is an open secret that the US was involved in the last years regime-change operation to remove Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse because of his governments orientation toward China. The current government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is supporting the US and India as an active partner in Washingtons geo-strategic and military provocations against China.

The SEP and the IYSSE in Sri Lanka urge all those who are seeking a genuine alternative to imperialist war and capitalist austerity to attend the meeting and support the fight for an anti-war movement based on a socialist program, the only progressive alternative for the working class and oppressed masses of the Indian sub-continent and elsewhere.

Meeting details:

Date & Time: Sunday October 30, 3.00 p.m.

Place: Sausiripaya, 123 Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 07.
Iraqi Army units and troops of the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), backed by US and allied air power, special forces and advisors, continue to push toward the Islamic State (ISIS)-held northern city of Mosul and the estimated 1.5 million civilians trapped within its confines. In the past 24 hours, Kurdish forces claimed to have captured villages and towns to the citys north and east, while Iraqi Army units advanced from the south.

The assault is unfolding amid uncritical media coverage, with embedded journalists filing reports that in general laud the success of Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the face of supposed fanatical resistance and suicide attacks by ISIS defenders. Vast columns of black smoke rising over the battle zones are universally attributed to ISIS igniting oil wells and mounds of tyres to obscure their movements from aerial detection and attack.

No official estimates of Kurdish or Iraqi government casualties have been released, nor figures on ISIS losses. The US military confirmed yesterday that one of its special forces soldiers was killed by a roadside bomb to the north of Mosul.

Next to nothing is being reported about the devastation and casualties caused by US and allied air strikes on targets within the urban reaches of the city itself. Instead, the media is full of accusations that ISIS is using people as human shieldsjustifying civilian deaths in advance. American, British, Australian, French, Canadian and Jordanian bombers, jet fighters, helicopter gunships, drones and surveillance aircraft are involved in the air assault.

One indication of the destruction being inflicted was an October 19 report by the British Broadcasting Corporation that the University of Mosul, once one of the best equipped in the Middle East, is in ruin. A source stated: The university is completely inoperative and air strikes have made it a difficult place to go. Most of the buildings have been brought down, its virtually gone.

US and allied military commanders project that operations to recapture Mosul will last as long as three months. This suggests that much of the city will be reduced to rubble and the predominantly Sunni Arab civilian population will suffer horrific casualties from the bombing, starvation and disease.

Just five days into the Mosul offensive, however, it is stirring a cauldron of inter-state and ethno-sectarian conflicts that are the legacy of 25 years of US imperialist violence, intrigue and destabilisation in Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East. Before the city even falls, savage fighting threatens to break out between nominal allies in the operations against ISIS.

The Syrian regime, with the assistance of Russian air power and Lebanese and Iraqi Shiite militias, claims it is on the verge of recapturing the eastern sectors of the city of Aleppo from Sunni Islamist militias that have received overt support from the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to try to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The fall of Aleppo would largely end the US-backed rebellion in the coastal regions of Syria and enable Assads military to shift focus to the ISIS-held areas in the interior and east of the country, particularly the city of Raqqa.

Both the Syrian regime and Russia are accusing US-backed Iraqi and Kurdish forces of deliberately allowing ISIS fighters in Mosul to escape the city to the west and cross into ISIS-controlled areas of Syria. Hundreds have allegedly successfully made their way to Raqqa to join the fighting against the Syrian government.

Iraqi Shiite militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation Units, are rushing to the west of Mosul to cut off such escape routes for ISIS and declared yesterday they will launch an assault on the ISIS-held city of Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq. The Shiite militias had been blocked from taking part in the attack on Mosul due to the sectarian killings and abuse of Sunnis they committed during earlier battles to recapture the western Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

A militia attack on Tal Afar raises the prospect of Turkish military intervention, as it has a predominantly ethnic Turkmen population, factions among which are calling for their own autonomous province. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made shrill vows to protect the Turkish diasporawhich includes Iraqs Turkmenfrom Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, to Central Asia and Afghanistan (see: Amid Mosul offensive, Turkey denounces US policy, stakes claims in Balkans).

Erdogan has also expressed alarm that US backing is strengthening the position of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. The openly-stated intention of the KRG is to incorporate the areas it has taken from ISIS into its autonomous zone, not return them to the jurisdiction of the Shiite Arab-dominated government in Baghdad. A spokesman for one of the largest Shiite militias said in September they would fight against KRG annexations.

The Turkish establishment bitterly opposes any further expansion of the Kurdish region, fearing it will lead to the declaration of a Kurdish nation-state and fuel separatist agitation among the substantial Kurdish population in the east of Turkey, bordering Syria and Iraq.

Unable to act in Mosul itself at this point, Turkey responded yesterday with its most intense air attacks on the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria, which recently seized a number of villages from ISIS and expanded the areas of the country under their control. The Turkish military claimed to have killed up to 200 fighters of the YPGwhich it alleges is a front for the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) that advocates the separation of the Kurdish region of Turkey. This operation may well sharply escalate ethnic conflict inside Turkey itself, or attacks by Kurdish forces on the small number of Turkish troops that are in Iraq to the northeast of Mosul.

In a statement, the Syrian government said it viewed the Turkish air strikes as an attack on its sovereignty and vowed to engage any future incursions.

Anthony Cordesman, a leading US analyst for the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS), expressed the perplexity among US imperialist strategists. On October 17 he commented: [T]he most critical aspect of the battle may not be whether ISIS is defeated. It may be whether Iraqs deeply divided factions can find some way to cooperate if they win. The alternative could be worse than ISIS: Sunni versus Shiite, Arab versus Kurd, and Turkey, Iran, outside Arab states, and Russia all competing to serve their own ends. Winning could all too easily divide Iraq on a lasting basis and/or turn into new forms of civil conflict.

The victims will be the long-suffering masses of Iraq and the Middle East. In recent days, some 5,000 people have made their way from Mosul to a squalid tent city in northeastern Syria, while several thousand have reached the overcrowded refugee camp of Dibaga in Iraqi Kurdistan. Hundreds of thousands more are predicted to follow, overwhelming unprepared relief agencies.

Disturbing video footage has already emerged of Iraqi government troops beating, with a hammer, a young boy who fled Mosul. All males over 14 who escape the city are being detained and interrogated on suspicion of ISIS loyalties.
In the aftermath of the final presidential debate on Wednesday, the US media is in an uproar over statements made by Republican candidate Donald Trump that he might not recognize the result of the November 8 election.

Asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace from Fox News whether he would absolutely accept the result of this election, Trump replied that he would look at it at the time, and would keep you in suspense. On Thursday, Trump climbed down on his remarks somewhat, saying that he would accept a clear election result. However, arguing that Clinton is the most corrupt and dishonest person ever to seek office, he added that he would reserve the right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.

Trumps comments at the debate are in line with previous statements that the election is rigged by the media in favor of Clinton, and his assertions, which clearly have racist overtones, that millions of Americans, particularly in urban centers, are voting illegally. He is pitching his appeal to conditions that will develop after the elections, seeking to channel social anger and hostility to the entire political system in an extremely right-wing direction.

From the media and dominant sections of the political establishment, the response has been universal condemnation of Trump for besmirching the purity of American democracy. The Washington Post proclaimed that respecting the will of the voters has since the end of the Civil War allowed for a peaceful transition of power that has made this country the envy of the world. The New York Times added that Trump has turned from insulting the intelligence of the American voter to insulting American democracy itself.

Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain issued a statement declaring that a concession to the victor in an election is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leaders first responsibility. And Vice President Joe Biden, donning the mantle of sanctimonious outrage, said in a speech on Thursday, If you question, if you assert that a democratic election is fixed, you are attacking the very essence of the notion of whether we have a democratic system.

These statements from newspaper editorial boards and leading politicians reek of hypocrisy. They also express a nervousness whose causes extend far beyond the comments of Mr. Trump. The political representatives of the ruling class are rushing to the defense of a political system that is increasingly seen as illegitimate by broad sections of the population.

From a historical standpoint, it must first of all be pointed out that until the middle of the 20th century every election in the United States was fixed, insofar as large portions of the population were barred from voting. Women were only given the right to vote in 1920. The systematic disenfranchisement of African Americans in the Souththrough poll taxes, Jim Crow segregation and other measureswas only ended in the mid-1960s, a byproduct of the immense social struggles of that period. And it was only in 1971 that the age of eligibility for the franchise was lowered from 21 to 18. Until then, young men could be drafted to fight and die in wars at the order of a commander-in-chief they could not vote for.

For the past four decades, democratic forms of rule have been under systematic attack, in line with the extreme growth of social inequality. A turning point came with the campaign to impeach Bill Clinton over a sex scandal in 1998 and 1999, followed by the theft of the election in 2000. To the extent that the 2000 elections are mentioned at all in the present discussion over Trumps comments, it is to praise Al Gores respect for the process in accepting the Supreme Court decision to hand the election to George W. Bush.

In fact, the 5-4 decision by the highest court in the country to halt the recounting of ballots in Florida installed in office an individual who lost the popular vote and, if all the ballots had been fairly counted, the electoral vote as well. In one of the decisions culminating in this travesty of democracy, the Supreme Court asserted that the American people have no constitutional right to vote for the president of the United States. The rigging of the 2000 election was carried out, not in the back room of a county courthouse, but by the highest court in the land.

In early December 2000, in advance of the decision in Bush v. Gore, WSWS editorial board chairman David North noted that the decision would reveal how far the American ruling class is prepared to go in breaking with traditional bourgeois-democratic and constitutional norms. In the end, the blatantly political action by Supreme Court was met with no serious opposition from the Democratic Party and Gore, or from the media and political establishment as a whole. The outcome, as the WSWS wrote at the time, revealed the lack of any significant constituency within the ruling elite for a democratic adjudication of the presidential election.

The ruling class has demonstrated its contempt for democracy through its actions over the past decade and a half. The attacks of September 11, 2001 were followed, under Bush and then Obama, by a raft of anti-democratic measures justified by the war on terror: the Patriot Act; warrantless mass surveillance; indefinite detention without trial; torture and extraordinary rendition; drone assassination, including of US citizens; the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the Northern Command, a military jurisdiction to oversee the increasing domestic use of the military. To this list must be added a militarized police force that kills more than 1,000 Americans every year.

As for the electoral process, Supreme Court decisions have undermined the Voting Rights Act and sanctioned state laws requiring photo IDs and other restrictions aimed at disenfranchising poor, elderly and minority voters. Some 6 million citizens (one out of every 40 eligible voters) are barred from voting due to previous felony convictions. The Citizens United decision in 2010 abolished restrictions on big business financing of candidates and their political action committees. It is estimated that more than $7 billion has been spent on the 2016 elections, all told, twice what was spent in 2012.

Everything is done to prevent independent and third-party candidates from having their names appear on the ballot, including requirements that they gather tens or even hundreds of thousands of signatures. Many states will not even count write-in votes. Meanwhile, the media works to ensure that the official debate remains safely confined to the narrow framework acceptable to the ruling class.

American democracy is a hollowed-out shell, overseen by two parties that are controlled by the financial oligarchy and the military. The experience of the Obama administrationwhich came to power promising change you can believe inhas only demonstrated to millions of people that their vote has no impact on the policies of the ruling class.

The protracted decay of American democracy has culminated in the election of 2016, a contest between a millionaire scion of the Clinton dynasty and a billionaire real estate speculator and reality television star.

Trump himself is a product of a diseased social and political system, the legitimate heir of the war on terror. As for Clinton, she is merely another expression of the same disease, running her campaign on the basis of the same scandal-mongering used by the Republicans against her husband, combined with McCarthyite smears that have a long and noxious history.

The Democrats stock response to any question about leaked emails exposing Clintons ties to Wall Street is to change the subject to the completely unsubstantiated claim that it is all the handiwork of Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Trump has said that he might not accept the election as legitimate, if Clinton is defeated the Democrats will declare that it is the result of Russias interference in the electoral process.

Behind the whole rotten process, the fundamental issues are covered up or ignored. The reality of American democracy can perhaps be summed up in the fact that, three weeks before November 8, the American military has launched a massive military escalation in the Middle East, and there is no significant discussion about the consequences in an election that is supposedly the principal means through which the population can affect policy.

The crisis of democracy is a product of the decay of American capitalism, overseen by a ruling class that is determined to advance a policy of war abroad and austerity at homea policy that requires ever greater attacks on democratic forms of rule. Whatever happens on November 8, it will resolve nothing, and only set the stage for a protracted political crisis that can be resolved only through the independent intervention of the working class on the basis of a revolutionary socialist program.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made a series of extraordinary comments in Beijing yesterday, denouncing the Obama administration and suggesting the Philippines would break economic and military ties with the United States.

His remarks were the most explicit in a series of statements by Duterte, since the right-wing populist was elected president in June, distancing the Philippines from Washington, the countrys closest military ally and former colonial ruler, and calling for greater economic and trade ties with China.

Dutertes latest comments have been met with bewilderment and consternation from US officials, who view the Philippines as central to their military build-up throughout the Asia-Pacific, aimed at preparing for war with China. The previous administration of Benigno Aquino functioned as the point man for the US pivot to Asia, aggressively prosecuting territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea.

Speaking to a business audience at a Philippines-China Trade and Investment Forum on Thursday, Duterte reportedly branded the US arrogant and denounced it for imposing its dictates upon countries throughout the region.

In this venue, I announce my separation from the United States both in the military... but economics also, Duterte declared. I have separated from them so I will be dependent on you (China) for a long time but dont worry we will also help.

The Philippine president said: America has lost now. He added: Ive realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the worldChina, Philippines and Russia. Its the only way.

These comments were made amid mounting tensions between Washington and the Putin regime over the US-NATO military build-up in Eastern Europe and the US-led regime-change operation against Syria, one of Russias closest allies in the Middle East.

On Wednesday, addressing a group of Philippine expatriates in China, Duterte repeated his previous public denunciation of Obama as a son of a whore. Referring to the US, he said: Your stay in my country was for your own benefit, so time to say goodbye my friend.

Duterte arrived in China for a four-day visit on Tuesday and declared that his trip marked a reconfiguring of Philippine foreign policy. He made clear that he would seek to cement economic and trade deals worth billions of dollars with the China, the countrys second largest trading partner. Among his entourage are as many as 400 prominent Philippine business leaders.

The Chinese regime laid out the red carpet for Duterte. His trip included meetings with top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and National Peoples Congress chairman Zhang Dejiang.

During their meeting yesterday, the Chinese president declared it was a milestone, while his Philippine counterpart spoke of springtime in relations between the two countries. The Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said on Thursday that $13.5 billion in trade deals were being finalised during the visit. Xi reportedly committed to $9 billion in low-interest loans to Manila.

Most significantly, Duterte indicated that his government could be willing to drop its disputes with China over the South China Sea.

Duterte declared that the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in favour of a Philippine case against Chinas activities in the South China Sea was merely a piece of paper with four corners. He appeared to give credence to Chinas territorial claims, stating: The arbitral award gives us the right. China has the historical right.

These comments are undoubtedly a source of intense anger within the US government, which has stoked long-standing territorial disputes in the South China Sea to place pressure on Beijing, and legitimise the vast deployment of the American military to the region.

The Philippine legal challenge was drafted by a Washington-based law firm with close ties to the Obama administration. The US navy has conducted three incursions into Chinese-claimed waters, on the pretext of defending freedom of navigation against supposed Chinese expansionism.

China and the Philippines have reportedly agreed to open bilateral negotiations on their territorial disputes, and will establish a joint committee between their coastguards. Duterte did not raise with Xi the issue of the Scarborough Shoals, which have been a source of conflict between the two countries and of which China took control in 2012. But a Reuters report, based on unnamed sources with ties to the Chinese leadership, indicated that Beijing may be willing to grant Filipino fishermen access to the shoal.

US State Department official John Kirby yesterday responded to Dutertes comments by declaring they were inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship between the US and the Philippines. Kirby said Washington was going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from us. It was not clear to us exactly what that means and all of the ramifications.

Pointing to the broader implications of Dutertes statements for Washingtons attempts to draw Vietnam and other South East Asian countries into its confrontation with China, the Wall Street Journal featured comments by Malcolm Cook, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. Cook noted: Claimants like Vietnam and Malaysia can no longer piggy-back on the Philippines arbitration win to counter Chinas territorial assertions.

Reports in the Philippines press recalled that Dutertes erratic and profanity-laden pronouncements are often subsequently corrected by presidential officials.

Duterte previously denounced the Obama administration, but stopped short of breaking off the close ties between the two nations. He is seeking to balance between the countrys strategic alliance with the US and its economic ties to China. The government declared an end to war games with the US last month, and at the beginning of October, suspended joint exercises in the South China Sea.

While calling for a review of the 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which provides for a vast expansion of US military basing arrangements in the country, and even threatening to end it, Duterte has not moved to cancel the deal. Previous declarations from Duterte have not been acted upon, including a September 12 demand for US special forces to leave Mindanao, which was contradicted by the presidents defence and foreign affairs secretaries.

Behind the scenes, Washington and its substantial constituency of supporters within the Philippine ruling elite and military are no doubt making contingency plans. Ahead of Dutertes trip, Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio warned that the president would be in violation of the constitution, and could be impeached, if he gave up sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoals.

Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, which has close ties to the US government, wrote today in Foreign Affairs: This massive geopolitical shift is entirely Dutertes doing. It cannot be explained any other way. It is a product of his peculiar psychology. In a thinly-veiled call for Dutertes ouster, Boot concluded: The only good news from the American standpoint is that what Duterte is doing could be undone by a more rational successor, assuming that democracy in the Philippines survives this time of testing.
Philippine police attacked a demonstration outside the US embassy in Manila on Wednesday called by two Maoist front organisations, BAYAN and SANDUGO. The demonstrators were demanding the withdrawal of US troops, bases and military facilities.

Around 1,000 people participated in the protest. Police responded to the demonstration with brazen violence. Footage, widely shared online, shows a police van plowing into a crowd of demonstrators, before driving back and forth and running over a number of people.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jessica Augustin, one of those hit by the van, was pinned under the vehicle. Its front tyre missed her head by centimetres. Other photos online showed an elderly man apparently trapped underneath the vehicles back wheels.

Police later dispersed the protest using tear gas. They reportedly arrested 26 people before releasing all without charge. Among them were two young girls from Mindanao, just 14- and 15 years-old. A rally organiser told the Inquirer that 50 demonstrators were treated for injuries sustained in the clashes, with 10 remaining in hospital.

Manila police chief, Oscar Albayalde, blithely declared the protesters werent really run over, and said they had attacked the van. Police accused the protesters of provoking them by being unruly, burning a mock US flag and spray-painting slogans on the embassy

The latest violence follows the repression of a protest outside the Mindanao military headquarters on Tuesday, calling for an end to counter-insurgency operations on the southern island. The rally, attended by 1,000 and organised by SANDUGO, was dispersed by a water cannon.

SANDUGO, which describes itself as an umbrella organisation for national minorities, has called for the removal of US special forces from Mindanao.

The police attack in Manila is a warning that any social opposition will be the target of state-backed violence. It occurred amid an ongoing anti-drug crusade by President Rodrigo Dutertes administration that has resulted in more than 3,600 extra-judicial killings by police and vigilantes.

In an attempt to quell public anger over the attack on the demonstration, police authorities stood down nine officers, pending an investigation. Duterte responded to the furore cautiously, saying he was not going into the blame-game.

Duterte is in a political alliance with the Maoists, who occupy three cabinet positions in his government. The protest was called in a bid to divert the widespread hostility to the crimes of American imperialism among Filipino workers and the poor behind Dutertes foreign policy maneouvrings.

The demonstration was timed to coincide with the presidents visit to China, which is part of a foreign policy reconfiguration aimed at establishing closer economic and trade relations with China. On Thursday, Duterte declared that the Philippines would separate from the US militarily and economically, and orient to China and Russia.

The presidents statement followed an extended period during which the erratic, right-wing populist has sought to balance between the countrys strategic alliance with the US and its close economic ties with China.

At each turn in Dutertes balancing act, the Maoists have echoed the governments foreign policy line. Quoted in reports on the Manila protest, BAYAN secretary-general Renato Reyes stated: The Duterte regime has made some significant pronouncements and actions that are greatly appreciated by the peoples movement... Most significant among the accomplishments of the administration is Dutertes consistent assertion of national sovereignty and his pursuit of an independent foreign policy.

In reality, Dutertes foreign policy reflects the interests of substantial sections of the Philippine ruling elite, anxious to cash in on closer economic and trade ties with China.

At the same time, the Philippine president has not broken off relations with the US, maintaining the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), signed in 2014 to provide for the expansion of US basing arrangements. The Maoists have focused on the demand for the removal of US special forces from Mindanao, rather than denunciations of the EDCA, because Duterte called for the expulsion of the troops from the island in September.

When President Benigno Aquinos previous administration backed Washingtons military build-up against China and aggressively prosecuted the Philippines territorial claims against China in the South China Sea, the Maoists held a series of anti-Chinese protests. They echoed the US State Departments denunciations of Chinese and Russian imperialism.

One typical statement, by Mong Palatino, chair of BAYAN Metro Manila, in 2014 concluded: Hate China? Then join the peoples army, strengthen the peoples movement, and be prepared to fight for the motherland.

In addition to supporting the Philippine ruling elites foreign policy, the Maoists have backed the governments attacks on the democratic rights of workers and young people.

Amid mounting opposition to Dutertes anti-drug campaign, which is resulting in dozens of extra-judicial murders every week, the president last month likened himself to Hitler, and declared: There are three million drug addicts. Id be happy to slaughter them.

BAYAN cynically stated: We still believe though that despite his tactless reference to the German dictator, the President is no Hitler and is capable of advancing meaningful pro-people reforms.
By PTI: Dubai, Oct 19 (PTI) A newly-wed man in the UAE has divorced his wife saying he could not recognise her when he saw her natural face for the first time after her make-up got washed off when she went for swimming.

The Arab couple went swimming at the Al Mamzar beach in Sharjah in the UAE after the 34-year-old man saw his 28-year-old wifes "features change" as her makeup washed off, said a psychologist who counselled the unidentified woman.

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The husband believed she did not look as pretty as before the wedding and accused her of deceiving him by using so many cosmetics, including fake eyelashes, the Gulf News reported.

Dr Abdul Aziz Asaf, consultant psychologist said his clinic received a request from the woman to help her overcome her psychological suffering after her divorce.

The groom said he could not recognise his wife after the make-up was gone. The bride wore artificial eyelashes and had undergone cosmetic surgeries before the marriage.

The bride said she intended to tell her husband the truth about her but it was too late, Dr Asaf said.

"The groom immediately divorced his bride and refused any attempt to reunite them again," he said. PTI KJ AKJ KJ

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TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- The North Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association (AMS/NWA) are fundraising for Florida relief efforts after impacts from Hurricane Matthew.

The proceeds they gather will be going to the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Red Cross. And this Saturday, the chapter will drive to Jacksonville to assist responders in

clean-up from damage left behind by Matthew as well as raise awareness of hurricane impacts before, during, and after the storm.

The president of the chapter says that the recent tropical activity across Florida is a good reminder that a single storm can bring serious damage.

"The biggest surprise to me was how long-lasting the damage was", said Matthew Reagan, President of the North Florida Chapter of the AMS/NWA, " I mean, rivers are still cresting and flooding is still an issue in the Carolinas. And towns are completely under water. I feel as though many eyes have been taken off Matthew since then."

He continues by adding that "We'll be able to go into the community and help people out with becoming more prepared, because there is a big difference between being scared and being aware. And I think that is the line that we're trying to draw."

In November, the chapter will switch their focus to fundraising efforts for Haiti after hurricane Matthew slammed into the nation as a category four hurricane.

For more information on the North Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association (AMS/NWA), click here.
By Ajit Kumar Dubey: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday cleared an Army deal worth Rs 900 crore with Israel for procuring combat radio sets but only after the force assured him that all the future buys for the equipment would be from Indian sources only.

The decision was taken by the minister at the meeting of the Defence Ministry's apex procurement-related decision-making body Defence Acquisition Council here.

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Also Read: India, Russia ink deal to jointly produce 200 Kamov 226T helicopters; all you need to know

"We have asked the Army to buy close to 4,900 sets of Tadiran combat net radios from the Israeli firm Elbit but with an assurance that they would buy the DRDO-developed sets in the future," senior Defence Ministry sources told MAIL TODAY here.

The radio sets are used by the Army for communication between soldiers operating in field areas and battle zones.

The Army had earlier procured the Tadiran communication sets from Israel when the DRDO had not developed its indigenous version in the country. Later, when the Army moved in for procuring 5,000 more of this equipment, the DRDO and Department of Defence Production offered their product for meeting its requirement.

The Army insisted on the Israeli product saying the Indian radio sets would not be able to be used with the existing inventory as their source code was not provided to India by Tel Aviv.

Also Read: India-US military agreement: All you need to know about the deal that took over a decade in coming

When the matter reached Parrikar, he insisted that the Army go for the 'under development' product and a roadmap should be fixed for inducting it in the force.

He also asked the Army to ensure that the Israeli firm give source codes of the Tadiran sets so that they can be used with Indian equipment also.

"Two days back, the Army gave a letter to the ministry stating that the Israeli firm has agreed to provide source codes of their equipment to India and it would take indigenous equipment in future. After that the deal was cleared by the DAC on Thursday," the sources revealed.

The Defence Ministry also gave its final nod to the long-pending acquisition of M777 howitzers as now it would be sent to the Finance Ministry for decision on the value of the deal before it reaches the Cabinet Committee on Security for final clearance.

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The howitzers have been one of the most critical requirements of the Army which has failed to acquire even a single new artillery gun in the last three decades after the Bofors scandal. The guns would be deployed on the mountainous borders with both China and Pakistan. The meeting also reviewed the progress in various defence deals that have been listed as priority by the Narendra Modi government.

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MOULTRIE, GA (WTXL) - Officers said that they have arrested and charged a man they said is responsible for shooting and killing five people, then burning their bodies.

Jeffery Peacock is the Moultrie man investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that they believe is behind the deaths of Jonathan Edwards, Alicia Norman, Reid Williams, Jones Pidcock and Jordan Croft.

He has also been charged with arson.

Investigators said on the morning of May 15th, the five victims were shot inside their home and Peacock said the house on fire in an attempt to cover it up.

The district attorney had asked for bail to be set at $5 million, but bond has been posted at $1 million instead. If he makes bond, investigators said that Peacock will have to wear an ankle monitor, and be on house arrest.

Peacock had been previously been held for 90 days in jail without being indicted. No trial date has been set for him, as officer said an ongoing investigation is still underway.
TALLAHASSEE, FL. (WTXL)-- Two people have been injured after a shooting in Tallahassee Friday morning around 3:30 am.

According to Tallahassee Police, they were called out to Barbourville Drive when reports came in of gunshots in the area.

Officers say when they arrived, they found two people who had been shot. The two were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

No suspects have been named. The investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone with information to call (850) 892-4200.
Married woman befriends a man claiming to be from London on Facebook only to get conned into paying 2 lakh without even meeting him.

By Saurabh Vaktania: Friendship with unknown man on Facebook proved costly for 34-year-old Powai Mumbai based woman. The woman after befriending a man on Facebook gave in over 2 lakhs without even meeting him.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED



The woman recently signed herself up on Facebook and added a man named Brian VV on her account in August this year. The man, claiming to be from London, told the woman that he has separated from his wife and lives with his daughter.

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With the passing of time, Brian told the woman that he is sending some electronic items for her and even charted out a list of items including laptop, camera and music system.

Also read| Bulandshahr: Robbers gangrape mother, daughter in front of family, two accused identified



He later called her and told her that the goods have reached Mumbai but are stuck at the customs. In order to get them, he told her that she has to pay around Rs 39,000. The woman agreed to pay the money and made the payment online.

Brian later demanded more money for custom clearance. He also told her that the failure to make that payment could land the woman in trouble.

The woman ended up paying over Rs 2 lakh online in the entire episode.

Also read: Women most unsafe in Akhilesh's Uttar Pradesh



However, she received nothing and finally approached the Powai police. The woman has registered an FIR in the matter.

It will be very difficult to trace accused in the matter, they use proxy server. Therefore one should never believe in facebook friendship,?? officials from the Powai police station said.

The woman's husband works with the merchant navy and has two children.

Interestingly, this is fifth such case in less than two months in Powai police station jurisdiction itself.

Also read: Crime against women highest in Uttar Pradesh: NCW



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Wapato police officer Michael Campos will remain on leave even after Yakima Countys top prosecutor ruled that he was justified in fatally sho
Who says love is time-bound? This beautiful grandmother found love again 25 years after her husband's death.

By India Today Web Desk: It's not everyday that a 86-year old grandmother falls in love and gets married.

But Mildred Taylor Morrison married Harold Morrison on October 16--almost six decades after their first meeting.

Also Read: Mickey Contractor's hottest tips for the summer bride



Mille was married to her first husband for 41 years before his death in 1992. Later, she reconnected with Harold, 85, whom she knew since the 1950s -- he was even a guest at her first wedding in 1952. Years later, they met at New Beginning Faith Fellowship Ministries in Orange, New Jersey.

Pinterest/Millie Taylor-Morrison and Harold Morrison

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A photo of Millie in her beautiful lavender wedding gown that she designed herself, began circulating on Facebook. The post on the page Love What Matters shared by her granddaughter Khadija Elkharbibi, went viral with people commenting on her elegant style and impeccable beauty.

"She found love again almost 25 years later and our family couldn't be happier for her. This is a true testament that age is just a number and everyone can find love again.", her granddaughter wrote in the post.

Picture Courtesy: Pinterest/Millie Taylor-Morrison Picture Courtesy: Pinterest/Millie Taylor-Morrison

We wish this beautiful couple togetherness for many more years to come!

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Joshua Fiedor is photographed at his West Valley auto shop in Yakima, Wash. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. Fiedor was notified in September his firearms rights were revoked because of a criminal offense as a juvenile. With the help of attorneys, his rights were restored. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic)
SELAH, Wash  Selah City Council members wont be taking up the issue of tripling City Administrator Don Waymans severance pay for now.
Washington Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant, left, speaks during his debate with Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, right, at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash., Wednesday night, Oct. 19, 2016. (Greg Lehman/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin via AP)
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Congress today latched on to biggest debit card breach in India to take pot shot at the Narendra Modi government telling the Prime Minister that it should take credit for this first ever "surgical strike" from hackers in the US and China.

"In China, Russia, Indonesia, the US, there are hackers who have stolen lists of 65 lakh card holders. While these lists were being stolen, the nations Chowkidar, Narendra Modi was sleeping," party spokesman Ajoy Kumar told reporters.

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Demanding that the government make a full disclosure on the extent of this "theft", he wanted it to inform all those affected by this leak and ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their loss.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. And these lists were stolen on Modijis watch. This government has a habit of saying that it is the first government to do anything. Well it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," he said suggesting that it should take credit for this surgical strike.

He lamented that instead of the NDA government fulfilling its promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in each citizens account by bringing back black money stashed abroad, "money is being taken out of the peoples account in Modis India". PTI SPG SMJ

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Monarch Airlines launched low-cost flights from Eilat to London that are so below market price they may even bring down the prices of its competitors.

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Monarch had already established attractive flights going the other directionfrom Luton Airport in London to Ben Gurion Airport and to Ovda Airportin December 2015. The route was mainly popular among British tourists wishing to escape the dreary winter in their homeland for a bit of Middle East sunshine. The company soon discovered, though, that many Israelis were looking to visit London during the same winter months and take advantage of the holiday seasons sales.

The Big Ben clock tower in London (Photo: AFP)

A further reason that allowed Monarch to lower their prices was the fact that Ovda Airport and the passengers passing through are no longer required to pay any tolls, including port taxes, starting from the month of October. The Ministry of Tourism is also incentivizing airlines to pass through Ovda by giving them 45 Euros per tourist landing there.

Monarchs flights from Ovda to London will operate until April 2017 on Thursdays, leaving Ovada ar 18:05, landing at Luton Airport at 21:45 and costing the reported $45. Flights from Luton will leave at 09:45, land at Ovda 16:55 and cost $136. Taken together, a roundtrip will cost $181.
LONDON - UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said Thursday that Britain's military is launching cyberattacks against ISIS in support of the offensive on the Iraqi city of Mosul, a first-of-its kind acknowledgement that British forces are launching attacks across the internet.

"I can confirm we are using offensive cyber for the first time in this campaign," Fallon said in response to a question from a journalist at a conference on "The Transformation of 21st Century Warfare" in central London.

He didn't go into further detail, but the very admission was seen as noteworthy in the context of the secrecy which usually surrounds military hacking.
BARTELLA  In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a pre-dawn assault on an ISIS-held town east of the besieged city, and the US military announced the first American combat death since the operation began.

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US officials said the American service member died Thursday from wounds sustained in a roadside bomb explosion north of Mosul. More than 100 US special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases.

The American had been operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga, the US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details.

Iraqi Special Forces Soldier (Photo: AP)

Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the US advisers who are with them. The ISIS group, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

As they charged toward the town of Bartella, nine miles (15 kilometers) from Mosul's outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favored weapon in the ISIS arsenal: armored trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. The militants' signature battlefield tactic, the weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists' biggest urban bastion.

The pre-dawn assault on Bartella was part of a multi-pronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire.

Man takes selfie in front of burning oil field (Photo: AFP)

The US-trained Special Forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraq's most professional and least sectarian fighters, and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against ISIS. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

ISIS militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armored Humvee, Lt. Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari told The Associated Press.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

"After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble," said Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari. He said ISIS had few defenses in the town, which was almost completely empty of civilians. "They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs," he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains northeast of Mosul descending from their positions and charging toward the front line.

Iraqi Special Forces heading to fight ISIS (Photo: AP)

Under cover of mortar and gunfire, the Kurdish troops used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches dug by the militants as part of their defense of the ISIS-held village of Barima, then advanced with their armored vehicles toward the extremists' positions.

Military operations also appeared to be underway in the town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where thick smoke could be seen billowing up. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from peshmerga positions high above.

Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told a news conference late Thursday that the Special Forces had succeeded in retaking Bartella. But Iraqi forces were still facing stiff resistance inside the town shortly before he spoke, and past advances against ISIS elsewhere in Iraq have often proved fleeting.

Soldiers stationed a few miles (kilometers) from Bartella said they watched as some 20 car bombs exploded in the town over the course of the day, each one sending a plume of smoke into the air. By late afternoon the skies over Bartella were black.

ISIS has used the tactic in past battles to wreak havoc among front line troops, but Iraqi forces have become better at stopping the suicide attackers.

"We destroyed the bombs with tanks," Sgt. Maj. Qusay Rashid said. "They are sending all these car bombs now because we're at the beginning of this huge battle. They are trying to put up their best defense."

Iraqi Special Forces (Photo: Reuters)

After Bartella, Iraqi forces advancing toward Mosul will begin to hit villages and suburbs where civilians still live, a factor that will further complicate military operations that rely heavily on artillery and airstrikes to clear territory.

Mosul is home to more than a million people, and rights groups fear a potential humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said Mosul may fall sooner than expected. The campaign to retake the city, which began Monday, had been expected to last weeks, if not months.

Speaking by video transmission to a conference in Paris focused on post-liberation planning for Mosul, the Iraqi leader said the Iraqi "forces are currently pushing forward ... more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign."

The ISIS group captured Mosul and the surrounding area during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque.

Iraqi forces crumbled that summer, beating a humiliating retreat and leaving weapons and vehicles behind. But the Special Forces held together and fought back, and since then they have played a central role in retaking cities and towns from the extremist group.

The force was created by US Special Forces shortly after the 2003 invasion to hunt down top insurgents and stage commando raids, but its mandate has since expanded. Its members include Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and its human rights record is better than other forces taking part in the operation.

Iraqi oil fields on fire outside of Mosul (Photo: AFP)

Mosul is a Sunni majority town, and many fear the involvement of state-sanctioned Shiite militias in the operation could stoke sectarian tensions. The Shiite militias have said they will not enter the city itself.

But even among the Special Forces there are traces of sectarian fervor. Many of the black Humvees that rode into battle in Bartella were decked with Shiite religious banners in addition to Iraqi flags.

Ali Saad, a 26-year-old Special Forces soldier, said Kurdish forces had asked them to take down the religious banners, but they refused.

"They asked if we were militias. We said we're not militias, we are Iraqi forces, and these are our beliefs," he said.
NEW YORK  It has been 37 years since Etan Patz left home for school and never returned. But now his story is back in the headlines.

The retrial of Pedro Hernandez, accused of murdering the six-year-old Patz, began on Thursday. He was accused three years ago.

Etan Patz (Photo: AP)

The Etan Patz case is one of the most famous and difficult cases in the United States.

On the morning of May 25, 1979, Patz left his house in the Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo to his bus which took him to school every day. He then disappeared. The story shocked the country and changed the way American families deal with the safety of their children. It was the first time that Stanley and Julie Patz had allowed their son to go to the bus stop alone. They haven't moved or changed their telephone number since Etan went missing in the hope that their son will try to reach them.

Pedro Hernandez (Photo: Reuters)

President Ronald Regan marked the day Etan went missing as "National Missing Children's Day," as Etan was one of the first children to be pictured on milk cartons in an attempt to find him.

The courts acceded to an official request by the Patz family in 2001 to have Etan classified as dead. Then, 33 years after the boy's disappearance, the New York Police Department arrested a 55-year-old man by the name of Pedro Hernandez. He was working at a bodega next to the Patz family home. He admitted to carrying out the killing, and an indictment for first degree murder was filed against him.

Hernandez's defense claims that the police issued the indictment against a weak man both physically and in character.

He went on trial last year for the murder of the child, but after 18 days of deliberations, the jury could not reach a verdict. Eleven of the jurors voted to convict him, but one of the jurors, Adam C. Sirois, said, Ultimately I couldnt find enough evidence that was not circumstantial to convict.
ISTANBUL - The Turkish military said on Friday it had killed 12 Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey and another six in air strikes in northern Iraq, while also targeting their allied fighters in northern Syria.

Twelve of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas were "neutralised" on Thursday in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province, near the Iraqi border, the army statement said.

In northern Iraq, the Turkish air strikes hit the Avashin Basyan region, killing six PKK fighters and destroying four targets on Thursday, it added.

In another statement on its operation to drive Islamic State and the Kurdish YPG militia away from the border in northern Syria, the army said it fired on 40 ISIS and six YPG targets on Thursday, leaving them 'incapable of manoeuvre'.
HELSINKI - Churches across the world are joining a Helsinki parish in ringing their bells daily to commemorate civilians killed in the battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The bell tolls started on Oct. 12 at the Lutheran parish of Kallio in Helsinki, following the intensified Russian and Syrian bombing of besieged rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

"After reading the news that day, of Aleppo, we decided to ring funeral bells at 5:00pm to remember the death. First I just asked a few local churches to join us," Teemu Laajasalo, vicar of the Kallio parish told Reuters.

Soon hundreds of churches nationwide, and across Europe, joined in, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland set up a "Bells for Aleppo" website to list the participants.
NICOSIA- A Cyprus police spokesman says a boat with 83 people aboard including 37 children has been towed to a harbor on the east Mediterranean island's northwestern coast.

Spokesman Andreas Angelides told the Associated Press that all those aboard are believed to be Syrian migrants. He said authorities are trying to confirm initial information the boat set sail from Mersin, Turkey and intended to reach Cyprus.

He said the boat was towed Friday morning after being spotted a few miles off the coast the previous evening.
Dozens of Haredim attacked Israel Police officers overnight Thursday in Jerusalem after a report was received of a hullabaloo in the neighborhood. One police officer was treated at the sign for minor injuries and another who didn't feel well was brought to the hospital.

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Haredim protesting in Jerusalem (Archive photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

The Jerusalem District Police reported that the dozens of ultra-Orthodox gathered around the police car and threw objects at the car, puncturing one of the tires. Additional police forces were called to the scene to disperse the crowd. One of the Haredim was arrested.

The police released a statement reading, "We take a serious view to harming police officers and cars and any attempt to disturb police work, which functions to provide service to the public and maintain order and security. The police will act with determination to locate all those involved in the incident and ring them to justice."
Muslim social activist said that even as Islam clearly forbids Muslim men from ignoring the voice of women, the Commission has acted otherwise.

By Siraj Qureshi: After the All India Mulsim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the UP Minority commission too has come out openly against the central government, claiming that the Modi government is unnecessarily interfering in religious matters of minorities. Supporting the AIMPLB's stand, the Minority Commission has said that everyone in this country has the freedom of religion and nobody shall be allowed to interfere in this.

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However, the Muslim women in Agra have now begun criticizing the Minority Commission as well, claiming that the Commission was hearing merely the side of Muslim men, whereas the voice of Muslim women was not being heard by the Commission, just like the AIMPLB doesn't hear what the women have to say.

READ| Muslim NGO condemns Centre's take on triple talaq, says will defend the 'faith' if challenged



Yasmeen Sameer, social activist, and Muslim leader said that it appears like the Minority Commission was acting on the directions of the AIMPLB and had no independent thought of its own. She said that Islam clearly forbids Muslim men from ignoring the voice of women, yet the Commission is not willing to let the Muslim women represent their case. She said that women were not slaves of Muslim men, who could torture them with Triple Talaq at their whim and fancy. This was not permitted in Islam and if the Commission has to interfere in this issue, it should also hear what the women want to say.

Yasmeen supported the step taken by the Modi government and said that the Muslim women had full confidence in the country's law and they will accept whatever decision comes from the Supreme Court. She said that it appears that some elements of the society did not believe in the constitution and the law of India and they were hiding behind Islamic law in order to take away whatever rights Muslim women have.

READ| Minorities panel chief comes out openly against triple talaq

Yasmeen claimed that the Muslim men were forcing the women in their households to fill the form circulated by the AIMPLB against the Modi government's affidavit in the Supreme Court. She said that she believed that Allah will support the righteous cause of women.

Social activist Khursheed Jahan criticized the political parties that claimed to be the well-wishers of Muslims but were silent on this issue. She asked if these political parties wanted only the votes of Muslim men and did not need Muslim women to vote for them as well. She said that the party that needed the votes of Muslim women, will speak the truth with confidence.

She appealed to the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to make the UP Minority Commission understand the fact that it could not just become the voice of Muslim men. The Muslim women were also equally a part of the minorities, just like men.

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ALSO READ: Centre opposes triple talaq in Supreme Court, says gender equality not negotiable



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MOSCOW- The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday it had summoned the Belgian ambassador to complain about what it said was Belgium's "stubborn denial" of allegations that Belgian military jets had killed civilians in an air strike near Aleppo in Syria.

The Russian Defence Ministry and the Russian Foreign Ministry say two Belgian F-16 jets bombed a settlement in Aleppo province on Oct. 18 and killed six civilians, a charge Belgium says is false.

Moscow has held up the alleged incident as an example of what it complains are the West's double standards when it comes to condemning air strikes on civilians in Syria, something the Russian air force has regularly been accused of but denies.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Alex Van Meeuwen, Belgium's ambassador to Moscow, to hand over what it said was Moscow's evidence backing up its accusations and to express its disbelief over what it called the "continuing stubborn Belgian denial" of the bombing allegations.
ANKARA- The Turkish Red Crescent is sending trucks of aid to northern Iraq with enough food and humanitarian supplies for 10,000 people displaced by fighting in Mosul, the president of the agency said on Friday.

"In the first stage, we are sending this aid to the nearly 30 villages around Mosul that have been liberated. There are 3,000 to 4,000 people on the move from those villages, the trucks aim to reach them," Kerem Kinik told Reuters.

He said between 150,000-400,000 people could ultimately be displaced from Mosul and that additional camps were being built by Turkish aid agencies in northern Iraq in preparation. The Red Crescent said in a statement it was sending 20 trucks, with supplies including dried food, clothing and several hundred tents and beds.
Tens of thousands of Israelis and foreign friends of Israel from across the world flooded Jerusalems streets on Thursday as they marched to celebrate Israels existence.

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Some of the participants who arrived for the traditional annual Jerusalem March explained to Ynet that they were motivated to attend due to their deep devotion to the Jewish people, their love of the nation of Israel and for the people living in Zion.

Jerusalem March attracts thousands from around the world ( :  )

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Jerusalem March 2016 (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)

The display of solidarity was particularly significant in light of the recent UNESCO decision to adopt a controversial resolution which Israel has said denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.

Shushana from Finland (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)

We love Israel, and we want to support Israel, said Shushana from Finland. To feel the connection between Israelis is the best.

Photo: Eli Mndelbaum

David from Canada enthusiastically told Ynet, We want the Jewish people to know that Canada stands with them, that we love them and we say shalom to Israel. God bless you.

Peruvian delegation joins the festivities (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)

In keeping with tradition the parade, which takes place during Chol Hamoedthe interim period between Sukkot and Simchat Torahsaw the streets filled with groups hailing from dozens of nations waving the Israeli flag and singing traditional Israeli and Jewish songs of peace.

After the conclusion of the march, a number of celebratory performances took place in different locations in the capital.
Concrete evidence of the battle and breaching of Jerusalem's northern wall in the days of the Second Temple was uncovered in the Russian Compound in Central Jerusalem last winter by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

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The IAA was carrying out excavations at the site that is to be the future campus of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel's national art school.

During the excavation, archaeologists discovered the remains of a tower jutting out of the wall, and in front of the western facade of the tower, many dozens of catapults and projectiles used by the Romans to attack the Jewish wall defenders, who were positioned at the top of the tower.

Russian Compound excavation (Photo: Yuli Schwarz, courtesy of the IAA)

Dr. Rina Avner and Kfir Arbib, who are running the excavation for the IAA, said in a statement, "This is a fascinating testament to the intensive bombardment from the Roman army, led by Titus on its way to conquering the city and destroying the Second Temple."

"The bombardment's target was the sentinels guarding the city and to give cover for the armed forcesm so that they could approach the walls with battering rams and break through the defenses," they added.

(Photo: Yuli Schwarz, courtesy of the IAA)

The historian and eyewitness to the war Flavius Josephus recorded many details about this wall. According to him, it was intended to protect the new quarter of the city, which had begun to develop outside its limits, north of two walls that had already been built. This third wall was begun by King Agrippa I, but he halted the construction so as to not arouse the wrath of Emperor Claudius and dispel doubts about his loyalty.

The third wall's construction was resumed some 20 years later by the defenders of Jerusalem as part of the preparations for the city's fortifications and the Jewish rebels' revolt against the Romans. Josephus described the wall's route in detail.

Rina Avner (Photo: Yuli Schwarz, courtesy of the IAA)

Since the early 20th century until the current excavation, the debate surrounding the identification of the third wall and the question of Jerusalem's city limits on the eve of the Roman attack was unresolved. The IAA said that the current discovery in the Russian Compound is proof of the wall's route's existence in this area.

Some of the dig's findings will be presented at the tenth New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region conference to be held on Thursday at Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Mount Scopus campus.
German lawmakers called for a crackdown on anti-government extremists Friday in response to the killing this week of a police officer by an adherent of the so-called Reich Citizens Movement.

The 32-year-old officer died a day after being shot in the Bavarian town of Georgensgmuend on Wednesday. Officials had ordered the 49-year-old shooter's hoard of firearms confiscated because he was deemed unfit to own them due to repeated clashes with authorities.

Stephan Mayer, a lawmaker with the governing conservatives, said Germany's domestic intelligence agency should consider monitoring the Reich Citizens Movement, a loose grouping with links to nationalist parties and far-right groups.
The Latest on developments in Syria where a Russia-announced pause in the fighting is underway to allow civilians and rebels to leave besieged areas of Aleppo. The UN said it received verbal assurances for the extension of the break until Monday, but the Kremlin did not confirm that Friday, saying it was possible if militants will not abuse it.

Despite the announced ceasefire, Syria monitoring group and a senior Kurdish commander said Turkish forces have kept up their bombing of areas controlled by Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria for the third straight day. Commander Mahmoud Barkhadan of the main Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, said that there were no airstrikes on Friday, but artillery and rockets continue to strike their areas in northern Aleppo. He said one fighter was killed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish forces fired more than 70 rockets in the area.
International tattoo artists arrived at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on Thursday, to work on the bodies of terrorist attack victims. For a single day, the soft echoes that normally pass through the halls were replaced with the continuous hum of tattoo needles.

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The event was organized by Artists 4 Israel, which offers humanitarian aid and diplomatic Hasbara efforts on behalf of Israel through artistic endeavors. As part of the event, tattoo artists from Israel and the US offered free tattoos to terrorism victims and soldiers injured in the line of duty. While some wished to cover up the scars from their injuries, others chose drawings with personal, symbolic meaning and some aimed to enhance their scars.

Kay Wilson, who was severely injured in a terrorist attack, explains the meaning behind her tattoo (:  )

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Maor David, a soldier managing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), displayed a new tattoo with two doves, explaining, "You can even produce beauty and freedom out of loneliness and suffering."

Maor David getting two doves tattooed on his arm (Photo: Yael Freidson)

Megan Wilson, one of the artists who took part in the initiative, said that tattoos are an instrument for healing, adding that while people do not have full control over their bodies, tattoos can be a way to reclaim their body and choose what to do with it.

Photo: Yael Freidson

Dror Zicherman was hurt in the line of service, while he stopped a terrorist at a check point near the Palestinian city of Tulkarm who was on his way to carry out a suicide attack in the center of Israel. When Zicherman stopped him, the terrorist detonated the bomb on his person, leaving Zicherman severely injured.

Dror Zicherman getting his tattoo (Photo: Yael Freidson)

A few years ago, Zicherman received a new splint for his leg that greatly increased his level of well-being. For his tattoo, he asked tattoo artist Zero to draw a splint on his other leg. Zicherman laughingly explained that "It's the source of my strength."

Born in Nairobi and living today in California, Zero said he never believed he would reach a place as beautiful a Israel, making art that he feels means almost as much to himself as it does to Dror.

Rami Yulzari was injured during his last day in service when his unit entered a landmine field. Two of his friends were killed on the spot, while Yulzarifearful of stepping on another landmineremained standing in place for two hours, covered in the blood of his comrades, until a rescue team got him out of there. He still manages his posttrauma as a result of the event.

Photo: Yael Freidson

For his tattoo, Yulzari chose sea turtle, with the idea that no matter what happens to you, life goes on and you keep on swimming.

"A lot of people here want to hide their scars, but you can't see mine," he said. "I've suffered from posttrauma for many years, just like a lot of soldiers with visible injuries. I want to highlight my scar, not be ashamed of it."

As part of his own efforts, Yulzari leads a long-distance running group for people managing PTSD. Like a turtle, "I may run slowly, but I can run all day, and far."

Sami Yulzari's turtle tattoo (Photo: Daniel Elior)

Kay Wilson was critically injured during a stabbing attack in 2010. While taking a walk with her friend Christine Luken through the ancient city of Latrun, the women were attacked by two terrorists. Wilson was stabbed 13 times, as she witnessed her friend's murder. She knew that in order to survive, she had to pretend to be dead, so she kept her eyes wide open. In a horrific mixture of sensory and emotional cues, Wilson described hearing the birds singing as her friend cried out in the face of her attackers.

Tattoo artist Wassim Razzouk (L) and Kay Wilson (Photo: Yael Freidson)

Wilson chose to tattoo the Hebrew prayer "Mode Ani" ("I Give Thanks") on her hand. "I got the tattoo because my Christian friend was murdered because they assumed she was also Jewish," said Wilson. "The word 'Jew' in Hebrew, it has two meanings: one is to give thanks, and I can only be thankful I'm alive, and the other means to recognize'le'hodot'and I recognize I don't know why this stuff happened, and it's not a question of why, it's a question of how I am going to carry this cosmic event with dignity, and not live in hatrednot forgivebut seek justice."

The artist in charge of Wilson's tattoo was Wassim Razzouk, a religious Christian of the Egyptian Coptic community living the Old City of Jerusalem. He and Wilson connected over their strong religious beliefs.

Razzouk spoke proudly of his family, where the art of tattooing has been passed down for 700 years. "Tattoos are a Christian tradition," he explained. "When we first arrived in Israel, we started making religious pilgrimage tattoos. The idea behind a pilgrimage is that it is something you carry with you forever, like a tattoo. The essence of Christianity is love and forgiveness. Peace is not an easy word, but as human beings, we must spread light and love."
The United Nations named comic-book superhero Wonder Woman as an honorary ambassador to fight for gender equality on Friday, amid criticism that the scantily clad fictional character was an inappropriate choice.

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UN officials at a ceremony formalizing the appointment said Wonder Woman is known for her commitment to justice, peace and equality.

Gal Gadot and 'Wonder Woman' Director Patty Jenkins being interviewed for the film and Wonder Woman's role as UN ambassador

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"Wonder Woman is an icon," said UN Under-Secretary-General Cristina Gallach. "We are very pleased that this character will help us reach new audiences with essential messages of our empowerment and equality."

Gal Gadot (L) with Lynda Carter at the UN

UN officials have said they hoped the selection of a comic-book hero and movie character would appeal to younger women in its campaign for women's empowerment, and the slogan of the campaign says: "Think of all the wonders we can do."

Wonder Woman, a DC Comics Inc. heroine, first appeared in 1942, fighting villains, rescuing victims and unearthing diabolical plots.

On hand at the UN ceremony were American actress Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in a television series in the 1970s, and Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who portrayed Wonder Woman in the 2016 film "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and will reprise the role star in the upcoming film "Wonder Woman," due to be released next year.

Both Wonder Women accepting the title of UN ambassador

Gadot spoke with a great deal of excitement with Jimmy Kimmel about both the film and Wonder Woman's new role as ambassador to the UN while on his late-night show.







"I couldn't think of a more perfect role for her," said Carter, saying the character shows women can be "smart and beautiful and strong and wise and kind and brave."

Both Gadot and Carter are beauty queens turned actresses. While Gadot is known for her role as Gisele in the "Fast and Furious" action film franchise, Carter has over the years taken on many humanitarian causes, including LGBTQ abortion rights.

The selection of Wonder Woman as a UN ambassador has also, however, met with opposition, with nearly 1,000 people signing an online petition asking UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reconsider the choice.

"Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent 'warrior' woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the character's current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit," the petition reads.

Several dozen UN employees, one holding a sign saying "Women deserve a real ambassador," staged a silent protest in the UN's visitor's lobby as the ceremony was held.

"Why do we need to use a sexualized cartoon character?" said Elizabeth Leff, who was protesting the event.
Cyberattacks on a key internet firm repeatedly disrupted the availability of popular websites across the United States Friday, according to analysts and company officials. The White House described the disruption as malicious.

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Manchester, New Hampshire-based Dyn Inc. said its server infrastructure was hit by distributed denial-of-service attacks, which work by overwhelming targeted machines with junk data traffic. The attack had knock-on effects for users trying to access popular websites from across America and even in Europe. Among the sites apparently affected were Twitter, Netflix, and Sony's PlayStation Network.

Major sites are down due to the what the White House calls 'malicious' actions (Photo: Shutterstock)

The level of disruption was difficult to gauge, but Dyn provides internet traffic management and optimization services to some of the biggest names on the web, including Twitter, Netflix and Visa. Critically, Dyn provides domain name services, which translate the human-readable addresses such as "twitter.com" into an online route for browsers and applications.

Steve Grobman, chief technology officer at Intel Security, compared an outage at a domain name services company to tearing up a map or turning off GPS before driving to the department store. "It doesn't matter that the store is fully open or operational if you have no idea how to get there," he said in a telephone interview.

Jason Read, founder of the internet performance monitoring firm CloudHarmony, owned by Gartner Inc., said his company tracked a half-hour-long disruption early Friday in which roughly one in two end users would have found it impossible to access various websites from the East Coast. A second attack later in the day caused disruption to the East and West Coasts as well as impacting some users in Europe.

"It's been pretty busy for those guys," Read said. "We've been monitoring Dyn for years and this is by far the worst outage event that we've observed."

Read said Dyn provides services to some 6 percent of America's Fortune 500 companies. That means a lot of disruption.

"It impacted quite a few users," he said of the morning's attack.

A full list of affected companies wasn't immediately available, but major sites including Twitter and coder hangout Github said they briefly experienced problems earlier Friday.

For James Norton, the former deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security who now teaches on cybersecurity policy at Johns Hopkins University, the incident was an example of how attacks on key junctures in the network can yield massive disruption.

"I think you can see how fragile the internet network actually is," he said.

Dyn said in a series of statements that it first became aware of the attack around 7:00 am (EDT), and that services were restored about two hours later. A little more than two hours later, the company said it was working to mitigate another attack. A Dyn spokesman didn't respond to questions seeking further information about the online onslaught.

The US Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the situation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday. He said he had no information about who may be behind the disruption.

Security experts have recently expressed concern over increasing power of denial-of-service attacks following high-profile electronic assaults against investigative journalist Brian Krebs and French internet service provider OVH .

In a widely shared essay titled "Someone Is Learning How to Take Down the Internet," respected security expert Bruce Schneier said last month that major internet infrastructure companies were seeing a series of worrying denial-of-service attacks.

"Someone is extensively testing the core defensive capabilities of the companies that provide critical internet services," he said.
The inaugural Ohio Defense Forum was held at The Ohio State University here, Oct. 5 and 6, 2016. A small team representing the City of Youngstown, the 910th Airlift Wing, the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission and Youngstown State University attended the event to highlight the military value of Northeast Ohio Department of Defense (DoD) installations and units, namely the 910th Airlift Wing and its home base, Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS), Ohio.

Dayton-area U.S. Congressman Mike Turner, the event host, said the purpose of the forum was to create a united front for national security and defense in Ohio regarding the states defense and military industries and facilities in light of recent and potential upcoming DoD programmatic changes and other future force-shaping including a Congressionally-directed Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC.

The Ohio Defense Forum will give community leaders the opportunity to learn more about the important roles they play in supporting and advocating for Ohios defense resources, from our Servicemembers and installations, to industry and technology, said Turner. It is my hope this forum will help forge partnerships and develop innovative strategies that will further showcase Ohios dedication to our men and women in uniform.

According to the Ohio Federal-Military Jobs Commission report by the Defense Manpower Date Center, Ohios federal and military installations generate over $10.7 billion in annual economic benefit to the state. Ohios federal installations provide a collective payroll of $5 billion. The report noted Ohios payroll supports 66,403 federal jobs and 41,290 military retirees. The report also noted Ohio ranks sixth nationally in the number of military Reservists assigned.

The forum consisted of several panels featuring subject matter experts discussing a variety of topics regarding Ohios defense resources. During the first panel of the event, the topic of military-community partnership was discussed. The City of Youngstown was represented by Ms. Abigail Beniston, the citys Code Enforcement and Blight Remediation Superintendent. Beniston discussed Youngstowns 2015 collaboration with the 910th on blight remediation efforts that the city otherwise would not have been able to address. She said this effort went toward building a stronger community, one partnership at a time.

The 910ths Airmen received real world training in the neighborhoods of Youngstown, not in a field somewhere, Beniston said. In return, the city was able to have more than 85 vacant, blighted structures demolished.

Beniston said the efforts by the 910ths Citizen Airmen did not go unnoticed and would be long lasting.

The residents really appreciated the 910th Airmens efforts in the local community, she said. You dont know how important it is to have those houses taken down; its a safety concern.

During a panel discussing Ohios military installations, 910th Airlift Wing Commander Col. James Dignan, addressed the audience and shared his point of view regarding his role of being an advocate for his unit and installation, not only in Ohio but across the country as well.

We have three billion dollars of federal assets in the best-guarded cornfield in Northeast Ohio, Dignan said. I felt it was my mission to tell everyone how this little base in Northeast Ohio is important to Ohio, to the Air Force, to the Department of Defense and the national defense.

Dignan said he believed the 910th and YARS holds great potential for military value in terms of being economically feasible and having the ability to increase mission capability and decrease costs.

Yes, aircraft and missions can move but YARS has infrastructure that other installations within 500 miles of us dont possess and we have room to grow, he said.

Another panel at the forum discussed building defense investment in Ohio. During the session, Mike Hripko, Associate Vice President for Research at Youngstown State University, talked about the collaborative efforts taking place between the school, the 910th and the Air Force Research Laboratory, based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Hripko cited the example of the Department of Defenses only large-area, fixed-wing aerial spray capability, based at YARS, being a mission that could benefit from new technologies being cultivated in the Buckeye state.

By using additive manufacturing, we are able to create one-off parts for this unique mission that are no longer available through the Air Force supply chain, Hripko said. This technology could allow troops to make needed parts right on the battlefield, and it is being developed right here in Ohio.

As the first-ever Ohio Defense Forum came to a close, U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, whose district stretches from just west of Cleveland to Toledo, said the forum was important to the long-term viability of Ohios defense resources.

Event like this help us determine what we can do better to support our military installations and the communities where they are located, Kaptur said.

The last of the two-day forums panels directly addressed the issue of community support for Ohios military installations. During the final session, Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission Director, Vito Abbruzino, Esq., recapped the messages carried by the team of advocates for the 910th and YARS, and then wrapped up his comments to plainly state his organizations role regarding the future of the Mahoning Valleys Air Force Reserve installation in the eventuality of additional DoD programmatic changes or a new BRAC round directed by Congress.

Installation commanders dont stay forever; EOMAC is the continuity of message, Abruzzino said. YARS is a strong military asset that needs to stay where its at.
Social activist Yasmeen Sameer claimed that Muslim men were forcing the women in their households to fill the form circulated by the AIMPLB against the Modi government's affidavit in the Supreme Court.

By Siraj Qureshi: After the All India Mulsim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the UP Minority commission too has come out openly against the central government, claiming that the Modi government is unnecessarily interfering in religious matters of minorities. Supporting the AIMPLB's stand, the Minority Commission has said that everyone in this country has the freedom of religion and nobody shall be allowed to interfere in this.

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MUSLIM WOMEN CRITICISE UP MINORITY COMMISSION

However, the Muslim women in Agra have now begun criticising the minority commission as well, claiming that the Commission was hearing merely the side of Muslim men, whereas the voice of Muslim women was not being heard by the Commission, just like the AIMPLB doesn't hear what the women have to say.

Yasmeen Sameer, social activist, and Muslim leader said that it appears like the minority commission was acting on the directions of the AIMPLB and had no independent thought of its own. She said that Islam clearly forbids Muslim men from ignoring the voice of women, yet the Commission is not willing to let the Muslim women represent their case. She said that women were not slaves of Muslim men, who could torture them with triple talaq at their whim and fancy. This was not permitted in Islam and if the Commission has to interfere in this issue, it should also hear what the women want to say.

SOCIAL ACTIVIST SUPPORTS STEP TAKEN BY MODI GOVT

Yasmeen supported the step taken by the Modi government and said that the Muslim women had full confidence in the country's law and they will accept whatever decision comes from the Supreme Court. She said that it appears that some elements of the society did not believe in the constitution and the law of India and they were hiding behind Islamic law in order to take away whatever rights Muslim women have.

Yasmeen claimed that the Muslim men were forcing the women in their households to fill the form circulated by the AIMPLB against the Modi government's affidavit in the Supreme Court. She said that she believed that Allah will support the righteous cause of women.

ACTIVIST APPEALS AKHILESH YADAV TO TAKE STEPS

Social activist Khursheed Jahan criticised the political parties that claimed to be the well-wishers of Muslims but were silent on this issue. She asked if these political parties wanted only the votes of Muslim men and did not need Muslim women to vote for them as well. She said that the party that needed the votes of Muslim women, will speak the truth with confidence.

She appealed to the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to make the UP minority commission understand the fact that it could not just become the voice of Muslim men. The Muslim women were also equally a part of the minorities, just like men.

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ALSO READ:

Agra Muslims slam Modi government's stand on triple talaq





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Dobra, k. Szczecina 900 m2

40 miejsc parkingowych



Atut: Dodatkowe dochody z paczkomatow InPostu, a juz niedugo i z myjni samoobsugowej.



Tradycyjny zakup nieruchomosci, mozliwosc wykupienia uzytkowania wieczystego.
On the occasion of National Police Commemoration Day today, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the Police Commemoration Day Parade in Delhi.

By India Today Web Desk: On the occasion of National Police Commemoration Day today, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the Police Commemoration Day Parade in Delhi.

The parade was organised at the Police Memorial Ground in Chanakyapuri.



Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh attends the Police Commemoration Day Parade, NSA Ajit Doval also present. pic.twitter.com/fUsSvXiToN ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016



National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present on the occasion.

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Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh police also celebrated the occasion in Shimla.



Himachal Pradesh police today celebrates the National Police commemoration day in Shimla pic.twitter.com/Goj7KmbILz ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

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Latest News

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of up to $16.7 million in competitive grant funding to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by families and households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The funding will be awarded to eligible nonprofits and governmental organizations through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program, administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

"Recent data shows that 2015 marked the lowest figures on record for food insecurity among childrena major achievement in our country's efforts to ensure every child has a safer, healthier future filled with unlimited opportunity. In addition, last year 7.9 million fewer people were struggling to provide adequate food for themselves or household members than when President Obama took office in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "We must continue to invest in initiatives like the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive, which are maximizing SNAP recipients' access to healthy foods and are playing a major role in winning this battle against hunger."

FINI is a joint program between NIFA and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP and is responsible for evaluating the impact of the variety of types of incentive programs being deployed by FINIgrantees. The program brings together stakeholders from different parts of the national food system to improve the nutrition and health status of SNAP households. Since 2015, NIFA has invested $48.3 million to support the work of 58 organizations in 33 states and the District of Columbia through FINI.

Applications may be submitted by eligible government agencies and nonprofit organizations in three categories: pilot projects requesting less than $100,000 over one year, multi-year community-based projects requesting less than $500,000 over no more than four years, and multi-year large-scale projects requesting $500,000 or more over no more than four years. All FINI projects must operate through authorized SNAP retailers and agree to participate in the FINI comprehensive program evaluation.

Priority is given for projects that

maximize the share of funds used for direct incentives to participants,

test innovative or promising strategies that will contribute to a better understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants,

develop innovative or improved benefit redemption systems that may be replicated or scaled,

demonstrate a track record of designing and implementing successful nutrition incentive programs to connect low-income consumers and agricultural producers,

provide locally or regionally produced fruits and vegetables, especially culturally-appropriate fruits and vegetables for the target households, and

work with underserved communities, particularly in Promise Zones and StrikeForce communities.

Applications are due by Dec. 12, 2016. See the request for applications for more details.

NIFA will host a free informational webinar for interested applicants on Nov. 3, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., EDT. An archived version will be available on NIFA's FINI webpage following the webinar.

Two previously-funded projects include Market Umbrella in New Orleans and Heritage Ranch, Inc., in Honaunau, Hawaii. Market Umbrella is increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income New Orleans residents through the initiation of SNAP incentive programs in a locally- and minority-owned grocery store (Circle Foods) and year-round expansion of incentives at four Crescent City Farmers Markets. Heritage Ranch is testing a new SNAP fresh food incentive project called Buy One Fresh/Get One Local, where each dollar a SNAP user spends on fresh fruit and vegetables is matched with coupons to purchase an equivalent value of local fresh fruits and vegetables from their grocer, grower at a farmers' market or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food box.

More information about USDA's efforts to improve access to safe, healthy food for all Americans and supporting the health of our next generation can be found on USDA's Medium chapter, Growing a Healthier Future. Additional information about USDA efforts to support local and regional food systems, including by increasing SNAP access at farmers markets, can be found in the New Markets, New Opportunities Medium chapter.

SNAPthe nation's first line of defense against hunger - helps put food on the table for millions of families experiencing hardship. The program has never been more critical to the fight against hunger. Nearly half of SNAP participants are children and more than 42 percent of recipients live in households in which at least one adult is working but still cannot afford to put food on the table. SNAP benefits provided help to millions who lost their jobs during the Great Recession. For many, SNAP benefits provide temporary assistance, with the average new applicant remaining on the program 12 months.

Since 2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and transformative initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA's integrated research, education and extension programs, supporting the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel, have resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability and ensuring food safety.




Eleven New Books

for Disney Park Fans



or



Books for your 2016 wish list

Because 2015 was a banner year for books about Disney theme parks, I featured an overview of Twelve New Books for Disney Park Fans. Its now 2016. Authors and publishers have given us another banner year. Today, Im highlighting eleven titles with 2016 publication dates. Some of them focus strictly on parks; others include parks as part of a broader scope. I have not yet read most of them, but they are all promising. Be sure to scroll down to the final three titleswhich were just released this week. To learn more about a book, click on its Amazon link. Just a reminder Yesterland is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. That means I benefit financially if you buy any of these books (and any other items at Amazon) using these links. , Curator of Yesterland, October 21, 2016.





How to Be a Disney Historian: Tips from the Top Professionals by Jim Korkis Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: March 9, 2016



Over the years, Disney historian Jim Korkis has helped many others who want to follow in his footsteps. This led him to an idea. Jim would put his guidance into a bookand he would invite other Disney historians to join him. How to Be a Disney Historian has my name on the cover. Im honored to be among the esteemed Disney historians who each contributed a chapter. Jim didnt assign specific subjects to us. Around 40% of the book is by Jim. The rest of it reflects each writers unique perspective and approach to Disney history. The book turned out very well. It seems to me that theres a much larger potential audience than just future Disney historians. In this age when anyone can be a blogger, podcaster, author for any medium, or Wikipedia contributoron any subjectthe wisdom in this book applies far beyond the field of Disney history. Although it was not written as a textbook, it would be a great textbook for college classes that deal with new media and citizen journalism, with the Disney angle serving as an example that can be applied to any subject matter.

From Horizons to Space Mountain: The Life of a Disney Imagineer by George McGinnis Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: May 21, 2016



Nine of the eleven books in this list are from Theme Park Press, where publisher/editor Bob McLain specializes in books that involve Disney parks, other aspects of Disney, and other theme parks. The nine titles here are a fraction of the output from Theme Park Press this year. McLain has done a great job seeking out authors with firsthand knowledge who can share inside stories. One such author is George McGinnis, a retired Disney Imagineer. McGinnis was the last Imagineer personally hired by Walt Disney. His three-decade Disney career included such high-profile projects as the Mark V and Mark VI Monorails, Horizons, and Space Mountain.

A Historical Tour of Walt Disney World, Volume 2 by Andrew Kiste Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: June 1, 2016



Of all the books in this list, this one has my favorite book cover. The attractive, distinctive design alludes to Walt Disney World ticket book paper and graphics from earlier decades. Author Andrew Kiste is a high school history teacher in Greensboro, North Carolina. Kiste focuses on the many historical topics that the Imagineers have woven into Walt Disney World attractions. In other words, the theme of this book is history at WDW, not the history of WDW (although theres some of that too). This book is a sequel to A Historical Tour of Walt Disney World, Volume 1 .

The Vault of Walt, Volume 5: Still More Unofficial Disney Stories Never Told by Jim Korkis Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: June 24, 2016



The last time I reviewed a volume in Jim Korkiss popular Vault of Walt series was back in 2013 when Volume 2 came out. The series is now up to Volume 5. The volume is divided into four parts, each with five chapters (or stories, as Jim calls them)Walt Disney Stories, Disney Film Stories, Disney Park Stories, and Other Disney Walt Stories. Jim is, after all, a storyteller. That means he knows how to present a narrative in a way thats entertaining and holds your interest.

The Unofficial Disneyland 1955 Companion: The Anecdotal Story of the Birth of the Happiest Place on Earth by Jim Korkis Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: June 25, 2016



I cant believe I havent bought and read this book yet. Considering that the subject is the opening year of Disneyland and the author is Jim Korkis, Im sure Ill enjoy it. Heres part of the description from Theme Park Press: And what a year! In 1955, Walt Disneys dream of a theme park, the first of its kind in the world, came true. Disney historian Jim Korkis entertaining tale of an American pop culture icon is power-packed with details, and the most thorough account of Disneylands early days ever published.

Magic Kingdoms: A History of the Disney Theme Parks by Stephanie Barczewski, Ph.D. Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: July 7, 2016



From Theme Park Press: Clemson University professor Stephanie Barczewski delivers a scholarly but accessible comparative history of the Disney theme parks, from Anaheim to Shanghai, with a focus on the engineering, cultural, and political challenges that Disney overcame to build its happiest places across the globe. Thats right. Its a history of all Disney parks.

Building Magic: Disneys Overseas Theme Parks by William Silvester Publisher: BearManor Media Publication Date: July 15, 2016



Disney historian and author William Silvesters website offers this synopsis of his newest book, Building Magic: Disneys Overseas Theme Parks: This is the exciting, behind the scenes story of the overseas Disney theme parks. Discover why they were built where they are, who wanted them constructed and the problems and controversies that were faced in the building and expansion of these magical places. This seems to be an opportunity to take a tour of Disney parks worldwide, without leaving your living room.

MORE Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: MORE Things You Never Knew You Never Knew by Jim Korkis Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: Sep. 7, 2016



Jim Korkis asked me to write the foreword to MORE Secret Stories of Walt Disney World. Its an honor I accepted gladly. You can read my foreword and glance inside the book here. Allow me to quote myself: As you read this book, think of it as walking all over Walt Disney World with Jim. Youll find yourself in corners you never knew about. Sometimes, youll travel back in time. Youll meet some of the people who created the World. Youll experience places that never escaped from the planning process. And youll see familiar spots in a new way. The book is organized as succinct, fun-to-read, two-page articles.

JayBangs: How Jay Stein, MCA, & Universal Invented the Modern Theme Park and Beat Disney at Its Own Game by Sam Gennawey Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: Oct. 16, 2016



Of all the books in this list, JayBangs has the most cryptic title. JayBang is a noun. Jay Stein, the driving force behind Universal Studios Florida, made sure his new park would have plenty of JayBangsrides and attractions that stunned, shocked, and surprised guests, dousing them with water, blasting them with air, heat, or cold, and giving them what the Disney parks of that time lacked: fear and visceral delight. A few years ago, Disney historian Sam Gennawey became Universal historian Sam Gennawey when he wrote Universal vs. Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks Greatest Rivalry. For many readers, it was their first introduction to Jay Stein, who was in charge of the Universal Studios theme parks for almost 30 years. I liked Gennaweys book very much. Jay Stein must have liked it too. The books introduction begins with the usually private Stein approaching Gennawey: I am 78 years old, Sid is 80+, Lew is dead, Jules is dead, Drabinsky is in jail, Katzenberg and Spielberg probably dont want to be interviewed; Eisner will probably say Im lying when he learns what I could show you. You be the judge. Im determined to get history right. Would you like to interview me and examine my evidence as to what happened? Let me know. I am very eager to read JayBangs.

Walts Words: Quotations of Walt Disney with Sources by Jim Korkis Publisher: Theme Park Press Publication Date: Oct. 16, 2016



Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, and Walt Disney might be the three most quoted Americans. Perhaps you have at least one of the Walt Disney quotation books by Dave SmithWalt Disney: Famous Quotes (1994) or Quotable Walt Disney (2001). Does the world need another book of Walt Disney quotations? The answer is yes. Not only has Jim Korkis collected many quotations that appear in no other collections, but he has researched and included the source of each quotation. That makes a huge difference. Knowing where, when, and why Walt said something makes those words meaningful and inspiringnot just random snippets divorced from their context. At first, I wasnt sure if I should include this book in a list that focuses on theme parks. The book includes a chapter of quotations specifically about Disneyland, but the real reason goes beyond that. Walt Disneys ideas and personality are a significant part of Disneylands DNA.

Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai by Kevin & Susan Neary, Vanessa Hunt Publisher: Disney Editions Publication Date:

Oct. 18, 2016


By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice H L Dattu today pitched for vesting NHRC with "more power", saying the rights watchdog should "roar like a tiger".

"Everyone wants to have more power. We (NHRC) also want to have more power," he told reporters.

The former Chief Justice of India was addressing a press conference here to mark the Foundation Day of the NHRC.

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According to a recent media report, Dattu had termed NHRC a "toothless tiger" that needed some teeth to enforce its orders on remedial measures in cases relating to any violations.

"In many cases, due to our active intervention, we have addressed human rights issues. We are celebrating our foundation day today... And, with more power, it (NHRC) should roar like a tiger," he told PTI on the sidelines of the press conference.

Since its inception in 1993, the NHRC has come a long way by addressing several issues of human rights violations as well as giving inputs on key legislations impacting human rights, he said.

"Whenever an issue of human rights violation comes to the notice of the NHRC, it has to take cognisance without bothering for the permutations and combinations of electoral politics or caste and creed equations," Dattu said.

When asked what action the NHRC takes in case a party to which a notice has been served by it does not respond within the stipulated time, he said, "In case they dont, we give them one more opportunity, and even then if they dont respond, then we issue them a conditional summon to appear before us and submit the report."

"In 95-96 per cent cases the state government or authorities do respond. But, there have been instances, where despite repeated reminders they dont respond and in those cases, we presume they have nothing to say in the matter. And, so based on the given material, we take a decision, and if we dont find merit in the case, we dismiss it," he said.

The rights panel chief also enumerated cases where the Supreme Court had accepted its recommendations, like in the encounter cases of Manipur and the incident of silicosis in a state.

"Since October, 2015 to September, 2016, the NHRC has registered 1,05,664 cases on the basis of complaints, intimation from police and prison authorities, etc, and on suo motu basis," the NHRC said.

During the period, maximum 32,498 complaints were registered against police, out of which 206 cases were of encounter. PTI KND IKA

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Eleven years after her death, Parveen Babi's will has finally been cleared by the Bombay High Court. While 80% of her wealth has been set aside to form a charitable trust, the remaining 20% goes to her maternal uncle.

By India Today Web Desk: The Bombay High Court cleared yesteryear Bollywood diva Parveen Babi's will eleven years after the actor's death. According to the will, 80% of Parveen's wealth goes to underprivileged children and women who belong to the Babi community of Junagadh, where Parveen was born. The will was being contested by Parveen's paternal relatives who had been left out of getting any share from the actor's assets.

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SEE PICS: Remembering the evergreen Parveen Babi through her films



According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the will was produced by Parveen's maternal uncle, Muradkhan Babi, in 2005. In the will, Muradkhan Babi has been given 20% of Parveen's estate. As such, Parveen's uncle is her only family member who has been offered a share. Immediately after the will was produced, Parveen's relatives called it fake and the case landed up in the Bombay High Court. The family finally gave in this year and accepted that Parveen's will was legitimate, according to Muradkhan Babi's lawyer, MD Nagle.

Justice GS Patel probated Parveen's will on October 14, this year and directed the high cCourt registry to issue letters that would administer the will to Parveen's uncle Muradkhan by December 23, this year.

The Parveen Bavi estate includes a sea-facing flat with four bedrooms in Juhu, a haveli in Junagadh in addition to jewellery and deposits worth Rs 20 lakh in banks plus other investments. The 80% set aside from Parveen's wealth for underprivileged women and children will be deployed to form and run a trust. Ten percent from the money allotted to the trust will be given to St Xavier's College in Ahmedabad where the actor did her Master's in English Literature before taking up modelling.

Parveen Babi, who starred in some of the biggest films of the '70s and '80s died alone in her Juhu flat on January 22, 2005. Her death was reported to have happened due to complications arising from diabetes. The police came and discovered her body after neighbours noted that the actor had not picked up milk and newspapers from her doorstep for three days.

After the court case was resolved, Parveen's uncle Muradkhan was quoted as saying, "Parveen was very close to me; she grew up in my arms. The legal battle was never really about money or the 20-per cent share she has given me. It was about her last wishes. I will use her estate to create a trust that will keep her alive forever."

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Washington: US President Barack Obama has said Republican Donald Trump's insistence that he might not accept the election result is "dangerous".

Trump's comments undermined American democracy, BBC quoted the President as saying at a campaign rally in Miami for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump refused in a televised debate to say he would accept the outcome of the election on November 8.

He later said he would accept a "clear" result but left a challenge open.

Speaking in Ohio on Thursday, Trump said, with a grin: "I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election - if I win."

In the same speech, he said he would accept a clear election result but reserved the right to file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable one.

Hours later, the President said that sowing the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of US elections provided a boost to the country's enemies.

"You're doing the work of our adversaries for them, because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters," BBC quoted Obama as saying.

For days, Trump has claimed the election is rigged against him, due to media bias and voter fraud.

During Wednesday night's debate with Clinton, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he would accept losing to her, the Republican candidate said he would "keep you in suspense".

Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later insisted that the candidate had meant he would not concede until the "results are actually known".

Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Obama eight years ago, said: "A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility."

First Lady Michelle Obama also joined the attack on Thursday, saying "you do not keep American democracy in suspense".
Hillary Clinton excoriated rival Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honor results of the upcoming presidential election, as the bitter rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states.

The 2016 election cycle pitting the Republican nominee against the former secretary of state has turned increasingly toxic, with Trump fueling wild conspiracy theories about vote "rigging" and Clinton warning that the provocative billionaire was straying into authoritarianism.

"We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart," Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8.

"Donald Trump refused to say that he`d respect the results of this election. By doing that, he`s threatening our democracy."

Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump`s bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognize the election result -- a surprising rejection of political norms.

Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails.

His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a "rigged" election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump earning condemnation from President Barack Obama.

Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair.

Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump`s eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America`s first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump`s efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state.

Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State Thursday.

Meanwhile the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies Friday in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

"Eighteen days. You`re going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote you`ve ever cast for anyone at any time," Trump told a crowd in Fletcher, North Carolina."We`re fighting this juggernaut.... because they have billions of dollars they`ve raised," he said of the Clinton campaign, which reportedly has outspent Trump on television advertising in recent months.

Trump said he would give the campaign everything he had, "right up until the actual vote."

"Win, lose or draw... I will be happy with myself," he added. "I don`t want to think back if only I did one more rally I would have won North Carolina by 500 votes instead of losing it by 200 votes, right?"

Clinton is narrowly leading in polling in North Carolina, a state Obama won in 2008 but lost to Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.

Clinton and Trump are coming off an evening of stinging humor at a white-tie charity event in New York where they traded jokes and jabs at what is meant to be a friendly roast -- and where Trump was booed.

The bitterness of the campaign was quickly on display, with Trump calling the 68-year-old Clinton "corrupt" and jabbing her for disclosures from her campaign`s hacked emails.

"Here she is in public, pretending not to hate Catholics," he said, as Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York looked on.

Despite the prickly barbs -- including Clinton proclaiming that Trump sent "a hearse" to bring her to the dinner -- the two candidates shook hands at the end of the evening.Trump is trailing badly in the polls, and his debate threat opened him up to a stinging attack from Obama at a Miami rally.

"When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people`s minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy," Obama said Thursday.

"When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence, when last night at the debate, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in American history to suggest that he will not concede despite losing... that is not a joking matter."

In the battle of the battlegrounds, Clinton holds leads in several states, ranging from razor-thin, such as in North Carolina, to moderate in Florida and Pennsylvania and commanding in Virginia.

She is even narrowly ahead in Arizona, the traditionally Republican-leaning state where First Lady Michelle Obama -- who galvanized voters with a searing attack on Trump last week -- campaigned for Clinton on Thursday.

If Trump loses Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory, experts have said.

In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Trump supporters streamed into a convention center to hear Trump speak in their depressed former steel town, where most mill jobs have evaporated.

Trump promised that he would bring many of them back.

"We don`t make things anymore" he told the cheering crowd. "When I`m president, we`re going to start making things again in America."
Visakhapatnam: In a shocking incident, a Bangladeshi national was found locked in a container that reached the port here after 12 days, police said on Friday.

Md R Hussain (26), a resident of Vikrampur village in Munshiganj district of Bangladesh, said he had come to Chittagong from Dhaka some days ago. On seeing an open empty container, he went inside it and slept, One Town police station Inspector K Venkat Rao said.

The container, which was booked by Visakhapatnam-based Samsara Shipping Company, the local agents for Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, was locked in Bangladesh.

It was then loaded onto a ship with the man sleeping inside and dispatched to Visakhapatnam.

When the container was opened here after sailing for 12 days, the man, who claimed to be a destitute, was found inside it in a semi-conscious state.

Hussain was found in a badly dehydrated state as he did not have food or water for many days. He was admitted to a local hospital for treatment to which he is responding well, Rao said.

"It is a miracle that he survived. We shall question him after he recovers. We have taken him into our custody," the Inspector said.

He will be sent back to Bangladesh after completion of certain procedures, the police official added.
Suspected Islamist militants kidnapped the captain and a Filipino crew member on a South Korean cargo ship in the southern Philippines, the military said Friday.

Ten people, who reportedly identified themselves as militants from the extremist Abu Sayyaf group, boarded a South Korean-flagged cargo ship on Thursday and abducted its captain, described by the Philippine military as "Korean", as well as a local crewman.

"They identified themselves as Abu Sayyaf Group members.... We`re looking into this," regional military command spokesman, Major Filemon Tan, told the ABS-CBN television channel.

The ship, a heavy load carrier called Dong Bang Giant 2, was en route to South Korea from Australia, when it was attacked.

The 11,400-tonne vessel was allowed to continue on its course after the abductions, Tan said, adding that authorities had interviewed witnesses on board, with the military now in "hot pursuit" of the kidnappers.

Tan said Thursday`s abduction marked the first time that kidnappers in the area have targeted a large ship, with previous attempts usually focusing on smaller vessels.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden`s Al-Qaeda network and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

The group began abducting sailors in border waters between Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines early this year, taking several dozens Indonesian and Malaysian hostages.

The militants also beheaded two Canadian hostages and released a Norwegian man along with a number of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors.

Military sources say the militants are still holding a Dutch hostage, five Malaysians, two Indonesians and four Filipinos in their jungle stronghold in the southern Philippines.

While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say the Abu Sayyaf is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology.
Chennai: DMK supremo M Karunanidhi has said his son Stalin has arduously worked his way up to be the second-in-command in the party, virtually ruling out any possibility of his estranged Madurai-based son Alagiri becoming the Dravidian party's head in the future.

In an interview to a Tamil weekly, the 92-year-old patriach said Stalin has made sacrifices like going to jail during the Emergency.

To a question seeking his response to the "widespread talk and expectations that Stalin is the next DMK President", Karunanidhi recalled his son had started off at a young age by running the Gopalapuram Youth Club.

Later, Stalin was even jailed under the stringent MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) during the Emergency, Karunanidhi pointed out.

"From his prison days where he faced a lot of hardships, he has himself worked very hard and elevated himself systematically to the position of future president (of DMK). In that aspect, he remains my political heir apparent today," Karunanidhi told the Ananda Vikatan magazine.

Asked if he viewed the "absence" of Alagiri, dismissed from DMK, as a "loss", Karunanidhi indicated there was no point talking about those who were not in the party.

"One has to be happy with what is there and keep progressing, and feeling about those who are not in the party now will impede the journey," he said.

Succession issue had been a major bone of contention in the DMK's first family, involving Chennai-based Stalin and his elder brother Alagiri.

Alagiri, said to have fancied his chances of leading DMK, had once famously asked if the party was a "mutt" where the senior pontiff could anoint his successor.

The firebrand leader, who once held the powerful post of Organisation Secretary (South) in DMK and was even a cabinet Minister in UPA II, however later fell out of favour with his father and was subsequently expelled from the party in March 2014 for alleged anti-party activities.

Meanwhile, Stalin today refrained from making any comments on his father's statement.

"I have nothing to say," he told reporters when asked for his reaction to the interview.
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping today called for building strong armed forces - under the command of the Communist Party leadership - that commensurate with the country's international status and national security.

Speaking at a function to commemorate 80th anniversary of victory of Long March led by Chairman Mao Zedong to capture power.

Xi, who is regarded as the most powerful leader after Mao, said the party's absolute leadership over armed forces is the fundamental guarantee for the army's victory.

"To build a strong country requires efforts to build a strong army, and only with a strong army can the country's security be guaranteed," said Xi, the general secretary of Communist Party of China and chairman of Central Military Commission - the high command of the Chinese military.

His comments came amid reports of murmurs of dissent over his military reforms which included retrenchment of three lakh troops to downsize 2.3-million strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) - the world's largest military.

Xi has already reconstituted military's administrative and command structure after carrying out an anti-corruption drive in which several retired and servicing top officials were indicted.

He called for efforts to foster a new generation of Chinese servicemen who are "soldiers with soul, high caliber, gut and virtue," and to build rock-solid troops with "iron-like belief, conviction, discipline, and commitment."

"The Long March is the glory of the people's army, and the honourable people's army must always carry forward the great spirit and fine tradition of the Red Army in the Long March," Xi said.

He called on the armed forces to adhere to the party's absolute leadership, maintain their nature and uphold their principles as the people's army, and be the heir to the Red Army.

Moreover, he urged the military to uphold political integrity, promote reform and rule of law, and strengthen combat readiness, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The entire military should remain vigilant and be aware of its responsibilities, Xi said, noting that the modernization of national defence and armed forces must advance in a bid to safeguard the country's national sovereignty, security and development interest.
Patna: Bihar Police has ordered the arrest of a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV)principal for not taking timely action in a Dalit student`s thrashing in the school premises in August, police said on Friday.

"An arrest warrant against Muzaffarpur Kendriya Vidyalya`s Principal, Ravi Ranjan, was issued on the basis of a probe report conducted by senior police officers," a police officer said.

He said that raids were being conducted to arrest Ranjan.

Ranjan was earlier suspended by the Kendriya Vidyalya Sangathan (KVS), while 14 other teachers of the school were transferred on Wednesday following a probe by a three-member team of the school.

After the report found involvement of the school authorities to suppress the incident, "Ravi Ranjan was suspended by KVS for not taking timely action on the victim`s complaint," a KVS official said.

The shocking incident of thrashing had surfaced after a video went viral on social media.

The school authorities were forced to lodge a police complaint on October 13.

The victim`s family had also lodged a police complaint on Monday naming the accused students, who had thrashed and humiliated their child in a classroom.

School authorities and teachers were also made co-accused in the family complaint, the police said.

A charge sheet was filed against two of the accused students on Thursday, who were arrested and sent to the remand home.

The accused are brothers, who had reportedly threatened the victim of dire consequences if he defied their diktat.
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students will on Friday hold a protest outside the Home Ministry to press the authorities to expedite search for missing student Najeeb Ahmed.

The JNU students' union's call for for a protest came hours after the Delhi police constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the case.

The order was passed by Home Ministry after the protesting JNU students allowed Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar to leave his office after keeping him confined to it for almost 20 hours in connection with the case.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Nupur Prasad later told media that the SIT will be headed by Additional DCP Munishi Chandra.

The Delhi Police, earlier in the day, announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information on Ahmed, five days after he went missing from the JNU campus.

A police complaint was filed under Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code for kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person.

The JNU also initiated a proctorial inquiry into the case. Meanwhile, Ahmed's mother Fatima urged authorities to help her find her son.

"Let me see the face of my child once. Keep him (after that) for a month if you like. I won't say a word. But just let me see him once," Fatima told a TV news channel.

"I am from a very small place... I want to see my child safe. I don't know if he has eaten anything or is hungry," the sobbing woman said.

"My appeal to everyone is to help me find my child," said Fatima, who rushed from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh after receiving a frantic call from Ahmed on October 14 night.

Ahmed went missing on October 15 night from university hostel after a brawl with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members.

JNU students carrying photos of Ahmed went about in the neighbourhood inquiring about him. They also pasted "missing posters" in areas around the JNU and on various roads leading to the varsity campus.

On October 18, the Vice Chancellor met Ahmed's parents and apprised them of efforts to find him.

Earlier in the day, amid protests over the missing student, Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma for a detailed report.

He was also briefed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government over tonnes of garbage lying on Delhi streets.

According to ANI, the apex court expressed displeasure over the way the garbage had been piled up in various places across the national capital and asked the AAP government to clear the filth at the earliest.

"45 metres of height of garbage in places are alarming," the division bench, headed by Justice Madan Lokur said.

The apex court also raised concerns that garbage piled up on streets can led to serious health hazards, including the outbreak of diseases like bird flu.

"What are your plans to clear garbage. You have to plan for the future. You don't have to react to a situation," it said.

The highest court also directed the Delhi government to convene a meeting of all stakeholders including the MCDs on the issue of garbage disposal.

The apex court passed the order while hearing a case pertaining to the suicide of parents after their child died due to vector-borne diseases.

The apex court, however, said that matters related to dengue outbreak will be heard on November 11.

The strong observations made by the apex court is important in the wake of bitter war of words between the Delhi government and the centre over MCD workers' strike that has aggravated the garbage pile up in the city-state.

Delhi Government had recently deployed hundreds of PWD workers to lift garbage from across the city as nearly 60,000 sanitation workers of municipal corporations continued their indefinite strike demanding payment of their dues.

AAP and the BJP are reportedly at loggerheads over the MCD workers' strike.

Delhi government has been maintaining that it has provided adequate funds of over Rs 2,187 crore under non-planned head to the three municipal corporations in the current fiscal, alleging that a salary scam has led to the crisis.
"In this venue, your honours, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

By Reuters: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE'S REMARKS

Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he is visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with long time ally Washington deteriorate.

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"In this venue, your honours, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

"Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost."

Duterte's efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 billion in deals would be signed during the China trip.

"I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," Duterte told his Beijing audience.

SPANNER IN THE WORKS FOR THE US

Duterte's remarks will prompt fresh concern in the United States, where the Obama administration has seen Manila as an important ally in its "rebalance" of resources to Asia in the face of a rising China.

The administration agreed a deal with Duterte's predecessor granting US forces rotational access to bases in the Philippines and further doubts will be raised about the future of this arrangement.

In Washington, the US State Department said it was "baffled" by Duterte's comments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila this weekend.

"We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S.," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. "It's not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications."

Both the State Department and the White House portrayed Duterte's comments as being at odds with the close, long-standing alliance between the two countries. They said Washington would welcome closer ties between Beijing and Manila, however.

"The US-Philippine alliance is built on a 70-year history, rich people to people ties and a long list of shared security concerns," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters, noting that the administration has not received any request from Filipino officials to alter bilateral cooperation.

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A few hours after Duterte's speech, his top economic policymakers released a statement saying that, while Asian economic integration was "long overdue", that did not mean the Philippines was turning its back on the West.

"We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbors," said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia in a joint statement. "We share the culture and a better understanding with our region."

RED CARPET WELCOME

China has pulled out all the stops to welcome Duterte, including a marching band complete with baton-twirling band master at his official greeting ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People, which is not extended to most leaders.

President Xi Jinping, meeting Duterte earlier in the day, called the visit a "milestone" in ties.

Xi told Duterte that China and the Philippines were brothers and they could "appropriately handle disputes", though he did not mention the South China Sea in remarks made in front of reporters.

"I hope we can follow the wishes of the people and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on a friendly footing and fully improve things," Xi said.

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Following their meeting, during which Duterte said relations with China had entered a new "springtime", Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the South China Sea issue was not the sum total of relations.

"The two sides agreed that they will do what they agreed five years ago, that is to pursue bilateral dialogue and consultation in seeking a proper settlement of the South China Sea issue," Liu said.

China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

In 2012, China seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds.

Liu said the shoal was not mentioned and he did not answer a question about whether Philippine fishermen would be allowed there. He said both countries had agreed on coastguard and fisheries cooperation, but did not give details.

SEA DISPUTE TAKES 'BACK SEAT'

Duterte's tone towards Beijing is in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States, after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs.

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He has called US President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch" and told him to "go to hell", while alluding to severing ties with the old colonial power.

On Wednesday, to the cheers of hundreds of Filipinos in Beijing, Duterte said Philippine foreign policy was veering towards China.

"I will not go to America anymore. We will just be insulted there," Duterte said. "So time to say goodbye my friend."

The same day, about 1,000 anti-US protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in Manila calling for the removal of US troops from the southern island of Mindanao.

Duterte's abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however. On Tuesday an opinion poll showed Filipinos still trust the United States far more than China.

Duterte on Wednesday said the South China Sea arbitration case would "take the back seat" during talks, and that he would wait for the Chinese to bring up the issue rather than doing so himself.

Xi said issues that could not be immediately be resolved should be set aside, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

China has welcomed the Philippines approaches, even as Duterte has vowed not to surrender any sovereignty to Beijing, which views the South China Sea Hague ruling as null and void.

China has also expressed support for his drug war, which has raised concern in Western capitals about extrajudicial killing.



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Philippines hails India's South China Sea support as Modi heads to China





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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay High Court that actress-turned-MP Hema Malini had refused to accept the land allotted to her by the state government in suburban Andheri for a dance academy.

Following the statement, a bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur disposed of a public interest litigation filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar which had challenged the allotment to the actress at a nominal rate.

Reports of allotment of a prime piece of land to the BJP MP had kicked up a row earlier this year.

Nothing survived in the PIL in view of the statement made by government pleader Priyabushan Kakade that the actress had declined to accept the offer, said the judges.

However, the court gave liberty to Tirodkar to file a fresh petition if it came to his notice that the actress had, after all, got the land.

Petitioner's lawyer Sadhana Kumar said as per the information obtained under Right To Information Act, a piece of land in suburban Andheri was allotted to the actress at a very low rate.

As this information was in the public domain, the petition should be heard, notwithstanding the government's today's statement.

However, the court said the "cause of action" no longer survived.

Tirodkar had alleged that the allotment was arbitrary and several past judgments of the High Courts and the Supreme Court had said that public property cannot be allotted by the state without issuing an advertisement inviting applications.

The academy run by Hema Malini had first got a land in Versova, but it fell under coastal regulation zone (CRZ), so she asked for alternative land.

In December 2015, BJP-headed Maharashtra government allotted 2,000 sq metres of land to her for just Rs. 70,000.
Jammu: The toll in a road accident in Jammu region`s Reasi district rose to 22 on Friday after an injured passenger died.

Police said the unidentified victim admitted in Jammu city`s Government Medical College died late on Thursday night.

The accident occurred on Thursday morning when a 48-seater bus carrying 70 passengers plunged into a deep gorge.

"A total of 48 passengers were injured in the accident that occurred due to the negligence of the driver who had parked the vehicle on an incline when he was loading goods on the bus," a police official said.

The bus was heading from Reasi to Bakal village.


Patna: Bihar Police has ordered the arrest of a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV)principal for not taking timely action in a Dalit student`s thrashing in the school premises in August, police said on Friday.

"An arrest warrant against Muzaffarpur Kendriya Vidyalaya's Principal, Ravi Ranjan, was issued on the basis of a probe report conducted by senior police officers," a police officer said.

He said that raids were being conducted to arrest Ranjan.

Ranjan was earlier suspended by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), while 14 other teachers of the school were transferred on Wednesday following a probe by a three-member team of the school.

After the report found involvement of the school authorities to suppress the incident, "Ravi Ranjan was suspended by KVS for not taking timely action on the victim`s complaint," a KVS official said.

The shocking incident of thrashing had surfaced after a video went viral on social media.

The school authorities were forced to lodge a police complaint on October 13.

The victim`s family had also lodged a police complaint on Monday naming the accused students, who had thrashed and humiliated their child in a classroom.

School authorities and teachers were also made co-accused in the family complaint, the police said.

A chargesheet was filed against two of the accused students on Thursday, who were arrested and sent to remand home.

The accused are brothers, who had reportedly threatened the victim of dire consequences if he defied their diktat.
Dimapur (Nagaland): A student body has urged the Nagaland - Isak-Muivah to stop its unlawful "tax collection" from various educational departments in Arunachal Pradesh.

At a meeting with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), the Arunachal Naga Students Federation (ANSF) said the tax collection was creating hurdles in the development of education in many districts, according to an ANSF statement.

The ANSF pointed out that the tax collection by NSCN-IM in three economically and socially backward districts of the state -- Tirap, Changlang and Longding -- ha led to financial problems in the operation of several schools and colleges.

"This appeal got necessitated due to problems faced by the teaching staff, department`s officers and authorities of schools and colleges in Tirap, Changlang and Longding.

Not just that, the lives of the upcoming youths is also getting ruined due to lack of education," the statement addd.

According to the ANSF, Tirap, Changlang and Longding were economically weak districts where poor parents cannot afford to send their wards to schools that charge more.

In spite of being rich in natural resources, these three districts are economically and socially-deprived.

They are also considered to be housing camps of extremist groups such as National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang and United Liberation Front of Assam.
New Delhi: BJP today maintained that there is no need for the party to comment on the allegations against Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi after he has reacted to them, flatly rejecting the charge that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma after being "honey trapped".

"He (Gandhi) has issued a clarification. There is no need to offer further comments," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

A BJP office-bearer said there is no need for the party to be drawn into the controversy involving a sensitive issue like defence deals.

"Let's see how the issue plays out. As of now, we don't think that there is a need to join the issue," an office-bearer said when asked about the attack by leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress on the government over the issue.

Gandhi was at the centre of a controversy over allegations by Swaraj Abhiyan that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Verma and arms manufacturers after being "honey trapped", a charge he stoutly denied.

He had said in press conference yesterday that he last met Verma when he was a post graduate student in London at the age of 22 years.

"I am going to turn 37 now. I have never met him since I entered public life in 2004. The only reason why I even know of him is because his parents were members of Parliament and was a respected family. I knew them as many other leaders knew them," he had said.
Bhubaneshwar: With another person succumbing to his injuries on Friday, the death toll in the deadly SUM hospital inferno has risen to 24. Earlier, Manoj Naik, owner of Bhubaneswar`s SUM Hospital was arrested by the state police on Thursday morning.

He was arrested after he surrendered at the Khandagiri Police Station in Bhubaneswar. The police had earlier issued a look-out notice against Naik and his wife Saswati Das to prevent them from fleeing the country.

Both of them were on the run since the major fire broke out at their healthcare unit killing several patients on Monday.

In another instance, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine the financial transactions of Naik`s institutions.

Special Investigation Team Vice Chairman Arijit Pasayat has directed the state DGP to extend all cooperation to the Enforcement Directorate in its investigation with regard to the hospital`s financial transactions.

The state government has filed two FIRs and police have arrested four employees of the hospital in connection with the fire mishaps.
New Delhi [India]: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Rakesh Sinha today castigated former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah for batting for resumption of India-Pakistan dialogue and said the latter is hinting sympathy towards Islamabad with such an irresponsible assertion.

Sinha said Abdullah`s statement may have an adverse affect on India`s diplomatic efforts initiated to teach Pakistan a lesson."Farooq Abdullah has made an irresponsible statement.

Dialogue is not the lone responsibility of India. Pakistan is not initiating talks. Instead of talks, it has chosen the path of violence, terrorism.

By making such comments, Farooq Abdullah is showing sympathy towards Pakistan and such kind of sympathy in current times cannot be expected out of any Indian," said Sinha.

"The whole country has united against Pakistan and is vouching for methods which compel Islamabad to quit terrorism. Such irresponsible statements have a negative impact on India`s diplomacy," he added.

The National Conference patron, who yesterday visited the Zero Line along the Line of Control and interacted with border dwellers, called for resuming dialogue with Pakistan.

Making a fervent appeal to the leadership of the two hostile Asian neighbours to resume dialogue and end all hostilities, Abdullah said,

"Wars haven`t and won`t resolve inherent political issues between India and Pakistan."Abdullah also strongly criticized the alleged politicization of India`s surgical strikes, saying the blood of Indian jawans was being traded for electoral victories.

"Today, we want to sell our soldiers` blood for electoral victories? The condition is such that we want to trade their blood...but a soldier doesn`t belong to any party, he belongs to the entire country," he said.

The comments came after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar gave credit to the RSS teachings for the strikes targeting terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.Responding to the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Farooq said,

"The situation is very grim right now. Poor people at both sides of the border are suffering. I would like to appeal to both nations that enough is enough; more bloods have been sacrificed from our end and at Pakistan`s end. Loss was reordered at both sides. For God`s sake stop shelling.

"He urged Pakistan to approach India with helping hands and stop shelling near the border.

Earlier today, Pakistan forces fired around 25 rounds of small weapons and two small mortars in Hiranagar sector.One BSF jawan was injured as the Indian troops retaliated to the firing from the other side of the border.
New Delhi: Taking a strong exception to former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Friday said the saffron party that is known for communal disharmony would still face defeat in the upcoming assembly elections.

"The people come and go and parties have independent process. There is no importance of a person in a political and social struggle. Rita Ji knows best why she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. But the identity of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is of communal disharmony,"BSP leader Sudheendra Bhadauria told ANI.

Bhadauria said the BJP would face the same results as it witnessed in Bihar and Delhi.

"The result would be same as it happened in Bihar with (Jitan Ram) Manjhi, Krishna Tirath and Kiran Bedi in Delhi. The result was zero. In the same way, the result of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh would be zero," he added.

In what came as a major setback to the Congress in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Joshi yesterday formally joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah.

Joshi told the media that she was "hurt when the Indian National Congress questioned the surgical strikes by the Army along the Line of Control" and that it was unseemly for a party like the Congress to have done so.

The former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief also said that she was hurt by the importance accorded to election strategist Prashant Kishor.
Srinagar: Curfew was on Friday clamped in six police station areas of the city and restrictions imposed in rest of Kashmir as a precautionary measure ahead of Friday prayers, affecting life in the Valley which showed a semblance of normalcy this week after over 100 days of unrest.

The curbs have been imposed in view of violent protests that have taken place after Friday prayers at these places in the past.

"Curfew has been imposed in Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Batamaloo, Safakadal and Maharajgunj police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure," a police official said.

The official said restrictions on assembly of four or more people were imposed in rest of the Valley for maintaining law and order.

Normal life came to a standstill due to restrictions imposed by authorities with roads and streets across the Valley wearing a deserted look.

There had been increased movement of traffic on main roads of Kashmir and the city's civil lines this week with people defying the separatists' call for shutdown.

Security forces have been deployed in strength at vulnerable spots and along the main roads to ensure that the day passes off peacefully, the official said.

Shops and business establishments remained shut in the Valley.

The ongoing unrest in Kashmir has affected the education as schools, colleges and other educational institutions continue to remain shut in the Valley.

As many as 84 people have been killed and several thousand others injured in violent clashes following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in July this year.

Over 300 persons have been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) so far.
Srinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is not permanent in Jammu and Kashmir, adding the same can be revoked provided an environment of peace and tranquility is created.

Speaking at the Police Commemoration Day parade, Mufti said, "We have to create an environment of peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir, AFSPA is not permanent."

Speaking over the outrage which enveloped the Kashmir valley post the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, Mufti urged for a need to stop militancy.

"I want to ban pellet guns but it is possible only if you people support the government. Our children are always used as shields. We can`t force someone to talk by throwing stones on them. If we need a dialogue, we have to stop militancy," she said.

Mehbooba further took on Pakistan over its move to ban Indian content in its territory and said, "Even Pakistan has to help us as we both have to live together. We discuss about films but Wagah border is still moving."
By PTI: Washington, Oct 21 (PTI) An Indian-origin researcher and his team in US have created life-size 3D hand models, complete with all five fingerprints using a high-resolution 3D printer that can produce the same ridges and valleys as a real finger.

Creating a 3-D replica of someones hand complete with all five fingerprints and breaking into a secure vault sounds like a plot from a James Bond movie, researchers said.

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However, Michigan State University Distinguished Professor Anil Jain discovered this may not be as far-fetched as once thought and wants security companies and the public to be aware.

Jain and his biometrics team were studying how to test and calibrate fingerprint scanners commonly used across the globe at police departments, airport immigration counters, banks and even amusement parks.

Without a standard life-like 3-D model to test the scanners with, there is no consistent and repeatable way to determine the accuracy of the scans and establish which scanner is better.

To test the scanners, they created life-size 3-D hand models complete with all five fingerprints using a high-resolution 3-D printer that can produce the same ridges and valleys as a real finger.

"Like any optical device, fingerprint and hand scanners need to be calibrated, but currently there is no standard method for calibrating them," said Jain.

"This is the first time a whole hand 3-D target has been created to calibrate fingerprint scanners. As a byproduct of this research we realised a fake 3-D hand, essentially a spoof, with someones fingerprints, could potentially allow a crook to steal the persons identity to break into a vault, contaminate a crime scene or enter the country illegally.

"Now, another application of this technology will be to evaluate the spoof-resistance of commercial fingerprint scanners," Jain said.

"We have highlighted a security loophole and the limitations of existing fingerprint scanning technology, now its up to the scanner manufacturers to design a scanner that is spoof-resistant.

"The burden is on them to tell whether the finger being placed on the scanner is real human skin or a printed material," he said.

The study aims to design and develop standard models and procedures for consistent and reliable evaluation of fingerprint readers.

"We are very pleased with this research and how it is showing the uncertainties in the process and what it can mean for the accuracy of the readers," said Nicholas Paulter, group leader for the Security Technologies Group at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a co-author of the study. PTI SAR SAR

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Srinagar: In yet another incident of ceasefire violation, Pakistan forces on Friday resorted to unprovoked firing at Bobiya post in Hiranagar sector, Jammu and Kashmir.

The post which is held by Border Security Force (BSF) retaliated with full might to Pakistan's unprovoked firing.

In the gunfire, BSF gunned down a Pakistani Ranger, but unfortunately, one BSF jawan was also injured in the exchange of gunfire.

Pakistani troops heavily shelled areas along the LoC in Rajouri district overnight, prompting Indian troops to give a befitting reply.

Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire for past over 15 hours in this sector.

At least 32 ceasefire violation incidents have occurred the Line of Control since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes in PoK to destroy terror launching pads.

On October 16, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice along LoC in Naushera and Rajouri sectors in which one jawan was martyred.

In a first, India carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Uri attack would not go unpunished.

Seven terror launch pads across the LoC were targeted by the Army on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 in a nearly five-hour-long operation during which heliborne and ground forces were deployed.
New Delhi: In reply to a sniper attack by Pakistani Rangers, the BSF on Friday launched an aggressive 'weapon firing', killing one militant and seven Pakistani Rangers in Jammu and Kashmir'ss Hira Nagar sector.

In the intervening night of October 19-20, BSF troops foiled an infiltration bid in Bobiyan village of Hira Nagar Sector, in which one militant was killed.

In the same area on Friday, Pakistani Rangers targeted a BSF post in which BSF Constable Gurnam Singh was critically injured, ANI reported.

Also Read: Curfew, restrictions in Kashmir ahead of Friday prayers

At least seven Pakistani Rangers were also killed in a retaliatory firing.

The injured constable was evacuated to the Jammu Government Medical College. His condition remains to be critical, the report said.

The BSF said the forces are on high alert along international boundary and ready to foil any infiltration attempt.

Early on Thursday morning, Pakistan had resorted to ceasefire violation in Bhimer Gali sector of Rajouri and in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.

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.

Today's exchange of fire came a day after BSF foiled an infiltration bid by 4-6 militants, aided by cover fire by the Pakistani troops, in Bobiyan village of the same Hira Nagar Sector.

Also Read: 'Talks won't provide solution to Kashmir dispute, Pakistani military should support Mujahideens'

At least one militant was injured or killed in that action by BSF during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday as he was seen being dragged by his associates.

Earlier in the day, BSF Inspector General (Jammu) Frontier D K Uphadayaya said the ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers had taken place in two sectors.

There were two ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers in Bobiya in Hira

Nagar sector of Kathua district and Pargwal belt of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district today.

"We are replying in a befitting manner. We have inflicted heavy losses to them," he said.

He said troops are on alert and mechanism is put in place to foil any attack by Border Action Teams (BATs) of Pakistan.

"You cannot take any chances. The guard is up. Troops are alert and vigilant and keeping a close watch. It is because of this alertness that we have foiled the infiltration bid," the IG said.

Also Read: Nailing Pakistans historic lies on Kashmir  Point by Point

"Yesterday night fire was expected and they have retaliated and in this, one of our jawans has been injured. But we have also given the befitting reply and effected heavy loses on them," the BSF official said.

"They not only failed to infiltrate into this side but have also lost their lives and I have come to known through sources that one among them has been killed. They came back and befitting reply was given to them," he said.

He said the terrorists are desperate to infiltrate into India and that is why they are trying time and again.

"Jammu is their main target to do some damage over here, which we will not allow. The morale of troops is very very high," he said, adding, "For me, IB is always very sensitive. We will have to be in strong position to give them befitting reply the way they want the reply."
Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram Medical College has imposed a new dress code for its students, urging them to wear formal clothes, said reports on Friday.

According to reports, a new circular has been issued by Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Vice Principal, which states that the girl students should wear churidar, saree and boys should come in formal dresses.

However, it is not the first college to have implemented a strict dress code for its students.

Sometimes back, the Madurai Medical College has implemented a similar dress code for its students.

S Revwathy, the dean of the Madurai Medical Colleges, had announced that wearing jeans-pants and t-shirts while attending classes will be forbidden for both girls and boys.

The order also restricted girls from wearing leggings in the college. Girls were warned against not tying up their hair and sporting flowers.

Male student were told to follow a strict dress code and wear formal, full-hand shirts and trousers with shoes.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha has seen terrible human-animal conflict in the last six years, resulting in the deaths of 454 people and 2,261 animals, including 388 elephants, a Forest Department report said.

Poaching, poisoning, accidents and deliberate electrocution are the major reasons for the alarmingly high elephant deaths, the report said.

While 362 persons were killed by elephants in the past six years, 92 were killed by other animals, the report said, adding that 157 persons were injured by elephants and 736 by other animals.

Besides elephants, the human-animal conflict also involved saltwater crocodiles, sloth bears, wild boars and leopards.

This apart, 164 cattle have been killed by elephants, which also damaged 4,405 houses and crops over 69,071 acres, the report said.

While 28 jumbos were poached by hunters and wildlife smugglers, nine died due to poisoning and 60 in road and train accidents. Electrocution claimed 50 lives during the period, the report said.

"Elephants are entering human habitats in search of food due to forest fires, urbanisation, industrialisation, increasing population and land encroachment. This issue remains a matter of concern and a multi-pronged approach is being adopted to address the situation," Orissa's Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh told IANS.

Wildlife experts however expressed the view that the government has failed to formulate any concrete strategy to save the elephants which barge into human habitats, risking their lives as well as wreaking havoc in the area.

They said rampant mining and non-adherence to wildlife plans could be the major reason behind such elephant deaths.

"The government must fix accountability on the forest officials for the death of the jumbos. Many elephants are dying due to poaching and electrocution, which can be prevented with the fixing of accountability," environmental activist Biswajit Mohanty told IANS.

The minister however asserted that the state government is taking a number of steps to prevent elephant deaths.

"New forests with plant species that elephants relish are being created. Besides, fresh water bodies are being created and the existing ones are being renovated. Stone walls, trenches and solar-powered wire fencing have been put up in sensitive areas to prevent elephants from entering human habitats," Arukh said.

Besides, anti-depredation squads and elephant trackers have been engaged to monitor the movement of elephants and prevent them from entering human habitats, the minister added.

A site-specific wildlife conservation plan has been made mandatory for any clearance of mining or industrial projects. The plan takes care of protection and conservation requirements of wildlife and improvement of their habitat, he said, adding the state has also identified 14 elephant corridors.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the Sum Hospital fire tragedy where over 20 people perished in a blaze.

His resignation came a day after Nayak had admitted lapses in the fire safety measures at the hospital.

"There was lapse in the fire safety measures of the Sum Hospital. Action will be taken as per the provisions of the law," Nayak had said.

His statement had come a day after Union Health Minister J P Nadda pointed out faults in the safety measures in the facility.

Nayak was under tremendous pressure from the opposition to take responsibility for the shocking fire tragedy.

Importantly, his resignation has come even before the Odisha government receives reports of two separate inquiries being conducted by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner and Director of Medical Education and Training.

Earlier, the Director General of Fire Service Binay Behera had noted that Sum Hospital did not follow the fire safety norms.

Nayak, who has been accused by opposition parties of shielding Sum Hospital owner Manojranjan Nayak, said, "Police have arrested five officials, including the owner of the hospital, on the basis of an FIR by the Fire Service Department.

The fire tragedy, in the backdrop of the death of over 50 children due to Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri district, has come as a major ammunition for the opposition against the BJD government.
New Delhi: NHRC Chairperson H L Dattu today said arrests of people on the issue of rumours over Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's health may not be an answer and that there are ther ways of dealing with it.

"People have the fundamental right to express. The Supreme Court has spoken a lot on this. It has in a recent judgement also upheld the right. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer. There are other avenues to check rumour-mongering," he told reporters.

The remarks of Justice Dattu, a former Chief Justice of India, come in the wake of a series of arrests in few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulating rumours regarding Jayalalithaa's health status.

He was addressing a press conference here to mark the foundation day of the National Human Rights Commission which was born in 1993.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, rumours have been running rife about her health on social networking sites like Facebook and WhatsApp.

To scotch such rumours, the local police have formed a team comprising private cyber experts to keep a watch on those who spread false information about the health and warned of stern action against those involved in such acts.

She is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, amid rumour-mongering on her health condition, and police have registered 43 cases so far.
New Delhi: A delegation of opposition parties in Tamil Nadu today met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention in the setting up of Cauvery Management Board, a demand Karnataka is opposed to.

The leaders belonging to these parties later lashed out at the "defiant" attitude of Karnataka in complying with the apex court orders over release of waters from Cauvery and alleged they are making the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu into a "begging bowl".Karnataka in complying with the apex court orders over release of waters from Cauvery and alleged they are making the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu into a "begging bowl".

A delegation of People's Welfare Front (PWF) leaders, headed by CPI national secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja, submitted a memorandum to the President containing their demands.

"Cauvery does not belong to any particular state. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are riparian states and they have same rights over the river. We requested the President to safeguard the rights of Tamil Nadu and to speed up the Constitution of Cauvery Management Board," Raja told reporters outside the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

MDMK leader Vaiko, who was part of the delegation, said that the alleged denial of water has resulted in a loss of Rs 8,000 crore to Tamil Nadu this year.

"Karnataka's denial of water, which was legitimately alloted to us, has resulted in a total loss of Rs 8,000 crore to the state this year. We fear that our rice bowl is becoming a begging bowl due to this," he said.

"The Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final verdict came in 2007 and the state of Karnataka remains defiant even after the apex court had ordered to release of water for us," Vaiko added.

The PWF leaders criticised Karnataka also over its plans of constructing two dams on the river, expressing apprehensions that it will result in a drought-like situation in 16 districts of Tamil Nadu including its capital Chennai.

"We requested the President to consider our concerns regarding these issues to which he assured to take necessary steps." Vaiko said.

When asked about the Front's silence over the issue for the past two years even after the publication of award in the Central government Gazette, Vaiko said the Front had not taken up the issue in the way it has now as the previous UPA government had not ruled out the formation of the Board.

"But now, it's the Modi government which is saying that it won't constitute the Board. They are denying us justice, therefore prompting us to raise the issue now," Vaiko added.

Besides Raja and Vaiko, the delegation comprised state leaders of various other political parties including CPI(M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan and its secretary D Ravikumar, along with CPI leader T K Rangarajan.
Lucknow: Clearing the air of the ongoing rift in the Samajwadi Party (SP), party's district president of Youth Brigade Ashok Yadav on Friday said there is no tension in the party and Akhilesh Yadav will be the chief ministerial face in the state again.

"All our workers want the family and the party to stay together. Shivapal Singh also wants Akhilesh Yadav to be the chief minister again," said Yadav.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma expressed his hope that the conflict in the party will be settled down soon, adding that the party supremo Mulayam Singh is very unhappy with it.

"Internal conflict in the SP is not good and Mulayam Singh was very unhappy over the phone," Beni Prasad Verma said."I will talk about it with Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh, and will try to keep the party strong," he added.

However, Akhilesh Yadav skipped the crucial meeting called by state party chief Shivpal Yadav to chalk out strategy for the assembly polls due early next year.
Dehradun: Noting that universities today face the challenge of producing cadres of skilled youth who can take up research and leadership roles, Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul today asked them to re-orient themselves in accordance with the changing times and develop an academic base which gives confidence to students.

"In this era of globalisation, universities face the challenge of creating a global cadre of youth with education that helps them to take up research and leadership roles.

"They need to orient themselves accordingly to achieve this end. So that students feel confident enough and have the skills required for start-ups and entrepreneurship," Paul said speaking as the chief guest at the 13th convocation of Kumaun University.

Underlining the need for the universities to move with the changing times and think in terms of special courses on various skills, he said, "In a fast changing global economic scenario, our youth have to be prepared with specific skills to face the challenge of competition and feel at home anywhere in the world."

"Educational institutions must draw up curriculum designs that are not only more relevant and job-oriented, but also futuristic," he said.

The Governor also praised the University for its outreach into the interiors of the Kumaun region as well as starting to work towards creating possibilities of cooperation and collaboration through joint research and technological development programs with international institutions.

"The Kumaun University has adhered to its academic calendar which is an achievement. It has got an 'A' certificate from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and should ensure, through sustained efforts, that it moves towards greater achievements," Paul said.

Asking the university to focus more on patents, he said its Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Centre must accelerate its research activities.

He said that in addition to the established disciplines, our Universities should now focus on the emerging areas such as environmental studies, information and communication technology, bio-informatics and entrepreneurship development.

The Governor also advised the students to spend as much time as possible in the university laboratory.
To prevent leaking of sensitive information and policy decisions, the government has banned use of mobile phones in cabinet meetings.

By India Today Web Desk: In a move to counter cyber security threat, the Prime Minister's Office has banned use of mobile phones in cabinet meetings. The decision was aimed at preventing leak of any sensitive information about the cabinet decisions and matters of policy making.



The Central Secretariat recently issued a circular to this effect. The circular was issued at the direction of the PMO.

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The Central Secretariat asked all the private secretaries to brief their ministers 'appropriately' about the decision that "smart-phones/mobile phones henceforth will not be permitted inside meeting venues of Cabinet/Cabinet committees."



ALSO WATCH:



CYBER THREAT

On the basis of the intelligence inputs, the government fears that the devices may be hacked by Chinese or Pakistani agencies in the aftermath of the surgical strikes.



The government has already instructed employees of sensitive departments not to connect their mobile phones to their official computers or laptops even for charging. The departments in the South Block- that houses the PMO, Defence Ministry and Ministry of External Affair are no-smartphone zones.



BANNED IN UK, FRANCE



Mobile phones are already banned in the cabinet meetings in Britain and France. David Cameron imposed the ban on mobile phones in cabinet meetings in May 2010, when he was the prime minister of Britain.



In France use of mobile phones during cabinet meetings was prohibited in April, 2014.



ALSO READ:

Cyber attack post surgical strike: Indian techies hack into Pakistan government network





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Kirkuk (Iraq): An air strike killed 15 women on Friday at a shrine near the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, local officials and medics said.

"Fifteen women were killed and another 50 wounded in a raid that targeted a Shiite place of worship at Dakuk," local official Amir Huda Karam told AFP, a toll confirmed by medical officials.
Islamabad: An anti-terrorist court in Islamabad on Friday directed the Pakistan Police to implement its orders with regard to the arrest warrants issued against Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri in the Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters attack case.

ATC judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi who presided over today`s hearing, inquired as to why the police had not been able to submit an implementation report on the court`s arrest orders, reports the Dawn.

Expressing displeasure over the police`s failure to submit the implementation report, the judge directed the authorities to carry out the arrests of Imran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and 68 others by November 17 and present them in front of the court on the said date.

70 people were booked after a mob of protesters belonging to the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and PAT stormed PTV headquarters and forced its staff to take two of the state broadcaster`s flagship channels - Pakistan Television News and PTV World - off the air on September 1, 2014.

According to eyewitnesses, nearly 400 Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and PAT workers had stormed the Pakistan Television building, across the road from the main entrance to the Pakistan Secretariat.

Transmission was restored shortly after noon as the occupying force dispersed peacefully, shouting pro-army slogans and hugging military and paramilitary personnel who arrived at the scene.

The protesters were also charged with attacking government properties including the Parliament House building.

The incidents took place during the 2014 sit-ins staged by Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and PAT members and supporters, with both parties calling on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.

Today`s hearing comes at the heels of PTI`s planned siege of the capital city on November 2, that is aimed at pressuring the government to take concrete measures to address the party`s concerns over Panama Papers.

The party has also submitted a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking Prime Minister Nawaz`s disqualification.
Pas-de-Calais: The "Jungle" migrant camp on France`s northern coast will be cleared of its residents on Monday before being demolished, authorities said Friday.

The local administration "made a legal order Friday that is to take effect on Monday", it said in a statement announcing the long-awaited operation.

Migrants at the camp in the ferry port of Calais will board buses at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) to take them to nearly 300 temporary accommodation centres dotted round France.

The demolition of the sprawling makeshift camp closes a difficult chapter in Europe`s migrant crisis.

The camp has strained relations between France and Britain, the country most of its residents are trying to reach.

The process of clearing the Jungle officially begins on Sunday when officials and charity workers will pass through the settlement of shacks and tents to inform residents that they will have to leave.

The order from the local authorities informing residents that the camp is about to close was displayed from Friday in several languages.

"The aim is to give everyone a roof over their heads and we will do everything we can to make that happen," one official said.

The current Jungle camp dates from April 2015 and housed more than 10,000 migrants at its peak, although that number has dwindled to around 5,000 in its final days.

Migrants were attracted to Calais because it is a key departure point for Britain, where some have family links and many believe they have a better chance of finding work.

Their persistent efforts to climb on to trucks heading across the Channel aboard ferries or trains have led the authorities to build a wall to keep them off the main road leading to the ferry port.

The Jungle residents are mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea.

For many, the camp embodies the failure of European governments to deal with the influx of migrants.Calais residents and businesses have called for months for the camp to be razed.

But the fate of around 1,000 unaccompanied minors has delayed the camp`s closure.

British authorities are allowing those with family links in Britain to settle there, but just 52 had been transferred across the Channel by Thursday.

More than 300 have been interviewed by British officials.

Authorities said the minors will not be bussed away from the camp but remain there in more permanent accommodation while their cases are considered.

But even when the Jungle is cleared away, some wonder whether another camp will simply spring up elsewhere.

Alain Juppe, the frontrunner to win the right-wing nomination in next year`s French presidential election, called Friday for the scrapping of the agreement between Britain and France that allowed the camp to exist.

Complaining that the Jungle gave a "disastrous" image of France, Juppe called for the Le Touquet accord -- which extends Britain`s border to Calais -- to be torn up.

"We cannot accept making the determination on French territory of which people Britain does or doesn`t want. It`s up to Britain to do that job," he said in an interview with several European newspapers.

In the camp this week, the remaining residents appeared resigned to their fate.

Mewagul Daulatzai, 22, from Afghanistan, who had just five cans of mango juice left for sale in his small wooden shop, told AFP on Thursday he would be happy to leave.

"Before I liked the Jungle. I had my friends and we were working here. But now it is too dangerous here so I am glad it`s over," he said, sitting in a canteen that was still dishing up steaming plates of Indian-style pilau rice, chicken, vegetables and naan bread.

A legal advisor for the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Lucie Lecarpentier, said the camp was "really tense" but her team had urged residents not to panic.

"We tell them not to run away and to stay calm," she told AFP.

"I think some are so determined to go to the UK they will stick around here."
Ankara: US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Ankara on Friday for talks with the leaders of Turkey, a crucial but sensitive ally in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The Pentagon chief was due to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as Defence Minister Fikri Isik.

Washington is worried by tensions between Turkey and Iraq as the long-awaited battle to retake Iraq`s second city Mosul from IS jihadists enters a decisive phase.

Turkey, which fears the Mosul offensive could boost the influence of anti-Ankara Kurdish militia, says it cannot stay on the sidelines, but Baghdad is firmly against the involvement of Turkish troops.

The US wants Turkey to refrain from military operations in Iraq without the green light from Baghdad, fearing the war of words could jeopardise a fragile pact to keep rival sectarian and ethnic militias out of central Mosul.

Respect for Iraq`s sovereignty is an "important principle", Carter told reporters on his plane en route to Turkey.

A senior US defence official said Washington was urging both sides to "tamp down the rhetoric".

"We have been talking behind the scenes to get the Iraqis and the Turks to come to an understanding on how to move forward on Mosul and on Turkish presence in Iraq," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The visit comes as Turkish warplanes carried out deadly strikes on US-backed militias in northern Syria, including Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Turkish army said Thursday the raids killed between 160 and 200 militants from the People`s Protection Units (YPG), a group considered a terror group by Ankara but an effective force by Washington in the fight against IS.

Carter declined to comment on Turkish strikes on the YPG.

Turkey in August launched an unprecedented operation in northern Syria, sending tanks and troops to back Syrian rebels who have pushed IS from several key areas including Jarabulus and Dabiq.

Rebel fighters captured Dabiq on Sunday in a symbolic setback to the jihadists, as a Sunni prophecy cites the town as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Carter said the capture of Dabiq was an "important objective" of the campaign.

"The Turks were carrying the burden of the battle here and did spectacularly well," he said.

"We will be working with them to consolidate that border region, long an objective of theirs and ours, and a very important one in the counter-ISIL campaign."

Tensions between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have grown after the failed July coup in Turkey.

Turkish authorities blamed the putsch on a rogue military group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen -- charges he denies -- and they have repeatedly demanded his extradition.

Carter is due to visit the United Arab Emirates before a meeting of defence ministers from the international anti-IS coalition in Paris on Tuesday. On Wednesday he will join a NATO ministerial gathering in Brussels.
Islamabad: A petition seeking Field Marshal's status for Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was on Friday dismissed by the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.

When judge asked the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose, Dawn reported today.

In his order, Justice Farooq said: "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law."

The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed".

Petitioner Sardar Adnan Saleem had sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest.

The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Sharif launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.

It said Sharif had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

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.

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.

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.
South Africa announced Friday that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, dealing a major blow to a troubled institution set up to try the world`s worst crimes.

The decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

South Africa refused to arrest him, saying he had immunity as a head of state.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the ICC was "inhibiting South Africa`s ability to honour its obligations relating to the granting of diplomatic immunity".

"There is a view in Africa that the ICC in choosing who to prosecute has seemingly preferred to target leaders in Africa," Masutha added to AFP.

The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of bias against Africa and has also struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States which has signed the court`s treaty but never ratified it.

The withdrawal "shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Amnesty International said South Africa was "betraying millions of victims of the gravest human rights violations and undermining the international justice system".As an ICC signatory, South Africa`s failure to arrest Bashir last year led to a wave of condemnation and an early threat from the government to withdraw from The Hague-based court.

Bashir has evaded arrest since his ICC indictment in 2009 for alleged war crimes in Sudan`s Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes.

Earlier this month Burundi said it would leave the court, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

Welcoming South Africa`s decision to withdraw from the ICC, Sudan urged other African member nations to follow suit.

"The presidency of the republic... calls on African leaders and the people of Africa who are still members of the ICC to take a collective step in withdrawing from the ICC," a presidency statement said.

Burundi`s foreign minister Alain-Ayme Nyamitwe, meanwhile, said the country expected others to follow, adding that it was important to note that "the ICC is not popular in Africa".

South Africa, which delivered a letter to the United Nations on Wednesday to activate its official withdrawal, is likely to complete the process in one year.

"It could spark a domino effect on other African states," Anton du Plessis, of the Institute for Security Studies think-tank in Pretoria, told AFP.

"South Africa played an important role in developing the ICC and now to see it playing such a destructive role is saddening," he said.

The ICC said Friday it had not received any confirmation of the South African position, adding that it relied on "the international community in Africa and outside Africa... to fulfil its mandate."In March, South Africa`s Supreme Court of Appeal accused President Jacob Zuma`s government of "disgraceful conduct" over Bashir`s visit and ruled that the failure to arrest Bashir was unlawful.

The government was facing a possible defeat in the Constitutional Court next month over the issue, but said that Friday`s decision meant its legal battle would be dropped.

During the summit, an emergency court order was obtained for Bashir`s arrest, though government lawyers admitted he had quickly flown out of the country just before the order was issued.

"We were called as a country to arrest and prosecute a sitting head of state and the natural consequence would have been forced regime change in that country by South Africa," Minister Masutha told AFP.

Of the ten ICC probes since 2002, nine have been into African countries and one into Georgia, though most ICC cases have been referred to the court by African governments themselves.

In a major setback, its highest profile case -- over Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta`s involvement in election violence -- collapsed two years ago.
London: After Burundi, South Africa has said that it is pulling out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), making the country the second this week, to leave the tribunal that pursues the world`s worst atrocities.

South Africa`s Justice Minister Michael Masutha is saying that the ICC`s obligations are inconsistent with domestic laws giving sitting leaders diplomatic immunity, reports the Guardian.

Pretoria said last year it planned to leave the International Criminal Court after receiving criticism for ignoring a court order to arrest the visiting Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes.

At a press conference in the capital on Friday, Masutha said,"The implementation of the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court Act 2002 is in conflict and inconsistent with the provisions of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act 2001."

Under the Rome statute, countries have a legal obligation to arrest anyone sought by the tribunal.Any move to leave would take effect one year after notice is formally received by the United Nations secretary general.

Earlier on Friday, the public broadcaster SABC published a document outlining the withdrawal plan.The document was signed by South Africa`s minister of international relations and cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and dated October 19.

"The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the international criminal court," the document states.

The International Criminal Court opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states. It was the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Seoul: South Korean activists floated hundreds of thousands of leaflets across the border into North Korea today, protesting Pyongyang's recent missile testing efforts in defiance of UN sanctions.

"We launched the leaflets to protest against these provocative acts," North Korean defector-turned-activist Park Sang-Hak told AFP.

A total of 300,000 leaflets - along with 2,000 one-dollar bills designed to encourage people to pick them up - were floated over the heavily militarised border in packages attached to large helium balloons.

The balloon launch came a day after the North conducted what appeared to be its second failed test in a week of a powerful medium-range missile that experts warn could be operationally deployed as early as next year.

The missile - believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan - exploded shortly after lift-off early yesterday, according to South Korean and US monitors.

Today's balloon launch was the first this month by Park's group which has carried out nearly 20 similar exercises this year.

The North's official media has described Park as "human scum without an equal in the world", and threatened to shell areas where the launches are made from.
Kirkuk: Suicide attackers stormed the site of a power plant being built by an Iranian company in Dibis in northern Iraq on Friday, killing at least 16 people, the mayor and security officials said.

"Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0830 IST), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians," Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP.
Embarrassed by the use of its free Wi-Fi facility, well placed sources in the Rail Ministry in Bihar said that they would drop the idea of free service on Rajdhani and Shatabdi.

The free Wi-Fi facility at Patna station was being used mostly to browse porn.

By Rakesh Ranjan: Embarrassed by the use of its free Wi-Fi facility at the Patna Railway station to browse porn, the Railways has now dropped the idea of rolling out the service on premium trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express.

Well placed sources in the Rail Ministry said the gross misuse of internet facility on railway stations has left the officials in a quandary whether to go ahead with similar experiment on trains.

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Also read: Wi-Fi used most at Patna station, mostly for porn

Officials said if the mobile users watch porn on trains, it could create quite an uncomfortable situation for fellow passengers, besides causing monetary losses to the railways.

Sources said railway ministry was also considering restricting free internet on railway stations temporarily.

A senior Rail Ministry official said it was financially unviable to offer internet facilities for free. "A rough estimate suggests that people are using at least 15 times more data at railway stations that they would use on their cellular networks on a daily basis. This is also evident from the misuse of internet on various railway stations. Most of users have been using railway internet for downloading porn clips, Youtube videos and other mobile apps," said the official.

The development comes in wake of the findings that the internet facility at railway stations was mostly being used for searching and downloading porn videos. Of the 23 stations that provide free Wi-Fi to passengers, Patna figured on top of the list with maximum data consumption.

"More than any other railway station in the country where free Wi-Fi service was launched, Patna railway station is on the top in the country for using internet search, particularly search for porn sites," an official of RailTel, a mini-Ratna public sector undertaking (PSU), said.

The matter is being discussed at the top level. The ministry is exploring viability of internet service on railway stations and trains. "We may also consider making Wi-Fi available for a charge. Passengers who need to use the internet service could buy the certain amount of data on payment of charges," a railway board official said.

Sources said there have been cases where people buy platform tickets just to use the free Wi-Fi. They said some people, mostly students and office goers, use the service daily and come to the station early so that they can finish some work or download videos at good speeds.

Google's free Wi-Fi at the stations is capped at one-hour per user, but there is no cap on volume of data for now. Since the first station, Mumbai Central, in January 2016, Google has connected 23 stations including Pune, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Ranchi, Patna, Ernakulam Junction and Vishakhapatnam Central.

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The plan for the world's largest public Wi-Fi project will cover 100 railway stations

On September 12, 2015, the Indian Railways announced its partnership with the tech giant Google to provide free Wi-Fi services to 400 railway stations across the country.

Users are able to access high speed internet for the first 30 minutes, however, after 30 minutes, the speed drops and becomes slow.

Using the same technology, the railways had decided to roll out the internet facility on 100 premium trains across the country. The pilot project was started in New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express in 2013.

Caption: The free Wi-Fi facility at Patna station was being used mostly to browse porn.

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While a third-year senior student, on the pretext of preparing his project report, sought the girl's help and raped her, the second student asked her to come to his hostel room to file a police complaint and raped her there.

By Pankaj P. Khelkar: A first-year engineering student girl of Raisoni Engineering College has filed an FIR against two engineering students of the same college alleging that she was raped by the duo on two consecutive days.

The third student, Avinash Shelke, was arrested for sending obscene SMS to the girl on the third day.



Karan Ghuge allegedly raped the girl.

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As per the complaint, the victim was asked by her third-year senior student colleague Karan Ghuge to help him complete his project submission and while she was there at his room, he raped her. On the second day, when she shared this with her classmate Mahesh Korde, he immediately asked her to file a police complaint. He asked her to meet him at his hostel room, and when she came to his room, her classmate committed the same crime.

Mahesh Korde also allegedly raped the girl.

The girl later informed her parents about her plight. On the basis of the victim's complaint, a police case was filed against the duo for rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and they were arrested.

Avinash Shelke allegedly sent obscene SMS to the victim.

Raisoni Engineering College is situated on the outskirts of Pune city in Lonikand area, on the Pune-Ahmednagar road.

ALSO READ:



Maharashtra backs CBI's demand for capital punishment in Bilkis Bano's gangrape case

Mumbai Police releases sketch of man who raped 14-year-old mentally challenged girl





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The deceased has been identified as Kewal Krishan who worked with a Hindi daily.

By Manjeet Sehgal: In a shocking incident from Punjab, a journalist was shot dead by a ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillor in Dhuri town of Sangrur district on Thursday night, police sources said today.

The deceased has been identified as Kewal Krishan who worked with a Hindi daily. The police has booked Paramjit Singh Pammi on charges of murder. Sources said the accused counsellor Pammi and the deceased had an altercation over a financial dispute.

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The accused was angered when the Kewal Krishan asked him to return his money. Pammi shot Krishnan publically and managed to escape from the scene.

"The accused counsellor Paramjit Singh Pammi used to borrow money from my father and currently owed Rs 10 lacs. My father asked him to return the money as there was a marriage ceremony," Kewal Krishan's son Neeraj said.

Reacting strongly to the killing of a journalist, the Punjab Congress today accused the Akalis of criminalising Punjab.

Deceased has been identified as Kewal Krishan.

"There is a deep-rooted nexus between the Akali leaders and criminals who had a free run of the state under their regime. The incident had once again proved that the Akali Dal leaders had no respect for the law of the land and were not only patronising criminals but were themselves indulging freely in criminal activities," Former congress President Pratap Singh Bajwa said.



A statement issued by the Punjab Congress Committee said the incident came close on the heels of the arrest of YAD general secretary of Malwa zone 1, Kalyan Singh, who is the son of a SGPC member. These incidents showed the total lack of fear with which the Akalis were going around committing heinous and serious crimes against the innocent people of the state, the PPCC leaders said.

Pointing out that the Akali-criminal nexus was extremely deep-rooted and widespread, Congress said the worsening law and order situation in the state reflected the severity of the problem. From violence against Dalits to crime against women and children, the state's crime graph had been on a sharp rise since the Badals took over its reins nine years ago, they said.

Akali leaders and their goons were openly threatening and attacking innocent people, and indulging in all kinds of criminal activities while the police remained mute spectators, the Punjab Congress leaders said.

On September 23, the husband of an Akali sarpanch had allegedly assaulted a five-month pregnant nurse at a private hospital in Bagapurana after being refused preferential treatment.

In another incident, in June last year, SAD (Rural) Block president from Fazilka, Mahal Singh Rana, was nabbed by the Rajasthan Police with 7.5 kg of poppy husk.

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By PTI: The exit of Nayak from the Patnaik ministry came after he faced persistent opposition attacks since last year over alleged "gross mismanagement" of the health and family welfare department.

The opposition parties have accused 49-year-old Nayak, who represents Mahakalapara Assembly constituency, responsible for the death of at least 163 people in a series of health- related incidents.

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The opposition had been demanding Nayaks resignation after death of around 60 infants at Sishu Bhavan in Cuttack last year and that of 20 children due to alleged malnutrition at Nagada in Jajpur district.

The death of at least 58 children from Japanese Encephalitis in tribal dominated Malkangiri district also brought brickbats for him.

He also came in for sharp criticism from different quarters after Dana Majhi, a tribal man from backward Kalahandi district, walked 10 km carrying his dead wifes body on shoulder after being denied a hearse by astate-run hospital in Bhawanipatna.

Nayak, who become a minister at a young age, had defeated BJP heavyweight Bijay Mohapatra in two elections in 2004 and 2014. PTI AAM SKN SUS SK

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Canada's Bombardier said it was cutting around 7,500 jobs by the end of 2018

Canada's plane and train maker Bombardier said Friday it was cutting 7,500 jobs, its second major layoff announcement this year following delays in deliveries of its C-series airplanes.

The job cuts, to be completed by the end of 2018, are expected to mostly hit administrative posts, with two-thirds from the transport division, a Bombardier spokesman said.

These layoffs come on the heels of a February announcement to eliminate 7,000 manufacturing jobs. The two rounds of job cuts account for about 20 percent of Montreal-based Bombardier's workforce.

Bombardier, which has taken on debt to finance its ambitious plane-building program, said the latest downsizing will result in annual savings of about $300 million as part of a five-year plan to turn the firm around.

"The actions announced today will ensure we have the right cost structure, workforce and organization to compete and win in the future," said chief executive Alain Bellemare in a statement.

Bombardier has been trying to accelerate production of the C Series, as well as to develop the new Global 7000 business jet, scheduled to begin production in 2018.

The company announced plans to hire as many as 3,750 employees to speed these initiatives, according to Canadian media reports. Bellemare said the new jobs would be added in low-cost countries and more-established higher cost operations.

"It's the only way that we can protect the thousands of jobs in the industry and at Bombardier. It's a very competitive industry and it's important to take the necessary steps to remain competitive in this context," he was quoted as saying

Bombardier had touted the C Series, its first completely new aircraft in the 100- to 150-seat category in more than 25 years, as a means to cut into the dominance of US aerospace giant Boeing and European rival Airbus.

But the project has been stymied by delays, with Bombardier announcing in September that it cut its 2016 forecast for deliveries of the plane from 15 to seven due to engine delivery delays from Pratt & Whitney.

Story continues

Costs for the C Series program have risen to $5.4 billion, Bombardier has estimated.

The government of Quebec came to the rescue of Bombardier last year, investing $1.0 billion for a 49.5 percent stake in its C Series plane program.

Bombardier has also sought support from federal officials in Canada, but no deal has been reached.

The Canadian government remains interested in supporting the company if certain conditions are met, such as keeping the headquarters and other key operations in Montreal and a large presence in Canada.
Senior Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi resigned from the membership of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and joined BJP, but Joshi is not the only politician who has switched sides. Here is the state-wise list of Congress leaders who have migrated to BJP after May 2014.

By Praveen Shekhar: Senior Congress leader and member of the state Assembly Rita Bahuguna Joshi resigned from the membership of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, as well as the party and joined BJP on Thursday.

Former Uttar Pradesh Congress President Rita Bahuguna Joshi's- a prominent Brahmin face- joining the Bhartiya Janta Party was imminent as she was reportedly miffed over being overlooked by the Congress for the CM job. The Congress in the hope of wooing its old Brahmin votebank projected the three-time Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit as the party's chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh.

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READ: Rita Bahuguna Joshi, ex-UP Congress chief, joins BJP; says Rahul doesn't listen



While, Rita Bahuguna cited Congress's questioning over surgical strike as the reason for leaving the party, but the real reason for her desertion seems the choice of an "outsider" as the chief ministerial candidate and the fear that she may not be able to keep her Lucknow (Cantonment) Assembly seat on a Congress ticket.

Joshi was said to have been quite upset with the party for the way she was treated. While she was roughing it out and keeping the Congress flag flying in UP against all odds, when the time came, Dikshit was chosen as the party's CM face.

But Joshi is not the only politician who has switched sides. Here is the state-wise list of Congress leaders who have migrated to BJP after May 2014.

ASSAM



Tarun Gogoi's ex-confidante Himanta Biswa Sarma joined BJP on August 29, 2015.

9 Congress MLAs had joined BJP on November 7, 2015. Nine MLAs are: Jayanta Mallah Baruah, Pijush Hazarika, Pallab Lochan Das, Pradan Barua, Abu Taher Bepari, Kripanath Mallah, Rajen Borthakur, Binanda Kumar Saikia and Bolin Chetia.

On December 21, 2015 Assam Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi disqualified 9 rebel Congress MLAs from the House membership with immediate effect for joining BJP.

A Congress MLA from Assam- Mansingh Rongpi- in July, 2016 resigned from Assam Assembly as well as from the Congress party as he planned to join the ruling BJP party.



ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Former Arunachal Pradesh CM and Congress leader Pema Khandu took a U-turn when he along 42 other Congress lawmakers had joined the regional People's Party of Arunachal, which is an ally of the BJP. In an Assembly of 60 members, the Congress had 44 lawmakers and 11 members are from the BJP. Two independent lawmakers who supported the Congress have also joined the People's Party.

DELHI



Buta Singh's son Arvinder Singh Lovely joined BJP on January 13, 2015.

On January 19 2015, Krishna Tirath formally joined the BJP. She contested from Patel Nagar (Delhi Assembly constituency) as a BJP candidate for the Delhi Legislative Assembly election, 2015 and was defeated by Hazari Lal Chauhan of AAP by a margin of 34,638 votes.



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KARNATAKA



Prominent Congress leader and former Belagavi MP Amarsinh Vasantarao Patil joined BJP in April, 2016.



MANIPUR



Manipur Congress MLA and senior legislator Yumkham Erabot formally joined the BJP on September 12.

On September 20, 2016 two Congressmen Sapam Ranjan Singh and Laishram Radhakishore Singh joined BJP. Heikham Dingo Singh from Sekmai constituency, who contested the Assembly polls on a Trinamul ticket, also joined the BJP.

Former Congress MLA and party vice-president Kh Loken Singh joined the saffron party along with his supporters on 14 October, 2016.

Two former Congress legislators join BJP in Manipur on 17 Oct, 2016. Former irrigation and flood control minister Nongthombam Biren, who was elected three times in a trot from the Heingang constituency, and former rural development minister Francis Ngajokpa, who was elected twice on a Congress ticket from Tadubi constituency and held various ministerial portfolios, were the two leaders who joined the opposition party.



MADHYA PRADESH



Congress party leader Shivkumar Urmalia today joined BJP on October 3, 2016. Urmalia had served as vice-president of Madhya Pradesh Congress. He also unsuccessfully contested from Govindpura assembly constituency in Bhopal against Gaur in 2003.



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WEST BENGAL



Since May 2016, five MLAs of Congress, including former PCC President Manas Bhunia and one from CPI(M) have switched over to TMC, bringing down the Opposition tally from 76 to 70 in the 294-member House.



ODISHA



Veteran Congress Leader Giridhar Gamang Joined BJP on June 18, 2015.

Nitesh Gangdev, who had joined the BJP days before the polls, won the Deogarh Assembly seat over BJD's Anita Pradhan. Former Minister Duryodhan Majhi, who quit the BJD and joined the BJP ahead of the polls, defeated Congress's Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi in the Khariar constituency.



UTTAR PRADESH



3 Congress' MLAs Sanjay Pratap Jaiswal, Vijay Kumar Dubey and Madhuri Verma joined BJP on 11 August, 2016.

Congress MLA Pradeep Chowdhury joined BJP on 26 August, 2016.

UTTARAKHAND



Former Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna along eight other rebel MLAs of the Congress joined the BJP on May 19 this year.





Apart from many Congress leaders joining BJP, netas from other parties have also joined BJP after May 2014.

SOME BIG LEADERS JOINING BJP POST MAY 2014 Brajesh Pathak - From BSP - Senior leader, Brahmin face - August 2016 Swami Prasad Maurya - From BSP- Senior leader, OBC face - August 2016 Jugal Kishor - From BSP- Founder member, Former MP - January 2016 Kiran Bedi - From activism- shared Anna's movement with Kejriwal - January 2015 Shazia Ilmi - From AAP- Senior leader, Founder member - January 2015

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Also Read:

How Rita Bahuguna Joshi joining BJP is a double blow to Congress



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A woman holds an anti-TTIP and CETA placard during a demonstration outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, on September 20, 2016 to protest against huge transatlantic trade deals linking Europe with Canada and the US

Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday left negotiations with the Belgian region blocking an EU-Canada trade deal after the talks failed, her spokesman told AFP.

"She walked out of the negotiations. She walked out to leave and come back to Canada," said the spokesman Alex Lawrence. He said the last-minute talks aimed at saving the stalled Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) "were not successful."
The deal would bring together BAT brands Dunhill, Kent and Lucky Strike cigarettes with Reynolds American's Camel and Newport

British American Tobacco on Friday launched a vast $47-billion bid for full control of Reynolds American, as it seeks expansion into the United States -- the second largest market after China.

The deal, worth the equivalent of 43 billion euros for around 60 percent of Reynolds that BAT does not yet own, would cement its status as one of the world's largest tobacco companies.

The news sent BAT's share price more than three percent higher in late morning deals on the London stock market.

BAT said the move would give it "a leading position in the US tobacco market" and "a significant presence in high growth emerging markets across South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, together with the most attractive developed markets".

"The main reason for the deal is for BAT to be in the United States," a company spokeswoman told AFP, noting that BAT did not have a direct presence there.

She added that building on the popularity of e-cigarettes was also a "motivation" behind the deal.

The blockbuster proposal would bring together BAT brands Dunhill, Kent and Lucky Strike cigarettes with Reynolds American's Camel and Newport.

The combined group would have a "world class pipeline" of so-called next generation products like e-cigarettes, in a fast-growing part of the market, the statement added.

Most global tobacco firms are looking to emerging markets to offset sliding demand in Western Europe, where high taxes, public smoking bans and health concerns have persuaded many people to give up or turn to e-cigarettes -- or battery powered devices that heat a nicotine liquid.

- 'Global consumption rising' -

Half of BAT's sales are in developed nations and the rest in emerging markets.

"We are not concerned by the decrease in tobacco consumption in developed countries as the consumption is rising on a global scale," the spokeswoman added.

The world's biggest cigarette producer by market share is the state-owned China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC), followed by Marlboro maker Philip Morris.

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Following the completion of Friday's deal, BAT would win some ground but remain the third biggest player, according to data-gatherer Euromonitor.

However, BAT said it would be the biggest listed tobacco firm by net turnover and operating profit.

"The full access this acquisition would give BAT to the United States -- a lucrative, consolidated market with high barriers to entry -- (means) it makes eminent sense," said Euromonitor analyst Shane MacGill.

The cash-and-shares offer would see BAT purchase the 57.8-percent of Reynolds American that it does not already hold.

The bid, pitched at $56.50 per Reynolds share, was a 20-percent premium on Thursday's close.

The deal values the entire group, which is based in Winston-Salem in North Carolina, at $93 billion.

BAT noted Reynolds' 2015 purchase of US tobacco behemoth Lorillard, the manufacturer of the Blu e-cigarette, had "strengthened" the US group.

"The proposed merger of our two great companies is the logical progression in our relationship and offers all shareholders a stake in a stronger, truly global tobacco and Next Generation Products company," said BAT chief executive Nicandro Durante.

"BAT is proud of its track record of consistent delivery for shareholders and this transaction would further strengthen that delivery in the future."

The British firm, which already holds a 42.2-percent stake in Reynolds American, added that it had not yet held formal talks owing to US securities laws.

About one in five adults in Britain smoke, according to the most recent official data for 2014. Tobacco -- which kills 100,000 people there each year -- is the top preventable cause of cancer.

Worldwide, smoking claims around six million lives annually, mostly in low-income countries, the World Health Organization says.
The stolen emails recently published by WikiLeaks reveal that President Barack Obama's email address during the presidential transition at the end of the 2008 campaign was bobama@ameritech.net.

Five emails sent to or from that email address are in the hacked email files of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton campaign chief, which date back to the 2008 campaign. The hacked emails show the Obama team was focused on preparing for the administration transition well before Election Day.

From CNBC:

The Clinton campaign has not confirmed that the emails released by WikiLeaks are legitimate documents, and CNBC cannot independently authenticate the emails. Obama was so attached to that BlackBerry that he urged White House security officials to come up with a way for him to be the first president to carry a wireless email device as a sitting president. The Secret Service and U.S. intelligence agencies expressed concern about the prospect of foreign intelligence services gaining access to any device that the president would carry. In the end, they developed a secure workaround and the president was able to continue to use mobile email. Disclosure of emails from Obama himself in the WikiLeaks trove  the theft of which intelligence officials have said was enabled by Russian intelligence  indicated that intelligence officials were right to be concerned about the privacy of the president's communications at the time.
At the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation white-tie event in New York last night, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sat within groping distance of one anotherand delivered speeches for a largely-Catholic audience. A traditional and restrained roasting of oneself and one's opponent, the dinner speeches mark the final public event where the two will tangle before election day. And, as you may already have predicted, Donald Trump managed to get himself booed at a charity dinner.

Here's the Washington Post's cut of the best moments:

He joked about the size of his hands and the size of his rival Hillary Clinton's rally crowds, then compared himself to Jesus.  "Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission," Trump said, citing a false Internet rumor as the crowd turned on him and started to boo, something that simply doesn't happen at lavish charity dinners at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. The face of one the guests sitting on the stage behind him was suddenly struck with horror. "Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private," Trump said, as the booing intensified. Trump would go on to accuse Clinton of "pretending not to hate Catholics" and mock the Clinton Foundation's work in Haiti. At one point, he wondered aloud if the crowd was booing him or Clinton, to which someone in the crowd answered: "You!"

He screwed it up because he could not restrain his spite toward his opponent, had little for himself, and wasn't very funny. Trump, though, to his credit, made a good show of taking Clinton's jabs with good humor, laughing and grinning along with everyone else (in contrast to his infamously sullen demeanor at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner.)

The real loser of the night? Rudy Guliani, who sat simmering like a dollar store Mussolini while Hillary dumped on him with her best line of the night.
How Netflix may be crushing border hoppers  and ways to get around it

Netflix may be winning the war on cross-border watchers, but some of its targets refuse to go down without a fight.

The global streaming giant launched its crackdown on border hoppers in mid-January. Ever since, unblocking services have been struggling to evade it.

Unblockers provide Netflix subscribers with the technology needed to watch shows restricted to other countries.

Earlier this week, CBC News ran a story about unblocking companies that appear to have given up the Netflix fight.

But some others are still refusing to concede and are finding ways around the Netflix blocks, says the tech security and privacy advice website Comparitech.

Comparitech writer Paul Bischoff has been tracking the action since the border battle began. He told CBC News his theory on how Netflix has crushed so many unblocking companies and why a handful are still standing  for now.

Netflix tracks you

Bischoff first noticed something was up a few months after Netflix started its crackdown.

He uses various unblocking services that provide a VPN  virtual private network  that hides his location so he can watch Netflix shows in other countries.

"I couldn't connect to Netflix over the VPN anymore and get all the shows."

Bischoff was in Bogota, Colombia, at the time and now resides in Germany. He says both countries have poor Netflix offerings compared with its U.S. library, where he prefers to access content.

Bischoff checked out about 25 unblocking companies and discovered the problem was widespread. "Some said we don't support Netflix unblocking anymore or we're temporarily blocked. And then they end up being permanently blocked."

So how does Netflix know where to attack? Bischoff says that every computer device connected to the internet has an IP or internet protocol address where the streaming service can identify your location.

When a Netflix subscriber uses a VPN, it can trick the company into thinking the subscriber is in a different country  say the U.S.

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The problem, Bischoff says, is that many VPN services provide numerous customers with exactly the same foreign IP address. That's a red flag for Netflix, because normally a single address is connected to only one device.

"Bigger VPN companies can have even thousands of people connected to one IP address, so they're much easier to spot," says Bischoff.

"[Netflix] can go in and identify it and then put up a firewall to blacklist that IP address from connecting."

Bischoff believes Netflix may also be using technology to identify how people connect to its service.

"Whenever you connect via a VPN," he says, "there may be some metadata, some extra information attached. They can spot that extra information. And then they block it."

Winners and losers

Bischoff says several unblockers appear to no longer offer foreign Netflix access. His list of casualties includes Toronto's Unotelly; Barbados' Unblock-Us; Australia's uFlix; and Denmark's Unlocator.

But Bischoff says he's found a handful of major VPN providers still managing in some fashion to bypass Netflix's blocks. They are: ExpressVPN in the British Virgin Islands, Buffered in Hungary, StrongVPN in the U.S., VyperVPN in Switzerland and NordVPN in Panama.

Bischoff says he believes some VPN providers are circumventing Netflix blocks by constantly switching customers to a different host server so their IP address changes.

"Usually a VPN server will remain functional for accessing Netflix for about one to two months, I would say, and then they have to change."

Bischoff says the companies typically don't want to draw attention to what they're up to, so blocked customers often need to contact the VPN provider to find out which new server to connect to.

"They're not going to publicly post, 'These servers are working on Twitter today, these servers are bypassing Netflix.'"

Note that Comparitech receives a referral fee for many VPN providers it recommends that prompt customers to sign up. However, the company says it would never let referral fees colour its recommendations and has given negative reviews to providers offering such fees.

NordVPN dodges Netflix

Panama's NordVPN confirmed to CBC News that it's constantly switching its servers to throw Netflix off the trail.

"Ever since the initial VPN 'crackdown' began, NordVPN has continuously offered [a] Netflix workaround in some capacity and at least limited connectivity," said the company's CMO, Marty P. Kamden in an email.

Kamden told CBC News which of its servers are currently working for people who want to access U.S. Netflix, but asked that we not publish the information.

"It often changes, so if you publish these server numbers today, they might be different tomorrow. It is better to encourage your readers to consult with our tech support."

Bischoff concludes that the only unblocking companies surviving now are ones too small to register on Netflix's radar and those like NordVPN which have enough resources and cash to keep skirting the company's blocks.

The tech writer says he understands why Netflix started this war. He explains the streaming service must honour its country-exclusive licensing agreements with Hollywood studios.

With some VPN services still putting up a fight, Bischoff believes the only way to end the battle is to reform copyright rules.

"When everything is available everywhere, a regional copyright restriction or country-specific copyright restriction seems pretty antiquated," says Bischoff.

"But that's the way it works, and until we have something to replace it, Netflix is sort of handcuffed into doing this [crackdown].

Netflix did not respond to CBC News's request for comment.
By PTI: Bengaluru, Oct 21 (PTI) Unaccounted cash of about Rs 2.4 crore stashed in abox in a persons car was found on the premises of VidhanaSoudha -- the state secretariat-- here, police said today.

The cash was unearthed by the Vidhana Soudha security officials during a routine security check this afternoon, a Cubbon Park police station official said.

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The owner of the car, Siddharth, was being questioned, the official said.

"Right now we are not in a position to say anything on this count. We have brought Siddharth to the Cubbon Park police station and we are interrogating him," the official added.

To a question whether the unaccountable money was meant to be handed over to a minister as was being speculated, the police official said, "We are also looking into it... the interrogation is on." PTI BDN RA VS KIS

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FRIDAY, Oct. 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- For parents, it's probably obvious: Plugged-in kids are less likely to get their homework done.

The more time kids devote to smartphones, tablets, video games and TV, the less likely homework and other tasks will get completed, a new study finds.

Pediatricians at Brown University in Rhode Island found that kids who use digital media devices four to six hours a day are about half as likely to complete their assignments as kids who use the devices less than two hours daily.

"It is important for parents and caregivers to understand that when their children are exposed to multiple different forms of digital media each day, the combined total digital media exposure is associated with decreases in a variety of childhood well-being measures," said study author Dr. Stephanie Ruest, of Brown's School of Public Health.

Those measures include homework, task completion, interest in learning new things and staying calm when challenged, Ruest said.

For the study, her team analyzed data from parents of more than 64,000 children, aged 6 to 17, who took part in a 2011-12 U.S. government survey.

Thirty-one percent of the children used digital media -- TV, computers, video games, tablets and/or smartphones -- less than two hours daily. More than one-third did so for two to four hours a day, while 17 percent used it four to six hours a day, and another 17 percent used it at least six hours daily.

Compared to those who used digital media less than two hours a day, the likelihood of finishing homework was 63 percent lower when kids' screen time reached six hours a day, and 23 percent less likely with use two to four hours a day, the study found.

"Parents should consider these combined effects when setting limits on digital media devices," Ruest said in an AAP news release.

The study is to be presented Friday at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting, in San Francisco. Until the findings are published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, they should be considered preliminary.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers advice to parents about children's media use.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has taken most of the blame for the 2016 campaign seasons plunge into the gutter, but in a new set of hidden-camera reports, an infamous right-wing provocateur has found some Democrats who brag that they are more than happy to get down in the muck, too.

Among other things, two subcontractors who work indirectly for the Democratic National Committee boast about sending protesters to Trump rallies in the hope of provoking a violent response that can be caught on camera. Their boss, who happens to be the husband of a Democratic member of Congress, is seen in a discussion of how people might be able to vote illegally. (He is not seen endorsing illegal voting or advocating it.)

Related: Trump's Refusal to Accept Election Results Could Be Toxic for GOP Candidates

The videos were produced by Project Veritas, which is run by James OKeefe. His work, over the years, has been riddled with dishonest editing meant to change the apparent meaning of things his targets say, and the omission of essential context. OKeefe was also convicted of illegally entering the office of then-Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana in an apparent attempt to plant a recording device.

However, theres no good way to spin some of the comments that OKeefes project caught on tape during a conversation with Scott Foval, a field organizer whose Foval Group was subcontractor working for the DNC.

Sometimes the crazies bite, he says at one point, referring to efforts to incite violence at Republican events.

You remember the Iowa state fair thing where Scott Walker grabbed the sign out of the dudes hand and then the dude kind of gets roughed up right in front of the stage right there on camera? Foval says. That was all us. The guy that got roughed up is my counterpart.

Related: FBI Documents Refer to Quid Pro Quo With State Department Over Clinton Emails

He also talks about hiring mentally ill and homeless people to do unspecified crazy stuff for him.

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Im saying we have mentally ill people, that we pay to do shit, make no mistake, says Foval in the video. Over the last twenty years, Ive paid off a few homeless guys to do some crazy stuff, and Ive also taken them for dinner, and Ive also made sure they had a hotel and a shower. And I put them in a program. Like Ive done that.

At one point, Foval describes a hypothetical plan to bus in illegal voters, suggesting it was unlikely there would be a prosecution if they were caught.

Would they charge each individual of voter fraud? he asks. Or are they going to go after the facilitator for conspiracy, which they could prove? Its one thing if all these people drive up in their personal cars. If theres a bus involved? That changes the dynamic.

Related: Trumps Rigged Election Poll Watchers Could End Up in Jail

Another figure in the tapes, Aaron Minter, brags about helping to orchestrate massive protests that sparked violence and forced the cancellation of a Trump event in Chicago earlier this year.

The most senior figure in the videos is Bob Creamer, the husband of Illinois Rep. Jan Schackowsky. In the tapes, he is seen nodding his head when a person who appears to be from Project Veritas speaks about the hypothetical possibility of busing in people to vote illegally.

Creamer does not endorse the practice, but after the tapes were released, he released a statement indicating that he would be removing himself from further campaign activity.

I am unwilling to become a distraction to the important task of electing Hillary Clinton, and defeating Donald Trump in the upcoming election, Creamer said in a statement. As a result, I have indicated to the Democratic National Committee that I am stepping back from my responsibilities working with the campaign.

Related: If Trump Loses, Will He Keep the Nation Divided?

Creamer insisted that none of the activities mentioned in the videos actually took place.

The videos are not Creamers first brush with scandal. In 2004 he was indicted on multiple charges of bank fraud and eventually spent several months in federal prison as a result.

The recordings went public at a time when Trump is trying hard to convince his supporters that the election, which polls indicate he is going to lose badly, is actually rigged against him. While they dont show evidence of the sort of vast conspiracy that would be necessary to truly rig a US election, they make it harder for Clinton and her camp to dismiss Trumps claims as beyond the pale.

So far, the Clinton campaign and the DNC have limited their response to the Project Veritas videos by insisting that the activities described by Foval, in particular, didnt happen, and noting that he has been dismissed.

We do not believe, or have any evidence to suggest, that the activities articulated in the video actually occurred, said interim DNC chair Donna Brazile.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Saima Kanwal, anchor with K-21 channel in Pakistan was doing a live report on problems faced by citizens at Nadra registration office in Karachi, when a Frontier Constabulary (FC) trooper deployed as a guard slapped her.

By Anil Kumar: In a shocking case Pakistani police guard slapped a female reporter of a private news channel while she was reporting in Karachi.

Saima Kanwal, anchor with K-21 channel in Pakistan was doing a live report on problems faced by citizens at Nadra registration office in Karachi, when a Frontier Constabulary (FC) trooper deployed as a guard, tried to stop her. He first tried to stop the cameraman from shooting, but when Kanwal diverted the camera on him for attacking the media, he slapped her.

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The video of the entire incident has gone viral.

POLICE CASE REGISTERED

"Gulbahar police have registered a case against the FC personnel over charges of conducting aerial firing and assaulting modesty of the female reporter of K-21 TV channel by slapping her," SSP Central Muqadas Hyder told the Pakistani media.

"Police have approached the FC authorities for seeking custody of the guard," he added.

Hyder also revealed that Nadra officials had also submitted an application for lodging a counter FIR against the TV channel employee for creating "hindrances in official work".

REACTIONS TO THE INCIDENT

"Strict action should be taken against this illiterate man who openly slapped out daughter/sister at Nadra office in Karachi" Salman Mujahid Bloch, MNA Pakistan (MQM) said on Facebook.

Kanwal Abidi,a TV journalist also posted on Facebook, "I highly condemn slapping by a FC guard on our female anchor - Saima Kanwal of K 21 news channel outside Nadra office in Karachi. Authorities. .. please take action against this monster. CM Murad Ali Shah where are you? CH Nisar should take strict action. ISI, please do something for female journalists protection. You are our only hope."



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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield provided support to ongoing disaster relief efforts this week following Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina, where more than 31 local counties have been declared disaster zones with limited access to proper nutrition for thousands of families.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5574b95a-cda1-4bbb-9e63-453364a24caa

Through a donation of $10,000 to Operation BBQ Relief, a non-profit organization that provides hot meals to those in need following a disaster, volunteers prepared and served Smithfield products to thousands of flood victims at a disaster relief event in Fayetteville, N.C. This donation was made as part of the Smithfield Cares Campaign, an initiative in which shoppers are encouraged to nominate someone who embraces compassion, care, and commitment in their community. From October to December, Smithfield will thank nine local heroes each week with a $1,000 Walmart gift card.

Rodney Renner, working with Operation BBQ Relief, said, This deployment could not have been successful without the participation of Smithfield and corporate America in general. The extensive resources pooled together during this disaster is making the difference in a great many lives. While many people have lost everything in the flooding, it is a great feeling knowing that their lives will not be lost due to lack of a hot nutritious meal.

Smithfield also donated more than 75,000 pounds of protein to Operation BBQ Relief and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina, as part of the companys Helping Hungry Homes program, placing more than 300,000 servings of high-quality, and nutrient-rich protein in the hands of thousands impacted by the significant floods.

Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfields coast-to-coast tour to help Americans become more food secure. This year, the program will help fight hunger through more than 40 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States totaling more than 5 million servings. To date, Helping Hungry Homes has provided more than 42 million servings of protein to food banks across America.

Smithfield has more than 11,000 employees living and working in North Carolina, and we know it is necessary for us to support our community to help alleviate the burden during this time of need. We are proud to further the efforts of Operation BBQ Relief and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina following the floods, said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. As a global food producer, we understand the importance of a high-quality, nutritious protein and recognize it's a limited resource and greatly needed by thousands of families working to recover from this disaster.

To learn how you can contribute or volunteer with the Operation BBQ Relief, please visit www.operationbbqrelief.org and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina, please visit https://actionpathways.ngo/hunger. To nominate your local hero who to embrace compassion, care and commitment, visit www.AllNaturalPork.net.

About Smithfield

A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the Ham Capital of the World. From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfields products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan's Famous, Farmland, Armour, John Morrell, Cook's, Kretschmar, Gwaltney, Curly's, Margherita, Carando, Healthy Ones, Krakus, Morliny, and Berlinki. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About Operation BBQ Relief

In 2011, Operation BBQ Relief was founded in response to a need for relief efforts in tornado-stricken Joplin, Missouri. Volunteers of competition BBQ teams from eight states answered the need to help feed displaced families, Police, Fire, National Guard and emergency personnel. Operation BBQ Relief has grown to become a Disaster Response Team made up of over 4000 volunteers and competition BBQ teams. The organization provides hot BBQ meals along with compassion, hope and friendship to those whose lives have been affected by disasters across the United States. Expertise in cooking large scale meals and an organizational structure that allows teams to quickly mobilize means that deployment teams can move into any area where nature disrupts. Since May of 2011, Operation BBQ Relief has served over 1,000,000 meals in 19 states. The deployment to North Carolina marked our 34th disaster served. Our funding comes from fundraisers, online merchandise sales and donations.

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina

The Second Harvest Food Bank distributed food to 196,700 individuals during 2015 through 260 member agencies in 7 counties. SHFB provides special programs for groups at greatest risk of hunger; for example, some 14,200 seniors received meals in addition to the more than 65,500 meals for children in the BackPack Program. SHFB also operates a mobile pantry program delivering food to rural communities where it is most needed. SHFB is a member of Feeding America, the nations leading network of food banks to hunger relief in America. Through SHFB and other organizations in its network, Feeding America distributes food to more than 37 million low-income families each year. SHFB is a program of the Action Pathways, Inc. Action Pathways is a private human services agency offering a comprehensive, supportive approach to helping families and individuals achieve and sustain economic security. Established in 1965, AP has become a respected agency among the top-tier of the national network of community action programs whose purpose is to address poverty in America. AP has a direct presence in some 34 counties throughout southeastern North Carolina. AP is the parent organization for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina (SHFB); the Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS); the Comprehensive Housing and Weatherization Programs; Self-Sufficiency Programs (ASPIRE); and Head Start. Action Pathways is accredited by the Council on Accreditation. For more information about Action Pathways programs and services, visit www.actionpathways.ngo or call (910) 485-6131.
Latvian English

Riga, Latvia, 2016-10-21 12:40 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The Issuer

SIA Acme Corporation, registered in the Commercial Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia on 21 April, 2009, with registration number: 40103225945, legal address: Citadeles Street 12, Riga, LV-1010, Latvia, telephone number: +371 67333504, number of fax: +371 67333540, e-mail: info@rbm.lv (hereinafter  Issuer).

The Issuers fully owned subsidiary

SIA Neatkariga patentu agentura, registered in the Commercial Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia on 29 April, 1998, with registration number: 40003391818, legal address: Citadeles Street 12, Riga, LV-1010, Latvia, telephone number: +371 67333504, number of fax: +371 67333540, e-mail: info@rbm.lv (hereinafter  NPA).

The amount of bonds offered for the purchase

During the period of time of the offer from 15 September, 2016 until 15 October, 2016 (including) NPA offered to purchase all outstanding Issuers bonds (ISIN: LV0000800787): 752 (seven hundred fifty two) bonds for the purchase price of EUR 1,094.13 (one thousand ninety four euros and 13 euro cents) per bond, representing full nominal value as well as in addition two months accrued interest. The offer was for all of the Issuers bonds not owned directly by the Issuer or indirectly by NPA at the moment of expressing the offer. NPA offered to purchase bonds from all bondholders accepting the offer irrespective of the number of the bondholders accepting the offer and the number of bonds tendered for purchase.

The number of bonds that is in the possession of NPA after expiration of bond purchase offer

During the period of the bond purchase offer 405 (four hundred and five) bonds were purchased. After expiration of the bond purchase offer NPA owns in total 4283 (four thousand two hundred eighty three) bonds. In the short term NPA is planning to hold the bonds in its ownership, but for the long-term future of these owned bonds the board of NPA will make decision by making a separate announcement.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Oct 21 (PTI) Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin has sought Pakistan militarys help over Kashmir issue and mocked Indias claims of "surgical strikes" in PoK.

"The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions? Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the mujahideen," Dawn newspaper quoted Salahuddin as saying.

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Salahuddin, who is also chairman of and United Jihad Council (UJC), also promised to change the map of the region.

"If the mujahideen get military support, not only Kashmir will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change," he said.

Without elaborating the details of military support he asked for, Salahuddin said Indian military power cannot be defeated through diplomacy.

Mocking Indias "surgical strikes" claims, he said Indian troops did not have the courage or capability to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to conduct any such operation.

"The propaganda has made India a laughing stock in the comity of nations," he said. PTI SH NSA AKJ NSA

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A bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said "the possession of flat shall be handed over to the respondent in two days" and said Rathore should not pay any more amount to the developer.

By PTI: The Supreme Court today directed Parsvnath developers to hand over possession of a flat in its Gurgaon project to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in two days.

"RATHORE SHOULDN'T PAY ANY MORE"



A bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said "the possession of flat shall be handed over to the respondent in two days" and said Rathore should not pay any more amount to the developer.

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The apex court said the issue of compensation to be paid by the realty firm to Rathore for the delayed possession would be dealt with at a later stage of the hearing.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for the builder said the flat was ready and they could handover possession.

RATHORE'S DEAL WORTH 70 LAKH



Rathore had booked a flat in Parsvnaths Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it.

READ| FTII chief Gajendra Chauhan meets Naidu, Rathore

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED



The firm was to deliver the flat in 2008-09. In January this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had directed the bulider to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.

Earlier, the apex court had rapped real-estate firms for making tall claims to purchasers which remained unfulfilled due to inordinate delay in completing the housing projects.

The court had on October 18 directed the SC registry to disburse Rs 12 crore, deposited by real estate firm Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd, to 70 home buyers on pro-rata basis after proper identification.

It had also directed the firm to deposit Rs 10 crore by December 10 with Supreme Court registry.

The apex courts observation had come after Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd had said it would give the flats to 70 home buyers, who are before the court, by December 17.

Also read| Govt should put out facts speedily in public domain: Rathore



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A three-judge bench of Pakistan's Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali, ruled that schizophrenia is 'not a permanent mental disorder'.

By Reuters: Pakistan's top court has ruled that schizophrenia does not fall within its legal definition of mental disorders, clearing the way for the execution, as soon as next week, of a mentally ill man convicted of murder.

Government doctors in 2012 certified Imdad Ali, 50, as being a paranoid schizophrenic, after he was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2001 murder of a cleric.

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His lawyers say Ali is unfit to be executed as he is unable to understand his crime and punishment, and that doing so would violate Pakistan's obligations under a United Nations treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

However, a three-judge bench of Pakistan's Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali, ruled that schizophrenia is "not a permanent mental disorder".

"It is, therefore, a recoverable disease, which, in all the cases, does not fall within the definition of 'mental disorder'," the judges said in Thursday's verdict.

The verdict relied on two dictionary definitions of the term 'schizophrenia', as well as a 1988 judgment by the Supreme Court in neighboring India.

The American Psychological Association defines schizophrenia as: "a serious mental illness characterised by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, and delusions or hallucinations, such as hearing voices".

Dr Tahir Feroze, a government psychiatrist who has treated Ali for the last eight years of his incarceration, says he and two other doctors certified Ali's condition in 2012.

Ali suffers from delusions that he controls the world, is persecuted and he hears voices in his head that command him, according to Feroze and Safia Bano, Ali's wife.

"He is completely delusional," Bano told Reuters.

Ali's lawyer, Sarah Belal, says the government report certifying Ali's condition had never been presented in court before 2016.

In its judgment, the court dismissed the medical records and an affidavit from Feroze.

The verdict is "outrageous", said the rights group Reprieve, which is based in Britain.

"It is outrageous for Pakistan's Supreme Court to claim that schizophrenia is not a mental illness, and flies in the face of accepted medical knowledge, including Pakistan's own mental health laws," said Maya Foa, Reprieve's director.

Pakistan has executed 425 people since reintroducing the death penalty in 2014, following a massacre at a Peshawar school where Taliban gunmen killed more than 150 people.

Ali could now be executed as early as Wednesday.

As a last resort, his wife said she would seek forgiveness for her husband from the heirs of the murder victim, a feature of Islamic law used in Pakistan that might help avert execution.

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"We have contacted some people who are close to his family," she said. "But they have so far refused to meet us."



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Police sources said that they have inputs about presence of militants in area that is why massive cordon and search operation has been launched.

Army Jawans and Jammu Kashmir Police during a search operation after dozens of rusted grenades and bullets were recovered during excavation in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

By Ashraf Wani: Security forces launched a house-to-house search operation on Friday in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, days after 44 people were arrested in massive crack down in old town of Baramulla.

Police sources said that they have inputs about presence of militants in area that is why massive cordon and search operation has been launched.

On Monday 17, an extensive search operation, locally called 'crackdown' reminiscent of the 1990s when militancy erupted in the valley, was conducted in the town.

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SEARCH OPERATIONS IN TEN SENSITIVE LOCALITIES



The joint teams of the army, police, Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) conducted "deliberate search operations in ten sensitive localities" which the army said were "reportedly being used as safe havens by the terrorists".

"The security forces sanitised the area searching over 700 houses in a span of 12 hours on October 17, 2016," an army spokesperson said adding that 44 people were apprehended.

The army said it recovered "petrol bombs, Chinese and Pakistan flags, LeT and JeM letter-head pads, unauthorised mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material" during the raids.

Such crackdowns were routinely carried during the peak of militancy in the state. Civilians, mostly men, with their hands raised on their heads were asked to come out of their houses while security forces conducted door to door searches.

MASSIVE CRACKDOWN BY JAMMU AND KASHMIR POLICE



The state police have launched a massive crackdown on youth across the valley to contain the unrest that crossed 105 days on Friday.

According to figures based on daily press releases issued by the police in Srinagar, 1,700 people were arrested between September 16 and October 19 "to curb the activities of trouble mongers involved in various crimes of disrupting the public order".

News reports, however, peg the number of those arrested and detained between 5,000 and 9,000 after protests erupted across the valley.

Human rights organisations say over 450 among the arrested have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and sent to jails without trials. PSA authorises officials to send a person to jail for 6-24 months without a court hearing.

ALSO READ:

44 arrested, terror hideouts busted during search operations in Baramulla



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Ahead of crucial assembly elections, Congress finds itself in trouble in three of the four poll-bound states with senior leaders either deserting the party or treading different paths.

By Prabhash K Dutta: One of top Brahmin faces of UP Congress, who even aspired to the chief minister's post has switched sides. Three of the eight MLAs are in rebellion mode in Goa. Uttarakhand Congress is still smarting from the defection of 10 of its popular leaders, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna. AAP has emerged as a serious contender for power in Punjab. All these states go to polls early next year.

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There is also Arunachal Pradesh, which Congress lost to a regional party cozying up to the BJP. Two of the six MLAs in Jharkhand have revolted. So, what is ailing Congress?



READ: Rita Bahuguna Joshi, ex-UP Congress chief, joins BJP; says Rahul Gandhi doesn't listen

UTTAR PRADESH

Though Congress has dubbed the resignation of Rita Bahuguna Joshi as not a loss, but the fact that till recently, she enjoyed confidence of party president Sonia Gandhi betrays the jolt that it may have suffered.

Joshi was sidelined by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, apparently, after she failed to dissuade her brother Vijay Bahuguna from leaving the party in Uttarakhand. Rahul Gandhi toured Uttar Pradesh for a month holding Khaat Sabhas as part of his Kisan Yatra, but Joshi was ignored.

While Raj Babbar, who replaced Joshi at the advice of strategist Prashant Kishor, and Congresss chief ministerial face Sheila Dikshit flanked Rahul Gandhi throughout the tour, Joshi was made to occupy third or fourth vehicle in the convoy.

As the sitting MLA from Lucknow, Joshi is a big blow to the Congress, which is trying to re-align itself with Brahman voters in the upcoming elections.



ALSO WATCH:

UTTARAKHAND

In Uttarakhand, the Congress is battling a two-pronged crisis. As many as 10 of its leaders, with some kind of mass support defected to the BJP earlier this year. The defection took place after the return of Harish Rawat as the chief minister through a trust vote on May 11.

Nine MLAs including former CM Vijay Bahuguna were disqualified under the anti-defection law. Later, ten Congress leaders were inducted by the BJP, which is confident of staging a comeback in the state.

The other major concern for the Congress, apart from anti-incumbency, is infighting. The Uttarakhand state Congress chief Kishor Upadhyay and chief minister Harish Rawat have been at loggerheads over alliance with Progressive Democratic Front (PDF), which is supporting the government.

Upadhyay does not want an alliance with PDF while Rawat is not ready to let it go. And, there is no clear instruction coming from the party high command.



READ: How Rita Bahuguna Joshi joining BJP is a double blow to Congress

GOA



Goa is another state, where Congress was expecting power by rotation. But, the Aam Aadmi Party has emerged as a serious contender for power. Goa Congress is facing rebellion.



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Three of the eight MLAs stayed away from a meeting called by Rahul Gandhi on Thursday to assess the preparation for the forthcoming assembly polls.



While two of them, Pandurang Madkaikar and Vishwajit Rane did not attend the meeting without citing any reason, another MLA Mauvin Godinho made his decision to leave the party public.



It was decided in the meeting that the Congress would go alone in the assembly elections in Goa. But, some of the MLAs present did not agree with the party vice-presidents decision as they wanted an alliance with the NCP.



READ: Punjab: Can Congress beat the AAP groundswell? India Today-Axis Opinion Poll says possible

PUNJAB

Punjab seems to be the only silver lining in the dark clouds of political prospects for the Congress. Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh has largely been able to keep his flock together. His differences with former state chief Pratap Singh Bajwa seem to have been overcome.

However, a Bajwa loyalist and former secretary of Punjab Congress Bhupinder Singh Bittu quit the party on Thursday. Bittu joined the Aam Aadmi Party, which is trying everything to make Congresss dream to come back to power difficult.



OTHER STATES

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Congress recently lost Arunachal Pradesh to a major defection by its state unit. All but one MLA switched sides and merged with the Peoples Party of Arunachal. Congress had 44 MLAs in the state assembly, now former chief minister Nabam Tuki is the sole party legislator there.

Jharkhand Congress too is battling infighting with two of its six legislators revolting against the state unit chief Sukhdeo Bhagat. Barhi MLA Manoj Yadav and Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari accused Bhagat of favouritism and bribery in the constitution of state executive committees. Yadav and Ansari demanded removal of Bhagat as state party chief.



READ: Saffron strike

FUND CRUNCH

It is an irony that the grand old party of the country is running short on funds. The party leadership had asked its MPs, MLAs, MLCs, former legislators and officer bearers at all levels to manage a minimum of Rs 1 lakh fund to the party treasury.

But, the compliance rate has not been enthusiastic as the party treasurer Motilal Vohra has sent a communique asking for funds. Vohra may write individual letters to the party members underlining the need to manage funds.

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ALSO WATCH:





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By PTI: Washington, Oct 21 (PTI) More than 100 potentially fatal gases are produced by the batteries found in billions of consumer devices such as smartphones and tablets, a new study has warned.

The research identified over 100 toxic gases released by lithium batteries, including carbon monoxide, which can cause strong irritations to the skin, eyes and nasal passages and harm the wider environment.

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Researchers from the Institute of NBC Defence in the US and Tsinghua University in China said many people may be unaware of the dangers of overheating, damaging or using a disreputable charger for their rechargeable devices.

In the new study, they investigated a type of rechargeable battery, known as a "lithium-ion" battery, which is placed in two billion consumer devices every year.

"Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are being actively promoted by many governments all over the world as a viable energy solution to power everything from electric vehicles to mobile devices," said Jie Sun, lead author and professor at the Institute of NBC Defence.

"The lithium-ion battery is used by millions of families, so it is imperative that the general public understand the risks behind this energy source," said Sun.

Sun and her colleagues identified several factors that can cause an increase in the concentration of the toxic gases emitted. A fully charged battery will release more toxic gases than a battery with 50 per cent charge, for example.

The chemicals contained in the batteries and their capacity to release charge also affected the concentrations and types of toxic gases released.

Identifying the gases produced and the reasons for their emission gives manufacturers a better understanding of how to reduce toxic emissions and protect the wider public, as lithium-ion batteries are used in a wide range of environments.

"Such dangerous substances, in particular carbon monoxide, have the potential to cause serious harm within a short period of time if they leak inside a small, sealed environment, such as the interior of a car or an airplane compartment," Sun said.

Almost 20,000 lithium-ion batteries were heated to the point of combustion in the study, causing most devices to explode and all to emit a range of toxic gases.

Batteries can be exposed to such temperature extremes in the real world, for example, if the battery overheats or is damaged in some way.

The researchers now plan to develop a detection technique to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries so they can be used to power the electric vehicles of the future safely.

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"We hope this research will allow the lithium-ion battery industry and electric vehicle sector to continue to expand and develop with a greater understanding of the potential hazards and ways to combat these issues," Sun concluded.

The study was published in the journal Nano Energy. PTI SAR SAR

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Hoo boy, I know this is going to bring out the haters. My feeling is, dress codes should be followed in restaurants that suggest them. In brief, looking neat shows respect for both the restaurant and for fellow diners.

[From the archives: Yes, it's summer. But you can't wear those shorts in these restaurants.]

I can't tell you how many times I've heard from readers who save up for a Big Deal Meal and take the time to dress up for the occasion only to find some of their fellow diners in sloppy or minimal attire. You don't have to spend a fortune on clothes to look respectable. A decent jacket and white shirt (for men) can be had for under $100.

Good morning, chatters. Thanks for joining me for another hour of food and restaurant talk. if anyone is in the market for an inexpensive good time -- specifically, ramen and cocktails in a cool DC setting -- look no further than the new Haikan, from the owners of Daikaya and Bantam King. Haikan is the subject of my Sunday review in the Magazine, which went online earlier today.

Lots of questions await. Let's rock and roll.
BIG news breaking right now: The FBI is re-opening the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server.

Just happened. Will keep you posted. Obviously a big deal. Or at least a potentially big deal.

Ok. What a week! One more to go.

Let's do it.
Many have been wondering for a while now when an Uber IPO might come. Given that the company's valuation is north of $60 billion, it's no surprise that the question has been asked.

However, Uber has shown that it has an ability to raise capital without having to tap into the public markets, something that a lot of other companies don't have the luxury of.

At some point though, it's likely the company will go public. It's just the "when" part that investors haven't figured out. Uber's CEO, Travis Kalanick, looked to shed some light on the situation. Well, sort of.

Previously, Kalanick has referred to the company as being like a junior high schooler being asked to the high school prom. Now though, he refers to Uber as an "early high schooler."

So while the answer is incredibly vague, it shows that an IPO is drawing closer, but is still some time away.

Separately from Uber, it's once-rival in China, Didi-Chuxing, has plans of its own. Uber and Didi were engaged in a fierce price war in China, until the two called a truce. Didi paid Uber $1 billion and Uber received a nearly 20% stake in the company while agreeing to cease operations in the country.

However, Didi doesn't plan only operate in China. "We're definitely going global," said its president Jean Liu.

Does that mean that Didi and Uber will once again clash somewhere else, perhaps in Europe or the U.S.? It's possible. But since the deal between the two companies happened, competition is a bit more complicated.

Lui says the ride-hailing industry is still in its infancy. So maybe there is still plenty to go around.

In 2009, the European Union hit Intel (INTC) with a $1.16 billion fine due to antitrust violations. Of course, Intel appealed the decision and has been engaged in a legal tussle since.

However, the odds for victory could be shifting in its favor, now that General Nils Wahl, an advisor to the Court of Justice of the E.U., has said the trial should be re-examined in a lower court. He argued that the first ruling had errors in its judgement and that Intel's appeal should be upheld.

If that's the case, then there may be a long line of those looking to claw back its prior rulings too. Big tech companies, including Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL) (GOOG) , have faced a number of different antitrust issues over the past few years.

Apple and Alphabet are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL or GOOGL? Learn more now.

A reversal here could be a one-off, but it could also signal a change in how things are being handled.

Shares of Intel closed at $35.43 Thursday, down 0.2%.

Under Armour (UA) has partnered with Harman's (HAR) JBL line to bring headphones to its customers. Of course, TheStreet's Brian Sozzi was able to get his mitts on a pair, where he went on to grade and review the product, here.

The device is connected via Bluetooth (convenient for more than workouts) and can even tell the user what their heart rate is.

But Under Armour has done more than just release new headphones -- it has detailed what's also to come. The next set of headphones will reportedly have a 35% smaller ear tip, and will be able to better fit a number of different ears. In other words, it will be more comfortable for a wider range of customers.

The new headphones will also have a two-piece tip design, so it will be more customizable for users. The materials are also designed to withstand sweat and water, which is definitely good for the intense-workout crowd.

Additionally, customers who buy a new pair of headphones will also get a 12-month premium subscription to MapMyRun, an app Under Armour bought a few years ago to help build out its Health Kit and fitness ecosystem.

Shares of Under Armour closed at $38.41 Thursday, down 1.1%.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
The "Jungle" migrant camp on France's northern coast will be cleared of its residents on Monday before being demolished, authorities said Friday. The local administration "made a legal order Friday that is to take effect on Monday", it said in a statement announcing the long-awaited operation. Migrants at the camp in the ferry port of Calais will begin boarding 145 buses at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) Monday to take them to nearly 300 temporary accommodation centres dotted round France. The demolition of the sprawling makeshift camp closes a difficult chapter in Europe's migrant crisis. The camp has strained relations between France and Britain, the country most of its residents are trying to reach. On Sunday, officials and charity workers will pass through the settlement of shacks and tents to inform residents that they will have to leave. The order from the local authorities informing residents that the camp is about to close was displayed from Friday in several languages. "The aim is to give everyone a roof over their heads and we will do everything we can to make that happen," one official said. The current Jungle camp dates from April 2015 and housed more than 10,000 migrants at its peak, although that number has dwindled to around 6,400 in its final days. Migrants were attracted to Calais because it is a key departure point for Britain, where some have family links and many believe they have a better chance of finding work. Their persistent efforts to climb on to trucks heading across the English Channel aboard ferries or trains have led the authorities to build a wall to keep them off the main road leading to the ferry port. The Jungle residents are mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea. For many, the camp embodies the failure of European governments to deal with the influx of migrants. - Minors await their fate - Calais residents and businesses have called for months for the camp to be razed. But the fate of around 1,000 unaccompanied minors has delayed the camp's closure. British authorities are allowing those with family links in Britain to settle in the UK. By the end of the weekend, the week's total number of children transferred to the UK was expected to have reached 200, according to the France Terre d'Asile charity. The head of the charity, Pierry Henry, told AFP that 73 minors had travelled to Britain on Friday and more than 100 were due to follow on Saturday. More than 500 have been interviewed by British officials to discover their ages and details of family members in the UK. The ages of those migrants who have reached the UK has been the subject of a bitter row and sensational headlines there, as some photographs have given rise to claims that adults may be posing as minors to gain entry. One British MP, David Davies, has called for testing of teeth to determine age, sparking outrage from the medical community. Authorities in France said the minors remaining in France will not be bussed away from the camp but stay there in more permanent accommodation while their cases are considered. But even when the Jungle is cleared away, some wonder whether another camp will simply spring up elsewhere. - 'Disastrous' image of France - Alain Juppe, the frontrunner to win the right-wing nomination for next year's French presidential election, called Friday for the scrapping of the agreement that extends Britain's border to Calais, effectively allowing the camp to exist. Juppe said the Jungle gave a "disastrous" image of his country, and that Britain should conduct its evaluations of the migrants on its own soil, not in France. In the camp this week, the remaining residents appeared resigned to their fate. Mewagul Daulatzai, 22, from Afghanistan, who runs a small shop, told AFP on Thursday he would be happy to leave. "Before I liked the Jungle. I had my friends and we were working here. But now it is too dangerous here so I am glad it's over," he said.
POSB has just introduced their new Bank and Earn cashback rewards programme, targeting the early- and mid-career individuals based on their banking needs.

A programme that rewards you based on transactions you're probably already doing



Earlier this year, they conducted a survey among some 800 customers on their reward preferences based on their banking relationships. Results showed that customers wanted the following:

Rewards structure that is straightforward and simple to understand.

Cashback rewards which are credited to their accounts regularly.

Rewarded based on their multiple relationships and transactions done with the bank.

No requirement to make additional deposits to earn rewards.

To meet these needs, POSB launched the bank and earn programme. The programme aims to reward customers with a cashback incentive every month. All customers have to do is carry on with their regular banking transactions.

Jeremy Soo, Head of Consumer Banking Group Singapore, DBS Bank, says, Currently, most of our customers are already conducting regular banking transactions with us and this means that customers can simply enjoy monthly cashbacks with POSB Cashback Bonus without doing a lot more.



The straightforward programme is the first of its kind in Singapore that offers direct cashback rewards without the need for customers to make additional fund deposits into their accounts.





Start earning cashbacks immediately



Customers need only fulfill three types of regular banking transactions within a month to qualify for these rewards. Most people already meet these requirements.

According to POSB, customers will only need to conduct at least three of the following transactions every month to earn up to SGD 130 per month in cashback rewards:





Source: POSB

Source: POSB

Credit their monthly salary (Minimum amount of SGD 2,500; cashback of 0.3%; monthly cashback cap of SGD 20) Spend on their POSB/DBS credit cards (No minimum amount required; cashback of 0.3%; monthly cashback cap of SGD 20) Pay their monthly home loan instalments (No minimum amount required; cashback of 3%; monthly cashback cap of SGD 30) Pay their POSB/DBS insurance premiums (No minimum amount required; cashback of 3%; monthly cashback cap of SGD 30; insurance products should be purchased after signing up for the programme) Invest through POSB/DBS (No minimum amount required; cashback of 3%; monthly cashback cap of SGD 30; investment products should be purchased after signing up for the programme)

Story continues

They even illustrate how customers can do that with two simple tables:





Source: POSB

Source: POSB

To enroll in the POSB Cashback Bonus programme, customers simply have to log on to POSB/DBS iBanking to register, and nominate a deposit or credit card account to receive their monthly cashback. Visit www.posb.com.sg/cashbackbonus for more information on the programme.

(By Sarah Voon)

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Recent jitters over how Singapore will cope with the current myriad of economic challenges it faces, including Brexit, the slowdown in China and weakened global demand, have led to a cut in the economic growth forecast for the nation.

The most recent growth estimate stands at 1% to 2%, down on an earlier estimate of 1% to 3%. But Singapores economy, which is heavily trade-reliant, is also facing domestic threats.

Earlier this year, Ravi Menon, the chief of Singapores central bank, announced that a labour shortage was the countrys biggest challenge for economic growth.

More jobseekers, less jobs







Source: Thinkstock/Getty Images

Source: Thinkstock/Getty Images

In 2014, the number of job vacancies in Singapore was at a record high. But recent figures from the Ministry of Manpower have revealed that, for the first time since 2012, the number of vacancies has fallen below the number of jobseekers. So what has caused this tumult in the labour market and how does the government intend to curb it?

Several factors have contributed to the downturn in figures. Long-term unemployment figures have slowly risen and redundancies were up in the first six months of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015. Static employment figures also imply that companies are reducing headcount.

Some analysts believe the roots of this most recent labour crisis can be traced back to a crunch on foreign workers five years ago. In 2011, growing political disquiet about immigration led to restrictions on overseas workers, who were blamed for taking jobs and lowering wages. As a result, the number of foreign workers was cut by two-thirds over three years  totalling just 24,000 in 2014.

Others argue that the imbalance stems from the changing nature of employment as an increasing number of firms seek to take greater advantage of automation and robotics. This is making some businesses more efficient in terms of labour and cost.

Several food and drink establishments have begun to use robots to ferry plates between customers and kitchens. Hotels and retailers are also among those looking to "employ" robot workers as many highly educated locals shun the late hours and unglamorous work.

Story continues

The increase in robot workers and funding for development and deployment of robots is causing fears that manpower is more an economic challenge than a necessity. This is particularly prevalent as wage pressure in high-skill industries continues to outpace wage pressure in low-skill industries. Many companies are also choosing to absorb wage pressure themselves amid low profits.

Help is on the way







Source: SkillsFuture SG

Source: SkillsFuture SG

Its easy to assume an autonomous workforce will only exacerbate the number of jobseekers in the country, but this is where improvements to better match candidates to jobs are coming into play. The reported mismatch of talent for available jobs in Singapore, whereby jobseekers in the country do not possess the specific skills required by employers, is being curbed by schemes such as SkillsFuture.

The Ministry of Manpower is also furthering ways jobseekers can find work, starting with its online Adapt and Grow Virtual Career Fair (AGVCF). The two-week online job fair took place in September and featured 51 employers with over 500 vacancies up for grabs. The fair garnered over 1,000 applications and 400 web chats. Attendees didnt even need to leave their houses to meet the industry professionals helping them to further their career opportunities. Manpower minister Lim Swee Say describes the online offering as a cheaper, faster and better version of physical career fairs (although the AGVCF did have a physical counterpart for one day).

It has been stressed that Singapore must continue with the lengthy economic restructuring process or become increasingly reliant on foreign workers while being unable to provide the types of careers Singaporeans want.

The government is doing its bit to introduce skills training and innovative job fairs, while simultaneously keeping an eye on specific industry requirements. In the final quarter of last year, the bulk of layoffs came from the food, beverage and retail industries, and so the government has introduced two transformation plans specifically aimed at these industries.

But it warns that it cant act alone and employees must be proactive and willing to adapt too if Singapores labour shortage is to be contained.

(By Sarah Thorp)

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By Shibani Bawa: After almost three years since SodaBottleOpenerWala brought the Bombay Irani Cafe cuisine to Delhi, Chef Anahita Dhondy has introduced more dishes to showcase the Bambaiyya soul of the restaurant chain.



The new offerings feature a mix of Mumbai's street food, some seasonal specials to celebrate the onset of winter (hopefully a cold one!) as well as a few dishes from the Bohri Muslim lineage that form an integral part of Mumbai's culinary scene.

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Pork-a-licious

What can be more Bambaiyya than the bhel? While there is a crispy corn bhel with additions of cheeslings and a chatpata chuntney, the carnivore's bhel goes a couple of steps further with bacon, ham and bits of fried chicken. Given my love for pork, I would probably never go back to the vegetarian version of this crispy street food. The humble vada pao has been given a similar makeover with another porky avatar: Bacon Vada Pao. With chunks of bacon in the stuffing, the vada is wrapped in bacon and even grilled in bacon butter.

Bambaiyya Chicken Biryani

Go Light

If these dishes sound too sinful for your palate, there are wholesome soups and salads that you can partake of. The mildly spiced and aromatic vegetable/chicken soup is made with barley and vegetables and flavoured with the classic Mumbai spice mix of garlic and green chilli known as thetcha. The Cafreal salad is available with either paneer or chicken marinated in the Goan Cafreal masala and baked instead of being deep-fried. And if you want your fix of fries, try the Adu-Tedhu babycorn fries for a better bite.

Also read: 3 Mumbai food festivals where you can get a taste of global cuisines



Sandwiches

Mumbai is famous for its sandwiches from the Raasta sandwich to the open Chilli Cheese pav, and at SodaBottleOpenerWala they are made even better with the breads baked in-house. The latter has a smattering of the sweet and tangy lagan nu achar on the pav, topped with Emmental cheese and green chillies, baked to cheesy perfection. Then there's the spicy bhuna chicken sandwich and 'Boil' egg sandwich. Paradise Roll is stuffed with mayo-laden chicken and served with old-style wafers. Overall, these make for great all-day dining options, also making the menu very well suited for families with kids who like to stick to familiar flavours.

Parsi Style Jumbo Prawn Parsi Style Jumbo Prawn

Homely Parsi

If I was to pick one star dish from the new menu, it has to be the Parsi style Jumbo Prawns that are cooked with a sesame-peanut paste and coconut milk. The curry is served separately and goes very well with the accompanying rice. The use of fresh prawns makes this dish outstanding. There is also a whole Rainbow trout baked with Parsi spices. Since it is sourced from Himachal Pradesh it is offered subject to availability. A chicken version of the dhansak is also available now in addition to the mutton/vegetable ones, as is the Bambaiyya Chicken Biryani that is mildly spiced with star anise and green cardamom. Khattu Meethu Pumpkin and Brinjal and Drumstick make for delicious vegetarian options.

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Sweet Ending

If you're someone who loves a traditional trifle pudding but can't seem to find it anywhere, the mixed berry trifle is a good bet. White chocolate lovers will love the white chocolate brownie with orange zest syrup. But since I can't think of anything beyond coffee when it comes to desserts, I have to thank Anahita for introducing the Matunga Coffee Cake that is rich with filter coffee and enhanced with a whiskey caramel sauce.

Chicken soup for the Bambaiyya soul

In a Nutshell

While regulars can continue to enjoy berry pulao, salli boti, chicken cutlis and mawa cake, the new offerings have brought a little more of Mumbai's comfort fare to the capital.

Cost: Average meal for two: Rs. 1,200+

Gurgaon: Cyber Hub, DLF Cyber City; Call: 0124-6518801, 8527636633



New Delhi: 73, Khan Market; Call: 011-43504778, 9810877701

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Venezuela's opposition Friday urged "resistance" after the government blocked its efforts to force a recall vote on President Nicolas Maduro, but vowed peaceful action to keep a political crisis from erupting into violence. Hundreds of students took to the streets in protest after authorities halted a drive to hold a referendum on removing the leftist president, creating what the opposition called a "very dangerous scenario." "The government wants violence or submission," said Jesus Torrealba, spokesman of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), the center right-dominated opposition coalition. "Our response will be civic courage, peaceful resistance. A country under a dictatorship must fight bravely for a vote," he told reporters during a break in the MUD's emergency meetings. Authorities on Thursday quashed the opposition's main strategy to get rid of the man they accuse of driving the oil-rich country to the brink of economic collapse. The National Electoral Council (CNE) said it had indefinitely suspended the recall referendum process, after criminal courts in five states ruled the opposition had committed fraud in an initial petition drive. The news came as the opposition was gearing up for the last hurdle in the complex, multi-stage process: a massive three-day drive next week to collect signatures from four million voters demanding a recall referendum. - 'Dangerous scenario' - Opposition leaders were due to give a press conference later Friday to announce their next moves. Henrique Capriles, a former presidential candidate and governor of the state of Miranda, warned on Twitter that the government was taking the country into a "very dangerous scenario, and an even greater crisis." Analysts have warned there is a risk of unrest in the country of 30 million people, where 43 people died during riots in 2014. "The referendum was going to be a pressure valve," said Jose Vicente Haro, a constitutional expert. "When the institutional paths are closed, there is a rise in violence and political conflict." The United States -- which Maduro has accused of plotting to overthrow him -- said it was "deeply concerned" by the decision to halt the referendum process. "By doing so, we believe the CNE prevents the Venezuelan people from exercising their important constitutional right," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. - Travel bans - Capriles said he and seven other opposition figures had received court orders barring them from leaving the country. Maduro's camp hinted it would seek to have opposition leaders jailed over the alleged fraud. It has previously sidelined opponents by jailing them, such as Leopoldo Lopez, the leader of the anti-government protests in 2014. "Let us hope that those responsible will now be sought out and detained and go to prison for the deception they have committed," Maduro's number two, Diosdado Cabello, said in a speech. - 'Civil disobedience' - Constitutional law specialist Jose Ignacio Hernandez said the electoral authorities' ruling stood on legally shaky ground. "A criminal court can't annul an electoral process," he told AFP. Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, called on Venezuelans to respond with "civil disobedience," including by blocking highways Saturday. "In the street, with determination, strength, conviction and unity, we will tell this dictatorship government to get out," she told a forum. - Oily problem - The opposition had been confident it would collect signatures from the required 20 percent of the electorate to move on to a full referendum. Public support for Maduro has crumbled under the pressure of a crippling recession, soaring inflation and widespread shortages of food, medicine and basic goods. A recent poll found more than 75 percent of Venezuelans disapprove of Maduro. The socialist president, who succeeded the late Hugo Chavez in 2013 and whose term ends in 2019, has vowed to hold on to power. The MUD says Maduro and his allies control the courts and electoral authorities and are using them to cling to power. Maduro says the crisis is a capitalist conspiracy. He accused the opposition of "gigantic fraud," in a speech before leaving on a tour of the Middle East. There he planned to push his plan for major oil producers to slash output in a bid to boost prices and get Venezuela's oil-dependent economy out of crisis.
If youve ever had an airline lose or delay your luggage, you know how much of a hassle it can be. And if you had to pay extra fees to bring that luggage with you in the first place, then youve likely experienced even more frustration. But that experience might be getting a bit less frustrating for consumers  though the specifics are still murky.

The Obama administration just announced a new rule that would require airlines to refund baggage fees if a passengers belongings are substantially delayed. Currently, theres not a strict definition of what that means. And theres also not a specific date where this new rule is set to go into effect either.

Rules and regulations like this one are generally intended to protect consumers. But they arent always fun for businesses to deal with. Its up to businesses of all sizes to make their voices heard, but also to consider the customer experience.

The Importance of Customer Experience

Regardless of the exact rules and regulations in place, businesses need to try to provide a positive experience for customers. And sometimes sacrifices are necessary in order to keep customers happy, even if that means refunding a fee or putting in some extra work.
Credit: Wikipedia

(Tech Xplore)Technology watching sites were abuzz this week with news about a CPU flaw regarding Intel Haswell powered devices. Researchers participating in the IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture in Taiwan said they developed a bypass for Intel's Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) technology on Haswell processors.

On Tuesday, the bypass was discussed at the IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture in Taipei.

The news is all about a side channel in Haswell CPUs which makes possible a bypass from ASLR protection. If left unfixed, said Ars Technica's Dan Goodin, malware attacks could be more potent.

Intel is aware of the situation. Hot Hardware on Thursday said Intel was investigating the matter. According to Goodin in Ars Technica an Intel spokesman said he was investigating the research paper.

Yes, there is a paper to all this. The three researchers are Dmitry Evtyushkin and Dmitry Ponomarev, both from State University of New York at Binghamton, and Nael Abu-Ghazaleh, University of California, Riverside. Their research paper is "Jump Over ASLR: Attacking Branch Predictors to Bypass ASLR." The paper describes how the bypass was done, weakening defense.

So what did they exactly jump over? And what is ASLR? Hot Hardware's Paul Lilly defined ASLR. He said it is "a built-in defense against a common form of attack that attempts to install malware by exploiting vulnerabilities in an OS or program. When you fire up a program, part of it is loaded into system memory. What ASLR does is randomize the location of various bits of code so that malware can't predict where to find it."

Nael Abu-Ghazaleh, a computer scientist at the University of California at Riverside and one the researchers who developed the bypass, told Ars Technica:

"ASLR is an important defense deployed by all commercial Operating Systems. It is often the only line of defense that prevents an attacker from exploiting any of a wide range of attacks (those that rely on knowing the memory layout of the victim)."

The researchers, in exploiting a flaw in the branch predictor part of a Haswell CPU, could load a small application that identifies the memory addresses where specific parts of code are loaded.

The researchers noted in their paper that ASLR was a widely adopted security mechanism, in kernel and application levels. It is intended to protect systems from code reuse attacks. The authors' side channels, though, allowed the recovery of the memory layout of both the kernel and user-level applications.

"We demonstrated a successful attack on a system with Haswell CPU and a recent version of Linux kernel," they said. They also described possible software and hardware countermeasures to mitigate this.

Haswell is the codename for the processor microarchitecture; it is the successor to Ivy Bridge microarchitecture.

Explore further Research identifies Android security weaknesses caused by performance design

 2016 Tech Xplore
Privacy

Report: Student Surveillance Needs More Oversight

A recent report by the National Association of State Boards of Education finds that states and policymakers need to address privacy protections for school surveillance and its potentially negative, inequitable effects.

School Surveillance: The Consequences for Equity and Privacy examines the issue of surveillance, identifying the benefits and potential problems posed by this growing phenomenon. The authors, NASBE legal fellow J. William Tucker and Amelia Vance, NASBEs director of education data and technology, say the adoption and advancement of monitoring technologies  from surveillance cameras to internet and device monitors to biometric scanners  have made student surveillance widespread across the United States. For instance, by the 2013-14 school year, 75 percent of all K12 schools in the country were using security cameras, the authors note.

The desire to keep students and staff safe is one of the top reasons schools use surveillance technologies. Other reasons include keeping students on task, auditing and efficiency.

One beneficial technology the authors point out is Blinkspots iris scanners for school buses. The company has developed a reader that scans students eyes and sounds an alert to indicate whether they got on the correct bus. The scanner also syncs with a mobile app that can update parents.

But the authors warn that surveillance can be obtrusive, abused and cause unintended consequences.

Security measures can interfere with the trust and cooperation learning requires by creating barriers among students, teachers and officials and casting schools in a negative light in students eyes, Tucker and Vance write.

As a result, students may feel less nurtured, more uncomfortable in their learning environment and more fearful of voicing their opinions in class.

Despite the potential benefit of deterring bad behavior, surveillance in schools also poses a threat to intellectual privacy and encroaches on the space to voice opinions and challenge convention, the authors say.

Also, research increasingly points to an uneven landscape of school discipline in which students of color are disproportionately impacted by discipline actions, Tucker and Vance state. The authors warn against the easy establishment of a permanent record against students via digital surveillance, and how that record can haunt students for the rest of their lives.

Despite introducing more than 400 bills on student data privacy since 2014, states have yet to address privacy protections from increasing surveillance in a serious, impactful way, the authors note.

The report recommends that state legislatures, policymakers and boards of education examine what kinds of surveillance are occurring in their schools and establish sensible policies that create guardrails on surveillance. The guardrails would ensure that surveillance methods are helping children rather than posing obstacles to their progress.

Some principles the authors recommend as valuable in the policymaking process are minimization, proportionality, transparency, openness, empowerment and equity. Training would also be an important component of instituting the policies.

The report places much of the policymaking responsibility at the feet of state boards of education, which in most states have rule-making authority. THE NASBE is a nonprofit organization representing Americas state and territorial boards of education.

To read the entire report on school surveillance, visit the NASBEs website.
Social Networking

Yik Yak Is Not So Anonymous After All

It wasn't enough that yakkers had to add personal handles and profiles starting last August. That made their posts less about saying whatever was on their mind in complete anonymity and more about finding and connecting with others in their current geographic locations. Now users of mobile app Yik Yak face the ignominy of being truly discoverable. At least that's what a research team at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering suggests in a new paper.

"You Can Yak but You Can't Hide: Localizing Anonymous Social Network Users," being presented at the upcoming ACM Internet Measurements Conference next month, describes how the research team was able to determine the geographical origin of a comment or "yak" and possibly even the person who made the post, thereby making the program susceptible to "localization attacks," putting the user at risk of being identified.

Keith Ross, a professor of computer science at Tandon and the dean of engineering and computer science at New York U's Shanghai campus, worked with students and colleagues in New York and at East China Normal University on the experiment, which used a "fairly simple machine learning algorithm" to localize yaks to within 300 feet. In one of the team's experiments, the localization effort could pinpoint which dorm was the source of the yak.

A yak only appears on devices in the vicinity of where the yak was sent. So the researchers applied a "common technique" to trick the GPS in a smartphone into believing it was on those campuses. The team tested their technique on two college campuses in the United States using their own devices and posts.

As the research paper pointed out, "If an attacker can determine the physical location from where an anonymous message was sent, then the attacker can potentially use side information (for example, knowledge of who lives at the location) to de-anonymize the sender of the message."

"The integrity of user anonymity is central to Yik Yak and similar anonymous social media apps, and this research shows that it's possible for a third party to compromise it," Ross said in a press release.

For example, if a student posted a disparaging remark about a fellow student or a faculty member, "it wouldn't be difficult" for the victim of the insult to figure out where the offensive commentary was posted from and then pinpoint the probable yakker from there.

The team informed the makers of Yik Yak about their discovery and even recommended several privacy enhancements. For example, the developer could redefine what's local by using "fixed and static display regions, where each region might cover a college campus, a small city or a district in a large city."
* 1,000-km link could power 1.6 million homes

* Iceland-UK study foresees operation from 2027

* Needs support like UK nuclear project -Landsvirkjun boss

By Jemima Kelly and Nerijus Adomaitis

REYKJANES, Iceland/OSLO, Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 21 (Reuters) - Plans to build the world's longest power interconnector from Iceland to Britain could be delayed by Britain's decision to leave the European Union (KSE: 000910.KS - news) , the head of Icelandic utility Landsvirkjun has told Reuters in an interview.

The two governments agreed last year to jointly study building the 1,000-kilometre-long IceLink cable that would power some 1.6 million UK homes.

"In the long-term there is no change in their interest (in importing power from Iceland), but it (Brexit) will definitely delay it, because they have to focus on other things now," Landsvirkjun boss Hordur Arnarson told Reuters.

The cost of building it and onshore transmission upgrades is seen at 3-3.5 billion euros, Finland-based consultancy Poyry (EUREX: JP2F.EX - news) and Icelandic investment bank Kvika has estimated.

A joint Iceland-UK statement published in July said that an appropriate support mechanism could provide a viable business case, but further investigation of the regulatory regime was needed.

"We need similar support to that for Hinkley Point C," Arnarson said, referring to a price guarantee offered by the UK government for power to be produced by a planned nuclear power plant to be built by French firm EDF (Paris: FR0010242511 - news) .

Since there is no power market in Iceland, electricity will have to be sold at a fixed price and under long-term contracts, he said.

The interconnector deal "would be like a power plant in Iceland, producing for the UK", he added.

Britain current supports power interconnectors under cap-and-floor schemes, which set upper and lower revenue limits.

A spokesman said Britain's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) would "continue to consider all available options" and kept the price guarantee idea, dubbed a contract for difference, under regular review.

Story continues

Britain's dependence on imported power is set to rise towards 2020 as ageing coal and nuclear plants close.

The 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity cable from about 2027 could supply 5-6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity per year, enough to meet the demand of 1.6 million British homes, Arnarson said.

UK gas and power grid operator National Grid (LSE: NG.L - news) said the company remained interested in the IceLink project, but said it required support from both governments.

Project developers would also need to convince critics in Iceland, who fear that local power prices will rise, reducing the country's attractiveness.

Cheap power has lured energy-hungry industries to Iceland led by aluminium producers, then data centres, and more recently silicon plants and even dedicated centres for mining bitcoin.

Three aluminium smelters consume about 75 percent of Iceland's electricity.

"It's a highly interesting project, but there are so many ifs and buts about it," said Johann Snorri Sigurbergsson, business development head at HS Orka, owner of Svartsengi power plant near Iceland's main Keflavik airport. (Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale in London; editing by Jason Neely)
The arrest of 8 people and registration of case against more than 50 has sparked a fresh debate on deciding punishment in a healthy democracy

By Akshaya Nath: The police have arrested around 8 people and registered cases against more than 50 people, but this has invited criticism from several quarters.

WANT PRESIDENT'S RULE IN TAMIL NADU: KATJU

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju in his Facebook page wrote: "Is this democracy or dictatorship? Is there no freedom of expression for the people of Tamil Nadu?" He also goes on to say that he will "appeal to the President to impose President rule in Tamil Nadu under Article 356 of the Constitution on the ground that the constitutional machinery has broken down in the state."

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ALSO READ: Prayer for Jayalalithaa: Man sleeps on thorns for 24 hours, offering himself to goddess Pechiyamman



DMK WORKERS TARGETTED, QUESTION AIADMK'S IT WING



The opposition party in the state has been alleging that their cadres are being targeted. DMK spokesperson, Adv Saravanan said, "Many of our DMK workers are being targeted and false cases have been filed against them. Also, what is the IT wing of the AIADMK that the police said to be working along with? What authority does the AIADMK's IT wing has? Moreover, social media is like a corner tea shop, how can a person be arrested for raising doubts? Then this will no longer be a democracy but will be dictatorship."

ALSO READ: Karunanidhi's wife visits Apollo Hospital to enquire about Jayalalithaa's health



DEBATE ON HEALTHY DEMOCRACY SPARKED



Meanwhile, Traffic Ramaswamy has filed an interim petition in the Supreme Court requesting the courts urgent interference to get the people arrested released and calling it unlawful. The case will come for hearing on Monday, October 24, 2016. The case is led by Advocate G S Mani, who had also represented DMDK chief Vijayakant in the defamation case filed against him by the Tamil Nadu government.

In Vijayakanth's case Justice Deepak Mishra had observed, "This is not the way... this is not the sign of a healthy democracy. This shows State's control over the sanctioning authority and prosecutor's office in filing defamation cases against opponents, media and political rivals."

READ| Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa completely well, will return home soon: AIADMK



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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Standard Bank said on Friday it agreed with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan that the government could not intervene when a bank closes the accounts of a client. Gordhan last week filed an affidavit to have a court declare he could not interfere with moves by South Africa's major banks to cut ties with businesses owned by Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, brothers who have been the subject of a state probe into allegations they have undue influence over President Jacob Zuma. Oakbay Investments, owned by the Guptas, has said Gordhan's affidavit is flawed and it's lawyers would challenge it in court. "Standard Bank agrees with the Minister of Finance that the Government is not by law empowered or obliged to intervene in the relationship between a bank and its customers as regards the closing of bank accounts," the bank said in an emailed statement. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia)
CLOVIS, N.M.  A judge denied a motion Thursday to dismiss incest charges against a New Mexico mother who is accused of having a romantic relationship with her 19-year-old son.

The decision handed down in a brief letter sets the stage for Monica Mares trial to begin next week in Clovis, where authorities say she was living with her 19-year-old son, Caleb Peterson.

Mares put up Peterson for adoption when he was an infant, and the two recently reunited. After the son moved into his mothers home, the relationship became romantic and sexual in nature, authorities said.

The Clovis News Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2elTgNH) that Judge Drew Tatums decision not to dismiss the case comes a day after she appeared in court, with her attorney, who said the state incest statute criminalizes sexual relationships between parents and children.

The relationship between Mares and Peterson represented a consensual relationship between two adults, defense attorney Brett Carter told the judge.

He also argued that incest laws punished women disproportionately.

Mares and Peterson told the British paper the Daily Mail that they made their relationship public to raise awareness about genetic sexual attraction.

Police learned of the relationship in February after responding to a dispute on the street where they lived. Its not clear if it may have been a statement from a neighbor or an acquaintance that led police to determine the two were romantically involved.

A criminal complaint states that Peterson acknowledged the relationship at the time of the arrest, saying his mother had been in a series of abusive relationships with men.

He told authorities he believed he could take care of her and keep her safe from abusive men like those in her past, a criminal complaint states.

Mares denied having an incestuous relationship at the time of her arrest.

The trial of Peterson, who is also charged with incest, is scheduled for November.

___

Information from: Clovis News Journal, http://www.cnjonline.com
AUSTIN, Texas  The government is appealing a federal judges decision to temporarily block an Obama administration directive on bathroom rights for transgender students in public schools nationwide.

A one-page filing Thursday asks the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review a preliminary injunction issued in August by U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor in Fort Worth.

Texas and 12 other states asked OConnor to halt the directive after the federal government told public schools in May that transgender students must be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with the gender they identify with.

OConnors injunction froze the directive, but more on procedural than policy grounds.

Still, Its since been cheered by top Republicans in Texas and elsewhere, who argue that the Obama administration was seeking to undermine school privacy safeguards.
It featured undercover FBI agents posing as Arab sheiks and their agents, a con man in the service of the bureau, and a bevy of public officials caught on video in the baldfaced act of influence-peddling.

The investigation, conducted in the late 1970s and early 80s, was known as Abscam. It led to the conviction of six members of the U.S. House of Representatives and one U.S. senator in events dramatized in the 2013 film American Hustle.

John Good, the FBI agent who led the two-year sting, died Sept. 28 at his home in Island Park, New York. He as 80. His son-in-law, Paul Farrell, confirmed the death and said the family did not know the cause. Good had undergone a heart operation two months ago.

Good was a second-generation FBI employee. His father, Henry, was assigned to guard David Greenglass, the spy who testified against his sister and brother-in-law, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, in the atomic espionage case that ended with the couples execution in 1953.

By the 1970s, the younger Good was stationed at a field office on Long Island, where he was investigating public corruption in the construction of a sewer project. Eager to pursue bigger cases, he undertook a collaboration with Mel Weinberg, a convicted swindler who, by Weinbergs account, copped a plea and signed on with the FBI as a paid informant.

With Weinbergs assistance, FBI agents established a fictitious company, Abdul Enterprises, purportedly owned by an Arab sheik who was looking to make investments  licit or otherwise  in the United States.

Initially, the investigation exposed criminal dealings in stolen artwork and fraudulent financial transactions. Eventually, it drew in local and then national officials trading political favors for cash.

The convicted congressmen included Reps. John W. Jenrette Jr., D-S.C., Richard Kelly, R-Fla., John Murphy, D-N.Y., Raymond Lederer, D-Pa., Michael J. Ozzie Myers, D-Pa., and Frank Thompson Jr., D-N.J., as well as Sen. Harrison Williams Jr., D-N.J.

Good, Weinberg and the rest of the FBI team conducted their business at airports, in hotel rooms and in a rented home in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Good oversaw the work.

To maintain the appearance of wealth, they hired private jets and entertained on a yacht. They recorded their interactions with officials in footage that would later dominate the headlines with its unseemliness.

Money talks in this business and bulls walks, Myers memorably remarked on a tape in which he was seen accepting an envelope containing $50,000 in cash in exchange for a promise to introduce a private immigration bill on behalf of the supposed sheik.

The politicians were just unbelievably unethical and ruthless, Good told the Newark Star-Ledger in 2013.

Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., speaking during hearings on undercover investigations in 1982, suggested that the investigators had become so giddy with their exploits that they began offering bribes too cavalierly.

Quoted in the New York Times, Good replied, If we were real crooks out there looking to bribe Congressmen, and somebody came to us and said, Look, I got a better fish for you, how can you say, No, I dont need him? 

Decades later, the investigation is still regarded as one of the largest and most dramatic probes of its kind. Weinberg sold his life-story rights to the makers of American Hustle, in which he was portrayed by Christian Bale and in which Bradley Cooper played an FBI agent based in part on Good.

Good saw his relationship with Weinberg as central to the investigations success.

There is one basic secret to dealing with informants, Good once told Robert Greene, an investigative reporter for Newsday and the author of a book about Abscam, The Sting Man.

Youve got to give them respect, Good said. No matter what they might have done in the past, they are still human beings. These people have pride. To be called a stool pigeon, a canary, a fink is demeaning.  They have to know that you are sincere, that you will keep your promises.

John Francis Good was born in the Bronx on June 17, 1936. He received a sociology degree from Fordham University in 1958 and served in the Navy before joining the FBI. The bureau posted him to Manhattan, among other field offices, before stationing him in Hauppauge, New York, where he retired in 1986. He later founded a firm of private investigators, Lawn Mullen & Good.

Goods marriages to Rosemarie Welscher and Kate Gallagher ended in divorce. Survivors include a companion, Karen Andrade of Scottsdale, Arizona; two children from his first marriage, Elizabeth Farrell of Lido Beach, New York, and John Good of New Canaan, Connecticutt; two brothers; and three sisters.

Speaking to the Star-Ledger after the release of American Hustle, Good reflected on his experience with Weinberg.

Mel was a fabulous con man, Good said. He was a very, very intelligent guy. A little on the crude side, but with a magnificent ability to con people.  Without him, its unlikely we ever would have had a case.

Weinberg, for his part, expressed similar admiration for Good and said that they had stayed in touch over the years, visiting one another and, on at least one occasion, went sailing.

If it wasnt for John Good there would have been no Abscam, said Weinberg, 91, reached by telephone at his home in Florida. I would back him up anytime, anywhere.

good-obit
Bernie Sanders can still apparently pack a punch when it comes to fundraising.

The senator from Vermont raised just shy of $2 million in two days online this week for 13 like-minded U.S. Senate and House candidates, according to his campaign committee.

As a Democratic presidential candidate, Sanders was able to raise eye-popping sums over the Internet from small-dollar donors, remaining on a competitive footing with the partys eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton.

This week, Sanders tapped his massive donor list, sending out emails asking his fans to support candidates blessed by Our Revolution, an organization he launched after exiting the race.

The two-day take was $1.88 million, with more dollars continuing to come in. The biggest beneficiary, an aide said, was Deborah Ross, who has mounted an unexpectedly strong challenge to Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. About $300,000 flowed directly to her campaign.

One of multiple solicitations sent out by Sanders referred to a recent warning by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., that Sanders could take over as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee if Democrats take over control of the Senate.

That sounds like a very good idea to me, Sanders said. It means that we can establish priorities for working people, and not just the billionaire class. What would be equally exciting is if the Democrats took back the House, and Congressman Ryan was no longer speaker.

sanders-fundraising
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.  Sandy Del Duca was mourning the death of her father when Lulu, a curly haired goldendoodle, came bounding down the stairs at the Ballard-Durand funeral home.

Del Duca thought Lulu was simply the pet of funeral home owner Matthew Fiorillo, whom she was meeting to make arrangements. But the dog also works there  one of an increasing number of dogs being offered by American funeral homes to comfort mourners.

It didnt take long for Del Duca to be won over.

That dog looked into my eyes and I was done, Del Duca said. She seemed to know just what I needed. A funeral is a funeral, its not a great thing. But that dog gave the service a family atmosphere and made it more of a celebration.

Funeral directors say dogs, especially trained therapy animals, can lighten the often awkward, tense atmosphere at a wake or funeral service, and sometimes seem to know exactly who needs their help.

Whenever a dog joins a group of mourners, the atmosphere changes, said Mark Krause, owner and president of Krause Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Milwaukee. In a funeral home, people are typically on edge, uncomfortable. But everyone lights up, everyone has to greet the dog.

Krause bought Oliver, a Portuguese water dog, in 2001 to be a family pet. But his wife had Oliver trained to be a therapy dog and he made the usual therapy-dog visits: schools, nursing homes, hospitals.

Then my wife said, Why cant he do this in the funeral home? and in the 10-plus years we had him, he probably touched a couple thousand families, Krause said. In one case, a boy about 7 years old had lost his 3-year-old sister and had stopped talking, even to his parents.

The minute the dog came in, the boy started talking to him about his sister, Krause said. This little boy tells the dog, I dont know why everyones so upset, my sister said shes fine where she is.'

I dont suppose Oliver understood, but he looked at the boy as if he did, Krause added.

Oliver died in 2011 and his funeral was attended by 150 people and many of their pets.

When Oliver started, a dog in a funeral home was a rare sight. Statistics arent kept, but Jessica Koth, spokeswoman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said, We hear from members that more and more of them are bringing animals into funeral homes, be it a dog or a cat, whether its a certified therapy dog or just an extremely well-behaved family pet.

Dogs are the only creature that love you more than they love themselves, Krause said. Cats tend to lurk. They could surprise people.

Fiorillo said, Ive never seen a gregarious cat.
By Siraj Qureshi: With the UP assembly elections around the corner, political poaching has begun in every party, with leaders from SP, BSP, BJP and Congress changing camps according to their needs.

Yesterday, when former UP Congress President and Lucknow MLA Rita Bahuguna left the Congress and joined BJP, the current UP Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Raj Babbar criticised her and said that the BJP is busy collecting backstabbers from every party. Talking to India Today, Babbar said that the BJP heavyweight president's one-point programme was to collect these backstabbers from every state in his party and is using his heavy weight for this purpose.

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RITA BAHUGUNA REPEATS HER FAMILY'S HISTORY: RAJ BABBAR



Babbar said that Rita Bahuguna, who has been a history professor, has only repeated her family's history and this is the fourth or fifth such change of faith in her family. He said that we were told that she was unwell and being sensitive to her health, the party leadership trusted her word instead of the media. He said that the Congress was not affected by Rita's brother Vijay Bahuguna's defection and it won't be affected by her defection either.

AGRA WOMEN CONGRESS CHAIRMAN BURNS RITA'S EFFIGY



Agra Women Congress Chairman Shabana Khandelwal burned an effigy of Rita Bahuguna with her supporters and claimed that Rita had proved her low mentality and her opportunistic attitude. She said that the Congress offered its ticket to Rita twice for the general elections, made her chairperson of the National Commission for Women, made her MLA of Lucknow and now the Rita Bahuguna who used to praise Rahul Gandhi, is abusing him openly.

ALSO READ:

Raj Babbar could turn Congress fortune in Uttar Pradesh

UP Congress chief Raj Babbar asks 'inactive' party leaders to quit Congress



--- ENDS ---
Imagine writing a song that skyrockets up the charts and becomes a mainstream success.

Yet it took years for it to find traction.

This is what rock band Kongos experienced with its mega-hit Come With Me Now.

The single was originally released in 2011 but found commercial success in 2014, eventually hitting No. 1 on the alternative rock charts.

The success would put Kongos on the fast track, and tours began popping up.

We had been working on the follow-up album to Lunatic when the single hit big, Johnny Kongos says in a recent phone interview. Writing had to take a break, because we had a new push with the song.

After a few years of touring, Kongos is back with Egomaniac.

Kongos says the album is the next step for the band.

We experiment more with the sounds, he says. Its been quite a fun journey to getting the album off the ground. The tour has been great so far, too. Its amazing to see people already singing the songs along with us.

Egomaniac, the bands second major label album, was released June 10 on Epic Records.

The lead-off single, Take It From Me, reached the top 10 on alternative radio.

The bands current single is The World Would Run Better.

Kongos is made up of four brothers  Johnny, Jesse, Dylan and Danny.

The brothers have music in their blood: Their dad, John Kongos, landed multiple chart hits in the 70s and the boys picked up instruments at a young age.

Weve always been in a band, and we dont know anything else, he says with a laugh. Its nice to have my brothers on tour. Of course, we fight like brothers do. Its really nice to have someone who gets where you are coming from.

The South African-born, Phoenix-based brothers recently returned to South Africa for the first time since finding success outside their homeland in August.

Were hoping to get back there for another headlining tour either this year or early next year, he says. Being there and seeing that our music spans the globe is amazing.

Egomaniac was recorded at Tokoloshe Studios, the bands full-scale production studio, in their hometown of Phoenix.

There are 13 tracks on the album, though Kongos says many more tracks were cut.

The songs that didnt make it werent the right fit for the album, he says. Its great to have access to the studio because we dont have any pressure. Then theres the downside of having too much time. It then takes us much longer to finish an album.
Nicolas Jaar has a grand plan.

And for the past year, hes been putting it into place. On this day, the Chilean-born electronic music producer was working on a slew of hip-hop beats.

Its been very busy, he says during a recent interview from New York City. Im getting ready to head out on tour. Its been a long time.

Jaar has received extensive critical praise since the release of his debut 2011 album, Space Is Only Noise.

He has contributed to BBC Radio 1s prestigious Essential Mix series, winning Essential Mix of the Year in 2012, and has performed alongside friend and collaborator Dave Harrington in Darkside.

Jaar is founder of the Other People imprint, which has put out releases by a diverse group of artists ranging from Lydia Lunch to DJ Slugo.

And lets not forget about his own music.

He released the EP Sirens on Oct. 4.

Thats not to mention his online project, The Network, a music-streaming site where fans can explore more of his music.

I guess I started working on the album in early 2015, he says. And I think it took about nine months.

Jaar says that when he first started EPs, he thought there would be a full-length record in there somewhere.

Both of the EPs felt like there was something missing,he says. When I finished Sirens, I felt like there was something missing. Potentially, I think its the end of a long period for me, and the past five years, Ive been trying a lot of different things out. Sirens was one of the last crevices that I was going to inspect before launching out to a slightly more fuller project.

Jaar says that ideally, he would like to combine a little of what he did on his previous three EPs.

I do feel like they are all missing each other, he says.

As for work in The Network, Jaar says he devoted all of his time after Sirens was recorded.

This idea comes from my slightly more mix-making side, he says. Theres also a lot of new music from me, and its not part of Sirens. It took quite a bit of work. I was trying to make the best kind of home for the record so people could understand. And to give context to the sound and the ideas. It feels great to have the site out there.

Jaar is no stranger to New Mexico and has played numerous shows in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

I think Albuquerque was one of my best DJ sets that Ive done, he says. Theres a different energy there, and its inspires me.
WASHINGTON  Reality TV is about winning. It doesnt matter how you manage to be a survivor, so long as you stay on the island. Thats the sensibility that Donald Trump, the ultimate reality-television star, brings to foreign policy.

In Trumps world, winners dont have to worry about alliances, nuclear proliferation or human rights  if they come out on top.

Trumps comments during Wednesday nights debate in Las Vegas conveyed a values-free approach to foreign policy that would make Machiavelli blush.

A generous characterization would be that he voiced an extreme realism that focused entirely on U.S. interests. A harsher assessment is that Trumps amoral approach would alienate long-standing allies and potentially endanger U.S. security.

Trumps disdain for traditional foreign policy positions was clear in his positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Even after U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russia of hacking American political parties to destabilize the election, Trump still had good things to say about the Kremlin leader.

Trump seems convinced that he and Putin could achieve a kind of personal detente. He said nice things about me, Trump enthused Wednesday night. If we got along well, that would be good. If the United States and Russia got along well and went after ISIS, that would be good.

Its hard to argue against greater Russian-American cooperation, but Trump seems oblivious to the possibility that he might be used by a belligerent, autocratic Kremlin leader.

As in the past, Trump seemed to take Putins side against President Obama and Hillary Clinton. He suggested that Putins military success (achieved through aggressive, destabilizing tactics in Crimea, Ukraine and Syria) shows that hes a strong leader whos able to push a weak U.S. around.

[Putin] has no respect for her. He has no respect for our president, Trump said. Putin has outsmarted her and Obama at every single step of the way. Whether its Syria, you name it.

An example of Putins supposed outsmarting of the U.S. was the collapse of a Sept. 12 cease-fire in Syria, which led Secretary of State John Kerry to suspend bilateral negotiations: During the cease-fire, Russia took over vast swatches of land, and then they said we dont want the cease-fire anymore. Trump said America had been outplayed.

Rather than condemning Russian and Syrian military strikes that devastated Aleppo and led the U.S. to suspend talks, Trump said civilians there were dying because of bad decisions by the U.S.

Moderator Chris Wallace eventually got Trump to condemn Russias hacking of U.S. political parties, but only after the GOP candidate had said, I doubt it, I doubt it, about a statement accusing Russia issued by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on behalf of the 17 spy agencies he oversees.

This must be the first time in our political history when a U.S. presidential candidate, after encouraging a foreign adversary to spy on the U.S., challenged the evidence of wrongdoing.

What role do alliances play in Trumps realpolitik world? Not much, it seems.

Trump claimed that Clinton was telling just another lie when she accused him of undermining commitments to defend NATO allies in Europe and Asian allies such as Japan and South Korea. But Trump has repeated often what he said in an April 27 speech, that the U.S. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves, even if that means letting them acquire nuclear weapons.

The big news Wednesday night was Trumps refusal to promise he will accept the election result if he loses.

But why should that be a surprise? People whove done business with Trump say hes famous for holding back his final payment to contractors and negotiating for a better deal, or stiffing them altogether.

Leaving people in suspense about his actions is part of Trumps self-proclaimed art of the deal. Why would he be any less high-handed in dealing with the American public than with his business associates?

For Trump, life is a validation of the cynical aphorism that might makes right. The best thing you can say about Clintons debate performance was that she took aim at this untethered, overinflated dirigible and kept landing zingers.

Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group
Theres something about fall that brings fire to New Mexico  roasting chile, burning Old Man Gloom, torching El Kookooee, and tossing your teacher work eval into the flames.

And while the first three celebrate the bounty of our land and the prospects of a better year ahead, the last is a depressingly familiar stage-managed photo op to try to divert attention from the fact too many of New Mexicos kids are not making the academic advancements needed in an increasingly competitive world.

Two days after a dozen-or-so educators tossed their annual teacher evaluations into a burning trash can in front of Albuquerque Public Schools headquarters, New Mexicos K-12 public school system is still struggling.

There are the pathetic proficiency levels (just 27.7 percent of students can read at grade level, just 19.9 percent can do math at grade level), poor graduation rates (students have just better than a 60-40 shot at a diploma compared to 80-20 nationally) and around a 50 percent need for remedial coursework for those high school grads who manage to get into college.

And just like most middle-schoolers learn quickly that losing your report card doesnt make the reality of their grades go away, so should teachers realize neither does burning your eval (even if they are in AlbuCore, a caucus of rank and file educators within the Albuquerque Teachers Federation that orchestrated the event).

Mary Kelly, a social studies teacher at Albuquerque High School, kicked off the trash-can stunt because I think the (Public Education Departments) system is punitive and arbitrary.

Really? Because teachers and school leaders who have spent the last three years using their eval data to better tailor lessons and interventions have seen marked student improvement. Real student-performance data is used in those evaluations and school letter grades, and it shows clearly that 18 New Mexico schools with low-income minority student populations improved their kids academic performance so much that they improved their school standings three full letter grades.

APS 2016 schools showed a significant decline  89 got Ds and Fs this year, up from 65 in 2015. And the number of A and B schools in APS fell from 55 to 37. Its a statistical fact that because the largest district in the state refuses to embrace data-driven reform, it is in great part responsible for the states low student proficiency rates.

As for blaming PED for a test, evaluation or grade you dont like:

Using the much-criticized Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers test better aligns New Mexico with the new national Common Core Curriculum, which is designed to ensure students at each grade level have a solid knowledge and skills foundation and are prepared for college, career and life. The Obama administration supports annual standardized tests as a necessary assessment tool, and end-of-course exams are required by state statute.

Basing teacher evaluations on student progress has been a cornerstone of the Obama administrations schools policy, and it bears repeating that New Mexicos evaluations focus only on student improvement, not proficiency. While the weight of student test-score improvement in evals could and perhaps should be reduced from 50 percent, less than half of the states teachers are at the full 50 percent. Classroom observations by trained principals and assistant principals account for at least 40 percent of an evaluation and can account for 90 percent. The bottom line is shouldnt every child leave every grade better off academically than when they started it?

Basing teacher evaluations on student progress is also a key component of the states waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act. Dumping teacher evals in the ashcan, as Washington state did in 2014, puts millions in federal funding at risk.

It is a reality that employees in the real world are routinely evaluated, and the best take those evaluations and capitalize on their strengths and improve on their weaknesses. Clearly many teachers across New Mexico are doing just that  in the Cloudcroft and Espanola, Hobbs and Los Lunas, Lovington and Gadsden, Melrose, Silver and Socorro districts.

Meanwhile, it is important to give context to Wednesdays protest: APS has 15,000 employees, including 6,166 teachers, and barely a dozen showed up to set their evals on fire.

Its fall in New Mexico, with another chile crop harvested, Zozobras gloom burned up for another year, and the first quarter of the school year wrapped up. Nonproductive staged events, and the refusal by some to use data to improve student success, needs to fizzle out.

Just like that sad little trash can fire.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Seeking to put a keen edge on many of the points Donald Trump made the night before at a presidential debate in Las Vegas, Nev., Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence said he and Trump are ready to correct, in their quest to make American great again, the mistakes of Hillary Clinton and President Obama.

Speaking to an estimated 500 fawning GOP fans attending a Trump-Pence rally Thursday evening in the Embassy Suites ballrooms in Albuquerque, Pence hit on the nations economy, foreign policy, immigration, health care, military, Supreme Court, trade, election fraud and pay-to-play politics.

Im a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order, Pence said as he began his 39-minute speech.

Despite the states recent Democratic tilt in presidential elections, Pence said, New Mexico is coming together, and were going to make Donald Trump the next president of the United States of America.

Trump, he said, embodies the spirit of America. Strong, freedom-loving, independent, optimistic and willing to fight every day for what makes America great again.

Pence, who attended the sometimes testy presidential debate between Trump and Democrat challenger Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night, said its outcome was unquestionable. From where I was sitting, Donald Trump won that debate, he said.

Addressing Trumps bombshell debate statement that he would not say whether he would accept the outcome of the presidential election, Pence said he and Trump would accept a fair election result.

But we also reserve the right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result, he said.

Like Trump, Pence blasted the media several times during his speech, telling the crowd, When I get up in the morning, I have to turn on the television with a stick. I dont know whats going to be on there.

The mainstream media out there just continues to ignore just an avalanche of scandals pouring out of the years of the Clinton Foundation, her years as secretary of state and the private server and all the rest of that business, he said. So I thought tonight I might try to catch them up a little bit.

Calling donations by private companies to the Clinton Foundation  while the same companies lobby the State Department  an example of Clintons standard issue Washington, D.C., conflict of interest, Pence said a Trump administration would end pay-to-play politics. Turning to Clintons four years as secretary of state, Pence said Clinton was the architect of failed foreign policy that has emboldened terrorists and made the world more dangerous.

He said the military has shrunk dramatically under the Obama administration, making the nation less secure and showing that Clinton is unqualified to serve as commander in chief.

I promise you that when Donald Trump becomes president of the United States, were going to rebuild our military, he said.

The nation is mired in a weak recovery, Pence said, because of the Obama administrations crippling economic policies.

Hillary Clintons plan? More of the same, he said.

He said Trump as president would cut taxes across the board and end the death tax once and for all as part of his plan to get the economy back on track  which includes renegotiating NAFTA and getting out of the Trans Pacific deal.

He also said a Trump administration would repeal what he called the Not So Affordable Health Care Act and replace it with more consumer choices and free-market economics.

Noting that the next president will choose at least one  and possibly three  Supreme Court justices, Pence said we need justices who will simply uphold the Constitution of the United States rather than take unconstitutional actions.

Voter fraud is real, he said, and the fairness of elections can be ensured by requiring voter ID  and by volunteering to assist in the electoral process.

Loretta Lamphere-Stewart, a longtime Republican from Ruidoso, said she appreciated that the rally started with a prayer, the national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, And we didnt have to apologize for it.

I thought it was awesome, she said of Pences speech, adding that he was positive, uplifting and very articulate  and not demeaning of his challenger.

Robert Millner, a Vietnam veteran from Albuquerque who attended the rally with his wife, Tina, said hes extremely worried about the direction America is headed, which is why he supports the Trump-Pence ticket.

If he (Trump) doesnt win, Lord help us, Millner said.

He said he would have liked to hear Pence talk more about veterans and the men and women in the armed forces who have lost their military jobs because of reductions in force under President Obama.

If our enemies think were weak, they pick on us, he said.

All the points Pence addressed, Millner said  the economy, immigration, taxes  all fit together and are dependent on one another.

A spokeswoman for New Mexicos Democrats said Pence simply parroted Trump.

Pence came to New Mexico spreading the same dangerous rhetoric that he and Trump have pushed this entire election, said Debra Haaland, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

He reiterated his reckless claim that he might not accept the election results, he didnt stand up for our Hispanic communities, he didnt stand up for women, and he didnt deliver a plan to make peoples lives better. Its imperative we stop the horrific ideas spread by the Trump-Pence ticket, and vote for Hillary Clinton and all Democrats between now and Nov. 8.
Thirty-three years ago, I co-wrote a story for Environment Magazine that highlighted the irreversible damage being done to our national parks, according to a growing chorus of concerned park superintendents.

As we take a close look at our nations parks and monuments during this year, their centennial, it is apparent that the maintenance and upkeep problems have gotten worse, even as the park system has expanded.

Protected federal lands are essential to the Wests economy. They attract innovative companies and workers, and are a powerful component of the regions competitive advantage. Increasingly, entrepreneurs and families who work remotely relocate to places based on their quality of life.

So Id like to propose a solution for the Park Services maintenance difficulties. I cant claim credit for inventing it because its not a new idea: President Franklin D. Roosevelt pioneered the way when he created the Civilian Conservation Corps during the economically desperate 1930s.

In 2011, I was one of over 100 economists who concluded that a new Civilian Conservation Corps was needed, so we wrote a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to revive the program. His administration moved fast, proposing a $1 billion effort also aimed at helping veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

I naively thought that both Democrats and Republicans would support such a worthwhile program, given the historical fondness for the old Conservation Corps, which helped so many families during the Great Depression. Boy, was I wrong. The presidential election was coming up and a party-line Republican vote defeated Obamas proposal.

Now were in another election year, but this time both presidential candidates are eager to promise that they would spend on the order of $275 billion (Hillary Clinton) to over $500 billion (Donald Trump) on various public projects to fix our national infrastructure. Still, this is a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated $4 trillion that the American Society of Civil Engineers says the country needs.

Proposals from the candidates to repair our national parks, however, are either inadequate or entirely absent. Earlier, Bernie Sanders was the exception; he co-sponsored the Rebuild America Act of 2015, which would set aside $3 billion a year to improve both our national parks and other public lands.

As for Clinton, she proposes replacing the Land and Water Conservation Fund with an American Parks Trust Fund and roughly doubling its funding. The average annual appropriation for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which gets its money from offshore oil and gas drilling, has been a paltry annual $40 million for federal lands, and that money is often diverted by Congress to other uses. In any case, the public land need is in the billions, with the Park Service alone facing a $12 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects.

Neither candidates proposal is necessarily benign. Clinton says she wants to increase oil and gas production, as well as renewable energy, on public lands and Trumps Republican Party has been at the forefront of proposals to either turn federal land over to the states or privatize public lands.

Both candidates say they will work hard to put people back to work, especially the angry people who say they feel forgotten or discounted. If so, theres a ready-made solution for such people, especially our returning war veterans: Put them to work repairing roads, bridges and buildings in our national parks and on our other public lands.

This would give veterans a chance to transfer their hard-earned skills from military war zones to peaceful public purposes. The program could also be expanded to help workers displaced by jobs going overseas, something that politicians often promise, but seldom achieve.

Our public lands generate ecological, social and economic benefits that last for decades, if not centuries, and they need to be funded by long-term debt. These lands were not set aside to become cash registers and relying on the free market to monetize them is fruitless. It is long past time that we drop the austerity policies that keep failing our public lands.

What can we do as Election Day draws near? We can put the candidates on the spot by asking if they support a Civilian Conservation Corps along the lines of the one proposed by President Obama. Our national parks, forests and rangelands, and our prized fishing, hunting and hiking areas have all been neglected. We say we cherish our wide-open spaces; well, its time we made them healthy again.

Gundars Rudzitis is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News (hcn.org). He is professor emeritus of geography at the University of Idaho; his next book is the forthcoming The Ongoing Transformation of the American West.
On the Nov. 8 general election ballot, the Santa Fe County Commission is proposing five separate bond issues totaling $35 million. If all are approved, the bonds would be supported by a property tax increase that amounts to $15 a year on a home with an assessed value of $300,000.

The county and local school districts should not consider property taxes  low in New Mexico relative to most of the country  a bottomless pit for new revenue, particularly in a place like Santa Fe where an aging population can be hit the hardest. We hope local governments will do more to find ways to finance capital improvements within their budgets or by seeking renewal of property taxes previously approved for expiring bonds.

But the countys ballot proposals are for worthy projects  $13.6 million for roads; $4.8 million for water and wastewater projects; $7 million for fire stations and the countys public safety complex off N.M. 14; $4.6 million for open space and trails, including the Santa Fe River trail and improvements near Petroglyph Hill south of town; and $5 million toward construction an expansion of a regional health center in Edgewood and a planned behavioral health crisis or triage center near or in Santa Fe. Voters can vote yes or no on each bond issue.

Overall, the bonds seems like a pretty good bang for the buck on what is a small tax increase. The Journal North recommends yes votes on the five bond proposals.

The County Commission is also asking for the opinion of voters via a non-binding advisory question about whether they support adding one-eighth of 1 percent to gross receipts taxes to go toward behavioral health services. The GRT increase, if actually enacted at some point by the County Commission, would be passed on to consumers to add 2 cents to a $20 purchase.

The revenues, estimated at $1.5 million a year, would help support operations at the crisis center, which is planned as part one of the bond issues on the ballot.

The idea of increased funding to attack the areas long-standing and tragic drug problem, along with other behavioral health issues, is a good one that deserves the communitys support.

But this issue should be tackled by the County Commission with a fleshed-out plan and a budget, specifics and locked-in assurances that the money would go where its needed. The commissioners would have to vote to raise taxes in any case, whatever the results from what amounts to an opinion poll. We recommend voting against the advisory question on the ballot.
The two candidates for First Judicial District Attorney, which covers Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties, have previous experience as prosecutors and both most recently served in the state Attorney Generals Office.

But the similarities dont go much further. The two dont quite see eye to eye on some big issues. Theyre separated by age and background. One stresses being tough on crime, while the other emphasizes compassion for nonviolent offenders as the district fights a major drug problem.

Yvonne Chicoine, 60, took a long route to becoming the first Republican candidate for district attorney here in 40 years.

She was born in Ames, Iowa, but moved to Downers Grove outside Chicago when she was young. She got her undergraduate degree in international relations degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., in 1977 and started working for a Congresswoman from Chicago in Washington, D.C.

From there, her career included high-ranking positions with the American Conservative Union, the oldest conservative lobbying group in the country whose foundation annually hosts the high-profile Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC; the International Trademark Association, a job that had her doing work overseas; and a forest and paper trade organization.Chicoine said a man who worked for the Department of Energy complimented the green dress she was wearing one day in Washington, D.C., and, two years later, in 1995, they were married. That man, Tom Starke, worked for Los Alamos National Laboratory. The couple moved to Santa Fe after they were married and have been here ever since.

Chicoine went to law school at the University of New Mexico in 2004 because she was getting bored and graduated in 2007. She was hired as a prosecutor by then-First Judicial District Attorney Henry Valdez and later worked for Angela Spence Pacheco when she was elected DA in 2008. Chicoine said she found criminal law to be her calling, but she said she was frustrated with policies that she believed protected defendants instead of victims.

I was told I wasnt making the judges happy because I wasnt negotiating sweet plea deals, said Chicoine, who cites her endorsements in the DAs race from the local police officers union and the Fraternal Order of Police.

It was all about how do we protect the defendants and thats why part of my core message is standing with victims. Theyre the ones who have suffered. Those who have violated the law have had tough lives, but they have made choices, and theres a lot of people in our world that have had tough lives and have not committed crimes. Poverty is not an excuse and a tough upbringing is not an excuse.

Chicoine started working in the Attorney Generals office in Santa Fe in 2011 and handled criminal cases that went before the state Court of Appeals before deciding to run for district attorney.

Democrat Marco Peter Serna, 33, was born and raised in Santa Fe and graduated from St. Michaels High School in 2001. His father, long-time political figure and former state insurance superintendent Eric Serna, is from Espanola.

His mother, Barbara Serna, is from Santa Fe and runs a jewelry store in Espanola. Marco Serna went to the University of Arizona before getting his law degree from St. Marys University in San Antonio, Texas, in 2008.

He started working in risk management for the states General Services Division and later became a prosecutor for the 13th Judicial District, which encompasses Sandoval, Valencia and Cibola counties. Serna worked on domestic violence cases there before moving on to the violent crimes unit. Serna then moved to the Attorney Generals Office to work in the Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse division before resigning from that post earlier this year to run for District Attorney.

He said he got a flood of texts after Pacheco retired from the office, effective at the end of 2015, from people saying he should run, and he eventually decided to take the dive and momentarily live off money hed saved up.

After two weeks of discussion and my own inner reflection, I said, I think I can do a good job, so I ran, Serna told the Journal recently. Its a terrifying feeling at times because I resigned from the AGs office but, if Im going to do this, Im going to do this with all of my energy.

In the June Democratic primary, Serna won a tight three-way race, besting incumbent Jennifer Padgett  whod been appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez to replace Pacheco  and another veteran of the AGs Office, Maria Sanchez-Gagne.

Since becoming a candidate, Serna has raised a $77,358  most of it spent on the primary campaign in the heavily Democratic district  more than doubling Chicoines total of $34,279, according to the last campaign finance reports filed Oct. 11. Serna had a balance $10,063 on that date to Chicoines $12,236.

Some of Chicoines latest big contributors include Santa Fe Federated Republican Women and Associated Builders and Contractors, who gave $2,500 and $1,000, respectively.

Serna recently received $2,500 from the Brewer Energy Company and $1,000 from self-employed Cesar Ornelas from San Antonio, Texas.

In his early campaign reports for the primary, Serna reported more than $18,000 from out-of-state donors, who hes said were family friends who supported his vision. Some came from principals in the law firm of Barry Goldwater Jr., son of Republican icon and 1964 GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. The firm specializes in insurance law and includes Sernas father as general counsel.

Eric Serna agreed to retire as insurance superintendent in 2006 amid disputes and investigations of contributions by insurance companies and a bank that did business with the state Insurance Division to a charity that Serna helped start. Eric Serna called the controversies inaccurate rumors, innuendo and speculation.

Marco Serna said this week, What I tell people is, one, Im proud of both of my parents for the work theyve done throughout their lifetime. You can dislike my dad, and I understand that people do, but recognize that, in addition to my dad, whom I believe had a pivotal role in my career path, I say Im also Barbara Sernas son. If youre going to paint me with my dads brush in a negative way and put a shadow on me, at least reflect some of that light from my mom on me, as well.

Issue differences

How to handle investigations of officer-involved shootings emerged as an issue in the Democatic primary and the two general election candidates also have different views.

Serna said he wants to join with other district attorneys to assemble an independent shoot team that would investigate shootings by officers. He said he would bring in a special prosecutor if a case warrants criminal charges to avoid a perceived conflict of interest, since the DAs office and local law enforcement work closely together on other cases.

When an officer is involved in a DUI or any other case, that district attorneys office inevitably always sends it to a different office because theres a potential conflict of interest, Serna said. I dont understand how that shouldnt apply to any type of incident, specifically if theres an officer-involved shooting and theres a death, because there should be more scrutiny.

The non-public investigative grand jury process that was used by former DA Pacheco to determine if police shootings were justified had come under scrutiny as the issue ballooned amid controversy over fatal police shootings in Albuquerque and nationwide.

In a controversial case on Pachecos watch, the grand jury process cleared State Police officer Oliver Wilson in the shooting death of 39-year-old Jeannette Anaya in Santa Fe in November 2013 after a car chase that started with an attempted traffic stop.

Serna said that, if charges are brought against an officer, the case should go to an open preliminary hearing in District Court so that the process is transparent. Everybody gets to see the evidence, Serna said. It also protects rights of everybody involved, which is key, in my opinion. I completely disagree with the investigative grand jury and I understand why the public disagrees with it.

Chicoine said she would review the evidence and make the determination herself as to whether the officer should be charged. She disagrees with Sernas assertion that theres a conflict of interest in such cases.

It basically says you cant trust the DA to be fair and objective, she said. Officers are involved in every case so, if the simple fact that an officer is involved in something means you cant handle it, then what does the office do? I think it is the DAs job to do that.

I would not conflict out cases simply because officers used force in protecting and serving the interests of our community, said Chicoine in response to a Journal candidates questionnaire.

She said she hopes there are law enforcement protocols in place to ensure that an investigation by the police of officer-involved shootings is thorough. Asked if State Police should investigate whether a State Police officer has used excessive use of force, as in the Jeanette Anaya case, she said, Thats not the DAs choice.

If Chicoine believes an officer crossed the line, she could take the case to a grand jury or to a preliminary hearing. It would depend on the facts and the circumstances, just as it would in any other case where there was a question whether there was probable cause to proceed with prosecution, she said.

Both candidates agree that incarceration isnt the best method for punishing nonviolent drug offenders, saying treatment for their addiction is the best way to keep them out of the judicial system. Chicoine would send addicts to treatment after they are charged for their various crimes and does not support Santa Fes Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program (LEAD), which allows a Santa Fe Police officer to send a nonviolent drug offender to treatment instead of pressing charges. She said its the district attorneys job to enforce the laws, and not pick and choose which to prosecute.

The Legislature decides whats criminal conduct, the DA does not, Chicoine said. Theres discretion involved, but you dont get to practice selective law enforcement and say for my own personal and political beliefs I dont think they should be prosecuted.

Serna strongly supports the LEAD programs pre-booking diversion to treatment programs for eligible offenders and said he would like to see more government entities adopt the practice.

I think its a great program, and  we need more programs like it that think outside the box, he said. If we look at the numbers from Seattle, where it started  the program does work. What better message to the public than officers recognizing that this individual needs help? Lets put them in this program because we believe they can defeat their addiction. I get goose bumps when I think about that.

See Chicoines answers to the Journals campaign questionnaire at: https://abqjournal.com/872595

See Sernas answers to the Journals campaign questionnaire at: https://abqjournal.com/872613
Election workers in Bernalillo County and elsewhere are mailing express check-in paperwork to registered voters.

The notices include a unique bar code that can be scanned at the polls to speed the check-in process.

Some residents, however, have raised concerns about whether the barcode check-in might lead to voter fraud. One man says he received check-in paperwork for the previous owners of his home, and New Mexico state law doesnt require a photo ID to vote.

Joey Keefe, a spokesman for the County Clerks Office, said the express check-in isnt a ticket to bypass the identification rules already in place. Voters must still state their name, date of birth and address, regardless of whether they have the barcode, he said.

Doing this fraudulently is a fourth-degree felony and a pretty unwise risk to take, which is why voter fraud in the form of voter impersonation almost never happens anywhere in the country, Keefe said.

Early voting

Early voting is now available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the clerks annex, 1500 Lomas NW, Suite A.

Other early-voting sites open Saturday.

Sick-leave measure

Litigation over the sick-leave ballot measure is continuing in state District Court.

Supporters of the proposal have asked Judge Alan Malott to reconsider a ruling that requires publishing the entire ordinance on the ballot rather than just a summary.

They fear that the city ballot in October 2017  when the proposal goes to voters  wont have room for the entire ordinance. Lack of space also helped keep the proposal off this years ballot.

Publishing the full text, proponents say, will require the city to use a two-page ballot, but the equipment used in city and county elections can handle only one page.

One potential solution, supporters say: Allow a summary on the ballot, but publish the entire ordinance on a separate document available to voters.

The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty filed the 17-page motion for reconsideration, on behalf of the Healthy Workforce ABQ campaign and other supporters.

The proposed ordinance would require employers in Albuquerque to offer paid sick leave to their workers.

Dan McKay: dmckay@abqjournal.com
A dozen local charities were the beneficiaries of a $52,000 profit made by the Asbury Cafe during this years New Mexico State Fair.

The cafe, operated on the grounds of the State Fair since 1960, began as a way for Asbury United Methodist Church to raise money for its building fund.

As the cafe prospered, the church building took shape. Since 1971, all its profits have been donated to local charities.

In 1987 St. Stephens UMC joined with Asbury UMC to expand the volunteer workers and extend the outreach of the cafe. They were joined in 1993 by St. Johns UMC.

The three churches shared in all aspects of the cafe, including picking and processing fruit, making pies, and running the cafe. In 2001 three more churches joined the volunteer effort and in 2016 11 churches participated.

More than 75 percent of the revenue goes directly to charities, particularly those that feed and provide services to the poor and homeless.

Local organizations that received funds this year from the Asbury Cafe include: The Storehouse, Albuquerque Rescue Mission, Meals on Wheels, First UMC Grace Meal, The Rock at Noon Day, South Albuquerque Coop Ministry, Good Shepherd Center, Albuquerque Street Outreach, East Mountain Food Pantry, Project Share, Family Promise, and Asbury UMC Breaking Bread.
Political observers say the BJP is eyeing the devotee vote bank in UP. The ministry of tourism (MoT) had approved the Krishna and Ramayana Circuits under its Swadesh Darshan scheme in July.

Mathura-Vrindavan, Barsana, Gokul, Nandgaon and Govardhan have been included in the Krishna circuit from UP.

By Soudhriti Bhabani: The Narendra Modi government is planning to spruce up parts of the Ramayana and Krishna tourism circuits in Uttar Pradesh, a move that is expected to become a political talking point ahead of next year's elections in the state.

Political observers say the BJP is eyeing the devotee vote bank in UP. The ministry of tourism (MoT) had approved the Krishna and Ramayana Circuits under its Swadesh Darshan scheme in July.

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The development is likely to spark controversy against the backdrop of the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute, a divisive issue that has dragged on in courts for decades but remains a powerful political plank. Hardline Hindu groups and some BJP leaders are pushing for a temple to be built at the site where activists razed the 16th century mosque in 1992.



Also Read: Will BJP's reliance on Modi backfire in UP elections?

This week, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma visited the proposed site in Ayodhya for setting up a Ramayana museum, which analysts see an attempt to keep pro-Hindutva elements in good humour. The museum will be part of the Ramayana circuit for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs225 crore, with Rs151 crore exclusively for Ayodhya.

Sources say a dozen destinations spread across five states have been proposed under the Krishna circuit, with five of them in UP. They are Mathura-Vrindavan, Barsana, Gokul, Nandgaon and Govardhan. For the Ramayana circuit, the ministry shortlisted four tourist spots in UP - Ayodhya, Shringhverpur, Nandigram and Chitrakoot.

These tourist circuits are set to be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner, tourism ministry officials said.

The government will develop massive tourism infrastructure facilities around these destinations. The Centre will spend about Rs250 crore on the Ramayana circuit in and around Ayodhya while it has already approved a fund of Rs195 crore for the Krishna circuit.

Also read: India Today-Axis Opinion Poll for Uttar Pradesh: BJP dream run to continue, but a hung Assembly likely

These are Hindu-dominated belts where promotion of pilgrimage tourism will play a key role for the BJP in its performance in the polls as it looks to ride on the religious sentiments of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

"As far as I know, no previous government had even thought of promoting pilgrimage tourism in India," Anant Virya Dasa, caretaker of Vrindavan Chandrodaya temple, told Mail Today "It is good that the government at the Centre has launched a scheme and people are happy. Obviously, the BJP will be at an advantage in all these Hindu-dominated belts."

Dasa said there is no politics involved, but people in large parts of UP (especially in the national capital region) have welcomed the drive. When asked, the state BJP leadership in UP, however, refused to comment on the issue. The Union tourism ministry had launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15 to develop theme-based tourist circuits in the country. Under this programme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development. These are the Buddhist Circuit, North-East India Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.

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Sources said according to the BJP manifesto for the 2014 polls, the party is committed to initiate projects to create 50 tourist circuits that are built around themes like cultural and spiritual tourism under Swadesh Darshan.

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Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico voters are being asked to approve tens of millions of dollars worth of construction projects at higher education institutions across the state, including a new $27 million physics and astronomy building on the University of New Mexico campus.

While higher education is the biggest ticket on the ballot, voters will also decide state bond issues for a variety of other infrastructure improvements  new buildings, senior center improvements, more books for libraries, state information technology and even a crime lab.

Bond C, at about $142.3 million is the largest, funding construction projects at universities, colleges and special schools across the state. UNM officials have estimated the higher education projects would require about 1,300 new construction jobs throughout the state if approved.

Bond C is going to provide millions of dollars to higher education institutions across the state for a variety of improvements and renovations that might not be possible otherwise, all without raising taxes, said University of New Mexico President Bob Frank.

The voters guide published by the League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico says bond approval would result in a property tax increase of $18.68 annually on a home with an assessed value $200,000, but those taxes would replace maturing bonds, so effectively voters would not see an increase in their property taxes as a result of the new bonds passing.

The bottom-line: There will be no tax increases if these measures pass. Zero, said Julia Ruetten, a spokeswoman with the Department of Finance and Administration.

Property taxes would go down slightly if the measure is rejected, but state officials with the Department of Finance and Administration did not return calls asking about the amount.

UNM stands to gain the most from Bond C, a $34.5 million share, the majority of which would fund a new physics and astronomy building on campus.

Paul Gessing, president of Rio Grande Foundation, a conservative research institute, argued that voting against the bonds would send a message to higher education institutions to be more financially prudent.

Were spending at Cadillac levels on a Hyundai budget, Gessing said.

And if people vote down the bonds, he added, their taxes follow, too.

In arguing in favor of Bond C, UNM officials say the current physics building, which was built in the 1950s, is in a state of decay and inadequate for the departments current needs.

To support that argument, UNM created a short video showing the current state of the physics building. In it, one can see staff have covered holes in the ceiling with plastic and tape. Someone created a makeshift cubicle wall using cardboard.

Similar projects also would take place in Las Cruces at New Mexico State University, which would get $27.5 million in projects, and in Socorro at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, $5.5 million in projects.

Community colleges around the state, including Central New Mexico Community College, also would receive $32.3 million in projects.

Libraries

If approved, Bond B would allow the state to bond up to $10.1 million meant to improve the states libraries, both public and those in K-12 and higher education institutions.

Bond B would also provide the state Public Education Department with $3 million and the New Mexico Higher Education Department with $3.25 million to increase print and electronic resources at school libraries across the state.

The same bond would provide the Cultural Affairs Department with $3 million to support libraries across the state with improvements to their collections. And $750,000 would go to that department for improvements at tribal libraries.

Public safety

Bond D would allow the state to issue up to $18.1 million in bonds to benefit public safety efforts in the state. The Department of Public Safety would get $7 million to design and construct a new state police crime laboratory.

The state Department of Information Technology would get $5 million to stabilize and modernize public safety communications around the state.

Finally, the Department of Military Affairs could get $4 million to plan and build a National Guard readiness center in Dona Anna County.

Another $2 million to that department would go to general improvements to facilities statewide.

Seniors

Bond A would allow the state to authorize up to roughly $15.4 million in bonds to improve senior citizens facilities.

A bond is a debt incurred by the government to finance projects. The state has to pay back that money plus interest.

The state estimates these bonds will not add to the total amount of debt, which includes existing bonds, it pays.

Bonds at a glance

Bond A: $15,440,000, to improve senior citizen facilities

Bond B: $10,167,000, libraries improvement

Bond C: $142,356,000, higher education construction projects

Bond D: $18,196,000, public safety improvements

Those who stand to benefit from the bond put in their requests to state government. Bond questions must be approved by the governor and the state Legislature.
PHOENIX  In his pursuit of a sixth term, Republican Sen. John McCain reluctantly stood by Donald Trump for months despite personal insults and the bombastic businessmans string of controversial claims.

That tepid support ended earlier this month after the release of a 2005 recording in which Trump used crude, predatory language to boast about groping women. The Arizona lawmaker said the GOP presidential nominees behavior and demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults made it impossible to offer even conditional support.

Some Republicans are clearly angry. Conservatives routinely boo McCain when Trump mentions his name at rallies in Arizona, and some are unwilling to back his candidacy over his disavowal of the nominee.

It puts us into a very difficult position because I support the Republican candidates, but I will not support anybody who will not support our nominee, Donald Trump, Phoenix resident Vera Anderson said this week. So I will not support McCain.

The 80-year-old senator and two-time presidential candidate still has a solid advantage in polls over Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, even as conservative Arizona grows more competitive in the presidential race. Democrat Hillary Clinton is investing money in the state and dispatching big-name surrogates, including first lady Michelle Obama and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

McCain has displayed confidence, leaving Arizona to campaign for other Republican Senate candidates in closer races in Pennsylvania and Indiana.

His campaign experience  five Senate races, two House races and two presidential bids  shows. Before groups, hes folksy, cutting self-deprecating jokes or nearly politically incorrect quips to loosen the crowd.

He gigs the Marine Corps (McCain was a naval aviator), tells a well-worn Irish joke (he says its the only ethnic barb he can tell without backlash) and often mentions his first campaign (during the Coolidge administration, he jests).

Then he swings through his top campaign topics, noting a list of things hes done for Arizona before warning of the growing threats across the globe from Russia, China and the Middle East. He blames the man who vanquished him in 2008  President Barack Obama  for many of the worlds problems.

The pragmatic senator who has worked with Democrats on immigration took a surprising stand on Supreme Court nominees, pledging this week that Republicans would unite against any pick from Clinton if she becomes president.

An aide later clarified that he will examine the record of anyone nominated for the high court and vote for or against that person based on their qualifications.

McCain has spent most of the year doing a delicate dance in offering lukewarm support of Trump even after the presidential nominee bashed McCain as a loser and not a war hero because he was shot down and captured during the Vietnam War.

The senator criticized Trump for making disparaging remarks about NATO, immigrants, Muslims and a Gold Star family who lost a son in Iraq but stuck by him until this month.

McCain has grown visibly frustrated after reporters ask him about Trump, and his latest strategy essentially is to avoid the media. Hes dodged reporters from The Associated Press and other outlets after events and refused to answer basic questions about the race.

After Trump refused to say at the final debate whether he will accept the election results, McCain issued a sharp statement Thursday highlighting his 2008 concession, saying congratulating the winner and calling them my president is the American way.

Kirkpatrick is running ads that remind voters how McCain voiced his support for Trump on 60 different occasions. And she slammed him after his Oct. 8 reversal, saying he missed the chance to show political courage and lead.

Kirkpatrick portrays herself as a down-to-earth woman from rural Arizona who still wears the cowboy boots she saved to buy as a young waitress. Shes used the boots as the symbol of her campaign, tagging it on signs and using them as the kicker ending her commercials.

The two have clashed on foreign relations and health care. Kirkpatrick said on a Spanish-language radio talk show this month that McCains standard response to foreign problems is to turn to the military.

John McCains solution to every crisis around the world is send in the troops, more troops, more troops,' she said. I believe that we have to fight a smart, efficient, 21st century strategy to make the world and our country safer.

McCain has hammered Kirkpatrick in ads on health care, running tape of her leaving a 2009 meeting with constituents angry about the law. She has called her vote for the 2010 law her proudest moment.

Its a disaster and its unraveling, he said at an event this month.

Kirkpatrick acknowledged problems with the law but said McCain and other Republicans have spent the past six years trying to repeal it instead of working to fix its flaws.

I hear from so many people who thank me for the vote and thank me that theyve got health care, she said in an interview. We dont want to go back to the time when people with pre-existing conditions couldnt get health insurance.

Despite the backlash from some in the GOP over Trump, others say theres just no choice but McCain.

John McCain knows more about what is going on in the world and how to deal with it than anybody in the United States Congress, Republican Lisa Graham Keegan said. And Congresswoman Kirkpatrick is a nice woman, but she cant touch John McCains experience in the world or the respect that the rest of the world has for him.
With their mandatory period of isolation expired earlier this week, the wild horses of Alto rounded up in August by the New Mexico Livestock Board soon will be allowed to mingle again as a herd.

Their numbers grew from the dozen originally picked up and then returned three weeks ago to pens on Fort Stanton Road to 13, Lorri Burnett said. One colt, who still is roaming free, will be added to the mix while the court debate continues over whether the horses are wild and not under the jurisdiction of the livestock board or if they are estray livestock and fall under its rules.

With quarantine over, were waiting for the landowners to arrive back, Burnett said. The signers of the (responsibility) for the horses then will decide when to release them into the (fenced) field.

Robbie Davis, who heads the fund raising effort to cover the care and feeding of the horses, put together a report for supporters.

The horses are doing very well, she said. They are very curious about the humans outside their pens, who are providing hay and filling their water troughs twice a day. One of the mares seems to enjoy playing a game of Im going to knock the hose out of my trough as soon as you turn your back, every single time. But, how could you be aggravated with her?

Davis said shes received inquiries about one of the other mares who lives on the fringes of the herd.

Dr. (Becky) Washburn examined them upon their return from Santa Fe and discovered an old injury this particular mare suffered some time in her very early life, Davis said. She believes this might be the reason for the partial shun, as she is most likely perceived as a weak one.

The horses will be released from the small corrals as soon as possible this week. The owner of the property has been out of town and all of the signers who accepted responsibility for the horses, must agree to the move, which essentially will be to open the gates and allow the horses to mingle in a larger fenced pasture area.

We currently have approximately eight weeks worth of hay for them, Davis said. Fund raising efforts continue with supporters able to drop a check off at any City Bank of New Mexico office for the Wild Horses of Lincoln County, or to contribute to the gofundme account.

Another shipment of the Wild Horses of Lincoln County calendars has been ordered and will be here a little before Halloween, Davis said. Any of the Fundraising Committee members can fulfill your order at that time. We still are selling raffle tickets for the two original paintings by Barbara Yates, and a gorgeous custom made saddle donated by Shawna Dobbs Bradley, in honor of her late father, Aubrey Dobbs, who was a very sweet man.

The people to contact are: Sherry Snow Turner, Sandy Tubb, Debra L Anderson, John Reiner, Kathleen Prewitt, Jessica Valenzuela, Peggy Annen-Schoemann, Beverly Alexander, Pamela Brink, Kim Elkins or Davis.

Burnett characterized the legal side of the issue as being like a herd of ants going through a tub of molasses. Patience ODowd through the Wild Horse Observers Association is the plaintiff in the litigation that resulted in a temporary injunction that stopped the sale of the members of the horse herd while their classification is being determined. Burnett said the New Mexico attorney general answered the complaint by WHOA, contending the court should deny everything.

No date has been set for the next hearing, but Davis urged supporters to remain optimistic.

As we wait to hear about a date for our court case to be heard, there are other cases being worked on that will affect our herds fight for freedom, Davis said. As with all legal cases, it is more complex than simple. But the march forward continues with great optimism. Dont lose heart. Much is being done in the background in preparation for the anticipated day. The work is tedious and the waiting is excruciating for us all.

ODowd will be in Ruidoso Monday.

Well be working with the high school art teacher, Burnett said. Patience will talk to classes all day long and give a little history about the wild horses and what WHOA has done around the country to save wild horses. Then the students are going to do some sort of an art project.

Burnett hopes to build on that beginning to develop a more elaborate art competition with the goal of creating Christmas and note cards to benefit the horses.



2016 the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.)

Visit the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.) at www.ruidosonews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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CLEVELAND  Hillary Clinton ramped up her pressure on Donald Trump in the elections most competitive states Friday with an emotional TV ad targeting his criticism of a Muslim-American family. Trump vowed to go all-out in the final three weeks so hell have no regrets  even if he loses.

The nominees retrenched behind familiar arguments a day after appearing together at a charity event that veered into cutting personal attacks, an unexpected metaphor for this years take-no-prisoners presidential campaign. Clintons new ad features Khizr Khan, whom Trump assailed after Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

In the minute-long ad, which Clintons campaign said was airing in seven battleground states, Khan retells how his son, Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq seeking to protect his U.S. military unit from a suicide bomber.

Mr. Trump, would my son have a place in your America? the father asks, tearing up as the ad fades to black.

Trump focused some of his criticism on Michelle Obama, who has emerged as one of the most effective voices for Clinton. One of the countrys most popular Democrats, the first lady for years has been loath to devote significant time to campaigning, but has done so in recent days with searing indictments of Trumps treatment of women.

All she wants to do is campaign, Trump said as he rallied supporters in North Carolina. He cited comments Mrs. Obama made during her husbands 2008 campaign in which she said someone who cant run their own house cant run the White House. Shes the one that started that, Trump said.

The typically self-assured Trump was unusually candid about the possibility of losing the election, a prospect thats grown in likelihood as Clinton solidifies her lead in battleground states that will decide the election. Trump said he is packing his schedule with campaign events through Election Day so he will know he spared no effort even if ultimately unsuccessful.

I will be happy with myself, he said.

Trump and Clinton were still sharply at odds over his unprecedented assertion in the final debate on Wednesday that he may not concede if he loses.

She said Friday at a Cleveland campaign stop, Make no mistake, by doing that, he is threatening our democracy. She said that America knows the difference between leadership and dictatorship.

Trump, meanwhile, has said hes merely reserving the right to contest the results if the outcome is unclear or questionable. Underpinning his threat is his contention  presented with no evidence  that the election is rigged against him and may be soiled by widespread voter fraud. Hes urged supporters to monitor polling places for potential shenanigans.

Fanning those flames, Russias government has asked Oklahoma and two other states to allow Russian officials to be present at polling stations on Election Day, to study the US experience in organization of voting process. Allegations by the U.S. government that Russia is trying to influence the election by hacking Democratic groups has fed a Clinton camp claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is siding with Trump.

The Oklahoma secretary of states office said Friday it had denied the Russian request, in line with state law. At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest said it was unclear what Moscow was trying to do.

Its appropriate that people might be suspicious of their motives, Earnest said.

Early voting is underway in more than 30 states. Clinton, reaching for voters who may be reconsidering their support for Trump, said in Ohio that she knows they still have questions about her. I want to answer them, she said. I want to earn your vote.

With the final debate behind them, the two candidates appeared together Thursday night for likely the last time in the campaign, at a Catholic fundraiser that turned unusually hostile.

At the dinner, a tradition intended as a display of national unity, Trump drew boos when he referred to Clinton being so corrupt and said without apparent humor that she was appearing at the event pretending not to hate Catholics.

But Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the New York archbishop seated between them at the dinner, described a less antagonistic moment backstage after he invited them to pray.

After the little prayer, Mr. Trump tuned to Secretary Clinton and said, You know, you are one tough and talented woman, and he said this has been a good experience, Dolan told NBCs Today on Friday. And she said, Donald, whatever happens, we need to work together afterwards.'

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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
CAIRO  Egypt has made fighting Islamic militants its overriding foreign policy objective, a decision that has brought it closer to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia and Iran, in turn antagonizing its chief financial backer, Saudi Arabia.

The policy is risky at a time when Egypt is struggling to contain a homegrown Islamic insurgency and tackling its worst economic crisis in decades. Saudi Arabia, which has helped keep Egypts economy from collapse with billions in aid, has already signaled its displeasure by holding back promised supplies of fuel.

This direction of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissis foreign policy is rooted in the militarys 2013 ouster of his predecessor Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Cairos single-minded pursuit of the Brotherhood  and of any Islamist group that bears the slightest resemblance to the Brotherhood  has become the guiding principle of Egypts foreign, as well as domestic, policy, Middle East expert Steven A. Cook wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine.

Perhaps no single incident showcased this direction as much as Egypts support this month for a Russian resolution on Syria at the U.N. Security Council.

Moscow put forward its resolution even as it vetoed a rival French resolution calling for a halt to Russian and Syrian airstrikes, which have caused hundreds of deaths in the Syrian city of Aleppo in past weeks.

Egypt voted in favor of both drafts, saying it did so in hopes of stopping Aleppos suffering. But siding with Russia  and by implication Assad  reflected the stance of el-Sissis government that defeating Islamic militants in Syria is the priority.

It led to the first public spat between Cairo and Riyadh since el-Sissi took office in 2014.

Adding insult to injury, Egypt this week hosted one of Assads top security aides for talks, while Russian and Egyptian commandos held joint war games  at a time of widespread outrage in the Arab world over Russias air bombardment of Aleppo.

Saudi Arabia is seeking Assads ouster and has strongly backed rebel factions, including ones with hard-line Islamist ideologies.

Egypt, in contrast, sees militants in Syria as a threat. It has been far cooler to the prospect of removing Assad.

Egypts direction undermines Saudi Arabias hopes to build a Sunni axis to block the influence of its top rival, Shiite, non-Arab Iran. In fact, Cairos show of support for Assad put it closer to Iran, the Syrian leaders top ally.

Egypt has sided closer to Russia even though Moscow has banned commercial flights to Egypt ever since the downing a year ago of a Russian jet full of tourists in the Sinai Peninsula. The crash is blamed on a bomb placed onboard by Egypts branch of the extremist Islamic State group.

The flight ban has been devastating to the tourism industry, which Egypt desperately needs to shore up its economy.

The campaign against Islamic militancy is integral to el-Sissis claim to legitimacy, said Ayman al-Sayad, a prominent analyst.

El-Sissi took office in elections held a year after he led the militarys 2013 ouster of Morsi, whose one-year in office sharply divided the country.

Security forces have since moved to crush the Brotherhood and other Islamists, killing hundreds and jailing thousands of others.

They have also been battling the IS-linked militant insurgency in Sinai, which grew stronger and deadlier after Morsis ouster.

El-Sissi has repeatedly claimed that the Brotherhoods ideology is at the root of the worlds troubles with militancy.

Cairo is willing to run the risks of its foreign policy in part because it believes others similarly fear a takeover by political Islam, el-Sayad said.

But the Arab worlds most populous country is also betting its backers wont end their support because if it collapses, the fallout will be felt beyond its borders, he said. Its true, but it involves an element of blackmail.

After the U.N. vote, the kingdom sharply rebuked Cairo. In an apparent response to this, el-Sissi said his government was pursuing independent policies aimed at safeguarding security in the Arab world through an Egyptian perspective.

Cairos willingness to antagonize the kingdom despite its economic reliance on the Sunni powerhouse has startled some.

Egypt is going out of its way to flag its independent foreign policy, said Michael W. Hanna of the New York-based Century Foundation. Its puzzling how the Egyptians expect this to work out.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also at odds over other issues.

Cairo decided not to send troops to Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition against Iranian-backed Shiite rebels. The move reflected its reluctance to be pulled back into a country where Egypt fought in an earlier bout of civil war in the 1960s.

It has also resisted being sucked into the sectarian rhetoric that defines the bitter Saudi-Iran rivalry and has kept up channels of communication with Yemens Shiite rebels, Lebanons Iranian- backed Hezbollah and the Shiite-led government in Iraq, another ally of Tehran.

El-Sissis direct role in fighting militants has mainly been focused on the grueling battle against the insurgency centered in Sinai. But he has backed Libyan general Khalifa Hifter in a fight against militants in Egypts oil-rich western neighbor.

He has also tightened Egypts siege of the Gaza Strip, ruled by the militant Hamas group, shutting down most of the underground tunnels into Egypt that the 2 million Gazans depended on for essential goods.

Shady Lewis Boutros, a London-based Egyptian analyst, wrote this week in al-Modon, an online news site, that Egypt has succeeded in playing an effective, if limited, role in the region with a foreign policy that doesnt adhere too close to any side.

But that policy also earns Egypt enmities that it can do without, especially when it desperately needs the support of some of them, he wrote.
New Mexico lost 4,200 jobs last month while its unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.7 percent, according to U.S. Labor Department figures released Friday.

New Mexicos job decline was 0.5 percent between August and September, one of three states considered to have seen a significant drop between August and September, the department said. The other states were Wisconsin and Alabama.

Year over year, New Mexico lost 2,000 jobs, or 0.2 percent, according to separate figures released by the state Department of Workforce Solutions.

The agency pays more attention to year-over-year figures because doing so evens out short-term fluctuations, spokeswoman Joy Forehand said.

Over the last four years, the state has seen year-over-year job losses three times: October 2015 and January and September of this year, Forehand said.

Its important to note that were still feeling the effects of the oil and gas crash, Forehand said. I think were expecting that for the next few months.

Goods-producing industries, which includes oil and gas, plunged 8.1 percent, or 7,800 jobs over the year.

But Forehand noted that employment in the professional and business services category was up 2,600 jobs, or 2.6 percent. That was the sectors largest numeric growth since August 2007, apart from a gain of 3,900 jobs in June 2016, according to a department news release.

Education and health services, the largest private industry sector, was up 6,100 jobs, or 4.6 percent.

Of the 13 industries measured in the states economy, six added jobs, six lost jobs and one was unchanged from September 2015.

As for unemployment, New Mexicos rate in September increased by 0.1 percentage points from 6.6 percent the month before, leaving New Mexico with the second-highest rate in the nation. No. 1 is Alaska.

The national unemployment rate was 5 percent last month.
To be Asian in America is to be quizzed, constantly, about your ethnicity. What are you? Where are you from? No, but where are your parents from?

Nowadays, these encounters are more awkward than ominous. But there used to be a time when these types of questions were a kind of national obsession  when magazines as big as Life published guides to help readers distinguish between the parchment yellow Chinese with their finely-bridged noses, and the earthy yellow Japanese, with their massively boned faces.

Recently, computer scientists at the University of Rochester tried to teach an algorithm to tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean faces. They wanted to explore how advancements in artificial intelligence have made it easier for computers to interpret pictures in sophisticated ways. But, intentionally or not, their research taps into the uncomfortable history of how Asians have struggled to fit into American life.

The scientists were inspired by a quiz created by Japanese-American web designer Dyske Suematsu. Fifteen years ago, Suematsu decided, half-jokingly, to investigate the stereotype that Asians all look alike. He threw a party in New York City and invited Asian friends. He put their portraits on the Internet and asked strangers to guess their ethnicity.

The website was a huge hit, quickly becoming one of the webs first viral sensations. Suematsu says that millions have registered and taken the test. On average, people identify 7 out of 18 photos correctly  an accuracy rate of about 39 percent. Thats barely better than pure guessing, which would yield an accuracy rate of 33 percent, on average.

This is a challenging task even for humans, said Jiebo Lu, a professor of computer science at the University of Rochester. I asked some of my students to take the test and they all failed horribly  even though all of them were Asian.

Lu and his students suspected that a trained artificial intelligence might be able to perform as well, or even better. Recently, they collected hundreds of thousands of pictures of East Asian faces and fed them through an algorithm to figure out just what made Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people look different. In a draft report detailing their results, they provide samples of the pictures fed to the computer.

But despite what they expected to be a difficult task, the scientists were surprised to discover that the computer could achieve accuracy rates of over 75 percent. This is far better than humans performed on Suematsus quiz. The computers advantage is that it could draw on a vast library of faces, Lu explained. Our machine has seen far more examples than any living person, he said.

Lack of experience is a major reason why humans sometimes struggle to tell foreigners apart. Psychologists call it the cross-race effect: We are much better at distinguishing members of our own race or ethnicity than members of other races or ethnicities.

Studies suggest that with training, people can improve at recognizing the faces of people from different ethnic backgrounds. As Lu and his colleagues have demonstrated, computers might even be better than we are at noticing some of these subtle distinctions.

Its not all about physical proportions. When the scientists went to investigate how the computer was making its decisions, they discovered an interesting pattern. Many of the cues that stood out to the algorithm were cultural features, like hairstyles or glasses or facial expressions. This makes sense, since the people of China, Japan, and Korea have somewhat shared ancestries, but distinct senses of fashion.

Without being told, the computer seemed to realize that our concepts of race and national identity transcend genetics  they are cultural ideas.

Lu imagines that this kind of research might one day be used in targeted ads or counterterrorism. Being able to discern a persons nationality from their profile photo would help marketers better tailor online messages. Or, in a more Orwellian context, airports could set up cameras to racially profile people in the name of homeland security.

It may be more interesting though, to view the project almost as a work of conceptual art. Lu and his co-authors are all scientists of Chinese heritage working in the United States, a nation that has not always welcomed Asians, or treated them with respect.

Just a few weeks ago, The OReilly Factor, the Fox News show, sent reporter Jesse Watters to Manhattans Chinatown, where he proceeded to mock the residents with a mash-up of stereotypes. In a stunning thirty-second clip, Watters asks a man if he knows karate (a Japanese style of martial arts) and then, confusingly enough, proceeds to attempt Tae Kwon Do (a Korean style of martial arts) with nunchucks (which originated in Japan), writes The New Yorkers Jiayang Fan. The point is clear: no one can tell these Orientals apart anyway!

The work of Lus lab rebukes the lazy notion that Asians all look the same. If a software routine can be trained to easily recognize the differences between a Chinese person, a Japanese person, and a Korean person, then that challenges Americans to pay close attention, to work harder to understand the diverse mix of people living in our nation today.

At the same time, its unclear how well the program would fare if it were presented only with pictures of Asian people who grew up in the United States. If the computer is mainly making judgements based on cultural attributes, it might completely fail at distinguishing between Korean-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and Chinese-Americans.

That, too, would be remarkable  it would illustrate how identity is not something we are born with, but something that we build piece by piece.

Ask any Asian-American. Every single one has a well-worn reply to the question: So where are you really from? When someone demands your ancestry at the beginning of a conversation  as often happens if youre Asian  it implies that your genetic history is the most interesting thing about you. This gets tiresome no matter how proud you are of your heritage.

If smartphones could operate some version of the software from Lus lab, trained on the different nationalities of the world, we could all avoid a lot of awkwardness. With our new mental prosthetics, we might learn to look at each other in new ways. But we might not master a lesson that truly matters: Sometimes, respecting another person means learning about their differences. And sometimes, it means recognizing how theyre really just the same.

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PHOENIX  A government attorney argued Friday that the mother of a 16-year-old Mexican boy killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in a cross border shooting should not be allowed to sue the agent because the boy lacked significant ties to the United States.

But a lawyer for the mother countered that the boys grandmother cared for him while she was a legal permanent U.S. resident.

The arguments before a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco stem from the October 2012 shooting of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez by Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who opened fire from Arizona and hit Elena Rodriguez in Mexico.

A federal judge in Arizona decided that the lawsuit could go forward, but Swartzs attorney, Sean Chapman, appealed that decision.

The U.S. government is not part of the civil case but has filed court paperwork as an interested party and was allowed to argue before the three-judge appeals court panel.

In a separate case, Swartz is charged with second-degree murder, and has pleaded not guilty.

The appeals court said it will not make a decision until after the U.S. Supreme Court hears a similar case involving a Mexican teen shot by a Border Patrol agent at the Texas and Mexico border. The high court is scheduled to take up that case next year.

2012 SHOOTING

Elena Rodriguez was in the Mexican border town of Nogales, walking near the international border fence when Swartz shot him from Nogales, Arizona, on Oct. 10, 2012.

The Border Patrol has said Swartz was defending himself against rock-throwers. Elena Rodriguezs family says he was walking home after playing basketball with friends and did not throw anything.

An autopsy conducted in Mexico showed that Elena Rodriguez was hit about 10 times in the back. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has refused to release surveillance camera footage of the incident.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of the boys mother in July 2014 while the FBI continued to investigate the shooting.

Last year, Swartz was indicted for second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled for end of February.

Swartz is free pending trial and is on unpaid administrative leave from the agency. He was forced to surrender his Border Patrol pistol.

TEXAS CONNECTION

The case is similar to a 2010 incident when a Border Patrol agent in El Paso, Texas, fatally shot a teenager who was across the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Authorities said agent Jesus Mesa Jr. was trying to arrest immigrants who had illegally crossed into the country when rock-throwers attacked him. Mesa fired across the Rio Grande river, striking 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca twice.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals originally said Hernandez Guerecas family could sue Mesa.

But the full court overturned that ruling, and the Supreme Court will review the case next year.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION POSITION

The U.S. Justice Department brought forward the criminal case against Swartz but also opposes the civil suit filed against him.

In court documents submitted in February, government attorneys argued Elena Rodriguezs family did not have a constitutional right to sue in part because it lacked significant voluntary connections to the United States.

At Fridays hearing, Department of Justice attorney Henry Whitaker argued that Elena Rodriguez had no significant connection to the United States because he never lived in the country.

THE ACLUS TAKE

Lee Gelernt, an ACLU lawyer argued that Nogales in Mexicos Sonora state and Nogales in Arizona are closely intertwined and that Elena Rodriguez was often cared for by his grandmother, who lives in the United States.

She was a permanent legal resident in the U.S. while she cared for him and is now an American citizen, he said.

Gelernt said in an interview with The Associated Press that the criminal prosecution of Swartz should not be a substitute for a civil rights case.

The executive branch cannot police itself. That is not in the interest of the country and is contrary to the basic principles underlying our constitution, Gelernt said.
Calm down, world. Donald Trump will not destroy American democracy.

True, Americas most loathsome presidential candidate said some typically loathsome things during Wednesday nights presidential debate. Most notably, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he would accept the result of this election, Trump launched into a fuming denunciation of the news media and repeated his claim that the election is rigged. Pressed by Wallace on whether he accepts the principle that American elections should lead to a concession by the loser and a peaceful transition of power, Trump doubled down: I will tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense.

Trump sure knows how to push peoples buttons. On cue, the global media moved into hysteria mode: Donald Trump placed an unprecedented question mark over the peaceful succession of power in the United States last night, spluttered the Times of London. In Germany, Der Spiegel decried Trumps shocking refusal to recognize the election results. In the United States, every major newspaper denounced Trumps comment: It was a remarkable statement that seemed to cast doubt on American democracy, opined the New York Times, while the Washington Post called it a breathtaking repudiation of American democracy.

But the only shocking thing about Trumps statements is that everyone seems to find them so shocking.

Its no surprise that Trump is shaping up to be a sore loser. Hes been one all his life. As Hillary Clinton pointed out during the debate, Trump even complained that TVs Emmy Awards were rigged against The Apprentice, the reality show Trump hosted before moving on to the The Presidential Campaign, his latest absurdist television drama. (The Television Academy, which bestows the Emmys, begs to differ).

Yes, Trumps ugly comments smack of fascism. Again, no surprise: This is the guy who wants to make all American Muslims register with the government so they can be more effectively monitored. This is the guy who wants to bring back torture and bomb the children of suspected terrorists. This is the guy who threatened, during the second debate, to send Clinton to prison if he wins.

Fortunately for the world, Trump isnt the arbiter of election validity. If Clinton wins on Nov. 8, as now appears overwhelmingly likely, the courts, the police, the military, Congress, every federal agency, and the vast majority of American voters will accept her as the nations president. Trump can reject the election results if he wants, just as he can reject the notion that the Earth is round if he wants. It doesnt matter. He can stand on a soapbox and whine, but the Secret Service wont be letting him move into the White House on Jan. 20, and no one will be handing him the nuclear codes.

Thats not the only reason Trumps unhinged debate comments dont present an unprecedented threat to American democracy. Yes, they may incite some of his most disgruntled supporters to violence. But here again, this would hardly be new.

Though most Americans dont know it  or prefer to forget it  American history is replete with examples of voter intimidation and political and electoral violence. In 1834, opponents of abolition rioted in New York. In 1856, riots broke out in Baltimore over the disputed mayoral election of Thomas Swann, the Know Nothing candidate. In 1871, as many as 30 blacks were killed in Meridian, Mississippi, and the mayor was forcibly driven from office by a white mob. In November 1898, a violent coup by local white supremacists overthrew the elected government of Wilmington, North Carolina. In November 1920, local whites became so incensed when a black man tried to vote that they massacred up to 50 black residents of Ocoee, Florida. 1968 saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, and violent clashes between Chicago police and protesters during the Democratic National Convention.

And, of course, there was the most violent political protest of all, also known as the Civil War. When Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860, most Southern states seceded from the Union. By the end of the war in 1865, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians were dead.

Thats not an exhaustive list of political and electoral violence in America, just a representative one. If angry Trump supporters take to the streets  or beat up minorities, or grope some more women  it will be despicable. But it wont be unprecedented. America has seen much, much worse, and the republic has not collapsed.

So dont panic. Trump wont undermine American democracy, both because we have a strong rule-of-law culture and because weve survived far more serious threats.

But dont get too smug, either. Theres another reason Trump cant do much to undermine American democracy, and its a dirty little secret: America isnt really a democracy anyway.

What? The worlds oldest, proudest, and loudest democracy isnt really a democracy?

No, its not. If democracy implies that each persons vote should count equally, the United States has never had much of a democracy. The Constitution created a greatly diluted form of representative democracy that privileges some voters over others. (And Im not even referring to slavery, or early restriction of the franchise to white male property holders.) Every state gets two senators, for instance, regardless of population size. Since states with smaller populations have, in recent decades, also had less diverse populations, this gives outsized political power to rural white voters and dilutes the political impact of the demographic changes that have been so evident in urban America.

Meanwhile, the Electoral College further distorts democracy: A candidate can lose the popular vote but still win the presidency. Most recently, more Americans voted for Democratic candidate Al Gore than for Republican candidate George W. Bush in 2000, but thanks to the Electoral College system (and a little assist from the conservative justices on the Supreme Court), Bush became Americas 43rd president.

Toss in racial gerrymandering, interest group politics, campaign finance rules that give disproportionate political clout to the rich, and a bizarre and often discriminatory patchwork of state voter registration rules, and what you end up with is modern America: an oligarchy in which almost half of eligible voters dont even bother to go to the polls.

Thats the final reason Trump cant do much to undermine American democracy. Its already been undermined.

  

Brooks is a law professor at Georgetown University and a Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation. She served as a counselor to the U.S. defense undersecretary for policy from 2009 to 2011 and previously served as a senior advisor at the U.S. State Department.

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Ronald Reagans house is falling apart.

We dont mean his beloved Republican Party. Were talking about an actual house, the one Reagan called home during his childhood in Dixon, Ill.

Last month, the executive director of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Preservation Foundation sent out an urgent appeal for funds to fix rotting siding, moldy bathrooms, aging roofs and other signs of deferred maintenance.

After 32 years of being open to visitors from all parts of the world, the home in which Ronald Reagan spent part of his formative years has fallen into disrepair, wrote Patrick Gorman. I am reaching out to you and other like-minded individuals to help save this hallowed structure and restore the dignity to the home of one of the greatest United States Presidents of modern times.

Given that the 40th president is revered as the model of all that was good and wise in the Grand Old Party, and that theres an ongoing effort to plaster his name on a landmark in each of Americas 3,144 counties  well, its a little surprising that the folks in Dixon are in desperate need of $58,495.

Were hand-to-mouth, says foundation president John Thompson. Were trying to figure out how to sustain that facility.

And therein lies a tale of hometown pride, good intentions and the cost of nostalgia.

  

Fun fact: Presidents Lincoln, Grant and Obama all rose to political power in Illinois, but Reagan is the only president who was actually born in the state. (Hillary Clinton, born in Chicago, would be the second if she wins this years election.)

Reagan arrived on Feb. 6, 1911, in Tampico, a tiny town in the northwest corner, in a second-floor apartment above a bakery. It was the first of several homes the Reagan family rented over the next two decades, in a peripatetic lifestyle fueled by the fathers alcoholism and checkered job history. By the time he was 9 years old, Dutch Reagan had lived in six different places.

In 1920, the Reagans moved about 30 miles to Dixon (population 8,000) and rented a two-story house on Hennepin Avenue for $23 a month. Built in 1891, the house had two parlors, a dining room, a kitchen, an indoor toilet and three bedrooms: one for Reagan and his older brother, Neil; one for their parents; and one that Nelle Reagan used as a sewing room. There was a small barn out back where the boys raised rabbits.

It was a happy chapter: Jack Reagan had steady work as a salesman, Nelle was active in the church and the community, and the boys were busy with school and sports. They had all the trappings of a middle-class life, but the relative prosperity didnt last: The family moved from Hennepin Avenue to a smaller, less expensive house at 338 W. Everett St. in 1923.

As Reagan got older, his childhood took on a rosy patina. All of us have a place to go back to; Dixon is that place for me, he wrote in his 1965 autobiography, Wheres the Rest of Me? There was the life that has shaped my body and mind for all the years to come after.

  

Flash-forward to 1980, when postman Lynn Knights noticed that the house on Hennepin Avenue was for sale. A group of local business leaders formed a private foundation and purchased the property for $29,000, predicting that it would become a tourist attraction if Reagan was elected president.

Soon after his election, Reagan asked a number of big donors to help with the restoration costs. Norm Wymbs, a wealthy supporter from Florida whose wife had grown up in Illinois, led the effort. He moved to Dixon and served as chairman of the foundation for 20 years.

Wymbs worshiped Reagan and wanted to preserve the house exactly. He hired an architect to restore the interior to its original blueprint and tracked down the wallpaper manufacturer to reprint the original designs. He asked Neil Reagan to comb through the Sears catalogues of the time and point out pieces similar to what had been in the house. Wymbs also bought adjacent houses and created a park, a parking lot and a visitors center. Its unclear how much of his own money Wymbs poured into the project, but he said that the final tally was about $5 million.

On Feb. 6, 1984, President Reagan celebrated his 73rd birthday by officially opening the fully restored property.

Times were tough, he told the audience. But what I remember most clearly is that Dixon held together. Our faith was our strength. Our teachers pointed to the future. People held on to their hopes and dreams. Neighbors helped neighbors. We knew  my brother, Moon, and I, our mother and father, Nelle and Jack, saw to that  saw that we knew we would overcome adversity and that after the storm, the stars would come.

  

Patrick Gorman has a special affection for Reagan: He grew up in the house on Everett Street, slept on the same porch where Dutch had slept for four years. His parents were a little disappointed when the house on Hennepin Avenue was designated the childhood home, but that was the one mentioned in Reagans autobiography. When the foundation was looking for a new director this summer, the former nuclear plant worker was all in.

I jumped at it because of where I grew up and my connection to Reagan, says Gorman. Im not a political person of any kind.

He was shocked to find that the place needed a lot of work. The inside was okay, but the exterior had been neglected and was in sore need of repair. He decided to send a fundraising letter to about 40 conservative gentlemen who he thought might donate, and included a detailed list of repairs and estimated costs.

Money, or lack thereof, is the problem. After Norm Wymbs finished the house, he turned his attention to Reagans former middle school and spent an estimated $25 million transforming it into the Dixon Historic Center (now the Northwest Territory Historic Center).

There was a brief window when it looked as if the house on Hennepin Avenue would join other presidential sites as part of the National Park Service. In 2001, then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert pushed a bill making the home  located in his congressional district  a National Historic Site to be owned and operated by the federal government. The bill passed by voice vote; George W. Bush happily signed it.

Reagan would have joined an illustrious, if random, list of other presidents honored with their own historical site administered by the Park Service, including George Washington, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, John. F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. (These parks are separate from the 13 presidential libraries, which are operated by the National Archives and Records Administration at an estimated cost of $60 million a year.)

But Hasterts bill was contingent on the sale of the property to the federal government. When the Interior Department offered only $420,000, based on an appraisal of the structures and the land, the foundation was offended. The offer, it felt, didnt take into account the Reagan legacy and the effort and money that had gone into the restoration. Its insulting, Wymbs told reporters in 2003. I say the heck with them.

Although the deal would have ensured the financial future of the house, the people of Dixon still arent sure that theyd accept an offer and give up all control. I think the sentiment is that this is our hometown president and the story of that is ours to tell, says Thompson.

  

The house on Hennepin Avenue has enjoyed modest success: Open April through October, it welcomes 10,000-15,000 visitors a year who browse through the rooms, watch a short film about Reagan, maybe buy a T-shirt or one of his old movies in the gift shop. Admission is $5.

The foundation has resisted efforts to use the property as a prop for news conferences or commercials. Weve had a lot of folks who want to ride the Reagan coattails, but we have policies that prevent that, says Thompson.

So no big bucks from political events, and fundraising has been slow, primarily because the Reagan loyalists who initially financed the restoration are dying off. (Wymbs passed away earlier this month at 92.) There was a burst of donations in 2011  the centennial of Reagans birth  that brought $251,884. That figure dropped to just $22,992 in 2014, according to IRS documents, and last year was even worse.

Two years ago, the foundation used what little savings it had, about $175,000, to quietly purchase the other houses on the block in hopes of expanding the site to include an exhibition and meeting space. If it can raise enough money, which is increasingly a big if.

And assuming, of course, that it can keep the place from falling down.

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Varun Gandhi's honey-trap controversy may well be a blessing in disguise for the BJP as he has become more of a liability for the party.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: BJP MP Varun Gandhi has landed into a soup following allegations of him getting "honey-trapped". Ironically, instead of feeling embarrassed about its own Nehru-Gandhi scion getting into an unseemly controversy, BJP may just be relieved.

Of late, Varun had become more of a liability than an asset for BJP. The MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh had been pressuring the party leadership hard to anoint him its chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 state elections. This had irked the party leadership.

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The BJP has yet to decide on the face of the UP elections. The favourable public sentiments and euphoria in the wake of the surgical strikes conducted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir may even lead the party to abandon the idea of announcing a CM candidate.

Instead, it may contest the polls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face. Riding on the Modi wave just after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party had employed the same strategy in Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir, and emerged successful.

Also read: Did Varun Gandhi spill defence secrets for foreign girls?



Varun getting into the "honey-trap" controversy will only help the BJP leadership to take an independent stand devoid of any fear or pressure. A weak Varun is only in BJP's favour.

POLITICS OF EXERTING PRESSURE

Earlier, he had been trying to bulldoze the BJP to positively consider his name for the CM's post since May. A number of surveys conducted by different agencies projected Varun as the most popular candidate for the UP campaign.

Subsequently, massive hoardings came up in Allahabad just days ahead of BJP's June 12 and 13 national executive meeting. Varun supporters waged a virtual poster war on BJP to press for Varun as the CM candidate. The posters had Varun's face juxtaposed with those of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

This apparently did not go down well with the BJP leadership. The once blue-eyed boy of the BJP had fallen out of favour.

VARUN'S STRENGTHS

Varun's strengths were many. He had the ability to mobilise party workers. Due to his Gandhi surname, he was considered fit enough to can take on his cousin and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. His youthfulness went in his favour. Varun could have been pitted against the 43-year-old "young" UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. At 33, he was the youngest to become the BJP's general secretary.

Also read: UP polls: BJP eyes devotee vote bank, plans to spruce Ramayana and Krishna tourism circuits



With his mother Maneka Gandhi as the Union Women and Child Development Minister, it could have given the BJP an edge as far as their popularity and outreach went. At one point in time, he was considered close to BJP's ideological parent RSS.

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VARUN'S WEAKNESSES

However, his weaknesses have proved stronger than his strengths.

"Gandhi" surname is no more a popular brand. Its charisma is certainly fading. He already had a bleak chance for being the CM's face because of BJP's unstated policy of not promoting two persons from the same family. Veteran leader Yashwant Sinha was rested and his son Jayant Sinha was given the ticket and, after he won, was made a Union minister. Similarly, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant Singh was not considered for a ministerial berth at the Centre.

Though Varun accorded importance to senior RSS leaders, he apparently ignored the local leaders in his state. In a sign of inconsistency, he has taken a sharp leftward ideological turn from being a Hindutva poster boy. His allegedly provocative speech during his first Lok Sabha election from Pilibhit in 2009 Lok Sabha elections is still fresh in memory.

ANTAGONISED MODI, AMIT SHAH

As party in charge of West Bengal during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Varun had embarrassed the BJP by saying that there were just 50,000 people in one of Modi's public rallies. He contradicted the party's stand which stated that more than 2 lakh had turned up to hear the prime ministerial candidate.

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Also read: Will BJP's reliance on Modi backfire in UP elections?



These factors led to a trust deficit between him and Amit Shah. He is not in the good books of PM Narendra Modi either. Shah removed Varun from the post of national general secretary.

With Varun finding himself deep in the latest controversy, it is a boon in disguise for BJP. The party may even decide not to defend him in this case.

--- ENDS ---
PHOENIX  The Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University are teaming up to offer a medical certificate program.

Students attending the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, which will open next summer, will simultaneously complete an ASU and Mayo Clinic certificate program in the science of health-care delivery as part of the Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for Health Care.

Mayo Clinics Arizona CEO Dr. Wyatt Decker says Mayo partnered with ASU to develop the certificate curriculum to train doctors who are equipped to practice 21st century medicine.

How do we deliver care to everybody that is affordable and high quality? Thats a tall order, Decker said. We think Arizona is increasingly going to be recognized nationally as a place where thought leaders are in this area of health-care delivery.

The Mayo Clinic School of Medicine will oversee medical school curriculum and confer MD degrees to graduating students.

ASU has purchased a land parcel near Mayo Clinics hospital in northeast Phoenix, where it plans to build the Health Solutions Innovation Center. ASU President Michael Crow said at least two schools  ASUs schools of biomedical informatics and science of health-care delivery  will relocate to the new building when it is completed.

The Mayo Clinic and ASU have collaborated on projects since 2003, including dual-degree programs, a nursing education program, collaborative joint research projects, and more than 80 joint faculty appointments and numerous joint intellectual property disclosures.
The memorable advice Debbie Allen gave as teacher Lydia Grant on the television show Fame  Right here is where you start paying, in sweat!  is probably similar to what she gives at her Debbie Allen Dance Academy, whose proteges join Tony nominees in her latest work, Freeze Frame . . . Stop the Madness, a work about violence in America.

Allen wrote, directed, choreographed and appears in the fusion of dance, music, film and theater, which is receiving its East Coast premiere at the Kennedy Center Thursday through Sunday.

A Howard University grad, Allen, 66, has won three Emmys for choreography and a Golden Globe for acting, and she was appointed to the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanity in 2001. Allen has been a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance, and Shonda Rhimes hired her as executive producer on Greys Anatomy, where she has had the recurring role of urologist Catherine Avery and directed more than a dozen episodes.

In fact, we spoke to Allen recently just as she was just pulling into the studio lot to direct two episodes of Greys.



A: I guess it was in my childhood, growing up in Texas and even then being shattered by news of the horror of President Kennedys assassination, which affected us all as children. That act of violence that happened so close to us all. You know, one day we saw him waving in a motorcade and the next day, he was gone. And then there was this terrible shooting at the University of Texas when I was a young girl. A man went into a tower  we never heard of anything so violent  just shooting people. And then, when I moved to Los Angeles to do Fame and inspire all the world with all that joy and dance, it was the height of the gun and gang violence here in Los Angeles. Every day, there was some innocent child killed in a crossfire, or mistaken identity. It was just too much. I was never desensitized to it. . . . It affected my whole spirit.

So I started thinking about writing something called Rage, which was the way it started, and this was going to be from the perspective of mothers who have lost children in a support group.

A: The artistic director at the Brisbane Festival and I had talked many years ago about doing something. He was a big fan of mine from Fame. He loved the idea of what was happening in urban America with American youth, and he invited me to do this project in Brisbane. So I fast put it together  fast meaning seven months writing the music, writing the script, then I did a workshop and I actually went to Brisbane.

We were nervous because there had just been a shooting [in America] of a young tourist from Australia, and the whole country of Australia was outraged that one of their citizens was fallen for no reason. It was senseless. It didnt need to happen.

But when we went there, [the show] was full every night, and there were kids in the front row. This is an edgy piece  edgy meaning its realistic. The language of the piece  some of it is very hard. They loved it, they embraced it, and I knew we had to go further.

A: It was a fusion of everything that I do. It starts with a film that leads into stage, that then turns into dance that then turns into song, that goes into monologues and spoken word and drama. And it tells the story of these people whose lives are getting ready to intersect because of this act of violence, and how its going to impact them, it remains to be seen. I guess you could say its a musical, but I dont know. Weve got to come up with a new idea of what to call this piece because its so many different things.

A: Thats whats heartbreaking. I had to go back and talk about Orlando, Nice [France]. I mean, I dont know if it will ever stop being updated. The dream of this is that it will work at the Kennedy Center in a way that will bring big conversation and people together.

This whole conversation is something that is so relevant to everyone in this world. No one is safe from it; everyone is vulnerable. But at the same time, how do we address it? What can we do right now? Right in the middle of the political storm thats going on, so many issues. Its like a referendum. Its very telling as to who we are as a people.

You know, when Sandy Hook happened  you dont think your child is going to die. You dont think thats going to happen. But this also expresses where our policeman are. Theres a song that we wrote thats a rap song. Its called What Am I Supposed to Do? It humanizes the police. I got hundreds of letters back. A lot of them said thank you for what you wrote about the police because we never think about them that way.

A: I do. Because those of us who have gone the distance and those who have risen to a place of authority and decision-making can make those changes. Shonda Rhimes has been very influential in how shes diversified what happens behind the scenes. At Greys Anatomy, half of the episodes this season will be directed by women.

A: The role of art is so vital, because youre able to touch people where they feel safe to experience it. If they love it and they find beauty in it, they may also come away with something that can touch their heart and get into their head and make them realize they have to do something.



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Donald Trump isnt done with Virginia just yet.

The Republican presidential nominee is scheduled to appear at Regent University Saturday, his first stop in the state since he delivered a surprisingly strong, policy-driven speech to a crowd in Roanoke nearly a month ago.

In that speech, Trump gave me a momentary glimpse of what his campaign could have done in the campaigns last weeks to bring Republicans back to his banner and perhaps even sway a few undecided voters.

He talked about the nations inner cities. He spoke of fighting for minorities, promising to fight for their success and to champion school choice for their kids.

He sounded, almost, kind of, like the late Jack Kemp.

But a month is a lifetime in politics. And since his last visit to Virginia, Trumps campaign has sagged under the weight of his own crude remarks and erratic behavior.

How will he perform at Regent this weekend?

Way back in February, Trump sat down for a question-and-answer session with Regents founder, one-time GOP presidential contender Pat Robertson.

It was an odd paring.

Trump had just won the Nevada primary. Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Rand Paul and others had already dropped out of the race. Looming ahead was Super Tuesday, and Virginias opportunity to weigh in on the race.

Trump was feeling confident.

Robertson, one of the old-guard evangelicals who won the Iowa caucuses in 1988, didnt seem like the kind of Republican grandee who would get behind Trump.

But in their talk, Robertson said to Trump, You inspire us.

It may have helped a bit in Virginia, where Trump defeated Rubio, a senator from Florida, by three percentage points in the March 1 primary.

Now Trump returns. He still has the support of evangelical leaders such as Robertson (who called the candidates lewd remarks about women macho talk). He has the support of Liberty Universitys Jerry Falwell Jr., as well.

But do Virginia voters still support Trump?

A Christopher Newport University poll released last week said they dont. Trump only leads the field in southwest Virginia. In Hampton Roads, where Regent is located, the CNU poll shows Trump lagging far behind Hillary Clinton and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson nipping at his heels.

Worse for Trump, the CNU poll shows military voters, a traditionally Republican constituency, back Clinton.

So, with his numbers cratering to the point that states such as Arizona, Georgia and Utah may be in play, why is Trump returning to Virginia Beach?

It could be ego. Trump needs to show that the recent disarray in his campaign, which saw his long-time Virginia co-chairman Corey Stewart fired for staging an unauthorized protest outside of Republican National Committee headquarters, has done nothing to dim his hopes of winning here.

It could be convenience: The Virginia Beach market spills over into North Carolina, another state where he trails and that he needs desperately to win.

Or it could be that despite all the evidence, Trump agrees with something Robertson recently said:

Trump is like the Phoenix. They think hes dead, hes come back. And he came back strong. In the meantime, he speaks to adoring thousands wherever he goes.

Trump may indeed think hes still got what it takes to win, even in a state like Virginia and that he can again turn all the bad press, weak polls and personal failings into a triumph.

But Rubios words echo across the Virginia landscape: At a Chesterfield County stop in late February, just a few days after Trump and Robertsons first meeting, Rubio told the crowd Trump was a con artist who threatened the very identity of the United States.

Public perception of Trump hasnt changed much since then. While Robertson contends Trump can rise like a phoenix, it appears Rubios criticisms, months after the fact, are what actually sprung from the ashes.



Norman Leahy is a political reporter for the American Media Institute and producer of the Score radio show.

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As Red Sox slugger David Ortiz approached retirement last month, he wrote a gracious message to fans of the rival New York Yankees: Thank you. For real. You pulled the best out of me. After years of being booed, Ortiz recognized that criticism made him better.

Donald Trump is no David Ortiz. Rather than appreciate the value of having critics to motivate him and hold him accountable, the Republican presidential nominee would prefer to expunge them. So he is presumably cackling over the latest development in the media industry, as reported in the Wall Street Journal:

Newspapers are suffering an accelerating drop in print advertising, a market that already was under stress, forcing some publishers to consider significant cost cuts and dramatic changes to their print and digital products.

Global spending on newspaper print ads is expected to decline 8.7 percent to $52.6 billion in 2016, according to estimates from GroupM, the ad-buying firm owned by WPP PLC. That would be the biggest drop since the recession, when worldwide spending plummeted 13.7 percent in 2009.

Trump routinely mocks news outlets as failing or dying and takes pleasure in financial losses, circulation declines and the thought that various newspapers and magazines will one day go out of business.

Good news, Trump told supporters at a rally in Colorado this week. Most of them wont be around for much longer, in my opinion. Theyre going down. Trumps tweets:

The reporting at the failing @nytimes gets worse and worse by the day. Fortunately, it is a dying newspaper.

I predict that dying @UnionLeader newspaper, which has been run into the ground by publisher Stinky Joe McQuaid, will be dead in 2 years!

There are no buyers for the worthless @NYDailyNews but little Mort Zuckerman is frantically looking. It is bleeding red ink  a total loser!

Few people know that @FortuneMagazine is still in business. Tell your writer Alisa Soloman that I left The Apprentice to run for president

Why does a failed magazine like @Forbes constantly seek out trivial nonsense? Their circulation way down. @Clare_OC



All politicians complain about media coverage. But most recognize the important role that the press plays as a check against power.

I am delighted to thank you for the important work you do every day, Hillary Clinton told a gathering of journalists in August. And now, more than ever, we need you to keep holding leaders and candidates accountable.

To be clear, Clinton does not always act like she is delighted and thankful for the work of reporters. Before allowing her traveling press corps to fly on the same plane as her, beginning on Labor Day weekend, Clinton was notoriously inaccessible for much of the campaign. Up to that point, she had not held a news conference all year, though she had agreed to many interviews.

Even at her most standoffish, however, Clinton did not project a desire for news organizations to die off. In contrast, Trump tells voters to forget the press; read the Internet.

Trump sometimes exaggerates the plight of newspapers, as he did in January when he claimed that the circulation of the Union Leader of Manchester, N.H., has dropped from 75,000 to around 10. Even if we assume he meant 10,000  not literally 10 newspapers  Trump was way off. The Union Leaders average weekday circulation in 2015 was 35,831; on Sundays, it was 47,803.

While we can fact-check the particulars, there is no denying the underlying truth of Trumps message. Many media companies are mired in business struggles, as the figures reported by the Wall Street Journal showed.

For the purposes of Trumps White House campaign, media woes are good news. He has said that he is running against the crooked media, so what could be better than seeing his opponents numbers fall?

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NAIROBI  South Africa announced Friday it planned to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a major blow to an institution that has struggled to fulfill its role as an effective global seat of judgment for war crimes and other atrocities.

South Africas departure is particularly striking, since it became a symbol of justice and reconciliation with the election of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela more than two decades ago. Its announcement is a reflection of rising antagonism toward the court across sub-Saharan Africa.

The court was established in 2002, with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, according to its founding charter. But the majority of its indictments have been related to wars or political violence in Africa. Nine of its 10 current investigations involve countries on the continent. Those ratios have led a host of African leaders to denounce the court in rallies and at international meetings.

The chorus of African voices against the court, known as the ICC, has swelled recently. On Tuesday, Burundis president, Pierre Nkurunziza, signed a decree paving the way for his country to leave the court, just as ICC investigators were beginning an inquiry into a violent crackdown on government opponents there.

The court, based at The Hague, has faced criticism for being ineffective, and it has gotten lukewarm support from some members. In 2009, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accusing him of war crimes. But that hasnt stopped Bashir from visiting a number of African nations, which have failed to detain him.

In June 2015, Bashir was in South Africa when a domestic judge ordered that the Sudanese leader be detained. But South African officials quietly allowed Bashir to return to Sudan, setting off a wave of criticism from human rights advocates.

It was that case, and the subsequent debate about South Africas obligations as an ICC member, that led to the countrys decision to leave the court. South Africas government felt that the pressure to arrest those wanted by the court hurt its role promoting peace, stability and dialogue in those countries, said Michael Masutha, the minister of justice and correctional services, on Friday.

South Africas minister of international relations, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, sent an official notification to the United Nations earlier this week that said the country will leave the court in one year.

That marks a striking departure from Mandelas endorsement of the ICC in 1998, when he told a conference of diplomats and African leaders that previous conflicts or abuses might not have occurred, or at least been minimized, had there been an effectively functioning International Criminal Court.

South Africas current president, Jacob Zuma, has been criticized for abandoning Mandelas message of inclusion and his leadership on human rights issues. The countrys main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said the ICC withdrawal was unconstitutional without parliamentary approval, and vowed to take the decision to court.

South Africa will join more than two dozen countries that are not members of the court, including the United States. The Pentagon has long been concerned that the international war crimes court could target U.S. military personnel around the world.

Now, many human-rights activists worry that other countries will follow Burundi and South Africa in quitting the court.

Were obviously concerned that this comes right after concrete steps taken by the government of Burundi to withdraw, and that this is broadly fitting into the collective narrative around withdrawal and dissatisfaction with the ICC, said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty Internationals research and advocacy director for Africa. This move will be viewed with a great deal of interest and it does set an unfortunate precedent.

In a statement, the African National Congress, South Africas governing party, said the countrys decision to leave the ICC reflected the belief that the court had long diverted from its mandate and was now pursuing the imperialist agendas of foreign nations.

That sentiment is shared by many African nations that remain members of the court. In Kenya, for example, where President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto were indicted for allegedly inciting post-electoral violence in 2007, the court is widely seen as illegitimate. Both of those cases were later dismissed as witnesses withdrew, allegedly under pressure Kenyatta supporters.

  

Mahr reported from Johannesburg.

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Yvonne Marie Chicoine

PARTY: Republican

AGE: 60

EDUCATION: Juris Doctor, 2007, School of Law, University of New Mexico, and recipient, 2007 Irwin Stern Moise Award in Legal and Judicial Ethics; Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude), 1977, School of International Studies, Bradley University, Peoria, Ill.; Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems, summer 1975, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.; high school diploma, 1973, Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill.

OCCUPATION: Attorney.

POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT/LEGAL EXPERIENCE: 2011-16, New Mexico Attorney Generals Office, assistant attorney general, criminal appeals division, then special prosecutions, including leading a team AG Hector Balderas recognized in 2015 with his Ultimate Crime Fighter Award; 2007-11, assistant district attorney, 1st Judicial District, prosecuting and trying hundreds of cases; spring 2007, law student extern at the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office in Albuquerque; 2006, law clerk in the Los Alamos National Laboratorys Office of the Laboratory Counsel; 2006, law clerk, U.S. Attorneys Office, Albuquerque; 2005, judicial extern for a federal appeals court judge, a state Court of Appeals judge and a state district court judge; 1997-2004, chief staff officer, Associated Builders and Contractors, Albuquerque; 1997-98, New Mexico House of Representatives, chief minority analyst and legislative analyst; 1996, volunteer editor for the state Government Operations Advisory Committee; 1993-95, director of trade policy for the American Forest and Paper Association, Washington, D.C.; 1980-93, government relations manager, then international manager, International Trademark Association, New York; 1977-80, legislative assistant, then legislative director for the American Conservative Union, Washington, D.C.; 1975, congressional intern for U.S. Rep. Cardiss Collins (D-Ill.).

WEBSITE: www.Respect4theLaw.com

QUESTIONS FROM THE JOURNAL

Why are you running for district attorney? What distinguishes you from the other candidate?

CHICOINE: I want to serve our community using my experience, talents and hard work to consistently and impartially enforce our laws. We all will be safer and more secure if lawbreakers understand they will be held accountable for their conduct. I have led many organizations and teams, and achieved remarkable successes during my four decades-long career. I have substantial experience prosecuting cases in our District. I have lived full-time in our District for the past 21 years.

What would be your approach as DA to reviewing or investigating officer-involved shootings or other use of force by law enforcement officers and how would you provide notice of any decision on whether a shooting was found to be justified or not, or results in criminal charges?

CHICOINE: I would first determine whether the officers use of force was justified and was exercised consistent with the officers oath of office, training and professionalism. If it was, I would explain the basis of my conclusion. If it was not, I would proceed (as I would in other cases) to decide whether evidence supported criminal charges. I would not conflict out cases simply because officers used force in protecting and serving the interests of our community.

Do you support the existing law enforcement-assisted diversion program for low-level drug offenders?

CHICOINE: I believe the statewide Pre-prosecution Diversion Act our Legislature enacted in 1981 is more effective than the City of Santa Fes LEAD program for diverting eligible offenders out of the criminal justice system, giving them access to services and helping them avoid a felony record, while at the same time holding them accountable for their illegal conduct. Unlike LEAD, the State law promotes statewide development of best practices and imposes formal reporting requirements.

If the death penalty is reinstated in New Mexico, as Gov. Susana Martinez has proposed, would you enforce capital punishment as district attorney?

CHICOINE: As a law enforcement officer sworn to uphold the laws and constitutions of the United States and our State, the district attorney must respect laws enacted by the Legislature. District attorneys and other authority figures who announce they will not enforce duly enacted laws for political or personal reasons invite lawlessness and corruption; by their example, these leaders send a troubling message that compliance with the law is optional based on preference or convenience.

Are there any changes you would make, or are there new programs or policies you would institute, as district attorney?

CHICOINE: My principled approach to prosecution, outlined on my webpage, www.Respect4theLaw.com, means we all will feel safer, more secure and more prosperous. By effectively prosecuting misdemeanors, we will prevent felonies; by prosecuting business, white collar and property crimes, we will reduce everyones costs; and by prosecuting crimes against law enforcement and first responders, we will honor the sacrifices these heroes make to protect us and our community. I will implement management initiatives rewarding teamwork and success.

BACKGROUND

Have you or your business  if you are a business owner  ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?

CHICOINE: No.

Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?

CHICOINE: No.

Have you ever been arrested for, charged with or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony?

CHICOINE: No.
HOUSTON  Federal prosecutors say a 45-year-old woman from Honduras who was an owner of several Houston-area brothels has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson says Maria E. Gonzales Munoz was arrested after an undercover operation revealed she offered for sex an underage girl who was in the U.S. illegally.

Gonzales in January pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. She was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas to 151 months in prison. Gonzales also must register as a sex offender.

Magidson says Gonzales offered to allow the girl to work at one of her bars that was a front for a brothel, would help her appear older through use of make-up, provide living arrangements and get her phony identification documents.

___

This story has been correct spelling of convicted woman to Gonzales.
WESTCLIFFE, Colo.  Firefighters expect to keep making progress on the wildfire burning near Westcliffe despite the warmer-than-normal weather and low humidity expected over the coming days.

Officials said Friday that airplanes and helicopters, including two Blackhawks from the Colorado National Guard, are being used to douse hot spots and reinforce fire lines to keep the Junkins Fire from spreading toward Beulah or homes in Custer County.

The fire has burned about 28 square miles and is 33 percent contained. Some residents evacuated by the fire on Monday have been allowed to return home.

Officials say it started when high winds blew a metal outbuilding into a utility pole and knocked down a power line.
Thomas Baxter has trained monks in South Africa.

He has served as chaplain for a community of nuns in northern New Mexico.

But tonight, he might just be pouring you a beer in Downtown Albuquerque. Baxter, or Brother Thomas, is a real monk working at the Monks Corner Taproom, which recently opened inside the new Imperial Building on Silver Avenue.

Certainly a part of monastic living is serving, Baxter said between helping customers on a recent evening. Youre supposed to serve, and thats my primary responsibility here  to serve and listen.

So how did Baxter end up behind a bar? The taproom is operated by Abbey Brewing Co., a venture born at Monastery of Christ in the Desert near Abiquiu. The monastery is home to a small brewing system where all Abbey beers are tested and honed, according to Abbey General Manager Berkeley T. Merchant. Baxter is a member of the monastery community.

Though he has not participated in the beer-making process  in fact, his various assignments are mostly outside of Abiquiu altogether  he opted to take a sabbatical year to work at the taproom. Its not totally unprecedented; he also stepped away around 2005 during which time he worked at a Home Depot.

A sabbatical year is a time to step back from things, he said, noting that hed been very busy leading up to his current break.

When he committed to opening a taproom, Merchant hoped to get a monk on the staff. First, though, he had to find a willing monk who could also get the abbots approval.

The abbot approved Baxters sabbatical. He even handed over the keys to a 1996 Toyota 4Runner (with 300,000 miles), so Baxter could get back and forth between the bar and the East Mountains home hes sharing with his dog.

Baxter, 64, is still adjusting to his schedule; hes accustomed to going to bed and rising early, and this job sometimes gets him home as late as 1:30 a.m. But he said its important to meet and talk to people in their everyday lives, and working at the Corner affords him that opportunity.

Hes a great street psychologist, a great observer of people, Merchant said.

Customers would have to chat with Baxter to learn his history  nothing about his outward work appearance (think polo shirts) would give it away. But, once raised, the topic tends to pique interest.

A lot of people are fascinated with me and the aspect of me being a monk and working here, said Baxter, who calls Abbeys Monks Dark Ale his personal favorite option on the menu. I get into a lot of conversations with people.
Jamshid Amouzegar, who held several prominent ministerial positions, including prime minister, in pre-revolutionary Iran and who was kidnapped in the 1970s by the terrorist Carlos the Jackal, died Sept. 27 at a hospice center in Rockville, Maryland. He was 93.

The cause was sepsis, said a brother, Kuros Amouzegar.

Dr. Amouzegar was trained as an engineer in the United States and began his career in Iran in the early 1950s on water resource development. He went on to hold several positions in the Iranian government, including undersecretary in the ministry of health; secretary of labor; secretary of agriculture, and secretary of health.

From 1965 to 1974, he was secretary of finance and represented Iran in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He played a major role in raising international oil export prices in the 1970s. Ultimately, the OPEC countries imposed an oil embargo on the United States in 1973, leading to severe gasoline shortages and higher prices.

Amouzegar later served as Irans secretary of the interior before becoming prime minister from August 1977 to September 1978. He left Iran in December 1978, two months before the Iranian revolution, led by religious hard-liners.

At an OPEC meeting in Vienna in December 1975, Amouzegar was among dozens of people taken hostage by a terrorist group led by Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, a Venezuelan militant known as Carlos the Jackal. As he took the OPEC ministers prisoner, he introduced himself by saying, I am the famous Carlos. You will have heard of me.

Three people were killed during the initial siege. Amouzegar was one of several hostages flown to Algeria, where he and a Saudi Arabian oil minister were threatened with summary execution. The Algerian president, Houari Boumedienne, said any killings would result in a full-scale attack on the airplane on which Carlos held the hostages.

After 72 hours, a settlement was reached, leading to the release of Amouzegar and the remaining hostages. Carlos went free and was not captured until 1994.

Jamshid Amouzegar was born June 25, 1923, in Tehran. His father was an Iranian supreme court justice and scholar who wrote 20 books, including a dictionary of the Persian language.

Amouzegar studied at Tehran University before leaving Iran in 1944 to study civil engineering in the United States. He received a bachelors degree in 1946 from Cornell University, a masters degree from the University of Washington in 1948 and a doctorate from Cornell in 1950.

He did not return to Iran after leaving the country in 1978. He lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and later in Rockville and was an independent consultant to the governments of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for many years.

His wife of 54 years, the former Ulrike Schultz, died in 2005.

Survivors include three brothers, Jahangir Amuzegar of Bethesda, Maryland, Hushang Amouzegar of Holt, England, and Kuros Amouzegar of Washington.

Amouzegar described the kidnapping by Carlos the Jackal in an interview that was published in The Washington Post in 2000.

On Dec. 21, 1975, I was presiding over the OPEC conference in Vienna when a door flew open. Dont move, this is . . . Gunshots drowned out the voice. I ducked for cover. When the shooting stopped, I looked at the bullet holes in the wall behind me. Had I been two inches taller, I would be dead. Later, my wife needed medical treatment in the United States. I accompanied her. While we were here, the shah was overthrown. Other former prime ministers were killed. The upshot? I believe in fate.

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India Today TV has accessed an explosive letter written to the prime minister's office (PMO) by lawyer C Edmonds Allen who had an epic falling out with his former client, Verma, four years ago.

US whistleblower C Edmonds Allen claims that BJP MP Varun Gandhi was honey-trapped and compromised by arms dealer Abhishek Verma (above).

By Rahul Kanwal: BJP lawmaker Varun Gandhi leaked crucial information about defence matters after being "honey-trapped" and blackmailed by arms dealer Abhishek Verma, a US-based whistleblower has accused. Gandhi has emphatically denied all the charges.

India Today TV has accessed an explosive letter written to the prime minister's office (PMO) by lawyer C Edmonds Allen who had an epic falling out with his former client, Verma, four years ago.

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"This gentleman (Varun Gandhi) participates in immoral activities with prostitutes arranged by Abhishek Verma. He also meets management of defense companies at private parties?solicits business on Abhishek Verma's behest," says the letter.

Allen has alleged that Gandhi, as member of the parliamentary defence committee, had access to information that was shared with Verma to "compromise national security'." The seven-page letter goes on to say that the BJP MP stood "compromised" because of his pictures with foreign escorts and prostitutes.

Verma too has denied the charges.



Allen's letter to the PMO dated 16 September 2016 also names top former commanders of the air force and navy for conspiracy in leaking sensitive data. One of the officers is a coaccused in the Navy War Room Leak scandal of 2005. Allen was a close aide of Verma before their relationship soured. He has also sent a copy of the letter to defence minister Manohar Parrikar and national security adviser Ajit Doval. Allen has alleged that Verma had access to defence secrets including the minutes of the meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council till 2011, despite being an accused in the Navy War Room Leak scandal.

Varun Gandhi termed the accusations "baseless and ridiculous".

"I was horrified at the wild allegations made. What I didn't see, however, was a shred or iota of evidence, proof or fact linking me to these insane rumours,'' he told Mail Today. "Anybody who knows the defence committee knows it has no access to confidential information."

The MP insisted he had not met Verma since 2003. "I have taken this attempt to tarnish my name very seriously and will file a criminal defamation suit against these people,'' he said. An avowed "witness" and Verma's friend, Vikki Chowdhary, told Mail Today he had seen Varun Gandhi's pictures with foreign escorts at the arms dealer's parties.

"They are not new pictures. I have seen them. I had gone to his farmhouse and he showed me the pictures. It's like A4-size blown up pictures on glossy paper," he claimed.

Abhishek Verma, however, denied the honey-trap and blackmail charges as a "malicious campaign" by his former legal adviser. "These are salacious allegations. I have no pictures and neither honey-trapped nor have I blackmailed Varun Gandhi," he told Mail Today.

Also read: Varun Gandhi honey-trapped? Wild allegations, says BJP MP; to sue Prashant Bhushan for defamation

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After their falling out in January 2012 over money, Allen passed on a series of documents to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which led to Verma being investigated and jailed allegedly for leaking sensitive defence-related information to arms dealers and companies. But in a scathing attack on the central government, senior lawyer and founder member of Swaraj Abhiyan Prashant Bhushan alleged that the prime minister's office was aware of the leak, yet took no action.

--- ENDS ---
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

Bern, 21.10.2016 - The Slovak president, Andrej Kiska, arrived in Switzerland for an official visit on Friday, 21 October. In the morning he toured the ETH Zurich with President Johann N. Schneider-Ammann. Later the Slovak president was received with military honours at the Lohn country residence. The official talks focused on the themes of European policy and bilateral relations, particularly from an economic perspective, and also covered education, research and innovation. Slovakia currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The talks were attended on the Swiss side by President Schneider-Ammann, Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga and Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter; the Slovak delegation consisted of President Kiska and Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak. The two foreign ministers had a 30-minute, one-to-one meeting before the official talks to discuss European policy issues.

The Slovak delegation led by President Kiska then informed the Swiss side of its goals during the presidency of the Council of the EU until the end of the year, while members of the Federal Council explained the ongoing parliamentary process in Bern regarding the revision of the Foreign Nationals Act and the implementation of Art. 121a of the Federal Constitution on immigration. The delegations reiterated their mutual interest in remaining in contact on the matter.

In view of the closer cooperation sought with Slovakia in the field of education, research and innovation, the Swiss delegation stressed the importance of Horizon 2020, the EU's framework research programme. Research teams from Switzerland and Slovakia have so far worked together on 24 projects within this framework. In the coming months a decision will be taken on whether Switzerland will once again be able to participate in Horizon 2020 as fully associated state.

The talks also touched on other political issues, which the EU and the Slovak presidency of the Council of the EU are having to address, such as the aims of the EU following the UK's decision to leave the European Union. With regard to migration to Europe, the two parties recognised the importance of supporting states on the external border of the Schengen area.

Visit to the ETH Zurich

On Friday morning President Schneider-Ammann and President Kiska visited the Honggerberg campus of the ETH Zurich. During a tour of the campus they were given in insight into sustainable construction technologies and also met with ETH staff and students from Slovakia.

The visit by the Slovak president to Switzerland is a return visit following the state reception given to President Schneider-Ammann in Slovakia in the second half of June.

Address for enquiries

EAER Information Service

058 462 20 07, info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

Publisher

Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

http://www.wbf.admin.ch



Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 21.10.2016 - The Governments of South Africa and Burundi have recently announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. Switzerland regrets these decisions and calls on both States to reconsider them.

The International Criminal Court is a permanent institution based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Court was established by the Rome Statute, which has been ratified by around two thirds of all UN Member States including Switzerland. Switzerland has always advocated strongly in favour of the Court and the universal ratification of the Statute.

The Court first and foremost serves the victims of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole. Those victims bear the consequences of withdrawals.

The Court is an independent institution mandated to put an end to impunity. It embodies the principle that justice must be done and seen to be done in order to achieve sustainable peace, assure accountability, and contribute to the prevention of future violations. Against the backdrop of the multiplication of serious violations of international law and of the most basic principles of humanity in current armed conflicts, the decisions send a troubling signal.

Switzerland underscores that the Court functions impartially. If many of its investigations concern situations in Africa, it is because Governments on the continent have repeatedly requested the Court themselves to investigate. In addition, the Court only acts as a last resort when crimes are not investigated and prosecuted by national authorities.

Switzerland regrets that the Governments of South Africa and Burundi have recently announced their withdrawal from the Rome Statute. A withdrawal takes effect only one year after the notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations acting as depositary of the Statute. The Court can pursue matters already under consideration, and the concerned States remain bound to cooperate in that respect.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

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We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Tech and government investment specialist Veritas Capital has made another deal in the wake of its weighty $10.65bn Fund VIII close from earlier this month with the buyout of analytics provider Verisk's energy business.
By Praveen Shekhar: BJP MP Varun Gandhi is at the centre of a controversy over allegations that he had leaked defence secrets to controversial arm dealer Abhishek Verma and arms manufacturer. It has been alleged that Verma "blackmailed" Gandhi, who is a member of the defence consultative committee, into sharing sensitive information on crucial military deals.



US-based C Edmonds Allen, whose earlier complaints had led to investigation of arms dealer Abhishek Verma, has written to the Prime Minister's Office that Varun Gandhi, BJP MP, has been "honey trapped and compromised" by Verma.



Varun Gandhi on his part has strongly rejected allegations on him of leaking defence secret to middleman Abhishek Verma, terming them as totally ridiculous and said that he would quit politics if one per cent of the allegations against him are true. "The entire information presented does not contain an iota of proof that either I had access or shared any communication regarding sensitive information to Verma," said Varun.



Varun Gandhi and controversy are the two sides of the same coin.



Here's a timeline of all his major controversies:



MARCH 6, 2009 : A case was filed against Varun for allegedly making a provocative speech about Muslims, at a meeting at Dalchand Mohalla area of Pilibhit. He made the speech like "cut off the hand that is raised against Hindus ... If you want to save the Hindu religion, vote for me. If a Hindu doesn't vote for me, he would be betraying his religion" . however he was acquitted by in court in the matter. He was arrested on 28 March 2009 and stayed behind bars for 20 days.



MARCH 19, 2009: VARUN GANDHI'S CONTROVERSIAL EDUCATIOAN QUALIFICATION: On March 19, Varun Gandhi appealed to the Allahabad High Court to quash the criminal case filed against him for making hate speeches in Pilibhit. In his petition, Gandhi claimed he had graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE), and then received a Masters degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Later it turned out that Varun has a "degree from the LSE (BSc in Economics), earned through a distance-learning provision, although he was never admitted to LSE's own undergraduate body. Later he was enrolled at SOAS (MSc in Sociology) but never completed the degree"



MARCH 29, 2009: VARUN GANDHI BOOKED UNDER NATIONAL SECURITY ACT- Uttar Pradesh government booked Varun Gandhi under the National Security Act(NSA) for inciting communal tensions.



APRIL 16, 2009: MAYAWATI WARNS VARUN: U.P chief minister warned that if BJP leader Varun Gandhi did not behave and indulged in any more hate speeches after his release on parole, he would be dealt with more severely.



AUGUST 2011: VARUN GANDHI STRONGLY PITCHED FOR THE JAN LOKPAL BILL. Gandhi offered his official residence to Hazare to hold his fast, after Hazare was denied permission by the government. When Hazare was jailed, Gandhi offered to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament. On 24 August, he went to Ramlila Maidan as a common man to support the cause of Anna Hazare, becoming the first politician to openly support the anti-corruption cause.



FEB 11, 2014: Varun Gandhi launched his election campaign, recalling his father Sanjay Gandhi and questioning the extraordinary attention being lavished on Amethi without naming cousin Rahul Gandhi. "Years ago, my father (Sanjay Gandhi) began his political journey by offering prayers at the nearby Bijuthua Hanuman Temple and giving a speech here. He dreamt of working for you all but died young," Varun said at Kadipur Junior High School ground after a visit to the same temple. "Now, God has sent the son to fulfill his father's dream," the Gandhi scion said amid lusty cheering from the crowd.



APRIL 1, 2014: VARUN GANDHI PRAISES COUSIN AND RIVAL RAHUL'S WORK IN AMETHI: Rahul Gandhi's estranged cousin and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Sultanpur Varun Gandhi has praised the work done by Rahul Gandhi in his constituency Amethi. Addressing a public meeting, Varun Gandhi said that Sultanpur must replicate the development work done by Rahul."We require small scale industries, like the ones Rahul Gandhi has set up in Amethi. However, I cannot give that example as I haven't seen the work at the ground level," Varun Gandhi said. On April 3,"What Varun has said is wrong. I have been to Amethi. He should not speak before verifying facts," said Maneka Gandhi, she pulls up Varun.



APRIL 3, 2014: Maneka Gandhi pulls up Varun: "What Varun has said is wrong. I have been to Amethi. He should not speak before verifying facts."



APRIL 15, 2014: VARUN GANDHI'S VEILED ATTACK ON PRIYANKA GANDHI; SAYS DON'T SEE INHERENT DECENCY AS WEAKNESS - In a point-by-point veiled rebuttal to his cousin Priyanka Gandhi, BJP leader Varun Gandhi said, "My inherent decency and large-heartedness should not be seen as weakness." Stating that he has never crossed the 'Lakshman rekha' of decency, Varun Gandhi in a press release said, "I have always viewed other's respect as my own, whether it is member of my family or senior leader from any party." "It is my request to all that instead of personal attacks, we debate unemployment, corruption, poverty illiteracy," Varun Gandhi said. "Let us try to raise the level of discourse rather than lowering it," Varun Gandhi hit out.



JULY 1, 2015: LALIT MODI NOW DRAGS VARUN GANDHI INTO ROW - Former IPL chief Lalit Modi dragged BJP MP Varun Gandhi into the ongoing controversy, saying the leader had met him in London "a few years ago" and offered to "settle everything" with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. "@varungandhi80 came to see me at my house a few years ago and said he can settle everything in @INCIndia with his aunt," Lalit Modi tweeted. The former IPL chief urged Varun to clarify his position. "Please clarify @varungandhi80 did u or did u not come to my house in London. Whilst staying at the Ritz hotel in London a few years ago," said another of his tweets.



AUG 01, 2015: VARUN GANDHI DEFIES PARTY LINE ON DEATH PENALTY- In a signed column in a weekly magazine Outlook and as a participant at the Law Commission's recent consultation on the death penalty, Mr. Gandhi, along with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, favoured its abolition, to the chagrin of their parties. In his column, he described the death penalty as something that validated "vengeance", and called the hangman a "disgrace to civilised society".



JUNE 10, 2016 : POSTER CONTROVERSY - Huge billboards of BJP MP from Sultanpur, Varun Gandhi, greeted everyone coming out of the airport and railway station - Allahabad, the hometown of first Indian prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, his great grandfather. The posters urging people to make BJP victorious in next year's state polls and set a victory target 265-plus seats for clear majority in the 404-seat assembly, have been splashed across the city that will host over 300 BJP leaders for two days.



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Diwali has definitely come early for the Sikh community in the US.

From now, October 19 will be celebrated as Waris Ahluwalia Day in New York City. Picture courtesy: Instagram/@houseofwaris

By India Today Web Desk: If you found everything about Waris Ahluwalia awesome, then you'll be delighted to know that New York City has officially declared him so.

In what can be called a historic honour for the Sikh community, NYC declared October 19, 2016 as Waris Ahluwalia day in recognition of the Sikh-American actor and designer for his powerful message of countering ignorance and advocating for religious understanding and tolerance.

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Also read: #LoveNotFear: Who is Waris Ahluwalia?

The designer was honoured during Diwali celebrations at a special reception held at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's official residence Gracie Mansion, in front of a gathering of over 300-400 Indian-Americans and other people from the South Asian community.

de Blasio presented Ahluwalia with a proclamation that declared October 19, 2016 in the city of New York as Waris Ahluwalia Day.

The designer shared a closeup of the declaration on Instagram. Picture courtesy: Instagram/@houseofwaris

Praising Ahluwalia's work as a fashion designer, writer, actor and model, de Blasio said that as a Sikh, Ahluwalia "proudly wears his Dastar (turban) wherever he goes and so he sends a powerful message to our city to our country of countering ignorance, celebrating inclusion and advocating for religious understanding and tolerance in everything he does."

Addressing the gathering, de Blasio extended a special greeting to his "Sikh brothers and sisters" and underscored that an attack on any community and individual because of their faith is an "attack on all of us."

"We believe that when any community is attacked, any individual is attacked because of who they are, because of their faith, because of where they come from, the attack on one is an attack on all of us," de Blasio said.

Joined by his wife, First Lady Chirlane McCray, Ahluwalia and others members of his administration, on a stage erected in the sprawling lawns of his residence, de Blasio said whenever any community is affronted, the New York Police Department is present to protect that community.

"Whenever there is a hate crime, we will call it a hate crime and act on it as a hate crime, protect the people and say it is unacceptable in the city of New York to act in any bias fashion against any people of the city."

Waris Ahluwalia also addressed the gathering. Picture courtesy: Instagram/@houseofwaris

Amid loud cheers and applause, the Mayor said a special Diwali guide will be distributed to New York teachers through the Department of Education to help them educate students in the city about the meaning of the Indian festival of lights.

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Ahluwalia thanked the Mayor for the "incredible honor" and said that while Diwali has been celebrated for centuries, this year its message of triumph of good over evil is "more important and relevant than ever."

The designer also said that, though he called New York City home ever since he moved here from India as a child, after the 9/11 terror attacks, "people would glare at me with anger and hate as I walked down my own streets, in my own hometown."

"That was very confusing for me," he said, adding that six months after the 9/11 attacks, he was assaulted and nearly lost vision in his right eye.

The Mayor and his wife began the reception by lighting the traditional lamp. The city's First Lady was dressed in a traditional Indian attire of a yellow salwar kurta.

Indian music, including popular movie songs played in the background.

(With PTI inputs)



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Turkey has escalated its offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, pounding them with air strikes and artillery, and complicating the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group by Ankara and Washington, both Nato allies.

In the fight for Aleppo, meanwhile, the Syrian military used a lull in violence to urge residents and rebels to evacuate the besieged opposition-held part of the city.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said as many as 200 members of the Kurdish-led forces were killed in Syria's Aleppo province by the Turkish bombing and shelling.

A senior commander with the main Syria Kurdish militia confirmed the Turkish attack on his forces north of Aleppo but disputed the casualty toll, saying that no more than 10 fighters were killed.

Like in Iraq, where Kurdish fighters are at the forefront of the offensive to retake the city of Mosul from IS, Kurdish forces in Syria also have been battling the militants and made significant territorial gains in Aleppo province.

That has dismayed Turkey, which is dealing with a home-grown Kurdish insurgency and trying to prevent an expansion of Kurdish influence in Syria.

"We will not back down," said senior Kurdish commander Mahmoud Barkhadan of the People's Protection Units.

"We are fighting Daesh. Why are they striking at us?" he asked, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Dear world, this could be our last days of tweeting because Russia is about to do its largest bombing of #Aleppo. - Fatemah  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) October 20, 2016

Mr Barkhadan accused Turkey of aiding IS militants by turning the fight into a Turkish-Kurdish battle.

Turkish artillery also hit near Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in north-western Syria, he said, adding that his forces have not retreated but that Turkey's actions allowed IS fighters to wage a counter-offensive.

More than 10 fighters were killed and 20 wounded in over 30 aerial attacks that began on Wednesday night, he said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 Kurdish fighters were killed and four were missing.

Anadolu, quoting military officials, reported the raids were carried out late on Wednesday night on 18 targets in the Maarraat Umm Hawsh region in northern Syria.

Between 160 and 200 militia fighters were killed, it said. The targets struck areas that Syrian Kurdish forces recently took over as they pressed a campaign to drive IS militants from areas north of Aleppo.

Radar data proves Belgian F-16s attacked village near #Aleppo, killing 6 - Russia pic.twitter.com/b3mqinA44S  RT (@RT_com) October 20, 2016

The Syrian Kurdish forces have been a source of tension between Turkey and the United States.

The US considers the militia group - the People's Protection Units, known as the YPG - to be the most effective force against IS in Syria.

Turkey calls it an extension of its own outlawed Kurdish militants who have carried out deadly attacks in Turkey and considers it a terrorist organisation.

Anadolu said the 18 Syrian Kurdish targets hit included nine buildings used as headquarters, meetings points, shelters or arms depots, along with five vehicles.

The pause in the fighting in Aleppo is part of a humanitarian ceasefire announced by Russia in the contested city to allow for the evacuation of civilians and fighters, as well as the wounded. Rebels have rejected the offer to evacuate, saying it was not serious.

Clashes were heard at one of the safe corridors announced by the Syrian military.

"Talk of fighters or non-fighters leaving is denied and groundless," said Ammar Sakkar, spokesman for Fastaqim, one of the largest rebel groups operating in Aleppo. "The rebels' decision has not and will not change. It is to be steadfast."

Today the #Seanad passed an all-party motion which I proposed expressing grave concern and outrage at the ongoing bombardment of #Aleppo. pic.twitter.com/TCgrHMeM7l  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) October 20, 2016

Eastern Aleppo, besieged by government troops, has been subjected to intense and relentless airstrikes by Syrian and Russian aircraft in recent weeks. Hundreds of people have been killed and whole neighborhoods destroyed.

"Our dear people in Aleppo districts, let the wounded and sick leave... We guarantee you safe passage. Seize the opportunity and protect your families' lives," government loudspeakers echoed from a checkpoint. They offered a warm meal and medical help along the way.

"There is no point in continuing to fight. Your positions and bases and warehouses are known to us precisely. Don't use civilians as human shields," the announcements said.

But there were no takers on Thursday, with residents saying they did not trust the promise in the absence of international monitors.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura insisted a unilateral ceasefire aims only to allow medical evacuations and is not part of a broader plan that he has laid out for Aleppo, countering an assertion by Syrian President Bashar Assad that most civilians want to leave.
Non-resident investors in Irish real estate funds will have to pay a 20% withholding tax from next year on certain deals, the finance ministry said on Thursday, in a further clampdown on structures used to minimise tax bills.

Ireland last month proposed to amend tax laws for "Section 110" special purpose vehicles and widened the net on Thursday to include all funds where 25% of their value is made up of Irish real estate assets.

Such a change targets two other popular types of funds used by foreign investors to buy up swathes of Irish property in recent years: Irish Collective Asset-management Vehicles (ICAVs) and Qualifying Investor Alternative Investment Funds (QIAIFs).

The new tax will be levied on non-resident investors when a fund distributes income to them out of profits from its Irish land or where a chargeable gain arises on the disposal of land which a fund has owned for less than five years.

The large non-real estate funds sector will be unaffected by the changes and the finance ministry said the tax will not apply to certain other categories such as life assurance companies, pension funds and other collective investment undertakings.

"Because this has been teed up to create a new category of fund, it's very clear cut: Either you fall into this new section or you fall into the old rules so for the other 99.5 percent of funds in the market, this section will not apply," said Ilona McElroy, Director of Asset and Wealth Management Tax at PWC.

Analysts at Goodbody Stockbrokers said uncertainty around the legislation that governs QIAIFs and ICAVs had delayed well in excess of 100 million euros worth of deals in the run up to last week's budget. Non-Irish investors are responsible for 71% of property sales so far in 2016, they said.

However, Irish Real Estate Investment Trusts such as Hibernia REIT and Green REIT, which will not be subject to the new tax, could benefit, Investec Ireland said.

"While it is early days, we would not be surprised if this leads to some of the funds that acquired commercial property assets earlier in the recovery bringing forward their divestment plans," said Investec Ireland chief economist Philip O'Sullivan.

"This could lead to downward pressure on prices in the short term, but for buyers with a longer-term perspective, such as the Irish commercial REITs, it could deliver very attractive acquisition opportunities." (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Having a fundraiser on the board of trustees is critical to driving the growth of income at any organisation, says Nina Saffuri.

Speaking at a session at the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands yesterday, Nina Saffuri, director of fundraising at War Child, said that having someone with fundraising experience on the board of trustees was critical for organisations looking to grow.

Outlining her experience when she first joined War Child, Saffuri said that when she arrived at the organisation there was no real buy-in to fundraising in either the senior management team, or on the trustee board. As the then deputy director of fundraising, Saffuri said she also had no personal input in the senior management team.

Having been given a brief to expand the organisations unrestricted income, Saffuri said she immediately spoke to the chief executive and called for a fundraiser to be appointed to the board of trustees. This, she said, was one of the main factors behind War Child more than doubling its income in the last four years.

My top tip: if you dont have someone whos a fundraising expert on your board then push for that to happen. It was really helpful for me said Saffuri.

When I first joined there was no fundraising voice on the senior management team, and there was no fundraising voice on the board. That was one of the major challenges I had because I was not able to influence decisions being made at a senior level.

One of the first things that I did was to work with my chief executive to get a fundraiser onto the board, who could be a voice to help me and be a voice and help me to influence the rest of the board for that initial investment.

Made fundraising more visible

Saffuri said that the appointment of a fundraiser to the board made fundraising more visible within the organisation, and meant that she felt she had the implicit backing of the board and senior management team to make the decisions that were necessary to grow.

In order to grow you need investment in activity and you need investment in people. Persuading and influencing upwards will get you the credibility that the team need to believe in you and that will inspire them.

Saffuri also said that fundraisers should marry your head of finance, because if you start talking to your finance team and they understand the rigour which goes into fundraising numbers theyll find you credible and itll be easier for you to negotiate at SMT and investment levels.

Since Saffuri joined War Child in 2011, War Childs income has grown from 3.6m to 14m.


New Mexico officials ran into fresh criticism Tuesday about revisions to the states immigrant drivers license law at a public hearing on the proposed regulations.

The Department of Taxation and Revenue has said its plan to implement a law approved this year would put New Mexico in compliance with tougher federal identification requirements for drivers licenses while extending driving privileges to immigrants in the country illegally.

But advocates for the homeless and victims of domestic violence warned that the proposed regulations could unnecessarily tighten documentation requirements for basic state identification cards that poor, displaced people use to get jobs and apply for government health benefits.

Hank Hughes, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, urged the state agency to restore a longer list of identity and proof-of-residency documents that have been accepted by the Motor Vehicle Division in the past.

Documents that would no longer be accepted for a basic ID include military discharge papers, proof of eligibility for welfare benefits, medical insurance cards, school transcripts, infant baptism certificates and more, he said. That leaves a list of 23 eligible identification documents and nine residency documents.

Getting a new ID is important for people who are starting their lives over again, and making that as simple as possible, I think is to the benefit of everybody in the state, Hughes said. You dont want people wandering around without IDs who cant get medical care, who cant get jobs and get access to lots of different things.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez spent years trying to repeal the states immigrant drivers license law before arriving at a compromise with Democratic lawmakers this year.

The Taxation and Revenue Department described new complaints as ill-informed and noted that an overwhelming majority of New Mexicans have supported the governors position.

This is just an ill-informed and incorrect attempt to smear the governors initiative to end the dangerous practice of issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, said Ben Cloutier, a spokesman for the Taxation and Revenue Department. He added that issues of identification for the homeless would need to be addressed by the Legislature.

A hearing officer will report on the concerns raised Tuesday to Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla for consideration before final regulations are issued.

Under a law approved in February, New Mexico is moving to a two-tiered system of drivers licenses and identity cards with distinct application requirements.

One tier provides a drivers license or ID card that complies with provisions of the federal REAL ID Act. The act eventually would require proof of legal U.S. residency for those who want to use state identification to access certain areas of federal facilities or board flights. New Mexico had no such requirement.

New Mexico residents also can opt for a driving authorization card or another simple ID that wont guarantee access to federal facilities or air travel.

Public concerns focused largely on new documentation requirements to obtain the second-tier driving card and ID.

The Center for Law and Poverty objected to proposed requirements for an identification number, such as a Social Security number or substitutes such an IRS-issued individual taxpayer identification number, saying that goes beyond the intent of the Legislature.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Steve Ballmer told CNBC on Friday he never sought to purchase Twitter  responding to speculation that he and fellow billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal were looking to make a bid.



The former CEO of Microsoft and Al-Waleed are major shareholders of Twitter, which was recently said to be seeking buyout offers.

"I have never, ever, ever wanted to buy Twitter myself. I got a good life right now. I don't need to do that," the Los Angeles Clippers owner said on "Squawk Box." "I'm having a lot of fun with the Clips. I'm having a lot of fun with my wife, doing some stuff at the Ballmer Group that we think is fun philanthropically."

Google , Disney , and Salesforce were among the companies rumored to be initially interested. But one by one, they bowed out. Ballmer said he had thought Google could have been a good fit since it's already working to surface tweets in search.

"I don't think there's any substitute in the market [for Twitter]. It's sort of an irreproducible asset," said Ballmer, who also was critical of Jack Dorsey's arrangement as CEO of both Twitter and Square . "That's a weird deal."

"There is an asset there ... with the right time, with the right leader that thing could be really made into something great," Ballmer said.



"It's a really good company, obviously with some work to do. Just think about this election, would this election have been the same without Twitter, without [Donald] Trump banging out those late night tweets? I don't think so."



Ballmer also reflected on his time at Microsoft and what the company is doing right now. He said current CEO Satya Nadella is doing a good job building out Microsoft's cloud strategy, which boosted quarterly earnings and revenue.

Ballmer, whose fortune is largely in Microsoft stock, cheered Friday's premarket surge, which would put shares at their first all-time high since 1999.

The tech giant has made the transition from a company focusing on servicing personal computers to an enterprise company, he said. "It's a fantastic company."

Ballmer, who ran Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, said his worst mistake as CEO was the 2007, $6.3 billion acquisition of aQuantive, an online display ad firm. "It was probably what I'd call just, a blow into a gale force wind. It was dumb."



In 2012, Microsoft took a $6.2 billion writedown on the aQuantive deal.

Another ill-fated deal was Microsoft's $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's smartphone business. The deal, announced in 2013 shortly after Ballmer said he would be stepping down, was finalized in 2015.

A year later, Microsoft wrote off the purchase, and sold the assets to subsidiary of Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology and newly established firm HMD Global for $350 million.

Ballmer told CNBC: "The phone business, I'm not apologetic about. Current management chose to go in a different direction."
Xerox

Their product name was globally accepted to describe a normal business activity. The brand name was a synonym for photocopying, and for some reason they tried to change that. After attempting to expand the brand in the direction of more advanced automation and computing, their market share of copy machines fell sharply.

When you are a common household name, youre already winning. Trying to innovate your brand can confuse consumers and disassociate you from what youre known for.

Disney

Disney excels at marketing, and knows exactly how to run with what is hot. Rewind back to when Hannah Montana was on top (before Miley Cyrus turned into the eclectic artist she is today). Disney moved to quickly merchandise as many Hannah Montana products as possible to capitalize on the hype. The karaoke microphones and lunchboxes made sense and were appropriate to the show itself. Though they should have stopped before they got to the official Hannah Montana cherries.

Opportunities present themselves to you all the time, but before you go overboard, give them some thought first. Does it make sense to your brand? Does it fit with your marketing goals? Is it appropriate?

The Gap

The American clothing giant has been around for nearly forty-eight years. During that time, they changed their logo twice. They made the first logo change just over six years ago to an image they hoped would appeal to a younger hipper crowd. They spent millions of dollars on rebranding only to have their second logo change happen two days later, back to the original.

There is nothing wrong with rebranding your business, but you have to think of all of the effects it may have. Marketers focus on the metrics but less quantifiable factors like a customers feelings can have a huge impact on the adoption of change.

Panasonic

I got a good chuckle from this, but trust me its a completely warranted bit of schadenfreude. Back in the nineties, Panasonic was looking for a mascot to show off their new PC. They ended up choosing Woody the Woodpecker, a solid cartoon with a cute and approachable appearance. It was a good start, until they decided to name the new PC, The Woody, and decided to call their groundbreaking touch screen technology Touch Woody. I wish I was kidding, and unfortunately theres more. They also named their automated online support functionality, Internet Pecker.

Despite the hilarious nature of this marketing mishap, there is actually an effective lesson here. Remember that Panasonic is a foreign company and back in the early nineties struggling with a language barrier was a more common problem. Now, can you say that you are speaking the language of all your consumers? Before you run a campaign, try running it past people from different walks of life who are slang-savvy.
Study shows crash deaths are 12 times more common in some states; child-restraint use and traffic safety regulations play a role in regional differences

SAN FRANCISCO - Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. New research highlights how widely pediatric crash-related death rates vary from state to state, with child seat-restraint use and red-light camera policies appearing to play a role.

The abstract, "Pediatric Deaths from Motor Vehicle Crashes: State?Level Variation and Predictors of Mortality," will be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2016 National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco on Oct. 23. Researchers examining 2010-2014 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data discovered substantial differences among states, with annual mortality rates ranging from 0.25 deaths per 100,000 children in Massachusetts to 3.20 deaths per 100,000 children in Mississippi.

The study identified several factors linked to children's death rates from crashes. States with a greater percentage of children who ride unrestrained or inappropriately restrained, and states where a larger proportion of crashes occur on rural roads or during the daytime, had higher motor vehicle crash death rates. States without a red light camera policy also had a greater percentage of children dying from crashes.

The study's findings suggest that revising state traffic safety regulations and improving enforcement play a significant role in helping to prevent the number of children who die in motor vehicle crashes, said abstract author Lindsey L. Wolf, MD, a third-year resident and research fellow at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital. In fact, she and her research colleagues determined that a 10 percent absolute improvement in child restraint use nationally could prevent more than 1,500 children from dying over five years.

Many previous studies have looked at an individual's risk factor for dying in a motor vehicle crash, Dr. Wolf said, but stepping back to view these risks at the regional level shows how many lives might be saved by developing and enforcing state child safety regulations.

"We are interested in helping states understand how their laws can prevent children from dying if they are involved in a car crash," said senior author Faisal G. Qureshi, MD, FAAP, Associate Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "Once lawmakers understand this at a state level they can make more informed decisions on what laws to focus on," he said.

###

The abstract, "Pediatric Deaths from Motor Vehicle Crashes: State?level Variation and Predictors of Mortality," will be presented on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 10:09 a.m. PT at the Marriott Marquis in room Golden Gate B. For a copy of the abstract, contact the AAP Department of Public Affairs. To request an interview with Dr. Wolf, reporters may contact Brigham and Women's Hospital media relations officer Haley Bridger at hbridger@partners.org or 617-525-6383.

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal. Contact the researcher for more information.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org.
Summer camps more likely to have 'no nit' policies that send campers home, despite evidence they are not effective

SAN FRANCISCO - New research to be presented at the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition finds that lice can be the end of a happy summer for many kids at sleepaway camp.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital tracked lice infections in more than 500 summer camps over a three-year period and followed up with a questionnaire to camp leaders. They found 30 percent of camps have a "no nit policy," which excludes campers based on the presence of lice eggs, despite evidence that no-nit policies are not effective.

Sixty percent of camp leaders said lice infections were a substantial burden on staff and the camper's family. Camps often have limited staff resources and children are away from home, making treatment more challenging. That means many kids with lice or nits are sent home for treatment. Reintegrating into the camp experience after treatment can be difficult, and children may suffer a social stigma.

According to the survey, less than 20 percent of campers with nits and live lice were able to stay at camp. Of those children who did receive treatment at camp with standard over the counter treatments, only 40 percent received a second treatment as recommended. Most camp staff do not feel well trained in recognizing or treating lice and would welcome more training on the subject, according to the survey.

"While it's no surprise that summer camps identify head lice as a significant challenge, current practices regarding lice detection, treatment, and exclusion are often outdated, unnecessarily resource intensive, and pose a greater burden on children, families, and camp staff," said lead researcher Ashley DeHudy, MD, MPH, University of Michigan Pediatrics. "At this time, we have an excellent opportunity to collaborate with summer camps in developing lice management policies and educational training materials that will efficiently and effectively treat head lice."

###

Dr. DeHudy will present the abstract, "Scratching Our Heads: A Survey of Current Practices for Head Lice Detection and Management in United States Summer Camps," at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 22 in the Nob Hill AC room of the Marriott Marquis Hotel. To request a copy of the abstract or an interview with Dr. DeHudy, contact the AAP Department of Public Affairs at 948-434-7877 or University of Michigan Health System media relations officer Beata Mostafavi at (734) 764-0220 or bmostafa@med.umich.edu. Dr. DeHudy also will be available during an informal media meet-and-greet for highlighted abstract authors on Saturday, Oct. 22, beginning at 12:15 p.m. PT in room 134, Moscone North (Press Office).

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org
US survey shows most respondents agree that e-cigarette use should not be allowed in places where smoking is prohibited, yet use allowed in one-third of households

SAN FRANCISCO - Most U.S. adults surveyed in 2015 agree that e-cigarette use should not be allowed in places where smoking is prohibited. Yet one-third of respondents allow use of the devices within their home, and fewer than half said they knew that exhaled e-cigarette vapors contain nicotine that deposits on indoor surfaces.

The abstract, "Household rules about e-cigarette use and beliefs about harms to children," will be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2016 National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco on Oct. 22. The study analyzed data from the 2015 Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control. Of the 3,070 adults responding to this survey, 68 percent said e-cigarette use was not allowed inside their homes, and 77 percent prohibit use in the car. Most respondents (84 percent) also said they believe that e-cigarette use should not be allowed in places that prohibit smoking, and that it is not acceptable for parents to use e-cigarettes in front of children (74 percent).

However, according to abstract author Robert McMillen, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Mississippi State University, many adults were uncertain about the potential harms of e-cigarettes. While more than a third of adults (37 percent) believe that exhaled e-cigarette vapor contains nicotine, and that using e-cigarettes indoors deposits nicotine on surfaces (37 percent), more than half have responded "don't know." In addition, roughly the same percentage of adults said that using e-cigarettes around children exposes them to nicotine (44 percent) as said "don't know" (46 percent).

Further analysis showed that smokers, e-cigarette users, males, and younger adults between the ages of 18 and 24, adults with lower levels of education, and adults without children in the household were less likely to have household rules against e-cigarette use, and less likely to support use restrictions. Smokers, e-cigarette users, and adults with lower levels of education tended to be less likely to believe that these products posed harms for children, while older adults and adults with children in the household tended to have higher levels of uncertainty about potential harms.

McMillen said the findings suggest an opportunity to educate parents about toxic exposure risks from e-cigarette aerosols and to advise parents to keep their homes and vehicles free from both tobacco smoke and e-cigarette emissions.

"E-cigarettes primarily emit a toxic aerosol, not harmless water vapor. Unfortunately, many parents are unaware of the risk that exposure poses for their children and do not implement household rules to protect their children," Dr. McMillen said.

###

McMillen will present the abstract, "Household rules about e-cigarette use and beliefs about harms to children," at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Moscone West room Room 2022/2024. For a copy of the abstract, contact the AAP Department of Public Affairs at (948) 434-7877 or commun@aap.org. To request an interview, reporters can contact him at rcm19@msstate.edu. He also will be available during an informal media meet-and-greet for highlighted abstract authors on Saturday, Oct. 22, beginning at 12:15 p.m. PT in room 134, Moscone North (Press Office).

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org.
SAN FRANCISCO -- New research questions whether there is a link between adolescent suicide highly publicized on social media with an increase in emergency departments visits by teens for suicidal thoughts and attempts.

An abstract of the Canadian study, "The Association of Publicized Suicides on Social Media and Emergency Department Visits for Suicidal Behavior in Children: A Population?Based Time Series Analysis," will be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2016 National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco on October 21. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and young adults in Canada and the United States.

The research looked at the role that adolescents' increasing use of social media use might play in ER visits for suicidal behavior. In his study, Naveen Poonai, MD, MSc, examined the widespread media reports about the suicide death of 15-year-old Amanda Todd and whether there was a resulting effect on suicide-related visits by youths to Ontario's emergency departments. Amanda Todd committed suicide on Oct.10, 2012, after years of cyberbullying that she described in a YouTube video that went viral after her death.

Using 2002-2013 data from Canada's National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, researchers used an interrupted time?series analysis to examine monthly rates of emergency department visits related to suicidal behavior such as intentional self-poisoning before and after Todd's suicide. They found a no significant change in ER visits for suicidal behavior after her death. Importantly however, the authors found a significant increase in ER visits in teenagers for suicidal behavior that begin in June 2011. No such increase was found among the younger children studied.

"Our results suggest that despite provincial funding initiatives and anti-bullying campaigns, ER visits for suicidal behavior in Ontario, Canada have been increasing among adolescents for the last five years. However, this increase should not necessarily be attributed to social media and future research should focus on elucidating other reasons for this worrisome trend," said Dr. Poonai, an associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Western University in London, Ontario. Dr. Poonai said the findings also support the development of a national suicide prevention strategy in Canada."

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Dr. Poonai will present the abstract, "The Association of Publicized Suicides on Social Media and Emergency Department Visits for Suicidal Behavior in Children: A Population Based Time Series Analysis," at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, in Moscone North rooms 124-125. For a copy of the abstract, contact the AAP Department of Public Affairs at 948-434-7877 or commun@aap.org. Dr. Poonai will be available to talk with the media during an informal media meet-and-greet for highlighted abstract authors on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 12:15-1:15 p.m. PT in room 134, Moscone North (Press Office).

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org.
SAN FRANCISCO - New research shows children seen in emergency departments who don't have insurance, or who have public Medicaid coverage, are significantly more likely to be transferred to another facility than to be admitted for inpatient care within the same receiving hospital compared to children with private insurance.

The abstract, "Association between Insurance and Transfer of Children from Emergency Departments," will be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2016 National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco on Oct. 24. The abstract authors, who published a related article in the August 2016 Annals of Emergency Medicine, said further analysis calls into question the effectiveness of the three-decade-old Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). This law requires hospitals to make decisions on patient transfer and admission based on clinical factors or the need for specialty services, independent of insurance status.

The study included Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project 2012 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample data and analyzed two groups of children - those with injuries and those without injuries. Among non-injured children, 240,620 pediatric emergency department visits at 950 hospitals located in 30 U.S. states who were either admitted or transferred were analyzed.

The researchers determined that patients who were uninsured or identified as self-paying (also considered uninsured) had almost four times the odds of being transferred to another facility for admission compared to patients with private insurance. Among the injured children, which included data analyzed separately from 9,461 emergency department encounters at 386 non-trauma centers, researchers found patients had 1.25 times the odds of being transferred to another facility for admission compared to patients with private insurance, even after adjusting for injury severity and other variables.

"Our findings suggest a systematic bias toward admitting children with private medical insurance and transferring those who either don't have insurance or who have Medicaid," said abstract author Yunru Huang, a Ph.D. candidate in epidemiology at University of California, Davis. This reinforces ongoing concerns about inequities in the delivery of care and call into question the effectiveness of the EMTALA, she said.

"Not having health insurance or having Medicaid coverage unfortunately is still an important factor in the type and quality of care delivered to children," Huang said. She called for efforts to reduce the number of children without medical insurance as well as equity in payments between Medicare and private insurance with Medicaid. In the meantime, she said, further studies of hospitals and physicians are needed to identify when children are treated differently because of their insurance status.

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Dr. Huang will present the abstract, "Association between Insurance and Transfer of Children from Emergency Departments" on Monday, Oct. 24, at 9:15 am PT in Mascone Center West room 2018. For a copy of the abstract, contact the AAP Department of Public Affairs at 948-434-7877 or commun@aap.org. Dr. Huang will be available to talk with the media during an informal media meet-and-greet for highlighted abstract authors on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 12:15-1:15 PT in room 134, Moscone North (Press Office).

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org.
Taking a pill that prevents the accumulation of toxic molecules in the brain might someday help prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease, according to scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The study, published today in Cell Press journal Neuron, took a three-pronged approach to help subdue early events that occur in the brain long before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are evident. The scientists were able to prevent those early events and the subsequent development of brain pathology in experimental animal models in the lab.

"Common diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and dementia are caused in part by abnormal accumulation of certain proteins in the brain," said senior author Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor of molecular and human genetics and of pediatrics - neurology and developmental neuroscience at Baylor and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital. "Some proteins become toxic when they accumulate; they make the brain vulnerable to degeneration. Tau is one of those proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease and dementia."

"Scientists in the field have been focusing mostly on the final stages of Alzheimer's disease," said first author Dr. Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, postdoctoral fellow in the Zoghbi lab. "Here we tried to find clues about what is happening at the very early stages of the illness, before clinical irreversible symptoms appear, with the intention of preventing or reducing those early events that lead to devastating changes in the brain decades later."

The scientists reasoned that if they could find ways to prevent or reduce tau accumulation in the brain, they would uncover new possibilities for developing drug treatments for these diseases.

Cells control the amount of their proteins with other proteins called enzymes. To find which enzymes affect tau accumulation, the scientists systematically inhibited enzymes called kinases.

"We inhibited about 600 kinases one by one and found one, called Nuak1, whose inhibition resulted in reduced levels of tau," said Zoghbi, who is also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The scientists screened the enzymes in two different systems, cultured human cells and the laboratory fruit fly. Screening in the fruit fly allowed the scientists to assess the effects of inhibiting the enzymes in a functional nervous system in a living organism.

"Screening hundreds of kinases in the fruit fly animal model was critical because we could assess degeneration caused by tau in the fly's nervous system and measure neuronal dysfunction. Screening such a large number cannot be done with other animal models like the mouse, and cultured cells cannot model complex nervous system functions," said co-senior author Dr. Juan Botas, professor of molecular and human genetics and of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor.

Brain section from mouse carrying the dementia-causing P301S mutation in human tau shows accumulation of tau neurofibrillary tangles (in dark brown, left). When Nuak1 levels are decreased by 50% (P301S/Nuak1+/-; right), fewer tau tangles accumulate.

"We found one enzyme, Nuak1, whose inhibition consistently resulted in lower levels of tau in both human cells and fruit flies," said Zoghbi. "Then we took this result to a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and hoped that the results would hold, and they did. Inhibiting Nuak1 improved the behavior of the mice and prevented brain degeneration."

"Confirming in three independent systems - human cells, the fruit fly and the mouse - that Nuak1 inhibition results in reduced levels of tau and prevents brain abnormalities induced by tau accumulation, has convinced us that Nuak1 is a reliable potential target for drugs to prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's," said Zoghbi. "The next step is to develop drugs that will inhibit Nuak1 in hope that one day would be able to lower tau levels with low toxicity in individuals at risk for dementia due to tau accumulation."

Scientific studies like this one that uncover basic biological mechanisms of disease make it possible to develop new strategies to prevent or treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or dementia.

In the future it might be possible to treat people at risk for Alzheimer's disease by keeping tau low. Think of how taking drugs that lower cholesterol has helped control the accumulation of cholesterol in blood vessels that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

"When people started taking drugs that lower cholesterol, they lived longer and healthier lives rather than dying earlier of heart disease," said Zoghbi. "Nobody has thought about Alzheimer's disease in that light. Tau in Alzheimer's can be compared to cholesterol in heart disease. Tau is a protein that when it accumulates as the person ages, increases the vulnerability of the brain to developing Alzheimer's. So maybe if we can find drugs that can keep tau at levels that are not toxic for the brain, then we would be able to prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer's and other diseases caused in part by toxic tau accumulation."

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"Just like people now take their cholesterol-lowering medications, people in the future could be taking medications to keep tau levels low and prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease," said Lasagna-Reeves.

Other contributors to this work include Maria de Haro, Shuang Hao, Jeehye Park, Maxime W.C. Rousseaux, Ismael Al-Ramahi, Paymaan Jafar-Nejad, Luis Vilanova-Velez, Lauren See, Antonia De Maio, Larissa Nitschke, Zhenyu Wu, Juan C. Troncoso, Thomas F. Westbrook and Jianrong Tang.

This work was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Robert A. and Renee E. Belfer Family Foundation, the Hamill Foundation, the Chapman Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health grants NIH/NINDS R01 NS027699-17, NIH/NINDS 3R01 NS027699-25S1 and 1K22NS092688-0. Support also was provided by the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium-Investigator Grant Program, the Darrel K. Royal Foundation grant, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship (201210MFE-290072-173743), the Mass Spectrometry-Proteomics Core Laboratory (MS-PCL) and the confocal microscopy, neuroconnectivity and mouse behavioral cores of the Baylor College of Medicine Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (1U54 HD083092), the Johns Hopkins University Morris Udall Parkinson's Disease Center of Excellence (NINDS P50 NS38377) and Alzheimer Disease Research Center (NIA P50 AG05146).
Washington, DC--A group of citizen scientists and professional astronomers, including Carnegie's Jonathan Gagne, joined forces to discover an unusual hunting ground for exoplanets. They found a star surrounded by the oldest known circumstellar disk--a primordial ring of gas and dust that orbits around a young star and from which planets can form as the material collides and aggregates.

Led by Steven Silverberg of University of Oklahoma, the team described a newly identified red dwarf star with a warm circumstellar disk, of the kind associated with young planetary systems. Circumstellar disks around red dwarfs like this one are rare to begin with, but this star, called AWI0005x3s, appears to have sustained its disk for an exceptionally long time. The findings are published by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"Most disks of this kind fade away in less than 30 million years," said Silverberg. "This particular red dwarf is a candidate member of the Carina stellar association, which would make it around 45 million years old [like the rest of the stars in that group]. It's the oldest red dwarf system with a disk we've seen in one of these associations."

The discovery relied on citizen scientists from Disk Detective, a project led by NASA/GSFC's Dr. Marc Kuchner that's designed to find new circumstellar disks. At the project's website, DiskDetective.org, users make classifications by viewing ten-second videos of data from NASA surveys, including the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission (WISE) and Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) projects. Since the launch of the website in January 2014, roughly 30,000 citizen scientists have participated in this process, performing roughly 2 million classifications of celestial objects.

"Without the help of the citizen scientists examining these objects and finding the good ones, we might never have spotted this object," Kuchner said. "The WISE mission alone found 747 million [warm infrared] objects, of which we expect a few thousand to be circumstellar disks."

"Unraveling the mysteries of our universe, while contributing to the advancement of astronomy, is without a doubt a dream come true," says Hugo Durantini Luca from Argentina, one of eight citizen scientist co-authors.

Determining the age of a star can be tricky or impossible. But the Carina association, where this red dwarf was found, is a group of stars whose motions through the Galaxy indicate that they were all born at roughly the same time in the same stellar nursery.

Carnegie's Gagne devised a test that showed this newly found red dwarf and its disk are likely part of the Carina association, which was key to revealing its surprising age.

"It is surprising to see a circumstellar disk around a star that may be 45 million years old, because we normally expect these disks to dissipate within a few million years," Gagne explained. "More observations will be needed to determine whether the star is really as old as we suspect, and if it turns out to be, it will certainly become a benchmark system to understand the lifetime of disks."

Knowing that this star and its disk are so old may help scientists understand why M dwarf disks appear to be so rare.

This star and its disk are interesting for another reason: the possibility that it could host extrasolar planets. Most of the extrasolar planets that have been found by telescopes have been located in disks similar to the one around this unusual red dwarf. Moreover, this particular star is the same spectral type as Proxima Centauri, the Sun's nearest neighbor, which was shown to host at least one exoplanet, the famous Proxima b, in research published earlier this year.

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Disk Detective is a collaboration between NASA, Zooniverse, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Cordoba (Argentina), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. To join the search for more planetary habitats, go to DiskDetective.org.

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.
The social networks behind one of the most famous literary controversies of all time have been uncovered using modern networks science.

Since James Macpherson published what he claimed were translations of ancient Scottish Gaelic poetry by a third-century bard named Ossian, scholars have questioned the authenticity of the works and whether they were misappropriated from Irish mythology or, as heralded at the time, authored by a Scottish equivalent to Homer.

Now, in a joint study by Coventry University, the National University of Ireland, Galway and the University of Oxford, published today in the journal Advances in Complex Systems, researchers have revealed the structures of the social networks underlying the Ossian's works and their similarities to Irish mythology.

The researchers mapped the characters at the heart of the works and the relationships between them to compare the social networks found in the Scottish epics with classical Greek literature and Irish mythology.

The study revealed that the networks in the Scottish poems bore no resemblance to epics by Homer, but strongly resembled those in mythological stories from Ireland.

The Ossianic poems are considered to be some of the most important literary works ever to have emerged from Britain or Ireland, given their influence over the Romantic period in literature and the arts. Figures from Brahms to Wordsworth reacted enthusiastically; Napoleon took a copy on his military campaigns and US President Thomas Jefferson believed that Ossian was the greatest poet to have ever existed.

The poems launched the romantic portrayal of the Scottish Highlands which persists, in many forms, to the present day and inspired Romantic nationalism all across Europe.

Professor Ralph Kenna, a statistical physicist based at Coventry University, said: "By working together, it shows how science can open up new avenues of research in the humanities. The opposite also applies, as social structures discovered in Ossian inspire new questions in mathematics."

Dr Justin Tonra, a digital humanities expert from the National University of Ireland, Galway said: "From a humanities point of view, while it cannot fully resolve the debate about Ossian, this scientific analysis does reveal an insightful statistical picture: close similarity to the Irish texts which Macpherson explicitly rejected, and distance from the Greek sources which he sought to emulate."

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Notes to Editor:

The Journal

Advances in Complex Systems is published by World Scientific. It is committed to the highest scientific standards and provides a unique medium of communication for multidisciplinary approaches to the study of complex systems.

The Publisher

World Scientific Publishing is a leading independent publisher of academic and professional books and journals, publishing about 600 new titles a year and 130 journals in various fields.

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the European Commission.
Testosterone. It's often lauded as the hormone that makes males bigger, bolder, stronger.

Now a pair of Duke University studies has identified one group of animals, the meerkats of the southern tip of Africa, in which females can produce even more testosterone than males.

Female meerkats with naturally high levels of testosterone-related hormones are more likely to be leaders, but they also pay a price for being macho, the studies show.

Squirrel-sized members of the mongoose family, meerkats live in groups ruled by a single dominant female with as many as 50 lower-ranking male and female helpers.

In meerkats, it's the ladies who do most of the growling, biting and chasing. The top-ranking meerkat queens are the biggest bullies, shoving, charging and swiping food from the females beneath them.

The boss lady meerkat even banishes other females who manage to get pregnant or she kills their pups. This keeps the other females devoted to feeding and watching over her babies instead of their own.

For "mean girl" meerkats, this bullying behavior seems to pay off. Dominant females tend to live longer than subordinate meerkats, and they give birth to 80 percent of the surviving litters.

In a study published Oct. 18 in the journal Scientific Reports, Duke professor Christine Drea and research associate Charli Davies and colleagues found that female meerkats can produce up to twice as much testosterone as males. There are other species in which females rule, but meerkats are the only known animals in which traditional sex hormone patterns are reversed.

To see whether this chemical boost comes at a cost, in a second study Duke graduate student Kendra Smyth spent over a year from 2013 to 2014 collecting fecal samples from 37 wild females living in the Kuruman River Reserve in South Africa's Kalahari Desert.

As part of her Ph.D. research on the effects of hormones and social status on meerkat health, Smyth measured sex hormones in the droppings she collected. She also counted parasite eggs under the microscope to determine whether the animals were infected, and how badly.

Published Oct. 18 in the journal Biology Letters, the results of the second study showed that, regardless of social status, females with higher concentrations of testosterone and related hormones tend to carry more gut parasites than other females -- a sign of a potentially weakened immune system.

Next, the team plans to investigate whether the hormones are linked to other measures of immune function, such as antibodies in the blood. "It could be that the hormones dampen the immune system, making it harder to keep parasites in check," Smyth said.

The findings are consistent with an idea biologists first proposed in 1992, which posits that testosterone makes males showier and more aggressive, but also more prone to infection.

The new results for meerkats suggests similar testosterone trade-offs may apply to females, too, the researchers say.

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This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (IOS 333-1264, IOS-1021633) and Duke.

CITATIONS:

"Androgens Predict Parasitism in Female Meerkats: A New Perspective on a Classic Trade-Off," Kendra Smyth, Lydia Greene, Tim Clutton-Brock and Christine Drea. Biology Letters, October 18, 2016. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0660.

"Exceptional Endocrine Profiles Characterize the Meerkat: Sex, Status, and Reproductive Patterns," Charli Davies, Kendra Smyth, Lydia Greene, Debbie Walsh, Jessica Mitchell, Tim Clutton-Brock and Christine Drea. Scientific Reports, October 18, 2016. DOI: 10.1038/srep35492.
Genomics is increasingly a big data science as now commonplace high-throughput technologies support faster, cheaper generation of data analysis. This enables potentially exciting breakthroughs as researchers can unearth previously hidden patterns and make new discoveries of biological significance.

However, the scientific community struggles to take full advantage of the data generated because of a lack of computing resource, appropriate support, and technical skills. Additionally, bioinformatics tools generated during research projects to test and validate biological hypotheses often remain limited to prototype form and can only be used by those with computational expertise.

Therefore, to undertake modern science when faced with a plethora of tools and datasets, researchers need to be able to efficiently store and access datasets, models, and analysis tools, ideally hosted in different global locations to facilitate international projects -- this is where CyVerse can help.

As an international collaboration between hardware and middleware engineers at EI, support staff in the Norwich Research Park Computing Infrastructure for Science (NRP CiS) team, University of Arizona, Texas Advanced Computing Centre and Cold Spring Harbor Labs, CyVerse UK provides free, large scale, computing facilities and data storage designed for life scientists.

Lead Engineer of the CyVerse UK team Erik van den Bergh, said: "Establishing the first CyVerse node outside of the US represents a vital hub in the UK for data analysis and management. CyVerse UK can provide free HPC facilities for all UK scientists as well as allowing integration of UK apps and pipelines into the wider international CyVerse ecosystem.

"CyVerse provides an intuitive web interface, Discovery Environment (DE), where scientists can upload data and run analyses. While this resource is hosted in the US, the DE can automatically run tools hosted in the CyVerse UK platform, giving geographical advantages to data access speed, analysis time, and data placement policy."

CyVerse UK currently hosts two open-source apps and a new virtual machine environment. Gwasser (Ben Ward, Clark Group) is a statistics pipeline which performs Genome-Wide Association Studies for single phenotypes. Mikado (Luca Venturini, Swarbreck Group) is a lightweight Python pipeline to identify the optimal set of data readings from multiple transcript genomics assemblies. Both apps have been used for the analysis and recent publication of the allohexaploid wheat genome; a crop genome that is paramount in tackling the societal challenge of global food security.

The Polymarker pipeline will soon also be available to scientists to create efficient SNP genome assays in wheat, together with a modified 'Tuxedo suite' app developed by the University of Liverpool which executes a series of pipelines for RNA-seq analysis. CyVerse UK's robust virtualisation platform will also provide back-end data services and web hosting for the COPO and Grassroots Genomics projects.

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All tools are available through the Discovery Environment (de.iplantcollaborative.org), full documentation can be found at cyverseuk.org.

The CyVerse UK node hardware and software environment has been set up and deployed by the core CyVerse UK team (Erik van den Bergh and Alice Minotto) in the Davey Group, Tim Stitt (Scientific Computing), and NBI Scientific Computing. The CyVerse UK project is a BBSRC-funded collaboration between the EI, University of Warwick, University of Nottingham, and the University of Liverpool.

For more information, please contact:

Hayley London

Marketing & Communications Officer, Earlham Institute (EI)

44-0-1603-450-107

hayley.london@earlham.ac.uk

About Earlham Institute

The Earlham Institute (EI) is a leading research institute focusing on the development of genomics and computational biology. EI is based within the Norwich Research Park and is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC) - 6.45M in 2015/2016 -- as well as support from other research funders. EI operates a National Capability to promote the application of genomics and bioinformatics to advance bioscience research and innovation.

EI offers a state of the art DNA sequencing facility, unique by its operation of multiple complementary technologies for data generation. The Institute is a UK hub for innovative bioinformatics through research, analysis and interpretation of multiple, complex data sets. It hosts one of the largest computing hardware facilities dedicated to life science research in Europe. It is also actively involved in developing novel platforms to provide access to computational tools and processing capacity for multiple academic and industrial users and promoting applications of computational Bioscience. Additionally, the Institute offers a training programme through courses and workshops, and an outreach programme targeting key stakeholders, and wider public audiences through dialogue and science communication activities.

http://www.earlham.ac.uk / @EarlhamInst
The rapid rise in portion sizes has gone hand in hand with rising rates of obesity. To curb supersizing, governments and public health institutions have advocated portion size limits and health warnings, but they have had limited success. Consumers feel they are being infantilized and food marketers feel they're being squeezed as they typically extract higher profits from bigger portions.

But new research has found that people can be encouraged to choose smaller, healthier portions, without compromising on enjoyment. In their article, published in the October 2016 issue of the Journal of Marketing Research, Pierre Chandon, the L'Oreal Chaired Professor of Marketing, Innovation and Creativity at INSEAD and Yann Cornil, Assistant Professor of the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, find that people will choose smaller portions of chocolate cake when they are asked to vividly imagine the multisensory pleasure (taste, smell, texture) of similar desserts.

How can focusing on the pleasure of food make people want smaller portions? When it comes to eating, pleasure is inversely related to size. It is at its maximum in the first few bites of the food. Each additional bite becomes then less enjoyable and it is the last bite which determines the overall impression of how much we enjoyed the food. When people choose portions based on value for money, or the fear of being hungry, they end up choosing one of today's supersized portions which are just not that enjoyable to eat toward the end.

Cornil and Chandon also show that unlike health warnings, this multisensory imagery does not reduce expected eating enjoyment or willingness to pay for the food. In fact, "focusing on the pleasure of eating, rather than value for money, health, or hunger, makes people happier to pay more for less food," said Chandon.

Cornil and Chandon conducted five different experiments using different groups such as French schoolchildren, adult Americans and young Parisian women. In the first study, 42 French schoolchildren were asked to imagine - incorporating their five senses - the pleasure of eating familiar desserts and were then asked to choose portions of brownies. They naturally chose portions of brownies that were two sizes smaller than the portions chosen by children in a control condition.

In another experiment, Cornil and Chandon imitated high end restaurants by describing a regular chocolate cake as smelling of "roasted coffee" with "aromas of honey and vanilla" with an "aftertaste of blackberry". This vivid description made 190 adult Americans choose a smaller portion compared to a control condition where the cake was simply described as "chocolate cake". The study also had a third condition, in which people were told about the calorie and fat content of each cake portion. This nutrition information also led people to choose a smaller portion, but at a cost: It reduced the amount that people were willing to pay for the cake by about $1 compared to the multisensory condition.

A third study showed that people underestimated how much they will enjoy eating small portions of chocolate brownies. They expected to enjoy small portions less than larger ones, when actually both were enjoyed equally. This mistake was eliminated by multisensory imagery, which made people better forecasters of their own future eating enjoyment.

"Having more descriptive menus or product labels that encourage customers to use their senses can lead to positive outcomes for consumer satisfaction and health, but also for profits," said Cornil. "This could make for a more sustainable food industry, which struggles to grow in the face of today's obesity epidemic."

The study was based on Cornil's PhD dissertation which was conducted at INSEAD under the mentorship of Chandon who is also the director of the INSEAD Sorbonne University Behavioural Lab. This article has implications for health authorities and a wide range of food providers, from food manufacturers and restaurants to catering companies for schools and hospitals.

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A new paper from scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich explains why plant breeders have found it difficult to produce wheat varieties which combine high yield and good resistance to Septoria, a disease in wheat which can cut yield losses by up to 50%. It traces the problem back to decisions made nearly sixty years ago.

Septoria is the most destructive disease affecting wheat in the UK. As the fungus has become insensitive to most fungicides, demand for new Septoria resistant wheat varieties has risen sharply.

Septoria emerged as a serious threat to wheat in the 1970s. Since then, progress in breeding new varieties which combine high yield with resistance to Septoria has been slow.

Professor James Brown and his colleague Dr Lia Arraiano analysed resistance and susceptibility to Septoria in wheat varieties grown in the UK between 1860 and 2000. Using a technique called association genetics, they found that the gene with the biggest effect on increasing susceptibility to Septoria is very closely linked to one that increases yield and grain size.

Professor Brown said: "As we studied a historical set of varieties covering more than a century of wheat breeding, we discovered where the small region of the genome that increases both Septoria and yield came from. We traced it back to a variety called Heines Peko, which was used to breed for yield and rust resistance in the late 1950s."

Heines Peko was crossed with Cappelle Desprez, the major wheat variety in Britain at the time. This cross was so influential that all modern wheats bred in Britain are descended from it. Professor Brown suggests that as wheat breeders selected ever more strongly for higher yield, susceptibility to Septoria hitch-hiked along with it.

"My group is now trying to find out if the connection between the two traits can be broken" he added.

Breeders appreciate that increased yield is the main driver of the market for new varieties. Professor Brown points out that although Septoria resistance has improved in recommended varieties over the last ten years, the lack of knowledge about the relationship between yield and susceptibility to Septoria has hindered progress.

"It's surprising," he adds, "that a decision made so long ago has had such a long-lasting effect."

Ed Flatman, Head of European Wheat Breeding at Limagrain said: "Professor Brown and Dr Arraiano's work was one of the very first applications of association genetics in wheat and it has helped us to understand the past history of breeding for resistance to Septoria. We have now taken James' results and built on them by identifying novel Septoria resistances in current, high yielding elite varieties."

Dr Arraiano and Professor Brown's research points to a way of rising to the challenge of combining yield and Septoria resistance. They found ten other genes scattered throughout the genome with smaller effects on Septoria. They also found that nearly half the variation in Septoria was controlled by genes with effects that were too small to identify individually. "We know the genes are there," said Professor Brown, "but we don't know where they are."

Professor Brown is confident that breeders can make durable advances in Septoria resistance with this knowledge. "When breeders make crosses between diverse varieties, they produce new combinations of genes with small effects," he explains.

"Then if they run field trials at sites where Septoria is really rampant, they can spot the most resistant lines to commercialise and to use in the next generation of breeding."

He believes this approach will enable breeders to improve Septoria resistance, while minimising undesirable side-effects, such as reductions in yield.

Professor Brown said: "With the pressures of restrictions on pesticide use added to Septoria becoming insensitive to most fungicides, farmers need varieties which combine yield and quality with resistance to Septoria and other diseases. Our breakthrough should accelerate progress in developing these new varieties."

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The research was supported by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through the Sustainable Arable LINK programme, with support from AHDB and a consortium of plant breeding companies: Elsoms Seeds, Limagrain, Sejet, SW Seed and Syngenta, and by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Notes to editors

1. The paper, 'Sources of resistance and susceptibility to Septoria tritici blotch of wheat' is published in Molecular Plant Pathology on Friday 21 October 2016. The paper was co-authored by Dr Lia Arraiano, formerly at the John Innes Centre and now Head of Research Breeding Laboratories at Vilmorin SA in Montpellier, France.

2. Images to accompany this press release can be downloaded from: http://bit.ly/2ewVXrT

3. If you have any questions or would like to interview Professor Brown please contact:

Geraldine Platten

Head of External Relations (interim)

E: Geraldine.platten@jic.ac.uk

4. Septoria infection is characterized by the growth of necrotic brown lesions on wheat leaves, which lead to a significant reduction in crop yield and quality, with reported yield losses as high as 50%. It is a major disease of wheat in many temperate countries throughout the world. Favourable weather conditions mean it is most severe in Ireland. Resistance to Septoria is now categorized as being of very high importance as a trait on the AHDB Recommended List of Wheat Varieties.

5. About the John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology.

Our mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, to apply our knowledge of nature's diversity to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health and wellbeing, and engage with policy makers and the public.

To achieve these goals we establish pioneering long-term research objectives in plant and microbial science, with a focus on genetics. These objectives include promoting the translation of research through partnerships to develop improved crops and to make new products from microbes and plants for human health and other applications. We also create new approaches, technologies and resources that enable research advances and help industry to make new products. The knowledge, resources and trained researchers we generate help global societies address important challenges including providing sufficient and affordable food, making new products for human health and industrial applications, and developing sustainable bio-based manufacturing.

This provides a fertile environment for training the next generation of plant and microbial scientists, many of whom go on to careers in industry and academia, around the world.

The John Innes Centre is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). In 2015-2016 the John Innes Centre received a total of 30.1 million from the BBSRC.

The John Innes Centre is the winner of the BBSRC's 2013 - 2016 Excellence With Impact award.

6. About the BBSRC

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

Funded by Government, BBSRC invested over 473M in world-class bioscience in 2015-16. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk

For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes
Photodetectors, which are used in a wide range of systems and devices--from smartphones to space stations--are typically only sensitive to light within a certain narrow bandwidth, which causes numerous problems to product developers. Together with their colleagues from China and Saudi Arabia, scientists at MIPT have found a way to address this. According to their study, published in Advanced Functional Materials, treating an ordinary photodetector with UV light can turn it into a high bandwidth device.

"There is a lot of demand for photodetectors that are sensitive to a wide range of frequencies, but they are difficult to design. It's hard to find the right materials, because the substances that permit ultraviolet light tend to be nontransparent to infrared radiation, and vice versa. We found a way to 'broaden' the spectral response of photodetectors," says Vadim Agafonov, head of the Molecular Electronics Center at MIPT, a coauthor of the paper.

The research team that also includes his colleagues from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (China) and King Saud University (Saudi Arabia) studied polymer photodetectors based on the internal photoelectric effect, i.e., the redistribution of electrons within a polymer under the influence of light, resulting in electrical conductivity. Photodetectors based on organic materials have a number of advantages over their conventional inorganic counterparts, including their low cost, easier manufacturing, and physical flexibility. It turned out that by interacting with the surfaces of certain elements of the device, UV radiation can alter its sensitivity.

The researchers conducted an experiment whereby a polymer-based photodetector incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles was exposed to UV light for 30 seconds. As a result of this, they achieved a high-performance photodetector with a much broader spectral response and a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 140,000%, as compared to the 30% measured before UV treatment. The EQE of a photodetector is an important figure of merit defined as the ratio between the number of "dislodged" electrons and the number of incident photons. To put that in perspective, whereas before irradiation 10 photons generated just three electrons, after UV treatment the same number of photons produced 14,000 photoelectrons. However, the amount of noise experienced by the device was also greater due to an increased dark current, which is generated in the detector even when no photons are entering the device.

The researchers attribute the dramatic effect of UV light on detectors to the detachment of oxygen atoms from the zinc oxide molecules. During the manufacturing of a photodetector, oxygen molecules are adsorbed onto the surface of the semiconductor particles, whereby oxygen captures electrons from the conduction band. As a result, the captured electrons can no longer act as charge carriers. This means that the zinc oxide layer becomes a barrier that affects electron transport.

UV light treatment causes some of the valence electrons to migrate into the conduction band, driven by the radiation absorbed by the ZnO particles. The freed up electrons can then act as charge carriers, generating photocurrent even at the minimal measurable optical power intensity of 60 pW??cm? (picowatts per cm) under the bias voltage of ?0.5 V.

"You can thus convert a polymer-based photodetector into a highly sensitive broadband device. The process itself is quick, cheap, and efficient, which is important for practical applications," says Vadim Agafonov.

According to the paper, it is sufficient to treat a photodetector with UV light once during its manufacturing in order to achieve the broad spectral response. Moreover, the newly acquired properties of the device will remain unchanged after the manufacturing process is over, as the semiconductor layer will be sealed by a layer of aluminum protecting it from oxygen.

The researchers hope to eliminate the "side effects" that arise after irradiating the detector with UV light (e.g., a sharp increase in dark current), without sacrificing the high performance and wide spectral range of the device. Photodetectors that have been treated in the proposed way could be used anywhere from imaging to atmospheric sensing.

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Last year, MIT researchers presented a system that automated a crucial step in big-data analysis: the selection of a "feature set," or aspects of the data that are useful for making predictions. The researchers entered the system in several data science contests, where it outperformed most of the human competitors and took only hours instead of months to perform its analyses.

This week, in a pair of papers at the IEEE International Conference on Data Science and Advanced Analytics, the team described an approach to automating most of the rest of the process of big-data analysis -- the preparation of the data for analysis and even the specification of problems that the analysis might be able to solve.

The researchers believe that, again, their systems could perform in days tasks that used to take data scientists months.

"The goal of all this is to present the interesting stuff to the data scientists so that they can more quickly address all these new data sets that are coming in," says Max Kanter MEng '15, who is first author on last year's paper and one of this year's papers. "[Data scientists want to know], 'Why don't you show me the top 10 things that I can do the best, and then I'll dig down into those?' So [these methods are] shrinking the time between getting a data set and actually producing value out of it."

Both papers focus on time-varying data, which reflects observations made over time, and they assume that the goal of analysis is to produce a probabilistic model that will predict future events on the basis of current observations.

Real-world problems

The first paper describes a general framework for analyzing time-varying data. It splits the analytic process into three stages: labeling the data, or categorizing salient data points so they can be fed to a machine-learning system; segmenting the data, or determining which time sequences of data points are relevant to which problems; and "featurizing" the data, the step performed by the system the researchers presented last year.

The second paper describes a new language for describing data-analysis problems and a set of algorithms that automatically recombine data in different ways, to determine what types of prediction problems the data might be useful for solving.

According to Kalyan Veeramachaneni, a principal research scientist at MIT's Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems and senior author on all three papers, the work grew out of his team's experience with real data-analysis problems brought to it by industry researchers.

"Our experience was, when we got the data, the domain experts and data scientists sat around the table for a couple months to define a prediction problem," he says. "The reason I think that people did that is they knew that the label-segment-featurize process takes six to eight months. So we better define a good prediction problem to even start that process."

In 2015, after completing his master's, Kanter joined Veeramachaneni's group as a researcher. Then, in the fall of 2015, Kanter and Veeramachaneni founded a company called Feature Labs to commercialize their data-analysis technology. Kanter is now the company's CEO, and after receiving his master's in 2016, another master's student in Veeramachaneni's group, Benjamin Schreck, joined the company as chief data scientist.

Data preparation

Developed by Schreck and Veeramachaneni, the new language, dubbed Trane, should reduce the time it takes data scientists to define good prediction problems, from months to days. Kanter, Veeramachaneni, and another Feature Labs employee, Owen Gillespie, have also devised a method that should do the same for the label-segment-featurize (LSF) process.

To get a sense of what labeling and segmentation entails, suppose that a data scientist is presented with electroencephalogram (EEG) data for several patients with epilepsy and asked to identify patterns in the data that might signal the onset of seizures.

The first step is to identify the EEG spikes that indicate seizures. The next is to extract a segment of the EEG signal that precedes each seizure. For purposes of comparison, "normal" segments of the signal -- segments of similar length but far removed from seizures -- should also be extracted. The segments are then labeled as either preceding a seizure or not, information that a machine-learning algorithm can use to identify patterns that indicate seizure onset.

In their LSF paper, Kanter, Veeramachaneni, and Gillespie define a general mathematical framework for describing such labeling and segmentation problems. Rather than EEG readings, for instance, the data might be the purchases by customers of a particular company, and the problem might be to determine from a customer's buying history whether he or she is likely to buy a new product.

There, the pertinent data, for predictive purposes, may be not a customer's behavior over some time span, but information about his or her three most recent purchases, whenever they occurred. The framework is flexible enough to accommodate such different specifications. But once those specifications are made, the researchers' algorithm performs the corresponding segmentation and labeling automatically.

Finding problems

With Trane, time-series data is represented in tables, where the columns contain measurements and the times at which they were made. Schreck and Veeramachaneni defined a small set of operations that can be performed on either columns or rows. A row operation is something like determining whether a measurement in one row is greater than some threshold number, or raising it to particular power. A column operation is something like taking the differences between successive measurements in a column, or summing all the measurements, or taking just the first or last one.

Fed a table of data, Trane exhaustively iterates through combinations of such operations, enumerating a huge number of potential questions that can be asked of the data -- whether, for instance, the differences between measurements in successive rows ever exceeds a particular value, or whether there are any rows for which it is true that the square of the data equals a particular number.

To test Trane's utility, the researchers considered a suite of questions that data scientists had posed about roughly 60 real data sets. They limited the number of sequential operations that Trane could perform on the data to five, and those operations were drawn from a set of only six row operations and 11 column operations. Remarkably, that comparatively limited set was enough to reproduce every question that researchers had in fact posed -- in addition to hundreds of others that they hadn't.

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ADDITIONAL BACKROUND

ARCHIVE: Automating big-data analysis

ARCHIVE: Siting wind farms more quickly, cheaply
For the first time, an experiment has directly imaged electron orbits in a high-magnetic field, illuminating an unusual collective behavior in electrons and suggesting new ways of manipulating the charged particles.

The study, conducted by researchers at Princeton University and the University of Texas-Austin was published Oct. 21, in the journal Science. The study demonstrates that the electrons, when kept at very low temperatures where their quantum behaviors emerge, can spontaneously begin to travel in identical elliptical paths on the surface of a crystal of bismuth, forming a quantum fluid state. This behavior was anticipated theoretically during the past two decades by researchers from Princeton and other universities.

"This is the first visualization of a quantum fluid of electrons in which interactions between the electrons make them collectively choose orbits with these unusual shapes," said Ali Yazdani, the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics at Princeton, who led the research.

"The other big finding is that this is the first time the orbits of electrons moving in a magnetic field have been directly visualized," Yazdani said. "In fact, it is our ability to image these orbits that allowed us to detect the formation of this strange quantum liquid."

Fundamental explorations of materials may provide the basis for faster and more efficient electronic technologies. Today's electronic devices, from computers to cellphones, use processors made from silicon. With silicon reaching its maximum capacity for information processing, researchers are looking to other materials and mechanisms.

One area of progress has been in two-dimensional materials, which allow control of electron motion by breaking the particles away from the constraints of the underlying crystal lattice. This involves moving electrons among "pockets" or "valleys" of possible states created by the crystal. Some researchers are working on ways to apply this process in an emerging field of research known as "valleytronics."

In the current work, the strange elliptical orbits correspond to the electrons being in different "valleys" of states. This experiment demonstrates one of the rare situations where electrons spontaneously occupy one valley or another, the researchers said.

The team at Princeton used a scanning tunneling microscope to visualize electrons on the surface of a bismuth crystal at extremely low temperatures where quantum behaviors can be observed. Because electrons are too small to be seen, the scanning tunneling microscope has a miniscule electrically charged needle that detects electrons as it scans the crystal surface.

Co-first authors Benjamin Feldman, an associate research scholar in Princeton's Department of Physics; Mallika Randeria, a graduate student in physics; and Andras Gyenis, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Electrical Engineering, conducted the experiments at Princeton. Huiwen Ji, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemistry, working with Robert Cava, Princeton's Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry, grew the exceptionally pure bismuth crystal.

Bismuth has relatively few electrons, which makes it ideal for watching what happens to a flow of electrons subjected to a high magnetic field. Despite its purity, the crystal Ji and Cava grew contained some defects. Roughly one atom was slightly out of place for every tens of thousands of atoms.

Normally, in the absence of the magnetic field, electrons in a crystal will flit from atom to atom. Applying a strong magnetic field perpendicular to the flow of electrons forces the electrons' paths to curve into orbit around a nearby defect in the crystal, like planets going around the sun. The researchers found that they could measure the properties, or wave functions, of these orbits, giving them an important tool for studying the two-dimensional soup of electrons on the surface of the crystal.

Due to the crystal's lattice structure, the researchers expected to see three differently shaped elliptical orbits. Instead the researchers found that all the electron orbits spontaneously lined up in the same direction, or "nematic" order. The researchers determined that this behavior occurred because the strong magnetic field caused electrons to interact with each other in ways that disrupted the symmetry of the underlying lattice.

"It is as if spontaneously the electrons decided, 'It would lower our energy if we all picked one particular direction in the crystal and deformed our motion in that direction,'" Yazdani said.

"What was anticipated but never demonstrated is that we can turn the electron fluid into this nematic fluid, with a preferred orientation, by changing the interaction between electrons," he said. "By adjusting the strength of the magnetic field, you can force the electrons to interact strongly and actually see them break the symmetry of the surface of the crystal by choosing a particular orientation collectively."

Spontaneous broken symmetries are an active area of study thought to underlie physical properties such as high-temperature superconductivity, which enables electrons to flow without resistance.

Prior to directly imaging the behavior of these electrons in magnetic fields, researchers had hints of this behavior, which they call a nematic quantum Hall liquid, from other types of experiments, but the study is the first direct measurement.

"People have been looking at these states in a bunch of different contexts and this experiment represents a new way of observing them," said Allan MacDonald, a professor of physics at the University of Texas-Austin who contributed theoretical understanding to the study along with graduate student Fengcheng Wu, who is now at Argonne National Laboratory. "I'd done some work on a similar system together with former graduate students, Xiao Li, who is now at the University of Maryland, and Fan Zhang, now at the University of Texas-Dallas. When Yazdani's group showed me what they saw, I immediately recognized that they had identified a state that we had predicted, but in a completely unexpected way. It was quite a happy surprise."

The study gives experimental evidence for ideas predicted over the past two decades, including theoretical work by Princeton Professor of Physics Shivaji Sondhi and others.

Eduardo Fradkin, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, contributed, along with Steven Kivelson, a professor of physics at Stanford University, to early predictions of this behavior in a paper published in Nature in 1998. "What Yazdani's experiments give us is a more quantitative test to explore the collective property of the electrons in this material," said Fradkin, who was not involved in the current study. "This is something we made arguments for, and only now has it been confirmed in this particular material. For me, this is very satisfying to see."

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Funding for the study was provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation through the Princeton Center for Complex Materials, the U.S. Army Research Office, and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund at Princeton.

The study, "Observation of a nematic quantum Hall liquid on the surface of bismuth," was published Oct. 21 in the journal Science.
A QUT professor has become the first Australian since Professor Ian Frazer to receive the prestigious West Lake Friendship award.

Professor Matt Brown, QUT Director of Genomics in the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), received the award in recognition of his work with the Wenzhou Medical University's (WMU) 1st Affiliated Hospital, in the Chinese city Wenzhou.

As well as building academic ties between Queensland and Wenzhou, Professor Brown established cancer genomics services and research programs at the hospital, bringing personalised medicine to Wenzhou cancer patients to improve treatments and lift survival rates.

The award is given annually to overseas experts who have contributed to the economic and social development of Zhejiang Province in any field.

Professor Brown was presented the award by the Governor of Zhejiang, a province of 54 million people.

"I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of major international names including Professor Ian Frazer in receiving this award," Professor Brown said.

"It reflects the hard work of many people in Brisbane and Wenzhou in building bridges between the two cities.

"The award comes to me but I am very grateful for the support I have received particularly from WMU, its 1st Affiliated Hospital, and QUT."

Over the past five years Professor Brown has organised student and staff exchanges and built research collaborations between WMU and universities in Brisbane.

He is also scientific director at the Centre for Personalised Medicine of WMU's 1st Affiliated Hospital, to be opened in December.

"I hope to strengthen ties between WMU and QUT in particular, with more staff and student exchanges," Professor Brown said.

"WMU has 14,000 medical students who are of very high standard, and both institutions will benefit from undergraduate and PhD student exchange."

Based at the Translational Research Institute and Princess Alexandra Hospital, Professor Brown leads a personalised medicine centre for cancer patients, a partnership between QUT and the Queensland Government's Metro South Health (a region that includes the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Greenslopes Hospital and Logan Hospital).

"By tailoring medical treatments to a patient's genetic profile we ultimately hope to provide more effective chemotherapy and cancer management," Professor Brown said.

"This is a new frontier for medicine that can significantly help people so I'm delighted my work in this field has been recognised internationally."

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Frequency synthesizers from audio frequency to the microwave region have been widely used in daily life, high technology and scientific research. Those frequency synthesizers can output a signal with frequency related to the input light frequency (fin) as fin/R. Meanwhile, the phase coherence, frequency stability and accuracy of the output signal inherit from the input signal. While in the optical region, there was no such a device. Since the invention of lasers, scientists are able to realize optical frequency conversion with nonlinear optical process. For example, second harmonic generation can convert optical frequencies as fout = fin/0.5, where fout is the output light frequency. However, optical frequency conversion with arbitrary ratios has not been realized for a long time.

The invention of optical frequency comb paved the way for optical frequency divider. In 2003, international comparison among four optical frequency combs from East China Normal University (ECNU, China), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA) and International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) was performed, which demonstrated that the frequency synthesis uncertainty of optical frequency combs based on different types of femtosecond lasers was at the 10^(-19) level (Long-Sheng Ma, et. al, Science, Vol. 303, page.1843, 2004). Recently, the group from ECNU has realized a low noise, accurate optical frequency divider by combining several key techniques of an optically-referenced frequency comb, a collinear self-referencing interferometer for detecting the comb carrier-envelope offset frequency, an optically-referenced RF time base, and the transfer oscillator scheme. By comparing against the frequency ratio between the fundamental and second harmonic of a 1064 nm laser instead of a second copy of the identical optical frequency divider, the division uncertainty is demonstrated to be 1.4  10^(-21). The optical frequency divider can accurately divide an optical frequency with an arbitrary preset ratio to several different wavelengths. Scientists are able to measure optical frequency ratios directly from the division ratios of the optical frequency dividers when the output and input light of the optical frequency dividers correspond to clock frequencies.

Optical frequency divider will be instrumental in the applications of optical clocks. "Recent progress in optical atomic clocks demonstrates record fractional frequency instability and uncertainty at the 10^(-18) level. The unprecedented accuracy is fostering a revolution in science and technology. Using optical clocks, searches for possible variations of fundamental constants are carried out in laboratories by precisely measuring the frequency ratios of two different atomic transitions of optical clocks over time. In relativistic geodesy, long-distance geopotential difference will be accurately measured by comparing the frequencies of remotely-located optical clocks linked with optical fibers, where the frequencies of optical clocks have to be accurately converted to the fiber telecom band for long-distance transmission. In metrology, the fundamental unit for time, the second, in the International System of Units (SI) will be redefined based on optical atomic clocks. Frequency comparisons between optical clocks based on different atom species have to be performed in order to affirm the agreement between optical clocks with uncertainty beyond the current SI second, as well as to demonstrate the frequency reproducibility of optical clocks. Moreover, in atomic and molecular precision spectroscopy hopes are high that accurate and stable clock light can be transferred to wider spectral range. All those applications rely on accurate frequency ratio measurement between spectrally-separated optical clocks or frequency conversion of optical clocks."

In a research article published in the Beijing-based National Science Review, Yao et. al. introduce an optical frequency divider with division uncertainty at the 10^(-21) level. The division uncertainty induced by the optical frequency divider is therefore three orders of magnitude better than the most accurate optical clocks, promising optical frequency division without degrading the performance of optical clocks. They hope this type of optical frequency divider will be also instrumental in precision measurement.

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This research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Rising-Star Program and the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities.

See the article: Yuan Yao, Yanyi Jiang, Hongfu Yu, Zhiyi Bi, and Longsheng Ma

Optical frequency divider with division uncertainty at the 10^(-21) level

Natl Sci Rev (September 2016)

http://nsr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/10/01/nsr.nww063

The National Science Review is the first comprehensive scholarly journal released in English in China that is aimed at linking the country's rapidly advancing community of scientists with the global frontiers of science and technology. The journal also aims to shine a worldwide spotlight on scientific research advances across China.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sanford Health has opened another clinical trial exploring the power of the body's immune system to fight cancer. The immunotherapy trial is focusing on colorectal cancer and involves an investigational drug Sanford is already studying as a potential therapy for other types of cancer.

The drug, pembrolizumab, blocks a protein in the body that allows cancerous cells to thrive. This inhibition of the protein allows the body's immune system to recognize and attack the cancer. Sanford also has clinical trials open that are studying pembrolizumab for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, esophageal cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.

Oncologist Jonathan Bleeker, M.D., is running the colon cancer trial, which is called KEYNOTE-177. His team will compare the effectiveness of treating participants with pembrolizumab or one of six standard treatment methods that include chemotherapy. Participants must have been recently diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, with particular gene mutations and not have previously received chemotherapy.

"Patients battling colorectal cancer now have access to a cutting-edge immunotherapy trial right here in South Dakota," said Bleeker. "The drug we are studying is an immune checkpoint inhibitor, which means the body's own immune system and natural mechanisms might be able to attack the disease on its own once it has noticed the cancer."

Pembrolizumab was developed by the drug company Merck and is FDA-approved for melanoma, head and neck cancer and certain types of lung cancer.

Besides skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. It most commonly begins as a growth, or polyp, on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 50,000 people will die from colorectal cancer this year.

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Sanford has more than 20 immunotherapy clinical trials available to cancer patients. A complete list of clinical trials is available at sanfordhealth.org/clinicaltrials.

KEYNOTE-177 is enrolling patients in Sioux Falls. For more information or to enroll, call 1-87-SURVIVAL.

About Sanford Health

Sanford Health is an integrated health system headquartered in the Dakotas. It is one of the largest health systems in the nation with 43 hospitals and nearly 250 clinics in nine states and four countries. Sanford Health's 27,000 employees, including 1,400 physicians, make it the largest employer in the Dakotas. Nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford have allowed for several initiatives, including global children's clinics, genomic medicine and specialized centers researching cures for type 1 diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases. For more information, visit sanfordhealth.org.
EL PASO, Texas - Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) has received a $351,721 continuing grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). This highly competitive grant, awarded through the THECB's Primary Care Innovation Grant program, recognizes innovative medical school programs that focus on increasing the number of primary care physicians in Texas.

The Longitudinal Primary Care Track (LPCT) provides medical students with the opportunity to care for underserved populations. Through the program, students gain valuable hands-on experience at the Salud sin Fronteras clinic treating migrant farmworkers -- free of charge.

"This project focuses on improving students' leadership, mentoring, and patient advocacy skills to help them develop professionally," said LPCT founder Charmaine Martin, M.D., who is also the director of medical student education. The second-year students will mentor the new group coming in.

Students in the primary care program are exposed to the health care needs of a unique underserved community in which many live below the poverty line. This exposure ultimately helps raise the medical students' awareness of the plight of the farmworkers, and piques their interest in pursuing primary care.

"It is very exciting to receive this THECB grant and to be able to continue working with the students to develop the migrant farmworkers clinic into a student-run clinic," Dr. Martin said. "We have a great team. Tracy Leonard is the grant coordinator, and of course, the students, Carlos Marentes, director of Sin Fronteras, and our community partners are essential to the success of the program."

The LPCT was one of just seven awardees in the state to receive a 2016-18 grant. This is the second Primary Care Innovation Grant where THECB has recognized TTUHSC El Paso's commitment to unique patient groups.

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About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso:

TTUHSC El Paso became a standalone university in 2013 after separating from TTUHSC in Lubbock. It is the fourth university in the Texas Tech University System. The health sciences center consists of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, and the future Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Researchers at the University of California, Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering have developed an inexpensive, energy-efficient way to create silicon-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries from the fossilized remains of single-celled algae called diatoms. The research could lead to the development of ultra-high capacity lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and portable electronics.

Titled "Carbon-Coated, Diatomite-Derived Nanosilicon as a High Rate Capable Li-ion Battery Anode," a paper describing the research was published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. The research was led by Mihri Ozkan, professor of electrical engineering, and Cengiz Ozkan, professor of mechanical engineering. Brennan Campbell, a graduate student in materials science and engineering, was first author on the paper.

Lithium-ion batteries, the most popular rechargeable batteries in electric vehicles and personal electronics, have several major components including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte made of lithium salt dissolved in an organic solvent. While graphite is the material of choice for most anodes, its performance is a limiting factor in making better batteries and expanding their applications. Silicon, which can store about 10 times more energy, is being developed as an alternative anode material, but its production through the traditional method, called carbothermic reduction is expensive and energy-intensive.

To change that, the UCR team turned to a cheap source of silicon -- diatomaceous earth (DE) -- and a more efficient chemical process. DE is an abundant, silicon-rich sedimentary rock that is composed of the fossilized remains of diatoms deposited over millions of years. Using a process called magnesiothermic reduction, the group converted this low-cost source of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) to pure silicon nano-particles.

"A significant finding in our research was the preservation of the diatom cell walls -- structures known as frustules -- creating a highly porous anode that allows easy access for the electrolyte", Cengiz Ozkan said.

This research is the latest in a series of projects led by Mihri and Cengiz Ozkan to create lithium-ion battery anodes from environmentally friendly materials. Previous research has focused on developing and testing anodes from portabella mushrooms and beach sand.

"Batteries that power electric vehicles are expensive and need to be charged frequently, which causes anxiety for consumers and negatively impacts the sale of these vehicles. To improve the adoption of electric vehicles, we need much better batteries. We believe diatomaceous earth, which is abundant and inexpensive, could be another sustainable source of silicon for battery anodes," Mihri Ozkan said.

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In addition to Mihri and Cengiz Ozkan and Campbell, graduate students Robert Ionescu, Maxwell Tolchin, Kazi Ahmed, Zachary Favors, and Krassimir N. Bozhilov, manager of UCR's Central Facility for Advanced Microscopy and Microanalysis, also contributed to this research.

Financial support for this work was provided through the Faculty Climate Action Award by the University of California, Riverside.
New research led by the University of Liverpool aims to improve the administration and availability of drug therapies to HIV patients through the use of nanotechnology.

The research, conducted by the collaborative nanomedicine research programme led by Pharmacologist Professor Andrew Owen and Materials Chemist Professor Steve Rannard, examined the use of nanotechnology to improve the delivery of drugs to HIV patients.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease in the human body. This evolving discipline has the potential to dramatically change medical science and is already having an impact in a number of clinically used therapies and diagnostics worldwide.

Leading research

Currently, the treatment of HIV requires daily oral dosing of HIV drugs, and chronic oral dosing has significant complications that arise from the high pill burden experienced by many patients across populations with varying conditions leading to non-adherence to therapies.

Recent evaluation of HIV patient groups have shown a willingness to switch to nanomedicine alternatives if benefits can be shown. Research efforts by the Liverpool team have focused on the development of new oral therapies, using Solid Drug Nanoparticle (SDN) technology which can improve drug absorption into the body, reducing both the dose and the cost per dose and enabling existing healthcare budgets to treat more patients.

Poorly available

Presently, no clinically available oral nanotherapies exist for HIV populations and conventional paediatric HIV medicines are poorly available. The programme examined one current paediatric formulation that utilizes high ethanol concentrations to solubilize lopinavir, a poorly soluble antiretroviral.

Through the use of a rapid small-scale nanomedicine screening approach developed at Liverpool, the researchers were able to generate a novel water dispersible nanotherapy, hence removing the need to use alcohol in the paediatric medicine.

The research, funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is in ongoing human trials, and the preclinical development has been published in Nature Communications today (Friday, 21 October 2016).

Wide applicability

Professor Owen said "The fruits of our interdisciplinary research are beginning to be realised. Our approach has the potential to overcome challenges with current antiretroviral therapy, which include administration of high doses needed to achieve efficacious concentrations in the body, and the urgent need for better formulations for children living with HIV."

Professor Rannard added "The wide applicability of our strategy has implications for multiple therapy development programmes and we are actively engaged in the creation of nanomedicine options to impact a range of clinical needs."

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The study, entitled 'Accelerated oral nanomedicine discovery from miniaturized screening to clinical production exemplified by paediatric HIV nanotherapies', can be found at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/
Five years ago, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three astronomers for their discovery, in the late 1990s, that the universe is expanding at an accelerating pace.

Their conclusions were based on analysis of Type Ia supernovae - the spectacular thermonuclear explosion of dying stars - picked up by the Hubble space telescope and large ground-based telescopes. It led to the widespread acceptance of the idea that the universe is dominated by a mysterious substance named 'dark energy' that drives this accelerating expansion.

Now, a team of scientists led by Professor Subir Sarkar of Oxford University's Department of Physics has cast doubt on this standard cosmological concept. Making use of a vastly increased data set - a catalogue of 740 Type Ia supernovae, more than ten times the original sample size - the researchers have found that the evidence for acceleration may be flimsier than previously thought, with the data being consistent with a constant rate of expansion.

The study is published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

Professor Sarkar, who also holds a position at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, said: 'The discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe won the Nobel Prize, the Gruber Cosmology Prize, and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. It led to the widespread acceptance of the idea that the universe is dominated by "dark energy" that behaves like a cosmological constant - this is now the "standard model" of cosmology.

'However, there now exists a much bigger database of supernovae on which to perform rigorous and detailed statistical analyses. We analysed the latest catalogue of 740 Type Ia supernovae - over ten times bigger than the original samples on which the discovery claim was based - and found that the evidence for accelerated expansion is, at most, what physicists call "3 sigma". This is far short of the "5 sigma" standard required to claim a discovery of fundamental significance.

'An analogous example in this context would be the recent suggestion for a new particle weighing 750 GeV based on data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. It initially had even higher significance - 3.9 and 3.4 sigma in December last year - and stimulated over 500 theoretical papers. However, it was announced in August that new data shows that the significance has dropped to less than 1 sigma. It was just a statistical fluctuation, and there is no such particle.'

There is other data available that appears to support the idea of an accelerating universe, such as information on the cosmic microwave background - the faint afterglow of the Big Bang - from the Planck satellite. However, Professor Sarkar said: 'All of these tests are indirect, carried out in the framework of an assumed model, and the cosmic microwave background is not directly affected by dark energy. Actually, there is indeed a subtle effect, the late-integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, but this has not been convincingly detected.

'So it is quite possible that we are being misled and that the apparent manifestation of dark energy is a consequence of analysing the data in an oversimplified theoretical model - one that was in fact constructed in the 1930s, long before there was any real data. A more sophisticated theoretical framework accounting for the observation that the universe is not exactly homogeneous and that its matter content may not behave as an ideal gas - two key assumptions of standard cosmology - may well be able to account for all observations without requiring dark energy. Indeed, vacuum energy is something of which we have absolutely no understanding in fundamental theory.'

Professor Sarkar added: 'Naturally, a lot of work will be necessary to convince the physics community of this, but our work serves to demonstrate that a key pillar of the standard cosmological model is rather shaky. Hopefully this will motivate better analyses of cosmological data, as well as inspiring theorists to investigate more nuanced cosmological models. Significant progress will be made when the European Extremely Large Telescope makes observations with an ultrasensitive "laser comb" to directly measure over a ten to 15-year period whether the expansion rate is indeed accelerating.'

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A new compound, discovered jointly by international pharmaceutical company Servier, headquartered in France, and Vernalis (R&D), a company based in the UK, has been shown by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Servier to block a protein that is essential for the sustained growth of up to a quarter of all cancers.

The research presents a new way to efficiently kill these cancerous cells and holds promise for the treatment of blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as solid cancers such as melanoma and cancers of the lung and breast. It is published online today in the journal Nature.

The Servier compound -- S63845 -- targets a protein of the BCL2 family, called MCL1, which is essential for the sustained survival of these cancer cells.

Institute scientist Associate Professor Guillaume Lessene, who led the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute's research team in Melbourne, Australia, said the work provided the first clear preclinical evidence that inhibiting MCL1 was effective in targeting several cancer types.

"MCL1 is important for many cancers because it is a pro-survival protein that allows the cancerous cells to evade the process of programmed cell death that normally removes cancer cells from the body," Associate Professor Lessene said. "Extensive studies performed in a variety of cancer models have shown that S63845 potently targets cancer cells dependent on MCL1 for their survival."

The institute team of Associate Professor Lessene worked with haematologist Associate Professor Andrew Wei and Dr Donia Moujalled from The Alfred Hospital and Servier scientists, to demonstrate that not only was S63845 effective against several cancer types, but that it could also be delivered at doses that were well tolerated by normal cells.

Dr Olivier Geneste, Director of Oncology Research at Servier, said this preclinical research represented major findings regarding the druggability of MCL1, a valuable and highly challenging target. "S63845 was discovered through collaboration with the fragment and structure based discovery expertise at Vernalis," he said. "As part of the ongoing Servier / Novartis collaboration on this target class, clinical development of a MCL1 inhibitor should be launched in the near future."

Associate Professor Lessene said the research provided further evidence of the usefulness of a new class of anti-cancer drugs called BH3 mimetics. "BH3 mimetics inhibit a group of proteins known as the 'pro-survival BCL-2 proteins'," he said. "MCL1 is a member of this protein family, and inhibiting it activates the process of programmed cell death. Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers revealed the role of BCL-2 in cancer more than 28 years ago and the essential role of MCL1 for the survival of malignant cells four years ago."

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The research was supported through a research collaboration with Servier and through funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (US), Cancer Council Victoria, the Kay Kendall Leukemia Fund, Victorian Cancer Agency, Australian Cancer Research Foundation, the Victorian Government Operational Infrastructure Scheme and the estate of Anthony Redstone.

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is the research powerhouse of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, an alliance of leading Victorian hospitals and research centres committed to controlling cancer.

About Servier

Servier is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit Foundation and headquartered in France. With a strong international presence in 148 countries and a turnover of 3.9 billion euro in 2015, Servier employs over 21,200 people worldwide. Corporate growth is driven by Servier's constant search for innovation in five areas of excellence: cardiology, oncology, metabolism, neuropsychiatry and rheumatology, as well as by its activities in high quality generic drugs. Being completely independent, the Group reinvests 25% of Servier's products turnover in Research and Development, and all its profits in its growth. Becoming a key player in oncology is part of Servier's long-term strategy. Currently, there are nine molecular entities in clinical development in this area, targeting gastric and lung cancers and other solid tumors, as well as various leukemias and lymphomas. This portfolio of innovative cancer treatments is being developed with partners worldwide, and covers different cancer hallmarks and modalities, including cytotoxics, proapoptotics, targeted, immune and cellular therapies.

More information is available at: http://www.servier.com
The Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff has claimed that the Republic Islamic of Pakistan is capable of destroying the Jewish nation in less than 12 minutes, the latest of a long series of threats against what it deems as the Zionist regime.

If Israel tries to invade our sacred sites in Palestine, we will raze the Zionist regime in less than 12 minutes, said Zubair Mahmood Hayat , The Pakistani Joint Chiefs .

In 1947, Israels founder, David Ben Gurion sent a telegram to Muhammad Ali Jinnah in an attempt to establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan. The telegram was initially ignored and to date, Pakistan still refuses to recognise Israel as a state.

Ben Gurion was allegedly quoted in The Jewish Chronicle in 1967 on his view of Pakistan:

The world Zionist movement should not be neglectful of the dangers of Pakistan to it. And Pakistan now should be its first target, for this ideological state is a threat to our existence. And Pakistan, the whole of it, hates the Jews and loves the Arabs. This lover of the Arabs is more dangerous to us than the Arabs themselves. For that matter, it is most essential for the world Zionism that it should now take immediate steps against Pakistan.

Whereas the inhabitants of the Indian peninsula are Hindus whose hearts have been full of hatred towards Muslims, therefore, India is the most important base for us to work from against Pakistan. It is essential that we exploit this base and strike and crush Pakistanis, enemies of Jews and Zionism, by all disguised and secret plans.

This famous quote has never been verified and many Israeli academics dispute its authenticity. However, it is a well-known fact that Israel is not favoured by Pakistan. If you dont believe me, just take a look at the recent blog published on The Express Tribune about Israel.

Over the years, I have heard many arguments regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict. From holding Hamas and Fatah accountable for internal bickering between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, to blaming all Arabs for being arrogant towards south-east Asians as a whole  therefore the Palestinians deserve the unrest and the injustice. And above all the arguments is the one that takes the lead; Jews have the biblical right to a land that was promised to them by God.

To explain these reasons to a Palestinian living off UN handouts in a refugee camp in Lebanon or Jordan would be an insult and borderline insensitive. Imagine having your culture and livelihood taken from you and being expelled from your land. Or, to be degraded daily by the Israel Defence Force in checkpoints strewn across the occupied West Bank and have your child shot by Israeli extremist settlers in Nablus.

Human rights violations are rife despite Israel portraying itself as the beacon of freedom in the eyes of the international community. Israel would have you believe that Palestinians are all terrorists and its only defending its citizens from suicide bombers and Islamic extremists.

The reality however is very different.

There is a wide misconception that the clash over the holy land is solely between Muslims and Jews. There are over 300,000 Palestinian Christians in the disputed territories, along with many more living abroad. They too are discriminated against equally as their Muslim counterparts. Israel uses sophisticated lobbying from institutions such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to portray Palestine as the aggressor.

Then comes the question, Would it be in Pakistans interest to recognise Israel, like countries who already have such as Egypt and Jordan?

If not for economic stability, then maybe to increase its list of allies?

I would have to say no.

Not because of the Muslims versus Jews debate, or the ties many people have to the third most holiest site in Islam, Al-Aqsa Mosque, but based more on a human level.

If it was the other way around and Palestinians were occupying a land by killing innocent civilians and begrudging them their basic human rights in the 21st century, I would reiterate my decision regardless of religion or race.

We cannot let our names represent an apartheid regime and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people. We should push for peace in one of the most complex conflicts of our time, and simultaneously hold Israel accountable for its actions  something which the UN repeatedly fails to do.

I must also emphasise that Im not anti-semetic and I dont agree that Jews are our enemies either. Zionism and Judaism are two very different concepts. To simplify things, all monotheistic beliefs are from the same maker which renders the fight over religion pointless; hate will only brew more hate.

This is a fight for human rights who everyone has the right to defend.

Pakistan itself has a tainted slate when it comes to human rights. But it wouldnt get any closer to making amends by forming an alliance with Israel either. And as for improving Pakistans image externally, well maybe we should focus on procuring a change from within first and then worry about what image others have of us.

Source : AWD News
In an emailed report to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Julia Beck of Davis Stands with Standing Rock, said, We wanted to share the good news that our local city council last night unanimously passed the attached resolution in support of your critical and profoundly inspiring opposition to the Dakota Access pipeline.



Photo: Francisco Dominguez urges the Davis City Council to adopt the resolution. Photo by Dan Bacher.

On October 4, the Davis City Council unanimously passed a resolution declaring their solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline.Carol Standing Elk, Francisco Dominguez, Juliette Beck, Lynn Nittler, Becca Paine and Nick Buxton led the successful campaign to work with the City Council to pass the resolution. Davis joins 18 other cities across the country, including Seattle, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Oakland and Sitka, Alaska, in opposition to the pipeline.The proposed Dakota Access Pipeline would carry as many as 570,000 barrels of fracked crude oil per day for more than 1,170 miles from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota to Illinois. It would imperil sensitive landscapes including Treaty-protected land containing recognized cultural resources and across or under 209 rivers, creeks, and tributaries including the pristine Missouri River, the longest river in North America. The Missouri provides drinking water to many cities and towns and irrigates agricultural land across the Midwest.The resolution declares: WHEREAS, the City of Davis has worked diligently for many years to secure and protect our own sustainable clean water supply and supports the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in opposing the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline that passes under the Missouri River and other water water sources with the recognized threat of contamination of existing clean water supplies with potential future oil spills.NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Davis, stands in support of the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline process and project and calls on all residents of Davis to raise awareness about this important struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice and to support the Sacred Stones Camp efforts.In an emailed report to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Julia Beck of Davis Stands with Standing Rock, said, We wanted to share the good news that our local city council last night unanimously passed the attached resolution in support of your critical and profoundly inspiring opposition to the Dakota Access pipeline.The local news coverage captured the strong sense of solidarity that was expressed in our city council chambers by Native Americans, University of California at Davis students, climate change activists, parents, librarians, and the city council members themselves. We are very grateful for your leadership and all that you are doing to protect Mother Earth, Beck stated.For local news coverage, go to: http://www.davisvanguard.org/2016/10/council-defends-local-resolution-dakota-pipeline/ and http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/davis-joins-opposition-to-dakota-access-pipeline/ During the meeting, Mayor Rob Davis tried to postpone the decision, based on a complaint by one person supporting the DAPL, but he reversed his decision after intense opposition by Native Americans and their allies who spoke at the meeting.All the air that we breathe tonight, this air is going to blow somewhere else, said Francisco Dominguez (Tarahumara), photo journalist. All the air, rivers, lakes, oceans  its all connected. What we do here has an effect on other continents.There are human rights violations over in North Dakota, he emphasized. We havent seen dogs sicced upon our citizens since the Martin Luther King marches in 1964 and 1965.Since the passage of the resolution, the arrests and brutality by law enforcement against indigenous leaders and independent journalists have only accelerated. While a judge on October 17 dismissed a felony "riot" charge against Amy Goodman of Democracy Now for her reporting on the #noDAPL protests, Josh Fox Films producer, Deia Schlosberg, and Unicorn Riot journalists continue to face time in prison for the crime of journalism. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/us/judge-rejects-riot-charge-against-amy-goodman-of-democracy-now-over-pipeline-protest.htm You can sign the petition to protect Freedom of The Press and demand that all charges be dropped against journalists for covering ND Pipeline Protests by going to: https://t.co/3vU8Ibr2VW "Green" California Is third largest oil producing-state in NationThe passage of the resolution by City of Davis takes place in a state that is the third largest oil producer in the nation, right behind North Dakota (second) and Texas (first)  and where the regulatory apparatus has been captured by Big Oil, Big Ag and other corporate interests. In fact, Big Oil is the largest and most powerful corporate lobby in California and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) is the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying organization.In a classic example of deep regulatory capture, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), chaired the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to create questionable "marine protected areas" in Southern California from 2009 to 2012. She also served on the task forces to create "marine protected areas" on the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast from 2004 to 2012. ( http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/brtf_bios_sc.asp While she was overseeing the creation of "marine protected areas" that fail to protect the ocean from fracking, offshore oil drilling, oil spills, pollution, military testing and other human impacts other than sustainable fishing and gathering, her husband, James Boyd, served as vice-chair of the California Energy Commission from February 2007 to January 2012 after serving as a commission member from February 2002 to January 2007. ( http://www.energy.ca.gov/commissioners/boyd.html With complete disrespect to the water rights and sacred sites of the Winnemem Wintu, Concow Maidu, Pit River Tribe and other Tribal Nations, Governor Jerry Brown is currently fast-tracking the Delta Tunnels, the most environmentally destructive public works project in California history, as well as promoting the expansion of fracking.Like DAPL, Jerry Brown's Delta Tunnels threaten ecosystem disasterJust as the DAPL will devastate the Missouri River ecosystem and its many fish and wildlife species, the two 35-mile long tunnels under the Delta would hasten the extinction of Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species.The project would also imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers, a fishery that for thousands of years has played an integral part in the culture, religion and food supply of the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley Tribes.In the latest environmental scandal to rock the Brown administration, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) announced on September 23 that it has opened an investigation into the California Democratic Party in response to a report by a prominent consumer group claiming that the party acted as a laundry machine to funnel donations from oil, energy and utility companies to Browns 2014 election campaign.In her letter to the Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog, Galena West, Chief of the FPPCs Enforcement Division, said the division will investigate the California Democratic Party for alleged violations of the Political Reform Acts campaign reporting provisions resulting from information contained in your sworn complaint (Browns Dirty Hands Report.)Consumer Watchdogs Browns Dirty Hands report tabulated donations totaling $9.8 million dollars to Jerry Browns campaigns, causes, and initiatives, and to the California Democratic Party since he ran for Governor from 26 energy companies with business before the state. The companies included the states three major investor-owned utilities, as well as Occidental, Chevron, and NRG. ( http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/9/24/1573828/-FPPC-launches-probe-in-response-to-Consumer-Watchdog-s-Brown-s-Dirty-Hands-report While the mainstream media and state officials portray Jerry Brown as a green governor and climate leader, he is in reality one of the worst governors for fish, water and the environment in recent California history, as I have documented in article after article.Below is the complete text of the resolution:RESOLUTION 16-XXX, SERIES 2016ResolutionSupporting the Opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline Process and ProjectWHEREAS, the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline would carry as many as 570,000 barrels of hydraulically-fractured (fracked) crude oil per day for more than 1,170 miles from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota to Illinois, passing over sensitive landscapes including Treaty-protected land containing recognized cultural resources and across or under 209 rivers, creeks, and tributaries including the pristine Missouri River, which provides drinking water and irrigates agricultural land in communities across the Midwest; andWHEREAS, despite deep opposition from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, as well as farmers, scientists, more than 30 environmental advocacy groups, and other Tribal nations along the proposed route, and without Tribal consultation or meaningful environmental review as required by federal law, in July, 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit allowing construction of the fracked oil pipeline to move forward; andWHEREAS, in a complaint filed in Federal District Court on July 27, 2016, the Standing RockSioux Tribe alleges, among other allegations, serious violations of the due process requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). In particular, federal agencies must complete the section 106 process prior to the approval of the expenditure of any Federal funds on the undertaking or prior to the issuance of any license. According to the complaint, The US Army Corp of Engineers did not follow or complete the proper process of consultation with the Tribe prior to issuance of permits; andWHEREAS, on August 31, 2016, the chair and members of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues issued a statement finding that The [Dakota Access Pipeline] project was proposed and planned without any consultation with the Standing Rock Sioux or others that will be affected by this major project. The lack of consultation with the Indigenous peoples concerned triggered the filing of the lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers, who approved its construction. The pipeline would adversely affect not only the security and access to drinking water of the Sioux and millions of people living downstream of the Missouri River, but it would also destroy archaeological, historical and sacred sites of the Sioux; andWHEREAS, on August 15, 2016 the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council, led by Tribal Chairman David Archambault II, called on Tribal nations, Indigenous people and organizations around the world to issue resolutions in support of the Standing Rock Sioux and the Sacred Stones Camp; andWHEREAS, the City of Davis has made a firm commitment to reduce its own dependence on fossil fuels and aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, in order to ensure that additional pipelines such as the Dakota Access Pipeline are not needed; and.WHEREAS, the City of Davis previously passed a Resolution 14-052, Opposing Transportation of Crude Oil through the City of Davis and Adjacent Habitat Areas, citing the many known public safety concerns of the transport of crude by rail; andWHEREAS, the City of Davis has worked diligently for many years to secure and protect our own sustainable clean water supply and supports the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in opposing the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline that passes under the Missouri River and other water water sources with the recognized threat of contamination of existing clean water supplies with potential future oil spills.NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Davis, stands in support of the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline process and project and calls on all residents of Davis to raise awareness about this important struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice and to support the Sacred Stones Camp efforts.PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Davis this 4th day of October, 2016 by the following vote:Robb Davis, MayorZoe S. Mirabile, CMC, City Clerk
Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from



Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.


TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 21, 2016) - Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI)(NYSE:AGI) ("Alamos" or the "Company") today announced the purchase of 25,300,000 common shares (the "Shares") of Corex Gold Corp. ("Corex"), representing approximately 19.07% of the outstanding common shares of Corex (the "Transaction"). The Shares are being acquired by Alamos by way of private placement at a price of C$0.10 per Share.

Alamos carried out the Transaction for investment purposes and may increase or decrease its investment based on market conditions. Pursuant to an Investor Rights Agreement entered into between Alamos and Corex, Corex has granted Alamos a right to participate in future financings, subject to certain terms, to maintain its pro-rata interest. Corex has also granted Alamos the right to nominate up to two (2) directors to the Corex board of directors. Alamos has elected not to exercise such right at this time but retains the right to do so in the future by giving written notice to Corex.

"With its favourable geology and proximity to the Mulatos mine, the Santana Property represents an attractive exploration opportunity. We look forward to supporting Corex as they continue exploring this property," said John A. McCluskey, President and Chief Executive Officer.

The Early Warning Report, as required under National Instrument 62-103, contains additional information with respect to the foregoing matters and will be filed by the Company on Corex's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The Transaction remains subject to customary approvals, including the Toronto Stock Exchange.

About Alamos

Alamos is a Canadian-based intermediate gold producer with diversified production from three operating mines in North America. This includes the Young-Davidson mine in northern Ontario, Canada and the Mulatos and El Chanate mines in Sonora State, Mexico. Additionally, the Company has a significant portfolio of development stage projects in Mexico, Turkey, Canada and the United States. Alamos employs more than 1,300 people and is committed to the highest standards of sustainable development. The Company's shares are traded on the TSX and NYSE under the symbol "AGI".

Cautionary Note

The TSX and NYSE have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on forecasts and reasonable assumptions of management, including specifically our ability to influence exploration at Corex' Santana property or the likelihood of any material results from such early-stage exploration. Although Alamos has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are asked to review the "Risk Factors" set out in Alamos Gold Inc.'s Annual Information Forms and other filings available on SEDAR and EDGAR. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 21, 2016) - White Metal Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:WHM) ("White Metal" or the "Company) would like to announce the results of the recently completed diamond drill program on the Dobie Property previously announced on September 13, 2016. While reviewing the core from the previous drilling campaign conducted in 2009 by Manicouagan Minerals, it was noted that very fine arsenopyrite existed in core not sampled from drill hole DOB-09-14. This core was split and sent in for gold assay as part of this year's efforts and resulted in extending the intersection to 1.32gpt Au over 42.0m including 1.52gpt Au over 33.5m compared to the previously announced 1.53gpt Au / 27.9m (see Table1 and plan map below). Hole DOB-16-17 drilled 20m to the west of DOB-12-14 intersected 1.51gpt Au over 13.7m within a larger mineralized envelope of 0.74gpt Au over 39.1m. Diamond drill hole DOB-16-18, a 50m step-out to the northwest from DOB-09-12, returned 2.08 gpt Au over 4.1m. Hole DOB-16-20 was drilled 50m to the east of DOB-12-14 and assayed 1.24 gpt Au over 20.6m including 2.05 gpt Au over 5.5m. Hole DOB-16-19, drilled on section and above DOB-16-18, intersected neither the Dobie nor the altered volcanic zone ("AV") but did intersect the underlying iron formation suggesting it may be offset by faulting.

This diamond drill program was successful in extending the known Dobie Zone by 50m along strike to the northwest and also testing a 100m void between drill holes DOB-09-10 and DOB-12-14. To date the Dobie Zone has been drill tested a total of 230m and continues to remain open along strike to the northwest and at depth where the mineralized horizon appears to be getting thicker.

Table 1:

Hole_ID From To meters Ave (Au g/t) Zone DOB-09-14 58.5 100.5 42.0 1.32 Dobie includes 67.0 100.5 33.5 1.52 Dobie DOB-16-17 25.0 33.5 8.5 0.48 AV 42.5 83.1 40.6 0.72 Dobie includes 69.4 83.1 13.7 1.51 Dobie DOB-16-18 20.4 43.7 23.3 0.23 AV 79.1 83.2 4.1 2.08 Dobie DOB-16-19 41.8 43.5 1.7 0.96 IF DOB-16-20 69.7 79.2 9.5 0.35 AV 88 108.6 20.6 1.24 Dobie includes 88 93.5 5.5 2.05 Dobie

Note: AV represents a mineralized altered volcanic zone with highly anomalous gold and IF is a gold-bearing iron formation

To view the image associated with this relelase, entitled 'Drill Plan Dobie Zone' please view the following link:

The property is situated in the historic Pickle Lake gold camp, located 7km northwest of the historic Golden Patricia mine that produced 619,796 ounces of gold (1,216,165 tonnes of ore grading 0.51 oz per tonne) from 1983 to 1997. The Dobie gold zone is considered to contain a historic resource of 50,000 ounces of gold contained in 301,000 tonnes grading 5.5 grams per tonne Au. This resource estimate was calculated by Bond Gold Canada Inc. prior to CIM National Instrument 43-101 guidelines and as such should only be considered from a historical point of view and not relied upon until verified by a qualified person.

The Dorothy Dobie and Kasagiminnis properties are currently under option from Murchison Minerals Ltd. and a second option agreement with Ken Kukkee (see press release dated July 4, 2016).

White Metal also has a good working relationship with local First Nation Groups, Slate Falls and Cat Lake, and has recently signed a MOU with both groups.

White Metal Resources (TSX VENTURE:WHM) is a junior mineral exploration company exploring in Canada and currently has 30,451,073 common shares issued and outstanding.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for White Metal by Paul E. Nielsen, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of White Metal Resources Corp.

Michael Stares, President and CEO

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projection
VANCOUVER, Oct. 21, 2016 - Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM: TSX-V, ASM: NYSE-MKT; "Avino" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the completion of an updated NI 43-101 resource estimate for the Company's Bralorne Property located near Gold Bridge, British Columbia. The resource estimate has been included in an updated NI 43-101 technical report prepared by Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., and this report will be available on SEDAR within 45 days.

"This new technical report marks a major milestone in our development towards reopening the Bralorne Mine," said Bralorne President and CEO David Wolfin. "Not only have we increased tonnage and gold ounces through a limited program, the updated figures give us essential information and validate our development strategy. Combined with a number of plant improvements and purchases of new equipment, the updated resource estimate represents a crucial step forward. I congratulate our entire Bralorne team."

The following is a summary of current resources at the Bralorne Property, grouped into the measured, indicated and inferred categories. The effective date of the resource estimates is October 20, 2016. The resource estimates were prepared by Garth Kirkham, P. Geo., who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, and who is an employee of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. and independent of Avino, as defined by Section 1.5 of NI 43-101.

CLASS Measured Indicated Measured and Indicated Inferred Tons Au opt Au Ounces Tons Au opt Au Ounces Tons Au Opt Au Ounces Tons Au opt Au Ounces 51b FW 8,294 0.26 2,176 33,466 0.20 6,596 41,760 0.21 8,772 147,691 0.19 28,785 51bFW/HW 15,713 0.27 4,313 26,717 0.62 16,639 42,430 0.49 20,953 39,072 0.38 14,828 Alhambra 21,915 0.46 10,153 16,462 0.26 4,259 38,377 0.38 14,412 10,454 0.19 2,001 BK 50,501 0.33 16,822 50,501 0.33 16,822 50,430 0.16 8,064 BK-9870 5,754 0.53 3,058 5,754 0.53 3,058 7,327 0.27 1,986 BKN 37,546 0.36 13,569 37,546 0.36 13,569 46,972 0.30 14,007 Prince - 12,790 0.17 2,138 Shaft 41,300 0.28 11,432 41,300 0.28 11,432 25,781 0.27 6,994 Taylor 15,455 0.16 2,510 15,455 0.16 2,510 23,010 0.22 5,097 TOTAL 45,922 0.36 16,643 227,201 0.32 74,885 273,123 0.33 91,528 363,527 0.22 83,900

Mineral Resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred resources as an Indicated or Measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to the Indicated or Measured mineral resource category.

The mineral resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's "CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" incorporated by reference into National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects".

Mineral Resources are reported at cut-off grades 0.1 ounces per ton gold.

Method of Calculation

It was determined that the 4' composite lengths offered the best balance between supplying common support for samples and minimizing the smoothing of the grades. The 4' sample length also was consistent with the distribution of sample lengths within the mineralized domains.

The method employed to address outlier grades was to limit the range of influence for gold values greater than 3 opt to 25 feet, which equates to the adjacent, adjoining two blocks. Outside of this range, the gold values are capped to 3 opt.

The estimation methods used for each of the nine veins was substantially the same. Mineral resources were estimated by inverse distance and verified by means of nearest neighbor and ordinary kriged methods, in addition to swathplot comparisons of estimates and visual inspections.

The Block Models used for estimating the resources were orthogonal and non-rotated with the exception of the Alhambra and the 51b veins which are reflective of the orientation of each deposit. The block size chosen was 16' x 4' x 16' for all models with the exception of the 51b veins has model dimensions of 20' x 20' x 4'.

The search strategy employed for all zones was using inverse distance squared (ID2) as the interpolator, using a 200' omni-directional search with a minimum of 3 composites, a maximum of 9 and a maximum of 3 composites per drillhole.

The average bulk dry density for the mineralized vein is 12.1 ft3/ton.

Solids volumes have been created of the mined out areas that were accounted for and extracted from the resource calculation.

Cut-off grades were applied to satisfy the condition of reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction and were calculated using an estimate of costs, a gold price of US$1,300/oz and metallurgical recovery.

Classification of resources was based on the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) definition standards, where distance to nearest composite was used as a guide and measured resources were within 25 ft, indicated within 50 ft and inferred within 100 ft. Final classification of resources was based on the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) definition standards, which dictates that continuity must be demonstrated. The spacing distances are intended to define contiguous volumes, and they should allow for some irregularities due to actual drill hole placement. The final classification volume results were smoothed manually to come to a coherent classification scheme.

Comparison to 2012 Resource Estimate

The difference between the 2012 and the 2016 estimates are: a 53% increase in tons and 7% increase in grade for measured; 62% increase in tons and 27% in grade for indicated; and 34% increase in tons with a decrease of 17% in grade for the inferred. Key factors that have resulted in the changes in resources from 2012 to 2016 include:

Additional data and information.

Exclusion of 52 and King veins due to access and data issues.

Addition of three new veins namely; Alhambra , Prince, Shaft and the BK-9780 splay off of the BK zone.

, Prince, Shaft and the BK-9780 splay off of the BK zone. Exclusion of the 800 stockpile and BK broken inventory which have either been processed or not accessible. There is approximately 2,450 tons in low grade stockpiles which have not been reported as the grade in not known but is thought to be approximately 0.1 ounces per ton but not verified.

Differences related to the estimation plan used for interpolating the resources.

Qualified Person(s)

Avino's Bralorne project is under the supervision of Fred Sveinson, P. Eng, BSc, an Avino Consultant and Mr. Jasman Yee P. Eng, Avino director, who are both qualified persons within the context of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Sveinson, Mr. Yee and the technical report author, Mr. Garth Kirkham, P. Geo., have all reviewed and approved the technical data in this news release except for the quotes.

About Avino

Avino is a low-cost primary silver producer. Avino's mission is to create shareholder value through profitable organic growth at the Avino property near the city of Durango, Mexico, and the Bralorne property in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. We are committed to managing all business activities in an environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner while contributing to the well-being of the communities in which we operate.

For more information, please visit Avino's website at www.avino.com

Source: Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.
By Yoon Ja-young

There are nearly 1 million foreigners working in Korea and their wages are rising.

According to the 2016 foreign employment survey released by Statistics Korea, Thursday, there are 1.43 million foreigners aged 15 or over residing in Korea, up 3.7 percent from a year ago.

Among them, 962,000 have jobs. The employment rate of foreigners recorded 67.6 percent, while 4.2 percent were jobless. When considering that the number of the employed totaled 26.5 million, three or four out of 100 workers in Korea are foreigners. The ratio has been rising each year for the past few years.

Economically active foreigners, which combine both the employed and the jobless, surpassed 1 million for the first time.

When asked about salaries, 48.7 percent said they were paid between 1 and 2 million won a month, while 37.9 percent earned between 2 and 3 million won. Those who earn over 3 million won took 8.9 percent. Those earning less than 2 million won totaled 53 percent, down from 58 percent last year. Those earning over 2 million won, meanwhile, rose to 47 percent from 42 percent.












Senior foreign ministry officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Tokyo next week to discuss further cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile threat, the foreign ministry here said Friday.



The trilateral meeting will be held on Thursday, bringing together South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and his American and Japanese counterparts, Tony Bliken and Shinsuke Sugiyama. The vice minister-level meeting marks the fifth of its kind following the first in Washington in April last year.



"The situation is graver than ever due to the North's continued provocations," the ministry said. "During the meeting, we will have an in-depth discussion on coordination among the three countries in the face of the North's threat and provocations, while seeking to intensify additional sanctions of our own and pressure against it."



Lim is planning to hold bilateral meetings with his American and Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of the event, the ministry said.



The diplomatic and defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. also recently held the "two-plus-two" gathering and annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington where they discussed cooperation against the growing threat from the North as well.



Since North Korea conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test to date in September, the United Nations Security Council is working on a fresh resolution to punish the country for defiantly pursuing the development of weapons of mass destruction.



Despite repeated warnings and condemnation from the international community, the North keeps carrying out tests of diverse types of missiles. On Thursday, it test-fired a missile believed to be a Musudan intermediate-range missile.



Earlier, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se vowed to push for "stronger" sanctions that the ones previously introduced following the North's fourth nuclear test in January. (Yonhap)










By Oh Young-jin

If anything goes wrong in Korea, the "ppalli ppalli" culture is to blame.

The logic behind it is that Koreans tend to do whatever it takes to get the job done ppalli ppalli, or on the double.

When the Sewol ferry sank, this mentality or, more exactly, an extension of it in the form of cutting corners, took the blame. The big ferry took on more freight than allowed and failed to secure it properly inside the cargo bay. The result was comparable to items in an overhead locker being shifted during a turbulent flight. A top-heavy modification reduced the ship's ability to bounce back after listing to one side and sank it. Two-hundred-ninety-five people, mostly students on a school trip, were killed with nine listed missing.

The same goes with the problem of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7, whose production and sale have been terminated for good after some devices were reported exploding. The media and experts blame Samsung for making too much haste in launching the latest jumbo smartphone ahead of its rival Apple. The result is that they say Samsung remains clueless about the cause of the explosions

The fingers of blame are being wagged by both Koreans and foreigners. But it is not incorrect to say it was foreigners, from their third-party perspective, who first identified this weak point standing in the way of Korea's last push to becoming a fully developed country.

Their rationale: Koreans have turned their country from the world's most impoverished nation into one of its leading economies in a short period of time. As a result, their ability to pay attention to detail and consider safety first, traits common within developed nations, were lost in the transition.

They would tell Korea to get rid of it or remain a second-rate nation. Now, it is a one-size-fits-all diagnosis for anything going amiss with things Korean.

So often Koreans find themselves on the receiving end of this lesson and have come to take this analysis as a matter of fact.

Now is the time to vet this whether it is bad for us, before the life of the nation is being seriously threatened.

Was the cause of the Sewol sinking ppalli ppalli as often believed? First of all, this type of tragedy does take place all over the world. Two years prior to the Sewol disaster, an Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, ran aground and capsized with 4,299 on board. Eleven people died and 24 were listed as missing. However silly it may sound, the cause was its homage-paying custom of approaching an island on its route. On the night of the accident, it came too close and its hull got a gash 70 meters long. The captain beat the passengers and crew off the ship and escaped as the Sewol skipper did. In other words, ppalli ppalli alone can't explain it.

What about the Note 7 fiasco?

Did Samsung cut corners? They didn't. If they did, they could not have reached where they are: the world's top tech firm.

Any leading firm is under pressure to get its products out ahead of its rivals. Then, the ill-fated smartphone was also lauded as a pacemaker with its variety of new functions including waterproofing and rapid recharging. Such an innovative product always carries with it unseen risks. The Note 7 was hit by the perfect storm of an eagerness to start a new generation and beat Apple, but a mechanical gremlin got the best of it. That is called risk-taking, a pivotal part in any innovative firm.







Samsung decided on an all-out recall as soon as the fires were reported. Would Apple take the same bold move for consumer safety? Samsung took the ppalli ppalli attitude. If it were the cause of its current troubles, then, it would be equal to attributing the demise of Nokia and Blackberry to ppalli ppalli culture.

From Korea's perspective, it's important to exonerate ppalli ppalli.

First, it is part of the nation's DNA so telling Koreans to lose it is the same as telling them to stop being Korean. It is deep in the national character like patience is for the British, craftiness for the Japanese, American pragmatism, North Korean single-mindedness, Swiss sense of neutrality, etc.

We had President Lee Myung-bak, who took pragmatism as a new national character. It didn't work.

We need more of it, not less of it.

This culture has taken us so far and we should let it take us further.

The reason why we are stuck on the slippery slope is that we are trying to imitate others' strong points and emulate their success formulae.

Ppalli ppalli is part of our success formula. Even for our age of rapid change, it will be in a greater need. After all, we don't have all day.

In the event that our culture proves problematic as claimed by others, we can always hire them to fix them. Meanwhile, it's time for us to get going and get ahead with it as far as we can go.



Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact him at foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.
Bridget Serwaa Agyeman

21.10.2016 LISTEN

Beautiful Ghanaian actress, Bridget Serwaa Agyeman has stated that she is not ready to publicly announce her husband because she fears some of her own people in the industry.

According to Bridget in an interview with Kumasi based Ash FM last Sunday, some of the industry players are smart in snatching husbands and boyfriends of others hence she will not make it public who the father of her daughter is.

"For my husband, I will not make it public. There are a lot of smart people in the industry who will see no wrong with snatching your guy. He who has seen doesn't see again. I want to state for a fact that my daughter has a father but disclosing It, never. At the right time you will get to know who is this man. I want to also say that Mr Yesu Burkason is not the father of my daughter. He's like a brother to me."

The question about who is the father of her recently outdoored daughter has been an issue her fans are asking for.

A recent allegation in the news had it that Mr Listowell Yesu Burkason, former GJA boss in the Ashanti Region is the father with which Bridget has rubbished it.
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Taking a step further, Ghanaian musician, Nuru has just released some new music off his forth-coming debut album, Lighting as hinted on his twitter account.

https://twitter.com/thisisNURU/status/789343652912963584

After the success of his previous song and music video, In A Moment, which earned him an AFRIMA nomination this year, X'treme Music presents an afrobeat song by Nuru titled Zangtimana, a Dagbani word to mean 'Give It To Me'. This a new and different style from Nuru as compared to his previous drops. This definately proves that Nuru is a versatile artiste. The song was produced and mastered by the renowned PossiGee at MoB Studios, Tema- Ghana.

Nuru hints, he will be dropping visuals to this musical piece in some few days from today.

Enjoy!

Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/thisisnuru/nuru-zangtimana-prod-by-possigee

Hulkshare Link: http://www.hulkshare.com/43c2jksxqccg
Ghana's gospel music industry is about to witness another sensational and inspiring gospel artiste in the person of Daniel Adjei, who is poised to release his danceable album titled, 'Memfata' very soon.

For over a decade the undiscovered artiste has been seriously working behind closed doors on its 10-track album, which is a collection of soul-inspiring motivational songs.

The album, produced by Kwaji Music Productions and set to be launched on October 30 this year at the New Nation's University College, Madina in Accra, will witness performances by Hannah Marfo, Nana Yaw Asare, Kofi Sarpong, among others.

Having vowed to commit himself to changing the trend of Ghanaian gospel music, Daniel Adjei, who hails from Aburi in the Eastern Region, has successfully and skilfully blended elements of traditional gospel beat with a bit of contemporary (gospel) beats to compose extremely electrifying songs.

The album contains inspirational and soul-soothing songs; and most of them can be considered as good, with the fusion of sweet rhythms and danceable beats. The instrumentation, as well as the backing vocals makes the songs on the album extraordinary.

Known for his mid-tempo gospel flair, soulful arrangements and stunning vocals, Adjei, who is also assistant revenue officer (ARO) at the Customs Exercise and Preventive Service (CEPS) division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has been doing songs which inspire, amaze and leave the audience exhilarated any time he is on stage.

Tracks such as 'Otonko,' 'I Don't Know,' 'Oman Bapa,' 'Jesus The Defender,' among others, are mid-tempo songs.

Although the album is his maiden one, Adjei expects it to do better on the market than others because all the songs are unique, enjoyable and educative.

By George Clifford Owusu
21.10.2016 LISTEN

The Chief of Staff has cautioned Ghanaian adults against consuming large volumes of sweet fruit juice because it is not good for their health.

Julius Debrah said the drink contains a lot of sugar meant to boost the growth of children.

They are therefore not meant for adults.

Speaking to supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Brong Ahafo Regional town of Wenchi, he said adults who take very sweet fruit juices would go down with a sickness called Kalyppolities.

'I am pleading with you that you the adults here if you take Kalyppo, the sugar content can leave you with some sickness so please don't take it,' he said in Twi to the supporters who shouted 'Noooo.'

International media Reuters reported the fruit juice stunt meant to make a meal out of the NPP leader for supping the drink has become an albatross around the neck of government.

An attempt by Ghana's ruling party to make fun of the main opposition candidate in the presidential election by posting a photograph of him sipping from a small carton of Kalyppo fruit has backfired, with his supporters adopting the brand to rally support, the report said.

Just when the euphoria about the drink has shown signs of waning, the former Local Government Minister has fanned the flame, urging NDC supporters to desist from sweet drinks.

He, however, did not deviate from the purpose of his visit to the region. He told the supporters to go out in their numbers on December 7 to cast their votes for President John Mahama.

According to Mr Debrah, the President is one such individual who remains true to his words and would fulfill every promise made to Ghanaians.

Gov't Attacks Local Industry

Meanwhile a group, which introduced itself as 'Truth Forum' has issued a press statement which described Mr. Debrah's statement as irresponsible and aimed at killing local businesses

The statement noted:

The Truth Forum, condemns the reckless and irresponsible pronouncements made by the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, urging Ghanaians to stay away from Kalyppo, a locally-made fruit juice.



It is rather unfortunate that, after 8 years of making a complete mess of the Ghanaian economy, the John Mahama-led NDC government has decided to not only negatively tag our local industry, but take us back to the dark days in our history.

It will be recalled that a few weeks ago, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, was spotted in photograph drinking Kalyppo fruit juice. The photograph went viral on social media, with Ghanaians from all walks of life identifying with him by posting selfies mimicking him drinking the locally made juice. It is obvious that sales of Kalyppo has increased tremendously in recent times.

Speaking to supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Brong Ahafo Regional town of Wenchi, Mr. Debrah said adults who take very sweet fruit juices would go down with a sickness called Kalyppolities. The Chief of Staff has suddenly acquired medical qualification to determine what our population should or should not consume.



After presiding over several years of unending power crisis, high taxes, petroleum price hikes, high utility tariffs, mismanagement of the economy, unstable currency which has resulted in collapse of many businesses and rendering hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians jobless, it is regrettable that such comments would come from the Chief of staff. Instead of outlining what has been done to curtail the energy crisis in the long-term, as well as measures put in place to make the business environment conducive for business to thrive, this is how low government has decided to sink.



This brings back memories of terror on private entrepreneurship; and as a people, we must condemn such utterances in our political discourse.



We are therefore calling on Mr. Julius Debrah to apologise for the irresponsible statement, and also to the manufacturers of Kalyppo and the general public.



Signed

Anthony Abayifaa Karbo

Member Truth Forum
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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (centre) attended the 2015 African Union Summit in South Africa, despite facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. By Gianluigi Guercia (AFP/File)

21.10.2016 LISTEN

Pretoria (AFP) - South Africa announced Friday that it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, dealing a major blow to a troubled institution set up to try the world's worst crimes.

South Africa's decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the court was "inhibiting South Africa's ability to honour its obligations relating to the granting of diplomatic immunity".

The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of targeting African leaders and has also struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States which has signed the court's treaty but never ratified it.

South Africa would be the first country to leave the court.

The withdrawal "shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

"It's important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africa's hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored."

Post-colonial bias?

The International Criminal Court was set up in 2002 to try the world's worst atrocities

South Africa's failure as an ICC signatory to arrest Bashir last year led to a wave of condemnation, which was met with an early threat from the government to withdraw from The Hague-based court.

Bashir has evaded arrest since his ICC indictment in 2009 for alleged war crimes in Sudan's Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes.

Several African governments say the ICC has shown a post-colonial bias against the continent's leaders, and opposition to the court has grown in recent years.

Earlier this month Burundi said it would withdraw, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

South Africa, which delivered a letter to the United Nations on Wednesday to activate its formal withdrawal, is likely to complete the process in one year.

The Democratic Alliance, the country's main opposition party, immediately launched a legal appeal, describing withdrawal as "unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed".

"The decision... shows the depth of impunity and disregard for the rule of law within the ANC (ruling party)," it said.

"Clearly (Foreign Minister Maite) Nkoana-Mashabane has taken her lead from President Jacob Zuma."

'Disgraceful conduct'

In March, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal accused Zuma's government of "disgraceful conduct" over Bashir's visit and ruled that the failure to arrest Bashir was unlawful.

The government was taking the case to the Constitutional Court next month, but said Friday's decision meant the legal battle would be dropped.

South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has reportedly signed the "Instrument of Withdrawal" letter to withdraw from the International Criminal Court

Bashir was not arrested while attending the African Union summit in Johannesburg because South Africa claimed he had immunity as the head of a member state.

During the summit, an emergency order was obtained from the High Court ordering Bashir's arrest, but government lawyers admitted he had quickly flown out of the country just before the order was issued.

"South Africa remains committed to the fight against impunity and to hold those who have committed crimes against humanity and other serious crimes accountable," Justice Minister Masutha said.

This month, the ICC found former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba and four aides guilty of bribing witnesses.

The case at the court in The Hague was the first such corruption trial in its history.

Its chief prosecutor also recently sent a team to the Democratic Republic of Congo to urge restraint after weeks of deadly unrest.
Ivory Coat's opposition supporters hold placards reading 'No to a presidency for life' during protests against a referendum on the adoption of a new constitution, in Abidjan, on October 20, 2016. By Issouf Sanogo (AFP)

21.10.2016 LISTEN

Abidjan (AFP) - Police in Ivory Coast used tear gas on Thursday to break up a demonstration against a proposed new constitution and briefly detained several opposition politicians, according to an AFP journalist.

A draft of the new basic law, which President Alassane Ouattara says will put an end to years of crises in Ivory Coast, but which the opposition derides as dangerous and anti-democratic, will be put to a referendum on October 30.

A vast deployment of anti-riot police in the economic capital, Abidjan, greeted protesters carrying banners saying "No to the Ouattara monarchy", referring to the main architect of the proposed constitution.

The opposition has complained it was not included in the drafting process.

Police fired tear gas at the crowd after warning them that they did not have permission for their protest.

Several opposition political leaders were briefly detained, including Aboudramane Sangare, a senior figure in the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), the party created by former president Laurent Gbagbo, who is now on trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"This is Ouattara's democracy," said former national assembly speaker Mamadou Koulibaly after being loaded into a police vehicle.

'Path of disobedience'

Ivory Coast's police officers arrest a members of the Ivory Coat's oppostion, among them Aboudramane Sangare, one of country's opposition leaders, during a protest against a referendum on the adoption of a new constitution

"We are showing the path of disobedience against an authority that has no legitimacy to do what it is doing. We don't want this constitution," he said after his release.

After she was released by police, another opposition politician, Danielle Boni Claverie, announced that a "mega meeting" against the constitution would take place on Saturday in the city's Yopougon district.

The prefect of Abidjan said in a statement that the route and duration of the protest "would have disturbed social, administrative and economic activity" in the city.

"Although no agreement was reached, the concerned parties went ahead with the demonstration in defiance of the authorities," the statement added.

The draft constitution, which parliament overwhelmingly approved last week, changes the rules on presidential eligibility and establishes a senate and the post of vice president.

Critically, it would lift the current requirement that both parents of a presidential candidate must have been born in Ivory Coast.

In the past, this stipulation prevented Ouattara standing for the highest office and is widely seen a trigger of civil conflict in the country.

Ivory Coast's main opposition coalition last week called on voters to boycott the referendum.

"We are on the path to boycott," said FPI chairman Pascal Affi Nguessan during the protest Thursday.

Ouattara told lawmakers earlier this month that under the proposed constitution, the election calendar "will be known in advance by everyone, with fixed dates, so that there can no delays that could disturb our country's stability."

Under the draft, presidential terms are set at five years, renewable only once. Ouattara was elected to a second term in October 2015.
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa will withdraw from the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), media reports in Johannesburg said on Friday, sparking rapid criticism from rights bodies.

A document confirming the withdrawal plan, signed by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, was published by public broadcaster SABC's United Nations correspondent.

The "Instrument of Withdrawal" letter said South Africa "found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court".

The decision follows a dispute last year when South Africa allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit the country for an African Union summit, despite him facing an arrest warrant from the ICC.

South Africa said he had immunity as the head of a member state.

South Africa is a signatory of the ICC, which wants Bashir arrested for alleged war crimes related to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.

"South Africa's proposed withdrawal from the International Criminal Court shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

"It's important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africa's hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored."

Earlier this month Burundi said it would withdraw from the court, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

Some African governments say the ICC, which was established in 2002, has shown a post-colonial bias against the continent's leaders.
Kinshasa (AFP) - The UN accused DR Congo's government Friday of obstructing its inquiry into violence that erupted at opposition protests in the capital Kinshasa last month, claiming dozens of lives.

Investigators probing the deaths of 49 civilians and four police killed during violence on September 19 and 20 had "been hampered by several restrictions", the United Nations Joint Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) said in a preliminary report.

"Since September 21, 2016, UNJHRO teams have notably been refused access, on the instruction of senior officials, to certain detention centres as well as to the official registers of some morgues and public hospitals," said the report.

The protests were called to demonstrate against the government of President Joseph Kabila who many in Congo fear is manoeuvering to stay in office indefinitely beyond the end of his term in December.

"The denial of access has considerably impaired the work of the UNJHRO (which has) documented 422 victims of human rights violations by officials."

The UN warned that the total number of victims could ultimately be "considerably higher".

The report accused Congolese officials of "a disproportionate use of force, including lethal force... in response to protests organised by members of the opposition".

Congolese authorities could not be reached for comment Friday.

The government has previously blamed the opposition for the violence while opposition figures accused Kabila and his officials over the bloodshed.

Following the violence, the US Treasury blacklisted two top allies of Kabila who the US accused of violently putting down opposition to Kabila and undermining democratic forces in the country.

A deal was signed Tuesday that would keep Kabila in power until the election in April 2018.

One of Africa's biggest and most resource-rich countries, DR Congo has been ruled by Kabila since 2001, when his father Laurent was assassinated.

He was elected in 2006 to his first five-year term under a constitution that sets a two-term limit for presidents.

An opposition call for a protest strike on Wednesday was heeded in Kinshasa, where most shops were closed, but the appeal was ignored in the second city of Lubumbashi and Bukavu.
THE HAGUE (AFP) - The International Criminal Court -- dealt a blow Friday with South Africa's decision to withdraw from the tribunal -- has launched nine investigations in eight African countries since its establishment in 2002.

A 10th was opened in Georgia, the only country outside Africa.

Here are details of the main indictments and cases before the world's first permanent war crimes court.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Congolese rebel warlord Bosco Ntaganda went on trial in September last year on 18 war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. Ntaganda -- nicknamed "The Terminator" -- has pleaded not guilty to the charges related to atrocities committed by his Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo in 2002 and 2003, including using child soldiers and sex slaves.

The ICC sentenced Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga in 2012 to 14 years in prison for conscripting children into his rebel army in 2002-2003, its first ever verdict. It upheld the decision on appeal in December 2014.

Ex-militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui was acquitted in December 2012 over a 2003 village massacre. However, another former militia leader Germain Katanga was sentenced in May 2014 to 12 years over the same attack.

Warlord Sylvestre Mudacumura, military commander of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), is wanted for crimes committed in the volatile eastern Kivu region.

Central African Republic

Former DRC vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba was sentenced in June to 18 years behind bars for atrocities committed by his rebel army in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003. Bemba was found guilty on five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed when his militia troops were sent to bolster the then government against a rebellion.

A second probe was opened in September 2014 into an "endless" list of atrocities committed by armed militias since August 2012.

Ivory Coast

Former president Laurent Gbagbo is in custody on four counts of crimes against humanity over months of deadly fighting that erupted after he refused to accept defeat in a 2010 presidential election. His youth leader, Charles Ble Goude, is also in ICC custody. Their trial started on January 28.

An arrest warrant for Gbagbo's wife Simone, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the Ivory Coast for harming state security, has also been issued. The country has refused to transfer her to The Hague. She is currently also on trial for crimes against humanity in Abidjan.

Kenya

Prosecutors in late 2014 dropped a crimes against humanity case against President Uhuru Kenyatta for his alleged involvement in deadly 2007-08 post-election violence.

The case against Vice President William Ruto and radio host Joshua arap Sang, were dropped in April, with ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda citing a "relentless" campaign of victim intimidation.

Libya

Currently in custody in Libya, Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam is accused of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the repression of the popular uprising which led to the fall of his father's regime in 2011.

Libya and the ICC are competing for the right to judge him.

Mali

Malian jihadist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi was sentenced to nine years for demolishing Timbuktu's fabled shrines in a landmark ruling seen as a warning that destroying mankind's heritage will not go unpunished.

Sudan

President Omar al-Bashir, 72, was indicted in 2009 after a UN Security Council referral, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict in the western region of Darfur. The following year he was charged with genocide over events in Darfur, where more than 300,000 people have died since 2003. Five other people are on the ICC's wanted list. Bashir continues to travel around the continent, despite an obligation by ICC member states to arrest him.

Uganda

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and other commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in 2005 for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the use of child soldiers and sex slaves. Senior LRA commander Dominic Ongwen's trial is expected to start on December 6.

Georgia

ICC judges in January gave the chief prosecutor permission to launch an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Georgia during its 2008 war with Russia over the Moscow-backed breakaway South Ossetia region.

Others

Bensouda has also launched preliminary investigations into alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Burundi, Colombia, Gabon, Iraq, Palestine and Ukraine, as well as in Guinea and Nigeria.

"When no-one else is doing justice for the victims, my office will fulfil this duty," she once said.

"We will not abandon the victims of atrocity crimes, not in the Democratic Republic of Congo, not in Africa and not in any of the 124 countries around the world which are members of the ICC."
The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) has yet again predicted victory for the opposition New Patriotic Party in the 2016 elections, this time, a convincing one.

The Unit in April released the report of a survey that suggested the NPP would win the upcoming elections by a close margin.

But, according to a new report released Thursday, the presidential and parliamentary elections in December are likely to be acrimonious but the NPP will turn out victors with a convincing margin.

The report says the discontent over adverse economic conditions in the country is likely to cost the ruling party the elections.

The report comes at a time the country is still reeling under a four-year-old power crisis which has affected businesses and led to loss of lives and jobs. The combined effect of an increase in taxes, utility prices have all the more made the cost of living high for many Ghanaians.

The EIU says pre-election spending in 2016 will put pressure on the fiscal deficit target set in conjunction with the IMF, although the government will be more successful at resisting large-scale populist spending than in previous election years.

Threats of violence

The report minced no words about the possibility of violence in the upcoming elections. It said the elections will expose Ghana to notable risks, some of which will come from outside.

With the reports of corruption in the countrys judiciary and the experiences in the 2012 election petition, the report suggests none of the parties will be interested in going to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict of the election, a situation that has raised political tensions a notch higher.

The representatives of the two parties mentioned in the reports have predictably praised portions of the report and condemned portions of as well.

The New Patriotic Partys Moustapha Hamid said he and his party did not need the report of EIU to know that the governing party will be humiliated in the upcoming elections.

He said he just returned on a five regional tour with the partys running mate and can say without any equivocation that there is no way the NDC will beat us. I have been involved in political campaigns since 2004 but have never seen this groundswell of support for the NPP, he said, adding, this is the year the people of Ghana are ready to change course.

A Deputy General Secretary of the governing NDC, Koku Anyidoho, said the report is inconsistent.

He wondered how the report will suggest that the ruling government is not doing well with the economy but conclude any party that wins the elections will inherit a stable economy ready for a take-off.

He said the president has done a good job began by the late President John Mills, and the people of Ghana will give him another term to complete his job.

The finder
20.10.2016 LISTEN

By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Oct. 20, GNA - Mr Ebenezer Twum Asante, the CEO of MTN has called on businesses to pay attention and take advantage of the relevance of Mobile Money introduced by telecommunication companies.

He said marketers could come with strategic digital systems that would improve on their business operation.

Mr Asante said this when he took his turn at Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana(CIMG) Evening series on the theme: 'Mobile Financial Services; inclusiveness, Trends and Opportunities,' in Accra.

The occasion provided an insight for participants to understand the impact of mobile money on the delivery of banking and financial services and appreciate the effects of mobile money on money laundering.

It was also to understand how mobile money was opening businesses between the banked and the unbanked and how it is benefiting individuals and safety and security issue concerning its usage.

He said digital innovations continue to transform the economic, business and social landscape in Africa.

The focus on digital and mobile technology could help unlock mobile service delivery for businesses, he added.

Mr Asante said telecommunication companies and financial services were converging and in any case would partner to drive the system forward.

He said there would be more collaboration by telecommunications and Banks to develop the economy to become cashless.

The CEO said most customers have raised concerns with the transactions of mobile money and management had taken steps to combat scams and transnational challenges.

He said MTN had also initiated mitigation systems and robust security in place and would continue to educate their customers on the use of mobile money usage.

GNA
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Folks, there is no doubt that the kind of democracy being practised by the United States has been touted and branded as a model, which explains why the US Establishment is quick to invest itself in "exporting" that model to other parts of the world and to judge happenings with the yardstick that its military industrial complex uses to destabilize systems considered as undemocratic.

Much can be said in condemnation of that bullying approach; but it cannot be denied that the structures that sustain the US' democracy are well designed and serve useful purposes to sustain public confidence in the democracy that promotes national cohesiveness, well-being, development, and growth.

I want to pick on one of such structures for comment. That structure undergirds the institutional arrangements for electing Presidential Candidates and the processes that portray transparency to educate the electorate on how to make their electoral decisions in the electoral booth.

Even though the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have stood firm to characterize the US' political system as a two-party stream, there is room for independents and what-not to have their way. It has been so in our time and will continue to be so till who-knows-when?

The opportunities given to candidates of the two parties to sell themselves through institutional arrangements are not available to the independent candidates, though. Discrimination here? I don't know. But what I know is that the processes that lead to the Presidential elections are clear enough for one to know how things are done. The three-pronged Presidential debates serve very useful purposes because the Presidential Commission on Presidential Debates is in place to play a crucial role for the candidates to present their ideas and be scrutinized by the electorate.

What we have seen about the Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton and her Republican Party rival, Donald Trump, has revealed a lot, capped by their exchanges during the Presidential debates, other forums notwithstanding. The voters know where to go, based on the impressions that they have gathered about each candidate within the framework of the national cause.

That explains why staunch Republicans, including two former Presidents (George Herbert Bush and George Walker Bush and the Bush family), Senators, Members of Congress, and several well-placed pillars have denounced Trump and gone for Mrs. Clinton (not because she is infallible but because she has projected herself in a better light to win their favour through the contest of ideas at the debates and other fora). It is a matter of conscience vis-a-vis the convictions that drive one's participation in national politics.

Those whose conscience is as seared as if with a hot iron will not act judiciously in the national interest. They will put their personal interests above the national ones and endanger the democracy that the citizens uphold by investing their blood, sweat, and toil in, even if they don't fully know how the democracy came about. What happens if the citizens gain nothing from the democracy and lose interest in it? Anarchy!! A return to the state of uselessness, where life will be short, brutish and nasty. Certainly, not in the 21st century or beyond. Democracy comes across as the abracadabra to all that nastiness in human affairs and should be upheld as such, nurtured with good reason and grown to serve useful purposes for all, not the few privileged ones who know how to walk the corridors of power.

Regardless of the intricacies of the processes in the US system, the exchange of "friendly hostilities" that dominated the exchanges at the Presidential Debates has especially added more vim to the political rhetoric. The last in the series of the Presidential debates, which took place on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, for the most part produced nasty moments that might make one conclude that the 2016 elections would go down in history as the most despicable.

What about Trump's wild claims that the elections have already been rigged, even before being held on November 8? What about his open insult of Mrs. Clinton as "Such a nasty woman"? Or his threat to jail her if he wins the elections? And many more to create the negative impression that the boat of democracy is rushing toward a tidal wave to be destroyed?

We are even not talking about Trump's refusal to commit himself to accepting the outcome of the elections, creating the impression that he will foment trouble. Or some faint threats from some of his supporters (as reported in the news) to foment trouble on Election Day? The reassuring fact is that the US democracy has grown so much as to have the capacity to deal with such deviance.

Guess what? Despite all the hostility that characterized Wednesday's event, the two candidates came together again at a dinner in New York today, organized under the auspices of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, where they "traded barbs" again!! (See https://www.yahoo.com/news/day-debate-trump-clinton-square-off-again-roast-090558470--election.html).

The rationale behind it all is to bring the two frontrunners to a different forum so they can be further scrutinized on the basis of their presentations. Remember that it's dinner time!!

Why am I going all this distance? Just to prove that democracy, as practised in the US, isn't a mechanical process for rubber-stamping candidates. It involves several processes that allow the candidates to interact, bounce ideas off each other, and reach out to the electorate.

So far, what I have gathered from the happenings is enlightening. I wish that a country like Ghana will also have institutional arrangements for candidates aspiring for the highest office of the land to stand on their toes to project their ideals through institutionalized Presidential Debates as happens in the US. Only then will they give the electorate the opportunity to assess them more pointedly before Election Day.

The impulsive and erratic approach by the Institute of Economic Affairs isn't credible or reliable, which explains why the NDC would disdain it and throw its plans overboard. That explains why despite attempts to get the NPP's Akufo-Addo to attend the IEA's forum, he hasn't been forthcoming.

If we have constitutional provisions regarding the Presidential debates and other steps, the situation may change for the better. Growing our democracy demands that we adopt productive innovations, learning from our failures and designing better approaches for the good of governance. And good governance depends on the calibre of people put in charge of affairs.

Don't tell me that it has taken the US over 200 years to refine its democracy to give us the crystal that we see today and that we have a young democracy and shouldn't attempt "copying" what we see happening there. We will be sloppy in our thinking and stupid in our approach if we push everything along that line.

Once we see the good aspects of democracy in any part of the world that exposes our inadequacies, nothing prevents us from thinking deeply about our circumstances and how to improve governance by learning from those happenings. After all, democracy is all about empowering the people to take charge of their lives, using governance by the elected representatives as the means.

Thus, if those elected representatives end up being the cause of the people's woes, which in itself impedes the democratic growth, why not look for measures to refine the processes leading to the election of those representatives? All we need is the ability to think outside the box.

I believe strongly that once an institutionalized mechanism is established to subject the candidates to public scrutiny based on how they present themselves during Presidential debates, something more beneficial to national cause will emerge.

What we have seen now in the process toward Election 2016 is disheartening because the processes haven't given the candidates the platform to contest ideas for the electorate to form opinions on. It's the same old story.

How can we make progress, using the very wrong approaches that have placed us in the doldrums all these years? Why are we so lazy? Doing the same wrong thing over and over again, yet expecting better results? It doesn't happen that way. Let's think more deeply than we have done so far.

I shall return
Ghanas President and Flagbearer of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has in the past few days focused his 2016 election campaign on the Volta Region.

The infographic below gives a breakdown of what the President has so far promised in various constituencies of the Volta Region.



By: Mawuli Tsikata/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Deputy Communication Minister, Felix Kwakye-Ofosu, has parried criticisms that the ruling National Democratic Congress is hoping to win elections with excessive advertisements because it has failed at delivering good governance.

He said even though the John Mahama-led administration has achieved a lot during the four-year rule, it would be a travesty to assume that keeping quiet about the achievements would translate into votes to win another term.

It will be a grave mistake on the part of any political party, be they in government or in opposition, to think that merely because people may be aware of one or two things that you have done you need to take them for granted, he said.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate for Awutu Senya West, George Andah, is among those who think the erection of giant billboards by the governing party exposes its false claims of achievements.

He believes if the government's achievements are as tangible as it is often trumpeted, there would not be the need for expensive print, radio, TV and outdoor advertisements.

However, speaking on PM Express on the Joy News channel (Multi TV), Mr. Kwakye-Ofosu said those suggestions are laughable at best.

Nothing beats getting in touch with the people, he said.

He suggests that it is not for nothing that the NDC has a better track-record than the NPP at winning elections.

We have won 4 out of 6 elections, there is something to be said about our capacity to rise to the occasion and win elections, he said.

The Deputy Minister also dismissed a report by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) that cited the ruling party of abuse of incumbency. He argues that had the GII a done a thorough job it will not come to that conclusion.

Watch the full programme that aired on Thursday in the video link below. The show was hosted by Nana Ansah Kwao IV.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]
Psychiatric Nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital have threatened an indefinite strike over government's failure to provide the facility with the basic logistics needed to carry out their duties effectively.

According to the Chairperson of the Nurses, Jamila Hussein, the lack of medication for patients at the facility renders staff to vulnerabilities such as physical attacks from inmates.

The patients are either beating us or they are beating other patients. That is the situation now. Those detergents keep the place clean and in section three, the minimum hours a nurse spends in a ward is eight hours so we are at risk. Some of us are even developing infections.

They have therefore called on government to address these challenges or face their wrath.

We are hoping that from today till next week Friday, the government or the Minister or whoever is responsible will hear our cry and come to our aid and get us the things we need. If by Friday we dont hear from them then we are going to embark on a strike.

Accra Psychiatric Hospital shuts down OPD

The hospital suspended services at the department a few weeks ago due to financial constraints .

The situation forced the hospital's suppliers to withdraw their services over the unpaid debts.

Others suppliers also dragged the mental facility to court to demand payment.

Strike

This is not the first time Nurses have threatened to embark on a strike over poor conditions of service.

In 2015, nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries.

The strike followed what the nurses described as deceit and failure on the part of government to fulfill promises to pay them.

The nurses however called off their strike after government intervened.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
Mr. Duodo chose...to conflate the Ghana case with the UK...What data might actually be at bottom of Mr. Duodo's "facts" with respect to "freedom" of political parties and voters to engage in electoral politics in Ghana, versus the UK?...Question is, if the UK (pop: 64 million)...can have just 2 parties dominating electoral politics, pray tell us Mr. Duodo, why can't Ghana (pop: 28 million) have 4 political parties/entities in the run-up to a regularly scheduled election? .... As of 2016, Freedom House gives Ghana's electoral process a score of 12 out of 12, same as the UK.., the US a 11 out of 12....", (Prof Lungu, 19 October, 2016).

By his own words, Mr. Cameron Duodu could just as easily have titled his essay, "Why Our Political Parties Have Failed Ghana". After all, it is Mr. Duodo himself who proclaims:

"... Political parties and their candidates in Ghana have only themselves to blame, of course if they have been so negligent that they cannot fulfil the provisions of the countrys electoral laws, however complex they may be. They ought to have consulted legal counsel where they were not sure of the meaning of any particular provisions of the electoral legislation...".

But he didn't.

Instead, Mr. Duodo chose not only to conflate the Ghana case with the UK and "countries where real democracy is practised", but also, to muddy his own case against the Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) even more with his comparison of "...a teacher('s)...examination in which over 60 percent of his pupils failed...".

READ:

"...In countries where real democracy is practised, one seldom hears anything whatsoever about The Electoral Commission. The EC does its job quietly behind the scenes, and wins the confidence of ALL political parties to such an extent that legal challenges to its decisions are noticeable by their absence...".

In the first place, what "real democracy", where, Mr. Duodu?

Question is, if the UK (pop: 64 million) and the US (pop: 320 million) can have just 2 parties dominating electoral politics, pray tell us Mr. Duodo, why can't Ghana (pop: 28 million) have 4 political parties/entities in the run-up to a regularly scheduled election where all entities had freedom and time to ensure documents submitted to the Ghana Electoral Commission were accurate, complete, and truthful?

Assuming the example Mr. Duodo provides of the UK and its The Electoral Commission" is a valid one, when did "real democracy" transform from a relative construct into an absolute proposition?

Might Mr. Duodu be confused in his own mind about the difference between "electoral democracy" and "national economic performance", (i.e., productivity)?

Look at China, and you will surely know the difference.

Sure, to use just 2 examples, the UK (and the US) have superior economic performance, (and some of us know a lot about the histories at bottom). But, Mr. Duodu ought to convey to us how he concluded that the UK has more "real democracy", compared to Ghana at this present time, or even in the immediate past, if Mr. Duodu has time.

To the point, we expect Mr. Duodu to not just pontificate, but actually show us data precisely at bottom of his "facts" with respect to "freedom" of political parties and voters to engage in electoral politics in Ghana, versus the UK, and his position that the UK is way, way ahead of Ghana.

Our readers will recall that in our vigorous critique and take-down of Dr. Bawumia calls for a "New Voters Register", (read/Google "Dr. Bawumias case for new voters register in Ghana is bloated with more gas than evidence"), we determined that Dr. Bawumia's "...Entire premise exhibits wanton lack of perspective: Ghana is not Kenya, Senegal, Mauritius, Sweden, or USA, even...".

Same happens to apply here, except that in this case Ghana is more like the UK, and a little unlike the USA.

Same conclusion and position applies to Mr. Cameron Duodu and his latest broadside on Ghana's record with respect to the freedom to choose leaders through electoral politics in 21st century Ghana:

To the point, from our vantage point, given the developmental stage/age of the various countries, the performance of Ghana with respect to electoral politics has actually been superior to the UK and the US, of late.

And that is not just Prof Lungu talking.

Freedom House has been tracking human rights, national politics and electoral participation for over 70 years. They have comparative data on this matter, from the UK, to the US, to Russia, to Cuba, to Nigeria, to Togo, and so forth. As of 2015-2016, Freedom House gives Ghana's electoral process a score of 12 out of 12, same as the UK.

Here is additional data from Freedom House on comparative electoral politics where it matters for our purpose, a score of 12 being the highest they give for top performance:

UK: 12/12

Ghana: 12/12

US: 11/12

Nigeria: 9/12

Cote d'Ivoire: 7/12

Togo: 6/12

Russia 1/12

Cuba: 0/12

Interestingly, for super-high economic and production "machine", the USA, Freedom House assigned 11 out of 12 based on actual record, demonstrating that "real democracy" (i.e. electoral politics) is not only a relative term, but also not analogous to economic productivity or development for that matter.

The example with the US is a rather special case.

The reader should note that the US does not have an "Electoral Commission". Rather, the US has at least 50-plus Electoral Commissions called Secretaries of State for the 50 states, plus Territories. Typically, the Secretary of State of each state, elected on party basis, and supported by a partisan Board of Election, are responsible for elections, guided by federal law with respect to Presidential elections, as currently on-going.

The problem in the US is that today, with the blessing of the US Supreme Court under Chief Justice Robert (and Justice Scalia who died recently), no less that 30 Republican Governors of states have over the last 10 years been chipping away at the rights of African-Americans, Latinos, the Poor, etc, to vote. Under the guise of "Voter Fraud", that have been using Voter ID laws devised by the American Legislative Exchange Council, (ALEC), a pro-business, anti-minority, anti-poor Republican-leaning front. The Republican governors claim that their interest is in thwarting electoral fraud. But that is nothing more than voter intimidation, voter bullying - of the poor, minorities, urban dwellers, elderly, etc.

Today, if Mr. Cameron Duodo is aware of any places, districts, towns, villages, regions, etc., where voters in Ghana are subjected to such blatant intimidation by government officials, let's see Mr. Duodu's stand up and identify those places.

To be continued....

NOTES/SOURCES

1. Cameron Duodo. Why our Electoral System has failed, (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Why-our-Electoral-System-has-failed-477840).

2. Prof Lungu: Dr. Bawumias case for new voters register in Ghana is bloated with more gas than evidence, GhanaHero.com, (http://www.ghanahero.com/Visions/Other_Matters/DR_BAWUMIAS_CASE_final-2.pdf).

3. Freedom House. Political Rights And Civil Liberties: Electoral Process, (https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2016/ghana).

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SUBJ: RE: Cameron Duodu's Why our Electoral System has failed

Twitter: https://twitter.com/professorlungu

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Brought to you courtesy www.GhanaHero.com19 October, 2016.
Sounds like a familiar verse in the Book of Exodos: And they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, has thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore has thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Exod. 14:11 (KJV).

Palpable fear had gripped biblical Israelites en-route to the Promised Land but they realised their enemies (the Egyptians) were closing in on them, hence the above statement.

On Thursday the Electoral Commission (EC) revealed its plans to print the 2016 election ballot papers abroad at an Accra High court presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour. The revelation came up when the court sat to hear the motion for an abridgment of time by the EC following a suit filed against it by Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom presidential nominee of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), who wa s disqualified for failing to meet the electoral requirements.

The news didnt go down well with some of the people at the courtroom, particularly the policy director for the PPP Mr. Kofi Asamoah Siaw. He couldnt mask his anger and frustration about the posture of the electoral body. He quickly criticised the EC, wondering if the commission had the nation at heart.

Why would the EC want to move out of the country to print ballot papers for an election here in Ghana, when there are companies that could do the job? This is against our policy to create jobs for Ghanaians.

Are foreigners the only alternative to what we need? What we are worried about as a party is the credibility of the process and the unfortunate decision by the EC to print the papers abroad. When will the printed ballots arrive? he questioned.

And I couldnt agree with Mr. Siaw more on that. It seems as a nation were allergic to made-in Ghana goods. It seems were averse to anything locally-made. And anything grown or manufactured in Ghana is deemed inferior. Meanwhile, some or most of the goods we import from Peoples Republic of China for example are just painte-ma-mento.

Indeed, it seems domestication is out of the eastern corridor and the craze for western or oriental merchandise has seemingly become unstoppable and adaptable to us as a people. Isnt that true tell me? We grow rice here, yet our markets, stalls, stores and malls are flooded with China rice.

How do you expect the small and medium enterprises to grow the (SMEs)?

Whats wrong with us as a people?

In apropos, King Solomon was right. Nothing under the sun is new. Theyve all happened before. They just metamorphose either in shape or size, time and location, this writer believes.

So now we all know that it wasnt just an empty threat by the embattled PPP nominee, if one thought so. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom has raised the threat level to a court suit. And it seems hes fighting tooth and nail to get his status legitimised. Thats a battle hes fighting now.

The suit has Dr. Nduom as the exparte applicant with Madam Charlotte Osei the EC chairperson as the first Respondent and EC as the 2nd Respondent .The EC filed for an abridgment of case for interlocutory injunction filed by PPP restraining it from proceeding with balloting for position presidential candidates for the Dec 7th elections.

The plaintiff is also seeking a further order directed against the 1st Respondent in her capacity as Returning Officer for Presidential elections to grant the applicant the opportunity to amend and alter the one anomaly found in his nomination papers as well as amended or altered to enable him contest as a presidential candidate for the December 7, 2016 election.

The court was of the view that time is of essence and had further instructed lawyers for EC and PPP to file their statement of case by Monday October 24. They are also expected to appear before the court so that a date can be given for the ruling.

Mr. Siaw said they expected the process to be fair but in their case that didnt happen, hence their decision to resort to court. According to him their lawyer s are capable enough to prosecute their case. And was hopeful everything would hold its sway.

The faster the case moves the better: I want the case to travel as fast as possible because we dont want to jeopardise the electoral process, he hinted.

Does anybody remember this?

In 2012, Dr. Nduom then presidential nominee for the PPP issued this fiat: Do not think that youre the only parties that can recruit or have macho men. We can also raise an army of lions. He was referring to the two major political parties whod or still have the likes of Azoka Boys.

I didnt see the lions on our streets though. But on a more serious note I think he meant, anything NDC/NPP can do his partyPPP can do it, perhaps worse. Truth be told who stand an army of roaring lions?

Meanwhile the court has stated emphatically that it would at all times be guided by the timeline as far as election 2016 was concerned. It has therefore ordered the parties to file their by Monday, adding the they should return to the following day to make viva voca (oral submission) after which a date will be set for the judgement of the court

What led to the disqualification?

On Monday October 10, the EC knocked down 12 presidential nominees bidding to serve at the Flagstaff House---the seat of government in the 2016 December 7 poll.

The move happened to be the first major storm that had ever hit Ghanas political landscape --jolting political ambitions of the 12 candidates. Among them former first Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, NDP, Dr. Edward Mahama, PNC, and Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, PPP have all been disqualified by the Electoral Commission(EC) to contest in the forthcoming presidential election

But this is what led to the disqualification--- fraudulent signatures, absence of required number of signatures and improper filing of nomination forms.
The United States calls on the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to comply with its commitments to cease harboring or providing support for Sudanese armed opposition groups, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2046 (2012). Despite its obligations under international law and repeated agreements between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the Government of Sudan to end such support, credible reports continue to indicate the Government of the Republic of South Sudan is harboring and providing assistance to armed Sudanese opposition groups. We urge South Sudan's leaders to redouble their efforts to meet the commitments they recently reached with Sudan under which both sides agreed to end support for armed opposition groups on either side.

The presence of Sudanese armed opposition forces in South Sudan, and their involvement in South Sudans internal conflicts, destabilizes both Sudan and South Sudan. It is, moreover, a violation of the terms of the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. We call on the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to ensure Sudanese armed opposition groups are not in a position to conduct armed operations within South Sudan or across the border in Sudan.

We also urge both Sudan and South Sudan to fully respect the 2012 Agreement on Security Arrangements, and withdraw their armed forces from the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone.
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Social indiscipline in every society takes on the magnitude, corresponding to the level of the discipline of the leadershipCHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO

I have to repeat myself, my dear reader, that barren minds experience famine on fertile lands while fertile minds turn rocky lands into bountiful agriculture lands to feed themselves. It seems we have had barren minds governing this country for the last eight years. In their view, nothing good capable of improving the lives of the majority of the people can be done. It began with the Northern Development Authority (NDA) espoused by Nana Akufo Addo in the year 2008. When portions of their barren mind became fertile, they re-christened the NDA to SADA and messed it up by stealing the funds allocated to it. Since they appropriated the funds allocated to SADA, no further budgetary allocations to SADA had been made.

Then came the free Senior High School (SHS) education programme by Nana Akufo Addo in the year 2012, once again, the barren minds downgraded it citing failures in other jurisdictions on the African continent. The thinking behind the free SHS is the simple fact that the minimum qualification in Ghana today to enter any public institution, job offering in whatever form is the WASSCE. The minimum qualification to enter some educational institutions in my generation was the Middle School Leaving Certificate (MSLC).

My class mates who could not make it to the secondary schools after middle school at the time, could go to Teacher Training Colleges, Nursing Training Colleges and other related public educational institutions, including the Polytechnics. Entry into the Police Service, the Armed Forces and other allied institutions required a minimum of MSLC. Over time, the WASSCE has become the minimum qualification to enter any of the above stated public institutions and many more. It just makes sense that in order not to cut so many people out of such opportunities, the nation makes SHS the basic cut off point in this country.

When some reason found its way into the barricaded barren minds, they pledged to offer some free SHS education which was supposed to have begun this academic year. Ghanaians are the best judges. Failure galore in that regard as well. Fast forward to the year 2016, Nana Akufo Addo promises one dam, one village for agricultural purposes in the three northern regions as well as offering US1million or its equivalent for each of the 275 constituencies throughout the country, once again the barren minds say it is not possible.

In the year 2001, at an MMDCEs conference in Accra, we were told that the HIPC initiative was going to bring in so much money which will help improve the poor social infrastructure in our various Districts. My humble-self wrote to the late Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu the then Minister for Local Government, suggesting that those benefits should be brought down to the districts instead of planning and executing the projects from the centre. The government did that and the District Assemblies were given monies periodically to embark upon development projects in the four key areas of education, health, water and sanitation.

To distinguish those projects from the normal District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), a symbol was put on all such HIPIC funded projects. The Districts or the Constituencies of this country are very much challenged in terms of basic infrastructure for everyday lives. With the HIPIC reliefs, the funds were disbursed to District Assemblies. There were 110 MMDAs in the country with 200 constituencies. What that means is that those MMDAs with more than one constituency were not fairly treated compared to those with one constituency each at the time because we were initially given the same amount of money, the number of constituencies notwithstanding.

Today, the nation has 216 MMDAs and 275 constituencies, should the funds be distributed along district lines, almost 60 constituencies would be 'left out'. Major basic challenges of water and roads in most of the nation's constituencies are seen on the screens of televisions every day. Minor bridges linking one community to the other in many parts of our rural constituencies have their activities challenged on a daily basis because vehicular transportation is hindered because of broken linkages.

In some cases, such bridges require a few hundreds of thousand cedis to address them, sadly, those communities look up to Accra or as they say 'aban' or government to fix those challenges for them. An amount of US1 million or GH4 million per year to a constituency in Ghana, well managed for four years continuous, will bring massive development to the constituencies. Indeed, the needs of constituencies differ. In the urban constituencies, sanitation management may constitute the major challenge to the people. Drains and gutters in poor communities within such constituencies can be fixed without having to wait for the central government.

In rural communities, major roads in terrible conditions can be shaped and bridges and culverts constructed to deal with such challenges that hamper their activities. The Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) as found in the NPP's Manifesto is a major decentralization of development budget which will be managed by the various legal bodies in relation to key challenges affecting them. The Assembly members and the Members of Parliament would choose projects within the constituencies, forward them to the Development Authorities for approval and execution.

In my view, there should not even be a need for another bureaucratic body to supervise the disbursement and execution of those projects, the MMDAs, with proper and effective supervision and monitoring, can manage them. In this way, the citizenry would not always look up to distant Accra for basic solutions to their problems.

The establishment of the Zongo Development Fund (ZDF) which has been misinterpreted to mean building skyscrapers by the barren minds who think nothing good can be done for the very constituencies they have exploited for political gains all these years, is so symptomatic of the deceptive nature of the NDC. What are the predominant differences between other communities and the Zongo communities in this country? Simply the communities are largely unplanned, they have no roads let alone talk of good ones, no drainage systems, no gutters, no open spaces in the main, hospitals and clinics are far and in between, secular educational infrastructure do not exist in many instances.

All the funds are aimed at is to provide such basic things like roads within the communities, and if that requires pulling down some buildings and paying compensation, constructing drains and gutters so that waste water can run in organized manner, toilets can either be built in the homes because there will be opportunities dislodge them when full, or public ones built in designated areas for the mass of the people. Schools can be built, clinics and hospitals would then be built as well.

Many of our young Zongo residents have no formal education, nor vocational and technical training to equip them to make reasonable life and living. Having left them in that economically powerless state, some politicians then go to them and get them to do some dirty work for political gains, using their unrefined energies. A Zongo Development fund, appropriately targeted, with the inputs of the people themselves will certainly improve the communities as well as the people themselves.

Our fellow citizens living in the Zongo communities are human beings who also want to live comfortably as any other group of people the world over. They do not cherish the filth that engulf them, they are not happy with the floods that harass them every rainy season, they do not relish in seeing their waste water living with them, the mosquitoes that kill their children on a daily basis are things they do not like just as any other group of people. They also want to live decent respectable lives; the Zongo Development Fund will help offer that.

These are possible, but can only be done by fertile minds who think about others, people who respect others no matter their backgrounds and circumstances in life, leaders who believe that the only way to harness the human resources of a nation, is to offer reasonable opportunities to all for the greater good of our nation. That is the dream of Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo.

Daavi, give me three tots.

[email protected]
Communications Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea thinks President Mahama has completely lost touch with not only the people but is grappling with his own campaign message.

It follows suggestions by the President that a certain cabal in the media is blocking his campaign message from getting down to the people.

In a statement, Akomea said this excuse from President Mahama shows clearly that President Mahama is indeed cut off from the daily reality of the Ghanaian people and that he should be the last person to complain about media space.

Reason

That, he said was because his series of campaign tours, including the 'Changing Lives' Tours parts 1 and 2, Accounting to the People Tours parts 1 and 2, and helicopter campaign tour and current campaign tour are all covered by major and minor media, across the country.

Aside that, he pointed out that stations including radio gold and Montie radio plus their affiliates devote programmes exclusively to publicise the cause and agenda of President Mahama whiles a recent survey found that he vastly dominates coverage in the state owned media, such as the state run GBC TV and radio, Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times newspaper.

He indicated that President Mahama's giant and well lit dumsor-proof billboards showcasing his agenda dominate billboard advertising in Ghana today whiles the last six months have seen multiple television advertising across the country showcasing how his deeds have brought 'aburokyire to Ghana'.

Akomea also talked of how the biggest private newspaper regularly devotes several prime pages to advertise President Mahama and his deeds whiles half a dozen of NDC inclined private newspapers devote tons of ink on a daily basis to promote the works and agenda of President Mahama aside the fact that his image and message dominates space on even public buses at the expense of the state, not to talk about the vast array of well resourced communicators, at the Flagstaff House, the Ministry of Communications and NDC headquarters who on daily basis, engage the media to showcase President Mahamas agenda.

Justification

In this regard, the NPP Communications Director said there can therefore be no question that President Mahamas agenda dominates all media in Ghana, and dwarfs that of all of his competitors combined.

So if President Mahamas agenda is still not 'reaching the ground', it cannot be due to some media cabal thwarting his message, he noted.

Instead, he indicated President Mahamas message of transformation is not resonating because it does not accord with the reality of the situation Ghanaians face today.

He was therefore of the conviction that despite whatever agenda is put forth by President Mahama, Ghanaians today are greatly appalled at the worsening unemployment, the vast loss in their purchasing power, the unbearable cost of living today, the bare faced corruption and wanton waste of tax payers' monies.

He was of the belief that the more President Mahama touts achievements and transformation, the more the real situation of the Ghanaian worsens and therefore stressed the need for him to fine tune his message and agenda to meet the real needs of Ghanaians today.

Free advise

It is only then that, according to Akomea his message will resonate, insisting that the current blame on the press is not only misplaced but also shows that President Mahama is out of touch with the real situation facing the average Ghanaian today.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu


The woes of Hassan Ayariga, presidential aspirant of the All People's Congress (APC), are not yet over, as the Electoral Commission (EC) has reported him to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over a number of alleged criminalities he is said to have committed.

EC says the APC leader obtained his doctorate degree from a non-existent or unrecognized institution, among others.

Ayariga had insulted the EC chairperson, Charlotte Osei, calling her names after his disqualification from the presidential race was announced last week.

According to the EC, it detected about 30 anomalies, some bordering on criminality, which necessitated referring the APC leader's case to the CID for investigations.

Ayariga had requested that the EC should return his forms to him to expunge the errors and replace them with new pages.

The commission indicated that the university in Spain cited by Hassan Ayariga in his nomination forms as his alma mater is non-existent, according to its search records.

A letter to the APC leader dated 18th October, 2016, titled: Ref: Rejection Of Nomination As Presidential CANDIDATE Dr. Hassan Ayariga, signed by Charlotte Osei, and copied to the Head of CID, a copy of which has been obtained from sources, stated in part, Your personal records indicate that you attended Great Achievers University of Spain and you qualified with a PhD in Political Science in December 2014.

However, we cannot find the said university and we would presume does not exist. However, there is a Great Achievers International Theological Seminary in Spain, which from our checks, does not award PhDs in Political Science. Please be advised further that an Honorary Doctorate Degree is not an educational qualification as required and stated on your nomination forms.

The EC also pointed out that the inaccurate and false statements/submissions on Mr Ayariga's personal records could be grounds for criminal prosecution.

In addition, the signatures of some of your subscribers are questionable in our view (please see pages, 31, 104, 111, 108, 110) and require further investigation. Consequently, these and the other issues raised in this letter would be referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations, EC averred.

Request

Mr Ayariga, in a letter dated 17th October, 2016, had requested that the commission allow him to replace pages in his nomination forms, which the EC found unacceptable.

But the EC replied that it was unable to allow him to illegally and surreptitiously change pages in his already submitted nomination forms.

Please be further advised that changes to nomination forms can only be legally made within the stipulated nomination period (See C.l. 94 Regulation 9 (2) and 'Guide to Candidates and their Agents' issued this year by the Commission).

You would recall that after your submission on September 29, 2016, approximately 30 anomalies were detected on your nomination forms, and you were given the opportunity to correct same. With regards to the names of subscribers which you seek to substitute, those subscribers are clearly in breach of Regulation 7 (a) of C.1.94.

The law clearly states that 'a person shall not nominate more than one candidate in a presidential election, EC submitted.

According to the commission, such breach of the law was clearly not an anomaly that could be detected within the nomination period.

By itself, such an irregularity can only be discovered when nominations have closed. Accordingly, the burden to do due diligence is therefore on the nominee to ensure that his nomination forms are subscribed to by persons with the requisite integrity who do not endorse more than one candidate.

In addition, we wish to point out that our letter of October 7, 2016 specifying the grounds for your disqualification was not exhaustive of the infractions of the law contained in your forms, the EC stated.

Samuel Boadi

[email protected]
When the Kalyppo political stunt unleashed by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) against its rival New Patriotic Party (NPP) which hit the media space backfired and rather boosted the image of the latter as a consequence, we became apprehensive about the possible repercussions on the private sector player.

Our fear was hinged on the fact that being a ruthless player, the NDC as a party can do anything in response to a political threat, even if such actions are not consistent with political decency. Such actions can be direct or veiled, both geared towards collapsing the target company or private sector player whose destruction inures to the party's electoral fortunes.

From Wenchi comes a report which if proven veracious, would justify our fears for the Kalyppo producers.

We have learnt about how the Chief of Staff advised Ghanaians against the patronage of the Kalyppo fruit drink because as he put it, the consumption of the product is unwholesome. This fits into the veiled attack order: the product has assumed a political life, something not of the making of the producers but the product of a turf war between the main political parties. Since the opposition NPP is benefitting from the turf war, the NDC can only destroy the product through veiled attack with a call for adults to avoid the drink as according to him, it does not inure to their good health. Since when has a politician of that stature in that party taken such an interest in the health of Ghanaians to the point of counseling them against sugar intake? Such interest in their wellbeing should have been channeled towards resuscitating the moribund national health insurance programme.

We are still wondering whether a government appointee of his caliber would want to put out such 'counsel,' knowing full well its negative implications on the private sector, especially close to elections. Considering the magnitude of the fallouts from the unsavoury counsel, we would not be surprised if he dissociates himself from the report perhaps, describing it as not representing exactly what he said.

But for Ghanaians with a sense of history and with retentive memories, they can easily recall how the NDC founder campaigned against the patronage of Ghanaian products, picking especially on the Apino Soap for destruction. The infamous campaign against the patronage of the local fruit drink is in tune with the spirit of the NDC of running down local business initiatives  our past history laden with ample evidence.

If we are unable to vouch for the authenticity of the report, we can safely state that given the silence so far since it made it to the pages of newspapers and the airwaves, there is an iota of truth in it since after all, silence means consent.

The Mahama-led government has time without number as have others before it, identified the private sector as a critical catalyst in the growth of the economy. Indeed, it is a truism which Ghanaians do not need further lectures on, especially from politicians.

Being a statement associated with all governments therefore, the only difference separating the sources of these remarks is the sincerity they exhibit.

When a senior appointee of an incumbent government is associated with a campaign to annihilate a business which uses especially locally sourced raw materials, the campaign promise of the party's love for the private sector is nothing but a sham.

We wish the Chief of Staff had not issued that diktat as it were, even if he hid behind the genuine consumption of sugar. We bet the idea behind the unwarranted advice is sinister.

Do they, the NDC, still recognize the role of the private sector as an engine of growth of the economy? Let them spare the Kalyppo producers their imminent fury.
KIGALI, Rwanda, 21 October 2016,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The MasterCard Foundation today presented its second annual Clients at the Centre Prize to Hello Paisa . The US$150,000 Prize recognizes the company's innovative work in South Africa to facilitate international money transfer for foreign workers.

The award came after the 300+ members of the audience at The MasterCard Foundation Symposium on Financial Inclusion voted for one of three finalist firms competing for the Prize. The Symposium is the annual gathering of financial service practitioners and experts serving the needs of poor people in developing countries, being held this year from October 20-21 in Kigali, Rwanda.

The MasterCard Foundation believes that banks and other financial service providers in developing countries should focus on the needs and expectations of people living in poverty. Putting poor clients at the centre of the design of new financial products and services helps bring underserved people into the formal banking system, improving their livelihoods and their ability to plan for the future. The Clients at the Centre Prize finds and recognizes the most customer-focused organizations working to deliver access to formal financial products and services to poor people.

Ahmed Cassim, Managing Director of the Hello Group Financial Services unit, said "This exercise with The MasterCard Foundation has been truly amazing. It's forced us to look deeper into client centricity and really ask ourselves some challenging questions. We are truly honoured to have won this prize and we will not let the Foundation down."

"Hello Paisa has shown, and the audience agreed, that we can only achieve full universal financial inclusion if financial service providers truly understand the context and needs of the people that they serve." said Ann Miles, Director of Financial Inclusion and Youth Livelihoods at The MasterCard Foundation. "Hello Paisa is doing just that. It understands that in order to provide for financially underserved communities, the clients they serve must be at the very centre of all of their efforts."

The other two Prize finalists were Artoo IT Solutions , a digital lending business and 4G Capital , a loan company focused on micro-entrepreneurs.

The full agenda of the Symposium can be found here . To follow the conversation at the Symposium on Financial Inclusion, follow the Foundation on Twitter @MastercardFdn via the event hashtag, #SoFI2016.
By Albert Futukpor, GNA

Tamale, Oct. 20, GNA - The Electoral Commission (EC) has held a deliberation with groups of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Northern Region on measures being put in place to ensure their participation in the December polls.

The event, held in Tamale, was also to share information on the Constitutional Instrument (C.I 94), which forms part of the laws governing the conduct of the December polls.

Mr Bruce Ayisi, Northern Regional Director of EC, assured PWDs that polling stations would be mounted at areas that would be accessible to them.

He said the EC would also design a tactile balloting system to enable the blind to vote independently and in secret.

Participants lauded EC for prioritizing their needs regarding the elections.

GNA
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa will withdraw from the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), media reports in Johannesburg said Friday, sparking rapid criticism from rights bodies.

A document confirming the withdrawal plan, signed by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, was published by public broadcaster SABC's United Nations correspondent.

The "Instrument of Withdrawal" letter said South Africa "found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court".

The decision follows a dispute last year when South Africa allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit the country for an African Union summit, despite him facing an arrest warrant from the ICC.

South Africa said he had immunity as the head of a member state.

The International Criminal Court was set up in 2002 to try the world's worst atrocities

The ICC wants Bashir arrested for alleged war crimes related to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.

South Africa's proposed withdrawal "shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

"It's important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africa's hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored."

Bias against Africa?

Earlier this month Burundi said it would withdraw from the court, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

Some African governments say the ICC has shown a post-colonial bias against the continent's leaders.

South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has reportedly signed the "Instrument of Withdrawal" letter to withdraw from the International Criminal Court

The decision by South Africa not to arrest Bashir last year led to a wave of condemnation, which was met with a threat from Pretoria to withdraw from the court.

The Sudanese leader has evaded arrest since his indictment in 2009 for alleged crimes in the Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes.

This month, the ICC found former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba and four aides guilty of bribing witnesses.

The case at the court in The Hague was the first such corruption trial in its history.

The ICC was set up in 2002 to try the world's worst atrocities which national courts cannot handle, but has struggled with alleged witness interference and lack of government cooperation.

Its chief prosecutor also recently sent a team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to urge restraint after weeks of deadly unrest.

South Africa, which was due to hold a press conference in Pretoria on Friday about the court, would be the first country to withdraw from the ICC.

The United States has signed the court's founding treaty, but never ratified it.
The campaign team of the National Democratic Congress has promised to make President John Mahama available for a presidential debate being spearheaded by the Excellence in Broadcasting Network (EIB).

National Coordinator for the NDC campaign Kofi Adams told Nii Arday Clegg on the Morning Starr Friday that the President will attend the EIB debate and hopes that his opponent Nana Akufo-Addo will show up too.

Your platform is so credible that if you submit the proposal for the debate, the campaign will consider it. And I can assure you that we are ready and the President will show up if EIB holds the debate...we will wait for you to present the proposal then we move it forward, Adams told Arday Clegg.

President Mahama who had turned down an IEA proposal for a debate between him and the opposition leader has over the past few weeks been pushing for a one-on-one challenge with the three-time flagbearer.

He told the Volta Star in an interview Thursday that such a debate will enable him and Nana Addo to justify the claims they are both making on the performance of the economy.

But the NPP has described the Presidents call as hypocritical. They argue the President should have taken up the IEA debate request if he was interested in debating their candidate.

Spokesperson for the NPP presidential candidate Mustapha Hammid told Arday Clegg that they are not ready to debate the president now since their focus is on the campaign.
The Minority in parliament has criticized government for not investing in critical sectors of the economy in its expenditure of the Appropriation Bill.

The Appropriation Bill which was approved by parliament yesterday is in line with constitutional requirement to provide funds for an incoming government for the first three months after an election.

Out of a total of GHS10, 999,108,191 approved, only GHS 164,220,432 was allocated to Goods and Services, while Capital Expenditure was allocated GHS1, 251,883,521.

Interest Payment of loans accounted for GHS1,889,870,741 while Tax Refunds, and Grants, represented GHS151,078,450 and GHS2,368676114 respectively.

Speaking to Citi Business News after the approval of the document, a Member of the Finance Committee in parliament and MP for New Juaben South , Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah stated that the document shows how government is not interested in essential sectors of the economy.

According to him, the critical sectors of the economy such as Capital Expenditure as well as Goods and Services have been neglected in the bill.

Interest payment, together with Non-Road arrears which is a form of payment and amortization, which is retiring the principal on loans , those three together is 29 percent of the 11 billion being given to the government for the first three months . So what it means is that if you take compensation of employees which is also 35 percent; 35 percent is going to pay wages and salaries, 29 percent is going to loan repayment that makes it 64 percent, then there are statutory payments going to the Common Fund he observed.

He stated that the phenomenon is symptomatic of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) as it borrows for recurrent expenditure.

He maintained that such fiscal policies are the bane of the economy as Ghana's debt balloons despite low infrastructure development.

He pointed out that, Capital Expenditure, Goods and Services are negligible, so if you are worker, the first three months what this is saying is that you are going to be paid for doing nothing because the Goods and Services is what runs the ministries.

Criticizing government, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah was of the view that with such low investment, running government machinery in the three months will be practically difficult since it will affect the administration.

What you need to buy like paper, petrol, pen the things you need, so how do you run the government machinery, he asked.



By:Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana


Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, yesterday extended an olive branch to party members that have deserted the party to contest as independent parliamentary candidates in the December polls.

He stated that the NPP is the only political party with requisite support base to oust the incompetent Mahama administration.

It is not too late for the NPP defectors to change their minds and return to the party so that together we could wrestle political power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Akufo-Addo indicated.

The NPP is the only political party that can kick the NDC government from office, the NPP presidential candidate said to a rapturous applause at Aburaso during a mini rally.

Nana Akufo-Addo, who is in the Ashanti region on a four-day campaign tour, also appealed to people who want change to ensure effective development in the country to rally behind the party.



Massive vote

He urged the electorate to vote massively for him and all the NPP parliamentary candidates to make the NPP's victory in December memorable.

Nana Akufo-Addo stated that he would continually appeal to the electorate to vote for him, regardless of the statements of President Mahama and the NDC.

Third Time Lucky

He said he nearly won the presidential polls in 2008 and 2012, stressing that from all indications he would be third time lucky and emerge victorious in December 2016.

Nana Akufo-Addo noted that his dream of becoming the president to save Ghanaians from misery would be a mirage if the masses refuse to support him.



Promises Are Real

The NPP presidential candidate said that his promises to develop the country are not mere political gimmick, and urged the people to have faith in him to deliver on his promises.



Free SHS Coming

Nana Akufo-Addo said his famous free SHS policy would be implemented to help more Ghanaian youth to further their education.

He added that the one-district one-factory policy would also be introduced by his administration to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.

The NPP flagbearer appealed to the electorate in the Atwima Kwanwona Constituency to vote for Dr. Appiah Kubi, the NPP parliamentary candidate to bring development to the area.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
Some of the journalists

21.10.2016 LISTEN

The Western Regional Office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has organized a training workshop for about 20 media personnel in the region on the operations of the company.

The programme was to help journalists understand the operations of the power distribution company.

The media personnel were educated on the production of power by the Volta River Authority (VRA), transmission of electricity by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and finally the distribution by the ECG before power reaches individual households and businesses in the region.

Philip Osei Bonsu, the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the ECG, explained that the education of the media personnel was crucial because the media acts as an interface between the company and the public.

Journalist play crucial role in telling the stories of what our engineers do daily to ensure power in our homes and businesses. It also helps clear some misconceptions as well, he added.

He stated that in the times of load-shedding, some members of the public accuse ECG engineers of just sitting somewhere and pressing knobs just to plunge people into darkness, but after the programme the journalists have realized that that is not possible.

He pointed out that educating the media on the ECG's operations would help make our work more open and transparent to our customers.

Jacqueline Ofori-Atta, the Regional Manager of the ECG, urged journalists to get acquainted with issues they cover in order to send the right message to the public.

Ebenezer Ghunney, Regional Engineer of ECG, told journalists that ECG's bulk distribution stations receive power from GRIDCo and the company uses its transformers to step down the high voltage along the distribution network to ensure efficient distribution of power.

The participants later visited one of the sub-stations of ECG in Takoradi to obtain first-hand information.

The EGC staff at sub-station explained the functions of the numerous equipment to the media personnel.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
Professor Francis K. Nkrumah receiving his award from Dr. Ebenezer Appiah Denkyirah of the Ghana Health Service as Dr. Owen Kaluwa (first left) looks on

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) has presented a citation of honour to Professor Francis K. Nkrumah, a pediatrician consultant, for his dedicated contribution to polio eradication at the national and the regional levels.

Prof. Nkrumah, who was a member of the Africa Regional Certification Committee (ARCC) until his retirement last year and the chair of the National Polio Expert Committee in Ghana since 2001, also received citations of honour from ARCC and the WHO Ghana Office for his role in moving the country and Africa towards a WHO polio-free certification.

Dr. Fred Wurapa, chairman of the National Certification Committee (NCC) which works towards polio-free certification in the country, and Prof. Julius Mingle, chair of the National Taskforce on Containment (NTF) which assesses laboratories to ensure that there are no poliovirus infections, were also honoured for their contribution to polio eradication in Ghana.

At a brief presentation ceremony in Accra, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director of WHO African Region; former Director of Immunization of the WHO AFRO, Dr. Nshimirimah and the chairperson of the ARCC, Prof. Rose Keke, in a video clip, praised Prof. Nkrumah for his dedication and distinctive work during his service on the regional committee.

You exhibited dignity, dedication and distinction in your work as a member of the ARCC and although we will miss your insightful contributions, we say congratulations, Prof. Rose Keke said.

Dr. Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative, Ghana, also recounted the contribution of the three gentlemen towards the polio eradication initiative which began in 1996 after the country had adopted the UN Resolution during the 41st WHO assembly meeting in 1988, which emphasized polio eradication by 2015.

He said their contributions as chairpersons of the three technical advisory committees established to facilitate the polio eradication process, led to the interruption of the transmission of wild poliovirus in the country in 2003, which led to the submission of documents to WHO ARCC in 2007 for recognition of polio-free status.

Barely one year after this achievement, there was an outbreak again in 2008. However, with commitment from government and support from partners, Ghana again interrupted the transmission and has remained polio-free by WHO criteria since November 2008, he said.

WHO Immunization Officer, Stanley Diamenu, said with the support of partners, Ghana had successfully conducted 45 mass polio vaccination campaigns throughout the country on house-to-house strategy till 2015.

During these 45 mass vaccination campaigns 195,000,000 doses of the oral polio vaccine had been administered to children aged 0-59 months, Dr. Owen Kaluwa disclosed.

Prof. Nkrumah, accepting the awards, expressed his appreciation for the recognition by WHO AFRO, ARCC and WHO Ghana Office for his modest contribution to polio eradication in the region.

He said it was appropriate for him to ask for a replacement on the ARCC due to his advancing age, adding that although the African Region has done quite well in polio eradication, there is still more work to be done as countries like Nigeria have recorded cases of wild polio virus.

Prof. Mingle and Dr. Wurapa also thanked WHO Ghana for the recognition, indicating that the position exposed them to various places of the country they would not have been to, if they had not been on the committees.

We have learnt a lot from serving on the committees and we are grateful for the honour, they stated.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
The Business Law Society of Ghana (BLSG) has counseled the Electoral Commission (EC) to use the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism to settle its differences with aggrieved political parties.

The society said an ADR approach towards the continuous litigation towards preparation for the December 7 will prevent electoral crisis.

A news release issued in Accra and signed by Osei Bonsu Dickson, president of BLSG said the disqualification of 13 presidential aspirants by the EC could trigger protracted litigation and the ADR mechanism will help solve the issues.

Since the EC's announcement, which has been greeted with current and proposed law suits at the Supreme Court, the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has rightly forewarned that the EC's plan of holding the elections in December may be displaced by pre-electoral litigation.

The release said We can prevent electoral and constitutional crisis with dialogue; which is why we recommend multilateral dialogue and ADR to be embraced and utilized alongside the court adjudicatory arrangements.

It said Our suggestion is also anchored legally on the fact that since the promulgation of the ADR Act of 2010 (Act 798), ADR has increasingly gained wide acceptance as an alternative litigation.

The stakeholders in our elections  the EC, the political parties, the electorate, and donor organizations have diverse interests implicated in the process. These multiple interests can, however, be accommodated through effective dialogue.

The release said with approximately 49 days to the general election all efforts should be put towards getting a successful process.

The Ghanaian electorate also deserves more open information about every aspect of the elections, especially the various civil mechanisms of resolving dispute.

They urged the EC to be guided by Article 296 and 23 of the 1992 Constitution when using its discretionary powers to ensure fairness and greater openness saying the EC must be able to review its own decisions, where the situation so requires and the political parties must commit fully to cooperation and dialogue with the EC.

By Yaw Owusu
Ebenezer Twum Asante, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN, has urged all businesses to tap into the digital opportunities that abound irrespective of the industry.

Looking at the way businesses are rapidly shifting from the physical interaction to a more digital space, businesses without digital strategies would have a hard time connecting with consumers, he said.

Mr. Asante disclosed this while engaging members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) as part of CIMG's annual strategy to enable members engage industry leaders.

He spoke on the theme, Digital Lifestyle & Mobile Financial Services: Inclusiveness, Trends & Opportunities.

MTN CEO said, You do not need to be a digital business to have a digital strategy. So long as your customers are going more and more digital, it is not only about communication, advertising or product visibility in the digital environment, but it is also about how you re-model your own business to take advantage of this trend.

Mr. Asante said the Africa consumer is more mobile ready now than ever and consumers are leapfrogging landline infrastructure and jumping straight into digital mobile technology. This fast growth in internet penetration is in tandem with the growing spate of Mobile Money subscription so the best way to monetise digital business innovations is through Mobile Financial Services, he said.

The debit and credit card penetration in Ghana is very marginal so if you manage to pull up a wonderful digital strategy, the best way to monetise it is mainly through Mobile Financial Service, Mr. Asante said.

Following the introduction of the MTN Mobile Money Service in Ghana in 2009, the subscriber base has grown to approximately 7.8 million registered customers, with over 48,000 Mobile Money agents performing over 40 million transactions monthly across the country.

A Business Desk report
Disqualified Presidential Nominee of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Hassan Ayariga has chided the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Charlotte Osei describing the EC boss as a liar. According to the leader and founder of All Peoples Congress, the EC boss has lied about his (Hassan Ayarigas) qualification and threatened to expose the EC boss.

I am a statesman, I contested elections in this country and if she doesnt know she should find out. I will call an International body to expose her for all that she is. She lied about peoples Identity and their qualifications

The Electoral Commission has reported Hassan Ayariga to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over alleged criminalities he is said to have committed. One of such criminalities has to do with a doctorate degree Hassan Ayariga stated on his presidential nomination form, as being obtained from Great Achievers University of Spain in 2014. But according to the Electoral Commission, checks have revealed that there is no such institution called Great Achievers University in Spain that awards PhD in political science, but rather there is Great Achievers International Theological Seminary which has nothing to do with political science.

But Hassan Ayariga insisted that all information provided on his nomination form were accurate and verifiable. He told Bright Kwesi Asempa the host of Onua Fm morning Show Ye Sempa that I have my degree from Great Achievers University, will I award myself a degree, who say I need a degree to become president. It was because there was not enough space of the form given me by EC that was why I shortened the name of the School, EC should have provided more space, how does that become my fault

NO EXPERIENCE

Hassan Ayariga also described the chairperson of the Electoral Commission Charlotte Osei as inexperience, wondering why the President before appointing her did not find it expedient to have Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the former EC boss to disciple her. What was her performance at her former post the NCCE. If she had done a good job there, she would have known that I contested in the 2012 elections and also there would not be huge number of spoilt ballot papers

He reiterated that if the present EC boss is as qualified as people think, she would not disqualify smaller parties and protect the bigger parties. Did she find out how many offices both CPP and Independent candidate Jacob Osei Yeboah have across the country, yet she shepherded them
In a statement issued to the media in Accra yesterday, October 20, the President of St. Augustines Past Students Union (APSU) hinted that a suspension of support to the college is under consideration, but stopped short of calling for one outright.

The President added that the Union will consider boycotting all Ghana Education Service (GES) supervised programmes until the unfair interdiction is reversed.

The Union is scheduled to discuss this proposal shortly, following on the heels of the October 13 decision by the GES to interdict the college headmaster, Mr Joseph Connel for allegedly charging unapproved fees. If approved, the interdiction could have far-reaching consequences, as APSU is a major financial contributor to the college. The unpopular GES decision has elicited sharp condemnation from APSU, the Board of Governors, and well wishers, all of whom have described the decision as hasty and ill-advised. If the GES remains adamant, "We are confident that the Unions consideration of a boycott of activities and programmes of the school, will be understood."

The Unions statement concurs with a letter issued by the schools Governing Board on Monday, in response to the GES directive.

In response to the interdiction, Dr. Anthony Osei, President of APSU with 5,000 members across various year groups was in Cape Coast on Monday to attend an emergency meeting called by the Board. Prior to this, Dr Osei hosted an emergency strategic meeting at the Unions Secretariat in Accra over the weekend.

The boycott and suspension proposal is being strongly pushed by a section of the Unions members, who, understandably are outraged by the unfair action of the GES. This action has the potential of derailing many years of diligent work. It also has the potential of stifling participation from alumni including activities like the mentorship and counselling programme.

The question is who suffers if this situation remains unresolved? Unfortunately, it would be the innocent students, and not those who took the 'hasty and ill-advised decision.'

APSU as a Major Stakeholder

APSU is a key stakeholder in the affairs of the College, as will be shown shortly, using verifiable facts. Over the last five years, the Union, together with individual APSUnians, have contributed over one million dollars to the College as per below:

The aims and objectives of APSU include:



To uphold and promote the ideals for which the College was founded;

To promote and enhance the welfare and progress of the school;

To liaise and maintain funds, from which aid for the steady development of the College may be provided;

To promote and encourage learning and high standards of education in the college and the country at large;

To keep, promote, encourage and sustain the spirit of understanding, brotherliness, togetherness, mutual assistance, co-operation and solidarity amongst members of the Union, and;

To organise, sponsor and arrange symposia, seminars, workshops and talks to educate members, the college, and the community on pertinent issues, so as to raise their level of awareness.

Financial and Other Support

Refurbishment of the Dining Hall by APSU 1991 costing GH340,000.00

Refurbishment of the Geography Block by APSU 1990 at a cost of GH110,000.00

Refurbishment of the Assembly Hall by APSU 1989 costing GH96,000.00

Refurbishment of the Classroom Blocks A and B by APSU 1988 at a cost of GH112,000.00

Construction of two Gate Houses by APSU 1984 and 1969

Construction of a Laundry Bay by APSU 1985

Construction of a Nduom House by Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom costing GH500,000.00

Upgrading of the Sports Oval into a Mini Stadium (Phase 1) by Prof. Joseph Adjaye at the cost of GH300,000.00

Renovation of Computer Laboratory and Donation of ten Computers by APSU 1986

Conversion of a facility into second Computer Laboratory with sixty-three computers by Adjaye Brothers (Prof. Joseph and Ing. Dr. Robert) costing GH200,000.00

Donation of 32-Seater Hyundai Bus costing US$63,000.00

Donation of BMW saloon car for office of Headmaster by Benson Poku Adjei.

In an interview on Wednesday, Dr. Osei noted: We respect the rights of GES to perform its duties and responsibilities without hindrance, but this must be done in a fair and just manner. Among the flaws identified by the Board were issues pertaining to: Procedure for interdiction, date and time of investigation, date of the interdiction letter, breach of Natural Justice, and the decision by the Regional Director of Education not to attend the emergency meeting on the subject, choosing instead to solely nominate someone to represent the Board of Governors in an investigative committee.

Admittedly, efforts have been made by the GES to address the last point, but the other issues raised by the Board remain unanswered and unresolved. It is, therefore, our considered opinion that the Board should not participate in the investigative process until its concerns regarding various breaches in the processes adopted, including non-compliance with the rules of natural justice, are addressed. It is our expectation that the GES will reconsider its decision before this matter escalates.

In the meantime, some members of the Union are speculating that, perhaps, the choice of topics at the last two public lectures organised by APSU have elicited this attention from the GES. The lecture topics and discussions criticised the manner in which GES managed public second cycle schools, and literally advocated for a possible return to the mission.

If, and when, it becomes necessary, the union will hold a press conference to shed more light on its plans. Pursuing the matter in court to the highest level is a last resort option to be considered. At that point, all out advocacy for the school to be returned to the mission cannot be ruled out!

Just like Augusco led the nationalist charge in 1948 which led to the establishment of Ghana National College, amongst other changes, this great school may, once again, have reason to lead the way.

With only 47 days to the 2016 General Elections, this hasty GES decision constitutes a needless distraction, and, disrupts prior scheduled programmes such as the 87th Speech & Prize Giving Day, slated for March, 2017.

We stand in solidarity with our Headmaster, who is doing a fantastic job as is verifiable from the academic and other records. The synergy and collaboration between the headmaster and the Union is at its best, resulting in increased financial, technical, and moral support from the Union.

We urge all APSUnians and well wishers to rally together at this difficult time to support a good cause.

"We're going to stand with Mr. Connel. There are a number of things we can, and will, do," Dr. Osei said, adding that the Union has not ruled out court action.

"That's on the table," he noted. "Bottom line is that we join the College Board in calling for the reinstatement of Mr. Connel."

http://www.apsuworld.org/
Political Scientist, Dr Richard Amoako Baah has claimed that President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government are aware that they have already lost the 2016 elections.

According to the controversial political analyst, the party and the presidency were made aware of the defeat awaiting them by a team of electoral analysts which they contracted from the United States to access their chances in the polls.

This team, he said made it clear to the NDC that NPP's flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo was winning the polls as he had a personality and messages which have been well accepted by the Ghanaian electorates.

I am reliably informed that the NDC are aware that that they are losing the elections hence they employed a team of election analysts from the USA to come and check on the EIU report that they are losing, they confirmed that to them, he said on Adom News on Thursday.

He said the report shocked the NDC party and that explained the reason for the NDC organizing what he described as a 'disjointed campaign' that is producing nothing but unnecessary political attacks on their opponents especially Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Chief of Staff, he said should ideally not be engaging in campaigns as he is the one that takes over the presidency when the President and the Vice President are away campaigning.

NDC's campaign is now disjointed with everyone saying anything at anytime, under normal circumstances, the Chief of Staff shouldn't be engaged in campaignshis sidetracks comments about Kalyppo betrays him and the NDC that is why they are now targeting the personality of Nana Addo and calling for unnecessary debates, he added.

According to Dr Amoako Baah, the EIU report only confirmed the fears of the NDC and President John Mahama insisting that it is still late for the NDC to overturn that report.

It is very late for the NDC, what is now left for them is arguments and insultsEIU made use of tracking polls which they did over the period and they are right, he said.

A Deputy Communications officer of the NPP, Anthony however insisted that the NPP would not feel complacent with the report and would instead intensify their campaigns.

We have heard of the EIU and their predictions, they did predict same sometime and we lost so we are not relying on them but working on more door to door and village to village campaign to canvass more votes for Nana Addo, he said

-Adomonline
CIMG Telecom Company of the Year, Tigo, has launched its annual Breast Cancer campaign for its employees countrywide. On the global theme Early detection, Saves lives, Tigo employees are creating awareness on the need for women to have regular breast examinations and will also raise funds to pay for the surgeries of some breast cancer patients.

Every Friday in October they wear pink and participate in various activities within their departments to raise money. The fundraising activities will be crowned with a buffet lunch for all staff on Friday October 28, 2016 at the Tigo head office on Barnes road, Accra. The money raised will then be presented to some identified breast cancer patients.

Other activities for the month-long campaign include health talks and interaction with renowned physicians and survivors. Tigo is also providing breast self-examination kits for its employees to share among their friends and families.

Commenting on the initiative, the Director for Corporate Affairs, Gifty Bingley, reiterated the need for women to have regular examination as a sure way to ensure their wellbeing.

We believe in advocacy and awareness creation. With this initiative, we hope to contribute and support the national and international campaign against the spread of the disease by educating ourselves and our friends and families. The message has always been simple, regular examination will help to detect the disease early and reduce its impact on women, she said.

Tigo has over the years supported several efforts to support in creating awareness about Breast Cancer. In 2014 and 2015, they partnered with NGO, Breast Care International for the Walk for Cure events in both Sunyani and Takoradi respectively.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) figures, a total of 2,000 Ghanaian women were diagnosed of breast cancer in the year 2012.

The disease has been identified as the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Ghana, with about 2,900 cases being diagnosed annually and at least one of eight women with the disease dying.
Nigerian publisher and businessman, Chief Dele Momodu has stated that President John Mahama deserves praise for his good works across Ghana.

He said the president has done a great job in leading and developing Ghanas infrastructure.

People read politics into everything but frankly speaking, there is so much to celebrate about President Mahama. He has done a great job. I have traveled extensively across the Africa and Ghana is working, Ghana is rising and it is our duty to celebrate Ghana, he said.

Speaking about an interview in his magazine, Ovation International Magazine, where President Mahama said a cabal had taken control of the media in Ghana and were blocking his transformation message, Chief Momodu told host of the Citi Breakfast Show, Bernard Avle that his assessment shows that Mahama has done more to develop the country.

Some Ghanaians have criticized the Ovation Magazine for consistently highlighting the positive developments under the Mahama-led administration without criticizing the government but according to Chief Momodu, the magazine is a celebrity and lifestyle magazine that is not obliged to highlight negativity.

I think President Mahama has done well and as a lifestyle magazine, ours is to cover the beauty of Ghana. It is a news magazine that you can accused of being biased, he said.

He further discounted claims that he was being paid by government to represent the President in positive light through his media to push for his [Mahama's] reelection in the upcoming December elections.

'Media cabal blocking 'my transformation' message'

President Mahama said in the interview with Ovation that It is populism, a certain group has taken control of the media in Ghana and it makes it difficult for people to discern the truth. So as much as you are putting out the information, it is either being blocked or distorted.

Some media practitioners in the country have criticized the President over the comments which they say is untrue.

'Arrogant gov't communicators blocking Mahama's message'

The pioneer of private radio stations in Ghana, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey, in an interview on Eyewitness News also rejected the claims by the President saying the his message were instead being blocked by some arrogant government communicators who waste media space allotted to them by generating unnecessary arguments.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
A state funeral has been held for former Council of State member, Dr, Mary Grant at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.

Notable among the attendees paying their respect were President John Mahama, Former President John Rawlings, Progressive People's Party Flagbearer, Dr, Paa Kwesi Nduom among others.

Dr. Mary Grant, passed away at age of 88 on 18th September, 2016. Family sources said she died at the 37 Military Hospital.

She left behind two of her own children, and four adopted ones.

President John Dramani tweeted about her death, describing her as a great woman of our modern era, hours after news about her death broke.

Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant was awarded at the Ghana Women Awards, the premier awards ceremony aimed at celebrating the success of women of excellence in various facets of the society.

She is a sister to the late Paa Grant, a merchant and politician in the Gold Coast, who has been called the father of Gold Coast politics.

Dr. Grant, an old student of Wesley Girls, is the first Wesley Girls High School Alumni to be a medical doctor.

She has led Ghana's delegation to several international conferences such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) General Assemblies in Geneva, World Bank Meeting in Africa Health,WHO Regional Conferences in Africa, Cairo Conference on Population and Development among others.

She was among Ghana's delegation to the Beijing Conference on Women's Rights. At the 39th Annual General Conference in 1997, the Ghana Medical Association awarded her a Certificate of Honour for her concern for welfare of doctors.

As a medical practitioner, she had been critical of health workers who embark on strikes at the expense of human lives.



Photos: Philip Nii Lartey

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Your Excellency President Mahama,

I trust this letter finds you doing well and hearty.

The purpose of this letter is to draw your attention to a couple of issues for your information and consideration. I took inspiration from your own words when you were sworn into office in 2012. You did indicate that you welcome constructive criticisms in the discharge of your duties.

Your Excellency, I am particularly displeased about how the nation is been governed. I discovered that the main reason is that some of people you appoint to run your government are not fit to handle the roles and responsibilities you assigned to them. Even the Parliamentary Appointment Committee at a point in time was reported to have expressed their disappointment on your nominees. How can people who are unable to put together their own CVs, be able to read, peruse and make meaningful judgment and/or decisions from contracts or agreements to be signed on behalf of the nation? Indeed, as the President, you have all the relevant institutions and/or state apparatus at your disposal to do a proper background check on people you intend to appoint into your government but your act seems as though its virtually a sheer political exercise. Even if you are led by partisan force, I think there are very experienced and qualified persons in your party to run your administration.

Your Excellency, this raises questions about your leadership qualities. Would you appoint such people to run your own company? I sincerely doubt. I have heard that your father was an industrious and successful person whose fame blazed across the 3 northern regions. I am persuaded that he had the right people in place to manage his business.

Your Excellency, another disturbing issue is the unprecedented rate at which corruption is thriving in your government notably SUBA, SADA, GYEEDA, to mention but a few. I have followed with keen interest how you talk about the responsible institutions already tackling such malpractices which I honestly dont see. Your colleague President John Magufuli of Tanzania doesnt need to be asked how he is dealing with corruption because he is living the saying that action speaks louder than words.

Your Excellency, I believe that the period where the proper trials and challenges will come alive is when you bow out of office. By that time, your NDC footsoldiers and activists who currently are aggressively defending and propagating your work will redirect their energies and resources to the new leader of your party. Please do not be misled by those who sing your praises and chant your name. They did same to Ex-President Rawlings and the late Prof. Mills. It goes without saying that there are people in NDC who love the party and will always defend it irrespective of who emerges as the leader. Do not be surprised when people who are enjoying under your presidency eventually turn against you in future. At least history has revealed that the one (Ex-President Rawlings) who made you politically relevant has not been spared!

Your Excellency, I was delighted when you chose an Evidence-based approach in delivering your last State of the Nation Address (SONA). Such act is really commendable and I will recommend that to all future Presidents of Ghana. I am aware that Ghana has signed up onto various international conventions on climate change, biodiversity etc thus since your government subscribes to such an approach, I will in the coming days flag some questions and/or queries for your governments attention  beginning with Climate Change. Ghana was among 170 countries that signed the Paris Climate Agreement in April 2016. Parliament of Ghana ratified the Agreement in August 2016 making it binding on the nation as it has become part of our laws. Your manifesto which you launched on September 17th clearly states you have intention to construct a 700 MW coal-fired plant at Ekumfi in the Central Region; then your Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) at a press briefing in October says Ghana WILL NOT establish a coal plant primarily due to the Paris Agreement commitment. Eventhough, I am told EPA has canceled the coal idea, I am unable to comprehend why such confusion or inconsistency arose in the first place  more so when you are a Co-chair of the Eminent Persons to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Matters of climate change are very dear to my heart as it has severe (and in some cases irreparable) consequences on the lives and properties of citizens especially the poor and vulnerable. Your government consequently, ought to accountable on our environmental sustainability obligations which I intend to pursue.

I wish you all the best on your campaign trail.

God bless our country.

Thank you.

Chibeze Ezekiel

Citizen of Ghana
Pastor Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah is urging the Ghana Police Service to start inviting prominent leaders of religious organizations to explain their sermons to them if his current invitation is anything to go by.

The founder and leader of Glorious Word Ministry International claimed he had a vision of plots to kill the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo alleging that there will be gunshots at NPP strongholds on the day of the election and many people will lose their lives

His comments have attracted police invitation but he wondered why the police will be summoning him on issues of the spiritual realm revealed to him by God.

I don't understand why I should be invited to come and explain my prophecy. Does it mean when you preach you should be called to give details of preaching? If that is the case then they should also invite other pastors to come and explain their summons, he observed on Abusua Nkomo hosted by Kwame Adinkra

He promised to honour the invitation when his lawyer who is currently not in town returns but disclosed that the identities of persons who could be plotting against the NPP flagbearer were not given in the revelation.

Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah indicated that the police can help him in revealing these individuals if they join him to prayer without ceasing so that the dust on the matter is settled.

God did not reveal the identity of who want to kill Nana Addo. I will want the police to pray with me for God to reveal the identities of the people who wanted to kill Nana Akufo-Addo. I only tell the people what God revealed to me. Irrespective of threats and whatever happens, I have been told to deliver the message to my people that Nana Addo is the next president of Ghana and must be protected, he disclosed.

According to him, God reveals to redeem and he is optimistic Nana Addo will be the next President of Ghana and should be given maximum security during the last lap of his campaign.

-ultimatefmonline
The Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research says Ghana has the potential to become Africas leader in tomato production, if greenhouse farming is expanded.

Director of crop Research at CSIR, Dr. Stella Ama Ennin, points out the country must be spared the influx of foreign tomato and its products.

She was speaking at a practical training on tomato cultivation in greenhouse and open field for farmers and other interest groups in Kumasi.

Greenhouse farming involves protection of plants against climate, pest and nutrient deficiency in restricted space.

China accounts for 31 per cent of the worlds tomato production, with annual levels of over 50 tonnes.

Ghana is so far the largest importer of tomato paste, second only to Germany.

According to Dr. Ennin, Ghana can overturn the scales if farmers get the needed support.

We have varieties here which we can be use for our normal dishes and processing into tomato paste, she said.

According to her, local farmers can produce tomatoes in excess for export if given the needed financial support.

Government of India is collaborating with Ghana for a pilot research project on tomato production in Ghana.

The project which is estimated to cost one million dollars will engage stakeholders in large and profitable cultivation.

Project Coordinator, Akhilesh Tiwari, is upbeat farmers will recoup their investment in less than four years.
By Edmond Gyebi.

The Chronicle wishes to correct a wrong impression created in an earlier publication under the above headline.

The said report suggested that some farmers in the Northern Sector of Ghana have been supplied with some of the Pod-borer Resistant Cowpea seeds, which is a new variety of cowpea seed that resists attacks from pests, and is still being investigated by scientists in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

But our information now indicates that under the PBR cowpea project, supported by AATF, the PBR cowpea is solely at the research stage and being handled under confined Field trial basis, where access to the field is strictly monitored.

No PBR cowpea seed has been given out to the public for planting.

Farmers who were present at the field visit at Nyankpala recently showed a lot of interest in the seed, and requested that the seeds be made available to them as soon as possible, so they can also enjoy its benefits.
21.10.2016 LISTEN

The Dawu Traditional Council has installed Florence Hagan, a staff of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), as Nkosuohene (Development Chief), under the stool name Nana Asamoah Sakyi I.

She was installed at a colourful ceremony at Dawu in the Eastern Region, which was attended by chiefs from the traditional area, and a large crowd, including workers of GPHA.

Nana Asamoah Sakyi I said she is motivated as a port worker to take up this responsibility to help her community, and urged others to be inspired.

She promised to promote education in the Dawu Traditional area, by encouraging the youth, particularly girls, to take up matters of education more seriously.

This, according to her, will guarantee a brighter future for them, since education is the bedrock of development in society.

She expressed gratitude to the Chief of Dawu, Odeneho Asare Akyeahene III, for the steps he has taken to bring development to the area.

Nana Asamoah Sakyi I promised to contribute her quota positively to the development of the area, particularly, girls, as well as the overall wellbeing of the community.

In the last few days, two staff of the Authority have been installed chiefs in their respective villages.

Earlier, the Accounts Manager of Tema Port, Victor Yao Wogbemase Asempapa, was installed Odikro of Abutia-Teti in the Ho West District of the Volta Region, under the stool name Togbe Okai Debrah III, at an impressive ceremony.

He promised to provide inspired leadership to accelerate the development of the town.

He also thanked all port workers for the support and inspiration.
21.10.2016 LISTEN



From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Kumasi

Mr. Kwabena Owusu has launched his campaign as an independent candidate for Subin constituency in the December parliamentary polls, with a promise to give the Subin Constituency a facelift.

Kwabena Owusu said this when launching his campaign at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Amakom, christened 'Positive Change is coming to Subin.'

Aspirant Kwabena Owusu, popularly known as Aloss in Subin, revealed that he intends to garner 40,000 votes in parliamentary race.

He promised to bring on a Subin Nkosuo Fund to provide the technical and financial muscle needed for the development of small and medium scale enterprises.

The aspirant indicated that the said fund will provide money for startup businesses, stressing that it is an uphill task for new entrepreneurs to obtain startup funds.

He stated: We will establish a micro credit scheme through the Subin Nkosuo Fund to support youth employment programmes.



According to him, this scheme will offer training to the Subin constituents, especially, the youth and women, to equip them with employable skills, and help them secure credit to go into productive ventures.

On education, the aspirant pledged to ensure that schools in the constituency benefit fully from increased funding and higher standards within the framework of the FCUBE, which will ultimately enhance economic development. I will dedicate my share of the MP's Common Fund to offer of scholarships for the needy but brilliant students.
21.10.2016 LISTEN

From Issah Alhassan, Kumasi

The flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has asked voters in the Asawase Constituency to lead the crusade for the change in the leadership of the country.

Nana Addo indicated that the wind of change blowing across the country must manifest in the voting pattern of the constituency, and has, therefore, called on the voters to vote massively for him and the partys parliamentary candidate, Alhaji Alidu Seidu.

The NPP flagbearer, who received a rousing welcome to the orphan constituency as part of his four-day tour of the Ashanti Region, said he was overwhelmed by the support the people of Asawase had accorded him, and asked them to translate that into votes.

The constituency came to a standstill yesterday, when Nana Addo and his entourage arrived at Aboabo.

Vehicular traffic came to a halt, and drivers were compelled to use a detour, as enthusiastic supporters took over the main Aboabo Street, following the NPP flagbearers convoy and cheering him on.

An excited Nana Addo told the teeming crowd that the NPP, upon assumption of government, will live up to its promises.

He noted that job creation, through industrialisation, will be the main focus point of the next NPP administration, in order to reduce the high level of unemployment in the country.
21.10.2016 LISTEN



From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Drobonso

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region has targeted 95% votes in the region ahead of the December 2016 General Elections, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, has declared.

He observed that per the alacrity at which Ghanaians are voting out the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December elections, the Ashanti regional wing of the NPP ought to increase its target from 90 percent to 95 percent of votes in the region for the NPP on December 7.

Chairman Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi in political circles, who said this while addressing party supporters at an NPP campaign launch at Drobonso in Sekyere Afram Plains, also noted that Ghanaians are going to make history by voting out the Mahama-led administration.



He charged: One district-one factory policy is to bring employment to Ghanaians, and if Nana Akufo-Addo is voted into power, there will be numerous factories to absorb the unemployed in Ghana, adding that the free education policy is still doable.

The party Chairman further chastised President John Dramani Mahama for the astronomical cost of electricity in Ghana.

Mr. Joseph Owusu, aka Odenkyem, NPP aspiring parliamentarian for Sekyere Afram Plains, thanked NPP supporters who made it to the campaign launch, stressing that change was imminent in Sekyere Afram Plains for the NPP to annex the parliamentary seat from the NDC in December.

The former Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, attacked the ruling NDC government for retarding the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

According to him, it was not strange for the NDC to claim that it increased membership of the NHIS to 11.5 million, because the NPP laid the foundation and left office with 9.5 million NHIS subscribers, and assured Ghanaians that should Nana Addo be voted into power, the NPP will revamp the NHIS to provide quality health care in Ghana.

Dr. Nsiah-Asare urged the people to spread the message of hope of the NPP campaign to unseat President John Dramani Mahama.

Mr. Kwesi Kyei, Ashanti Regional Communication Director of NPP, charged the people of Drobonso to forge ahead and campaign for the party to win the December polls.

He said: If you want your daughter to have quality education, vote for Odenkyem and Nana Addo. Above all, take good care of your ID cards.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumawu, Mr. Philip Basoah, reminded the constituents of the neglect by the NDC administration of the construction of the Kumawu-Drobonso stretch of road, which was initiated by the Kufuor-led NPP administration, courtesy the Millennium Challenge Accounts (MCA).

MP Basoah charged the constituents to vote massively to ensure total transformation in the areas of education and health, among others.
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By Pascal Kafu Abotsi

The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) yesterday made its first appearance in court with bus loads of supporters clad in party paraphernalia, ostensibly to demonstrate the partys appetite to contest this years elections.

There was information that hundreds of party supporters that thronged the courts were drawn from various parts of the country to give some inspiration to the legal team to fight for the inclusion of their presidential candidate, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, on this years ballot.

According to Accra-based Joy FM, the hearing of the suit, challenging Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduoms disqualification began with Lawyer for the Electoral Commission (EC), Thaddeus Sory, moving a motion for abridgment of time so that the matter could be heard as early as possible.

Lawyer Sory argued that the EC needed to print ballot papers and other Electoral materials so they wanted`the matter to be heard as early as possible.

Ayikoi Otoo, who is legal counsel for Dr. Nduom, did not oppose this motion but rather said they needed the opportunity to respond to some issues the EC had mentioned in their affidavit, in opposition to their suit.

The Accra High Court, hearing the case, thus ordered the PPP Flagbearer to file his statement of case in support of his suit, challenging his disqualification by the EC.

The Electoral Commission was asked to do same, leading to a Monday deadline by the court, as the parties would be expected to make their oral submission on Tuesday, where the court would have a week to give its ruling.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo was emphatic that the EC had erred in disqualifying Dr. Nduom.

According to him: The EC breached its own rules which imposed a duty on them to give candidates an opportunity to make amendments and alterations, adding that: The issue of breach of the rules of natural justice is so fundamental that everyone should be given a hearing before being condemned.

Even under common law, you can always go to court and say that -'I have been dismissed from work and they never gave me an opportunity to be heard.'

Dr Nduoms disqualification by the EC followed the endorsement of his nomination forms by one Richard Antwi Aseda, with the voter identification number -7812003957- guarantee both the Central and Volta Regions, using two different signatures, an act that contradicts the laws governing elections in Ghana.

The PPP had earlier challenged the EC's quoted filing fee of GHc50,000 in the court of law, but that action did not survive.

After it had claimed the filing fee was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable, the PPP, which was fielded in the 2012 elections presented its forms together with a bankers' draft of GHc50,000 cedis, hoping for its return, just as was done for the other contestants, only for it to be surprisingly snatched by the EC.

This happened at a time the electoral body had rejected the fees of the other candidates, pending the court's determination of the case.

The court, however, asked the EC to go ahead with the collection of its fee, compelling the chairperson to put out information to candidates to present their bankers' drafts.

With barely two months to the elections, Dr Nduom, popularly called 'Adwumawura', is rumoured to have invested millions of cedis in his campaign, with some spent on a fleet of Toyota Tundra vehicles and other luxurious cars flooding the streets, while he slashed the rest on party activities, hoping for a win.






21.10.2016 LISTEN



As the Nigerian maxim goes, The day the monkey is destined to die, all the tree branches become slippery. President Mahama has now realised that he is in a battle of his life, and that contrary to what he thought, this year's election is not going to be easy for him and the party he leads  The National Democratic Congress (NDC).

As a result, he has changed his arrogant stance when it comes to debating the leader of the opposition, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to that of a sober one.

The President and his party thought they had already won the elections, and, therefore, treated with contempt, the proposal from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), for him (Mahama) to debate Nana Addo.

Led by the National Organiser of the party, Kofi Adams, who did not give the late President Mills peace of mind until he entered his grave, the NDC vowed never to appear on the IEA platform that has the reputation of hosting such debates.

During his annual encounter with the media at the Flagstaff House, President Mahama dropped the hint that he would not appear on the IEA platform to debate Nana Addo. According to him, his appearance on the platform would be based on the advice of his party, and that if the NDC leaders stopped him, he could not disobey their orders, because he was contesting the election on the ticket of the party.

With just little over a month to go to the polls, and with the EIU reports predicting victory for Nana Addo and the NPP on three different occasions, President Mahama has, all of a sudden, realised the need to debate Nana Addo.

Speaking in an interview with Volta Star at Ho yesterday, President Mahama said Nana Addo and his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, are telling Ghanaians lies about the economy, and that he wanted to confront them in an open debate, where facts and figures about the true status of the economy would be laid bare.

President Mahama is a good communicator, but he has allowed the sabre-rattlers in his party and government to overly control him, and is now bearing the brunt of that ill advice. The NDC has always poured cold water on accusations made against the economy by Dr. Bawumia.

Shockingly, when they want to reply to the NPP running mate's digestion of the economy, they prefer to use Fifi Kwetey, a man noted for spewing out propaganda, instead of using the Finance Minister himself. Who in Ghana would believe what Fifi Kwetey says, apart from hardcore members of the NDC?  But that is their cup of tea.

The Chronicle does not, however, think Nana Addo and NPP should accept this challenge from the 'Dying President'. It could be a Gordian knot that the party may not be able to untie before the polls.

When a blind man says he would throw a stone at you, he is already standing on one. President Mahama had, from day one, refused to debate the NPP flag bearer, but having realised that he was losing the election, has all of the sudden started throwing the bait.

Nana Addo's victory is already written on the walls, and what NPP needs to do now is to intensify its campaign, especially, in the rural areas, instead of allowing the presidential candidate to debate President Mahama. The fact that Asiedu Nketiah has decided to concentrate his campaign in Volta Region of all places, tells the story about the NDC losing the elections.

Despite describing the region as their World Bank, an accolade Togbe Afede and his colleague chiefs have rejected, Asiedu Nketiah and team could still not get the numbers, and had to bus in people from Dzodze and Keta among others to Kedjebi and surrounding villages, during the recent tour of the President to the area.

Is this a party the NPP presidential candidate should debate now?
The Eastern region Police Commander has reiterated their preparedness for the upcoming general elections.

DCOP Peterkin Yentumi Gyinae said police personnel in all regions have been properly trained to combat all kinds of violence.

"We have gone through serious training in various ways and we are also sensitizing our men for the elections...every police officer has gone through one training or the other," DCOP Yentumi indicated.

With 48 days to the general elections, there is tension and possibility of violence as various political parties intensify their campaigns.

The police and other security agencies have indicated they are ready to tackle a possible violence that may erupt before, during and after the exercise.

DCOP Yentumi said the police in the Eastern region are sensitizing the public on the dos and don't about the elections.

He believes dialogue could also be used in controlling political tension and electoral violence in the upcoming elections.

According to him, trained police personnel will be deployed strategically to combat violence at some 500 polling stations have been identified as flash points.

He added that some political activists who were recently involved in some violence At Suhum in the region have been arraigned before the court.

He assured that no stone will be left unturned as they track down other persons who are on the run.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | AA
Today, the African People commemorate the Africa Human Rights Day across the continent under the theme Women Rights  Our Collective Responsibility.

On this occasion, H.E. Dr. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs issued a statement on behalf of H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission describing this years theme as timely and appropriate. Timely in the sense that it coincides with the Declaration of the African Unions Heads of State and Government of 2016 as the African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women. It is, therefore, a clarion call on Africa to do more to promote womens rights, particularly the rights to development. It is in this context that the African Union Commission has concluded that the AHRD theme for this year is a reflection of a ray of hope that through empowerment of women in Africa, sustainable peace and development will be ushered in.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs stated that on 21 October 1986, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights came into force thereby forming the basis for the commemoration of the Africa Human Rights Day (AHRD). The AHRD, which is celebrated annually across the continent on 21st October, is an opportunity to reflect, take stock and recommit to the solemn declaration undertaken by the African leaders and the African people to promote and safeguard human and peoples rights on the continent. She further added that the commemoration is also to continuously awaken greater awareness of the African peoples and the international community on the value of life and humanity, and to renew our collective commitment to protect and uphold the fundamental human rights.

Dr. Abdulahi also indicated that despite all the efforts to promote and protect human and peoples rights in Africa, including womens rights, the continent continues to face enormous challenges which if not urgently and adequately addressed, may erase the human rights gain recorded over the preceding decades. These challenges include, but are not limited to: inadequate allocation of resources to human rights institutions, inadequate capacity, insufficient political will, unwillingness by some States to cede part of sovereignty to supranational monitoring bodies, insufficient commitment by some States to domesticate and implement international and continental human rights treaties, persistent crisis and conflicts across the continent which result in loss of life, destruction of property and reversal of human rights gains, widespread poverty, ignorance and lack of awareness, vestiges of colonialism characterized by human rights unfriendly laws, bad governance, corruption and disregard for the constitutionalism and the rule of law.

In conclusion, Dr. Abdullahi also added that in order to ensure that elements of the theme of this year have been achieved, the DPA in close collaboration and coordination with other AU Organs with a human rights mandate, has been carrying out a series of activities commencing in 2016 and spread across the next 10 years, which was declared by Heads of State and Government in Kigali, Rwanda in July this year as the Human and Peoples Rights Decade in Africa. These activities seek to initiate a lobby and advocacy campaign that generates increasing momentum, and reaches out to member states stakeholders and partners at all levels.
21.10.2016 LISTEN



From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi

Media practitioners have been reminded of their sacred role to uphold the principle of truth and loyalty to the citizenry to ensure a functioning society.

The information journalists put across should be in the interest of the public and not to be merely interesting, Mr. Jonathan Frimpong, a representative of the National Media Commission (NMC) has advised.

He reminded the media practitioners during an Electoral Commission cum European Union sponsored capacity building training programme on reporting the presidential and parliamentary elections in Kumasi of the need to observe the provisions of Article 164 which borders on the limitation on rights and freedoms as well as Articles 162 and 163 which provides on National Security and Public Order.

Mr. Frimpong said in asserting his role the media practitioner should not compromise on professionalism and quality of reportage which he said must be fair, balanced, accurate, objective, neutral and verifiable.

He said reportage must lead to acceptance and legitimacy of the election results based on transparency and make democratic governance meaningful.



The NMC rep said peaceful elections depend on the media and admonished media practitioners to avoid hate speech as much as possible.

He said the role of media in ensuring peace during the elections was more pronounced in the fact that not even the security agencies could guarantee peaceful elections if the media relaxed in playing its traditional role.

The Regional Director of EC, Mr. Serebour Quaicoe who treated the topic Media and Elections, noted that all that is needed this year is peace and that the media should be circumspect and cross facts in maintaining peace in Ghana, as a beacon of democracy.

Mr. Lucas Yiryel, Deputy Regional Director of EC, on the voting process said the No Verification, No vote clause had been repealed and amended by C. I. 94 and that a voter could be verified manually.

Mr. Lawrence Sarpong, also a deputy Regional Director took media practitioners through election officials and Nomination of candidates for presidential and parliamentary elections.
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The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission in collaboration with the Keshe Foundation, a non-profit space organisation, has opened a three-day space summit in Accra to explore new ways of solving Africa's health, environmental and developmental challenges.

The summit is expected to provide a good overview of the applications of the Keshe technology and success stories that could ginger Ghanaians to work hard and also to pay much attention to challenges or cautions that comes with these facilities.

Professor Benjamin J.B. Nyarko, the Director-General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission at the opening ceremony on Monday, said the Commission had over the past year been familiarizing, testing and affirming the Keshe technology and its applications, of which the outcomes have been very encouraging and promises a good future for Ghana and Africa as a whole.

He said the Commission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Keshe Foundation for further partnership and training on their ground-breaking technologies, especially in the treatment of health conditions, including cancer and HIV.

He said the Keshe technology application involves a wide range of fields involving medicine, human health, agriculture and food production, space science and space travel, automobile and energy, which if well harnessed, would place the country at an advantageous position on the global front.

Prof. Nyarko said the theme for the summit is: The New Dawn: Africa's Meteoric Rise in Spaceship Technology, which was attended by Scientists, researchers, and Officers from the various security services including the military and police, was therefore well and truly captured, to reflect the situation of the Continent.

He said breaking new grounds in science in the contemporary era was the way to go in order to propel Ghana's position in the world of high technology.

He said science and technology has been the principal agents of social and economic change although they had their benefits and disadvantages, and they provide new scientific knowledge as well as new solutions to major global challenges such as famine, water shortage, lack of electric power supply, climate change as well as diseases.

However, in the nutshell, with these technologies, we have come to accept that science has no limits and we can defend the position that the impact of technology on the society has far more positive sides than negative, he said.

Prof. Nyarko said GAEC would set up a laboratory to begin production of the ground-breaking products made from the Keshe Foundation's plasma technology to solve pressing challenges in areas including health, and intends to further strengthen the partnership between the two institutions for human resource development.

Mr Mehran Tavakoli Keshe, the Founder and Leader of Keshe Foundation, said over the next two days scientists gathered from around the world would showcase what they had done in their respective fields and would impact these knowledge to their Ghanaian counterparts for national development.

He said the Keshe Foundation which currently operates in about 180 countries around the world, provides free education and training on simple application of physics and chemistry, and its partnership with GAEC would propel Ghana to become a sense of knowledge not only for the continent, but for the world at large.

He urged that participants stayed open, to learn from the Keshe's new Plasma technology which uses mostly natural methods to arrive at natural outcomes.

Source: GNA




21.10.2016 LISTEN



The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency with its agencies and partners are to develop a robust regional energy market.

The Energy market is to increase access to modern and sustainable energy services in West Africa.

Dr Morlaye Bangoura, ECOWAS Commissioner for Energy and Mines, who announced this, was speaking at the opening of a three-day ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Week in Accra.

The conference was on the theme: Towards a viable and Robust Energy Market in ECOWAS Region.

The event, supported by development partners, including the European Union, United States Agency for International Development and the German Embassy, is to promote the exchange of ideas and cooperation to support the acceleration of the implementation of a regional energy market.

He said the event was to improve the current policy and regulatory landscape for a sustainable regional energy sector among the 15 ECOWAS countries.

The conference would, therefore, facilitate interactions and forge partnerships between ECOWAS policy makers, the private sector and financial institutions.

The ECOWAS Commissioner said it was to assess the current status of the regional electricity market and present the regional perspective of the national Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency action plans.

He said the conference was to showcase available instruments by the partners and investment firms and discuss the acceleration in the implementation of grid connected renewable energy plants and the private sector involvement in rural electrification in West Africa.

Mr John Jinapor, Deputy Minister of Power, commended the ECOWAS Commission and its agencies for the efforts to promote and improve on the energy situation on the continent.

He called on the Commission to include the private sector in its deliberations, since they played a pivotal role in the development and accessibility of energy.

He said the Government was committed to the implementation of energy policies and it would continue to support the Commission in its activities.

Dr Daniel Schrith, the Sustainable Energy for All Africa Hub Coordinator at the African Development Bank, also commended the leadership of ECOWAS and its partners for promoting access to energy in the Sub-region.

He said the Bank was committed to championing the development of energy on the continent of Africa with the investment of 12 billion dollars from 2016-2020 in the energy sector.

He said the Bank looked forward to transforming the ambitious energy agenda of the continent in the next years.

Mr Alexandra Deprez, the Mission Director, USAID, West Africa, said the importance of clean energy generation was increasing by the day in the light of climate change challenges.



He said clean energy stood at the centre of global efforts to move towards sustainable and resilient economies and poverty eradication.

The Mission Director said clean energy technologies were recognised as important supply options and key resources for bridging the universal energy demand gap.

Source: GNA


21.10.2016 LISTEN



By Richard Kofi Attenkah

The production of cocoa in Ghana for the 2015/16 season, which spans October to September, was 690,000 tonnes, fell short of the 850,000 projected target made by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), according to the Oxford Business Group.

Even though Ghana could not meet its set target for the year under review, the country increased its investment in seed development programmes and infrastructure upgrades, and this is expected to improve its output over the coming years.

According to the Oxford Business Group, yields from both the main harvest and the secondary harvest, which began in late June, were impacted negatively by a prolonged and severe Harmattan season.

This was contained in a 'Ghana Economic Update' report, put together by the Oxford Business Group, signed by Doris Anokyewaah Antwi, Group Communications Associate, and released in Accra yesterday.

Read the full details of the 'Ghana Economic Update' report:

Although Ghana's cocoa production fell short of industry forecasts for the 2015/16 growing season, increased investment in seed development programmes and infrastructure upgrades should improve output over the coming years.

Another slow year

Crop production for the 2015/16 growing season, which spans October to September, reached 690,000 tonnes, although this fell short of the 850,000-tonne projection made by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the state promotion and oversight agency.

Yields from both the main harvest and the secondary harvest, which began in late June, were impacted by a prolonged and particularly severe harmattan, a dry wind that blows in from the Sahara Desert, as well as by low rainfall at critical times during the growing cycle.

While most of Ghana's agricultural output is rain-fed, with the drought impacting production across the sector more broadly, cocoa is particularly vulnerable to the harmattan, which dries seeds and erodes yields.

In addition, the proliferation of illegal mining also takes an environmental toll, negatively affecting the cocoa segment, according to Charity Sackitey, managing director for cocoa and chocolate producer Barry Callebaut Ghana.

Another concern is the proximity of illegal and small-scale mining to cocoa plantations, as heavy metal poisoning and pollution are degrading the land and affecting freshwater and underground aquifers, she told OBG.

Past performance

The latest result is also well below Ghana's 2014/15 cocoa output  which totalled 730,000 tonnes, below COCOBOD's forecast of 1m tonnes, due to an outbreak of black pod disease and adverse weather conditions that year.

The low 2014/15 harvest meant that, for only the third time in the past decade, cocoa had to be imported from Cote dIvoire to cover the shortfall. Ghana imported 15,500 tonnes of light crop cocoa beans, Seth Terkper, minister of finance, told parliament earlier this year. The beans were used to supplement local production to fulfill companies' processing capacity.

However, it is not just Ghana  the world's second-largest cocoa producer after Cote dIvoire  that is experiencing a drop in output.

In August the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) revised its global production estimates for the 2015/16 season. Total global output was forecasted to reach 3.99m tonnes, a decline of 5.9% year-on-year, which would leave a 212,000-tonne supply shortfall, the ICCO bulletin said.

Ambitious target

Still, the dip appears to be temporary and future prospects for the industry are more bullish. Earlier this year, COCOBOD announced it was planning to more than double cocoa output to 1.6m tonnes by 2026.

The sector body is committed to distributing up to 60m free hybrid cocoa seedlings per year. The new variety is more resistant to pests and diseases, including black pod disease, and able to withstand harsher weather conditions. As of mid-September, the agency had distributed 110m hybrid cocoa seedlings from its nurseries, according to press reports.

The seedlings are also expected to increase yields, according to Isaac Yaw Opoku, executive director of the Seed Production Unit at COCOBOD.

Currently, the crops we have in the farms have an average yield level of about 450 to 500 kg per ha, Opoku told local media at the launch of the initiative. However, with the new seedlings that we are giving free of charge, the yield level is between 1000 and 1500 kg per ha.

Infrastructure upgrades

In addition to COCOBOD's focus on supporting cocoa production, improvements to Ghana's transport infrastructure are expected to have some benefits for the cocoa industry.

In recent years, better and expanded road networks have allowed crops to be moved more quickly from plantation to processing centres and export hubs, thereby reducing spoilage.

Further upgrades to the country's ports  such as the $1.5m project planned at the Port of Tema, slated for completion at the end of 2019  are also expected to allow faster loading of export commodities, including cocoa.
Ebenezer Twum Asante, the CEO of MTN has urged all businesses to search and tap into the digital opportunities that abound, irrespective of ones industry.

He said, looking at the way businesses are rapidly shifting from the physical interaction to a more digital space, businesses without digital strategies would have a hard time connecting with consumers.

Mr. Asante was engaging members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG), as part of CIMGs annual strategy to enable members engage industry leaders. He spoke on the theme Digital Lifestyle & Mobile Financial Services: Inclusiveness, Trends & Opportunities .

He said, You do not need to be a digital business to have a digital strategy. So long as your customers are going more and more digital, it is not only about communication, advertising or product visibility in the digital environment, but it is also about how you re-model your own business to take advantage of this trend.

The Africa consumer is more mobile ready now than ever and consumers are leapfrogging landline infrastructure and jumping straight into digital mobile technology.

This fast growth in internet penetration is in tandem with the growing spate of Mobile Money subscription. Thus the best way to monetise digital business innovations is through Mobile Financial Services.

The debit and credit card penetration in Ghana is very marginal, he said. So if you manage to pull up a wonderful digital strategy, the best way to monetise it is mainly through Mobile Financial Service.

Following the introduction of the MTN Mobile Money Service in Ghana in 2009, the subscriber base has grown to approximately 7.8 million registered customers, with over 48,000 Mobile Money agents performing over 40 million transactions monthly across the country.

Also, in line with the EMI Guidelines issued by the Bank of Ghana in July 2015, MTN made a total payment of GH 13.4million in interest to over 6.2 million Mobile Money customers in September. MTN Mobile Money continues to partner financial institutions and other values to deliver the best value propositions to customers. One of such is the TBILL4ALL service launched recently in partnership with Ecobank.
Winneba (C/R) Oct.21 GNA - The Effutu Municipal Assembly, in conjunction with the Municipal Election Taskforce, is to launch an intensive Civic Education programme to ensue incident-free elections on December 7 in the area.

Under it, the assembly will organize series of meetings between now and December 7 to educate followers of the various political parties, particularly the youth on all electoral laws.

This was announced by Mr. Frances K. Tagoe, Effutu Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), to round off a four-day evangelism crusade organized by leaders of the Central Regional branch of the Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC) at Winneba.

It was under the theme 'Evangelism Crusade for Surviving Ghana Beyond 2016'.

He believed that when this target was achieved, voters, and for that matter leaders and members of the leading political parties in the area, would also learn a lot to support and help them to comport themselves during the elections.

The MCE warned leaders of the various political parties who had made it their regular routine to put pressure on the police to release their members who were trapped by the law to refrain from such acts with immediate.

He made it clear that any person in the constituency caught in such unlawful acts would not be spared by his administration.

'If we really want peace to prevail during and after the coming elections in the area, then we should all learn to obey the electoral laws as enshrined in the 1992 constitution,' he stated.

Mr. Tagoe also warned that any security officer who might be found wanting in this direction would be dealt with according to the laws governing the country.

He commended the organizers of the crusade and advised all Christians in the municipality and the entire country to turn themselves into civic educators in their churches, communities and homes, especially on the need to avoid unnecessary arguments and misunderstandings which could lead to anarchy.

Evangelist Isaac Ohenebah Appiah-Kubi, General Secretary of the MDCC, also assured the government and people of Ghana of the church's preparedness to maintain the tempo of peace and tranquillity in the area.

He advised religious who had been prophesizing the outcome of the elections to stop such practices because it could pose great danger to the smooth conduct of the elections.

GNA
Benin City (Nigeria) (AFP) - The rainy season is supposed to be over in Nigeria, but on Thursday just before midnight, torrential rain and crackling lightning let loose over Benin City.

For those in the crowd, the message was clear: with the rain the gods had blessed the new monarch of the kingdom of Benin in the country's south.

The divine coronation was the climax of a day of royal pageantry, when some 100,000 people flooded the streets to catch a glimpse of the new "Oba" -- king in the Yoruba language -- Ewuare II.

The kingdom of Benin, now located inside Nigeria, is one of the oldest and most prestigious African realms which flourished from around the 13th century until the British invasion hundreds of years later.

It was famous for its vast wealth, sophisticated urban design and intricate bronzes.

Newly crowned 40th monarch of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, during his coronation in Benin City on October 20, 2016

The Oba does not wield any official powers in Nigeria, but has a great deal of influence.

Politicians, businessmen and traditional leaders from all across the country honoured the new king under the giant white tent with some 4,000 in attendance.

Northern sultans bundled in turbans walked alongside southern princes, shirtless and draped in loops of chunky coral necklaces, while the Yoruba king of Ife wore a leopard skin.

Wearing round John Lennon-style glasses and a string of pearls, Prince Burns Effiom was in the audience and explained the significance of the coronation.

"Politicians use traditional leaders to maintain peace," he told AFP.

The Oba title is passed down from father to first-born son. So the new king, whose birth name is Eheneden Erediauwa, takes over from his father, Solomon Akenzua, who died earlier this year.

'Like God'

Huddled behind a wall of people armed with their cell phones, Christian Iyekekpolor jostled to snap pictures of VIPs.

"From here I can see my king," said the young graduate of the University of Benin. "He's like God for us."

Beside him stood Rickson Ogwu, who made the trip from Delta State, once a part of the ancient kingdom.

The crowning of the 40th monarch of the ancient Benin kingdom marks the end of weeklong activities surrounding the coronation

Ogwu missed the coronation of the last Oba in 1979 because he was too young at age 12. He wasn't going to pass this opportunity up.

"We can only see this once in a lifetime," the trader said. "I'm proud to continue the tradition of my people."

More than six hours late on the programme, the guests were finally assembled underneath the air-conditioned tent lit with multicoloured chandeliers and the king arrived.

Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, sat alongside other traditional leaders, foreign ambassadors and European delegations.

'Long live the king'

Nigeria, which has 170 million inhabitants, is deeply divided between a Muslim north and a Christian south; between supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress party and the opposition People's Democratic Party.

Yet on Thursday, those divisions were put aside, with the four major traditional rulers -- the Oba of Benin, Emir of Kano, Sultan of Sokoto and Ooni of Ife -- standing above the political fray.

Okaiben family dances at the coronation ceremony for the 40th monarch of the ancient Benin kingdom

"Please welcome, honoured guests, the king of the century," said the master of ceremonies when Ewuare II appeared in an intricate armour of red coral and surrounded by dozens of chiefs and princes.

A graduate of the best British and American schools, and a former Nigerian ambassador to Sweden and Angola, the new king is determined to revive the former glory of his kingdom and kickstart the economy.

"With international aid and private sector partners, we will save our heritage," he said, promising in particular to invest in the bronze industry, the kingdom's pride.

"I hope to attract tourists, help develop the agricultural industry," he said.

"Long live the king!" exclaimed Eric Ojo, a 35-year-old entrepreneur.

"I am happy. He was sent by God, but it is a king who has feet on the ground."
The Attorney General (AG) has directed all striking members of the Association of State Attorneys to resume work from today, Friday, October 21, 2016 or lose their remuneration.

The AG directive is based on an order issued by the National Labour Commission (NLC) over the ongoing strike by the Attorneys.

The Association of State Attorneys declared a strike on Thursday over governments inability to resolve some outstanding issues relating to their salaries.

They also raised a number of other concerns including the failure to enforce an earlier ruling by the National Labour Commission.

But speaking to Citi News Umaru Sanda, the Public Relations Officer of the Attorney Generals Department , Owusu Ansah denied claims that the AG had failed to enforce the NLCs ruling, saying It is not true. There were five issues that were brought before the National Labour Commission that is 1.salaries and benefits. 2. Retentional Single Spine. 3. SSNIT numbers to be sent to controller and I will like to say categorically that all these issues have been looked at.

According to him, the State Attorneys were categorically instructed not to embark on a strike but they defied that directive.

The Ministry, the Fair and Wages,Labour Commission have met at the National Labour Commission and these issues were discussed and they were categorically told not to go on strike, that was the directive.

Reliefs being sought

The reliefs being sought by State Attorneys are:

Payments of correct harmonized salaries to state attorneys. Sustainable pension scheme Free official vehicles Research allowance Housing facilities or allowance Free healthcare Payment of outstanding leap, clothing and fuel Payment of outstanding promotion salary arrears Logistic support, machinery, equipment and tools And illegal revision of conditions of service for state attorneys

State Attorneys call off strike

State attorneys embarked on a strike about three months ago over the same issues.

It later called off the strike to enable them go through the arbitration process.

State attorneys ditching gov't for better paying jobs

The Director of Public Prosecution, Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa had earlier complained that experienced state lawyers had abandoned t he service for better paying jobs.

She noted that currently, Accra has only 36 prosecuting attorneys, adding that the situation is worse in the regional offices.

People will come, gain the experience and go to better paying jobs, that affects the numbers that we have and the volume of work. We have so much work to dosometimes you could have a docket sent to us which could be with a particular attorney for about three weeks or a month, not because that Attorney does not want to pay attention to the docket but that attorney has for instance 60 other dockets to work on, she added.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Cartigliano celebrates 30 years with Korean agent

Italy

Italian tannery machinery specialist, Cartigliano, celebrated its 30th collaboration anniversary with South Korean agent, Dae Chang Corporation, during an official dinner.

Hy Chung, President, Dae Chang Corporation, invited all the Cartigliano staff for a celebration dinner during a trip to Italy in October.

The event, held inside Cartiglianos R&D department at its headquarters in Italy, was attended by over 100 guests. On the occasion, Dr Toni Polato, President, Cartigliano, remembered the first difficulties encountered in South Korea back in 1986, and how Chungs loyalty and support helped the Italian manufacturer to add value to its products and better approach clients with its new technologies.
Circumstances compel us to adhere to ideas or take certain acts that become landmarks in our endeavors. The United Nations (UN), today a model International Organization which aims and activities have covered all the people of the world, has its origins in World War two. A World without the UN would have been probably a place where the most powerful will dictate unscrupulously the path others must follow without their concerns or in their interests.

With all its flaws, the UN system has played a pivotal role for humanity by feeding the hungry; educating children, preventing diseases and conflicts. The victims of wars/civil strife are supported by the UN in all forms, that is, to provide them with shelters, foods and promote their rights amongst others. UN Day- 24 October- has been celebrated since 1948. The Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.

In the course of its existence, however, many people have died due to wars/civil strife, famine and genocide. Dictatorial regimes are allowed by the international community to persecute their people and discriminate against them. Equally activities, such as arms races, terrorism and violent extremism and armed conflicts, causing immense human suffering have been kindled. Unfortunately the reaction of the international community to global problems capable of jeopardizing the future of humanity has been too feeble. These problems include amongst others inequality, environmental catastrophes and climate change.

When consensus is reached the reaction of the UN is effective as it was manifested in the Security Councils decisiveness in implementing the Gulf War cease-fire resolution in the early 1990s. However, frequent divisions on the council have limited the success of the UN in many areas. Divisions hampered the UNs ability to develop (2007) a fully workable peacekeeping mission in Sudan and Chad, where rebellion in Sudans Darfur region and bordering parts of Chad created large numbers of refugees beginning in 2003. The great powers have been supporting UN decisions and activities only when their interests are secured.

Recent developments around the world, characterized by the insurgence of violent terrorist groups and other natural calamities, testify to the fact that no nation is safe no matter the level of its advancement. This situation should have been a wakeup call for the whole world to cherish, promote and protect the interests of the majority because it is only then that our individual interests will be best secured. On the above and considering its life span, there is no doubt that the UN has come of age and must be reformed to reflect the current realities. Unfortunately most of the reforms initiated in 2005 met the resistance of the great powers notably the expansion of the number of permanent members of the Security Council.

It is very unfortunate to note that till now Africa, with 54 countries, does not have any permanent member on the Security Council where all major decisions are taken or are blocked by those who have the veto power. It is obvious that the UN has become an archetypal international body which existence is sine qua non condition for world peace and harmony. Therefore, it is imperative that we all uphold the UN by making it more dynamic and democratic to reflect the realities of the world. Sectarian interests must pave the way for the general interests of humanity as a whole.

AASU calls for Africa to have at least one permanent member on the Security Council.

Long live United Nations!

Awaah Fred

(Secretary General)

www.aasuonline.org ; [email protected]/[email protected] ; +233(0)243101626
Rome (AFP) - Up to 25 people were missing, feared drowned, Friday after men on a Libyan coastguard speedboat attacked a packed migrant dinghy during a rescue operation off the north African state.

German NGO Sea-Watch, which is taking part in the multinational search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean, said the tragedy happened after its boat Sea-Watch 2 and a passing oil tanker were sent to help the distressed dinghy in the early hours.

As the rescue operation proceeded just beyond Libyan territorial waters north of the port of Sabrata, a speedboat bearing the Libyan coastguard insignia arrived and tried to steal the dinghy's outboard engine, spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told AFP.

The men, who spoke Arabic, beat some of the migrants with sticks and some clambered onto the dinghy, causing panic which resulted in one side of the boat deflating and most of the passengers ending up in the sea.

After the assailants left, Sea-Watch said it had rescued 120 people and recovered four corpses from the water.

Other bodies were seen floating but could not be recovered and it was estimated that between 15 and 25 of the people who had been on the board were unaccounted for.

Sea-Watch said in a statement that its two speedboats had been "hassled in an aggressive way" during the attack, "preventing our crew from providing life vests and medical aid to the people in need."

"All of these deaths could have been avoided but for this intervention," Neugebauer added.

Over 3,500 deaths

A member of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms stands near a life boat carrying the bodies of 29 refugees and migrants, who died on a rubber boat north of Libya while crossing the Mediterranean Sea

The spokesman said the NGO had no way of knowing if the attackers had any contact with the Libyan coastguard or had simply hijacked one of their boats.

But he said the incident highlighted the dangers inherent in European plans to train and equip the Libyan coastguard to be able to restrict the flow of migrant boats from the conflict-torn country towards Italy.

"It is hard to know who is doing what in Libya," he said. "It shows once again it is not a good idea to build a whole European policy based on these guys. You never know whose hands the equipment will end up in."

The EU training initiative is due to begin at the end of this month following vetting of around 80 Libyan coastguard staff who are due to take part.

A Libyan coastguard spokesman told AFP Friday they had not not been unaware of the incident involving Sea-Watch, which will send shockwaves through the humanitarian groups helping to save lives alongside navy and coastguard ships from a number of European countries.

"If confirmed it is very alarming news," said Flavio Di Giacamo of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

According to the UN, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, the bulk of them on the Libya-Italy route.

A member of the Libyan coastguard mans a machinegun on a patrol boat off the coast of Misrata on May 9, 2015

Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday.

The Italian interior ministry said Friday that more than 146,500 migrants had landed in Italy so far this year.

The number of arrivals is similar to that of the previous two years but the pressure on the country's reception facilities is mounting as it has become harder for migrants to move on to other EU countries.
The Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has called on Ghanaians to be wary of the change being touted by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) describing it as a retrogressive change.

He urged Ghanaians to vote massively to retain President John Mahama to continue with its transformational agenda for the country.

Amissah-Arthur made the call when he addressed hundreds of National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters at a rally in Nyankumasi Ahenkro in the Assin South Constituency of the Central Region.

The programme formed part of the Vice President's four-day campaign tour of the Central Region to canvas for votes for the NDC to retain power in the December 7 elections.

He also stated the government had started work on the cocoa roads and the extension of electricity to some communities in the area.

He called on the electorate in the area to vote massively for Mrs Sabina Appiah-Kubi, the NDC's parliamentary candidate for Assin South.

He said Mrs Appiah-Kubi a former District Chief Executive for the area, brought a lot of developmental projects, including the provision of school infrastructure and extension of electricity to communities and roads.

Mrs Appiah-Kubi, for her part, urged the electorate to give her the nod as the MP for the Assin South Constituency to complement the efforts of President Mahama in the next NDC administration, to help bring more development to the area.

At Assin Manso, Mr Amissah-Athur also addressed similar rally and commissioned a market at Assin Ngreasi.

Earlier, Mr Amissah-Arthur commiserated with the Chiefs and elders of Nyankumasi Ahenkro over the death of Odeefuo Otibu Asare, the Paramount Chief of the Atensu Traditional area.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur, who was accompanied by Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, the Central Regional Minister, Mr Bernard Allotey Jacobs, the Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, as well as other stalwarts of the party, also informed the Chiefs and elders of the Party's development plans for the area.

Nana Kwentwi Berima, the Acting President of the Atensu Traditional Council and his elders, who received the delegation appealed to the GETfund to provide support for the schools in the area especially Nyankumasi Ahenkro Senior High School.

Vice President Amissah-Athur assured the chiefs and elders that the Government would join hands with them to give Odeefuo Asare a befitting burial.

The delegation donated an undisclosed sum of money and assorted drinks to chiefs and elders of the town.


The electorate stands the most to lose from the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) decision not to avail its flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, to debate President John Mahama, Deputy Communication Minister, Felix Kwakye-Ofosu has said.

Speaking to Citi News, he said the ongoing impasse over a potential one-on-one debate between the two leading contenders in the 2016 presidential race is a matter of regret for the electorate. It is the electorate that is poorer for it.

In rebuttals to President John Mahama's recent challenges to debate Nana Akufo-Addo on issues of the economy, the NPP has asked for a response to the 170 questions laid out by the NPP running mate, Dr, Mahamadu Bawumia during his lecture on the state of the Ghanaian economy in September.

The NPP is also requesting a formal approach from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) if any possible headway would be made on the issue.

Nana Addo running away

But Mr. Kwakye-Ofosu suggested that Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP are simply running from a debate with President Mahama.

It is obvious that the flagbearer of the NPP and his party are showing a clean pair of heels in the matter of a debate between President Mahama and himself.

It is obvious that the NPP realizes their flagbearer's limitations with regards to having the sort of grasp of national issues that will position him to convincingly engage in a debate with his opponents in order to allow for the electorate to make informed choices.

The NDC has held that the NPP's criticism of the economy is not anchored on facts thus they have been misinforming the electorate.

The Deputy Minister explained that, we in the NDC campaign were under the impression that a debate platform where he goes toe-to-toe with President Mahama will be the most appropriate platform for him to raise the claims that he has been making about this country and receive the appropriate responses.

But lo and behold, he and his party do not appear to have the confidence to engage President Mahama, Mr. Kwakye-Ofosu added



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
In the developed nations, there are private family enterprises that were set up in small garages, centuries ago, but have become household names today, and thriving. Examples are the Toyotas, Kawasakis and Nissans of Japan; Tata and Mahindras of India; and Samsungs and Daewoos of South Korea. These enterprises were supported and encouraged by their governments, and the once humble enterprises have become global conglomerates employing millions of people, globally, and making huge volumes of financial contributions, by way of taxes, to their respective countries.

At the time of Independence of both Ghana and South Korea, Ghana was far ahead of South Korea in all aspects of socio-economic indices. But six decades later, Ghana is still a third world country whose economic status must be given credibility by the IMF before we can be taken serious on the international stage. On the other hand, South Korea is counted among the worlds most prosperous.

This level of under-development of Ghanas economy can be partly attributed to the senseless victimization of businesses by some individuals who crashed-landed on our political scene, not because they had something positive to contribute to our advancements, but were rather motivated by the sheer pangs of hunger in their bellies.

Such people were under the illusion that society owed them a living and therefore were so angry at anything that was successful. We have had situations where the mere number of bottles of beers in ones refrigerator was tantamount to how corrupt he was. More absurdly, at a point in our nations history, hardworking/successful people were accused of corruption, put before kangaroo courts and thrown into jail for the crimes of having pot bellies.

In all that, our country survived and we never slipped down the sloppy road of civil strife which had been the lot of many countries around us in the West Africa sub-region. It is for this reason that we have often taken things for granted and always fallen into the trance of self-delusion that we can go on with irresponsible behaviour because Ghana is the only country God loves, and for that reason, reckless pronouncements will never land us in trouble one day.

Indeed, Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings led a campaign of state vendetta against Ghanaian businesses, when in January 1994 he mounted public platforms and invited Ghanaians not to patronize goods manufactured by four leading entrepreneurs.

The victims were Akenten Appiah Menka, who was manufacturing a popular local soap, Apino Soap; the late Appenteng, owner of Panbros Salt Industry in Accra, who also owned an intravenous factory in Koforidua; Kwame Safo Adu, proprietor of a pharmaceutical company; and Kwabena Darko, owner of Darko Farms.

All the four personalities were identified as opposed to the dictatorial tendencies of the PNDC, which begat the NDC. Following this directive, the heavy hand of state machinery was deployed in a witch-hunt against these personalities and their products. One needs no ghost to explain why most of these business concerns have collapsed.

President Mahama is leading a political entity which was given birth to by the PNDC. It had therefore been the prayer of all right-thinking Ghanaians that Mr Mahama and his followers would not only complain about lack of local produce on the market, but that they would be instrument for change. But here we are again with his Chief of Staff resurrecting the state-led campaign against business in the country by urging Ghanaians not to patronize Kalyppo.

This whole Kalyppo storm began when an attempt by the NDC to make fun of Nana Akufo-Addo, NPP presidential candidate, by posting a photograph of him sipping from a small carton of Kalypoo fruit, backfired, with his supporters adopting the brand to rally political support.

Now, without offering any scientific proof, President Mahamas Chief of Staff found it prudent to use a political campaign platform to launch a crusade against the product, claiming that it is not good for the health of the adult population. The only crime of the company that produces Kalyppo is that it is being promoted by an opposition party.

Now, after presiding over four years of uninterrupted power crisis which has resulted in collapse of many businesses and rendering hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians jobless, one would have expected the Chief of Staff to be rather outlining measures put in place to create the environment conducive for the revival of the businesses that have been collapsed through the incompetence and anti-business policies of his government.

His campaign against Kalyppo, a real act of total recklessness, might seem a normal platform talk, but with the antecedents of his political tradition, this brings back echoes of terror on private enterprise; and as a people, we must rise, call him to order and reject NDCs shameful vendetta against prosperity and progress.
The Hague (AFP) - Once a champion of the International Criminal Court (ICC), South Africa dealt a blow to the world tribunal Friday by announcing its intention to withdraw, a move that came on the heels of a similar move by Burundi.

Here are five key questions following Pretoria's announcement:

Is this the end of the ICC?

Not according to Harvard law professor Alex Whiting. "International criminal justice has always had its ups and downs and setbacks in the past. This is another setback, but the court is not going to disappear," he told AFP.

The ICC's founding Rome Statute "is a treaty and parties are free to leave it as they want," said Aaron Matta, senior researcher at the Hague Institute for Global Justice think-tank.

The ICC

"South Africa's decision to leave sends the wrong message. But in the end, the ICC is there for the victims, not the ones in power who decide to enter or leave a treaty," Matta said.

Will there be mass withdrawal now?

Probably not. Burundi's decision to leave the ICC amid a row with the UN's main human rights body "may have opened a gate or a doorway for other countries... and it may be possible for other countries like Kenya and Uganda to follow as well," said Whiting, but it did not mean many other African countries will necessarily do so.

For instance, Gabon last month referred a case to the ICC after deadly unrest was triggered in the central African nation over disputed elections, the analysts pointed out.

"There may be more pressure on other African countries to leave, but the ICC is not only African," said Matta. Of the 124 countries to have ratified the Rome Statute since 1999, 34 are African.

Will current probes in Africa continue?

Yes. Pretoria's decision to withdraw does not in affect any of the ICC's investigations in any other countries in Africa. Neither does it free South Africa from any obligations, including financial, that it may have incurred while being an ICC member state.

Building of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands

Even if countries subject to preliminary assessments such as Burundi do pull out, the Rome Statute specifically states that a withdrawal "shall not affect any cooperation with the Court in connection with criminal investigations and proceedings... which commenced prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective."

Is Africa being unfairly singled out?

"The prosecution has to follow evidence, and they go where the evidence leads them," said Matta.

"They are in Africa because the victims are there. They are in Africa because that's where serious crimes have occurred and most of these situations in Africa have been referred to the ICC by the countries themselves," Matta said.

Cases involving actual investigations of alleged crimes in the Central African Republic, Uganda, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo were all referred to the ICC by the governments of those states. Cases in Libya and the Sudanese region of Darfur were referred by the UN Security Council. Only in Kenya and Ivory Coast did the ICC's prosecutor initiate such investigations, and even in these countries, the governments cooperated to some extent with the court.

What about cases outside of Africa?

The court has not focussed exclusively on Africa. ICC judges in January gave the prosecutor permission to launch a full-blown probe into alleged war crimes committed in Georgia during its 2008 war with Russia over the Moscow-backed breakaway South Ossetia region.

The prosecutor also continues to conduct preliminary examinations -- where issues of jurisdiction and admissability are evaluated -- in countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq and in Palestine.

The ICC only acts as a court of last resort when states are unable or unwilling to do so. It can only operate where it has jurisdiction, either because the country is an ICC member state, or through a referral by the UN Security Council.
Speakers will include representatives of partners such as International Organization of La Francophonie, African Union of Broadcasting, Moroccos High Authority for Audiovisual Communication, UN Women, and Host Broadcast Services.

Through this event, the Organization seeks to strengthen media pluralism and the adoption of gender-sensitive policies in African broadcasting organizations.

Despite the strong involvement of women in the socio-economic and political changes in Africa, their status in the media remains a matter of concern  low visibility, little or no presence at decision-making levels, stereotypical representations, etc.

Participants will be asked to develop action plans for their organization through the lens of different indicators  working conditions, editorial policies, media content, etc.

Supporting and raising awareness among media structures is of particular importance to ensure audience and content diversity, balanced gender portrayals, as well as equal employment opportunities.

This training is one of many initiatives led by UNESCO in favour of gender equality, such as initiating the Global Alliance on Gender and Media , which builds part of its work on the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media.

This event also fits in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 16.10 (Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms).

For more information on the programme and participants, please visit (in French only): https://fr.unesco.org/formation-application-indicateurs-egalite-genres-medias .
Fellow Ghanaians, we told you so! One of the issues we, Dotse and Tsikata, raised in our investigative report was the lack of trust among our state institutions. The manifestation of this phenomenon exhibit itself in the ways some of our state institutions relate to one another. The National Accreditation Board of Ghana (NAB), by its legal instrument, designate some institutions as unaccredited and unworthy to issue higher degrees such as PhDs, but the Daily Graphic, another institution of state, finds it worthy to celebrate these individuals and their questionable awards. When even the editors and the managers of the newspaper are drawn to the situation, instead of apologizing to the public, they continue the act with impunity.

The Daily Graphic is not alone. At least in the last few weeks, Joy News, Star FM, and other stations have continued to reference the man, Mr. Hassan Ayariga, as a Dr. What these institutions and their managers fail to realize is the fact that the negative impacts these acts have on our reward and honor systems can be far-reaching.

In our appraisals of materials on Ghanaians who flaunt questionable doctoral degrees, we came upon the Great Achievers Institute of Theology and Seminary, located in Spain (The link available here: http://achieversuniversitycollege.tripod.com/). From available artifacts, (Dr. Dr.) Hassan Ayariga received a doctorate degree (honoris causa) from this University. He also received a PhD from the Atlantic International University in Hawaii (Information available here: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Hassan-now-Dr-Dr-Ayariga-399920). He insisted in radio and TV interviews to be addressed a doctor. Since honorary doctorate holders are not normally entitled to be referenced as such in public communication, we turned our attention to his so-called earned PhD from the Atlantic International University. Our view was that it must be the institution that gave him the gravitas to insist on being addressed a doctor. However, this is where the problem is. The NAB declares the Atlantic International University unaccredited to confer doctoral degrees in Ghana. Rightly so, the Atlantic International University is a diploma mill.

Now, for (Dr. Dr.) Hassan Ayariga to turn around to say that his PhD in Political Science was conferred on him by the Great Achievers Institute of Theology and Seminary, we can only think of the inconsistency of his own information, first, before delving into issues of accreditation, course content, and the recognition he so badly needs to project himself politically. While it is a step in the right direction that the Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) has referred this case to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, the EC MUST REINSTATE grassroots group that is canvassing for the reinstatement of disqualified presidential candidates for the 2016 elections, should not confuse (Dr. Dr.) Hassan Ayarigas case with the others who might have committed genuine errors in their application forms, a situation that can easily be rectified by the courts. The EC MUST REINSTATE should steer clear of the Hassan Ayariga case and allow the investigative wing of the Ghana Police Service to do its job.

The only lingering doubts in our minds about the CID expediting action on this case are in multiple folds. First, does the investigative arm of the Ghana Police Service have the capacity to investigate this issue effectively? This naturally leads to the second question. Even if they do, would the same proceedings apply to its head, the IGP (Dr.) John Kudalor? (Please follow the link to the IGPs case: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Accreditation-board-surprised-by-IGP-s-acceptance-of-fake-degree-461316).

We are once again calling on the Minister of Education, Professor Agnes Naana Opoku Agyemang, to not sit back and watch the education system get infiltrated with these fake degree holders, especially those who are using the fake degrees to teach and get tenure and promotions as professors in our universities. The price for not acting is too dear for a developing country such as Ghana.

With regard to the person (Dr. Dr.) Hassan Ayariga, it is becoming clear that the man must be living in his own reality, a reality constructed on a delusion of grandeura psychological state in which the victim entertains false beliefs that he or she possesses superior qualities such as genius, fame, omnipotence and wealth. However, this has only been possible because he has been aided by media outlets that either lack the capacity to research these issues before publication or carry out publications that seek to celebrate what is questionable for economic gains.

As we await the determination of the CID, we will also urge the CID to contact the NAB or contact us if they need help in unravelling some of the hidden aspects of the issues of accreditation and the flaunting of questionable degrees. We believe that the nature of the case, especially being election-related requiring expeditious investigation and determination, will set the stage for the police to begin to look into these issues of fraud. Our investigative report has details about the various issues in it (http://www.modernghana.com/news/711753/the-accreditation-challenges-in-transnational-educational-ec.html).

Prosper Yao Tsikata, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Communication

A. Kobla Dotse, Ph.D.

Director, Chemical Research & Development
President John Dramani Mahama began the week with an intensified campaign when he was warmly welcomed by Voltarians as part of a 6-day tour of the region.

While the president campaigned, some victims of DKM microfinance scam had their hopes high up waiting for the repayment of their investment. They had the shock of their lives when they were paid paltry sums. They have threatened to go back to court to retrieve all their monies from the official liquidator.

Related: This is an insult! We will go back to court; outraged DKM customers vow

Tuesday came with allegations from former President Jerry John Rawlings that persons within the governing party which he founded are behind a petition to investigate him over some $2 million he received from Sani Abacha many years ago.

On t he other side of the political divide, the Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) charged party supporters to prevent anyone from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who tries to steal ballot boxes in the upcoming polls. He was vilified by sections of the public.

Bugri Naabu pictured above

The Chief of Staff trended on Wednesday for urging adults to stay away from fruit juice Kalyppo due to its high sugar content.

Chief of Staff Julius Debrah in green polo shirt

Back to the Volta Region, President John Dramani Mahama announced a surprise compensation package to persons affected by the 2012 riots between indigenes of Gbi Traditional Council and the Zongo community in Hohoe municipality.

With Mahama making inroads in Volta, his world bank, the NPP leader Nana Akufo-Addo was doing same in the world bank of the NPP- Ashanti Region. Nana Akufo Addo began his campaign in the Ashanti region , with some 58 chiefs in the region initially declaring their support for him.

On Thursday, President John Dramani Mahama reiterated his challenge for a debate with the NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo Addo.

Related: ' I am still waiting for Akufo-Addo to respond to debate challenge' - Mahama

But Mustapha Hamid, Spokesperson of the NPP's Presidential Candidate said Akufo- Addo would not debate a President who flip-flops issues in the country.

On the same day, the police invited the Northern regional Chairman of the NPP, Bugri Naabu for his threatening comments against opponents.

Related : Haul in Bugri Naabu, NDC supporters pressurise police

Then on Friday, the 12 presidential aspirants who were disqualified by the Electoral Commission were issued arrest warrant to appear before the police Criminal Investigative Department by close of day, Friday, 21st October 2016 or risk being arrested by the police.

And Vice-Presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia demanded that government responds to his 170 economic claims contained in a lecture where he called the Mahama administration as incompetent.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | Akosua Asiedua Akuffo | [email protected]
By Christabel Addo - GNA

Accra, Oct. 21, GNA - The maiden workshop on academic freedom for leaders of University Teachers Associations in West Africa on Thursday opened in Accra.

The two-day workshop seeks to engage leaders of University Teachers Associations within the Sub-region in discussions on effective ways to address the challenges relating to issues of academic freedom within their respective institutions.

The findings of a comparative study on Africa and Europe undertaken by Dr Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana and other Researchers, on the perceived academic freedom challenges faced by leaders of University Teachers Associations would also be disseminated among participants for further discussions.

Professor Samuel Offei, the Pro-Vice Chancellor in Charge of Academic and Student Affairs of the University of Ghana, commended the University of Ghana's School of Law and the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR Network), for their collaborative efforts in attracting a wider participation from countries, including Ghana, Benin, Niger, The Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso.

He acknowledged that the workshop was an important watershed for the Sub-region to put thoughts together to protect the freedom of academia from external interference.

He said although globally, various laws existed to safeguard academic freedom and other human rights of academia, these facilities had often led to confrontations with governments and other political heads in various countries, particularly those in political crises.

This, he said, was because the leadership of the Teachers Associations have been protesting against attempts by external forces such as governments and the industrial sector to influence or impose their choices of academic and research programmes, and dictate the tenure of employment of lectures, as well as interfere in the admission of students.

Prof Offei said Ghana has had its fair share of these challenges from history when civilian governments and Military Heads exerted their suppressive powers on the universities, leading to the termination of the appointments of some lecturers who were perceived to be too 'loud' and opposed to their views.

He said some countries in Africa have also recorded forms of intimidation, imprisonment of lecturers and leaders of University Teachers Associations have been recorded, especially those in political crises and war.

He said academic freedom cuts across and also affects students whose rights are often violated by some lecturers who would not entertain any opposing views from students.

He urged participants to come up with workable solutions to address the challenges in order to ensure academic quality and freedom.

Dr Appiagyei-Atua said there was the need to probe further to see if the existing laws on academic freedom were being fully implemented by countries across the world to guarantee the quality of higher education.

He said a communiquA would be issued at the end of the workshop to suggest strategies and ways to addressing the challenges of academic freedom.

He said: 'We will also set up an international desk would in Ghana to coordinate the activities of the various teacher Associations to form a unified to address the challenge,' and expressed the hope that the workshop would lead to strengthened networking among participants.

Mr Jesse Levine, a Senior Advocacy Officer with the Scholars At Risk Network, said the Organisation had over the years pursued programmes to safeguard the rights of individual lecturers who face various threats and arrests across the globe and also work to improve higher education, as well as spearhead advocacy on the need for governments to respect existing laws on academic freedom for universities.

He said building awareness among academia, State, society and students was crucial as most victims often failed to notice it when their rights were violated and called on stakeholders to support the efforts being made by SAR in addressing the challenges of academic freedom of universities across the globe.

GNA
2. James Thomson from the UKIPO brings us his frontline updates:

International Trade Mark Applications can now be sent to the UKIPO using the email address:

Internationaltrademarks@ipo.gov.uk

(this is an interim measure, and an e-filing system will be introduced soon).
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Accra , Oct. 21, GNA - Unilever has been certified as the Top Employer in Africa for the third time in a row, indicating leadership commitment to creating an environment where employees feel valued in contributing to company's overall achievements.

Unilever's Top Employer status in Africa was solidified when the company was certified in Zimbabwe for the first time and achieved the number one status in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.

The organisation also added the number one Fast Moving Consumer Goods in South Africa and in Manufacturing in South Africa certifications to their haul.

'At Unilever we work hard to combine our global experience with our deep Africa roots to develop local talent so we are delighted to see our efforts recognised by the internationally renowned Top Employers as a truly independent and verifiable measure of industry best practice in HR,' says Mechell Chetty, Unilever Africa Vice President: Human Resources.

The annual international research and audit undertaken by the Top Employers Institute recognises leading employers around the world that provide excellent employee conditions, nurture and develop talent throughout all levels of the organisation, and which strive to continuously optimise employment practices.

'Unilever was honoured by the Top Employer research for exceptional employee offerings and as an organization, which puts its people first and is dedicated to their personal and professional development.

'I would encourage more companies to participate and raise the bar on employment practices across the continent,' said Chetty.

According to Chetty, Unilever's secret to success is the fact that the company consistently aims to empower its employees to be able to make a direct impact on the business.

She said the award provided external verification to those looking to join Unilever 'that we put our people at the heart of our business and their development and contribution will be second to none on the continent of Africa'.

'I believe that this achievement reinforces that we are on the right track. We are extremely proud that this independent research has once again verified our outstanding employee conditions and earned Unilever Africa a coveted spot among a choice group of certified Top Employers,' said Chetty.

Samantha Crous, Regional Director Africa for the Top Employers Institute said: 'Our extensive research concluded that Unilever Africa forms part of a select group of employers that advance employee conditions worldwide.'

Potential Top Employers undergo a rigorous certification process as they are evaluated across nine key areas: Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning, On-boarding, Learning & Development, Performance Management, Leadership Development, Career & Succession Management, Compensation & Benefits, and Culture.

Commenting on Unilever Ghana's achievement of the Top Employer twice in a row, the HR Director of Unilever West Africa Michael Otchere Duah said: 'This is a true reflection of our commitment in ensuring our HR practices are second to none, challenging ourselves each day to ensure our policies and structures provide employees leading edge HR services and an environment to blossom in their careers.'

Unilever Ghana is well known for its development and investment in graduates and professionals.

'Unilever is truly a great place to work. It encourages inclusivity and is really a global powerhouse where talents are developed. We are happy for this recognition and it is proof of the great work we have done over the years on our HR agenda," Mr Duah said.

GNA
Sunyani, Oct. 21, GNA - Reverend Kwadwo Antwi Boateng, Second Minister of the Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Sunyani has said that politics is not evil and urged Christians to actively involve themselves in it.

He said by doing so, Christians would be helping to bring Christ-like attitude to bear on the people and contribute their valuable quota for effective nation-building.

Rev Antwi Boateng gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani on Friday.

He said the notion that politics is a dirty game is wrong and scares potential politicians and Christians away from politics, which affects the nation's development.

He said Christians should not feel reluctant to take up political positions and help in the socio-economic development of the country.

'As Christians, we should be bold to take up political careers and bring our Christ-like attitudes, behaviours and principles to bear positively on all spheres of our national lives,' he said.

Rev Antwi Boateng described politics as only a means of ensuring good governance and total societal transformation, but not an evil endeavour.

He appealed to Ghanaians, particularly Christians, to pray fervently for a peaceful election on December 7, 2016.

'As we pray and hope for a peaceful and successful polls, let's as go about the electioneering campaign with utmost circumspection, by guarding our utterances and desist from politics of insults.

'We cannot pray for peace, and behave otherwise because heaven helps those who help themselves,' Rev Antwi Boateng said. GNA
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Apam, (C/R), Oct. 21, GNA - More than 20 teenage pregnancy cases are recorded every year among school girls who write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.

Ms Alberta Bruce, District Education Officer made this known when she addressed school children as part of the activities marking International Girl-Child Day at Apam .

The day was marked in collaboration with Gomoa West Girls Education Unit and CAMFED Association (CAMA) of Gomoa West District.

Ms Bruce said the situation was worrying since most of the brilliant girls education had been truncated as a result of teenage pregnancy phenomenon.

The school children and CAMA members and officials of Girls Education Unit marched through principal streets of Apam.

Some of the placards carried by the school girls read: 'Give me your pen not your penis,' 'Stop teenage pregnancy,' ' Say no to early marriage,' 'Help the Girl-Child education,' Pay my school fees and not my bride.'

The CAMA Girls donated six pints of blood to the Apam Catholic Mission Hospital as part of the activities making the celebration of the day.

Ms Bruce warned school girls to desist from pre-marital sex to avoid early teenage pregnancy.

She said research conducted by the Girls Education Unit revealed most of the Girls who got pregnant during the BECE did get any good marriage.

She said the survey also indicated that majority of these unfortunate girls who were impregnated could not continue their education to Secondary and University Levels.

She stated that it came out that most of the parents failed to provide their children basic items and money for school and had sent them into this calamity.

According to her, the Unit in collaboration with Camfed had organised a series of sensitisation programmes in the various communities in the District to educate both parents and girls about dangers of early marriage.

Ms Bruce stated that girls who faced child marriage often become academically disadvantaged because they have to stay home to take care of their children.

She said as a result the girl- child either delayed or cut short her education due to early pregnancy and motherhood.

M Bruce expressed regret that effects of child marriage were adverse, because it does not affect the girl-child and the families involved alone but the community and the nation as a whole.

She said girls involved child marriage tended to have no career or vocational skills and hence a lower income.

She said this placed the younger spouse in a precautions position of dependency on the older spouse and perpetuated a vicious cycle of poverty.

Ms Sandra Brew, Gomoa West CAMFED Association Co-ordinator urged the school girls to abstain from boyfriend relationship to enable them study hard to assist them benefit from the scholarship sponsorship package of the Association.

She cautioned them to stop watching Television TV and film show to the detriment of their education to assist them become responsible adults in future .

GNA
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Agona Kwanyako, (C/R), Oct 21, GNA - The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebo Barton Oduro, has admonished the youth to distance themselves from election violence to ensure peace and stability.

He said the youth must resist all attempts to mar the December 7 general election.

Mr Barton Oduro, gave the advise when he addressed a durbar of the chiefs and people of Agona Kwanyako, in the Central Region, to climax their Annual Akwambo festival.

The week-long celebration was on the theme: 'Youth in Development.'

He said as future leaders the youth must serve as vessels for national development.

He said under no circumstance should the youth surround themselves to politicians to use them as tools to destroy lives and property before, during and after the elections.

The Deputy Speaker cautioned politicians not to push the youth to cause mayhem under the influence of monetary, alcoholic and drugs.

Mr Barton Oduro asked politicians to learn lessons from election wars, which had led to the killing of people including children in neighboring countries.

He said elections were not meant for wars but for decision making process which helped the people to choose a president and representatives to parliament.

Mr James Owusu Barnes, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for Agona East called on the people, especially the youth to vote massively for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and himf to bring more jobs, roads, free education, resuscitation of National Health Insurance Scheme, and other social interventions that had collapsed as a result of bad governance under the ruling National Democratic Congress.

He said the essence of calling for change was to enable NPP to fulfill its promise of one- factory- one district, one million dollars for 275 constituencies and one village one dam for the people of the Northern Region to improve farming activities.

Mr Francis Duodu Addo, Agona East District Chief Executive said the theme for the festival was the true reflection of government's policy to transform lives and Changing Ghana.

He said the District has had its fair share of the national cake and called on the people to vote for President Mahama to continue the good works.

Nana Ampim Darko V, Kwanyakohene called on the central government and the District Assembly to provide the needed structures at the town's health centre to ensure quality health care.

GNA
By Francis Ameyibor, GNA

Accra, Oct. 21, GNA - A government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would ensure that the right to health of Ghanaians is guaranteed through an established health sector with sustainable ability to deliver affordable, equitable and easily accessible healthcare.

'To realise this vision, NPP government under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will expand health promotion programmes, scale up disease prevention strategies and improve access to curative and emergency services.'

This was captured in the Party's Election 2016 manifesto document which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The publication is part of the GNA's project: 'GNA Tracks Election 2016,' is being funded by Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) the nation's foremost indigenous oil marketing company and CIMG 2015 Petroleum Company of the year.

The project seeks to sensitise the electorate on the various issues raised by the political parties, elections management body and other governance institutions.

It also seeks to ensure that 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.

'NPP government will embark on vigorous human resource and health infrastructure development and strengthening of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).'

The Party's health policy is premised on global health concerns, national health emergencies and national health concerns.

On the global health concerns an NPP government would focus on epidemic preparedness, the threat of epidemics - Ebola, Meningitis, Zika virus, Yellow Fever, antimicrobial resistance, and non-communicable diseases.

On the national health emergencies an NPP government would aim at dealing with health financing gap, strengthen emergency service providers to deal with acute injuries and disasters.

'An NPP government will deal with poor sanitation - pervasive filth and resulting diseases, public education to discourage teenage pregnancy and early marriage, and embark on road safety campaign to reduce high road traffic accidents.'

The next NPP government would revive the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to make it efficient, with capacity to finance health services on a timely basis in a bid to achieve universal health coverage for Ghanaians.

The NPP would review and restructure the sources of funding, as well as the institutional arrangements for the management of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

It would also increase budgetary allocations to the NHIS, direct and strictly cede all funds raised through the NHIA levy into the NHIF, and concentrate on activities that focus on quality patient treatment, medication, and care.

An NPP government would utilise the best in technology and health insurance management protocols to tackle waste, corruption, and insurance claim fraud under the NHIS.

This would include completely phasing out the manual processing of claims (claims management), which currently stands at about 90 per cent, tightly linking services and drugs to hospital attendance, and treatment to diagnosis.

An NPP government would adopt a modernised strategy towards drugs procurement, including the establishment of a preferred pharmacy network, incentivising appropriate prescriptions, and gradually shifting away from the Central Medical Stores arrangement, and emphasis on preventive healthcare.

GNA
By Elizabeth Kankam-Boadu, GNA

Kumasi, Oct 21, GNA - The Jackson's College of Education(JCE), spearheading private distant learning of diploma in basic education, has discounted claims by some past students that the management of the College is deliberately refusing to facilitate their postings after a successful completion of the three-year professional course.

A press statement signed by Michael Ampong, Communications Leader of the College a copy of which was made available to the Ghana News Agency, insisted that the College, counter to the allegations, had taken conscientious steps to ensure that its graduates have been employed in various public and private educational institutions in the country.

The statement reacting to a press release purportedly to have been issued by a group of disgruntled past students and making the rounds on some media platforms said in 2014, 1,700 of the JCE graduates who were formerly untrained teachers already working in the Ghana Education Service (GES), had their engagements firmed up.

'Since the JEC operates a distance learning module, a good number of our students - untrained teachers, are already working in the rural areas and are pursuing the course to regularize their engagements in the education service, whiles also upgrading themselves for promotion', the statement added.

This followed efforts initiated by Mrs Theodocia Jackson Principal of the College, who met with the then Acting Director -general of Education, Mr. Charles Aheto-Tsegah and impressed on him the need to place the graduates where vacancies existed in the educational sector, the statement said.

GNA
By Jerry Azanduna, GNA

Binduri (U/E), Oct. 21 GNA - Mr Daniel Baya Laar, the Binduri District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has cautioned electorates against vote selling because it was a criminal offence.

He said vote selling impeded the dispensation of quality democracy and suggested the sale of birth rights of the citizenry.

Mr Laar said the act allowed the citizenry to give their mandate to wrong people to govern the country and if that happened, the mandated government may feel unaccountable to the citizenry.

The Director made the call during a day's Inter-Party Dialogue durbar organized and funded by the European Union (EU) to educate the electorates on their civic responsibilities in the coming elections.

Mr Laar said democracy was about ideas and that it was necessary for the electorate to consider all ideas before exercising their franchise.

He said vote selling retarded development because the offending electorates would be unable to hold duty bearers accountable as expected.

Mr Joseph Kweku Yeboah, Deputy Upper East Regional Director of the NCCE, said voting allowed the citizenry to participate in selecting a competent leader to manage the affairs of the country.

He said when that is done, it would protect the dignity of voters and ensure that accountability and transparency prevailed.

He called on politicians to respect the rights of electorates and stop enticing them with money.

Assistant Superintendent at Police Joseph Ankrah of the Bawku Municipal Police Command said maintaining the peace is shared responsibility.

GNA
By Jerry Azanduna, GNA

Pusiga (U/E), Oct. 21, GNA - Hajia Ayishetu Laadi Ayamba, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the Pusiga Constituency, has called on the electorate to renew her mandate to represent them in parliament to ensure more development for the area.

She said women constituted about 51 percent of the Ghanaian population and when empowered effectively they would contribute to achieving our national goals.

Hajia Ayamba said women are the backbone for the development of every society and it would be prudent if the people renewed her mandate to continue her development efforts in the constituency.

The MP made the call over the weekend during the launch of her campaign at Wedana in the Pusiga District of the Upper East Region.

She expressed optimism that empowering women through skill trainings and financial support among others would put them in good shape to enable them support their households.

Hajia Ayamga said strengthening the capacity of women in the constituency would undoubtedly change the lives of many families in the area.

She urged the women groups to actively participate in community meetings in order to keep them abreast with her development plans for the constituency.

The rally was attended by Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC); Mr Albert Abongo, Upper East Region Minister; Mr Mahama Ayariga, Minister for Environment; and the Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Bawku area.

Mr Asiedu Nketia called on the people to renew her mandate and that of President John Dramani Mahama to bring more development initiatives to the area.

He warned the people to be wary of false promises from some political leaders and make good decisions that would favour them and their unborn generations.

GNA
21.10.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Oct. 21, GNA - The Ministry of Finance has held a day's stakeholders workshop to discuss how the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) framework, which aims to promote access to financial services for the underprivileged in society, can be enhanced.

The NFIS has become necessary because of the low financial penetration and access to financial services by the citizens.

Currently, only 58 per cent of adults in the country have access to financial services.

Opening the workshop, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mrs Helen Mona Quartey said financial inclusion was a key driver for economic growth.

She said financial inclusion provided the opportunity to save for the future, to invest and generate income and to insure against adverse events.

'Globally, it is recognised that it is difficult to pursue economic growth if a large sector of our society is financially excluded from active participation in the economy,' she said.

She, therefore, called for coordinated and concerted efforts among stakeholders to bring affordable and sustainable financial services to the underserved and low income earners in the rural areas.

The Deputy Minister said smart financial inclusion policy could reduce inequality, contribute to overall sustainable economic development and stability and reduce poverty and promoting inclusive growth.

That, she said, was the reason why the government initiated the move to develop a NFIS to establish a long-term programme to ensure that financial services were widely accessed throughout the country.

'Specifically, through the comprehensive national strategy, we will be able to improve access to and usage of tailored financial services especially by the under- served and the poor,' Mrs Quartey said.

She encouraged the participants to make available comprehensive and reliable data to ensure the setting of realistic national targets in the NFIS and to provide credible basis for developing key monitoring indicators and establishing reasonable benchmarks for monitoring progress.

Mr Henry Kerali, the World Bank Country Director, pledged the World Bank's commitment to help support these efforts and those in the broader financial sector.

He said while Ghana had made steady progress since 2010 to improve the proportion of citizens with access to formal financial services from 41 per cent to 58 per cent many still lack access.

'While the increase in financial inclusion is positive development, the fact that 42 per cent of Ghanaian-mainly women and rural communities-still lack access to formal financial services highlights the importance of developing a national financial inclusion strategy to help guide and bolster efforts to promote broader access to financial services,' he said.

Mr Kerali said the NFIS would not only provide a road-map of prioritised and concrete reforms that would lead to tangible development outcomes, but would also promote development partner coordination around a unified agenda.

The Director of Financial Sector Division of the Ministry of Finance, Mrs Magdalene Apenteng in a presentation on the NFIS framework status and way forward said the objective of the NFIS was to promote financial inclusion in the country.

She said the objective of government was to increase access to and use of financial services offered by formal financial institutions from the current level of 58 per cent to 75 per cent by the end of the strategy period of 2021.

Mrs Apenteng said the technical committee would work with all to achieve higher financial inclusion levels through partnerships and active participation of all, including Government agencies, the private sector, and civil society among others.

GNA
By Samuel Akapule, GNA

Bolgatanga, Oct. 21, GNA - Stakeholders at separate meetings in six districts and municipal assemblies in the Upper East Region have called on the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), to create separate accounts for malaria control programmes.

The stakeholders meeting in Bolgatanga, Bongo, Kassena-Nankana West and Kassena-Nankana Municipal, Talensi and the Nabdam Districts in the Upper East Region, said that the region was one of the leading regions in the country in terms of malaria infections.

The stakeholders drawn from decentralized departments of the assemblies, district health directorates, traditional and religious rulers, the security agencies and the media made the proposal when the Institute for Social Research and Development (ISRAD) - Ghana organized meetings on the 'Advocacy for Resources for Malaria Stoppage Initiative (ARMS)' Project.

The one year project is being implemented by ISRAD with funding from the UKAID in the aforementioned areas to brainstorm in mobilizing local resources to help in the fight against the malaria disease.

Advancing their argument on why there should be a separate account for malarial control, the stakeholders said as it stood now, the 0.5 per cent of the DACF were lumped with other accounts of the Assembly anytime the funds were released by the Secretariat making it difficult for most of the Assemblies to release the funds to the Ghana Health Service to help fight malaria.

Mr Abdul-Razak Issah, the Regional Coordinator of ISRAD- Ghana, said malaria had been identified as one of the major leading causes of morbidity and mortality, yet policy makers were not paying special attention to the disease.

He said as result of donor fatigue, it is becoming very difficult to mobilize enough funding to tackle the menace, hence the need to brainstorm to mobilize local resources to complement government and the GHS efforts in tackling the phenomenon.

He said the ARMS Project had the goal to contribute to the reduction of malaria in the country and also had among its objectives the intention to increase the diagnosis of malaria by treatment, increase local government funding for malaria activities and reduce malaria cases.

GNA
Paolo Catallozzi (Judge of the Enterprise Court of Rome) The Hon Mr Justice Henry Carr (Judge of the English High Court) Judge Christopher Vajda (Court of Justice of the European Union) Oliver Morris (UK Intellectual Property Office Senior Hearing Officer)

If a party is in the right they have many chances to win even if their lawyer is not as good.

Judges are not distracted by legal style... but when a famous lawyer is speaking a judge may unconsciously pay more attention.

If there is no established jurisprudence it can be particularly helpful to be guided through the relevant steps the court is required to follow (and may avoid judges getting bored!)

Whilst the English bar has a very good reputation in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), it does not follow that they always win the case!

In the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), an advocate's style can make a particular difference where a case is finely balanced.

A good advocate is unlikely to win a bad case but a bad advocate may lose a good one.

Monday evening marked the annual IBIL and MARQUES Meet the Trade Mark Judges event at UCL.This year the chair, The Rt Hon Professor Sir Robin Jacob, posed a set of pre-selected questions from the audience to:The evening covered enough ground to fill (at least) two posts. This is Part One...Not a new question but an understandably popular one for a room full of lawyers. The broad consensus was that it can be very helpful to the judge to have good advocates but it's rare that it swings a decision one way or another.Selected soundbites include:The view from the High Court of England and Wales was particularly pro-advocacy. Carr J noted that the importance of advocacy was most noticeable where you have litigants in person without any professional legal input. He gave the CLIPS scheme a glowing endorsement. This scheme uses volunteer advocates to assign free representation to litigants in person in the Chancery Division. Carr noted that whilst it may not make a big difference to the eventual outcome it made it much easier for the judge to identify and consider the relevant issues and use the limited court time effectively. Carr estimated that in around 20% of marginal cases he might change his mind on a particular issue following persuasive advocacy but this might not necessarily affect the outcome.Does the involvement of a well-known lawyer indicate a winning or a losing case? There were two schools of thought: (1) a famous lawyer could not possibly have accepted a losing case for fear of the damage to their reputation; or (2) only more established lawyers take on the 'challenging' cases.Big difference in the CJEU is the long gap between the hearing and reaching decision if the case requires an opinion from the Advocate General (AG). In Vadja's experience, most cases he handles (and certainly all difficult cases) have an AG opinion. The Court will wait for the AG's opinion before discussing the case between them. In practice, this means the court has to return to their notes from the hearing several months after the event when the finer points under discussion may be a more distant memory. This meant that the starting point is generally the AG's opinion (as intended).The CJEU now has a fixed time limit of 15 minutes for everyone. Judge Vadja's view was that this approach works well. Written pleadings normally quite full and the oral hearing is simply a supplement to those pleadings. Because of the nature of the court, the majority of the advocates have not appeared before the court before. His big warning to advocates was not to simply repeat the written testimony but be sure to add something new and focus on the key points. The judges often try to ask questions to focus the advocates to the case. This means the hearings consist of short oral submissions followed by questions. Although questioning of counsel is not necessary, it nearly always happens in practice.Do we take too long in England? Henry Carr gave a simple answer: "Yes". But went on to note that appeals do not tend to take too long and 15 minutes is not long enough to explore questions of fact.The Italian courts have full discretion to decide the order in which issues are presented and how many minutes are permitted per issue. However, unlike English judges, the Italian ones will not normally interrupt. Hearings generally take 10s of minutes rather than hours. The problem for Italian judges is not the oral hearing it is the written statements which can involve a lot of trees (as well as some irrelevant issues).At an EU level, a large proportion of the CJEU and General Court's case load concerns trade marks. However, most judges have no prior experience of trade marks before they join the court. Is this a problem?It was a question of balancing efficiency with diversity.To improve the efficiency of a court, particularly when it deals with a large volume of trade mark cases, there is something to be said for someone familiar with issues and arguments. Therefore it can be helpful to have judges who are familiar with the underlying legal issues they have to consider.Catalozzi indicated that the Italian system could benefit from more judges having prior litigation experience. The same issue arises at the CJEU where many judges are nominated from routes where they have not had to gain litigation experience. As Robin Jacob put it: "I've seldom met anyone who doesn't think poachers turned gamekeepers isn't a good idea".Although the General Court is on a hiring spree (the number of judges is doubling so each Member State will contribute two judges), Judge Vadja's view was that setting quotas is not helpful. However, it is important to have a balanced and diverse court in terms of prior experience (career judge vs former practitioner), specialism and background. Judge Vadja highlighted that it is a good thing for any judicial system to represent people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives.Carr noted that many of the best trade mark judgments come from non specialists such as Neuberger LJ. In his view, it is not necessary to have specialist trade mark judges. However, patents is a different issue and non specialists tend to struggle with patent cases.
From: Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA Special Correspondent, Quito, Ecuador, Courtesy MLG&RD/Zoomlion Ghana)

Quito (Ecuador), Oct. 21, GNA - Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtey, the President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) has joined Local Authorities across the globe to participate in the United Nations (UN) Habitat III Conference in Quito, Ecuador.

The Habitat III Conference focuses on the ratification and adoption of the New Urban Agenda and also on the Climate Change, protection and public safety.

The Habitat III, the third conference in line with the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 2016) is aimed at invigorating and securing a renewed global political commitment to sustainable urbanization to focus on the implementation of a New Urban Agenda, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.

The Local Authorities conference is being organised by the Local Authorities Association in collaboration with the UN Habitat Secretariat.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency in Quito, Ecuador Mr Odamtey, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive said the conference provided local authorities the opportunity to know where the worlds focus is on local governance and also help them to know its real perspective.

He said the conference encouraged local government leaders to push for the realisation of the New Urban Agenda so as to address challenges bedeviling the housing industry in order to achieve prosperous cities for development.

Mr Odamtey said the Assembly (TMA) was embarking on a number of initiatives aimed to address social issues such as housing and community upgrading.

He said one of such initiatives is the Government Affordable Housing project, which was being undertaking by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and the Tema Development Corporation.

The NALAG President said slums in Tema were expanding rapidly and this called for measures to address the situation, adding that, the TMA was learning from other cities, which had good and equitable housing system.

Meanwhile Ghana's Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Urban Development Unit held a side event for participants on the theme: Urban Development Management in Ghana and Implications for the New Urban Agenda: 'The Case Study of the Urban Management Pilot Programme and the National Priority Planned City Extension of Ningo-Prampram.'

GNA
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA

Cape Coast, Oct. 21, GNA - The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has advised party agents accredited to polling stations to desist from the practice of not signing the Declaration of Results form (pink sheet).

The Commission said the refusal of polling agents to sign the pink sheet did not, in any way, invalidate the results of the elections.

Mr Anthony Nyame, Central Regional Deputy Director of the EC, said this during a day's Capacity Building workshop for Media Practitioners on 'Election Reportage and Highlights of the Constitutional Instrument 91 (C.I. 91)' in Cape Coast.

The workshop which was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) formed part of preparation by the EC towards the successful conduct of the 2016 general elections.

The training was to equip media practitioners with the requisite knowledge to have a better understanding of the electoral system also to remind them of their roles and responsibilities towards a successful election.

The media practitioners were taken through accreditation procedures, voting processes, election monitoring and evaluation and the nomination of candidates for presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mr Nyame said some polling agents deliberately refused to sign the pink sheet when the result was not in favour of their candidates and urged them to cooperate with the EC to clear suspicions and doubts of the election results.

He said polling agents were only to observe the electoral system and that they did not have the power to instruct electoral officials but could only draw their attention to any abnormalities.

He said, 'in situations where they do not want to sign the pink sheet, they must state clearly their reasons for not signing'.

He said polling agents have the privilege to call for a re-count at the polling station and at the coalition centre whenever they were unsatisfied with the results.

Mr Nyame reminded the journalist that polling stations remained restricted areas as they were security zones and media houses were expected to have accreditation to access such areas.

He urged them to apply for accreditation ahead of time to avoid any embarrassment during the exercise.

Mrs Pauline Adobea Dadzawa, a member of the Commission, said the errors committed by the disqualified presidential aspirants could have been avoided if they had been vigilant.

Mr Christian Owusu-Parry, Director of Administration at the EC, cautioned media practitioners against forecasting the winners during the general election.

GNA
By Comfort Sena Fetrie, GNA

Tamale, Oct. 21, GNA - Mr James Asare-Adjei, National President of Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), has appealed to financial institutions to ensure that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to access credit without impediments.

He said financial institutions should create products that would meet the needs of SMEs to be more competitive in all the regions of the country.

Mr Asare-Adjei made the appeal during Northern Regional meeting of the AGI held in Tamale.

The meeting, attended by AGI members from Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions, was to provide the necessary specialized technical and consultancy services to members.

He also urged non-governmental organisations to work with AGI to advance its industrial and development agenda and help to reduce poverty in the country.

Mr Osman Sahanoon Kulandi, the Northern Regional Chairman of AGI, said there is the need to improve the fortunes of local industries through policy advocacy to advance the growth and development of industries, facilitate international trade through exhibitions and fairs.

He said AGI has made significant efforts to ensure a friendly economic environment for local businesses to thrive and also to promote made in Ghana goods.

GNA
By Bajin D. Pobia, GNA

Wa, Oct. 21, GNA - The Electoral Commissions (EC) has said there is the need for responsible reportage on the part of journalists to make this year's elections one of the best in our political history.

Journalists must report accurately on the elections and avoid declaring winner ahead of the EC.

The practice has the tendency of causing confusion among political parties and their supporters, Mr Azu Bosco Anyigire, Upper West Regional Director of the EC, has said.

He said the media is a major partner of the EC in ensuring that the elections are conducted successfully.

Mr Anyigire said this when addressing media practitioners at a day's capacity building on media reportage for the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections in Wa.

He called on political parties to bring their polling agents to the EC for training so that they could abide by the EC's code of conduct in the implementation of their duties.

Mr Anyigire said the EC in the region has not accepted two nomination forms from Mr Ali Abdul Rahman, an independent candidate in the Wa Central Constituency and Mr Mani Maxwell, who was to contest the Jirapa parliamentary seat on the ticket of Independent People's Party.

The two candidates presented their nomination forms to the EC without any bank draft and had not visited the EC's office since then.

The Regional Director said 51 nomination forms have been received from candidates contesting the parliamentary seats in the region.

Mr Chris Alalbila, a retired broadcasting journalist, urged journalists to report exactly what they see on the field without biases and avoid conjectures and presumptions which are likely to inflame tensions among political parties.

'Our responsibility is to make Ghana go through successful elections. Journalists must avoid going into the elections with bias mind.

'Our purpose is to inform Ghanaians with accurate information on the elections', he said.

Mr Alalbila, who spoke on: 'Importance of media reportage on election', said the active participation of the media could help bring successful elections.

He urged the media to cross check from EC when in doubt and should not rush to air or file false information which is likely to cause confusion.

GNA
Pretoria (AFP) - South Africa announced Friday that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, dealing a major blow to a troubled institution set up to try the world's worst crimes.

The decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

South Africa refused to arrest him, saying he had immunity as a head of state.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the ICC was "inhibiting South Africa's ability to honour its obligations relating to the granting of diplomatic immunity".

Facts about the International Criminal Court in The Hague. South Africa has announced it plans to withdraw from the organisation

"There is a view in Africa that the ICC in choosing who to prosecute has seemingly preferred to target leaders in Africa," Masutha added to AFP.

The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of bias against Africa and has also struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States which has signed the court's treaty but never ratified it.

The withdrawal "shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Amnesty International said South Africa was "betraying millions of victims of the gravest human rights violations and undermining the international justice system".

Post-colonial bias?

As an ICC signatory, South Africa's failure to arrest Bashir last year led to a wave of condemnation and an early threat from the government to withdraw from The Hague-based court.

The International Criminal Court was set up in 2002 to try the world's worst atrocities

Bashir has evaded arrest since his ICC indictment in 2009 for alleged war crimes in Sudan's Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes.

Earlier this month Burundi said it would leave the court, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

Welcoming South Africa's decision to withdraw from the ICC, Sudan urged other African member nations to follow suit.

"The presidency of the republic... calls on African leaders and the people of Africa who are still members of the ICC to take a collective step in withdrawing from the ICC," a presidency statement said.

Burundi's foreign minister Alain-Ayme Nyamitwe, meanwhile, said the country expected others to follow, adding that it was important to note that "the ICC is not popular in Africa".

South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has reportedly signed the "Instrument of Withdrawal" letter to withdraw from the International Criminal Court

South Africa, which delivered a letter to the United Nations on Wednesday to activate its official withdrawal, is likely to complete the process in one year.

"It could spark a domino effect on other African states," Anton du Plessis, of the Institute for Security Studies think-tank in Pretoria, told AFP.

"South Africa played an important role in developing the ICC and now to see it playing such a destructive role is saddening," he said.

The ICC said Friday it had not received any confirmation of the South African position, adding that it relied on "the international community in Africa and outside Africa... to fulfil its mandate."

'Disgraceful conduct'

In March, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal accused President Jacob Zuma's government of "disgraceful conduct" over Bashir's visit and ruled that the failure to arrest Bashir was unlawful.

The government was facing a possible defeat in the Constitutional Court next month over the issue, but said that Friday's decision meant its legal battle would be dropped.

During the summit, an emergency court order was obtained for Bashir's arrest, though government lawyers admitted he had quickly flown out of the country just before the order was issued.

"We were called as a country to arrest and prosecute a sitting head of state and the natural consequence would have been forced regime change in that country by South Africa," Minister Masutha told AFP.

Of the ten ICC probes since 2002, nine have been into African countries and one into Georgia, though most ICC cases have been referred to the court by African governments themselves.

In a major setback, its highest profile case -- over Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's involvement in election violence -- collapsed two years ago.
Nigerians love miracles so much and that is why you see churches that specialize in miracle with more than enough members trooping in and out. Some will keep moving from one church to the other in search of miracles. Once they hear theres a new pastor in town that can do this and do that, you see them rushing there.

Many do not believe in miracles anymore due to the rate at which miracle churches are springing up everywhere in Nigeria. Some of these miracles are not even free, you have to pay for it. Over the years, weve seen some Nigerian pastors perform miracles that left many in doubt.

Below are some miracles that left Nigerians with many unanswered questions.

1. Dead baby raised to life

Like a scene from a Nollywood movie, a 6-month-old dead baby was reportedly raised back to life at the Mountain Miracle and Liberation Ministries, a.k.a Liberation City. This happened on Sunday, February 7, 2016. Miracle by Pastor Chris Okafor left members of the church in shock while the parents of the baby shed tears of joy.

While others thanked God for the miracle, some Nigerians were not so convinced.

2. Randy mans permanently erect penis healed

A randy man identified as Segun Omotosho was delivered at the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN). He was said to have slept with a demon possessed woman after which his penis refused to go down. It remained permanently erect and no medical intervention could bring it down. However, when he went to SCOAN, Prophet T.B. Joshua was able to cast out the demons and his manhood became flaccid.

3. Man about to be buried brought back to life

Just like in the days of old when Lazarus was brought back to life, a dead man who was about to be buried, woke up after prayers. A certain Rev. Fr. Chiedozie Modestus Chilaka reportedly prayed for the dead man who was already in a coffin and he miraculously came back to life.

4. Airtime commanded into phones

A pastor who heads Jesus City Mountain, Asero in Abeokuta area of Ogun state, commanded angels to send airtime to his members phones during a revival service. The congregation was asked to lift up their phones while he prayed. When the prayers ended, some his members came out to testify that they got supernatural airtime on their phones just the moment the pastor prayed.

5. Girl turns to python

Like one of those Nollywood movies, an 11-year-old girl reportedly turned into a python during a crusade. This happened when Prophet Joshua Iginla of the Abuja-based Champion Royal Assembly Church stormed Cameroon for apostolic invasion. She admitted having over a million demons she operated with and that she is the strong man controlling the affairs of the country. When the man of God commanded her to manifest her true nature, she turned to python and began gliding through the pathway.

Well, it turns out that Nigerian pastors are not the only miracle workers. There are miracle workers in other parts of Africa and all over the world. Below are some unusual miracles by other African pastors.

6. Pastor provokes miracle calls on mobile phones

Somewhere in Cameroon, one Pastor Vicky Darll, who is the general overseer of Let There Be Light To All Nations, decided to perform miracle on the phones of his church members. He ordered his church members to gather their phones during a service, on which he prayed to provoke miracle calls. Miraculously, some of the phones reportedly started ringing on the altar as he was praying.

7. Unusual tummy tuck miracle

When people thought they had seen it all, a pastor performed a very unusual miracle which got tongues wagging. A woman named Zimeye was said to have told the pastor how her clothes are now tight for her because of her big protruded stomach. She was told by the pastor to raise her hands up and within seconds, her tummy went down miraculously.

8. Pastor gives congregants petrol to drink

Some pastors don't mind going too far to show the powerful things God can do. To demonstrate his miraculous power, a certain controversial South African pastor, Daniel Lesego of the Rabboni Centre, prayed over a bottle which according to him contained petrol, to be turned to pineapple juice. He then gave members of congregation to drink. After consuming the content of the bottle, his congregants testified that indeed, it tasted like juice and asked for more.

9. Pastor performs miracle using snake

Indeed, miracle pass miracle. A South African pastor, Prophet Penuel of the End Times Disciples Ministries showed his miraculous skills during service. He declared a snake to become a chocolate (chomp) and gave the congregation to eat it. Funny enough, his congregation ate it and said it tasted like chocolate. This same pastor told his members to lie on the ground, he then drove his car over them to show the 'power of God'.

Do you agree with those who feel these miracles are too good to be true?

Source: Legit.ng
Photo simulation showing Rainbow Bridge resonating at the same frequency as the waves of Lake Powell.

October 21, 2016

Contact: Christiana Admiral, 928-608-6351

Jeffrey Moore, assistant professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, will speak about the surprisingly dynamic structure of Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area headquarters, 691 Scenic View Drive. Refreshments will be provided by the Glen Canyon Natural History Association.

The park commissioned Moore to conduct a study in March of 2015 of Rainbow Bridge to evaluate the potential impact of human-caused vibrations such as aircraft flying overhead on the bridge's stability.

With permission from Native American tribes that have cultural ties with the world-famous natural feature, Moore placed two seismic sensors on the bridge itself and two in a nearby canyon for comparison. The team captured eight major patterns of vibration some back and forth, some up and down, and some twisting. Moore's study illustrates subtle movements and twisting in the bridge that are not visible to the human eye.

Some of these patterns, or modes, were stimulated in part by human-caused activities, such as aircraft, in addition to the natural environment. One vibrational mode, for instance, resonated at about the same frequency as the waves of Lake Powell. Vibrations from those waves travel through the rock and are felt in Rainbow Bridge. Moore's equipment was so sensitive that it detected vibrations linked to earthquakes as far away as Oklahoma.

"Rainbow Bridge is constantly in subtle motion," Moore said. "It's a rare and delicate structure, and it's worth trying to understand what forces could play a role in accelerating the demise of such exceptional natural features."

In managing Rainbow Bridge, the park consults with associated Native American tribes. Some tribes are concerned about the effect on the bridge of vibrations caused by aircraft flying near or above it.

The tribes' traditional ecological knowledge, based on generations of cultural ties to Rainbow Bridge, prompted the park to commission the University of Utah study. "The study illustrates that Rainbow Bridge is more than an inanimate object, but something that moves and vibrates, and is responsive to its surroundings," said Billy Shott, superintendent of both Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument. "This is an excellent example of how the tribes' knowledge of this place is helping us manage Rainbow Bridge better for everyone."

About Jeffrey Moore

Moore is an Arizona native with deep roots in the Southwest. He holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and has studied rock slope instability and hazard assessment at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Moore is an assistant professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah. His research focuses on rock slope failure, monitoring for early warning of geohazards, and the hazards and impacts of very large, infrequent landslides.

About Rainbow Bridge

Located in Southern Utah, Rainbow Bridge is one of the world's largest natural bridges. Rainbow Bridge National Monument, designated by presidential proclamation in 1910, is managed by the National Park Service to preserve the breathtaking geologic feature carved out of Navajo Sandstone. About 80,000 visitors a year make the trip by boat on Lake Powell to marvel at Rainbow Bridge.
Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institutes journal of world, national, and local politics.

Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. We dont run ads or publish content in exchange for money.

Help us keep The Cascadia Advocate editorially independent and freely available to all by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism.

Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films.

Become an NPI member Make a one-time donation
Starting Oct. 29, Pokemon Centers in Japan are getting Mario Pikachu merchandise, the most adorable combination of Nintendos two biggest mascots. The items include plushies, Pokemon cards, playing cards, a notebook and a 3DS cover, all adorned with a Pikachu in Marios red and blue overalls and with that iconic mustache slapped on his face. There are also Luigi variants of the merchandise for those who are a little alternative when it comes to their Nintendo mascots.

In what is surely going to start an international incident, the merch items for Gods most perfect creature are currently Japan-exclusives, meaning theyre not coming Stateside. Some of the items, like the keychains and T-shirts, are exclusive to the Pokemon Center in Kyoto, but the rest will be available in Pokemon Centers throughout Japan.

For now, well just have to be content looking at pictures of Mario Pikachu and begging anybody we know in Japan to ship them to us. Click through the gallery above to experience peak Nintendo.

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3 of 14 Limited to Pokemon Center Kyoto

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888live London in Full Swing: Eric Le Goff Wins the 2,000 High Roller, Scott and Hof Survive Day 1a Main Event

October 20, 2016 Paul Seaton

The 888live Poker Festival London event is in full swing with action all over the Aspers Casino. The High Roller has crowned a champion and Day 1a of the Main Event is on the books.

Eric Le Goff Triumphs in 2,000 High Roller

After a thrilling final day's play, French player Eric Le Goff (photo) triumphed over Tom Middleton heads-up to win the 888live London Festival High Roller for 30,000. Matas Cimbolas bubbled while Antonio Esfandiari min-cashed. 888 sponsored proChris Moorman finished in fourth place.

Place Player Country Prize in  Prize in $ 1 Eric Le Goff France 30,000 $36,734 2 Tom Middleton United Kingsom 18,400 $22,530 3 Luke Hayward United Kingsom 13,100 $16,040 4 Chris Moorman United Kingsom 10,300 $12,612 5 Robert Heidorn Germany 7,700 $9,429 6 Antonio Esfandiari United States 5,100 $6,245

The returning final table contained nine players, who barely had time to sit in their seats and let the cameras focus on them before eliminations began. We lost four players in an opening hour of play that gave new meaning to attacking poker, and almost halved the field, blasting through the money bubble in the process.

First, Jamie Roberts lost when all in and at risk with pocket fours. Moorman had called the move with ace-ten of clubs and he hit to eliminate his fellow British professional. Next to leave was Jason Ross, who would lose a flip with pocket sixes to the eventual winner Le Goff.

Bubbling the event is never fun, but Matas Cimbolas took it in great grace when his own move all in with pocket sixes was called by Middleton's pocket kings. And it was Middleton again who did the damage to bust 'The Magician' himself. Esfandiari called all in on the river with two pair but was shot down by Middleton's turned full house. Esfandiari cashed for 5,100 but would go on to bust the Main Event shortly after late registration.

Finishing fifth was the German Robert Heidorn, whose move all in with ace-queen suited was called by Moorman. This time the Team 888Poker Pro held pocket nines, and although an ace hit the flop, so too did a nine and Heidorn was set for the exit for 7,700.

Four-handed, Chris Moorman led, but he would get overtaken by compatriot Middleton. It was Moorman himself who would crash out in fourth for 10,300 when his all-in move with pocket tens ran into the coldest deal of the day: Le Goff had been dealt aces!

Three-handed, there was a brief - aborted - discussion about a deal, but nothing came to fruition. Minutes later, Luke Hayward was the latest player to leave the tournament. It was Middleton who did the damage, almost all of it coming when Hayward ran his queens into Middleton's kings pre-flop. It was as cold a deck as they come and Hayward's loose change departed with him soon afterward.

Heads up proved a brief but exciting affair. Le Goff took a decisive lead in a hand where he rivered two pair to decimate Middleton's stack. Shortly afterwards, Middleton was all in with queen-high and Le Goff called with an ace. His hand held and he took the title, but as Middleton told us afterwards, he was still delighted with the result. A tough field from start to finish provided many thrills along the way and the victory represents Eric Le Goff's second-highest cash of all-time and his best live result in well over four years. Formidable!

The final table, with livestream commentary by David Tuchman and Parker "tonkaaaap" Talbot

Volpi and Sapiano Lead After Main Event Day 1a

Andrea Volpi has just 500 chips more than Albert Sapiano after the two men ruled supreme over the 97 entries on Day 1a of the 888live Poker Festival London Main Event.

Play started timidly for a Main Event, with only two players busting in the first three levels. Once the action heated up, players could hardly stay in their seats.

Team 888poker Pro Dominik Nitsche busted and in doing so, won his conqueror a bounty of 880. Other flag bearers for the 888poker team were flying high. Kara Scott would end the day highest-placed on 271,900 chips after some superb river calls to elevate her stack and keep her above average for most of the day.

Elsewhere, Natalie Hof hung in contention and trebled when her ace-eight suited ousted pocket nines and tens from preflop when she turned an ace. Antonio Esfandiari quickly left the tournament, but others were destined for big stacks. Charles Chattha (127,600) and Christopher Brammer (129,300) shared the felt most of the day and both progressed with a healthy chance of running deep on Saturday's Day 2. Kevin Allen had more than both put together. After a superb session at the felt, the Londoner ended on 290,000.

With play in tomorrow's Day 1b set to begin at noon, PokerNews looks forward to welcoming more players to the 200,000 guaranteed Main Event...and seeing if anyone can grab the bounty on Team 888poker player Sofia Lovgren's head.

Here's the Top 10 after Day 1a. For the full list of chip counts, visit the 2016 888live Poker Festival London's live reporting page.

Player Chip Count Andrea Volpi 302,000 Albert Sapiano 301,500 Kevin Allen 290,000 Kara Scott 271,900 Catherine Hanna 204,100 Arron Fletcher 173,600 Gerald Ringe 151,900 Christopher Brammer 129,300 Charles Chattha 127,600 Adrien Allain 123,900

Natalie Hof's bounty is still up fro grabs as she survived Day 1a
Court Opinion Split on Phil Ivey's $9.6M Baccarat Win

October 21, 2016 Katie Callahan

A federal judge has ruled that Phil Ivey did not commit fraud with his partner during a baccarat game at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City in April 2014, but that Ivey did breach casino contract, according to NorthJersey.com.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City filed a $9.6 million edge-sorting lawsuit in April, stating that Ivey exploited manufacturing laws in playing cards during four sessions at the casino in 2012. The card manufacturer, Gemaco Inc., and his partner, Cheng Yin Sun, were also named in the suit. Sun reportedly was at the table with Ivey and gave instructions to the dealer.

Ivey and Suns motion for summary judgment on Borgatas claims against them are granted on all claims except for Borgatas claims for breach of contract, the ruling stated, as reported to NorthJersey. Borgatas cross-motion for summary judgment in its favor is granted on its breach of contract claims, but denied as to all other claims.

The judge granted that within 20 days of the opinion, Borgata must submit a brief to resolve damages resulting from the players breach of contract and a proposed judgement, the ruling stated. The players will have the same amount of time to file a response to this brief.

Borgata claimed that the 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner used edge-sorting to create an unfair advantage. Ivey filed a countersuit in July 2015 stating that the lawsuit was frivolous and that the casino destroyed the deck of cards used during the game, cards essential to his defense.

"Plaintiff Borgata knew that those playing cards were critically material to Ivey and Sun's defense, and knew further that destruction of those playing cards would render the defendants irrevocably prejudice in defending against plaintiff's claims and in securing judgment against the plaintiff," the countersuit stated.

In 2012, Ivey reportedly requested for Borgata to use an eight-deck shoe of purple Gemaco playing cards, an automatic card shuffler and a private playing area. These requests were granted after Ivey posted $1 million with the casino. Sun also requested card turns from the dealer in Mandarin, reportedly allowing her to identify differences in cards and communicate to Ivey.

Borgata contends Ivey's edge-sorting strategy violates New Jersey gaming laws, but Ivey asserts it was simply the result of skill. Part of his deposition, which was filed in March of 2015, can be found here, but ranges in content from edge-sorting strategies to Borgatas tactics of plying him with free booze provided by pretty waitresses.

ESPN reported that a Borgata representative knew about cutting tolerances in playing cards, that Ivey never touched the cards and that it was not unusual for high rollers to be granted special requests.

Borgata responded to the counterclaims, asking the court to dismiss it and instead narrow the scope of the case to the legality of edge sorting.

"This issue is, and has always been a simple one: is edge sorting, as specifically admitted to and practiced by Mr. Ivey and Ms. Sun, cheating or unfair play?" the casino said in a statement. "The individual playing cards do not change the answer. Complimentary drinks do not change the answer. Cocktail servers do not change the answer."

Back in May of 2013, Ivey ran into similar claims and even admitted to using edge sorting at Corckfords Casino. He sued the casino for withholding his winnings, 7.8 million (about $12 million) he won playing Punto Banco, a form of baccarat.

He released a statement at the time explaining that the casino should have recognized it and that was not his fault.

At the time, I was given a receipt for my winnings but Crockfords subsequently withheld payment. I, therefore, feel I have no alternative but to take legal action, Ivey said in a statement in May 2013.

In this case, a London High Court ruled in favor of Crockfords in October 2014, allowing them to withhold Iveys money. Ivey, disappointed by the ruling, filed papers at the Court of Appeal in London in late 2014 to reconsider the decision that December.

"As I said in court, it's not in my nature to cheat  and I would never do anything to risk my reputation," Ivey said in a statement after the ruling.
Hillsborough Gallery of Arts members Linda Carmel, Chris Graebner, Eduardo Lapetina, Alice Levinson, Ellie Reinhold, Michael Salemi, Jason Smith, and Pringle Teetor will be included in a preview show for the upcoming Orange County Artists Guild

By: The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

Orange Co. Studio Tour Preview, October 24 - November 13

Contact

The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

***@hillsboroughgallery.com The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

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-- This marks the 22nd year that the Orange County Artists Guild will host its Annual Open Studio Tour. During the first two weekends in November, more than eighty artists located throughout Orange County, including Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and surrounding areas will be participating in this juried event and opening their studios to visitors who will discover where the creative design happens!For the sixth year, Pringle Teetor and Linda Carmel will be showing together at Carmel's home studio, 101 Huntington Drive, Chapel Hill, #39 on the tour. Pringle's blown glass and Linda's textured paintings complement each other perfectly. There will be plenty to see and touch.This is Chris Graebner's sixth year on the tour. As a painter she most often paints landscapes in oils, but her background includes botanical art with watercolor and ink. Graebner enjoys mixing media to see what each brings to the other. In addition to her landscape painting, this summer she has been exploring botanical subjects using scratchboard and colored inks. Graebner invites you to visit her in her studio, #6 on the tour map, just a couple of blocks from the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in downtown Hillsborough.Eduardo Lapetina's studio is located at 318 North Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, #48 on the tour map. This is his eighth year participating on the tour. Lapetina will show new abstract paintings with vibrant colors and in various sizes including very large pieces. His paintings are worked in complete solitude. They represent the discoveries of the unconscious mind. In the artist's words, "They hold the promise of dreams, visions, fears, and the magic of a private, secret language."Ellie Reinhold is joining the tour for the fourth year. She is #52 on the tour and will welcome you at her studio off Roosevelt Drive in Chapel Hill, in the neighborhood across from Cafe Driade. Reinhold's figurative art has been described as "soulful," "dreamscapes,"and "internal landscapes."She explores vibrant landscapes using color, brushwork, and iconic imagery. Her small abstract works are done mostly with knives and allow her to explore elements such as texture, shadow, contrast, and color in their own right, unfettered by the demands of specific content.Michael Salemi is a woodturner who is showing jointly with Alice Levinson at her studio (#16). Studio 16 is part of the Dairyland Local Artists group in OCAG. Michael's work includes both traditional woodturning such as bowls, plates and platters and unusual pieces such as pagoda shaped ikebana, Manta Ray hollow form and urns such as the one shown on the cover of the OCAG brochure. Alice Levinson will be exhibiting her contemporary wall-hung textile pieces. Each is rich in color and texture, and composed of hand-dyed fabric, densely sewn.Jason Smith creates one of a kind metal sculptures in steel and copper using reclaimed material. His sculpture is abstract. The manipulation of form in space allows the viewer to feel rhythm and movement in his compositions. Jason is #2 on the map.OCAG's Open Studio Tour is a rare opportunity for art lovers from Orange County and beyond to meet artists in their places of work, to view and purchase art directly from the artist, and in many instances to watch as artists demonstrate how they create their pieces. Studio Tour brochures and maps of participants' studios are available at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts and other area locations or on the Guild website: http://www.OrangeCountyArtistsGuild.com Many artists on this year's tour will have work in the OCAG Preview Exhibit at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. Their work will be on display from October 24 through November 13, 2016. This preview show is a wonderful opportunity for a first look at the work on the tour and can help you plan your tour route.An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Friday, October 28th from 6-9pm at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, located in the Mercantile Building at 121 North Churton Street in historic downtown Hillsborough, North Carolina. For more information visit the Gallery website: www.HillsboroughGallery.com About the GalleryThe Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is owned and operated by 21 local artists and represents these established artists exhibiting contemporary fine art and fine craft. The Gallery's offerings include acrylic and oil paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, textiles, jewelry, glass, metals, encaustic, enamel, and wood. Hours: Monday - Thursday 10-6, Friday & Saturday 10-8, Sunday 12-4.
By: Healy Consultants

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-- In a recent meeting between the Singapore President, Mr. Tony Tan Keng Yam and lead officials from Norway, both sides agreed that increased bilateral relations in the areas of modern education, business development and R&D will surely benefit their countries.Singapore and Norway share very similar traditions in terms of maritime and innovation businesses. Maritime logistics businesses are key GDP creators in these countries and closer relations will add value to their global market positions.President Tony Tan Keng Yam solidified Singapore's interest in Norway business as the small country is top Asian destination of Scandinavian companies. For example, in 2016, Singapore was home to almost four hundred Norwegian subsidiaries with numbers continuing to grow. He further confirmed that "Geographical distance has not deterred Singapore and Norway from becoming close partners,"According to Healy Consultants, Norwegian investors find that Singapore is an easy place to do business because i) it offers lightning-fast incorporation procedure; ii) boasts strong and modern infrastructure for maritime businesses; iii) is a well-regulated economy and iv) remains politically stable for the past several decades.For over a decade, the incorporation experts at Healy Consultants Group PLC., have been assisting investors worldwide to set up the optimum corporate structures for doing reputable business in Norway. Additional services offered include company registration, banking solutions, accounting and tax and legal services and corporate support services.
Donation will assist in funding pediatric cancer research at Doernbecher Children's Hospital

Contact

Kyleigh Gill

***@advantiscu.org Kyleigh Gill

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-- Advantis Credit Union, one of Oregon's largest not-for-profit, financial cooperatives announced a $10,000 donation to Credit Unions for Kids in honor of International Credit Union Day. Thursday, October 20 marks International Credit Union Day, a day that Advantis celebrates its members and the importance of the credit union movement.Advantis' donation to Credit Unions for Kids, a grassroots fundraising effort involving credit unions throughout the region, will go towards endowment funding for pediatric cancer research at Doernbecher Children's Hospital and will support clinical trials for complex and hard-to-treat childhood cancers, as well as ensuring state-of-the-art treatment access for young patients."This donation marks Advantis' commitment to giving back to the community and exemplifies our guiding philosophy of 'People Helping People,'" said Advantis Credit Union's President and CEO, Bob Corwin. "Funding this important research through Credit Unions for Kids moves us closer to our hope of a day without childhood cancer."Local credit unions have been helping children at Doernbecher Children's Hospital since 1986 through the Credit Unions for Kids program, a nonprofit collaboration of credit unions, chapters, leagues/associations and business partners.Advantis Credit Union, with more than $1 billion in assets, is one of Oregon's largest not-for-profit, financial cooperatives that returns earnings to members in the form of better rates, low fees, and more free services. Advantis is locally-owned by over 60,000 members and has six branches in the Portland metro area. For more information, visit www.advantiscu.org
Allen Maintenance Inc. prides itself on being the best commercial cleaning service provider in the State of Michigan. After all, competition is fierce!

By: Allen Maintenance Inc.

Media Contact

Construction EMarketing

Contact person: Brad Fowler, C.P.M.A.

bradfowler@constructionemarketing.biz

313.383.4840 Construction EMarketingContact person: Brad Fowler, C.P.M.A.313.383.4840

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-- Allen Maintenance Inc. prides itself on being the best commercial cleaning service provider in the State of Michigan. After all, competition is fierce!Much unlike competitors', Allen Maintenance Inc. provides local corporations and small businesses, commercial cleaning services, deeply rooted in professionalism.This is because, over the last 25 years since establishing this Lincoln Park business, owner Jerry Allen, has chosen to slide on his latex gloves and fight germs and bacteria, alongside, his trained employees.In fact, Jerry confesses that doing so, enables his business to meet the demands of this nasty industry, by fighting stubborn germs and bacteria that dwell in common places, such as file cabinet top surfaces and drawer handles; to light fixtures, door handles, and even desktop telephones.As a result, Allen Maintenance Inc. insist in adhering to ethics and sanitation procedures adopted by the Worldwide Janitorial Cleaning Industry Association.And even though, Allen Maintenance Inc. thrives to adhere to industry association professional protocols, this service provider also believes- it is their duty to educate local corporations and businesses, on the best germ fighting agents to use internally, to combat the spread of viruses such as Influenza, especially during the fall and winter months.After all, even the Michigan Department of Community Health adheres to policies requiring the use of Environmental Protectant Agents, to stamp out bacteria and germs.Still even with the use of EPA agents, germs and bacteria often make cleaning internal environments challenging. This is because, most germs and bacteria are unseen; and unless businesses are diligently implementing sanitation procedures daily and/or weekly; the buildup can be a challenging task to eliminate.However, unfortunately, not all Michigan businesses and/or corporations seem to have a genuine concern about the internal and external appearance of their business environments. A fact proven by Allen Maintenance Inc. trained employees, who often visit local businesses searching for new contracts. Such surprise visits often result in discovering just how filthy many Michigan businesses really are.Yet for those businesses that do have genuine concerns, and seek to build alliances with a trusted, reliable, professional service provider, working with Allen Maintenance Inc., is the best alternative to help eliminate your germ and bacteria buildup woes.Therefore, take action today! And begin working with a professional sanitation service provider, who can help your business achieve the goal of being a safe and healthy environment. www.allenmaintenancejanitorial.com
Get the professional expert help to make your website shine among the crowd

By: Smartree Infotech Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Media Contact

Shantanu Mohta

***@smartreesolutions.com

8420208135 Shantanu Mohta8420208135

End

-- Smartree is an exclusive firm that has competent team members who work together to build a matchless website on the internet. The prime function of Smartree is to optimize the business of the clients, giving them high ranking and increased the visibility of the audience so that your business stays ahead of the competitors. With the expert designers, developers, SEO specialist and others, the company deliver effective results and timely output. The team strategies different methods and medium for the promotion of your business website, the products and their services. Their expertise lies in HTML5, SEO, WordPress, PHP, and jQuery.Smartree specializes in offering web design and development, graphic design, e-commerce web design, SEO, social media marketing, PPC, virtual assistance, financial services and telemarketing & sales. With the help of these effective services, the team has shown their extreme potential to give a responsive design to your business, making it compatible to open in tab, iPhone, iPad, notebook and more. The main focus of the firm lies in strengthening the client's business and minimize its competitors through thorough marketing, social media campaign and promotional advertising. This increases the visibility of the website with a high amount of traffic visiting the business site more often. Apart from directing their interest in the market research and finding the target audience, the professionals also focus on the clients by scheduling meetings, preparing presentations, holding business communications, analyze portfolios, customized stock screening, sales and more at a competitive price. We execute the projects on time. We live up to your expectation, rather provides better results than you expect. We focus more on client satisfaction, apart from our own business profit. The team is extremely sociable and diligent, and work with passion and enthusiasm for each and every project. The amount you will pay is worth of the output you will receive. We use smarter techniques to deliver quality results to the clients.Smartree is a web development and design platform that is functioning its service in Australia, UK, and Ireland. The firm promises to deliver an amazing website that can bring lead and sales and make your business pages receive the top ranking on the social platform of Google, Yahoo and Bing. There are numerous website packages that are available for the start-up business or any enterprise looking for an internet presence.Whatever business you might have, if you want to generate sales of your product, call the executives so that they can help you with your queries. If not satisfied with the call, get down to the office and have a brief discussion with the team.Australia:16, Wandarra close, Karawara, 6152 WA+61 283 558 997United Kingdom :2A, Stormont Road London N6 4NL+44 20 3630 0281India:Ecostation Business Tower, Unit 404. Office No. 2 Block BP. Plot No. 7. Sector V. Salt LakeKolkata 700 091+91 33 6455 4500+91 8420208135
"ACRA issued warnings to the directors of two companies listed in Singapore after going through their financial statements filed in 2014. It is a tough job better left to an experienced accounting firm in Singapore," commented SBS Consulting.

By: SBS Consulting Pte Ltd

Contact

Ms. Meena

Business Head

***@sbsgroup.com.sg

+6565360036 Ms. MeenaBusiness Head+6565360036

End

-- SBS Consulting is a trusted name in the field of. The firm is based in Singapore and is active for the last six years. SBS also offers services like company incorporation, company secretary, etc."Yes, appointing one of the capable accounting services to streamline your company's books of account is important. Because ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) holds the directors of companies responsible for the mistakes in the filing of company's financial statements,"observed Ms. Meena, the Business Head of SBS Consulting."Receiving a warning or an advisory letter from ACRA over compliance matters raises the questions about the integrity of the management. It may also result in the loss of prestige and severely harm the goodwill of the company," added Ms. Meena.Each year, the agency investigates as many as 50 Singapore-listed companies under its Financial Reporting Surveillance Programme (FRSP). The programme is useful in revealing the gaps in their financial reporting. ACRA, in its report, has also cited that a number of companies still file faulty cash flow statements. Letting a certified accountant prepare these documents is the best option open to the Singapore companies.A professional accounting firm in Singapore can help companies by delivering prompt monthly or quarterly bookkeeping services. These firms appoint a dedicated resource to deliver monthly accounting or quarterly accounting services according to their clients' schedule. For the clients, it eases the pressure of preparing financial statements.As the companies grow and their annual turnover increases, they need to assess their status regarding GST registration. The accounting companies in Singapore assist them in the task and also shoulder the responsibility of quarterly GST return filing."The warnings issued starkly underlines the need for Singapore companies to take decisive action to fortify their accounting function. The accounting firms in Singapore are there to help them and assist them with the preparation of compilation Report/ Director's Report and faultless unaudited financial statements. It enables the directors in avoiding being called to the carpet and having to face the music," concluded Ms. Meena.SBS Consulting is one of the reputed accounting firms in Singapore. It helps the startups, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in taking care of their compliance responsibilities. The firm also specializes in services like company incorporation, secretarial services, payroll, XBRL filing, GST filing, etc.High Street Centre,#17-02, 1 North Bridge Road,Singapore  179094Phone:+65-6536 0036Email:info@sbsgroup.com.sg
Retargeting.Biz announces new partnerships with Seliton, Shoper and Shopmania, big players in online market in Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, thus beginning its offensive in the Eastern bloc.

By: Retargeting.biz

End

-- The Romanian startup, founded in 2013 by young entrepreneurs Rares Banescu and Mugur Frunzetti, becomes an important technology provider specialized in retargeting."Covering Eastern European region is part of a larger development strategy at international level. We are very excited about the partnership with Seliton, Shoper and Shopmania, very large companies in online industry that allow us access to more than 25,000 online shops, namely to 25,000 potential customers", says Rares Banescu.Retargeting.Biz is now the marketing automation partner of over 630 companies operating in e-commerce, for which it generated about 8.5 million euros. The retargeting software is used by customers in Romania, Baltic and Asian countries, which operate in industries such as fashion, jewellery, IT&C, banking, home & deco, flowers, sports, travel and automotive and recently Retargeting.Biz opened its first office in Los Angeles, California.The software developed by Retargeting.Biz increase sales for online stores by delivering to their users the exact products they are browsing for. Companies that aren't familiar with the retargeting concept can request a 14-day free trial.Here's why you should use a retargeting softwareFashionUp and dEpurtat, two of the largest e-commerce retailers in the fashion segment, opted for Retargeting.Biz' software and increased sales up to 30%."Retargeting.Biz solution gave us the opportunity to create personalized messages for each of FashionUp customer, taking into account his browsing behavior and preferences. By default, it brought us closer to our customers and they immediately appreciated this", says Alin Stanciu, FashionUp CEO."The decision to purchase online in the fashion trade is most often impulsive. Live triggers that take into account real-time behavior of the on-site user are the most effective for us because they target a category of people who are just browsing the products and are still undecided whether to start the purchasing process. Also, cart abandonment email triggers have a high conversion rate. The first thing I appreciated was the simplicity of implementation, even on a custom-made platform, like the one used by FashionUp. Also, the reporting is very clear and this allowed us to calculate a ROI in the first month which, by the way, was a higher one", Stanciu added.According to Nicolae Slav, CEO of dEpurtat.ro, after implementing the retargeting software, the online retailer has increased sales with more than 30%. The live trigger for cart abandonement of unknown visitors performs best."Our customers have reacted in a positive way from the first day I installed the retargeting software on site, and this reflected directly in sales. Retargeting.Biz is an automated marketing automation system very well done, with a simple method of administration, which pleased us a lot given that we always seek optimal solutions for our business. The software really boosts the conversion rate", Slav added.Launched in 2013, Retargeting.Biz is a Romanian start-up which partners with e-commerce companies to help them interact with each visitor in a fast and customized way, according to his browsing behavior. By retargeting users, this marketing automation tool increases conversion rate and revenue for online stores.Source: https://retargeting.biz/
Fly Africa bridges UK with Africa and caters to several African groups and families scattered in the UK. Experience a unique travel portal and explore the stunning African beauty to its roots.

Contact

Abimbola

***@flyafrica.co.uk Abimbola

End

-- Being under the Moresand Group of UK, Fly Africa emerged to fill the gap between two nations. It feels proud to reach out to the African communities living in the UK. Addressing in the website, Fly Africa is a rising travel portal that caters to African bothers and sisters living far from their own homeland. Fly Africa is seen as a ray of hope to several African families and individuals who will not feel away from home when they fly withGone are those day when the world seemed to be a huge playground with a maze of concrete. With more and more travelling options, innovative travel deals, special offers, your homeland is not too far. In the years to come, travel will be just done with a twinkling of an eye. Thanks to the tourism and aviation industry that has strived to make air travel more and more convenient, undisturbed and amazing. Withyou are well connected with the air and soil of Africa.Fly Africa's airfares are fairly economical and easy to book. Just log onto the site and make a booking. You can always look upto our friendly and professional travel agents who will guide you step by step in booking the most suitable flight deal. From London you can book Ethiopian Air Lines, Kenya Airways, Air France, South African Airways, British Airways, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Egyptair, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways.Zimbabwe is a fascinating country with numerous tourism assets. The new visa rules and regime will enable visitors to enjoy an easy access into the African soil. Fly Africa looks forward to enhance ties with the African community with frequentThe Republic of Zimbabwe is a hotspot for adventure and tourism with a rich infrastructure, welcoming the world to taste the adventure of a lifetime.In the year 2014, Zimbabwe was proclaimed as the best tourist destination, offering pristine nature and stupendous culture to the world. The country also contributes to the ecological preservation and opens up opportunities to explore unique places including Victoria Falls, Eastern Highlands, Mana Highlands, Exfoliated Hills, Matobo Hills, MAtebeland, Chilojo Hills, Manicaland and the grasslands of West Mashonaland.Join hands with Fly Africa in keeping the African culture and the African feel ever-burning in the UK by connecting with the Reunion Black Family on Facebook. Our African friends in the UK will be at home, being away from home by being connected with their friends, families and loved ones.For More Information Visit : http://www.flyafrica.co.uk/ flights-to-zimbabwe
This is a children's version of the Benin Expedition combat story.

By: Fidelia Niimmons

Contact

Fidelia Nimmons

***@gmail.com Fidelia Nimmons

End

-- Based on accounts of true events, the story of the Benin Expedition combat is told through the eyes of a British's officer's young valet. Emily the main character is on a school trip with her classmates to the World Museum. In an incident, she is transported back in time to February 4th 1897 where she joins the British infantry. She is taken under the wings of the young valet to one of the officers. She journeys with them from the beginning of the combat right up to the point where they enter Benin City. Concerned about their behaviour, she challenges the actions of the soldiers and she is ordered to be shot.She has a change of fortune when she finds herself back in Britain in a hospital bed and her worried mum sitting next to her.This event in history is told through a child and in a child's language. It includes descriptions of the rainforest terrain.This book is suitable for students from age 9 upwards.This book will be published in February 2017 to mark the 120 years anniversary of the Benin Punitive Expedition by the British.Visit the Benin Expedition 120 years on website find out more about this event.
By: North Carolina Humanities Council

End

-- North Carolina Humanities Council's Banu Valladares has been selected to receive the prestigious 2016 Arts & Culture Latino Diamante Award for making significant contributions to the Hispanic community in North Carolina.The award highlights her efforts in visual, literary, cultural or performing arts, media or communications which promotes artists or art programs in the Latino district."I'm incredibly grateful for this high honor," said Banu Valladares, North Carolina Humanities Council's Program and Grants Administrator. "Every person, no matter their ethnicity, has a story to tell. It's a privilege to celebrate North Carolina's many cultures and heritage and to foster the power of the arts and the humanities to transform the way we see each other and our communities."Diamante Inc. initiated the statewide Latino Diamante Awards to recognize outstanding achievements and to honor individuals and organizations for making significant contributions to the Latino/Hispanic population of North Carolina. Additional awards are presented in business, community involvement, education, health and science, Latino advocacy and youth accomplishment, as well as the Lizette Cruz Watko Award.Valladares will be given the award at a ceremony at Cary Arts Center on October 29.For more information about the North Carolina Humanities Council, visit nchumanities.org For more information about Diamante Inc., visit diamanteinc.org
Kungsleden AB has signed a lease with Incoord Installationscoordinator for 2,568 sqm office space in Trekanten 5 in the cluster Danderyd Kontor. Danderyd Kontor is located just north of central Stockholm, right next to the E18 highway and close to the mall Morby Centrum. The mall is currently being rebuilt

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Kungsleden AB has signed lease agreements with three tenants with a total area of approximately 2,000 sqm at the property Lustgarden 12 on Warfvinges vag 31 and Strandbergsgatan 12 on Vastra Kungsholmenin Stockholm. The property Lustgarden 12 is a part of Kungsleden's cluster Stockholm City Vast, an expansive area where

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M7 Real Estate has completed a number of early sales of non-core assets for 27.6 million. These sales de-risk M7's core portfolios and enable greater focus on managing and driving value from higher quality office and industrial assets. The assets comprise a total of 64,640 sq m and were acquired

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YIT has signed a contract with East Capital Explorer AB (publ) to construct an office building in Vilnius. The value of the contract for YIT is around 20 million and the project will be completed in the middle of 2018. The project will be constructed in the business centre of

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The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of ESA's ExoMars 2016 has successfully performed the long 139-minute burn required to be captured by Mars and entered an elliptical orbit around the Red Planet, while contact has not yet been confirmed with the mission's test lander from the surface.

TGO's Mars orbit Insertion burn lasted from 13:05 to 15:24 GMT on 19 October, reducing the spacecraft's speed and direction by more than 1.5 km/s. The TGO is now on its planned orbit around Mars. European Space Agency teams at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, continue to monitor the good health of their second orbiter around Mars, which joins the 13-year old Mars Express.

The ESOC teams are trying to confirm contact with the Entry, Descent & Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM), Schiaparelli, which entered the Martian atmosphere some 107 minutes after TGO started its own orbit insertion manoeuvre.

The 577-kg EDM was released by the TGO at 14:42 GMT on 16 October. Schiaparelli was programmed to autonomously perform an automated landing sequence, with parachute deployment and front heat shield release between 11 and 7 km, followed by a retrorocket braking starting at 1100 m from the ground, and a final fall from a height of 2 m protected by a crushable structure.

Prior to atmospheric entry at 14:42 GMT, contact via the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), the world's largest interferometric array, located near Pune, India, was established just after it began transmitting a beacon signal 75 minutes before reaching the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere. However, the signal was lost some time prior to landing.

A series of windows have been programmed to listen for signals coming from the lander via ESA'S Mars Express and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Atmosphere & Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probes. The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) also has listening slots.

If Schiaparelli reached the surface safely, its batteries should be able to support operations for three to ten days, offering multiple opportunities to re-establish a communication link.

TGO is equipped with a suite of science instruments in order to study the Martian environment from orbit. Although mostly a technology demonstrator, Schiaparelli is also carrying a small science payload to perform some observations from ground.

ExoMars 2016 is the first part of a two-fold international endeavour conducted by ESA in cooperation with Roskosmos in Russia that will also encompass the ExoMars 2020 mission. Due in 2020, the second ExoMars mission will include a Russian lander and a European rover, which will drill down to 2 m underground to look for pristine organic material.
The whirring sound of Hyperloop UC's hover engines filled the conference room as an anxious crowd shuffled closer for a better view.

Would this student-designed prototype actually levitate?

The answer came in a matter of moments as the eight miniature engines gained revolutions per minute -- emitting noises reminiscent of Star Wars sound effects -- and the 14-foot-long Hyperloop UC pod achieved roughly a quarter-inch of magnetic levitation.

The unveiling and demo of Hyperloop UC's prototype at the University of Cincinnati's Myers Alumni Center on Oct. 17 was indeed a moment to celebrate for a team of more than 60 UC students who had been working nonstop to refine their entry into an international Hyperloop competition hosted by Tesla founder Elon Musk. As CEO of the aerospace firm SpaceX, Musk has challenged the world to submit ideas -- and now prototypes -- for a tube-based passenger system that would allow for travel between cities at the speed of sound. Testing of prototypes will take place January 27-29 when they will insert their pod for takeoff in a mile-long test track next to SpaceX in Hawthorne, California.

UC got involved when UC aerospace engineering graduate student Dhaval Shiyani took Musk's challenge to heart last year and began assembling an interdisciplinary team from across campus. UC's group is one of just 30 that has advanced to the test round of the Hyperloop competition out of more than 1,200 teams worldwide.

"We are very proud of the design we have created," said Shiyani, Hyperloop UC's president and an international student from India. "It hits all the marks with respect to performance, safety and scalability. Our education at UC has taught us well, and we are confident that we will be a force to reckon with come January."

Fellow graduate student Sid Thatham, also born in India, oversees finance, operations, marketing and fundraising for Hyperloop UC.

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"Our journey has been pretty amazing," said Thatham. "We've had a chance to work on something that's larger than all of us, something that actually is going to change the way people travel in the near future."

If successful, the venture could completely shift the way commuters travel. Cincinnati to Chicago, for example, could be travelled in a half-hour -- all while passengers relax in a capsule that levitates through the tube at more than 700 mph

"This has been a tremendous marriage of innovation, academics and research," said UC Interim Provost Peter Landgren. "Hyperloop is a global conversation, and Elon Musk needs to be hearing what's going on in Cincinnati."

UC Board of Trustees Chairman Rob Richardson, Eng '02, JD '05, also offered words of encouragement to the team.

"When we talk about innovation and what that means, it is not about making money," said Richardson, who received his first degree in electrical engineering. "It is really about that spirit and that passion that anything is possible, and you can rebel against the status quo.

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"That spirit you have today will be challenged. People will tell you that your idea can't be done or that you are not the one that can do this. The beginning of being an innovator is being comfortable being dismissed. People often assume that because it hasn't been done, it can't be done. But nothing was possible until it was."

Richardson has also been the key driver behind Next Lives Here, an innovation summit at UC on Oct. 20 that will also include the Hyperloop UC prototype.

UC's hyperloop team was among 120 teams invited to Texas A&M University in January of 2016 to present their ideas, where they were then selected to be among just 30 who are moving on to the final round of competition. UC is also the only group representing Ohio universities.

"People always say that seeing is believing and personally, seeing Hyperloop UC's design mature from rendering to prototype only further affirms that we are doing everything right here at the College of Engineering and Applied Science," said Teik C. Lim, UC CEAS dean and Herman Schneider professor of mechanical engineering. "We are always challenging our students to be innovative and cutting edge, and Hyperloop UC is all of that and so much more.

"These are engineers, designers and business students all working side by side -- just as they would in the real world. They have taken their vision, formed by a host of different minds, and together have made it a reality. I couldn't be more pleased with what they have accomplished. I wish them much success as they enter the final round."

Next, UC's team will ship their pod to California for preliminary track testing in early November ahead of the competition with the 29 other teams in January.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr62jlAq5vg
What students in school learn from a model experiment depends on how similar the model substances look to the originals. This was reported by a team led by Prof Dr Katrin Sommer from the Bochum chair of Chemistry Education in Rubin, the science magazine at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum.

As part of a carousel activity with various experiments, the scientists had 234 pupils from the 7th grade perform a model experiment on the subject of dust explosions. They then ascertained to what extent the pupils were able to link the experiment to the actual occurrence of a flour dust explosion at the Roland Mill in Bremen. One group performed the experiment with the original substance wheat flour, a second group with similar-looking corn flour and the last group with black toner.

Acquiring abstract knowledge

The students recognized the link between the real context and the model experiment better when the model substance looked more similar to the original: 96.5 per cent of the wheat flour group made the link, as did 86 per cent of the corn group, but only 56 per cent of the toner group.

However, the data from the Bochum team suggests that children in the toner group could acquire a more general concept of the mechanisms behind an explosion; the researchers now want to look at this idea more closely. "Which substance one should use for a model experiment -- one similar to the original or one unlike the original -- thus depends on what you want to teach the children," says PhD student Christina Toschka.

New apparatus for dust explosions

At present, the dust explosion is only rarely performed in lessons using the original substance wheat flour as the experiment is often unsuccessful. To give teachers the freedom to choose between the various substances in the future, Dr Hennig Steff and PhD student Thomas Philipp Schroder have developed a new apparatus for the experiment.

This ensures that the dust explosion is successful with various powders and sources of ignition. They have replicated the apparatus in a workshop with around a hundred teachers, so it is already being used in practice in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Detailed article in Rubin

You can find more information in a detailed article in Rubin, the science magazine at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (http://news.rub.de/english/2016-10-21-chemistry-education-learning-model-experiments).
[October 20, 2016] Department of Defense Awards $7 Million Crowdsourced Security Contracts to HackerOne and Synack

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced today it awarded contracts for crowdsourced vulnerability discovery and disclosure programs to HackerOne and Synack. The contracts will enable DoD to create a vehicle for future crowdsourced challenges and reward the research community to identify and resolve security vulnerabilities within DoD digital assets. The two-pronged effort in partnership with Synack and HackerOne will harness the power of security researchers to scour the DoD's applications, websites and networks for vulnerabilities. After the success of the "Hack the Pentagon" pilot led by Defense Digital Services and managed by HackerOne, the DoD will launch a full scale program to include more public facing properties as well as mission-critical assets through two distinct contracts. The first contract, awarded to HackerOne, will allow DoD and HackerOne to run bug bounty challenges similar to Hack the Pentagon to protect public facing assets and domains. The new contract, awarded to Synack, is modeled after a private, managed bounty incentive model utilizing only highly vetted researchers and is focused on the DoD's sensitive IT assets. The RFP was issued in August 2016. After completing a thorough and competitive process for each of the contracts, the DoD, moving with a pace more common to a Silicon Valley company, awarded these two contracts in September 2016. The combined contracts are valued at $7 million and are expected to cover up to 14 challenges and reward hundreds of security researchers. "As adversaries become more sophisticated and the threat environment continues to evolve, maintaining the highest levels of security has never been more important," said Mark Wright, Spokesman at Office of the Secretary of Defense. "By partnering with these leading crowdsourced security companies, we can take a much more innovative, diverse, scalable and effective approach to better protect and defend our digital assets." "No government o organization is so powerful that it does not need outside help identifying security issues. Working with the external hacker community will supplement the crucial cybersecurity work that DoD is doing internally," said Marten Mickos, CEO HackerOne. "Securing our online society is paramount and this puts the U.S. federal government in the forefront."



"This award really marks a turning point in harnessing innovation to secure the nation's most critical assets. We now have one of the largest enterprises carrying some of the world's most sensitive information embracing Crowd Security Intelligence," said Jay Kaplan, CEO of Synack. "As attacks become more sophisticated, the DoD is taking a much needed innovative approach to security by harnessing the world's best security researchers. Over the last two years we have been able to deliver actionable results to our F500/G500 customers. Now it's rewarding to be able to deliver those same benefits to the DoD." HackerOne and Synack are the leaders in the crowdsourced security industry and will help the DoD to quickly and efficiently launch challenges to help secure DoD assets and increase adoption of the crowdsourced approach to security. Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter's assessment of the initial Hack the Pentagon pilot was that they got higher efficacy and superior results when compared to a more traditional testing approach.

About HackerOne HackerOne is the world's most popular bug bounty platform, connecting organizations with the world's largest community of highly-qualified hackers. More than 600 organizations, including The U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors (News - Alert), Uber, Twitter, GitHub, Kaspersky Lab, Square, Dropbox and the CERT Coordination Center trust HackerOne to find critical software vulnerabilities before criminals can exploit them. HackerOne customers have resolved more than 31,000 vulnerabilities and awarded hackers more than $10,000,000 in bug bounties. HackerOne is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, please visit https://hackerone.com. About Synack Based in Redwood City, California, Synack is a security company revolutionizing how enterprises view cybersecurity: through a hacker's eyes. Synack's private, managed crowdsourced security solution arms clients with hundreds of the world's most skilled, highly vetted ethical hackers who provide a truly adversarial perspective of clients' IT environments. Synack's confidential client base is comprised of some of the largest F500/G500 enterprise organizations across banking and financial services, healthcare, consumer goods and retail, manufacturing, technology and the U.S. Federal Government. All engagements are conducted by Synack's vetted skilled professionals and are treated with absolute privacy. Synack was founded in 2013 by former NSA security experts Jay Kaplan, CEO, and Dr. Mark Kuhr, CTO. For more information, please visit https://www.synack.com/Government/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161020006521/en/

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Via a NASA-led citizen science project, eight people with no formal training in astrophysics helped discover what could be a fruitful new place to search for planets outside our solar system -- a large disk of gas and dust encircling a star known as a circumstellar disk.

A paper, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and coauthored by eight citizen scientists involved in the discovery, describes a newly identified red dwarf star, AWI0005x3s, and its warm circumstellar disk, the kind associated with young planetary systems. Most of the exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system, that have been imaged to date dwell in disks similar to the one around AWI0005x3s.

The disk and its star are located in what is dubbed the Carina association -- a large, loose grouping of similar stars in the Carina Nebula approximately 212 light years from our sun. Its relative proximity to Earth will make it easier to conduct follow-on studies.

"Most disks of this kind fade away in less than 30 million years," said Steven Silverberg, a graduate student at Oklahoma University and lead author of the paper. "This particular red dwarf is a candidate member of the Carina association, which would make it around 45 million years old. It's the oldest red dwarf system with a disk we've seen in one of these associations."

Since the launch of NASA's Disk Detective website in January 2014, approximately 30,000 citizen scientists have performed roughly two million classifications of stellar objects, including those that led to this discovery. Through Disk Detective, citizen scientists study data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission (WISE), the agency's Two-Micron All Sky Survey project, and other stellar surveys.

"Without the help of the citizen scientists examining these objects and finding the good ones, we might never have spotted this object," said Marc Kuchner, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Fight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who leads Disk Detective. "The WISE mission alone found 747 million objects, of which we expect a few thousand to be circumstellar disks."

The eight citizen scientist co-authors, members of an advanced user group, volunteered to help by researching disk candidates. Their data led to the discovery of this new disk.

"I've loved astronomy since childhood and wanted to be part of the space program, as did every boy my age," adds Milton Bosch, a citizen scientist co-author from California. "I feel very fortunate to be part of such a great group of dedicated people, and am thrilled to partake in this adventure of discovery and be a co-author on this paper."

Disk Detective is a collaboration between NASA, Zooniverse, the University of Oklahoma, University of Cordoba in Argentina, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Space Telescope Science Institute, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Carnegie Institution of Washington, University of Hawaii and Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

To learn more about opportunities for the public to participate in NASA science and technology projects, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/solve
Prescribing a medication plan for a patient with Parkinson's disease is a big challenge for doctors, but now a University of Rhode Island biomedical engineering professor and his students are making great strides in solving that problem with their groundbreaking research.

Kunal Mankodiya, director of URI's Wearable Biosensing Laboratory, says he's researching how to transform gloves, socks, clothing and even shoes into high-tech items that will make people healthier -- and improve their lives.

"We are in the era of game-changing technology, especially in health care," says Mankodiya. "URI's College of Engineering is pioneering new medical devices that will change the way people receive medical care. It's an exciting time for the University -- and Rhode Islanders."

Mankodiya's research focuses on smart textiles -- wearable items embedded with sensors, electronics and software that can collect data from patients, even though they are at home, and deliver it to doctors. The benefit is that doctors will be able to make more informed decisions remotely, and patients will be more involved with their care.

The professor and his team of students have been working on "smart wearables" for years as part of their research on the "Internet of Things," a framework to automate human interactions with Cloud computing. One creation that made headlines last year was a wristband that monitors the tremors of Parkinson's patients and sends that information to doctors over an Internet connection.

This year, the team is turning its attention to textiles, designing items for patients with neurological illnesses. The gloves are the latest project. They are embedded with sensors on the fingers and thumb that measure tremors and rigidity -- common symptoms of Parkinson's.

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The gloves, in turn, are connected to cell phones, which process the data and deliver it to neurologists in their offices. This way, doctors can manage the treatment plan of the patient day-to-day, ensuring that medication is working properly and eliminating the need for patients to make stressful clinical visits.

"Patients with Parkinson's face many mobility issues -- driving and even walking long distances," Mankodiya says. "The glove will give patients the option of receiving health care while remaining at home, and it also reduces the risk of falls and other accidents."

Mankodiya is also working on high-tech socks for people who have suffered strokes. Again, sensors and software woven into the fabric relay information about a patient's gait to doctors and physical therapists so they can tailor rehabilitation therapy to each patient.

"The socks examine the walking stride," Mankodiya says. "They can quantify movements of the knee and ankle joints to find subtle irregularities that require therapy. The socks also monitor a patient's progress."

Other projects focus on developing tools to image, sense and record brain function to treat Parkinson's, as well as other neurological diseases, like epilepsy. The projects were made possible through National Science Foundation grants, one of which involves collaboration with Walter Besio, URI professor of biomedical engineering.

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In addition, Mankodiya is partnering with Lifespan Hospitals to create smartwatch technologies for patients with psychiatric illnesses and autism. Although research is still in the early stages, the watches are expected to measure the patient's daily behavior and activities.

Nick Peltier, a senior majoring in computer science, is creating a smartwatch app that will help people with autism. He says the project is the most satisfying one he's tackled at URI.

"I hope the watch will help these patients learn about themselves and make it easier for the parents and caregivers to know what's going on,'' says Peltier, of Coventry. "Let's say a response is triggered every Tuesday, at the same time, on the patient's smartwatch. The next step would be to determine what's happening during that time on that day so the person can make adjustments.''

Matt Constant, a junior computer engineering major, is also working on the smartwatch app, as well as the glove. "It's very fulfilling,'' says Constant of West Warwick. "I get to apply what I'm learning in classes and also help people. I'm experiencing things at URI that I would never learn otherwise. It's exciting working on important problems like this at such a young age.''

Born in India, Mankodiya received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Saurashtra University and his doctorate in computer science from the University of Luebeck in Germany. He did post-doctoral research at Carnegie Mellon University and joined URI in 2014.

Besides running his lab, he also teaches a popular course called the "Wearable Internet of Things.'' Some students in his class are working on a smart dog collar to scare away coyotes. Based on a coyote-resistant vest created by a Middletown 7th grader, the collar is expected to shine brightly and ring when coyotes are nearby.

How does the collar know coyotes are lurking? "Good question!" says Mankodiya. "That is the challenge the students have to answer."

Mankodiya also is collaborating with URI's Business Engagement Center to encourage textile manufacturing companies to partner with the University to create new high-tech products.

Mankodiya is busy off campus, too. He represents URI's College of Engineering in Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, a federally-funded organization based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The group is a partnership between industry and academia that is sparking a manufacturing revolution by turning traditional fibers, yarns and fabrics into high-tech devices.

"URI is an energetic institution that makes it possible for professors like me to think outside the box," says Mankodiya. "I integrate learning by doing and hands-on studies into my research and teaching. We all want to create a next generation of engineers who are highly skilled -- and compassionate."
A study in the current journal Oncotarget provides the first evidence linking a disturbance of the most common protein in the body with a poor outcome in pancreatic cancer.

The study reinforces growing evidence that collagen, which forms fibrous networks in skin, tendons and muscles, is intimately involved in several cancers, says the paper's corresponding author, Kevin Eliceiri, director of the Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation (LOCI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For the study, the Wisconsin researchers examined surgical tissues from 114 pancreatic cancer patients and identified a particular rearrangement of collagen fibers surrounding the tumor as a "biomarker" of early death.

A similar rearrangement of collagen has also been found in breast cancer, head, neck, esophageal and colorectal cancers.

"Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body," says Eliceiri. "It's a beautiful molecule -- wavy, with a fibrous nature. Without it we would be a sack of nothing. With this little molecule, the specific fiber organization really matters to metastasis."

The images were created using an automated laser scanning microscope developed at LOCI that shines a laser at tumor specimens mounted on microscope slides. The laser's bright, rapid pulses interact with the collagen fibers, which glow and reveal exquisite details of their structure and relationship to nearby fibers.

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The new study tested how collagen formation might affect metastasis, Eliceiri says. "We did not know anything about survival when we measured the alignment of the collagen in tumors from 114 pancreatic cancer patients. When we looked at the clinical records, we found that the tumors with highly aligned collagen fibers had the worst survival. To our knowledge, this is the first time this technique was used for prognostic purposes in pancreatic cancer."

First author Cole Drifka, a biomedical engineering postdoctoral researcher, conceived and performed the study under the supervision of Eliceiri and W. John Kao, a professor of pharmacy. "The powerful tissue resource used in this study was made possible by generous financial donations from Teresa's Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer and the Tim and Mary Ann McKenzie Chair of Surgical Oncology Professorship," says Drifka. "Above all, it was made possible by the selfless tissue donations by UW Health patients. The new tissue collection represents a blossoming institutional focus on pancreatic cancer and is now available to all campus researchers seeking to comprehend this challenging disease."

Finding and fighting metastases is a focus in cancer treatment, Eliceiri explains. "The original tumor seldom kills; poor prognosis is usually due to metastases as they spread to new tissues and organs."

The LOCI lab specializes in developing new imaging techniques for living things, with a special interest in studying cells in their microenvironment rather than in isolation. In the case of several major tumor types, the collagen matrix plays a critical role, Eliceiri says.

For reasons yet to be determined, he adds, "cancer progression seems to be associated with the reorientation of the direction of the collagen. The tumor starts with collagen wrapped around it, but when it's time to metastasize, the collagen fiber changes it alignment."

If alignment matters to metastasis, "We want to know what causes the alignment shift, because then maybe we could block that change," Eliceiri says. For example, if a signaling molecule initiates the realignment, it could be a target for drugs.

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Collagen, a structural protein often involved in scarring and wound healing, is emerging as an important factor in a number of other diseases, Eliceiri says. "Collagen may be harmful or protective, but in every disease where collagen is present, it's part of the disease process."

More than a dozen labs at UW-Madison are working on various aspects of collagen. For example, Patricia Keely, professor and chair of cell and regenerative biology who studies the matrix surrounding cells, is exploring its link to breast cancer. Paul Campagnola, a professor of biomedical engineering, is exploring its link in ovarian and lung cancer. Sharon Weber, a co-author on the Oncotarget paper and a professor of surgery, concentrates on pancreatic cancer.

Understanding collagen's role in cancer could have several uses, Weber says.

"Prognosis, which is our focus in this paper, is one. Can we identify some signature in the pattern of collagen that will help us understand which patients are going to do well and which are not? Might collagen patterns also help us sort out which patients should undergo surgery? The patterns of collagen in cancer might also be used to ascertain the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiation so that we can utilize those toxic treatments in those patients who will benefit most."

In cancer, Weber says, knowledge is power. "It would be amazing if we could use these differences in collagen patterns to help discover new therapeutic targets for this devastating disease."
On 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.

Alcator leader and senior research scientist Earl Marmar will present the results at the International Atomic Energy Agency Fusion Energy Conference, in Kyoto, Japan, on Oct. 17.

Nuclear fusion has the potential to produce nearly unlimited supplies of clean, safe, carbon-free energy. Fusion is the same process that powers the sun, and it can be realized in reactors that simulate the conditions of ultrahot miniature "stars" of plasma -- superheated gas -- that are contained within a magnetic field.

For over 50 years it has been known that to make fusion viable on the Earth's surface, the plasma must be very hot (more than 50 million degrees), it must be stable under intense pressure, and it must be contained in a fixed volume. Successful fusion also requires that the product of three factors -- a plasma's particle density, its confinement time, and its temperature -- reaches a certain value. Above this value (the so-called "triple product"), the energy released in a reactor exceeds the energy required to keep the reaction going.

Pressure, which is the product of density and temperature, accounts for about two-thirds of the challenge. The amount of power produced increases with the square of the pressure -- so doubling the pressure leads to a fourfold increase in energy production.

During the 23 years Alcator C-Mod has been in operation at MIT, it has repeatedly advanced the record for plasma pressure in a magnetic confinement device. The previous record of 1.77 atmospheres was set in 2005 (also at Alcator C-Mod). While setting the new record of 2.05 atmospheres, a 15 percent improvement, the temperature inside Alcator C-Mod reached over 35 million degrees Celsius, or approximately twice as hot as the center of the sun. The plasma produced 300 trillion fusion reactions per second and had a central magnetic field strength of 5.7 tesla. It carried 1.4 million amps of electrical current and was heated with over 4 million watts of power. The reaction occurred in a volume of approximately 1 cubic meter (not much larger than a coat closet) and the plasma lasted for two full seconds.

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Other fusion experiments conducted in reactors similar to Alcator have reached these temperatures, but at pressures closer to 1 atmosphere; MIT's results exceeded the next highest pressure achieved in non-Alcator devices by approximately 70 percent.

While Alcator C-Mod's contributions to the advancement of fusion energy have been significant, it is a science research facility. In 2012 the DOE decided to cease funding to Alcator due to budget pressures from the construction of ITER. Following that decision, the U.S. Congress restored funding to Alcator C-Mod for a three-year period, which ended on Sept. 30.

"This is a remarkable achievement that highlights the highly successful Alcator C-Mod program at MIT," says Dale Meade, former deputy director at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, who was not directly involved in the experiments. "The record plasma pressure validates the high-magnetic-field approach as an attractive path to practical fusion energy."

"This result confirms that the high pressures required for a burning plasma can be best achieved with high-magnetic-field tokamaks such as Alcator C-Mod," says Riccardo Betti, the Robert L. McCrory Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester.

Alcator C-Mod is the world's only compact, high-magnetic-field fusion reactor with advanced shaping in a design called a tokamak (a transliteration of a Russian word for "toroidal chamber"), which confines the superheated plasma in a donut-shaped chamber. C-Mod's high-intensity magnetic field -- up to 8 tesla, or 160,000 times the Earth's magnetic field -- allows the device to create the dense, hot plasmas and keep them stable at more than 80 million degrees. Its magnetic field is more than double what is typically used in other designs, which quadruples its ability to contain the plasma pressure.

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C-Mod is third in the line of high-magnetic-field tokamaks, first advocated by MIT physics professor Bruno Coppi, to be built and operated at MIT. Ron Parker, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, led its design phase. Professor Ian Hutchinson of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering led its construction and the first 10 years of operation through 2003.

Unless a new device is announced and constructed, the pressure record just set in C-Mod will likely stand for the next 15 years. ITER, a tokamak currently under construction in France, will be approximately 800 times larger in volume than Alcator C-Mod, but it will operate at a lower magnetic field. ITER is expected to reach 2.6 atmospheres when in full operation by 2032, according to a recent Department of Energy report.

Alcator C-Mod is also similar in size and cost to nontokamak magnetic fusion options being pursued by private fusion companies, though it can achieve pressures 50 times higher. "Compact, high-field tokamaks provide another exciting opportunity for accelerating fusion energy development, so that it's available soon enough to make a difference to problems like climate change and the future of clean energy -- goals I think we all share," says Dennis Whyte, the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, and head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT.

These experiments were planned by the MIT team and collaborators from other laboratories in the U.S. -- including the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and General Atomics -- and conducted on the Alcator C-Mod's last day of operation. The Alcator C-Mod facility, which officially closed after 23 years of operation on Sept. 30, leaves a profound legacy of collaboration. The facility has contributed to more than 150 PhD theses and dozens of interinstitutional research projects.

To understand how Alcator C-Mod's design principles could be applied to power generation, MIT's fusion group is working on adapting newly available high-field, high-temperature superconductors that will be capable of producing magnetic fields of even greater strength without consuming electricity or generating heat. These superconductors are a central ingredient of a conceptual pilot plant called the Affordable Robust Compact (ARC) reactor, which could generate up to 250 million watts of electricity.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut.
[October 20, 2016] Fitch Affirms Jackson County Schneck Memorial Hospital's (IN) Revs at 'A+'; Outlook Stable

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the following Jackson County Schneck Memorial Hospital (JCSMH) Indiana outstanding debt at 'A+': --$18.6 million Indiana Health and Educational Facility Financing Authority revenue bonds, series 2006B; --10.9 million Indiana Finance Authority revenue bonds, series 2010. The Rating Outlook is Stable. SECURITY The bonds are secured by gross revenues, a debt service reserve fund, and any other property which is subjected to the lien of the bond indenture or pledged/or assigned to the bond trustee. KEY RATING DRIVERS LONG-TERM CARE AFFILIATIONS: JCSMH continues to benefit from additional net income through its long-term care affiliations where it has entered into 15 lease agreements with long-term care providers. The agreements allow the hospital to share intergovernmental transfer (IGT) payments which have translated into an additional $14.2 million in net income for fiscal 2015. Revenues from these affiliations comprised approximately 53% of JCSMH's total revenues in fiscal 2015. SMALL REVENUE BASE: JCSMH had total revenues (excluding long-term care revenues) of $134 million in fiscal 2015 which exposes the organization to potential performance volatility from any changes in physician staffing, local demographics, or reimbursement methodology. JCSMH's enhanced revenues from its long-term care affiliations and robust liquidity levels help mitigate concerns over their small revenue base. STRONG OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE: JCSMH further improved its strong operational performance in fiscal 2015 (includes long-term care revenues) as evidenced by its 11% operating margin, 14.6% operating EBITDA margin, and 14.6% EBITDA margin which all compare favorably to Fitch's 'A' category medians. Additionally, strong operational performance has led to a robust maximum annual debt service (MADS) coverage level of 16.1x in fiscal 2015. DOMINANT MARKET POSITION: JCSMH remained the market leader in 2015 with a 65% market share in its primary service area. The next closest competitor had a 13% market share. REDUCED DEBT BURDEN: In September 2016, JCSMH defeased approximately $4.5 million of outstanding debt which further reduced its low debt burden. The reduced MADS number represented 1.9% of fiscal 2015 revenues (hospital only) which is in line with Fitch's 'A' category median of 2.7%. Additionally, JCSMH has no new debt plans and its manageable capital plans are expected to be funded from unrestricted cash or operating cash flow. GROWING LIQUIDITY POSITION: JCSMH's unrestricted cash and investments increased to approximately $200 million in fiscal 2015 which translates into 298 days cash on hand (DCOH), a 77x cushion ratio, and 583% cash to debt, are all significantly above Fitch's 'A' category medians. RATING SENSITIVITIES LONG-TERM CARE AFFILIATIONS: While the loss of this additional income would be viewed negatively, absent these revenues the current rating could withstand a discontinuation of this program given the current operating profile of the hospital. Alternatively, a continuation of additional income from IGT payments could further increase liquidity levels and moderate its debt burden which may result in upward movement of the rating. CREDIT PROFILE JCSMH is located in Seymour, IN approximately 60 miles south of Indianapolis. As a county-owned acute care hospital, JCSMH has 93 staffed beds (licensed for 166 beds) in addition to 20 beds utilized primarily for outpatient surgery and observation patients. JCSMH had total revenues of $284 million (includes long-term care revenues) in fiscal 2015. DOMINANT MARKET POSITION JCSMH held its dominant market position in 2015 with a 65% market share (includes inpatient and outpatient) in its primary service area. The next closest competitor has approximately a 13% market share. Despite maintenance of its leading market position, JCSMH has seen mixed results in its utilization volumes. In fiscal 2015, admissions decreased 6.9%, births fell by 6.6%, and surgeries fell by 3.2%. Conversely, ED volumes increased by 14.7% and clinic visits increased by 8.6%. Concerns over a decrease in utilization are mitigated by the enhanced revenues from the IGT payments and JCSMH's robust liquidity levels. STRONG OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE JCSMH continued its solid operational performance in fiscal 2015 with approximately $31.3 million in income from operations. In fiscal 2015, JCSMH had a 11.0% operating margin, 13.6% operating EBITDA margin, and a 14.6% EBITDA margin which compares favorably to the 'A' category medians of 3.8%, 10.3%, and 12.6% respectively. Solid operational performance has translated into robust coverage levels. In fiscal 2015, JCSMH had MADS coverage 16.1x by EBITDA and coverage of 15.9x by operating EBITDA which both compare favorably to the 'A' category medians of 4.5x and 3.9x. JCSMH's strong performance is partially attributed to its long-term care affiliations which have helped enhance its operations. JCSMH has entered into lease agreements with 15 long-term care providers in which JCSMH owns the operating license and is the party to a long-term care facility's Medicaid provider agreement and qualifies for enhanced Medicaid reimbursement, which is split with the long-term care facility. Approximately $14.2 million in income from operations is attributable to the long-term care affiliations. Enhanced revenues from the long-term care agreements are expected to continue for at least fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017. However, enhanced revenues from the program are uncertain beyond the next few years. ROBUST LIQUIDITY POSITION JCSMH's operational performance has helped enhance its liquidity position in recent years. JCSMH increased its unrestricted cash and investments to $200 million in fiscal 2015 which is an increase from the $139 million in unrestricted cash and investments in fiscal 012. JCSMH's $200 million in unrestricted cash and investments translates into 298.1 DCOH, a 77.0x cushion ratio, and 582.7% cash to debt which all compare favorably to Fitch's 'A' category medians of 215.5, 19.4x, and 148.6%, respectively. Fitch considers JCSMH's robust liquidity position as a primary credit strength and a key mitigant to JCSMH's small revenue base.



DEBT PROFILE JCSMH has approximately $30 million in outstanding debt which is all fixed-rate. JCSMH's outstanding 2006B bonds were placed in May 2013 with Capital One (News - Alert) Public Funding and Jackson County Bank with an initial term of 10 years and faces renewal risk in 2023. In September 2016, JCSMH used cash to defease the $4.5 million in outstanding 2006A bonds. This attests to management's conservative practices as $10.5 million in outstanding 2006A bonds were defeased in May 2013. Both of these actions have reduced the organization's debt burden which is viewed favorably.

The new MADS figure represented 1.9% of fiscal 2015 (hospital-only) revenues which compares favorably to Fitch's 'A' category median of 2.7%. Debt to capitalization was 11.4% in fiscal 2015 which also compares favorably to the 'A' category median of 36%. Furthermore, JCSMH has no new debt plans and its manageable capital plans are expected to be funded from unrestricted cash or operating cash flow. DISCLOSURE JCSMH has covenanted to provide audited financial statements and operating data within 180 days of fiscal year end and quarterly financial information and operating data within 60 days of each quarter end. All information will be posted to MSRB's EMMA website. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/750012 U.S. Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Rating Criteria (pub. 09 Jun 2015)

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Deputies from Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office had no idea what was in store for them when responding to a home burglary alarm call in California on Tuesday. Upon investigation, the officers encountered two fluffy suspects on the premises who evidently made no attempt to even flee the scene.

Stop, in the name of the aww.

Afterward, the perpetrator pups were briefly detained for questioning and, of course, given a hearty cuddle. Apparently, that was good enough for all involved.

"Unknown if they were the actual culprits of the false alarm, but we have our suspicions," Sergeant Rich Glennon told SF Gate. "But they are adorable nonetheless."

Interestingly, this isn't the first case of canine involvement in suspected criminal activity. In fact, just last week a Great Dane in California was caught red handed during the investigation of another alleged home intrusion. He, too, got off with just a warning.
<p><em>Goualougo Triangle Ape Project</em><span></span></p>

Chimps use tools - we've known this since Jane Goodall discovered them using twigs to "fish" for termites in Gombe National Park in the 1960s. More recently, chimps in Uganda were documented using leaves or moss to soak up water so they could have a drink. Now, in a newly released video, a chimp and her baby were filmed doing something scientists can't stop talking about. In the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo, a mother sits at the base of a termite mound and fashions a "fishing rod" by stripping the leaves from a twig. Instead of using the tool herself, she hands it to her baby. Only then does the mom make another one for herself. The baby chimp climbs higher up on the termite mound, and mimics his mom's "fishing" technique to get his own termite dinner.

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Scared Pittie Gets So Happy When He Meets This Guy And His Pack Of Dogs

Goualougo Triangle Ape Project

So what's so remarkable about this discovery? According to Stephanie Musgrave, the lead author of the study published in Scientific Reports, it's the first time wild chimpanzees have been documented teaching their offspring to use tools. "We've known for many years that chimpanzees are amazing tool users," Musgrave told The Dodo. "What's remained a little bit more of a puzzle is figuring out how these different communities come to develop different tool behaviors, as well as how they pass on these skills to the youngsters."

Goualougo Triangle Ape Project

Musgrave and her colleagues documented this behavior by setting up camera traps at termite mounds in the jungle. Then they analyzed the footage - they realized that the mother chimps were reducing their own foraging opportunities by taking the time to give their babies tools. In other words, the moms were getting the shorter end of the stick, while the babies got a bigger benefit. The mother chimps' actions met the scientific criteria for teaching in wild apes.

While it's great to have more scientific evidence of chimp intelligence, it's also not surprising. A captive chimp named Bouboule was recently seen making a "purse" out of leaves to carry her snacks. Another captive chimp named Montaro adopted her friend Soona's baby after Soona died from childbirth, despite being heavily pregnant herself. But it's great that we're getting closer to understanding - and appreciating - the highly intelligent and socially complex chimpanzee, who's said to be the closest relative to humans.
A disabled, old Chihuahua named Mr. Crowley, formerly known as Mouse, has a mysterious past - and an unshakeable spirit. "Mr. Crowley was abandoned in a box in at 12 years old," his new mom, Raquel Fernandes, told The Dodo. A volunteer for the Westchester SPCA in New York found him and brought him to get help at the shelter last May. The tiny Chihuahua was obviously suffering from some problems. "He had a mouth full of rotten teeth, a rotting lower jaw, damaged trachea and Luxating patella, which made it difficult for him to walk even short distances without picking up his rear leg," Fernandes said. The shelter named him Mouse. Mouse sat for six weeks waiting for a home. Visitors seemed to want only younger, more energetic dogs.

Raquel Fernandes

But then one day in early summer, Fernandes and her husband arrived at the shelter looking for someone just like Mouse. "My husband and I had been looking to provide a loving home for a senior dog," Fernandes said. "We knew that there were many of them that get left at shelters due to health issues, and don't have a high chance of adoption." While Fernandes and her husband didn't have any specific breed in mind, through their research they had found out that there were many Chihuahuas in shelters. "We knew then that we had to get one of these little guys out of the shelter and into our home," Fernandes said. But it wasn't as easy to find a dog as they thought it would be. "A lot of the adoptions had fallen through, or there were no responses, and we honestly were getting a little disappointed with the entire experience," Fernandes said. "Then, after deciding to look [online] one last time, I saw little Mouse."

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Wild Horse Loves To Play With A Little Donkey

Raquel Fernandes

When Fernandes read that he was 12 years old, had only 2 teeth and got along with everyone, she had a really good feeling about him. "I thought to myself, 'I think we found him.'"

On the ride home from the shelter | Raquel Fernandes

The couple drove up from Lyndhurst, New Jersey to the Westchester SPCA to meet Mouse in person. "Initially, we just wanted to meet him and see if we would be a good fit together," Fernandes said, remembering the first time she saw the dog who would become part of her family.

First bath at his new home | Raquel Fernandes

"When they first turned the corner with little Mouse in their arms, I was so excited, and kind of sad at the same time. Here was this tiny, 3 pound, skinny, shaky, wobbly little dog that someone had just decided to leave in a box," Fernandes said. "My heart just broke for him, and I knew right away, if he'd have us, we'd love him every single day of the rest of his life."

Raquel Fernandes

The couple took turns holding the shaky little Chihuahua, who reached out and gave Fernandes a lick on the nose. "That moment to us was joy, excitement and peace all at once," Fernandes said. "Anyone who has rescued a dog will agree, that moment is magic."

Raquel Fernandes

They renamed Mouse Mr. Crowley, after an Ozzy Osborne song. "Looking at Mouse making these little noises, and his little tongue sticking out, I just thought he kind of looked like a Crowley," Fernandes said.

Raquel Fernandes

Now Mr. Crowley enjoys a life of love and luxury. He accompanies Fernandes on errands in his favorite tote, so he can see the world. And at home he has a special spot on the couch where he loves to relax. He even has his own Instagram. And as the couple gets to know the dog who entered their home, they're realizing that they didn't just do him a favor - he's teaching them about hardship. "How can this little guy be so open to loving and trusting us, even with all that has happened in his past?" Fernandes said. "We thought we were going to do something good for a dog in need, and turns out, Crowley is the one showing us what unconditional love, forgiveness, trust and patience really are."

Raquel Fernandes
In perhaps one of the biggest blows yet to the canned lion hunt industry, the U.S. will no longer permit the importation of canned trophies into the country. "Today, I'm proud to announce decisions regulating the import of sport-hunted lion trophies under the ESA [Endangered Species Act] from South Africa - home to many of the remaining wild lion populations," Dan Ashe, U.S. Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, wrote in a Huffington Post op-ed announcing the regulation. "Beginning today, the United States will not allow the import of lion trophies taken from captive lion populations in South Africa." Every year, thousands of lions are kept locked up in "canned hunt" facilities in South Africa and other African countries. The mothers are bred constantly, having their hours-old cubs snatched away from them as soon as they're born so they can be forced to produce a new litter.

Blood Lions

The cubs are rented out to cub-petting attractions, or groups that encourage volunteers to pay to "help raise" the young cubs, claiming that the lions will be used for conservation programs - fueling virtually all the cub-petting attractions in Africa. But once the lions are no longer cute enough to make money, they're sent back to the canned hunt facilities.

The hand-raised lions are then sold off to hunters who want the thrill of a lion head on their wall without going through the work of a real hunt. The hunters can select an animal from a catalog - paying premiums if the lion is "pretty" - and the animal is released into an enclosure so the "hunter" can shoot it without it running away. The tame lions are often baited with food so they make an easy shot.

Dodo Shows Little But Fierce Pocket-Sized Kitten Grows Up To Be A Wild Woman

As most of those hunters are American - some estimates say U.S. citizens are responsible for as many as nine out of 10 captive lion killings - the U.S. importation ban could be a crushing blow to the industry, as few people want to pay to shoot a lion without a head or skin to show off. "The vast majority of lion trophies imported into the United States in recent years have been from these captive populations in South Africa, so our decision will likely substantially reduce the total number of lion trophy imports," Ashe said, noting that the regulations will help "halt the exploitation of these incredible animals."

While proponents of canned hunts have long claimed that the staged hunting helps conservation by reducing demand for wild lions, Ashe wrote that the industry has yet to prove that the canned hunts do any good for wild populations, writing in a tweet that "Captive #lion hunts in South Africa can't show conservation benefits to wild lions."

"In order to permit the import of lion trophies under the ESA, exporting nations like South Africa must provide clear evidence showing a demonstrable conservation benefit to the long-term survival of the species in the wild," he said in the op-ed. "In the case of lions taken from captive populations in South Africa, that burden of proof has not been met. Many Americans, whether they hunt or not, believe that hunting captive-bred lions is unethical. Regardless, our decision to prohibit such imports is based solely - as the law requires - on our evaluation of the conservation benefits of captive lion hunts. If and when such benefits can be clearly shown, we may reevaluate our position."

Blood Lions

The canned trophy ban is just the latest fall-out from the December decision to list lions under the ESA - and the protections come just in time. Lions have lost around 95 percent of their population since the 1940s; there are only around 20,000 left in the wild, with hunters legally killing another 600 wild lions, or 2 to 3 percent of the total population, each year. Even more are lost to poaching and livestock protection. Ashe said that the trophy ban is just one part of a multi-faceted approach designed "to engage and empower local communities - helping them to view lions as an asset, not a liability."

Blood Lions

He noted that the population of sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double in the next few decades, placing lions even more at risk for rapid extinction. "Even protected areas are affected," Ashe wrote. "Humans are also depleting the wild prey that supports lions, consuming these animals and selling them as bushmeat, or wild-sourced meat. Faced with declining habitat and prey, lions are increasingly targeting livestock and people - resulting in retaliatory killing of lions." The U.S. plans to provide continue to fund conservation efforts, Ashe wrote, as well as work with law enforcement partners to halt poaching and local partners to reduce lion-human conflicts. However, it's not all good news. Ashe also supported legal wild-lion hunters, claiming in his op-ed that big game hunting - in South Africa at least - can play a part in successful conservation programs.

Blood Lions

"[Hunters'] participation in well-managed hunting programs can help advance the conservation benefits," he wrote. "We have determined that sport hunting of wild and wild-managed lions does contribute to the long-term conservation of the species in South Africa, thanks to the effective management program overseen by South Africa's Ministry of Environmental Affairs ... It's important to understand that lions are not in trouble because of responsible sport hunting.

Blood Lions

The U.S. is still reviewing requests by Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe to permit trophies from their wild lion hunts to be imported into the U.S. However, the claim of sustainable hunting is highly contested. While big game hunters say that wild hunting helps funnel money into local villages, as little as 3 percent of that money actually reaches locals, as most of it is siphoned off by hunting middlemen and local governments. And current hunting levels - which permit up to 3 percent of wild lions to be killed each year - are entirely unsustainable, and have contributed to a significant, and ongoing, decline in wild lion populations.

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NEW YORKToy companies are working harder to think outside their usual box, offering more-inclusive items like dolls with disabilities, female superhero figures and characters with a range of skin tones.

Many of the products breaking down the barriers started with smaller businesses, but big names s this holiday season.

What that means on the shelves is Barbies that have a greater variety of body types, eye colours and facial structures, a Lego mini-figure of a boy who uses a wheelchair, and an American Girl doll with accessories like a diabetes kit and arm crutches in addition to the hearing aids and service dogs it has offered before. Other items include coding toys, robots and circuit builder sets aimed at both girls and boys.

Jennifer Weitzman, whose 5-year-old daughter Hannah has cochlear implants, has the American Girl doll with hearing aids and a Tinker Bell doll with a cochlear implant that Weitzman bought from a British site called ToyLikeMe.org.

She lit up when she was given them. She thinks its awesome that they have implants just like her, said Weitzman, of Mount Kisco, N.Y. For many kids, it helps them identify and makes them feel included.

The trend started a few years ago, pushed by parents who didnt see enough diversity in the toy aisle and were turning to the internet or start-ups to find items.

Increasingly, the inclusiveness in the toy aisle means dolls with disabilities. Toys R Us has carried an exclusive line since 2013 called Journey Girls, which includes a wheelchair and a crutch set. Its partnership with American Girl to carry the Truly Me collection starting this month will include dolls that also use crutches, diabetes kits and wheelchairs.

While Lego has had larger figures before that use wheelchairs, the mini-figure introduced this year comes as part of the Fun in the Park set, mixed in with several figures that dont.

The designers were thinking about what might you see in the park in the city, said Lego spokesman Michael McNally.

Lego mini-figures had been yellow so that children could imagine their own identity for the characters. Weve always been about helping kids find themselves, McNally said. But in 2004, it introduced flesh tones when representing real-life personalities.

Experts say its critical for children to play with toys that dont perpetuate stereotypes about whats considered beautiful. They say the toys children play with have lasting impressions on their careers and their confidence.

Theres been some good progress, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done, said Elizabeth Sweet, a sociologist and lecturer at California State University in Sacramento, California. Kids need to see themselves in the toys and objects they interact with.

For building toys, the company GoldiBlox, founded in 2012, was among the first to disrupt the pink aisle by offering construction sets aimed at girls. But it also realized it needed more racial diversity, and last fall introduced a black character called Ruby Rails and has since then added a Latina engineer called Valentina and other characters.

Many experts have been closely watching the moves made by Mattel, particularly with its iconic Barbie, whose business has been rebounding amid a makeover after seeing its sales suffer. The nations largest toy maker launched the Barbie Fashionista collection last year that offered more skin tones, eye colours and facial structures. This year, it added three body types  curvy, petite and tall. It said those items have been doing well. Spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni says the company is also looking to add different body shapes to the Barbie career line and the Fairytale doll collection.

Racial diversity can also be key. American Girl, which is owned by Mattel, launched a doll this year whose story is that she is growing up in civil rights-era Detroit. Wal-Marts My Life As doll collection has expanded the number of skin shades available, and Hasbro is adding more skin tones to its Baby Alive doll for next year.

Beyond introducing dolls and games that feature all kinds of characters, companies are starting to think differently about toys that have traditionally been aimed at boys or girls. The White House held a conference on gender stereotypes in media and the toys, drawing executives from major toy companies.

Target Corp. phased out gender-based signage in the toy aisle last year. It also was for a time the exclusive seller of Hasbros D.C. Super Hero Girls, including Wonder Woman and Batgirl, which were the first 6-inch action figures designed for girls. They join other female characters in the action figure aisle that include Black Widow and Star Wars heroine Rey, says Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM, an online toy review site.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is selling its first 18-inch boy doll this holiday season under the My Life As brand, and Hasbro plans to launch a boy doll under the Baby Alive brand next year.

John Frascotti, president of Hasbro Brands, cited My Little Pony, which originally was aimed at girls, and Nerf, which was traditionally for boys. Hasbro found the brands attract both boys and girls, so three years ago, it launched Nerf Rebelle that was styled for girls. As for My Little Pony, its expanding into comic books, usually more a domain for boys.

We are focusing on storytelling and worrying less about gender, he said.

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ImagineNATIVE and Planet in Focus: Moviegoers have a huge range of worthy viewing options this weekend thanks to the return of two of the fall movie seasons key events. Indeed, the slate at imagineNATIVE seems especially generous, what with the docs, shorts, features and other varieties of screen content on offer at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Screening Oct. 21, Maliglutit is Inuit director Zacharias Kunuks more frigid yet still riveting reinterpretation of John Fords classic western The Searchers. Then on Oct. 22, imagineNATIVE, Hot Docs and Native Child and Family Services of Toronto co-present We Cant Make the Same Mistake Twice, a searing examination of the legal battle to improve the lot of Canadas aboriginal youth by NFB great Alanis Obomsawin, whose landmark 1993 doc Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance was named one of the 150 essential works of Canadian cinema in TIFFs new poll for the sesquicentennial. Another new feature that makes its Ontario premiere at the festival, The Northlander puts a Metis spin on the familiar tropes of the postapocalyptic thriller  it plays Oct. 23.

Meanwhile, Planet in Focus continues its latest eco-themed program with screenings and events at a variety of venues. Highlights include Bugs (Oct. 21 at Innis Town Hall), a Danish doc about a group of gastronomic scientists determined to make insects a more desirable food option for wary westerners, and Behemoth (Oct. 22 at AGOs Jackman Hall), a visually stunning study of the impact of rapid industrialization in Inner Mongolia that won two prizes at last years Venice festival for director Zhao Liang but was banned from public execution in China. Planet in Focus closes Oct. 23 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with What Lies Below, a doc profile of legally blind activist Lawrence Gunther and his efforts to raise the alarm about the threats to Canadas water sources and the fish who swim in them.

Macedonian, Eatable and Cinefranco fests, too: Could there really be room for three more film fests this week? Apparently so. On Oct. 22 and 23, the Carlton hosts the 11th annual Macedonian Film Festival. The program of features, docs and shorts includes Q&As with two visiting Macedonian filmmakers, Goce Cvetanovski and Goran Trenchovski. Returning for the Royal for its second annual program of food-and-movie matchups overseen by local culinary MVPs, Eatable begins with a matinee of Jim Jarmuschs Coffee and Cigarettes on Oct. 22 accompanied by food and drink by Sam James Coffee Bar, Blackbird Baking Co. and Chocolates X Brandon Olsen. On Oct. 23, a showing of Big Night will be followed by a VIP experience overseen by Pizzeria Librettos Rocco Agostino and Enoteca Sociales James Santon. Back to share its traditional bounty of subtitled French-language fare, Cinefranco launches its six-day program at Alliance francaise de Torontos Spadina Theatre on Oct. 27. Identities in crisis and human rights issues are at the forefront in a set of new features beginning with the French comedy Retour chez ma mere (Back to Moms) and the Quebecois drama Montreal la blanche (Montreal, White City).

Driving With Selvi: A terrific Canadian doc that tells the wrenching but inspirational story of South Indias first female taxi driver, Driving With Selvi has travelled far and wide since it served as a very moving opening-night selection for the Reel Asian festival last year. Fresh from screenings in London and Brussels, it returns for a limited run at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema this week. Director Elisa Paloschi and her subject Selvi will both attend Q&As after the showings on Oct. 22, 24, 26 and 27.

In Brief:

Cineplex hosts free screenings for its Community Day on Oct. 22  proceeds from $2 snacks go to WE Charity.

The Revues Food in Film program continues with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and sweets by chocolatier David Chow on Oct. 24.

A grisly Manson Family-inspired freakout from 1970, I Drink Your Blood plays Rue Morgues Cinemacabre series at the Royal on Oct. 27.

Other New Releases:

The Hotel Dieu at the Carlton, The Swedish Theory of Love at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and a 4K restoration of Howards End at Cineplex Cinemas Yonge Dundas.

jandersonesque@gmail.com

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OTTAWACanada and Russia traded barbs at the United Nations on Thursday as Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion led calls for an end to the bloody conflict in Syria.

The exchange came during a special session of the UN General Assembly, organized by Canada and supported by more than 70 countries, in which Canada hoped to ratchet up pressure on Russia and Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the five-year-old war.

Dion blasted the Security Councils failure to end the conflict before turning his sights towards Russia and Assad. The two have a responsibility to protect civilians, he warned, before calling them belligerents to the conflict.

Dion called for an immediate end to airstrikes in the city of Aleppo, where Russian and Syrian government forces have conducted an unprecedented number of airstrikes in recent weeks. And he brushed aside a pause in the bombing instituted by Russia earlier this week.

A short humanitarian pause, announced unilaterally, without notice and without clear parameters, does not allow the necessary aid, said Dion.

About 250,000 people are trapped in rebel-held parts of the city, which aid convoys have not been able to reach since July. UN officials reported that water and food supplies are running dangerously low and half of those caught in the crossfire are children.

But Vitaly Churkin, Russias ambassador to the UN, showed no signs of backing down. Instead, he repeated past assertions that Russian and Syrian forces were fighting terrorist groups, some of which have been trained and equipped by the U.S.

Churkin went on to note that Dion had made no mention of either Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and the Levant or other terrorist groups, and he appeared to question if Canada was committed to fighting such elements.

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari also attacked Canada, accusing it of violating his countrys sovereignty by deploying military forces inside Syria without permission.

Canadian fighter jets conducted several bombing missions against Daesh inside Syria between March 2015 and February 2016. While those warplanes have since been withdrawn, Canada still has two surveillance planes and an air-to-air refuelling aircraft operating in Syrian and Iraqi airspace.

But Dion was far from the only one to lament the Security Councils failure to intervene or criticize Russia and the Syrian government. Diplomats from around the world echoed his concerns, as well as the idea of holding an emergency session of the General Assembly to sidestep the Security Council.

Diplomats from a number of countries also thanked Canada for organizing the session, even as they blasted the Security Council for its inaction.

In an interview before the session, Dion said Canada and other countries were expressing their frustration with the current situation. And while the session itself will likely turn out to be largely symbolic, we need to try everything.

I think it will add to the pressure for action, he said. Because you will have many countries saying the same thing, accentuating the sense that inaction is unacceptable.

Diplomats were particularly critical of Russias decision to veto a Security Council resolution on Oct. 8 that would have demanded an end to airstrikes and other military flights over Aleppo.

In their briefings, UN officials painted a dire picture of the situation in Aleppo. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had few words left to describe the Syrian tragedy.

Health care facilities have been mercilessly pummelled and hunger has been used as a weapon, Ban said.

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Whats a government to do when promises start to unravel? Were about to find out.

The Trudeau Liberals 2015 platform took quite a knocking this month. Electoral reform? Not if Canadians dont want it, says Justin Trudeau, while continuing to resist the obvious mechanism  a referendum  for finding out whether they do. More generosity on health care? Actually, Stephen Harpers plan for modest growth to transfers is fine, thanks. Targeted federal funding for provinces to implement their own carbon pricing policies? Trudeau announced a very different plan in Ottawa while federal and provincial environment ministers were meeting in Montreal.

Well, new times demand new plans. And just in time, here comes the Liberals 2016 platform: Higher immigration, more foreign direct investment in Canada, and a bigger stake for outside investors in Canadian infrastructure.

Its not what Canadians voted for in an election only a year ago. But the author of the new plan  Dominic Barton, the influential head of Finance Minister Bill Morneaus Advisory Council on Economic Growth  hopes to make the shock more palatable by dangling the prospect of a $15,000 raise for the average Canadian family by 2030.

This oughta be fun.

Barton is the global head of McKinsey & Co., the consulting firm. His mandate is to find ways the government can add a percentage point to Canadas rate of economic growth. If such a thing were easy, everyone would be doing it. The committee he leads is full of blue-chip business leaders, a Canadian Establishment for the 21st century. He is so close to Morneau and to Trudeaus circle of advisers that even after he took this volunteer advisory gig, Trudeau kept trying  so far without luck  to recruit Barton as Canadas new ambassador to China.

These people talk all the time. There is zero chance that anything in Bartons first report comes as a surprise to anyone in Morneaus or Trudeaus office. Bartons new gospel is a classic case of preaching to the choir.

His proposals are bold. He says so himself. Repeatedly. He wants to increase immigration by 50 per cent in five years, to 450,000, through an increase in the economic immigration stream. He wants to make it far easier for growing firms to get highly skilled employees into the country, essentially recasting the Temporary Foreign Worker program as a pipeline for MBAs, not unskilled labour.

Barton also wants Trudeau to create a new agency to attract foreign direct investment. This would be on the other end of the ideological universe from Pierre Trudeaus Foreign Investment Review Agency, the central institution of early-1970s Canadian economic nationalism. Even Stephen Harpers wariness about many investments  for instance those by Chinese state-owned enterprises in an Alberta oilpatch that was substantially privatized not that long ago  would go by the boards in Bartons vision.

Finally, Barton calls for a Canadian Infrastructure Development Bank, to bridge the gap between Canadas bottomless need for roads, rails and transmission lines, and global investors need for steady returns on investment.

I wrote about this part of Bartons plan, which is already Morneaus and Trudeaus, at length here last weekend. The scale of their ambition here is breathtaking. Examples include toll highways and bridges, high-speed rail, port and airport expansions, smart city infrastructure, national broadband infrastructure, power transmission and natural resource infrastructure, Barton writes airily.

This week all kinds of questions have already been raised about how this beast would work in real life. What happens if an investor gets cold feet, or goes bankrupt, five years into a 20-year project? What if no investors want to back projects in Atlantic Canada, where every MP these days is a Liberal?

To smooth over such objections, Barton suggests his recommendations, taken together, would boost real, pre-tax median annual household income by $15,000 by 2030. Thats a raise from $79,000 in 2014 to about $105,000 in 2030, whereas it is currently projected to hit somewhere around $90,000. That target date is at least three federal elections in the future. Makes accountability tricky.

Theres a precedent for this manoeuvre. In 1994, a year after Jean Chretiens government was elected, the Liberal finance minister of the day, Paul Martin, released a purple-covered book with the imposing title, A New Framework For Economic Policy. It announced that the Keynesian pro-growth policies Chretien had run and won on were now postponed, in favour of fighting deficits. Bartons recommendations work essentially the same trick in reverse.

The cost of such quick-change acts is measured in confusion and voter cynicism. Their success, Liberals hope now as they did then, is paid in the hard coin of a strong economy. Its a gamble.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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[October 20, 2016] Infoblox and Vista Equity Partners Receive Approval from the German Federal Cartel Office in Connection with Proposed Transaction

Infoblox (News - Alert) Inc. (NYSE:BLOX) ("Infoblox") and Vista Equity Partners ("Vista") today announced that they have received approval from the German Federal Cartel Office in connection with Vista's previously-announced tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Infoblox at a price of $26.50 per share in cash. As previously announced on October 14, 2016, the United States Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC (News - Alert)") and Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice (the "Antitrust Division") have granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the "HSR Act"). Vista's affiliate, India Merger Sub, Inc., commenced the tender offer on October 7, 2016 and the tender offer will remain open for Infoblox stockholders until 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on November 4, 2016, unless extended or earlier terminated in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement. The transaction remains subject to a minimum tender condition and other closing conditions described in the Schedule 14D-9 filed on October 7, 2016, as amended, and is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal 2017. About Infoblox Infoblox (NYSE:BLOX) delivers Actionable Network Intelligence to enterprise, government, and service provider customers around the world. As the industry leader in DNS, DHCP, and IP address management, the category known as DDI, Infoblox (www.infoblox.com) provides control and security from the core-empowering thousands of organizations to increase efficiency and visibility, reduce risk, and improve customer experience. About Vista Equity Partners Vista Equity Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm with offices in Austin, Chicago and San Francisco, with more than $26 billion in cumulative capital commitments, currently invests in software, data and technology-based organizations led by world-class management teams with long-term perspective. Vista is a value-added investor, contributing professional expertise and multi-level support towards companies realizing their full potential. Vista's investment approach is anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions, and proven management techniques that yield flexibility and opportunity in private equity investing. For more information, please visit www.vistaequitypartners.com. Forward Looking Statements All statements in this communication that are not statements o historical fact are forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements often use words such as "anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "hope", "aim", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "could" or "should" or other words of similar meaning or the negative thereof. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: (i) uncertainties as to the timing of the proposed transaction; (ii) the risk that the proposed transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; (iii) uncertainties as to the percentage of Infoblox's stockholders that will support the proposed transaction and tender their shares in the offer; (iv) the possibility that competing offers or acquisition proposals for Infoblox will be made; (v) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive any required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on such approvals); (vi) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement, including in circumstances which would require Infoblox to pay a termination fee or other expenses; (vii) risks regarding the failure to obtain the necessary financing to complete the proposed transaction; (viii) risks related to the debt financing arrangements entered into in connection with the proposed transaction; (ix) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed transaction on Infoblox's ability to retain and hire key personnel, its ability to maintain relationships with its customers, resellers, channel partners, suppliers and others with whom it does business, or its operating results and business generally; (x) risks related to diverting management's attention from Infoblox's ongoing business operations; (xi) the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the proposed transaction; (xii) changes in economic conditions, political conditions, trade protection measures, licensing requirements and tax matters; (xiii) the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the proposed transaction may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability and (xiv) other factors as set forth from time to time in Infoblox's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)"), which are available on our investor relations Web site (http://ir.infoblox.com/) and on the SEC's Web site (www.sec.gov). All information provided in this communication is as of the date hereof, and stockholders of Infoblox are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. Infoblox does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after this communication, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law.



Additional Information and Where to Find It This communication is not a recommendation or an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of Infoblox Inc. The solicitation and the offer to buy shares of Infoblox shares has been made pursuant to a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO, including an offer to purchase, form of letter of transmittal and related tender offer documents, as filed with the SEC on October 7, 2016. In addition, Infoblox has filed with the SEC a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 relating to the tender offer. Infoblox, Delta Holdco, LLC and India Merger Sub, Inc. have mailed these documents to the stockholders of Infoblox. Stockholders of Infoblox are able to obtain a free copy of these documents at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement and the other documents filed by Infoblox with the SEC will be made available to all stockholders of Infoblox free of charge at http://ir.infoblox.com.

STOCKHOLDERS OF INFOBLOX ARE ADVISED TO READ THE SCHEDULE TO (INCLUDING THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND OTHER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND THE SCHEDULE 14D-9, AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TENDER OFFER BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161020006631/en/

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SASKATOONA member of Parliament says the federal government is planning to fund only half the number of mental-health teams needed to reach every community.

The comment by Charlie Angus, the NDP critic for indigenous and northern affairs, comes following the suicides of four young girls in northern Saskatchewan this month.

The youngest, a 10-year-old girl, killed herself in Deschambault Lake, about 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. First Nations officials in Saskatchewan said there have also been numerous suicide attempts so far in October and more than 20 youths are considered at risk.

Angus says Ottawa is failing to address the mental-health problems of indigenous people.

Until we start to see that willingness to move a major, major response and a commitment and an engagement with the communities to put children first, were just repeating the 60s scoop. Were repeating the residential schools. And were repeating the failure in this generation in community after community, Angus said Friday in Saskatoon.

His riding in northern Ontario includes the Attawapiskat reserve, which had a string of suicide attempts earlier this year.

Angus was joined at a news conference by Georgina Jolibois, NDP member of Parliament for Desnethe-Misinnipi-Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan.

She said she has a message for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

I know aboriginal communities across Canada  First Nations, Metis and northerners  were looking for that nation-to-nation meeting. You said you were going to step up to the plate and were still waiting, she said.

Earlier this week, Trudeau called the Saskatchewan suicides a tragedy and said the government is committed to working with indigenous communities to deal with the problem.

Bob Merasty of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said whats needed is more funding for both mental health and community programs.

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MONTREALThe Quebec government is holding Canadian Pacific Railway directly responsible for the damages caused in the Lac-Megantic train derailment that killed 47 people.

Quebecs attorney general recently tabled court documents seeking to modify its initial $409-million lawsuit against the rail company to reflect new allegations.

CP handed off a train carrying crude oil to Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway for the final leg of the journey to New Brunswick in July 2013.

The train derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic before reaching its final destination.

Quebecs initial lawsuit says CP should have conducted better security checks before handing off the train.

The modified suit now claims CP was responsible for the oil from the time it picked up the product in the U.S. until its delivery in New Brunswick.

CP rejects Quebecs motion to modify the lawsuit and both sides are scheduled to return to court Nov. 8 to debate the issue.

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HALIFAXIt has a wide girth and, at 46 years old, is a bit rough around the edges.

But the last of Canadas steam-powered warships  HMCS Preserver  has a well-earned reputation for staying the course and getting the job done.

The Royal Canadian Navys last operational support ship  known officially as an auxiliary oiler replenisher  was scheduled to be officially retired from service today after a storied career at the front lines of history.

Its the last of the steamships, says retired commander Colin Darlington, who served as the ships second-in-command between 2001 and 2003.

The operational support ships allow Canada to keep ships out at sea  regionally or globally  for extended periods of time . . . They keep the fuel and the parts coming.

The big ships motto is, Heart of the Fleet.

Built in New Brunswick by the Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. and commissioned in July 1970, the venerable tanker is a floating grocery store, gas station, repair shop and helicopter hangar.

It provides one-stop shopping, says Darlington, who served in the navy for 42 years.

Aside from food, fuels and other basic supplies, Preserver also carried ammunition, two landing craft, a dentist, doctor, specialized repair teams and a small hospital with four beds and two operating rooms. It was even equipped to process garbage from other ships.

Some sailors had a nickname for the 21,000-tonne ship: Atlantic Superstore, after a regional grocery chain.

And even though the ship usually played a supporting role, it often neared the front lines of key global events.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States came a month after Darlington joined the ships company. A month after that, in October 2011, Preserver was dispatched to the Arabian Sea for six months as part of the U.S.-led war on terror.

On Dec. 17, 2001, the ship replenished fuel for seven ships from five countries. Working non-stop from sunrise to sundown, the crew also slung 134 pallets loaded with supplies to ships cruising alongside at 12 knots, usually accomplishing the task in less than two minutes.

I called it the dance on the deck, the former executive officer says, referring to the precise co-ordination of sailors and heavy machinery on a rolling deck.

And there were times the ship conducted its own patrols, hailing more than 1,100 vessels and sending boarding teams to 12 of them, including two Iraqi tankers.

We called ourselves a big, fat, slow frigate, Darlington says with a chuckle.

Earlier in its career, Preserver acted as a supply ship for Canadian peacekeepers in Cyprus in 1974, and took part in several UN missions, including the enforcement of sanctions against Haiti in 1993 and the former Yugoslavia in 1994. The ship also helped with recovery efforts after the Swissair crash off Nova Scotia in 1998, a gruesome task that saw the vessel used as a floating morgue.

Preserver is the last of the navys three oilers that were built in the late 1960s as the Cold War prompted the Canadian navy to hone anti-submarine skills acquired during the Second World War.

There is still among the western powers a need for a strong anti-submarine capability, Darlington says. Canada is still one of the best.

But that world-class status has been eroded by the fact that the Royal Canadian Navy no longer has its own support ships, Darlington says. HMCS Provider was retired in 1998, and Preservers sister ship, HMCS Protecteur, was retired in May of 2015.

Having an oiler is one of the significant indications of whether Canada is just a local navy or a global navy, he says. If we want to be engaged off Haiti, or if a hurricane has hit a South Pacific island, or there is trouble off the shores of Libya or Somalia . . . you need to have that support capability.

The federal governments joint support ship replacement program with Vancouvers Seaspan shipyard isnt expected to deliver the first of two ships until 2020 at the earliest. Meanwhile, Canada is leasing oilers from Spain and Chile, while a German container ship is being converted into a modern oiler at the Davie shipyard in Levis, Que.

As for Preserver, Darlington says he expects the ship to be broken up after it is paid off, a term that dates from the day when sailors were paid wages owing as they went ashore, during a special ceremony at its home port, HMC Dockyard in Halifax.

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Legal experts are criticizing a decision by Supreme Court of Canada nominee Malcolm Rowe to deny a new trial to a sexual assault complainant who was subjected to gratuitous humiliation and denigration in court.

The decision, which is being appealed by the Crown to the Supreme Court on the grounds that Rowe made several legal errors and failed to remedy an egregious breach of the rape shield law, has come under fresh scrutiny following the announcement of Rowes appointment to the top court earlier this week.

In the May decision Rowe, then a judge on the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal, slammed Judge Robert Stack for allowing a defence lawyer to read to the jury for no reason, sexually explicit texts between the complainant and her lover and the graphic transcript of a consensual sex tape she made with her husband.

The complainant alleged shed been raped vaginally and anally by her husband, and assaulted several times. He was acquitted on all counts by a jury.

The three judges who heard the appeal unanimously agreed that Stack made serious errors and failed to properly apply the rape shield law that strictly limits evidence about a complainants sexual history.

But while Chief Justice J. Derek Green found there should be a new trial since the jury might well have reached a different conclusion if they were not exposed to the sexual history evidence, Rowe and Justice Charles White found a new trial was not necessary.

I have reached this conclusion with reluctance given the unfair manner in which the complainant was dealt with, Rowe wrote for the 2-1 majority. Nonetheless, I am persuaded by counsel for the respondent that the complainant, by her untruthfulness and the inconsistencies in several areas of her testimony, gravely undermined her credibility.

It seems to me that to recognize in the decision that the defence gratuitously denigrates and humiliates the complainant and to turn around and not give a new trial to the Crown risks sending the message that it is acceptable to humiliate sexual assault complainants, or that it can be done without consequence, says Lisa Dufraimont, a criminal law professor at Osgoode Hall.

(Allowing in the evidence of the texts and sex tape) is a serious error. This particular type of reasoning has been proscribed by Parliament and is clearly recognized as a major impediment to the prosecution of sexual offences and a major injustice to sexual assault complainants.

Elaine Craig, a law professor at Dalhousie University who specializes in sexual assault law, described the trial as one of the worst examples of whacking a complainant she has ever come across  a term which refers to tactics that exploit stereotypes about sexual assault to win a case  and said Rowe rightly condemned it.

In the decision Rowe wrote that the content of the sex tape fed beyond redemption into the first of the twin myths the rape shield law is supposed to prevent  that a promiscuous woman is more likely to have consented to sexual activity.

He recognized this was a very serious misinterpretation and misapplication of (the rape shield law) . . . . In (not ordering a new trial) he undermines or fails entirely to protect the objectives of our rape shield regime, she said.

The test (for whether a new trial should be ordered) is, is it reasonable to assume that the mistake affected the outcome. The mistake was so bad here that it is preposterous to think it didnt affect the outcome . . . and that conclusion reveals a fairly significant lack of understanding of the way rape mythology informs outcomes in sexual assault trials.

University of Ottawa law professor Constance Backhouse described Rowes decision as somewhat incongruous.

It suggests Rowe has quite a deep sensitivity to the challenges facing a complainant in a sexual assault case, said Backhouse, the holder of the university research chair on sexual assault legislation in Canada.

He is very sensitive to the invasion of privacy and the stereotypes that underlie any decision to allow cross-examination regarding prior sexual history. So thats great. Thats a very telling observation. Heres a judge who seems to really understand that.

So it is surprising that he concludes he is going to uphold the acquittals, she said.

Backhouse said the ruling is so mixed, with good and bad parts, that its difficult to say with certainty that the government made a mistake in appointing Rowe to the nations top court.

I think, by and large, what (Rowes) decision shows is that the criminal justice system is really quite bankrupt when it comes to dealing with our huge social problem of sexual assault, she said. I think it says more about that, than it does about Justice Rowe.

The Supreme Court of Canada will hear the appeal next year, with the Crown arguing Rowe wrongly applied the legal test for ordering a new trial, and that the violation of the rape shield law was so egregious that it can be remedied only by a new trial.

By weighing these inconsistencies, the majority of the Court of Appeal inserted itself into the jury room in an attempt to predict the reasoning process of the jury, Crown Iain Hollett wrote in submissions.

Rosellen Sullivan, who represents the respondent, says that in her view Rowe, writing for the majority, appropriately found there should not be a new trial.

The Prime Ministers Office and the Supreme Court of Canada did not respond to requests for comment.

With files from Jacques Gallant

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The Toronto police board has approved a pricey second step in an ongoing examination of body-worn cameras, taking the service closer to equipping all front-line officers with the increasingly popular technology.

One month after a much-anticipated report on the Toronto police body-worn camera pilot project was released, the civilian board agreed to spend $500,000 on a non-binding request for proposals to find the best, most affordable camera technology.

The money will also pay for a fairness commissioner and outside experts to ensure the search is above-board  something city councillor and police board member Shelley Carroll said is costly but necessary.

The reality is, we absolutely need this. This will be the biggest contract for a new technology in the country, she said at Thursdays board meeting at Toronto police headquarters.

A supporter in principle of the deployment of body-worn cameras, mayor John Tory said the cost of ensuring the police service does a proper technology evaluation will pay itself back many times over.

This is precisely the kind of due diligence that any public or private body should be expected to do, and precisely the kind of investigation of all the questions, Tory said.

Last month, a 95-page Toronto police report concluded all 3,200 front-line officers should be equipped with body-worn cameras at an estimated cost of $85-million over 10 years  a gargantuan expense at a time when the service is under pressure to slash its $1-billion budget.

That conclusion is based on a nearly year-long body-worn camera pilot project that ended in May, in which 85 officers across the city wore cameras on the front of their uniforms.

The report found the cameras ensure an unbiased, independent account of police/community interactions, and emphasized strong community and officer support of the technology; surveys found 95 per cent of the public, and 85 per cent of officers, support the use of the cameras.

But critics and Toronto police, too, raise significant concerns about the projects shortcomings  not to mention the skyrocketing cost of implementing body-worn cameras, though there is hope emerging cloud storage technology could decrease costs.

Among the biggest criticisms is that the projects sample size was so small that no statistical conclusions could be drawn on key issues, including whether the cameras caused a decrease in public complaints against officers.

Erick Laming, a doctoral student in criminology at the University of Toronto who has researched police body-worn camera studies said the public response rate of 7,500 surveys was pretty weak.

If thats your main finding from a nearly yearlong study, its sad, he said.

Laming warned about the dangers of selling your soul to a company, saying that could result in unforeseen problems, such as issues recently encountered by the Calgary Police Service.

Local media reported Thursday that technical problems with the chosen body camera supplier have forced Calgary police to terminate a $1.3 million contract and re-start the process of equipping all of their frontline officers with the cameras. The police service is considering legal action.

Another major concern is that, during the pilot project, Toronto officers did not have the cameras rolling at all times. In an email Thursday, the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition raised concerns about the officers ability to turn the devices on and off.

If there is no agreement about when cameras will be on or off, what do we do? Leave it up to the officer involved?

But at Thursdays meeting, Toronto police chief Mark Saunders defended what he said are already clear and well considered guidelines for officers concerning when to activate the cameras. The rules were guided by consultations with Ontarios Information and Privacy Commissioner, he said.

Believe me, this is not about arbitrarily turning them on and off, Saunders told the board. In fact, it is more to make sure that we try our very best to have some sort of objective evidence for encounters that we have whenever we are dealing with the public on a day to day basis.

Laming said before giving final approval to the expansion of body-worn cameras, board members should consider the bigger question of whether the tool can truly enhance public trust.

This is technology  and technology cannot change policing. It can advance it in certain areas, but its not going to change how police officers act, he said.

Body cameras were not the only policing technology discussed by the board Thursday. The board also passed a motion to conduct community consultations on the deployment of Conducted Energy Weapons, more commonly known as Tasers, to more front-line officers.

Currently, only a select few Toronto police officers are issued Tasers, including roughly 300 front-line uniform sergeants, members of the Emergency Task Force and supervisors in high-risk units.

The possible expansion of Tasers to all frontline officers has for years been the subject of heated debate. In his 2014 report on Toronto police use of force, retired judge Frank Iacobucci recommended the service consider equipping front-line officers with Tasers to decrease fatal encounters between police and people in emotional or mental crisis.

Saunders told reporters Thursday he wants to equip his officers with an effective but less-lethal weapon to use in place of their firearm.

With files from Betsy Powell

Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca

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Fifty years ago, during the transportation boom in the city, The Spadina Expressway was approved on Oct. 21, 1966 with the grand vision of connecting downtown Toronto to the burgeoning suburbs in North York.

Planned to trail through Forest Hill, Casa Loma and to divide the Annex in two, the expressway proposed in Metro Torontos 1966 transportation report, was created promising the best of both worlds  of downtown attractions connected to residential areas on one road.

But downtown residents disagreed. As construction began in 1967, the people rallied hard and brought their Stop Spadina protest to the streets. Eventually the movement gained traction with media thinker Marshall McLuhan who became a part of the movement.

This road is going to destroy thousands of homes, said politician John Sewell during the protest. Sewell went on to serve as mayor of Toronto for two years.

After years of persistence, a democratic spirit derailed the Spadina Expressway when construction was halted on June 3, 1971 south of Sheppard Ave. W., just five years after it was approved.

If we are building a transportation system to serve the people, the Spadina Expressway would be a good place to stop, Premier William Davis said.

This was just the beginning of a bigger plan, Toronto councillor Adam Vaughan told the Star in an interview in 2009. He is now the MP for Spadina-Fort York. Vaughans father, Colin, was a leader in the Stop Spadina movement.

Here were these communities that had been around forever, that all of the sudden were being destroyed, said Vaughan.

Metro Council was forced to return to the planning board to revise the 1966 transportation plan, which would eventually eliminate the idea of expressways in the citys core.

Citizens rose up and said you cant have a conversation about the future of Toronto, if we arent at the table, said Vaughan.

With files from Noor Javed.

Correction - October 21, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the 1966 Metro transportation plan became a blueprint of urban regeneration in Toronto oronto which led to the creation of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway. In fact, those were built prior to 1966.



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More than a month after the York school board launched an investigation into allegations that a Markham elementary school principal put anti-Muslim posts on her Facebook page, board officials wont tell concerned parents about the status of the investigation, calling it a personnel matter.

Last month, the York Region District School Board said it was investigating after becoming aware of postings on the Facebook page of Ghada Sadaka, a principal at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School.

Parents say they are frustrated by the lack of information they have received from the board about the process and outcome of the investigation.

We were expecting the (school board) to take some concrete action given the nature of the material that the principal shared, said Markham parent Naeem Siddiqi, whose children dont attend Sadakas school but a different school in the board. But we feel that we have had a complete blackout of information.

There are many of us concerned that the board has a systemic problem, that if something like this was to happening at others schools, it would be covered up in a similar manner.

In a response to the Star about the status of the investigation, board spokesman Licinio Miguelo said the outcome could not be shared because this is a personnel matter and we do not discuss personnel matters publicly.

The York Region District School Board takes matters of this nature very seriously, and follows all relevant and applicable policies, protocols, and procedures. We remain committed to building learning environments that are inclusive for all our students and staff members and have taken significant measures to this end, he said in an email.

Sadaka did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

In a letter addressed to York school board chair Anna DeBartolo, the civil liberties advocacy group National Council of Canadian Muslims wrote that it was informed by Leslie Johnstone, associate director of education, in a phone call that the Board has in fact completed its investigation, feels that its process was sufficient, and will not disclose or share the results of the investigation.

In the letter sent to all the trustees, and some senior staff, and obtained by the Star, the councils executive director Ihsaan Gardee asks for a meeting with DeBartolo, and concerned parents. It also asks for the dismissal of Sadaka in order to ensure the safety and well-being of students, as well as to restore the faith of parents and community members in the Board.

The letter also says that the investigation process does not follow one set out in the boards own policies, which suggests there should be meetings conducted with concerned students and parents and written decisions provided to families.

Some of the Facebook posts the principal is alleged to have shared and commented on include: videos purportedly showing violent Muslim takeovers of Paris and London, one claiming the government will build refugee camps in Canada, and one headlined: Must see: Dutch mayor tells fellow Muslims they can f------ if they dont like freedom.

University of Toronto professor Charles Pascal, a former Ontario deputy minister of education said that any citizen has the right to ask the school board tell me specifically what process is in place to deal with the incident, he said. If you are running an organization, its OK to say we cant tell you about the application of the process, but heres the process, he said. You cant hide behind the personnel matter.

In an incident last year, a teacher from the board was fired after students found anti-Muslim comments he was alleged to have posted online. The school board passed a motion on his dismissal at a meeting, and later made a statement to the media.

One student at Sadakas school said a lot of people are upset about the boards handling of the investigation.

They are surprised that the board hasnt taken any action, said the student, who asked her name not be used, for fear of being singled out.

She said that the presence of the principal at the school makes her and her friends uncomfortable. I dont want to ever have to go to the office, because I dont want to see her, she said.

She said she even opted not to go to morning prayers on Eid, an important Muslim holiday, so she wouldnt have to go to the office to get a late slip.

Education Minister Mitzie Hunter, when asked about parents frustrations, said I believe that every student is entitled to a safe, inclusive and accepting school environment and parents should know we take seriously this commitment of ensuring schools are beacons of inclusion, equity and diversity in our communities.

Heather Irwin, a spokesperson with the education ministry called the investigation an employment matter that it expects the board to address in accordance with its policies and procedures respecting employment matters and rules regarding confidentiality of personal information.

Though the ministry recommends parents first address complaints to individual boards, they have the option of escalating matters to the Ontario College of Teachers, which exists to investigate complaints of professional misconduct, including conduct on social media, said Irwin.

After losing faith in the board, parents say they plan to do just that.

We have exhausted ourselves with the board . . . and the local trustees, said Siddiqi. Were now looking at other avenues of dealing with this as its clear the (board) wont.

With files from Kristin Rushowy

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As Joe Groia puts it, people dont hire a lawyer because theyre nice and polite.

Clients hire lawyers because they believe that the lawyer is all that stands between them and disaster.

He would know.

The Toronto securities lawyer has been embroiled in a near decade-long battle with the Law Society of Upper Canada, the body that regulates the legal profession in Ontario, over his incivility conviction  basically being rude and disruptive in the courtroom at the trial of his former client, Bre-X Minerals executive John Felderhof.

Groia was suspended for two months and ordered to pay nearly $250,000 (later reduced to one month and $200,000). He has yet to actually serve the suspension as he has fought that penalty at every level of court  spending far more than the $200,000 he was ordered to pay by the Law Society Tribunal after his disciplinary proceedings.

By his own estimate, hes spent nearly $1 million of his own money and another $1 million in his firms time and resources.

Groia is now at the very end of the road in his fight to overturn his conviction and suspension. He is asking for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, hoping Canadas top court  unlike the courts below it  will see things his way.

His case has pitted those in the legal profession and academia who say defence lawyers must be zealous advocates in order to protect their clients best interests against those who say its crucial that a forceful defence be properly balanced against courtesy and respect.

But why should the public care?

I think clients have become quite concerned about whether theyre getting the best defence possible, Groia told the Star in a recent interview in the boardroom of his downtown office. If I had allowed the law society to steamroll over me, what it would have meant is that any time any lawyer went into the courtroom, she needed to be looking over their shoulder.

Because if they got criticized, they run the risk of the law society saying youre guilty of misconduct. I dont think the public is well served by having their advocate looking over their shoulder. I think if you talk to anybody about my case, theres already been a chill. Who wants to be the next Joe Groia? Nobody.

Groia was convicted by a law society disciplinary panel in 2012 for conduct that had taken place in the courtroom during the first phase of Felderhofs lengthy trial in the early 2000s. Groia was found to have displayed a consistent pattern of rude, improper or disruptive conduct.

Among the societys criticisms of his behaviour include his characterizations of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) prosecution as the government and lazy. Groia always maintains he was zealously defending his client. He said he was accused of using the term the government sarcastically, which he denies.

Maybe another lawyer would have handled it differently, but I promised John I was going to do my very best to represent him, Groia said. If that meant Id end up 16 years later trying to go to the Supreme Court, well, thats the price I have to pay.

The minerals company vice-president had been accused by the OSC of insider trading and other securities charges in one of the largest business scandals in Canadian history. He was acquitted of all charges by a judge in a 600-page decision in 2007.

Mr. Felderhof retained the applicant because he wanted an aggressive lawyer and someone who could understand geological data; Mr. Felderhof knew his prosecution would be a complicated one and that his liberty, fortune and reputation were all at stake, reads part of Groias factum (written submission) arguing for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

At one point during the trial, the OSC sought the removal of the trial judge, Peter Hryn, for, among other things, an alleged failure to control the uncivil conduct of (Groia), according to the factum.

The OSCs application was heard by Superior Court Justice Archie Campbell, who dismissed it and said neither side in the case had any monopoly over incivility or rhetorical excess.

Campbell rebuked then-OSC counsel Michael Code for saying Groia was telling bald-faced lies, according to The Globe and Mail in 2001. Campbell added to Code: Were talking about civility here. Youre doing exactly what you accused Mr. Groia of doing.

I apologize if my rhetoric is excessive, Code was quoted as telling Campbell. (Code was later appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. He declined through his secretary to comment to the Star, as Groias case is still before the courts.)

The OSC then appealed to the Court of Appeal, but that was also dismissed, in 2003, and Felderhof went on to be acquitted by Hryn in 2007.

Groia says no one ever complained to the law society about his conduct during the trial  not his client, not the prosecution and not the judge. He says the regulatory body began its investigation based on a newspaper report of the Court of Appeals 2003 reasons.

He says the law society maintained that it was an abuse of process for Groia to even defend himself at his disciplinary hearing.

Its position was that he had already been found guilty of professional misconduct by the higher courts that heard the OSC appeal and that all the law society had to do was rubber stamp his conviction and sentence him, Groia says in his factum.

I think they thought I was the perfect guy to make an example of, he told the Star. I think they believed I would roll over and settle at the beginning, and when I didnt do that, I think they got into this form of regulatory stubbornness that you just have to march on.

An appeal panel of the Law Society Tribunal upheld his incivility conviction in 2013, but reduced the suspension and amount of money he had to pay. The finding was upheld at the Divisional Court and Court of Appeal.

While a majority of Ontarios top court found against Groia last spring, he took comfort in the dissenting opinion of Justice David Brown.

The judge found that the law society failed to take into account, in any meaningful way, the fact Groia had complied with Hryns rulings on his conduct during the Bre-X trial, and also complied when the OSC complained to the higher courts.

Groia has said judges have the power to regulate conduct in their courtrooms, and the law society should only prosecute potential in-court misconduct if invited to do so, for example, if a judge refers the matter to the law society.

The regulator has argued Groias case should not be heard by the top court.

Although trial judges have the responsibility and authority to control courtroom proceedings, Mr. Groia is wrong to assign the exclusive responsibility for the conduct of trial lawyers to them, the law society says in its factum at the Supreme Court. There is no legal or policy basis for such a conclusion.

Born in Torontos west end to a bellman at the Royal York Hotel and a post office employee, Groia has been trying cases for nearly 40 years.

After obtaining his law degree at the University of Toronto, he started out at the firm of future Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie, before actually ending up at the OSC for a few years in the 1980s, where he became head of enforcement.

I got blacklisted on Bay Street, he said. When I went to the commission in 1985, it had a reputation for being a toothless tiger We took the OSC and set it on a path where it was going after some major players on Bay Street.

The married father of two moved back into private practice in 1990 as the first litigation lawyer hired by Heenan Blaikie when the firm was starting up in Toronto. He began defending Felderhof while still there before opening his own firm.

Groia & Company is located in an office building at Bay St. and Richmond St. W. On a table at one end of the boardroom is a lithograph of men working on a grinding machine displaying the words: Dont let the bastards grind you down.

When not working on cases or teaching, Groia spends much of his time on two other areas of interest, one of which is winemaking. His Niagara region-based winery is called 16 Mile Cellar, where his wife, Susan, serves as president. Its motto is zealous winemaking.

I had been a home winemaker for 30 years, and so when the law society told me they were going to charge me in 2009, we talked about needing a diversion otherwise Id probably go crazy, he said of the winerys creation. Thirty acres of beautiful vineyard fell into our laps, and it went from a weekend hobby idea to 1,200 cases a year and a series of awards.

Names for the wine include two that Groia said are words that have perhaps been the most meaningful in my life: civility and incivility.

I can tell you that theyre very well perceived at the law society, he said with a smirk.

Thats because the other area in which Groia spends a lot of time is as a bencher of the law society, in other words, a member of its board of directors. He has brought his wines to serve at dinners for the new benchers.

His election by thousands of Ontario lawyers as a bencher last year while his incivility appeal was still moving through the courts is a curious chapter in his legal saga.

On the one hand, Groia brings a unique perspective to the table. On the other, it presents the law society with a bit of a dilemma: if Groia loses at the Supreme Court and has to finally serve his one-month suspension, does he have to temporarily step down as a bencher? The law society answer is yes, while Groia believes otherwise.

I got 3,600 lawyers to vote for me knowing where I was at in this process, so its not like they can somehow say that this issue hasnt been spoken to, he said. I think 3,600 lawyers elected me to do a job.

Former law society treasurer Thomas Conway, who chaired the disciplinary panel that suspended Groia, described him as an intelligent and experienced lawyer at the time of Groias election. Conway told the Star Groia has the potential to make an important and significant contribution.

While Groia was at first concerned that he would be ostracized and put on the committee that looks after the photocopier, that hasnt turned out to be the case.

Theyve given me an opportunity to play a meaningful role, said Groia, who sits on several committees at the law society. Of course, nobody talks about my case. Its the 800-pound gorilla in the room.

If he does end up having to serve his suspension, Groia said hell have to leave the city, and perhaps even the country, because its going to be very hard on me. Hell have to shut off his email, cease dealing with clients and his colleagues at the firm will have to seek adjournments on cases in court.

I have to say that once my case is over, however it turns out, Ill go away and take some time to think about the lessons that I have learned. Id like to think that, even now, the law society is never going to do to another lawyer what they did to me.

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Advertisers, at least the ones who buy spots on TV, clearly dont believe that young people are interested in politics.

Tune into any one of the daily political broadcasts on Canadian all-news networks and youll see an array of pitches for stair lifts, walk-in baths or retirement-planning tools  not exactly items on any young persons shopping list.

But a new report out this week delivered the surprising news that young people in Canada actually are interested in talking about politics  even more than those consumers of elderly-assistance products.

An in-depth study by the Samara organization revealed that 72 per cent of Canadians under 30 talked about politics with friends, family and colleagues during last years election, compared to 62 per cent of those aged 30 to 55 and 58 per cent of Canadians 56 years of age and older.

Yes, you read that correctly  according to this study of more than 2,000 voters, your likelihood of engaging in political conversations declined with age during last years 78-day election campaign.

As Samara points out in its report  titled Can You Hear Me Now?  this finding represents a big culture change surrounding voting in Canada. Its described as a generational shift in attitude, from voting as a private act of duty to voting as a social, shared experience.

That is a big change. Though no one in this country is old enough to remember when Canada didnt have a secret ballot, many people older than 30 grew up with the idea that voting should be a supremely private, individual act.

This idea, however, only came about in the 1870s in Canada. In Elections Canadas online history of the vote in Canada, the emergence of the secret ballot in the late 19th century is explained this way:

Some of the rules in effect at that time did nothing to promote fair and equitable polling practices. In all provinces but New Brunswick, which had adopted the secret ballot in 1855, electors voted orally, a polling method manifestly open to blackmail and intimidation.

Subsequent generations would have their own, good reasons for keeping their voting choices secret: fear of losing jobs, or money doled out as rewards by politicians to loyal supporters.

That still happens (see the Stars report last week on which ridings received the lions share of money in the old Conservative governments infrastructure program, for instance,) but not to the extent that used to be common practice in politics.

So we could see this generational shift around voting as evidence that all the attention on cleaning up politics over the past few decades  accountability and transparency measures  have made a mark on the electorate. Todays younger voters simply dont fear that their incomes or relationships will suffer if they are open about their political preferences.

When it comes to buying and selling politics to Canadians, meanwhile, Samaras report also shows that voters in this country  across all ages  are discriminating consumers.

They draw an interesting line, for instance, between online political advertising and bona fide contact with political parties.

When asked whether or not they saw an advertisement on social media from a political party, 40 per cent indicated that they had. Yet, only 22 per cent of Canadians reported any online contact, the Samara report states. This difference suggests that Canadians could tell the differences when a party was broadcasting a general message or using more personalized outreach.

Thats a heartening finding as well. It means that Canadian voters dont see themselves as mere consumers of political marketing; that it takes more than ad or a slogan to make them feel like they have communicated with political parties.

Political parties might also want to take note of where they were channelling those outreach efforts in the last campaign. The Samara study asked all respondents whether they had contact with parties during the 2015 election. A full 82 per cent of people 56 years of age and older said yes to that question, compared to 72 per cent for people between 30 and 55 and just 52 per cent for voters under 30.

Put that next to the surprising findings about whos most likely to converse about politics and you see a big mismatch. Canadas political parties were having the most contact with the people least likely to have discussions with friends, family and colleagues about the election.

It could be that the parties were trying to talk to the people historically most likely to vote (though the higher turnout from young people in the last election could soon shatter that assumption, too.)

Or it could be that the political parties have been watching too much TV, believing that the only people interested in elections are the voters also eligible for seniors discounts.

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That was quick.

On Thursday night in Beijing, President Rodrigo Duterte called for a military and economic separation from the United States. From now on, he told a crowd, its the Philippines, Russia and China against the world.

Or not. On Friday, Dutertes own trade minister, Ramon Lopez, sought to clarify the comment. The president did not talk about separation, he told CNN Philippines  apparently trying to finesse the word used by Duterte.

In terms of economic [ties], we are not stopping trade, investment with America, he said.

But he did not attempt further interpretation of Dutertes remarks and the apparent pro-China shift in the countrys global outlook. (Duterte) has decided to strengthen further and rekindle the ties with China and the ASEAN region, Lopez said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The spin-doctoring comes less than 24 hours after Duterte met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, agreed to resume bilateral talks on maritime disputes in the South China Sea, then effectively asked the United States for a divorce. Your honours, in this venue I announce my separation from the United States ... both in military and economics also, Duterte said.

Lopezs damage control is the latest in a string of flip-flops, walk-backs and backtracks that have come to define Dutertes tenure, leaving Filipino and foreign observers unsure where rhetoric ends and real policy moves begin.

Duterte, a longtime mayor, swept to power in July, promising war on drug users and criminals. During his campaign he talked about shelving maritime quarrels if China built a railway on his home island, then vowed to ride a Jet Ski to a contested shoal in the South China Sea to plant the Philippine flag in a rebuke of Chinas claims.

Four months into his tenure, his plans and platform are still in question. Every few days, he makes a comment that could, if pursued, redefine the regional order. The next day, one of his ministers or spokesmen is forced to walk the comment back.

When Duterte threatened to end annual military exercises with the United States, his foreign minister, Perfecto Yasay, was caught by surprise. When the president called for the withdrawal of U.S. Special Forces from the southern island of Mindanao, he did not bother to tell the U.S. Embassy.

His slurs span the globe: President Barack Obama, Pope Francis and the European Union, among others.

And so it is again. State Department spokesman John Kirby on Thursday said Dutertes remarks declaring a separation from the United States are inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship between the two countries.

We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from us, he said. Its not clear to us exactly what that means and all its ramifications.

Many Filipinos are also perplexed. Though opinion polls suggest the president remains popular at home, his anti-U.S. rhetoric is at odds with public opinion. The vast majority of Filipinos hold a positive view of the United States; many are skeptical of China.

On Friday, the Philippines former foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, denounced Dutertes latest move as unwise and incomprehensible.

What is unfolding before us must be considered a national tragedy which does not need to happen, he said in a statement.

It is our earnest hope that this most unfortunate declaration will be corrected.

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[October 20, 2016] Fitch Rates UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones' IDR 'BBB'; Outlook Stable

Fitch Ratings has assigned UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones S.A. (TIGO UNE) Long-Term Local and Foreign Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of 'BBB'. The Rating Outlook on the IDRs is Stable. Fitch currently rates the company's National Long-Term Rating 'AAA(col)'/Stable Outlook. TIGO UNE's ratings reflect the company's fully-integrated operations and solid network competitiveness, which support its strong market position as the second largest service provider in terms of revenue in the competitive Colombian telecom sector. The company's cash flow from operations is well diversified into both fixed and mobile services, and its financial profile is solid for the rating category. TIGO UNE's ongoing investments for network upgrades/expansion should support its continued subscriber growth and help maintain stable credit profile in the short to medium term as reflected by the Stable Outlook. TIGO UNE's ratings also reflect a linkage between the company and its controlling shareholder, Millicom (News - Alert) International Cellular S.A. (MIC, rated 'BB+'/Stable Outlook), which holds the majority of shares with voting rights in the company. The remaining stake is held by Empresas Publicas de Medellin E.S.P. (rated 'BBB+'/Negative Outlook). TIGO UNE is MIC's largest operating subsidiary among the MIC group of companies, highlighting its financial importance to the parent's credit profile. MIC's reliance on dividend income from its subsidiaries could potentially pressure TIGO UNE's cash flow generation and leverage. KEY RATING DRIVERS Strong Market Position: TIGO UNE is the second largest telecom operator in Colombia, in terms of the revenue market share. The company has a diversified service portfolio with a nation-wide operational footprint with high quality and strongly competitive HFC networks for the fixed business and 3G/4G mobile networks. TIGO UNE held the second and third subscriber market shares in fixed internet and mobile voice with market shares of 24.5% and 19.6%, respectively, as of June 2016, according to the Ministerio de Tecnologias de la Informacion y las Comunicaciones (MinTic). During the six month period ending June 30, 2016, the company posted a 61% increase in its 4G LTE (News - Alert) subscriber base, reaching 484,117 users. Also, the company held the second TV market share position as of June 2016 at 20.6%. Stable Performance: TIGO UNE's solid performance has continued following its integration with Colombia Movil in 2014, and Fitch expects the trend to remain stable in the short to medium term despite competitive pressures in the mobile segment. The company's revenues reached COP2.6 trillion during the first half of 2016, which was the second largest in the industry behind American Movil's Claro (News - Alert) with COP5.4 trillion revenues. During the same period, operational service revenues, excluding handset sales, grew by 1.4% and its EBITDA margin also improved to 28.9%, which compares favourably to 27.9% during the same period in 2015, mainly due to operational efficiencies achieved through the aforementioned integration. Fitch expects the company to continue strengthening its competitive position, driven by subscriber growth in its household fixed and mobile businesses, which together are expected to represent close to 65% of total revenues, while its B2B business will contribute with close to 26% of total revenues during 2016 - 2019. This will lead to a modest increase in its EBITDA margin over 29% in 2017 - 2019, supported by the positive performance of its fixed business and the realization of integration synergies with its subsidiaries, estimated at approximately 10% of the projected EBITDA. CAPEX to Strengthen Operations TIGO UNE's continued high investments to shore up its network competitiveness bode well for its long-term market position. The company plans to invest about COP 4 trillion during 2016 -2019 to meet the expected demand growth for fixed services and to expand its mobile network, in line with its strategy to offer convergent services to cope with the competitive environment. This capex plan during 2016 - 2019 represents a lower capital intensity ratio of 18.5%, as a percentage of capex to projected revenues, which is lower than the average of 20% during 2012 - 2015, as a result of the investment sharing agreement to deploy its 4G LTE network. Fitch expects the company to post negative FCF in 2016, which is expected to turn modestly positive in 2017. Stable Financial Profile Fitch expects TIGO UNE's leverage to remain stable over the medium term, with the average leverage metric, measured by gross debt / EBITDA, of 2.3x during 2016 - 2019, which is modestly below the June 2016 metric of 2.5x. Fitch forecasts the ratio to close at 2.2x in 2019. The adjusted leverage metric, which reflects Fitch's adjustments for operational leases, is expected to average at 2.4x during the same period, which compares to 2.7x as of June 2016. This is based on Fitch's expectation that the company will maintain a debt level of approximately COP 4 trillion and generate an average EBITDA of close to COP1.6 trillion during 2016 - 2019. Parent Subsidiary Relationship Millicom International Cellular (News - Alert) (MIC), the controlling shareholder of TIGO UNE, is a holding company that relies on the upstreaming of dividends from its subsidiaries. Fitch considers that a Parent and Subsidiary relationship exists given the control the former exercises over TIGO UNE, which exposes it to dividend distributions that could pressure its free cash flow generation. TIGO UNE is MIC's largest subsidiary operation with a 22% EBITDA contribution to the Millicom group as of June 30, 2016. Despite the absence of a ring fencing mechanism to limit TIGO UNE's cash upstream to its controlling shareholder, Fitch does not expect this relationship to impair TIGO UNE's ability to continue to execute its capex strategy while maintaining a credit profile in line with the current rating level. TIGO UNE operates in a highly competitive telecom sector, with underpenetrated non-traditional services that will require the company to continue investing in network expansion, a condtion Fitch expects to lead to sufficient cash preservation at the subsidiary level to execute its investment strategy.



KEY ASSUMPTIONS --Revenues grow at an average of 4.8% in 2017 - 2019;

--Cost structure improves as a percentage of revenues; --Projected EBITDA margin of approximately 29%; --Capex intensity of 18.5% of revenues in 2016 - 2019; --Projected average adjusted leverage of approximately 2.0x EBITDA. RATING SENSITIVITIES Considerations that could lead to a negative rating action (Rating or Outlook): --Additional capex needs funded with debt; --EBITDA margin erosion due to lower than expected synergies, increasing competitive pressures, and deteriorating macroeconomic conditions; --Adjusted leverage above 3x without a clear deleveraging path; --Higher than expected Dividend distributions that leads to negative free cash flow generation; --Weaker credit profile of its controlling shareholder. Considerations that could lead to a positive rating action (Rating or Outlook): --Fitch does not foresee a positive rating action given the current two notch differential between the IDRs of the company and its controlling shareholder, MIC. LIQUIDITY TIGO UNE's liquidity profile is strong given its well spread-out debt maturities profile, with less than 10% of total debt coming due within the next 12 months. The company has stable CFFO generation, which has averaged over COP 1 trillion pesos since 2014 and its readily-available-cash balance amounted to COP749 billion, equivalent to USD 244 million as of June 2016, providing ample coverage to short term financial obligations. The company's liquidity is further bolstered by its available non-committed local and international lines of credit of COP1.6 billion and USD500 million, respectively, as of September 2016. FULL LIST OF RATING ACTIONS Fitch has rated the following: UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones S.A. (TIGOUNE) --Long-Term Foreign Currency IDR 'BBB'; Stable Outlook; --Long-Term Local Currency IDR 'BBB'; Stable Outlook; Fitch currently rates UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones S.A. (TIGOUNE) as follows: --National Long-Term Rating 'AAA(col)'; Stable Outlook. Date of Relevant Committee: Oct. 12, 2016. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com. Applicable Criteria Criteria for Rating Non-Financial Corporates (pub. 27 Sep 2016) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/885629 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1013459 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1013459 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/regulatory ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEB SITE AT WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA, AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE, AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE CODE OF CONDUCT SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. Copyright (c) 2016 by Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Ratings Ltd. and its subsidiaries. 33 Whitehall Street, NY, NY 10004. Telephone: 1-800-753-4824, (212) 908-0500. Fax: (212) 480-4435. Reproduction or retransmission in whole or in part is prohibited except by permission. All rights reserved. In issuing and maintaining its ratings and in making other reports (including forecast information), Fitch relies on factual information it receives from issuers and underwriters and from other sources Fitch believes to be credible. Fitch conducts a reasonable investigation of the factual information relied upon by it in accordance with its ratings methodology, and obtains reasonable verification of that information from independent sources, to the extent such sources are available for a given security or in a given jurisdiction. The manner of Fitch's factual investigation and the scope of the third-party verification it obtains will vary depending on the nature of the rated security and its issuer, the requirements and practices in the jurisdiction in which the rated security is offered and sold and/or the issuer is located, the availability and nature of relevant public information, access to the management of the issuer and its advisers, the availability of pre-existing third-party verifications such as audit reports, agreed-upon procedures letters, appraisals, actuarial reports, engineering reports, legal opinions and other reports provided by third parties, the availability of independent and competent third- party verification sources with respect to the particular security or in the particular jurisdiction of the issuer, and a variety of other factors. Users of Fitch's ratings and reports should understand that neither an enhanced factual investigation nor any third-party verification can ensure that all of the information Fitch relies on in connection with a rating or a report will be accurate and complete. Ultimately, the issuer and its advisers are responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide to Fitch and to the market in offering documents and other reports. In issuing its ratings and its reports, Fitch must rely on the work of experts, including independent auditors with respect to financial statements and attorneys with respect to legal and tax matters. Further, ratings and forecasts of financial and other information are inherently forward-looking and embody assumptions and predictions about future events that by their nature cannot be verified as facts. 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LAS VEGASA wave of apprehension and anguish swept the Republican Party on Thursday, with many GOP leaders alarmed by Donald Trumps refusal to accept the outcome of the election and concluding that it is probably too late to salvage his flailing presidential campaign.

As the Republican nominee reeled from a turbulent performance in the final debate here in Las Vegas, his partys embattled senators and House members scrambled to protect their seats and preserve the GOPs congressional majorities against what Republicans privately acknowledge could be a landslide victory for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

With less than three weeks until the election, the Republican Party is in a state of historic turmoil, encapsulated by Trumps extraordinary debate declaration that he would leave the nation in suspense about whether he would recognize the results from an election he has claimed will be rigged or even stolen.

The immediate responses from GOP officials were divergent and vague, with no clear strategy on how to handle Trumps threat. The candidate was defiant and would not back away from his position, telling a roaring crowd Thursday in Ohio that he would accept the results if I win  and reserving his right to legally challenge the results should he fall short.

For seasoned Republicans who have watched Trump warily as a general-election candidate, the aftermath of Wednesdays debate brought a feeling of finality.

The campaign is over, said Steve Schmidt, a Trump critic and former senior strategist on George W. Bushs and John McCains presidential campaigns.

Calling a refusal to accept the election results disqualifying, Schmidt added, The question is, how close will Clinton get to 400 electoral votes? Shell be north of 350, and shes trending towards 400  and the trend line is taking place in very red states like Georgia, Texas and Arizona.

Prominent Republican senators in tough re-election bids distanced themselves from Trumps posture. Donald Trump needs to accept the outcome, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte said in a statement.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, who lost to Obama eight years ago, said in a statement: I didnt like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede. A concession isnt just an act of graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people.

Meanwhile, top Democrats fanned out to battleground states on Thursday to hammer Trump for what they described as an unprecedented attack on the countrys political system and to attempt to yoke Trump to Republican candidates down the ballot.

Campaigning in Miami, President Barack Obama said Trumps doubts about the election outcome are not a joking matter. That is dangerous.

The president eviscerated Republicans who have stood by Trump, singling out Sen. Marco Rubio, who called Trump a dangerous con artist and condemned his more controversial comments during the GOP primaries, but now plans to vote for him.

Marco just seems to care about hanging on to his job, Obama said, calling the senators positioning the height of cynicism.

And in Arizona, where polls show an unexpectedly tight presidential race, first lady Michelle Obama said Trump is threatening the very idea of America itself by suggesting he would not honour the election results.

You do not keep American democracy in suspense, Obama said in Phoenix.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Clintons vice-presidential running mate, held a rally at a downtown Charlotte brewery, where he said Trumps claims of a rigged election reminded him of the Third World politicking he had seen as a young missionary in Honduras.

The bigger we can win by, the harder it is for him to whine and have anyone believe him, Kaine said, trying to galvanize supporters on the first day of early voting in North Carolina.

On the debate stage, Trump amplified what he had been saying for weeks at his rallies: that the election is rigged. Questioned directly as to whether he would accept the results should Clinton prevail, Trump said, Ill keep you in suspense.

Clinton called Trumps answer horrifying, both in the debate and to reporters overnight on her flight home to New York.

Trumps advisers and surrogates struggled to explain the candidates position. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said it was too early to determine whether voting irregularities could make the difference between winning and losing. She and other Trump backers drew a parallel to then-Vice President Al Gores concession call to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, which he later withdrew as he awaited a recount in Florida.

Im going to keep reminding everybody about the 2000 election when Al Gore said he would accept the results of the election and then did not, Conway said. He retracted his concession.

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, contended that Trump and the party would stand by the results unless the margin is small enough to warrant a recount or legal challenges. Priebus said Trump is merely preserving flexibility in the event of a contested result.

All hes saying is, Look, Im not going to forgo my right to a recount in a close election, Priebus said. We accept the results as long as were not talking about a few votes where it actually matters. I know him. I know where his heads at. ... I promise you, thats all this is.

Other Trump surrogates took a different interpretation. Keith Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general, accused the media of splitting hairs and insisted that Trump was not threatening democratic norms, while former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani argued that any Republican would be stupid to accept the integrity of results before they are known.

Suppose she wins Pennsylvania by 50 votes, Giuliani said. He speculated, without evidence, that Democrats would steal a lot more than 50 votes in Philadelphia. I guarantee you of that. And Ill tell you how they will do it  theyll bus people in who will vote dead peoples names four, five, six times . . . or have people in Philadelphia paid to vote three, four and five times.

Escalating the Republican angst was Trumps rally Thursday in Delaware, Ohio, where he advanced conspiracies swirling around far-right websites about Clinton. He referred to reports that Democratic operatives with no direct connection to the Clinton campaign hired people to violently disrupt Trump events.

This criminal behaviour that violates centuries of tradition of peaceful democratic elections, a campaign like Clintons that will incite violence is truly a campaign that will do anything to win, Trump said, going on to call Clinton a candidate who is truly capable of anything, including voter fraud.

Trump also mentioned an email, which surfaced on WikiLeaks through an illegal hack that U.S. authorities blame on the Russian government, in which interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile seemed to suggest to the Clinton team that she had knowledge of a question that would come up in a primary forum earlier this year. While Brazile has denied that CNN provided any questions in advance, Trump called her actions cheating at the highest level.

Even as his party loses faith, Trump proclaimed that he was poised for victory.

Bottom line, were going to win, he told the boisterous Ohio crowd. Were going to win. Were going to win so big. Were going to win so big.

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BEIRUTA cease-fire to allow wounded civilians and rebels to leave besieged parts of Aleppo has been extended into the weekend by Russia, but hoped-for medical evacuations didnt materialize by Friday evening because of a lack of security guarantees, officials and residents said.

The dawn-to-dusk humanitarian pause that began Thursday will last into Saturday on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, said Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, speaking in Moscow. It had been due to expire Friday.

The lull had been greeted with high hopes by UN officials, and the Syrian government opened a new corridor for those wanting to flee the neighbourhoods shattered by weeks of Russian and Syrian airstrikes.

But by Friday evening, no evacuations were seen along the corridor, reflecting the intractable nature of Syrias civil war, now in its sixth year.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UNs humanitarian aid agency, described an astronomically difficult situation, although he declined to specify who was responsible for the breakdown.

He told reporters in Geneva that the evacuations couldnt begin because the necessary conditions were not in place to ensure safe, secure and voluntary movement of people.

A UN official told The Associated Press that Syrian opposition fighters were blocking the evacuations because the Syrian government and Russia were not holding up their end of the deal and were impeding deliveries of medical and humanitarian supplies into Aleppo.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official statement later in the day, said intensive efforts were under way in Damascus, Aleppo, Geneva and Gaziantep, Turkey, to try to move forward on the evacuations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said al-Qaida-linked militants in Aleppo were refusing to leave the city along the corridors created by the Russians and Syrian forces despite the gestures of goodwill from Moscow and Damascus, he told reporters in the Russian capital.

Militants from the Al Qaeda affiliate formerly known as the Nusra Front are believed to make up a minority of the several thousand fighters in the besieged district.

Rudskoi, of the Russian Defence Ministry, accused militants of firing at humanitarian corridors and using the break to prepare for an offensive.

The terrorists are doing everything to prevent civilians and the militants from leaving eastern Aleppo, he said. All our requests to the American colleagues to put the pressure on the so-called moderate opposition to persuade them to end the shelling, let civilians leave or leave themselves, have been left unanswered.

He said eight wounded militants left Thursday and were driven toward rebel-controlled Idlib, while seven civilians managed to flee at night.

The pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV showed video of government bulldozers that had opened a road, with buses and ambulances parked and waiting to take out evacuees.

Residents of eastern Aleppo have said many wont use the corridors because there are no guarantees they wont be arrested by government forces.

No one has left the city so far, said Mohammed Abu Rajab, who works at a hospital that was hit repeatedly in recent weeks, knocking it out of service. People are worried they might be detained. There are no guarantees.

Speaking by phone, he said any evacuations should be co-ordinated with the UN in order for people to feel they can leave safely.

Yasser al-Youssef, a member of the political bureau of the Nour el-Din el-Zinki rebel group, said the opposition had agreed to the initiative to evacuate wounded and allow in aid, but the Syrian government and Russia gave no assurances the wounded would not face arrest.

Hamza al-Khatib, manager of an eastern Aleppo hospital that has been targeted frequently, said its staff used the pause to fortify walls, windows and entrances with sandbags.

For sure, the situation will get worse after this pause. We are trying hard, but nothing will stand in face of the air raids, al-Khatib said.

The UN had said it received assurances for the extension of the cease-fire until Monday, but the Kremlin didnt confirm that, saying only that it was possible if militants dont abuse it.

Also Friday, the UNs Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling for an enhanced investigation of rights violations and abuses in Aleppo, a measure aimed at putting pressure on Russia.

The council voted 24-7, with 16 abstentions, at a special session on the deteriorating situation of human rights in Syria and in Aleppo. The resolution largely reiterated previous ones by the council, but it called on the Commission of Inquiry on Syria to specifically investigate crimes in Aleppo and report back to the 47-member body.

Britain spearheaded the resolution to put pressure on Russia, which was among those voting against it.

UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein had earlier told the council that Aleppo had become a slaughterhouse after weeks of bombardment.

Elsewhere in northern Syria, Turkish forces kept up bombing of areas controlled by Kurdish-led forces for a third straight day, a Syria monitoring group and a senior Kurdish commander said.

Commander Mahmoud Barkhadan of the main Syria Kurdish militia Peoples Protection Units told AP there were no airstrikes Friday but artillery and rockets fell on their areas in northern Aleppo province. He said one fighter was killed.

Tension escalated Wednesday when Turkey targeted Kurdish-led forces in the area, where many groups are jostling for territory once held by Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Intense clashes and shelling also erupted in the Jobar neighbourhood in Damascus, activists and residents said, with gunfire and shelling reverberating.

More on thestar.com:

Battle for besieged Syrian city of Aleppo intensifies; It is like Judgment Day

Dion calls Russia, Syria belligerents, ramps up pressure to end Aleppo airstrikes

Turkey ramps up attacks on Kurds battling Daesh in Syria

Russia, Syria halt Aleppo airstrikes ahead of humanitarian pause

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Ive decided Im basically anti-values. Theres nowhere else to go. At first I thought I was just against the kind of race-based, Trump-echoing version of Canadian values that Kellie Leitch is building her run for the Conservative leadership on, and which she advocated while backing the barbaric cultural practices tip line last election. Our variation on right wing U.S. values voters.

But theres also a Quebec version. Its Liberal government has introduced an update of the failed provincial Charter of Values, which helped defeat the last Parti Quebecois government there. It clearly played on anti-Muslim paranoia. The Liberal bill focuses on face coverings. Hmm, now who could that be targeting? Theyre trying to head off the new PQ leader, Jean-Francois Lisee, who won the leadership on the same issue. You wouldnt call it right wing in the Kellie Leitch sense, but its clearly tribal and xenophobic.

And Im just as tetchy about left wing or progressive incarnations. Jack Layton talked about Canadian values, which included medicare. Justin Trudeau rallies support with his version: core Canadian values.

Theres an alternate school within Torontos public system, the Grove Community School, widely known as the social justice school, where School life and curriculum  are focused on a set of Core Values. Its parents are fiercely proud of their kids attending there. But its perched on the top floor of Alexander Muir public school, where anyone can go so Groves students are learning, alongside environmentalism, activism, gender splendour etc., that theyre different and separate from the normal run of kids. Yet the main thing public schools teach kids, beyond a mere curriculum, is what kind of society theyre in. Segregated on a floor with people holding viewpoints like their own, and no one in disagreement, theyll probably miss that part of their education.

A parent who attended an open house for an earlier version of The Grove School says the place advertised teaching social justice math. What used to be called yuppies were clamouring to register their kids. It turned her, she said, into a self-hating yuppie. Grove might resent that schools claims since it insists it is Canadas first public elementary school focused on environmental education, community activism and social justice thus embodying the very competitiveness that it undoubtedly deplores in its classes and programs.

Theres a huge industry in the schooling sector that teaches values, or character education, but it all founders on the contradiction of treating kids as gaping vessels to be filled up with moral content vs. autonomous beings making their own choices. Torontos board has a value it flogs on posters each month: currently, its responsibility; next comes empathy, so hold the warmth and compassion till post-Halloween. A kindergarten kid demanded her teacher give her a badge like other kids had saying I Was Helpful Today. Her teacher asked why and she said because she was jealous. The wise, amused teacher handed over the badge.

As for the political realm, whats the antithesis of Canadian values? Id say its Canadian citizenship. This gives you the right to participate in all ongoing public battles meant to create or alter Canadian values without imposing an advance test about where you already stand. You even get a chance to change values due to what you learn by engaging in the discussion. Want something  medicare, same sex marriage, abortion rights, their abolition  to become a Canadian value? Argue for it. Campaign on it. Its your right as a citizen.

Values are slight and transient. You cant really pursue them. Theyre more like happiness or love: they tend to be by-products or end results of other experiences. You arrive at them. Its a descriptive, not prescriptive, term.

Eventually were all liable to embarrassment by the limited nature of values we once embraced passionately. The feminism of the early 1970s was a thin anticipation of gender values today, as it should be. Look how the iconic Gloria Steinem was embarrassed by young feminists she derided for backing Bernie.

But I dont think you can ever be embarrassed by simply approaching others with respect for their own ability to make their life choices, including their values. Sometimes your values will conflict with that ethic of respect; then you have to choose. In that moment, Kant sagely advised: always treat other human beings as ends, not means. Nobody ever said it better.

Rick Salutins column appears every Friday.

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Over the next few weeks, rights groups, lawyers, activists, experts and concerned individuals will all weigh in on how to achieve a National Security framework upholding both security and rights. The problems with the existing framework are too many to canvass here, but there are a few things that must be done.

First, CSIS must stop its practices of: showing up at homes and workplaces unannounced at odd hours; speaking with employers (who are ordered not to disclose this fact); offering incentives for information; intimidating newcomers; questioning people about specific institutions; inquiring about ones religiosity; and discouraging people from legal counsel.

The situation is so dire that rights groups have had to distribute thousands of know your rights guides and organize workshops across the country on dealing with security agencies.

Most dont have the courage to stand up, as anti-war activist Ken Stone did. The visit was not warranted under the mandate of CSIS, says Stone. It caused anxiety for me and my family.

Stone was allegedly flagged for his trip to Iran and a 2012 Hamilton Spectator oped he wrote, titled Harper is wrong in demonizing Iran.

Like the hundreds of others (who our law firm is aware of), Stone felt agents showing up at his house unannounced was an attempt at intimidation. Stone raised funds, in part through crowdfunding, and complained to the Security Intelligence Review Committee (he is awaiting for decision from his 2015 hearing).

Most Canadians would be aghast at some of the innocuous actions that trigger such visits.

A sample from my own clients include: An engineering student searching, wait for this, engineering journals; hugging someone at an Eid gathering when this is part of the festive rituals; and attending lectures about rights. The net effect is to bring an end to, or curtail a persons exercise of, basic constitutional rights (association, religion and expression).

Such visits can only multiply considering the additional extraordinary police and disruption powers, pre-authorized warrants to violate charter rights and the overbroad offence of advocating or promoting terrorism offences in general  all courtesy of Bill C-51.

A second black mark concerns Canadas complicity in torture and other rights violations as called out in a stinging report earlier this year by the United Nations Committee Against Torture.

The government did own up to Maher Arar in 2007 after a Commission of Inquiry. Sadly, despite calling for this while in opposition, the Liberals now refuse to apologize and compensate Abdullah AlMalki, Ahmad Abou El-Maati, and Muayyad Nureddin for suffering the same fate. Disturbingly, Ottawa is also not prepared to rescind a directive allowing our agencies to use information obtained through torture.

Other Canadians (Dr. Mahboob Khawaja and Kassim Mohamed) have come forward publicly with allegations of our complicity in their detentions (and even torture) in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Numerous others fear coming forward.

As noted by prominent national security lawyer Barbara Jackman, Canada has effectively but quietly adopted an indirect form of rendition  getting foreign governments with questionable human rights records to do the dirty work.

Presumably only a few are on lists to be detained overseas, but many more find their names on lists barring them from flying, wiring money to loved ones and even having bank accounts as the ever-expanding matrix of terror lists (without adequate checks) cross-pollinate across agencies and beyond borders. In most cases there is no recourse and if there is then the victims lack resources to mount legal challenges.

Ottawa must release the number of national security visits, those questioned overseas at our behest, those caught up on other lists, their nature and the groups targeted, if not publicly then to the new parliamentary oversight committee envisaged by Bill C-22 (which has issues of its own).

Legal aid must also be made available to those ensnared in our national security web merely through guilt by association and the inevitable false positives. Too many innocents are compelled to clear their name and participate in interviews without legal counsel with serious implications on their immigration and citizenship status, jobs and fundamental freedoms.

The government says it is committed to openness, transparency, and accountability. It must address the above if it wishes to have any real success recruiting Muslims in fighting terror. Otherwise, the anti-radicalization and counter-terrorism office may be a non-starter with the community it seeks to engage.

Faisal Kutty is counsel to KSM Law, an associate professor at Valparaiso University Law School in Indiana and an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. @faisalkutty.

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Merck (MRK) shares, at $61, are up 20% for the year to date. The drug giant reports earnings Tuesday and could give investors an early Christmas gift.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) , a holding in TheStreet founder Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS portfolio, are locked in an epic battle over which company will control the non-small cell lung cancer market. The NSLC market could be worth $15 billion annually. Towards the end of August Bristol-Myers said the CheckMate-026 Phase III drug trial did not meet its primary endpoint of progression-free survival in patients treated with the company's cancer therapy Opdivo.

CheckMate-026 studied Opdivo aganst traditional chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer tumors that express the PD-L1 protein. Tumors that express the PD-L1 protein are thought to suppress the immune system allowing cancer to spread. Opdivo is a PD-L1 inhibitor. The CheckMate trial included more patients with lower levels (5%) of PD-L1 in an effort to expand the potential patient population. This market strategy, which would have addressed about 75% of the lung cancer market, was risky to begin with, because it made the chances of success much more difficult.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck's drug Keytruda for patients who express a PD-L1 level of greater than 50%. That strategy has limited Keytruda to about 25% of the NSLC market.

But two weeks ago at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting Merck presented data from the Keynote-24 Phase III trial that indicated patients treated with Keytruda had a significant progression free survival benefit of 10.3 months (versus six months for chemotherapy). While the full data set is not complete, the one year overall survival (OS) rate was 70% and 54% for chemo patients that crossed over to Keytruda. Of the 63 patients studied, six of them had a complete response to Keytruda. Scientists were impressed with the results.

The FDA meets on Dec. 24, and many analysts believe, based on this data, the agency will give Keytruda "first line" status in lung patients. That means Keytruda could be the therapy of choice for patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The additional leeway from the FDA could open up much of the NSLC market and billions more in potential revenue for Merck. It would also pave the way for insurance companies to pay for a larger patient population. Keytruda costs about $12,500 per month or $150,000 per year.

If the FDA moves on this additional data, Merck investors could get an early Christmas gift. Keytruda could go from niche lung cancer therapy to a gigantic blockbuster overnight.

Meanwhile, Bristol-Myers' Checkmate 26 data showed median progression-free survival favored chemotherapy instead of Opdivo. That's a huge disappointment. The progression-free survival rate is the number of people who still have cancer, but their disease isn't progressing.

While MRK spiked on Oct. 10, it dropped back down. I'm not entirely sure investors understand the implications of a potential FDA decision on Dec. 24. That means Keytruda is already approved for advanced melanoma and first line non-small cell lung cancer and would cement Keytruda as truly a great cancer therapy.

I would buy Merck into the holidays expecting Santa to deliver a big present.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
BHP Billiton (BHP) and Vale (VALE) executives have been charged with "qualified homicide" for their alleged role in last year's deadly collapse of a dam at the companies' Sarmaco iron ore joint venture in Brazil.

Brazil's federal prosecutors office filed charges against the companies and 21 people, including BHP's former iron ore President Jimmy Wilson and Vale's head of ferrous metals Peter Poppinga, claiming they shared responsibility for the dam's November failure which destroyed the town of Bento Rodrigues and killed 19 people.

BHP shares traded Friday in London at 1,219 pence ($14.88), marginally higher than their Thursday close. Vale shares closed Thursday at 17.92 brazilian reais ($5.69).

Lead prosecutor Jose Leite Sampaio alleges Samarco, BHP, Vale and VOGBR, a Brazilian engineering company that certified the dam, were aware of the potential for the dam to fail and that the mining companies chose to continue operations rather than act to secure the site.

"Security was always of secondary importance," Sampaio told a news conference to announce the charges. "They deliberately prioritized money over safety."

Both BHP and Vale denied the charges, which need to be raitfied by a judge before they can go to trial. If convicted the companies face fines while the individual defendants could be sentenced to a maximum 30 years in prison.

A total of eight BHP people, including five current employees have been charged. They include the mining company's VP finance for iron ore Margaret Beck, VP strategy, development and planning Tony Ottaviano and three senior Brazilian employees Andre Cardoso, Sergio Fernandes and Guilherme Ferreira. The three former employees are Wilson, who left the company in February, former VP iron ore strategy Jeffery Zweig and Marcus Randolph, former chief executive of BHP's iron ore and coal business and now Chairman of Salt Lake, Utah-based, Australia-listed drilling services group Boart Longyear.

BHP said that it was aware that charges had been filed but said it had yet to receive formal notification of the proceedings.

"BHP Billiton Brasil rejects outright the charges against the company and the affected Individuals," the company said. "We will defend the charges against the company, and fully support each of the affected Individuals in their defense of the charges against them."

Vale said it "vehemently rejects the charges," and will defend its staff members.

BHP and Vale are already facing massive civil claims for damages relating to the dam collapse, including a 155 billion reais ($49.2 billion) class action law suit and a second R20 billion claim lodged by the government.

The companies had sort to cap potential payments relating to the disaster by agreeing a 9.2 billion compensation deal with Federal and state authorities. That agreement was suspended by Brazil's Superior Court of Justice in June.
A federal court of appels on Friday reinstated a case brought by four Iraqis who allege they were tortured by employees of CACI while they were held at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War.

The case had been dismissed by a lower court that found the alleged abuses amounted to a political question and was beyond the courts jurisdiction. But the case, which was first filed in 2008, was reinstated by a panel of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

The plaintiffs in the case are represented by attorneys with the Center for Constitutional Rights, who cheered the decision.

There is no question that torture is unlawful under domestic, military, and international law. The only issue in this case is whether CACI will be held accountable  or treated with impunity  for its role in torture at Abu Ghraib, said Legal Director Baher Azmy. Todays decision reaffirms the role of the courts to assess illegality, including torture, and we are optimistic this case will finally move forward and our clients will have their day in court.

CACI, which is based in Arlington and is one of the Pentagons top contractors, said it was undeterred: Well proceed with our expectation unchanged: exoneration for CACI. Nothing in todays decision changes our view of the ultimate outcome.
[October 21, 2016] DealerSocket wraps 7th annual User Summit with release of Blackbird CRM, iDMS and 2016 Independent Dealership Action Report

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This month, more than 1,000 dealers and industry partners gathered at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa for DealerSocket's 7th annual User Summit. They watched firsthand as CEO Jonathan Ord pulled back the curtain on Blackbird CRM and iDMS, two new tools rebuilt from the ground up for independent dealers. "Our new technology will enable dealers and their staff to perform their jobs better and faster, to a level never before seen in our industry," Ord said. "The software is customizable by role, so individual users have immediate access to the functions they use every day via a personalized, intuitive dashboard. On top of that, features like dual-screen functionality, a multi-tasking dock and a highly intelligent search engine make this technology unrivaled among its peers." The following day, Chief Technology Officer Brad Perry and National Sales Director Peter Ord walked independent dealers through the new technology. Perry began by observing, "These days, it is a complex, complicated and unfriendly experience for a customer to buy a car. That's because there are too many tools, too many vendors and too little integration between them. Starting now, that all changes." Perry and Peter Ord outlined DealerSocket's vision for: A single unified platform for all software at an independent dealership

A dramatically improved customer experience that integrates digital retailing

Elimination of overlapping functions between software products

The commissioning of a data science team to study the countless layersof data gathered from DealerSocket customers, then make operational recommendations to dealers based on their information



Amid the excitement of DealerSocket's product releases, the company also unveiled its 2nd annual Independent Dealership Action Report. The report combined data from exclusive Google consumer surveys, NIADA, NABD, JD Power, Experian, DealerSocket dealer surveys and the company's own proprietary data. Company executives shared key data points from the report with industry media during a roundtable session, which covered the disparities between dealer perceptions and actual consumer opinions on the process of buying a car.

Throughout the three-day event, attendees enjoyed 30 classes tailored specifically for the independent market. Speakers included: Tom Hudson , Founding Partner of Hudson Cook , who debunked the myth that small dealerships can escape the scrutiny of the CFPB

, Founding Partner of , who debunked the myth that small dealerships can escape the scrutiny of the CFPB Ken Shilson , Founder and President of NABD, who shared how buy-here-pay-here dealers can thrive in light of the latest market statistics

, Founder and President of NABD, who shared how buy-here-pay-here dealers can thrive in light of the latest market statistics Shaun Petersen , Senior Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs, at NIADA, who reviewed lessons learned from major regulatory developments of the past year Dealers who could not attend User Summit can view full videos of the general sessions at dealersocket.com/live, as well as download presentations and notes from the breakout sessions. For more information about this year's event, visit http://usersummit.dealersocket.com/ind. About DealerSocket

DealerSocket is a leading automotive technology platform that helps dealerships in the United States, Canada, and Australia improve profitability through a fully integrated suite of marketing, sales, service, customer experience, DMS, websites, data mining, and inventory management solutions. Headquartered in San Clemente, Calif., DealerSocket employs more than 1,000 people, and serves more than 10,000 dealerships and 300,000 active users in the United States, Canada, and Australia. DealerSocket's advanced technology provides benchmarking data that paces the industry, and its insightful experts identify trends and develop strategic roadmaps that help dealers optimize processes and operate more profitably. Visit dealersocket.com/ind for more information. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160915/408438LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dealersocket-wraps-7th-annual-user-summit-with-release-of-blackbird-crm-idms-and-2016-independent-dealership-action-report-300349151.html SOURCE DealerSocket

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Im a sucker for brief lives. Not people dying young, mind you, but short biographies of prominent artists, thinkers and politicians. Among several fine sets have been Viking Modern Masters, the Penguin Lives (both now defunct) and the American Presidents series, which is nearing completion. The best entries in these series can sharpen our perception of a familiar figure by focusing on the essentials.

The prolific British writer Peter Ackroyd is becoming a one-man progenitor of his own brief lives. Last year, he published a scintillating volume on the father of the mystery novel, Wilkie Collins. Now he has taken on another English-born purveyor of suspense (and a great admirer of Collins): Alfred Hitchcock.

[Review: Wilkie Collins, by Peter Ackroyd]

Ackroyd reminds us what an outsider Hitchcock was. Raised Roman Catholic in Protestant England, he was perennially unhappy with his appearance, especially his spherical figure, and beset by multiple fears: of heights, policemen, imprisonment and, simply, other people. Even after he was well-established in a job with quasi-dictatorial powers  movie director  he still did not like to cross the studio floor in case a stranger came up to him. Such a cluster of neuroses would send many of us running to a shrink, but instead Hitchcock harnessed them to his talents. He was, Ackroyd sums up, a superb fantasist of fear.

After starting in the British film industry as a writer of title cards, Hitchcock quickly rose in the ranks: designer, art director, assistant director, director. More than most biographers, Ackroyd emphasizes his subjects German phase, and makes a good case for doing so. While working on two Anglo-German productions in the 1920s, Hitchcock came under the sway of F.W. Murnau, who had directed Nosferatu, the great silent version of Bram Stokers novel Dracula. From Murnau, Hitchcock recalled, I learned how to tell a story without words. Ackroyd also argues that the milieu depicted in the cinema of Weimar Germany unlocked the door of Hitchcocks imagination. This world is hazardous and uncertain; it is tremulous and frightening; it is deadly and unpredictable. It elicits anxiety and disorientation. It is always precarious. Its a world in which cops are apt to arrest the wrong man, in which an affable jokester on a train proposes an exchange of murders  except hes not really joking, and a repentant woman is murdered while showering in her motel room.

[Alfred Hitchcocks silent films find a new life]

Much has been made of the tension between Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick, who lured him to Hollywood in 1939. Selznick could be a heavy-handed meddler, but in Ackroyds view, Selznick rightly overruled Hitchcock on how to approach their first collaboration, Rebecca. Hitchcock submitted a treatment that lightened the novel, giving it more or less the tone of his breezy British films (The 39 Steps, say, or The Lady Vanishes), but Selznick insisted on a darker version faithful to the neo-Gothic melodrama Daphne du Maurier had written. Hitchcock gulped but started over, and the result was an Oscar for best picture of 1940. (That years award for best director, however, went to John Ford for The Grapes of Wrath; Hitchcock never did win an Oscar.) During the remainder of his contract with Selznick, Hitchcock directed more movies on loanout to other studios than he did directly for the overbearing producer. And in making his great movies of the 1950s  Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest  Hitchcock enjoyed near-total control.

Ackroyd can write intelligently and evocatively about these films, as in this characterization of Vertigo: It is a reverie and a lament, a threnody and a hymn, with an ending so abrupt, so shocking, that it prolongs the mood of emptiness and anxiety. But after at least 35 books, his productivity may be taking a toll. The prose is not always as crisp as it should be. For example, Ackroyd says that The Birds flaunted the conventions of American cinema when he means it flouted them. And he makes a surprising mistake in discussing a MacGuffin, Hitchcocks term for the device that sends the plot and the characters on their way  the secret invasion plans, for example, or a quantity of uranium, or how and when a prime minister will be assassinated. Ackroyd equates a MacGuffin with a red herring, which means almost the opposite: a false clue.

He might also have paid more attention to Hitchcocks work as a whole. Writing about Marnie, Ackroyd claims it is not clear whether Hitchcock used [painted backdrops] to emphasize the artificiality of the film, or as a measure of economy. In fact, Hitchcock cheated in this way throughout his career. Vertigo is marred by several unconvincing painted backdrops, and in one of his first big international successes, The Lady Vanishes, an early shot of a toy car driving the streets of a tabletop town is so phony it wouldnt fool a child. Hitchcock stooped to such fakery not to economize or to emphasize artificiality but to indulge his control-freak tendencies. He didnt like shooting real backdrops in actual locations because too many things could go wrong. Within the confines of a studio, he felt more at ease.

Peter Ackroyds latest brief life is more astute on his subjects psychological makeup than on what makes us want to read about him: his approach to the films he made.

Dennis Drabelle, a former contributing editor of Book World, writes frequently on film.

Read more from our archives: Alfred Hitchcock, Master of Screen Thrillers, Dies
The memorable advice Debbie Allen gave as teacher Lydia Grant on the television show Fame  Right here is where you start paying, in sweat!  is probably similar to what she gives at her Debbie Allen Dance Academy, whose proteges join Tony nominees in her latest work, Freeze Frame . . . Stop the Madness, a work about violence in America. Allen wrote, directed, choreographed and appears in the fusion of dance, music, film and theater, which is receiving its East Coast premiere at the Kennedy Center on Thursday through Sunday. A Howard University grad, Allen, 66, has won three Emmys for choreography and a Golden Globe for acting, and she was appointed to the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanity in 2001. Allen has been a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance, and Shonda Rhimes hired her as executive producer on Greys Anatomy, where she has had the recurring role of urologist Catherine Avery and directed more than a dozen episodes. In fact, we spoke to Allen recently just as she was just pulling into the studio lot to direct two episodes of Greys.

Q: When did you first start thinking of Freeze Frame?

A: I guess it was in my childhood, growing up in Texas and even then being shattered by news of the horror of President Kennedys assassination, which affected us all as children. That act of violence that happened so close to us all. You know, one day we saw him waving in a motorcade and the next day he was gone. And then there was this terrible shooting at the University of Texas when I was a young girl. A man went into a tower  we never heard of anything so violent  just shooting people. And then, when I moved to Los Angeles to do Fame and inspire all the world with all that joy and dance, it was the height of the gun and gang violence here in Los Angeles. Every day, there was some innocent child killed in a crossfire, or mistaken identity. It was just too much. I was never desensitized to it. . . . It affected my whole spirit.

So I started thinking about writing something called Rage, which was the way it started, and this was going to be from the perspective of mothers who have lost children in a support group.

Q: How did its first incarnation end up in Australia in 2013?

A: The artistic director at the Brisbane Festival and I had talked many years ago about doing something. He was a big fan of mine from Fame. He loved the idea of what was happening in urban America with American youth, and he invited me to do this project in Brisbane. So I fast put it together  fast meaning seven months writing the music, writing the script, then I did a workshop and I actually went to Brisbane.

We were nervous because there had just been a shooting [in America] of a young tourist from Australia, and the whole country of Australia was outraged that one of their citizens was fallen for no reason. It was senseless. It didnt need to happen.

But when we went there, [the show] was full every night, and there were kids in the front row. This is an edgy piece  edgy meaning its realistic. The language of the piece  some of it is very hard. They loved it, they embraced it, and I knew we had to go further.

Q: How is the revised version, which ran in Los Angeles in February, different?

A: It was a fusion of everything that I do. It starts with a film that leads into stage, that then turns into dance that then turns into song, that goes into monologues and spoken word and drama. And it tells the story of these people whose lives are getting ready to intersect because of this act of violence, and how its going to impact them, it remains to be seen. I guess you could say its a musical, but I dont know. Weve got to come up with a new idea of what to call this piece because its so many different things.

Q: The tragedies happen so often nowadays. Do you have to update it?

A: Thats whats heartbreaking. I had to go back and talk about Orlando, Nice [France]. I mean, I dont know if it will ever stop being updated. The dream of this is that it will work at the Kennedy Center in a way that will bring big conversation and people together.

This whole conversation is something that is so relevant to everyone in this world. No one is safe from it; everyone is vulnerable. But at the same time, how do we address it? What can we do right now? Right in the middle of the political storm thats going on, so many issues. Its like a referendum. Its very telling as to who we are as a people.

You know, when Sandy Hook happened  you dont think your child is going to die. You dont think thats going to happen. But this also expresses where our policeman are. Theres a song that we wrote thats a rap song. Its called What Am I Supposed to Do? It humanizes the police. I got hundreds of letters back. A lot of them said thank you for what you wrote about the police because we never think about them that way.

Q: Youre one of the few regularly working female directors in Hollywood, a place that is criticized for using so few. Do you think thats changing?

A: I do. Because those of us who have gone the distance and those who have risen to a place of authority and decision-making can make those changes. Shonda Rhimes has been very influential in how shes diversified what happens behind the scenes. At Greys Anatomy, half of the episodes this season will be directed by women.

Q: What is the role of art in making societal change?

A: The role of art is so vital, because youre able to touch people where they feel safe to experience it. If they love it and they find beauty in it, they may also come away with something that can touch their heart and get into their head and make them realize they have to do something.

Debbie Allens Freeze Frame . . . Stop the Madness Oct. 27-30 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets: $29-$109. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
"Black Mirror" (Netflix streaming) Season 3 of the cult-favorite anthology series arrives with six new episodes exploring the dark side of technology. Nosedive stars Bryce Dallas Howard as an insecure woman in a society obsessed with status (and status updates). (David Dettmann/Netflix)

Last Man Standing (ABC at 8) The Baxters throw a Halloween party.

MacGyver (CBS at 8) Mac has to figure out how to fix a sabotaged train using a toothpick, a curtain rod and an armrest.

Hells Kitchen (Fox at 8) The teams regroup after a shocking elimination.

Dr. Ken (ABC at 8:30) Allison gets sad when Dave appears to have outgrown Halloween, but a Korean ghost story told by D.K. piques his interest.

The Exorcist (Fox at 9) The exorcism begins.

Z Nation (Syfy at 9) The residents of a mental hospital capture Doc.

America Divided: Democracy for Sale (Epix at 9) Actor-comedian Zach Galifianakis returns to his home state of North Carolina, where he explores the history of voting rights and the role of money in politics.

Quarry (Cinemax at 10) Mac is tasked with taking down a top drug dealer.

Blue Bloods (CBS at 10) Frank weighs whether to let the NYPD assist with a raid by U.S. marshals.

PREMIERE

Kindred Spirits (TLC at 10) Ghost hunters Amy Bruni and Adam Berry visit families who are tormented by paranormal activity in their homes.

Returning

The Vampire Diaries (CW at 8) Season 7.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW at 9) Season 2.

Special

Joe Rogan: Triggered (Netflix streaming) The comedian talks about raising kids and communicating with dolphins in this stand-up special.

Great Performances: Hamiltons America (WETA at 9; MPT at 9:30) This 90-minute special takes an in-depth look at Lin-Manuel Mirandas Broadway hit about Alexander Hamilton and the historical context that makes it resonate. Peter Marks reviews.

Movie

Knucklehead (Urban Movie Channel streaming) Alfre Woodard and Gbenga Akinnagbe star in this film about a troubled young man who tries to cure his mental illness with a questionable cocktail of prescription drugs recommended by a celebrity columnist.

FINALE

High Maintenance (HBO at 11) The Guy visits a customer with anxiety issues.

Late Night

Chelsea (Netflix streaming) Isla Fisher, Thomas Lennon, Jorge Ramos, Jason Biggs, Jenny Mollen.

Colbert (CBS at 11:35) Matt LeBlanc, Joy Bryant, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Wyclef Jean.
MARYLAND

Man charged with child neglect

A 38-year-old Maryland man was charged with child neglect after his 20-month-old daughter was hospitalized and found to have PCP and Xanax in her system, officials said Friday.

Jayson Hall of Montgomery County was released on a $10,000 bond Thursday, according to court records. There was no indication that he purposely dosed the girl with the drugs.

Rather, according to arrest records, he appears to have created a condition where the child had access to the drugs.

Shortly before she fell ill, Hall had been asleep on a sofa. On a coffee table was a bottle of pills and a bag of pills, according to the arrest records. Halls wife would later tell police she knew him to be a PCP user.

Hall could not be reached for comment.

The child has since been released from the hospital, according to a police spokesman.

 Dan Morse

VIRGINIA

Woman accused of adding cleaner to coffee

A woman was arrested Friday after adding a cleaning agent to a coffee-maker in Loudoun County, police said.

On Oct. 13, the Loudoun County sheriff received a complaint accusing 32-year-old Mayda E. Rivera-Juarez of Sterling, a former employee of a business in the 45000 block of Ocean Court in Sterling, of pouring a cleaning agent into a coffee-maker over several weeks, and several employees said they had fallen ill, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

Rivera-Juarez was arrested and charged with felony assault, the statement said, and is being held without bond.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

Request for more input on overflow plan

An environmental organization is asking the Department of Environmental Quality to let the public speak before deciding whether to grant a permit for repairs to Alexandrias storm water and sewage system, which dumps 11 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River every year.

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network said in a letter Friday that the state should make the city post its entire long-term control plan, not just a summary, on its website, open the request to public comment, hold a hearing, and respond.

The city has held public meetings with residents to describe how it plans to contain and hold the overflow in Hunting Creek before sending it to the local treatment plant.

 Patricia Sullivan
Montgomery Countys public schools have become increasingly diverse over the years and recently reached a new milestone: Hispanic students are the largest racial or ethnic group. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Hispanic students for the first time outnumber their peers in other racial and ethnic groups in Montgomery Countys public schools, a milestone for diversity in a suburb long regarded as largely white and affluent.

The school district in 2016-2017 is 30 percent Hispanic, 29 percent white, 22 percent black and 14 percent Asian, according to school district data, a student body that would have been difficult to imagine five decades ago, when Montgomerys enrollment was 94 percent white.

I think it adds to the richness of the community, said Jill Ortman-Fouse, a school board member from Silver Spring, who recalled a recent string of tweets about schools hosting events for Hispanic Heritage Month. Its not classic suburbia anymore.

Long in the making, the demographic shift in the Maryland suburb reflects broader changes nationally and brings new attention to whether the high-

performing school system is doing enough for its surging number of Hispanic students. Some in Montgomery see promise in a newly appointed superintendent and more county funding this year, but there are also concerns about wide gaps in achievement, lagging graduation rates and language barriers.

The question is, What are we doing to better serve the population? Because it isnt the same as it was 30 years ago, said parent Karla Silvestre, co-chair of the districts Latino Student Achievement Action Group. She said it is increasingly important for the school system to engage Hispanic families in their schools and to have bilingual staffers to help with parent-teacher interactions.

The tipping point comes in a school district that is Marylands largest and among its fastest-growing. More than 159,200 students attend classes in Montgomery, up by almost 2,800 this year and more than 21,000 since 2007, according to preliminary district data that the county plans to finalize late this month.

[Student enrollment continues to surge in Maryland school district]

The growth in enrollment has meant more English learners in class and more students from low-income families. Nearly 55,000 students receive free or reduced-price meals, a number exceeding the total enrollment of the neighboring D.C. school system.

I think the trend is very important, and that wave of change is going to continue, said school board member Patricia ONeill, noting that the change might be taking some residents by surprise. Some people live in the Bethesda bubble. They live in their own little comfort zone and dont see it.

Historical data shows that Montgomerys white enrollment as a percentage of the entire student body  at more than 90 percent in 1971  has dipped every year since, while the percentage of Hispanic students has been climbing since 1984. In 2000, Montgomery became majority-minority, with white enrollment below 50 percent for the first time.

Hispanic students are the fastest-growing population nationally in public schools, said Pedro Noguera, an education professor at UCLAs Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences. This is happening across the country. Rural, urban, suburban, he said.

[Proposed changes to school systems English-learners program draw concerns]

The change often comes with growing pains, said Roberto Gonzales, a professor at Harvard Universitys Graduate School of Education. Some districts have done better than others, he said. School districts that embrace diversity and see it as an asset, he said, typically fare better than those that act threatened or fearful.

For some parents, he said, the key question seems to be: Do schools remain good as they become more diverse? Gonzales says that they do.

Growing up with somebody who is different from you helps students to develop empathy, broaden their world view, he said. It allows them to be part of this global society.

An increased share of disadvantaged students could affect overall district test scores, but with a gradual demographic shift, changes might be small or imperceptible from year to year and dont necessarily indicate changes in school quality, said Michael Hansen, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

School district planners pointed to the leading edge of the trend in 2013, when Hispanic kindergartners and first-graders outnumbered their peers in other racial and ethnic groups. A year later, the trend extended to second grade and then up to fourth grade.

[For another year, Hispanic enrollment grows in Montgomery County schools]

In late September, the district counted nearly 48,000 Hispanic students, 1,360 students more than its second-largest group, white students.

Its definitely a shift that is noteworthy, said Montgomery Schools Superintendent Jack Smith, who has promised to use performance data to improve student outcomes and called narrowing the gap in student achievement a moral imperative. Its important for us to know who we serve, and we also have to serve all students well.

Smith, who began his tenure in July, said cultural proficiency among staff is a priority, as are best instructional practices and building relationships with students. He said hes interested in dual-language programs and expanding the number of multilingual staff.

On recent state tests, achievement gaps were stark. In Algebra 1, 69 percent of white students and 72 percent of Asian students passed the state exam in the spring, compared with 19 percent of Hispanic students and 25 percent of black students.

Some Latino community leaders say they hope Smiths efforts  along with a budget that goes nearly $90 million above the minimum state funding level  will mean better results.

[New Montgomery schools budget trims teacher raises for a shot at smaller classes]

This gap cannot continue, said Diego Uriburu, executive director of Identity Inc., which works with Hispanic youth and families in Montgomery. The time to really fully address it is now.

Uriburu said the district needs to improve the cultural competency and diversity of its staff, increase academic support for those who struggle, and expand career and technology education. He said that Hispanic students are eager to learn and that with adequate support, they will be successful.

There is a sense of urgency that comes with this milestone, he said.

Montgomery started a teacher diversity initiative in late 2014, but major changes in overall composition have not come quickly. The teacher workforce this year is nearly 75 percent white, 12 percent black, 6 percent Asian and 6 percent Hispanic, according to district data.

[Montgomery County launches teacher diversity initiative in schools]

The enrollment changes highlight the need to keep class sizes small for English-language learners, said Judith Docca, the school boards vice president. But Docca said she also would like the district to focus on all students who are significantly behind in math and English, including African American students. We want to do this equitably, she said.

As the county has grown more diverse, not all of its schools have changed in the same way. Some elementary schools were more than 70 percent Hispanic last year, for example; others were less than 10 percent.

Conor Williams, a senior researcher at New America, a D.C. think tank, called the increasing Hispanic enrollment a wonderful opportunity to expand dual-language immersion programs that use students home languages to help teach their peers. Such programs have been successful across the country, he said.

They often can help privileged families be more enthusiastic about integrating their schools, Williams said.

At Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, where Hispanic students represent nearly half of the enrollment, longtime Principal James Fernandez said one of the biggest issues for his students is attendance, with some missing class because they need to take jobs to help their families.

But across the school, 88 percent of Einstein graduates last year were headed to college, up from 41 percent in 2005, he said. A number of students drop out before they reach high school graduation, he said, but educators work to keep them enrolled; the schools 2015 graduation rate was nearly 83 percent.

Fernandez said that while it might be a new experience for some schools to have a large number of Hispanic students, it is an everyday reality at Einstein.

We are those kids, and weve been very successful, he said.
John King Jr., U.S. secretary of education, lectured at Coolidge High, a low-performing D.C. public school in the Takoma neighborhood, to promote federal programs. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News)

Kaelia Minor was supposed to attend her Principles of U.S. Government class Friday. The Coolidge High School senior should have been there alongside a dozen classmates as John B. King Jr., the U.S. education secretary, delivered a guest lecture, talking about graduation rates and what schools can do better to keep students on track.

Her classmates  all black and Hispanic students  offered their theories on why minority students graduate at far lower rates than their white peers and discussed stresses outside of school that prevent students from going to and from class each day.

Kaelia, 17, who had her sights on college, was fatally stabbed Monday as she got off a city bus that was taking her home from dance practice at Coolidge. Police said that a former classmate killed her in a dispute over a cellphone.

King made no mention of the tragedy during class, but he later discussed it with reporters, telling a story of how one of his students, Herman, was killed.

It was devastating for all of us who knew Herman, said King, a former social studies teacher. The question for me is, as a society, how do we protect Herman and how do we make life different for the student who killed him so his life trajectory is different and he doesnt end up in that situation.

[Long-standing feud leads to fatal stabbing of D.C. teen]

King lectured at Coolidge, a low-performing D.C. public school in the Takoma neighborhood, to promote federal programs such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the College Scorecard, a website that aims to simplify the process of choosing a college by combining multiple sources of federal information in one place.

He later met privately with Coolidge guidance counselors about student needs  counseling and mental health services are critical, King said  and spoke to reporters about the importance of a well-rounded education. This was part of his efforts to help states implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal law that replaces the No Child Left Behind Act and shifts power to the states.

[Education secretary says civics education should encourage activism]

Despite the tragedy that shook the school and city this week, Coolidge students have remained focused, Principal Richard Jackson said. On Wednesday, students took the SATs during school as scheduled. He described the student body as resilient and said the youths have compartmentalized some of their feelings about the slaying for the sake of fulfilling their responsibilities. He said students decorated Kaelias locker and have poured their energy into positive activities.

We want resilient but also empathetic students, Jackson said. They understand that education is their way to success.

D.C. police have said Monday nights stabbing at a bus stop in Petworth was linked to a phone that the suspect, Kyla Jones, 18, said Kaelia had stolen during an altercation on a Metrobus. On Wednesday evening, more than 200 friends and relatives of Kaelias gathered for a vigil at the bus stop where the teen was killed. Classmates on the cheerleading and dancing squads performed in her honor. Others brought candles and balloons that said Miss you already and Im sorry.

Teachers have described Kaelia, the captain of Coolidges dance team, as an industrious and affable student who dreamed of college.

She was a good student, a note-taker, someone who smiled when she came into the room, said Hannah Johnson, a former Coolidge teacher who taught Kaelia in her entry-level Spanish course.

Although the students made no mention of the killing in class, they talked about the challenges they face outside of school that could trickle into their academic lives. They referenced job and family responsibilities, problems with friends and romantic interests, and even the frustratingly high costs of college.

As students grow up, they have more problems at home, at school, with friends and boyfriends, one senior in the class said.

Nearly all of Coolidges students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, and based on national standardized test scores linked to Common Core, only 8 percent are considered career- and college-ready in English; none are considered ready in math.

They were very honest with me about things that were challenging for their peers, and I appreciated it, King said after class.

King also asked students to provide solutions for how teachers and school leaders could more effectively engage students.

Teachers should tell the students how important they are, so the students know that they can be the next president or a doctor and save lots of lives, senior Jhordy Flores said. The young people are the future of the United States.

Peter Hermann contributed to this report.
[October 21, 2016] Fitch Affirms Barry University, FL's Revs at 'BBB'; Outlook Revised to Negative

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the 'BBB' rating on approximately $67.3 million of outstanding Pinellas County Educational Facilities Authority, FL (PCEFA) revenue and refunding bonds series 2011 and series 2012, issued on behalf of Barry University (Barry). The Rating Outlook is revised to Negative from Stable. SECURITY Bonds are a general obligation of Barry, further supported by a cash-funded debt service reserve. KEY RATING DRIVERS PERSISTENT DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT: The Outlook revision to Negative is based on a continuing trend of a decline in enrollment, which has historically fallen short of budgeted expectations. The enrollment decline is leading to an expected negative $17.5 million variance in budgeted revenues and just under a $4.4 million operating deficit ($1.9 million deficit, excluding one-time items) for fiscal year-end June 30, 2016 (unaudited). The fiscal 2016 audit is not yet available. TUITION DEPENDENT: Barry is heavily reliant on tuition revenues for over 90% of its total revenues and has limited pricing flexibility due to strong competition for students and affordability concerns. Net tuition revenues continue to decline as a result of under-budget enrollment and increased tuition discounting. ADEQUATE BALANCE SHEET: Barry's available funds of $57.6 million represented 36.5% of operating expenses and 73% of long-term debt as of year-end June 30, 2015. These balance sheet ratios remain adequate for the rating category; however, Fitch notes with some concern that management reports a liquidity decline of $10.1 million as a result of ongoing capital spending, as well as the anticipated operating deficit in fiscal 2016. RATING SENSITIVITIES REVIEW OF COST STRUCTURE: Barry University's management is currently undergoing a review of its entire cost structure in an effort to achieve breakeven operations for fiscal 2017. Fitch will update the rating when the fiscal 2016 audit and financial improvement plan is available. The failure to achieve breakeven operations in fiscal 2017 would likely result in negative rating action. CONTINUED EROSION OF LIQUIDITY: Management reports that available funds will weaken by about 18% in fiscal 2016 from $57.6 million in fiscal 2015. Continued declines in liquidity metrics would likely result in a downgrade. CREDIT PROFILE Barry was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1940 as a women's Catholic college, became co-educational in 1975 and was elevated to university status in 1981. The university is located on 125 acres in Miami Shores, FL and offers more than 100 bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. In addition, the university manages a law school on a separate 24-acre campus in Orlando, FL, and offers 25 sites and multiple additional points of delivery throughout the State of Florida, the Bahamas and the U.S. Virgin Islands. MISSING ENROLLMENT TARGETS Barry missed its budgeted enrollment target for the fourth consecutive year in fall 2016, by 567 students. Declines were experienced in the traditional undergraduate and graduate level, as well as in the non-traditional cohort. Total headcount enrollment totaled 7,404 in fall 2016, a decline of 7.1% from the previous year, following a roughly 6% enrollment decline in fall 2015. The smaller incoming class is partly due to Barry's ongoing emphasis on recruiting students who can persist both academically and financially. However, competition for Barry's prospective student body has also become more acute. Management indicated that the Florida state college system, which now offers certain four-year degree programs, increases the competition for transfer students. Coupled with weakening demographics driving an increase in national competition for students, there is increasing uncertainty around Barry's demand profile and its ability to recruit new students at historical levels. OPERATING DEFICIT After 10 consecutive years of operating surpluses, Barry is expecting to post a roughly $4.4 million operating deficit for fiscal 2016, due to enrollment coming in under budget. The expected deficit declines to negative $1.4 million when one-time items are excluded. These one-time items are comprised primarily of expenses related to a voluntary separation program, as well as Barry's 75th anniversary celebration and the start of a critical needs campaign, all of which were Board-approved. Because of its pressured competitive environment, Barry's flexibility to close the deficit from the revenue side is very limited. Based on management reports, the tuition discounting rate increased is expected to increase to 29.8% in fiscal 2016 from 25.6% in fiscal 2015 and 27% in fiscal 2014, all of which are higher than the 'BBB'-rated median of 18.8%. Barry is dependent on tuition for over 90% of its revenue. Therefore, management is undertaking a review of Barry's entire cost structure, including programmatic offerings, for saving opportunities with the goal of returning the university to breakeven operations in fiscal 2017 and bolstering debt service coverage. Management's recommendations will be presented to the Board at their meeting scheduled for the end of October. The failure to achieve breakeven operations in fiscal 2017 would likely result in negative rating action. WEAKENED DEBT PROFILE Based on information provided by Barry, the expected operating deficit will cause maximum annual debt service (MADS) coverage to decline to just about sum sufficient at 1.05x in fiscal 2016 from 2.6x in fiscal 2015. arry has a rate covenant of 1.1x on annual debt service, however, a covenant violation does not result in an event of default as long as Barry diligently pursues corrective action.



MADS burden is expected to weaken as well, but remains adequate for the rating category at an estimated 4.3% in fiscal 2016, compared to 3.8% in fiscal 2015. ADEQUATE BUT WEAKENED LIQUIDITY

Barry's available funds of $57.6 million represented 36.5% of operating expenses and 73% of long-term debt as of year-end June 30, 2015. These balance sheet ratios remain adequate for the rating category; however, Fitch notes with some concern that management reports an anticipated liquidity decline of $10.4 million as a result of capital spending, in addition to the expected operating deficit in fiscal 2016. Continued declines in liquidity metrics would likely result in a downgrade. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/750012 U.S. College and University Rating Criteria (pub. 12 May 2014) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/748013 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1013522 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1013522 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/regulatory ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEB SITE AT WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA, AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. 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Due to the relative efficiency of electronic publishing and distribution, Fitch research may be available to electronic subscribers up to three days earlier than to print subscribers. For Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea only: Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services license (AFS license no. 337123) which authorizes it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005804/en/

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) softened his opposition Friday to a regional sales tax for Metro, telling Montgomery County business and political leaders that he was willing to keep an open mind on the issue.

If local governments want to tax their citizens more, and thats something their folks want, thats for them to decide, Hogan told a Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

But he also vowed that any tax would have to be strictly regional in nature.

Were not going to tax the people of Maryland all across the state to pay for Metro, I can tell you that, he said.

Hogan met privately last week with D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) to discuss the long-term funding needs of the beleaguered transit system. Bowser favors a 1 cent sales tax or other dedicated revenue source. Hogan was cool to the idea and said he would discourage any such local effort in Montgomery or Prince Georges counties. A Hogan spokesman reinforced the point a few hours after the meeting, saying that the governor has no plans to support a tax increase, regional or otherwise.

Local officials were encouraged to hear that Hogan was willing to keep the door open.

Thats a 180-degree difference in tone, said council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the councils transportation committee. Thats a big deal.

Hogan warned that any increase in the states direct subsidy to WMATA, now at $500 million, would not be possible without major improvements in safety and customer service.

If its not reliable and its not safe, people are not going to use it, he said. So first, weve got to fix some of those problems.

The governor spoke during a joint Q-and-A session with state Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), who has become a close ally during Hogans two years in office.

When the subject turned to Hogans recent executive order extending summer school break past Labor Day, both Franchot and the governor lit into critics of the decision, which include state and local boards of education and Democrats in the General Assembly.

Franchot called Hogans order the right thing on the merits for the state of Maryland and said it will benefit children, who will be spared sweltering classrooms; parents, who have had to deal with an irrational school schedule; and the small-business community, which pays the taxes to fund our education system.

He accused fellow Democrats of arrogance in opposing the change, which polls show has broad public support. My party, unbelievably, has apparently taken its popularity as a sign that its morally wrong, Franchot said.

Hogan called the disapproval silly, trivial and stupid and scoffed at whining people on school boards.

The Montgomery County Board of Education has said it will seek a waiver from the mandate, which requires schools to end by June 15 and resume after Labor Day. But under Hogans order, waivers can be granted only in very specific cases, where a district has extensive weather-related closures or a longer school year is key to a schools mission.

I would say if the Montgomery County School Board goes against 75 percent of the people in Montgomery County, then they probably wont be elected to the school board next time, Hogan said.

The bipartisan bromance between the Republican governor and Democratic comptroller was on full view during the session at the Bethesda Marriott, as each lavished praise on the other. Moderator Lou Peck of Bethesda magazine asked whether, given their mutually fond feelings, the politicians would consider endorsing each other in 2018.

I wouldnt want to hurt his chances, Hogan said.

Franchot recalled a recent conversation in which Hogan asked if there was anything he could do for him. I said, Governor, keep your distance. 
A pedestrian walks on a sidewalk along A Street SE. Antwon Pitt was convicted of a rape that occurred on the block. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

A rapist was sentenced to 60 years in prison by a D.C. Superior Court judge who said the victims testimony was perhaps the most harrowing this court has ever heard.

Antwon Pitt, now 22, who came to symbolize the threat of violent repeat offenders, could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Judge Florence Pan delivered the sentence Friday morning after listening to statements from the victim and her husband.

The victim, a 41-year-old college professor, approached the prosecutors table and took a deep breath before starting to speak. She then described what happened on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2015.

Pitt entered her home in the Districts Hill East neighborhood through an unlocked door and slammed her against a wall. He grabbed her by the throat, dragged her across the wood floor and threw her on the bed, where he raped her.

Antwon Pitt, now 22, in a mug shot from his arrest after the rape in October 2015. (Prince Georges County States Attorney's Office)

I wanted to live, so I stopped fighting, she said. I went limp.

She said she believed that Pitt, who is 6-foot-5, had the ability to kill with his bare hands. She thought she would never again see her husband or her young daughters.

She wondered whether Pitt would dump her body somewhere after he killed her. Maybe, she thought, her family would never find out what happened.

[How an accused rapist kept getting second chances]

After the attack, the woman underwent surgery to repair fractures in her cheekbone and an eye socket. The jury saw photographs of her battered and swollen face.

Doctors found blood in her trachea. Even now, she cannot sing in her normal vocal range. The punches to her face left a floater in her right eye. It is a constant and persistent reminder of the attack, she said.

She has spent hours talking to a trauma therapist. Her marriage has been strained. It is difficult to speak about their struggles, she said.

The victims husband said the entire family  including their two young daughters  has been victimized by Pitt.

Torture is not too strong a word to describe what Antwon Pitt has done to each of us, he said.

The victim had to take HIV-prevention medication because of possible exposure during the sexual assault. She had to stop breast-feeding their younger daughter, who was just over a year old at the time of the attack. The sudden weaning caused the baby to cry and scream for hours before falling asleep.

This is what Antwon Pitt did to her, the husband said.

On the day of the assault, the husband said, he was late to pick up their older daughter from elementary school. She was the last child waiting there. He told her that her mother had been hurt.

Her mothers bruised face was nearly unrecognizable. The family moved out of their home temporarily to escape the scene of the crime. The temporary move became permanent. The older child, now 5, did not adjust well and became withdrawn.

This is what Antwon Pitt did to her, the husband repeated.

As for the husband, the anguish and frustration built up. His temper grew shorter. His patience was gone.

Last winter, he punched a piece of furniture. The injury to his hand required surgery. That is what Antwon Pitt did to me, he said.

The husband also referred to numerous other individuals victimized by Pitt, saying it would be no exaggeration to say he has a lifelong history of violence.

The Washington Post has written extensively about Pitts journey through the criminal justice system in the District and his earlier predatory sexual behavior.

As a child, Pitt was accused of inappropriately touching his mother and younger sister. His mother became afraid of him, according to a pre-sentencing report. He went into a foster home, where he was accused of forcing a child to perform oral sex on him, according to court documents.

As a teenager, Pitt was sent to a live-in facility for troubled youth in Virginia. There, he was accused of raping at least two other residents. No criminal charges were filed. He was transferred to a facility in Georgia. Weeks later, he assaulted a resident there.

As an adult, he was convicted of aggravated assault, battery, robbery and assault of a police officer. While serving a two-year prison term for robbery, Pitt repeatedly exposed his genitals and masturbatedin front of corrections officers at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida, according to a review ofdisciplinary documents and interviews with officers.

The FBI investigated Pitts sexual misconduct, but no charges were filed. Once released from prison, he was bused back to the District last summer.

Just two months later, he had broken curfew and missed multiple therapy appointments. He cut off his GPS bracelet and was arrested for possessing synthetic drugs in a library.

Magistrate Judge William Nooter declined a prosecutors request to hold Pitt for violating his supervised release. At the time, a pretrial report stated that there were no release conditions that could ensure the safety of the community.

Days later, Pitt entered another womans apartment and stood in her room while she slept. He took some of her belongings and fled. A week later, he raped the college professor.

We have all suffered, the husband said. We have all been tortured.

Prosecutor Sarah McClellan told the judge that she should impose a sentence that would protect the community.

Antwon Pitt must be stopped, McClellan said.

Pitt, who was wearing an orange jumpsuit, stood with his hands shackled. He frequently whispered to his attorney while the victim was speaking. He did not make a statement to the judge.

Pitts attorney, Judith Pipe of the D.C. Public Defender Service, said her client was an innocent man. She also said there is a sentiment that Mr. Pitt has been given so many chances and does not deserve another second chance.

Pipe said she could not disagree more.

She said he was abandoned as a young child and had to wander the streets to find food. No one ever saw him as the victim that he was and is, she said.

Before issuing the sentence, Pan said she considered Pitt a grave danger to the community. She said his lack of remorse was particularly troublesome.

During the trial, Pitt took the stand and suggested that his cousin had entered the rape victims home that day. Pan said the testimony was self-serving and not at all credible.

The total sentence of 60 years encompasses nine charges, including burglary, robbery, first-degree sexual abuse, assault, kidnapping and threats. Pipe said she plans to file an appeal.

In a phone interview late Friday with The Washington Post, the victim said she felt a mix of relief and sadness.

I mourn whatever it is that led Mr. Pitt to lack human empathy, she said. It makes me very sad that there are people who present such a danger that they seem unable to be rehabilitated even at such a young age.

Now, she said, she plans to become an advocate on her universitys campus for other victims of sexual assault.

I am strong, she said.
Leila Milani of Vienna applies paint with other volunteers gathered to restore the Ashburn Colored School, a 19th-century schoolhouse recently vandalized with racist symbols and hate language. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Authorities said five teenagers were charged in connection with vandalism at a historic one-room schoolhouse in Ashburn.

The Loudoun County Sheriffs Office said the five male teenagers were three 16-year-olds, a 17-year-old from Sterling and a 16-year-old from Ashburn. Authorities did not release their names because they are minors.

Police had identified the teens earlier this month after the historic black schoolhouse was vandalized with spray paint, but officials announced the charges against them this week. Each was charged with felony destruction of property, among other offenses.

[Five teens face charges in vandalism of historic black school]

The vandalism at the Ashburn Colored School was found Oct. 1. The building had been painted with vulgar messages and other offensive words and symbols, including white power and swastikas, authorities said. But the sheriffs office said in a statement that a review of the investigation with the Office of the Loudoun Commonwealths Attorney determined the case did not meet the legal requirements for a hate crime.

The school has a long history. It opened its doors to the countys African American students, who were banned from attending school with whites, in 1892 and stayed open until the late 1950s.

Students from the Loudoun School for the Gifted had begun a restoration of the building before the vandalism. After the building was defaced, the community rallied and raised funds for repairs.

[Community restores historic African American schoolhouse to counter hate]

The sheriffs office had offered a $2,000 reward for tips leading to the identification of suspects and enlisted the help of the FBI. Officials said information from the community helped identify the suspects.
A 38-year-old Maryland man was charged with child neglect after his 20-month-old daughter was hospitalized and found to have PCP and Xanax in her system, officials said Friday.

Jayson Hall, of Montgomery County, was released on a $10,000 bond Thursday, according to court records. There was no immediate indication that he purposely dosed the girl with the drugs.

Rather, according to arrest records, he appears to have created a condition where the child had access to the drugs.

Shortly before she fell ill, Hall had been asleep on a sofa. On a coffee table was a bottle of pills and a baggie of pills, according to the arrest records. Halls wife would later tell police she knew him to be a PCP user.

Hall could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jayson Hall (Montgomery County Police photo)

The child has since been released from the hospital, according to a police spokesman. It was not clear how much of either drug was in her system.

We dont know the ultimate severity of this, other than its obviously a terrifying circumstance, Assistant States Attorney Seth Zucker said during a brief court hearing Thursday.

John Lavigne, an attorney representing Hall, said at the hearing that Hall worked on a loading dock for a large retailer. He helps to support the children, and wants to continue doing that, Lavigne said.

The charging documents spell out a series of events Wednesday.

Just before leaving for work, the childs mother saw her husband, Hall, sleeping on a sofa. She woke him up and told him to put the pills on a shelf out of reach of the children. She left assuming he did so, police wrote in court papers.

The mom later received a call from her 13-year-old son, who said his baby sister was very sleepy and unable to stand. The mom received another call from her 11-year-old daughter, who said the toddler was having a hard time breathing.

The mom immediately headed home. When she arrived, she saw her son outside on the street carrying his baby sister, police wrote in court records. The mom took the girl, and noted she appeared to have stopped breathing. A next-door neighbor, who is a doctor, rushed over and began performing CPR. Paramedics were called, and took the baby to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, where a blood test showed the presence of PCP and Xanax in the childs system.
A woman was arrested Friday after adding a cleaning agent to a coffee maker in Loudoun County, police said.

On Oct. 13, the Loudoun County sheriff received a complaint accusing 32-year-old Mayda E. Rivera-Juarez of Sterling, a former employee of a business in the 45000 block of Ocean Court in Sterling, of pouring a cleaning agent into a coffee maker over several weeks, and several employees said they had fallen ill, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

Mayda E. Rivera-Juarez (Loudoun County Sheriff)

Rivera-Juarez was arrested and charged with felony assault, the statement said, and is being held without bond.
Iranian American actor Maz Jobrani made a comedic public service announcement of the Census Bureau going door-to-door to persuade Iranian Americans to write in Iranian for the 2010 Census so they could be counted. The federal government is considering a new Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) classification for the 2020 Census. (Maz Jobrani and Iranican)

Iranian American actor Maz Jobrani made a comedic public service announcement of the Census Bureau going door-to-door to persuade Iranian Americans to write in Iranian for the 2010 Census so they could be counted. The federal government is considering a new Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) classification for the 2020 Census. (Maz Jobrani and Iranican)

For the first time in four decades, the federal government is poised to add a new ethnic category to the U.S. census form, adding a box for people of Middle Eastern and North African descent.

Details are still being negotiated, but as the form is currently envisioned, people would be able to check the new box in addition to race identifiers, such as white or black. Within the new category, they would also be able to specify national origins, such as Saudi or Israeli, and ethnic affiliations, such as Berber or Kurdish. The new form would go to Congress for final approval in 2018 in time for the 2020 Census.

The move comes after more than 30 years of lobbying, but also at a time of rising Islamophobia and calls by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to ban people from Muslim lands. Some are questioning whether the new designation could lead to profiling or otherwise put them in danger.

The proposed addition would create a race and ethnicity category called MENA for people with roots in the Middle East and North Africa. It has been championed by organizations representing Arab Americans and others with roots in the geographical swath from Iran to Morocco, who complain of being ignored in the decennial count.

The region comprises a jumble of ethnic and racial categories, including people who identify as white or black, Arab or Aryan.





Sanaa Mehdi, 30, is originally from Morocco, but when filling out the census form in the past, the D.C. resident has checked off white. That was the closest it came, she said, though she would have liked a more specific option. I think its a good thing to be able to choose where youre from exactly.

But to many, counting people with roots in majority-Muslim countries feels like a double-edged sword.

If this helps provide some hard data, its useful, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. But unfortunately in todays environment, we have to have concerns about the possible misuse of this data. Weve had too many problems in the post-9/11 era when the American government singles out Arab Americans or Muslim Americans for profiling.

The Census Bureau has been testing different versions of a new form to see how likely respondents are to check the MENA category. A public comment period will end Oct. 31, and a final decision on the form will be made by the Office of Management and Budget.

This is a big deal, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. The last time they did anything like this was with Hispanics before the 1980 Census.

Historically, many people from the Middle East and North Africa have put down white when there has been no other option, a practice that dates back a century, when people from the region, concerned about legislation to restrict immigration by Asians and deny them U.S. citizenship, pushed to be counted as white instead of Asian.

In modern times, however, the lack of a distinct classification has held them back, advocates say, noting that census data is used to decide how congressional districts are drawn and how funds are allocated for federal aid programs.

To be a community thats invisible has been a real problem for us, said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute. The institute estimates there are around 3.7 million Arab Americans in the United States with origins in almost two dozen countries, but it does not know exactly how many or where they live.

Whether its a local school district trying to make decisions about English-as-a-second-language classes, or Voting Rights Act protections, or health research . . . wed love to be able to say, This estimate is based on this data,  Berry said. It means we could have our category the same way Hispanic does. . . . People will be able to finally see themselves in the census.

Advocates for Iranian Americans, whose numbers ballooned after the 1979 Islamic revolution, have similarly relied on estimates to count their constituents, with numbers ranging from 300,000 to well over a million.

Not having an accurate sense of how many Iranian Americans are in the country really diminishes the sense that we are a group that should be listened to, that exists, that deserves respect, said Jamal Abdi, policy director for the National Iranian American Council.

An effort to persuade people to write in Iranian in advance of the 2010 Census was nuts. The number ended up being lower than it had been in 2000, Abdi said. I think it had something to do with post-9/11 fears of that data being used against people.

Abdi said similar concerns are arising now. Legally, people are protected from being identified through the census. But when you have a candidate whos talking about violating this law, that gives people pause, Abdi said. Thats the real pushback that we get from the community  that people are worried about how this data will be used.

Hooper cited the Department of Homeland Securitys special registration program for men from Muslim countries in 2002 and 2003 as well as the New York Police Department gathering data to spy on American Muslims in an entire region, what they called the demographics unit. So demographics can be a powerful tool when wielded by any government. . . . What would Donald Trump do with this kind of data if he was elected?

The identity of a person filling out a census form is anonymous, but the Census Bureau came under fire in 2004 after it was revealed to have shared data on where Arab Americans lived by city and Zip code with DHS.

A law passed in the wake of the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., in 2015, which restricts people born in or holding dual citizenship with certain Middle Eastern nations from the United States visa waiver program, has added to the fears. For example, a British citizen born in Syria or a French Iranian dual national must now apply for a visa to travel here.

Historically, the U.S. is not supposed to discriminate based on heritage, but they have this new law that does just that, Abdi said.

Berry said she understood the concerns but noted that those who have wanted to surveil us . . . have done so effectively without a census category.

Pouriya Samari, 35, a D.C. resident from Iran, agreed. Dont you think they already know where we live? he said. Any information they want, they already have. And why should I be afraid? One, I know I have the right to be here; and two, they dont take names.

The Census Bureaus working MENA classification includes people with origins in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates or Yemen, as well as those who identify as Amazigh or Berber, Arab, Assyrian, Bedouin, Chaldean, Copt, Druze, Kurdish or Syriac.

Groups that could be added in the future include Turks, Sudanese, Somalis, Afghans, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Cypriots, Djiboutians, Georgians, Mauritanians, South Sudanese and Turkish Cypriots, census officials said.

Maz Jobrani, an Iranian American actor and comedian who made a video trying to persuade people to write in Iranian for the 2010 Census, said that while he supports the new category, other Iranians might perceive it as a slight.

Some Iranians are very Iranocentric; they really want it to be known that they are separate from Arabs, and when youre talking about race, Iranians are quick to remind you that Iranians are white, he said. But I think its good to have some kind of minority status, and if that means that weve got to get together with others from the same region, I think theres some good that can come of that.

If a MENA box does appear on the next census, it may take time for communities to embrace it, Jobrani added.

When you first come here to America, you are kind of a third-class citizen. People have a tendency to put their heads down and not make any noise and just get through their daily lives, he said. But then you have their children who grow up here and say, How can I sit back and complain about everything being run by old white men if I dont get involved? Its realizing that your voice counts.
Democrat Libby Garvey is so confident of winning a second full term on the Arlington County Board that she hasnt updated her campaign website since June and didnt raise any money in September.

Having survived a rare primary challenge this spring, she faces little opposition from independent Audrey Clement, who has run unsuccessfully for public office seven times in the past 13 years, sometimes as a Green Party candidate.

Garvey made a name for herself when she joined the board by denouncing the proposed Columbia Pike streetcar project and other major spending, endorsing a board candidate who wasnt a Democrat and regularly ending up on the short end of 4-to-1 votes.

This year, however, the 65-year-old lawmaker has settled into a less confrontational rhythm. Only one of her original board colleagues remains in office, the streetcar project is dead, and Garvey has rotated into a one-year term as board chairman. The boards workshop meetings are now webcast, a result of her push for greater public access. And she says county lawmakers are working better together than ever before, with little evidence of the acrimony of 2012, 2013 and 2014.

When I came on the board, you had a group of people who had been together for a really long time, Garvey said. I asked a lot of questions and it upset their way of doing things . . . I think I was the beginning of a transition.

During an interview in her paper-stuffed corner office, at 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Garvey said she has no plans to propose big initiatives if she is reelected next month.

Instead, she suggested that modest improvements are all thats needed for this wealthy, urbanizing suburb to continue realizing its potential.

That includes ensuring schools have enough money and space for the booming enrollment; improving bus routes and monitoring state-mandated changes to traffic on Interstates 66 and 395; allowing single-family homeowners to rent out part of their homes to generate extra income; and prioritizing the countys many strategic plans.

The job of the board is to manage change, she said. You cant stop change, you can only manage it, and if we work well with developers, this county will be in a good place.

[Arlington board chair floats trial balloon: Raise our pay]

Clement, 67, has focused her campaign on the pace of hyper-development, its effects on schools and affordable housing, and what she describes as a too-close relationship between developers and county officials.

Critics say that closeness led to a complex and controversial fight recently over the future of the old Wilson School site, an adjoining park and fire station, and an agreement with developer Penzance that allows it to build part of a new residential complex on county-owned land.

A school will also be built on the site, while the agreement means that the fire station will be temporarily relocated and the densely developed neighborhood will lose scarce park and recreation space.

We were trying to do too much on that site, Garvey said. When youre dealing with all the issues we have, its going to be bumpy.

Garvey, a part-time property manager, followed a well-worn path to office, serving 15 years on the county School Board before running for a County Board seat left vacant when Barbara Favola (D) was elected to the state Senate.

She beat out four other Democrats in a party caucus in 2012, then won a special election that March, defeating Clement and Republican Mark Kelly. The following November, she was elected to a full term.

Garvey defeated Democrat Erik Gutshall in a primary contest in June, the first time in 14 years that a County Board incumbent had been challenged in a party primary. Although much of the Democratic establishment endorsed Gutshall in that race, Garvey captured 55 percent of the vote.

[Garvey defeats Democratic primary challenger]

She has raised $99,000 this year, mostly for the primary, and remains far ahead of Clement in the contribution-and-spending race. Clement, who reported $9,962 as of Sept. 30, was the largest donor to her own campaign.

Clement, 67, is a programmer-analyst with federal contractors who commutes to work via Metro and bicycle.

At a recent civic association forum, she expressed skepticism of the still-theoretical construction of a Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola and pushed for tax cuts for residents and businesses to stop what she described as the exodus of federal agencies from Arlington.

She said the county should create a housing authority, a suggestion that has twice failed countywide votes but that she says would allow the use of eminent domain to stop the sale and destruction of privately owned affordable housing.

Her best showing in a County Board race was in 2013, when she won 17,916 votes, or 31 percent, against incumbent Jay Fisette. She lost a 2014 School Board race to Barbara J. Kanninen, 36,756 to 18,429.

Clement said her goal is to challenge a corrupt one-party system . . . This can only result, in my opinion, in tyranny. She accused Garvey of being overconfident, pointing to the incumbents recent suggestion that the County Board consider raising  and possibly doubling  board members pay.

In a competitive district, any reasonable or rational politician would have waited until after the election, Clement said. If you measure my candidacy by my ability to raise money, Im not competitive. If you measure it by my ability to raise issues, I am serving an important function.
State Sen. Tom Garrett (Buckingham), a Republican running for Congress in Virginia's 5th District, talks with Lynwood "Root" Napier, owner of T&N Printing in Charlottesville, during a day-long tour of local businesses on Oct. 11, 2016. (Jenna Portnoy/The Washington Post)

At the end of a tour of his sprawling printing plant, businessman Lynwood Root Napier looked Republican Tom Garrett up and down and reasoned that he would do all right in his campaign for Congress.

That is, if Trump doesnt take you down, he said with a chuckle. Have you ever seen a bigger idiot?

In a different year, no one would question the dominance of Garrett, a fast-talking state senator and Army veteran with a libertarian streak, over Democrat Jane Dittmar, a soft-spoken professional mediator, as they vie for the seat held by Rep. Robert Hurt (R), who is retiring.

But sagging poll numbers for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have put Virginias 5th District in play for the first time since President Obama swept a Democrat into office here in 2008.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that it is Trump, said Pattie Cooper-Jones, a supervisor in Prince Edward County who supports Dittmar. People are just tired of that ignorance  they really are.

Jane Dittmar, a Democrat running for Congress in Virginia's 5th District, chats with voters on Oct. 4, 2016 in Farmville, Va. She is hoping Hillary Clintons coattails will help her beat Republican Tom Garrett. (Jenna Portnoy/TWP) (Jenna Portnoy/TWP)

The question now is whether Hillary Clinton, who is enjoying a double-digit lead in the state, according to several polls, has enough strength to propel Dittmar past the Republican in a district anchored by rural conservative counties that never recovered from manufacturing job losses of the 1990s.

Trump remains popular in much of central Virginia, according to recent surveys, but Republicans are worried enough that a conservative advocacy group recently announced plans to spend $400,000 against Dittmar in the final two weeks of the campaign.

Internal polls commissioned by both campaigns show Dittmar trailing Garrett with varying margins. Garretts poll says he is up by 11 points; Dittmars puts him ahead by 6.

Dittmar has raised twice as much money as Garrett, leading the University of Virginia Center for Politics  which is located in the 5th District  to move the voting area from likely Republican to the more competitive leans Republican category.

Garrett is still the favorite, but its certainly within the realm of possibility that he could lose, said Geoffrey Skelley, an analyst at the center.

Based on the largely rural character of the district, any Republican starts with an immediate advantage.

Taking a huge triangular bite out of the center of the state, the district runs from Fauquier County in the north, down to the Shenandoah Valley and through Appomattox before unspooling into Southside Virginia along the North Carolina border. In all, it includes 23 counties and cities and in land mass is bigger than New Jersey. Trump triumphed in the primary, getting 39 percent of the vote.

[Central Virginia congressional race takes nasty turn]

To win, Dittmar, the former chairwoman of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, needs to follow the model that carried Democrat Tom Perriello to victory eight years ago.

Perriello benefited from Obamas coattails in liberal Charlottesville and Albemarle County while the incumbent, Virgil H. Goode Jr., fumbled. Goode was accused of race-bating by modifying a photo of Perriello to make him appear Muslim. He also lashed out at a decision by the first Muslim member of Congress, Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), to use the Koran at his swearing-in ceremony.

Perriello squeaked into office by a margin of 727 votes, but the Republican presidential nominee at the time, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, still won the district, as did Republican Mitt Romney four years later.

Polls give Clinton a sizable statewide lead, and the campaign was cheered by reports last week that Trump pulled some resources out of Virginia, but critics note that Clinton lacks Obamas ability to inspire African American voters and college students to turn out in droves.

And the last round of redistricting in 2011 made the district safer for a Republican by adding parts of conservative Fauquier and pushing out blue-tilting Martinsville.

When a 2005 video surfaced in which Trump bragged about groping women, Republicans across the state and country  including Rep. Barbara Comstock of Northern Virginia  called on him to drop out of the race.

Not so in the 5th District, where voters have stuck with Trump so much that Garrett could benefit from their enthusiasm.

Garrett said that although he doesnt condone Trumps behavior, he still plans to vote for him.

It comes down to a choice of two visions for American  the Republican vision and the Democrat vision, he said. The Republican vision is far better. Hes the nominee.

State Sen. William M. Stanley Jr. (R-Franklin) said residents of Southside Virginia have been disillusioned with politics since Bill Clinton was president and blame him for trade agreements that cost the region manufacturing jobs.

Once known as a hub for textile, furniture and tobacco production, today the region has some of the highest employment and poverty rates in the state.

In Southside, what you see is we have been suffering much longer than just since the recession of 2007, Stanley said. We have put that squarely on the President Clinton administration and Washington in general.

Dittmar has tried to erode Garretts natural base with an ad that says he favors the contentious issue of uranium mining in the rural southern county of Pittsylvania, home to the nations largest uranium deposit.

Supporters say mining would reinvigorate the struggling region with jobs and tax revenue; opponents say the potential harm to drinking water and agriculture isnt worth the financial boon.

The ad implies that Garrett is seeking the overturn of the states 34-year ban on uranium mining because he introduced a bill setting up a nuclear fuel research authority that easily passed the General Assembly and was signed into law.

I think to call that disingenuous is an understatement. Id say its a lie, Garrett said in a recent debate. Dittmar refused to budge and noted that he took donations from the industry.

In other ways, Dittmar, 60, a past president of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, has focused on issues that wont alienate conservative voters: job creation, renewable energy and improving Internet access by expanding broadband.

Garrett, 44, a former commonwealths attorney in Louisa County, talks about reducing regulations and the size of government.

He was the only state senator to vote against the budget in 2015  questioning $1.5 million for yurts at state parks  and the only one to abstain in 2016. Garrett pushed to make medical marijuana available to sick children and to repeal of the states anti-sodomy law. He has an A rating from the National Rifle Association; Dittmar has an F.

[In Virginia classrooms, should parents block sexually explicit literature for their kids?]

Garrett made headlines for reading aloud a graphic rape scene during a debate on the floor of the Senate over a bill some said would have censored seminal works, including Toni Morrisons novel The Bluest Eye. The legislation was approved by the GOP-controlled legislature but vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).

As much as the candidates have debated local issues, the national climate infiltrated the race last when a Trump supporter legally carrying a gun stationed himself outside a Dittmar campaign office in Fluvanna County in a day-long protest.

When Dittmar encouraged any of her volunteers who felt intimidated to call police, her campaigns Facebook page was bombarded with thousands of messages, many of them obscene.

On Wednesday, Garrett showed up at a media event called by Dittmar and joined her appeal for a more civil tone in the final weeks of the campaign.

The episode helped Dittmar raise money and the profile of a sleeper contest where Republicans have the edge.

Trump is helpful in Southside and hurts a lot in Charlottesville, and thats how it always is in the 5th, said David Wasserman, House editor of the Cook Political Report. The challenge for Democrats is theres a lot more of Southside than there is Charlottesville.

Scott Clement contributed to this report.
An environmental organization is asking the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to let the public speak before it decides whether to grant a permit for Alexandrias repairs to its storm-water and sewage system, which dumps 11 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River every year.

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network said in a letter to the DEQ regional director Friday that rather than granting the permit the city asked for in August, the state should make the city post the entire long-term control plan, not just a summary, on its website and the state should open the request to public comment, hold a hearing and respond before deciding whether to allow the city plan to move forward.

[Alexandria spews 11 million gallons of raw sewage per year into river]

As DEQ is well aware, this is a 15-20 year plan of critical importance to improving water quality in [Hunting] Creek and main stem of the Potomac River, wrote Phillip Musegaas, vice president of programs and litigation for the Riverkeeper group. He added in an interview that the group is not trying to delay the decision, noting that Alexandria has been working on the plan for three years and that a public comment period would take only two or three months more.

When it rains, the system becomes overwhelmed and storm water and sewage are pushed into local waterways. The state, enforcing the federal Clean Water Act, ordered the city to reduce the amount of pollution going into Hunting Creek, which feeds into the Potomac. But half of the overflow runs into Oronoco Bay on the Potomac, and that is not subject to the 2010 cleanup order. The city plan would not address that overflow until the 2030s.

The city has held multiple public meetings with residents to describe how it plans to contain and hold the overflow into Hunting Creek before sending it to the local treatment plant. But Musegaas pointed out that it is not the city that makes the final decision on the permit.
Hillary Clinton shakes hands with Donald Trump while attending the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on October 20, 2016 in New York City. *** (Spencer Platt)

Republican Donald Trump has bounced back slightly in Virginia, according to a new poll released Friday, but still trailed Democrat Hillary Clinton by double digits in one of the battleground states.

Clinton leads Trump by 12 points in a survey conducted by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. The former secretary of state had a 15-point edge over the real estate mogul and reality TV star in a Wason poll released Sunday, its first since The Washington Post released a 2005 recording of Trump bragging about groping women.

In the latest poll, Clinton has a 45-to-33 percent advantage over Trump in the state, whose 13 electoral votes are a key prize in the race for the White House.

While Trump appears to have recovered a little of the support he lost after the Access Hollywood tape, his reach continues to be no higher than the mid-30s, said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center. That ceiling is far too low to win, especially as Clintons share continues to rise.

The rebound varied by region and was non-existent in heavily Democratic Northern Virginia, where Clinton continued to gain. She leads there 57 percent to 21 percent.

Trump topped 50 percent for the first time in the states south and southwest regions, leading Clinton 51 to 30 percent in those rural and mountain areas.

Clintons continued rise in Northern Virginia tells the larger story of political change in Virginia, said Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director of the Wason Center. Bluer and bluer voters in suburban Washington, and their like in Richmond and Hampton Roads, far outweigh rural voters preference for Trump.

Seventy-two percent of Republicans said they support Trump while 88 percent of Democrats back Clinton in the poll, which was conducted Oct. 16-19 among 834 likely Virginia voters, prior to the third presidential debate. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.

Independents moved toward Clinton, mostly at the expense of Libertarian Gary Johnson. Forty-four percent said they support her, up from 21 percent in a Wason Center poll in September.
[October 21, 2016] RoseHosting.com Launches New Cloud Hosting Service With an Exclusive One-Click Installer

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Users wanting to try RoseHosting's OCI Cloud Servers can do so easily with help from RoseHosting's EPIC 24/7 Support team. About Rose Web Services LLC Rose Web Services LLC is a privately owned St. Louis based company, in business since 2001. Back then, they were the first and only company in the world to offer commercial Linux virtual servers. Now, they offer several hosting solutions to thousands of customers around the world. Their data center is located in St. Louis, Missouri, less than 100 miles from the population center of the USA. Related Links RoseHosting.com OCI Cloud Hosting This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rosehostingcom-launches-new-cloud-hosting-service-with-an-exclusive-one-click-installer-300349025.html SOURCE Rose Web Services LLC

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Fresh craft beer is offered at Mustang Sally Brewing Co. in Chantilly, Va. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

After mostly missing out on the nations exploding craft-beer industry, Virginias largest jurisdiction is making a play to become a regional hub for local brews by eliminating some zoning red tape.

Fairfax County wants to make craft beverages a by-right use in commercial and industrial areas, a change officials say would reduce the local economys dependence on federal spending and inject new tax revenue into the countys overstretched budget.

This is something that wed like to see grow in Fairfax County, said Sharon Bulova (D), chairman of the county Board of Supervisors. which has scheduled a Nov. 16 public hearing before the planning commission on the proposed change and a Dec. 6 hearing before the full board. Its an industry that is popular.

Craft beers represent a $1 billion market in the state, according to the state Craft Brewers Guild.

To cater to that growing thirst, several other Northern Virginia municipalities have recently changed their zoning policies to allow certain neighborhoods to host breweries and brew pub restaurants, where customers can sample whats brewed onsite.

Loudoun County has lured 21 breweries in recent years, turning the fast-growing Washington suburb into a popular destination for beer tourism, officials there say. In Prince William County, there are four breweries, and an additional six are getting ready to launch operations, officials say. Arlington County has three breweries, while Alexandrias Port City Brewing Co. is one of the states largest craft operations.

[The definitive guide to the Washington areas best breweries]

Fairfax County, in contrast, has just seven small breweries, even though its population of 1.1 million residents is roughly equal to those four jurisdictions combined.

The proposed amendment to Fairfaxs zoning ordinance is modeled after the zoning rules in Loudoun and Prince William. It would allow breweries that produce up to 15,000 barrels of beer per year to operate in most busy retail areas, neighborhoods zoned for light- to heavy-intensity industrial use and some planned residential and commercial districts.

The change, subject to revisions, would open those same zones to liquor distilleries that produce a maximum of 36,000 gallons per year and to makers of wine, cider or mead that produce up to 5,000 gallons annually.

County officials say inspiration for the amendment lies in the frustrations experienced by the owners of the Caboose Brewing Co. as they worked to open a brewery and restaurant at the Mosaic District shopping center in Merrifield.



Caboose Brewing has a 15-barrel brewhouse in Vienna, Va. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

Matt Greer, co-owner of Caboose, said the 6,000-square-foot facility that is expected to open early next year would complement his companys first brewery and restaurant in Vienna, which opened last year and is popular on weekends.

But the process of getting all the necessary approvals from Fairfax has been a little bit painful, Greer said, citing a $16,000 fee his company had to pay to apply for special-exception zoning approval to sell food at the brewery. Thats the amount of money it takes just to get their attention.

[Does the United States have too many breweries?]

The proposed zoning amendment has generated concern over how an influx of new breweries would impact traffic, noise and quality of life in the county.

Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (D-Providence) said she worries that the 15,000 barrels-per-year limit could open the door to larger breweries that generate a lot of extra traffic. Most craft breweries produce about 3,000 barrels annually.

We need to make sure that if we make a change there has to be a way of mitigating what the impact could be, Smyth said, adding that she nonetheless supports the idea of attracting an industry that could bring extra revenue.



Caboose Brewing offers craft beer and food at the attached restaurant. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

A separate zoning fight in Fairfax last year led to a statewide law restricting farm breweries and wineries, which use ingredients grown onsite to make their products.

[Opinion: Craft breweries need help, not handouts]

Residents in the town of Clifton objected to a proposed business called Loudmouth Brewery, saying the farm operation would bring too much car traffic to a mostly secluded part of the county that is home to the popular Paradise Springs Winery.

Under a new name  Two Silos  the same owners are preparing to open a brewery, plus a farm-to-table restaurant and concert venue on the roughly eight-acre site of the historic Thomassan Barn, just outside of Manassas in Prince William County.

Meredith Arnest, director of operations for the Villagio Hospitality Group, which owns Two Silos, said Prince William officials came out to us and said they were interested after the Loudmouth fight was over.

Lawmakers in Richmond have since made it harder for farm breweries and wineries to open in residential conservation districts, which are areas zoned for agricultural use but occupied by homes. The law, which took effect in July, says beverage makers who want to open in those areas must seek special-exception approval from their local jurisdictions unless they have state liquor licenses or pending license applications.



Members of the corn-hole league gather for a tournament inside the Mustang Sally Brewing Co. in Chantilly, Va. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

Sean Hunt, who opened the Mustang Sally Brewing Co. in Chantilly earlier this year, said he supports eliminating the need for special exceptions for new breweries in Fairfax wherever possible. His brewery aims to become a powerhouse in the region. Located in a corner of an industrial park, it aims to produce as many as 30,000 barrels per year.

But Hunt said it was fatiguing to get to this point, where nearby office workers stream into the brewerys giant tasting room after work to sample Dortmunder lager  made with Virginia honey  or a vanilla porter flavored with locally roasted coffee beans.

[Heres why you cant get a pint in a beer bar anymore]

The special-exception process  along with county and state inspections  took several months, he said, with government fees piling up before the brewery was able to open in May.

We clearly did not get an incentive to build here, Hunt said. We know a lot of breweries that tried to set up around us and they just couldnt make it.

Barry Biggar, who heads Fairfax Countys tourist arm, Visit Fairfax, said hes eager to market the county as a prime locale for specialty beers. Theres an entire market worldwide of people who specifically go to a destination that has breweries, he said.

With that in mind, Visit Fairfax is creating a tourism map of local breweries for those tourists. Currently, however, the map features several breweries located outside of Fairfax.

It takes a while to catch up to your competitors, Biggar said.
Ultraviolet photographs of the John Hancock signature show later enhancement of the downstroke of the J and a later and taller H written over the original H of the Hancock. This is compared with the image made under normal light. (National Archives)

Has the Declaration of Independence been defaced?

Did someone rewrite and enhance signatures on the hallowed parchment?

And is that  and the grimy handprint on the document  the result of 20th-century bungling?

Two retired experts with the National Archives who have carefully scrutinized the Declaration think the answers all are yes.

Sometime between 1903 and 1940, officials with access to the Declaration of Independence marred the treasured document, rewriting or overwriting famous signatures and leaving behind a print of a left hand, the experts think.

The top right corner of the Declaration today shows several tears mended in 1942, most obviously through the i in America, as well as the fill above the m. At upper right is the 2003 Japanese paper fill for an edge loss. Punctures once used to stitch the parchment into a historic mount may have torn to form the two small notches along the right edge. (National Archives)

The two scholars contend that it was also during this period that the handwriting on the Declaration was mysteriously diminished, costing it more of its already dwindling original ink. Now, little of that ink survives.

Between 1903 . . . and 1940 someone . . . took drastic steps that altered the document significantly . . . [in] what can only be described as the defacement  even if unintentional  of the Declaration, the authors wrote in the fall issue of the National Archives quarterly magazine, Prologue.

[National Archives puts founding fathers papers on line.]

The defining damage that made the Declaration what it is today was not the result of 19th-century copying or excessive exhibition, but occurred in the 20th century, wrote Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler, the Archives retired chief of conservation, and Catherine Nicholson, the retired deputy chief.

Something happened after 1903 that caused that damage, and made people . . . enhance the signatures, Ritzenthaler said in an interview Friday.

Perhaps it was a botched mounting technique or a flattening procedure, she said.

Somebody might have tried something and didnt have very good results, and this was their reaction, Ritzenthaler said.

The original Declaration of Independence, now exhibited in the National Archives rotunda in Washington, D.C. (National Archives)

The handprint is also a mystery. A dirty hand. An inky hand. Why would you do that? she said.

The document is sufficiently big that . . . if its on a table, when someones leaning over, its kind of a natural action to put your hand down in that corner, she said. So you can envision how it happened.

The 240-year-old Declaration, housed in a special case in the National Archives rotunda in Washington, is now extremely faded, and much of it is barely legible.

In 2002, the experts removed it from its 50-year-old encasement and examined it in preparation for a new case.

We did a whole lot of close examination and photography, Ritzenthaler said. It was like being a detective.

While the handprint is clear, the alterations are scarcely noticeable, she said.

But for conservators, they are crucial, and something that would never be done today. Nowadays it would be considered defacement, she said.

The authors reached their conclusions by examining old photographs, mainly one taken in 1903 that shows few of the current flaws in the document, which gave birth to the United States on July 4, 1776.

The Declaration was written out by Timothy Matlack, a clerk in the Pennsylvania State House  now Philadelphias Independence Hall  between July 19 and Aug. 2.

Photographs of the Declaration were commissioned by Congress in 1922, but they have never been found.

It was only during research in 1940 that the image of the handprint in the lower left corner was first mentioned, the authors wrote.

There had been some kind of folk history that it happened in the 1870s or 1880s when the document was in a print shop in Philadelphia to be mounted, Ritzenthaler said.

But then you see the 1903 photograph . . . and its clearly not there, she said.

She said it also looks like someone may have tried to rub out the handprint. She said she did not know if fingerprints could be obtained from the image: Maybe a forensic person could look at a print like that and try to discern something.

In addition, the changes to the signatures, first noticed in the 1940s, do not appear in the 1903 photograph, the authors wrote.

Fifty-six men, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock, signed the Declaration.

Many of the signatures, including Jeffersons, are either gone or barely visible today, and the enhancements probably were done to try to reverse that.

In particular, the J and the H in John Hancocks ornate signature were enhanced, Ritzenthaler and Nicholson wrote.

Other names visible in the center columns show evidence of partial enhancement or recreation of missing signatures, Ritzenthaler added in an email.

In the interviews, Ritzenthaler said there was nothing in the public or official record about the alterations or the handprint.

You would think . . . that if something so astounding had happened, like enhancing the signatures that are pretty iconic, or a mistaken handprint, that someone would have noted that, she said. And there might have been an outcry in the press.

We dont really know under whose watch these things happened, she said. I suspect in response to this damage that people probably felt terrible.

By 1903, the Declaration, already well traveled, worn and fading, was being held in protective storage by the State Department.

That April, at the request of Secretary of State John Hay, it was photographed by Levin C. Handy, a relative and protege of Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.

In 1921, it was transferred to the Library of Congress and placed on display in the Great Hall of the librarys Jefferson Building, on Capitol Hill.

There, in 1940, it was examined by a conservator from Harvards Fogg Museum, who first mentioned the handprint.

The Declaration came to the National Archives in 1952.

Something happened to the Declaration between 1903 and 1940 that was not documented or has not yet been uncovered, the authors concluded. It is like a puzzle for which some pieces . . . are missing.
Heres an important rule to remember: If you ever find yourself in Antarctica near the Mount Erebus lava lake, dont take your eyes off it.

When the volcano starts lobbing bombs  which can happen at any moment  your instinct might be to flee, or duck and cover your head with your hands. Instead, keep watching. You may not be able to outrun a fusillade of lava, but you can spot where its flying and step the heck aside.

Prefer close-ups of volcanoes without quite so much risk? Filmmaker Werner Herzog and University of Cambridge volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer have teamed up on a documentary, Into the Inferno, debuting Oct. 28 on Netflix. Its a globe-trotting survey of what scientists know about eruptions and of how theyve shaped society.

Of course, theres a visit to Indonesia, which boasts more active volcanoes than any other country. Oppenheimer geeks out over an array of monitoring devices there, including one he developed that he admits resembles a shoebox with a baked bean tin stuck at the end. (It measures emissions of sulfur dioxide, which can give scientists an early warning about a volcano thats gearing up to blow.)

Then its off to an Ethiopian volcano named Erta Ale. The area around it is the hottest place on our planet, as Herzog memorably intones. Tim White, an integrative biologist from the University of California at Berkeley, has a team there searching for 100,000-year-old fossils.

White flings powdery dirt in the air, noting that it all started as volcanic rock that has been ground up over millions of years.

Hes only slightly less theatrical than the folks Oppenheimer and Herzog meet in North Korea, where Mount Paektu is venerated as the birthplace of the nation. People there sing the volcanos praises (literally). The footage is so weird that its kind of like a lava lake: You dont want to look away.
As you think about decorating for the holidays, dont worry about having poinsettias around. Those beautiful flowers youve been so wary of keeping in your home during the holidays (lest they poison pets or children) are not toxic, Live Science reports in 25 Medical Myths that Just Wont Go Away, citing a study that looked at nearly 23,000 cases of poinsettia exposure reported to poison control centers. None were fatal, and the most severe reactions were stomachaches.

This is just one of the supposed medical facts that the website knocks down as myth. (The poinsettia fears were probably sparked, Live Science writes, by a 1919 case in which a child was said to have died after eating parts of a poinsettia, but neither the death nor the poinsettia connection was ever confirmed.)

A few other seasonally relevant myths from this article:

 Vaccines can cause the flu. No. The flu shot  have you gotten yours yet?  contains flu viruses, but they are not live. A dead virus cannot be resurrected to cause the flu, Rachel Vreeman, a doctor who has written about medical myths, told the website.

 Cold weather makes you sick. No. People feel more chilled when its cold, but that does not translate into actually getting a cold, a major study found. Whether . . . shivering in a frigid room or in an icy bath, people were no more likely to get sick after sniffing cold germs than they were at more comfortable temperatures. We probably get more colds in winter just because there are more people stuck together indoors, making it easier to spread germs.

 Sugar makes kids really wired. Nope, even though many parents swear this is true. Live Science writes: In one particularly clever study, kids were given Kool-Aid sweetened with aspartame, a compound that contains no sugar. Researchers told half the parents the Kool-Aid contained sugar, and told the other half the truth. Wrist sensors on the kids found they were actually acting subdued, but the parents who thought their kids had ingested a sugary drink reported that their children were uncontrollable and overactive. More likely it is the excitement of parties where sugary treats are served that makes kids wild.

 Eating Thanksgiving turkey makes you drowsy. You will read stories about tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey, and how it makes you want to nap  but, in fact, chicken and beef have pretty similar amounts of the chemical. Your sleepiness is probably just from overeating, with lots of carbohydrates and a few alcoholic beverages added in, experts told the website.

And, particularly relevant in a season of longer nights and more indoor activity:

 Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyesight. These behaviors may tire your eyes because they work harder, but there is no evidence that these practices cause long-term damage, Vreeman told Live Science. However, she said, if you tend to sit so close to the TV (or computer) that your eyes hurt, its probably worth getting tested for nearsightedness.

 Margaret Shapiro
[October 21, 2016] Viruses, Worms and Trojans - Oh My!

Attachments Contain Threats to Personal and Business Data Systems ORILLIA, ON, Oct. 21, 2016 /CNW/ - Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) warn of the dangers presented by emails and certain attachments as part of its ongoing Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign. Reading the contents of an email should be safe if you have the latest security patches, but email attachments can be harmful. Email phishing scams can trick you into opening attachments or giving up personal information. They appear to be emails from people, organizations or companies you know or trust, but they're often the gateway to identity theft by automatically installing malware, viruses, worms, and trojans. In some instances, email attachments are disguised as letters of reference, resumes or information requests can infiltrate and affect businesses that are involved in legitimate hiring processes. Also known as "spearphishing campaigns", high-value corporate and governments have been targeted through email attachments to take advantage of previously-unknown security vulnerabilities. Many email servers will perform virus scanning and remove potentially dangerous attachments, but you can't rely on this. The easiest way to identify whether a file is dangerous is by its file extension, which tells you the type of file it is. For example, a file with the ".exe" file extension is a Windows program and should not be opened. Many email services will block such attachments. Other file extensions that can run potentially harmful code include ".msi", ".bat", ".com", ".cmd", ".hta", ".scr", ".pif", ".reg", ".js", ".vbs", ".wsf", ".cpl", ".jar" and more. In generl, you should only open files with commonly-used attachments that you know are safe. For example, ".jpg" and ".png" are image files and should be safe. Document files extensions such as ".pdf", ".docx", ".xlsx", and ".pptx" and should also be safe  although it's important to have the latest security patches so malicious types of these files can't infect systems via security holes in Adobe Reader or Microsoft Office.



If you or a business suspects they've been a victim of 'spearfishing', contact your local police service, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, report it to the OPP online at http://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=132 or through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) at https://www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm For helpful tips and links during Cyber Security Awareness Month, follow the OPP on Twitter (@OPP_News), Facebook and Instagram and using the hashtags #CyberSecurity, #CyberAware and #OPPTips.

QUOTES "Insecure, infected or unencrypted email attachments can risk injecting a number of information and data security threats to your home or workplace environments. Your personal information and business systems need to be safeguarded and it starts right at your inbox."

Deputy Commissioner Rick BARNUM, OPP Investigations and Organized Crime "When it comes to email attachments, you should exercise extreme caution and assume the worst. Don't actually download or run an attachment unless you have a good reason to do so. If you're not expecting an attachment, treat it with healthy suspicion."

 Supt. Paul BEESLEY, Director  OPP Behavioural, Forensic and Electronic Services LEARN MORE Email Risks (courtesy of Public Safety Canada) Spearphishing: The Risk to Corporate Canada (courtesy of Public Safety Canada) Get Cyber Safe Guide for Small and Medium Businesses (courtesy of Public Safety Canada) Get Cyber Safe is a national, multi-jurisdiction, public awareness campaign created to educate Canadians about Internet security and the simple steps they can take to protect themselves online. Visit http://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/ MEDIA NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of topic-specific OPP media releases to enhance community safety and awareness as part of international Cyber Security Awareness Month. SOURCE Ontario Provincial Police

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NIGERIA

Banned Shiite group appeals decision

A newly banned Shiite group in northern Nigeria said Thursday that it was appealing the government decision that observers are warning could spark sustained violence.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria said the ban by Kaduna state officials violates Nigerians rights to religious freedom. The ban was made official with its publication on Wednesday.

We are already seeking redress in the court and will pursue the case to its logical conclusion, the groups statement said.

Nigeria is almost equally divided between Christians and Muslims, most of them Sunni. Tensions with Shiites are high after the army gunned down more than 300 people in a December attack on the Islamic Movement in Nigerias headquarters. Officials said the group provoked the attack.

The groups leader, Ibraheem Zakzaky, has been in custody since December.

 Associated Press

israel

Couple accused of joining Islamic State

An Israeli court indicted an Arab Israeli couple on Thursday for allegedly joining the extremist Islamic State group with their three young children.

According to the charge sheet, Wissam, 41, and Sabrine Zbeidat, 30, of the Arab town of Sakhnin, traveled to Turkey while on vacation in Romania in 2015 and then slipped into Syria.

The indictment said Islamic State militants took the recruits to the Iraqi city of Mosul, one of the groups strongholds. Wissam Zbeidat underwent military training and was wounded fighting against the Iraqi army, the indictment said.

The Zbeidats decided to leave the group, according to the indictment, trying to sneak into Turkey 10 times. Turkish officials arrested them and sent them back to Israel last month.

They face charges of contact with a foreign agent, undergoing unlawful military training, membership in a terrorist group and aiding an illegal group.

 Associated Press

LEBANON

Ex-premier Hariri backs Hezbollah ally

Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri, who heads the largest bloc in parliament, on Thursday formally endorsed a leading Christian politician and strong ally of the Hezbollah group to be the next president.

Hariris backing of Michel Aoun, 81, is likely to increase the chances that the majority of the 128-member parliament will vote for him. There have been media reports of a deal between the two men stipulating that once Aoun becomes president, he will choose Hariri as prime minister.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Parliament has failed more than 40 times to elect a new leader because of disagreements on who should hold the countrys top post.

Hariris move is likely to anger Sunnis in the country who are opposed to Hezbollah and Aoun and dont want an ally of Syria to become head of state.

 Associated Press

Pakistani court wants to hear from premier: Pakistans Supreme Court sought a reply from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to several petitions seeking his resignation over a financial scandal. The court gave Sharif two weeks to submit his response, Sharifs aides and opposition leaders said. Sharif has been under pressure from the opposition to step down because his family members were named as holders of offshore bank accounts in

leaked financial documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

Spain lifts Catalan bullfighting ban: Spains top court overruled a ban against bullfighting in the powerful northeastern region of Catalonia, saying it violated a national law protecting the much-disputed spectacle. The Constitutional Court ruled that Catalan authorities generally could regulate such public spectacles, and even outlaw them, but in this case the national parliaments ruling that bullfighting is part of Spains heritage must prevail. Catalonia, whose current government is pushing to hold an independence referendum, banned bullfighting in 2010.

4 dead in Costa Rica bus crash: A bus carrying retired university employees on an excursion plunged about 50 feet down an embankment in Costa Rica , killing at least four people, according to Red Cross spokesman Gerald Jimenez. He said six critically injured people were taken to hospitals. The number of injured was not clear. He said 31 people were aboard.

 From news services
CAMEROON

55 killed, almost 600 injured in derailment

At least 55 people were killed and 575 injured Friday when a packed passenger train derailed en route between Cameroons two largest cities, officials said. Fourteen people remained trapped under the wreckage,

the government said in a communique read on state television.

The Camrail intercity train was traveling from the capital, Yaounde, to the port city of Douala when the accident occurred Friday morning near the train station in the town of Eseka, about 75 miles west of the capital.

Before the trains departure from Yaounde, a railway employee said, additional wagons had been added to accommodate extra passengers, though it was unclear whether that played a role in the accident.

The collapse of a section of the main highway between the capital and Douala had prompted more passengers to undertake the journey by rail. The two incidents have effectively cut the main transportation axis in the Central African country.

 Reuters

SOUTH SUDAN

24 killed as rebels and soldiers clash

At least 24 fighters died in South Sudan in two clashes between the military and fighters loyal to rebel chief Riek Machar.

Soldiers repulsed an attack in Leer, the capital of Southern Liech state in the oil-rich northern part of the country, killing 21 rebel fighters, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said by text Friday. Two government soldiers also died in the attack, Koang said.

Another soldier was killed in an assault outside the nations capital, Juba, when rebels attacked a local government officials convoy, Koang said.

A civil war that began in December 2013 has left tens of thousands dead in South Sudan. A peace accord that saw Machar join a transitional government was thrown into turmoil in July when renewed violence forced him from the capital.

 Bloomberg News

CYPRUS

83 Syrians found on boat with no captain

Cypriot authorities have taken 83 Syrians to a reception center after they were towed to the east Mediterranean island aboard a boat with no captain, a police spokesman said Friday.

Spokesman Michalis Ioannou told the Associated Press that the Syrians said they set off from Mersin, Turkey, late Wednesday, paying an average of $2,177 per person for a spot on the boat.

The refugees included 37 children. One family paid as much as $10,900 for the trip, Ioannou said. The Syrians will remain at the center until their status is determined, he said.

The passengers said the captain abandoned the boat during the journey after being picked up by another vessel.

 Associated Press

Mexico arrests ex-police chief in disappearance of students: The former police chief of Iguala, where 43 college students disappeared in 2014, was detained after two years at large in a development that Mexican authorities and relatives of the disappeared hope will shed new light on the case. The National Security Commission announced that federal agents arrested Felipe Flores, 58, in the city of Iguala, in the southern state of Guerrero, in a morning raid. Flores is accused of offenses including organized crime and kidnapping the students. He is accused of following an order from the then-mayor to attack the students and then trying to cover up the role of the Iguala police in the disappearances.

Israel considers buying more German submarines: The German government said Israel is considering buying new submarines from Germany that would go into service starting in 2027. Israel has ordered six submarines from Germany over the past two decades. German government spokesman Georg Streiter said the ones Israel is considering buying now would replace the first submarines Germany supplied.

Burkina Faso says it foiled another coup plot: Authorities have thwarted another coup plot in Burkina Faso blamed on forces loyal to the former longtime president Blaise Compaore, the countrys security minister said. The 1,300-member presidential guard was officially disbanded last year after members were accused of trying to overthrow the transitional government put into place after Compaore left power in a popular uprising. Security Minister Simon Compaore. who is not related to the ex-leader, said at least 10 people have been arrested, though the top suspect remains on the run.

 From news services
Heller McAlpin reviews books for The Washington Post and other publications, including NPR.org and the Los Angeles Times.

Over the course of three novels , Mark Slouka consciously followed Emily Dickinsons advice to tell the truth but tell it slant. But in 2012  after the death of his father and a visit with his mother in a dementia care unit  he realized hed have to put aside qualms about self-indulgence and confront his personal history more directly.

The result is Nobodys Son, a beautifully written memoir which is as much about the wiles of memory as it is about Sloukas family history.

Nobody's Son," by Mark Slouka (Norton)

Sloukas parents, Olga Kubik and Zdenek Slouka, were born in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s. They were teenagers in Brno when Hitlers German army invaded in 1939. Zdenek, who worked as a cub reporter for a local newspaper, joined the resistance, as did his father, a former janitor. Not so Olgas father, Frantisek Kubik, a Nazi sympathizer and, in Sloukas scathing portrait, a horror of a man. To his chagrin, this is the only grandparent he ever met.

Repeatedly looping back to better understand what his parents lived through, Slouka circles some of the more difficult personal material warily. But he wastes no time confronting the seminal, ugly scene in which his maternal grandmother discovered 19-year-old Olga in bed with her father. He dispatches it abruptly, in just a few words, as if ripping off a bandage as quickly as possible to get it over with. Thats it  thats all I have, he comments. But I have the aftershock, the echo. You dont need to see the bomb to understand the carnage in the marketplace.

[Ian Burumas Their Promised Land: a curious tale of Jewish assimilation]

Olgas mother married her off  to Zdenek  and arranged for her to have an abortion a month later. Is it any wonder that both the bride and the marriage were troubled? Or that she became hooked on painkillers, which may have accelerated her descent into dementia?

But Olga was a survivor. More than once in her life, she did what she had to do to save herself. In 1946, at 20, she left her husband to teach in a language camp in the forests of Moravia, where she met a young Catholic engineer  with whom she carried on an intermittent, tragically thwarted clandestine affair.

While the Sloukas survived six years of German occupation, they barely lasted six months after the communist coup. Tipped off about a warrant for his arrest, 23-year-old Zdenek escaped across the Austrian border in 1948, a terrifying journey that Slouka captures in vivid, novelistic detail. Somewhat surprisingly, Olga chose to go with him. From Innsbruck, they headed to Australia.

Slouka traces his parents path to Queens, where he was born in 1958. Eventually, his mother became a librarian and his father a professor. They moved unhappily to Bethlehem, Pa.  a different form of exile  and then, separately, back to Prague and Moravia after the Velvet Revolution of 1989; they divorced in the 1990s. In most ways that matter, Slouka comments, theyd remain refugees for forty years.

The bleeding heart of this book is Sloukas difficult relationship with his mother, whose love for him quickly and inexplicably turned to hate. There are harder things than being hated by someone who loved you once and not knowing why, he writes, but not many. Sloukas father suggests that her rage was tied to drug addiction.

[Review: Screening Room: Family Pictures, by Alan Lightman]

Slouka, whose previous books include the novel Brewster, an intense coming-of-age story, reconstructs all this with an exquisite combination of brutal clarity, tenderness and intelligence. I understand the voluptuousness of nostalgia, he writes evocatively, that need to pull out the past like a letter that still carried the scent  or so you imagine  of someone you loved.

Occasionally, Sloukas confessions  about a night in a shared hotel bed with his mother or anxieties concerning kinship with his detested grandfather  seem more valuable to him than to his readers. But his reflections on memory invariably hit home. There are times I think the past is nothing more than a room attached to ours, he writes. We enter it a hundred times a day, argue with whoevers there.

With love and compassion, Slouka bravely excavates the pain and straightens the pictures on the walls of his chamber of memories.
Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in September. Jay Solomon warns, The next U.S. administration must be prepared to confront an Iranian regime just as hostile to the West as past ones. ( Iranian Supreme Leaders official website / via European Pressphoto Agency )

Elaine Sciolino is author of Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran. Her most recent book, The Only Street in Paris: Life on the rue des Martyrs, will be published in paperback and in a French edition in November.

Anyone who hates the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran will love this book.

In The Iran Wars, Wall Street Journal chief foreign affairs correspondent Jay Solomon tells the story of Irans nuclear program and its projection of power in the region, and the American struggle to contain the country.

His conclusions are dark. He argues that the United States and its global partners gave away too much and got taken for a ride by forging an agreement to prevent Iran from expanding its nuclear program. Even more ominous, he declares, the agreement makes the world more, not less, dangerous. This Iran deal, rather than calming the worlds most combustible region, risks enflaming it, he writes.

It is challenging to understand Iran from afar. American journalists are invited into Iran only episodically and on visas of limited duration. Solomon seems to have visited Iran once, to attend a conference on U.S. terrorist efforts in the spring of 2014. His book includes an on-the-record interview with only one Iranian official during the trip: the deputy governor of Irans Central Bank.

"The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East," by Jay Solomon (Random House)

Solomons access to Iranian officials also seems to have been limited. He does not seem to have interviewed either President Hassan Rouhani or Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the two main Iranian players in negotiating the nuclear accord; they talk to Americans, including journalists (although sometimes off the record).

The paucity of official Iranian voices in Solomons book is noticeable because he was granted a nearly 90-minute exclusive interview in Damascus in 2011 with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Such access is rare, and Solomon devotes several pages to the interview. But it doesnt touch on the subject of Iran and the nuclear deal. Instead, the author tells us that Assads soft voice put him at ease, and he confesses concern about being manipulated by the dictator. When the interview was over, Solomon writes, an aide to Assad confided that the president liked you.

Other foreign voices might have enriched the narrative. The Iran deal was not an American-Iranian negotiation but a complex, long, multinational endeavor also involving Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Solomon describes the unwillingness of Laurent Fabius, then the French foreign minister, beginning in late 2013 to embrace what he thought was a flawed agreement. The author quotes an unnamed American official criticizing Fabius, saying, He didnt have any leverage and didnt know what he wanted. He states that Secretary of State John Kerrys team seethed at what they saw as French insubordination, and belittled them as minor players in the talks.

What the author does not mention is that France had a historic, vested interest in making the agreement as airtight as possible. It was France, after all, that launched the initial British-German-French initiative in 2003 to stop Irans uranium-enrichment activities. The French chose Britain over Russia as a partner because the Russians wanted only to suspend, not halt, Irans enrichment program.

Solomon traveled to Monaco in 2013 to interview Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former head of Saudi intelligence, whose government felt betrayed by American nuclear talks with Iran and has opposed the deal. (Turki was among the Saudi officials and members of the royal family who threatened an oil war against Iran if it did not abandon its nuclear program, and his words reinforce Solomons premise.) Perhaps Solomon stopped in Paris en route to Monaco to hear the French side of the story, but we dont hear the foreign ministers voice in the book.

Nor does the book include an interview with Ambassador Gerard Araud, Frances former Iran nuclear negotiator, who regularly receives reporters in Washington. Araud, as a senior aide to Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, wrote the original letter proposing the joint European initiative; at the time, the French informed both the Bush administration and the Israeli government, and neither opposed the diplomacy; the French took it as a yellow light and proceeded.

On the positive side, the book includes a comprehensive retelling of the nuclear negotiations from the official American point of view. The author had extensive access to the main U.S. players, including Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Stuart Levey, the former undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence who devised the strategy of creative, coercive economic diplomacy that gradually cut off Irans access to the international banking system. (Levey was proud of waging what he called an escalating financial war that had no end, if Iran didnt capitulate. He left the government in 2011 to become chief legal officer of HSBC Holdings and has advised the bank not to get involved with Iran.)

The author also relies on the too-oft Washington journalistic practice of conducting interviews with anonymous sources, without explaining clearly why they refuse to speak on the record.

The book is weakest in its descriptions of internal decision-making in Iran. At one point the author claims that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes all the key decisions in the country and that no one else, including the elected president, counts. Yet he also acknowledges that even the U.S. intelligence community is ambivalent about how decisions are made inside Iran. He ignores the lively debates in the country  in the parliament, in the media  on just about every decision, including the nuclear deal. The deal is popular in Iran, but opposition to it continues to grow as the lifting of international sanctions has failed to deliver the expected benefits. (Although U.S. nuclear sanctions have been lifted, other sanctions remain in place.)

How could American understanding of Iran be other than limited? The United States has not had formal diplomatic relations or an on-the-ground diplomatic presence there since 1980, a few months after Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took American diplomats hostage.

As for the nuclear agreement, like all arms-control agreements, it is a compromise. But it can be argued that it stands as President Obamas most important foreign policy achievement and a model of international cooperation. It has taken the main argument for regime change in Iran off the table. It has created direct, regular, high-level contact between Iran and the United States. Most important, if it continues to work as it has so far, it prevents Iran from producing a bomb over the 15-year term of the agreement  and keeps Iran under international inspection beyond that. And if Iran is prevented from advancing toward a nuclear weapon, the Middle East  and the entire world  will be more secure.

But Solomon stresses the negative. He warns: The next U.S. administration must be prepared to confront an Iranian regime just as hostile to the West as past ones. . . . There are also real risks that a much bigger and broader war is brewing in the region, and that the United States will inevitably be drawn in.

Those who hope to sabotage the nuclear agreement under a new administration will find this book useful.
It is tempting to laugh at Donald Trumps eruptions and outrages because he is such a cartoonish buffoon. But he gave chilling evidence Wednesday night of why he poses a grave and urgent threat to our democracy  and why he must be defeated.

There have been many bitterly contested elections in our nations 240-year history, but never has the loser refused to accept the outcome and claimed the presidency was stolen by fraud. Trump threatened, in advance, to do just that. Ill keep you in suspense, he said, proving once again that he cares more about protecting his fragile ego than serving the country he asks to lead.

Debate moderator Chris Wallace gave Trump two opportunities to say that he would accept the peoples verdict. Both times he defiantly refused  and in the process disqualified himself as a candidate for the nations highest office.

Not that he hadnt already given us a thousand and one reasons why he should never be president, mind you. But how can any Republican official support a man who so challenges the very legitimacy of our democratic system? To all who, like House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), have shown disdain for Trump but made the political calculation not to fully renounce him, I ask this: Why should anyone, ever again, take seriously your idealistic rhetoric about the United States being a city upon the hill and a beacon to the world? You are supporting a man who spits on your ideals.

That moment completely overshadowed the rest of the debate, as far as Im concerned. Trump must not be president and deserves to lose in a landslide on Nov. 8. Voters should send him back to his Trump Tower aerie and administer the cruelest possible punishment: ignore him.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said, "I'll keep you in suspense," when answering a question about the tradition of accepting the results of presidential elections. (The Washington Post)

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, once again demonstrated her preternatural poise and command of the issues  and, yes, also her ability to get under Trumps exceedingly thin skin.

Those praising Trumps performance in the first half-hour of the debate are grading him on a generous curve. For a short while he was able to enunciate standard GOP positions  against abortion, against gun control  without making any major pratfalls, but also without any notable sophistication or subtlety. Clinton defended Roe v. Wade and advocated sensible gun restrictions in terms that seemed intended to appeal to Trumps female voters, if he has any left.

On immigration, Clinton outlined the sensible centrist solution  border control, deporting criminals, and providing a path to legalization and citizenship for the millions of undocumented migrants already here  that should have been adopted long ago. Trump, by contrast, began to go off the rails, first denying but then later affirming his pledge of mass deportations. And when he talked about immigrants who commit crimes, he called them bad hombres  an apparent attempt to drive his partys Latino support even closer to zero.

When the debate turned to Trumps bizarre admiration for Vladimir Putin, he said that the Russian leader, from everything I see, has no respect for this person, indicating Clinton.

Well, thats because hed rather have a puppet as president of the United States, Clinton snapped back. This, incredibly, is what followed:

Trump: No puppet. No puppet.

Clinton: And its pretty clear . . .

Trump: Youre the puppet!

Clinton: Its pretty clear you wont admit . . .

Trump: No, youre the puppet.

Any kindergarten teacher could see that Trump would have benefited at that point from a spell in the timeout chair. Unfortunately none was furnished by the Commission on Presidential Debates, so he blathered on and went steadily downhill from there. He lost the ability to wait his turn, instead interrupting with no or wrong when Clinton was making a point. He denied ever saying that nations such as Japan and South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapons rather than rely on the U.S. shield, even though there is videotape of him saying precisely that in an interview with moderator Wallace.

He maintained that all of the women who have accused him of groping or making other unwanted sexual advances are lying, saying improbably, Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Nobody.

Everybody would be closer to the truth.

We knew that Trump is unfit to be commander in chief. We knew that he is only superficially acquainted with his own proposed policies, foreign and domestic. What we didnt know is that he has such utter contempt for American democracy. Hes not a statesman, hes a spoiled brat, and the nation should turn him over its collective knee.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Its not always easy to know when were in the presence of genius. In part, thats because we barely agree on what it means. In Roman times, genius was not something you achieved but rather an animating spirit that adhered itself to people and places. In the 18th century, Romantics gave genius its modern meaning: Someone with special, almost divine abilities. Today, were quick to anoint a marketing genius or a political genius, oblivious to the fact that true genius requires no such modification. In truth, real geniuses transcend the confines of their particular domains. They inspire and awe. Which is precisely why we should use the word sparingly, lest it lose some of its magic. Thats not the only misconception. Here are some others.

Myth No. 1

Genius is mostly about genetics.

In 1869, a British polymath named Francis Galton published a popular book called Hereditary Genius. As the title suggests, Galton argued that genius is determined by genetics, or what he called inheritance. That idea stuck. Genes appear to have a big role in our intelligence and talents, one website declares. Others breathlessly report that scientists have uncovered a gene that makes some people brilliant.

The truth, though, is that genius is not transmitted genetically like blue eyes or baldness. Genius parents dont beget genius babies, and theres no genius gene. Genetics is part of the mix, but only part. Much of the literature concludes that hereditary factors play a minor role at best in the determination of creativity, University of Minnesota psychologist Niels Waller wrote in Psychological Inquiry.

There are other factors, too. One is hard work  the drudge theory of genius. Others suggest that attitude matters as well. A study of young musicians found that it was not the number of practice hours students racked up that determined their success but rather their long-term commitment . In other words, genius requires a certain mind-set, an unflappable persistence.

Myth No. 2

Geniuses are smarter than the rest of us.

This myth is baked right into the Merriam-Webster entry, which defines a genius as a very smart or talented person: a person who has a level of talent or intelligence that is very rare or remarkable.

But many of historys most eminent figures possessed only modest IQs. William Shockley, co-inventor of the transistor and a Nobel laureate, had an IQ of about 125  respectable but hardly spectacular. The great physicist Richard Feynman also scored 125  hardly what youd expect from the subject of a biography titled Genius.

Genius, particularly creative genius, is less about raw intelligence and more about elevated vision. A creative genius, says artificial-intelligence expert Margaret Boden, is someone with the ability to come up with ideas that are new, surprising and valuable. Yes, some intelligence is required to do that, but beyond a certain point  an IQ of, say, 120  greater intelligence yields fewer measurable gains in creativity, many psychologists believe.

Nor is genius necessarily about encyclopedic knowledge or impressive education. The share of Americans who completed at least four years of college jumped from about 6 percent in 1950 to 32 percent in 2014, yet we have not seen a commensurate increase in creative output. In fact, many geniuses either dropped out of college or, like the renowned British scientist Michael Faraday, never attended. Albert Einstein was a famously mediocre student. During his annus mirabilis, in 1905, when he published four papers that rocked the foundation of physics, his overall knowledge of physics was eclipsed by that of others working in the field. Einsteins genius rested not with amassed knowledge but, rather, with his ability to make leaps of understanding that others couldnt. Einstein wasnt a know-it-all. He was a see-it-all.

Myth No. 3

Geniuses can pop up anywhere and at any time.

We tend to think of geniuses as the intellectual equivalent of shooting stars, beautiful to behold but essentially random. The Atlantics CityLab analyzed the birthplaces of MacArthur genius grantees and found that winners were born all over the map.

In fact, if you plot the appearance of genius over time and across the globe, you notice an interesting pattern. Geniuses do not appear randomly  one in Bolivia, another in Brooklyn  but, rather, in groupings. Genius clusters. Certain places, at certain times, produce a mother lode of brilliant minds and good ideas. Think of ancient Athens or Renaissance Florence or Paris in the 1920s  or, arguably, Silicon Valley today. These places were, in some ways, quite different, but they also shared certain characteristics. For starters, almost all were cities. The density and intimacy of an urban setting nurture creativity. All of these places, too, possessed an outsize degree of tolerance and openness to experience, the trait that psychologists have identified as the single most important for creativity. As Plato said, What is honored in a country will be cultivated there. Geniuses are less like shooting stars and more like flowers, a natural outcome of a creative ecology.

Myth No. 4

Geniuses are grumpy loners.

Pop culture is full of brilliant characters who fit this description. In Searching for Bobby Fischer, the main character is taught to play chess by genius misanthrope Bruce Pandolfini. The brainy William Forrester lives like a recluse for much of Finding Forrester. The Christian Science Monitor writes that our culture loves the myth of the tortured, solitary genius  the man scribbling or painting or composing in a threadbare European garret.

It is true that geniuses (especially writers and artists) are more likely to suffer from mental illness, particularly depression, compared with the population at large. But they are rarely loners. They seek out kindred spirits who can, at the very least, reassure them that they are not going crazy. Thus, the advent of the genius support group. Freud had his Wednesday Circle, Einstein the Olympia Academy. The French Impressionists held weekly meetings, outdoor painting sessions and other informal gatherings, all aimed at bolstering their spirits in the face of the regular rejection they received at the hands of the old guard. One study, by psychologist Dean Simonton of the University of California at Davis, examined the interpersonal relations of some 2,000 scientists. The more eminent the scientist, Simonton found, the more interactions he or she had with other eminent scientists.

Geniuses do cherish times of solitude, and they often toggle between those moments and more sociable ones. David Hume, the Scottish philosopher, would spend weeks holed up in his study, reading and pondering, but then he would emerge and head straight to the local pub, absolutely and necessarily determind to live, and talk, and act like other people in the common affairs of life. Conversely, Beethoven would regularly escape bustling Vienna for long, solitary walks in the verdant Wienerwald, where he found musical inspiration.

Myth No. 5

Were smarter now than ever.

College attendance rates and IQ scores are higher than ever, leading many to conclude that were living in the golden age of genius. Despite grumbling from geezers, a Berkeley sociologist writes, Americans have been getting more intelligent over the generations. And the Telegraph reports that humans have been getting steadily more intelligent for at least 100 years. This misconception is so popular that it even has its own name, the Flynn effect.

Dont bet on it. Admittedly, comparing creative output across the centuries is tricky. We need the perspective of time. People of every era believe that theirs is golden. We are no exception. Sure, weve seen tremendous advances in digital technology and the emergence of possible geniuses such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. But the jury is out on our goldenness. In the sciences, momentous leaps, such as Darwins theory of evolution or Einsteins general theory of relativity, have been replaced by impressive but incremental advances  important, yes, but nothing that alters our understanding of the universe and our place in it.

Over the past 70 years, the scientific community has published exponentially more research papers, yet the rate at which truly creative work emerges has remained relatively constant, historian J. Rogers Hollingsworth writes in the journal Nature. We are producing a greater number of competent scientists, talented ones even, but not necessarily more geniuses.

We are also producing an unprecedented amount of data, but that is not to be confused with creative genius. After all, if genius were simply a function of the amount of data at your fingertips, then every smartphone owner would be another Einstein. In fact, theres some evidence that the flood of gigabytes that washes over us every day may be hindering genuine breakthroughs. At least one study found that its more difficult for us to detect patterns when bombarded with an excess of data. This is troubling, for if there is anything that distinguishes genius, it is the ability to look at what everyone else is looking at  and see something different.

Twitter: @Eric_Weiner

Five myths is a weekly feature challenging everything you think you know. You can check out previous myths, read more from Outlook or follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Damon Tweedy, M.D. is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and author of Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctors Reflections on Race and Medicine.

Each mass shooting in America generates the same stereotyped response from the public: fear, horror and endless discussion about how we can prevent this from happening again. The debate about gun control as a solution has gone nowhere; thus, many advocates have turned to mental health reform on the presumption that the shooters  regardless of their varied motivations  are all mentally ill to a significant degree. Shifting the focus in this direction appears to have bipartisan appeal. After all, who would argue with the notion that people with severe mental illness need quick access to quality care? The problem arises, however, when people deemed mentally ill do not want treatment, and society must decide whether to force it upon them.

That tension is the subject of Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care by Dinah Miller and Annette Hanson, two psychiatrists affiliated with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Miller and Hanson have written extensively about their field as co-authors of a popular blog called Shrink Rap and in a book of the same name. Here, they explore forced psychiatric care, perhaps the most polarizing aspect of a controversial profession. The result is a highly informative and surprisingly balanced book that should be read by anyone with a personal or professional stake in how the mental health system provides care to those with chronic severe illnesses and those in acute crisis.

Miller and Hanson cover a lot of ground in their examination of forced treatment. They begin on a personal note by introducing us to Eleanor and Lily, two women who surface throughout the book. Both were involuntarily hospitalized many years ago and now have opposing positions on the long-term effects of their experiences. We then meet leading mental health professionals and advocacy organizations with radically different perspectives on this issue. Those favoring less legal restriction on forced psychiatric treatment assert that involuntary care is often essential and can be an instrument for good, for both the patient and society. On the other end, the authors speak with groups who oppose involuntary treatment, some on the basis of civil rights laws and others who argue that the very foundation of psychiatric treatment (especially medication) is harmful. On both sides of the issue, Miller and Hanson found that not everyone was open to the concept of dialogue.

A tough choice between these opposing positions becomes even more difficult in the absence of good information. As the authors amply document, while our government collects data on literally thousands of topics, it maintains no national database on the number of people who are committed against their will to psychiatric facilities each year. Even worse, many states dont track their own commitment data. As the authors note, Given the loss of liberty, the personal distress, and the stigma involved, this lack of data is astounding.

"Committed: The Battle over Involuntary Psychiatric Care," by Dinah Miller and Annette Hanson (Johns Hopkins Univ.)

Miller and Hanson take us on a journey across America, where we witness significant variability in how states approach the issue of forced care. In some states, patients must be deemed imminently dangerous to themselves or others (i.e. high risk for suicide or homicide) for forced treatment, while in other states an inability to provide for basic needs due to mental illness is sufficient. The process of commitment also differs. California, for instance, does not require a formal psychiatric evaluation before patients can be involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital, while in Maryland an evaluation must be done before admission and requires the input of two physicians or psychologists. Until recently, doctors in Virginia could not use the input of family members in assessing a persons potential dangerousness.

Another important aspect of forced care is how these patients intersect with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Because of widespread shortcomings of mental health services, large numbers of individuals with severe mental illness find themselves in a legal system ill-suited to address their needs. To that end, the authors devote separate chapters to crisis-intervention teams  police officers trained to recognize and respond to people with acute psychiatric needs  and to mental health courts, which are designed to keep people out of jail and prisons and ensure that they receive mental health care. In providing examples of local success stories, the authors make a compelling case that expansion of crisis-intervention teams and mental health courts on a larger scale could result in more compassionate care and potentially reduce the need for involuntary treatment.

Although Committed explores a complex subject, Miller and Hanson make a great effort to humanize this discussion. In each section, they introduce us to individuals  patients, family members, advocates, lawmakers, emergency-room doctors, psychiatrists, police officers and judges  involved in some aspect of forced treatment. The stories of Eleanor and Lily, both of whom had forced hospitalizations more than a decade before, are the most memorable. While Eleanor has been stable for a long time now, she continues to believe that her experience being locked in a seclusion room and injected with psychiatric medication caused her permanent psychological harm. Lily, in contrast, thinks the process of forced care was beneficial because she received treatment she would otherwise have refused and was able to get on a path toward emotional stability that had eluded her for many years.

Their stories, and those of others in the book, raise a crucial question: For society at large, is forced treatment helpful or harmful? Amazingly, the authors found no research in this area and are left to conclude, We dont know if committing people to the hospital prevents suicide and homicide or drives people away from getting care in the future, perhaps leaving them even more vulnerable. Even if this question could somehow be definitively answered on a global scale, the lessons from Eleanor and Lily remind us of how individualized mental health outcomes often are.

This uncertainty leads back to the initial question of preventing violence (both homicide and suicide). The authors briefly mention gun control here, arguing that gun restrictions should not target those who simply have a mental health diagnosis. Instead, they believe the focus should be on those with a history of violent behavior (including domestic violence), previous suicide attempts, or severe alcohol or drug-abuse issues. Miller and Hanson are highly skeptical that widespread forced treatment could prevent large-scale violence and argue for involuntary care as a last resort when it is the only way to treat a person who is dangerous or tormented.

Finally, they ponder whether the greater problem in America surrounding treating potentially dangerous people is our troubling inability to provide quality care to those who seek it voluntarily.
Donald Trump is running against democracy itself.

Here, in the land of Barry Goldwater, democracy is fighting back.

Only once since 1948 has Arizona gone Democratic in a presidential election, and that was the Ross Perot-skewed 1996 contest. But Trumps manifold charms  most recently his threat to ignore the results of the election  have given Hillary Clinton a five-point lead in this red state, according to a new Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll. Disgust with Trump sent thousands of white, black and brown Arizonans on Thursday afternoon into the Phoenix Convention Center (where Trump weeks ago pledged mass deportation of illegal immigrants) to hear Michelle Obama denounce Trumps assault on the democratic process.

We are fortunate to live in a country where the voters decide our elections, the first lady said. The voters decide who wins and loses. Period. End of story. And when a presidential candidate threatens to ignore our voices and reject the outcome of this election, he is threatening the very idea of America itself, and we cannot stand for that. We do not keep American democracy in suspense. 

First Lady Michelle Obama campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Phoenix, taking aim at Donald Trump by saying, "he just doesn't understand us." (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

[Whos really rigging the election against Donald Trump?]

The crowd roared its approval.

Obamas speech (she crossed the country to give the remarks, then immediately flew back to Washington) is part of a push by the Clinton campaign to expand the electoral battleground into reliably Republican states such as Texas, Georgia, Utah, Alaska and, particularly, Arizona, that have been put into play by Trumps outrages. The Clinton campaign, which already has 32 offices and 160 staffers in Arizona, announced this week that it is spending an additional $2 million here and dispatched Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chelsea Clinton and the first lady to campaign in the state. The campaign is considering sending the candidate herself.

As a matter of math, Arizona is irrelevant: If Clinton is doing well enough to win here, she will already have locked up the election elsewhere. But if Trump is to be denied in his bid to subvert democratic institutions by claiming a rigged election, he needs to be defeated resoundingly, removing all doubt. Clinton needs to run up the score.

The need to deal Trump a humiliating defeat has a sociological basis in the degradation ceremony, in which the perpetrator (Trump) is held by denouncers (officeholders and others in positions of influence) to be morally unacceptable, and witnesses (the public) agree that the perpetrator is no longer held in good standing.

Psychologist Wynn Schwartz, who teaches at Harvard Medical School, explained to me that whats needed to have a successful degradation of Trump is an epic defeat. If it is lopsided enough, he said, you dont have critical masses of people who feel disenfranchised or who feel justified in saying that it was stolen.

But if Clintons victory is narrow, the degradation ceremony fails, because a large chunk of the population feels swindled and remains loyal to Trump. The margin matters a lot, Schwartz said.

[How fascist is Trump? Theres actually a formula for that.]

Trumps recent actions  talking about a rigged election while laying the foundation for a Trump TV network  suggest that he will attempt to defy the degradation ceremony that a loss typically confers. Hence the importance of a landslide.

Arizona would offer an ideal rebuke. Carolyn Goldwater Ross, granddaughter of the conservative icon, introduced Obama on Thursday by saying, I come from a long line of Republicans and Ive stayed independent. . . . But this time its different. She submitted that Trump violates her grandfathers basic values.

Apparently, many Arizonans agree. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the anti-immigrant icon and Trump backer, is trailing his Democratic opponent by 15 points in polling by the Republic. The newspaper endorsed Clinton, its first embrace of a Democrat for president in its 126-year history. Arizonas junior Republican senator, Jeff Flake, is an outspoken Trump critic, its senior Republican senator, John McCain, has been attacked by Trump, and former Republican attorney general Grant Woods has endorsed Clinton.

A growing Latino population has the state trending gradually Democratic, but not enough to put Arizona in play in 2016 in ordinary circumstances. Thats all about Trump.

Trump accelerated whats happening anyway, Moises Mejia, a Mexican-born engineer at Thursdays rally, told me. Mejia, who took one of his sons out of school to attend the rally, said he comes from a Republican family and agrees with the Republicans principles, but theyve taken it so far theyve lost a lot of us in the middle.

The first lady, in her fiery speech, reached out to Republicans offended by Trumps disregard for the democratic process. Our democracy is revered around the world, and free elections are the best way on Earth to choose our leaders, she said. This is how we elected John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, two George Bushes, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Thats right. This isnt Trump vs. Clinton but Trump vs. Democracy. And the way to degrade the threat is to defeat Trump, convincingly.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Reality TV is about winning. It doesnt matter how you manage to be a survivor, so long as you stay on the island. Thats the sensibility that Donald Trump, the ultimate reality-television star, brings to foreign policy.

In Trumps world, winners dont have to worry about alliances, nuclear proliferation or human rights  if they come out on top.

Trumps comments during Wednesday nights debate in Las Vegas conveyed a values-free approach to foreign policy that would make Machiavelli blush. A generous characterization would be that he voiced an extreme realism that focused entirely on U.S. interests. A harsher assessment is that Trumps amoral approach would alienate long-standing allies and potentially endanger U.S. security.

Trumps disdain for traditional foreign-policy positions was clear in his positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Even after U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russia of hacking American political parties to destabilize the election, Trump still had good things to say about the Kremlin leader.

Trump seems convinced that he and Putin could achieve a kind of personal detente. He said nice things about me, Trump enthused Wednesday night. If we got along well, that would be good. If Russia and the United States got along well and went after ISIS, that would be good. Its hard to argue against greater Russian-American cooperation, but Trump seems oblivious to the possibility that he might be used by a belligerent, autocratic Kremlin leader.

At the third and final presidential debate, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Russian President Vladimir Putin would "rather have a puppet as president." (The Washington Post)

As in the past, Trump seemed to take Putins side against President Obama and Hillary Clinton. He suggested that Putins military success (achieved through aggressive, destabilizing tactics in Crimea, Ukraine and Syria) shows that hes a strong leader whos able to push a weak United States around.

Putin has no respect for her. He has no respect for our president, Trump said. Putin has outsmarted her and Obama at every single step of the way. Whether its Syria, you name it.

An example of Putins supposed outsmarting of the United States was the collapse of a Sept. 12 cease-fire in Syria, which led Secretary of State John F. Kerry to suspend bilateral negotiations: During the cease-fire, Russia took over vast swatches of land, and then they said we dont want the cease-fire anymore. Trump said the United States had been outplayed. Rather than condemning Russian and Syrian military strikes that devastated Aleppo and led the United States to suspend talks, Trump said civilians there were dying because of bad decisions by the United States.

Trumps most astonishing comment about tough guys was his praise of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a leader who has waged a vicious civil war and used chemical weapons against his own people. Hes just much tougher and much smarter than her [Clinton], Trump said, adding that if the Syrian opposition should prevail, you may very well end up with worse than Assad.

Moderator Chris Wallace eventually got Trump to condemn Russias hacking of U.S. political parties, but only after the GOP candidate had said I doubt it, I doubt it about a statement accusing Russia issued by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on behalf of the 17 spy agencies he oversees. This must be the first time in our political history that a U.S. presidential candidate, after encouraging a foreign adversary to spy on the United States, challenged the evidence of wrongdoing.

What role do alliances play in Trumps realpolitik world? Not much, it seems. Trump claimed that Clinton was telling just another lie when she accused him of undermining commitments to defend NATO allies in Europe and Asian allies such as Japan and South Korea. But Trump has repeated often what he said in an April 27 speech, that the U.S. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves, even if that means letting them acquire nuclear weapons.

The big news Wednesday night was Trumps refusal to promise he would accept the election result if he loses. But why should that be a surprise? People whove done business with Trump say hes famous for holding back his final payment to contractors and negotiating for a better deal, or stiffing them altogether.

Leaving people in suspense about his actions is part of Trumps self-proclaimed art of the deal. Why would he be any less highhanded in dealing with the American public than with his business associates?

For Trump, life is a validation of the cynical aphorism that might makes right. The best thing you can say about Clintons debate performance was that she took aim at this untethered, overinflated dirigible and kept landing zingers.

Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
D.C. VOTERS next month are likely to approve  probably by an overwhelming margin  a ballot initiative calling for statehood for the District. It is equally likely that the District will not become the 51st state any time soon. But the referendum is not wasted effort. It has generated attention and energy around the need to address the inequitable treatment of people who make the nations capital their home. Thats hopefully a message that will be taken to heart by the incoming president and Congress.

Advisory Referendum B on the Nov. 8 ballot asks voters whether the D.C. Council should directly petition Congress for statehood admission. The four-part question also sets boundaries for the hoped-for new State of Washington D.C. and approval of a constitution. The idea for the referendum was unveiled in April (timed to the Districts celebration of Emancipation Day) by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who argued that the Districts 672,000 residents needed to be ready to make a push for statehood when a new president and Congress are seated. Rather than seeking ratification for statehood from the existing states, the plan seeks to follow the process used to admit Tennessee as the 16th state. Because it was a federal territory (much like the District), Congress allowed its admission as a state through direct petition to Congress after a vote of residents.

Ms. Bowser is hoping Democrats will control not only the White House but also both chambers of Congress, creating a more favorable political environment for D.C. rights. But even a Democratic sweep would not guarantee statehood. Democrats have proven to be just as fickle to D.C. interests as Republicans. President Obama bargained away the citys authority to use local monies to fund abortions for low-income women, and his leadership for voting rights has been tepid. Democratic representatives from Maryland and Virginia are wary of any change that might end up with their constituents having to pay a commuter tax.

But there are steps short of statehood that would at least begin to remedy the injustice of todays situation, in which District residents pay federal taxes and serve in the U.S. military but have no say in their government. The most obvious would be allowing the Districts representative in Congress to vote. An overwhelming vote for statehood might give a push to such a move.
Donald Trump protesters gather in front of his campaign headquarters at Trump Tower in Manhattan. (Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post)

If anyone is rigging the election against Donald Trump, its Donald Trump  by disempowering his own voters.

Yes, Trump once (accidentally, presumably) told rally-goers to make sure you get out and vote Nov. 28, which would be 20 days after the polls close. But that isolated goof isnt what will do him in. Instead, its the fact that he has told his supporters, repeatedly, that the election is rigged by a vast global conspiracy that will never let him win  i.e., his own supporters might as well stay home even if they do know the correct election date.

In other words, his claims that hes doomed to lose could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

At Wednesdays debate and over several previous weeks  not just coincidentally, corresponding with his downward slide in the polls  Trump has repeatedly suggested that the election results will be less than kosher.

The exact nature of this tref-ness varies. He has argued that an international pan-media-banker-Democratic-FBI-elite alliance is behind unspecified improprieties. At other times he has claimed that Mexican nationals are pouring over the border to illegally cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, and that her most loyal voter base might just be dead people.

Republican presidential nominee said he will accept the results of the election if he wins, at a rally on Oct. 20 in Delaware, Ohio. (The Washington Post)

Such charges will rile up some of his base, including those who want to monitor the polls so they can intimidate anyone resembling, as one acolyte put it, Mexicans. Syrians. People who cant speak American. These hardly seem like idle threats; data from the World Values Survey show a correlation between belief that election officials are unfair and violence at the polls.

But however motivating this rhetoric may be for a handful of die-hard Trump thugs, the larger effect will probably be to depress turnout among more marginal voters  who disproportionately comprise Trumps base.

Several recent social science studies find that belief in government corruption seems to discourage voting. An Innovations for Poverty Action field experiment in Mexico found that telling residents about the incumbent partys record of corruption depressed their turnout rates.

They stayed home because they were fed up with the system, said Alberto Chong, a Georgia State University professor who co-wrote the paper.

A second study, from scholars at Swedens University of Gothenburg, used a multiple-country analysis to show that perceptions of government malfeasance negatively affect turnout. This is true, however, only in countries with low to medium levels of corruption (like, say, the United States).

In another experiment, this time in the United States, researchers tested different messages shown to people Googling information about voter registration. Language saying the system is rigged was less effective at getting clicks than registering is quick, easy, and free.

The voters most likely to be turned off by rhetoric about a rigged system are those least engaged in politics and most on the fence, said Adam S. Levine, a Cornell University professor and co-author of the third paper.

Levine says that Trumps claims of political and electoral system corruption are most likely to be seen as credible and convincing by Trumps own followers  the very constituency he should be trying to convince of its political efficacy.

Indeed, Trump supporters are already much less likely to believe that their votes will be counted accurately than are Clintons backers, or even than supporters of previous Republican presidential candidates.

An August poll from the Pew Research Center found that only 11 percent of registered voters who said they supported Trump were very confident that vote tallies nationwide would be counted accurately; this is about a fifth of the share of Clinton voters who said the same.

As for whether their own votes would be counted accurately, 38 percent of Trump voters said they were very confident this would happen. In 2008, nearly twice as many John McCain voters (65 percent) had great faith that their votes would be counted accurately.

Many demographics  women, Muslims, immigrants, Hispanics, African Americans, people with disabilities  have been harmed by Trump this campaign. But perhaps his greatest betrayal has been to his own supporters, the economically anxious, white working-class voters who he says have been forsaken by the rest of the political class. He alone can help them, he asserts.

Trump has made cruel promises to his supporters that he cannot keep, about reopened factories and mines; he has sown fear and mistrust among these constituents and their neighbors. And now he is hell-bent on convincing them the system is so rigged, so broken, that they no longer have any political agency in choosing their president or anyone else who might be on the ballot next month.

Rather than motivating his supporters to make sure their voices are heard, he is leading them into silence.
Steven Pearlstein is a Washington Post business and economics writer. He is also Robinson Professor of Public Affairs at the Schar School of George Mason University.

Rising inequality. Slowing global economic growth. Technological displacement of workers. Immigration. Populist revolt. Political dysfunction.

Thats a pretty good list of the most important economic issues facing the world over the next 20 years, and already bookshelves are beginning to groan with academic and journalistic explorations of one or another. Now comes Ryan Avent, a columnist and senior editor at the Economist, with an ambitious, insightful and provocative book that aspires to deal with them all at the same time.

Avents title, The Wealth of Humans, plays off of Adams Smiths classic, The Wealth of Nations, and like Smith, Avent ranges widely through the often insular silos of economics, blending microeconomics with macro, industrial organization with international trade, labor economics with financial, economic history with economic geography. In the best Economist tradition, this book is both accessible and sophisticated, one that raises all the right questions even if it does not always come up with the right answers.

As Avent sees it, technological progress and productivity growth, a combo that in the past has delivered rising living standards, may in the future hit a ceiling and be self-limiting. His pessimistic scenario goes something like this: Because of sophisticated robots and software, advanced economies are now facing a bleak future in which there will be too many workers and too little work for them to do. As a result, an ever-widening income gap will open up between highly paid and productive workers and an overly large and growing pool of unskilled idlers whose wages will decline. In fact, wages will decline so much that businesses will no longer have an incentive to invest in new technology that makes workers more productive and is the basis for economic growth. As the economy settles into a no-growth equilibrium, rising tension, distrust and resentment between increasingly isolated makers and takers will lead to political dysfunction that prevents society from coming up with new policies and institutions to share the benefits of technology more broadly and get the economy out of its rut.

"The Wealth of Humans: Work, Power, and Status in the Twenty-first Century," by Ryan Avent (St. Martin's)

Variations on this dystopic vision have been embraced by the liberal blogosphere and among the NPR set, along with the favored antidote: universal or guaranteed basic income. As Avent acknowledges, similar concerns have arisen during past periods of rapid technological advancement, only to be proved wrong as demand for workers shifted to new industries no one ever imagined. But because of the scope and speed of technological progress and worker displacement, Avent believes this time will be different.

Avents mistake, not unlike Marx and the Luddites before him, is to fall into the trap of thinking there is only so much work to be done. He underestimates the dramatic impact that lower prices will have in increasing demand for goods and services, along with the higher demand for personal services that will trickle down from those made richer by the new technology. He also ignores that, as societies get wealthier, people choose to work shorter hours or fewer years. His prediction that plentiful cheap labor will lead businesses to stop investing in new technology because labor is so cheap ignores the many other benefits of technological innovation.

More original is Avents skepticism about education as the key to equalizing incomes and ensuring continued growth in productivity. As human knowledge has become more complex, he argues, it bumps up against natural limits in the cognitive ability of most human beings. Those limits will make it impossible  or prohibitively expensive  for more workers to earn the college and post-graduate degrees that would allow them to succeed in a high-tech economy. The low hanging education fruit has been picked, he writes.

Even if you are like me and believe that there is still plenty more human potential to be tapped, it is hard to disagree with Avent that we need a broader conception of the skills people should learn after high school, along with better and more efficient ways to teach them.

The strongest of Avents chapters are those that concern social capital  a somewhat squishy notion that takes in rules, laws, informal norms and culture that shape economic behavior and are powerful determinants of the productivity of firms, industries and nations.

Although economists have long understood the importance of physical, financial and human capital, they have only recently come to appreciate the importance of social capital. Avent makes a compelling case that in the modern world, wealth is largely a social creation.

In the industrial era, for example, most of the value of a firm was represented by its buildings and machinery. But today, he calculates, 80 percent of the value of the largest public companies comes from intangibles ranging from intellectual property to brand equity to company culture. A good deal of the rise in income inequality, he notes, is not simply the gap between those with more and less education, but also the gap between those with the same education working at firms with widely varying amounts of social capital. The reason so much wealth is concentrated in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, Avent argues, is that their higher levels of social capital allow a small number of top firms to dominate their industries and reap outsize profits. At the other extreme, it is the lower levels of social capital in countries such as India and China that prevent them from making the leap into the fraternity of wealthy nations.

Where Avent runs off the rails is in using his insights about social capital to construct elaborate theories about the inevitability that more and more wealth generated by this social capital will be concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. The title of one chapter, Social Capital in the Twenty-First Century, is a play off Thomas Pikettys Capital in the Twenty-First Century, the recent surprise bestseller by the French economist who took a different route to the same conclusion. I suspect there is a bit of Piketty envy at work here.

Avent also indulges in the current fascination with economic geography. If San Francisco and Boston and New York are getting rich because of their economic networks and high levels of social capital, he reasons, the world would be better off if millions more people from less-productive cities and countries would move there. The only barrier, he laments, is overly restrictive zoning codes that limit the housing supply and that current residents are loath to change.

Thinking about the recent population growth of Houston or Charlotte as a misallocation of labor is an interesting thought experiment but one that ignores an underappreciated reality: that whether you are talking about companies or industry clusters or cities, they reach a tipping point at which the benefits of further growth are more than offset by the added costs of complexity. There is a good reason we all dont work at one humongous company located in one humongous city. Experience has taught us that it is better to spawn new San Franciscos, Bostons and Londons than to have those grow infinitely.

Avent is right about one thing: The economic and social institutions that once maintained social and political harmony by ensuring that wealth was fairly distributed are no longer working. Just as with the Industrial Revolution, he writes, it will take a period of wrenching political change before new institutions will emerge. It is not enough, he warns, to simply leave it to the invisible hand to work out the new arrangements, for as weve learned in recent years, the invisible hand turns out to be nothing more than the thudding fist of the powerful.
 As his motorcade barreled into a high-dollar fundraiser in this wealthy St. Louis suburb recently, Vice President Biden noticed the firehouse next door. He told his aides to cut the fundraiser short a few minutes so that he and the Democrat running for Senate here could visit with the firefighters on the way out. These were his people, and for more than 10 minutes Biden talked to the fire company about what they do and how members of his own family had been saved by their work.

Hey, Ive used you guys several times, and it was great, Biden told the crew, according to Clayton Fire Chief Mark Thorp. The fire crew was stunned by the gesture, Thorp said. He just as easily couldve gotten in his car and waved.

The firehouse stop was part of Bidens frenzied effort to help Democrats retake control of the Senate before he leaves the White House in January, and this trip was a chance to boost the surging candidacy of Jason Kander, the Missouri Democrat seeking to unseat the incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).

But for Biden, this last campaign is about more than just Senate control: A year ago Friday he gave up his own presidential ambition, announcing that his sons death had made a bid for the highest office emotionally impossible. Instead, after months of introspection, he is pouring his energy into a fight that he thinks will help Democrats this year but also continuing his effort to convince them not to give up on white working-class voters who were once the partys core, and whose support has fueled the insurgent candidacy of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

[GOP braces for Trump loss, roiled by refusal to accept election results]

While speaking at a campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Vice President Joe Biden came down hard on Republican candidate Donald Trump for his boasts about grabbing women. (The Washington Post)

I just think we have a very strong argument on the substance, and I think that we should be pounding away, Biden said in a recent interview, explaining how he wants Democrats to talk to these voters about job training and the new economy. Once you actually make that case and you go into places like southeast Ohio and the northeast [Ohio] . . . these are places that should be  like Youngstown  they should be Democratic areas.

But Biden worries that Democrats are turning into a party controlled by intellectual elites who dont know how to relate to people like those from his home town of Scranton, Pa., where Trump held a raucous rally in July just a few blocks from the vice presidents childhood home. Tell you what, my antenna went up, Biden said in a recent interview in his West Wing office.

[In Scranton, Pa., Hillary Clinton and Joe Bidens memory lane tour is an appeal to white working-class Democrats]

In an era when most Democratic candidates face long odds with voters in towns like Scranton, Biden, 73, can still connect with people attracted to Trumps message.

He has a very good way of appealing to people who are thinking about voting for Donald Trump, said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the incoming Democratic leader.

Yet Biden is also trying to be an antidote to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who is deeply unpopular among white working-class voters.

The vice president says he wants Clinton and other Democrats to learn how to talk to people whose family income is about $75,000, about the average salary for a Clayton firefighter, and he wants them to understand why Trump is doing so well with these voters. His appeal to their anger, their concern, their fears about the changes taking place in the country and the world, are not illegitimate, he said. I mean, this is one of those great transition periods in world history.

Vice President Biden visits his childhood home in Scranton, Pa., after attending a rally for Hillary Clinton on Aug. 15. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Earlier this month in Bristol, a working-class town north of Philadelphia, Biden campaigned for Clinton, Senate nominee Katie McGinty and other Pennsylvania Democrats. He kept a group of about two dozen Clinton volunteers rapt, essentially explaining that their candidate was not good at connecting with voters and that she needed their help.

We have to make a positive case for Hillary. She has gotten a bum rap, he told them, explaining how her time in the national spotlight hardened her to the media. No one doubts whether she has the intellectual capacity or the experience for this job. We know. Weve got to talk about what a decent person she is. She is. She is. Its hard for her to say it and do it. Its up to us. Its up to us.

Other Democrats are less concerned about Clintons appeal to the shrinking number of non-college-educated white voters and confident that Clinton, and other Democrats, can tailor their message to white college graduate and ethnic minority voters turned off by Trump. Strategically speaking, for every white male high-school-educated voter who she loses, she picks up two white female college-educated voters, Schumer said in a recent interview.

Ivy League drift

Twenty years ago, Bill Clinton narrowly won white voters without college degrees, 44 percent to 43 percent for Republican nominee Robert Dole, but by 2012, President Obama received just 36 percent of those white non-college voters, according to presidential exit polls. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll this month, Hillary Clinton is doing worse than Obama with the white working class, receiving just 29 percent of their votes.

In a discussion on Air Force Two, returning from his swing to Missouri for Kander and to Los Angeles for an event to raise funds to fight cancer, Biden blamed part of the drift on what he describes as the Democratic pedigree fixation.

On policy, the Democrats have relied too heavily on Ivy League advisers who cant relate to poor and working-class white communities, even when their economic ideas are beneficial to those voters. Too many of those leaders cant connect with the everyday lives of the middle class, Biden said. Politically, the party relies on demographic analysts and turnout experts driving up votes from niche groups of minorities, women and young voters.

At the very moment Biden was lamenting his partys creep toward elitism, Clinton was at a Manhattan fundraiser hosted by LGBT leaders, where she described half of Trumps supporters as racist, sexist, homophobic and as a basket of deplorables, a comment for which she apologized the next day. When the comments were relayed to Biden, he said nothing.

Biden has maintained relatively high popularity among voters, making him especially valuable in the hunt to retake the Senate. A Bloomberg News poll this month found that in Pennsylvania, where he has campaigned four times for McGinty, Biden is the most popular politician other than first lady Michelle Obama, with more than two-thirds of voters in the Philadelphia suburbs having a favorable view of the former senator from next-door Delaware.

In December, Schumer said he had breakfast at the vice presidents home and laid out Bidens ratings in all battleground states for the Senate this year, paying special attention to how white working-class voters viewed Biden. Democrats have targeted Midwestern states stretching from Pennsylvania to Missouri, where turning out black voters is as key to their success as it is to keeping margins respectably close in white working-class former manufacturing towns.

So in early September, Biden made a planned 45-minute stop at a diner in a largely black St. Louis neighborhood with Kander at his side.

It was one of nearly 30 such trips on behalf of Democratic candidates for Senate, according to Bidens staff tally, a mix of public events and fundraising stops. Perhaps more importantly, Biden served as their intermediary to get Obama to wade into contested Democratic primaries to endorse the preferred candidate, according to Schumer.

Diners are a Biden specialty. Customers dont know whats coming when his caravan of black SUVs pulls up. You took my parking spot, Linda Hill, 65, a retired civil service employee in local courts, told Biden at the Goody Goody Diner. The two laughed and held hands as the vice president tried to persuade Hills lunch table to support Kander.

He took his ham-and-cheese sandwich to go  tipping $20 after the restaurant refused to charge him  and headed to a fundraiser with liberal professionals at the St. Louis Club in Clayton.

Thats when Biden spotted a firehouse down the street. Ever since he lost his first wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash, in which his two sons were pulled from the wreckage, Biden has felt a bond with emergency responders. Had he run against Clinton in the Democratic primaries, the national firefighters union planned to endorse him.

So Biden and Kander cut out of the fundraiser to spend time with the mostly white crew of firefighters. But he wants more Democrats doing what he did in one day: Within 75 minutes, Biden had gone from a mostly black diner to wealthy professionals to working-class white firefighters.

He has enormous reach, Schumer said.

These trips are always high energy and partly therapeutic, particularly after Bidens eldest son, Beau, died last year from cancer.

Kander  who said he has no plans to ask Obama to campaign with him  said he was stunned by the energy that Biden exhibited and the easy intimacy he established with voters, who shouted Joe, Joe, not Mr. Vice President.

Hill called Biden a good family man and wished he could run again  but for vice president, with Clinton as president.

A value set

On a swing through Columbus, Ohio, in May, Biden stopped into the state capitals culturally diverse North Market and spent more than 30 minutes posing for selfies and talking up workers, buying an Italian dinner to go.

He pulled residents close in and whispered to them, urging a vote for Ted Strickland, the former Ohio governor running for Senate, only to turn around and realize he was nowhere to be found. Wheres Ted? Biden asked.

By early September, Democrats had all but given up on Strickland, conceding the Senate race to Republican incumbent Sen. Rob Portman and pulling resources from that race and diverting them to others. One of Stricklands key problems: White working-class voters, even those from his old southeastern Ohio congressional district, have abandoned him in droves.

In St. Louis this month, Biden began his day at Launchcode, a nonprofit trying to help underprivileged workers become technology code writers. Biden belittled having a lot of economists work for me, Rhodes scholars who calculate the middle class by salary.

The middle class is not a number; its a value set. Its being able to own your house and not have to rent it; its being able to send your kid to the local park and know theyll come home safely, he said. Its about being able to send your kid to the local high school and if they do well they can get to college, and if they get to college, you can figure out how to [pay to] get them there, and when your mom or dad passes away, you can take care of the other who is in need and hope your kids never have to take care of you. Thats Joe Bidens definition of the middle class, and the middle class has been clobbered.

To that end, Biden had an idea after the 2014 midterm elections as Obamas advisers huddled to prepare for the final two years in office. Biden proposed a middle-class tax cut. It was rejected, according to those familiar with the talks, because it wasnt considered effective in giving the right economic boost.

That wasnt the point to Biden, who believed that the proposal was meant as a political play for middle-class voters  Republicans were running Congress anyway, they werent going to approve an Obama proposal.

In the vice presidents thinking, proposing a middle-class tax cut would have sent a signal to those voters that Democrats understood their plight, something Biden regularly sums up with this adage from his father: I dont expect the government to solve my problems. I expect them to understand my problems.

So Bidens role this fall is to help candidates like Kander reach voters that other Democrats cant break through with, not necessarily to win a majority of the white working class but to at least reduce the margins.

But he also wants Democrats to challenge Republicans for those voters: What are Republicans gonna do for you, white working-class folks? Well, guess what, they aint gonna help your kid get to school, theyre gonna cut it, he said. Theyre not gonna help you pay the mortgage. Theyre not gonna help.
At a raucous rally in Newtown, Pa., Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump urged supporters to vote. It was Trump's third rally in one day. (The Washington Post)

At a raucous rally in Newtown, Pa., Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump urged supporters to vote. It was Trump's third rally in one day. (The Washington Post)

As he took the stage here in this mountain town Friday afternoon, Donald Trump was as subdued as the modest crowd that turned out to see him. He complained about the usual things  the dishonest media, his corrupt rival Hillary Clinton  but his voice was hoarse and his heart didnt seem in it.

He also promised to do all that he could to win, but he explained why he might lose.

What a waste of time if we dont pull this off, Trump said. You know, these guys have said: It doesnt matter if you win or lose. Theres never been a movement like this in the history of this country. I say, it matters to me if we win or lose. So Ill have over $100 million of my own money in this campaign.

So, if I lose, Trump continued as the crowd remained unusually quiet, if I lose, I will consider this 

Trump didnt finish his sentence, but he didnt really need to. After weeks of controversy and declining poll numbers, Trump and his campaign have settled into a dark funk. Even as he vows to prevail in the race, the GOP nominees mood has soured with less than three weeks to go until Election Day.

Watch Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump make jokes at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York on Oct. 20. (The Washington Post)

His final debate performance this week was a bust, with him snarling that Clinton was such a nasty woman and gritting his teeth as he angrily ripped pages off a notepad when it was over. He is under fire from all quarters for refusing to say he will honor the election results if he loses, while 10 women have now come forward accusing him of groping or kissing them without consent. The capper to Trumps bad stretch came Thursday night, when a ballroom full of New York Citys glitterati booed him as he gave remarks attacking Clinton at a charity roast.

[At charity roast, Trump delivered what might as well be a campaign eulogy]

The gloomy mood has extended to his signature rallies, which Trump used to find fun. During the primaries, he would bound onto rally stages bursting with energy and a sense of excitement that intensified as the crowds chanted his name and cheered his every word. He would regularly schedule news conferences, call into news shows and chat with reporters, eager to spar with them. He would say politically incorrect things and then watch his polling numbers soar. He used to be the winner.

But no more. In recent days, Trump has tried to explain away his slide in the polls as a conspiracy carried out by the media, Democrats and Republicans. If he loses, it will be because he was cheated, Trump has repeatedly told his supporters, urging them to go to polling places in neighborhoods other than their own and watch.

Trumps supporters have concocted elaborate explanations for why he might lose, often involving massive voter fraud conducted by Democrats who will bus undocumented immigrants and people posing as people who have died to battleground states to vote illegally. There are also fears that election results in some states will be tampered with, and Trumps backers have cheered his promise to challenge the election results if he doesnt win.

Since we cant check to see if you voted in three states, you will. If you want to vote in three states, you will, said Larry Lewis, 67, a former electrician who lives in Hendersonville, N.C.. He said he doesn't know anyone who has committed voter fraud but has gotten up to speed on the issue thanks to talk radio. I mean, that is human nature. I have ultimate faith in human nature.

Campaigning Friday in Cleveland, Clinton again criticized Trump for refusing to say he will honor the election results and joked about her time onstage debating him. I have now spent 41/2 hours onstage with Donald, proving once again I have the stamina to be president, she said.

Watch Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton make jokes at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York on Oct. 20. (The Washington Post)

[GOP braces for Trump defeat, rushes to protect down-ballot seats]

After the debate Wednesday night, Trump flew to Ohio for a Thursday rally. He abruptly walked out of two local television interviews before taking the stage in front of a smaller-than-usual crowd. After it was over, he was back at the Columbus airport, slowly plodding up the steps to his personal jet. He was alone, holding a black umbrella as a light rain fell.

Hours later, Trump sat with his wife at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner to participate in the long-standing tradition of political candidates roasting each other. The dinners chairman, Alfred E. Smith IV, set the tone for the evening as he lashed Trump in a series of cutting jokes.

Trump went first, and his opening lines landed with such heavy bitterness that it prompted scattered, uncomfortable laughter.

A special hello to all of you in this room who have known and loved me for many, many years. Its true, Trump said as he took command of the lavish dais, wearing a white tie and a black jacket that he kept tugging at.

The politicians, he continued. Theyve had me to their homes, theyve introduced me to their children. Ive become their best friends in many instances. Theyve asked for my endorsement, and they always wanted my money, and even called me really a dear, dear friend, but then suddenly decided when I ran for president as a Republican, that Ive always been a no-good, rotten, disgusting scoundrel. And they totally forgot about me.

Over the next 15 minutes, Trump joked about the size of his hands and the size of his rivals rally crowds, then compared himself to Jesus. He said the debate the night before had been called the most vicious debate in the history of politics, prompting him to reflect, Are we supposed to be proud of that?

He joked about prosecuting Clinton if he gets elected president, accused the media of working for her and brought up the FBIs investigation into Clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state.

[At third debate, Trump wont commit to accepting election results if he loses]

Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission, Trump said, citing a false Internet rumor as the crowd turned on him and started to boo, something that simply doesnt happen at lavish charity dinners at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. The face of one the guests sitting on the stage behind him was struck with horror.

Hillary believes that its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private, Trump said, as the booing intensified. Trump would go on to accuse Clinton of pretending not to hate Catholics and mock the Clinton Foundations work in Haiti.

At one point, he wondered aloud whether the crowd was booing him or Clinton, to which someone in the crowd answered: You!

As Clinton took her turn, Trump sat at a table decorated with pale roses and white orchids with his arms tightly folded.

Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair, Clinton said, as the crowd laughed and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani mouthed, What?

Trump, his arms folded, cocked his head to the side and smirked as his wife looked elegantly pained.

A few minutes later, Clinton poked Trump for his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin: Maybe you saw Donald dismantle his prompter the other day, and I get that. Theyre hard to keep up with, and Im sure its even harder when youre translating from the original Russian.

Trump smiled and rocked in his seat, his face turning slightly red.

Clinton recognized former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, saying it was a shame he didnt speak, because Im curious to hear what a billionaire has to say, referring to disputes about Trumps actual net worth.

And she gave a shout-out to Trumps campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, saying: Shes working day and night for Donald, and because shes a contractor, hes probably not even going to pay her. Conway, who has become subtly critical of her boss, quoted Clinton in a tweet and wrote, A shout out from @HillaryClinton at #AlSmithDinner.

As Clinton finished speaking, she received a standing ovation from many in the crowd. Trump clapped, then briefly stood, then sat down again, as if unsure what to do. Lip-readers caught him telling her that she did a good job.

As the dinner ended, Trump shook hands with some of the others on the stage, while a line of people wanting to talk with Clinton grew. After a few minutes, Trump and his wife made their way toward the exit.

Before ducking out, Trump flashed the crowd a thumbs up.

Abby Phillip in Cleveland contributed to this report.
Attendees stand during the National Anthem at a rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Cross Insurance Center on Oct. 15, 2016, in Bangor, Maine. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

Michael Madore and Tom Leet remember when this was called the Magic City, an oasis of prosperity in the dense Maine woods. The magic and the paper mills that created it are gone, and the men disagree on which presidential candidate can best help bring something  anything  back. But they know this year their vote might have a little more weight than usual.

Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have lavished an unusual amount of attention on rural northern Maine this election cycle because the state splits its two electoral college votes between its two congressional districts  one in the northern part of the state, the other in the south. The line that divides them is emblematic of the divides that have emerged this election cycle: urban vs. rural, college educated vs. not, well-off vs. working class, and Clinton vs. Trump.

The southern part of the state usually speaks for the northern, but not this election year, said Leet, who plans to cast a ballot for Trump.

The more densely populated 1st Congressional District in the south, which includes Portland, looks as though it will swing for Clinton. But the outcome is up in the air here in the 2nd Congressional District, a 27,000-square-mile swath of dense forest, rugged mountains, potato and blueberry farms, fishing villages, hardscrabble industrial cities and pretty towns that stretch to the Canadian border. Polls have shown a virtual dead heat between Clinton and Trump, and both campaigns are showing up to a place that even some Mainers said feels forgotten.

[Maine governor: We need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power]

Clinton trails Trump in this part of the state by about 7 points, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, and each side is scrambling to try to gain an advantage.

Trump has visited the state three times, including a rally in Bangor last weekend. Earlier in the month, he dispatched his son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara to campaign at an apple orchard and speak in the campaigns stuffy storefront headquarters in Bangor. Clad in a gray suit, Eric Trump told the crowd his father would bring jobs back to the United States and beef up the military.

Were doing so well in northern Maine, Eric Trump told a local television station as supporters helped themselves to bags of snacks. Were gonna win Maine.

Clintons campaign has dispatched volunteers throughout the district to knock on doors and phone bank, and all but two of her staffers in the state have been deployed to the 2nd District. Her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, daughter Chelsea and Lord of the Rings actor Sean Astin also campaigned in northern Maine.

One of Clintons most important surrogates in Maine has been her former primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of nearby Vermont, who trounced Clinton in the Maine caucuses. Sanderss message of income inequality and ire against Wall Street strongly resonated in a state where the manufacturing base has been hollowed out and where there is little growth outside the Portland area.

Mr. Trump has made our bad trade policies a very important part of his campaign and he comes to Maine and goes all over the country . . . and he says hes against outsourcing, Sanders said during an Oct. 7 visit to Bangor. If you are so concerned about outsourcing American jobs, why do you have factories in Bangladesh where youre paying workers 30 cents an hour? Why are you making your ties in China?

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) is a Trump backer who shares some of the GOP nominees brash and controversial style. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Several hundred people packed into a gym to see Sanders. Many wore T-shirts with his name or face on them or buttons from his failed presidential campaign.

Marissa Lopez, 40, who works three jobs, was one of them. She is voting for Clinton, but it wasnt an easy decision.

Bernie always said, not me, us,  she said. I dont want to see the country regress.

In interviews, both Clinton and Trump supporters cited many of Maines problems. It is the oldest state in the nation, with a median age of 44.2 years. It has one of the nations highest rates of out-migration and one of its lowest birthrates  and few people are moving in to replace those who leave. The nations opiate crisis has damaged many of its cities and towns, and work is scarce in the rural regions.

Here in Millinocket, the gateway to Mount Katahdin, a nearly mile-high peak that is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, the citys paper mill closed a few years ago and vacant storefronts line the main street. The paper mill in neighboring East Millinocket shut down in 2014.

We are surviving, we are still here, but certainly not what we were, Madore said of Millinocket, noting its population has fallen to 4,500 from 9,000 during the heyday of the mills.

Madore said he plans to vote for Clinton, believing that her experience could help Maine with trade. The state is exporting many of its lobsters to China, feeding a booming market for the crustaceans. Millinocket has signed contracts with multiple Chinese schools that guarantee payments of thousands of dollars to the city so Chinese students can study here.

[China killed thousands of Maine jobs. Now its eating up the states lobsters.]

Maine is also the nations least diverse state, with about 95 percent of residents identifying as white in 2014. There has been an influx of refugees over the past 20 years, and tension has come with it  most recently stoked by the states own governor.

Gov. Paul LePage (R) is a Trump backer who shares a lot in common with the Republican presidential nominee: brash, combative and unapologetic about it. In recent years he has told the NAACP to kiss my butt, said asylum seekers are bringing disease and are the states biggest problem. He also has called for the public execution of drug dealers, saying most of them are black and Hispanic and that many come to Maine to impregnate a young, white girl before they leave. LePage suggested in August he would step down after a profane voice mail he left a lawmaker surfaced publicly, but he has remained in office.

LePage endorsed Trump in February. Last week, LePage said the nation needs Trumps authoritarian power, but said the next day he meant to say authoritative and that President Obama is a dictator.

LePage is not far from the minds of voters here. Some, like Sandi Blanchette of Orland, find him refreshing and think he has been a good fiscal steward.

Hes just like Trump, said Blanchette, who plans to support the Republican nominee.

Nadine Lewis of Ellsworth doesnt like LePage, but the former Sanders supporter said she plans to vote for Trump. She wants to shake up the status quo. She is in the same predicament as Audrey Sparkes, a Clinton supporter from Bangor: Both have barely enough to live here, yet leaving is out of the question.

Im low income in Maine, Lewis said, adding that there are few jobs available to increase her income. I dont have the money to move.
When it comes to growth, transportation, housing and education are the obvious challenges, but some are not so easily predicted. (Keith Lane/For The Washington Post)

Demographers tell us that a majority of the worlds population inhabits cities and that urban populations will continue rising during this century at an increasing rate.

Two factors primarily fuel city growth: greater job and economic opportunities that attract businesses and people, especially young adults; and the stimulating mix of diverse cultural, social and recreational activities that attract people young and old.

Which raises a fundamental question: Will the world, and in particular the United States, be ready and able to cope with the demographic, economic, social, operational and physical challenges that accelerating urban growth will bring?

Neal Peirce, syndicated writer and editor in chief of Citiscope.org, has written for 40 years about the future of cities, and he addressed this question at a recent meeting of the National Academy of Housing and Cities. The sense of his remarks was that, based on current attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, probably not.

This question also came to mind as I read Zoned in the USA: The Origins and Implications of American Land-Use Regulation, written by Sonia A. Hirt. An urban scholar and planner, she is the new dean of the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

[More Lewis: Architectural features make it easier for buildings to battle sun]

Rather than dwelling on the mechanics of zoning, Hirts book explains how Americas history, culture, socioeconomic characteristics, political system and real estate market have shaped our cities and suburbs through zoning.

Her analysis focuses appropriately on the potency of the American Dream embodied in homeownership and the detached single-family house. To further drive home her points, she contrasts American land-use traditions, regulations and statistics with those of other industrialized countries  Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan  where single-use zones are less ubiquitous.

Reading between the lines of Hirts text, I thought about how difficult it would be to effectuate alternative American zoning policies and practices to deal with the complex problems of future metropolitan growth, especially in metropolitan Washington.

These problems relate to transportation and land-use patterns, density, housing affordability, employment, economic fairness, the environment and public education.

Hardly a day goes by when we dont learn about seemingly intractable problems facing the city, about functional shortcomings and impediments, financial inadequacies, governmental missteps or outright systemic failures. This is why its hard to be optimistic about successfully managing our metropolitan future.

[More Lewis: Seeing Metrorails true value could lead to a badly needed funding fix]

Financing, operating, upgrading and maintaining transportation infrastructure are the most frequently publicized challenges. With disparate, continually competing political jurisdictions, and a still mostly auto-dependent population, the future Washington region is likely to remain plagued by insufficient, underfunded public transportation resources.

The sprawling, low-density, single-family subdivisions dominating suburban Washington rely on networks of widely separated arterial and feeder roads, the embodiment of 20th-century, car-centric zoning and planning strategies. Most suburban residential neighborhoods and road networks wont change. Consequently, suburban traffic congestion, already terrible, will probably worsen.

Will Washington emulate Houston, with future residents driving dozens of miles farther out into Virginia and Maryland in search of cheaper land and less pricey housing? Will innovative technologies somehow improve mobility? Might traffic congestion ease with increased telecommuting, autonomous autos and more people inhabiting walkable communities closer to jobs, with access to transit that might exist in the future?

Skepticism comes easily in light of the many years and enormous expense required to date for the yet-to-be-built Purple Line between Montgomery and Prince Georges counties. Add to this the zeal and litigation with which the Purple Lines suburban opponents have fought its still-pending implementation.

Metrorails Silver Line extension (eventually to Dulles and Loudoun County) took decades of planning and is costing billions of dollars to construct. Yet its still unclear whether portions of the county to be served by the Silver Line will be rezoned to enable denser, mixed-use development.

Contemplate how long it has taken and how much it has cost to construct Washingtons streetcar line, intended to be part of a downtown streetcar network that may never be built. Or recall the demise of the proposed Columbia Pike streetcar line in Arlington County.

Long-term infrastructure investment that doesnt immediately solve todays problems, or that requires trade-offs adversely affecting some citizens, is always a hard sell.

For a growing number of Americans, finding decent, affordable housing will be increasingly challenging as city populations grow. Its a big problem for many urban residents because the amount of affordable housing in Washington and other U.S. cities has been shrinking for decades.

Rising land and construction costs, gentrification, fewer sources of public-sector housing investment and subsidy, and conversion of existing units from below-market to market-rate have contributed to the steady decline of affordable housing opportunities.

Then comes the lamentable state of public education in many cities, including the District, and in less-affluent suburbs and exurbs. Will we ever be able to significantly improve underfunded public schools and commit to paying for highly qualified, effective teachers, an indispensable investment in the future?

As if impending growth doesnt give us enough to worry about, there is a long list of daunting environmental challenges: global climate change; rising sea levels and land loss; loss of flora and fauna habitats; excessive carbon emissions attributable to fossil fuels; and safe disposal of mounting piles of garbage and waste products.

All these problems ultimately stem from fundamental American attitudes, beliefs, traditions and behaviors. Clearly, solving them will depend on money, which probably wont be forthcoming unless we change our thinking, our policies and our actions.

Roger K. Lewis is a practicing architect, a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland and a regular guest commentator on The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU (88.5 FM).
South African justice minister Michael Masutha gives a press briefing in Pretoria on Oct. 21 regarding South Africas decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images)

South Africa announced Friday that it plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a major blow to an institution that has struggled to fulfill its role as a global seat of judgment for war crimes and other atrocities.

South Africas departure is particularly striking given that it became a symbol of justice and reconciliation with the election of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela as president more than two decades ago. Its announcement is a reflection of rising antagonism toward the court across sub-Saharan Africa.

The court was established in 2002 with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, according to its founding charter. But the majority of its indictments have been related to wars or political violence in Africa. Nine of its 10 current investigations involve countries on the continent. Those ratios have led a host of African leaders to denounce the court in rallies and at international institutions.

South Africas announcement came just days after Burundis president, Pierre Nkurunziza, signed a decree paving the way for his country to leave the court. He acted as ICC investigators were beginning an inquiry into a violent crackdown on government opponents there.

The court, based in The Hague, has been criticized as ineffective and handicapped by the lack of support from some members. In 2009, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing him of war crimes. But that has not stopped Bashir from visiting a number of African nations, none of which have detained him.

In June 2015, Bashir was in South Africa when a domestic judge ordered that the Sudanese leader be detained. But South African officials allowed Bashir to return to Sudan, setting off a wave of criticism from human rights advocates.

It was that case, along with the subsequent debate about South Africas obligations as an ICC member, that led to the countrys decision to leave the court. South Africas government felt that the pressure to arrest those wanted by the court hurt its role promoting peace, stability and dialogue in those countries, Michael Masutha, South Africas minister of justice and correctional services, said Friday.

South Africas minister of international relations, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, sent an official notification to the United Nations earlier this week that said the country will leave the court in one year.

That marks a striking departure from Mandelas endorsement of the ICC in 1998, when he told a conference of diplomats and African leaders that previous conflicts or abuses might not have occurred, or at least been minimized, had there been an effectively functioning international criminal court. The court acts when countries are unable or unwilling to prosecute serious crimes such as genocide themselves.

South Africas current president, Jacob Zuma, has been criticized for abandoning Mandelas message of inclusion and his leadership on human rights issues. The countrys main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said the ICC withdrawal was unconstitutional without parliamentary approval and vowed to take the decision to court.

South Africa will join more than two dozen countries that are not members of the court, including the United States. The Pentagon has long been concerned that the international war-crimes court could target U.S. military personnel around the world.

Many human rights activists worry that other countries will follow Burundi and South Africa in quitting the court. South Africa, the continents wealthiest nation, often plays a leadership role in regional political affairs. No country has ever before left the ICC.

Were obviously concerned that this comes right after concrete steps taken by the government of Burundi to withdraw and that this is broadly fitting into the collective narrative around withdrawal and dissatisfaction with the ICC, said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty Internationals research and advocacy director for Africa. This move will be viewed with a great deal of interest, and it does set an unfortunate precedent.

South African officials suggested that the 54-nation African Union would be a better body to adjudicate international crimes in the region. But critics argue that the group has proved to be weak and often disorganized in conducting foreign affairs and is unlikely to develop an effective judicial arm.

The 1994 Rwandan genocide underscored the importance of a global court in which war criminals could be tried, and most African leaders agreed with the value of such an institution in the wake of that bloodshed. But many of those same leaders were outspoken about the courts subsequent focus on African indictments.

ICC officials, disputing critics who say they are targeting African leaders, point out that the court chooses only a portion of the caseload. Some cases are referred by the U.N. Security Council, and others come at the request of the countries themselves.

In a statement, the African National Congress, South Africas governing party, said the countrys decision to leave the ICC reflected the belief that the court had long diverted from its mandate and was now pursuing the imperialist agendas of foreign nations.

That sentiment is shared by African nations such as Kenya, whose president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and vice president, William Ruto, were indicted for allegedly inciting post-election violence in 2007. Both of those cases were later dismissed as witnesses withdrew, allegedly under pressure from Kenyatta supporters.

Mahr reported from Johannesburg.

Read more

ICC drops charges against Kenyan president after probe into violence

Why so many African leaders hate the International Criminal Court

Environmental destruction a crime against humanity? The ICC may find out.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world


People who are fleeing from clashes arrive in Qayyarah during an operation against Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 19. (Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters)

One in every 10 people in Iraq has already been displaced in the war against the Islamic State, and there is little doubt hundreds of thousands more may soon be uprooted.

As Iraqi security forces push toward Mosul from three directions, the government has urged people to stay in their homes to avoid a human tide that aid agencies and the Iraqi government say they are nowhere near equipped to handle.

But as the battles draw near, families inevitably flee.

Iraqi officials estimate that there are between 1.2 million and 1.8 million civilians still in Mosul, the most populous city that the Islamic State controls. Since the militants began seizing territory in Iraq in 2014, at least 3.3 million people have been forced out of their homes, in a country of about 34 million people.

[Signs of panic and rebellion in Islamic State-held Mosul]

The United Nations has warned that up to 200,000 people may be displaced in the first weeks of the operation. In total, some 700,000 may need shelter, it says. Camps are being hastily constructed, but there are concerns that essential aid may not be ready in time.

While their escape from fighting can happen in moments, returning  even after areas are cleared of militants  can be a long struggle. Destruction, explosives and tribal and sectarian rifts have all hampered efforts to get people back to their towns and villages.

This is only the beginning of a larger humanitarian crisis, Suad Jarbawi, Iraq country director for Mercy Corps, which is providing assistance, said of the displacement so far. The people of Iraq deserve more than a humanitarian response  they deserve a response that helps them heal and rebuild their country.



The Deepaka camp northwest of Irbil, Iraq, on Oct. 20. (Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters)



Women who recently fled the Islamic State's stronghold of Hawijah line up Oct. 19 to receive food at Debaga camp on the outskirts of Irbil. (Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)



A displaced Iraqi youth from the Bajwaniyah village, south of Mosul, who fled fighting carries a white flag Oct. 18 as he approaches security forces who liberated the village from the Islamic State. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)



A displaced woman who is fleeing from clashes holds her baby in Qayyarah on Oct. 19. (Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters)



Smoke rises as people flee their homes during clashes between Iraqi security forces and members of the Islamic State group fleeing Mosul on Oct. 18. (AP)



Displaced people who are fleeing from clashes arrive in Qayyarah on Oct. 19. (Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters)



Smoke is seen as people flee their homes during clashes between Iraqi security forces and members of the Islamic State group fleeing Mosul on Oct. 18. (AP)



People fleeing from clashes in al-Hud village, south of Mosul, head to Qayyarah on Oct. 18. (Reuters)



Displaced Iraqi boys ride a donkey as they lead their flock after fleeing their home in the village of Tal al-Shawk on Oct. 20. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)



Iraqis who fled violence in Mosul rest upon reaching Syrias Hasaka province, near the Iraqi border, on Oct. 20. (Rodi Said/Reuters)

Read more:

A walk down one of Baghdads most bombed streets

10 new wars that could be unleashed as a result of the one against ISIS

With ISIS on the run, new wars could erupt in Iraq

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Imagine a world where an authoritarian government monitors everything you do, amasses huge amounts of data on almost every interaction you make, and awards you a single score that measures how trustworthy you are.

In this world, anything from defaulting on a loan to criticizing the ruling party, from running a red light to failing to care for your parents properly, could cause you to lose points.

And in this world, your score becomes the ultimate truth of who you are  determining whether you can borrow money, get your children into the best schools or travel abroad; whether you get a room in a fancy hotel, a seat in a top restaurant  or even just get a date.

This is not the dystopian superstate of Steven Spielbergs Minority Report, in which all-knowing police stop crime before it happens. But it could be China by 2020.

It is the scenario contained in Chinas ambitious plans to develop a far-reaching social credit system, a plan that the Communist Party hopes will build a culture of sincerity and a harmonious socialist society where keeping trust is glorious.

Internet start-up employees work on their computers in Beijing this year. Mobile device usage and e-commerce are in wide use in China, and now the Communist Party wants to compile a social credit score based on citizens every activity. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

A high-level policy document released in September listed the sanctions that could be imposed on any person or company deemed to have fallen short. The overriding principle: If trust is broken in one place, restrictions are imposed everywhere.

A whole range of privileges would be denied, while people and companies breaking social trust would also be subject to expanded daily supervision and random inspections.

The ambition is to collect every scrap of information available online about Chinas companies and citizens in a single place  and then assign each of them a score based on their political, commercial, social and legal credit.

The government hasnt announced exactly how the plan will work  for example, how scores will be compiled and different qualities weighted against one another. But the idea is that good behavior will be rewarded and bad behavior punished, with the Communist Party acting as the ultimate judge.

This is what China calls Internet Plus, but critics call a 21st-century police state.

A version of Big Brother?

Harnessing the power of big data and the ubiquity of smartphones, e-commerce and social media in a society where 700 million people live large parts of their lives online, the plan will also vacuum up court, police, banking, tax and employment records. Doctors, teachers, local governments and businesses could additionally be scored by citizens for their professionalism and probity.

China is moving towards a totalitarian society, where the government controls and affects individuals private lives, said Beijing-based novelist and social commentator Murong Xuecun. This is like Big Brother, who has all your information and can harm you in any way he wants.

At the heart of the social credit system is an attempt to control Chinas vast, anarchic and poorly regulated market economy, to punish companies selling poisoned food or phony medicine, to expose doctors taking bribes and uncover con men preying on the vulnerable.

Fraud has become ever more common in society, Lian Weiliang, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the countrys main economic planning agency, said in April. Swindlers have to pay a price.

Yet in Communist China, the plans inevitably take on an authoritarian aspect: This is not just about regulating the economy, but also about creating a new socialist utopia under the Communist Partys benevolent guidance.

A huge part of Chinese political theater is to claim that there is an idealized future, a utopia to head towards, said Rogier Creemers, a professor of law and governance at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Now after half a century of Leninism, and with technological developments that allow for the vast collection and processing of information, there is much less distance between the loftiness of the partys ambition and its hypothetical capability of actually doing something, he said.

But the narrowing of that distance raises expectations, says Creemers, who adds that the party could be biting off more than it can chew.

Assigning all of Chinas people a social credit rating that weighs up and scores every aspect of their behavior would not only be a gigantic technological challenge but also thoroughly subjective  and could be extremely unpopular.

From a technological feasibility question to a political feasibility question, to actually get to a score, to roll this out across a population of 1.3 billion, that would be a huge challenge, Creemers said.

A target for hackers

The Communist Party may be obsessed with control, but it is also sensitive to public opinion, and authorities were forced to backtrack after a pilot project in southern China in 2010 provoked a backlash.

That project, launched in Jiangsu provinces Suining County in 2010, gave citizens points for good behavior, up to a maximum of 1,000. But a minor violation of traffic rules would cost someone 20 points, and running a red light, driving while drunk or paying a bribe would cost 50.

Some of the penalties showed the partys desire to regulate its citizens private lives  participating in anything deemed to be a cult or failing to care for elderly relatives incurred a 50-point penalty. Other penalties reflected the partys obsession with maintaining public order and crushing any challenge to its authority  causing a disturbance that blocks party or government offices meant 50 points off; using the Internet to falsely accuse others resulted in a 100-point deduction. Winning a national honor  such as being classified as a model citizen or worker  added 100 points to someones score.

On this basis, citizens were classified into four levels: Those given an A grade qualified for government support when starting a business and preferential treatment when applying to join the party, government or army; or applying for a promotion.

People with D grades were excluded from official support or employment.

The project provoked comparisons with the good citizen cards introduced by Japans occupying army in China in the 1930s. On social media, residents protested that this was society turned upside down, and it was citizens who should be grading government officials and not the other way around.

The Suining government later told state media that it had revised the project, still recording social credit scores but abandoning the A-to-D classifications. Officials declined to be interviewed for this article.

Despite the outcry in Suining, the central government seems determined to press ahead with its plans.



Part of the reason is economic. With few people in China owning credit cards or borrowing money from banks, credit information is scarce. There is no national equivalent of the FICO score widely used in the United States to evaluate consumer credit risks.

At the same time, the central government aims to police the sort of corporate malfeasance that saw tens of thousands of babies hospitalized after consuming adulterated milk and infant formula in 2008, and millions of children given compromised vaccines this year.

Yet it is also an attempt to use the data to enforce a moral authority as designed by the Communist Party.

The Cyberspace Administration of China wants anyone demonstrating dishonest online behavior blacklisted, while a leading academic has argued that a media blacklist of irresponsible reporting would encourage greater self-discipline and morality in journalism.

Lester Ross, partner-in-charge of the Beijing office of law firm WilmerHale, says the rules are designed to stop anyone stepping out of line and could intimidate lawyers seeking to put forward an aggressive defense of their clients. He sees echoes of the Cultural Revolution, in which Mao Zedong identified five black categories of people considered enemies of the revolution, including landlords, rich farmers and rightists, who were singled out for struggle sessions, persecution and re-education.

Under the social credit plan, the punishments are less severe  prohibitions on riding in soft sleeper class on trains or going first class in planes, for example, or on staying at the finer hotels, traveling abroad or sending children to the best schools  but nonetheless far-reaching.

Xuecuns criticism of the government won him millions of followers on Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter, until the censors swung into action. He fears the new social credit plan could bring more problems for those who dare to speak out.

My social-media account has been canceled many times, so the government can say I am a dishonest person, he said. Then I cant go abroad and cant take the train.

Under government-approved pilot projects, eight private companies have set up credit databases that compile a wide range of online, financial and legal information.

One of the most popular is Sesame Credit, part of the giant Alibaba e-commerce company that runs the worlds largest online shopping platform.

Tens of millions of users with high scores have been able to rent cars and bicycles without leaving deposits, company officials say, and can avoid long lines at hospitals by paying fees after leaving with a few taps on a smartphone.

The Baihe online dating site encourages users to display their Sesame Credit scores to attract potential partners; 15 percent of its users do so.

One woman, who works in advertising but declined to be named to protect her privacy, said she had used Baihe for more than two years. Looking for people who display good Sesame Credit scores helps her weed out scammers, she said.

First I will look at his photo, then I will look at his profile, she said. He has to use real-name authentication. But I will trust him and talk to him if he has Sesame Credit.

But it is far from clear that the system will be safe from scams.

William Glass, a threat intelligence analyst at cybersecurity expert FireEye, says a centralized system would be both vulnerable and immensely attractive to hackers.

There is a big market for this stuff, and as soon as this system sets up, there is great incentive for cybercriminals and even state-backed actors to go in, whether to steal information or even to alter it, he said. This system will be the ground truth of who you are. But considering that all this information is stored digitally, it is certainly not immutable, and people can potentially go in and change it.

Jin Xin contributed to this report.

Read more:

[The Internet was supposed to foster democracy. China has different ideas.]

[Chinas scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works]

[America wants to believe China cant innovate. Tech tells a different story.]

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Ayoos Sajimon, 7, is slowly recovering from multiple surgeries after a dog bite. Two months ago, a street dog pounced on him, pressed its paws on his chest and bit his face and eye. The dog was killed by neighbors the week after. (Rama Lakshmi/The Washington Post)

The dogcatcher tiptoes into a narrow lane carrying a metal wire noose. Someone had spotted a stray dog amid rows of coconut trees a few minutes ago.

Finish that dog today, one woman calls out from her porch. Another says the dog killed half the ducks in his farm. A third complains the dog has been growling at his 10-year-old son all week.

When he corners the skinny brown dog and tightens the wire around its neck, residents cheer and turn on their cellphone cameras. A few minutes later, he pulls out five puppies from under a log pile and stuffs them into a tight plastic bag. All the animals will eventually be killed.

In recent months, people in the southern Indian state of Kerala have declared a war on dogs.

Hundreds of street dogs have been killed in the past year across a state that calls itself Gods own country, and is a tourist magnet. Mobs routinely beat dogs to death or hire professional catchers to do the job. Recently a group of men killed several dogs and paraded through the streets with carcasses strung on a pole, dumping them in front of a public building.





The bitter man-canine conflict here has alarmed animal lovers across India and drawn sharp criticism from the countrys Supreme Court, which said this month that although dogs cannot become a menace to society, widespread killing was unacceptable.

We want Keralas streets to be free of stray dogs, said Jose Maveli, who runs a home for street children and is founder of the Stray Dogs Eradication Society in the state. A key patron of the anti-street dog drive here, he pays for 10 dog catchers in the city, who killed 300 dogs last year. He thinks that the roaming strays  about 250,000 in the state, according to estimates  endanger public safety and hurt the economy.

Look at the Western countries, are there dogs roaming so freely on the street? he said. Every day, young children and elderly people are getting bitten.

Street dogs are a common nuisance all over India, with many who feed them but do not adopt them as pets. Public sterilization programs exist, but many are underfunded, and Indias laws do not allow for humane euthanasia for dogs. India has about 30 million stray dogs, and reported about 20,000 human deaths from rabies  mostly of poor people and children  in 2014.

In Kerala, more than 100,000 incidents of dog bites were reported last year, up from 88,000 the previous year. The state reported less than a dozen rabies deaths, and it does not have more street dogs than other Indian states. But this is lost in the emotionally charged atmosphere.

Giant billboards around the city paid for by anti-dog activists show snarling canines and gruesome images of people with bite wounds. Local newspapers chronicle seemingly every dog bite, and run alarmist cartoons depicting blood dripping from the mouths of dogs. In the municipal elections this year in Kerala, voters were urged to elect candidates who promised to kill street dogs. Last week, some schoolchildren in Kochi took a pledge to eradicate stray dogs.

The killing drive in Kerala intensified two months ago when an elderly woman died in a coastal town after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs on the beach.

Ranjan Varapuzha, a popular dog catcher in the seaside Kochi city, pulls out four puppies from under a log pile in Kochi city. (Rama Lakshmi/The Washington Post)

The politicians, the media and the vigilante groups  they have all got Kerala into a panic mode, said Latha Indira, an activist with People For Animals in the state. There is no room for reason or restraint. Animal lovers are on the defensive right now.

One activist, Aishwarya Prem, said she was pushed to the ground and kicked by an angry mob when she was trying to rescue street dogs late last year.

When I hear that people are killing a dog, I rush there and take the dog in my arms and ask, Does this really look like an aggressive dog to you?  Prem said.

Unlike other Indian states, Kerala did not implement neutering programs for street dogs with much conviction after 2001, when a national law mandating sterilization was passed. The government sets aside an average of $11 per dog on neutering, which officials in other states say is inadequate. Experts say that poor collection of garbage in the cities is the main reason that India has a street dog problem.

In recent years, more and more middle-class Indian families are acquiring pet dogs, but many prefer foreign pedigree dogs instead of Indian street dogs. Residents routinely complain to their municipal corporations about street dogs in their neighborhoods. In a recent video that went viral, a medical student flings a stray puppy off the roof; in another, men are shown burning dogs.

Dogs in Kerala are in an absolute state of fright because of the killings, said Sumitha Suseelan, who runs a weekly adoption drive for stray dogs. They have developed a suspicion of human beings.

In a Kochi suburb, 7-year old Ayoos Sajimon is slowly recovering from multiple surgeries after a dog bite. Two months ago, a street dog pounced on him, pressed its paws on his chest and bit his face and eye. The dog was killed by neighbors the week after.

My son is so traumatized that he now runs inside the house every time he hears a dog bark somewhere, his mother, Bismi, said.

The Supreme Court ordered Kerala to sterilize the street dogs. Kerala residents say they do not have the patience for that.

People are shouting, Kill them, kill them, kill them, but even if you keep killing daily, you can never achieve the zero number, said Kishore Janardhanan, a veterinary surgeon at a government-run dog birth control hospital in Kochi. There is no easy, magic solution to the dog menace. The only scientific thing to do is sterilization. But in all this paranoia, our work has been discredited as a soft measure.

Read more

One of Indias most-populous states recently banned alcohol. Mayhem ensued.

Russian volunteers smuggle Sochi strays to a new life far from Olympics

Activists tell Indians to clean up their cities

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Islamic State gunmen launched a brazen raid Friday on the northern city of Kirkuk, attacking government buildings, hotels and police positions in what appeared to be an attempt to divert resources and attention from an Iraqi offensive on northern city of Mosul, where the group is losing ground.

Running gun battles continued in Kirkuk for much of the day after the militants attacked in the early morning hours. By sundown, officials said, most of the militants, who were armed with grenades andsuicide vests, were dead. A curfew was imposed in the city, and Friday prayers were canceled.

The Kirkuk provincial governor, Najmiddin Karim, said Kurdish helicopters were called in to carry out a strike in the city, which has a population of nearly 1.5 million. In a statement, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he had ordered additional troops to the city.

The assault on oil-rich Kirkuk comes just days after Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched a large-scale battle to retake Mosul, the biggest urban center controlled by the Islamic State group and about 100 miles to the northwest. Islamic State militants have often lashed out when they have lost territory in the past, including by carrying out bombings in the capital, Baghdad.

Security officials say they expect such incidents to increase as the group comes under escalating pressure.





They are trying to cause confusion and chaos, Karim said. They know they'd never be able to control anything here, and they came ready to die. Once in awhile when they get defeated, they try to show some strength somewhere. Every Iraqi city is vulnerable.

Between 20 and 30 militants carried out the attack, according to the governor.

[The history of Mosul, in 5 maps]

The heaviest fighting took place between 3:15 a.m. and around 8:30 a.m., said Lt. Col. Sarhad Qadir, a local police chief. The militants attempted to take control of the old police headquarters in Kirkuk using two suicide bombers and attacked a local government building, a political party office and multiple positions of security forces. They also took over a local mosque and urged worshipers to fight the security forces, local officials said. Civilians picked up arms in an attempt to repel the attack, they said.

The Islamic State fighters later holed several hotels, positioning snipers on roofs and taking hostages. Lt. Col. Abdullah Majid, a security chief, said militants wearing police uniforms and using stolen police vehicles also set up a checkpoint in a southern neighborhood of the city, kidnapping at least 10 people who were mostly local security forces.

Qadir said the situation was under control by nightfall, though the Kurdish television channel Rudaw said the hostage situation in one hotel continued, with three families still held.

It was not immediately clear how many people were killed in Kirkuk, but at least 13 died in an attack on a power plant and gas station in the district of Dibis in northwest Kirkuk, according to the Electricity Ministry. It said eight of its workers and five Iranian contractors were killed in the attack. Irans official Islamic Republic News Agency said four Iranians were killed and three wounded. A journalist for a local television channel was killed by a sniper.

The complex military battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State has begun. Here is what you need to know about the ancient Iraqi city. (Ishaan Tharoor, Kareem Fahim, Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Its a desperate attempt to move the front to Kirkuk and give their people who are besieged in Mosul a chance to escape, said Ammar Kahiya, a member of Kirkuk's provincial council. The militants attacked the provincial council building but did not manage to control it. They managed to enter the police station but had lost it by midmorning.

Hassan Touran, a lawmaker from Kirkuk, said the attack was launched by Islamic State sleeper cells. Karim, however, said he believed the militants had "infiltrated" the city.

Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said he could not confirm reports that coalition jets had also carried out strikes to put an end to the assault, or that one strike had missed its target and hit a funeral.

On Friday, the militants claimed to have repelled multiple attacks by Kurdish forces, including around the town of Bashiqa. In a statement, the Islamic State said it launched 18 suicide attacks.

[How almost everyone wants a piece of Mosul]

The peshmerga forces opened new fronts Thursday against the militants in Mosul, with Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces joining the fight for the first time. Security forces made some advances but were met with tough resistance.

On the newly opened northern front, Kurdish forces said that a number of peshmerga paid the ultimate sacrifice during their offensive, adding that air support from a U.S.-led coalition had not been as decisive as in the past.

The counterterrorism units faced a barrage of 15 car bombs when they launched their assault on the town of Bartella, six miles east of the city of Mosul.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing situation, said a U.S. service member who was killed Thursday had been operating with Iraqs elite counterterrorism service and was riding in a vehicle when it struck a roadside bomb. The official said the U.S. service member was the only fatality from the blast.

On his way to visit his counterpart in Turkey, Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter said the slain American had been serving in an advisory role. Carter did not elaborate on the circumstances of his death.

Its a reminder that our people who are participating in the counter-ISIL campaign . . . are in harms way, Carter said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

As Iraqi, Kurdish, and coalition forces continue to press toward Mosul, Carter voiced concern about efforts to stabilize the city after the Islamic State is pushed out. He said he hopes the reconstruction of the city will not lag behind the military effort.

I'm encouraged by the progress so far, but this is going to be a serious military campaign, and its in the very earliest stages.

Aaso Ameen Shwan in Irbil and Thomas Gibbons-Neff in Ankara contributed to this report.

Read more

Iraqi forces push toward Mosul despite fierce Islamic State resistance

On the front lines of the Mosul offensive

Iraqs U.S.-trained counterterrorism troops join attack on Mosul

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Iraqi and Kurdish forces have relied heavily on U.S.-led coalition jets as they have won back territory from the Islamic State.

But now, in the countrys largest offensive since the 2003 invasion  the campaign to recapture Mosul from Islamic State militants  some say they arent getting what was promised.

Iraqi army commanders advancing from the southeast complain that they have been forgotten, while even members of the counterterrorism forces, who work closely with the U.S.-led coalition, said air cover was disappointing on their first day in the fight.

A Kurdish security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said that the air support was very limited and that Kurdish forces had taken heavy casualties as a result when they opened a new front on Thursday.

U.S. officials say they have large amounts of air power backing the push for the city, which was launched on Monday, but there are more fronts to support than ever before in an operation against the militants. Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops are closing in on the city from the north, south and east, and coalition jets are also bombing militants across the border in Syria.

Iraqi forces gather after the liberation of a village from the Islamic State south of Mosul on Oct. 21, 2016, during the operation against the militants. (Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters)

[Battle for ISIS stronghold could trigger new crisis: A million displaced Iraqis]

In previous offensives in Fallujah, Ramadi and Sinjar, Iraqi forces have become accustomed to close air support, with coalition jets clearing the way for their advance by flattening enemy artillery and mortar positions and eliminating car bombs that speed toward their lines. The heavy air backing has boosted the confidence of Iraqi and Kurdish forces but also has left them dependent on the help.

Mosul is the largest operation conducted to date; there are a lot more targets, more axes of attack, said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad. One of the immutable truths of air support is that there will always be more demand than supply.

The coalition is working with Kurdish and Iraqi forces to better sequence operations to resolve the issue, he said.

About 25 miles southeast of Mosul, on the front lines near the town of Gwer, there were steady complaints from soldiers from the 9th Armored Division of Iraqs army, which has been grinding north up the eastern bank of the Tigris River.

Across the radio in a Humvee touring the area came regular pleas for strikes. American support is bad, bad, bad, said Sgt. Marwan Abbas.

In a temporary headquarters in the village of Kanhash, the divisions commander, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Maliki, chose his words carefully at first.

There is support, but a lot of the time its delayed, he said. But then a call crackled through on the radio from a soldier requesting airstrikes after a rocket-propelled grenade hit his tank.

Maliki sighed and turned.

There is no support, he said. Do you see any planes in the sky?

It is unclear how many aircraft from the United States and its coalition are dedicated to the fight in Mosul, but a senior defense official said the number was significant.

Footage of the battle has shown an array of U.S. aircraft flying overhead, from B-52 bombers to Apache gunships.

The targeting process for airstrikes in Iraq can be unwieldy as requests for air support need to flow from local forces on the ground to a joint U.S.-Iraqi command center. From there, aircraft need to verify the targets before striking.

Maliki said the two observation drones used by the coalition to spot targets were not sufficient for his sector of the Mosul battle, which includes 40 villages and towns that need to be cleared.

His deputy, Brig. Gen. Walid Majid, complained to joint operations command in Baghdad.

If they are not going to support us, it would be better if they just told us, he said.

The militants have put up a ferocious defense for villages and towns outside Mosul. On Friday, they also staged a brazen attack on the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, in what local officials said was an attempt to divert attention and security forces resources.

[Islamic State forces attack Iraqs oil-rich city of Kirkuk]

The Kirkuk governor, Najmiddin Karim, said Kurdish helicopters were called in to put an end to the incursion. Coalition jets also struck in the area.

In Mosul and the surrounding province of Nineveh, the targets destroyed by coalition strikes on Thursday included 23 militant fighting positions, nine car bombs, six buildings, a headquarters, seven vehicles, two staging areas, two checkpoints and five Islamic State tactical units, the coalition said.

But stretched across such a wide area of battle and enemy-held territory, the support still felt sparse or slow to some.

The Kurdish official said air support was virtually non-

existent in some areas as around 10,000 Kurdish soldiers known as peshmerga launched a new offensive from the north. This is ridiculous, he said. We expect much more from the coalition.

Peshmerga forces released a pointed statement noting that an unspecified number of troops had paid the ultimate sacrifice and that coalition air cover was not as decisive as in the past.

A senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said commanders are aware of the concern.

Its something were talking to the [peshmerga] about to examine the situation to see what resources we do have and if there are opportunities to provide support in additional ways.

Brett McGurk, the State Departments envoy to the coalition, said that there had been a large number of airstrikes the day after the Kurdish complaint.

Massive coalition airstrikes today on the #Mosul fronts, he tweeted Friday. The coalition was also supporting the peshmerga and assisting to wipe out infiltrating Islamic State cells in Kirkuk, he added.

Col. Falah al-Obedi, whose elite counterterrorism forces entered the battle for the first time Thursday in the town of Bartella, said coalition support was not at the required level.

It wasnt at the level of Fallujah, it wasnt the level of Beiji or Qayyarah, he said, listing previous offensives. They let us down.

Gibbons-Neff reported from Ankara, Turkey, and Abu Dhabi. Mustafa Salim in Kanhash and Irbil, Iraq, contributed to this report.

Read more:

The force leading the Iraq armys fight against ISIS went from dirty division to golden boys

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Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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EFFINGHAM -- C.E.F.S. Economic Opportunity Corporation recently showcased their 51st year of accomplishments demonstrating the fact that community action helps people and changes lives. During the 2016 annual meeting, some very special people were recognized that had overcome obstacles in obtaining or maintaining self-sufficiency.

According to C.E.F.S. Chief Executive Officer Paul White, This past year our programs and services truly made a real difference in the lives of residents of the community.

Looking for assistance Samantha Brown of Sullivan visited her local C.E.F.S. Moultrie County Outreach Office where she utilized the food pantry and received assistance with her utility bills from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

While at the outreach office, Brown discovered the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program and learned the WIOA Program could help her reach her goal of attaining a degree that would help provide her with financial stability.

Brown enrolled in the WIOA Adult Program and began taking prerequisite classes at Lake Land College toward the Physical Therapy Assistant Program and in the fall of 2014, she was accepted into the program. While enrolled in Lake Land College, she was an excellent student and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Throughout her college career, she maintained a 4.0 grade point average and was on the presidents list every semester. Brown's unrelenting commitment to bettering herself and ensuring a better future for her family is a great example and inspiring to those that know her.

Shen completed the Physical Therapy Assistant Program and graduated from Lake Land College in May 2016. She has accepted a position with Carle Clinic to work in Champaign and Mahomet which will enable her to have a stable income and a bright future.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Program provides activities that increase employment, retention, earnings and skills in the American Workforce. The C.E.F.S. WIOA Program serves 14 counties in Illinois Workforce Area 23 with grant funds from Lake Land College through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Programs include Youth, Adult, Dislocated Worker and Trade Adjustment Act. Customers of the program are able to easily receive a preliminary assessment of their skill levels, aptitudes, abilities and support service needs. Customers can obtain information on a full array of employment related services.

The workforce centers also offer job search and placement assistance, career counseling and up-to-date labor market information which identifies job vacancies, skills necessary for in-demand jobs and provides information about local, regional and national employment trends.

For more information about C.E.F.S. contact the local Moultrie County Outreach Office at 217-728-7721, the local Illinois workNet Center at 217-235-2222, the C.E.F.S. central office at 217-342-2193 or visit the agency website at www.cefseoc.org.
Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said during a visit here Friday that Turkey should have a role in the campaign to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State, a move that could put the United States at odds with Iraq as officials in Baghdad become increasingly hostile to any Turkish presence in their country.

Theres an agreement there in principle, but now we have to work down to practicalities, Carter told reporters before departing for the United Arab Emirates. Earlier in the day he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Defense Minister Fikri Isik to discuss Turkeys role in the fight against the Islamic State.

Carters suggestion came after Iraqi Prime Haider al-Abadi and Erdogan traded barbs over a contingent of roughly 500 Turkish troops, stationed north of Mosul, who have been training Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Arab militias since last year. The Iraqi government has said the Turkish garrison is unauthorized and has demanded that those forces leave. Recent protests in Baghdad called the Turkish presence an occupation force, according to an Associated Press report.

[Turkeys president tells Iraqi leader to know his place]

Carter declined to get into any specifics about what Turkish involvement in Mosul might entail, adding that any agreement for Turkey to participate in the campaign would have to be approved by the Iraqi government.

I think that Iraq understands that Turkey is a member of the counter-ISIL coalition and that it will play a role in the counter-ISIL operations in Iraq, Carter said, using an acronym for the Islamic State. Turkey, as a neighbor in the region, has an interest in the ultimate outcome of the operations in Mosul.

The campaign to retake Mosul began in earnest early Monday morning, but operations around the city have been underway for months as Iraqi, Kurdish and militia forces have moved to encircle the Islamic State stronghold. The city, considered the insurgent groups capital in Iraq, fell in the summer of 2014 and since then has been fortified with improvised explosive devices, tunnels and booby traps in anticipation of an offensive to recapture it.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans, said Turkish officials said their forces could participate militarily or in a humanitarian role.

In the past week, Turkish and Iraqi officials met to discuss Turkeys role in Iraq, and in the coming weeks the Pentagon hopes to facilitate and, if need be, mediate another meeting, the official said.

Its a matter of implementation and what the appropriate role is for the Turks, the official said. I think that were hopeful there is a way to build them into the process, but thats something we really need to feel out with the Iraqis.

In recent weeks Turkish forces, alongside Syrian opposition fighters, have retaken a number of towns in northern Syria from the Islamic State, including Dabiq, one of the groups key strongholds.

On Thursday, Turkish jets reportedly struck Syrian Kurdish fighters, and reports said 200 may have been killed. Following Carters visit to Turkey, the Pentagon chief said he had not spoken to his Turkish counterparts about the strike and could offer few details.
A federal judge found Friday that a former National Security Agency contractor accused of carrying out what is thought to be the largest theft of classified secrets in U.S. history posed a flight risk and ordered that he continue to be held in jail.

U.S. Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite ruled that Harold T. Martin III should not be released pending trial, despite the impassioned arguments of his defense attorney that the computer technology expert is a patriot who intended no harm to his country and suffered from a compulsive disorder that led him to steal classified material over a 20-year period.

Defense attorney James Wyda conceded that Martin took the material, but he stressed that theres no evidence that Hal shared this information with anyone or that he intended to pass it to a foreign government.

There is nothing to indicate that Hal Martin is a traitor, Wyda told the judge, as Martin, a heavy-set man wearing gray-striped jail garb, sat quietly at the defense table. What we see is an individual who is a collector.

He told the court that his client is not like Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who gave classified material on U.S. surveillance programs to journalists, or Aldrich Ames, a onetime CIA officer who was recruited by the Soviet Union and betrayed agents working for the United States.

[Government alleges NSA contractor stole astonishing quantity of classified material]

Wyda portrayed Martin, 51, as a voracious learner committed to being excellent at his work who gathered information to improve his knowledge. What began as an effort to be better at his job, Wyda said, became over the years a compulsion.

Frankly, he said, the mental health component is the only explanation.

Martin was charged in a sealed complaint in August with felony theft of government property and the unauthorized removal of classified materials, a misdemeanor. The complaint was unsealed this month when word of his arrest leaked out.

In a memo filed this week, the government said Martin had taken at least 50 terabytes of digital data, roughly the equivalent of 500 million pages of documents. He also took six bankers boxes worth of paper documents, prosecutors said, many of which were lying open in his home or in his car. And investigators found dozens of computers, thumb drives and other digital storage devices that belonged to the government, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also have said that Martin had an arsenal of weapons in his home and car, including an assault-rifle-style tactical weapon, and that though he lacks a valid U.S. passport, he could still flee to a foreign government that might want to help him. Prosecutors said he has communicated with unnamed people in Russian and in June downloaded information on Russian and other languages.

The detention hearing in U.S. District Court here marked Martins first public appearance since his Aug. 27 arrest at his home in Glen Burnie, Md. Sitting in the audience were his wife, Deborah Shaw, and his brother, who traveled from Florida. Wyda pointed to their presence as evidence of Martins support network and another reason he would not try to flee if released.

The judge said he agreed with Wyda that there were some serious mental health problems at play. At the same time, he said, Martin is a highly educated man, certainly highly capable. He has a masters degree and was working on a PhD at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

What I see here is a person who may be two persons, Copperthite said, a person who may be a smart guy . . . [wanting] to help his colleagues, but at the same time, a person who is walking out the back door with data that he knows he has no business taking.

He noted that Martin kept the material in an unlocked storage shed  information that many enemies of the United States, Im sure, would love to explore.

Copperthite said the preponderance of evidence indicates that Martin poses a flight risk and so he should remain in jail pending trial.

On Thursday, prosecutors said they expected additional charges to be brought, including violations of the Espionage Act.

That 1917 law makes willful retention of national defense information a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison per count.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers told the court that Martin now knows that the evidence supports multiple violations of the Espionage Act, which could result in a sentence, if he is convicted, as high as 30 years to life. That, Myers said, gives him significant incentive to flee.

After the hearing, which lasted slightly more than an hour, Martins attorneys Wyda and Deborah Boardman said they would appeal the ruling.

Hal Martin and his family are disappointed with todays ruling, they said in a statement. We do not believe Hal Martin is a danger to the community or to his country. Hal is no risk of flight. Hal Martin loves America. And he trusts our justice system. This is an early step in a long process.

Read more:
It fell to Babak Namazi to break the news to his mother last week that his brother and elderly father had been sentenced in an Iranian court for collaboration with a hostile government, the United States.

He returned home and walked around the block to compose himself. But his mother took one look at his crestfallen face, and knew.

How many years? she asked.

It was 10 years, a term that Namazi fears his ailing, 80-year-old father will not survive. His concern led him to break a years silence, against his mothers wishes, to plead in his first interview for Iran to release his brother, Siamak, and their father, Baquer, on humanitarian grounds.

I was hoping this would not get to the point where I have to speak publicly, he said in a telephone interview from his home in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I was hoping justice would prevail and the truth would become obvious. Now that my fathers convicted to 10 years, I see this as nothing short of a life sentence.

Prison is no place for my father to be, no place for Siamak to be, he added. All theyve ever done is try to serve humanity. I call upon the authorities to take into consideration their well-being, and because of my father's age, not expose him to further hardship. We really hope reason will prevail.

The Namazis are among at least three U.S. citizens with dual nationality who are imprisoned in Iran, along with dual nationals from France and Britain. All have been accused of some euphemism for espionage, interrogated in a Tehran prison notorious for holding political prisoners, and had their cases assigned to the same judge known for his harsh sentences.

[A year after the nuclear deal, Iranian optimism turns sour]

The arrests are believed to be part of a power struggle between hard-line elements in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which controls the security apparatus, and the relatively pragmatic administration of President Hassan Rouhani. In meetings with Iranian Americans during his visits to the United Nations, Rouhani has encouraged dual nationals to visit and invest in Iran following a nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers that lifted economic sanctions on Iran. But the hard-liners who opposed the deal believe such openings expose Iran to the threat of Western infiltration.

The Namazi case has had particular resonance in the Iranian diaspora community. Siamak Namazi was well known, not for his politics but for his quests to help victims of earthquakes in Iran and to publicize the problems sanctions created in getting medicine. Baquer Namazi is a former provincial governor in Iran who had also worked for UNICEF in Somalia, Kenya and Egypt.

Siamak Namazi was arrested a year ago when he returned to Iran to visit relatives and attend a funeral. His father was arrested in February when he went to Iran to visit his son in prison.

Siamak was more active than Jason Rezaian in recruiting spies for America and inserting cultural, military and political spies inside the country, said Javad Karimi Qudossi, a member of the security and foreign policy committee in Irans parliament, according to a report in Mizan, the news agency for the Iranian judiciary. It first reported on the sentences on Tuesday.

Qudossi was referring to the Washington Post reporter who spent a year and a half in prison in Iran before being released along with three other Americans as part of a prisoner swap in January, just as the nuclear deal was being implemented. Their release was supposed to herald a thaw between the two countries, but tensions have only grown as Tehran has complained it has not received the international business it expected.

Family members and the U.S. State Department have disputed Irans characterization of the Namazis. Mark Toner, the State Departments deputy spokesman, said both have been unjustly detained.

According to what Babak Namazi has been able to ascertain, both his father and brother have experienced harsh conditions in prison. He said his father has lost about 25 pounds during his eight months behind bars. Suffering from heart ailments that required him to undergo triple bypass surgery, he recently spent three days in a hospital for a checkup, his son said.

His brothers experience is apparently worse. Babak Namazi said Siamak spent a significant amount of time in solitary confinement and has undergone lengthy interrogations. His cell does not have a bed, and he sleeps on the floor.

His emotional and mental well-being, each time my mom sees him, has deteriorated, Babak Namazi said.

Namazi said his brother and father were assigned attorneys to represent them in court, but they had only a short period of time to consult with them before their court appearances.

He said he had believed that his father, at least, would be released by now, and described himself as surprised by the convictions and sentences.

For the past year, we have seen a one-sided attack on my father and brother, he said. They are under constant, false accusations. That goes against basic Islamic principles. I hope we have a time not far away when my family can be united and I can see my mothers smiling face again. Our lives, its been like a nuclear bomb going off in the middle of my family.
Palestinians from neaby villages visit the home of the mayor of the Jewish settlement of Efrat in the West Bank on Wednesday. The Palestinians were invited to the mayors home to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. (William Booth/The Washington Post)

Four Palestinian guests who attended a Jewish holiday celebration on Wednesday at an Israeli settlement in the West Bank have been arrested by Palestinian security forces, family members said Friday.

Palestinian authorities released no information on the arrests, including why the four men were detained late Thursday.

Relatives of the Palestinians say they were taken into custody after photographs appeared on social media and news websites about the unusual celebration in the Jewish settlement of Efrat, in which Jews and Muslims gathered together.

Relatives of the detained men said they would likely be held until Sunday and they were being interrogated.

They said it was not the celebration at the house of Efrats mayor, Oded Revivi, that got them into trouble with Palestinian authorities. Instead, they believe it was the presence at the gathering of senior Israeli army officers, including a general, alongside top Israeli police officers.

[The event went well until the Palestinians guests headed home]

The problem is the photos of the soldiers and us, said Asad Abu Hamad, 40, a relative of the arrested men.

The mayor tricked them, Abu Hamad said. Instead of helping us, he destroyed us.

The cousin of the arrested men said they went to the gathering in a gesture of friendship, but also to press their cases to end road closures into their villages and home demolitions by Israeli bulldozers.

Pro-Israel voices on social media pointed to the arrests as evidence that Palestinian authorities refuse to allow their Muslim citizens to meet peacefully with Jews.

Revivi, who is also a lieutenant colonel in the Israel army reserves, said he was in anguish over the arrests and was pressing for the mens release.

I understand they are upset. I understand what the relatives are saying, Revivi said. But was this a trap? This was no trap.

He said his Palestinian guests spoke openly  and directly  with his Jewish guests and with the military and police officers in attendance.

Two reporters from The Washington Post attended the gathering. The relations among the guests were cordial and both Palestinians and Israelis took selfies and photographs and video.

[Opinion: Why is U.S. money helping pay for Israeli settlements?]

Some Palestinian guests felt comfortable enough to complain out loud about how they are treated. Some Israelis mentioned the wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks against them.

Ali Musa, 49, came from the village of Al Khader. He told the gathering on Wednesday: I came for a reason. I came to talk about our relationship, between you and us.

He reminded his hosts that there is a locked yellow gate that blocks the entrance to his village, a closure enforced by Israeli security forces.

That gate should be removed, Musa said.

He also complained about a sign warning Israelis not to enter his village because it was dangerous to their lives. He called the sign racist.

Reached on Friday after news of the arrests of four Palestinian guests, Musa said of the Palestinian security forces: Let them come for me. Im not afraid. I said what I said. I sent a message to the Israelis from the Palestinian people.

One of those arrested is Riad Abu Hamad, who was detained and interrogated by Palestinian police earlier this year when he spoke out on Israeli television about his relations with Jewish settlers.

At the party, Riad Abu Hamad said, Ive never spoken out against the Palestinians. Ive spoken out against closing [Israeli] factories in the West Bank. We need the work. Where are the Palestinian factories?

Riad Abu Hamad said a gathering like the one on Wednesday should be encouraged, not discouraged. He said the setting offers a forum for Palestinians to seek redress from the Israeli army, which has occupied the territory for almost 50 years.

He said, We can press for work permits, roads, more water, more rights.

The mayor of the Jewish settlement said he felt love for his Palestinian guests and did not want to criticize their relatives. But he pointed out to a reporter, You were there. Who was taking photos of who?

Everyone was taking photos.

More than 1,000 Palestinians work at the Efrat settlement, a community that the United States calls illegitimate and an obstacle to peace in an ever elusive two-state solution.

Palestinians may work in Jewish settlements without social censure, but Palestinian society discourages its people from mingling with police officers and soldiers, ever wary of collaboration and a process that Palestinians call normalization. They see that as a way for Israel, little by little, to use peoples natural inclination to seek accord to legitimize the decades-long military occupation and surrender their struggle for their own state.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The joint European and Russian Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Mars on October 19 after traveling 496 million kilometers, performing a braking maneuver that lasted two hours and 19 minutes. It is the first phase of a joint two-stage mission between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, to investigate any possible chemical and biological signatures of life on Mars.

From the latest telemetry received, the orbiters instruments are all operating as expected, as it joins the growing fleet of spacecraft orbiting the red planet.

ExoMars is designed to complement and expand upon the previous and ongoing missions that are investigating whether or not life has ever existed on Mars. One of the key pieces of information is the amount of methane in the atmosphere. The Trace Gas Orbiter will study this in detail.

While methane has been detected by previous Mars missions (such as the ESAs Mars Express), there has never been a dedicated mission to map the methane content and variability in the planets atmosphere. Moreover, there is no clear explanation as to how methane even persists in an atmosphere that is very thin and wholly unprotected from solar radiation. Methane molecules on Mars are only expected to last 400 years before breaking down.

There are two proposed solutions to this question: the first is a geological process called serpentinisation, which would involve olivine-rich rocks with liquid water well below Mars surface, where the environment is warmer and perhaps volcanic. The less mundane answer, however, is that the methane is being produced by pockets of microorganisms below the surface. On Earth, a significant amount of methane is produced by living creatures as a byproduct of digestion. It is possible that something similar is happening within hidden caves on Mars.

Data from TGO is expected to at least partially uncover the origin of Mars methane. The instruments aboard the spacecraft exceed all previous detection capabilities by three orders of magnitude. Furthermore, they are also capable of differentiating between different types (isotopes) of both methane and water, which is necessary to determine whether those molecules come from geological or biological processes.

The success of TGO was marred, however, by the loss of contact with the Schiaparelli probe. Like the ESAs previous successful mission to Mars, Mars Express, TGO arrived with a lander, one primarily designed to test landing technologies for the second part of the missiona combined stationary platform and roverplanned for a July 2020 launch.

What happened to the probe is only partially understood. Schiaparelli was successfully deployed from TGO while the spacecraft was still using its rockets to enter Mars orbit, the first time a simultaneous orbital insertion and landing have been attempted. Data relayed to Earth indicates that the heat shield held and the probes parachute deployed as projected. Events began to diverge, however, after the heat shield and parachute were ejected and the lander prepared for powered flight.

Like NASAs Curiosity rover, the Schiaparelli lander was designed to perform its final descent with a series of rocket thrusters. At two meters above the ground, the thrusters were to shut off, dropping the lander a short distance with the fall cushioned by a crushable structure designed for that purpose. However, there is only data of the thrusters firing a few seconds after separation from the parachute. At this point, 50 seconds before landing, contact was lost.

Efforts have been mobilized across the world to find the lost lander. The entire fleet of spacecraft orbiting Marsthe ESAs Mars Express and Trace Gas Orbiter, Indias Mangalyaan and NASAs Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and MAVENare involved in the search. In the initial stages, the ESA also employed Indias experimental Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope to search for Schiaparelli. So far nothing has been found and the current hypothesis is that the thrusters prematurely deactivated at an unknown altitude, resulting in Schiaparelli crashing into the surface of Mars.

There is a certain irony in the international efforts to locate the missing lander. Schiaparelli was designed as a proof of concept for landing on Mars only because Europe has yet to do this. The first soft landing on Mars was performed by the Soviet Union in 1971, followed by the US in 1975. In the past two decades, NASA has successfully put a series of landers and rovers safely on Mars: Sojourner (1996), Spirit (2003), Opportunity (2003), Phoenix (2008) and Curiosity (2012). Two of those, Opportunity and Curiosity, are still performing science from an average distance of 225 million kilometers from Earth.

Despite the assistance that could have been provided to ExoMars, budget cuts from the Obama administration forced NASA to cancel the project in 2013. One has to wonder if some of the motivation to end US involvement in the project spawned from the growing geopolitical tensions between the US, Europe and Russia in 2013 that culminated in the US-backed right-wing anti-Russian protests and coup detat in Ukraine in March 2014.

The fact that Europe has had to learn how to land on Mars largely independently of the US also brings to mind the Chinese lunar rover Yutu. Rather than being able to learn from space programs that have already landed on the Moon (NASA and Roscosmos), Chinese scientists were forced to reinvent the wheel, developing whole new technologies to explore the surface of the Moon robotically.

Though the first phase of the ExoMars was only partially successful, it is still a welcome testament to the power of rational thought, scientific planning and the very human urge to understand the material world. It is, at the same time, a lesson on the benefits of collaboration across national boundaries, although mainly in the negative, with international cooperation beginning only after the failure to overcome such divisions produced an apparent disaster.
In a corporate reorganization, telecommunications company Verizon is closing call centers in five states in order to consolidate its customer service operations in the US. The move will affect 3,200 workers in New York, Maine, Nebraska, Connecticut and California.

The move follows the announcement by Verizon that hundreds, possibly thousands, of retail store jobs are being eliminated through job consolidations. The cuts are being effected by combining the position of experience specialists who greet customers and operations specialists who handle inventory.

The downsized call center workers are being given one month to apply for other jobs within the company. Most of the reported openings are in South Carolina and Texas.

Workers who travel to other Verizon locations to investigate job prospects are being offered a token $500 travel stipend. Otherwise, call center workers may be eligible for severance pay. Verizon called the move a very difficult but necessary business decision.

The job cuts come just months after the end of a seven-week strike by 39,000 Verizon workers against management concessions demands. The Communications Workers of American (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) abruptly ended the strike and rushed through a ratification vote, just as the walkout was beginning to have an effect. Among the claims advanced by the unions in forcing through the sellout deal was the supposed protection it ensured for jobs.

In particular, the deal was supposed to protect workers at call centers and would in fact lead to the hiring of more workers, not layoffs. At the time of the contract signing, Mark Reed, Verizons chief administrative officer declared, We are especially proud of our commitment to 1,400 new hireshigh quality and well-paying American jobs.

For his part, CWA President Chris Shelton fulminated against Verizon, calling the job cuts, corporate greed at its worst. He was joined by New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo who, in a bit of election year theatrics, called the downsizing an egregious example of corporate abuseamong the worst we have witnessed during the six years of this administration. Some 850 jobs are impacted in New York state.

There was no attempt by Shelton to square his denunciation of Verizon with the previous claims by the union of a groundbreaking contract deal ensuring job security. Other CWA officials suggested that the significance of the cuts was mitigated by the fact that they impacted largely non-unionized workers.

Indeed, the CWA, backed by host of pseudo-left organizations, showed little restraint in hailing the Verizon agreement announced last May a victory. In fact, the contract agreed to by the CWA gave Verizon, as one executive put it, all the key changes sought by the company. As the World Socialist Web Site warned at the time of the announcement of the sellout contract, the deal would give the worlds second largest telecommunications company a free hand to streamline operations by consolidating customer service call centers and prepare the spinoff of its less profitable wire telephone, internet and cable TV unit, which has already seen mass job cuts in recent years.

This is what is now taking place. For the CWA to now suggest this was unforeseen and unpredicted is the height of hypocrisy.

A Verizon worker from New Jersey, a member of the IBEW, told the World Socialist Web Site, It doesnt look good as far as I can see. Morale is just awful, no one knows what is going to happen. They dont let us in on their plans. There are no happy campers here. Verizon is cracking the whip. People are keeping their fingers crossed that they will be offered a retirement package.

Another Verizon worker from New Jersey said of the call center closings. Its crazy. They want to move where the cost of labor is cheaper.

A Verizon workers from New York, a CWA member, said, There is stepped-up discipline and harassment of field technicians. The hated QAR [Quality Assurance Program] formerly used to intimidate and harass field workers, officially no longer exists, however field technicians are still being disciplined. Those with low productivity figures are being singled out.

He noted that, The call centers being closed are on the non-union side. The union issaying, see, this is what happens when you're not in a union. Neglecting the fact their own membership has fallen by half in the last decade.

One call center in NYC recently moved 34 miles to Long Island. About 120 people worked there. Many older workers left the company or retired. The extra 34 miles would add as much as two hours to the commute of those relying on mass transit, which most do. Even driving would easily add 90 minutes for those who live west of the city. The move was known about in advance of the strike. The union made no attempt to keep these jobs in NYC. When asked why, one official responded we couldn't keep everyone out for 100 people.

Verizon is blaming the job cuts on a stagnant wireless industry. In the first six months of 2016, the companys wireless revenue fell by 3 percent.

It is not as though Verizon isnt swimming in cash, however. The company recently announced its plans to purchase internet company Yahoo for $4.8 billion. Third quarter earnings exceeded analysts estimates of 99 cents a share. This was despite the fact that the company signed up only 442,000 new subscribers in the quarter, down from an average of 875,000. Sales were down 6.7 percent from a year earlier.

The call center closures are the third time in four years that the company has announced call center cuts or relocations. In 2014, Verizon closed five call centers with the loss of some 5,200 jobs nationwide. In 2012, the company closed three call centers with the loss of 3,000 jobs.

The closings will have a severe impact on the affected communities. In Rancho Cordova, California the company is closing its customer service and sales center with the loss of 1,000 jobs. Verizon is a major employer in the city, located outside of Sacramento. The facility is set to close January 27, giving workers very little time to relocate. According to the most recent US Census figures, 17.1 percent of Rancho Cordova residents live in poverty.
From Cosmopolitan

Patrick Peacock, 53, and Chris Rittenmeyer, 38, were experienced divers and good friends who attempted the famously difficult Hernando County, Florida, Eagles Nest dive earlier this week. After failing to return to their designated meeting spot hours later, a third diver called deputies, who began searching for the pair and ultimately found their bodies the next day close together in the cave, the Sun Sentinel reports.

Eight other divers have died within the cave system, which is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, since 1981. Vice chairman of the National Speleological Societys Cave Diving Section Sylvester Muller told the Sun-Sentinel Eagles Nest is so dangerous because Its like a Venus fly trap - you get in there, and there is so much to see you get distracted, and it gets deep quickly. One of the caves passages is 300-feet deep.

A sign issued by the Commission rests at the entrance to the system reading "Cave diving in this area is extremely dangerous - even life threatening!" In another part, a sign from the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section, pictured below, exclaims THERES NOTHING IN THIS CAVE WORTH DYING FOR! DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS POINT. Its unclear where in relation to the latter sign the divers were.

The men dove there on Friday with no issue, leaving their families even more astounded by their deaths. "He has been diving since he was 12 years old, and cave diving for a long time," Rittenmeyers father Ron said of his son. Everything was fine [on Friday]. He told me about the next days dive; he felt great." Peacock was not just an adventure seeker. He was a SCUBA instructor, an intellectual who loved reading and writing, his wife Devrim added.

A representative from the Hernando County Sheriffs Office told WFLA Peacock and Rittenmeyer were in a very dangerous and complex area of the cave system. Their bodies have been turned over to the Medical Examiners office and funeral plans are pending.

Story continues

Follow Tess on Twitter.

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Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off in the third and (thankfully) final presidential debate on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and their showdown ended up being arguably the most substantive and orderly so far -- which isn't saying much.

While the tete-a-tete wasn't as vitriolic as the previous Town Hall debate, it still included Trump referring to illegal immigrants as "bad hombres," Trump calling Clinton "such a nasty woman," childish arguments over who is the biggest puppet of the Russian government, and Trump's refusal to agree to accept the results of the upcoming election.

Twitter responded to the faceoff with the same level of jaded snark and baffled anger that came with the previous two disasters showdowns.

SNL at this point is literally considering just re-airing this debate  Josh Gad (@joshgad) October 20, 2016

Clinton: "Here's what I'll do and how I'll do it. To the decimal point."

Trump: "We need to do good stuff. It'll happen." #debates  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 20, 2016

I bet Trump talks back to audiobooks. #debate  Dane Cook (@DaneCook) October 20, 2016

WATCH: 'Saturday Night Live' Mocks Donald Trump's Performance in 'Second and Worst Ever Presidential Debate'

Celebs jumped on the social media platform to take Trump to task for nearly everything, especially the way he would sternly yell "wrong" every time someone directly quoted him or made an objectively factual statement about something he's done in the past.

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Who's drunk from taking shots every time the orange one leans into the mic and says "Wrong"?#Wasted#Debate  Retta (@unfoRETTAble) October 20, 2016

Trump's new song, "Wrong" just went up on iTunes. #debate  Dane Cook (@DaneCook) October 20, 2016

Clinton: Your last name is 'Trump.'

Trump: WRONG #debates  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 20, 2016

Many others attacked the Republican candidate for his comments about women -- which included bragging about not apologizing to his wife, Melania, over his multiple alleged sex scandals because he "didn't do anything, and repeating his claim that he "respects women," which actually drew a laugh from the audience.

"No one respects women like I do. Hold on while I am rude and disrespectful to the woman beside me." #debate  Fortune Feimster (@fortunefunny) October 20, 2016

Nothing hurts a misogynist more than losing to a girl. #birbigly #debate  Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) October 20, 2016

Remember when the audience laughed when Trump said nobody respects women more than him? If only it was actually funny... #Debate  Ed Helms (@edhelms) October 20, 2016

"Nobody has more respect for women than I do." (Nation throws up in unison, wipes face, leans in, listens intently.) #debate  Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) October 20, 2016

"I didn't apologize to my wife (because I hate women and they don't deserve an apology)." #debate  Fortune Feimster (@fortunefunny) October 20, 2016

For the record, Hillary soberly explaining Obamacare made Trump think she's "such a nasty woman."



It's over, Donny. Bye. #debates  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 20, 2016

No one respects women more than I do. Except for Hillary. Such a nasty woman! #debate #debatenight  Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) October 20, 2016

WATCH: Donald Trump Makes Lewd Joke to Young Girls in 1992: 'I'm Going to be Dating Her in Ten Years'

During the debate, Trump even reiterated his annoyance at not winning an Emmy as host of The Apprentice, which was another point of mockery for the 70-year-old businessman.

The closest Donald Trump will ever get to an Emmy is when Alec Baldwin wins one for playing him. #debate  Greg Berlanti (@GBerlanti) October 20, 2016

She got Bin Laden; you didn't even get an Emmy. #debate  Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) October 20, 2016

"Should have gotten it." - A person up for President of the US talking about the 3rd rigged Emmy he didn't win for his reality show. #debate  Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) October 20, 2016

WATCH: Celebs Slam Donald Trump's Answers, Sniffling and Demeanor in Second Debate Against Hillary Clinton

While most of the comments seemed to be venomously anti-Trump, there were a few espousing the merits of his opponent, including New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who praised the Democratic candidate for being "patient, poised and professional."

"[She's] giving Trump room to flounder & hitting him with precision rebuts," Booker wrote.

Clinton is at her best tonight: patient, poised and professional. Giving Trump room to flounder & hitting him with precision rebuts #debate  Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 20, 2016

Others celebrated the former Secretary of State for some of her debate tactics and talking points.

Hillary uses RELEASE YOUR TAX RETURNS.



It's super effective!  Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) October 20, 2016

At tonight's #debate, @HillaryClinton demonstrated the knowledge, leadership & temperament we need in our next President. #ImWithHer  Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) October 20, 2016

Well, there you have it. A highly intelligent, experienced woman just debated a giant orange Twitter egg. Your move, America. #debate  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 20, 2016

WATCH: Michelle Obama Speaks Out About Donald Trump Tape: 'It Has Shaken Me To My Core'

There was also no shortage of love for moderator Chris Wallace, who asked complex and well-researched questions and had no problem with calling both candidates out when they misrepresented facts or their own past comments.

Chris Wallace has done an exceptional job tonight!! #debate #debatenight  Perez (@ThePerezHilton) October 20, 2016

Now Trump is debating Chris Wallace who clearly knows a million more facts that Donald Trump. #debate  Fortune Feimster (@fortunefunny) October 20, 2016

"Sir?...sir?" Chris Wallace is talking to Trump the way a bouncer talks to a violent drunk at a bar. #debates  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 20, 2016

One issue Trump addressed with a categorical denial were the numerous accusations of sexual harassment and assault that several women have leveled against him in the wake of the release of the so-called "Trump Tape" two weeks ago. Check out the video below for more on the many controversial allegations now facing the business mogul.

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Jack Reacher: Never Go Back reunites director Edward Zwick with the actor he describes as the hardest-working man in show business  Tom Cruise. Not that Zwick is a slouch in the work department either. For the past three decades, hes balanced an extensive filmography with a prolific television career. We discussed nine of Zwicks movies for our Yahoo Movies Directors Reel, starting with 1986s About Last Night and culminating in 2016s Never Go Back, which continues the adventures of the ex-military officer.

Based on a popular series of novels by Lee Child, the Jack Reacher movies defy the current Hollywood trend toward CGI spectacle, instead aiming for more grounded, real-world action. I, for one, suffer from a little bit of superhero fatigue, Zwick admits. Tom and I decided very early that we didnt want to defy the laws of physics. We wanted violence to have a consequence. When you hit someone, it hurts. Watch the full video above, and read on for some of Zwicks thoughts about his past films.

About Last Night (1986)

Earlier this year, we named this Brat Pack favorite as one of the essential films of the essential summer of 86. The sexuality was so free and open, and the consequence of that was not yet felt, Zwick remembers. As I think back on it, there was a certain kind of exuberance. Its a little different now. In fact, its a lot different now.

Glory (1989)

With a single, defiant tear in this Civil War epic, Denzel Washington established himself as one of Hollywoods greatest leading men  and won his first Oscar, to boot. Zwick says he deliberately allowed that famous scene to keep running during filming for maximum impact. When it was done, I looked over and half the crew were crying as well.

Courage Under Fire (1996)

Matt Damon officially hit the big time with Good Will Hunting, but his small role in Zwicks Gulf War drama put many in Hollywood on notice, including his scene partner Denzel Washington. After this scene, Denzel leaned over to me and whispered, Man, I think I better raise my game. This kid is good!

The Last Samurai (2003)

Zwicks first collaboration with Tom Cruise encountered criticism for what some described as white savior cliches. But, the director says, the reaction was far less virulent around the world. In Japan, it was adored. For what its worth, the last samurai [of the title] was not Tom Cruise  it was Ken Watanabe.

Love & Other Drugs (2010)

Although it wasnt a box-office hit, stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway do make a beautiful couple in Zwicks romantic comedy. I knew Jake could be a bit of a goof, and I dont think audiences had seen him that way before. He and Anne liked each other a lot. It was an opportunity to be very intimate about sex and relationships.
SPRINGFIELD -- A Coles County man awaits sentencing on a federal charge that accused him of having methamphetamine and related materials with plans to sell the drug.

Timothy D. Whitmore pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in a federal indictment returned in January.

Whitmore, 36, whose most recent address on record is on Teeter Street in Oakland, was accused of having methamphetamine and drug materials on Dec. 11.

According to information Illinois State Police issued at the time of the incident, Whitmore was located and arrested in Hindsboro on that day.

The arrest reportedly came about four hours after he reportedly fled from officers with the East Central Illinois Task Force drug investigation unit who tried to arrest him in Charleston.

Whitmore was originally charged with state drug crimes in Coles County in connection with the December incident as well as one in August. Those charges were dismissed in May in favor of the federal prosecution.

Federal authorities sometimes seek charges against a suspect that are nearly identical to state charges, but which can result in a more severe sentence.

In the federal case, U.S. Magistrate Tom Schanzle-Haskins accepted Whitmore's guilty plea at the joint recommendation of Assistant U.S. Attorney Crystal Correa court-appointed defense attorney Jon Noll.

Schanzel-Haskins also ordered a pre-sentence investigation into Whitmore's background and scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 13.

The pre-sentence investigation will provide information on Whitmore's criminal record, his cooperation with authorities and other factors that will be used to determine the sentencing range he faces.

The dismissed Coles County charges included delivery of methamphetamine on Dec. 11. The other county charge was possession of a controlled substance that accused Whitmore of having heroin on Aug. 1 of last year.

Also, earlier this year two people pleaded guilty to charges accusing them of providing false information to officers looking for Whitmore, saying he wasn't in their Charleston home when he was actually there.

Jerry W. Cox, 54, and Tina L. Hildebrand, 47, who both have addresses on record of 1302 Jefferson Ave., Charleston, were each sentenced to probation after their guilty pleas to obstructing justice charges.
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
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that the Costume Institute's spring 2017 exhibition will focus on famed Comme des Garcons designer Rei Kawakubo.

The exhibition, which will be held in the museum's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall on the second floor, will feature approximately 120 womenswear designs that Kawakubo, who's known to be extremely private, has designed for the Japanese brand Comme des Garcons. It will feature pieces from her first Paris show in 1981 to her most recent collection that blur the lines between fashion and art.

"In blurring the art/fashion divide, Kawakubo asks us to think differently about clothing," said Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of The Met, in a press statement. "Curator Andrew Bolton will explore work that often looks like sculpture in an exhibition that will challenge our ideas about fashion's role in contemporary culture."

Unlike at some previous exhibitions held at the Costume Institute, there will be no glass barriers separating museum attendees from being up-close to the clothes. The mannequins will be at eye level, too.

"Rei Kawakubo is one of the most important and influential designers of the past 40 years," said Bolton, curator in charge of The Costume Institute, in a release. "By inviting us to rethink fashion as a site of constant creation, recreation and hybridity, she has defined the aesthetics of our time."

A photo posted by Comme des Garcons OFFICIAL (@commedesgarcons) on Oct 5, 2016 at 4:49am PDT

The "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons" exhibition marks the second time the museum has highlighted a living designer since the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition in 1983.

"I have always pursued a new way of thinking about design ... by denying established values, conventions and what is generally accepted as the norm," said Kawakubo. "And the modes of expression that have always been most important to me are fusion ... imbalance ... unfinished ... elimination ... and absence of intent."

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The 2017 Met Gala will be held Monday, May 1, with Katy Perry and Pharrell, who's previously collaborated with Comme des Garcons on a fragrance, serving as co-chairs alongside Anna Wintour. Kawakubo will serve as honorary chair.

A photo posted by Comme des Garcons OFFICIAL (@commedesgarcons) on Oct 8, 2015 at 1:38pm PDT

Read more: Met Ball and the "Circus of Ambition": Nicole Kidman, Michael Kors, Cher Tell All in THR's Oral History
Dallas SEO Expert Qamar Zaman explains 4 SEO Tactics that Optimize Your Site for Real People

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2016 / When it comes to SEO, one mistake that many marketers tend to make is missing the forest for the trees.

What am I talking about? I'm referring to the tendency of many SEOs to get bogged down by analytics data, clickthrough rates, bounce rates, conversions, and all this technical mumbo jumbo that should not be the be-all and end-all of search engine optimization.

Like any digital marketing strategy or school of thought, SEO is about marketing and promoting your brand to peoplepeople.

Keeping track of hard data is one thing, but focusing only on numbers and stats won't mean a thing if you don't understand how your target audience thinks and behaves.

Why do people visit your site?

More importantly, why should they?

What kind of information appeals to them the most?

How can you help solve their problems?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before you even optimize your site for search engines.

As you're figuring out the answers to these questions, here are a few more hacks to help you create an SEO plan based on your customers' behavior.



1. Figure Out Who You Should Reach Out To



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If you don't know who your customers are or what factors will turn ordinary people into your customers, you won't get anywhere with any kind of marketing campaign.

As a business owner, you should be able to figure this out quickly. Otherwise, you need to sit down and think hard about just who will benefit from your brand's products and services. Very rarely will any business have just one kind of target customer.

This is where buyer personas come in.

This HubSpot write-up offers a succinct definition of what a buyer persona is: "A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers."

The best way to start is to simply talk to your current customers. What do they like about your brand? Your products and services? What problems do your products and services solve?

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But how is this relevant to SEO? By understanding who your customers are, it becomes easier to adjust your content and keywords to their specific needs and motivators, which in turn helps speed up the conversion process.

2. Check What Your Competitors Are Doing





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Another common practice among almost all consumers is the habit of comparing brands and products before making a purchase decision.

This in itself should give you enough reason to check out what your competition is doing, what tactics they're employing, and what strategies seem to yield the best return on investment.

How does their on-site SEO look like?

What keywords are they using on their landing pages?

Are they running any PPC ads? Check their copy for keywords and calls to action.

Do your competitors have a blog? How often do they update it, if at all?

Moz.com's Open Site Explorer is a powerful tool that helps you determine how well your site is doing compared to others and vice versa.

3. What Do Your Customers Want?



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Once you've created your buyer personas, you then need to make sure your SEO campaign reaches out to customers across the different buying stages.

As search engine algorithms continue to evolve in sophistication, gone are the days of simply relying on keyword research to identify potential search terms and phrases your audience would probably use when making search engine queries, and 'sprinkling' these keywords across your landing pages and content assets.

For the most part, this helped users find search results they actually found useful. Still, it was far from perfect.

Thankfully, search engines have become smarter and more efficient at determining what search users wantin other words, what their buying intent is. Besides keywords, Google now takes into account the following:

Device the search query comes from

The time of day the query is made

The location of the search user

The goal, of course, is to deliver the most relevant search results possible to users. And this is where your market research and buyer personas come in, helping you optimize your content for users in the different stages of the buying process, also known as a funnel.

For example, you may have someone who has committed to making a purchase, but is still weighing their options about where to best spend their money. Considering this information, you can optimize your content to reflect a bargain for customers that buy from youit can be a discount, free shipping, or future deals on repeat purchases.

4. Know What Challenges Your Customers Face

Modern SEO has gone from simply cramming in keywords into landing pages and content assets, evolving into a process of solving people's problems.

More than anything else, customers want informationyour job is to give it to them. But you can't just give them any kind of information. It has to be something that actually solves their problems and concerns, something that's obviously related to your products and services, of course.

Notice how I keep going back to problems and concerns.

Part of developing buyer personas is knowing what your customers' pain points are.

These are the issues, concerns, challenges, problems, and desires your customers faceor don't even know that they're facing. Once you've identified these pain points, you can then work your way towards presenting your products and services (through SEO and content) as having the power to overcome these pain points.

For example, let's say your business sells used tires.

One group of customers may be concerned about the quality of used tiresyou can work on creating content that promises a warranty or some other strategy to allay their concerns about this issue.

Yet another group may be concerned about shipping costsyou can perhaps weigh the cost-benefit ratio of offering free shipping, adjusting your content and PPC ad copy as needed.

To put it simply, the goal here is to optimize your content to address the different pain points of your buyer personas.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, these SEO tactics all revolve around a common factor: optimizing for people instead of search engines. If you optimize your site and your content with the goal of helping your potential customers, your rankings should improve in time.

Focus on helping your customers and providing them with the information they need. If you're successful, you not only help solve their problems through your products and services, you also enjoy enhanced visibility on the Google search engine results pages (SERPs).

Qamar Zaman Dallas SEO Consultant

Source: http://news.oneseocompany.com/2016/10/20/4-seo-hacks-designed-with-human-behavior-in-mind-explained-by-qamar-zaman-a-dallas-seo_201610201483.html

SOURCE: Qamar Zaman
A medical student sits in anatomy class, tracing the path of a muscle from tendon to tendon on a tablet. She taps and rotates the image, following the display as layers of the virtual body reveal how humans move.

That's the kind of technology that medical students get to use to find out how bodies are put together before they confront real people facing real medical problems.

Experts say the increasing use of technology at medical schools means that prospective students should evaluate each school's technology offerings before deciding where to attend.

Here are four ways to tell whether a medical school uses the latest classroom technology.

[Find out about how medical schools are teaching the doctors of tomorrow.]

1. Quality and variety of simulations: Some medical schools ease the transition from classroom learning to clinical training by providing students with an abundance of simulations of medical crises, where students are challenged to make split-second treatment decisions.

Medical school simulations frequently require students to interact with mannequins that represent patients and practice performing procedures they will do as doctors, such as physical examinations.

Simulations provide compelling lessons, says Dr. Thomas Riles, associate dean for medical education and technology at the School of Medicine at New York University and executive director of its Web Initiative for Surgical Education Modules , an online educational program that teaches surgery skills at more than 120 medical schools.

"We can simulate anything," he says. "We can simulate someone having a baby or a heart attack."

Riles says that much has changed since he went to medical school, because back then a student's first attempt at a procedure might be with a patient . But now, that student-patient interaction typically happens after the student has received extensive practice in simulations. "Just going straight from textbook to patient doesn't make a lot of sense," he says.

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Tanmay Gokhale, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at the Duke University School of Medicine, says he found simulations useful preparation for clinical training, because it gave him a chance to practice performing medical procedures on a mannequin before he did the procedure on a human being -- which gave him the confidence necessary to cope with the emotions that go along with having someone's life at stake.

Gokhale says the mannequins in his simulations looked and sounded like people would in a clinical environment.

"The mannequin can blink and responds to the medications you give it," he says.

[Learn about public health issues during medical school.]

2. Frequent technology use: Some medical schools have technology that they use sparingly, Gokhale says, so it is worth investigating what technology, if any, is used on a regular basis during classes. "You want to go somewhere that has technology and is going to use it and where the faculty is excited to use it," he says.

Some schools have fabulous laboratory facilities students rarely get to enter that are reserved primarily for faculty and residents, says Niall Johnston, president of the U.S. division of the Dublin-based company 3D4 Medical, which sells an anatomy education platform with 3-D visuals. He says it is important to distinguish between the resources available and the resources that are used on a daily basis.

Alan Detton, vice president of anatomical education for the company, says a forward-thinking school that uses technology to its maximum potential will have students regularly use iPads or tablets in class to access digital resources.

Johnston says another good sign is when a school integrates imaging technology from radiology into its anatomy courses, adding the best way to tell how important technology is at a particular school is to ask its students.

3. Online video lessons: Short online videos that provide bite-sized pieces of information can make complex academic subjects easier to digest, Gokhale says. "The technology is allowing students to engage with content in the time and place that works best for them," he says.

[Choose a medical school admissions consultant carefully.]

4. Digital access to medical research findings: Matthew Sweet, a second-year student at the Wayne State University School of Medicinen Michigan, says doing evidence-based medicine informed by the latest medical research is easier when summaries of that research are readily accessible on a smartphone or laptop.

Sweet says that without technology resources that aggregate medical research, "it's really difficult to keep up with current recommendations" on best practices and promising treatments. New medical decision-making programs such as mobile phone app UpToDate are essential, he says, because they quickly identify the pros and cons of various treatment options and facilitate smart clinical decisions.

"Everything is data-driven, and having very fast access to the most recent outcome data is very important," he says.

Searching for a medical school? Get our complete rankings of Best Medical Schools.

Ilana Kowarski covers graduate schools for U.S. News. You can reach her via email at ikowarski@usnews.com.
About 500 new streams of shimmering methane bubbles have been discovered off the Pacific Northwest coast.

The discovery, which took place in June, will be a major topic for discussion at the 2016 National Ocean Exploration Forum, a congressionally mandated meeting about ocean exploration priorities that is taking place in New York and New Jersey on Oct. 20 and 21. The meeting, organized by Rockefeller University and Monmouth University, is half celebration of a year's worth of ocean discoveries and half planning committee for the years 2020 to 2025, said organizer Jesse Ausubel, the director of the Program for the Human Environment at Rockefeller. [See Stunning Images of the Discovered Methane Seeps]

"It's been a good year," Ausubel told Live Science.

Methane seeps

Notable ocean explorations in the past year include a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) exploration of the Marianas Trench, which contains Earth's deepest spot; a dive to the USS Independence, a World War II-era aircraft carrier that was scuttled off the coast of San Francisco in 1951; and the discovery of mysterious species like a bizarre purple orb, which was collected near the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary off the California coast.

The discovery of copious methane seeps in the Cascadia margin near Oregon and Washington was "at the top" of the list of 2016 discoveries, Ausubel said.

"It's a scale question," he said. "We've known for a few decades that these exist, but it's turning out that they could be really extensive, and if they're very extensive, that starts to change your ideas about ocean life, because there are animals, mussels and sea worms and so forth, that can live off the energy" released by the seeps.

As captured by a remotely operated vehicle that was launched from the research vessel Nautilus and operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust, the seeps vent silvery cascades of bubbles, often making it seem that the camera was bathed in champagne.

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The scientists aboard the research vessel Nautilus saw animals swimming and drifting through the methane bubbles streaming from the seafloor in the Cascadia margin near Oregon and Washington. OET/Nautilus Live

The discovery of approximately 500 new seeps doubles the number of known seeps that have been found off the U.S. West Coast.

"It appears that the entire coast off Washington, Oregon and California is a giant methane seep," Bob Ballard, head of the Ocean Exploration Trust, said in a statement.

Many unknowns

Methane is a hydrocarbon, and is a potent greenhouse gas. According to NOAA, it has 23 times the warming potential of an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. Twenty years ago, methane seeps were basically unknown, Ausubel said. Depending on how much is released from the vents off the West Coast  and how it ends up in the water versus the atmosphere  global climate models may need adjustment.

To date, very little is known about the new seeps, including the methane's origin. Some oceanic methane comes from geological sources. Essentially, buried organic material is put under pressure, heats up and releases the gas through cracks in the ocean floor. A second source  which comes from microorganisms called methanogens  produces it as a byproduct. Methane seeps also host communities of methanophiles, which are organisms that live off the energy-rich gas.

Researchers are also uncertain about how much gas the new Cascadia seeps releases. Some sites are more active during various parts of the tidal cycles, Bob Embley of the Pacific Marine Environmental Lab at NOAA told reporters today (Oct. 19). Figuring out the complexities of the system will require longer-term research.

"It's hard to translate what we saw into volume or flux at this point," Embley said.

Researchers hope that in the next generation of ocean exploration, scientists will be able to make the necessary fine-grained observations by turning to robotics, artificial intelligence and specialized sensors. For example, Ausubel said, a new technique called environmental DNA lets scientists comb water samples for DNA that is shed by passing creatures; they can then identify species in an area without necessarily observing those creatures directly. Small, drone-like devices are also increasingly allowing researchers to send cheaper missions into the deep.

"There's a whole new style of exploration that's on the horizon," Ausubel said.

Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations
Magnificent 7 brings together a dysfunctional group of seven companions on a journey through the wild West. Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, and Asias very own Lee Byung-Hun, among others, band together to save the town of Rose Creek from greedy, vicious villain Bartholomew Bogue.

Did you know that this film is a remake of the original gunslinger classic from 1960, which in turn was also a Hollywood remake of the Japanese film, Seven Samurai?

This movie tells a tale of unlikely outlaws who come together to do magnificent things in the Old West, but we have had our fair share of heroes and heroines in Asia as well (law-abiding and otherwise). Here is a list of some of the most heroic people who have graced our fair lands, and have made many lives a lot better in their time.

Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar)

There are many things that define a hero, but perhaps the most crucial component is the element of self-sacrifice.

Myanmar opposition leader and pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi is one such heroine who boldly embodies this trait, having sacrificed her freedom and family for the sake of her fellow countrymen.

Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by the military junta in 1989, after she campaigned for the military leaders to hand over control of the country to a civilian government.

Her husband and two sons lived in the London, and she only saw them five times throughout the entire period of her detainment. The military offered her multiple chances to be released from her house arrest, but on condition that she never leave Myanmar and never return - Aung San Suu Kyi declined, of course, fearing that doing so would mean that she would leave her people behind.

She was freed only in 2010. Suu Kyi is highly regarded throughout the world as a peaceful freedom fighter, and has won multiple accolades, including a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

There was prize money along with the award as well - a whopping US$1.3 million, to be exact - and she used this money not for herself, but instead magnanimously used it to set up a health and education fund for the Burmese people.

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The Nobel Prize Organization depicts Suu Kyi as Burmas modern symbol of freedom, and rightly so - as she was the primary driving force behind Myanmars fight for democratic freedom from military rule.

Her opposition NLD party swept the polls in 2015, and Suu Kyi took over several official positions, including the role of State Counsellor, which was created for her by her allies in the government in 2016.

Ishikawa Goemon (Japan)

Photo: Wikipedia

There are differing accounts on Isikawa Goemons early life in the 16th century. Some say he was a runaway ninja who swore revenge on a wealthy clan after they killed his father.

Others say that he was a rogue ninja who arrived in Kyoto purely to rob the rich who resided there, and quickly climbed up the ranks to become the king of thieves.

Whichever the case, one aspect of this widely shared folk story stays the same: that Goemon was an outlaw hero who shared his loot with oppressed peasants.

This particular hero was the Robin Hood of feudal Japan, who, according to legend, literally stole from rich feudal lords and merchants to help the needy.

He is a widely known character in Japanese history (although his existence is disputed) but folk stories portray him as a respected, chivalrous man who used his skills to better the lives of the poor.

Unfortunately, Goemon was caught red-handed during a failed assassination attempt on warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

He was sentenced to death (along with his young son) in a public execution in a rather strange manner - death by burning hot, boiling water.

Goemons larger-than-life story still lives on in contemporary Japanese puppet-theatre, plays, manga, anime, and video games.

Anne Eu (Malaysia)

Photo: Forbes

Eu Yan Sang was first established in Perak, Malaysia more than a century ago in 1879. Since then, it has become a respected household brand with more than 300 retail outlets throughout Asia and Australia.

The name Eu Yan Sang literally translates to caring for mankind in Chinese, and that is exactly what it strives to do.

The company doles out herbal remedies and traditional Chinese medicine, but a large portion of its sales goes towards giving back towards society.

The company is helmed by Anne Eu, who took over the business after her husband, then chairman of Eu Yan Sang Malaysia, passed away in 2007.

Under her stewardship, the company has spearheaded several charitable causes for various groups across Malaysia.

Eu organised charity dinners for the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation (TAFF), which helps support childless couples who cannot afford fertility procedures. She has also helped to raise RM 1 million for cancer research in Malaysia, and funds for the Spastic Childrens Association and Federal Territory.

She is also actively involved with the Joseph William Yee Eu Foundation, which funds the education for children in rural parts of the country.

One of her latest endeavours is the Roti1Malaysia project, which collects unsold bread and pastries from bakeries and restaurants across Klang Valley, and redistributes them to the hungry in orphanages, elder care homes, and refugee centres.

For her humanitarian efforts, Eu was listed as one of Forbes Heroes of Philantrophy in 2016.

Jose Rizal (The Philippines)

Photo: Wikipedia

In the colonial era, much of Southeast Asia was ruled by Western conquerers.

The first nation to achieve complete independence during that time was the Philippines, and much of this was due to the work of Jose Rizal.

Born in 1861 to the wealthy Mercado family, Rizal spent his formative years picking up several artistic and linguistic skills fairly quickly.

As an adult, he mastered several fields of study (including medicine, sociology, and architecture to name a few), and could fluently speak 22 languages. He spent several years studying and travelling around Europe.

It was during that time that Rizal wrote several papers about political and humanitarian reforms that he felt the Spanish colonial system in the Philippines should undertake - namely, freedom of speech and equal rights for his Filipino countrymen.

It was also these ideas, however, that got him in trouble with the colonial government. Upon Rizals return to his homeland, he was arrested, jailed, and also exiled for the crime of spreading subversive ideas.

He never acted on his ideas, but the government had already labelled him as a dangerous rebel, and he was subsequently executed by gunfire in 1896.

His death only served to spur the Philippine Revolution even more, and the people finally defeated their colonial rulers two years later in 1898.

His ideas and reforms were later legislated, and formed the backbone of modern Philippine law.

Today, he is remembered as a national hero and founding father of the Philippines, widely regarded for his courage and peaceful resistance to colonial dominance.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thailand)

Photo: Reuters

In June 1946, twenty-year-old Thai King Ananda was unexpectedly shot to death on palace grounds. The circumstances of his death remain unclear until today.

King Anandas sudden death paved the way for his brother - then 18-year-old, bespectacled Bhumibol Adulyadej - to ascend to the throne.

King Bhumibol began his reign at a time when monarchies across Southeast Asia were being torn from power by colonial forces.

Despite the odds being stacked against him, however, he steadily grew to become a highly revered king, respected by locals across the country.

This was a king who was dearly beloved, one who personally delivered aid to remote villages and launched over 3,000 royal projects to help the poor.

Thailands political scene has seen much upheaval in the past few decades, but King Bhumibol served as an unwavering advisor throughout.

In 2006, the United Nations awarded King Bhumibol with the first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award for his tenacious efforts to improve the lives of his people.

He held his title as Thailands longest-reigning monarch for more than 70 years, seeing a total of 30 prime ministers come and go during his time.

News of his passing on 12 Oct 2016 was met with deep sadness. Locals young and old mourned the death of a down-to-earth king, a quiet hero who truly cared for the welfare of his people.

Phoolan Devi (India)

Phoolan Devi was born in August 1963, in a small town in Indias Uttar Pradesh state.

Like many girls born to a low caste, she started working for upper-caste families at a young age, and was married to a man in his thirties when she was only eleven years old (in exchange, her family received a cow).

To her dismay, her husband, whom she later described in her autobiography as a man of very bad character, abused her, and she decided to escape from her husbands home.

In rural Indian culture however, it was taboo for a wife to leave her husband, and she immediately became a social outcast.

On her own, Devi found herself in the company of bandits and soon became a formidable member of the group.

Her years as a bandit were far from easy though, as she endured caste-related abuse and horrific gang rapes.

But Devi was a feisty spirit, killing up to 30 men in revenge (including her former husband). This earned her the nickname Bandit Queen.

In 1983, she surrendered to the authorities and sat in jail for more than a decade awaiting her trial. 11 years later, the government miraculously withdrew all cases against her, and she regained her freedom.

In a spectacular turn of events, Devi stood for election two years later and was successfully elected as a Minister of Parliament.

Her days as a politician were short-lived, unfortunately, as she was assassinated in 2001 - allegedly by men seeking revenge for the massacres she performed in her bandit days.

There are conflicting views of her - some view her as a murderous outlaw, while others look up to her as a courageous feminist hero who fought against deeply-rooted systems of oppression.

Elizabeth Choy (Singapore)

World War II brought about tumultuous times for people all around the globe. For the people of Singapore, it was no different.

The Japanese invasion of Singapore in the 1940s was a terrifying experience for those who survived the era. One such survivor was Elizabeth Choy.

As a canteen operator at the time, Choy and her husband placed their own lives at risk when they decided to smuggle medicine, clothes, food, money, and even radios to prisoners-of-war.

This perilous operation continued for almost a year. Choy and her husband were unfortunately arrested by the Japanese secret police, or Kempeitai in 1943, as they believed they were spies for the British.

The Kempeitai imprisoned her and her husband for almost 200 days, during which they starved and tortured her. She was stripped, beaten profusely, and even shocked by electricity on multiple accounts (sometimes with her husband being forced to watch helplessly).

Despite being subjected to gruelling, cruel torture, Choy proved her dying loyalty to her nation; she adamantly refused to give up any information that could betray her countrys freedom.

After the war, she was presented with multiple awards for her valour, and was even bestowed the opportunity to meet with Queen Elizabeth in 1946.

She lived out the rest of her days as a teacher, and passed away in 2006 from pancreatic cancer. Till this day, Choy is highly regarded as one of Singapores most prominent war heroes for her selfless acts of bravery.


IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit against Corrections Corporation of America ("Corrections Corporation" or the "Company") (CXW). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between February 27, 2012 and August 17, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm in advance of the October 24, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased shares of Corrections Corporation during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esquire, of Khang & Khang LLP, 18101 Von Karman Avenue, 3rd Floor, Irvine, CA 92612, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or via e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member.

The complaint alleges that the Company made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that Corrections Corporation's facilities lacked adequate safety and security standards and were less efficient at offering correctional services than the Federal Bureau of Prisons' ("BOP") facilities; that the Company's rehabilitative services for inmates were less effective than the BOP's services; that the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") was unlikely to renew and/or extend its contracts with Corrections Corporation; and that as a result of the above, Corrections Corporation's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On August 18, 2016, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced that the DOJ decided to stop using private prisons, since they are less safe and less effective than federal government-run prisons. When this information became public, Corrections Corporation's stock price dropped, thus causing investors harm.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit at no charge, or if you have any questions regarding this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or via e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

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This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

Contacts

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
Getty Image

The ACLU has identified 23 legal opinions that contain new or significant interpretations of surveillance law  affecting the governments use of malware, its attempts to compel technology companies to circumvent encryption, and the CIAs bulk collection of financial records under the Patriot Act  all of which remain secret to this day, despite an ostensible push for greater transparency following Edward Snowdens disclosures.

The opinions were written by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. On Wednesday, the ACLU and the Yale Law School Media Freedom Clinic filed a motion with the court requesting that those opinions be released.

The people of this country cant hold the government accountable for its surveillance activities unless they know what our laws allow, said Patrick Toomey, a staff attorney with the ACLUs National Security Project. These secret court opinions define the limits of the governments spying powers. Their disclosure is essential for meaningful public oversight in our democracy.

Some of the opinions identified by the ACLU offer interpretations of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a controversial provision that allows the government to conduct mass surveillance on Americans transnational communications. The authority is set to expire in December of 2017.

Disclosure of the opinions would shed light on how the government understands the boundaries of its spying power. Earlier this month, for example after Reuters reported that Yahoo is secretly scanning every customers incoming email, anonymous officials told the New York Times that that action was based on an individualized order from the secret court. Disclosure of the order would offer insight into why the government thinks that is legal. Yahoo, for its part, on Wednesday urged the Director of National Intelligence to release and explain the court order in question.

The ACLU identified the 23 still-secret opinions by combing through press clippings and publicly released opinions. A report released Tuesday by the Brennan Center for Justice, which was based on documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act similarly found that the government has kept classified 25 to 30 significant court opinions and orders dating from 2003 to 2013.

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Congress established the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) in 1978 to approve warrants against foreign agents and spies. But after the attacks of September 11, 2001, it took on a dramatically expanded role, secretly interpreting surveillance laws for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The court meets in secret, and until the recent inclusion of specially designated friends of the court, only the government was represented before it. Critics of the FISC argue that its opinions amount to secret law that is not approved by Congress, and cannot be appealed.

In 2013, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the FISC had authorized the bulk collection of Americans phone records, despite the fact that the law only allowed the collection of records relevant to an authorized investigation.

Calls for transparency in the wake of the Snowden disclosures prompted the government to undertake a declassification review of past FISC opinions; a process they say is still ongoing.

The Snowden disclosures also prompted Congress to pass the USA Freedom Act, which requires the government to disclose legally significant FISC opinions going forward, but the government maintains that the legal requirement does not apply to past opinions.

The post ACLU Wants 23 Secret Surveillance Laws Made Public appeared first on The Intercept.
Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. The film has been on the receiving end of a lot of hatred from political organizations and people after the Uri attacks, as it stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a cameo role.



After MNS threatened multiplex owners and single screen theaters to not release the movie or else to face the consequences, many theaters declared that they will not release the film to show their support for the Indian army. Many Bollywood actors, directors, producers and other celebrities spoke about how this was a right or wrong move.

However, there is an actor who refused to comment on the ongoing controversy as he did not want to be at the receiving end of any threats or hateful comments. At the ongoing MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival, Imran Khan was asked about his opinion on the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil troubles. The actor refused to comment and said, I dont want to get beaten up or threatened, will keep my opinion to myself.

Also read:

Home Minister Rajnath Singh assures 100% security for the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Pretoria (AFP) - South Africa announced Friday that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, dealing a major blow to a troubled institution set up to try the world's worst crimes.

The decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

South Africa refused to arrest him, saying he had immunity as a head of state.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the ICC was "inhibiting South Africa's ability to honour its obligations relating to the granting of diplomatic immunity".

"There is a view in Africa that the ICC in choosing who to prosecute has seemingly preferred to target leaders in Africa," Masutha added to AFP.

The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of bias against Africa and has also struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States which has signed the court's treaty but never ratified it.

The withdrawal "shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Amnesty International said South Africa was "betraying millions of victims of the gravest human rights violations and undermining the international justice system".

The US said it was "concerned" by Pretoria's decision.

"We do think that the ICC has made valuable contributions in the service of accountability in a number of situations and we hope that other governments would share that," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

- Post-colonial bias? -

As an ICC signatory, South Africa's failure to arrest Bashir last year led to a wave of condemnation and an early threat from the government to withdraw from The Hague-based court.

Bashir has evaded arrest since his ICC indictment in 2009 for alleged war crimes in Sudan's Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes.

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Earlier this month Burundi said it would leave the court, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

Welcoming South Africa's decision to withdraw from the ICC, Sudan urged other African member nations to follow suit.

"The presidency of the republic... calls on African leaders and the people of Africa who are still members of the ICC to take a collective step in withdrawing from the ICC," a presidency statement said.

Burundi's foreign minister Alain-Ayme Nyamitwe, meanwhile, said the country expected others to follow, adding that it was important to note that "the ICC is not popular in Africa".

South Africa, which delivered a letter to the United Nations on Wednesday to activate its official withdrawal, is likely to complete the process in one year.

"It could spark a domino effect on other African states," Anton du Plessis, of the Institute for Security Studies think-tank in Pretoria, told AFP.

"South Africa played an important role in developing the ICC and now to see it playing such a destructive role is saddening," he said.

The ICC said Friday it had not received any confirmation of the South African position, adding that it relied on "the international community in Africa and outside Africa... to fulfil its mandate."

- 'Disgraceful conduct' -

In March, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal accused President Jacob Zuma's government of "disgraceful conduct" over Bashir's visit and ruled that the failure to arrest Bashir was unlawful.

The government was facing a possible defeat in the Constitutional Court next month over the issue, but said that Friday's decision meant its legal battle would be dropped.

During the summit, an emergency court order was obtained for Bashir's arrest, though government lawyers admitted he had quickly flown out of the country just before the order was issued.

"We were called as a country to arrest and prosecute a sitting head of state and the natural consequence would have been forced regime change in that country by South Africa," Minister Masutha told AFP.

Of the ten ICC probes since 2002, nine have been into African countries and one into Georgia, though most ICC cases have been referred to the court by African governments themselves.

In a major setback, its highest profile case -- over Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's involvement in election violence -- collapsed two years ago.
Amal Clooney has a designer closet we can only dream of. Weve seen the British barrister dress professionally, and her casual wear is just as chic. The style star was spotted visiting her husband George Clooney on the set of his film Suburbicon in Los Angeles on Thursday along with their dog Millie.

Amal, 38, wore a pair of Alice + Olivia embroidered jeans that had 70s vibes thanks to the the cornucopia of autumn leaves and multicolored flowers embroidered throughout. She completed her look with an on-theme fringe bag, Linda Farrow sunglasses and mustard long-sleeve top.

Meanwhile, George opted for a black polo shirt and distressed jeans. The 55-year-old actor is directing the film which stars which stars Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac, Julianne Moore and Josh Brolin.

RELATED VIDEO: 5 Times George & Amal Clooney Gave us #RelationshipGoals

It appears Amal may be favoring this 70s trend for fall. She was previously spotted wearing a vintage 70s pair of high-waisted, floral print silk trousers by Ossie Clark at a charity event with George earlier this month.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS.
From Town & Country

When it comes to vacation spots, Iceland ticks all of the boxes: it's easy to get to, most locals speak English, and there's something for everyone from spa-goers to outdoor adventurers to history buffs.

The Northern European island has become an "it" destination as of recent, and according to data from the Icelandic tourism board, 1.6 million people have traveled there so far this year. To put things in perspective, the total number of people who reside in Iceland is approximately 332,000 people.

Leading the tourism charge are Americans with 325,000 U.S. travelers making the trip in 2016. Those number are only growing, and set to eclipse the local population next year.

Certainly, those tourists are there to see the country's Instagram-worthy glaciers, black-sand beaches, and tiny horses, but it doesn't hurt that Icelandair and Wow Air both offer cheap, relatively quick flights from the States to Reykjavik, for sometimes as low as $99 one way from major cities on the east coast like New York, Boston, and Baltimore. They also facilitate stopovers, a popular extended layover program, that allows American passengers to spend a day or two in Iceland before continuing on to their final destination elsewhere in Europe.

While beating the crowds is getting harder by the day, you'll have better luck visiting in winter, and venturing outside of Reykjavik, though with the popularity of the Northern Lights, that might not be the case for long.

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OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is usually greeted by cheering crowds when he goes out in public but received a less pleasant welcome in Hamilton on Friday - a handful of pumpkin seeds thrown by a green activist. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said the woman shoved past reporters and threw the seeds at Trudeau before police wrestled her to the ground. Trudeau, who appeared unharmed, was hustled into his car. The woman later told the CBC she was protesting about plans to expand an Enbridge Inc oil pipeline that runs through Hamilton, a city some 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Toronto. "I did it because I care, and I didn't know how else to get my point across," said the woman, who identified herself as Ute Schmid-Jones. The CBC said Hamilton police had released her without charge. Police in the town were not available for comment. Trudeau's Liberal government is under increasing pressure from environmentalists to block major pipeline projects by Enbridge, Kinder Morgan Inc. and TransCanada Corp. . Trudeau's office did not respond directly when asked about the incident, saying in a statement that he "travels the country to meet with Canadians and have conversations with them". (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Grant McCool)
Antonio Cromartie

Back in September, the Indianapolis Colts released veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie. The release was purely based on performance. However, Cromarties wife thinks otherwise.

In a post earlier today on Instagram, Tamika Cromartie cited the real reason her husband was released was because of his protests during the national anthem. She later took down the post, but here is what is said according to ESPN.com.

You are Nothing More than an Entertainer. Just Shut and do what we say. You have No rights as along as you are working for me.. there are other places for you to fight and stand for what you believe,.One things for sure I know my husband was told Not to take a Knee and he went with his heart and he took one. And that cost him his Job.. and Clearly this Statement backs that up Just a Paid To put on a show.

That rant likely comes from Colts owner Jim Irsay who stated that protests during the anthem are at the wrong venue.

Granted, Cromartie was the only Colt player this season to take a knee during the anthem, but that is not why he was released.

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Team update: The real reason Antonio Cromartie was released?

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Fantasy Football: Top waiver wire adds for Week 7

He played so poorly during the Jacksonville game in London that he was benched for the entire second half. The four time Pro Bowl corner likely would have found himself the odd man out in the coming weeks as Darius Butler returned the following week.

Look, I am all for standing by your spouse. But the release of Cromartie had nothing to do with his protest. Simply put, the Colts overpaid for the veteran who is barely a special teams player at this point in his career.

The post Antonio Cromarties wife went full Miko Grimes appeared first on Cover32.
If Hillary Clinton and the Democrats assume control of the White House and the Senate next year, which seems increasingly likely, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry will have plenty to worry about.

The Democratic presidential nominee, congressional Democrats, and even some GOP lawmakers are already on the warpath over blatant cases of prescription drug price gouging.

Related: How Big Pharma Lobbyists Keep Medicare Drug Prices High

They would likely move beyond flashy committee hearings and angry press statements to consider legislative or administrative actions to rein in drug prices that are crippling budgets for consumers and government agencies like Medicare and the Veterans Administration.

Critics of Big PhRMAs pricing practices have had much material to work with over the past year and a half, ranging from Turing Pharmaceuticals 5,556 percent increase in the price of an anti-parasitic drug called Daraprim to Mylans gradual six-fold price increase for Epi-Pen sets used to treat life-threating allergic reactions in kids.

Now, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals has provided yet another reason for Congress and the White House to justify federal intervention or even price controls.

The company prompted public outrage after it raised the price for the fourth time this year of Iclusig -- a drug used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia -- from $115,000 for a years treatment to $199,000. Shares of ARIAD plummeted on Thursday after two Democratic lawmakers, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Elijah B. Cummings of Maryland, complained in a letter to the companys CEO about outrageous sales tactics and an inclination to put profits ahead of the well-being of patients.

Related: Clinton Calls for Powerful New Panel to Crack Down on Drug Price-Gouging

ARIAD officials acknowledged that oncology drugs are expensive and argued that the pricing was justified to compensate the company for the research and the risk it took in bringing such a drug to market for the first time  one that is designed to serve a very small and critically ill subset of cancer patients.

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Sanders, who made drug pricing an important issue in his unsuccessful Democratic presidential primary campaign against Clinton, first sent ARIADs stock prices tumbling 15 percent last week by tweeting his disapproval of the companys action and raising questions about the safety of the drug for treating bone marrow cancer.

Both Sanders and Clinton have vowed to take action next year to lower the cost of prescription drugs. A month ago, Clinton proposed the creation of a government commission with the power to compete with or penalize pharmaceutical companies like Mylan and Turing that jack up the prices of lifesaving drugs that have been on the market for years.

Joseph Antos, a health care specialist at the American Enterprise Institute, said on Friday there is little doubt that the pharmaceutical industry and its highly paid lobbyists will be under the gun next year if Clinton defeats Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the Democrats regain control of the Senate and cut the GOP majority in the House.

Related: Two Big Reasons Prescription Drug Prices Are So Much Higher in the US

It will be very hard for anybody  no matter whether theyre Democrats or Republicans  to look like theyre defending [price increases] that might in some ways seem completely legitimate, Antos said in an interview. The public perception is that a drug company is taking advantage of a situation, and patients with very serious illnesses are put at risk. No politician can look like theyre standing for that.

I would not be surprised if there were some sort of federal intervention related to what appear to be extremely high prices, he added.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona inmate and his wife have been indicted on terrorism and conspiracy charges in connection with a plot to build and explode a homemade bomb inside a state prison, court documents made public on Thursday showed.

The state grand jury indictment filed in Maricopa County Superior Court charged Thomas Bastian, 39, and Michelle Bastian, 49, with a scheme that state prosecutors said was intended to kill the prison warden or others at the sprawling Arizona State Prison Complex  Lewis.

The indictment, handed down on Tuesday, said the offenses were alleged to have occurred between May 1 and Oct. 12.

Michelle Bastian was arrested at her workplace last week on suspicion of terrorism and conspiracy for allegedly smuggling publications distributed by Islamist militant groups into her husbands prison.

The indictment marked the first time Thomas Bastian had been charged in the suspected plot at the prison where he was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. A spokesman said he had since been moved to another Arizona prison.

According to a probable cause statement filed by the state Attorney Generals Office, the FBI discovered the bombing plot in September from a known source after earlier learning the inmate had become a radicalized Muslim.

The device would be intended to kill the warden or be placed in a prison vending machine in an area where inmates meet with visitors, authorities said.

An investigation revealed that Michelle Bastian was found to have provided information requested by her husband from al Qaeda- and Islamic State-linked publications, according to the statement filed in court.

Included in the information was a piece on how to build a bomb out of everyday kitchen materials, records showed.

The publications were located in Bastians prison cell along with a stack of detailed handwritten notes on how to build an improvised explosive device, according to court documents. It was unclear if any bomb-making materials were found.

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Thomas Bastian was indicted on four counts of terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism, conspiracy to commit misconduct involving weapons and conspiracy to promote prison contraband.

Michelle Bastian also faces an additional charge of promoting prison contraband.

(Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Peter Cooney)
With the nail-biting presidential election just around the corner, a destructive new challenger is gaining popularity among young voters.

Read: Traditional Pre-Election Dinner Turns Ugly as NYC Elites Boo Trump for Clinton Jabs

A recent poll shows one in four young American voters would rather see a giant meteor crash to Earth than have candidates Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump as commander in chief, according to Reuters.com.

"The fact that one in four of our young people pick 'Giant Meteor' tells you something about the political disaffection that is being shown by American youth," Joshua Dyck, associate professor and co-director of UMass Lowell's Center for Public Opinion told Reuters.

The poll began in May and resulted in 53% of voters choosing to see the meteor wreak havoc on Earth while 39% of voters would rather have President Obama stay in the oval office.

The attention surrounding the poll even sparked a new hashtag trending on Twitter called #GiantMeteor2016.

In honor of promoting the hashtag and the newest candidate, a parody campaign video was created and posted on VoteGiantMeteor.com.

Read: Searches for 'Bigly' Spike During Debate, as Body Language Expert Says Candidates 'Hate Each Other'

Voters in other areas have joined in on the witticism as well.

A home in Virginia showed its support for the candidate, Giant Meteor 2016, by sticking a sign on their front lawn.

The campaign encouraged its potential voters to look above the sky for a better candidate and promised to just end it already.

Watch: Donald Trump Blames Democrats for GOP Office Torched by Firebomb

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Stocks (^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC) are mixed at the midday mark, with consumer staples (XLP) and consumer discretionary (XLY) the most in the green, and energy (XLE) the most in the red. Keith Bliss of Cuttone & Co. joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.

To discuss the other big stories of the day, Alexis Christoforous is joined by Yahoo Finance editor-in-chief Andy Serwer and Yahoo Finances Nicole Sinclair.

AT&T deal with Time Warner could happen this weekend: WSJ

Wall Street is buzzing about the possibility of AT&T buying Time Warner. The Wall Street Journal is reporting a deal could happen this weekend. This follows a Bloomberg story saying the two companies have discussed various business strategies, including a merger. Shares of Time Warner are up about 9% today, while AT&T shares are lower. A deal would would combine AT&Ts wireless, broadband and satellite businesses with Time Warner properties including CNN, HBO and Warner Brothers studios.

Goldman Sachs turns to Spotify, Snapchat to lure talent

The Big Banks proved they can still turn a profit this earnings season, but theyre facing another problem: the war for talent. Goldman Sachs was used to getting the cream of the crop at top universities, but the tech boom has increasingly lured talent with promises of fat paychecks and healthy stock options. Not to be left behind, Goldman is turning to tech itself. It recently launched an ad campaign on Spotify, which it owns a piece of, and has also used Twitter, LinkedIn and Snapchat to reach the next generation of i-bankers and bond traders.

Marijuana legalization on ballots in nine states

Tired of endless stories about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? Lets discuss a totally different 2016 election topic: marijuana. Nine states in blue and light blue have marijuana initiatives on the ballot. Some states, such as California and Massachusetts, are voting on recreational use while others, such as Florida and Montana, are looking to make medical marijuana legal to one degree or another. And despite the moves by many states to legalize pot, it remains illegal under federal law.
CHARLESTON -- Along with candy, socks will again be a part of this years Eastern Illinois University Homecoming Parade Saturday.

This will be the second year the Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteerism formerly Student Community Services will be in the parade asking for sock donations.

These donations will go toward the One Stop Community Christmas at the Salvation Army in Mattoon. One Stop Community Christmas is an organization to help families in need during the holiday season in Coles, Clark, Cumberland, Edgar, Shelby, Moultrie and Douglas counties.

Last year, the office amassed more than 900 pairs of socks. This year, however, they are looking to collect more than twice that to be able to be able to get a pair of socks to those in One Stop Community Christmas

Beth Gillespie, Civic Engagement and Volunteerism director, said the goal this year is collect 2,000 pairs of socks.

And Gillespie thinks the community is up to the challenge. This community responds when called upon to help each other out, she said.

New pairs of socks of any size will be accepted.

The parade will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and run through various streets in the city going to and from Easterns campus and the Charleston Square.

The parade will start and continue north on Seventh Street at its intersection with Lincoln Avenue; then west on Monroe Avenue; south on Sixth Street to Polk Avenue; and lastly, south on Division Street.

For the parade, southbound traffic will be closed off on Seventh Street from Madison Avenue to Monroe Avenue.

All parking and traffic on Ninth Street from Lincoln Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue, on Grant Avenue between Seventh Street and Ninth Street and on Seventh Street from Grant Avenue to Lincoln Avenue would be closed for parade staging.

Streets including Seventh Street from Lincoln Avenue, Monroe Avenue from Seventh Street to Sixth Street, Jackson Avenue from Sixth Street, Sixth Street from Monroe Avenue to Polk Avenue, Polk Avenue from Sixth Street to Division Street and Division Street from Polk Avenue to Grant Avenue will also be closed.

Outside of the parade, sock donations can be made one of the donations boxes that have recently been set up in Easterns residence halls front desks, as well as in the Student Activities Center and the Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteerism, both located in the University Union.

Donations will be collected throughout the month of October.

After the parade, volunteers will be cleaning up the parade route as part of the Trash Bash. Those interested in participating will be meeting up first at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteerism in the union.

Also on Saturday, early risers can get a meal at the annual Charleston Rotary Club pancake breakfast. The all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the parking lot of Dirtys Bar & Grill, located at the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue. The price is $6 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under, with all proceeds from the event going to various local charities.

People can also take part in the EIU/Charleston Homecoming 2.5k (1.5-mile) Race/Walk at 9 a.m. beginning at the corner of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue.

According to a press release, they will make their way north on Seventh Street to the Charleston Square, then return to Old Main via Sixth Street. The entry fee is $10.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) premium division Audi will buy back 25,000 diesel engined cars in the United States to compensate owners whose cars do not meet exhaust emission standards, German weekly Der Spiegel said on Friday.

Audi representatives are in talks with U.S. authorities about fixing 85,000 cars which failed exhaust tests.

Preliminary discussions have revealed that around 25,000 older generation cars cannot be fixed and need to be bought back by the German carmaker, Der Spiegel said.

Audi declined to comment.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Sydney (AFP) - Half of Australia's largest electricity network has been sold to two local firms for Aus$16.189 billion (US$12.35 billion), after Canberra blocked a Chinese bid citing national security.

The Australian government has been concerned about investment from Beijing, and twice rejected the sale of the country's biggest private landowner cattle firm S. Kidman and Co to Chinese-led consortiums.

The sale of 50.4 percent of Ausgrid, New South Wales state's electricity network, for a 99-year lease to the all-Australian consortium -- fund manager IFM and pension fund AustralianSuper -- means the transaction does not have to be approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

"This is an outstanding result and it is great to see a completely Australian consortium investing in this asset," NSW Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian said late Thursday.

"The NSW government is delighted to be entering into a partnership with IFM and AustralianSuper given their demonstrated track record in the management and long-term investment in infrastructure assets."

Canberra blocked the sale of Ausgrid to foreigners after rejecting a bid by China's State Grid Corp and Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings in August.

The state government did not put Ausgrid out to tender as had been done before, leading opposition politicians to question if it had obtained the best offer.

Ausgrid is the second NSW power asset to be privatised by the state as it seeks to raise funds for investing in infrastructure projects. Electricity transmission network TransGrid was late last year sold to a Canadian, Middle Eastern and Australian consortium for Aus$10.258 billion.

NSW Premier Mike Baird said despite the knock-back of the Chinese offer for Ausgrid, his government would still consider overseas bidders for Endeavour Energy, a state-owned electricity infrastructure firm, and the third power asset to be privatised.

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"The national security concerns that were identified were specific to this asset (Ausgrid)," Baird told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Clearly we will engage with FIRB as Treasury launches the third process but our expectation is that of course, it will be open to foreign investment."

There has been optimism that a joint Australian-Chinese bid for Kidman, announced earlier this month, could win a green light from Canberra after the government rejected two Chinese-led bids, citing the national interest.
By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - A debate over Australia's notoriously tight gun laws has opened up a dangerous rift in the ruling Liberal Party, pitting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull against the man he overthrew ahead of a key party gathering this weekend. Allegations of back-room dealing and broken promises to lift a ban on the importation of a lever-action shotgun have raised concerns that Australia's leadership revolving door - the country has seen four prime ministers in the past six years - is swinging back into action. Turnbull, who seized power from former leader Tony Abbott in a party coup a year ago, is on the back foot after essentially accusing his predecessor under parliamentary privilege of lying on the issue. At the heart of the row is Turnbull's decision to reject calls from farmer lobby groups to overturn a ban on the Adler shotgun for use in animal pest culling. Turnbull said on Friday he had no plans to water down Australia's tough anti-gun laws, introduced in the wake of 1996 Port Arthur Massacre where 35 people were killed. "The ban, which I renewed, my government renewed, my cabinet renewed, will stay in place," he told reporters in Sydney. But he has also accused Abbott of being part of a secret deal when he was leader to overturn the ban, a contentious move in a country where gun control is such a sensitive issue. Abbott has made a series of now rare public appearances to refute the claims. The public disagreement between the two men is likely to be more damaging for Turnbull, who has already seen his poll numbers sink to all time low, as Abbott continues to enjoy support among the conservative wing of the party. "The Australian government has mostly been mired in its own internal problems and this row allows that to dominate and it will further alienate the public," said Peter Chen, senior lecturer in politics at the University of Sydney. Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, who supported Turnbull in the leadership coup, tried to play down the dispute but it is likely to dominate this weekend's party conference in New South Wales. It is also expected to damage Turnbull's legislative agenda, notably the passage of a flagship bill to stamp out corruption in the building industry. Independent Senator David Leyonhjelm, who has a crucial swing vote, is tying his vote to the Adler shotgun. "If the ban remains in place, it will be a point of contention between myself and the government for the next three years," Leyonhjelm told Reuters. (Editing by Jane Wardell and Nick Macfie)
It's a special day when any baby enters the world for the first time, let alone twice.

That's only the beginning of the story for little Lynlee, who was afflicted with a tumor while she was in utero.

Read: Couple Marries in NICU So Their Baby, Once Given 0 Percent Survival Rate, Can Witness Wedding

Margaret Boemer of Plano, Texas was 16 weeks pregnant when doctors discovered an abnormal tumor on her baby during a routine ultrasound.

Upon further diagnosis, doctors confirmed her fetus had a sacrococcygeal teratoma, or a tumor growing from her tailbone.

"They are extremely rare, but it is the most common tumor we treat as surgeons on a newborn," said Dr. Darrell Cass, a pediatric surgeon at the Texas Children's Fetal Center. "Sometimes these tumors can be well tolerated in the fetus [but] her heart showed signs of starting to fail."

Cass explained that as the tumor grew on the baby, it would compete with the heart, and try to redirect circulation to the tumor instead of through the body for normal development.

At 16-weeks developed, little Lynlee's heart was pumping overtime, and doctors were worried that she wouldn't survive the full term.

Boemer had a complicated pregnancy from the beginning. She had originally been carrying twins, until one died before her second trimester.

Read: Twins Conjoined at the Heart Are Separated in Miracle Surgery: 'The Outlook Is Extremely Optimistic'

Determined to make sure her baby survived, Boemer reached out to different hospitals until Texas Children's agreed to give her case a try.

They decided to continue with fetal surgery, where, at 23 weeks and five days pregnant, surgeons would remove the fetus' tumor by taking her out of the womb through an incision in her mother's uterus as both the mother and the fetus were under general anesthesia. After the tumor was removed, surgeons would carefully place little Lynlee back in her mother's womb, where she would continue growing until birth.

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Cass told InsideEdition.com that while the surgery has been done before, it has only been successful twice previously.

"It's been unsuccessful many times," he clarified. "A lot can go wrong and the fetus can die after, or during the surgery."

The most likely possibility was that the fetus' heart could stop while surgeons were operating, which did happen in Lynlee's case, but top cardiologists were able to save her mid-surgery.

Cass explained that the fetus could continue bleeding after the surgery, and pass away the following day. Or, amniotic fluid would leak out of the uterus, which could force preterm labor.

But, "we've just been really fortunate," Cass told InsideEdition.com. "Little Lynlee had zero complications and she recovered perfectly."

Boemer was on bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy, until June 6, when little Lynlee emerged from the womb for the second time in her life.

Read: One of the Smallest Preemies to Ever Survive Is Thriving After Being Born 3 Months Early

Eight days after her birth, Lynlee underwent another surgery to remove the remainder of the tumor.

Now, doctors say the 4-month-old is doing great.

"She's completely cured," Cass said. "She's going to be a normal child. She'll go to kindergarten with her friends. That is incredibly rare."

Her mom said, "God gave us this gift, and we're thankful we could give her life."

Watch: Toddler Twins Meet Bone Marrow Donor Who Saved Their Lives: 'It's Like We're Family'

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Samba, anyone? Classes in ballroom dancing -- or any type of dance you desire -- beat hanging out in front of the TV almost any evening. And while older adults are mastering the merengue or honing the hustle, they're also improving their health.

[See: Osteoarthritis and Activity: Walking It Out.]

Treadmill or Tango?

At the Arthur Murray Dance Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, the atmosphere is low-key, welcoming and encouraging. In the central studio, mirrors only cover parts of the wall so you don't have to watch your every move unless you want to. In one corner there's a reassuring sign: "We Don't Make Mistakes. We Do Variations."

Spread out across the dance floor, paired and solo students practice steps with individual instructors. Couples of all ages are more likely to move to "Uptown Funk" or "Royals" than "A String of Pearls."

For Gerri Perry, 74, an avid dance student, West Coast swing is the thing. While her silver dancing shoes have modest heels, they boast just enough glitter to add a pinch of pizzazz.

Perry and her partner, instructor Shawn Bantum, are improvising a routine for an upcoming dance showcase. At first, Perry says, she was "petrified" by the idea of performing in front of others. Now she looks forward to it.

"We're on a roll," Bantum says, as he sets the song to "Fireflies" by Owl City. First, Perry stands alone, looks outward, stretches her arm, opens her hand and mimics setting something (a lightning bug?) loose. Bantum joins her, and they glide into their dance.

For Perry, dance is a meaningful way to express herself and stay fit. "It gets my heart rate up," she says. "It's something I enjoy, instead of being on a treadmill."

Behind the partition, a cha-cha class is in progress. "One-two-three-cha-cha-stop-open up," the classroom instructor calls out. Six or so couples dance in sync. "Maintain your frame," she says, and demonstrates with arms held wide, chest open and proud. A gray-haired man in suspenders carefully twirls his partner.

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Linda Theiss, director of the center and a veteran dance instructor, says when retired couples and older single adults sign up, the No. 1 reason she hears is: "I'm tired of the gym and looking for something that's fun."

If beginners are out of shape and out of breath, no problem, Theiss says. During their first lesson or two, they may have to sit and take breaks, but within a month, they've built up enough stamina to last the whole lesson.

Fees start at $250 a month, Theiss says, with a typical six-week program costing $750. Many students begin in their 70s and 80s. "What have they got to lose?" she says. "Maybe a few pounds and some stiffness."

Truly Healthy

Dancing is fun and energizing, but does it really bring health benefits for older adults? Absolutely, says Dr. Natacha Falcon, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with Rothman Institute Orthopaedics in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Falcon, herself an aficionado, reels off dance's positive effects.

Nonoperative spine care is a focus of Falcon's practice, and she sees many patients with compression spine factures. "One of the recommendations to decrease osteoporosis and strengthen your bones is weight-bearing exercise," she says. "So ballroom dancing definitely comes into play there."

The cardiovascular workout varies. "The waltz is a lot slower, perhaps, than something like the cha-cha," Falcon says. "But at the end of the day, you are increasing your heart rate. You're using your arms and your legs often, and using them together in sequence."

The emphasis on posture and form is another plus. "A lot of the positions that the dancers have to attain or maintain definitely strengthen their core," Falcon says.

A 2014 study in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics randomly assigned frail, elderly nursing home residents to either a ballroom dancing program or a control group. Residents in the dance program improved their balance and had fewer falls.

Certain demands of dancing help maintain mental sharpness, Falcon says: "Think about having to learn the steps to a routine and do them again and duplicate them." She points to a 2003 study from the New England Journal of Medicine on leisure activities and dementia incidence in the elderly. "Dancing was the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia," researchers wrote.

Emotional health benefits are another bonus, Falcon says, from the therapeutic effect of music and socialization to the body contact and endorphin-releasing power of touch, similar to a massage.

[See: 14 Ways to Protect Seniors From Falls.]

Salsa Adventure

Angela Ingram, an instructor at the Joy of Motion Dance Center in the District of Columbia, wants to see still upper bodies in contrast with swinging hips. So students in her Cuban salsa class gamely place purple foam yoga blocks on their heads as they perform basic salsa steps with what she calls "a little bit of folklore."

Passersby are dimly visible through the frosted window facing the street. Inside the small class, the students in leotards, T-shirts and shorts, headscarves and bands -- mostly women and one adventurous man -- are sweating. Most, but not all, are in their 20s to 40s. They're intent on Ingram and the mirror, trying to keep up with the nuances of each rhythm -- salsa, rumba and mambo.

Clap-clap-clap ... clap-clap, Ingram begins, and students join in. She explains and demonstrates precise body mechanics. Spines in alignment, knees bent, torsos forward and butts back, students roll their shoulders one at time, isolating the muscles. "It's real subtle but it's real sensuous," Ingram says. She turns on the music: Willie Bobo's evocative "Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries."

Student Janneke Ratcliffe, 55, signed up for the class just a few weeks ago with a special motivation. Ratcliffe is traveling to Cuba next month, something she'd never expected to do. The class helps set the atmosphere, although when trying out the unfamiliar moves, "I feel like a chicken," she says, laughing.

Chatting after class, Ratcliffe says the hardest part for her is the mindset. "Getting out of your head is important," she says. With her kids now in college and out of the house, she adds, "At 55, I'm healthy and able and ready to try some new stuff."

[See: 9 Foods That Can Keep Your Brain Sharp.]

Sitting nearby, Ingram slips off her dance shoes and rubs her feet. It's the last class of the evening for Ingram, who's been deep-knee bending, pivoting, twisting and shimmying at speeds others can only hope to achieve. At 54, Ingram is attuned to students of all ages. "Dance is taught to keep your body safe," she says. "I want everyone to feel comfortable learning."

What Keeps You Young?

Lisa Esposito is a Patient Advice reporter at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at lesposito@usnews.com.
Tyrus Ty Wong doesnt get what the fuss is all about. Sure, he created Bambis distinctive look and exhibited artwork with Picasso. And yes, he illustrated scenes from Rebel Without a Cause and The Wild Bunch while designing popular Hallmark holiday cards on the side.

All those accomplishments dont overly impress Wong, however.

Im just a lucky artist, the centenarian likes to insist to his daughter Kim.

Hollywood and the Asian-American community know better. They have been showering Wong with recognition and accolades the past 15 years while he shakes his head in bemusement.

Next week the pioneering artist will be twice honored at the Asian World Film Festival. On Oct. 24, he will receive a lifetime achievement award on the opening day of the fest, sponsored by Variety. And the next day the festival will screen Pam Toms documentary about him on his 106th birthday.

My dad is tickled, Kim says on his behalf. But he doesnt understand the hullabaloo.

Tom sure does. The Asian-American filmmaker spent 17 years researching and shaping her documentary about Wong, who has packed a lot of artistry into his long life. Born in China, he immigrated to the Bay Area at age 9, went to art school on scholarship, and painted murals before taking a low-level animation job in 1938.

By then, he was married with a child and needed a steady paycheck. But he yearned to do more. When he heard about Walt Disneys Bambi project, he created a series of lush landscape paintings with deer in the forest.

They impressed Disney, who used Wongs paintings as the visual inspiration for the seminal film.

Tom learned of Wongs pivotal role while watching a Bambi featurette with her daughter Isabella, now 23, but 6 at the time. It seemed so implausible to her then, given what she knew of the racial climate in Hollywood and the U.S. during that period.

And why didnt she, as a Chinese-American raised in Southern California, know more about Wong?

When she first tried to raise money for Tyrus, all she got were blank stares. So she did her research and conducted interviews when she could. In between, Tom had another daughter, now 15, and worked other jobs. She eventually conducted a Kickstarter campaign and landed a grant from PBS. Its been my life for decades, she admits.

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Toms research led her to Joe Musso, a legendary illustrator in his own right who learned the tricks of the trade from Wong at Warner Bros. in the early 1960s. Wong moved to that studio in 1942 after Disneys animation strike, and served as a mentor to such newcomers as Musso during his 16 years at the studio.

A lot of the reason Im still sitting here is because of Ty, says Musso, a long-time IATSE president who was initially recommended for union membership by Wong and two others.

He and Wong used to go to lunch frequently when they were fellow studio illustrators, but fell out of touch after Wong left showbiz during yet another slowdown in 1968.

His last two studio projects: The Green Berets and The Wild Bunch.

Ty went out on two of the biggest, Musso says.

By that time the studios had begun to change their approach to illustration departments, Musso says.

And while Musso continues to work at 75, recently providing illustrations for Quentin Tarantinos Hateful Eight, Wong devoted his creative energies elsewhere.

He continued designing the popular Hallmark holiday cards from his Sunland studio, and he designed elaborate bamboo kites the way his father taught him.

Through Wong Tom learned more about the racial climate and restrictions Asian-Americans faced in the past century. Wong couldnt buy property when he was creating Bambis distinctive look, for example, and never saw his mother after immigrating to America with his father in 1919, when immigration was sharply restricted under the Chinese Exclusion Act.

It was a huge history lesson to me, Tom says.

And while Musso knew Hollywood wasnt always welcoming to Asians in the 1960s, he never realized the scope of Wongs racial struggles until he saw Toms film.

When I met him you would never see it. He did not mention it.

Indeed, he describes the illustrator as revered at Warner Bros. during their shared time at the studio.

As Wong has gotten older, tributes to his work have proliferated. He was named a Disney Legend in 2001, and the Walt Disney Family Museum exhibited his artwork in 2013. Asian-American museums have also paid tribute to the artist.

But all this material about the artist that Tom unearthed posed its own creative challenge: How to shape his story into a digestible form.

He worked so many media, Tom says. He took whatever work he could and elevated it.

Toms first cut was four hours. Eventually she got the right mix, by using Wongs voice to tell the story. That meant doing pick-up shots when Wong was 104, however.

No way was I not going to finish it. Its almost as if the story found me.

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By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - A militant who died in a raid in Bangladesh this month was identified as the head of a militant group blamed for a deadly attack on a cafe that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners, security officials said on Friday. Abdur Rahman leapt to his death from a five-story building as he tried to escape the raid on Oct. 8 on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, by the police-led Rapid Action Battalion, an elite force spearheading the counter-terrorism effort. Battalion chief Benazir Ahmed said several documents, emails and letters retrieved during the raid confirmed Rahman was head of a new faction of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), known as New JMB, and went by the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif. "Rahman's real name was Sarwar Jahan," Ahmed told a news conference. "He was arrested for taking part in an attack on police in 2003, and nine months later freed on bail, after which he disappeared."In its April issue, Dabiq, a journal of militant group Islamic State, reported that Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif was the jihadists' "emir" in Bangladesh. The July 1 cafe attack in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter was claimed by the jihadist group and was one of the most brazen in Bangladesh, reeling from a spate of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year. Al Qaeda and Islamic State have made competing claims over the attacks in the mostly Muslim country of 160 million people. Police believe that New JMB, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was involved in organizing the cafe attack. While authorities blame the violence on domestic militants, security experts say the scale and sophistication of the cafe attack suggested links to a transnational network. The United States believes elements of Islamic State are connected to operatives in Bangladesh, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during an August visit to Dhaka. The targeting of foreigners could hurt foreign investment in the poor South Asian economy, whose $28 billion garments export industry is the world's second-largest. Police have killed more than 36 suspected militants in shootouts since the cafe attack, including its presumed mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. On Tuesday, police said they had identified three people as the main suppliers of funds for the attack. One was a doctor who left Bangladesh with his family for Syria to join Islamic State. The other two, a retired army major who donated his savings and pension and a man who donated money from a Dhaka flat sale, died in shootouts with police. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Dhaka (AFP) - The head of a Bangladeshi Islamist group accused of staging a deadly siege at a cafe and the killing of several foreigners died while trying to evade arrest earlier this month, security officials said Friday.

Abdur Rahman died in hospital on October 8 after jumping from the fifth floor of a building on the outskirts of Dhaka during a raid by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite security unit.

The identity of Rahman, who was leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was later confirmed through his possessions and by his family, who were shown pictures of his body, the RAB said in a statement.

Several documents, letters and emails that were later retrieved by the RAB "all proved that Abdur Rahman was the emir (head) of the new JMB", the statement added.

Bangladeshi authorities are insistent that the JMB was behind a siege at an upmarket cafe in Dhaka on July 1 in which 20 mostly foreign hostages were killed, even though the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

The RAB said that some of the documents recovered during their raid had been signed by Rahman using the alias Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al Hanif.

While the statement made no mention of IS, the April issue of Dabiq, a magazine affiliated to the organisation, reported that Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif was the jihadists' "emir" in Bangladesh.

A RAB spokesman refused to comment on whether the two were the same men.

RAB, which is tasked with tackling militancy and serious crimes, has listed 19 attacks carried out by the JMB, including the fatal shootings of an Italian aid worker and a Japanese national late last year and a series of murders of religious minorities.

The siege at the cafe in July was by far the deadliest attack and caused widespread alarm about the growth of Islamist extremism in a country where more than 90 percent of the population is Muslim.

- Wave of attacks -

Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of recent attacks with targets including foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

Story continues

At least 40 JMB followers have been killed in a crackdown against the group since the cafe attack and dozens of raids have been carried out at addresses linked to the outfit.

The JMB, long dormant after their top leaders were executed in March 2007, is believed to have recently regrouped with young and university-educated extremists taking the helm.

In August, Bangladesh police shot dead Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent, in an operation just outside the capital.

The police have said Tamim was a leader of the new JMB and the main mastermind of the cafe attack.

RAB on Friday released some text messages between Tamim and Rahman on the night before the Canadian's death.

"The satans have come here. We're preparing for fight. We're going to Allah," Tamim wrote. The messages showed that Tamim was swearing his allegiance to Rahman.

RAB said Rahman, a former madrassa student who speaks Arabic and Urdu, became the new JMB chief after two successful operations in 2015.

RAB chief Benazir Ahmed told reporters that they have arrested 33 JMB extremists, including two close associates of Rahman but 21 extremists were still on the run.

Critics say Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists. They accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

Many of the attacks have been claimed by IS and the local offshoot of the Al-Qaeda network.

In August, US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Dhaka that evidence existed to link the extremists behind the attacks in Bangladesh to IS.
By Huw Jones and Carolyn Cohn

LONDON (Reuters) - Banks will get a "period of calm" after new rules forcing them to provision earlier for loan-losses come into effect from 2018, a senior global accounting official said.

The rules are being introduced to avoid taxpayer rescues of banks that run into trouble because they have not set aside money early enough to cover loans that go into default.

The rules were produced by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), and will be mandatory for banks in more than 100 countries, including the European Union.

They have prompted concerns in the EU where banks in countries like Italy and Germany are already struggling to convince investors they are holding enough capital.

In addition, all IASB rules are reviewed on a routine basis, raising the prospect of more upheaval for the banking industry.

"We will do our post-implementation review, but the reality is that people have asked for a period of calm after all these big new standards," Sue Lloyd, the newly appointed Vice-Chair of the IASB, said in an interview this week.

The rules, known collectively as IFRS9, will mean costly upgrades for banks' IT and accounting systems as well as potentially more expensive capital.

Banks will have to make some provision even on the first day of the loan, and long before a default, the current trigger for provisioning.

"The banks are going through a really big process to implement IFRS9, so we don't want to upturn their world again in the near future," Lloyd said.

The EU must formally endorse IFRS9 to make it mandatory in the 28-country bloc. The IASB is pleased the European Parliament pulled back this month from blocking it, she said.

In a move welcomed by the IASB, the Basel Committee, which writes global bank capital rules, proposed this month giving banks more time to increase their capital buffers because of the impact of the new accounting rules.

The United States applies its own accounting standards and its loan-loss reforms force American banks to provision in full on the first day of a loan.

This means there will be greater divergence between the IASB and U.S. rules despite calls from world leaders for a single set of global accounting rules to make life easier for investors and regulators.

(Reporting by Huw Jones and Carolyn Cohn, editing by Jane Merriman)
PARIS (Reuters) - A proposed increase in France's share tax flies in the face of efforts by the government and the financial industry to lure banking jobs from London, financial sector lobbies have warned.

In a first reading of next year's budget bill, lawmakers in the lower house of parliament backed an increase in the tax to 0.3 percent from 0.2 percent as well as its extension to cover intra-day trading.

"This is also a bad signal that we are sending in the context of Brexit as for the attractiveness of the Paris financial centre," Philippe Brassac, head of the French banking federation and chief executive of France's third-biggest listed lender Credit Agricole, told Reuters.

Although the Socialist-led government had not included the increase in the original bill, it backed lawmakers' amendments to introduce the increase.

There is no guarantee that the amendment will enter into law as it must also be backed in the conservative dominated Senate and in a final reading before the lower house.

Budget Minister Christian Eckert estimated during the debate that the tax would raise additional tax revenue of 500 million euros ($545 million), but acknowledged that it was unknown how investors might react.

The proposals would increase French companies' financing costs, Brassac added.

In response the Finance Ministry told Reuters in a statement: "Tax issues are not a determining factor in companies' decisions about where they set up business, at least not situations when they relocate due to events like Brexit."

The French government aims to attract businesses leaving London following Britain's decision to exit the European Union with plans to fast-track the registering of firms and extending tax benefits expatriates can qualify for.

However, France's comparatively high taxes remains an obstacle as does the Socialist government's support for a long-stalled financial transaction tax in 10 EU countries - which would replace France's existing share tax.

Story continues

French financial lobby Paris Europlace hopes there is still a chance to reconsider the decision to hike the share tax.

"This is a bad message and it is the opportunity for Paris Europlace to point out the strategic issues," Arnaud de Bresson, chief executive, told Reuters.

First proposed by the conservative government of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, the share tax was modelled on Britain's stamp duty, which puts a 0.5 percent levy on stock purchases.

It applies to share purchases on companies with a capitalisation of more than 1 billion euros.

($1 = 0.9181 euros)

(Reporting by Maya Nikolaeva, Julien Ponthus and Jean-Baptiste Vey; Editing by Leigh Thomas and Alison Williams/Richard Balmforth)
Media mogul Barry Diller has taken on an ambitious $200 million project to build a park, called Pier 55, along the Hudson River. Theres just one thing standing in his way: Hes being sued by the City Club of New York, a civic group founded in 1892.

This group of three people sued us, Diller said in the closing panel of Vanity Fairs New Establishment Summit on Thursday.

In the beginning, Diller said, they sued him for odd things, like for impeding light from reaching a special fish in the Hudson. Diller said he was perplexed by these strange lawsuits until he found out who was behind the City Club of New York.

I couldnt figure it out until I realized the three people  one of whom was named Durst (Doug Durst), from the very honorable Durst family killing machine, said Diller, who is chairman and senior executive of both IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI) and Expedia (EXPE).

Diller was making a reference to Robert Durst, who is suspected of multiple murders and is also a scion of the wealthy real estate family. Durst was the subject of the hit HBO documentary mini-series The Jinx, which examined his connection to those murders.

On Thursday, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter tried to correct Diller when he described the entire clan as a killing machine. No, thats one member  Robert Durst, Carter said.

He should have killed his brother, retorted Diller.

Diller explained that he found out that Doug Durst was trying to wreak [havoc] on the Hudson River Park Trust because years ago the organization had spurned Mr. Durst.

A rendering of Pier 55. Courtesy of Luxigon via Curbed

In an attempt to clear the air, Diller said he set up a meeting with Durst and demanded an explanation.

Diller recalls the conversation: Durst said, Oh no, I think what youre doing is nice. I dont have any objections to what youre building. But I dont like the fact that the Hudson River Parks plants are only green. Theres no color and there should be and they dont maintain it.

Incredulous, Diller recalled that he said, But that has nothing to do with my little pier. It seems awfully cruel. Were putting up a lot of money to build this thing  He looked up at me and said, You have my sympathy. I got up and left that room. Anyway, theyre suing us.

Story continues

Last month, Douglas Durst declined to tell The New York Times whether he was behind the litigation over Pier 55, but he did issue this statement to the paper: I do not like the process or the project and I am in favor of the litigation.

Melody Hahm is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.

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Despite how successful and talented many are these days, its safe to say that most of us arent celebrities. And thats totally okay. That said, it sadly means that we dont (usually) get the opportunity of being invited to gifting suits.



Heres a behind the scenes look at what goes down at these generously lavish events. Last weekend GBK, the luxury lifestyle gift lounge and special events company, partnered up with The Food Network, Cooking Channel, and the New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Coca-Cola to host their 2016 Thank You Lounge for celebrity guests and chefs.



The event featured a range of high end, innovative, and trendy gifts for the slew of internationally-recognized chef and celebrity guests to peruse. Big names to stop by were: Emeril Lagasse, Ayesha Curry, Bobby Flay, Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Zimmern, Michael Symon, Whoopi Goldberg, and more.



The swag offered at the luxury Thank You Lounge was an impressive range of things youve always wanted or needed or didnt realize you needed, until now.



curry



Lavish travel trips that guests can now look forward to attending include a three night stay for two at the luxurious, all-inclusive, AAA Four Diamond rated property Moon Palace Jamaica Grande courtesy of Palace Resorts; and a three night, all-inclusive stay at Canyon Ranch where guests can vacation at either Canyon Ranch in Tucson, AZ; Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA; or Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort at Kaplankaya, Turkey.



Whats an event without food? Aside from the sweet cupcakes, Sugarees also gave out $100 gift cards to be used online to purchase one of its classic Southern layer cakes or homemade pies; Taco Mix had a tasty taco building station where they offered $500 gift cards; and Guittard Chocolate gifted a signature Guittard Chocolate swag bag featuring a selection of professional Single Origin and Blended Chocolates from the Collection Etienne.



emeril



Kitchenware and necessities featured: John Boos & Co.s hard maple edge grain cutting boards; Kiyasa Groups PROUNA fine bone china marble plates; Lehmann glassware; Lipper Internationals Serving and Organization items; and Warther Cutlerys handcrafted kitchen knives, and more.



Wine fanatics will be thrilled to use the Napa Technologys Genesis, the first single bottle preservation and dispensing system designed for both sparkling and still wine, and the Built NYs up-to-four-hour wine tote insulator.



Barebones' Pathfinder (soft sided cooler) with scissors in a handmade leather case and cast-iron skillet and crock kit; Tuft & Needles Adaptive Foam mattress, ezpz all-in-one placemat + plate for infants and toddlers, and Gift Wrap My Faces custom wrapping paper, were several other innovative products showcased as well.
As Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump battled it out in the final U.S. presidential debate, China was busy rolling out the red carpet for an unlikely guest: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was on a four-day tour of the worlds second largest economy. The Asian state visit may have been overshadowed by American campaign rhetoric but it carried great geopolitical weight. At a business forum in Beijings Great Hall of the People on Thursday, Duterte, who took office in June, announced his nations separation from the U.S. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also, he said, America has lost.

It was a stunning statement from the leader of one of the worlds most pro-American nations, which is bound to the U.S. by a seven-decade-old defense alliance. The setting was also momentous: in recent years, few bilateral relations have been as acrimonious as those between China and the Philippines, which were poisoned by competing territorial claims in the South China Sea. In July, China excoriated the Philippine government, under Dutertes predecessor Benigno Aquino III, for filing  and winning  a case with an international tribunal that rubbished Chinas South China Sea claims. The Peoples Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, opined that a U.S.-led conspiracy [was] behind the farce.

Now, Duterte has agreed to talks on the South China Sea with China, which showered the visiting Philippine President with promises of $13.5 billion in trade deals. Ive realigned myself, Duterte told his hosts on Thursday, in your ideological flow. Even though Beijing has built artificial islands that double as floating military bases in contested South China Sea waters, Duterte noted on Wednesday that China has never invaded a piece of my country all these generations. He went on: During the Cold War, China was portrayed as the bad guy [but]  what we have read in our books in school were all propaganda produced by the West.

Story continues

And that wasnt all. Americans are loud, sometimes rowdy. Their larynx is not adjusted to civility, he added. They are a very discourteous people.

In an earlier interview with Chinas state broadcaster CCTV, the combative Philippine leader, who has repeatedly referred to U.S. President Barack Obama as a son of a whore, said that the only hope of the Philippines economically, Ill be frank with you, is China. By contrast, Duterte said in Beijing that he no longer considered the U.S.  which once colonized the Philippines and is hoping to resuscitate its military presence in the Southeast Asian nation  a trusted partner. Your stay in my country was for your own benefit, Duterte said about the U.S., to a group of Filipino expatriates in Beijing. So time to say goodbye, my friend.

Duterte likes his politics to shock. His Cabinet members and top advisers have professed surprise about his defense and foreign policy statements  and spent Thursday evening attempting to soften his anti-U.S. language. But the Philippine Presidents turn away from the U.S. toward China is not unique in Asia, and it is troubling news for a superpower that made a pivot to Asia a cornerstone of foreign policy. We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S., said U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby on Thursday. Its not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications.

Even as quagmires in the Middle East proliferated, Obama championed his Asian pivot as a fresh policy initiative for a fresh century. During a 2011 trip to Asia, which had long felt ignored by George W. Bushs administration, Obama vowed: The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay. Clinton, then serving as U.S. Secretary of State, dubbed the 21st century Americas Pacific Century. In fact, her first trip abroad as Secretary of State was to Asia.

The pivot, later downgraded to a less vigorous rebalance, did reap some rewards, even if China saw it as nothing but containment. Showing up for various regional conferences proved, at the very least, that America hadnt forgotten about Asia. New friendships were forged. Vietnam and the U.S., for example, are now far closer than at any point in the four decades since American soldiers exited an unwinnable war. (Vietnam, along with other regional claimants, has pushed back against Chinas contention that it owns roughly 90% of the South China Sea.) In Burma, known officially as Myanmar, Washington has cheered as the political party of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi won elections  and a junta that had once cozied up to Beijing began distancing itself from certain Chinese investments.

But with the U.S. distracted by the Middle East, not to mention mired in the most acrimonious presidential election in generations, the Asia pivot has failed to sustain relations with some of the Washingtons longest-standing allies in the region. In the case of the Philippines, local officials wondered why the U.S. did not speak out or act more forcefully when China began its island-building campaign in the South China Sea. The U.S. under Obama was the one that raised our expectations with its pivot to Asia, says Clarita Carlos, a political analyst and former president of the National Defense College of the Philippines. But we discovered that the U.S. did not put meat into its declaration. Since taking office in June, Duterte has responded by suspending joint military patrols with the U.S. in the South China Sea. He has also talked about buying Chinese weapons to fight terrorism back home.

If geopolitics is a zero-sum game, American inattention  or at least dashed Asian hopes  may be to Chinas advantage. In East Asia, the U.S. talked too much and did little, says Gao Shaopeng, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. Since President Xi [Jinping] has been in power, he has attached great importance to relations with Asian countries. Now we are seeing some good results.

In Thailand, where the military took power through a 2014 coup, junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha began joint military exercises with the Chinese last year. For a nation that once served as a staging ground for U.S. military operations in Vietnam, this defense cooperation with China felt like a turning point. Even though Thailand is still bound by a U.S. defense alliance, the Thai government has also agreed to buy Chinese submarines. Thailands enhanced military relations with China occurred just as Washington suspended military aid to Bangkok because of American concerns over the juntas power grab. But Thailands outreach to China predated this diplomatic slight. Long before the pivot, there was a sense that the Thai-U.S. military alliance had lost its relevance, says Michael Montesano, an expert on Thailand at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Thailands military-run government has deported Chinese-born dissidents and refugee applicants, ignoring an international outcry over Beijings lack of due process. Last month, Hong Kong political activist Joshua Wong was denied entry to Thailand for a conference. Its hard, perhaps, to ignore the economic reality that China is, like with so many Asian nations, Thailands largest trading partner. Amid a foreign-investment slump following the 2014 putsch, China has continued to invest in Thailand, not only with a flood or tourists but with infrastructure projects as well.

Even Japan, which prides itself as the U.S. strongest ally in Asia, has been disappointed by the pivot  and the role that Asian democracies have played in U.S. presidential politics. Japan hosts nearly 50,000 American troops on its soil and is tied to the U.S. by a mutual defense treaty. So when Trump said in a debate that Japan (along with nations like South Korea and Germany) should be paying us, because we are providing tremendous service, Japanese wondered if hed forgotten about the almost $2 billion per year Tokyo gives Washington to maintain the U.S. military presence. We cant defend Japan, Trump has said, chilling words for a nation that views with increasing alarm Chinas growing economic and military power.

In Thursdays debate, Clinton again reassured Japan and defended the U.S.s treaty obligations with its Asian allies. But as Trump has attacked trade deals for stealing American jobs, Clinton has also tacked against globalization. While she was Secretary of State, Clinton championed a key component of Obamas Asia pivot, the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. But she now says she no longer supports the pact, which needs to be ratified by the U.S. Congress.

Thats bad news for Japan, the worlds third largest economy. Partly under American pressure, Tokyo declined to sign up for a new Chinese financing initiative called the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. What happens if TPP is also off the table? In September, the usually diplomatic Japanese government issued a scathing 15-page critique of the populist isolationism that led to Brexit. Success or failure in ratifying TPP, warned Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month, will sway the direction of the global free trade system, and the strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific.

Of course, Chinas economic sway in the region may be undercut by its increasingly assertive foreign policy. Last month, the Global Times, a Chinese Communist Partylinked tabloid, railed against Singapore for allegedly pushing to include the topic of the South China Sea territorial disputes in a joint statement issued at the Non-Aligned Movement summit. Singapores ambassador to China fired back, saying that the Chinese media report was false and unfounded. The Southeast Asian city-state, which has long invested in China, did not appreciate Chinese criticism, even if it has provided a deployment base for U.S. military craft that patrol the South China Sea.

An opinion poll published this week in the Philippines showed that the public still trusts the U.S. more than China. Nor has Duterte, a firebrand with a knack for insulting many a world leader, been consistent in his attitudes toward Beijing. During the Philippine presidential campaign earlier this year, Duterte vowed that he would ride a jet ski to disputed South China shoals and isles in order to protect Philippine interests. For all of his criticism of the U.S., Duterte has not yet turned his back on an agreement to give American soldiers access to bases in the Philippines. The Philippine electorate may push back on their leaders anti-Americanism and urge him to defend what they consider Philippine territory in the South China Sea, even if increased trade with China is welcomed.

Nevertheless, Chinese foreign policy analysts see the weight of history in Beijings favor. For centuries, Asian nations paid tribute to Chinese emperors, who controlled the worlds richest civilization. The U.S., by contrast, is a recent interloper. Now its time for China to restore the relationship, like in the old times, says China Foreign Affairs Universitys Gao. For Asian countries, they have to come close to China. There is no other choice for them.

 With reporting by Yang Siqi / Beijing
Bella Thorne releases her inner skater girl and were loving it

He was a boy, she was a girl Can you guess the song? He was a punk, she did ballet, what more can I say? We all know the words to Avril Lavignes infamous Sk8er Boi song, and of course are super familiar with the chorus  he was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy, etc. But one girl we dont have to worry about passing up a skater boy (or skater girl, whatevs) is Bella Thorne, who recently shared an Instagram thats giving us alllll kinds of throwback feels.

Remember when the height of coolness was how close your aesthetic was to I spend my free time at a skate park even if youve never been on a skate board?

Feeling his sk8r boy #vibes A photo posted by BELLA (@bellathorne) on Oct 20, 2016 at 3:31pm PDT

Ughhhh, our middle school selves wouldve probably killed to look so skateboard chic. Wherever she is, Avril Lavigne is no doubt applauding this perfect lewk. Bella Thorne captioned this gram

Feeling his sk8r boy #vibes

so we cant help but wonder if this killer ensemble was inspired or encouraged by Bellas boyfriend, Teen Wolf actor Tyler Posey. The two of them, by the way, are deeeefinitely one of the most attractive couples in Hollywood. Seriously. LOOK at this cute factor.

#mcm to this insanely talented punk bunny  what up doggg #mine #mancrush #always A photo posted by BELLA (@bellathorne) on Oct 3, 2016 at 11:12am PDT

Whatever her Instagram caption means, we love the picture. And to round out our sk8r boy nostalgia feelings for the day, youve GOT to rewatch the music video that made it all ~cool~ back in the day. (By which we mean the early 2000s.)

Ahhh, to go back to simpler times, where eyeliner doubled as face paint.

The post Bella Thorne releases her inner skater girl and were loving it appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Photo credit: Tim Greenway/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

From Town & Country

You may have seen T&C's coverage of Niche's list of the best colleges and universities across the country.

While Stanford might be number one in that category, the top liberal arts college honors go to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. The town has a population of 20,278, according to the 2010 Census. Established in 1794, Bowdoin was the first college in the state of Maine, and along with L.L. Bean it remains one of Brunswick's top private employers (click here to watch a behind-the-scenes tour of the L.L. Bean factory there).

Here are the 2018's top 20 liberal arts colleges in America according to Niche, which says its numbers comparing more than 200 colleges are "based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni."

1. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine (above)

Hope you have a Leafy Good Friday! #theviewfromcoles #bowdoin #readingperiod A post shared by Bowdoin College (@bowdoincollege) on May 12, 2017 at 7:11am PDT

2. Pomona College, Claremont, California

The Cecil 1 Drone flies high over Marston Quad towards the San Gabriel Mountains. A post shared by Pomona College (@pomonacollege) on Sep 1, 2017 at 11:08am PDT



3. Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota

#photographer #photography #northfield #carletoncollege #minnesota #minneapolis #church #chapel #happy #architecture A post shared by Yingqi Ding (@ding_yingqi) on Sep 3, 2017 at 6:40pm PDT

4. Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California

A nice spot for Mudditation. #HixonCourt #beautifulcampus #wartsandall A post shared by Harvey Mudd College (@harvey_mudd) on Aug 4, 2017 at 11:10am PDT

5. Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

The first day of classes is in full swing! Share your photos with us by using #MiddMoment and we will share some of our favorites throughout the year. . Also be sure to follow us on Snapchat @MiddCollege. We have a student take over happening later today! A post shared by Middlebury College (@middleburycollege) on Sep 11, 2017 at 8:51am PDT



6. Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia

Story continues

Here's hoping Spring Break isn't moving so quickly... A post shared by Washington and Lee University (@wlunews) on Apr 18, 2017 at 12:12pm PDT

7. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Hey #Swat2021 - look to see a story from the Orientation committee on last-minute advice before move-in day! A post shared by Swarthmore College (@swarthmorecollege) on Aug 25, 2017 at 8:55am PDT

8. Barnard College, New York, New York

Enjoy the #FirstDayofClasses, #Barnard! A post shared by Barnard College (@barnardcollege) on Sep 5, 2017 at 6:00am PDT

9. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California




Set enmity aside? Not this year.

Nearly 24 hours after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton went head-to-head for the third and final presidential debate, they found themselves on the same stage again  only this time, for lighthearted ribbing. Or so the tradition goes.

Every four years, the Al Smith dinner, an annual fundraiser for Catholic charities, offers a moment of levity and self-deprecation at the tail end of grueling campaigns. But Clinton and Trump  and their speechwriters  largely stuck with the caustic rhetoric of this years race as they took turns cracking wise at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York.

Trumps sense of humor and brash attitude didnt quite translate to the white-tie gala meant to raise money for children in poverty throughout New York. About halfway through the speech, when he started slamming Clinton with the same furor as on the campaign trail, the boos started to rain down. He nevertheless delivered some zingers that even had Clinton laughing.

Trumps best jokes

You know, the president told me to stop whining, but I really have to say the media is more biased this year than ever before. You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it. Its fantastic. They think shes absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech and people get on her case! And I dont get it. I dont know why.

I do recognize that I come into this event with a little bit of an advantage. I know that so many of you in the archdiocese already have a place in your heart for a guy that started out as a carpenter working for his father. I was a carpenter working for my father.

We have proven that we can actually be civil toward each other. In fact, before taking the dais, Hillary accidentally bumped into me, and she very civilly said, Pardon me. And I very politely replied, Let me talk to you about that after I get into office. Just kidding.

Im actually a modest person. Very modest. Its true. In fact, many people tell me that modesty is perhaps my best quality, even better than my temperament.

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You know, Cardinal Dolan and I have some things in common. For instance, we both run impressive properties on Fifth Avenue. Of course his is much more impressive than mine. Thats because I built mine with my own beautifully formed hands.

Trumps worst jokes

Id like to address an important religious matter, the issue of going to confession. Or as Hillary calls it, the Fourth of July weekend with FBI Director Comey.

Now, Im told Hillary went to confession before tonights event, but the priest was having a hard time, when he asked about her sins, and she said she couldnt remember 39 times.

Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt. Hillary is and has been in politics since the 70s. Whats her pitch? The economy is busted. The governments corrupt. Washington is failing. Vote for me. Ive been working on these problems for 30 years. I can fix it, she says.

Weve learned so much from WikiLeaks. For example, Hillary believes that its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private. Thats OK. I dont know who theyre angry at, Hillary, you or I. For example, here she is tonight in public pretending not to hate Catholics.

Hillary Clinton delivers remarks as Donald Trump smiles during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner, in New York. (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Clintons best jokes

You notice there is no teleprompter here tonight, which is probably smart because maybe you saw Donald dismantle his prompter the other day, and I get that. Theyre hard to keep up with, and Im sure its even harder when youre translating from the original Russian.

Every year, this dinner brings together a collection of sensible, committed, mainstream Republicans, or as we now like to call them, Hillary supporters.

We have Rudy Giuliani. Now, many dont know this, but Rudy actually got his start as a prosecutor going after wealthy New Yorkers who avoided paying taxes. But, as the saying goes, If you cant beat them, go on Fox News and call them a genius.

LOL Rudy Giuliani is so not impressed with HRC's joke. https://t.co/GgfNMKAzwF  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 21, 2016

Donald wanted me drug tested before last nights debate. And look, Ive got to tell you, I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. Now, actually, I did. Its called preparation.

Clintons worst jokes

People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

And if Donald does win, it will be awkward at the annual presidents day photo, when all the former presidents gather at the White House, and not just with Bill. How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?

I have deep respect for people like Kellyanne Conway. Shes working day and night for Donald and, because shes a contractor, hes probably not even going to pay her.

You look so good in your tuxes  or, as I refer to them, formal pantsuits.
Sydney (AFP) - BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser is to step down next year after delaying his departure from the world's biggest miner to take charge of the fatal Brazil mine collapse.

Nasser, 68, who has headed up the Anglo-Australian firm since 2010 and been on its board for a decade, said he would not seek re-election as chairman at next year's annual meeting. No successor was announced.

"Last year, I had intended to announce my retirement from the board. However, the board believed it was important that I continue on as chairman to provide stability as we responded to Samarco (mine collapse)," Nasser told shareholders at the company's annual meeting in London on Thursday.

"Now that the basic structure of the Samarco response is in place, the findings of the expert panel have been published, the compensation and remediation programmes have been initiated, and with BHP Billiton in robust shape, I have decided that I will not seek re-election at next year's AGM."

The news came as Brazilian federal prosecutors Thursday announced homicide charges against 21 people including senior mining executives over the collapse of the Samarco mine dam, where 19 lives were lost in the South American nation's worst environmental disaster.

Samarco -- which is co-owned by BHP and Brazilian mining giant Vale -- is also facing billions of dollars in legal claims for clean-up costs and damages.

Nasser, a former chief executive of US automaker Ford, presided over a cost-cutting drive at BHP amid plunging commodity prices and cooling demand from China, the world's largest commodities consumer.

He also oversaw the move to create a new independent company, South32, by spinning-off BHP's non-core assets including aluminium, manganese, silver and selected coal and nickel operations.

The demerger was aimed at allowing BHP to focus on its core long-life operations -- iron ore, copper, petroleum, coal and potash -- which generate most of its profit.

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BHP in August reported an annual net loss of US$6.39 billion, its worst-ever result, on the back of the Brazil disaster and weak commodity prices.

But with commodity prices on the rebound, the company's share price -- which had taking a battering -- has strengthened in recent months.

Shares in BHP were up 0.83 percent to Aus$23.03 in mid-day trade in Sydney Friday.
Big waves slammed the Kennedy Town waterfront in Hong Kong as Typhoon Haima hit the city on Friday, October 21. The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted a Typhoon Signal No. 8, prompting the closure of offices and schools, the cancellation of more than 700 flights, and disruption of bus and ferry services, according to public broadcaster RTHK.

Typhoon Haima, with maximum sustained winds of up to 145 km/h (90 mph), was about 81 miles (130 km) east-northeast of Hong Kong at 2 pm Friday. The typhoon had made landfall near Shanwei, China.

At least eight people were killed when the storm passed over the northern Philippines earlier this week. Credit: Facebook/Anthea Lau
Bill Murray crashed the White House press briefing to talk up the Chicago cubs https://t.co/QXzSJ8JS01 pic.twitter.com/aWGu9JEE5W  NBC News (@NBCNews) October 21, 2016

The West Wing veteran Allison Janney reprising her C.J. Cregg character at the White House Press Briefing last April was fun. Though it seems the staff werent content enough with one major celebrity appearance per calendar year, so they invited Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient Bill Murray to stop by and answer a few questions from reporters on Friday. You know, to discuss the days really important topics  like the Chicago Cubs.

Mr. President do you think the Cubs will win? one of Murrays handlers asked after the comedy legend took the podium. Without missing a beat, future President of the United States Bill Murray answered in kind: I feel very confident in Clayton Kershaw. Hes a great, great pitcher, but theyve got too many sticks. Theyve got too many sticks.

Seeing as how the Cubs are just one game away from earning their first ticket to the World Series since 1945, its understandable that Murray would don his teams gear while visiting the White House. Besides, President Obama is more of a White Sox fan, so why not have a few friendly jabs between rivals in light of the current political climate?

(Via NBC News)
Black Mirror is back and ready to offer a fresh and terrifying insight into where society and technology is headed.

The third season of Charlie Brooker's dark anthology series landed on Netflix Friday; all six episodes now available to binge on - though few would encourage anyone with even a slightly nervous disposition to make that attempt.

Now boasting the Netflix Originals badge after been picked up exclusively by the streamer last year, the cult show is bigger and bolder thanks to the deep pockets of its new home. Twice the size as previous seasons (up from three episodes) and boasting an array of stars, including Bryce Dallas Howard, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michael Kelly, as well as directors like Joe Wright, the latest assortment of stories will make viewers wince, shake, squirm and possibly even delete their Instagram accounts. In one unexpected episode, however, they might even feel uplifted.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Brooker breaks down the new episodes, including the one viewers will be most disturbed by, and looks back on the Black Mirror moment that foreshadowed the rise of Donald Trump (though he didn't know it at the time).

Now that you're working with Netflix, are you getting more Americanized? Do you say "reach out" a lot?

I have said "reach out!" It's more things I didn't know that baffle Americans, words like "fortnight." They go, "What the f-- is that? Are you Sir Galahad?"

Have there been any major changes to show since the switch to Netflix?

Netflix said to us from the start: Keep doing that show. They never came in to tell us what we had to do. I knew we had a slightly bigger canvas, I should say, to work on. The running times are a little more flexible, so most of our episodes are a little bit longer than we had before. One episode [the sixth and final "Hated In the Nation," starring Kelly MacDonald] is 90 minutes, just because that's the way the story came out - no matter what I did, I couldn't simplify it.

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When Netflix picked it up, there was a lot of talk about the money - $40 million was touted at the time. Has it all gone into the show?

Every time I hear how much money was involved I go "f--ing hell, really?" It makes me feel like I should be driving around in a golden jet ski shitting diamonds. No, it's all in the show. It's not like we're crashing asteroids into the sun, it's not a quadrupling of the budget, but there's a little more money to spend onscreen. And also, now, to clear a piece of music you have to clear it for every country for 15 years. One of our episodes, "San Junipero" (starring Mbatha-Raw), is set in the '80s, and there's shit loads of recognizable '80s music. That cost us a lot of money.

Read more: 'Black Mirror' Season 3: TV Review | TIFF 2016

Were you surprised how much the show took off in the U.S.?

To be honest, I was more surprised at how it took off outside of the U.K. It was heavily pirated in China! Someone sent me a link to a website where people had been leaving reviews, and there were like 15,000. It was a surprise initially that anyone outside of Britain gave a shit. You know, the prime minister f-- a pig in the first episode [of season one]. It felt quite colloquial. That doesn't have "big tentpole summer movie" written over it.

Which episode in season three is the equivalent of the pig f - ing one, which is likely to have U.S. viewers most alarmed?

I think "Shut Up and Dance" [starring Alex Lawther (The Imitation Game)] is fairly uncompromising. Or "Hated in the Nation," probably one of those two. Although "San Junipero" is surprising in that it's probably not what people expect.

Netflix

Given that the pig episode appeared to be something of a forewarning following allegations surrounding former U.K. prime minister David Cameron, is there anything that we should look out for in season three?

One of the stories does revolve around something that would be good - would be amazing. There's one that is a video game technology that meddles with your eyesight, which is probably not far off. "Nosedive," [which stars Dallas Howard] has an Uber-syle ranking system for every single human. Someone did actually try to do that last year. It's basically a litany of warnings. But I don't like to see it as a warning because I haven't got the answers to anything.

Read more: MIPTV: Why the 'Black Mirror' Deal Marks a Turning Point for Netflix

Is there anything overtly political in there? Someone like Donald Trump seems like the perfect Black Mirror character.

In a way, we've done Trump. In the second season, there was an episode called "The Waldo Moment" which was about a cartoon character who ran for office. At the time, I thought that was one episode that I didn't really nail, didn't get the stakes right. But if you look at that now, it's really quite terrifying. It's more prescient than I realized. He's an anti-politics candidate who's raucous and defensive, and that's all he is, and he offers nothing. He insults everyone and they lap it up because they're so sick of the status quo. And then you look at Trump...

When Netflix took U.K. rights to Black Mirror, British network Channel 4 said they had nurtured the show from the start and it had simply gone for the big money. Has the recent situation involving Bake Off [Channel 4 took the rights after the BBC failed to renew] muted that argument?

They needed the money for that tent they've just bought! Almost certainly... I don't know. It wasn't quite like that - we didn't run to someone waving a check, put it that way. I would say my view of how that panned out is slightly different from theirs. It's a weird one. 2016 has been incredibly depressing. You've had horrible things going on around the globe, cultural icons dropping like flies, and now the Bake Off isn't even going to be on BBC One. It's mental. It's like end of days.

As a fan of the show, are you concerned about the move?

If it was going to go anywhere else, then Channel 4 is a good one. They were really good to us. They won't f - it up. They won't turn it into "Nude Bake Off" until, at least, week nine.

Black Mirror season three is streaming now on Netflix.

Read more: Jodie Foster to Direct Rosemarie DeWitt in 'Black Mirror' Episode
When the new season of the futuristic drama series Black Mirror hits Netflix, uninitiated viewers may want to try a binge with a twist: why not watch the episodes out of order? The shows anthology format means each episode tells a self-contained story, so starting with the very first hour isnt even necessary.

Which may be a good thing because the series premiere is probably one of the more polarizing installments, generating as much hate as there is love. Its just one example of what ardent fans of Charlie Brookers heavily hyped series may not tell you about Black Mirror: Brilliant as the show can be, some episodes are much better than others.

Thats why this spoiler-free ranking below could be a good guide before starting a binge of all 13 episodes. And if this highly subjective assessment is to be believed, dont start with the new season either: none of these episodes even cracks my top five. Disagree? Make your opinion known in the comments section below the ranking.

13. The Waldo Moment (Season 2, Episode 3)

Strangely, the series weakest effort turns out to be arguably the most prophetic Black Mirror episode, which tells an uninspired story vaguely reminiscent of the unlikely candidacy of Donald Trump. But the premise  an irreverent cartoon character manages to make a viable run for higher office  proves too preposterous. Where this series typically succeeds is in making improbable stories believable, but the tone of the humor is so off here that Waldo collapses. Luckily, no other Black Mirror episode is quite as bad as this one.

12. Hated in the Nation (Season 3, Episode 6)

Injecting the Black Mirror sensibility into the traditional format of a crime-drama procedural may seem intriguing, but it doesnt work this time around. Kelly Macdonald is wasted as a police detective leading an investigation into murders committed by an armada of insect drones. Give Brooker credit for taking on the very topical subject of how uncontrollable hatred spreads too easily on social media, but whatever interesting things he has to say gets confused by being interwoven with a seemingly disconnected critique of modern societys surveillance state (courtesy of camera-equipped robo-bumble bees, no less). Episode is inexplicably near 90 minutes, about 20 minutes too long.

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11. Shut Up and Dance (Season 3, Episode 3)

This episode is a classic example of Black Mirrors ability to pull the rug out from under viewers with a plot twist that completely upends your sense of the story. Dance packs a doozy of a punch late in this tale of a mysterious software capable of blackmailing people by spying on their private moments. Theres some incredibly tense scenes in this hour of desperate individuals under enormous pressure, but that doesnt quite paper over the fact that this is a rare episode that doesnt seem to have anything particularly insightful to share about the world we live in. Its OK to just deliver a good scare, but Black Mirror typically aims higher.

10. Nosedive (Season 3, Episode 1)

If Black Mirror were to ever license one of its episodes to broadcast television in a bid to broaden its appeal, Nosedive would be the one: Its the most relatable, accessible episode Brooker has ever made. But thats not really a compliment: Nosedive is way too on the nose in its attempt to take the conceit of how social media is just an endless popularity contest to the nth degree. Bryce Dallas Howard is wonderful as the pathetic protagonist constantly striving to win over her followers. But Nosedive commits one too many sins: Its too predictable, and not disturbing enough.

9. San Junipero (Season 3, Episode 4)

Black Mirror opens its newest batch of episodes with perhaps the most satisfyingly daring tonal shift from the typical darkness permeating the rest of the series. San Junipero is practically Day-Glo bright thanks to a fun evocation of the 1980s era in which this romance between Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis is set. Another daring move is that for most of the episode the story eludes comprehension, but rest assured it will have you thinking about the nature of identity in an era when the prospect of downloading your mind to a hard drive doesnt seem so far-fetched anymore. Mbatha-Raw and Davis are big gets for this series, but their characters relationship doesnt pack the emotional punch that this crowd-pleaser needs to truly shine. Profundity doesnt have to be bleak, but this is barely middle-of-the-pack by the series high standards.

8. The National Anthem (Season 1, Episode 1)

Its possible were it not for the audacious premise at the heart of Black Mirrors very first episode, the show wouldnt have caught on as big as it has. Seriously dramatizing the hilarious notion that the British prime minister could be forced to copulate with a pig on live TV to save the life of a kidnapped royal was a perfect calling card for a show that needs to clearly establish how radical it is. But heres the thing: once you get past the premise, Anthem doesnt really have as sharp a satirical hook as many of the other episodes in that first season had. No ensemble this sprawling has ever performed better than Anthem did in Black Mirrors debut, but the show revealed greater depths elsewhere.

7. Playtest (Season 3, Episode 2)

If ever there was a Black Mirror episode that played like a straight horror film, Playtest is surely the one; its even partly set in a haunted house. Its an unlikely location for a young backpacker (a terrific Wyatt Russell) spending his final days abroad earning some money testing a videogame that blows his mind, both literally and figuratively. The technology that powers the Playtest videogame is nowhere near on the horizon in real life but this episode will make you think hard about whether virtual reality and neurology may ever intersect. If they ever do, run in the other direction. Playtest will get your adrenaline pumping in the moment but wont linger in your mind too long afterward.

6. Men Against Fire (Season 3, Episode 5)

The best episode of the third season works well enough because once you fully understand the technology powering its vision of futuristic warfare, youll be convinced some version of it is going to occur a few decades from now. But the simple pleasure of Men Against Fire is slowly figuring out why the depicted battalion operates the way it does. While it may be the weakest cast assembled for a third season otherwise packed with good performances, Netflix brings in House of Cards veteran Michael Kelly who plays a slick military psychiatrist in just a few scenes, but they are the most memorable the episode has to offer, save the final minute, which is ambiguous but powerful.

5. White Christmas (Season 2, Episode 4)

By blending three episodes worth of interconnected stories into one installment, the ambitiousness of White Christmas is both its biggest asset and drawback. In taking on so much, the episode is bound to get some things wrong. Lets start with whats right: The format is an audacious triumph in how the three stories are loosely related and bookended by scenes that only make clear what the episode is all about at the very end. And Jon Hamm is dazzling beginning to end. But the second segment of the story falls spectacularly flat and a recurring bit regarding time compression in a story otherwise too complicated to explain coherently feels forced, which is really saying something by Black Mirrors outlandish standards.

4. Be Right Back (Season 2, Episode 1)

Certainly the most touching Black Mirror episode, this meditation on technologys ability to transcend mortality by bringing a loved one back to life will strum the heart strings. Whats impressive about Be Right Back is what an intimate story it tells in such close quarters, and yet great performances by Hayley Atwell and Domhnall Gleason beautifully render a story that could have played claustrophobic in the wrong hands. Social media is an issue that many Black Mirror episodes touch on, but Be Right Back is the one that best captures the skewed reflection given off by the Facebook accounts that define us all.

3. The Entire History of You (Season 1, Episode 3)

What if you could record your experience of life like a DVR, playing back in your mind everything you see? The tiny implant that enables this technology, known as the grain, may seem too slender a thread on which to hang an entire episode, but thats why The Entire History of You is such a delight. Youll find yourself at different points in the episode either wanting a grain or wishing you never heard of it. Strictly in terms of traditional story construction, this is far and away the best Black Mirror (no wonder Robert Downey Jr. optioned a film adaptation of the episode). The Entire History of You doesnt boast a particularly compelling cast but the plot is such a well-built machine it doesnt really matter.

2. White Bear (Season 2, Episode 2)

This psychological thriller may be the most terrifying original programming shown on U.S. TV in many, many years. A woman (Lenora Chrichlow) wakes up in a daze with no clue of who or where she is, bewildered by the fact that onlookers inexplicably record her wanderings from a distance with their smartphones. The sense of dread and confusion that gets expertly ratcheted up as the story progresses will not prepare you for the double twist that hits viewers like a pair of uppercuts before the ending. White Bear isnt a perfect episode, and most other episodes in the series have more interesting things to say about the future, but the intensity of this story is unbearable in the best sense of the word.

1. Fifteen Million Merits (Season 1, Episode 2)

Its the quintessential Black Mirror for a simple reason: Its somehow both the craziest and most grounded episode at the same time. The bizarro world of Fifteen Million Merits, which might be best explained as what life would be like if you were forced to live inside a hybrid of a smartphone game and an American Idol-style singing competition, is a dystopian fever dream that makes Idiocracy look somber by comparison. And yet somehow the loony love story (featuring Downton Abbeys Jessica Findlay Brown) that plays out in Fifteen Million Merits feels utterly believable, though were it explained here it would make no sense. Not everyone is going to love this episode, probably because it paints almost too grim a picture of the future to stomach. If ever there was a a Black Mirror episode that would compel you to take every technological device out of your house and bury them in a hole in the backyard, this would be the one.

Disagree? Vent in the comments section below; share your own Black Mirror episode ranking, too.



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Leading commercial aircraft manufacturer The Boeing Co. BA is set to release third-quarter 2016 results before the opening bell on Oct 26.



The company posted a positive earnings surprise of 50.00% in the preceding quarter. Moreover, the company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the past four quarters, with an average beat of 19.54%.



Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

BOEING CO Price and EPS Surprise

BOEING CO Price and EPS Surprise | BOEING CO Quote

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?



Our proven model shows that Boeing is likely to beat earnings this season because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates, and Boeing has the right mix.



Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, stands at +0.38%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate stands at $2.64, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged slightly lower at $2.63. This is a meaningful indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise.



Zacks Rank: Boeings Zacks Rank #3, when combined with a positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat this quarter.



Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (#4 or #5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



Factors at Play



This appears to be a difficult year for the aerospace giant. Stepping into its 100th year of business, Boeing has incidentally recorded a year-to-date drop of 6.1% in its share price. The company recently reported a 5.5% decline in its commercial deliveries during the quarter to 188 airplanes due to sluggish demand for the 737, 777 and 787 Dreamliners.



However, the defense business remained solid. Deliveries at Boeings defense and space business totaled 50 in the third quarter, up from 48 a year ago and 45 in the preceding quarter.



Boeing enjoys a steady flow of contracts for both its commercial and defense products. During the third quarter, the company sold 28 wide-body jets, worth $8.0 billion, to Saudi Arabian Airlines. Moreover, it received an order from Malaysia Airlines Berhad for 25 737 MAX 8 airplanes, valued at $2.75 billion. Within the defense business, Boeing clinched a $2.8 billion contract from the U.S. Air Force for the first lot of 19 KC-46 Pegasus aerial tankers. In addition, its unit won a foreign military sales contract worth $700 million from the Pentagon. These contracts will contribute significantly to the companys top line during the quarter.



Overall, for the third quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at $2.63, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 4.4%; while that for revenues is pegged at $23.42 billion, translating into a 9.4% decline.



Other Stocks that Warrant a Look



Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:



Triumph Group, Inc. TGI is scheduled to report third-quarter 2016 results on Nov 3. The company has an Earnings ESP of +7.96% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Embraer S.A. ERJ has an Earnings ESP of +7.14% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 31.



L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. LLL has an Earnings ESP of +2.75% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 27.



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Kirkuk (Iraq) (AFP) - Jihadists staged a brazen raid on the Iraqi city of Kirkuk Friday, in what appeared to be an attempt to divert attention from the huge offensive against their Mosul bastion.

Residents awoke to the sound of shooting and praise for the "Islamic State" blaring through mosque loudspeakers.

Some attackers, whom one senior Kirkuk official numbered around 100, carried grenades and wore explosives vests or belts in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

An AFP reporter attended the interrogation of one suspected jihadist who said after being captured by Kurdish forces that the attack was designed to ease the pressure on the Mosul front to the northeast.

"Today's attack was one of caliph Baghdadi's plans to demonstrate that the Islamic State is remaining and expanding and reduce the pressure on the Mosul front," he said.

The young man in a grey tracksuit had his hands cuffed and gave his name as Hani Aydan Mustafa, but his role in IS was unclear.

Two years ago in Mosul, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

One of its main slogans was to remain and expand but it has been shrinking steadily since last year and losing Mosul could mean the end of its days as a land-holding force in Iraq.

The attack on Kirkuk, a strategic city some 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, demonstrated the group's continued ability to time its attacks and grab headlines.

"Around morning prayers, I saw several Dawaesh (IS fighters) enter Al-Mohammadi mosque," Haidar Abdelhussein, a teacher in the Tesaeen neighbourhood, told AFP.

- Sniper risk -

"They used the loudspeakers to shout 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) and 'Dawla al-Islam baqiya' (Islamic State remains)," he said.

At least five suicide bombers targeted government buildings, including Kirkuk's main police headquarters. At least six policemen and 12 jihadists were killed in clashes.

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A senior police officer said the main obstacle to flushing out holdout attackers was the risk from snipers.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office announced that reinforcements would be dispatched to Kirkuk to help track down remaining attackers and end the crisis.

A journalist for a local Turkmen television station was killed by an IS sniper, and health officials also said 51 wounded residents were evacuated to nearby hospitals.

A curfew was in place and sporadic gunfire could still be heard as night fell on what was now a war zone, with armoured vehicles taking up position and security forces manning rooftops or crouching behind walls.

IS is unlikely to hold positions in Kirkuk for long, and its attack had no immediate impact on the offensive against Mosul, the biggest Iraqi military operation in years.

The governor of Kirkuk, Najmeddin Karim, told AFP he suspected the involvement of IS sleeper cells.

Kurdish peshmerga fighters have played a major role in the Mosul advance, and both they and federal security forces have made gains on several fronts.

Political and military leaders have praised what they say is speedier than expected progress, with IS offering deadly but so far ineffective resistance as forces backed by air strikes steamroll towards the edge of Iraq's second city.

- Suicide bombers -

The jihadists defenders of Mosul are vastly outnumbered and the final outcome is hardly in doubt.

But they have been launching waves of suicide bombers to make the anti-IS drive as slow and painful as possible.

Also on Friday morning, gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town southeast of the Mosul offensive's main area of operations, and just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Kirkuk.

"Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0300 GMT), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians," Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP.

A police lieutenant colonel confirmed the casualty toll from the attack, which was also claimed by IS.

IS controlled more than a third of Iraq two years ago, but its self-proclaimed "caliphate" has been shrinking steadily.

A 60-nation US-led coalition and neighbouring Iran have helped Iraqi forces regain one city after another, and Mosul is now the group's last major stronghold in the country.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday he was confident that Turkey would take part in the battle to retake Mosul, following tensions between Ankara and Baghdad over the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq.

"I think there is agreement there in principle," he said in Abu Dhabi after a visit to Turkey.

- 'Ultimate sacrifice' -

The jihadist group claimed responsibility for at least five suicide car bomb attacks om Kurdish forces attacking their positions northeast of Mosul.

"Up to 10,000 peshmerga are involved in this operation from three fronts, making it one of the largest ground-led assaults in the war against ISIL," the peshmerga command said in a statement.

Iraqi forces have not provided figures for their losses, but the statement said "a number of peshmerga have paid the ultimate sacrifice".

The coalition announced that a US service member accompanying elite Iraqi forces northeast of Mosul was killed on Thursday.

According to the United Nations, 5,640 people were displaced in the first three days of the operation that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on October 17.

It said up to 1.2 million people may still be inside Mosul, trapped by the estimated 3,000 to 4,500 IS fighters digging in for a major urban assault by the advancing Iraqi forces.

The aid community fears an exodus of massive proportions that could peak as winter sets in without sufficient shelter capacity for refugees.
A boy battling a rare, life-threatening disease has called himself "the luckiest boy in the world" as he took advantage of an all-you-can-grab shopping spree at a toy store, months after moving away from his family for treatment.

Read: Girl With Cancer Can Have Anything She Want, Courtesy of Make A Wish and Chooses to Feed the Homeless

Victor Uluadluak, 8, of Canada had his life turned upside down when he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia two years ago. He now suffers from kidney failure after complications from a bone marrow transplant.

Originally from Whale Cove, Nunavut  a remote, Inuit-populated hamlet  Victor has since had to leave his family and largely traditional community for Winnipeg, Manitoba, a major city located nearly 900 miles away, for treatment.

He now lives with a foster family, and receives hemodialysis treatments for his kidneys six days a week, for three-and-a-half hour sessions each time.

Victor needs a kidney transplant, but will have to improve his health before he is qualified to join a transplant list.

"It was hard but he's a resilient kid," said Jessica Lizotte, Victor's child life specialist from the Winnipeg Children's Hospital. "Overall, he's really optimistic and goes with the flow."

Because of Victor's poor health, Lizotte said he's unable to visit his family, but continues to communicate with them over the phone and online.

Even with all the change, Victor said, "I feel like the luckiest kid in the world," after he was given the ultimate shopping spree at Toys "R" Us.

Read: Baby Drenched in Nutella After Being Accidentally Introduced to the Hazelnutty Spread

Organized by Starlight Children's Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to Canadian children battling serious illnesses, Victor was chosen as one of several children around the country to be gifted a "3-Minute Dash", where he can run through Toys "R" Us, grabbing all the toys he can get.

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To prepare, Lizotte told InsideEdition.com they first came up with a shopping list of all the toys Victor wanted.

"His top choice was a Wii U," Lizotte said. Toward the top of his list were also a build-it-yourself robot, and Nerf guns.

The day before the big all-you-can-grab event, Lizotte said he and his foster family were given a practice run at the store, where Victor could look around the store and figure out the fastest routes, and map out where all his favorite toys were located.

On the day of the run, Victor hopped into a shopping cart, pushed by the Starlight Children's Foundation mascot. He was followed closely by his two foster parents when the whistle was blown, and he was given the go-ahead to start grabbing all his favorite toys.

Read: Take That, Sith Lord! Little Boy 'Jedi' Battles Cancer, Then Kicks Darth Vader's Butt

"He was a little overwhelmed at first," Lizotte told InsideEdition.com. "He doesn't have a whole lot of stamina. He was tired a little bit, but he was ready for action."

In total, Victor was able to take home around $2,300 in toys and other goodies. Out of them, Lizotte said he's now picking out different toys to send his brothers back home.

Watch: Couple Marries in NICU So Their Baby, Once Given 0 Percent Survival Rate, Can Witness Wedding

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Los Angeles (AFP) - Brad Pitt has missed the deadline to respond to Angelina Jolie's divorce petition, seeking to avoid sparking an acrimonious legal battle that could harm the children, media reported on Friday.

The 52-year-old actor will not file an official reply, despite being two days over Wednesday's cut-off date, until the estranged couple's lawyers have reached an agreement over custody, celebrity gossip websites Us Weekly and TMZ reported.

The "Fight Club" actor is looking for joint legal and physical custody, according to TMZ, but is hoping to avoid a court battle for the couple's six children.

Jolie, 41, filed court documents on September 19 citing irreconcilable differences and seeking sole permanent custody.

Earlier this week Pitt met his oldest child, 15 year-old Maddox, for the first time since an alleged incident involving the pair on a plane carrying the actor and his children back from vacation in France on September 14.

The FBI has said it is gathering information before deciding whether to launch a federal probe into the allegations.

It has not offered any details on what is said to have happened, but several US media outlets reported that Pitt had been involved in an angry outburst with at least one of his children.

Pitt, who won a best film Oscar for producing "12 Years a Slave" (2013), reportedly visited his other five children on October 8, but Maddox refused to see his father.

"With the resources of these parties, it should be possible for Brad to continue to have meaningful access to the younger children, even if it means that such access will have to be supervised," Emily Pollock, a partner at New York law firm Kasowitz, told AFP.

Further time with Maddox would depend on the severity of the allegations and Maddox's interest in such visits, she added.

Pitt's reunions with his children were both supervised by a therapist as part of the couple's temporary custody agreement -- mediated by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services -- which expired on Thursday.

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Under the agreement Jolie had physical custody of the children -- three of whom, including Maddox, are adopted -- at a rented LA house.

The A-listers -- given the celebrity moniker "Brangelina" -- wed in France in August two years ago, but had been a couple since 2004.

AFP reached out to Pitt's management but there was no immediate response.
London (AFP) - A Welsh village on Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster which killed 116 children and 28 adults when a colliery spoil tip collapsed, engulfing a school.

The 1966 tragedy shook Britain and provoked a huge outpouring of sympathy as a generation of children mostly aged seven to 10 were all but wiped out -- and the few survivors have battled with their memories ever since.

Some 150,000 tonnes of coal waste slid down the hillside before engulfing Pantglas Junior School at 9:15am on October 21, 1966.

Had the landslide happened 20 minutes earlier, the classrooms would have been empty. Had it struck a few hours later, the children would have already left to start their half-term holiday. No survivors were found after 11:00am on the day of the disaster.

Residents in Aberfan, north of Cardiff, took part in a day of commemorative events, attended by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The heir to the throne read a message from his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who had visited the grief-stricken village with her husband Prince Philip to pay their respects in the days after the disaster.

"You are in my own and my family's thoughts, as well as the thoughts of the nation," the message read.

She remembered the dead and also the "hundreds more who have lived with the shock and grief".

"I well remember my own visit with Prince Philip after the disaster, and the posy I was given by a young girl, which bore the heart-breaking inscription, 'From the remaining children of Aberfan'.

"Since then, we have returned on several occasions and have always been deeply impressed by the remarkable fortitude, dignity and indomitable spirit that characterises the people of this village."

- Survivors speak -

Marilyn Morris, 64, spoke of the stoicism with which the village internalised its grief.

"There were six children from my street that died. We just blanked it from our minds, nobody spoke about it," she said.

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"It was such a shock that we couldn't bring ourselves to talk about it but now we are and we are feeling much better for it."

An emotional memorial service was held in the local cemetery.

A minute's silence was observed across Wales.

Survivor Irene Hollett, 58, said: "I really feel for the parents of those who died, because seeing us grow up and even be here today it must be hard for them because we are a reminder of what their son or daughter could have been like."

Diane Fudge, 58, lost her twin sister Daphne in the tragedy.

"This has been the first time I've ever come to an event in connection with the disaster," she said.

"I'm finally facing my demons."
Royal Navy Russia kuznetsov hms richmond

The British Royal Navy has sent warships to "man-mark," or closely watch, Russia's northern fleet as it prepares to pass though the English Channel.

The Russian fleet includes the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier.

"When these ships near our waters we will man-mark them every step of the way. We will be watching as part of our steadfast commitment to keep Britain safe," a Ministry of Defence spokesman told the Telegraph.

The Admiral Kuznetsov task group, which includes the carrier, battlecruisers, and smaller destroyers, set out for Syria's coast in the Mediterranean to continue the brutal siege of Aleppo, a strategically important city in northeastern Syria that government forces have tried to retake control of for years.

Britain's Prime Minister, Theresa May, called Russia's actions in support of Syria's Assad "sickening atrocities."

The Royal Navy is no stranger to run-ins with Russia's fleet, as tensions between Russia and the West mount and as Russian submarine activity spikes to its highest level since the Cold War.

Norwegian navy ships photographed the aircraft aboard the Kuznetsov taking off, in apparent practice for their upcoming carrier-based strikes against Aleppo.

kuznetsov russia navy aircraft carrier

The pictures do not indicate conclusively whether or not the customary tugboat sails alongside the Kuznetsov, which has been plagued by mechanical troubles in the past.

The Royal Navy's The Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan will monitor the group, the Associated Press reports.

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Bruce Beresford, director of Driving Miss Daisy and Tender Mercies, is attached to helm the Anton Dvorak biopic A Song for Anna.

Beresford will direct from Ronald Parkers original screenplay about the tumultuous life and romances of the Czech composer, culminating in 1890s America when he championed African-American music and the early sounds of ragtime, and composed his New World Symphony. Dvorak was plagued by self-doubt and married the sister of the woman he loved but could not wed, sharing a bittersweet life together.

This is one of those incredible scripts that portray strong characters against the backdrop of some of the most recognized music in the world, Beresford said. I look forward to telling Dvoraks story.

Casting is currently underway for a May start in the Czech Republic.

William Stuart is producing alongside Lawrence Steven Meyers of Meyers Media Group. Parker and Randy Dannenberg are executive producing.

We are thrilled to have a director of Bruces caliber, Stuart said. His love and knowledge of classical music makes him the ideal choice to bring Rons screenplay to life.

Beresford was nominated for the best director Academy Award for Tender Mercies and for best adapted screenplay for Breaker Morant. His other credits include Crimes of the Heart, Double Jeopardy, Peace, Love & Misunderstanding, and Eddie Murphys Mr. Church.

Parker won a Writers Guild award for the longform series Hatfields & McCoys in 2013.

Beresford directed the History Channels Roots miniseries earlier this year. Hes repped by Gersh.

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Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso said Friday it thwarted a "vast conspiracy" earlier this month by forces loyal to ousted leader Blaise Compaore, which aimed to seize power in the impoverished Sahel state.

The plot called for attacking the presidential palace and detaining "certain authorities", said Interior Minister Simon Compaore, who is no relation to the ex-leader.

Some 30 troops from the ex-president's security unit also planned to free comrades who were part of a failed September 2015 coup against the transitional government that took power after his fall, the minister said.

Cases against 10 soldiers have been referred to a military prosecutor and 20 are still being held for questioning.

Blaise Compaore was chased from power in October 2014 following a popular revolt after he tried to change the constitution to extend his 27-year rule.

The attempted 2015 coup was staged by troops from the presidential guard loyal to the ex-leader but was blocked by street protesters and by the army, which attacked the plotters' barracks.

Authorities uncovered the failed plot when on October 8 military police arrested four people during a routine check, two of whom were later killed while trying to take the officers' guns, the minister said.

Further investigation revealed all the men were ex-members of Campaore's presidential guard and three of them were wanted over a January attack on a weapons depot.

The minister said the plotters also had a "Plan B" after their coup failed, which was to steal military weapons and "create chaos" by shooting randomly at garrisons.

Authorities have seized a Kalashnikov and six magazines full of bullets.

News of the reported coup attempt comes days after Burkina Faso authorities announced the release of Colonel Mamadou Bamba, the officer who announced the 2015 abortive coup.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), Colonel Bamba left prison. He has been granted provisional freedom," a high-ranking military magistrate told AFP on Wednesday.

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Bamba went on television to announce the coup on September 17, 2015, reading a statement saying the army had seized control from a transitional government which took office after Compaore fled to Ivory Coast.

Bamba was not a member of Compaore's presidential guard which was behind the putsch but was jailed along with coup leader Gilbert Diendere.

In all, 85 people have been charged with organising the coup and warrants have been issues for the arrest of a further 10. Around 40 suspects have been granted temporary release, according to an AFP count.
Last year, when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Johannesburg for a regional summit, the International Criminal Court expected South Africas government to arrest him. After all, Bashir was indicted by the ICC in 2009 on charges he was responsible for genocide and other war crimes in Darfur, and as a member of the ICC treaty, it was up to South African officials to detain him.

But South Africa refused, saying it had promised immunity to all visiting heads of state. The move signaled the continents growing distrust of the international court, as leaders in many African nations feel the court unfairly targets Africans. Now, more than a year after the rebuff, South Africa has moved to leave the treaty that founded it.

A document presented to the United Nations on Oct. 19 says that the Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court. It is signed by South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashabana.

The South African Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Justice Minister Michael Masutha confirmed to reporters in the capital of Pretoria that the country was pursuing plans to withdraw itself from the court.

A difficult choice had to be made, he said.

The decision to withdraw immediately follows Burundis decision to do the same. Last week, Burundi, where civil unrest has forced hundreds of thousands to flee as refugees, became the first country in the world to withdraw from the treaty that founded the court in 1998. Its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of leaving and Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has since signed a decree to legalize the withdrawal, though the United Nations has reportedly not yet received confirmation of the departure. It takes one year from the date of receipt for the withdrawal to be official.

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At the time, Burundian Ambassador to Washington Ernest Ndabashinze told FP that authorities were very happy to be leaving, and promised that other countries would follow.

Many believe that Kenya will be next, in large part because much of the disenchantment among African leaders comes from the ICCs probe into President Uhuru Kenyattas role in post-election violence in 2007. The case has since collapsed, but the incident smeared Kenyattas reputation and prompted discussion among African leaders to consider leaving the court.

Burundi has its own reasons for wanting to leave: Earlier this year, ICC prosecutors began investigating the governments alleged role in extrajudicial killings there.

Photo credit: JUAN VRIJDAG/AFP/Getty Images
Part of the Daily News Friday cover.

The Daily News published a blistering, 14-chapter editorial that railed against Donald Trump and everything that he stands for.

Its front page on Friday morning: NEWS TO AMERICA: BURY TRUMP IN A LANDSLIDE. Restore U.S. honor with giant defeat of the fearmongering demagogue.

The New York tabloid has long established itself as one of Trumps foes. When the Manhattan businessman launched his presidential campaign in the summer of 2015, the Daily News depicted the Republican as a clown. In turn, Trump has repeatedly tweeted that the newspaper is failing and worthless.

But Fridays editorial, which clocks in at more than 7,900 words, might be the most scathing attack on Trump from any newspaper in the country.

And because Trump refused to say at Wednesdays presidential debate that he would accept the election results, the Daily News urged the public to deliver an unequivocal message on Election Day.

Trumps reckless willingness to damage trust in the electoral process  in order to save face and hold leadership of the paranoid wing of U.S. politics  is the most pressing reason why voters must defeat him in a landslide, the paper wrote. Herewith, we fervently pray, is the political obituary of Donald Trump and all that he stands for, it added.

The editorial offers a point-by-point takedown of Trump across 14 chapters that question his policy positions, his business record, his fitness to serve and even his sanity: TRUMP THE DEMAGOGUE, TRUMP THE FRAUDSTER, TRUMP THE HEAD CASE, TRUMP THE FAKE PHILANTHROPIST, TRUMP THE LIAR, TRUMP THE FLIP-FLOPPER, TRUMP THE IGNORAMUS, TRUMP THE CONSPIRACY THEORIST, TRUMP THE TAX EVADER, TRUMP THE DIVIDER, TRUMP THE AUTHORITARIAN, TRUMP THE SECURITY RISK, TRUMP THE MISOGYNIST and, finally, TRUMP THE ENEMY OF DEMOCRACY.

Bury Trump in a Landslide, Chapter 1: The Demagogue https://t.co/JFseQmuSLm pic.twitter.com/0g88LVkfE0  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) October 21, 2016

Punctuating each chapter is a scorching image from the papers cartoonist, Bill Bramhall. The first chapters cartoon, for instance, depicts Trump as Hitler. The Ignoramus chapters cartoon shows Trump unable find the U.S. on a world map. The Authoritarian chapter features a shirtless Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin riding a horse on Barfback Mountain. Yet another shows President Trump firing nuclear missiles and then asking his generals if he can retract the order.

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Donald Trump is ending his campaign in an ever more inflammatory and destructive assault on American democracy, the editorial concludes. The end of his presidential dreams must come under an avalanche of anti-Trump votes on Nov. 8.

Click here to view the full editorial.
By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former California state Senator Ron Calderon was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Friday in a public corruption case in which the Democratic politician admitted to accepting about $100,000 in bribes, according to local media.

The sentence concluded the criminal case against a longtime lawmaker who once was one of the most influential figures in the California legislature.

Calderon, who represented the Los Angeles suburb of Montebello, left office in 2014 after serving a dozen years in the state Senate and four in the Assembly.

A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced Calderon on Friday to three and a half years in prison, according to City News Service. Calderon was ordered to surrender on Jan. 3 to begin serving his sentence, according to the local media outlet.

A spokesman for U.S. prosecutors and Calderon's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Calderon pleaded guilty in June to a single count of mail fraud, reaching a deal with prosecutors weeks before he was scheduled to stand trial on charges in a 24-count indictment.

He faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud but prosecutors said they agreed under the terms of his plea agreement to seek a sentence of less than six years for the former lawmaker.

Calderon, 59, was one of three Democrats in the state Senate suspended over ethics charges in 2014, costing their party a two-thirds majority.

Prosecutors have said Calderon accepted $100,000 in bribes from the owner of a Long Beach hospital to preserve a legal loophole that allowed companies controlled by the owner to charge more for hardware used in spinal surgeries.

Calderon also was accused of taking bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as Hollywood executives in exchange for steering legislation in their favor.

His older brother, Tom Calderon, a former member of the state Assembly who became a political consultant, also was named in the indictment and pleaded guilty to a money-laundering charge for allowing bribes earmarked for his brother to be funneled through his firm.

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Tom Calderon was sentenced last month to six months in prison and six months in home confinement.

The Calderon brothers were members of a political dynasty going back decades in California before they were ensnared in the federal investigation.

Ron Calderon during his career played key roles on a number of committees, including chairing a state Senate committee on elections.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Bernard Orr)
By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Canada's trade minister walked out of talks in Belgium on Friday, declaring that the European Union was incapable of sealing a planned transatlantic free trade deal designed to boost growth in both economies.

All 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but Belgium cannot give assent without backing from its five sub-federal administrations, and French-speaking Wallonia has steadfastly opposed it.

The agreement, the EU's first with a G7 country, would according to supporters increase trade between the partners by 20 percent, boosting the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($13 billion) per year and Canada's by C$12 billion ($9 billion).

A visibly shaken Chrystia Freeland, Canada's trade minister, emerged after a full day of talks with chief Canadian and EU trade negotiators and Walloon Premier Paul Magnette.

"Canada has worked, and I personally have worked, very hard. But it is now evident to me, evident to Canada, that the European Union is incapable of reaching an agreement  even with a country with European values such as Canada," she said.

"Canada is disappointed and I personally am disappointed, but I think it's impossible," she continued, adding she was heading home.

A source in the EU's executive European Commission said it had not yet given up hope of reaching a deal. Separately, EU trade commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom said in a tweet she was sad talks had halted, but still hoped to find a solution.

Wallonia is home to about 3.5 million people, less than 1 percent of the 507 million Europeans CETA would affect, but the EU's flagship trade project rests on the will of its government.

It continued to have concerns about the threat of surging pork and beef imports from Canada and an independent court system to settle disputes between states and foreign investors, which critics say may be used by multinationals to dictate public policy.

Many EU leaders also suspect the local government in Namur of using its devolved powers to play domestic politics.

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CETA was in theory due to be signed at an EU-Canada summit next Thursday in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"We feel we've done everything we can do. The ball is in their court," Freeland's deputy, David Lametti, told reporters in Ottawa. Asked whether Canada had any more room to be flexible, he replied: "It's fair to say we would continue to negotiate in good faith."

A source familiar with the matter said Trudeau had set a deadline of Monday to decide whether to fly to Brussels. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

IMPACT FOR BREXIT?

Failure to strike a deal with such a like-minded country as Canada would call into question the EU's ability to forge other deals and undermine a bloc already battered by Britain's vote to leave and disputes over Europe's migration crisis.

The walkout came as leaders concluded a two-day EU summit in Brussels with trade policy the main topic set for Friday. European Council President Donald Tusk, chairing the summit, said that Europe's credibility was at stake.

The issue is greater than just a trade deal with Canada, the EU's 12th-largest trading partner.

If CETA fails, the EU's hopes of completing similar deals with the United States or Japan and opening up new talks with partners such as Australia and New Zealand would be in tatters.

Britain, which plans to form a new trading relationship with the EU 27 after it has exited the bloc, may be watching with concern.

"If there are all these disagreements to have a simple trade agreement with Canada, just imagine an agreement with the United Kingdom," said Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Geert Bourgeois, premier of Belgium's Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, called the deadlock over CETA a disgrace.

"It beggars belief... It is a disgrace for Europe. If there is one task Europe has, it is to conclude trade deals. We are way too small to do this on our own," he told Reuters.

Walloon's lawmakers share concerns voiced by many on the European left that CETA, and a stalled plan for a similar deal with the United States, risk watering down consumer, labour and environmental protections and granting power to multinationals.

($1 = 0.9200 euros)

($1 = 1.3330 Canadian dollars)

(Additional reporting by Alissa De Carbonnel and Alastair Macdonald and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels, David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by John Stonestreet and Dan Grebler)
(Reuters) - Canadian generic-drug maker Concordia International Corp said on Friday that Chief Executive Mark Thompson would step down after a replacement is found. Thompson's resignation comes at a time when the company is trying to raise cash to cut its $3 billion debt as it faces curbs on drug pricing from governments and companies. Reuters reported earlier this month that the company was discussing alternatives to a leveraged buyout, including selling a minority stake to a private equity firm. The talks came after negotiations about selling the company failed to produce a deal that would be acceptable to its board, sources told Reuters. A search process for a new CEO is underway, the company said. Concordia, which had a market capitalization of C$270.1 million ($202.46 million) as of Thursday close, sells drugs for conditions ranging from malaria to heart disease. Concordia's Toronto-listed shares were up 18 percent at C$6.16. The company's U.S.-listed shares were up 19 percent at $4.73. (Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto and Akankshita Mukhopadhyay in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Don Sebastian)
Prepare to tug on your ears with glee: Carol Burnett is plotting a return to series television.

The comedic legend has been cast as the lead in a new ABC pilot from Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) and Michael Saltzman (Halt and Catch Fire), our sister site Deadline reports.

The potential series, which has a put pilot commitment at the network, follows a family who can only move into their dream house if they agree to cohabitate with the actress who currently lives there (Burnett) until her death.

Saltzman will write the pilot and will executive-produce with Poehler, Brooke Posch (Difficult People), Michael Pelmont and Dave Becky. Universal TV will produce.

Burnett, a multiple Emmy winner, is best known for leading her eponymous sketch comedy series in the 1960s and 1970s. Her 60-year career in television has included stints on All My Children, Mad About You, Glee, Hot in Cleveland and most recently Hawaii Five-0.

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Kirkuk (Iraq) (AFP) - The day was about to break when Haidar Abdelhussein, a 35-year-old teacher, heard shooting and looked out the door to see heavily armed jihadist fighters on his street.

Within a few minutes on Friday morning, Iraq's city of Kirkuk, which the Islamic State jihadist had never occupied, was turned into a war zone.

The small group of fighters entered Al-Mohammadi mosque, in the Tesaeen neighbourhood where Abdelhussein lives, and used the loudspeakers.

They blared the rallying cries of IS jihadists: "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and "Dawla al-Islam baqiya" (the Islamic State remains).

From his roof, an AFP correspondent in a southern neighbourhood saw nine jihadist fighters with headscarves wrapped around their heads walking down the street, carrying rifles and grenades.

Early on Friday, in a well-coordinated assault, at least five suicide bombers targeted several government buildings across Kirkuk, a large city that lies around 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad and is under Kurdish control.

According to security sources, at least one of the attackers was shot dead before he could detonate his suicide vest and others blew themselves up when they were surrounded.

Among the primary targets were the main police headquarters in central Kirkuk, checkpoints and patrols.

Clashes ensued and, while they apparently came with no vehicles or heavy equipment and therefore have little hope of fully taking over the city, the IS attack was one of the most spectacular of its kind recently in Iraq.

- Residents trying to flee -

The modus operandi is known as "inghimasi", which describes operations carried out by gunmen who wear explosive vests or belts and intend to make a suicidal last stand.

A curfew was slapped on the entire city as members of the Kurdish security forces who control Kirkuk and other men took to the roofs with assault rifles.

Local television channels showed live footage of clusters of fighters crouching behind walls as they attempted to dislodge the jihadists from their hideouts.

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Gunfire and explosions continued to echo across the large city 12 hours after the attack began, although the clashes were more sporadic by midday than in the early morning.

"The streets are empty. There's no people, no traffic. We're all confused and scared. We are trying to escape," said Itar Khalil, a young woman who studies at the University of Kirkuk.

"My friend's father took us and we are trying to leave to Arbil," she told AFP by phone, in reference to the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.

Security officers said at least 12 IS fighters were killed and other reports suggested much larger numbers of IS members were involved in the attack.

Six members of the Kirkuk police were also confirmed to have been killed in the ongoing clashes.

"Some of their corpses are still on the street. It's too dangerous to retrieve them because of the snipers," a police colonel told AFP.

According to security sources, a significant number of IS fighters were holed up in the aptly named Jihad hotel, in the centre of the city.

Another small group of fighters, apparently determined to make the longest possible stand, were hunkering down in a house in the southern Domiz neighbourhood.
Its the phone call that Chicago Fires Dawson has dreaded: The Department of Children and Family Services is going to take away her foster child and Casey may be the one to blame for the loss.

RELATEDChicago Fire Boss Talks [Spoiler]s Exit Following Jimmy vs. Boden Battle

Some reporters been digging around, asking how I got approved so quickly, implying that you pulled strings, an emotional Dawson explains to her boyfriend in this exclusive video from Tuesdays episode (NBC, 10/9c). To avoid an appearance of impropriety, DCFS plans to place Louie with another family, whom theyve already started vetting.

It seems that when Casey dodged the blackmailing aldermans calls, he made a bad situation worse. Dawson responds by threatening to bring some hell down on DCFS, but her beau warns, Youre not going to solve anything by going to war with a government agency.

Politics got us into this mess; only politics can get us out, the firefighter continues. Gabby, Ill fix this. I promise.

RELATEDChicago Fire EP Previews Dawsey Wedding, Severides Devil and More

And just how does he plan to do that? This teaser from the official description offers up a troubling hint: Casey enlists Susan Weller to help with an urgent personal matter.

Press PLAY below to watch the sneak peek, then hit the comments with your thoughts on the latest Dawsey difficulties.

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A burglar was interrupted by an 11-year-old boy who returned home from school to find the intruder in his house in Wayne Township, New Jersey, on October 17. The Wayne Township Police released this video of the intruder, which was captured on the familys security camera inside the house.

The boy ran out of the house and flagged down a neighbor too call police after spotting the intruder, who was later arrested, according to local media. Credit: Wayne Township Police
Chinas Alibaba Pictures has signed a deal with UK-based fiction packager Working Partners and its parent company Coolabi Group to secure the film rights for Warriors, a book series about four clans of warring feral cats.

Written by Erin Hunger, a pseudonym for writing team Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry and Victoria Holmes, Warriors follows the growth of an intrepid cat named Rusty, who ventures into a mysterious forest where he befriends a group of wild cats. Rusty joins ThunderClan as an apprentice warror and over an epic saga ultimately transforms into the clans leader Firestar.

The book series was first published by HarperCollins in the U.S. in 2003 and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the most popular childrens series today. Its been licensed in 35 languages around the world. HarperCollins will also publish a further eight Warriors titles over the next two years. Deal was made at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Alibaba Pictures is planning to turn Warriors into a film franchise that will bring to life the spectacular animal and jungle worlds depicted in the novels, using world-leading visual effects, said Zhang Wei, president of Alibaba Pictures in a statement.

Alibaba Pictures has been making significant moves into the global film industry as of recent. Earlier this month, the company took a minority equity stake in Steven Spielbergs Amblin Partners, which sees the Chinese e-commerce giant team with Amblin to co-produce and finance films for global and Chinese audiences.

It made its first investment in a global tentpole title with Paramount/Skydances Mission: Impossible  Rogue Nation last year and has since put financing into titles such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Star Trek Beyond and Korean title REAL.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Defense Ministry said that a patrol by a U.S. warship in the South China Sea on Friday was "illegal" and "provocative" and that it had lodged a protest with the United States. In a statement on its website, the ministry said two Chinese warships had warned the U.S. warship to leave during the patrol. It added that the Chinese military would increase air and sea patrols according to need. U.S. defense officials said the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur challenged "excessive maritime claims" in a patrol near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors. The Chinese Defense Ministry said two warships, the Guangzhou and the Luoyang, warned the U.S. vessel to leave. It said China had declared its "baseline" for the Paracel Islands in 1996, something the United States was clear about. Despite that, the Chinese government said, the United States had sent a ship into Chinese "territorial waters." This is serious illegal behavior, and is intentionally provocative behavior. Chinas Defense Ministry is resolutely opposed to this and has lodged serious representations with the U.S. side, it said. The ministry statement said that as a result of hard work by countries in the region, the situation in the South China Sea had seen positive developments, but the United States had conducted the patrol, motivated by a desire to see the world in chaos." "This shows that it is the United States which is the troublemaker when it comes to the stability of the South China Sea." The ministry said the patrol had seriously damaged mutual trust between the two countries and added: "We strongly urge the U.S. side to respect Chinas national sovereignty and security interests, and not keep repeating the same mistakes. The Chinese military will increase its air and maritime patrol efforts in accordance with need, strengthen defense ability building in all areas, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and security." (Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by David Brunnstrom and Jeffrey Benkoe)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's new home prices rose in September at the fastest rate on record as buyers rushed to close contracts before new restrictive measures took effect in October.

The boom in sales and prices was evident in mortgage lending, with new housing loans to individuals totalling 475.9 billion yuan in September alone, some 76 percent higher than the same month last year, central bank official Ruan Jianhong said in a news release.

Prices in China's 70 major cities rose 11.2 percent in September from a year earlier, accelerating from a 9.2 percent increase in August, as 64 of them saw year-on-year price gains, a National Bureau of Statistics survey showed on Friday.

September's national price growth was the fastest since the series was started in 2011.

The property market, accounting for around 15 percent of gross domestic product, contributed handsomely to third quarter economic expansion of 6.7 percent.

Hefei, capital city of Anhui province in central China, was the top performer, with prices surging 46.8 percent from a year earlier, quicker than its 40.3 percent rise in August.

The coastal city of Xiamen in southeastern China, the top performer in August, came in second with a price rise of 46.5 percent, accelerating from 43.8 percent in the previous month.

Beijing and Shanghai prices rose 27.8 percent and 32.7 percent on-year, quickening from 23.5 percent and 31.2 percent in August. Price growth in Shenzhen, a long-time top performer that gave way to Xiamen to be the second highest in August, fell slightly to 34.1 percent from 36.8 percent last month.

The house-prices-to-household-disposable-income ratio in first-tier cities has risen to be around 18 to 20 times in this year's housing fever, putting housing affordability close to Hong Kong's and making it less affordable than London, UBS wrote in a report, citing notoriously expensive cities.

COOLING DOWN A RED-HOT MARKET

More than 20 cities have now adopted restrictive measures aiming to tame fast-rising prices, although 15 cities had implemented them in the first week of October.

Story continues

"Out of the 15 cities, probably half of them put out effective measures, such as raising the down payment ratio for second-home purchases to as high as 70 percent," Beijing-based Rosealea Yao of Gavekal Dragonomics said.

"But the rest of the cities are probably just going with the flow, as their measures are more half-hearted."

Yao said aggressive credit tightening, which is regarded as most effective in curbing prices, seems unlikely as the government looks to stimulate economic growth.

But despite clear signs of destocking in some lower-tier cities as sales boom and new construction slips, many small centres still have a large glut of unsold homes.

"The property boom has been a very good thing for destocking, but that doesn't mean the government can just sit back and relax now," she said.

To "reflect changes in the market" and prove the effectiveness of official cooling measures, the NBS rushed in a new table on Friday, which compared price growth in the first half of October to September. It showed price growth in 15 first- and second-tier cities which implemented new measures during the holiday, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Shenzhen, showed signs of cooling on a monthly basis.

This early indication concurs with some analysts who are optimistic about China's efforts to manage over-investment in property.

"We view China's authorities as more like Singapore's and we think it's a matter of time before macro prudential policy slows sales growth," Singapore-based Tim Condon of ING said in a note ahead of the data release.

(Reporting by Yawen Chen and Nicholas Heath; Editing by Eric Meijer)
By Rajendra Jadhav and Sethuraman N R

MUMBAI/BENGALURU (Reuters) - Physical gold demand in Asia firmed up this week on strong buying by leading consumer China while prices in India were at a premium for the first time in several months ahead of the festive season.

Spot gold was set to end the week up 1 percent on steady physical buying from China and exchange-traded funds.

Gold prices in India, the world's second-largest consumer, were at a premium for the first time in nine months as a drop in prices prompted jewellers and dealers to step up purchases for upcoming festivals.

Dealers in India were charging a premium of up to $2 an ounce over official domestic prices this week - the first time since mid-January. Last week they were offering discounts of $2.

"Many retail buyers had postponed purchases in last few months. They are now making purchases for festivals since prices have come below 30,000 rupees," said Ashok Jain, proprietor of Mumbai wholesaler Chenaji Narsinghji.

Gold prices in India have fallen over 8 percent since hitting a peak of 32,455 rupees per 10 grams in July, their highest level in nearly three years.

Demand for gold usually strengthens in the final quarter as India gears up for the wedding season and due to festivals such as Diwali and Dussehra, when buying the precious metal is considered auspicious.

India's overseas purchases of gold likely hit a nine-month high in October, as a flip in domestic prices to a premium prompted banks and refiners to resume imports ahead of the festival season.

"Gray channels have limitations. They can import 25 to 30 tonnes per month. They could not cater to entire demand during the festive season. Jewellers have to buy from banks," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a private bank.

Premiums in China were quoted around $4-$5 an ounce against the international benchmark, indicating strong demand.

"There was a lot of opportunistic buying (in China) at lower levels and the banks have been reducing their stocks and took the opportunity to replenish at lower price levels," said Cameron Alexander, an analyst with Thomson Reuters-owned metals consultancy GFMS.

Story continues

"That's been the case with most of the countries across Southeast Asia."

In Singapore, premiums were mostly unchanged at 50 to 60 cents an ounce.

Japanese markets saw a slight fall in demand and prices were flat compared to a premium of 25 cents an ounce last week.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)
(NEWARK, N.J.)  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies former deputy chief of staff testified Friday in her criminal trial that she told him about a traffic study on the George Washington Bridge before sending an email that it was time for some traffic problems, which prosecutors say started a political revenge plot.

Bridget Kelly is accused of plotting with two other former Christie allies to close lanes on the bridge that connects New Jersey and New York as revenge against a Democratic mayor who wouldnt endorse the Republican governors re-election effort in 2013.

Her comments at trial that Christie signed off on the traffic study in August 2013, a month before the closures began, are the latest testimony indicating Christie knew more about the closures than he let on in the months afterward. Christie has denied knowing about any plot, and has not been charged.

Kelly maintained Friday that she believed the lane closings to be part of a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey traffic study. She is on trial along with former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive Bill Baroni.

David Wildstein, a former Port Authority staffer, previously pleaded guilty in the case and is the prosecutions key witness. The self-described mastermind of the plot, Wildstein has said the traffic study was just a cover story.

Kelly testified that Wildstein told her the traffic study would cause tremendous traffic problems in Fort Lee, but would ultimately help traffic flow. She said Wildstein suggested holding an event at the bridge with banners saying Thanks, Governor Christie.

She also testified that Christie said the study was fine and she should run it by his then-chief of staff, Kevin ODowd. He asked how their relationship was with Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, she said.

I explained all of this to the governor and he said, Im OK with it. Make sure you run it by ODowd,' Kelly said.

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The release of the traffic problems email was what blew the scandal into full public view and led to Christie firing Kelly and his campaign manager, Bill Stepien.

Im pretty sure if I said its time for a traffic study in Fort Lee, we wouldnt all know each other, Kelly said.

Wildstein testified earlier in the trial that he did not consider Kellys email a joke.

Sometimes in tears, Kelly also testified that Christie once threw a water bottle at her, angry that she suggested he introduce local political leaders at an unrelated event. She responded yes when her attorney asked her if she was afraid of Christie.

Also Friday, Mike DuHaime, one of Christies top political advisers, testified he told Christie ahead of a news conference two months after the lane closures that Kelly and Stepien knew about them.

At the Dec. 13, 2013, news conference, Christie told reporters that no one in his administration other than Wildstein knew about the closings. Asked whether he could say with certainty that no other knew about the plot, Christie said that he had no reason to believe that.

He said he asked everyone on his senior staff to tell him if they had any knowledge and theyve all assured me that they dont. He said that Stepien assured me the same thing.

Wildstein previously testified that Baroni told Christie about the traffic in Fort Lee on the third day of the gridlock during a Sept. 11, 2013, memorial event in New York.

Christie said that never happened. And Baroni has testified that it was Wildstein, at the 9/11 memorial, who told Christie about the bridge traffic and that no mention of Sokolich or political retaliation was made.

Christies spokesman didnt immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.

Stepiens attorney has previously said his client did not engage in wrongdoing of any kind.

While Christie cut Stepien loose in January 2014, he later took a position running a think tank for New Jersey Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno and is now part of the Republican presidential campaign of Donald Trump, for whom Christie is a top adviser and transition team chairman.

Catalini reported from Trenton.
Final presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace called CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zuckers decision not to show him during CNNs debate coverage kind of bush league and childish.

While appearing on Foxs New York affiliates Good Day New York morning show on Friday, co-host Greg Kelly asked Wallace why CNN only airs a split screen of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for the entire debate.

They also did that for the first and second debates. I guess thats Jeff Zucker, the head of CNN, my own reaction is its kind of childish, if you dont have somebody from your network there youre gonna pretend that the moderator doesnt exist, Wallace said. Its kind of bush league.

Also Read: Even Chris Wallace Thinks the Final Debate Was Humorous (Video)

Co-host Rosanna Scotto playful expressed disgust at the decision, putting her hands on her hips as Wallace explained the situation.

CNN did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for comment.

Wallace was the first Fox News moderator for a general presidential election in the 20-year history of the network. The showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton drew 71.5 million viewers.

Also Read: Debate: 5 Times Donald Trump Gave Chris Wallace Props

Wallace has received mostly positive reviews for this debate performance, with many viewers praising his firm handling of the candidates maneuvering and even shushing the crowd on several occasions.

Fox News averaged 11.3 million viewers, while ABC finished second with 10.96 million. FNC beat ABC, CBS and NBC in viewers, but also beat cable rivals CNN and MSNBC in the key demo, averaging 3.5 million viewers age 25-54.

Related stories from TheWrap:

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By Joseph Ax

NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was told about the lane closures that led to the "Bridgegate" scandal a month before they occurred, a former aide testified on Friday, contradicting Christie's statements that he only learned about them afterward.

Bridget Kelly, the governor's former deputy chief of staff, told jurors in Newark federal court she discussed the plan to shut down access lanes at the George Washington Bridge with Christie in August 2013 and again in September as it was ongoing. She testified she had been frightened of Christie, saying he had once thrown a water bottle at her.

Kelly, who is on trial for her alleged role in the plot, said she believed at the time that the closures were a legitimate traffic study, not a politically motivated scheme, and described it as such to Christie.

Prosecutors have charged Kelly and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive Bill Baroni, a Christie appointee, with creating massive traffic gridlock in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as payback after its Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, refused to back Christie's 2013 re-election campaign.

Christie has denied any knowledge of the plot, but the scandal dogged his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. A Christie spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Kelly testified that former Port Authority executive David Wildstein, the confessed mastermind, said the traffic study might allow Christie to take credit for lessening commuting time and asked her to run the idea by the governor.

Kelly said Christie told her on Aug. 12 the study sounded fine. The next morning, Kelly sent a now-infamous email to Wildstein in which she said, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

Prosecutors claim that email set the scheme in motion. But Kelly said she was simply "parroting" the language Wildstein used in describing the possible gridlock.

Story continues

"Was that intended to be a code to punish Mayor Sokolich?" asked Kellys attorney, Michael Critchley.

"Absolutely not," Kelly replied.

A tearful Kelly said Christie bullied her on occasion, including one instance when she asked him to introduce local officials at an event.

Christie asked if she thought he was a "game show host," using an expletive and then threw a water bottle at her.

"I guess youre a little afraid of the governor?" Critchley asked.

"Yes," Kelly said.

Also on Friday, Christie political adviser Michael DuHaime testified that he informed the governor ahead of a December 2013 news conference of Wildstein's claims that Kelly and campaign manager Bill Stepien knew about the closures in advance.

Christie then told reporters no one in his administration was involved. The next month, Christie apologized and fired Kelly and Stepien after her Aug. 13 email became public.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Andrew Hay and Cynthia Osterman)
The Cincinnati Zoo has returned to Twitter after deactivating its account two months ago due to a flood of harassment over the death of Harambe the gorilla.

The zoo reactivated its account last week and began tweeting again this Tuesday, though it has been met with the same barrage of mentions and memes about Harambe.

Welcome back to Twitter, @CincinnatiZoo. Must be nice to reactivate your life. #Harambe wishes he could reactivate his life, one Twitter user wrote.

@CincinnatiZoo Harambe knew everything about komodo dragons  Sarah (@Lufarco) October 21, 2016

@CincinnatiZoo harambe loved hump day  frvnk (@frvnkhaus) October 19, 2016

Cincinnati Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the zoo chose to temporarily leave Twitter in late August because it was becoming a distraction and not the useful tool it had once been.

We missed having it as a communications tool, Curley said Wednesday. We have a lot to talk about and share with our followers.

Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, was killed in May to save a 3-year-old boy who had crawled through a barrier and had fallen into the animals exhibit. Controversy and intense backlash followed the death.
By Kathryn Doyle Reuters - Climate change is bringing certain skin diseases and other illnesses to regions where they were rarely seen before, according to a recent research review. Dermatologists should keep these changing patterns of skin diseases in mind when making diagnoses, say the authors, who analyzed specific disease shifts in North America. As the planet warms, many bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can survive in areas where they havent been found before, the review team writes. In the U.S., for example, the incidence of the tick-borne Lyme disease increased from an estimated 10,000 cases in 1995 to 30,000 in 2013, and the area where it occurs keeps expanding from New England north into Canada as the ticks find their preferred habitat expanding. In places like Canada, now there are ticks that carry Lyme disease farther north than doctors would ever expect to see that, Dr. Misha Rosenbach of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia told Reuters Health said in a phone interview. The range of Valley Fever in the southwest U.S. is spreading in a similar way, he said. Viruses like dengue, chikungunya and Zika are transmitted by mosquitoes originally from Africa and Asia, which have now spread widely throughout North America as the mosquitoes can survive further and further north. We are seeing a much wider spread northward for some of these formerly tropical diseases that are now in Texas and Florida, Rosenbach said. Seventeen of the warmest years on record occurred within the last 18 years, largely due to combustion of fossil fuels and destruction of rainforests, the authors write in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Water warming and flooding can also give rise to skin threats not previously typical of certain areas, the authors note. Ocean warming increases jellyfish populations, and Portuguese man-of-war now swim along the southeast U.S. coastline where they once did not, for example. Parts of North America, particularly the Great Lakes, should expect substantially greater rainfall and therefore more outbreaks of waterborne disease as well. Increasing temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico contribute to the increased cases of illness from consuming raw oysters. Another skin-related consequence of climate change is skin cancer: as ozone is depleted, the risk of skin cancer goes up. A two-degree temperature increase could raise skin cancer incidences by 10 percent each year, the authors write. The dermatologic consequences of climate change may not all be negative  you could argue that if temperatures keep rising, some mosquito habitat will be dried out due to drought and some disease ranges may shrink, Rosenbach said. When doctors see patients with a fever and a rash, he added, "what you suspect" as the diagnosis "depends on where you are. Its important to remember that what people learned 20 years ago or 10 years ago in medical school can be subject to rapid change, he said. The bottom line is its important to keep an open mind about possible diagnoses. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2enGiMA Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, online October 11, 2016.
The third and final face-off between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton saw the hurling of accusations and claims of deceit along with substantial discussion on foreign policy and budget deficit.

Following the heated discussion, media hailed Clinton as a winner, as has been indicated by the opinion polls. It will be, therefore, prudent to invest in stocks from sectors that stand to benefit if Clinton makes it to the White House.

Clinton Set to Make History

Like the previous debates, the final one was closely contested. Trump started off with a composed demeanor and promptly responded to moderator Chris Wallaces questions related to the Supreme Court. However, he reverted to bullying, with claims that are more often than not devoid of factual evidence.

The most bizarre of the charges leveled by Trump was Clintons foul play in the sexual misconduct claims made by nine women. His derogatory remarks against women eclipsed the real issues, while his claims of a rigged election seemed to be outlandish.

Trump is also under the false impression that trade agreements are the reason for economic depression and job losses. Lest we forget, jobs dependent on trade more than doubled from 1992 to 2014. Thanks to such developments, Trump has blown his chances of winning the elections.

On the other hand, Clintons stance on late-term abortions and her commitment toward protecting women and children garnered a lot of support. Clinton, moreover, has a fully-formed technology policy. She understands the value of education in science and technology, and has also voiced her support toward technical training in high schools and colleges. This will eventually help the youth find placements in the future. In contrast, Trump failed to present a concrete policy on technology.

Polls Favor Clinton

Following the final debate, Clinton clearly has a lead in the polls. A CNN/ORC survey gave Clinton a 13 point lead over Trump. Among the 547 registered voters interrogated, 52% deem Clinton as a befitting candidate while Trump managed 39% support.

Story continues

Majority of media outlets around the world view Clinton as the winner. Frances Le Point said that Trump can no longer win, but can refuse to admit defeat. Spains El Mundo added that Trumps aggressive nature once again made Clinton a winner by default over her rival. Italys Corriere Della Sera comment takes it a notch higher as she believes Trump is one step away from the abyss.

In the Middle East, the Al-Bayan daily is spreading the word that Clinton surpasses Trump, while Trumps support is on the decline in another group of people  English learners in China.

Where to Invest if Clinton Beats Trump?

Let us take a look at the sectors that will thrive if Clinton becomes the next President. Clinton wants to hike the federal minimum wage to $12 from $7.25 and even to $15 in regions where feasible. This should boost spending power, which in turn bodes well for the consumer staples stocks. When it comes to outlays, Clinton proposed to spend $275 billion on infrastructure, which should drive activity in the construction industry.

Clinton has also suggested several policies that would provide an impetus to renewable energy companies. She has pledged to install over 150 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2020  six times the current levels. For the defense space, she has adopted an aggressive stance and intends to defeat ISIS and build a strong military base. This should boost sector heavyweights like Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT and General Dynamics Corporation GD.

The healthcare and pharmaceutical stocks have been pricing in a Clinton win since she announced her candidacy in Apr 2015. Clintons tweet that price gouging in the specialty drug market is outrageous had impacted the industry. But, this has also given plenty of opportunity to buy sound stocks from this beaten-down industry at a lesser price. To top it, pharmaceutical companies might see an upward correction after the election, thanks to Clintons policy proposals that have been well communicated.

Top 5 Gainers

Clintons edge over Trump, heading into the presidential election, calls for investing in the aforesaid sectors. We have selected five such stocks that boast a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and have a VGM score of A or B. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three metrics. While a solid Zacks Rank and VGM score eliminates the negative aspects of stocks and select winners, a Clinton win will certainly help them rally further.

Constellation Brands Inc. STZ produces, imports and markets beer, wine, and spirits. Constellation Brands has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM score of B. The company's projected earnings growth rate for the current year is pegged at 18%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings advanced 1.3% over the last 60 days.

Pepsico, Inc. PEP operates as a food and beverage company. It has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM score of B. The company's projected earnings growth rate for the current year is pegged at 5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increased 0.6% over the last 60 days.

NCI Building Systems Inc. NCS designs, engineers, manufactures and markets metal products for the nonresidential construction industry. The company has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM score of A. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. NCI Building Systems projected earnings growth rate for the current year is 83.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings surged 20.3% over the last 60 days.

Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. HQCL develops, manufactures and sells solar cells and photovoltaic (PV) modules. The company has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM score of A. Hanwha Q CELLS projected earnings growth rate for the current year is pegged at 391.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings soared 51.8% over the last 60 days.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. TMO provides analytical instruments, software and services for research, manufacturing, analysis, discovery and diagnostics. The company has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM score of B. Its projected earnings growth rate for the current year is pegged at 10.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increased 0.6% over the last 60 days.

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Sanaa (AFP) - Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition have hit rebel positions outside the Yemeni capital Sanaa, witnesses said Friday, after the alliance accused insurgents of breaching a shaky ceasefire.

The air strikes late Thursday targeted positions of the Iran-backed Huthi insurgents at Jebel al-Nabishuaib, on the southwestern outskirts of rebel-held Sanaa, according to witnesses.

They said the area hosts bases for air defences controlled by renegade troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Shiite rebels.

The truce, for an initial period of three days, took effect just before midnight on Wednesday to allow aid deliveries in Yemen, where the war has killed thousands and left millions homeless and hungry.

The coalition and Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi had vowed to respect the UN-sponsored truce, but accused rebels of violations, while Huthi media accused the alliance of continuing with air strikes.

Air raids also targeted rebels in the northern provinces of Jawf and Saada, witnesses and rebel media said.

Coalition spokesman Major General Ahmed Assiri said on Friday that alliance warplanes were only conducting surveillance flights and "reactive" strikes, in response to rebel truce violations.

Patriot missiles shot down two rebel missiles fired in Marib, east of Sanaa on Thursday, he said.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 to support Hadi's government after the Huthis overran much of the impoverished country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

Five previous truce attempts failed but cautious optimism preceded the current pause after intensified international pressure following an escalation in fighting.

Nearly 6,900 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians, while another three million are displaced and millions more need food aid.
Comcast Corp. CMCSA is looking to venture into the lucrative digital media market for growth. Recently, NBC Universal, a subsidiary of Comcast invested $200 million in online social news site BuzzFeed. Notably, in Aug 2015, Comcast had put in $200 million in BuzzFeed. NBC Universal stated that it aims to develop a partnership with BuzzFeed through collaboration on video, movies and advertising for multi-national corporates.

The digital media brands are gradually gaining significant market traction especially among the young generation. With the massive growth in demand for smartphones and tablets, this generation is increasingly watching videos online and are discontinuing costly cable TV connections. BuzzFeeds websites have over 200 million monthly viewers and its videos are watched by around 1.5 billion a month.

Last year, Comcast had invested $300 million in two parts in online media company Vox Media. Vox Media boasts a portfolio of eight websites primarily focused on sports, politics, food, fashion and technology. The companys brands include SBNation, Polygon, The Verge, Vox.com, Eater, Racked, Curbed, and Recode. NBC Universal stated that it aims to develop a partnership with Vox Media through collaboration on editorial content, advertising and technology.

As the media sector has become intensely competitive, the large incumbent media companies are investing in small-sized media and distribution channels for the next-generation digital TV platform for their future growth. Comcast will utilize its partnership with BuzzFeed and Vox Media in its Watchable digital video platform.

Last month, The Walt Disney Co. DIS invested $400 million in Vice Media and Discovery Communications Inc. DISCA put in $100 million in Group Nine Media. In Jun 2015, telecom giant Verizon Communications Inc. VZ forayed into the online content business with the acquisition of AOL Inc., which own websites like The Huffington Post, Tech Crunch, Engadget, Moviefone and MapQuest.

Story continues

Comcast currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

COMCAST CORP A Price

COMCAST CORP A Price | COMCAST CORP A Quote

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Two surveys from two of the state's major universities show diverging views of the Nebraska economy.

The latest economic indicator report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln predicts Nebraska will experience moderate economic growth in the first quarter of 2017.

The indicator, a composite of economic factors that predict economic growth six months into the future, rose by 1.14 percent in September.

The September increase is a positive sign for economic growth in 2017, economist Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at UNL, said in a news release. The solid increase in the indicator suggests that growth will be moderate, rather than slow, during the first quarter of 2017.

Four of six components showed positive signs for economic growth, Thompson said. Airline passenger counts rose, manufacturing hours increased and initial unemployment claims dropped. In addition, respondents to the monthly Survey of Nebraska Business indicated that they expected sales and employment to increase during the next six months.

On the cautionary side, the value of the U.S. dollar rose in September, a negative sign for Nebraskas export-oriented businesses in agriculture and manufacturing. There also was a decline in building permits for single-family homes.

The Rural Mainstreet Index from Creighton University economist Ernie Goss paints a different picture for the state and wider region.

The overall index, which is compiled from a monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy, fell to 31.8 in October, its lowest level since April 2009.

Nebraska fared better, with an overall score of 51.1, but that was down from 61.2 in September. The state was one of only four in the region that had a score above the growth-neutral level of 50.

Over the past 12 months, livestock commodity prices have tumbled by 19.7 percent and grain commodity prices have slumped by 18.5 percent,"Goss said in a news release. "The economic fallout from this price weakness continues to push growth into negative territory for six of 10 states in the region."
By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congo's influential Catholic Church urged politicians on Friday to renegotiate a deal struck last week to ensure a presidential election is held next year and President Joseph Kabila is forbidden from standing for a third term. Democratic Republic of Congo's ruling coalition and part of the opposition have agreed to delay the vote from this November to April 2018, citing logistical and budgetary difficulties enrolling millions of voters. But the vast central African country's main opposition bloc has denounced the accord as a pretext to allow Kabila to cling to power beyond the end of his mandate in December. The pact removed language from an earlier draft that would have barred any changes to the constitution before the next election, leaving room for Kabila to change the constitution so that he can run again, his opponents say. The government denies these accusations. "It is imperative that it be clearly mentioned in the consensus ... that the current president of the republic not stand for a third term," the National Episcopal Conference of Congo said in a statement. It added that a transition period after Kabila's mandate expires on Dec. 19 should not last beyond the end of 2017. In a sign of simmering tensions, 12 young democracy activists were detained on Friday at a sit-in in the capital Kinshasa to protest the accord, a police spokesman said. He said they had violated a citywide ban on protests imposed after dozens died in anti-government demonstrations last month. Opposition leaders have promised further protests to oust Kabila from power, raising fears of a return to widespread violence in a country where millions have died in civil conflicts since the 1990s and rebel groups continue to wreak anarchy in eastern regions. The Congolese church has long been regarded as a moral compass in a country where confidence in other institutions is weak. More than 40 percent of Congolese identify as Catholic. However, the church retreated from its more outspoken calls last year that Kabila step down in 2016 in order to try to broker a compromise that averts further bloodshed. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Nellie Peyton and Ralph Boulton)
By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese security services shot, burned, beat and hacked to death at least 48 civilians and reportedly hired thugs to attack protests last month against the extension of President Joseph Kabila's mandate, the United Nations said on Friday. The death toll came from two days of violence in the capital Kinshasa and included four police officers killed by protesters and one other civilian. It was higher than during the 2011 electoral process, the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office in Congo (UNJHRO) said in a report. Kabila's chief diplomatic adviser Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi conceded errors by Democratic Republic of Congo's police and armed forces but said that both were confronted by "looters and stealers and rapists". "The reaction was not commensurate to what can be considered acceptable by international standards for a police force," he told Reuters. "But the fact of the matter is that these policemen and these army officers were in a position of self-defense." However, the interior minister denied last week that on-duty security forces opened fire on protesters, who authorities say were conducting an armed insurrection. A government report said 32 people, including three police officers, were killed by protesters or private security guards, or in accidents. Congo's main opposition alliance had called for a march on Sept. 19 to demand that Kabila, who has ruled the vast central African country since 2001, step down in December as required by constitutional term limits. The governing coalition and other smaller parties agreed last week to postpone elections planned for November until April 2018, citing logistical woes registering millions of voters, but most major opposition parties rejected the accord. Congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power and international donors fear that the impasse over Kabila's plans to stay on will lead to widespread bloodletting. In total, UNJHRO said, there were at least 422 victims of human rights abuses by state agents in Kinshasa between Sept. 19 and 21. "This is clearly outrageous and serves to fuel an already explosive situation in the country," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said. Of the civilians killed, 38 were shot by the police, army and presidential guard and seven were burned to death by members of the presidential guard, including during an attack on the headquarters of the main opposition party, the report said. Four police officers were burned alive or beaten to death by protesters who also looted the headquarters of ruling coalition political parties, according to UNJHRO. The death toll could be much higher due to the authorities' restrictions on access to morgues and other facilities, it said. UNJHRO also said it had received "concordant reports about the distribution by the authorities of machetes and money to about a hundred young men, with a view to disturbing the demonstration." The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor sent a delegation to Congo this week to urge restraint by all parties in the coming months and warned that human rights abuses could be prosecuted by the court. (Reporting By Aaron Ross)
London (AFP) - Britain's Conservatives on Friday held onto the seat vacated by former prime minister David Cameron, who resigned after the Brexit referendum, but the party saw its share of the vote slashed.

Conservative candidate Robert Courts won the seat of Witney in southern England by 5,702 votes, with the party's vote share falling from 60 percent in the 2015 general election to 45 percent.

Cameron triggered the by-election last month when he announced he was to quit his seat in parliament, less than three months after losing an EU vote in which he had campaigned to stay in the bloc.

Cameron announced he was stepping down as prime minister in June, hours after Britain's dramatic vote to leave the European Union, handing power to his successor Theresa May in July.

Courts called Cameron "a great prime minister and a brilliant MP" as he claimed victory.

The resurgent Liberal Democrats -- the Conservatives' former coalition partners -- overtook Labour to take second place in Witney.

Leader Tim Farron claimed it represented a return to the "political big time" for the centrist party following a wipeout in last year's general election.

Elsewhere, former actress and Labour candidate Tracy Brabin was elected to replace colleague Jo Cox, who was murdered in her constituency in June.

Brabin won 85 percent of the votes, with none of the main parties fielding a candidate out of respect to Cox, who was stabbed and shot in the street in her Batley and Spen constituency in Yorkshire, northern England.

Brabin is a familiar face on British televisions having starred in long-running soap opera Coronation Street.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Education John King gave an inspiring speech on civic education at the National Press Club. As part of his speech, he called for a commitment to nonpartisan constitutional education in our classrooms. At the same time, he recognized that civic education isnt easy. Even for teachers and administrators with the best of intentions, these conversationswhich often cover some of the most contested issues at the center of our public lifecan skew partisan. This is no small problem.

To navigate these conversations effectively, teachers must have training on how best to facilitate these discussions and must receive support from their principals, their administrators, and the wider community. However, teachers must also have access to trusted, nonpartisan information about our Constitution and its historyinformation that can be hard to find in our polarized age. Thats where the National Constitution Center comes in.

As a national headquarters for civic education, the National Constitution Center delivers balanced, trusted educational programming and online resources that inspire, excite, and engage Americans about the U.S. Constitutionits text, its history, and its enduring importance. The centerpiece of our civic education efforts is our Interactive Constitutionalready dubbed an internet sensation by USA Today.

This tool is a free, online platform sponsored by the heads of the two leading legal organizations in the country, the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society, and supported by the John Templeton Foundation. It presents the full text of the Constitution, with clickable essays on every clause by the leading liberal and conservative scholars in America, exploring areas of agreement and disagreement. Since its launch in September 2015, it has already reached more than 6 million downloads. We are working with partners like the College Board to bring this free, online tool to every classroom in America, and we are continuing to refine this material to make it accessible for students of all age levels and from all backgrounds.

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We are also working to promote constitutional dialogue in our community through our Policing in a More Perfect Union program. Developed with former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, this program teaches police officers about the Bill of Rights and provides a forum for officers to discuss the importance of their role in protecting the rights of all citizens. As part of the program, we also unite officers with high school students for constitutional conversation. Through this program, we seek to transform constitutional understanding by the police, bridge the divide between officers and their communities, and ensure that constitutional education remains at the core of police training across America.

Echoing Secretary Kings speech, our ultimate goal is to help create informed citizens who understand both sides of key constitutional debates, learn how to engage in civil dialogue, and are willing to defend the rights and liberties that define us as a free society. We want every Americanfrom age eight to eightyto understand the constitutional heroes who have written the unique story of American freedom. We want them to understand how these principles remain the subjects of spirited debate. We want them to understand the difference between constitutional and political arguments. And we want to help them understand how the Constitution can inspire students across America to exercise their rights and responsibilities as American citizens.

Jeffrey Rosen is President and CEO of the National Constitution Center. To learn more about the Center, follow @ConstitutionCtr and @RosenJeffrey on Twitter or visit us at our Facebook page. This article first appeared on Homeroom, the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education.
The tobacco giant, Philip Morris International, Inc. PM came up with a better-than-expected third quarter earnings per share and posted a year-on-year gain in quarterly revenues. However, concerns regarding the weak third-quarter performance in the tobacco category dragged shares of the company into negative territory yesterday. Shares of Philip Morris saw a decline of 0.6% following its third quarter earnings release.

Q3 Results in Focus

The companys third quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.25 came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a couple of cents and gained 1% from the year-ago quarter. Earnings rose 4% from the year-ago period when considered excluding an unfavorable currency impact of 4 cents. Though third quarter net revenue of $7.0 billion was in-line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, it increased 1% year on year. Robust sales in the Asia and European Union segment primarily boosted the companys results during the quarter (read: Is a Consumer Staples ETF Rebound Around the Corner?).

Meanwhile, operating income in the quarter increased 1% year on year to $3.1 billion. However, a decline in tobacco sales had a negative impact on Philip Morriss performance during the quarter. The company reported that cigarette shipment volumes registered a decline of 5.4% from the year-ago quarter to 2.1 billion units during the third quarter. Apart from the European Union, the company saw significant year-over-year decline in shipments in all other major market segments. Shipments volume declined 5.4%, 9% and 8% in Eastern Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Asia, and Latin America and Canada, respectively.

Separately, the company forecast GAAP-earnings for 2016 between $4.53 and $4.58 per share, higher than last years figure of $4.42. Also, the tobacco behemoth declared a hike in quarterly dividend by 2% to an annualized amount of $4.16 per share (read: A Guide to Consumer Staples ETF Investing).

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ETFs to Watch

Though shares of the company declined yesterday, its price movement in the near future will depend on how the company performs in the upcoming quarter. The encouraging outlook it provided somehow indicates that the company is poised to finish this year on a positive note. Hence, it can be said that the stock will remain on investors radar in the days ahead along with the ETFs that have significant exposure to this company (see all Consumer Staples ETFshere).

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF XLP

This fund is the most popular product within the consumer staples equities space, having an asset base of $8.9 billion. The fund tracks the S&P Consumer Staples Select Sector Index and holds a small basket of 39 stocks with Philip Morris taking the third spot at 8.1% of the total assets.

Food & Staples Retailing (22.2%), Household Products (20.4%) and Beverages (20.2%) take the top three spots. XLP is actively traded with average daily volume of around 11 million shares. The fund is one of the cheapest in the category with 14 basis points as expenses. The ETF lost 0.6% on Wednesday. The product has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk outlook.

Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples ETF FSTA

This fund tracks the MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples Index and holds about 100 stocks in its basket with Philip Morris taking the fourth spot at 7.56% of the total assets. It is a large-cap centric fund, heavily concentrated in the top 10 holdings with 61.9% of the assets. Food & Staples Retailing takes the top spot at 21.5% share, closely followed by Beverages (21.5) and Food Products (20%).

The fund has amassed $268.6 million in its asset base while average daily volume is moderate at 78,000 shares. The fund is the cheapest in the category with 8 basis points as expenses. The ETF declined 0.4% yesterday. Like XLP, the product has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a Medium risk outlook (read: Fidelity Slashes Fees for 11 Sector ETFs).

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF VDC

The fund is the second most popular product in the space managing an asset base of $3.4 billion while average daily volume is moderate at around 129,000 shares. VDC tracks the MSCI US IMI Consumer Staples 25/50 index and holds about 99 stocks. Philip Morris takes the fourth spot in the basket at 6.9% of the total assets.

Household Products (19.1%), Packaged Foods & Meats (19%) and Soft Drinks (17.3%) take the top three spots of the fund. It has a low expense ratio of 0.10% and has lost 0.5% on Wednesday. The fund has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a Medium risk outlook.

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Copper Chile

Copper is not a good doctor.

Investors believe that the metal's price is a reliable way to gauge the health of the global economy, and have nicknamed it "Dr. Copper" for this reason.

Copper is found in things like electrical cables, roofing, and other components of the largest capital projects undertaken anywhere.

And so, if copper prices fall because demand is weak, it's seen as showing a deeper rut elsewhere in the global economy.

In a note on Thursday, John LaForge, head of real asset strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said copper helped predict three of the past five recessions in the US  in 1981, 2001, and 2007.

"While this is not a bad record, we are not convinced that a 60 percent (3/5) success rate deserves the coveted medical designation, M.D," LaForge wrote. "Maybe a more appropriate designation would be PdD in economics  as copper's great predictability is more theory than fact (no offense to the fine PhD economists out there)."

And so, the nearly 54% drop in copper prices since 2011 is probably not the indicator anyone should peg their recession call on.

Still, copper may be a better recession indicator than the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which officially declares when the economy is shrinking.

To be clear, its role is not so much to forecast recessions like economists, analysts, and sometimes, copper. However, LaForge added the red arrows in the chart below to note that the bureau is usually late in declaring recessions. In 1990 and 2001, the NBER called recessions when they were practically over.

Screen Shot 2016 10 21 at 3.08.18 PM

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Brasilia (AFP) - The head of Brazil's Senate police service and three other officers were arrested Friday on charges of helping senators caught in corruption scandals to dodge investigators.

A giant probe into an embezzlement and bribery network centered on state oil company Petrobras has already targeted two ex-presidents, ministers, senior legislators, and some of Brazil's richest men.

The latest suspects are members of the congressional security service, including the Senate force's chief, who "aimed to obstruct investigative operations by the Federal Police against senators and ex-senators, using counter-intelligence technology," the Federal Police said in a statement.

A large number of police vehicles converged outside Congress early Friday as searches were conducted inside.

The G1 news site reported that the four officers conducted sweeps for police listening devices at the homes and offices of Senator Fernando Collor de Mello, who is also a former president, and former senator Jose Sarney and Senator Edison Lobao, both of whom are from current President Michel Temer's center-right PMDB party.

All three politicians have been implicated in the Petrobras probe, codenamed Operation Carwash.

The police, allegedly working illegally on their behalf, made four visits to the senators' houses and allegedly in at least two cases flew at public expense to their home states to conduct the counter-bugging sweeps.

However Senate President Renan Calheiros, who has also been implicated in the Petrobras scheme, defended the action of the legislature's police force, saying they were only asked to root out "illegal listening devices."

"The Legislative Police carried out their activities within the framework of the constitution," he said in a statement.

The Operation Carwash probe, which has been running almost three years, has exposed a gargantuan kickback scheme involving a cross section of Brazil's political and business elite.

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- No longer untouchable -

Prosecutors have aggressively gone after figures once considered untouchable, using a variety of weapons, especially plea bargains in which suspects give inside information in hopes of getting lesser sentences. Wiretaps have also added to an atmosphere of paranoia in the capital Brasilia.

Earlier this week the former speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, was jailed on charges that he took millions of dollars in bribes.

Popular former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is also accused of taking Petrobras-related bribes and faces three separate corruption court cases.

Collor de Mello, who was president from 1990-92 before being impeached and resigning, was accused in August last year of corruption and money laundering.

Late Thursday, the prosecutor general's office gave new details of the charges, saying that Collor de Mello had received at least 29 million reais ($9.2 million) in bribes between 2010 and 2014.

The prosecution document said that his wife Caroline Collor de Mello and seven others were part of criminal group, and that the former president should be removed from his senate seat.
These West Virginia newlyweds clearly were not going for a conventional anniversary when they decided to take portraits at their local Target.

Read: Fur-Ever Love! Rescue Pups Replace Flowers at Dog Lovers' Wedding

Lauren Rexroad, a 22-year-old student in Morgantown, wanted to celebrate her first anniversary with husband Corey Rexroad, 22, by recreating their wedding photos.

But instead of revisiting their church or the Rockefeller Center ice rink in New York City (where the two were engaged), Lauren chose the next best alternative  the local Target.

"Corey and I, we like to go out of the norm," Lauren told InsideEdition.com. "We're not like normal newlyweds."

Lauren, who loves Target, said the idea came to her as a result of their first year together.

"Being a newlywed, you have to remodel your house, you have to make it you," she said. "I just loved Target's style, so I just found myself there all the time."

When she suggested it to photographer Callie Lindsey, they immediately got to work planning.

Clad in their wedding gown and tuxedo, the Rexroads started in the Target parking lot, where a small crowd immediately gathered to watch.

Read: Students With Down Syndrome Star in Teacher's Wedding: 'It Was a Dream Come True'

Eventually, they moved into the store, and up and down the aisle. She said an employee ended up escorting them through the store, to make sure shopping customers wouldn't end up in their shots.

They even hit the food court after to share a slushy and a popcorn.

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Watch: Woman Lands Perfect Job and Has Hilarious 'I Said Yes!' Photo Shoot With Her Offer Letter

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By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - The death toll in a Myanmar ferry sinking has reached 73, authorities said on Friday, as they wrapped up a week-long search and rescue operation for survivors and prepared to launch an inquiry into the cause of the disaster. Marine accidents are common in Myanmar, where many people rely for transport on crowded boats that are often in a state of disrepair. The ferry sank early on Saturday, about 85 miles (137 km) northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar's second biggest city, as it traveled between the towns of Homalin and Monywa. "We were able to salvage the sunken ferry yesterday and we don't expect to find any more bodies, so we've suspended the official rescue operation," said Ko Ko Naing, an official of Myanmar's social welfare ministry. He said 73 bodies, among them 54 women, 14 men and 5 whose gender had yet to be identified, had been found, in addition to the 159 passengers rescued alive. [nL4N1CN3BV] The ferry had been laden with at least 300 passengers when it sank, exceeding its official capacity of 120, Kyaw Htay Lwin, a regional lawmaker had told Reuters earlier, citing witnesses. President Htin Kyaw expressed "condolences for the dead, offering assistance to the bereaved families and announcing action against those responsible after a systematic probe," in a statement published by state-owned media. Saturday's toll was the highest since an incident in March last year, when 64 people drowned off the western state of Rakhine after an overloaded ferry sank in bad weather. (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
A terracotta head added to a vandalized statue of baby Jesus in Canada has sparked ridicule, with some likening the replacement to Maggie Simpson.

A white stone statue of Mary and baby Jesus outside Ste. Anne des Pins Catholic church in Sudbury, northern Ontario, has been the victim of vandals for close to a decade. Local artist Heather Wise offered to fix the statue after its the head of baby Jesus was knocked-off and stolen in 2015.

Wise, who had never worked with stone, told Sudbury.Com that she was sad to see what happened to the statue. She was granted permission by Father Gerard Lajeunesse, who works at the church, to create a clay replacement and aims to make a permanent stone head by 2017.

Pictures of the new head quickly went viral on social media, with some comparing it to the botched restoration of Jesus Christ in Spain or to the cartoon character Maggie Simpson:

Lajeunesse told CBC News that local parishioners have expressed shock, disappointment and surprise with the new head. Its a first try. Its a first go. And hopefully what is done at the end will please everyone, he told CBS News. I wasnt trained for this in seminary.

[Sudbury.com, CBC]
Youngberg Hill, whose history dates back to 1989, sits in the McMinnville section of Oregons Willamette Valley. Its a cozy and beautiful spot, even by the standards of a region that is loaded with stunning vistas and tranquil landscapes. In addition to producing wine, largely from their estate, the proprietors also run an upscale inn on the property.

I recently had the opportunity to not only taste through their wines with founder and winemaker Wayne Bailey but to also stay at the inn. The accommodations include four suites and four guest rooms. The rooms are spacious, well-appointed, and very comfortable in a country chic style. Its impossible not to feel at home and, more importantly, at peace in the placid surroundings. And though you may feel like youre staying in the middle of nowhere, in truth its a short 10-minute drive from the heart of McMinnville, whose growing downtown has an ever-expanding number of excellent restaurants of all sorts.

My personal favorite was Thistle with its eclectic menu and wine list, not to mention perfect service. And if you want to venture one town over to Dayton, the legendary Joel Palmer House continues to deliver remarkable meals that have had mushroom-lovers salivating for many years now. Speaking of meals, the breakfasts served to overnight guests at Youngberg Hill were another highlight.

Though Youngberg Hill Winery was born in the late 1980s, Bailey shifted to organic and sustainable practices only in 2003. Today, the winery is moving toward biodynamics as well.

It was clear when I tasted through their wines with Bailey that theyre nailing their stated goal of producing site-specific wines that showcase what each vintage brings. Willamette Valley is dotted with boutique producers who bottle distinctive small-lot offerings, and Youngberg Hill is one of the best of that bunch. Theirs are wines that are to be sought out (and the inn is a wonderful place to stay).

Heres a look at my favorites from their portfolio.

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Youngberg Hill Pinot Blanc 2015 ($25)

The fruit for this pinot blanc was sourced at another nearby vineyard within the McMinnville AVA. Citrus and pineapple aromas dot the nose. Bits of apple, pea, and tropical fruit are evident on the palate. Hints of creme fraiche show on the finish along with sour yellow melon and white pepper. This is a fine example of an underappreciated white variety.

Youngberg Hill Pinot Noir Cuvee 2013 ($35)

The pinot noir grapes for this Willamette Valley cuvee were sourced at three different vineyards, including Youngberg's estate vineyard. Strawberry and bay leaf aromas dominate the nose. The palate shows off continued red fruit, minerals, and hints of black tea. Cranberry characteristics and finely ground bits of earth show up on the lengthy finish. This is a really good value in Willamette Valley pinot noir.

Youngberg Hill Jordan Block Pinot Noir 2013 ($50)

The Jordan Block is a steep, south-facing slope thats part of the Youngberg estate. Sage, thyme, and blackberry notes are present on the nose here. Black cherry, blackberry, and a host of spices dominate the palate. Substantial earth, chicory, and more savory herbs fill the above-average finish. Firm acid and tannins provide excellent structure. This is a wonderful pinot noir that will pair with a cornucopia of foods. In short, it would be perfect for the varied flavors of Thanksgiving or other holiday feasts.

Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir 2013 ($50)

The fruit for this wine comes from a southeast-facing parcel of just under seven acres on the Youngberg estate. Black cherry and bits of raspberry fill the nose here. A host of savory herbs, hints of wet earth, and continuing dark fruit characteristics fill the deeply layered and well-proportioned palate. Oodles of sour black fruit and hints of smoked meat are present on the long finish alongside hints of salinity. This precise and site-specific pinot is both delicious now and age-worthy.
A young couple were found mysteriously dead in their Dundee, Michigan, apartment on Tuesday, October 18. When investigators arrived at the scene just after 1 a.m., they discovered bags of uneaten Taco Bell takeout near the bodies as well as drug paraphernalia and a pound of marijuana on the kitchen table. There were no signs of trauma, foul play or forced entry. Find out more in the video above, and detailed below.

The husband and wife, who have been identified as Cameron Hulet, 28, and Courtney Hulet, 20, had been living in Monroe County for just six months, but authorities were familiar with the couple. Cameron had some drug issues, Dundee Village manager and former police chief David Uhl told Us Weekly. Our department had also responded there several times on domestic issues. A lot of complaints from neighbors saying there was yelling and screaming.

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Two young children were recently removed from the home by Child Protective Services and are currently in foster care.

While Uhl suspects drugs were involved, police are awaiting the results of a toxicology report to determine the cause of death.

I dont think Cameron and Courtney died from marijuana, Uhl told Us. But marijuana can be laced with something, and were having a lot of trouble with fentanyl. That can kill you immediately.

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A neighbor in the Hulets triplex found the pair lying on the floor at 9 a.m. on October 17 and assumed they were sleeping. She heard a groan and then closed the door and left, said Uhl. When the same woman returned at 1 a.m. and found them in the same position, she called the police.

According to Uhl, detectives are pulling video from Taco Bell to determine if anyone else was with the Hulets that evening.

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By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - The quantity and quality of media children and teens consume should change with their age, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The organization also says parents should oversee children's media consumption and educate them about proper media engagement. "The big picture message is that parents have a huge role to play as guides and mentors for their young children about what technology means," said Dr. Jenny Radesky, who led the crafting of the new guidelines for young children. For example, she said, what are people supposed to do with tech gear and devices? How should those gears and devices be used to improve people's lives, and help them learn and build relationships? "In order for kids to grow up with a healthy concept of what digital tools are and how to use them effectively, creatively, and kindly, we need to teach them this  both explicitly (in what we teach them) and implicitly (through role modeling our own behavior) from the very start," said Radesky, of the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. The new recommendations call for infants to avoid media - except for video-chatting - when they are younger than 18 to 24 months. After those ages, they may be exposed to it, but the content should be high-quality. Also, young children shouldn't be left alone when they're engaging with digital media or television. There is no evidence that media use benefits infants, but there is evidence that it is linked with poor sleep, obesity risk and poor developmental outcomes, said Radesky in an email to Reuters Health. As for choosing high-quality media, she said parents should trust their instincts and pay attention to how their children respond to programs and apps. Also, she recommends Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/) as a guide for how to use technology among families and Sesame Workshop (www.sesameworkshop.org/) for content. For preschool-aged children, the guidelines recommend limiting screen use to one hour per day of high-quality programming. The guidelines are a bit looser for older children and teens, but the organization says media shouldn't take the place of other needs like sleep and physical activity. Also, the recommendations call for parents to select and co-view media with their children. They should also teach their children about online safety. "Parents are back in the driver's seat," said Dr. Megan Moreno, who led the crafting of the new media guidelines for school-aged children. "We want parents to feel that they are media role models. They can make decisions for their kids and help them recognize the risks and benefits of media use." The American Academy of Pediatrics has a new tool to help families develop and follow a Family Media Use plan (www.healthychildren.org/mediauseplan). The plan should decide the type and quantity of media children consume, with a focus on healthy habits and communication of guidelines to other caregivers like babysitters. "The hope is that media selection becomes much more mindful and families are talking about the quantity and quality of the media that they use," said Moreno, of Seattle Children's. The new statements were published in the journal Pediatrics to coincide with the annual American Academy of Pediatrics conference in San Francisco. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2enRkCN, http://bit.ly/2enQ6r8 and http://bit.ly/2enRuKp Pediatrics, online October 21, 2016.
Doctor Strange Cast Addresses Whitewashing Controversy at Films World Premiere

The world premiere of Doctor Strange was held at the famous TCL Chinese Theater on Thursday night. Fans braved the 90-degree heat to get a glimpse of the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Benedict Cumberbatch.

Hollywood Boulevard was transformed into a grand magic sanctum as the cast and crew took the red carpet to celebrate the opening of 14th Marvel Universe movie.

They also took the opportunity to address criticism from some fans over the casting of British actress Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, who in the comics is depicted as an Asian man.

Director Scott Derrickson took on the whitewashing controversy, explaining how selecting Swinton was a diversity choice itself.

I think diversity is the responsibility of directors and producers, Derrickson told Variety. In this case, the stereotype of [the Ancient One] had to be undone. I wanted it to be a woman, a middle-aged woman. Every iteration of that script played by an Asian woman felt like a Dragon Lady,' Derrickson explained, referencing another negative on-screen stereotype of an exotic and domineering Asian woman. Im very sensitive to the history of Dragon Lady representation and Anna May Wong films. I moved away from that. Whos the magical, mystical, woman with secrets that could work in this role? I thought Tilda Swinton.

Writer Jon Spaihts also praised the casting choice. Tilda is an instance of us taking a male role and putting a woman in it, which I think the film badly needed. The comic world of Doctor Strange is very male. So we were looking for opportunities to have not only ethnic diversity, but to have gender diversity in the film.

Swinton herself urged audiences to see Doctor Strange before criticizing it, while championing diversity.

They need to see the film to understand why Scott Derrickson and [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige decided to reimagine the Ancient One as a woman. People shouting loud and proud about needing more diversity in Hollywood cinema have got us right behind them.

Story continues

Tilda Swinton addresses the whitewashing controversy in Marvel's "Doctor Strange" | #DoctorStrangePremiere pic.twitter.com/2ZpQ5vVreH  Variety (@Variety) October 21, 2016

Benedict Wong, who plays Master Wong, said producers worked to dispel the Asian stereotypes around his character found in the source material. The idea of a man servant and tea-making sidekick isnt that appealing, the British Chinese actor said. Scott and Kevin said vehemently were not doing this. And I said, Fantastic because neither am I.'

Other Marvel stars including Stan Lee (creator), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Elodie Yung (Elektra) and Gabriel Luna (Ghost Rider) made their way down the carpet before the screening.

Cumberbatch and Swinton received the loudest applause as the credits rolled, which was of course followed by Marvels signature post-credits scene, featuring a certain Avenger (no spoilers here) and a post-post-credits scene.

An after-party followed celebrating the film and premieres success.

Check out more photos from the event below.

Related stories

Imax Posts Lower Q3 Earnings, Meets Wall Street Forecasts

'Doctor Strange,' 'Fantastic Beasts' Score China Releases

London Mayor Backs Plan to Build City's Largest Film and TV Studios
Socially responsible investing, or SRI, is one of the hottest trends in investing right now. But does it work?

To answer that, it might help to know what SRI actually is. SRI is an investing strategy that often applies screens to exclude companies that don't align with your environmental, moral, ethical, religious, or social values. It can also apply positive screens to seek out investments in companies that "do good."

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria frequently go hand-in-hand with SRI; socially conscious investors look for companies that are respecting the environment, treat their employees well and respect diversity, and are structured in a shareholder-friendly way.

[See: 10 Long-Term Investing Strategies That Work.]

At the end of the day, socially responsible investing is different from traditional techniques because it aims to produce two types of returns: social and financial. But does it actually achieve those goals?

Defining SRI. Perhaps the most glaring issue facing SRI today is its own nebulous definition. "What is socially responsible is very unique to individuals and there are few absolutes with respect to what is socially responsible or what isn't," says Bob Johnson, president and CEO of the American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

ESG practices, Johnson says, are like "restaurant or movie critics, the grading of those practices depends upon who is doing the grading. That is, beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Take the iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF (ticker: DSI), one of the many socially responsible funds giving investors access to SRI investments. The ETF tracks an index of companies with "positive environmental, social and governance characteristics." Yet one could make the case that Coca-Cola Co. ( KO), one of the fund's top 10 holdings, has been one of the companies most responsible for the global spread of obesity and diabetes.

Portfolio 21 Global Equity Fund Class R ( PORTX) is another fund seeking to prioritize companies with strong ESG thresholds, and specifically claims to exclude, among other traits, companies that engage in "egregious labor practices." Yet the second-largest holding of PORTX is Apple ( AAPL), a company that's been widely criticized for working conditions at Chinese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, where a number of employees have committed suicide on the job during and leading up to high-pressure production runs.

Story continues

Excessive screening. Kevin Mahn, chief investment officer of Hennion & Walsh, says that the screening aspect of SRI can also be controversial.

For example, an SRI fund may ban companies that earn a certain percentage of their revenue from tobacco, alcohol, weapons, or gambling. These screens fail to consider that "excluded companies that were perhaps 'sinful' in certain areas were providing positive, sustainable characteristics in other areas."

"Limiting the sectors or industries that are included in a given investment portfolio can also hinder potential diversification and/or growth of capital opportunities," Mahn says. Socially conscious investors are still investors after all, and if returns are materially limited by investing with a conscience, that's a problem for the industry.

Debatable results. Another serious question swirling around socially responsible investing is simply how well it works. From the social side, a 2016 research paper titled "A Pitfall in Ethical Investing: ESG Disclosures Reflect Vulnerabilities, not Virtues," found that "ethics controversies are more likely for firms that adopt popular ESG policies."

[See: Artificial Intelligence Stocks: 10 Companies Betting on AI.]

Financially speaking, another paper, "The Price of Sin: The Effects of Social Norms on Markets" (Hong and Kacpercyk, 2009), finds that " sin stocks also have higher expected returns than otherwise comparable stocks, consistent with them being neglected by norm-constrained investors and facing greater litigation risk heightened by social norms."

In other words, screening out sin may cost you. The paper says nothing, however, about how screening in a positive manner, for companies that comply with SRI standards, impacts return.

Shifting to the positives. There's no reason to write off being socially responsible, or prizing ESG-aware companies.

Who doesn't want to live in a clean, safe, sustainable world? Why shouldn't there be diversity on boards and management teams? And there's all too much evidence that when corporate governance goes awry, bad things happen. Just look at Enron and Worldcom, or more recently, Wells Fargo & Co. ( WFC). If appropriate checks and balances were in place, customers, shareholders, and employees would've been spared a lot of heartache and pain.

Furthermore, there's the feeling that socially responsible investing is just the right thing to do.

Thom Duffy, vice president of investment strategy for Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, puts it this way: "Knights of Columbus, going back to 1882 and our founding, has always been a Catholic organization. For us, to have integrity of principles you can't just say that you believe in something, except when you invest."

"So we like to pursue strong investment returns while maintaining our integrity," Duffy says. "And we've got a more than 100-year history of doing exactly that." Duffy also rejects the idea that screening out undesirable stocks impacts returns.

There's also legitimate reason to believe that SRI can do more than just help you sleep well at night.

The U.S., China and nearly 200 other nations have now ratified the Paris climate change agreement, aimed at reducing global greenhouse gasses. That means that "countries are really serious about this, and so these companies have a leg up on making that happen and profiting from it," says Joe Quinlan, head of thematic strategy at Bank of America, referring to environmentally conscious companies.

Finally, to say that socially responsible investing hasn't had some sort of real impact on the way companies do business simply isn't true. Trillium Asset Management, for example, has successfully lobbied companies like Amgen ( AMGN) and Tailored Brands ( TLRD) to increase transparency and disclosure policies surrounding sustainability. It was also instrumental in lobbying for the Pebble Mine in the ecologically fragile Bristol Bay, Alaska, to be abandoned, which eventually happened when Rio Tinto ( RIO) withdrew from the project in 2014.

So is SRI perfect? No. But it's making a difference. Going forward, expect longer-term studies to be done on SRI, and for its definition to become more and more clear. Just don't think of it as a passing phase.

"We had the BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa -- that to me was just good marketing and good spin from Goldman Sachs," Quinlan says.

[See: 7 of the Best Socially Responsible Funds.]

"But when you talk about social impact investing or ESG, this isn't a fad," he says. "This is going to be with us for generations. No doubt about that."





More From US News & World Report


If you only read one thing: Donald Trump broke the first rule of public speaking Thursday: always know your audience. There is only one way to describe his performance at the Al Smith Dinner, a New York tradition that every four years features the major party nominees for a night of light-hearted humor to benefit Catholic charities: He bombed. The billionaire former reality show star misread the room of New York elites and the momentwhich is used to playful reading and self-deprecating jokes but not political invective. He opened by comparing himself to the son of God and it went downhill from there, fast. By the end of his remarks he was being booed by the white-tie and begowned audience in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria hotel. He called his rival anti-Catholic and corrupt. I dont know who theyre angry at, Hillary, you or I, Trump said. The answer was clear. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, delivered on the goal for the evening, with some laughs at her own expense and a few at her opponents.



Clintons best line: Every year, this dinner brings together a collection of sensible, committed, mainstream Republicansor, as we now like to call themHillary supporters.

Trumps best line: You know, the president told me to stop whining, but I really have to say, the media is even more biased this year than ever before  ever. You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it  its fantastic. They think shes absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech  and people get on her case.

But the line of the night belonged to Alfred Smith IV, the master of ceremonies, commenting on the sad-but-true takeaway from the upcoming election: If you were born into immense wealth or if your husband was president you can accomplish anything.

Donald Trump is still not backing off his refusal to commit to honoring the results of the November election, and made light of criticism that he is undermining American democracy at a rally Thursday. Meanwhile, he walked out on a local news interview questioning him about controversial comments he has made.

Story continues

President Obama stepped up his criticism of Donald Trump and down-ballot Republicans for their refusal to walk away from him Thursday, as he continues to be one of Clintons best surrogates on the campaign trail. First Lady Michelle Obama spent the day firing up voters in Arizona, a GOP-leaning state that Trump has put in play. And Clinton trolls Trump in her FEC report.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

How Trump Plans to Win-Even If He Loses the Election

Facing a binary election, Trump looks for a third option [TIME]

What Hillary Clintons Insiders Know That Voters Dont-Yet

What Wikileaks tells us about her [TIME]

Clicking Like on the First Facebook War

TIMEs Mark Thompson on the impact of live access to the battle for Mosul

President Obama Blasts Marco Rubio and GOPers for Supporting Donald Trump

Come On, Man! [TIME]

On the Airwaves, Obama Stepping Up for Down-Ballot Democrats Like Never Before

Obama rediscovers the Democratic Party [Washington Post]

Obama: Health Care Law Worked, But Improvements Needed

Admits change is needed [Associated Press]

Donald Trump: I Will Totally Accept Election Results If I Win

Not backing down [CNN]

Sound Off

I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win.  Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Ohio, making light of the criticism that he is undermining a foundational principle of American democracy

People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.  Hillary Clinton at the Al Smith dinner

Bits and Bites

Joe Klein: Beware the Toxic Sequel to Donald Trumps Flailing Presidential Campaign [TIME]

Donald Trump and Hillary Clintons 5 Biggest Punchlines at the Al Smith Dinner [TIME]

The Final Presidential Debate of 2016 Was Watched by 71.6 Million People [TIME]

Donald Trump Walked Off of an Interview After a Question About Racism [TIME]

Hillary Clinton spent $66 million just to air ads in September [Washington Post]

Read the Transcript of Donald Trumps Speech at the Al Smith Dinner [TIME]

Read the Transcript of Hillary Clintons Speech at the Al Smith Dinner [TIME]
An Arizona man, the first of five indicted people to enter a plea for a Valentine's Day traffic stop near Lincoln that turned up more than 8 pounds of heroin and nearly 5 pounds of methamphetamine, has gotten 10 years in federal prison for it.

Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf sentenced Cristobal Yucupicio, 28, of Tucson, on Thursday to the prison time, plus five years of supervised release.

A day earlier, Yucupicio had sought a reduced sentence because of a lack of a prior record, but a day later abandoned the motion that could have resulted in him getting additional time if the judge didn't believe what he was saying was true.

The prosecutor, Bruce Gillan of the U.S. Attorney's office, said Yucupicio told him it was the first time he had trafficked drugs but later admitted to getting caught with 98 pounds of marijuana as a teenager.

On Feb. 14, Lancaster County sheriff's deputies arrested him and four others after a traffic stop near the Northwest 48th Street exit of Interstate 80 led to the hidden cache of drugs.

The driver, Oscar Garcia, a 34-year-old of Mission Hills, California, had run a stop sign, according to an affidavit for his arrest.

Yucupicio, Garcia and three other adults in the car -- Marilyn Prado, Victor Avalos and Carolina Lara -- got arrested after Lara, who had rented the car, consented to a search.

Deputies found 4.73 pounds of methamphetamine and 8.179 pounds of heroin in the engine compartment, according to court records. Part of it was in the air filter housing, and the rest near the engine's firewall, according to court records.

Garcia's and Prado's 1-year-old son, who also was in the car, was placed in foster care.

The day of the stop, the sheriff's office estimated the street value of the drugs at more than half a million dollars.

They had been destined for Ohio, Gillan said at a hearing Tuesday where Garcia pleaded guilty.

A grand jury indicted all five adults for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.

In June, Yucupicio pleaded guilty. The others are awaiting trial.
(CLEVELAND)  Hillary Clinton ramped up her pressure on Donald Trump in the elections most competitive states Friday with an emotional TV ad targeting his criticism of a Muslim-American family. Trump vowed to go all-out in the final three weeks so hell have no regrets  even if he loses.

The nominees retrenched behind familiar arguments a day after appearing together at a charity event that veered into cutting personal attacks, an unexpected metaphor for this years take-no-prisoners presidential campaign. Clintons new ad features Khizr Khan, whom Trump assailed after Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

In the minute-long ad, which Clintons campaign said was airing in seven battleground states, Khan retells how his son, Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq seeking to protect his U.S. military unit from a suicide bomber.

Mr. Trump, would my son have a place in your America? the father asks, tearing up as the ad fades to black.

Clinton has sought to use Trumps widely panned attacks on the father and his wife as evidence supporting her case that the Republican bullies minorities, especially those who disagree with him. In person, she was promoting early voting Friday in Ohio and planned a meeting with two activists for Black Lives Matter.

Trump, meanwhile, settled on a new target: Michelle Obama, who has emerged as one of the most effective voices for Clinton. One of the countrys most popular Democrats, the first lady for years has been loath to devote significant time to campaigning, but has done so in recent days with searing indictments of Trumps treatment of women.

All she wants to do is campaign, Trump said as he rallied supporters in North Carolina. He cited comments Mrs. Obama made during her husbands 2008 campaign in which she said someone who cant run their own house cant run the White House. Shes the one that started that, Trump said.

Story continues

The typically self-assured Trump was unusually candid about the possibility of losing the election, a prospect thats grown in likelihood as Clinton solidifies her lead in battleground states that will decide the election. Trump said he is packing his schedule with campaign events through Election Day so he will know he spared no effort even if ultimately unsuccessful.

I will be happy with myself, he said.

Trump and Clinton were still sharply at odds over his unprecedented assertion in the final debate on Wednesday that he may not concede if he loses. Clinton has called that horrifying, while Trump has said hes merely reserving the right to contest the results if the outcome is unclear or questionable.

Underpinning Trumps threat is his contention  presented with no evidence  that the election is rigged against him and may be soiled by widespread voter fraud. Hes urged supporters to monitor polling places for potential shenanigans.

Fanning those flames, Russias government has asked Oklahoma and two other states to allow Russian officials to be present at polling stations on Election Day, to study the US experience in organization of voting process. Allegations by the U.S. government that Russia is trying to influence the election by hacking Democratic groups has fed a Clinton camp claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is siding with Trump.

The Oklahoma secretary of states office said Friday it had denied the Russian request, in line with state law. At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest said it was unclear what Moscow was trying to do.

Its appropriate that people might be suspicious of their motives, Earnest said.

Early voting is underway in more than 30 states.

With the final debate behind them, the two candidates appeared together Thursday night for likely the last time in the campaign, at a Catholic fundraiser that turned unusually hostile.

At the dinner, a tradition intended as a display of national unity, Trump drew boos when he referred to Clinton being so corrupt and said without apparent humor that she was appearing at the event pretending not to hate Catholics.

But Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the New York archbishop seated between them at the dinner, described a less antagonistic moment backstage after he invited them to pray.

After the little prayer, Mr. Trump tuned to Secretary Clinton and said, You know, you are one tough and talented woman, and he said this has been a good experience, Dolan told NBCs Today on Friday. And she said, Donald, whatever happens, we need to work together afterwards.'

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
Kinshasa (AFP) - The Democratic Republic of Congo's main opposition party firmly rejected a deal signed Tuesday which would keep President Joseph Kabila in power until 2018 by postponing this year's presidential vote until April 2018.

The UDPS, led by veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, "rejects" the proposal to delay the vote as a "flagrant violation" of the constitution, the party's secretary-general Jean-Marc Kabund told AFP.

The idea was agreed by the authorities and fringe opposition groups taking part in a "national dialogue" held to reduce tensions triggered by fears that Kabila has no intention of stepping down when his mandate ends in December.

On Tuesday, the leaders of the groups that took part in the dialogue gathered for a ceremony in Kinshasa to sign their 24-page accord.

Kabund said the postponement plan "unilaterally imposes Mr Kabila in flagrant violation of the constitution which sets the end of his mandate at December 20."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the election postponement plan was "no response to the crisis".

"There's only one way out of the crisis, and that is for the president (Kabila) to announce that he will not run again, and for an election date to be set," he added.

The plan emerged after the EU threatened sanctions if the country did not hold elections in 2017.

The Catholic church in the country said it was imperative that any new agreement on the future presidential election should clearly mention that Kabila would not stand for a third term.

The National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) said everything possible must be done "to reduce the period of transition so that it doesn't last beyond 2017," fearing a descent into chaos.

The main opposition coalition -- "Rassemblement" (Gathering) -- has boycotted the "national dialogue" talks, branding them a ploy by Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his term.

It has also called for a general strike on Wednesday across the vast central African nation, to give Kabila a "yellow card".

Kabila first took office in 2001, and in 2006 a new constitutional provision limited the presidency to a two-term limit which expires in December.
At least 34 people were taken to the hospital after a chemical spill lead to hazardous materials being released into the air in Atchison, Kansas, on Friday, October 21. Two chemicals were mixed together in the wrong holding tank, which caused the reaction, according to a local report.

Officials said sodium hydrochlorite and sulfuric acid were released into the air, according to the report. Those taken to the hospital were suffering from respiratory discomfort, and the injuries were classified as minor. Around 11,000 people were ordered to shelter in place inside their homes after the incident.

This video gives an aerial view of the chemical release. Credit: Facebook/Corie Dunn
DTE Energy DTE will release third-quarter 2016 financial results before the market opens on Oct 26. In the prior quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 8.89%. In the four trailing quarters, it beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice, with an average positive surprise of 6.94%.



Lets see how things are shaping up at the company prior to this announcement.



Why a Likely Positive Surprise?



Our proven model shows that DTE Energy is likely to beat earnings this season because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates, and DTE Energy has the right mix.



Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is +4.64%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate stands at $1.58, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged slightly lower at $1.51. This is a meaningful indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise.



Zacks Rank: DTE Energys Zacks Rank #2, when combined with a positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat this quarter.



Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (#4 or #5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

DTE ENERGY CO Price and EPS Surprise

DTE ENERGY CO Price and EPS Surprise | DTE ENERGY CO Quote

Whats Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings?



DTE Energy expects $2,5002,700 million of capital outlay in 2016, comprising $1,550 million for DTE Electric, $430 million for DTE Gas and $520720 million for DTE Non-Utility. Planned investments in regulated electric and gas infrastructure in Michigan, and expansion of the companys existing pipelines as well as the development of the NEXUS pipeline will help it attain year-over-year earnings growth of 5% to 6% in 2016.



During the second-quarter earnings call, the company raised its operating earnings per share guidance for 2016 to the range of $4.91$5.19 from the prior range of $4.80$5.05. The increase was driven by solid performance of its Electric business, and Gas Storage & Pipelines business, as well as robust first-half results of the Energy Trading operations. This trend is expected to continue in the third quarter too.



The company's service territories witnessed above-average temperatures during the third quarter. This should lead to increased electric sales in these regions, which in turn, will boost the top line.



Overall, for the third quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at $1.51, reflecting an 8.1% year-over-year increase.



Other Stocks to Consider



Here are a few other players in the utility space, which also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:



Pattern Energy Group Inc. PEGI has an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release third-quarter results on Nov 3.



Entergy Corporation ETR has an Earnings ESP of +8.06% and a Zacks Rank #2. It is expected to report earnings on Oct 25.



CMS Energy Corp. CMS will report second-quarter results on Oct 27. The company has an Earnings ESP of +5.26% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Confidential from Zacks



Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



CMS ENERGY (CMS): Free Stock Analysis Report



ENTERGY CORP (ETR): Free Stock Analysis Report



DTE ENERGY CO (DTE): Free Stock Analysis Report



PATTERN ENERGY (PEGI): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
DuPont DD is gearing up to release its third-quarter 2016 results ahead of the bell on Oct 25.



The Delaware-based companys adjusted earnings for second-quarter 2016 topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate, aided by its aggressive cost-reduction actions. The company saw higher profits across its operating segments in the quarter. Revenues declined year over year on pricing pressure and currency headwinds, but beat expectations.



DuPont has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the last four quarters with an average beat of 17.53%.



Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement.



Factors to Watch For



DuPont, in its last earnings call, raised the bottom end of its adjusted earnings guidance range for 2016 by 10 cents per share to $3.15-$3.20. For the third quarter, DuPont expects adjusted earnings per share to be 50% higher than the previous year.



DuPont's cost-saving and productivity measures should continue to lend support to its earnings in the September quarter. The company is taking aggressive cost-cutting actions amid a still challenging operating backdrop.



The company's 2016 cost savings and restructuring program, which builds on its operational redesign initiative, is expected to deliver net cost reductions of $730 million in 2016. The company expects to achieve around 64 cents per share in cost reductions in 2016 through its global cost savings and restructuring program.



However, DuPont is exposed to certain challenges that could affect its third-quarter results. As the company derives more than 60% of its sales from overseas markets, currency headwinds may continue to weigh on its top line. DuPont sees unfavorable currency impact of 15 cents per share on its 2016 operating earnings. The expected impact is, however, lower than the company's prior view of 20 cents per share. Headwinds from a higher base tax rate are also forecast to be roughly 10 cents per share.



Moreover, DuPont still faces challenges from weak agricultural market conditions. Abundant seed and crop protection inventories and tight credit conditions are affecting this major market. Moreover, costs associated with the launch of the Leptra technology in Brazil are expected to weigh on earnings in DuPonts agriculture business in the third quarter.



DuPont is moving ahead with its planned mega-merger with Dow Chemical DOW. DuPont and Dow agreed to combine their businesses in Dec 2015 in an all-stock deal to create a chemical powerhouse (dubbed "DowDuPont") with a combined market value of around $130 billion, before eventually breaking up into three independent companies through tax-free spin-offs.



The combined company would split into pure-play agricultural, material science and specialty products businesses that will be leading players in their respective fields. The breakup is expected to take place 18-24 months after the completion of the deal.



The deal secured approvals from shareholders of both companies in July and is now subject to customary closing conditions including receipt of regulatory clearances. The European Commission (EC), in August, started a Phase II review for the planned merger of equals of the two companies.



The proposed mega-merger is projected to deliver cost synergies of around $3 billion, expected to be achieved with the first two years after the deal closure. Around $1 billion of additional growth synergies are also expected to be achieved from the merger.



Both companies expect the merger to enhance their growth profiles through expanded scale and complementary offerings (especially in agriculture) and drive shareholder value. We expect DuPont to provide an update on the planned merger in its third-quarter call.

Story continues

DU PONT (EI) DE Price and EPS Surprise

DU PONT (EI) DE Price and EPS Surprise | DU PONT (EI) DE Quote

Earnings Whispers



Our proven model shows that DuPont is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of the two key ingredients.



Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP for DuPont is +9.52% as the Most Accurate Estimate stands at 23 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at 21 cents. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise.



Zacks Rank: DuPont currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings.



Conversely, sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.



The combination of DuPonts Zacks Rank #3 and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat.



Stocks That Warrant a Look



Here are some stocks in the basic materials space that you may want to consider, as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:



The Chemours Company CC has an Earnings ESP of +25.71% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Teck Resources Limited TCK has Earnings ESP of +4.55% and carries a Zacks Rank #1.



Confidential from Zacks



Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>>





Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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DOW CHEMICAL (DOW): Free Stock Analysis Report



TECK RESOURCES (TCK): Free Stock Analysis Report



CHEMOURS COMPNY (CC): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
President Rodrigo Duterte's shock "separation" from the United States has thrown Philippine foreign policy into confusion, with the Americans saying they are baffled and some of his top aides contradicting him.

The firebrand leader rarely lets a day pass without taunting or abusing the United States but his latest comments, made during a state visit to Beijing, were the strongest signal he wants to torpedo a 70-year alliance in favour of China and Russia.

"I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte said Thursday as he paused to soak up the applause from hundreds of Chinese businessmen in the audience.

"I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

Until Duterte took office on June 30, the Philippines had been one of the United States' most important and loyal allies in Asia, and a key to President Barack Obama's "pivot" to the region.

The Philippines had also been a bastion of democracy -- albeit a chaotic and corrupt one -- in Southeast Asia since shedding the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

But Duterte, who describes himself as a socialist and has close links with communists still waging a rebellion in the Philippines, has revealed a deep dislike of the United States.

He has repeatedly branded Obama a "son of a whore", and called on his countrymen to remember crimes committed by Americans when the Philippines was a colony of the United States from 1898 to 1946.

Ignoring the thousands of American lives that were lost to liberate the Philippines from Japan during World War II, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid, Duterte has also told Filipinos that the United States had done nothing for them.

He has said there will be no more joint US-Philippine patrols in the South China Sea, nor will there be any further joint military exercises with the United States that see thousands of troops pass through the Philippines each year.

Story continues

- Confusion, concern -

Duterte's tirades are causing confusion in Washington, where officials have repeatedly said the Philippine government has not made any of his words official policy.

"I just want to say that obviously we're aware of this rhetoric," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.

"And we still hold that it is inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship that we have with the Filipino people, as well as the government there, on many different levels, not just from a security perspective."

Kirby said the US government would seek an explanation on the "separation" remarks.

"It's not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications," he said.

Kirby indicated Asian governments were also growing increasingly nervous about Duterte, who has been fiercely criticised in the West for a war on crime in which thousands of people have been killed.

"It isn't just the United States who is baffled by this rhetoric. We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are likewise confused about where this is going," he said.

A frequent pattern following Duterte's explosive remarks against the United States, the crime war and other hot-button issues has been for his aides or cabinet ministers to try to downplay, clarify or otherwise interpret them.

And within a few hours of Duterte's separation remarks, his finance and economic planning secretaries released a joint statement saying the Philippines would not break ties with Western nations.

"We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbours," they said.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez also insisted the Philippines would not break with the United States.

"I guess this will be explained better by the people around the president," Lopez told ABS-CBN television.

"But what is clear to me, we're basically continuing with those activities, but it's just breaking the dependence with those countries."
By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans private personal meetings with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Tokyo next week, three sources said, seeking to keep him onside with U.S.-led efforts to contain Beijing's South China Sea ambitions. With Duterte winding up a trip to China where he announced his "separation" from the United States, Abe faces a delicate task to promote the closely aligned security goals of Tokyo and Washington without pushing the Philippine leader deeper into Beijing's embrace. "Japan wants to explain its regional stance, including its thinking regarding the South China Sea," said one of the sources. "Abe wants to make a connection with Duterte," he added, asking not to be identified because he is not authorized to talk to the media. Duterte's apparent cosying up to Beijing has both Tokyo and Washington worried that the commitment under former Philippine President Benigno Aquino to stand up to China in the hotly disputed waterway is under threat. Aquino angered China by lodging a case with an arbitration court in the Hague challenging the legitimacy of Beijing's maritime claims in the resource-rich sea. The ruling earlier this year emphatically favored Manila but was rejected by China, which has repeatedly warned the United States and Japan to stay out of the dispute. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Japan was "sparing no effort" to get involved in the South China Sea issue, saying Japan was behind the times in the rapidly improving China-Philippines relationship. WORRY Abe will hold one-on-one talks with Duterte at his residence in Tokyo on Wednesday night following a larger, more formal meeting with senior officials, the sources said. "It's unusual for the Japanese prime minister to hold a second smaller meeting," another of the sources said. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will also host Duterte for an informal dinner on Tuesday. Duterte visited Beijing first with an entourage of around 200 business people. On Thursday, he declared the United States had lost and he had "realigned" with China. Duterte has railed against U.S. criticism of his deadly war on drugs and called President Barrack Obama a "son of a bitch" but has so far maintained cordial ties with U.S. ally Japan. "Right now Japan seems determined to cultivate a relationship with him and will avoid the hot-button topics (eg human rights) lest Duterte also junk them as well," said one of the sources. Japan wants to confirm the importance of the rule of law and freedom of navigation, a Japanese government official told Reuters. It's unlikely, however, that Abe will try to intervene in Duterte's spat with Washington or discuss the Hague ruling, he added. Duterte places "great value on the Philippines' vibrant and dynamic relationship" with Japan, a Philippine government spokeswoman said ahead of the visit. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo was looking at how the developments between China, the Philippines and the United States might affect Japan but would not comment. "In regard to the problem in the South China Sea, we are looking reach a diplomatic solution through cooperation between with the countries involved," Suga told a regular media briefing on Friday. Japan in June committed itself to a bigger security role in Southeast Asia when then Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani said his country would help nations such as the Philippines and Vietnam build their security capabilities to deal with "unilateral, dangerous and coercive actions" in the South China Sea. "There is more Chinese assertion in the South China Sea and Japan has more worries it will do the same the same in the East China Sea," said Alison Evans, deputy head of Asia Pacific Desk, Country Risk at IHS Markit. "Japan has to be more concerned now than six months ago." On Wednesday, Abe will sign an agreement to supply two new patrol boats to the Philippines, the sources said, adding to the vessels and aircraft Japan has already provided to help keep tabs on activity in the South China Sea. Duterte and his entourage will then meet leaders from companies including Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> and Mitsubishi Motors <7211.T> to seek further investments in the Philippines. Duterte concludes his trip on Thursday with a call on Japan's Emperor Akihito. (Additional reporting by Linda Sieg in TOKYO, Karen Lema in MANILA and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
Dwayne The Rock Johnson is going back to his beginnings for his latest project.

Fox has nabbed a hot comedy from the wrestler-turned-superstar and producer Will Ferrell, inspired by the real life experiences of Johnson and former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz, Variety has learned.

The project, hailing from Johnsons Seven Bucks Productions and Ferrells Gary Sanchez Productions, received a put pilot commitment at Fox. Andrew Gurland, who created FXs Married, will write the pilot script.

The series offers a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional professional wrestling outfit and chronicles the one-of-a-kind odd couple relationship that develops between a charismatic young character, like the The Rock, and a painfully awkward comedy writer new to the world of wrestling. A fish-out-of-water among all of these alpha males, this beta former sitcom writer needs as much help as he can get navigating the extremely passionate, sometimes crazy and always unpredictable world of professional wrestling.

This November will mark the 20th anniversary of my professional wrestling debut, said Johnson. I was 24 years old, putting in the hard work, making $40 bucks per match and had no clue of the long journey that lay ahead of me with characters and backstage stories so colorful youd think theres no way that can be true. The entertaining show that goes on in front of the crowd pales in comparison to the insanely entertaining show that goes on backstage. Brian and myself cant wait to tell our stories.

Gewirtz added: Coming from Hollywood to the wrestling industry, with its intense backstage atmosphere and larger than life personalities, was a major culture shock. After working in the business for over 15 years, Dwayne and I had encounters and experiences that were unbelievable as well as unforgettable. We cant wait to bring this project to the fans.

Along with Johnson and Gewirtz, exec producers on the single-cam, hourlong comedy are Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Prods., Ferrell and his Gary Sanchez Prods. producing partner Adam McKay, plus Kevin Messick. 20th Century Fox Television is the studio.

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This has been a longtime passion project and were thrilled to be jumping into the network comedic space on a topic we love and know so well. Fox, Gary Sanchez Productions and Andrew Gurland are the perfect partners to help us bring this story to life, commented Garcia, one of Varietys Power of Women honorees this year.

Ferrell and I met in the wrestling ring so doing this show with Dwayne Johnson brings us full circle, said McKay. And theres no one more talented (or limber) than Andrew Gurland to steer this project.

Gurland noted, Ive always gravitated towards comedy that comes from a real place, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to work with Dwayne and Brian. Their stories about the real drama behind pro-wrestlings larger than life spectacle are hilarious and surprisingly poignant. I hope I do them justice.

The project is the latest for Johnson, whos one of Hollywoods most in-demand stars  both on-camera and behind the screen. His HBO series Ballers was recently renewed for a third season, plus he broke out onto the digital scene with his new YouTube channel. Among his films coming up are the latest Fast & Furious flick Fast 8, Rampage, the Baywatch reboot, the sequel to box-office hit San Andreas, Disneys animated Moana and the Jumanji reboot, which hes currently filming in Hawaii.

For Seven Bucks Prods., the wrestling comedy is the latest television project on the bustling companys slate. USA Network is developing a Muscle Beach series and Seven Bucks is currently behind Ballers, HBOs Rock and a Hard Place, CNNs Soundtracks: Songs That Made History and Spike TVs Rock the Troops. On the film side, Seven Bucks is adapting Sonys Son of Shaolin, and is behind the upcoming Baywatch, Shazam and more.

Johnson, Gurland and McKay are all repped by WME. Ferrell is with UTA.

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NEHAWKA  A family of six was killed in an early morning house fire northeast of Weeping Water, but the cause remained under investigation late Thursday.

Nebraska State Fire Marshal investigators couldn't confirm the number of deaths in the rural Cass County home at 10014 McKelvie Road, according to a news release. But a family member said on Facebook that Mike and Michelle Speer and their four daughters, Elli, Adilynn, Emma and Anniston, were killed.

Autopsies will be performed following recovery efforts, the release said.

Late Thursday afternoon, investigators patrolled the property as fire crews sprayed water on the charred remains of the white two-story farmhouse, located in a grove of trees surrounded by soybeans along a gravel road.

Part of the green-shingled roof lay on the pile of ashes with the chimney the only part of the house intact.

Its basically a two-story house, and its completely on the ground, Deputy State Fire Marshal Adam Matzner told Flood Communications. We dont have any walls standing.

A neighbor called 911 reporting people were inside the burning home just after midnight Thursday, the release said.

Fire and rescue crews from Weeping Water, Manley and Avoca along with sheriff's deputies arrived to find the two-story home engulfed in flames, the release said.

But they couldn't get inside the blazing home, Matzner said.

The State Fire Marshals Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Cass County Sheriff's Office and the Cass County Attorneys Office.

Investigators didnt release additional details Thursday and authorities said the investigation could likely continue into Friday.

The Speers bought the house six miles northeast of Weeping Water in July, according to the Cass County Assessors Office.

Family members couldn't be reached for comment Thursday evening.
A civilian removes the rubble in front of a damaged shop after an airstrike in the rebel held al-Saleheen neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria August 18, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

Learning how to survive on practically no food, with no electricity, while surrounded by snipers and targeted in airstrikes, has become a necessary part of daily life for those still inside the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, former University of Aleppo student Omair Shaaban described the measures residents have to take just to survive day-to-day in the city they've lived in their entire lives.

Those include living on the lower floors of buildings to survive "the many different kinds of airstrikes, shells, rockets, phosphorus bombs and cluster bombs"; staying off the street as much as possible; driving without headlights to avoid being targeted (if you own a car); selling any extra pasta and bread you may be given by aid organizations ("there is no meat, no milk, no yogurt"); and, above all, trying to stay calm.

"Hearing bombs going off all the time is hard," Shaaban wrote. "Theyre so noisy  the sound alone could drive you crazy. So now I try to ignore it. If bombs detonate nearby, try to forget them, try to be calm. Go save your neighbors instead of panicking. If you arent calm, you will really go mad."

Late last month, the Syrian government  backed by Russian warplanes  launched its most devastating bombing campaign on Aleppo since the civil war began more than five years ago.

"The destruction is so complete that it obliterates even a sense of time," Michael Kimmelmanwrote in The New York Times recently.

A still image from video taken October 12, 2016 of a general view of the bomb damaged Old City area of Aleppo, Syria. REUTERS/via ReutersTV

Earlier this month, Natalie Nougayrede argued in The Guardian that Russia's current tactics in Aleppo can be understood by studying what Moscow did to the Chechen capital of Grozny 16 years ago.

Much like Aleppo is today, Grozny was encircled by pro-government forces before being obliterated. In Grozny, though, an estimated 50,000 people were trapped as bombs rained down on them. Four times as many people, roughly 250,000, are under siege in rebel-held eastern Aleppo today, according to reports.

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"Its so easy to lose your mind here," Shabaan wrote. He noted that going out to look for food, which is scarce and expensive, is risky because "you might come back to find that your building has been destroyed and your family killed."

"Ive seen people standing in front of bombed-out buildings, screaming and crying in disbelief...Even people who still have their homes struggle to cope. A friend of mine killed himself with a machine gun after another friend of ours died. I think it is more common in Western society for people to commit suicide, but here in Syria, it is very rare. In Islam, its a terrible sin."

syria aleppo

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for Russia and the Syrian government to be investigated for war crimes over reports that their warplanes are targeting hospitals and rescue workers inside the city  reports that the Kremlin and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad continue to deny.

"We look forward today to a very frank discussion about what potential next steps are," Kerry said. "We intend to jointly figure out how best to be able to deliver the strongest message possible about the actions that might be taken to deal with this bombing of Aleppo, this siege, in the 21st century, of innocent people."

Russia temporarily halted its airstrikes on Aleppo on Thursday and Friday, but has not specified how long the temporary ceasefire will last.

"This past week, the regime and the Russians announced a cease-fire," Shabaan wrote. "But that has made everyone afraid  we dont know whats going to come next. Maybe the attacks will be worse than before, when they start again. Thats what happened last time."

NOW WATCH: This Syrian refugee makes a special candy to remind him of home





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By Ana Mano and Guillermo Parra-Bernal

SAO PAULO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris and some creditors of Oi SA are considering pouring up to $1.5 billion into the debt-laden Brazilian telecoms carrier, whose in-court reorganization has failed to gain traction amid rows between bondholders and shareholders, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Under the terms of the plan, which remains preliminary, the equity injection into Oi would aim to cut its 65.4 billion reais ($21 billion) in debt and give Sawiris and his partners a stake of about 85 percent, said the sources. Partners include about 70 bond firms that are advised by Moelis & Co .

The purpose of the Sawiris-bondholder plan is to wrest control from Oi's current shareholders, including Portugal's Pharol SGPS SA and investment firm FIA Societe Mondiale, and prepare a potential sale of the company within three years, said one source.

Moelis said on Oct. 11 that joining forces with Sawiris would allow bondholders and the Egyptian tycoon to "discuss and evaluate an alternative recovery plan for Oi" during and after it emerges from bankruptcy.

Oi filed for bankruptcy protection in a commercial court in Rio de Janeiro in June.

Two other sources familiar with the strategy of Oi's two main shareholders said Sawiris and his camp have not yet approached them, adding that the bidding amount under consideration is too low.

Both sources said the success of the Sawiris-led bid hinges on convincing the government that their proposal would ease friction between creditors, shareholders and suppliers and maintain high-quality service.

All of the sources declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Messages to the media office of Sawiris' investment firm, Orascom TMT SAE, were not answered.

A representative for Moelis in Brazil declined to comment, as did Pharol and Societe Mondiale, controlled by Brazilian distressed-debt investor Nelson Tanure.

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The byproduct of a government-sponsored merger at the end of last decade, Oi succumbed to a heavy debt burden, onerous government-mandated investments in money-losing activities and shareholder problems.

The government has expressed concern over the reorganization, saying it would intervene if creditors and stakeholders failed to reach a "market solution" for the company, or if a suitor seeks to break the company into parts.

A series of disputes between Pharol, FIA Societe and creditors, and protracted negotiations have delayed discussions about a recovery plan, which was presented on Sept. 5 to creditors. The Moelis-led group of bondholders deemed Oi's September recovery proposal "unacceptable."

Sawiris had been linked with a potential takeover of Oi last year and in June, days before Oi filed for bankruptcy protection.

($1 = 3.1571 reais) (Editing by Daniel Flynn and Jeffrey Benkoe)
Every four years, 538 people meet in 51 locations around the United States to pick the winner of the presidential election. So who are the members of the Electoral College?

ascertainment

This certificate officially lists electors in Pennsylvania in 2012.

Political parties within states pick people to serve as electors, under rules approved by state legislatures. The electors are usually party leaders or members.

Here are the basics: The Constitutions Article II, Section 1 spells out the basic Electoral College rules. A majority of electors is needed to elect a President; members of Congress or people holding a United States office cant be electors; electors cant pick two presidential candidates from their own state, and Congress determines when the electors meet within their states (or in the federal district). The total number of Electoral College members equals the number of people in Congress and three additional electors from the District of Columbia.

The list of the electors, or the slate of electors, within a state usually doesnt appear on the election ballot. States have different rules for when official slates are submitted to election officials. Each political party decides how to submit its slate of electors, at the request of its presidential candidate. The state decides when that slate needs to be submitted.

On Election Day, people vote for a Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate and the slate of electors that represents those candidates. The electors of each state convene after the election, under current federal law, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. (Any disputes within the states over electors must be resolved by December 13.)

They almost always meet in person at the state capital. This year, they will meet on December 19, 2016. In 48 of 50 states, just the electors who represent the candidate with the most popular votes on Election Day each get to cast votes in the Electoral College election. (Maine and Nebraska split votes by congressional district.)

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Each state group sends its endorsed, official vote count certificate to the Vice President (acting as President of the Senate), state officials, the federal court that had jurisdiction over the state capital area, and the federal Archivist. The vote certificates must be received in Washington by December 28.

For example, back in 2012, President Barack Obama won the popular vote in Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes. On December 10, 2012, the governor and secretary of state for Pennsylvania filed a certificate of ascertainment, listing the election vote count, and the names of all electors for all eligible parties. The Pennsylvania electors for the winning party met and signed a Certificate of Vote on December 17, 2012 at the state capital in Harrisburg, Pa. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a Democrat, was among the 20 electors.

In 2017, the new federal Congress convenes on January 6 for the official Electoral College vote count. The Vice President will open the vote certificates and pass them to four members of Congress, who count the votes. If there is a majority winner with at least 270 electoral votes and there are no objections filed by members of Congress, the Presidential election is certified and over. If there isnt a majority winner, the election is sent to Congress to decide. The House decides who is President; the Senate decides who is Vice President.

So what happens if an elector doesnt vote for the candidate he or she was pledged to represent? States have the power to punish faithless electors with fines and possible jail time, but once certified votes are sent to Washington, its up to Congress to accept that vote.

There have been more than 150 faithless electors in Electoral College history for various reasons. In some cases, Vice Presidential candidates died between Election Day and the Electoral College voting date. In other cases, electors switched votes for various reasons.

In one case, back in 1968, Congress used its powers under federal law to decide the fate of a faithless electoral voter who voted for George Wallace instead of Richard Nixon. After objections were filed in the House and Senate, both voted separately to accept the vote. In those special sessions, the House and Senate met separately for no more than two hours. And both the House and Senate must agree to an objection, and then that vote isnt counted.

In 2004, the House and Senate agreed to consider a dispute over Ohios certificate, and both groups approved the submitted certificate in separate votes.

Related Stories on Constitution Daily

What happens when there is a tie in the Electoral College?

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Early voting looms as key election factor
SAO PAULO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The Brazilian real weakened on Friday as traders booked profits from the currency's recent gains, while most Latin American currencies and stocks were nearly flat.

The real had touched the strongest since August on Thursday after the central bank defied expectations of a sharp rate cut.

Traders also cited inflows related to a bill granting amnesty to Brazilians who pay fines on undeclared assets held abroad. The government expects to collect up to 50 billion reais ($15.8 billion) from the program.

The country's stock exchange however, was nearly flat, in line with other Latin American markets.

Shares of miner Vale SA provided the biggest boost to the country's benchmark stock index, extending gains from the previous day to the highest in a year.

But gains were limited by falling shares of rental car chain, Localiza Rent a Car SA, as bigger-than-expected third-quarter capital spending offset strong operational profit.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1540 GMT: Stock indexes daily YTD % % change Latest change MSCI Emerging Markets 909.81 -0.39 15.01 MSCI LatAm 2596.53 0.26 41.54 Brazil Bovespa 63999.55 0.25 47.63 Mexico IPC 48302.99 0.06 12.39 Chile IPSA 4249.59 0.34 15.47 Chile IGPA 21226.13 0.32 16.94 Argentina MerVal 18185.02 0.2 55.76 Colombia IGBC 10071.71 -0.05 17.83 Venezuela IBC 13850.40 0.21 -5.06 Currencies daily YTD % % change Latest change Brazil real 3.1600 -0.71 24.91 Mexico peso 18.6355 -0.10 -7.54 Chile peso 666.5 0.05 6.48 Colombia peso 2947.75 -0.73 7.52 Peru sol 3.367 0.24 1.40 Argentina peso (interbank) 15.1450 0.10 -14.28 Argentina peso (parallel) 15.51 0.45 -7.99 (Reporting by Bruno Federowski; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Endemol Shine is set to launch a French bureau which will combine Endemol and Shine operations in France, where the two banners previously operated separately.

The integrated Endemol Shine France banner will launch early next year with Endemol Frances boss Nicolas Coppermann to preside. Thierry Lachkar, Shine France president, will step down in early 2017.

Moving forward, we believe that combining the considerable strengths of the Shine and Endemol teams in France under Nicolas will create a local powerhouse that is best positioned to deliver channel-defining content to our customers and leverage future opportunities in the fast-changing marketplace, said Sophie Turner Laing, Endemol Shine CEO, who also paid tribute to Lachkars work.

Coppermann said the launch of Endemol Shine France will allow the company to unite creative, production and entrepreneurial talent and broaden [the outfits] collective reach in the marketplace and further enhance [its] ability to bring the best ideas to life across different platforms and genres.

During his tenure at Shine France, Lachkar launched 50 programs in scripted and non-scripted across all channels and platforms, reaching 203 million viewers, according to the company.

The integration of the two businesses and launch of Endemol Shine France will have to be greenlit by local anti-trust authorities.

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Cleveland (AFP) - Donald Trump will lay out plans Saturday for the first 100 days of his presidency, in what his campaign is calling his "closing arguments" in one of the most bitter election campaigns in US history.

The 2016 election cycle pitting the Republican nominee against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has turned increasingly toxic, with Trump fueling wild conspiracy theories about vote "rigging" and Clinton warning that the provocative billionaire was straying into authoritarianism.

Clinton excoriated Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honor results of the upcoming presidential election, as the rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states.

"We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart," Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8.

"Donald Trump refused to say that he'd respect the results of this election. By doing that, he's threatening our democracy."

Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump's bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognize the election result -- a surprising rejection of political norms.

Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails.

His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a "rigged" election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump drawing condemnation from President Barack Obama.

Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair.

Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump's eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America's first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump's efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state.

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Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State Thursday. He is due to head back to the state on Saturday, with running mate Mike Pence.

On Friday, the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

"Eighteen days. You're going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote you've ever cast for anyone at any time," Trump told a crowd in Fletcher, North Carolina.

- 'Win, lose or draw' -

On Saturday, he will make a key speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, one of the most famous speeches in American history, delivered during the Civil War in an effort to help unite the country.

"The Donald Trump campaign is a movement unlike anything we've seen in our country's history. Tomorrow's speech will set the tone for the closing arguments of this election," Trump's national policy director Stephen Miller said in a statement.

"Mr Trump is the change agent our country needs and he will speak to every American tomorrow about his positive vision to restore our economy, give government back to the people and outline the immediate steps he will take in the first 100 days to Make America Great Again."

Trump earlier said he would give the campaign everything he had, "right up until the actual vote."

"Win, lose or draw... I will be happy with myself," he added.

Clinton is narrowly leading in polling in North Carolina, a state Obama won in 2008 but lost to Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.

- Battleground focus -

Trump is trailing badly in the polls, and his debate threat opened him up to a stinging attack from Obama at a Miami rally.

"When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy," Obama said Thursday.

"When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence... That is not a joking matter."

Clinton holds leads in several battleground states, ranging from razor-thin, such as in North Carolina, to moderate in Florida and Pennsylvania and commanding in Virginia.

She is even narrowly ahead in Arizona, the traditionally Republican-leaning state where First Lady Michelle Obama -- who galvanized voters with a searing attack on Trump last week -- campaigned for Clinton Thursday.

If Trump loses Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory, experts have said.

In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Trump supporters streamed into a convention center to hear him speak in their depressed former steel town, where most mill jobs have evaporated.

Trump promised that he would bring many of them back.

"We don't make things anymore," he told the cheering crowd. "When I'm president, we're going to start making things again in America."
The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services has disciplined six prison staff members related to an escape of two inmates from the Lincoln Correctional Center in June.

The department did not identify the staff members, but said discipline included firing, demotion, suspension and disciplinary probation. Those disciplined included senior management, said spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith in a late Friday afternoon email.

No staff members were found to have committed a crime, she said.

Following the escape and capture of Armon Dixon and Timothy Clausen, Corrections conducted a critical incident review to determine what additional security and procedural measures needed to be taken to prevent future escapes, Smith said.

The review identified the need for internal investigations of staff that contributed to the escape.

The review also led to enhanced security policies, procedures, protocols and practices, including increased control of inmate movement to and from work locations and a change to the procedures for vehicles entering and exiting the facilities.

Shortly after the escape, prison warden Mario Peart was reassigned and soon after the 39-year veteran of the department retired. Diagnostic and Evaluation Center Warden Fred Britten moved into the position.

Criminal charges were filed against inmates Dixon and Clausen, who are now housed at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

Dixon and Clausen left LCC in a prison laundry truck at 9:12 a.m. June 10 and were able to cut a hole in the top of the truck, climbing out when it stopped eight minutes later at U.S. 77 and Warlick Boulevard.

Dixon was arrested in northeast Lincoln a day after the escape and Claussen was caught five days after the escape in Omaha.
Equity Residential EQR is slated to report third-quarter 2016 earnings after the market closes on Oct 25.



Last quarter, this Chicago, IL-based residential real estate investment trust (REIT) reported a negative surprise of 1.30%. Moreover, the company has met estimates in two and missed on the other two occasions, over the trailing four quarters. This resulted in an average negative surprise of 0.61%



The graph below depicts the surprise history of the company.

EQUITY RESIDENT Price and EPS Surprise

EQUITY RESIDENT Price and EPS Surprise | EQUITY RESIDENT Quote

Will Equity Residential be able to overcome challenges this time and post a surprise? Or will a challenging backdrop hurt its financials this earnings season? Lets see how things have shaped up for this announcement.



Factors to Consider



Equity Residential has recently reaffirmed its 2016 same store revenue growth projections of 3.5%4.0%. Notably, in July, the company had lowered the revenue growth assumption to this range of 3.5%4.0%, from 4.0%4.5% guided earlier, citing an elevated new supply and slowdown in high-paying jobs in San Francisco and New York.



The company also announced that though it is presently meeting revised expectations with respect to occupancy and base rent for its overall markets, there is normal seasonal reduction for renewals, aggravated by the San Francisco & New York rent declines. Further, according to the company, the current inventory expansion in San Francisco is historic. However, Equity Residential declared that despite slowing rents in existing properties, lease-ups remain solid.



Moreover, Equity Residential has been repositioning its portfolio to focus on high-barrier markets. In fact, the company opted for substantial sale out of its portfolio in recent times. While the assets sale might help the company focus exclusively on its core, high-density urban markets in the long term, the earnings dilution impact from such a move would be impossible to avoid in the near term.



For third-quarter 2016, Equity Residential had earlier declared projections of normalized funds from operations (FFO) per share of 7579 cents.



Earnings Whispers?



Our proven model does not conclusively show that Equity Residential will beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. But that is not the case here, as you will see below.



Zacks ESP: Both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 78 cents. This leads to an Earnings ESP of 0.00% for Equity Residential.



Zacks Rank: Equity Residential currently has a Zacks Rank #4.



This combination of Zacks Rank #4 and zero ESP makes us skeptical of any surprise this quarter.



In fact, we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



Stocks to Consider



Here are a few stocks in the REIT sector you may want to consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post a positive surprise this quarter:



PS Business Parks Inc. PSB, slated to release earnings results on Oct 25, has an Earnings ESP of +1.43% and a Zacks Rank #2.



Post Properties Inc. PPS, slated to release earnings results on Oct 31, has an Earnings ESP of +1.24% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Essex Property Trust Inc. ESS, slated to release earnings results on Oct 27, has an Earnings ESP of +0.36% and a Zacks Rank #3.





Note: All EPS numbers presented in this write up represent funds from operations (FFO) per share. FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.



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By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Canada's trade minister walked out of talks in Belgium on Friday, declaring that the European Union was incapable of sealing a planned transatlantic free trade deal designed to boost growth in both economies. All 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but Belgium cannot give assent without backing from its five sub-federal administrations, and French-speaking Wallonia has steadfastly opposed it. The agreement, the EU's first with a G7 country, would according to supporters increase trade between the partners by 20 percent, boosting the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($13 billion) per year and Canada's by C$12 billion ($9 billion). A visibly shaken Chrystia Freeland, Canada's trade minister, emerged after a full day of talks with chief Canadian and EU trade negotiators and Walloon Premier Paul Magnette. "Canada has worked, and I personally have worked, very hard. But it is now evident to me, evident to Canada, that the European Union is incapable of reaching an agreement  even with a country with European values such as Canada," she said. "Canada is disappointed and I personally am disappointed, but I think it's impossible," she continued, adding she was heading home. A source in the EU's executive European Commission said it had not yet given up hope of reaching a deal. Separately, EU trade commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom said in a tweet she was sad talks had halted, but still hoped to find a solution. Wallonia is home to about 3.5 million people, less than 1 percent of the 507 million Europeans CETA would affect, but the EU's flagship trade project rests on the will of its government. It continued to have concerns about the threat of surging pork and beef imports from Canada and an independent court system to settle disputes between states and foreign investors, which critics say may be used by multinationals to dictate public policy. Many EU leaders also suspect the local government in Namur of using its devolved powers to play domestic politics. CETA was in theory due to be signed at an EU-Canada summit next Thursday in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "We feel we've done everything we can do. The ball is in their court," Freeland's deputy, David Lametti, told reporters in Ottawa. Asked whether Canada had any more room to be flexible, he replied: "It's fair to say we would continue to negotiate in good faith." A source familiar with the matter said Trudeau had set a deadline of Monday to decide whether to fly to Brussels. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. IMPACT FOR BREXIT? Failure to strike a deal with such a like-minded country as Canada would call into question the EU's ability to forge other deals and undermine a bloc already battered by Britain's vote to leave and disputes over Europe's migration crisis. The walkout came as leaders concluded a two-day EU summit in Brussels with trade policy the main topic set for Friday. European Council President Donald Tusk, chairing the summit, said that Europe's credibility was at stake. The issue is greater than just a trade deal with Canada, the EU's 12th-largest trading partner. If CETA fails, the EU's hopes of completing similar deals with the United States or Japan and opening up new talks with partners such as Australia and New Zealand would be in tatters. Britain, which plans to form a new trading relationship with the EU 27 after it has exited the bloc, may be watching with concern. "If there are all these disagreements to have a simple trade agreement with Canada, just imagine an agreement with the United Kingdom," said Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Geert Bourgeois, premier of Belgium's Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, called the deadlock over CETA a disgrace. "It beggars belief... It is a disgrace for Europe. If there is one task Europe has, it is to conclude trade deals. We are way too small to do this on our own," he told Reuters. Walloon's lawmakers share concerns voiced by many on the European left that CETA, and a stalled plan for a similar deal with the United States, risk watering down consumer, labor and environmental protections and granting power to multinationals. (Additional reporting by Alissa De Carbonnel and Alastair Macdonald and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels, David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by John Stonestreet and Dan Grebler)
Brussels (AFP) - EU leaders backed down on Friday from an explicit threat of sanctions against Russia over the bombing of Aleppo but warned that they would consider "all available options" if atrocities in Syria continue.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded that any mention of possible punitive measures against Moscow over the Syrian carnage should be removed from a statement issued after a summit in Brussels.

The climbdown underscored the deep divisions between the 28 European Union leaders as they tried to thrash out a long-term strategy on their increasingly bellicose eastern neighbour.

The watered-down statement said the EU "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo" and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities."

"The EU is considering all available options, should the current atrocities continue," it added.

An earlier draft had mentioned sanctions.

Russia had upstaged the summit by announcing that it would halt hostilities over Aleppo on the same day, and said Thursday it would extend the truce by 24 hours.

EU President Donald Tusk, who had earlier said that sanctions should be on the table, insisted that the leaders had agreed to "keep the unity of the EU" over Russia.

The leaders brought up Russian "airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, interference in political processes in the Balkans and beyond" and other issues.

"Given these examples it is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU," said Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland, one of the countries that is most hawkish on Russia.

The EU is due to decide at their next summit in December whether to renew sanctions over the Ukraine crisis for another six months.

But the European Union remains split over how best to deal with Russia, with countries such as Italy and Greece favouring selective engagement with a major economic partner and energy supplier.

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- 'Inhuman bombardments' -

Renzi, at whose request the EU held the discussion on Russia, said the priority had to be to "make all possible efforts to find a peace deal in Syria."

"I believe there wouldn't have been any sense in inserting a reference to sanctions, while the rest of the statement was what foreign ministers approved on Monday," he told reporters.

The leaders of France and Germany had also called for sanctions to remain on the table after they met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Wednesday night in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit that the EU "cannot accept these inhuman bombardments".

"If this kind of violation continues, of course we will envisage all available measures in order to react to this," she told a press conference.

Merkel added: "I think there was fairly broad agreement concerning the strategic options on Russia".

French President Francois Hollande said earlier that "all options are open for as long as there is not a ceasefire that is respected and for as long as there is an intention to destroy this town, Aleppo, a town of martyrs."

British Prime Minister Theresa May, arriving for her first EU summit since the June Brexit vote, called for a "robust and united" European approach to "sickening atrocities" in Syria.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg joined the chorus of outrage, saying the alliance feared that a Russian aircraft carrier battlegroup heading to Syria could join attacks on Aleppo.

"We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering," Stoltenberg said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Moscow is Assad's strongest ally and came to his rescue last year when rebels appeared to be gaining ground.

Relations with Russia were put on the agenda of the two-day summit in Brussels months ago amid expectations of progress on Ukraine.

Since then, the deepening of the Syrian crisis has poisoned the atmosphere while Berlin talks with Putin on Wednesday produced no real progress.
(BRUSSELS)  European Union leaders pledged early Friday to keep all options open to respond to any atrocities committed by President Bashar Assads regime and his Russian backers in Syria but stopped short of threatening Moscow with sanctions.

Despite strong rhetoric against Russias military actions in Syria, notably in aiding regime attacks on the besieged city of Aleppo, the leaders failed to agree on a tough joint statement sending a clear message to Moscow that it could face punitive measures.

As they debated ways to take a unified approach toward President Vladimir Putin, Russian warships steamed toward the English Channel on their way to the Mediterranean, bound for the waters off Syria, watched by NATO navies.

Russias strategy is to weaken the EU, said European Council President Donald Tusk, after chairing the first day of a two-day summit in Brussels.

Tusk said the EU leaders strongly condemned attacks on civilians by the Syrian regime and its backers, led by Russia, called for a lasting ceasefire declared and stands ready to consider all available options if these atrocities continue.

French President Francois Hollande said the aim, during this crucial time of ceasefire in Aleppo, is to find a path toward talks and negotiations, and to bring an end to the atrocities that we have witnessed for too long.

If there are any more atrocities, all options would be considered, he said, without specifically mentioning the word sanctions.

One of the fundamental reasons for the EUs internal divisions over dealing with Putin is economic. Unlike the United States, the EU depends on Russia for much of its energy, and as a major market for its exports.

Due to EU sanctions and the retaliatory measures imposed by Russia, trade between Hungary and Russia dropped by nearly half in 2015. Italy and Slovakia, which now holds the rotating EU presidency, also have been reluctant to back harsher sanctions.

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We have approved a document that recalls the need to get as quickly as possible to an agreement, to a real truce and to a political transition process that we have been awaiting for a while. But I think that there is no point in also adding here a reference to sanctions, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in the early hours of Friday.

The leaders had hoped to hold broader talks about Russia ties without the issue of sanctions weighing over them, as they have in the past most notably over Russias actions in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea.

However, the siege of Aleppo and increasing civilian casualties in Syria meant that punitive measures were being considered once again, however cautiously.

Earlier Thursday, as she arrived for the summit, British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling atrocities, its sickening atrocities, in Syria.

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas also took a hard line against Moscow and Assad.

They have the ambition of turning Aleppo into a new Grozny. This is absolutely unacceptable, he said, referring to the destruction of the Chechen capital in 1999-2000 by Russian troops.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven summed up the hesitancy on sanctions, saying I dont think there is unity now  but I think it should be on the table, that this is an option for the future.

___

John-Thor Dahlburg in Brussels and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
From Popular Mechanics

Yesterday, the European Space Agency's attempt to put a lander on Mars ended on an ominous note when the scientific payload, named Schiaparelli, mysteriously lost contact during its final descent. This led to many scientists and Twitter spectators wondering whether the lander was now nothing more than rubble somewhere on the Red Planet.

However, another Martian mission, this one conducted more than 13 years ago, landed on Mars in an eerily similar fashion. The ending of that story could tell us something about Schiaparelli's future.

Martian Scrap Metal?

Back in 2003, Britain's Beagle 2 lander was supposed to be Europe's first Martian lander. Those plans were dashed when it suddenly and inexplicably lost contact while dropping onto the surface of Mars from an ESA spacecraft. That lost lander came just four years after NASA had crashed another lander, the Mars Polar Lander, into Mars' surface. For almost a dozen years, the consensus was that Beagle 2 was now nothing but Martian scrap metal.

Then, in 2015, something strange happened.

Beagle 2 showed up, almost completely whole, in high resolution images from NASA. It turned out that the landing had been much more successful than originally believed. In fact, ESA likely lost contact with Beagle 2 because of improperly deployed solar panels.

Photo credit: HiRise/NASA/Leicester

Thus, while ESA concedes the lander's destruction is the most likely scenario, losing contact with Earth doesn't guarantee that Schiaparelli has been destroyed. Like Beagle 2, it could have had a glitch that forced it out of contact with Earth. And whereas Beagle 2 couldn't recover from its messy landing despite being reasonably intact, there are plenty of other examples of landers and spacecraft coming back from the dead, like China's Yutu moon rover. Even NASA's Curiosity rover has been plucked from the perils of "safe mode" a time or two.

On to ExoMars

The more time that ticks by without a signal, the more likely it is that, whatever the cause, Schiaparelli is truly gone. But even if the lander really is just a pile of rubble, the mission scientists will take heart. That's because getting Schiaparelli safely to the surface of Mars wasn't really the ESA's end goal-the landing was meant mostly to serve as an early test for the ESA's ExoMars rover that will launch in 2020.

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"They've ticked off three or four of the five or six pieces that are needed to make a successful descent."

Following Beagle 2's unceremonious failure, the ESA crafted a much safer landing process to use for both the Schiaparelli test lander and the coming ExoMars rover. Even a crashed Schiaparelli could still help them refine that landing procedure for ESA's more valuable science payload four years later. After all, it appears that several (though clearly not all) steps of the landing process worked exactly as planned.

Photo credit: ESA/ATG medialab

"There are a number of things that went right," Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics told Popular Mechanics. "They successfully navigated to the top of the Martian atmosphere, the heat shield separated correctly, the parachute-and supersonic Martian parachutes are a really tricky thing to get right-worked, the separation event of all the different pieces coming off seems to have worked. So they've ticked off three or four of the five or six pieces that are needed to make a successful descent."

The data coming back from the successful and still operating part of yesterday's mission, the ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter, can also attempt to pinpoint the exact cause of the landing failure. So, while Beagle's fate remained unknown for almost twelve years, answers about Schiaparelli shouldn't take nearly as long.

We leave behind a lot of crashed landers, exploded rockets, dead rovers, and lost satellites on the path to every successful mission.

While the definitive answer to what happened remains unclear-and we might not know the whole story for a few weeks-the ESA continues to analyze new info that came from the orbiter just this morning. Early results suggest that the parachute deployment, heat shield deployment, and deceleration in the atmosphere were all successful, but the ESA researchers have also already noted some anomalies in the planned landing, including an unexpectedly early deployment of the parachute and the thrusters shutting down too early.

Until the ESA finishes its analysis, we have no way of knowing exactly what state the lander is in or how it got there. Like they say: Space is hard. We leave behind a lot of crashed landers, exploded rockets, dead rovers, and lost satellites on the path to every successful mission. Maybe Schiaparelli will become another casualty in that pursuit. But even though it didn't quite make it as planned, Schiaparelli-like the missions that came before it-has pushed us a little closer to the next successful Mars landing.

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Heres a modest proposal for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: How about paying president Cheryl Boone Isaacs something? Anything. Even the minimum wage.

According to a tax filing that just popped up on the Guidestar monitoring service, Boone Isaacs  who in her day job is a marketing consultant  has been logging 24 hours a week at the Academy and its related foundations, for total reportable compensation of zero. Having watched her on the festival circuit (most recently in Toronto), at the Governors Awards, on the Oscars broadcast, and in at least some of her quieter efforts to keep the Academy from buckling under the weight of public criticism, I think the work-week estimate is low.

A year earlier, Boone Isaacs reported working 28 hours weekly for exactly the same pay. Dawn Hudson, the Academys paid chief executive, meanwhile, squeaked out a 2% pay hike for her 45-hour work week, to $616,176 in reportable compensation, from $604,550 the year before.

In the real world, Hudsons compensation might seem generous; but in Hollywood, it is hardly an eye-opener. Christopher Dodd, CEO of the MPAA, pulled down more than five times as much  $3,284,882, to be precise  in reportable compensation for a 42-hour work week in the year ended December 31, 2014, according to that organizations tax filing.

In fact, at least four MPAA executives out-earned Hudson that year, so a separate discussion about paycheck equality at the Hollywood nonprofits might be in order.

But even within the Academy, Boone Isaacs and her immediate predecessors, Hawk Koch and Tom Sherak, have managed to create a gap between productivity and pay that, at some point, should probably be closed. Granted, there are perks: Travel, a nice office, the chance to rub shoulders with fancy people. Still, recent occupants have turned the presidency of a rapidly expanding Academy  with hundreds of employees, thousands of members, and a major museum construction project on its hands  into a real job. They put in long hours, and take plenty of heat when things go wrong, as when the #OscarsSoWhite controversy all but derailed the last awards ceremony.

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But they work at an absurd discount not just to their market value as film industry professionals, but to the rest of the Academy staff. According to that latest tax filing, seven Academy executives made between $173,470 (for a digital media director) and the $600,000-plus earned by Hudson.

At Californias current minimum wage of $10 an hour, Boone Isaacs  assuming her own modest tally of hours is correct  would be entitled to about $50,000 for her four-year tenure. As the Los Angeles County minimum wage creeps toward $12 an hour on July 1, 2017, she might get her pay, even at those rates, out to $15,000 a year.

She and her successors  unless they break with recent precedent, by ceding all but a ceremonial role to the paid staff  will surely be worth that, and more.

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By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - A former SAP SE executive and two Indiana car wash owners have been indicted on charges that they engaged in an insider trading scheme that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits.

Christopher Salis, a former global vice president at the software company's SAP America unit, was charged along with brothers Douglas Miller and Edward Miller in an indictment filed in federal court in Hammond, Indiana made public on Thursday.

The criminal charges followed a civil lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in June against the trio and a fourth man over trades the regulator said were placed ahead of SAP's acquisition of Concur Technologies in 2014.

Salis, who was representing himself in the SEC lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thomas Kirsch, a lawyer for the Millers, said his clients will plead not guilty and deny the charges.

"They did not engage in any insider trading or commit any crimes at all," Kirsch said. "The allegations are meritless, and the Millers look forward to fighting these allegations in court and to a full acquittal."

Prosecutors said while employed at SAP in Palo Alto, California, Salis, 39, before the Concur deal was announced tipped his friend Douglas Miller of Dyer, Indiana, off to information about the acquisition so Miller could make trades.

Douglas Miller, 40, in turn told his brother, Edward Miller, who co-owned a car wash with him, and also recruited his parents into the scheme by offering to share in any proceeds from the trading, the indictment said.

Douglas Miller also recruited two unnamed sales managers at a national energy drink company into the scheme, directing them to open brokerage accounts, which Miller then accessed to buy call options in Concur, the indictment said.

By trading ahead of the acquisition's announcement, Douglas Miller made about $119,000 and Edward Miller, 43, made about $149,000, prosecutors said. Other traders who used the information made $237,000, prosecutors said.

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In return, Salis received nearly $90,000 from his co-conspirators, prosecutors said, with the Millers taking steps to conceal their payments to avoid suspicion.

The defendants face multiple charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to structure currency transactions.

SAP has previously said it cooperated in the investigation.

The case is U.S. v. Salis, et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, No. 16-cr-00148.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
By Sophie Sassard and Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) - Altice USA, the cable operator that Netherlands-based Altice NV put together by acquiring Cablevision and Suddenlink Communications, is drawing up plans for a potential initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter. The move would allow Altice's founder, French billionaire Patrick Drahi, to expand his budding U.S. cable empire by giving Altice USA public stock it can use as currency to help finance more acquisitions, the people said on Thursday. Altice USA, which is now valued at between $25 billion and $30 billion, plans to invite investment banks to make presentations in the coming weeks about their role in a potential IPO in New York, the people said. Based on these pitches, Altice USA may hire IPO underwriters by January, and could go public sometime in 2017, subject to market conditions, the people said. The IPO could raise close to $2 billion, one of the people added. The IPO plans are preliminary, and Drahi may decide to keep Altice USA private, the people cautioned, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. "We are focused on execution. We do not plan anything else at this stage," an Altice spokeswoman said. Altice shares jumped as much as 3.4 percent on the news in Amsterdam, and were up 1.5 percent at 17.15 euros ($18.65) in afternoon trading. Altice, which Drahi built into a telecoms and cable empire through debt-heavy acquisitions in Europe and Israel, entered the U.S. market last year by acquiring regional cable company Suddenlink for $9.1 billion. A few months later, it extended its reach to 20 U.S. states by snapping up the country's fourth-largest operator, Cablevision, which provides cable and broadband services in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, for $17.7 billion. Having a U.S. listing would allow Altice, which has accumulated 46 billion euros of debt, to keep expanding rapidly in the country through acquisitions of midsize players that it believes can receive antitrust clearance, the people said. Altice's U.S. shopping spree follows the purchase of rival French mobile telecommunications firm SFR in 2014, which was financed with $21.9 billion-equivalent in debt, raising concerns among credit rating agencies and analysts. Taking Altice USA public would also allow its other investors, including private equity firm BC Partners Ltd and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to cash out in the future. Drahi, who is Altice's controlling shareholder, has no intention of giving up control of Altice USA, one of the people said. Beyond France and the United States, Altice has operations in Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland, Israel, the French Caribbean and the Dominican Republic. (Reporting by Sophie Sassard in London and Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker in San Francisco; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
Ariel Winter is a "single Pringle," and she's having a lot of fun living life sans boyfriend.

The Modern Family actress set the record straight regarding her love life while speaking with ET at the London Hotel in New York City on Thursday. where she was celebrating being named the new Dove Self-Esteem Project #SpeakBeautiful squad leader.

"It's just nice to be able to find yourself and be alone and spend that time really like, learning to have it just be you instead of [being] co-dependent," said Winter, who split up with her longtime boyfriend, Laurent Claude Gaudette, earlier this year.

MORE: 23 Times Ariel Winter Was Sexy and Confident On Instagram

However, that doesn't mean she's closed herself off to a relationship in the future. In fact, the 18-year-old actress revealed that she's got a mad crush on Drake, and would go out with the rapper in a heartbeat.

"I love Drake more than anything, and I feel like I say this all the time, and I feel like he never notices me, but like, maybe one day," Winters pined. "I just I love him. I think he's so great."

"If you're listening," Winter continued, addressing the "Hotline Bling" rapper directly, "I'm here. I've always been here. Hit me up."

Winter even appealed to Drake's acting talent, promising him a role on Modern Family if he was so inclined.

"I mean, listen, you are on the show if you want it," Winter flirtingly offered.

WATCH: Ariel Winter Shows Off Her Curves in Skin-Tight Ensemble at Drake Concert

While she's got no problem opening declaring her love for the Canadian artist, Winter says she's "more cautious" when it comes to oversharing on social media since Kim Kardashian's terrifying encounter with armed thieves who held the reality star at gunpoint in Paris earlier this month.

"That's absolutely terrifying and if that happened to me, I don't know what I would do," Winter shared. "So I'm definitely very cautious about posting specific locations of where I'm at."

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"I love to post everything I'm doing, the cities I'm in, but I never like to specifically say where I'm at unless I'm meeting fans at a specific time and specific place," she added. "Because it is a scary world."

WATCH: Ariel Winter Fires Back at Body Shamers: 'Please Get a Hobby'

However, Winter stressed, "Other than that, I'm very open with my fans."

The actress also opened up to ET about presidential candidate Donald Trump's misogynistic rhetoric, and said she thinks it's "really disappointing that he's made it this far." Check out the video below to hear more.

- Additional reporting by Darla Murray

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The state dismissed a criminal case against a Lincoln bank employee who stole more than $10,000 from a customer's account.

Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said Erica Gibson's case has been dismissed to pre-trial diversion.

On Sept. 1, Lincoln police cited the 36-year-old and Kelly's office charged her with theft by deception, a felony. But prior to a court hearing Thursday, the prosecutor asked to drop the case.

Police said U.S. Bank officials went to them after noticing suspicious activity on a 93-year-old man's account and learning that Gibson made multiple deposits into her own account from the customer's. An incident report said the transactions occurred between March 22 and June 27 and totaled $10,250.

The case can be refiled if Gibson doesn't complete diversion successfully.
It's no secret Ariel Winter is a fan of getting inked, and in an exclusive interview with ET, she reveals the meaning behind all five of her tattoos.

"I love tattoos," the 18-year-old Modern Family actress told ET at the London Hotel in New York City on Thursday, where she was celebrating being named the new Dove Self-Esteem Project #SpeakBeautiful squad leader. "I love getting tattoos. I think it's a super fun way of expressing yourself. I only get tattoos that are really meaningful to me and I love it."

Three of her tattoos are dedicated to her family, including her older sister, Shanelle Workman-Gray. In 2012, Shanelle was granted temporary custody before Winter was officially emancipated from their mother, alleging ongoing physical and emotional abuse.

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE -- Ariel Winter Slams Donald Trump for Body Shaming Women

"This is October 3rd, 2012, which is the day I moved in with my sister, and it kind of started a new chapter in life for me, so it was really important," Winter says, pointing to one of her tattoos on her arm. "My sister's one of the most amazing people in my life. She's my best friend. She's really the most important person to me. She has done so much for me, and has taught me so much."

Winter says her body confidence is largely due to her sister.

Happy #nationalsisterday from me and my b;) #miravalresort A photo posted by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Aug 7, 2016 at 3:38pm PDT

"She was always that person who felt amazing about herself regardless if she was going out in sandals and socks, or to the grocery store in her pajamas, or if she was going to an event in a ballgown," she explains. "She always felt so amazing about herself, and she was always such a beautiful person inside out, and really inspired me to be just like her. She was always there to support me and make sure I felt beautiful and special anywhere I went."

Another important woman in Winter's life is her grandmother, who taught her how to play poker.

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"I have a spade on my wrist because I love playing cards more than anything," she says with a smile. "It's my favorite thing to do. I've been playing poker since I was six years old -- my grandmother actually taught me when I was young -- so I have a spade for her."

Winter also has a tattoo on her rib cage of her nieces and nephews from both Workman-Gra and her brother, Jimmy Workman -- Dakota Patrice Workman, Skylar Athena Gray, Parker Eleni Gray, Demetra Eleni Workman and Asher Ruben Gray.

My second and most special tattoo, the initials of five of the most important beings in my life: my nieces and nephew. Their initials are on my ribcage, on the side where my heart is. They are my inspiration, and my reason for living. Love these babies more than anything and proud to have their initials forever on my body. Dakota Patrice Workman Skylar Athena Gray Parker Eleni Gray Demetra Eleni Workman Asher Ruben Gray A photo posted by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Apr 13, 2016 at 4:11pm PDT

Winter explains her most recent tattoo, a tiger on her back.

Getty Images

"I have a tiger on my back because I've always felt like I've been a protector for other people, and I've always had these amazing protectors in my life," she notes.

Lastly, Winter has a quote in Greek on her hip, reading, "Love risks everything and asks for nothing."

Peep tattoo 1 of 3  @_dr_woo_ is a master  PC: @laurent_claude_gaudette A photo posted by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Mar 29, 2016 at 7:43pm PDT

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE -- Ariel Winter on Her Risque Instagram Posts: 'Everyone Has a Butt'

Winter also talked to ET about currently loving the single life after her split from longtime boyfriend, Laurent Claude Gaudette, earlier this year.

"It's just nice to be able to find yourself and be alone and spend that time really, like, learning to have it just be you instead of [being] co-dependent," she said.

Though she does have one huge celebrity crush -- 29-year-old rapper Drake! Watch the video below to hear Winter gush about the "Summer Sixteen" rapper.

-- Additional reporting by Darla Murray

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"To work together again is an honor and a joy," Mariska Hargitay tells ET from the set of Law & Order: SVU in late September. The long-running show's star and executive producer is referring to her reunion with Anthony Edwards, whom she appeared opposite nearly 20 years prior on ER. The two will once again share the screen on an upcoming episode of SVU. "I've actually wanted Tony to come on the show for probably 12 years."

Fans of NBC's long-running medical drama will remember Hargitay from ER's fourth season, on which she played Cynthia Hooper, who despite her inexperience is hired by Dr. Mark Greene (Edwards) to be a desk clerk at Chicago's County General Hospital. The two eventually end up in a dysfunctional romance that comes to a head when Greene flies to California to be with his sick mother and Hooper makes a surprise visit.

MORE: Mariska Hargitay and 'SVU' Cast on Joe Biden's 'Dream Come True' Guest Appearance

While Hargitay was only on for 13 episodes, both stars fondly remember their time together, recalling a time when they filmed a drunk scene with tequila shots. "That was very much outside my comfort zone," Hargitay says, crediting Edwards for protecting her as an actor. "I was so nervous and hadn't done something like that  I remember going, 'I am so grateful for this feeling of safety. I want to provide it [to someone else], if I am ever lucky enough to be in his position.'"

NBC

By the time she joined ER, Hargitay had been working on TV for over a decade. But for her, it was the first time things started really coming together. A year later, the actor would star on Law & Order: SVU, the Law & Order franchise's first spinoff. "It was at the beginning of something. The trajectory of my life and career -- and certainly me as an actor -- changed from being on that show and working with all these amazing actors," Hargitay says. "It was incredible education and an incredible gift."

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So, why did it take so long to reunite onscreen? "It all happens for a reason and this is the right time to be here," Edwards says. "I think it's just the timing -- and the timing is perfect."

MORE: 'SVU' Stars Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay Reunite for Sweet Selflie

Now, in the show's 18th season, Edwards guest stars as Sgt. Patrick Griffin, a cop who was Lt. Olivia Benson's (Hargitay) first partner out of the Academy. Griffin makes a surprise return to Benson's life when his son is suspected of rape, forcing Benson to choose between loyalty and duty. The episode, "Rape Interrupted," airs Wednesday, Oct. 26, replacing the controversial Donald Trump-inspired episode "Unstoppable," which was pushed until after the election.

"What's intriguing to me is that you've got people that have to help each other. But there are rules and the line of that keeps moving," Edwards says of the dynamic between Griffin and Benson, who finds herself put in a difficult situation. "We had a certain relationship then, and now here we are in a situation in which I'm in great need and I'm drawing on this old friendship."

For both, it's fun playing in this gray area -- a dynamic that is very different from their arc on ER. "It's not clear or black and white," Edward says. "For actors, that's fun because we get to try and find out what it is."

NBC

Of course, this is not the first time ER has crossed over with SVU. Neal Baer, who wrote for ER including an episode starring Hargitay, was the showrunner for SVU for 10 seasons. Meanwhile, Alex Kingston, Erik Palladino, John Stamos, Kellie Martin, Maria Bello, Michael Michele, Ming-Na and Scott Grimes all have appeared on SVU in various guest-starring roles.

Gloria Reuben, who played Jeanie Boulet during the first six seasons of ER, later appeared as two different characters on SVU and tells ET she's an admirer of what Hargitay and the show has become. "It's been exciting to see Mariska really take command and really be a leader for such a terrific show. She's really carried the emotional weight of the show for a long time. She's a female warrior in that regard," Reuben says, adding that she hopes her character, ADA Christine Danielson, returns someday.

MORE: 20 Years Later and We Still Love You, 'ER'

While Edwards' appearance is limited to this one episode, he hasn't ruled out a return to the SVU set. "Maybe I will be able to come back and keep playing," he says. Though, if Hargitay has her way, she may tap into his skills as a director. "First, I was trying to get him on here as a director," she reveals.

Edwards, who directed four episodes of ER, also helmed My Dead Boyfriend starring Heather Graham, in theaters and on demand Nov. 4. "I'm just so thankful," he says of the "little independent comedy I made."

Law & Order: SVU airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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By Steven Shapiro

She said, Im ready. Im already only living for others, this is a fact, Mom. Im only living for other people now. Let me go.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric, Deborah Ziegler, author of the new book Wild and Precious Life, recounts her personal and profound journey after learning her only child, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

I just thought, I just want to go with her, Ziegler says.

On New Years Eve 2013, Brittany was rushed to the hospital with a debilitating headache. A CT scan showed a large shadow on her brain.

Ziegler writes that when she approached Brittany in the hospital, her daughters first words were numbing. Im sorry, Momma, she said. Im not going to be able to take care of you the way youre taking care of grandpa, Im not going to live that long.

Brittany had her whole future in front of her. She was a Berkeley graduate and had married her husband, Dan Diaz, just a year earlier.

Following her terminal diagnosis and a surgery that removed less than half of her rapidly growing tumor, Brittany made a decision that would catapult her to the forefront of the death with dignity debate. She chose to move from her home state of California to Oregon where physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients is legal. At the time, it was against the law in California.

She chose Nov. 1, 2014, as her final day.

She woke up and said, Lets go for a walk, Ziegler said. It was just a beautiful day and I couldnt help myself. I asked, Are you sure today is the day? A mom always has to do that. And she said, Yeah, Mom, today is the day.

Asked by Couric if the ability to take a walk in the woods indicated it might not be Maynards time, Ziegler offered a sobering response.

When youre talking about a terminally ill patient, you have to realize that each death takes its own journey. Brittany was having some very difficult symptoms.

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She had terrible neck pain. The seizures were terrifying. They were coming closer together. They were more severe. Each seizure was worse than the one before.Sometimes she would just talk gibberish when she came out of the seizure, and we would wonder, Oh my gosh, is she going be able to speak again?

Ziegler says her daughter returned home to her bedroom, where she was joined by family in what she described as the circle of love.

She took her medicine and her last breath as Ziegler read her favorite poem, The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver.

Ziegler has become an advocate for the death with dignity movement.

She said, Mom, instead of grandkids, this is what Im giving you. I cant give you grandbabies, but I can give you this, to champion the cause of the terminally ill, Ziegler says.

Ziegler found an ally in Christy ODonnell, a terminally ill single mother from California, who was also fighting to die on her own terms.

Related: California Mom Christy ODonnell Fights to Die on Her Own Terms

On Oct. 5, 2015, a day Ziegler describes as bittersweet, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the End of Life Option Act for California,.

The law was there and many people were jubilant and happy, including me. But that didnt bring my daughter back, and so there was that feeling of loss magnified in a way.

ODonnell died four months before the law went into effect.

A year after her daughters death, Ziegler told Couric she honored a request her daughter made months earlier for her to visit Machu Picchu in Peru.

I felt her presence, Ziegler said. It felt like cleansing. Like washing away everything that was inside of me that was angry and anxious and sad  it was washed away. And I felt like Im going to honor my child in the biggest way possible. Im going live a bigger life because of her. Im going live a larger life. Im going be a better person. Im going to honor her with the rest of my life.

In the days preceding publication of Zieglers book, Brittany Maynards widower, Dan Diaz, who did not participate in the writing of the book, posted a statement on Facebook, which reads, in part: The book that her mother, Deborah Ziegler, decided to write against Brittanys instructions, Wild and Precious Life, does not appropriately tell the story of Brittany Maynard. Diaz, who along with Ziegler, has helped champion the right to die movement, went on to say, The purpose of this post is simply to convey Brittanys instructions; it is not to create angst or division. Kindness and Love are what we need more of in this world.

When reached for comment by Yahoo, Diaz said that Maynards wishes are whats important and readers of the post can judge that for themselves.

Atria/Emily Bestler Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, which published Wild and Precious Life, issued a response to Diazs statement that read in part, The book is about a mother/daughter relationship and is a work of love and truth. It is a lifeline to anyone facing a tough time. Debs story demonstrates that vulnerability is terrifying. However, in Wild and Precious Life Brittany leads her mother and the reader to see that vulnerability is also a powerful way to live. It is worth it to be our true selves. It is worth it to stand up and tell our stories. It is worth it to live eyes and hearts wide open all the way to the end.

Deborah Ziegler added:

Wild and Precious Life is a tribute to Brittanys life both before and after the brain tumor and it is in keeping with my promise to my only child to keep her legacy alive. Death is not a fairy tale, Momma. Why does everyone want to make it out to be one?
Karan Johars soon to be released movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is storming some rough weather due to the presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the movie. While the film board has given the movie the green signal, MNS officials are threatening theatre owners, asking them to not screen this much awaited film.

Recommended Read: EXCLUSIVE! Fawads face will not be replaced by Saif in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil!

In the midst of all the confusion, there were rumours doing the rounds that Fawad Khans role has been chopped out of the movie. However, a source close to the team rubbished the rumours. They said, It is not true at all that Fawads scenes have been chopped off. Fawad has an important role in the movie, so much so that you cant call it a cameo. Whatever Fawad shot for in the movie, has been retained totally. So there is no question of chopping it off. 

Well, what do you think of that?

The movie features Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles.
It's no secret: Naomie Harris would like to see Daniel Craig return as James Bond in the next installment of the long-running spy franchise. "I am in love with Daniel," she tells ET while promoting the new film, Moonlight, in which she plays a drug-addicted mother.

The role is a significant departure for Harris, who has long sought out roles, like Bond's Moneypenny, that are positive portrayals of black women. "I don't want to fall in that trap of playing stereotypes because there are enough of those out there. But then you get a role like this," she says of playing Paula in the semi-autobiographical story adapted by director Barry Jenkins from Tarell Alvin McCraney's play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. It's a powerful coming-of-age story about a gay black man growing up in the Miami projects told in three parts -- when he's a 9-year-old, a teenager and an adult.

MORE: 'Moonlight' Tackles the Process of Growing Up and Coming Out

The movie, which is in theaters on Friday, is earning Oscar buzz for its adult stars, including Luke Cage's Mahershala Ali and Harris, who shot her part in just three days. The only person to appear in all three parts, Harris was challenged with portraying over 10 years of Paula's life, including showing her at her worst with addiction.

"She's lost herself to the drugs to the point where she's selling her body in order to pay for her addiction," Harris says. "I never had an addiction like that. I thought, How am I going to reach this? How am I ever going to understand what that feels like? I was really scared by that. But when you get a role that scares you that's when you get excited. That's when you say yes, because you want to be stretched as a performer."

A24 Films

But when the conversation turns to Craig, there's no doubting that Harris is a staunch supporter of the 48-year-old actor. "He is incredible," she says. "I think he's the best Bond we've had in so long, so I want him back."

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The actor, who most recently embodied 007 in Spectre, caused a media frenzy when he suggested he was ready to hang up his tux instead of returning for a fifth film. "I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists," Craig told Time Out in October 2015. "I'm over it at the moment."

MORE: Could Tom Hiddleston Be the Next James Bond? Yes, but Just Don't Ask Him About It

Since then, it's been debated who should take over the role. Would it be Idris Elba, the franchise's first black actor to take over the part? Tom Hiddleston, who recently made his case with the Emmy-nominated miniseries, The Night Manager? Or would Craig, who has since had a change of heart, return? "If I were to stop doing it, I would miss it terribly," he said during a panel at 2016 New Yorker Festival in October, suggesting he wasn't quite done with the franchise.

If Craig did depart, it would give the franchise an opportunity to change up the role of Bond. There has long been a call for more diversity in the part, with Elba's name thrown out at the suggestion for the franchise's first black Bond. There have even been discussions about whether a gay man or woman could take over the role.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

When asked about whether producers should consider someone beyond a straight, white male, Hiddleston told ET, "They will make a decision that is best for them." At one point considered the frontrunner to take over the franchise, the actor has attempted to shut down rumors that he's up for the part. "I haven't been approached, I haven't asked, I haven't been invited," he said in April.

While Harris says she's into the various possibilities, she doesn't want "to put labels on anything."

MORE: James Bond Producers Still Want Daniel Craig for Next Film

"I hate when people talk about black Bond or gay bond or what have you. It's not about that," she says. "We just want someone who inhabits all the qualities of Bond, right? We just want that mysterious quality. That kind of man we all want to be with and whoever the actor is who is able to do that, I'm happy with that."

And for the record, don't consider Harris for the part. "She retired," she says of Moneypenny. "I like the idea that she's deskbound. But anything can change, anything can happen."

--Additional reporting by Denny Directo

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By Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's lead Brexit negotiator would like British and EU officials to work in French rather than English during the divorce talks, an EU official familiar with Brussels' Brexit task force told Reuters on Friday.

After the report caused waves during British Prime Minister Theresa May's first EU summit in Brussels, Michel Barnier took to Twitter to deny - in English - having expressed such a view. However, he noted that language rules would be agreed by negotiators only once May launches the formal Brexit process next year.

The source told Reuters that people working with the former French foreign minister understood he would prefer his native tongue. "Barnier wants French to be the working language in Brexit negotiations with Britain," the EU official said.

Barnier, whose nationality and track record as an EU regulator overseeing the City of London financial centre has raised hackles in Britain, said no decision had been made yet.

"Never expressed myself on negotiation language. Work as often in English as French. Linguistic regime to be set at start; to be agreed between negotiators," he said on Twitter.

An EU spokeswoman said: "This will be agreed upon at the beginning of the negotiations - after receiving the Article 50 notification - and in common agreement with the negotiators."

Asked about the negotiating language, May told reporters: "We will conduct the negotiations in the way that is going to make sure that we get the right deal for the United Kingdom."

Using French would mark a shift away from standard practice among multinational teams in Brussels, where French lost its status to English as the EU's main working language after northern and eastern states joined in the past two decades.

Even officials from the EU's founding powers France and Germany now communicate with each other mainly in English.

SIGNAL

It would also send a signal to London that the EU plans to put its own interests first in negotiating divorce talks that the prime minister has promised to launch by the end of March.

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Barnier's boss, former Luxembourg premier and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who met May over lunch on Friday, has said the EU must be "intransigent" in defending its principles during the talks.

Most British diplomats in Brussels are fluent in French but ministers and Whitehall officials largely share with fellow Britons the distinction of being among the poorest linguists in Europe.

Barnier's task force, currently numbering 15 staff and including no Britons, has been conversing mainly in French. But most EU officials are more at ease in English.

Asked about the issue, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit: "Each of us is allowed to speak their own language. Since Mr Barnier is a French citizen, it's hardly surprising that he speaks French, just as I speak German."

Barnier, who speaks fluent if accented English, was an unpopular choice for some British politicians. Some described it as "an act of war" by Juncker. As a commissioner until 2014, Barnier, 65, had a difficult relationship with Britain, where one newspaper called him the "scourge of the City".

Some EU politicians have suggested that English might lose its status as one of three official EU working languages, along with French and German, as a result of Brexit.

However, few see a challenge to the global lingua franca's position in Brussels.

(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Noah Barkin and David Stamp)
By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's lead Brexit negotiator would like British and EU officials to work in French rather than English during the divorce talks, an EU official familiar with Brussels' Brexit task force told Reuters on Friday. After the report caused waves during British Prime Minister Theresa May's first EU summit in Brussels, Michel Barnier took to Twitter to deny - in English - having expressed such a view. However, he noted that language rules would be agreed by negotiators only once May launches the formal Brexit process next year. The source told Reuters that people working with the former French foreign minister understood he would prefer his native tongue. "Barnier wants French to be the working language in Brexit negotiations with Britain," the EU official said. Barnier, whose nationality and track record as an EU regulator overseeing the City of London financial center has raised hackles in Britain, said no decision had been made yet. "Never expressed myself on negotiation language. Work as often in English as French. Linguistic regime to be set at start; to be agreed between negotiators," he said on Twitter. An EU spokeswoman said: "This will be agreed upon at the beginning of the negotiations - after receiving the Article 50 notification - and in common agreement with the negotiators." Asked about the negotiating language, May told reporters: "We will conduct the negotiations in the way that is going to make sure that we get the right deal for the United Kingdom." Using French would mark a shift away from standard practice among multinational teams in Brussels, where French lost its status to English as the EU's main working language after northern and eastern states joined in the past two decades. Even officials from the EU's founding powers France and Germany now communicate with each other mainly in English. SIGNAL It would also send a signal to London that the EU plans to put its own interests first in negotiating divorce talks that the prime minister has promised to launch by the end of March. Barnier's boss, former Luxembourg premier and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who met May over lunch on Friday, has said the EU must be "intransigent" in defending its principles during the talks. Most British diplomats in Brussels are fluent in French but ministers and Whitehall officials largely share with fellow Britons the distinction of being among the poorest linguists in Europe. Barnier's task force, currently numbering 15 staff and including no Britons, has been conversing mainly in French. But most EU officials are more at ease in English. Asked about the issue, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit: "Each of us is allowed to speak their own language. Since Mr Barnier is a French citizen, it's hardly surprising that he speaks French, just as I speak German." Barnier, who speaks fluent if accented English, was an unpopular choice for some British politicians. Some described it as "an act of war" by Juncker. As a commissioner until 2014, Barnier, 65, had a difficult relationship with Britain, where one newspaper called him the "scourge of the City". Some EU politicians have suggested that English might lose its status as one of three official EU working languages, along with French and German, as a result of Brexit. However, few see a challenge to the global lingua franca's position in Brussels. (Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Noah Barkin and David Stamp)
For the past year, ExxonMobil has been at the center of a controversy over reports that it conducted groundbreaking research on climate change in the 1970s and 80s and then deliberately misled the public about the truth of global warming. Now, a top environmental group thinks it can make the controversy a voting issue.

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) launched a $200,000 campaign in Nevada this week targeting GOP Congressman Cresent Hardy with a focus on the ExxonMobil controversy. The ad, which will play as pre-roll in web videos and targeted on social media, explains the issue briefly before tying Hardy to the oil and gas industry. Hardys congressional campaign has received nearly $30,000 in political donations from the oil and gas industry this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission data. That includes $9,000 from Exxon Mobils political action committee.

Newly-released documents show oil giant Exxon had scientific evidence forty years ago that climate change is being fueled by carbon pollution and spent millions covering it up, the ads narrator says. Cresent Hardy protected big oil. Not us.

Hardys campaign did not reply to a request for comment Thursday.

Read More: This Factor Predicts What People Think About Climate Change

The ad campaign may represent a relatively small investment in the scheme of multi-million dollar congressional campaigns, but LCV leaders say they may soon be using the Exxon controversy in other federal races soon. The political dynamics and awareness of clean energy in Nevada made the state an ideal place to test the waters, says LCV National Campaigns Director Clay Schroers. Clean energy has become a key issue in the state with many residents installing residential solar panels and thousands of new jobs created in the industry.

People across this country want representatives who are responsive to their needs, he says. Nevada has a growing renewable energy economy and solar power is on the top of the mind for a lot of Nevadans.

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Read More: Americans Remain Politically Divided on Climate Change

The move to highlight ExxonMobil and allegations of its climate coverup is a new approach aimed at bringing attention to an issue often neglected on the campaign trail. Most messaging on the issue of climate change has focused on the catastrophic scale of the threat and the need for urgent action. (That language was a key part of how Hillary Clinton and Al Gore presented the issue at a rally earlier this month). But those messages tend to play best with voters who are already believe in climate change and want to see the government take measures to address the issue.

Highlighting the Exxon controversy could harness climate change as an issue while also playing into a number of other common campaign themes, says Anthony Leiserowitz, who runs a program on communicating about climate change at Yale University. Voters have expressed outrage big corporations and the role of corporate money in recent election cycles and Exxons reputation is far from sterling even for those who have never heard the recent reports on the companys climate dealings, says Leiserowitz.

The reports published last year show that private research undertaken by Exxon in the 1970s and 80s demonstrated the threat of climate change, but the company cut off funding for that research and engaged in a public relations campaign to smear climate science in order to protect the oil industry. Exxon now faces investigations from 17 U.S. states and territories about whether it mislead investors. The company has pushed back against the investigations, asking a federal court to intervene, and the companys CEO called the charges pretty unfounded, without any real substance at all.

LCV thinks the controversy will resonate with voters. Indeed, polling conducted this past summer on behalf of LCV found that 70% of respondents would view donations from Exxon unfavorably when they were informed about the controversy, including two thirds of independents and 58% of Republicans.

The ads message may be somewhat of gamble even with those numbers given the challenge of distilling the complicated Exxon climate controversy in 30-second ad. Nonetheless, Leiserowitz says the unique message has a chance to cut through the barrage of campaign ads in an election year.

This is one ad against a backdrop of what has to be a tsunami of political advertising, he says. Cutting your signal through that noise has got to be challenging.
By Lisa Jucca and Benjamin Kang Lim ROME/HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - Representatives from the Vatican and China are expected to meet before the end of the month in Rome in an effort to finalize a deal on the ordination of bishops on the mainland, a move aimed at ending a longstanding dispute, according to Catholic Church sources familiar with the negotiations. The Church sources also told Reuters that China is preparing to ordain at least two new bishops before the end of the year and these appointments would have the blessing of the Vatican. A person with ties to the leadership in Beijing confirmed that these ordinations would go ahead. For more than six decades, China's ruling Communist Party has strongly opposed Rome's right to ordain Chinese bishops in a bitter contest for authority over as many as 10 million Catholics on the mainland. Bishops, priests and lay Catholics loyal to Rome have faced persecution, which has sparked scepticism over the detente in some Catholic quarters. In yet a further sign of progress, the Vatican has reached a decision to recognize at least four Chinese bishops who were appointed by Beijing without the consent of the pope and so are considered illegitimate by the Holy See, according to Catholic Church sources and others briefed on the talks. The decision follows a breakthrough meeting in mid-August in Beijing between the Vatican representatives to talks with China and several of these bishops. For the Vatican, an agreement on the ordination of bishops is important because it would lessen the possibility of a formal split within the Catholic Church in China, which is divided between a community that follows the state-sanctioned Catholic hierarchy and an "underground" community that swears allegiance only to the pope in Rome. A deal on the ordination of bishops would help to unite these two communities, say Catholic Church and Vatican sources. An agreement "would definitely remove the risk of a schism (within the Church in China), which for sixty years has been a potential threat," said Elisa Giunipero, a researcher at the Catholic University of Milan who has studied the history of the Catholic Church in China for 20 years. PRIORITY FOR POPE FRANCIS The latest developments are part of behind-the-scenes negotiations that have been driven by Pope Francis. A deal on the ordination of bishops would be a major leap forward in efforts to bridge a decades-old rift between the Chinese Communist Party and the Vatican. Since becoming leader of the Catholic Church in March 2013, Francis has made it a priority to chart a new course in the Vatican's contentious relationship with China. Reuters reported in July that Francis had sought to meet President Xi Jinping during a 2014 trip to New York in an effort to smooth the way to talks, and that a joint working group had been set up earlier this year in April to hammer out a deal on the bishops. The issue of full diplomatic relations is not currently on the table. (http://reut.rs/29LTBpp) A deputy spokesperson for the Vatican, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, said the Holy See had no comment in response to questions from Reuters. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing: "At present the channels for contact and dialogue between the two sides are unimpeded and effective. We are willing to work hard with the Vatican and meet each other halfway". Vatican officials would like to see the appointment of the bishops before China's Ninth National Assembly of Catholic Representatives, which is expected to convene in December, according to Catholic sources. The Assembly is the highest authority governing the church in China and appoints the heads of the most important state-backed Catholic institutions on the mainland  the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference. The Assembly last met six years ago when tensions were high between Beijing and the Vatican over China's appointment of new bishops without papal consent. The Vatican retaliated by excommunicating three of these bishops in 2011 and 2012. Now, the Vatican is anxious to conclude a deal on the ordination of bishops to head off another showdown with Beijing and to forestall a schism among China's Catholics, the Church sources say. POSITIVE GESTURE The ordination of new bishops in China is also pressing because some 30 of the more than 100 dioceses on the mainland are currently vacant, while a similar number are led by aging bishops who are 75 or older. Three people familiar with the negotiations said the talks about the appointment of the new bishops were focused on the dioceses of Changzhi, in the northern Shanxi province, and Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern Sichuan province. Separately, a person with ties to the leadership in Beijing said that the new bishops would be ordained in Chengdu and the city of Xichang, in Sichuan. It was during the last round of talks in Beijing in August that the Vatican delegates were permitted to meet with several of the bishops whom the pope does not recognize. Catholic sources say they view this as a positive gesture by China, which had previously barred contact between the bishops and Vatican representatives. The meeting, the sources said, paved the way for Vatican recognition of some of these bishops. One of the bishops who met the Vatican delegation was Joseph Ma Yinglin, the bishop of Kunming in Yunnan province, according to Catholic sources. Ma is president of the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference and vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Both institutions answer to the Chinese Communist Party and are not recognized by the Vatican. Along with Ma, the other three bishops whom the Vatican is set to recognize are Guo Jincai, the bishop of Chengde in Hebei province near Beijing; Yue Fusheng, the bishop of Harbin in the northern Heilongjiang province; and Tu Shihua, the bishop of Puqi in Hunan province. In total, there are eight bishops whom the Vatican has refused to recognize. Of the remaining four, two have children or girlfriends and the other two head dioceses where there is already an existing bishop who has been approved by the Vatican, according to Catholic sources. During the August meeting in Beijing, the sides agreed on the principles that would govern the appointment of new bishops, say people with knowledge of the talks. According to a draft agreement, new Chinese bishops will be chosen by local clergy, with the pope making the final appointment. The pontiff can veto a candidate, for instance on ethical grounds, provided the Vatican presents evidence supporting such a decision to Beijing. OBSTACLES REMAIN For the Vatican, which is the only Western state that doesn't have diplomatic ties with Beijing, further detente with China following a deal on the bishops could make life easier for Christians on the mainland who have suffered decades of persecution at the hands of the Chinese authorities. For Beijing, better relations with the Holy See could improve its international standing and ultimately pry the Vatican away from the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province. Taiwan's foreign ministry said on Friday it was paying close attention to the developments and exchanges between China and the Vatican, adding that Taiwan and the Vatican had long been friends and had "firm" relations. In some quarters of the Catholic Church, including among the underground community in China, there is concern over a deal between the Vatican and Beijing. That's especially the case in Hong Kong, where local missions and clergy maintain ties with foreign and Chinese priests working on the mainland, often underground. Some fear the Vatican may make too many concessions to Beijing and that a deal will not lead to an improvement in the lives of Catholics in China. Despite the progress toward an agreement on the ordination of new bishops, the Vatican and China are still at loggerheads over a range of other issues. In one case, for instance, some Chinese officials are still pushing for the appointment of a bishop without papal approval, according to two Church sources. The matter of Thaddeus Ma Daqin also needs to be settled. Ma, the auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, was placed under house arrest in 2012 when he announced at his ordination as a bishop that he could no longer remain in the state-backed Catholic Patriotic Association. Ma remains under house arrest despite writing in a blog post in June that his move had been "unwise." There is also the issue of some 30 bishops who belong to the underground Catholic community and who, along with local priests, face pressure from the authorities to join the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The Vatican is hoping that China will recognize these bishops once the issue of the eight bishops it considers illegitimate has been resolved, say Catholic officials. (Reporting by Lisa Jucca and Benjamin Kang Lim; Additional reporting by Philip Pullella in Rome, J.R. Wu in Taipei and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Peter Hirschberg.)
Washington (AFP) - A first US showing of rare old Korans opens Saturday in a Washington museum, highlighting a different side of Islam at a time when the religion's image in America has been scarred by a divisive presidential campaign.

More than 60 Korans and Koranic texts, dating from as far back as the late seventh century and considered works of art for their exceptionally fine calligraphy, will be featured in "The Art of the Qur'an," running through February 20, 2017, at the Freer and Sackler museums, home to the Smithsonian Institution's Asian art collection.

These majestic holy books were copied by hand for some of the richest and most powerful rulers of the Muslim world. Most of them -- 47 of 63 -- were lent to Freer and Sackler from a single source: the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul. The rest were already part of the Smithsonian collection.

The exhibition, contained in the intimate setting of a single room, tells the story of how the words and teachings of the Koran, traditionally passed on orally, came during the seventh century to be inscribed in fixed and permanent texts.

- Letters of gold -

The exhibit touches lightly on the messages of the Koran. "We are above all an art museum," the show's deputy curator Simon Rettig told AFP during a news briefing Thursday.

"So we come at it more from the angle of explaining how the Koran took the form of a book and how the arts of calligraphy and illumination" -- the decoration and illustration of manuscripts -- "developed around the book."

"We wanted to really show the variety of manuscripts," said Massumeh Farhad, the show's chief curator.

The Korans on display, she noted, come from all parts of the Muslim world, from Iraq to Afghanistan and Turkey.

Thus, there is a Koran on parchment copied by a calligrapher in Iraq or Iran between the late eighth and early ninth century. Another imposing Koran, measuring some six feet by three feet (two meters by one meter) and dating from 1599 in the Iranian city of Shiraz, is done in colored ink with gold-encrusted letters.

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"Today, when you look at a Koran, it always looks the same -- it's a printed copy with a green color, one basic size," Farhad told AFP.

"What is remarkable here is the incredible variety of them, the size, the scale, the scripts... Especially when you think that the Koran is the same identical text copied over and over and over again. So you can't do something different. It's the same thing."

The show's opening comes just over two weeks before the US presidential elections of November 8, amid a polarizing campaign in which Republican candidate Donald Trump often stigmatized Muslims, saying at one point that he would ban all Muslims from the United States, at least for a time.

The exhibit, in the works for six years, was originally set to open in 2014 but was delayed by construction, museum officials said.

- 'Building bridges' -

"Now, it is true that the exhibit is opening just at the moment of the elections, with highly charged public rhetoric around Islam," Rettig acknowledged.

"But as our mission is to promote and spread understanding, it is opening at a very opportune moment to allow the American public to have a different image of Islam."

The show represents "a tremendous opportunity for dialogue between cultures" and an occasion to "build bridges," he added.

"Hundreds of thousands of people will come to this exhibition and learn about the Islamic world, its art, its culture," said Richard Kurin, under secretary for museums and research for the Smithsonian, which operates most of the museums in the US capital.

"At this time in our history in our country, it's so important that we do this, so that knowledge rather than ignorance shall prevail."

Tensions and misunderstandings about Islam have been growing in the United States, Kurin continued.

"If we can help bridge that gap through this museum... we will have done our job."
For the second time in his tenure as president of the University of Nebraska, Hank Bounds will launch a nationwide search to find a new leader for one of the universitys four campuses.

This search will be different, however, the first after the Legislature granted NU an additional exemption to the states public records laws.

Previously, NU was required to make the identities of four finalists public, giving the campus and others around the state the chance to meet with and vet candidates.

A bill introduced by Sen. John Murante of Gretna last year changed that process, carving out an exemption for NU that allows naming a single priority candidate in openings for system president and campus chancellor positions.

Supporters of Murantes bill overcame a filibuster led by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who along with others opposed the secrecy it provided NU, and Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the measure into law in March.

Bounds said the change is welcomed, particularly as he looks to fill the chancellors office at the University of Nebraska at Omaha after John Christensen announced he would be stepping down.

The way were doing the search now better reflects how presidential searches and chancellor searches are done around the country, Bounds said in a phone interview Thursday.

The NU president, in his second year, said at a committee hearing to discuss Murante's bill that the more-public search process limited the pool of applicants because many top candidates feared being ostracized at their home campuses.

I want as much flexibility as I can to cast as wide a net as possible to try and attract talent to the university, he added.

While the bill affords more privacy to potential finalists, Bounds said much of the search will resemble previous searches to fill top spots in the university system. A search committee will work with a firm to identify candidates, vet them and recommend finalists.

On Thursday, Bounds asked UNO faculty, staff and students to nominate individuals to serve on a Chancellor Search Advisory Community, which along with members of the Omaha community will work with an executive search firm to outline the next chancellors role and identify candidates.

Nominations for the search committee should be sent to president@nebraska.edu by Nov. 3.

We want someone relatively new who sees the institution through a different lens, but we also want someone who has been at UNO for 25-30 years who has an institutional memory of the campus and knows what its progression has been like, Bounds said of his plans for the committee.

Committee members will be responsible for sifting through applicants and will identify four people who will meet with Bounds privately for interviews.

In line with the new state law, Bounds will then choose a single finalist who will then be subject to a 30-day vetting period where they will attend campus forums, meet with community members and donors and others with a stake in UNO.

Bounds said it will be important to find a person who understands UNOs campus culture and mission and has experience working with first generation and nontraditional students.

You want to find someone who has an appreciation and understanding of an urban campus and the service mission UNO has developed over time, he said. Its not a land grant campus -- they dont have a presence in every county -- so in that regard I want to find someone who understands that environment.

Each administrator search is different and presents its own challenges, Bounds said. Looking around the country, the president said he sees 5-6 other open positions that will attract similar candidates as UNO.

No timeline is established, though Bounds said he hopes for a new chancellor to be named in time to build a budget for the 2017-18 school year.
(Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has grown increasingly hostile toward his country's traditional ally the United States since taking office on June 30, while seeking to court U.S. rivals China and Russia. Government officials in Manila have tried to play down the president's comments, saying the two countries will continue to cooperate. Officials in Washington have been largely taken by surprise by Duterte's near-daily barrages, and have sought to avoid provoking him. The following are key comments that Duterte has made about the bilateral relationship, and U.S. responses: PIVOT TO CHINA - On a state visit to China this week, Duterte told a forum of Chinese and Philippine business people he wanted his country to separate from the United States and realign with China. "I announce my separation from the United States. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also," he said. "America has lost." U.S. response: The U.S. State Department said it was "baffled" by Duterte's comments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila this weekend. - Duterte said in September he would visit Russia and China this year to chart an independent foreign policy and "open alliances" with two powers with historic rivalries with the United States. U.S. response: State Department officials said the bilateral relationship remained strong. "They're a sovereign nation and we're certainly not going to hold them back from pursuing closer relations with either of those countries... It's not a zero-sum game," spokesman Mark Toner said. MILITARY ALLIANCE - The Philippines has had a long-standing military alliance with the United States. The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, reached under Duterte's predecessor, allows the United States to rotate ships, aircraft, and personnel through five Philippines bases, an arrangement seen as crucial to projecting U.S. military power on China's doorstep. Duterte has said he will order the pullout of the remaining U.S. special forces stationed in the Philippines' restive south. Philippine officials have said joint U.S.-Philippines military exercises would cease and that the tropical nation can do without U.S military assistance. U.S. response: State Department officials say they have not received any formal request for a tangible change in the security relationship. "It is all bluster," said one U.S. defense official, adding Duterte's remarks "have not bled over into our world". WAR ON DRUGS - The U.S. has raised concerns over possible human rights violations in a war on drugs that Duterte is waging at home, drawing vitriolic rebukes from the former mayor. He has called U.S. President Barack Obama, the European Union and United Nations "fools", and warned they would end up humiliated and outsmarted if they accepted his invitation to investigate his anti-drugs campaign. He has also hurled insults at Obama, telling him to "go to hell" and calling him a "son of bitch". U.S. response: State Department officials have said the rhetoric is at odds with reality. Spokesman John Kirby said, "Frankly, it seems at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments, cooperation that has continued under the Duterte government." - In September Duterte appeared to liken himself to Adolf Hitler in talking about killing millions of drug addicts in the country of 100 million. Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said, "There are 3 million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to slaughter them. "If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have ...," he said, pausing and pointing to himself. U.S. response: Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a news conference following a meeting Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Hawaii that he personally found Duterte's comments "deeply troubling", though the matter wasn't discussed at the meeting. (Compiled by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Alex Richardson)
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will come under pressure from other European Union leaders on Thursday to say what kind of deal she wants for Britain when it leaves the bloc. May, attending her first EU summit since becoming prime minister in July, has so far given only glimpses of her vision for Britain's future relationship with the EU. Below is a summary of the most important issues in the negotiations which are due to start by March next year. SINGLE MARKET ACCESS British firms are likely to face barriers to the EU's single, tariff-free market of 500 million consumers because May has said she will heed the call from many voters for more controls over migration. Such controls would breach the EU's core principle of freedom of movement for workers in the bloc. Supporters of a "hard" Brexit say Germany and other EU nations are bluffing about putting tariffs on British goods and services because their own exporters have too much to lose. But employers are worried, especially in sectors which would could face the highest tariffs if there is no deal between London and Brussels. The EU's external tariffs on cars stands at 10 percent and Nissan - which exports to the bloc thousands of the vehicles it builds at Britain's biggest car plant - has demanded a guarantee of compensation for costs related to Brexit. MIGRATION About half the immigrants coming to Britain are from the EU. May wants to cut total net migration to below 100,000 a year from more than 300,000 now, something that would require tough controls. Most economists say migration has helped Britain's economy although wages for lower-paid workers have taken a small hit. May has ruled out the introduction of a points-based system modeled on the one used by Australia to select migrants, preferring a system that allows in the workers most needed by British employers. Since then, government ministers have said they want to ensure highly skilled workers can continue to move to Britain. But EU leaders are unlikely to turn a blind eye to any restrictions on free movement of workers from the bloc. They fear that any concession to Britain would lead other states to demand similar deals, ultimately unraveling the Union. FINANCIAL SERVICES Britain's financial services industry fears it could be one of the big losers from Brexit. Banks could lose their ability to offer services across the bloc from London, a system known as passporting. If they shift some of their operations to other EU states, it could hurt British tax revenues at a time when the country's public finances are still likely to be in the red. One battle could be over the ability of London to continue serving as the main center for the clearing of derivatives denominated in euros, something it has fought in the EU courts to protect but may be unable to defend once outside the bloc. BUDGET The pro-Brexit campaign before June's referendum argued that once outside the EU, Britain would no longer have to make contributions to the bloc's budget, which the UK Statistics Authority estimated at about 7 billion pounds a year. But Britain might still have to pay into the EU budget in order to maintain access for its financial services industry or other key sectors. Norway and Switzerland both pay into the EU budget to have preferential access to the EU market. CUSTOMS UNION VS TRADE DEALS Britain could seek to remain part of the EU's customs union once it is no longer a formal member of the bloc. The customs union includes non-EU Turkey, Andorra and San Marino who trade freely with the bloc and share its common external tariffs. But if Britain opted to stay in the customs union, it could complicate attempts to strike free trade deals with other countries around the world, a central argument of the Brexit campaign. British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Wednesday he was sensitive to the potential problems for British exporters, especially those involved in cross-border supply chains, should the country end up outside the customs union. MECHANICS OF NEGOTIATION May has said she will launch the formal, two-year process of negotiating Britain's exit from the EU before the end of March 2017 and London wants to use the interim period to sound out European counterparts and decide its priorities for the talks. So far, EU leaders have rebuffed attempts by Britain to talk informally about the outlines of a final deal, something that would help London settle on its Brexit strategy. After May triggers the exit process, the other 27 EU leaders will meet within a month or two to draft instructions for the European Commission for the negotiations. Those talks will be led on the EU side by Michel Barnier of France, who had tense relationship with London when he was the Commission's financial regulation chief from 2010 to 2014. Diplomats in Brussels say two years will probably be enough to deal with the basic divorce, including dividing up the EU budget, EU assets and tricky stuff like the substantial future liabilities for paying the pensions of British EU staff. But a new relationship, including trade ties, will probably take many more years, requiring some kind of transition agreement so that Britain is not left in limbo. Britain has an incentive to wrap up the deal within the two-year time-frame to appease voters and influential Euroskeptic lawmakers before a national election due in May 2020. The EU has a strong incentive to wrap up the final exit before the next European Parliament elections in 2019, normally in May. (Writing by William Schomberg; additional reporting by Alastair MacDonald in Brussels; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Fans believe Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid have been Photoshopped on the cover of W magazine. (Photo: Jason Kibbler)

Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner look flawless on the cover of W magazines 10th anniversary art issue  apart from the small detail that their knees bizarrely appear to be missing.

In what some are calling the latest Photoshop fail circulating the Internet, the top models and best friends are on the cover smiling and decked out in printed Louis Vuitton dresses and sandals. Its impossible not to notice their Barbie-like legs and missing kneecaps, which makes one question whether the move was intentional or not, as any Photoshop expert would probably notice such a big error.

However, its important to into take account that the magazines project, dubbed placebo pets, is the brainchild of renowned digital artists Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin. Within the artistic spread, the models are purposely digitally altered and morphed into humanoid creatures. Although the cover lacks the distinct editing thats obvious in other shots, its hard to believe that such a mistake could have been overlooked. Its likely part of the artists vision for the project.

Fans of the megastars were quick to notice the detail and jumped to Twitter to sound off. Some did not seem to understand that many other images in the shoot were digitally altered as part of the overall design theme.

the photoshoping in kendall and gigi's photoshoot makes me wanna quit photoshop for the rest of my life how would u even allow this  manar???? (@ROSESLBBH) October 21, 2016

Why is photoshop like that allowed? Gigi and Kendall are beautiful the way they are.. https://t.co/LubCCuoKR5  Amie (@AllRedAmie) October 20, 2016

my favorite part about the whole kendall gigi knee photoshop thing is the fact that they only photoshopped one of kendall's legs ????????????  zo (@zmg__) October 21, 2016

what they did with kendall and gigi's pictures is just ridiculous, I mean, they're so pretty, no photoshop needed  Isa (@KARDASHlANWEST) October 20, 2016

The artists vision for the cover clearly was not understood by many viewers. In a statement issued to BuzzFeed, a spokesperson for W said, The images of Kendall and Gigi are part of a project by artists Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin, who are known for their deliberate use of digital technology, combining distortions with makeup and prosthetics.

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This spread isnt the first time the top models have been caught up in a Photoshopping scandal. The freckles that famously cover Hadids stomach were Photoshopped out of her Vogue China cover earlier this year. Its unclear whether the model had any part in the decision, as shes spoken about how she loves her beauty marks.

A lot of people get mad at me when theyre Photoshopped out. But I dont want them Photoshopped. If they are, thats the clients decision. I love them, the star shared with Allure.

Jenner was also involved in a Photoshop scandal when Famous magazine allegedly Photoshopped cellulite onto the back of her legs. Neither Jenner nor Hadid has released a statement about the W cover.

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Fashion designer Richard Nicoll has died at age 38, reports WWD.

The designer died of a suspected heart attack in Sydney, Australia, on Friday.

The London-born design grew up in Australia but later returned to London, where he based his namesake label.

A well-known member of London's fashion community, Nicoll was a regular at London Fashion Week and saw his designs worn by a variety of high-profile celebrities.

From February 2014 to October 2015, Nicoll worked as creative director of British clothing brand Jack Wills and in 2015 he closed his own label, which produced both men's and women's collections.

Nicoll was also the creative director of Cerruti's women's wear label from 2009 to 2011.

He was due to start as creative director at Adidas in January 2017.
Mexico City (AFP) - His golden hair twists into smelly, fly-infested excrement. In other cartoons, his trademark locks are shaped into a tongue or a wall. His silhouette also serves as Adolf Hitler's mustache.

Donald Trump has been such a well of inspiration for cartoonists that a gallery is dedicated to the Republican presidential candidate at Mexico City's Caricature Museum.

The exhibit's title takes aim at Trump's threat to make Mexico pay for a giant barrier across the border: "Trump: A Wall of Cartoons."

By calling Mexican migrants criminals and rapists, and vowing to deport millions back to their homeland, he has inspired a plethora of cartoonists from Mexico and other nations who contributed to the exhibit.

Other Mexicans have vented their anger by bashing pinatas of his likeness or burning his effigy.

Among the cartoonists, there are some recurring themes: the bouffant hair, brick walls, fresh feces and Nazi symbols.

One by the Mexican artist Antonio Rodriguez Garcia shows the Republican Party's symbol -- a red and blue elephant -- defecating dung shaped like Trump's unmistakable hairdo.

Another signed Rodriguez shows Trump as Uncle Sam pointing his finger, with the phrase "I hate you" instead of the famous "I want you" message of the military recruitment poster.

In a similar far-right vein, the Spanish cartoonist Jose Rubio Malagon drew Trump's hair into the shape of a hand doing a fascist salute.

Belgium's Luc Descheemaeker, or O-Sekoer, drew Hitler's own distinctive haircut and small mustache, which, if you look closer, is Trump's silhouette.

Others were less subtle, depicting Trump as a gorilla wearing a swastika armband or as a Hitler figure with blond hair.

- 'Involuntary comic character' -

The cartoonist behind the exhibit is Arturo Kemchs, who as president of the Ibero-American Union of Graphic Humorists had requested contributions from his peers for a book on Trump a few months ago.

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He received hundreds of cartoons and fit 350 of them in the book, of which 2,000 copies were sold. The idea for the exhibit, which began October 13, came after the book.

"It's a character who made our work easier," Kemchs, 57, told AFP. "He's an involuntarily comical character."

"This character has taken over spaces in the sense that some cartoonists no longer do caricatures of Mexican politicians. They go with the Donald Trump theme because he gives us a lot of material," he said.

Kemchs shows two of his Trump cartoons: one with a brick wall replacing Trump's hair, the other with his crest shaped like a tongue.

"I picked the tongue precisely because of his ability to talk and talk nonsense," he said.

- 'You build it' -

The exhibit will go on tour in two other Mexican cities, Chicago, New York, Panama and Colombia. Meanwhile in Mexico City, locals and tourists marveled at the cartoons this week.

Saki Kameo, a 21-year-old woman from Kobe, Japan who is studying Spanish in Mexico, had her favorite: a Russian nesting doll of Trump over Hitler, North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un and Italy's Benito Mussolini.

"There is a historic base for racism and that's why now there's Trump. It's not accidental that he has appeared," Kameo said.

Luis Antonio Engfui Amaya, a Mexican cashier at a sushi restaurant, liked a cartoon of a Mexican imagining himself whipping Trump as the real estate tycoon applies cement to a brick wall.

"It's as if the Mexican citizen is telling him, 'you want your wall, you build it,'" Engfui said with a smile.
New York (AFP) - Prince's label on Friday announced it will release the first posthumous music from the pop icon including an entire second album to accompany "Purple Rain."

The announcement, made a week after a tribute concert in Prince's native Minnesota meant to offer closure after his sudden death on April 21, comes as his estate steadily moves forward on a business plan for his vast holdings.

Warner Brothers Records said it would next month issue a 40-track greatest hits collection, "Prince 4Ever," with an attached 12-page book of photographs.

While consisting largely of the funk maestro's best-known hits from early and mid-career, "Prince 4Ever" will also feature the unreleased 1982 track "Moonbeam Levels."

Long known to fans, with Elvis Costello even covering it, "Moonbeam Levels" was never officially released. It would have appeared on "Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic," an unfinished album Prince discarded in the late 1980s.

Potentially more exciting for fans, Warner said in a statement it would next year reissue Prince's 1984 classic work "Purple Rain" next year and that it would be accompanied by "a second album of previously unreleased material."

Warner, which had agreed with Prince on remastering the "Purple Rain" recordings before his death, said it would announce more details including a release date later.

"Prince 4Ever" will come out internationally on November 25 but go on sale three days earlier in the United States, a marketing move so it is available for US holiday shoppers.

Warner -- which is releasing the albums with Prince's imprint NPG Records, which stands for New Power Generation -- had a notoriously complicated relationship with the artist.

Prince in the early 1990s changed his name to the unpronounceable "love symbol" and wrote "slave" on his cheek to protest contractual terms by Warner, which sought to pace his prolific output.

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Prince reconciled with Warner in 2014 but remained a critic of music labels, late in life embracing rap mogul Jay Z's Tidal streaming service as a way to put out music quickly.

When he died of an accidental painkiller overdose, Prince left no will but vaults full of unreleased material at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota.

An administrator put in charge of his estate with his siblings' blessing has said it needs to raise money just to keep up with taxes.

Earlier this month, it opened paid tours of Paisley Park, long a mythic destination for Prince fans who managed to enter.
This flawless 86-year-old bride is #weddinggoals personified

There are few moments where women can look forward to having all eyes on them as they take advantage of their own special day. For many, their wedding days are that time to shine. And we think the world has found the most glorious bride of all time in this 86-year-old woman whose beauty has flawlessly shut down the Internet on her wedding day.

As People writes, Millie Taylor-Morrisons love story is one that will melt anyones heart. She married her husband Harold Morrison on October 16 more than six decades after they first met. The now-couple tied the knot after Millie was married to her previous husband, who passed away after 41 years of marriage. After reconnecting with Harold (who attended her first wedding), the two reunited after meeting each other again at Millies new church.

Besides her fairy-tale love story of finding love late in life, Millies wedding pictures prove that she is an incredibly beautiful (and flawless, wel say it again) woman  especially in her purple wedding dress that she designed herself!

86 y.o. Bride, today!! My baby cousins friends grandmother!! Posting because she's beautiful!!! Posted by Angela Denise Allen Simms on Sunday, October 16, 2016

After a family friend shared the gorgeous photo on Facebook, it was liked over 19,000 times and shared more than 4,500 times.

The New Jersey couple made it through sickness and health on their way to the altar this month after Harold battled an illness, and Millies extended family of children and grandchildren were there to celebrate. Tying the knot in front of 200 family and friends at Zion Hill Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, Millie and Harolds special day was a dream come true.

The post This flawless 86-year-old bride is #weddinggoals personified appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Yahoo Singapore file photo

*UPDATE (7.10pm, 21 October 2016): Story has been updated to reflect Pink Dots response to the MHA's amendments to rules for funding and supporting Speaker's Corner events.*

From next month, foreign entities will need to apply for a permit before they can fund or support events like Pink Dot at the Speakers Corner.

In a press statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) noted that the Speakers Corner came into being as a space for Singaporeans to express their views on issues that concern them.

The Governments position has always been that foreign entities should not interfere in our domestic issues, especially those of a political or controversial nature, said an MHA spokesman.

The Ministry is therefore introducing amendments to the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2016, which will come into effect on 1 November. This will require foreign entities to obtain a permit if they wish to organise, assist or participate in an event at the Speakers Corner.

For example, sponsoring, publicly promoting an event or organising its members or employees to participate in the event will not be allowed without the approval of the authorities. These conditions will include speaking through remote means, such as via tele-conferencing or pre-recorded messages.

Currently, foreigners are required to obtain a permit  subject to assessment  to organise or participate in an event at the Speakers Corner.

In June this year, MHA said that foreign entities should not interfere in domestic issues, especially political issues or controversial social issues with political overtones.

The MHA statement in June came days after the eighth annual Pink Dot SG rally, which saw a record number of foreign entities registered as sponsors for the event. The 18 sponsors included tech giants like Google and Facebook, and financial heayweights Goldman Sachs and J. P. Morgan.

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Currently, Singapore citizens are exempt from requiring a permit to speak or organise demonstrations at the Speakers Corner, subject to conditions under the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2016.

The existing exemptions will now be extended to Singapore entities, such as local companies and non-governmental organisations, which are incorporated or registered in Singapore and controlled by a majority of Singapore citizens.

Pink Dot disappointed

Responding queries from Yahoo Singapore on the new sponsorship rules, Pink Dot spokesperson Paerin Choa said, We respect and understand the Ministry of Home Affairs position, however, we are disappointed by the latest clarifications from the ministry.

Pink Dot has always been a local movement dedicated to bringing LGBT Singaporeans closer to their friends and families and closer to Singapore society as a whole  a universal aspiration that we do not consider to be controversial or political.



He added, As our society continues to evolve, we hope that this will be the start of an ongoing dialogue and we look forward to continue engaging with the various government agencies to better foster understanding between the government and the LGBT community in the long term.

In light of the new rules, we call on more Singaporeans and local companies, who share in our desire and vision for a more diverse and inclusive Singapore, to step forward to support us in Pink Dot 2017.
WASHINGTON -- A specter is haunting academia, the specter of specters -- ghosts, goblins and "cultural appropriation" through insensitive Halloween costumes. Institutions of higher education are engaged in the low comedy of avoiding the agonies of Yale.

Last October, the university was rocked to its 315-year-old foundations by the wife of a residential college master (a title subsequently expunged from Yale's vocabulary lest it trigger traumas by reminding people that slavery once existed). In response to a university memorandum urging students to wear culturally sensitive costumes -- e.g., no sombreros -- she wrote an email saying it should be permissible for young people to be inappropriate, provocative or even offensive because "the ability to tolerate offense" is a hallmark of "a free and open society."

After the dust settled from this, she and her husband left the residential college. And Yale had trampled in the dust the noble legacy of its 1975 Woodward Report.

Named for the chairman of the committee that produced it, historian C. Vann Woodward, the report was written after Yale's awkward handling of some controversial speakers. Reaffirming freedom of expression's "superior importance to other laudable principles and values," the report said:

"Without sacrificing its central purpose, [a university] cannot make its primary and dominant value the fostering of friendship, solidarity, harmony, civility or mutual respect. ... It will never let these values, important as they are, override its central purpose."

That purpose, as Hanna Holborn Gray, a former president of the University of Chicago, once said, is not to make young adults comfortable, it is to make them think. Since 1975, however, universities have embraced the doctrine that speech that offends people actually harms them, mentally and even physically. The decision to treat young adults as fragile and perpetually vulnerable to victimization coincided with academia's turn away from the world: Fifty years ago, student assertiveness concerned momentous issues of war and civil rights. Today, students have macro-tantrums about micro-aggressions (e.g., sombreros). Time was, students rebelled against universities acting in loco parentis. Today, they welcome having their sexual and other social interactions minutely subjected to government regulations administered by Pecksniffs with Ph.D.s.

Fortunately, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that some schools are having second thoughts about their "bias-response teams" that spring into action when someone says that someone has said something offensive. These schools have noticed the obvious: When such teams elevate campus harmony to the supreme value, they become civility enforcers with a chilling effect on speech.

America's great research universities are ornaments of Western civilization, so their descent into authoritarianism and infantilization matters.

And what happens on campuses does not stay on campuses. According to the Pew Research Center, American millennials (ages 18 to 34), fresh from academia, "are far more likely than older generations to say the government should be able to prevent people from saying offensive statements about minority groups." Forty percent of this cohort think government should be empowered to jettison much constitutional law concerning the First Amendment in order to censor speech offensive to minority groups.

Gerard Alexander, a University of Virginia political scientist, argues in National Affairs quarterly that a university's "permanent population," the faculty, is secure in the tenure system and maintains its monochrome intellectual culture by hiring from a Ph.D. pipeline that young conservatives are understandably reluctant to enter.

"Schools," Alexander notes, "have applied millions of hours of work to the priority of improving racial, ethnic and gender diversity. Viewpoint diversity could be elevated to similar prominence and urgency." Viewpoint diversity in faculties would, Alexander argues, at least pit one scholar's susceptibility to "confirmation bias" -- the tendency to seek, and be receptive to, evidence that buttresses one's beliefs -- against another's different bias.

Academia just now needs a reminder akin to Florence Nightingale's terse axiom that whatever else hospitals might do, they should not spread disease. Universities, as the word suggests, have many missions, but becoming safe spaces for faculty and student juvenility is not among them.
By Chine Labbe PARIS (Reuters) - France will start removing migrants on Monday from a squalid north-coast camp known as the Jungle and expects to dismantle it in the space of a week, an interior ministry official said on Friday. The ramshackle camp at Calais houses thousands of migrants and refugees attempting to make it to Britain, which bars most of them on the basis of EU rules requiring them to seek asylum in the first European country they set foot in. "It is an operation that carries risk," the official said in a briefing to reporters, describing the plan to remove the 6,486 migrants from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea and distribute them to centers across France. With its improvised shacks and poor sanitation, the Jungle has become a symbol of Europe's failure to solve the migration crisis and a sore point in relations between Britain and France. Announcing its planned closure last month, President Francois Hollande described the situation there as "unacceptable". A French court this week dismissed a legal challenge by charities who had sought more time to come up with alternative housing. The ministry official said migrants will have to present themselves at a giant hangar where they will be separated into families, adults, unaccompanied minors and vulnerable individuals, including elderly people and single women. They will then be bused to a network of 450 reception centers across the country, where they will receive medical checks and, if they have not already done so, decide whether to apply for asylum. RISK OF ARREST Some 1,250 police and gendarmes will oversee the operation, and any migrants who refuse to move on risk being arrested, the official said. She said France and Britain were advancing in negotiations over the fate of 1,300 unaccompanied children and youths in the camp. Britain has prioritized allowing entry to those with family ties in the UK, and this week allowed a small group of mostly Afghan teenagers to join relatives already in the country. But France wants Britain to go further and honor a commitment it made to helping vulnerable child migrants in Europe. "We're making progress," the official said. "We hope that there is a significant effort to complete all the family reunifications, and to go further." Tensions between the two countries are increasing over the future of border security as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. French conservative Alain Juppe told The Guardian in an interview that he would scrap an agreement allowing British officials to check passports in France and vice-versa - a step that would make it easier for asylum-seekers to cross the Channel and force Britain to deal with them on its own soil. "We cannot accept making the selection on French territory of people that Britain does or doesn't want. It's up to Britain to do that job," he was quoted as saying. The image of the Jungle was "disastrous for our country and there are also extremely serious economic and security consequences for the people of Calais", said Juppe, the front-runner in next year's presidential election. (Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
By Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - France's Alain Juppe will move the border with Britain from Calais to southern England if he wins power next year, setting up a potential battle with London over immigration following the Brexit vote, the Guardian newspaper reported. Thousands of migrants from countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea live in a ramshackle camp beside the English Channel that is known as the Jungle, a symbol of Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War Two. With thousands of people seeking to reach British shores, fences have been erected around the entry to the Channel tunnel and British opponents of mass immigration cast the Jungle as a danger to Britain during the EU referendum. Juppe, who is on course to win the center-right's presidential ticket and favorite to win power in next year's national election, said he would seek to overturn a treaty which effectively pushes the British frontier to France. "The first thing is to denounce the Le Touquet accords," Juppe told the Guardian newspaper in an interview. "We cannot accept making the selection on French territory of people that Britain does or doesn't want. It's up to Britain to do that job," he was quoted as saying. In 2003, Britain and France signed an agreement - known as Le Touquet accords - which allows British officials to check passports in France and vice versa. French President Francois Holland has vowed to close the Jungle camp. Though previous efforts to disperse the camp have failed, France is expected to move the migrants from their makeshift houses next week. "We cant tolerate what is going on in Calais," Juppe was quoted as saying. "The image is disastrous for our country and there are also extremely serious economic and security consequences for the people of Calais." Any move to scrap the understanding will likely be resisted by British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has said that cutting immigration is a key priority after Britons voted to leave the European Union. Former Prime Minister David Cameron warned ahead of the June 23 referendum that France could seek to cancel the Le Touquet agreement in the event of Brexit, leading to an influx of asylum seekers into Britain, but Paris has since said it will respect the agreement. France transferred several dozen mostly Afghan teenagers to Britain this month as efforts to remove the most vulnerable migrants of camp. There are an estimated 1,000 unaccompanied children in the camp. (Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Alison Williams)
Paris (AFP) - From Brexit to the rise of Donald Trump, 2016 has been a humbling year for political forecasters. In France, could they be wrong again in writing off the far-right's prospects in next year's presidential election?

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's National Front, certainly thinks so. She sees signs of encouragement from Britain, the United States and across Europe where mass migration, inequality and terrorism have eroded old certainties.

Conventional wisdom holds that she will make it into the second round of the election next April and then lose, when centre-right and left-wing voters will back a more mainstream candidate.

This would be a similar outcome to the 2002 election when her estranged father caused a political earthquake in European politics by reaching the second round -- where he was defeated by Jacques Chirac.

"There's a global awakening," Le Pen told reporters last month in the southern town of Frejus where supporters flocked to hear her bashing the EU, the euro and immigration.

In echoes of Trump's "Make America Great Again" or Brexit's "Take Control" slogans, she declared that "the time of the nation state has come again."

But while undisciplined Trump seems to revel in his troublemaker credentials, Le Pen has been studiously avoiding controversy as part of a drive to boost her credibility.

Six months before the French go to the polls, the 48-year-old is on a mission to win over the last of the anti-FN diehards, canvassing pensioners, teachers and other groups that have long regarded the party as untouchable.

"Those who think there is no chance (of Le Pen winning) and that there is no threat from the far-right are greatly mistaken," Jean-Marie Le Guen, the junior minister for parliamentary relations, warned recently.

"She is absolutely convinced she can win," one of Le Pen's advisors told AFP.

- Closer race against Sarkozy -

Story continues

So far polls tell a different story.

Even if Le Pen wins the first round, the lingering stigma around the FN is predicted to trip her up, with her second-round rival, tipped to be former prime minister Alain Juppe, expected to easily defeat her.

A survey by the BVA polling group last month showed Juppe beating her by 66-34 percent.

The race would be a closer affair however if Le Pen came face-to-face with former president Nicolas Sarkozy, Juppe's main challenger for the right-wing nomination in a November primary.

The same BVA survey showed a much tighter race. Sarkozy, a far more polarising figure than Juppe, would win by a smaller margin of 56-44 percent in the final duel, it said.

Convinced she can close the gap, Le Pen is continuing her drive to sanitise the FN's image that has paid off since she took over the leadership from her father in 2011.

Gone is the anti-Semitism and overt race-baiting of the past -- her rhetoric on Muslims and migrants is softer yet still effective in a country and a continent battling an unprecedented terror threat and record new arrivals.

But she cannot escape her father's embarrassing comments that the Nazi gas chambers are a "detail of history" and Marine's approach to the migrant crisis -- she has said "we should just feed them and send them back where they came from" -- has attracted scorn.

In France's depressed north, voters in former leftist bastions have decamped in droves to the protectionist FN, out of frustration with the government's failure to halt factory closures.

The FN, which has blamed the EU for much of France's ills and pushed for a "Frexit" referendum on France's EU membership, reaped the spoils of the Socialists' demise in last year's regional elections, topping the poll with 28 percent.

- Bigger than the party -

A year later, Le Pen is campaigning mainly on her own brand, which has now outgrown that of the National Front.

Jean-Yves Camus, a researcher who specialises in far-right movements, said her trump card was that she had never been in government.

"It conceals many aspects in her programme that lack credibility," he said.

Le Pen herself says it means she does not "have to repay any favours."

But her lack of potential allies is also her Achilles heel in a country where elections always go to a run-off.

In the past six decades, no party has ever garnered more than 50 percent alone in the first round, said Joel Gombin, a political analyst and FN specialist, who called a Le Pen win "a very unlikely scenario."
Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. FCX is slated to release third-quarter 2016 results ahead of the bell on Oct 25.

Last quarter, the mining company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 100%. Freeport has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two out of the four trailing quarters, while missing in two, with an average negative surprise of 20.45%.

Lets see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement.

Factors to Watch For

Freeport is taking steps to manage costs and capital spending amid a challenging operating environment. It also remains focused on deleveraging its balance sheet, partly through assets sale. Further, Freeport is investing in attractive growth projects and providing cash returns to its shareholders.

Freeport remains focused on reducing debt and enhance shareholder value, in part, through divestitures and joint venture transactions. Freeports board has been making a strategic review of its oil and gas business to assess alternatives designed to increase value to the companys shareholders. The company's fully-owned subsidiary  Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas Inc. (FM O&G) recently inked an agreement with Anadarko for the sale of its Deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) properties for $2 billion in cash. The sale of the GOM assets will aid Freeport to cut debt and allocate resources to its core copper business. The company continues to assess its portfolio for potential future actions and aims to maintain a strong financial position, with focus on reducing debt.

Freeport also recently agreed to sell its onshore California oil and gas properties to private energy company, Sentinel Peak Resources California LLC for $742 million, including contingent consideration. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to be complete in fourth-quarter 2016. Freeport does not anticipate recording a material gain or loss on the transaction. It plans to use the net cash proceeds from the transaction to repay debt.

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Proceeds from the stake sale in Morenci has also allowed Freeport to deleverage its balance sheet.

Freeport also remains actively focused on managing costs. Benefits of the companys ongoing cost-cutting initiatives were evident in the second quarter, manifested by a year over year decline in consolidated average unit net cash costs of copper. Freeports copper cost guidance for 2016 reflects a considerable year over year decline in consolidated unit net cash costs. In its oil and gas business, the company also reduced production cost to $15 a barrel from $19 a barrel in the last reported quarter.

However, Freeports copper business remains affected by the sluggish global economy and supply related issues. The slowdown in China (a major market for copper) adds to the concern. The weak copper pricing environment also poses a headwind.

FREEPT MC COP-B Price and EPS Surprise

FREEPT MC COP-B Price and EPS Surprise | FREEPT MC COP-B Quote

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Freeport is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below:

Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Freeport is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 19 cents.

Zacks Rank: Freeport carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which when combined with a 0.00% ESP, makes surprise prediction difficult. Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings. Conversely, Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.

Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are some companies in the basic materials sector you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

The Chemours Company CC has an Earnings ESP of +25.71% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

B2Gold Corp. BTG has an Earnings ESP of +25% and a Zacks Rank #2.

The Dow Chemical Company DOW has an Earnings ESP of +1.25% and a Zacks Rank #2.



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London (AFP) - France's former prime minister and presidential hopeful Alain Juppe has called for the UK border to be shifted across the Channel from Calais, in an interview published on Thursday.

Juppe, who is campaigning to be the right-wing candidate in the race for the presidency, said a change to the bilateral agreement was necessary after thousands of migrants gathered in Calais.

"We cant tolerate what is going on in Calais, the image is disastrous for our country and there are also extremely serious economic and security consequences for the people of Calais," Juppe told journalists from the Guardian and other European newspapers.

"So the first thing is to denounce the Le Touquet accords," he added, referring to the 2003 agreement which extends the UK border to Calais' ferry ports. Under the deal British officials check passports and inspect vehicles.

"We cannot accept making the selection on French territory of people that Britain does or doesnt want. It's up to Britain to do that job," he said.

Juppe, 71, said "of course" the border should be moved back to the UK in spite of British opposition.

"So the debate must be opened and a new accord obtained with Britain," he said.

The politician's comments followed the French government's announcement on Tuesday that the "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais, where thousands of migrants have gathered in the hope of reaching Britain, would be demolished imminently.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told parliament that talks with London to see Britain take in some of the hundreds of unaccompanied minors were "proceeding very smoothly".

The first group of 14 teenagers arrived in Britain on Monday.

Cazeneuve said those remaining at the site, which currently hosts around 5,700 people according to official figures, would be given "dignified" shelter.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in June warned against dismantling the Le Touquet agreement, saying it could prompt people to try to cross the Channel.

Story continues

"If the border is moved to the other side of the Channel, as some suggest, we'll have to put out boats to rescue people who will be in the water," Ayrault told AFP.

As a bilateral deal the Le Touquet agreement is not dependent on the European Union, although Britain's decision in June to leave the EU has brought immigration controls under the spotlight.

Juppe said he respected the outcome of the UK referendum and called for Brexit to be implemented quickly.

"Its not about punishing Britain, its about being coherent," he said, while asserting that France would maintain "very close bilateral cooperation with the UK" on matters such as defence.
SUDBURY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2016 / Frontier Lithium (FL.V) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed Exploration Agreements with Deer Lake First Nation ("DLFN") and Sandy Lake First Nation ("SLFN") regarding Frontier's mineral exploration activities on its PAK Lithium Project (the "Project") in the Red Lake Mining District, Northwestern Ontario. The registered membership of DLFN is one thousand, three-hundred and twelve (1,312) people and three-thousand and sixty-two (3,062) people with SLFN.

The Company wishes to continue to conduct mineral exploration with the support of the two communities and this new agreement allows for that process. The agreements promote a cooperative and mutually beneficial and respectful relationship concerning DLFN, SLFN and Frontier Lithium's explorations of its current and additional (if any) mining claims or properties that the Company may acquire an interest in - all for which are located within the Traditional Territories of the communities (as defined in the signed Exploration Agreements).

The agreements recognize and respect the Aboriginal and Treaty rights and interests of both communities, together with their constitutional and other legal rights and desires to maintain open and friendly, cooperative, on-going communications and a positive working relationship, and further that these Exploration Agreements are "not in derogation of abrogation of any inherent treaty, aboriginal, title or like right of" either community.

The agreements also state that the parties agree that it is their common objective to assist community members to benefit from business opportunities associated with Exploration Activities undertaken by Frontier and that assuming the Feasibility Study is positive, the Parties commit to make best efforts to develop an Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA).

DLFN and SLFN acknowledge that Frontier Lithium may enter into agreements with other First Nation stakeholders, and may enter into such agreements in a comprehensive or cumulative fashion with the same.

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Chief Roy Dale Meekis of Deer Lake First Nation and Chief Bart Meekis of Sandy Lake First Nation has jointly commented that "We are looking forward to coming together and working with Frontier towards sustainable developments on our traditional territories to the mutual benefit of all parties."

"With pre-feasbility underway, the signed exploration agreements mark a very significant project milestone. The agreeable terms are mutually beneficial and they recognize the importance of the environment and both community's traditional territories - both of which are of great significance to Deer Lake First Nation, Sandy Lake First Nation, their respective members, and Frontier Lithium," remarked Trevor Walker, President, Frontier Lithium.

The agreement is in line with the Company's commitment to build sincere relationships with our neighbouring communities. We have an active interest and respect for all people and we understand the social, environmental and economic implications of our activities.

Company Contact Information

Trevor R. Walker, President

2736 Belisle Drive

Val Caron, ON.

P3N 1B3 CANADA

T.+001 705.897.7622

F.+001 705.897.7618

Media Requests

Joseph Mansourian

Manager, Communications & Branding

2736 Belisle Drive

Val Caron, ON.

P3N 1B3 CANADA

E: mansourian@frontierlithium.com

T.+001 705.618.0070

F.+001 705.897.7618

About Frontier Lithium Inc.

Frontier's goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium and tantalum producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. CAD $4 million of exploration work has been conducted from 2013 to 2016 on the deposit which boasts its lithium in a rare, high-purity, low-iron spodumene. The Company has adopted a staged growth approach to exploration and development in order to avoid unnecessary share dilution  a strategic imperative for the Company. The initial target market is the ceramic/glass industry which consumes roughly one-third of global lithium supply and is currently faced with monopolistic conditions, coupled with major lithium producers increasingly directing output toward supporting battery manufacture.

Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li2O), if available, to avoid inferior lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds that require chemical plants costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management believes the resource can be developed into a world-class operation. Once production of lithium concentrates are established from Frontier, the possible second stage of investment and longer term prospect is to further process some of PAK's output to produce the higher purity lithium compounds required for lithium battery technologies used in the electrification of transportation and electric grid storage applications.

For additional information, please visit the company website at www.frontierlithium.com.

About the PAK Lithium Project

The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.

Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit is one of the highest grade lithium mineral resources in North America which has a current Measured and Indicated Resource of 7.89 million tonnes of 1.73% Li2O equivalent (eq.) and Inferred Resource of 295,600 tonnes of 1.35% Li2O eq. which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe2O3). The deposit has adjacent zones that are enriched in tantalum and rubidium. HLM is also evaluating the phased co-production of tantalum and mica-product concentrates once lithium mineral production has been commercialized.

The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.

SOURCE: Frontier Lithium
By Alwyn Scott NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Electric Co can build its 3D printing capability without buying Germany's SLM Solutions and does not need to increase its takeover offer in light of opposition from a major shareholder, GE Chief Financial Officer Jeff Bornstein said on Friday. GE refused on Friday to extend or change its 38-euro-a-share offer for SLM after activist investor Elliott Advisors, which owns 20 percent of SLM, said it would reject GE's offer. The offer expires on Monday. "We have options and alternatives," Bornstein told Reuters in an interview. "We don't have to do SLM. We'd like to. We like the company, we like the technology, we like the people." He noted that SLM's share price had fallen below GE's 38 euro offer price, which values the company at 683 million euros ($742.49 million). SLM ended trading Friday down 8 percent at 36.33 euros. Shareholders representing 31.5 percent have already pledged to back GE's bid. The offer requires a minimum 75 percent acceptance to succeed, so Elliott's reported holdings alone would not be enough to block the deal. GE also has alternatives to purchasing Sweden's Arcam AB . GE bid has bid 285 crowns per share, or 5.86 billion crowns ($685 million) for Arcam. Both companies make industrial-scale 3D printers used in aerospace, healthcare and other industries and which both count GE as their biggest customer. GE is using 3D printing to make fuel nozzles for new CFM LEAP aircraft engines that power the latest Airbus and Boeing single-aisle airplanes. CFM is a joint venture of GE and Safran SA of France. GE said on Friday that the LEAP engine, now flying on a handful of Airbus A320neo jets, was performing well, with 100 percent reliability in allowing aircraft to depart on time. Bornstein declined to say whether the LEAP engine performance had led to more orders but noted the recent decision by Qatar Airways to sign a letter of intent to buy up to 60 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which might be used to supplant orders for A320neos equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines . ($1 = 0.9199 euros) (Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Defense behemoth General Dynamics Corp. GD is set to release third-quarter 2016 results before the opening bell on Oct 26.

In the preceding quarter, General Dynamics posted a positive earnings surprise of 6.09%. It is worth noting that the company has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average being 6.54%.

Lets see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement.

GENL DYNAMICS Price and EPS Surprise

GENL DYNAMICS Price and EPS Surprise | GENL DYNAMICS Quote

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?



Our proven model shows that General Dynamics is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of two key ingredients.



Zacks ESP: General Dynamics has an Earnings ESP of +0.84%. That is because the Most Accurate estimate is $2.39 while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged lower at $2.37. This is a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise.



Zacks Rank: General Dynamics has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2(Buy) or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates.

Also, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



The combination of General Dynamics' Zacks Rank #3 and +0.84% ESP makes us reasonably certain of an earnings beat.

Whats Driving the Better-Than Expected Earnings?

General Dynamics earns through a broad portfolio of products and services that helps it to maintain its growth momentum. With the FY17 budget proposal calling for $582.7 billion in funding for the Pentagon, including $8.1 billion for submarines, General Dynamics stands to benefit immensely as it is one of the only two contractors equipped to build nuclear-powered submarines in the world.

Among the notable highlights of the third quarter, General Dynamics clinched twin contracts from the U.S. Navy, worth a total $729.6 million, in relation to rendering engineering, technical and repairing services for nuclear-powered submarines. The company also gained a contract worth $511 million from Matson, Inc. for the production of 2 Kanaloa Class containerships and another five-year contract worth $430 million from the U.S. Census Bureau to support the 2020 Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA) program.

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Further, in the companys earlier announcement, management expressed its confidence to witness optimistic sales activity and order level for General Dynamics during the third quarter.

Although the company did not issue any guidance for the third quarter, it expects the quarter to be weaker than the preceding one. Moreover, management expects the companys Aerospace business division to face margin pressure in the third quarter.

Overall, for the third quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is $2.37 a share, reflecting an increase of 3.82% year over year, while the consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $7.95 billion, implying a 1.12% year-over-year decline.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few stocks in the Aerospace and Defense space worth considering on the basis of our model which shows that they have the right combination to pull off a beat:

L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. LLL has an earnings ESP of +2.75% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to report quarterly results on Oct 27.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII, slated to report on Nov 3, has an earnings ESP of +2.09% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Boeing Company BA has an earnings ESP of +0.38% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to release results on Oct 26.

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New York (AFP) - Sluggish activity in oil and gas weighed on General Electric's third-quarter results Friday, offsetting strength in other businesses and pushing profits lower.

Net income for the industrial conglomerate fell 20.4 percent to $2.0 billion.

Revenues rose 4.4 percent to $29.3 billion.

General Electric scored higher net profit in several businesses, including power, renewable energy, aviation and health care.

But oil and gas profits fell by 42.1 percent to $353 million. Orders for new work fell sharply with "pressure across all segments," GE said in a presentation.

GE has radically streamlined its GE Capital division to focus on industrial operations. It is also emphasizing its technological chops as it confronts challenges that have marred earnings for some other large industrial companies this quarter, such as the rising dollar and anemic global growth.

"Our strength as a diverse, digital industrial company continues to enable us to deliver in a slow growth, volatile environment," said chief executive Jeff Immelt.

Results translated into operating earnings of 32 cents a share.

GE shares fell 1.6 percent to $28.62 in pre-market trade.
What a misfortune it is that Hillary Clinton was able to coast through three presidential debates without being pressed significantly on any of her weaknesses.

At this point, I'm out of ways to express outrage at Donald Trump, who almost certainly will not become president. But let's get this next part out of the way, at least, in reaction to his performance at the third and final debate: It was unacceptable for a major-party candidate to say he refuses to accept in advance the results of the U.S. election and claim that his opponent should not have been "allowed" to run.

Oh, Trump knew a few catchphrases. He knew to work in "e-mails" every once in a while. And he repeated like a schoolboy who read only one paragraph of the assigned reading that she was caught in a fib over the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the first debate (as he already said in the second debate, she had falsely denied calling it a "gold standard").

But mostly Trump proved incapable of laying a glove on her. Calling her a "nasty woman" doesn't count.

Take, for example, his part in the foreign-affairs segment in Wednesday night's debate that focused on Mosul and Aleppo. The Barack Obama administration's conduct in Iraq and Syria while Clinton was secretary of State is open to criticism, as are her stated plans for what she would do as president.

But Trump could not formulate anything close to a critique. The complex situation of the current battle over Mosul was reduced to his fixation on how ISIS knew in advance about the operation by Iraqi forces and their allies, with the support of the U.S. -- as if armies could magically appear without, well, advancing toward the city.

On Syria, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump about his bizarre statement at the last debate that Aleppo had already "fallen." The Republican nominee could not resist digging a deeper hole for himself, babbling about how things were really bad in the Syrian city, meaning (I guess?) that he must have been correct in saying it had fallen.

In a normal election, the presidential debates push candidates to lay out their plans for what they would do if they took office, including those things they would rather not talk about. Clinton didn't have to do that in any detail. She's very good at rattling off her talking points, and she knows her stuff. But over three debates, her opponent rarely if ever challenged her to explain the substance at all.

She had a beautiful answer prepared on Trump's "rigged" elections, and a terrific response ready for his accusation that she had done nothing but talk for 30 years. And she delivered them well.

Trump displayed no ability at all to listen, analyze and respond, and certainly not to pounce on any weaknesses she displayed. Rather, as usual, he was easily tricked into wasting his time defending himself, rather than pivoting to where he wanted to go.

Trump's failure to take democracy seriously enough to show up prepared to talk about the issues facing the nation and to confront the opposing candidate competently is not the worst insult he is guilty of in his campaign. But don't believe it doesn't matter: The nation suffers from the lack of real discussion between the people who would be its president.
General Motors Company GM is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 25. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 22.37%. Let us see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?

Our proven model shows that General Motors is likely to beat earnings this quarter because it has the right combination of the two key components.

Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for General Motors is currently pegged at +0.69% as the Most Accurate estimate of $1.45 stands above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.44. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise.

Zacks Rank: General Motors currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings. Conversely, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

The combination of General Motors Zacks Rank #3 and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat.

GENERAL MOTORS Price and EPS Surprise

GENERAL MOTORS Price and EPS Surprise | GENERAL MOTORS Quote

What is Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings?

General Motors is striving to improve its results by launching new vehicles, expanding its business, reducing costs and driving efficiency in core operations. The company achieved cost savings of $3.1 billion through the first half of 2016, which is expected to continue in the third quarter.

In addition, General Motors is focused on investment in innovative technologies and vehicles, which should provide sustained growth. It has also adopted a comprehensive capital allocation strategy to return value to shareholders.

Further, the automaker is focusing on the emerging markets to enhance its global sales by increasing capacity investment.It is also gaining new contracts to expand its business. In Jul 2016, General Motors and ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. expanded their short-term rental program to California and Colorado. The incremental revenue from this venture should boost results.

Story continues

Moreover, General Motors is witnessing record sales volume in China, which should have a positive impact on revenues and earnings.

Based on the strong operating performance in the first half of the year, General Motors raised its 2016 earnings per share expectation to $5.50$6.00, from the previous projection of $5.25$5.75. This raises expectations of strong results in the third quarter.

Stocks to Consider

Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company GT, which is expected to report third-quarter 2016 results on Nov 3, has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Fox Factory Holding Corp FOXF has an Earnings ESP of +2.56% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company will report third-quarter 2016 financial numbers on Nov 2.

Magna International Inc. MGA has an Earnings ESP of +1.67% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release third-quarter 2016 results on Nov 3.

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* Genesee & Wyoming counts on Asian coal demand growth

* Pacific National most at risk of losing market share

* Analysts say Genesee & Wyoming paid high price at $874 mln

By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Genesee & Wyoming is gearing up to lure business away from Australia's top two coal haulers, confident there will be stronger demand for the commodity in Asia than in other regions, the chief financial officer of the U.S. rail group said.

The near doubling of Asian thermal coal prices this year in one of the steepest commodity rallies on record vindicates that optimism.

Genesee & Wyoming group this week agreed to buy Glencore Plc's GRail arm in the coal-rich Hunter Valley for A$1.14 billion ($874 million), doubling the size of its Australian business and heating up competition against rail operators Pacific National and Aurizon.

"We're now the third largest coal hauler in Australia and we certainly want to grow our business, so we will compete," CFO T.J. Gallagher told Reuters on Friday.

Under the deal, Genesee & Wyoming has acquired an exclusive contract to carry Glencore's coal for 20 years, an unusually long contract in a market where miners typically lock in deals for around five to 10 years.

GRail already hauls 40 million tonnes out of the 51 million tonnes a year that Glencore produces in the Hunter Valley, and will inherit the remainder of the tonnes when they roll off contracts with Pacific National.

Genesee & Wyoming plans to move some surplus locomotives from South Australia to New South Wales to chase new business and spend about A$100 million to buy two more train sets to handle the extra tonnages expected from Glencore.

"It's an extra entrant, so it's not ideal (for Aurizon and Pacific National)," said Omkar Joshi, a Watermark Funds analyst.

"Pacific National is the one that's got the bigger risk. They're going to keep losing those volumes."

Aurizon has locked in some longer-term contracts, including one with BHP Billiton out to 2028, so is under less threat, Macquarie said in a research note.

Story continues

CONFIDENT ON RETURNS

Genesee & Wyoming has seen its U.S. coal volumes halved in the past two years and its UK coal volumes slump more rapidly than expected, but is confident it will not suffer the same fate with Australian coal, given strong Asian demand.

Asia dominates global coal use, accounting for around 80 percent of all new coal-fired power station construction.

Analysts say Genesee & Wyoming - which outbid Aurizon and Pacific National - paid a fat price for GRail at 11.4 times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation. By comparison, Aurizon is trading at 8.8 times EBITDA.

Aurizon said in an email it "took a disciplined commercial approach to the bid", adding that it had invested A$500 million over the past decade to build its business in the Hunter Valley.

Pacific National, which recently was bought out by a group of funds, declined to comment on the sale.

Gallagher, however, said he was confident the business would make a return on its investment, even if nations made good on pledges to cut carbon emissions sharply, thereby denting demand for dirty coal.

"It's certainly a scenario you have to consider, but that was factored into the overall decision," he said.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
By Jemima Kelly and Nerijus Adomaitis

REYKJANES, Iceland/OSLO (Reuters) - Plans to build the world's longest power interconnector from Iceland to Britain could be delayed by Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the head of Icelandic utility Landsvirkjun has told Reuters in an interview.

The two governments agreed last year to jointly study building the 1,000-kilometre-long IceLink cable that would power some 1.6 million UK homes.

"In the long-term there is no change in their interest (in importing power from Iceland), but it (Brexit) will definitely delay it, because they have to focus on other things now," Landsvirkjun boss Hordur Arnarson told Reuters.

The cost of building it and onshore transmission upgrades is seen at 3-3.5 billion euros, Finland-based consultancy Poyry and Icelandic investment bank Kvika has estimated.

A joint Iceland-UK statement published in July said that an appropriate support mechanism could provide a viable business case, but further investigation of the regulatory regime was needed.

"We need similar support to that for Hinkley Point C," Arnarson said, referring to a price guarantee offered by the UK government for power to be produced by a planned nuclear power plant to be built by French firm EDF (EDF.PA).

Since there is no power market in Iceland, electricity will have to be sold at a fixed price and under long-term contracts, he said.

The interconnector deal "would be like a power plant in Iceland, producing for the UK", he added.

Britain current supports power interconnectors under cap-and-floor schemes, which set upper and lower revenue limits.

A spokesman said Britain's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) would "continue to consider all available options" and kept the price guarantee idea, dubbed a contract for difference, under regular review.

Britain's dependence on imported power is set to rise towards 2020 as ageing coal and nuclear plants close.

The 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity cable from about 2027 could supply 5-6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity per year, enough to meet the demand of 1.6 million British homes, Arnarson said.

Story continues

UK gas and power grid operator National Grid (NG.L) said the company remained interested in the IceLink project, but said it required support from both governments.

Project developers would also need to convince critics in Iceland, who fear that local power prices will rise, reducing the country's attractiveness.

Cheap power has lured energy-hungry industries to Iceland led by aluminium producers, then data centres, and more recently silicon plants and even dedicated centres for mining bitcoin.

Three aluminium smelters consume about 75 percent of Iceland's electricity.

"It's a highly interesting project, but there are so many ifs and buts about it," said Johann Snorri Sigurbergsson, business development head at HS Orka, owner of Svartsengi power plant near Iceland's main Keflavik airport.

(Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale in London; editing by Jason Neely)
Gigi Hadid just showed us our new favorite fall jacket trend

We thought wed seen the lovely and always inspiring Gigi Hadid on pretty much every edition of Vogue, but we were schooled this week when we learned that shes covering this months Vogue Japan for the first time ever. Get it, girl!

The 21-year-old model  who is also on the cover of the current Vogue Paris  has been sharing snaps from her Vogue Japan photo shoot on Instagram over the last couple of days and we have been savoring every one.

Among our faves is this shot of her in a Prada coat that features corset-lacing details  a prominent feature of the brands fall/winter 2016 campaign.

Thank you @luigiandiango & @anna_dello_russo for one of my favorite cover stories!!!!!!  @voguejapan A photo posted by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on Oct 20, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

Weve seen laces like these popping up on everywhere, from Kylie Jenners pants to Ariel Winters dress, so were going to go ahead and say that Gigi just introduced the fall jacket trend  and we dig it.

Need a lace-up fall jacket in your life? Weve done the legwork for you. Shop on!

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Now go out there and get tied up.

The post Gigi Hadid just showed us our new favorite fall jacket trend appeared first on HelloGiggles.
DailyFX.com -

Talking Points:

Crude Oil Price: price support focused on prior triangle support at $49.12/73 per bbl

Gold Price: two-week highs fail to hold on stronger USD

Institutional Positioning per CFTC CoT likely to continue weighing on Gold.

Crude Oil Price has traded firmly despite a strong dollar after touching 15-month highs earlier this week. The key themes in Oil are a supporting mix of OPECs pledge to cut production while U.S. aggregate inventories continue to shrink. Institutional positioning per the CFTCs Commitment of Traders report on Friday afternoon showed Crude positioning remained roughly flat into 2016 highs by raising net long positions by 3,511. In addition to the rising institutional positioning, Baker Hughes Rig Count showed 11 new rigs were activated over the last week, and the trend is not expected to reverse given Wednesday's DoE data.

Interested In Our Best Views For Q4 Volatility? Access Our Analysts Views on Key Markets Here

Gold price remained near 2-week highs despite the US Dollar rising to its highest levels since early February. The best hope for Gold Traders would be the recent rise in DXY to give the Fed pause from raising in December, but that is unlikely as the markets are pricing in ~70% chance of a rate hike when the Federal Reserve meets on in December after the uncertainty of the US Election has subsided. One limiting factor that has likely pressured Gold prices is the cutting of net-long positions by institutional investors aggressively as of the CFTC Commitment of Traders Report data as of October 18, 2016. This weeks cut of long positions was rather aggressive at -15,601 or ~8% of long positions.

Strong USD may continue to be a headwind To XAUUSD as markets await a Fed Rate Hike

Gold Price and Oil See Headwinds as USD Strongest Since February

GOLD TECHNICAL ANALYSIS  Gold appears to be in recovery mode after the aggressive drop in the first two weeks of the month. In yesterdays note, we analyzed the short-term charts to see how Gold had technical pressure aligning with the strength of the US Dollar, which pushed our medium term bias lower.

Story continues

Bullish signs wont be taken seriously until we recover resistance of the October 5 high of $1277.16/oz.

Gold Price and Oil See Headwinds as USD Strongest Since February

Chart Created by Tyler Yell, CMT. Courtesy of TradingView

Short-Term Gold Price Support & Resistance Levels:

Gold Price and Oil See Headwinds as USD Strongest Since February

CRUDE OIL TECHNICAL ANALYSIS  The price of Crude Oil has remained above the triangle support that we broke away from on Wednesday when price traded at 15-month highs. We continue to trade below the ~$52/bbl level that would initiate the Bullish Head & Shoulders pattern that would target ~$78/bbl range. Our confidence in the move higher in recent notes has been based on the technical pattern of a consolidation triangle that tends to precede a breakout. That same triangle will now be watched to act as price support. The support levels from the multi-day triangle consolidation range from $49.70/17 per barrel. Only a break below these levels would turn us from Bullish to neutral.

Gold Price and Oil See Headwinds as USD Strongest Since February

Chart Created by Tyler Yell, CMT. Courtesy of TradingView

Short-Term Crude Oil Price Support & Resistance Levels:

Gold Price and Oil See Headwinds as USD Strongest Since February

--- Written by Tyler Yell, CMT Currency Analyst for DailyFX.com

To receive Tylers analysis directly via email, please SIGN UP HERE

Contact and follow Ilya on Twitter:@ForexYell



original source

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New York (AFP) - It's not exactly a store, but the Google "showroom" that opened Thursday in New York is the internet giant's first real-world shop and a step onto terrain where rival Apple has excelled.

The success of the temporary storefront Google opened in the trendy Soho neighborhood could help the California-based company decide whether to follow Apple's lead and operate its own brick-and-mortar retail operation.

The New York pop-up shop will be open through the end of this year, and let people get their hands on new Google devices such as Pixel smartphones which began shipping Thursday in a direct challenge to Apple's latest iPhones.

"This is not even a testing ground, just an extension of the launch," Google spokeswoman Chrissy Persico said at the showroom opening event.

"We want people to come in and experience the products."

Google early this month took on rivals Apple, Samsung and Amazon in a new push into hardware, launching the in-house designed Pixel smartphone and a slew of other devices showcasing artificial intelligence prowess.

By producing both the phone hardware and its Android software, Google is making a more direct assault on Apple and its tightly controlled ecosystem.

The pop-up shop also displayed Google's freshly unveiled Daydream View virtual reality headset, a modular wi-fi system, and a Home virtual assistant that will challenge the Amazon Echo device.

Nothing is sold at the Google shop, but the staff directs potential customers to the company's online store or telephone operators who can take orders for products.

- 'Big battle' -

A wall in the shop is decorated with an artful arrangement of blue, red, yellow and green blocks, arranged to display the internet company's trademark colors.

Only 30 or so visitors ventured into the pop-up store for its opening morning, a lean showing in comparison to mobs typically drawn to new Apple stores.

Story continues

Apple has a shop in Soho, too, and many more across the country and around the world.

As differences on the hardware side of premium smartphones have faded, competitors have increasingly stressed "experiences" such as smoothly accessing content or services.

"I am interested in technology, so I just hang out in stores," Columbia University student Ravi Lakshmanan told AFP in the Google shop. "There is going to be a big battle of platforms and it's going to be interesting to watch."

Another visitor, Ike McLaughlin, said he has flip-flopped between the rivals but is on Google's side for now because he felt Apple was "playing it safe, when Google is taking risks and making a push in artificial intelligence."

McLaughlin's verdict echoes the concerns of analysts that Apple has not delivered a market-shaking new product since the death of visionary co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011.

But even if its market capitalization has fallen below peaks hit in 2015, Apple remains the world's most valuable company based on its share price.

For the financial year ending September 2015, Apple posted a net profit of $53 billion, double the figure posted in the last year of the reign of Steve Jobs.
Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones were released on Thursday and diehard Android fans were excited. In fact, unlike Nexus phones from Google, the new Pixel phones even managed to generate some interest outside the enthusiast crowd thanks to the recent cancellation of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7. Android users are in search of a new star now that Samsung's most recent flagship phone is more than seven months old, and Google's first self-designed handsets could be just what the doctor ordered.

Early reviews were mostly positive, though bloggers who didn't like the phones really didn't like them. Google Assistant is a bright spot and the Pixel's rear camera really shined as well, even managing to capture more impressive photos than Apple's iPhone 7 Plus in many cases. But a new test reveals that there's another key area where Google's new Pixel XL is no match for Apple's flagship phablet.

DON'T MISS: These are the 2 best iPhone email apps in the world, and I cant decide which to use

There are a few features that always seem to be at the top of every list when consumers are surveyed about the things they consider most when buying a smartphone. Camera quality is absolutely near the top of the list each time, and the Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus both have you covered in this important area. The #1 answer is almost always battery life though, and Apple's phablet beat the newest Google phone by a wide margin in one recent test.

Mobile blog Phone Arena put both phablets through its standard battery test, which is intended to measure how long a smartphone battery lasts during continuous "typical" use. According to the site's tests, the new Google Pixel XL lasted for an admirable 7 hours and 19 minutes, one minute longer than Samsung's Galaxy S7 edge. But the iPhone 7 Plus ran for 9 hours and 5 minutes, crushing the Pixel phablet by nearly 2 hours.

screen-shot-2016-10-20-at-3-03-27-pm

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Daydream View

Google is testing a prototype wireless device that appears to be related to its virtual reality efforts, according to new documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday.

Google is asking the FCC for permission to conduct nationwide testing of the mystery device with employees, contractors, and developers. The device transmits across a broad swath of wireless frequencies, from 2.4 GHz to 5.8 GHz, according to the documents.

While Google redacted the details about what the device is and what it will be used for, the company listed Mike Jazayeri as one of the contacts on the filings.

Jazayeri, who joined Google in 2005, is a director of product management on the leadership team for Google's virtual reality group, according to a LinkedIn profile. He was previously involved in Google's Cardboard VR viewer.

Google recently began accepting preorders for its $79 Daydream VR headset, which customers should begin receiving in the next few weeks. The Daydream headset relies on a user's smartphone, which is inserted into the headset, to create a VR experience.

But the mystery device referred to in the documents is still just a prototype that Google wants to begin testing and demonstrating. And unlike the Daydream, it appears to have built-in radios.

One possibility is that the device could be Google's first all-in-one VR headset that doesn't require a smartphone, similar to Facebook's Oculus Rift headset. Google's Glass augmented reality headset also has built-in radios, but Google stopped selling the device to consumers in 2015, and it's unclear if the company will release a new version of it.

Guessing game

If you like to play fill-in-the-blanks, Google gives you this to work with:

"The Device consists of a [REDACTED]. To enable [REDACTED], the Device also has a [REDACTED]. Consistent with [REDACTED], the [REDACTED] in the Device will enable [REDACTED], as needed."

Story continues

Apparently the device exceeded certain FCC limits in two frequencies during "unintentional radiated emission tests," Google noted in the filing.

While Google says the prototypes are not intended for use by the general public, that doesn't mean the final version won't be a consumer product.

Virtual reality and augmented reality, in which digital images are superimposed over the real world, are among the hottest technologies that are attracting investments from the likes of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Google.

Facebook began shipping the Oculus Rift VR headset in March, two years after acquiring Oculus for $2 billion. And Google has made it clear that it sees VR as an important part of its future.

Interestingly, the FCC responded to Google on Thursday, seemingly incredulous about the broad frequency listed in the filing.

"Does the one device truly transmit across the entire 2.4-5.8 GHz band? If not, this band should be broken up into sub-bands in which the device actually transmits," the FCC wrote in a letter to Google.

Google did not immediately return requests for comment from Business Insider.

Here are more details from the filings about Google's prototype testing:

"The Device will be used by professional Google employees and contractors. The Device also may be used by external trusted professional developer [REDACTED]. The Device is not intended to be used by general public. No commercial operations will be conducted under the requested authorization, and all Devices will be collected or destroyed at the end of the experimentation period.

"The proposed testing does not create a material risk of harmful interference. The Device meets all Part 15 Class A and nearly all Class B device limits for electromagnetic compatibility and radio operations. The Device exceeded Part 15 1 Class B device limits at two frequencies43.4 MHz and 639.0 MHzduring unintentional radiated emission tests conducted by [REDACTED] at a distance of three meters."

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Just when it looked like the 2016 presidential campaign couldnt get any more toxic, Chris Wallace of Fox News, moderator of the third presidential debate, pressed GOP nominee Donald Trump on his repeated claim that the election is rigged.

WALLACE: But, sir, there is a tradition in this country  in fact, one of the prides of this country  is the peaceful transition of power and that no matter how hard-fought a campaign is, that at the end of the campaign that the loser concedes to the winner. Not saying that youre necessarily going to be the loser or the winner, but that the loser concedes to the winner and that the country comes together in part for the good of the country. Are you saying youre not prepared now to commit to that principle?

TRUMP: What Im saying is that I will tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense. OK?

Trumps statement is inexcusable. Its frightening that a candidate who is cheered by white supremacists and other extremists would object to even the principle of a peaceful transition of power.

Hillary Clinton was right when she called Trumps statement horrifying in a quick rejoinder.

Trump is making wild, unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud. Wednesday night he cited a Pew report which he claimed showed 1.8 million dead people had cast votes. Not true. The report, which recommended ways to improve the election system, merely said the names had not been removed from voter rolls.

Exhaustive studies have failed to turn up any evidence of widespread voter fraud. Justin Levitt of the Loyola Law School found only 31 cases of voter fraud out of one billion votes cast from 2000 to 2014. One of the nations leading alarmists on voting fraud is Kansas Secretary of State Kris Koback. Hes had special authority to prosecute voter fraud for more than a year, but has managed to find only four cases.

Perhaps Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale had a premonition that the legitimacy of Americas voting system would be questioned during the presidential debate. In a news release sent out Wednesday afternoon, Gale assured Nebraskans that the state system is safe from hackers. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told NPR that Trumps claims have no basis. There is not evidence of any of that, he said. I want to reassure Donald Trump as a Republican that this is not happening across the country.

Presumably Trump, who apparently has made little effort to educate himself about American history, institutions or traditions, is unaware that 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore drew praise from Republicans when he conceded after a legally mandated recount and a court challenge. Isalute the vice president, and am thankful for America and that we are able to resolve our electoral differences in a peaceful way, said President George W. Bush. Thats a tradition that Trump should respect, value and uphold.
AP395425175864

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a bill that could deal a blow to Airbnb's operations in New York State.

The bill is a follow-on to a 2010 law that bans rentals of less than 30 days in a multi-unit building if the tenant is not present, which was aimed at cracking down on illegal hotels.

The 2016 bill bans the advertising of such rentals, meaning that hosts could not list a full apartment for rent on Airbnb for less than 30-day increments. Hosts caught listing their unit would be fined up to $7,500  more than most Airbnb hosts in New York make in a year.

The bill passed in both houses of the New York State Legislature in June and arrived on Cuomo's desk on Tuesday, meaning that the governor had 10 days to make his decision. The governor signed the bill Friday and Airbnb says it will immediately file a lawsuit against the city of New York and the state attorney general  who are charged with enforcing the new law  on grounds that the law violates the First Amendment and the Communications Decency Act.

"In typical fashion, Albany back-room dealing rewarded a special interest  the price-gouging hotel industry  and ignored the voices of tens of thousands of New Yorkers,"Josh Meltzer, head of New York Public Policy for Airbnb, wrote in a statement. "A majority of New Yorkers have embraced home sharing, and we will continue to fight for a smart policy solution that works for the the people, not the powerful. We are filing a lawsuit in New York this afternoon."

The passing of this law culminates months of back and forth between Airbnb, lawmakers, and affordable housing advocates. On Wednesday, Airbnb released a new list of rules for homesharing in New York, which were widely viewed as an 11th-hour attempt to dissuade Cuomo from signing the bill.

But a person familiar with the matter now tells Business Insider that those proposals were presented to Cuomo in August and were only just made public the other day.

Story continues

Airbnb says that it continues to remove illegal listings from its platform and that the majority of its listings in New York are legal.

"This is an issue that was given careful, deliberate consideration, but ultimately these activities are already expressly prohibited by law," Cuomo's senior deputy communications director Rich Azzopardi wrote in a statement. "They also compromise efforts to maintain and promote affordable housing by allowing those units to be used as unregulated hotels, and deny communities significant revenue from uncollected taxes, the cost of which is ultimately borne by local taxpayers."

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Journey co-founder Gregg Rolie had resigned himself a bit to the thought that the band would never be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So his reaction to the group's first-ever nomination this week is understandably cautious.

"It's taken a long trip to get here," Rolie -- who was inducted into the Rock Hall with Santana in 1998, and was with Journey from 1973-1980 -- tells Billboard. "I have to admit the only thing I thought is it might not ever happen, because of whatever politics were involved. I just didn't know. But here we are now, so...we'll see."

Journey has, in fact, long been a poster child for bands snubbed over the years by the Rock Hall -- particularly late-'70s mainstream rock favorites such as Foreigner, Boston, Styx, etc. Rolie credits the tenacity of Journey's fans with finally getting the group placed on the nominating ballot for the class of 2017.

"The way I look at this is it's all those Journey fans that have petitioned for this for years -- and they have," Rolie notes. "They've written in many, many times, and their support made this happen. It's funny the way they go about doing this, but this time evidently there's a fan base of voters that are beyond the current inductees and the people that run us that support (Journey). So it's for them as well."

Rolie recently wrapped up a North American tour with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band, and is now off to Japan with the group. In addition to the All-Starrs, Rolie is also playing with Journey guitarist Neal Schon in Santana IV, a reunion of the 1970-71 lineup of that band that jettisoned the two musicians to go and form Journey. Santana IV has just released the new Live at the House of Blues, Las Vegas on CD and home video, and after playing just four dates this year, is looking to do more during 2017.

"Y'know, Journey's still out there doing this, big time," Rolie says. "It never quit. That was part of the dilemma of why it doesn't seem right (that the band's not in the Rock Hall). It's really current, on top of making the music that we did back then."

"There's a lot of people I believe ought to be in there," Rolie continues. (All-Starr bandmate) Todd Rundgren, for sure. There's a whole list of bands that have been overlooked, Bad Company, there's a whole list. And we were one of them, so now we're in this other situation."

Rolie hasn't had a chance to speak with any of his former bandmates about the nomination. But if he's elected, he will definitely serve. "I know I'd do it," Rolie says. "I'll have to talk to everybody, I guess. As far as Steve Perry goes, I have no clue."
From Country Living

When the Geiser Grand Hotel opened in 1889, Baker City, Oregon, was known as the "Queen City of the Mines," a nod to the Gold Rush happening in the region. An Italianate building of mined volcanic tuff, the building contained technology that was practically unheard of for the day: an elevator, the third one ever built west of the Mississippi River. There was a four-story clock tower and a 200-foot corner cupola. A second-floor balcony overlooked the dining room's marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and Honduran mahogany paneling. High overhead light filtered through a stained glass ceiling.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Mining investor Albert Geiser bought the property around the turn of the century, and reopened it under its current moniker in 1902. During its early days, the Grand was a place for wealthy ladies and gents to see and be seen, and Maybelle Geiser made sure she had her rightful place in the crowd. She presided over the hotel from her permanently reserved chair in the bar. One can imagine the elegant lady of the house making a grand entrance on her way down from her residence in room 302, the cupola beneath the clock tower. In fact, modern guests claim to have seen just that: a beautiful Victorian woman dressed in a blue gown, descending the staircase and disappearing into the wall. It seems Maybelle doesn't intend to leave the spot deemed "the most fortunate place in the country" by a 1906 newspaper article.

A beautiful Victorian woman in an elegant blue gown descends the staircase and disappears into the wall.

The Lady in Blue isn't the only eerie presence at the Grand. There are reports of a saloon girl laced into a red bustier who leans over the balcony railing, a long-gone cowboy who chats up patrons in the bar, a little girl who wanders the third floor, and flappers from the 1920s. Maybelle is suspected of moving guests' jewelry and nibbling on their snacks while they sleep, but her presence is most often felt in the bar-as a pinch on the fanny of anyone who dares sit in her chair.

Story continues

Photo credit: Jennie Helderman

In the hotel's basement, subterranean windows open to underground tunnels dating back to the gold frenzy of the 1880s, when Baker City was flush with newcomers with new money looking for places to spend it.

"The tunnels led to brothels," says Denny Grosse, who leads daily ghost tours at the hotel. (Her daughter is the owner.) "They gave passage to Chinese immigrants who weren't allowed on the streets at night. They were handy during heavy snow and good for stashing booze during Prohibition. Mostly, they connected men with the brothels." Baker City was once the brothel capitol of the west and even had a 'whore tax' that paid for its streetlights, Grosse adds.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Baker County Tourism

Such a storied past gives the the Atlantic Paranormal Group (TAPS), hosts of the television show Ghost Hunters, plenty to go on. Investigator and TAPS member Marie Cuff heads a team that regularly investigates at the Grand. Their mission is to gather evidence of the paranormal using scientific methods: They conduct double-blind studies to curtail bias and use equipment such as video cameras and recording devices. "Never any gadgetry such as ghost boxes or boo bears to entice spirits," says Cuff. Their investigations are always free and upon request.

"We capture evidence at the Geiser Grand. That's why we return," she says.

The hotel's underground tunnels once hid illegal alcohol and led to the city's brothels.

"I'm new and a skeptic," a team member volunteered during a recent interview, "Maybe this is coincidence, but" the name "Wayne" came to him during an investigation at the Grand, again and again for three hours, "Wayne." Three days later he found Wayne in a news story: A rising country music star, named Nashville "performer of the year" in 1998, 18-year-old Presley Wayne died of a mysterious gunshot to the head the morning after his show at the Geiser Grand. "Probably a coincidence, but I can't forget it," says the team member, who asked to remain unnamed.

Owner Barbara Sidway, who bought the property in 1993 with her husband, Dwight, and spent four years and $7 million renovating it, admits she hasn't yet seen a ghost, mostly likely because "most sightings are around midnight and I'm sound asleep by then," she explains, adding that the Grand's ghosts are "playful, not scary."

Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons/A. Davey

Amy Venezia has a different opinion. An Oregon resident, Venezia travels the country as a professional medium, someone who communicates with spirits. During a Christmas Eve stay at the Geiser Grand, she experienced what she describes as a dark mass floating by her bed. "I'm very accustomed to spirits and not scared of much, but this was a very old, strong spirit, a different type of entity, not a typical connection," she says. "I was frightened."

Now, reflecting on her encounter, Venezia says, "The spirit was like a big dog that doesn't know its size when it pounces on you. It was too much for me then. With time though, I see it's taken me to a deeper level, and that is good. There's no doubt that hotel is haunted."

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Austin (AFP) - Championship leader Nico Rosberg bounced back to top the times with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton back in third place after Friday afternoon's second free practice ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix.

The two Silver Arrows cars were separated by the Red Bull of Australian Daniel Ricciardo in a session that saw the top three wind up more than eight-tenths of a second clear of the pack led by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

Hamilton was fastest in the opening session in the morning, but he was pegged back in the afternoon when Rosberg clocked a best lap in one minute and 37.358 seconds at the Circuit of the Americas, 20-kms out of Austin.

That was 0.194 seconds quicker than Ricciardo and 0.291 faster than Hamilton who trails Rosberg by 33 points in the title race with four races remaining.

Both Mercedes men complained in different ways about their tyres, but kept low profiles in the paddock after the session as they analysed their data.

"Just let me know if my tyres have any cuts," said Rosberg, referring to the amount of dangerous debris that had littered the circuit during the session.

Ricciardo, as usual, was beaming with optimism afterwards.

"That was good and we are feeling confident, but I am sure there is more to come from Mercedes and we dont know how cautious they were being today.

Vettel was 0.820 seconds adrift in fourth ahead of Dutch teenager Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull, Renault-bound Nico Hulkenberg of Force India and his team-mate Sergio Perez.

"A tough day for us," said Vettel. "We had problems in the morning when a little wing failed and came off and we lost some track time.

"I think we have been on the back foot today and Im not entirely happy with the balance of the car yet. Its a bit too nervous all round.

"I think we can improve. I think the Ferrari you saw today is not the Ferrari you will see tomorrow."

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Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, was an encouraging eighth ahead of his McLaren-Honda team-mate and two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen who was 10th in the second Ferrari.

Rosberg can clinch his maiden drivers title if he finishes second in the final four races with Hamilton winning them all, but he has said he wants to win in style.

On a bright Texan day with an air temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a track temperature of 37 degrees, the action was mostly routine with a only a few interruptions for debris on the circuit.

The second practice was halted by a red flag for three minutes shortly before the hour mark, when a piece of carbon-fibre was collected at Turn Four.

It appeared to have broken off one of the cars as they rode the high kerbs.

The day was notable, too, for being an anniversary of three memorable championship showdowns of the past - Niki Lauda clinching his third title in Estoril on October 21, 1984, Ayrton Senna colliding with Alain Prost to confirm his second title in Suzuka in 1990 and, in 2007, Raikkonen grabbing his first title ahead of Hamilton in Sao Paulo.

The first two tussles involved McLaren team-mates and the third a former McLaren driver, in a Ferrari, beating a McLaren driver.

In their current mediocre position, McLaren may find it a bitter-sweet set of memories as they fend off rumours of the impending exit of long-serving boss Ron Dennis, widely reported by British newspapers this week.
Americas most famous ship is celebrating yet another birthday in Boston, as the iconic USS Constitution turns 219 years old today.

150603-N-SU274-004 UNITED STATES (Jun. 3, 2015) USS Constitution Summer 2015 Command Photo.

150603-N-SU274-004

UNITED STATES (Jun. 3, 2015) USS Constitution Summer 2015 Command Photo.

Also known as Old Ironsides, President George Washington himself named the ship, which quickly became an important part of the new U.S. Navy.

For now, the USS Constitution is resting in dry dock as it undergoes a three-year restoration to repair certain parts and replace its copper sheathing. The work is expected to end in 2018.

Heres a look at the ships fascinating history, and its connections with President Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, John Kennedy and even a Pope!

1. George Washington got the ball rolling on creating the USS Constitution and five other early Navy ships. An act signed by Washington in 1794 authorized the construction of six top-line ships, including the Constitution, to protect American shipping interests in close to home and in the Mediterranean.

2. This Constitution was launched on October 21, 1797. President John Adams was at the launch ceremony in Boston. The following summer, the USS Constitution assumed a lead role in the West Indies, where it saw action in the Quasi-War with France.

3. The Constitution was dispatched to fight pirates. President Jefferson sent the Constitution, after it was retrofitted with new copper sheathing supplied by Paul Revere, to fight the Barbary pirates from 1803 to 1805. There, it bombarded the harbor at Tripoli.

4. Old Ironsides and the War of 1812. The USS Constitution took on and defeated four British Navy ships during the hostilities, including two at the same time! The ship got the name Old Ironsides for its ability to avoid damage during these conflicts.

5. A famous poem helps saves the USS Constitution. A young student, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., was upset in 1830 after hearing about the Navys plans to scuttle the ship. His iconic poem, Old Ironsides, caused a public sensation and helped saved the USS Constitution  and launch Holmess literary career.

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6 The Pope meets Old Ironsides. The Constitution remained in and out of service for several decades. In April 1849, Pope Pius IX visited the Constitution while it was docked in Gaeta, Italy.

7. The Constitution vs. the slave trade. The ships final engagement was in the capture of a ship transporting slaves. The slaver N. Gambril was captured south of the Congo River by the Constitution in 1853.

8. President John Kennedys grandfather helped to save the Constitution. A young Massachusetts congressman, John F. Fitzgerald, asked Congress in 1896 to allow the ship to be preserved, and not sunk. Over the next decade, various efforts led to the Constitution being classified as a museum ship.

9. The Constitution still sails, on occasion. When it is not in restoration mode, it can be sailed for special events. It is also the worlds oldest commissioned warship that can be used afloat.

10. The Constitution is the only commissioned American warship that has sunk another ship in battle. According to the Washington Post, with the decommissioning of the USS Simpson, the Constitution is the only remaining Navy ship that has sunk an enemy vessel that is still in service.

Historical Stories on Constitution Daily

The Louisiana Purchase: Jeffersons constitutional gamble

Remembering another important Lincoln in American history

50 interesting facts about Abraham Lincolns life

Remembering William Sewards Alaska folly
Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler on the Netflix smash Stranger Things, continues to demonstrate his well-rounded taste in rock music. Two months after sharing an unplugged electric guitar cover of Nirvana's "Lithium," the 13-year-old posted a brief cover of fellow Canadian Mac DeMarco's dreamy "Salad Days" on Twitter Thursday night.

"Playing a little Mac Demarco before bed. Night twitter!" Wolfhard wrote, linking a 28-second recording. "As I'm getting older, chip up on my shoulder/ Rolling through life, to roll over and die," the actor croons in the clip, followed by a round of blissful "la-la-la"s.



In September, Wolfhard hyped punk band PUP after they won the Polaris Music Prize for their second LP, 2016's The Dream Is Over. "First off, they are so  committed to them being Canadian, he said in a video ahead of the awards ceremony. "A lot of the songs are about Canada. If you don't like Canada, then I don't know." (Wolfhard previously appeared in the band's 2014 video for "Guilt Trip.")

In a Vulture interview, the actor praised bands who were popular in the Eighties, including Tears for Fears, the Clash and A-ha. "My dad and my mom used to play that kind of music in the car when I was a baby," he said. "And then my mom introduced me to the Beatles, and I got obsessed with the Beatles, and then I just went from there. I would also search the web: You know how one video leads to another leads to another? It was kind of like that, but with songs. A Beatles song led to a Led Zeppelin song, and then a Led Zeppelin song led to the Rolling Stones."

In August, Stranger Things was renewed for a second season, slated to premiere in 2017. In the meantime, Wolfhard has signed on to the big-screen remake of Stephen King's It, playing Richie "Trashmouth" Tozier.





Playing a little Mac Demarco before bed. Night twitter! pic.twitter.com/yOyYxI5BHw  Finn Wolfhard (@FinnSkata) October 20, 2016





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Home renovation can be an unsettling process. You might sledgehammer a wall and find a rotten joist. Or try to replace a socket only to expose ancient wiring that could easily catch fire. But sometimes, renovation can be downright terrifying. Instead of finding ho-hum structural problems, some overhauls unearth true houses of horrorsall sorts of nasty bits in the basements and backyards, more fitting for an undertaker than a DIY-er.

In an homage to Halloween, we bring you a few real-life Poltergeist-style stories of homes that once served as burial grounds before the living moved in. Read on  and be afraid. Be very afraid.

Whos that girl?

In May, Ericka Karner and her husband decided to renovate their home in the Richmond District of San Francisco. When construction workers broke through a concrete floor in the garage, they found a tiny bronze coffin containing the remains of a 3-year-old girl.

Experts whom they consulted in the wake of this discovery believe she had died around 1870, and although her name remained a mystery, it was clear that shed been lovingly interred. She was buried wearing a white christening dress with hand-stitched lace, her hair decorated with sprigs of lavender, while on her chest lay a rosary of eucalyptus seeds.

As news spread of this haunting discovery, the public clamored for answers. It turns out that back in the late 1800s, the Richmond District was full of cemeteries, but once the area was developed in the early 20th century, the graves were removed. Clearly, though, they forgot one. The happy ending? Bay Area residents banded together to give the young girls corpse a proper burial. She now rests in peace in Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, CA.

Ben Franklins home was hiding bones, too

Ben Franklinof Founding Fathers famelived in London as an ambassador for the colonies from 1757 to 1775. (He gave Britain the boot when he signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.) Cut to 2014, when Franklins house in England was getting a facelift while in the process of becoming a museum. Thats when construction worker Jim Field found a human thighbone sticking out of a dirt pit in the basement. A total of 1,200 bones were eventually dug up.

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Is this a grim, murderous footnote on our favorite kite flyer? Nope. During his 18 years of tenancy, Franklin invited William Hewson to open an anatomy school in his home. Slight problem: Dissection was illegal at the time. Dead bodies were illegally supplied by resurrectionists, aka actual body snatchers who stole the cadavers of the recently deceased for anatomy experiments. But getting rid of the bones presented yet another problem. Hewson apparently got around this obstacle by using the basement like we all doas a place to store stuff we cant quite part with.

Criminals need to be buried somewhere, too

Convicted criminals who end up dead or executed dont always have family or friends who give a hoot about giving them a proper burial to say goodbye. Still, their remains have to go somewhere, right?

In 1873, prison warden Louis Carpenter at the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York bought a parcel of land at 63 Fitch Ave. and started secretly burying inmates in this unofficial cemetery in the dead of night. Newspaper articles around that time describe neighbors peeking through curtains at secretive prison wardens lowering pine caskets into the ground, containing the remains of over 300 prisoners, including Leon Czolgosz, the man who assassinated President William McKinley.

Warden Carpenter was supposed to move the deceased convicts when he sold the property. But he clearly was a criminal himself, and left the dead in this forgotten plot, which were unearthed just this June by Eric Johnson, a hapless homeowner who was leveling the area to build a swing set for his 2-year-old son. His discovery raised concerns over just how widespread this secret cemetery was. As Fitch Avenue resident Leo Shaw pointed out to the New York Times, Maybe thats why my vegetables taste funny. Ew.

Skeletons in the  attic?

Skeletons arent only found buried underground, but in attics, too. In September, New London, OH, resident Cortney Hoffer was rooting around upstairs above her garage for a hair dryer when, instead, she encountered human bones79 in total, dated to be around 30 years old. Plus, Im not 100% convinced that we found everything, a cop told Fox News. Theres so much junk in that garage.

So whered these bones come from? That remains a mystery, although the homes previous owner was none other than the mayor of New London himself, Darwin Anderson, who had owned the property from 1982 until his death in 2015. Another possibility was that the home was also used as a doctors office, which was torn down in 1998 after a fire. So, the plot thickens  but no answers have come to light so far. Heres the hoping someone unearths an answer, so to speak.

The post Help, My Homes on a Secret Burial Ground! appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
Deb Fischer and her Republican party are oblivious to the rapid, sweeping cultural changes in the U.S. as evidenced by their desperate attempts to maintain the status quo at any cost ("Fortenberry, Fischer say theyll vote for Trump despite disgust," Oct. 12). If she and her cohorts hope to significantly influence future U.S. government policies, they must find the courage to abandon their party's fear-mongering, unwavering, heretofore fail-safe positions on gun rights, anti-choice, white patriarchy, anti-multiculturalism, business as more important than people, American narcissism, lower taxes for the wealthy, LGBTQ phobia and unlimited defense spending, to name a few. Her father's self-righteous GOP is obsolete.
By Elizabeth Piper and Noah Barkin BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Attending her first European Union summit since Britain's vote to leave the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May tried to reassure EU leaders over Brexit but was told by French President Francois Hollande to prepare for tough negotiations. At a gathering in Brussels where EU leaders had robust debates on Russia, migration and trade issues, May was allotted a short time slot at the end of dinner on Thursday to lay out her plans for taking Britain out of the EU after more than four decades as a member. May has said she will formally notify the EU of Britain's plan to leave by the end of March, but she and her ministers have sent conflicting signals about what kind of relationship they envision once the divorce talks end. Her speech at a conference of her Conservative Party in early October suggested to some that she was leaning towards a so-called "hard Brexit" in which Britain would place limits on immigration and lose access to Europe's lucrative single market. "This is my first European Council and I'm here with a very clear message," May said at the start of the summit. "The UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we'll be a strong and dependable partner after we have left." Despite the conciliatory tone, Hollande warned May that "the negotiations will be hard". And German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while welcoming May's message that Britain would try to avoid causing damage to the EU in the looming talks, said the two sides faced a "difficult path". Leaders from across the bloc also made clear that they would not bow to May's suggestion that preparatory talks take place before she invokes Article 50 of the EU treaty, starting the two-year countdown to Brexit. "There will be no negotiations before Article 50 is triggered by the UK," said European Council President Donald Tusk. "However, the basic principles, namely the single market and the indivisibility of the four freedoms, will remain our firm stance." An aide to May said: "The message that no negotiation (will take place) pre-notification has been pretty loud and clear." "NEST OF DOVES" If Britain places limits on the free movement people, one of the EU's core principles, it will lose its access to the single market, governments on the continent have warned. Banks in the City of London are worried that they could lose their right to sell services across Europe if May insists on curbing migration under a deal with the EU-27. After bracing for a potentially difficult summit, the aide to May said the atmosphere had been "constructive" and said the prime minister had sought to prove that Britain was still an active member of the union by supporting action against Russia over Syria. EU diplomats said May had intervened at numerous points during the evening, not only on Syria but also Europe's migration crisis, a topic she dealt with as interior minister. During a discussion of plans the other leaders made without her at a summit of the EU-27 last month, she spoke up to say that Britain should not be excluded from decisions while it remained a member. It was not quite the "nest of doves" that Tusk had promised earlier when asked whether May was entering the lions' den. Leaders were clear that they would not allow Britain to "cherry pick" the profitable parts of their union, such as free access to the market for certain sectors, without taking on the full responsibilities of membership. At the tail end of a dinner of scallops and lamb, May set out her approach to Brexit, underlining there would be no second referendum and that she wanted Britain's departure from the EU to be "smooth and orderly" to safeguard the economy and calm increasingly nervous investors and markets. There was no discussion after she spoke, an EU diplomat said. "May stuck to her speaking notes," the diplomat said, echoing frustration in some European capitals that they have gained little from the British prime minister beyond her oft-repeated mantra that "Brexit means Brexit". Hollande told reporters that May had pledged to enter discussions in a constructive spirit, before adding: "We'll see." (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Francesco Guarascio, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels,; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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So, you're a normal person who wants to go to space, but how will you choose to get there?

At the moment, your options are pretty limited: You could pay tens of millions of dollars to fly to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spaceship.

However, if you wait a few years, you might just be able to fly to space without totally breaking the bank thanks to spaceflight start-ups like Virgin Galactic and the Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin, which could both start flying customers in just a couple of years.

But what will those flights be like?

SEE ALSO: Blue Origin successfully tests its rocket escape system in flight

According to newly updated information published on Blue Origin's website, a flight aboard the company's New Shepard space system will be quite the rocket ride.

At launch from the company's site in Texas, people aboard the capsule will experience three times the force of gravity (3Gs) for about 2.5 minutes as the booster accelerates up to space.

There aren't actually pilots onboard the New Shepard, so, as a Blue Origin space tourist, you'll radio down to the company's mission control center, relaying "altitude, speed, time, and G force as the Earth retreats through your window," according to the website.

After those extreme minutes of G-force, the flight takes on a decidedly more calm tenor, allowing passengers to float through the cabin and take a look out of the New Shepard's large windows about 100 kilometers, about 62 miles, above the planet's surface.

"As the sky fades to black and you coast into space, a perfect silence will surround you," the website states.

"Your capsule will separate from the booster, and youll receive clearance to release your harness. Youll marvel in weightless freedom and lose yourself in breathtaking views through the largest windows in spaceflight history."

But after those minutes of weightlessness end and passengers return to their seats, things get bumpy again.

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During the New Shepard's descent, tourists will pull more than 5Gs of force, which puts a stress on the body but is relatively manageable, before coming in for a landing under parachutes back in Texas. For comparison, fighter pilots tend to withstand up to 8Gs of force.

Blue Origin isn't selling tickets to ride the New Shepard quite yet, and the company hasn't released details about the price of its seats.

Officials working with the organization have said they hope to start flying people on commercial flights by 2018, with crewed tests starting next year. If Virgin Galactic's ticket prices are any indication of Blue Origins, a suborbital rocket ride will run you about $250,000.

A serious spaceflight experience, with safety concerns to match

Blue Origin is also selling more than the spaceflight itself.

The experience of becoming a Blue Origin astronaut actually begins two days before the flight in the high desert of West Texas.

"Two days before your flight, youll travel with your guests to the New Shepard launch site in the beautiful high desert plains," Blue Origin states. "The areas isolation lends clarity and focus as you prepare for the experience of a lifetime."

Once your head is clear, Blue Origin's experts will fill it with information about training and the specifics of the flight one day before you actually head to space with the company.

"Training includes mission and vehicle overviews, in-depth safety briefings, mission simulation, and instruction on your in-flight activities such as operational procedures, communications, and maneuvering in a weightless environment," the website reads.

And of course, after the flight, don't forget your photos and a few added perks.

"Your journey is hardly over at landing. Well help you capture and remember your experience with high definition videos, pictures, and mementos from your flight. You can share these with friends and family for a lifetime," the website states.

"Youll also belong to an exclusive Blue Origin alumni network  a community of modern space pioneers. Make history with a suborbital flight, and you will receive early access to purchase tickets for our future orbital missions."

Spaceflight is inherently dangerous, and strapping regular people to the top of a rocket will likely never be considered a totally safe endeavor, but in spite of that fact, companies like Blue Origin are still plowing ahead with their commercial plans.

It's not yet clear exactly how much of a market there will be for these kinds of suborbital flights.

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has sold approximately 700 tickets to date, but they have yet to fly paying customers. Plus, the company also had a fatal accident in 2014, which killed one test pilot and seriously injured another during a test flight.
From Seventeen

Come Halloween night, trick-or-treaters across this great nation will flood the streets and race to the neighborhood homes giving out the best candy. Maybe it's that nice older lady down the block who hands out king-size chocolate bars. Or the cool young couple who always has a ginormous bowl of Nerds. Or the guy who just dumps a fistful of candy corn into your bag and creepily shuts the door.

Eww, wait: CANDY CORN?

Yes, apparently in some regions, people can't get enough of this strange seasonal foodstuff. A new Influenster.com survey asked 40,000 people across the country to name their favorite Halloween sweet, and candy corn took top prize in five different states! Meanwhile, people in North Carolina will be battling for precious Butterfingers, as Rhode Islanders clamor for Reese's PB Cups. Seriously enlightening stuff!

Skim the list below to find the favorite candy in your state, then feel free to go back and judge all the other states for their favorites.

Photo credit: Influenster.com

Alabama: AirHeads Alaska: Snickers Arizona: Toblerone Arkansas: Skittles California: Lifesavers Colorado: Milky Way Connecticut: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Delaware: 3 Musketeers Florida: Nestle Crunch Bar Georgia: Pixy Stix Hawaii: 100 Grand Bar Idaho: Butterfinger Illinois: Snickers Indiana: Reese's Pieces Iowa: Twix Kansas: Twizzlers Kentucky: Whoppers Louisiana: Swedish Fish Maine: Starburst Maryland: Almond Joy Massachusetts: Starburst Michigan: M&M's Minnesota: 100 Grand Bar Mississippi: Hershey's Kisses Missouri: Hershey's Kisses Montana: Kit Kat Bar Nebraska: Skittles Nevada: Jolly Ranchers New Hampshire: Tootsie Rolls New Jersey: Sour Patch Kids New Mexico: 3 Musketeers New York: SweeTarts North Carolina: Butterfinger North Dakota: Sour Patch Kids Ohio: Milky Way Oklahoma: M&M's Oregon: Candy corn Pennsylvania: Swedish Fish Rhode Island: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups South Carolina: Candy corn South Dakota: Laffy Taffy Tennessee: Candy corn Texas: Candy corn Utah: Nerds Vermont: Almond Joy Virginia: Reese's Pieces Washington: AirHeads West Virginia: Oreos Wisconsin: Laffy Taffy Wyoming: Candy corn District of Columbia: Twix

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Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the opening bell in New York, U.S., October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Dave Lutz, head of Exchange Traded Funds at JonesTrading, has a quick overview of what is going on in markets on Friday.

In brief:

US equity futures are lower even after a number of companies reported earnings that were better than analysts expected. Microsoft shares rose to an all-time high on Thursday after the company's results. And, McDonald's posted sales that were better than expected on Friday, thanks to all-day breakfast.

It's expiry day, the final trading day before stock options expire. Traders enter the short-term contracts that give them the option, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the security at a predetermined price.

The Japanese yen is rallying after an earthquake rocked a city 430 miles west of Tokyo. Nintendo shares slumped 7% after the company teased its new Switch console.

Here's Lutz:

Good Morning, and Happy Expiry Friday! US Futures are in the red, with the Spoos off 30bp despite Great Earnings headers (MSFT) and M&A (BATS LN for RAI). Mixed bag in Europe, with the Stoxx off small as Energy Stocks are Lagging, and Autos weaker on Daimler #s. That said, the DAX is up 20bp as Tech is performing well on SAP #s. Despite Intercontinental Hotels weighing on the FTSE, London is up 40bp as the Banks rally. Volumes are decent, with the Periphery in Europe trading heavy. Mixed to negative overnight in Asia - Nikkei off 40bp as Nintendo was whacked for 7% - Shanghai climbed 20bp, with gains tempered by Housing data coming in hot - Aussie lost 20bp, with Sentiment weighed by Healthscope #s, while Hong Kong was closed on approaching Typhoon Haima.

The 10YY is back over 200dma as seller re-emerge in Bunds, helping the German 10YY stay upside of 0% in the overnight. The DXY just off highs as the Euro hits a 7-month low as Draghi cools Taper Talk and Sterling roams just off 31year lows. The Yen is Rallying after a 6.6 quake hit Japan. Despite the Stronger $, Copper is rebounding small from a 8-session losing streak  but all the other metals in the red with Gold back under the 200dma. The Oil complex is higher on headers of Islamic State Kirkuk attacks and Russia committing to the OPEC Output Freeze  While Natty gas is getting whacked for another 2% early. Sorts are all marginally higher.

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Quiet day of Catalysts ahead of us today, we get EU Consumer Confidence at 10am, just before 10:15 when Fed's Tarullo (Voter, Dovish) speaks in New York. It goes quiet until 1pm when we get the Baker Hughes Rig Count. At 2:30 Fed's Williams (Non-Voter) Speaks in San Francisco, just before the 3:30 release of the CFTC Commitment of Traders data.

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Hawks in Congress have long pushed the White House to consider more aggressive options in Syria, from cruise missile strikes to no-fly zones to humanitarian corridors. But during an off-the-record briefing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, a staffer for Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) floated a distinctly bolder approach.

What about assassinating [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad? the aide said, according to three individuals in the room.

The question raised eyebrows at the event, a briefing of about 75 staffers hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. The expert receiving the question was Philip Gordon, the former White House Middle East coordinator, who dismissed the idea as both illegal and ineffective, according to a congressional aide at the event who spoke to Foreign Policy on condition of anonymity.

His response was basically: Thats against the law, and it wouldnt make a difference anyway, because the Russians still have an interest in Syria and the Iranians still have an interest in Syria,' the staffer said.

The aide who asked the question was not identified, and the people who heard the exchange did not name the staffer when asked by FP.

A 1976 executive order explicitly prohibits assassinations; it was issued by President Gerald Ford following revelations that the CIA attempted to kill Cuban President Fidel Castro on multiple occasions. Every U.S. president since has upheld the ban, a section of which states: No employee of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination.

An aide to Lamborn, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity when contacted for this story, said, Any discussion that happened at that meeting didnt reflect what Congressman Lamborn thinks.

When asked about the assassination question, the Lamborn aide acknowledged that its against U.S. policy.

Obviously, there would have to be a really big change to do anything different, the aide added. I havent heard that discussed in any serious way.

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Its highly unlikely that the next U.S. president is going to approve a new policy to assassinate Assad, but Washingtons foreign-policy establishment is increasingly looking for more aggressive military solutions to the nearly six-year crisis. A series of new or upcoming reports by U.S. think tanks, including the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, call for stepped-up military action to pressure the Assad regime and Russian forces in the hope of advancing a political transition.

But even if Assads assassination were approved, experts said it would carry numerous risks and potential pitfalls.

I think Assads assassination would certainly cause chaos in Damascus, mused Andrew Bowen, a Syria expert at the Wilson Center. But it wouldnt necessarily lead to the regimes collapse, and both Russia and Iran are providing a ton of personal protection to Assad and his family. So it might not even work.

I also dont know if we want to set the precedent of decapitating leaders, Cold War-style, Bowen added.

A representative from the Council on Foreign Relations said Gordon sought to answer the aides question by making a case that assassinating Assad  besides being against long-standing U.S. policy  might not have a real impact on the war.

Even if somehow Assad died or were killed, the essence of the conflict  a regime backed by Russia and Iran versus opposition  might not fundamentally change, said the representative.

Photo credit: BENAINOUS/HOUNSFIELD/Getty Images
While campaigning in Ohio, Hillary Clinton told voters that its not just her name on the ballot on Election Day. She said, My name will be on the ballot, but its not just me. She continued, My name may be on the ballot, but the question really is: Who are we as a country?
Can food be better than medicine? The Doctors examine a type of honey that has been found to be more effective than antibiotics!

Manuka honey, which comes from New Zealand, has been shown to be a powerful remedy against the growth of bacterial biofilms in medical devices and curbs the activity and growth of bacterial biofilms, which are thin but strong layers of microbes that build on and attach to surfaces. It is also used to treat minor wounds and burns.

Watch: Finish Your Antibiotics

ER physician Dr. Travis Stork says it has also been effective in treating antibiotic-resistant infections.

Of course not all honey is as effective as this type. The effective Manuka honey is made by bees that pollinate the Manuka bush, while other traditional types of honey have been found to be less effective.

Watch: The Real Deal: Cinnamon and Honey

As always, if you have a serious illness, infection or ailment, please check with your medical care provider about the right course of treatment.
Netflix's House of Cards is adding two big names for season five.

Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott have booked major roles in the Kevin Spacey-led drama's upcoming season, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Details of their roles are being kept under wraps, though both will be featured heavily in the new season.

Read more: 'House of Cards' Season 5 Predictions: Where the Netflix Drama Can Go From Here

For Clarkson, who scored an Academy Award nomination for Pieces of April, the role marks her biggest TV role to date since 1996's Murder One. She previously won a pair of Emmys for her guest role on HBO's Six Feet Under. Her credits include Shutter Island, The Green Mile and Friends With Benefits. Clarkson is repped by CAA and Anonymous Content.

Scott, meanwhile, will make his TV return following multiple seasons of USA Network's Royal Pains and a guest arc on FX's Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. On the film side, his credits include The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He is with Paradigm.

Read more: 'House of Cards' Taps New Showrunners

For House of Cards, the castings mark the first additions to the series for new showrunners Frank Pugliese and Melissa James Gibson, who first joined the drama as senior writers in season three. They take over the showrunning duties from creator Beau Willimon, who in January exited the series when it was renewed for a fifth season.

Read more: 'House of Cards' Renewed for Fifth Season, Showrunner Beau Willimon Exits
Awwwww, sheet!

Yep, were a whole lot closer to figuring out whose corpse is shrouded in low-thread-count ignominy in How to Get Away With Murders Fire Night flashbacks  and its definitely a dude. Well, definitely if youre someone who believes everything you see on the local TV news, anyway. #HowYourToothbrushIsSlowlyKillingYou

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Yet while that unidentified male dead in house fire chyron likely removes from the slab San Francisco-bound Eve, Annalises boss Pres. Hargrove and Nates new ADA girlfriend, the mystery is far from solved. Even factoring in sightings of Oliver, Laurel, Bonnie and now Michaela, that still leaves Asher, Connor, Nate, Wes, Frank and the simpering Mr. Drake as possible dirt-nap candidates.

Any other candidates Im forgetting? Drop em in the comments below while I offer the pithiest possible recap of Season 3, Episode 5 (Its About Frank) and then cut to a Q&A with Liza Weil, the woman behind Bonnie/Lurky McChurchmouse.

RELATED2017 Renewal Scorecard: Whats Coming Back? Whats Getting Cancelled? Whats on the Bubble?

SOMEBODYS NOT GETTING AWAY WITH MURDERER | Mr. Drakes computer goes missing, and when he tries to search the Keating Fives bags, Michaelas hillbilly comes out (and that chica, the one who almost slapped her mother-in-law-to-be, is ferocious). She later waves off her friends questions about where she grew up  the people who raised me are trash, she hisses  but turns out shes got some dark tendencies of her own. Michaelas the one who pilfered the laptop, and co-conspirator Olivers hacking reveals Drakes responsible for the Murderer posters of Annalise popping up all over campus. La Keating terrifies the kid with words like slander, defamation and hate crime  but deep inside, shes happy the culprit is just a whiny student, not someone with a deeper knowledge of the murders shes helped to cover up. (Side note: Anyone think theres more to this particular story? Raise your hand.) (Oh, and did I mention when we see Michaela in flash-forward, taking a call on Connors phone, its revealed that her adoptive mother is played by Grace Under Fire star Brett Butler!)

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BLAME IT ON THE ALCOHOL | After getting a new weave and hearing her hairdressers discussion of beating a cocaine addiction using God and sex, Annalise attends her first AA meeting  and promptly runs into Pres. Hargrove. Our heroines struggle to resist the bottle leads to painful flashbacks showing us her struggles to conceive, her miscarriages and the toll they took on her marriage to Sam. Annalises bender results in a drunk dial to Nate, a brutal bout of vomiting (cleaned up by Wes, of all people), and finally, the burning of a concerned Hargroves olive branch. The manipulative administrator wants to help her colleague  or pretends like she does  but all Annalise wants is for her suspension to be dropped (or to proceed with her $50 million lawsuit against Middleton).

Side note: Did anyone wonder if Annalise might bust a move on Wes after he wiped vomit from her hair? Not a romantic moment, but the way she caressed his face, asked him if Meggie was too good to him, conjured up all those latent quesitons about whether she feels maternal for her young protege or some other type of way. And the fact that the encounter seemed to spur Wes desire to split from his med-school lover and hook up with Laurel, well, maybe hes just looking for love at the wrong desk at the Keating firm?

RELATEDGreys Anatomy: Marika Dominczyk Cast in Mysterious Season 13 Role

ITS ABOUT FRANK | We learn a full beards worth about Franks backstory  including how he was sent to prison at 13 for attempting to kill his father, how Frank convinced Annalise to take the troubled youths parole cade, and how Frank fought against his own release because  as he finally confesses  he planned his attack on his father for weeks, and then felt no remorse when the man was pinned like a screaming animal underneath a vehicle. Sociopaths dont cry, offers Sam, and with that, their paths become inextricably linked  all the way to the death of Annalises unborn baby, the murder of Lila Stangard and so many other horrors.

TVLINE | Lets start with that final scene: Bonnie walking in right at the exact moment Laurel and Wes are telling Annalise that Bonnie saw Frank while she was in Coalport, Penn. We know from the flash-forwards that this betrayal doesnt end Bonnie and Annalises working relationship, but can you tease how bad the fallout is going to be?

In Episode 6, were definitely going to see how Annalise reacts to Bonnie seeing Frank  and how Bonnie is going to spin that. It is a massive betrayal. But I dont think Bonnie is massively surprised at Laurel coming clean, either. Laurel is someone whos proven that she cant help herself. Shes someone who is operating from a compulsion to do what she thinks is right. Plus, theres an interesting, underlying thing in that Bonnie and Annalise are people who are constantly expecting betrayal on some level. Thats just how theyre built. Theyre operating from a compromised state. But yes, there will be fallout and a surprise in what Bonnie has up her sleeve in dealing with all that.

TVLINE | Thats good to hear. I mean, it would be crazy at this point if Bonnie didnt have an excuse cooked up in case Annalise found out about her meetup with Frank.

Bonnies very aware going into Coalport that putting herself in that situation could cause enormous upheaval. So she may, in fact, be prepared. Id hope thats the case for her at this point! [Laughs.]

TVLINE | What was Bonnies goal in going to see Frank: To try to be the dutiful right hand and try to fix Annalises rift with him? Was it a case of split loyalties between Frank and Annalise? Or was this merely a chance for her to own some power independent of her boss?

Its all of those things. Since Frank has been gone, thats been a considerable loss to Bonnie  and its a surprise to her how much shes feeling that. Shes very much been questioning her identity and her role in Annalises house. The dynamic has shifted so much without him. She no longer has a touchstone there, and Annalise hasnt been available to Bonnie in the way that she craves. So, once Bonnie finds out the details Laurel shares  how Annalise wanted to have Frank killed  she feels like Annalise hasnt been entirely honest with her, and that she has to take matters into her own hands. Bonnie is operating from a primal need to restore this threesome back to its former glory. There was a time when this family of sorts functioned in a relatively healthy way.

There was a part of [this] episode that was really poigniant to me and helped me be reminded of something so crucial in this show. In the Young Frank flashbacks, when Sam is talking with Annalise about his quest to save Frank, you really see that the Keatings are making an attempt to fill this void of [not being] parents. Bonnie and Frank and Annalise and Sam  they all provided something very essential to each other that was missing. Bonnie feels very beholden to them, and it motivates drastic action.

TVLINE | Its probably not accidental that all of Bonnies decisions occur right she learns about the death of her abusive father, as all of those awful memories are drudged up.

[Executive Producer] Pete [Nowalk] has done such an amazing job this season at reintroducing these backstory breadcrumbs for Bonnie and insights into how she operates. These past couple episodes, weve seen it building, and it comes to a crescendo in Coalport. The death of Bonnies father, though a huge relief, is still a loss. And it brings up feelings of her wanting to belong to something or someone. It brings up a need to create your own family  which really informs Bonnie and Franks fantasy of running away together  and hitting the hard reset button. Shes overcome so much to feel like she deserves friendship and companionship  she greatly craves that  so when Frank abandons her in that hotel room, all those destructive feelings of despair and shame and lack of self-worth bubble to the surface.

TVLINE | I wanted to ask you about Frank fantasizing out loud about running away with Bonnie. And how after he has a nightmare, she wakes him up, and then she indulges in the same fantasy of running off to Oregon and living a simpler life, and how it leads to sex. Do you think thats the first time these characters got intimate? Or could this have happened in the past, too?

Pete has an interesting way of working. He has ideas, and then they change shape when he sees what actors do with them. Charlie [Weber, who plays Frank] and I know that Bonnie and he are bonded in a very strong way. Franks proven himself to be a bit of a womanizer  and hes got a history with students for the most part. Young Bonnie, when she first came to that house, wasnt really equipped for or looking to have a real relationship. But theres a recognition they have with each other  and that goes a long way now that it feels like everythings been torn asunder. I was surprised as well, though, watching the scene that it seemed like maybe this wasnt their first time. But then again, thats Hall of Fame Pete Nowalk to leave that subject open-ended.

TVLINE | I found the sex scene almost too intimate to watch at first  they way Bonnie and Frank are laying there on the floor, whispering, caressing each others faces. How did you feel when you shot it and watched it?

I am not an actor that is well-versed in doing things like that  and Mr. Weber is, so [Laughs] Were all very close friends, but its always nice when you can do those sorts of things with somebody youre very comfortable with. Charlie made me feel safe. I kind of black out and dont really know what Im doing. So, he was able to say And now we do this. And now we do this, which was really helpful. And it all went a lot faster than Id expected. We had a very succinct director in Jan Turner. She knew what she wanted, so it was relatively painless. I was surprised it wasnt more of a process. I have seen a cut of the episode, and I have a similar feeling to you. I have a hard time watching myself anyway, but I found it a little uncomfortable. But I hope the weirder and more uncomfortable it is, that it lends itself to enhancing the show.

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Nebraska is blessed to have probably the best legislative branch of state government in the nation in our unique, nonpartisan and very successful unicameral Legislature. It operates separately from the executive branch of Nebraska government, which is the governors office. One would assume that Gov. Pete Ricketts agrees with that when he said the following regarding their relationship in an Aug. 11 interview ("Ricketts wont call session"): They dont like it when the Governors Branch interferes with them, just like I dont like it when the Legislature tries to micromanage the Executive Branch.

The governor cant have it both ways.

My friend, Sen. Jerry Johnson, currently serves as chairman of the Legislatures Agriculture Committee. He is a former member of the Wahoo City Council and former mayor of Wahoo. The governors efforts to try to get Sen. Johnson defeated are without merit ("Johnson: Gov. ignoring ag leadership," Sept. 1).

We know the public service of Sen. Johnson. His record last session was rated 91 percent conservative. He is a tested leader, proven to represent the best interests of the people of District 23, as well as the citizens of the great state of Nebraska.

When the governor endorses and works for the election of certain candidates for the Legislature, he is doing it so that he can have control over that candidate if he or she is elected. He will pull the string of that senator, and not only will he expect, he will demand a vote for the governors positions in exchange for that support.

The stakes are high for the people of District 23. Our state has been well served by the separation of power between our Legislature and the governor. The people of District 23 should fight to keep it that way and re-elect Sen. Johnson to the Nebraska Legislature.

Don Blank, Regent, University of Nebraska 1987-2005, Lincoln
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Hundreds of snow leopards are killed illegally every year in remote mountains from China to Tajikistan, further endangering the big cats that number only a few thousand in the wild, a report said on Friday. Prices ranged up to $10,000 for the carcasses, prized for thick light-colored fur with dark spots, according to the study by TRAFFIC, an international network which monitors wildlife trade. An estimated 221 to 450 snow leopards were killed annually since 2008 despite bans in 12 Asian nations where they live, it said. TRAFFIC said there were many uncertainties because the leopards live in inaccessible regions including the Himalayas. About half were shot by farmers to protect goats, sheep and other livestock, with many carcasses then sold, it said. Others were targeted by poachers or trapped in snares meant to catch other animals such as deer. Still, it said there were some successes in protecting the animals. Only one leopard skin was found on sale in the central Chinese city of Linxia in a 2011 survey, against 60 in 2007. A Red List of endangered species estimates the global population of snow leopards at between 4,080 and 6,590. International trade in snow leopards has been banned since 1975. Before that, according to TRAFFIC, one 1960s U.S. fur coat advertisement, for instance, said: "Untamed ... the Snow Leopard, provocatively dangerous. A mankiller. Born free in the wild whiteness of the high Himalayas only to be snared as part of the captivating new fur collection". (Reporting By Alister Doyle)
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - There is a stalemate on the issue of mandatory migrant resettlement quotas in the European Union between proponents of the scheme and opponents such as Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told reporters on Friday. Orban said he had proposed taking the quotas off the agenda for good as there was immutable opposition to them in eastern Europe, a proposal that EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker dismissed. "We are at a stalemate, which we could not resolve," Orban said, adding that the European Council, the forum of heads of government, had asked Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who holds the rotating EU presidency, to propose a solution by the next summit in December. (Reporting by Marton Dunai; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - As Iraqi families begin streaming out of villages in the path of an army offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State, some fear that the onslaught may stoke future sectarian strife in the volatile region, a senior Red Cross official said on Thursday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is prepared to provide aid to 800,000 people who could flee the looming battle for Mosul, including against any use of chemical weapons, said Patrick Hamilton, the ICRC's deputy director for the Near and Middle East. Islamic State militants have used banned chemical agents previously against Iraqi Kurdish forces. Hamilton toured northern Iraq this month, overseeing ICRC operations before the offensive launched on Monday by government troops, allied regional Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite Muslim militia to oust Islamic State from Iraq's second biggest city. "What struck me was obviously the sense of angst, of fear, of what was to come," he told Reuters in an interview. "Both for the immediate future in terms of this offensive and what that might entail. But also for the longer-term future, what Iraq itself might look like post-Mosul, and what will be the fate of these various communities that make up Iraq and how they will find or try to find a way forward together." Mosul, from which the ultra-hardline Islamic State proclaimed a "caliphate" two years ago, is majority Sunni Muslim, whereas Iraqi government forces are Shi'ite-dominated. The area around Mosul is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse parts of Iraq, and Western countries backing the offensive are concerned that communities feel safe as the government forces advance, to avoid revenge attacks or ethnic and sectarian bloodletting as fighters are driven out. Fears of sectarian retribution have risen among Iraqi officials and aid workers after word emerged that Shi'ite irregulars will help storm the smaller city of Hawija in northern Iraq as part of the offensive. "Whilst obviously we remain very concerned about what's going on in and around Mosul, we shouldn't forget as well that there are offensives being launched to try to retake Hawija," Hamilton said. "There is going to be or there is already a significant battle taking place over the area of Hawija where there are some 200,000 to 300,000 civilians also faced with being trapped between front lines." The offensive to seize back Mosul is going faster than planned, Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday. Asked about the ICRC's dialogue with Shi'ite militia on the rules of war, Hamilton said: "As with the Iraqi state forces, Kurdish forces as well, we have been obviously trying to promote a sense for and an understanding of their responsibilities with regards to respecting international humanitarian law." This meant sparing civilians and only using force against military targets that is proportional and discriminate, he said. Hamilton said the ICRC was poised to deliver emergency assistance over the weeks and months ahead, "be it food, non-food relief, water relief as well as obviously medical care". The Geneva-based agency also has warehouses full of "war-wounded kits" containing emergency medical equipment, each sufficient for 50 patients. The ICRC deploys 900 staff in Iraq, its third largest operation worldwide, with an annual budget of 120 million Swiss francs ($121.07 million) (This story removes reference to Islamic State in paragraph 2 and makes clear in paragraph 3 that the group has used chemical weapons in the past) (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Tommy Wilkes

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Aviation ministry said on Friday the first flights under a scheme to boost air travel between smaller cities should take off in January, after it finalised rules to make flying more affordable in the world's fastest-growing aviation market.

Under the "Regional Connectivity Scheme", air fares on routes between towns and cities currently poorly connected will be capped - at 2,500 rupees ($37.4) for every 500 km of travel - and service and fuel taxes reduced.

A small levy will be slapped on existing routes to help pay for the scheme, while the government will provide funding to make the project viable and spend 40 billion rupees ($598 million) to reopen 50 disused airports within four years.

Some industry executives have expressed reservations about the levy, but the ministry defended the scheme, saying it will boost the overall market.

"When we jump start the regional aviation market, the beneficiaries will be the airlines themselves. They will get a lot more traffic," Jayant Sinha, the junior civil aviation minister, told reporters.

India's air travel market has boomed in the last decade as it opened up to competition. Ticket prices were slashed and the number of people wealthy enough to travel ballooned.

Passenger numbers on domestic flights run by carriers including InterGlobe Aviation Ltd's IndiGo, SpiceJet Ltd, Jet Airways (India) Ltd and state-owned Air India Ltd jumped 21 percent in 2015 to more than 80 million. The government aims to increase that number to 300 million by 2022.

Still, India's annual trips per capita, at 0.04, compares with 0.3 in China, and flying remains unaffordable for the overwhelming majority.

The ministry's top bureaucrat, R.N. Choubey, said airlines could now start bidding to run specific routes.

Successful bidders will have exclusivity for the route for three years, after which government support would tail off as the market becomes sustainable on its own. The scheme will run for 10 years.

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"We expect flights to commence in January," Choubey said.

The most popular routes, such as New Delhi to financial capital Mumbai, will not be affected by the price cap.

($1 = 66.9000 rupees)

(Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Additional reporting by Aditi Shah; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Christopher Cushing)
By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The World Medical Association (WMA), the top medical-ethics body, on Friday installed an Indian doctor facing corruption charges as its president, despite controversy surrounding his appointment while legal cases are pending. A statement released by the WMA said Dr. Ketan Desai delivered his inaugural speech as president on Friday at the association's annual assembly in Taiwan. He will serve in the position for 2016/17. After he was first selected in 2009 as a future president of the WMA, Desai faced conspiracy and corruption allegations. Desai has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the pending cases. He did not respond to questions from Reuters sent via email. When Reuters asked the WMA this week for an update on Desai's legal situation, spokesman Nigel Duncan said the association had nothing more to say. "I don't think there's anything we want to add to what we have already said," Duncan said. He did not answer questions about Desai's legal cases or what the ethics body had been told about them in recent months. In one case filed in New Delhi in 2010, Desai faces charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy to obtain a bribe of 20 million rupees ($450,000 at the time) from a medical college. In return, investigators allege Desai helped the school get permission from the Medical Council to add more students. When contacted last year, the college, which is not a defendant in the case, declined to comment. Desai was arrested in the Delhi case and jailed in 2010 pending a possible trial. He was later released on bail. That year his inauguration as the WMA president was suspended. In 2013, the WMA decided to lift the suspension after receiving assurances from the Indian Medical Association, which Desai once headed. The Indian Medical Association did not respond to queries from Reuters this week. A Reuters investigation published in July last year showed that the Indian Medical Association had incorrectly told the WMA that charges against Desai had been withdrawn. Representatives of major doctors organizations accepted the information as fact. The Indian Medical Association said last year that it never misled the WMA. (http://reut.rs/1LZx8BM) The WMA had said it took questions raised in the Reuters article "very seriously" and would look into them. Later, in October 2015, the WMA upheld its decision to appoint Desai as president, without giving reasons. A source at India's Central Bureau of Investigation said this week that the New Delhi case was still active though it was on hold due to a pending appeal in the Supreme Court. The source said Desai still needs to appear before the district court judge during hearings. A court document dated Aug. 3 shows Desai, a urologist by training, submitted an application to seek an exemption from a personal appearance in court that day due to an illness. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4. Proceedings in a separate case, alleging Desai was involved in a conspiracy to have the Medical Council of India allow a private medical school to add more students, were put on hold last year by a district court in northern Uttar Pradesh state until investigators obtain government permission to prosecute. Desai's counsel in the case, Purnendu Chakravarti, said this week there was no change in the status of the case. An overburdened and under-resourced Indian judiciary system means court cases can drag on for years in the country. Based in France, the WMA sets ethical standards for physicians worldwide and represents millions of doctors. Known for its pioneering work in ethics, its members include the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association. (Additional reporting by Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow. Edited by Peter Hirschberg.)
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities on Friday said an Islamic State-inspired militant who injured three police officers this week on the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta, had prepared several pipe bombs and owned live ammunition and weapons. Thursday's attack was the latest in a series of incidents linked to Islamic State in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation this year, as concerns grow over a resurgence in homegrown militancy. Police found bomb-making materials, live ammunition, and a samurai sword during a search of the militant's house, a national police spokesman said. "He had prepared several of those pipe bombs," the spokesman, Boy Rafli Amar, told a news conference. "We are now investigating who he has been in communication with." Islamic State on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack, through its news agency, Amaq. The attacker, who stabbed three police officers and threw a pipe bomb that failed to detonate, was shot and died of his wounds. Police confirmed the attacker, Sultan Aziansyah, was a member of Indonesian militant group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, which supports Islamic State. The umbrella group, formed last year through an alliance of splinter groups backing Islamic State, is led by jailed Islamist cleric Aman Abdurrahman, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence for aiding a militant training camp. Authorities believe Islamic State has more than 1,200 followers in Indonesia and nearly 400 Indonesians have left to join the group in Syria. Police are on the alert for any Indonesians who return home after Iraqi forces this week launched an offensive to take back the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. Authorities are monitoring about 40 of those who returned, concerned they could be linking up with existing networks, police chief Tito Karnavian told Reuters on Monday. In January, four militants mounted a gun and bomb attack in the heart of Jakarta, the first attack in Southeast Asia claimed by Islamic State. Eight people were killed, including the militants. (Reporting by Fergus Jensen; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams were all on hand for the world premiere of Doctor Strange at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood

The cast of the fourteenth installment in the Marvel Cinemeatic Univerese was joined by Robert Downey Jr., Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, studio head Kevin Feige and Marvel patriarch Stan Lee.

The most surprising guest of the evening was presidential debate sensation Ken Bone, who arrived on the red carpet with his signature red half-zip sweater.

Doctor Strange is the story of Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch), a neurosurgeon who due to a car accident, is left with nerve damage in his hands. No longer able to perform surgery, he seeks out a mysterious group, where he meets The Ancient One (Swinton), who teaches him the mystic arts.

Read more: Box Office: 'Doctor Strange' Tracking Ahead of 'Ant-Man'

"There is just something about him that I love," said composer Michael Giacchino of Doctor Strange, the film inspired by works of Lee and artist Steve Ditko."I wanted to get across the idea that this guys had a darker past with a lot of loss."

Doctor Strange is the first Marvel movie for Giacchino, who is currently in the middle of scoring the Star Wars stand alone Rogue One and has worked on everything from Star Trek to Pixar's Up. "I first called Kevin [Fiege] about the movie and I told him, 'I love this character, who is doing the movie? Because I love this character.'"

Giacchino showed up to his first meeting with filmmakers with a sample of Doctor Strange's musical theme already done.

Another person who grew up with a fondness for Dr. Stephen Strange was director Scott Derrickson, telling Heat Vision: "Doctor Strange was my favorite Marvel comic, specifically because of it's psychedelic weirdness."

He added: "I was very committed to making something that would not look like a repeat of previous [Marvel] movies."

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That "psychedelic weirdness" can be seen in the movie's special effects sequences which include, but are definitely not limited to, interdimensional travel and New York city streets folding in on themselves.

"It's just make believe and I know all films are make believe but this was insane," said Swinton of the film's VFX. "They would tell me, 'Look up there at that tiny sticky tape, now that is a planet. And when you move this piece of plywood, that planet is going to move."

Following the red carpet, people packed into the TCL Chinese Theater as well as the El Capitan, where audience members stayed put following the film's hour and fifty-five minute runtime for the post-credit scenes that become one of the most eagerly awaited part of the MCU.

The evening wrapped up at the afterparty, which took place a short walk from the Chinese theater at (where else?) The Magic Castle.

Doctor Strange hits theaters nationwide on Nov. 4.

Read more: Where Marvel Might Go After 'Doctor Strange'
Tala Raassi left her home country of Iran at the age of 16 and has forged a career as a swimwear designer. (Photo: Tala Raassi)

Tala Raassi is living proof that sheer drive and determination can pay off. The 33-year-old Iranian swimwear designer overcame huge hurdles to become the woman she is today. Like being locked in jail for five days and sentenced to 40 lashes when she was just 16 years old. Her crime? Wearing a miniskirt to a party.

Theres little doubt the night changed her life, but not necessarily in the way she expected. Because not only has it inspired her to follow her dreams, its also made her determined to empower other women to do the same.

Though it would have been easy to let what happened define her future, she instead moved to the U.S., where, despite not speaking any English, she managed to forge a career in fashion and launch her own swimwear brand. She also has just written her first book. Its little wonder that in 2012, Tala was named as one of Newsweeks most fearless women in the world alongside the likes of Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. Not bad for a girl who grew up believing a career in fashion was completely off limits.

Yahoo Style spoke with the inspirational designer about style, success, and not sweating the small stuff.

Growing up, I wanted to be a lawyer. My fathers lawyer was a woman, and seeing a woman with that commanding power really provoked me. There was something very influential about it, and I envied her; I wanted to have her superpowers. But when I daydreamed about my career in the justice system, I would find myself daydreaming more about the fashionable suits and outfits I would wear instead of the courtroom.

I never realized a career in fashion was a possibility. [When I was] growing up in Iran, women were covered in public, and at that time there were no name-brand boutiques; schools only prepared us for more traditional careers; and my family really wanted me to pursue a law degree, become a doctor, or something with that prominence. So even though I was always fascinated by fashion, I never really knew becoming a fashion designer was an option for me.

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Iranian women in general are very stylish and put together. I used to observe women at private hair salons and house parties in Iran. They were always so glamorous behind closed doors and put so much effort into looking good despite all the restrictions imposed by the government. I would spend hours looking through Western fashion magazines and drool about the amazing styles and wondered why women werent able to wear them out in public, right where they belonged.

Raassi carved out a career for herself celebrating the exact thing that threatened her safety her in Iran: her style. (Photo: Tala Raassi)

Fashion design has always been in me. When I was about 8 years old, I cut my mothers fur coat and made a coat for my Barbie. Of course, as you can imagine, she wasnt very happy. But she came around later and helped me fix the coat. My mother could sew anything. She even made her own engagement dress and was always making some cool stuff around the house. So I watched and admired her work, and my love for creation blossomed from there. I later cut my fathers leather chair to make a leather skirt for my Barbie, which again put me in trouble with my parents. But I just wanted to make things out of any material I would find interesting.

My style back then was a little bit of everything. I would watch TV shows like Beverly Hills, 90210 and Baywatch  on illegal satellite TV, of course and wanted to follow the trends those kids were following. Except that I had to obey to the rules of the Islamic Republic. So it was a mix of Western fashion with my own created styles.

It was hard to express my love of fashion. As much as we wore whatever we wanted, it was hard to showcase my individuality in public places, like coffee shops, restaurants, and the hardest being school. When I got old enough to want to look good for boys and society as a whole, I found myself clashing a lot with the values of others. I wanted to dress the way I wanted but always had to follow laws, rules, and restrictions, and that was a suffocating feeling for me.

After the 1979 revolution (when the shah was overthrown), many restrictions were enforced on the Iranian people. Co-ed parties were banned, alcohol became illegal, and women had to cover themselves in public. Practically overnight, Iran became a drastically more conservative culture. Most Iranians I know, like everyone else in the world, love to dance, listen to music, and socialize.

People started building elaborate bars and dance floors in their homes to keep their parties private. The normal protocol is for the girls to arrive with their hijabs on as though they are going in public, and then take off their covers, and underneath they wear their most fashionable party attire. But if people were caught by Iranian officials breaking these laws, they could be subject to jail, lashing, fines, etc.

Raassis swimwear brand is internationally renowned. (Photo: Instagram/talaraassiswim)

One moment can be life-changing. In 1998, when I was turning 16 years old, a friend of mine threw a party at her house. Her ex-boyfriend told government officials about the party thinking that they would peacefully shut it down. There was no alcohol or drugs. Just a bunch of teenagers doing what most teenagers do anywhere around the world. It wasnt long before the government officials stormed into the house and arrested about 30 of us teenagers. Boys and girls were separated, and we were taken on two buses to the Vozoras prison, where we spent five nights in jail.

The whole experience has made me more humble. Going through something like that as a 16-year-old changes you. I had never been around people like that before or in a situation that was so surreal. It was very eye-opening to see how fortunate I had been, to be raised the way I was, with so much love and safety. Experiencing that has allowed me to try to do better every day. Because I know and realize now how lucky I am to be where I am today. I dont take any opportunity for granted and try not to dwell on small, petty things.

I want to turn my experience into a positive. To bring awareness to the cruel acts that happen to women all around the world. No girl or woman should ever be punished for what they wear or how they choose to live their lives. But sadly, it happens every day. And not only in Iran, but all around the world.

Incredibly vast, easy to navigate, motivating. Thats how I found living in America. People often ask if Im happy I left Iran. My answer has always been no. I love Iran, its people and the extraordinary culture. I never allowed my bad experiences there to change my views of Iran. Many media outlets say things like Tala fled Iran. It was never like that. So I was very sad when I first moved to the States. And it was very hard for me personally because I didnt speak English. There are a lot of things that I miss about living in Iran. Like being around so much family, the food, and the traditions. But I have also grown to love living in America. When I settled here, an American dream also started forming in my head. The opportunities and possibilities seem endless, and if you are willing to work hard you truly can become whoever you want to be.

The fashion scene was a huge culture shock. My first thought when I arrived in Virginia at Dulles International Airport was fashion disaster. You may be thinking, What does a girl that grew up in a conservative country like Iran know about fashion? But I grew up watching Iranian women put so much effort into looking amazing even with all the restrictions that they were given. So when I got to the U.S. and saw people in baggy jeans, loose T-shirts and flip-flops, I was quite disappointed.

Find your niche. I used to own a boutique and often shopped for the store from Brazilian showrooms. In the winter of 2006, I went to Sao Paulo for Fashion Week, and one of the exhibitions that blew my mind the most was a swimwear runway show. I watched the perfectly toned, tanned, and spectacular Brazilian models strut down a miraculously elegant runway. It was absolutely inspiring and dreamy. The magnificent fabrics, vibrant colors, unique styles and cuts, and the confidence of the women showcasing them were dazzling to me. That experience encouraged and influenced me to start a swimwear line. At that time I truly believed that the U.S. market was missing trendy swimwear.

Photo: Instagram/talaraassiswim

Be proud of your achievements. The ultimate career high for me was being called one of the most fearless women in the world by Newsweek magazine alongside Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, and many other influential women.

Fashion symbolizes freedom. Freedom of choice to wear what you desire without the fear of judgment, punishment and/or imprisonment. Because of fashion, a woman can express herself outwardly. Fashion empowers women to be who they want to be, not who society expects them to be.

My decision to design swimwear has nothing to do with my faith. Faith is an internal journey, and no one can know the depth of anyone elses trust in God based on what they do or do not wear. I am a proud Muslim girl and I love my culture, traditions, and country. And my swimwear has absolutely nothing to do with religion or politics. I am a simple girl following my big dreams.

The judgment of others doesnt define you, it defines them. They say haters are going to hate, but sometimes that can be hard to ignore, especially when you want to do something for a greater good. The key is to know who you are, believe in what you do, and realize that the negative things people project to you are nonsense. No matter how kind and remarkable you are, there will always be someone who is not going to like you. Dont allow their pessimism to leave a negative mark on you. Learn how to be better for yourself.

Dont allow your failures to define your future. Some of the most successful people in the world have failed at first, and some have failed many times. Never forget why you got started to begin with!

My mother is my career muse. She inspires and encourages me to continue, even at times when things seem impossible. They say that the best kind of people in your life are the ones that you can sit next to, not say a word to, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you ever had.

What doesnt kill you makes you stronger. I have had so many hurdles in my journey, and I can easily say that I have done [everything] that you shouldnt do when starting a business. But you cant give up. If something doesnt work, try another way. When you try to achieve anything in your life, it can create a mess. The best thing to do is to clean up your mess. Once you start picking up the shattered pieces, you will discover all the magical reasons that got you there.

Find your own way to success. There was a time in my life that I believed you are only successful if you are on the cover of Forbes or are making millions of dollars. However, I have realized that success is a battle between you and yourself alone. You have to concentrate on beating your own goals and invest in yourself when others wont. From where I started, I am a billionaire today. That doesnt necessarily mean I have billions of dollars; it just means that I found a way to be a better version of myself every day.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved a two-decade, multimillion development plan for Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala at its meeting Friday in Ponca.

The plan is expected to transform Nebraska's largest lake, Lake McConaughy in Keith County, boost its on-shore amenities and place new restrictions on about half the area's beloved beaches.

The goal is to better manage visitors and natural resources at McConaughy and nearby Lake Ogallala, improving safety while preserving the lakes' recreational appeal. They draw nearly 1 million visitors annually.

No price estimate has been attached to the project, but it's expected to cost millions.

Game and Parks has already set aside $2 million for improvements over the next two years. That money was raised through park permit fees and similar sources, but additional funds could come from private donors and federal grants.

Also Friday, the commission raised vehicle entry fees. The new resident permit fees are $30 for an annual, $6 for a daily and $15 for a duplicate annual. The permit fees for vehicles not registered and licensed in Nebraska are $45 for an annual, $8 for a daily, and $22.50 for a duplicate annual. All of these park entry fees are scheduled to become effective on Jan. 1, 2017.

In addition, the commission:

* Authorized one bighorn sheep auction permit and one bighorn sheep lottery permit for 2017;

* Approved buying 57 acres of land adjacent to Platte River State Park;

* Changed the fee schedule for the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln, lowering some firearm range fees and annual passes and creating monthly passes to accommodate new and beginning shooters;

* Approved its 2017 meeting schedule: Jan. 19-20, Lincoln; March 16-17, Grand Island; April 20-21, Norfolk; June 21-22, Scottsbluff; Aug. 16-17, North Platte; and Oct. 19-20, Omaha;

* Rejected a staff recommendation to change the start of shooting hours for upland game and webless migratory birds (rail, snipe, woodcock, dove, grouse, pheasant, quail, partridge, cottontail and squirrel) from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunrise.
By Michael Georgy QAYYARA, Iraq Reuters) - Sitting on a broken chair at a school where hundreds of families who fled Islamic State are seeking refuge south of Mosul, Younis Ali describes how he lost his four brothers and five sisters. "I have learned that they tried to take one brother as a human shield," he said, speaking of Islamic State, who ruled his village until last week. "When he resisted they shot him dead. But another brother was also killed when he tried to prevent his death," said Ali, 20, who was told of this tragedy by his mother. "And then another brother tried to hug the one who was shot and the same thing happened and they were all shot dead." The jihadists didn't stop there. They also kidnapped his five sisters. This happened near Mosul, the last city stronghold of Islamic State that Iraqi forces want to take back with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition. Ali says he is a member of a tribal force that is supporting the government offensive on Mosul. His account confirms that Islamic State is resorting to the tactic dreaded most by the population, the attacking forces and humanitarian organizations: human shields. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, on Friday said Islamic State militants had taken 550 families from villages around Mosul and were holding them near Islamic State locations in the city, probably as human shields. Ali isn't spending much time these days thinking about whether the Mosul offensive would rid the country of Islamic State and eventually create unity among Iraqis split along sectarian lines, mainly Sunni and Shi'ites. "All I want to do is find people from Daesh and behead them," he said, using the Arabic acronym of Islamic State. As he spoke, several veiled women told similar stories. Thaiban Sulaiman Ali recalled how her two brothers and two uncles and a total of ten people in her immediate family were taken hostage by Islamic State. "Sixteen members of my extended family have been taken as human shields or hostages by Daesh," she said. "And they also blew up some of our homes." Hundreds of people who have gathered at the school in Qayyara, a town under government control 60 km (40 miles) from Mosul, were being vetted by Iraqi security officials in case some were Islamic State fighters posing as non-combatants. SUSPECTS Four such suspects were crouching down facing a wall with hands tied in plastic handcuffs behind their backs. Others stood in the dirt and gravel trying to make sense of the chaos that has engulfed their lives. Those who are cleared are taken to a camp for displaced persons about 20 minutes away by car. Nearby is a sprawling abandoned building that local officials say was used as bomb factory by the militants who were in control of the region until August. "Look around you at how many buildings they have blown up," said local official Sameer Mohammed. Iraqi officials say the battle for Mosul could make or break Iraq depending on how the country's leaders manage sectarian tensions. There are concerns the defeat of Islamic State, an ultra-hardline Sunni group, would cause new sectarian and ethnic violence, fueled by a desire to avenge atrocities inflicted on minority groups. Nineveh is a mosaic of ethnic and religious groups - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi'ites - with Sunni Arabs the overwhelming majority. Amra Ali is an example of how Islamic State engaged in hostage taking and kidnapping even before the Mosul battle began on Monday. The 30-year-old housewife was detained by Islamic State four months ago because her husband is a member of a Shi'ite militia that has led the fight against the group. "They told me when I was jailed in a house that was converted to a prison that they would hold me until my husband gives himself up," said Ali who spent 40 days behind bars. "When he didn't surrender they took me to one of their Islamic courts and they declared us divorced." Kawthar Abdellatif, another housewife in her thirties, said even though Islamic State had left her village, al-Hudd, she does not want to return and will stay at the displaced persons camp. "They can come back at any time and there are many bombs there," she said. "I hope our lives will be better after Mosul is captured." (Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Giles Elgood)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel is seeking to buy three more advanced submarines from Germany at a combined price of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), an Israeli newspaper reported Friday.

The Maariv daily said that a deal due to be signed on November 7 aims to replace the oldest vessels in its existing Dolphin fleet, which began entering service in 1999.

German government spokesman Georg Streiter told AFP that Israel is considering buying new submarines to replace its existing fleet "from 2027 on."

He said discussions on German financial assistance for the purchase were being held, "on different levels".

The Israeli defence ministry declined to comment.

Israel already has five of the state-of-the-art German submarines, with a sixth due for delivery in 2017, Maariv said.

Foreign military sources say the Dolphins can be equipped with missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

They say Israel has between 100 and 200 warheads and missiles capable of delivering them.

Israel is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, refusing to confirm or deny it has such weapons.

"The new submarines are said to be more advanced, longer, and equipped with better accessories," Maariv said.

In 2012 the influential German news weekly Der Spiegel quoted former high-ranking German defence ministry officials saying that Berlin always assumed Israel was putting nuclear warheads on the Dolphin-class vessels.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said at the time all submarines had been delivered to Israel unarmed.

"The federal government will not speculate on subsequent arming," spokesman Steffen Seibert said then.
* Renzi faces crucial reform referendum in December

* Budget proposal hikes previously agreed targets

* Brussels considering sending Rome a warning letter

* Economy minister plays down impact of referendum outcome (Adds Renzi after EU summit)

By Gavin Jones and Francesco Guarascio

ROME/BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Friday he would not change his 2017 budget plan even if the European Commission says it breaches EU rules on fiscal consolidation and took a swipe at Germany over its own economic policies.

Renzi last week unveiled an expansionary budget ahead of a referendum on constitutional reform that may decide his political future, hiking previously agreed targets for the budget deficit and the public debt.

The Commission has numerous concerns about the plan and is considering sending Rome a warning letter, officials have said.

Renzi's response on Friday was that he would not be swayed by EU "technocracy".

"The budget law will not be changed," he said in a radio interview when asked about the Commission's doubts. "We want to address the needs of Italian citizens, not Brussels technocracy."

He was even more defiant at a later news conference following an EU summit in Brussels, saying the Commission should look instead at Germany's huge trade surplus which he said was hurting the rest of the euro zone.

"I think Germany's budget has many problems including a trade surplus that is against all European rules," Renzi said.

He also said that Eastern European countries who fail to respect their commitments to take in migrants should be sanctioned by the Commission and have their EU funding cut.

Italy's budget widens next year's fiscal deficit target to 2.3 percent of gross domestic product from the 1.8 percent goal that Italy itself pledged in a letter to the Commission in May. Before that it had forecast a 1.1 percent shortfall.

Parliament needs to pass the budget into law this year.

However, economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan on Friday played down talk of a dispute with Brussels.

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"The Commission has expressed no scepticism" over the budget, he said at an event at a university in Frankfurt. "We are following a normal procedure that will unfold in the next few days on the evaluation of specific measures."

REFERENDUM RACE

Opinion polls suggest Renzi may lose the Dec. 4 referendum on his plan to reduce the role of the Senate and centralise decision making. But he has packed the budget with potentially vote-winning measures.

It abolishes an unpopular state tax collection agency, raises pensions and offers an amnesty for tax dodgers who declare cash previously hidden from the authorities. It also scraps interest and penalties on unpaid fines.

Renzi, who has promised to resign if he loses the referendum, has also become increasingly vocal in criticising the EU's "old and absurd" fiscal rules which many Italians blame for the country's chronically weak economic growth.

Padoan said the repercussions of a "no" victory in the referendum should not be exaggerated.

"Financial markets have this idea that the referendum is the end of the world. Well, it is not. In the unfortunate case that the no-vote prevails, the country will continue to reform."

EU rules require governments to slim down their structural deficits - funding shortfalls once the effects of business cycles and one-off bills are set aside - by 0.5 percent of GDP a year until their books are in balance or in surplus.

But rather than cut its structural deficit, Italy plans to widen it next year to 1.6 percent of GDP from 1.2 percent in 2016.

The Commission is also concerned about Italy's public debt, which at 133 percent of GDP is the largest in the EU after Greece. Its debt has risen steadily for years despite repeated promises from Rome to get it on a downward path.

Despite Rome's shaky public finances, officials in Brussels and other European capitals see Renzi as the best hope for stability and reform in Italy and are reluctant to do anything to hurt him ahead of the referendum.

An EU official said on Wednesday that Brussels has still not decided whether to send a letter to Italy over the budget.

(Additional reporting by Francesco Canepa in Frankfurt Editing by Louise Ireland)
LONDON (Reuters) - Jaguar Land Rover, Ford <F.N> and Tata Motors <TAMO.NS> are testing connected cars which can communicate with each other using technology designed to speed up journeys and cut accidents, the first such trials in Britain.

Cars which are able to warn drivers when another connected vehicle brakes suddenly and those which can monitor traffic signals and regulate their speed to encounter fewer red lights were being showcased at a testing ground in central England.

Increasingly sophisticated technology in vehicles is paving the way for fully driverless vehicles, with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), owned by India's Tata Motors, also demonstrating a self-driving Range Rover Sport which can automatically overtake slower moving cars.

"The benefits of having cars that can communicate with each other and their surroundings could be very significant -- from increased road safety to improved traffic flow," said Tim Armitage, a project director at government-backed UK Autodrive which coordinated the trials.

Earlier this month, a driverless car was trialled on Britain's streets for the first time as part of government efforts to create an industry which can serve a worldwide market which it estimates to be worth up to 900 million pounds ($1.1 billion) by 2025.

Britain is aiming to have driverless cars on its roads by the end of the decade.

Automakers are racing to head off the challenge from technology firms such as Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google, which is developing autonomous vehicles.

Jaguar Land Rover said earlier this year that it plans to create a fleet of more than 100 research vehicles over the next four years to test autonomous and connected technology and Volvo plans to trial driverless cars in London next year.

Ford and Volvo are working with ride-hailing company Uber on trials of self-driving cars in the U.S city of Pittsburgh.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Keith Weir)
Forget civility. Just hours after an appeal was dropped on Thursday in James Woods' $10 million defamation lawsuit against an anonymous individual who tweeted the actor was a "cocaine addict," Woods expressed joy about what had occurred.

"The slime who libeled me just dropped his appeal contesting my victorious SLAPP motion," tweeted Woods. "Perennial loser @LisaBloom isn't yapping so much now."

That caused Lisa Bloom, the defendant's attorney, to publicly reveal what had led to the voluntary withdrawal of an appeal that came after a L.A. Superior Court judge in February allowed the case to move forward over a First Amendment-based objection.

"Hi James," Bloom replied to Woods. "As you surely know, my client died. Have a nice day and stay classy!"

It didn't stop there. After others expressed outrage at Woods, the Once Upon a Time in America actor wrote that he hoped the defendant died "screaming my name," adding, "Learn this. Libel me, I'll sue you. If you die, I'll follow you to the bowels of Hell. Get it?"

Woods later deleted the tweet, but here's a screenshot:

This all could be chalked up to the trolling nature of social media these days except for the fact that it comes in the midst of litigation that explores the very topic.

Woods filed his complaint on July 30, 2015, targeting the Twitter user "Abe List," whose social media profile suggested the defendant was a Los Angeles-based, Harvard-educated partner in a private equity firm. Through the lawsuit, the actor aimed to send a message.

"AL, and anyone else using social media to propagate lies and do harm, should take note," stated the complaint. "They are not impervious to the law."

Woods didn't know the true identity of "Abe List," and he attempted to push Twitter to produce records. The social service rejected the efforts in a letter, writing, "Attempts to unmask anonymous online speakers in the absence of a prima facie defamation claim are improper and would chill the First Amendment rights of speakers who use Twitter's platform to express their thoughts and ideas instantly and publicly, without barriers."

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Then came the defendant's motion to strike premised on California's anti-SLAPP statute, meant to deter injuries to one's First Amendment rights at an early stage of litigation. The defendant argued that his "cocaine addict" tweet was "a constitutionally protected political insult," the type made routinely by Woods as "a well-known part of Twitter's culture of political hyperbole."

Judge Mel Recana denied the anti-SLAPP motion, writing that "it is clear that any reader of the AL False Statement could and indeed must view it as a statement of fact.... AL's use of a prenomial characterization (i.e. 'cocaine addict') followed by a proper noun (i.e., 'James Woods') is a well-established linguistic structure widely used to characterize people with shorthand factual information."

This led to an appeal, but before a California appeals court got the opportunity to address whether insults on a frequently hyperbolic platform could be capable of defamatory meaning, Woods' attorney Michael Weinsten was informed that the anonymous defendant had died.

The $10 million defamation case will now continue nevertheless. Woods intends to proceed and hopes the dropped appeal means he'll finally learn defendant's identity, a source in his camp tells THR. The case eventually could explore whether the deceased defendant has already admitted malice through previous statements and arguments.

However, according to Kenneth White, the defendant's other attorney, there's no intention to immediately reveal defendant. He hints that the case could be headed to some kind of default that could be governed by probate code.

White adds his client "died of natural causes. He was brilliant and combative. We're trying to protect his identity. We're concerned about his family being harassed and [there's good reason] based on how much they are gloating over his death."
Vice President Joe Biden wants to take on Donald Trumpand not on a debate stage.

During a speech at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania on Friday while campaigning for Hillary Clinton, Biden addressed Trumps aggressive and lewd remarks about women from a recently leaked 2005 video. He said Trumps disgusting assertion that he could grope and kiss women because he was famous was the textbook definition of sexual assaultand Biden had an idea for conveying his disapproval.

The press always asks me: dont I wish I were debating him, Biden said. No, I wish we were in high schoolI could take him behind the gym. Thats what I wish.

VP when asked if he wants to debate Trump: No, I wish we were in high school and I could take him behind the gym https://t.co/XvgkUqllev  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 21, 2016

The crowd approved: there was collective cheer of yeaaah after Biden delivered the line.

[The Daily Beast]
Air quality readings surrounding the site of an anhydrous ammonia pipeline leak north of Tekamah have improved enough to allow the majority of the 40 rural residents evacuated to return to their homes.

The pipeline owner, Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Magellan Midstream Partners, announced Friday that it  in conjunction with the Decatur Fire Department  removed evacuation requirements for everyone but those whose homes are within 1 mile of the pipeline rupture site.

Only four of the 23 homes evacuated remain unable to be occupied.

U.S. 75 between Tekamah and Decatur also has been reopened but County Road P remains closed, according to a news release from the company.

Magellan said it will coordinate re-entry with local officials and do air quality testing at each house to ensure safe air quality. Company officials have promised to cover all expenses of the residents who were evacuated from their homes.

The pipeline burst just after 9 p.m. Monday spilling 294,000 gallons of liquid anhydrous ammonia, a commonly used farm fertilizer that turns to a deadly gas when released.

Phillip Hennig, 59, died when he drove into the cloud of the noxious gas. Hennig lived and farmed in the area. Friends suspect he was going to investigate the leak or help neighbors.

The cause of the rupture is unknown. The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the leak and expects to release a preliminary report within a couple of weeks.

The Magellan pipeline starts near Borger, Texas, and runs through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. The 1,100-mile section that runs through Nebraska was built in the late 1960s. Its one of two anhydrous pipelines in the United States, Magellan said.
(Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday sided with women's health provider Planned Parenthood in a lawsuit aiming to block a Mississippi law that barred medical providers that perform abortions from participating in the state's Medicaid program.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III is the latest in a string of rulings striking down similar laws elsewhere in the country against the women's health provider.

Jordan's two page order noted a ruling from the 5th U.S. District Court of Appeals that rejected a similar law in Louisiana, saying "essentially every court to consider similar laws has found that they violate" federal law.

Medicaid is a health insurance program for the poor run jointly by the federal government and individual states.

Planned Parenthood said in its complaint that the law, which went into effect in July, unconstitutionally limited patients' rights to choose the healthcare provider of their choice and would have stopped it from serving low-income patients.

"Yet another court has said it is unacceptable for politicians to dictate where women can go for their health care," Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood will fight for our patients at every turn."

Mississippi's Republican Governor, Phil Bryant, expressed disappointment with the ruling, saying in a statement on Facebook: "I believe the law was the right thing to do and I will continue to stand with the legislature and people of Mississippi who do not want their hard-earned money going to the largest abortion provider in the nation."

Mississippi was among many states adopting new abortion laws as conservatives have sought to chip away at the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

In August, a federal judge prevented Ohio from cutting federal taxpayer funding from 28 Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, setting back the governor's hopes of stopping the women's health services group from providing abortions.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Paris (AFP) - France plans to demolish the so-called "Jungle" camp in Calais, with work set to start next week. Here are five key questions to explain what's at stake:

What is the 'Jungle'?

It's a collection of tents and shelters on a muddy, windswept patch of land near Calais, northern France, that has become a magnet for migrants seeking to cross the Channel to reach Britain.

Various squalid settlements have existed for decades around the gritty town that is home to one of the country's biggest ports and the Channel Tunnel rail link connecting France and Britain.

In 1999, the Sangatte refugee camp run by the Red Cross was set up to manage the flow of migrants, but this was shut down three years later by then interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

The 700 to 800 inhabitants, mainly Afghan migrants, moved to a new location that became known as the "Jungle".

Hundreds of police demolished this site in September 2009 despite protests by anti-globalisation activists and leftist groups.

From April 2015, a new "Jungle" camp emerged as hundreds of thousands of people headed to Europe from the Middle East and Africa in the continent's biggest migrant crisis since World War II.

The population of mainly Afghans, Iraqis, Eritreans and Sudanese has peaked at more than 10,000, according to local charities, but in its final days was believed to be around half that number.

Why Calais?

The camp is near to where thousands of lorries drive on to ferries or trains heading for Britain, just 35 kilometres (22 miles) across the water.

Despite the dangers, desperate migrants try to break into the vehicles and hide. Those with money pay people smugglers to arrange the crossing.

Rather than apply for asylum in France, most have preferred to head to Britain for a variety of reasons.

Some have family networks there, while others are attracted to Britain's reputation as a more economically vibrant country. The English language is also a big draw.

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As the demolition approaches, more and more residents have begun seeking asylum in France, seeing it as the only way to avoid deportation.

How bad is it?

For the migrants, conditions are bleak. Sanitation is limited and illnesses spread easily. Women and children risk sexual violence, while brawls and deadly road accidents are commonplace.

For the local economy, the repeated targeting of trucks has seriously disrupted traffic at the port and Channel tunnel.

Locals complain about the image of their town, and Calais bars and restaurants say their trade has been severely hit. Protesters blocked roads in September to demand the closure of the camp.

The wretched conditions have also drawn criticism from the United Nations and charities, embarrassing the French government.

Why has it caused tension between Britain and France?

In 2003, the two countries signed the so-called Le Touquet accord, which effectively moved Britain's border with France to the French side of the Channel.

Under the agreement, Britain pays millions of euros each year for security in Calais -- the latest investment being a wall along the road leading to the port -- but it is French police and border agents who are on the frontline.

Many French politicians believe London has simply outsourced a problem to France and the agreement should be torn up.

"We cant tolerate what is going on in Calais, the image is disastrous for our country," the centre-right frontrunner for next year's presidential elections, Alain Juppe, said in an interview published this week.

The Socialist government has ruled out scrapping the agreement for now, but there are signs of frustration with Britain.

President Francois Hollande called on the British to "play their part" in September, while Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve reminded London of its "moral duty" to take in children from the camp believed to be numbered in the hundreds.

So is this the end?

In February, authorities razed the southern part of the camp and demanded that migrants living there move to temporary state-funded accommodation. Many refused.

On September 26, Hollande promised the camp would be closed by the end of the year and the government said it would relocate the Jungle migrants to accommodation around the country.

The plan prompted a right-wing mayor in the town of Beziers in southern France to put up posters warning "They're coming", depicting a group of dark-skinned men against the backdrop of the local cathedral.

The bigger question is whether history will repeat itself once the bulldozers have done their work. As one camp is demolished, will another spring up nearby?
Calais (France) (AFP) - The "Jungle" migrant camp on France's northern coast will be cleared of its residents on Monday before being demolished, authorities said Friday.

The local administration "made a legal order Friday that is to take effect on Monday", it said in a statement announcing the long-awaited operation.

Migrants at the camp in the ferry port of Calais will begin boarding 145 buses at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) Monday to take them to nearly 300 temporary accommodation centres dotted round France.

The demolition of the sprawling makeshift camp closes a difficult chapter in Europe's migrant crisis.

The camp has strained relations between France and Britain, the country most of its residents are trying to reach.

On Sunday, officials and charity workers will pass through the settlement of shacks and tents to inform residents that they will have to leave.

The order from the local authorities informing residents that the camp is about to close was displayed from Friday in several languages.

"The aim is to give everyone a roof over their heads and we will do everything we can to make that happen," one official said.

The current Jungle camp dates from April 2015 and housed more than 10,000 migrants at its peak, although that number has dwindled to around 6,400 in its final days.

Migrants were attracted to Calais because it is a key departure point for Britain, where some have family links and many believe they have a better chance of finding work.

Their persistent efforts to climb on to trucks heading across the English Channel aboard ferries or trains have led the authorities to build a wall to keep them off the main road leading to the ferry port.

The Jungle residents are mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea.

For many, the camp embodies the failure of European governments to deal with the influx of migrants.

- Minors await their fate -

Calais residents and businesses have called for months for the camp to be razed.

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But the fate of around 1,000 unaccompanied minors has delayed the camp's closure.

British authorities are allowing those with family links in Britain to settle in the UK.

By the end of the weekend, the week's total number of children transferred to the UK was expected to have reached 200, according to the France Terre d'Asile charity.

The head of the charity, Pierry Henry, told AFP that 73 minors had travelled to Britain on Friday and more than 100 were due to follow on Saturday.

More than 500 have been interviewed by British officials to discover their ages and details of family members in the UK.

The ages of those migrants who have reached the UK has been the subject of a bitter row and sensational headlines there, as some photographs have given rise to claims that adults may be posing as minors to gain entry.

One British MP, David Davies, has called for testing of teeth to determine age, sparking outrage from the medical community.

Authorities in France said the minors remaining in France will not be bussed away from the camp but stay there in more permanent accommodation while their cases are considered.

But even when the Jungle is cleared away, some wonder whether another camp will simply spring up elsewhere.

- 'Disastrous' image of France -

Alain Juppe, the frontrunner to win the right-wing nomination for next year's French presidential election, called Friday for the scrapping of the agreement that extends Britain's border to Calais, effectively allowing the camp to exist.

Juppe said the Jungle gave a "disastrous" image of his country, and that Britain should conduct its evaluations of the migrants on its own soil, not in France.

In the camp this week, the remaining residents appeared resigned to their fate.

Mewagul Daulatzai, 22, from Afghanistan, who runs a small shop, told AFP on Thursday he would be happy to leave.

"Before I liked the Jungle. I had my friends and we were working here. But now it is too dangerous here so I am glad it's over," he said.
By Scott Bransford

PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - A federal court jury completed its first day of deliberations without reaching a verdict on Thursday in the trial of six men and a woman charged with conspiracy for their roles in the armed takeover of a U.S. Wildlife center in Oregon earlier this year.

The 12-member panel was expected to return to U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday to resume deliberations. The trial is dark on Friday.

The jurors are considering weeks of testimony from trial witnesses, some of whom took part in the 41-day siege at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in remote eastern Oregon that began in early January.

The militants' leader, Ammon Bundy, and six followers are charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers through intimidation, threats or force, as well as with possession of firearms in a federal facility and theft of government property.

Each faces up to six years in prison if convicted of conspiracy alone.

The occupiers say they acted out of solidarity for two Oregon ranchers they believed were unfairly punished in an arson case, and to protest their larger grievance against federal control over millions of acres of public land in the West.

Bundy and others, including his brother and co-defendant Ryan Bundy, cast the takeover as a legitimate and patriotic act of civil disobedience.

The government has countered that the defendants engaged in a lawless scheme to seize federal property by armed force.

Prosecutors also argued that defendants' own claims that they sought to confiscate the refuge under an obscure doctrine of property law called "adverse possession" was itself an admission they were conspiring to prevent federal employees from returning to their jobs.

More than two dozen people have been charged in connection with the Malheur takeover, and a second group of defendants are due to stand trial in February.

At the conclusion of their trial in Oregon, the Bundy brothers face assault, conspiracy and other charges stemming from a separate 2014 armed standoff with law enforcement in Nevada at the cattle ranch of their father, Cliven Bundy.

(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by David Gregorio and Leslie Adler)
Keeping Up With the Joneses is the type of movie that makes for a great trailer, or at least a decent one. Chopped up and pieced back together, it's chock full of LOL! and OMG! moments, zingers and pratfalls and explosions and Gal Gadot in her underwear!

It makes for an enjoyable two-and-a-half minutes. It's also the best parts of the movies and that's not a hyperbole: The funniest joke in all of Joneses is when Zach Galifianakis says he is "making a head start" and Isla Fisher cries, "On your wife?!" Watching the trailer gets the gist across and saves you 90 or so minutes.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Keeping Up With the Joneses' Star Zach Galifianakis Reveals His Past Real-Life Spy Mission

20th Century Fox

In truth, there's something clever about the idea of spies moving to the suburbs and being spied on by their neighbor, but in the hands of Greg Mottola (who directed the subversive Suberbad and underrated Adventureland), Joneses plays to the back of the theater, offering up easy jokes that maybe would have gotten a laugh six months ago. Such is the risk you're taking when you try to fit a Caitlyn Jenner joke into your movie. (The Galifianakis character had a "man crush" on Bruce, to which he quips, "She likes to be called Caitlyn!")

The basic plot -- and the plot is basic -- centers on Jeff Gaffney (Galifianakis), who works in HR and has a "Keep Calm and Go to Your Safe Space" poster. He's clueless and pathetic and incompetent(ish). His wife Karen (Fisher) is an interior designer who stress-eats ice cream out of the carton. That's the caricature-ization of the suburbs as a whole in the film, where the men are emasculated and the women are overbearing and everyone is kind of racist.

Har har, the movie repeatedly laughs at itself. Aren't the suburbs stupid?

That is, until Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gadot) move across the street. They're beautiful and well dressed and kiss each other on the lips and probably-- jeepers! -- have sex. They're also secret agents and their mission is to sniff out which employee at Jeff's top-secret tech company is selling secrets to terrorists, thus betraying both country and cul-de-sac.

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RELATED: 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' Review: If You Love Tom Cruise Action Movies, Here's Another One for You!

Hamm once again proves he's suited to play both charmingly suave and utterly goofy, and Gadot is as badass as she was in Batman v Superman and surely will be in Wonder Woman. Fisher, bless her heart, is game for anything and gives her all to the part as it's written. There's also a fun little reveal regarding the film's big bad, who also has the most relatable motivation for his big badness ever. I won't spoil either here.

In the end, Keeping Up With the Joneses is not as sexy as Mr. & Mrs. Smith or as smart as Spy. It's no We're the Millers either, which isn't about spies but exists in the wheelhouse. It's the sitcom version of one of the above, all the interesting edges filed down and fit for a laugh track. It's a good trailer. It's not a great film.

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An intimate, lush green backyard - tucked away in a cozy Beverly Hills neighborhood - was the unlikely location of one of Hollywood's biggest pot parties.

Just off Wilshire Boulevard at her bungalow/atelier, jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche and Spark the Conversation founder Bianca Green hosted a smoke-filled soiree Wednesday (at 4:20 sharp) with one goal in mind: opening a dialogue about weed.

Read more: Dolce & Gabbana Recruits Favorite Millennials for Spring Campaign

Supermodels Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, (both avid Aiche fans, as is legendary weed aficionado Rihanna), as well as Vanessa Hudgens mingled among vape pen vendors and browsed custom Mother denim chambray shirts embroidered with marijuana leaves. But alas, most of the celebs in attendance didn't want their photos taken, pointing to the social stigma that pot still has in the culture - the very topic the event was created to discuss.

Hadid, who arrived with older sister and fellow model Alana Hadid, wore one of the cheeky "High My Name Is" nametags being dispensed at the door, writing in "Jelena", and a pair of round sunglasses which she kept on despite the setting sun. The sisters, surrounded by guests who freely smoked the joints that littered every open surface of the space, enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and reggae music.

Courtesy of Jacquie Aiche

Hudgens, who was also accompanied by her sister, the younger Stella Hudgens, chatted with guests while wearing a crown of marijuana leaves, one of several passed around for photos.

Jenner, on the other hand, made a beeline for the studio (a converted garage) toward the back of the yard, darting through the smoke-filled space in order to check out Aiche's new sweet leaf jewelry collection, including delicate pot leaf-shaped pendants, earrings and more.

The celebration of the new line, which Aiche said was a long time coming, given she's included one or two "sweet leaves" in each of her previous collections through the years, also coincides with Prop 64's placement on the California ballot. On Nov. 8, voters will decide whether or not to make the substance legal for recreational purposes for adults 21 and over. (Medicinal marijuana is currently legal in California; however, it is still illegal under federal law.)

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Read more: Style Notes: Kendall and Gigi Are Humanoids for 'W'; Twitter Reacts to "Bad Hombres" With Hair Puns

"Fashion brings awareness," Aiche told Pret-a-Reporter. "It's a sense of personal freedom, it's how somebody feels when they're wearing the sweet leaf on a shirt and they're walking down the street - maybe someone gives them a wink. It's an underground community."

The nature of the "underground" community, is one of the reasons Green founded the Spark the Conversation movement. "My involvement really came from being a patient advocate, and also doing everything I could to change the social stigma of cannabis and people who use it," she said, noting that she is a regular user of medicinal marijuana to treat a spinal cord injury.

Green has subsequently worked with several celebrity weed advocates, including Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, in order to encourage others to step out of the "green closet," and help non-smokers understand not everyone who partakes in cannabis is necessarily the cliche, unproductive "stoner."

Read more: Whoopi Goldberg, Melissa Etheridge and 8 More Celebrity Ganjapreneurs

"I had a good network from my prior career which was in modeling, music, film and fashion, but I was able to do a crossover with some of my celebrity friends and bring them into the fold," said Green of growing the movement and becoming involved with Aiche, whom she met five years ago.

For Aiche, fashion has been a crucial tool for opening the door to conversation. "Especially for women in my culture and in my community, it was a way to come out," she said of wearing exotic skins and high-end jewels emblazoned with leaves to show their support of cannabis use, rather than carrying tired Bic lighters or tacky trucker hats. "Look, we're not Deadheads. We work full time jobs. We still find a way to enjoy our cannabis - and not abuse it."

Courtesy of Jacquie Aiche

Scout Durwood and Jessica Roth, stars of the Snoop Dogg-produced MTV pot comedy Mary + Jane, also chimed in about how Hollywood can work to break the stigma as well. "There are a lot of women involved in the cannabis business, so the girl power aspect feels really good," said Durwood.

The show's writer, Deborah Kaplan, added, "We're also talking about millennials and female entrepreneurs, and that spirit of the new frontier. There's no glass ceiling in place here." She added with a smile, "There's no grass ceiling."

"Getting out information is a good thing," added Durwood. "Especially in a nation that otherwise functions in relative gridlock, it's pretty sweet."
The father of a Muslim-American Army captain who died in Iraq is speaking out against Donald Trump in a new Hillary Clinton campaign ad.

In the 60-second spot, Khizr Khan tells the story of his son Humayun, who was killed in 2004, before tearfully asking the Republican nominee, Would my son have a place in your America?

Khan made headlines when he gave an impassioned speech about his son at the Democratic National Convention in July, condemning Trump for his rhetoric on Muslim immigration. Trump responded by attacking Khan, and the two traded sharp criticisms in the media.

In August, Khan said that he felt sad for Republicans who support Trump. It is so sad that this candidate [Donald Trump] is putting through our leadersthat they have to give these kind of statements, they have to clarify their positions, explain his thoughtlessness, his compass-less, his total lack of empathy, Khan told TIME.
ODELL -- In downtown Odell, on the same block of Main Street, one can mail a letter, make a bank deposit, get a haircut, eat lunch and pick up a gallon of milk.

It's similar to other Nebraska towns with a few hundred residents. But as decades pass, small-town markets are disappearing. It's a fate Odell community members refused to let happen.

When previous Odell Market owners Perry and Sharon Gydesen announced this summer plans to retire with no prospective new owners lined up, community members pulled together to save the town's only grocery store and coffee hangout.

Odell Market is now owned by 85 community shareholders.

"I'm glad to be retired, but I'm really glad that the store is continuing," Sharon Gydesen said. "That was a big concern for me."

Her absence is the most noticeable change at Odell Market since the paperwork went through several weeks ago. The store still opens at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed Sunday. Its adjoining room is still a daily gathering place for coffee drinkers.

"It's still a place where people can get a snack or come get all of their groceries and see familiar faces and chat," Gydesen said. "To lose a business in a small town is just too hard. And it's in an important part of the community."

Gydesen said a group of about eight to 10 regulars gather in the mornings for coffee in the grocery store's adjacent room. Another five or six show up in the afternoon.

These folks didn't want the store to close. Elderly folks who get their groceries from (and in some cases delivered by) Odell Market didn't want the store to close. Nor did manager Cathy Bures, who has worked there for 30 years, including when her parents were the owners.

In the first community meeting in June focused on the future of the market, seven joint owners of a Summerfield, Kansas, grocery store explained how they operate and gave potential shareholders of Odell Market ideas for a similar operation.

That same month, Odell community members began the arduous process of forming a cooperative to save the grocery store.

"I was kind of surprised by the amount of people who stepped up to try to keep it around," Bures said.

Bures said there were many long and tedious meetings.

"The money took a while to come in, but people started jumping on the bandwagon," she said

Bures said the shareholders are split into sub groups with separate responsibilities and one core group oversees the store. They plan to meet quarterly and have ideas for updating the store, which she said will be revisited next year.
Nearly four months after he first spoke out against Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan is taking on the GOP nominee yet again.

In a new ad released by Hillary Clintons campaign Friday, the Pakistani-born lawyer and Gold Star father describes the 2004 suicide bombing that killed his son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was serving in Iraq in 2004.

My son moved forward to stop the bomber, Khan says in the commercial. He saved everyone in his unit.

The video cuts from shots of Khan looking somberly through photographs of his son to a clip of Trump at a campaign rally and then back to Khan, comforting his wife, Ghazala, as they watch footage of their sons burial at Arlington Cemetery on a small TV.

Audibly choking back tears, Khans voice quivers as he says, I want to ask Mr. Trump, would my son have a place in your America?

The question was a clear reference to Trumps ardently anti-Muslim policy proposals, including his calls for a temporary ban on Muslim travel to the U.S., profiling of American Muslims and increased surveillance of mosques.

But its also the latest move in an ongoing feud between the Muslim-American Khan family and Trump, who lashed out after Khizr Khan spoke at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. In his speech there, Khan questioned the Republican nominees understanding of the U.S. Constitution and accused him of having sacrificed nothing for his country.

In response, Trump suggested that Ghazala, who stood silently onstage next to her husband, might have actually been forbidden from speaking at the convention. (Ghazala clarified in a Washington Post op-ed that shed actually been in too much pain to speak.)

Despite the expressed disapproval of prominent Republicans like Rep. John McCain and even one of his closest allies, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trump has continued to trade barbs with the Khans.

Trump made his latest attack earlier this month, when he suggested during the second presidential debate that, if he were president in 2004, Capt. Humayun Khan would still be alive today because I would not have had our people in Iraq.

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In a recent interview with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric, Khizr Khan called Trumps comments at the debate disingenuous, self-serving, and further proof of Trumps inability to lead this country.

To suggest that their son would still be alive if Trump had been in charge is the worst thing that you can say to a parent about their children, Khan said, adding, This what you never say to somebody who has lost their loved one.

Khans appearance in the new Clinton ad came just days after Trumps campaign released an emotional advertisement of its own featuring Laura Wilkerson, whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant.
From Harper's BAZAAR

After news broke of Kim Kardashian being robbed at gunpoint early this month, suspicions arose that she was an easy target because of how much she shared about her life-and wealth-on social media. Even her good friend Karl Lagerfeld weighed in, "You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you."

Kim went silent on social media in the week following the attack, but Khloe Kardashian her sister isn't to blame for the traumatic experience.

"Pulling back on social media I think is a personal choice," she told the Associated Press on Tuesday. "No matter what you post or don't post. [...] That shouldn't give someone a reason to feel like they could do anything like that to you."

"But we definitely are just being more aware and I think just making changes to our lives," the younger Kardashian added. She recently told Ellen DeGeneres that the robbery was a "wake up call" for the whole family "to make a lot of life adjustments."

Khloe revealed that Kim is "she's not doing that well" after the "traumatic" robbery. Her assistant Stephanie Shepard carried a similar message when she posted on Kim's website yesterday. She wrote: "Keeks is taking some much needed time off."

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Kim Kardashian in New York City in September, weeks before the robbery. (Photo: Alo Ceballos/GC Images)

Kim Kardashians preparing to drop the legal hammer on a writer who published a story claiming the Paris robbery was a total sham  purley cooked up for publicity.

The letter demands Sharika Soal  a contributor to The Huffington Post  publish a retraction and an apology for her Oct. 8th post which quoted Kim as saying her ordeal was a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong.

Kim says that quote is a fabrication, and her lawyers point out that quote was actually pulled from a satirical website  a clear shot at Soals journalistic skills.

Soal tells TMZ its impossible for her to give Kim what she wants because HuffPo has blocked her out of her account, so she cant post the retraction. She says shes explained her dilemma to Kims lawyers.

Weve reached out HuffPo reps, who say Kims beef is with Soal and not them. They also say they pulled the story  which was self-published by Soal  when editors saw it violated terms.

Sharika added  shes got nothing and if Kim sues, thats all shell get.

For more Keeping Up With the Kardashians videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS.
Kim Kardashian West doesn't appear to be going all out this year for her birthday.

The reality star turns 36 on Friday -- just weeks after she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris -- and while she typically hosts a highly publicized party, ET confirmed earlier this month that she canceled a Las Vegas appearance she was to do exactly a week after her birthday. "Given recent circumstances, Kim Kardashian will be unable to make her previously scheduled appearance at Hakkasan Las Vegas Nightclub on Friday, Oct. 28," a spokesperson for the establishment said in a statement.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian's Concierge During Paris Robbery Speaks Out, Claims Hotel Had 'No Real Security'

Getty Images

Getty Images

ET has been with Kim for several of her Vegas parties, including when she turned 30 and celebrated at TAO. "I feel well accomplished and I feel very blessed," she said at the time. "And I don't feel 30 but I'm a little freaked out."

Getty Images

She also admitted to feeling the "pressure" to become a mother. Little did she know that years later she'd be married to Kanye West and have two children, daughter North and son Saint. "It will happen when it's meant to be. It'll happen. I'm convinced," a hopeful 30-year-old Kim said. "That's something that I definitely want but when the time is right and I meet the right guy and I get married, it'll happen then."

WATCH: Kourtney Kardashian Accused of 'Blanking' Anchor's Question About Kim's Robbery

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ET was also with Kim for her 33rd birthday, which was just four months after she gave birth to North and on the heels of her saying yes to Kanye's surprise marriage proposal. "I woke up the next morning, and was thinking to myself, I look down at my hand, and I thought, 'OK, that wasn't a dream, this really did happen," she exclaimed.

Getty Images

Getty Images

In 2014, five months after she married the 39-year-old rapper, Kim seemed quite content with her life at 34. "I don't need anything for my birthday and I never thought I would say that," she told ET. "Just a day with my daughter and spending that alone time in Hawaii with my husband. That's all I really need."

While Kim has enjoyed partying in Vegas in the past, a source told ET last week that the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's "schedule has been indefinitely canceled or postponed" after she was robbed of nearly $10 million worth of jewelry. "Kim is not ready to start talking about returning to work, the source added. "At this time, she is still wanting to take time off to be at home with her kids and her family."

MORE: Kanye West Goes on Concert Rant Against Jay Z Over Kim Kardashian's Paris Robbery, 'Apple/Tidal Bulls**t'

Kim has yet to speak to the press about the robbery, but her family has spoken out in regard to the terrifying incident. "I mean, definitely it's been an incredibly traumatic experience for Kim and she's definitely taking some well needed and much deserved time off," Khloe Kardashian told the Associated Press on Tuesday. "I think it's just a wake-up call for everybody. ... But we definitely are just being more aware, and I think just making changes to our lives that I think at the end of the day, are positive changes."

EXCLUSIVE: Kim Kardashian's Robbery Was a 'Major Reality Check'

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Kim Kardashian West is being showered with love on her birthday!

The Keeping Up With the Kardashian star turned 36 on Friday, and while she remains silent on social media in the wake of her Paris robbery earlier this month, her sisters are sharing sweet birthday messages across the 'net.

RELATED: Kris Jenner Shares Rarely Seen Flashback Photos of Kim for Her 36th Birthday

Kylie Jenner kicked off Kim's birthday with a special "b-day tribute to the ultimate kween" via her app, showing off some of their "twinning" moments.

"Happy birthday to my cool, hot, smart sister  Kim!" wrote Kylie. "I love you very much and am so grateful to have you as a role model!"

The teen also shared a throwback pic of Kim on Instagram with the caption, "Happy Birthday Kimberly. I love you sister."

Happy Birthday Kimberly  I love you sister  A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Oct 21, 2016 at 9:22am PDT

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Says She Owes 'Career to Social Media,' Can Handle Lack of Privacy in Pre-Robbery Interview

Kendall Jenner published a post titled "HBD Keeks" (which is Kim's nickname) on her app, along with a bunch of snapshots of the two of them over the years.

"Happy birthday, Kim!! I'm lucky to call you my sister," Kendall wrote . "You're such a smart, talented, driven and kind person. You've taught me so much and you'll always be such an inspiration to me. I love you and hope you have the best day!"

The 20-year-old model sent another birthday shout-out by Instagramming a childhood pic of her and Kylie posing with Kim.

 A photo posted by Kendall (@kendalljenner) on Oct 21, 2016 at 9:06am PDT

PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian Makes the Trends: See Her Favorite Styles!

Khloe Kardashian paid tribute to her "amazing, smart, beautiful sister" on her app with a video celebration of Kim's hottest looks.

"Happy birthday@KimKardashian!!!," Khloe tweeted with a link to the clip. "I hope this video puts a smile on your face."

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The reality star's sisters weren't the only family members sharing birthday posts. Caitlyn Jenner Instagrammed a selfie of her and Kim, captioned, "Happy birthday Kim! Love you."

Happy birthday Kim! Love you  A photo posted by Caitlyn Jenner (@caitlynjenner) on Oct 21, 2016 at 12:11pm PDT

But a flashback video of Kim's second birthday party, takes the cake for the most adorable tribute yet.

The precious video was posted to her app on Friday, and shows a Kim as a toddler enjoying her all-pink birthday party along with Kourtney Kardashian, who was four at the time.

Kim's late father, Robert Kardashian, captured the footage.

MORE: Kim Kardashian Spotted for the First Time in Los Angeles Since Paris Burglary

While Kim doesn't appear to be having a major celebration this year, take a look back at some of her most amazing birthday parties in the video below.

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The Knocks are pushing boundaries and catapulting us into the future with the release of their new track "Heat" feat. Sam Nelson Harris which Billboard is premiering exclusively today (Oct. 21).

"Heat" is an innovative, electronic burner with a sultry, R&B sound that will keep your head bopping and finger on the "play" button. The track is off of their forthcoming project off the heels of their triumphant debut album "55," that was released in March.

On working with Harris, the duo said, "We have known Sam for a long time, and every time we send him a track he delivers. This is now the fourth song we have worked on together that's been released." Harris certainly brings a unique energy to the track that effortlessly helps to blur genre lines, something The Knocks are known for doing with their collaborations ranging from Cam'ron to Walk The Moon.

The NYC electronic duo is certainly staying busy. In addition to working on new music, B-Roc and JPatt are also supporting Justin Bieber on the European leg of his Purpose Tour.

Check out tour dates and feel the "Heat" below.

Oct. 23 -- Manchester Arena @ Manchester, United Kingdom*

Oct. 24 -- Genting Arena @ Birmingham, United Kingdom*

Oct. 26 -- Sheffield Arena @ Sheffield, United Kingdom*

Oct. 27 -- The Sse Hydro @ Glasgow, United Kingdom*

Oct. 29 -- The Sse Hydro @ Glasgow, United Kingdom*

Oct. 30 -- The Sse Hydro @ Glasgow, United Kingdom*

Nov. 1 -- 3arena @ Dublin, Ireland*

Nov. 2 -- 3arena @ Dublin, Ireland*

Nov. 8 -- Stadthalle @ Vienna, Austria*

Nov. 9 -- Arena Zagreb @ Zagreb, Croatia*

Nov. 11 -- Tauron Arena @ Krakow, Poland*

Nov. 12 -- O2 Arena @ Prague, Czech Republic*

Nov. 14 -- Barclaycard Arena @ Hamburg, Germany*

Nov. 16 -- Festhalle @ Frankfurt, Germany*

Nov. 17 -- Hallenstadion @ Zurich, Switzerland*

Nov. 19 -- Unipol Arena @ Casalecchio Di Reno, Italy*

Nov. 20 -- Unipol Arena @ Casalecchio Di Reno, Italy*

Nov. 22 -- Palau Sant Jordi @ Barcelona, Spain*

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Nov. 23 -- Barclaycard Arena Madrid, Spain*

Nov. 25 -- Meo Arena @ Lisbon, Portugal*

Nov. 28 -- The O2 @ London, United Kingdom*

Nov. 29 -- The O2 @ London, United Kingdom*

Dec. 29-31 -- Snowglobe Music Festival @ South Lake Tahoe, Ca

*Supporting Justin Bieber
Kris Jenner is celebrating her daughter Kim Kardashian West's big day by sharing a few priceless photos with fans.

Kim turned 36 on Friday, and though the reality superstar has remained silent since her traumatizing robbery in Paris, her mother took to Instagram to wish her a happy birthday.

"Happy Birthday to my precious Kimberly," Kris wrote alongside four adorable childhood pics of Kim. "@kimkardashian I love and adore you... you have brought so much joy into all of our lives and you are the most wonderful daughter, wife, sister, friend and mom. I thank God every day he blessed me with you and I cherish every single moment and memory. My heart is full of gratitude and I love you more than you will ever imagine or know... Mommy xo."

Happy Birthday to my precious Kimberly! @kimkardashian I love and adore you... you have brought so much joy into all of our lives and you are the most wonderful daughter, wife, sister, friend and mom. I thank God every day he blessed me with you and I cherish every single moment and memory. My heart is full of gratitude and I love you more than you will ever imagine or know... Mommy xo A photo posted by Kris Jenner (@krisjenner) on Oct 21, 2016 at 6:51am PDT

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Quietly Turns 36 -- A Look Back at Her Blowout Birthday Parties

Kim's childhood best friend, Allison Statter, also took to Kim's official app to share throwback photos of when Kim turned 16 years old and received a white BMW.

"It's hard to believe that 20 years ago, Kim and I were turning 16 and learning how to drive," Statter wrote. "Kim didn't think she was getting a car because her dad had convinced her she didn't need her own car at 16, so when Kim walked outside after lunch to her new white BMW in the parking lot, she was SO surprised!!!"

KimKardashian.com

KimKardashian.com

"As Kim and I have grown up together and gone through some life milestones -- like getting our first jobs, moving into our first apartments, getting married and having babies -- it's nice to look back at all of our memories together," she added. "Her 16th birthday will always be a special memory because it was at a time in our lives where we didn't have as much responsibility."

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This year definitely marks a change for Kim, as she's been known to go big on her birthday in the past. ET also confirmed earlier this month that she canceled a Las Vegas appearance at Hakkasan she was scheduled to do on Oct. 28, exactly a week after her birthday.

"Kim is still very shaken up about the entire situation" and "doesn't feel ready to talk about it," a source close to the mother of two told ET last week.

"Right now, she's still focused on trying to feel better about the whole situation," the source added. "Kim is at home with [her kids] North and Saint in Los Angeles. Her mom and sisters visit her regularly. They're being great and supporting her in every way they can."

WATCH: Kris Jenner Was in Tears Over Kim Kardashian Helping Caitlyn Jenner: 'I'm Feeling Abandoned'

Though apparently, Kim's scary incident has also affected her husband Kanye West's personal relationships. The rapper went on a rant against his close friend, Jay Z, during his concert in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday night, slamming Hov for not visiting him in person after Kim's robbery.

"Don't call me after the robbery, and say, 'How you feelin'?' You wanna know how I'm feeling? Come by the house," West said. "Bring the kids by the house, like we're brothers."

Watch below:

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Lady Gaga plunged into the deep end of her new album, Joanne, and called on support from Mark Ronson as her Dive Bar Tour visited New York on Thursday night (Oct. 20).

Gaga and her band performed six new songs, including the sombre title track, penned for her late aunt, and "Grigio Girls," written for her friend Sonja Dunham who has stage-four cancer and was in the crowd for the show.

The pop superstar wore a see-through shirt emblazoned with the tour sponsor Bud Light logo as her band filled it up at the Bitter End, a venue she has frequented since her teens. "I've been playing here since I was 15 years old. We all miss Kenny (Gorka, the former owner who died March 2015 aged 68)," Gaga said. "This is where I started."

Gaga was in a particularly chatty mood for the Facebook Live Webcast as she opened with "Diamond Heart", then introduced to the stage someone she "really, really wanted to work with", the uber-producer Ronson.

Ronson, who co-wrote and produced a handful of works on the new album, joined the band on guitar for renditions of "A-Yo" and "Joanne," which Gaga introduced with an emotional account of her aunt's struggles and death, and the profound impact the loss had on her family.

It was Ronson who helped Gaga share the personal story in song, she explained. "He really lifted me high and showed me dignity." Gaga dedicated the song to her father, Joe, and gave a mid-song shout-out, "I love you dad."

Gaga was just getting started with her Little Monsters' emotions. She shared the story of Dunham's cancer battle and told how she and Nashville native Hillary Lindsey wrote the song "Grigio Girls" to help her friends "cry it out". Gaga gave her pal a cuddle as she dedicated the number to folks around the world to "not be afraid of deep things" or suffer in silence.

Up next: "Million Reasons," a song Gaga and Co. performed on the first stop of the intimate Dive Bar series earlier this month. Then Ronson returned to the stage as Gaga finished the set on an upbeat, brassy note with "Just Another Day."

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Gaga's mini-set should build the buzz for Joanne, which is out Friday (Oct. 21) and features a duet with Florence + the Machine's Florence Welch and production work from the likes of Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Beck, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala and Ronson.

The three-date Dive Bar Tour wraps Oct. 27 at an unspecified location.

Lady Gaga's "Dive Bar" setlist at Bitter End, New York, Oct. 20

Diamond Heart

A-YO

Joanne

Grigio Girls

Million Reasons

Just Another Day
NEBRASKA CITY  A convicted sex offender has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl less than a year after he left a Nebraska prison.

Online court records say 23-year-old Nebraska City resident Preston Boehnke pleaded guilty Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors. A second count was dropped in exchange for Boehnke's plea. A sex offender specific psychological evaluation will be completed before his sentencing, which is scheduled for Jan. 10.

Boehnke was sentenced in 2013 to three to five years in prison for possession of child pornography. He was released from custody in July 2015. Court records say the sex assault occurred April 1 this year.
Brussels (AFP) - The European Commission's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Friday that the official language of talks with Britain had yet to be decided, denying reports he had insisted they be in his native French.

"Never expressed myself on negotiation language," Barnier, a former French agriculture minister and France's one-time European Commissioner, said on Twitter.

"Work as often in EN (English) as FR (French). Linguistic regime to be set at start -- to be agreed btw (between) negotiators."

Asked whether the negotiations would be in French, British Prime Minister Theresa May told a news conference after a summit in Brussels: "We will conduct the negotiations in the way that will ensure we get the right deal for the UK."

A British official told AFP they were not aware of any such request by Barnier, who took up his post at the start of October.

Barnier's appointment by Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker in July was dubbed a "declaration of war" by British media while he remains loathed in the City of London for taking on the banking sector while he was financial services commissioner.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be nothing unusual in European officials being allowed to use their mother tongue during talks.

"If I am well informed, everybody here is allowed to speak his language. And since Mr Barnier is a French citizen, it's not unnatural that he speaks French, the way I speak German," she said.

Barnier, Brussels and London have all previously played down talk of bad blood over his time as commissioner and he insists he can reach a "win-win agreement" for Brexit.

"I was called the most dangerous man in Europe, and (yet) finally we succeeded to build a clever global financial regulation agenda, with the UK on board," Barnier said in September.
From ELLE

No longer allowed to roam the stage or freely float across territories of personal angst, Donald Trump appeared less qualified to assume the mantle of the presidency than Democrat Hillary Clinton last night. At one point during the foreign policy portion of the debate, he even admitted, "you have more experience than me. It is just bad experience." Trump went on to argue against Clinton's effectiveness as a world leader.

But let's be honest, this campaign hasn't really been about qualifications. Or experience. For months, the core argument has been about inherent fitness. Chris Wallace dedicated an entire section of the debate to asking both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton if they were fit to be president given their most prominent scandals.

I disagree with Donald Trump on every substantive public policy matter. I find his comments about women, Mexican immigrants, and Muslims repugnant. I dislike his personal style and I don't want to see him represent the United States on the world stage or spend the next four years listening to him speak from Oval Office. There are many voters who feel precisely the same way about Hillary Clinton. They disagree on substance, find her deeply dishonest, cringe when thinking of her representing our nation, and have considered property in Canada rather than listen to four years of her State of the Union addresses. They fear a Supreme Court with her appointees as much as many progressives shudder at the idea of Trump's court. The fact that many voters have a viscerally negative reaction to one candidate doesn't makes either candidate unfit to be president. It is hardly even remarkable in the history of presidential elections.

I am weary of this language of "fitness" or "unfitness," deployed most vehemently by Trump's opponents, who have repeatedly slipped from policy discussions and instead argue about personal attributes. It is dangerous and disingenuous.

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It is dangerous because it leads to simplistic forgetfulness about our collective history. No racist is fit to be president! Really? Nearly every president in America's early history openly held egregious beliefs about black people and many owned slaves.Even in the modern era, both political parties have used code words, Southern strategies, and purposeful racial strategies to win elections. Men guilty of dishonesty, sexism, racism, and horrifying acts of bad character have occupied the Oval Office. Some have even been very good presidents.

There is nothing wrong with seeking an inspiring candidate or holding up our articulated ideals as aspirations to which we should collectively strive. It is troubling to engage in purposive amnesia, wiping away collective sins by allowing one individual candidate to bear them all as character flaws.

Last night Hillary Clinton said, "America is great because America is good." Not really. America is great because America pursues good. Many of us would argue we have not yet achieved it.

Yes I hate it when Trump sneers "nasty woman," at Hillary as she attempts to make her point. But can we pause to acknowledge Trump's opponents have argued he is stupid, selfish, corrupt, racist, predatory, and even subhuman. Whatever you think of his policies, he is still a human. His opponents don't deprecate him on stage while he is talking, but they do it, on a near daily basis. The effect of this on American political discourse is pernicious, reducing the race to the White House to grade school name-calling.

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Laurie Hernandez just got real about how hard Dancing with the Stars really is

As soon as we heard that Laurie Hernandez (aka the sassiest member of the Final Five) was joining Dancing with the Stars, we knew this season was gonna be competitive.

And in a blog post for Us, Hernandez let us know that she wasnt expecting DWTS to be as hard as it is. Of course, we know the work has been paying off, since she earned a perfect score and shared amazing rehearsal photos that chart her progress with partner Val Chmerkovskiy. But its great to see Hernandez talking honestly about her journey  nothing feels sugarcoated, and we respect that so much.

Coming into Dancing With the Stars, I thought it would be a lot easier. I didnt think it would be just a breeze, I knew it would be difficult, but I wasnt expecting it to be this hard. Its really hard to stay patient with myself and realize this is a whole different world than gymnastics.

What a great reminder that nobody is superhuman  not even Olympic athletes. Hernandez also talked about what it was like receiving advice and criticism from the judges every week.

The judges criticism is helpful, but at the same time, each week is a different dance so I cant always apply their advice. Its interesting that theyre telling me theyre judging me like a pro, because I want to say, Im not a professional dancer, but OK! If you want to judge that hard, you can!

All dolled up and ready for tonight! #DuckTales #DWTS A photo posted by Laurie Hernandez (@lauriehernandez_) on Sep 19, 2016 at 4:23pm PDT

As always, her signature good attitude was ever-present.

But its all good. And its nice that they think I can live up to their expectations and dance at the high level that they want me to.

:)) A photo posted by Laurie Hernandez (@lauriehernandez_) on Oct 5, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT

She also mentioned wanting to take a vacation to Greece or Mexico with her family after DWTS is over, and we think that would be incredibly well-deserved. Shes worked ridiculously hard and pushed herself in every direction (literally and figuratively), so shes earned it!

Keep on inspiring us, Laurie!

The post Laurie Hernandez just got real about how hard Dancing with the Stars really is appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Rodger Gerberding, it could be said, is an art historian who specializes in his own work. As I sat and talked with him at the Coffee House in Lincoln, Gerberding coolly analyzed his own work, his motifs and styles and ideas, discussing and breaking it down  with reference to artists he admires, periods of his life when the art was produced and interpretations offered by his wife.

To our interview, he brought with him books and literary journals he had illustrated, some pieces on wood he had painted, a sketchbook and other examples of his long career. Splayed across the table, his work  which I photographed as it lay  formed a startlingly abundant and varied amount of material.

"I remain prolific," he told me, smiling. This is despite retirement from his day job, where he worked at the Community Alliance in Omaha, teaching art, writing and drama. His students were adults dealing with disabilities and/or mental illness, and the experience clearly deepened and enriched Gerberding's outlook, as he assisted them "in expressing that world." He added: "I consider myself blessed."

While working full time, Gerberding spent another 40 hours a week on his own art, including painting, acting in stage and film, and publishing poetry. His book illustrations were what first drew me to interview him. He became a professional illustrator in a "very serendipitous" fashion while living in Chicago. Over his career, he has illustrated more than 70 books, many in collectors editions, including fiction by early fantasy great Fritz Leiber.

A magazine illustration, if its well done, still has much value as a gallery piece, Gerberding said. Yet theres still that animus that is held against artists who illustrate as opposed to simply paint.

Gerberding's numerous illustrations in "Colossus" by Donald Wandrei  each of which took 15 to 20 hours, pen drawings in pointillist dots of ink  are masterful, the detail rich and foreboding. Equally interesting (especially for this writer) are the many literary journal covers he produced, and the illustrations for "Come Now," his book of poems.

Gerberding also showed me a painting, on wood, he had done: "Series 1." One can easily see, perhaps, the influence of his past illustrations for fantasy and sci-fi works. "Series 1" is a series of images  most prominently among them, two wraithlike faces of a woman, which could also fit in a book of Greek mythology. The two faces could be her two states, even one the image of her soul, while the other her outward appearance in the world. Or two different women altogether.

Gerberding himself, if he is reading these words now, is probably thinking about something else he told me: about humans' necessity of telling a story when looking at art, and yet how he himself describes much of his own work as "anti-narrative." That latter description may explain some of the tension that seems to follow each line or brushstroke.

For me, the fun lies in telling the story, in finding its thread in a portrait, photo or drawing, and following where it leads. "Series 1," along with the rest of Gerberding's work  and you can see some of it at Noyes Gallery in Lincoln, where he is a grateful co-op member  evinces a dark story. On that, at least, the artist himself would probably agree.

Always there will be a certain darkness in my work, he said, noting he identified with Andrew Wyeth more than Norman Rockwell, for example, because of that undercurrent of shadow that pervaded Wyeth's work. Gerberding said he has received the most interesting response to his art from the young and the geriatric: they are the ones who seem best able to confront the darkness in it, while the rest seem more reluctant to engage in art  such as nudes  they may find uncomfortable.

But, as Gerberding himself told me, that uncomfortableness is essential to producing something meaningful and important, and it's a quality instantly recognizable in anything he produces.

It is a necessity of art," he said. "It is meant to create strong emotions. Meant to assist you in tapping into thoughts, feelings that you may keep really tamped up.

Throughout our interview, the only thing Gerberding left out from his own analysis of his work was a judgment on its quality.

Its not up to me to say whats good and bad about my work," he said.

So how about I give that a try? A lot of it, his illustrations and "Series 1," especially, are quite good indeed.
DOUALA (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and others were injured when a packed passenger train travelling between Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, and the port city of Douala derailed and overturned on Friday, witnesses said. "There are many injured. We are still in the phase of evaluating the situation. We cannot give even a provisional toll," said an official for national rail company Camrail, who asked not to be named. (Reporting by Anne-Mireille Nzouankeu; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Larry King)
The two Somali boys had trekked for months together on their hair-raising journey to Europe, sleeping side by side in Sudan, Libya, on a packed boat on the Mediterranean and in camps in Italy and France. Then earlier this week, government officials plucked one of the two teenagers from the ramshackle refugee camp in Calais known as the Jungle in northern France and bused him across the English Channel. He was taken to what had long been the boys Promised Land: Britain. His friend was left behind in France, left to grapple alone with his uncertain future.

Read More: What to Know About the Controversy Over Child Refugees Arriving in the U.K.

These so-called left-behinds, as the relief workers in Calais refugee camp call the youth still hunkered down in tents in the Jungle, have deepened the anxiety and tension roiling the camp, according to aid volunteers speaking to TIME on Friday, as French officials prepare to demolish the settlement forever, perhaps as soon as Monday.

After months of squabbling between the British and French officials over which country holds responsibility for the refugees hunkered down in Calais, both governments are now scrambling to shut the Jungle, leaving the fate of the camps 1,000 or so youth younger than 18children under the lawin legal limbo. French officials say police will begin clearing the camp on Monday morning, first registering all 3,000 or so residents, before transferring the adults to small refugee centers across France, while housing the unaccompanied minors in temporary containers in Calais. After that, their asylum claims will wind their way through the bureaucratic labyrinth that could take years to navigate.

Read More: Hungarys Mistreatment of Refugees Today Ignores History

So far about 50 children have landed in Britain from Calais over the past week, after officials concluded they were eligible for settlement in the U.K. under the E.U.s immigration laws because they have a sibling, parent or an aunt or uncle in the U.K. Their arrival in Britain has been met with relief from refugee organizations, but also fury from some Britons who accuse the youth of gaming the system, by pretending to be younger than they really are. It can be hard to tellthe great majority of unaccompanied minors, who hail largely from Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia, have arrived in Europe without a single identity document.

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About 400 of the children camped in the Calais Jungle claim that they too have close relatives in Britain, but have not yet been able to prove their case. Left behind without the tenuous support system of friends that has been built in the Jungle, they have grown deeply anxious over where they will end upand increasingly so, as the camps residents have begun scattering in advance of the demolition.

There is a massive increase of people going off, leaving the camp, says Malcolm Astell, a British educator who has worked as a volunteer teacher in the Jungle since early September, and who recounted the story of the two Somali boys. (TIME could not independently verify their tale.) The big problem now is the left-behinds,' he says. They all hope they will be the next ones on the next bus.

As Britain has opened the door to some child refugees, however, others find themselves separated from the closest people in their lives. To the Somali teenager in Calais, he says, his friends departure brought overwhelming sadness. This lad was his only friend, then hes suddenly whisked off to England, and he is left here alone, Astell says. I cannot imagine it.

Making matters worse, volunteers have in recent days shut many of their activities in the Jungle, including the English and French lessons in Astells makeshift Jungle Books classrooms on the edge of the tent camp. These services have provided a crucial sense of normality amid the chaos, but have become difficult to maintain while residents and volunteers are preparing for a mass demolition. We decided it was more urgent to get basic supplies to people, so that when they move form here, they have got winter clothes, boots, coats, says Astell, who spoke from an aid organizations warehouse, where he was collecting items for refugees.

With the end of the Jungle drawing near, the atmosphere in the camp is one of near panic, according to volunteers, with refugees scheming secretly how to escape the French authorities, or where to find alternative routes to Britainmany of them dangerous. Tensions are running really high, Alexandra Simmons, a field worker volunteering with the French refugee organization lAuberge des Migrants, said on Friday. There are fewer people in the camp, and no one is sharing information about where they are going.

The fear among many refugees is that once French officials fingerprint them and register their names, they could be rejected for transfer to the U.K. if they cannot prove they have relatives there, and might also be rejected for asylum in France, if they cannot show a rightful claim. In addition, officials might conclude that some of those who claim to be under 18 are really adults, and so are not automatically entitled to government care.

In fact, although both France and Britain have vowed to shut the Jungle permanently, many working with the refugees in Calais say that is unrealistic, especially since people have camped around the port city for at least 15 years, well before the refugee crisis gathered strength, in an attempt to sneak across the Channel.

After months of political wrangling over the Calais refugees, many youth had simply given up all hope in the legal asylum process, as TIME reported last month. One 15-year-old Eritrean in that story, who we named Aron, had tried sneaking across the Channel hundreds of times during his 11-month stay in the Jungleand finally made it across to Britain, smuggling aboard a truck earlier this month. So long as success stories like that filter back to the left-behinds in the Jungle, Calais will draw those attempting to reach Britain.

Aid groups expect that many of the refugees will resist being transferred to centers around France, since they are determined to go to Britain. So while the French governmentwhich faces a tough reelection battle next Springhas said it is determined to permanently shut the refugee camp. No one imagines that this is going to change the geography of this area, says Norbert Clement, a lawyer in Calais working on refugee claims. To imagine that no refugees will come to Calais again is a fairy tale.
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He owes him! Leonardo DiCaprio nearly died during a 2010 water expedition in the Galapagos, but survived thanks to fellow actor and pal Ed Norton.

Film director Fisher Stevens, who worked with DiCaprio, 41, on the new documentary Before the Flood, opened up about the scary incident in a new interview with GQ magazine.

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"I was filming [oceanographer] Sylvia [Earle] and I had this little easy camera to shoot underwater, and he was Sylvia's diving buddy, so I said, 'Would you film Sylvia?' And he said, 'Yeah, I love it, man, I love it,'" Stevens, 52, recalled.

"I was diving buddies with Edward Norton. So we go down and we see 300 Eagle Rays and Spotted Rays and it was an amazing dive," he continued. "Leo bolts away with Sylvia, and Edward goes in front of me, and the next thing I know after 20 minutes, I'd lost them all. Then, I see Leo barely breathing, because Leo's tank was leaking oxygen, and Edward had to save him!"

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The situation was terrifying, but it brought Stevens and the Oscar winner closer together. "It was pretty crazy. But he actually did get some film for me and it was good for a second, and then it got pretty shaky when he couldnt breathe," Stevens told GQ. "But we really bonded on that trip."

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DiCaprio has had his fair share of near-death experiences. In the past, a great white shark jumped into his cage when he was diving in South Africa, a plane engine exploded during his Delta Airlines flight to Russia and his parachute almost didn't open when he went skydiving.

Last December, the Revenant actor joked about his many brushes with death during an interview with Wired. "If a cat has nine lives, I think I've used a few," he said at the time.

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EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has acquired the Peter Guralnick book Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock N Roll. The film will be developed by Appian Ways Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson for DiCaprio to play the title character, the pioneering music producer who from the tiny Memphis-based Sun Studio helped make stars of artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, a force for integration in the 1950s who changed music forever.

DiCaprio and Davisson will be among an array of producers that will include Mick Jagger, Victoria Pearman, Steve Bing, Ian Montone, Rick Yorn and Guralnick, whose book was published by Little Brown in 2015 and who previously authored the definitive Presley books Last Train To Memphis and Careless Love.

Jagger most recently was executive producer of HBOs Vinyl, the high-profile, big-budget series that was canceled after one season. The iconic rocker was invaluable in forming that series though and is looked to be a similar asset to the story of Phillips iconic Sun Studio.

They will move quickly to set a writer and filmmaker, and this becomes just the latest high-profile project bought by Paramount for Appian Way since the production company signed a first-look with the studio. Its the second big book this week, after Paramount acquired the Beth Macy book Truevine: Two Brothers, A Kidnapping, And A Mothers Quest; A True Story Of The Jim Crow South, also as a potential star vehicle for DiCaprio, who hasnt chosen a next project after winning Best Actor for The Revenant.

Appian Way has always been bookish, and has another book-to-film adaptation that could be on DiCaprios dance card shortly: a Martin Scorsese-directed adaptation of the Erik Larson book The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America, which Billy Ray has scripted about the true story of a serial killer who was the 19th century equivalent of Hannibal Lecter. Dr. HH Holmes constructed a slaughterhouse called The Worlds Fair Hotel and killed 27 to 200 people while the city of Chicago was enthralled with hosting the Worlds Fair of 1893.

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The first book acquired for Appian under the Paramount deal was The Corporation: An Epic Story Of The Cuban American Underworld which has Benicio Del Toro attached to star. Appian and Paramount are separately percolating an adaptation of the Kayla Olson novel Sandcastle Empire, about an apocalyptic future with a society on the brink of collapse from climate change; a yet-untitled film based on a book proposal by New York Times journalist Jack Ewing about the recent Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal; and a limited television series based on A. Scott Bergs Pulitzer-winning biography of Charles Lindbergh. It also recently acquired rights to the 1990s comic series Captain Planet.

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By Elizabeth Piper and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A lions' den or a nest of doves? For Theresa May, her first meeting with all the other European Union leaders since she became British prime minister ended up being described by most merely as businesslike. It had been billed as an awkward encounter. Each side had at times characterized the other in less than diplomatic terms since Britain's vote to leave the bloc in June - the Britons portrayed as intransigent, the EU as overly angry over Brexit. But at the end of a Brussels summit dinner, May served up her approach to Britain's departure from the EU while the other 27 leaders listened. The conversation may not have moved forward much, but there was a change of tone in the wider debate. "She was actually very helpful. Quite a few times she came in with suggestions, on all the subjects. It was very positive," said an EU official, describing her as more active in discussions on agenda items such as Russia and migration than her predecessor David Cameron had been at such meetings. It was in keeping with May's methods. British Conservative lawmakers who have known the former interior minister for years say she is "unflashy" and "businesslike", adopting a no-nonsense approach that her aides hope will ease tensions with the EU. At her closing news conference, May was clear that she would not allow the EU to make decisions without her. "We will continue to play our role, as I have done, sitting around the table. I can assure you that I havent been backwards in coming forward on issues," she said. The tone had sharpened after EU leaders felt her speech to her party faithful at the Conservative conference this month suggested she was heading for a "hard Brexit", a clean break with the EU's single market of 500 million consumers so as to impose controls on immigration from the bloc. Since this speech geared for domestic consumption, May and even some of her trio of senior pro-Brexit ministers have moved to ease concerns among not only EU leaders, but also businesses and investors that her government does not want to hurt the economy and instead hopes to win maximum access to the European market. "STRONG PARTNER" Her aides denied her message had changed but were keen to say May had told EU leaders that she did not want to damage the EU with Britain's departure and the country was determined to remain "a strong and engaged partner". "I think the PM is very clear ... on what we are approaching and that is the same message in the UK as it is in the EU," a source in the prime minister's office said. "The principles which she has set out are the same: being clear that we want this to be a relationship that works for the UK and the EU once we've left," the source said, adding that May's message had not changed since she became leader in July. But by sticking "to her speaking notes", as one EU diplomat described it, some leaders felt the conversation had not moved on at a summit where entrenched positions on Russia and migration frustrated attempts to secure agreements on what some leaders say are more pressing issues. After dinner, the only time when Brexit was discussed, other EU leaders repeated what May had said - a checklist that Britain would trigger for the formal divorce procedure, Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, by the end of March and that she was taking time to prepare for the talks. A senior EU diplomat said the 27 leaders were left "no wiser" by May's briefing, and echoed comments from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande that the future negotiations are still largely a mystery. May has at least survived her first such EU encounter. It may not have been the "nest of doves" suggested by European Council President Donald Tusk had promised earlier, but it did not, as he put it, see her entering a lions' den. "It's a negotiation, there's lots of things said," said the source in May's office, playing down the rhetoric of Hollande who warned her of a hard negotiation. "It hasn't started yet. The PM is approaching it in a constructive spirit with goodwill, as she has from the outset." (additional reporting by Noah Barkin, Elizabeth Pineau; editing by David Stamp)
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Did we learn nothing from the botched fresco fiasco of 2012? Obviously not, as it's happened all over again  this time in Canada.

A well-meaning local artist in Sudbury, Ontario has provided a terracotta head for a decapitated Jesus statue and the result is ... interesting.

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The baby Jesus had its head swiped a year ago, CBC reports, and no one at the adjacent Ste Anne des Pins Catholic church or in the community knows where it went.

Every time it's been vandalized before, the head has been found nearby. Not this time. A replacement was estimated to cost between $6,000 and $10,000, too.

Enter Heather Wise. She had her feelings hurt by the sight of the headless baby, she told local reporters so she knocked on priest Gerard Lajeunesse's door and offered her services.

"She was quite upset about it and she offered to do something if she could," he said. Lo and behold, a clay head for Jesus that's been compared to Maggie Simpson.

"The difficulty is the artist had to lift the chin so that the head would stay on because it would keep falling off," Lajeunesse added.

"I don't expect it to last long."
LONDON (Reuters) - London's fire brigade is leading the emergency response to an incident at London City airport on Friday which led to hundreds of passengers being evacuated and two taken to hospital with breathing difficulties, police said. "At this stage we are there in support of the London Fire Brigade," a police spokesman said. Asked if the incident was considered as potentially terrorism-related, the spokesman said the cause was unknown but that firefighters were leading the response. (Reporting by Michael Holden, writing by David Milliken; eiting by Stephen Addison)
As a Lied Center for Performing Arts supporter for more than 20 years, and as the Lied Center statewide advisory boards current president, Marilyn Moore gives generously of her time, talents and financial resources.

My husband Dave and I believe the arts are such an important part of our community, Moore said. They enrich lives and make connections across cultures, languages and generations. The arts are a vital part of our community, and Lied Center performances contribute to the quality of life in Lincoln and across the state.

Financially, the Moores have made contributions as part of the Conductors Circle the past three years to help bring top symphony orchestras to the Lied Center.

It started with the Cleveland and Chicago symphony orchestras, and this year its the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, she said. Weve supported orchestras specifically, but were also grateful for the diverse performances the Lied Center offers, so in addition we give to the Friends of Lied for additional support.

Moore said that each spring, she and Dave get together with friends over dinner to look at the upcoming Lied Center schedule and select shows to see. She said they usually buy tickets to 12 to 15 shows each season.

We choose a variety, she said. We love classical orchestras, but we love dance groups as well. And we dont want to miss the big-name artists like Yo-Yo Ma, and Itzhak Perlman will be here again this year! Joshua Bell was also amazing. The pianists have been fabulous. French pianist Lucas Debargue placed fourth at the International Tchaikovsky competition last year in Moscow, and he is coming to the Lied Center (Feb. 7).

We love the family shows, too, being surrounded by young moms and dads with young children and hearing the children who are just delighted with the shows, she continued. Plus, its always fun to choose something weve never heard of before.

Moore, one of the most influential leaders at Lincoln Public Schools, retired after serving as associate superintendent of instruction from 1987-2012. Then she became Bryan College of Health Sciences third president and retired from that position last June. She remains there as an adjunct faculty member, teaching a graduate course in leadership. Retiring from full-time work has freed up more time to devote to passions like the Lied Center.

Serving on the Lieds statewide advisory board is a chance to contribute to the overall organization, Moore said. Its a wonderful opportunity to be involved in conversations about the Lied.

As the advisory boards newly elected president, Im still finding out what my specific objectives will be, she said. But serving as president is a chance to bring people together from across Nebraska to speak to what part of the arts they care about most. Im looking forward to facilitating that and helping board members feel comfortable in doing that.

The Lied Center is just a gem that makes our community a better place to live, she added. Im delighted with that, and Im delighted to have a chance to support it.
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* New Look to open 500 stores in China in three years

* Many Western fashion labels founder in China

* New Look puts focus on sourcing in China

* Local sourcing helped Denmark's Bestseller dominate

* Finding real estate, selling online pose challenges

By Emma Thomasson and Donny Kwok

BERLIN/HONG KONG, Oct 21 (Reuters) - As Europe's fashion giants brace for what could be the toughest leg of their expansion in China, a South African retail tycoon has launched a bold assault on the world's most populous nation.

Christo Wiese is promising to open 500 of his New Look stores in just three years, catapulting the British brand into the same league in China as the world's top fashion chains - Spain's Inditex and Sweden's H&M.

His plan is to make most of the clothes in China to ensure they cater to local tastes and can get to stores quickly - a strategy similar to the one successfully pursued in Europe by Zara-owner Inditex.

The arrival of New Look - and its local sourcing strategy - poses a new risk for the likes of H&M and Inditex, already suffering from slower growth in China, fierce competition for real estate and the cost of investing in ecommerce.

H&M is opening more stores in China this year than anywhere else in the world and the country is already the second biggest market for Inditex outside Spain.

China is a big draw for retailers who hope to tap the aspirations of a fast-growing middle class, with mid-range names benefiting as consumers trade down from luxury brands since Beijing's clampdown on corruption and conspicuous spending.

But recent history offers plenty of examples of failure.

Western brands that have struggled in China include Gap Inc , Abercrombie & Fitch and Marks and Spencer , which decided last year to close five stores in smaller cities to focus on flagship stores in large cities and online.

"Most of the Western fashion labels that are mid-range fail in China. A large part of it is that the styles and the fit are so completely different," said Shaun Rein, founder of market intelligence firm China Market Research.

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LOCAL TASTES, LOCAL SOURCING

New Look, a chain founded in 1969 and bought last year by Wiese's investment vehicle Brait SE, does not want to make the same mistake. It now runs 94 stores in China, out of a global total of 852, and hopes to have up to 150 by next March.

"I will definitely give it a try if it is a foreign brand and as long as I like it," said Chen Jie, a 32-year-old businessman from Shenzhen who was carrying an H&M bag in a shopping district in Hong Kong. "Price is not an issue but the design and quality must be good."

While New Look is cashing in on the popularity in China of British style - it is adding the "London" tag to its logo for its Chinese stores and website - it is also catering for local tastes.

Sven Gaede, managing director of New Look's international business, says the firm has an advantage over many European rivals as 85 percent of what it sells in China is sourced locally and more than a third is designed exclusively for China.

That has allowed New Look to tap into the current popularity in Asia of culottes - flared, three-quarter length trousers. Gaede said they account for 12 percent of the firm's sales in China, though they are not popular in its European markets.

"South Korea and Japan drive a lot of the trends that the Chinese customer seeks, so our ability to be able to identify those trends, source them locally and get them into our stores quickly is key," said Gaede.

That helps explain the success of the Uniqlo chain of Japan's Fast Retailing in China, which already has almost 500 stores in the country and is aiming for 1,000 stores in about five years - more than in Japan.

"It's pretty hard for the foreign fast brands to do the localisation that Uniqlo does in China as it was born with the Asian gene," said Violet Shen, a marketing executive in Shanghai.

The "fast fashion" model was pioneered by Inditex, which can bring new styles from the catwalk to stores in Europe within days from factories mostly in Spain and North Africa. However, Inditex does not have the same advantage in China.

Inditex plans to add 60 stores in the next few years to the 582 it already runs in China, but it serves them from its logistics centres in Spain.

"As their proportion of sales increases in the East, it challenges this model. You can't hub out of Spain," said Dominic Jephcott, chief executive of supply chain experts Vendigital.

New Look is not the first Western retailer to try to bring the Inditex model to China.

Denmark's Bestseller, which runs brands like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones, says over 90 percent of its products sold in China are also produced in China and most of the designs for the Chinese market are adjusted to local tastes.

That has helped the family-owned firm to become the clear leader in China, with more than 6,800 stores in over 300 cities, to give it a 2 percent share of the fragmented market, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

Anders Kristiansen ran the China business of Bestseller before taking over as New Look chief executive in 2013. Gaede said Kristiansen's experience in Asia is one of the reasons behind the group's aggressive expansion strategy.

H&M also buys many of its garments in China - the country accounts for about a quarter of its global sourcing.

But the Swedish firm does not make a big point of adjusting its ranges for China, where it has opened 47 stores in the last nine months, taking its total to 400.

"We see that fashion becomes more and more global and that China doesn't differ much from the rest of the world regarding trends and fashion," said investor relations head Nils Vinge.

"There are of course local differences but that is true for every market. H&M has a business model that can adapt to this," Vinge said, declining to elaborate.

Rein of China Market Research says Western brands must strike a delicate balance.

"You have to keep your global brand image and you can't be that creatively different in China than other markets. The Chinese travel around the world," he said. "It is good to localise. But it hard to localise an aspiration."

STORES VS ECOMMERCE

A bigger challenge for New Look may be to secure the right locations, especially as rivals also seek to add hundreds of stores in the coming years.

"To find 500 stores of real estate and roll that out in the right way ... I think it is virtually impossible," said Franklin Yao, managing partner at strategy consultants Smith Street.

But the more established New Look's brand becomes in China, Gaede said, the better the locations and terms it will be offered, adding that the firm was now pushing into smaller cities.

"We are less wedded to the number each year and we are more wedded to getting quality locations," he said.

Meeting soaring Chinese demand for buying clothes online is also tough.

Most international brands initially launch on Chinese ecommerce sites like JD.com and Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao, but are keen to build up their own online operations to protect margins and integrate ecommerce and store services.

New Look is currently available on Tmall and JD.com, but plans its own transactional site in the next 12 to 18 months.

Partnering with Chinese sites and local payment and delivery service providers is essential to reach consumers across such a vast country, said Vendigital's Jephcott.

"It is a hard physical push and a very hard digital push, all premised on a strong relationship with the logistics partner like Taobao," Jephcott said, noting that Taobao has established a delivery network of micro-stores even in small towns.

(Additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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SEAGATE TECH PE Ratio (TTM)

SEAGATE TECH PE Ratio (TTM) | SEAGATE TECH Quote

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Lancaster County 4-H announces Sara Hansen of Lincoln has won Novembers Heart of 4-H Award in recognition of outstanding volunteer service.

Sara has volunteered with 4-H for six years. After three years helping with the Helping Hearts Clover Kids, she organized and became the leader of the Clever Clovers 4-H club, which was named a 2015 Nebraska Club of Excellence.

The club does at least one community service project a year. Last year they planted flowers at Tabitha Health Care and sewed pillowcases to donate to the foster care program. Sarah has also helped staff shifts at the 4-H food booth at the Lancaster County Super Fair.

I like being a 4-H leader because 4-H really does make the best better," said Sara. I feel truly blessed to have been a 10-year 4-Her myself and know that it has helped shape my life and career. Giving back and passing that on to my childrens generation is something I enjoy."

She added: "I am very blessed to have my husband, Chris, as a leader and I have much parent/guardian support. I would not be able to do it without them.
The China Philharmonic this week revealed the design for its new concert hall designed by MAD Architects, which will serve as home base for the orchestra beginning in 2019.

The focus of the design is a 1,600-seat concert hall, housed in a building whose translucent facade will give off a soft glow and is intended to evoke a piece of jade. Lush greenery and a lotus pond will surround the building, while inside the hall, the seating layout aims to bring to mind sloping terraces, with "wooden lakes" surrounding the stage.

On the ceiling of the auditorium, white sound reflection petals will resemble the segments of a lotus flower, while natural light coming from above has been designed to evoke the sense of being at the center of a blooming flower when seated in the audience.



The white petals have been conceived to be used during performances, when lighting and visualizations projected onto them will be choreographed to the music being performed.

The building also includes a 400-seat rehearsal hall adjacent to the lotus pond with an interior of curved wooden walls. Also included are spaces for a recording studio, a library and a gallery.

Plans for the hall are said to be rooted in Eastern philosophy, with the aim of creating a space within the busy city that encourages "conversations between people, nature, and music."



Ma Yansong, founder and principal partner of MAD Architects, describes the goal as designing "a pure and sacred oasis in the midst of the bustling city."



Collaborating on the project is acoustic designer Yasuhisa Toyota, who has previously designed venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Philharmonie in Paris and Japan's Suntory Hall.

Said to be a high-priority national project, the hall is located in Beijing's Central Business District near the Workers' Stadium and covers a site of 11,600 square meters. Construction is to begin later this year, with completion expected in 2019.
By Emily Chow

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Palm oil production in Malaysia, the world's second-largest producer, is forecast to rise in 2017 by 5.6 percent from this year on better yields and an expansion in matured areas, the government said on Friday.

Malaysian output is expected to fall 9.8 percent to 18 million tonnes in 2016, while yields are estimated to decline 5.3 percent, according to forecasts in the government's annual economic report just ahead of Prime Minister Najib Razak's announcement of the 2017 budget.

This year, Malaysia's palm oil production was sapped by dry weather conditions related to the El Nino weather phenomenon that typically brings a hot, dry conditions to Southeast Asia.

"In 2016, the price (average CPO price) is expected to stabilize at around 2,500 ringgit per tonne as production is expected to improve in tandem with the fading of El Nino effect during the second half of the year," said the report.

"The ending of the El Nino weather condition is expected to increase production of CPO for the remaining of the year."

Benchmark futures prices of the tropical oil surged to the highest in over two years on Tuesday and has gained about 9 percent so far this year. It last traded at 2,702 ringgit ($645) per tonne at the mid-day break on Friday, down 0.6 percent. Futures have averaged 2,547.52 ringgit so far this year.

($1 = 4.1900 ringgit) (Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
U.S. Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante was removed from her job Friday morning (Oct. 21) by the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who has authority over the Copyright Office. Officially, Pallante has been appointed as a senior adviser for digital strategy for the Library of Congress, although it's clear she was asked to step down. Karyn Temple Claggett, currently associate register of copyrights, has been appointed the acting register.

Pallante was locked out of the Library of Congress computer system this morning, according to two sources who spoke with Library employees. Earlier, Hayden had called several members of Congress to tell them about her decision. Later, she called the heads of several media business trade organizations to give them the news, according to one who received such a call.

That executive, and others who represent creators and media businesses in Washington, D.C., expressed surprise and dismay that Pallante, who had the job since 2011, had been removed. "The people in the creative community are furious about the fact that this was done," says a lawyer who works for organizations that support strong copyright laws, "but especially about the way it was done."

The register of copyrights has limited power to set policy but often provides important guidance to Congress, and Pallante was seen as being fair to creators and media companies. For historical reasons, the Copyright Office is part of the Library of Congress, which operates under the authority of the congressional branch.

Several lobbyists also expressed anxiety about who would replace Pallante, who had called for a copyright reform process in March 2013 and begun work on it with Congress. "We are surprised and concerned by today's news, which comes at a time when the Office and others are considering many potential changes to the copyright system and law," said Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid in a statement.

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Copyright has become a contentious issue, and Hayden, as the librarian of Congress, has the authority to make a new appointment without congressional review.

The search for a new Register of Copyrights is likely to be a contentious one, since technology companies and organizations that they fund believe that the Copyright Office tends to be biased toward creators. The Office recently weighed in against the idea of "100 percent licensing" - the idea that ASCAP and BMI should have to license all of the rights to any song they owned some of the rights for - and a judge ruled the same way.

The Library of Congress has a reputation for using out-of-date technology, and during her tenure, Pallante advocated moving the Copyright Office into the executive branch of government, which would make the register of copyrights a presidential appointee. (The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which oversees the other two most important kinds of intellectual property, operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce.) One source speculated that this could have alienated Hayden.

"This just proves our point that this needs to be a presidential appointee," says the head of a media business trade organization.
Nobody seems to know just yet where the massive cyberattack that made major websites like Twitter and Spotify unavailable Friday morning originated. But whether the huge distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack originated in Russia, China, Eastern Europe or right here in the U.S., its a reminder of how vulnerable the infrastructure that our increasingly interconnected society relies on is, and makes the increasing willingness of government actors to engage in cyberattacks extremely worrying.

Fridays attack was aimed at Dyn, a domain name service provider that channels internet traffic to its clients. The companys systems were overwhelmed briefly Friday by huge numbers of requests made simultaneously with the aim of crowding out legitimate web traffic.

Related: Is This the Real Reason Putin Is Interfering With the US Election?

Early Friday morning, the company reported, we began monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Some customers may experience increased DNS query latency and delayed zone propagation during this time.

This attack is mainly impacting US East and is impacting Managed DNS customers in this region, Dyn reported. An outage map, produced by the telecommunications company Level 3, confirmed massive problems across almost the entire eastern half of the United States.

Internet Outage Map

Source: DownDetector via Gizmodo

By mid-morning, engineers had brought the problem largely under control, the company said, and service had been restored.

But while people across the country may be able to tweet and stream music again, the uncomfortable reality is that attacks like this one -- and perhaps even far more destructive ones that involve destruction of data, crippling of critical infrastructure and worse -- are an increasingly real threat.

Related: Clinton Admits She Didnt Consider the Consequences of Using a Private Email Server

Of course, the attack on Dyn may not have been motivated by any political actors at all. Cybersecurity blogger Brian Krebs, whose own blog was the target of a massive DDOS attack just a few weeks ago, noted, The attack on DYN comes just hours after DYN researcher Doug Madory presented a talk on DDoS attacks in Dallas, Texas at a meeting of the North American Network Operators Group (NANOG). That at least raises the possibility that the attack might simply have been hackers trying to embarrass a high-profile security expert.

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But regardless of the genesis of this particular attack, the willingness of the Russian government to actively interfere in the U.S. presidential election, to cite the most obvious example, has signaled a dramatic change in the role government cyberwarriors are likely to play in the future. The persistent leaking of hacked emails and other data, stolen from people with ties to the Democratic Party, may be unprecedented, but isnt likely to remain unique.

The issue even found its way into the final presidential debate, in which Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, pointed out the unanimous assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies which, she said, all concluded that these espionage attacks, these cyberattacks, come from the highest levels of the Kremlin. And they are designed to influence our election.

And the U.S. is expected to take some sort of retaliatory action, as Vice President Joe Biden said on Meet the Press last Sunday.

Related: US Makes It Official: Russia Is Hacking the Election

Were sending a message -- we have the capacity to do it, Biden said.

He'll know it, Biden continued, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be at the time of our choosing. And under the circumstances that have the greatest impact.

While the U.S. can hardly avoid mounting some sort of response, the worry is that it could lead to an escalating series of retaliatory actions and frequent disruptions that could play havoc with an economy that has become dependent on unfettered, reliable connectivity.

During the Cold War, for better or worse, there was an effective brake on escalation in the form of nuclear weapons. Russia and the U.S. tried to avoid direct conflict, in large part out of fear that military engagement might spiral out of control, leading to the very real possibility of mutual destruction.

In cyberwarfare, so far at least, there is no obvious equivalent to an intercontinental nuclear missile. And while thats probably a good thing, on balance, it also means that there is no obvious line that everyone involved has an interest not only in not crossing, but not even approaching.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Under way - New exhibition opened last weekend at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, 33rd and Holdrege streets. "Amish Quilts and the Crafting of Diverse Traditions" can be seen now through Jan. 25, 2017. Guest-curated by Janneken Smucker.

Under way - Voices of Hopes 22nd annual Shop to Stop Family Violence campaign began Monday, continues through Sunday (Oct. 23). A number of locally-owned retailers to donating 2% of their proceeds to Voice of Hope, a local agency which provides crisis intervention services for victims of relationship violence and sexual assault in the Lincoln area.

Monday  Lincoln Sewing Guild monthly meeting 6:30 p.m. at Sew Creative, 5143 S. 48th St. Program: presentation by Paul Sorensen, owner of Sew Creative, introducing new additions to the sewing world. Guests welcome. For more information e-mail Lois at: loisu44@gmail.com or call (402) 488-8958.

Tuesday - Heritage League general meeting and luncheon 11:30 a.m. at Hillcrest Country Club, 9401 O St. Guest speaker: Teresa Harms, executive director of Clinic with a Heart. 50th anniversary of the club to be celebrated. For reservations, contact Sara Friedman, (402) 477-6050.

Tuesday - Lincoln Modern Quilt Guild meeting 5:30 p.m. at International Quilt Study Center & Museum, 33rd & Holdrege streets. Agenda: Make A Statement Challenge Quilts, Tips & Tricks, election of officers. Info at lincolnmqg.blogspot.com

Wednesday - Community Women's Club of Lincoln monthly luncheon meeting 11:30 a.m. at Hillcrest Country Club, 9401 East O St. Program/business meeting to follow luncheon. Program by Sue Anderson, Voice of Hope. Guests welcome; call Babette Dickinson at (402) 239-5244 by Monday,

Friday  Lincoln Artists Guild Fourth Friday reception 5 to 8 p.m. at Out of the Box, 366 N. 48th St., lower level entrance. Explore the gallery & discover new items, visit with the artists & enjoy refreshments, wine & live music. Featured artist: Julie Childers. Swirling colors, blending into art filled with energy and emotion. Auto harp music by Marcia Claesson, a Lincoln Artists Guild member.

Next Saturday - Boutique and craft show noon to 3 p.m. at The Legacy, 5600 Pioneers Blvd.

Next Saturday  Fall Art & Crafts Fair 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 29 at Lincoln North Star High School, 5801 N. 33rd St., hosted by Lincoln Public Schools Association of Office Professionals (LPSAOP). Bake sale and over 25 vendors. Proceeds support the Dianne Grieser Memorial Scholarship Fund and professional development and mentoring opportunities for LPSAOP members.

Coming soon - Bethany Womens Club, a city-wide service club, next monthly meeting 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8 in Fellowship Hall of Bethany Christian Church, 1645 N. Cotner Blvd. Program: Honoring Our Veterans and Our Flag, by Herschel Talley, the proud parent of an active serviceman, and Mike Lagueux, a military veteran. Please join us for an interesting program, followed by delicious refreshments. Guests welcome. Annual dues $5. Questions: call Jeannette at (402) 476-2466.

Please email Womens Calendar items to dbuckley@journalstarcom
Geneva (AFP) - Islamic State group fighters may be preparing to use civilians as human shields, or simply kill them, rather than let them be liberated in an Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, the UN said Friday.

Elite Iraqi troops have been closing in on Mosul, the last jihadist bastion in Iraq, in a long-anticipated offensive.

United Nations human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein said his office had reports that civilians were being held close to IS fighter positions in Mosul, possibly as a buffer against advancing Iraqi forces.

"There is a grave danger that ISIL fighters will not only use such vulnerable people as human shields but may opt to kill them rather than see them liberated, Zeid said in a statement, using another acronym for IS.

Separately, Zeid said his office had reports that the jihadists forced an estimated 200 families to walk from the nearby Samalia village to Mosul last week.

Another 350 families were forced to Mosul from Najafia, according to the rights office.

Those forced displacements were consistent with IS's "apparent policy of preventing civilians from escaping to areas controlled by the Iraqi security forces," Zeid added.

The UN has voiced fears that a million people still trapped inside Mosul could be forced to flee the fighting, sparking a humanitarian emergency.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva by phone, the UN's humanitarian chief in Baghdad, Lise Grande, said the "working scenario" foresees 200,000 people fleeing Mosul, but she cautioned that the numbers could be higher depending on how the military campaign develops.

So far, just 3,900 people have been displaced from the northern city, UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards said.

He added that UNHCR was working to build up camps and emergency settlements in the area, as humanitarian agencies try to expand their capacity to help civilians as the fighting intensifies.

Aside from caring for those who manage to flee, Zeid stressed that Iraqi military planning for the US-backed offensive needs to prioritise civilian protection, especially with some of the combat expected to take place in confined urban settings.

"We know ISIL has no regard for human life, which is why it is incumbent upon the Iraqi government to do its utmost to protect civilians," he said.
By Alastair Macdonald

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - When Theresa May met Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Friday, she might just have heard the sounds of carpenters working on new offices for the European Union executive's Brexit negotiators.

Having briefed fellow national leaders over dinner at her debut EU summit late on Thursday, the British prime minister had a late lunch on Friday with Juncker, whose executive staff, with their counterparts in Whitehall, will do the heavy lifting in negotiations expected to start early next year.

After the glamour of sitting at the European Council top table for the first time, stepping across the road to Juncker's European Commission and its civil service may have seemed more prosaic.

But despite her efforts to resolve key conundrums of Brexit among fellow political captains, it is below decks in the office cubicles of the Commission's Berlaymont building and in similar mundane engine rooms in London and other EU capitals that the legal tangles of this most complex of divorces will be unwound.

"The great leaders tend to think that they can sort things out among their colleagues," said a senior EU diplomat who was in the room when May recently met one of her continental peers.

"But it does not always happen that way in Brussels."

The European Union is primarily a complex legal construct, British officials have been telling the new prime minister. Deft technocrats will be needed on both sides. Grand political gestures may accomplish little.

TASK FORCE BARNIER

Some of those brains are starting to assemble on the 5th floor of the Berlaymont, far below the panoramic dining rooms on the 13th where Juncker hosted May -- she laughingly told reporters after the summit that she was off to a "lunch date".

Workers are preparing rooms for Michel Barnier and his Brexit Task Force. The former French foreign minister and EU commissioner began work three weeks ago and has started, like May herself, by touring EU capitals and assembling a team to coordinate the work of hundreds of Commission officials once the Brexit process starts.

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Security and secrecy around the Task Force is tight. Of 15 staff named so far on an EU website, none is British. That seems unlikely to change as the team grows.

In contrast to much of Brussels, team meetings tend to be in French not English, a tongue Barnier was known for avoiding when, as a commissioner until 2014 he was responsible for regulating a City of London finance industry wary of the EU.

A comment to Reuters from an official familiar with the Task Force that Barnier would like the Brexit negotiations conducted in French prompted intense summit speculation over signals to London. Barnier himself denied voicing a preference and stressed the language would be agreed only when talks start.

His appointment was greeted with dismay by those who fear Barnier retains a traditional Gaullist antipathy towards Britain. He insists he will play fair. And some EU officials stress that Barnier will be the smooth front-man for a negotiating operation grounded in deep technical knowledge and expertise.

Not only will Juncker, the former Luxembourg premier, and his ubiquitous German chief-of-staff Martin Selmayr retain lead roles on strategy, but Barnier's German deputy has a key role.

Sabine Weyand, a 22-year veteran of EU trade negotiations who once studied at Cambridge University, is travelling with Barnier and appears to have the confidence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government in Berlin, EU officials say.

COMMISSION UNDER SCRUTINY

The Commission is a bete noire of British eurosceptics, who see it as the unelected champion of centralising power in Brussels at the expense of sovereign states. Diplomats say May has told other EU leaders she wants them and their Council chairman, former Polish premier Donald Tusk, to keep it in check.

But May cannot expect the Commission, which prides itself on being the "guardian of the treaties", to stand back while EU law is bent out of shape by national leaders, who in any case also fear a sweet deal for London could start unravelling the union.

Once May gives formal notice that Britain is leaving -- by March, she says -- the Council will meet at 27, minus May, to set negotiating guidelines for the Commission. Tusk will be arbiter of what deal Britain is offered, but the Council has less than a tenth of the Commission's 33,000 staff to work on the details.

Belgian diplomat Didier Seeuws, the former chief-of-staff to Tusk's predecessor, will be his link to Barnier and Weyand. He can also provide a line to the lead negotiator appointed by the European Parliament, which must approve any deal. Seeuws was his spokesman when Guy Verhofstadt was prime minister of Belgium.

British and EU officials say that May is emulating her ill-fated predecessor David Cameron in touring European capitals and holding face-to-face meetings with fellow leaders, partly in the belief that high politics can bypass the "Brussels bureaucrats".

It was a strategy, they say, that did not work for Cameron.

"Everyone was smiling at him and saying they would help, but as soon as he left they called Brussels to say they would not go easy on him," one EU official said. "Now it will be the same."

May has been briefed by some of her officials not to read too much into "warm" bilateral talks -- no one, they say, will tell her to her face they won't help her, but will count on the collective Brussels machine to blunt her efforts to divide them.

National leaders will also keep a close eye on Juncker and Barnier, however: "This isn't just any old Commission negotiation," a second senior EU diplomat said. "The heads of state and government will be following this very closely."

But as with a deal to help Cameron win June's Brexit referendum, how Brexit turns out may be a product less of high-stakes summitry than of creative legal brains hidden away in the corridors of Whitehall and the Berlaymont.

May may have heard that herself over lunch with Juncker.

(Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski, Francesco Guarascio and Elizabeth Pineau; editing by Ralph Boulton)
By Elizabeth Piper and Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union would take time and that she was ready for some "difficult moments", but would fight to remain part of the bloc's single market. At her first European Council since becoming prime minister after Britain voted to leave the bloc in June, May made clear that she hoped that some of the most complicated talks London has ever undertaken will be held in a constructive manner. "Obviously we've got negotiations ahead of ourselves. Those negotiations will take time, as I say, there will be some difficult moments, we are going to need some give and take," she told a news conference. Having earlier provoked concern among investors, businesses and in EU capitals that she was heading for a "hard Brexit", or clear break with the single market, to control immigration, May moved to ease concerns. She said she wanted the best trade deal possible. The former home secretary also reiterated that she wanted a bespoke deal for Britain as it leaves the European Union. "We are not looking to adopt another model that somebody else has in relation to their trade with the European Union. What we want is to develop what is a new relationship for the UK with the EU," she said. "We want to have the best possible deal for trade in goods and services with, and operation within, the single European market," she said. The term "operate within" the single market is a new incantation for May, who since becoming prime minister has been focussed first on shoring up support in her ruling Conservative Party before launching the negotiations with the EU. Envisioned as a single territory without any internal borders or regulatory obstacles to the free movement of goods and services, the EU single market accounts for 500 million consumers and 21 million small and medium-sized companies. After sterling fell on fears that Britain was heading for a "hard Brexit", May, and some of her more eurosceptic ministers, have worked hard to reassure business and EU leaders that her policies will not hurt the economy. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Robin Emmott, editing by Alastair Macdonald)
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's ruling Conservative Party held the parliamentary constituency vacated by David Cameron but saw its majority cut significantly as thousands of voters flocked to a pro-European Union opposition party. Former Prime Minister Cameron said last month that he would resign as a lawmaker just weeks after he lost a referendum to keep Britain in the European Union. The Conservatives retained the southern English seat of Witney garnering 17,313 votes, but saw their share of their vote fall from 60 percent to 45 percent compared to the General election result last year. The second-placed Liberal Democrats, Britain's most consistently pro-European party, won 11,611 votes, significantly increasing their vote share to 30 percent, according to official results. The opposition Labour Party slipped into third place. Larry Sanders, the brother of U.S Senator Bernie Sanders, stood for the Green Party and came fourth in the poll. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
McDonald's on Friday reported third-quarter sales that beat analysts' estimates amid concern that the boost from all-day breakfast was fading.

The company said its comparable-store sales, or sales at locations open for at least one year, rose 3.5%, topping the forecast for 1.5% growth, according to data from Bloomberg.

In the second quarter, the company's comparable-store sales growth slowed and missed analysts' expectations.

After McDonald's introduced all-day breakfast, some US franchisees predicted that the novelty of hash browns for lunch would quickly fade away. In September, McDonald's improved its all-day breakfast menu, adding McGriddle sandwiches and making both McMuffin and biscuit sandwiches available at all restaurants.

The restaurant said the McPick 2 offering and the introduction of chicken McNuggets without artificial preservatives also helped sales during the quarter. Its shares rose 3% in premarket trading after the earnings announcement.

Like Yum Brands, McDonald's pegged weak sales growth in China on protests surrounding the country's lawsuit with the Philippines over the South China Sea.

McDonald's reported revenue of $6.4 billion, topping the forecast for $6.3 billion. Its adjusted earnings per share excluding restructuring charges came out to $1.62, beating the forecast for $1.48. Those charges relate to the company's plans announced in July to refranchise 4,000 restaurants by the end of 2018.

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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico has arrested a former police chief at the heart of an investigation into the disappearance and likely massacre of 43 trainee teachers in the southwestern city of Iguala two years ago, security officials said on Friday. Felipe Flores was chief of police in Iguala when the students disappeared on the night of Sept. 26, 2014. He was one of the people most likely to know what happened to the students, according to experts on the case, which hugely embarrassed the government. Flores, who had been a fugitive for two years, was arrested while visiting his wife in Iguala, national security commissioner Renato Sales told a news conference. According to the government's initial findings, the 43 were abducted by corrupt police in Iguala and handed over to a drug cartel, which mistook them for members of a rival gang. Then, the government said, they were murdered, incinerated and ground up, and their remains dumped in a nearby river. So far, the remains of only one of the 43 students have been definitively identified. The parents of the missing are still pressuring the government hard for answers. A group of international experts who reviewed the evidence sharply criticized the government's version of events, helping to dent the credibility of President Enrique Pena Nieto. (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; editing by Grant McCool)




Michelle Obama won the week. For her last state dinner at the White House, she looked incredible in a gold gown entirely made of chainmail just for her by Italian designer Donatella Versace. FLOTUS wasnt the only one to slay in Versace  Rachel McAdams wore a custom piece from the Italian brand too for the premiere of her new Marvel movie Doctor Strange. At their respective film debuts, Alicia Vikander, Anna Kendrick, Cobie Smulders, and Jessica Biel all put their best high heels forward for the special occasions. As for Priyanka Chopra, who rounds out the list, she wore a dress made out of silk pajamas, which is inspiring for anyone who would rather be on their couch at all times. Watch the video above to relive it all.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Microsoft Corporation MSFT reported first-quarter fiscal 2017 earnings adjusted for Windows 10 deferrals and currency effect of 76 cents per share, which comfortably surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents.



Revenues (adjusted for Windows 10 deferrals) of $22.33 billion dipped 1.4% sequentially but up 3.1% from the year-ago quarter (up 5% in constant currency or CC) and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $21.54 billion.



Encouragingly, annuity-based revenue continued to grow, offsetting declines in transactional revenue indicating that the user base continues to migrate to the cloud. Notably, commercial cloud annualized revenue run rate exceeded $13.0 billion at the end of the quarter.



However, increased investment in the cloud impacted margins along with unfavorable foreign exchange.



Shares surged almost 6% in after-hour trading.



Segment Details



Productivity & Business Processes includes the Office and Dynamics CRM businesses. Revenues slipped 4.5% sequentially but increased 5.6% (up 8% CC) on a year-over-year basis to $6.66 billion.



The Commercial business (products + Office 365 & related cloud services) revenue was up 5% from year-ago level (up 8% CC). Office 365 saw commercial seat growth of 40% from the year-ago quarter. This is an area of tremendous focus with reselling partners up to 90K in the last quarter as Microsoft goes all out to target the SMB segment.



Monthly active users of Office 365 commercial increased 40% year over year to more than 85 million. The company continues to win customers like eBay EBAY, Allergen, Exelon and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Office 365 commercial revenue soared 51% (up 54% in CC) from the year-ago quarter.



The Consumer business revenue grew 8% (8% CC) year over year in the quarter. Office 365 consumer subscriptions are now at 24 million, up from 23.1 million in the previous quarter.



Dynamics and cloud services revenue jumped 11% (13% CC). Management noted that more than 70% of new Dynamics enterprise customers are choosing Dynamics online. The company mentioned HP Inc., which is replacing its CRM systems with Dynamics 365 to take advantage of the built-in intelligence feature.



Intelligent Cloud includes server and enterprise products and services. The segment reported revenues of $6.38 billion, which was down almost 5% sequentially but improved 8.3% (up 10% in CC) year over year.



Server product and cloud services revenue went up 11% year over year (up 13% in CC). Annuity revenue grew double-digits while transaction revenue declined.



The high point was Azure revenue, which soared 121% CC year over year, with Azure compute usage doubling. Microsoft is benefitting from its hybrid and hyperscale cloud, which spans multiple jurisdictions, making it ideal for multinational companies and banks that have operations all over the world and are required to be in compliance with laws of the countries in which they operate.



This is the reason Microsoft cites that has drawn 80% of the worlds largest banks to Azure. Moreover, the companys expanding cloud services have also helped it to capture big customers like Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Schneider Electric and Facebook.



Microsoft continues to expand its data center footprint. The company recently announced its plan to build data centers in France so as to provide Azure, Dynamics 365 and Office 365 services to the French populace by the beginning of next year.



The expansion will help Microsoft to compete Amazon.com AMZN, which also intends to open an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Region in Paris in 2017. (Read More: Amazon and Microsoft Take Their Cloud Battle to France).



Additionally, partnerships with Adobe ADBE and SAP will augment Microsofts competitiveness in the cloud. Moreover, Enterprise Mobility customers soared 85% to over 37K with the installed base growing 2.5X as compared with the year-ago quarter.



Enterprise Service revenue inched up 1% (2% CC) in the reported quarter.



More Personal Computing comprises mainly the Windows, Gaming, Devices and Search businesses Revenues increased 4.5% sequentially but slipped 1.8% (1% CC) year over year to $9.29 billion.



Windows OEM Pro revenue increased 1% year over year (due to stabilization in the commercial PC market in the U.S.). Non Pro revenue declined 1% (on the back of a higher premium mix) from the year-ago quarter.



Windows commercial products and cloud services revenue was flat on a year-over-year basis (up 2% in CC) driven by annuity revenue.



Gaming revenue dropped 4% in CC; Xbox Live monthly active users were up 21% to 47 million. The company witnessed more than 20 billion hours of gameplay on Windows 10 PCs and tablets; more than 500% jump on a year-over-year basis.



During the quarter, Microsoft acquired Beam Interactive, which specializes in live-streaming technology for gamers.



Phone revenue plunged 71% in CC while Surface revenue grew 39% in CC from last year driven by Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. Net revenues declined 25% in CC.



Search ex-TAC revenue grew 9% (10% CC) as both search volume and RPS improved.



Operating Results



Microsofts gross margin of 61.6% surged 40 basis points (bps) sequentially but down 300 bps from the year-ago quarter (gross profit dollars were almost flat sequentially but dropped 4.3% year over year).



The growth in gross profit dollars by segment was as follows: Productivity up 2% CC (increased mix of cloud offerings and investments in cloud were drivers), Intelligent Cloud 4% CC (again a result of increased mix of cloud offerings) and More Personal Computing 1% CC (search and Windows OEM were drivers neutralized by phones and Xbox).



MICROSOFT CORP Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

MICROSOFT CORP Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | MICROSOFT CORP Quote

Operating expenses (excluding Impairment, integration, and restructuring costs) of $7.38 billion were down 12.6% sequentially but were flat from the year-ago quarter. However, as percentage of revenues, operating expenses decreased 490 bps sequentially but increased 10 bps on a year-over-year basis.



As a result, operating margin expanded 520 bps sequentially but contracted 290 bps on a year-over-year basis to 25.5%.



The operating margin by segment was as follows: Productivity 46.9% (up 380 bps sequentially but down 320 bps year over year); Intelligent Cloud 32.2% (down 40 bps sequentially and 830 bps year over year) and More Personal Computing 20.7% (up 990 bps sequentially and 460 bps year over year).



Balance Sheet



Microsoft ended with cash and short term investments balance of $136.9 billion, up $23.69 billion during the quarter. The net cash position was around $62.24 billion ($7.90 a share), up from $59.55 billion ($7.58 a share) at the beginning of the quarter.



In the last quarter, Microsoft generated $11.5 billion in cash flow from operations, spent $3.6 billion to repurchase shares and $3 billion to pay dividends. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 8% to 39 cents.



Acquisitions and Divestitures



Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to anticipate closing the acquisition of LinkedIn Corp in second-quarter fiscal 2017. Additionally, the company expects to complete the sale of its entry-level feature phone business during the quarter.



Guidance



Management said that FX would have a negative 1-point impact on revenue growth in second-quarter fiscal 2017 at both the total company and individual segment levels.



For the second quarter, Microsoft expects Productivity & Business Process revenues of $6.9$7.1 billion, Intelligent Cloud revenues of $6.55$6.75 billion and More Personal Computing revenue of around $11.2$11.6 billion. This implies total revenues of between $21.05 billion and $21.25 billion.



Microsoft expects COGS of $9.7$9.9 billion, operating expenses of $7.85$7.95 billion and other income/expense of almost $150 million.



Management said that 2017 operating expenses would be $31.1$31.4 billion as investments in strategic growth opportunities continue. The non-GAAP tax rate is expected to be 20% (+/-2%) depending on the variability of factors such as mix of services revenue versus licensing revenue, the geographic mix of revenue and the timing of equity vests. A higher mix of cloud revenue is also anticipated to increase the tax rate.



Zacks Rank



Microsoft shares carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Amazon.com is a better-ranked stock with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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BURLINGTON  Two key tenants were announced Thursday for The Mercantile, local businessman Shad Branens redevelopment of the former Schuette-Daniels Furniture.

Wendy Lynch, owner of Christys Bon Bon Belle Bridal, will open a new banquet hall/meeting space to be called Mercantile Hall in the entire first floor of The Mercantile, 425 N. Pine St.

Lynch will also move her bridal shop from 489 Milwaukee Ave. to The Mercantile. That business, the name of which will be slightly shortened to Bon Bon Belle Bridal, will occupy about one-third of the second floor, tentatively starting in January.

And as Branen said earlier, most of the basement will become a new co-working and business incubator space; Thursday he announced it will be called C/O, for Central Office. C/O will have amenities including a conference room and lounge. The basement will also contain private offices that will be for lease.

Branen said Thursday he is still working to finalize leases for the remaining space.

Lynch credited a key employee of her bridal business, Stephanie Heft, with the idea that The Mercantiles 6,000-square-foot first floor would be a great space for a banquet/event hall. With that in mind, Lynch looked at it and, I thought it was a no-brainer.

Heft, who has many years of wedding experience, will manage Mercantile Hall, Lynch said. It should open next spring, she added.

Lynch expects the hall will host mostly weddings, wedding receptions and corporate meetings. She has arrangements with several caterers, mostly local, that renters of the hall will be able to choose from.

I want it to really become a hub for the community, Lynch said. To that end, she said Mercantile Hall will host events strictly designed for teenagers, such as team trivia nights and Jimmy Fallon Lip Sync Battle-type competitions. The hall will both organize and host them.

Moving the bridal shop that Lynch bought in 2013 will gain her about 600 square feet and increase the bridal suites from one now to four  as well as putting the business on one floor instead of two. She will hire someone to manage the business.

From the ashes

Branen, owner of Burlingtons Plaza Theater and WIN (formerly Wisconsin Information Network) Media, is redeveloping the former high-end furniture building. After it was damaged by an April 5, 2014, fire, the store went out of business.

Branen later bought the property, which includes an adjacent smaller building, from the Daniels family. He had the main building gutted to its brick walls and is installing an elevator as part of the project.

For the project that Branen has said will approach $1 million in cost, he was aided by a $192,833 Community Development Investment Grant from Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. His financing package also includes facade grant money from the City of Burlington.
EXCLUSIVE: New, un-redacted information revealing what specific supervising crew members did (or did not do) on the set of Midnight Rider has been put into a Department of Labor court filing to refute producer Film Allmans claim that it was not guilty of a willful safety violation. The brief asks the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold in its entirety the Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission decision that slapped Film Allman with the violation and a fine for its actions on the set of the Gregg Allman biopic that led to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones.

Included in its evidence is full email content from CSX to location manager Charlie Baxter and specific actions of director Randall Miller, first AD Hillary Schwartz, and unit production manager Jay Sedrish on the day of the shoot, and who got the Baxter emails saying for the second time that CSX had denied access to the Doctortown train trestle. That, along with a photo of Miller and other crew members next to the hospital bed on the train trestle, were all put into the filing.

Film Allman has not only been fighting OSHA, but Miller and his attorneys are also attempting to blame CSX for liability in civil court as they fight against their own insurer New York Marine, which says it is not responsible for losses due to a criminal act.

The actions/inactions of the supervising crew was found to have resulted in Jones death and serious injuries to other crewmembers when a train plowed through the set that was on live train tracks.

Film Allman, which has twice fought the initial OSHA decision, was set up by filmmaker Miller and his wife, producer Jody Savin, to film Midnight Rider. The company had appealed once before and lost so they appealed again in January.

The OSHA ruling slapped the company with a fine for one willful and one serious safety violation. A Secretary of Labor attorney noted that oral arguments dont need to be heard as all evidence is on paper. Only the willful violation is under review, which carries with it a $70,000 fine. (The serious violation carried with it a $4,900 fine which fell out of contention.)

Story continues

In arguing to have the willful violation upheld, the Secretary of Labor attorney stated: Willful violations are marked by an employers plain indifference to employee safety, and In the Eleventh Circuit, a willful violation is shown by the employers intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, OSHA requirements, which, they argue, occurred on the set of Midnight Rider.

The Secretary of Labor attorney argues every point of Film Allmans contention in the brief, stating that not only did the company criminally trespass, but Film Allman also failed to take virtually every basic safety precaution standard in the film industry.

Film Allman, one principal of which (Miller) spent time in jail for the crime of criminal trespass and felony involuntary manslaughter, has been questioning whether the administrative law judge who denied its first appeal acted properly on three points as outlined by the Labor Secretary:

Whether the ALJ properly characterized Film Allmans violation of the OSH Acts general duty clause as willful, where willful violations are shown by plain indifference to employee safety and Film Allman knowingly trespassed on a train trestle owned by CSX without permission in order to film a movie scene; misled its employees with inaccurate and unverified information about how many trains were expected to pass over the trestle; failed to take basic safety precautions accepted as standard within the film industry; and failed to have any evacuation plan in case of an oncoming train, resulting in the death of one employee. Whether the ALJ properly imposed the maximum penalty of $70,000 for Film Allmans willful violation of the OSH Act where she took into account the relevant statutory factors and the gravity of the violation was extremely high. 3. Whether the ALJ correctly held that the Secretary lawfully invoked the informers privilege to withhold certain parts of the investigative record that would have disclosed the identity of confidential informers, where the public interest in maintaining informer anonymity is strong and Film Allman failed to demonstrate that it needed the withheld information to prepare its defense.

The following strongly worded brief shuts down all of Film Allmans points while providing detailed actions of supervising crew leading up to the death of Jones and injury of other crew. Read the entire brief here.

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(Reuters) - Police in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday said the officer whose killing of a black man in August sparked nights of rioting has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting another man just a day after the deadly shooting.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, was charged with five crimes, including two counts of second degree sexual assault, according to Wisconsin's online court record system. The records indicate Heaggan-Brown sexually assaulted an intoxicated victim on Aug. 14, a day after he fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith.

Heaggan-Brown could not be immediately reached on Thursday night. But the Milwaukee Police Association told local broadcaster WDJT in a statement that while it condemns criminality, "it is imperative that fact(s) are allowed to dictate the outcome."

WDJT published a copy of the criminal complaint online, which states Heaggan-Brown and the victim met through Facebook. The complaint said the two sat at a bar discussing their aspirations in music and watched television broadcasts of the unrest unfolding over the deadly shooting.

The complaint said the two left the bar and the victim could not recall what happened between leaving and when he was brutally raped by Heaggan-Brown. The complaint said Heaggan-Brown then drove the victim to the hospital, where the victim said he was raped.

In addition to the alleged Aug. 14 rape, Heaggan-Brown was also charged with having sex with prostitutes and sexually assaulting another person between December 2015 and July 2016, court records show.

Two nights of rioting erupted after Heaggan-Brown shot Smith dead on Aug. 13. Police said Smith was armed and refused to drop his gun before he was shot.

Police violence against African-Americans has set off intermittent, sometimes destructive, protests over the past two years, igniting a national debate over race and policing and giving rise to the a renewed civil rights movement named Black Lives Matter.

Story continues

The Milwaukee Police Department said Heaggan-Brown was arrested on Wednesday evening, following the filing of the sexual assault charges.

Police said an internal affairs investigation was also launched and he has been suspended with pay from the force. The department in a statement declined to provide additional information citing the "sensitivity of this investigation."

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Peter Thiel is not the most popular guy in Silicon Valley.

The venture capitalist and entrepreneur has had a particularly volatile year. First there was the bombshell that Thiel was secretly financing a lawsuit aimed at destroying the news site Gawker. (His $10 million investment paid off: Gawker lost in court, went bankrupt, and shut down after a 14-year run.)

Then, Thiel announced his support for Donald Trumpan unwelcome political position in center-left Silicon Valleypraising Trump for being honest, a builder, and a man not distracted by the countrys fake culture wars.

Most recently, amid the Trump campaigns spectacular meltdown, came the news reports that Thiel would donate $1.25 million to Trump. (The New York Times attributed its report about the donation to a person close to the investor.) That, apparently, was enough to prompt Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, to send a memo to his staff this week.

Recommended: Whats Going On With the Internet Today?

It was time to address the questions and concerns about Peter Thiel as a board member and Trump supporter, Zuckerberg wrote in the memo, which was leaked to the website Hacker News.

Keeping Thiel on the board was a reflection of Facebooks commitment to diversity, Zuckerberg explained. We cant create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then excludes almost half the country because they back a political candidate... he wrote. Our community will be stronger for all our differencesnot only in areas like race and gender, but also in areas like political ideology and religion.(A spokesperson for Facebook confirmed to me that the leaked memo, pictured below, is authentic.)

Hacker News

Setting aside the question of whether Zuckerbergs explanation holds up to scrutinythe make-up of Facebooks board gives plenty of reason to doubt its actual commitment to diversity, for instancetheres still the question of why Zuckerberg felt compelled to address Thiels support for Trump, but not Thiels antagonism toward a free press.

Story continues

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After all, Facebook is arguably the most influential publisher on the planet.

Facebooks commanding position in the media ecosystem has upended digital journalism. The social giant drives an inordinate volume of traffic across the web. Some 40 percent of all traffic to news sites comes from Facebook. Needless to say, many of those sites depend on online ad revenue for survival.

Facebook itself commands a staggering portion of all digital ad revenue onlineabout 65 percent.

In this regard, Zuckerbergs silence on the question of Thiels attitude toward the press looks more like a deliberate strategy. It fits into Facebooks larger reluctance to acknowledge what it really is: a media company.

Over the years, Facebooks senior leaders have spouted platitudes about the importance of a free press. Theyve repeated that Facebook is committed to sharing quality journalism. Yet Facebook repeatedly makes questionable editorial decisions while denying the platform has any editorial obligations. (Facebook declined my request for comment from Zuckerberg, and said his memo was intended to remain private anyway.)

Last spring, the website Gizmodo published a report about former Facebook workers who said they routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers from Facebooks prominent trending news section. (Zuckerberg denied the practice.) In August, Facebook waited hours before removing a false reportthat the news anchor Megyn Kelly supported Hillary Clinton and had been fired as a resultfrom its news section. And last month, Facebook came under fire for censoring an iconic wartime photographremoving an article featuring the image that had been shared on Facebook by Norways largest newspaper. (The Pulitzer-Prize-winning photo features 9-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc, frequently referred to as napalm girl, running naked in the street after suffering severe burns in a napalm attack in Vietnam in 1972.)

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Espen Egil Hansen, the editor of that newspaper, wrote a scathing open letter to Zuckerberg, blasting him for restricting Hansens ability to exercise his editorial responsibility. Mark, you are the worlds most powerful editor... Hansen wrote. I think you are abusing your power, and I find it hard to believe that you have thought it through thoroughly.

What does any of this have to do with Peter Thiel? His attitude toward the Fourth Estate is troubling by itself, and even more so given Facebooks status as a publisher.

The front cover of Norways largest newspaper by circulation, Aftenposten, is seen at a news stand in Oslo on September 9, 2016. (Norsk Telegrambyra AS / Reuters)

Hansens concern is a worry thats widely shared among journaliststhat Facebook is abusing its power by denying the fact that it is media company, ignoring the ethical obligations that come with being a news publisher and distributor, and compromising journalistic standards and independence as a result.

Viewed in this light, the decision to keep Thiel on the board of the most influential publishing company on the planet is astounding.

Thiel is an affluent public figure who could have fought speech with speech, and he would have been heard, as Marcus Wohlsen wrote in an essay for Wired in June. In seeking to destroy Gawker, he added, Thiel showed that what matters to him isnt freedom but the raw exercise of power.

Remember, too, Thiel is supporting a presidential candidate who openly hates journalists, and has vowed to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.

Thiel said in an essay for the Times that hes proud of his role in taking down Gawker, and that hed gladly do it again if he had to. What that means is that a Facebook board membera billionaire on the board of the biggest publisher on Earth, as Jill Abramson, the former New York Times editor, put it in a talk last monthcould be using his wealth to take out competitors.

Why would a publisher want a person with Thiels attitude toward the First Amendment representing its company?

These are hard issues, said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, at Recode's Code Conference over the summer, according to CNN.

Her comments came around the time when Zuckerberg and other members of Facebooks leadership voted to keep Thiel on the board. When a reporter asked Sandberg about the possibility that Thiel was secretly bankrolling additional lawsuits against media organizationsas he had against Gawkerand whether that would change Facebooks commitment to keeping him on the board, Sandberg had little to offer. It's really hard to answer all of these hypotheticals, she said. But what really matters is that were an open platform.

An open platform, that is, until Facebook doesnt like the photograph you published. An open platform that is capricious at best about its own editorial responsibilities and standards. An open platform represented by a board member who will gladly finance the destruction of competing publishers.

Facebook won't admit its a media company, said John Temple, the managing editor of the Investigative Reporting Program at University of California Berkeleys Graduate School of Journalism. When the bulk of your revenue comes from advertisingin other words you sell audience to marketerswhat else are you?

It competes with other publishers, Temple added. It decides what content its users will see. Thats what media companies do. Its time for Facebook to accept responsibility. (He first made these comments in a private Facebook post, naturally.)

Every year, The Atlantic asks dozens of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, CEOs, and technology critics to fill out a wide-ranging survey on the state of their industry. This year, we asked participants which was worse: Thiels support of Trump or his war with Gawker. Slightly more than half of those who responded were more disturbed by Thiels support of Trump, but there was still deep concern over his attitude toward journalism.

The Gawker suit demonstrated that Peter Thiel has no regard for a free press, said Jillian C. York, the director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. His endorsement of Trump, on the other hand, should surprise no one.

What remains surprising is that the worlds largest publisher refuses to acknowledge the business its really in. Facebook has not yet come to terms with its own power or, for that matter, with Thiels.

Facebook tells the world that its a champion of the free press. And now it is telling its shareholders, users, and employees that Facebook stands by a man proud to shut those freedoms down.

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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2016 / Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces a class action lawsuit against Goldcorp Inc. ("Goldcorp" or the "Company") (GG) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws between March 31, 2014 and August 24, 2016 (the "Class Period"). Investors, who purchased or otherwise acquired shares during the Class Period, should contact the Firm in advance of the October 24, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here. You can also call Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Goldcorp made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that Goldcorp's mine in Penasquito was leaking selenium into the groundwater well near the mine as early as October 2013; that the Company informed the Mexican government about the rise of selenium levels in the groundwater in October 2014; that in August 2016 the Company informed the Mexican government of contaminated water found in other properties near the mine; and as a result of the above, Goldcorp's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When this news went public, Goldcorp's stock price fell, causing investors harm.

Lundin Law PC was established by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/

SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
By Rory Carroll

(Reuters) - Signatures on a petition to impeach a Montana judge who handed down a 60-day sentence for a man who admitted to raping his 12-year-old daughter approached 80,000 on Friday in the latest case of citizens targeting judges for doling out what they believe are light sentences for sexual crimes.

District Judge John McKeon sentenced the 40-year-old man to 60 days of incarceration and probation, far less than the plea agreement recommendation of at least 25 years in prison, according to court records.

Reuters is not naming the man in order to protect the identity of the victim.

The Montana case comes in the wake of a controversial six-month jail sentence for sexual assault of an unconscious woman by former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, which caused an uproar because it was far shorter than the six years prosecutors had sought.

That case led California lawmakers to pass legislation to ban probation in similar assault cases and expand the definition of rape. It also set off an effort to recall the judge who handed down the sentence.

In the Montana case, the petition on the website Change.org set up by the group Justice4Montana says the sentence "does not match the crime and fails to acknowledge the horrors the victim had to endure."

McKeon did not respond to a request for comment on Friday, but he wrote in his judgment that the exception to the mandatory sentence was appropriate since prosecutors did not challenge a psychosexual evaluation that said the man could be safely treated and supervised as a sex offender in the community.

He also cited the lack of direct input from the victim or an advocate on behalf of the victim to the court.

McKeon also cited letters written by the girl's mother and grandmother asking for leniency.

The defendant's suspended sentence comes with such restrictions as a ban on owning firearms or pornography, or using the internet without permission from his parole officer and a sexual offender therapist. Any violation of those conditions would likely lead to "significant time in state prison," McKeon wrote.

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Deputy Valley County Attorney Dylan Jensen said on Friday he was "disappointed" in the sentence, but respected the judge's decision. He declined to say whether an appeal was planned.

McKeon is scheduled to retire next month and Justice4Montana hopes an impeachment would stop him from receiving his government-sponsored pension.

Supporters of the impeachment effort are also in the process of filing formal complaints with the Judicial Standards Commission, a Justice4Montana representative said.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Authorities in Ethiopia have detained more than 1,600 people under state-of-emergency measures, which were imposed on Oct. 9 in the wake of massive anti-government protests.

The state of emergency grants authorities the power to detain people without an arrest warrant until the measures expire in six months, the BBC reported on Friday.

According to state-affiliated media FBC, 1,683 arrests had been made in the Oromia and Amhara regions of Ethiopia, which have seen large-scale political dissent. An additional 1,000 people were arrested on Monday near the capital, Addis Ababa.

FBC reported that the detainees were suspects in the recent violence, and that authorities had confiscated a large number of looted weapons.

Ethiopias sometimes-deadly spate of political unrest began last November when people in Oromia demonstrated against government plans to expand Addis Ababa into their region. The plan was abandoned but anti-government protests have continued.

On Oct. 3, 55 people were crushed to death in a stampede after a protest developed at an Oromo religious festival. The government blamed protesters for the tragedy but activists say that heavy-handed security caused panic  a state of emergency was declared the following week.

At least 500 people have died in clashes with security forces over the past 11 months, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch, which has accused Ethiopia of suppressing political dissent in the past.
RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's Office Cherifien de Phosphate (OCP), the world's leading phosphate exporter, will build a blending unit in Rwanda to produce fertilisers adapted to local soils, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Moroccan large companies, including banks and insurers, have been investing aggressively in Sub-Saharan Africa. OCP has already signed agreements with governments and firms there. OCP started production last February in a new fertiliser plant dedicated to the African market, in which it invested 5.3 billion dirhams ($537 million). The plant is located in the Jorf Lasfar area, on the Atlantic coast. The Rwanda agreement was signed during a visit to the country by the Moroccan king by officials from OCP and the Rwandan ministry of agriculture. The company declined to say how much it is planning to invest in the plant, and what will be the production capacity. The company is building three other units in the Jorf Lasfar hub with a capacity to produce 1 million tonnes of fertiliser each, it has said. OCP, a major earner of foreign currency for Morocco, reported a 23.2 percent fall in first-half net profit to 3.07 billion dirhams ($317 million) due to low prices in the international markets. It has invested heavily and made a series of acquisitions to improve its infrastructure and boost its output. It aims to raise output to 47 million tonnes of crude phosphate rock in 2017, from around 34 million tonnes in 2013. It is also targeting an increase in fertiliser production to 12 million tonnes by 2017 from 7 million in 2014, which would make it the world's leading producer. (Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi, editing by David Evans)
CALEDONIA  Village officials are studying the possibility of building a road north of the Kmart store on Douglas Avenue to provide additional access to the new Village Hall near Crawford Park.

Village officials are discussing the idea with Mid-America Real Estate  Wisconsin LLC, the group that manages the Greentree Centre property, 5111 Douglas Ave., said Village Administrator Tom Christensen.

The road would run from Douglas east into the park, north of the shopping complex.

Village engineers must first determine a road can be put there, Christensen said. Costs and other issues will be discussed after that, he said.

The village this summer started building a 12,470 square-foot facility near Crawford Park. Right now, a single road  Chester Lane - provides access into the park from 4 Mile Road.

Construction on the $3.6 million facility started in July and is expected to be competed in May 2017.
Moscow (AFP) - Russia's defence ministry said Friday that Moscow would extend a "humanitarian pause" in Aleppo until 1600 GMT on Saturday to allow civilians and armed rebels to leave the city.

"At the request of representatives of the UN and other international organisations, a decision by the Russian president extends the humanitarian pause in the Aleppo region by another 24 hours," senior military official Sergei Rudskoi told reporters.

This announcement marks the second time Moscow has extended the truce by 24 hours after declaring an 11-hour truce on Thursday morning.

Moscow announced on Tuesday morning that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of the pause in fighting and the halt held into a second day on Wednesday.

The Kremlin hailed the move as a "manifestation of goodwill" as it faced mounting criticism over its bombing of rebel-held eastern Aleppo in support of a brutal regime offensive on the city.

Rudskoi accused jihadist groups of "doing everything to prevent the exit of civilians and members of armed groups from eastern Aleppo."

"The terrorists are using the ceasefire in their interests," he said.

"We are seeing them massing around Aleppo and preparing for another breakthrough into the city's eastern neighbourhoods," he said, adding that there were over 1,200 people, including more than 30 suicide bombers, in their ranks.

Rudskoi added that on the first day of the humanitarian pause eight injured fighters from the influential Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group, as well as seven civilians left the city via humanitarian corridors.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern Friday regarding the refusal of fighters from a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Fateh al-Sham Front, to leave the city.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that whether Russia extends the pause in fighting further "depends on how the process of fighters leaving the city -- which so far is sluggish, unfortunately."

The UN said Friday that security concerns had forced it to delay planned evacuations from Aleppo, despite the truce that was largely holding for a second day in the ravaged city.

The West has accused Moscow of perpetrating potential war crimes in Aleppo through indiscriminate bombing to support Syrian government efforts to retake total control over the city.
(Fixes editing credit)

By Hannah Brenton

Oct 21 (Reuters) - Kristian Orssten has been promoted to head of EMEA debt capital markets at JP Morgan, according to an internal memo seen by Thomson Reuters LPC.

He will take on the role in addition to his responsibilities for EMEA loan & high yield capital markets and loan trading, sales and research.

Orssten will report to Jim Casey, global head of debt capital markets, Guy America and Matt Cherwin, co-heads of spread markets.

Ray Doody, head of acquisition leveraged finance, has decided to explore other opportunities within the firm after nearly 20 years with the leveraged finance team, the memo said.

The team will also be restructured into three sectors within leveraged finance origination.

Stefan Povaly and Daniel Rudnicki will become co-heads of sponsor leveraged finance, Earl Dowling will become head of technology media and telecommunications (TMT), while Pierre Maman and Stefan Povaly will become co-heads of corporates excluding TMT.

Povaly, Rudnicki, Dowling, and Maman will work closely with Kevin Foley, head of EMEA loan and high yield capital markets, the memo said, and report to Orssten.

"The changes align our coverage model globally and brings the EMEA region in line with how we're set up in the US," the memo said.

"We have a strong bench of talent and these changes are bringing the next generation of bankers into leadership roles."

A spokeswoman for JP Morgan confirmed the contents of the memo.

(Editing by Christopher Mangham)
Khizr Khan Clinton ad

Hillary Clinton's campaign is airing a new ad that features Khizr Khan asking Donald Trump whether his son Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier who died protecting his unit in Iraq, would have had a place in America if Trump were president.

Trump famously went to war with the Khan family earlier this year over their critique of his comments about veterans and proposal to bar Muslims from entering the US.

The Republican presidential nominee criticized Khizr Khan for appearing in multiple television interviews following Khan's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The new Clinton campaign ad opened with footage of Khan arranging his son's uniform and talking about his sacrifice in Iraq.

"In 2004, my son was stationed in Iraq. He saw a suicide bomber approaching his camp," Khan said. "My son moved forward to stop the bomber when the bomb exploded."

He continued: "He saved everyone in his unit. Only one American soldier died. My son was Captain Humayun Khan. He was 27 years old, and he was a Muslim-American."

The ad ended with Khan asking, "Mr. Trump, would my son have a place in your America?"

The ad is airing in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.





More From Business Insider


LAGOS (Reuters) - MTN Nigeria complied with fund transfer rules in Nigeria and did not pay dividends until it obtained regulatory approvals to send money out of the country, denying allegations that it transferred $14 billion illegally, it said on Friday. The telecom firm said "certificates of capital importation" were requested for capital brought into Nigeria and that dividends were repatriated based on those investment, it said in a statement. Nigeria's upper house of parliament last month agreed to investigate whether MTN unlawfully repatriated $13.92 billion between 2006 and 2016. (Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; editing by Susan Thomas)
LAGOS (Reuters) - MTN complied with Nigerian fund transfer rules and did not send money out of the country until it obtained regulatory approvals, the South African telecoms company said on Friday, denying allegations that it illegally repatriated $14 billion. MTN requested "certificates of capital importation (CCI)" for capital brought into Nigeria and dividends were repatriated based on those investments, Ferdi Moolman, chief executive of MTN Nigeria, said in a statement. "MTN Nigeria only requested for CCIs for foreign capital that was imported into Nigeria, and dividends were externalised on CCIs," he said. Nigeria's upper house of parliament last month agreed to investigate whether Africa's biggest telecoms company unlawfully repatriated $13.92 billion between 2006 and 2016. MTN's Moolman, Nigerian trade minister Okechukwu Elenemah and four lenders appeared at a parliamentary hearing on the matter on Thursday. Nigerian Senator Dino Melaye had proposed a motion calling for an investigation into MTN's repatriation of funds. The move comes as Nigeria struggles with its first recession in a generation and dollar shortages due to low oil prices. The issue has battered MTN's shares, which were down on Friday near a 6-1/2 year low at 106.83 rand as of 1006 GMT. Rafiu Ibrahim, chairman of Nigeria's senate investigative panel on alleged illegal repatriation of funds, said on Wednesday that a team of international and local accountancy experts and lawyers had been assembled to look into the matter. Nigeria is MTN's most lucrative but increasingly most problematic market. Earlier this year the company agreed to pay a greatly reduced fine of 330 billion naira ($1.08 billion) to end a long running dispute over unregistered SIM cards in Nigeria. MTN is the largest mobile network operator in Nigeria, which is the continent's biggest economy and accounts for a third of MTN's revenue. (Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; editing by Jason Neely)
By Chijioke Ohuocha LAGOS (Reuters) - MTN did not break Nigeria's currency transfer rules, the South African telecoms firm said on Friday, denying allegations it illegally repatriated $14 billion in a row analysts say exposes the inherent risk of investing in frontier markets. Nigeria's upper house of parliament last month agreed to investigate whether Africa's biggest telecoms company unlawfully repatriated $13.92 billion between 2006 and 2016. On Thursday, a committee of Nigerian lawmakers summoned MTN, Nigerian trade minister Okechukwu Elenemah and four banks for an "investigate hearing" into the claims. The crux of the allegation is that MTN did not obtain certificates declaring it had invested foreign currency in Nigeria within a 24 hour deadline stipulated in a 1995 law, and so the repatriation of returns on those investments was illegal. Nigeria is MTN's most lucrative market out of the 22 countries the company operates in across Africa, Asia and the Middle East but it is becoming increasingly problematic. MTN runs Nigeria's largest mobile phone network which generates a third of the company's revenue. The fund transfer issue has battered MTN's shares, which were near a 6-1/2 year low at 105.91 rand on Friday. Ferdi Moolman, chief executive of MTN Nigeria, said in a statement on Friday that when banks issued "certificates of capital importation (CCI)" for funds it brought into Nigeria after the deadline they had done so with central bank approval. "Often for various reasons such as not having all the required documentation, for instance, it is not possible to issue a CCI within 24 hours, and the Central Bank of Nigeria's Forex Manual contemplates such situations by asking that the banks refer to the CBN for approval," Moolman said. "As such, the CBN has the authority, and indeed we believe, approved the banks' applications to issue CCIs outside the recommended time frame," he said. The motion initially put forward by Nigerian Senator Dino Melaye claims MTN requested the certificates at least five years after bringing in the hard currency. SECOND DISPUTE The row comes as Africa's biggest economy struggles with its first recession in a generation and dollar shortages due to low oil prices and is the second major dispute between the South African telecoms firm and Nigeria. Earlier this year, MTN agreed to pay a greatly reduced fine of 330 billion naira ($1.1 billion) to end a long running dispute over unregistered SIM cards in Nigeria. Analysts said the latest saga showed the risks inherent in frontier markets but said international investors find it difficult to ignore Nigeria because of the size of its market. As part of the settlement to end the SIM card dispute MTN agreed to list its local unit on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. "Ultimately, MTN Nigeria has to become less foreign and more Nigerian if it is to stay in Nigeria over the long run," Guy Zibi, principal at U.S.-based telecom advisory firm Xalam Analytics. "MTN's strategy served them extremely well but it was always a risky strategy, and they are merely seeing the downside of it albeit in somewhat extreme fashion," Zibi said. Rafiu Ibrahim, chairman of Nigeria's senate investigative panel on the alleged illegal fund repatriation, said on Wednesday that a team of international and local accountancy experts and lawyers had been assembled to look into the matter. (Editing by David Clarke)
Rome (AFP) - Several hundred Muslims staged a protest prayer outside the Colosseum in Rome on Friday over what they see as unfair restrictions on their freedom to practise their faith in Italy.

Organisers said they had called the demonstration following the recent closure on administrative grounds of five makeshift mosques.

Many Italian Muslims suspect local authorities are responding to a climate of mistrust caused by recent Islamist attacks in Europe by closing down the places of worship on the grounds of easily resolved problems such as the number of toilets on a particular premises.

"We feel people are pointing the finger at us," said Francesco Tieri, a convert to Islam who acts as a coordinator for a number of Islamic groups.

"There is no political will to recognise that we are here and that we are a peaceful community.

"We are forced to rent places to pray -- which for us is like breathing air, if we can't do it we die."

According to official figures there are just over 800,000 Muslims living in Italy legally and officials estimate that a further 100,000 live in the country permanently without official papers.

That would suggest the community makes up more than 1.5 percent of the population and that Islam is the second most followed faith in the mostly Roman Catholic country.

Islam however is not recognised as an official religion, unlike Judaism or the Mormon faith, and many Muslims from north Africa and South Asia feel discriminated against on the grounds of both race and religion.

Rome is home to the biggest mosque in the Western world but proposals to construct traditional-style mosques elsewhere have frequently run into opposition from local councils who can withhold planning permission on any number of technical grounds ranging from the size of proposed parking facilities to the architectural harmony of a particular neighbourhood.

Right wing parties have called for a blanket ban on any mosques built with funds from donors outside of Italy.

Lawmaker Barbara Saltamartini of the anti-immigration Northern League called Friday's demonstration "an unacceptable provocation" which should never have been allowed to take place in Rome.
ROME (Reuters) - Hundreds of Muslims prayed next to Rome's Colosseum on Friday to protest against the closure of makeshift mosques, calling on city authorities to protect their religious rights. Worshippers knelt on prayer mats and tarpaulin on the pavement meters away from the ancient amphitheatre. Some held placards reading "Peace" and "Open the mosques". At least 1.6 million Muslims live in Italy but there are only a handful of mosques officially registered as such with the government. Most worship takes place in houses and Islamic cultural centers - a development that some right-wing politicians have said makes them difficult to monitor, raising the risk of radicalization, particularly in the wake of militant attacks across Europe. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said in August that "mini mosques in garages" should not be allowed. The rights group that organized the demonstration, the Dhuumcatu Association, said police have closed three improvised mosques in Rome in recent months. Attaching placards to a lamp post near the Colosseum, Sikdir Bulbul, a 41-year-old Bangladesh-born Italian citizen who has lived in Rome for 16 years, said the mosque he helped establish in 2012 had been shut down in September. "Friday prayer is very important to us so today we have come to the Colosseum. Otherwise where else can we pray?" he said. A spokesman at city hall had no immediate comment. Right-wing Roman politician Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy party, who came third in a mayoral election this year, has called for Muslims to be obliged to pray in Italian. The Dhuumcatu Association said there needed to be clearer rules on setting up mosques. "We are sick of the criminalisation of our places of worship," it said on its Facebook page. "There are no relevant regulations, and we cannot invent solutions independently of the authorities." (Reporting by Isla Binnie; Additional reporting by Gabriele Pileri; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
RACINE  A plea deal appears to have been reached in the cold-case homicide of Amber Creek.

James Eaton, accused of killing the 14-year-old Creek in February 1997 and dumping her body in far southwest Racine County, had been scheduled to go on trial next month.

According to online court records, Eaton now has a change of plea hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in connection with the slaying. Prosecutors allege Eaton killed Creek and left her beaten and sexually assaulted body in the Karcher Wildlife Area in the Town of Burlington.

Eaton was arrested in April 2014 by Racine County sheriffs deputies, reportedly after DNA from cigarette butts he discarded were tested and found to match DNA from semen found on the teens body.

Eaton and Creek are from Palatine, Ill., a northwest suburb of Chicago. Eaton remains in Racine County Jail on $500,000 bond.

Creek died from asphyxiation after allegedly being choked and suffocated with a plastic bag, according to investigators. She also reportedly suffered blunt-force facial trauma and pattern cutting injuries on her face.

A judge ruled last month that defense attorneys could present evidence they claimed points to another suspect in the homicide. The suspect, a man who was questioned by police in 1997 and 2015, reportedly admitted to having a sexual relationship with Creek and that he engaged in choking acts during sexual contact.

The one-time suspect was found to be a contributor to the DNA mixture on the victims underwear located by the Wisconsin State Crime Lab, and his DNA was also located at the crime scene, the attorneys motion stated.
NBCUniversal held its 11th annual Short Film Festival last night to honor its eight finalists, with Oscar nominee Henry Hughes emerging as the nights big winner, as he took home three of the seven awards. Hughes won for Best Director, Best Drama, and the Audience Award for his drama Day One, which is inspired by a true story of a translators first day with a US Army unit. In addition to the awards, Hughes nabbed a development meeting with Universal and a $10K cash grant from Xfinity.

Finalists were able to screen their shorts in front of industry professionals in film and television as well as managers, agents and producers. Presenters at the ceremony, which took place at the Directors Guild of America, included comedian/actor Lil Rel Howery (The Carmichael Show), who opened the evening, along with Nico Santos (Superstore), Randall Park (Fresh Off The Boat), writer/director David E. Talbert (Universals Almost Christmas), Essence Atkins (NBCs Marlon), Bresha Webb (Marlon), Veronica Falcon (Queen of the South), Tiffany Haddish (The Carmichael Show), Chrissie Fit (Pitch Perfect 2) and Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin, who appeared via pre-taped video.

The following is the list of winners from the seven categories:

Xfinity Best Drama: Day One

writer/ director: Henry Hughes

Seeso Best Comedy: Things I Hate: Lady Grooming

Writer: Molly Anne Coogan

Director: Liam Edward Brady

Best Writer: Daniel Sole  You Can Go

Best Director: Henry Hughes  Day One

Best Actor: Lynn Chen  Parachute Girls

NBCU Open Possibilities Social Impact Award: Vamanos

Writers: Moira Morel and Erick Castrillon

Director: Marvin Bryan Lemus

Audience Award: Day One

Director/writer: Henry Hughes

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Reunited and it feels so?

CBS NCIS: Los Angeles welcomes back Bar Paly this Sunday at 8:30/7:30c, as Russian-born Chicago cop-turned-security specialist Anna Kolcheck. Of course, during Annas appearance last February, things got a bit (ahem) overheated as she and Callen went undercover.

PHOTOSNCIS Casts Mary Stuart Masterson in Recurring Role

With Kensi out of commission for a bit, we bring in somebody else to help the team  Anna Kolcheck, showrunner R. Scott Gemmill previously told TVLine. And with Arkadys not-unattractive daughter back in the mix, Were sort of pushing that relationship [with Callen] forward as well, said the EP.

Press play on the exclusive sneak peek above to see the duo learn they will again be partners.

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Want more scoop on NCIS: LA, or for any other show? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matts Inside Line.

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Netflixs Anne has found its titular redhead. Raspberry cordial all around!

Newcomer Amybeth McNulty (photo above) will play Anne Shirley in the upcoming series adaptation of L.M. Montgomerys classic novel Anne of Green Gables, the streaming video service announced Friday.

PHOTOSGilmore Girls: A Year in the Life: Netflix Unveils Official (Seasonal) Posters

Per the series official description:

Anne is a coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an aging sister and brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the entire small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.

Geraldine James (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and R.H. Thomson (Chloe) will play Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, respectively  aka the aging sister and brother who take Anne in. (Fun fact: Thomson appeared in Road to Avonlea, a 1990s Canadian series loosely based on several of Montgomerys other Anne-related novels.)

RELATEDChris Rock to Return to Stand-Up Comedy With Two Netflix Specials

Anne, which is produced with Canadas CBC, will honor the foundation of the novel but also will explore new territory such as feminism, prejudice and bullying, according to a release for the series.

McNultys credits include the film Morgan and the Sky television series Agatha Raisin.

Moira Walley-Beckett (Breaking Bad) will serve as writer and showrunner of the eight-episode first season.

Anne of Green Gables has spawned more than a dozen television and movie adaptations since its original release; Reigns Megan Follows starred as the orphan for the CBC in 1985. Another iteration  Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables, starring Martin Sheen (The West Wing) as Matthew  will air on PBS in November.

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Have thoughts on the new Anne? Sound off in the comments, Carrots!

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By Chijioke Ohuocha LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's largest airline Arik Air plans to raise as much as $1 billion through a private share placement next year and then a possible initial public offering (IPO) in Lagos and London, its managing director said. The airline wants to expand internationally both to bring in more hard currency, as well as to cushion the impact of the economic slowdown at home, and wants new investors to help it grow rather than using internally generated cash or debt. "What we plan to do is first a private placement which will bring in a few new shareholders, then one year or 18 months down the line we can do an initial public offer," Chris Ndulue told Reuters in an interview. He said Arik Air, which was founded a decade ago and is now west Africa's biggest carrier by passenger numbers, had appointed advisers for the share placement and potential IPO in Lagos, with a secondary listing in London. "We are looking at something in the neighbourhood of $1 billion for both private placement and IPO," Ndulue said late on Wednesday. The Lagos stock market, which is down 4 percent in local currency terms this year and at a 15-year low in dollar terms, has not had an IPO since 2009 due to sluggish appetite from foreign investors. Ndulue said Arik wanted to start daily flights to New York, up from three times a week, and also fly to Rome and Paris within 18 to 24 months. The carrier, which has a fleet of 28 aircraft, flies mainly within western and central Africa, as well as to London and Johannesburg. The new routes would help the company generate some foreign currency. Domestic and international carriers have struggled with the plunge in the naira that has made bills for imported jet fuel ever more expensive and also hurt profit margins as many passengers pay in naira. "The biggest problem now is the foreign exchange issues. A lot of things are imported, a lot of services are imported we depend so much on foreign exchange which means that our costs have increased, in some cases more than doubled," he said. Emirates and Kenya Airways have announced plans to suspend flights to the Nigerian capital Abuja by next month due to falling demand as a currency crisis in Africa's top economy deepens. United and Iberia both stopped services to Nigeria earlier this year. (Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; editing by Ulf Laessing and David Clarke)
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's revenues shared between its three tiers of government fell 17 percent in September to 420 billion naira ($1.38 billion) due to the cost of repair work after militant attacks on oil infrastructure, the finance ministry said on Thursday. Nigeria, which relies on crude sales for about 70 percent of its gross domestic product, has been hit hard by the drop in global crude prices since mid-2014. It fell into recession for the first time in 25 years in the second quarter. Militants have carried out a series of attacks on oil facilities in the southern Niger Delta energy hub - the source of most of the OPEC member's oil - in the last few months, reducing output by a third to about 700,000 barrels a day. "Force majeure was declared at Bonny terminal and there was a subsisting force majeure at Forcados terminal," finance ministry permanent secretary, Mahmoud Isa Dutse, said. "The total revenue distributable.... including VAT (64.27 billion naira) is 420 billion naira," he said. ($1 = 304.5000 naira) (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Yokohama (Japan) (AFP) - Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said Friday that a decision on further investment at a car plant in Britain would be made "next month", amid concerns about Brexit's impact.

Ghosn warned in September that Nissan needed guarantees from London over Britain's vote to exit the European Union before it could commit to further investment at the factory in the northeastern English city of Sunderland.

"As long as I have this guarantee then in a certain way I can look to the future of Sunderland with some kind of ease," Ghosn told a press briefing at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama south of Tokyo.

Nissan would decide by November on its plans for future production of the Qashqai sport utility at the plant, he added in response to questions.

At issue is whether Nissan would continue building the next generation of the vehicle after 2019.

"What is important for us is what are the consequences of an exit from Europe," Ghosn said.

"The fact is our Sunderland plant is a European plant based in the UK, 80 percent of the production is exported."

Sunderland is Britain's biggest car factory, which has around 7,000 employees, making it the group's largest facility in Europe.

It also makes Nissan's Juke and electric Leaf car models, with around 500,000 cars rolling off the production line every year.

Some 80 percent of the plant's daily output of 2,000 cars is exported to 130 nations around the world.

Nevertheless, the northeast of England voted overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the European Union in June's referendum, with 61 percent of people in Sunderland siding with the "leave" camp.

"We explained our concerns very clearly (to the British government)," Ghosn said.

"We are not asking for any advantage but we don't want to lose any competitiveness no matter what are the discussions.

"I think the UK government understands our position and they say they will be extremely cautious in their own discussions to preserve the competitiveness of their industry."

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He added: "It won't be up to us to compensate for any negative consequences."

Ghosn was speaking a day after it was announced he would become chairman at Mitsubishi Motors, as it struggles to navigate a damaging mileage-cheating scandal.

The appointment will make Ghosn the head of three major automakers, including France's Renault which holds a major stake in Nissan.
* CEO does not want to lose competitiveness at UK plant

* Decision on new Qashqai SUV production next month - CEO

* UK prime minister, Ghosn had "positive" talks last week (Adds details, background)

By Naomi Tajitsu

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Nissan will decide next month whether to make its new Qashqai model in Britain or elsewhere in the first major investment decision affecting the country's car industry since the vote to leave the European Union.

Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, who met British Prime Minister Theresa May last week, said on Friday he had been reassured by the government it would be "extremely cautious" about preserving the competitiveness of Nissan's factory in northern England.

Ghosn warned after the vote to leave the European Union in June that Nissan could halt investment in Britain's biggest car factory which made nearly a third of the 1.6 million vehicles produced in the country last year.

Businesses are concerned that Britain is heading towards a so-called hard Brexit that would leave it outside the European Union's single market and facing tariffs of up to 10 percent to export cars to the trading bloc.

Ghosn said in September he could scrap new investment at Nissan's Sunderland plant without a guarantee of compensation for costs related to any new tariffs resulting from Brexit.

"We're not asking for any advantage (from the government), but we don't want to lose any competitiveness, no matter what the discussions," Ghosn told reporters at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday.

"As long as I have this guarantee ... I can look at the future of Sunderland with more ease," said Ghosn, who is also CEO of French carmaker and Nissan partner Renault.

Production of Nissan's next-generation Qashqai sport utility vehicle (SUV) is expected to begin in 2018 or 2019 and the time it takes to bring a new vehicle into production means the Japanese company must decide where to build the car soon.

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Its Sunderland factory, which already builds the current version of the popular Qashqai and many other Nissan models sold throughout Europe, produced 475,000 vehicles last year of which 80 percent were exported.

A company source told Reuters last week that no further meeting between May and Ghosn had been scheduled but senior Nissan and government officials would continue meeting in the coming weeks.

Six foreign-owned carmakers account for almost all of Britain's output. The biggest producer, Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, said last month it would "realign its thinking" on investment after Brexit and wanted a level playing field for all firms.

Japanese companies Honda and Toyota, as well as Germany's BMW and U.S. automaker General Motors also build cars in Britain.

Nissan completed a deal this week to take a controlling stake in rival Mitsubishi Motors Corp, retaining the embattled carmaker's chief executive in a bid to help it recover from a mileage cheating scandal.

Ghosn said on Friday he expected the bulk of Nissan's initial cost savings from the partnership to come from purchasing and engineering, as Nissan benefits from Mitsubishi's local supplier network in Asia and uses the smaller automaker's technology for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

(Writing by Naomi Tajitsu in Yokohama and Costas Pitas in London; editing by Stephen Coates and David Clarke)
By Liana B. Baker and Jim Finkle

SAN FRANCISCO/BOSTON (Reuters) - The apparent lack of interest in Twitter Inc by potential suitors may force the social media company to consider a route anathema to aspiring tech startups: a major restructuring and cutting some its nearly 4,000 employees.

The popular but money-losing micro-blogging service spent aggressively on product development and marketing in recent years, betting that it could afford to post losses as long as it attracted new users.

But that growth stalled this year after it exceeded 300 million active monthly users, less than a fifth of Facebook Inc's users and below Facebook's Instagram.

Earlier this month, Twitter hired bankers to explore selling itself. Technology and media companies including Salesforce.com Inc, Walt Disney Co and Alphabet Inc's Google looked at the company but ultimately passed on buying it.

The aborted sales process - and the company's strategy as an independent company - will be back in the spotlight when Twitter reports earnings on Oct. 27. The company declined to comment.

"Its going to take some bold moves here," said David Hsu, a management professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, suggesting job cuts may be an option. "It takes a very lean staff to maintain the core Twitter as an advertising and messaging platform," Hsu said.

According to SunTrust analyst Robert Peck, Twitter could cut 10 percent of its workforce and save about $100 million a year.

Major layoffs, though, could hurt the company's image in San Francisco, where the competition for engineering talent is fierce.

BIG SPENDER

The company may look first at cutting sales and marketing, an area in which it is spends more than twice as much as its rivals to earn each dollar of revenue.

"Twitter's cost structure was originally built to grow into a much larger user base," said Peck. "But with user growth stagnating, the company likely needs to reduce excess costs."

In the first six months of this year, Twitter's sales and marketing spending totaled $473 million, or about 40 percent of its revenue. By comparison, spending in that area accounted for 19 percent of revenue at Yahoo, 15 percent at Facebook, and 12 percent at Google-parent Alphabet, according to a Reuters analysis of quarterly financial reports.

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Twitter also spends more, proportionately, than its peers on research and development. First-half spending on R&D accounted for $334 million, or 28 percent of revenue, compared to 24 percent at Facebook, 23 percent at Yahoo and 16 percent at Alphabet, according to a Reuters analysis.

Twitter could also reduce expenses by cutting products and moving some engineering positions to lower-cost overseas locations, analysts said.

It may also need to reform its stock-based compensation plans when it hires new employees. Twitter doled out $682 million in stock-based compensation last year, a large portion of its roughly $2 billion in annual revenue, which weighs on its profitability.

Private equity firms that examined a buyout of Twitter last year were turned off by the amount of equity-based compensation that would have to be paid out to employees in a deal, according to sources at the time.

ACTIVIST IN THE WINGS?

If Twitter does not slash its costs, activist investors - who have aggressively pushed U.S. companies in recent years for better cash management, leadership changes and new strategies - may see Twitter as an appealing target.

"Carl Icahn - Twitter needs you," Bronte Capital's John Hempton, an investor known for short-selling, or betting against stocks, wrote in a blog post earlier this month, referring to the well-known activist investor. Twitter "should be fixed with extreme prejudice by a disinterested outsider before it is sold again to a strategic buyer," he added.

Companies often resist activist campaigns, and sometimes a proxy fight takes place, where the investor tries to replace board members with its own nominees.

On rare occasions, companies invite friendly activists to get involved before they become hostile. Last month, hard-drive maker Seagate Technology Plc invited ValueAct Capital in as an investor, selling a roughly 4 percent stake to the activist hedge fund. ValueAct received an observer board seat as part of the deal, but no voting power.

Twitter could also explore ways to bring in an outside strategic investor to assist in a turnaround. But finding the right company to invest in Twitter without it looking like a desperate move could be tricky, private equity executives said.

Whatever Twitter does, it needs to act fast. Former high-fliers Zynga Inc and Groupon Inc, which now trade at a fraction of their initial public offering prices, stand as startling evidence of how quickly an internet star can fade.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker in San Francisco and Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Eric Effron and Bill Rigby)
BURLINGTON  Burlington High School has received the preliminary nod to move forward with a project that would give students enrolled in its construction skills program more space to both learn and apply their trade.

The proposal calls for moving the ACE (Architecture, Construction, & Engineering) Academy program from its current location at Gateway Technical Colleges Hero Center, 380 McCanna Parkway, to Gateway Technical Colleges main Burlington campus at 496 McCanna Parkway. The move and remodeling project would essentially double the classroom and workshop space ACE students have, taking it from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet.

The Hero Center and the technical colleges main building are located on either side of the high school, 400 McCanna Parkway.

The project would cost just over $306,500, but according to Burlington High School Principal Eric Burling, Gateway and the trade group Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin would share that cost. AGC has committed to contributing $75,000, Burling said, with the school district and Gateway splitting the remaining $231,500.

This is a really well thought out (space). Our instructors worked with the Gateway instructors and came up with a really nice opportunity, he said Monday, making the pitch to the Burlington Area School District School Board committee that makes recommendations on building projects.

Gateway students would share the space, Burling said, but students in the high schools ACE Academy would be given priority during the school day.

About ACE

Started in 2005, the ACE Academy integrates core curriculum courses with industry classes and hands-on experience to give program participants a foundation in construction, building and engineering.

Interested students can begin participating in the program their sophomore year, taking classes like civil engineering and architecture, carpentry, and principles of the building trade. Those who continue through the program over the next two years, receive more advanced instruction in those areas.

More than 60 percent of the students who graduated from the academy between 2008 and 2012 are currently working in construction related fields, according to program statistics.

The school is currently working with Gateway to create standing agreements that could give ACE graduates entering Gateways construction management program over 20 credits toward their degree. Those Gateway graduates could then take their degrees to the Milwaukee School of Engineering, or possibly the Universities of Wisconsin at Stout or Platteville, with enough transferable credits to earn bachelors degrees in another two years.
OSLO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, has bought a 50 percent stake in a portfolio of logistics properties in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, the fund said in a statement on Friday.

The stake was bought from Prologis, which retains a 50 percent sake.

"Norges Bank Real Estate Management paid 55.3 million euros ($60.20 million) for its 50 percent interest, valuing the portfolio of eight buildings at 110.5 million euros," the fund said.

Meanwhile, the joint venture between Norges Bank Real Estate Management and Prologis has sold three logistics properties in France, it added.

"For its 50 percent ownership interest Norges Bank Real Estate Management received 25.1 million euros," it said.

($1 = 0.9186 euros) (Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Stine Jacobsen)
The County Election by George Caleb Bingham (1846)

When delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia, they were anxious about the health and safety of our young nation. Beyond the well-enumerated flaws of the Articles of Confederation, the delegates faced an existential question: Could the quarreling colonists be united under one enduring government?

Most historical evidence pointed to a negative answer. The delegates would have been familiar with the European wars of religion, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, not to mention the fall of the Roman Republic. There was good reason to be skeptical of the ability of a diverse political community to sustain itself through internal conflict. All the more important, then, was the goal of designing a set of rules to govern the distribution, exercise, and transfer of powera constitution.

Even after the Convention, the Framers spoke out on the danger of factions and the importance of respecting the norms and laws of constitutional government. In Federalist No. 10, James Madison acknowledged that liberty is to faction what air is to fire, famously arguing that a large, representative democracy was the best way to counter groups of citizens united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community. George Washington, in his Farewell Address, warned of the baneful effects of faction. A fire not to be quenched, he said, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

To be sure, the Framers did not envision the modern party system; the Constitution makes no mention of political parties. But they appreciated the need to moderate conflict between individuals and groups with strong political disagreements. As such, Article I, Section 4 and Article II, Section 1, call for elections that enable the peaceful transition of power between factions. With ratification, states and prospective candidates agreed to abide by those procedures. Despite harrowing moments when that commitment appeared to waver, our constitutional system has endured.

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In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican governor of Ohio, was widely expected to lose to Samuel Tilden, the Democratic governor of New York. Initial returns showed Tilden winning the popular vote, but neither candidate had a majority of Electoral College votes, thanks to disputed results in four states. A special commission was appointed by Congress to adjudicate between the parties. Democrats, sensing an impending loss, considered derailing the process, but Tilden ultimately conceded peacefully with the Compromise of 1877.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, and Richard Nixon, the Republican Vice President, were locked in a tight battle through Election Day. Overnight, the election was called for Kennedy by a comfortable Electoral College vote of 303 to 219, but a narrow margin of 112,000 in the popular vote. Rumors quickly spread that voting in Illinois and Texas had been manipulated by Kennedy forces; Nixon supporters urged their candidate to contest the results. But Nixon conceded peacefully, telling a friend that our country cannot afford the agony of a constitutional crisis.

And in 2000, George W. Bush, the Republican governor of Texas, narrowly led Al Gore, the Democratic Vice President, in Florida after the first results were tallied, thus triggering an automatic statewide recount. After a machine recount revealed an even narrower lead for Bush, a legal battle ensued over the scope and method of further hand recounts, with teams of opposing lawyers swarming the Sunshine State. The dispute ultimately reached the Supreme Court, which ruled the hand recounts unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. Despite calls from his supporters to continue the fight, Gore conceded peacefully, saying, While I strongly disagree with the Courts decision, I accept it.

Our grand experiment in republican self-government depends on good-faith cooperation. Under the First Amendment, we can protest the government and criticize the outcome of an election, but if we lose the argument, we must accept the results. And thats what Americans have always done.

In his First Inaugural Address, President Ronald Reagan praised our collective achievement:

To a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every 4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.

Indeed.

Nicandro Iannacci is a web content strategist at the National Constitution Center.

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The long-anticipated battle to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, is the biggest test to date for President Obamas strategy against ISIS and other terrorist groups active in the Middle East.

The chances of success are decidedly mixed. Paradoxically, the forces assembled against the Islamic State may succeed only to hand Obama another Mideast failure.

Related: The Battle for Mosul: Has the US Backed an Incompetent Commander in Iraq?

Reports from the front line Thursday said the offensive to retake Mosul is moving faster than military planners had expected. Iraqi units and Kurdish Peshmerga were successfully clearing outlying villages in preparation for a decisive attack on the city itself.

So far, so good. This battle pits roughly 90,000 coalition soldiers with multinational air and logistics support against an ISIS force the Defense Department estimates at 3,000 to 5,000. While its still early, prospects for a battlefield win are promising.

But a battlefield victory has precisely zero to do with whether Obamas anti-terror strategyoften tagged his doctrineproves out.

Since he outlined his strategy at West Points 2014 commencement ceremony, Obama has sought to put local forces in the front of the war against ISIS and other radical militants, assigning modest numbers of U.S. troopsroughly 2,500 in this caseto advise, spot artillery targets, ease communications, and the like.

The success of this strategy can be measured only after the fighting ends and Mosul stabilizes (or not) under something resembling normal conditions. Think of the Bush administrations 2003 invasion of Iraq. All too grandly, officials likened it to the conclusive battles against Japan in 1945, after which a highly elaborated bureaucracy took control in Tokyo and remade the nation after years of careful forethought.

Related: Factbox: Once-tolerant Mosul site of Iraq push against Islamic State

Nothing of the sort ensued in Iraq, of course: There was no post-victory plan. The result was years of disorder, violence, sectarianismand, eventually, the rise of the Islamic State.

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Grimly enough, we ought to brace ourselves to watch as the Obama administration makes the same mistake again.

Study Obamas plan as he outlined it in that much-noted West Point speech. Its a military strategy and little more. At this point the fatal flaws as the U.S. applies the approach in Mosul are two:

 First, the Obama administration isnt listening to itself when it repeats incessantly that theres no military solution to the Middle Easts too-numerous conflicts. In the run-up to this weeks mobilization there was too little diplomacy to secure the many-sided coalition backing this effort and too little political work on the ground.

There is already squabbling about which forces will enter Mosul once the Islamic States occupation is broken. The Kurdish Peshmerga, which opened a direct attack on Mosul late Thursday, have promise to withdraw when the fighting ends because Turkey counts them terrorists threatening its national security.

Related: For U.S. and Obama, Mosul Campaign Is Calculated Risk

The ever-mercurial President Erdogan, meantime, insists that Turkish troops will participate in the invasion and a post-victory occupation, even as Baghdad asserts they are unwelcome on Iraqi soil.

On the ground, Mosuls infrastructure is all but destroyed. Water and electricity supplies are intermittent at best; schools, if they are still standing, barely function; theres nothing in the municipal treasury, and the economy, needless to say, is nearly nonexistent.

Whos going to manage all this? Wheres the administration-in-waiting? What will the postISIS political culture look like? Washington has offered no answers.

On this score, Mosul is the perfect illustration of a truth the Obama White House simply cannot grasp: Order anywhere in the Middle East cant be restored until a holistic strategy involving experts in many disciplines are brought into the policy process. It will cost money, yes, but not as much as what a lot of analysts now call our endless war.

Related: ISIS Crushes Rebellion Plot in Mosul as Army Closes In

Second, Washington is ducking problems inherent in the very composition of the forces fighting to retake Mosul. This battle has post-victory sectarian violence and disorder written all over it.

The main forces moving on Mosul are the Iraqi Security Forces, or I.S.F., which number 54,000 to 60,000, and the Kurds, who field 40,000 troops. But Sunni tribal militias and Shia militias backed by Iran, totaling 16,000, are also in the fight. News reports say the I.S.F. is tasked to keep these groups from raising sectarian banners as they head into battle.

Its not a foregone conclusion, but there is a clear danger that the multi-force fighting for Mosul will import all the sectarian animosities across the Middle East into the city once it drives out ISIS.

Washington, in other words, now risks landing back at square one. In its official announcements, the Pentagon makes virtually no mention of sectarian elements in the antiISIS coalition. But the Gulf States, which are Sunni-dominated, assert that the Iranian-backed Shia militias will turn Mosul into a catastrophe.

You have to wish none of this will come to be. In the best outcome, a nonsectarian political culture will materialize in postISIS Mosul, and the Sunni and Shia communities will learn to co-exist as they long had prior to the 2003 invasion.

Is anybody rushing to the bank on that prospect?

Mosuls object lesson for Americans is perfectly clear: Once again, military considerations are too prominent in the U.S. policy process and the State Departments role too diminished.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Okinawa, the Japanese archipelago home to thousands of US troops and popular with scuba divers, is looking beyond its beach resorts and World War II battle sites to bag a spot in high fashion.

A two and a half hour flight from Tokyo and closer to Taiwan, Okinawa couldn't be more different from the Japanese capital, where the fashion set reach for tights and tailored jackets on even a balmy autumn day and look down their noses at homespun "resort wear".

But rather than bend to Tokyo's will, two fashion houses on Okinawa have wider horizons: putting the sub-tropical island chain on a map of its own.

Both directors jetted into Tokyo for fashion week to meet buyers and journalists, but instead opted to stage their runway shows on Okinawa Island -- live streaming them online to reach a wider audience.

"Fashion is not only for people in Tokyo. That's what I want to prove," Roberto Yoshida, creative director of Okinawamade, tells AFP.

Holding shows in other parts of Japan, a country made up of hundreds of inhabited islands with a population of 127 million -- around double that of Britain -- will make fashion week more interesting, he says.

The 38-year-old, the grandson of a Spanish woman, who also designs biker gear for Honda and runs a high-end line patronised by the likes of US rocker Lenny Kravitz, is holding his catwalk show on Saturday in an old elementary school with Okinawan women starring as his models.

"I wanted to establish a brand that represents Okinawa," he says. "It has been my dream since high school."

The brand is officially menswear, but his appeal is broader: 70 percent of his customers are young women from their teens to 30s, he says, and 30 percent come from outside Japan, mostly China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

- US influence -

For fellow label Lequio it's also about more than the island's blue skies, crystalline sea, hibiscus flowers: it's about promoting the island's unique culture and history.

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"We want to present original products that can be made nowhere else," director Yoshinari Kakazu tells AFP.

Lequio's spring/summer 2017 collection features a traditional Okinawa indigo dye and Kakazu wants to move into agriculture to support its production with farming on the wane.

He shows a beautifully soft indigo T-shirt dyed with intricate white patterns, which come from a kimono his mother wears for doing traditional dance.

Lequio also has a second line, Made In Occupied Japan, that fashions US military attire into bags. The same cloth has been made into a hooded sundress for spring/summer 2017.

Around 47,000 Americans troops are stationed in Japan, more than half of them on Okinawa, which was occupied for 27 years after World War II.

While US culture has deeply influenced the island, rapes, assaults and hit-and-run accidents by troops, their dependents and civilians have also fanned controversy and protests.

"We're using this name ironically to turn negative heritage into a plus point," says Kakazu.

- Global ambitions -

But neither Kakazu nor Yoshida want to be drawn on what they think of the bases, which also provide local jobs. Both have American friends and say US culture has been a huge influence.

Lequio's show was held in the courtyard of an old American officers' mess in what Kakazu calls "the Beverly Hills of Okinawa". It was live streamed on Monday, the first day of Tokyo Fashion Week.

For his AFP interview Yoshida wore his own sweater printed with Mickey Mouse and Okinawa, as well as wide-brimmed rapper-style cap.

He is inspired by French designer Hedi Slimane, who in 2016 took Yves Saint Laurent's runway show to his home base in Los Angeles.

Yet unlike the unrelenting US drive towards mass consumerism, he has his eye firmly on cultivating exclusivity.

Okinawamade sells online but has just one, tiny Tokyo shop, which only opens at weekends and where he says people queue for the limited chance to snap up the clothes.

"A small brand that competes with major brands is more interesting," he said. "If I continue this way, I hope someday Nike or Supreme might ask me to collaborate in the future."

Lequio also has big ambitions.

"Our clothes are luxurious resort wear with a casual twist," says designer Hiloki Deliva. "I want people all over the world to wear them."
By Jon Herskovitz (Reuters) - Oklahoma voting officials have denied a request from the Russian consulate in Houston to monitor the Nov. 8 general elections in the state, saying foreign delegates are not allowed into polling stations, an official said on Friday. The move comes as the U.S. government this month formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations to interfere with the U.S. election process. The consul general made similar requests to officials in Texas and Louisiana, local news reports said, and was rebuffed in both states. The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Houston was not immediately available for comment. The consulate asked to have personnel in Oklahoma to study the Nov. 8 presidential election and was told that state law forbids anyone other than election officials and voters into areas where votes are being cast, said Bryan Dean, spokesman for the Oklahoma State Election Board. In a letter provided by Oklahoma, Russian Consul General Alexander Zakharov asks to have a consulate officer "at one of the ballot stations of Oklahoma with the goal of studying the U.S. experience in organization of (the) voting process." Oklahoma Secretary of State Chris Benge said he hopes the Russian officials can watch the U.S. election process on TV. "It is truly an amazing system," he wrote back in a letter provided by the state. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing that individual states maintain the authority to approve or deny requests from parties to observe elections. When asked if it was a worry to have the Russian request coming on the heels of the U.S. accusations of the country trying to meddle in the vote, he replied: "We dont have anything to hide  and were confident in the electoral system. U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that the Russian government was conducting or orchestrating cyber attacks against the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, possibly to disrupt or discredit the election, in which Democrat Hillary Clinton faces Republican Donald Trump. A Kremlin spokesman has called the U.S. allegations "nonsense," the Interfax news agency reported. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Additional reporting by David Alexander in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
One town has completely banned clown costumes this Halloween

Halloween is right around the corner, and while you may feel tons of excitement over planning out your costume this year, one town is starting the Halloween season off with a costume ban. Following the creepy clown phenomenon thats taken over the country over the last few weeks, the Mississippi town of Kemper County wont be allowing any clown costumes in their Halloween festivities.

The towns board of supervisors unanimously agreed on the ban this week.

From now until November 1st, reports Teen Vogue, it will be unlawful for any person of any age to appear in public in Kemper County in a clown costume, clown mask or clown makeup, according to the Kemper County Messenger.

it

Sheriff James Moore submitted the proposal himself when he started worrying about how the nations problems with creepy clowns could impact the towns safety on Halloween night. And in order to ensure that the safety of trick-or-treaters and Halloween enthusiasts comes first, local residents agree that the ban is for the best.

And with stores like Target announcing their decision to stop selling clown costumes, these smaller actions can hopefully help stop the creepy clown phenomenon that has been at the center of recent strange acts of violence. For the safety of everyone  whether you like clowns or not  the creepy clown craze has got to be stopped.

The post One town has completely banned clown costumes this Halloween appeared first on HelloGiggles.
This is the original photo Esther Honig sent to Photoshop artists around the globe. (Photo: Esther Honig)

In 2014, a young womans experiment prompted an important discussion on how beauty is defined around the globe and taught her the price that comes with being thrust into the spotlight.

Esther Honig, an Ohio-based reporter, had just graduated from college when she came up with the idea to send an unretouched image of herself to Photoshop artists around the world. Make me beautiful, she instructed the participants, giving them complete creative control of the task.

Opening each email from a photo editor was this big reveal, Honig recently shared with the Independent. It felt like I was peering into the minds of these strangers halfway across the world to see how theyd reimagined me. My project was taking shape, and that was incredibly gratifying.

The results of her project, Before & After, were then compiled into a BuzzFeed post, which would later go viral and become a media sensation.

Initially, Honig was enthusiastic about her idea. However, she soon learned that her original belief  that the photos would reflect societal beauty standards by geographic regions  was not entirely accurate. Perhaps what she found more shocking was the reception of her effort by the masses.

Esther Honig, retouched by an artist in the U.K. (Photo: Esther Honig)

Esther Honig, retouched by an artist in Pakistan. (Photo: Esther Honig)

Honig wasnt prepared for the influx of media requests that came her way and felt that some outlets unfairly took advantage of her work. Along with harsh criticism from academics who dismissed her project given the lack of a control, unsolicited comments from the public on her own beauty, and invasive media plugs and features, Honig felt that she lost control over her endeavor.

At one point I received so many thousands of media requests that every stream in my digital web is clogged: Twitter, Facebook, email, even Instagram, Honig wrote in an essay detailing her experience for Pelican Bomb magazine. By the time I respond to a publication, either granting or denying them permission, I find my project is already live on their site. The abuse of usage rights is infuriating, but without an agent or a lawyer, Im outnumbered. In the eyes of the Internet, my work (and my face) is now under public domain.

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Through the experience, Honig saw the dark side that comes with Internet fame, but fortunately managed to learn from it. She even developed a strategy that we could all use to deal with Internet trolls.

When there are thousands of people making critical comments about your work, the knee-jerk reaction might be a sharp tweet saying how youve been completely misinterpreted, she wrote. In the world of social media, that sort of defensive response is futile; it only feeds the trolls. Instead, I learned to listen to whats being said, evaluate whether I found it relevant, and continue on with my work. In the end, it made me a better professional.





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BOGOTA (Reuters) - Several modifications to a peace deal with Colombia's FARC rebels suggested by the country's opposition are "inviable," President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday, adding he remains committed to salvaging the accord. The government will take some opposition suggestions for changes to the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to guerrilla leaders, Santos said in a televised address. The government has been meeting with representatives of the right wing opposition and others who campaigned against the deal in hopes the rebels will accept changes to the accord. The peace deal was rejected in a surprise plebiscite result this month, shortly before Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the country's 52-year war. Many opposition proposals were "reasonable" Santos said on Thursday, but others are "totally inviable". The deadline for meetings with those against the accord has now passed, he said. "We're going to work at top speed to achieve a new deal," Santos said. "We have already established mechanisms with the FARC to review (the suggestions) and decide on necessary adjustments." "We want to finish this soon, very soon." Opponents of the deal, including former President and current Senator Alvaro Uribe, have argued that transitional justice procedures do not punish the FARC enough for human rights violations like killings and kidnappings and that the rebels should not be granted seats in Congress. Uribe and his top allies reiterated in an open letter dated Wednesday that they are willing to meet with the FARC, but said the president must make big changes to the deal. "Is the President open to the profound changes that our popular mandate demands or is he limiting himself to receiving documents via his secretaries in order to pass them on to this illegal armed group," the letter read. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Donald Trumps refusal to commit to accepting the results of the vote at the third presidential debate led to widespread criticism that he was breaking with a norm of American politics that dates back to the 18th century. But amid the uproar, many missed another comment that would have upset the framers of the Constitution.

Criticizing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her private email server, Trump said that she shouldnt have been allowed to run for president in the first place.

Its crooked  shes  shes guilty of a very, very serious crime. She should not be allowed to run, he said. She should never have been allowed to run for the presidency based on what she did with e-mails and so many other things.

Trumps statement, which he has repeated at rallies, seems to misunderstand a major feature of the Constitutions rules on who should and shouldnt be able to run for president.

The words in the Constitution that set forth the rules of presidential eligibility (found in Article II Section 1 Clause 5) are pretty sparse: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

Though the natural-born citizen part has caused some trouble over the years, its pretty clear from the records of debate at the constitutional convention as well as the Federalist Papers that the men writing the Constitution didnt actually want many limits on who could run for president.

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Their main concern at the time was making sure that the new office of the chief executive didnt come to resemble a kingship. Many were already uncomfortable with the amount of power vested in the position, and they sought to use their experience with European monarchs to avoid creating a presidency that would undermine democracy. As constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar explains in Americas Constitution: A Biography, the age limit was anti-dynastic, meaning that favorite sons of famous people would have to prove their own worth before being able to coast into office on the strength of their parents reputations. The citizenship and residency restrictions are even more obviously democratic, meant to prevent rich foreign aristocrats from seeing the young country as a place where it would be easy to gain power.

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Other than that, its up for grabs. As Alexander Hamilton put it at the Constitutional Convention, adding minute restrictions on holding office would be embarrassing to the government; James Madison seconded that idea, saying that it was important to maintain the character of liberality which had been professed in all the Constitutions & publications of America. (On that particular day, they were discussing qualifications for the legislature, but the point still holds.)

So some common barriers to holding officeproperty requirements and religious tests, for examplearent mentioned, a notable omission at that time. The Founding Fathers wanted the presidency to be relatively easy for any American to seek.

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When it came time to debate the qualifications for presidency, James Madison specifically cites in his notes a July 1787 discussion about how the office ought to be filled. Its clear from those notes that the Constitutions drafters were extremely concerned about getting a qualified presidentbut that most of their concerns lay with the question of who would be allowed to vote, not with who would be allowed to run. In other words, as Gouverneur Morris put it, If qualifications are proper, he wd. prefer them in the electors rather than the elected.

John Dickenson is also identified as being against a recital of qualifications being included in the Constitution, making the point that any such list will be necessarily incomplete and thus problematic. And thats O.K., Dickenson points out, as long as the voters can be trusted. If the voters couldnt be trusted, he added, the problem was beyond fixing.

And in fact, the precise qualification that came up in Wednesdays debate has been put to the test. Though Hillary Clinton has not been found guilty of any crime, despite Trumps assertions, people who have been convicted of crimes are allowed to run for presidentand in fact have done so from jail. (In parallel with the founders concerns about the electors rather than the elected, those convicted of crimes dont always have the right to vote, even if they can run.)

The most famous example of a jail-bound candidate probably comes from the 1920 presidential race, when Eugene V. Debs ran for office from the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, where he had been sent for violation of wartime espionage laws for his vocal opposition to World War I. Debs was a perennial nominee from the Socialist Party, and his imprisonment did not dampen his partys enthusiasm for their candidate. In fact, one of his supporters slogans was from prison to White House. A campaign button even bore the phrase For PresidentConvict No. 9653.

Debs received more than 900,000 votes. He was defeated by Warren Harding, who freed him from prison in 1921, the same year the sedition law that had been used to imprison him was repealed.
Industry revenue may only rise 7-8% in 2016.

Fitch Ratings expects the Indian telcos' credit profiles to weaken amid intense competition and high capex requirements in 2017.

"Pricing power could be eroded as incumbents retaliate against new entrant Reliance Jio's (part of Reliance Industries Ltd) cheaper data tariffs and free voice and text," it said.

The top-four's - Bharti Airtel Limited (Bharti), Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Rcom/Aircel - revenue market share will rise to around 84% from 79% in 2016 as they gain market share from smaller telcos.

It expects Reliance Jio to gain less than a 2% revenue market share in 2017 but to act a major price-disruptor to the sector.

Fitch estimates that industry revenue growth could slow to the mid-single-digits of 7-8% in 2016 due to lower data revenue growth, as data tariffs could decline by at least 15%-20%.

"The EBITDA margin of the top-four telcos could decline by 150bp-200bp (2016 average: 34%) due to lower tariffs and increased marketing spend as data competition rises. Most telcos' FCF will be negative, as cash generation is likely to fall short of capex requirements," said Fitch.

Rcom's 'BB-' IDR, has low headroom, as its FFO-adjusted net leverage is likely to remain at around 5.5x - higher than the 4.5x threshold above which Fitch may take negative rating action.

"We believe that Rcom's plan to demerge its wireless business is credit neutral - as the demerger will take away an equal proportion of debt and EBITDA from Rcom. Our Stable Outlook factors in our expectation that Rcom will use the proceeds from the sale of tower assets to improve leverage, commensurate with a 'BB-' rating," it said.

Bharti's 'BBB-' IDR headroom may narrow as FFO-adjusted net leverage could deteriorate to over 2.0x (FY16: 1.8x, excluding USD5bn deferred spectrum costs) due to flat EBITDA as competition intensifies.

"Its 2017 operating EBITDAR margin could ease to 33%-34% (FY16: 35%) as Jio's high-data-allocation plan could hit Bharti's premium customer base, which accounts for the most profitability at its Indian mobile segment, said Fitch.





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BENIN CITY, Nigeria (Reuters) - Crowned with coral beads, flanked by high officials in bright white robes adorned with shining metal plaques, the new Oba of the historic kingdom of Benin greeted his people in a very 21st century corner of southern Nigeria. Crowds packed Benin City to celebrate the coronation of Oba Ewuare II - carrying on a royal tradition that has endured through a punishing raid by imperial Britain in 1897 and the kingdom's subsequent incorporation into the west African state. Britain infamously carried away piles of plunder, including hundreds of metal panels - now widely known as the "Benin bronzes" and hanging in museums as far afield as London, New York, Berlin and Christchurch, New Zealand. Similar regalia was in active use on Thursday in Benin City, the modern day capital of Nigeria's Edo state and separate from the neighboring Republic of Benin. "I am happy to witness this because I was young when the last king Erediuwa was crowned. I am now 55 years," said Chief Samson Ekassa, one of a series of dignitaries at the event including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and business tycoon Aliko Dangote, known as Africa's richest man. Traditional rulers wield significant influence in Nigeria, a patchwork state of 250 ethnic groups where Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs all have followers. (Reporting by Akintunde Akinleye; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
BENIN CITY, Nigeria (Reuters) - Crowned with coral beads, flanked by high officials in bright white robes adorned with shining metal plaques, the new Oba of the historic kingdom of Benin greeted his people in a very 21st century corner of southern Nigeria. Crowds packed Benin City to celebrate the coronation of Oba Ewuare II - carrying on a royal tradition that has endured through a punishing raid by imperial Britain in 1897 and the kingdom's subsequent incorporation into the west African state. Britain infamously carried away piles of plunder, including hundreds of metal panels - now widely known as the "Benin bronzes" and hanging in museums as far afield as London, New York, Berlin and Christchurch, New Zealand. Similar regalia was in active use on Thursday in Benin City, the modern day capital of Nigeria's Edo state and separate from the neighbouring Republic of Benin. "I am happy to witness this because I was young when the last king Erediuwa was crowned. I am now 55 years," said Chief Samson Ekassa, one of a series of dignitaries at the event including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and business tycoon Aliko Dangote, known as Africa's richest man. Traditional rulers wield significant influence in Nigeria, a patchwork state of 250 ethnic groups where Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs all have followers. (Reporting by Akintunde Akinleye; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Pakistans media regulator Friday imposed a complete ban on the broadcast of Indian film, TV and music. Broadcasters which breach the ruling risk losing their license.

The move comes after weeks of growing political and social tensions between the two South Asian countries sparked by a border incident in mid-September in the disputed Kashmir region.

The ban by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA,) made at the behest of Pakistans federal government, follows some two weeks after a ban on the use of Pakistani artists in India. That was announced, not at government level, but rather by the powerful industry body, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA.)

Popular feelings have been stoked up by the political tensions. An example of that was the cancellation last week of the planned screening of a 50-year-old Pakistan-made art film at the Mumbai Film Festival. Local agitators made threats against the festival and called in the police.

PEMRA sought to explain its action not in the geo-political context, but rather in industry terms and a lack of trade reciprocity. Its chairman Absar Alam said that for years Pakistan has been open to Indian content, but that Pakistani content has been restricted in India.

In an interview on BBC television Alam described a flood of cheaply-made Indian content that was damaging Pakistans own TV drama industry. They are the larger country, they should have the larger heart, he said.

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Oct 21 (Reuters) - A union representing public college faculty in Pennsylvania ended a three-day strike on Friday after reaching a tentative deal with the state on pay, benefits and working conditions.

Some 5,500 professors and other workers launched the work stoppage before dawn on Wednesday, saying contract talks had reached an impasse after two years.

The new agreement, which ends on June 30, 2018, was announced separately by the State System of Higher Education and by the union, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.

The strike by full-time and part-time faculty affected about 100,000 students at 14 schools, from West Chester University near Philadelphia to California University outside Pittsburgh.

Students were told, though, to report to their regularly scheduled classes during the strike, because individual faculty members could decide for themselves whether to participate.

As part of the deal, the union said it accepted a smaller pay increase than it had sought, in exchange for the state dropping most of 249 proposed contract changes it put forward this year.

"Our primary goals were to preserve quality education for our students, protect our adjuncts from exploitation, and make sure the varieties of faculty work are respected," the union's president, Kenneth Mash, said in a statement.

Union members and the state system's board of governors still must approve the agreement.

The state said faculty would receive pay increases while allowing the state "to realize important healthcare cost savings." Details would be released upon final approval, the state said.

"Throughout this process, our students have been remarkably patient, and they should be applauded," State System Chancellor Frank Brogan said in a statement.

Both sides credited Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, with helping them resolve their differences.

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by David Gregorio)
The number of Wisconsin students using taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools rose about 22 percent this year to 3,061, while 206 children took advantage of a new voucher program for students with disabilities.

Overall, 33,781 students received a voucher to attend one of the 209 private schools in the states three voucher programs for students without disabilities, according to figures released by the Department of Public Instruction on Friday.

The 22 percent increase in the statewide program comes during two years after lawmakers eliminated the 1,000-student enrollment cap. Last year, the first year without the cap, enrollment rose by nearly 150 percent to 2,514.

Enrollment in the statewide program is now limited to 1 percent of each participating school districts membership. About 5,600 fewer students than the maximum allowed enrollment of 8,671 used school vouchers this school year.

Each private school receives a voucher payment of $7,323 per student in grades kindergarten through eighth and $7,969 per high school student. The cost of the three programs for students without disabilities  in Milwaukee, Racine and statewide  is estimated to be $244.6 million for the 2016-17 school year, according to DPI.

For the voucher program for students with disabilities, each participating private school receives $12,000 per student. The overall cost of the program is about $2.4 million. The number of students in the new program is about half of the number of seats available, according to DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy.

More than 40 vouchers were used by students living in the Madison School District to attend a private school as part of the statewide program and the program for students with disabilities.
Abu Dhabi (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday he was confident that Turkey would take part in the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group.

"I think there is agreement there in principle," he said after a visit to Turkey, following tensions between Ankara and Baghdad that have alarmed Washington.

"Iraq understands that Turkey as a member of the counter-ISIL (IS) coalition will play a role in counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and secondly that Turkey since it neighbours the region of Mosul has an interest (in) the ultimate outcome in Mosul," Carter said.

"I am confident that we can work things out and there are things that would be productive for Turkey to do and we just need to work through these practicalities."

A senior US defence official indicated that Turkey could provide medical or humanitarian support, or train Iraqi forces.

Earlier on Friday, Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top officials during his short visit to Turkey, a crucial ally in the fight against IS.

Baghdad has called for the withdrawal of hundreds of Turkish troops from Bashiqa near Mosul where they have been deployed to train Iraqi fighters for the battle for the jihadist stronghold.

Ankara fears that the operation to retake Mosul could be spearheaded by Shiite militia and also include Kurdish militia vehemently opposed by Turkey.

Carter also saw a military and political role for Turkey in an eventual assault on the Syrian city of Raqa where IS has established its de facto capital.

"Likewise, Turkey will have a role ultimately in the collapse of Raqa and then as a party in the region will have an interest in making sure that the governance of Raqa is one that is reflective of the population there," he said.

"We want to get ISIL out of Raqa, we want to do that as soon as possible and we want the victory to last."
Ankara (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Ankara on Friday for talks with the leaders of Turkey, a crucial but sensitive ally in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The Pentagon chief was due to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as Defence Minister Fikri Isik.

Washington is worried by tensions between Turkey and Iraq as the long-awaited battle to retake Iraq's second city Mosul from IS jihadists enters a decisive phase.

Turkey, which fears the Mosul offensive could boost the influence of anti-Ankara Kurdish militia, says it cannot stay on the sidelines, but Baghdad is firmly against the involvement of Turkish troops.

The US wants Turkey to refrain from military operations in Iraq without the green light from Baghdad, fearing the war of words could jeopardize a fragile pact to keep rival sectarian and ethnic militias out of central Mosul.

Respect for Iraq's sovereignty is an "important principle", Carter told reporters on his plane en route to Turkey.

A senior US defence official said Washington was urging both sides to "tamp down the rhetoric".

"We have been talking behind the scenes to get the Iraqis and the Turks to come to an understanding on how to move forward on Mosul and on Turkish presence in Iraq," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The visit comes as Turkish warplanes carried out deadly strikes on US-backed militias in northern Syria, including Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Turkish army said Thursday the raids killed between 160 and 200 militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group considered a terror group by Ankara but an effective force by Washington in the fight against IS.

Carter declined to comment on Turkish strikes on the YPG.

Turkey in August launched an unprecedented operation in northern Syria, sending tanks and troops to back Syrian rebels who have pushed IS from several key areas including Jarabulus and Dabiq.

Story continues

Rebel fighters captured Dabiq on Sunday in a symbolic setback to the jihadists, as a Sunni prophecy cites the town as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Carter said the capture of Dabiq was an "important objective" of the campaign.

"The Turks were carrying the burden of the battle here and did spectacularly well," he said.

"We will be working with them to consolidate that border region, long an objective of theirs and ours, and a very important one in the counter-ISIL campaign."

Tensions between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have grown after the failed July coup in Turkey.

Turkish authorities blamed the putsch on a rogue military group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen -- charges he denies -- and they have repeatedly demanded his extradition.

Carter is due to visit the United Arab Emirates before a meeting of defence ministers from the international anti-IS coalition in Paris on Tuesday. On Wednesday he will join a NATO ministerial gathering in Brussels.
LIMA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Supplies needed to keep operating one of the world's biggest copper mines, Las Bambas, are running out as access roads remain blocked by protesters in Peru, Chinese-owned miner MMG Ltd said on Friday.

Protests against the company's use of local roads in the highland province of Challhuahuacho have expanded since a protester was shot dead in clashes with police a week ago.

"Community roads are currently blocked and supplies for operating and subsisting are about to run out," MMG's Chief Executive Andrew Michelmore said in an emailed statement in Spanish.

"We now have large reserves that cannot be transported by road, a situation that cannot go on for much longer," he added.

The company said it lamented the death of the protester, a father of three, and was committed to working with the government and community leaders to keep the mine operating.

However, the central government and local leaders remained in a stalemate on Friday as several thousand protesters continued to demand the presence of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, said Artemio Solano, a representative in the office of the state ombudsman responsible for Challhuahuacho.

The government had been scheduled to meet on Monday with the chiefs of Quechua-speaking towns angry over the company's use of a communal road to transport its concentrates to port, which they say pollute their lands. But the unrest that erupted during the police crackdown on Oct. 14 inflamed tensions and the meeting was cancelled.

"The entire province has now joined the protest," Solano said.

Prime Minister Fernando Zavala said earlier this week that Kuczynski was open to talks with the protesters but added that he would not travel to the region while any "forceful actions" were taking place.

MMG said the situation risked hurting the company's reputation and the reputation of other investors in Peru.

Las Bambas, which started operations late last year, churned out 106,123 tonnes of copper in the third quarter, the first full quarter of production, the company said earlier this week.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Tom Brown)
LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former investment banker who reported earning $700,000 per year before taking office in July, faced a wave of criticism on Friday for complaining about his salary as a public official. Kuczynski's comments, posted online in a video by local daily newspaper Correo, come as his centrist government has been reeling from a corruption scandal involving a former adviser and deadly protests at one of the country's biggest copper mines. The 78-year-old Oxford-and-Princeton-educated former World Bank economist was pitching a reform to raise the salaries of local mayors before he turned to his own earnings. "The president of the Republic makes half of what a minister makes. There are two ministers here. Between the two of them they make four times what I make. Does that seem fair to you?" Kuczynski said before a group representing municipalities. Kuczynski's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Peruvians took to social media to deride the remarks, some drawing comparisons with three volunteer firemen who died this week trying to pull people from a fire near the outskirts of Lima. "Before he said his dream was to become president to 'serve Peru.' Amnesia? Senior moment?' said Twitter user Rubem Dos Santos. But some Twitter users said Kuczynski should be paid more than his ministers. The president of Peru earns 15,600 soles ($4,588) per month before taxes. Cabinet ministers earn 30,000 soles per month. The minimum wage in Peru is 850 soles ($250). Kuczynski reported annual earnings of 2,499,235 soles ($735,069) to electoral authorities before narrowly winning his the presidency in a June run-off. Kuczynski's approval rating had risen to 63 percent in September before dropping 8 percentage points in the last poll by Ipsos, published on Sunday. Kuczynski has vowed to put his ample experience in the private sector to work reviving investments in the global minerals exporter and ensuring all Peruvians have access to basic services. ($1=3.4 soles) (Reporting by Mitra Taj; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Neil Jerome Morales DAVAO, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday he was not severing ties with his country's long-time ally the United States, but merely pursuing a more independent foreign policy by strengthening relations with China. A day after he provoked fresh diplomatic alarm by announcing his "separation" from Washington, Duterte struck a more conciliatory tone as he arrived back in the Philippines after a four-day visit to Beijing. "It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that," the Philippine leader told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao. "It's in the best interest of my countrymen to maintain that relationship." On Thursday, Duterte had told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in Beijing's Great Hall of the People that America had "lost now", as he sought what he calls a new commercial alliance with China. "I announce my separation from the United States," he had said, to sustained applause, adding he would also seek closer ties with Russia. Clarifying his comments on Friday, he said that what he meant was that Manila's foreign policy need not always "dovetail" with Washington. "As in separation, what I was really saying was separation of foreign policy," he said. "In the past, and until I became president, we always follow what the United States would give the cue." The White House, which had responded to the "separation" speech by saying there had been "too many" troubling statements from Duterte recently, was quick to welcome the apparent shift in tone. "Based on his extensive, colourful previous comments, there is greater clarity that we would like to get about the intent of President Duterte and his government," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing. "But based on what you've read me that seems to be a change in tone that is more consistent with the seven decade-long alliance between the United States and the Philippines." "WHAT THE PRESIDENT MEANT..." Earlier officials in Manila were left scrambling to explain the latest comments from Duterte, whose broadsides against the United States have grown increasingly frequent. "In terms of economic (ties), we are not stopping trade, investment with America," Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines. He said the Philippines was "breaking being too much dependent on one side". Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the president had been making a "restatement" of his bid to chart an independent foreign policy. Duterte wanted to "separate the nation from dependence on the U.S. and the West, and rebalance economic and military relations with Asian neighbours" like China, Japan and South Korea, Abella said in statement. Underscoring that, the Chinese and Philippines defence ministers met in Beijing on the sidelines of Duterte's visit, and pledged to restore security ties, China's Defence Ministry said. ANTI-U.S. PROTEST Duterte's efforts to engage China - months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila - mark a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30. It has also been in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs. He has called U.S. President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch" and told him to "go to hell". On Wednesday, about 1,000 anti-U.S. protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila calling for the removal of U.S. troops from a southern Philippine island. Hundreds of left-wing demonstrators burned a replica of the U.S. flag at a rally in Manila on Friday as they called for an end to U.S. military agreements. The United States, a former colonial power, has seen Manila as an important ally in its "rebalance" to Asia in the face of a rising China. The U.S. Embassy press attache in Manila, Molly Koscina, said Duterte's statements were creating uncertainty. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Washington intended to keep to its alliance commitments to the Philippines. "Obviously any relationship is one of mutuality and we will continue to discuss that with our Philippine counterparts," he told reporters on a flight to Turkey. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked in Beijing about Duterte's comments, said countries should not resort to win-lose mentalities. "We should not have Cold War thinking; it's either you or me, you win I lose, that kind of zero-sum game," she told a regular press briefing. Wrangling over territory in the South China Sea, where Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, has consumed China-Philippines relations in recent years. China claims most of the waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and in 2012 it seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds. Arriving home, Duterte said he had discussed Scarborough Shoal with the Chinese, but did not elaborate. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila, Phil Stewart in Ankara and Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Nick Macfie and Alex Richardson; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
MANILA (Reuters) - President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement that Philippines will separate from Washington is creating unnecessary uncertainty, the U.S. Embassy press attache in Manila said on Friday. Molly Koscina also said Duterte's "troubling" rhetoric was at odds with the warm ties between the Philippines and the United States. "For our part, we will honor our alliance commitments and treaty obligations. And, of course, we expect the Philippines to do the same," Koscina said in an email to Reuters. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Rodrigo Duterte Xi Jinping

During his first official trip outside of Southeast Asia as head of state this week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States.

"America has lost now," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in the Great Hall of the People, attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

"I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world  China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

(On Friday, he clarified his comments, saying that this "is not a severance of ties," but rather he wants to pursue a "separation of foreign policy" by strengthening relations with China.)

This wasn't the first time Duterte has used fiery language with respect to the US: he previously called president Barack Obama a "son of a bitch" and told him to "go to hell."

Still, the so-called pivot to China was more dramatic than some had expected, coming just months after a Hague tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in its South China Sea dispute with China, and is a complete change-up from predecessor Benigno Aquino's diplomatic positioning.

And there's an underlying pragmatic reason as to why Duterte has played his cards this way: given that his main priorities are development and growth, he wants economic, trade, and investment benefits from China, as a BMI team noted in a recent note to clients.

In recent years, the Philippines had been excluded from China's charity as relations between the two nations soured after the Scarborough Shoal incident in 2012. But then on Thursday, the Chinese foreign ministry announced that the two countries signed numerous bilateral cooperation documents, and added that China "is willing to actively take part in the building of the Philippine railways, city rail transport, highways, ports and other infrastructure which will benefit the local people," among other things.

Story continues

Moreover, Duterte is likely keen to see some international support for his war on drugs, which has left nearly 2,300 people dead since July, both at the hands of police as well as in unexplained circumstances, according to official data. The crackdown has been criticized by the US, but China expressed support for it last week ahead of Duterte's visit.

Plus, for what it's worth, Reuters reported that "China has pulled out all the stops to welcome Duterte, including a marching band complete with batton-twirling band master at his official welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People, which most leaders do not get."

"Beijing [...] has reciprocated cordially towards Manila's foreign policy shift and is rewarding the latter for its diplomatic efforts," the BMI team wrote.

Philippines Rodrigo Duterte China visit business investment Beijing speech

It's also notable that the Philippines' flip comes at a time when things are starting to heat up between China and its neighbors, and the US continues to pursue greater influence in Asia.

"As a result, the US will likely have to increasingly cultivate Vietnam as a regional security partner to partially offset the withdrawal of the Philippines from an informal US-led bloc of Asian nations aimed at counter-balancing China's rise," argued the BMI team.

They continued:

"Dating back to 1951 when the two sides signed a Mutual Defense Treaty, the Philippines has been a traditional and important US defence ally in the Asia Pacific region due to its strategic location between the South China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean, both of which are vital to international trade. The Philippines is also a key element of the so-called 'first island chain' running from southern Japan and Taiwan down to the South China Sea, which the US formulated in the Cold War to contain the USSR and China. As such, the abandonment of the US-led network of alliances by the Philippines serves as a severe blow to Washington's 'first island chain' strategy."

Obama and Putin

One other interesting side detail was Duterte's shout-out to Putin and Russia, which is not a huge influencer in South East Asia.

"Duterte's reference to develop closer ties with Russia is likely to be his way of signaling to the US that he is willing to befriend countries that are opposed to Washington as part of his foreign policy rebalancing," suggested the BMI team.

"Alternatively, Duterte may have mentioned Russia as a hedge against China, given that the latter still has some unresolved maritime disputes with the Philippines."

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MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine officials sought on Friday to play down comments by President Rodrigo Duterte who announced his "separation" from the United States a day earlier, saying their country will maintain U.S. trade and economic ties. Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he was paving the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with long-time ally Washington deteriorate. He told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in the Great Hall of the People that America had "lost now". "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way. "With that, in this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also." Duterte's efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30. Trade Minister Ramon Lopez sought to explain Duterte's comments. "Let me clarify. The president did not talk about separation," Lopez told CNN Philippines in Beijing. "In terms of economic (ties), we are not stopping trade, investment with America. The president specifically mentioned his desire to strengthen further the ties with China and the ASEAN region which we have been trading with for centuries," he said, referring to the Association of South East Asian Nations. He said the Philippines was "breaking being too much dependent on one side". "But we definitely won't stop the trade and investment activities with the West, specifically the U.S." Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the president's announcement was a "restatement" on his bid to chart an independent foreign policy. Duterte wanted to "separate the nation from dependence on the U.S. and the West and rebalance economic and military relations with Asian neighbors" like China, Japan and South Korea, Abella said in statement. Underscoring that, the Chinese and Philippines defense ministers meet in Beijing on the sidelines of Duterte's visit, and pledged to restore security ties, China's Defence Ministry said. ANTI-U.S. PROTEST Duterte's tone toward China is in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States, after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs. He has called U.S. President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch" and told him to "go to hell". On Wednesday, about 1,000 anti-U.S. protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila calling for the removal of U.S. troops from a southern island. Hundreds of left-wing demonstrators burned a replica of the U.S. flag at a rally in Manila on Friday as they called for an end to U.S. military agreements. The United States, a former colonial power, has seen Manila as an important ally in its "rebalance" to Asia in the face of a rising China. The U.S. Embassy press attache in Manila, Molly Koscina, said Duterte's statements were creating uncertainty. "We've seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently," she told Reuters in an email. "We have yet to hear from the Philippine government what Duterte's remarks on 'separation' might mean, but it is creating unnecessary uncertainty." She also said the United States would honor alliance commitments and treaty obligations with the Philippines. "And, of course, we expect the Philippines to do the same." U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Washington intended to keep to its alliance commitments to the Philippines. "Obviously any relationship is one of mutuality and we will continue to discuss that with our Philippine counterparts," he told reporters on a flight to Turkey. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked in Beijing about Duterte's comments, said countries should not resort to win-lose mentalities. "We should not have Cold War thinking, it's either you or me, you win I lose, that kind of zero-sum game," she told a regular press briefing. "We have always developed relations with other countries in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, mutually win-win, not aimed at, not excluding and not affecting other countries developing normal relations with each other." Wrangling over territory in the South China Sea, where Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, has consumed China-Philippines relations in recent years. China claims most of the waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and in 2012 it seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds. In a statement issued by China's Xinhua news agency, China and the Philippines said it was important to address differences in the South China Sea "without resorting to the threat or use of force". (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila, Phil Stewart in Ankara, and Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Nick Macfie)
By Neil Jerome Morales DAVAO, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday he was not severing ties with his country's long-time ally the United States, but merely pursuing a more independent foreign policy by strengthening relations with China. A day after he provoked fresh diplomatic alarm by announcing his "separation" from Washington, Duterte struck a more conciliatory tone as he arrived back in the Philippines after a four-day visit to Beijing. "It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that," the Philippine leader told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao. "It's in the best interest of my countrymen to maintain that relationship." On Thursday, Duterte had told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in Beijing's Great Hall of the People that America had "lost now", as he sought what he calls a new commercial alliance with China. "I announce my separation from the United States," he had said, to sustained applause, adding he would also seek closer ties with Russia. Clarifying his comments on Friday, he said that what he meant was that Manila's foreign policy need not always "dovetail" with Washington. "As in separation, what I was really saying was separation of foreign policy," he said. "In the past, and until I became president, we always follow what the United States would give the cue." The White House, which had responded to the "separation" speech by saying there had been "too many" troubling statements from Duterte recently, was quick to welcome the apparent shift in tone. "Based on his extensive, colorful previous comments, there is greater clarity that we would like to get about the intent of President Duterte and his government," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing. "But based on what you've read me that seems to be a change in tone that is more consistent with the seven decade-long alliance between the United States and the Philippines." "WHAT THE PRESIDENT MEANT..." Earlier officials in Manila were left scrambling to explain the latest comments from Duterte, whose broadsides against the United States have grown increasingly frequent. "In terms of economic (ties), we are not stopping trade, investment with America," Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines. He said the Philippines was "breaking being too much dependent on one side". Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the president had been making a "restatement" of his bid to chart an independent foreign policy. Duterte wanted to "separate the nation from dependence on the U.S. and the West, and rebalance economic and military relations with Asian neighbors" like China, Japan and South Korea, Abella said in statement. Underscoring that, the Chinese and Philippines defense ministers met in Beijing on the sidelines of Duterte's visit, and pledged to restore security ties, China's Defence Ministry said. ANTI-U.S. PROTEST Duterte's efforts to engage China - months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila - mark a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30. It has also been in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs. He has called U.S. President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch" and told him to "go to hell". On Wednesday, about 1,000 anti-U.S. protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila calling for the removal of U.S. troops from a southern Philippine island. Hundreds of left-wing demonstrators burned a replica of the U.S. flag at a rally in Manila on Friday as they called for an end to U.S. military agreements. The United States, a former colonial power, has seen Manila as an important ally in its "rebalance" to Asia in the face of a rising China. The U.S. Embassy press attache in Manila, Molly Koscina, said Duterte's statements were creating uncertainty. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Washington intended to keep to its alliance commitments to the Philippines. "Obviously any relationship is one of mutuality and we will continue to discuss that with our Philippine counterparts," he told reporters on a flight to Turkey. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked in Beijing about Duterte's comments, said countries should not resort to win-lose mentalities. "We should not have Cold War thinking; it's either you or me, you win I lose, that kind of zero-sum game," she told a regular press briefing. Wrangling over territory in the South China Sea, where Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, has consumed China-Philippines relations in recent years. China claims most of the waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and in 2012 it seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds. Arriving home, Duterte said he had discussed Scarborough Shoal with the Chinese, but did not elaborate. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila, Phil Stewart in Ankara and Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Nick Macfie and Alex Richardson; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
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Well, it looks like Mars has a new crater thanks to a European spacecraft that crash-landed on the red planet this week.

According to a newly released photo taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in Martian orbit, European Space Agency's (ESA) Schiaparelli lander appears to have hurtled into the red planet during its bid to become the first European spacecraft to softly land and operate on the world.

SEE ALSO: History's most spectacular Mars mission fails

The new images show a dark spot in the place where the Schiaparelli was expected to land along with a lighter spot thought to be the spacecraft's parachute.

"Estimates are that Schiaparelli dropped from a height of between 2 and 4 kilometres, therefore impacting at a considerable speed, greater than 300 km/h," the ESA said in a statement.

The ESA also speculates that the lander may have exploded on impact if its tanks full of fuel were still full after its thrusters cut off prematurely.

Scientists need more information before they know exactly what happened to the lander, but the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter should be able to provide new, high-resolution images that may be able to fill in the gaps next week.

"Since the modules descent trajectory was observed from three different locations, the teams are confident that they will be able to reconstruct the chain of events with great accuracy," the ESA said. "The exact mode of anomaly onboard Schiaparelli is still under investigation."

ESA mission controllers lost contact with the lander about 50 seconds before it was expected to touch down on Mars Wednesday.

Mission managers know that the spacecraft's parachute and heat shield seemed to deploy, but they lost contact just before the lander's thrusters were scheduled to have fired to slow its landing.

Artist impression of the Schiaparelli module after the parachute has been deployed, in happier times.

Image: ESA-ATG medialab

The Schiaparelli was designed as part of the ESA's joint ExoMars mission with Russia, launched to help try to find signs of life on the red planet.

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And in spite of the Schiaparelli's failed landing, the mission, in many ways, has already been a success.

Schiaparelli went to Mars with ExoMars' Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a probe that successfully made it into orbit around the planet Wednesday. The TGO is actually the science heavyweight of the mission, unlike the Schiaparelli, which was an experimental technology demonstration to help scientists land a future ExoMars rover on Mars by around 2020.

Thanks to Schiaparelli, the ESA now has more information about how best to land a spacecraft on Mars that should help with planning as it moves toward launching that life-hunting rover years down the road.

While about a dozen lander and rover missions have been launched to Mars, only seven NASA-operated missions have been totally successful.
Kim Kardashian had talked up social media's role in her rise to fame in an interview shot just weeks before a group of thieves raided her hotel room and made off with about $10 million in jewelry.

Read: Keeping Up With the Kardashian Thieves: New Video Shows Robbers' Escape in Paris Heist

In a conversation with 60 Minutes' Bill Whitaker, the reality star spoke about living her life for the world to see on social media, which is believed to have played a role in the robbery after she flaunted her ring and other jewels on Snapchat and Instagram.

There are pitfalls. Lack of privacy, loss of privacy, and that's not for everyone, she said of her fame, but added that she can "handle" it.

Whitaker then asked: You are famous worldwide. Would that famous Kim Kardashian exist without social media?

Not in this way. I totally attribute my career to social media, she said.

Kardashian has been silent on social media since the robbery and has halted filming on reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Her sister, Kourtney, was asked about the heist during an interview with an Australias Today show Thursday and apparently did not wish to talk about it.

Read: Return of the Pink Panthers: Notorious Jewel Thieves May Be Behind Kim Kardashian Heist

When asked about the situation involving her sister, Kourtneys eyes darted off camera, where someone apparently told her not to answer the question.

After a commercial break, Kourtney finally gave a response saying: "Yeah, shes not doing great. Everyone was shaken up. She has a big supportive family. Like all the traumatic things we've been through, we get through them together as a family. And that's what family is all about."



The 60 Minutes interview with Kardashian, who turned 36 Friday, will air Sunday.

Watch: After Kim Kardashian Robbed of $10 Million in Jewels, Fake-But-Fabulous Jewelry Is a Safe Alternative

Related Articles:
By Timothy Mclaughlin

(Reuters) - Two Minnesota police officers involved in the shooting death of a 24-year-old black man will not face charges after an internal investigation determined they did not violate police policy and were justified in the use of deadly force, the Minneapolis Police Department(MPD) said on Friday.

Jamar Clark was killed during a struggle with Officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, who are white, in November 2015. The incident came at a time of intense debate in the United States over police use of force in minority communities and Clark's death sparked protests where dozens where arrested.

"The officers will not be criminally charged and we have concluded there were no violations of MPD policy," police chief Janee Harteau told a news conference on Friday.

Harteau said the shooting had been devastating for the Clark family and that she had met with them earlier on Friday. She said she was scheduled to meet with community groups following the news conference to explain the decision.

Albert Goins, an attorney for the Clark family, could not immediately be reached for comment. Lawyers for the officers also could not be reached.

Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the NAACP of Minneapolis, said on Friday that she was "saddened although not surprised" by the decision.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said that she fully supported Harteau's decision.

Harteau said Clark was not handcuffed when police confronted him on Nov. 15, 2015, and DNA evidence showed that he grabbed Ringgenberg's holster and gun.

Schwarze shot Clark during the confrontation.

"I have concluded that the use of deadly force in the line of duty was necessary to protect an officer from apparent death or great bodily harm," she said.

Harteau also said that a take-down maneuver used by Ringgenberg, which had be the focus of criticism from activists, was justified.

"After an exhaustive review of this entire incident, I have concluded that these officers did not dictate the outcome of this incident. This was an outcome that no one wanted," she said.

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The police department's announcement follows a June decision by federal prosecutors not to bring charges against the two officers.

In March, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman did not charge the officers because evidence showed Clark was not handcuffed and that he reached for an officer's gun.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Portugal's government bond yields held just above six-week lows on Friday, with analysts expecting Lisbon to survive a crucial ratings review and keep its place in the European Central Bank's asset purchase scheme.

Canadian ratings firm DBRS will review Lisbon's last investment-grade rating after markets close, and ECB president Mario Draghi confirmed on Thursday that if the country were to be downgraded it would fall out of the quantitative easing programme.

But the promise of budget deficit cuts in 2017 and renewed vows of left-wing support for Portugal's government, appear to have quelled investor angst over the decision in recent weeks.

The government is also optimistic that DBRS will recognise its fiscal effort and keep the rating steady.

"Like us, the market is not expecting the rating to be downgraded," DZ Bank strategist Sebastian Fellechner said.

Portugal's 10-year bond yield was flat on the day at 3.23 percent, having hit a six-week low of 3.16 percent on Thursday, according to Tradeweb.

German 10-year bond yields -- the euro zone benchmark -- were up 1 bps at 0.01 percent after a brief dip below zero on Thursday.

(Reporting by John Geddie, editing by Anirban Nag)
TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT labour union threatened on Thursday to hold a general strike and called protests against the government's plans to freeze public wage increases as part of measures to control the budget deficit. Under pressure from international lenders for reforms to cut spending, spur growth and create jobs, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has proposed a broad package of initiatives to control the fiscal deficit and increase government revenues. But proposed new taxes and the halt to public wage increases included in the government's 2017 budget has worried many Tunisians already wary about the lack of economic progress since their 2011 revolution ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. "We call for regional protests, a large national protest in Kasbah Square (near the Prime Minister office) and another in front of the parliament," the UGTT union said in statement, without giving a date. The parliament is expected to debate the 2017 budget in the next few days after it was approved by the cabinet. The UGTT, the country's main labour union with 900,000 members, also called for a general strike to protest against plans to freeze the increase in public wages, which it warned could trigger protests. The UTICA industry and business employers' association, one of the country's major economic lobbying groups, said on Wednesday it rejected a proposed exceptional tax contribution on business as a way for the government to generate finances. Thousands of lawyers are expected to go on strike on Friday to protest against new tax measures against their industry and other sectors such as healthcare. Tunisia expects to seek $2.78 billion in foreign loans next year - nearly double its 2016 external financing needs - to help cover a 2017 fiscal deficit seen at 5.4 percent of GDP. Tunisia has been hailed as a model for democratic progress since its 2011 uprising against Ben Ali led to free elections and political stability. But many Tunisians are demanding jobs and economic progress to match. (Reporting By Tarek Amara; editing by Patrick Markey and Andrew Heavens)
Oct 21 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- A former National Security Agency contractor amassed at least 500 million pages of government records, including top-secret information about military operations, by stealing documents bit by bit over two decades, the Justice Department alleged in a court filing submitted Thursday. http://on.wsj.com/2edCrov

- Donald Trump, in a rally in Ohio on Thursday, compared his reluctance to accept a possible loss in the presidential election to Democrat Al Gore's fight over the 2000 presidential election. http://on.wsj.com/2edCWyW

- Iraqi special forces reclaimed a strategically important town from Islamic State on Thursday and joined Kurdish fighters in opening a new front against Islamic State, while the U.S. suffered its first combat death since the start of the Mosul offensive. http://on.wsj.com/2edGFMQ

- A heightened emphasis by banking regulators and law-enforcement officials on financial misconduct may be constraining global growth, some officials warn. http://on.wsj.com/2edE7yh

- A dozen miles off the southwestern edge of Africa's Atlantic coast, a 285-ton vacuum machine operating 400 feet below sea level is sucking some of the world's most valuable diamonds from the ocean floor. http://on.wsj.com/2edDy7U

- PayPal announced Thursday that it had struck an agreement with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to make PayPal a one-click payment option on the Chinese e-commerce giant's AliExpress marketplace for consumers. http://on.wsj.com/2edDRPW

- The U.N.'s General Assembly met informally Thursday to discuss whether to take steps to override the Security Council on the Syrian conflict, as the council remains deadlocked over how to bring an end to the bombing of the northern city of Aleppo. http://on.wsj.com/2edEU2t

- Hong Kong was bracing for the impact of Typhoon Haima on Friday, as one of the strongest storms to hit the city this year shut down the stock market and disrupted flights. http://on.wsj.com/2edDKEa

(Compiled by Vishal Sridhar in Bengaluru)
Oct 21 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Nintendo Co Ltd provided the first look at a new console it is developing that will do double-duty as a portable game system outside the home and one that will serve in the traditional role, connected to television sets. http://nyti.ms/2eov914

- In a case that has raised concerns over freedom of speech in Hong Kong's financial markets, a securities tribunal has issued a trading ban against an American investor who criticized the accounts of a Chinese property developer. The investor, Andrew Left, the founder of the California-based firm Citron Research, was barred on Wednesday from trading in Hong Kong for five years. http://nyti.ms/2eozyOB

- Sequoia says it has hired its first female investment partner in the United States. Jess Lee, 33, an entrepreneur and the former chief executive of Polyvore, a fashion start-up that allowed customers to clip, save, style and shop for clothing online. She begins at Sequoia in November and will be a partner in the firm's current fund. http://nyti.ms/2du1Vrf

- It has been a bruising year for hedge funds. Big bets have been disastrous, investors have voiced discontent and some managers have been forced to rewrite their playbooks or call it quits. And now, there is new data to rub salt into the industry's wounds: Over the last three months, investors pulled $28 billion out of hedge funds, according to the research firm Hedge Fund Research. It is the biggest quarterly outflow of dollars since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009. http://nyti.ms/2e6fQH3

(Compiled by Rama Venkat Raman in Bengaluru)
By Greg Roumeliotis

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc is nearing a deal to acquire NXP Semiconductors NV for around $37 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, as the U.S. company seeks to expand the reach of its chips from phones to cars.

The deal would make San Diego-based Qualcomm, which supplies Android smartphone makers and Apple Inc, a bigger supplier to the automotive industry as it grapples with slowing smartphone sales and stiff competition from Chinese and Taiwanese rivals.

The acquisition of NXP by Qualcomm for $110 per share in cash could be announced within days, although there is always a possibility of a last-minute glitch, the source said, asking not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential.

Qualcomm and NXP did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CNBC first reported that the companies were nearing a deal for $110 per share.

NXP shares dropped 2.5 percent on the news to $101.90, while Qualcomm shares were up 2.2 percent to $68.77, indicating that the terms were seen by investors as more favorable to Qualcomm than previously expected.

Qualcomm had sat out the transformative consolidation sweeping the industry, which has seen mega-deals such as Avago buying Broadcom for $37 billion last year.

Qualcomm gets the bulk of its revenue from chip sales but most of its profit comes from wireless patents it licenses to the mobile industry. It explored a plan to break up its chip business from its patent licensing unit after pressure from activist investor Jana Partners but decided to remain whole.

Qualcomm ranked third in terms of revenue among global semiconductor companies in 2015, while Eindhoven, Netherlands-based NXP ranked No. 7, according to research firm IHS.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
The jihadists had prepared to hunker down in the tunnel for a long wait. They stashed canned food, clothes, vegetables, stacks of water jugs. In the underground bunker, they could take shelter from airstrikes, or perhaps even wait out an invasion  and then burst onto the surface, surprising their enemies.

ISIS militants dug, reinforced and outfitted this tunnel in the village of Sheikh Amir, which was retaken by Kurdish forces on Monday, the first day of a major offensive intended to seize the nearby city of Mosul, the largest urban center under the groups control. A day later, Kurdish troops handed the village to the Iraqi special forces, who are now using part of the hamlet as a staging area for their attack down the main road into Mosul from the east.

Read More: These 5 Cities Matter Most in the Fight Against ISIS

The tunnel was one piece of the elaborate military preparations mounted by the jihadists in advance of the current Iraqi military offensive. The underground passageway was one of a number of such tunnels that have been found in areas reclaimed from ISIS. The presence of the tunnels even in tiny villages retaken this week suggests that far more extensive defenses could be in place in Mosul, a city of hundreds of thousands of people, where ISIS awaits an attack.

When they abandoned the town  or were killed in combat  the ISIS members also left behind documents: Qurans and other religious books, newspapers containing updates on battles across the region. There was also a single page of orders that sound like siege preparations. Titled simply Orders that must be carried out, and written in Arabic, the document lists 12 separate instructions: stockpile rations for a month, avoid gathering in the open in order to avoid attracting airstrikes. In addition, Each station must have a solar cell for charging devices.

Dated in the Islamic calendar, the document says it was issued in February 2016, signed by Major General Jaffar al-Tayyar, the Emir. Some of the generals instructions are bafflingly mundane. He orders the troops to have a generator and a stockpile of fuel on hand. He reminds them to pray.

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The tunnel itself would have taken weeks to prepare, at a minimum. One entrance lies in an open area and had been concealed with a pile of debris. Another entrance opens into a house within the village. Some of the passageways are reinforced with metal frames, and rigged with battery-powered lights. The tunnel is wide enough to contain rooms lined with thick plastic slabs. The abandoned newspaper scraps and clothes suggest the tunnel had been used in the past, likely as an air-raid shelter. There is graffiti written on the walls, including a memorial to a fallen comrade.

Read More: How to Beat ISIS and Save Iraq

Still, it would have been a miserable place to hide. Inside the air is stale, the lack of oxygen palpable.

From the Roman era to the Vietnam War to Gaza, tunnels have been a staple of insurgent warfare for centuries, and they have now emerged as a central component of ISIS tactics. For one thing, they provide protection from the air, which is owned by its enemies. Since 2014 a U.S.-led international military coalition has launched more than 15,800 airstrikes on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, forcing the group to move some of its activities indoors and underground.

Read More: Freeing Mosul Would Not Defeat ISIS

Now the tunnels add an additional dimension to ISIS defense of Mosul. Wounded Iraqi special forces troops in a field hospital in Sheikh Amir said they had been ambushed by ISIS fighters who emerged from a tunnel on Friday.

The tunnels are just one component of the ISIS defense plan, which includes some exotic variations on asymmetrical warfare. Among the groups hallmark tactics are suicide car and truck bombers, including attackers inside armored cars. The militants have also planted a deadly field of improvised bombs in the villages from which they withdrew this week. The bombs mean that even when ISIS withdraws, they can prevent both soldiers and civilians from moving freely, adding one more complication to an already hard battle.
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / October 20, 2016 / The Daily Record (Maryland) has selected Rachel Hirsch, Senior Associate at Ifrah Law, as a recipient of their 2016 Leading Women awards. Ms. Hirsch was also previously honored by The Daily Record with her inclusion in their 2015 VIP List - Very Important Professionals Successful by 40.

The Daily Record's Leading Women awards honor 50 women who are 40 years of age or younger for the accomplishments they have made so far in their careers. A panel of previous Top 100 Women and Leading Women winners selected Ms. Hirsch and fellow recipients for the award based on their professional experience, community involvement and commitment to inspiring change. The Daily Record launched the Leading Women awards in 2010 to recognize the next generation of Maryland's women leaders.

With the announcement of this year's winners, 350 women will have received the award since its founding. "I am honored to be included among The Daily Record's 2016 Leading Women. Congratulations to all of my peers who were also recognized for their achievements in their respective businesses," said Rachel Hirsch upon learning of the award. "I share this honor with my family, friends, and co-workers who have supported me in all of my endeavors."

"The Daily Record's 2016 Leading Women are truly inspirational. Their professional accomplishments, community involvement and commitment to inspiring change exemplifies why they are Leading Women in Maryland," said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, publisher of The Daily Record. "They excel to high levels professionally and personally, and The Daily Record congratulates them on this award."

The 2016 Leading Women awards will be presented Dec. 5 at a reception and dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. at The Westin, 100 Westgate Circle in Annapolis. Winners will be profiled in a special magazine that will be inserted into the Dec. 6 issue of The Daily Record and available online at www.TheDailyRecord.com. Sponsors of The Daily Record's 2016 Leading Women awards include Presenting Sponsor Chimes; Reception Sponsor Keswick; Visionary Sponsor VPC, Inc.; and Table Sponsor Epsilon Registration. For more information about sponsorships and tickets for The Daily Record's 2016 Leading Women awards, visit www.TheDailyRecord.com.

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About The Daily Record:

For more than 127 years, The Daily Record has provided trusted legal, business and government information to Maryland readers. In addition to the daily newspaper published five days a week, The Daily Record publishes its website, www.TheDailyRecord.com; five blogs  Business Buzz, Eye on Annapolis, Generation J.D., Ground Up and On the Record; six e-newsletters  Insider, Annapolis Insider, Auction Notices, Maryland Family Law Update, Legal Jobs and Path to Excellence; its Path to Excellence - A Women's Guide to Business magazine nine times a year; and a variety of special publications on topics of interest to Maryland business and legal professionals. The Daily Record also honors leading Marylanders through eight annual awards events: Maryland's Top 100 Women, Influential Marylanders, 20 in Their Twenties, VIP List, Most Admired CEOs, Innovator of the Year, Leadership in Law and Leading Women.

About Ifrah Law:

Ifrah Law is a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that represents clients in a variety of litigation settings. Founded in 2009, the firm specializes in Internet advertising, iGaming, government contracts, and healthcare. Its attorneys also author three noted blogs: www.ifrahonigaming.com, covering all aspects on online gaming, www.ftcbeat.com, FTC and State AG News for Ecommerce, and www.crimeinthesuites.com, an analysis of current issues in white collar defense. For more information, please visit www.ifrahlaw.com

Jeff Ifrah Law - Hands-on Counsel, Gloves-off Litigation: http://www.jeffifrahlaw.com

Ifrah Law Continues Expansion With the Addition of George R. Calhoun V: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ifrah-law-continues-expansion-addition-230247639.html

Jeff Ifrah Again Recognized by Chambers USA 2016 for Gaming Law and White Collar Litigation: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jeff-ifrah-again-recognized-chambers-164109002.html

Contact Information:

PR Agency Contact:

ICMediaDirect.com

TEL: 1.800.595.0821

www.ICMediaDirect.com

SOURCE: Ifrah Law
The Look: A custom strapless gown in taupe with a thigh-high slit and draped details, inspired by the Atelier Versace fall 2016 collection.

The Wearer: Rachel McAdams, who was styled by Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn.

The Event: The Doctor Strange premiere in Hollywood on Thursday evening. McAdams, who stars in the Marvel film as surgeon Christine Palmer, was joined by her co-stars Tilda Swinton (in a shimmery Haider Ackermann gown), Benedict Cumberbatch and Benjamin Bratt.

Why It Matters: Taupe isn't the first color that comes to mind for evening attire. Done wrong, it could look like the person is wearing a potato sack. Done right, however, the wearer could look like a million bucks - and that was the case for the 37-year-old actress. The beige gown was elevated with satin draping and a hint of lilac that added an unexpected pop of color. McAdams' stylists added a bit of shimmer to her look with H.Stern earrings and rings, while makeup artist Kayleen McAdams complemented the gown with purple eye shadow and pink lips. Versace has had a major couple of days: Donatella Versace dressed Michelle Obama for her final White House state dinner and announced she's releasing a book about her life in the industry. McAdams wearing one of her glam designs must be the cherry on top.

Getty Images

Getty Images
Moonlight, part coming-of-age tale and part romantic drama, tells the story of??Chiron, a young black boy navigating his destructive home life and his own sexuality against the backdrop of War on Drugs-era Miami.

Since the movie premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, it has been lauded as an awards season contender. Arriving in theaters in New York and Los Angeles today, a little over two weeks before the presidential election,??Moonlight??also speaks to topics like race and socioeconomic status that have been talking points in this election cycle.

Actor Andre Holland, who plays Kevin, Chiron's romantic interest, didn't need an introduction to Tarell McCraney, the playwright who's short play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue??inspired the movie - the two have been friends since their drama school days in New York. And he'd heard of Moonlight's director Barry Jenkins from Steven Soderbergh, while he was acting in Soderbergh's The Knick.

Holland??spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about what Moonlight means to him on a personal level, what it means for diverse storytelling and what the movie has to say about the larger political climate in America right now.

Read more: 'Awards Chatter' Podcast ?????Naomie Harris ('Moonlight')

How did you initially get involved with Moonlight?

The playwright Tarell McCraney, who wrote the play that the movie is based on, is a very close friend of mine. We met probably 10 years ago when we both were in drama school and he sent me a copy of his script, saying, "This is a thing I wrote a long time ago. I don't know if it's any good." Cut to last year. I was on set for The Knick and Steven??Soderbergh??mentioned, "There's this great director Barry Jenkins. You should really keep an eye on this guy." A couple of months later I got sent this script that was written by Barry, and??Tarell??and I thought, "Well, if that ain't a sign, I don't what is."

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What set Moonlight apart from the other scripts you've been sent?

The big thing that set it apart was that the black characters of the story were front and center. They weren't peripheral characters that were just there to deliver information. Also, being from a small town in an urban environment myself, I love that the story is set in a part of Miami that most people aren't familiar with. Most people think of Miami as great shopping and fast cars, but this part of Miami is just a short ways off the beach, but it's world apart.

What drew you to Kevin specifically? Did you draw from personal experience for your performance?

Well, so much of the story and especially the story about Kevin is about masculinity and the perceived ideas that we all have about what that is. Growing up in my town a lot of my friends grew up without fathers or without father figures. I felt first-hand all the ways in which we all tried to perform this masculinity, this idea of masculinity as a means of survival, really. What drew me to Kevin is that he's got this idea that masculinity is about how many women he can sleep with or having a tough-guy attitude and being smooth-talking, but you always get a sense that underneath that there's something broken about him.

Were you able to meet the two young actors who played the younger versions of Kevin?

Barry wouldn't let us meet any of the younger people. I went down about a week early for that purpose. I wanted to go on set and watch the dailies and spend some time with the younger actors, but he really didn't want us to do that.

Why was that?

I think in his mind he was worried that we would fall into mimicry. In actor terms he wanted us to work from the inside out to get really underneath what these characters experienced and just trust the writing and the directing. But it was super cool to watch the movie and, even though we didn't spend a lot of time studying one another, it does feel like we are the same person.

You've worked with Soderbergh??and Ava DuVernay. How do you think Jenkins compares as an up-and-coming voice?

I think he's just a treasure. He hasn't made a bunch of films, but you know I think that with Moonlight, he's arrived now. The fact that it's been seven years since he's made a feature is almost criminal. He and Soderbergh??actually remind me a lot of each other, in that they're both very clear about what they want. They're truly collaborators; they understand that actors have a process and they both give the actors space to do what they need to do. If I only work with Barry Jenkins for the rest of my career I would be just fine with that, that's how strongly I feel about him.??

Moonlight is already getting early awards buzz - what do you think this means for the current push for diversity in the awards season?

At best, what [awards] do is provide a platform to amplify voices of people who haven't been heard before. So if this means that Barry gets to make more movies, then bring on the awards. As far as the diversity conversation, I think it is about opportunity. Companies like [Moonlight production company] Plan B and [distributor] A24, who are able to identify material like this and talent like Barry Jenkins and who are willing to make a movie like this, they have landed a huge blow to aid the side of more inclusion. The fact is, as Viola Davis said, the only thing separating us is opportunity. If people know that there are places and opportunities to tell these stories, then I don't think we'd even be having this conversation.

Moonlight is being released at the tail end of a presidential race that pushed LGBT and racial discrimination to the forefront. Where do you think the film fits into the larger culture?

While the movie is not overtly political, it has a lot to say. The performances of masculinity that we see in the film, we see a lot??of that on a daily basis in this election cycle. Also, between this election and the Brexit??vote and all of the things in the news, the motivation seems to be to further marginalize people who we don't think of as being integral to the society that we want to be a part of. I think this movie has a lot to say about that because it takes those people who have been marginalized - poor people, black people, gay people - and it puts them front and center. And I think we need more of that, frankly. We need more understanding of each other. We don't need to build any more walls. We need to invite some more people to the table. ??

Read more: 'Moonlight': Telluride Review
[*] CLINTON: Thank you. (APPLAUSE)

Thank you. Your Eminence, Your Excellencies, members of the clergy, Al and Nan Smith, Donald and Melania, and all the distinguished guests.

You know, earlier tonight, Al reminded me that when the first Al Smith ran for president, he chose as his running mate the progressive senator from Arkansas, Joseph T. Robinson, who was one of my husbands political heroes.

This work that you do through the dinner  Al, youve done it now for 30  30 years  is such a labor of love. Youve been a hero for both the children of the archdiocese and for the city of New York. And I think we all owe Al Smith a great, great round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here.

(LAUGHTER)

And as youve already heard, its a treat for all of you too, because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this.

(LAUGHTER)

But, for me, it was kind of ironic thinking about a fiery populist, Al Smith. If he were here today and saw how much money weve raised for needy children, hed be very proud.

(APPLAUSE)

And if he saw this magnificent room, full of plutocrats celebrating his legacy, hed be very confused.

(LAUGHTER)

Its a special honor to be here with Your Eminence. Now I know, Your Eminence, you were criticized for inviting both Donald and me here tonight, and you responded by saying If I only sat down with those who were saints, Id be taking all my meals alone.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, just to be clear, I think the Cardinal is saying Im not eligible for sainthood. But getting through these three debates with Donald has to count as a miracle.

(LAUGHTER)

So I guess Im up against the highest, hardest stained-glass ceiling.

(LAUGHTER) But, Your Eminence, you deserve great credit for bringing together two people whove been at each others throats  mortal enemies, bitter foes; Ive got to ask, how did you get the governor and mayor here together tonight?

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

Now, Ive got to say, there are a lot of friendly faces here in this room; people that Ive been privileged to know and to work with. I just want to put you all in a basket of adorables.

(LAUGHTER)

And you look so good in your tuxes; or, as I refer to them, formal pantsuits.

(LAUGHTER)

And, you know, because this is a friendly dinner for such a great cause; Donald, if at any time, you dont like what Im saying feel free to stand up and shout Wrong! while Im talking.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, come to think of it, its amazing Im up here after Donald. I didnt think hed be okay with a peaceful transition of power.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

And, Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, Ive had the privilege of being at the Al Smith dinners in years past and I always enjoy it. But, remember, if youre not happy with the way it comes out, it must be rigged.

(LAUGHTER)

And its always a special treat for me to be back in New York; a city that I love and which I think truly embodies the best of America. You know  dont you think?

(APPLAUSE)

People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four.

(LAUGHTER)

Maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, come to think of it, you know what would be a good number for a woman? Forty-five.

(APPLAUSE)

But I digress. Now, Im going to try my best tonight, but I understand I am not known for my sense of humor. Thats why it did take a village to write these jokes.

(LAUGHTER)

People say  and I hear them, I know  they say Im boring compared to Donald. But Im not boring at all. In fact, Im the life of every party I attend and Ive been to three.

(LAUGHTER)

And when the parties get out of hand, as occasionally they do, its important to have a responsible chaperone who can get everyone home safely. And that is why I picked Tim Kaine to be my Vice President.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, you notice there is no teleprompter here tonight, which is probably smart, because maybe you saw Donald dismantle his prompter the other day. And I get that. Theyre hard to keep up with, and Im sure its even harder when youre translating from the original Russian.

(LAUGHTER)

But every year, this dinner brings together a collection of sensible, committed, mainstream Republicans  or, as we now like to call them  Hillary supporters.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, some of my critics  and I hear that too 

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah.

CLINTON: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

They think I only say what people want to hear. Well, tonight, that is true. And heres exactly what you want to hear  this election will be over very, very soon.

(APPLAUSE)

And look at this dais  weve got Charlie Rose, and Maria Bartiromo, and Chris Matthews, and Gayle King, and Nora ODonnell, and Katie Couric  this counts as a press conference, right?

(LAUGHTER)

It is great, also, to see Mayor Bloomberg here.

(APPLAUSE)

Its a shame hes not speaking tonight. Im curious to hear what a billionaire has to say.

(LAUGHTER)

And look else (ph) at the dais  weve got the Honorable Chuck Schumer, the Honorable Andrew Cuomo, the Honorable Mike Bloomberg, the Honorable Bill DeBlasio, the Honorable Dave Dinkins, and so many other wonderful elected officials. And we have Rudy Giuliani.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, many dont know this, but Rudy actually got his start as a prosecutor going after wealthy New Yorkers who avoided paying taxes. But, as the saying goes, If you cant beat them, go on Fox News and call them a genius.

(LAUGHTER)

So as Ive said, weve now had our third and, thankfully, final debate. Sharing a stage with Donald Trump is like, well, nothing really comes to mind.

(LAUGHTER)

There is nothing like sharing a stage with Donald Trump. Donald wanted me drug tested before last nights debate. And look, Ive got to tell you, I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, actually, I did. Its called preparation.

(LAUGHTER)

And looking back, Ive had to listen to Donald for three full debates. And he says I dont have any stamina.

(LAUGHTER)

That is four and a half hours. I have now stood next to Donald Trump longer than any of his campaign managers.

(LAUGHTER) Now, look, I have deep respect for people like Kellyanne Conway. Shes working day and night for Donald and because shes a contractor, hes probably not even going to pay her.

(LAUGHTER)

But I think the good news is that the debates finally allowed Republicans to unite around their candidate. The bad news is, its Mike Pence. And its been a long, long campaign. That should be one of our highest priorities, shortening the campaigns.

(APPLAUSE)

And whoever wins this election, the outcome will be historic. Well either have the first female president or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher.

(LAUGHTER)

And if Donald does win, it will be awkward at the annual Presidents Day photo, when all the former presidents gather at the White House, and not just with Bill.

How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?

(LAUGHTER)

Now, Republicans in particular seem frustrated with their nominee. Paul Ryan told the Republican members of the House, you  you dont have to support the top of the ticket. Dont worry about anyone besides yourself. Just do whats in your own best interests. So I guess Donald really has unified his party around his core philosophy.

And I dont understand their unhappiness. They say Donald doesnt have any polit-cies (sic). He has no policies. I keep hearing that.

Id actually like to defend him on this. Donald has issues, serious issues.

(LAUGHTER)

Really, really serious issues.

(LAUGHTER)

And I worry about Donalds go it alone attitude. For example, at his convention, when he said I alone can fix it, you know, in the 90s, I said the same thing about Americas health care system and it didnt work out so well for me, either.

But speaking of health, Donald has been very concerned about mine, very concerned. He actually sent a car to bring me here tonight. Actually, it was a hearse.

(LAUGHTER)

But I  but I kind of want to just put the information out there, so everybody can draw their own conclusions and you can judge our relative health. Weve each released our medical records. My blood pressure is 100/70. His is unbelievably great.

(LAUGHTER)

My cholesterol is 189, his is presidential.

(LAUGHTER)

My heart rate is 72 beats per minute, his is the most beats ever, or the least beats ever, whichever sounds best.

(LAUGHTER)

But Donald really is as healthy as a horse, you know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.

(LAUGHTER)

But  but I can say without fear of contradiction tonight, that I will be the healthiest and youngest woman ever to serve as president.

(APPLAUSE)

But this has really been a strange campaign. You saw it last night. You saw it again tonight. Donald has attacked me for a life in public service and I didnt get that at first. I kind of get it now. As he told Howard Stern, he doesnt like it when women have been around for more than 35 years.

But Donald, we have so much more in common than, actually, you may realize.

For example, I tried to inspire young people by showing them that with resilience and hard work anything is possible and youre doing the same. A third grade teacher told me that one of her students refused to turn in his homework because it was under audit.

And heres another similarity. The Republican National Committee isnt spending a dime to help either one of us.

So tonight, lets embrace the spirit of the evening. Lets come together. Remember what unites us and just rip on Ted Cruz.

(LAUGHTER)

I hope you enjoyed my remarks tonight. I said no to some jokes that I thought were over the line. But I suppose you can judge for yourself on Wikileaks in the next few days.

(LAUGHTER) Donald will tell us after the benediction whether he accepts that this dinner is over. He has to wait and see. But theres nothing funny about the stakes in this election. In the end what makes this dinner important are not the jokes we tell but the legacy that we carry forward. It is often easy to forget how far this country has come.

And there are a lot of people in this room tonight who themselves, or their parents or grandparents, came here as immigrants, made a life for yourselves, took advantage of the American dream and the greatest system that has ever been created in the history of the world to unleash the individual talents and energy and ambition of everyone willing to work hard.

And when I think about what Al Smith went through its important to just reflect how groundbreaking it was for him, a Catholic, to be my partys nominee for president. Dont forget  school boards sent home letters with children saying that if Al Smith is elected president you will not be allowed to have or read a Bible. Voters were told that he would annul Protestant marriages.

And I saw a story recently that said people even claimed the Holland Tunnel was a secret passageway to connect Rome and America, to help the Pope rule our country.

Those appeals, appeals to fear and division, can cause us to treat each other as the Other. Rhetoric like that makes it harder for us to see each other, to respect each other, to listen to each other. And certainly a lot harder to love our neighbor as ourselves.

I believe how we treat others is the highest expression of faith and of service. Im not Catholic. Im a Methodist, but one of the things that we share is the belief that in order to achieve salvation we need both faith and good works. And you certainly dont need to be Catholic to be inspired by the humility and heart of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Or to embrace his message.

(APPLAUSE)

His message about rejecting a mindset of hostility, his calls to reduce inequality, his warnings about climate change, his appeal that we build bridges, not walls.

Now as you may know, my running mate, Tim, is Catholic and went to Jesuit schools, and one of the things he and I have talked about is this idea from the Jesuits of the Magis, the more, the better. But we need to get better at finding ways to disagree on matters of policy while agreeing on questions of decency and civility. How we talk to each other, treat each other, respect each other.

(APPLAUSE)

So Ive taken this concept of Magis to heart in this campaign, as best as one can in the daily heat, the back and forth of a presidential campaign, to ask how we can do more for each other, and better for each other. Because I believe that for each of us, our greatest monument on this earth wont be what we build, but the lives we touch.

And that is ultimately what this dinner is all about. And its why its been such a great honor to join you all again. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)
Welcome to KARMABrooklyn! We hope that the news and other information we post on this b log will be useful to residents and merchants in Kensington and Windsor Terrace. If you'd like to contact us, write to us at karmabrooklyn [at] gmail [dot] com.
Reese Witherspoon may be the brains behind her new lifestyle fashion brand, Draper James, but she admits she still relies on style advice from her family and friends.

During a sit-down interview with NBC's Today show, the Oscar winner revealed her 17-year-old daughter, Ava, gives her the thumbs up (or thumbs down!) on her daily outfit choices.

WATCH: Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Looks Nearly Identical to Her in Latest Pic

"I usually ask my daughter, my 17-year-old daughter, 'Does this look good?' and she'll be honest with me," the 40-year-old actress explained. "She'll be like, 'No. You do not look good. You cannot wear that.' So I depend on her brutal honesty."

Reese, who is also mom to Tennessee, 4, and Deacon, 12, joked that it's sometimes hard to communicate with her kids, unless it's over social media.

"I have two teenagers, and I've discovered that they will Snapchat me back, but they will not call me back," she dished. "And I think it's important for people to communicate well with their children."

The New Orleans native also revealed that her children often poke fun at her for her quirky Southern slang.

WATCH: Reese Witherspoon Talks Embarrassing Her Kids With Drake Songs

"I'll say, 'He did do, but he didn't done do. He done did that.' They're like, 'What? Why you talkin' did done?'" Reese said. "My little 4-year-old will be like, 'He did done do!'"

"They think it's hysterical, but they don't understand what I'm saying," she added. "I don't always know what I'm saying, but sometimes people do."

Reese pointed out that the reason she gave Draper James a Southern twist was to "celebrate the traditions and the people who raised me and gave me so much of who I am."

Still smiling from @draperjames' #Dallas opening last night!! Thank you to everyone who came out! And I hope the rest of yall come visit #DraperJamesDallas!  (Ps link to my limited edition dress from last night in bio) A photo posted by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon) on Sep 29, 2016 at 12:28pm PDT

"If you never try, you'll never know," she said of becoming an entrepreneur. "I'm always putting myself out there and always say to the kids, 'You know, sometimes you just have to jump two feet into a cold pool.' Maybe it's going to pay off, maybe it's not, but at least you took the chance."

Story continues

WATCH: Reese Witherspoon Poses With All of Her Look-Alike Kids in Rare Photo

Last month, Reese shared a series of adorable snaps from Tennessee's fourth birthday party, which included an epic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cake.

"Happy bday, my sweet boy!" she captioned one of the pics. See more in the video below!

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President Barack Obama

Republicans roundly criticized a Thursday speech from President Barack Obama in which he defended the Affordable Care Act, his administration's signature healthcare law that is better known as Obamacare.

During the speech Obama said that the law was working but needed adjustments and that Republicans were criticizing the law only because he was the one who passed it.

"So why is there still such a fuss?" Obama said. "Well, part of the problem is the fact that a Democratic president named Barack Obama passed the law."

Obama also said Republicans could rename the law "Reagancare, or they can call it Paul Ryan-care," as long as they agreed to make changes and not repeal it.

Republicans were quick to respond to Obama, saying the law was not working as the president described but rather was failing Americans.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement that he was "not sure what healthcare law he's talking about."

"He wondered out loud why there's been such a fuss," Ryan said. "It's no secret: It's because of Obamacare. That's why we've seen record premium hikes. That's why millions of people  including millennials  have lost their plans or been forced to buy plans they don't like. That's why we've seen waste, fraud, and abuse. And at this point, one thing is clear: This law can't be fixed."

Sen. Ted Cruz was also not a fan of the speech, according to a statement from his spokesperson Phil Novack to Business Insider. The statement played on a joke Obama made comparing Obamacare to a new cell phone that has a few bugs.

"Obamacare is a disaster. Yesterday, President Obama compared his signature law to new smartphones with 'a few bugs' or worse yet  ones that catch fire," said the statement, referring to the recent Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploding phone controversy. "There was some truth to his comparison  Obamacare truly is going down in flames. No updates or fixes can save its corrupt structure."

Story continues

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse also criticized the speech and pointed to many of the same issues as Ryan: rising premiums and millions of Americans having lost their plans.

"There's a 'fuss' about Obamacare because it's a disastrous failure," Sasse said in a statement.

The Nebraska senator continued: "Theres a 'fuss' because millions of families have already lost their plans and millions more will this year. There's a 'fuss' because premiums have gone through the roof. There's a 'fuss' because more than half of the CO-OPs failed and now big insurance companies are scrambling for the exit. There's a 'fuss' because even Democrats know it's 'crazy.'"

Sasse was alluding to statements from Bill Clinton, who early this month referred to Obamacare in a speech as the "craziest thing" and said the current health-insurance system "doesn't make any sense." He later clarified his position that he supported Obamacare, but his comments have continued to be highlighted by Republicans.

Kevin Brady, the head of the House's Ways and Means Committee, told Business Insider in a statement that Republicans would continue to reduce regulation on healthcare and criticized the speech from Obama.

"President Obama's answer to his law's clear failures is to double down on the same misguided approach that led to higher health-insurance premiums and fewer choices," Brady said. "That's hardly the antidote workers and families are looking for as they struggle to find quality insurance options, pay for care, or visit the doctor of their choice."

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado used Twitter to express his disagreement with Obama's speech:

Obamacare is anything but affordable for tens of thousands of Coloradans facing average premium increases of 20.4% on the individual market  Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) October 20, 2016

Instead of having access to "affordable health care," Coloradans have seen their plans cancelled, premiums increased, and choices restricted https://t.co/mzilTKvoFB  Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) October 20, 2016

While it is true that many people have been forced to shift to different plans because of insurers leaving the marketplaces set up under Obamacare, the law has resulted in a net addition of 20 million insured people. The uninsured rate is also at its lowest level ever.

Premiums, however, have skyrocketed for those on the exchanges, with some states seeing rises as high as 60%. About three out of four Americans receive coverage from their employer or a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid, however, so these hikes would not directly affect their premiums.

NOW WATCH: LIZ ANN SONDERS: The most unsettling outcome for the markets would be a surprise Trump win





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By Simon Lewis and Wa Lone YANGON (Reuters) - Muslim residents and rights activists say a military operation in northwestern Myanmar has killed more people than official reports have acknowledged, as a fresh bout of ethnic unrest threatens to undermine the country's fledgling peace process. The government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the army and police in Rakhine State are fighting a group of at least 400 insurgents, drawn from the Rohingya Muslim minority, with links to Islamist militants overseas. While officials say the army has been conducting carefully targeted sweeps against the group behind attacks on police border posts on Oct. 9, residents who spoke to Reuters accused security forces of killing non-combatants and burning homes. With the area around Maungdaw Township, near the border with Bangladesh, under military lockdown it was not possible to independently verify either side's version of events. The violence has destabilized Myanmar's most volatile state, where the relations between the Rohingya and majority Buddhists are at their lowest point since hundreds of people were killed and thousands displaced in ethnic violence in 2012. Delicate efforts to rebuild fragile intercommunal ties since then have been shattered, marking a massive setback for the No.1 goal of Suu Kyi's government - securing a lasting peace and unifying the country. In videos posted online, armed men speaking the Rohingya language have claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks on Oct. 9 that ignited the region, where Rohingya face severe restrictions on their movement and access to basic services. DEADLY CLASHES State-run media have reported that 30 "attackers" have been killed by security forces since Oct. 9, including two women reported to have been armed with swords. But Reuters interviews with six residents and community leaders in Maungdaw Township - as well as diplomats in Yangon and rights groups - paint a different picture. "Clearly there are more than 30 killed," said Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, a monitoring group that says it has drawn information from a network of sources throughout Maungdaw Township. "And many of them are civilians, not attackers." Lewa said the army was using "typical counter-insurgency measures against civilians", including "shooting civilians on sight, burning homes, looting property and arbitrary arrests". Ye Naing, a director at the Ministry of Information, said the official reports coming out of Maungdaw could be trusted. "The current operation is not blind searching. The military has the information from interrogations, so the target is very clear and the scope of the operation is narrow," he said. The military did not respond to requests for comment. OPERATION ZONE Foreign reporters have not been allowed into the area the military has declared an "operation zone", but Reuters was able to contact some residents and community leaders by telephone. The people, who did not want to be identified, contradicted several of the reports in state media, saying that the death toll in the area was higher than reported and that a number of those killed were unarmed. In one of the disputed accounts, the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper said 30 Muslims attacked government forces on Oct. 11 near Kyetyoepyin village, and that 10 Rohingyas were killed in the subsequent fighting. After the clash, the insurgents fled, setting fire to homes, the report said. But several Rohingya residents from the area said they believed at least 19 people, including eight women, were killed by security forces that day. They also say it was the soldiers who set a large part of the village on fire. The United Nations has said the violence is preventing aid agencies from delivering food and medicines to the region. The conflict underlines the power the army retains in Myanmar, which was ruled for decades by a junta, despite the democratic reforms that brought Suu Kyi to power this year. Suu Kyi has urged the military to use restraint and act in accordance with the law, but day-to-day handling of the crisis is in the hands of the home affairs minister, who, like the heads of two other security ministries, is a general appointed by the military. Though feted abroad as a champion of democracy, Suu Kyi has also faced international criticism for not doing enough to ease the plight of around 1.1 million Rohingya living in Rakhine, most of whom are denied Myanmar citizenship. A commission on solving the Rakhine quagmire led by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan and appointed by Suu Kyi in August was in Myanmar this week, but would not travel to the troubled state, officials said. The government has blamed the violence on a little known Islamist group it says has links to the Pakistani Taliban. But Suu Kyi said during a trip to India this week that the government's initial statement may have been based on unreliable sources, underlining how the sudden upsurge in violence has taken it by surprise. Diplomats believe that the group's outside support is largely limited to the Rohingya diaspora, many of whom live in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, rather than established Islamist militant groups. The initial attacks, in which three border police outposts were overrun by hundreds of people, most only lightly armed, showed a degree of sophistication not seen before in violence involving the Rohingya, but did not suggest the group was especially well-funded or armed, diplomats said. (Additional reporting by Mohammad Nurul Islam in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Five Minnesota players cant play Saturday vs. Rutgers due to restraining orders. (Getty)

Three additional Minnesota players have been served with restraining orders preventing them from playing in games at the Gophers TCF Bank Stadium effective immediately.

According to KMSP in Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, an attorney for defensive backs Ray Buford, KiAnte Hardin and Dior Johnson said the three received restraining orders Friday. They were suspended from the team along with defensive lineman Tamarion Johnson in September for what was termed a violation of team rules.

The four players were named in a sexual assault investigation. Prosecutors declined to file charges on Oct. 3, citing insufficient evidence and the players were then reinstated to the team. The four were named in the investigation into the incident, which allegedly happened in the early morning hours after the Gophers season-opening game vs. Oregon State on Sept. 1.

The woman who made the sexual assault accusation works home games at TCF Bank Stadium, which is why the restraining order prevents the players from being at the stadium. Tamarion Johnson and running back Carlton Djam were served with restraining orders earlier in the week. A spokesperson for Minnesota said the school would honor and comply with court orders.

[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for entertaining things you wont see on the blog]

A lawyer for Djam and Johnson said he was contesting the restraining order, while the attorney for the players served Friday said the order against his clients had been amended to allow them to stay in their campus apartments and attend class. A hearing for the players is set for Tuesday.

What we are going to do is aggressively defend this action, attorney Lee Hutton told the Star-Tribune. We are going to go on the offensive to show she only used the courts to destroy my clients lives.

Minnesota plays Rutgers at home on Saturday. Hardin has 13 tackles and two interceptions in 2016 while Buford has two tackles.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Rite Aid Corporation RAD and Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. WBA have jointly agreed to postpone the deadline for the mega-merger to Jan 27, 2017, three months later than the planned deadline of Oct 27, 2016. The merger, which was due for the second half of calendar year 2016, is now expected to conclude in early 2017.



Market analysts speculated that the reason behind the delay is probably the pending federal regulatory approval. Analysts note that Walgreens is still to fulfill the regulators' requirement of divesting about 5001,000 stores. Walgreens expects to finalize the deals for these store divestures by the end of 2016.



Yesterday, Rite Aids stock jumped nearly 6.8% following the announcement, while Walgreens gained nearly 5% given its robust earnings results.



The Background



As was agreed upon in Oct 2015, Walgreens will buy Rite Aid, the third-largest U.S. retail drugstore based on revenues and store size, for $9.00 per Rite Aid share in cash. Including debt, the enterprise value of the deal is about $17.2 billion.



This colossal takeover is expected to be accretive to Walgreens earnings per share within the first year of completion of the merger. Further, Walgreens anticipated synergies worth over $1 billion from the deal. The transaction has so far received various regulatory approvals as well as the nod from the board of directors of both companies.



Following the completion of the transaction, Rite Aid will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens. However, it will retain its existing brand name for now. Walgreens revealed that decisions regarding rebranding of the Rite Aid stores and the integration of the two companies will be taken over time, in order to achieve a harmonized portfolio of stores and infrastructure.



The acquisition of Rite Aid would enable Walgreens to further deliver on its goals of offering a distinguished in-store experience for health, wellness and beauty, as both companies share the same vision on this front. The merger is also likely to create a drugstore behemoth with a superior network. Further, it would help Walgreens to fulfill its promise of making quality healthcare accessible to more customers and patients.



The companies expect the merger to create a drugstore behemoth with a superior network that will cater to more health and wellness solutions both in stores and online. Further, this will intensify Walgreens competition with CVS Health Corp. CVS, the second-largest drugstore chain by store size and the largest one by revenue. It will also help Walgreens to bring cost synergies in prices of branded and generic drugs.



Further, the combined company formed from the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger will operate over 12,000 stores in the U.S. and fill over 1 billion prescription drugs every day.



As the merger nears its completion, we would like to see how this drugstore behemoth benefits the industry, consumers and shareholders, while helping retain Walgreens number one spot in the drugstore industry.



Story continues

RITE AID CORP Price

RITE AID CORP Price | RITE AID CORP Quote

Zacks Rank



Currently, Rite Aid has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). A better-ranked stock in the retail sector is American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. AEO, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



American Eagle Outfitters has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.8%. The stock has gained roughly 13.4% in the past one year.

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When Rogue One lands in December, its assortment of international stars - many already established (and in the case of Forest Whitaker, Oscar-winning) - will inevitably find their profiles get a sudden spike in a manner they probably haven't experienced before.

Take Donnie Yen. The martial arts expert and action star may be a household name in his native Hong Kong and mainland China, but his turn as the blind warrior-monk Chirrut Imwe - already on his way to being a fanboy favorite after coolly taking out a unit of Stormtroopers in the latest trailer and having a prominent presence on the official poster - will offer him instant global recognition.

Yen's first post-Star Wars project is therefore likely to attract a fair amount of interest.

Thankfully, The Master (or Tai See in Chinese) looks like just the right vehicle; an action thriller with an array of global locations and a plot that sees Yen in the starring role as a martial arts school owner forced to train in new combat techniques to take on a vengeance-seeking gun shop owner and his gang of thugs.

According to the lengthy treatment, the film comes with a healthy budget in the $60 million-$73 million range, with Yen producing through his Super Hero Films banner in collaboration with Chinese giant Huaxia Film Distribution. Sitting in the director's chair is a proven hit-maker - Soi Cheang, the filmmaker behind the hugely successful Monkey King franchise, the first of which had Yen in the title role.

The six-week shoot for The Master, again, according to documents obtained by THR, is due to kick off in November, starting in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta before moving to Hong Kong, Bangkok and eventually Beijing, where it wraps Dec. 12, just days before Rogue One's box-office domination begins and Yen's star is set to go stratospheric.

There's only one slight problem: the film is a complete scam.

In early July, makeup artists and makeup artist agents from the U.K. and across Europe began receiving emails from a woman calling herself Li Duan Zhao - otherwise known as Leslie - with a Huaxia email address saying she was Chinese and "one of the production managers of the upcoming film Tai See - The Master."

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Huaxia is one of two state-owned distributors in China, part of an oligopoly with China Film Co. that controls all Hollywood films imported into the country. In other words, it's a major and legitimate business.

Zhao explained she was in the process of finding a principal makeup artist to oversee the film's makeup and hair styling team and was enquiring regarding a particular individual. Adding authenticity - and an ego boost - to her request, she named a real person in the industry that each makeup artist had worked with, saying they had been recommended personally.

But her queries weren't regarding those with the big-budget credentials a film of the scale of The Master would usually demand.

"It was a request for a less experienced artist of ours to do a very senior, very well paid movie," says Mandi Martin, whose Milton Agency reps an array of Oscar and BAFTA winners in the hair and makeup categories.

The wage for The Master's makeup designer - the top level in the department, and someone who works directly with the director and producer to create the looks - was set in the region of $180,000-$205,000.

"Some of my very best, at a push, might earn that, but definitely not for a six-week production," says Martin.

But Zhao had skipped over the more established names on Milton's client list to its "emerging talent" category, those with makeup credits looking to break through to the designer level.

One such target for Zhao - although not through Martin - was Heather Pitchford, an experienced TV makeup artist who has worked on major productions like of Black Sails and Marco Polo.

"She had put together an email that named specific people I'd worked with in the past, giving them as references," she tells THR. The research and references didn't end there. "I'd previously worked on a shoot in Malaysia and she said she was impressed with how I'd handled myself and worked with an international cast. She made me feel like I'd been chosen."

When Pitchford queried as to why they wanted her rather than the big-budget film-tested colleagues she had worked with on the projects Zhao referred to, she was told they were looking for someone hoping to make the jump to designer. "I was hungry for that next step," Pitchford says.

Read more: Martial Arts Star Donnie Yen to Play Villain in 'xXx 3'

Correspondence with Zhao wasn't entirely professional, with calls to her always going unanswered and her phoning back at her own convenience, citing time differences or issues with night staff. But doubts over her project were calmed not just via the extensive documentation she had sent over - a vast, colorful PDF document detailing the plot, characters, budget, schedule and location - on top of her clear knowledge of the industry and makeup terminology, but the film's IMDb page.

There it was, The Master, with Yen starring and producing and Cheang directing. Other casting additions weren't online, but according to the notes there was an extensive list of top-level Asian names involved. Nicholas Tsu and Chow Yun-Fat were also attached, while arguably one of the biggest stars of all, Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan, was being targeted for key roles. And on checking Huaxia's own website, the homepage mentions its deal with Super Hero Films.

As it happens, there was a film in development called The Master, first announced by Yen in 2013 as a project for his then-new Super Hero Films banner. And the brief plot details revealed at the time did concern the owner of a martial arts gym and a vengeance-seeking gun shop owner. Cheang was set to direct, with Yen also cast. This was the film listed on IMDb.

But speaking to THR, Yen's manager - and wife - Cecilia Wang said that development on this film had long since halted. She added that Super Hero Films - a joint venture between Yen and Media Asia first unveiled at the Hong King Filmmart in 2013 - was no longer in operation.

However, with the film still present on IMDb and no statement declaring any inactivity, there wasn't any reason to believe it wasn't still going ahead.

After a few weeks of back and forth, Zhao requested that Pitchford fly out to Jakarta, where the first phase of production was to begin, for interviews, workshops and location scouting.

While the ask may seem normal, it came with a few unusual stipulations. She would have to pay for her own travel, which would later be reimbursed. And once in Jakarta, she would be met with a driver to whom she'd have to give $1,200 as a "ground tax," payment for several days of private chauffeuring between meetings and locations, and money that would have to be paid in cash due to card restrictions.

"She said that [having your flight reimbursed] was how it worked in China, that's how it was," says Pitchford, adding that the authenticity of the claims made by Zhao over a series of calls and emails made it feel like a "risk worth taking." She adds: "I was totally up for it."

Flights were booked, and in late July Pitchford, believing the job was practically hers, made the 17-hour trip from London to Jakarta.

At the city's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport she was met by the driver at a pre-arranged spot, giving him the $1,200 immediately before he set off to the pre-booked hotel, a five-hour drive away and paid for by the production company.

With a detailed itinerary in hand, the next day Pitchford was back in the car for another long spell, mostly spent stationary in Jakarta's bad traffic, supposedly for location scouting. Such was the amount of time she was due to spend in the backseat, her driver - in his limited English - had recommended that she bring a pillow.

Read more: The Monkey King's Popularity in China Leads to Multiple New Projects

"The first red flag was when we arrived at the location," she says.

Having expected to be greeted by Zhao and the production team, Pitchford was ushered out of the car at a tourist attraction.

"The driver just said 'go take photo, take photo.' And I was like, 'who am I meeting?' to which he said 'no meeting, go take photo'."

Keen to make an impression, Pitchford did as she was told, taking photos of everything in sight to make sure she didn't miss anything important. Then it was back in the car for another four-hour drive to the next location: a puppet show.

"There was something about puppets in the script," she says. "At this point, I was still thinking that I really wanted this job and was going to do my research. So I was photographing everything, taking lots of shots of these guys doing makeup on stage."

But it was at this location where Pitchford made a discovery: she wasn't the only makeup artist who have been driven here.

"I started speaking to this girl working there who had said 'oh, you're here for an interview with the production company'?" Pitchford recalls.

The girl knew all about Leslie, but also said that another makeup artist had been there the week before, adding that she had seemed really upset because she hadn't heard from anybody since she'd been in the country. Pitchford was feeling the same.

The artist in question was Anna Cichon, also London-based.

Like Pitchford, she had been contacted by Zhao, but on this occasion via a 7 a.m. phone call.

"She introduced herself and told me about this big movie with big names etc. etc., saying that they were trying to find a designer," she tells THR. "I told her what I'd been doing and she sounded amazed."

Cichon's had previously worked in the makeup departments for Kingsmen: The Secret Service and Tarzan, specifically involving hair punching, adding real hair to prosthetics. While she did have one designer credit, on the relatively low-budget Jack the Ripper horror film Razors, The Master would have been a step up.

After around 10 days of emails and calls discussing the film and role, Zhao said she wanted Cichon to travel to China, then swiftly changed her mind and said she was needed in Jakarta for the first stage of production.

And like Pitchford, she would have to pay for her own travel, which would - again - be reimbursed.

In Jakarta, having paid the driver his fees - a figure Cichon estimates was "around $1,300" - the story was essentially the same as before: hours of navigating the notorious traffic for visits to locations with no sign of any of the pre-discussed interviews.

For Pitchford, at the end of day two and with the driver - whose poor English would always appear to peak whenever asked what was going on - explaining that her supposed interview wasn't taking place ("no meeting, go to hotel"), she had enough. Eventually she received a call from Zhao.

"For the first time since I'd been in Jakarta!" she says.

Zhao assured Pitchford that she was still their number one choice, but as they were also stuck in traffic a meeting was unlikely to happen that evening. She requested they meet in the airport lounge the next morning before her flight back to London.

At the hotel, however, Pitchford received a note from a contact in Hong Kong who knew Yen's PA, telling her he knew nothing about The Master production. Another friend had spoken to the British Consulate, which told her to "put her passport in her bra, back her bags, wait in the lobby until it's time to go the airport and just get out of there." THR has since been in touch with the consulate, which confirmed that the issue had been raised.

With little understood about the designs of the scam or the intentions of Zhao, there were concerns for Pitchford's safety. With her out in a car all day, somebody could have tampered with her luggage to smuggle drugs out of the country. Nothing was known.

So she did as she was told: arranged her own transport to the airport before the driver was due to pick her up and headed straight onto the flight, ignoring the frantic calls from Zhao that started coming through.

Back in the U.K., Pitchford started to call around to makeup artists and agents in the industry.

"They all said they had the same emails and calls. They'd either been out, or sent one of their artists out, or knew someone who had been scammed," she says. "All of them have lost money. Some had even been out twice."

Cichon was among those to have made a second trip to Jakarta, having been led to believe it was her own fault.

After a three-day merry-go-round of long drives, location visits and little in the way of explanation, she decided to opt out of yet another baffling tourist attraction to see a friend living in the city.

But the next day, on which she was due to finally meet Zhao before flying home, she received a call from the so-called producer explaining that they now "didn't want to have an interview" with her because she hadn't completed the itinerary. She flew home thinking she'd damaged her chances, having been told they'd complete the interview online.

"I was quite anxious when I got back to London, and about two days after she phoned me up and we kept the conversation going and had Skype interviews, taking about the different characters  they saw how passionate I was about getting the job and how much research I was doing," says Cichon, adding that by this stage another producer - calling himself Ian - had joined the discussion.

Despite still not having met anyone, she was offered juicy details about The Master's pre-production developments, with the costume designer from Mad Max apparently on the verge of signing up, and interviews with an individual working at Peter Jackson's Weta in New Zealand apparently underway.

"And then they asked me to come back to Jakarta," recalls Cichon.

She returned a week later, again paying for her own flight and again paying the driver - the same one - at the airport. Again, the interview never took place, with the horrific traffic once again ruining supposed plans.

Over two trips, the makeup artist thinks she's lost in the region of 6,000 ($7,300). The promised reimbursement never materialized, with Zhao initially expressing her surprise at the transfer not having gone through and then simply ignoring calls and emails.

"I never thought I'd be a victim of a fraud, but I'm basically a wreck of a human at the moment," says Cichon. "I'm trying not to think about it."

For all the elaborate work in researching individuals' previous production credits and putting together such a detailed treatment, the actual crime committed doesn't appear to have to do with drugs or human trafficking or any of the more sinister motives first speculated about.

It lies in the simple wad of petty cash in an envelope handed to the driver at the airport.

Pitchford paid $1,200, while Cichon estimates she handed him more than $2,000 over two trips (although he still tried to get her to pay more to cover road tolls). Martin at the Milton Agency was told her client (who she didn't send to Jakarta) would have to pay $1,500.

"This is ultimately where the scam was," says Pitchford. "Actually, if you were going to America or South Africa or wherever, $1,200 for someone to drive you personally for four days isn't that much money, and not that unusual."

Pitchford says she knows of two others who were duped. Martin says she's heard of 20 artists who went to Jakarta, most from the U.K., but some also from continental Europe. And the template is the same each time: all female, all relatively young and all with credentials in the makeup department, but looking for that key break as a designer on a major film.

"They knew what they were doing. They avoided the artists who were a bit long in the tooth for them. Young artists, that's their prey," says Martin, who spotted something was amiss from the very first email.

"One of my artists was at the time, working with Donnie on Star Wars," she says. "So she asked him and came back within 10 minutes. He didn't know what she was taking about."

The financial reward seems relatively small for such an elaborate hoax, but given the number of the people who went - and in a country where the amount is roughly equal to the average monthly salary - it starts to add up.

Pitchford and Cichon only heard back one more time from Zhao, each receiving a call several weeks after they had returned to London. Pitchford was asked why she had "run away," with Zhao flat out denying any other makeup artists had been contacted. To Cichon she simply expressed exacerbation that she - still - hadn't been paid back.

Alongside the British Consulate, Action Fraud, the U.K.'s fraud reporting center, has been told about The Master and the emails from Zhao. Speaking to THR, a representative for the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau said that the geography of the scam was out of its jurisdiction, so it hadn't been passed on to the police force for further investigation.

But the rep urged "anyone who thinks they may have been targeted by fraudsters in this way, or may have been a victim of this fraud," to still issue a report, enabling the bureau to build up a profile and warn others. The scam has also been brought to the attention of BECTU, the U.K.'s union for film and TV crew, which has issued an alert.

Since contacting Yen's manager Wang, who is understandably upset about how the film has been used to scam artists, the IMDB page for The Master has finally been taken down.

Whoever Li Duan Zhao or "Leslie" is, is still unknown - calls and emails to her from THR were, unsurprisingly, not answered. But Milton says her language implied that she knew the industry inside out, and in using The Master, a project in limbo, she could hijack something that already had an IMDb presence and published announcement, with major names attached, and give it enough meat to sound legitimate.

As Wang tells THR: "Our Master is a completely different story," adding that the entire treatment from Zhao was "made up."

For some, it's the nature of the film industry and doing business in Asia that allowed the scam to happen.

"The culture of saving face and honor rides above so much else, and perhaps it's this why some of the high-profile people who were attached to this film had their names on it for so long and didn't consider removing them," says Jonathan Weissler, a U.K. producer who has made three films in Hong Kong and one in China.

"Everyone looks at IMDb, and it's almost currency for independent films in development. By having Donnie Yen's name on the film for so long just legitimized the con men's agenda and allowed a lot of good people to believe it was a real film - and they lost money."

Whether Zhao and her fellow fraudsters find another stagnant film to claim as her own, give it legs and use it to defraud more industry professionals out of their money remains to be seen. In the literature created for The Master, they certainly have a template.

A group of makeup artists, at least, is going to be looking at any request via email with extreme caution in the future.

Read more: Hong Kong Star Donnie Yen Talks Shooting 'Star Wars' Film 'Rogue One,' Working With Mike Tyson
Fortunately for film history, Fritz Lang was much better at inventing tall tales than Gordian Mauggs cringe-worthy black-and-white misfire titled for the director, which purports to tell the real story of Langs personality quirks together with the genesis of his most famous work, M. Given that Lang was perhaps cinemas greatest self-fabulist, piecing together the early part of his career is often a case of weighing probability against cloak-and-dagger implausibilities. Yet even taking into account Langs often contradictory inventions, this embarrassing pseudo biopic, profligately adorned with period clips for a futile attempt at authenticity, is a luridly fictionalized mess. No wonder the world outside Germany was largely unaware of the films existence following its unsuccessful local April release.

In the imaginings of Maugg and fellow scripter Alexander Hausser, Lang (Heino Ferch) is a cocaine-snorting, sexually domineering borderline psychopath traumatized at a young age by his fathers abusive behavior toward his mother (who was Bohemian and not, as the film claims, Lithuanian). The movies time frame starts in 1929, around the premiere of Woman in the Moon, when, according to the screenwriters, Lang barely tolerated his wife, Thea von Harbou (Johanna Gastdorf), beyond exchanging script ideas. Where this conceit comes from is anyones guess.

While stressing out about the subject of his next movie, Lang becomes fascinated by newspaper reports of the Monster of Dusseldorf, a serial killer whose stomach-churning sadism still has the power to shock. Lang inserts himself into the investigation, taking advantage of his acquaintance with police commissioner Gennat (Thomas Thieme) to follow the inquiries, and to question Anna Cohn (Lisa Charlotte Friederich), friend of the killers last victim, and a possible eyewitness who could identify the murderer.

Annas face triggers flashbacks for Lang to World War I, when as a wounded soldier (young Lang is played by Max von Pufendorf), he was tended to by nurse Lisa (also Friederich). From this point on, Maugg edits between past and present, building parallels to arrive at a deeply suspect explanation for Langs supposed compulsive interest in sexual sadism and murder. In truth, the real directors fascination was more targeted toward how people wield power over others, but this would have been a far less sensational (and significantly more subtle) point for the film Fritz Lang to make.

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When the Dusseldorf murderer, Peter Kurten (Samuel Finzi) is caught, Lang is granted privileged access to his cell, and its from these encounters that he derives the screenplay for M. Although theres little doubt that the 1931 film was based in part on the Kurten case, despite Langs sometime denials, he never interviewed the serial killer, and the classic films extraordinary evocation of underworld justice, which forms a great deal of Langs vision, is completely ignored here. Instead, Maugg uses the Kurten-Lang conversations to bring up one of the biggest mysteries in Langs life: the shooting death of his first wife Lisa.

Naturally Fritz Lang wouldnt entertain the idea that Lisa shot herself with Langs gun after finding him in bed with his then-mistress von Harbou. Instead, it presents as fact that Lang killed his wife himself. Well never know what really happened, and the director was never convicted, yet Maugg is more interested in Dan Brown-style mythologizing than in truth, and his entire movie is riddled with wild inaccuracies. Particularly problematic is the way Maugg sidelines von Harbous role in her husbands life and work. (And she was not Frau von Harbou at the time of their affair but Frau Rudolf Klein-Rogge, no less.) Moreover, does anyone imagine, like Maugg, that Lang wore his monocle during sex? Perhaps some film professor one day will assign students the task of detailing all the historical howlers here, including the wildly exaggerated depiction of Langs father, but the list is too long to make in this short review.

Montages from movies and newsreels of the era (with added sound) are meant to evoke life in the Weimar Republic, falling back on the stereotype of sex, jazz, riots, and SS parades with Nazi salutes. One of the biggest surprises is that the filmmakers got the rights to use clips from M, which allowed for a gratuitous Zelig-like insertion of Ferchs Lang into the picture. Casting is odd, since Lang was 39 in 1929 and Ferch is 53, and there really should not have been a need to cast an old Lang and a young Lang to span a mere 10-year age gap between 1919 and 1929.

Leaving aside laughably overwrought scenes like Lang on a cocaine high, or his father screaming in a storm that there is no God, the black-and-white visuals are lifeless and feel very TV-like. In addition, period recreations seem oddly like a 1980s imagining of the 1920s. Music is predictably overcooked.

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There are few more damning eviscerations of Israels macho culture of war than Yaniv Bermans Land of the Little People, and yet no soldiers are seen fighting. Berman aims deeper, choosing as his target the socialization of children in a battle-focused nation where animalistic alpha male posturing and the ruthless punishment of perceived weakness create a society marked by cold-blooded cruelty. With generous inspiration from Lord of the Flies, the film is a relentless and chilling depiction of a group of kids whose sense of play centers on brutality. Sure to be despised by the Israeli establishment, not least because producer Tony Copti (Ajami) is Palestinian, Little People is likely to create heated debates in festivals.

A quote at the start from Theodor Herzl encapsulates Bermans argument: Men live and die for a flag; it is indeed the only thing for which they are willing to die in masses, provided one educates them to it. The education here is more subtle and insidious than classroom instruction; its the kind soaked up from an environment always on the alert for war, habitualized to weaponry and placing little value on lives not ours. Thats the context at the start, in a well-tended community of manicured lawns near overgrown fields and an abandoned military camp. The menfolk are called to duty as the intifada (a word never uttered) expands, and their wives are left home to watch news reports while the children, on summer break, are expected to play by themselves.

For a group of four friends, that involves using the abandoned camp as headquarters for their forays in the scrub with a homemade crossbow and arrows. Berman chose his young cast exceptionally well: most are pictures of fair-haired north European perfection without a trace of the Sephardic heritage so often regarded by Israeli society as inferior stock. Chemi (Lior Rochman) is the leader of this little band, with darker long-haired runt Louie (Ido Kestler) the brashest member, joined by quieter Tali (Mishel Pruzansky), the only girl, and younger Yonatan (Amit Hechter). Among their escapades, they set traps in the undergrowth to catch small animals they offer to an imagined protective monster living deep in a disused shaft at the base.

Theyre furious one day to discover the camp occupied by two men, Omer (Ofer Hayoun) and Yaron (Maor Schweitzer), deserters from the army waiting for a friend to pick them up and bring them to a safe haven. Louie steals their 9mm Glock, which the kids think nothing of playing with, including casually shooting at a couple on the beach. A furious Yaron finds them and takes the gun back, beginning a war between the youngsters and the deserters that will be characterized by unemotional viciousness and a callous disregard for suffering.

A build-up of small details creates a powerful, kick-in-the-gut indictment of a society so inoculated to war that normal human values no longer count for much: Berman depicts relations between people in the manner of animals jockeying for alpha prominence, and the ill-defined running battle between Louie and his brother Jacky (Nimrod Hochenberg) is precisely like rival bands of wild mammals on the hunt for prey. When Jacky and his gang torment Chemi at a mall eatery, neighboring girls take photos of Chemis humiliation, giggling at his weakness.

As for parents, theyre barely seen except when the fathers are called to duty; otherwise, the mothers  two conspicuously pregnant  sit at home watching the news, not noticing or not caring that their kids are heading out of the house carrying lethal crossbows. Is it an exaggeration? Of course, but the steady stream of macho posturing heard on the news is very real, and that nonstop rhetoric about the need for strength, combined with the dehumanization of the other, the enemy, is imbibed from the womb. Berman ends with an excruciating scene of violence immediately followed by one of unnerving indifference, offering no escape from the cycle of violence.

A little more information about the deserters would have been welcome, though in the end their story isnt so difficult to follow. Theirs are the less subtle roles, designed to offset the preternatural calm of the kids, played to frightening perfection by the young actors. Rami Katzavs handheld camera is in a constant state of unease, alive with tension in the way it just perceptibly moves about. Only the music overwrought, unnecessarily underlining emotional states already apparent on screen.

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Built in 1650, the Thomas Lincoln House in Hingham, MA, isnt just older than the United Statesits also the oldest home currently for sale in the entire country.

This old house has seen Massachusetts declare independence from England twice (1652 and 1776) and was over a century old when rebels, just a few miles to the south, in Boston, decided to throw a tea party in the harbor.

The upstairs bedroom is part of the original 1650 house. realtor.com

Moving through history

To be clear, the whole house isnt three centuries oldit had an addition in the early 1700s. Nor has it stood in the same spot for over three centuriesit was moved from its original plot of land.

In the winter of 1735, when the nearby marshes froze over, the entire house was dragged across the ice to reach its current address on Mars Hill. Its new hillside location allowed the Lincoln family to expand the home by adding a first floor underneath the original structure.

Walking through the home is like stepping back in time to witness the Colonial architecture from 1650 through the 1700s, said listing agent Rosemary Sullivan. You can really see the different details on the first and second floors.

The house is currently being sold as is for $429,900, and the lucky buyers wont just walk away with four bedrooms, two baths, and 2,357 square feet. Theyll have a piece of historywith five fireplaces and Colonial period details, including original wood floors and crown molding. Even the exposed beams are from the Colonial period, as Sullivan explained.

The bigger, older trees were called the kings wood. They were supposed to be sent back to England, but the colonists used them in their homes anyway.

Historic features include the original fireplaces and kings wood beams. realtor.com

Advice on historic homes

While this is the oldest home Sullivan has ever listed, shes no stranger to antique homes. Shes also listing a home built in 1751 in Hingham and a Victorian in nearby Cohasset that is a downright youthful 116 years old. Her advice for buyers interested in historic homes?

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There are always renovations to be done, she says. Youll need a home inspector that specializes in antiques. They know what to look for, the foundations and other signs.

Who does Sullivan hope to see as the next owner of this historic property? An antique lover, a buyer who understands that this isnt an open floor plan. It would be a shame to tear down these hand-hewn beams. So, if youre a Puritan about keeping the homes historical integrity but have a kingly sum to sink into this property, then this may be the home for you.

The Lincoln family

And, yes, this house is connected to Abraham Lincoln. Though President Lincoln wasnt able to confirm the connection in his lifetime, sources show his ancestor Samuel Lincoln left England and landed in Hingham, where his brother Thomas Lincoln was established. This house, which belonged to Thomas, stayed in the Lincoln family until 1939.

The houses connection to Abraham Lincoln doesnt end there, either. According to documents from the Hingham Historical Commission, Captain Barnabas Lincoln inherited the property in 1792.

His 30-year maritime career ended far from the waters of Massachusetts Bay, when his ship was captured near Cuba  by pirates.

The harrowing ordeal didnt deter his descendant (and eventual owner of Thomas Lincoln House) Tinsmith Charles Stewart from pursuing a distinguished naval career during the Civil War, serving under his commander-in-chief and distant cousin, Honest Abe.

The post Its Rude to Ask the Age of the Oldest U.S. Home for Sale (but We Did) appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
MOSCOW, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The decision by a British bank to withdraw services from Kremlin-backed Russian broadcaster RT "reeked of" the BBC, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Friday, days after warning Russia may retaliate over the row.

RT said on Monday that NatWest, owned by Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), was withdrawing its banking services from the channel's British arm. RT and Russian diplomats accused the bank of attacking freedom of speech.

Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, told reporters on Tuesday that Moscow would retaliate in kind if necessary. That prompted speculation a British media organisation operating in Russia could encounter problems.

Zakharova wrote on Friday in a post on social media that the scandal was starting to "reek of" the BBC, pointing out that the corporation's Russian service had run what she dismissed as an empty investigation into RT's UK activities.

"Why did they do this?" she wrote. "So that a nasty taste stayed behind."

"I wish the BBC Russian service luck. They will need it now, because digging stuff up can be a diverting and unpredictable business."

Three pro-Kremlin senators in the upper house of parliament have already urged Russian authorities to hit back by closing the BBC's bank accounts in Russia, the RIA news agency reported on Monday.

RBS, which is owned by the British state, has said it is reviewing the situation and will contact RT to discuss the matter further.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe)
From Esquire

On an April afternoon earlier this year, Russian president Vladimir Putin headlined a gathering of some four hundred journalists, bloggers, and media executives in St. Petersburg. Dressed in a sleek navy suit, Putin looked relaxed, even comfortable, as he took questions. About an hour into the forum, a young blogger in a navy zip sweater took the microphone and asked Putin what he thought of the "so-called Panama Papers."

The blogger was referring to a cache of more than eleven million computer files that had been stolen from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm. The leak was the largest in history, involving 2.6 terabytes of data, enough to fill more than five hundred DVDs. On April 3, four days before the St. Petersburg forum, a group of international news outlets published the first in a series of stories based on the leak, which had taken them more than a year to investigate. The series revealed corruption on a massive scale: Mossack Fonseca's legal maneuverings had been used to hide billions of dollars. A central theme of the group's reporting was the matryoshka doll of secret shell companies and proxies, worth a reported $2 billion, that belonged to Putin's inner circle and were presumed to shelter some of the Russian president's vast personal wealth.

When Putin heard the blogger's question, his face lit up with a familiar smirk. He nodded slowly and confidently before reciting a litany of humiliations that the United States had inflicted on Russia. Putin reminded his audience about the sidelining of Russia during the 1998 war in Kosovo and what he saw as American meddling in Ukraine more recently. Returning to the Panama Papers, Putin cited WikiLeaks to insist that "officials and state agencies in the United States are behind all this." The Americans' aim, he said, was to weaken Russia from within: "to spread distrust for the ruling authorities and the bodies of power within society."

Though a narrow interpretation of Putin's accusation was defensible-as WikiLeaks had pointed out, one of the members of the Panama Papers consortium had received financial support from USAID, a federal agency-his swaggering assurance about America's activities has a more plausible explanation: Putin's own government had been preparing a vast, covert, and unprecedented campaign of political sabotage against the United States and its allies for more than a year.

The Russian campaign burst into public view only this past June, when The Washington Post reported that "Russian government hackers" had penetrated the servers of the Democratic National Committee. The hackers, hiding behind ominous aliases like Guccifer 2.0 and DC Leaks, claimed their first victim in July, in the person of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chair, whose private emails were published by WikiLeaks in the days leading up to the Democratic convention. By August, the hackers had learned to use the language of Americans frustrated with Washington to create doubt about the integrity of the electoral system: "As you see the U. S. presidential elections are becoming a farce," they wrote from Russia.

The attacks against political organizations and individuals absorbed much of the media's attention this year. But in many ways, the DNC hack was merely a prelude to what many security researchers see as a still more audacious feat: the hacking of America's most secretive intelligence agency, the NSA.

Russian spies did not, of course, wait until the summer of 2015 to start hacking the United States. This past fall, in fact, marked the twentieth anniversary of the world's first major campaign of state-on-state digital espionage. In 1996, five years after the end of the USSR, the Pentagon began to detect high-volume network breaches from Russia. The campaign was an intelligence-gathering operation: Whenever the intruders from Moscow found their way into a U. S. government computer, they binged, stealing copies of every file they could.

By 1998, when the FBI code-named the hacking campaign Moonlight Maze, the Russians were commandeering foreign computers and using them as staging hubs. At a time when a 56 kbps dial-up connection was more than sufficient to get the best of Pets.com and AltaVista, Russian operators extracted several gigabytes of data from a U. S. Navy computer in a single session. With the unwitting help of proxy machines-including a Navy supercomputer in Virginia Beach, a server at a London nonprofit, and a computer lab at a public library in Colorado-that accomplishment was repeated hundreds of times over. Eventually, the Russians stole the equivalent, as an Air Intelligence Agency estimate later had it, of "a stack of printed copier paper three times the height of the Washington Monument."

The Russians stole the equivalent of "a stack of printed copier paper three times the height of the Washington Monument."

The Russians' tactics became more sophisticated over time; they even hacked satellites to cover their tracks. But while the American code names used to track the Russian effort changed-from Moonlight Maze to Storm Cloud to Makers Mark-the operation itself never really stopped. Over the next two decades, the FSB (successor to the KGB) and the GRU (Russia's premier military intelligence organization) went after political and military targets, while the NSA and the UK's GCHQ returned the favor.

This sort of espionage was business as usual, a continuation of long-standing practice. And during the cold war, both the USSR and the United States subtly, and sometimes covertly, interfered with foreign elections. What changed over the past year, however-what made the DNC hack feel new and terrifying-was Russia's seeming determination to combine the two. For the first time, Russia used a hacking operation, one that collected and released massive quantities of stolen information, to meddle in an American presidential election. The inspiration and template for this new attack was a poisonous cocktail of fact and fabrication that the Russians call kompromat, for "compromising material."

Photo credit: Tavis Coburn

Kompromat had been deployed by the Soviet Union since at least the 1950s, but in 1999 the Kremlin gave the tactic a high-tech update. With parliamentary elections fast approaching, and with post-USSR corruption at a peak, the government of president Boris Yeltsin used anonymous websites to sling mud at opposition candidates. One notorious kompromat repository was run specifically to slander the mayor of Moscow, a rising star in the opposition with his eyes on the presidency. In 2009, a senior British diplomat working in Russia was forced to resign after the appearance online of a four-minute video that showed him having sex with two blond women in a brothel.

One of the first American targets of kompromat was Victoria Nuland, who served as the top U. S. diplomat for Europe during Obama's second term. In February 2014, at the peak of the crisis in Ukraine, Nuland was surreptitiously recorded while speaking on the phone with the U. S. ambassador to Kiev. Frustrated with Europe's lackluster response to the Ukrainian crisis, Nuland said, "Fuck the EU." Shortly after, an aide to the Russian deputy prime minister tweeted a link to a recording of the intercepted phone call. The State Department called the leak "a new low in Russian tradecraft."

The Nuland leak prompted a minor diplomatic hiccup between the European Union and the United States. But the kompromat campaign of the past year appears to be aimed at much bigger game: the American electoral system. According to Reuters, the FBI first contacted the DNC in the fall of 2015, obliquely warning the Democrats to examine their network. It wasn't until May, however, that the DNC asked for help from a cybersecurity company called CrowdStrike, which had experience identifying digital espionage operations by nation-states. CrowdStrike immediately discovered two sophisticated groups of spies that were stealing documents from the Democrats by the thousands.

CrowdStrike was soon able to reconstruct the hacks and identify the hackers. One of the groups, known to the firm as Cozy Bear, had been rummaging around the DNC since the previous summer. The other, known as Fancy Bear, had broken in not long before Putin's appearance at the St. Petersburg forum. Surprisingly, given that security researchers had long suspected that both groups were directed by the Russian government, each of the attackers seemed unaware of what the other was doing.

Meanwhile a mysterious website named DC Leaks was registered on April 19. In early June, a Twitter account associated with the site started linking to the private conversations of Philip Breedlove, who had been, until a few weeks earlier, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. DC Leaks was well designed, but nobody seems to have noticed it until early July.

DC Leaks was well designed, but nobody seems to have noticed it until early July.

On June 14, less than an hour after The Washington Post reported the breach at the DNC, CrowdStrike posted a report that detailed the methods used by the intruders. The firm also did something unusual: It named the Russian spy agencies it believed responsible for the hack. Fancy Bear, the firm said, worked in a way that suggested affiliation with the GRU. Cozy Bear was linked to the FSB.

The day after the Post story broke, a website appeared that claimed to belong to a hacker who identified himself as Guccifer 2.0. (Guccifer was the nickname of a Romanian hacker who, among other things, broke into the email account of George W. Bush's sister.) The operators, posing as Guccifer 2.0, dismissed CrowdStrike's attribution, insisting instead that the DNC had been "hacked by a lone hacker." As proof, Guccifer published eleven documents from the DNC, including an opposition-research file on Donald Trump and a list of major Democratic donors. In the weeks that followed, Guccifer offered interviews and batches of documents to several journalists, but he wrote that "the main part of the papers, thousands of files and mails, I gave to WikiLeaks."

Ultimately, more than two thousand confidential files from the DNC found their way to the public. Throughout the campaign, Guccifer maintained that he was the only person behind the hacking and leaking. "This is my personal project and I'm proud of it," he-or they-wrote in late June. But several sloppy mistakes soon revealed who was really behind the operation. The unraveling happened more quickly than anybody could have anticipated.

As soon as Guccifer's files hit the open Internet, an army of investigators-including old-school hackers, former spooks, security consultants, and journalists-descended on the hastily leaked data. Informal, self-organized groups of sleuths discussed their discoveries over encrypted messaging apps such as Signal. Many of the self-appointed analysts had never met in person, and sometimes they didn't know one another's real names, but they were united in their curiosity and outrage. The result was an unprecedented open-source counterintelligence operation: Never in history was intelligence analysis done so fast, so publicly, and by so many.

Photo credit: Tavis Coburn

Matt Tait, a former GCHQ operator who tweets from the handle @pwnallthethings, was particularly prolific. Hours after the first Guccifer 2.0 dump, on the evening of June 15, Tait found something curious. One of the first leaked files had been modified on a computer using Russian-language settings by a user named "Feliks Dzerzhinsky." Dzerzhinsky was the founder of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police-a figure whose mythic renown was signaled by a fifteen-ton bronze statue that once stood in front of KGB headquarters. Tait tweeted an image of the document's metadata settings, which, he suggested, revealed a failure of operational security.

A second mistake had to do with the computer that had been used to control the hacking operation. Researchers found that the malicious software, or malware, used to break into the DNC was controlled by a machine that had been involved in a 2015 hack of the German parliament. German intelligence later traced the Bundestag breach to the Russian GRU, aka Fancy Bear.

There were other errors, too, including a Russian smile emoji-")))"-and emails to journalists that explicitly associated Guccifer 2.0 with DC Leaks, as the cybersecurity firm ThreatConnect pointed out. But the hackers' gravest mistake involved the emails they'd used to initiate their attack. As part of a so-called spear-phishing campaign, Fancy Bear had emailed thousands of targets around the world. The emails were designed to trick their victims into clicking a link that would install malware or send them to a fake but familiar-looking login site to harvest their passwords. The malicious links were hidden behind short URLs of the sort often used on Twitter.

To manage so many short URLs, Fancy Bear had created an automated system that used a popular link-shortening service called Bitly. The spear-phishing emails worked well-one in seven victims revealed their passwords-but the hackers forgot to set two of their Bitly accounts to "private." As a result, a cybersecurity company called SecureWorks was able to glean information about Fancy Bear's targets. Between October 2015 and May 2016, the hacking group used nine thousand links to attack about four thousand Gmail accounts, including targets in Ukraine, the Baltics, the United States, China, and Iran. Fancy Bear tried to gain access to defense ministries, embassies, and military attaches. The largest group of targets, some 40 percent, were current and former military personnel. Among the group's recent breaches were the German parliament, the Italian military, the Saudi foreign ministry, the email accounts of Philip Breedlove, Colin Powell, and John Podesta-Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman-and, of course, the DNC.

The rapid public reconstruction of the DNC break-in appears to have caught the hackers off guard. Researchers surmised that the Russian spies had not expected to be identified so quickly, a theory that would explain, among other things, the peculiar animus Guccifer seemed to have for CrowdStrike. According to this hypothesis, the tradecraft blunders that Tait and others had identified were the result of a hasty effort by the GRU to cover its tracks.

As if to regroup after the initial rush of activity, Guccifer and DC Leaks went quiet at the end of June. But the 2016 presidential campaign, already the most bizarre in living memory, had a further surprise in store, one that worked in favor of the Russians. At a time when only 32 percent of Americans say that they trust the media to report the news fairly and accurately, the hackers were about to learn that getting called out publicly didn't really matter: Their kompromat operations would still work just fine.

The hackers were about to learn that getting called out publicly didn't really matter.

On July 22, three days before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, WikiLeaks published the largest trove of files to date, which included nearly twenty thousand hacked emails. Press coverage of the release quickly centered on emails that suggested a bias among some DNC staffers in favor of Hillary Clinton. The leaked emails lent credence to a suspicion held by some Democrats that the party establishment had never intended to give Bernie Sanders, Clinton's opponent in the primaries, a fair shake. Protesters in Philadelphia held up signs that read election fraud and dnc leaks shame. One day before the convention, the Russian kompromat campaign took its first trophy: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chair, resigned from the organization.

The episode shocked the Democratic establishment, not least because of what it augured for the future. As Clinton's lead in the polls widened after the convention, commentators began to speculate that a damaging leak late in the campaign might be the only chance for Donald Trump to win the election. Fears of a Russia-sponsored October surprise grew as it became clearer that the subversion effort was improving. When files appeared, they were now scrubbed of the sort of distinguishing metadata that had allowed analysts to trace the leak back to Russian intelligence.

The operators behind Guccifer and DC Leaks also appear to have recognized that American journalists were desperate for scoops, no matter their source. The Russians began to act like a PR agency, providing access to reporters at Politico, The Intercept, and BuzzFeed. Journalists were eager to help. On August 27, when part of the DC Leaks website was down for some reason, Twitter suspended the @DCLeaks account. The Daily Caller, a conservative news website, posted a story about the events, drawing an outcry from Trump supporters. Lou Dobbs, the Fox Business anchor, sneered that "leftist fascism" was throttling the last best hope for a Trump victory. Twitter soon reinstated @DCLeaks.

The most effective outlet by far, however, was WikiLeaks. Russian intelligence likely began feeding hacked documents to Julian Assange's "whistleblower" site in June 2015, after breaching Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry. A group called WikiSaudiLeaks, probably a Guccifer-like front for Fancy Bear, claimed that "WikiLeaks have been given access to some part of these documents." The so-called Saudi Cables showed princes buying influence and monitoring dissidents. They became a major news story, proving that the old methods worked even better in the twenty-first century.

A leak released at the end of this past summer showed how frictionlessly the kompromat campaign was able to operate in the fact-free atmosphere of the 2016 American presidential campaign. In late September, DC Leaks published hundreds of emails from the account of a twenty-two-year-old freelancer for the Clinton campaign. Lachlan Markay, a reporter for The Washington Free Beacon, found an audio clip buried deep in the cache. In the recording, which was made at a fundraiser in Virginia, Hillary Clinton could be heard describing Sanders supporters as "children of the Great Recession" who "are living in their parents' basement." The comments were clumsy but, in context, hardly damning; Clinton was describing the appeal of Sanders's "political revolution" for young voters. ("We want people to be idealistic," she said.) Nevertheless, within a few days, Donald Trump was telling a roaring crowd in Pennsylvania, "Clinton thinks Bernie supporters are hopeless and ignorant basement dwellers."

In mid-August, when Guccifer and DC Leaks were making near-daily news, a third mysterious social-media account popped up out of nowhere. A group calling itself the Shadow Brokers announced that it had published "cyberweapons" that belonged to the NSA on file-sharing sites such as Github. The group said that it would soon hold an auction to sell off a second cache of tools. After a security researcher posted a link to a repository of the supposed NSA software, analysts flocked to the dump. Security researchers quickly discovered that the tools, a collection of malware designed to steal data from their targets, were the real thing. Crucially, The Intercept, a media outlet with access to the NSA files leaked by Edward Snowden, found a sixteen-character string ("ace02468bdf13579") in the Shadow Brokers' tools that was referenced in a top-secret, and previously unpublished, NSA manual. The connection proved the provenance of the Shadow Brokers' find.

Robbing the NSA, of course, is not easy. The agency's elite hacking unit, called Tailored Access Operations, has an internal network known as the "high side" that is physically segregated from the Internet (the "low side"). Data diodes, devices that allow data to flow one way only, like water from a faucet, make it nearly impossible to hack high-side computers from the low side. When TAO hackers want to attack an adversary, they move their tools from the high side to a server on the low side, navigate through a series of addresses that make their tracks difficult to trace, and install malware on their target. To steal the NSA's malware, the Shadow Brokers had to compromise a low-side machine that the TAO was using to hack its targets. The Shadow Brokers likely got lucky: Some analysts believe that an NSA operator mistakenly uploaded a whole set of tools to a staging computer the hackers were already watching. The alternative theory: an old-fashioned mole passed on the tools.

After going to all that trouble, why publish the results? A possible answer is suggested by a surprising discovery made by the U. S. intelligence community around the time Putin was addressing the journalists in St. Petersburg. American investigators had long known that the Russians were doing more than spear-phishing, but sometime around April they learned that the intruders were using commercial cloud services to "exfiltrate" data out of American corporations and political targets. Cozy Bear, the hacking group believed to be affiliated with the FSB, used some two hundred Microsoft OneDrive accounts to send data from its victims back to Moscow.

Using cloud services such as OneDrive was a clever but risky move-it was a little like taking the bus to make off with stolen goods from a burglary. Though the widespread use of the services by legitimate users offered a degree of cover for the hackers, data provided by Microsoft also helped America's elite digital spies identify the DNC intruders "with confidence" as Russian. It is even possible that the U. S. government has been able to identify the names and personal details of individual operators. The Russians knew they'd been caught. On July 30, an FSB press release announced that twenty government and defense organizations had been hit by high-powered spying tools.

Some intelligence analysts believe that the Shadow Brokers' publication of the NSA spy kit was a message from one group of professionals to another. "You see us?" the Russians seemed to be saying, perhaps in reference to ongoing U. S. efforts to investigate the DNC breach. "Fine, but we see you, too." Similarly, the announcement of an auction-all but certainly phony-was probably intended as a warning that the hackers were prepared to publish a key that would unlock an encrypted container holding a second batch of stolen tools. Like a severed ear in an envelope, the announcement told the Americans: Don't mess with us.

Like a severed ear in an envelope, the announcement told the Americans: Don't mess with us.

Meanwhile, the kompromat campaign proceeded apace. August and September each saw six data dumps, including files from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which had also been hacked. In October, as the presidential election drew near, Guccifer published a massive cache, more than twenty-one hundred files. Three days later, WikiLeaks began publishing thousands of emails stolen from John Podesta's account.

On the day WikiLeaks published the first batch of Podesta's emails, the U. S. government took the unprecedented step of announcing that it was "confident" Russia's "seniormost officials" had authorized the DNC hacks. So far U. S. investigators have not said publicly who was responsible for the Podesta hack, but the data harvested by SecureWorks makes it clear that Fancy Bear broke into the Clinton chairman's account as early as late March. The CIA briefed Trump about the origin of the kompromat, but he continued to cite the material, telling a Pennsylvania crowd, "I love WikiLeaks!"

On October 12, Putin appeared at another forum, this time with more than five hundred guests in Moscow. Sitting comfortably in front of a giant banner that said russia calling! he answered an audience question about the hacks. "Everyone is talking about who did it," Putin said. "Is it so important?" The former KGB officer, proving his full command of U. S. political intrigue, suggested that the Democrats had "supported one intraparty candidate at the expense of the other." Any talk of the hacks being in Russia's interest, he said, was "hysteria" intended to distract Americans from what the hackers discovered: "the manipulation of public opinion." When the audience applauded, a smirk returned to Putin's face. "I think I answered your question," he said.

Thomas Rid (@RidT) is a professor at King's College London and author of Rise of the Machines.

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Washington (AFP) - Russia is welcome to send observers to the US presidential election, even if their requests smack of a propaganda stunt, the State Department said Friday.

Moscow has been accused of trying to undermine the race through cyber attacks against US political targets, and its observers complain they were refused accreditation.

But State Department spokesman John Kirby said there is no policy to refuse Russian observers.

He noted that Russian officials were offered places on a team being fielded by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors elections in all its member states, including the United States.

"We told the Russian government that they were welcome to observe our elections," Kirby said.

"The fact that they have chosen to not join the OSCE observation mission makes clear that this issue is nothing more than a PR stunt," he added.

Russian observers could also apply directly to individual US states for accreditation, Kirby said, adding that Washington would not stand in their way.

"There's nothing for us to fear from having Russian observers observing our election," he told reporters.

"We're very confident in the stability, the security and the strength of our electoral process. There's no need to hide from that."

On Thursday, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that Russia had chosen not to join the OSCE observer mission.

Instead, it said, Russian observers had applied directly to US states for accreditation and had been refused.

A Russian electoral official, cited by the paper, accused the State Department of blocking the observers because of its "Russophobic tendencies."

But Kirby said he was not aware that any advice had been given to individual US states about foreign observers.
(Adds details of charges)

Oct 21 (Reuters) - A federal grand jury in California has indicted a Russian man for hacking computers belonging to LinkedIn Corp, Dropbox and Formspring, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Yevgeniy Nikulin was arrested on Oct. 5 by officials in the Czech Republic and remains in custody in Prague, the Justice Department said in a news release.

LinkedIn said at the time of his arrest that it was related to a 2012 breach at the social networking company that may have compromised credentials of 100 million users, prompting a massive password reset operation.

It was not immediately clear if U.S. officials had begun extradition proceedings to have Nikulin, who was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Oakland, California, brought to the United States to stand trial.

According to the DOJ, Nikulin is accused of accessing computers belonging to LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring and obtaining information from them.

The U.S. attorneys office could not immediately be reached for further comment. It was not yet clear who would be representing Nikulin in the proceedings.

He is also alleged to have used credentials of LinkedIn and Formspring employees in connection with the computer intrusions. Further, Nikulin is alleged to have engaged in a conspiracy with unnamed co-conspirators to traffic stolen Formspring user credentials.

The indictment charges Nikulin with three counts of computer intrusion, two counts of intentional transmission of information, code, or command causing damage to a protected computer; two counts of aggravated identity theft; one count of trafficking in unauthorized access devices; and one count of conspiracy.

(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Walsh and Diane Craft)
(Reuters) - A federal grand jury in California has indicted a Russian man for hacking computers belonging to LinkedIn Corp , Dropbox and Formspring, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. Yevgeniy Nikulin was arrested on Oct. 5 by officials in the Czech Republic and remains in custody in Prague, the Justice Department said in a news release. [L8N1CP4AE] LinkedIn said at the time of his arrest that it was related to a 2012 breach at the social networking company that may have compromised credentials of 100 million users, prompting a massive password reset operation. It was not immediately clear if U.S. officials had begun extradition proceedings to have Nikulin, who was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Oakland, California, brought to the United States to stand trial. According to the DOJ, Nikulin is accused of accessing computers belonging to LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring and obtaining information from them. The U.S. attorneys office could not immediately be reached for further comment. It was not yet clear who would be representing Nikulin in the proceedings. He is also alleged to have used credentials of LinkedIn and Formspring employees in connection with the computer intrusions. Further, Nikulin is alleged to have engaged in a conspiracy with unnamed co-conspirators to traffic stolen Formspring user credentials. The indictment charges Nikulin with three counts of computer intrusion, two counts of intentional transmission of information, code, or command causing damage to a protected computer; two counts of aggravated identity theft; one count of trafficking in unauthorised access devices; and one count of conspiracy. (Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Walsh and Diane Craft)
Beverage giant Coca Cola has dropped Salman Khan as the brand ambassador for its soft drink Thums Up after four years of association. The superstars contract expired last month and the company has decided not to renew it.

The company had earlier replaced Salman with Akshay Kumar as its ambassador after Salman was embroiled in a legal battle for a hit-and-run case. After being cleared of all charges, he was brought back as the brand ambassador of Thums Up. This time around, with another legal battle (the chinkara poaching case) looming over Salmans head, the company has decided not to renew their contract with him. Salman has also been embroiled in controversies recently when he supported Pakistani artistes in the wake of the heated debate due to the Uri attacks.

While the company refused to comment on their move, Salman and Coca Cola released a joint statement saying, As Salman is busy with his association with the reality show Bigg Boss, both parties have mutually decided not to renew the current contract.

Coca Cola, which is seen as a brand catering mostly to youngsters, wants to instead have a younger star as the brand ambassador for its soft drinks and is currently in talks with Ranveer Singh to sign him on as a brand ambassador of Thums Up.

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* CEO says aspirational goal for "gender balance" at all levels

* Chairman led push for productivity, efficiency

* Samarco victims stage protest (Adds Nasser, BHP board details)

By Barbara Lewis

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - BHP Billiton Chairman Jac Nasser, one of the most powerful figures in the mining industry, will retire at next year's shareholder meeting, telling investors on Thursday that after a decade on the board, it was time to step down.

The former Ford Motor Co chief, nicknamed Jac the knife after extensive cost-cutting efforts there, said he had intended to leave BHP last year, but agreed to stay on to provide stability as the world's biggest miner responded to the deadly Samarco dam disaster in Brazil.

Now that the "basic structure of the Samarco response is in place," Nasser said in a speech at this year's Annual General Meeting, he would not seek re-election. He will carry on leading the board in the interim, while a replacement is found.

Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday charged 21 people with "qualified homicide" for their roles in the disaster, including the former chief executive of Samarco.

Nasser's move marks a generational shift in the mining industry, which over the past decade has seen an unprecedented boom, frenzied M&A and draconian cost cuts.

Rio Tinto , the world's second-largest miner, is also expected to replace its chairman, South African Jan du Plessis, in the coming months.

"(Nasser) was ready to go but then Samarco happened ... so it's not coming as a surprise," said Macquarie Bank mining analyst Hayden Bairstow.

Both miners could look within their ranks or outside for a successor. Both will also consider an appointment that would diversify traditionally male-heavy boards.

BHP's Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie, in a separate speech, said the company had set a 2025 goal of achieving "gender balance at all levels of the organisation".

The target is higher than that set by the Australian Institute of Directors, which is calling for 30 percent female representation on boards by 2018.

Story continues

BHP's 12-person board has three women members: Anita Frew, Carolyn Hewson and Shriti Vadera.

Frew is chairman designate of Croda International Plc , the speciality chemicals group, and deputy chairman of Lloyds Banking Group Plc.

Hewson is a former investment banker and an executive director of Schroders Australia Ltd. Shriti is chairman of Santander UK.

Asked whether the new chairman might be a chairwoman, Nasser said "why not?", but added gender balance would take time.

Growing up in suburban Melbourne, Australia, Nasser, 68, said he had never expected to lead global companies.

He joined the BHP board as a non-executive director in 2006 and was named chairman in August 2009.

At BHP, Nasser rode the China-led commodities boom and its bust, which the company had weathered better than peers, he said. BHP still lost $6.4 billion in the last financial year.

"We kept a solid A credit rating through the valley of the commodity price death," he said.

His last year has been what he described as "one of the most challenging periods" in BHP's history, largely because of the Samarco dam burst in which 19 people died. Samarco is a 50/50 joint venture between BHP and Brazil's Vale.

Nasser displayed a softer side last year at the Australian annual meeting in Perth when he vowed to "find out what went wrong" at Samarco, as Mackenzie teared up by his side.

Brazilians impacted by what Brazil says is its worst environmental disaster were among those who staged a protest outside Thursday's AGM in central London.

(Additional reporting by Mamidipudi Soumithri in Bengaluru and James Regan in Sydney; Editing by David Evans and Richard Pullin)
By Barbara Lewis

LONDON (Reuters) - BHP Billiton Chairman Jac Nasser, one of the most powerful figures in the mining industry, will retire at next year's shareholder meeting, telling investors on Thursday that after a decade on the board, it was time to step down.

The former Ford Motor Co chief, nicknamed Jac the knife after extensive cost-cutting efforts there, said he had intended to leave BHP last year, but agreed to stay on to provide stability as the world's biggest miner responded to the deadly Samarco dam disaster in Brazil.

Now that the "basic structure of the Samarco response is in place," Nasser said in a speech at this year's Annual General Meeting, he would not seek re-election. He will carry on leading the board in the interim, while a replacement is found.

Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday charged 21 people with "qualified homicide" for their roles in the disaster, including the former chief executive of Samarco.

Nasser's move marks a generational shift in the mining industry, which over the past decade has seen an unprecedented boom, frenzied M&A and draconian cost cuts.

Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest miner, is also expected to replace its chairman, South African Jan du Plessis, in the coming months.

"(Nasser) was ready to go but then Samarco happened ... so it's not coming as a surprise," said Macquarie Bank mining analyst Hayden Bairstow.

Both miners could look within their ranks or outside for a successor. Both will also consider an appointment that would diversify traditionally male-heavy boards.

BHP's Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie, in a separate speech, said the company had set a 2025 goal of achieving "gender balance at all levels of the organisation".

The target is higher than that set by the Australian Institute of Directors, which is calling for 30 percent female representation on boards by 2018.

BHP's 12-person board has three women members: Anita Frew, Carolyn Hewson and Shriti Vadera.

Frew is chairman designate of Croda International Plc, the speciality chemicals group, and deputy chairman of Lloyds Banking Group Plc.

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Hewson is a former investment banker and an executive director of Schroders Australia Ltd. Shriti is chairman of Santander UK.

Asked whether the new chairman might be a chairwoman, Nasser said "why not?", but added gender balance would take time.

Growing up in suburban Melbourne, Australia, Nasser, 68, said he had never expected to lead global companies.

He joined the BHP board as a non-executive director in 2006 and was named chairman in August 2009.

At BHP, Nasser rode the China-led commodities boom and its bust, which the company had weathered better than peers, he said. BHP still lost $6.4 billion (5.22 billion pounds) in the last financial year.

"We kept a solid A credit rating through the valley of the commodity price death," he said.

His last year has been what he described as "one of the most challenging periods" in BHP's history, largely because of the Samarco dam burst in which 19 people died. Samarco is a 50/50 joint venture between BHP and Brazil's Vale.

Nasser displayed a softer side last year at the Australian annual meeting in Perth when he vowed to "find out what went wrong" at Samarco, as Mackenzie teared up by his side.

Brazilians impacted by what Brazil says is its worst environmental disaster were among those who staged a protest outside Thursday's AGM in central London.

(Additional reporting by Mamidipudi Soumithri in Bengaluru and James Regan in Sydney; Editing by David Evans and Richard Pullin)
By Heather Somerville and Tina Bellon

SAN FRANCISCO/BERLIN, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Airbnb, the online lodging service that investors now believe is worth $30 billion, faces a reckoning.

In eight years of torrid growth, the company has often clashed with local public officials seeking to minimize the impact of short-term rentals on neighborhoods and urban housing markets. Now, those simmering tensions are starting to boil.

The New York state legislature has passed regulations that Airbnb says could seriously damage its business in New York City, the company's largest U.S. market; Governor Andrew Cuomo has until Oct. 29 to decide whether it will become law. The German capital of Berlin recently passed a law banning most short-term rentals, and Barcelona and Amsterdam are imposing steep fines for listings that violate laws there.

Ground zero for Airbnb's fight against tightening regulations is its home of San Francisco, where the company has sued to block a new requirement that it reject booking fees from property owners who have not registered with the city.

The case is a crucial test of Airbnb's business model. The company argues it cannot legally be held responsible for how landlords use its platform. If it is required to enforce local laws on short-term rentals, that could drastically reduce listings - and revenue - in some of its biggest markets.

Other cities looking to rein in Airbnb are watching the proceedings and looking to the city's law as a potential model, said James Emery, deputy city attorney of San Francisco.

"Throughout the country, people representing cities have called me to ask what's going on with the litigation," he said.

Airbnb's legal argument relies on a 20-year-old statute designed to protect free speech online, known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The company asserts in its lawsuit that San Francisco "impermissibly treats Airbnb as the publisher or speaker of third-party content" when it is merely a platform for communications between property owners and guests.

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Other online marketplaces - such as Amazon, eBay , and Craigslist - have cited the same law to shield themselves from liability for any improper transactions among users of their services.

In the San Francisco case, U.S. District Judge James Donato said at an Oct. 6 hearing he wasn't "seeing the link" between free speech protections and San Francisco's short-term rental regulations. Donato is expected to issue a ruling soon.

Airbnb has also sued the Southern California city of Anaheim, home to the Disneyland theme park, and the nearby beach city of Santa Monica, over regulations that the company contends are illegal.

'ILLEGAL' BUSINESS MODEL

Airbnb takes a cut of the revenue when a room or a home is booked and charges a service fee to guests. The company says it helps communities by enabling middle-class families to make extra money.

It also points to agreements with officials in nearly 200 locales around the world, mostly for tax collection and in some cases for broader short-term rental regulation.

Critics counter that, in popular tourist destinations, Airbnb takes affordable housing off the market, drives up home prices and disrupts neighborhoods with streams of transient visitors.

As regulatory threats loom, Airbnb on Wednesday announced it would create an online registration system for property owners and automate the enforcement of Airbnb's existing rules in New York and San Francisco, which limit operators to a single listing of an entire residence.

New York Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, sponsor of the New York legislation, was unimpressed by Airbnb's announcement.

"It's preposterous. Maybe half their listings are illegal" in New York City, she said. "It's part-and-parcel of the business model."

Existing New York state law bars most urban apartment-dwellers from renting out their units for less than 30 days if they are not present.

The law recently passed by the state legislature would bar even advertising a rental that violates that existing law, which could help regulators crack down on Airbnb itself in addition to the users of its service.

Airbnb has said it will sue New York state if the governor enacts the law. The company said it has taken down nearly 3,000 illegal listings in New York City over the past year, and reports 44,622 total listings in the city as of Sept. 1.

BATTLE IN BERLIN

In Berlin, Airbnb is fighting a city demand that it turn over information to help enforce a new law imposing fines of up $110,000 on people renting out more than 50 percent of their homes for less than two months - among the strictest regulations worldwide.

Airbnb is "confident it would find a favorable agreement" with the city," said Peter Huntingford, Airbnb head of public affairs for Europe.

But with the city intent on collecting data and Airbnb intent on refusing, another legal battle looms.

"If Airbnb intends to risk a trial, we are prepared to walk down that path," said Martin Pallgen, a Berlin Senate spokesman.

In Barcelona, Airbnb's third-largest market in Europe, the city is imposing fines that exceed $65,000 for listings without proper licenses. Amsterdam city officials in April started scraping data from Airbnb and other short-term rental websites to root out illegal hosts because Airbnb will not turn over details on violators.

In its Wednesday announcement, Airbnb put forward what the company's head of global policy and public affairs, Chris Lehane, called a "comprehensive regulatory strategy" targeted at "rooting out bad actors."

But the new proposals stopped short of any commitments to share information or enforce bans on short-term rental operators, which many cities say is crucial for effective regulation.

RISING RISKS

Critics contend that a large portion of Airbnb listings are offered by commercial operators with multiple properties who are essentially running illegal hotels. The company, they argue, has effectively turned many residential neighborhoods into tourist zones.

In Los Angeles, a study by the pro-labor Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy found that property owners with two or more listings generated 44 percent of all Airbnb revenue in Los Angeles.

Airbnb, in a statement, disputed that conclusion and called the group's analysis "misleading."

In New York City, the state Attorney General found that, between 2010 and 2014, more than 300,000 Airbnb reservations violated the law, representing about $304 million in booking revenue, with about $40 million of that going to Airbnb.

Public officials need to prioritize the rights of full-time residents over landlords and visitors, said Rosenthal, the New York Assemblywoman.

"I represent New Yorkers," she said. "I don't represent tourists, and my responsibility is not to protect their cheap deal at the expense of New Yorkers." (Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Fancisco and Tina Bellon in Berlin. Additional reporting by Dan Levine.; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Brian Thevenot)
LONDON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders' elder brother has failed to be elected to the British parliament. Larry Sanders was running as the Green Party candidate for the vacated House of Commons seat of former prime minister David Cameron in Witney, in the southern English countryside near Oxford. He came fourth out of 14 in a by-election on Thursday night, trailing the winning Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat party candidates. Sanders, who spoke in favour of his brother's candidacy earlier this year at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, moved to Britain in the late 1960s. For eight years he was an elected local government councillor in Oxfordshire. The by-election attracted the traditional array of unusual political groups, including the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, the Bus-Pass Elvis party and the Eccentric Party of Great Britain. (Reporting by Jeremy Gaunt; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
(Reuters) - Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, in an opinion editorial published in the Los Angeles Times, on Friday urged Californians to approve a November ballot measure aimed at reining in pharmaceutical prices. The California Drug Price Relief Act, also known as Proposition 61, seeks to limit state health programs from paying more for medications than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which receives the steepest discounts in the country. "Californians on Nov. 8 have a chance to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry's greed and spark a national movement to end this price-gouging," the senator from Vermont said. "Today, no laws prevent drug companies from doubling or tripling prices. So they just do it." He cited as "the most recent flagrant example" Mylan NV's EpiPen emergency allergy injection, which delivers a 40-year-old medication, but saw a 461 percent price increase between 2007 and 2015. The rising cost of prescription drugs has come under attack during the current presidential campaign. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has accused drugmakers of "price-gouging" and pledged to cap consumers' monthly spending, among other measures. The U.S. senator also blasted the drug industry for its misleading advertising. He noted that, as former chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, claims asserting that drug prices for veterans would go up if Proposition 61 passes are not true. Opponents of the California initiative, led by global drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc and Amgen Inc, have raised more than $100 million to fight Proposition 61. Supporters, led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and AARP, which advocates for seniors, said the plan could save California taxpayers up to $5.7 billion over 10 years, although a state legislative analysis said the financial impact is not clear. The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times earlier this month advised voters to reject Proposition 61 because "the underlying problem of fast-rising drug prices needs to be addressed comprehensively and nationally, so that relief for some doesn't come at the expense of others." But Sanders argued that a "yes" vote would "make medicine more affordable in California and send a signal to Washington that the whole nation's prescription drug policies need an overhaul." (Reporting By Deena Beasley; editing by Diane Craft)
SUWANEE, GA / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2016 / SANUWAVE Health, Inc. (SNWV) (www.sanuwave.com) SANUWAVE is pleased to announce that the company will exhibit, in conjunction with Ortho-Medico, a member of B&Co, at MEDICA in Dusseldorf, Germany on 14 -17 November, 2016. SANUWAVE and Ortho-Medico cordially invites you to our booth 17D61 in Hall 17. MEDICA is the world's leading trade fair for the medical industry. SANUWAVE is using this occasion to announce SANUWAVE's expanded cooperation with Ortho-Medico to strengthen and expand our business in Europe. In this partnership, Ortho-Medico will be the Company's future contact for all EU distributors concerning sales and service. SANUWAVE sees this as a key initiative to improve our communication with, and responsiveness to all of our partners and customers in the European Community.

Ortho-Medico, with headquarters in Herzele, Belgium, has long been SANUWAVE's partner in the Benelux region. With their strength, experience and knowledge of the orthopedics and the wound care market, they are well positioned to help expand SANUWAVE's market penetration via increased clinical presence and to continue to promote the company's core products, dermaPACE and orthoPACE. Mr. Kevin Richardson from SANUWAVE, and Mr. Jo Schops from Ortho-Medico will look forward to explaining new opportunities.

"We are very excited with our expanded partnership with Ortho-Medico. This arrangement will help us to coordinate and consolidate our activities in Europe," stated Mr. Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of SANUWAVE. "Our exhibition, alongside Ortho-Medico at MEDICA will be the springboard to re-establish our market presence in the European Community."

About SANUWAVE Health, Inc.

SANUWAVE Health, Inc. (SNWV) (www.sanuwave.com) is a shock wave technology company initially focused on the development and commercialization of patented noninvasive, biological response activating devices for the repair and regeneration of skin, musculoskeletal tissue and vascular structures. SANUWAVE's portfolio of regenerative medicine products and product candidates activate biologic signaling and angiogenic responses, producing new vascularization and microcirculatory improvement, which helps restore the body's normal healing processes and regeneration. SANUWAVE applies its patented PACE technology in wound healing, orthopedic/spine, plastic/cosmetic and cardiac conditions. Its lead product candidate for the global wound care market, dermaPACE, is CE Marked throughout Europe and has device license approval for the treatment of the skin and subcutaneous soft tissue in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., dermaPACE is currently under the FDA's Premarket Approval (PMA) review process for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. SANUWAVE researches, designs, manufactures, markets and services its products worldwide, and believes it has demonstrated that its technology is safe and effective in stimulating healing in chronic conditions of the foot (plantar fasciitis) and the elbow (lateral epicondylitis) through its U.S. Class III PMA approved OssaTron device, as well as stimulating bone and chronic tendonitis regeneration in the musculoskeletal environment through the utilization of its OssaTron, Evotron and orthoPACE devices in Europe, Asia and Asia/Pacific. In addition, there are license/partnership opportunities for SANUWAVE's shock wave technology for non-medical uses, including energy, water, food and industrial markets.

About Ortho-Medico

Ortho-Medico has been a known player in the Benelux since 1987 with its full range of orthopedic aids and specific treatments as Shockwave. Ortho-Medico's final aim, its mission, is to keep the patient as dynamic and active as possible, therefor our innovative expansion in the field of wound care and neurology. Ortho-Medico's success is founded on a very high-quality, complete product portfolio, very close collaboration with specialists and orthopedic technicians, very quick terms of delivery, reliable advice and an attitude which is aimed at finding solutions.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to financial results and plans for future business development activities, and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, its directors or its officers. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Among the key risks, assumptions and factors that may affect operating results, performance and financial condition are risks associated with the regulatory approval and marketing of the Company's product candidates and products, unproven pre-clinical and clinical development activities, regulatory oversight, the Company's ability to manage its capital resource issues, competition, and the other factors discussed in detail in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

For additional information about the Company, visit www.sanuwave.com.

Contact:

Millennium Park Capital LLC

Christopher Wynne

312-724-7845

cwynne@mparkcm.com

SANUWAVE Health, Inc.

Kevin Richardson II

Chairman of the Board

978-922-2447

investorrelations@sanuwave.com

SOURCE: SANUWAVE Health, Inc.
WEST DES MOINES, IA / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2016 / Scooter's Coffee, the Midwest-based coffee franchise that has experienced tremendous growth over the past year, will increase their Iowa presence with the company's latest Grand Opening in West Des Moines, IA (5585 Mills Civic Parkway) on Friday, October 28. To celebrate the opening, the new location will offer $1 medium drinks all day.

"Des Moines has been incredibly welcoming to the Scooter's brand, and we're not at all surprised," said Rob Streett, Scooter's President and Chief Operating Officer. "With Iowa being a fellow Midwestern state, they share our friendly values and appreciation for a good cup of coffee served with a smile."

On October 28, Grand Opening Day, customers can also expect to receive several fun giveaways; beginning at 9 a.m., the first 100 customers will receive a t-shirt or coffee mug. For the afternoon crowd, starting at 2 p.m., the first 100 customers will receive a $5 gift card.

In celebration of this new store opening, the location will treat customers to a Week of Specials, following the festive Grand Opening event on October 28. The week of specials are as follows:

Monday, October 31 - $1 Any Size Caramelicious

Tuesday, November 1 - $1 Any Size Mocha or White Mocha

Wednesday, November 2 - $1 Small Fruit Smoothies

Thursday, November 3 -$1 Small Candy Bar Drinks

Friday, November 4 - Half Off Any Drink

Brothers Stephen and David Froscheiser will own this location. Their focus has primarily been on the Des Moines/Ames metropolitan area.

"The whole state of Iowa represents an enormous opportunity," said David. "There are so many communities that have the vibrancy and the population it takes for our businesses grow and thrive."

The West Des Moines grand opening marks the latest move in the company's extraordinary growth. With more than 150 stores open in 13 states, Scooter's Coffee has signed agreements in two additional states and will open more than 40 locations from coast to coast in 2016. The company is in the midst of a robust grand opening pipeline. It recently opened its first location in Phoenix, AZ, added a second location to the Atlanta, GA, metro area and also opened its second of many locations in the state of Florida. It will also add several locations this year to expanding markets, such as Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.

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Scooter's, which is based out of Omaha, Nebraska, handcrafts its pastries and roasts its own shade-grown coffee, sourced through Arbor Day Foundation. In 2016, the company also added depth to its product profile, releasing a new line of Organic Hot and Iced Teas during the summer. In addition to its nearly-100% gluten-free beverage menu, Scooter's recently added gluten-free brownies to its extensive menu.

About Scooter's Coffee

Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter's Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Scooter's success over 18 years of history is simple: stay committed to the original business principles and company core values. The Scooter's mantra, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees is: "Amazing People, Amazing Drinks...Amazingly Fast!"TM It represents the company's business origins from 1998 and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal customers.

For more information, visit: scooterscoffee.com, facebook.com/scooterscoffee, or ownascooters.com

SOURCE: Scooter's Coffee
From Seventeen

On October 10, Shailene Woodley was arrested for criminal trespassing while protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Her arrest was livestreamed on Facebook to around 40,000 viewers. Now, Shailene has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of trespassing and engaging in a riot, E! News reports.

Shailene was not in the courtroom at the time of the not guilty plea, but her lawyer Alexander Reichert entered it on her behalf, also entering a waiver allowing her to not be physically present. There is no court date set for her case yet; 26 other protesters were also arrested at the time. She faces up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine of $3,000 if she is convicted, according to ABC News.

In her video, Shailene claims she was arrested because she was famous and police wanted her to stop spreading the word. "All right, I'm being arrested. Because I was trespassing like everyone else, but as soon as you guys asked me to leave, I left," she said. "As soon as they came, I left it's because I'm well known. It's because I have 40,000 people watching." The footage of her arrest has now been viewed more than four million times on Facebook.

Shailene has long been an outspoken environmental activist. She has joined the Standing Rock Sioux tribe to protest the $3.8 billion pipeline, which critics say could harm the water supply and destroy tribal burial sites.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Shelbys wearing something suspicious on American Horror Story and we need to talk about it

Many Blood Moons ago (okay, one Blood Moon ago) we happened to notice that Shelby on American Horror Story was wearing two necklaces around her heck. One of them appeared to be an M, the other an S, for both her and Matt, obviously. This caught our attention because we first noticed it during Episode 2, Chapter 2, which is the episode we learn that Bridget and Miranda are murdering people BASED ON LETTERS.

It just seemed like an odd, and also deliberate, choice for her character. Sure, go ahead and wear whatever letter charms you want  but maybe dont do it when M is for Matt and also for Murder, you know?

In Chapter 6 of American Horror Story, we saw the nurses finally murder their last letter (WHY RORY, WHY??), but thats not the big letter question we have right now: It appears as if Shelby is wearing a third necklace now.

And yes, Shelby is allowed to wear however many necklaces she wants, its fine. But its the fact that we know her M and S necklaces clearly have some sort of sentimental value to her and her husband, so shes not just going to start wearing another random one if it doesnt mean something.

shelby

After lots of zooming and enhancing, it really looks like its the letter Land L is for Lee! JK, doubtful that Shelby is wearing an L necklace for Lee, seeing as how her and Lee still do not get along present day.

The bigger question is still what this necklace represents. Might Shelby and Matt have had a baby we dont know about? (From what we can gather about the timeline, these events took place in 2014, and then the show was filmed in 2015, and now its 2016). Or, just like the nurses, might Shelby be collecting tokens from those shes murdered?

JK, Shelby hasnt murdered anyonethat we know ofyet.

The post Shelbys wearing something suspicious on American Horror Story and we need to talk about it appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Sherwin-Williams SHW is set to release third-quarter 2016 results before the bell on Oct 25.



Last quarter, the coatings and paints company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 2.64%. Revenues rose year over year as higher paint sales volumes in the companys Paint Stores Group unit more than offset unfavorable currency impact. However, sales missed expectations. Sherwin-Williams has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters with an average beat of 5.51%.



Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.



Factors to Consider



Sherwin-Williams, in July, said that it expects consolidated net sales to increase at a low to mid-single digit clip year over year in the third quarter. The company anticipates earnings per share for the quarter to be in the range of $4.10$4.30.



Third-quarter earnings per share include costs related to the company's planned acquisition of rival paints maker Valspar VAL of around 20 cents per share and an increase in earnings per share of about 10 cents related to the decrease in the income tax provision.



Sherwin-Williams follows a strategy of growth through acquisitions and internal initiatives such as efficient working capital management and innovation. This enables the company to somewhat reduce its dependence upon prevailing market conditions.



Sherwin-Williams, in Mar 2016, agreed to buy Valspar in an all-cash deal worth roughly $11.3 billion. Valspar's shareholders voted in favor of the deal at the companys Special Meeting of Shareholders in Jun 2016.



The planned acquisition (expected to close at the end of the first quarter of calendar year 2017) will allow Sherwin-Williams to reinforce its position as a leading paints and coatings provider globally leveraging highly complementary offerings, strong brands and technologies.



Valspar is a strategic fit and the merger will extend Sherwin-Williams brand portfolio and customer relationships in North America, apart from bolstering its global finishes business. Sherwin-Williams expects $280 million in annual synergies within two years following the closure of the deal.



Sherwin-Williams aggressive cost control initiatives, working capital reduction, supply chain optimization and productivity improvement should yield margin benefits. Strong momentum in its Paint Stores Group unit should also support results in the third quarter.



However, Sherwin-Williams Latin American operations remain exposed to soft end-market demand and currency headwinds. Currency translation reduced sales from the companys Latin American business by roughly 16% in the second quarter. Currency may continue to hurt sales in this business in the September quarter.



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SHERWIN WILLIAM Price and EPS Surprise

SHERWIN WILLIAM Price and EPS Surprise | SHERWIN WILLIAM Quote

Earnings Whispers



Our proven model shows that Sherwin-Williams is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of the two key ingredients.



Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP for Sherwin-Williams is +0.69% as the Most Accurate Estimate stands at $4.36 while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $4.33. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise.



Zacks Rank: Sherwin-Williams currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings.



Conversely, sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.



The combination of Sherwin-Williams Zacks Rank #1 and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat.



Stocks that Warrant a Look



Here are some stocks in the basic materials space that you may want to consider, as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:



The Chemours Company CC has an Earnings ESP of +25.71% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



The Dow Chemical Company DOW has an Earnings ESP of +1.25% and a Zacks Rank #2.



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Zacks Investment Research
Your child may be living a double life. You may someday be surprised to learn that your precocious 4-year-old daughter owes tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, or that your 13-year-old son is in hot water with the IRS for accepting a hefty tax refund for a job he never had.

Any parent's child can be a victim of identity theft. "A few years ago, my 10-year-old son's identity was stolen," says Sanjay Deo, a resident of Coral Springs, Florida. "We found this out when we submitted our family's income tax return only to be told that the income tax return for my son had already been processed and [a] refund paid out."

[See: Answers to 7 Burning Tax Questions.]

Deo is also the CEO of 24By7Security Inc., a company that provides cybersecurity consulting and compliance services for clients in regulated industries like financial, health care and education sectors.

See, it can happen to anyone's kid.

Why might a crook be interested in your child? That's where the money is, and it's safer for the thief. If a thief steals a 2-year-old's identity, it might be another 16 years before that kid learns anything is amiss when he, say, tries to take out student loans and learns his credit is shot. The crook's paper trail, meanwhile, has long since vanished.

The few statistics out there don't suggest you should be completely consumed with worry that identity thieves are coming for your child. For instance, a 2011 study from ID Analytics, which develops consumer risk-management software solutions, concluded that 140,000 minors every year have their identity stolen. That's a drop in the bucket if you consider that there are over 73 million children in the U.S., according to ChildStats.gov.

Still, nobody wants their kid to be one of those 140,000.

[See: 10 Warning Signs of Identity Theft.]

The relatively simple way to find out if your child's identity has been compromised. You can request your child's credit report from the three major credit bureaus. You'll need proper documentation, which generally includes furnishing copies of your driver's license, your child's birth certificate and Social Security card, and proof of his or her address.

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That's a lot of hoops to jump through, but if all goes well, you will be told that there is no credit report. In fact, according to AnnualCreditReport.com, a website in which you can get an annual free credit report, the nation's biggest credit reporting companies do not intentionally keep information on kids ages 12 and under.

There are red flags you can look out for. Even if you reach out to credit bureaus and learn that there is no credit report on your child, that doesn't mean a thief doesn't have your kid's personal information. It only means that so far, the thief apparently hasn't done anything nefarious with your child's identity.

If you don't want to continually check for credit reports, there are several other signs a con artist may have gotten a grip on your kid's identity, according to Nancy Bistritz, a director of public relations and communications at Equifax, one of the nation's three biggest credit bureaus.

She says some red flags include:

-- If you're receiving calls from collection agencies looking for your kid.

-- If you're receiving pre-approved credit card offers directed at your child.

-- If your teen who is just learning how to drive has been denied the right to a driver's license due to accumulated tickets or you learn that your teenager already has a valid driver's license.

Actions you can take if your kid's identity has been stolen. There are a couple of steps you can take immediately.

"If you suspect identity theft has occurred, you should contact your local law enforcement officials and contact the three credit reporting agencies to report the information," Bistritz says.

And, sure, it may seem crazy to call the police if this is, for all you know, some hacker abroad who has your kid's information, but a crime has been committed. Besides, you never know -- someday, a foreign court trying a credit card thief might want to see that police report you filed.

You might also try putting a credit freeze on your kid's credit with the three credit bureaus. This keeps lenders, utilities and anyone else who might want to see it from being able to until you later remove the freeze. That way, if a thief wants to apply for a credit card in your kid's name, the credit card issuer won't be able to access the report and then the lender (probably) will reject the thief's application. (Credit freezes tend to only work when your kid has a credit history, created by the con artist; if your kid hasn't been a victim of identity theft and doesn't yet have a credit history to freeze, the red tape gets even stickier.)

[See: 12 Simple Ways to Raise Your Credit Score.]

In general, keeping your kid's credit protected isn't any less complex than keeping an adult's credit protected.

"Consumer credit laws and regulations have not kept pace with the identity-theft problem. Less than half the states have laws in place to protect minors' credit," says Sean Bailey, the New York-based co-author of the new book, "Hack-Proof Your Life Now! The New Cybersecurity Rules."

But if your kid's identity is stolen, and you catch it earlier than, say, his or her 17th birthday, you have some time to try and fix everything before your child heads off to college. For now, Deo says that he signed his family up for a comprehensive credit monitoring and protection service. He still isn't sure how his son's identity was stolen, but there are so many ways it can happen, he adds.

"Children's social security numbers are given out usually at very few places, but they can be stolen -- from health insurance databases, life insurance databases, educational institutions, financial institutions like bank accounts or 529 plans. Children's data may also be stolen from social media accounts," Deo says.

So if your kid is living a double life, don't be mad at yourself, either. Maybe you weren't able to keep a watchful eye on his or her social security number, but if your kid is healthy and happy, as a parent, you're doing just fine.





More From US News & World Report


MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- Brandon Silvers passed for a career-high 395 yards and rallied Troy with the final 18 points to beat South Alabama 28-21 on Thursday night.

Silvers delivered the key strike on a 42-yard pass to Sidney Davis that moved the Trojans (6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt Conference) to the 1 with 1:22 left. The South Alabama (3-4, 0-4) defense then allowed Jordan Chunn a free path into the end zone, conceding the go-ahead score to preserve some time for a response.

But South Alabama's Dallas Davis was mostly stifled, getting sacked twice on the final drive. He rolled out on the final play and completed a deep throw to Kevin Kutchera near the 25. Kutchera spun free toward some open field but was caught from behind by Blace Brown, who forced a fumble to secure the win.

Davis had 195 yards passing and Kutchera caught three passes for 92 yards.
Kirkuk strike. American and coalition military officials have said for weeks they expect the Islamic State to go underground and revert to guerrilla tactics once theyre pushed out of Mosul. But a brazen, conventional military attack on the Kurdish city of Kirkuk Friday by dozens of ISIS fighters in uniform has spawned a series of running gun battles with security forces that continues as we write. Early reports say about two dozen civilians and security forces have been killed, and some of the terrorist fighters are holed up in a hotel in the city.

While the guns rage in Kirkuk, another group of ISIS fighters  including three suicide bombers  hit a power station north of the city, slaughtering over a dozen workers, including some from Iran, according to reports.

Mosul push continues. While ISIS is striking out, thousands of its fighters are still in and around Mosul, where the noose is slowly tightening. But its coming at a heavy cost. Kurdish fighters, who opened a new front north of the city on Thursday are being battered by waves of suicide car bombers and fighters with suicide belts who are ambushing the Kurds from fortified houses once they enter a village.

The New York Times Michael Gordon paints a harrowing picture of the road into the city: Blood stained the sand near their front-line aid station, and a medevac helicopter touched down on the highway back to Dohuk, ready to take the most grievously hurt to treatment there. One Kurdish fighter was so desperate to get his injured comrade through the snarl of military traffic that he began to fire shots into the air. Some Kurd commanders have complained that theyre not receiving the level of air support from the Americans they were promised, a charge the U.S. military has rejected.

American casualties. A U.S. service member was killed in near Mosul Thursday when an improvised explosive device detonated as American troops moved toward the city. It was the first American combat death associated with the fight for Mosul, and the second combat death suffered by American forces battling the Islamic State this month, FPs Paul McLeary notes. The incident took place just a day after a U.S. soldier and civilian contractor were ambushed and killed by an Afghan soldier in Kabul. There are over 100 U.S. troops embedded with Iraqi and Kurdish forces moving on Mosul, and about 6,000 deployed to Iraq overall.

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Turkey hammering Kurds. Turkish warplanes are targeting Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq and Syria, with Ankara claiming Friday it had killed 12 Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey and another six in air strikes in northern Iraq. On Wednesday, Turkish warplanes also hit the Kurdish YPG militia near the town of Hasakah in northern Syria, claiming they killed as many as 200 fighters. Who, exactly, those Kurds are is a matter of debate, however, with some reports claiming they were a part of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. But a defense official told SitRep Thursday that while U.S. forces are still investigating, the Kurds dont appear to be part of the group that the U.S.-led coalition is working with the battle ISIS.

SecDef in Turkey. Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yldrm, and Minister of National Defense Fikri Isik n Ankara on Friday. The secretary toured the Turkish Parliament building where he was shown damage from Julys failed military coup attempt, and the two sides discussed the Turkish incursion into northern Syria and the fight against the Islamic State, according to readout of the meetings provided by the Pentagon.

The people of Mosul, caught in a vice. The fight for Mosul threatens to trigger a large-scale humanitarian crisis loaded with sectarian danger, with hundreds of thousands of civilians torn between remaining in a booby-trapped warren or running the gauntlet of Iranian-backed Shiite militias potentially blocking their way to safety west of the city, FPs Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary report, laying out the dangers involved in the plan to send sectarian Shiite militias to the west of the city to act as a blocking force for escaping ISIS fighters looking to make it to Syria.

Russia, carrier through English Channel. A flotilla of Russian warships  including Moscows only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov  passed through the English Channel Friday morning on their way to Syria, and were closely followed by English warships. The decades-old Kuznetsov, which often breaks down or catches fire while at sea, is accompanied by its very own tugboat to help it along should its engines give out once again, making its months-long deployment to the Mediterranean an interesting one to watch. In a twist, some naval observers have spotted at least one new Ka-52K attack helicopter aboard the ship.

Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

Cybersecurity

Confused by the competing attribution claims over who hacked which Democratic party organization and Washington bigwig? The U.S. intelligence community has publicly attributed the recent campaign of hacks and document dumps rocking the 2016 election, but NSA chief Admi. Michael Rogers has said hes not keen to share the evidence publicly. Fortunately, Esquire magazine has a handy piece by Thomas Rid laying out the publicly available evidence provided cybersecurity firms like Crowdstrike and SecureWorks, as well as by the hackers themselves linking the hacks and dumps to Russian intelligence.

Police in the Czech Republic and the U.S. FBI arrested a Russian man who was reportedly behind the 2012 hack of the professional networking site, LinkedIn. Details have been sparse so far, but Czech authorities and the FBI would only say theyd arrested a man suspected of criminal activities targeting U.S. interests. LinkedIn, for its part, issued a statement saying that it had been actively involved in an FBI manhunt for the perpetrator of the hack, suggesting a link between the hack and the arrest. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty managed to dig up the name  Yevgeny Nikulin, subsequently confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry  of the accused hacker as well as his social media accounts. Nikulins instagram account reveal an apparent life of luxury, with expensive cars and watches on display.

In court documents filed on Thursday, federal prosecutors unloaded on Harold Martin, the NSA contractor who they say hoarded terabytes of highly classified secrets in his home. As FPs Elias Groll reports, Martin is accused of sneaking out what may be the largest archive of classified secrets in American espionage history over the course of 20 years. Thus far, the government hasnt formally accused Martin of passing the secrets he allegedly brought home to anyone, but they have insinuated that espionage might be a possibility.

Espionage

Smithsonian magazine tells the fascinating story of the FBIs fake Russian, a Bureau employee who spoke nine languages and posed as a Soviet  and later, Russian  spy in order to fool would-be American spies. Dimitry Droujinsky served in the FBI from the 1960s through the 1990s, often dispatched to intercept would-be spies after theyd reached out to foreign embassies in order to sell classified information. Droujinsky, playing the role of a slightly-accented KGB officer, would meet with the correspondents before the Soviets and others could make contact, gathering evidence which could be used in criminal cases.

Hezbollah Sanctions

The United States and Saudi Arabia announced new sanctions on members of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group. Washington added five new men to the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) for their alleged association with Hezbollah, alongside and organization named Global Cleaners S.A.R.L. based in Lebanon and Iraq. The State Department singled out one of the sanctioned men, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, as press release-worthy, describing him as the commander of Hezbollahs special forces with time spent provide training, materiel, and personnel in Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia also announced its own sanctions on two of the men included on the SDN list, Mohamed Al-Mohtar Falah Kallas and Hasan Hatem Jmaml Al-Din, as well as the Global Cleaners S.A.R.L. organization.

International Criminal Court

South Africa might be walking away from the International Criminal Court (ICC) according to a document obtained by Reuters. The document purports to be a declaration from South Africas minister of international relations and cooperation sent to the UN indicating that the country will leave the court in a years time. The reason? The letter says South Africas obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the international criminal court. More specifically, South Africas exit appears to follow up on a previous threat to leave after it refused to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was wanted by the court.

Islamic State

Small, explosive-laden drones have captured the headlines since the revelation that a weaponized Islamic State drone killed two Kurdish fighters and two French special operations troops in Iraq. Well before the recent incident, however, the weapons tracking organization Conflict Armament Research got a closer look at the jihadist groups explosive drone research and development when they visited an Islamic State workshop in Ramadi in February 2012. At the factory, researchers found small drone components and improvised explosive device components. An SA-7B man-portable air defense system (MANPADS), found at the facility with the control section removed, suggests the group may have been trying to leverage the missiles components for use in drones.

Photo Credit: Hamit Huseyin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
(COLOMBO, Sri Lanka)  A desperate Pakistani family anxiously awaiting a U.S. visa for their ailing little girl is running out of time: Maria is just six years old but a rare genetic disease has left her frail body wracked with pain and stunted her growth.

Soon she will be unable to walk because her vertebrae are compressing her spinal cord.

A U.S. hospital has offered to perform a surgery for free that could significantly improve Marias quality of her life, but the American Embassy in Islamabad has so far twice refused to give the family visas to travel to the United States, said the girls father, Shahid Ullah speaking to The Associated Press by phone from Rawalpindi in Pakistan.

When he submitted a visa application again, he was told it will take time, he said. Frustrated and frightened, Ullah has now turned to an American lawyer, Facebook and the media for help, starting a campaign he says could be his daughters last resort.

The surgery in the U.S. has been scheduled for Nov. 2 and Ullah is pleading with anyone who will listen that Marias case is different.a

If we delay Marias surgery, there will be too many problems, said Ullah, who runs a small store selling blankets in the town of Rawalpindi, near the capital of Islamabad. He said Maria has to be in the United States by next Wednesday for pre-surgery tests.

He said he embarked on the tortuous quest to find help for Maria nearly four years ago, researching her condition, sending her blood and urine samples to laboratories in India and Germany, connected with families of children with the same disorder, known as Morquio Syndrome.

Through the internet, he tracked down doctors with expertise in Marias condition and families with children who suffer from the same disease from countries as far as Chile, Britain and America steered him to the Nemours/Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.

Story continues

From all over the world parents with children with the same disease helped me, they were so kind, he said. Families with children like Maria also rallied behind Ullah and began crowd funding on Facebook .

Unlike in previous attempts to get a U.S. visa, when Ullah applied for the entire family and was told U.S. authorities feared they would not return to Pakistan, this time he said he only applied for a visa for Maria, himself and his wife. He plans to leave his other two children, a 7-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old boy, behind with relatives during their stay in America, which is expected to take five months.

I dont know what to do . . . who should I contact, he says. Maria is in a lot of pain now  she can no longer hold a pencil or a pen.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Fleur S. Cowan declined to comment on Marias case, citing privacy laws, but said she would look into the matter. In Washington, the State Departments said visa records are confidential under U.S. law and that it could not comment on the specifics of an individual visa case.

The Delaware hospital first reduced the cost of the $100,000 surgery to $82,000, Ullah said, but when it was clear he could not afford it, the Nemours Foundation said it would cover the full cost of the procedure.

The hope is to do the surgery for the child . . . without any cost to the family, said Chris Manning, who is with the Nemours Childrens Health System public relations department, adding that the hospital has done multiple surgeries such as the one required for Maria.

He added that the hospital also sent documentation to the embassy in Pakistan to facilitate Ullahs visa application.

Melissa Harms, a California lawyer, offered to help pro bono when she heard of Marias troubles from a client whose child has the same disorder.

I was appalled, she said. In an email to The Associated Press Harms said that housing for the family in the U.S. has been arranged and the airline tickets have been donated.

All of this will go to waste if we cant get these visas approved this week, she said.
Shares in New Zealand's SkyCity gaming group slumped 12 percent on Friday after it warned China's crackdown on high-roller promotions would affect its bottom line.

The company, which runs the flagship SkyCity casino in Auckland, said about 50 percent of its turnover came from Chinese customers.

SkyCity said it was closely monitoring the detention in China of about 18 marketing staff from rival Australian casino operator Crown Resorts.

"(The) financial impact of this situation remains uncertain, but it is likely to be adverse over the short-to-medium term," a trading update said.

Gaming companies are not allowed to explicitly advertise gambling in China and Beijing reportedly suspects the Crown staff of promoting the casino to high rollers.

SkyCity said it had no office or employees in China but sometimes engaged independent contractors to manage customer relationships.

"SkyCity is confident that its contractors comply with all relevant laws and regulations in China," it said.

"None of SkyCity's contractors have been questioned or detained as part of this investigation."

Graft is endemic in China and President Xi Jinping launched a much-publicised anti-corruption drive after he came to power in 2012.

One strategy has been to target high rollers who use foreign casinos to move funds out of China.

SkyCity expects the crackdown to reduce the number of big spenders at its casinos.

"We expect international business turnover to weaken further following recent events in China," interim chief executive John Mortensen said.

SkyCity shares fell 11.94 percent to NZ$3.76 on Friday. They have dropped almost 20 percent since news of the Crown detentions first broke last weekend.
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When you tell someone "I love you," you generally want to hear "I love you, too." But that's not how it goes in a galaxy far, far away.

In Star Wars: Episode VII, when Princess Leia professes her love to Han Solo, he famously responds, "I know." By far the most romantic exchange the universe has ever seen.

And so, one Star Wars fanatic figured this quote would make the perfect gift to remind her boyfriend she loves him.

Image: imgur

By using LEGO Leia and Han Solo and writing the quotation in, of course, the iconic font, this woman definitely created a memorable birthday gift.

Redditor afl1019 proudly shared the gift with r/StarWars and we hope that he ended up returning the sentiment to his significant other.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's new anti-graft watchdog will not oppose President Jacob Zuma's court bid to delay the release of a report into allegations of political interference by the wealthy Gupta brothers, eNCA TV said, citing court documents. Indian-born businessmen Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta are the subject of an official investigation into allegations that they have had undue influence over Zuma. The report, by the outgoing Public Protector, a constitutionally-mandated anti-graft official, was prevented from being made public last Friday by Zuma's application to the High Court to delay its release. Zuma has denied granting undue influence to the Guptas and they have denied seeking it. Zuma's critics have voiced concern that a delay in the report could lead to a watering-down of its conclusions. The television station quoted Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane as saying in court papers that it was up to the court to decide whether the report can be released. Oupa Segalwe, a spokesman at the Public Protector, said he could not immediately confirm the report. The court was due to hear Zuma's case on Nov. 1 before the report can be released. Zuma applied for that order last week on the grounds that he had not had the chance to question witnesses and review any evidence that implicated him. Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen also filed a court application to block the release of the report. Both cases are due to be heard on Nov. 1. Madonsela said in June she would investigate whether or not Zuma unlawfully allowed the Gupta family to choose ministers and other occupants of high office. Opposition parties have called for Zuma's resignation over his links with the Guptas and top members of the ruling African National Congress have condemned what they call "state capture" by private interests, without naming the president. (Reporting by James Macharia; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Joe Brock PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa said on Friday it was quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws, dealing a new blow to the struggling court and angering the political opposition. Pretoria last year announced its intention to leave after the ICC criticised it for disregarding an ICC order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited South Africa. Bashir has denied the accusations. The United Nations on Friday confirmed receipt of South Africa's withdrawal from the ICC, which will take effect one year from Oct. 19, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, making it the first country to quit the Rome Statute. The instrument of withdrawal document, seen by Reuters on Thursday, has been assessed by the United Nations as bona fide and is being processed, Dujarric said. The announcement puts new pressure on the world's first permanent war crimes court, which has had to fight off allegations of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based. Burundi's leader this week signed a decree to leave the ICC, and Kenya's parliament is considering following suit. Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal its adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice. He said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, which was cited in the decision to ignore the court order to detain Bashir, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity. The ICC said it had not formally been notified of South Africa's intention to leave the Rome Statute. A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed the move would take effect one year after notice was formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The document was signed by South African International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated Oct. 19. "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" WITHDRAWAL James Selfe, a senior executive at the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said it would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans "on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed". Former South African judge Richard Goldstone, a respected figure in international justice and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said quitting the ICC was "demeaning" to the country. "From a moral standpoint, it detracts from the inspiring legacy of the administration of President Nelson Mandela that so strongly supported the ICC," said Goldstone, chairman of the advisory board of the coalition for the ICC, which provides strategic guidance on key issues. Masutha, the justice minister, said Pretoria would now drop its appeal to the Constitutional Court against a ruling that the state had made an error in letting Bashir leave the country. In June 2015 Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union summit. He was allowed to leave even though the ICC had ordered that he be kept in South Africa until the end of a hearing on whether he should be detained under a global arrest warrant. The High Court ruled Bashir should have been arrested to face genocide charges at the ICC since, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Pretoria was obliged to implement arrest warrants. The government lost an appeal at the Supreme Court in March and the appeal to the Constitutional Court was its last chance of overturning the ruling. The ICC, which sits in The Hague and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But it has secured only five substantive verdicts in its 14-year history, all of them on African suspects, and several African countries have expressed concern that the continent is being picked on. In January, the African Union backed a proposal by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta for officials of various member states to "develop a road map" on possible withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The decision was not legally binding as the final decision to leave the ICC would be taken by individual nations. A high-profile ICC attempt to try Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto over post-election violence failed amid diplomatic lobbying and allegations of witness intimidation. Adan Duale, leader of the majority in the Kenyan parliament, said impetus was building there to pass a bill on quitting the ICC that has been slowly making its way through the assembly. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and Katharine Houreld in Nairobi; writing by James Macharia; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Joe Brock PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa said on Friday it was quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws, dealing a new blow to the struggling court and angering the political opposition. Pretoria last year announced its intention to leave after the ICC criticised it for ignoring a court order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited. Bashir has denied the accusations. The ICC was not immediately available for comment, but the announcement puts new pressure on the world's first permanent war crimes court, which has had to fight off allegations of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based. Burundi has already said it plans to leave and Kenya's parliament is considering following suit. Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal South Africa's adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute in order to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice. He said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity. "UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND IRRATIONAL" A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed the move would take effect one year after notice was formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The document was signed by the International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated Oct. 19. James Selfe, a senior executive at the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said in a statement that the party would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans "on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed". The International Criminal Court, which sits in The Hague and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But it has secured only five substantive verdicts in its 14-year history, all of them on African suspects, and several African countries have expressed concern that the continent is being picked on. A high-profile attempt to try Kenya's sitting president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and his deputy, William Ruto, over an outbreak of post-election violence failed amid diplomatic lobbying and allegations of witness intimidation. Adan Duale, leader of the majority in the Kenyan parliament, said impetus was building there to pass a bill on quitting the ICC that has been slowly making its way through the assembly. "The bill is due for a second reading and people are asking for it to be given priority next week," he said. BURUNDI TO LEAVE Burundi's parliament voted last week to leave the court, although the United Nations has not yet been officially notified. Masutha said Pretoria would now drop its appeal to the Constitutional Court against a ruling that the state had made an error in letting Bashir leave the country. In June 2015, Bashir, who was in Johannesburg for an African Union summit, was allowed to leave even though a court had ordered that he be kept in South Africa until the end of a hearing on whether he should be detained under a global arrest warrant. The High Court ruled that he should have been arrested to face genocide charges at the ICC because, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Pretoria was obliged to implement arrest warrants. The government lost an appeal at the Supreme Court in March and the appeal to the Constitutional Court was its last chance of overturning the ruling. Jeremy Sarkin, professor of law at the University of South Africa, said the move to quit the ICC would be challenged by civil society. "I am sure there are a range of organisations who will take up this particular matter that is in violation of our constitution, in violation of South African law and in violation of the decisions of the courts over the last few years about South Africa's international obligations," he said. (Additional reporting by Wendell Roelf in Cape Town, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and Katharine Houreld in Nairobi; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
By Joe Brock PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa said on Friday it was quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws, dealing a new blow to the struggling court and angering the political opposition. Pretoria last year announced its intention to leave after the ICC criticised it for ignoring a court order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited. Bashir has denied the accusations. The ICC was not immediately available for comment, but the announcement puts new pressure on the world's first permanent war crimes court, which has had to fight off allegations of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based. Burundi has already said it plans to leave and Kenya's parliament is considering following suit. Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal South Africa's adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute in order to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice. He said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity. A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed the move would take effect one year after notice was formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The document was signed by the International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated Oct. 19. James Selfe, a senior executive at the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said the party would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans "on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed". KENYAN BILL Former South African judge Richard Goldstone, a respected figure in international justice and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said quitting the ICC was "demeaning" to the country. "From a moral standpoint, it detracts from the inspiring legacy of the administration of President Nelson Mandela that so strongly supported the ICC," said Goldstone, chairman of the advisory board of the coalition for the ICC, which provides strategic guidance on key issues. The court, which sits in The Hague and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But it has secured only five substantive verdicts in its 14-year history, all of them on African suspects, and several African countries have expressed concern that the continent is being picked on. In January, the African Union backed a proposal by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta for officials of various member states to "develop a road map" on possible withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The decision was not legally binding as the final decision to leave the ICC would be taken by individual nations. A high-profile attempt to try Kenyatta, and his deputy, William Ruto, over post-election violence failed amid diplomatic lobbying and allegations of witness intimidation. Adan Duale, leader of the majority in the Kenyan parliament, said impetus was building there to pass a bill on quitting the ICC that has been slowly making its way through the assembly. Burundi's parliament voted last week to leave the court, although the United Nations has not yet been officially notified. Masutha said Pretoria would now drop its appeal to the Constitutional Court against a ruling that the state had made an error in letting Bashir leave the country. In June 2015, Bashir, who was in Johannesburg for an African Union summit, was allowed to leave even though a court had ordered that he be kept in South Africa until the end of a hearing on whether he should be detained under a global arrest warrant. The High Court ruled that he should have been arrested to face genocide charges at the ICC because, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Pretoria was obliged to implement arrest warrants. The government lost an appeal at the Supreme Court in March and the appeal to the Constitutional Court was its last chance of overturning the ruling. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and Katharine Houreld in Nairobi; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Alison Williams)
By Joe Brock PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa said on Friday it was quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws, dealing a new blow to the struggling court and angering the political opposition. Pretoria last year announced its intention to leave after the ICC criticized it for disregarding an ICC order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited South Africa. Bashir has denied the accusations. The United Nations on Friday confirmed receipt of South Africa's withdrawal from the ICC, which will take effect one year from Oct. 19, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, making it the first country to quit the Rome Statute. The instrument of withdrawal document, seen by Reuters on Thursday, has been assessed by the United Nations as bona fide and is being processed, Dujarric said. The announcement puts new pressure on the world's first permanent war crimes court, which has had to fight off allegations of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based. Burundi's leader this week signed a decree to leave the ICC, and Kenya's parliament is considering following suit. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was "concerned" about the South African decision, but he declined to speculate what Kenya and Burundi would do and said it was too early to speak of a "trend" toward African withdrawal from the court. Kirby said the United States, while not a member of the court, believed the ICC had made "valuable contributions in the service of accountability ...and we hope that other countries would share that assessment." Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal its adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice. He said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, which was cited in the decision to ignore the court order to detain Bashir, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity. The ICC said it had not formally been notified of South Africa's intention to leave the Rome Statute. A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed the move would take effect one year after notice was formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The document was signed by South African International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated Oct. 19. "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" WITHDRAWAL James Selfe, a senior executive at the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said it would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans "on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed". Former South African judge Richard Goldstone, a respected figure in international justice and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said quitting the ICC was "demeaning" to the country. "From a moral standpoint, it detracts from the inspiring legacy of the administration of President Nelson Mandela that so strongly supported the ICC," said Goldstone, chairman of the advisory board of the coalition for the ICC, which provides strategic guidance on key issues. Masutha, the justice minister, said Pretoria would drop its appeal to the Constitutional Court against a ruling that the state had made an error in letting Bashir leave the country. In June 2015 Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union summit. He was allowed to leave even though the ICC had ordered that he be kept in South Africa until the end of a hearing on whether he should be detained under a global arrest warrant. The High Court ruled Bashir should have been arrested to face genocide charges at the ICC since, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Pretoria was obliged to implement arrest warrants. The government lost an appeal at the Supreme Court in March and the appeal to the Constitutional Court was its last chance of overturning the ruling. The ICC, which sits in The Hague and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But it has secured only five substantive verdicts in its 14-year history, all of them on African suspects, and several African countries have expressed concern that the continent is being picked on. In January, the African Union backed a proposal by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta for officials of various member states to "develop a road map" on possible withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The decision was not legally binding as the final decision to leave the ICC would be taken by individual nations. A high-profile ICC attempt to try Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto over post-election violence failed amid diplomatic lobbying and allegations of witness intimidation. Adan Duale, leader of the majority in the Kenyan parliament, said impetus was building there to pass a bill on quitting the ICC that has been slowly making its way through the assembly. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Katharine Houreld in Nairobi and David Alexander in Washington, writing by James Macharia; editing by Mark Heinrich and Dan Grebler)
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - South Africa is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, according to a document seen by Reuters on Thursday, a move that would take effect one year after notice is formally received by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. A U.N. spokesman declined to confirm receipt of the document, which is signed by South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated Oct. 19. "The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court," according to the document. South Africa's foreign affairs department spokesman Clayson Monyela declined to comment, saying the justice minister would hold a news conference on the issue at 0800 GMT. The International Criminal Court, which opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Burundi appeared set to become the first state to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty establishing the global court, after its parliament voted last week to leave. President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on Tuesday, but the United Nations has not yet been officially notified. South Africa said a year ago that it planned to leave the ICC after its government was criticised for ignoring a court order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited last year. Several African countries have expressed concern that the focus of the Hague-based court has been on Africa rather than elsewhere in the world. "The Republic of South Africa is committed to fight impunity and to bring those who commit atrocities and international crimes to justice and as a founding member of the African Union promotes international human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the African continent," the document said. "In complex and multi-faceted peace negotiations and sensitive post-conflict situations, peace and justice must be viewed as complementary and not mutually exclusive," the South African document said. (Additional reporting by Stella Mapenzauswa in Johannesburg; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
(Reuters) - South Africa's Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) has not yet signed a wage deal with unions, it said on Friday. "Anglo American Platinum continues to engage recognised unions and wage negotiations are progressing well," Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said. "This process is ongoing and we will comment further in due course." Lonmin said earlier it had reached an agreement in principle with the dominant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, while Impala Platinum said it was on the verge of a deal. (Reporting by Zandi Shabalala; editing by Susan Thomas)
By Nqobile Dludla JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African telecom companies MTN Group and Telkom said on Thursday they opposed a government plan to force operators to give up their broadband spectrum and share a national network. Creating a single open-access network is at the heart of a government goal to roll out broadband access to 80 percent of the population by 2019, by encouraging operators to compete on services rather than the quality of the network. In a policy paper published last month, the government proposed that spectrum be pooled and given to a new national wholesale open-access network operator - which would be owned by the government and the industry. MTN, which dominates South Africa's mobile phone market with Vodacom, said that while it agreed with the objective of giving more of the population access to broadband services it disagreed with aspects of the plan. "In short the policy suggests that mobile operators will not get any more frequency spectrum and must hand back what they have," MTN's South African head, Mteto Nyati, said in an emailed response to questions from Reuters. "Clearly such a scenario is untenable and unacceptable." Vodacom has yet to comment on the plan but Telkom, the fourth-biggest mobile operator which is 51 percent owned by the government and the state pension fund, said it opposed giving up spectrum already allocated although it favoured pooling spectrum not yet assigned. "The fundamental problem is you have spent millions on the network and then have to return it. We need industry engagement on this issue," Telkom's Chief Commercial Officer Brian Armstrong said in a statement. Only about 40 percent of South Africans currently have access to broadband and the government says leaving infrastructure development in the hands of operators risks concentrating it on affluent areas. The telecom regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), has been at odds with the government over the allocation of broadband licences. The government went to court to block an auction of licences after ICASA unexpectedly announced the sale in July. ICASA said the government's latest plan would deter investment in the industry. "I don't think it's well considered. You publish a paper that repels investment, which says those that have IMT spectrum must return it to a so-called pre-1994 monopoly of a group of operators instead of one," Chief Executive Pakamile Pongwana said at a meeting of telecom industry executives on Thursday. MTN's Nyati said the plan would take the country backwards. "It seems to be counterintuitive that South Africa has spent the past 22 years creating the regulatory environment for competition to flourish only to revert back to a monopoly," he said. "MTN knows of no other country where such a structure has been implemented or is successful." ($1 = 13.9289 rand) (Additional reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Susan Fenton)
May the Force be with you, Donald Glover. The Atlanta star has landed the coveted role of Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo standalone starring Alden Ehrenreich.

The pic will be set prior to Star Wars: A New Hope, like the other upcoming Star Wars standalone project, Rogue One.

Were so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us, said Phil Lord and Chris Miller. These are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger cape, and this one fits him perfectly, which will save us money on alterations. Also, wed like to publicly apologize to Donald for ruining Comic-Con for him forever.

Testing for the role of Calrissian has been going on for months with actors like OShea Jackson, Jason Mitchell and The Get Downs Yahya Abdul-Mateen among those who have tested. Glover was considered the favorite but just to be sure co-directors Lord and Miller decided to do a second round of tests earlier this month with Glover and Mitchell. Glover was eventually tapped for the role.

There was some worry that scheduling Glovers hit show Atlanta and the Han Solo shoot would be an issue, with the series just getting a second season. Since Glover is also the creator and heads the writers room for Atlanta, there was a worry that his commitment to running the room  which is open now and would of gone into production in March  would cause scheduling conflicts.

Sources now say they will probably bank all the scripts now and move production to next summer to accommodate the Solo shoot.

Variety first reported that Zoe Kravitz, Naomi Scott and Tessa Thompson had recently tested for the female lead and it was believed that Glover had tested around the same time.

Production on the untitled Han Solo film is expected to begin in January.

Played originally by Billy Dee Williams in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the Lando character is a fan favorite in the Star Wars universe and it was unknown, until recently, if he would be making an appearance in any of these standalone movies.

Story continues

The Han Solo prequel will hit theaters May 25, 2018.

The latest movie in the blockbuster franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opened in December and has hauled more than $2 billion worldwide.

Glover currently stars in FXs Atlanta and also recently wrapped production on Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Glover is repped by WME, MGMT and Lev Ginsburg at Ginsburg, Daniels.

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stephen colbert

On Thursday's "Late Show," host Stephen Colbert pointed out that around this time in every presidential election  no matter how crazy  people begin to proclaim that they are going to move to Canada if the candidate they want to win ends up losing.

And with candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both being disliked heavily by a majority of Americans, that declaration to move in with our neighbors in the north is more prevalent than ever.

But what does it take to become a Canadian citizen?

Colbert went to visit Toronto immigration lawyer Andrew Cumming to find out.

Check out what Colbert learned about the process of moving to Canada, like the need to have a knowledge of Canadian symbols, how members of Parliament are chosen, and being able to sing some Gordon Lightfoot songs.

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More From Business Insider


Point72 Asset Management, the $11 billion family-office hedge fund led by Steven A. Cohen, is now looking for the best young recruits internationally.

The firms Point72 Academy  a program aimed at training new college grads  has now expanded its recruiting efforts to Asia and Europe with the goal of selecting up to 15 students for its full-time financial analyst and summer analyst programs in 2017.

The Point72 Academy launched over a year ago. It was a revolutionary move for the hedge fund.

Traditionally, the path to a hedge fund job has been to spend two years after college in an investment banking analyst program before making the transition to the buy-side. These days, however, hedge fund recruiting has been facing its own unique set of challenges as investment banking classes have been shrinking and more young workers have been forgoing Wall Street careers for lucrative tech jobs in Silicon Valley. In other words, theres a shortage of top talent.

Cohen has even publicly said that talent is very thin and that hes blown away by the lack of talent.

Steven A. Cohen

With recruiting from the sell-side under pressure, some funds have turned to grooming or farming their own talent. Point72 in particular has been investing heavily in developing its own talent through its Academy.

The best talent isnt necessarily going to Wall Street anymore, Jaimi Goodfriend, the director of the Point72 Academy, told Yahoo Finance.

We have to find new and innovative ways in order to attract that top tier.

Now in its second year, the 2016 class has 12-full-time participants, including two women, up from no women in the inaugural class. The first class received 400 applications. Right now, theyve exceeded 7,200 applications for the handful of available slots.

The idea is really to bring in young talent and train them the way we want to in everything from data science to learning how to fail to accounting and finance. For us, its really about innovation and finding that diversity of thought and bringing them in and home-growing them in the way wed like to see them succeed, Goodfriend said.

Story continues

Expanding the Point72 Academy recruiting globally will help the fund add to diversity of thought. The funds president, Doug Haynes, also expressed that this is one of the key challenges the industry is facing. He added that the lack of performance is related to sameness. In other words, the pool of talent tends to come from the same schools and share the same ideas.

Point72, which currently manages the money of Cohen and that of a few select employees, has doubled the size of its London workforce. In the first eight months of the year, the fund hired 31 people in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo offices.



Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance.

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By Svetlana Reiter and Jack Stubbs MOSCOW (Reuters) - On a Friday evening in June, German businessman Yuri Zyudheimer and Russian regional governor Nikita Belykh sat down in a private booth in Megu, an upscale Japanese restaurant in central Moscow. Zyudheimer placed a dark red plastic bag on the table between the two men, according to the businessman. Inside was a bottle of red wine  a gift for Belykh's recent 41st birthday  and 150,000 euros ($165,000) in cash. Zyudheimer said he had second thoughts about what he was about to do. "I wanted to say to him: 'Don't do it, don't take it,'" he told Reuters in his first public comments on the case. But he pushed the bag toward Belykh anyway. The governor, who was supported by the ruling United Russia party but not a member of it, checked the contents of the bag. When he got up to leave, plain clothes officers from the Federal Security Service  in the restaurant pretending to be diners  swooped. The security service and Zyudheimer had planned the trap, painting the banknotes with a red dye which was now on Belykh's hands. By that evening, the governor was in jail. State prosecutors charged him with receiving bribes totaling 400,000 euros in return for favorable treatment of a company owned by Zyudheimer. Under Russian law it is illegal for a government official to "use their official powers for election campaigning." But the practice still goes on, with money channeled through slush funds, said Stanislav Andreichyk, head of the regional office of Transparency International, an anti-corruption watchdog. Faced with a sharp economic slowdown, Russian voters' enthusiasm for the ruling elite is softening. But the Kremlin and United Russia still have to maintain a powerful appeal or lose their legitimacy. Setting up election slush funds is one of the ways it does this, according to four people who spoke with Reuters. The funds funnel money from businessmen to local United Russia officials. The party spends it on campaigning and on public works and infrastructure in the run-up to an election, said multiple people with knowledge of the process, including one former state official. "It's common practice," said Andrei Kolyadin, who until 2011 was head of the regional politics department in the presidential administration and who has worked on election projects linked to the Kremlin since then. Belykh has denied the charges against him. Under questioning by state investigators after his detention, he said the money from Zyudheimer was not a bribe but to pay for "beautification projects," according to a transcript of the interview seen by Reuters. Belykh would not comment for this story. According to three people who know him, the governor left himself vulnerable to the bribery charges because he was involved in accumulating money for a slush fund designed to help improve the chances of United Russia, which was founded by President Vladimr Putin. The sting came just three months before a parliamentary election. The three sources said senior ruling party officials had pushed Belykh to raise the money. Four other sources said Belykh had tapped entrepreneurs for money that was used to finance local infrastructure projects designed to woo voters. Those same sources said that Belykh's mistake was to accept the money directly himself, rather than have it deposited into the slush fund. Reuters has found two other cases in which allegations of United Russia election slush funds have surfaced, one in Ulyanovsk and the other in Chelyabinsk. A Kremlin spokesman said Belykh was arrested for receiving a bribe, but did not comment on the broader issue of election slush funds. United Russia headquarters and regional party officials initially did not respond to Reuters questions. In a statement sent to Reuters after publication, Konstantin Mazurevsky, deputy head of United Russia's central election commission, said all fund raising was carried out in accordance with Russian law. "This information (allegations about slush funds in regional elections) does not correspond with reality," he said. The Federal Security Service, the FSB, did not respond to questions. Putin critics who know Belykh say the governor was vulnerable to prosecution because he was an outsider to the Kremlin system: a former opposition figure with liberal economic views at odds with many of the security hawks in Putin's entourage. While in opposition, he had also criticized Moscow's 2008 military invasion of Georgia. "The reason for the conflict with Belykh was political," said Ilya Yashin, a former opposition colleague. After Belykh's party dissolved itself, the Kremlin nominated him for the post of governor of the Kirov region, a provincial backwater in the foothills of the Ural mountains about 1,000 km (620 miles) east of Moscow. The idea, said several people who know Belykh or were close to the Kremlin, was to silence the politician by bringing him into the ruling fold. UNPAID DEBTS One of the largest employers in the Kirov region is a timber company called Novovyatsky Ski Combine, known as NLK. Russian state lender Sberbank had made a series of loans to NLK's former owner Albert Laritsky. The loans turned bad and the company ended up in the hands of Zyudheimer, Belykh's dining companion in the Japanese restaurant. Zyudheimer told Reuters that governor Belykh pressured his company to repay one of the loans to Sberbank, for which the Kirov region had put up its own assets as collateral. Zyudheimer argued he was not liable for the loan because it had been taken out by the previous owner. There is no suggestion that either Belykh or Zyudheimer did anything illegal in connection to the loan. Zyudheimer said Belykh also demanded money for his re-election as governor in 2014. In return, Zyudheimer said, Belykh promised to provide financial help for the timber firm. Zyudheimer alleges that he personally gave Belykh a 200,000 euro bribe in 2014, and another 50,000 euros via an unidentified intermediary in Moscow in May 2016. Zyudeheimer says help for the timber producer never materialized, but that Belykh asked him for another 150,000 euros at the end of May this year "for elections." At the time, the closest vote was the parliamentary election in September. That was when he decided to turn Belykh into Russia's FSB security service in Moscow, Zyudheimer said. "I had no choice," Zyudheimer said. "I understood that this rampage will never end, so I went to the FSB." Zyudheimer said he gave a written statement to an FSB duty officer. "To begin with, he (the duty officer) didn't believe his eyes. Then he rang upstairs to someone, and an excited crowd of generals... arrived at the duty officer's post," Zyudheimer said. A few weeks later, he said, security service officers set up the restaurant sting. BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS At a preliminary hearing on Sept. 7, Belykh told a judge that it was "important for me that my reputation as an honest person is vindicated." According to transcripts of interviews with investigators, Belykh said the projects that needed funding included construction work in the Kirov region. The three sources in Belykh's entourage told Reuters that the projects were aimed at boosting support for United Russia. Commenting on Belykh's case, Nikolai Petrov, a specialist in regional politics at Moscow's Higher Economic School, said the scheme was simple: local officials  many of them members of United Russia  get credit for projects come election time. "For them (party bosses) it's important to create some kind of positive atmosphere before the vote," he said. The three sources in Belykh's inner circle said the governor owed United Russia for its help in winning Belykh re-election as governor in 2014. "One of the criteria for judging a governor in his region is the level of support for the ruling party," said Dmitry Russkikh, who was an opposition member of the Kirov region legislative assembly until the end of 2015. "If the governor does not get the required result for United Russia, that will be remembered." Oleg Valenchuk, head of United Russia in Kirov, did not respond to requests for comment. SLUSH FUNDS Kolyadin, the former Kremlin official, said the use of such election slush funds is widespread in Russia. In some cases, he said, cash collected in a fund was spent directly on financing a United Russia election campaign. Other times, it was spent on local infrastructure projects in the run up to elections. "It's a clear objective ...that the governor is set, and local party officials demand the accumulation of financial resources," he said. Reuters found two other such cases that have led to charges. In May this year, Alsu Balakisheva, a United Russia member and deputy speaker of the regional legislature in the Ulyanovsk region, on the Volga, was arrested on charges of accepting a 500,000 rouble ($8,000) bribe from a local construction firm. She denied the charges. In court, she said the money was intended for the Ulyanovsk Fund to Support Regional Cooperation and Development, which she headed. Although the fund was created to support social projects, it contributed 1.971 million rubles ($32,000) to candidates running on a United Russia ticket in local elections in 2015, according to election commission records. Balakisheva's lawyer said his client was under house arrest but declined to comment on the case. United Russia officials in Ulyanovsk region did not respond to questions. In the other case, former first deputy governor of the industrial Chelyabinsk region, Nikolai Sandakov, awaits trial on charges of accepting a 1.9 million rouble ($30,000) bribe. "Nikolai said repeatedly in court that this money was a United Russia slush fund," Sandakov's lawyer, Kirill Akulich, told Reuters. He denies the charges. The money was spent on campaign literature for United Russia candidates, on opinion polling, and on campaign events, the lawyer said. United Russia officials in Chelyabinsk region did not respond to requests for comment. FUND-RAISING DRIVE Belykh launched his fund-raising drive on April 21 this year at the "Vyatka" banqueting hall. In a speech, the governor urged more than 100 local entrepreneurs to help pay for projects including a youth holiday camp in Crimea, a monument to war-time workers, street repairs and renovations to Kirov's Spassky cathedral. Belykh said contributions should go to a non-governmental fund called "Vyatka," according to seven people present. He also said the fund needed 100 million rubles ($1.54 million). "The governor ... called on us to give money to improve the image of our native region," said one of those present. By June, though, the fund had raised just 3 million rubles. "To repair the street fronts alone we needed 20 million, plus 10 million for some park fountains, and it wasn't clear where we were going to get the money," Andrei Usenko, the fund's director, said. According to Usenko, Belykh was unflustered: "'Don't worry,'" Usenko recalled him saying. "'By the end of June the money will be in the account.'" Three days later, the governor sat down for dinner in the Japanese restaurant. (Edited by Christian Lowe, Richard Woods and Simon Robinson)
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This guy isn't going anywhere.

As Hong Kong prepares for Super Typhoon Haima's arrival, the city has been experiencing severe flash floods.

SEE ALSO: Starbucks' new espresso-infused IPA will get you hopped up on caffeine

A shopping center in the city's Chai Wan district unfortunately became one of Hong Kong's most flooded areas, but one man didn't let that stop him from enjoying his coffee.

The Internet is calling him "Starbucks Uncle", and of course, we're obsessed with him.

The picture's photographer, Kristy Chan, told the BBC she was taking photos in the shopping center to show her family how bad the flooding was, when she came across the indelible man.

"It was quite funny," she told BBC, "Maybe he already has that many life experiences so the flood didn't bother him at all."

Enthusiastic Facebookers have taken to the photo's comment section to share amazing photoshops of Starbucks Uncle carrying on, regardless of surrounding circumstances.

At one point, he was even joined by another male shopper, who also got the photoshop treatment.

Starbucks Uncle, we hope you made it safely to your post-Starbucks destination.

But first, coffee.

BONUS: Hamster Potter.
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From Town & Country

The Russian Imperial family's obsession with jewelry can be traced back to Tsar Peter the Great, who established his collection of gems in 1719 and stored it in what was known as the Diamond Room in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Over the course of his life, Peter the Great commissioned many priceless jewels as gifts for his wife, Empress Catherine I.

Over the succeeding centuries, rulers of the Russian Empire added jewelry and precious gemstones to the collection, but the largest contribution was made by Empress Catherine II, otherwise known as Catherine the Great, who ruled the country from 1762 until 1796.

As part of their Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction on November 16th in Geneva, Sotheby's will auction a necklace thought to have been commissioned by Catherine the Great. The necklace was crafted between 1760 and 1780 and consists of two separate jewels, a diamond necklace and a clasp in the shape of a bow, which can be worn together or separately.

The necklace remained in the collection of the Russian Imperial family until 1927 when it was brought to London and sold during an auction of the Russian State Jewels, and it has remained in private collections since then.

The other lot in the sale with a connection to Russia's Tsars is an antique colored diamond necklace, brooch and pair of earrings that were commissioned by Sultan Ahmed III of the Ottoman Empire and given to the wife of the Viceroy of Egypt to celebrate the birth of her son. It is thought that the colored diamonds in the set were originally given to the Sultan by Empress Catherine I of Russia in order to negotiate the end of the Siege of Pruth in 1711.

The history behind the Russian crown jewels may be priceless, but it will cost you to purchase them; each of the lots is expected to sell for between $3 million and $5 million

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Actress Sunny Leone is among the popular celebrities who are vegetarian. The actress, who was recently seen in the Bollywood film Beiimaan Love alongside Rajniesh Duggall, prefers to stay away from meat and poultry. Now, Sunny is going to take her food preferences a step further as she has decided to turn vegan!

Thats right. Sunny, who has not been keeping well lately, has been advised by her doctor to stay away from alcohol, dairy products and all things spicy. The actress recently spoke about her health on Twitter when she posted, (I am) not well and my blood needs to be purified from infection and there is too much heat in my body. So Im drinking special bad tasting tea.

She added in her next tweet, Sad morning! My traditional Chinese medicine doctor has told me  no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no meat (Im veg so thats fine) and no spicy food. I believe in traditional Chinese medicine and I guess its God way of telling me Im turning into a vegan, no alcohol Caffeine No toxins.

We wish Sunny a speedy and good recovery!

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(Adds Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency statement, warning from Pennsylvania American Water)

Oct 21 (Reuters) - A pipeline breach on Friday spilled gasoline in the vicinity of the Susquehanna River in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, environmental authorities said, prompting a utility firm to warn customers to reduce water use as a precaution.

The breach occurred on a Sunoco Logistics Partners LP pipeline in the area of Gamble Township, around 100 miles (160 kms) north of Harrisburg, according to state authorities, who estimated the spill at about 1,300 barrels (55,000 gallons).

The gasoline leaked into Wallis Run, a tributary of the Loyalsock Creek as a result of floods and landslides during heavy rainfall on Thursday night, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said in a statement. The Loyalsock Creek runs into the West Branch Susquehanna River around 15 miles (24 kms) south of where where the spill occurred.

"Crews will use skimmers to remove gasoline from the top of affected waterways and will erect containment booms downstream," Sunoco Logistics said in a statement, without specifying which waterways had been affected.

Pennsylvania environmental officials said that since rain is predicted to continue, it could be later on Friday night or Saturday before the water recedes and the break area on the pipeline can be found.

A drop in pressure on the eight-inch pipeline was detected by the Sunoco Logistics Control Center shortly after 3 a.m. on Friday. The pipeline was shut down and emergency response personnel dispatched to the scene, Sunoco Logistics said.

Pennsylvania American Water said in a Facebook post it would notify customers when its water conservation notice is lifted.

The spill came as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and environmental activists protest against construction of a 1,100-mile (1,886-km) North Dakota oil pipeline Sunoco will operate, saying it threatens water supply and sacred sites.

Story continues

Sunoco Logistics spills crude more often than any of its competitors with more than 200 leaks since 2010, according to a Reuters analysis of government data.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; additional reporting by Ethan Lou; Editing by Sandra Maler and Andrew Hay)
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Three-time world surfing champion and occasional shark puncher, Australian legend Mick Fanning has swapped his board for a beanie for his latest project as an ambassador for conservation agency Wild Ark.

Fanning was thrown into the spotlight in 2015 when while competing at the J-Bay Open in South Africa, he was attacked by a shark. Fanning wildly thrashed about in the water and punched the shark in the back before officials rushed to help.

But he holds no grudge. In fact, as a Wild Ark ambassador, Mick Fanning is hoping to help save some wildlife, and precious habitats.

Wild Ark want to look after rich ecosystems and identified "green belts" to ensure the wildlife that live there are afforded the best chance to thrive, while simultaneously enabling a culture for research and low-impact opportunities for humans to "reconnect with nature."

Most recently, Fanning journeyed to Alaska with Wild Ark to visit one of the world's largest salmon fisheries that is under threat from mining. The resulting footage is incredible.

Fanning told The Huffington Post "I'm completely in awe of this place and the animals that inhabit it."

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By Rafael Nam

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Sachin Bhadrasen Jaiswar goes from door to door in a middle class neighbourhood outside Mumbai measuring India's economic pulse, one of hundreds of survey takers working for private firms aiming to fill a gap - the lack of reliable data.

There has long been deep scepticism about the accuracy of economic indicators in India, a country of 1.2 billion people of whom 90 percent are estimated to be part of the grey economy.

Independent economists question the government's assessment of everything from industrial output to unemployment, but the main data "black hole" is consumer indicators including retail sales, and that is where people like 29-year-old Jaiswar come in.

On a recent visit to an apartment, he spent an hour asking questions ranging from how much the family there spent on vegetables to whether they expected their financial situation to improve, tapping the answers into a special app on his iPhone.

"We are building the most advanced survey execution machinery in the world," said Mahesh Vyas, chief executive officer at Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), for whom Jaiswar works.

"The government machinery will take a long time to reach the levels we have reached already."

CMIE employs 350 survey takers on long-term contracts, and they cover 158,000 households across the country, with each one interviewed three times a year.

Rival Kantar, a market research firm tracking consumer behaviour, says it surveys more than 80,000 Indian households a month for their retail demand survey, and taps a database of 5,000 survey takers to conduct interviews when required for clients including big corporations and even the government.

Such companies rely heavily on visits, with large segments of the Indian population neither online nor accessible by phone, especially in rural areas.

The accuracy of their findings is also questioned by experts, but the business can be lucrative in a country where foreign and domestic investors, attracted by rapid economic expansion, are hungry for information and trends.

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POOLING DATA

Madan Sabnavis, chief economist of CARE Ratings, said he frequently incorporated data provided by private companies into his forecasts, including unemployment, retail indicators and corporate investments.

"They may not always be reliable as the numbers are based on surveys, but in the absence of any other information we do look at it. I need to get some idea of what's happening, and at least they give you that," he said.

CMIE has tied up with India's BSE Ltd, formerly known as Bombay Stock Exchange, to provide an alternative to official jobless figures.

According to CMIE and BSE, India's unemployment rate was 8.85 percent in September, and higher in urban areas than in rural ones.

By contrast, India's Labour Bureau, in its annual unemployment report out last month, put the rate at 5 percent as of December 2015 and drew the opposite conclusion: that it was running higher in rural areas than urban ones.

Pronab Sen, the former Chief Statistician of India and now a country director for think-tank International Growth Centre, said a key difference between state and private surveys was that the government lacked staff to do them often enough.

But Sen also noted that the private providers' use of contract survey takers raises questions about quality, and said the government used rigorously trained officials, even if less frequently.

"As far as surveys are concerned that's a lot trickier. There, one needs to be careful about the sample size but also upon the nature of the persons collecting the data," he said.

CMIE said its survey takers were no less qualified than those working for the government, and underwent thorough training.

A senior official at the Labour Bureau said it used "international accepted methodology and concepts" to compile its unemployment report, and added more than 1,000 people were involved in collecting the data, including supervision and processing, more than at CMIE.

GROWING NICHE

Selling data in India can be highly lucrative, with consumer trends in particular valued by companies and investors.

Industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) estimates that India's data analytics business will grow to $16 billion by 2025 from $2 billion today.

CMIE, for example, charges from 100,000 to 1.5 million rupees ($1,500-$22,500) a year, with an average of 200,000 rupees for subscriptions to its data bases.

Kantar would not disclose how much it charged, but said it was witnessing strong growth.

"If we look at the last few years, the market research industry has been growing in double digits  a reflection of the frequency and intensity of usage," said Preeti Reddy, CEO, Kantar Insights, South Asia, in emailed answers.

The data can also provide investment opportunities. Mumbai-based ZyFin Holdings started out gathering consumer confidence data as a research firm.

The data, its chairman Sanjay Sachdev said, was sold to major companies that "wanted to get an inkling and an understanding of what is happening to the real India."

But Sachdev said he stopped selling the data after realising he could make more money by starting an equity-traded fund that invested based on his numbers.

It has given absolute returns of 7.3 percent in dollar terms since its inception in November 2015 to September 2016.

Sachdev said using surveys allowed him to get details within trends that is not captured elsewhere, including urbanisation and modernisation in India.

"People call real India 'Bharat'," he said. "There's a difference between Bharat and 'India'."

(Additional reporting by Manoj Kumar in NEW DELHI; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland hopes to have a like-minded ally outside the European Union once Britain leaves the EU, a top Swiss diplomat told the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper.

"One advantage of (Britain's) withdrawal is that hopefully we will have a good partner outside of the EU with similar focus when it comes to open markets and regulation," Joerg Gasser, head of the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters, said in the NZZ interview published on Friday.

However, Gasser said there was little prospect in the foreseeable future for any concrete agreement between Britain and neutral Switzerland, which is not part of the 28-member EU.

"The British say they are not doing anything before their relationship with the EU is clarified," Gasser was quoted as saying.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said this month she would trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March.

Using Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty will give Britain a two-year period to clinch one of the most complex deals in Europe since World War Two.

(Reporting by Joshua Franklin; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Germany Dusseldorf

Obtaining a visa to enter Europe legally is becoming more difficult every day as Syria's brutal civil war  and the refugee crisis it has created  continues to escalate with no end in sight.

More than 500,000 Syrians fled to Europe in 2015 alone, with Germany, Serbia, Kosovo, and Sweden receiving the bulk of asylum applications. Since the war erupted in 2011, Turkey and Lebanon have settled more than 3 million Syrian refugees combined, according to the human rights organization Amnesty International.

Mahmoud Alkhuder, a 30-year-old lawyer from Aleppo, left Syria months after the revolution began. He had been living and working in Amman, Jordan, when he decided he wanted to pursue a business degree in the UK, where he thought he might face less discrimination for his refugee status than he had faced in Jordan.

"Syrians in Jordan can't get a work permit," Alkhuder told Business Insider last month in an interview from Germany, where he was able to get asylum in 2015.

"So there are thousands of people living in Jordan who are not allowed to work, but have no other source of income," he continued. "By 2013, you couldn't even open a bank account in Jordan if you were Syrian. Even with a Jordanian driver's license, police officers could tell I was Syrian and would ask for my passport to verify my identity. It was just open discrimination."

To his surprise, however, his nationality was evidently an issue for the UK as well.

In 2015, Alkhuder said, he applied twice for a six-month student visa to pursue an MBA at Edinburgh Business School. He was rejected both times, and received a striking letter from the British embassy in Amman informing him of the "severe civil unrest in Syria" that made them skeptical of Alkhuder's plans to leave the UK after completing his degree.

A man waves a European Union flag outside the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain June 28, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Heppell

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Notably, 70% international students in the UK in 2015 came from non-EU countries, or roughly 131,000 students. Of those 131,000, an estimated 93,000 did not return home after completing their studies, according to the Office for National Statistics. "Students from Asia make up the largest group of international students, over five times as many as the next largest group from the Middle East," according to Oxford's Migration Observatory.

This is not a new trend, however, and international students applying from relatively stable and wealthy countries who are granted visas seem to be given the benefit of the doubt by the British government that they will leave once their studies end in a way that prospective students from more unstable countries may not.

Put differently, whereas some applicants will be granted a visa based on a holistic reading of their application  which includes their merits and intentions  the nationality of other applicants may preclude them from being granted a student visa in Britain.

"I am ... aware of the spike in the numbers of Syrians fleeing the country and claiming refugee status in neighboring countries since the date of your application," the embassy officer wrote in an unclassified letter to Alkhuder, which he provided to Business Insider, rejecting his student visa application.

Alkhuder said he told the embassy in both of his student visa applications that he had a home in Jordan that he planned on returning to after he received his MBA in Britain.

"I note you have only lived at your address in Amman since the conflict in Syria began and it is not clear if your residence in Jordan will be extended," the officer replied.

Here is the full letter:

british embassy amman

Colin Yeo, a lawyer based in the UK specializing in immigration law who founded the Free Movement blog on immigration and asylum law, said in an interview that he was struck by the disconnect between the letter's first and second paragraphs.

Yeo said the first paragraph  which expresses doubts about the student's "genuineness" and "the potential cost of such a venture"  implies that the applicant's intentions are being judged, which is fairly standard practice during the visa review process.

(Alkhuder, for his part, said he provided bank statements to the embassy that proved he had enough money to sustain himself in the UK without public funds and to purchase a return ticket to Amman after the course.)

But the second paragraph, which focuses exclusively on the conflict in Syria, makes it clear that it doesn't matter what the applicant's intentions are  the applicant is going to be rejected no matter what, Yeo said.

"It doesn't seem reasonable or moral to give one reason for rejection when actually the real reason is something else," Yeo said. "It's not true that they will be judged on individual merits. In the end, the UK doesn't want Syrians to come here because if they do, they can claim asylum."

A man sits on the balcony of his damaged house in the rebel held besieged al-Sukkari neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

In that second paragraph, moreover, the officer included links to BBC articles and EU fact sheets in an attempt to "explain" to Alkhuder what was happening in Syria  his birthplace and home for 25 years.

Yeo said that while that information may seem "fairly obvious" to those on the receiving end of the rejection letter, "the officers feel they have to justify their refusal, so it's not unusual for them to refer to objective evidence."

The British embassy in Amman did not respond to a request for comment.

The letter Alkhuder received was not one of a kind. Another Syrian refugee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, received the same rejection letter when he applied for a student visa to the UK from the United Arab Emirates. A man who says he applied for a visa to accompany his sick daughter to the UK for medical treatment apparently received the letter, too, according to an Arabic-language website focusing on victims of the Syrian crisis.

"Imagine that you get treated like this just because of your nationality," Alkhuder said from his apartment near Dusseldorf. He is registered as a long-distance student at Edinburgh Business School, where he's finishing his MBA online and has developed an app aimed at facilitating refugees' integration by connecting them with natives.

He said he's disappointed by his experience with the UK.

"I mean, did you choose to be born in the US? I didn't choose to be born in Syria. It's heartbreaking," he said.

But he gushes about the new life he's been given in Germany.

"I think of Germany as my home country," he said. "I feel like a human being again."

NOW WATCH: 'America has lost': The Philippines president just announced that he's allying with China, wants to talk to Putin





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BERLIN (Reuters) - A Syrian refugee who committed suicide in prison after being arrested on suspicion of planning an attack on a Berlin airport experimented with chemicals in August in an attempt to make a bomb, a magazine reported on Friday. Der Spiegel said Jaber Albakr, detained earlier this month after police discovered about 1.5 kg (3 lb) of explosives in his flat in the eastern city of Chemnitz, caused 6,000 euros ($6,525) of damage in a serviced apartment. Pictures of the kitchen taken by the owner of the property in nearby Leipzig showed acid and other stains, Spiegel said, giving no source for its report. The General Prosecutor's office, which has taken over the Albakr case, could not be reached for comment. Officials in the state of Saxony have been criticized for letting Albakr slip away during a police raid on his Chemnitz apartment and then failing to prevent his suicide last week in prison in Leipzig. Three Syrian refugees who Albakr approached for help at a train station in Leipzig tied him up in their apartment and handed him over to police after they realized he was wanted. Weekly Welt am Sonntag reported at the weekend that, in a call to a contact on Oct. 7, Albakr said a "big airport in Berlin" was a good target for an attack using 2 kg of explosives. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; editing by John Stonestreet)
Helsinki (AFP) - Finnish police said Friday they would probe fraud accusations against Rami Adham, a Finnish-Syrian dubbed the "Toy Smuggler" for his campaign to collect funds for orphans in Aleppo.

The 42-year-old father of six has gained global media attention by making trips to the besieged Syrian city to bring toys and financial help for Syrian orphans.

But the police said they had received several requests for investigation from citizens suspecting Adham might have withheld part of the donations.

"A preliminary investigation is underway and we will determine as soon as possible if there are grounds for suspecting a crime" has been committed, chief crime inspector Tero Haapala of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation told AFP.

Haapala said police are also looking into Adham's writings on Facebook to see "if they include hate speech or incitement to ethnic hatred", after media reports said Adham had attacked Shiites on social media.

AFP could not reach Adham for immediate comment.

On Friday, Finland's largest daily Helsingin Sanomat said Adham's partner, the Alkefah Institute in Syria, accused him of withholding part of the donations intended for the orphans.

The paper also reported, citing what it said were Adham's personal messages, that he had invented a story and faked a picture of himself being injured in a bombing during one of his many visits to Syria, in order to attract more media attention and donations.

Adham has strictly denied both accusations, claiming he has delivered aid for the children in different forms, not only in cash, and that his injuries were real.

Other media reports say Adham has a criminal record, including for assault.
Geneva (AFP) - The UN rights council on Friday called for a special investigation into violence in Aleppo in a resolution fiercely critical of Syria's government.

The text spearheaded by Britain repeatedly condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's offensive to retake east Aleppo from rebel forces, while also admonishing "terrorist acts" by the Islamic State group and other extremists in the Syrian conflict.

Russia, an ally in Syria's east Aleppo campaign, condemned the resolution which was approved in a majority vote.

Moscow's envoy to the council, Aleksei Goltiaev, also described criticism of Syria and Russia as "pathetic".

The resolution called for the UN's existing Commission of Inquiry for Syria (COI) to "conduct a comprehensive, independent special inquiry into the events in Aleppo", and to identify individuals responsible for the most serious violations.

Assad's government has repeatedly denied COI investigators access to the country, although they have published multiple reports documenting violations.

The resolution demanded that warring parties "in particular the Syrian authorities and their allies", allow unrestricted humanitarian access to desperate civilians and "end immediately all bombardments and military flights over Aleppo city".

It also condemned "the starvation of civilians as a means of combat". East Aleppo, captured by the rebels in 2012, has not received aid since July 7 when regime forces seized the last supply route.

John Fisher of Human Rights Watch said the resolution passed at a special session on Aleppo "sent a clear message that illegal attacks on civilians must end and that those responsible will be held to account".

UN rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein opened the debate by denouncing "crimes of historic proportions" being perpetrated in east Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people have been besieged under the joint offensive by Damascus and Moscow.

A so-called "humanitarian pause", initiated by Russia, has been broadly holding since Thursday in east Aleppo but the UN and Red Cross have not yet gained access to the rebel side of the city.

The UN had voiced hope it could begin medical evacuations on Friday before bringing in dozens of aid-filled trucks, but said the security guarantees needed to mobilise had not yet been provided.
Beirut (AFP) - The Syrian city of Raqa, the Islamic State group's de facto capital, stands next in line in the battle against jihadists after this week's assault on Mosul in Iraq.

French President Francois Hollande has warned that IS jihadists under attack by Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Mosul are already fleeing across the border to Raqa.

"We can't afford mistakes in the pursuit of the terrorists who are already leaving Mosul for Raqa," he said, pointing to the Syrian city as the next target.

On Friday, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the international coalition lined up against IS must now set its sights on Raqa.

"We need to do both things, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria," Blinken told radio station RTL in Paris, speaking in French.

"After Mosul, we'll look at Raqa, absolutely. Raqa is the most urgent, that's the town where Daesh (IS) plans its attacks overseas. Raqa is the real capital," he added.

The 7,500-strong US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, as well as providing training, arms and equipment to local forces opposed to the jihadists.

Raqa on the Euphrates River, near the Turkish border and home to more than 200,000 people, in March 2013 became the first provincial capital in Syria to fall into the hands of rebels, at the time Al-Nusra Front, then Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the country.

But tensions soon erupted into clashes between Al-Nusra and fellow jihadists of a precursor of the Islamic State group.

The latter imposed Islamic dress code in schools and attacked churches in Raqa as they imposed a rule of terror marked by kidnappings and public beheadings.

- Scene of worst atrocities -

On January 6, 2014, all-out war broke out between the rival groups before IS's predecessor seized control of the whole city.

Five months later, Mosul fell to the jihadists and IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a June 29 address at a mosque of Iraq's second largest city, proclaimed a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

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Raqa remains the scene of IS's worst atrocities, such as the stoning to death of a woman accused of adultery and the killing of homosexuals by throwing them from rooftops.

In February 2015, IS posted an online video of the burning to death in a cage of a Jordanian pilot held in Raqa province, after the jihadists seized the region's riches in wheat, cotton and oil resources as well as the regime's Tabqa air base where 170 soldiers were killed.

In a rigid interpretation of Islamic laws, the jihadists in Raqa have imposed strict bans on cigarettes as well as alcohol, while forcing men not to shave their beards and women to wear the "niqab" face veil.

Shops are also regulated, with only married couples allowed to go shopping together and mannequins in store fronts banned.

The main square in Raqa is the venue for a trade in sex slaves, in particular kidnapped Yazidi girls, and where opponents are tortured to death.

Foreign jihadists have flowed from Turkey into Raqa, 550 kilometres (340 miles) northeast of Damascus, and Western intelligence services say the city has served as the base for planning attacks abroad.
By Jessica Toonkel and Greg Roumeliotis NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc has reached an agreement in principle to buy Time Warner Inc for about $85 billion, sources said on Friday, paving the way for the biggest deal in the world this year that would give the telecom company control of cable TV channels HBO and CNN, film studio Warner Bros and other coveted media assets. The deal, which has been agreed on most terms and could be announced as early as Sunday, would be one of the largest in recent years in the sector as telecommunications companies look to combine content and distribution to capture customers replacing traditional pay-TV packages with more streamlined offerings and online delivery. AT&T, which sells wireless phone and broadband services, has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse, buying satellite TV provider DirecTV last year for $48.5 billion. It also in 2014 entered a joint venture, Otter Media, with the Chernin Group to invest in media businesses, and has rolled out video streaming services. AT&T will pay $110 per Time Warner share, or about $85 billion overall, sources told Reuters. Time Warner's shares rose almost 8 percent in regular trading, and a further 3.4 percent after hours, to $92.50, giving it a market value of about $73 billion. AT&T closed down 3 percent at $37.49. Time Warner is a major force in movies, TV and video games. Its assets include the HBO, CNN, TBS and TNT networks as well as the Warner Bros film studio, producer of the Batman and Harry Potter film franchises. The company also owns a 10 percent stake in video streaming site Hulu. Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes rejected an $80 billion offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc in 2014, but sources said on Friday that the former suitor had no plans to renew its bid. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Apple Inc approached Time Warner a few months ago about a possible merger. CONTENT AND DISTRIBUTION Owning more content gives cable and telecom companies bargaining leverage with other content companies as customers demand smaller, hand-picked cable offerings or switch to watching online. And new mobile technology including next-generation 5G networks could make a content tie-up especially attractive for wireless providers. "We think 5G mobile is coming, we think 5G mobile is an epic game-changer," Rich Tullo, director of research at Albert Fried & Company, said in a note, adding that mobile providers would be in position to disrupt traditional pay-TV services. A previous Time Warner blockbuster deal, its 2000 merger with AOL, is now considered one of the most ill-advised corporate marriages on record. Dallas-based AT&T and New York-based Time Warner declined to comment. Cowen and Co analyst Doug Creutz questioned the strategy of buying content instead of licensing it. "What does it get them that they can't get by licensing Time Warner content and at a much cheaper price than buying the whole company?" Creutz asked, noting it was unclear what savings could be gained "from stapling distribution and content together. It's been tried. It never works." AT&T would likely be able to win U.S. antitrust approval for the deal, some experts said, but it is unclear whether certain conditions would be needed to win that approval. The U.S. Justice Department "will look at it but they won't stop it," said Darren Bush, who teaches antitrust issues at the University of Houston. Bush predicted regulators as a matter of course would make a second request for information, meaning the review would last several months. Andre Barlow, an antitrust lawyer at the law firm Doyle, Barlow and Mazard, noted that the government may worry about whether other cable and internet companies would continue to have access to Time Warner content like HBO and CNN. The media industry has been seen as ripe for consolidation, and several stocks rose on the news, including Netflix Inc , which closed up about 3.4 percent, and Discovery Communications Inc , which ended up 3.6 percent. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson; Writing by Meredith Mazzilli; Editing by Will Dunham and Bill Rigby)
AT&T is nearing the finish line on a deal to acquire media giant Time Warner for $110 per share, Bloomberg and Reuters reported  making the transaction worth about $85 billion.

The deal could be approved by the companies on Sunday and announced as early as Monday, per the Bloomberg story, citing anonymous sources. AT&T will fund the deal with 50% cash and 50% in stock, according the report. Reuters reported that the companies have reached an agreement on most of the merger terms and are aiming to announce the deal as early as Sunday.

If the deal is completed, it would bring together Warner Bros. and Time Warners stable of cable networks  including HBO, CNN, TBS and TNT  with AT&T, the countrys biggest telecommunications provider, and DirecTV, which the telco bought last year for $49 billion to make AT&T the No. 1 pay-TV provider in the U.S.

Time Warner and AT&T have declined to comment on the talks.

Time Warners stock closed Friday at $89.48, up 7.82% for the day on reports that a deal with AT&T was in advanced discussions. That gives Time Warner a market value of about $70 billion. In after-hours trading, Time Warner was up as much as 5%. AT&Ts stock was down 3% for the day, closing at $37.49 per share (and was down 0.6% in after-hours trading).

Peter Chernin, the former COO of News Corp. who launched a digital content venture with AT&T in 2014, is advising AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson on the Time Warner negotiations, according to sources. Its speculated that Chernin could play a larger role at AT&T if the Time Warner deal comes together.

To execute such a deal, AT&T would have to raise billions in additional debt. AT&T has $7.2 billion of cash and equivalents on hand, and expects to generate $16 billion in cash from operations in 2016. That means a deal for Time Warner would be highly leveraged, on top of AT&Ts existing $126 billion in long-term debt.

Besides the high price tag, an AT&T-Time Warner merger would face a high level of regulatory scrutiny  as well as restrictions akin to those placed on Comcast when it bought NBCUniversal. And some analysts are skeptical that AT&T would achieve much synergy by owning Time Warner, although the pairing could bulk up both companies over-the-top video strategies.

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Apple, which has informally explored the idea of buying Time Warner, was said to be monitoring the situation closely with respect to the AT&T-Time Warner talks, the Wall Street Journal reported. That could be motivating AT&T to accelerate its push to clinch a deal for Time Warner.

Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.

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(Reuters) - Senior executives of telecommunications company AT&T Inc and media conglomerate Time Warner Inc have discussed various business strategies including a possible merger in recent weeks, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people it said were familiar with the matter. A deal would be one of the largest in recent years in the sector as telecom companies make a land grab for media firms in order to get hold of valuable content. Time Warner shares jumped 4.7 percent in regular trading and slightly extended gains after hours. AT&T shares slipped 1.8 percent. Neither side has yet hired a financial adviser, Bloomberg said. (http://bloom.bg/2enqBF9) AT&T and Time Warner declined to comment. Time Warner is attractive because of its premium cable channel HBO, the CNN news network, film studio Warner Bros and other media assets. AT&T, which sells wireless phone and broadband services, may be looking to emulate cable company Comcast Corp , which acquired NBCUniversal and DreamWorks Animation in a bid to become a massive force that controls how television shows and movies are made and how they are delivered to viewers. Owning more content gives cable and telecom companies more leverage as customers demand smaller, hand-picked cable offerings or are cutting the cord altogether and watching online. AT&T has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse, buying satellite TV provider DIRECTV last year for $48.5 billion. Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes has not been willing to sell in the past. The company rejected an $80 billion offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc in 2014. While Bewkes, 64, was not open to a deal two years ago, the pace of consolidation in the media sector may urge him to reconsider, especially as two competitors, Viacom Inc and CBS Corp have been exploring a potential merger at the request of controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone. Talk of a deal comes as another potential bidder, Verizon Communications Inc , is busy with its purchase of internet company Yahoo Inc , which has been set back by news of a massive hacking breach into Yahoo customers' email accounts. Time Warner has a market value of about $65 billion. AT&T has a market value of about $238 billion. Any merger of that size in a sensitive market would get a close look from regulators, analysts said, but that would not necessarily derail a deal. "Whoever the next president's pick for the Federal Communications Commission is will have a significant say," said Recon Analytics analyst Roger Entner. Entner said Comcast's purchase of NBCUniversal set a precedent and there is "a strong argument to say the FCC should approve" a deal between AT&T and Time Warner. (Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru, Jessica Toonkel and Malathi Nayak in New York and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Bill Rigby)
The news that AT&T and Time Warner are in advanced talks for a massive merger immediately triggers the question: Just how tough or easy would it be for such a deal to get the governments greenlight?

While past major acquisitions provide some clues for how the federal government would scrutinize the transaction, a big uncertainty is just who would be in the position to say yea or nay to such a deal.

The next president may very well mean new heads of the Department of Justices antitrust division and, assuming that the FCC also has oversight over any transaction, a new chairman or chairwoman.

Analysts and antitrust experts on Friday pointed to Comcasts acquisition of a majority stake in NBCUniversal in 2011 to offer examples of the type of concerns that regulators would have over such a big combination of distribution with content. That deal took more than a year to clear  but it got done with significant conditions.

Its going to get close scrutiny, said Mark Ostrau, chair of the antitrust and unfair competition group and partner at the law firm of Fenwick & West in Mountain View, Calif. It is going to be very similar to the Comcast/NBC Universal combination, where you have one of the few pipeline providers and a major content provider merging.

He added, As they say, this would be deja vu all over again.

AT&T and Time Warner have the advantage of limited competitive overlap. But Ostrau noted that the regulatory environment has changed a bit in the five years since the Comcast/NBCU transaction was approved.

The administration is taking an unusually public position with their concerns over consolidation in a couple of key industries, and communications is a big one, he said. There is a lot of the political atmosphere that will be brought to bear here as well.

Comcasts proposed merger with Time Warner Cable was blocked, even though the companies argued that they were not removing competition in any one market. AT&Ts own proposed merger with T-Mobile was rebuffed. AT&T did win approval last year for its acquisition of DirecTV.

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Amy Yong, analyst at Macquarie Capital, said that she thinks that areas where AT&T may have to agree to concessions would center around broadband distribution, over-the-top services and exclusivity of content.

C. Kerry Fields, professor at USCs Marshall School of Business, says that he does think that the merger could garner approval, but they are going to look very carefully at its effect on the wireless market because there has been such consolidation in that area.

Among the areas that would be likely to invite scrutiny:

Online video market. In recent transactions, government regulators have zeroed in on the impact that media mergers will have on the emerging market for online video  over-the-top ventures and streaming services.

Groups like the Writers Guild of America have been very vocal of the possibility that consolidation will stifle startups at the very moment that content creators are enjoying greater opportunity.

AT&T, since its purchase of DirecTV, has announced the launch of an online service, in what may position it to be a stronger competitor to cable.

But John Bergmayer, senior staff attorney at public interest group Public Knowledge, said that of concern is whether DirecTV would favor Time Warner content by crowding out or refusing to carry alternative and independent programming that viewers might prefer.

In its transaction, Comcast/NBCU agreed to a condition that prevents it from demanding licensing terms that would limit an online platforms access to content.

NBCU also had to relinquish its management rights in Hulu. Time Warner does have a 10% stake in Hulu in August, but it does not have a place on its board of directors.

Time Warner programming. HBO, CNN and Turner networks are the jewels in its content empire, and the DOJ would likely look at the potential for AT&T to impose unreasonable terms on its competitors to carry such channels.

AT&T might also make it more expensive or difficult for competitors to DirecTV or to its streaming service to access Time Warner programming, hoping to drive customers to its own platforms, Bergmayer said.

That was a concern with the Comcast/NBCU transaction. In one of their conditions, they agreed to not retaliate against any broadcast network, cable programmer, production studio or content licensee for licensing content to a competing cable, satellite or telephone company or an online video distributor. The FCC also set up an arbitration mechanism to resolve disputes  ostensibly to avoid the years long process of pursuing a complaint.

Net neutrality. The FCCs net neutrality rules prohibit Internet providers from discriminating against certain types of content  for obvious reasons a big deal in the case of AT&T. It is among the plaintiffs seeking to overturn those rules. It is very possible that the court challenge will have played out by the time a merger is finalized. If not it is not entirely out of the question that the federal government would seek a condition that the company agree to abide by the rules no matter what happens in the courts.

Thats essentially what Comcast did as a condition for its merger with NBCUniversal. It agreed to abide by a previous set of net neutrality rules that were overturned in the courts.

Political environment. AT&T is well versed in the levers of power. It ranks in the top 10 among D.C. lobbying spending so far this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Its longtime chief policy official in Washington, Jim Cicconi, just retired, right after endorsing Hillary Clinton despite a long history of backing Republicans. His successor, Robert Quinn, has generally donated to Democrats.

But there is also a risk of appearing to assume that a merger is all but inevitable. Critics of Comcasts proposed merger with Time Warner Cable only seem to escalate their attacks on the transaction as Comcast hired on more lobbyists and advertised in the Washington Post and other places. Ultimately, the merger was blocked.

The current FCC chairman, Tom Wheeler, has aggressively taken on industry lobbyists in areas where he believes competition falls short  like the availability of high-speed broadband and the grip that pay-TV providers have on certain areas of the market, like set-top box rentals. Much would depend on who succeeds him.

AT&T has been down this road before, Ostrau said. Some of [their proposed] mergers have worked and some have not. What that means is that the company understands what they will have to come through with in assurances and agreements to make this palatable.

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Meet the Bundle 2.0: YouTube, Hulu, AT&T Get Into the Live Streaming TV Game

AT&T Closing In on $85 Billion Deal for Time Warner, Could Be Announced as Early as Sunday (Reports)

AT&T-Time Warner Questions: What's the Price Tag and Why Now?
A defective Takata airbag has claimed the life of an 11th U.S. victim as the airbags massive recallthe largest in American historydrags into its third year.

A 50-year-old woman driving a 2001 Honda Civic in Riverside County, California was killed on the night of Oct. 20, 2016, after she collided with another vehicle and her airbag deployed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That Civic was first recalled in 2008, NHTSA says, and records indicate that the recall work was not performed.



Inflators in Takata airbags have been found to explode, sending shards of shrapnel through the airbags and causing some of the victims to bleed to death in otherwise routine, survivable crashes.

The Takata recall, which began in 2014, now includes nearly 70 million airbag inflators. Fourteen different car companies are carrying out the repairs, spanning 32 different vehicle makes.

The size and scope of the recall has left millions of cars still being driven around with the potentially dangerous airbags. Automakers and regulators have been struggling to ramp up manufacturing of replacement parts and to coordinate their delivery to the highest-risk vehicles first.

Older cars in the hotter climates pose the greatest risk, so those vehicles are being targeted first. If you have a newer car and drive in a colder climate, your risk is a lot lower.

See the chart below for a complete rundown of automakers affected and how many cars have been repaired.

Automaker Airbags Repaired* Airbags Recalled* Completion Rate (%)* BMW 258,823 1,783,756 14.5 Fiat Chrysler 1,384,925 4,400,779 31.5 Daimler Trucks 759 2,596 29.2 Daimler Vans 223 47,196 0.5 Ferrari 240 2,830 8.5 Ford 321,741 1,735,388 18.5 GM 552 324,706 0.2 Honda 7,496,214 16,464,340 45.5 Mazda 156,593 976,266 16 Mitsubishi 17,634 114,506 15.4 Nissan 287,796 1,338,586 21.5 Subaru 136,553 946,969 14.4 Toyota 1,326,928 3,426,099 38.7

Honda has been among the most aggressive of the automakers in repairing Takata airbags, with a 46-percent completion rate as of Oct. 7, 2016, according to NHTSA. It also has by far the most units affectedmore than 16 million. And nine out of the 11 U.S. fatalities occurred in an Acura or Honda vehicle.

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Toyota is the only other automaker that has repaired at least a third of its airbags, 1.3 million out of 3.4 million recalled.

General Motors has repaired less than 1 percent of the 324,706 airbags it has recalled. Daimler Vans USA LLC, the maker of Sprinter vans, has also repaired fewer than 1 percent. Ferraris completion rate is 8.5 percent.According to regulators, a combination of the cars age and location puts drivers at greatest risk. The biggest danger is in areas of continuous high humidity, like Florida, Texas, and the Gulf Coast.

The explosive in the defective airbags, ammonium nitrate, begins to degrade somewhere around seven to 10 years, and it gets more unstable over time. Lab tests show that inflators pulled from these kinds of vehicles rupture about half the time, NHTSA said.

You can look up your car(s) by VIN number at the governments Safercar.gov website or use the links on the Consumer Reports Takata FAQ page to go to the manufacturer website(s).





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples



Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
John Podesta, Clinton campaign chairman. (Photo illustration by Yahoo News. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

Throughout the Democratic primary, Hillary Clintons campaign presented her as a crusading reformer who would take on powerful corporate interests and curb the role of big money in American politics.

But the recent WikiLeaks dump of campaign chairman John Podestas emails offers revealing snapshots that tell a somewhat different story. Top aides plot to scare our people into giving bigger sums. They debate whether to take cash from registered foreign agents: Take the money!! one senior campaign official advises. A top corporate lobbyist, pressed to hit up his clients for Clinton campaign coffers, asks for high-level help to advance one of those clients interests. And there are new details about the overseas cash that rolled into the Clinton Foundation  including a $12 million commitment from the king of Morocco that Hillary Clinton personally helped facilitate.

The emails also disclose just how nervous top Clinton advisers were that Vice President Joe Biden might get into the race (Podesta himself was convinced he was getting in.) And they fretted about their own candidates limitations. Almost no one knows better [than] me that her instincts can be terrible, wrote one longtime Clinton aide.

The Clinton campaign has refused to confirm the authenticity of the emails, which the U.S. intelligence community has said were leaked as the result of a Russian cyberattack.

Here are six revealing highlights from the Podesta emails that provide a window into how the Clinton campaign operated when it thought (wrongly, as it turned out) nobody was looking.

_____

(Email released by WikiLeaks)

On May 3, 2015, Hillary Clinton got alarmed. She had just read a New York Times story about how the Federal Election Commission was deadlocked cracking down on election abuse. Outside super-PACs were being bankrolled by billionaire donors, the Times reported. Prospective rivals, like Jeb Bush, were skirting finance laws by raising millions.

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That morning, Clinton forwarded the story to Podesta. In light of this predictable statement of the obvious, what do you suggest we do? she wrote. His response: The Clinton campaign should get cracking and ramp up its own outside super-PAC operation. Among the things we have to do, he wrote, is Get Priorities functional. Thats a reference to Priorities USA Action, the pro-Clinton super-PAC that would soon start collecting seven-figure donations from Democratic-leaning billionaires. (Such super-PACs are supposed to be independent of official campaign committees; the Podesta email shows just how much those lines have blurred.)

And, Podesta recommended, the Clinton campaign should put the Times story to good use. Use this to scare our people into giving bigger sums, he writes. And, bring in some big guns. We may need to get WJC [William Jefferson Clinton] into the mix sooner. We should also ask BHO [President Obama] to do more in light of this, although they are kind of prissy about how they approach this.

(Email released by WikiLeaks)

In April 2015, the Clinton campaign was debating a sensitive issue: Should it take cash from bundlers (high-dollar fundraisers) who were registered agents for foreign governments and corporations?

President Obamas campaign had banned donations from all registered lobbyists. The Clinton campaign had lifted those restrictions but was unsure what to do about a particular subset: lobbyists for foreign interests. One campaign official, Karuna Seshasai, wanted a firm policy to reject such cash. But finance director Dennis Cheng noted that would cut off people we are close with like Tony Podesta [John Podestas brother, whose foreign clients included the governments of India, Cyprus, Albania, and Azerbaijan] and the law firm of DLA Piper [one of whose lobbyists, Clinton fundraiser John Merrigan, represented the United Arab Emirates, Dubai and Turkey.]

I do want to push back a bit (its my job!), Cheng wrote in one email. I feel like we are leaving a good amount of money on the table (both for primary and general, and then DNC and state parties) and how do we explain to people well take money from a corporate lobbyist but not them; that the [Clinton] Foundation takes $ from foreign govts but we now we wont.

Campaign lawyer Marc Elias weighed in: I lean away from a bright line rule here, he wrote, proposing that just as we vet lobbyists case by case, I would do the same with FARA [Foreign Agent Registration Act lobbyists]. He adds: A total ban feels arbitrary and will engender the same eye-rolling and ill will that it did for Obama.

The final word in this email thread came from Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri (a veteran of the Obama White House.) On April 17, 2015, under the subject Re: Foreign registered agents, she wrote campaign manager Robby Mook: Take the money!!

(Email released by WikiLeaks)

Besides representing multiple foreign governments, Clinton fundraiser Tony Podesta, brother of her campaign manager, also lobbies for a bevy of major corporate interests, including big banks (Wells Fargo), defense contractors (Lockheed Martin), oil companies (BP) and pharmaceutical firms (Merck). On Nov. 13, 2015, John Podesta emailed Tony Podesta an invite for a Hillary Victory Fund dinner (with  a memorable performance by Sting). The cost: $33,400 per person, $66,800 per couple and $100,000 to be event chair.

Have you been hit up for this yet? John Podesta asked his lobbyist brother.

No first Ive heard, Tony replied by email the next day. They seem weird They want me to hit up by clients Cause Im a lobbyist not this. He then adds Did you see my email re Dennis and Puerto Rico?

That was a reference to some help Tony wanted from John on behalf of one of his clients, the governor of Puerto Rico, then facing a financial crisis due to a $72 billion debt load. To fend off its hedge fund creditors, Puerto Rico was seeking bankruptcy protection from Congress and the Obama administration. When John asked him to resend the request, Tony obliged the next day. Puerto Rico-we need something in omnibus or we default, he wrote. Will u email/call Dennis asking him to see Gov and me.

Yes, John replied the next day.

Its unclear from the email who Dennis is  or whether the meeting Tony Podesta was seeking ever took place. (Juan Hernandez, executive director of the Washington office of Puerto Rico, said that commonwealth governor Alejandro Padilla did have meetings at the White House on the debt crisis, but said he did not know if that included Obamas chief of staff, Denis McDonough). Still, the email shows the mutually beneficial bond  familial and otherwise  between the Clinton campaign and one of Washingtons most influential lobbyists.

(Email released by WikiLeaks)

There have been few issues dicier for the Clinton campaign than the huge foreign donations that poured into the Clinton Foundation. In one April 16, 2012, email, a Clinton Foundation official circulates another email reporting that the ambassador of the Persian Gulf monarchy of Qatar would like to see WJC [William Jefferson Clinton] for five minutes in NYC to present a $1 million check that Qatar promised for WJCs birthday in 2011.

That hefty donation cast a new light on a previously reported Aug. 17, 2014, Hillary Clinton email to John Podesta laying out her strategy to combat the Islamic State terror group. In that missive, she noted that the same Qatari government (which two years earlier had given the big check to the family foundation) was covertly funding the terrorist group, which she refers to as ISIL (also known as ISIS). We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region, she wrote.

(Email released by WikiLeaks)

As the Clinton campaign was about to get off the ground in 2015, it was facing an awkward scheduling problem: Hillary Clinton was slated to fly off to Marrakech, Morocco, for a gala meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. The optics would soon get even worse that spring, when Politico revealed that the meeting was being bankrolled with at least $1 million from OCP, a controversial Moroccan phosphate firm.

It turns out that Politico had only one piece of the story. As early as January, while the campaign was still in its testing the waters phase, aides were fretting about the Morocco trip, which was scheduled to take place after Clinton would officially declare her candidacy in April. It turns out the Clinton Global Initiative, an arm of her family Foundation, apparently didnt even want to have a meeting in Morocco, but Hillary Clinton did  and there was a lot more than $1 million at stake. This was HRCs idea, aide Huma Abedin wrote John Podesta and campaign manager Robby Mook on Jan. 18, 2015, adding that our office approached the Moroccans and they 100 percent believe they are doing this at her request. The King has personally committed approx $12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting.

Abedin added: It will break a lot of china to back out now when we had so many opportunities to do it in the past few months. She created this mess and she knows it.

In the end, Hillary Clinton did back out of the May trip to Morocco after officially declaring her candidacy on April 12. Bill Clinton went instead. But the Abedin emails shed new light on the role that Clinton herself played in arranging foreign funding for the Clinton Foundation.

(Email released by WikiLeaks)

In the fall of 2015, as Clinton was taking fire over her private email server, her top aides were increasingly nervous. It looked to many as if Vice President Joe Biden was about to jump into the race. Biden will get in, John Podesta predicted to longtime Clinton adviser Neera Tanden. We are still way more likely than not to win nomination. Weve taken on a lot of water that wont be easy to pump out of the boat. Most of that has to do with terrible decisions made pre-campaign, but a lot has to do with her instincts. Shes nervous so prepping more and performing better. Got to do something to pump up excitement but not certain how to do that.

Tanden wrote back, offering some reassurance. You know Im not a sycophant to you by any means. But the thing that makes me most confident she will prevail is that you are there. Almost no one knows better [than] me that her instincts can be terrible. She does have to give time to allow new things to take hold.
A teacher wrote an awful letter home about a little girls natural hair, and thats a big problem

Black girls and women are constantly policed because of their appearance. Whether its their skin tone or their hair texture, the policing  and sometimes violence  that Black women and girls are forced to endure just for existing is inexcusable. And one teacher exemplified this unjust behavior in her treatment of a little girls beautiful natural hair.

Tionna Norris received a letter from her daughters teacher at Raggedy Anne Learning Center in Chicago  but instead of being notified about either her childs disruptive or exceptional behavior displayed in the classroom (which is normally what youd find in a teachers note), Norris was shocked to find the letter focused on her daughter Amias natural hair.

The letter in question requested that Norris use less coconut oil in her daughters hair in order to prevent classmates from teasing her daughter about how her hair stinks. As Cosmopolitan mentions, Amia is also the only black child in her class.

*applies the same amount of coconut oil* y'all gone feel that black girl magic. Sincerely, unapologetically black mom. P.s. Coconut oil has no stinky smell. Posted by Tionna Norris on Monday, October 10, 2016

Even after Norris sent a follow-up letter to the schools administrator, it was reported that no bullying incident ever took place. Norris believes that the letter was sent as a result of the teachers discrimination against her daughter, and we cant really blame her.

Black girls and women who choose to wear their hair naturally are constantly bombarded with messages that their hair is dirty, unkempt, or downright disgusting. And if these messages arent spoken aloud by classmates and coworkers, theyre written within the coded institution regulations that state how unprofessional it is to wear hair in puffs or dreadlocks.

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Norris has since removed Amia from the school, and is focusing on building her daughters self-esteem and confidence. That way incidents like this will not dampen her spirit. We can only hope that as there is a greater push for diversity, well begin to create a culture that embraces and celebrates the traits that make Black girls and women unique  including our natural hair.

The post A teacher wrote an awful letter home about a little girls natural hair, and thats a big problem appeared first on HelloGiggles.




On The Alan Colmes Show on Fox News on Thursday, Rep. Brian Babin of Texas invoked Southern gentility as he tried to explain why he believes that women should be called out for being nasty.

In discussing the third and final 2016 presidential debate with Fox News Radio host Alan Colmes, Babin defended Donald Trumps decision to turn to the audience while Clinton was speaking and interject: Such a nasty woman!

You know what? Shes saying some nasty things, Babin replied.

You think its appropriate to call her a nasty woman? pressed Colmes, a liberal political commenter.

Well, Im a genteel Southern gentleman, Alan, the GOP congressman maintained.

So does that mean no? Colmes said.

No, I think sometimes a lady needs to be told when shes being nasty, Babin said.

Oh, really?

I do.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Rep. Brian Babin of Texas. (Photos: Frank Franklin II/AP, Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Trump made his comment after the former secretary of state landed a quick jab at him while explaining how she would address the problem of Social Security and Medicare running out of money. She said payroll rates would have to be increased and that Trump would have to pay more, assuming he doesnt try to get out of it. As she segued to her next point, Trump interrupted with the nasty woman comment, which critics immediately denounced as typical of his sexist rhetoric.

Babin, who represents Texas 36th district, did not actually call Clinton a nasty woman himself, but Colmes kept pushing him to confirm whether he agreed with Trumps characterization. Babin merely suggested that Clinton has done some nasty things.

Why are you ducking me? Colmes said. You either agree or disagree with Donald Trump.

I agree with him. I think shes done some nasty things, Babin said.

Babin did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News.
Cardamom farmers rue lack of govt assistance

Cardamom farmers in the eastern district of Dhankuta have complained about the concerned authorities failure to assist them.
From Cosmopolitan

Zuzu Verk, a 22-year-old student at Sul Ross State University in Texas, went to the movies with her on-again, off-again boyfriend and a group of friends on Tuesday, Oct. 11. After that, she mysteriously vanished, and police have launched a massive search effort to find her.

According to CBS 7, Zuzus mother hadnt heard from her by that Friday, and so she called her boyfriend, who said he hadnt heard from her either. It turned out she had never showed up for her midterm exam that Wednesday and missed her shift at work. On Friday, Zuzu had planned to go camping once midterms were over but now has utterly vanished, with her cell phone dead.

WFAA-TV reports that the boyfriend is a person of interest in the case and that police had searched his house Wednesday. There are also other persons of interest, authorities say. Investigators and volunteers have searched more than 200 square miles so far.

There is a $30,000 reward for information that leads to finding her or having her return safely home. Police are also looking for information regarding a gray 2006 Jeep Liberty and a 2004 Mazda Miata convertible being driven the night of Oct. 12. Authorities urge anyone with information to call the Alpine Police Department at (432) 837-3486.

Friends of the Verk family have set up a GoFundMe account to pay for the familys travel costs during the search. Were all special but theres something exceptional about this young woman. Shes vibrant and shes full of excitement and life, her father, Glenn Verk, told CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. Im just very proud of her and I want to see her again.

Follow Megan on Twitter.

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The leader of Thailands junta, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, has warned that anyone upsetting those still mourning the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej risks violent attack.

According to the Bangkok Post, Prayuth, whose remarks were conveyed by a junta spokesman, said that insensitive remarks and behavior could prompt physical retribution.

The generals stark warning reflects the paranoia that persists in the country a week after the monarchs passing.

Five people have been arrested under lese majeste laws since the King died last Thursday, according to the Bangkok Post, while a number of others have been attacked by ultra-royalist mobs, beaten or forced to publicly prostrate themselves before images of the late monarch.

Despite evidence of mob-style justice being carried out in several towns across the country, there have been no reports of legal action taken against vigilantes.

Thailands draconian lese majeste legislation is meant to protect the monarchy from defamation, but in practice it is freely used by authorities to neutralize dissent. Thais have been threatened with decades in jail for crimes as innocuous as making fun of the late Kings dog.

The junta continues to use the law to undermine opponents as part of stabilizing the new throne, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, associate professor of politics at Kyoto Universitys Center for Southeast Asian Studies, tells TIME in an email. Even when it will be counterproductive.

Earlier this week, a senior junta member said Thailand would seek to extradite suspects living abroad, prompting concern that the lese majeste law  and another controversial provision broadly outlawing computer crimes  could be leveraged to hunt down exiles and emigres. The official acknowledged that extradition would be unlikely, though his comments coincided with calls from royalist vigilantes for Thais to track down an exile believed to be hiding in France.

The junta has asked Internet service providers to monitor content during the mourning period and block what they see as inappropriate material. According to the Bangkok Post, scores of people are having their online activity closely monitored by a government cybersecurity team, while some 200 websites have been blocked.
By Steve Slater LONDON (IFR) - Bang! It was the explosion in financial markets heard across the world 30 years ago which transformed the City of London from a cosy network of long-established firms into a cut-throat landscape dominated by foreign banks. This week is the 30th anniversary of Big Bang, a package of reforms across the securities industry that shaped the City that exists today, putting London alongside New York as the world's two dominant financial centres. This year's anniversary has extra significance. International firms that arrived on the back of Big Bang are considering whether to stick with London or move operations and jobs elsewhere following Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union. "It [Big Bang] put London on the map in a way it wasn't before. All the international firms came to London or enlarged what they had," recalled Nicholas Goodison, who was the architect of the reforms as chairman of the London Stock Exchange at the time. OVERNIGHT JOLT Although the full impact of Big Bang evolved over years and the reasons for the reforms went back more than a decade, the transformation is associated with an overnight jolt - on October 27 1986. That was the brainchild of Goodison. He said a number of the necessary changes were inter-related so should all come at the same time, with good warning, to ensure orderly change. "We could have done it piecemeal but they were all too closely linked to each other," Goodison, now 82, told IFR in an interview last week. There were several parts to Big Bang: it abolished minimum fixed commissions on trades; it removed "single capacity", which since 1911 had separated the role of brokers, who acted as agents for clients, and jobbers, who made the market and provided liquidity by holding stock on their books; and it allowed foreign ownership of UK brokers, to fix capital shortfalls at many firms. Big Bang also introduced electronic share trading, which did away with the need for face-to-face share deals and made trading far quicker and more efficient. The changes were brought in to head off an investigation by the competition watchdog, which wanted to take the stock exchange to the Restrictive Practices Court, a move Goodison said would have resulted in chaos. In 1983 he proposed to Cecil Parkinson, trade and industry secretary at the time, that he would eliminate fixed commissions within three years. Parkinson agreed and, helped by Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, persuaded Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to back the reforms. That was not easy because Thatcher "didn't like being friends with the City", Goodison recalled. He said she subsequently took little interest in Big Bang, despite being credited as its driving force. "The myth that Big Bang was part of Mrs Thatcher's revolution is just wrong," Goodison said. Goodison said the reforms were inevitable after the US abolished fixed commissions in 1974 and Britain scrapped exchange controls in 1979. "The writing was on the wall and we knew that," he said. "Anybody could forecast that the competitive pressures on fixed commission would increase because the biggest securities houses in the world were in America. It was obvious the thing was creaking." Goodison said Big Bang achieved its goal better than a court ruling would have done because it pushed through changes smoothly. The biggest challenge was setting up the electronic trading platform. "It broke down in the first hour. It was difficult. But the reason it broke down was that it had a huge volume of people trying to access it on the first morning and everybody pressed buttons at once." It was sheer curiosity that caused it to break down, he said. FOREIGN PREDATORS Big Bang sparked profound changes across the City. Brokers, jobbers and merchant banks started merging. Some were bought by UK clearing banks, but many more were snapped up by big US, European and Asian banks. Well-known firms such as James Capel, Schroders and Warburg kept some branding in bigger firms, but other old names such as Pinchin Denny and Scrimgeour Kemp Gee were easily swallowed. That has led to criticism of the "Wimbledonisation" of the City - that London hosts the activity but most of the top players are foreign. Barclays and HSBC are two of the top 10 investment banks today, but the dominance of the City by overseas firms, especially from the US, is a legacy of Big Bang. "Under the previous system it was pretty much a closed shop, and suddenly they [foreign firms] were allowed to come in," said Paul Mumford, a fund manager at Cavendish Asset Management. "A lot of banks seized the opportunity and London became a global centre for markets. It could never have happened if we hadn't had this change," Mumford told IFR. Just as London firms were swallowed or reinvented, many careers changed, including Mumford's. He had been a broker and analyst, but a year after Big Bang he moved into fund management. "It was a relatively painless process but it took a little while for it to have its repercussions on certain areas," Mumford said. There were other less direct but still significant effects of Big Bang, including making it easier for firms to raise capital, contributing to the growth of hedge funds, and helping the rise of Canary Wharf as a new financial district in East London as firms could trade further away from the City using electronic communications. Culture also changed. Hours became longer, lunches shorter and pay rose. The business became more aggressive and less clubby, according to people who worked in the City on both sides of the changes. Critics reckon many of the banking industry's misconduct problems of the past decade can be traced to Big Bang, as it gave rise to a bonus culture that undermined the City's long-standing code of conduct and integrity. Goodison, for his part, was not paid for his work for the stock exchange. He was its last unpaid chairman, from 1976 to 1988, and held the role alongside his position as senior partner at Quilter Goodison, a broker that went the way of many peers - it was bought by an overseas predator, France's Paribas. Goodison said London was right to welcome international firms and needs to continue to do so to stay in front, aided by the advantages of its time zone, language and legal system. "If London wants to win it has to be open. You can't run a closed shop and win. The essence of London's financial markets is openness to the world," he said. (This story will appear in the October 22 issue of IFR Magazine; Reporting by Steve Slater)
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Islamic Jihad Islamist movement staged a public show of force in the Gaza Strip on Friday, with its leader praising Iran and criticising Arab states.

Thousands of supporters, including fighters from the party's Al-Quds Brigades military wing, took part in the event in the Palestinian enclave bordering Israel.

Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah spoke via a video link, using his speech to accuse some Arab countries of abandoning the Palestinian cause.

"If the Arabs turn their backs on Palestine and embrace Israel, they can no longer condemn the resistance for taking support from Iran," Shalah said, without naming any countries.

"(Iran) is the only country which commits to the unending support of the Palestinian cause."

He also called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to abandon the Oslo peace accords signed with Israel in the early 1990s, which were meant to lead to an independent Palestinian state.

Hamas, another Islamist movement, runs Gaza but has a long-term alliance with Islamic Jihad.

Hamas has been in conflict with Abbas's Fatah movement, which runs the occupied West Bank, since 2007, with multiple attempts at reconciliation faltering.

Shalah on Friday called for all Palestinian factions to come together for a "national dialogue".




A Seattle school district is taking the Black Lives Matter movement to an inspiring new level. To demonstrate solidarity, many teachers wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts to school on Wednesday and used their sartorial expression as a means to initiate dialogue about systemic racism, teach black history, and promote racial equality, according to the Associated Press and King 5 News.

Parents and students also wore the T-shirts, which honor the Black Lives Matter movement, founded by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors, in the aftermath of the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin. The founders identify the movement, in a nutshell, as a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life.

Still feelin' the love. #blacklivesmatteratschool A photo posted by C Davida Ingram (@idebelle76) on Oct 20, 2016 at 8:54am PDT

Jesse Hagopian, a Seattle high school teacher, organized the event to raise awareness of racial inequities at school, such as disproportionately lower dropout rates and higher suspension rates for students of color. Hagopian specified that in addition to awareness and education, he wanted the day to be one of action.

Some schools even held rallies, including Garfield High School, where teachers stood on the schools steps during lunch hour. They shared their struggles and determination to close the achievement gap for their students, the Associated Press reports. For one faculty member, the event hit very close to home. Special Education teacher Janet Dubois told the harrowing story of losing her own son to a police shooting after hed struggled in school. When our kids are failed, and they have to go to alternative places and end up with their lives hanging in the balance because someone does not care, she said, according to the article.

In an act of further solidarity, educators who participated in #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool had the full support of the Seattle school district, according to Mic, although the AP reports that some have questioned whether the action in public schools is appropriate. A Seattle Public Schools spokesperson made the districts position clear, telling the AP and KING 5 News, We are united in our commitment to eliminate opportunity gaps. Teachers have a First Amendment right to wear their speech. We respect our teachers rights and desire to express themselves. T-shirts are a good visual. We hope the message inspires people to do the work on eliminating opportunity gaps.

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The district is walking the walk, too. Its in the midst of a week campaign to eliminate opportunity gaps in schools, including disparities in achievement between white students and students of color, according to the AP. This includes a rally that was held on Wednesday evening to further discuss the movement. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett was in attendance at Seattles Washington Hall, standing onstage to lead the crowd in a chant.

The reaction of one African-America teen, Bailey Adams, a senior at Garfield High School, speaks for the potential impact events like this can have on black students. All of my years Ive been in school, this has never been talked about, Garfield said, according to the AP. Teachers have never said anything where theyre going to back their students of color.

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This Immigrant Doctor Is Reimagining Health in the American City

Reporting last month for National Geographic magazine, I came away with a contrarian approach to the fur trade: Animal rights activists have always wanted to ban fur farming, but banning doesnt stop people from wearing fur, I wrote. It just moves production to areas where no rules apply, notably China. A more logical approach would be to keep fur farming legal, particularly in North America and Europe, under regulatory and marketplace pressures intended to make it a model for the entire livestock industry.

Interviewing people who work in the trade, I added one other idea: They know customers increasingly seek assurance that animals are being farmed as humanely as possible and on environmentally sustainable lines. New industry initiatives like Europes WelFur farm inspection system explicitly aim to meet those expectations. So why not go a step further? Why not set aside a percentage of each fur coat to support conservation of fur-bearing animals in the wild? It would of course be a marketing tool. But it would also begin to compensate for the unregulated commercial exploitation of spotted cats and other species in the past. Ill get to the industry response in a moment. First the news:

A study out this week in the journal Science Advances aims to calculate just how devastating that trade used to be. A team of researchers led by Andre Antunes of Brazils National Institute of Amazonian Research focused on the Amazonian basin from about 1904 until the commercial skin trade there effectively ended in 1969, under heavy international pressure.

For his research, Antunes spent years hunting down old cargo manifests and other commercial and port records, now squirreled away in various libraries and museums. Working with a coauthor in New Zealand, he then applied a computer model to calculate harvesting trends for different species. Though Antunes describes the results as a conservative estimate, the numbers are significantat least 23 million animals killed for the skin trade over a single human life span, in an area a little larger than Alaska.

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Predators at the top of the food chain, by definition a scarce commodity, were prominent among the victims182,564 jaguars and 804,080 ocelots and margay cats became fur coats during the period of the study. Other land animals fared even worse5.4 million collared peccaries, 4.2 million red brocket deer, and 3.1 million white-lipped peccaries.

Given how notorious the fur trade became in the 1960s, the researchers found no evidence that commercial hunting resulted in empty forests in the Amazon. Thats partly because the Amazon was still largely intact and inaccessible forest, unlike some other regions being decimated by the fur trade then. Travel was limited mainly to rivers. That put roughly 80 percent of the forest out of reach for commercial hunters, inadvertently providing a refuge for wildlife to repopulate exploited areas.

Empty rivers, on the other hand, were common, according to the study, with hunters hammering populations of black caiman (4.4 million animals taken), capybaras (1 million), giant otters (386,491), and manatees (110,504), among other species.

The 20th-century Amazonian skin market evolved as an aftereffect of the rubber trade, much as wildlife often vanishes today after logging and mining operations open remote forests. A late 19-century boom in rubber prices sent half a million people and a fleet of steamships into the Amazon to gather rubber. When prices collapsed in 1912, those colonists turned to the skin trade.

They continued to harvest animals without limit until 1967, when Brazil passed legislation to protect some overexploited species. The trade then limped along until the 1975 ratification of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, which ended international demand for hides from the Amazon.

Surprisingly, no previous studies documented the exploitation of the animals or the resilience of the ecosystem, said coauthor Taal Levi, a wildlife ecologist at Oregon State University.

Yet it was a massive international trade in furs and skins, he said.

Lack of proper historical data means that people trying to understand forest dynamics today may be making false assumptions, according to Antunes, who now works for Wildlife Conservation Society Brasil. In the 1990s, for instance, researchers attributed the depletion of white-lipped peccaries in the state of Acre to local bushmeat hunting. But these peccary populations had already collapsed in the mid-1940s because of the skin trade, according to the study, and still have not fully recovered. Lack of data also makes it hard for researchers to recognize ecological effects that may still be cascading through habitats because of the removal of predators or of peccaries and other seed-dispersing animals.

So how should the fur trade respond to its bloody past, not just in the Amazon but worldwide? When I suggested that the trade should contribute to conservation, the International Fur Federation told me that it already does so. In fact, it supports the work of a researcher I have written about named Dan Challender, a leading figure in the fight to end the massive trade in endangered pangolins. Over the past two years, Challender told me, fur industry support for work by the International Union for Conservation of Nature on sustainable use and trade has totaled roughly $123,000.

But the fur trade is a $40 billionayear business. If it really wants to respond to its critics, it needs to be donating millions of dollarsnot thousandsto conservation. It needs to take on big projects, such as tiger recovery in India or ocelot recovery in southeastern Texas. You could call that smart corporate citizenship.

Or you could look at the record of 23 million animals killed in the Amazonian skin trade and just call it reparations.

Take the Pledge: Say No to the Cruel Fur Trade

Related stories on TakePart:





 Feeding Russia's and China's Fur Fixation, American Trappers Make a Killing with Bobcat Pelts

 80,000 Baby Seals Are Being Slaughtered in Namibia to Make Fur Coats in China That Are Sold Over the Internet

 Chinas Wealthy Are Banking on Extinction

Original article from TakePart
CIAA chief had gone too far, difficult to save him: Deuba

A day after the conspicuous absence of the Nepali Congress (NC) in the impeachment process against Lokman Singh Karki moved by the governing CPN (Maoist Centre) and the main opposition CPN-UML, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba said on Thursday that he was not aware of the two parties plan of registering the proposal.
unemployment

In a speech on the economy in August, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called the roughly 5% unemployment rate "one of the biggest hoaxes in American modern politics."

He and his team like to cite much more expansive  and less mainstream  measures of unemployment than the standard includes. His senior economic adviser, David Malpass, said in a statement at the time that the overall unemployment rate was stuck at 9.7%, though on the campaign trail Trump also said he "heard unemployment was as high as 42%."

The 9.7% figure refers to something called the U6 rate. This measure loops in part-time workers who want full-time jobs and unemployed people who have looked for a job in the past year (even if they have found one by the time they are surveyed). The 42% figure encompasses everyone who is at least 16 and not working, which includes retirees, students, and stay-at-home parents. Most economists believe that's not an effective measure of unemployment.

The official US unemployment is called U3, and it stands at 4.9%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics updated that on October 7. The U3 rate, which includes only people who are not working but have actively looked for a job in the past month, has served as the most accepted measure since the 1930s.

The national unemployment rate has been declining since the start of the Obama administration. In October 2008, the U3 unemployment was 6.5%. It spiked to roughly 10% during the Great Recession and then recovered to its current rate, which many consider a healthy level.

Even the national U6 figures for unemployment  the one Trump often cites  have also declined steadily since 2010.

Nathan Yau of Flowing Data compiled unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which gives a larger picture of what unemployment has looked like over time. He created an animated time-lapse map that shows regional changes in unemployment across the country from 1990 to 2016. Darker areas signify where unemployment is higher, while lighter areas are where unemployment is low.

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When the recession hit in 2008, the map gets dramatically dark. But leading up to 2016, unemployment rates go down over time.

The visualization also shows that unemployment varies heavily by region.

As you can see, Middle America hasn't been affected by unemployment as much as the coasts. Unemployment also doesn't decrease as much in states like Ohio and Indiana. Trump has gained support in these areas by appealing to workers affected by the decline of manufacturing and the coal industry.

Nationally, the map features lower unemployment rates during the Clinton and Obama administrations, though the numbers are affected by more than just a president's policies, such as the dot-com boom in the 1990s.

But no matter which metric you use, the national unemployment rate has been decreasing  steadily in some regions more than others  for years.

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A Belgian region of 3.5 million inhabitants is threatening to hold up a ground-breaking trade deal between the European Union and Canada.

The socialist government of Walloon, a predominantly French-speaking southern federal region, voted to block the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Oct. 14a seven-year-long deal which would save European exporters hundreds of millions of euros a year, but would inevitably mean surrendering some sovereignty in the process.

Described by E.U. Observer as the best trade deal the E.U. has negotiated, CETA aims to eliminate 90% of tariffs between the two countries, the result being lower prices for goods, fewer obstacles for exporters, and opportunities for European service companies to bid for work across the Atlantic. If it goes through, it will be the E.U.s biggest trade deal in history.

It would also allow European toys and electrical products to be sold straight to Canadians, without having to go through a second round of health and safety checks, The Economist reports, and one estimate suggest it would make Europe richer by 5.8 billion ($6.3 billion) a year.

However, the Walloon Parliament considers CETA to pose a threat to farmers and welfare standards despite Belgiums national government backing it.

The consequences of rejecting this agreement may not be felt by Wallonia itself, as 90% of Belgiums trade to Canada comes from the Flanders region, E.U. Observer states. However, by sabotaging the Flemish economy, Wallonia is also risking the part of the Belgian economy that pays for most of Wallonias welfare and threatening to derail a balanced deal that could lead to improved jobs and growth across a whole continent.

I hope that we will be able to see an agreed settlement in a few days with the Wallonians, because I believe that this CETA agreement is the best agreement that we have ever been able to negotiate to date, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday.

CETA must be ratified by 38 regional and national E.U. parliaments before it can be implemented fully, reports The Economist. The vast majority of E.U. countries believe in the deal and will presumably seek to find a way around Walloons decision, but recent protests in Germany, Poland, Spain and France suggest that its not just the small Belgian region that is posing a threat.

Belgium is no stranger to governmental dysfunction. The country went 589 days in 2010-11 without an elected national government, a record for a democracy, because the Walloons and the Dutch-speaking Flemish were unable to agree on policy positions.
A word to the wise: Stay away from ghost peppers.

A puree made from these peppers  which are infamous for their off-the-charts level of spiciness  led to a rare, life-threatening condition in an otherwise healthy, 47-year-old man in California, according to a recent report of the man's case.

Ghost peppers are among the hottest chili peppers in the world, the report said. They have a measured "heat" of more than 1 million Scoville heat units, according to the report. (For comparison, a poblano pepper measures at 2,000 Scoville units, and jalapenos come in at 5,000. Eating a single seed from a ghost pepper can cause severe burning in the mouth that lasts up to 30 minutes, the report said. [Here's a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We've Covered]

In the man's case, a ghost pepper had been pureed and served atop a hamburger as a part of an eating contest at local restaurant. After finishing the pepper-topped burger, the man drank six large glasses of water, then began "violently retching and vomiting," according to the report, which was published online in September in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The man ended up going to the emergency room in San Francisco because he couldn't stop vomiting, and developed severe chest and stomach pain, the authors wrote.

A CT scan of the man's chest appeared to show that his esophagus was torn and that his left lung had collapsed, so the man was sent for emergency surgery.

During the operation, the surgeons found a 2.5-centimeter (1 inch) tear in the man's esophagus. The tear was leaking food  a mix of "hamburger, onions and other green vomitus material"  into the space around the man's left lung, which had collapsed, according to the report. The surgeons repaired the man's esophagus and re-inflated his lung, then placed him on a feeding tube so that his esophagus could heal.

The man's condition, a "spontaneous esophageal rupture," which is also called Boerhaave syndrome, is "a relatively rare phenomenon," said lead study author Dr. Ann Arens, who was aphysician in the department of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco at the time of the man's case in the summer of 2015. (Arens is currently an emergency medicine doctor and medical toxicologist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.)

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Spontaneous esophageal rupture is caused by violent vomiting and retching, Arens said. In other words, the man's reaction to the ghost pepper, rather than the pepper itself, caused the rupture, Arens said.

The condition is very dangerous, and is fatal in 20 to 40 percent of all cases, even when patients receive treatment, the report said. "If [the condition is] left untreated, mortality approaches 100 percent," the authors wrote.

When patients die from a ruptured esophagus, the cause of death is likely a "rapid and fatal infection," Arens told Live Science.

The man was sent home from the hospital 23 days after the operation, the report said. His feeding tube was still in place when he was sent home, but Arens said the tube was only temporary, until the esophagus healed. She said she believes the man is currently doing well.

When Arens spoke to the man after the surgery, he "did not seem keen to try [eating a ghost pepper] again," she said.

Arens noted that she was not the primary doctor in the ER who was caring for the patient; rather, she was contacted by the doctors treating the man, because they wanted to know if there were any "antidotes" for hot peppers, she said.

"Unfortunately, there are no specific antidotes for hot peppers outside of the usual antacids," Arens added.

Originally published on Live Science.

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My father and mother met on a train in Louisiana in 1941. My father, a 25 year old from Appleton, WI, was in the army (yes, pre-Pearl Harbor) and was coming back from his mothers funeral. My mother, a 16 year old from Franklin, LA, in St Marys Parish, was introduced to my father by the nuns she was traveling with.

They corresponded throughout the war (my father saw much combat in Europe with the First Special Service Forces) and he proposed in a letter. They married when he returned in 1946. My grandfather said he knew the Civil War was over when his daughter married a Yankee.

Ah, but that is not the City of New Orleans.

During my childhood my family spent every summer in Louisiana and every winter in Wisconsin (there was something wrong with that picture). In 1963 I was five years old and my oldest brother was 14. Our mother was already in Louisiana with two of my siblings, and for some reason, the folks decided it would be a good idea for my brother and me to take the train downjust the two of us. We took the City of New Orleans. And instead of getting a roomette (I can hear my father say it would be a waste of money to get a roomette for those kids), we just had second-class seats.

We made it to New Orleans, complete with a change in depots in Chicago. At one point I got mad at my brother for trying to make me eat Jell-O with fruit in it. I got so mad I walked back from the dining car to our seats on my own. I am still not quite sure how I found the seats; I was 5, for crying out loud!

It was a fun trip. AND I get to tell anyone who cares that I rode on the City of New Orleans.
The bitterness shared between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton appears intense enough even to crack the smiling facades of New York City's white tie elite.

At the normally lighthearted Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner  an occasion for good-natured ribbing that precedes every presidential election  Manhattan's wealthy elite broke with tradition as boos were heard in the Waldorf Astoria hotel Thursday evening.

Read: The Other Contest He Claims Is Rigged: Donald Trump's Longstanding Feud With the Emmys

Their disdain appeared to be focused on the Republican nominee, who any other year would be tuxedo-clad among them, but the unusually spiteful 2016 event saw both candidates spitting venom.

"We've learned so much from WikiLeaks. For example, Hillary believes that it is vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private," was the Trump joke that drew boos.

"That's OK, I don't know who they're angry at, Hillary, you or I. For example, here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics," Trump said through the jeers from the audience at the Catholic charity fundraiser.

Hillary Clinton also appeared to depart from the norm. Instead of making mostly self-effacing jokes as Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and George Bush have done before her, Clinton picked at still raw wounds.

"People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants. A beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald sees the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair," was one Clinton zinger.

For this year's Al Smith Dinner to be out of the ordinary should come as a surprise to no one who has followed the 2016 campaign season.

Read: Stephen Baldwin Blasts Brother Alec's Trump Impression: 'It Is Not Really Funny'

The function came just a day after the third and final presidential debate, one that managed to have even more mudslinging and bitterness than the first two.

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And, with only 18 days to go and Trump maintaining that he may not accept the election results, the acrimony doesn't appear to be letting up anytime before November 8.

Watch: Paying Their Final Respects? Some of the Trump Women Dress in Black at Last Debate

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By Sankalp Phartiyal

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's telecoms regulator on Friday recommended the top three network operators be fined a combined 30.5 billion rupees ($455 million), saying they were denying new entrant Reliance Jio sufficient interconnection points.

Jio is part of Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.NS), controlled by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani. It began offering 4G services in September, triggering a war over network points that connect Jio customers with Bharti Airtel Ltd (BRTI.NS), Vodafone Plc's (VOD.L) India subsidiary and Idea Cellular Ltd (IDEA.NS).

Responding to Jio's complaints over the denial of points of interconnection (POI), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended a fine of 500 million rupees per telecom zone for each of the three operators.

Airtel and Vodafone India were fined for 21 zones each while Idea was fined for 19 zones. India has 22 telecoms zones or circles.

The denial of POI to Jio "appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer", TRAI said in a statement.

Reliance Jio did not respond to an email seeking comment while Vodafone and Idea declined comment.

"We are continuously augmenting the POIs provided to Reliance Jio and the pace of augmentation has been the fastest ever done by us," a spokesman for Airtel said.

"Further, we are in full compliance of the requirements of Grade of Service set by TRAI."

The federal government's Department of Telecom is expected to take up the issue of fines with the three telcos, and if a mutual arrangement is not arrived at the companies can seek legal recourse, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Promit Mukherjee; editing by David Clarke/Ruth Pitchford)
After a bald eagle was struck on the side of a busy Florida highway, dashcam video captured the sweet moment a kindhearted state trooper went out of his way to rescue the bird of prey.

Read: Llama on the Lam: Animal Gets Coffee, Takes Selfies With Neighbors After Escaping

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the adult male bald eagle hit a car's windshield Wednesday morning.

When FHP Trooper Julio Velez arrived on the scene, he can be seen calmly approaching the bird. Moving slowly, the trooper drapes his jacket over the stunned animal as he tries to pick him up and take him back to his patrol car.

#FHP Trooper Velez rescued an American Bald Eagle on the FL Turnpike! Watch as he brings the little guy to safety. https://t.co/YS8ujeLuBl pic.twitter.com/fOpUqpyBRt  FLHSMV (@FLHSMV) October 20, 2016

The eagle resisted at first, but eventually gave in as Velez loaded him into the back seat, where he waited as the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey arrived to transport it to their rescue facility.

"While there were no fractures, it does appear there is some internal bleeding," the wildlife sanctuary reported.

Read: The Unbelievable Moment Massive Eagle Tries to Fly Away With a Little Boy

The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey also plans to treat him for conditions unrelated to the accident, including increased lead levels and internal parasites.

Once the bald eagle is back in good health, rescuers anticipate they will release him back into the wild.

Watch: Bald Eagle That Forced Traffic Shutdown After He Was Hit by Car to Make Full Recovery

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Civil society appeals lawmakers to endorse impeachment motion with majority

Civil Society has welcomed the impeachment motion registered against CIAA Chief Commissioner Lokman Singh Karki at the Legislature-Parliament.
A.J. Delgado, a senior adviser to Donald Trumps campaign, said Friday that it was accurate for Trump to call Hillary Clinton a nasty woman at the third and final presidential debate.

Yahoo News anchor Bianna Golodryga brought up that many undecided women voters were taken aback by Trumps insult on stage at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Wednesday night. The phrase nasty woman has even become a feminist rallying cry for Clintons White House bid as the campaign cycle reaches the homestretch.

Why go there? I mean, this was at the tail end of this debate. He seemed to be restrained for the majority of it. They were talking about Social Security, and all of a sudden he just seemed to lash out like this, Golodryga told Delgado.

Delgado argued that its troubling to see Clinton laughing when people bring up controversies that have plagued her campaign, such as the alleged corruption of the Clinton Foundation or her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

I have to tell you when he called her a nasty woman, I think he was speaking for a great deal of America. We are angry at Hillary Clintons dismissal of the jobs that weve lost with NAFTA and these disastrous trade deals, Delgado said.

Why not say that? Golodryga said. Why not just go after her on substance?

According to Delgado, however, Trump was going after her on substantive issues because he wasnt calling her a nasty woman in any other regard.

Thats a personal attack, Golodryga countered.

Based on her policy position, Delgado said. When Mr. Trump explained her position on abortion and described it so viscerally, I can tell you many pro-life Americans were hearing that, and later,  when he refers to her as a nasty woman, somebody who would support partial-birth abortion, I could tell you there were probably quite a few Americans standing up and cheering that remark. Its referring to her being nasty based on her record.

Delgado, a prominent Trump surrogate, criticized Clintons treatment of women who have accused President Bill Clintons of misconduct, such as Juanita Broaddrick, who alleges that Clinton raped her in 1978, and Gennifer Flowers, with whom Clinton had an affair. She also accused Hillary Clinton of having weak policy proposals and being dismissive of the needs of regular Americans.

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Delgado also took issue with Clintons comment last September that half of Trumps supporters were irredeemable members of a basket of deplorables. Clinton partially walked that comment back.

I consider her a nasty woman for calling me and my fellow Americans irredeemable, Delgado said. As a person of faith, I dont ever use that term to refer to another human being.
Well, that was awkward.

If youve ever squirmed through a mean-spirited, ill-advised wedding toast delivered by somebodys inappropriate drunk uncle, then youll have some sense of the feeling in the room at New Yorks Waldorf-Astoria hotel Thursday night, where Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attended the annual fundraiser for Catholic charities known as the Al Smith Dinner.

The event has become a regular stop near the end of the presidential campaign cycle over the past decade, though its history stretches back more than 70 years. Over time, nominees have been invited or excluded based largely on their relationships with the Catholic Church. But under the leadership of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a famously gregarious churchman, during the last three elections all have been welcome for an evening away from the campaign trail, to relax and poke some fun at themselves.

That may change after this year.

Not quite 24 hours after they left the debate stage in Las Vegas, Clinton and Trump sat just a cardinal away from each other on the dais at the Al Smith Dinner, named for the New York governor who was also the first Catholic major party nominee for the White House in 1928. Trump won the coin toss to speak first  if he hadnt, joked Al Smith IV, he would cried foul about the rigged coin  and quickly made clear that there wasnt going to be much self-deprecating humor this year.

A special hello to all of you in this room who have known and loved me for many, many years, Trump began. Id become their best friends. They asked for my endorsement. But, he continued, since he began running for president, Now they think Im a no-good rotten disgusting scoundrel. It wasnt a joke. It was Trumps lifelong bitterness over the ridicule hes endured from the New York elites who have never accepted him.

With the crowd confused, Trump moved along to a few light jokes aimed at his opponent  Im sure Hillary is going to laugh a lot tonight. Maybe even at an appropriate moment.

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Another line got a huge laugh from the crowd, including Clinton herself  I bumped into Hillary backstage and she said, Pardon me. But it would have been funnier if he hadnt threatened to put her in jail during their second debate.

Trump even delivered one jibe at the expense of his wife, admitting that she didnt know about it in advance  Michelle [Obama] gives a speech and everyone loves it, its fantastic. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case.

And then the evening went off the rails. Dropping the pretense of humor, Trump began lobbing attack lines from his campaign rallies, calling Clinton so corrupt  so corrupt  she was fired from the Watergate committee. On the dais behind him, the eyes of dinner guests bulged and to his left, Clinton, who had been gamely playing along with a broad smile and laugh, froze.

The crowd began booing, an almost unheard-of occurrence at these generally clubby dinners. Jimmy Carter found himself booed when he appeared with Ronald Reagan in 1980, but that was based on policy differences. Conservative Catholics who thought the evangelical Carter would be a fellow abortion opponent when he was elected in 1976 had lost faith in him after four years in the White House and were furthered angered by his White House conference on families, which they saw as threatening the definition and structure of traditional families.

When Trump brought up Wikileaks, the boos and hisses increased in volume and he stopped to acknowledge them. Thats okay. I dont know who theyre angry at, he said, turning to Clinton. You or I. From the audience, someone hollered You!

Undeterred, Trump continued, saying of Clinton: Here she is now in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.

Nothing underscored the unprecedented nature of Trumps performance than the stony face of Cardinal Dolan, who at one point during the GOP nominees remarks sat with his chin in his hand, and didnt applaud even when Trump closed by praising the dinners charitable purpose.

Clintons turn at the podium was less awkward but her barbs were still more cutting than those of past candidates. She delivered the inevitable pantsuit joke, and acknowledged that shes not seen as the life of the party. The closest she got to addressing Trumps women problems was a joke about the Statue of Liberty  Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty, and sees a 4.

The few burns she let loose were scorchers. Pointing out Michael Bloomberg on the dais, Clinton said, Its a shame he isnt speaking tonight. Im curious to hear what a billionaire has to say. And noting that Trump suggested she be drug-tested before the final debate, she joked, I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. And looking back, I did. Its called preparation.

The crowd seemed more at ease with Clinton, groaning only when she suggested that Trump was the horse Vladimir Putin famously rides. And Trump appeared to take the ribbing mostly in stride, smiling occasionally. But the tension of this long, bitter, ugly campaign permeated the event. The two opponents did not shake hands when they entered the ballroom, although they did exchange a few words during dinner. And it was unclear until last week if both candidates would in fact attend.

Clinton got the last word, camouflaging a few of her toughest jabs in a more somber closing reflection on the history of Catholics in America. There are a lot of people in this room tonight who themselves or their parents or grandparents came here as immigrants, she said before touching on the anti-Catholicism they faced and that dogged Smiths presidential campaign.

Those appeals to fear and division can cause us to treat each other as the other, she continued. Rhetoric like that makes it harder for us to see each other, to respect each other, to listen to each other, and certainly a lot harder to love our neighbor as ourself.
By Dan Levine and Mica Rosenberg (Reuters) - If Donald Trump were to challenge the outcome of next month's presidential election, as he has hinted he might, he would face a difficult and expensive fight, according to election attorneys and a review of voting laws in key battleground states. Trump has said he is worried the Nov. 8 election might be rigged in favor of his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and in Wednesday's debate he refused to say he would accept the outcome. But before any court challenge, Trump probably would have to ask for a recount, said Donald Brey, a Republican election lawyer in Ohio. If the campaign did not pursue out-of-court options first, he said, a judge likely would dismiss the case. Recount rules vary from state to state. North Carolina, for example, doesn't allow a presidential candidate to request a recount at all if one candidate has a lead of more than 0.5 percent of the total votes cast. In Wisconsin, the challenging candidate must pay the full expense of a recount if the vote in dispute is more than 0.25 percent, and in Colorado if it is more than 0.5 percent. That can be expensive. Officials in one Wisconsin village put the cost of a local recount, in which about 9,000 votes were cast earlier this year, at nearly $13,000, said Michael Maistelman, a Wisconsin election lawyer who represented the unsuccessful candidate. More than 3 million people voted in the 2012 presidential election in Wisconsin. Deciding where to challenge the election would be complicated. Trump, who trailed Clinton by 7 percentage points nationwide in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week, is fighting tight battles in some key states. In Ohio, for example, an average of major opinion polls reviewed by the RealClearPolitics website found Trump to be leading by less than 1 percentage point. In Iowa, he is leading by nearly 4 percent. In some other battleground states, polls suggest support for Trump has eroded in recent weeks. According to the RealClearPolitics website's poll tally, Clinton has substantial leads in Virginia, Colorado and Wisconsin. She leads Trump by more than 6 percentage points in Pennsylvania, nearly 4 points in Florida and more than two points in North Carolina. To maximize his chances of overturning a Clinton win, Trump might need to challenge the results in several states, said Troy McCurry, a former Republican National Committee lawyer who was part of the party's recount team in 2012. Trump could try to bring a legal claim without first asking for recount by alleging, for instance, that an abuse of power by an election official, said McCurry, who's law firm represented Ted Cruz in the Republican primary before McCurry joined the practice. But if Trump's lawyers were unable to muster specific facts to support that premise, he said, a judge would dismiss the lawsuit. Any lawsuit that withstood early challenges would face an uncertain future. With the U.S. Supreme Court split 4-to-4 between liberal and conservative justices, state supreme courts or federal appeals courts could well make the final ruling in any election dispute. In Pennsylvania, Colorado and Florida, where a majority of both state and federal appeals court judges have Democratic affiliations, Trump might face a more difficult road. Meanwhile, appeals courts in Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa are more heavily Republican. Ohio election attorney Brey, who said he dislikes but will vote for Trump, believes a challenge in Ohio would be a last-ditch effort for the candidate. "Let's put it this way," he said. "If Ohio is close, Trump's already lost." Trump also might face obstacles from his own party, attorneys said, because it would be reluctant to challenge results in a state where, say, it lost the presidential race but won a close U.S. senate race. Numerous studies have shown U.S. elections, which are decentralized and run by the states, are basically sound. "Mr. Trump never mentions what criteria would be necessary for him to make a decision about a challenge," said Stephen Zack, an attorney who represented Vice President Al Gore in the case that was brought to the Supreme Court over the election recount in Florida in 2000. "Basically it is left as, 'I'll see what it smells like and then I will surprise you,'" Zack said. "There are rule-of-law issues that pertain to elections that separate us from anywhere else in the world." Election officials in several states rejected suggestions the balloting might be rigged. Eric Spencer, election director in Arizona, said that while isolated incidents of voter fraud might occur and should be investigated, election workers come from all political parties and work with integrity. "The notion that the election is rigged is preposterous if not insulting," Spencer said. Some election watchers question how serious Trump is about a challenge. "A lot of this is just posturing," McCurry said. "At the end of the day I don't see how this happens." (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Mica Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Sue Horton and Lisa Girion)
By Chris Kahn

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Trump gained on Hillary Clinton among American voters this week, cutting her lead nearly in half despite a string of women accusing him of unwanted sexual advances and the furor over his disputed claims that the election process is rigged, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday.

The survey also showed that 63 percent of Americans, including a third of Republicans, believe the New York real estate mogul has committed sexual assault in the past, though the Republican presidential candidate has denied the recent accusations.

Clinton, the Democratic former secretary of state, led Trump 44 percent to 40 percent, according to the Oct. 14-20 poll, a 4-point lead, with the Nov. 8 election fast approaching. That compared with 44 percent for Clinton and 37 percent for Trump in the Oct. 7-13 poll released last week.

Clinton's lead also shrank in a separate four-way poll that included alternative party candidates: 43 percent supported her, while 39 percent supported Trump, 6 percent supported Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and 2 percent supported Jill Stein of the Green Party.

Support for Clinton had been mostly rising in the seven-day tracking poll since the last week of August, when the candidates were about tied.

The latest reading showed that Trump's deficit narrowed to what it was before a video surfaced on Oct. 7 featuring him bragging about groping and kissing women. Several women have since accused him of making unwanted sexual advances in separate incidents from the early 1980s to 2007.

Trump has denied the allegations, calling them "totally and absolutely false."

The latest poll included a separate series of questions that asked people what they thought of Trump's conduct around women. It found 63 percent of American adults, including 34 percent of likely Republican voters, agreed with the statement "I believe Donald Trump has committed sexual assault in the past."

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Reuters contacted a few of the poll respondents who said they felt that Trump had "committed sexual assault" but were still supporting his candidacy. Their answers were generally the same: Whatever Trump did with women in the past is less important to them than what he may do as president.

"Im embarrassed that our country cant come up with better candidates, to be honest with you," said Evelyn Brendemuhl, 83, of Hope, North Dakota. But "hell appoint more conservative judges, and shes (Clinton) pro-abortion, and Im not for that."

Gary Taylor, 59, a Republican from Colorado said his support stemmed mostly from a desire to see "something different than the last eight years" in the White House.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English in all 50 states. It included 1,640 people who were considered likely voters, given their voting history, registration status and stated intention to vote. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points, meaning results could vary by that much either way.

The poll questions on Trump's unwanted sexual advances scandal were asked of 1,915 American adults, including 546 likely Republican voters. It had a credibility interval of 3 percentage points for all adults and 5 points for Republican voters.

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Jonathan Oatis)
Donald Trump was practically booed offstage at a charity dinner in New York City last night, proving that there really are very few safe places left for the Republican presidential candidate at this stage in an election that has plainly slipped away from him.

And, like the white-tie clad grandees at the Al Smith Dinner who heckled Trump last night as he struggled through what was meant to be a light-hearted set of remarks about the election, states that are normally reliably Republican are turning their backs on the GOP nominee this year and preparing to throw their electoral votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Related: Why Now Is the Perfect Time for Trump TV to Take Down Fox News

The University of Virginias Center for Politics has been tracking the election from the start, and the latest iteration of the electoral map from Sabatos Crystal Ball suggests a widespread repudiation of Trump even in states Republicans typically find most congenial. The current Sabato projection shows Clinton with 352 likely electoral votes and Trump with only 173, leaving only 13 too close to call.

For the Trump campaign, the bleeding is now largely out of control.

A striking development in recent days has been the smattering of polling showing Trump with weak leads in some reliably Republican states, write Larry Sabato, Kyle Kondik, and Geoffrey Skelley. Hes barely ahead in some polls of Alaska, Indiana, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas  states that shouldnt be close in any competitive election.

Most remarkable is whats happening in the Southwest. Utah, the most reliably Republican state in the union, is now considered a toss-up. The Beehive states large proportion of Mormon voters is so thoroughly turned off by Trump that an insurgent candidacy by Independent Evan McMullin, a Mormon himself who attended college at Brigham Young University in Provo is threatening to claim its six electoral votes.

Related: Trump's Refusal to Accept Election Results Could Be Toxic for GOP Candidates

Utahs neighbor to the South, Arizona, has also been a GOP stronghold in recent elections. But no longer, in the view of the Crystal Ball team.

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This is something of a leap of faith, but were moving Arizona all the way from Leans Republican to Leans Democratic, they wrote. If we were basing this just on polls, Toss-up would be the designation, but were trying to project a little bit here. We just dont see Trump making a dramatic recovery nationally, and he may not be able to fight off the Clinton ambush in a Latino-rich state where he should be solidly ahead. Of all the states that voted for both [2008 GOP nominee John] McCain and [2012 nominee Mitt] Romney, Arizona appears to be the most vulnerable for Trump.

Crystal Ball Election map

With the election now just 18 days away, the prognosis is as clear as it is stark.

Related: Clinton and Trump Agree: Lets Ignore the $19 Trillion National Debt

Our conclusion is simple, they write. As we reassess our Electoral College ratings, we dont think any new states are moving toward Trump at this point, and there are some surprising conservative places where he is registering very thin, soft support.

They add, With less than three weeks to go, and all of the debates blessedly in the rearview mirror, Clinton is in a commanding position in the contest to become the 45th president.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Ed Cropley JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - If Donald Trump is interested in rigged elections, Zimbabwean opposition leader Tendai Biti says he could teach him a thing or two. Biti was arrested for treason and detained for a month after daring to suggest his party had defeated President Robert Mugabe in a vote in 2008. "They denied me food. They beat me up. They put me in leg irons. They beat me in the private parts," Biti, a lawyer who later served as finance minister in an eventual unity government, told Reuters. "That's real election rigging." To opposition figures in Africa, and in other parts of the world that lack the 240-year U.S. history of peaceful transitions of power, Trump's assertion that November's U.S. presidential election will be "rigged", and his declaration that he may not accept the outcome, are dangerous words. "Donald Trump is a gift to all tin-pot dictators on the African continent. He is giving currency and legitimacy to rigging because if it can exist in America, it can exist anywhere," Biti said. "He has no idea what he's talking about, absolutely no idea," said Biti, who speaks from the experience of three election defeats to Mugabe, a 92-year-old ex-guerrilla who has run Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. "It makes us cross because in Africa there's real election rigging." Long-serving rulers who have faced U.S. criticism in the past are already using Trump's remarks to counter Washington's pro-democracy message. When Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 30 years, won re-election to his seventh term in February, U.S. officials accused his government of arresting opposition figures, harassing their supporters and intimidating the media. Trump's comments, said Museveni's spokesman Don Wanyama, "should be an eye-opener to them. As they sit down to lecture other countries, they should realise that it's not easy." "Democracy is a process and it really takes time." HORRIFIED Trump refused during a debate on Wednesday to say whether he would respect the result of the Nov. 8 poll. That sent a chill down the spine of Musikari Kombo, a former local government minister in Kenya, where 1,500 people were killed in a wave of ethnic bloodletting unleashed by disputes over the result of a 2007 election. "I was shocked. I was horrified," Kombo said. "People in Africa who have always challenged elections will say: 'You see, we are vindicated. Even in the Mother of all Democracies, the presidential candidate is not willing to accept because there is rigging.'" U.S. officials, including state governors from Trump's own Republican Party, say there is no serious vote fraud problem in the United States and the election will be clean. Nevertheless, Trump and some allies have alleged anomalies in the voter roll in cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago that could allow the votes of dead people to be counted on behalf of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. It is hard to think what they would have made of this year's election in Gabon, where opposition leader Jean Ping cried foul after narrowly losing to President Ali Bongo, whose family have ruled the oil-producing former French colony for half a century. The focus of Ping's concern was the province of Haut-Ogooue, where results showed 95.46 percent of voters backed Bongo on a turnout of 99.9 percent, more than double anywhere else. Gabon's constitutional court - led by the long-time mistress of Bongo's father, Omar - upheld the result. "I would say to Mr. Trump 'Come to Gabon to see what a fake democracy looks like, to see what a stolen election looks like,'" said Alexandre Barro Chambrier, a senior Ping adviser. "There is no democracy here. There is the rule of one family and one man imposing a dictatorial regime," he added. "Mr Trump is not serious." (Additional reporting by Edward McAllister, Edmund Blair and Elias Biryabarem; Editing by Peter Graff)
TUNIS (Reuters) - Thousands of Tunisian lawyers went on strike on Friday to protest at new taxes and tighter fiscal controls on their profession, extending a series of demonstrations against austerity measures in the 2017 budget. Several hundred attorneys held a symbolic protest outside the palace of justice in downtown Tunis where, dressed in their court gowns, they chanted "Down down with the shameful law" and "We are united in the fight". Attorneys are the latest group to join protests against Prime Minister Youssef Chahed's measures to cut the budget deficit and increase government revenues by levying new taxes and freezing public wage increases. Under pressure from international lenders for reforms to cut spending, spur growth and create jobs, Chahed has proposed a broad package of initiatives, but he must also manage social unrest that his measures may trigger. Thousands of lawyers stopped working for a one-day "Day of Rage" and threatened more such strikes if Chahed did not remove the proposed tax on law practices that was included in the 2017 budget approved by the cabinet last week. "Lawyers are being exposed to a financial massacre... We reject this law strongly," Ameur Mehrzi, the Tunisian Bar president, told reporters at the Tunis protest. Under the proposal all lawyers will pay a tax ranging from $8 to $25 on each file they present to the court. Tunisia has been praised for its democratic progress since ousting Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in a 2011 uprising. But many Tunisians are worried about more taxes and austerity measures adding to a lack of economic development since the revolution. Chahed said last month that Tunisia is going through hard times and all citizens must share sacrifices to save the country's economy and cut back on spending. The powerful UGTT labor union threatened on Thursday to hold a general strike and called protests against the government's plans to freeze public wage increases, which it warned could trigger protests. The UTICA industry and business employers' association, one of Tunisia's major economic lobbying groups, also rejected a proposed exceptional tax contribution on business as a way for the government to generate finances. Tunisia expects to seek $2.78 billion in foreign loans next year - nearly double its 2016 external financing needs - to help cover a 2017 fiscal deficit expected to be 5.4 percent of GDP. (Reporting By Tarek Amara; editing by Patrick Markey/Mark Heinrich)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 90 Turkish rockets pounded a group of Kurdish fighters allied to a U.S.-backed militia in northern Syria on Friday, as clashes intensified between two sides both supposed to be fighting Islamic State, a monitor and militia spokesperson said. The confrontation between Turkey-backed Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters allied to a U.S.-backed militia fighting Islamic State is escalating as both sides race to be the first to expel Islamic State from the northern Syrian city of al-Bab. On Wednesday the heaviest Turkish air strikes so far on the Kurdish fighters hit villages recently captured from Islamic State by the Kurdish fighters, highlighting the conflicting agendas of NATO members Ankara and Washington in an increasingly complex battlefield The United States has backed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their fight against Islamic State, infuriating Ankara, which sees the umbrella group's dominant YPG militia as an extension of Kurdish PKK militants who have waged a three-decade insurgency in southeastern Turkey. Turkey, a major backer of the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, entered the Syrian conflict in August, using its armor and air power to help Free Syrian Army rebel groups take territory near the border held by Islamic State. But it fears the YPG will try to connect three de facto autonomous Kurdish cantons that have emerged during the five-year war to create a Kurdish-run enclave in northern Syria, stoking the separatist ambitions of Kurds on its own soil. Its intervention therefore also aimed to prevent Kurdish forces from gaining more ground. An adviser to the Turkey-backed FSA alliance who gave his name as Osama Abu Zayd told Reuters Friday's clashes were fierce and were widening as they try to push the Kurdish fighters out of the northern Aleppo countryside. "Two days ago the (Kurdish fighters) tried to exploit our battle against Daesh (Islamic State) to advance towards Marea", he said. Marea is a town in Turkey-backed rebel territory on the way to al-Bab. "What is happening today is a natural response to these separatist groups," Abu Zayd said. Ahmad Araj, a political representative for the Kurdish fighters allied to the U.S.-backed SDF militia told Reuters their fighters were now under attack both from Islamic State and from Turkey. He said more than 150 rockets on Friday hit areas they had pushed Islamic State out of this week. "Today at 10 am Turkish shelling began ... there was an attack and the clashes have continued since morning," he said. "Their rockets are not targeting Islamic State, rather they are targeting our forces in areas liberated (from Islamic State)." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 90 rockets fired by Turkish forces hit the town of Sheikh Issa and other areas along the frontline between territory held by the two sides in northern Aleppo province on Friday. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday Turkey's activities in Syria are aimed at destroying terrorist organizations and securing its border, and it discusses all of its operations with coalition partners. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Demand to impart Sanskrit education from grade 1 to 12

Speakers at the International Vedic Arya General Conference being organised in the capital since October 20 have demanded incorporating Sanskrit language in the curriculum from grade 1 to 12 in the country.
Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon on Thursday identified the two Americans killed in Afghanistan earlier this week as a US Army sergeant and a civilian employee of the army.

They were Sergeant Douglas Riney, 26, and Michael Sauro, 40.

Riney was with a support squadron in the Fort Hood, Texas-based 1st Cavalry Division, and Sauro was employed by the Defense Ammunition Center in McAlester, Oklahoma.

They were killed when a gunman opened fire at a military ammunition supply point near Camp Morehead, a base in Afghanistan used for Afghan commando training, a US official said.

Afghan officials said it appeared to be an "insider attack".
Dublin (AFP) - Irish steeplechasing great Moscow Flyer died on Friday aged 22 of colic, his former trainer Jessica Harrington said.

The Harrington star won 26 of his 44 starts, including 10 Grade One events between 1999 and 2006 with the highlights two Champion Chase -- the top race for two-mile chasers -- victories.

"He was the horse of a lifetime, I'll never have another like him," said Harrington.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, I think the day he was at his best was Sandown in 2004 in the Tingle Creek.

"That day it all went like clockwork against two other brilliant horses (Azertyuiop and Well Chief)," she added.

Moscow Flyer -- who retired from the track in 2006 after failing to land a third Champion Chase -- also gave jockey Barry Geraghty's career a huge boost.

"He's the horse that kick-started my career. He was something special -- a superstar," said Geraghty, who has gone on to become one of the leading big-race riders in the British Isles.
By Herbert Lash and Joy Wiltermuth

NEW YORK (Reuters/IFR) - The dramatic shift to online shopping that has crushed U.S. department stores in recent years now threatens the investors who a decade ago funded the vast expanse of brick and mortar emporiums that many Americans no longer visit.

Weak September core retail sales, which strip out auto and gasoline sales, provide a window into the pain the holders of mall debt face in coming months as retailers with a physical presence keep discounting to stave off lagging sales.

Some $128 billion of commercial real estate loans - more than one-quarter of which went to finance malls a decade ago - are due to refinance between now and the end of 2017, according to Morningstar Credit Ratings.

Wells Fargo estimates that about $38 billion of these loans were taken out by retailers, bundled into commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and sold to institutional investors.

Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and other underwriters now reckon about half of all CMBS maturing in 2017 could struggle to get financing on current terms. Commercial mortgage debt often only pays off the interest and the principal must be refinanced.

The blame lies with online shopping and widespread discounting, which have shrunk profit margins and increased store closures, such as Aeropostale's bankruptcy filing in May, making it harder for mall operators to meet their debt obligations.

Between the end of 2009 and this July e-commerce doubled its share of the retail pie and while overall sales have risen a cumulative 31 percent, department store sales have plunged 17 percent, according to Commerce Department data.

According to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates Inc, which has provided consulting and investment banking services for the retail industry since 1981, half the 1,100 U.S. regional malls will close over the next decade.

TOO MUCH

A surplus of stores are fighting for survival as the ubiquitous discount signs attest, he said.

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"When there is too much, and we have too much, then the only differentiator is price. That's why they're all going into bankruptcy and closing all these stores," Davidowitz said.

The crunch in the CMBS market means holders of non-performing debt, such as pensions or hedge funds, stand to lose money.

The mall owners, mostly real estate investment trusts (REITs), have avoided major losses because they can often shed their debt through an easy foreclosure process.

"You have a lot of volume that won't be able to refi," said Ann Hambly founder and chief executive of 1st Service Solutions, which works with borrowers when CMBS loans need to be restructured.

Cumulative losses from mostly 10-year CMBS loans issued in 2005 through 2007 already reach $32.6 billion, a big jump from the average $1.23 billion incurred annually in the prior decade, according to Wells Fargo.

The CMBS industry is bracing for losses to spike as loan servicers struggle to extract any value from problematic malls, particularly those based in less affluent areas.

In January, for example, investors recouped just 4 percent of a $136 million CMBS loan from 2006 on the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Investor worries about exposure to struggling malls and retailers intensified in August when Macy's said it would close 100 stores, prompting increased hedging and widening spreads on the junk-rated bonds made up of riskier commercial mortgages.

Adding to the stress, new rules, set to be introduced on Dec. 24, will make it constlier for banks to sell CMBS debt. The rules require banks to hold at least 5 percent of each new deal they create, or find a qualified investor to assume the risk.

This has already roughly halved new CMBS issuance in 2016 and loan brokers say the packaged debt financing is now only available to the nation's best malls. Investors too are demanding greater prudence in CMBS underwriting.

Mall owners who failed to meet debt payments in the past would just hand over the keys because the borrowers contributed little, if any, of their own money. The terms often shielded other assets from being seized as collateral to repay the debt.

Dodging the overall trend, retail rents for premier shopping centers located in affluent areas continue to rise. Vacant retail space at malls is at its lowest rate since 2010, according to research by Cushman & Wakefield.

The low vacancy rate reflects the ability of some malls to fill the void left by store closings by offering space to dollar stores and discounters.

That is, however, little consolation for investors.

"With the retail consolidation that we have ahead of us, malls have a fair amount of pain left to come," Edward Dittmer, a CMBS analyst at Morningstar, said.

(Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Tomasz Janowski)
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations said medical evacuations from eastern Aleppo had not begun on Friday as it had hoped, as a lack of security guarantees and agreement with all sides prevented aid workers taking advantage of a pause in the bombing announced by Russia. The U.N. wants to use the four-day pause to evacuate hundreds of sick and wounded from the besieged part of the city and to make food and aid deliveries, U.N. humanitarian spokesman Jens Laerke told a regular U.N. briefing. "It is an astronomically difficult operation whereby we need the security assurances from all sides to be there and to be adhered to, plus facilitation from all parties," he said. He declined to give details of the hold-up but he said the U.N. remained optimistic and was trying hard to unblock access. "It's not even day-by-day, it's hour-by-hour," he said. Syria's ambassador in Geneva Hussam Aala said the Syrian government had given the U.N. the green light for medical evacuations two days ago. "We have taken all measures, we have buses and ambulances ready. Unfortunately the U.N. is not ready to cooperate. The ball is not in our court," he told Reuters. "It is not happening because the terrorists inside Aleppo are preventing evacuation by using mortars and snipers to attack humanitarian corridors and crossing points." He added that the U.N. was making an "artificial linkage" to avoid carrying out the evacuation. "They are quoting the demands of terrorists inside Aleppo to justify their failure to evacuate," he said. "The evacuation of wounded should be done unconditionally." Russia has told the U.N. it plans to halt bombing for 11 hours per day daily until Sunday, and the U.N. has asked for the period to be extended. Aid rations will run out by the end of this month, and fuel and medicine are also critically low, the U.N. has said. U.N. spokesman Laerke said the U.N. was ready to do four days of evacuations and to bring supplies of food and aid to the besieged citizens on the third and fourth day. But with eastern Aleppo already well into the second day of the pause, it was unclear if sufficent time remained for the planned convoys to go by Sunday. (Reporting by Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
We expect UDR Inc. UDR to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter 2016 results after the closing bell on Oct 25.



Last quarter, the Denver, CO-based residential REIT reported in-line results. UDR Inc. boasts an average beat of 0.61% for the trailing four quarters.



For the third quarter, the company expects funds from operations (FFO) per share in the range of 4446 cents. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter FFO per share is currently pegged at 45 cents.



The graph below reflects the surprise history of the company.

UDR INC Price and EPS Surprise

UDR INC Price and EPS Surprise | UDR INC Quote

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?



Our proven model shows that UDR is likely to beat estimates because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to beat estimates as is the case here.



Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the percentage difference between the Most Accurate estimate of 46 cents and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents, is +2.22%. This is a major indicator of a likely positive surprise.



Zacks Rank: UDR Inc. carries a Zacks Rank #3. This combination of UDRs Zacks Rank #3 and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of a positive surprise this season.



Conversely, we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 or #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



What's Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings?



UDR Inc. has a vast experience in the residential real estate market. Despite supply issues cropping up in some of its markets, the company is well poised for growth. Its superior portfolio in targeted U.S. markets and disciplined capital allocation should drive its results in the to-be-reported quarter as well as going forward.



In fact, UDR Inc. is expected to benefit from strengthening multi-family apartment fundamentals and favorable demographic trends. There is a demand for rental apartments from both new millennial households and empty nesters. Along with this, the improving job market is driving the demand for apartments. As such, UDR Inc. is expected to experience growth in same-store net operating income in the third quarter.



Stocks to Consider



Here are a few stocks in the REIT sector which you may want to consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post a positive surprise this quarter:



PS Business Parks Inc. PSB, which is slated to release third-quarter earnings results on Oct 25, has an Earnings ESP of +1.43% and a Zacks Rank #2.



Post Properties Inc. PPS, which slated to release third-quarter earnings results on Oct 31, has an Earnings ESP of +1.24% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Essex Property Trust Inc. ESS, which is slated to release third-quarter earnings results on Oct 27, has an Earnings ESP of +0.36% and a Zacks Rank #3.





Note: All EPS numbers presented in this write up represent funds from operations (FFO) per share. FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.



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Zacks Investment Research
DFO vehicle on standby for wildlife rescue

A vehicle will be on standby in the District Forest Office Kathmandu to rescue sick or wounded wildlife from different parts of the Valley.
By William Schomberg and David Milliken

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's public finances showed a much bigger than expected deficit in September, a setback for Chancellor Philip Hammond as he prepares to deliver the country's first budget plans since the Brexit vote.

Investors are already nervous about the prospect of an acrimonious British departure from the European Union, and Friday's figures may limit Hammond's ability to cushion the blow of the referendum result via higher spending or tax cuts.

Britain ran a budget shortfall of 10.6 billion pounds last month, 14.5 percent higher than the deficit in the same month last year, the Office for National Statistics said.

The deficit, excluding state-owned banks, was above all forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists, which had produced a median projection of an 8.5 billion-pound shortfall.

Despite falling from more than 10 percent of economic output in 2010 to 4 percent in the last financial year, Britain's deficit remains among the highest for any developed nation.

Hammond, responding to Friday's figures, reiterated his message that he will bring down the budget deficit more slowly than his predecessor George Osborne had planned.

"We remain committed to fiscal discipline and will return the budget to balance over a sensible period of time, in a way that allows us the space to support the economy as needed," he said in a statement.

But the slow improvement of the public finances in the year to date, combined with an expected slowdown in the economy next year that will hurt tax revenues, represents a constraint for Hammond as he prepares his Nov. 23 Autumn Statement.

He has said any extra spending on infrastructure projects was likely to be modest, disappointing some economists who said he could be bolder with government borrowing costs so low.

NO SPLURGE

The weak September figures took the deficit in the first half of the financial year to 45.5 billion pounds, down nearly 5 percent from the same period in the previous year but already close to the 55.5 billion pounds forecast for the 2016/17 tax year as a whole by Britain's budget watchdog in March.

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The Office for Budget Responsibility said it was clear that its March forecast was "very unlikely to be met" but said the size of the miss was likely to be reduced by one-off factors that weighed on borrowing in the first half of the year and an expected jump in income tax receipts later in the year.

The OBR said it was still too early to assess the impact of the Brexit vote on Britain's public finances.

Samuel Tombs, an economist with Pantheon Macroeconomics, said Hammond would probably want to keep some room for a loosening of the purse strings once Britain actually leaves the EU which will probably be shortly before the next election.

"As a result, we think that the chancellor will scrap the 0.8 percent of GDP fiscal tightening planned for 2017, but will not set fiscal policy to boost growth and will ensure that the fiscal consolidation resumes thereafter," Tombs said.

September's weak performance was partly caused by a fall in receipts from corporation tax and property transactions. Growth in value-added tax receipts was slower than earlier in the year.

It was the first fall in corporation tax revenues for the month of September since 2009, the ONS said, adding that it was unable to provide a reason for the fall.

The growth in VAT receipts was the slowest for the month of September since 2012.

(Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Alison Williams)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations has established an "internal and independent" inquiry into an attack last month on a humanitarian convoy in Syria that killed at least 18, spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced Friday.

The board will start its probe next week and be led by Lieutenant General Abhijit Guha, the secretary-general's spokesman said in a statement.

The committee will submit its findings to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will "review the report and decide what further steps to take."

Ban "urges all parties concerned to extend their full cooperation to the board," his spokesman said.

The UN had announced on September 30 its plan to establish the board of inquiry.

The September 19 attack on a UN-Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy of aid trucks in the northern province of Aleppo left at least 18 dead -- including a Red Crescent staff member -- and destroyed at least 18 of the 31 aid vehicles.

Washington expressed outrage over the attack and attributed it to Russia, which denied responsibility.

Ban, in his farewell address last month to the UN General Assembly, denounced the attack as "sickening, savage and apparently deliberate" and described the bombers as "cowards."
From Cosmopolitan

Last night, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton didnt so much play the gender card as simply show up on the debate stage a woman. What a difference it highlighted between her and her opponent. And how incredible it was to hear a female candidate talk about womens issues not as abstractions, but as deeply personal, as fundamentally normal, and just as universal as mens experiences.

That Clinton is the first woman to be nominated as a presidential contender by a major American party would be notable for its symbolic value alone. But Clinton has shown, time and again, that she isnt a same-old politician who just happens to be a woman; she doesnt adhere to the same-old views held by so many white men; she doesnt come from the same-old starting point. At last nights debate, that was clear right out of the gate, when Clinton asserted that the Supreme Court should represent all of us. The us, she said, included women and the LGBT community - groups that together make up a majority of the United States but are so often cast as them.

And she was only getting started. One of the most poignant moments of the debate was when moderator Chris Wallace brought up abortion rights. Trump bumbled through some of the usual anti-abortion talking points, even suggesting that women cavalierly have abortions at nine months - something that doesnt happen. If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby, Trump said. He refused to say whether he wanted Roe v. Wade overturned wholesale, instead claiming he would appoint anti-abortion justices and the issue would go back to the states.

Clinton, visibly irritated, quickly moved from the standard rhetoric on choice and womens rights to stories of women themselves. Trumps claim that abortions happen at nine months, Clinton said, was false scare rhetoric. But yes, she conceded, some women do have abortions late into their pregnancies - often because something has gone tragically wrong. You should meet with some of the women that I have met with, women I have known over the course of my life, Clinton said. This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make. And I do not believe the government should be making it. She also touched on Trumps comments, early in his campaign, that if abortion were illegal, women who end pregnancies should get some form of punishment. You know, Ive had the great honor of traveling across the world on behalf of our country, Clinton said. Ive been to countries where governments either forced women to have abortions, like they used to do in China, or forced women to bear children, like they used to do in Romania. And I can tell you: The government has no business in the decisions that women make with their families in accordance with their faith, with medical advice. And I will stand up for that right.

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Too often, abortion is discussed as a moral or religious issue, the central question being where life begins. The woman is routinely erased. Clinton shifted that narrative, focusing instead on abortion as women actually experience it: not as a philosophical debate, but as a very real and often necessary medical response to a pregnancy that isnt wanted or, because of medical complications or heartbreaking circumstances, simply cannot be. The decision, Clinton said over and over, has to be a womans, not a governments. Notably, in his answer to Wallaces abortion question, Trump didnt say the word woman once.

And Clinton didnt relegate womens issues to questions specifically about womens rights. Wallace asked both candidates about their economic plans, and Clinton went down a laundry list of ideas: clean energy, fighting climate change, raising the minimum wage, improving infrastructure, helping small businesses. And I sure do want to make sure women get equal pay for the work we do, she said. Not the work they do  the work we do. It was a phrasing no previous major party presidential contender could have uttered.

When Trump talked about women, it was with disdain or dismissal. These women - the woman on the plane, the - I think they want either fame or her [Clintons] campaign did it, he said about the nine women who now have accused him of sexual assault. He spit out the phrase these women twice, like the words were acid.

Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger, Clinton said in response. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I dont think there is a woman anywhere who doesnt know what that feels like. Shes right: Most women do know exactly what that feels like, including Clinton herself. That she herself has experienced the kind of sexist belittlement so many women face made her words all the more powerful. And they make her positions on the slew of issues that impact women all the more potent: She doesnt see women as an interest group or people who are valuable because of their relationships to others - the position so many male politicians take when they cast women as mothers, wives, and daughters in need of protection - or others in any way. She sees women as women. Shes one of us.

Nobody has more respect for women than I do, Trump claimed, to audience laughter. Nobody. But the only other times he even used the word women in the debate was when he was saying Saudi Arabia treats women poorly - a point he made not out of personal concern, but as a gotcha comment about the Clinton Foundation donations - and when he mentioned our policemen and women are disrespected - a concern not for women specifically, but for law enforcement generally. And, of course, there was the moment he called Clinton such a nasty woman. Women, in Trumps debate rhetoric, were largely those women who were accusing him of assault, women overseas who Clinton allegedly doesnt care about, and the nasty woman challenging him. And of course the women he respects more than anyone - women who went otherwise unmentioned in the course of a 90-minute debate.

Clinton didnt have to claim that she has more respect for women than anyone because its evident she respects women - she is one, and she folds her own experience into her advocacy and her positions. Plenty of men have been great advocates for womens rights, but without women at the table - without a woman at the head of the table - the promise of gender equality cant be fully realized. For too long, the way women experience the world and how that shapes our collective consciousness and which issues we prioritize has all been cast as a kind of minority view, deviating from the standard, rational, and more important male one. Last night, Clinton spoke not just as a politician, but as a female politician, with a quiet insistence that living every day as an American woman wasnt some divergent factional existence, but normal, a way of seeing the world that must be folded into our political universe. Unlike every politician who has been on the presidential debate stage before her, she was able to talk about womens issues not as ideas or special interests, but as realities, discussed exactly as women live them. When youre so used to hearing your experiences discussed in the third person - and many women, myself among them, are used to that - its refreshing and a little startling, in the best way, to suddenly find yourself referred to as part of a collective us, especially by a person in a powerful position that has always been occupied by men.

This is what having more women in power does: It normalizes being female. Thats no small thing in a country with more than 200 years of uninterrupted male executive leadership, where for more than half of our countrys existence women couldnt vote, and where never before has there been a woman in Clintons current position. Of course her opponent, who she is trouncing handily, thinks shes nasty - women everywhere know that feeling too. But finally, we saw ourselves and our experiences reflected up on the national stage. Women in power may not be the new normal quite yet, and even a Clinton presidency wouldnt usher in an era of completed feminism and perfect female representation. But last night, we got a taste of what it would be like to have a woman in our countrys highest position of power. For the many of us who have spent our whole lives hearing men talk about us, seeing a woman talk about actually being one of us was thrilling - and not nasty at all.

Follow Jill on Twitter.

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Talks between the United States and Europe over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a massive trade deal that would create a free trade zone between America and the European Union, are on life support. As it turns out, Washington is not the only one who cant get a deal done with the European Union.

Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday declared negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)  Canada and Europes version of TTIP  were all but dead. European officials say they are still hopeful the deal could be achieved, but Freeland appeared to quash any hopes that Canada would agree to Europes terms.

It is evident to me, for Canada, the European Union is not capable right now to have an international agreement, even with a country that has European values like Canada, Freeland said in Belgium Friday. She added that coming to an agreement is now impossible.

Apparently, the French-speaking southern Belgian region of Wallonia is the only holdout in approving the deal. Paul Magnette, the Minister-President of Wallonia, said his region was not prepared to make a decision on the agreement.

I only asked for a bit more time, which was completely impossible for our Canadian partners, Magnette reportedly said Friday. I regret that, and would like to thank them for their constructive and cordial approach. Maybe, one day that will allow us to restart the talks.

The failure of CETA comes as other global trade deals, which seemed inevitable just a year ago, are dying on the vine. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, between the U.S. and 11 other Pacific nations, is on its last breath; Congressional leaders have told President Barack Obama it will not pass before he leaves office. The U.S./EU trade deal, TTIP, also appears to be going nowhere.

Part of the reason is a massive populist shift in Europe and the United States over the last year. Free traders have been drowned out by accusations that international trade deals kill jobs and manufacturing at home.

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But the current failures of CETA and TTIP talks also reflect growing political dysfunction in Europe. Since Britain decided to leave the EU in June, long-simmering fault lines between members have emerged, skepticism about the European Union has spread, and many countries have turned inward.

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas said after meeting with his European counterparts that the EUs credibility as a union is at stake because of the state of the faltering trade talks.

If Europe fails with CETA, its very difficult to imagine we can be successful with TTIP, Roivas said. This is very serious.

Photo credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/Getty Images
Washington (AFP) - The United States expressed concern on Friday over South Africa's decision to withdraw its support from the International Criminal Court.

While not itself a member of the court, the United States likes other countries to accept its jurisdiction, seeing it as an arm against the impunity sometimes enjoyed by rogue leaders.

"We're concerned about this decision," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"We do think that the ICC has made valuable contributions in the service of accountability in a number of situations and we hope that other governments would share that."

The decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited South Africa, despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

South Africa refused to arrest him, saying that as a head of state attending a summit he enjoyed diplomatic immunity.

"There is a view in Africa that the ICC in choosing who to prosecute has seemingly preferred to target leaders in Africa," South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha told AFP.

The ICC, set up in 2002, has often struggled with a lack of international cooperation, including from the United States, which has signed the court's treaty but never ratified it.
Washington (AFP) - A US destroyer sailed close to a cluster of islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea on Friday, the Pentagon said, amid continued tensions in the contested waterway.

The USS Decatur passed close to the Paracel Islands and "conducted this transit in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident," Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross said.

"This operation demonstrated that coastal States may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise under international law."

The maneuver is the third South China Sea "freedom of navigation" operation conducted this year by the United States, which has repeatedly stressed it will ignore China's "excessive" maritime claims.

Ross said the Decatur did not sail within 12 nautical miles of the islands, but crossed through a broader swath of ocean claimed by China.

Friday's operation was the first since a July ruling by a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which ruled there was no legal basis to China's claims to nearly all of the sea -- a verdict Beijing dismissed vehemently.

China that month held a week of military drills around the Paracels in the northern part of the South China Sea, during which other ships were prohibited from entering the waters.

Several other nations across the region including the Philippines and Vietnam have rival claims to various parts of the South China Sea.

China has been accused of doing massive environmental damage to the sea by building artificial islands, some with airstrips, capable of hosting military facilities.

The issue is a source of ongoing tension and anger in the region, and Friday's US operation is likely to further inflame Beijing's ire.
Ankara (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter vowed during a visit to Ankara on Friday to ramp up joint efforts with Turkey to deal Islamic State jihadists a "lasting defeat", the Pentagon said.

Carter met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as Defence Minister Fikri Isik on a flying visit to Turkey, a crucial but sensitive NATO ally in the fight against the IS group.

"Both sides agreed to maintain frequent communication on the full range of mutual interests, including close coordination and continued transparency in the coalition effort to deal ISIL a lasting defeat," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement, using another name for the jihadist group.

Carter reaffirmed his support for the strategic US-Turkey alliance and vowed that Washington would "continue to stand side-by-side with our NATO ally against shared threats".

Washington is alarmed by tensions between Turkey and Iraq as the long-awaited battle to retake Iraq's second city Mosul from IS jihadists enters a decisive phase.

Turkey, which fears the Mosul offensive could boost the influence of anti-Ankara Kurdish militia, says it cannot stay on the sidelines, but Baghdad is firmly against the involvement of Turkish troops.

- Iraq sovereignty 'important' -

Washington wants Ankara to refrain from military operations in Iraq without the green light from Baghdad, fearing the war of words could jeopardise a fragile pact to keep rival sectarian and ethnic militias out of central Mosul.

Respect for Iraq's sovereignty is an "important principle", Carter told reporters on his plane en route to Turkey.

A senior US defence official said Washington was urging both sides to "tamp down the rhetoric".

"We have been talking behind the scenes to get the Iraqis and the Turks to come to an understanding on how to move forward on Mosul and on Turkish presence in Iraq," the official said on condition of anonymity.

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The visit comes after Turkish warplanes carried out deadly strikes on US-backed militias in northern Syria, including Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Turkish army said Thursday the raids killed between 160 and 200 militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group considered a terror group by Ankara but an effective force by Washington in the fight against IS.

Carter declined to comment on the issue during his flight to Turkey.

Turkey in August launched an unprecedented operation in northern Syria, sending tanks and troops to back Syrian rebels who have ousted IS from several key areas including Jarabulus and Dabiq.

- 'Burden of battle' -

Rebel fighters captured Dabiq on Sunday in a symbolic setback to the jihadists, as a Sunni prophecy cites the town as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Carter said the capture of Dabiq was an "important objective" of the campaign.

"The Turks were carrying the burden of the battle here and did spectacularly well," he said.

"We will be working with them to consolidate that border region, long an objective of theirs and ours, and a very important one in the counter-ISIL campaign."

Tensions between Ankara and Washington have grown after the failed July coup in Turkey.

Turkish authorities blamed the putsch on a rogue military group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen -- charges he denies -- and they have repeatedly demanded his extradition.

Carter on Friday toured the Turkish parliament that was extensively damaged by air strikes on the coup night.

"(He) expressed his condolences to all those who lost their lives defending Turkey's democratically-elected government," said the Pentagon statement.

Carter is due to visit the United Arab Emirates before a meeting of defence ministers from the international anti-IS coalition in Paris on Tuesday. On Wednesday he will join a NATO ministerial gathering in Brussels.
Music lovers President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are joining BET Networks to present a star-studded musical celebration at the White House on Friday. The lineup - encompassing R&B, hip-hop and gospel - includes Usher, Jill Scott, Common, The Roots, Bell Biv DeVoe, Busta Rhymes, Janelle Monae, De La Soul, Yolanda Adams, Michelle Williams and KiKi Sheard.

Actors Samuel L. Jackson, Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy) and Angela Bassett will make appearances at the musical celebration, hosted by television personality Terence J and actress Regina Hall. BET will premiere the concert special on Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. ET.

In a statement Thursday announcing the concert, BET Networks chairman/CEO Debra Lee said, "Our country has been led for the past eight years by an extraordinary President and First Lady. We have all witnessed history in the making and I am humbled by this momentous opportunity for BET Networks to join the Obamas for this musical celebration."

This story originally appeared on Billboard.com.

Read more: Frank Ocean Proves Checkered Vans Will Never Die at White House State Dinner
Dhanusha gears up for visit of Indian president

The local administration of Dhanusha has started preparations to welcome Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in Janakpur. The high level visit is slated for November 4. Chief District Officer of Dhanusha Dilip Kumar Chapagain said a committee has been formed to oversee the preparations for President Mukherjees visit.
Hillary Clinton Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton took a few jabs at Donald Trump during a charity dinner in New York on Thursday night, making light of some of the most memorable moments of this year's presidential election.

In keeping with the tradition of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, an annual Catholic charity event, the Democratic and Republican nominees poked fun at each other during their respective speeches.

"It's amazing that I'm up here after Donald  I didn't think he'd be OK with a peaceful transition of power," Clinton said, referring to her Republican opponent's refusal to say at Wednesday night's presidential debate whether he would accept the results of the election.

Clinton went on to joke about Trump's perceived affinity with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, suggesting Trump's jokes were prepared by the Kremlin.

"You'll notice there's no teleprompter here tonight, which is probably smart because maybe you saw Donald dismantle his prompter the other day  I get that they're hard to keep up with, and I'm sure it's even harder when you're translating from the original Russian," Clinton said.

The former secretary of state also brought up Trump's long history of objectifying women, quipping about how Trump would rate the Statue of Liberty's beauty.

"People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world," Clinton said. "Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and see a 4, maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

Clinton concluded her speech with a call to unify the country amid a divisive presidential campaign season.

"We need to get better at finding ways to disagree on matters of policy, while agreeing on questions of decency," Clinton said.

Story continues

Watch portions of Hillary Clinton's speech below:

NOW WATCH: 'I guess you didnt send her invitation by email': Trump gets booed while taking jabs at Clinton for charity





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Anyone with overprotective parents knows too well that it really doesnt matter what you do, your parents will be consistently concerned regardless. For any average young adult, having a few questionable friends and making risky choices is enough to make parents turn everything into a lecture. Now just imagine combining the added pressure of a budding music career on top of that. North Carolina rapper WELL$ new album The Way I'm Living Makes My Mom Nervous may be a personal story, but the inspiration is a familiar plot that listeners can certainly relate to.

On his previous project MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher, the young rapper told stories from the perspective of an African kid blending into the American lifestyle. Two years later on his latest release, both of these worlds begin to collide for WELL$. My parents came to America to escape a tyrannical regime, he explains to us via email. For them, pursuing formal education and a career is the only way a person can make something out of themselves; unless you're a doctor or a lawyer, you ain't shit.

Throughout the 11-track album, WELL$ proves that although he took a path his family doesnt approve of, hes still aiming for the successful future his parents wished for. Aside from one Metro Boomin-produced track on the album, WELL$ invites artists and producers from North Carolina and his Immaculate Taste label along for the rideproving hes got good company around him that his mom doesnt need to be nervous about.

Stream The Way I'm Living Makes My Mom Nervous below.

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On Oct. 9, New York Times metro reporter Michael Luo revealed that he and his family had been subject to a racist outburst on the streets of New York Citys posh Upper East Side. Readers, especially of Asian descent, were quick to volunteer their own stories in the aftermath, showing that while racism against Asians is not always in the U.S. public eye, it is widespread. Id like to address this article to the woman who told the U.S.-born Luo  and, to all those who may have harbored similar sentiments at one point or another  to go back to China.

My parents left China in the wake of Maos Cultural Revolution to seek refuge in American higher education in the 1970s, eventually becoming entrepreneurs. I was born in Ohio, raised in Nebraska and California, and attended Yale University in Connecticut. Six years before that woman on the streets of New York told Luo to go back to China, I had already done so. After graduating college, I moved to Hong Kong, a port city that has been the Wests gateway to China since the mid-1800s.

I believed the city, a place brutalized and molded by colonial forces before its return to China in 1997, was somehow like me: an East-meets-West pastiche. I also believed that Hong Kong, more multicultural, global, and outward-looking than any mainland city, was likely to be the most racially enlightened. But over six years of living and working there, I would learn just how racially progressive the United States was by comparison. Its not just because anyone can speak up and defend themselves, but because doing so is embedded in our culture.

Growing up in Nebraska, I was ching-chongd in school and asked why my eyes were so small. Later on, popular kids would compel me to do their homework with overtures of friendship, only to ignore me at recess. Even in relatively liberal California, I was bullied and shut out by the girls in my all-white Girl Scout troupe. My early life in white, Christian America impressed upon me the notion that my real friends, my real home, was where my parents had left it  back in China.

In college, I devoted myself to the notion. I holed myself up exclusively in Asian cultural clubs and worked to beef up my half-hearted, lisping Mandarin Chinese. I took classes in Chinese philosophy, sociology, and politics. Internships in Beijing and Shanghai and travels around the Mainland gave me a glimpse of what my new home would be like. After graduation, I secured a job in Hong Kong.

My mother, who had moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong to the United States, was distraught. Why do you want to go back there?

But much, I insisted, had changed. The mainland wasnt the Mao-era hot mess shed left behind; the 2008 Beijing Olympics painted a glorious image of a new Middle Kingdom, and Lehman Brothers collapse that same summer foretold an ominous future for the United States. Out in the dizzying economic rise of the Wild Wild East, opportunities abounded for those willing to work in a globalizing China, particularly in Hong Kong, which billed itself as Asias world city and was also deepening ties with the mainland.

What I didnt tell my mother was that my desire to leave was primarily motivated by the possibility of escaping the unfriendly U.S. racial climate. In Asia, I wouldnt have to deal with being Asian. I wouldnt be a minority, much less a model one. For once, I was certain, my race wouldnt matter.

I moved to Hong Kong in 2010 to work for a multinational education company and cast myself with a privileged lot of expatriates, huayi  ethnic Chinese who have grown up abroad. It was deeply comforting to be surrounded by people who looked like me. And because I spoke perfect English and had attended an Ivy League university, my social currency in status-conscious Hong Kong went further than most. I was not just able to blend in  I was privileged. I was heard, respected, and invited to glittering parties. Those first years in Hong Kong were beautiful, and easy.

But eventually, my conscience began to gnaw at me. At work, invisible walls divided colleagues by skin color. White managers who had worked all their lives in Asia sometimes looked surprised when I spoke up in perfect English to volunteer my opinion  a small thing, but revealing. A few seats away from my desk sat Filipino colleagues, often ignored or greeted with terse, awkward smiles when they tried to make conversation. I saw a Pakistani colleague of mine held at arms length during team happy hours, lonesome with his glass of wine while his colleagues buzzed around him. A Sri Lankan friend of mine working in investment banking cried when she was passed over for a raise once again.

The citys thorny relationship with race was even more obvious outside of work. I remember dining with an Indian companion and being thoroughly ignored by the waitstaff, even beyond the standards of usually brusque Hong Kong service. Locals regularly complained to me about being paid less than their expat counterparts. And on the citys streets, images of hapa women, men, and babies  half-white, half-Asian  were featured prominently on billboard ads, the citys aspiration to whiteness hiding in plain sight.

Hong Kong is also home to hundreds of thousands of Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers  320,000, as of 2013. On Sundays, their day off, Hong Kongs otherwise mostly hidden domestic helpers swarm public parks, much to the chagrin of locals who Id hear complain of what they saw as their parks being overrun. Helpers who have served Hong Kong families loyally for decades cannot become permanent residents, dependent instead on a work visa that could be stripped from them at any moment. The 2016 Global Slavery Index compiled by Australia-based NGO Walk Free Foundation, which tracks government action on forced labor, human trafficking, and other conditions of modern slavery, ranked Hong Kongs government in the bottom 5 percent worldwide. Reports surface regularly about domestic workers being beaten or sexually abused by their employers. These people served me cocktails, cooked the food I ate, bussed my plates without a sound, painted my nails, massaged me, and cleaned my apartment. Thats just capitalism, my erudite friends would say, but I couldnt shake the truth that my privilege floated on cheap Southeast Asian labor and the diminished social position they occupied.

With each year that passed, I became increasingly aware of the morally fragile foundations of the lifestyle I enjoyed. I had believed that spiriting myself to Hong Kong would mean that I wouldnt have to face racial discrimination anymore. Bewitched by the possibility of transcending the racial totem pole, I only later realized that I had merely relocated to the top, and the view wasnt what I expected. Being brought up in the United States meant my standards for racial equality were forged in a culture built around the dissent, dialogue, and disruption that the First Amendment vouchsafes.

It was only after six years in Hong Kong that I began to understand why people leave their countries to come to the United States, and why its so difficult to repatriate. You cant unlearn what youve learned or unsee what youve seen. Neither could I unlearn the promises of equality that Id repeated every time I took the Pledge of Allegiance.

I had been running away for a long time. I had run away from being a victim of American racism to become part of the perpetrating class in Hong Kong. I had hid from the yellow face in the mirror and pretended, with my perfect English and my elite education, that I was someone else. I had tried to go back to China, only to find myself more American than Id realized. But Im not running away anymore. Ive found that my home isnt limited to a physical place. Its not in Hong Kong, China, or the United States. Its in the people I love and the work that needs doing. Its in the values I hold that grow and change over time.

So, to all those who have ever wanted people like me to go back to China: My home is on a bridge as short as a hyphen and as wide as the Pacific Ocean. My home is an in-between place, as it is for all Americans who remember their roots, their history, and the journey that got them here. My home is a compromise, a discussion, a negotiation.

With you.

Photo credit: MIKE CLARKE/GETTY IMAGES
Pandora Media, Inc. P is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 25. It delivered a positive earnings surprise of 13.33% in the last quarter. Also, it has a positive four-quarter average earnings surprise of 15.15%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Factors to Consider

Pandora has undertaken several strategic initiatives to overhaul its operations to provide all of radio, on-demand and live music on its own platform. In Sep 2016, the company announced Pandora Plus. Plus is a one-of-a-kind, ad-free radio experience available for $4.99 per month. The new service allows more skips, replays and an ingenious solution for offline listening that elegantly handles issues with lost connectivity and cellular data usage.

Also, as part of its strategy, Pandora acquired companies like Next Big Sound, Rdio and Ticketfly. In addition, it is cutting label deals to reduce dependence on CRB rates and better manage its content costs. It recently struck licensing deals with Sony Music, Warner Brothers and Universal Music Group.

There is no denying that Pandora holds a prime position in the online radio market. But even then the company has been struggling to make profits. Rising costs related to licensing, footprint expansion and higher operating expenses will continue to be a drag on profitability.

Also, competition is intense. The digital music streaming industry is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years, and hence all the players including Pandora, Apple, Spotify, and Amazon are striving to fortify their presence in the industry.

For the third quarter of 2016, revenues are projected in a band of $360 million to $370 million. The company expects adjusted EBITDA (excludes stock-based compensation expense of $35 million, provision for income taxes of $0.5 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $16 million and some other expenses) to be in a range of loss of $5 million to profit of $5 million.

Story continues

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Pandora Media is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below.

Zacks ESP: Pandora has an ESP of 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at a loss of 21 cents.

Zacks Rank: Pandora has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum.

PANDORA MEDIA Price and EPS Surprise

PANDORA MEDIA Price and EPS Surprise | PANDORA MEDIA Quote

Stocks to Consider

Here are a couple of stocks that, as per our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN with an Earnings ESP of +10.47% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Mercadolibre, Inc. MELI with an Earnings ESP of +8.24% and a Zacks Rank #1

Apple Inc. AAPL with an Earnings ESP of +1.21% and a Zacks Rank #2.



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First lady Michelle Obama probably helps Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail more than President Obama does, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Friday.

Based on the strong support and deep respect that people across the country have for her, based on the compelling personal argument that shes been making in support of Secretary Clinton, and shes also quite talented in her own right at delivering a speech, and those things I do think combine to make her a very powerful advocate for secretary Clinton  and probably the most powerful advocate that Secretary Clinton has, Earnest told reporters at his daily briefing.

The spokesman had been asked whether he agreed with commentators who have said the first lady is an stronger surrogate for Clinton than even the president has been.

Earnests comment came after Michelle Obama won rave reviews from Democrats and some pundits for a pair of high-profile speeches on the campaign trail. The first lady not only strongly endorsed the former secretary of state, but also hit Republican nominee Donald Trump hard and in highly personal terms after a recording surfaced in which the former reality show star brags about kissing and groping women without their consent.

I have to tell you that I cant stop thinking about this, Michelle Obama said in a speech in New Hampshire last week. It has shaken me to my core in a way that I couldnt have predicted. So while Id love nothing more than to pretend like this isnt happening, and to come out here and do my normal campaign speech, it would be dishonest and disingenuous of me to just move on to the next thing like this was all just a bad dream.

Even the Trump campaign has quietly praised the first lady for her effective work on behalf of Clintons campaign. a high-level Trump campaign source, speaking anonymously, told Yahoo News last week that Michelle Obama has a better connection to voters than Clinton.

Shes a much bigger threat than Hillary Clinton because of her charisma, her connection, the Trump source said. I mean, she kind of connects like Trump connects, right? She connects like [President] Obama connects. She has a huge connection.  Its very tough to compete with that.

Story continues

The first lady enjoys considerably higher approval ratings than her husband  at least 10 points better in most public opinion polls.

She is somebody who enjoys the deep respect of a large majority of Americans, Earnest said Friday. She also is somebody who is a very persuasive speaker. She is somebody who has been able to make a forceful personal case about why shes involved in this election.
Whoa: Has the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle just been solved?

Stop and take a seat because the gravity of this news will probably pull you down anyway. According to The Science Channel, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle may have been solved. All this time, weve been wondering if the strange disappearances of people, ships and planes were somehow related to an oceanic Loch Ness Monster, an aquatic Chupacabra or some time warp that transports stuff into alternate dimensions. But in reality, the unexplained activities happening in the Bermuda Triangle could be linked to hexagonal clouds.

As explained in a report by The Science Channel, a satellite snapped images over coastal Florida that included a series of hexagon-shaped clouds detected by meteorologists. The huge clouds range in size from 20-55 miles across. Coincidentally, these cloud patterns also exist over the North Sea off the coast of the United Kingdom.

Due to an atmospheric phenomenon known as air bombs, or microbursts, the winds in these areas reach up to 100 mph. According to scientist and professor Randy Cerveny, this causes ocean waves grow to massive sizes. He pointed out in the report that these crazy weather patterns that are common in the Bermuda Triangle and the North Sea may be caused by microbursts.

SoWTF does that have to do with these clouds? Um, apparently we still dont know because Steven Miller, a scientist who also contributed to the report, shot down claims that hexagonal clouds only occur in the aforementioned areas.

It is a common phenomenon occurring globally  most generally found at mid- to high latitude locations over the oceans, and usually during the cold season, Miller told USA Today.

Also, Cerveny told USA Today that The Science Channels report was a bit manipulated.

They made it appear as if I was making a big breakthrough or something, Cerveny said. Sadly [thats] not the case.

UGH! And we were so hopeful! Its not every day when someone cracks the code to a mystery thats been plaguing mankind for decades, but apparently this was just another failed attempt. Hopefully, science will get its shit together and give us something we can really work with.

In the meantime, well continue avoiding flights over the Bermuda Triangle because the workweeks coming to a close and vanishing into thin air isnt on our list of fun weekend activities.

The post Whoa: Has the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle just been solved? appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A Conservative Party lawmaker on Friday filibustered a bill that would pardon gay men still alive but who were convicted in the past of now-abolished laws against homosexuality in the U.K. a day after announcing that the government will back a previously proposed alternative.

On Thursday, Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said in a statement that the government will pass an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill that will posthumously pardon around 40,000 gay and bisexual men convicted over same-sex relationships before the law was changed decades ago. The amendment, dubbed Turings Law after the scientist Alan Turing, who was posthumously pardoned in 2013, is due to be passed sometime in the last week of October.

But Gyimah stated that the government would not support a private members bill an amendment introduced by members of parliament who are not cabinet ministers that sought to automatically pardon thousands of gay men who were still alive and had past convictions before homosexuality was decriminalized. To cries of shame in the House of Commons, Gyimah filibustered the bill on Friday afternoon.

Heres a bit more on the pardon and the filibuster:

Who is Alan Turing?

Turing was a brilliant mathematician who played the key role in breaking Germanys top-secret Enigma code in World War II, which gave the Allies a major edge over the Nazis and eventually helped win the war. His work also led to the creation of the modern computerhis Turing test is still considered the gold standard for determining the quality of artificial intelligence. Despite Winston Churchill describing Turings codebreaking as the single biggest contribution to the allied victory, he was outed on charges of homosexuality in 1952 and was sentenced to chemical castration. Two years later he took his life with an apple laced in cyanide. He was given a posthumous royal pardon by the Queen in 2013.

Story continues

But isnt homosexuality legal in the U.K.?

Consensual sex between men over the age of 21 was decriminalized in 1967 in England and Wales, in 1980 in Scotland, and in 1982 in Northern Ireland. In 2001 the age of consent for homosexual sex was lowered to the same age as for heterosexual sex, 16. According to the New York Times, the pardon only applies to men as lesbian sex was never specifically outlawed in the country, although lesbians were long prosecuted under various vice statues. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the U.K. since 2014.

Turings Law

The amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill that would have provided posthumous pardons was first put forward by Liberal Democrat upper house peer Lord Sharkey in 2012. After decades of campaigning by the LGBT community and Turings family, major political parties eventually pledged to introduce the what became known as Turings Law in 2015. Justice Minister Gyimah said the government had chosen to support Sharkeys amendment because it is hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offenses who would be innocent of any crime today.

The government also announced on Thursday that men convicted in the past of sexual offenses that are no longer illegal can apply to have their crimes expunged by the interior ministry in a disregard process. According to the Times, only 335 applications have been received since 2012, and 84 have been granted.

The Private Members Bill

John Nicholson, an MP with the Scottish Nationalist Party, put forward a bill that that would give a pardon to living men convicted in the past of having gay sex. But the Conservative government said on Friday that they would block the bill because it could lead to people claiming they had been cleared of sexual offenses that are still regarded as crimes, such as having sex with a minor or non-consensual sexual activity. I understand and support the intentions behind Mr Nicolsons Bill, Minister Gyimah said in a statement. However I worry that he has not fully thought through the consequences. A blanket pardon, without the detailed investigations carried out by the Home Office under the disregard process, could see people guilty of an offense which is still a crime today claiming to be pardoned

That is simply not true Sara Ogilvie, a policy officer for the human rights advocacy group Liberty, tells TIME. The bill debated today had a clear statement that if the thing you were committed for was still an offense you would not be pardoned for it.

Others turned to Twitter to express their outrage over the bill being thrown out:

I'm a Conservative voter but the behaviour of @SamGyimah over the #TuringBill is nothing short of a disgrace @wesstreeting @MrJohnNicolson  Mark Ellison (@mark_a_ellison) October 21, 2016

Is a pardon enough?

Others have said that a pardon for those convicted of homosexual behavior is not enough. Instead, they believe the government needs to issue an apology. Gay activist George Montague, 93, who was convicted in the 1970s for gross indecency, told BBCs Newsnight: I was only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My name was on the queer list, which the police had in those days. And I will not accept a pardon. While describing Turing as a hero, he expressed his dislike of the posthumous pardon. What was he guilty of? Montague said. He was guilty of the same as what they call me guilty of; being born only able to fall in love with another man.
Value investing is always a very popular strategy, and for good reason. After all, who doesnt want to find stocks that have low PEs, solid outlooks, and decent dividends?

Fortunately for investors looking for this combination, we have identified a strong candidate which may be an impressive value; Hallador Energy Company HNRG.

Hallador Energy in Focus

HNRG may be an interesting play thanks to its forward PE of 14.37, its P/S ratio of 0.87, and its decent dividend yield of 1.9%. These factors suggest that Hallador Energy is a pretty good value pick, as investors have to pay a relatively low level for each dollar of earnings, and that HNRG has decent revenue metrics to back up its earnings.

HALLADOR ENERGY PE Ratio (TTM)

HALLADOR ENERGY PE Ratio (TTM) | HALLADOR ENERGY Quote

But before you think that Hallador Energy is just a pure value play, it is important to note that it has been seeing solid activity on the earnings estimate front as well. For current year earnings, the consensus has gone up by 1.7% in the past 30 days, thanks to 1 upward revision in the past one month compared to none lower.

This estimate strength is actually enough to push HNRG to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), suggesting it is poised to outperform. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

So really, Hallador Energy is looking great from a number of angles thanks to its PE below 20, a P/S ratio below one, and a strong Zacks Rank, meaning that this company could be a great choice for value investors at this time.



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Diverse experiences

It is important to understand that empowerment can take different forms for different women
SAP (SAP)the German enterprise software firmpowered higher on Friday following a strong third-quarter earnings report.

As pressure continues to mount on old tech software nameslike SAP and others like Microsoft (MSFT)to reshape portfolios and cater to a changing consumer, a shift to the cloud remains in focus.

The consumer is mobile, and the enterprises that serve the consumer want to provision the best service with the most innovative solutions as quickly and inexpensively as they can, said SAP CEO Bill McDermott. Thats why the cloud has become the pervasive computing theme of the 21st century.

In SAPs third quarter, cloud subscriptions and support revenue grew 28%a much faster clip than its core on-premise software licenses, up 5%.

And McDermott said the companys acquisition-oriented strategy has set the company up well for growthbut that hes not looking at anything big anytime soon.

Acquisitionsfrom SuccessFactors to Concur and Aribahave all been an important part of the companys strategy a few years ago. But while competitors have upped their acquisitions more recentlyincluding Salesforce (CRM) for Demandware, Oracle (ORCL) for NetSuite, Microsoft for Linkedin (LNKD)McDermott said his company doesnt need to look for acquisitions right now.

We took a company who did very sophisticated things, and we made it a much more simple company, he said. Other companies who were simple companies are now buying a lot things to try to do sophisticated things. I can assure you, its easier to take a company that can already do sophisticated, global things  and make it simpler.

McDermott added that the company is well primed for growth because of its spate of acquisitions a few years ago.

We did the buying we needed to do early. Those cloud acquisitions made us easy, simple and relevant, he said. Were not going to look for big acquisitions.

SAP: The stock for the changing digital economy

McDermott added that he believes SAP is perfectly situated for the rapidly transforming and developing digital economyand particularly for growth in Europe.

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There is a $2.5 trillion opportunity for Europe to industrialize their Internetthey call it Industry 4.0at the same rate as the US has done, he said. SAPs brand and our software is essential to make that happen in Europe.

Meanwhile, McDermott said his technology applies to a variety of industriesincluding health careas well.

For example, SAPs Hana fits right into Vice President Joe Bidens moonshot project to beat back cancer.

Our technology, like Hana, is doing the genome sequencing on those cancer cells to give personalized care to the patient and completely reinvent health care, McDermott said.

Whether its moonshots in health care or reinventing Europe around digital or simply leapfrogging both in China or India, SAP is at the center of the economic relevance associated with the digital economy, he said.

Political impact on business investment in technology

McDermott said companies havent been affected by recent political uncertainty and seems to be pricing in a continuation of the status quo.

When things are stable, markets are happy. Markets dont like surprises, he said. Right now a person who is looking to be a free trader, have a very open heart as it relates to equality and people everywhere mattering, and having a slant on a diverse world, a global world  I think that type of a person will keep markets very stable and sustainable for some time to come.

Please also see:

Netflix shares explode higher after earnings smash expectations

How the cloud has helped revive a once-troubled tech company

How to fix the shortage of women in tech jobs

Why Salesforce.coms acquisition could be great news for retail
It may seem extreme to plan today for the taxes you'll pay 20, 30 or even 40 years from now, but financial planners say smart workers do just that. "Taxes are likely to be one of, if not the largest expense in retirement," says Jeff Fosselman, a senior wealth advisor at Relative Value Partners in Northbrook, Illinois.

[See: How to Reduce Your Tax Bill by Saving for Retirement.]

After decades of deferring tax on your retirement savings, the tax bill becomes due in retirement. You need to plan ahead if you want to minimize the taxes you will pay during your retirement years.

Income tax is due on retirement account withdrawals. Paul Markowich, a certified financial planner and executive vice president at Firstrust Financial Resources in Philadelphia, says too many seniors face a "tax torpedo" in their later years. They may have saved all their money in traditional IRA or 401(k) accounts, which have taxable withdrawals that will cut into your spending power.

"All too often, people have this thought in their mind that they'll be in a lower tax bracket," says Charlie Harriman, a financial planner with Cloud Financial in Huntsville, Alabama. However, that may not be the case for people who save a significant amount. Plus, Harriman notes the tax code could be completely different decades from now, and it is possible tax rates will rise.

Traditional 401(k)s and IRAs require participants to begin taking a taxable required minimum distribution, known as an RMD, each year after they reach age 70 . "The RMD is something people gloss over," Markowich says. However, for someone with a significant nest egg, that RMD -- and its associated taxes -- can be quite large.

[Read: How to Pay Less Taxes on Retirement Account Withdrawals.]

Tax diversification is often overlooked. Workers often spend a great deal of time diversifying their investments, but it's equally important to diversify the taxation that comes with a person's savings. "If pre-tax money is all your savings, then you're going to be floored at how much you'll pay in taxes [in retirement]," Markowich says.

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Pre-tax money includes funds put into traditional 401(k)s and IRAs. Those contributions are tax-deductible while you are working, but are subject to regular income tax when withdrawn in retirement. When finance experts talk about tax diversification, they recommend workers also have money available that will not be subject to income tax in retirement, such as investments in Roth accounts or cash value life insurance.

Fosselman says workers may also want to consider how to maintain some tax deductions going into retirement. "I work with a lot of people now who keep their mortgages," he says. "They think their investments will earn more than what they pay in interest, and they like the income tax deduction [for mortgage interest]."

[Read: Tax Breaks for People Over 50.]

Options make Roth accounts accessible. Roth accounts are a relatively new retirement savings option, and older workers may already have a significant amount of money stored in traditional 401(k)s and IRAs. Others may make too much money to contribute to a Roth IRA, which the IRS limits to those with a modified adjusted gross income of less than $132,000 ($194,000 for couples) in 2016.

In both cases, workers may assume they are destined to pay taxes in retirement, but there are ways around them. Those with a traditional IRA can convert it to a Roth account at any time. Doing so requires a person to pay taxes on the converted amount, but Harriman says that may be preferable to waiting until retirement when tax brackets could be vastly different.

Converting to a Roth IRA is also a way for high earners to get the benefits of tax-free withdrawals in retirement. These workers may be able to contribute to a traditional IRA and then convert it to a Roth account, a process known as a backdoor Roth IRA. "It's a silly nuance in the law," Fosselman says. "I can contribute to a traditional IRA on day one and convert to a Roth on day two."

Even if workers decide not to convert to Roth accounts, they may find it's in their best interest to calculate and plan for the amount of taxes they will have to pay in retirement -- even if it will be decades before they are sitting on the beach, drink in hand.





More From US News & World Report


A California woman spotted walking with a human skull on a stick led authorities to human remains at an abandoned homeless camp, police said.

When approached by officers in Sacramento at about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, the woman, who police have said is transient herself, said she found the skull nearby, cops said.

She led them to an empty plot a few blocks away on Crosby Drive, where police discovered a decomposing body, officials said.

A call like this is not something that happens every day, Sacramento Police Sgt. Bryce Heinlein told FOX 40.

Read: Human Skulls Found at California Home

Neighbors said the homeless woman has lived in the area for years, telling reporters the body was located a few feet from her belongings.

They noted a foul odor was coming from the property before the grisly discovery was made.

Attempts made by InsideEdition.com to reach the realtor once connected to the apparently abandoned property were not successful.

Read: Hiker Discovers Bones Near Car, ID of Woman Who Disappeared 3 Years Ago

We hope we can get down to the bottom of what caused this person to become deceased, Heinlein said.

The woman who led police to the body has not been charged with any crime, police said, noting this is an active death investigation and has not been classified as a homicide at this time.

Police are awaiting the Sacramento County Coroner's report, which will determine if there was foul play.

"Once we have the coroner's report next week, we will hopefully have more details pertaining to the circumstances surrounding this incident," a spokesperson with the Sacramento Police Department told InsideEdition.com.

Watch: 26-Year-Old Woman's Body Found at Bottom of Las Vegas Hotel Laundry Chute

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Maude Garrett is an LA-based Australian, known for being funny. She's teamed up with the folks at Fusion TV to illustrate what only just last week, Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, articulated  if you're a woman in public office, expect rape threats and "threats of violence."

Hillary Clinton's mate Gillard went through a lot in her three years of leadership. She was called names, her personal life was criticised, she went HAM on the leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott with her iconic "I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by that man!" speech in parliament. The works.

So when it comes to a LOL-worthy, imaginary orientation video to show Clinton on her first day of office as president, who better to reference?

Bad b*tches, unite!

1940s cover of 'This Love' would surely make Adam Levine's chair spin

Surfing legend ditches surfboard for Alaskan wilderness in stunning video

Little kid resists sleep with every bone in his body

Big dog plays dead to avoid the wrath of tiny dog
A woman in yoga pants from behind

A Rhode Island man is about to rue the day he decided to write into a local newspaper to express his disdain for adult women who wear yoga pants in public. Those very women he targeted are now organizing a peaceful protest  a Yoga Pants Parade scheduled to take place this Sunday, right on their grouchy neighbors block.

Jamie Patrice, the organizer of the parade, tells Yahoo Style she was shocked that our paper posted such a nasty letter shaming women for their wardrobe choices, and felt compelled to act. The letter, written by Barrington, R.I., resident Alan Sorrentino and published in the Barrington Times, read, in part, Yoga pants can be adorable on children and young women who have the benefit of natures blessing of youth. However, on mature, adult women there is something bizarre and disturbing about the appearance they make in public  To all yoga pant wearers, I struggle with my own physicality as I age. I dont want to struggle with yours. He even said yoga pants on adult women provide an unforgiving perspective thats inappropriate for general consumption.

Understandably, Patrice was so disturbed by Sorrentinos brashly judgmental letter that she posted it to her Facebook page. So happy that with the national election, local election, school start times change and new middle school bond and all the other serious s*** happening around us  THIS s*** was given ink. Shame on you Barrington Times and F*** you Alan Sorrentino, the bold yoga pants-wearer wrote.

Thats when someone suggested organizing a parade to protest womens rights to wear stretchy pants in public, if thats what they damn well please. Being from New Orleans, I can never resist a parade, Patrice joked, but shes serious about standing up sartorial freedom. So she set up a Facebook event, Yoga Pants Parade, inviting women from the community to join her in taking a leisurely walk down Knapton Street wearing our most comfortable pair of yoga pants! Knapton Street is, of course, where Sorrentino resides.

Story continues

A Rhode Island resident expressed his distaste for grown women wearing yoga pants in public by writing a letter to his local paper. (Photo: Courtesy of Facebook/jamie.patriceb)

I want women of all ages shapes and sizes to know that it is okay to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable, Patrice, a Providence resident, said of her decision to arrange the event. And I thought a peaceful walk down Alans street was a great way to gather in comfort, and draw attention to a body positive movement. Shes even detailed a parade route that will begin on the front lawn of a local Hampden Meadows school.

Like many women for whom athleisure is a way of life, Patrice has a personal affinity for yoga pants. I work from home, overnight  so my wardrobe consists of many pairs of yoga pants. Surprisingly, though, she admits that she doesnt often wear leggings in public; she says she prefers to pull on a pair of jeans when shes leaving the house. That said, Ill be damned if some 63-yr-old grumpy letter writer is going to tell me what I should wear, she told Yahoo Style.

So far, more than 700 people have RSVPd that they either will or might attend the parade, and a sometimes funny yet empowering dialogue is opening up on the page. Ive recently gained some weight in all the wrong places. So Im super excited to wear my most unflattering pair of yoga pants that would have Trump wanting to police my cellulite in addition to my female organs! wrote an empowered Candice Trismegistus. Some even see it as an opportunity to give back. I just saw this event on a friends page and wanted to suggest something  You could also make it a yoga pants drive to give to shelters. All women deserve to be comfy, wrote ViolaCay.

One woman, Amanda Perry, doesnt want the gravity of the cause to be lost on the lighthearted nature of the event. She wrote on Facebook, This is part of a much bigger problem with our society where people (particularly men) think it is their place and duty to tell people (particularly women) how they should look, mainly in regard to their weight and fashion. If this is your first time noticing this, now you wont be able to un-see it. Once you are enlightened to this fact, you will notice it everywhere. It is each individual womans decision to look how SHE wants to look! Your weight, body fat percentage, amount of muscle mass, clothes you wear, what color or style your hair is, etc are all your own decision based on what makes you feel good about yourself.

Patrice is aware that there will be some negative response  I know there are trolls out there, and have been doing my best to keep them out of our event page, she says. I am focused on the positive, that hundreds of women are willing to walk together in comfort and solidarity  and to show the world that men can not dictate what we wear.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
London (AFP) - Worcester are furious that South Africa star Francois Hougaard has returned from international duty with a shoulder injury.

Hougaard has won 39 caps for the Springboks and is one of Worcester's most influential players, but he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after discovering he needs shoulder surgery.

The extent of his injury, which is likely to keep him out for the rest of 2016, only surfaced when he underwent checks by Worcester's medical department after reporting back for club duty.

Worcester's high performance director Nick Johnston said: "We are extremely disappointed that Francois returned to the club with an undiagnosed injury.

"As a club, player welfare is our priority, and we will be using our every resource to ensure that Francois has access to the right surgeon and that he receives the highest level of support during his rehabilitation."

The 28-year-old is equally adept as a scrum-half or wing, and he has extended his stay with Worcester after initially joining them on a short-term deal last February.

In a statement, Worcester said: "The Warriors medical department assessed Hougaard on his return to Sixways and diagnosed the player with a shoulder injury.

"Hougaard visited specialist consultants following the diagnosis and was given an MRI scan to allow the club to fully understand the extent of the injury.

"The scan confirmed that Hougaard will need a Biceps Tenodesis and rotator cuff repair and will be ruled out of action for 10 to 12 weeks."
Dr KC welcomes move

Dr Govinda KC, senior orthopaedic surgeon at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, has welcomed the impeachment motion against CIAA chief Lokman Singh Karki, calling for probe into the conduct of other controversial CIAA commissioners.
OSLO (Reuters) - The terms of Britain's future membership of the World Trade Organization will depend a lot on how it separates from the European Union, the director-general of the WTO said on Friday.

In the case of a "hard Brexit", including leaving the EU's customs union, some argue Britain can fall back onto WTO terms to govern its global trading relationships.

Britain is a member of the WTO but once it leaves the EU, the bloc's schedules of commitments -- a list of its tariffs, quotas and subsidy entitlements -- will no longer apply to Britain.

"Once they (the British) leave, legally the EU schedules no longer applies to them ... The other WTO members arguably could say: 'I don't like it. We should change this, or we should change that'," Roberto Azevedo told a business seminar in Oslo.

"A lot will depend on the terms of separation in the negotiations between the UK and the EU. That may have a positive impact on how the other WTO members view this or not.

"I don't think the global economy at this point in time can afford the luxury of more turbulence. The less turbulence we have the better. The quicker trade relations are established between the UK, the EU and other WTO members, the better."

U.S. ELECTION

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has criticised the TPP and TTIP trade deals concluded between the United States and the Pacific nations and the EU respectively, while her rival Donald Trump has spoken out against accords such as Nafta, enabling free trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Azevedo said the anti-global trade rhetoric heard on the campaign trail may make it more difficult for the next U.S. president to come back on those comments, if required.

"My concern is that if you step up your rhetoric it becomes harder and harder to backtrack," he said.

He later told Reuters: "You need to bring rationality back in the conversation about trade. It cannot be an emotional conversation."

"It is very difficult because people are affected in their everyday lives by these shifts. But these shifts are not caused by trade," he said, citing that eight out of the 10 jobs lost are due to increased productivity, new technologies, automation, rather than jobs being delocalised to countries with cheaper labour costs.

Story continues

He declined to comment specifically on Clinton's and Trump's comments on global trade deals and what actions either candidates would take as president.

"We have to see who wins and what kind of policies they want to implement," he said.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Stine Jacobsen; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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Despite a record-setting heat wave across much of the U.S. this week, winter is coming.

Two key winter forecasts are out, and they show completely different outcomes. Overall, the message is this: Don't panic about another frigid winter, as there's still considerable uncertainty.

But, there are signs this will be a colder and snowier than average winter for many people.

SEE ALSO: So that's 3 presidential debates, 0 climate change questions

First, let's set the bigger picture for this winter.

Seasonal climate forecasters rely on large-scale factors like sea surface temperature patterns across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to help determine what the dominant weather patterns may be during a particular season.

And for this winter, the biggest clue is that there is likely to be a weak La Nina event in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

You can think of La Nina as a sibling of El Nino. Instead of unusually warm ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, La Nina events have cooler waters in these regions.

The weak La Nina predicted for this winter heavily influenced the 2016-17 winter outlook that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released on Thursday.

NOAA winter temperature outlook.

Image: NOAA

NOAA: Bad news on drought

According to NOAA, drier and milder than average conditions will be the rule across much of California, which is terrible news for the drought-riddled state. The state's worst drought on record is likely to intensify further during this winter, according to NOAA, potentially forcing the state to reinstate emergency water use restrictions.

The winter forecast doesnt bode well for this region, said Mike Halpert, the director of the Climate Prediction Center in Maryland, on a Thursday conference call with reporters.

Winter 2016-17 precipitation outlook.

Image: noaa

In addition, according to the NOAA outlook, the Southwest is likely to be drier and milder than average, with dry and mild conditions extending eastward along the Gulf Coast all the way to Florida.

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Wetter than average conditions are most likely in the northern Rockies, around the Great Lakes, in Hawaii and in western Alaska, according to NOAA's outlook.

The only colder than average conditions that NOAA predicts are where very few people live, in the northern Rockies.

For the rest of the country, including the Plains, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, much of the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states, NOAA is predicting equal chances of a colder than average, average, or milder than average winter. The same goes for these regions and precipitation.

Because the La Nina is likely to be a weak event, NOAA's forecasters hedged their bets in a way that makes this forecast relatively unhelpful for tens of millions of people.

However, before you turn to the inaccurate Old Farmer's Almanac for more specific help, there is another forecast that is worth taking into account.

Cold and snowy winter for many?

Another prominent winter forecast released this week paints a very different picture from NOAA's. This prediction is based not just on La Nina, but also an indicator located more than 4,000 miles from New York City.

Forecast of winter temperature departure from average.

Image: NSF/AER

Meteorologist Judah Cohen, of the private forecast firm Atmospheric and Environmental Research in Massachusetts, relies on Siberian snow cover in the month of October to discern how key weather patterns will likely evolve downstream, above North America and Europe, during the winter.

Cohen thinks this winter is going to be a predominantly cold and snowy one from the northern Plains to the Upper Midwest on southeast to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. This would include big cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.

He agrees with NOAA that the West and Southwest, particularly California, is likely to remain warmer and drier than average.

Cohen's model uses Siberian snow cover patterns during the fall to predict the dominant phase of the Arctic Oscillation during the winter. Cohen's predictions have been uncannily accurate for several of the winters during the past decade, particularly when it comes to calling for cold and snowy winters along the East Coast.

AER's winter outlook for 2013.

Image: NSF/AER

Observed winter temperature anomalies for winter 2013.

Image: NSF/AER

Winters with a predominantly negative Arctic Oscillation tend to be cold and snowy across the eastern U.S., with blocking areas of high pressure forming across the northern latitudes, forcing cold air southward.

Cohen's work has linked Eurasian snow cover during October, and specifically the rate at which this snow cover expands during the month, to the evolution of the Arctic Oscillation.

When snow cover builds up quickly during October, a predominantly negative wintertime Arctic Oscillation is more likely, Cohen's work shows, owing to a complex series of interactions between the surface and the atmosphere.

I think theres a pretty robust signal coming out of the snow cover so far that Im fairly confident [in this outlook]" Cohen told Mashable in an interview.

Cohen thinks one of the reasons the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have seen snowier winters in recent years is because of the loss of Arctic sea ice, which is altering snow fall cover in Eurasia and affecting global weather patterns.

A winter scene in New York City during a winter storm in Jan. 2016.

Image: Craig Ruttle/AP

Intuitively it makes sense to tie it to the disappearing sea ice, he said. I havent found the smoking gun, he added, noting that many scientists disagree with him regarding this hypothesis.

In September, Arctic sea ice reached the 2nd lowest extent on record since satellite records began in 1979. Cohen says sea ice is well below average in areas along the northern Eurasian coast, which he thinks is adding moisture to the atmosphere and leading to a faster buildup of snow cover.

Other forecasters in addition to Cohen are leaning toward a colder, snowier winter in the East, including WeatherBell Analytics and the Commodity Weather Group.

However, NOAA doesn't quite buy into Cohen's methods. Halpert said the relationship between Siberian snow cover and the Arctic Oscillation is too weak to be a reliable predictor of winter weather.

Theyre just not meeting the statistical significance that we look for, he said. (That's scientific code for "your method is dubious.")

Of Siberian snow cover influencing winter weather in the U.S., Halpert says, In my own view, [it] contributes some small degree of variance."

I guess theyre not convinced, Cohen said of NOAA's view. Thatll continue to be I guess [the] disagreement between them and us.
In a special edition of Zacks Friday Finish Line, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson are joined by technology analyst James Hayward of IDTechEx, a provider of independent market research based in Cambridge, U.K.

Since its founding in 1999, IDTechEx has provided independent market research, business intelligence, and events on emerging technology to clients in over 80 countries. The firm conducts primary research through interviews, site visits, and events across the world, getting the insight first.

James is one of IDTechExs resident experts on wearable technology, and together, we discussed notable consumer-level wearables products like Apples AAPL Apple Watch at Fitbits FIT fitness tracking devices, as well as growth within the broader wearables industry.

Apart from mainstream tech devices, the average consumer is likely unaware of other forms of wearable technology, but there are many applications out there. James talks about some interesting wearable tech products in the health and defense industries, and how these sectors are changing because of this technology.

James also gave insight into the future of wearable technology, and whether or not it will become ubiquitous, affecting the way consumers interact with the world around them.

Stocks that Aren't in the NewsYet

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, ILOctober 21, 2016Zacks Friday Finish Line is a podcast hosted weekly by Zacks Editor Maddy Johnson and Content Writer Ryan McQueeney. In this special edition, Maddy and Ryan spoke with James Hayward of IDTechEx, a provider of independent research, about the state of the wearable tech industry.

Based in Cambridge, U.K., IDTechEx has been around since 1999, providing independent market research, business intelligence, and events on emerging technology to clients in over 80 countries. The firm conducts primary research through interviews, site visits, and events across the world, getting the insight first.

James is one of IDTechExs resident experts on wearable technology, and together, we discussed notable consumer-level wearables products like Apples AAPL Apple Watch at Fitbits FIT fitness tracking devices, as well as growth within the broader wearables industry.

Apart from mainstream tech devices, the average consumer is likely unaware of other forms of wearable technology, but there are many applications out there. James talks about some interesting wearable tech products in the health and defense industries, and how these sectors are changing because of this technology.

James also gave insight into the future of wearable technology, and whether or not it will become ubiquitous, affecting the way consumers interact with the world around them.

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Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



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For Immediate Release

Chicago, ILOctober 21, 2016Zacks.com looks back on the hottest stories of the week featured in the Stocks in the News blog, where analysts and writers discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks, the financial markets, and the greater investing world.

Here are highlights from this weeks Stocks in the News blog:

Tesla & Panasonic are Collaborating to Make Solar Cells

Luxury electric car maker Tesla Motors TSLA and electronics manufacturer Panasonic PCRFY recently announced that they have teamed up to produce photovoltaic cells and modules in a Buffalo, New York factory. Tesla said it will use the cells and modules manufactured at the plant in a solar energy system intended to work with the companys energy storage products Powerpack and Powerwall.

Netflix Skyrockets 20% on Huge Earnings Beat, Membership Growth

On Monday, video streaming giant Netflix Inc. NFLX reported its fiscal 2016 third quarter financial results, posting earnings of 12 cents per share and revenue of $2.29 billion, helped by Netflixs strong content slate including Stanger Things and season two of Narcos. Global streaming revenue totaled $2.2 billion, of which 40% was generated abroad, and Netflix added 0.4 million new members in the U.S and 3.2 million members internationally.

Intel Down 3.5% Despite Earnings Beat, IoT Revenue Up 19%

On Tuesday, Intel Corp. INTC released its fiscal 2016 third quarter financial results, posting non-GAAP earnings of 80 cents per share and revenue of $15.8 billion. Non-GAAP operating income came in at $5.1 billion, while net income came in at $3.9 billion. The company reported Internet of Things Group revenue of $689 million, up 20% sequentially and up 19% year-over-year.

Microsoft (MSFT) Posts Q1 Earnings Beat Behind Strong Cloud Growth

On Thursday, tech giant Microsoft Corp. MSFT reported its fiscal 2017 first quarter financial results, posting earnings of 76 cents per share and revenue of $22.334 billion. Revenues from Microsofts Intelligent Cloud unit grew 8% to $6.4 billion. Growth in this division was primarily backed by revenues from its Azure cloud platform growing 116%.

Story continues

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About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



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LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia will maintain a ban on the export of maize until it secures 500,000 tonnes of maize in its strategic reserves, Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya said on Friday. The southern African country had planned to lift the ban at the end of September, it said in May. Maize meal prices in Zambia have been rising, which authorities have blamed on smuggling to neighbouring countries. Zambia's Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is currently holding 331,716 tonnes of maize and the private sector has 794,785 tonnes, Siliya told parliament. The available maize stocks were enough to last Zambia beyond the next harvest in April 2017 but the government would only resume exports after the FRA bought an additional 187,000 tonnes of maize from local farmers, she said. Zambias maize production rose to 2.87 million tonnes in the current 2015/2016 crop season from 2.60 million tonnes the previous season. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; editing by Jason Neely and Susan Thomas)
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Bill English has scrapped a meeting with two senior Hong Kong democracy advocates on the advice of his foreign office, who said it would be diplomatically sensitive.

Fridays cancellation, on the eve of a planned meeting with former Hong Kong legislator Martin Lee and former colonial Chief Secretary Anson Chan, signifies a delicate relationship with Communist Partyruled China, Reuters reports.

Lee, who has championed democracy in Hong Kong for decades, told Reuters, This is the first time its happened to me like this, a meeting was canceled at the last minute.

We were told that the Chinese embassy had been busy behind the scenes telling people not to meet with us, Chan told Radio Television Hong Kong.

New Zealand and Australia are both vying for export opportunities into the lucrative Chinese market but the Oceanian neighbors have differed in their approach to managing Chinese sensibilities.

Last week, Reuters reports, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop met with Chan and Lee, who advocated protection of Hong Kongs autonomy in front of the Australian Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee.

But New Zealand  the first Western country to sign a Free Trade Agreement with China in 2008  appears to be treading cautiously.

The snub comes amid rising tensions between China and Hong Kong. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems arrangement, affording it freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. When China proposed reforms to Hong Kongs electoral system in 2014, protesters took to the streets to call for full democracy, and the seeds of a full-blown independence movement were sown.

On Wednesday, dozens of pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists, setting the scene for a new constitutional crisis.

[Reuters]
By Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Bill English canceled a meeting with two senior Hong Kong democracy supporters this week on advice from his foreign office, he said on Friday, underscoring a delicate relationship with Communist Party-ruled China. English said in an emailed statement that he canceled the meeting with former Hong Kong legislator Martin Lee and former colonial chief secretary Anson Chan on the eve of the appointment after he was advised it was "diplomatically sensitive". New Zealand has been more careful recently than neighbor Australia not to offend China as both Pacific countries jostle for export opportunities in the Asian giant. "This is the first time it's happened to me like this, a meeting was canceled at the last minute," Lee told Reuters. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying declined to comment during a routine briefing, saying she "did not understand the situation". New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing earlier this week. The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which guarantees it freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. Street protests calling for full democracy for Hong Kong in 2014 presented Beijing with one of its biggest political challenges in decades. Dozens of pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature on Wednesday to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists, setting the scene for a new constitutional crisis. Lee has for decades campaigned for democracy for Hong Kong. Chan has said China should trust Hong Kong people to pick their own leader. China became New Zealand's largest trading partner after a Free Trade Agreement in 2008, making New Zealand the first western country to sign such a deal. Exports to China amounted to NZ$12.1 billion ($8.67 billion) in the year to June, which equates to 17 percent of New Zealand's exports. English, who advised Lee and Chan of the cancellation by email, said that it was "not uncommon" for the Foreign Affairs Minister to advise on meetings with overseas visitors. The Foreign Affairs office did not reply to a request for comment on its advice. In contrast, Chan and Lee last week met with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and testified in front of the Australian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee about protecting Hong Kong's autonomy. Opposition Labour Party legislator David Shearer, who spoke with Chan and Lee earlier this week, said Chinese officials had approached him expressing "concern" about the meeting. "It's not in New Zealand's interest not to go through with a meeting because of persuasion of pressure from another country," Shearer said. There were strains in the two countries' relationship earlier this month when China rebuked New Zealand's defense minister at the opening of a high-profile security forum in Beijing, criticizing his stance on tension in the disputed South China Sea. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Jane Wardell and Nick Macfie)
EC asks parties to furnish details for re-registration

The notice follows two rounds of talks with the parties about finding a common view on re-registration


Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer

"The best things are worth waiting for." That's how travel blogger Sonja Lishchynski summed up her recent engagement on her blog MonteCristoTravels.com. Trust us, to say that Sonja is a patient woman would be a gross understatement. To say that she is a perfectionist would probably describe her much better. After all, she waited 18 months for a retired Hungarian jeweler to hand craft the ring she was going to propose with because she wanted it done "the old way."

And if you think that's romantic, just wait until you find out why she insisted on having the ring done by hand and not laser, which would have taken way less time.

You see, her fiance's name is Stefan Dumas. That last name must ring a bell, doesn't it?! And no it's not just a coincidence, Stefan is actually a descendant of Alexandre Dumas, one of the most widely read French writers and author of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

RELATED: This Man Hand-Crafted an Engagement Ring From Gold He Mined in the Colorado Mountains



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer

The Ring

When Stefan's family moved to the New World, the Dumas signet ring went inexplicably missing. Then nine years ago, when Sonja and Stefan were still in a flirting phase, he mentioned to her that one of his biggest regrets in life is not having that ring replaced.

So when she decided to propose, she embarked on a true adventure through history. She contacted La Fondation Dumas and the Paris Archives looking for any clues as to what that ring might have looked like. Then, she found a Hungarian jeweler in Vancouver who, after hearing Sonja's story, agreed to come out of retirement (he is in his 80s) to make Stefan's ring.



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer

"You know, I haven't done this in a really long time," he told her. "And I have to work really slowly because I have really bad Arthritis. There's only so much I can do in one go and then take a day to recover. So I can't tell you how long this is going to take."

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Her response? "Take. Your. Time."

RELATED: 17 Gorgeous Engagement Rings with Colored Gems

Prague

When the ring was finally ready, it was just a matter of waiting for their trip to the Czech Republic's capital which, by the way, is not just some random place Sonja picked.

"I am obsessed with architecture and how cities have evolved," she said. "And Prague is unique in the world. It has managed to escape the grid system that Napoleon implemented pretty much everywhere he went. So, as a result, Prague has this wonderful ability to allow lovers get lost in its tiny little winding streets that were never designed for cars.



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer

So for me, Prague maintains that true sense of what we would call a fairy tale."

The Proposal

Did we mention Sonja is a perfectionist? Because she wanted to capture the beautiful moment she proposed to Stefan on camera, she had arranged for Berlin-based photographer Sarah Stein to join the couple for an impromptu shoot in Prague. But how do you not raise suspicions that something else is going on when you have a photog follow you around in one of the most beautiful cities in the world?

RELATED: This Couple Had the Most Insane Engagement Photo Shoot in Iceland

This is where Sonja's patience and perfectionism proved very useful. She wanted to keep the proposal a total surprise, so while the ring was still being made, she organized a photo shoot for the two of them in Dubrovnik through Flytographer, a photo service that connects you with local photographers around the world who basically take photos of you and your significant other while you are sightseeing. The goal? She hoped he would love the results so much that he'd agree to two sessions per year--so when the time came to propose, he wouldn't be surprised by a person with a camera following them. Good one, Sonja!



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer

Fast forward to about a month ago (September 14, to be exact) when Sonja and Stefan were in Prague all dressed up for their friends' nuptials when she suggested they go for a romantic sunrise shoot around the capital.

When they finally reached the "secret place" Sonja had picked, she went down on one knee and popped the question.

RELATED: I Traveled to Monaco Like an Instagram Celebrity--And You Can, Too



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer

You probably noticed the pooch in the photos. That's Monte Cristo, Sonja and Stefan's "child." They travel with him everywhere and she says it was very important for him to be present at their engagement.

And you thought the whole story couldn't get any cuter!



Credit: Sarah Stein for Flytographer
From Town & Country

Saudi Arabia says it has executed a prince who fatally shot another man in a melee, a rare death sentence carried out against a member of the kingdom's extensive royal family.

The Interior Ministry said late on Tuesday it had executed Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer in Riyadh. It did not describe how the sentence was carried out, though the Sunni-ruled kingdom often beheads the condemned in public.

A ministry statement carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency warned "whoever dares to commit such a crime that the Shariah penalty is awaiting."

Saudi Arabia is among the world's top executioners.

Such royal executions are rare, but have happened before. In 1975, the kingdom beheaded Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for assassinating King Faisal.

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- By Akshansh Gandhi





Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (005930.KS) are undoubtedly the biggest players in the smartphone industry. However, due to its massive size, the smartphone industry is gradually becoming crowded, with many small players entering the market with different offerings. Chinese companies such as Xiaomi are growing at a faster than expected rate. Despite the competitive nature of the market, it looks like Apple is set to dominate the industry once again.





Apple recently launched its new iPhone 7 devices, which gathered a lot of attention primarily due to the underwhelming performance of the iPhone 6S. As a matter of fact, the design of iPhone 7 models is same as that of previous model, but the company has made some significant changes in its new iPhone 7.

The screen size of the iPhone 7 Plus model is 5.5 inches with sharper display, packing a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch compared with the 326 pixels per inch of the smaller model. Apart from this, the most significant thing to notice is the use of dual-camera setup that permits users to use a true optical camera.

According to bgr.com, the iPhone 7 is becoming a more successful as well as popular device compared to the analyst lower expectations. Moreover, pre-orders for the company's iPhone 7 devices totally blew outlooks at carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, etc.

Furthermore, it is well known that Samsung is the largest competitor of Apple mainly due to its high-end Galaxy S series. A few months ago, Samsung launched its new flagship Galaxy S7/S7 Edge, which outperformed the smartphone market, and managed to become the world's best smartphone.

Recently, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 7, skipping the Note 6, to compete against Apple's new iPhone 7, which turned out to be very controversial. Despite Samsung's best efforts, the Note 7 failed to compete against iPhone 7 due to battery issues that were causing problems across the globe.

Story continues

Samsung tried to solve this issue by announcing a recall as well as publicizing an upgrade, but that too was not able to solve the problem. As an outcome, Samsung announced that it will halt the production of Note 7.

Apple stands to benefit from this fiasco as analysts haven't really factored the production halt of the Note 7 into their estimates and Apple could soar on the back of a stunning quarter.

Final words

Although it once looked like the iPhone 7 was going to be another underwhelming phone, the significant improvements in the device, along with the Samsung fiasco, have opened many new opportunities for the Cupertino giant. As a result, I think Apple is a buy heading into the earnings season.

Disclosure: No position.

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






Google has opened up pre-orders for its Daydream View virtual reality headset on its web store this week. This comes as the company has started to sell its Pixel phone, which is the first phone to support Daydream.

Google officially unveiled Daydream View at a press event earlier this month, but the company has been slow to release key details on the device. That being said, here is what we know so far about Daydream View:

What it is: Daydream View is a mobile VR headset, which means that youll use a compatible phone as a display. Its similar to Samsungs Gear VR headset, with some notable differences: Daydream View is covered with cloth, which makes it a lot more comfortable. It also comes with an external controller that doubles as a Wii-like game pad, tracking motion for game play and other applications.

Price and availability: Daydream View costs $79, and can already be pre-ordered via Googles web store. It will also be sold at Best Buy and Verizon stores. Theres still no official launch date for the device, with Google only stating that it would be coming this November, but users who pre-order it on Googles site are being told that it will ship within the next 2-3 weeks.

Launch apps: Google promises that there will be more than 50 apps available for Daydream before the end of the year. Some of these apps will include Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, YouTube, NBA, MLB, CNN as well as VR apps from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and USA Today. There will also be a Jaunt VR app and an app for Baobabs Invasion! animated VR short film. Games will include Eve Gunjack 2, Need for Speed No Limits, Lego Brick Headz Dream Builder, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Compatible phones: At launch, Daydream View will work with Googles Pixel and Pixel XL phones. The headset isnt limited to Googles phones, and will over time also work with other VR-optimized Android smart phones from Daydream partners like Huawei, Asus, Samsung and Xiaomi. However, Daydream isnt backwards compatible, so dont expect to be able to use your Samsung S7 with the headset. Also not supported at all: Apples iPhones.

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Limitations: Daydream doesnt support positional tracking, which essentially means that the headset doesnt know where you are in a room, or which way you are moving. This means that many of the apps available on high-end VR headsets like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or PlayStation VR wont work on Daydream. Also amiss from Daydream View is any kind of augmented reality. The headset fully covers your phones front-facing camera, so its impossible for apps to use the camera input for augmented reality experiences.

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Baobab Studios Raises $25 Million From Horizons Ventures, 20th Century Fox, Others for Animated Virtual Reality Films
Here's Why Your Internet Was Down Today You can blame hackers for not being able to Tweet today, if you can even read this.

Happy Friday! Hackers are tearing pages out of the Internets phone book today.

Digital infrastructure company Dyn (pronounced dine) found itself the subject of a distributed denial-of-service attack this morning. By overloading Dyns servers with requests for information, hackers grinded the companys technical operations to a halt. This might not have been such a big problem if Dyn didnt provide the foundational technology that lets major websites and apps like Reddit, Twitter, PayPal, and Spotify operate. As a result, these and other large sites are fluctuating between working and not working today.

RELATED: Why Your WiFi Is So Slow

The specific technology being fooled here is called DNS  domain name service. This is something of the glue that holds the Internet together and makes it useful for human beings. When you type www.google.com into your URL bar, DNS is the magic that turns this text into a connection with Googles servers around the world. With this connection severed in the wake of todays hack, your browser ends up behaving like a lost person, unable to find what its looking for.



Dyn is of course aware of the situation and has been posting updates throughout the day about how the company is responding. As of late this afternoon, there are still ongoing attacks seeking to keep this essential system broken. Per the companys latest update, its engineers are continuing to investigate and mitigate several attacks aimed against the Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure.

RELATED: Finally, Fast and Easy-to-Install WiFi

Some sites may work off and on, but this is a major monkey wrench tossed into the gears of how the Internet works. With Twitter down, how will we ever tweet our complaints about Twitter being down?


FNCCI amends its statute; Rana to become next prez

It is now almost sure that Bhawani Rana, senior vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), will become its next president.
Whatever the technical deficiency behind exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices was, Samsung still hasn't been able to figure it out. Indeed, Samsung's inability to pinpoint the root cause of the problem effectively forced the company to issue a worldwide recall and discontinue production altogether.

DON'T MISS: If you have a black or jet black iPhone 7, you need these wallpapers

While not a cure-all solution by any means, the Note 7 fiasco has reportedly convinced Samsung to diversify its list of battery suppliers. According to a new report from The Korea Herald, Samsung is exploring the possibility of tapping LG Chem as a new battery supplier for its upcoming Galaxy S8.

With the Note 7 saga said to be costing the Samsung as much as $5 billion, the South Korean tech giant understandably wants to do all it can to prevent another mishap when it releases its other premium handset next year.

According to news reports on Oct. 20, the Korean tech giant is talking with LG Chem for possible partnership in a move to diversify its battery suppliers other than Samsung SDI and Chinas ATL. We are looking at diverse suppliers, including LG Chem, a Samsung executive was quoted as saying by Maeil Business Newspaper.

As you may recall, when word of Note 7 explosions first began to spread, Samsung engineers initially believed the problem was with faulty batteries from Samsung SDI. However, once replacement units with batteries from ATL began exploding as well, Samsung engineers were flummoxed.

While it's nice to see Samsung looking to get LG on board, there's no concrete proof that faulty batteries are behind the explosions. In fact, one of the more interesting theories behind the Note 7's woes suggests that the industrial design of the Note 7 put too much pressure on the battery, ultimately causing it to bend and overheat.

https://twitter.com/arter97/status/786002483424272384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Highlighting just how big of a PR misstep the Galaxy Note 7 has become, bringing a Note 7 onto a plane and refusing to turn it off could end up costing you as much as $179,000. Embarrassingly, Samsung in recent days even began setting up kiosks at various airports so that Note 7 toting customers can exchange it before boarding.

Story continues

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
(Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is in talks with LG Chem Ltd to supply batteries for its new smartphones, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing sources. Samsung, the world's biggest smartphone maker, scrapped production of the fire-prone Note 7 and said it would take a hit to its operating profit of about $3 billion over the next two quarters as a result. The company had blamed faulty batteries for the original problem in its flagship device, but has given no indication about the cause of the overheating seen in the replacements. The companies are discussing ways to supply batteries to Samsung's new smartphones starting next year, the report said. (http://s.nikkei.com/2ew8B9f) Samsung's subsidiary, Samsung SDI Co Ltd, is the dominant battery supplier for the Note 7, supplying around 70 percent of the batteries globally, according to analyst estimates. Samsung and LG Chem were not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours. (Reporting by Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. safety regulators confirmed late Thursday an 11th death in the United States caused by a ruptured Takata Corp air bag inflator, the latest fatality tied to the largest ever auto safety recall. At least 16 deaths are now linked to the defect, including five in Malaysia, that prompted the recall of nearly 100 million air bag inflators worldwide by more than a dozen automakers. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said a 50-year-old woman died after a Sept. 30 crash in Riverside County, California in a 2001 Honda Civic that was first recalled in 2008 and never repaired. This is the first U.S. death reported from a Takata inflator since a 17-year-old high school senior died in Texas in March in a moderate speed crash. Automakers have fixed about 11.4 million inflators in the United States to date -- leaving more than 20 million unrepaired. The defective air bag inflators deploy with too much force sending metal fragments flying. Honda said in a statement Thursday that more than 20 recall notices were mailed over nearly eight years to registered owners of the vehicle in the deadly California crash. The victim was identified as Delia Robles, a Corona, California resident who died at a hospital after a crash at a Riverside intersection, the coroner's office said. Nine of the 11 U.S. deaths have been reported in 2001-2003 model Honda and Acura vehicles that in June NHTSA classified as high risk and urged owners to immediately stop driving until they got repairs. The 313,000 vehicles identified in June have as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash, NHTSA said citing test data. Takata spokesman Jared Levy said the "tragedy underscores the importance of replacing those airbag inflators that have been recalled by automakers." Honda said previously it had already repaired more than 70 percent of the original group of 1.08 million vehicles recalled with this specific version of the inflator deemed high risk. In May, NHTSA said 17 automakers will be required to recall another 35 million to 40 million U.S. air bag inflators assembled by Takata by 2019. Takata is seeking a financial investor to help pay for huge liabilities from the world's biggest auto recall. Five bidding groups, who are the air-bag maker's creditors and customers, will meet with Takata this month in New York, Reuters reported last week, citing people familiar with the matter said. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Alexandria Sage in San Francisco; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker)
Girl dies of scrub typhus in Chitwan

A 13-year-old-girl of Kalika-6 in Chitwan district died of scrub typhus during treatment at Chitwan Medical College (CMC) on Tuesday.
High and dry

Cities in the foothills of the snowy Himalaya ironically suffer from water shortages
House panel: Halt affiliations from foreign varsities

It also decides to form a sub-panel to determine possible measures for reforms of higher education system
House to set ball rolling to impeach Karki from Sunday

A Parliament meeting on Sunday is set to fix the date and time for theoretical discussion on an impeachment motion against Lokman Singh Karki. Karkis status as Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority chief is currently suspended following the registration of the impeachment motion.
Lokman's impeachment proposal not our concern: Morcha

Madhesi Morchaan alliance of Madhes-based parties protesting against the constitutionhas said that impeachment proposal against CIAA Chief Commissioner Lokman Singh Karki is not an issue of their concern.
Medical fraternity relieved at CIAA chiefs suspension

Karki had interfered rampantly in the medical sector
Militants attack Iraq city of Kirkuk

Armed militants have raided government buildings in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
Nepal, Korea hold 3rd bilateral consultation meeting

Nepal and the Republic of Korea (RoK) held the 3rd bilateral consultation meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Nepal and RoK in Kathmandu on Friday.
New aviation law to be sent to Cabinet in Nov

The Tourism Ministry said on Thursday that it was working to table a draft of a new integrated Civil Aviation Act in the Cabinet by November 21, after its earlier deadline set for October looked unachievable.
NRB to bring $10 million to ease shortage of bills

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has sent two officials to Singapore to bring $10 million in cash to replenish depleting stocks of dollar bills in the domestic market.
Oli's Bangladesh visit cancelled

CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli's visit to Bangladesh scheduled to begin from Friday has been cancelled at the eleventh hour.
Prez stresses need for establishing Vedic ideals

President Bidyha Devi Bhandari on Thursday underscored the need of establishing the ideals of the Vedic values.
Shah against politics of negation

Former king Gyanendra Shah has remarked that politics of negation thrives in the country, warning that such tactics would only fuel dissatisfaction among the disgruntled communities.
Soaltee to open 4-star hotel in Nepalgunj

The Soaltee Crowne Plaza is expanding its portfolio with a four-star property in Nepalgunj, its first hotel outside Kathmandu where it has completed a half-century of operations.
Three farmers honoured with President Award

Three farmers in Dhankuta have been honoured with the 'President Award'-2073 BS.
Two more arrested in connection with Kathmandu school blasts

Police on Thursday night arrested two more people in connection with explosions in half-a-dozen schools of Kathmandu on September 20.
YAN defends foreign concern over impeachment motion

The Youth Association Nepal (YAN) has said foreign concern over the impeachment motion registered against the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Lokman Singh Karki, at the parliament is unnecessary.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 58F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
Economic analysts are asking government to urgently re-think a broader national economic policy that will shield all Ugandans from looming economic recession.

This is after the Bank Of Uganda took over management of Crane Bank because it was significantly undercapitalized, a situation that posed caused a systemic risk to the entire financial system.

In 2010 the Central Bank revised the minimum capital requirement to Shs25b, below which any bank cannot be allowed to continue operating.

Now speaking to KFM, Dr. Fred Muhumuza a lecturer of economics at Makarere University says Crane Banks woes are a sign of a bigger economic problem.

He explains that it was wrong to borrow from Commercial Banks and invest in construction of long term projects like roads and power dams which do not yield returns in short term.

He adds that government must strike a balance between public investment and survival of the public sector.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has asked members of the public with accounts in Crane Bank not to panic.

State minister of finance in charge of Planning David Bahati says this was done to protect all deposits at the bank and is proof that the central bank is on top of its game.

The Central Bank has now recalled former executive director Edward Kitimbo Mugwanya from retirement and assigned him to manage Crane Bank on behalf of the governor.

Story By Benjamin Jumbe & Samueal Ssebuliba
A 45-year old butcher Man has been arrested by police in Jinja for allegedly selling rotten meat.

Simon Kasadha a resident of Wakitaka village in Mafubira sub-county who operates a butchery at Gokale road in Jinja Town is also suspected to be involving in stealing of peoples animals for slaughtering.

The Jinja police OC Station Tyson Lutambika says the suspect was caught with 47kilograms of rotten meat inside his fridge which he was selling to people.

Lutambika says several complaints had been raised against the suspect linking him to selling rotten meat and selling stolen meat that resulted into his arrest.

He says the meat he was selling was also not slaughtered from the official Jinja municipal abatour and he would be charged with selling of meat not authorized by council.

He says this meat which is not picked from abattoir in not inspected therefore there is a likelihood of slaughtering sick animals and sell them to people.
Officials from the National Environmental Management Authority are this morning expected to appear before parliaments committee on Natural Resources.

They are required to explain why they failed to detect environmental abuse by investors dealing in sand mining at the shores of Lake Vitoria.

The committee led by Isingiro South MP Alex Byarugaba issued summons to the environmental body on Wednesday this week after queries were raised about the accredited companies.

The committee also discovered that some sand mining companies had obtained permits to undertake fish farming but instead ventured into sand without NEMAs approval.

Byarugaba now asks government to set stringent sanctions against investors who fail to comply with clearance standards issued by the Uganda Investment Authority.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority has lost one staff to unidentified armed poachers after he was shot dead in the chest.

The deceased ranger has been identified as 26 year old Anthony Twesigye, attached to Murchison Falls Conservation Area.

The authority Public Relations Officer, Simplicious Gessa confirmed on Wednesday succumbed to a gunshot wound following a fire exchange with the armed poachers that engaged government rangers in a fierce gun battle.

According to Gessa, Twesigye with three other rangers under the command of SWIFT ranger Lance Corporal, Innocent Ddungu left Adebuk camp for a three night extended patrol covering the areas of Langele and Pajok II on the eastern side of Karuma-Pakwach highway (24km from Karuma).

He added that this is the second UWA official to be killed this year after one Sisto Amuge from Matheniko Bokora wildlife reserve who was killed in June.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
The La Crosse Habitat ReStore is not your ordinary home improvement store. While youll find the usual doors, windows and light fixtures, the prices are always low and the staff mainly volunteers, and every penny of profit goes toward safe, stable and sustainable local housing.

The ReStore, celebrating its 10th birthday on Saturday, was created after Habitat for Humanity-La Crosse Area received an abundance of donations from contractors and businesses, some of which werent needed for Habitats home building projects.

By reselling the building materials, the organization has been able to keep tons of items out of the landfill each year and brought in $420,000 in 2015 alone.

It started as a way to make sure we were doing right by the environment. Its a wonderful place to find gently used items at a very discounted price and keeps things with a second life out the landfill, said Kahya Fox, executive director of Habitat for Humanity-La Crosse Area, which has built 41 single-family, owner-occupied homes since its establishment in 1992. The ReStore is absolutely a great contributor to the work we do here at Habitat.

During the birthday celebration, customers get even lower prices, with a 10 percent discount on everything in the store from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition, cake will be served, activities for kids will be available and raffle prizes will be drawn throughout the event. Fox hopes the celebration will help familiarize people with the ReStore.

We want people to know the store is open to everyone, Fox said. We get in a lot of really great new items everyday, and all the profits stay 100 percent local.

The ReStore already has a loyal volunteer following, with 7,000 hours contributed each year.

Our volunteers understand the work they do here really helps with the mission, Fox said. Every single day they are doing great things for the community.

And with every ReStore purchase, customer, too, contribute to the cause.
At Life in Harmony Music Therapy, aural experiences promote and sustain physiological and psychological wellness. LiH helps people with autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Downs syndrome or neurological disorders, among other challenges.

Music is what connects the dots, says Amy Schaack.

Schaack, a board-certified music therapist, established Life in Harmony in 2008. The program grew from a pilot project in the cancer ward at Gundersen Health System. Schaack opened LiH after seeing a need for a specialized music therapy service in the area. Before that, the closest facility was in Rochester.

I felt a calling to this profession, Schaack said. Its is an opportunity to use a musical talent to help others. Music can take something negative and give it a positive outcome.

Schaack stresses that music therapy is not the same as musical therapy. Music therapists uses instruments and vocals to address individual needs, whether cognitive, social, or physical.

There is a misunderstanding that our focus is on how the music sounds, but its really about the response of the body and the brain, Schaack explained. We look for a functional outcome, how to use music to process information. This is a worldwide profession.

LiH has a staff of seven, helped by volunteers, who serve clients ranging from birth to end of life. The team includes music therapists Sarah Kolander, Andrea Halvorson, Katherine Sherrill and Leanna Moore, and assistants Karla Korish and Bradley Schaack. The team develops individualized plans to help orient clients to sounds, people and places, increase mobility, decrease levels of frustration, and grasp social cues.

Clients are typically referred by La Crosse County Human Services, social workers, Childrens Miracle Network, or the Gundersen neurology department. State funding, grants and sometimes insurance help fund the therapy.

Clients typically come weekly and work with the same therapist each time. Sessions are conducted in increments of 15 minutes, building up to 45 minutes or an hour, based sensory and medical needs.

We focus on quality vs. quantity, Schaack explained. Some clients can become overly stimulated if a session goes too long.

The therapists encourage regular appointments to better gauge the effectiveness of the program and track progress. Standardized neurologic music techniques are used to put sound to the goal.

We use instruments in different weights, colors and sizes, Schaack said. We might try to isolate a finger or an arm by pushing the keys on the piano or plucking guitar strings with the opposite hand. Its about thinking through the purpose of the instrument to promote the desired movement.

Clients and therapists also create songs. A tune might be written about their surroundings, or used to memorize a phone number or address. Songs are usually client driven, with the therapist embellishing on the rhythm to make it a lesson.

We might have them write down the words, or take turns singing with us. We want them to learn skills that will assist them in the real world, Schaack explained.

LiH also offers music enrichment classes, group therapy and workshops. Rachael Pierces 9-year-old daughter, RubyAnne, has participated in both group and individual therapy sessions during the past six years. RubyAnne, who has Downs syndrome, works with Schaack on social skills, academic goals and enunciation.

LiH has been an amazing addition to her growth, Rachael Pierce said. Music therapy can be applied to anything. Songs help with her reading. She can recall information much better. I cant say enough good things.

Krista Gold also sings the praises of LiH and its effect on her 14-year-old son, Alex, who has autism.

Music therapy has bridged the gap between just having fun with music and using it as a way to work on overall goals and objectives, Gold said. Alexs goals in music therapy are very much tied to his goals in school, community and home settings. And it is also a lot of fun.

Amy has done a marvelous job being innovative with community participation, performances and other outreach, she added. I think being part of Life in Harmony in some way has really helped all of us develop a sense of pride and accomplishment.

LiH holds recitals for clients to showcase their progress. The show is not about the performance. Rather, its an opportunity for clients be a star for the day and show the community that music doesnt have to be polished and perfect.Schaack also created a traveling music bus, the Songbird Express, to serve clients in rural areas. It makes weekly trips to Mauston, Black River Falls and Whitehall. Having sessions aboard allows clients to be seen after business hours or in a less clinical environment. For some, boarding the bus is an achievement in itself.

It can be something new to overcome, Schaack said. We want to increase independence in some form.

Callie Reuteman says her son Sam, 17, waits at the door for the music bus. For Sam, who has autism, singing is a way to hold a conversation.

Music is his comfort zone, Reuteman said. It just clicks with him.

Reuteman asked Schaack to work with Sam on prepositions after noticing he struggled with the concepts of up, down and behind.

I have instruments placed in target areas on the bus, Schaack explained. He plays them when he hears me sing a functional phrase with those words included.

LiH also works to help clients effectively and safely manage and express their emotions. Julie Athnos enrolled her daughter in the program seven years ago, citing concerns about the trauma she experienced as a baby shuffled among multiple foster homes.

She didnt know how to handle strong feelings she had, Athnos said. It all came out in anger and huge meltdowns. She has always loved singing, and is actually really good, so when we met Amy we knew it was going to be a successful relationship.

Now 15, Shanda is a different child, according to her mother. She is able to tell us how she feels with words, sometimes putting them into a song, Athnos said. I would recommend music therapy to anyone with a child that is struggling or has special needs.

Shanda, who also plays piano, says music therapy has helped her become more comfortable talking with others and increased her self-esteem.

Ive learned you can move forward and move on from mistakes, Shanda said. I wrote a song called Dont Hide Yourself From Your Heart.

Empowering her clients and seeing them succeed is the ultimate reward, according to Schaack.

Its an honor to take these journeys with them, she said.
Theres a video floating around YouTube in which somebody cut together every scene of Tom Cruise running in a movie. It lasts about 20 minutes.

It feels like Jack Reacher: Never Go Back would add another 10 minutes. In the sequel to the 2012 action-thriller, Cruises Jack Reacher seems like hes constantly running  running after people, running away from people, running away from some people as hes running after some other people.

Its not surprising that the movie keeps such a breathless pace because, when it slows down, it doesnt make a lick of sense.

Never Go Back is a huge disappointment for fans of Lee Childs series of best-selling novels featuring Reacher, an ex-military policeman turned hitchhiking do-gooder, who seems to find trouble in all 50 states. And its a huge disappointment for fans of the first Reacher movie, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, which had a lean, brutal efficiency reminiscent of thrillers from the '60s and '70s.

But McQuarrie graduated to Cruises Mission: Impossible franchise and Never Go Back was left in the hands of director Ed Zwick (Glory) and his longtime co-writer Marshall Herskovitz. Despite their pedigree, Never Go Back feels like a sequel done on the cheap, clumsily adapted and indifferently executed.

I dont want to be one of those reviewers constantly comparing the adaptation to the book, but . . . the book is much better, one of Childs best. In both cases, the wandering Reacher decides on a whim to return to his old unit in Washington, D.C. to visit his replacement, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders). Theyve been carrying on something of a flirtation via telephone but never met.

Only when Reacher arrives, he finds that Turner has been charged with espionage, Reacher is quickly framed for the murder of her attorney and, by the way, it turns out Reacher may have a 15-year-old daughter Sam (Danika Yarosh) he never knew about. (The plot dump in the first 15 minutes of this movie is downright ugly.) Reacher busts Turner out of custody, grabs Sam and goes on the run, trying to figure out who is behind it all.

Reachers investigation largely consists of waiting until bad guys show up at regular intervals, beating them up and then stealing a cell phone or other clue off of their unconscious bodies. Eventually, the trail of broken bodies leads to a Blackwater-like private military company and some missing weapons in Afghanistan.

While Child pulls all the strands together with energy and elegance in the book, the movie is just a series of by-the-numbers action scenes strung together. Even the one car chase, such a highlight of the first movie, is haphazardly edited here. The supporting cast is a major step down from the original, which had Robert Duvall, Rosamund Pike and director Werner Herzog as the villain. And the dialogue is clunky and charmless.

Reacher in the books is a noble knight-errant, but Cruise plays him as a generic tough guy in the Liam Neeson "Taken" mode, with little wit or depth. Its admirable that Smulders gets to play a butt-kicker every inch his equal rather than the usual damsel in distress. But the two have no chemistry on screen. Add in the complaining teenager in the backseat and it feels like were on the family vacation from hell.

With a new one coming next month, there are 20 other Jack Reacher books out there for Tom Cruise to adapt. If he brings back McQuarrie and the standards of the first movie, Im open. But if he decides to make the next one another mediocre middle-aged action movie of the sort that dads watch on planes, then never go back, Tom.
Youth from La Crescent-area churches are participating in the annual trick-or-treat for food in La Crescent. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, middle and high school students will be trick or treating for food to help fill the shelves of the La Crescent Food Share Program. The young people will be wearing La Crescent Food Share nametags so community members will know that the food donated goes to the local food shelf.

Twenty years ago, La Crescent resident and Church of the Crucifixion member Cindy Henry began trick-or-treat for food, and the young people of La Crescent have been carrying on this tradition every year since. It takes more than 100 people and some accurate maps to cover every home in La Crescent. Thank you to all the La Crescent residents who donate the food, not to mention the sorters, stackers, food shelf volunteers who will process the food.

Most needed items include canned goods like fruits, chiliand kidney beans; canned chicken/tuna/SPAM; vegetables; pasta meals; stew; vegetable/tomato/chicken noodle soups; and tomato products.

Also needed is peanut butter and jelly, pasta, spaghetti noodles, boxed potatoes, rice, pancake mixes and syrup, Hamburger Helper and crackers. Personal items needed include toilet paper, paper towels, bars of soap, toothpaste and shampoo.

For more information, or to sign up to drive or volunteer, email Cathy Beardmore at popyouth@acegroup.cc or call 895-4440.
Allen L. Peterson, 74, of La Crosse died Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016, at Gundersen Health System, La Crosse.

He was born Oct. 27, 1941, in Taylor, to Wilfred and Olga (Knutson) Peterson. Al was a Blair-Taylor High School graduate. From there he enlisted and served in the U.S. Air Force, traveled all over the world, and received an honorable discharge. He then moved to La Crosse where he met and married Betty Hoffman, and they had four daughters. They later divorced but always remained very close. After a 36-year career with Trane Co. as an inspector, he retired in 2001.

Al was an avid Badgers, Brewers and Packers fan. He had a passion for bowling and was on many leagues for many years. He enjoyed getting together and playing cards with his buddies. Al loved camping with his daughters, family and friends, being in charge of the big bonfires while sitting around the fire listening to oldies music.

Allen is survived by his daughters, Paula (Dan) Clark, Penny Lowrey (David Wieland), Peggy (Nich) West, Patty (Scott) Peterson; grandkids, Crystal (Phillip), Kristi (Bob), Amber (Nathan), Ceaira, Ryan (Jessica), Brad, Danny, Brittany, Travis, Brianna, Cody, Cassidy, Courtney, and Logan; 11 and a half great-grandkids; sister, Opal; one nephew; three nieces; many great-nephews and nieces; favorite aunt, Helen; dear friends at one of his favorite spots, Vicks; not to mention all of the precious friends he had made along the way.

Allen was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Rodger and Ardel; sister, Olga; and a nephew.

Fly high Dad. Always and forever in our hearts.

Funeral services, with military honors provided by American Legion Post 52, will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services of La Crosse, 200 West Ave. So. Private family burial will take place at a later date in Woodlawn Cemetery. Friends may call on the family 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home, and again from 10 a.m. until the time of services Tuesday.

Online guestbook may be signed at schumacher-kish.com.
John Morgridge spoke on the important drivers of the economy and shared life advice during a lecture Thursday evening at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Morgridge is chairman emeritus at computer networking company Cisco Systems, which he joined as president in 1988. His lecture was part of the Russell G. Cleary Distinguished Business Leadership Series, which honors the UW-L alum who built the G. Heileman Brewing Co. into one of the largest breweries in the country.

When Morgridge joined Cisco Systems, the company was a four-year-old start-up with 34 employees. Morgridge led the company through a period of fast-paced growth, and when he retired in 2006, the company employed more than 50,000 in 77 countries and was a world leader in computer networking.

During his lecture, he spoke on what he considered the three pillars of a competitive economy: education, research and infrastructure. These are the things we need to focus our energy on, as our competitors around the world are putting resources into them faster than we are, he said.

We dont need totally free education, he said. But we do need it so that when you graduate you arent paying off for two decades your student loan.

Less than half the people in the U.S. have a four-year degree, he said, and the number is probably closer to one-fourth in Wisconsin. This is despite the educational opportunities in the state and the growing need for people educated in the fields of health care, information technology and especially data analysis.

Were generating, you are generating, vast quantities of data, he said. And the challenge will be to find whats valuable in that data, finding the answers that we want.

Today, the government is the main funding source for basic research while 50 years ago, business was the leader. Scientific pursuits pave the way to future innovations, he said, but no one can be inspired if the groundwork hasnt been laid.

Morgridge, who holds a bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funds a systemwide scholarship program, spends a lot of time in the state for business, pleasure and philanthropy. During the portion of his talk on infrastructure, he said he didnt know what the city of La Crosse would be like without the interstate, railroads, river and airport, all of which are important for creating a vibrant city.

But much of that investment came during the last century, and there is a big need for renewable energy, modern transportation systems and clean drinking water. There hasnt been a big investment in new projects, he said, except for the billions of dollars sunk into the U.S. prison system.

We have been derelict as a nation in terms of continuing to invest in our infrastructure, Morgridge said. Prisons dont build strong economies.

He ended his lecture by sharing some rules of the road with the hundreds of students in the crowd, telling them to enjoy each stage and job in life, invest in relationships, and learn to forgive. He also told the crowd to learn how to give back, follow their passion and keep an eye for the opportunities that come their way, while constantly challenging themselves to do better.

It is true my generation and your parents left you with a pretty large mess, he said at the end of his talk. And it will be up to you to clean up. Are you ready?

John Morgridge
Its a down year for Coulee Region student achievement, as measured by the state of Wisconsin.

Coulee Region schools saw students proficiency range from slightly more than 50 percent to as low at 31 percent in English language arts and mathematics on the Forward Exam. And many districts saw a drop in ACT scores compared with the previous year, the first in which all juniors were required to take the college-readiness assessment.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released the test score data this week.

Fewer than half of public school students statewide were proficient in the Forward Exams English, mathematics and science tests. The exam is the third different assessment in three years used to assess students proficiency in state standards and replaced last years Badger Exam.

Several local districts outperformed their state peers. Students in Bangor, Holmen, Onalaska and West Salem all reported proficiency levels above 50 percent in those three subjects. West Salem saw some of the best performances, with more than 57 percent demonstrating proficiency in English and mathematics, and nearly 75 percent of students showing proficiency in science.

West Salem superintendent Troy Gunderson said the results reflect the districts heavy focus on data analysis and individual achievement. The district has been focusing on the elementary level, and he said the efforts have been paying off.

It is not easy work, Gunderson said, but we focused on it and are now seeing the results.

The La Crosse and Sparta districts saw some of the lowest scores. Only 39 percent of La Crosse students showed proficiency in English and less than 37 percent in mathematics. Slightly more than 33 percent of Sparta students were proficient in English and less than a third were proficient in mathematics; science was their strongest subject, with a 42.61 percent proficiency rate.

Were disappointed with the results, Sparta Superintendent John Hendricks said. We understand there is much more work to be done.

Elizabeth Dostal, the districts director of instruction said the Forward Exam, like its predecessor, is a computer-based exam, which is still a new technology for students and teachers. Questions and answers can be more interactive than previous multiple-choice paper tests, and the state has also raised the bar in terms of proficiency requirements.

The technology is a huge shift for students as well as teachers, she said. You can do more and you are not limited by the test format.

Despite promises from the state on a quicker turnaround of the results, test scores are several months removed from when students, who have now moved on to the next grade level, took the exam. This limits the tests use on an individual assessment level but does help districts analyze different needs for improvement in their curriculum.

Dostal said Sparta is working to update and improve its curriculum to help prepare students to be college- and career-ready in the middle and high school levels as well as updating the reading curriculum in the elementary level.

We hope we are building a base to build from these scores and push student learning and achievement, Dostal said.

ACT scores fall from last year

This year marked the second year all high school juniors were expected to take the ACT examination, and local districts saw a drop in scores.

ACT Inc. administers a college-readiness examination each year that tests students on reading, mathematics, English and science with a maximum score of 36 in each subject. From this, a composite score is calculated, with 21 considered a cutoff by many universities.

Statewide, ACT scores trended very slightly upward, with an average composite of 20. In the Coulee Region, all but two school districts saw average composite scores drop by as much a point from the previous year.

Sparta saw the biggest drop, 19.26 two years ago to an average of 18.27 last year. The only other district that reported an average composite score of less than 20 was Bangor at 18.76.

Viroqua and La Crosse saw increases in the scores, with juniors in the Viroqua School District reporting an average of 20.61 last year, up nearly a point from 19.75 from the year before. Laurel High School, a charter school operated by the district, saw outstanding results from their ACT tests, with the six juniors who took the examination reporting a 26.5 average composite score.

Viroqua High School Principal Kathy Klos said the school has made a concerted effort to stress the examinations to juniors after the state made it a requirement. The district has emphasized test preparation and has worked hard to update the curriculum align with the tests.

We are doing what we can to meet the needs of every student, she said. It is reflected in the scores this year.

Other than Onalaska, no district reported ACT proficiency levels above 50 percent in any of the content areas, and Bangor saw some of the lowest results, including a 28 percent proficiency in mathematics.

Mike Lichucki, La Crosses director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, said the district was pleased with the increase in composite scores of students, which rose from 19.67 two years ago to 20 last year. With a score of 20 the cutoff of for proficiency on each ACT subject area, he said the bar had been set high for student performance.

Its a line in the sand, he said. It means we are asked to continually increase the rigor of our instruction.
The La Crosse County Board voted 18-9 Thursday to form a joint library commission proposed by board Chairwoman Tara Johnson to study a possible merger of the city and county library systems.

That means there are two competing processes approved to look into a library merger, the countys commission, which would involve more community participation in the process and take up to a year, and the streamlined one proposed by Mayor Tim Kabat and approved by the La Crosse Common Council that would involve having city, county and library staff members negotiate a merger deal.

Kabat has proposed shifting $3.5 million in city library costs to the countywide tax rolls, with the city retaining a separate library tax to cover the cost of keeping the archives and the north and south branch libraries open. At Thursdays meeting, County Administrator Steve OMalley said that move would result in the largest annual county levy increase in history and bump the county tax rate from $3.89 per $1,000 in equalized property value to $4.30, using 2016 budget figures as a base.

Under Kabats proposal, the average city of La Crosse taxpayer would see a net reduction in taxes of $40, according to OMalleys rough calculations, while the average county resident outside the city would see a $118 hike in taxes.

O'Malley also shared some other research he had done focusing on the high cost of the city library system. Looking at 2014 figures on the state Department of Public Instruction website, O'Malley noted that the city library's $5.1 million costs in 2014 ranked fifth highest in the state, behind Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and Kenosha and had per capita spending of $85.23, more than twice the average per capita cost ($42.65) of nine other similarly sized Wisconsin cities. La Crosse is the only one of those cities with three library buildings; Fond du Lac has two and all the others have just one.

He also noted that the city library system has the equivalent of 57.1 full-time employees, more than 40 percent above the average of 40 FTE for the other nine equivalent cities.

"There's a stark difference," O'Malley said. "I think it gives us pause as we walk into the discussions we're about to have."

Kabat has maintained that the city library system has become a regional resource, arguing that 20 percent of the people who check out materials over-the-counter at the city libraries come from county municipalities outside La Crosse."It's clear that our library is a regional library. We see that from usage and who participates in programs and checks out materials and everything else," he said.

The city in each of the past two years asked the county for $219,000 for library expenses, and this year, O'Malley noted, the city is asking for $3.5 million.

Of course, La Crosse taxpayers would be on the hook for a large chunk of that $3.5 million as they would have to pay county library taxes, too. They don't now, despite about 10 percent of the users of the county library system coming from the city of La Crosse.

No county board members commented on the merits of shifting a major chunk of library costs to county taxpayers outside the city, but a majority wanted to look further into the myriad questions involved in the county taking over the city library system.

Board member Mike Giese proposed postponing a vote on the joint library commission. "I just wonder if moving forward in this way doesn't add to the confusion," he said.

Several other board members argued against putting off a decision. "This issue's going to come up again and again," board member Ralph Geary said. "This may take longer than I've been on the county board. ... I'd like to know the answers to these questions, and if we postpone it nothing gets done."

Board member Patrick Scheller agreed, saying the county is not committing itself to anything by discussing the possibilities. "There's nothing to be gained by putting our heads in the sand and ignoring it," he said.

Giese's motion to postpone the vote on the joint library commission failed 16-11.

Neither Johnson nor Kabat was entirely certain what the next step would be. Johnson asked board members to forward names of people they'd recommend for the joint commission, which also would have members appointed by Council President Dick Swantz. Johnson didn't know if the city would follow through and appoint members. "The county remains committed to a community-engaged process," Johnson said. "That is definitely our preference for moving forward on this. ... We don't have a library problem. We are more than willing to work with the library boards and the city to come up with a community plan for what libraries look like, but it's because it sounds like the city needs some help."

Kabat suggested it might make sense for the next step to be to have the city and county library boards get together and discuss a potential process. "I'm hopeful that there's a way to bring the groups together to lay out a process for moving forward," he said.

New counsel

The board also approved Megan DeVore as the new corporation counsel, replacing Dave Lange, who is retiring.

DeVore, who started working for the countys legal department in February 1998, has been deputy corporation counsel for about five years.

She grew up in Middleton, and did her undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, double majoring in theater and communication arts: research and theory. She moved to La Crosse County after graduating from UWs law school in 1995.

DeVore interned with the public defenders office in La Crosse while in law school, and before starting with the county she worked at the city of La Crosse and in private practice.

The countys legal department expanded to four attorneys this summer, and DeVore expects to hire another attorney in early 2017.

Pay hike

The board approved a new contract with the sheriffs deputies, the last group of county employees that has full collective bargaining rights after the passage of Act 10 in 2011. The contract for the 28 deputies includes across-the-board wage increases of 1.5 percent as well as a market adjustment of 1.5 percent on Jan. 1 and another 1.5 percent increase a year later.

The countys proposed budget, which is up for approval in mid-November, also includes 1.5 percent pay increases for other county employees for 2017.
DRESBACH, Minn.  Top transportation and elected officials from Minnesota and Wisconsin celebrated the completion of a new Mississippi River crossing Friday.

With all lanes and ramps open to traffic, the two newly completed spans are carrying some 28,000 cars a day between the two states on Interstate 90, replacing a 49-year-old steel structure that was closed in April.

A joint venture of the two states, the $189 million I-90 project is more than just a bridge, said Minnesota Highway Commissioner Charles Zelle. With a total of nine spans moving traffic over the river and seamlessly between the Interstate and Hwy. 61, it ensures safe and reliable transportation of between the states.

Today we have a bridge that will move our people safely, that will move our products safely and allow our economy to grow, said U.S. Rep. Tim Walz of Mankato.

The I90 bridge is one of four such projects connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin that have been undertaken recently: MN-DOT celebrated the completion of a new bridge at Winona; construction is underway on a St. Croix River crossing in the Twin Cities area; and bids will be let next year for a replacement of the Hwy. 63 bridge at Red Wing.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted the need for robust river, rail and road transportation for moving goods in and out of the neighboring states.

We know our future is making things and exporting them to the world, the Minnesota Democrat said.

Construction of the bridges and interchanges has taken four years. The final landscaping is expected to be completed next spring.

It coincided with major renovations of the Minnesota welcome center in Dresbach and reconstruction of the Wisconsin welcome center on French Island, which is expected to open later this year.

Wisconsin Secretary of Transportation Mark Gottlieb said the bridge is part of $130 million the state has invested in Coulee Region highways.

The project is part of MN-DOTs efforts to replace or modify fracture critical bridges that began after the the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people. The old bridge, completed in 1967 as part of the new interstate, lacked structural redundancies that would prevent a collapse should any one part fail.
A Sparta man who forced three heroin addicts to work as prostitutes will serve 25 years in federal prison.

Monta Groce, 30, also will serve 20 years on supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Madison.

Groce from late 2012 to 2013 convinced the victims to prostitute for his profit by providing them with heroin. As their addictions grew, Groce used violence or threatened to withhold heroin if they refused to prostitute or kept profits. He advertised the victims online and paid other addicts to drive them around Wisconsin and Minnesota to work.

The first victim testified at trial that Groce forced her to prostitute before supplying her with heroin and burned her face with a cigarette when she kept money from him. She escaped his control with the help of another woman, but, in April 2014, Groce beat her for cooperating with police.

The second woman told jurors that Groce threatened her with a gun when she refused a prostitution assignment, according to the attorneys office. He threw her into a bathtub when she used his bed with a prostitution customer.

A third victim testified she worked as a prostitute for Groce because she feared heroin withdrawal.

The jury in July convicted Groce of three counts of sex trafficking by force, threats or coercion, conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation for prostitution, interstate transportation for prostitution, maintaining a property for drug trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and witness retaliation.

The case was investigated by the FBIs Milwaukee Division, the Sparta Police Department and the Monroe County Joint Investigative Task Force.

Groce beat, tormented and enslaved vulnerable young women struggling with heroin addiction, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. He treated them as sex slaves rather than human beings, and his unconscionable actions offend the most basic standards of human decency. Nothing can undo the harm Groce inflicted or the pain he caused, but hopefully this sentence provides some measure of closure and relief for the victims.
MANKATO, Minn.  As much as a third of the corn on Kevin Paaps farm southeast of Mankato wont be sticking around long after the harvest. Its headed for sale across the globe.

World trade is vital to his and other Midwest farms. Markets for Minnesota farmers have quadrupled in the 22 years since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, he said. Thats why hes more than a little concerned that NAFTA and a proposed Asia-Pacific trade deal have been taking such a beating recently in the presidential race.

Ninety-five percent of our customers dont live here in the United States, said Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, the states largest agricultural association. They want our products. We want to get them to them.

Anti-trade deal rhetoric may play well this year in industrial states crucial to Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic contender Hillary Clinton. But in Minnesota where agriculture and other businesses have generally benefited from lower tariffs and the easing of rules to let goods move across borders, the tough talk cultivates worry.

We have to have trade in agriculture, said Paap. Whether it was NAFTA, whether its Trans-Pacific Partnership, weve got to be able to trade with the rest of the world.

Trade deals havent been this important in a presidential race since 1992, when businessman and third-party candidate Ross Perot repeatedly slammed NAFTA as incumbent Republican George Bush and Democratic candidate Bill Clinton supported the deal.

There will be a giant sucking sound going south, Perot famously said during a debate as he said high paying U.S. jobs would go to Mexico where labor costs are cheaper.

Bill Clinton won the election and signed NAFTA into law at the end of his first year in the White House. Trumps tried to use that support to jab Hillary Clinton in this years race, call the deal one of the worst things that ever happened to the manufacturing industry.

Trumps accused U.S. trade negotiators of incompetence and said hed renegotiate trade deals and strictly enforce them to keep America from getting ripped off. Hes also swiped at the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, designed to reduce trade barriers between North American countries and several across the Pacific including Japan, Vietnam Australia and New Zealand.

Clinton, who once called the Trans-Pacific Partnership the gold standard in trade agreements, now says she opposes the deal, breaking with President Barack Obama, who has said it would help U.S. small businesses, manufacturers and farmers. Clinton says she supports global trade provided it does not harm American workers and has proposed a special trade prosecutor to enforce agreements.

We havent had this kind of very serious high-profile discussion of trade for quite a long time now, said University of Minnesota economics professor Robert Kudrle.

The problem is that even though a country benefits overall from trade, trade often hurts pockets of workers in specific industries, Kudrle said. So blaming trade for economic problems is an easy campaign trail sell, he added.

Populism has never seen trade as other than with suspicion, whether its on the left or the right, he said. Its difficult for many people to understand that even if one country is better at doing everything than another, both can benefit from trading with each other. Even if we can make clothing much more efficiently than it can be made elsewhere in the world, we might still benefit from importing clothing and having our workers go into areas in which we have an even greater advantage over the rest of the world.

Kudrle believes the focus should be on helping Americans who get hurt in trade deals, not punishing other countries that want to sell things here. The tariffs Trump has proposed would trigger trade wars, he added, which would hurt many more Americans than are hurting now under trade deals.

It would be disastrous. Its true that agriculture and processed foods are at the top of Minnesota exports, Kudrle said. They would be damaged. But all of our sophisticated manufacturers, all of our software, all of our high-tech, all of that, would be put in jeopardy.

We have to have trade in agriculture. Whether it was NAFTA, whether its Trans-Pacific Partnership, weve got to be able to trade with the rest of the world. Kevin Paap, Minnesota Farm Bureau president
While growth in voucher student enrollment at Aquinas Catholic Schools has slowed this year, it now represents almost 12 percent of the student population.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released enrollment numbers for the states choice programs Friday afternoon, including the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program that Aquinas participates in. There were 3,061 choice participants in the state this year, up from 2,521 a year ago. The program is open to eligible students whose family income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.

Aquinas reported 109 of its 929 students are enrolled in the choice program, which provides about $7,900 for eligible high school students and about $7,300 for eligible elementary students to attend a private school participating in the program. This is up from 101 students last year. Aquinas had 48 participating students in 2014.

We saw some fast growth right away, Aquinas President Ted Knutson said. We never thought we would continue to grow that quickly every year.

Knutson said this years growth is a reasonable increase for the system and shows that students and families are happy with and continue to participate in the choice system. Just like public open enrollment, he said, people are taking advantage of the school choice opportunities in the state.

It is a wonderful program, he said. It provides opportunities for families to have a private school education.

According to the DPI, the choice program is paid for in two ways. State money pays for students who first participated in the program prior to the 2015-16 school year, while those who first participated in the 2015-16 school year or later are paid for through a deduction in state aid applied to the public school district where the student live.

With its 109 students, the state estimates Aquinas will receive $804,233 from the state and local school districts. Statewide, the program will cost $22.6 million and is one of three school choice programs in Wisconsin costing a total of $244.6 million.

Each year the DPI has provided more detail about voucher enrollments, and this year was the first for financial data on individual choice schools. Janet Rosseter, executive director of business services at the La Crosse School District provided a more detailed breakdown of the programs effects on local districts.

According to her data, 37 students were enrolled from La Crosse at a cost of $278,703, 14 each from Onalaska and Holmen at a cost of $208,274 and four students from West Salem at a cost of $29,938. This data doesnt include home district information for every voucher student, and Rosseter said she was frustrated that she couldnt get a more detailed breakdown on where students in the program were coming from.

The district-level data only shows which district a voucher student resides in, Rosseter said, but not which school the student attended before joining the program  such as a public school, private school or home school.

The public open enrollment system is much more transparent, she said, with data on each student in and out. She said she was curious to see how many students had never been in the public school system and thus were a new expense for the districts that now had to pay for their education.

I want to know how many have left a public district, she said, and how many have never been a part of the public school system to begin with.
With Donald Trump dominating the news, were in danger of overlooking very important races for Congress. One-third of the members in the U.S. Senate and all members of the House of Representatives will be selected Nov. 8. Voters will be choosing between change and the status quo.

Republicans have controlled both houses of Congress for the past four years. At this point, polling shows that 76 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Congress, with fewer than 15 percent having a favorable view. Similarly, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a less than 20 percent favorable rating. Its clear Americans want a better Congress.

Our incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson was swept into office on the 2010 tea party tide. His six years in office have represented a loss of positive influence for the citizens of Wisconsin. Following the lead of McConnell, Johnson has opposed major valuable initiatives proposed by President Barack Obama, actively participating in the partisan grandstanding and gridlock that have been hallmarks of the Congress in which Johnson has served.

Johnson was part of the Republican bloc that shut down the federal government for more than two weeks in 2013, costing the American economy at least $24 billion, according to Standard and Poors. In 2014, Johnson filed a lawsuit trying to prevent his staff from getting Affordable Care Act health insurance. This lawsuit was, of course, rapidly tossed out of court.

Today, Johnson continues his participation in the blockade of the constitutionally-directed confirmation process for Supreme Court nominees, leaving the court crippled by a vacancy.

Sen. Johnson also supports House Speaker Paul Ryans proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher-based program. He has opposed calls to reduce carbon emissions, stating I absolutely do not believe in the science of man-caused climate change, while claiming that sunspot activity is the likely culprit.

Having watched the debates between Sen. Johnson and his opponent, Russ Feingold, its clear which of these two men should be representing Wisconsin. For very good reasons, Feingold was chosen three times by Wisconsin to serve in the Senate. Feingold was first elected in 1992 and quickly established himself as a champion of political reform, healthcare for all, and civil liberties.

Having considerable experience on the Senates budget, judiciary, foreign relations and intelligence committees, Feingold has the expertise to help bring about the change in Congress that so many of us are looking for. And he has a track record as a maverick, willing to call the shots as he sees them.

Early voting in Wisconsin is underway. Residents of La Crosse and many other municipalities can vote at their city hall on weekdays and avoid Election Day lines. Wisconsin can help turn Congress around, by voting for someone who has proven that he can effectively represent us: Russ Feingold.
Third-term incumbent Republican state Rep. Travis Tranel faces a challenge from Democrat Jesse Bennett. The election is Nov. 8.

Jesse Bennett

Party: Democrat

Age: 42

Address: 13761 Highway CX, Bagley

Family: Married 22 years to wife Jaye Maxfield.

Education: Philosophy/sociology at UW-Platteville (unfinished); merchant marine chief engineer apprenticeship; formal education in ecology, firefighting and botany.

Job: Co-owner, Driftless Land Stewardship LLC; commercial goat meat farmer.

Elected experience: None.

Other public service: 20+ years board experience and volunteerism with local conservation groups.

Travis Tranel (I)

Party: Republican

Age: 31

Address: 2231 Louisburg Road, Cuba City

Family: Married to Steph with five children.

Education: Bachelors in finance and economics, Loras College.

Job: Dairy farmer and state representative.

Elected experience: State Representative since 2010.

Other public service: Past president, St. Josephs Parish in Sinsinawa; member, Governors Council on Tourism.

Q&A

What is the top issue facing your district and how would you address it through the legislative process?

Bennett: Economic uncertainty. I would address via living wage; fair taxation; jobs program targeting 100 percent employment (e.g. investment in infrastructure; distributed renewable energy generation; universal access to high-speed internet; additional education, health, and elder-care workers); universal healthcare; guaranteed elder-care.

Tranel: Funding of rural schools continues to be a challenge, much more so than our urban and suburban counterparts. Schools have fixed costs, regardless of enrollment. Our current funding formula relies too heavily on student numbers. Rural kids deserve the same educational opportunities as everyone else.

What is an outside-the-box idea you would like the Legislature to pass next session?

Bennett: Reclamation of the democratic process (e.g. ban campaign finance contributions & level playing-field via publicly funded campaigns; non-partisan redistricting; guaranteed ballot access; restore open and transparent government; reforming media and democracy [e.g fairness doctrine, net neutrality, public service broadcasting, etc.])

Tranel: Last session we introduced the Rural Wisconsin Initiative. The package focused on improving rural broadband connectivity, strengthening rural education, and investing in worker training. In addition we will add bills that focus on our rural hospitals and our rural healthcare workforce. All of these bills recognize challenges that are unique to rural Wisconsin.

What would be your area of expertise as a lawmaker?

Bennett: Reclaiming the democratic process from the profiteers and their complicit politicians.

Tranel: Im not a partisan hack. I just want to solve problems. The issues we face have nothing to do with politics, but population trends. I have proved my independence. I vote for what is right for Southwest Wisconsin regardless of whose idea it is or who is supporting it.

 Matthew DeFour


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         2013 .         9          .    .
Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, in his 17th term, faces a challenge from Democrat Khary Penebaker and Libertarian John Arndt. The election is Nov. 8.

John Arndt

Party: Libertarian

Age: 57

Address: Brookfield

Family: Wife, three daughters.

Education: B.S., B.A. from University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Job: Certified public accountant, owns public accounting firm.

Public service: None.

Khary Penebaker

Party: Democrat

Age: 39

Address: Waukesha

Family: Wife, three children.

Education: B.A., UW-Milwaukee.

Job: President of a commercial roofing company.

Public service: Longtime advocate for violence prevention and gun safety.

Jim Sensenbrenner (I)

Party: Republican

Age: 73

Address: Menomonee Falls

Family: Wife, two sons.

Education: Undergraduate degree from Stanford University and law degree from UW-Madison.

Job: Member of Congress.

Public service: First elected to the state Assembly in 1968. In 1975, won a special election for the state Senate, and in 1978, was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Q&A

Why should voters elect you to Congress?

Arndt: Because we need change at the federal level. Taxpayers dont receive value for dollars sent to Washington. Both Democrat and Republican parties are in favor of big government and big spending, just different types of government and spending. It is far better we keep our tax dollars here in Wisconsin for us to decide the best way to spend them. If elected I would pledge not to receive any compensation for my time spent in Congress.

Penebaker: Weve had the same Congressman since the Carter administration. Hes stopped responding to the concerns of his constituents and hes stopped treating his government service as a job. I have immediate policy plans for student debt relief, real paid-job creation, and gun violence prevention; I also know how to listen to people and how to work.

Sensenbrenner: Since the beginning of this Congress, I have held over 250 individual town hall and office hour meetings, attended over 150 community events, and am one of only two members to have a perfect 100 percent voting record. I have introduced 37 substantive bills  five of which have either been signed into law or been reported out of committee.

How would you address or have you addressed partisan gridlock in the next session?

Arndt: I think gridlock in the current Congress is good because it leads to less spending. I would only favor legislation that reduces spending and is in strict compliance with Congress role outlined in the Constitution.

Penebaker: Coming from the private sector business community, my first-time political campaign has received support from independents, Democrats and Republicans.

Sensenbrenner: I routinely reach across the aisle to overcome partisan gridlock and accomplish meaningful legislation. Criminal justice reform and combating the national opioid epidemic are just two examples of how Ive worked with my Democratic colleagues to effect lasting, positive change and I will continue to do so as long as I serve as Wisconsins 5th District congressman.

Whats the most important bill Congress should send to the next president?

Arndt: A balanced budget amendment is the most needed legislation but that would require ratification by the states. In the immediate future I would favor any legislation that reduces federal spending especially with regard to withdrawing our military from foreign lands and reducing the salaries of Congress.

Penebaker: Reinstatement of the Voting Rights Act. As long as politicians can avoid answering to the will of the voters, good government will be out of reach. This election will show us a clear picture of how many parts of the United States are still vulnerable to the forces of disenfranchisement and electoral interference. I will make Wisconsin proud of my immediate work in Congress to turn that evidence into action, and restore the voting rights of all Americans.

Sensenbrenner: Criminal justice reform is an issue that not only has broad, bipartisan support, but will also save significant taxpayer dollars and millions of American lives. This Congress, I introduced legislation that has been the foundation for criminal justice reform, which includes provisions that would reduce recidivism rates, create and improve rehabilitation programs, give increased support to local law enforcement, and would revise sentencing practices, allowing judges to use common sense when passing judgments rather than simply obeying outdated and unrealistic mandatory minimums.

 Molly Beck
Voters who mail in their absentee ballots have an earlier deadline to do so this year under a new state law that took effect last month.

Under the law the absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8, in order to count. Previously, mail-in absentee ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day and received by a clerks office by 4 p.m. on the next Friday.

The new law is one of a handful of changes to voting rules that could trip up some of the half-million to a million people in the state who only turn out to vote once every four years for presidential elections.

The most substantial change for them will be the new voter ID requirement, which critics fear will cause long lines on Election Day and result in some eligible voters being turned away at the polls. Supporters say the requirement will prevent voter fraud, though incidents of illegal voter impersonation are exceptionally rare.

The new deadline for absentee ballots could catch the most stalwart voters by surprise because it wasnt in effect during the August primary. The law was enacted in March, but it wasnt set to take effect until September.

Elections officials are advising people to mail their ballots at least six days ahead of time, said Andrea Kaminski, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.

Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Elections Commission, urged mail-in absentee voters to send in their ballots as soon as possible, and definitely no later than Nov. 1.

The post office can take up to one week to deliver mail now, and their vote is too valuable to risk to a late mailing because it has to be at the clerks office on Election Day, Magney said.

Anyone can request an absentee ballot by email or fax after a federal judge struck down a law limiting such requests to overseas and military voters. Clerks must respond to a request within one business day, which is a change from previous law that required a response within one day  forcing clerks to work on weekends.

A new law requires a witness to sign and include an address on absentee ballots. The Elections Commission on Tuesday advised clerks to complete the address if it can be determined or otherwise do whatever is necessary to ensure the ballot counts, said Chris Astrella, president of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association.

The photo ID requirement, though adopted prior to the 2012 election, had been set aside until last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review an appellate courts decision to allow the law. The law was in place for the February primary, April election and August primary.

Voters must present a valid photo ID at the polls. Examples include a valid drivers license, an identification card issued by the Department of Transportation, a passport, a military ID, a tribal ID, an unexpired veterans ID, a certification of naturalization issued within two years of the election or a qualifying student ID. The ID doesnt have to include a current address, and expired student IDs are also acceptable, under a recent court ruling.

Those without a photo ID can apply for a free voting ID at a Division of Motor Vehicles location. For those lacking certain documentation, such as a birth certificate, the DMV must issue a receipt within six days that can also be used for voting while a request for ID is being processed.

Other election law changes since 2012 include bringing closer the buffer zones where election observers are allowed to stand in polling places. Observers must be allowed as close as 3 feet and no farther than 8 feet from where voters sign in and in some cases register to vote.

Previously observers could be kept a few feet farther away from those tables.

The buffer zone law was adopted in 2014. Recently, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed the election could be rigged, raising the potential that his supporters will be more actively involved in observing polling locations.

Cindy Cepress, president of the Wisconsin County Clerks Association, said the processes used to protect the integrity of the Nov. 8 election are the same as those used in previous elections.

The same processes, the same guidance, the same procedures are used in every election to ensure the integrity, Cepress said. To question the integrity of this election versus a February primary is ludicrous.

Also new this year, write-in candidates will only be counted if they are pre-registered with the state Elections Board.

Evan McMullin, a third-party candidate polling neck-and-neck with Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton in Utah, will not be on the Wisconsin ballot, but he is one of four candidates registered as a valid write-in.

Early voting options are also expanded this year after a federal judge struck down the states limitations on when and where clerks can conduct in-person absentee voting. Hours and availability vary by municipality.

As of Thursday, 202,720 absentee ballots had been cast, according to the Elections Commission. An additional 67,118 ballots had been requested but not returned. Of those returned, almost 31,000 are from Dane County.
Madison Police Chief Mike Koval is reminding his officers they should wait for assigned backup on their calls to arrive, unless they believe someone is in serious danger.

The new language, added to the departments standard operating procedures effective Oct. 3, instructs officers they shall not disregard backup, and shall wait for backup before physically approaching any involved subject(s), unless an officer reasonably believes there is significant risk of bodily injury to any person(s).

That message, while hailed as a welcome policy change by some department critics, is simply a reiteration of what is current practice and training on handling backups, Koval and police spokesman Joel DeSpain said Thursday.

Koval told the Wisconsin State Journal in an email that his aim in adding the language to the protocol was to emphasize officer safety and proper procedures for backups at a time when calls for service around the city are rising and officers could be tempted to try to do too much alone.

Officers have been trained, for decades, that in the interest of officer and community safety, it is wise to wait for backup, unless there are exigencies involved, Koval said. Given that the calls for service have been stacking up, we do not want officers, who are striving to do all they can to efficiently service calls, to compromise on safety.

That is why our SOP codifies the way we have been trained, Koval added, to assure the officers that I care more about the safety issues specific to the call they are on, rather than worrying about the calls that are stacking up ... which goes to the needs of additional resources.

Koval and DeSpain also said there is no previous policy or printed training material that the new language could be compared against, because the rules on backup have not previously been committed to paper.

Former Madison Ald. Brenda Konkel, who has been a critic of police practices involving use of force, wrote a blog entry highlighting the new language on Wednesday.

Chief Koval finally got it, after several people have died, hes changed the policy, telling police to wait for back up unless there is a threat to someones safety (not property), Konkel wrote in the Forward Lookout blog, adding later, Could some of our recent high profile cases have turned out very differently if officers had waited for backup?

Konkel told the State Journal on Thursday she believed the language on backups was added to the standard procedures because police leaders believed some officers were taking too far the largely unwritten discretion they are granted in responding to calls after theyre trained.

So (they) had to write this down, Konkel said, adding it came as welcome news to those critical of how police have handled controversial cases. She cited the forceful arrest of Genele Laird this summer and the fatal shootings of black teen Tony Robinson and of 41-year-old Michael W. Schumacher, a man with a documented history of mental illness who broke into a home on Lake Monona in June and charged the first officer on the scene with a pitchfork.

Schumacher, who was inside the house and smashing things, ran at Officer Hector Rivera soon after Rivera opened the front door and called out to the then-unidentified intruder, Police department, show yourself, according to an investigative synopsis of the case. District Attorney Ismael Ozanne on Tuesday cleared Rivera of criminal liability for the shooting.

In all of those cases, people (in the community) said, Why didnt they wait for backup? Konkel said. Theyre probably still not going as far (with the rules) as people would want them to, but its an important step forward.

Police rejected that reasoning.

Koval is taking a look at whats happening around the country, with some officers lives being taken, and the safety of our officers and the safety of the community is paramount to him, DeSpain said of Koval. Maybe were not always thinking about that backup, so he just wants to put it in writing. He wants to emphasize that in the world we live in today. ... Even if youre spread thin on the street, with a lot of calls backed up in the queue, you have to make sure youre still following those safety rules.

Rivera remains on paid leave pending the outcome of an internal review to see if he followed department policies, procedures and training in his response to the shooting.
House Speaker Paul Ryans campaign has donated another $250,000 to the state GOP to bolster the partys efforts to reach voters ahead of the November election, Ryans campaign said Thursday.

The Janesville Republicans latest donation will bring his campaigns assistance to state races to $1 million.

His efforts to help candidates build successful ground games will benefit all Republicans this Election Day, including the Republican nominee, said spokesman Zack Roday.

Speaker Paul Ryan is fully invested in Wisconsins conservative movement and his generous support could not come at a better time, because the U.S. Senate race has tightened, said Pat Garrett, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. We have an opportunity to make history for the Republican Party in a presidential election year and that would not be possible without the incredible support and leadership from Speaker Ryan.

The state Republican Party had received $1.2 million in donations to date, according to the most recent campaign finance report which covered donations through Aug. 31, and the party had $569,000 in cash on hand. The next report will be released Oct. 31.

Ryan will campaign in Green Bay on Friday with Republican Mike Gallagher, who is seeking to replace retiring incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble of Neenah in the 8th Congressional District. Gallagher is being challenged by Outagamie County executive Tom Nelson, a Democrat.

Republicans in Wisconsin honed an effective ground game during Gov. Scott Walkers three elections since 2010. The money will be used to bolster those efforts this year, when the GOP is seeking to keep the U.S. Senate seat of Ron Johnson. Hes being challenged by Middleton Democrat Russ Feingold, who has consistently led Johnson in polls.

Ryans campaign said the money should benefit voter outreach to favor Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump despite a simmering feud between Trump and Ryan.
FREEPORT, Iowa (AP)  Authorities say a man fatally shot a woman and then killed himself at a residence in Winneshiek County.

The bodies were discovered Sunday evening by an officer who was dispatched to the home in the Freeport area after people reported hearing gunshots.

The sheriff's office said in a news release Thursday that investigators have determined that 55-year-old Craig Freilinger shot 41-year-old Sarah Szabo several times and then turned the gun on himself. Authorities have said the couple recently separated.
A 35-year-old Tomah woman was referred to the Monroe County District Attorney for allegedly harassing a Tomah man.

The man told Tomah police that Billie Jo Hayne had been making harassing phone calls about a child he allegedly fathered. During an Aug. 20 interview with police, he said Hayne told him she had given birth while four months pregnant while traveling on an Interstate highway and that the child was in a hospital in another state. He said Hayne refused to identify the hospital and that he told Hayne numerous times to stop contacting him.

During the interview, the man received a phone call. An officer answered the phone, and the voice on the other end identified herself as a woman who knew Hayne. The woman said the baby in question was at a hospital in Indiana. The woman said the man needs to become part of the babys life, but when the officer asked for more detailed information on the baby, the woman sought to terminate the conversation, which was on speaker phone. The man said the voice belonged to Hayne.

Police later contacted the woman whose identity was allegedly used duirng the telephone call. She said Hayne had used her identity in the past and believes police were actually speaking with Hayne Aug. 20. She told police she knew nothing about Hayne recently giving birth.

Hayne was referred for harassment, unlawful use of a telephone and identity theft.

In other Tomah Police Department news:

Michael Brandon Kingsley, 35, Warrens, was referred to the district attorney after police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle Oct. 16 at Oakwood Village.

Police arrived and followed the vehicle to a Dogwood Lane residence, where the driver, later identified as Kingsley, went inside. Police then knocked on the door of the residence and didnt get a response. A K9 unit was summoned for an exterior sniff of the vehicle, which triggered an interior search.

The search reportedly revealed several baggies with trace amounts of marijuana, several paper-wrapped marijuana cigarettes that had recently been smoked and a 50mg Tramadol pill.

Kingsley was taken into custody and referred for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance (fifth offense), possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and bail jumping.

Augustus G. Downey, 36, La Crosse, was referred to the district attorney for fourth-offense drunk driving after a traffic stop during the overnight hours of Oct. 17.

Police observed a vehicle with its high-beam headlights activated while traveling southbound on McLean Avenue. Police followed the vehicle until it came to a stop on Stoughton Avenue, where police initiated contact.

The driver, later identified as Downey, denied that his high beams were activated. The report said a strong odor of intoxicants was coming from the vehicle and that Downeys speech was slurred. Dispatch confirmed that Downeys drivers license had been revoked for a previous drunk-driving conviction.

Downey submitted to a field sobriety test, which the report says he failed. He refused a preliminary breath test.

During the course of Downeys arrest, one of the passengers, Angela Corrine Greendeer, 35, allegedly directed loud and abusive epithets toward police and was referred for disorderly conduct.

Torry Eugene Anderson Sr., 57, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for felony bail jumping. He is accused violating a no-contact order while housed in the Monroe County Jail.
Dairyland Power Cooperative has won a $73.5 million settlement from the U.S. government, which has failed to take spent fuel from Dairylands long-shuttered nuclear power plant in Genoa.

The La Crosse-based utility had sought $85.2 million in damages for the cost of handling and storing the waste for six years.

It is the second such award Dairyland has received  totaling more than $111 million  for having to store the uranium, which remains in dry casks at the plant site.

According to a contract with the Department of Energy, the fuel rods were to be sent to the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada, which was supposed to begin receiving waste by January 1998 but has yet to open.

Robert Shapiro, Dairylands attorney in the case, said while every nuclear utility in the nation has filed similar suits, this settlement is unusual in that Dairyland will receive payment promptly and was able to negotiate more than $13 million savings on its future liabilities.

The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to questions about how many such cases it has settled or the damages paid, but Shapiro said every nuclear utility has had at least one case. There are 100 operating nuclear power reactors in the United States and another 17 in the decommissioning process.

The government could easily have avoided this liability by opening Yucca Mountatin, or someplace, to take the spent fuel, he said. And rather than have spent fuel sitting all around the country at sites like Dairylands  they could have found one secure, central place to put it. Surely it would have a lot lower cost for the government to pay one place to store it as opposed to effectively paying a hundred places to store it.

It will be up to the cooperatives board to determine how the money is used. Dairyland returned half of the last such award to its members through a direct payment and used the remainder for rate relief.

At the end of the day, based on what we did last time, well give it back to the membership, said Rob Palmberg, vice president of generation.

The fuel is a remnant of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR), which ceased operation in 1987.

Built for the federal government as a demonstrator project, the 50-megawatt plant was turned over to Dairyland for $1 and began operation in 1967. The plant was shut down when it became too expensive to operate the tiny but heavily-regulated plant.

Believing the federal government would honor its obligation to take the fuel by 1998, Dairyland chose to keep the 333 uranium rods under water inside the plant  at a cost of about $6 million a year.

Dairyland sued the government in 2004 for breach of contract, receiving $37.6 million in damages for the cost of storing the fuel from 1999 through 2006.

The fuel was moved to dry casks in 2012, after six years of planning and preparation. According to Dairyland, it costs about $2.5 million a year to maintain that dry storage site.

The second legal case covers 2007 through 2012 and includes the $47 million cost of transferring the fuel to dry storage.

Given the current stalemate over Yucca Mountain, Palmberg expects Dairyland will file a third case in the next couple of years to cover the ongoing costs.

Earlier this year, Dairyland transferred the license for the LACBWR site to a private company under contract to remove the buildings and all contaminated material from the site, which is adjacent to Dairylands Genoa coal-fired plant.

The decommissioning is expected to take about two years and cost roughly $85 million.
A drive the through the Mississippi River Valley now features brilliant fall colors, and a short distance east of Ferryville, the Mississippi Valley Conservancy has ensured 189 acres of scenic bluffland will remain intact for future generations.

The conservancy completed a conservation agreement with Ken and Deneen Kickbusch, Thursday, Oct. 20, to permanently protect their 189-acre farm and bluffland. The voluntary conservation agreement protects the scenic beauty and wildlife habitat by limiting future subdivision, development, mining, and other unsustainable activities that are inconsistent with the landowners wishes. The land remains in private ownership and is not open to the public.

The animals and the birds dont always have contiguous habitat, and our land can make a difference for the wildlife, Deneen said. We have so many great memories here. Their memories include hunting trips with sons and grandsons, camping within view of the Mississippi River, working in the prairie, serenades by whippoorwills, and startling wood ducks out of the ponds.

Ken and Deneen have been so thoughtful about the use of their land and the future of that land. We are honored to be a part of realizing their dream to protect the wildlife and its habitat, Carol Abrahamzon, executive director for the conservancy, said.

The Kickbuschs bought the land in 1976, attracted to the rural character, the lack of buildings, and the wildlife. The land is a mix of agricultural land and wooded bluffs, with the steep rugged topography characteristic of the Driftless Area. Ken and Deneen recognized the importance of land preservation, watching changes to the landscape as commodity prices rise, stating, a conservation easement would provide the kind of protection that this highly erodible land deserves.

Nationwide, an acre of farmland is lost every minute from conversion to other land uses. Over the years, terraces and water retention ponds were added to the Kickbusch property to address soil erosion and runoff. When we bought the property, we restored the ponds, Ken said, which were as full this year as they have ever been, and always used by the wood ducks. Once, I counted 16 wood ducks flying out of the pond.

The land also includes several goat prairies, labeled as such because the early settlers thought they were so steep, only a goat could climb them. The prairies include the same wildflowers and grasses that were present here 200 years ago. The agreement with the conservancy ensures that habitat remains intact for wildlife, and future owners honor the conservation practices within the farmland.

There is just too much abuse of the land, devastating local communities, rivers, wildlife, Ken said. We felt this was something solid, something real we could do for the future.

The Kickbuschs land provides a great example of how little is known about the habitat right here in our backyard, said Abbie Church, conservation director for the conservancy. As we walked through the prairie, we found a small stalk of snow-white blooms, and a Great Plains Ladies Tresses Orchid. We walked on to find five other stalks. This orchid was recently added to the Wisconsin DNRs list of species of Special Concern and the University of Wisconsin herbarium has no previous records of this orchid being found in Crawford County. One week later we found yet another species of rare orchid, this time in the woods, another new record for Crawford County.

The prairie today is in great shape due to Ken and Deneens efforts. Fifteen years ago Ken went out and cut the red cedars in the prairie, Deneen said. It looks much better today than ever before; the prairie is so beautiful.

The conservancy, founded in 1997, has permanently protected over 17,500 acres of farms, bluffs, prairies, forests, wetlands and streams for their wildlife habitat, ecological diversity, scenic beauty, and for public recreation, environmental research, and outdoor education. Of that acreage, the conservancy has conserved more than 4,000 acres of land that is open for public use, including hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing, snow-shoeing and bird-watching.
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(3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (2) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (5) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (1) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (3) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (5) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (2) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (8) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (2) Jun 21 (1) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (7) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (4) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (4) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (3) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (2) May 14 (6) May 13 (4) May 12 (2) May 11 (3) May 10 (2) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (2) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (2) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (2) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (4) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (2) Jan 15 (2) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (2) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (2) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (1) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (1) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (1) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (2) Dec 10 (2) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (1) Dec 05 (2) Dec 04 (1) Dec 03 (2) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (2) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (1) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (1) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (2) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (1) Nov 16 (1) Nov 15 (1) Nov 14 (1) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (1) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (1) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (1) Nov 03 (1) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (2) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (2) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (1) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (1) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (1) Oct 03 (2) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (1) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (1) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (2) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 14 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (1) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (2) Sep 08 (2) Sep 07 (1) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (2) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (1) Aug 13 (1) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Aug 03 (2) Aug 01 (1) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (1) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (1) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (2) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (1) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (2) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (1) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (2) Jul 09 (5) Jul 08 (1) Jul 07 (1) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (1) Jul 03 (2) Jul 01 (1) Jun 30 (1) Jun 29 (2) Jun 28 (2) Jun 27 (2) Jun 25 (2) Jun 24 (1) Jun 23 (2) Jun 22 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (3) Jun 12 (1) Jun 11 (1) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (1) Jun 03 (1) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (1) May 27 (2) May 25 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Friday, October 21, 2016

The International Organization for Migration reports that 319,711 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 19 October, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy. Some 168,857 people have arrived in Greece and 145,381 in Italy during 2016. The total is well below the number of arrivals at this point in 2015, when over 650,000 migrants and refugees had made the journey.

I found the description of migrant deaths to be chilling, with the routine nature of the report of the real human tragedy sounding akin to a weather report:

"Some 3,654 people have died trying to make the crossing in 2016. These include five bodies recovered on Wednesday, when an Irish navy ship encountered a rubber boat and rescued 118 survivors off Libya.

By comparison, deaths through 21 October 2015 stood at 3,138  2,822 of them on the Central Mediterranean route between North Africa and Italy."

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2016/10/mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-reach-319711-deaths-at-sea-3654.html
Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier

Those who habitually put items in their recycling bins that don't belong there are the target of the ordinance amendment, not those who make an occasional, accidental mistake, said Public Works Director Jeff Demers.


This is Whats Trending Today.

People around the United States are reacting to two expressions used by Donald Trump during the final presidential debate on Wednesday night. He called Hillary Clinton such a nasty woman and referred to Mexican drug dealers living in the U.S. as bad hombres.

Toward the end of the debate, Clinton said if she were elected president, she would make sure rich Americans pay their fair share of tax.

My social security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donalds, assuming he cant figure out how to get out of it, Clinton said.

Trump reacted to the comment, shaking his head, raising his index finger and saying such a nasty woman into his microphone.

Earlier in the debate, Trump was speaking about increasing security along the border between the United States and Mexico.

One of my first acts will be to get all of the drug lords, we have some bad, bad people in this country that have to go out, Trump said. We'll get them out, secure the border, and once the border is secured, at a later date we'll make a determination as to the rest. But we have some bad hombres here and we're going to get them out.

Hombre is the Spanish word for man.

People following the debate had fun with the unusual phrases.

Chelsea Handler is a comedian and host of a late-night television show.

She posted a poll on Twitter, asking are you a bad hombre or a nasty woman?

Over 45,000 people voted. So far, 61 percent of voters considered themselves a nasty woman.

The Reuters news agency reported that the term was used over 300,000 times overnight.

Many Clinton supporters asserted that they were happy to support a nasty woman.

One Twitter user wrote: Proud to be a nasty woman.

Other people reacted to bad hombres.

Reuters reported that phrase was used over 100,000 times shortly after the debate.

One Twitter user, Jose Miranda of Florida, wrote: This #badhombres is the first of his family to graduate from college, did Americorps and taught in public schools.

Of all the comments related to the phrases, perhaps the one that summed up the night the best came on Twitter. One user posted a photo of bathroom doors. On the womens door it said nasty women and on the mens door it said bad hombres.

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

Are you a bad hombre or a nasty woman? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sum up  v. to tell (information) again using fewer words : to give a summary of (statements, facts, etc.

nasty  adj. unpleasant and unkindomeone or something that causes a lot of excitement and interest

hombre  n. the word for man in Spanish

drug lord  n. a very powerful criminal in the illegal drug business

social security  n. a program in the U.S. that requires workers to make regular payments to a government fund which is used to make payments to people who are unable to work because they are old, disabled, or retired

contribution  n. a regular payment that is made to an employer or government for something (such as health insurance or a pension)

payroll tax  n. a tax that is paid by a company and that is based on the amount of money that the company spends paying all of its employees

assume  v. to think that something is true or probably true without knowing that it is true

figure out  v. to understand or find (something, such as a reason or a solution) by thinking

determine  v. to officially decide (something) especially because of evidence or facts : to establish (something) exactly or with authority

microphone  n. a device into which people speak or sing in order to record their voices or to make them sound louder
American presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to say the election process is rigged.

Trump, a businessman, is the candidate of the Republican Party. The Democratic Party nominated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as its candidate.

Wednesday night, Trump and Clinton met for their final debate before the November 8th election. Trump was asked if he would accept the results of the vote -- win or lose.

I will look at it at the time. I'm not looking at anything now, Trump said. I'll look at it at the time. What I've seen -- what I've seen is so bad. First of all, the media is so dishonest and so corrupt, and the pile-on is so amazing.

On Thursday, Trump appeared to joke about if he would accept the election result.

He said, I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election. He then paused and said, If I win.

Trump went on to say he has the right to challenge the results in the case of a questionable result.

At the debate, Clinton described his comments as horrifying. Some of her supporters said Trump is, in effect, telling his supporters to believe that if he does not win the presidency it will be because of an unfair voting system.

So that is not the way our democracy works, Clinton said. We've been around for 240 years. We've had free and fair elections. We've accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them.

Over the years, the United States has had a number of presidential elections in which the results were disputed. But historians and election experts say it is unusual for a candidate to raise concerns about fraud before people vote.

Our institutions like our election system is one of the bedrocks of American democracy, said John Husted, a Republican who serves as Ohios Secretary of State. We should not question it or the legitimacy of it. It works very well.

A new report says voting fraud is unusual and does not happen on a scale even close to that necessary to rig an election. The report comes from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.

States Run American Elections

One reason massive fraud is unlikely is because there is no single government office that controls presidential elections.

National elections in the United States are the product of work by 50 state governments. And the Republicans now control 67 of 98 state legislatures -- more than any other time in American history.

The last presidential election that raised concerns about the final results was in 2000. That was when voters had to choose between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore.

Gore won the popular vote by over 500,000 votes. But the winner is not decided by who gets the most votes.

The winner is decided by the 538 members of the Electoral College. They are chosen based on which presidential candidate wins the most votes in each state.

2000 Election Was Down to Florida

With the vote in Florida too close to call the morning after the election, Gore was leading in the Electoral College vote, 266-246. A majority, or 270 electoral votes, is needed to win the presidency.

After 36 days of recounting ballots, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the recount to stop. Bush was declared the winner in Florida by 537 votes out of nearly 6 million ballots.

Floridas 25 Electoral College votes went to Bush.

He became president by winning the Electoral College vote, 271 to 266.

Nixon Doesnt Fight Dead Votes for Kennedy

In 1960, another Democrat, John Kennedy, won a close election against Republican Richard Nixon. There were charges that votes by dead people were counted to help Kennedy win Illinois.

There were also reports of possible voter fraud in West Virginia and Texas, home state of Kennedys vice presidential choice, Lyndon Johnson.

Richard Reeves reported on the 1960 election. He wrote that Nixon decided not to fight the election results.

He (Nixon) had many faults, but he thought politics had something to do with loving country over self, Reeves wrote. He said Nixon knew a recount would take months, even years, and would hurt America.

Reeves also said Nixon might also have worried about possible Republican voter fraud.

The Corrupt Bargain of 1824

In 1824, Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but the House of Representatives decided the election. That is because none of the candidates -- Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford and Henry Clay -- won a majority of the Electoral College.

After a month of closed-door talks, the House voted to make Adams the president. After he took office, Adams named Clay, who led the House of Representatives, as his secretary of state.

Jackson was angry. He said the election was decided in a corrupt bargain.

Peter Kastor chairs the Department of History at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

He said an important way of making sure that Americans accept the election results is what is called a concession speech. It is a speech in which the losing candidate accepts defeat and congratulates the winning candidate.

Kastor said the 2016 election is unusual. Both Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders, who fought Clinton for the Democratic nomination, told voters that the system is rigged to help big companies and business people with ties to political leaders.

Those arguments about a rigged economy could well make their supporters more likely to question if the election itself is rigged, Kastor said. Some Sanders supporters said the candidate was not treated fairly during the Democratic presidential nominating process.

But Sanders is now supporting Clinton for president.

Heather Cox Richardson is a history professor at Boston College in Massachusetts. She likens some of the Americans who support Trump to voters in the late 1800s who thought African-Americans and immigrants were taking their jobs.

In 1898, a group of poor black and white voters in North Carolina had elected candidates to office, Cox Richardson said. Protestors killed 10 black neighbors and forced the candidates elected by the poor voters to resign.

The protestors argued the political process was rigged against them, Cox Richardson said.

Obama Enters the Debate

President Barack Obama will leave office on January 20, when the winner of the 2016 election takes his place.

Obama said one of the great things about American democracy is that the losing candidate congratulates the winner -- even after a difficult campaign. This helps the country move forward, he said.

I have never seen in my lifetime or in modern political history, any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place, Obama said.

Im Marsha James.

And I'm Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. Are you paying attention to the U.S. presidential race? What are your opinions?

_______________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

rigged - v. to control or affect an election or game in a dishonest way in order to get a desired result

fraud - n. the crime of using dishonest methods to get the results you want

pile-on  v. to join others in criticizing someone or something

amazing  adj. causing great wonder or surprise

pause - v. a temporary stop

horrifying  v. causing someone to feel shocked or frightened

institution - n. an established organization

bedrock - n. a strong idea or principle

legitimacy - n. done according to rules

scale - n. the size or level of something

fault - n. weakness in character
A possible mistake on the ballot in South Florida has sparked a lawsuit and could potentially cause issues for the push for legalizing medical marijuana.

South Florida voter says her mail-in ballot is missing Amendment 2

She's filed lawsuit against Broward County Supervisor of Elections



Office investigating, no indication if an isolated instance or widespread

Making sense of Amendment 2

According to a Broward County voter, Amendment 2 was missing from her mail-in ballot.

Amendment 2 allows medical use of marijuana for individuals with debilitating medical conditions as determined by a licensed Florida physician. It also allows caregivers to assist patients medical use of marijuana.

The woman's attorney, Norm Kent, filed a lawsuit on Thursday. Kent, who is suing Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, said, "The end result could be catastrophic and cataclysmic."

Kent, who said he is also seeking some type of fix to the issue, added that if there is one incorrect ballot out there, there could be more.

It is a local issue because county supervisors are in charge of the printing of the ballots. However, the issue could have statewide implications given the fact that medical marijuana narrowly failed when it was on the ballot two years ago, and Broward County is home to a large number of pro-medical marijuana voters.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Snipes said her staff is investigating and that her office has not received calls of other ballots missing the amendment.
Eight African startups, alongside others from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ukraine, will share EUR160,000 (US$176,000) in grant funding after being named winners of the Innovating Justice challenge run by the HiiL Justice Accelerator.

Source: Disrupt Africa

More than 450 applications were received for the challenge, with the winning startups chosen after a four-month selection process.

The 10 winning startups come from eight countries, and tackle justice issues as diverse as rural birth registration in Ivory Coast to emergency legal help in Ukraine. They walk away with funding as well as intensive acceleration support.

Four of the winners participated in the Family Justice Challenge, and another four in the SME Empowerment Challenge. Two additional winners were strong general legal tech solutions.

The winners include Nigerian online legal platform AnthonyRhodes; Kenyan SMS legal information service Famalia; Ugandan crime tracking platform J2P; and South Africas Legal Legends, an e-commerce platform for legal services.

Other African winners were Ivory Coast birth registration platform Moh Ni Bah; Ugandan legal platform for farmersPuliida; Kenyan mobile trade information and social accountability service Sauti; and Malawian human rights reporting service Ufulu Wanga.

Legal Advice Middle East, from the UAE; and Ukraines Legal Alarm were the other winners.
X happened. Then Y. And then Z. Director Shivaji Lotan Patils 31st October is nothing more than a parade of facts about the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on 31 October, 1984. It is a perfect example of a film on a sensitive issue completely bereft of imagination and subtlety.

31st October stars Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das as Davinder Singh and Tejinder Kaur, a happy Sikh couple living with their three children in West Delhi. She is stern but loving, he a virtual saint. She feeds him and argues with him about his excessive goodness. He walks an extra mile for his Hindu neighbour. Everyone is nice to everyone and the world is all sweet and honey and sugar n spice n all things nice until Beant Singh and Satwant Singh shoot Indira at point-blank range.

The story opens on the morning of the PMs murder and everything in the early scenes is an in-your-face set-up for what is to come. So, when we see Davinder run out of blood pressure meds, we know he will later be weak without medication in the middle of the pogrom. Since one of his little sons repeatedly asks him about the significance of a Sikhs long hair and turban, we know at some point they will be driven to shear their heads to hide their identity from mobs.

As if the lack of nuance is not bad enough, 31st October subjects us to mediocre production quality, third-rate dialogue writing and bad acting. An array of terrible extras are rolled out for the bit parts and even for significant satellite roles. Two irritating girls are cast as the lead couples sons. Sezal Shah is unbearable as a shy young Sikh woman gazing googly-eyed at a camera-wielding NRI. She cannot act for peanuts. Others are worse  so bad in fact, that peanuts look profound in comparison.

Ive always enjoyed watching Vir Das on screen, but his facial expressions in 31st October make me wonder whether what I have liked so far has been the suitability of his personality to comedy, the genre that has dominated his filmography so far. This film is not funny, it is not meant to be funny, and his expressions seem incongruous on the riot victim Davinder whose Hindu friends put their lives on the line to save him and his family. Soha Ali Khan does a fair job of his wife Tejinder who witnesses horrors that no human being could possibly recover from. Although her Punjabi accent slips on occasion, she makes their interactions tolerable.

The supporting cast contributes greatly to this films overall air of tackiness. The only two who rise above the mediocrity surrounding them are the always-reliable Deepraj Rana and Vineet Sharma, playing men who risk everything so that Davinder, Tejinder and their kids might live.

31st October is based on the experiences of a Devender Pal Singh Sachdeva and Tejinder Sachdeva. The credits call it a tribute by (producer) Harry Sachdeva. In truth, this film does them an injustice.

The Sikhs who were targeted after Indiras death from her bullet wounds, deserve a better homage than this. What the producer and his director have put together instead is a disservice to a community that is still being denied justice by the authorities 32 years after humanity died on the streets of Indias Capital.

In the moments preceding the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in the US during World War II in Michael Bays 2001 Hollywood film Pearl Harbor, pretty little girls with golden curls are shown playing together in slow motion against a picturesque backdrop. This is the kind of offensive stupidity that distinguishes cliched films on violence from the ones with depth. If those children were not picture perfect, would their fate be less tragic or Japans actions less condemnable?

31st October slathers bowlfuls of treacle on to the ordinary Sikhs who are attacked by rioters. Why? Would the butchery have been any less inexcusable if the victims had not been uniformly fantastic people, kind, gentle and dedicated to the service of others? In one scene, the suggestion that some Sikhs celebrated after Mrs Gandhis killing is brushed aside. Why? Does the filmmaker realise that by not acknowledging this element in the ugliness that pervaded Delhi following her assassination, he unwittingly implies that individuals who lit candles and distributed sweets that day could rightfully be seen as a justification for the slaying of innocent Sikhs?

Glossing over uncomfortable facts does more harm than good to survivors, even when you do so to please and appease them. Human beings do not have to be flawless or belong to a flawless community to deserve the right to live, to not to be robbed, to not be sexually violated, to not be forced to witness the brutalisation of their loved ones.

This kind of self-defeating storytelling plays into the hands of people like that chap in the hall where I watched this film who turned to another during the interval and said: Ab agar ek qaum ko lagega ki voh kuchh bhi kar sakta hai, toh doosra qaum badla lega hi. (Now if one community thinks they can do anything, then the other is bound to take revenge.)

There are many people like him in the world out there who are filled with hate. They are among the million reasons why the human species history of massacres needs to be chronicled repeatedly by cinema. Thousands of Sikhs were slaughtered, raped and driven out of their homes in the riots of October-November 1984. Their story needs to be told with delicacy and intelligence, not with the sloppiness and hollowness that are the hallmark of 31st October.

Apart from the fact that actors styled to resemble Congress politicians H.K.L. Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar are shown engineering the riots, there is little worth noting in this film.
After Home Minister Rajnath Singh's assurance for a safe release of Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also now promised the director stern action against all those who attempt to stall the film's release.

According to The Indian Express, Fadnavis said to Johar that democratic protests are fine but unlawful activity would not be tolerated anywhere in the state.

In keeping with the promise, security agencies are getting into action to do all they can to prevent Maharashtra Navnirman Sena from indulging in violence.

They have pulled out police records of party chief Raj Thackeray, including bail papers signed by him earlier this year at the Osmanabad and Paranda courts, which were conducting hearings related to MNSs 2008 campaign against north Indian migrants.

Maharashtra police's intelligence wing has also compiled Thackeray's words in his public comments and the speeches by MNS film wing's head Amey Khopkar. A police officer observed that the party has strategically used Khopkar for all the speeches on disruption while Thackeray has only given one political statement during the controversy.

The police are studying all MNS statements from 29 September, when the surgical strikes were announced. However they feel these threats are only a 'political stunt'.

A senior officer told The Indian Express, There are a few observations that we find strategic. While most politicians in the state reacted immediately, there was a time vacuum between the Shiv Sena and MNS in their reaction to the announcement of the surgical strikes. The Senas reaction was brief and congratulated the government on the Armys strikes. When Thackeray reacted, he chose the subject of Pakistani actors in India. Everything that followed has been in keeping this strategy of threats alive.
Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan says he is distressed by the deceptive use of his image in Indian pan masala brand's advertisement.

The actor said that he was deeply shocked and saddened to learn the pan masala product he was advertising may include ingredients that can cause cancer, reported People magazine.

Brosnan said he has the "greatest love and affection for India and its people."

"As a man who has spent decades championing women's healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar's unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products."

"I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one's health," Brosnan said in a statement.

The 63-year-old James Bond star said his contract stated that he was to advertise a "breath freshener/tooth whitener," which wouldn't include an ingredient that turns saliva red.

According to the actor he agreed to advertise a single product only, and that it was presented as "all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient."

"Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting women's healthcare and research programs that improve human health and alleviate suffering," the statement continued.

Brosnan has demanded the company to remove his image from all their products, and assured that he had no knowledge that he was endorsing items that would have a negative or painful reaction in India.

"I shall endeavor to rectify this matter. In the meantime, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to all whom I have offended," the statement concluded.

The actor received a lot of flak and was even trolled on Twitter for featuring in advertisement of the pan masala brand.

Meanwhile, Pierce Brosnan was trending on Twitter all of Friday morning. Here are some tweets:

Pierce Brosnan says that he didn't know before association that Pan Bahar kills people. Modi will say the same about Amit Shah one day.  Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) October 21, 2016

So Pierce Brosnan thought Pan Bahaar was a tooth whitener. Even we thought Britishers were smart. Now we are even.  Cryptic Mind (@Vishj05) October 21, 2016

Pierce Brosnan says he didn't know what he was selling sounds more like a politician who's ignorant about his own propaganda!  Amar Shah (@amarshah30) October 21, 2016

Pierce Brosnan says abt Pan Bahar that he didn't know what he was selling. Also, Kejriwal before becoming CM didn't know CM has no power.  Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) October 21, 2016

"Pierce Brosnan" got Pierced ...........................  YO!Jos!!! (@joshi_j4) October 21, 2016

Pierce Brosnan didn't know that Pan Bahar has tobacco, just like Salman did't know it was his driver and the Deer commitee sucide.  Gunjan (@iamGunjanGrunge) October 21, 2016
New York: AT&T Inc (T.N) is in advanced discussions to acquire media conglomerate Time Warner Inc (TWX.N), and a deal could come as early as this weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The talks have come together quickly and revolve around a cash-and-stock deal which would be one of the largest in the sector in recent years as telecom companies make a grab for media providers to acquire content, the Journal reported.

Time Warner shares jumped 11.4 percent to $92.40 in late Friday morning trading. AT&T shares were down 3.3 percent at $37.39.

Time Warner, which has a market capitalization of about $65 billion, is an attractive target for AT&T, which has a market capitalization of about $238 billion, because of its premium cable channel HBO, the CNN news network, film studio Warner Bros and other media assets.

AT&T, which sells wireless phone and broadband services, has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse, buying satellite TV provider DirecTV last year for $48.5 billion.

Owning content gives cable and telecom companies leverage as customers demand smaller, hand-picked cable television offerings or dispense with cable altogether and watch shows via the internet.

Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes has not been willing to sell the company in the past. The company rejected an $80 billion offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOXA.O) in 2014.

Time Warner was not immediately available for comment. AT&T declined to comment.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that executives of both companies had discussed various business strategies, including a possible merger, in recent weeks.
New Delhi: The government today got cracking on the debit card fraud, asking banks concerned and RBI to submit report on the nature of security breach which compromised over 3.25 million cards and assured customers that strong action will be taken while their interests will not come to any harm.

"I have sought a report in the debit card issue. The idea is to contain the damage," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India, as many as 641 customers across 19 banks have been duped of Rs 1.3 crore using stolen debit card data.

The government asked the Reserve Bank of India as well as the affected banks to provide details of the data breach and also preparedness to deal with cyber crimes.

Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said a report has been sought on all aspects.

"There is no cause for alarm. The integrity of IT system of banks is robust and whatever action is required, the government will take promptly," he said.

The government, he said, is seized of the matter and reports have been called from RBI and banks to know what exactly has happened.

A preliminary input "sort of report" has already come in and the government is awaiting further details from the final report, he said.

"After getting the report... whatever action is required, necessary action will be taken by the government," he said.

Earlier, on the sidelines of a German government event, Das said: "Customers should not panic because these hackings are done through computer and trail can easily be reached... They should not be alarmed. Whatever action has to be taken, it will be done with speed."

Of the debit cards affected, about 26.5 lakh are on Visa and MasterCard platforms while 6,00,000 are on RuPay. The breach reportedly involved some 90 ATMs.

While Visa and MasterCard, in separate statements, have stated that their own networks had not been compromised, Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Payment Services, which manages some of the ATM network processing, was investigating the matter, including whether there was a malware problem.

Das said that based on the report of RBI and banks, the government would exactly know what happened.

"And as you know, in the cyber world, the trail will always be there and it will be our effort to locate, to sort of trace the exact trail and locate the point of origin of where this has happened, and the government will definitely act on this," he said.
New Delhi: Multilateral lending agency World Bank and India today signed a USD 650-million loan agreement for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).

"The project will benefit industries of Northern and Eastern India, which rely on railway network for transportation of material inputs and exports that would accelerate creation of jobs in the northern and eastern regions of the country," the World Bank said in a statement.

This the third loan agreement that the World Bank has signed for the Eastern Corridor, which is 1,840 km long and extends from Ludhiana to Kolkata.

The World Bank is supporting EDFC as a series of projects in which three sections with a total route length of 1,193 km will be delivered sequentially, but with considerable overlap in their construction schedules, the statement said.

EDFC 3, approved by the World Bank on June 30, 2016, will build the 401 km Ludhiana-Khurja section which goes through Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The first loan of USD 975 million for the 343 km Khurja-Kanpur section in the EDFC programme was approved by the World Bank in May 2011 and is already under implementation.

The second loan of USD 1.1 billion for the 402 km Kanpur-Mughalsarai section was approved by the Bank in April 2014 and is in the implementation phase. The World Bank noted that the major contracts for civil works and systems has been awarded with a total value of Rs 6,300 crore.

EDFC is part of India's first Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) initiative being built on two main routes the Western and the Eastern Corridors. The DFC lines are being built to carry bulk freight trains of 6,000 to 12,000 gross tons.

Noting that economic opportunities are also being explored along the freight corridor, the statement said the government is planning to set up integrated manufacturing clusters using EDFC as the backbone.

"These clusters will be set up with an investment of about USD 1 billion on either side of EDFC. The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 7-year grace period, and a maturity of 22 years," it said.
After delighting the Indian public with his James Bond films, Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan strode onto Indian turf by endorsing a suiting brand.

After a considerable gap, the actor was recently seen making a splash with the Pan Bahar advertisement endorsing the brand. At first, people assumed it was a prank but later found that it was true. Incredulous at his appearance in the advertisement, social media went into a tizzy over his choice.

Pierce Brosnan is the new brand ambassador for Pan Bahar. Yes, James Bond wala Pierce Brosnan. I have no joke. Nothing to say. Speechless.  Hardik Rajgor (@Hardism) October 6, 2016

You know #Brexit was a bad idea when James Bond has to sell pan masala! pic.twitter.com/uJi1jOGLxg  Neeti Palta (@neetipalta) October 7, 2016

What is interesting about the advertisement is that the Irishman endorses the product, but strangely neither opens the box nor is he seen consuming its contents.

After the initial jokes at the actor's expense, a section of the Indian audience castigated him for endorsing a product which has ingredients that can cause cancer.

People magazine has reported that the actor is distressed by the deceptive use of his image in the paan masala advertisement, according to PTI. "I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one's health," Brosnan said in a statement.

No one is buying into that I-am-not-to-blame image that the former Bond man is now conveniently trying to portray.

Social media is having a ball with hilarious tweets on the actor.

Sample these:

I think the real reason Pierce Brosnan is pissed is that he was looking arthritic, old, and ridiculously comical in that Pan Bahar ad  The Bad Doctor (@DOCTORATLARGE) October 21, 2016

Indian politics favourite politician and the Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi was also brought into the Bond tangle.

Pierce Brosnan may as well have said that he did the ad because he is tired of Rahul Gandhi's weak leadership.  Rohan (@mojorojo) October 21, 2016

Shifting the onus onto the brand and the company is not in keeping with the actor's Bond image. Really, what was Brosnan thinking when he signed up for the advertisement and predictably pocketed a large sum of money to endorse it?

Presumably, the actor who is in retirement took up an opportunity that came his way for the moolah. Brosnan would have been overwhelmed to know that he still commanded attention in far-off India when he is almost in oblivion in Hollywood.

However, to now say that he did not know that the product he endorsed was 'dangerous' to health is unethical. As adman Prahlad Kakkar says, Brosnan had a moral responsibility to know what he was endorsing.

"Obviously he has not heard of the product and not tasted it either. No one would have believed him if he said he had."

This actually makes the actor all the more irresponsible.

Perhaps, Brosnan thought he did not have to look into the nitty-gritty of the product or the brand simply because it was not a product for a western market.

But his this act is very un-Bond like, to say the least.
Sparking a pre-Diwali panic among consumers, over three million debit cards of various banks are believed to be 'tainted' following a suspected security breach, even as investigations have begun into the reasons behind the security risk, officials said.

The problem has hit mainly debit cards, and several banks, including the State Bank Of India (SBI), have already started blocking their customers' debit cards and re-issuing fresh ones to them free of cost.

This can take around a week, leaving barely any time for people wanting to do Diwali shopping or go on vacations.

An estimated 30,00,000-plus debit cards issued by various public or private banks are said to have been exposed to a potential risk of data breach.

Barring assurances to the customers, most banks have not yet disclosed the numerical or geographical extent of debit cards that may have been compromised, and loss of data or money, if any, suffered by customers.

Debit or credit cards are prone to security issues when unauthorized parties gain access to the confidential data embedded on them, even as it is being swiped in an automatic teller machine (ATM).

A bank official said that customers are particularly sensitive about their debit cards which are directly linked to either salary or savings accounts. Stolen data can lead to immediate unauthorized debiting of funds from their accounts, with the cascading effect hitting their daily routines, utilities and other types of regular payments.

The problems were detected around six weeks back, prompting the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Mumbai, which controls all the retail payments systems in the country to declared early September that there "is no compromise at NPCI and our systems are fully safe and secure."

NPCI handles over 25 million transactions daily, including RuPay cards, of which more than 290 million are currently in circulation.

In the current scenario, the SBI alone has blocked more than 600,000 debit cards while assuring that the malware-related security breach was reportedly detected in the non-SBI ATM network.

It justified the move to ensure customers' confidential personal data is not compromised while swiping in ATMs for various transactions.

One of the card network companies MasterCard said on Thursday that its "own systems have not been breached."

"We are working on the investigations with the regulators, issuers, acquirers, global and local law enforcement agencies and third party payment networks to assess the current situation," a MasterCard spokesperson said.

It has advised the consumers to review their account statements and activity, and if any unusual or fraudulent transactions are suspected, they should contact the concerned bank for more assistance.

According to banking circles, several other banks have also experienced similar problems as a few ATMs have been hit by a malware which has a high potential to compromise customers data.

Besides SBI, other major banks which have been hit include ICICI, HDFC, Axis and Yes Bank, and roughly two-thirds of the affected cards belong to MasterCard and Visa, and the rest to RuPay.

Anxious customers have started enquiring with their respective banks as to the seriousness of the problems, whether their personal data has leaked out and if that could lead to financial implications, especially with the year's biggest festival at the doorstep.

On Wednesday evening, the SBI said it had blocked cards of certain customers identified by the networks as a precautionary measure, though it did not reveal the exact number of cardholders who would be hit.

Sympathising with the customers, the banks have asked them to change their ATM PINs, avoid using other banks' ATMs, or stick to Internet/online (on laptops/PCs) banking, as immediate damage-control measures.

The SBI, HDFC and ICICI have assured that their own systems have not been compromised as they deploy high-level of security measures and hence, existing cardholders can continue to use their cards as usual without any risks.
New Delhi: SBI associate State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) has reported a loss of Rs 210.10 crore for the September quarter mainly on account of higher non-performing assets (NPAs) due to changes in the group's policy of classifying loans and advances.

The bank had reported net profit of Rs 180.63 crore for the July-September quarter of last fiscal, 2015-16.

SBBJ said it has changed its policy of classifying common loans and advances within SBI group.

"Accordingly the bank has classified the common loans and advances considering the lowest income recognition and asset classification (IRAC) status of the accounts within the SBI Group as a whole.

"This has resulted in increase of gross NPAs by Rs 2,004.12 crore, incremental provision of Rs 511.19 crore, interest reversal of Rs 46.57 crore and its consequential impact on various ratios," it said in a regulatory filing.

The bank classified incremental provision in 45 such eligible accounts, it said.

This the provision and contingencies for July-September 2016-17 rose to Rs 850.01 crore as against Rs 236.71 crore in the year ago period.

Total income of the bank fell slightly to Rs 2,614.21 crore from Rs 2620.34 crore earned in the same quarter of previous fiscal.

Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of the bank rose to 10.5 per cent of the gross advances as of September 30, 2016 from 4.2 per cent a year ago.

Net NPAs or bad loans were 7.17 percent of the net advances as of quarter ended September, 2016-17 up from 2.15 per cent year earlier.

Further, SBBJ said the Board of Directors at its meeting held on September 26, 2016 approved the scheme of acquisition of the bank by State Bank of India (SBI).

SBBJ stock closed 0.61 percent up at Rs 704.05on BSE.
Singur: The wheel of the iconic Singur agitation came full circle on Thursday as farming resumed at the demolished Nano car plant site after a decade with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sprinkling mustard seeds on the land.

The physical possession of 103 acres of land was given to 298 farmers spread over five mouzas well within the 12-week deadline set by the division bench of justices Arun Mishra and V Gopala Gowda of the Supreme Court on 31 August.

The bench also ruled that the land acquisition process in Singur for the car project was faulty and was not for public purpose.

"Most of the portion of the Nano car shed has been razed to the ground. Only a small structure is left which will also be demolished in next few days," a senior state government official said.

Banerjee, who had steered massive agitation against 'forcible' land acquisition in 2006, said, "Singur will be a model before the world and a monument will be constructed here."

She said, "Except for 65 acres, the rest of the 997 acres of land is ready to be handed over to the farmers. By November 10, the process of giving physical possession of the entire land would be complete."

She talked to the farmers, enquired about the condition of the land and the kind of crops they plan to harvest in days to come. She also handed over crop kits to some farmers.

Last month Banerjee had handed over land 'parchas' and cheques to the farmers in Singur.

'Parcha' is a document which establishes the ownership of a farmer over a piece of land in revenue records.
On the intervening night of 28 February and 1 March in 2002, between 11.30 pm and 2.30 am, a mob torched the house of a Muslim man called Ibrahim Sheikh in Sardarpura. As a result, 33 people, including 22 women, were charred to death.

The crime, which eventually came to be known as the infamous Sardarpura massacre case, had taken place to 'avenge' the Godhra train burning incident in which 59 people were burnt to death on 27 February, 2002.

On Thursday, the Gujarat High Court acquitted 14 persons out of 31 convicted by a lower court and confirmed the life sentence of 17 others in the massacre case.

A division bench of Justices Harsha Devani and Biren Vaishnav concluded that the 14 people had to be acquitted due to lack of evidence and contradiction in witnesses' account.

This is a very important decision because after the massacre, 76 people had been accused and arrested by the police. After the high court's decision, 14 of those 76 stand convicted.

The Sardapura massacre case was the first of the nine post-Godhra riot cases probed by Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan, according to The Indian Express.

Out of the 76 initially arrested, two died during pendency of trial, while one was a juvenile.

A special SIT court had framed charges against 73 accused in June 2009 and initiated trial in the case.

On 9 November, 2011, the court convicted 31 people and acquitted 42 others. The convicted were awarded life sentence along with a fine of Rs 50,000 each in the verdict passed by special SIT court judge SC Srivastava.

It was then that the SIT challenged the acquittal of the 31 people in the Gujarat High Court.

The high court on Thursday also upheld the decision of lower court to not accept the "conspiracy theory" put up by the prosecution, which had alleged that the attack on the Muslims was pre-planned and a conspiracy was hatched following the Godhra train burning incident.

The prosecution had claimed that a conspiracy had been hatched by some local leaders to target Muslims of Sardarpura in Vijapur taluka. As per SIT submissions, villagers had started gathering at the Panchayat office from around 9.30 pm on 28 February, 2002, as part of a conspiracy.

A mob of hundreds of people had surrounded a lane, called 'Sheikh Vaas', in Sardarpura, after which the house was burnt. The mob also stood there to ensure nobody could rescue people shouting for help inside the house.

According to the SIT, if the witnesses did not touch upon the conspiracy aspect, it was because they were mentally traumatised when examined in the trial court.

With inputs from PTI
In her third and final debate with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has come out strongly in favour of women having the right to have abortions. She described this as being an 'intimate and difficult' decision often taken under 'heartbreaking' circumstances especially when it involved abortions being conducted after the first trimester.

Clinton minced no words on her stand. Maybe she adopted such a strong line because she was addressing one of her constituencies  the women of the United States  many of whom have been demanding being given greater autonomy and control over their bodies. But her words have found a resonance across the globe and definitely in the subcontinent.

Compare this with the way in which we treat our adolescents/women.

A 14- year old girl living in a village near Bareilly gets raped repeatedly while working as a domestic in the house of Asif, a resident of Bairamnagar. When the FIR is finally filed in the month of June, the girl is already into her 19th week of pregnancy. She appeals for a Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) before the additional chief judicial magistrate, but the appeal is turned down. By then, she is 26 weeks into her pregnancy.

The MTP Act states that abortion is permitted under 12 weeks of pregnancy and should not exceed 20 weeks unless the mothers health is at risk. In between suggestions that the rape survivor marry her alleged rapist, the young girl and her family (the girls father is a construction worker) plead repeatedly that her pregnancy be terminated. This plea was turned down on 14 September by a medical panel led by the chief medical officer of Bareilly, Dr Vijay Yadav.

The girl went on this month to give birth to a baby boy and has now expressed a determination to bring up the child herself.

This is not the only case wherein an unfeeling medical system and an insensitive police forced a pregnant rape survivor to give birth to a child.

Bharti Ali, co-founder of HAQ which addresses the issue of human rights for children, feels there is a definitive need to amend the existing MTP Act which is already 45 years old, especially keeping in mind the situation of adolescent girls who themselves are victims of rape. "We have dealt with a similar case where another 14-year old became pregnant after being raped. She pleaded to be allowed to go in for an abortion but was not given permission by the Delhi High Court," said Ali.

"In both these cases, a child is giving birth to another child. If the baby was taken away immediately and put into foster care or adopted, there would have been no emotional bonding between the mother and the child. Once that happens, it becomes difficult for the mother to let go of the baby. I believe in both these cases, we have destroyed the childhood of the two adolescent girls who have been left to their own devices to bring up their children under very adverse circumstances," said Ali.

India has seen an exponential rise in rape incidents.

The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) has recorded an 873 percent increase in rape cases over the past five decades. Police officials warn that these statistics are only set to rise further. Nearly three lakh rape cases have been reported up to 2015. Statistics collected by the NCRB show the conviction rate of these rape cases remains at less than 25 percent. The NCRB data does not show how many of those raped were adolescent girls who became pregnant following this heinous crime, but there is no doubt that data needs to be collated in this area also.

Dr Ranjana Kumari, director of Institute of Social Research and a woman activist, points out that with very few convictions in cases of rape, the onus of bringing up the child (if the survivor gets pregnant) is on her and her family. "This is extremely unfortunate. The police and bureaucracy including doctors have no sympathy for the survivors. I have personally dealt with hundreds of rape survivors and the attitude of the medical fraternity and police is one of indifference and condescension. They believe that because these girls often come from a poor socio-economic strata, they invite this sexual attack on themselves which is not the case at all," said Kumari.

Indias MTP Act was enacted two years before the US Supreme Court gave its famous judgement on the Roe versus Wade case, which held that laws that criminalise all abortions were unconstitutional and violated the right to privacy of a pregnant woman. During the presidential debate, Hillary Clinton came out to strongly support the Roe versus Wade judgment. When Chris Wallace (Fox News), moderator of the debate asked Trump whether he would want the courts to overturn the Roe versus Wade judgment, Trump emphasised that he would leave it to the states to put in place their own abortion policies.

Trump said, "That'll happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court. I will say this: It will go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination."

We have destroyed the childhood of the two adolescent girls who have been left to their own devices to bring up their children under very adverse circumstances

Trump's analogy of a baby being ripped out of the womb would hardly be expected to go down well with women.

Clinton however stated, "It isn't only about Roe versus Wade. It's about very stringent regulations on women that block them from exercising that choice, to the extent that they are defending Planned Parenthood. Donald has said he's in favour of supporting shutting down Planned Parenthood."

Indias Supreme Court is trying to adopt a more liberal state vis-a-vis rape survivors. Some months ago, they allowed a rape survivor to terminate a 24-week-old pregnancy. This time too, the rape survivor was referred to a medical board that found that the foetus had several congenital problems, which in turn, would affect the health of the concerned woman. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW) has prepared some amendments to the current MTP Act.

One of these is to extend the time period within which the abortion can be carried out from 20 weeks to 24 weeks. It also permits abortions beyond the 24-week period in case the foetus is found to suffer from foetal abnormalities.

The MHFW is also willing to take cognisance of the status of single unmarried women who are sexually active. The amended act will allow these single women to go in for abortions within the stipulated time frame in case of contraceptive failure. But the amended act makes no reference to adolescent rape survivors who fall in a category by themselves. Many of these girls are illiterate and come from very poor homes. With these adolescents themselves being so vulnerable, they can hardly be expected to take on the onerous task of bringing up a child.
While tracing the trajectory of secularism as practiced in India, ever since Jawaharlal Nehru made it the State religion, one encounters three distinct phases.

First, secularism was thrust upon the masses who had no clue what it meant, either definitionally or in practice  large sections are still clueless. It was thrust upon them ostensibly to prevent the tyranny of the Hindu majority, which historically had no record of imposing said tyranny against any minority.

Second, from this speculative prevention of threats to the minorities, secularism came to mean pandering to the minorities with respect to separate personal laws and non-interference in their institutions, to name just two aspects.

Third, branding anybody who protested this discrimination as communal.

The third phase arguably has been the most effective in practice.

Among its other meanings, the word branding also includes a long-abandoned, cruel, medieval practice of literally burning into the human skin a mark to signify a persons crime or stigma or his or her status as a slave or witch. Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter is in a way a treatise on branding a young woman for the crime of having premarital sex.

But as history shows, psychological branding has been used to devastating success in public discourse, unleashed most effectively by Lenin when he urged his comrades to give a dog a bad name and hang him. In the post-Independence Indian context, this branding employed strategically and repeatedly has psychologically defanged not just Hindus but anybody who dared to oppose this minority-mollycoddling even when said minorities have demonstrably misbehaved, including but not limited to inflicting unprovoked violence against Hindus.

The gruesome broad-daylight-murder of RSS member Rudresh in Bangalore a few days back is only the latest in an escalation of an apparent splurge of the slaughter of Hindus in various parts of the country. Even as I write this, I havent come across a single editorial or op-ed from any reputed media outlet  or from intellectuals  condemning this in the furious manner were used to in cases involving injury to the minorities.

News reports emanating from West Bengal-based Hindu Samhati with a sickening regularity show how Hindus in West Bengal are facing an existential threat. Even as recently as 17 October, a large numbers of Hindus fled from their homes in the Hazinagar and Halisahar towns in North 24 Parganas district. And the less is said about Kerala, the better: it appears that the state has become Indias most active Jihadi laboratory.

Equally worrying is the similar situation that has emerged in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, states which, till a few years ago had little or no record of Islamist violence against Hindus and Hindu groups. Indeed, ever since Siddaramaiah took over as chief minister, Karnataka has increasingly begun to resemble Kerala in this respect: from the murder of (Kodagu VHP member) Kuttappa, to that of cow protection activist Prashant Poojary, to the fatal stabbing of BJP worker Raju, and now of Rudresh, the murders simply dont seem to stop. And neither government seems serious about keeping a close watch on Jihadi outfits like Popular Front of India, much less about punishing the murderers.

The other side of this branding is the dominant discourse, which blames Hindus for inviting such violence upon themselves. A highly representative sample of this sort of mindset is this editorial in The Hindu, written in the wake of the torching alive of 57 innocent Hindus at Godhra. According to this editorial, those Hindus invited their own roasting because of the build up across the country to construct the Ram temple at Ayodhya, and therefore, their deaths were predictable.

Setting aside politics and ideology, the fact that Hindus and members of Hindu organisations are being killed with wanton frequency is real. And to state the obvious because it has to be stated, no amount of ostriching around this reality, no amount of editorialising and/or under-reporting will make it go away. This sort of unbridled murder of Hindus is not a subject for a TV debate, where people can take sides.

More bluntly, this relates to the value of Hindu lives. Noted journalist and Firstpost columnist Rajeev Srinivasan in a 2005 article weighs in on this fact after citing the cases of four different people:

"So what is the difference between Cases 1, 2, 3, and 4, other than the fact that the person in Case 1 died a gruesome death, but the others are safe?

Just this:

Case 1 was a Hindu man, Maniappan Raman Kutty.

Case 2 is a Christian man, Sijo Jose.

Case 3 is a Muslim man, Naushad.

Case 4 is a Christian man, Samkutty."

There could not be a clearer indication of the value of a Hindu man's life. To spell out the obvious  a Hindu's life is without value as far as politicians and the government are concerned.

Add to politicians and the Government, the class of intellectuals and media which enable and further this heartless attitude either covertly or overtly or both.

This then, is what is at the core of the issue. The aforementioned branding has ensured that even those who speak up for the murdered victims are perpetually put on the back foot, and once again the perpetrators get away free or are not sentenced. It will be an interesting subject for research to study how many killers, over the last seventy years, have been punished for the countless Hindus murdered for no fault of their own.

Equally, one wonders about the amount of tears the academia-intellectual-media complex has shed over the 254 Hindus killed in the Gujarat riots. Somehow, in the vast corpus of the literature over the Gujarat riots, we scarcely  if ever  find mention of these unfortunate victims.

It has been said that this secularist discourse has run its course and is on its last legs. That might well be true but its equally true that it continues to occupy national mind space primarily in the intellectual and media arenas best exemplified by last years phony national outrage over intolerance, award-wapsi (returns), and more recently by the behaviour of a section of Bollywood degenerates.

Equally, when JNU students burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with impunity after branding him as a Ravana, it showed the true colours of Indias state religion of secularism: it respects nothing thats Indian, respects no democratic institution, and its opposition to differing ideologies and perspectives is but a cloak of underlying hatred towards the nation best told in its own words: Bharat tere tukde tukde honge, Inshallah Inshallah!

Indeed, it appears that the cost of Indias tryst with destiny has come at the enormous  and continuing  loss of Hindu lives and perpetual, internal threats to its unity and integrity.
A line needs to be drawn in the sand between freedom of expression and unadulterated bullying by the left-wing student unions in the 'prestigious' Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The unholy fiasco over 27-year-old student Najeeb Ahmed, who still remains untraceable, is indicative of a larger political ploy where no anarchical behaviour is out of bounds and legality, and logic and reasoning become cuss words on the altar of regressive leftist politics.

To be clear, one isn't talking of the burning of Dussehra effigies inside the JNU campus, where 'the triumph of good over evil' was celebrated by lighting up Ravana's 10 heads, that included those of Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Baba Ramdev and V-C Jagadesh Kumar. Even if in poor taste, the acts fall within the students' right to dissent and should draw no penal action.

But it is difficult to understand what right was being upheld when 12 of the JNU's top brass, including a diabetic lady official, were kept confined for nearly 24 hours within the administrative block, without access to food and water by the left-backed JNUSU.

The demands of the nearly 200 agitating students ranged from the fantastic "bring back Najeeb immediately"  as if the varsity administration knew about his whereabouts  to the ridiculous "administration acted in an insensitive manner and is trying to shield ABVP culprits", that indicates either a misunderstanding of the legal-criminal procedure or worse still, a callous disregard for the laws of the land with an eye to score political points.

The events leading to the disappearance of the first-year MSc Biotechnology student on Saturday, following a brawl on campus the night before, are unclear. Contradictory eyewitness reports have emerged, recounting that Najeeb was last seen boarding an auto on 15 October. According to his mother however, Najeeb had called her around 11 am on that day and said that he was waiting for her at the hostel, but was nowhere to be found thereafter.

Meanwhile, JNU has once again turned into a battle zone between ABVP, who allege that they are being wrongfully accused of a crime they did not commit, and left-backed students' unions who are convinced that the right-wing students' outfit is responsible for Najeeb going 'missing'.

The point that should not be lost sight of, however, is that the disappearance of a student from campus is a matter for the police and relevant authorities to investigate.

An FIR has been lodged at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station, the police has launched an inquiry, multiple students have been summoned and the procedure has kicked off in right earnest.

We have some leads and these are being explored to ensure a safe rescue. Details cannot be shared now, additional DCP (South) Nupur Prasad was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for information about him.

About 10 squads investigators have left for Najeeb's hometown in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, and are gathering information about his whereabouts. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has announced the formation of a Special Investigative Team (SIT) and has asked the police commissioner to expedite the probe.

It's not as if the wheels of the machinery aren't moving but when the aim is to turn every issue into a political game and try and score points against the administration  and in turn against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre  then the truth can be bent and subverted to meet narrow ends.

According to the V-C, who along with his colleagues was locked inside their rooms for close to a day, pleading with the agitators that they (administration) are as concerned about the missing student and is determined to help the police in every way to help trace him, bore no fruit.

"They have wrongfully confined us since 2.30 pm with unreasonable demands like bring Najeeb immediately. These things are not in our hands but with the police. We are doing whatever we can. We also want the safe return of Najeeb. But they (students) have not even listened to our pleas. There is a lady official who is unwell and she too is inside," the V-C was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

On JNUSU president Mohit Pandey's claim, that the confined officials had access to food and water, India Today quoted the V-C as saying: "We slept on the floor. This is a complete lie that we had been provided food. Our several colleagues are sick and they spent the whole night without any facilityStudents have become relentless and adamant and think that we are not doing our best."

On the students' charges of insensitivity and laxity in taking action, the V-C said, while speaking to the media, that they have been in constant touch with the police with regards to the search for Najeeb and that the proctorial investigation into the violence had already started.

How can we take action against any student before the investigation is over. We have to hear all versions and come to a fair decision, the V-C said.

In between, as the gherao was called off, the issue created a rift between the left-wing student organisations  with some going on to blame JNUSU president Pandey of taking a unilateral decision.

According to a student leader, as quoted by The Telegraph: "Demands from small radical student groups had forced us to do a gherao that wasn't feasible because it is exam time and the support is low,"

"It's not yielding anything and the teachers too have withdrawn support," the student leader said.

The regressive politics of the left has gained in aggression ever since a left alliance of CPIM-backed SFI and CPI-ML's AISA won the recent student union polls over the right-wing ABVP. Just a few days back, PTI reported about an incident where a section of JNU teachers had accused the student union members of resorting to violence, while a discussion on the feasibility of introducing courses in yoga and Indian culture was going on at a meeting.

Professor Amrita Singh, according to a DNA report, was allegedly abused and attacked inside the university campus by a group of students on 7 October.

"I stepped out of the academic council meeting late Saturday evening, and was immediately surrounded by around 20 students. They started calling me out, abusing me, calling me "sanghi" and didn't even let me move. When I, along with the JNU registrar and proctor tried to get into our car, we were stopped and surrounded by the students who started banging on the car. Some of them even laid down in front of the car," Professor Amita Singh, Dean of School of Law and Governance, was quoted, as saying by the newspaper.

For the regressive left, which finds itself increasingly redundant, academic institutions like JNU are an ideal battleground from where political campaigns against the current NDA government can be launched.

Reports have already emerged of an effort to communalise Najeeb's disappearance, which may come in handy during the upcoming Assembly polls in UP. One won't be surprised if Najeeb becomes the victim of a larger, more sinister game.
Bhubaneswar: The death toll in Odisha's SUM Hospital fire rose to 24, as one more person undergoing treatment succumbed to injuries on Friday, a health official said.

"While two other patients succumbed to their injuries in the Capital Hospital on Thursday night, one more died on Friday," the official said.

Sheikh Qurban of Khurda undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital here succumbed four days after receiving extensive injuries in Monday's blaze that initially claimed 19 lives.

On Thursday night, Biswanath Behera of Dumduma area in Bhubaneswar and Rashmita Swain of Balipada area in Puri also died. Two more injured persons had succumbed to injuries earlier during the week.

As many as 106 patients were shifted to different hospitals following the major fire that broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the dialysis ward at SUM hospital on Monday evening.

The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police arrested four hospital officials on Tuesday, and the owner, Manoj Nayak, on Thursday and secured his two-day remand.

Nayak was to be grilled over the renewal of registration and the lack of fire safety measures in his hospital, the police said.
All over India, 21 October is commemorated as Police Day. On this day in 1959, a group of Indian policemen led by Karam Singh was attacked by the Chinese army at Hot Springs in Ladakh while on the lookout for a missing reconnaissance party. Ten cops were killed and seven taken as prisoners. Subsequently, in January 1960, 21 October was officially designated as Police Commemoration Day.

Each year this day that is meant to honour the supreme sacrifices of the police largely goes unnoticed due to continued indifference on part of the polity, media, society and other established institutions that cannot do without the police, and yet they don't remember the police as it has been taken for that cops will selflessly continue to serve all institutions despite the non-recognition of the force to meet the expectations of one and all.

Such indifference and the functioning of the police today calls for a closer look at the state of affairs existing with the police force in India. Most unfortunately, the police has not got its due even though it is embedded in every segment of the country. It is a neglected lot and dismissed as corrupt, inefficient and not people-friendly. Such allegations could be partially true but arguably, we have not seen any visible and genuine attempts by the detractors and critics of the police to improve its image. None whatsoever!

With no animosity towards our armed forces, we have seen the armed forces being lauded time and again for their sacrifices. Sadly, not a word for the police whose contribution to the country and the society is no less.

Let's take the most recent Uri attacks.

Undoubtedly, the army  being on the frontline  grabbed headlines and deservedly so and its sacrifices can not be underestimated. Yet, the police, especially in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, worked tirelessly to ensure peace and remained poised to meet any challenges. If the armed forces are on high alert to meet external threats, the police is there to see that tranquility is kept up within the country. This is a huge task.

Communal disturbances, internal strife, naxal threats, crimes of a diverse nature, law and order problems, natural calamities and numerous other complex issues are on the overcrowded plate of the police and this is not a one-time job. It's an ongoing situation and can't be left unattended even for a day. Sadly, after Uri, not a single political leader from the topmost to the middle rung made any pro-police remarks. If police morale is not kept up, how does one expect police to deliver at times of crises?

Elections in difficult states are round the corner. Also, external aggression remains a possibility. If the police is not in good shape, we should not expect it to deal with the challenges effectively. Its working conditions and morale have to be almost on par with the armed forces. This is not happening.

Very few realise the unending pressure under which cops are working. There are some crusaders who are fighting for police reform and betterment of living conditions, but they are all retired police officials. It looks like improving the police is the responsibility of only retired police officers. Shouldn't social activists from all walks of life come forward to uplift the police morale and show some compassion for them?

For the armed forces, we have the state-of-the-art medical facilities, research and referral hospitals, and much more. The police remains overlooked with the absence of such essential facilities. Similarly, housing, children's education, separated family quarters etc need attention. The police in India also needs to have a sense of pride generating a sense of belonging for top class service  people-friendly and efficient.

Also, canteen facilities, rations and air travel at concessional rates have to be introduced to have a police force befitting our country's requirements. Lamentably, we have allowed the police to go adrift by sheer neglect. It has now reached saturation point. With multiple threatening challenges, we need to have a ship-shape police force deserving occasional pats on its back to get it going. Such encouragement must come from all and sundry.

According to one database, there are 14 lakh policemen in India and hundreds of able-bodied personnel die each year while on duty. None are declared 'martyrs'. Do we call it discrimination? We haven't seen policemen marching or agitating for OROP at India Gate. A majority of those in power look down on the police and their colonial mindset needs a change or else they will be on the receiving end. Where those in power do not hesitate to beat a police horse to death, hopes of a refurbished police image looks bleak but not impossible. The crusade must go on. Let all those who matter in society join the service and retired police personnel all over the country today to commemorate the sacrifices of the police.

The author is a retired IPS officer and a columnist on matters of security. Views are personal
BJP MP Varun Gandhi is at the centre of a controversy over allegations that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma and arms manufacturers after being honey trapped, a charge he stoutly denied.

Varun rejected these charges, saying he has not met Verma since 2004 and threatened to file a defamation suit against Bhushan and Yadav over the charges, saying, "The entire information presented does not contain an iota of proof that either I had access or shared any communication regarding sensitive information to Verma."

He said that he last met Verma when he was a post graduate student in London at the age of 22 years. "I am going to turn 37 now. I have never met him since I entered public life in 2004. The only reason why I even know of him is because his parents were members of parliament and was a respected family. I knew them as many other leaders knew them," he said. Asked if he had come across any sensitive information during his tenure on the consultative committee on defence, he said, "Any MP who has been on that committee knows that not even 0.1 percentage of any confidential information is shared with the committee."

At a press conference in New Delhi, Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav had released a letter written by Edmonds Allen, a New York-based lawyer, to the PMO last month that Varun was honey trapped and compromised by Verma. The lawyer alleged that Verma "blackmailed" Varun, a member of the Defence Consultative Committee, into sharing sensitive information on crucial arms matters.

Referring to the recently signed deal between India and French aircraft manufacturer Dassault for 36 Rafale aircraft, Bhushan had alleged that despite having all the details, the BJP government did not blacklist Thales, the company that sold scam-tainted Scorpene submarines, as Dassault acquired it. Dassault Aviation has 25.3 percent stake in Thales. "Any action against Thales may have jeopardised the Rafale deal. Moreover, contrary to previous announcements of getting 126 aircraft, the government bought 36 aircraft, paying double the price for individual units. It certainly appears to be the case that something is fishy," he said.. However, Bhushan and Yadav did not take Varun's name during the press conference and instead asked journalists to refer to the letter. They claimed to have withheld photographic evidences pertaining to the matter.

Allen had written to the PM, Defence Minister, CBI and the NSA with all the details on August and September this year. He was Verma's partner but fell out with him in 2012 and Verma is facing trial in the 2006 Naval War Room leak case.

Abhishek Verma himself rejected allegations of purported defence leaks by saying the emails and photographs being circulated are "fabricated" and questioned the motive of the releases made on Thursday. He said the so-called "emails and photos are fabricated as I had not issued nor photographed Gandhi nor referred to him anywhere...These are attempts on part of Allen to defame me, and others named in the letter."

"Allen is a known forger and he had in the past also morphed some photos of another individual and I had filed a case of criminal defamation against Allen in Patiala House Court on 6 February, 2012. The case trial is on and the matter is subjudice," Verma said in a statement issued on Thursday. The pending suit against him under sections of Information Technology Act and forgery and the letter orchestrated by Allen is true to his nature of character assasination by forgery and deceit, he claimed. "I will be initiating a suit for criminal defamation against C Edmonds Allen and maybe against Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav shortly," he added.

He questioned as to why Allen did not disclose these contents, made public on Thursday, when a joint team of CBI and Enforcement Directorate visited the latter in New York in 2012. "Why is it that Allen did not provide these photos or talked a bout the angle of blackmailing of Gandhi to the CBI and ED? Why now after four years when last month I was granted bail by Honourable Courts?" he said. With regard to the Scorpene deal, Verma said that the "Delhi High Court had on 13 January, 2016 dismissed the PIL filed by Bhushan on Scorpene Submarines purchase in which I was implicated as a party by Bhushan, as it had no merit. Bhushan suppressed the above fact of dismissal of his PIL in this issue in his tweet of last week and also in todays press conference. The act of Bhushan today tantamounts to contempt of court," he said.

Rejecting Bhushan and Yadav's allegation that India paid double the price, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday asserted that the recently-signed Euro 7.878 billion-deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets was the best ever offered to any country. "Rafale is the best deal that we have managed. It was because Prime Minister of India and President of France agreed that we have this deal which has not been offered to any other country," he said. "How much does it cost to level allegation?" he added angrily.

Parrikar said nothing has been proved in the alleged Scorpene leak and hence the case for banning any firm does not arise. He, however, refused to comment on the duo's allegation that BJP parliamentarian Varun Gandhi was "honey trapped" into leaking defence secrets, a charge stoutly denied by the leader.

With inputs from PTI
On Thursday afternoon, expelled AAP leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav landed at the Press Club in New Delhi in order to make an "explosive expose". But all they could manage to do was to employ the same old political tricks to grab some headlines for themselves and Yadav's newly found political outfit, Swaraj India.

They followed the same pattern as their erstwhile party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and its chief Arvind Kejriwal had used in their good old days: Name a celebrity or more, level serious allegations against the said celebrity, question big official deals made by them, make waves in the news and then walk away.

Whether the allegations were real or unfounded didn't matter. Even if some of them resulted in defamation suits also didn't matter; as long as it served the purpose of making news and helped in building a certain perception, they could pick on anyone.

The manner in which Bhushan and Yadav held the press conference and the fact that they posted details of it on the Swaraj Abhiyan website were indicative of their motive: Tell the world that exposes were their forte, not Kejriwal's or AAP's. That the patent property remains with them, not with their erstwhile party fellows.

The Swaraj Abhiyan leaders used a letter written by Edmonds Allen  a US based ex-agent of known arms dealer Abhishek Verma  addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and charged that, "both the leading national parties, the BJP and the Congress, claimed to be the true champion of national security and accused one another of using the issue for political gains. Some new documents accessed by Swaraj Abhiyan show how hollow these claims are,"

"These startling disclosures suggest that politicians from Congress as well as the BJP may have been involved in compromising vital national security information. It also shows that despite possessing credible information concerning serious breach of security during the UPA government, the current BJP government has not taken any action against the guilty. And we know why," the leaders said.

Facts about the Naval war room leak case, arms dealer Verma and the dubious contract deal for Scorpene-class submarines signed in 2005 are well known, written and have been debated upon extensively. What Bhushan and Yadav did now was to add BJP MP Varun Gandhi's name to the fray by claiming that he was honey-trapped and blackmailed by Verma, forcing him to allegedly leak sensitive defence information. With this claim, questions were also raised on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France.

The government was quick to dismiss Swaraj Abhiyan's charges. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar retorted: "How much does it cost to level allegations. Rafale is the best deal that we have managed. It was because Prime Minister of India and President of France agreed that we have this deal which has not been offered to any other country."

The charges and their timing pose some serious questions. First, what are the credentials of Edmonds Allen, the ex-agent of a tainted defence dealer who has turned into a self professed whistle-blower. Can his claims be relied upon?

Second, the timing of the questions being raised about the Rafale deal, just when the Modi government is planning to go for some other big ticket defence deals to augment the national security system, is certainly contentious. After all, long years of policy paralysis relating to security preparedness was broken with the Modi government's claim to have transparent deals. Surely the government needs to be questioned on any wrong doing and taken to its logical conclusions but the allegations have to be based on substantive evidence and not a fanciful political argument.

Third, can the charges levelled against Varun be taken seriously? He is a two time BJP MP, who bears the Gandhi surname and is a political celebrity. The charge against him is that he leaked sensitive defence documents to Verma because, as an MP, Varun was a member of the Defence Consultative Committee.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the functioning of parliamentary democracy and the government in India would know that no sensitive information passes through consultative committee members. They are called for a few meetings and taken to some outdoor locations  a kind of site visit which could otherwise be accessible to anyone with routine security clearance or due invite.

The consultative committees are different from parliamentary standing committees. It exists to portray that the Indian democracy is functional and that the ministries are open to parliamentary scrutiny. As for the honey trap and blackmail, Varun has since rubbished the charges and the person alleged to be behind it has also ridiculed it.

The period being put under scrutiny is between 2005 and 2011, when Varun was an opposition party MP and a virtual pariah in the then ruling UPA establishment. Given the nature of the deeply soured relationship between him and his mother vis-a-vis Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he was someone considered as off bounds by the ruling Congress, and all of the government.

The then Defence Minister AK Antony, a close confidant of Sonia and Rahul, couldn't have obliged Varun even on a personal level. Not unless there was some secret understanding between the two which was hidden from everyone else in the government, the political parties and the rest of the world.

Varun Gandhi does not deny that he knew Verma. He told Firstpost that he had met Verma when the former was a post-graduate student in London, at the age of 21-22. Back then, Verma's mother and father were Congress MPs but Varun claims that he had no relations or meetings with him since he entered politics after joining the BJP. Varun also said that he was talking to his lawyers and would file a defamation suit against Bhushan and Yadav for levelling allegations as serious as these.

The BJP has left Varun to defend himself. That is in any case the standard practice followed in a scenario like this, where the charges against a particular leader are personal in nature. It is true, however, that the timing of the charges against him would hurt him a bit  as it comes when he was grabbing positive headlines about his 'housing for farmers in distress' initiative.

Three weeks ago, on the formation of Swaraj India party, Prashant Bhushan had tweeted:

https://twitter.com/pbhushan1/status/782545025209020416

It now appears that this new party is just trying to be a poor clone of the Aam Aadmi Party. It's just that the colour and design of the cap has changed, from white to yellow.
Bengaluru: Stepping up its attack on the Congress government in the wake of a brutal murder of an RSS worker, BJP on Friday petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vala demanding an inquiry by NIA into killings of party and RSS activists.

The party has blamed the "unholy nexus" of "Jihadists" and Marxists for the killing.

The delegation led by state party chief B S Yeddyurappa and Leader of opposition Jagadish Shettar met Vala under and alleged that the Congress government "is bent upon allowing the killers to have a field day" and is not keen to trace the assailants involved in any of these cases.

Also accusing the Congress of indulging in "vote-bank politics", they appealed to the Governor to prevail upon the state government to hand over the cases to National Investigating Agency to "unearth the motive and expose" the perpetrators of the crime.

Rudresh, a 35-year old RSS worker, was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne men who struck him with machete on Kamaraja Road last Sunday when he was returning home on a bike after attending a Sangh event.

Stating that Rudresh's was the latest in the series of killings of activists belonging to "Nationalist School of Thought" in the last two years, the memorandum cited a list of incidents about Hindutva activists "who have fallen victim to PFI (Popular Front of India) goons".

"The attacks are executed systematically. In all the mentioned attacks, the weapons used are more or less the same (long swords and tamancha) and the modus operandi adopted by the attackers is almost the same," it said.

BJP said the attacks have been taking place in quick intervals in various parts of Karnataka, especially in coastal Dakshina Kannada district, and the attackers are perpetrating the crime with "impunity and escaping with felicity."

Noting that not one case has reached its logical end, it said the disturbing trend is that the Congress government has been "predetermining the course of investigation" by "deliberately" making "loaded" remarks almost immediately after the crime with a "sinister design" to "prejudice" the investigating officers.

"Our charge is that the government has directed the police to take this line in all such cases involving BJP and Sangh Pariwar Activists," it added.

Alleging that BJP has every reason to suspect that there is a "pattern, a design and a diabolical motive" behind these killings of RSS/BJP workers, the party said it also suspects the "unholy nexus of the Jihadists and Marxists", a deadly combination, behind these killings.

"Going by the pattern, design and modus operandi, it is almost sure that the workers of the Popular Front of India are involved. These elements are being provided with intellectual and moral support by Marxists," it said.

"In so far as the diabolical motive is concerned, the PFI, in league with the Marxists, wants a communal flare up so that the BJP and Sangh Pariwar outfits can be blamed. It suits the vote-bank politics of the Congress," it added.
The Bengaluru police have acquired a CCTV footage from a medical shop on an arterial road where the RSS worker Rudresh was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne men on Sunday, reported India Today. The footage, however unclear, has helped the police to identify the assailants, states the report.

The incident took place on Kamaraja Road on 16 October when Rudresh was returning home on a bike after attending an RSS meeting at a nearby area. The 35-year-old 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 the Bowring Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

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 a continuation of an organised elimination of our workers. Such an attempt was made also against an RSS worker sometime back here. Hence we suspect it is nothing but the continuation of killing and targeting our workers," he said.

On Monday, BJP and RSS workers had staged a protest against the gruesome murder and demanded a fair probe into the case and immediate arrest of the culprits.

The workers led by former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka and Members of Parliament Shobha Karandlaje and PC Mohan and others marched from Shivajinagar towards Police Commissioner's office but were stopped midway. Linking Rudresh's murder to the killing of BJP and RSS functionaries in different parts of the country, Karandlaje said, "There is a feeling that these killings are part of a planned conspiracy."

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, the government failed. I demand Home Minister 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.

Meanwhile, RSS on Thursday demanded arrest of eight policemen, including suspended additional superintendent of police (ASP), charged with attempting to murder its pracharak

in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district last month.

"We demand the arrest of policemen responsible for brutally beating our pracharak on the intervening night of 25-26 September in Baihar area in Balaghat district," RSS leaders told the media.

Police have done gross injustice to RSS Balaghat pracharak Suresh Yadav, said Rajkumar Matale, the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh region sampark pramukh of the organisation.

With inputs from PTI
Ahmedabad: After handpicking two chief ministers in two years, it seems that the Gujarat unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is still not ready to field one of its state leaders as the face of the campaign for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. The only leader that it depends on, to be the face of the party, is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If his monthly visits to Gujarat are anything to go by, this strategy, it seems, is one that even Modi strictly stands by.

Modi started the series of visits to Gujarat back in August, when he paid tribute to the spiritual guru Pramukh Swamy. By visiting Sarangpur in North Gujarat, he not only paid last tributes to the religious leader but also ensured that he reached out to the influential Patels and non-resident Gujaratis  primarily followers of this sect and influencers in the community.

Though Modi did not make any political speech at that time but by saying that he had lost someone like a father to him, he was able to strike an emotional chord with Patels globally, who were perceived to be getting away from the BJP post the Patidar agitation.

Just a fortnight after this visit, Modi addressed a rally in Dhrol of Jamnagar in North Gujarat  his first since becoming the PM  the hub of the Patel agitation last year. His first rally in Gujarat was a clear message from his party and him to the opponents that he was back to win over the agitating Patels. Modi was there to inaugurate the Saurashtra Narmada Avataran for Irrigation (SAUNI) project. By delivering a speech in Gujarati, his first in two years, the message that BJP's star campaigner had arrived was clear.

A month later, in September, he came to meet his mother to seek her blessings for his 66th birthday. And just like last time, this visit too had a political agenda  after the Patels he wanted to reach out to the tribals. In this attempt of outreach, he chose to distribute kits to the physically challenged in the tribal district of Navsari in South Gujarat.

His visit on Saturday, to inaugurate the international airport at Vadodara, will also see him distribute similar kits to the physically challenged tribals in Central Gujarat.

"This is the PM's way of giving back to the city," said Bharat Dangar, BJP leader and Vadodara Mayor. He said that the people of this city had voted for him and that there was no harm if Modi kept visiting as, after all, this was his home state.

Political analyst Vishnu Pandya pointed out that the Gujarat BJP unit was dependent on Modi as there was no other campaigner of matching caliber was available to them.

"There might be popular leaders but they are restricted to their constituencies," Pandya said. He said that in the coming few months, the frequency of Modi's visits would increase and the target audience would be charted out by his party.

So it seems that while a handpicked CM, in the form of Vijay Rupani, has been placed to lead the state, the Gujarat BJP has no option other than to depend on Modi to lead them for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Lucknow: The rift in Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party widened further on Friday with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav skipping a crucial meeting called by state party chief Shivpal Yadav to strategise for the assembly polls due early next year where the latter declared him the party's chief ministerial face.

Though Shivpal, the younger brother of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, had met his nephew Akhilesh to personally invite him to a meeting of SP district and city units presidents, the Chief Minister kept away, indicating all was not well in the party despite repeated protestations by its senior leaders to the contrary.

Sources present at the meeting said Shivpal, apparently seeking to bury the hatchet, made it clear that Akhilesh will be Samajwadi Party's chief ministerial candidate, days after Mulayam virtually left the field open by saying the newly elected legislators will choose their leader, something which did not go down well with the camp followers of the incumbent chief minister.

"Akhilesh Yadav will be the next CM, if party is voted to power. He will be our CM candidate," Shivpal said, according to a leader present at the meeting where delegates were not allowed to carry mobile phones.

Shivpal asked them to gear up for elections and also to ensure that the party's silver jubilee celebrations on 5 November in the state capital was a grand show.

"You all should start preparations for 5 November event and make it a big success," Shivpal told them.

Akhilesh, with whom Shivpal is engaged in a running feud over the last few months, has already made it clear in a letter to the Samajwadi Party boss and his father Mulayam that he would be proceeding on his 'rath yatra' on 3 November to highlight the development work done by his government, in a clear indication that he would skip that event too.

With the tense stand-off between Akhilesh and Shivpal continuing, speculations about a possible split are rife with some even suggesting a new party named National Samajwadi Party or Pragatisheel Samajwadi party with motorcycle as its symbol could be formed by the Chief Minister ahead of the assembly elections.
As the infighting between Samajwadi Party top brass became a public spectacle in the past month, signs of growing unrest and unease within party workers is starting to surface. Hours after a

"private letter" written to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, asking him to step down to make way for his son Akhilesh, made its way to the media, another party leader has written an emotional post on Facebook expressing strong support for Mulayam.

Ashu Malik, an MLC of the Samajwadi considered close to Mulayam Singh took to Facebook and condemned the trend of writing letters to the party leadership, hurling advice at them. He termed such efforts as "bootlicking". Malik also subtly cautioned Akhilesh against sycophants, saying that those "insulting" Mulayam only to win favours with Akhilesh, will also insult the chief minister in the future.

Malik's response comes in the backdrop of a letter written by Udayveer Singh a young MLC considered close to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, in which has asked Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to step down and let his son take his place. Singh, a first time MLC, wrote a "private letter" to Mulayam Singh but it has now found its way into the media. In his letter Singh had also accused Mulayam's second wife Sadhna of harbouring ill feeling towards her stepson Akhilesh and even went ahead to say that Shivpal Singh Yadav was jealous of the Chief Minister's popularity.

Accusing Sadhna and Shivpal Yadav of collusion, Udayveer Singh alleged that the Chief Minister was being subject to black magic with a view to harm him.

Thereafter, reacting sharply to the letter, Ashu Malik posted a long impassioned post on Facebook condemning Singh without taking any names. Malik said that people writing such letters were not "even worth 500 votes" and were holding there positions only because of Mulayam's sacrifices. He also added that the party would not tolerate indiscipline. "Any attempt to humiliate Netaji (Mulayam Singh) will not be tolerated," he said.

Praising the Yadav family, he said that not everyone can understand the love and affection between the father and son (Mulayam and Akhilesh). Malik also claimed that Akhilesh is a "dutiful son" and respectful of Mulayam while the latter has also carried out his responsibilities as a father. He said that some people were trying to milk the situation for personal gains alleging that normal conversations within the family were being termed as a rift for political purposes.

In a bid to reach out to Akhilesh supporters, Malik also said that commenting on the family's internal matters is not only an insult to Mulayam but will also hurt the dignity of Akhilesh. Malik appealed to his "young comrades" who are "misguided" that they should not mar the image of the chief minister by insulting Mulayam. He advised them not to fall for the "anti-Samajwadi party lobby which is giving mere dialogue within the family a political colour". It is instructive to note here that Akhilesh's support base is largely rooted amid the young party workers who idealize him as their leader.

According to various media reports, one of the major differences being cited between Akhilesh and Shivpal is the latter's sacking of few youth wing leaders who were considered close to Akhilesh. Akhilesh, according to The Times of India, has been demanding their expulsion be revoked. "The youth wing leaders who got sacked were actually reiterating their support for me and not protesting against anyone," Akhilesh was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Here is the full post shared by Ashu Malik:

With inputs from IANS
Seven Pakistan rangers were killed after an infiltration bid was foiled at Hiranagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, PTI reported on Friday.

Though details are still sketchy, ANI quoted the Border Security Force (BSF) official as saying that it was a befitting reply to a sniper attack carried out by Pakistani rangers at 9.35 am on Friday morning. BSF too launched an offensive.

In a befitting reply to a sniper attack of Pak Rangers at 9:35 this morning in Hira Nagar Sector of Jammu, BSF launched an offensive: BSF  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

According to ANI, BSF also declared that during the fighting, one militant and seven Pakistani rangers were shot dead. "The rangers reportedly injured a BSF trooper as well. His condition is still critical," it added.

Today in Hira Nagar Sector Pak Rangers injured one BSF trooper Constable Gurnam Singh, he was evacuated & his condition is critical: BSF  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

Seeking to suggest that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, the BSF said "source input" claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of 5 Rangers.

This firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated and that has claimed the casualties of Pakistani forces, the release said.
BEIJING China's Defense Ministry said that a patrol by a U.S. warship in the South China Sea on Friday was "illegal" and "provocative" and that it had lodged a protest with the United States.In a statement on its website, the ministry said two Chinese warships had warned the U.S. warship to leave during the patrol. It added that the Chinese military would increase air and sea patrols according to need.U.S. defense officials said the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur challenged "excessive maritime claims" in a patrol near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.The Chinese Defense Ministry said two warships, the Guangzhou and the Luoyang, warned the U.S. vessel to leave.It said China had declared its "baseline" for the Paracel Islands in 1996, something the United States was clear about. Despite that, the Chinese government said, the United States had sent a ship into Chinese "territorial waters."

This is serious illegal behavior, and is intentionally provocative behavior. Chinas Defense Ministry is resolutely opposed to this and has lodged serious representations with the U.S. side, it said.The ministry statement said that as a result of hard work by countries in the region, the situation in the South China Sea had seen positive developments, but the United States had conducted the patrol, motivated by a desire to see the world in chaos."

"This shows that it is the United States which is the troublemaker when it comes to the stability of the South China Sea."The ministry said the patrol had seriously damaged mutual trust between the two countries and added:

"We strongly urge the U.S. side to respect Chinas national sovereignty and security interests, and not keep repeating the same mistakes. The Chinese military will increase its air and maritime patrol efforts in accordance with need, strengthen defense ability building in all areas, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and security." (Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by David Brunnstrom and Jeffrey Benkoe)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Carlos Garcia Rawlins

| JEREMIE, HAITI

JEREMIE, HAITI The Haitian city of Jeremie was completely destroyed.With a bird's eye view from inside a plane, I could see that not one house was left with a roof, clothes were scattered everywhere and people picked through debris.Hurricane Matthew had hit Haiti hard, and I was there to photograph the storm's aftermath. When I first arrived, I checked into a hotel in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and waited for the hurricane to pass. My job, after checking on any damage there, was to try to pinpoint the areas in the western corner of the country that took a direct hit from the storm.I went to the capital's airport to catch a flight to Les Cayes, close to where the hurricane had made landfall. It was closed to private flights. AID organizations and the U.S. military told me there would be flights only in the coming days. Then I met a local pilot who was flying his mechanic to Jeremie, roughly 117 miles from Port-au-Prince, so he could check on his family. He invited me to join them on his four-seater Cessna but said he would just drop off the mechanic and fly back to Port-au-Prince.The pilot didnt know if Jeremie had been hit by the hurricane but he knew the eye of Matthew had passed nearby. We stayed at the airport for 15 minutes. I took as many pictures as I could before we flew back to the capital. This was a trip I'd make several times until a local pastor invited me to stay at his home in Jeremie.

Shooting from the Cessna wasnt easy. The windows were very small and there was a lot of reflection.In Port-au-Prince, I'd edit pictures and charge my gear. A bottle of hand sanitizer was always with me; getting sick wasn't an option. Many visits to the hospital units where people were being treated for cholera, one of Matthew's worst repercussions, made me acutely aware of my health.For me, the biggest challenge was facing the people in Jeremie. They told me they were hungry and needed help.

I tried to explain that the only help I could give them were my photographs to show what their lives had become. A local man helped me with the translation, telling them that this was the only help I could give, that I had no money or food, only photographs to show the world and the hope for a quick response to help them. A family I'd previously met wanted me to see their new home - a shack composed of zinc sheets with six people living in one tiny room. But they were proud; they were starting all over again. It almost made me cry. I approached a tearful woman who was standing on the corner of a street near the harbor and asked if she was OK. She said she was but that she had lost everything and didn't know how to gather the strength to begin again.I saw an old man, maybe 80 years old, sitting at a desk outside what was left of his home. He was alone, no family, no friends, no food and no energy to do anything. He looked like he was waiting for life to end right there and then.

In the same city, a young boy played inside a broken water tank.Harsh reality marks you. Seeing people trying to survive without mere basics.Its maddening to see how slow aid seems to arrive and how difficult recovery can be.I'm convinced of the power of photographs.Click on reut.rs/2ebfN0a to see a related photo essay. (Reporting by Carlos Garcia Rawlins in Haiti; Editing by Melissa Fares and Diane Craft in New York)

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Washington: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday asserted that he will totally accept the outcome of the "historic" presidential election if he wins but reserved his right to file a legal challenge in case of a "questionable result".

"Ladies and gentleman, I want to make a major announcement today. I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters, and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic Presidential election, if I win," Trump told his supporters in Delaware, Ohio.

However, the 70-year-old billionaire, went on to state, "I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result."

On Wednesday night during the third and final presidential debate, Trump refused to commit himself to whether he would accept the results of the 8 November general elections.

"The debate last night was amazing. And everybody said, I won. Including every single online poll, and some had it at 90 and close to 90 per cent, so that's pretty cool," he said.

Trump, however, continued with his allegations of voter's fraud.

"The question of voter fraud came up during the debate. We want fairness in the election. This is having nothing to do with me. But having to do with the future of our country. We have to have fairness. John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, was quoted in WikiLeaks as saying, illegal immigrants could vote as long as they have their drivers license," Trump said.

"What I'm saying is don't be naive folks. Don't be naive. One of the big issues that came up last night, was the fact that the Clinton campaign has paid people to disrupt, violently, our rallies, and to incite absolute total bedlam. It's so bad, so bad," Trump said.

"And you know, I have had occasions where we had rallies and it was so incredibly violent. I said, what's going on over here? These were paid people by the Clinton campaign and it just came out," he alleged.

Trump said he gives a lot of credit to the people that brought this out.

"Believe me. This is criminal behaviour that violates centuries of tradition of peaceful, democratic elections. A campaign like Clinton's that will incite violence, is truly a campaign that will do anything to win," he said.

The Republican presidential candidate said that Clinton would endanger the country if elected.
Washington: US President Barack Obama slammed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for refusing to commit that he would accept the results of the general elections, saying allegations of voter's fraud and rigging of the elections is "dangerous" and "undermines our democracy".

"When you suggest rigging or fraud, without a shred of evidence, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in the American history to suggest that he will not concede, despite losing the vote, and then says that he will accept the results if he wins, that is not a joking matter," Obama said on Thursday at an election rally in Florida.

"Most of the Republicans have acknowledged that there is no way to rig an election in a country this big. I don't know if Trump has ever been to an actual polling place where you have Democrats and Republicans who are in charge of taking the votes," he said.

Trump's allegations, Obama said, are more than just the usual standard lie. That is dangerous because when you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy.

"Then you are doing the work of our adversaries for them," he said.

"Because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters; that those who occupy the seats of power were chosen by the people."

"Even when your preferred candidate loses, even when you are the one who is running and you lose, you have got to see the bigger picture and say that here in America, we believe in democracy, and we accept the will of the people," the president said.

Obama said if there was any rigging, it would be to the disadvantage of the Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as many of the battle ground states like Ohio, North Carolina and Nevada have Republican Governors.

Trump, he said, has nothing to offer but "anger and grievance and blame."

"His closing argument asks: What do you have to lose? Well, I am here to tell you: Everything. You know how much progress we have made, despite the opposition, despite the forces of discrimination, despite the politics of backlash. And that progress doesn't stop with my presidency. We are just getting started," he said.

"So progress is on the ballot, civility is on the ballot, tolerance is on the ballot, justice is on the ballot, equality is on the ballot, our democracy is on the ballot," Obama said.

He said Trump didn't come out of nowhere now. For years, Republican politicians and far-right media outlets had just been pumping out all kinds of toxic, crazy stuff. First of all, there was the whole birther thing. Then they start saying climate change is a Chinese hoax.

"And according to them, I am powerful enough to cause these hurricanes and I am about to steal everybody's guns in the middle of the night and declare martial law, but somehow I still need a teleprompter to finish a sentence," said the US President.

"They have been saying crazy stuff. And there were a lot of politicians, like Marco Rubio, who know better. But they just look the other way, because they figured if we could stir folks up and think that Barack or Hillary or others are doing all these terrible things we are saying they are doing, that's going to help us get votes," he said.

"So we will just oppose anything that they are trying to do, and maybe we will end up having more power in Washington. And so they just stood by and said nothing even though they knew better while their base actually started believing some of this stuff.

"I say all this because Donald Trump didn't start all this. Like he usually does, he just slapped his name on it, took credit for it, and promoted the heck out of it," Obama said.

Trump had refused to commit himself to whether he would accept the results of the 8 November general elections during the third and final presidential debate.

However, the Republican presidential candidate on Thursday asserted that he will totally accept the outcome of the presidential election if he wins but reserved his right to file a legal challenge in case of a questionable result.
Kirkuk Islamic State militants armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked targets in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early on Friday, in an assault that appeared aimed at diverting Iraqi security forces from a massive offensive against the IS-held city of Mosul.

At least 13 workers, including four Iranians, were killed when IS militants stormed a power plant north of Kirkuk and then blew themselves up.

Multiple explosions meanwhile rocked the city and gun battles were ongoing, said witnesses in Kirkuk, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were concerned for their safety. Much of the fighting was centered on a government compound in the city. They said the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers.

IS said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters. The claim was carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency and could not immediately be verified.

Local Kurdish television channel Rudaw aired footage showing black smoke rising over the city as extended bursts of automatic gunfire rang out. It quoted Kirkuk Gov. Najmadin Karim as saying that the militants had not seized any government buildings.

The fighting raged late into the afternoon, and heavy smoke billowed up from the area of the provincial headquarters, where clashes were underway, according to live footage on the local Terkmeneli TV channel. It was unclear what caused the blaze.

In the power plant attack, which took place in Dibis, a town north of Kirkuk, three IS suicide bombers stormed the facility and killed 13 workers, including four Iranians, before blowing themselves up as police arrived, said Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi condemned the Kirkuk assault, which he said killed four Iranians and wounded three others, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

There was no immediate word on casualties among civilians or Kurdish forces in Kirkuk city.

Kirkuk is some 170 kilometers (100 miles) from the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have been waging a wide-scale offensive since Monday.

IS has in the past resorted to suicide bombings in and around Baghdad in response to battlefield losses elsewhere in the country. But the complex assault in Kirkuk more closely resembled those carried out by the Taliban in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Kirkuk is some 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul. The oil-rich city is claimed by both Iraq's central government and the country's Kurdish region. Kurdish forces assumed full control of Kirkuk in the summer of 2014, as Iraq's army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by IS.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early Friday, but that the base was now under control.

He said IS maintains sleeper cells in Kirkuk and the surrounding villages. "We arrested one recently and he confessed," he said, adding that the attackers may have posed as displaced civilians in order to infiltrate the city.

Kirkuk province has absorbed hundreds of thousands of displaced people since IS first overran wide stretches of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014, capturing Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a US-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from IS. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday.

Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati of Iraq's elite forces held a press conference Friday a kilometer (half a mile) away from the town and insisted the special forces had "full control." He said special forces were clearing explosives and contending with some snipers who remained in the town. Gunfire could be heard in the distance.

Elsewhere in Iraq, the country's top Shiite cleric called on forces taking part in the Mosul offensive to protect civilians, and for residents of Mosul, a mainly Sunni city, to cooperate with security forces.

"We stress today upon our beloved fighters, as we have before on many occasions, that they exercise the greatest degree of restraint in dealing with civilians stuck in the areas where there is fighting," the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a Friday sermon read by an aide. "Protect them and prevent any harm to them by all possible means."

Some 3,900 people, or about 650 families, have fled Mosul and the nearby Hamdaniyah district since the operation began this week, according to Adrian Edwards of the UN refugee agency.

Ravina Shamdasani, of the UN human rights office, said it had "verified information" that IS had forced 550 people to relocate to Mosul from the nearby villages of Samalia and Najafia on Monday, part of an "apparent policy of preventing civilians from escaping to areas controlled by Iraqi security forces."

Shamdasani reiterated concerns IS could use civilians as human shields, and said the office was investigating reports that the group had killed at least 40 civilians for suspected disloyalty. She declined to elaborate on the reports, citing "security reasons."
ROME Hundreds of Muslims prayed next to Rome's Colosseum on Friday to protest against the closure of makeshift mosques, calling on city authorities to protect their religious rights.Worshippers knelt on prayer mats and tarpaulin on the pavement metres away from the ancient amphitheatre. Some held placards reading "Peace" and "Open the mosques".At least 1.6 million Muslims live in Italy but there are only a handful of mosques officially registered as such with the government.Most worship takes place in houses and Islamic cultural centres - a development that some right-wing politicians have said makes them difficult to monitor, raising the risk of radicalisation, particularly in the wake of militant attacks across Europe.Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said in August that "mini mosques in garages" should not be allowed.

The rights group that organised the demonstration, the Dhuumcatu Association, said police have closed three improvised mosques in Rome in recent months.Attaching placards to a lamp post near the Colosseum, Sikdir Bulbul, a 41-year-old Bangladesh-born Italian citizen who has lived in Rome for 16 years, said the mosque he helped establish in 2012 had been shut down in September. "Friday prayer is very important to us so today we have come to the Colosseum. Otherwise where else can we pray?" he said.

A spokesman at city hall had no immediate comment.Right-wing Roman politician Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy party, who came third in a mayoral election this year, has called for Muslims to be obliged to pray in Italian.

The Dhuumcatu Association said there needed to be clearer rules on setting up mosques."We are sick of the criminalisation of our places of worship," it said on its Facebook page. "There are no relevant regulations, and we cannot invent solutions independently of the authorities." (Reporting by Isla Binnie; Additional reporting by Gabriele Pileri; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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SANAA Warring factions in the war in Yemen exchanged accusations on Friday of violating a 72-hour ceasefire that began just before midnight on Wednesday, with the Saudi-led coalition saying Houthi forces have breached the truce by attacking several cities in both countries.The United Nations announced the ceasefire between the parties earlier in the week. It has the possibility for extension if it holds.The Saudi-led coalition said in a statement on state news agency SPA that Iran-allied Houthi forces have used rockets, shells, and snipers to attack border cities inside Saudi Arabia in the Jizan and Nijran provinces. It also accused the Houthis of launching attacks on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and other provinces such as Taiz, Hajja, Shabwa, Mareb and Aden.

The coalition said it had responded to the Houthi attacks "according to the engagement rules and continuing to exercise the highest self restraints towards the violations of the ceasefire." The Houthi movement said the coalition struck a number of areas in the border district of Shad, causing damage to properties, according to the Houthi-allied Al-Maseera TV. It added that the Houthis responded to the attacks.

No casualties have been reported by either side.Several previous ceasefires have failed to pave the way for an end to the conflict, although they have significantly slowed fighting in the war, which has killed at least 10,000 people.

Aid agencies hope to use the truce to reach parts of the country that have been cut off by months of fighting and are in dire humanitarian need. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Sanaa and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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LIMA Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former investment banker who reported earning $700,000 per year before taking office in July, faced a wave of criticism on Friday for complaining about his salary as a public official.Kuczynski's comments, posted online in a video by local daily newspaper Correo, come as his centrist government has been reeling from a corruption scandal involving a former adviser and deadly protests at one of the country's biggest copper mines.The 78-year-old Oxford-and-Princeton-educated former World Bank economist was pitching a reform to raise the salaries of local mayors before he turned to his own earnings."The president of the Republic makes half of what a minister makes. There are two ministers here. Between the two of them they make four times what I make. Does that seem fair to you?" Kuczynski said before a group representing municipalities.Kuczynski's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Peruvians took to social media to deride the remarks, some drawing comparisons with three volunteer firemen who died this week trying to pull people from a fire near the outskirts of Lima.

"Before he said his dream was to become president to 'serve Peru.' Amnesia? Senior moment?' said Twitter user Rubem Dos Santos.But some Twitter users said Kuczynski should be paid more than his ministers.

The president of Peru earns 15,600 soles ($4,588) per month before taxes. Cabinet ministers earn 30,000 soles per month. The minimum wage in Peru is 850 soles ($250). Kuczynski reported annual earnings of 2,499,235 soles ($735,069) to electoral authorities before narrowly winning his the presidency in a June run-off.Kuczynski's approval rating had risen to 63 percent in September before dropping 8 percentage points in the last poll by Ipsos, published on Sunday.

Kuczynski has vowed to put his ample experience in the private sector to work reviving investments in the global minerals exporter and ensuring all Peruvians have access to basic services. (Reporting by Mitra Taj; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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WASHINGTON There has been some progress in Geneva talks this week among the United States, Russia and other nations trying to achieve a ceasefire agreement in Aleppo, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.The crux of the discussions, according to a diplomat briefed on them, was on whether there was a way to separate out al Qaeda-linked fighters in eastern Aleppo, thereby depriving Syrian and Russian forces of their main targets in the city.Rebels in Aleppo opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government are fighting to defend themselves against the firepower of the Syrian army, supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air power."There has been some progress," State Department spokesman John Kirby said of the Geneva talks. Kirby told reporters that he did not want to be unduly optimistic but hoped unresolved issues would be settled in the coming days. "There are still gaps."Russia, which last year intervened militarily in the civil war to bolster Assad, is mainly concerned with going after militants from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front. The United States regards it as al Qaeda's Syrian branch and has formally designated it as a terrorist group.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the United States' main concern was to minimize civilian suffering and preserve a measure of local autonomy in eastern Aleppo rather than seeing the Syrian government reenter in force and impose its will.The diplomat was also very cautious about whether it might be possible to reach any agreement over Aleppo, which is currently enjoying a slight respite.

Syria's military and Russia's air force halted their bombardment of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Friday, a monitoring group said, on the second of four consecutive daytime unilateral ceasefires in the city that have been rejected by insurgents.The diplomat said it seemed inevitable that the rebels in eastern Aleppo would succumb to the offensive.

"The Russians insist all they care about is Nusra, so people are trying to figure out how to get Nusra out of Aleppo so the Russians don't bomb (the daylights) out of Aleppo," he said."Nobody is sanguine" about getting an agreement, he said. "This is not done." (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; editing by Grant McCool)

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By Ben Gruber

| PALO ALTO, Calif.

PALO ALTO, Calif. After repeated failed attempts to establish an Antarctic Ocean sanctuary, the United States is hopeful it can sway Russia to agree to a plan that would protect a vast swath of what marine scientists call the most pristine body of water left on Earth. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is meeting in Hobart, Australia, in a bid to find consensus for a deal to conserve and manage the marine ecosystems in the Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean. The meeting began on Monday and ends on Oct. 28.We hope to bring Russia on board, Evan Bloom, the head of the U.S. delegation, said in an interview on Friday. We are talking with them in a positive way. Russia is the final piece in this puzzle."So far, Russia has blocked conservation proposals five times, while all other delegates to the commission, made up of 24 nations and the European Union, supported revised proposals to create Marine Protection Areas (MPAs) in waters surrounding Antarctica.

CCAMLR, which was established by international treaty in 1982, is negotiating three large MPAs this year: one in the Ross Sea, one in the East Antarctic and one in the Weddell Sea.The MPAs, if established, would limit commercial fishing and protect marine ecosystems.Collectively, the proposed MPAs would amount to more than 12 percent of the Southern Ocean, which is home to more than 10,000 species including most of the world's penguins, whales, seabirds, colossal squid and Antarctic tooth fish.

Beyond resource interests, international geopolitics and tensions in other parts of the world are acting as a barrier to the MPA process, Cassandra Brooks of Stanford University said in an interview. She is lead author of a study published earlier this month examining the role of politics in CCAMLR negotiations.There is a lot of tension in the South China Sea, a lot of tensions between the U.S. and Russia and the Middle East, and these tensions all add up, added Robert Dunbar, who coauthored the paper with Brooks and is a professor of earth system science at Stanford.

But Bloom remains confident.Science can trump politics and we find that CCAMLR has the ability to make decisions that are focused on the ecosystem and scientific results, he said. We think that can happen here." (Editing by Matthew Lewis)

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The Beijing municipal government and the MSAR government jointly launched the Beijing-Macau Cooperation Partnership 2016 in Macau yesterday. This event marked the beginning of a series of cooperation initiatives covering the economy and trade, youth exchanges, cultural affairs, and education.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, said further ties with Beijing would allow Macau to learn from Beijings successes, as a step towards boosting Macaus efforts in achieving adequate economic diversification.

The mayor of the Peoples Government of Beijing Municipality, Wang Anshun, witnessed the signing of a total a number of agreements, including cooperation in science and technology between the Zhongguancun National Demonstration Zone in Beijing and Macau higher education institutions and promotion of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The agreements also include the participation in the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019, in Beijing; and enhancement of economic and trade strategies, youth exchanges and exchanges for civil servants.

Highlights of the cooperation between Beijing and the MSAR will comprise of exchanging activities for young people from Beijing and this region. Other mutually beneficial results will include innovative entrepreneurship in the Historic Centre of Macau and events in relation to the promotion of Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Judite Nascimento, rector of the University of Cape Verde, recently visited the University of Macau (UM) and thanked UMs Rector Wei Zhao for donating 93 UM-published books to his university, according to a notice published by UM. Both parties had an in-depth discussion on how to increase collaboration between the two universities. Nascimento said that he hopes the two universities will continue to share information and resources regarding education in Chinese and Portuguese languages and cultures. Nascimento said that his university recently launched a Confucius Institute to promote courses in the Chinese language and culture.

Mainland woman arrested for pimping minor

Earlier this week, a 47-year-old mainland woman was arrested for facilitating work within the sex industry for a 17-year-old mainland girl in Macau. Liu is the core member of a prostitution group from mainland. According to the underage mainland resident, Liu found her in mainland last June and then coerced her into prostituting herself in Macaus casinos and hotels. Each time the minor provided prostitution services, Liu would take a minimum of MOP1,500 and up to MOP3,000 from the payment. Until now, Liu has reportedly made MOP700,000, which has all been taken by the prostitution group. However, Liu refused to provide the police with information about this group. The woman is also charged with human trafficking.

Macao Post announces deadlines for Christmas carriers

Macao Post is reminding the public to pay attention to the updates over express service schedules concerning the Christmas season. The service published the deadlines regarding correspondence, parcel, and small packets to be sent by air which must be delivered before Christmas, depending on the destination. Including China, Malaysia, Portugal and Australia, correspondence is required to be mailed before December 5. For Philippines, customers should send them before December. Parcel and small packets should be sent before December 9 depending on the destination. Anyone who plans to send Christmas packages can refer to the Macao Post website to learn about the specific dates.
China and the Philippines have agreed to resume a dialogue on their dispute over the South China Sea, a senior Chinese diplomat said yesterday following talks between the countries leaders.

The move appeared to be a diplomatic victory for Beijing several months after an international arbitration tribunal invalidated Chinas expansive territorial claims over the resource-rich waters in a case put forward by the Philippines.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing as part of a charm offensive aimed at seeking trade and support from the Asian giant by setting aside the thorny territorial dispute.

Duterte hailed a warming of relations with China and said that ties between them go back centuries.

China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed, he told Xi in his opening remarks. Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship, he added.

Xi said the meeting had milestone significance. In a reference to the South China Sea tensions, Xi said that although we have weathered storms, the basis of our friendship and our desire for cooperation has not changed.

Following the talks, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters that the leaders only touched on the topic briefly during their talks.

Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship, Liu said.

The two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue, he said.

While not mentioning the South China Sea specifically, Xi said that the two sides could set aside issues on which an agreement is hard to reach in their discussions, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Philippine diplomats could not be immediately reached for comment.

The talks had been suspended after China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, off the main Luzon island in the northern Philippines, and the Philippines launched the arbitration process under Dutertes predecessor. The Philippines has in the past insisted that the ruling form the basis for any negotiations with China, while Beijing has insisted on the opposite.

The leaders did not discuss whether China would allow Filipino fishermen to return to Scarborough Shoal, Liu said, an outcome likely to disappoint the Southeast Asian country.

The Hague-based international tribunal found the Philippines and China both retained traditional fishing rights in the area. Duterte had previously said he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to again operate in the area.

But China would lift restrictions on imports of tropical fruit from the Philippines and also cancel a travel advisory that had discouraged Chinese tourists from going to the Philippines, Liu said.

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli told Duterte that China is willing to help the Philippines build and provide preferential loans to finance infrastructure such as railways, roads, ports and airports.

Duterte was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing. The two leaders oversaw the signing of agreements between their governments.

China has framed Dutertes visit as a step toward ending years of estrangement between the countries.

Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his countrys claims in the disputed South China Sea.

His visit is being watched by Washington for signs of just how seriously the new Philippine leader intends to pursue a shift away from Washington and toward Beijing, a move that could have a major impact on regional power dynamics. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP

XI offers USD9b in loans

The Philippines says Chinas president has committed more than USD9 billion in low-interest loans to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation in his meeting with the Philippine leader who has set aside territorial disputes in a bid for Beijings help.

The Presidential Communications Office in Manila said in a statement yesterday that the loans that Chinese leader Xi Jinping offered will go toward funding development projects.

The office says about a third of the $9 billion loan offer will come from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.

Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez says his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals during his presidents visit to China.
The Chinese Embassy in Rome has strongly protested plans by Milan city council to bestow honorary citizenship on the Dalai Lama, saying it would have a negative impact on bilateral relations and regional cooperation.

The embassy said in a statement that honoring the Dalai Lama has seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people and expressed its strong protest and firm opposition.

Protests were expected at the University of Milan-Bicocca, where the Dalai Lama was scheduled to speak to students and where officials plan to give him a key to the city. He also was meeting with Milan Cardinal Angelo Scola on the first day of a three-day visit that includes a series of spiritual talks.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of leading a campaign to split Tibet from the rest of China. The Dalai Lama says he simply wants a higher degree of autonomy under Chinese rule.

He said in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica that the climate in Tibet remains extremely grim and repressive, characterized by constant controls of Tibetans, who are denied many basic human rights.

Whether they admit it or not, Tibet remains a thorn for China, which wants to play an important role in the world, he was quoted as saying. AP
A group of users of the mobile app Instagram, who are commonly known as Instagrammers, are holding a meeting with their pairs (InstaMeet) in the region tomorrow.

As usually happens, InstaMeets are occasions that provide opportunities to relate and get connected with other fans of the worldwide Instagram community and to explore different places under one or several topics (for example: to explore Macau specifically through the topic of food or fashion.).

This particular event will be held by the Portuguese Cultural Association Gerador with the support of the Macau resident and Instagrammer Ana Morais (@anitados7oficios). The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) will have the role of providing guided tours of some of UNESCOs featured heritage sites.

Starting at the Senado Square around 10am, the tour will visit several sites from the Holy House of Mercy building, the D Pedro V Theatre, and Mandarins house, the Moorish Barracks and will come to an end at around 1pm at the A-Ma temple.

Several instagrammers that have travelled all the way from Portugal and Spain to join the group of Macau resident participants have already confirmed that they will be attending but the good news is, that there are no restrictions on the participants so anyone that would like to participate can simply join the group at the Senado Square on Saturday morning.

The Times spoke with one of the confirmed local presences Felix Januario Vong (@felixjanuario) that said that the weather conditions are one of the concerns for the moment due to the approach of the typhoon Haima. According to the forecast by the Macau weather bureau, the typhoon should reach its peak over the territory today.

InstaMeets are becoming an increasingly frequent way for the Instagrammer community to connect, explore and learn more about new areas. They also provide the chance to discover different niches of cities in depth through with the guidance of long term residents.
Crown Resorts Ltd. said high-stakes gamblers from China generate less than 12 percent of total revenue, as the company warned its too early to gauge damage from Chinas detention of 18 employees.

The contribution to Crowns total profit from these big-spending, top-priority clients is even smaller, Chief Executive Officer Rowen Craigie told reporters after the companys annual meeting in Perth on Thursday. Crown is working with its legal team in China to understand why the staff are being held, Chairman Rob Rankin said at the meeting. No charges have been laid.

Shares of Crown fell further yesterday, extending their decline since the detentions to 17 percent and taking the companys market-value loss to A$1.6 billion (USD1.2 billion). The roundup of the staff in China has sparked concern that the government in Beijing may be cracking down on casino companies that promote gambling abroad.

Its too speculative to talk about the long-term impact of the detentions, Craigie told reporters. We dont want to talk about any of the details of what is happening in China.

Crown reported net income of A$948.8 million in the year ended June 2016. Revenue was A$3.62 billion, of which VIP gamblers worldwide accounted for 28 percent, according to Crowns annual report.

Anyone who entices Chinese citizens overseas to bet, or who tries to force them to repay their debts, faces jail. Macau, a special administrative region, is the only Chinese city where casinos are legal. Elsewhere, its illegal to organize people to gamble, operate a casino or make a living from such activities. The punishment is no more than three years in jail.

Rankin said the staff being held in China are entitled to be presumed innocent. Theres so little information available that informed commentary on the detentions is impossible, he said.

Now is not the time to comment on this particular incident, Rankin said. There will be a day when we should and will.

Mirroring comments by Crowns billionaire shareholder James Packer, Rankin said he accepts Chinas jurisdiction over the matter and the company is subject to Chinas laws and legal processes. The immediate concern is the welfare and safety of those held, Rankin said.

One of the employees is a Malaysian citizen and Crown is in contact with the Malaysian consulate, he said.

The Crown staff held in China since last week include three Australians, among them Jason OConnor, head of international high-roller operations. The trio are being detained for gambling-related crimes, according to Chinas foreign ministry. Officials from Australias department of foreign affairs have arranged to meet all three Oct. 21, it said in an e-mail yesterday. Angus Whitley and Rebecca Keenan, Bloomberg
Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Provisional IRA, has won its first seats in the elections to the new Ulster Assembly.

Gerry Adams, vice president of Sinn Fein, took the Belfast West seat. It is the first time his party has stood for election since the Troubles began.

Mr Adams, 34, made clear that being elected would not stop the IRAs campaign of violence.

The IRA have said that while the British army is in Ireland they will be there fighting he said.

As he emerged from City Hall in Belfast, where the votes were counted, he was met by chants of murderer and scum from members of the Democratic Unionist Party.

Former IRA brigade commander Martin McGuinness was elected to a seat in Londonderry.

The seats gained by Sinn Fein are at the expense of the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP), traditionally a voice for Roman Catholics in Ulster.

Referring to the creation of the Ulster Assembly the leader of the SDLP John Hume said: Its dead. Its dead as a dodo. There is no possibility of cross-community partnership; there is no possibility of devolution of power.

The elections were called to introduce a power sharing executive to Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Prior, said it would be a while before the full implications of the results were apparent.

We shall have to wait and see how it gets on. We are not going to change the situation in Northern Ireland quickly and I think we shall have to persevere. Every solution put forward in recent years has had great difficulties he said.

The date of the first meeting of the 78-seat Ulster Assembly is yet to be announced.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

When counting in the first Ulster assembly poll finished it was revealed that Sinn Fein had won 10.1% of the votes.

Neither Sinn Fein nor the SDLP took up their seats on the Assembly when it opened in November 1982. In 1986, following the withdrawal of several other parties the Assembly was dissolved.

In April 1998 the Good Friday Agreement was signed by the British and Irish governments. In June of the same year the Northern Ireland Assembly was resurrected with the SDLP taking most of the seats.

This power-sharing executive has been suspended four times. Lack of weapon decommissioning by the IRA and accusations of IRA intelligence gathering in the Northern Ireland office were the main causes.

The Northern Ireland Assembly met for the first time after a five year suspension in May 2007 with DUP leader Ian Paisley as first minister.
Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) ranks at position 32 in the ranking of top universities in Greater China of 2016, according to the latest ranking listed by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The University of Macau (UM) sits in 45th place.

The distance between the respective positions of UM and MUST has grown from last year. In 2015, MUST ranked 46 while UM ranked 49, in what marked the first time MUST took over UM to become the best higher education institution in Macau.

However, although MUST surpassed UM to become the best in Macau, both universities ARWU ranking improved compared to the results attained from 2011 until 2014. During this period, UMs ranking in ARWU was always higher than MUSTs.

According to the data provided by ARWU, in 2011, UM ranked 72, nine places ahead of MUST. In 2012, the positions then shifted to 85 and 91, concerning UM and MUST, respectively. In the next year, UM and MUST reached the positions 62 and 72, respectively. In 2014, the rankings showed UM in position 54 and MUST in position 57.

Tsinghua University from mainland China has remained the top one university across the time period discussed above. This year, the National Tsing Hua University sits at third place while the University of Hong Kong has been ranked the fifth best, each representing the best from Republic of China and Hong Kong, respectively.

ARWU was first published in June 2003 by the Center for World-Class Universities (CWCU), Graduate School of Education (formerly the Institute of Higher Education) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and updated on an annual basis. Since 2009, ARWU has been published and copyrighted by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy.
The third edition of the European Film Festival in Macau organized by the Alliance Francaise de Macao (AF), in collaboration with several French and local institutions opened on October 17 and will close tomorrow.

The festival was last held in Macau in 2014 and this year it has taken a different form, providing more than just screenings. The aim of the new format was to give the educational side of international films a highlighted importance, as explained to the Times AFs director Xavier Garnier.

We had this idea of organizing not only screenings but also inviting some [film] directors to teach about cinema and do some workshops, Garnier mentioned, explaining that the idea comes directly from the French festival Premiers Plans, held in dAngers, is already on its way to its 29th edition next January. The French festival incorporates seminars and workshops on the topic of how to shoot a movie. These workshops are intended to engage a young generation of potential filmmakers

For this edition, the organizers invited, among others, French film director Marianne Tardieu. Her movie Qui Vive (Who Lives) was screened and she held a seminar and a two-day workshop targeting MUSTs phD students. Professor Xu Feng, from the Drama Academy in Beijing and an expert on French movies in China joined her in presenting the seminar. It makes sense for us as AF [to have this educational side] because we support culture promotion but we are also an education institution, Garnier said expressing hopes that in the near future we can send some students to France [to study cinema], in a possible partnership with MUST.

The idea to bring the French and European style movies is to introduce people to reflect on other topics, other ideas and different ways to tell stories, as mentioned to the Times by Xu Feng, who has provided analysis on film style and film narrative throughout the festival.

It is very interesting for the students. This morning [yesterday] I taught about the French film system and how that system helped the national cinema and art cinema. Students have different perceptions, many of them had never heard of that system even, others are well aware and know about it, Prof Xu said, adding, opportunities like this will give them more and different experiences that are fruitful.

In Xus opinion, the contact of the students with this kind of European film promotes very touching experiences of real life. These films appeal a lot to peoples minds and emotions and I think they will be somehow marked by this experience.

The AF are responsible for the promotion of French culture and for educating audiences around the world about the evolution of French movies, starting from the New Wave era that made French cinema known worldwide.

Marianne Tardieu told the Times that the experience of showing her movie to Macau students was surprising.

For a lot of them [students] that was the first French movie that they ever seen so they were a bit surprised by my way of telling stories and by the way I take my time to show ordinary people in their lives, she said. I think they were also a bit surprised by the movie addressing a lot of social situations, namely they wanted to know how it would be possible to find money [sponsors] to tell this kind of stories because they found that is not so easy here.

The director noted that the students were very interested and focused on learning techniques and styles from the French tradition. According to Tardieu they noted characteristic aspects things like the rhythm and the way of highlighting the lives of young people, poor people or people living in the shadow.

Although it sounds a bit cliche watching movies done by other people from other cultures no matter which always opens our mind, different points-of-view always creates richness, Tardieu remarked.
Billionaire Carl Icahns Atlantic City management team is holding out the possibility of reopening or selling the shuttered Trump Taj Mahalcasino, but says a bill pending in the New Jersey Legislature would make it impossible to do either.

The New Jersey state Senate is to vote today [Macau time] on a bill that would effectively punish Icahn for shutting down the Taj Mahal on Oct. 10, stripping him of a casinolicense for the property for five years.

Tony Rodio, who ran the Taj Mahal for Icahn, said the proposed bill would prevent the company from reopening the casino and restoring lost jobs.

Many union workers say they suspect the company will try to reopen the Taj Mahal in the spring as a nonunion facility following a 102-day strike by Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union that lasted until the casinos final day.

Rodio, who also runs the Tropicana for Icahn, said in a statement Wednesday that the billionaire saved that casino when it was in danger of closing six years ago.

Punishing Mr. Icahn by revoking his ability to reopen the Taj or making further investments in Atlantic City for five years, as well as restricting his ability to sell the Taj, is unconscionable especially in light of his record in saving the Tropicana, Rodio said. It is particularly ill-advised because with this legislation Carl Icahns ability to further invest in Atlantic City has been constrained and the possibility of creating additional jobs, as he did at the Tropicana, has been seriously limited. AP


The 21st edition of the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) was opened yesterday morning in a ceremony attended by the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, and the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, among other guests.

This years edition is shorter (three days instead of four) and there is a reduction of about 20 percent in terms of number of exhibitors. With Portugal as invited guest, the atmosphere of the recently held Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum Macau is still in the air. During the opening ceremony, several officials recalled the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiangs conclusion from the recent event.

The cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries was well highlighted and noted in several speeches. The executive director of the Institute for Promotion of Trade and Investment of Macau (IPIM) noted that there was a decrease in participation this year, most likely due to the close scheduling of the Forum and the MIF.

The opening speeches highlighted the fact that, for the first time, there are two partnerships. One partner country (Portugal) and the other partner city (Beijing) will be represented with a special exhibition pavilion each featuring the economic investment environments of both and they will partner again in the preparations for special upcoming events such as the Winter Olympic Games, to be held in Beijing in 2022.

The officiating guest representing Portugal, Paulo Alexandre Ferreira, Deputy Minister for Economy and State Secretary for Commerce, stressed in his speech the innovative features of the country as well as the quality of its universities.

Portugal is now a modern country, well-endowed in terms of technological infrastructure, communications and institutions of learning, said Ferreira after explaining the strategic position of the country in the European vanguard.

The Mayor of the Peoples Government of Beijing Municipality, Wang Anshun emphasized the constant initiatives in his municipality, designed to improve innovation, coordination and environmental protection, under the larger One Belt, One Road initiative.

The official from Beijing remarked on the growth of foreigner investment that reached USD 13 billion in 2015. It was also noted that the investment of the municipality in projects in foreign countries reached USD9.6 billion, a sum that represents a growth of 150 percent when compared to the one of 2010.

On the Macau government side, Secretary Lionel Leong remarked on the role of the event in regards to the cooperation between Guangdong and Macau, as well as for the Young Entrepreneurship, Cooperation of Chinese Traditional Medicine and Finance and E-Commerce trade and services.

Macau and Shenzhen were discussed as examples of where cultural and creative industries, in the areas of design and fashion, had flourished.

There will be a fashion show from the Portuguese-speaking countries held in the exhibition area to showcase the products and services from those countries. Macau, Angola, Brazil and Portugal will be some of the countries and territories represented.

The fair will be open for trade visitors and to the general public today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the main hall, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the exhibition and sales area.

The MIF 2016 closes its doors tomorrow at 6 p.m.
A Chinese billionaire confined to a luxury Manhattan apartment while awaiting trial in a United Nations bribery case is asking a judge to let him explore New York City a little.

Ng Lap Seng, 68, would like to stroll through a park, visit a museum or go on a shopping trip at least once a week, defense attorney Hugh H. Mo told a judge in a letter late Tuesday.

Ng is under 24-hour guard, awaiting a January trial after pleading not guilty to charges that he and other Chinese businessmen funneled over USD1 million to pressure diplomats into supporting construction of a U.N. conference center in Macau.

Ng was arrested in September 2015. A year ago, he was freed on $50 million bail but was required to wear an electronic bracelet and submit to armed guards to ensure he would not flee.

There is no legitimate concern of a flight risk, his lawyer told U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick. The lawyer noted that Ng is already permitted to leave his residence for court appearances or attorney and doctor visits or to go to his buildings gym or to get a haircut.

Mr Ng would like to have at least one day a week to be outside of his residence, to walk in a park, to dine at a restaurant, to shop, to visit a museum, city landmarks, library or bookstores, or simply to be outside of his apartment to relieve the stresses of home confinement and the uncertainties of his court proceedings, he said.

The lawyer said Ngs yearlong confinement had been unexpected and had caused his client severe mental and physical hardship.

Being confined at home may have its benefits, but it certainly does not eliminate many of the stresses that Mr. Ng has to endure on a daily basis, given his prolonged separation from his family and loved ones, inability to manage his extensive business holdings, and the omnipresence of his 24-hour security monitors in his apartment, he added.

In July, the judge rejected a request for Ng to be permitted to be outside his residence three times a week during daylight hours. But in the same order, he permitted Ng to use his buildings gym up to three times per week, though he prohibited him from interacting with unapproved individuals and from using a phone or other electronic device. AP
According to the results of a survey conducted last year by the Macau Library and Information Management Association, Macau ranks as one of the most library-prolific places in the world per capita.

The survey results, which have been recently released, stressed that there were a total of 68 public libraries in the MSAR in 2015, making it the most dense of its neighboring regions.

In addition, there are more than 30 private libraries in the city, and 103 school libraries, of which some 34 belong to tertiary education institutions or are specialized in a particular subject area.

Online media All About Macau jokingly remarked that it seems we have been surrounded by libraries all this time without knowing it.

However, with some 68 public libraries in Macau and many others of different types, the government project to convert (most of) the Old Court Building into a new Central Library is bought sharply back into question.

There are, for example, 18 public libraries in the broad vicinity of the Old Court Building, based within a half-kilometer radius from the site and easily accessible by foot. This is just but one criticism leveled at the project: its location.

In an emailed statement to the Times last month, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) media representatives recognized the significant presence of library resources within Macau but argued that they are mostly of communal nature [] serving as the points of communal services.

Central libraries in every city have their own specific functions, the statement continued. [They are] the conductor of the public library network, introducing different kinds of applied technology and innovative thinking, allowing residents to use various library resources in an equal and fair manner.

In accordance with the standards of [] the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, it is recommended [that a Central Library] be located in an area centralized with cultural facilities in big cities; while in the city center in medium and small cities, noted the bureau statement.

Local architect and city planner Carlos Marreiros agrees that the city needs the central library and reasoned that the location makes perfect sense. A lot of people are against the Central Library being based in that area, but actually cultural services should be in an outstanding position in the city; the [city] center is not just for cathedrals said Marreiros.

The IC says that it backs the projects specific location at the site of the Old Court Building on the basis of two key criteria: convenience and spacing. With regards to the former, the IC notes that the location must facilitate accessibility for residents in each district and foreign researchers, and it must have unimpeded access to public transport services.

It must also have adequate space for the installation of facilities and the potential development of a large-scale book and document collection.

Storage appears to be another crucial concern for those who back the project. Advocates say that, despite being one of the most library-prolific places in the world, Macau has an urgent need for more library space and storage space.

The public libraries are full to the brim, Marreiros put forward. We need more book storage space urgently  especially for the [historical] manuscripts which require a lot of space and [resource] to preserve.

Another challenge in Macau is the humidity, he explained, adding that the facilities needed for proper storage in the sub-tropics are costly.

Indeed, aside from its controversial location, some are also disputing what they regard as the projects excessive cost. Outlined in the governments five-year plan and set to be initiated before 2020, the project could cost the city as much as MOP900 million. The president of the Legislative Assembly, Ho Iat Seng, is just one of those who has called for clarification on the need to spend such resources on a library.

The IC head Ung Vai Meng, said at a press conference in August that he considers the sum reasonable, taking into consideration the scope of what is envisioned and the potential value of the public resource.

Marreiros agreed with the opinion, stressing that the building could become a great monument to the governments advancement of culture-based industries in the city. It proves that culture has its own dignity, he said.

[MOP900 million] sounds like a lot, but you need to remember that building something inside an existing [structure] always costs much more [than starting from nothing]. It sounds very expensive, but you need to understand what is involved exactly, said Marreiros. Think about how much a hospital or a casino costs!

The project, which envisions a possible 11-storey tower built on the site of the Old Court Building, seeks to preserve at a minimum the structures facade and internal staircase at the entrance.

Although studies in the past have found the public libraries can exert positive influence in areas of education, reading and literacy, as well as the dissemination of general information to the less wealthy stratums of society, the digitalization of reading services and storage threatens to make these enormous municipal buildings somewhat obsolete in the near future.

An issue widely raised in conjunction with such studies is that while the costs of new public libraries can be quantitatively measured, the benefits are far more elusive. They are also, to some extent, reliant on the perceived value of the service by the public itself.

The IC believes that the project will bring the development of cultural diversity, in addition to enhancing dialogues and exchange between different cultures [ and] these cultivate the power of knowledge and the basis of competition for both individuals and the society.

Macau would rank 3rd in libraries per 100,000 people

Though international data on the number of public libraries per capita is sometimes contradictory or unreliable for even some of the worlds most famous cities (and virtually non-existent for Macau), a popular measure used by several sources is libraries per 100,000 people.

By this measure, Macau, with a total population of around 650,000 as of earlier this year, would come in at just under 10.5. According to information from the World Cities Culture Forum, this puts the MSAR behind the highest ranked cities of Edinburgh, UK (60.5) and Warsaw, Poland (11.4), but ahead of Brussels, Belgium (10) and Paris, France (9.2). Were it to be included in the forums survey of 20 international cities worldwide, Macau would be ranked third.

In comparison, Hong Kong, which is known for its plethora of bookshops and book readers, weighs in at just 4.2 with around 300 libraries, according to the World Cities Culture Forum, for a population in excess of 7 million.
The bodies terrified Betchie Salvador, because she always knew her husband could be next.

They had begun turning up all over the Philippines ever since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a controversial war on drugs this year  so many that one local newspaper had to create a Kill List just to keep track. Dealers and addicts were being shot by police or unidentified gunmen, who were dumping them on darkened streets beside cardboard signs that warned, Im a pusher. Dont Be Like Me.

With each new death, Betchie imagined losing the man she had loved for a decade  a proud father of three who was also an addict.

We talked about it a lot, she said. I told him, Please dont go out at night.

Dont worry, Marcelo told her. Its gonna be OK.

Marcelo, who worked as a driver, had been introduced to a potent methamphetamine known as shabu two years earlier by a colleague who said it helped him stay awake at night.

In his campaign for the presidency, Duterte described the drug as a life-or-death threat to a nation. And the nation, exasperated by decades of crime and corruption, believed him.

It didnt matter that government statistics showed the rate of methamphetamine use had dropped from 6.7 million in 2004 to 1.7 million today. It didnt matter that this rate  an estimated 2 percent of Filipinos  was no higher than that of other countries like the United States or Australia in recent years. It didnt matter that drug wars mounted in countries like Thailand or Colombia or America had failed.

What mattered was that this was a cause the nation could rally around.

Duterte modeled his drug war in part on a brutal anti-crime campaign he spearheaded while mayor of Davao, where he rode a Harley-Davidson and cultivated a New Sheriff in Town image, with nicknames like Duterte Harry and The Punisher. The campaign was fought not just by state security forces, but by motorcycle-riding assassins known as the Davao Death Squads who massacred more than 1,000 people.

Dutertes speeches were often fueled by provocative statements. He has encouraged the police to eliminate drug suspects, even called on the public to do it yourself if you have the gun. On his last day of campaigning on May 7, he said: All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you. I have no patience, I have no middle ground.

After he was sworn into office June 30, the anti-drug operation  called Double Barrel  began. Police drew up watch-lists of suspected addicts and dealers, and security forces began carrying out raids. Vigilantes also went to work. Near Marcelos home, a couple was found murdered in their rickshaw. Later, another man was found with his neck slashed beside a placard labeling him an addict and a thief.

By then, Marcelos family was starting to fear for his life. He made a living driving a tricycle  a rickshaw taxi  earning just enough to support their two boys, ages 6 and 7, and a newborn baby girl. His mother, Betty Soriano, decided to accompany him to keep him safe and discourage him from doing drugs.

Marcelo also promised to quit shabu, saying it had become too dangerous. He told Betchie she didnt have to worry because Im not using drugs anymore.

At one point, a government official told Marcelo to turn himself in, a process called surrendering that has drawn about 700,000 drug users so far. Most are released after acknowledging their crimes and pledging never to use again.

Marcelo waved the man off, saying he had quit.

In the meantime, the number of deaths piled up: At least 1,578 drug suspects were killed by state security forces since Duterte took office, police statistics show. Vigilantes killed even more, with 2,151 murders either linked to the drug trade or classified as unexplained.

As a result, crime fell in some areas by nearly half, police say. But in a country that banned the death penalty a decade ago, the huge death toll has left many aghast.

What I dont understand is, how can  it boggles my mind  how can you actually propose that to address the problem of injustice, you perpetuate more injustice? said Jose Luis Martin Chito Gascon, director of the independent Commission on Human Rights.

On the night of Sept. 5, Marcelo parked his rickshaw at a small roadside kiosk, where he had stopped to buy essentials for the morning  coffee for his family, chocolate drinking powder for his kids.

When Malvin Balingatan, who worked at the shop, leaned forward to hand him change, shots rang out, according to the police report.

It was 10:05 p.m.

As Balingatan ducked, he caught a glimpse of two men in black on a motorcycle, helmets covering their faces.

Marcelo managed to run 10 or 15 meters (yards) to the corner, where more shots were fired. He collapsed.

His mother screamed out, My son! My son!

At their family home, a five-minute walk away, Soriano broke the news to Betchie. Marcelos children appeared, woken by the chaos and the crying.

Wheres Daddy? one of them asked. Wheres Daddy?

Hes gone, Betchie replied, tears streaming down her cheeks.

By the time Betchie got to the scene, Marcelo  her Marcelo  was sprawled face-down in a pool of blood, his body lit by a halo of light from a bank of television cameras. A small translucent packet of white methamphetamines was visible beside his fingertips.

Her mother-in-law insists the drugs werent there when he died. She doesnt know who put them there, or why. But she wont press the issue with police, who say they have no leads.

We dont want any trouble, she says. Whats the point? What for?

Betchie says she hopes they find who did this. But there is resignation in her voice. She is looking down toward her lap, eyes half closed.

Three days have passed since the shooting, and she is trying not to cry.

I keep wondering what will happen to me, to my children, she says, explaining that Marcelo, 39, was their familys sole breadwinner. All we can do now is pray.

Outside, Marcelos rickshaw is parked on the curb, empty and quiet. A pair of red and blue wrist bands are wrapped around its headlight and speedometer, propaganda from the election campaign.

Each is inscribed with seven white letters: D U T E R T E. Todd Pitman, Manila, AP


US-KOREA The United States warned that any attack on American allies or use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an overwhelming U.S. response as it sought to reassure close ally South Korea that the U.S. has its back. The U.S. military says it detected a failed North Korean missile launch this week.



CHINA-PHILIPPINES The Philippines says Xi Jinping has committed more than USD9 billion in low-interest loans to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation in his meeting with Rodrigo Duterte who has set aside territorial disputes in a bid for Beijings help.



PHILIPPINES It was the bodies that bothered Betchie Salvador the most. They had begun turning up in cities all over the Philippines ever since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a controversial war on drugs this year  dealers, pushers, users, all shot by police or slain by unknown gunmen.



INDONESIA A man with an Islamic State group symbol was shot yesterday after attacking police on the outskirts of Jakarta with a machete, police said.



INDONESIA A court sentenced an Islamic militant to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a suicide bombing and gun attack in the capital Jakarta earlier this year. Dodi Suridi, 23, was captured a day after the Jan. 14 attack that killed eight people including four militants, who police said claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.

AUSTRALIA The government has quietly lifted the threat of jailing doctors who speak out against child abuse and neglect of asylum seekers in detention, doctors lawyers revealed yesterday.



HONG KONG An Asian consortium is looking to buy English Premier League club Hull for 130 million pounds. A document on the Hong Kong stock exchange said GreaterChina Professional Services has entered into a heads of terms agreement with Hulls Egyptian-born owner, Assem Allam, relating to the sale of the northern club.

MARKETS Asian stocks rose yesterday as traders watched U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump argue economic policy and looked ahead to a meeting of euro zone central bankers. More on p15

PAKISTAN A government official says rescuers have retrieved the bodies of two Chinese engineers from a mine weeks after they were trapped while trying to rescue a Pakistani co-worker. Pakistan is making arrangements to repatriate the bodies of the Chinese engineers.

AUSTRIAN Airlines says that a crack in a cockpit windshield forced one of its flights from Cyprus to Vienna to make an unscheduled landing in Belgrade, leaving passengers to spend the night in the Serbian capital. The company said the decision to cut the flight short between the Vienna and Larnaca was purely a precautionary measure. The crew and 190 passengers on Flight OS832 spent the night in hotels and are scheduled to fly to Vienna today.
Independent conservative presidential candidate Evan McMullin will be campaigning in Boise on Saturday.

McMullin is coming off a busy week for his longshot campaign, with a swing through southeastern Idaho that drew big crowds according to local media and a new Utah poll that shows him ahead in the Beehive State, raising the possibility that a third-party candidate could win some electoral votes for the first time since George Wallace carried five Southern states in 1968.

Utah, like Idaho, has supported every Republican presidential candidate since 1964, often by overwhelming margins, but Republican nominee Donald Trump has been particularly weak with Mormons, a usually reliably Republican group that makes up a majority of Utahs population, about a quarter in Idaho and smaller but still-significant chunks of the electorate in several other western states. Many have attributed this to Trumps personal style and lifestyle and to his views on immigration and Islam. Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and a Mormon, has been sharply critical of Trump throughout the campaign and has not endorsed anybody yet.

McMullin will be at Boise High School Auditorium, 1010 W Washington St., from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The campaigns goal is to show America that there is a better choice for President and that the time has come for a new generation of American leadership, according to a news release announcing the rally.

The last couple of polls out of Utah showed McMullin close to both Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the state, and the latest, by Emerson College Polling, showed 31 percent support for McMullin in Utah, 27 percent for Trump and 24 percent for Clinton. McMullin was pulling 35 percent of Republicans in the state, with 44 percent sticking with Trump, while independents were 35 percent McMullin, 31 percent Clinton and only 10 percent Trump. That poll of 700 likely voters was done earlier this week.

The last poll in Idaho, which was done earlier this month and released on Monday, showed 40 percent support for Trump, 30 percent for Clinton and a combined 24 percent for third-party candidates. (It didnt ask about McMullin specifically.)

On Thursday, Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball ranking of the Electoral College moved Utah from leans Republican to toss-up, and Idaho from safe Republican to likely Republican, to reflect the latest data and the apparently growing regional strength of the McMullin campaign.
TWIN FALLS  The three candidates in this years only competitive race for Twin Falls County commissioner showed more similarities on issues than differences in a debate Thursday evening.

Democrat Jill Skeem, Republican Jack Johnson and independent candidate Tony Bohrn all said they would try to make county government more transparent if elected.

One of the reasons Skeem got into the race was when she found out the Greater Twin Falls Area Transportation Committee had been planning a truck route that would go in front of her house. After she contacted the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, it turned out the committee had likely been breaking the law for 25 years by not posting public notices of its meetings.

Transparency is a big issue for me, she said, suggesting the commissioners should look into broadcasting their meetings live online like the Twin Falls City Council does.

Johnson said he would hold town hall-style meetings throughout the county and try to update the commission minutes online more often and hold commission meetings on hot-button topics in the evenings rather than during the work day, so more people can attend.

A countys got to let people know whats going on, said Bohrn, agreeing with Johnson on the issue.

Johnson, a longtime Jerome County sheriffs deputy who beat incumbent Commissioner George Urie in the Republican primary in May, told the crowd at the Magic Valley Arts Council he would be prudent with their tax dollars and touted his endorsements from law enforcement and firefighting groups.

I stand on my conservative values and my service record, Johnson said in his closing statement.

Democratic candidate Jill Skeem talked about her range of work experience and community involvement and said she would offer a different perspective  shes the only woman running and also the only person who would be able to speak Spanish and communicate directly with the countys growing Spanish-speaking population.

Ive worked very hard in my life and Ive done so many different things, she said. And Ive been a citizen where when I see problems I will take the initiative to fix it.

Bohrn, a Hansen city councilman, said he would work hard and pointed out that he is the only candidate with experience in elected office.

Ill work my hind end for you guys, Bohrn said. I really will. Ive been doing it all my life.

The candidates agreed the county needs to make sure to protect agricultural land as Twin Falls County continues to develop, that the time has come for another bridge across the Snake River and that the county will have to play a role in making sure the mental health crisis center expected to open in December has the money to stay open after its state funding runs out in about two years.

I think this is a very important resource not only for Twin Falls County but the Magic Valley, Johnson said of the crisis center.

Twin Falls spends more than $3 million a year on indigent medical care, much of it on people who fall into the Medicaid gap. Skeem and Bohrn both said they favor Medicaid expansion. Bohrn said they should organize with commissioners in other counties to lobby the state to act.

Theres millions of dollars to be had before our state, and were just sitting on it, Bohrn said. We should put some pressure on them.

Johnson said it would be hard for the county to fix that issue, because it comes from the federal government and goes through the states but that the county should make sure it is scrutinizing indigent medical applications closely and that people who can afford to pay a bit back are paying.

The Times-News organized the forum, and Editor Matt Christensen moderated, asking a mix of questions submitted by the audience and written by the papers staff. County commissioners are elected at-large but required to live in the districts they represent. Johnson, Skeem and Bohrn are running to represent District 3, which covers the eastern part of the county.

There will be at least two new faces on the commission come January  whoever wins the District 3 race plus Don Hall, a Twin Falls city councilman who beat incumbent Leon Mills in the District 2 Republican primary and is unopposed on the November ballot.
Canadian plane and train maker Bombardier has unveiled a plan to set up a railway cluster in Morocco to serve as an industrial platform to provide services to African countries.

The goal of Bombardier Transportation cluster to be established in the North African Kingdom with its leading industrial suppliers is provide African markets, as well as some European countries with railway equipment.

This project has been announced by Head of Bombardier Transportation in Morocco Taoufiq Boussaid. He said his company wants to build 40,000 m2 industrial units, set up an engineering center in Casablanca, create 600 direct jobs and transfer its know-how in the sector to Moroccans.

The Montreal-based aerospace company had already invested $200 million in manufacturing facility in Morocco. With this investment, Bombardier helped to develop a manufacturing competitive capacity that provides solutions to African aircraft market.

Bombardier says it choose to invest in Morocco for its political stability, its competitive manufacturing costs, low shipping and transportation costs and proximity to Europe All these factors will help the North African country to serve as a springboard to the rest of the region.

This upbeat vision is shared by U.S. giant Boeing which announced last month its own Boeing ecosystem, a project aims to bring around 120 suppliers of the company to help raise Moroccos aeronautics exports by $1 billion and create 8,700 jobs.

Boeing also pledged to attract its suppliers to boost the kingdoms aeronautics industry. The US plane maker already has a joint venture with Frances Safran in Casablanca to build wire bundles and harnesses for aircraft makers, including Boeing and Airbus.

Moroccan aeronautic industry is growing rapidly and continues to attract foreign investment. The sector, which employs 11,500 people, achieved last year exports worth $1bn. The sector has been growing at 15 per cent a year.

The country aims to reach 23,000 jobs by 2020, increase exports to $1.6bn per year and increase to 35 per cent the proportion of locally-produced components, in what are mostly products assembled from imported parts.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
The United Kingdom has offered about US$1.3 million contribution to help avoid cutting rations destined for refugees in Tanzania.

The move comes as the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) planned to cut rations for nearly a quarter of a million refugees in the country.

According to Vel Gnanendran, Head of the UKs Department for International Development, The UK joins the UN and the international community in supporting the outstanding generosity of the Government and people of Tanzania in welcoming those who are seeking safety from the violence in Burundi and the Great Lakes.

The British official said, the UK is providing an immediate, additional contribution of 1 million (US$1.3 million) to support WFP in providing food to the increasing number of refugees arriving in Tanzania. This brings our total contribution to WFP to 6.5 million since the crisis began.

The WFP said that it needs $7.6 million to cater for Burundian refugees in Tanzania adequately till the end of 2016.

Through the intervention of the UK government in Tanzania, the WFP distributes life-saving food to some 236,000 refugees living in three camps in Kigoma Region in north-west Tanzania. Refugees are dependent on this assistance, which includes maize meal, pulses, vegetable oil, salt and a nutrient-rich porridge blend.
King Mohammed VI Thursday added color to his current visit in Rwanda by sharing the sorrow of the Rwandan people as he visited the 1994 genocide memorial.

Being close friends means sharing sad moments and that is what the Moroccan monarch did Thursday in Kigali where he is on his first state visit in the small Eastern Africa country.

After he co-chaired on Wednesday with President Paul Kagame the signing ceremony of some 20 economic cooperation accords, King Mohammed VI on Thursday visited the Gisozi memorial, in Kigali suburbs, that commemorates the victims of the Rwandan genocide, which claimed the lives of about one million people in an ethnical cleansing in 1994.

The Moroccan monarch laid a wreath of flowers on one of the mass graves where the victims of the horror were laid.

The king toured the memorial, inaugurated in April 2004, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The memorial includes three permanent exhibitions surveying the tragedys circumstances and reasons behind the growing tension between Rwandan ethnic groups that triggered the genocide.

Later on Thursday, the Sovereign and his Rwandan host chaired over the signing of four agreements relating to the transfer of know-how in terms of agricultural expertise with a special focus on promoting small farming and fostering agricultural productivity.

These agreements provide for cooperation in fields ranging from boosting agricultural resilience and productivity, harvest insurance, fertilizers and funding.

Promoting technical cooperation and improving irrigation technics as well as agricultural infrastructure and livestock health also feature prominently in the Moroccan-Rwandan agricultural partnership.

During the signing ceremony, Moroccos agriculture and fisheries minister, Aziz Akhannouch, made a presentation on the aims of the partnership which was elaborated in implementation of Royal directives to help Rwanda benefit from the Green Morocco Plan experience notably in terms of promoting small farming to increase the revenues of small farmers and improve living conditions in rural areas.

Akhannouch said that Morocco will spare no effort to help Rwanda unlock its full agricultural potential through sharing the agricultural expertise it accumulated since the launch of the Green Morocco Plan in 2008.
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Cancer tumour located on the foot of a mouse. It contains more than 15,000 vascular branches. The colours show the diameter of the blood vessels. Credit: Jens Vinge Nygaard

A Danish research team is behind a new method for studying how a tracer is distributed in a cancer tumour via its extensive vascular network.

The method can be used for purposes such as closely studying the effect of medical treatment using cancer inhibitors.

By means of mathematical modelling, the researchers combined two previously known scanning technologies - magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) - and used these to study tumours in laboratory animals.

This resulted in completely new images at very high resolution, which provide detailed mapping of the branching of tumour blood vessels.

"We can lay two images of the same cancer tumour on top of each other so to speak, so we get a more geometrically complex understanding of the individual tumour's blood vessels, and thereby an opportunity to very precisely study the way drugs are distributed," says Associate Professor Jens Vinge Nygaard, Department of Engineering, Aarhus University.

He is responsible for the mathematical modelling work for the imaging, and he expects that the method could ultimately be used to develop new drugs and optimise dosing for the individual patient.

15,000 blood vessels under the microscope

An MR image can show how a tracer used as a cancer-inhibiting drug is distributed inside the tumour, but only in a relatively coarse resolution.

An image from a micro-CT scanner, on the other hand, can show an extensive network of blood vessels in the tumour at very high resolution, but it is unable to identify how the drug is transported locally.

The combination of the two imaging technologies can thereby provide significantly improved scanning images of cancer, which can play an important role in developing new drugs.

"The new images give us an opportunity to follow the way a tracer travels through the blood vessels in the tumour and into the surrounding tissue to the cancer cells. As scientists, we're interested in mapping the size and branching of the blood vessels, and understanding what goes on between the blood vessels over time. This can provide us with more detailed insight into specific treatment needs," says Thomas Rea Wittenborn, who is a cancer researcher at the Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital.

The tumours they studied measure approximately 200-300 cubic millimetres and typically contain 15,000-20,000 branches of blood vessels.

Computer models replace experimental animals

The researchers followed a total of ten mice with tumours on their feet, and used the two scanning technologies to develop a computer model for each of these.

In principle, the models form the foundation for a completely unique experimental platform.

"Using the computer models, we've created a virtual experimental platform so to speak, and can thereby considerably extend our experiments because we're not dependent on experimental animals. In practice, we can sit in front of our computer screens and study what happens to the tumour if we use drugs that stay in the tissue for longer or shorter periods, or are adapted for small or large blood vessels," says Associate Professor Nygaard.

In the time ahead, the researchers will expand their experiment with more mice and follow the cancer tumours over a period of time. This will provide them with an opportunity to develop computer models that not only describe drug distribution in a static stage of the cancer process, but also generate precise growth scenarios for cancer tumours.

"Using the new imaging method, we'll be capable in purely mathematical terms of predicting tumour development in connection with different drug strategies," says Associate Professor Nygaard.

Explore further A protein makes the difference

More information: Thomas Rea Wittenborn et al, Simulation of heterogeneous molecular delivery in tumours using CT reconstructions and MRI validation, Microvascular Research (2016). Thomas Rea Wittenborn et al, Simulation of heterogeneous molecular delivery in tumours using CT reconstructions and MRI validation,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.mvr.2016.08.004
The rains inundating their ruined homes are no longer the biggest concern of the long-suffering people of Randelle: cholera is tearing through the isolated Haitian mountain village at devastating speed.

"Cholera is eating us alive: my neighbor was the first to fall ill, then it came to our house, infecting my husband and daughter," said Andrise Lubin as she stood before her badly damaged home.

The road that allowed villagers to reach the coast in a half-hour was swept away by a river still swollen after Hurricane Matthew barreled through early this month, bringing torrential rains.

To reach Randelle now, in the southwestern commune of Chardonnieres, requires a three-hour walk and several difficult river passages.

Lubin, whose foot was injured in the hurricane, got a friend to help her ailing husband and daughter make the difficult trek to seek care. Desperate, and with nothing to eat, she says she almost wishes she would fall ill next.

"Cholera can come to me, my stomach is emptyI would be better off in town than here," says the woman in her 40s with a fatalistic shrug.

Ill villagers, housed temporarily in makeshift huts of leaky corrugated metal and plastic tarps, cram together onto the porch of Randelle's small clinic as they await care.

The pages of its registry book have been rapidly filling up: since the hurricane, cholera has afflicted nearly 300 people.

Even before Matthew, Haiti was facing the worst epidemic of cholera in the world, with some 500 cases a week of the potentially-fatal bacterial infection.

Spread largely through contaminated food and water, cholera was brought into the country by Nepalese peacekeepers after the devastating 2010 earthquake, the United Nations has acknowledged.

Supplies brought by mules

Head nurse Marguerite Bernardin is utterly exhausted as she and two colleagues examine the unending flow of patients from Randelle and the surrounding mountains. She lost everything in the hurricane, but that is not her priority.

"We could use beds for the patients," she said, pointing to an elderly man lying on a thin stretcher set directly on the saturated ground.

After two miserable weeks, the NGO Samaritan's Purse provided some unexpected relief when it was able to open an emergency cholera-treatment center. Its beds are already full.

"Two extra tents are going to arrive today, so we should be able to treat at least 20 patients," said Steve Averly, an urgent-care physician.

"It is difficult enough to get into the mountains here," he explained, "so for patients with cholera it is very complicated to come down the hill to get care."

"The closer we can get to the source, the more effectively we can save and help people," he said, while tending to a young girl.

With Randelle still a scene of ruinsfallen tree trunks litter the landscapethe NGO chose an elevated site off to one side for its temporary clinic.

Inhabitants carrying the sick on their backsand holding intravenous-drip bags highthus have to make their way through a stretch of uneven terrain to reach the medical center.

The treatment center's isolated location in the mountains imposes its own set of daunting logistical challenges.

"Mules are the most effective means of transport for bringing in equipment," the doctor said with a smile. "They are the most ancient of technologies, but they work."

Still, if only there were good weather and sufficient money to pay for them, helicopters could land in the village.

In the absence of help from an overwhelmed Haitian government, international aid efforts have been life-saving, said Romelus Caldo, an elected official with the town's assembly.

"I remember Saturday, October 8," he said grimly, standing drenched under an intensifying rain. "I saw six people die of cholera in the clinic."

"The central government has not responded to my demands, so do you think the voices of ordinary inhabitants are being heard?" he said.

Two weeks ago, the river carried away Caldo's home.

Explore further Haiti sees 800 new cholera cases after hurricane

 2016 AFP
A bone with osteoporosis. Credit: University of Southampton

Prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs (AOD) to people aged 50 years or above have stabilised in men, and decreased in women since 2006, following a rise from rates in 1990, a new Southampton study has shown.

The study, published in the journal Bone, also shows a geographic variation in prescribing rates with greatest rates for men and women in Northern Ireland and the lowest rates for women in the East Midlands and men in Yorkshire and Humberside.

The study, by researchers at the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, used data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a general practice based dataset including information on 7 per cent of the UK population.

AOD prescriptions from 1990 to 2012 were analysed and it was found that far more women than men were prescribed AOD and that the rate of prescriptions increased with age, up to the age of 85-89 years, where women were more than twice as likely as men to be prescribed the medication.

From 1990 to 2006 prescriptions of AOD for women increased (from 2.3 per 10,000 people annually to 169.7 per 10,000 people annually), which was followed by a plateau of two years and then subsequently dropped by 12 per cent in the past four years.

For men, prescription rates increased between 1990 and 2007 (from 1.4 per 10,000 people annually to 45 per 10,000 people annually) but then plateaued.

White and Asian women were twice as likely to be receiving AOD prescriptions as black women, the study shows.

Professor Nicholas Harvey, Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, led the study with Dr Robert van der Velde, Consultant Endocrinologist at the Maastricht University Medical Centre and VieCuri Medical Centre, Netherlands.

Professor Harvey said: "The decline in anti-osteoporosis medication prescriptions over the last 10 years is concerning, particularly in the context of an ever more elderly population, in which many fracture types are becoming more common. Other work from the CPRD has demonstrated an increase in rates of treatment for osteoporosis following a hip fracture, but still only just over half such patients receive treatment. There is a clear and urgent need to close this care gap, and these findings reinforce the critical importance of the work of clinicians, researchers, policy makers and of charities such as the National Osteoporosis Society."

He added: "The finding of geographic variation in anti-osteoporosis medication prescriptions is likely to reflect a range of factors, such as differences in age structure of the population, ethnic mix and socioeconomic status between the different regions of the UK. Further work will be required to investigate whether these differences also reflect variations in approaches to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, for example after hospital admission for a hip fracture."

The National Osteoporosis Society, who funding the Southampton research, is calling for health professionals to work together with the charity to address a growing crisis in osteoporosis care. Fizz Thompson, Clinical and Operations Director at the charity, said the decline in prescriptions of anti-osteoporosis drugs in primary care was concerning. But she highlighted the innovative work of the charity in setting up Fracture Liaison Services in hospitals and clinics to reduce fractures through earlier identification of osteoporosis.

"The fact that those affected by osteoporosis are not getting the treatments they desperately need is a tragedy which needs to be urgently addressed," she said: "We will do this by continuing to work together with GPs and Health Service Managers to close the current gap in treating and managing osteoporosis.

"The National Osteoporosis Society has been at the forefront of facilitating this change though our work to set up and improve Fracture Liaison Services - partnerships with the NHS which systematically identify people with fractures at risk of osteoporosis - and ensure that people with the condition are put on the correct treatment in a timely manner, thereby reducing the pain and suffering fractures can cause."

Professor Cyrus Cooper, Professor of Rheumatology and Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, added: "This study forms part of a larger programme of work addressing risk factors for fracture across the lifecourse, and demonstrates the importance of the University of Southampton and MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit in leading large, UK wide analyses on the internationally leading UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink dataset. These findings will be built upon in a wider programme of analyses to document the burden of osteoporotic fracture in the UK, and will have important messages for public health planning in future years."

Explore further Risk of breaking a bone depends on where you live

More information: Nicholas C. Harvey et al. On epidemiology of fractures and variation with age and ethnicity, Bone (2016). Journal information: Bone Nicholas C. Harvey et al. On epidemiology of fractures and variation with age and ethnicity,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2016.07.011
Emergency departments across the world see injuries every day.

In fact, injuries account for 10 percent of deaths worldwide, or nearly 6 million, with 90 percent of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. With the industrialization and economic growth of low- and middle-income countries, WHO expects these numbers to rise dramatically.

"Those statistics highlight that injuries pose a global health concern," says Ronald Maio, D.O., professor emeritus of emergency medicine, member of the University of Michigan Injury Center and senior author of a new paper examining injuries in a Ghanaian emergency department. "Additionally troublesome, 15 to 20 percent of injuries worldwide are attributable to alcohol use."

The work was led by first author Paa Kobina Forson, M.D., M.P.H., as well as Andrew Gardner, M.D. Forson is an emergency medicine physician at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana. At the time of the study, Gardner was a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School and conducted the project for his Fogarty International Research Scholarship. George Oduro, M.D., director of the Accident and Emergency Medicine Department at KATH and assistant professor at U-M, also played a key role in the study.

Oduro says the team knew that injuries are responsible for 8 percent of all mortalities in Ghana, and that road traffic injuries were the most frequent cause of injury presenting to the KATH emergency department. However, they could not find any data or previous studies that described the frequency of alcohol-associated injury in Ghana.

The research team thought a study on alcohol-associated injury was important because the incidence of alcohol-associated injuries in many low- and middle-income countries remains unknown. Since 2007, the U-M Department of Emergency Medicine, through its Ghana Emergency Medicine Collaborative, has been helping train emergency medicine physicians and improve emergency care in Ghana.

"Information and data generated from a study can then be used to inform clinical and public health policies and interventions," Maio says. "And with alcohol-associated injuries accounting for that 15 to 20 percent of injuries worldwide, we want countries such as Ghana to be able to confidently report what types of injuries they are seeing in their emergency departments and use that information to improve the health of their citizens."

In the study, published in the October 2016 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine, Forson, Gardner, Oduro, Maio and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional chart review of the 1,085 patients older than 18 who presented to the KATH emergency department, either directly or through a transfer from another facility, within eight hours of an injury.

Patients were screened for alcohol with a Breathalyzer or a saliva test. The researchers found 382 subjects, or 35 percent, tested positive for any level of alcohol in their systems.

Of the 382 subjects, certain groups more frequently had detectable alcohol in their systems, including:

42 percent of men

40 percent of people ages 25 to 44

42 percent of drivers

42 percent of pedestrians

49 percent of those with assault injuries

40 percent of those with serious injuries

53 percent of those who died in the emergency department

"Our results resembled the global population of injured patients," Maio says, "in that roughly twice as many men than women were injured; young adults were the largest age demographic; and road traffic injuries were the most common type of injury."

He adds, "We did find that our results showed higher numbers of positive alcohol tests than might be expected, according to the World Health Organization and health status report for Ghana. Our 35 percent finding was also higher than the global average estimate of alcohol-associated injury. Our results demonstrate the need for low- and middle-income countries to conduct their own research rather than extrapolating from general-population estimates from the World Health Organization."

A need for more research

Maio and the research team hope the study results help Ghanaians with clinical care and public health policies.

Oduro says the presence of alcohol can increase the difficulties of making an accurate diagnosis and can affect the subsequent treatment and outcome of the patient. He thinks their findings support the need for alcohol testing among injured patients in low- and middle-income countries, and further research into developing specific clinical protocols that can use this information to deliver more appropriate care.

Maio says that in the United States and Europe, injured patients who test positive for alcohol in their systems are often further evaluated, and treatment is initiated for alcohol abuse and harmful patterns of drinking in hopes of preventing future alcohol-related injuries. He and his colleagues say research needs to be conducted to determine the best way to deliver similar services in Ghana and other low- and middle-income countries.

The study also notes that Ghana has a national maximum blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent for drivers, but there is no written national policy or action plan on preventing drunken driving, and the national legal minimum age of 18 for alcohol sales is not routinely enforced. Forson says public health strategies need to be developed and tested to limit alcohol-related injuries, particularly among road users.

Explore further Many alcohol-related injuries occur at home

More information: Paa Kobina Forson et al, Frequency of Alcohol Use Among Injured Adult Patients Presenting to a Ghanaian Emergency Department, Annals of Emergency Medicine (2016). Journal information: Annals of Emergency Medicine Paa Kobina Forson et al, Frequency of Alcohol Use Among Injured Adult Patients Presenting to a Ghanaian Emergency Department,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.04.033
People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing serious eye diseases, yet most do not have sight-saving, annual eye exams, according to a large study presented this week at AAO 2016, the 120th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This is especially timely as the Academy is reiterating the importance of eye exams during the month of November, which is observed as Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month.

Researchers at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia have found that more than half of patients with the disease skip these exams. They also discovered that patients who smoke - and those with less severe diabetes and no eye problems - were most likely to neglect having these checks.

The researchers collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the charts of close to 2,000 patients age 40 or older with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to see how many had regular eye exams. Their findings over a four-year period revealed that:

Fifty-eight percent of patients did not have regular follow-up eye exams

Smokers were 20 percent less likely to have exams

Those with less-severe disease and no eye problems were least likely to follow recommendations

Those who had diabetic retinopathy were 30 percent more likely to have follow-up exams

One in 10 Americans have diabetes, putting them at heightened risk for visual impairment due to the eye disease diabetic retinopathy. The disease also can lead to other blinding ocular complications if not treated in time. Fortunately, having a dilated eye exam yearly or more often can prevent 95 percent of diabetes-related vision loss.

Eye exams are critical as they can reveal hidden signs of disease, enabling timely treatment. This is why the Academy recommends people with diabetes have them annually or more often as recommended by their ophthalmologist, a physician who specializes in medical and surgical eye care.

"Vision loss is tragic, especially when it is preventable," said Ann P. Murchison, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and director of the eye emergency department at Wills Eye Hospital. "That's why we want to raise awareness and ensure people with diabetes understand the importance of regular eye exams."

The Academy has released a new animated public service announcement to help educate people about the importance of regular exams and common eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy. It encourages the public to watch and share it with their friends and family.

"People with diabetes need to know that they shouldn't wait until they experience problems to get these exams," Rahul N. Khurana, M.D, clinical spokesperson for the Academy. "Getting your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist can reveal the signs of disease that patients aren't aware of."

American seniors 65 and older may be eligible to get a medical eye exam at no cost through Eye Care America, a public service program of the Academy. For more information about diabetic eye disease, visit the Academy's EyeSmart website.

Explore further Diabetic retinopathy screening for children with type 1 diabetes should start later
New research questions whether there is a link between adolescent suicide highly publicized on social media with an increase in emergency departments visits by teens for suicidal thoughts and attempts.

An abstract of the Canadian study, "The Association of Publicized Suicides on Social Media and Emergency Department Visits for Suicidal Behavior in Children: A Population?Based Time Series Analysis," will be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2016 National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco on October 21. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and young adults in Canada and the United States.

The research looked at the role that adolescents' increasing use of social media use might play in ER visits for suicidal behavior. In his study, Naveen Poonai, MD, MSc, examined the widespread media reports about the suicide death of 15-year-old Amanda Todd and whether there was a resulting effect on suicide-related visits by youths to Ontario's emergency departments. Amanda Todd committed suicide on Oct.10, 2012, after years of cyberbullying that she described in a YouTube video that went viral after her death.

Using 2002-2013 data from Canada's National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, researchers used an interrupted time?series analysis to examine monthly rates of emergency department visits related to suicidal behavior such as intentional self-poisoning before and after Todd's suicide. They found a no significant change in ER visits for suicidal behavior after her death. Importantly however, the authors found a significant increase in ER visits in teenagers for suicidal behavior that begin in June 2011. No such increase was found among the younger children studied.

"Our results suggest that despite provincial funding initiatives and anti-bullying campaigns, ER visits for suicidal behavior in Ontario, Canada have been increasing among adolescents for the last five years. However, this increase should not necessarily be attributed to social media and future research should focus on elucidating other reasons for this worrisome trend," said Dr. Poonai, an associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Western University in London, Ontario. Dr. Poonai said the findings also support the development of a national suicide prevention strategy in Canada."

Explore further Study of Chinese teens examines nonmedical use of Rx and suicidal behaviors
@PatriciaMazzei

A clean energy super PAC has unveiled a new TV ad Miami for Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who's running for reelection against Democrat Joe Garcia.

ClearPath Action Fund's ad will air in English in Spanish throughout Miami and the Florida Keys as part of a $200,000 cable buy, according to the super PAC.

The group has said it plans to spend more than $500,000 backing Curbelo in the competitive 26th district.


via @adamsmithtimes

Hillary Clintons relationship with Florida, not unlike an enduring but exacting marriage, is long and complex.

Consider her journey from idealistic law student at Yale sticking up for Florida migrant workers to presidential frontrunner chatting up the corporate elite who paid $50,000 a plate to dine with her on Miami Beachs Star Island.

In July 1970, 22-year-old Hillary Rodham, an intern for a childrens advocacy group in Washington, was sent to monitor Walter Mondales Senate committee hearings about terrible working conditions on corporate-owned farms in Florida.

Some Yale classmates with internships at big law firms saw the hearings as proof that agribusinesses needed better PR. But Clinton, who had babysat migrant children in Illinois, had a different take.

I suggested that the best way to do that would be to improve the treatment of their farm workers, Clinton wrote in an autobiography. She threw herself into studying how laws affect children.

Fast forward 20 years. Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton launches a bid for president with his lawyer-wife at his side and they target Florida as key to winning the Democratic nomination. They seek the money and support of sugar baron Alfonso Alfy Fanjul, whose family-owned company faced numerous lawsuits alleging mistreatment of Jamaican guest workers cutting cane in South Floridas muck. No matter. Fanjul becomes co-chairman of the 1992 Clinton campaign.

Four years later, an embarrassing political footnote: President Clinton was in the Oval Office with Monica Lewinsky when he had a 22-minute phone call with Fanjul, whose industry enjoyed special protections under Clintons NAFTA deal.

Today, most of the cane cutters are gone from the Fanjul fields in South Florida, replaced by machinery. But the Fanjul family remains tight with the Clintons, donating at least $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Records show Alfy Fanjul met numerous times privately with Secretary of State Clinton. In August, shortly after the Democratic National Convention, Fanjul, his wife, Raysa, and former Ambassador Paul Cejas and his wife host a $100,000-per-couple dinner at Cejas Miami Beach mansion for the Democratic nominee who decries the unfair clout of the rich.

Call the Clinton-Fanjul ties irony, or even hypocrisy. Ultimately, the story of Hillary Clinton and her relationships in Florida is one of longevity.

Its not anything new with the Clintons calculus, said Gregory Schell, a Palm Beach County lawyer who has spent decades fighting for farm workers  and suing the Fanjuls. Everything about them is bottom line and the ends justify the means. They want to win.

Schell plans to vote for her.

More here.

Photo credit: Mark Foley, AP


@PatriciaMazzei

Voters in Florida's swing 26th congressional district will have two more chance to watch Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo debate Democratic challenger Joe Garcia on TV -- one in English and one in Spanish.

An English-language debate on WPLG-ABC 10 that was taped Friday will air Sunday. A Spanish-language debate on WJAN-America TeVe will take place Nov. 1, a week before Election Day, when thousands of ballots will have already been cast.

The two campaigns have been unable to agree to any other exchanges, despite a flurry of invitations from local stations.

Garcia has said no -- or not responded -- to invitations from WSCV-Telemundo 51 and WLTV-Univision 23, both of which Curbelo accepted. Curbelo chose a one-on-one interview -- rather than a debate -- on WPBS and did not confirm a date with WSBS-Mega TV. Garcia said yes to both.

The League of Women Voters invited both candidates to a debate. Garcia said yes and was told it would air locally on C-SPAN and WLRN radio. Curbelo said no but wasn't told the debate would be televised, according to his campaign. The League of Women Voters did not respond to requests from the Miami Herald.

Almost all of the invitations were also in Spanish. Garcia and Curbelo have faced off once in English, at their alma mater, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, but that debate wasn't televised -- despite being moderated by national ABC News reporter Tom Llamas, a fellow Belen alumnus. The two candidates also appeared in a Key West forum Monday that was live-streamed online.

Both campaigns have pointed fingers about the lack of debate consensus, with Joanna Rodriguez, a Curbelo spokeswoman, called Garcia "desperate to hide" from Spanish-speaking voters after Garcia turned down Univision and Telemundo, the most-watched Spanish-language stations.

"One Spanish debate on a cable channel is a disservice to the voters of this district who deserve a quality debate between the candidates," she said.

"I'm sure both Carlos' camp and ours agree that it's impossible to accept every invite," Garcia spokesman Javier Hernandez said. The Garcia camp called out Curbelo on Thursday for not attending a Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations forum that he turned down after trying to find a different date. Curbelo had already accepted an invite to meet with the local Disabled American Veterans chapter.

Curbelo might benefit most from more TV time, despite having more campaign money and political ads already on air. He was already vulnerable in the Democratic-leaning district before Donald Trump. Republicans fear Trump's candidacy could hurt down-ballot candidates, particularly for the U.S. House. For Garcia, it might be enough to ride Hillary Clinton's electoral coattails.

Both Garcia and Curbelo are Cuban American -- and bilingual.

This post and its headline have been updated with news that Curbelo and Garcia taped the WPLG-ABC 10 debate.

Photo credit: David Santiago, el Nuevo Herald


@PatriciaMazzei

Trying to capitalize on his most famous political friend, David Rivera sent Miami voters a new flier this week prominently featuring an old photograph with none other than Marco Rubio.

"Marco Rubio and David Rivera fighting together for a better future for our families," it reads, in Spanish. "Always by your side."

Rivera doesn't tout an explicit Rubio endorsement. But it certainly implies one.

Rubio, who is busy with his own reelection campaign to the U.S. Senate, hasn't endorsed anyone in Rivera's race. Rivera is vying to return to the state House, four years after losing his seat in Congress under a cloud of political scandal.

Ever since, Rubio has maintained a public distance from Rivera. They sold the house they jointly owned in Tallahassee last year, as Rubio embarked on his presidential candidacy. Earlier this year, Rivera quietly campaigned for Rubio in Iowa ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Rivera announced his candidacy the day after Rubio lost the Florida primary and dropped out of the race.

Rivera served as Rubio's rules chief when Rubio was Florida House speaker, and their friendship dates to long before then. The photo used in the flier shows both men when they were much younger, smiling and shaking hands in what appears to be the House floor.

This year, Rivera is embroiled in an ugly contest in House District 118 against Democrat Robert Asencio.

During the primary, Rubio's former rival, Jeb Bush, endorsed a Rivera opponent, Lynda Bell.

An earlier version of this post misstated the number of the district Rivera is seeking.


via @glenngarvin

Medley, a tiny industrial town just west of Miami International Airport, may have more warehouses than people, and its handful of residents are some of the poorest in South Florida. But that hasnt stopped the candidates who want to be their mayor from playing hardball as the Nov. 8 election approaches.

Incumbent Mayor Roberto Martell says his only challenger, 52-year-old charity manager Lily Stefano, is a carpetbagger who hasnt lived in the city long enough to run for office. Hes filed suit to have her thrown out of the race.

Stefano says the 55-year-old mayor is just peeved at her because she refused to let him use her foundations free-grocery program for Medley residents as a political tool to promote his re-election  so peeved that he canceled the citys participation, potentially jeopardizing the hundreds of bags of free food the foundation hands out each week.

Political issues between the two? Not so many of those, unless you count the mayors plan to bring skyscrapers  his word  to Medley. Hes gotten the city council to lift all height restrictions and predicts a wave of cloud-kissing construction that will bring in legions of big corporate offices. Stefano is skeptical: Really? Right next to an airport?

More here.

Photo credit: C.M. Guerrero, Miami Herald file


@PatriciaMazzei

Want to see Jennifer Lopez's Miami concert for Hillary Clinton? First you'll have to walk into a Clinton campaign office.

Clinton's campaign announced late Friday that Lopez's concert will take place at next Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Klipsch Amphitheater at Bayfront Park, in downtown Miami. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at campaign offices in Wynwood (2215 NW 1st Pl., Miami), Little Havana (2140 W. Flagler St., Miami) and Pinecrest (9543 S. Dixie Highway).

Photo credit: Alexia Fodere, for el Nuevo Herald
@PatriciaMazzei

Donald Trump has added four public Florida events to his schedule for early next week: a Sunday evening rally in Naples, a Monday afternoon rally in St. Augustine, a Monday night rally in Tampa, and a Tuesday afternoon rally in Sanford.

The Orlando Sentinel has reported that Trump will visit the Kennedy Space Center and hold a space-industry roundtable early next week in Brevard County.

Early voting starts Monday. Hillary Clinton plans to campaign in the state Tuesday and Wednesday. Her running mate, Tim Kaine, will be in Florida right before she is, on Sunday and Monday. The week will end with an appearance by President Obama in Orlando on Friday.

This post has been updated.
WASHINGTON  They're known for bouncing around jobs, delaying marriage and holing up in their parents' basements.

Dubbed recently as the "children of the Great Recession" by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, millennials are the best educated and most diverse population of young people in U.S. history. They are also perhaps the most coddled, some would say spoiled.

As they emerge this year as the United States' largest demographic group  some 75 million strong  millennials are taking up the mantle as the most impactful generation since the baby boomers.

Their influence has started slowly, due largely to the economic instability that has left many struggling to find good-paying jobs and saddled with staggering student loan debt.

But millennials  adults under 35  are certain to shape the economy for decades to come. And their coming of age in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression has bred distinct traits that could pose special challenges for the nation's future growth and prosperity.

For starters, millennials are not big spenders, at least not in the traditional sense.

Millennials tend to prefer experiences over buying things and accumulating stuff. To them, an impressive selfie capturing a memorable moment is, in some sense, as enviable as a new car or fancy watch was to their parents.

Neil Howe, an economist and demographer who coined the term "millennials" with co-author William Strauss, sees it as part of a redefining of American conspicuous consumption.

Instead of material wealth, millennials show off through their travels, hobbies and even meals, which get photographed and posted on Facebook, Instagram and other social media.

"If you're a foodie, you can go out and have some incredible dining experience, and then you can curate it almost as if it were a thing," Howe said. Millennials are one reason restaurants have been doing well  and hiring so many workers.

Dominick Ardis, 29, typifies his generation. In between jobs this year, the Tallahassee, Florida, resident scrounged money from family and friends so he could immerse himself in Hebrew studies this summer at Middlebury College in Vermont. Last year it was the art of glass-blowing. And before that he was getting voice lessons.

"Music is such an emotional and experiential event," he said. Ardis is interested in his career and making money, too. It's just that he's got other things on his mind, like taking a trip to Cuba next year.

Such priorities may well give Ardis and his fellow millennials a more fulfilling, well-balanced life than, say, workaholic boomers. But that may not be great for a U.S. economy driven by consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of the nation's gross domestic product.

Young Americans are unusually optimistic, which could propel purchases  and economic growth  as their disposable income increases. But they're still not likely to have as much left over because so much is going for skyrocketing rents and education expenses.

The low home-buying rate of young adults already has been a big factor in the slow housing market. The homeownership rate for those under 35 slipped to a low of 34 percent this year, compared with around 40 percent for young adults in the prior three decades. And people today are getting married and having children later, which will weigh on home sales in the future.

"I don't believe they're going to catch up," said John Burns, an Irvine, Calif.-based national real estate consultant.

Like other millennials, Summer Lollie is keenly interested in having her own place. She wants something close to her parents' two-story, four-bedroom house in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite where she grew up and currently lives, she says. But the 27-year-old community organizer can't imagine how she will be able to save up for a down payment and afford a mortgage.

While Lollie's parents never finished college, she graduated from Washington and Lee University, a well-regarded school in Lexington, Virginia. But with more than $35,000 in student debt and a car loan to boot, she has struggled to make ends meet. She moved back with Mom and Dad in April 2015, paying a little rent to them.

There's more than economics behind the living-at-home phenomenon, however. Lollie doesn't mind the arrangement at all because she likes being with her parents  something more common among millennials than people of their age in previous generations. Experts think that reflects their protective upbringing and more-frequent exchanges, thanks in part to the rise of texting and social media.

"I have loving parents here," Lollie said.

Another key difference with their predecessors, particularly Generation X, is that millennials are not big risk takers. That seems especially true when it comes to starting businesses.

The rate of new startups is higher today than 10 or 20 years ago for every major age group  except those between 20 and 34 years old, according to the Kauffman Foundation's latest annual study of entrepreneurship.

The result is that the composition of new business formation, already turning grayer with the aging of baby boomers, has shifted even more sharply to older adults in recent years.

Two decades ago, a little more than 34 percent of all new entrepreneurs in the U.S. were younger than 34 years old. Today it's just 25 percent.

"This could be really troubling," says Arnobio Moreli, a senior research analyst at Kauffman.

Startups represent dynamism in the economy. New and young businesses have long created the bulk of new jobs in America, and are critical for productivity growth, too.

Moreli believes some would-be entrepreneurs are being held back by their heavy student debt load. Nonetheless, he finds it puzzling that there seems to be relatively less entrepreneurial zeal among millennials, particularly since they grew up in an era when people like Facebook founder and millennial Mark Zuckerberg, 32, have been celebrated in business schools and popular culture.

In fact, however, there's evidence that young adults today would rather work for big companies than take their chances at budding firms or in their own garages. Compared to boomers, millennials are more interested in having the same job through most of their life, says Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychologist and author of "Generation Me."

Their relative risk-aversion may have something to do with the protective environment that parents and schools created for millennials, emphasizing participation over winning. Said Twenge: "Everybody got a trophy."

Partly because of such pampering, Twenge argues, millennials are more self-absorbed than prior generations, even narcissistic. But at the same time, research suggests that young adults today are also very community-minded.

If baby boomers were known as the "me" generation, millennials might be called the "we" generation.

(EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM)

Surveys have found that millennials, while less interested in traditional politics, care deeply about their communities and are volunteering more than earlier generations of young people.

"I do sense that public service, community service is in their DNA," said John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard University's Institute of Politics. He thinks that's partly because many high schools, starting in the 1990s, mandated community service hours before graduation.

Millennials also came of age in a more racially diverse and economically stratified America, which has made them more sensitive to social issues and things like gender and income inequality. Gay rights are a given.

Back in 1990, whites made up 73 percent of young adults age 18 to 34. That share dropped to 63 percent in 2000, when millennials were just entering adulthood, and it's now down to 55.8 percent, according to William Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer.

Increasingly, the face of prime-age workers in the U.S. are people like Lionel Mares of the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles.

A second-generation Mexican American who grew up watching news of school shootings and inner-city violence, the 30-year-old pursued a degree in sociology from Cal State Northridge. Mares, too, has struggled to find a good job, and in recent months has been volunteering at a local legal aid center.

His heroes aren't Zuckerberg or athletes like Michael Phelps. He gets inspiration from people like Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady known for her social reform work and spirit of volunteerism.

Mares is the first in his family to graduate from college; his dad was a handyman, his mom a seamstress. He plans a career in the public sector. "I want to give back to the community," Mares said.

Their emphasis on community and social causes is starting to be felt on Wall Street, too. Beyond their outsized participation in the Occupy Wall Street movement a couple of years ago, millennials already are overrepresented in investments focusing on so-called environmental, social and governance issues, said Amy O'Brien, managing director and head of responsible investment at TIAA Global Asset Management.

She notes that many millennials were in high school and college when the financial crisis struck, and that's had a lasting influence. "They put a large value on business ethics," O'Brien said.

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Their sense of community has also made millennials more progressive when it comes to public assistance programs, from Obamacare to student debt relief. And far from the antigovernment spending mantra espoused by many of their parents, millennials have largely embraced liberal ideals about government, explaining why Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton (and her former rival Sen. Bernie Sanders) have put forward programs to subsidize college tuition and raise the federal minimum wage.

"They actually trust big institutions like government more than older people (do)," said Howe, the generational trends expert. "They believe we could put in a strong set of community and national organizations that would assume a high degree of dependence on these institutions .... We would all give more to the community and the community would give us back in an equitable way."
In the past several years, the VonCommon art collective has held a juried group exhibition on Sept. 11.

It was a loose theme that artists could interpret as they want, whether referring to Sept. 11, 2001, the concept of emergency or something broader.

This year, they opted to move the date closer to the presidential election and more directly address the national mood: "This is What Democracy Looks Like."

According to VonCommon art collective member Adelaide Gale Every, "some of the work is fairly overt, and some of it is a little more subtle."

Missoula artist Tim Thornton falls into the stark and overt category. The artist, who frequently shows his paintings of classic Hollywood and pop-culture imagery, made a ceramic life preserver painted with the stars and stripes titled "S.O.S.O.S.," an acronym for "Save our ship of state."

Angelita Martinez's contribution "Ponytails and Souvenirs" started with a base of kitsch: literally a paint-by-numbers of an eagle flying past Mount Rushmore. She topped it with collage-like embellishments referencing the (taking of property) proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, power, and the flag.

Steve Slocomb's black-and-white photograph of an anti-zoning sign in Ravalli County with strategically framed cattle in the background, unaware of the boundaries humans fight over.

In the performance category, Tahj Kjelland, well known around Missoula for his politically informed music and his spoken word, is lined up. Bruno Augusto and Kate Jordon, two performance artists, will also have a piece. Every and Shane Rooney have develop a performance piece, intermittently scheduled for several points throughout Friday's opening, that references workers, Trump and his proposed wall at the Mexican border.

Other contributing artists include VonCommon collective members for a total of almost 30 artists and performers.

The show will be up for one night only at the collective's studios on Johnson Street off Wyoming.
Great Falls attorney Kristen Juras sought to undercut the reputation of Cascade County Judge Dirk Sandefur in a new campaign attack Thursday that alleges her opponent violated ethics rules with a television ad that used a backdrop common to judicial campaigns: a courtroom.

Sandefur immediately countered that previous Supreme Court candidates have used courtroom settings in their campaign ads, and that furthermore, he sought  and received  an opinion from the state commissioner of political practices as to the legitimacy of the tactic before running the ad.

Juras and Sandefur are competing for an open seat on the Montana Supreme Court in a race that has drawn more than $1 million in political fundraising, including by outside groups, and at a pace that could surpass a record set in 2014. Much of that campaign cash has been spent on television ads and mailers.

Juras said that Sandefurs use of video footage of himself inside a courtroom is an obvious violation of the judicial code that reads, a judge or a judicial candidate shall not: use court staff, facilities, or other court resources in a campaign for judicial office.

As a sitting judge, Sandefur is fully aware of these ethical rules. Yet he has deliberately disregarded them in his campaign for the states highest judicial office, she said in a statement. The message he is sending out is that he is above the law. He ought to pull those ads down to minimize the damage done.

Sandefur argues that the most critical part of the ethics code, in this instance, is the first few words of that rule, which Juras omitted in her news release: except as permitted by law. He said he is not, in fact, violating judicial code because he is permitted by law to use images from the courtroom in his campaign, citing the advance opinion he received from the Commissioner of Political Practices.

He also noted a 2005 attorney general opinion  written by Mike McGrath, who now serves as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court  that broadly found public officials do not give up their rights to free speech, so long as it is not done on public time or the publics dime. Sandefur said the television ads at question were filmed in 2015 during non-court hours and are are no different than those of numerous other judges who have used images of public buildings in campaign ads.

A cursory web search pulls up several such ads, including those used in judicial campaigns by 2014 Supreme Court candidate Lawrence VanDyke, current Supreme Court Justices McGrath and Mike Wheat, Justice Beth Baker of Helena and Judge Nels Swandal of Livingston.

Juras malicious allegations are demonstrably false and defamatory, Sandefur said in a statement. "Whether deliberately or only negligently misleading, Juras' amateurish legal analysis clearly shows not only her lack of legal expertise but also a disturbing lack of personal and professional integrity in attempting such a political smear for political advantage."

Juras disagreed, calling the judicial code an additional layer of rules for judicial candidates that sometimes go above and beyond those set for other candidates in state campaign laws.

I dont believe (the commissioner of political practices) intended his letter to be an exception to the judicial code of ethics, she said.

Juras spokesman Chuck Denowh further argued that just because other judicial candidates had used courtroom footage doesnt mean they should have.

Just because no one has filed a complaint about this before doesnt excuse the practice, Denowh said. An opinion of the commissioner of political practices does not carry the weight of law and hes citing an attorney general opinion that has been supplanted by these rules adopted in 2008. Unless it is expressly authorized, it is prohibited.

Denowh declined to say whether Juras has filed a state bar complaint against Sandefur, saying generally the process is confidential unless the bar decides on disciplinary action.

Members of the state bar and Judicial Standards Commission could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

In March 2015, about a month after Sandefur announced he was running, he sought an advisory opinion from the commissioner of political practices on using photos from his courtroom in campaign ads.

The opinion, written by Jonathan Motl, said Sandefur could use photos taken in his Cascade County courtroom on his campaign website and other campaign materials.

Motls advisory opinion focused on two issues  public time and public equipment. The opinion assumes Sandefur wouldnt use public equipment to take the photos and points out that prohibiting Sandefur from using the photos could create a situation where someone who is not currently a judge could use a courtroom for the backdrop of campaign photos, but a judge could not.

Sandefur, in asking for the opinion, pointed out court proceedings are generally open to the public and press to observe and photograph, and that when court is not in session rooms are used for tours, weddings and political appearances such as appearances by the governor and gatherings including debates.

He also pointed out courtrooms have been used for occasional judicial campaign photography.

Motl cited a former deputy commissioner of political practices decision from 2012, saying a photograph of a public employee or officer taken in a building where they work does not equate to using the facility to support the persons election to office.

In that decision, Ken Toole, who was running for the Public Service Commission, used the PSC conference room to take photos for his re-election campaign. One of the photos appeared in a brochure. In that case, Deputy Commissioner Thomas Honzel found nothing wrong with Toole's use of the photograph.
The first thing Chandler Jong wanted to do after he officially became a U.S. citizen on Thursday morning was to take a selfie on his phone with the 12 other people from eight different countries who were naturalized during a ceremony at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula.

Jong, originally from South Korea, was transferred to Helena recently from the state of Georgia through his job with the federal government. He says he had a great summer here.

Its fantastic, with Glacier and stuff, he said. You gotta take this not for granted, all the scenery.

The biggest difference between his home country and the United States is how much more racial and cultural diversity hes encountered here.

Ive met a lot of different types of people here, he said. I would say South Korea is very homogeneous environment. Its OK here if you have a different religion. We can all be friends and go get drinks together. Its nice that being different isnt bad.

During the last fiscal year, roughly 729,995 immigrants were naturalized in the United States. Approximately 80 people are naturalized in Missoula each year.

The ceremony on Thursday was presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen with assistance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. High school students in the local Child Bloom guitar program performed several songs, and the American Legion color guard posted the flag. Gabe Jourdonnais of the Mullan Trail District Boy Scout Troup led the Pledge of Allegiance.

The 13 immigrants hail from Brazil, Canada, France, Ghana, Korea, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Each has undergone a rigorous background check and testing process, and now they enjoy all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born American citizens, including the right to vote.

Christensen delivered an emotional speech about the weight and honor of this responsibility and privilege.

I think one would have to be living in a remote location without access to television and radio to not realize that were having a robust discussion in this country about what it means to be an immigrant, he said.

We are a nation of immigrants. In fact, some 30 million immigrants entered the United States between the years of 1870 and 1930. Between the years of 1820 and 1930, the United States absorbed about 60 percent of the worlds immigrants. In 2014, in that one year alone, 653,416 persons took the Oath of Citizenship as you did this morning and became naturalized citizens in this country.

The majority of new citizens in 2014 came from Mexico (100,000), India (38,000), the Philippines (35,000) and China (33,000).

Christensen reminded the crowd that people like Albert Einstein, John Lennon, John Muir and John James Audubon were all immigrants to the United States. Christensen also told the story of how his great-grandfather emigrated from Denmark at the age of 17 in 1891 and got off the train in Missoula when he saw friends on the platform. He eventually became the division manager of the Montana Power Company.

We are also citizens of the world, and it is your life experiences, your backgrounds, that the 13 of you bring with you today that will contribute to what makes our country great, unique and makes the United States a better and stronger place to live, Christensen said.

He also told them how exciting it was for their ceremony to coincide with Americas great pastime of electing a president every four years.

Voting is not only a right, but it is a great responsibility, he said. I am always concerned and chagrined by the relatively small number of citizens who actually vote in our local, state and national elections.

After the ceremony, Joy Corpuz Meis of the Philippines was ecstatic. She works as a registered nurse at Community Medical Center.

I met a very good man, and so here I am, she explained.

She said the differences between the sprawling metropolis of Manila and Missoulas laid-back lifestyle are huge.

Manila is what, 10 million people in just one city and it is very polluted, she said. Here its like you breathe fresh air all the time. Its a huge difference. Huge difference.

She never thought that she would become a U.S. citizen growing up, and said the ceremony was one of the best days of her life.

It was overwhelming, she said. I am so happy. Most Filipinos think that America is a dream land. And so becoming a United States citizen is just like a dream come true.
Reaching its first fundraising goal, the Foundation for Missoula Public Library is ramping up efforts before Election Day, encouraging voters to pass its bond for a new library building.

The foundations All Under One Roof Capital Campaign announced Wednesday it reached the $2 million mark, out of a $5 million goal, almost two weeks shy of its deadline.

With the final push, a $4,000 pledge from a longtime volunteer, the group reached its first goal, to demonstrate to voters the breadth of support for improving public library access and services now and for future generations, the release said.

We reached it even earlier than we thought we would, the foundation's Karl Olson said. Theres a hard-core network of support here.

For now, Olson said, foundation members are meeting nonstop with large-scale donors. That will continue until early 2017, when theyll shift their focus to community fundraising events, although people can donate on the foundation's website anytime.

According to Frank Scariano, the capital campaign chair and owner of Scariano Construction, the first donation the foundation received was a $20 bill from an anonymous donor. The largest single donation theyve received so far was $750,000, according to the campaigns release.

The privately raised $5 million will supplement the $30 million bond, as long as it passes, to fund the four-story building, catching Missoula up to the rest of the state. The library here is the busiest one in Montana after all, with 1,500 visitors a day.

Missoulas the last community in Montana to get a 21st century library, Olson said.

The campaign has started sending out flyers: Your public library has run out of space," says one. Another  Because one in four Missoulians doesnt have access to a utility called the internet."

Absentee ballots were mailed out last week, with the library proposal the only voter-approved bond on the ballot this year.

It would mean a $2.34 monthly increase for the owner of a home valued at the average of $200,000, according to the campaigns release.
When Fort Missoula Regional Park opens to the public in the spring, every visitor through its entrance will pass under the gaze of a 6-foot-tall, bronze sentinel at the gate.

Officials from the city and county met at the entryway of the under-construction park on Friday to show off its newest addition, a bronze statue commemorating the area's historic importance to the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Called CCC Worker, the statue stands on a pedestal between the new gates at the parks entrance on South Avenue across from Big Sky High School.

Historian Stan Cohen, who spoke at the unveiling, said the Civilian Conservation Corps were established in 1933 as a New Deal program to employ young man to work on conservation projects across the country. Some 17,600 men were trained at Fort Missoula before being sent to camps across the state.

Its symbolic of mainly the conservation work they did, Cohen said.

Cohens book, The Tree Army, documents the history of the CCC at Fort Missoula.

The statue is the 68th to be put up in the country, and comes from the non-profit Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy in Virginia. Cohen said its the second in Montana, with an identical statue in place at Savenac Nursery in the Lolo National Forest.

Fort Missoula Regional Park was funded by the parks and trails bond passed by county voters in 2014.

This is one of those great public spaces, County Commissioner Stacy Rye said Friday. We built this, we did this, together.

Donna Gaukler, director of Missoula Parks and Recreation, said the ribbon cutting for the completion of the first phase of the park will be held on April 29.

By that time, the second phase of construction on the 156-acre park, including a seven-diamond softball complex and Missoulas second all-abilities inclusive playground, already will be underway with an estimated completion in the spring of 2018.
The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation is donating $3.5 million to a statewide math readiness program based at the University of Montana  on top of $2.4 million it donated in 2014  because students are showing progress, according to the UM Foundation.

The five-year grant goes to the Montana Digital Academy for its EdReady Montana program helping college-bound students avoid remedial math classes.

"The first three studies tracking more than a thousand students who completed the EdReady program clearly show faster and higher math achievement gains than any other tutoring tool," said Roberta Evans, dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences, in a statement.

"We must remember that each data point represents a real Montana student who has overcome the barrier of previous math struggles to advance successfully and with newfound confidence toward his or her dreams."

EdReady is running in more than 290 Montana schools, including higher education and adult learning centers, according to the UM Foundation. Some 45 percent of middle schools, more than 50 percent of Montana high schools, two-year colleges, universities, tribal colleges and adult education centers use EdReady.

An estimated 52,000 students have enrolled in the program since it started, and data show it's working, said Bob Currie, executive director of the Montana Digital Academy.

"The remediation problem for college students across the country, including here in Montana, is pretty significant," Currie said.

Students lose time and money taking remedial math classes in college because they don't get credit for those courses, he said. Fully funded by the Washington Foundation, the EdReady program is addressing that problem, he said.

Students take an exam that identifies their problem areas in math, and then the students work on those specific challenges. Then, they test again.

"From the initial pilot ... 86 percent of those students raised their placement test score by at least a point on a five-point scale," Currie said.

One result of the bump is that students who used EdReady were able to eliminate the need for remedial classes or shorten their time in those classes, he said.

Also, he said, a comparison of students who took college math courses after EdReady versus those who took college math after a remedial class showed the former outperformed the latter.

"Almost completely across the board, the students that had used EdReady cumulatively had a higher grade point average in all but one of the 10 freshman math classes that were offered," Currie said.

The program is a benefit to students across Montana and a credit to the Washington Foundation, he said.

"We are very proud of the fact that they felt that our work in the first three years was worthy of an additional five years to expand this to more students and people across the state of Montana," Currie said. "And we are the first in the nation to offer this on a statewide basis."

In the next nine to 12 months, EdReady will unroll a program aimed at improving English and writing skills, he said. Down the road in possibly five years, the academy plans to offer JobReady, designed to identify and close gaps in people's job-related math skills so they can "hit the ground running" at work.

In a statement, Washington Foundation executive director Mike Halligan said the expansion of EdReady is "a bridge that connects our entire education system to careers and job creators helping to increase the pool of qualified employees for employers across the state."

Currie said other states are looking to Montana as a model for EdReady, and UM has conducted training in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Denver. In the future, UM might host trainings here for people from other states.

"The EdReady program was primarily designed by the National Repository of Online Courses, with the financial backing of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation," according to the UM Foundation.
Panelists dove into racism and sexism in this year's presidential campaign on Thursday, pointing out flaws not only in sound bites, but deep-seated racism and sexism in the United States, how it influences today's political conversation, and biases in their own worlds.

On the heels of the third and final presidential debate, in which GOP candidate Donald Trump called Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton "such a nasty woman" and said "we have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out," YWCA Missoula hosted a panel to discuss racism and sexism in the 2016 election.

The panel featured Ben Langford and Lillian Alvernaz, both University of Montana law students and both of whom are Democrats. It was moderated by Lee Banville, associate professor of journalism at UM.

Members of Missoula Republicans and Western Native Voice were supposed to be on the panel, but had to drop out at the last minute.

Banville asked how the national political discussion can possibly delve into the complexities of race and gender when much of this year's presidential campaign has been candidates "pummeling" each other.

"One thing I was troubled by ... is the emails that discussed how the Democratic Party was approaching the Black Lives Matter movement," Langford said. "What that speaks to is it does play into the narrative, while I don't think it's true, that the Democratic Party wants to use that as a way to win ... without getting too close to alienating the people that might alienate."

He worries that while Democrats voice support of BLM and other social justice movements, it's sometimes "disingenuous" and only to win votes, rather than to enact real change.

"It's, 'We're not saying as terrible things about you as the other guys.' That's not solidarity," he said. "That's not you solving the problem, that's you letting the other side give you an advantage you're happy to use."

But he understands why.

It translates to Denise Juneau's campaign, Langford and Alvernaz said. Juneau has gained national attention this year; if she wins Montana's sole House seat held by Republican Ryan Zinke, she would be the first Native American woman elected to Congress.

While she champions Native issues, she has not taken any position on the Standing Rock protests along construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

It's an unfortunate reality, Langford said, but if Juneau were to publicly support Standing Rock, she would lose scores of votes.

***

The theme of this election has been picking the "less bad" candidate, Banville said.

That's come out in part around the issue of sexual assault, which Langford said has become "so weaponized," rather than talking about solutions.

More and more sexual assault allegations against Trump have come to light. He has denied all of them, instead deflecting to allegations against Clinton's husband, Bill, as he did during Wednesday's debate.

"One guy is saying, 'I may sexually assault you, but I'm not as bad as your sexually assaultive husband,' " Langford said. "That isn't a discussion that gets to the issue of wow, we have an incredibly high number of sexual assaults."

It feeds into gender's role in the election, something that is perhaps most obvious, Langford said, in the fact that there's been so much focus on Clinton's appearance and the way she dresses.

Banville called this a "bizarrely historic" moment: the possibility of moving from our first black president to our first female president.

"And yet we're talking about core dysfunctional problems and how we deal with these issues of sexism and racism," he said. "How much of American politics is driven by ... embedded sexism and racism? Or is it more this is something that individuals and voters deal with but the system isn't built by it?"

Langford referenced a belief among some white people who believe President Barack Obama has favored minorities at the expense of white people.

"There's never the inverse thought," Langford said. "Doesn't that mean that 40-plus presidents who looked a lot more like me maybe skewed it? That disconnect, I think, shows why it's embedded."

***

While both Langford and Alvernaz took issue with the news media's coverage of this presidential election, part of the problem, they said, lies with the consumers.

Most Americans, they said, consume news media that mirrors their beliefs and values.

"People don't like policies they can't see helping them," Langford said.

Democrats are seen today as the party that supports minorities. Why hasn't the GOP pushed the issue? Banville asked.

Alvernaz said it's because the GOP doesn't have to, since it appeals to the majority: white voters.

It's not as if racism is new this year, they said.

"I've always known that racism is alive and well," said Alvernaz, who is Native American.

But, she said, Trump has enabled it throughout this election.

Is it starting a much-needed national discussion about racism in America, Alvernaz wondered, or is giving racist views a platform "enabling these people and saying it's OK."
Every election I am asked by numerous people who to vote for and which initiatives to support. Although I recognize I may be stepping on some toes, I am also cognizant we are blessed to be part of a democracy where spirited discussion is the foundation of governance. My hope is we can disagree, without being disagreeable. Thus, I am setting forth my recommendations on judicial races and those initiatives that intersect with the justice system. I will only say positive things about people, but will be critical on the issues as needed.

I am prohibited by the Canon of Judicial Conduct to endorse in partisan races, though some case law suggests a judge does not give up his freedom of expression rights just because he is a judge. To be safe, however, I not will push that boundary and will only address judicial races and those issues affecting the justice system.

***

Retain McGrath and Shea

Starting with the Montana Supreme Court races, I wholeheartedly endorse Chief Justice Mike McGrath and Justice Jim Shea to be retained for this important office. Neither has an opponent, so this is easy. However, I am impressed with both McGrath and Shea. The absolute best thing the chief justice has done is speed up the timeframe when decisions are rendered. This is a huge benefit, both for the parties and for the justice system generally. I have been so impressed with the chief that I nominated him for the lifetime achievement award through the Crime Board several years ago. I was pleased he received this award. Shea is an awfully nice fellow who has done a fine job on the court. Both McGrath and Shea should be retained.

***

Vote Kristen Juras

A contested race for the Supreme Court pits Kristen Juras versus Dirk Sandefur. I am supporting Juras in this race. While both are good people, I am convinced Juras has the right temperament, background and legal expertise to make an excellent Supreme Court justice. Juras has been in private practice and has an extensive background in business, agricultural law and property/water rights. Juras received an AV preeminent rating from her peers, which considers both legal knowledge and ethical standards. Juras is also an esteemed law school professor who has taught taxation, contracts, business law, property law, agricultural law and estate planningall subjects that will be of immeasurable benefit on the Supreme Court.

***

Support Constitutional Initiative 116

Constitutional Initiative 116, called Marsys law, was the subject of a previous column. I support CI-116, which establishes specific crime victims rights. These include the right of a victim to be heard at court, notification of hearings and case developments, and input on prosecutorial decisions. While these benefits currently exist in the 13th, I am not sure that is the case statewide. Having these rights enumerated is a worthwhile idea, though provision 1(f) will probably be struck down as unconstitutional. This provision allows a victim the right to refuse an interview with the defendant, which I suspect is in conflict with our constitutional right to confrontation.

***

Oppose Initiative 182

Last, I oppose Initiative 182, regarding marijuana. I-182 expands medical marijuana rights in Montana. I discussed medical marijuana in a December column. Although I voted for the legalization of medical marijuana in 2004, it soon became apparent that was an ill-disguised ruse to essentially legalize marijuana. Doctors were writing prescriptions for patients they saw for three minutes.

I-182 scraps the limit of three patients for each provider and scraps the requirement that doctors who provide certification for more than 25 patients be referred to the board of medical examinersboth requirements were part of the legislative fix of this issue. Bottom line: marijuana is up to seven times more potent than it was in the 1970s (University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Institute), and negatively impairs the brain (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Our society has enough problems with drugs. Lets not add to those problems.
This November, voters will be asked to vote on Constitutional Initiative 116, Marsys Law. If approved, this initiative will add a section 36 to Article II of Montanas Constitution setting out some 20 specific rights of crime victims. Reading the proposed amendment, one can hardly argue with its compassionate language; we can all agree that crime victims should be treated with dignity and respect and should not be re-victimized by the criminal justice system. But there are some hidden problems that voters should be aware of.

First, the proposed amendment is a solution in search of a problem. Montanas legislature has already enacted a comprehensive body of laws that provide virtually the same victims rights as does CI-116.

Second, it is wrong to assume that police officers, prosecutors and judges, among others, presently ignore the plight of crime victims. They dont, based on my 40-plus years of experience as a former prosecutor working with state and federal law enforcement and as Supreme Court justice.

Third, constitutionalizing victims rights, especially given the overly broad language of the amendment, creates numerous hidden problems. For example:

If one of the victim's (and that term is very broadly defined) numerous constitutional rights is violated, she or he is entitled to file suit for a remedy, which the court must fashion. This suit can be brought directly under the new amendment since it is self executingsomething very rare in constitutional law. The victim will likely need the assistance of an attorney to file suitbut there is no provision for appointed counsel; so hiring an attorney is on the victims dime.

That leads to another problem: law enforcement, prosecutors and judges all enjoy some form of immunity from suit. Thus, if the victim intends to sue one or more of those officials for monetary damages, that remedy will probably be 99 percent unsuccessful. And, unless the victims attorney has some likelihood of getting paid (out of a damage award), it will be difficult for the victim to hire counsel. Moreover, the taxpayers are going to wind up defending or dealing with any suit that the victim brings. And all facets of the criminal justice system are already grossly understaffed and underfunded.

But, here is the worst problem. In enforcing the victims constitutional rights, the defendants constitutional rights may be violated. For example, the victim can do that by preventing the defendants counsel from interviewing the victim and some witnesses. If the defendants constitutional rights to a fair trial, to due process, to effective assistance of counsel, to confront and meet accusers and witnesses face to face and to compulsory process for witnesses, both Montana and federal constitutional law may require that the charges against the defendant be dismissed or may require a second trialthe victims rights notwithstanding. That, obviously, is the last thing a crime victim needs.

If victims rights are truly a concern, then voters and victims should insist that the present statutory protections be adequately funded and enforced. There is always the remedy of the ballot box for public officials who wont perform their duties.

Marsys Law is, in many respects, illusory. It is going to create more problemsand expensive onesthan it solves. Voters should read their Montana Voter Information Pamphlet and should think very carefully before voting for CI-116.
The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) is an organization dedicated to the preservation of a fair and impartial judiciary and the right to trial by jury. Recently, we have seen attacks upon Montana District Judge Dirk Sandefur, who is currently seeking election to a seat on the Supreme Court of Montana.

These attacks attempt to create the impression that Sandefur has given lenient sentences. The fact is, the sentences handed down by Sandefur in each instance were consistent with the recommendations of the prosecuting attorneys.

ABOTA, the American Board of Trial Advocates, is an invitation-only organization dedicated to defending the American civil justice system and elevating the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession. ABOTA members are represented equally between both plaintiff and defense lawyers and includes state and federal judges. ABOTA has a long history of responding to unfair attacks on judges who cannot respond for themselves and believes that political and special interest interference in the judicial system is contrary to the American concept of justice.

The Montana Chapter of ABOTA considers this attack on a district judge to be misleading, unwarranted and unfair. As such, it is a threat to the independence of the judiciary and to the rule of law. An independent, fair and impartial judiciary is the bulwark against the whims, wishes and demands of the government and other special interests.

The Montana Chapter of ABOTA stands for respect of our judicial system and the right of trial by jury as we believe such principles are fundamental to preserving our democracy. Our judicial system cannot function without the lawyers, the litigants and the courts treating each other with civility. It is a system upon which the public can have confidence in and accept the outcome of each case.

This should not be considered an endorsement of either candidate seeking election to the Montana Supreme Court. Montana ABOTA does not endorse political candidates nor does Montana ABOTA become involved in political races.
So what do you think is important in this presidential election? Are you interested in free tuition for college? How about equal pay for equal work? Perhaps womens rights is your cause or, just maybe, you are looking for a perfect candidate in every aspect. Each of us has his or her priorities when we consider our choice, and this year all of us are challenged by the options we have. On the one hand we have a woman with over 30 years of experience in the public sector; on the other we have a billionaire businessman with no prior political experience whatsoever. Who should lead the country and why?

The woman, throughout her long career as a politician, has demonstrated time and again that she is not averse to lying or using her position of power to acquire her own wealth. The man has demonstrated that he is not above lusting after beautiful women and bragging about it to his confidantes. This is not an ideal slate from which to choose, but perhaps theres a way to look at this race that will make the choice easier.

That way is to consider the problems that our nation currently faces rather than consider the personal character of the candidates. That approach sets aside a cherished prerequisite that many use to decide their votes, but it looms as an unfortunate reality today.

Perhaps the greatest issue in this election is filling the Supreme Court vacancy. The wrong choice could threaten the free exercise of religion, the Second Amendment, even the First Amendment as well as other parts of our Constitution, which has endured assault from liberal courts for decades. When one also considers illegal immigration, terrorism and the economy, the choice is clear. It has to be Donald Trumpnever Hillary Clinton.

Ward S. DeWitt,

Missoula
Connie Poten, secretary and coordinator of ballot Initiative 177, says, "Steel traps and (so-called) snares are like landmines left behind after war. When caught, people and their pets suffer significant trauma. Many pets have died."

In 2005, months after leaving the U.S. Marine Corps School of Infantry, myself and a handful of other Marines from our unit got notified we were headed to Iraq as casualty replacements for 3/25. While there, part of our Marine Regiment, Lima Company, was hit by one of these landmines, killing 14 Marines, including one from Montana, along with the Iraq interpreter.
The sordid path towards destruction of democratic processes by the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, currently plays out in Montana's judicial election. Obscene amounts of outside money attempt to buy a judgeship for Kristen Juras, a patently incompetent candidate.

The ruling permits independent expenditures and financing electioneering communications - allowing spending of unlimited sums to elect or defeat candidates. In Montana, therefor, were reliving days of robber barons, individuals and groups attempting to buy elections.

Judicial elections pose greater threats to sanity in conduct of voting for those qualified to serve. Montana's judicial elections were welcome historic anomalies; candidates were chosen for prospective competence to serve, absent both party bias and obligation to those whose wealth might influence court decisions. That, unfortunately, is no more.

Kristen Juras, opposing District Judge Dirk Sandefor, is unqualified by virtue of education, experience, understanding of issues at hand, judicial temperament and most importantly the blatant existence of bias. Her history includes undertakings on behalf of corporations whose interests directly oppose those of Montana citizens, and shes taken positions depicting opposition to a fair and impartial judiciary.

With Sandefur Montanans can exult in electing a candidate with a broad professional history and proven skills indispensable for analysis and decision-making in criminal and civil cases. Sandefur has sat as district court judge for 14 years, been a designated Supreme Court justice at request of the chief justice, was in private law practice, served as public defender, has dealt with every type of civil and criminal case. Importantly, and in stark contrast to his opponent, he is not beholden to party or special interest.

Having long devoted his career to fairness, impartiality and independence, hell continue that commitment as Montana Supreme Court justice.

We are fortunate for the opportunity to elect Judge Sandefur.

Dan Lourie,

Bozeman
BUTTE  Butte lived up to its reputation as one of the most Irish cities in America with a visit Thursday from the Irish ambassador to the United States, Anne Anderson.

Anderson is in Montana this week for the American Conference for Irish Studies in Missoula. During her Thursday itinerary, she took a bus tour of Anaconda and later Butte, where she attended a reception at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives.

She also visited the memorial for the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine disaster, where nearly 200 men died, and read letters written by people whose lives were touched by the fire.

That memorial, it would move you to tears, really, said Anderson in a talk she gave during the reception. Both the story of what happened, but particularly those letters, with such courage and fortitude and the heroism that was in evidence there.

Anderson also spoke on the experiences of Irish immigrants, who uprooted themselves from their homeland and tried to carve out a life in an unfamiliar place.

It is genuinely really moving to come to Butte, listening to the national anthem being sung here in this room, said Anderson. A tremendous sense of continuity and pride and thinking back to those who originally came here from Ireland.

The adjustment to the life here must have been so challenging for them in so many ways. A different climate, the different culture, the different landscape, the rigors of the mines, she continued. What it must have been like  and the courage and grit it took to settle in and make a home of it.

After the reception, Anderson spoke with the Montana Standard.

She said that, although this is her first visit to Montana, shes heard people in Ireland speak of the Mining City before, especially in the Beara Peninsula, where many of Buttes Irish originated.

She said what keeps ties between Butte and Ireland strong is their pride in a common ancestry. She pointed out that cultural activities in Butte, such as the An Ri Ra Irish festival, helps to connect young people to their roots.

Butte Irish turned out to see the ambassador, including Lee Whitney, who was a contributor to the book Butte's Irish Heart.

Whitney said Butte was once an Irish stronghold in the United States, boasting a per-capita population of Irish immigrants that rivaled cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

Whitney grew up in Dublin Gulch, which she said was just one of several Irish neighborhoods that also included Corktown, Muckerville and Anaconda Road.

Many of Buttes Irish came for the copper mines. And as Whitney noted, mucker comes from a term that refers to someone who shovels ore or waste into mine cars.

We had a great childhood, all of us, said Whitney of her life in Dublin Gulch. We are pretty proud of the fact that we came from such an Irish neighborhood and that spirit, that same spirit that brought those people here, exists today in Butte.

Cindy Powers, founder of the Tiernan Irish Dancers in Butte, also came to the archives on Quartz Street to see the ambassador.

Her husband, Tom Powers, is in an Irish band called Dublin Gulch, and he sang the Irish National Anthem during the event.

Chief Executive Matt Vincent presented the ambassador with a bottle of Headframe Spirits Orphan Girl Bourbon Liquor  Buttes version of Irish cream whiskey.

Vincent said headframe refers to the mining gallows that dot the landscape in Butte, and he pointed out that each mine had a name, including the Orphan Girl.

(Given) the fact that Butte has a higher number of Irish per capita than any place in America, at 27 percent, the chances are that the Orphan Girl, although shes not named, is probably Irish.

Indeed, there were many orphaned girls in Butte whose fathers met their demise below ground.

St. Marys Church, a largely Irish Catholic congregation, was known as the parish of widows.

According to church records from 1929, 22 percent of female parishioners were widows.

However, one of the most horrific mining accidents in Butte was the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire.

On that tragic day in 1917, a lamp ignited an electrical cable more than 2,400 feet below the earths surface. As the fire spread, it consumed the oxygen in the well-ventilated mines, leaving the men trapped inside gasping for air.

When all was said and done, 168 men lost their lives, many of them Irish.

Following Thursdays visit, Anderson boarded the chartered bus to return to Missoula for the rest of the conference.

What remains clear, however, is that Anderson feels at home in Butte.

She told attendees that shes happy to see Irish culture is alive and well in the Mining City.

This is our town and it feels like our town, she said.
HAMILTON  A Corvallis man has been charged with poaching a trophy white-tailed deer and letting a bear that he allegedly illegally killed rot in an unplugged freezer.

Justin Carl Cook, 37, posted a $15,000 bond while awaiting an initial appearance on felony and several misdemeanor counts.

The investigation into the alleged poaching began in May after someone called state game wardens to report a bad odor coming from a freezer at a cabin on Soft Rock Road, according to a charging affidavit.

The freezer apparently was unplugged after Cook was evicted from the property a few weeks earlier.

The wardens learned that Cook and a woman had been living at property for several years. With the property owners consent, the wardens looked inside the freezer and found a rolled-up deer and bear hide. Neither had any licenses or tags attached.

The freezer also contained wrapped and labeled bear and deer meat that had spoiled, according to the charging documents.

A check of the states automated licensing system found that Cook had purchased deer licenses in 2008, 2011 and 2014. He had never bought a black bear license or obtained a special mule deer permit.

Through a course of interviews with both Cook and the woman he was living with at the Soft Rock residence and subsequent searches of Cooks home and cellphone, the wardens learned that Cook allegedly killed a trophy white-tailed deer, a mule deer and bear without licenses to do so.

The affidavit said Cook killed the trophy whitetail in 2012 and used the license of another person to tag it.

Cook told the wardens that he killed the black bear after it got into his chicken coop and attacked his dog. The affidavit said Cook didnt report the attack, failed to surrender the carcass, had never purchased a black bear license or reported the harvest, which are all required by law.

A black bear paw was later found at Cooks new residence in Corvallis.

The affidavit also charged that Cook shot a mule deer buck in Hunting District 261 on or about Nov. 3, 2014. State records showed Cook didnt purchase a general deer license until Nov. 13, nine days after photographs of the dead deer were taken.

The mule deer was allegedly shot in a district that required a special permit. Cook did not have one.

Cook was cited in 2004 by the California Department of Fish and Game for spotlighting a buck out of season and discharging a weapon within 150 yards of a residence. Cook didnt appear on those charges and subsequently moved to Montana.

Cook faces a felony count of unlawful possession of illegally killed game animal for the trophy white-tailed buck. He was also charged with three counts of unlawful possession of a game animal, hunting without a license, waste of a game animal, hunting without a permit and unlawful possession of an antlered mule deer hide, all misdemeanors.

Cook is scheduled to appear before Ravalli County Justice Jim Bailey.
WEST GLACIER  A Secretarial Order from Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell encouraging cooperative management opportunities between public land and water managers, and federally recognized Indian tribes, will have little effect on Glacier National Park, its superintendent says.

Quite honestly, I believe it will boil down to reporting requirements on what weve already got in place, Jeff Mow said Friday, the day the order was announced.

The park has conferred with local tribes on a range of issues for years, Mow said, including fisheries, grizzly bears and plant species.

Glacier is even working with its closest Native American neighbors, the Blackfeet, on that tribes efforts to reintroduce a wild bison herd that would likely roam inside and outside Glaciers borders.

The restoration of free-range wild bison is of huge mutual interest for agencies and tribes, Mow said. Between that and tribes and parks involvement with Crown of the Continent groups, there is collaboration on a variety of issues, the superintendent said.

Weve got a lot going, Mow said.

***

Jewell announced the order Friday in Fairbanks, Alaska, at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives Conference.

It sets out a framework to ensure that Native communities have the opportunity to assume meaningful and substantive roles in managing public lands that have special geographical, historical and cultural connections to the tribes, according to the Interior Department.

The order covers far more than national parks. In addition to the National Park Service, it applies to the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

This Secretarial Order reflects the Obama administrations deep commitment to strengthen respect between the United States government and Native American and Alaska Native leaders and communities, while boosting our efforts to increase tribal self-determination and self-governance, Jewell said in announcing the order.

This kind of collaboration with tribal nations, she added, will help ensure that were appropriately and genuinely integrating indigenous expertise, experience and perspective into the management of public lands.

***

According to the Interior Department, the order guides Interiors land and water management agencies to identify opportunities, consult with tribes, and implement cooperative management agreements or other collaborative partnerships that relate to:

 management of fish and wildlife resources,

 identification, protection, preservation and management of cultural sites,

 management of plant resources, including collection of plant material,

 delivery of specific programs and services,

 management and implementation of agency-related maintenance activities,

 managing public information related to tribal, cultural and education materials.

It does not address co-management situations where there is a specific legal basis requiring co-management of natural resources with tribes.

Neither did the announcement mention the National Bison Range at Moiese, where the Fish and Wildlife Service has offered to back legislation  which has not yet been introduced, and which a conservation group has sued to stop  to return the wildlife refuge to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as long as it remains open to the public.

***

Not only does Glacier Park already collaborate with the Blackfeet and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana, Mow said  its even involved with First Nations in Canada concerning international transboundary issues.

Park officials have recently been in both Banff and Lethbridge for such meetings, according to the superintendent.

Jewells order could expand the topics the park confers with tribes on, Mow said.

Tourism is a big issue, he said. Here at Glacier, our cup runneth over. Glacier cant expand its boundaries, but we could develop a seamless boundary that helps local communities, including those on the Blackfeet Reservation, improve their economies.

People who stay at Glacier Park Lodge certainly feel like theyre in Glacier Park, he said, but the truth is it sits on the reservation. There may be other opportunities for a park-like experience outside Glaciers borders, Mow said.

The order could also provide a way for public land managers to share their best practices when it comes to involving Native Americans more fully in management decisions.

By being more systematic about how we all do it, well begin to share ideas, Mow said.

Deputy Secretary Michael L. Connor, a champion of collaborative management opportunities with indigenous communities, said Jewells order is guided by the Interior Departments federal trust responsibilities.

Cooperative management and other collaborative partnerships with tribes help ensure the protection of public lands and resources, guides appropriate development, and assists in better understanding and addressing the effects of climate change, Connor said.
HELENA  The president of the Montana Senate, Republican Debby Barrett, is asking for an investigation into allegations of questionable spending within the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Former Montana auditors accused state officials of discouraging DPHHS staffers from investigating a variety of payments dating back to 2005. The accusations appeared in a Helena Independent Record story.

At the time, Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, said through a spokeswoman that when he was attorney general, he forwarded those concerns to the legislative auditor, who found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Angus Maciver, who took over as legislative auditor this summer, said he "found no such reports sent to his division by the then-attorney general" but added the Attorney General's office sometimes asks auditors for help in their own investigations.

DPPHS Director Richard Opper said Barrett's request was politically motivated and "without basis.''

Barrett asked the audit division to investigate allegations:

 That a Columbia Falls vendor used more than $536,000 in federal money that was meant for financial literacy and job training to buy construction materials and equipment;

 That $4.1 million in federal money meant to defray the cost of enrolling children from low-income families in Medicaid was instead diverted to disability, drug addiction and senior care vendors;

 That internal agency auditors were not allowed to fully investigate transactions, "sometimes through bullying or being warned not to adopt a 'gotcha attitude' toward contractors';

 That two DPHHS employees were told by Bullock to push through "questionable welfare payments" to important Democratic voting blocs;

 That "state officials have accused employees of insubordination as a means of getting rid of those who speak out";

 That at least seven employees who raised red flags were fired or demoted and three who raised questions were accused of insubordination before being fired.

Opper, the DPHHS director, said the allegations "are factually inaccurate."

"It's disheartening that Senator Barrett would want to use tax dollars to fuel baseless political attacks," Opper said.

Barrett asked for a report of the findings during the upcoming legislative session, which starts Jan. 2 and adjourns sometime in April.
The Missoula City-County Board of Health and the Missoula Valley Water Quality District Board of Directors are seeking to fill several vacancies on the Water Quality Advisory Council.

The Water Quality Advisory Council is a group of 20 scientists, technical specialists, citizens, and water users which advise the Board and Department on water quality throughout Missoula County. The volunteer positions are for a two-year term. The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m., in Missoula, at the Health Department, second floor conference room, 301 W. Alder. The Tuesday, Nov. 8, meeting will be rescheduled due to Election Day.

The department is particularly interested in applicants have background in water quality, wastewater treatment, chemistry, hydrogeology, microbiology, toxicology, aquatic ecology, soil science, and other related fields, who represent water users or who are particularly interested in ground water and surface water quality in Missoula County.

During the past several years the Council has addressed, storm water management, channel migration zone studies, cleanup of the Milltown and Clark Fork Superfund sites, former Stimson and Smurfit-Stone mills, sewers and septic systems, riparian area protection, local and state water regulations.

Persons interested in applying may send a letter of application stating their interest and background to Ross Miller, Missoula City-County Board of Health/ Water Quality District Board, 301 W. Alder, Missoula MT 59802.

Applications should be sent electronically to pnielsen@missoulacounty.us. Applications should be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.

Missoulian Staff
The Treasure States current  and possibly future  treasure lies with ordinary rock mining, a state official said Thursday at a mining symposium in Butte.

Ordinary rocks are the predominant mining commodity for the state.

Rock quarries and rock picking take up nearly half of the land Montana Department of Environmental Quality permits for mining, said DEQ geochemist Garrett Smith in a presentation to about 40 people at the Minerals and Mining Symposium at Montana Tech.

Rock mining can provide everything from construction gravel to decorative stone. Smith said most rock quarries and rock picking, which is a shallow operation, are in Central Montana. But Smith said potential exists for rock mining to be a growth industry for Southwest Montana.

With a number of small-scale sand and gravel pits between Butte and Dillon and between Butte and Bozeman, some of the industry already is in this part of the state. One of the larger rock quarries in Southwest Montana is Dennis Washington-owned Pipestone Quarry about 20 miles east of Butte. Montana Resources' vice president of human resources Mike McGivern said Pipestone Quarry's biggest buyer of rock is MR. MR is using the crushed rock to enlarge its tailings dam. Pipestone Quarry primarily provides crushed rock for railroad tracks.

The only base metal mine operating in the state is MR, Smith said. MR weathered the commodity pricing slump of 2016 and put millions back into the company.

Whitehall's Golden Sunlight is the only precious metal mine operative in Montana. Located 25 miles east of Butte, Golden Sunlight laid off most of its work force last year. But the Barrick-owned, Toronto-based operation maintains a small underground gold mine snaking around the former open pit mine. Golden Sunlight is also exploring opening another mine north of its current operation, Smith said.

All other base metal and precious metal mines in the state are in limbo, Smith said. That includes Butte Highlands Joint Venture, a gold mine trying to get off the ground 15 miles south of Butte.

Tech graduate student Kyle Eastman, 28, who is studying economic geology, a field concerned with mineral resources, attended Smiths talk.

Hearing Smith's talk on the economic possibilities of rock mining would not impact his career choice despite the effects depressed commodity prices have had on metals mines. Eastman predicted nonrenewable resources' pricing will rise again because that's the nature of a cyclical business.

"As there's a greater need for these things, prices rise," Eastman said.
Butte lived up to its reputation as one of the most Irish cities in America with a visit Thursday from the Irish ambassador to the United States, Anne Anderson.

Anderson is in Montana this week for the American Conference for Irish Studies in Missoula. During her Thursday itinerary, she took a bus tour of Anaconda and later Butte, where she attended a reception at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives.

She also visited the memorial for the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine disaster, where nearly 200 men died, and read letters written by people whose lives were touched by the fire.

That memorial, it would move you to tears, really, said Anderson in a talk she gave during the reception. Both the story of what happened, but particularly those letters, with such courage and fortitude and the heroism that was in evidence there.

Anderson also spoke on the experiences of Irish immigrants, who uprooted themselves from their homeland and tried to carve out a life in an unfamiliar place.

It is genuinely really moving to come to Butte, listening to the national anthem being sung here in this room, said Anderson. A tremendous sense of continuity and pride and thinking back to those who originally came here from Ireland.

The adjustment to the life here must have been so challenging for them in so many ways. A different climate, the different culture, the different landscape, the rigors of the mines, she continued. What it must have been like and the courage and grit it took to settle in and make a home of it.

After the reception, Anderson spoke with The Montana Standard.

She said that, although this is her first visit to Montana, shes heard people in Ireland speak of the Mining City before, especially in the Beara Peninsula, where many of Buttes Irish originated.

She said what keeps ties between Butte and Ireland strong is the people's pride in a common ancestry. She pointed out that cultural activities in Butte, such as the An Ri Ra Irish festival, help to connect young people to their roots.

Butte Irish turned out to see the ambassador, including Lee Whitney, who was a contributor to the book Butte's Irish Heart.

Whitney said Butte was once an Irish stronghold in the United States, boasting a per-capita population of Irish immigrants that rivaled cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Whitney grew up in Dublin Gulch, which she said was just one of several Irish neighborhoods that also included Corktown, Muckerville, and Anaconda Road.

Many of Buttes Irish came for the copper mines. As Whitney noted, mucker comes from a term that refers to someone who shovels ore or waste into mine cars.

We had a great childhood, all of us, said Whitney of her life in Dublin Gulch. We are pretty proud of the fact that we came from such an Irish neighborhood and that sprit, that same spirit that brought those people here, exists today in Butte.

Cindy Powers, founder of the Tiernan Irish Dancers in Butte, also came to the Archives on Quartz Street to see the ambassador.

Her husband Tom Powers is in an Irish band called Dublin Gulch, and he sang the Irish National Anthem during the event.

The Montana Standard asked Powers how Butte residents manage to keep Irish heritage alive.

I think the two are just so deeply linked. And its a heritage that everyone is proud to carry forward, she said.

These sentiments were echoed by several speakers during the reception.

Chief Executive Matt Vincent presented the ambassador with a bottle of Headframe Spirits Orphan Girl Bourbon Liquor  Buttes version of Irish cream whiskey.

Vincent said headframe refers to the mining gallows that dot the landscape in Butte, and he pointed out that each mine had a name, including the Orphan Girl.

(Given) the fact that Butte has a higher number of Irish per capita than any place in America, at 27 percent, the chances are that the Orphan Girl, although shes not named, is probably Irish.

Indeed  there were many orphaned girls in Butte whose fathers met their demise below ground.

St. Marys Church, a largely Irish Catholic congregation, was known as the parish of widows.

According to church records from 1929, 22 percent of female parishioners were widows.

However, one of the most horrific mining accidents in Butte was the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire.

On that tragic day in 1917, a lamp ignited an electrical cable more than 2,400 feet below the earths surface. As the fire spread, it consumed the oxygen in the well-ventilated mines, leaving the men trapped inside gasping for air.

When all was said and done, 168 men lost their lives, many of them Irish.

Following Thursdays visit, Anderson boarded the chartered bus to return to Missoula for the rest of the conference.

What remains clear, however, is that Anderson feels at home in Butte.

She told attendees that shes happy to see Irish culture is alive and well in the Mining City.

This is our town, and it feels like our town, she said.
LAS VEGAS -- In the middle of the Strip, a few blocks from the hulking Trump International Hotel, the famous Mirage Volcano has been delighting tourists for 27 years with its faux eruptions, spewing fire, smoke and water 100 feet into the air.

A small sign at the volcano's base announces, "Volcano show eruptions Sunday through Thursday, 8 p.m. and 9 p.m."

But there were a series of additional eruptions in Las Vegas on Wednesday night at the third and final presidential debate here. Donald Trump erupted at 6:30 p.m. local time. And 6:34. And 6:48. And 6:52. And 6:54. And then, at 7:06, the crater blew off, leaving a gaping caldera where Trump's presidential campaign once stood.

Fox News's Chris Wallace, the moderator, asked Trump whether he would "absolutely accept the result of this election."

"I will look at it at the time," Trump said, suggesting that "what I've seen is so bad" in terms of corruption.

"But sir," Wallace persisted, admirably reminding Trump that "one of the prides of this country is the peaceful transition of power and that no matter how hard-fought a campaign is, that at the end of the campaign that the loser concedes to the winner." Wallace asked again: "Are you saying you're not prepared now to commit to that principle?"

"I will tell you at the time," Trump replied. "I'll keep you in suspense, OK?"

Suspense? The refusal to accept this bedrock principle of democracy was shocking, even for a candidate who had told audiences about a "rigged" and "stolen" election. And it should pour hot lava on any notion that Trump is going to revive his candidacy in the final 20 days.

Ironically, Trump had tried to keep his magma cool -- and he succeeded for the first half-hour of the debate. Wallace kept the focus firmly on policy, and Trump and Hillary Clinton gave the voters a lot of what they've asked for during the campaign: talk about the Second Amendment, abortion policy, immigration, nuclear weapons.

But gradually, with Clinton's baiting, Trump began to rumble.

On Clinton's accusation that he's Vladimir Putin's puppet: "No puppet. No puppet. You're the puppet!"

On Clinton generally: "She's been proven to be a liar in so many different ways, this is just another lie."

Gradually, the interruptions increased. "Wrong!" he said when Clinton justifiably said he had been cavalier about nuclear weapons. "Wrong!" he said when Clinton correctly noted that he mocked a disabled reporter. When Clinton tried to "translate" something Trump had said, he blurted out: "You can't!" When Wallace asked a tough question, Trump interrupted to pronounce the moderator "correct."

But it was when the topic turned to his treatment of women that Trump truly began to spew molten rock.

"Give me a break!" Trump interjected when Clinton mentioned, correctly, that he had called former Miss Universe Alicia Machado "an eating machine."

He said the nine women who accused him of sexual misconduct were spouting "lies" and "fiction" and trying to get "their 10 minutes of fame."

He said, without evidence, that the accusers were probably brought out by Clinton "and her sleazy campaign." Declared Trump, "I didn't even apologize to my wife, who's sitting right here, because I didn't do anything."

Trump needed to change the race in a big way Wednesday night. Clinton leads Trump nationally by an average of seven points in polls, and The Washington Post's surveys of 15 battleground states show Clinton with a significant lead in states that together add up to 304 electoral votes, to Trump's 138. Ed Rollins, the head of the pro-Trump Great America super PAC, told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham that it "would take a miracle at this point" for Trump to win the election.

If he is to have any hope of winning, Trump needs to expand his appeal to a broader swath of the electorate. But Trump, rather than taking the race in a new direction, decided to do what he's done before when his back is to the wall: lash out with fury.

He set the tone for the last debate by inviting President Obama's half brother, a Trump backer, to the debate, along with the mother who accuses Clinton of murdering her son in Benghazi and a woman who just accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault.

At first -- and probably because Wallace chose to begin the debate with substantive issues of policy -- Trump was uncharacteristically mild, even as Hillary Clinton tried to needle him. Clinton noted that "when I was in the Situation Room, monitoring the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, he was hosting the 'Celebrity Apprentice.'" When Trump mentioned that he was staying at his "beautiful hotel" in Las Vegas, the Trump International, Clinton shot back: "Made with Chinese steel."

Clinton mocked Trump's charitable foundation for buying a "six-foot portrait of Donald. I mean, who does that?"

Clinton gradually got under Trump's skin, and he returned to his bombastic form: "She's lied hundreds of times. .?.?. Her crooked campaign. .?.?. She caused the violence."

"Such a nasty woman!" Trump blurted out in the waning moments of the debate.

But Trump did nothing to reduce the likelihood that this "nasty woman" will beat him on Nov. 8 -- whether or not he accepts the results.

Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
Police reports

AGGRAVATED DUI

Justin Huntington, 27, of Butte was arrested for misdemeanor aggravated DUI for having a blood alcohol content double the legal limit early Thursday at Front and Utah. He also faces misdemeanor charges of driving with a suspended or revoked license, failure to show proof of insurance, and careless driving, all misdemeanors. Police stopped Huntington is his vehicle after it was reported he was speeding and swerving in and out of traffic. Officers said he smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test. He also blew twice the legal limit.
Marijuana is dangerous! Vote no on I-182

It cannot be denied that marijuana has medical properties. But proponents of I-182 want you to recognize the medical benefits and deny the significant negative health, social and economic consequences that it has on our communities. Marijuana is neither safe nor harmless. While well-tested pharmaceutical marijuana products may be a valid form of medication, I-182 does not responsibly grant access of medical marijuana with the oversight of medical professionals to patients who may truly benefit from it while knowing the possible risks of taking it. In the meantime

Because marijuana contains psychoactive cannabinoids, substance use disorders resulting from its use are serious and a widespread health problem.

Marijuana use has adverse health consequences including damage to specific organs and tissues and impairments in behavioral and neurological functioning.

Marijuana is the most common drug involved in drugged driving and is a significant cause of highway crashes, injury and death.

Marijuana legalization leads the public to view marijuana as less harmful which increases the rate of marijuana use in youth. While cigarette use has decreased in high school students, marijuana use has increased.

Marijuana is the drug used by an estimated 61% of all Americans suffering from a substance use disorder related to drugs other than alcohol.

It is not in the best interest of Montanans to once again make marijuana more widely available and more acceptable. It didnt work the first time and it wont work again. I-182 is just another attempt by the pro-marijuana advocates to normalize its use in this state.

-- Susan Sullivan, Billings

Vote for public health levy in Jefferson County

I would like to encourage the voters in Jefferson County to vote in favor of the 10 mill levy for the Public Health Department which is on the November 8th ballot.

The ballot lists some of the many things this levy funds, but the one that affects almost everyone in the county is immunizations to help prevent serious illnesses. We have paid it for the last five years, and during that time 3,135 flu shots have been given. A total of 2,010 other vaccines have also been given to county residents. These include shots for children (mumps, measles, rubella, chicken pox, polio, etc), adult and adolescent shots (pneumonia, shingles, Hepatitis A & B, meningitis) as well as TB tests and travel vaccines.

Please vote yes to keep this service available for all of us.

-- Kathy Rux, Boulder

Jesse Laslovich best choice for auditor

First I think it is important to define the job of the State Auditor  it is a state office of regulation  to regulate the insurance and securities industries and to protect the consumers of Montana.

Two candidates are running. Jesse Laslovich, a fourth generation Montanan from Anaconda who has spent his entire adult life working as an advocate for all Montana consumers. The other candidate Matt Rosendale is a retired real estate broker from Baltimore who sold his real estate firm, bought a ranch and relocated to Montana.

Jesse has been a strong advocate for Montana consumers both as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Montana Attorney Generals office and for the last seven years as Chief Legal Counsel for the State Auditors Office. The same office that has helped Montana consumers collect well over $3 million a year in denied claims by insurance companies and another $400 million to victims of securities fraud. That is what a regulators office should do.

Mr. Rosendale wants to make it easier for insurance companies to do business in Montana  does that mean Matt would make it easier for insurance companies to not pay what they owe, leaving consumers to pay costs that the insurance companies rightfully owe? If in the last seven years the average insurance short pay was over $3 million a year. Just imagine what the next four years could look like  once it gets easier. Since he wants to make it easier for insurance companies to take advantage of consumers I can only expect that he would also make it easier for Security Firms to also take advantage of consumers leaving them with potentially millions of dollars in loss due to securities fraud.

Another duty of the Auditors Office is to sit on the Land Board  Jesse has said he is for land access for the public  Matt says he is more qualified for the land board because he has bought and sold property. I think we as Montanans need to explain to Mr. Rosendale that our public lands are not for sale.

In conclusion as the Billings Gazette recently wrote  Laslovich is the most qualified candidate for Montana State Auditor than anyone we can ever remember running for the statewide office.

The auditor's office has 85 employees that monitor and regulate the business of insurance and securities  do we the people of Montana deserve the best, most qualified candidate or a former real estate agent that appears to be more concerned about the business he is supposed to regulate than the Montana consumers?

-- Craig Remsen, Butte

Matt Rosendale best choice for auditor

It is time once again that we, as responsible Montana citizens, all have a duty to fulfill to each other concerning our state government and how its vested power will affect our economy, our businesses, and the individual lives that will be impacted by the way that our tax dollars are spent and the power that is wielded thereby.

This November there is a successful slate of Republicans running for state offices. One of the lesser talked about elections for State Auditor should be on everyone's list as a a key race. We are fortunate to have a serious fiscal conservative running for this seat in Matt Rosendale. As Majority Leader in the Montana Senate Matt proved himself as a leader who will work with public officials on each side of the aisle in order to do what is best for the people of Montana. Matt has received the endorsements from the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, the Stockgrowers' PAC (Montana Agricultural PAC) and the Montana Association of Realtors and has been named a three-time Montana Chamber of Commerce "Champion of Business!"

The time for playing politics is long past and our opportunity soon approaches that we, as Montana citizens, can elect officials who will stop with the politics and just get the job done. Matt has proven that he can do just that. Make a difference and vote Matt Rosendale on November 8th.

John J. Duncan. Bozeman

Vote to support stronger gun laws

This November, we must vote if we want action on gun violence! Twenty percent of Americans, 1 in 5, know someone who has been a victim, or have themselves been victims of gun violence.

The risk of suicide is up to five times higher in gun-owning households, and more than half the women killed by their intimate partners in the U.S. are killed with guns. There is overwhelming public support for stronger gun laws; 85 percent of Americans support expanding background checks on gun sales. Please vote for the safety of our children, our family, and our friends.

-- Janette Reget, Butte

Reader questions Zinke's leadership

Ryan Zinke will make our families safe? He supports the man who has no problem with rogue nations and terrorists having nuclear weapons. This is not the safety l am looking for. Zinke is not the Navy SEAL leader he says he is. He fell right in line with rest of the crew in D.C. that has spent almost $75 million and countless hours and over 50 votes trying to repeal Obama Care to no avail.

His claim that the premiums in Montana are up 50 percent affects less 2 percent of the insured in Montana. He is not representing the Montana we all love and should not be sent back to Washington. He should go back California where all of his contributions come from. They seem to support him out there.

-- Gary Stallings, Butte

Montanans: Show they can't be manipulated

I was surprised by the Oct. 15 Missoulian headline, Trump Leads in Local Poll. After I moved here 40 years ago I learned that Montanans are fiercely independent and self-supporting. Montanans treat each other with respect and dignity, regardless of differences, and being self-supportive includes showing compassion for those who are less fortunate. Todays Montanans do not allow their independence to be eroded by politicians using fear mongering or paranoia to get votes.

I have been proud to be an adopted Montanan to the extent of extolling and embracing Montana virtues and values. I worry that in this election year those values are being stolen away from of us by politicians who do not treat others with respect and dignity, but make fun of those less fortunate or different from the main stream.

Those of us who dutifully pay taxes know that independence comes with a price, and we all share the burden of maintaining our infrastructure, providing each other with public safety (police, fire, etc), and managing public lands (both state and federal) in addition to all the other services and protections we depend upon. Montanans have no use for free-loaders who make a practice of not paying their fair share of taxes.

Independent people accept responsibility for what they do even if they are occasionally shown to be wrong, and they accept constructive criticism graciously. They dont lash out with name-calling and made-up rhetoric in mean-spirited ways.

Furthermore, Montanans dont tolerate men who demean and disrespect women.

A persons character includes personal integrity, compassion and responsibility. That far out-weighs platitudes, sounds bites, grand-standing or attacks on others. This year we have the opportunity to let the rest of the country know that Montanans cant be manipulated or bought by fear, paranoia or radical extremists.

-- Lorena Hills, Missoula
HELENA  Sen. Debby Barrett, R-Dillon, is asking for an investigation into allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

The allegations were the focus of a story that appeared in the Helena Independent Record on Sept. 11. The story said former Montana auditors accused state officials of discouraging Department of Health and Human Services staffers from investigating a variety of questioned payments dating back to 2005.

At the time, Gov. Steve Bullock said through a spokeswoman that, as attorney general, he forwarded those concerns to the legislative auditor, who found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Angus Maciver, who took over as legislative auditor this summer, said his office "found no such reports sent to his division by the then-attorney general" but added the Attorney General's office sometimes asks auditors for help in their own investigations.

Barrett, the senate president, asked the audit division to investigate allegations:

by former internal agency auditors who accused state officials of discouraging DPHHS staffers from investigating a variety of questioned payments going back 11 years;

that a Columbia Falls vendor used more than $536,000 in federal money that was meant for financial literacy and job training to buy construction materials and equipment;

that $4.1 million in federal money meant to defray the cost of enrolling children from low-income families in Medicaid was instead diverted to disability, drug-addiction, and senior-care vendors;

that internal agency auditors were not allowed to fully investigate transactions, "sometimes through bullying or being warned not to adopt a '"gotcha" attitude' toward contractors';

by two DPHHS employees that were told by Bullock to push through "questionable welfare payments" to important Democratic voting blocs;

by Wendy Fredrickson that "state officials have accused employees of insubordination as a means of getting rid of those who speak out"; and

that at least seven employees who raised red flags were fired or demoted and three who raised questions were accused of insubordination before being fired.

Barrett asked for a report of the findings during the upcoming legislative session, which starts Jan. 2 and adjourns sometime in April.

DPHHS Director Richard Opper said Thursday afternoon, "This request is obviously politically motivated without basis. The allegations are factually inaccurate. Its disheartening that Senator Barrett would want to use tax dollars to fuel baseless political attacks sent from a private email account."
Great Falls attorney Kristen Juras sought to undercut the reputation of Cascade County Judge Dirk Sandefur in a new campaign attack Thursday that alleges her opponent violated ethics rules with a television ad that used a backdrop common to judicial campaigns: a courtroom.

Sandefur immediately countered that previous Supreme Court candidates have used courtroom settings in their campaign ads and that, furthermore, he sought  and received  an opinion from the state commissioner of political practices as to the legitimacy of the tactic.

Juras and Sandefur are competing for an open seat on the Montana Supreme Court in a race that has drawn more than $1 million in political fundraising, including by outside groups and at a pace that could surpass a record set in 2014. Much of that campaign cash has been spent on television ads and mailers.

Juras said that Sandefur's use of video footage of himself inside a courtroom is an "obvious violation" of the judicial code that reads, "a judge or a judicial candidate shall not: use court staff, facilities, or other court resources in a campaign for judicial office."

"As a sitting judge, Sandefur is fully aware of these ethical rules. Yet he has deliberately disregarded them in his campaign for the state's highest judicial office," she said in a statement. "The message he is sending out is that he is above the law. He ought to pull those ads down to minimize the damage done."

Sandefur argues that the most critical part of the ethics code, in this instance, is the first few words of that rule, which Juras omitted in her press release: "except as permitted by law." He said he is not, in fact, violating judicial code because he is permitted by law to use images from the courtroom in his campaign, citing an advance opinion he received from the Commissioner of Political Practices.

He also noted that a 2005 attorney general opinion  written by Mike McGrath, who now serves as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court  broadly found that public officials do not give up their rights to free speech so long as that speech is not done on public time or the public's dime. Sandefur said the television ads in question were "filmed in 2015 during non-court hours" and are are no different than numerous other judges who have used images of public buildings in campaign ads.

A cursory web search pulls up numerous such ads, including those used in judicial campaigns by 2014 Supreme Court candidate Lawrence VanDyke, current Supreme Court Justices McGrath and Mike Wheat, Justice Beth Baker of Helena, and Judge Nels Swandal of Livingston.

"Juras' malicious allegations are demonstrably false and defamatory," Sandefur said in a statement. "Whether deliberately or only negligently misleading, Juras' amateurish legal analysis clearly shows not only her lack of legal expertise but also a disturbing lack of personal and professional integrity in attempting such a political smear for political advantage."

Juras disagreed, calling the judicial code an additional layer of rules for judicial candidates that sometimes go above and beyond those set for other candidates in state campaign laws.

"I don't believe (the commissioner of political practices) intended his letter to be an exception to the judicial code of ethics," she said.

Juras Spokesman Chuck Denowh further argued that just because other judicial candidates had used courtroom footage doesn't mean they should have.

"Just because no one has filed a complaint about this before doesn't excuse the practice," Denowh said. "An opinion of the commissioner of political practices does not carry the weight of law, and he's citing an Attorney General opinion that has been supplanted by these rules adopted in 2008. Unless it is expressly authorized, it is prohibited."

Denowh declined to say whether Juras has filed a state bar complaint against Sandefur, saying generally the process is confidential unless the bar decides on disciplinary action.

Members of the state bar and Judicial Standards Commission could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

In March 2015, about a month after Sandefur announced he was running, he sought an advisory opinion from the commissioner of political practices on using photos from his courtroom in campaign ads.

The opinion, written by Jonathan Motl, said Sandefur could use photos taken in his Cascade County courtroom on his campaign website and other campaign materials.

Motl's advisory opinion focused on two issues: public time and public equipment. The opinion assumes Sandefur wouldn't use public equipment to take the photos and points out prohibiting Sandefur from using the photos could create a situation where someone who is not currently a judge could use a courtroom for the backdrop of campaign photos but a judge could not.

Sandefur, in asking for the opinion, pointed out court proceedings are generally open to the public and press to observe and photograph and that when court is not in session, rooms are used for tours, weddings, and political appearances such as appearances by the governor and gatherings including debates.

He also pointed out courtrooms have been used for "occasional judicial campaign photography."

Motl cited a former deputy commissioner of political practice's decision from 2012 saying a photograph of a public employee or officer taken in a building where they work does not equate to using the facility to support the person's election to office.

In that decision, Ken Toole, who was running for the Public Service Commission, used the PSC conference room to take photos for his re-election campaign. One of the photos appeared in a brochure. In that case, Deputy Commissioner Thomas Honzel found nothing wrong with Toole's use of the photograph.
Sealed bids will be accepted by the County Auditor of MUSCATINE County at their office in Muscatine, Iowa, until 9:00 AM, on Monday, November 7, 2016 for the various items of construction work listed below.

A Certified check, made payable to the County, or a Cashier's check, made payable to either the County or to the contractor, drawn upon a solvent bank or a bid bond, shall be filed with each proposal in an amount as set forth in the proposal form. Cashier's check, made payable to the contractor, shall contain an unqualified endorsement to the County signed by the contractor or his authorized agent. Failure to execute a contract and file an acceptable bond and Certificate of Insurance within 30 days of the date of the approval for awarding of the contract, as herein provided, will be just and sufficient cause for the denial of the award and the forfeiture of the proposal guaranty.

Plans, specifications, and proposal forms for the work may be seen and may be secured at the office of the County Engineer's Office at 3610 Park Avenue West Muscatine.

All proposals must be filed on the forms furnished by the County, sealed and plainly marked. Proposals containing any reservations not provided for in the forms furnished may be rejected, and the County Board reserves the right to waive technicalities and to reject any or all bids.

Attention of bidders is directed to the Special Provisions covering the qualifications of bidders and subletting or assigning of the contract.

As a condition precedent to being furnished a proposal form, a prospective bidder must be on the current Iowa Department of Transportation or local county list of qualified bidders; except that this requirement will not apply when bids are received solely for materials, supplies, or equipment.

MUSCATINE County shall issue sales tax exemption certificates through the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance to the successful bidder and all subcontractors to enable them to purchase qualifying materials for the project free of sales tax.

Free time for winter work will be allowed on this project between the dates of November 16, 2016 and April 14, 2017. The intent is to allow a contractor the opportunity to complete this project during winter months, weather permitting.

Failure to submit a fully completed Bidder Status Form with the bid may result in the bid being deemed nonresponsive and rejected.

The County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally-assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Description of the Proposed Work : L-(WATER)--73-70

Construct 8" PVC water main along Park Ave West for service to address 3610

ITEM UNIT QUANTITY

MOBILIZATION LS 1.00

DEMOLITION OF WATER SOFTENER AND PRESSURE TANK LS 1.00

PLUG AND ABANDON PRIVATE WELL LS 1.00

8" PVC WATER MAIN LF 1260.00

6" PVC WATER MAIN LF 55.00

4" PVC WATER SERVICE LF 380.00

2" COPPER WATER SERVICE LF 180.00

1" COPPER WATER SERVICE LF 150.00

1.5" PVC WATER SERVICE, NON-POTABLE LF 180.00

12"X8" TAPPING SLEEVE AND VALVE EACH 1.00

8" PLUG EACH 1.00

FIRE HYDRANT ASSEMBLY EACH 3.00

4" GATE VALVE EACH 1.00

4" PLUG WITH 2" TAP EACH 1.00

6" PVC SLEEVE AT STORM DRAIN CROSSINGS LF 30.00

PLUMBING PENETRATIONS THROUGH BUILDING FOUNDATION TO FLOOR LEVEL, 1" TO 2" EACH 4.00

2" RPZ BACKFLOW PREVENTER EACH 1.00

1.5" RPZ BACKFLOW PREVENTER EACH 1.00

COPPER PIPE, PLUMBING AND METER SET IN CLOSET LS 1.00

1" CUT-IN CONNECTION TO EXST WATER SERVICE EACH 1.00

1.5" VALVE AND FITTINGS FOR HOSE CONNECTION EACH 1.00

GRANULAR TRENCH BACKFILL BELOW AND WITHIN 10FT OF PAVED AREAS CY 962.00

6" CRUSHED ROCK SUBBASE OR SURFACING SY 250.00

6" PCC SIDEWALK AND CURB - REMOVE AND REPLACE - IDOT C MIX SY 9.00

8" PCC PAVEMENT - REMOVE AND REPLACE - IDOT M MIX SY 17.00

ASPHALT PARKING LOT REMOVAL SY 140.00

SEEDING, TYPE 1 SEED MIX SY 3700.00

TRAFFIC CONTROL LS 1.00

EROSION CONTROL - SILT FENCE LF 1450.00

Total Proposal Guaranty is $6,250.00; 45 Working Days; Late start date: Apr-15-2017; $800.00/Day Liquidated Damages.

Muscatine Power and Water Standard Specifications for Water Distribution System Improvements, 2016.

Iowa Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS 2016) shall apply to pavement construction.

Standard Specifications of the IDOT, series 2015, and current supplemental specifications, Division 11 shall apply to this project.

Approved by

Keith L. White,

P.E. Muscatine County Engineer
The Muscatine County Board of Adjustment will conduct a public hearing on Friday, November 4, 2016, starting at 9:45 a.m. in the Breakroom (across from the Recorders Office), Muscatine County Administration Building, 414 E. 3rd St., Muscatine, Iowa, to discuss the following:

Case #16-11-01. An application has been filed by Twin City Concrete Products Company, Record Owner by Scott L. Ellingson. This property is located in Fruitland Township, 2510 Pettibone Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa, West of Pettibone Avenue, in the NW of Sec. 22-T76N-R2W, containing approximately 5.64 acres, and is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District. This request, if approved, would allow the Zoning Administrator to issue a Variance in order for an industrial building to be built 23 feet from the front lot line, instead of the required 40 foot setback.
The Muscatine County Zoning Commission will conduct a public meeting on Friday, November 4, 2016, starting at 10 a.m. in the Breakroom (across from the Recorders Office), Muscatine County Administration Building, 414 E. 3rd St., Muscatine, Iowa to discuss the following:

Zoning Agenda Item #1. Kenneth J. and Providence Shoultz, Record Owners, request approval of the preliminary and final plat of the proposed one (1) lot residential subdivision, Shoultz Acres Subdivision, Lot 1, containing approximately four (4) acres. This property is located in Fruitland Township, in the NW of Sec. 28-T76N-R2W, West of Stewart Road, containing a total of 10.14 acres, and is zoned R-1 Residential District.

Zoning Agenda Item #2. Carey Farms % John Carey, Record Owners, request approval of the preliminary and final plat of the proposed one (1) lot agricultural subdivision, Carey Bend Acres, containing approximately 4.80 acres. This proposed agricultural subdivision is located in Wapsie Township, South of Hwy. 6, in the SE of Sec. 6-T78N-R4W, 1054 Hwy. 6, West Liberty, Iowa, containing approximately 67 acres, and is zoned A-1 Agricultural District.

Any interested party may attend said meeting to express their views or correspond with us in time for the meeting.

MUSCATINE COUNTY

ZONING COMMISSION

By Eric S. Furnas, Planning &

Zoning Administrator

Muscatine County Building ~

Zoning ~ Environmental Office

3610 Park Avenue West

Muscatine  IA  52761

Telephone 5632630482

FAX 5632884338

County Website:
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A request to eliminate parking on the north and south sides of Sunset Drive near the intersection of Sunrise Circle was tabled Thursday night, after several area residents spoke at the Muscatine City Council meeting.

The Muscatine Traffic Committee recommended eliminating parking on the street for safety reasons, but council members expressed concerns that the issue was also a neighborhood dispute.

Lori Costas, who has lived in the area for about a year, said that there have been more vehicles on the street by her house because she and her husband have been working on it, but that will not normally be the case.

Costas said the cars were merely an inconvenience, and she had not noticed issues with sight lines.

"I dont see that there is any issue with a safety concern," she said.

Kathy Metcalf, who also lives in the area, said during heavy traffic times it can become difficult to see at the intersection. Metcalf said she was concerned about the children who walk home from school in the area.

"I see it as a safety issue," she said.

Muscatine resident Meghan Keeler said she had observed traffic at the intersection, and was concerned that the complaints were a neighborhood dispute.

"I think that you can see that theres more here than a safety issue," she said.

Brian Stineman, the public works director, said that both a neighborhood dispute and a safety issue were present regarding parking near the intersection. He said parking on the street slows traffic, which can increase safety, but if there is a visibility issue that could also be a safety hazard.

"There is no good solution in my opinion as far as traffic goes," he said.

The council decided to table the final decision, and to temporarily eliminate parking on the North side of the street, to see if the issue would be solved.

Also at Thursdays meeting, the council approved a funding agreement from the Stanley Howe Revocable Trust for $1 million for any safety equipment and installation if the study that is currently underway supports the need for a Quiet Zone.

The council approved funding in July for studies to determine the need and plans needed to put a quiet zone in place for an area from the pedestrian crossing at Mad Creek crossing down to Hershey by the McKee Button building.

I just want to recognize the Howe family for stepping up and doing this, its very generous, said Council member Michael Rehwaldt.

Quiet zone funding would prohibit trains from sounding horns one-quarter mile farther than the two crossings, and Community Development Director Dave Gobin previously estimated the project could be completed in around 18 months, with the study complete in three or four months, providing a more comprehensive picture of the process that will be needed to make the downtown Muscatine area a quiet zone.

In other business:

The city council approved the submission of the Fiscal Year 2015/2016 Annual Financial Report to the State of Iowa. The report includes all budgeted funds of the city and was prepared on a budget basis. Revenues and other financing sources totaled $67,156,981 for the year and expenditures and other uses totaled $63,741,605. Actual city expenditures in each functional area were within the budgeted amounts as required by the state with the exception of debt service expenditures. Debt service costs exceeded the budgeted amount by $16,355 due to bond issuance costs for refunding the last years of the 2008 issue.

A new application form was approved, as proposed by the Nominating Committee, for appointments to the citys various boards and commissions.

A grant agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation for the T-Hangar Design and Apron Expansion Project at the Municipal Airport was also approved. The grant agreement will allow the city to design all phases of the project and construct the first phase of the t-hangar apron with a total state funding allocation of $212,474. The local match totals $37,500 for a total project cost of $249,974.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Construction is underway at Greenwood Cemetery as volunteers work to replace and repair steps that have been in place for more than 100 years.

As volunteers prepared the top section of steps to have concrete poured on Thursday, Bob Bromwell, a member of the Friends of Greenwood Cemetery Steps, said he is happy to see the process that he has been working on since 2009 begin in earnest.

"It's awesome," he said.

With the help of volunteers, Bromwell hopes to have the top section of the steps and the walkway completed before winter weather halts the process.

"There's always work to do," he said.

The steps, which connect the cemetery with Hershey Avenue, descend down a steep hill and were a route for people to walk to work and for children to walk to school, Bromwell said.

"These steps have been a part of Muscatine's history," he said. "They were opened in 1914 so they're 102-years-old, and it's a shame to let something like this go by the wayside."

He hopes that fixing the steps will give people the ability to take a walk through the woods, and experience nature within the city of Muscatine.

"I just wanted to see it stay here because it's a landmark," Bromwell said.

The top 14 steps are being completely replaced, and other sections will be repaired or replaced. Bromwell said railings will be added to both sides of the steps.

"We want to make it as safe as we can so people can enjoy the steps," he said.

The top of the stairs will be connected to a walkway made of bricks purchased by community members. The bricks can be engraved, and although more than 800 have been sold, Bromwell said they hope to sell 200 more.

The project, Bromwell said, is being completed through private donations and the work of volunteers.

To purchase a brick, or for more information on volunteering, visit www.facebook.com/fixthecemeterystairs or contact Bromwell at 563-299-0720.
Important stuff you won't get from the liberal media! We do the surfing so you can be informed AND have a life!
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 []
SABC executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng allegedly promised an extra R10 000 to each staff member as a sweetener deal, the DA claimed on Thursday.

The partys communications spokesperson and MP, Phumzile van Damme, said they were reliably informed that he had announced the payment to staff on Wednesday.

She claimed he said: I have found a sweetener for you, Hlaudi has found an extra R10 000 for you.

The alleged payment was apparently for all staff except middle, senior and top management, totaling R32m, and would require board approval.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago did not immediately respond to an enquiry on the veracity of these claims.

It is quite clear that this sweetener deal is nothing but an attempt for Motsoeneng to get SABC staff on his side as a last ditch attempt to save his hide, said Van Damme.

Parliamentary questions

She said the party would be submitting parliamentary questions to determine which budget this would come from, who approved it, and whether the board was involved.

I will also write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, requesting that all legal matters be expedited so that the parliamentary inquiry into the SABC can begin in earnest.

At the start of the month, board members Krish Naidoo and Vusi Mavuso announced their resignations at a meeting with Parliaments communications committee, effectively rendering the now four-member board defunct.

Their resignations followed the reappointment of Motsoeneng, the former COO, as GE of corporate affairs.

President Jacob Zuma on Sunday said he had received and accepted the resignation of the two board members.

The committee resolved to institute the inquiry into the fitness of the SABC board on October 5, but announced this week it would only be later this year.

3 board members not resigning

Committee chairperson Humphrey Maxegwana said it had been postponed after the committee sought legal advice on Tuesday.

He said the committee would take the advice they had received to abide by the rules of natural justice, and would now prepare for the hearing.

The committee is committed to proceeding with the inquiry at its earliest convenience, the statement read.

The inquiry is a due process to which the rules of natural justice apply.

The SABC board would be served with notices of the hearing no later than October 28.

The committee hoped to finalise the inquiry before the last sitting of the National Assembly on November 24 this year.

Three of the remaining board members have told the committee they do not intend resigning, and would appear at the inquiry. The fourth has not yet responded.

News24

Now read: SABC board inquiry postponed to later this year
The Press Council on Friday criticised Independent Medias decision to resign from the body and establish its own ombudsman.

The group, that owns numerous newspapers and online platforms including the Cape Times, The Star, The Mercury and IOL, announced on Thursday it was pulling out of the official regulatory system for independent media in South Africa.

Complaints against the groups titles would now be adjudicated by an internal ombudsman, Jovial Rantao. He is a former editor of various titles in Independent Media.

Its ironic that Independent Media chose to withdraw from the Press Council in the week that we commemorate Black Wednesday, October 19 1977, when the World, Weekend World and Pro Veritate were shut down by the apartheid government. The Press Council has been a bulwark against statutory regulation that would violate the countrys Constitution, the council said in a statement.

The Press Council is headed by retired judge Phillip Levinsohn. The press ombudsmans adjudicators are led by retired judge Bernard Ngoepe.

Waiver clause

Independent Media criticised the Press Council for not reintroducing a waiver clause to the Press Code that forces complainants to the ombudsman to relinquish their rights to institute civil proceedings against media houses.

The waiver clause was scrapped from the Press Code following recommendations by former chief justice Pius Langas press freedom commission.

Independent was intimately involved in the 2012 decision to remove the waiver, the council said.

When Independent first raised its objections to the absence of the waiver, we consulted with lawyers and they advised the Press Council that the waiver could be successfully challenged in a court of law. The Press Council has been working to find a solution to this impasse. In the meantime, weve been adjudicating in complaints against Independent  72 print and five online stories this year alone.

After a meeting with Independent last month, the Press Council sent the company our proposed solution, hoping we would engage on it. Suddenly, this inexplicable decision to abandon the Press Council explodes in our faces.

Independent Medias chief of staff Zenariah Barends previously stated the company was committed to media self-regulation and vehemently opposed to any state regulation of the media or a government media appeals tribunal.

Apart from Rantao, the group would appoint its own Independent Media Press Appeal Tribunal to be headed by a retired judge or senior advocate.

The Press Council said Independents withdrawal was not a mortal blow to its work since the majority of print and online publications, including Media24, TMG and the Mail & Guardian, were still subscribers to the code of ethics and conduct for South African journalists.

News24

Now read: SABC board inquiry postponed to later this year
Update: Connectivity to affected sites has been restored.

Original article

A large DDoS attack in the US against a company which runs managed DNS services is causing multiple major websites to go offline  including those with a presence in South Africa.

PayPal, Twitter, Sony PlayStation Network, and eBay were not available in South Africa at the time of writing, following reports from the US that Dyns managed DNS infrastructure was under a sustained DDoS attack.

According to the Independent, Twitter, Netflix, PayPal, eBay, PlayStation Network, and Amazon all suffered downtime in the US.

At the time of writing, Netflixs smart TV app was working when tested by MyBroadband. The desktop site was live, but videos were slow to load.

Google and Facebook have not suffered any downtime, according to the report.

Dyn said its engineers were monitoring the attack and attempting to mitigate it. The size and origin of the DDoS attack has not yet been reported.

Two attacks

Ars Technica reported that Dyn suffered an initial DDoS attack on the morning of 21 October, which it mitigated. The attack was a global DDoS attack on [Dyns] Managed DNS infrastructure in the east coast of the United States.

A second attack then followed a few hours later, which Dyn said may impact Managed DNS advanced services.

Now read: CIA preparing for possible cyberattack on Russia
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has convened a meeting with Samsung Electronics South Africa to assess the companys progress with recalling of the problematic Note 7 smartphone from the South African market.

The meeting came after numerous reports of Note 7 devices exploding in the US and Asia because of battery faults.

Samsung SA last month notified the NCC in terms of Section 60 of the Consumer Protection Act that it was implementing a voluntary exchange programme to recover all devices that were sold to consumers locally as pre-launch purchases.

The Note 7 was expected to arrive in the country in November.

At a subsequent meeting, the company advised the NCC that it would also extend the voluntary exchange programme to consumers who may have acquired the device from overseas purchases.

At a meeting held on October 18 at the NCCs offices in Groenkloof Pretoria, Samsung advised the NCC that it has since intensified efforts to recover devices locally by, among other things, implementing a full-on safety recall programme, placing a global airline ban on the device, as well as the setting up of exchange zones locally at all international airports.

Speaking at the meeting, NCC Commissioner Ebrahim Mohamed said that South African consumers were quite fortunate that the defect on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was detected before it could be launched officially in the country.

The use of defective and hazardous products, particularly those that are electronic and motorised in nature can have devastating consequences for consumers, he said.

The NCC is quite relieved that the mobile phone device was recalled before especially children who are prone to keep up with technology trends, could be exposed to its risks, said Mohamed.

The NCC has been made aware of the pre-launch sales that took place in the country, as well as the possibility that the device could have entered the country from overseas as parallel imports.

We thus call upon all consumers with active Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile devices in the country to immediately stop using them, and to return them to the nearest Samsung distributor for a full monetary refund or value equivalent device exchange, he said.

Mohamed said that the NCC was pleased thus far with Samsungs cooperation and compliance with the Consumer Protection Act in respect of the safety recall, and that its investigations team was keeping a close eye on the matter.

The NCC is set to meet with Samsung again at the end of October to further monitor progress on the recall of the mobile device.

Earlier on Thursday, Samsung announced that it would be setting up exchange kiosks at Cape Town, OR Tambo and King Shaka International Airports after the Note 7 had been banned from flights across the globe.

Fin24

Now read: Samsung sets up Galaxy Note 7 exchange points at South African airports
Cybersmart CEO Laurie Fialkov has warned against government involvement in telecommunications pricing in South Africa.

Cybersmart has been one of the pioneers in rolling out fibre-to-the-home and fibre-to-the-business services across the country.

A lot of money is needed to build a new fibre network, and receiving adequate funding is therefore important to be a relevant player in the FTTH and FTTB market.

Fialkov also warned against stupid money in the industry.

Massive funding being injected into a company with no business plan whatsoever, with the express purpose of buying market share, can destroy the margins which are needed to create a sustainable fibre businesses, he said.

Fialkov added that government involvement in determining pricing in the telecommunications industry is a nightmare.

I understand the #DataMustFall campaign, and to a certain extent agree with it, but unless there is a monopoly preventing lower prices, market forces should determine the price, he said.

He is also against the nationalisation of telecommunications assets, especially under the pretence that communications services are a constitutional right.

Fialkov said political uncertainty in the telecommunications market is currently an issue which keeps him, and many of his peers, awake at night.

Now read: How Vodacom and MTN can lose their cellular spectrum
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The fact that political candidates are closely coordinating with friendly Super PACs - making a mockery of a central tenet of the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision - is one of the biggest open secrets in Washington.

Super PACs are only allowed to accept unlimited contributions on the condition that the money is spent independently of specific campaigns. The Federal Election Commission hasn't reacted for a variety of reasons, including a lack of hard evidence, vague rules, and a partisan divide among the commissioners so bitter they can't even agree to investigate obvious crimes.

But newly disclosed hacked campaign documents published by WikiLeaks and a hacker who calls himself Guccifer 2.0 reveal in stark terms how Hillary Clinton's staffers made Super PACs an integral part of her presidential campaign.

* In a July 2015 memo addressed to Clinton herself, her campaign laid out plans for working with the Democratic National Committee and Correct the Record, a Super PAC. Correct the Record was created by David Brock, a longtime Clinton ally and the founder of Media Matters for America. One section of the memo instructed: "Work with CTR and DNC to publicize specific GOP candidate vulnerabilities."

* In October 2015, several Clinton staffers strategized over ways to attack author Ed Klein for attributing an apparently fake quote to former President Bill Clinton in his book. "I'm sure Brock and team would love to go at him. Nick, want me to put you in touch with them?" Clinton campaign communications staffer Christina Reynolds, wrote, referring to Clinton press secretary Nick Merrill. "I can reach out to David," volunteered Karen Finney, another Clinton staffer on the email chain.

* A month later, Reynolds emailed a list of agenda items for an upcoming campaign meeting. High on the list: determining how to frame Bernie Sanders, and whether attacks on Republicans "should go through HRC, surrogates, DNC, CTR," another reference to Correct the Record.

* In December 2015, a fundraiser for multiple pro-Clinton super PACs emailed John Podesta, the campaign's chairman, with a suggested seating chart for an event with Super PAC donors. "John, Below is the seating chart for this evening and attached is a best of hits for both Correct the Record and American Bridge on the Presidential," Mary Pat Bonner, the fundraiser, wrote. Campaign finance records show four donors on Bonner's list have given $725,000 to American Bridge 21st Century, which conducts opposition research against Republicans. One donor on the list has contributed $125,000 to Correct the Record. Bonner included a document highlighting the work done by Correct the Record. The paper asserts the group may "coordinate directly and strategically with the Hillary campaign."

* In another email that month, Bonner requested Podesta speak to an adviser to Jim Simons, a hedge fund manager who was considering donating to Correct the Record. "He told me he is intending to call you on Monday to discuss the importance of CTR and their donation," Bonner wrote. "He is interested in the fact that CTR is a coordinated PAC that does not do any paid communication." (Simons has not donated to CTR.)

* In February 2016, Dennis Cheng, the lead fundraiser for the Clinton campaign, emailed other staffers to recommend that Podesta call certain donors to Priorities USA Action, the largest pro-Clinton Super PAC, to thank them for their six- and seven-figure donations. Cheng flagged three donor names, telling a colleague they were "very important Priorities USA calls that ideally John can make."

* In a separate email, Guy Cecil, an official from Priorities USA, apologizes to Podesta for sending him to the wrong address for a meeting. Podesta noted it had been raining and quipped, "Priorities owes me a pair of shoes."

The emails show consistent, repeated efforts by the Clinton campaign to collaborate with super PACs on strategy, research, attacks on political adversaries and fundraising. The cache also reveal meetings between the campaign and Priorities USA Action, and that campaign officials have helped with the group's fundraising.

The files were apparently hacked from a variety of Clinton staffers and have been posted online in recent weeks by Wikileaks and Guccifer 2.0. Obama administration intelligence officials have alleged, without providing evidence, that the email hacks were conducted on behalf of the Russian government in an attempt to disrupt the U.S. elections.

The Clinton campaign, Correct the Record and Priorities USA did not respond to requests for comment.

Super PACs, known technically as "Independent Expenditure-Only Political Committees," are a direct result of the Citizens United court decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of the decision, proclaimed that deregulating outside money would have no corrupting effect upon candidates because there would be strict firewalls between candidates and outside groups.

Correct the Record has long argued it could work directly with the Clinton campaign. When the group launched, it said it would only produce and distribute communications online, and that its work would therefore be exempt from FEC coordination rules.

The Super PAC was recently the subject of a complaintfiled with the Federal Elections Commission by the Campaign Legal Center, which called on regulators to investigate whether Clinton's campaign has illegally coordinated with the group.

The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan watchdog organization, has also alleged that officials working for Donald Trump have similarly blurred the line between the campaign and one of its largest Super PACs, Make America Number 1, by employing common vendors.

The Campaign Legal Center argued that Correct the Record has likely made "coordinated expenditures" that could be considered in-kind contributions to the Clinton campaign -- such as its spending on "opposition research, message development, surrogate training, reporter pitches, media booking, video production, 'rapid response' press outreach, and other 'earned media.'"

"These documents affirm what we've been saying all along about Correct the Record," said Brendan Fischer, an associate counsel at the Campaign Legal Center. "They are basically operating as an arm of the Clinton campaign."

While Correct the Record has argued it is exempt from FEC rules, Clinton herself has said she does not work with Priorities USA Action. That Super PAC has spent millions of dollars on independent expenditures, including six-figure media advertising buys, to boost Clinton's candidacy. The group has raised over $133 million through individual donations as large as $6 million.

As other media outlets have reported, Marc Elias, the Clinton campaign attorney, provided a memo with guidance on how the campaign could solicit funds for Priorities USA Action. The memo notes that campaign staffers would have to use certain language when trying to raise money for the super PAC:

Permissible: "Donor A works in financial services and has been a long-time contributor. I think she'd be willing to do six figures for Priorities."

Not recommended: "I want you to call Donor A and ask for $250,000."

In another email, campaign officials discussed ramping up their work with Priorities USA. Oren Shur, a campaign media advisor, organized the call "following several discussions we had with Marc," a reference to Marc Elias, to discuss even more direct coordination with Priorities USA, noting that doing so would be "breaking new ground." Officials floated pursuing coordinated "issue advocacy ads," campaign ads that do not mention express advocacy for a candidate but are clearly political and partisan in nature.

Shur recommended a second course of action: using consultants shared with Emily's List, a Democratic group, to shoot campaign video that would be posted online to "send public smoke signals in a more traditional way to the Priorities IE." That way, the Priorities USA team would pick "up the signals," and air independent expenditures that would "save the campaign anywhere from $2M-$4M."

The subject of Super PAC interaction was of particular concern for Elias, who emailed and met with Podesta on several occasions to discuss pro-Clinton groups. In one email on March 5, 2015, shortly before the formal launch of the campaign, Elias contacted Podesta to ask if he was "good to meet with Priorities and CTR" at his law firm.

Two months later, Correct the Record formally separated from another Brock-led super PAC, called American Bridge 21st Century, and announced it would be "allowed to coordinate with campaigns."

Elias's law firm, Perkins Coie LLP, has provided legal services to the Clinton campaign, Correct the Record and Priorities USA Action, making it a central node in the campaign infrastructure.

This story is a collaboration between MapLight political reporter Andrew Perez and The Intercept's Lee Fang. About MapLightMapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that tracks money in politics.
Typically, large organizations like corporations, unions and political parties are responsible for the largest contributions in political campaigns; individuals generally contribute less. In the 2016 election cycle in California, however, a few individuals are making a huge financial impact.

Consider Proposition 54, which would prohibit the Legislature from passing any bill unless it's been published online for at least 72 hours prior to the vote. Like four other ballot propositions (Props. 51, 58, 59 and 65), no money has been raised to oppose the idea. But unlike any other proposition, over 99% of the $10.6 million raised to support Prop 54 has come from one individual donor -- Charles T. Munger Jr., a Stanford physicist and the son of the billionaire vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.

The campaign for Prop. 53, which would require voters to sign off on deals that require taxes to pay for public infrastructure bonds, is completely funded by Dean and Joan Cortopassi, Stockton-area farmers who are concerned about the potential effect of changes to the state's water distribution plan on their land. The Cortopassis have contributed more than $4.5 million to support the measure while a broad coalition of interest groups, including the California Democratic Party, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and construction unions have raised over $5.5 million to stop it, thanks to a contribution of $1.7 million from the Brown for Governor 2014 committee.

Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor who's spent millions to support measures that would curb the impacts of climate change, is another individual who's spending big. Steyer has given $5.5 million to support Prop. 56, which would increase the state's tobacco tax and direct more money into health-care programs. He is fighting a financial uphill battle though. Prop. 56 advocates have raised $23 million so far, while opponents, led by the tobacco lobby, have chipped in about $66 million.

Wealthy donors are weighing in on both sides of the Prop. 64 battle over marijuana legalization. Julie Schauer, a Pennsylvania retiree, has given $1.4 million, or more than half of the $2.5 million raised to fight the measure. Meanwhile, Sean Parker, former president of Facebook, has funneled more than $7 million into the effort, about one third of the total amount raised in favor of Prop. 64.

While this year features a high number of large individual donors, it's not completely without precedent. In fact the biggest individual donor to a particular ballot measure campaign was Stephen Bing, who contributed $50 million to support Prop 87, an alternative energy measure that failed to pass during the 2006 election cycle. After Bing, the second-biggest contributor supporting Prop 87 was Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla ($2 million). The opposition, in contrast, was largely funded by corporations including Chevron Corp. ($38 million), Aera Energy LLC ($33 million), and Occidental Oil and Gas ($10 million). Prop 87 ultimately failed to pass.

Frank Bass contributed to this report. Methodology: MapLight analysis of contributions to committees supporting or opposing ballot measures using data available from the California Secretary of State as of October 9, 2016. Searchable contributions data is available on Power Search.

MapLightMapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that tracks money in politics.
If at first, you don't succeed, then try again -- on the other side of the country.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose bid to ban larger sizes of sodas and other sugar-sweetened drinks in the nation's largest city earned him a Bronx cheer from the state's highest court, has given almost $10 million this year to support a pair of Bay Area initiatives that would increase taxes on the beverages.

Bloomberg, the billionaire co-founder of an eponymous financial data services firm, has donated about $5 million to San Franciscans United to Reduce Diabetes in Children, a political committee supporting Measure V, which would levy a penny tax on every ounce of sugar-sweetened beverages sold in the city. The former mayor also has contributed more than $4.7 million to Citizens for Healthy Oakland Children, which is supporting Measure HH, a proposal that would also add a one-cent tax on every ounce of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks.

Yet for all Bloomberg's largesse, his contributions haven't yet prevented soda tax advocates from being financially outgunned by the beverage industry. After a relatively slow start over the summer, the the Washington D.C.-based American Beverage Association has picked up the pace, giving $18.9 million to fight the San Francisco measure; $5.4 million on the Oakland battle; $500,000 to oppose Measure 2H, a similar Nov. 8 ballot item in Boulder, Colo.; and $50,000 against Measure O1 in Albany, Calif.

The quartet of high-stakes ballot measures represent a potential turning point for both the soda industry and public health advocates. Beverage manufacturers are casting the initiatives as grocery taxes that will cost consumers and erode profits in the $278 billion soda industry, while advocates see a rare opportunity for voters to address a public health issue.

BALLOT REFILL

When voters in San Francisco, Oakland, Albany and Boulder cast their ballots next month, the momentum will be on Bloomberg's side. After his administration's 2012 ban was overturned by the New York Supreme Court, Bloomberg -- who left office in late 2013 -- turned his attention to a 2014 Berkeley effort to become the first city in the nation to tax sugar-sweetened beverages. The former mayor gave $647,000 to the committee supporting the tax, which passed with 76 percent of the vote.

(Bloomberg skipped an opportunity to become involved in a 2014 San Francisco initiative that would have levied a two-cent-per-ounce tax on sodas and other sweetened drinks. The measure, which required a two-thirds majority, only attracted support from 55 percent of voters after the beverage industry spent $9.5 million to help defeat it.)

The former mayor also was on the winning side of a Philadelphia City Council vote in June that levied a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sodas. Bloomberg, one of the world's wealthiest men, gave $1.5 million to Philadelphians for a Fair Future, a pro-tax "dark money" organization that is not required to publicly disclose its donors.

LATE SPENDING

By soda tax battle standards, the Philadelphia vote was a reasonably evenly matched affair. The $1.5 million from Bloomberg, combined with a $400,000 infusion from the Action Now Initiative funded by Houston billionaire investor John Arnold and his wife, Laura, amounted to almost half of the $4.2 million spent by the beverage industry. (Disclosure: The Laura and John Arnold Foundation is a donor to MapLight).

Soda tax advocates have outspent the industry in only one of four initiative races this election. Boosted by contributions from an offshoot of the Colorado Health Foundation, advocates of the Boulder tax have spent $671,000 so far this year; the opposition, funded by the American Beverage Association, which has been footing the bill to fight the measures in all four cities, has spent $282,000.

Earlier this summer, Citizens for Healthy Oakland Children had raised only $18,545, or $1 for every $32 collected by the beverage industry. Since July, however, the infusion from Bloomberg has narrowed the gap considerably. The opposition committee has spent $3.8 million, according to city records; supporters of the tax have raised more than $5 million, including $4.7 million from Bloomberg and $575,000 from the Arnolds.

Even with the gap narrowing, big spending on advertising may determine the outcome. Since three of the four initiatives are in the Bay Area, both sides can amplify their messages across Oakland, San Francisco and Albany since all three cities are part of the same media market. And the spending gap is widening in San Francisco, the largest of the trio. The beverage industry has spent more than $10 million of a war chest that totaled $18.9 million through late September; supporters of the proposed tax had spent a little more than $2.3 million from a $6.4 million campaign treasury.

A disclosure report filed Oct. 3 with the Albany City Clerk's office showed the beverage association had spent $76,683 campaigning against the proposal; the pro-tax forces reported raising $5,425, which included a $5,000 donation from the American Heart Association.

Methodology: MapLight analysis of contributions to committees supporting and opposing ballot measures that would tax sugar-sweetened beverages in the November 2016 elections using the latest data available from local campaign finance reports as of Oct. 18, 2016. MapLightMapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that tracks money in politics.

Disclosure: The author is a former employee of Bloomberg L.P.
CLEVELAND  Hillary Clinton ramped up her pressure on Donald Trump in the election's most competitive states Friday with an emotional TV ad targeting his criticism of a Muslim-American family. Trump vowed to go all-out in the final three weeks so he'll have no regrets  even if he loses.

The nominees retrenched behind familiar arguments a day after appearing together at a charity event that veered into cutting personal attacks, an unexpected metaphor for this year's take-no-prisoners presidential campaign. Clinton's new ad features Khizr Khan, whom Trump assailed after Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

In the minute-long ad, which Clinton's campaign said was airing in seven battleground states, Khan retells how his son, Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq seeking to protect his U.S. military unit from a suicide bomber.

"Mr. Trump, would my son have a place in your America?" the father asks, tearing up as the ad fades to black.

Clinton has sought to use Trump's widely panned attacks on the father and his wife as evidence supporting her case that the Republican bullies minorities, especially those who disagree with him. In person, she was promoting early voting Friday in Ohio and planned a meeting with two activists for Black Lives Matter.

Trump, meanwhile, settled on a new target: Michelle Obama, who has emerged as one of the most effective voices for Clinton. One of the country's most popular Democrats, the first lady for years has been loath to devote significant time to campaigning, but has done so in recent days with searing indictments of Trump's treatment of women.

"All she wants to do is campaign," Trump said as he rallied supporters in North Carolina. He cited comments Mrs. Obama made during her husband's 2008 campaign in which she said someone who can't run their own house can't run the White House. "She's the one that started that," Trump said.

The typically self-assured Trump was unusually candid about the possibility of losing the election, a prospect that's grown in likelihood as Clinton solidifies her lead in battleground states that will decide the election. Trump said he is packing his schedule with campaign events through Election Day so he will know he spared no effort even if ultimately unsuccessful.

"I will be happy with myself," he said.

Trump and Clinton were still sharply at odds over his unprecedented assertion in the final debate on Wednesday that he may not concede if he loses. Clinton has called that "horrifying," while Trump has said he's merely reserving the right to contest the results if the outcome is unclear or questionable.

Underpinning Trump's threat is his contention  presented with no evidence  that the election is "rigged" against him and may be soiled by widespread voter fraud. He's urged supporters to "monitor" polling places for potential shenanigans.

Fanning those flames, Russia's government has asked Oklahoma and two other states to allow Russian officials to be present at polling stations on Election Day, to study the "US experience in organization of voting process." Allegations by the U.S. government that Russia is trying to influence the election by hacking Democratic groups has fed a Clinton camp claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is siding with Trump.

The Oklahoma secretary of state's office said Friday it had denied the Russian request, in line with state law. At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest said it was unclear what Moscow was trying to do.

"It's appropriate that people might be suspicious of their motives," Earnest said.

Early voting is underway in more than 30 states.

With the final debate behind them, the two candidates appeared together Thursday night for likely the last time in the campaign, at a Catholic fundraiser that turned unusually hostile.

At the dinner, a tradition intended as a display of national unity, Trump drew boos when he referred to Clinton being "so corrupt" and said without apparent humor that she was appearing at the event "pretending not to hate Catholics."

But Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the New York archbishop seated between them at the dinner, described a less antagonistic moment backstage after he invited them to pray.

"After the little prayer, Mr. Trump tuned to Secretary Clinton and said, 'You know, you are one tough and talented woman,' and he said this has been a good experience," Dolan told NBC's "Today" on Friday. "And she said, 'Donald, whatever happens, we need to work together afterwards.'"
Local, state and federal officials gathered at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville Friday to celebrate the eradication of the European grapevine moth, a serious threat to Californias agricultural economy.

The moth was first detected in a Napa Valley vineyard in 2009. Subsequent surveys detected the moth in 11 California counties, representing a serious threat to Californias $4 billion grape crop, a crop which has an economic impact to the state of more than $57 billion annually. The pest also jeopardized valuable export markets for U.S. grapes, as well as for stone fruit, another moth host.

The key to success was early detection, rapid response, and strong partnerships, said Osama El-Lissy, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The strong collaboration between federal, state and local officials, growers, university scientists and extension services, who all invested in finding and implementing the right tools to safeguard California grapes, makes this a model for fighting future invasive species threats.

A Technical Working Group composed of scientific and technical experts from the U.S. government; universities in California, Italy, and Chile; and the California grape industry, provided the federal agency and its partners with the best available science and data to combat the European grapevine moth.

Participants designed an eradication program for affected counties that produced results by closely involving growers and the community.

While most of the efforts focused on the growers and what they could do to stop the moth, partners recognized a need to engage residents in the larger community on this issue.

Some residents in the greater Napa area grow grapes as a hobby. They too needed to take steps to prevent EGVM from becoming established in the area, said Greg Clark, Napa County agriculture commissioner.

We also knew from experience that people outside agricultural production areas may be more concerned about our solution to a pest problem than the pest itself."

"We used the news media, billboards, signage, and public service announcements to get the word out to the public about EGVM and our work to eliminate it from California, Clark said.

Learn more about EGVM and other invasive pests at www.HungryPests.com.

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Ending a five-year journey that ran from confrontation to partnership, Justin-Siena High School on Thursday won city approval for Napa Valley Senior Care, a 173-room home to be built on school-owned property along Solano Avenue.

The unanimous vote from the Planning Commission allows the private Catholic high school to partner with a Minnesota developer on the 195,000-square-foot complex, which is expected to break ground early next year.

It was a peaceful conclusion to a process that had aroused the resistance of traffic-wary neighbors after Justin-Siena in 2011 announced plans to develop the property with a Lowes hardware emporium, in an effort to raise funds for tuition support and school improvements. Eventually, talks between the school and its neighbors led to the projects transformation into a retirement home that won over many former opponents.

Im feeling proud to be part of Napa, school president Robert Jordan said after the vote. What started out contentious became a partnership for all of us. I think its indicative of what we are as a community.

What is emerging from the long debate is a three-story building that will house 73 seniors in independent-living rooms, 73 more in an assisted living center and 21 dementia patients in a memory-care unit. The home will provide a fitness center with wellness programs, along with an outdoor dining deck, spa, salon, delicatessen and a cafe that will be open to the public, according to plans released in July by Oppidan Investment Co., Justin-Sienas development partner.

Developers have said the senior home will be operated by Arizona-based Watermark, which runs three other elder care facilities in the Bay Area and 34 others nationwide.

After sharing early versions of the building with city planners this spring, Justin-Sienas team in July offered a design that added an entrance off Solano Avenue and a driveway into the Justin-Siena campus to lessen traffic tie-ups on Maher Street, the main route into the school. Developers also refashioned Napa Senior Cares architecture with a more articulated, less slablike appearance.

The changes to the building still left at least one area resident unimpressed, both with the design and its size. This is another Lowes, just redone with a nice theme of (senior) housing, said Chad Robbins, who urged a smaller and more village-like development instead.

Still, the decision to devote the schools land to elder care pleased residents like Richard Anderson, who earlier led the fight against the Lowes as well as a supermarket that was later proposed for the site.

I think this is special to the fabric of the community, so Im all for this instead of more hardware stores or supermarkets, he said.

Justin-Siena is developing 5.8 acres of its land holdings to build funding for its tuition assistance fund, which provides about $2.1 million a year.

This is a great step to keep the mission of the school going, said Commissioner Michael Murray, a 1978 Justin-Siena graduate. What came out of the process was tremendous. Itll help a lot of people who go to the school and fill a community need.

Perhaps the projects most passionate supporter was Adolfo Guevara, who told city officials his path toward becoming Justin-Sienas dean of students began at an academy much like it  a school also operated by the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

I am so thankful for what the Christian Brothers did for me, and that was why I came to Justin-Siena, said Guevara, who was 2 when his family fled civil war in El Salvador and later attended Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. What this will provide for students like me is life-changing.
A winery property is being reborn after hitting a tragic snag when former tenant Robert Dahl was involved in a 2015 murder-suicide case that drew nationwide attention.

The Napa County Planning Commission on Wednesday granted approval for the McVicar Vineyards winery at 6155 Solano Ave. southwest of Yountville. Among other things, the move addressed improvements that a county report said Dahl constructed there without a building permit.

It will be good to get this cleaned up and moving forward, Planning Commissioner Heather Phillips said.

McVicar Vineyards will be a 20,000-gallon-a-year winery using an existing 1,131-square-foot building with a 300-square-foot tasting room. The winery can have up to 84 visitors per week, as well as 10 marketing events annually with up to 30 guests each.

This is a modest project, Commissioner Jeri Gill said.

For the owners, it appears to be a return to the winerys roots after the Dahl detour. Napa County initially granted the McVicar family a 20,000-gallon-a-year winery at the site in October 1988 with no visitation and marketing.

A family winery, grandma and grandpa started it, said Alan Moore of A. J. Moore Associates on behalf of the applicants. A couple of the daughters here in fact helped them sell.

That winery went by the name Chateau Chais de Napa until it stopped doing business on the property around the mid-2000s, according to a The Napa Wine Project article. The building sat empty.

Dahl Vineyards opened on the property in the summer of 2014, with Dahl upgrading the building that he leased. Then came that fateful day in March 2015 when Dahl met there with an investor.

A dispute followed. A dispatcher reported a 911 cellphone call from the investor saying he was running from Dahl at that very moment, with Dahl chasing him in an SUV and shooting.

The chase went through vineyards and ended at Solano Avenue, where Dahl shot the victim in the head. Dahl then fled in his SUV to a forest in the nearby Mayacamas Mountains, where law enforcement officers descended on the scene, according to county Sheriffs Office reports at the time.

Law enforcement officials found Dahl in the SUV dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

Code enforcement violations by Dahl drew the countys attention before that incident, in the summer of 2014. The county pursued the case, with county and property owner reaching an agreement in Napa County Superior Court. The Planning Commissions approval was designed to help settle that case.

No one mentioned the Dahl tragedy during Wednesdays Planning Commission hearing. Rather, commissioners stuck to the nuts-and-bolts of visitor numbers and traffic impacts of the McVicar Vineyards.
My wife, Tiffany, and I have two daughters, 9 and 12. Time flies by and it wont be long before they will be leaving high school. And if they choose to study here at home, I want to know that the leadership of Napa Valley College is in good hands and will provide excellent education for our daughters. Thats why Tiffany and I support re-electing Dan Digardi to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.

I attended community college for three years before transferring to the University of California Davis. That was one of the best decisions of my life. I didnt have the money or the grades to go straight to a California university. I wasnt sure what I wanted to do or study. Community college was an excellent opportunity to increase my career opportunities.

No matter what a persons age, whether just out of high school or someone who is seeking a new job path after many years, Napa Valley College offers the training and educational opportunities to move to the next level. Our local college is far less expensive than the tuition, travel or housing costs of attending even the closest university.

A vote for Dan Digardi for Napa Valley College Board of Trustees ensures the continued success of our community.

Napa Valley College provides students with hands-on training that is applicable right here at home. There is a growing need from the building trades to find qualified candidates. High schools dont provide the same level of vocational education as they once did. Electronics, wood shop, auto mechanics, and other programs have been eliminated or severely cut.

The next best option is Napa Valley College. Thats why Dan Digardi is part of the steering committee to help organize the Trade Introduction Program and bring it to Napa Valley College. With Dans help, the Trade Introduction Program (TIP) will be a world-class, hands-on classroom introduction to the Building Trades crafts. Students who succeed in this program will have a leg up in entering the apprenticeship programs.

TIP combines classroom and hands-on experience to further students understanding of each trade. Its a comfortable entry into college life, inspiring those new to a college campus to see what is offered and view other possibilities.

Napa Valley College offers many opportunities for training that leads to local jobs in machine tooling, welding, and viticulture, hospitality and tourism programs to prepare students for jobs openings here in Napa County. We have a large population of seniors and soon-to-be seniors. Dan Digardi will ensure we have well-trained local employees working in health occupations including registered nurses, licensed vocation nurses, psychiatric technicians, respiratory therapy, and EMTs.

Progressive Women of Napa Valley endorse re-electing Dan Digardi, and I have great respect for their research, review and selection of candidates. Rep. Mike Thompson says it best, Dans steady leadership and experience will be invaluable in ensuring that Napa Valley College continues to provide the educational opportunity and critical skills for students to fulfill their dreams.

Along with Thompson, Dan Digardi is supported locally by: Bill Dodd, Gary Lieberstien, Barbara Nemko, Gerard Martin, Keith Caldwell, Alfredo Pedroza, Belia Ramos, Brad Wagenknecht, Jill Techel, Scott Sedgley, Juliana Inman, Mary Luros and hundreds of other Napa residents.

Please join us to ensure we have continued excellent leadership for the future of our children and advancement of our community.

Mark van Gorder

Napa
This is a letter of gratitude and a very strong recommendation for our past county supervisor, and current state assemblymember, running for the office of state senator.

Bill Dodd is a natural. Ive known Bill for close to 35 years and in all those years, he has been a strong leader, becoming president of both the Pacific Water Quality Association and the National Water Quality Association when he was the owner of Culligan Soft Water Service. Actually, I first met Bill when my daughter, Judy introduced us at California State University, Chico. They were married after graduation, and in time, had two amazing sons. So, yes, Bill is my ex-son-in-law, and Im happy to say that we have remained friends. I trust Bill to do the job with integrity, honesty, forthrightfulness, and never to waver once he has studied each issue and come to a just conclusion.

Bill has taught me to grow and to appreciate our county government through his recommendation, in 2001, that I represented his District 4, when he was serving as our Napa County Supervisor, and become a member of the Napa County Commission on Aging. Ive learned to see, firsthand, how complex the decisions are that face our Supervisors on an ongoing basis.

When the Commission on Aging chose to study the issue of the fact that no licensing was required for caregivers entering the homes of the elderly in order to help them remain in their homes, rather than entering a rest home, Supervisors Diane Dillon and Bill Dodd were very supportive and offered very welcome suggestions.

We now have an ordinance in place that requires all Napa County caregivers to have a permit, not the regular work permit, but a special permit, specifically for caregivers working with the elderly, ensuring that they have been background checked for possible past criminal activity. Bill and Diane definitely helped get that ordinance in place, and we are very grateful.

So, I know Bill and I trust him. Ive also witnessed the wonderfully supportive, loving father he is to my two grandsons.

Id like to tell you about a few of the bills that Bill has written since becoming an assemblymember. Yes, we seniors take our voting privileges very seriously, study the issues, and do our best in making informed and intelligent decisions. We take great pride in having a say in who is elected, and, also, who we might choose not to re-elect. Therefore, we also stay alert to who is signing what bills.

We just recently learned that Bill Dodd scored 100 percent from the California Congress of Seniors Legislature. Only 19 out of 80 Assembly members scored 100 percent. Way to go, Bill!

Now to the bills that Bill has written and that have passed:

Assembly Bill 401, Low Income Water Rate Assistance: This bill develops a plan for the first low income water rate assistance program in the California. As a senior and an advocate for seniors, this will be a great help to seniors statewide as we are predominately on small fixed incomes.

Assembly Bill 1723, The Identity Theft Resolution Act: This bill has dramatically reduced the time frame for correcting the negative effects of fraud and identity theft. Seniors are often targeted for fraud and identity theft and this bill will help them, and all people, clean up the mess that comes as a result of identity theft.

We seniors are especially pleased with this Assembly Concurrent Resolution 71, which recognizes June as Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Awareness Month. In the past, one day, only was recognized. Thank you, Bill.

These were all passed in 2015.

This year, Bill has authored Assembly Bill 1557, which seeks to include home care aide domestic referral agencies as a new licensure category in the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act overseen by the Department of Social Services. Bill will see this through, no matter how long it takes, for that is Bills tenaciousness.

So, does this answer the question you might have on why an ex mother-in-law would support her ex son-in-law for state Senator? Bill Dodd is the right man for this job, and I fully support him.

Since Bill set my feet on the path of city, county, and state government, Im sure he wont mind if I mention the names of the folks I am endorsing for various offices.

My endorsements are for Hillary Clinton for President; Kamala D. Harris for U.S. Senate; Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative; Bill Dodd, State Senate; Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, state Assembly; Mark Luce, Napa County Supervisor, 2nd District; Jill Techel, Napa City Mayor; Scott Sedgley, and Mary Luros, Napa City Council.

For NVC Trustees: District 4: Rosaura Segura; District 1: Dan Digardi.

Happy voting.

Betty Rhodes

Napa
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Now in its third generation, Heitz Wine Cellars has helped define modern-day Napa Valley. Founded in 1961 by the late Joe Heitz and his wife Alice, the winery has built a reputation for producing world-class wines of distinction, including one of Napas benchmark cabernet sauvignons, the Marthas Vineyard, a wine that James Laube from the Wine Spectator has referred to as one of Californias grands crus.

My parents believed in the American dream, said Kathleen Heitz Myers, daughter of Joe and Alice. Myers has lived or worked at the winery for nearly her entire life, becoming its president and CEO in 1998.

Before that dream could be realized, the Heitzes needed to find their way to the Napa Valley.

Both of my parents were from the Midwest originally, and they met in California during World War II, Kathleen said. Dad was an inspector in the Air Force, stationed in the Central Valley and he got a night job at a winery near Fresno for some extra spending money. Hed always said that that experience had opened his horizons.

After the war, having become interested in winemaking, Joe headed to UC Davis, where he graduated with his masters degree in enology in 1951. He worked at wineries in Lodi and Fresno before heading north, where he caught the eye of Napa Valleys pre-eminent winemaker, Andre Tchelistcheff. He eventually joined Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyard and became his right-hand man.

By the late 1950s, Joe had bottled wine under the Heitz name, but not until they purchased a vineyard and pressed their own grapes did Heitz Wine Cellars begin in earnest. In 1961, when Joe and Alice founded their winery, there were only a handful of wineries in the Napa Valley. At the time, the belief that this sleepy agricultural place could become a globally recognized wine region had not yet taken hold.

My fathers focus was always on quality first  from the grapes he worked with to every step in the winemaking process, Kathleen said.

A central feature of Joes search for quality wine was finding the best grapes possible.

Meanwhile, Tom and Martha May, who had just purchased a Napa Valley vineyard, were seeking to sell the grapes from their new aquired land.

When Dad and Mom bought the vineyard, the previous owners had left of bottle of the Heitzes wine as a gift, said Laura May Everett, daughter of the Mays and co-owner of the Marthas Vineyard. My parents loved the wine and went to go get more. Thats when they met Joe and Alice and became fast friends.

Joe Heitz first bought the Mays fruit in 1965 with the intention of adding it to his other cabernet wine.

Dad liked the fruit and approached Tom and Martha and asked if theyd like to make this a longer relationship, Kathleen said. Tom said yes but asked if he could have a barrel of the wine for his family. My father responded, Lets even do better than that, lets put your name on the label.

My wife and I were going to a luncheon one day and were following a few cars with sailboats on trailers headed to Clearlake, Tom said. Each of the boats had a girls name on it. And I thought, Theres an idea, how about naming the vineyard after my wife, Martha? She objected wildly, but I overruled her on that one.

In that moment, the course of Napa Valley wine-labeling shifted, not based on a slick marketing plan but instead based on friendship.

Sometimes things are planned out, but sometimes you have to just believe in fate, Kathleen said. This was done as a way to honor the grapes and to honor a friendship.

Family winemaking

David Heitz received his degree in enology from Fresno State University in 1974. That same year, he was called upon to step into his fathers shoes at harvest when Joe was sidelined by an injury. As winemaker, David did more than just keep things afloat: The teamwork he fostered crafted the 1974 Marthas Vineyard Cabernet, one of the most highly collected Napa Valley wines of all time.

Third-generation Heitz, Davids son, Harrison, joined the winery team in 2012, with a focus on sales and marketing for the moment. He has also helped develop the winerys solar-energy plan, but he hasnt decided yet if hell eventually be involved on the winemaking side of the business.

The Heitzes were also some of the first to farm grapes organically.

We now have over 1,000 acres of land we farm in the Napa Valley, 425 acres planted in vine, Kathleen said. To do what we do we know we must be stewards of the land. We dont bring grapes in from outside the Napa Valley and we practice sustainable and certified organic farming.

As a part of their commitment to the land, the Heitzes have also granted a conservation easement to the Land Trust of Napa County, restored riparian areas and provided wildlife corridors in their vineyards.

We were some of the first to start farming organically in the valley, Kathleen said. Mark (the vineyard manager) has done a wonderful job continuing what he and his father started.

Mark Neal farms the Heitzes vineyards as well as the Marthas Vineyard for the Mays.

My father established our business in 1968, and we began working with the Heitz family just two years later, said Neal, president of Jack Neal and Son, vineyard management. I was only 9 years old when I started working in the vineyards alongside my dad, so I feel a real sense of pride about what we have accomplished. In the 1980s, I proposed that we begin farming organically. That idea was ahead of the trend at the time, but it was completely compatible with the Heitz and May philosophies of building family businesses that are sustainable for generations to come.

One element of the Marthas Vineyard Cabernet is a distinct flavor profile, often including a minty element that has been attributed to the many eucalyptus trees that line the vineyard.

The Marthas Vineyard is its own unique clone of cabernet, Laura said. There are many theories as to why the wine has a certain flavor profile, but it probably has to do with the unique clone and its interaction with the soil.

To determine that the clone was, indeed, unique it has been studied at UC Davis, but the information remains guarded.

We didnt want others to just plant the Marthas clone everywhere, she said. Then we wouldnt be special anymore.

To make the wine business work, Joe was not only a fine winemaker, he was also an innovative businessman.

The first vintage of our cabernet, the 61, was priced at $1.99 a bottle, whereas the chardonnay was $2.25, Kathleen said. At the time, chardonnay grapes cost about the same as cabernet, but the demand for chardonnay was stronger. Also, my father had won his first Best of Show award at the Los Angeles Fair for his chardonnay.

By the time the 1966 Marthas Vineyard Cabernet went to market in the early 1970s the price per bottle had risen to $7, but Joe had begun another innovation.

My father would hold back some of each vintage every year and then sell it in the subsequent year at a higher price, so by the third vintage of Marthas Vineyard the pricing had gone to $9.50, Kathleen said. There was so much demand in that third year he decided to release a little more in the same year at $11.50 to keep his customers happy. So it was better to buy the wine in the first year of its release and just age it yourself. But if customers really liked the wine, we still had more, albeit at a higher price. We still do this, releasing our wines over a five-year period.

Another Heitz first was to personalize each bottle.

It has been copied a lot, but we were the first to put individual numbers on the bottles, she said. We still do this for our single-vineyard cabernets. So for the Marthas label you know the vintage, the bottle number, the total number of bottles made and when it was bottled. Theres a lot of information on these labels.

Tasting the wines

The Heitz lineup of wines includes three cabernets, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, a zinfandel and a grignolino. All of the wines have their own special signature, but there is nothing quite like the Heitz Marthas Vineyard Cabernet. The current release is the 2010 (the winery will skip the 2011 vintage as it did not meet their standards. The next Marthas will be the 2012 released sometime in early 2017). Each bottle is $225, and there were 208 cases (25,000 bottles) made. The color is opaque dark ruby with a magenta-tinged edge. The aromas are of blackberries soaked in Chambord, sweet pipe tobacco smoke and licorice. The minty aroma typically associated with this wine is subtle in this vintage, but its there for those who search.

In the mouth, this wine is full of texture and weight, with grippy tannins that portent long life and hidden stories. Cinnamon and butterscotch complement the dark-cherry flavors that accompany the long, pleasant finish.

For the future, the Heitzes are intent on protecting and advancing their legacy.

No matter how much your heritage sparkles, automatic pilot does not work, Kathleen said. Our business is thriving today because the Heitz team actively pursues and implements innovative farming and production practices without losing sight of our signature winemaking traditions.

Tom May is hopeful about the future of the vineyard.

Lauras farming interest and passion for organic farming is wonderful, Tom said. I told both of our children that they can sell the vineyard as soon as we die  I dont believe in leaving them something they dont want  and both of them are being nice to us, both are interested in carrying on the vineyard.

When asked how subsequent generations might talk about his legacy as a vineyard man, Tom laughed before answering.

You mean thats all he did? He went there not knowing anything about fruit. He was crazy, he said and then paused and gazed over the vineyard before looking at his daughter, his tone turning more serious. But look what happened, he said and paused a moment more before adding, Here we are.

Harrison Heitz, the third generation of Heitzes, works at the winery.
Two friends asked for an explanation of a comment I made a few weeks ago that most white wines should be consumed as young as possible.

Both said they knew of no white wines that are better when older.

I told them that many whites are best with age. Both then asked for proof.

As a starter, I said very few American white wines should be aged for very long. Most of our wines dont have the proper acidity  the one element thats essential for any wine to improve over time.

Here are some classic examples of wines to age:

 Dry Riesling: Whether from Germany, Alsace, New York, or Australia, these wines usually pick up a trace of mild petroleum in their distinctive aromas and offer astounding compatibility for Asian foods.

Despite the word dry in their title, almost all have a trace of residual sugar and that permits them to retain a bit of succulence that moderates their austerity. I simply adore these wines with bottle age.

 French White Burgundy: These chardonnays can be remarkably complex when they are young, but many do not develop their full range of flavors until they are a decade old.

Years ago, a dedicated Francophile wrote to me of these wines: Im sure you have tasted great old White Burgundies, which he called glorious examples of wine at its best.

Such wines typically are expensive. Few California wines are made to emulate French white Burgundy.

One such chardonnay that always wins aging contests is from Napa Valleys Stony Hill Winery. The typical Stony Hill chardonnay rarely shows any oak in the aroma or taste and typically ages 10 to 15 years. A few can even go longer.

 Semillon: One of my favorite white wines with bottle age is semillon from Australia, typically from the Hunter Valley.

This lower-alcohol wine has a shy aroma with hints of figs and perhaps dried hay when its young. As it ages, however, a great old semillon gains an aroma of lanolin, tobacco leaf, or even a Havana cigar. Sounds odd, but it can be fascinating.

 Dry white Bordeaux: a semillon-based wine that often has sauvignon blanc added. The best are expensive, and can be marvelous experiences with the proper time in a cellar.

Other white wines that do nicely with a bit of age are some of the white wines of the Loire Valley, notably Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre, as well as Savennieres.

The two former wines are made from sauvignon blanc and are usually austere when young; the latter is a chenin blanc that takes on a fascinating melon-like aroma with age.

Unless you know what you are doing, and have a trained palate that can understand old white wine, the best bet is to drink em young.

Wine of the Week: 2016 Concha y Toro Sauvignon Blanc, Gran Reserva, Colchagua Valley ($15): No aging necessary to enjoy this delightful Chilean wine with its bright melon, citrus and leafy notes. However, I have tasted 5-year-old examples that were marvelously complex. They were not as fruity as when they were young, but remarkably tasty.
The Napa Valley Rootstock 2016 takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Napa Expo from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Rootstock provides educational seminars, exhibits, outdoor demonstrations, vineyard and wine trials and exhibits by suppliers to the industry.

It is presented by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. For more information, visit www.rootstocknapa.com.

A hand in many pleasures  or vices





Following Anheuser-Buschs acquisition of SABMiller, tobacco company Atria now owns almost 10 percent of the giant beer company. It also owns Ste. Michelle Estates, which owns Stags Leap Wine Cellars and Conn Creek here, and recently acquired Patz-Hall Winery, formerly based in Napa.

Wouldnt it be nice if it spun off Ste. Michelle, one of the most respected wine companies?

Direct-to-consumer sales up 17 percent

WinesVinesAnalytics reports that direct-to-consumer wine sales rose 17 percent in September, 14 percent over a year.

Meanwhile total wine shipments grew 3 percent for the year, and off-premise sales tracked by IRI grew 6 percent.

The winery job index grew 10 percent in September.

The data came from bw166.com, IRI, ShipCompliant and winejobs.com.

New winery coming to Oakville

Russell Bevan is terracing and building a left-turn lane to accompany the winery and cave hes building in Oakville for his Bevan Cellars and for Tench Vineyard.

Its at 7631 Silverado Trail on a 62-acre parcel he has under a 35-year lease from Brian Tench of Tench Vineyard.

Bevan also owns the 40-acre Saunders Vineyard in Oakville with his wife Victoria DeCrescenzo.

They produce around 8,000 cases of wine annually.

Lagniappe Estate & Vineyards for sale

Lagniappe Estate & Vineyards at 999 Mee Lane in St. Helena is for sale.

The asking price for the five-acre estate with home, guest house and vineyards is $5.295 million

It is owned by Jim and Lee Meehen, and has nothing to do with Lagniappe Peake Vineyards owned by Bob and Debb Almeida on Atlas Peak.

The property includes a three-acre cabernet sauvignon vineyard in Rutherford AVA, a home and a carriage house with guest quarters.

The listing agent is Realtor Latife Hayson at 738-4820 or Latife@LatifeHayson.com.

Vintage Wine Estates buys Delectus

Vintage Wine Estates has bought Delectus Winery, a producer of luxury red wines in St. Helena.

Founder Linda Butler will continue to lead Delectus hospitality including trade, media and private tastings, winery events and the wine club. Chris Phelps has been appointed consulting winemaker.

In addition to Delectus, in the past two years, Vintage has added brands Swanson Vineyards and B.R. Cohn Winery, and Splinter Group Spirits. It also owns Clos Pegase, Girard, Cartlidge & Browne and Cosentino in Napa Valley & Vineyards in Oakville, which Vintage Wine Estates bought in 2015.

Delectus Winery at 1091 St. Helena Highway, was formerly Milat Winery.

Stags Leap appellation collection available

The Stags Leap District Winegrowers Associations Appellation Collection is now for sale.

The collection is the only Napa Valley wine offering from a single sub-appellation and single vintage. It features a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from each 20 member wineries.

Only 200 sets are available for $2,199 for the 20-bottle set through Dec. 15 at www.stagsleapdistrict.com.

Hyde Estate to open late fall

Hyde Estate Carneros is anticipating the completion of their new winery and tasting room construction this November  after harvest.

Known for their pinot noir and chardonnay, Hyde may also release a new wine this year. For more information, visit www.hydewines.com.

Trancas Vineyard changes

The vineyard being replanted south of Trancas near Silverado Trail is in unincorporated land, not the city of Napa. It was sold by Silverado Premium Properties to an entity associated with Arnold T. Cattani of Bakersfield, president of A. Cattani & Son, partner of Caprock Inc., an ag-investment fund that works with Wells Fargo. Hes chairman of Mission Bancorp.

They are replacing the existing grapes with more lucrative cabernet sauvignon. Vino Farms is managing the vineyard.

Ive heard rumors tying it to Fred Franzia, who will only admit that he is quietly growing some of his own grape requirement in Napa.

Napa Countys winery definition ordinance

Scott Greenwood-Meinert, a partner with Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty, and Lester F. Hardy, the owner of the Law Offices of Lester F. Hardy, will lead a seminar on Napa Countys winery definition ordinance on Nov. 2 at Springhill Suites Marriott.

The cost is $395 (if youre not a lawyer or government official; they pay more). Register at www.theseminargroup.net.

New at Treasury Wine Estates

Jim Caudill, formerly vice president of public relations at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates and director of public relations and hospitality for The Hess Collection, has joined Treasury Wine Estates as director of marketing communications.

Tamara Stanfill joined Treasurys as public relations manager. She previously was communications manager for the Boisset Collection.

Both are excellent at their jobs and nice people. Good moves on the part of Treasury.
Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and if you arent seeing the holiday season draw near, Kelly Clarkson is here with a miracle that will open your eyes. A Miracle On Broadway, that is.

Clarkson is back with her benefit show, Miracle On Broadway, that seeks to raise funds for various charities in her adopted home of Nashville, Tennessee. This year promises to already be one for the books with the initial announcement of performers who will join the festivities. According to the promotional poster, Clarkson will welcome Reba, Ronnie Dunn, Kelsea Ballerini, RaeLynn, Chip Esten, The Steeldrivers, and more to the Bridgestone Arena stage on December 16.

I cant wait for everyone to see what we have in store for this years Miracle on Broadway! said Clarkson. At our last event we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for some great Nashville organizations and this year we are aiming to do the same. Im looking forward to singing with some amazing artists and putting on one hell of a Christmas show!

Ticket prices range from $29.75  $49.75 and will go on sale Friday, November 4, at 10:00 a.m. CT. Tickets can be purchased at the Bridgestone Arena box office, all TicketMaster outlets, www.livenation.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Clarkson will also be offering exclusive Miracle on Broadway VIP experiences. The packages include a variety of rare opportunities like an invitation to Kellys Winter Wonderland, which will include a white carpet entrance, private performance by Clarkson, tasty treats and beverages, and photos with Santa, as well as premium seating. Click here for additional details about the VIP experience: http://www.cidentertainment.com/events/kelly-clarksons-miracle-broadway-2016/ AT&T customers will have priority pre-sale ticket access beginning Wednesday, November 2, at 10:00 a.m. through Thursday, November 3, at midnight via the AT&T THANKS program. For complete pre-sale details visit att.com/frontoftheline.

Stay locked in here for more details as they are released, and visit kellyclarkson.com for additional announcements regarding the award-winning, chart-topping artists career.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday (21 October 2016). He congratulated Mr. Guterres on his appointment and said he looked forward to working together to deepen cooperation between NATO and the UN.

The Alliance is committed to working closely with the UN to tackle global security challenges. Today, NATO-UN dialogue and cooperation encompasses a broad range of issues: from women, peace and security, and the protection of civilians, to support for UN peacekeeping efforts.
IMF forecasts $1 trillion unforeseen profit for oil exporter

Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss recent developments in Caucasus

Seoul and Warsaw sign key agreements on nuclear energy development in Poland

Statement by leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on results of meeting in Sochi

Saudi Arabia and UAE defend OPEC decision

Putin: Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan agree on joint statement

U.S. wants EU to impose export restrictions against China

Thunberg calls UN conference place for lies and fraud

Putin, Pashinyan and Aliyev hold trilateral talks

Russian businessman Artem Aslanyan commits suicide in Moscow

Head of the Ministry of Finance: Sweden's economic outlook is gloomy and we're heading for a tough winter

Norway to raise level of army combat readiness in response to Ukraine war

Putin and Aliyev talks in Sochi are over

Moldova expels Russian embassy employee after incident with falling rocket parts

Estonia to expand by 30 times protected zone on border with Russia

Serzh Sargsyan receives Garo Paylan

Inflation hits new record in 19 eurozone countries

Shoigu and Akar discuss Russia's decision to suspend participation in grain deal

Head of Armenian Armed Forces General Staff: Azerbaijan refuses to allow evacuation of Armenian soldiers' bodies

Inflation in Poland breaks the record of 25 years ago

Head of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces explains why Azerbaijanis 'trapped' were not captured

Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces confirms loss of positions as result of Azerbaijani aggression

Central Bank: Inflation in Armenia reaches 9.9%

Edvard Asryan: The operational situation in the eastern and southeastern directions is relatively stable

Iran arrests 6 suspects in attack on Shiraz mausoleum

Aliyev: Baku put forward five main principles to normalize relations with Yerevan

Putin: The goal of the trilateral talks is the implementation of all agreements of 2020 and 2021

Talks between presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan start in Sochi

Six people detained in Belarus for hanging Ukrainian flag

NBC News: Biden lost his temper on the phone with Zelenskyy

European Parliament lawmakers arriving in Armenia on fact-finding mission

Cavusoglu: Europe weakening runs counter to Ankara's economic interests

Non-resident organizations providing online services in Armenia declare 1bn drams of VAT in 3 quarters

October oil production in Russia falls

Storm warning issued in Sochi due to tornadoes

Putin and Pashinyan hold 1-hour talks in Sochi

Pashinyan to visit Tehran on November 1

Over AMD 76 billion will be assigned to Armenian police in 2023

Provincial governor of Armenias Tavush, France envoy discuss future cooperation (PHOTOS)

South Korea and the U.S. begin large-scale air force exercise

Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia

Pashinyan says issue of Armenian captives is unresolved, despite discussions with Putin

Iranian parliament chair to visit Azerbaijan

Pashinyan: Communications passing through Armenia should be under Yerevan's full control

Pashinyan: Russia's clear position on moving Azerbaijani soldiers to their initial positions is important

World wheat prices up

Putin urges to ensure peace in Karabakh and unblock transport infrastructure

Pashinyan calls Russia's approaches to establishing Armenia-Azerbaijan relations acceptable

State budget spending on Armenia emergency ministry needs to increase considerably in 2023

Pashinyan says he wants to discuss regional security issues with Putin

Putin hopes for progress in Karabakh settlement during summit

Putin: We have to end the Karabakh conflict

80% of Kyiv remains without water supply after morning strikes, mayor claims

China accuses US of violating trade rules

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin

Peskov: We will inform if documents are agreed as result of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders meeting

Kremlin says Russia continues contacts with Turkey and UN on 'grain deal'

Masis Abrahamyan, head of ANC - Netherlands office, files lawsuit against Armenian National Security Service

Bloomberg names world's richest families

Central Bank: About 86% of banks' profits in Armenia come from currency sale/purchase, exchange fees

Head of Central Bank of Armenia: Economic growth in 2023 will be lower than 7% forecasted by government

Armenia civil servants salaries to increase but bonuses to reduce

Armenia finance minister: Salaries to increase almost twice as much more than bonuses have become salaries

Finance ministry: Armenia inflation would have been higher if national currency had not increased in value

Alen Simonyan to Erin Elizabeth McKee: Armenia is interested in deeper engagement by US

Central Bank of Armenia: U.S. financial authorities complicate U.S. dollar turnover worldwide

Kyiv: 12 vessels with grain leave Ukrainian ports

France is working on a land route for grain export from Ukraine

Amount of Armenia financial assistance to Karabakh to not change in 2023

International Rescue Committee: Blockade of Ukrainian grain may lead to disaster

Erdogan: Turkey will continue to solve the food issue despite Russia's hesitation

Armenia's budget deficit in 2023 will be 3.1% of GDP

PACE MPs initiate resolution on political prisoners cases increase in Azerbaijan

EU studying issue of recognizing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organization

Finance minister: Armenia tax revenues projected to be about 3.7% of GDP in 2023

Armenia opposition MP: No final document will be signed in Russias Sochi

Opposition MP: When Armenia PM says he is in Russian proposals favor, has no value unless he says he rejects US option

Employee of Karabakh permanent representation in Armenia is charged with high treason

Kyiv mayor claims damage to energy facility that supplies power to 350,000 apartments

Blinken has phone talks with China's FM

Artsakh strategic issues discussed at We Are Our Mountains agency first meeting

Death toll in Indian bridge collapse rises to 141

Armenia 2023 state budget draft: Capital expenditure to increase significantly

Armenia national debt against GDP is planned to be reduced

Iranian Foreign Ministry: Presence of foreign forces doesn't contribute to peace in Caucasus

Alen Simonyan, Garo Paylan discuss prospects for reopening of Armenia-Turkey border

Aliyev arrives in Sochi

Iran detains second suicide bomber in Shiraz mausoleum

Iranian and Azerbaijani FMs discuss situation in region

2023 expenses of Armenian defense sector will make AMD 506bln, a growth of 35%

Armenias Pashinyan arrives in Russias Sochi (PHOTOS)

UN agrees with Turkey and Ukraine on transportation of Ukrainian grain

Armenia parliament standing committees kick off joint session, debating on 2023 state budget draft

Lula da Silva wins Brazil presidential election

Oil prices go down

Gold prices show weak growth

Armenia renowned stage director, ex-MP Vahe Shahverdyan dead at 77

Turkey plans to open 100 oil, natural gas wells on land in 2023

Copper falls in price

USAID delegation arriving in Armenia
STEPANAKERT.  The adversary launched diversionary penetration attempts on Thursday between 11pm and 11:30pm, in easterly and southerly directions of the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Ministry of Defense (NKR/Artsakh MOD) news service informed about the aforesaid.

The NKR Defense Army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the Defense Army vanguard units, however, detected the Azerbaijani special forces advance in timely fashion, and drew them back to their original positions, and also caused them to suffer casualties.

The Defense Army, on the other hand, suffered no losses while confronting the diversionary teams.

Aside from these diversionary penetration attempts, the adversary also violated the ceasefire more than 50 times along the line of contact, from late Thursday night to early Friday morning.

During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired around 2,800 shots toward the Armenian position-holders, and by way of various caliber weapons.

In addition, the adversary fired 200 shots from large-caliber machine guns, in a southerly direction of the line of contact.

But the NKR Defense Army vanguard units continue to have full control over the frontline, and they stand ready to prevent any provocative action byand dealing a painful blow tothe Azerbaijani side.
Russia will not denounce Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership with Ukraine, according to a letter by Russias Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov to the State Duma.

Lavrov expressed concern about the anti-Russian actions of the Ukrainian authorities, but noted that collapse of relations of two countries was a premature measure in such conditions, TASS reported.

We share concerns about the events on the border with Crimea and other anti-Russian activities by the current Ukrainian government. However, the proposed initiative of denouncing the agreement is premature and not entirely justified under the current circumstances, Lavrov stated

Evidently, our potential exit from the Big Treaty is unlikely to contribute to solving the problems that have accumulated in the Russian-Ukrainian relations as a result of Kiev's exploits, the letter says.
YEREVAN.  The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of Armenia has issued new data on the health condition of the passengers that were injured in the Yerevan-bound bus crash in Russia, and who are being treated in this country.

Accordingly, the officer on duty at the North Ossetia Crisis Management Center of the Russian MES has informed that Zh. Harutyunyan (born in 1949) and S. Poghosyan (born in 1990), who are at the medical center in Beslan town, are still in critical but stable condition.

H. Baghdasaryan, on the other hand, is in moderate condition, whereas A. Tsatinyan (born in 1984), who was receiving treatment at the clinical hospital in Vladikavkaz town, was discharged from hospital on Thursday.

As reported earlier, a passenger bus, which was heading from Moscow to Armenias capital city of Yerevan, collided with a truck, on October 14 at around 4:30am (5:30am, local time), on the Vladikavkaz-Beslan bypass in Russia. As a result, five people, including the bus driver, were killed, and 27 others sustained injuries.

Three of the casualties are Russian citizens, and the other twoArmenian nationals.

The bus passengers that could be transported were brought to Yerevan on board a plane of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, on the same day.

The dead bus drivers body also was transported to Armenia.

All the injured that were transported to Armenia have been discharged from hospital.
A court in Mexico confirmed the decision on extradition of drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the United States, denied Mr. Guzmans appeal, The Independent reported.

However, his lawyer Andres Granados vowed to immediately appeal the ruling. It will be the slippery kingpins last chance to avoid an American jail cell.

Mexicos government is hoping to move El Chapo to the U.S. by February. His extradition was approved by the Foreign Ministry in May but Guzmans legal team has fought to push back the date.

Guzman, who leads the infamous Sinaloa cartel, was re-captured six months after breakng free from a maximum-security prison. Hes currently facing extradition bids in California and Texas on murder, drug distribution, and money laundering charges
YEREVAN.  Azerbaijan shows its true colors. This is sabotaging of the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg.

Vice President of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, Eduard Sharmazanov, on Friday told the aforesaid to reporters in Parliament.

He noted this reflecting on the Azerbaijani armed forces diversionary penetration attempts on Thursday night, at the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces, and which the Armenian side has successfully pushed back.

This is contempt and rejection of the agreements reached at the brokerage of US Secretary of State [John] Kerry, and Russian President [Vladimir] Putin, said Sharmazanov. I believe the international communityand first of all, the [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group] co-chair countries [i.e. Russia, US, and France]should do everything so that the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg are brought to fruition.

In his words, with such steps, Azerbaijan once again confirms that it has tangled in the negotiations and met an impasse, and, also, it has failed.

The international community must strongly condemn and put pressure on such demeanor by Azerbaijan, added the deputy speaker of the Armenian NA. If this is [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyevs response [to achieving a pacific settlement to the Karabakh conflict], the international community should voice a harsh assessment, and realize who aggravates the situation.

At the same time, however, Eduard Sharmazanov ruled out the possibility of the resumption of a full-scale war.
STEPANAKERT.  Azerbaijan has never given up diversionary operations. Furthermore, it continues its destructive policy in the diplomatic, political, and information domains.

Davit Babayan, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Presidential Spokesperson, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am, reflecting on the most recent diversionary penetration attempts by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Azerbaijan makes use of the forms of hybrid war in the information domain; that is, nothing has changed in its actions, said Babayan. This is the essence of Azerbaijan. It is a fascist, Nazi, criminal, terrorist state; thats why it needs to take to such steps.

As per the NKR presidential spokesperson, there is no need to look for logic in the actions of Azerbaijan.

Its a diseased state; it has a diseased society, added Davit Babayan. And there is no sound logic in such criminal states; there are [solely] sinister thoughts.
YEREVAN. - President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Friday received the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Herbert Salber.

Stressing that all the previous meetings with the EU Special Representative were held in an open and frank climate, the President expressed hope that this subsequent meeting will also be similar to them by nature.

He also highly appreciated the EU commitment to form a climate of confidence between the parties to the Karabakh conflict.

Apart from this, President Sargsyan and Herbert Salber exchanged views on the recent developments and current situation of the Karabakh conflict settlement negotiation process after the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg.

Sargsyan briefed Mr Salber on the efforts of Armenia to reach peaceful settlement of the conflict through negotiations and mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. He also reconfirmed that the Armenian side is ready to take constructive steps to establish peace and security in the region.

The EU Special Representative, for his part, noted that in the framework of his visit to Armenia he had meetings with the representatives of the civil society, including residents of border villages.

During the meeting the interlocutors also exchanged views on the regional developments.
IMF forecasts $1 trillion unforeseen profit for oil exporter

Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss recent developments in Caucasus

Seoul and Warsaw sign key agreements on nuclear energy development in Poland

FIDE Levon Aronian is 17th

Statement by leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on results of meeting in Sochi

Saudi Arabia and UAE defend OPEC decision

Putin: Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan agree on joint statement

U.S. wants EU to impose export restrictions against China

Thunberg calls UN conference place for lies and fraud

Putin, Pashinyan and Aliyev hold trilateral talks

Russian businessman Artem Aslanyan commits suicide in Moscow

AC Milan extend Pioli's contract

Head of the Ministry of Finance: Sweden's economic outlook is gloomy and we're heading for a tough winter

Norway to raise level of army combat readiness in response to Ukraine war

Putin and Aliyev talks in Sochi are over

Jurgen Klopp says he is looking forward to Napoli clash

Moldova expels Russian embassy employee after incident with falling rocket parts

Estonia to expand by 30 times protected zone on border with Russia

Serzh Sargsyan receives Garo Paylan

Soprano Juliana Grigoryan wins first place in world opera competition 'Operalia 2022'

Inflation hits new record in 19 eurozone countries

Shoigu and Akar discuss Russia's decision to suspend participation in grain deal

Head of Armenian Armed Forces General Staff: Azerbaijan refuses to allow evacuation of Armenian soldiers' bodies

Inflation in Poland breaks the record of 25 years ago

Head of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces explains why Azerbaijanis 'trapped' were not captured

Manchester United's transfer targets

Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces confirms loss of positions as result of Azerbaijani aggression

Central Bank: Inflation in Armenia reaches 9.9%

Balenciaga and Adidas to release aged Stan Smith sneakers

Edvard Asryan: The operational situation in the eastern and southeastern directions is relatively stable

Iran arrests 6 suspects in attack on Shiraz mausoleum

Top 10 wishlisted Steam games

Aliyev: Baku put forward five main principles to normalize relations with Yerevan

Putin: The goal of the trilateral talks is the implementation of all agreements of 2020 and 2021

Atletico Madrid to extend deal with Diego Simeone

Talks between presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan start in Sochi

Six people detained in Belarus for hanging Ukrainian flag

12th world chess champion Anatoly Karpov hospitalized

NBC News: Biden lost his temper on the phone with Zelenskyy

Masters: Karen Khachanov gets off to solid start

European Parliament lawmakers arriving in Armenia on fact-finding mission

Cavusoglu: Europe weakening runs counter to Ankara's economic interests

Non-resident organizations providing online services in Armenia declare 1bn drams of VAT in 3 quarters

October oil production in Russia falls

Kanye West may face financial crisis

Storm warning issued in Sochi due to tornadoes

Putin and Pashinyan hold 1-hour talks in Sochi

Pashinyan to visit Tehran on November 1

Over AMD 76 billion will be assigned to Armenian police in 2023

Provincial governor of Armenias Tavush, France envoy discuss future cooperation (PHOTOS)

South Korea and the U.S. begin large-scale air force exercise

Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia

Pashinyan says issue of Armenian captives is unresolved, despite discussions with Putin

Ancient ocean traces found on Mars: Could there still be life on Red Planet?

Iranian parliament chair to visit Azerbaijan

Pashinyan: Communications passing through Armenia should be under Yerevan's full control

Pashinyan: Russia's clear position on moving Azerbaijani soldiers to their initial positions is important

World wheat prices up

Putin urges to ensure peace in Karabakh and unblock transport infrastructure

Inter Miami hope Messi will accept their offer

Pashinyan calls Russia's approaches to establishing Armenia-Azerbaijan relations acceptable

State budget spending on Armenia emergency ministry needs to increase considerably in 2023

Pashinyan says he wants to discuss regional security issues with Putin

Putin hopes for progress in Karabakh settlement during summit

Putin: We have to end the Karabakh conflict

80% of Kyiv remains without water supply after morning strikes, mayor claims

China accuses US of violating trade rules

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin

Peskov: We will inform if documents are agreed as result of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders meeting

Kremlin says Russia continues contacts with Turkey and UN on 'grain deal'

Armenian team fail to win medals at European U23 Judo Championship

Masis Abrahamyan, head of ANC - Netherlands office, files lawsuit against Armenian National Security Service

Bloomberg names world's richest families

Central Bank: About 86% of banks' profits in Armenia come from currency sale/purchase, exchange fees

Gucci cancels show because of tragedy in Seoul

Head of Central Bank of Armenia: Economic growth in 2023 will be lower than 7% forecasted by government

Armenia civil servants salaries to increase but bonuses to reduce

800 years ago, Englishman passed on epilepsy-causing mutation to descendants from three continents

Lewandowski: We are in the process of rebuilding which takes time

Armenia finance minister: Salaries to increase almost twice as much more than bonuses have become salaries

First Twitter changes: New homepage and monthly fee increase for verified accounts

Finance ministry: Armenia inflation would have been higher if national currency had not increased in value

Alen Simonyan to Erin Elizabeth McKee: Armenia is interested in deeper engagement by US

Central Bank of Armenia: U.S. financial authorities complicate U.S. dollar turnover worldwide

Kyiv: 12 vessels with grain leave Ukrainian ports

Luis Suarez becomes Uruguayan champion with Nacional

France is working on a land route for grain export from Ukraine

Amount of Armenia financial assistance to Karabakh to not change in 2023

International Rescue Committee: Blockade of Ukrainian grain may lead to disaster

Erdogan: Turkey will continue to solve the food issue despite Russia's hesitation

Armenia's budget deficit in 2023 will be 3.1% of GDP

PACE MPs initiate resolution on political prisoners cases increase in Azerbaijan

EU studying issue of recognizing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organization

Finance minister: Armenia tax revenues projected to be about 3.7% of GDP in 2023

Armenia opposition MP: No final document will be signed in Russias Sochi

K-pop singer Lee Jihan, 24, killed during mass crush in Seoul

Opposition MP: When Armenia PM says he is in Russian proposals favor, has no value unless he says he rejects US option

Employee of Karabakh permanent representation in Armenia is charged with high treason

Kyiv mayor claims damage to energy facility that supplies power to 350,000 apartments

Blinken has phone talks with China's FM
YEREVAN. - It's better to start the agricultural insurance with non-expensive certificates for expenses and not harvest.

The Executive Director of Armenia's ACBA Credit Agricole Bank, Hakob Andreasyan, told the aforementioned to Armenian News - NEWS.am.

The insurance will apparently reduce the risks of non-payment of agrarian loans, but it shoudn't make the harvest and derivative products too expensive. ''There are two types of insurance here: harvest and expenses. Insuring the harvest is very expensive; this should be taken into account. But insuring the expenses might prove to be cheaper by certain percentage ratio. Non-expensive certificates of insurance should first be offered so that the farmers can get used to it,'' Andreasyan noted.

The French Credit Agricole concern, one of ACBA's shareholders, includes three insurance companies, one of which insures business, including the agrarian one. ''We are ready to share the experience of our French partners when dicussing the loan policy of the agricultural sector,'' Andreasyan assured.

In his words, in addition to the aforesaid, it is necessary to consider that it will be easier for the insurers if at least certain protective infrastructure is already in place, for instance anti-hail systems in orchards.

The bank is the largest agricultural loan provider in Armenia. By the end of the second quarter of 2016, the portfolio of the bank's agricultural loans amounted to 75.2 bln AMD (approx. $158 mln).
The UN Human Rights Council voted in favor of carrying an independent investigation of events in Aleppo, reports the Reuters. The provision is a part of the resolution approved during the session of the Human Rights Council, put forward by the UK and other Western and Arab countries. 24 countries voted in favor of this document, seven against, whereas 16 abstained.

According to the HRC Secretariats document, there will be held a special session in regard to the deteriorating situation of human rights in Syria and failure of Bashar al-Assad to fulfill his international obligations. The document notes that perpetrators should be held accountable for human rights violations, and that the International Criminal Court has an important role in that process.

The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and other International organizations Alexey Borodavkin has harshly criticized the approach of the UN. "The purpose of this special session is to support the rest of the terrorists in the western Aleppo, who commit countless crimes against civilians, and to accuse those who are fighting against them." The diplomat called the upcoming session as completely irrelevant, taking into account that Russia has announced a humanitarian ceasefire in Syria.
YEREVAN. - The stronger Armenia's defense system is, the stronger our positions in negotiations will be.

Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, who left for Artsakh with the Chief of the General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces Friday, said the aforementioned in an interview with Armenia TV.

To the observation that after the April war the talks on surrendering territories and mutual concessions have resumed, Sargsyan responded that this question should be addressed to those dealing with the negotiations aimed at the conflict settlement.

''The threshold of mutual concessions is determined during the talks and decided by the supreme Commander-in-Chief after consulting with all the beneficiaries. The function of the Defense Ministry is different: it has to raise the strength of the defense system. The stronger Armenia's defense system is, the stronger our positions in negotiations will be,'' he said.

The Minister also touched on the failed diversionary attemp initiated by the Azerbaijani armed forces Friday. ''We know that the Azerbaijani side has an obvious aggressive attitude and regularly states about solving the issue by military means. Such attempts will continue as long as the Azeris start loving their sons as much as they hate our sons,'' Sargsyan said, praising the combat-readiness of Armenian servicemen. ''They are ready to respond profesisonally. There is no panic, and this is of great significance,'' he noted.
Reception in honor of Constitutional Court held on behalf of Armenia President (PHOTOS)

YEREVAN. - A reception in honor of the Armenian Constitutional Court and participants of the international Yerevan conference organized by the Council of Europe Venice Commission was held in the Reception Hall of the Armenian Government Friday on behalf of President Serzh Sargsyan.

The solemn ceremony of the establishment of the international Constitutional Culture analytical center took place in the framework of the event.

President of the Armenian Constitutional Court, Gagik Harutyunyan, presented the results of the conference and the regulatory functions of the international analytical center, as well as the manuals to be prepared by the center in the coming two years, which will be aimed at developing the constitutinal culture.
Yesterday's diversionary attempt by the Azerbaijani side is a very dangerous development; this once again proves how important the immediate implementation of the arrangements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg are.

The Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Karen Mirzoyan said the aforementioned to the journalists Friday, after the meeting with the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Herbert Salber.

''We talked about a number of issues related to the relations between Nagorno-Karabakh and the European Union. Of course, the current situation in the negotiation process was also touched on. In this context, we underscored the importance of the immediate implementation of the arrangements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg,'' Mirzoyan said.

Touching on the OSCE Minsk Group's upcoming visit to the region on Saturday, the FM noted that the Co-Chairs will visit Nagorno-Karabakh in the coming week. A meeting is scheduled with them. ''We will present our assessment and positions regarding the developments after the last meeting. I think the conversation will as always take place in a very open and working atmosphere,'' Mirzoyan noted.

He also stressed that the involvement of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process is an objective necessity. ''The events taking place once again prove that it is merely unrealistic to talk about a real progress in the negotiation process without the fully-fledged participation of Nagorno-Karabakh,'' Mirzoyan concluded.
This month, Emorys Laney Graduate School and the Letters of Samuel Beckett Project celebrate the publication of The Letters of Samuel Beckett, 1966-1989 by Cambridge University Press, the fourth and final volume of the Letters editions.

Each volume spans critical periods of the acclaimed Irish-born writer's work. Becketts letters reveal a man whose life and art offer paradigms for the cross currents of the 20th century, extending the limits of fiction, drama, poetry and criticism.

Beckett wrote drama for stage, radio, television and film. The letters show how the visual arts and music compelled his attention and reveal the influence of paintings on his stage images and musical forms on the patterns of his prose.

Close associations with theater artists, painters and musicians resulted in much collaboration during his lifetime, just as his texts have continued to inspire artists, composers, and other writers to create new work.

The newly released Volume IV reflects the publics and the medias increased attention and, with it, a huge influx of letters from old friends and new correspondents. In spite of this, Beckett found ways to retain the privacy necessary for his writing.

Exploring the possibilities of television

The period covered by Volume IV is one that sees the publication and production of many new works. Beckett explored the possibilities of television as he worked closely with technicians in Stuttgart and London to realize Ghost Trio, ... but the clouds..., Nacht und Traume and Quad.

In his stage plays, Beckett found the dramaturgical means to focus audience attention analogous to what the television camera would permit. He expanded the presence of the personal interior through recorded sound, in such works as That Time, Footfalls, Rockaby, Ohio Impromptu, Catastrophe and Quoi ou.

Beckett also continued to write poetry during his final years, ranging from the brief, often witty Mirlitonades to the open-ended musing of Comment dire. Although he became increasingly impatient with his own physical limitations, Becketts letters during this time remained responsive to the needs of others.

Publishing Beckett's letters

In 1985, Samuel Beckett authorized founding editor Martha Dow Fehsenfeld to publish his correspondence. Lois More Overbeck was asked to join the project that same year, and from 1985 until his death in 1989, Beckett himself helped to facilitate their research through access and interviews.

In 1990, the project became affiliated with the Laney Graduate School at Emory, and, with Laneys support, received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as the Florence Gould Foundation. In 1992, the American University of Paris became a center for the edition in France. The editorial team also expanded to include George Craig and Dan Gunn.

For Samuel Beckett, letters were first of all a human exchange: they were a means of keeping in touch, of spanning distance and time, says Overbeck, the project's managing editor. Both the tempo and immediacy of contemporary communication suggests that Becketts letters may be among the last great literary correspondences.

Indeed, Becketts correspondence is copious, totaling more than 16,000 letters. The letters, however, are scattered across the globe in both public and private collections.

For nearly 30 years, the Beckett editorial team consulted and transcribed all extant letters to make the selections included in all four volumes of The Letters of Samuel Beckett. The complete edition comprises letters selected for their bearing on his work, including some 2,500 letters with another 5,000 quoted in the annotations.

The edition also contains all of Becketts writing  published, unpublished or abandoned  including his criticism, reviews, essays on arts, descriptions of paintings that are later transposed into stage images, and observations on musical composition that inform the patterns of his prose.

Engaging generations of students

The Letters of Samuel Beckett is a treasure for scholars, artists, critics and diverse audiences who hold Becketts work in highest esteem. But the project has also been professionally important to graduate students who credit their involvement for developing a breadth of transferrable professional skills that have continued to shape their careers.

Lisa Tedesco, dean of the Laney Graduate School, says she appreciates the opportunities that the project has presented to students at Emory and the American University of Paris.

The graduate experience is devoted to rigorous research and meticulous scholarship, says Tedesco. The discipline and focus required to cull, analyze and translate the incredible body of Becketts correspondence has developed skillsets in our students that go far beyond literary research.

For Laney alumna Laura Barlament 01G, the Letters experience helped her to develop communication and collaborative skills. I learned about establishing relationships. I have seen how to ask questions astutely. I have experienced how a community of scholars from different disciplines can work toward a common goal," she says.

For Brian Cliff 01G, the experience exposed him to a professional network. My work with The Letters of Samuel Beckett not only helped me to develop and refine essential critical and research skills, but exposed me to a web of contacts that will be of great help to me over the course of my career," he notes.

And for Jennifer Nesbitt 99G, her participation shaped the way she conducts research. The most obvious benefit I have derived from the project has been greater knowledge, skill and resourcefulness in research," she explains. "It has taught me to follow threads of information to a larger picture and to develop a key scholarly aptitude: the hunch.

The project also benefitted from the work of scholars at the end of their academic careers, as volunteers from Emory's Emeritus College, made up of retired faculty, offered their time, expertise and experience to proofread manuscripts and proofs with editors.

Commemorating Beckett's impact

Becketts letters are pivotal for scholars and students of Becketts work, but at the same time, they are also very human and accessible. As David Sexton recently noted in the London Evening Standard, every one of them, however brief, is a considered act by Beckett. Each is an example of how he conducted himself. Taken together they constitute a substantial addition to his body of writing.

Tedesco agrees. The importance and influence of Becketts work to the arts, culture and thought is well known and specially regarded, she says. One of the beautiful things about the 'Letters' project and the editions created is to see Becketts work  and Beckett himself  illuminated in an entirely new way.

"The 'Letters' have breathed immersive life into Becketts philosophies, his artistic processes, his keen and critical observations of himself, the world, and other work, and much more," she says.

The publication of The Letters of Samuel Beckett, 1966-1989 is being celebrated through a series of events this fall at Emory and throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Upcoming events include the following:



Oct. 24: "Mary Hutchinson Observed: From Bloomsbury to Beckett"

One-woman performance by Brenda Bynum sponsored by the Emeritus College

 The Luce Center, 825 Houston Mill Road

 11:30-1 p.m., free parking

 $7 if lunch is included; register here.

Oct. 31  Nov. 5: "Samuel Beckett's Life and Work: An Exhibition"

Courtesy of Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

 Dobbs University Center Commons

 Free

Nov. 3: "Engagement in the Arts: Samuel Beckett in Prison"

Lois Overbeck and Alan Mandell discuss "Waiting for Godot" in San Quentin and The San Quentin Drama Workshop

 White Hall, Room 206

 4-5:30 p.m., parking in the Oxford Road Deck

 Free, no ticket required; learn more here.

Nov. 3  Jan. 13: "Connecting Contexts: The Letters of Samuel Beckett 1929-1989" Exhibition

 Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library

 Contacts: Lois Overbeck and Leslie Wingate

Nov. 5: "Words Fail So Simply Much Love"

Chamber reading with musical interludes from Schubert, played by Don Saliers. Also featuring Barry McGovern and Alan Mandell with Brenda Bynum

 Glenn Memorial Auditorium

 7:30-9 p.m., parking in the Fishburne Parking Deck

 Free; learn more here.

Dec. 12: "The Letters of Samuel Beckett"

A evening of words and music to mark the publication of the fourth and final volume of "The Letters of Samuel Beckett: 1966-1989," with Annabel Davis-Goff, Nick Laird, Colum McCann, Colm Toibin and the Tesla Quartet.

 New York City, 92/Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street

 Venue: Buttenwieser Hall

 Tickets from $34; learn more here.
Cuban independent journalist Yoani Sanchez, a brazen defender of free speech and founder of 14ymedio, the islands first independent daily digital news platform, has been named a Distinguished Presidential Fellow at the University of Miami. Sanchez will teach a non-credit course in the spring 2017 semester, give academic lectures and participate in events with members of the faculty and student body.

It is an honor to welcome Yoani Sanchez to our University as a Distinguished Presidential Fellow, said Frenk. I am excited that our students will be exposed to this brave champion of press freedom who promotes journalistic principles under very trying circumstances.

As her first event, Sanchez will launch UM Cuba Forums with a lecture titled The Power to Tell a Story: Daily life in Cuba through the lens of an independent journalist, to be held at the Newman Alumni Center on October 24, immediately followed by a Q&A session with President Frenk.

In the spring, she will offer a non-credit course titled New Cuban Voices, which will explore issues related to the current state of Cuban society and how it may continue to develop moving forward especially as relations between the island nation and the U.S. continue to thaw.

Since I visited Miami in 2013, I understood that preserved in the city were many traditions, memories and customs of Cuba that had long been forgotten in the island, said Sanchez. This opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with UM students and faculty will be enriching for my identity and I also hope to better connect with both realities.

Sanchez first came to UM in April 2013 when she visited the UM Libraries Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC) to get acquainted with the collection and offer her insights and experiences to a group of student journalists. Later that year, she returned to UM to offer a master class at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban America Studies (ICCAS).

A University of Havana graduate with a degree in philology, Sanchez immigrated to Switzerland in 2002 and returned to Cuba two years later determined to lead an independent life as a Cuban citizen. She launched a blog called Generacion Y (Generation Y) that chronicled daily life in Cuba. President Barack Obama praised her blog in November 2009, writing that the blog provides the world a unique window into the realities of daily life in Cuba.

In 2008, Time magazine listed her as one of the worlds most influential people. Her work has generated many awards including the Ortega y Gasset Prize, Spains highest award for digital journalism, the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University, and the World Press Freedom Hero Award from the International Press Institute.

In 2014, Sanchez launched the digital newspaper 14yMedio, which offers a fresh voice in the island with exclusive national news, highlighting not only political and economic developments but also social and cultural activities.

As director of 14ymedio, she oversees editorial operations, leads special features, and writes in-depth pieces about Cubas reality. Since Cubas government does not allow for a free press and allows only limited Internet access, Sanchez has found an ingenious way of distributing 14ymedio. This includes sending it abroad to users who distribute through email, and a PDF version is shared once a week as part of a paquete, a collection of movies, magazine and other publications that is offered for transfer via a USB flash drive.

Sanchez is thrilled to return to UM.

Students always teach me much more with their questions and life experiences, because they have that necessary dose of curiosity that makes them investigate and dig deeper on issues. I feel younger and dare much more intellectually when I am with them, she said.
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SIU to commemorate Native American Heritage Month

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale will commemorate Native American Heritage Month with numerous special events in November.

Guest speakers, film presentations, special exhibits, and crafts and recipes reflecting Native American culture are on tap. Sarah Adams-Cornell, a member of the Choctaw Nation, will present the keynote address to kick things off at 5 p.m. on Nov. 4 in the University Museum Auditorium at Faner Hall. A Mile in My Moccasins: Issues Impacting Native Americans is the topic of her presentation.

Adams-Cornell is a board member of Live Indigenous OK, a core member of Idle No More Central Oklahoma, vice chairperson of the OKCPS Native American Student Services Parent Committee and board member of Not Your Mascot. An activist and advocate for the rights, culture and education of Native Americans, she co-hosts a radio program focusing on Native Americans and news. She has also been an activist in residence at the University of Oklahoma and a board member of the OK Choctaw Tribal Alliance. Her efforts have included organizing a movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in Oklahoma City, co-creating Matriarch, a program to empower Native American Women, and working with a group that was successful in eliminating Land Run reenactments and removing a mascot Native Americans find offensive from the Oklahoma City public schools.

The Adams-Cornell presentation, like the rest of the Native American Heritage Month activities, is open to the public. Everything is free, with the exception of the special recipes, to be served in conjunction with regular meals at campus dining halls on specified dates. To view full menus, visit www.housing.siu.edu/menus. Those are provided at no cost in campus dining halls for students with meal plans and open to other students and the general public at a price of $9.42 for adults or $5.55 for ages 4-12. Tickets will be available at the dining halls.

The Trueblood Hall schedule includes these dishes:

Nov. 1 dinner -- black bean soup and Onondaga corn cake

Nov. 6 dinner -- blueberry and peach salsa with fresh corn chips

Nov. 13 dinner -- corn, blueberry and wild rice salad

At Lentz Hall, the dining experiences include:

Nov. 7 dinner -- 3 sisters soup and double cornbread muffins

Nov. 17 lunch -- wild rice burgers

Nov. 20 late night snack -- blueberry and peach salsa with fresh corn chips

Another highlight of the month is the showing of the 2010 documentary We Still Live Here at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 in the University Museum Auditorium at Faner Hall. The Wampanoag people helped the Pilgrims survive and celebrated Thanksgiving with the early English settlers, but through the years, their language had died out. However, some descendants of the Native American group still live in their homelands of southeastern Massachusetts and with the help of linguist Jessie Little Doe, the Wampanoag language and culture are making a comeback, as seen in the film.

Trail of Tears: The Forced Removal of the Cherokee Nation from the SE United States will be shown at 3 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the John C. Guyon Auditorium at Morris Library.

SIUs American Indian Craft Night will give participants the opportunity to create traditional Native American crafts and learn their origins. The workshop is set for 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 18 in Parkinson Laboratory, Room 110. Those planning to attend should RSVP by emailing siucsacnas@gmail.com by Nov. 17.

An unusual but commonly used artifact of the Cree nation will also be on display at the University Museum through the rest of the semester. The goose decoy was formed when a bundle of conifer branches, probably spruce, were bound together and shaped appropriately. The decoy, about 50 years old, was found on the shore of the Hudson Bay, near the Cree village of Whapmagoostui. Its quite unusual for one of these fragile decoys to survive after use.

Find additional information, including the complete schedule of events, at www.smrc.siu.edu. To learn more, call 618/453-3740.

Sponsors of Native American Heritage Month include the universitys Student Multicultural Resource Center, the Hispanic/Latino Resource Center, Black Resource Center, Morris Library, University Museum, the Center for Archaeological Investigations, University Housing and SIU chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), along with the Illinois Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association.
Institute to host discussion of polls, campaigns

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- With elections fast approaching, the impressions of 2016 political campaigns and of recent polls by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute are up for discussion next week.

Popcorn and Politics will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in Student Center Ballroom B. Admission is free and the public is invited. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The public policy institute and the College of Liberal Arts are program sponsors.

David Yepsen, institute director, and John Jackson, institute visiting professor, along with Kenneth Mulligan, associate professor, political science, and Todd Graham, director of debate, will participate. Yepsen and Jackson will discuss findings of six recently released statewide Simon Polls, including the presidential and U.S. Senate races, and the publics opinion on the direction of the nation and state. Mulligan and Graham will give their impressions of the 2016 campaigns.

There have been nine years of Simon Polls dating to 2008, and the polling has provided an important research initiative, Yepsen said. The leading public opinion archives in the country accept the polls due to the high polling standards used, he said.

It helps us understand why people in Illinois feel the way they do about their government and public policy questions. It contributes to the public debate and education, Yepsen said.

More information is available at http://paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/ or by calling 618/453-4009.
The government will launch the sixth tranche of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) scheme on October 24, in which people can buy securities worth up to 500 grams. The Union Finance Ministry in a statement said that the government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds 2016-17 - Series III and applications for the bonds will be accepted from October 24 to November 2. It said, the gold bond will be issued on November 17. The bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognized stock exchanges. The Sovereign Gold Bond, an alternative mode of investment to physical gold, was launched in November last year. It provides investors a choice to diversify portfolio without the need to buy the metal in physical form. The (SGB) investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value of investment. The tenor of the bonds will be for a period of eight years with exit option from 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates. So far, the government has come out with five tranches of the SGB. The Bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities including individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions. The bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram. The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates. The minimum permissible investment will be 1 grams of gold, while the maximum amount subscribed by an entity will not be more than 500 grams per person per fiscal year (April-March). A self-declaration to this effect will be obtained. In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 500 grams will be applied to the first applicant only. Price of the bond will be fixed in Indian Rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Limited for the week (Monday to Friday) preceding the subscription period. The issue price of the Gold Bonds will be ` 50 per gram less than the nominal value. Payment for the bonds will be through cash payment (upto a maximum of Rs. 20,000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking. Investors will be issued a Holding Certificate. The bonds are eligible for conversion into demat form. The redemption price will be in Indian Rupees based on previous week's (Monday-Friday) simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity published by IBJA. Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices as may be notified and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange, either directly or through agents. The investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value of investment. Bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is to be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time. Know-your-customer (KYC) norms will be the same as that for purchase of physical gold. KYC documents such as Voter ID, Aadhaar card/PAN or TAN /Passport will be required. The interest on gold bonds shall be taxable as per the provision of Income Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961). The capital gains tax arising on redemption of SGB to an individual has been exempted. The indexation benefits will be provided to long term capital gains arising to any person on transfer of bond The bonds will be tradable on stock exchanges/NDS-OM from a date to be notified by RBI. The bonds will be eligible for Statutory Liquidity Ratio purposes. Commission for distribution of the bond shall be paid at the rate of 1% of the total subscription received by the receiving offices and receiving offices shall share at least 50% of the commission so received with the agents or sub agents for the business procured through them. Meanwhile in a related development, the RBI has relaxed norms for foreign investment in startups The RBI has said that Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs) can invest in Indian startups irrespective of the sector in which the startup is engaged without prior permission of the apex bank. It said SEBI-registered FVCIs have also been permitted to invest in unlisted firms in sectors like biotechnology, nanotechnology and dairy without prior permission of the RBI. RBI in its notification yesterday said, the extant regulatory provisions have been reviewed and amended in order to further liberalise and rationalise the investment regime for FVCIs and to give a fillip to foreign investment in the startups. The RBI further said FVCIs can also open a foreign currency account and/or a rupee account for the purpose of making transactions. Also, there will be no restriction on transfer of any security/instrument held by the FVCI to any person resident in or outside India. (ANI)
A trade body in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, has decided to boycott Chinese manufactured products ahead of Diwali due to Beijing's lack of support to New Delhi in its drive to isolate Pakistan. China, a longstanding ally of Pakistan, has rebuffed India's calls for the United Nations to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group that India blames for recent cross-border attacks, as a terrorist. The president of the Shimla Beopar Mandal (trade association), Inderjeet Singh, said traders have been asked to minimize imports from China and promote domestic products. "As China is not supporting us internationally, so we the Shimla Beopar Mandal have decided to not support Chinese products. We have got some products from them but now we are telling our traders to not get more items from them. This is how we are boycotting Chinese goods," said Singh. In the run up to Diwali, people across the country splurge on buying a host of new items for their homes and gifts like clothes, jewellery and sweets etc. for their loved ones. It is considered auspicious to make new purchases at this period. Every year Chinese products like fancy lights, crackers and a host of decorative items flood Indian markets. Elaborate designs and cheaper prices of Chinese products give a run for money to their Indian counterparts. Local trader Satish Kapoor said,"We are trying our best to sell Indian products and bulk of our goods is Indian." "The reason for this is the public sentiment which is against buying Chinese products and we also do not intend to sell Chinese products," he added. Earlier this week, 55 trade bodies in Gujarat had also announced a boycott of Chinese products and urged consumers to support the same. China is also leading opposition to a push by the United States to bring India into the NSG which aims to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation by stopping the sale of items that can be used to make nuclear arms. So far China has refused to soften its stand against New Delhi as it is likely to ruffle feathers in Pakistan, which has responded to India's membership bid with one of its own. India has expressed concern over the trade deficit that touched USD 46 billion last year. In September this year, data showed India had exported goods worth USD 922 million to China and imported goods worth USD 5.4 billion. Meanwhile, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last week that there was no policy or instrument to stop import from China completely. (ANI)
A senior finance ministry official on Friday said that a detailed report has been sought from banks amid fears that millions of debit cards data may have been stolen in one of the country's largest-ever cyber security incidents. Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been asked to investigate the matter. "We have asked for a detailed report from the banks regarding the hack. The Reserve Bank of India will launch an investigation and so will the finance ministry. On behalf of the government, I would like to say that cyber security is of paramount importance," said Das. Das further said there was no need to panic over the feared security breach. "Customers should not panic because these hackings are done through computer and trail can easily be reached. They should not be alarmed or get panicked. Whatever action has to be taken, it will be done with speed," said Das. Several banks in India are replacing or asking their customers to change security codes of as many as 3.25 million debit cards due to fears that the card data may have been stolen. Card network providers Visa, MasterCard, and home-grown RuPay run by the National Payments Corp of India (NPCI) swung into action in September after receiving complaints from some banks that their clients' cards had been fraudulently used mainly in China and the United States even though they were in India, said the chief of NPCI, which also runs the biggest network of shared ATMs. There was a possible compromise of one of the payment switch provider's systems, NPCI Chief Executive A.P. Hota said in a statement. A switch is part of the back-end network aiding ATM operations. Hota said the card network providers had alerted all affected banks and the advice to banks to replace cards was a "preventive exercise", adding: "Necessary corrective actions already have been taken and hence there is no reason for bank customers to panic." Of the debit cards affected, about 2.65 million are on Visa and MasterCard platforms, while 600,000 are on RuPay, Hota earlier told CNBC TV18, adding the breach involved some 90 ATMs. Visa and Mastercard said in separate statements their own networks had not been compromised, but they were aware of the issue and were working with banks, regulators and others to support investigations. While the potential breach impacts a large number of debit card holders, the number of cards affected accounts for just 0.5 percent of the nearly 700 million debit cards issued by banks in India. While the NPCI did not name the payment switch provider whose systems it found had been compromised, banking industry sources with direct knowledge said the issue stemmed from a breach in systems of Hitachi Ltd subsidiary Hitachi Payment Services, which manages ATM network processing for Yes Bank Ltd. The sources were not authorised to speak with media on the matter and so declined to be identified. Yes Bank said in a statement on Thursday it had proactively undertaken a review of its ATMs and found no evidence of any breach. The bank said it continued to work with other banks and the NPCI to ensure safety and security of its ATM network and payment services. A Hitachi spokeswoman said it was investigating the matter, including whether there was a malware problem, adding it had no further comment at this time. State Bank of India, the nation's top lender, said it had blocked cards of certain customers after being informed by card network providers about a breach outside its network and it was replacing those cards as a proactive measure. The bank has found about 620,000 of its more than 200 million cards "vulnerable", Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, a deputy managing director at SBI, told Reuters, but added he did not expect any significant financial loss. Complaints of fraudulent cash withdrawals affected a total 641 customers of 19 banks, and the money involved was 13 million rupees ($194,612), according to NPCI. ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank - the top three private sector lenders - confirmed in separate statements some of their customers' card accounts had been possibly breached after use at outside ATMs. The banks said they had advised the clients to change their PINs. Standard Chartered's Indian unit has also begun to re-issue debit cards for some customers, according to messages sent to clients. The bank said it replaced possibly affected cards as a "precautionary measure" to ensure that customers' financial security is not compromised, adding there was no breach across its own network. (ANI)
The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) concluded its inaugural manufacturing industry mission to New Delhi yesterday. The delegation was led by representatives from the automotive, chemical, consumer products, packaging, and other advanced manufacturing companies. The delegation delivered an optimistic message, and congratulated government officials on the tremendous achievements on the Goods and Services Tax (GST), bankruptcy law, and the advancement of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. "We are committed to the Government of India's Make in India ambitions, and we focused this week on advancing a vision of 'Make in India for the World' by aggressively pursuing an expanded manufacturing-driven trade policy and facilitating ease of doing business throughout the country," said James Rowland, Regional Director Government Affairs for Asia Pacific at Ford Motor Company and Co-Chair of the USIBC Manufacturing Executive Committee. The policy priorities for the delegation were focused on three main areas: ease of doing business, international trade, and the GST implementation. First, the delegation advocated for more collaboration between the state and central governments on issues such as standards, labour, and real estate. Second, delegates encouraged the Government to further integrate India into the global trade community through joining forums such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), expanding the number of export markets by completing more trade agreements, and fully embracing the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. Finally, the delegation discussed GST implementation and provided input from the manufacturing sector on critical areas of consideration for the GST. "We were delighted by the level of engagement with Government officials. It's clear that they are serious about attracting investment in the manufacturing sector and are trying to implement the necessary steps," said Brandon Banner, Senior Manager for manufacturing at the USIBC. "The purpose of this mission and of the USIBC Manufacturing Committee in general is to bring global manufacturers together with the Government of India to prioritize barriers to future investment and identify strategies to overcome them." The USIBC delegation also participated in a U.S.-India Workshop on Trade Facilitation hosted in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The workshop brought together representatives from the U.S and Indian private sector and government officials to chart a path forward to implement the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The mission was attended by senior representatives from General Motors, Dow, Lyondell Basell, Guardian Industries, Honeywell and Commercial Vehicle Group. U.S.-India Business Council formed in 1975 at the request of the U.S. and Indian governments, the U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization, comprised of 400 top-tier U.S. and Indian companies advancing U.S.-India commercial ties. (ANI)
Provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), which do not distinguish between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, are hampering the process of recovering non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, by state-run banks, the government said on Friday. "I can tell you in settling current lot of NPAs, it is this one problem alone which is also creating challenges before officials of various public sector banks," Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. "Today, a private sector bank has a liberty to settle its NPAs, and officers of public sectors banks are constrained by provisions of the 1988 PCA Act," Jaitley said in his address to the Accountants General Conference, organised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). "I think this distinction needs to be finally stated. The corrupt decision must be punishable, the erroneous decision can only give you a post facto analysis so that the system is wiser by that experience," he said. The Finance Minister said the PCA's existing provisions give a lot of discretion to the investigating officer in deciding whether a gain accrued was fair or unfair. "People transact with governments to earn money...so a gain in transaction is inevitable. Whether that gain is a fair gain or unfair gain, that distinction is to be determined, which puts a decision maker, particularly the civil servant, in a very difficult position in a large number of government departments," he said. Declaring that the time had come for a liberalised regime that distinguishes between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, Jaitley said the banks will have to enforce their rights and take effective action to recover NPAs as it is constraining their capacity to lend. "We are now coming to a stage where a lot of effective steps both in terms of policies and legislative has been framed and therefore banks will now have to enforce their rights in the larger interest of the economy, because if money keeps lying blocked in a particular section, then your capacity to lend to others is adversely affected," he said. Gross NPA of public sector banks has surged from 5.43 per cent (Rs 2.67 lakh crore) in 2014-15 to 9.32 per cent (Rs 4.76 lakh crore) in 2015-16. The Finance Minister also said that India has not been a tax compliant country and introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would make it one. "We haven't been a tax-compliant society. Disincentivising use of cash, making tax rates conducive to compliance are all steps being taken," he said. "We are testing deliberative democracy and maturity of Indian democracy in the GST Council," he added. Following the third meeting of the GST Council here earlier this week, Jaitley, who chairs the body, announced that it had almost reached a consensus on compensating states for loss of revenue under the proposed GST regime, which will permit a decision on the new tax structure at the next meeting slated for November 3-4. The government has set the target of implementing the pan-India GST from April 1, 2017. --IANS bc/sm/vt ( 520 Words) 2016-10-21-21:26:08 (IANS)
He tweeted, "Central & State Govt extended best support to #ADHM. Sad two industry associations shook hands with local political party to create ruckus."

For the unversed, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after imposing a ban on Pakistani artistes working in India has also threatened to vandalize the theaters exhibiting ADHM as the movie stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a cameo. (ANI)
Women activists owing allegiance to All India Democratic women organisation (AIDWA) staged protest demonstration in front of Collectorate here today denouncing the action of the police of arresting AIDWA workers who were visiting the Diwis Lab site area in Thondangi mandal to interact with the local people on the impact of the laboratory on the environment. They raised slogans against the police for promulgating prohibitory orders under section 144 Cr PC in the Divis lab area for the past four months.They alleged that police were acting at the diktat of Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu who was behind the decision to permit the establishment of Divis Lab much against the wishes of the local people.The demonstrators have burnt the effigy of the state government in protest against the decision to forcible acquisition of fertile lands for establishing the Divis Lab which is health hazardous and also poses a threat to the hatcheries nearby with its effluents . Later they called on the Joint Collector in a delegation led by by Ramadevi AIDWA city president and presented a memorandum listing out their demands.UNI XC DP VS RSA 2311 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-987366.Xml
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said the proposed petro-chemical complex will certainly come up in Andhra Pradesh and there is no room for any doubt. Speaking at Vangali village in Sabbavaram mandal of Visakhapatnam district this evening after the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, laid the foundation stone for the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) University. Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju also participated in the event. Mr Pradhan said that the previous UPA Government had included the proposed petro-chemical complex in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, but only subject to feasibility. "However, we have taken a decision to set it up in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of 35,000 crores. Further, the capacity of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) Visakha refinery in the Smart City will be enhanced from 8 million tonnes to 15 million tonnes, at an investment of 21,000 crores. The total investment for all these projects would be of the order of 62,000 crores in Andhra Pradesh in the next few years," . Further, he said, roughly 60,000-70,000 crores would be invested by both the public sector and private sector companies in the Krishna-Godavari basin in the State for exploration and exploitation of oil and gas. "I have no doubt the State would emerge as a petroleum hub in future. Therefore, there is a need for skilled personnel on a large scale in the sector. The IIPE here will serve the purpose. The campus will be ready in a few years. Already, the IIPE is functioning in a temporary facility in Andhra University," he said.The foundation stone for a skill development Centre was also laid on the occasion. The Union Minister also launched the Prime Minister Ujwala scheme.Mr Pradhan said 90 per cent of the households in AP have LPG connections and by June, 2017, the remaining households would be covered. AP would be a kerosene-free state by then, he added.UNI BSR VS RSA 2308 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-987387.Xml
After a Dalit man in Gujarat killed himself while demanding land rights for his community, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi needed to set his own house (Gujarat) in order first, before taking on the larger responsibility of ruling the nation. Kharge told ANI, "Nowadays, Dalits and minorities are forced to leave their villages, being harassed by the police and by the government." "To some extent, I can particularly say that the weaker sections who are not towing the line of BJP or the BJP government, they are either being killed or thrown out of their villages, or, such villages are being boycotted," Kharge added. "Such things are happening. Modi as a Prime Minister and, he comes from Gujarat, and, he was also there for nearly 13-and-a-half years as chief minister, and today, he is also enjoying as a Prime Minister. He should at least set right his house, Gujarat, from where he comes. At least people should feel that they are safe, secure and even Dalits and minorities are safe and they have been given constitutional protection. But, such things are not happening and they want to threaten these people and make them bow to the ideology of the BJP," he added. Kharge was responding to an incident where three Dalit men had consumed poison in Junagadh earlier this week over a demand for land titles. One of them, Parbat Parmar, died in hospital, while the other two are said to be in stable condition. In the months since four Dalit youths were stripped and flogged by upper-caste Hindu men in Una, Gujarat, for allegedly skinning a dead cow, protests by Dalits for their rights, including land, have spread across the country. As per reports, Parmar and other Dalits had been forced out of their village more than two decades ago for trying to cultivate grazing land, a move that was opposed by the higher-caste villagers. They have since been demanding alternative land. (ANI)
Inaugurating the Indore unit of Balaji Wafers worth Rs 276 crore in Bhainsloy village of Mhow block of Indore district yesterday, the Chief Minister said the state is not only leading in the country but also in the world, an official release said.

Mr Chouhan said that adequate electricity, water, road and land are available in the state for investment. "Because of constant efforts, the state gets ten per cent growth rate and tops in agriculture growth rate in the country and the world.

The Chief Minister suggested Balaji Wafers to set up unit for 'Indori Aalu Bhujia' production. He said that good quality of potato is being produced in the Malwa region and sugar-free potato is being sowed.

He expressed happiness that 3,500 people would get employment in the unit and potato produced by farmers will be used for production in unit.UNI BDG SB 1138

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-987654.Xml
Curfew has been reimposed in Shehar-e-Khas (SeK) and downtown besides Batmaloo area of the city this morning, while elsewhere in the summer capital Srinagar restrictions on assembly of people continued as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. Police said curfew has been imposed in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of police station Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, M R Gunj and Safa Kadal in the SeK and downtown besides Batmaloo. Restrictions had been imposed on assembly of people under Section 144 CrPC in some other parts of the city, including civil lines, to prevent any law and order. Security forces had to burst teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge last evening to disperse ''pro-freedom'' demonstrators at Nowhatta, demanding lifting of ban on historic Jamia Masjid, where main gates of the worship place remained closed since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag. The demonstrators, who were pelting stones, also were demanding release of chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, presently lodged in Chehmashahi sub-jail since August 14. Apprehending more trouble today being Friday, authorities imposed curfew in the SeK and downtown to prevent more clashes. Additional security forces and state police personnel had been deployed around the Jamia masjid to prevent people from going there. The main Nowhatta chowk also remained closed though vehicles carrying patients and medical staff to S K Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) were being allowed after proper checking. A UNI correspondent, who visited a number of areas today, saw main Nallahmar road closed at several places with barbed wire and bullet proof bunker vehicles from Cement bridge to Khanyar. People living on both sides of the Nallahmar road said imposition of curfew on every Friday since for the past more than three months has now become a routine and they are purchasing essentials, particularly milk, vegetables and medicine on Thursday. Security forces were seen deployed elsewhere in the downtown and SeK areas directing people to remain indoor as curfew has been imposed. Though security forces remain deployed daily from morning till late in the evening, but today they (SF) are not allowing anyone to move out of their houses, the residents in the curfew-bound areas alleged. Security forces had also closed main road at Radio Kashmir, Srinagar crossing and Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) crossing towards Sonawar, where a number of MLAs reside. Both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), spearheading the agitation since July 9, have asked people to assemble near the residence of MLA and protest against them for their failure to raise the voice against atrocities by security forces today.MORE UNI BAS SB 1059 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-987610.Xml
This was the second such search operation in the old town during the past one week, when the Army, paramilitary forces and state police arrested 44 alleged stone-pelters and others having links with militants. Chinese and Pakistan flags besides other incriminating documents were recovered from them.

Following a tip-off about the presence of more wanted persons, security forces and state police personnel cordoned off a number of areas in the old city. All exit points were sealed and house-to-house searches launched.

Official sources said some people were picked up for questioning. Search operation was on when the reports last came in, they said.

Elsewhere in the town, restrictions on assembly of people under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed.

However, people alleged that all bridges, connecting old town with civil lines have been closed and a large number of security forces remained deployed to prevent any procession or protests.UNI BAS SB 1115

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-987628.Xml
Official sources said that 22-year-old Shamim Ahmad was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from his Arwani, Bijbehara, house in Anantnag on October 19.

However, his body was recovered from open fields at Kujjar Yaripora in Kulgam district this morning. The body had bullet marks, the officials said, adding that police have registered a case and initiated proceedings.

In another incident, gunmen shot at and wounded a person Mohammad Amin Bhat in Shopian's village Chermarg . He was hospitalised. The gunmen managed to escape under the cover of darkness before security forces and police could reach there.UNI BAS SB 1142

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-987656.Xml
Expressing displeasure over the way garbage in the national capital had been piled up in various places, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Delhi government to convene a meeting of all stakeholders including the MCDs on the issue of garbage disposal. Wondering why garbage was still being piled on landfill sites that have already reached saturation point, the division bench, headed by Justice Madan Lokur said, "45 meters of height of garbage in places are alarming." The apex court also asked the Delhi government as to what are their plans to clear the garbage in the city, while expressing concern that diseases, including bird flu can increase due to it. "You have to plan for the future. You don't have to react to a situation," the apex court said while hearing the mater pertaining to the suicide of mother and father after their child died due to vector-borne diseases. Earlier on October 18, the Supreme Court sought explanation from the Delhi government as well as the Centre over lack of landfill sites for garbage disposal in the national capital. (ANI)
Two siblings were killed when their car rammed into a stone-laden parked truck near village Jamalpur between Phagwara and Goraya on national Highways this morning. The victims-- Harpreet Singh(25) and his younger sister Ashu-- were killed on the spot, while others Sahiba(18), Dimple(Ashu's husband) daughter Pari(2) and Sidhu(4) son sustained serious injuries in the mishap. Urban Estate Police In charge Jasbir Singh said all the injured have been sent to SGL Kashmira Singh Charitable Hospital Jalandhar. The bodies were pulled out with great difficulty from the mangled car. All were returning from Shri Darbar Sahib Amritsar after paying obeisance. The Police has registered case and handed over the dead bodies of their families after conducting autopsy in local civil hospital.UNI XC SB 1411 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-987910.Xml
Asserting that dialogue process could be initiated to address all issues once there is conducive and peaceful atmosphere in Kashmir for which Pakistan has to help by stopping infiltration, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged the police to make efforts that Kashmiri youth, who have joined militancy, rejoin their families and lead normal life again. Meanwhile, Ms Mehbooba said Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is not permanent in the state and will be revoked as soon as environment of peace and tranquility is created. Talking about the coalition government, she said PDP forged an alliance with BJP so that an atmosphere is created for the Prime Minister of India and his Pakistani counterpart to come to the table and resolve all outstanding issues. She further said that the alliance with BJP, which has a two-third majority in the centre, will also help in resolving internal issues of the state as well. Ms Mehbooba also urged police that local militants should not be killed in encounters, but be brought back home. "Our children who have gone into militancy... my appeal to the police is ... try that they return home... Those who are missing for years, if possible, instead of killing them in encounters, if you bring them back home and if they can become a part of the mainstream... If we can hand them a bat or a ball instead of guns...," Ms Mehbooba said while addressing at the Police Commemoration Day Parade here today. Amidst unrest that has left 86 civilians dead and over 10,000 others injured in security force action since July 9, the Chief Minister said that force have to do parenting rather than policing to help the youth who have been provoked by people with vested interest to protest violently on the streets. Ms Mehbooba also sought help of security forces so that pellet guns get banned in Kashmir valley. "I want to ban pellet guns but it is possible only if you people (security forces) support the government. Our children are always used as shields. We can't force someone to talk by throwing stones on them. If we need a dialogue, we have to stop militancy," she said. Stressing on the need for security forces to play an important role to restore peace and normalcy in the valley, she said talks are the only way forward, but conducive atmosphere is required to engage all stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue process. "We can't force someone to talk by throwing stones at them," she said.MORE UNI ABS CJ SNU 1519 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-988012.Xml
A Hajipur report said, police seized liquor bottles neatly stacked in 230 bags when the consignment was being smuggled on three vehicles -- container, jeep and a car. All liquor bottles bore "Made in Haryana" labels on them. Bootleggers, however, made good their escape abandoning their vehicles on the spot. A massive manhunt has been launched to nab smugglers.

Meanwhile, a Begusarai report said that police arrested three bootleggers and seized 25 bottles of foreign liquor from their possession near Traffic Chowk area under Town police station area in the district today.

Police said here the consignment was recovered from a bag when liquor peddlers were carrying the consignment on a motorcycle.UNI XC-DH CJ SNU 1638

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-988191.Xml
As many as 425 security force personnel have been killed from September 2015 to August 2016 in the country, while 48 personnel have laid down their lives while fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, two policemen were killed and 5000 security force personnel were injured in the current unrest in the valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag. As many as 86 civilians were also killed and 10,000 others were injured in security force action in the valley, where normal life remained paralysed for 105th day today due to curfew, restrictions and strike called by separatists. "48 security forces, including 23 state policemen, 10 BSF jawans, 11 CRPF jawans, and two each from ITBP and SSB, have laid down their lives while fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir from September 2015 to August 2016," Director-General of Police K Rajendra Kumar said at the Police Commemoration Day Parade here today. He further said to maintain peace and tranquility in the state 5211 security force personnel, including 978 state policemen, have laid down their lives while fighting militants in the last 27 years in the state. "The state police has played a very important role in not only maintaining peace in the state, but has proven its mettle at the time of hard situations, including 2005 earthquake, unrest in 2008 and 2010, 2014 floods and the current unrest," the DGP said. He said Jammu and Kashmir Police, because of its exemplary work, is considered as one of the best police forces in the country. Asserting that the state police has observed utmost refrain while dealing with protestors during the last more than three months of unrest, he said because of this more than 5000 security force personnel have been injured since July 9. Meanwhile, he said two personnel were killed in the current unrest.UNI ABS CJ SNU 1630 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-988203.Xml
An Australian-Indian nanotechnology expert, who was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour - the Companion of the Order of Australia, begins a five-city tour of India on October 24. Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, has welcomed the visit by Professor Chennupati Jagadish, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. "Australia greatly values our close science and technology relationship with India. Professor Jagadish's efforts in solidifying the bond between Australia and India through science are noteworthy," she said. "Professor Jagadish has been associated with Australia India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF), Australia's largest fund dedicated to bilateral research with any country, since its inception," Ms Sidhu said. Professor Jagadish said he was looking forward to visiting premium institutions in India to explore possible collaborations. "I am grateful to India for nurturing me from childhood to adulthood and providing excellent education and grateful to Australia for providing me the opportunities to flourish as a scientist and make a difference to the world," he said. "Science plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life and inspiring the younger generation to pursue science is critical to ensure that various countries flourish in terms of improved quality of life for their citizens." As part of the visit, Professor Jagadish will deliver lectures at premier institutions in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi - the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, the Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, Anna University, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Science and the University of Hyderabad. He will also address the next generation aspiring scientists at various schools across the country. Born in a small village in southern India, Professor Jagadish moved to Australia in 1990 with his family to forge a career in nanotechnology. In January this year, Professor Jagadish was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour - the Companion of the Order of Australia - for his contribution to physics and engineering. He has pioneered the creation of high performance next generation optical devices, which have huge potential in the field of communications, data storage and solar cells. Professor Jagadish and his wife Dr Vidya Jagadish have set up an endowment fund with their own money to help students from developing countries to undertake research at ANU in Canberra. (ANI)
Muslim families signed the forms prescribed by AIMPB, opposing any move to interfere with Sharia or Islamic laws.

The forms were distributed at all the mosques during Friday prayers. Responding to appeals by imams and Muslim groups, people took home the forms, signed them along with family members and submitted them to the respective mosques.

Each form can be signed by eight adult family members along with their names and addresses.

The filled-in and signed forms will be forwarded to AIMPB, which propose to submit them to the President and the Law Commission.

AIMPB, the apex body of Indian Muslims comprising organisations representing all schools of Islamic thought, has taken up the signature campaign while boycotting the questionnaire sent by the Law Commission.

It argues that the questionnaire is heavily loaded in favour of Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

--IANS ms/in/mr

( 180 Words)

2016-10-21-17:18:17 (IANS)
Aam Aadmi Party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will release Trade and Industry manifesto for Punjab on October 23 at Ludhiana. Stating this at a press conference here today, Punjab Dialogue Committee chairman Kanwar Sandhu and AAP Trade and Industry wing head Aman Arora said the anti-traders policies of SAD-BJP have forced the industrialists to shift their units in other states and there was a great need to reinstall the faith of the traders in the government by drafting pro-traders policies. On his three-day Punjab visit, Mr Kejriwal will meet traders and industrialists at Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh on October 23. He will release the manifesto and address the community there. The next day apart from paying respect at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo, the AAP supremo will interact with the trader community at Bathinda and Jalandhar. On the last day, Mr Kejriwal will visit Batala and Mohali to meet traders and will listen to the problems and possible solutions from the community. Talking about the Trade and Industry manifesto, Mr Sandhu said seven dialogues were organised with the different sections of trade community throughout the state. The committee got more than 2000 written suggestions and many email that helped team to draft the manifesto. Apart from the Punjab dialogue committee, trade and industry wing organised meetings with the community at around 30 places, he added. Mr Sandhu said the investor's summits organised by Punjab government were mere eyewash and these failed to provide apt environment to the industry, forcing it to shift its base. As per the record, more than 18000 small and medium industry units have been shut down in recent year. Mr Arora said due to the government apathy, higher power tariffs and "gunda taxes", industrialists were forced to shift their businesses to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. AAP promises to stand by the rights of trader community and will provide a healthy environment for doing business in the state. He said the land, sand and liquor mafia will be wiped out of the state after formation of AAP government in the state. UNI DB SW SNU 1749 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988352.Xml
Reacting strongly to the arrest of a Youth Akali Dal (YAD) leader in an abduction case, the Punjab Congress today said the incident had once again proved that criminals in the state had the patronage of the Akali leadership. In a statement here, Punjab Congress leaders Avtar Henry, Amarjit Samra, Rana KP Singh and Tripit R Singh Bajwa said the complete law and order breakdown in the state was the result of the nexus between Akali leaders and criminals. The arrest of YAD general secretary of Malwa zone-1, Kalyan Singh, who is the son of SGPC member Sukhchain Singh Dharampura, showed the total lack of fear with which the Akalis were going around committing heinous and serious crimes against the innocent people of the state, they said. Kalyan and his cousin Gurpreet Singh were taken into custody yesterday for allegedly abducting a trader from Budhlada town for ransom. Media reports have cited police as saying that Kalyan also has four cases of extortion and snatching against him. Pointing out that the Akali-criminal nexus was extremely deep-rooted and widespread, the Congress leaders said the worsening law and order situation in the state reflected the severity of the problem. From violence against Dalits to crime against women and children, the state's crime graph had been on a sharp rise since the Badals took over its reins nine years ago, they said. Akali leaders and their goons were openly threatening and attacking innocent people, and indulging in all kinds of criminal activities while the police remained mute spectators, they added. On September 23, the husband of an Akali sarpanch had allegedly assaulted a five-month pregnant nurse at a private hospital in Baghapurana after being refused preferential treatment. In another incident, in June last year, SAD (Rural) block president from Fazilka Mahal Singh Rana was nabbed by the Rajasthan Police with 7.5-kg of poppy husk. These incidents, said the Congress leaders, were only the tip of the iceberg. The nexus between the Akalis and the various mafias and criminals in the state was so deep that criminals of all kinds had a free rein of the state. From the drugs mafia to the illegal liquor trade and smuggling of sand across the border, everything is controlled by the Akalis, they added, vowing to wipe out this nexus once the Congress is back in power in the state.UNI DB SW SNU 1829 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988365.Xml
Shouting 'pro-freedom' and "anti-forces slogans", hundreds of protestors, took to streets after Friday prayers at Tahab, Tral, Nikas, Koil, Newa, Dalipora and adjoining area in south Kashmir district of Pulwama, demanding right to self-determination.

However, when protestors were moving towards the main chowks in their respective areas, security forces deployed in the area swung into action and stopped them from moving ahead.

As the protestors didn't back down, security forces burst teargas shells to disperse demonstrators, who were pelting stones. Several protestors were injured in the security force action.

Defying restrictions, hundreds of people hit the streets after Friday prayers at Shangus in south Kashmir district of Anantnag against killed of civilians and demanding right to self determination.

The protestors' later clashes with security forces, who tried to stop them from holding demonstrations.

Reports of clashes were coming from other parts of Kashmir valley, including some areas in the summer capital, Srinagar, where curfew was re-imposed today in areas falling under five police stations in downtown and Shehar-e-Khas (SeK), besides Batmaloo.UNI ABS CJ SNU 1730

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-988344.Xml
A police spokesperson here today said that following specific information about transportation of contraband in the district, police established a checkpoint at Devsar in Kulgam and a fruit laden trawler was intercepted at the checkpoint. The police recovered seven kg of poppy straw from the trawler. The driver of the vehicle, Imtiyaz Ahmad Wani, was immediately taken into custody.

Police have registered a case and initiated investigation to nab other people involved in drug trafficking, he added.UNI ABS CJ SNU 1726

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-988367.Xml
Lauding the move of the Bihar government to challenge the Patna High Court's order to grant bail to Rocky Yadav, Neelam Katara, the mother of Nitish Katara, on Friday said the chargesheet was not weak enough to grant bail to Yadav for six months. It may be recalled that Neelam Katara has been battling hard for years for punishment for her son Nitish's killers. A day after Patna High Court granted bail to Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Yadav in Gaya road rage case, Bihar government decided to challenge the order in the Supreme Court. Principal Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore had mentioned that the state government is going to file an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the bail granted to Rocky Yadav by the Patna High Court. The appeal is expected to be filed by next Monday. "There is time to challenge and it is important that the right appeal is being made and I don't think there has been a delay in the challenge, but I did not see the charge sheet why he was given bail so early...Was the charge sheet not strong enough?" Kitara asked. "I do not think this should be such a weak case that he gets bail in six months," she told ANI. She further added that the presence of a powerful politician on the other side with a criminal antecedence influences the work of the police too. "When Rocky Yadav will roam the streets tomorrow, not only people will feel unsafe, the witnesses will weaken their stance and the morale of the potential criminals will be boosted. I hope protection has been provided to the family, because the Delhi government has the Wintess Protection Act." Recalling the sensational Jessica Lal murder case, she also mentioned that Vikas Yadav was involved in Jessica Lal murder just when he was out on bail, and therefore, the behavior of the accused under the influence of power cannot be predicted. Rocky, son of suspended JD (U) MLC Manorama Devi and Bindi Yadav is accused of shooting dead Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva for overtaking his car on May 7. Police had earlier filed a charge sheet in a Gaya court against Rocky and another accused in connection with the murder case. They have also filed charge sheet against Rocky's cousin Teni Yadav, his father Bindi Yadav and his MLC mother's bodyguard Rajesh Kumar in the murder case. The state government had put the case on speedy trial and investigation was completed within three weeks and charge sheet filed within a month of the incident. (ANI)
SP Sumer Partap Singh paid tributes to those who attained martyrdom during various police operations and laid a wreath at the Shaheed Smarak. Police jawans sounded a bugle and a contingent fired shots in the air as a mark of respect to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. The SP said that they were proud of the jawans who were always ready to sacrifice their lives and make supreme sacrifice for the country.

Other officials including DSP Tarun Kumar saini also paid floral tributes at the Memorial. UNI XC JS CJ SNU 1842

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988539.Xml
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal to tender an honest and unconditional apology to the people of Punjab and its youth for conducting a dangerous image distortion fraud against them by branding the children of the land of the Gurus as 'a generation of drug addicts'. "The duo as well as their parties will have to pay heavily for this unforgivable sin which is akin to a heinous and deadly crime against our own children and younger brothers and sisters. In fact, so inseparable will the names of Amarinder and Arvind, and their circus band-master Rahul Gandhi remain on the list of the enemies of Punjab that in the popular perception they will always feature simultaneously with the leaders of the anti-Punjab" invasion and defamation" pack," the SAD chief said while addressing a press conference here. He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal launched and is carrying out a decisive war on drugs and has successfully enlisted a wide-base popular support, especially from Punjabi youth against this social evil. However the Congress and AAP entered into an unholy conspiracy to brand the entire Punjabi youth as a lost generation addicted to drugs and even funded Bollywood films to defame Punjab and Punjabi youth across the country and the world. Mr Badal said the anti-Punjab leaders must now disclose how they arrived at the figure of 70 per cent youth of Punjab being drug addicts. He said the campaign launched by the Congress and AAP to brand Punjabis as drug addicts was akin to the Congress campaign of the eighties which branded all Sikhs as terrorists. He said the truth was that Punjab had led the nation's war against drugs including cross border narco-terror. "If not for us drugs originating from Afghanistan would have spread across the nation. We should be congratulated for leading the fight to safeguard the nation", he added. Speaking about the test conducted on police recruits, he said the government took a decision in this regard to make the factual position clear before the nation. "Now the defamation campaign initiated against us stands thoroughly exposed as only 1.27 per cent of the tested 3.75 lakh youth have been tested positive for drug abuse". He said the average drug abuse in case of both opioids was much below the national average.MORE UNI DB SW 1938 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988698.Xml
After the national capital Delhi, the bird flu scare has alerted the authorities in the historic city of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh forcing them to close for visitors for time being, a portion of the Gandhi Zoological Park following the death of about 15 painted storks. As authorities in the National Zoological park and other parks were gearing up for preventive action after death at least 26 birds due to suspected Avian influenza in the capital here, the officials in the fort city, 319 km South of Delhi, have enforced prohibitory orders for restricting visitors from entry in a portion of the Gandhi Zoo where the signs of outbreak of the disease are noticed. "The zoo authorities have decided to impose a prohibition in that particular part after the death of the birds..,..The authorities maintain contact with the Veterinary Department and the officials of the Central Zoo Authority of India, who have taken up the process for confirmation of the cause of the deaths of thebirds", a report from Gwalior quoting Municipal Corporation Commissioner Anay Dwivedi said. Mr Dwivedi said that preventive spray was being done in the zoo for curbing spread of infection. He said that samples were sent to laboratories in Bhopal and Jabalpur for test and action would be taken after receipt of the report. Meanwhile, in the capital here, the Delhi Government has ordered regular monitoring of the situation in National Zoological Park and other parks to prevent spread of the infection. "Regular monitoring of the situation will be carried out by the officials concerned to look flu-related cases in the national capital. I urge people not to panic over the issue," Development Minister Gopal Rai told reporters here. He said some of the birds that died in the zoo have been tested positive for H5 Avian influenza virus which cannot affect humans. Mr Rai, who visited the Ghazipur Chicken Mandi earlier in the day, said no infection was found in the 2.2 lakh birds which arrived recently. "A committee has been constituted in the area, which includes five members each from officials, doctors and retailers who will continuously monitor the situation," the Minister said. He added that the medical card will be used at every entry gate of wholesale market-place as a precaution to curb the spread of infection and no truck will be allowed to enter the market without certificate from October 23. "We have sent letters to Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana Governments to take preventive measures and direct the officials concerned to check flu-related incident," Mr Rai said. The situation also prompted the Supreme Court to make an advisory to the AAP party led Delhi Government. Pulling up the government over the outbreak of bird flu, the apex court asked the ruling AAP MLAs to work more towards cleaning up the national capital. "Do your MLAs have no responsibility ? Every part of Delhi is covered by your MLAs, what are they doing? Your MLAs, instead of increasing their salaries, should start segregating garbage..,..The issue of segregation of solid waste is alarming," the court made an observation.UNI Team SS -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-989039.Xml
Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabya Sachi Nayak today resigned from the Council of Ministers post on moral ground, in the wake of the October 17 SUM Hospital fire tragedy, which has so far claimed 25 lives. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the resignation of Mr Nayak, stating that he had resigned from the departments of Health and Family Welfare and Information and Public Relations, on moral ground. Mr Patnaik said he had accepted the resignation of Mr Nayak and sent it to Governor S C Jamir for approval. Ever since the hospital fire tragedy, Mr Nayak was under tremendous pressure with the Opposition political parties, demanding his resignation on the ground that he has vested interest with the SUM hospital as his wife was serving in the institution, which runs the hospital.More UNI DP RJ -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-988940.Xml
Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today met Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at New Delhi and urged him to enhance funding for schemes under National Rural Drinking Water Supply Projects (NRDWP) to the State. He said Himachal Pradesh was very close to achieve Govt. of India's vision of providing 70 litre per capita per day water in all habitations of the State and enhanced funding and continuation of existing guidelines in NRDWP will further speed up this process in the State. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the purposed NRDWP reforms would affect the funding in Himachal Pradesh as most of the schemes were in advanced stage of completion and there was hardly any problem of chemical contamination in the State. He said the State government was committed to provide adequate drinking water to every habitation in the State. A project proposal of Rs 3,500 crore for funding from the New Development Bank had also been prepared for covering all the remaining habitations. He requested for support and assistance of the Ministry for early approval of this project by the bank. The Chief Minister said the State had been lauded for notable achievement in the field of sanitation and was adjudged 1st in category of big states to be declared as open defecation free. The State will be formally declared open defecation free on 28th October, 2016 in a function at Shimlain the presence of Union Rural Development Minister. He demanded that funds for developmental works to Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis should be liberally released as these bodies did not have resources of their own to generate funds.UNI ML JS SDR RJ PR2114 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988552.Xml
Border Security Force today seized five kg of contraband suspected to be heroin from Amritsar sector. DIG RS Kataria, senior PRO, BSF Punjab Frontiers said that the consignment was recovered this morning from the area of responsibility of BoP Daoke in Amritsar sector. He said that the alert BSF man had thwarted the evil design of Pakistani smugglers of sneaking drugs into Indian Territory. He said that the BSF troops observed suspicious movements of some Pakistani smugglers near the International Border Fence last night and accordingly, they alerted the sentries and HIT parties deployed on duty. As soon the Pakistani smugglers reached near the Border fence and started throwing packets containing some material over the Border Security fence, BSF troops challenged them to stop, but the smugglers continued with their aggressive posture. To stop their misadventure, the BSF troops opened fire. The smugglers managed to escape taking cover of thick vegetation, undulating ground and darkness. After first light, search of both sides of fence was carried out. During search BSF troops recovered 5 packets of contraband suspected to be heroin weighing one kilo each.Value of the heroin recovered is said to be Rs 25 crore in the International market, Kataria said.UNI XC JS SDR RJ PR2112 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988676.Xml
The Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) employees called off their indefinite strike late tonight, after the administration accepted their main demand to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission from April this year. Nishikant Sarnaik, President of KMT Workers' Union, announced that they have called off their ongoing indefinite strike, which had begun from the midnight of October 19, following a written assurance from KMT administration that they would fulfill their demand of implementation of Sixth Pay Commission. He said the city bus services will start from early tomorrow morning at 0500 hrs.Total 800 KMT employees, including drivers, conductors and administrative staff, were on indefinite strike and as a result total 127 city buses were off the roads since yesterday.All KMT employees had staged a 'Thiyya Andolan' (sit-in) in front of Kolhapur Municipal Corporation's (KMC) main building for nine hours till 2100 hours last night and tried to draw attention of KMC corporators, who were attending a general body meeting yesterday afternoon, towards their demand.UNI SSS SS VS SDR RJ 2328 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-989149.Xml
Controversial former Superintendent of Police Gurdaspur was mired in an another controversy following the Gurdaspur city police have registered a another case of sexual harassment . At least six ladies police personnel have lodged a complaint with the Director General of Police Punjab Suresh Arora last year in which they alleged that theywere sexual harassed by S P Salwinder Singh . On their complaint , Inspector General of Police Gurpreet Kaur Deo conducted a thorough probe in which he found guilty . The Gurdaspur police have already been registered a case of sexual harassment against him on August 2 in which the complainant Rajneesh Kumar, a employee of powercom Punjab and a resident of this town , had lodged a complaint with the deputy chief minister Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal in 2005 in which he alleged that he was implicated in a false rape case and S P Salwinder Singh had taken Rs. 50,000 to delete his name from the FIR and meantime he had developed illicit relations with his wife as the S P Salwinder Singh used to visit his house on the pretext to conduct probe. The case against him was registered after Gurleen Singh Khurana, the Pathankot SP (Headquarters) conducted a probe which found him guilty following the DIG (Border Range ) Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh had received a complaint from the Director, Bureau of Investigation, before he marked the probe to S P Khurana. Earlier in the first week of January SP Salwinder Singh was mired in a controversy after a group of terrorists kidnapped him nearly 30 hours before they attacked the Pathankot Air Force station on January 2. When contact SHO city police station Rajbir singh police has registered a case under section 354A against him. The bail of S P Salwinder Singh has already been rejected in sexual case by The additional district and session judge Gurdaspur Kamaljit Singh Lamba on August 11.UNI XC JS SDR RJ 2344 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-988850.Xml
According to an Envestnet India statement here, Jay Lohokare, Reshul Dani and Ajit Rajurkar won the contest for their innovative technology solution they created for the finance sector.

"The winners developed an innovative personalised credit scoring system based on alternative and inclusive scoring mechanisms like bill payment and social media scores, divulging from the traditional credit scoring models that may limit financial inclusion," said the statement.

Engineering students from 10 Indian colleges and universities had participated in the hackathon.

This event was held as part of the second edition of the Architecting Intelligence Conference.

In an interesting keynote address, noted futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency Gerd Leonhard said humanity will change more in the next 20 years than in the previous 300 years.

"Understanding how to leverage technology will be critical for successful companies in the future," said the expert.

Envestnet Inc. is a leading provider of unified wealth management technology and services to financial enterprises and advisors and has been here in the capital city since 2004 with a centre in Bangalore too.

In the past 15 months its staff increased from 500 to 1,800.

--IANS sg/py/vt

( 231 Words)

2016-10-21-17:28:10 (IANS)
US President Barack Obama has said Republican Donald Trump's insistence that he might not accept the election result is "dangerous". Trump's comments undermined American democracy, BBC quoted the President as saying at a campaign rally in Miami for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump refused in a televised debate to say he would accept the outcome of the election on November 8. He later said he would accept a "clear" result but left a challenge open. Speaking in Ohio on Thursday, Trump said, with a grin: "I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election - if I win." In the same speech, he said he would accept a clear election result but reserved the right to file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable one. Hours later, the President said that sowing the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of US elections provided a boost to the country's enemies. "You're doing the work of our adversaries for them, because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters," BBC quoted Obama as saying. For days, Trump has claimed the election is rigged against him, due to media bias and voter fraud. During Wednesday night's debate with Clinton, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he would accept losing to her, the Republican candidate said he would "keep you in suspense". Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later insisted that the candidate had meant he would not concede until the "results are actually known". Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Obama eight years ago, said: "A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility." First Lady Michelle Obama also joined the attack on Thursday, saying "you do not keep American democracy in suspense". --IANS lok/ ( 348 Words) 2016-10-21-04:58:09 (IANS)
Lowenna Ovens is now studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University having scored 45 out of 45 in the tests, cementing her place among the very best students across the globe, the Telegraph reported.

Of the 150,000 IB students around the world this year, only 146 received the perfect score of 45. The average score was 30.07.

She said: "I chose the IB Diploma because of the breadth of study and the fact I didn't want to narrow down my GCSE subjects too much. I would definitely recommend the course."

The IB diploma offers a broader programme of study than A levels. Students take six subjects including three at "higher level".

Her school principal David Walrond said the college was incredibly proud of Miss Oven's achievements.

He said: "It is a superb achievement to get full marks on the IB, something incredibly rare across the whole global cohort.

"This mark puts Lowenna at the very top not just of national, but world performance in the International Baccalaureate... even with her remarkable ability you need real organisation and stamina to do what she has done."

--IANS lok/

( 222 Words)

2016-10-21-06:52:09 (IANS)
European Union leaders condemned Russia today for its bombing of civilians in Syria's besieged city of Aleppo and Britain, France and Germany backed a push to consider sanctions against Moscow if the atrocities continue.Arriving in Brussels after late-night talks yesterday in Berlin with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande said he was seeking maximum diplomatic pressure on Russia to prolong a cessation of bombings in Aleppo that have targeted hospitals and civilians."All the options are open as long as the truce is not respected and as long as there is a will to crush a city," Hollande said of Aleppo, where some 275,000 people are trapped and hundreds of people have been killed since a ceasefire agreed by Moscow and Washington broke down.Russia has told the United Nations it will stop bombing eastern Aleppo for 11 hours a day for four days, an announcement that EU officials speculated was timed to coincide with the EU summit in Brussels and as momentum was building to impose more crippling sanctions on the Kremlin.EU leaders were initially reluctant to put more Russians under travel bans and asset freezes as part of European efforts to force Moscow to consider a peace settlement for Syria, the main source of migrants fleeing war and heading to Europe.But Britain and France continued to push for the option, and a senior EU lawmaker close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, David McAllister, told Reuters that while the EU had limited leverage over Russia "we can still impose new sanctions or increase existing sanctions."A draft of the leaders' final statement condemned Russia's role in the conflict and threatened new sanctions."The European Council strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo," the draft conclusions, seen by Reuters, read."Those responsible for breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights law must be held accountable. The EU is considering all options, including further restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities supporting the regime, should the current atrocities continue."The wording, which explicitly does not name Russia in the threat of more punitive measures, was designed to secure the backing of Moscow's allies in Europe, including Cyprus, Hungary, Italy and Greece, according to diplomats."It will be uncomfortable for the countries that are most friendly with the Russians," said a French diplomat.In a sign of the European anger at the Russian-backed campaign, Merkel denounced the air strikes on Aleppo as "completely inhuman."RUSSIAN WARSHIPSAs the EU met to discuss their options over dinner, a fleet of Russian warships carrying fighter bombers made its way along Europe's western coast towards Syria.It is a naval operation that NATO believes is likely to intensify the assault on Aleppo, despite the Russian ceasefire pledge.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was seriously concerned about the fleet, which includes Russia's only aircraft carrier. "This may be used to increase attacks on Aleppo ... to increase human suffering," Stoltenberg told reporters.The four-way meeting in Berlin yesterday night, which also included Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, was focused on ending the violence in eastern Ukraine. Later Merkel, Hollande and Putin had a discussion on Syria which lasted a little over an hour.Separately, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a pre-summit meeting of conservative European parties in Maastricht that he was not optimistic of reaching a deal over a partnership agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which was rejected by Dutch voters in a referendum in April.Western efforts to pull the former Soviet nation out of Moscow's grasp with the free-trade deal have been complicated by the Dutch vote."A solution here would need a majority in the Dutch parliament," he said. REUTERS AKC 0104 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-987513.Xml
A Wisconsin man who had traveled to Turkey and Syria in 2014 to join the Islamic State militant group has pleaded guilty of attempting to support to a terrorist organization, the US Justice Department said today.Joshua Van Haften, 34, of Madison, Wisconsin, admitted that he was fully aware that the group, also known by the acronyms ISIL and ISIS, had engaged in terrorism, US Attorney John Vaudreuil said in a statement.Van Haften's attorney, Joseph Bugni, with Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Van Haften was arrested at O'Hare Airport in Chicago in April 2015 and has been held in federal custody since then. He had been in the custody of Turkish immigration authorities since October 2014.Van Haften's sentencing is scheduled for February. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.According to today's statement, Van Haften wrote online explaining that he had taken an oath of allegiance to the leader of ISIL and "the only thing that matters to me is joining my brothers for the war against America." REUTERS AKC 0106 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-987514.Xml
Libyan pro-government forces have freed five foreign nationals held by Islamic State in Sirte after heavy fighting in their battle to capture the final district of the city, a local official said.Yesterday Islamic State took over Sirte more than a year ago, profiting from chaos caused by infighting among rival brigades of Libyan forces who once battled together to oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, but steadily turned against each other.Two of the freed foreigners were from Turkey, two from India and one from Bangladesh, said Rida Issa, a spokesman for the Bonyan Marsous forces which have been battling for six months against militants in Sirte."There was a desperate resistance by Daesh, but it was confronted by heavy weapons," Issa said, using one of the Arabic names for Islamic State.Forces from the western city of Misrata, allied with the UN-backed government in Tripoli, have been leading the battle to oust Islamic State from Sirte, helped since August by US air strikes and small teams of Western special forces.But they have been facing fierce resistance from snipers, car bombs and booby-traps as Islamic State fighters dig in for house-to-house fighting in the last residential districts held by the militant group.Yesterday, pro-government forces killed at least 20 Islamic State fighters as they pushed into the 600 District of Sirte, one of the last held by militants who control an area now less than one square kilometer, local officials said.After facing heavy casualties at the start of the campaign, Misrata forces have increasingly turned to the use of tanks and armed vehicles to clear a path for ground troops.No details were given about how or where the five foreigners where captured, but Islamic State has attacked oilfields and kidnapped foreign workers over the last two years.In May 2015, the group kidnapped a Czech, an Austrian and a Bangladeshi among other foreigners when they overran an oilfield in the south of Sirte. In February last year, they beheaded a group of Egyptian Christians captured in Libya.Losing Sirte would deprive Islamic State of its major base outside its Iraq and Syria territory just as a US-backed alliance helps Iraqi forces recapture the city of Mosul, the largest city the militants control there.But the UN-backed government in Tripoli is struggling to expand its influence and faces opposition from hardliners on all sides of Libya's political divide. A victory in Sirte for Misrata forces is already pressuring military rivals in the east who oppose the Tripoli government. REUTERS AKC 0410 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-987529.Xml
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Bill English cancelled a meeting with two senior Hong Kong democracy supporters this week on advice from his foreign office, he said today, underscoring a delicate relationship with Communist Party-ruled China.English said in an emailed statement that he cancelled the meeting with former Hong Kong legislator Martin Lee and former colonial chief secretary Anson Chan on the eve of the appointment after he was advised it was "diplomatically sensitive".New Zealand has been more careful recently than neighbour Australia not to offend China as both Pacific countries jostle for export opportunities in the Asian giant."This is the first time it's happened to me like this, a meeting was cancelled at the last minute," Lee told Reuters.The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which guarantees it freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.Street protests calling for full democracy for Hong Kong in 2014 presented Beijing with one of its biggest political challenges in decades. Dozens of pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature yesterday to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists, setting the scene for a new constitutional crisis.Lee has for decades campaigned for democracy for Hong Kong. Chan has said China should trust Hong Kong people to pick their own leader.China became New Zealand's largest trading partner after a Free Trade Agreement in 2008, making New Zealand the first western country to sign such a deal. Exports to China amounted to NZ12.1 billion dollars (8.67 billion dollars) in the year to June, which equates to 17 percent of New Zealand's exports.English, who advised Lee and Chan of the cancellation by email, said that it was "not uncommon" for the Foreign Affairs Minister to advise on meetings with overseas visitors.The Foreign Affairs office did not reply to a request for comment on its advice.In contrast, Chan and Lee last week met with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and testified in front of the Australian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee about protecting Hong Kong's autonomy.Opposition Labour Party legislator David Shearer, who spoke with Chan and Lee earlier this week, said Chinese officials had approached him expressing "concern" about the meeting."It's not in New Zealand's interest not to go through with a meeting because of persuasion of pressure from another country," Shearer said.There were strains in the two countries' relationship earlier this month when China rebuked New Zealand's defence minister at the opening of a high-profile security forum in Beijing, criticising his stance on tension in the disputed South China Sea. REUTERS SHS RK0910 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-987572.Xml
Churches across the world are joining a Helsinki parish in ringing their bells daily to commemorate civilians killed in the battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo.The bell tolls started on October 12 at the Lutheran parish of Kallio in Helsinki, following the intensified Russian and Syrian bombing of besieged rebel-held parts of Aleppo."After reading the news that day, of Aleppo, we decided to ring funeral bells at 5 pm to remember the death. First I just asked a few local churches to join us," Teemu Laajasalo, vicar of the Kallio parish told Reuters.Soon hundreds of churches nationwide, and across Europe, joined in, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland set up a "Bells for Aleppo" website to list the participants.According to the site, more than 500 churches from 20 countries, including Britain, United States and Australia, have signed up. The bells will continue to ring daily until October 24, the United Nations Day."We all see the devastating events in Aleppo, but at the same time feel powerless to help, because of the complexity of the situation. With the bells, we want to make our voices heard, and give hope for better future," Laajasalo said.In Finnish churches, funeral bells are traditionally tolled when the body is carried out of the church after the service.Last time that churches around the country joined to ring bells was at the funeral of Finland's former president Urho Kaleva Kekkonen in 1986. REUTERS SHS RAI1321 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-987830.Xml
Pakistan and the United States have reiterated their commitment for working together to expand bilateral and investment ties, aimed at tapping potential on both sides. This was stated in a joint communiqu by US Trade Representative Michael B Froman and Pakistan Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan at the end of the co-hosted 8th annual US-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement(TIFA) Council meeting held this week, a report in The Express Tribune said today. Both sides, reiterating October 2015 statements made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President Barack Obama that emphasised on working with the private sector to expand trade ties, as part of an enduring, multifaceted bilateral relationship. "This, they noted, was in the interest of both countries and their business communities", the newspaper report based on the joint communique said. Froman commended Pakistan on its progress in implementing the economic reform programme that had stabilised its economy, and pledged continued US cooperationin Pakistan's reforms and furthering of business climate agenda, the report added.UNI XC SS -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-988010.Xml
Britain sought to shame Russia today for its deadly air strikes on the Syrian city of Aleppo, during a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council called by London to set up a special inquiry into violations. "Russia, you are making the situation worse, not solving it," Tobias Ellwood, the British government minister for Africa and the Middle East said in a speech to the Geneva forum. "This is shameful and it is not the action or leadership that we expect from a P5 nation," he said, referring to the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. Russia's delegation was due to speak later in the debate.Reuters CJ BL1518 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-988073.Xml
Lydia Su said her heart jumped when she first heard a property in Shanghai's tree-lined French Concession was on the market - even though it was no bigger than a bathroom - swept up in China's latest property frenzy. The 13.7-square metre (147-square foot) apartment, the detached annex of a villa, was priced at 1.8 million yuan ($267,169), which at about $19,500 per square metre ranks it among the world's most expensive residential spaces. Though Su eventually decided against the deal, she thought it was cheap. "This is 'small money' compared to many other properties in China," said the 27-year-old finance professional. Looser government restrictions and easier credit last year have triggered a wave of speculative - and panic - buying. Official data shows Shanghai home prices are more than a third higher in September than a year earlier. And homes in the French Concession are a cut above, with average prices exceeding 100,000 yuan per square metre, Su said. Nationwide, new home prices were up 11.2 percent, the highest growth on record.China's biggest cities - Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen - have led the rise, but the frenzy is also spilling over into smaller cities in central China. The surge has helped sustain China's economic growth, which held steady at 6.7 percent in each of the first three quarters. But when prices hit fever pitch at the end of summer, Chinese policymakers stepped in to warn about price bubbles and ballooning debts. In early October, 15 cities announced cooling measures, including higher down payment ratios on second homes. At the end of September, outstanding mortgages to individuals had jumped by a third to 17.93 trillion yuan from a year ago, China's central bank said on Friday. There are signs mortgages are crimping household spending, in an economy increasingly reliant on domestic consumption. Analysts also warn that the bull market is bringing forward future demand, as people fear prices running away from them, which could lead to a destabilising loss of momentum in the coming months. "Our research showed half of the people we surveyed have brought forward their plan to buy a house this year," said Wang Tao, chief China economist at UBS, citing a report that surveys around 3,000 people. Concerns on sales momentum are also making real estate developers wary of starting new construction projects. New starts fell 19.4 percent in September, the first year-on-year decline since December. The property sector contributed 8 percent to gross domestic product growth in the third quarter, according to NBS spokesman Sheng Laiyun, so any weakening could reverse that effect.NEW HOUSE, OLD CLOTHES Shanghai was one of the earliest cities to announce restrictive measures in March. Rumours were rife that it would further restrict property purchases in September, which led to a jump in convenient divorces to allow couples to qualify to buy multiple houses. In China's tech hub of Shenzhen, 33-year-old head hunter Julia Qu said she was considering faking a divorce to skirt the 70 percent down payment rule on what could be Qu and her husband's third flat, valued at 3 million yuan. "Faking divorces in China is very easy. All you need to do is to get a document at the marriage registry. It's not a real divorce," she said. Qu sold her second flat in early October, hoping to use the funds to cover the down payment. She said she wanted a bigger apartment for when she has children and her parents retire. She is still burdened with monthly mortgage repayments from her first apartment. "The total mortgages we are paying are close to our income. What is left is only enough for our basic expenses," she said, noting that mortgage repayments commonly account for 80 percent of family income in Shenzhen. "So there's no more travelling, expensive restaurants or new clothes," she said. Beijing native Zoe Zhang is in a similar boat, though she bought her apartment early last year before the spike. Her monthly salary of 7,000 yuan is mostly swallowed by the 5,600 yuan outgoings on her 1.2 million yuan mortgage. "I used to travel twice or three times every year when I didn't take the loan. Right now, considering the debt on my shoulders, I am only able to travel once per year," she said. A UBS report showed the ratio of house prices to household disposable income in first-tier cities had risen to 18 to 20 times from 14.7 times at the end of 2015. "This puts China's tier-1 cities' affordability close to Hong Kong and more expensive than London," the report said. New buyers making such sacrifices will be hoping to follow in Zhang's footstepsREUTERS CJ BL1525 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-988080.Xml
Efforts by the Britain, France and Germany to threaten Russia with sanctions over its Syrian bombing campaign lacked unanimous support of leaders at Brussels Summit after the European Union pulled back. UK-backed plan to impose further sanctions on Russia ran into opposition from Italy, reports the CNN. At a summit of the EU leaders on Thursday, despite vocal support from British Prime Minister Theresa May and her French counterpart, Franois Hollande, the plan to issue sanctions against Russia if "current atrocities" in Aleppo continue, failed to win the necessary unanimity to pass. The EU's three biggest countries had wanted to warn Russia that individuals and organisations linked to the bombing of Aleppo could face asset freezes and travel bans if the violence continues. According to sources, May even told her counterparts over dinner that Russia posed a challenge to Europe's democratic values and institutions. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said "it was difficult to imagine" as this would mean further sanctions against Russia. The tense debate ranged widely over tensions between the EU and Russia. Leaders discussed airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber attacks and "interference" in the political processes of the EU, said Donald Tusk, the European council president. "It is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU. Increasing tensions with Russia is not our aim. We are simply reacting to steps taken by Russia," said Renzi. Earlier in the week, EU foreign ministers said Russia could be guilty of possible war crimes in Aleppo and had agreed to widen sanctions against Syrians implicated in the bombing. The EU imposed economic sanctions against Russia in July 2014 in response to Moscow's arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine and failure to cooperate in the investigation over the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which killed 298 people. (ANI)
Talks between the British government and Nissan are ongoing over a future investment from the Japanese carmaker into its plant in Sunderland, northeast England, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said today.Nissan will decide next month whether to produce its new Qashqai SUV at its British plant or elsewhere in the first major investment decision affecting Britain's auto sector since Brexit, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said today"As you saw relatively recently the prime minister had a very productive conversation with the president of Nissan and obviously the dialogue between government and Nissan is ongoing," May's spokesman told reportersREUTERS CJ NS1612 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-988233.Xml
Switzerland hopes to have a like-minded ally outside the European Union once Britain leaves the EU, a top Swiss diplomat told the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper. "One advantage of (Britain's) withdrawal is that hopefully we will have a good partner outside of the EU with similar focus when it comes to open markets and regulation," Joerg Gasser, head of the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters, said in the NZZ interview published on Friday. However, Gasser said there was little prospect in the foreseeable future for any concrete agreement between Britain and neutral Switzerland, which is not part of the 28-member EU. "The British say they are not doing anything before their relationship with the EU is clarified," Gasser was quoted as saying. British Prime Minister Theresa May said this month she would trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March. Using Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty will give Britain a two-year period to clinch one of the most complex deals in Europe since World War Two.REUTERS CJ BL1625 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-988247.Xml
KUNMING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A joint anti-terrorism drill was held by Chinese and Vietnamese police Tuesday, in an effort to combat violent cross-border terrorism.

The drill started at 9:20 a.m. in southwest China's Yunnan Province and northwest Vietnam's Lao Cai Province. A total of 260 police officers from Honghe Prefecture in Yunnan and Lao Cai participated in the 80-minute drill.

The officers simulated several scenarios, including arresting nine terrorists, shooting one dead, arresting an illegal Vietnamese shipper, seizing five homemade explosives and a gun, and rescuing a hijacked ship, Chinese police said.

The drill is expected to boost the ability of the two sides to respond to terrorist attacks in the border area, police said.
The Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Khomotso Phahlane (2nd L), addresses the media at a factory of the Scaw Metals Group, Germiston, southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Oct. 20, 2016. South African police on Thursday destroyed 22,999 firearms here which were used to commit crimes in various parts of the country. The murder rate increased for the third straight year in a row as 18,673 South Africans were murdered in financial year 2015/2016, leading to approximately 51 murders per day, an increase of over 4.9 percent over last financial year, according to the statistics released by SAPS in September this year. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- South African police on Thursday destroyed 22, 999 firearms in Johannesburg which were used to commit crimes in various parts of the country.

The firearms were smelted so that they do not fall into the wrong hands and are used to commit crimes, police said.

The destroyed firearms included shotguns, revolvers/pistol and rifles. Included in the destroyed firearms were the 3, 156 from the police which were obsolete and not serviceable.

"The destruction of the firearms will go a long way to ensure that people live in a safe and secure environment. We want to work with the society to ensure that there are no illegal firearms in our communities," said Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane.

He also encouraged gun owners to observe rules guiding gun ownership like licence renewals after every five years.

Lobbying and Advocacy Director at Gun Free South Africa, Adele Kirsten, welcomed the destruction of firearms which she said are causing physical and psychological damage to the South African society.

She said the destruction shows that the country is serious about a gun free society.

Guns kill the active citizens who contribute positively to the economy of the country and also kill breadwinners, Kirsten said.

She said, "Last year government hospitals spent over six billion rand (about 432 million US dollars) to treat 20, 000 people who were shot.

"We support the destruction of the firearms and want a gun free society where everyone will feel safe. In this country 16 people are shot everyday," said Kirsten.

Vernon Smith, Deputy President of the Gauteng Provincial Community Police Board, said the move will prevent firearms from being used to commit crimes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Jacob Zuma, Brazilian President Michel Temer, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for group photos at the eighth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

NAIROBI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The outcome of the 8th BRICS Summit in Goa, India, offers another added impetus to Beijing's efforts to have significant impact on Africa's development, a Kenyan analyst has said.

In the wake of the major summit by Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa (BRICS) in India, a Kenyan economic analyst said Beijing's membership of globally influential bodies provides a chance to level the economic playfield in favor of poor countries.

"Although China is the biggest economy in the world, it still regards itself and is indeed regarded by many countries as part of the developing countries," Dr. Gerrishon Ikiara, International Economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi, told Xinhua.

"This explains why the 8th BRICS Summit in Goa, on Oct. 15 and 16, stressed the need to create a fair, equitable and just international climate in which improvement in governance is given greater weight."

Ikiara said it was important for all the BRICS countries to lead by example through better economic performance and socio-economic development in their respective regions.

South African President Jacob Zuma (1st L, front) attends the closing ceremony of the Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dec. 5, 2015. The second summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) closed here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Ikiara said using the BRICS as a global platform, Beijing could better still gain the collective global and regional influence to promote financing programs tailored for developing countries, especially African states as part of the pledges made under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

"China is already having positive impact on developing countries by helping to finance key energy projects, environment, infrastructure and industry in a growing number of African countries through FOCAC and other fora. The Resolutions of the Goa Summit are strong indicators of the BRICS desire to go further in solving a wide range of issues of key interest to Africa and other developing countries," Ikiara said.

Chinese leadership insists consistently on having "no political strings attached" and maintain a "no empty promises stance" on matters of international economic development, especially in Africa.

As the world's leading economy, China has been playing a key role in global bodies, including the G20, BRICS, FOCAC and the UN and its affiliates, Ikiara noted.

"The rising influence of China has been influenced by not only in membership of global fora but also by its global stature as an exporter and importer in the global economy," Ikiara noted.
Zhang Dejiang (R), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), meets with Albanian Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Top legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Albanian Parliament speaker Ilir Meta Thursday, vowing to further deepen friendly exchanges between the legislatures of the two countries.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC), said Albania was a reliable friend and partner of China in Central and Eastern Europe.

Currently, bilateral relations have stepped into a track of fast development, said Zhang.

The Belt and Road initiative, as well as the deepening cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), have brought new opportunities for China-Albania cooperation.

Zhang voiced hope that Albania would seize the opportunity, align its development strategy with China, and actively participate in regional economic cooperation, to transform the two sides' sound political relations into the tangible outcome of pragmatic cooperation.

The NPC is willing to work with Albanian Assembly to strengthen experience-sharing on state governance and develop the bilateral friendship, to push forward in-depth development of bilateral ties, said Zhang.

Meta said it was the consensus of all sectors of Albanian society to develop friendly relations with China.

The friendship between the two countries provides a good foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation, he said, adding that the Albanian Assembly is ready to enhance exchanges and cooperation with the NPC.
Liu Qibao (C, rear), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, speaks at a meeting concerning the "going out" of Chinese books, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday said that more Chinese books should be exported.

Liu Qibao, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting concerning the "going out" of Chinese books.

Liu called for a better understanding of the needs of foreign readers, and more focus on the thoughts and themes of books, so that the world gains insight into the Chinese spirit and values.

Exporting more books will expose Chinese culture to the outside world, according to Liu, who added that Chinese stories must be told well and build a good national image.

Books exported overseas should vividly embody the values and thoughts of contemporary Chinese, and reflect the progress of the country, said Liu.

He also called for cooperation with foreign publishing institutions and new channels that would help to introduce Chinese literature to the outside world.
LONDON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- An export bar was placed Thursday on a rare tapestry dating from the 1690s.

Culture Minister Matt Hancock has placed the temporary export bar on the tapestry by Michael Mazarind in a last ditch effort to stop it being exported from Britain.

The tapestry is at risk of being exported from Britain unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of 67,500 pounds (82,762.41 U.S.dollars).

The work is the only surviving tapestry to feature Mazarind's workshop mark. Little is known of his workshop, but it is believed he was based in Portugal Street, London, between 1696 and 1702. Mazarind was relatively unknown, but is said to have connections to John Vanderbank, the famous Soho-based weaver.

The tapestry includes small groups of oriental figures, buildings, exotic creatures and plants. This combination of elements was one of the most popular decorative fashions of the period.

Hancock said: "This intricate design provides us with a unique opportunity to explore the tapestry workshops of 1600s London. I hope we are able to keep it in the country so we can learn more about our nation's textile industry, and of the decorative fashions of the time."

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council. The committee made its recommendation on the grounds of significance for the study of Mazarind's work, English tapestry of the period, and London's history.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Thursday that the United States would make an "overwhelming" military response if Pyongyang was to ever successfully launch a nuclear weapon.

The United States "strongly condemns" the missile test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) last night, said the Pentagon chief, noting the attempt, "even in failing, violated several UN Security Council resolutions."

"Make no mistake: any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response." he warned at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo at Pentagon.

The South Korean Defense Minister told reporters that Seoul and Washington will consider "permanently deploying U.S. strategic assets on a rotational basis" in a bid to back up U.S. commitment to defend South Korea from DPRK's nuclear and missile threats.

The United States and South Korea will enhance cooperation on both the maritime and cyber security, Carter added.

Earlier on Thursday, a spokesman for the DPRK National Aerospace Development said in a statement that the DPRK will continue to send more satellites into space under its national blueprint for space development, refuting claims by South Korea that the true intention behind it is not for peaceful purposes.

The statement came amid South Korea's strong denunciation of the DPRK over its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile last night, which Seoul's military presumed to have failed. It was the second failed launch in less than a week and the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month.

On Wednesday, Carter reiterated the U.S. commitment to provide "extended deterrence, guaranteed by the full spectrum of U.S. defense capabilities" to South Korea and other allies in the region.

"The recent dramatic increase in North Korean nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches remind us of the grave threat it poses to our collective security," he said at the start of the talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and their South Korean counterparts. The term "extended deterrence" refers to the use of U.S. nuclear force to deter attacks on its allies.

Kerry, despite high concern and strong opposition in East Asia, said at the talks that the United States would deploy the highly controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea "as soon as possible."

However, the saying that the U.S.-built THAAD can counter the nuke and missile threat from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is merely a ruse, many analysts in the region argue, fearing its deployment will only worsen the already extremely volatile situation on the Korean Penninsula.

China and Russia have expressed strong opposition to the THAAD deployment as the system far exceeds South Korea's actual defense needs and would directly threaten the strategic security of the two countries.
ZAGREB, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's new government,led by Andrej Plenkovic, stands a good chance to complete a four-year term, after it won support from 91 deputies in the 151-seat parliament, analysts believe.

Gordana Deranja, president of the Croatian Employers' Association (CEA), was happy with a government that won strong parliament support.

"Croatia finally has a stable government that is a prerequisite for any serious action. We are expecting a turnaround in economy, politics and reforms", she told Xinhua.

"I'm an optimist. The new government has a great chance to do something. I hope they will not miss the opportunity and momentum they have", she added.

The new government was formed by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and its junior partner MOST party after an early election on September 11.

This is not the first coalition between HDZ and MOST. They formed a coalition government after the election in November 2015, but it stepped down five months later after a parliamentary non-confidence vote.

However, Tihomir Cipek, a professor of Faculty of Political Science at Zagreb University, believed the two governments were quite different.

The new government, led by Plenkovic, had strong support in parliament, including the support from the deputies of ethnic minorities and some from other parties. While former government led by a non-partisan prime minister who has spent most of his life out of the country and no political experience, he said.

"The new government is formed as it should be -- by the party who won the election. It has a greater support in the parliament while relations between the partners are better than before", he added.

He believed that Plenkovic would lead a moderate-centre policy and move his party from a far right political spectrum. A clear sign was he did not choose some controversial ministers from previous cabinet although they still had great influence inside the HDZ.

During the presentation of his new cabinet on Wednesday, Plenkovic told lawmakers his cabinet would make spurring economic growth and improving business climate as priorities.

Analysts here, however, believed it was not an easy job to do as Croatia just emerged from a six-year recession with GDP declining by 13 percent from 2008. The World Bank forecast the country to grow 2.4 percent this year and fall to 2.0 percent next year.

And the European Commission has put Zagreb under strict monitoring for macro-economic imbalances and deficits.

Croatia needed a series of reforms including a completely tax reform and a public administration reform that would unburden the economy, Deranja said.

The government should reduce public debt which stands at around 85 percent of GDP, Damir Novotny, an economic analyst said, adding the only way to reduce debt was privatization.

Also, excessive regulation was discouraging small and medium entrepreneurs, he said.

He wondered whether the new government was ready to take bold moves.

Despite they talked about reforms, but most of them did not referred to serious reforms and only suggested minor improvements, he said, adding economic growth was impossible without radical reform.
MOSCOW, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the humanitarian pause in airstrikes on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo over phone on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Russia and Syria on Monday announced a humanitarian truce from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time (0500 GMT to 1300 GMT) on Thursday in rebel-held areas of Aleppo, and decided on Wednesday to extend it for another three hours.

The truce was aimed at ensuring the safe exit of civilians and militants, as well as the wounded and the sick from the contested city.

Larvrov said militants in eastern Aleppo have tried to disrupt the pause and prevented civilians from leaving, while urging the U.S. side to fulfill its promise to separate the "moderate" oppositions from terrorist groups there, the ministry said in an online statement.

He added that Russian and Syrian air forces are ready to extend the truce if the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front terrorist group stops violating the ceasefire.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced that Russia had decided to extend the humanitarian truce in Aleppo by another 24 hours.

The two sides promised that Russian and U.S. experts would continue contacts on the Syrian settlement, according to the statement.
MELBOURNE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mining giant BHP Billiton said it "rejects outright" the murder charges laid against eight company executives over a dam collapse last year that killed 19 people.

Five Australian executives at BHP were among 21 people charged by Brazilian police for their role in the November 2015 dam collapse.

Brazilian police charged 26 people, 21 of whom with murder, over the disaster which sent a wall of water through a valley in the Minas Geraid region and left hundreds of people homeless.

"BHP Billiton rejects outright these charges," the company said in a statement on Friday from its global headquarters in Melbourne. "Our priority is to fully defend the unfounded criminal charges against all of our people."

Authorities alleged that employees of BHP and Brazilian mining company Vale SA, who operated the mine under their joint venture company Samarco, prioritized profits over the safety of local people.

The eight BHP staff charged, five of whom remain at the company, were BHP's five representatives on Samarco's board.

The incident, which has been described as the largest environmental disaster in Brazil's history, occurred when two dams at the Samarco mine containing by-products of iron mining collapsed in November 2015, contaminating nearby waterways and suspending the water supply to much of Brazil's southeast.

Jose Adericido Leite Sampaio, the prosecutor in the case, told reporters that Samarco executives had clear awareness the dam could fail.

"Security was always of secondary importance. The increase in production at Samarco sought to compensate for the falling value of the ore in order not only to maintain but also to boost profits and dividends," Sampaio said on Friday.

"It should have taken steps to promote the safety of the dam."

If found guilty, the 21 current and former staff of BHP and Vale accused of murder could face up to 54 years' imprisonment.

Maria do Carmo Dangelo, a farmer 45 miles from the dam whose property was hit by "a wall of mud", said she still had not received any compensation from the two mining giants for her losses.

"I lost my land and my parents lost everything. My family has lost its income, which came from producing milk. I haven't received any compensation," Dangelo said in comments published by the Guardian on Friday.
CANBERRA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A rift between Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his predecessor Tony Abbott came to a head on Friday, with colleagues acknowledging they still disagree over who should lead the country.

Cabinet Minister and Leader of the House Christopher Pyne told local media that Turnbull and Abbott still disagree about "who the Prime Minister should be", more than a year after Turnbull successfully staged a leadership coup to oust Abbott from the position.

Following further debate about a possible relaxation of Australia's gun laws this week, the rift between the two leaders re-emerged, but Pyne said it was only natural they disagree on some major issues.

"They are very old friends. Of course they have a difference of opinion about who the Prime Minister should be. That's been played out in public, we know that, and Malcolm Turnbull is the Prime Minister," Pyne told the Nine Network on Friday.

Meanwhile colleague and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg described the public spat as a "great big distraction" for the coalition, in a time when it was trying to pass the controversial building and construction watchdog bill through Parliament.

"There was a leadership change. You can understand the differences they may have on particular issues," Frydnberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Crossbench Senator David Leyonhjelm, who is one of the major players the government is keen to secure for support on the bill, has said he would vote in favor of a building watchdog but only if the government lifted a ban on the controversial seven-round Adler shotgun.

In Parliament on Thursday afternoon, Turnbull directly contradicted the former PM Abbott's claim there was not a deal already made between Leyonhjelm and the coalition before he was ousted from the top job.

Turnbull said there was "full knowledge" about open discussions between the crossbench Senator and the government about lifting the controversial ban.
WELLINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers of New Zealand and Australia met in New Zealand Friday for discussions on a range of foreign policy issues.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Australian counterpart Julie Bishop met for the second of their twice-yearly Foreign Ministers Consultations.

"Our talks will focus on bilateral issues ahead of the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders Meeting early next year, as well as our ongoing work together in the Pacific," McCully said in a statement.

"We will also discuss our shared interests in Asia and the Middle East, and New Zealand's continuing work on global security issues at UN Security Council," McCully said.

Bishop said in a statement that the two would discuss expanding the bilateral relationship, including the "reinvigoration" of the bilateral single economic market.

"We will discuss enhancing our cooperation to create a more stable, prosperous and sustainable Pacific region, as well as global security issues including counter terrorism strategies and the Middle East," said Bishop.

The defense forces of the two countries are jointly running a training camp near Baghdad for Iraqi troops facing Islamic State insurgents.
CANBERRA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australian suburbs with more slot machines - or "poker machines" - are more likely to have higher rates of domestic violence, according to Australian research.

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) compared slot machine density with domestic violence data over a nine-year span, and found that areas with fewer or no slot machines had 20 percent fewer family violence incidents and 30 percent fewer domestic violence assaults compared to zip codes with the machines.

The team said while they can not make "strong claims" about a concrete connection between the two, the link was "stronger than expected".

"What we can say is there is more police-recorded violence in areas with more poker machines," the team told The Conversation on Friday.

The team said previous studies indicated that more than half of all Australians who sought out treatment for gambling addiction had also been involved in either side of domestic violence, and added that lawmakers should be wary about granting gambling licenses without first considering the impact it may have on the number of domestic violence cases in Australia.

"What is clear is that more poker machines in an area generally leads to more gambling and more problem gambling. And, as previous research suggests, a very substantial proportion of problem gamblers come to be involved in abusive relationships," the research team said.

"As such, our study suggests domestic violence impacts should be considered when regulators make decisions about granting licenses for poker machines.

"It appears poker machines may be part of the mix (of causes of domestic violence) in Australia."
YANGON, Oct.21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will carry out probe into the recent deadly ferry capsize incident and take action against those who are responsible for the tragedy, said a government announcement Friday.

Expressing condolence and sympathy over the deadly incident, the announcement signed by President U Htin Kyaw, said a total of 66 bodies including 53 women's have been pulled out from the river until Thursday and search and rescue operation is still underway .

A total of 159 passengers survived the tragedy and 80 people are still missing, according to the authorities.

The Aung Soe Moe Kyaw ferry, said to have carried about 300 passengers, capsized on Oct. 15 in the Chindwin river at the location of Kanni for hitting a rock when the ferry was on its way from Homelin to Monywa, northwestern Sagaing region.

Overloading was blamed for the incident.

The Sagaing regional government has formed a fact-finding mission, led by the regional Police Chief Pol-Col Lu Lu Than, to probe into the incident.

The sunken ferry was reportedly salvaged from the river on Thursday.
by Olatunji Saliu

ABUJA, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- At the office building near the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in the capital of Abuja, Nigerian customs officers excitedly sang Chinese songs and presented a playlet showing courteous officers communicating effectively in Chinese.

These officers were the first batch from the Nigeria Customs Service who attended Chinese classes and acquired basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese.

"The Nigeria Customs Service is in full appreciation of the Chinese embassy, and of the Chinese people for bringing us the gift of language,"

Aminu Dalhiru, area controller of customs in Abuja, said Thursday at the graduation ceremony for the officers.

"We will encourage all our officers to learn the language fully," Dalhiru said.

Three months ago, the customs service shortlisted 40 of its officers to attend the Mandarin class aimed at breaking the communication barrier between Chinese-speaking tourists or investors and law enforcement agents in Nigeria.

With China considered as one of Nigeria's most important trade partners, Dalhiru told Xinhua the learning of Mandarin by customs officers would enhance effectiveness as the country is seeing an increasing number of Chinese investors and tourists.

Liu Wenpan, a Chinese teacher in Nigeria, has been teaching the customs officers Mandarin for two hours every Thursday.

Six more batches of officers have been shortlisted for the Mandarin course, with the next class set for inauguration next Thursday.

Now widely taught in primary and secondary schools, as well as Confucius Institutes spread across the West African country, Mandarin is considered one of the most popular foreign languages in Nigeria.

For Stephen Ayodele Balogun, one of the customs officers in the capital city airport who speaks a proficient Mandarin, knowing two of the world's most widely spoken languages -- Chinese and English -- offers him the opportunity of contributing effectively to his country's security. He says learning the Chinese language very quickly was just a matter of interest.

"The Chinese language is not so difficult as people often think," he said. "It has four basic tones. Once you master them, you can begin to communicate effectively." Enditem
SANAA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group traded accusations with Saudi Arabia on Friday over breaching a ceasefire mediated by the United Nations.

The UN-brokered ceasefire, meant to last for three days, came into effect on Wednesday midnight.

According to a statement released by Houthi-run media, a Thursday night air strike by the Saudi-led coalition killed three civilians in the northern province of Saada.

The coalition accused the Houthis of firing rockets on the southern Saudi cities of Jazan and Najran, killing two civilians, according to a statement by Saudi official media.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said its troops in the Yemeni central province of Marib shot down three missiles fired by Houthis late on Thursday.

The ceasefire aimed for facilitating humanitarian aid supplies to the war-stricken cities.

UN officials hoped the truce would be extended to pave the way for resuming stalled peace talks and to end the war.

Previous attempts to cease fire between warring parties in Yemen had hardly been observed, with all sides involved in the conflict trading accusations of violating the truce.

The 19-month civil war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and pushed the country's 26 million people to near famine.

Houthis and their ally forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have controlled most of Yemen's northern regions since September 2014, while the Saudi-backed Hadi's government shares rule with tribal allies in the southern provinces they recaptured from Houthi rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 with an air force campaign to restore Hadi to the power and roll back Houthi gains.
CARACAS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's National Electoral Council on Thursday suspended a new round of signature-collecting for a referendum on whether to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Citing court orders, the electoral body said a signature drive scheduled for next week was suspended.

The body acted after governors in several states said local courts had annulled the results of a first such round, carried out in June, because of alleged fraud in the counting of signatures.

The move aroused anger from the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), who blasted the decision as an undemocratic move designed to dodge a vote against Maduro.

According to the original schedule, from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28, the MUD will seek to collect signatures from 20 percent of the electorate (nearly four million people) in order to trigger a referendum.

Once the signatures are collected, the MUD will have five days to deliver them to the electoral council for its inspection. The electoral body will then have 15 working days between Nov. 3-23 to count and verify all the signatures.

If the number of valid signatures is above the 20 percent threshold, a referendum must happen within 90 days of being announced.
SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports edged up for the first 20 days of October due to a temporary effect of a rebound in ship exports, customs data showed on Friday.

Exports, which account for about half of the economy, reached 24.99 billion U.S. dollars during the Oct. 1-20 period, up 1.2 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).

It indicated the country's exports may rebound this month after declining 5.9 percent in September. The exports kept a downward trend from January last year to July this year before rising 2.6 percent in August.

The Oct. 1-20 rebound came as ship exports surged 52.4 percent in the cited period. Business days increased compared with the previous year, contributing to the export growth.

In addition to ships, export of steel products and auto parts expanded 5.9 percent and 5.1 percent respectively during the cited period.

However, shipments of telecommunication devices tumbled 28.1 percent as Samsung Electronics discontinued its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.

About two weeks after its debut, Note 7 phones faced a global recall in early September and were finally discontinued last week as cases of the devices catching fire and overheating were reported.

South Korea's mobile phone exports are forecast to continue keep falling as Samsung is required to compete in the fiercer mobile phone market without the latest model.

Auto exports plunged 15.6 percent during the Oct. 1-20 period as labor unions in some of local carmakers, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, went on partial strikes.

By country, exports to China and the United States, South Korea's top two trading partners, declined 9.7 percent and 0.4 percent each, but those to Vietnam soared 30.5 percent in the cited period.
HAVANA, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cuba and the United States on Thursday signed an agreement to cooperate on cancer research as part of a visit to the island nation by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell.

Signed by Burwell and Cuban Minister of Health Roberto Morales, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) involves implementation of joint research projects, meetings, and workshops related to cancer control, in a bid to promote their exchange of information and best practices on the matter.

"This agreement on cancer research and control is very important because we know it is a big issue in both countries and we are excited to work together to make progress in this field," said Burwell after signing the accord.

The document will allow both countries to work jointly on the detection and treatment of cancer as well as learning from each other' s experiences in different environments.

She also expressed willingness to cooperate with the Cuban side on cancer prevention.

"We know that this disease is a factor that causes lots of deaths in Cuba and in the United States and it's our firm conviction to work along Cuban institutions," she added.

Meanwhile, Morales said the agreement is a new step within the framework of an accord signed in June in which both nations agreed to exchange information on different topics in the health sector.

The Cuban health official, while highlighting the importance of the deal, noted that the U.S. economic embargo on the island still weighed on burgeoning Cuba-U.S. cooperation.

Morales and Burwell had met in private earlier to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Apart from signing the deal, Burwell's stay in Havana also includes a regional meeting sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Zika. He is expected to address challenges regarding this virus along with experts and health authorities of all nations of the Americas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the Long March as a "stately monument" in the history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a gathering on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March.

Related:

Convention commemorating 80th anniversary of Long March victory begins

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A convention was held on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is working to develop more facilities for Chinese tourists, including an accreditation system for tourism establishments, as part of its "China-Ready" strategy announced in May, local media reported Friday.

Tourism Ministry spokesman Tith Chantha said that Chinese tourists present a huge opportunity for Cambodia's tourism industry as the Asian giant's population and income levels continue to rise.

Speaking at the opening of the CamFood and CamHotel exhibitions in Phnom Penh on Thursday, he said about 130 million Chinese go abroad each year and this number was expected to reach 200 million by 2020.

The goal of the Kingdom's China-Ready strategy is for Cambodia to attract 2 million of these Chinese tourists a year by 2020.

"It is vital for Cambodia to act on the opportunity and potential of Chinese tourism and we have prepared our China-Ready strategy in order to attract Chinese to visit our country," he was quoted as saying by the Phnom Penh Post.

"We are now trying to build the capacity of our hospitality services," he said.

Cambodia received 3.7 million international tourist arrivals during the first nine months of the year and expects to receive 5 million tourists this year.

Last year, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia grew 14 percent to 700,000. This year the figure is expected to be closer to one million, according to Chantha.

He said the China-Ready strategy, which is managed by its own department in the Tourism Ministry, is looking to improve facilities for this fast-growing segment.

"China-Ready will insure that all services in the tourism sector have Chinese-language facilities, such as Chinese speakers on site or menus in Chinese, and (establishments that provide these services) will have a sign that the facility is accredited as China-Ready to provide comfort and convenience to Chinese visitors," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

He added that the name of the tourism establishment should also be translated into Chinese on its signage in order to attract Chinese tourists.
YANGON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar government is making efforts to pave way for non-signatory armed groups to the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) to join and complete the signing before a national-level political dialogue is to start next month, official media reported Friday.

"Only signatories to the NCA are allowed to participate in the national-level political dialogue," Secretary of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) Salai Hlyan Hmone Sar Khaung told the Framework Review Meeting for Political Dialogue held at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Yangon Thursday.

Another UPDJC Secretary U Hla Maung Shwe said that the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), which represents the non-signatories to the NCA, is likely to take part in the political dialogue after they sign the NCA.

The framework review meeting between the government's Peace Commission and UNFC's Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) has been taking place in Yangon for the past several days on the occasion of the Oct. 15 anniversary of NCA and the negotiation is expected to conclude on Friday.

Meanwhile, the terms of reference, drafted by the representatives from the government, ethnic armed groups and political parties, are yet to be approved by the UPDJC.

A series of nation-level political dialogues are scheduled for November as agreed at the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference.

The national-level political dialogues are expected to represent all-inclusiveness with opinions and voices of the people including ethnic people, in order to establish a union based on democracy and federal system as envisioned in the NCA for peace building.

The prior four-day Panglong conference, which aims to unite all ethnic groups in Myanmar and build a democratic federal union through dialogue, took place in Nay Pyi Taw in August-September with participants agreeing to find solutions through coordination and discussions towards the goal of achieving peace under the guideline of NCA.

The 17 ethnic armed organizations which participated in the conference included eight signatories and seven non-signatories to the NCA, represented by the UNFC, as well as Mongla and Wa groups.
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bilateral ties between Argentina and China are bound to grow in the medium and long term, said a scholar on international relations.

Sergio Cesarin, coordinator of the Center for Asia Pacific and India Studies (CEAPI) of the National University of Tres de Febrero in Buenos Aires, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua after a conference entitled "China 2040: Economic Forecast and Global Connectivity" at the Confucius Institute of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).

The two countries have not only expanded economic cooperation in recent years but also maintained intensive political dialogue in many areas, he noted.

"A number of treaties and bilateral accords are indications of strengthening ties," said Cesarin, who is also a member of the Faculty of Economics at UBA.

China and Argentina celebrated 45 years of diplomatic ties in February, and over the past nearly half a century, bilateral ties "have been in a constant state of growth," the expert added.

"That distant, remote and somewhat imaginary China -- because it was difficult to envision concretely -- is now a close China that is around us." he said.

This year, Beijing consolidated its position as Argentina's second-largest trade partner worldwide, with a 13 percent increase in imports from Argentina, driven by a wider range of goods and a more balanced trade structure.

China has become the leading importer of Argentine beef, with sales to China representing 35 percent of the South American country's total beef exports.

The Asian giant is also taking part in a series of key infrastructure projects in Argentina, including in the areas of hydroelectric and nuclear energy, rail building, clean energy development and housing construction.

The current economic equation and the future economic outlook show China is going to be a central player in global affairs, both politically and economically, and Argentina aspires to dynamically join global political and economic systems, he said.

"China will without a doubt continue to be a very important player for us......It already has been for a long time, but in the future it is going to be in terms of forging richer and more robust bilateral ties, because certainly new areas for bilateral cooperation are going to open up," Cesarin added.
BRUSSELS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the 28 member states of the European Union (EU) pressed for more efforts to stem the flows of irregular migrants, in particular from Africa, and to improve return rates.

A two-day EU summit kicked off on Thursday afternoon, with three main tasks on the agenda, namely how to move forward with the migration crisis, seeking solutions to trade-related issues and discussing ties with Russia.

At the first session of the summit, the leaders' discussion focused in particular on external border controls and deals with African countries to reduce the number of illegal migrants.

Hailing the entry into force of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation on Oct. 6, the EU countries committed themselves to continuing to deploy staff and equipment to the new institution.

In a concluding document of the discussion, the leaders called for "a swift adoption" of a revised Schengen Borders Code to enforce systematic controls on all travelers crossing EU external borders.

Meanwhile, the leaders asked the EU executive body to come up with a proposal for setting up a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to allow for advance security checks on visa-exempt travelers and deny them entry where necessary.

Furthermore, the EU leaders pressed for quicker progress from deals with African countries to reduce the number of irregular migrants, increase returns and try to solve the "root causes" of migration.

The central Mediterranean has once again become the main crossing point for illegal migrants from Africa. More than 115,000 people arrived in Italy by boat in the first eight months of 2016, remaining at the same level as in 2014 and 2015, European Council President Donald Tusk told the press after the first day of the summit.

After accessing the so-called "migration compacts" set up between the EU and five African countries, namely Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Ethiopia, the EU leaders agreed to wait until the next summit in December to decide whether to extend it to other countries.

Thanks to the migration deal between the EU and Turkey, the influx of irregular migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece has dropped 98 percent in September compared with last year. Meanwhile, twice as many irregular migrants had already been returned compared to all of 2015, Tusk said.

To further implement the EU-Turkey deal, the leaders called for more efforts to accelerate returns from the Greek islands to Turkey and a swift response to calls for more resources to assist Greece.

As to the controversial relocation and resettlement schemes, divergence among the EU countries persists and member states are urged to quickly implement the existing schemes.

To meet the EU's commitment of relocating 160,000 people before September 2017, its member states will have to take in a further 154,349 people over the next year, which has been described as "mission impossible."
HO CHI MINH CITY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City plans to build 103 reservoirs to prevent flooding, at total investment of some 1,300 billion (58 million U.S. dollars), the municipal Steering Center of the Urban Flood Control Program said Friday.

Ho Chi Minh City will, in the coming time, will build underground Bau Cat Reservoir with a capacity of holding 10,000 square meters in Tan Binh District, Khanh Hoi Reservoir cum a park in District 4, and Go Dua Reservoir in Thu Duc District.

The city also plans to construct reservoirs at Tan Son Nhat international airport which has recently suffered from inundation when it downpours.
WELLINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A surge in arrivals from China and Australia helped drive a record number of visitors to New Zealand in the year to the end of September, the government statistics agency said Friday.

Visitors to New Zealand numbered 3.39 million in the September year, up 11 percent year on year, according to Statistics New Zealand.

A 17-percent increase in holiday arrivals to 1.74 million was largely responsible, said a commentary from the agency.

The biggest changes in visitor arrivals by country of residence between the September years were from Australia (up 80,000 to 1.38 million), China (up 77,600 to 405,500) and the United States (up 32,700 to 270,000).

Visitor numbers in the month of September were up by 16,200 year on year to a record 245,100, driven by a 10-percent rise in arrivals from Australia to 52,800.
CANBERRA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australia's ageing fleet of Collins-class submarines has been given a positive review, with a submarine expert reporting the performance of the fleet would graduate from mediocre to excellent within four years.

John Coles, UK submarine expert said with similar levels of funding, the performance of Australia's Collins-class subs -- which have been in service since 1996 -- would improve substantially over the next four years.

His review found that two of the six Collins-class submarines were available for use more than 90 percent of the time, three subs were available for operations 50 percent of the time, and four were available 'occasionally' since 2014.

He also applauded the efficiency of Australia's fleet; previously, full cycle maintenance took up to four years and was undertaken every eight years, while now it's done for two years every 10 years.

"If there were unit citation medals to be awarded, the Submarine Enterprise would surely qualify," Coles said in his report, released on Friday.

Meanwhile Australia's Defence Minister, Marise Payne said the nation's submarine fleet had played -- and would continue to play -- a key role in national security.

"Improvements to the availability and reliability of the Collins Class submarines means that they can spend more days at sea conducting exercises and operations that directly contribute to our strategic defence capability," Payne said in a statement following the release of the report.

Australia's six Collin-class submarines are due to be superseded by 12 new Barracuda-class submarines in 2030. The government signed a deal with French shipbuilder DCNS earlier this year.
CARACAS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's electoral council on Thursday suspended a new round of signature-collecting planned next week for a referendum on whether to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power.

"In adherence to the Constitution, the National Electoral Council (CNE) abides by the decisions ordered by the tribunals and has sent instructions to postpone the process of signature gathering until new judicial instructions are known," the CNE said in a statement.

The electoral body gave no indication whether and when the process would be resumed.

According to the original schedule, from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28, the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) will seek to collect signatures from 20 percent of the electorate (nearly 4 million people) in order to trigger a referendum.

Once the signatures are collected, the MUD will have five days to deliver them to the electoral council for its inspection. The electoral body will then have 15 working days, between Nov. 3-23, to count and verify all the signatures.

If the number of valid signatures is above the 20 percent threshold, a referendum must happen within 90 days of being announced.

The CNE's decision was made in response to rulings earlier Thursday by courts in four Venezuelan states that there was fraud in an earlier stage of the petition drive.

The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has been accusing the MUD of committing an "electoral fraud" in the first stage of the referendum process in June.

The CNE detected after an extensive validation process at least 605,000 signatures from the lists handed over by the opposition coalition supporting the referendum as irregular. Around 10,995 people who already deceased were included in the lists and therefore could not be classed as valid signatories.

Meanwhile, the suspension of the recall campaign aroused anger from the MUD, who says Maduro and his allies control the courts and electoral authorities and are using them to cling to power.

"The government is pushing a very dangerous scenario in which the crisis worsens," opposition leader Henrique Capriles said on Twitter.

The MUD is eager to hold the recall vote as soon as possible. If Maduro is voted out before Jan. 10, 2017, then new elections can be held to choose a successor, and the opposition is banking on a win after years of economic turmoil.

If the vote takes place after Jan. 10 and if Maduro is voted out, his vice president will succeed him and serve out his current term of office, which ends on Jan. 10, 2019.
MELBOURNE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australia will hold a national gun amnesty in 2017 to allow citizens to hand over illegal firearms without facing penalties.

The Law, Crime and Community Safety Council (LCCSC), whereby representatives from Australia's six states and two territories meet to establish a national focus on fighting crime, unanimously agreed to hold the amnesty at a meeting in Melbourne on Friday.

Michael Keenan, Australia's Minister for Justice, said that in addition to the amnesty the government would continue to pursue a minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment for gun smuggling offenses.

"The illegal trafficking of firearms is a deadly crime and just one illegal firearm is a huge threat to the safety of Australians," Keenan told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

"The amnesty will provide an opportunity for those individuals who for whatever reason are in possession of an unregistered firearm to hand it in without fear of being prosecuted."

Chris Dawson, chief executive of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), said Australia's illegal firearms trade was a serious problem.

"Criminals use weapons for both intimidation and use in crimes and one illegal firearm in the Australian community is one too many," Dawson said on Friday.

The amnesty will be the second scheme of such a nature in Australia's history, with the previous gun buyback in 1996 claiming 1 million guns as the Australian government outlawed semi-automatic rifles following a mass-shooting at Port Arthur that killed 35 people.

The LCCSC failed to reach a unanimous agreement on the controversial Adler shotgun, a lever action shotgun which can fire up to eight times before being reloaded, meaning an importation ban on the weapon will remain in place.

"In the absence of a unanimous agreement amongst all jurisdictions, the prohibition on the importation of lever-action shotguns that the commonwealth government has put in place will remain," Keenan said.

Shooters and farmers had argued that the Adler shotgun was not as dangerous as was thought and that farmers needed the gun to protect their crops from invasive species.
SANAA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group traded accusations with Saudi Arabia on Friday over breaching a ceasefire mediated by the United Nations, deepening the uncertainty of the peace process in the country.

The UN-brokered 72-hour ceasefire, meant to last for three days, came into effect on Wednesday midnight.

According to a statement released by Houthi-run media, a Thursday night air strike by the Saudi-led coalition killed three civilians in the northern province of Saada.

The coalition accused the Houthis of firing rockets on the southern Saudi cities of Jazan and Najran, killing two civilians, according to a statement by Saudi official media.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said its troops in the Yemeni central province of Marib shot down three missiles fired by Houthis late on Thursday.

The ceasefire is aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid supplies to the war-stricken cities.

UN officials hoped the truce would be extended to pave the way for resuming stalled peace talks and to end the war.

Previous attempts to cease fire between warring parties in Yemen had hardly been observed, with all sides involved in the conflict trading accusations of violating the truce.

Ceasefires backed by the UN are frequently interrupted.

On March. 23, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, announced that a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen was scheduled to begin in April, and peace talks scheduled to begin in Kuwait.

However, the Houthis accused Saudi-led coalition warplanes of killing seven Houthi followers in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on May 8, which triggered the Houthi and Saleh delegations to walk out of the talks in protest.

A day later, the warring parties came back to the peace table in Kuwait and in June the UN special envoy said that "after extensive discussions with the participants, the main principles that will guide the next phase of Yemeni talks had been established."

Talks continued while Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition accused each other of violating the ceasefires.

On Oct. 17, the UN declared that a 72-hour ceasefire between Houthi fighters and their rival Saudi-backed exiled government forces will take effect at 2359 local time (2059 GMT) on Oct. 19.

However, the ceasefire became fragile after the warring sides traded accusations of breaching it.

The conflict in Yemen began after Arab-spring style 2011 mass protests that eventually forced former President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power.

The Houthis, supported by Saleh, seized the Yemeni capital Sana'a and some other Yemeni cities in September 2014, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The Houthis and their ally forces loyal to Saleh have controlled most of Yemen's northern regions since September 2014, while the Saudi-backed Hadi's government has worked with its tribal allies in the southern provinces they recaptured from Houthi rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 with an air force campaign to restore Hadi to the power and roll back Houthi gains.

The 19-month civil war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians.
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday welcomed an inclusive dialogue among political leaders, civil society and religious communities of Guinea-Bissau to end the country's current political crisis.

Between Oct. 11-14, the dialogue was convened in Conakry, capital of Republic of Guinea by mediators, during which the country's political rivals agreed to allow Prime Minister Baciro Dja to stay on until 2018 as a step forward in talks to end more than a year of infighting.

In May this year, President of Guinea-Bissau Jose Mario Vaz named Baciro Dja as the country's prime minister. The appointment triggered immediate opposition from the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).

In a statement issued here, the 15-nation council welcomed the initiative, which is part of a roadmap agreed last month to end the political crisis in the West African country.

The council members said they support the consensus reached on the process for the nomination of a new prime minister and for the formation of an inclusive government in accordance with the agreement.

Guinea-Bissau has been unstable as the country has witnessed several coups since 1980.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged building a solid national defense and strong armed forces that are commensurate with China's international status and national security and development interests.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a gathering on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March.

He also noted that the Party's absolute leadership over the armed forces is the fundamental guarantee for the army's victory.

"To build a strong country requires efforts to build a strong army, and only with a strong army can the country be secured," Xi said.

He called for efforts to foster a new generation of Chinese servicemen who are "soldiers with soul, high calibre, guts and virtue," and to build rock-solid troops with "iron-like beliefs, conviction, discipline and commitment."

Related:

Xi calls Long March "human miracle," "epic"

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Long March was "a great feat in human history," "epic" and a "human miracle".

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a gathering on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. Full story

Long March a "stately monument": Xi

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the Long March as a "stately monument" in the history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
CHICAGO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 500 people gathered outside the Chicago police headquarters Thursday to support a draft bill that would allow citizens to recall officials, in a demonstration commemorating the second anniversary of the police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times in Chicago two years ago. The police did not release video evidence of the shooting until more than a year later, shortly after state prosecutors charged Van Dyke with McDonald's murder.

William Calloway, activist and an organizer of the event, announced he helped draft the state bill called the Laquan McDonald Act which would amend current laws allowing citizens to recall the mayor, aldermen, and the Cook County state's attorney through a special election.

"Right now we have a system that allows people in power to do whatever they want and the community does not have a voice. This law will enable us to say we're not satisfied with what you're doing, and the community deserves better," Laquan Law supporter Sara Jones said.

Camiella Williams, an activist who worked to introduce legislation like the Laquan McDonald Act spoke to Xinhua about the significance. "You don't have to be politically savvy to introduce legislation, you just write something down, find an elected official, say 'let me introduce this' and that's what we did. Me and Will Calloway stayed up countless nights talking about this idea, I'm proud of him, I'm proud of his efforts, everybody's efforts, but we have a long way to go."

"Enough is enough, this has to end. Not only in Chicago, but across America. So many young people are being killed by the police and no one is talking about it. They think they deserve it," Camiella.

The bill has been filed with the Illinois General Assembly clerk, but has a long road ahead. No hearings have yet been scheduled on the bill with the committee, who must pass it before it goes to the larger chamber, then pass the Illinois Senate before reaching Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's desk.
BRUSSELS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from 28 member states of the European Union (EU) early Friday called for an extension of the temporary ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo, stressing that "everything should be done" to achieve it.

A two-day EU summit kicked off on Thursday afternoon, with three main tasks on the agenda, namely how to further address the migration crisis, seeking solutions to trade-related issues and discussing ties with Russia.

The EU leaders "held a strategic policy debate on relations with Russia," according to a summary document released after the first day's meeting.

Accusing Russia's strategy of attempting to weaken the EU, European Council President Donald Tusk told a news conference that the EU and its member states will continue in their efforts to put pressure on Russia.

As to the situation in the war-torn Aleppo, the EU leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for a resumption of a credible political process under UN auspices.

"Everything should be done to extend the ceasefire, bring in humanitarian aid to the civilian population and create the conditions for opening negotiations on a political transition in Syria," the document said.

However, the EU warned of the need to consider "all available options" should the situation not improve.

During the summit, EU leaders enjoined the bloc's foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini to pursue further diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

Russia and Syria on Monday announced a humanitarian truce from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time (0600 GMT to 1400 GMT) on Thursday in rebel-held areas of Aleppo, but decided on Wednesday to extend it for another three hours.

The ceasefire is aimed at ensuring the safe exit of civilians via humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of the wounded and sick.
KIRKUK, Iraq, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and 12 others wounded in multiple attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants on police compound and some other government buildings in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, local police said.
LANZHOU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ma Wenming was once so poor that even using an oil-lamp was a luxury. He never expected that one day he could afford to install electric lights in his new home.

Ma, 50, lives in a mountainous village under Huining county, northwest China's Gansu Province. Huining was once a revolutionary base where three fronts of the Red Army joined forces after the Long March.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has endeavored to alleviate poverty under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

Huining is located on a plateau and plagued by severe draught. Local residents have led impoverished lives for generations.

Ma remembers his parents toiling from dawn to dusk in the fields, but his large family of eight could barely make ends meet.

At the age of just 12, Ma quit school to herd sheep to help support his family. When he got married, he lived in a newly-cut cave on a cliff as his family was unable to build a new house for the couple.

China launched an anti-poverty campaign in 1982, and Huining was included on a list of key counties for poverty relief in 1986.

In the summer of 1990, with 300 yuan (44.5 U.S. dollars) he had saved over several years and 700 yuan he had borrowed, Ma bought a bull. However, due to poor feeding methods the bull died from overfeeding. Ma was devastated as his dream of escaping poverty had been shattered by the bulls untimely death.

Refusing to give up, he bit the bullet and borrowed more money to buy a cow. This time around the animal survived, giving birth to nine calves. With the money he made selling the calves, he built a mud house and could use electric light for the first time.

Drought had always meant crops had been poor in the area, but in 2000 the local government introduced plastic film to cover the crops to prevent water evaporation. Thanks to the new technique the yield greatly improved, and the local farmers could bid farewell to their days of starvation.

Village Party chief Ma Junwu said the yield of corn improved from 300 grams per mu (one hectare equals 15 mu) to 1,500 grams per mu.

After using the plastic film, Ma's farmland not only provided enough food for the family but also forage for the cattle.

With the goal of building an all-round moderately prosperous society by 2020, China has been exerting ever greater efforts in poverty alleviation.

A total of 66.63 million people in rural areas were lifted out of poverty from 2012 to 2015. From 2010 to 2015, the number of people in poverty in Huining was reduced by nearly 140,000 as the poverty rate dropped from 45.3 to 24.7 percent.

Ma Wenming is among the villagers who have shaken off poverty. Last September, he used a 50,000 yuan poverty relief loan to buy four Swiss breeds of cattle. The cattle grew fast and sold at a good price.

With profits made from raising the cattle, and government subsidies, Ma built a brick house and spent 2,000 yuan installing five electric lights inside. He plans to move into the house during the Lunar New Year after finishing the interior decoration.

At the same time, his mud cattleshed was renovated into a brick one.

Ma is looking forward to next month when the village will gain access to tap water. "Currently, we have to fetch water for the cattle from 20 kilometers away every ten days, which costs us 60 yuan each time," he said.

Tong Lin, director of poverty relief office of Huining, said, "Despite the achievements in poverty alleviation, there is still a long way to go, as our ultimate goal is to help the residents live a well-off life."
MANILA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit Japan next week to "further bolster the strong strategic partnership" between Manila and Tokyo, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag told a news conference at the Malacanang presidential palace that Duterte will make the three-day official visit starting from Tuesday next week.

She said Duterte will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "to discuss matters of mutual interest to both countries."

Banaag said Duterte will also make a state call on Japanese Emperor Akihito at the imperial Palace.

"A bold scope of bilateral discussions between (Duterte) and Japanese leaders will include security, economic and defense cooperation, infrastructure development and development projects in Mindanao (in the southern Philippines), among others," Banaag said.

While in Tokyo, Banaag said Duterte would also meet with Filipinos living in Japan. There are about 400,000 Filipinos in Japan.

Moreover she said that Duterte plans to meet with Japanese top business leaders.

Duterte also plans to visit a Japanese shipbuilding facility while in Japan, she said.

Duterte is expected to return to Manila Friday from his state visit to China that started Tuesday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged building a solid national defense and strong armed forces that are commensurate with the country's international status, national security and development interests.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a gathering on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March.

He noted that the Party's absolute leadership over the armed forces is the fundamental guarantee for the army's victory.

"To build a strong country requires efforts to build a strong army, and only with a strong army can the country's security be guaranteed," Xi said.

He called for efforts to foster a new generation of Chinese servicemen who are "soldiers with soul, high caliber, gut and virtue," and to build rock-solid troops with "iron-like belief, conviction, discipline and commitment."

"The Long March is the glory of the people's army, and the honorable people's army must always carry forward the great spirit and fine tradition of the Red Army in the Long March," Xi said.

He called on the armed forces to adhere to the CPC's absolute leadership, maintain their nature and uphold their principles as the people's army, and be the heir to the Red Army.

Moreover, he urged the military to uphold political integrity, promote reform and rule of law, and strengthen combat readiness.

The entire military should remain vigilant and be aware of its responsibilities, Xi said, noting that the modernization of national defense and armed forces must advance in a bid to safeguard the country's national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Related:

Xi calls Long March "human miracle," "epic"

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Long March was "a great feat in human history," "epic" and a "human miracle".

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a gathering on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. Full story

Long March a "stately monument": Xi

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the Long March as a "stately monument" in the history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
MANILA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Russian envoy in Manila said on Friday that Russia is looking forward to the visit of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Russia.

In an interview with GMA News TV, Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev said Manila should offer its wish list of the kind of assistance it wants from Moscow.

"Please formulate your wish list. What kind of assistance do you expect from Russia and we will be ready to sit down with you and discuss what can and should be done," Khovaev said.

He said that Russia is preparing for the visit of Duterte to Moscow. He did not elaborate.

The envoy said it's the right time that Russia and the Philippines know each other more and strengthens their diplomatic relations.

"(The Philippines and Russia) deserve to know each other much, much better. It's time to discover," he said, adding that Russia is very much open to cooperation with the Philippines.

He said the cooperation that Russia is looking at "includes any area, any field of possible cooperation."

Khovaev said the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was "deeply impressed by the personality of Duterte" when the two leaders met in Vientiane on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings last month.

Duterte has praised Medvedev repeatedly in his speeches in Manila weeks after his meeting with the Russian leader in Laos, making his plan to cement diplomatic relations with Russia.
NANCHANG, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ryan Labar, an American artist, carefully wipes his ceramic sculptures as he greets visitors in his ceramic studio in eastern China's Jiangxi Province.

Labar is among the first group of foreign artists to start a workshop in Taoxichuan, a ceramic-themed avenue that opened Wednesday in Jingdezhen, China's ceramics capital.

"I put my workshop here because I saw the scope of the project," said Labar, who arrived in the city a year ago and has since worked at Taoxichuan International Studio, a government-funded program with an annual budget of 900,000 yuan (133,000 U.S. dollars).

The program sponsors foreign artists to work in the studio for three to four months, but Labar chose to stay.

Partnering with a young Chinese businessman Wang Jusi, Labar established Lab Artz, a 260-square-meter workshop where he plans to house more artists and offer ceramics classes.

"More and more artists are coming to be part of the avenue and help build it up," said Wang, who also wrote the business plan for Lab Artz. The space is rented from the government for a very low fee.

Taoxichuan offers preferential renting rates for young artists and foreign artists, said Liu Zili, general manager of Jingdezhen Ceramic Culture Tourism Group, a state-owned enterprise and developer of the avenue.

In the evening, not far from Labar's studio, people swarm around the booths that line both sides of the avenue to buy ceramics. These booths are rented to college students and young artists for free, Liu said.

Over 3,000 people have signed up for the booths. "It is a place for young artists to build their dreams," Liu said.

CREATIVE POTENTIAL

Taoxichuan was once the site of 10 thriving ceramic plants in Jingdezhen, a city with a 1,700-year history of making porcelain.

The plants, built 60 years ago, were once important porcelain export bases, but they suffered from drastic drops in profits in the 1990s and employees were laid off as the plants became deserted. However, in 2014 the local government decided to renovate them to revitalize the area.

Over 450 million yuan has been invested in the avenue so far, turning it into an art community bustling with workshops, cultural centers, galleries, restaurants and hotels.

At the opening ceremony of the Scandinavian Center in Taoxichuan on Wednesday, over 50 artists from 14 countries were present.

"This place was dust and earth a year ago," said Anna Mellergard, one of the Swedish founders of the center. "But now it's a popular meeting place for artists and students."

At the avenue, most buildings feature a combination of old red-brick factory walls and renovated glass with black steel bezels.

The original walls were intentionally kept during the renovation so "when former workers come here they can still talk about their old jobs and reminisce about the past with their children," Liu said.

The respect toward craft and tradition, and the interest in dialogue with Western culture gives this city great creative potential, Labar said.

"Art is about finding potential and this place is bustling with it," Liu said. "Now over 140 businesses have settled in the avenue, taking up 89,000 square meters, filling over half the space, and the annual revenue is about 90 million yuan." Enditem
NANJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A museum dedicated to the 1937 massacre of Chinese citizens in Nanjing by Japanese invaders has sent historical photos and evidence to France for an exhibition.

The exhibition will open Saturday at the Caen Normandy Memorial Center for History and Peace and is titled "Common Witness: The Rape of Nanking or Nanjing Massacre."

It is the first overseas exhibition to display China's collection on the massacre since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Nanjing Massacre to its Memory of the World Register last year.

The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre in east China's Jiangsu Province selected 270 photos as well as evidence and video records for the exhibition in France.

As inscribed in the Memory of the World Program, the collection documents the history of the massacre, which lasted from Dec. 13, 1937 to Jan. 1938, when more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed by Japanese invaders after the city fell into the hands of the Japanese army.

The Nanjing museum's exhibition planner said that the materials selected for the show in France will highlight humanitarian acts by foreigners during the massacre. Witnesses of the massacre included professors, missionaries, doctors, journalists and diplomats from America and Europe.

Among them, there were photos taken by American clergyman John Magee, as well as photos showing Dr. Robert O. Wilson treating a Chinese boy, who was stabbed in his right leg by the bayonet of a Japanese soldier.

Wilson was the only surgeon during the massacre. He saved thousands of Chinese people.

Next year will coincide with the massacre's 80th anniversary. The Caen Normandy Memorial Center for History and Peace plans to host an international forum in 2017 on World War II, which will include topics on the role of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
KATHMANDU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua)-- Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday, reiterated Nepal's readiness to participate in the China's Belt and Road Initiative saying that the country wants to be benefited from the initiative.

The prime minister made such remarks at a meeting with visiting Chinese Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce Zhang Mao in Kathmandu.

"The prime minister reiterated Nepal's active participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative," Foreign Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister Rishi Raj Adhikari told Xinhua after the meeting.

The Belt and Road refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and the initiatives aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

The two sides discussed on a range of bilateral issues during the meeting.

"Relationship between Nepal and China has remained trouble-free for ages and it needs to be further strengthened in the present context. I believe that frequent exchanges of high level visits help to enhance our bilateral ties," Advisor Adhikari quoted Prime Minister Dahal as saying.

On the occasion, the visiting Chinese minister expressed satisfaction over smooth-running of ongoing various bilateral cooperation projects between China and Nepal.

The Nepali prime minister also expressed happiness over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral exchange of information on the areas of consumers' right protection between Nepal and China recently.

The deal is aimed at helping to create competitive market environment and more particularly, accentuate the trade relations between two neighboring countries, according to Nepal's Ministry of Commerce.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton participate in the third and final presidential debate at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, Oct.19, 2016.(Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- An unsurprising amount of time during an annual fundraiser Thursday night was dedicated to another round of personal digs between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, once again highlighting the farcical nature of U.S. presidential campaign.

The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York is a charity event meant to raise money for impoverished kids. Instead, it witnessed a series of sharp takedowns between the two presidential nominees.

"Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt," Trump told the audience, referring to the FBI's investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

"Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4," Clinton joked back, implying the New York real estate billionaire's controversial attitude towards females. "Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

Also, in a final round of faceoffs in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the two candidates continued their head-on clashes over a range of domestic and foreign issues from abortion, immigration, alleged Russian hacking, to scandals involving Clinton's private e-mails and Clinton Foundation operations, as well as the sexual assault accusations against Trump. However, just like the former two debates, the last put the sanctity of the debates in doubt with lengthy personal attacks.

Clinton charged that Russian President Vladimir Putin was backing Trump because "he'd rather have a puppet as president".

"No. You're the puppet. You are the puppet." Trump fought back immediately.

"I don't know Putin," he said, "He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good."

Trump also repeatedly called Clinton a liar, a criminal and at one point interjected with a comment that she was "such a nasty woman," which astonished the audience.

The first orderly debate eventually escalated to a loud squabble with both debaters frequently interrupting the other. However, Trump out-interrupted Clinton 37 to 5. He even took on the moderator Fox News host Chris Wallace.

Clinton attacked Trump on her Twitter feed Friday saying, "Between the three presidential debates, Trump told roughly one lie every 50 seconds he spoke."

Trump called Clinton "Crooked" on Twitter. "Crooked Hillary promised 200k jobs in NY and FAILED. We'll create 25M jobs when I'm president, and I will DELIVER!" read one of his tweets.

Both managed to dodge questions they didn't like by stating an answer quickly before changing the topic or diverting to rambling answers.

The final debate reached 71.6 million television viewers, which is the third most-watched presidential match in U.S. history, the Nielsen company said Friday. The first time these two candidates met on stage in September set a record high of 84 million audience.

The 1980 debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan was seen by 80.6 million people.

People joked on the Internet that throughout the last debate, the final winner was the moderator, showing their disapproval of both nominees.

According to a Thursday NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, American voters still deeply dislike Clinton and Trump with only 40 and 29 percent of voters holding positive views of them respectively. The proportion has not been changed since January.

50 and 63 percent of voters have negative views of Clinton and Trump now respectively as the former secretary of state leads the race to the White House with the billionaire at 51 percent to 41 percent of voters.

"We're going to elect, no matter who it is, the most unpopular president in the history of polling going back to the 1930s," Jeff Horwitt, a Democratic pollster working on the Journal/NBC poll was quoted as saying.
JAKARTA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government planned to adopt uniform fuel prices across the country next year.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said on Friday that the government was to create related regulation and design fuel distribution mechanism, expecting that the policy would take into effect next year.

"The price of fuel from Sabang to Merauke and from Miangas to Rote island would all be the same, enabling our fellow bothers to enjoy similar fuel prices," Jonan said in a statement, referring to Indonesia's tip regions in all directions.

The policy was formulated following President Joko Widodo's visit to the easternmost region of Papua where fuel prices were much higher than that in key island of Java and in western regions.

During his visit on Tuesday, the president assigned the state-run enterprises minister and state oil and gas firm Pertamina to take efforts in addressing the issue.

Jonan said the government would guarantee prices of fuel sold in gas stations would be at the same level anywhere nationwide.

The disparity of fuel prices between western and eastern region has long been blamed for hindering the development in the east, which lags far behind the nation's center of economic activities in the west.
BANGKOK, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Former Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra vowed on Friday to fight the current government's demand for her to pay one billion U.S. dollars in compensation for her government's loss-ridden rice subsidy program.

The former prime minister who appeared for a witness hearing in the Supreme Court handling criminal lawsuits against politicians confirmed that she will use all legal channels to fight for justice in the face of the government's demand for her to pay one billion U.S. dollars in damage compensation for the rice program supposedly designed to help farmers nationwide.

Yingluck said she had been denied justice since the lawsuit was lodged in court and pledged to fight a legal battle by filing a case in the Administrative Court at a later date.

Yingluck was charged with criminal negligence over the rice subsidy scheme and is now fighting the charges in court. Shortly after her government was overthrown in the 2014 coup, she was retroactively impeached and banned from politics for five years.

The rice subsidy scheme was a policy engineered by Yingluck's brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a 2006 coup.

Under the plan, the Thai government bought rice from farmers at a fixed rate, sometimes up to 50 percent higher than global market prices.
HANOI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some 5,000 tariff lines will be cut down to zero after a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) took effect on Oct. 5.

The tax cuts will be implemented in three phases from now to the end of 2018, which is in accordance with Vietnam special import list for 2016-2018 period, reported the state-run news agency VNA on Friday.

Specifically, by the end of 2017, import taxes on 4,959 types of goods will drop to zero through the FTA between Vietnam and the EEU.

Products set to enjoy the tariff cuts include materials for production and processing such as footwear, garment-textile, seafood, electronic spare parts and products, agricultural products and steel among others.

In 2018, as many as 144 more tariff lines will be eliminated, increasing the number of zero-tax lines to 5,103.

The EEU, which groups Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, signed the FTA with Vietnam in May 2015, the first of its kind between the EEU and an external partner.
TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Friday that four Iranian technicians were killed in the attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on a power plant in the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk, official IRNA news agency reported.

Three other Iranian technicians were also injured, according to the latest reports, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi.

Qasemi said that the consul of the Islamic republic in Sulaymaniyah city of Iraq is following up the incidents and updates will be released about Iranian casualties.
Kurdish security personnel take cover at a site of an attack by Islamic State militants in Kirkuk, Iraq, October 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Friday that four Iranian technicians were killed in the attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on a power plant in the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk, official IRNA news agency reported.

Three other Iranian technicians were also injured, according to the latest reports, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi.

Qasemi said that the consul of the Islamic republic in Sulaymaniyah city of Iraq is following up the incidents and updates will be released about Iranian casualties.
BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme People's Court on Friday highlighted a Beijing court ruling that an individual must apologize to the family of a group of deceased war heroes, for infringing the heroes' reputation and honor.

Hong Zhenkuai, former executive editor-in-chief of Beijing-based magazine "Yanhuang Chunqiu," was found to have tarnished the reputation and honor of "The Five Warriors of Mount Langyashan," who jumped off a cliff when fighting Japanese invaders during World War II.

On June 27, a court ordered Hong to apologize to the plaintiffs, Ge Changsheng and Song Fubao, who are sons of two of the men. The apology had to be made public in media outlets within three days, according to the verdict.

Since Hong failed to apologize as the court ruled, Xicheng District People's Court in Beijing published the content of the written judgement in a newspaper to fulfill the enforcement. Hong must pay the publishing fees.
PRETORIA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has begun the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha confirmed on Friday.

A written notice has been submitted to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the withdrawal will take effect one year after the secretary general receives notification, Masutha told a press briefing in Pretoria.

If successful, South Africa will be the second African country, following Burundi, to quit the ICC, which is often perceived as being biased against African states.

South Africa is hindered by the Rome Statute under which the ICC was established, Masutha explained, adding that the Rome Statute compels SA to arrest people who may enjoy diplomatic immunity but who are wanted by the ICC.

He was referring to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the ICC for alleged anti-humanity crimes. South Africa rejected a request by the ICC to arrest al-Bashir when he was attending the 25th African Union Summit in Johannesburg in June, 2015.

The South African government argued that in addition to complying with its obligations to the ICC, the country has obligations to the AU, which rules that no organization can arrest any sitting head of state in African countries.

Masutha said implementation of the Rome Statute is in conflict and inconsistent with provisions of the country's Diplomatic Immunities & Privileges Act.

"Our focus is to ensure that international law obligations are properly aligned with our domestic law, without the uncertainties and contradictions that exist," the minister said.

He said South Africa has made drawn-out efforts to get the al-Bashir issue resolved, but has not been successful.

"We need to put this matter to rest, and move on as a country, promoting peace and prosperity in Africa. We can't do this as long as we have this legal impediment," Masutha said.

He said Africa is in process of strengthening its own human rights instruments.

"Our commitment is to continue to work closely with like-minded countries at AU level to ensure that SA continues to be beacon of light in the promotion of human rights here and in the rest of the world," he noted.

South Africa remains committed to fighting for human rights and will continue to actively promote dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts in the country and elsewhere, Masutha added.

Also on Friday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Parliament said South Africa's decision to withdraw from the ICC cannot be cleared without approval from the National Legislature.

Masutha said a bill proposing the repeal of the implementation of the Rome Statute will soon be tabled in parliament.

On Tuesday, Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza signed legislation to make his country the first to withdraw from the ICC, which wants to investigate recent political violence in the country.

The ICC was established to prosecute cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
GUANGZHOU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Lin Cunde, former deputy head of the organization department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee was given a life sentence for accepting bribes, on Friday.

According to the Intermediate People's Court in Dongguan City, Lin accepted bribes of over 24 million yuan (3.6 million U.S. dollars).

His personal assets will be confiscated, and his ill-gotten gains will be turned over to the state, said the court verdict.

The court found that Lin took advantage of his position to seek profits for others in job promotions and transfers, project contracts, school enrollment and employment.
TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Friday that four Iranian technicians were killed in the attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on a power plant in the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk, official IRNA news agency reported.

Three other Iranian technicians were also injured, according to the latest reports, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi.

Expressing deep repugnance and regret over the brutal incident, Qasemi offered condolences to the families of the victims, including those of the Iranians.

These blind attacks on defenseless civilians are the signs of the last breaths of terrorists in Iraq and they will be revenged in the battlefields, said the spokesman.

Qasemi said that the consul of the Islamic republic in Sulaymaniyah city of Iraq is probing into the incident and updates will be released about Iranian casualties.

At least 24 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in multiple attacks by Islamic State militants on police compound and other government buildings in Kirkuk on Friday morning.
A member of peshmerga forces runs at a site of an attack by Islamic State militants in Kirkuk, Iraq, October 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Friday that four Iranian technicians were killed in the attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on a power plant in the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk, official IRNA news agency reported.

Three other Iranian technicians were also injured, according to the latest reports, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi.

Expressing deep repugnance and regret over the brutal incident, Qasemi offered condolences to the families of the victims, including those of the Iranians.

These blind attacks on defenseless civilians are the signs of the last breaths of terrorists in Iraq and they will be revenged in the battlefields, said the spokesman.

Qasemi said that the consul of the Islamic republic in Sulaymaniyah city of Iraq is probing into the incident and updates will be released about Iranian casualties.

At least 24 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in multiple attacks by Islamic State militants on police compound and other government buildings in Kirkuk on Friday morning.
BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A convention was held on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

From October 1934 to October 1936, Red Army soldiers left their bases and marched through raging rivers, snowy mountains and arid grassland to break the siege of Kuomintang troops and continue to fight Japanese invaders. Some marched for 12,500 km.

"The Long March is the glory of the people's army, and the honorable people's army must always carry forward the great spirit and fine tradition of the Red Army in the Long March," Chinese President Xi Jinping told the commemorative gathering.

He summarized "the Long March spirit" as seeking truth from facts, strictly observing discipline, bearing in mind the overall interests, solidarity, and relying firmly on the masses and going through thick and thin together with them.

The Long March won praise from overseas scholars, journalists as well as late dignitaries.

"Compared to the Long March, Hannibal's crossing of the Alps looked like a holiday excursion beside it," noted American journalist Edgar Snow in his book "Red Star Over China" published in 1937.

"Adventure, exploration, discovery, human courage and cowardice, ecstasy and triumph, suffering, sacrifice, and loyalty, and then through it all, like a flame, an undimmed ardor and undying hope and amazing revolutionary optimism of those thousands of youths who would not admit defeat by man or nature of God or death -- all this and more seemed embodied in the history of an odyssey unequaled in modern times," wrote Snow.

For another American writer Harrison E. Salisbury, also a former New York Times correspondent, the Long March represented "a great human epic which tested the will, courage, and strength of the men and women of the Chinese Red Army."

"If anyone should think the journey was some kind of Potemkin trip through a gussied-up China, well, the route was more than twice as long as that between New York and San Francisco," Salisbury wrote in an article published in 1984, right before the publication of his book "The Long March: The Untold Story."

In an interview after he finished retracing the Long March, Salisbury said: "Only, I felt, by traveling those 7,400 miles could I write an accurate account of the Long March. Only so could I convey some small sense of the ordeal of the men and women who made the march."

After experiencing parts of the route of the Long March in 1981, former U.S. national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote that "for the emerging new China, the Long March is more than an epic of almost unmatched heroism. It is the reminder of the spirit of national unity essential to overcome a legacy of backwardness."

Some foreign scholars said that the Chinese Long March is a "stately monument" in the history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, stressing that the significance of the remarkable event should resonate down the centuries, from generation to generation.

British missionary Rudolf Alfred Bosshardt, who had followed the Red Army's Long March in 1934, described in his book "The Restraining Hand" that "these people, known as bandits by the Kuomintang, are in fact people who believe in Marxism and practice its principles."

U.S. General Samuel B. Griffith remarked in his book named the Chinese People's Liberation Army: "From this trial emerged a group of tested leaders, supremely confident of their ability to shape the destiny of their party and their country. And from it, too, sprang an indoctrinated army endowed with a rich experience, convinced of the righteousness of its cause and equipped with a dynamic doctrine of guerrilla and mobile war."

Author of "The Long March 1935" Dick Wilson, who was then senior editorial adviser to a now defunct Singapore newspaper the New Nation, said "the Long March remains an unparalleled human story of sheer dogged grit and determination."

"The pure bravado of the collective and individual feats of this great army in 1934-35 must claim respect and admiration from every generation," Wilson praised.
At least eight people were killed and seven others wounded on Friday in a bus crash in an eastern suburb of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and seven others wounded on Friday in a bus crash in an eastern suburb of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Health Ministry said.

The death toll may increase because two persons were seriously injured, a medical source was quoted by official news agency MENA as saying.

Passenger microbuses are everywhere in the most populous Arab country as the most common means of transport for most Egyptians with low income.

It moves swiftly and randomly all over the place and crowds of people getting in and out nonstop.

Official reports say that road accidents in Egypt claim over 13,000 lives every year. Although heavy trucks are responsible for almost half of them, microbuses come next due to the violations of their drivers and their negligence of traffic laws.
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain will visit Qatar on Oct. 22-25, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

During the visit, the President will hold bilateral meetings with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and other dignitaries, the ministry said.

"The two sides will review important aspects of bilateral relations. Regional issues and international developments will also be discussed," the statement said.

The main focus of the president's official talks and interaction with the Qatari leadership will be on further enhancement of bilateral relations in various fields, including energy cooperation, trade investment, defence and increase in employment opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in the Qatari market.

The high-level exchanges between the two countries, that started with the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Pakistan in March 2015 and return visit by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to Qatar in February 2016, are a testimony of growing relations between the two brotherly countries.

The president's visit would further consolidate the already existing brotherly relations, the Foreign Ministry said.
BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is committed to restoring defense relations with China, said Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday.

Lorenzana, who was in Beijing with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, made the remarks when he met his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan in Beijing.

Hailing the historic importance of Duterte's visit, Chang said it is in both countries' fundamental interests and good for regional peace and stability that China and the Philippines develop friendly ties.

The two militaries must take responsibility to implement the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Duterte during the visit, steer away distractions, manage differences, accumulate mutual trust and promote cooperation to contribute to bilateral ties, said Chang.

Lorenzana said President Duterte's visit aims to develop closer relations with China, adding that his country is willing to forge ahead in bilateral defense cooperation.

Duterte left Beijing late Friday afternoon, ending his four-day state visit to China. China is the first country he has visited outside ASEAN, since taking office in June.
by Salah Takieddine

BEIRUT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- After 45 failed sessions to elect an incumbent president in Lebanon, former prime minister Saad Hariri broke the deadlock Thursday by endorsing Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun to the presidency.

But the move still faces significant opposition and the consensus needed for a final solution to the presidential vacuum is not yet met.

Hariri, who declared that the decision "stems from the need to protect Lebanon, the political system, the state and the people," used to endorsed the candidacy of the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to the presidency.

However, last year, Hariri retreated from backing Geagea and launched an initiative to elect al-Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, a personal close friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an effort to end the vacuum.

But this move was strongly opposed by Hezbollah, and also Geagea, who suddenly broke an agreement with Aoun and announced backing his candidacy.

Aoun, a staunch ally of Hezbollah, was a candidate for the presidency supported by the March 8 camp that includes all the allies of the Syria's Assad regime, while Samir Geagea is endorsed by the March 14 camp backed by the West and Saudi Arabia.

Also, the centrist Democratic Gathering of MP Walid Jumblatt announced the candidacy of its member MP Henri Helou.

The shifting in the political alliances hindered the election of a new president for two years and four months now, but with Hariri endorsing Aoun, the road for the former army General to be elected president seem paved for the electoral session due Oct. 31.

Since May 25, 2014, Lebanon entered in a presidential vacuum following the end of the 6-year term of former president Michel Suleiman.

The Lebanese legislators failed to agree on electing an incumbent in all 45 electoral sessions called by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri because of insufficient constitutionally required quorum.

"However, many obstacles still need to be removed before seeing Aoun as president," a source from al-Mustaqbal Movement parliamentary bloc told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The source said that out of the 33 members of the parliamentary bloc presided by Hariri, there are about nine MPs who openly announced their rejection.

"There are many reservations regarding Aoun, particularly his relations with Hezbollah, Syria and Iran," the source said, adding that the nomination of Aoun and the backing of Hariri does not necessarily mean that he would be elected."

Rached Fayed, a political analyst, noted that the opposition of Speaker Berri to the election of Aoun could be "another obstacle that the leader of the FPM must address to secure his election."

Fayed said that "Berri's position cannot be ignored neither by Aoun nor by Hezbollah, and this means that the problem is now surely within the March 8 camp."

Berri received Aoun Thursday night at his residence and the outcome of the meeting did not seem to be promising for Aoun, who stated that "we are certainly seeking Speaker Berri's support in the presidential race but we respect his freedom in taking the decision he wants."

The parliamentary source stressed that "the outcome of the electoral session due at the end of the month is not clear yet and whether the quorum would be achieved or not."

According to the constitution, the required quorum for the electoral session is two thirds of the 128-seat parliament and the president should get in the first round two thirds of the votes and a simple majority in the following rounds.

The power sharing pact known as the National Pact stipulates that the president should be a Christian Maronite, the Speaker a Muslim Shiite and the Premier a Muslim Sunni.

Fayed believes that Aoun is a strong candidate with the largest Christian parliamentary bloc. But this does not mean that he is fully backed by all the Christians in Lebanon.

Hariri heads the largest parliamentary bloc in the house and is regarded as the most influential Sunni figure in the country, but not all the Sunnis are agreeing with him on Aoun, he said.

What's more, Berri with Hezbollah represents the largest Shiite sector of Lebanon. With him opposing Aoun, half of the Shiites are against Aoun, not to mention Jumblatt, the strongest Druze leader who, with MP Talal Erslan, represent most of the Druze community, both of them oppose Aoun.

The whole country is looking with hope that Oct. 31 would finally see an end to the presidential vacuum that risk the country, particularly with Lebanon hosting more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees.
Christian politician and FPM founder Michel Aoun (L) walks next to Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri after he said he will back Aoun to become president in Beirut, Lebanon October 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

BEIRUT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- After 45 failed sessions to elect an incumbent president in Lebanon, former prime minister Saad Hariri broke the deadlock Thursday by endorsing Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun to the presidency.

But the move still faces significant opposition and the consensus needed for a final solution to the presidential vacuum is not yet met.

Hariri, who declared that the decision "stems from the need to protect Lebanon, the political system, the state and the people," used to endorsed the candidacy of the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to the presidency.

However, last year, Hariri retreated from backing Geagea and launched an initiative to elect al-Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, a personal close friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an effort to end the vacuum.

But this move was strongly opposed by Hezbollah, and also Geagea, who suddenly broke an agreement with Aoun and announced backing his candidacy.

Aoun, a staunch ally of Hezbollah, was a candidate for the presidency supported by the March 8 camp that includes all the allies of the Syria's Assad regime, while Samir Geagea is endorsed by the March 14 camp backed by the West and Saudi Arabia.

Also, the centrist Democratic Gathering of MP Walid Jumblatt announced the candidacy of its member MP Henri Helou.

The shifting in the political alliances hindered the election of a new president for two years and four months now, but with Hariri endorsing Aoun, the road for the former army General to be elected president seem paved for the electoral session due Oct. 31.

Since May 25, 2014, Lebanon entered in a presidential vacuum following the end of the 6-year term of former president Michel Suleiman.

The Lebanese legislators failed to agree on electing an incumbent in all 45 electoral sessions called by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri because of insufficient constitutionally required quorum.

"However, many obstacles still need to be removed before seeing Aoun as president," a source from al-Mustaqbal Movement parliamentary bloc told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The source said that out of the 33 members of the parliamentary bloc presided by Hariri, there are about nine MPs who openly announced their rejection.

"There are many reservations regarding Aoun, particularly his relations with Hezbollah, Syria and Iran," the source said, adding that the nomination of Aoun and the backing of Hariri does not necessarily mean that he would be elected."

Rached Fayed, a political analyst, noted that the opposition of Speaker Berri to the election of Aoun could be "another obstacle that the leader of the FPM must address to secure his election."

Fayed said that "Berri's position cannot be ignored neither by Aoun nor by Hezbollah, and this means that the problem is now surely within the March 8 camp."

Berri received Aoun Thursday night at his residence and the outcome of the meeting did not seem to be promising for Aoun, who stated that "we are certainly seeking Speaker Berri's support in the presidential race but we respect his freedom in taking the decision he wants."

The parliamentary source stressed that "the outcome of the electoral session due at the end of the month is not clear yet and whether the quorum would be achieved or not."

According to the constitution, the required quorum for the electoral session is two thirds of the 128-seat parliament and the president should get in the first round two thirds of the votes and a simple majority in the following rounds.

The power sharing pact known as the National Pact stipulates that the president should be a Christian Maronite, the Speaker a Muslim Shiite and the Premier a Muslim Sunni.

Fayed believes that Aoun is a strong candidate with the largest Christian parliamentary bloc. But this does not mean that he is fully backed by all the Christians in Lebanon.

Hariri heads the largest parliamentary bloc in the house and is regarded as the most influential Sunni figure in the country, but not all the Sunnis are agreeing with him on Aoun, he said.

What's more, Berri with Hezbollah represents the largest Shiite sector of Lebanon. With him opposing Aoun, half of the Shiites are against Aoun, not to mention Jumblatt, the strongest Druze leader who, with MP Talal Erslan, represent most of the Druze community, both of them oppose Aoun.

The whole country is looking with hope that Oct. 31 would finally see an end to the presidential vacuum that risk the country, particularly with Lebanon hosting more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees.
MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the Belgian ambassador to Moscow over the alleged airstrikes by Belgian warplanes that killed six civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The Russian side showed the ambassador evidence of the involvement of Belgian planes in the deadly attacks, the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian military said Tuesday that two F-16 fighter jets of the Belgian air force were detected in an attack against the village of Hassajek near Aleppo, which left six Syrian civilians dead and at least four wounded.

The Belgian Defense Ministry formally denied the accusation, saying that the country's F-16 fighters did not perform flights over the mentioned area during the strike.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it would unveil the flight route details of the fighter jets. Moscow said it has been expecting an explanation from the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition for the incident.
NEW DELHI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least one person has been killed and more than three others injured in a firecracker explosion at a private tutorial in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Friday, a senior police official said, adding that 200 others had a close shave in the incident.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying (Photo source: fmprc.gov.cn)



BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Friday urged Japan to stop inciting regional conflict and play a constructive role in regional peace and stability.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked to comment on reports concerning Japan's stance on the South China Sea issue.

China and the Philippines agreed Thursday that bilateral relations should focus less on differences over the South China Sea issue and more on strengthening cooperation.

A Kyodo report said that Japan, along with the United States, has urged China to respect a rules-based order in the region and avoid taking an assertive posture, such as its building of military facilities in the South China Sea.

Hua said Japan's remarks showed a lack of understanding.

She said the improvement and development of China-Philippine relations, and the return of the South China Sea issue to the right track of bilateral dialogue and consultation, conform to the fundamental and common interests of the two peoples and benefit regional peace and stability.

Some people in Japan often talk about regional peace and stability, but when such a goal is within reach, they become restive and restless, Hua said.

The purpose of Japan's intervention in the South China Sea issue is obvious to all, and people who hold an objective, fair and just attitude will have a clear understanding of Japan's intentions, she said.
WINDHOEK, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism will launch two national tourism strategies on Oct. 26 in an effort to build the country into a top tourist destination.

The National Sustainable Tourism Growth and Development Strategy (2016 to 2026) and the National Tourism Investment Profile and Promotion Strategy (2016 to 2026) were both approved by the Parliament in July, the ministry said Friday .

The ministry's chief public relations officer Romeo Muyunda said the key objective of the strategies is to transform Namibia into the most competitive tourism destination in Africa.

"In addition, these two strategies aim for the tourism industry to become the second most important contributor to the Namibian economy, both in terms of contributions to GDP as well as earnings in foreign revenue," he added.

According to Muyunda, the implementation of the strategies by all stakeholders will be based on five key principles that emanate from the National Tourism Policy of 2008.

He said through implementation of the strategies, Namibia is set to see an increase in tourist numbers, spending and length of stay.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday called on China and the United States to make efforts for an early conclusion of their bilateral investment treaty (BIT) negotiations.

China and the United States have agreed to BIT talks on the basis of pre-establishment national treatment (PENT) plus a negative list approach. It is the first time that China has adopted the model in BIT talks with foreign countries, Li said, noting that this showed the importance China attaches to BIT talks.

PENT means that foreign investors and their investments will be accorded national treatment in the pre-establishment phase of their businesses.

Li told visiting former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at the Diaoyutai State Guest House that through the BIT talks, both sides sent a positive signal to the world that China and the United States support trade and investment facilitation and liberalization.

China hopes that the two sides will work flexibly and pragmatically to make the talks produce positive results and reach a high-level investment treaty, so as to realize mutual benefits, Li said.

China and the United States started BIT negotiations in 2008.

Speaking highly of the Paulson Institute's role in promoting China-U.S cooperation, Li called on the Institute to make a greater contribution to a healthy and stable China-U.S. relationship.

Premier Li's trip to New York last month yielded positive results and was beneficial to U.S.-China ties, Paulson said, stressing that the Paulson Institute was ready to enhance exchanges and cooperation with China.

On Friday, Vice Premier Wang Yang held a meeting with Paulson and members of the CEO Council of Sustainable Urbanization to exchange views on China-U.S. economic ties, as well as other issues of common concern.
SINGAPORE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- River Nights 2016 kicked off on Friday evening to light up the bank of Singapore River in the heart of the country's Civic District. Over the two weekends in October, visitors can immerse themselves in various artistic events here.

River Nights was initiated to celebrate Singapore River's changing identity through the years. Organized by Asian Civilizations Museum (ACM) and with National Arts Council as principal partner, the third edition of River Nights returned with the theme of "Phantasmagoria", presenting traditional artistry with modern technology.

Festival Director Lim Chye Hong said at the heart of this year's programming is the use of technology to blend the old and the new, creating fresh and shared experiences for both artists and the public.

During the first weekend, the public can enjoy a series of performances by local artists. "Soundscape: The River" melds a variety of instruments and human voice to create the story of a river by weaving the magic of sound, whispers, the rustling of the wind, and the fury of a thunderstorm into one integral whole.

Performed by Nanyang Philharmonic Percussion Ensemble and Siva Mayam Urumi Melam, "All Things Percussion" made the hearts of visitors go thump with exciting rhythms and invigorating beats. While T.H.E Dance Company's "Silences We Are Familiar With" presented a poignant exploration of the ceaseless need for human to love and be loved.

In the second weekend, ACM's signature lifestyle event "ACM after Dark" will come back, presenting a showcase of Asian supernatural and beliefs. Students from Singapore Polytechnic will light up the night sky with color-changing umbrellas via hand-controls fabricated by MIT. The public can experience a dazzling performance in the "Umbrella Project".

River Nights 2016 will also take place on Saturday, as well as on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29.
HARARE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cash-strapped Zimbabwe has cleared its financial arrears of more than 100 million U.S. dollars with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an IMF official said Friday.

Zimbabwe paid 107.9 million dollars by transferring part of its cash holdings kept at the IMF to the Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, IMF director of communications Gerry Rice said in a statement.

"Zimbabwe is now current on all its financial obligations to the IMF," Rice said.

Zimbabwe had been in continuous arrears since 2001.

The payment of the debt arrears follows the IMF's approval of Zimbabwe's debt clearance strategy in May this year.

Under the debt clearance strategy, Zimbabwe pledged to clear its debt arrears amounting to 1.8 billion U.S. dollars to the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2016.

Zimbabwe now remains to settle its 1.15-billion arrears to the World Bank and 601 million dollars to the AfDB.

However, the IMF indicated that it would not immediately release new loans to Zimbabwe until it clears arrears with other international financial institutions and bilateral creditors and also implements a strong reform agenda.

Zimbabwe is in sore need of fresh funding to shore up an ailing economy that is forecast to regress into recession this year after seven years of positive growth.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (R) meets with visiting Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Oct. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

LUXEMBOURG CITY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and Luxembourg have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation regarding their respective financial sectors.

The pledge was made during Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai's separate meetings with Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

During the meetings, Ma said China cherishes its friendship with Luxembourg, and sees the country as a trustworthy partner in the European Union (EU).

Hailing bilateral ties in the fields of finance, steel and aviation, Ma said China is willing to further strengthen high-level interactions with Luxembourg, build political mutual trust and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges in a bid to elevate bilateral ties to a new high.

"The financial sector is a priority of cooperation between China and Luxembourg," Ma said.

Henri lauded the smooth development of China-Luxembourg ties, saying that it is an example of cross-cultural cooperation.

China' s economy is vibrant and Luxembourg is ready to engage with the country in innovative logistics as well as in other areas, Henri said.

Luxembourg hosts the European headquarters or branches of major Chinese banks, which has enhanced the country's leading position in the global financial market, Henri noted, reaffirming his commitment to work for closer China-Luxembourg ties.

As the year 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Luxembourg-China ties, it will be a great opportunity for the two nations to intensify cooperation in trade and tourism, Bettel said.

Luxembourg would like to be a gateway for China's cooperation with Europe, he added.

As to solving the problem of global steel overcapacity, Bettel suggested that China and the EU are seeking a win-win solution through cooperation.
The Presiding officer of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union, Joseph Chilengi, addresses a media briefing at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 15, 2015. Joseph Chilengi condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for ordering the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir during his visit to South Africa to attend the AU Heads of State summit. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

PRETORIA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has begun the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha confirmed on Friday.

A written notice has been submitted to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the withdrawal will take effect one year after the secretary general receives notification, Masutha told a press briefing in Pretoria.

If successful, South Africa will be the second African country, following Burundi, to quit the ICC, which is often perceived as being biased against African states.

South Africa is hindered by the Rome Statute under which the ICC was established, Masutha explained, adding that the Rome Statute compels SA to arrest people who may enjoy diplomatic immunity but who are wanted by the ICC.

He was referring to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the ICC for alleged anti-humanity crimes. South Africa rejected a request by the ICC to arrest al-Bashir when he was attending the 25th African Union Summit in Johannesburg in June, 2015.

The South African government argued that in addition to complying with its obligations to the ICC, the country has obligations to the AU, which rules that no organization can arrest any sitting head of state in African countries.

Masutha said implementation of the Rome Statute is in conflict and inconsistent with provisions of the country's Diplomatic Immunities & Privileges Act.

"Our focus is to ensure that international law obligations are properly aligned with our domestic law, without the uncertainties and contradictions that exist," the minister said.

He said South Africa has made drawn-out efforts to get the al-Bashir issue resolved, but has not been successful.

"We need to put this matter to rest, and move on as a country, promoting peace and prosperity in Africa. We can't do this as long as we have this legal impediment," Masutha said.

He said Africa is in process of strengthening its own human rights instruments.

This file photo shows South African President Jacob Zuma (R) is welcomed by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum, Sudan, July 8, 2011.(Xinhua/Mohammed Babiker)

"Our commitment is to continue to work closely with like-minded countries at AU level to ensure that SA continues to be beacon of light in the promotion of human rights here and in the rest of the world," he noted.

South Africa remains committed to fighting for human rights and will continue to actively promote dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts in the country and elsewhere, Masutha added.

Also on Friday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Parliament said South Africa's decision to withdraw from the ICC cannot be cleared without approval from the National Legislature.

Masutha said a bill proposing the repeal of the implementation of the Rome Statute will soon be tabled in parliament.

On Tuesday, Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza signed legislation to make his country the first to withdraw from the ICC, which wants to investigate recent political violence in the country.

The ICC was established to prosecute cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
KATHMANDU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Nepal and South Korea have held the third bilateral consultation meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and South Korea on Friday in Kathmandu.

Both sides discussed the issues of mutual interests and reviewed all the matters of bilateral cooperation during the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.

"The delegations shared views on the various aspects of Nepal-Korea relations so as to take them ahead in a forward looking manner," the statement said.

The Nepali side appreciated South Korea's continued support and cooperation in the overall socio-economic development of Nepal.

During the one-day meeting, the Korean side expressed its readiness to continue cooperation in the socio-economic development efforts and priorities of the Government of Nepal.

"Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation and maintain regular contacts at different levels and also agreed to work together to further strengthen the Employment Permit System for mutual benefits, promote tourism, trade and connectivity between the two countries and cooperate at regional and global levels on matters of mutual interests, among others," the statement added.

South Korea has been one of the lucrative destinations for Nepali migrant workers for the past few years.

Joint Secretary and head of the North East Asia Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Jhabindra Aryal had led the Nepali delegation while Director General for South Asia and Pacific Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ryu Jeong-hyun led the Korean delegation during the meeting.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri who came to Hangzhou to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bilateral ties between Argentina and China are bound to grow in the medium and long term, said a scholar on international relations.

Sergio Cesarin, coordinator of the Center for Asia Pacific and India Studies (CEAPI) of the National University of Tres de Febrero in Buenos Aires, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua after a conference entitled "China 2040: Economic Forecast and Global Connectivity" at the Confucius Institute of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).

The two countries have not only expanded economic cooperation in recent years but also maintained intensive political dialogue in many areas, he noted.

"A number of treaties and bilateral accords are indications of strengthening ties," said Cesarin, who is also a member of the Faculty of Economics at UBA.

China and Argentina celebrated 45 years of diplomatic ties in February, and over the past nearly half a century, bilateral ties "have been in a constant state of growth," the expert added.

"That distant, remote and somewhat imaginary China -- because it was difficult to envision concretely -- is now a close China that is around us." he said.

Chinese engineers of the Gezhouba enterprise, Ni Si Ping (L), Guo Cui Zhi (C), and Yao Xiao Guo (R) react in the Piedra Buena workroom, in the city of Comandante Luis Piedra Buena, in Santa Cruz province, 3000km from the city of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Sept. 2, 2015. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

This year, Beijing consolidated its position as Argentina's second-largest trade partner worldwide, with a 13 percent increase in imports from Argentina, driven by a wider range of goods and a more balanced trade structure.

China has become the leading importer of Argentine beef, with sales to China representing 35 percent of the South American country's total beef exports.

The Asian giant is also taking part in a series of key infrastructure projects in Argentina, including in the areas of hydroelectric and nuclear energy, rail building, clean energy development and housing construction.

The current economic equation and the future economic outlook show China is going to be a central player in global affairs, both politically and economically, and Argentina aspires to dynamically join global political and economic systems, he said.

"China will without a doubt continue to be a very important player for us......It already has been for a long time, but in the future it is going to be in terms of forging richer and more robust bilateral ties, because certainly new areas for bilateral cooperation are going to open up," Cesarin added.
UN staff members register refugees at the Protection of Civilians site 1 of the United Nations Mission In South Sudan (UNMISS) in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Aug. 13, 2016. The humanitarian situation in South Sudan has witnessed significant deterioration, including in areas that were once relatively stable. Since December 2013, over 2 million people have fled their homes. Some 1.6 million are displaced within South Sudan and more than 900,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

JUBA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian agency has decried violence against humanitarian workers and assets in South Sudan, saying at least 67 aid workers have been killed since conflict erupted in December 2013.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that the number includes a recent case in which an aid worker was shot and killed in an ambush on a clearly marked NGO vehicle in Eastern Equatoria on Oct. 18.

"In the first nine months of 2016, more than 640 humanitarian access incidents were reported in South Sudan, including 81 in September alone," OCHA said in the report released on Thursday.

According to OCHA, out of the 81 incidents, 59 involved violence against humanitarian personnel and assets.

"This included a substantial increase in assaults, ambushes and armed attacks, with 11 incidents reported in September compared to 5 in August," it said.

The report said armed ambushes and attacks were mainly reported in Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Lakes and Western Bahr el Ghazal.

The UN agency said impediments and restrictions have continued to affect the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need in October.

"In Western Bahr el Ghazal, after occasional access in previous weeks, humanitarians have again been denied passage at checkpoints outside of Wau town in the past two weeks, preventing access to tens of thousands of people in dire need of assistance," it said.

The OCHA said key roads in Eastern Equatoria have witnessed ambushes against both civilian and humanitarian vehicles in recent weeks.

The increased attacks on relief workers forced the agencies to relocate some 10 aid workers from Budi County in Eastern Equatoria last week.

Humanitarian Coordinator Eugene Owusu said violence against aid workers must stop and called for swift action to hold those responsible to account.

"Violence against humanitarians jeopardizes the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance to millions of people in dire need across this country," he added.
BRUSSELS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday that he hoped the issues blocking a free-trade deal between the European Union (EU) and Canada would be settled in the next few days despite a Belgian region opposing the deal.

Leaders from the 28 member states of the bloc were expected to reach an agreement on approving the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on the second day of the EU summit, which kicked off on Thursday.

However, due to continued opposition from Belgium, the deal has been thrown into disarray.

"I hope that we will be able to see an agreed settlement in a few days, with the Wallonians, our friends," Juncker told a press conference after the second day of EU summit.

The Belgian region of Wallonia is blocking the ratification of the deal over social and environmental concerns.

To ratify the EU-Canada deal, EU member states need to approve three draft decisions: provisional application, signature, and conclusion of CETA. Although all three documents are formally subject to a qualified majority vote, consensus will be required.

According to local media reports, Wallonia was still resisting pressure to back the EU-Canada trade deal on Friday morning. The region's leader Paul Magnette said "difficulties remain" for the region to sign the deal.

The French-speaking area in southern Belgium fears local workers will be laid off if the agreement leads to cheaper farming and industrial imports.

Juncker said Wallonia's problem with CETA is "not technical or substantial but political." He expressed hope to find a solution in the coming few days as he called CETA "the best trade agreement" the EU has ever negotiated.

Encouragingly, Romania dropped its opposition to the deal during the summit after securing visa-free access to Canada for its citizens.

"We are in a position to withdraw our reservations against CETA," Romanian President Klaus Johannis said Friday in Brussels.

Starting from Dec. 1, 2017, Romanians will be able to enter Canada without visas.

The trade deal with Canada could be the bloc's last free trade agreement if it fails, warned European Council President Donald Tusk.

EU's trade policy chief Cecilia Malmstrom tweeted on Friday saying the European Commission is undergoing intensive talks with Wallonia on CETA.

Noting the EU and Canada are trying to find a way forward, Malmstrom said she hopes solutions will be found as soon as possible.

Despite the uncertainty, the EU and Canada are still determined to hold a summit in Brussels on Oct. 27, when they hope to formally sign CETA.

The EU-Canada free trade deal was reached in August 2014 after five years of negotiations, aiming to eliminate 98 percent of tariffs between the two sides. It has been opposed by various groups, including environmental activists, trade unionists and socialists.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attends the second-day's meeting of EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday that he hoped the issues blocking a free-trade deal between the European Union (EU) and Canada would be settled in the next few days despite a Belgian region opposing the deal.

Leaders from the 28 member states of the bloc were expected to reach an agreement on approving the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on the second day of the EU summit, which kicked off on Thursday.

However, due to continued opposition from Belgium, the deal has been thrown into disarray.

"I hope that we will be able to see an agreed settlement in a few days, with the Wallonians, our friends," Juncker told a press conference after the second day of EU summit.

The Belgian region of Wallonia is blocking the ratification of the deal over social and environmental concerns.

To ratify the EU-Canada deal, EU member states need to approve three draft decisions: provisional application, signature, and conclusion of CETA. Although all three documents are formally subject to a qualified majority vote, consensus will be required.

According to local media reports, Wallonia was still resisting pressure to back the EU-Canada trade deal on Friday morning. The region's leader Paul Magnette said "difficulties remain" for the region to sign the deal.

The French-speaking area in southern Belgium fears local workers will be laid off if the agreement leads to cheaper farming and industrial imports.

Juncker said Wallonia's problem with CETA is "not technical or substantial but political." He expressed hope to find a solution in the coming few days as he called CETA "the best trade agreement" the EU has ever negotiated.

Encouragingly, Romania dropped its opposition to the deal during the summit after securing visa-free access to Canada for its citizens.

"We are in a position to withdraw our reservations against CETA," Romanian President Klaus Johannis said Friday in Brussels.

Starting from Dec. 1, 2017, Romanians will be able to enter Canada without visas.

The trade deal with Canada could be the bloc's last free trade agreement if it fails, warned European Council President Donald Tusk.

EU's trade policy chief Cecilia Malmstrom tweeted on Friday saying the European Commission is undergoing intensive talks with Wallonia on CETA.

Noting the EU and Canada are trying to find a way forward, Malmstrom said she hopes solutions will be found as soon as possible.

Despite the uncertainty, the EU and Canada are still determined to hold a summit in Brussels on Oct. 27, when they hope to formally sign CETA.

The EU-Canada free trade deal was reached in August 2014 after five years of negotiations, aiming to eliminate 98 percent of tariffs between the two sides. It has been opposed by various groups, including environmental activists, trade unionists and socialists.
BAKU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan on Friday refuted reports of the Armenian side about its reconnaissance and sabotage operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh zone of conflict.

"Information spread by the Armenian side about the alleged commitment to sabotage by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the line of contact, which led to losses, is false," Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Such reports of the Armenian side are aimed at deterioration of the situation on the line of contact," it said, adding that "the Azerbaijani army did not carry out any reconnaissance and sabotage operations and did not suffer any loss."

The ministry also said Azerbaijani troops fully control the situation along the frontline.

Earlier on Friday, Armenian media, citing the "defense ministry" of the self-proclaimed "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic," reported that the Azerbaijani troops attempted on Oct. 20 to conduct a reconnaissance and sabotage operation in the eastern and southern directions of the contact line, with resulting losses.

The two ex-Soviet areas, Azerbaijan and Armenia, fought a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the early 1990s, in which thousands were killed on both sides and hundreds of thousands of others displaced.

In more than 25 years since a ceasefire, daily gunfire has sometimes killed border guards on both sides before the worst escalation began in April of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since the mid-1990s.

Nagorno-Karabakh region has run its own affairs with heavy military and financial backing from Armenia. Armenian-backed forces also hold seven Azerbaijani districts surrounding the region.

Efforts to reach a permanent settlement have failed despite the mediation led by France, Russia and the United States.
YAOUNDE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A passenger train traveling between Cameroon's capital Yaounde to economic city of Douala derailed Friday at around 12:00 local time, local media reported.

The train derailed in Eseka station in Central Region, around 120 kilometers to Yaounde, according to official television CRTV.

Some local media reported that up to 20 people were killed in the accident.

A witness who lives closer to the station told Xinhua he saw many people injured.

Camrail, the official railway authorties, told Xinhua they were sending officials to the site, but did not reveal details on casualties.

The railway accident took place hours after one part of the Yaounde-Douala road caved in following the heavy rain in the night. Many passengers to Yaounde or Douala who would use the road have to choose train, leading the derailed train, which left Yaounde Friday morning to Douala, took more passengers than usual.

On August 29, 2009, a train from northern city Ngaoundere to Yaounde derailed in the suburb of the capital, leaving 5 killed and 275 injured.
LILONGWE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Malawi President Peter Mutharika Friday laughed off the rumors that he was either dead or too incapacitated to serve the country, saying he has always been in "excellent" health.

"I am told a cat has nine lives, but I think Peter Mutharika has more than nine lives because I have been killed for more than nine times," said Mutharika, smiling.

"I have been enjoying excellent health and, by the way, having stayed in the United States for decades, I have my doctors and my health insurance there and why could I come home sick?"

Mutharika made the remarks at his presidential residence, Kamuzu Palace, in the capital Lilongwe at a heavily patronized media briefing on the president's meetings at the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Mutharika returned home from the United States on Sunday, Oct. 16, 20 days after the UNGA had ended. The prolonged stay in the United States created room for speculations on his health.

Both Mutharika's press secretary and Malawi government's spokesperson had always refuted all the allegations regarding the president's ill health and that he was conducting meetings with high level dignitaries in the United States.

On Friday Mutharika energetically stormed the jam-packed media briefing room and walked steadily to the high table, waving vigorously with both hands as he did so.

The President also clarified on his use of the left hand when he arrived at the airport on Sunday.

"I'm generally healthy except that I only have a slight problem with my right shoulder called rheumatism which has been persistent for long," explained Mutharika, adding, "I had had an injection and I was advised not to use the right hand because it was numb."

The Malawi leader challenged his critics who, following the rumors on his health, had been pushing for Mutharika to pave way for his Vice President to take over during the President's recuperation. Enditem
GENEVA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution on Friday, calling for a UN commission of Inquiry to investigate actions in Aleppo and identify those responsible for alleged violations of international human rights law.

Instigated by Britain and supported by a number of countries including the United States, the resolution takes into account the worsening human rights situation in war-torn Syria as well as recent events in Aleppo, the scene of intense fighting pitching forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups seeking to oust him.

Speaking via videoconference Friday morning, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned that the northern city of Aleppo has become a "slaughterhouse ... a gruesome locus of pain and fear, where the lifeless bodies of small children are trapped under streets of rubble and pregnant women deliberately bombed."

He also said the violations perpetrated by all belligerents in the city which has been divided in two since 2012 could amount to war-crimes.

"Armed opposition groups continue to fire mortars and other projectiles into civilian neighbourhoods of western Aleppo, but indiscriminate airstrikes across the eastern part of the city by government forces and their allies are responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties," he explained.

While recalling that hundreds of thousands of people are facing extreme hardship in 17 other besieged locations across the country, Zeid reiterated the UN's call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Aleppo to allow much needed humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

Though a Moscow-backed unilateral ceasefire is currently in place, the UN warned earlier Friday that it had yet to receive the necessary safety guarantees allowing medical evacuations to be carried out in east Aleppo, where some 275,000 civilians are living.

Syrian Ambassador Hussam Edin Aala said that those supporting Friday's resolution were guilty of anti-Syrian propaganda and fabricating "baseless accusations about committing violations."

"Again, Britain is leading handful of countries seeking to revive dead colonial glories, and others involved in supporting, funding and arming the Wahabi, Takfiri terrorism in my country, Syria," he said.

Syria has been locked in five-year civil war since March 2011. Over 300,000 people have been killed as a result of protracted fighting, while millions more have been displaced.
This file photo taken on Aug. 29, 2009 shows the accident site where a passenger train derailed, in north outskirt of Yaounde, capital of Cameroon. A carriage of the train was ruptured with several casualties in the accident. (Xinhua/Liu Fang)

YAOUNDE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A passenger train traveling between Cameroon's capital Yaounde to economic city of Douala derailed Friday at around 12:00 local time, local media reported.

The train derailed in Eseka station in Central Region, around 120 kilometers to Yaounde, according to official television CRTV.

Some local media reported that up to 20 people were killed in the accident.

A witness who lives closer to the station told Xinhua he saw many people injured.

Camrail, the official railway authorties, told Xinhua they were sending officials to the site, but did not reveal details on casualties.

The railway accident took place hours after one part of the Yaounde-Douala road caved in following the heavy rain in the night. Many passengers to Yaounde or Douala who would use the road have to choose train, leading the derailed train, which left Yaounde Friday morning to Douala, took more passengers than usual.

On August 29, 2009, a train from northern city Ngaoundere to Yaounde derailed in the suburb of the capital, leaving 5 killed and 275 injured.
ATHENS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 15,000 Greeks have registered new companies in Bulgaria's tax offices in the first quarter of 2016, according to data provided by the Greek embassy in Sofia on Thursday.

On average, a dozen accounts opened in Bulgarian banks on a daily basis this year, according to the report published in Greek daily Vima (Tribune).

Despite warnings from the Greek Finance Ministry that tax evaders will face strict penalties should audits reveal inaccuracies, several small and medium-sized Greek enterprises have turned to the neighboring country to avoid the "tax avalanche" of recent years in Greece, representatives of the Greek market said.

According to embassy data, in 2015 the number of Greek companies registered in Bulgaria was 13,500, while in 2013 it was only 9,000.

In several cases, entrepreneurs relocated to Bulgaria and other countries with more favorable tax structures to stay afloat, experts such as Yorgos Kavathas, president of the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants, noted.

Tax on corporate profits in Greece stands at 29 percent, while in Bulgaria is 10 percent.

Faced with a wave of tax hikes since the start of the Greek debt crisis in 2009, recession-hit middle class professionals, low-income workers and pensioners are struggling to make ends meet.

After the latest round of pension reforms and taxation changes introduced this year, self-employed Greeks are allegedly currently asked to pay up to 80 percent of their monthly reported income for taxes and increased contributions to social security funds, according to their unions and accountants.

Addressing a gathering of self-employed professionals in northern Greece last week, Dimitris Tsakiris, head of Greece's Self-Employed Fund, argued that not paying contributions in Greece and turning to Bulgaria is a "non-patriotic stance."

Although tax avoidance has been pinpointed as a key factor behind the crisis, over taxation of recent years has been criticized as counterproductive to Greece's efforts to return to sustainable growth.

According to Finance Ministry figures, since the start of 2016 taxpayers' total debt has reached 9 billion euros (9.79 billion U.S. dollars).

Greeks owed to security funds more than 30 billion euros in early 2016, according to recent reports, while banking system sources told Kathimerini (Daily) newspaper that total arrears of Greeks to banks exceed 100 billion euros.
KIGALI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda is set to present its top tourism potential in one of the largest global tourism conference scheduled for next month in the Capital Kigali.

The small central African country will host 41st Annual World Tourism Conference from 14th to 17th November that aims at promoting tourism as an engine for economic growth and job creation across the continent, through innovative business models, new technologies and strategic partnerships.

The four-day high level event that will be hosted for the first time in Rwanda is expected to convene African leaders, international investors and travel professionals.

It's organized by the Africa Travel Association (ATA) and the government of Rwanda.

The ATA, a division of Corporate Council on Africa, is the leading global trade association promoting travel and tourism to Africa and strengthening intra-Africa partnerships.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Belize Kaliza, Chief Tourism Officer at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), is delighted to host major tourism forum that presents an opportunity to the country to showcase its tourism attractions and investment opportunities.

"The event will illustrate how the sector offers unique rich cultural, historical and natural assets to the full benefit of the country's tourism industry," she added.

Kaliza explained that Rwanda has stepped up efforts to boost tourism industry through events such as baby gorilla naming ceremonies (Kwita Izina) and Meetings Incentives Conference and Exhibitions/Events (MICE).

According to RDB tourism statistics, the industry registered more than 340 million U.S dollars in revenues in 2015, indicating a 10 percent increase from 2014.

African tourism industry is worth 44 billion U.S dollars, according to Africa Tourism Monitor 2015: Unlocking Africa's Tourism Potential, a joint report by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and New York University's Africa House and ATA.

The continent's travel and hospitality industry has quadrupled in size in less than 15 years, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Africa is one of the world's fastest-growing tourist destinations, second only to Southeast Asia. Enditem
TUNIS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Minister of Health Samira Merai praised on Friday that Chinese medical mission is a "brilliant example" of the cooperation between Tunisia and China.

During a farewell ceremony to the 21st medical mission, Merai expressed her thanks to all the members of the mission, based at different sites in Tunisia since October 2014, who made devotion to help local people, especially those living in remote regions with lack of medical specialists.

She wished the two countries could go further in this field and search for more opportunities to boost bilateral cooperation.

Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Bian Yanhua said the health cooperation between the two countries since 1974 has made an outstanding contribution to the bilateral relations.

Since 1974, China has sent 21 medical missions to Tunisia and over 860 Chinese medics and specialists have accomplished their services.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

MANILA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday that his four-day visit to China "signaled a turning point" in diplomatic relations between the two Asian countries.

"My state visit to China signaled a turning point in our shared history and showed that both countries are fully capable of working together for mutual beneficial cooperation even as we remain committed to settle disputes peacefully, in full adherence of international law," Duterte said in a speech in Davao City upon arrival from Beijing.

In his meetings, Duterte said they had "productive and extensive discussions on the full range of Chinese-Philippine relations, from trade and investments, to infrastructure and tourism, and to science and technology and health."

"To realize the vision of a deeper and more meaningful engagement, we have opened formal lines of communications between our government and agreed on the full resumption of the regular bilateral consultations mechanisms which were put on hold for several years," Duterte said.

With security and stability recognized as necessary conditions for growth, Duterte said the Philippines and China affirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

"We acknowledged the need to address disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law," he said.

"We also agreed to continue discussions on confidence-building measures, including a bilateral consultation mechanism to discuss immediate issues of concern in South China Sea," Duterte said.

To maintain stability, Duterte said China and the Philippines concluded an agreement for general cooperation to minimize incidents at sea.

To combat the menace of illegal drugs, he said both countries agreed to continue across a broad range of areas, including in capacity-building, equipment upgrading and support for rehabilitation purposes.

"With the shared objective of achieving greater growth and prosperity for our peoples, the Philippines and China jointly worked closely on building a robust economic agenda," Duterte said.

Duterte reported that the Philippines signed a number of agreements. "Mostly economic in nature, these agreements provide the framework with which to carry out intensified cooperation between the Philippines and China," he said.

He added that in his numerous meetings with officials and businessmen "there was a renewed and heightened sense of optimism in trade relations."

"The friendship rekindled opened up deeper commitments to significantly enhance trade and investments," he said.

He also announced that his talks with Chinese leaders and business leaders resulted in public financing agreements and private business deals valued at billions of U.S. dollars in soft loans.

"These agreements, covering various fields of economic activities, are expected to generate 2 million jobs for the Filipinos in the next five years," he said.

He vowed to continue "to work very hard to ensure that these agreements bear concrete results that will better the lives of our people."
BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Financial cooperation will bring new growth momentum to Asian countries, given that although there have been visible outcomes in this field, the scale is limited, according to specialists.

"The low-hanging fruit has already been picked in Asian regional cooperation after years of development," said China's Vice Finance Minister Shi Yaobin at a seminar held in Beijing Friday.

Speaking at the same event, Waikei Raphael Lam, IMF Resident Representative for China, said that there was great potential for regional financial cooperation for Asia, and suggested enhanced Asian capital market integration and risk control cooperation.

In recent years, the monetary policies of major economies have taken diverging paths, the capital markets have become more volatile, and instability in the financial system has increased, attendees at the seminar agreed.

In responding to potential risks and challenges at the regional level, the accessibility and effectiveness of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) should be further enhanced, and the functions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three (ASEAN+3) Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) in regional macroeconomic monitoring, crisis management, policy dialogue and technical assistance should be strengthened.

At the national level, financial regulation reform should be effectively pushed forward to monitor and manage short-term capital flows, which will help guard against financial risks.

Experts hope that international organizations and national regulatory authorities within the region could improve the way in which they monitor the regional macro economy, bringing international organizations such as AMRO and IMF into full play, and building up a regional financial safety net in accordance with Asian practice, thereby, better safeguarding financial stability in Asia.

"The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will launch more projects in December this year to promote regional interconnectivity, as pushing forward regional cooperation and solving problems in regional development is one of the bank's priority tasks," said AIIB Vice President and Chief Administration Officer Luky Eko Wuryanto at the seminar.

While Asia is the world's most vigorous region, its infrastructure remains relatively poor and there is huge demand for investment in this regard.

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have contributed tremendously to regional infrastructure development, henceforth, the AIIB and the New Development Bank will play a supplementary role, according to the experts.

To better meet the investment demands of regional infrastructure and connectivity, what regional connectivity in Asia lacks -- rather than capital -- is a more diversified and inclusive investment and financing mechanism that brings together existing and potential resources, they said.

Experts advised the new and existing MDBs, as well as the public and private sectors to boost collaboration in order to build diversified financing mechanisms, boost regional connectivity, and lay a solid foundation for mid-to-long term economic development in Asia.

The seminar, which carried the theme "Deepening Asian Economic and Financial Cooperation, Promoting Regional Integrated Development," was hosted by the International Economics and Finance Institute under the Ministry of Finance, China.

Government officials, NGO delegates, bank governors and economists from China, Japan, Australia, Korea, Indonesia and Singapore, among others, attended the seminar Friday.

The Asian financial crisis in 1997 was a wake-up call for many countries -- as they realized there was a real need for regional financial cooperation. These endeavors have achieved considerable results. The accomplishments have been largely the work of various regional financial forums, including ASEAN+3.
GAZA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement on Friday called on the Gaza-based military groups for preparedness and alert in anticipation of any upcoming military confrontation with Israel.

Ramadan Shallah, the group's top leader currently in Syria, made the call on telephone during a rally held in Gaza City to mark 29 years for establishing his group.

"Choices of conflict with the Jewish state are open," said Shallah to the crowds of Islamic Jihad supporters who joined the rally while waving Palestinian flags and the black flags of the group.

Masked militants, wearing military uniforms and carrying various kinds of weapons, bombs and rockets rallied in the streets of Gaza, on foot or carried by jeeps and armored vehicles.

"We are in need for a comprehensive dialogue that puts a new agreed-upon strategy to rearrange the internal Palestinian situation, end internal division and approve armed resistance as a strategic choice for everyone," said Shallah.

"The so-called peace process and peace talks didn't bring the Palestinian people anything, just humiliation and more occupation measures," he warned. "The choice of resistance and armed struggle must be the Palestinians' sole choice."

Shallah went on saying that "when the Palestinians have the armed resistance and struggle their own only choice, they will be able to liberate their occupied lands and gain their legitimate rights back."

He called on both Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party "to leave power on ruling Gaza and the West Bank, and only be armed with the duty of liberating the occupied lands."

Meanwhile, Mahmoud al-Zahar, the top Gaza-based Hamas leader, who addressed a speech during the rally, said that the choice of armed resistance "is so important for the Palestinians in order to gain their rights back."

"We extend our hands to anyone who want to join us in our armed resistance to liberate our occupied lands and gain back our rights," said al-Zahar, adding the military groups in Gaza are in need for developing and empowering their power.

He also said that his group and the Islamic Jihad disagree in ideologies, "but we both agree on one goal, which is sticking to the armed resistance in liberating our occupied lands."

He stressed that his group and all other Islamic groups "will never recognize the state of Israel, because Palestine for us are from the borders with Lebanon to the borders with Egypt and from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean."
ANKARA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Iraq have reached an agreement in principle that could eventually allow a Turkish role in the military operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in Ankara on Friday, private broadcaster CNN Turk reported.

The details of Ankara's possible role in the operation have not been shaped yet as they also await confirmation from Baghdad, Carter said after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"That will have to obviously be something that the Iraqi government needs to agree on and I think there's an agreement there in principle," he added.

"But now we're down to the practicalities of that... and that's what we're working through," Carter said.

Tensions recently increased between Turkey and Iraq due to a statement by the Iraqi government which said that Turkish military units stationed in Bashiqa camp near Mosul should withdraw, while Turkey denied the allegations and said its troops were there on invitation.

Carter also stressed that the United States will continue to be a strong ally of Turkey.

He said the U.S. supports the initiatives taken by Turkey to protect its borders with Iraq and Syria, and it wants Turkey to participate in anti-terror operations against the IS.

Even though there may be differences of opinion between the U.S. and Turkey, both countries can overcome them through discussion, Carter noted.

The U.S. defense secretary arrived in Ankara on Friday for meetings with Turkish officials on a range of security challenges in the region, including the latest developments in Iraq and Syria.

He held meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Defense Minister Fikri Isik.

Following his visit to Turkey, Carter is scheduled to go to the United Arab Emirates for meetings with Emirati leaders.
BAGHDAD, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Islamic State (IS) militants on Friday carried out multiple attacks in the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk targeting security and local government buildings, as the Iraqi and Kurdish security forces are pushing to recapture territories around the city of Mosul in preparation for the final offensive on the IS last major stronghold in Iraq.

The attacks in Kirkuk began before dawn when dozens of IS militants, many wearing explosive vests, attacked the police compound, a building of Kurdish security, known as Asaysh, and some government buildings and mosques inside the city of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

After fierce clashes with the security forces, the attackers and suicide bombers seized several buildings in southern and central parts of the city, including a police headquarters, Kurdish Asaysh, a mosque and houses, the source said.

The Kurdish security forces, backed by Kurdish reinforcement troops from the neighboring provinces of Sulaimaniyah and Arbil, surrounded the IS-held buildings inside the city, while clashes continued during the day, the source said.

By the end of the daylight, the troops managed to retake control of several buildings in the city neighborhoods, including Tis'in, Wasiti, Wahid Huzairan and al-Askari, but the clashes continued in the night in the neighborhoods of Domiz in southern Kirkuk and Raas al-Jeser in central part of the city.

Late in the afternoon, the security forces killed three IS militants who were fighting at a building in Wahid Huzairan neighborhood and freed some 20 civilians held hostages by the militants, the source said.

Several local Iraqi channels broadcast the fire exchange live for a few hours during the day, showing dozens of policemen, Peshmerga members and armed Kurdish civilians carrying their weapons and surrounding the occupied buildings.

The source could not give exact number of casualties by the clashes as the battles are underway, but said that at least 13 security members were killed and 37 others wounded, while more than 14 IS militants were killed, including six detonated their explosive vest.

In addition, an Iraqi journalist, who works for the local Turkmeneli channel, was killed by crossfire between IS militants and the security forces in central Kirkuk, the source added.

Authorities in the city imposed curfew and blocked the entrances of the city, as dozens of police and Kurdish security forces were deployed outside the government buildings and main streets, the source said.

Another attack targeted al-Debis power plant, some 35 km northeast of Kirkuk, when at least two suicide bombers entered the station sparking heavy clash with the guards, but the attacker took control of part of the facility and executed 16 workers, including four Iranians, the source said.

The Iranian victims were technicians of the Iranian Sunir company, which has been implementing a contract of expanding the power plant with the German Siemens company.

Later in the day, the security forces killed the suicide bombers and the situation in the plant is under control, the source added.

In Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, two suicide bombers blew their explosive vests in the morning at the house of Sheikh Adnan al-Bazi, the leader of government-backed paramilitary Sunni tribal fighters, in the town of Mutasim, some 100 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The guards of the group's leader clashed with the attackers who managed to enter the house and detonated themselves, leaving three people killed and 15 others wounded, including Bazi himself and some of his family members, the source said.

The attack in Kirkuk came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from its last major stronghold in and around the city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

During the day, Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units continued their advance in south of Mosul and recaptured three villages while moving north to the IS-held town of Shoura, some 30km south of Mosul, a security source from the Operations Command of Nineveh Liberation told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, heavy battles are underway in what is known as Nineveh Plain, which lies to the east and northeast of Mosul, the capital of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh.

On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (L) and European Council President Donald Tusk attend a press conference after the second-day's meeting of EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the 28 member states of the European Union (EU) on Friday wrapped up a two-day summit in Brussels, seeking to stem flows of irregular migrants, settle a stalled trade deal with Canada, and mount pressure on Russia.

CURBING FLOW OF MIGRANTS

At the first session of the summit, the leaders' discussion focused in particular on external border controls and deals with African countries to reduce the number of illegal migrants.

Hailing the entry into force of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation on Oct. 6, the EU countries committed themselves to continuing to deploy staff and equipment to the new institution.

In a concluding document of the discussion, the leaders called for "a swift adoption" of a revised Schengen Borders Code to enforce systematic controls on all travelers crossing EU external borders.

Meanwhile, the leaders asked the EU executive body to come up with a proposal for setting up a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to allow for advance security checks on visa-exempt travelers and deny them entry where necessary.

Furthermore, the EU leaders pressed for quicker progress from deals with African countries to reduce the number of irregular migrants, increase returns and try to solve the "root causes" of migration.

The central Mediterranean has once again become the main crossing point for illegal migrants from Africa. More than 115,000 people arrived in Italy by boat in the first eight months of 2016, remaining at the same level as in 2014 and 2015, European Council President Donald Tusk told the press after the first day of the summit.

After accessing the so-called "migration compacts" set up between the EU and five African countries, namely Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Ethiopia, the EU leaders agreed to wait until the next summit in December to decide whether to extend it to other countries.

Thanks to the migration deal between the EU and Turkey, the influx of irregular migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece has dropped 98 percent in September compared with last year. Meanwhile, twice as many irregular migrants had already been returned compared to all of 2015, Tusk said.

As to the controversial relocation and resettlement schemes, divergence among the EU countries persists and member states are urged to quickly implement the existing schemes.

SETTLING TRADE DEAL WITH CANADA

Leaders from the 28 member states of the bloc were expected to reach an agreement on approving the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on the second day of the EU summit. However, due to continued opposition from a region of Belgium, the deal has been thrown into disarray.

"I hope that we will be able to see an agreed settlement in a few days, with the Wallonians, our friends," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a press conference after the second day of the EU summit.

The Belgian region of Wallonia is blocking the ratification of the deal over social and environmental concerns.

According to local media, Wallonia was still resisting pressure to back the EU-Canada trade deal on Friday morning. The region's leader Paul Magnette said "difficulties remain" for the region to sign the deal.

The French-speaking area in southern Belgium fears local workers will be laid off if the agreement leads to cheaper farming and industrial imports.

Juncker said Wallonia's problem with CETA is "not technical or substantial but political." He expressed hope to find a solution in the coming few days as he called CETA "the best trade agreement" the EU has ever negotiated.

The trade deal with Canada could be the bloc's last free trade agreement if it fails, warned European Council President Donald Tusk.

Encouragingly, Romania dropped its opposition to the deal during the summit after securing visa-free access to Canada for its citizens, which starts from Dec. 1, 2017.

"We are in a position to withdraw our reservations against CETA," Romanian President Klaus Johannis said Friday in Brussels.

The EU-Canada free trade deal was reached in August 2014 after five years of negotiations, aiming to eliminate 98 percent of tariffs between the two sides.

MOUNTING PRESSURE ON RUSSIA

The EU leaders on Friday "held a strategic policy debate on relations with Russia," according to a summary document released after the first day's meeting.

Accusing Russia's strategy of attempting to weaken the EU, Tusk told a news conference that the EU and its member states will continue in their efforts to put pressure on Russia.

As to the situation in the war-torn Aleppo, the EU leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for a resumption of a credible political process under UN auspices.

"Everything should be done to extend the ceasefire, bring in humanitarian aid to the civilian population and create the conditions for opening negotiations on a political transition in Syria," the document said.

However, the EU warned of the need to consider "all available options" should the situation not improved.

Russia and Syria on Monday announced a humanitarian truce from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time (0600 GMT to 1400 GMT) on Thursday in rebel-held areas of Aleppo, but decided on Wednesday to extend it for another three hours.

The ceasefire is aimed at ensuring the safe exit of civilians via humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of the wounded and sick.
US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter addresses journalists after a visit of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and a meeting with Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik (R) in Ankara, on October 21, 2016, following the bomb attack of the Turkish parliament during the July 15 failed military coup attempt. (AFP/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Iraq have reached an agreement in principle that could eventually allow a Turkish role in the military operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in Ankara on Friday, private broadcaster CNN Turk reported.

The details of Ankara's possible role in the operation have not been shaped yet as they also await confirmation from Baghdad, Carter said after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"That will have to obviously be something that the Iraqi government needs to agree on and I think there's an agreement there in principle," he added.

"But now we're down to the practicalities of that... and that's what we're working through," Carter said.

Tensions recently increased between Turkey and Iraq due to a statement by the Iraqi government which said that Turkish military units stationed in Bashiqa camp near Mosul should withdraw, while Turkey denied the allegations and said its troops were there on invitation.

Carter also stressed that the United States will continue to be a strong ally of Turkey.

He said the U.S. supports the initiatives taken by Turkey to protect its borders with Iraq and Syria, and it wants Turkey to participate in anti-terror operations against the IS.

Even though there may be differences of opinion between the U.S. and Turkey, both countries can overcome them through discussion, Carter noted.

The U.S. defense secretary arrived in Ankara on Friday for meetings with Turkish officials on a range of security challenges in the region, including the latest developments in Iraq and Syria.

He held meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Defense Minister Fikri Isik.

Following his visit to Turkey, Carter is scheduled to go to the United Arab Emirates for meetings with Emirati leaders.
OSLO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said Friday protectionism is a wrong remedy for economic uncertainty as anti-trade sentiments are rising in the world, especially in the United States and Europe.

"We have to be mindful of the fact that there is a lot of uncertainty in the world today, and populations in the advanced economies are uncomfortable with that," Azevedo told a joint press conference with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende.

Azevedo, who is in Olso to participate in a two-day informal meeting of over 20 trade ministers from around the world to discuss the WTO's future work, noted that the problem is the "wrong diagnosis" amid rising anti-trade sentiments.

"The problem is not trade. The problem is that you have a lot of displacement in the labor market, uncertainties in the labor market, which is due mostly to new technologies, innovation and automation," he said.

The WTO chief said trade is responsible for less than 20 percent of the job losses anywhere in advanced economies and over 80 percent of them are due to new technology, innovation and high productivity.

"If you don't understand the forces behind the discontent with the uncertainty that you see today in societies, you will get the wrong diagnosis," Azevedo said.

"If the diagnosis is trade, if the remedy, the medicine, is protectionism, you will be hurting the patient," said Azevedo.

"If you introduce protectionism, if you raise barriers, if you stop trade, the biggest losers are going to be the ones who are complaining," Azevedo said, adding that whose with lower income will be more affected.

In a speech to the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise on Friday, Azevedo said a number of steps can be taken domestically and globally in response to the challenges.

"First, we need to act domestically. While trade has fuelled growth and development around the world, it is the task of domestic policy to ensure that countries are ready to compete and disseminate the benefits in an equitable way," he said.

"Second, we must act globally. We have to act to kick-start trade growth. We have to ensure that the system is open, that it is truly available to all, and that it continues to deliver those benefits that we want more people to enjoy," Azevedo said.
"Choices of conflict with the Jewish state are open," said Shallah to the crowds of Islamic Jihad supporters who joined the rally while waving Palestinian flags and the black flags of the group. (Reuters photo)

GAZA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement on Friday called on the Gaza-based military groups for preparedness and alert in anticipation of any upcoming military confrontation with Israel.

Ramadan Shallah, the group's top leader currently in Syria, made the call on telephone during a rally held in Gaza City to mark 29 years for establishing his group.

"Choices of conflict with the Jewish state are open," said Shallah to the crowds of Islamic Jihad supporters who joined the rally while waving Palestinian flags and the black flags of the group.

Masked militants, wearing military uniforms and carrying various kinds of weapons, bombs and rockets rallied in the streets of Gaza, on foot or carried by jeeps and armored vehicles.

"We are in need for a comprehensive dialogue that puts a new agreed-upon strategy to rearrange the internal Palestinian situation, end internal division and approve armed resistance as a strategic choice for everyone," said Shallah.

"The so-called peace process and peace talks didn't bring the Palestinian people anything, just humiliation and more occupation measures," he warned. "The choice of resistance and armed struggle must be the Palestinians' sole choice."

Shallah went on saying that "when the Palestinians have the armed resistance and struggle their own only choice, they will be able to liberate their occupied lands and gain their legitimate rights back."

He called on both Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party "to leave power on ruling Gaza and the West Bank, and only be armed with the duty of liberating the occupied lands."

Meanwhile, Mahmoud al-Zahar, the top Gaza-based Hamas leader, who addressed a speech during the rally, said that the choice of armed resistance "is so important for the Palestinians in order to gain their rights back."

"We extend our hands to anyone who want to join us in our armed resistance to liberate our occupied lands and gain back our rights," said al-Zahar, adding the military groups in Gaza are in need for developing and empowering their power.

He also said that his group and the Islamic Jihad disagree in ideologies, "but we both agree on one goal, which is sticking to the armed resistance in liberating our occupied lands."

He stressed that his group and all other Islamic groups "will never recognize the state of Israel, because Palestine for us are from the borders with Lebanon to the borders with Egypt and from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean."
Tourists are seen taking pictures in front of the Victoria Falls falls, Zimbabwe, Dec. 11, 2015. The Chinese-contracted airport project, backed by 150 million U.S dollars concessional loan from China Exim Bank, was completed in December. The expansion enables the airport to accommodate most long-haul, wide-body aircraft to Africa's most celebrated waterfalls, the Victoria Falls. (Xinhua/Wang Yue)

HARARE, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe is set to commission the Victoria Falls International Airport, which has just finished renovation, in November, a government official has said.

The government had initially set the commissioning for May but failed to meet the deadline due to delays in construction.

Speaking at a budget meeting for a parliamentary committee on transport on Friday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development Munesu Munodawafa said the expansion of the airport had now been completed.

Work to upgrade and expand the airport by China Jiangsu International began in 2013 and was financed through a-150-million-U.S.-dollars loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.

Passengers are seen boarding a plane at the new terminal of the Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe, Dec. 11, 2015. The Chinese-contracted airport project, was completed in December. (Xinhua/Wang Yue)

The renovation and expansion project will increase the airport's passenger handling capacity to 2 million per year, up from 500,000.

Part of the airport infrastructure, including the new international terminal building, runway and control tower, became operational in December 2015.

The project was done in two phases. The first phase involved the construction of a new terminal building, a 4-km runway, conversion of existing 2.2-km runway into a taxi way and construction of a road network and a car park.

A new fire station and control tower was also constructed under the first phase.

The second phase involved renovation, upgrading and conversion of the old terminal building into a fully-fledged domestic terminal.

After upgrading and expansion, the airport is expected to attract more airlines from the world and bring closer to tourists Zimbabwe's prime tourist destination -- the famed Victoria Falls.
HAVANA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Friday renewed its call on U.S. Congress to end the economic and trade embargo held against the island for over 55 years, as a sign of a new era in ties between the former Cold War enemies.

At a press conference in Havana, Cuban deputy foreign minister, Abelardo Moreno, said the U.S. legislative body should pay attention to public opinion, which supports the end of economic sanctions against Cuba.

"The American people are responsible for demanding their leaders in Congress lift the economic blockade, because they must represent the opinion of a great majority of the U.S. population and institutions," he said.

A poll by Florida International University conducted in September found that 63 percent of Cuban-Americans living in Miami opposed the embargo. This group has traditionally opposed closer ties to the Castro regime.

A Pew Research Center poll in July also showed 72 percent of Americans in favor of lifting the embargo.

However, the top Republican in the U.S. Congress said on Tuesday he intended to keep the trade restrictions in place, dimming hopes for an end to the embargo in the near future.

"As the past two years of normalizing relations have only emboldened the regime at the expense of the Cuban people, I fully intend to maintain our embargo on Cuba," U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement.

In response, Moreno said, "Mr. Ryan can express his opinions but we totally disagree with him."

"His statements show he is clearly getting left behind in history and, most importantly, he is not listening to the vast majority of American voters that want the blockade to end and a full normalization of ties with Cuba," he said.

The deputy foreign minister recognized a recent set of changes approved by President Barack Obama to further loosen the embargo but said they were "very limited."

"There are a series of legal elements and laws included in U.S. legislation like the Torricelli Act or the Helms Burton Act which the president cannot overturn as only the U.S. Congress can do so," he said.

The Torricelli Act, passed in 1992, prevents travel by American citizens to Cuba and foreign subsidiaries of American companies from trading with the island. The Helms-Burton Act, passed in 1996, strengthened the original embargo by penalizing foreign companies that trade with Cuba.

Moreno also pointed to the upcoming vote at the UN General Assembly on Oct. 26 regarding the embargo, stressing that Cuba will continue to present this resolution every year as long as the blockade is in place.

"This year, we have received greater support from international organizations. UN bodies and over 160 countries have turned in documents demanding an end to this policy. That will be shown in next Wednesday's vote," he added.

Last year, 191 countries voted in favor of lifting the policy while only the United States and Israel voted against it.
LA PAZ, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales on Friday highlighted China's investment and cooperation across various development projects in Bolivia.

"We don't feel alone. China's presence is felt in the cooperation and investments that the Asian country carries out (in Bolivia)," said Morales during a public address in the southern town of Gran Chaco de Tarija, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador Wu Yuanshan.

Asking the audience to give a round of applause to the ambassador, the president said that Chinese loans to Bolivia had no conditions attached, unlike those seen in the past from the United States and international organizations.

"If we accommodate IMF loans, we would have to submit to privatization policies and lose our national heritage," he said.

The event was held for the handover of the asphalt for the Carapari-Palos Blancos highway, which was built with Chinese expertise.

Morales added that he planned to seek Chinese fund for the building of a new airport in Gran Chaco de Tarija.

A number of Chinese companies have invested in Bolivia, including Sinohydro, Sinosteel, Sinopec, China International Water and Electric Corp, CAMC Engineering, Shenzhen Vicstar and China Harzone.

According to data from the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade, China is the largest exporter to Bolivia, accounting for around 18 percent of the country's total imports. It is also the fifth-largest destination for Bolivian exports, mostly raw materials and minerals.
People of Shui ethnic group sing and dance to celebrate the annual Duan Festival at Yayong Village of Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 20, 2016. The Duan Festival, the most important of the Shui ethnic group, is celebrated from late August to early October of the Chinese traditional lunar calendar. (Xinhua/Liu Chaofu)
Land for pepper farmers

This is where the government should invest.

We have land sitting all over doing nothing. According to Ramjit, Tikki Ali, another Gasparillo businessman signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regional Corporation and donated ten acres of land to the initiative.

Ali has also committed to purchase the necessary infrastructure for the project. The idea, which is part of the Corporations general plan for local economic development, is to allow ten farmers to grow hot peppers on the ten acres of land, some of which would be exported as hot peppers, and the rest would be processed into a powder, also to be exported.

Ramjit said that Ali agreed to open up the land for sale to the farmers after the project kicks off. Ali, asked why he invested in the idea, said it was to help the youths and get people employed. Ramjit was reluctant to share the name of the company that has agreed to buy these hot peppers, but he said that they were given a February deadline.

The company buys the peppers in large quantities at different times of the year. February is one of those times so we have to act quickly. Sharma Lalla, CEO of Caroni Greens Ltd, also present at the meeting, said that knowing the international market and its requirements for trade is one of the challenges local farmers have to meet. He offered his companys technical support to Ramjit to ensure the success of the venture. Caroni Greens Ltd has been growing and selling hot peppers in Canada, North America and the United Kingdom over the last year, earning upwards of US$20,000 per week, and Lalla believes that it could become a multi-million dollar company. But Lalla has not been greedy with the business. We have been sharing our experience with local farmers so they too can participate in this venture and become more financially sustainable.
Lessons from Barbados downgrade

There are a number of issues raised by the rating agency which we in Trinidad and Tobago should pay attention to. The high fiscal deficits run by Barbados, as well as an expression of both budget slippage and unbudgeted spending, occurred over a number of years. The fiscal slippage refers to carrying out a smaller number of adjustment procedures than expected, which only became effective during the second half of the last fiscal year, as well as being unable to achieve targets set for state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

This, S&P considered, eroded the financial profile of the government.

The rating agency was also of the view that there would be slow progress in lowering the deficit over the next several years and felt that the management of SOE finances poses a risk to the success of the fiscal consolidation of the government.

S&P also highlighted that the combination of government deficits and current account deficits (CADs) were not fully financed by foreign direct investment (FDI), and this has contributed to an increase, in their view, in the countrys external vulnerabilities. They were also concerned that lacklustre privatesector confidence, continued delays in the implementation of a number of tourism projects and potential spillover from Brexit could lead to rather moderate growth. Indeed, their expectation is for growth to be around 1%, which is considered to be comparatively low given Barbados level of income.

S&P expects Barbados net general government debt will tend to just below 100% of GDP over the next three years from 93% in 2015. In their view, this level of debt represents a key credit constraint, since Barbados has a narrow open economy with a fixed exchange rate regime.

The existence of high CADs from 2011 to 2015 which averaged 10% of GDP, the absence of significant FDI flows, as well as a steady downward trend in international reserves represent challenges to the government. S&P notes that Barbados usable reserves have been negative since 2013 and the position continues to deteriorate in part because of the central banks deficit financing, which has expanded the monetary base. S&P has pointed out that the negative outlook reflects the potential for a downgrade if the government fails to make additional progress in lowering its high fiscal deficit, if growth resulting from key investment projects fails to materialize, or if external pressures worsen because of persistent and large CADs.

There are a number of areas that we in Trinidad and Tobago should pay attention to. Certainly we can argue that rating agencies are expected to be consistent in the application of methodology for assessment. This means that Trinidad and Tobago, which also ran fiscal deficits for well over seven years and certainly over the last six years and has had low or negative growth, should be cognizant of the attention paid to these by the rating agencies. In addition, there are a number of problems with SOEs including lack of audited financial accounts and dependence on the government for financial support. Perhaps the Trinidad and Tobago government needs to assess the extent of contingent liability to these SOEs, some of which do not have revenue generating ability. In addition, the government need to look at the deficits of a number of these SOEs and determine what is the risk to the governments finances and ultimately its sovereign rating.

While there may be concern with the decline of the current account, it remains relatively negligible, and easily manageable at the present point in time. Reserves of close to US$10 billion, a little over 11.1 months import cover and the existence of a heritage and stabilization fund (HSF) with an additional US5.3 billion dollars represent sufficient buffers to deal with a small current account deficit.

Our debt is nowhere near that of Barbados; the Minister of Finance has reported it at just around 60.8% of GDP. In our case the numerator has increased and the denominator has fallen. It is projected that by the time we can get things turned around, the ratio can reach 65% of GDP. This will be a concern certainly for the rating agencies. This newspaper continues to highlight that the threshold for debt to GDP of 56% is important, after that is crossedas we already have, increases to accumulated debt result in a reduction in economic growth. Let us pay attention to our Caribbean neighbor and learn the lessons from their S&P rating.
Accused refuses Magistrates help

Yesterday, once again, when he was a no-show, the magistrate expressed regret at being let down by a defendant who refuses to come to court although he faces a possible jail sentence. Sheperd, of Claxton Bay, was charged with larceny of pipes on January 21, from Caribbean Industrial Agriculture Ltd, a company in Claxton Bay

The pipes are valued $3,000 and the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge. Sheperd told Magistrate Ramsaran that he stole the pipes to buy drugs. Ramsaran is the resident magistrate in Rio Claro and on four previous occasions, he has journeyed to San Fernando to adjudicate in this case. He let Sheperd go free on $5,000 bail and pleaded with him to attend drug treatment and then he would assess how and if he (Sheperd) has rehabilitated, the court would decide what sentence to impose

But Sheperd refused to attend court and yesterday a female relative who stood as surety for the bail, showed up in court instead

She told Magistrate Ramsaran that she cannot seem to convince Sheperd to attend court. I sympathise with you. But you have to bring him or the court will forfeit the bail. I do not want to send him to jail. I feel that despite his previous convictions, he should be given a chance and I leave my court all the way in Rio Claro, to come San Fernando, hoping I would hear from Mr Sheperd that he has attended drug treatment. If that is so I would be happy to give him a small fine, the magistrate said

Ramsaran added that Sheperd is letting him down, and worse, is compromising the integrity of the court to be fair to all other accused persons, who must be looking on and hoping for mercy from judicial officers. Ramsaran said despite the contempt Sheperd has shown the court, he still would not issue a warrant for his arrest. He asked Sheperds relative to employ some help in getting him to attend court today. I might fine him $2,000 and you will take it from the $5,000 bail you posted to pay that fine, Magistrate Ramsaran told the accused mans relative
Venezuelan fined for illegal entry

Angel Francisco Bobart Millan, 25, of Tucupita was arrested at a Guest House in Point Fortin last week Sunday. He appeared before Magistrate Brambhanan Dubay yesterday charged with entering Trinidad at a place, other than a port of entry and failing to report to an Immigration Officer.

He pleaded guilty to the charge through Spanish language interpreter Rachael Gosine. Court prosecutor PC Cleyon Seedan told Magistrate Dubay that at about 2 pm last week Sunday, Millan was held at the Guest House and could not account for how he arrived in the country, except that he arrived on a beach. Dubay fined Millan $3,000 which he ordered to pay in 14 days. The magistrate told Gosine to ask Millan how he intends to pay.

Police Constable Hema Singh who is assigned to the Immigration Office, San Fernando, laid the charge and consulted with the prosecutor. Millan spoke to Gosine in Spanish and the latter told the magistrate that the defendant had said that his uncle would pay the fine. Seedan told the magistrate that he had been informed that the uncle also a national of Venezuela, has been arrested and was due to be charged. The magistrate warned Millan that if the fine is not paid, he would have to serve three months in prison with hard labour.
Caroni woman raped __ suspect nabbed

According to reports, a 43-yearold woman secured her home in Caroni at 10 pm on Wednesday and retired to bed.

At 2.30 am yesterday, she was awakened by a man of mixed descent who placed a knife to her throat.

The man then raped the woman on her bed. He left the house without taking any valuables.

However, the rapist went to his victims neighbours home and robbed him of $1,500 and a quantity of US currency.

Both reports were made to the Caroni police and hours later police detained the suspect who is from Maraj Street, Montrose in Chaguanas. He is expected to be placed on identification parade for the two offences and other outstanding crimes.
Cops: Expect crime free Divali

Central Division continues to be a top performer in the area of firearm and ammunition seizures.

Recording a 55 percent increase over the comparative 2015 period, from 69 to 105, over 100 rounds of ammunition were seized and forty persons arrested and charged. Central Division realized a reduction in the areas of larceny of motor vehicles and break-in offences. Our major challenge, however, remains murder, wounding and shootings.

In this regard, we continue to appeal to members of the public for information, notwithstanding any reservation you may have towards individual officers. Persons can call anonymously to numbers 555 or 800-tips. One significant initiative utilised in Central Division is Operation Community Outreach.

Through this initiative, police officers increased their levels of foot patrols in areas not deemed as hot spots, but for which we believe known criminal elements may be seeking refuge, she said.

This bolsters, the top cop added, the sense of safety and security felt by residents, due to enhanced police visibility. It also allows for face to face, on the ground interaction not afforded by mobile patrols.

Community leaders are also there to assist in proper guidance and counsel of their fellow residents.

We will like to thank the residents for all the assistance provided in our efforts to make central a safer place. In terms of the celebration of Divali in Central Division, with particular reference to the Divali Nagar site...we will continue to ensure a safe, incident free event for performers exhibitors and visitors.

Divali Nagar over the years attracts an estimated 10,000 visitors per night. This year we expect no difference.

The event will run from October 20 to 28 2016. We would like to assure all persons that the police will be out in full to ensure their safety and that of their property... These efforts, according to Hodge-Griffith will include assistance from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch of the TTPS and the Air Support Unit to deal with any traffic situation that arises on the Uriah Butler Highway. She also urged those who will be attending to safeguard their valuables to avoid thefts.
Relatives still awaiting autopsy

Jotis mother Radica Seenath who lives in Tobago said that due to unforeseen circumstances, the autopsy which was scheduled for Monday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, was cancelled.

We went to Forensic on Monday and they told us it couldnt be done due to a problem they were experiencing and asked us to return on Friday, the heartbroken mother of six said.

I just want this to be over with and bury my son. At about 7.25 am last week Friday, Jotis, a supermarket employee was found dead on the beach in Mayaro.

He was found bare backed and clad in a shorts with his feet bound with what appeared to be twine used to repair fish nets. Investigators have not ruled out foul play.

Jotis moved to Trinidad about four years ago and lived with relatives in Mayaro.

He worked at a supermarket in the area.

Four months ago his house at Bigorat Hill was destroyed by fire and he lost everything.

He began staying with other relatives before recently moving out to live on his own in a beach house owned by a businessman.

Seenath arrived in Trinidad from Tobago on Monday to witness the autopsy.

I have not cried as yet and I know God is giving me that strength. I am praying, Tobago is praying and I know we will get justice, Seenath sai d. Jotis funeral will take place in Mayaro once the autopsy is completed.

Investigations are continuing
Murdered DJ to be buried today

According to earlier reports, Vickers was at the party, held at a bar on the Southern Main Road, Curepe on Sunday afternoon when an argument which broke out between two men and spiralled into an altercation. Vickers intervened, trying to part the fight, along with a relative Kevin Rama, an upholsterer. During the fracas, one of the men drew a firearm and began shooting. Both Vickers and Rama were shot several times. Both men died.

An off-duty police officer saw the altercation, and drew his firearm to challenge the gunman.

After an exchange of gunfire, the police officer was shot in the leg and the gunman escaped.

While Vickers body is being prepared for final rites, police officers are still on the hunt for the shooter who killed both Rama and Vickers, and wounded the police officer
Getting over the fear

Butchers story is one that has been told but its poignancy never gets old. She was 33 when she discovered the first lump, the now 40-year-old told Newsday in a phone interview, and at the request of her mother visited her doctor who then told her its was fatty tissue. A medical procedure was done to remove the lump which returned one year later. She said, However, later on, as in later on that year, the lump came back and again I was faced with having to deal with the fear of what is this.

I did go back to the same doctor who had removed the lump and sent it for testing, he indicated that I needed to have it removed again and sent back for testing.

But what he had done was to do minor surgery to have it removed.

Now medically I now understand there is a way to get those things tested which is through a needle biopsy. Not necessarily through that surgery he had done. When he gave me that option again as to this is what I have to do, it did not make sense to me. But really part of it was me also thinking I am afraid to have to do this again, she said.

The process of fear, Butcher said, blocked her from receiving early conventional treatment [conventional is defined as chemotherapy and other forms of medically defined cancer fighting treatments] a common problem faced by many in TT. She said, The report, in my case, came back saying there was fatty tissue.What if it is not that, fatty tissue. What if it is cancerous? So I went into the denial.

Well I have a report that says fatty tissue. Butcher said she found the first lump about seven years ago but it was not until four and a half years ago she was actually diagnosed with cancer.

It took me a while to go back to anybody to be able to confirm that lumps that had returned was in fact cancerous. When that happened it was already in a more advanced stage than it had been.

For the last four and a half years the type of breast cancer that I have is hormone-sensitive. There are different types of breast cancer and I did not even know that until I heard read my own story, she said.

She noted that her type of breast cancer, is one of the easier ones to treat had I picked it up early. Butcher said that her medical plan is to try and manage the cancer through hormone treatments and now chemotherapy. Medically, what they are trying to do with me until they get a break through in cancer is to be able to manage it, controlling it and so if it is controlled it cant increase or spread then I would be able to enjoy a normal quality of life, she said.

Although there was an option for Butcher to remove her breast, the cancer had spread and so was no longer feasible. In what she described as her third bout of fear when told she had to do chemotherapy.

She said, What I was told at that time was that it was better I undergo chemo and radiation at that time so that it could reduce the size and the last thing they would have looked at was removing the breast [big sigh] However, at that stage I got my third bout of fear and did not want to go through chemo at that stage and all that I had heard...you are bombarded by different types of treatment available and then some people with horror stories having gone through chemo and those are the things that you are so afraid of that sometimes that is what you respond to.

So at that stage I said I did not want to do chemo even though that was the second opinion I got. So the first opinion went out the door in terms of removing the breast.

I did not want to do chemo at that stage so I tried alternative treatment which I did for about almost two years.

I continued to monitor through CT Scans and the cancer continued to increase, little bit, little bit but it was increasing which was not good and then again alternative treatment is like one plaster for the sore.

It is different types of cancer. She is currently receiving chemotherapy which has allowed her to begin taking hormone blocking treatment again after her body had stopped responding.

But for her one of the major things, TT needs to look at is its cancer awareness campaign.

She said, In terms of my own observation, in October, a lot more is done in terms of visibly with respect to promoting cancer awareness. I am sure that outside of October there is work being done but for whatever reason, everybody or a lot of different agencies wait to mount up on this public campaign in October and a lot more could be done outside of October. In any event in terms of cancer awareness we have a tendency, I think, to not really understand what cancer awareness is and as a result we are not getting the results concerning the increase in cancer awareness.

I say that because cancer awareness must translate into more citizens of TT being screened, early; being screened regularly and then of course, living a healthy lifestyle.

What often happens we get a number of walks around the Queens Park Savannah that promotes cancer awareness and we a get of number people participating walking for someone that they may know or may have known who was afflicted with the disease but that does not mean that they really are cancer aware or that they understand more about cancer or that they are doing what they need to be doing to ensure either prevention or early detection. We need to have more voices explaining and educating about cancer awareness.It is different fears linking with each other but it is still fear. Overcoming the fear both personally and as a society was something that Butcher felt needed to be addressed to aid in the fight against cancer.

For her, while she believes alternative treatment has its place, she thinks it should be qualified before certain claims are made.
Fight, its not a death sentence

She could have either retreated happily into her home at Cocoa Village, James Smart, Manzanilla, after learning of her cancer-free diagnosis in December 2015 or dismissed the frightening ordeal she had endured for two years as something not worth thinking about.

Instead, the warm-hearted mother of two again took to the streets of her Sangre Grande home town, three Saturdays ago, in yet another bid to draw greater awareness about the disease and the plight of its victims.

Accompanied by family, friends, several cancer survivors and numerous well-wishers, Jones told Newsday the walk was necessary to highlight the fact that cancer was not a death sentence.

She stressed that this was perhaps the biggest misconception confronting people who have been diagnosed with the condition.

Dont get me wrong, its scary as hell when you get that diagnosis, she said.

No one wants to ever get that. It takes everything in you to fight to stay alive and be positive and optimistic, to smile when you look in the mirror and see patches of your hair gone [through chemotherapy]. At such times, Jones said it was important to have a strong support system.

I mean, some of the women in my family cut their hair when I started chemo. My niece bought me these pretty head ties. My sisters modelled my wigs.

You cant help but laugh and smile and say Hey, cancer, you cant win because I am a fighter and I have all the love and support I need to beat you, she said.

Although she felt there could have been more participants, Jones said she was generally pleased with the turnout at the walk, which she hopes will be an annual event on the districts calendar.

In fact, the walk, despite its being in existence for only two years, is now a meeting point for many people who have experienced adversity. Its an amazing feeling, Jones said, alluding to the outpouring of support and love she received from participants.

I feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose, a great sense of fulfilment. To God be the glory. Jones also said she hoped the Sangre Grande Cancer Support Group, will, at the end of the day, touch lives.

She said: Everyone needs someone and thats what we want to be. We hope to bring about awareness and support, just anything and everything that we can accomplish, we want to accomplish. Jones said, however, that mobilising people for the walk has been somewhat of an uphill battle. It has been difficult.

People are willing to listen sometimes but not willing to participate, she said.

The majority of persons present were family members and friends of family members.

There has not been an influx of the general public for want of a better term. The response from business places and schools were very poor. The public servant has vowed, though, to continue her advocacy, conscious of the fact that the fight to promote greater awareness remains a work in progress.

Like most women, Jones discovered a lump in her breast through a random self-examination in July 2012. She received the results of her mammogram, three months later, which revealed that the lump was benign. However, in December of that year, while having a shower, Jones felt a gland in her left armpit. At that point, I became more concerned about the lump in my breast and I monitored the gland in my armpit for sometime, she recalled.

In a tizzy over the development, Jones made an appointment at the Pink Hibiscus Breast Centre in Woodbrook, January 2013, where she had a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy done At every time, I was scared out of my wits because my attending doctor said the lump looked very suspicious, she said.

To Jones surprise, the reports of the biopsy later confirmed that she had stage two breast cancer.

I was truly devastated at first. I had a lot of emotions going on in my head, she recalled.

Jones said she questioned God and cried almost every day when her immediate family was not at home.

All the love and support from family and friends couldnt change the way I felt in the beginning but I remembered there was this one day that I stayed home from work because I just wanted to be alone and cry out to God and tell him how I felt and just drown in my own sorrows, she said.

Jones recalled that on that day she ended up confronting her fears, realising that it was not the end of the world.

Actually, it was the beginning of a whole new life for me. I had everything I needed right here to fight this dreaded disease called cancer, she said.

Not wasting any time, Jones had her first surgery done in March 2013, but when the histology report came back the doctors told her that they had a do a further clearance of the area, which required a second surgery, four months later.

I refused to do chemotherapy at that time because I was really, really scared, especially of losing my hair and having my daughters see me like that. Thinking her battle with cancer was over, Jones received a rude awakening in May 2014 when she felt a gland on the left side of her neck while lying in bed one night.

I became very worried again, she recalled.

Jones subsequently had a biopsy done which tested positive.

I made up my mind that I had to do the chemo so in August 2014, I started treatment. Jones had eight sessions of chemotherapy, one every two weeks.

This was follow by 25 sessions of radiation at the Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre.

During that time, Jones said she also was on a years treatment of Herceptin.

Although Jones received a clean bill of health in December 2015, she said cancer patients, even in remission, always have to do regular check-ups.

She has to have a mammogram and ultrasound done every six months.

I also have to keep my clinic appointments to have my examinations done, Jones said.

Regarding her involvement in advocacy, Jones said she was moved by the spirit.

I just felt it was something that God wanted me to do. I mean, from a test comes testimony and I felt that persons needed to know that a breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence as a matter of fact no cancer diagnosis is a death sentence. The walk was me sharing with others that we can beat this thing, she said.

Jones said her life has been transformed in immeasurable ways since being diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.

Apart from becoming an even humbler individual, Jones said she now pays greater attention to the simple things in life.

I look around and I see people at loggerheads with each-other over minor issues and in say to myself Why cant we just live in harmony with each other because here I am just grateful to Almighty God that I have been given a second chance at life, she said.

Saying that cancer has encouraged her to broaden her perspectives on life, Jones said she now wants to travel to different countries and experience new cultures.

Her message to people who have been diagnosed with cancer: God never gives you more than you can bear...your lifeguard walks on water. It is not the end of the world.

Prayer and positive thinking, she said, were a must.

People must surround themselves with people who love, support and lift their spirits daily, she advised.

Fight, fight, fight because you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option.
Roget warns - Strike could spread

IOCL is one of several contractors retained to provide marine transport service for Petrotrins Trinmar Marine Operations at Point Fortin. The OWTU is the recognised bargaining body for the contract workers. Speaking after workers downed tools and assembled at a strike camp outside the IOCLs Otaheite Industrial Park, South Oropouche, Roget said one of the major issues at stake, in addition to adequate pay packages for workers, was the lack of proper management at Petrotrin .

We have been trying to tell Petrotrins management to take proactive action to ensure that the contractor resolves these issues, but they took a hands-off approach and that meant, for the union, seeking justice for the workers and that is to withhold their labour, Roget said, adding, they are well within the law to withhold their labour at this point in the negotiations to ensure that a settlement is reached and they have 90 days to do that. In fact, we wish to warn that that would spread throughout the companys operations because you cannot have a management doing what they want, doing like the last management, in some sort of cosy arrangement with the contractor, he said. Roget continued: We intend to serve strike notice on Petrotrin also and shut the company down until we get proper management in place, he said .

PETROTRINS FUTURE IN DOUBT In an immediate response, Petrotrin stated that its future as a viable State enterprise may be under threat due to the strike action .

Petrotrins continued efforts to maintain production and meet its financial and operational obligations to its employees and its Shareholder are being hindered by the strike action taken by the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) against Inland Offshore Contractors Limited (IOCL), one of the main contractors providing marine transport to Petrotrins Trinmar Operations, Petrotrin stated, and noted that the strike action was based on a breakdown of negotiations between IOCL and the OWTU which included conciliatory sessions at the Ministry of Labour .

This strike is causing serious disruptions to our operations even beyond our TRINMAR operations and can have major effects on our workers ability to access our marine installations in order to meet our production and maintenance objectives .

Reliable and efficient transport is critical to ensuring our effectiveness in servicing our offshore installations, Petrotrin added .

Unplanned disruptions, whether from employees or service providers, are therefore totally unacceptable, the company stated adding that the situation was being monitoring with contingency measures implemented to limit the negative impact of these disruptions .

At this critical juncture, as Petrotrins operations are subjected to intense scrutiny from stakeholders including our insurers, bondholders, credit rating agencies and the Shareholder among others, any approach other than to maximize operations presents a serious threat to our future as a sustainable entity, the company noted .

Meanwhile, Roget pointed out that while the union was prepared to work to increase oil production up, said the company, by its actions had proved that it was not willing to work with the union to increase production .

The last time strike action was initiated by the OWTU was against Trinidad Cement Limited in 2012 and which lasted the full 90 days .
Children not exposed

Rowley said, Trinidad and Tobago as a nation has had its revenue stream considerably reduced. He continued: It is an undisputed fact that we do not have as much money as we would like to do all the things that we would like in all the areas that require money to do what has to be done in those areas. That is a fact. That is the situation. He said that they made reductions across the board and this affected health, education and other areas.

I do not think that by reducing expenditure in the way we have in that particular case you mentioned that we are in fact exposing ourselves to any increase in security (incidents), he added.

He said that examinations have surprisingly shown significant waste in the system, many options taken were not the best and the frequency of corrupt practice might be expensive. He explained that they are trying to minimise those instances and that it was possible to have school security based on what had been allocated.

It might not be what they have been accustomed to but at the end of the day we have to make do with what we have available, he said. He added that in some instances when money was available it was not being spent in the best way. He said that there is no malice in the reductions and if there are exigencies they will respond to it. Rowley stressed that it was wrong to assume that if the allocations are not the same as before it will be apocalyptic and Government will do all that we can to protect our children. He also said that attitude changes of not just the children but all across the board can help save money.

On the general crime situation, which he described as an onslaught, he said that is the most frustrating area and it was not for a want of resources we are in a record breaking and intractable situation with crime. He pointed out that the area again received the highest budget allocation but he had to admit that it has not been effective. He described the 17 percent homicide detection rate as unacceptable and said there were other Caribbean countries where it was 40 per cent and in the UK it is 95 per cent. He stressed that the bottom line was that the results are unsatisfactory and called for the population to have a role in assisting the police and for the police to build public trust.
Online rumours leave Machel bazodee

Montano completely and emphatically dismissed the claims that he was arrested in any airport, and noted that he was not even in the same state in which a bogus online article claimed.

In response to the false report which was posted to the internet through a false news website, the Soca star said: The more you do positive in life, understand that there will be more negative forces trying to counteract. So while we spread love to a 20,000 full arena... someone is busy defaming our character with a fake story...

If you want to spread something, spread love or peace. The false website claimed that Montano was arrested at the Kennedy Airport in New York, with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine, which were hidden in two bags of coffee. The website also claimed that after the substance found in his possession was tested positive as cocaine, Montano was handed over to the Port Authority Police.

Newsday understands that Montano was in Toronto performing to an arena which was filled to its 20,000 person capacity, when the rumours of his arrest started. Along with his post, he showed a photo of his plane ticket, which proved that he was no where near the Kennedy Airport, but was heading from Toronto to Columbus, Ohio. Machel explained in his post that he was travelling to Ohio to celebrate with his daughter, who received a scholarship to Ohio State University.
PM: Tell me AGs offence

He made the comment yesterday in response to a question posed during the post-Cabinet media conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair. Persad-Bissessar in a statement called for Al-Rawi to resign or be fired. This was in response to Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal presentation of photographs of children holding firearms during the Budget debate in the Lower House. He said the children resembled children of top Government officials and said he would like to show Al-Rawi to see if the Attorney General recognised anyone.

Al-Rawi has neither confirmed nor denied that the children in the photographs but did report that his family was invited by the Defence Force for a threat assessment after he received death threats last year. He has condemned Moonilal, who has also called for his removal, for a smear campaign that targets children. According to the Defence Force the family was hosted at Camp Cumuto last October after the AG received death threats.

Senior public affairs officer of the Defence Force Major Al Alexander has said none of Al-Rawi family took part in the exercise.
Imbert: Online tax in effect

When he presented the Budget in the House of Representatives on October 5, Imbert said this measure would generate $70 million in additional revenue and reducing the demand for items purchased online would help to save foreign exchange and assist local industry.

He estimated then that the value of packages cleared by 31 courier companies in the country, exceeded $1 billion per year.

The American Chamber of Commerce called for a delay in the implementation of the tax until collection mechanisms are in place. Imbert told Newsday yesterday the online tax can be implemented before the passage of the Budget in Parliament due to the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act.

Taxes can be imposed with immediate effect during the Budget debate before the appropriation bill has been passed, Imbert explained. He added, The taxes imposed under the PCTO must be confirmed by the House within 21 days of the publication of the order. On October 5, Imbert said Government would ensure the Customs and Excise Division has the necessary resources to strengthen their ability to inspect and assess packages, generally and specifically from courier companies. Noting Government was able to reduce expenditure by $11 billion without the country collapsing, Imbert said persons who were demanding Government cut expenditure further were speaking in a vaccum. Imbert said he was amazed that certain business institutions were making this call when, the major purchase of goods and services from the private sector is the Government. He added that were Government to cut expenditure further there would be massive unemployment and the collapse of business activity. Imbert said were Government to go below the $50 billion level, all of these businesses would suffer. He was confident that the country would be able to function with the $53 billion fiscal package and justified the US$48 per barrel oil price which the Budget was pegged against.

Imbert also said TT was deprived of certain revenues from the energy sector during due to tax measures introduced by the former Peoples Partnership (PP) government will allowed energy companies in this country to write off 100 percent of exploration expenditure in the first year and also write off development expenditure in a three year period.

Imbert reiterated the full implementation of the property tax next year and that he will be bringing legislation to Parliament next year to establish the Revenue Authority. He also said insurance and gaming legislation, proposed by the PP, would also be coming to Parliament in 2017
Wade hits time-traveler CEO

In his Senate Budget contribution Mark said an advert for the post had 40 applicants of whom six were short-listed by a headhunter, but that the job was mysteriously awarded to Harewood.

This is a matter of grave importance.

Where did this time-traveler from Space arrive on Earth? And he arrived at the portals of Petrotrin.

This is indeed a mystery. Mark said Petrotrin chairman, Prof Andrew Jupiter, must shed light on Harewoods appointment, even as the Opposition demanded Energy Minister, Nicole Olliviere, to investigate the sordid affair.

We have been advised there was a hacking on the (IT) sever at the Ministry of Energy.

We understand that when the IT investigated this matter, it was traced to a high-ranking official in the office of the Minister of Energy.

This is a serious compromise of very sensitive information by that particular office. So we call on the Minister of Energy to clear the air, whether the server of the Ministry of Energy was hacked and by who, and whether this matter was reported to the police. Mark alleged a sellout of TSTT to Peoples National Movement (PNM) financiers, among five local firms wanting to buy a 49 percent stake held by US firm, Liberty Global, including the Massy Group, ANSA Mc Al, and the TT Unit Trust.
Lee: UNC upbeat over election

Saying Dr Rowleys date is not unexpected to the UNC as it falls close to the December 5 date the UNC had predicted, Lee said his party is ready and committed.

We have finished our screening and our candidates have been hitting the ground. He welcomed the announcement saying it bring some clarity to the election process.

It puts us on a better footing, with an end-date in mind. Lee said the UNC feels very confident of its chances in the election, based on what he said was the poor performance of central Government in their past 12 months in office. Noting the recent Budget debate in the Lower House, he said the Government had messed up its priorities in making cuts in allocations to school security and the school-feeding programme, when in fact there were some dubious categories in the allocation to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) that cut have been cut. The social cuts of the Government should have been a bit more caring, he hit. Lee said in its first year in office the Government has done nothing by way of performance.
Ministry seeks meeting with NUGFW

NUGFW Deputy President General Christopher Streete told Newsday some of the issues include removing the lifeguards from under the National Security Ministry, late or non-payment of wages, a lack of equipment and insufficient lifeguards on duty.

Government moved the lifeguards from under the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of National Security. Since that new arrangement has been put in place, it has been very difficult to get meetings with the Ministry so as to make proper representation on behalf of the lifeguards, he said. He said the hands of Minister Edmund Dillon seemed to be full dealing with the countrys crime situation, and so had no time to deal with issues affecting lifeguards and beach maintenance workers.

Its almost a year now that we have written, he and the other people at the Ministry have failed to meet with us, and so the pressing issues of the lifeguards are not being addressed, he said. In addition, Streete said the non payment or late payment of wages was a regular occurrence, that lifeguards had no motorised equipment such as jet skis to assist them with rescues, and the lifeguard facilities were rundown.

He also said that, on any given day, a complement of lifeguards include a supervisor and a sentry, who do not actively patrol the beaches. Since, at the moment, the larger beaches usually have 12 lifeguards, the union believes the number should he raised to 20.

He further explained that there were just over 100 lifeguards, that every worker has two days off per week, and they work every other weekend. So every weekend you have only half the complement of lifeguards working to man nine beaches. The Minister made a statement that we have sufficient lifeguards. That is false. We have a grossly inadequate amount of lifeguards to man the beaches they have responsibility for, he said.
TEN cases of serious voter fraud in Texas alone: and dems say its not rigged?

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

As Donald Trump takes on the Republican establishment, Democrats and the mainstream media, hes telling supporters theyre fighting against a rigged system, rife with voter fraud and those eager to protect the status quo. The left, predictably, says this type of talk is dangerous to the integrity of our electoral system, and then glibly asks for Mr. Trump to prove his voter fraud allegations.

Article by Kelly Riddell

This is where the left is wrong: The argument isnt whether voter fraud is real, but how widespread it is. Heres 10 examples documenting that voter fraud isnt a myth and how Mr. Trumps claims arent just speculation.

1. Dead people voting in Colorado.

A CBS affiliates evidence of voter fraud in Colorado in September sparked an immediate investigation by Secretary of State Wayne Williams. A report in Denver exposed multiple incidents in recent years where dead Coloradans were still voting. A dead World War II veteran named John Grosso voted in a 2006 primary election, and a woman named Sara Sosa who died in 2009 cast ballots in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Mrs. Sosas husband Miguel died in 2008, but a vote was cast in his name one year later.

2. Illegals found voting in Virginia; only discovered after they self-reported.

A study by the watchdog Public Interest Legal Foundation found in just eight Virginia counties, 1,046 alien non-citizens successfully registered to vote. These aliens were only accidentally caught because when they renewed their drivers license and self-reported, telling authorities they were a non-citizen. This study doesnt even include the metropolises of Fairfax County and Arlington. Moreover, the FBI opened an investigation in the state after 20 dead people turned in applications to vote.

3. Some Pennsylvania citizens voting twice. Last year, Pennsylvanias secretary of state admitted data showed more than 700 Pennsylvania voters might have cast two ballots in recent elections, yet said shes powerless to investigate or prosecute double voters. Nearly 43,000 voters in Pennsylvania had potentially duplicate registrations in either Pennsylvania or other states, data researcher Voter Registration Data Crosscheck found. 4. Illegal voters uncovered in Philadelphia; half had previously voted. At least 86 non-citizens have been registered voters in Philadelphia since 2013, and almost half of them have cast a ballot in a recent election, watchdog Public Interest Legal Foundation noted this month. The number was only turned up after officials received specific requests from the voters themselves to remove their names from the rolls. This is just the tip of the iceberg, Joseph Vanderhulst, the watchdogs attorney, told LifeZette on Oct. 5. Who knows how many are on and dont ask to be taken off? 5. Voter rigging triggers probe in Texas. This week, allegations of voter fraud in Tarrant County, Texas, prompted a state investigation. The suit focuses on mail-in ballots, which allows for people to vote from their homes without any ID or verification of identity. Theres concern of so-called vote-harvesting were political operatives fill out and return other peoples ballots, without their consent. 6. Indiana voter fraud investigation grows to 56 counties. According to a local NBC report, Indiana State Police are in the midst of a statewide investigation into possible voter registration fraud. Police believe there could be hundreds of fraudulent voter registration records with different combinations of made up names and addresses with peoples real information, NBC 12 reported. The police encourage victims of suspected voter fraud to report it to Indianas secretary of state. 7. Three under investigation in Oklahoma for voting twice in the presidential primary. An investigation is underway into three Comanche County, Oklahoma, residents who voted twice in last weeks Presidential Preferential Primary, according to the local ABC 7 News station, KSWO. All three submitted absentee ballots before showing up to their polling place on March 1 and voted again in person, the report said. The Comanche County Sheriffs Department is investigating the case and will interview all three of them before handing the case over to the district attorney. 8. Election fraud in Kentucky. A Franklin County grand jury has indicted a Pike County man in June on multiple felony counts of election fraud in connection with last months statewide primary. Keith Justice, 50, has been charged with four counts of intimidating an election officer and one count of interfering with an election officer in Pike County. 9. Underage voters found voting in Wisconsins presidential primary. Brown County election officials in April found six cases where underage voters cast a ballot in the states presidential primary. County Clerk Sandy Juno told a local reporter that six 17-year-old students registered and voted. Despite five of the students presenting a valid ID, poll workers never looked at the date of birth on them or on the registration forms they filled out, Ms. Juno told local news website wearegreenbay.com. In one case, the student used a report card as identification. 10. Voter registration cards sent to illegals in Pennsylvania. In September, the secretary of states office in Pennsylvania mailed about 2.5 million voter registration postcards to people who are not registered voters, but are licensed drivers. Secretary of State Pedro Cortes admitted to the House of Representatives that seven people had reported that they received voter registration cards in error, self-reporting. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Butler County Republican who chairs the State Government Committee, said in September testimony that theres several problems with the states voter registration system. Theres certainly the potential for hundreds, if not thousands, of foreigners here legally and illegally to be on our voter rolls, and a certain percentage who are casting ballots, Mr. Metchalfe told LifeZette. Weve got a lot of integrity issues that need to be addressed. Voter Fraud is all too real. Here are 10 cases of serious allegations. We must end cheating at the ballot box. #tcot https://t.co/EPPjwOGX9Y  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 18, 2016 Read more at: washingtontimes.com

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Australia home to upto 600,000 illegal firearms: Report

Australia,Defence/Security,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Thu, 20 Oct 2016 IANS

Canberra, Oct 21 (IANS) As many as 600,000 firearms have made their way into Australia illegally, according to an official report on Friday.

Chief executive of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Chris Dawson said the country was in the midst of a surge in the number of illegal guns circulating Australia streets, and blamed outlaw bike gangs and organised crime groups for the rise in the numbers, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is a common feature when police are searching 'bikies' or Middle Eastern crime groups that weapons are found," Dawson said.

ACIC's 2016 report on guns suggested there were around a quarter of a million illegal firearms on Australian streets, but Dawson said that was a conservative estimate and under UN calculation, the figure was more likely to be upwards of 600,000.

ACIC said there was a need for further consultation and cooperation between the state governments to close a number of loopholes which make it easy for criminals to steal, de-register and import deactivated handguns.

It also suggested lawmakers impose an amnesty program so that grey and black market guns can be handed over to authorities.

"Grey market firearms are targeted by criminals because they are difficult for law enforcement to trace to the last known legal owner," the report said.

"A national program encouraging the registration and/or surrender of unregistered firearms could significantly reduce the number of firearms available to the illicit market."

The report comes amidst heated discussion in Parliament regarding the controversial ban on a rapid-fire Adler shotgun, while earlier this year, Australia's second largest city Melbourne was labelled the crime capital of the country.

--IANS

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Principal to be arrested for Bihar Dalit student's thrashing

Bihar,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Patna, Oct 21 (IANS) Bihar Police has ordered the arrest of a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV)principal for not taking timely action in a Dalit student's thrashing in the school premises in August, police said on Friday.

"An arrest warrant against Muzaffarpur Kendriya Vidyalya's Principal, Ravi Ranjan, was issued on the basis of a probe report conducted by senior police officers," a police officer said.

He said that raids were being conducted to arrest Ranjan.

Ranjan was earlier suspended by the Kendriya Vidyalya Sangathan (KVS), while 14 other teachers of the school were transferred on Wednesday following a probe by a three-member team of the school.

After the report found involvement of the school authorities to suppress the incident, "Ravi Ranjan was suspended by KVS for not taking timely action on the victim's complaint," a KVS official said.

The shocking incident of thrashing had surfaced after a video went viral on social media.

The school authorities were forced to lodge a police complaint on October 13.

The victim's family had also lodged a police complaint on Monday naming the accused students, who had thrashed and humiliated their child in a classroom.

School authorities and teachers were also made co-accused in the family complaint, the police said.

A chargesheet was filed against two of the accused students on Thursday, who were arrested and sent to remand home.

The accused are brothers, who had reportedly threatened the victim of dire consequences if he defied their diktat.

--IANS

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Ryan Scott Miller(NEW YORK) -- An 8-year-old boy from California transformed his wheelchair into a show-stopping, Ghostbusters-themed Halloween costume.



Jeremy Miller, of Murrieta, California, has been in a wheelchair since age 3 due to spina bifida. This year, he turned his wheelchair into a replica of the Ecto-1 car from the original Ghostbusters movie.



Weve watched all three movies, and hes now watched a bunch of the 'Ghostbuster' cartoons on Netflix, Jeremys dad, Ryan Scott Miller, told ABC News. Whatever were doing, he really dives into it.



Miller, who works in IT, oversees the annual construction of Jeremys Halloween costume, a process that begins in early September.



Miller, his wife, Beth Miller, and their two other children join Jeremy in making the costume's creation a family affair. It was Beth Miller who this year found the Ecto-1 toy car that served as the inspiration and model for Jeremys costume.



Miller said they used foam board, floral foam, PVC, wood glue, screws, wood pieces, six-volt batteries and wiring among other materials to construct the replica car in which Jeremy moves around as in a real car.



The Ecto-1 replica also features working lights, a siren and speaker that plays the "Ghostbusters" theme music. The roof rack features a ladder, warning light, cannisters and satellite dish.



I see how much Jeremy lights up in it, Miller said. He loves being the character and the center of attention. He hams it up.



Jeremy showed off his costume earlier this month at a Halloween party at Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego, where he goes for care.



A girl who was being wheeled on a hospital bed heard the 'Ghostbusters' music and lifted her head up and smiled and then kept going, Miller recalled. Thats ultimately what this is about, bringing smiles to people.



Jeremy will wear the costume again on Halloween night to trick-or-treat in his hometown.



Were going to blare that siren and music as loud as possible, Miller said. Were also going to have a blown-up marshmallow man following him. Itll be great.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Indian-origin scientist creates 'real' 3D hands in lab

United States,Science/Tech,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diaspora, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New York, Oct 21 (IANS) An Indian-American researcher and his team have created life-size 3D hand models, complete with all five fingerprints using a high-resolution 3D printer that can produce the same ridges and valleys as a real finger.

Like any optical device, fingerprint and hand scanners need to be calibrated, but currently there is no standard method for doing so.

"This is the first time a whole hand 3D target has been created to calibrate fingerprint scanners," said Distinguished Professor Anil Jain from Michigan State University (MSU).

"As a byproduct of this research, we realised a fake 3D hand, essentially a spoof, with someone's fingerprints, could potentially allow a crook to steal the person's identity to break into a vault, contaminate a crime scene or enter the country illegally," Jain cautioned.

Jain and his biometrics team were studying how to test and calibrate fingerprint scanners commonly used across the globe at police departments, airport immigration counters, banks and even amusement parks.

To test the scanners, they created life-size 3D hand models complete with all five fingerprints.

"Another application of this technology will be to evaluate the spoof-resistance of commercial fingerprint scanners. We have highlighted a security loophole and the limitations of existing fingerprint scanning technology, now it's up to the scanner manufacturers to design a scanner that is spoof-resistant," Jain noted in a university statement.

The study aims to design and develop standard models and procedures for consistent and reliable evaluation of fingerprint readers and is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

"We are very pleased with this research and how it is showing the uncertainties in the process and what it can mean for the accuracy of the readers," said Nicholas Paulter, Group Leader for the Security Technologies Group at NIST and a co-author of the study.

The FBI, CIA, military and manufacturers will all be interested in this project, he added.

Along with Jain and Paulter, the study was co-authored by Sunpreet Arora, MSU doctoral student.

--IANS

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Nitish Kumar may visit Gujarat at Hardik's invitation

Bihar,National,Politics, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Patna, Oct 21 (IANS) Patidar leader Hardik Patel has invited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to Gujarat to support the demand of reservation for Patidar community, JD-U Spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said on Friday.

"The party will soon decide about Hardik Patel's invitation to Nitish Kumar to visit Gujarat. Hardik also thanked Nitish Kumar for supporting the reservation movement," Tyagi said.

Hardik Patel, in his letter to Bihar Chief Minister, said that his community is locally known as Patidar , Maratha in Maharashtra, Gujjar in Rajasthan and Kapu Kamma Reddy in southern states.

"We firmly believe that the roots of social justice in the country would further consolidate under your (Nitish Kumar's) leadership. Your struggle against communalism is commendable," Hardik wrote.

To date, Nitish Kumar, who is also President of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), has been targeting and firing salvos against Modi by questioning his much-hyped Gujarat development model to '56-inch chest' phrases.

"Now, Nitish Kumar will challenge Modi in Gujarat, thanks to the invitation of Patidar leader Hardik Patel," another senior JD-U leader said.

Earlier this week, Nitish Kumar in his address at the JD-U National Council meeting at Rajgir in Nalanda said the country is passing through an agrarian crisis, as once prosperous and powerful agrarian castes, including Jat in Haryana, Pataidar in Gujarat and Maratha in Maharashtra, have been demanding reservation.

--IANS

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Odisha hospital fire toll rises to 24

Orissa,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Health/Medicine, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Bhubaneswar, Oct 21 (IANS) The death toll in Odisha's SUM Hospital fire rose to 24, as one more person undergoing treatment succumbed to injuries on Friday, a health official said.

"While two other patients succumbed to their injuries in the Capital Hospital on Thursday night, one more died on Friday," the official said.

Sheikh Qurban of Khurda undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital here succumbed four days after receiving extensive injuries in Monday's blaze that initially claimed 19 lives.

On Thursday night, Biswanath Behera of Dumduma area in Bhubaneswar and Rashmita Swain of Balipada area in Puri also died. Two more injured persons had succumbed to injuries earlier during the week.

As many as 106 patients were shifted to different hospitals following the major fire that broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the dialysis ward at SUM hospital on Monday evening.

The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police arrested four hospital officials on Tuesday, and the owner, Manoj Nayak, on Thursday and secured his two-day remand.

Nayak was to be grilled over the renewal of registration and the lack of fire safety measures in his hospital, the police said.

--IANS

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'Jack Reacher' may get more sequels

United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Los Angeles, Oct 21 (IANS) Producer Don Granger says further instalments of "Jack Reacher", based on Lee Child's 2005 novel "One Shot", are on the cards.

The 2012 film's sequel "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" has hit some of the screens worldwide, and the producer would love to make more parts of the action thriller.

"I would love to be doing this again in a couple of years," Granger told dailystar.co.uk.

"The thing with adapting the books is you could pick up any one of them and start wherever you want because each is a separate adventure. There is so much to choose from."

The author had predicted that the film's leading actor Tom Cruise would be keen for extending the franchise.

--IANS

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Record arrivals fuel call to cut New Zealand immigration numbers

United Kingdom,Business/Economy,Immigration/Law/Rights, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Wellington, Oct 21 (IANS) New Zealand witnessed a record net gain of 70,000 migrants in the year to September, the government statistics agency said on Friday, fuelling a row over the government's immigration policy.

The figure for the September year exceeded the previous annual record of 69,100 migrants in the year to the end of August, Xinhua news agency cited Statistics New Zealand agency as saying.

"The annual net gain reflects record high migrant arrivals and fewer migrant departures," population statistics manager Jo-Anne Skinner said in a statement.

"Most of the arrivals are people coming in with work visas, which also includes working holiday-makers."

Migrant arrivals numbered 125,600 in the September year, setting a new annual record, with 32 per cent arriving on work visas, 20 per cent on student visas and 13 per cent on residence visas.

Another 29 per cent were New Zealand and Australian citizens who can travel freely between the two countries.

Migrant departures were 55,700 in the same period -- almost 60 per cent of them New Zealand citizens.

Earlier this month, the government cut the overall number of residence approvals for the next two years from 90,000-100,000 down to 85,000-95,000, amid an ongoing debate over whether the country's infrastructure and public services were coping with the record arrivals.

Opposition lawmakers on Friday said the number of immigrants coming on work visas was helping to hold down wages and keep the country citizens out of jobs.

"Many work visas are issued to people working in low-skill, low-wage jobs such as farming, hospitality and administration. Yet we have 71,000 young people who are not in employment, education or training," said Iain Lees-Galloway, immigration spokesperson for the main opposition Labour Party.

"Our immigration policies should be focussed on bringing people with the skills we need to grow our economy and create opportunities for everyone," Lees-Galloway said in a statement.

"Changes to our work visa criteria are urgently needed to make the immigration system more sustainable, and able to deliver the skills New Zealand genuinely needs," he said.

--IANS

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Expect first RCS flight by January 2017: Minister

Delhi,Business/Economy, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The government on Friday said that it expects the first flight under its Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) to be operated by January 2017.

The operations under the scheme are intended to provide air connectivity to un-served and remote routes with airfare being capped at Rs 2,500 for an hour's journey of around 500 km.

The scheme christened as UDAN -- "Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik", will be in operation for a period of 10 years.

"We will target the first flights under UDAN to take off by January 2017," Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said at the launch event of UDAN scheme here.

According to the minister, the scheme is a key component of the recently approved National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), whose main objective is to "enhance regional connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure development".

"Cabinet had taken a decision on civil aviation policy four months back; regional connectivity scheme was a major component of it," the minister said adding that: "We are cautiously optimistic about UDAN."

The policy intends to grow regional connectivity via several measures such as incentives, capping of air fares for a limited number of seats and revival of existing air strips and airports.

The scheme is expected to support airlines by providing direct financial support namely viability gap funding (VGF), which would be given to the interested airlines to kick off operations to an un-served or under-served airport.

--IANS

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Embraer deal: UK-based NRI among accused in CBI FIR

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Defence/Security, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The CBI on Friday said it had registered a case against UK-based arms dealer Vipin Khanna and two foreign firms regarding alleged kickbacks in the purchase of three Embraer aircraft in a $208 million deal in 2008.

"We have registered an FIR against Vipin Khanna, two foreign firms and some unknown persons regarding the procurement of EMB-145 aircraft from Brazilian Embraer company," Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Devpreet Singh told IANS.

The officer said the CBI also conducted searches at various places in Delhi on Thursday.

CBI sources said the UK-based NRI's name also figured in another defence deal probed by the agency. Khanna was probed by the CBI in connection with the oil-for-food scam in 2006, wherein his son Aditya Khanna was named the main beneficiary.

The 87-year-old Khanna is reportedly accused of receiving nearly $6 million from Embraer, the world's third largest aircraft-maker, to broker the deal. It is alleged that the payoffs were routed through Austria and Switzerland.

Leading Brazilian newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' had reported that Embraer allegedly paid commissions to Khanna to finalise the deal with India.

The CBI on September 17 registered a Preliminary Enquiry in the case on a reference from the Defence Ministry over accusations that Embraer employed an agent to facilitate various contracts.

The agency converted the Preliminary Enquiry into a First Information Report (FIR) after it collected enough evidence to show illegalities in the Embraer aircraft deal, the sources said.

In 2008, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed the $208 million deal with Embraer for three EMB-145 aircraft to build indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems for the Indian Air Force.

The first aircraft was delivered in 2011 and the remaining two in 2013.

--IANS

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Samsung launches 'Galaxy On Nxt' smartphone at Rs 18,490

Delhi,National,Technology,Business/Economy, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Expanding its "Galaxy On Series" portfolio, Samsung India on Friday launched a mid-segment smartphone "Galaxy On Nxt" for Rs 18,490 in India.

The 5.5-inch, full-HD "Galaxy On Nxt" has 2.5D Gorilla Glass, powerful octa-core processor, 3GB RAM and 3,300 mAh battery.

The device comes with 32GB internal memory, Android (Marshmallow) OS, dual SIM and Micro SD card support which is expandable up to 256GB.

To ensure data security, the device has a fingerprint sensor that allows quick and secure access. "Galaxy On Nxt" integrates features such as "S Power Planning" and "S Secure" to address consumers' power management and security-related concerns.

"Galaxy On Nxt has a premium full metal compact design with a superior performance for an enriching consumer experience," said Manu Sharma, Vice President, Mobiles business, Samsung India Electronics.

With a superior f1.9 aperture on both cameras, "Galaxy On Nxt" is equipped with 13MP rear and 8MP front shooter.

Enhanced modes such as palm and gesture selfie, wide angle selfie and beautifying effects are incorporated in the device.

"After the overwhelming response to Samsung Galaxy On8 launched earlier this month, we are elated to bring Samsung Galaxy On Nxt to our customers," added Ajay Yadav, Vice President-Mobiles, at Flipkart.

The device comes pre-installed with "My Galaxy" app that has videos, music, gaming, utility services and much more.

--IANS

na/mr
Kabaddi player held for dowry death, father surrenders

Delhi,National,Sports,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) National-level Kabbadi player Rohit Chillar was arrested from Mumbai on Friday, three days after his wife Lalita committed suicide, Delhi Police said.

His father Vijay Singh, 51, a co-accused in the dowry death case, on Friday surrendered at the Nangloi police station here. Chillar's mother Sunita is still on the run, police said.

Chillar was arrested from Colaba in Mumbai where he works with the Indian Navy.

"We arrested Chillar from Mumbai. He will be presented in a court there for transit remand to bring him back to Delhi for interrogation. Lalita's suicide note and audio clips prove that she was facing harassment," Joint Commissioner of Police Deependra Pathak said.

A Delhi Police team went to Mumbai on Thursday and arrested Chillar from his staff quarters on Friday morning.

A notice was served on Chillar's family on Thursday evening to join the police investigation but they absconded after locking their house.

Lalita, 27, was found hanging by a sash by her father Karan Singh on Monday evening in Delhi. She was staying alone while her in-laws stayed in Kanjhawala in Delhi.

Her marriage to Chillar in March last year was her second.

She left a two-hour audio message and a suicide note in which she wrote: "I am not strong enough to survive this, I have decided to quit."

A case of dowry death was registered against Chillar and his parents on a complaint of Karan Singh.

--IANS

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Congress demands full disclosure on debit card data breach

Delhi,Business/Economy,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Ridiculing Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the potential breach of debit cards security, the Congress on Friday demanded full disclosure of the extent of the breach and compensation to the affected card holders.

Over three million debit cards issued by various public and private banks are said to have been exposed to a potential risk of data breach.

"This government has a habit of saying that it is the first in doing anything. Well, it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," Congress spokesman Ajoy Kumar told the media here.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. While these lists were being stolen, the nation's 'chowkidar' (watchman) Modi was sleeping," he said.

Besides demanding full disclosure of the data theft, Kumar said the central government must compensate card-holders who have suffered loss due to the security breach.

"We demand that the Modi government makes a full disclosure on the extent of this theft. They must inform all those affected."

"The common man, whose hard-earned money has been taken out of their accounts, should get back their money. The government must ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their losses," said Kumar.

He said hackers in China, Russia, Indonesia and the US were behind the security breach.

--IANS

and/tsb/vt
NASA's Cassini probe sees seasonal changes on Titan

United States,Science/Tech, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Washington, Oct 21 (IANS) Scientists have said NASA's Cassinis mission has allowed them to observe the pattern of seasonal changes on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in exquisite detail.

"Cassini's long mission and frequent visits to Titan have allowed us to observe the pattern of seasonal changes on Titan, in exquisite detail, for the first time," said Athena Coustenis, a member of Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer team at the Observatoire de Paris.

Winter is taking a grip on Titan's southern hemisphere, and a strong, whirling atmospheric circulation pattern -- a vortex -- has developed in the upper atmosphere over the south pole, the probe has revealed.

Cassini has observed that this vortex is enriched in trace gases -- gases that are otherwise quite rare in Titan's atmosphere. Cassini's observations show a reversal in the atmosphere above Titan's poles since the spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004, when similar features were seen in the northern hemisphere, the scientists said.

"We arrived at the northern mid-winter and have now had the opportunity to monitor Titan's atmospheric response through two full seasons," Coustenis noted.

Heat is circulated through Titan's atmosphere via a pole-to-pole cycle of warm gases upwelling at the summer pole and cold gases subsiding at the winter pole.

Cassini's observations have shown a large-scale reversal of this system, beginning immediately after the equinox in 2009.

Titan's hemispheres have responded in different ways to these seasonal changes.

The wintry effects have led to a temperature drop of 40 degrees Celsius in the southern polar stratosphere over the last four years.

This contrasts with a much more gradual warming in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures remained stable during the early spring, the scientists said.

The findings are being presented at the joint 48th meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences and 11th European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC), this week in Pasadena, California.

--IANS

gb/vm
BJP, Congress rebuff Trinamool call for anti-Left alliance in Tripura

Tripura,National,Politics, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Agartala, Oct 21 (IANS) Dismissing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) proposal to form an alliance to defeat the Left Front in the November 19 bypolls to two assembly seats in Tripura, the BJP on Friday announced its candidates.

The Congress too rejected the TMC appeal and will announce its nominees on Saturday.

The Election Commission will hold the by-elections on November 19 in Barjala and Khowai assembly constituencies in Tripura.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded former Tripura Civil Service Officer Shista Mohan Das for the Barjala seat and Tapan Kumar Paul in the Khowai constituency.

"No alliance of non-Left parties will be formed. TMC, unilaterally declaring its candidates, urged all non-Left parties to form an alliance to defeat the candidates of ruling Left Front in the next month's by-elections," BJP vice-president Subal Bhowmik told IANS.

"The TMC leadership did not discuss on the issue with us, probably with no other parties. We also want to fight strongly against the ruling Left Front," he said.

The TMC had urged opposition parties to field united candidates for the bypolls to defeat the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CMI-M)-led Left Front in the state.

According to party President Surajit Datta and party leader Sudip Roy Barman, the TMC appealed to all opposition parties to support it to avert division of opposition votes in both assembly bypolls.

Barman, who led a split in the main opposition Congress recently, said: "To free Tripura from the clutches of CPI-M-dominated Left Front, the opposition must unite."

The TMC earlier this week nominated former minister Prakash Das for the Barjala constituency and Manoj Das, a former CPI-M leader, for the Khowai constituency.

A large number of Congress leaders, including Das and six party legislators led by Barman, recently quit the Congress protesting the party's alliance with the Left Front in West Bengal polls.

Rejecting the TMC appeal, the Congress said the TMC itself damaged the option by unilaterally declaring its nominees for the bypolls.

"Before announcing candidates, the TMC should have discussed the issue. We will declare our candidates on Saturday," Tripura Congress Vice President Tapas Dey said.

The Left Front on Monday declared their aspirants -- youth leader Jhumu Sarkar in Barjala and district party secretary Biswajit Datta in Khowai.

Ahead of the 2018 polls in the Left-ruled Tripura, the crucial bypolls are set to be a multi-cornered contest, giving an electoral gain to the ruling CPI-M.

The Barjala assembly seat fell vacant after the Congress legislator Jitendra Sarkar resigned on June 6 this year following internal feud in the main opposition party. The Khowai seat has been vacant since the death of veteran CPI-M legislator Samir Deb Sarkar, who was the chief whip of the Left Front in the 60-member state assembly.

In all 39,007 electorate, including 18,935 female, will be eligible to vote in the Barjala seat, while 39,400 voters, including 19,436 women, will cast votes in Khowai.

District Magistrates of West Tripura and Khowai districts on Thursday held separate all-party meetings to hold the by-elections smoothly.

--IANS

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Despite Shivpal's invite, Akhilesh skips crucial SP meet

Uttar Pradesh,National,Politics, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Lucknow, Oct 21 (IANS) In yet another indication of continuing infighting within the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday skipped a crucial party meeting convened by state unit chief and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.

Akhilesh did not attend the meeting of district presidents of the Samajwadi Party even though Shivpal drove down to his residence on Friday to invite him personally for the event.

The meeting was called to discuss the 2017 assembly elections and to prepare for a silver jubilee function of the ruling party scheduled for November 5.

Informed sources said the Chief Minister was in no mood to compromise on his stated opposition to entry of criminals and re-entry of ministers accused of graft into the SP and demand for complete say in deciding tickets for the assembly elections.

Shivpal Singh Yadav is learnt to have told the SP's district presidents at the meeting that Akhilesh will be Chief Minister again if the party returns to power in the 2017 elections.

"I am ready to give it in writing on a stamp paper that if we win a majority, Akhilesh will be the next Chief Minister" he told party leaders.

--IANS

md/tsb/dg
Bangladesh police says dead militant Abdur Rahman was New JMB chief

Bangladesh,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Terrorism, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Dhaka, Oct 21 (IANS) Bangladesh police on Friday said they have identified dead militant Abdur Rahman as chief of the banned New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the outfit responsible for the July 1 Dhaka cafe terror attack.

The anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Benazir Ahmed said at a press briefing that Rahman, who allegedly jumped to his death from a five-story building during an October 8 raid in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, was the ameer of the New JMB terror group, and went by the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif.

The RAB said his real name was Sarowar Jahan, son of Abdul Mannan and Saleha Khatun, who are residents of Thumribhuja in Bholahat upazila of Chapainawabganj.

RAB said Abdur Rahman was found involved in activities of the banned JMB from 1998.

The RAB earlier claimed they recovered a passport and a driving licence from his flat on October 8. His name was mentioned as Abdur Rahman in the document.

Rahman died in RAB custody at Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital hours after he sustained injuries after falling from a building during an RAB raid in Ashulia, Savar, on October 8 evening, Prothom Alo reported.

Meanwhile, the RAB said they found evidence pointing to the involvement of New JMB in the killing of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Gulshan last year, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Benazir said documents recovered at Rahman's den in Ashulia suggest that the group may have been involved in the murder, however, they are still investigating the matter.

Cesare Tavella, an aid worker and veterinary surgeon, was shot dead at Gulshan in September last year. He had been living alone in Dhaka and worked on food security issues for a Dutch aid organisation.

--IANS

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President, PM in Gujarat on Saturday, Sunday (Lead, Changing dateline)

Maharashtra,National,Politics,Education, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Gandhinagar, Oct 21 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are arriving in Gujarat on Saturday and will be attending separate events.

Protocol department section officer M.R. Mallik on Friday said the after landing in Ahmedabad, the President's convoy would drive down to the state capital Gandhinagar for a night halt at Raj Bhawan.

The next day he will leave for Bharuch by helicopter and inaugurate the renovated Sevashram Hospital. Later, he will go to Ankleshwar to inaugurate the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Heart Institute.

Mukherjee will return to Gandhinagar and address the students and faculty of Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village and Samarpan College run by a trust of opposition leader Shankersinh Vaghela.

The President will also call on former Gujarat Chief Minister and former union external affairs minister Madhavsinh Solanki before returning to New Delhi on October 23.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive at the Vadodara airport on Saturday around 2.30 p.m. and inaugurate the newly built international terminal there.

He would later participate in a function of the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry where he would distribute aid kits to around 10,000 differently abled persons.

The Prime Minister will leave for Delhi the same day from Vadodara.

--IANS

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Airtel, Vodafone, Idea fined for denial of interconnection to Jio

Delhi,National,Technology,Business/Economy, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The Indian telecom regulator on Friday slapped heavy penalties on three telecom players -- Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular -- for not providing sufficient points of interconnections (PoI) to Reliance Jio.

It also said the action of the three operators showed "ulterior motive to stifle competition".

In three similar letters to the three players, the watchdog -- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) -- said it has recommended a penal action of Rs 50 crore per licence service area (LSA) (except Jammu & Kashmir) where PoI congestion exceeded the allowable limit of 0.5 per cent as reported by Airtel/Vodafone/Idea Cellular through emails in September 23.

In the case of Airtel and Vodafone, the fines imposed were for 21 LSAs, amounting to Rs 1050 crore each while in the case of Idea, the fine was Rs 950 crore for 19 LSAs.

The regulator had received a letter from Reliance Jio on July 14, stating that the incumbent players were not providing it with sufficient E1s (interconnect points, with technical parameters).

After exchanging several communications with the three operators, the TRAI arrived at the decision that each of them has been non-compliant to provide anough PoI between them and Reliance Jio.

The regulator also stated that the incumbent operators were in "non-complaince of the terms and conditions of licence and denial of interconnection to Reliance Jio appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer."

It defined the act of the incumbent players as against public interest.

It said non-compliance of terms and conditions of licence warrants recommendations for the revocation of licence.

"However, the Authority is mindful of the fact that revocation of the licence will entail significant consumer inconvenience and therefore in view of the larger public interest involved, the Authority recommends penal action..."

--IANS

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Politics of fear at play in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar: NCM member

Delhi,National,Politics,Religion,Immigration/Law/Rights, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) With no substantial evidence of Muslim aggression against the Hindus in Kairana town of western Uttar Pradesh, it is the "politics of fear" which is at play here, National Minorities Commission member Farida Abdullah Khan said on Friday.

During a recent visit to Kairana (Shamli district) and Muzaffarnagar, Khan said the local administration in Kairana "categorically denied any Hindu-Muslim tension on the ground", or any evidence of Hindus leaving homes due to Muslim aggression.

"Kairana has always been a Muslim-majority town. The reports that the town's demography changed dramatically after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots with a lot of Muslim influx is strange," Khan, who relinquished office on Friday, told IANS.

The National Human Rights Commission recently suggested in its report that around 30,000 Muslims had migrated to Kairana, which changed the demography of the town. It also suggested that the migrated Muslims were indulging in crime in Kairana.

"I spoke with Muzaffarnagar administration and they said that they do not know of any large-scale migration from the district to the adjoining Shamli. Movement of 30,000 people is not something that can go unnoticed," she said.

"The Kairana administration did acknowledge that there is crime in the region. But they said there is no evidence of newly-settled Muslims, not more than a few hundred families, indulging in crime," she added.

The NHRC in its report on the alleged exodus of Hindu families from Kairana, had observed: "At least 24 witnesses stated that the youths of the specific majority community in Kairana pass lewd/taunting remarks against the females of the specific minority community in the town."

Since Muslims are in majority in Kairana, the majority community here implies the Muslims.

"First they (certain politicians) created a fear among the Muslims, now they are trying to foment fear among the Hindus that they are in danger from the other community. This is politics of fear they are playing," Khan said.

She said that as per the information gathered by her through interaction with the local administration, civil society groups and the local residents, the story of migration of some families -- both Hindus and Musims -- from Kairana is similar to the story from any other mofussil town.

"People migrate from small towns to bigger cities in serach of better employment and work opportunities. Same is the case with Kaiarana," she said.

--IANS

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CBI registers FIR in $208 mn Embraer deal

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Defence/Security, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The CBI on Friday said that it has registered an First Information Report (FIR) to probe allegations of kickbacks in the purchase of three Embraer aircraft in a $208 million deal inked in 2008.

"We have registered an FIR in the case, and we have started investigation," Central Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Devpreet Singh told IANS.

On September 17, the CBI registered a preliminary enquiry on a reference from the Defence Ministry over allegations related to Embraer employing an agent to facilitate various contracts.

In 2008, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a $208 million deal with Embraer for three ERJ-145 aircraft to build indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems for the Indian Air Force.

The deal involved the purchase of three aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered in 2011 and the remaining two in 2013.

--IANS

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Chief prosecutors of France, Belgium, Spain and Morocco are meeting in French capital of Paris to discuss ways to improve intelligence sharing between the four countries in their counter-terrorism cooperation, reports say.

The meeting in Paris is attended by Francois Molins from France, Javier Zaragoza from Spain as well as Moulay Hassan Daki and Frederic Van Leeuw, respectively from Morocco and Belgium.

The anti-terrorist quadripartite group, a body existing since 2006, aims at improving intelligence transmission and to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation, Molins office said in a statement.

The four countries have significantly enhanced their cooperation in the wake of the November Paris attacks and March Brussels attacks.

France and Belgium have been increasingly on high alert with threats of terror attacks still permanent following the two deadly attacks.

Morocco has played paramount role in the arrest of several Islamic State group militants in Spain, France and Belgium by providing tips-off as to their whereabouts and records.

The participants will give a joint hold press-conference on Friday to reveal further conclusions of their two-day meeting.
The French embassy in Tunisia has called on French citizens to watch out following Tunisian presidents extension of the state of emergency for three further months.

President Caid Essebsi Tuesday extended for three additional months the state of emergency decreed since November last year following the killing for 12 members of his guard.

Tunisia was reeled by three terror attacks last year. The attacks claimed by the Islamic State group killed 71 people among whom 51 foreign tourists mostly British holidaymakers.

French ambassador in Tunis, Olivier Poivre dArvor said he was concerned about his countrymens security and safety.

There are 30,000 French people in Tunisia, of whom almost 15,000 are students studying in French institutes. They may be subjected to any risk and we must protect them, he said.

Earlier this month, the US embassy in Tunis issued similar warnings to American citizens urging them to avoid the North African countrys South-eastern regions as well as the mountainous regions in the West deemed still haunted by terrorists.
Morocco and Rwanda signed on Thursday four agreements relating to the transfer of know-how in terms of agricultural expertise with a special focus on promoting small farming and fostering agricultural productivity.

The signing ceremony was chaired by King Mohammed VI who is currently on a visit to Kigali and Rwandas President Paul Kagame.

These agreements provide for cooperation in fields ranging from boosting agricultural resilience and productivity, harvest insurance, fertilizers and funding.

On this occasion, Moroccos agriculture minister Aziz Akhannouch, gave a briefing on the aims of the partnership which was elaborated in implementation of Royal directives to help Rwanda benefit from the Green Morocco Plan experience notably in terms of promoting small farming to increase the revenues of small farmers and improve living conditions in rural areas.

Akhannouch said that Morocco will spare no effort to share the agricultural expertise it accumulated since the launch of the Green Morocco Plan in 2008 with a view to helping Rwanda unlock its full agricultural potential.

Promoting technical cooperation and improving irrigation technics as well as agricultural infrastructure and livestock health also feature prominently in the Moroccan-Rwandan agricultural partnership.

Moroccos experience in funding small farming projects as well as its efforts to the resilience of the agricultural sector to climate changes are also part of the partnership, said Akhannouch, noting in this respect that the Kingdom will host the climate summit COP22 which attaches particular importance to the climate challenges facing developing states.

Earlier on Thursday, King Mohammed VI visited the memorial commemorating the victims of the Rwandan genocide, which claimed the lives of one million people in 1994.

The King laid a wreath of flowers on one of the common tombs where the remains of the genocide victims are buried and observed a moment of silence.

The memorial, located in Gisozi, Kigali suburbs, was inaugurated in April 2004, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The memorial includes three permanent exhibitions surveying the tragedys circumstances and reasons behind the growing tension between Rwandan ethnic groups that triggered the genocide.
Bombardier, Canadian multinational aerospace and transportation company, is set to invest in a rail industry cluster in Morocco that will serve as a hub for boosting exports to the African market.

The announcement was made by the Chairman of the Moroccan branch of Bombardier Transport, Taoufiq Boussaid, who stressed the pertinence of the new investment which will be in tandem with the transport growth in several African countries.

The African continent needs to meet considerable challenges relating to transport in order to support its urban growth and facilitate the development of key cities, Boussaid explained at a meeting in Casablanca.

Morocco is the logical choice to launch our Africas strategic industrial platform, he said.

This cluster will have positive impact on the local ecosystem and will help support the groups European units.

This new investment by Bombardier Transport will help create jobs and reinforce the capacities of the local employees through training and the transfer of technology which is conducive for attracting more investments in the field of the rail industry, said Boussaid.

Ultimately, Bombardiers ambition is to reach 40,000 square meters of industrial units, the creation of an engineering center in Casablanca, the creation of 600 direct jobs and technology transfer in this sector, Boussaid went on to say.

Bombardier Transport Morocco has been based in Casablanca since 2011, the date when the company won a contract to renew 14 electric trains of the national rail company (ONCF) linking Rabat to Casablanca.

Besides rail industry, Bombardier began in 2013 operating an aeronautic plant located in the Nouaceur free zone near Casablancas airport employing 300 people.
The much criticized presidential election by the opposition has come to an end and President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has triumphed. In a victory speech address to all the Mauritanians, the president assured his countrymen that he will serve without favor. Most of the opposition parties boycotted the elections claiming that it was a forgone conclusion. The elections attracted 56% of the registered voters and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz accounted for 82% of the votes counted.

The victory speech was read by Sidi Ould Salem on behalf of the president. Salem is the campaign manager of the ruling party. The text stated that the percentage of the voters participation shows that a large part of the Mauritanian people (are committed to) pursuing the process of consolidating democracy and good governance. The opposition was expecting majority of the voters to boycott the elections.

The statement added that President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is dedicated to pursuing the consolidation of democracy and good governance by strengthening national unity, the independence of the judiciary, the fight against waste and social inequality as well as the reduction of poverty through a better redistribution of the nations wealth.

The unification of the country will be very important during the Presidents five year mandate because the elections focused more on social and economic issues.

Issues such as slavery were high on the agenda prompting Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid to be considered as the anti-slavery candidate due to his campaign platform. He was the runner up to the president with less than 9% of the votes.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has promised to guarantee the rights of all citizens during his mandate. He came to power through a coup detat in 2008.
Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, arrives at federal court in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Photo: Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff to New Jersey governor Chris Christie, took the stand in the Bridgegate trial Friday and dropped a few bombshells. Kelly, who sent the infamous time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee email, testified that she told Christie about the traffic study plan in August 2013, a month before the George Washington Bridge lane closures.

Kelly, whos charged in the Bridgegate case, testified that she had discussed a traffic study with David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official who confessed to being the mastermind of the plot in August 2013. Kelly said Wildstein had emailed her, asking to discuss an issue that was extraordinarily weird even by my standards. The two spoke on the phone, and Wildstein told her Fort Lees access lanes to the GWB were tying up traffic on the bridge, and Wildstein wanted to do a traffic study on what would happen if Fort Lee no longer had that privileged route. Kelly said Wildstein told her it would cause major traffic problems, but the plan would boost the governor ahead of his reelection campaign  Christie would be able to take credit for easing traffic on the George Washington Bridge, reports the New York Times. Kelly alleges that Wildstein asked her to run the plan by Christie.



Kelly went to Christie with Wildsteins plan, and the governor allegedly told her it was fine. Christie then, according to Kelly, asked her about Fort Lee mayor Mark Sokolich:

Bridgegate Defendant says Christie knew about the lane closures and gave his consent before she sent "Time for some traffic problems" email pic.twitter.com/M2rV20gf7j  Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) October 21, 2016

Kelly met with the governor on August 12, 2013; the next day, she fired off her traffic problems message to Wildstein. Kelly testified that, at that point, she still understood the closures to be a legitimate traffic study  and not an alleged political payback against Sokolich for failing to endorse Christie. Kelly testified that traffic problems was a phrase she borrowed from Wildstein, one she used because she blasted off the message in a rush.

Kelly, along with Bill Baroni  a top Christie staff appointee at the Port Authority  are charged in the Bridgegate federal case. David Wildstein named them both when he pleaded guilty to his role in the plot, and is now the star witness for the prosecution. Wildstein had testified last month that he had told Christie about the lane closures after they began, at a September 11 memorial.

Christie, who has denied knowledge of the scheme, has not been charged  though he will have to testify next month to a criminal complaint surrounding his alleged involvement in Bridgegate.

Kelly took the stand in her defense, and her attorneys tried to portray her as an eager-to-please employee; she even said at one point that she was afraid of the governor. Kelly recounted Christies alleged temper in her tearful testimony:

Angry Gov Christie told Bridget Kelly, "what do you think, I'm a f***ing game show host" after she set biz mtg 4 him. @wcbs880 #Bridgegate  Peter Haskell (@peterhaskell880) October 21, 2016
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally on October 18, 2016, in Grand Junction, Colorado. Photo: George Frey/Getty Images

Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today: Trumps dangerous rhetoric, the last presidential debate, and the potential future of the GOP.

Despite the protestations of his party, his campaign, and his family, Donald Trump still refuses to state outright that he will unconditionally accept the results of the election. Could he be too isolated for this stance to be dangerous?

Its true that Trump has virtually no allies at the top of the GOP when it comes to his new crusade to delegitimize the results of a presidential election. When Charles Krauthammer, a conservative pundit who gave Trump more rope to hang himself than many, calls his stand political suicide, and when a proven right-wing nutcase like Maines governor Paul LePage tells Trump to get over yourself, you know youre out on the fringe.

But being on the fringe does not mean Trump is isolated. Its not for nothing that, as the Boston Globe recently reported, his supporters are talking about armed uprisings and assassinations if he doesnt win. These furies have been fueled not only by Trump but by his campaign chieftain, the Breitbart warrior Stephen Bannon, and the whole alt-right zoo that has now found a home in the Republican Party. Are there enough of these people to win a national election? No, but lets not forget that the polls (the real polls, not the online polls cited by Trump) consistently show that roughly 40 percent of those watching felt that Trump won this weeks debate. There are more than enough of them to make the election and its aftermath hell. Before the debate, after all, Trump was all but inviting those Second Amendment people hed previously encouraged to take aim at Clinton to take their guns to polling places in cities with major black populations to intimidate minority voters. The Times reports that few are heeding his call. But it only takes a few to turn Election Day very dark indeed. This is what we should be worrying about rather than another empty threat by Trump to file a lawsuit if he doesnt like the election results.

What the Republicans who are separating themselves from Trump this week dont seem to realize is that they are too late  way too late  to hop off Trumps kamikaze mission unscathed. Instead of releasing press statements taking issue with Trumps latest ravings  and Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell havent even done that, by the way  they might start making some amends by mobilizing behind a proactive plan to keep the Trump mobs from interfering with voters on Election Day. But given the larger GOPs record of trying to suppress minority voters with unconstitutional state laws and lying  a project that long precedes Trumps ascent  they are unlikely to do so. And they will own whatever happens on Election Day.

The standard narrative of the past few weeks blames Trumps fortunes on his own missteps, but after the last debate some pundits are coming around to the idea that Hillary Clinton set a series of very effective traps. Should she get more credit?

Without question, Clinton set a brilliant trap near the end of the first debate: her telling of the story of Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe who was a twofer as a victim of Trump bigotry  hed disparaged her both as a woman and as a Hispanic. His campaign has never been the same since. The airing of this incident set him off on a Twitter bender and set the stage for an outpouring of sexual-assault allegations (some of which were seemingly confirmed by Trump himself, with Billy Bush as prompter). Whats also been impressive about Clintons debate performances was her sheer professionalism as a debater: She was usually poised, retained her sense of humor, and steadfastly avoided getting down in the muck with Trump under very trying circumstances. Best of all, she executed superb psychological warfare, irritating him with her continued use of Donald, confronting him with precise regurgitations of some of his most embarrassing quotes, and maintaining her self-control so that he could hang himself with his constant interruptions, his bizarre stage perambulations in the town-hall debate, and a repertoire of inane or blustery facial expressions that made you wonder if he was channeling Alec Baldwin rather than the other way around.

He was so amateurish that you have to ask again: Why did so many conservatives go into primary season convinced that the field of Trump opponents was so talented? That field of 16 was up against a guy who did no preparation, knows no facts, runs out of attention span and stamina like clockwork after 15 minutes on stage, and in general behaves like a child with ADHD who has no parent at home to make sure he takes his medication. The universal excuse for his GOP opponents poor performances was that with so many of them cluttering the stage they had no chance to slay him. My alternative theory is that they were ill-prepared, lazy, and made no attempt (as Clinton did) to study and game out the narcissistic buffoon they wished to vanquish. They lost not because there were so many of them, but because Trump in fact outsmarted them in the arena.

Meanwhile, it should also be remembered that Clinton had her problems in the debates, some of them visible at the final one: She has never come up with a persuasive explanation for her email carelessness and she offers no real defense for the many conflicts of interest haunting the Clinton Foundation. Compared to Trumps transgressions  including, as Clinton pointed out, his own utterly bogus foundation  hers are misdemeanors. But the first thing she should do on November 9 is shut down the Clinton Foundation and find a transparent, independent mechanism for adjudicating any ongoing conflicts between its donors interests and a Clinton administration.

In a Bloomberg Politics poll conducted last weekend, only 24 percent of Republicans said that, if Trump loses in November, he should be the national face of the GOP (and only 15 percent picked Ryan). Is there anything the party can do to bring itself together?

Far and away the most interesting thing about the poll is who Republicans want most as the public face of their party: Mike Pence (at 27 percent, only slightly ahead of Trump). Pence is a raving homophobe and anti-abortion-rights zealot whose gubernatorial endorsement of a religious liberty law in Indiana last year had to be walked back lest it devastate business in his own state (much as has happened in North Carolina after its Republican governor signed on to a legislative trampling on LGBT rights). Pences popularity at home was collapsing at the time Trump alighted on him; he was eager to join the ticket for the simple reason that without it he might have to go look for a job. In his short time on the national stage, he has been consistently caught lying, even when the proof of his dissembling is a Google search away on video, handy to be cut into a Democratic campaign ad within hours after hed left the debate stage with Tim Kaine. This is the best the GOP has to offer?

Maybe so. The GOP elites would have it that Ryan is the great white hope (and I do emphasize white) of their party, the adult who will inherit the Earth once the Trump fever has passed. But as this poll shows yet again, the Republican base doesnt want Ryan any more than it wanted a Kasich (10 percent). It wants another Trump, a new and improved Trump: Thats why the aggregate percentage in the poll for the base favorites of the GOP  Pence, Trump, and Cruz  is 70 percent as opposed to a total of 25 percent for Ryan and Kasich. So Pence is serving as a placeholder until the next shining demagogue comes along.
Nancy Pelosi could yet take Paul Ryans gavel away, but it wont be easy. Photo: Win McNamee/Mark Wilson/Getty Images

While the fight for control of the U.S. Senate has long hung fire, whats new in the election stretch-run reckoning is the possibility that a generally bad year for Republicans is eroding the previously very high odds the GOP would maintain its majority in the House. Republicans are probably going to lose seats in any event, and that could cause some problems for Speaker Paul Ryan, whose margin of error to survive a backbench conservative revolt could be wiped out. But now its no longer out of the realm of possibility that Democrats could gain the 30 net seats they need to flip the lower chamber. That would be a development of enormous significance, particularly if it is in conjunction with a Democratic takeover of the Senate, which would likely happen in the kind of wave election that placed the House in play. A Democratic Congress could enable a President Hillary Clinton to enact major elements of her domestic agenda, from a minimum-wage increase to an Obamacare fix to an upper-end tax increase to pay for it all.

Clinton is now leading Trump in the presidential race by the kind of margin (6 points in the RealClearPolitics polling averages, 7 points in HuffPost Pollsters averages) normally associated with a big margin down-ballot. But a combination of incumbency, gerrymandering, superior GOP voter distribution, and inferior Democratic-candidate recruitment means that one cannot assume a Democratic win in the popular vote will translate into Democratic seats. In 2012, in fact, Democrats won the national House popular vote by 1.3 million votes, yet won only 201 seats.

Trumps travails have raised some possibility that the Democratic popular-vote advantage could go much higher into the kind of wave election that can produce big gains. Polling of the congressional generic ballot, in contrast to presidential polling, currently gives Democrats a 5-point margin, according to the RealClearPolitics averages. If it moves up into the neighborhood of the high single or low double digits, House Democrats could have the oxygen they need to capture the chamber. In 2006, for example, an 8-point national-popular-vote lead for Democrats produced a gain of 31 net seats  one more than this years target.

But House victories have to be won district by district. And at the moment, most prognosticators dont see the sheer number of vulnerable Republican seats that would normally yield big Democratic gains. Both Daily Kos Elections and Cook Political Report currently show 30 Republican-held House districts as competitive (toss-ups or leaning in one direction or the other). But Democrats have some vulnerable districts as well (ten according to DKE, seven according to Cook), so even a lucky sweep will not do the trick unless Democrats become competitive in races that now tilt pretty heavily to Republicans. And there are a number of factors that could increase ticket-splitting among voters abandoning Donald Trump at the top of the ticket while sticking with Republicans down-ballot  including paid ads for GOP candidates recommending them as a curb on a President Hillary Clinton.

Races to watch to see if Democrats can get themselves into the ballpark for winning the House begin with one very ripe national target, Representative Darrell Issa of California, who represents a Southern California district where Trump could take a beating. The very wealthy and regularly abrasive Issa has been conspicuously pro-Trump, and is in a real race with Democrat Doug Applegate, who is benefiting from major national-party-committee financial support.

Another possible bellwether is the rural, blue-collar second congressional district of Maine, where freshman Republican Bruce Poliquin won a House seat in 2014 in part because of a ballot initiative on bear-baiting that drew hunters and other conservative folk out in droves. Hes in a rematch with Democrat Emily Cain in this historically Democratic district, and could be helped by another ballot initiative, this one expanding background checks for gun ownership. A big variable in ME-2 is Trump, who has led in some polls in this district, one of two in the country that independently award a presidential Electoral College vote.

If you are looking for a vulnerable Republican whose defeat could really frighten Paul Ryan and his colleagues, Kevin Yoder of Kansas, who represents a suburban Kansas City district, is a good choice. Yoder was rated as a safe reelection bet against Democrat Jay Sidie. Between Trump and Governor Sam Brownback, Kansas Republicans are dealing with a lot of handicaps and internal divisions. But the states partisan leanings should be enough to rescue Yoder  unless a wave appears.

Stephen Wolf of Daily Kos Elections sums up the uncertainty about the House:

[I]t isnt impossible that some of those seats where Republicans are modest favorites could swing toward Democrats over the final few weeks. Indeed, many prognosticators only captured the 2006 wave very late in the election cycle, and the same thing could happen here.

Democrats should hope Trump keeps acting crazy and that Republicans cannot get quite far enough away from him. Otherwise, Republicans will likely hold on to the House and hold a veto over Hillary Clintons agenda.
Photo: Brian Blanco/Getty Images

When Barack Obama spoke the Republican nominees name at the Democratic National Convention, the room erupted in a cacophony of jeers.

Dont boo  vote, the president replied.

On Friday, Donald Trump debuted his own, idiosyncratic version of this sentiment. At a rally in North Carolina, the GOP standard-bearer branded Hillary Clinton the most corrupt politician ever to seek the office of the presidency. His supporters affirmed this charge with a vigorous lock her up chant.

Well, lets do this. Lets do this  November 8, lets win.  Trump proposed. We win, we have lots of options. But we gotta win.

In other words: Dont shout lock her up  elect me so that I can abuse my executive powers to actually imprison our political enemy.

As Politico notes, some of those options may be even more fantastical than the prospect of Trump actually coming back to win on November 8.

Back in March, Trump was asked what hed be looking for in a Supreme Court nominee. The mogul said that he would select people that would look very seriously at Clintons email disaster. (Auditing the Executive branchs internal investigation into the mishandling of classified information is not a thing the Supreme Court does).

Trumps primary proposal for locking up Clinton  instructing his Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to look into her behavior at the State Department  is closer to plausible, but still problematic. The president does not have the legal authority to order the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor. However, Trump could appoint an Attorney General who he knows is interested in investigating Clinton. But then, why involve a special prosecutor? Why not let Attorney General Chris Christie just conduct the witch hunt himself?

All of which is to say: The GOP nominees plans for jailing his political rival seem a little half-baked. Fortunately for Trump, there is little chance hell ever need to refine those plans.
At last nights big Al Smith dinner, Trump managed to offend Catholics while trying to pander to them. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

One of the pivotal demographic groups Donald Trump is struggling with is Catholics, who often closely represent American public opinion as a whole (Obama won them by 2 points in 2012). You might guess Trumps Catholic problem is largely the result of his manifest unpopularity among Latinos, the fastest-growing category of U.S. Catholics. But no: A recent poll from the Public Religion Research Institute showed him running behind Hillary Clinton among white Catholics, a pretty reliable GOP-leaning group for many years.

It is hard to sort out cause and effect here, but Trump continues to blunder in ways that hurt him with Catholics. Trying to show his religion bona fides early in the nomination contest, the mogul talked about eating my little cracker, a reference to the Eucharist that probably drew a wince from a lot of Catholics (and, for that matter, Orthodox Christians or some Protestants) who are highly reverent toward the Most Blessed Sacrament. This was the same Frank Luntz interview, moreover, when Trump seemed puzzled at the idea of asking God for forgiveness, which likely offended Christians of every persuasion. Then there was the Sunday when he dropped cash in a communion plate  a pretty dramatic exhibition of his leanings toward the Church of the Golden Calf. That was shortly before he called Pope Francis disgraceful for questioning the compatibility of nativism with Christianity.

Perhaps justifiably frantic about Trumps weakness among Catholics, his supporters tried to make the case that one of John Podestas illegally stolen batch of emails showed Clinton staffers betraying a hatred of Catholicism. This claim did not much survive the realization that all of the staffers involved in the brief discussion of Catholicism in question are themselves Catholics. And as conservative Catholic Ross Douthat quickly explained, the anti-Catholic utterances in those emails actually reflect differences of opinion between progressive and traditionalist Catholics.

Youd think an outsider like Trump might not have trotted out this line of attack against Clinton in an audience very familiar with the long-standing Catholic civil war between modernizers and their co-religionist rivals you know, an audience like the one at the annual Al Smith dinner in New York, a traditionally jovial charity event both major-party presidential candidates usually attend in order to lob good-natured jibes at each other. Some observers think both candidates broke the rules at last nights Al Smith dinner, while others believe Trump was the prime offender. Either way, it was Trump who tried to make Catholicism itself a campaign issue with a ham-handed allusion to the Podesta emails:

Weve learned so much from WikiLeaks. For example, Hillary believes that its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private  Thats okay, I dont know who theyre angry at, Hillary, you or I. For example, here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.

Not exactly a knee-slapper, was it? And it was roundly booed in a roomful of people who  whatever their politics  knew it was total BS.

Trump should probably leave Catholics alone between now and November 8. Matter of fact, given the tensions his recent and past behavior is creating among the heavily Republican conservative white evangelical constituency, he might want to give Christianity in general a wide berth.
New Hampshire senator Kelly Ayotte. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The Trump campaign will not go quietly into that good night. For all the incoherent ravings that have spilled out from the moguls gaffe-hole over the past seven days, hes made one thing perfectly clear: If hes going down, hes going down in flames.

And Republican Senate candidates are starting to feel the heat. Last week, FiveThirtyEights Senate forecast gave Democrats a 56 percent chance of winning the upper chamber  today, that figure is 73 percent.

Before we dig into where and why the winds of electoral fortune have shifted, lets quickly review what needs to happen for Chuck Schumer to become Senate majority leader. Assuming Hillary Clinton wins  and Tim Kaine becomes the Senates tie-breaking vote  Democrats need to gain four seats on November 8 to seize the majority. Republicans have already left two of their incumbents for dead  Mark Kirk in Illinois and Ron Johnson in Wisconsin.

Five other Republican seats are up for grabs, while just one Democratic seat is in contention. Thus, to take the Senate, Team Blue need to win three of those six races. Right now, FiveThirtyEights model has the Democratic candidate favored  in some cases, by a thin margin  in five of them.

Over the past week, Democrats have made their biggest gains in New Hampshire, Nevada, and Missouri.

In the Granite State, Republican senator Kelly Ayotte had leveraged her name recognition and relative popularity into a small but sturdy lead over the states Democratic governor, Maggie Hassan.

But Clinton leads New Hampshire by roughly seven points. Thus, Ayottes advantage was always dependent on her ability to stay balanced on a tightrope between supporting Trump and disavowing him: Appear too supportive of the nominee, and she loses the backing of moderate ticket-splitters; appear too antagonistic, and she loses a large swath of her partys base.

For months, Ayotte was able to split the difference by saying she supported Trump, but didnt endorse him. But in recent weeks, this paradoxical position became impossible to sustain. At a debate with Hassan, Ayotte was asked if she considered her preferred presidential candidate to be a good role model for children. Ayotte stammered that she absolutely would.



Yikes, absolutely painful response from Kelly Ayotte on whether children should look up to Donald Trump as a role model. pic.twitter.com/WvGEomS3bF  Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) October 3, 2016

The next day, she said she had misspoke, and that of course she doesnt think Americas children should look up to the person she backs for president. Then, Trumps grab em by the pussy tape forced Ayotte to break completely from the mogul.



Now, Ayotte may be finding herself in the worst of both worlds  her belated rejection of Trump looking less than inspiring to the reality stars detractors, but infuriating to his supporters.

On Thursday, a poll from WMUR and the University of New Hampshire put Hassan ahead of Ayotte by eight points. That was enough to move the races polling average, per FiveThirtyEight, from a 1.6 percent advantage for Ayotte, to a 1.3 percent lead for Hassan.

Joe Heck, the GOP candidate for Harry Reids seat in Nevada, has also fallen victim to the Trump-22. Clinton isnt quite as strong in Nevada as she is in New Hampshire, but Heck still needs to win anti-Trump votes to enter the upper chamber. And so, following the publication of Trumps 11-year-old boast about committing serial sexual assault, Heck announced his disavowal of the GOP nominee  and was instantly met with a chorus of boos.

That sentiment was reflected in the next round of polling. Per PPP:



Hecks disavowal of Donald Trump is hurting him in the race. 34% of voters say that makes them less likely to vote for Heck, compared to only 19% who say it makes them more likely to support him. Among Trump voters, 48% say Hecks statement makes them less likely to vote for him.



You can see the negative impact of Hecks new stance on Trump in his numbers among Republicans. In our tracking last week Heck was already under performing within his own party, winning only 76-13. This week hes fallen even further to having just a 70-15 advantage among voters of his own party.

In states polling average, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto has gained 3.2 percent on Heck in the past week, making the race a dead-tie.

The story in Missouri is much different. There, the Democrats improving fortunes have less to do with Trumps toxicity than with the appeal of Team Blues candidate. Secretary of State Jason Kander is young, handsome, an Afghanistan veteran, and, most importantly, capable of assembling an AR-15 while blindfolded.

Kander has positioned himself as a fresh-faced alternative to incumbent Republican Roy Blunt. In ads, Kanders has noted that Blunt is such a Washington insider, most of his immediate family members are lobbyists.

This appeal seems to have been effective. After trailing Blunt for months, Kander has gained four points in the last week to put himself on top in the race, by a single digit. And, according to the New York Times, both parties internal polling shows Kander on top.



Democrats have made slimmer gains in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, while in Indiana, Democratic favorite son Evan Bayh has actually lost ground. Bayh is still the favorite in the Hoosier State, but one of his key strengths  his coziness with big-money donors  has become a key liability, as Republican congressman Todd Young has hammered Bayh for joining a lobbying firm after his last stint in the Senate.

Pat Toomey has navigated the Trump challenge better than most, by simply refusing to ever take a stance on the GOP nominee, one way or the other. The incumbent Republican has generally polled at least five points ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania. But, as Voxs Andrew Prokop notes, polling five points ahead of Trump may not be good enough, if the moguls descent continues. At present, Democrat Katie McGinty is the slight favorite in the Keystone State.

Finally, in North Carolina, incumbent Republican Richard Burr retains an advantage over Democratic challenger Deborah Ross. But Ross is gaining ground. And early voting in the Tarheel State suggests Republican turnout may be down significantly from where it was in 2012.

Trump has a 5 pt lead among voters who have returned NC absentee ballots, according to our estimates. Romney won the NC absentee vote by 33  Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) October 20, 2016

Ultimately, turnout could be the decisive factor in all of these races. The central hope of every anxious GOP operative is that, eventually, Trumps collapse will actually redound to the benefit of down-ballot Republicans. The idea being that Americans will vote for a check on President Clinton, out of a misguided belief that divided government would produce compromise, instead of dysfunctional gridlock.

But it also seems possible that many would-be ticket-splitters will just decide to go straight home after work. If they do, Democrats will have a fighting chance of fulfilling their wildest down-ballot ambitions  evicting Marco Rubio from the Senate, and putting Nancy Pelosi in charge of the House.

If that happens, Trump will have done more to advance progressive change in the United States than most Democratic politicians ever could.
Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images

This afternoon, Facebook announced that it is working to revamp the social networks community guidelines in the wake of sustained criticism about their enforcement. Weeks ago, the site faced an embarrassing situation after they removed the famous Vietnam War photo widely known as Napalm Girl. Its concern stemmed from fears of violating certain, region-specific norms on child pornography, but the site quickly learned that a one size fits all approach doesnt work on controversial and arguably newsworthy subject matter.

Observing global standards for our community is complex. Whether an image is newsworthy or historically significant is highly subjective, Facebook vice-presidents Joel Kaplan and Justin Osofsky wrote in a blog post today. Images of nudity or violence that are acceptable in one part of the world may be offensive  or even illegal  in another.

They continue:

In the weeks ahead, were going to begin allowing more items that people find newsworthy, significant, or important to the public interest  even if they might otherwise violate our standards. We will work with our community and partners to explore exactly how to do this, both through new tools and approaches to enforcement. Our intent is to allow more images and stories without posing safety risks or showing graphic images to minors and others who do not want to see them.

This is admirable  Facebook accepting, and taking responsibility for, the enormous power it wields. At the same time, its kind of worrying. This is what happens when Facebook gets to be the filter through which a vast proportion of internet users get their news and assorted media. Were going to begin allowing more items that people find newsworthy. Was that ever  not going to be the case? Newsworthy is by definition a synonym for of public interest. That newsworthy posts were ever subject to removal should give pause to news organizations that rely heavily on Facebook for traffic and, subsequently, revenue. And not just news organizations: It should give pause to everyone, considering how important Facebook has become as a source of news and information for its billion users.

The announcement today follows a sustained internal debate at Facebook over how heavily the company should monitor and interfere on behalf of the quote-unquote Facebook community. According to The Wall Street Journal, some employees argued that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps call to ban Muslims from entering the country was hate speech. The post was flagged as hate speech and appeared to violate Facebook guidelines, but the decision was made to leave it up in an effort to be impartial during election season.

During one of Mr. Zuckerbergs weekly town hall meetings in late January at the companys Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, a Muslim employee asked how the executive could condone Mr. Trumps comments. Mr. Zuckerberg acknowledged that Mr. Trumps call for a ban did qualify as hate speech, but said the implications of removing them were too drastic, according to two people who attended the meeting.

The news of Facebooks striving for political neutrality comes on the heels of reports earlier this year that it suppressed conservative news outlets and concerns from appearing in the sites trending topics, and Mark Zuckerbergs defense of Trump donor and Facebook board member Peter Thiel. In the latter, Zuckerberg called for more openness to diverse opinions on the site.
Photo: Courtesy of the vendor, Getty Images

The annoying thing about watches is that the more you pay, the less you get; a handsomely minimalist Patek Philippe doesnt reveal its provenance unless you know what youre looking for, whereas the point of a Casio G-Shock seems to be that it can be spotted from the moon. Nearly every affordable watch is over-branded  Swatch, Fossil, and so on  which seems counterintuitive: Who wants low-priced jewelry that announces itself?

The aesthetically pure Swedish (of course) have solved this problem. Well, one Swede, at least: a guy named Filip Tysander, who runs a watch concern called Daniel Wellington. Youve maybe seen his Chinese-made products on Instagram. When Tysander launched in the mid-2000s, his company had a habit of handing out the watch to any stylish young man who wanted to take a selfie with it. (I wasnt one of those men, but I was working at a mens magazine at the time.)

Even if you scrolled past one of these portraits, you might not have noticed the watches because they lack details that would make them stand out. The hands and tickers are neat, brass- or silver-colored, and placed against a clean white face that says little more than the companys name in a small, Swedish-seeming font. That name  generic, vaguely patrician  cant be identified the way a Michael Kors or Kenneth Cole can, which is, of course, the point. The watches look expensive (i.e. they look like nothing) even though theyre actually not. Starting at $70 and topping out at $299 (depending on materials and size), DW has options small enough for womens wrists, too.

I wear my Bristol when I want something that tells time and no more, whether in a meeting where looking at my phone might get me fired, or because Im dressing for a wedding and want to jazz up my suit. At one point, during a particularly nuptial summer, I became bored with my perfect watch. But thats probably why Daniel Wellington also sells a ton of interchangeable straps.
Photo: Clockwise from left: Tara Rudolph, @designmom, @craftingbecky, Justin Hackworth, Sam Jones, Meredith Ethington

For many people outside the Mountain West, their first exposure to the Mormon community was through blogs. Over the past few years, a popular wave of Mormon lifestyle bloggers have subtly introduced the feminist blogosphere to the LDS community, offering wholesome family values alongside Pinterest-friendly shots of DIY home decor.



Having spent many hours getting to know these womens lives (and their photogenic children), I was curious how they are handling this long and nightmarish election season. And, as many others have noted, Mormons have had a particularly hard time with this election: Members of the LDS community are a reliably Republican voting bloc, but this year theyre faced with a GOP candidate anathema to their moral values. Mitt Romney publicly disavowed Trump from the get-go, while many of Utahs top Republican officials pulled their endorsements in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape.



I reached out to a number of popular female bloggers in the LDS community to get their thoughts, and found one common thread: a deep dislike of Donald Trump. More unexpectedly, I also found a lot of women who were not simply holding their noses and voting for Hillary, but who were doing so joyfully, and whose feminist views coexist  although not always neatly  with their Mormon beliefs. While these views certainly arent representative of every woman I spoke to, nor the church at large, they speak to a robust feminist strain within the LDS community that runs counter to a tradition of strict patriarchal values. Recent years have seen a surge in Mormon feminist spaces online, as well as an outspoken movement to allow women to serve in church leadership positions.



Here are seven Mormon women (including five self-identified Mormon feminists) on how theyre voting, and the state of gender and politics in the church going forward.



C. Jane Kendrick, 39, writer and blogger



When Mitt Romney ran last election, I decided to really have a good chat with myself and figure out where I was politically. I figured I would vote for Mitt because he was a Mormon like me. But in studying these issues and what my heart told me to do, I said, Oh my gosh. Im a Democrat! And Im liberal. So coming to a new identity on that was sort of heartbreaking and hard. I think my dad was more disappointed when I became a Democrat than when I told him I was having struggles with the church.

Mormon women are modern women. Most people I associate with are modern in every sense of the word: They believe in equal rights, they care about the wage gap, a lot of them work. By all accounts they would consider themselves feminists. However, the strange thing is that when they go to church as women, theyre not allowed to be leaders with major decision-making power; they are relegated to gender roles. Their life outside of the church probably doesnt echo what it is inside the church  but when this is your culture, you have to make it work for you in your head. And I think a lot of us, particularly those of us who have been outspoken as bloggers, have had to really take on that challenge. Because we have an audience who constantly asks us questions. I wouldnt be a feminist today if I didnt have that blog. I came out and said I wasnt a feminist, and 700 comments and a thousand emails later, I realized I really needed to look at this issue more clearly. And I have come out on the other side.

On the night that Hillary got the nomination I was alone, because I didnt know who in my community I could talk to about it. I was too nervous to reach out. So it was kind of a lonely moment for me, and I thought about people across the United States having parties and calling their moms and all getting together and enjoying this moment, and I just felt super alone. But Ive turned my daughters into Hillary fans, so now were all in it.

Liz Stanley, 36, founder and managing editor of Say Yes



Im definitely voting for Hillary, for a lot of reasons. Primarily that Im very engaged in some of the feminist movement in the church. Having a candidate thats a female is something thats really important and interesting to me, especially as a mother of two girls. Part of my struggle with the church is wanting an environment for them where they can grow and develop into whatever they want to be and not into these predefined roles. And I think having an example of someone thats of their gender become president of the United States is amazing, and I wish I had that kind of experience growing up. And theres no question that all this insanity thats come out around Donald Trump and who he is and how he treats women is just disgusting. I just cant imagine anyone wanting to support that.

I feel like in really simple situations the church has been able to make a few changes. But for the most part the big issue is that the only way to have true equality is for women to also have the priesthood, and the priesthood is the power. There are some steps ahead and some steps behind, sometimes I feel optimistic and other times I dont think its ever going to happen. And as much as I dont want to think that has influence over whether my dad wants to vote for Hillary Clinton, you dont always think about how much sexism is ingrained in who you are and your belief system until you find yourself making quick judgments or off-the-cuff statements, and youre like, Oh, wait, thats kind of sexist. A lot of people in the church are really used to having male leaders, so, in their mind, a leader equals someone who is male and older and white. I think a lot of people are kind of unsure as to why they dont like her, and its something where you have to look a little deeper  like, is it something about her policy and her values, or is it because shes a woman?

Kate Jones, 35, blogger, photographer, and recipe developer at Our Best Bites



Ive voted for Democrats and Republicans. I think people mistake my independence as not caring, but I do, I care a lot. I just feel like I cant tie myself to a particular party. But Im voting for Hillary, and I voted for Obama both years. The Trump issue . I just cant. Ive always known that. I have strongly disliked him since the early days of The Apprentice. I dont like people like that. And when he started gathering momentum and support, I couldnt believe it was happening. And the longer hes in it, the worse things get. I live in Louisiana, which is a very conservative state, so my friends who are members of the church tend to be plugging their nose and voting for Trump. I have a few friends who are not plugging their nose while voting for Trump, and theyre really excited about it, which makes me nervous.



Abortion is a big issue for Mormons. But based on my research, Trump has never been particularly conservative or antiabortion. So Im not sure why people are voting for him based solely on this important issue. But I think a lot of people are looking past that, and a lot of people are beginning to understand that 99 percent of the time abortion is not a choice people really want to make, and I think people might be seeing that with increased health care and education, fewer abortions are happening. I think its been a real trial by fire for people to take a step back from party lines and say, What do I believe in? What does the candidate believe in? What am I going to do with my conscience?



A lot of people in the Mormon community are voting third-party, I think; I think they cant quite make the leap to Hillary. But my husband grew up in a much more conservative home than I did, and he is unbelievably irate about this whole Trump situation. I never thought I would see the day where hes so pro-Hillary, but here we are. Especially with the tape thats been released, hes been really questioning his political beliefs.



Becky James, blogger and co-founder of the Crafting Chicks

The election has been really tough. I think because of our religious beliefs, most LDS members are a little more conservative, and some of the big things for me are finding out where the politicians lie as far as abortion and freedom of religion, and things like that.

Before the primaries happened, I was just holding my breath like, Is this really happening? I figured Hillary Clinton would make it in. As a woman, Im very proud and excited that a womans made it, but I feel there are some questionable things in her past  which I know there are in a lot of peoples. But with her, there were just a lot of things, so it was really pulling me. I dont think Trump would ever have my vote, just because of who he is and some of the stuff thats come out lately. I just cant take him seriously. My husband and I have tried to sit down and watch some of the debates and were like, Really? We cant even stomach it. This election Im probably voting for Evan McMullin; I dont even know if hes being talked about out there. Honestly, I just feel like were all going to end up with who were supposed to, I guess, but I want to vote the way I feel the most comfortable.

I talked to friends about it a lot, the whole locker-room-talk thing. If I had boys, I would not want them talking like that, I dont care where they are. I dont want my husband talking like that, and he never would. And I had a cousin who was sexually assaulted and its brought back memories for her. If somebody thinks they can do that, thats just obscene. The whole thing is.



Abortion is probably the thing that would hold me up the most in voting for Hillary. But if there wasnt anyone else, I would most likely vote for her, because I cant put somebody like Trump in the White House.

Meredith Ethington, 39, freelance writer and blogger at Perfection Pending

Im still undecided. I definitely am not voting for Trump. Ever since he received the Republican nomination I really have not been a fan of his. He was never somebody who I thought held the same kind of morals that I believe in. Over the past few months, thats been proven by all the things in the media, especially as they relate to his treatment of women and his remarks about so many people who are already discriminated against.

I think its interesting, here in Utah, that a lot of people are really struggling with this election, because they dont support the Republican nominee, and Utah has been typically a Republican state. A lot of people I know are supporting Evan McMullin, who has come out of nowhere. And Ive heard that now hes tied in Utah with Clinton and Trump.

I would say I definitely lean more to feminist points of view than a lot of my friends in my community, lets just put it that way. I would love to see a female president, for sure. That wouldnt be my sole reason of voting for someone, though I love the idea of having a female president in office.

Megan Conley, 31, writer and blogger



I am active LDS, but I struggle with things that are expected to happen within my faith tradition, as I think most people who belong to any religion would. But I have been happy to see overwhelmingly the response to Trump from Mormons has been negative  like, Yay, guys, youre getting this one right. I hope one thing we learn as a faith is that theres no political tradition, ideology, or nominee that deserves our devotion. Ive gotta be honest, Christ probably doesnt belong to any political party. Hes definitely not a Republican. I mean, hes not a Democrat either.

Ive read so many good articles over the past couple of months from secular feminists who are pro-life who have written about how they feel a need for a political home, because theyre Democrats in pretty much every sense except for the abortion issue. And I think we could find many LDS people that are moderate or left-leaning, except for the abortion issue. That said, being pro-life means being pro-life, even after a babys born. And nothing Trump represents is pro-life to me. He may have the talking points about abortion  I dont actually think he believes them  but every other aspect of his campaign is anti-life. You cant have his stance on refugees and claim youre pro-life. You cant have his stance on the women you work with and claim you are pro-life. And I think thats something the secular pro-life movement is teaching the Christian pro-life. And I think some parts of the Christian right are learning that lesson and are happy to learn that lesson, and thats why theyre voting third-party or for Hillary.

Its so funny, I moved to Oakland a few years ago and I write and people ask me about my views. Im this Mormon feminist, which is like a unicorn people want to know what that means, and are there others like me, and is there this magical land of Mormon feminists? And there kind of are. Theyre all over Utah. Theyre all over Provo; theyre all over Salt Lake. Theres a lot of room inside Mormonism for different kinds of political and ideological thought. While I know not all feminists feel this way, I hope that one result of this election is the establishment of feminism as a big tent. I hope instead of asking women whether they agree with us, we start asking them if they want to build with us. Mormon women - of all political and ideological stripes - are anxious to build with their sisters no matter the faith tradition (or lack thereof) they subscribe to. And finding a way to build something meaningful, useful, lasting with women you disagree with - even heartily - has got to be one of the core tenets of feminism or else it will not survive the upheavals of the coming years - with or without Trump as nominee.

Gabrielle Blair, 42, designer, blogger, and founder of Design Mom (and sister-in-law to Liz Stanley)



Ive voted Democratic in the past, but not always. Ive gone back and forth. I like Hillary as a candidate; I like that shes spent her career advocating for women, children, and the underserved. I wouldnt even consider Trump as an option. Hes not even on the table. And the third-party candidates Im having a hard time taking really seriously.

My Oakland congregation looks and sounds different than congregations in the heart of Provo, Utah; its one of the most accepting Wards in terms of liberal views. But there is a vibrant and very vocal feminist activist group in the church  a lot of women who care about these issues. It is fascinating for me, as a Mormon, to grapple with the very traditional patriarchal structure of our church and also to care about feminist topics and womens rights. You have these Mormon women who are encouraged to get an education and see the same media that you and I see, and theyre reading the same books and they think of themselves as feminists, even if they dont want to use the word. And they feel the need to defend the church and say No, its not sexist, its so great. There really is a Mormon-defense-mechanism instinct that is extremely strong.

I would say the church pushed me into feminism, though I think that was not their intention. I grew up a feminist. I was always in charge of everything. I was student-body president, and felt like all doors were open to me and that women have power. I didnt necessarily think of myself as fighting for feminist causes  I just thought this is how women are. But years ago, we had a poster on our fridge of church leadership, and my 6-year-old daughter looked at it and said, Are boys more important than girls? Because Jesus is a boy, the Bishop is a boy, boys have the priesthood. And my jaw just dropped. I never needed the churchs approval; I was very confident myself and did my thing, but I had this daughter who was seeing things differently. She was clearly being affected by it. So the poster came down immediately. And now basically every time theres a church lesson, Im editing it for feminism. I knew I needed to make sure they were getting these messages about equality.
Photo: DC Entertainment

Back in August, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped that his successor would be a woman, which would be a first in the U.N.s 70-year history. That did not happen. Antonio Guterres of Portugal will take office in January 2017  but last week, they did appoint Wonder Woman, the fictional comic-book superhero, as an honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls.



The decision inspired both breathless praise and criticism online, and now, the New York Times reports that U.N. staff members have started a petition asking the organization to reconsider their choice in advance of the official ceremony honoring the character. (Also according to the Times, Several United Nations officials have expressed concern about the Wonder Woman campaign in private.)



Per the petition:



Wonder Woman was created 75 years ago. Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent warrior woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the characters current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee high boots the epitome of a pin-up girl.

Theyre looking for 1,000 signatures and urging the secretary-general to consider the appointment of a real life female role model that women and girls the world would be able to look up to, irrespective of their cultural background.



No word yet on how many times Emma Watson has signed it.
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Auburn University has been named one of three universities in the state's Regional Autism Network, which officially launched Oct. 1 under the direction of the Alabama Department of Mental Health, lead agency of the Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council.

The Auburn network, directed by Doris Hill, will be housed in the College of Education's Regional Inservice Center. Other networks include the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of South Alabama in Mobile. All three institutions have long histories of working with people with disabilities, including autism. There is a plan for the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Huntsville to join the network in the near future.

"We have a very specific charge from the Alabama Legislature in terms of what the network should do," Hill said. "The most important of these is to connect families to services in state and local agencies and school districts. Although the network itself will not provide direct services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder, we will provide individual and direct family assistance, technical support and consultation, professional training and public education programs to increase awareness about autism and autism-related disabilities."

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and Autism Speaks, autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that is characterized by behavioral challenges, deficits in socialization and communication and a restricted range of activities and interests. The level of impairment varies greatly from individual to individual, as does the response to intervention.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, around 1 percent of the world's population has an autism diagnosis, with an estimated one in 68 children in the United States identified with autism spectrum disorder. Boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed than girls, with the disorder affecting one in 42 boys and one in 189 girls. The number of individuals diagnosed with the disorder in the United States has increased by nearly 120 percent since 2000, making it the fastest-growing developmental disability and an urgent public health care need. This increase may also be attributed to the broadening of the diagnostic characteristics of the disorder as well as broadened public awareness.

"The Legislature provided us with initial funding of $75,000 to begin this network," Hill said. "Our network is the largest of the three and will serve 21 counties, including the counties of Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, Russell and Wilcox. We have already conducted regional assessments to gather data and information to gain a good understanding of the resources, strengths, and needs of our area. These assessments were also conducted to develop community and regional relationships, which will further nurture the statewide system of care for individuals impacted by ASD."

Hill said Auburn has several built-in assets to support such a network, perhaps none more important than being housed in the East Alabama Regional Inservice Center on campus, which is providing space, staff, faculty time and other infrastructure to make the regional network a reality.

Auburn also has a program for providing board certification in behavior analysis through the Department of Psychology, a Special Education program with expertise in autism, a new medical schoolthe Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicineinterested in collaborating on clinical and research projects in autism, a School of Kinesiology with faculty who focus in autism interventions, a department specializing in communication disordersprevalent in children with autismand clinical services offered through the Psychology Department and the Auburn University Speech and Hearing Clinic.

"We also hope to collaborate with Human Development and Family Studies and the Center for Health Ecology and Equity Research committee, which has a focus on health inequities," Hill said. "Auburn already has several autism advocacy groups ready to support and help the Network connect with families in need of services for their children, many of whom are approaching adulthood. I am very excited to begin this important new initiative in our state."

Hill can be contacted at hilldol@auburn.edu or 334-844-2004.
lololol

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i'm frequently stoned (read: all the time) but this honestly had me be like, "wait. did i get like extra high?"

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lmfao

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Who asked for this

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wtf is this

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what the shit

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LMAO

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(that first pic) such a great ad for SAIL!



the rest...am i high

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what in lucifer's backpack...

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FUCKING GONE LOL

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CACKLING

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lmao

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lmao

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lol ICU knocking off that one "Lucifer's fannypack" comment from years ago

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lmaooo

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lol

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Is this referencing some sort of gaming/ snapchat/ insta trend that I am missing bc I'm old?

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Humanoids? Girl you 2.5% shy of being a furry in these photos.

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I am so confused, so very confused...

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 as if

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She probably binge eats like 5 burgers and then only drinks water for a week, a lot of people I know do that

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I haven't read her say that (not saying she hasn't before it's deff possible) I usually see her say something like "I eat clean most of the time so I don't feel bad on the days I do have a burger"

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I reject this furry nightmare.

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nightmares

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does not compute...

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Ugh, I still think about this from time to time, her case was so sad.



I remember I only heard about it on here because someone posted an article from their local news while major publications like THR and Variety ignored it for days.



RIP Misty.

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Oh wow, I'm glad they made a documentary about this. I feel like this case received zero attention; it's so sad and frustrating. I'll def see this.

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This is heartbreaking. I was just thinking about her yesterday, then woke up to this post. Absolutely devastating to her family and community.

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I never heard about this but my gosh, people are people and police should have the responsibility of investigating every crimes that happen.



When is this film coming out? Did anyone ever get arrested for this crime?



Justice for Misty Upham! RIP Misty.





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I remember this case. So terrible. And there was never a proper investigation? Wow.

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This story always broke my heart and it always reminds me of how police treat missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada too. Her life had so many highs but then filled with so much tragedy. I'm glad that as difficult as it must be that her family and friends get to finally tell her story like this.



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The situation with aboriginal women's murders going uninvestigated in Canada is so shameful. It's a huge cultural attitude too, I live in a very "liberal" city but I've heard so many people say nasty racist things about aboriginal people out of nowhere. It's awful.

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Yup. Or they make excuses for the system. People say they deserve to pay $12 for water bottles because of shipment costs and then you show them a $9 Coca-Cola can sitting beside a $2 Pepsi can on the same shelf and they have nothing to say.



The number of times I heard we've done enough or so what because they get "free" land that isn't remotely free or accessible to most.

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speaking of, i was reading an article this morning about the murder of 17yo colton boushie in saskatchewan by that old farmer, and the conflicting version of events between the farmers and the kids is so disturbing. it seems people in that community refuse to believe anything other than "them native hooligans got what they deserved for trespassing & theiving" like it's the 1800's again. ugh. devastating for the boushie family. the way canada brushes off our murdered & missing indigenous people is such a shameful secret.

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UGH that last part -- he isn't even sure that he has her ashes? Horrible.

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I'm glad her family continues to speak out, and that this documentary appears to be endorsed by them. The responses to her death, even some here on ONTD, were very depressing. When I read about Misty's death, or cases like Loretta Saunders (or any of the many similar stories), it really hits home how little law enforcement or anyone outside of Native communities cares when something bad happens to us.

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your last point is unfortunately relatable for me as an indigenous person in australia, and i would guess most indigenous communities around the world. non-indigenous ppl can be incredibly apathetic.

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They really do, the argument of you don't belong here is so beyond me because you never hear it from Indigenous people.

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non-indigenous people will never acknowledge (in any substantive way) the suffering of indigenous people - if they did it would call into question the legitimacy of their societies, imagined histories, sense of self etc. If we won't allow ourselves to be just a footnote in a history text, the only other option acceptable to them is apathy/denial.

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We're all just a fairy tale to most people. :/

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It's good this case was brought up. Publicity could encourage someone to reveal an important detail to the police to get those assholes soon. That poor girl

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she was so beautiful.

To wonder that the ashes received aren't hers has to be so hard. I don't understand how this and other cases fail/ed to move the law into action.



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I hate that I'm not surprised how the police (didn't) handle her case.

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Aww </3 RIP

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I definitely want to watch this. Such a tragic case.

The police wonder why people hate them good lord.

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I remember reporting about Misty's disappearance. It made me so mad that my bosses didn't really care because it wasn't clickbait. There was so much more to the story. You felt it when you looked at all the missing holes.

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out of curiosity - why not include boys and men in the database?

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are you canadian? jw

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Are you a programmer? Jw because if not I would donate time to help setup and map your DB.

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that's a great thing to be doing! take care of yourself though because i imagine constantly seeing that data must do a number :(

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Hey there! I have a website that tracks the cases of missing, murdered, and unidentified Native women if you're interested or if it would help with your project.



www.justicefornativewomen.com

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Not sobbing 

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Do you think Diego and Gael have sexually experimented with each other? Like at least a threeway?



Edited at 2016-10-21 06:14 pm (UTC)

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Well lowkey didn't mexico give land to farm to Americans in texas instead of giving it to it's people? I feel a little ashamed that Mexico decided to invite Americans instead of investing in it's people.. it's not like Mexico didn't know that the US was thirsty to expand

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Oh damn I replied to the wrong comment! Sorry! Flop -.-

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Wait what

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Lmao this complicated sexual analogy...and yes I know it was a mistake, but I cackled.

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"it's not like Mexico didn't know that the US was thirsty to expand"



BUT IS DIEGO THIRSTY TO ~EXPAND~ GAEL, THAT'S WHAT THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW

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y tu mama tambien better be a documentary as far as i'm concerned

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lmaoooo yass! i'm pretty sure they've taken out some stress with each other before

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No

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diego luna's ads are so good.



this mother's day ad legit still makes me sob to this day.



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lmao at "gracias, jefas"

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I still can't watch this without sobbing.

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This commercial



</3 my god

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Marketing people, I need your help!



Does this kind of marketing technique have a name? Where the content is emotional and heart-wrenching (the interracial cheerios commercial, any fucking thai commercial) and then it cuts to some crap like toothpaste or hardwood floors? I suspect there has to be a name for it, because I want to know if it is having an impact on the public's ability to empathize.

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appeal to pathos?

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I'll look into that, idk why I never thought a rhetorical device wouldn't be used by marketers.



I s2g this is becoming more and more common, every commercial break seems to have an emotionally wrenching clip which is supposed to be selling me socks or a granola bar.

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Diego + Jarritos = PERFECCION!!! 

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Lo siento prima perro Joya >>>>>>>>>>>

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Damn advert making me cry. I'll never understand American culture even if I've lived here my whole life. Our history and culture is so great because we're so many different cultures fused into one. I'll never understand the xenophobia when no one actually is from here unless you're a Native American.

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I started tearing up when they showed the little boy from the beginning again against the studio background.

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I especially agree with the NA part. They have every right to be angry. I know a number of them because a woman I bbsit for represents a lot of tribes, and their anger is so justified.



I think it is really funny to see pundits claiming that nativism is misguided and that the fear-mongering associated with immigrants is totally unfounded. I'm like, "ummmm....you are forgetting something major in the history of the New World, me thinks."

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mte i came in here to ask the same thing. it's been down for ages

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right? I went to sleep because I had nothing better to do lmao

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omg

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they even hit Pinterest of all things

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hmm, i just checked and it's working for me.

spotify has been working as well.

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Is something wrong with Twitter? I have been using it all day just fine until like a couple of hours ago I started to not be able to see some pics until I click on them but that's just only a bit annoying, nothing important.

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Diego Luna is always going to be Huicho Dominguez's son, no matter what he does. lol

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im dead omg this is a #flashbackfriday

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asdfhnl, the memories.

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This tugs at my immigrant heartstrings like whoa.

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#sinllorar



I'm not an immigrant but like many mexicans living in Mexico this hits home because you always know someone who has left the country to go to the US for a better life. I live in the northeast of Mexico and I always see centralamericans because they're on their way to the US. I dont think people seem to realize this, but when millions of people leave their country -sometimes with their family- to cross to another one, through another big country, it means that things are BAD in their homeland. And i dont think the US common folks (or the western~ countries) realize that this is happening in the Americas, specifically in some Latinamerican countries.





Even though it's a commercial for Jarritos (that i love me some tamarindo jarritos), the message is beautiful. I wish more peoole would see it as beautiful and as human it is. I'm not an immigrant but like many mexicans living in Mexico this hits home because you always know someone who has left the country to go to the US for a better life. I live in the northeast of Mexico and I always see centralamericans because they're on their way to the US. I dont think people seem to realize this, but when millions of people leave their country -sometimes with their family- to cross to another one, through another big country, it means that things are BAD in their homeland. And i dont think the US common folks (or the western~ countries) realize that this is happening in the Americas, specifically in some Latinamerican countries.Even though it's a commercial for Jarritos (that i love me some tamarindo jarritos), the message is beautiful. I wish more peoole would see it as beautiful and as human it is.

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it's that mentality of putting yourself in another's shoes that prevents so many people from understanding the person behind the label they force upon them. to leave loved ones, to leave your home, your language and possibly any professional training (like being a doctor or an engineer) behind for the *hope* of a better life, not even a guarantee, it's just a hope, that takes immeasurable bravery and sacrifice because in many scenarios that hope isn't even for you, it's for your kids. I don't understand how people can be narrow-minded about what a big thing that is.

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damn this shit made me think about my tata working in the orange groves in california as a teenager and shit, and how far my family has come



also I live in Sweden and I miss Jarritos :(

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It's nice to see something like this after all the gross shit that's been said about immigrants lately



also tamarind jarritos = best jarritos

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is that michael pena narrating?



alsoooo



joya >>>>>> jarritos



Edited at 2016-10-21 07:46 pm (UTC)

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Si mama!!!! I can't at all my friends fawning over jarritos. I grew up on Joya so I'm biased but it so happens to taste much better.

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Late af but joya is the beeeeeest! Joya de Manzana <3

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That was lovely awww

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oh no :( I hope she's found safe and sound. how terrifying for her family, I hope they're getting a lot of comfort at this time.

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oh no, i hope she is found safe

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damn. i hope she's found :(

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A press release has been sent to: ICTMN, VARIETY, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, LA TIMES, SEATTLE TIMES, and local TV stations Kiro 7 and King 5.



so far, only indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com has posted about it.

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are you shocked?

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Someone should contact them. I'm thinking about doing it myself.

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KING5 tweeted about it, but I haven't watched the local news today so I have no idea if they covered it on broadcast. It's disappointing that Seattle Times hasn't published anything.

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Ugh. Unsurprising and so disappointing.

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Just saw that Just Jared picked this up. I hope more news sources will as well.

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damn she's been missing for a while

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knowing she is a NA woman I don't think there is much chance of her being found alive.

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sad but true

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why is that? :(

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http://peoplesworld.org/feb-14-marches-for-missing-native-women-unite-action-with-compassion/ hundreds go missing and are murdered every year

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wow....

she was so good in 'frozen river'



hope she's found.

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I loved her in that movie. I was so disappointed (but not surprised) that her career never took off.

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i loved her in august: osage county too. i watched it with my mom and we were both like "yeah!" when she started beating up dermot mulroney for coming onto abigail.

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that was my favorite scene in the whole film tbh :( she was so good in it and by far the most sympathetic character

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nooo :(

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Oh no :( Hope they find her quickly and hope she is safe.

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:(



I hope she's found alive and well. This is terrible.

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this is horrible :(



I hope she's found soon

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This is so upsetting. An unbelievable number of Native and First Nations women disappear every year, but no one ever talks about it.



Edited at 2014-10-10 09:59 pm (UTC)

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Seriously. There were a few actresses I follow trying to talk about this and get a hastag to go viral a few months ago and nothing happened. It's really revolting how much no one cares.

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Just curious, who did you tweet? Did no one respond? I've seen non-profits try to tweet celebs too about various issues, but for the most part no one really tweets back, which isn't surprising I guess.

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Is there any suspected reason? Why don't people talk about it? :(

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and aren't they also one of the racial groups most likely to be sexually assault by non-NA men? D:

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I really hope she is found soon. :( Missing cases scare me so much. I still get very anxious whenever I see that Soul Asylum videoclip about missing kids.

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I don't think I would be able to endure decades of not knowing where one of my loved one is. I used to cling to my siblings and mom as a toddler after watching something tragic on the news. I literally had to hug them for a bit just to calm myself down.

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Websleuths is my guilty pleasure. The cases from the 60s/70s seem to have lots of family members that post and it's so difficult to read what they have to say - so many of them still have hope, even after so many years.

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that video frightened me like nothing else. I even remember a bully talking about it in school, how scared it made him.

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me too.

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ohhh damn. hope she's okay!!

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that's so scary

i hope they find her and that she's alright

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I'm so glad this is getting attention. Yesterday when I made the post, only one other news outlet had written about it.



Same. A lot of news outlets are picking this up now so hopefully someone with info will see it.



Also I read in the reuteurs report that she called 911 and said she was suicidal and then was gone before help arrived and the police are now saying "Oh she probably just needed some space."



WTF. I hope they're actually trying to locate her.

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Right? I read somewhere that "she had access to money and she left on her own free will," like, and? I hope the idea of her leaving someplace on a vacation is true, but it's been 5 days.

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Seriously. I get that she is a grown woman under no obligation to tell her parents/family where she is, but the police should be trying to track her down to ensure she's alive.

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Oh man I hope she's found :(

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Safe and sound of course. I hope this gets more attention too

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It's pretty obvious why it's higher....it's all in the history and what the US has done to them even to this day

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Yes, it is very true. The depression leads to substance abuse. During my time in my college, for Native Americans, 5 students had committed suicide and others had attempted suicide, and at least 3 students had alcohol related deaths.

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do you really need to wonder why

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I never knew about that statistic before. That's so sad

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The Native population has been through so much shit.

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it's the same for first nations and aboriginal in canada

they've been systematically fucked over for centuries and have been shoved aside by the government. i can speak for canada when saying the residential school system fucked up a lot of families and those effects were passed onto kids too



depression often leads to substance abuse and when you're living in a remote community with the very basic of necessities and resources, you're more likely to choose to self-medicate

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Natives have (I believe) the highest suicide rates in North America. It's not a mystery why - it's 500 years of cultural trauma, land dispossession, and institutionalized discrimination. Settler colonialism is a system designed to eradicate indigenous people, and it's almost impossible to live under it without feeling the effects.

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Not a good sign if she's suicidal and been missing for days.

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hope she's found safe :( feel like there's been a lot of high profile missing girls cases around lately and it's really scary and sad.

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I hope they find her alive

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So sad. I hope she is ok and reaches out to her family soon, so they know she is safe.

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gosh this is upsetting. i really hope she is found alive and can get help. struggling with depression for so many years really takes a toll (said captain obvious)

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I hope she's ok :(

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I hope she'll be found.

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Oh no, I hope they find her soon.

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I hope they find her :(

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This is so sad. I'm Blackfeet as well, so we're both from the same reservation. I've always looked up to her, so I hope she's found. But the fact she went of her medication isn't a good sign.

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Despite Irans efforts to re-enter the oil market, and amid promises two years ago by the country to open up the industry to foreign market after the sanctions against it were lifted, investors are still having difficulty making any real headway in the country.

Oil majors from around the globe have been to Iran to meet with local officials regarding upcoming tenders. Despite that, several representatives and their negotiating teams have said that they were still in the dark about the geology of the oil fields in Iran, and even on the terms of the contracts. They also did not know who their local partners would be, and how soon they would begin to recoup their investments in the Iranian fields.

Contract terms are important since investors do not want terms that could cause them to violate any remaining sanctions. Bob Dudley, the Chief Executive of BP commented, Iran is a large oil and gas province ... but we don't have any specific contracts right now. "We're going to have to be very careful. We don't want to violate any sanction."

Another issue that has hampered progress for companies that wish to do business in Iran is that of political infighting. Opponents of President Hassan Rouhani are opposed to foreign companies controlling oilfields on the grounds that such a move contradicts the Iranian constitution. The government in turn is accusing its opponents of stifling the nations recovery. Presidential elections are set for May, and Rouhani faces escalating opposition from followers of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards.

Along with opposition, tension between the two sides is also on the upswing.

Yet another issue is the fact that the management at the National Iranian Oil Company has been reshuffled several times this year. Foreign companies have discovered that the team with which they have been working has been changed, and the moves have also resulted in contract delays.

Lincoln Brown for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Historic week in oil and gas exploration. With the tiny Central American nation of Belize kicking off its first-ever offshore evaluation work this past Thursday.

That area could yield some interesting results, given its proximity to known oil and gas fields in the offshore of Mexico. But one other petro-locale in the news this week absolutely dwarfs this play in terms of upside.

The emerging investment destination of Iran.

Ive been writing for some time now about the saga around Irans first open oil and gas tender in years. With the most recent development being that lawmakers in country finally agreed in late September on a new model for petroleum contracts to be given to international operators.

With that critical detail resolved, Irans government announced this week it has now officially launched its historic bid round.

Heres what we know so far.

On Sunday, Irans Oil Ministry officially invited international E&Ps to start pre-qualifying for bidding. And by Thursday officials said they are negotiating with 16 international oil and gas firms.

Thats a lot of interest, coming together very quickly. And another announcement this week from Irans government makes it clear why this bid round is turning into such a major event. Related: Oil Titans Differ On Whether Prices Will Spike Or Remain Low

Up until now, the view had been vague on exactly what fields might be offered as part of this licensing round. Officials had mentioned that the South Azadegan field would likely be the first project to be tendered out  given this field is a priority in terms of size (with output projected at up to 600,000 barrels per day).

But Irans government this week clarified that Azadegan wont be the only field on offer. In fact, the Oil Ministry said that a full 50 projects will be available for bids  consisting of 29 oil fields, and 21 natural gas fields.

Thats a huge slate of projects to choose from, in one of the most high-upside spots on Earth (Iranian officials also said this week many of the offered projects are economic at $40 oil). Watch for the identities of the 16 pre-qualified firms to be released, and for final results of the bid  with submissions required by November 19, and final awards expected on December 7.

Heres to opening the vault.

By Dave Forest

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Crude oil prices are on a tear. They have recently reached a new 52-week high, and considering the momentum behind the markets, it is likely that the elusive breakout above $52 a barrel, the mark that provided resistance earlier, will be crossed.

There are various periods in the markets when the fundamentals don't determine the price, rather it is sentiment that drives prices higher or lower. Similar to the $20 and $15 a barrel call when crude prices were falling, the $55 or $60 a barrel mark is the touted figure for crude oil these days.

Will prices reach those levels? They certainly can.

When the sentiment is right, every piece of bad news becomes good news, and prices rise on weird justifications. We will analyze the technical picture of oil a little later, but let's first look at the fundamentals and understand whether oil prices should be where they are today.

OPEC production hits a record, the highest since 2008

While OPEC's report shows that the oil production rose to 33.39 million barrels per day (bpd), IEA estimates that OPEC production is at 33.64 million bpd. That's a difference of 350,000 bpd. It's interesting to note that the OPEC nations are disputing the production levels shown in the OPEC report.

While Nigeria says that they have produced less than what the report says, other memebers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Venezuela contest that they have produced more than the figures mentioned in the report. Iran, on the other hand, has refused to divulge any figures.

Everyone who will be involved in freezing or cutting production wants to ensure that they produce at the highest possible levels now, so that in the Novemeber meeting they can do away with nominal cuts. And when the OPEC reporting is being contested by its own members, what numbers will be considered legitimate when trying to ensure that production is limited to 32.5 to 33 million bpd, even if agreed to in the November 30 meeting?

Negotiating individual country quotas will likely reignite tensions in the group and the growing discrepancies between official and third party production estimates are a cause for concern, noted BMI Research.

Russia also pumping at record levels

Russia is all set to join the OPEC nations in their quest to stablilze the markets after President Vladimir Putin pledged his support to a production freeze. However, Russia too pumped to a new record of 11.11 million bpd in Septembera new post-Soviet high. Related: Oil Executives Have Little Appetite For Deepwater Drilling

Just days after Putin's statement, Igor Sechin, the head of Rosneft, Russia's largest producer, which produces around 40 percent of the nations crude, said that they will not join the OPEC in the production freeze. Not only that, he also said that Rosneft could increase production this year by another 4.1 million bpd above what it produced in 2015.

The Americans want it most [$50 per barrel] as the shale oil projects become profitable with such a price. And $60 will [only] result in more shale oil projects, Sechin told Reuters, reports Hellenic Shipping News.

The U.S. continues to increase number of oil rigs

The U.S. oil rigs that were dropping out of production at an alarming pace have started to return at an equally strong pace, considering that oil prices have only recently crossed the $50-a-barrel mark.

The U.S. [oil] rig count has steadily risen over the past weeks, to totals not seen since February, said Daniel Holder, commodity analyst at Schneider Electric, adding that since June, oil producers have added over 100 rigs, ending up last week at 432, reports Market Watch.

All these new rigs will increase U.S. oil production and will negate any deficit, if at all, that will be created by the OPEC agreement to freeze production.

What are the statements that are being considered as positive?

"Market forces are clearly working after a testing period of sub-$30 oil prices... Oil demand is expanding at a healthy rate despite slower global growth," said Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, reports Fox Business.

This is in contrast to what the IEA has forecast. Instead of the demand increasing, they have downgraded their expectations of a demand increase from 1.4 million bpd to 1.2 million bpd for the next year.

Apart from these, Iran, Libya and Nigeria are free to increase production, and all the three have indicated their willingness to do so.

Whichever way the math is done, fundamentally, there is greater supply than demand, yet crude oil prices are rising. Lets see the technical picture.

(Click to enlarge)

The chart above shows that crude oil recently broke out of an equilateral triangle, which gives it a pattern target of $61 a barrel, which also happens to be the next overhead resistance.

A break above the $52 a barrel mark also completes an inverted Head and Shoulders pattern, which has a pattern target of $76 a barrel. Related: Gazprom Feels The Pressure Of Low Gas Prices

So technically, both pictures point to a strong bull move in crude oil prices. However, the breakout above the $52-a-barrel mark will have to be sustained for higher levels to be achieved.

In February of 2015, the markets had attempted a rally, but failed. So the current breakout from the resistance will face a few smaller resistances until we see $54 a barrel.

With roughly six weeks to go until the November OPEC meeting, oil prices are likely to trend higher. Any dip will be a buying opportunity, as the OPEC members will speak up prices should they fall.

Whether the prices sustain after the November 30 meeting is a big question. Until then, oil traders should keep buying all the dips and close their positions close to $54 a barrel.

By Rakesh Upadhyay for Oilprice.com

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In the wake of negotiations and strikes by militants against oil companies and their infrastructure in the Niger Delta region, The Nigerian Navy has made a significant move towards securing the region.

On Wednesday, the Navy conducted Operation Safe Strike against the militants. In the operation, the Nigerian Navy arrested 75 people suspected of a host of charges, including illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping, impersonation and militant activities throughout the Niger Delta Region.

The Navy impounded three vessels and 80 boats that contained stolen crude oil. At Opuama in the Ughelli South Council, the Navy also located a workshop specializing in the manufacture of pistols and rifles.

Commodore Joseph Djunve, who is the commander of the NNS Delta, said that the suspects were arrested in different parts of the Delta State, with the bulk of the arrests being made in the Niger Delta. Djunve added that different types of weapons were being made at the workshop, and that the NNS Delta had information that the militants used their resources to rupture pipelines and to steal crude oil. A box containing equipment used in those activities was shown, along with the arrestees at the Warri Naval base. One of the arrestees who identified himself as Joseph Oba claimed that he was loyal to Farah Dagogo, who is a militant leader in the Bayelsa State. Oba, who was apprehended when the NNS Delta found the gun-making operation, said that he was invited to join the group, but he added that he joined the without knowing what he was walking into.

Also on Wednesday, the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta region announced that it had killed seven suspected militants. Lieutenant-Commander Thomas Otuji stated that three suspects were arrested in Yenagoa, in the Bayelsa State. According to Otuji, the taskforce also rescued a boat carrying rice and passengers that had been seized by suspected members of the Bakassi Strike Force.

Lincoln Brown for Oilprice.com

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The Islamic State began attacks on the oil-rich Iraqi province of Kirkuk on Friday, causing the deaths of 10 employees working at a power station in the town of Dubis, according to Rudaw.

Security forces have been clashing with ISIS militants for hours since the terrorist organization began a series of surprise attacks on Kirkuk some time before dawn.

Four of the 10 employees who perished during the attack carried out by four militants in Dubis were Iranian engineers.

The attacks have not affected the regions oil operations so far, according to local officials.

Im talking to you from Bay Hassan right now, Haji Rij, the chief of the KAP Groups oil department, told Rudaw by telephone. The oil protection forces are here. All the oilfields are safe and protected. Weve no trouble here. Our engineers are oil workers are working as usual.

ISIS fighters targeted the former Kirkuk police station through suicide bombs, occupying the building for several hours before special anti-terrorism forces drove them out.

ISIS attacked a security building and the former emergency police station, Sarhad Qadir, Kirkuks police chief, told Rudaw.

Qadir recommended that residents stay indoors until the situation in the province was under control. ISIS fighters, with the aid of sleeper cells within Kirkuk, detonated at least three suicide bombs around the city early Friday morning.

Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim said he had expected sleeper cells to begin attacks in light of the Iraqi governments recent military success in Fallujah and current efforts in Mosul.

It was expected that ISIS sleeper cells would make a move one day in Kirkuk now that the Mosul offensive has started and they want to boost their own morale this way, Karim said, noting that security forces had been able to secure the city despite the attacks.

The militants were not able to take any government building or even enter them.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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Shell has struck a deal with Canadian Tourmaline Oil Corp for the sale of oil and gas acreage worth over US$1 billion, as part of its US$30-billion divestment plan. The assets span 206,000 acres, both developed and undeveloped, in Alberta and British Columbia, with a total daily production rate of 24,850 barrels of oil equivalent.

The deal will comprise a cash payment of US$758 million plus US$279 million worth of Tourmaline stock, and is scheduled to close by the end of the year. According to the buyer, the acquisitions will raise its total output immediately by 13 percent and add probable reserves of 474 million barrels to its portfolio. Tourmaline plans to double the current output from the properties within the next two years.

Earlier this week Shell announced it has put up for sale another 16 non-core assets, expecting proceeds of over US$500 million.

The supermajor has been pressed to sell assets to reduce debt accumulated with the purchase of BG Group, which closed early this year. In addition to asset sales, Shell has shelved (or abandoned completely) several other projects over the last two years, including a US$7-billion Arctic exploration operation; a major LNG project in Australia, where it partnered with BP, PetroChina, and Woodside; and another LNG project, also valued at US$40 billion, in British Columbia.

Some of Shells North Sea assets are also up for grabs.

Earlier this year, CEO Ben van Beurden outlined Shells new leaner and deeper strategy, which would see the country exit between five and ten countries entirely. Under this strategy, Shell would also focus almost exclusively on deepwater oil and gas development and petrochemicals. Shale is also to join its priorities sometime after 2020.

In Canada, Shell will keepat least for nowits 650,000 acres in two Albertan shale plays, plus its oil sands property in the northern part of the province.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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By David Swanson, originally published by the Fairbanks Alaska Daily Miner

I would not rank Vladimir Putin high on a list of leaders. If I lived in Russia I'd be working for major reforms in my government, just as I'm doing where I do live, in the United States. I regularly go on Russian media and criticize the Russian government. Russia is illegally and immorally bombing people in Syria, just as the United States is doing in Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.

But there are Putin Halloween masks for sale in U.S. stores. Time magazine has Putin on the cover accusing him of trying to damage U.S. elections. A Google search for "Hitler Putin" brings back 11 million results. This demonization of a foreign leader should frighten us more than that leader himself.

Wars do not only kill, if they kill at all, a foreign leader. But they do kill large numbers of children, grandparents, mothers, and fathers. They enrage people, endanger us, damage the natural environment, justify the removal of our rights, and divert unfathomable resources from areas where they could have done a world of good.

The actual Adolph Hitler had no plans or ability to invade the United States and was defeated primarily by Russians who lost at least 27 million lives in the process. For over 70 years, since the end of World War II, the United States has bombed dozens of nations, and in every case that I am aware of U.S. officials have labeled a targeted individual "Hitler."

In May the Politico newspaper reported on Pentagon testimony in Congress to the effect that Russia had a superior and threatening military, but followed that with this: "'This is the "Chicken-Little, sky-is-falling" set in the Army,' the senior Pentagon officer said. 'These guys want us to believe the Russians are 10 feet tall. There's a simpler explanation: The Army is looking for a purpose, and a bigger chunk of the budget. And the best way to get that is to paint the Russians as being able to land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. What a crock."

Politico then cited a less-than-credible "study" of Russian military superiority and aggression and added: "While the reporting about the Army study made headlines in the major media, a large number in the military's influential retired community, including former senior Army officers, rolled their eyes."

The United States has overseen the expansion of NATO to Russia's border. The buffer zone of the last Cold War is gone. U.S./NATO missile bases are now in Romania and being built in Poland. The U.S. has organized in Eastern Europe the largest military exercises seen there since World War II. The U.S. role in supporting a violent coup that created an anti-Russian government in Ukraine was exposed before the coup. When the people of Crimea voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia, the U.S. media characterized Russian actions that resulted in total casualties of zero as "an invasion of Ukraine."

Without presenting us with any evidence, the U.S. government has accused Russia of shooting down an airplane, of exposing the corruption within the Democratic National Committee (shouldn't we be grateful?), and of somehow sabotaging the upcoming U.S. election. Every atrocity committed by Russia or Syria in Syria is big news. Every U.S. atrocity there is a yawn.

The stakes are high every time the United States overthrows a government. The disasters of Iraq and Libya have fueled the current catastrophes in those countries and Syria and around the region. But the stakes are higher when the United States and Russia confront each other. These are nuclear nations. Russia has announced that it is considering re-opening a base in Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis, in case anyone has forgotten, was one of the many times since the creation of nuclear weapons that humanity has come close to intentionally or accidentally destroying itself.

The nukes are of far greater strength now. And our understanding has grown of how a limited nuclear war anywhere on earth would create a crop-destroying nuclear winter followed by mass starvation. We don't need to take this sort of risk. To avoid it we need to turn away from war. And that means we need to stop using human rights abuses by targeted governments as excuses to bomb people.

We should protect human rights through leadership by example and consistent application of the rule of law. Doing so would then open the United States up to the possibility of opposing human rights abuses by some of the nasty governments that it props up and sells or gives weapons to, beginning perhaps with Saudi Arabia, a monarchy that makes Vladimir Putin look like Mohandas Gandhi.

David Swanson is speaking at the University of Alaska Schaible Auditorium at 7 p.m. on October 22nd. His books include War Is A Lie and War Is Never Just. He is a 2015 and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee.
From Paul Craig Roberts Website

Today, October 20, 2016, is the fifth anniversary of the murder of Muammar Gaddafi by forces organized and unleashed by US President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Remember the killer b*tch's performance, with gleeful laughter, on CBS "News": "We came, we saw, he died."

Muammar Gaddafi was the most progressive political leader in the world. Gaddafi used Libya's oil wealth for the benefit of the Libyan people. He lived in a tent, a nice tent, but not in a palace, and he did not have collections of European exotic cars or any of the other paraphernalia associated with the ruling families in Saudi Arabia and the oil emirates that are Washington's Middle Eastern allies.

In Libya, education, medical treatment, and electricity were free. Gasoline was practically free, selling for 14 US cents per litre. Women who gave birth were supported with cash grants and couples received cash grants upon marriage. Libya's state bank provided loans without interest and provided free startup capital to farmers.

Gaddafi's independence from Washington is what brought him down. Earlier in life Gaddafi's goal was to organize Arabs as a bloc that could withstand Western depredations. Frustrated, he turned to Pan-Africanism and refused to join the US Africa Command. He wanted to introduce a gold-based African currency that would free Africans from American financial hegemony.

Gaddafi had Chinese energy companies developing Libya's energy resources. Washington, already upset with Russian presence in the Mediterranean, was now faced with Chinese presence as well. Washington concluded that Gaddafi was playing ball with the wrong people and that he had to go.

Washington organized mercenaries, termed them "rebels" as in Syria, and sicced them on Libya. When it became clear that Gaddafi's forces would prevail, Washington tricked naive and gullible Russian and Chinese governments and secured a UN no-fly zone over Libya to be enforced by NATO. The express purpose of the no-fly zone was to prevent Gaddafi from attacking civilian targets, which he was not doing. The real reason was to prevent a sovereign state from using its own air space so that the Libyan Air Force could not support the troops on the ground. Once the gullible Russians and Chinese failed to veto the Security Council's action, the US and NATO themselves violated the resolution by using Western air power to attack Gaddafi's forces, thus throwing the conflict to the CIA-organized mercenaries. Gaddafi was captured and brutally murdered. Ever since, Libya, formerly a prosperous and successful society, has been in chaos, which is where the Obama regime wanted it.

All sorts of lies were told about Gaddafi and Libya, just as lies were told about Saddam Hussein and are told today about Syria and Russia. A British Parliamentary Report concluded unambiguously that the Western peoples were fed lies by their governments in order to gain acceptance for the destruction of Libya, and that Libya was destroyed because Gaddafi was regarded as an obstacle to Western hegemony.

Note that none of the presstitutes have asked the killer b*tch about her guilt under the Nuremburg laws for this war crime prepared on her watch. Note that the oligarchs who own the killer b*tch and their press prostitutes intend to make this war criminal the next president of the United States.
From To The Point Analyses

Part I -- Trump and his Predecessors

One frequent question I have gotten during the presidential campaign goes like this: "Donald Trump is so awful - have we ever had a presidential candidate as bad as him?"

Although often pictured as unprecedented, it turns out that for those acquainted with United States political history, there is something familiar about Mr. Trump. Thus, while uncommon in many ways, he is not original. In an article entitled "The Mind of Donald Trump" appearing in the June 2016 issue of Atlantic magazine, author Dan P. McAdams places Trump in both an historical and psychological context. He shows us we have been here before.

McAdams describes Trump as an angry, restless, narcissistic person driven to socially dominate every situation in which he finds himself. In terms of recent occupants of the White House, this gives him some traits in common with Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

For instance:

Like Richard Nixon, Donald Trump is a self-centered and disagreeable fellow. That is, in most circumstances, his default position is one of insensitivity, immodesty and a pushy, bullying attitude.

Like Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump the narcissist is always on stage, seeking to be the center of attention, an actor playing the starring role.

Like George W. Bush, Donald Trump plays that role in a frenetic, dynamic fashion. He is always on the go. He gives the impression that if he ever did stop and think about himself objectively he would fall apart. Thus, he has to keep moving.

However, Trump is only superficially like these recent presidents. If you want to know which past president really should remind us of Donald Trump, you would have to go back to 1820s and the political life of Andrew Jackson. Most Americans know Jackson, at least by sight, because he graces the U.S. twenty-dollar bill.

Part II -- Donald Trump and Andrew Jackson

Jackson and Trump are alike in remarkable detail. McAdams tells us that "President Andrew Jackson displayed many of the same psychological characteristics we see in Donald Trump -- the extroversion and social dominance, the volatile temper, the shades of narcissism, the populist authoritarian appeal." Both men are/were Washington outsiders who are/were adored by an often under-educated and frustrated segment of the population who identified with their hot-headed temperament, crude language and potential for violence.

Moreover, Washington insiders of that era "reviled Jackson" much as they now do Trump. Soon after Jackson won the presidency (with his second attempt in 1828), in a highly symbolic act, he invited "everyday folk to the inaugural reception. To the horror of the political elite, throngs tracked mud through the White House and broke dishes and decorative objects." It is easy to imagine Trump doing the same thing. By the way, Jackson always claimed that he lost his first attempt at the White House in the election of 1824 because his opponents cheated. Trump is already preparing a similar story line.

McAdams goes on to tell us that "the similarities between Andrew Jackson and Donald Trump ... extend to the dynamic created by these dominant social actors and their adoring audiences."

We can draw out this comparison even further. Perhaps Trump's most public image is that of the angry orator telling large attentive crowds that the U.S. is in deep trouble. "Something very bad is happening," he tells them, and the crowd waits with great anticipation for the simple solutions Mr. Trump will offer. The crowd knows that Trump's fears are accurate. Their own lives stand as proof to that fact. They are poor, alienated and with no prospects. He is their strong leader who will destroy their competitors (the "immigrants") -- who, in any case, aren't real Americans at all.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
From The Guardian

What's the CIA's brilliant plan for stopping Russian cyber-attacks on the US and their alleged interference with the US election? Apparently, some in the agency want to escalate tensions between the two superpowers even more and possibly do the same thing right back to them.

NBC News reported late last week that the CIA is working up blueprints for an "unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia," and it sounds a lot like they're planning on leaking documents on Vladimir Putin, just as the Russians are accused of doing to the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.

NBC reported that former intelligence officials said "the agency had gathered reams of documents that could expose unsavory tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin" and another former official said the US "should ... expose the financial dealings of Putin and his associates."



Hacking foreign governments -- including political parties -- is a US pastime, as even the former ex-NSA chief Michael Hayden openly admitted this week. "A foreign intelligence service getting the internal emails of a major political party in a major foreign adversary? Game on. That's what we do," Hayden said. He added: "By the way, I would not want to be in an American court of law and be forced to deny that I never did anything like that as director of the NSA." (Hayden probably doesn't want to find himself in an American court for a lot of reasons, but that's another story.)



It's the leaking of documents that is relatively new. The US, of course, has a long history of interfering in foreign elections as well, as Washington Post's Ishaan Tharoor detailed last week. That's not to excuse Russia's alleged actions, but everyone feigning shock and horror over this needs to take a deep breath because we are rapidly spiraling towards not just a digital cold war, but perhaps something far worse.



The question a lot of people were asking when this NBC News story came out is: why was it leaked? There's a couple of possibilities beyond the usual "the CIA can't keep a secret" -- which they obviously can when they want to. To me, the most likely scenario is this could be the CIA's attempt to back President Obama into a corner by putting public pressure on him to approve such an escalation in cyberwarfare.

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When I was sentenced to 30 months in prison after blowing the whistle on the CIA's torture program, friends, allies, former colleagues, and a whole lot of attorneys warned me that the Justice Department, the FBI, and the CIA were likely angry at the short sentence I received. Indeed, even after getting no halfway house time at all, I was released after serving only 23 months. I took those warnings seriously. I didn't trust anybody, inside or outside prison, and I was always alert to the fact that the FBI would likely try to set me up. Again.

Before my arrest, I was the senior investigator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, working for then-chairman John Kerry. As part of that job, I had lunch regularly with foreign diplomats. We would talk about the events of the day, the Middle East, war and peace, and other issues in the news.

One day a Japanese diplomat invited me to lunch. We met at a restaurant on Capitol Hill. I remember discussing Turkish and Israeli elections with him. At the end of the lunch, the diplomat asked, "So what's next for you?" "Well," I answered, "I think I'm going to resign soon. I told Senator Kerry that I'd give him two years. It's been two-and-a-half. I'd like to go back into business for myself." "No!" The Japanese exclaimed excitedly. His voice became a whisper. "I can give you money if you give me information."

I became angry. "Do you know how many times I've made that pitch? Shame on you. I'm going to report this."

I went directly to the office of the Senate Security Officer and told him that I had just been pitched by a foreign intelligence officer. He asked me to write him a memo, which he then sent to the FBI.

The next day, two FBI agents interviewed me. I told them the story and they asked me to call the diplomat back, invite him to lunch, and try to get him to tell me exactly what information he wanted and how much money he was willing to pay for it. I did that, and I wrote the FBI another memo. They asked me to do it again, a third time, a fourth, and a fifth. I sent memos to the FBI, recounting the conversation, after each lunch. Finally, the diplomat said that he was being transferred to Cairo. I shook his hand and wished him well. I never saw him again.

A year later, after my arrest, I received "discovery" from the Justice Department. In it were three memos between the CIA and the Justice Department. The first, from the CIA said, "Charge him with espionage." The Justice Department responded, "But he hasn't committed espionage." The CIA wrote back, "Charge him anyway and make him defend himself." And so they did.

The problem for the Justice Department was that I hadn't committed espionage. And so the FBI concocted a scheme, whereby an FBI agent pretended to be a Japanese diplomat to try to trap me into committing actual espionage. But I kept reporting the contact. To the FBI! The "transfer to Cairo" was just a way for the FBI to wrap up the operation. There would be no additional criminal charges.

But the FBI wasn't done with me. The 30 months I had received was not the 30 years they had preferred. I had been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, Pennsylvania, for about six weeks when a fellow prisoner, an Afghan national, approached me and said that a new prisoner wanted to meet me. The new prisoner, he said, had been the Taliban's spokesman in the United States and was in prison on a gun charge.

I declined. I had nothing to say to the Taliban spokesman, whose case I vaguely remembered from six or eight years earlier. A few days later, an obviously Afghan-looking man approached me in the prison yard, his hand outstretched and a big smile on his face. I immediately put my hands in the air. All I needed was a long-distance FBI photo of me shaking hands with a confessed terrorist. I told him to back off, using words that were much less polite. I wasn't going to shake his hand. "Come on," he said. We have a lot in common. "We have nothing in common," I told him. "Walk away before we have a problem."

As it turned out, he was released six days later. Imagine. He was only at Loretto for six days. I wonder what the FBI had offered him to wear a wire that day, to try to get me to implicate myself in God knows what. I'm glad I hadn't taken the chance.

I was released from prison in February 2015. Six months later, two FBI agents came to my door. They were all smiles and could not have been any friendlier. They showed me their badges and asked if I remembered a prisoner with whom I socialized at Loretto. I responded with, "You guys have a lot of nerve coming here. You know I'm represented by counsel." They said that my former "friend" might have returned to a life of crime. I told them to get off my property.

Last week, things turned a little more ominous. I received a call from a man who said that he and I had been colleagues overseas more than a decade ago. I did not recognize his name, so I asked him a few questions about where in the CIA he had worked and whom he knew from those days. He dropped a couple of names, but his CIA lingo was incorrect. He also seemed to know a little about my career, but he had the years wrong. I was confident that I had never worked with him.

By the end of the conversation, he had offered me a "consultancy," about what I am still not sure. He also offered me $5,000 a month to do "research" on his behalf. This had "pitch" written all over it. I wanted to have the same conversation with him that I had had with the fake diplomat. I wanted to say, "Do you know how many times I've made that same offer over the years?" But it wasn't worth wasting my breath. I told him to take a hike.

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Republican Rep. Mike Nearman is the current representative for House District 23 (Independence) and is running for re-election.

To visit his campaign web site, please click here: Mike Nearman for Oregon
Mustafa Kamal,Dr Ishratul Ibad at Loackerhead with each other

KARACHI: The war of words between friends-turned-foes Mustafa Kamal and Dr Ishratul Ibad intensified further on Thursday when the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chairman questioned the latters loyalty to the country and said that being a dual nationality holder the Sindh governor might leak sensitive information to other countries.



In response to the governors allegations that he indulged in corruption during his tenure as the Karachi mayor, Mr Kamal presented himself for accountability and asked Dr Ibad to constitute a joint investigation team or an inquiry commission to investigate all the charges against him.



The allegation that Dr Ibad possesses British nationality is more than a decade old. It emerged back in 2005 when the British media did a report that he had claimed benefits in the UK even after becoming the governor of Sindh.



Dr Ibads lawyer then held a press conference in Karachi and explained the legal position, but he did not respond directly to the question whether or not his client held a British citizenship.



On Thursday Mr Kamal again raised the issue at a press conference held at the PSP headquarters in PECHS to respond to the allegations levelled by the Sindh governor during his Wednesdays media talks.



But it all began on Oct 17 with an informal media talk outside the residence of a PSP leader, where all of a sudden Mr Kamal lashed out at Dr Ibad for allegedly stopping lawmakers belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) from joining his party, indulging in massive corruption during his 13-year-old rule and providing oxygen to MQM founder Altaf Hussain after his Aug 22 incendiary speech.



According to him, Dr Ibad wanted to become the patron-in-chief of his party without quitting his gubernatorial office and when Mr Kamal refused, he started working against the party.



For his part, Dr Ibad rejected all the allegations, praised Mr Kamals predecessor former mayor Niamatullah Khan and accused the PSP chairman of indulging in corruption by awarding contracts to his favourite firms during his tenure as the mayor.



And in what appeared to be a veiled threat, he spoke about hanging the perpetrators of the May 12, 2007 mayhem, punishing those involved in the Baldia Town factory fire case as well as extorting money from its owners, and reopening of the Azeem Tariq and Hakim Said murder cases.



Speaking at Thursdays press conference, Mr Kamal said he had no personal grudge against the governor but that Karachi and the Mohajir community were like a body and people like Dr Ibad and MQM founder Hussain were like cancer.



How can one hold such an important office [in Pakistan] after pledging allegiance to the Queen? he asked.



He said that during his long rule as the governor Dr Ibad did nothing for the people and instead destroyed institutions, universities and educational boards by indulging in massive corruption.



He asked why the governor had spoken up now about the May 12 incident and the Baldia factory fire case as well as the Azeem Tariq and Hakim Said murder cases.



Mr Kamal said the entire provincial administration, including Rangers and police, was answerable to the governor on May 12, 2007. If the Baldia factory case was indeed re-investigated, it would emerge that it was the governor who got the factory owners arrested and released and then sent them abroad.



He demanded that besides the May 12 and Baldia factory fire incidents, the 2006 Nishtar Park carnage in which the entire leadership of the Sunni Tehreek was targeted and the Dec 27, 2007 violence following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto be reopened for a fresh probe because these incidents happened during Governor Ibads watch.



In response to a question, he said that PSP president Anis Kaimkhanis name was not included in the new JIT report on the Baldia factory fire case.



He reiterated his demands that the government put Dr Ibads name on the exit control list, arrest him and initiate a transparent investigation against him.



Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Governor House termed the allegations levelled by Mr Kamal false, fabricated and unfounded.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
Meteorologist Paul Douglas writes about Minnesota weather daily, trying to go beyond the "highs" and "lows" of the weather story to discuss current trends and some of the how's and why's of meteorology. Rarely is our weather dull - every day is a new forecast challenge. Why is the weather doing what it's doing? Is climate change a real concern, and if so, how will my family be affected? Climate is flavoring all weather now, and I'll include links to timely stories that resonate with me.
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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



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Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


Bert Clark, President & CEO of IMCO and Rossitsa Stoyanova, Chief Investment Officer of IMCO published an IMCO Insight comment , Don't hit the panic button: How investors can manage (and even profit) from short-term volatilit y: How we think at IMCO At IMCO we believe that short-term volatility of returns is generally unavoidable for long-term investors. We think the key is not to try to alter asset mix to avoid it, but to have adequate liquidity to survive and, in some cases, profit from it. In retrospect, down markets may seem predictable and can cause investors to wonder whether they should stick with their long-term asset mix. Hindsight is 20-20, as they say. However, as painful as these periods of underperformance feel, we believe that investors should not attempt to tactically adjust their asset mix to avoid short-term weakness in returns. Instead, our view is that investors sho
UZH team in zero gravity. Credit: UZH

Saturday, a parabolic flight is set to take off from Swiss soil for the second time. It will be carrying experiments from various Swiss universities on board to research the effects of zero gravity on biological and physical processes, and test technologies. With this flight, the second from the air force base in Dubendorf within one year, the Swiss Research Station for Zero Gravity initiated by the University of Zurich has got off to a flying start.

A year ago, the University of Zurich conducted its first parabolic flight for test purposes from Swiss soil. Now a second aircraft is ready for lift-off to research zero gravity: Saturday, an Airbus A310 ZERO-G is set to take off from the air force base in Dubendorf equipped with scientific experiments from the Universities of Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and ETH Zurich. The aircraft will perform special maneuvers to generate weightlessness in particular zones over the Mediterranean. On these trajectories - alternating between steep climbs and descents - the earth's gravitational pull will be overcome for periods of 22 seconds at a time. Diverse experiments can be conducted on board during these brief phases.

Experiments from science and industry

Parabolic flights are vital for research under changed gravity: They can yield fundamental insights into the role of gravity in biological or physical processes. For instance, UZH is studying how human tissue reacts to the lack of oxygen in zero gravity - a key question for space walks; Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is using electrophysical tests to research the mechanisms involved in the perception of gravity by cells; a team of chiropractors from Balgrist University Hospital is testing functional connections in the development of back disorders, which can be identified more effectively in zero gravity; and another experiment conducted by ETH Zurich is devoted to the role of gravity in phytoplankton behavior, which should help improve our understanding of one of the most important oceanic microorganisms on earth.

Besides these "terrestrial" experiments, however, one is also aimed into space: The University of Basel is testing sedimentation behavior in Mars' gravity, thereby obtaining crucial data for the calibration of mathematical models with a view to reconstructing the planet's environmental history. The research flight is also attractive for the space industry: An experiment conducted by the Swiss start-up SpacePharma is testing scientific hardware designed for use on small satellites.

Research platform for zero gravity established

"Thanks to these research missions, Swiss Parabolic Flights, which were initiated by UZH, have taken root in Switzerland," says Professor Oliver Ullrich from the University of Zurich. He runs the Platform for Scientific Research in Zero Gravity, which is also backed by the Swiss Space Office of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The flexible combination of research from universities, industrial experiments and private individuals enables the costs of the flight to be minimized for science. These research flights into zero gravity are made possible by the close collaboration between Novespace, a subsidiary of the French space agency CNES, the Swiss Air Force, the Air Force Center in Dubendorf, Swissport and the Swiss SkyLab Foundation.
Otto Muskens. Credit: University of Southampton

A team of scientists, led by the University of Southampton, have produced a fast nanoscale optical transistor using gold nanoantenna assisted phase transition.

The work, published in the journal Light: Science and Applications, opens up new directions in antenna-assisted switches and optical memory.

Small nanostructures that can interact strongly with light are of interest for a range of emerging new applications including small optical circuits and metasurface flat optics. Nanoantennas are designed to have strong optical resonances where energy is concentrated far below the diffraction limit, the smallest scale possible using conventional optics. Such extreme concentration of light can be used to enhance all kinds of effects related to localised energy conversion and harvesting, coupling of light to small molecules and quantum dots, and generating new frequencies of light through nonlinear optics.

Next to precise tuning of these antennas by design, an ability to actively tune their properties is of great interest.

Lead author Professor Otto Muskens, from the University of Southampton, said: "If we are able to actively tune a nanoantenna using an electrical or optical signal, we could achieve transistor-type switches for light with nanometer-scale footprint for datacommunication. Such active devices could also be used to tune the antenna's light-concentration effects leading to new applications in switchable and tuneable antenna-assisted processes."

The Southampton team used the properties of the antenna itself to achieve low energy optical switching of a phase-change material. The material used to achieve this effect was vanadium dioxide. Vanadium dioxide is a special material with properties that can be switched from an insulator to a metal by increasing the temperature above the phase transition point (68 C).

Fabrication of this material is challenging and was produced by a team at the University of Salford, who specialise in thin-film deposition and who were able to grow very high quality films of this material.

Gold nanoantennas were fabricated on top of this thin film and were used to locally drive the phase transition of the vanadium dioxide.

Professor Muskens explained: "The nanoantenna assists the phase transition of the vanadium dioxide by locally concentrating energy near the tips of the antenna. It is like a lightning-rod effect. These positions are also where the antenna resonances are the most sensitive to local perturbations. Antenna-assisted switching thus results a large effect while requiring only a small amount of energy."

The theoretical modelling was done by a team from the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain. Their detailed calculations revealed that the nanoantennas provided a new pathway by local absorption around the antenna. The antenna-assisted mechanism resulted in a much lower switching energy compared to just the VO2 film, corresponding to picojoule energies and a calculated efficiency of over 40 per cent.

More information: Otto L Muskens et al. Antenna-assisted picosecond control of nanoscale phase transition in vanadium dioxide, Light: Science & Applications (2016). DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2016.173 Journal information: Light: Science & Applications
An artist's conception of this unusual system, a red dwarf star surrounded by the oldest known circumstellar disk -- a primordial ring of gas and dust that orbits around a young star and from which planets can form as the material collides and aggregates. Credit: Jonathan Holden/Disk Detective https://www.artstation.com/artist/gethralkin

A group of citizen scientists and professional astronomers, including Carnegie's Jonathan Gagne, joined forces to discover an unusual hunting ground for exoplanets. They found a star surrounded by the oldest known circumstellar diska primordial ring of gas and dust that orbits around a young star and from which planets can form as the material collides and aggregates.

Led by Steven Silverberg of University of Oklahoma, the team described a newly identified red dwarf star with a warm circumstellar disk, of the kind associated with young planetary systems. Circumstellar disks around red dwarfs like this one are rare to begin with, but this star, called AWI0005x3s, appears to have sustained its disk for an exceptionally long time. The findings are published by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"Most disks of this kind fade away in less than 30 million years," said Silverberg. "This particular red dwarf is a candidate member of the Carina stellar association, which would make it around 45 million years old [like the rest of the stars in that group]. It's the oldest red dwarf system with a disk we've seen in one of these associations."

The discovery relied on citizen scientists from Disk Detective, a project led by NASA/GSFC's Dr. Marc Kuchner that's designed to find new circumstellar disks. At the project's website, DiskDetective.org, users make classifications by viewing ten-second videos of data from NASA surveys, including the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission (WISE) and Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) projects. Since the launch of the website in January 2014, roughly 30,000 citizen scientists have participated in this process, performing roughly 2 million classifications of celestial objects.

"Without the help of the citizen scientists examining these objects and finding the good ones, we might never have spotted this object," Kuchner said. "The WISE mission alone found 747 million [warm infrared] objects, of which we expect a few thousand to be circumstellar disks."

"Unraveling the mysteries of our universe, while contributing to the advancement of astronomy, is without a doubt a dream come true," says Hugo Durantini Luca from Argentina, one of eight citizen scientist co-authors.

Determining the age of a star can be tricky or impossible. But the Carina association, where this red dwarf was found, is a group of stars whose motions through the Galaxy indicate that they were all born at roughly the same time in the same stellar nursery.

Carnegie's Gagne devised a test that showed this newly found red dwarf and its disk are likely part of the Carina association, which was key to revealing its surprising age.

"It is surprising to see a circumstellar disk around a star that may be 45 million years old, because we normally expect these disks to dissipate within a few million years," Gagne explained. "More observations will be needed to determine whether the star is really as old as we suspect, and if it turns out to be, it will certainly become a benchmark system to understand the lifetime of disks."

Knowing that this star and its disk are so old may help scientists understand why M dwarf disks appear to be so rare.

This star and its disk are interesting for another reason: the possibility that it could host extrasolar planets. Most of the extrasolar planets that have been found by telescopes have been located in disks similar to the one around this unusual red dwarf. Moreover, this particular star is the same spectral type as Proxima Centauri, the Sun's nearest neighbor, which was shown to host at least one exoplanet, the famous Proxima b, in research published earlier this year.

More information: Steven M. Silverberg et al. A NEW M DWARF DEBRIS DISK CANDIDATE IN A YOUNG MOVING GROUP DISCOVERED WITH DISK DETECTIVE, The Astrophysical Journal (2016). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8205/830/2/L28 , arxiv.org/abs/1610.05293 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal Letters
Everyone loves animal oddities. Darwin and Lamarck pondered the advantages of the giraffe's long legs and neck, while a few decades later Rudyard Kipling explained how the leopard got its spots. Today genome sequencing is fleshing out what we thought we knew about some distinctive animal adaptations, from the giraffe to the leopard.

Adaptations are inherited traits that increase the likelihood of an individual surviving to reproduce. A zebra's stripes rendering it invisible when it runs and the fennec fox's giant ears that dissipate heat and hear distant predators are adaptations.

A report in this month's Genome Research provides the basis for a "just-so story" about how the pangolin  aka the scaly anteatergot its scales. They protect, but in a way beyond the obvious. According to the genome, the armor of the pangolin replaced part of its immune response.

Endangered!

The eight modern species of pangolins began to diverge from their shared ancestor about 60 million years ago, which diverged from insectivores that preceded the placental mammals about 100 million years ago, when hairy animals were just beginning to replace the reigning reptilian giants.

This jacket made of pangolin scales was given to King George III.

Four of the modern species of pangolins live in Asia and four in Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species considers them "critically endangered" and they also make the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammals and amphibians list.

Pangolins are the the most trafficked and poached mammal. They are a delicacy in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, and their ground-up scales are used in Chinese medicine to treat cancer, various skin conditions, and poor circulation. In African folklore, a captured pangolin was brought to the chief, observed for a time, then sacrificed and served as relish for the meal of the chief and his senior wife.

Agriculture and deforestation have steadily shrunk the pangolins' habitats, and the animals are extremely difficult to maintain in captivity.

Meet the pangolin

The pangolin's trademark armor is actually a coating of hairs (keratin) glommed together into large, overlapping scales that cover all but the soft belly. "Pangolin" is from the Malay word 'pengguling,' for rolling up, which is what they do when they feel threatened, protecting their soft middles and the organs within.

The animal is toothless and nearly jawless, it's pointy snout and strong tongue ideal for hoovering up meals of ants and termites. Pangolins live in trees and underground. Seven of the eight species are fairly small, like a cat, but the giant pangolin Manis gigantean approaches 6 feet in length. It resides in burrows left by regular anteaters, which are only very distant relatives.

Pangolins are covered in overlapping keratin scales.

Pangolin vision is very poor, yet the sense of smell acute.

Pseudogenes and contracting gene families

Because the pangolin was the only placental mammal who hadn't had its genome sequenced, Siew Woh Choo, from the University of Malaysia and colleagues did so, for two females. One is a Malayan pangolin of species Manis javanica, which sounds like a Starbucks drink, and the other a Chinese pangolin, M. pentadactyla. The Malayan's genome is 23,446 genes and the Chinese one is 20,298same ballpark as us.

Evolutionary geneticists probe genomes for signs of positive and negative natural selection. Genes that don't vary much in DNA sequence from individual to individual indicate positive selection, because whatever the sequence is, the encoded protein is working: an if-it-ain't-broke scenario. In contrast, a gene that's no longer functional can be riddled with mutations, varying greatly among individuals  if it's protein isn't useful or even produced, it doesn't much matter what the underlying DNA sequence is. (Note to The New York Times and other media outlets: avoid "to evolve". Change driven by mutation and natural selection is not a desire or choice. It just happens. Giraffes didn't yearn to reach the treetops and alter their DNA accordingly.)

Genes that have diverged in sequence so greatly from the ancestral one that they no longer function are called pseudogenes. They may arise from a gene duplication  having an extra copy allows one gene to go on functioning while the partner accumulates mutations. In this way genomes come to harbor pseudogenes, the ghosts and echoes of functional counterparts from the past. The best-studied pseudogenes are in the beta globin cluster in human genomes.

Several pangolin genes have been "pseudogenized" into "loss of function"  what isn't needed accumulates glitches. And in those deactivated genes lies a genetic just-so story:

Speedy the tortoise, like pangolins, is toothless

A gene called ENAM, which encodes the largest tooth enamel protein, is full of premature stop codons, duplications, and deletions. Ditto the genes for the enamel proteins ameloblastin and amelogenin. Other toothless creatures, including baleen whales, birds, and turtles, also have mutations in these genes.

Several vision genes have been mutated into silence.

The interferon epsilon gene is so altered that it doesn't work in both pangolin species, as well as in their African counterparts. Yet it is fully functional in 71 other species of placental mammals, where it provides a "first line of defense" against skin infections. Several other interferon genes, which deal with infection, inflammation, and skin healing, are missing too. The Malayan pangolin has three, the Chinese pangolin two, yet other mammals a full set of ten. Use it or lose it.

Pangolin genomes have fewer heat shock genes, perhaps explaining their sensitivity to stress and their poor fate in zoos.

Expanding gene families

A look at gene families that have more members in pangolin genomes compared to those of other placental mammals provides the complementary positive view of evolution. These include genes that encode:

proteins that build the cytoskeleton, form cell-to-cell junctions, and promote nervous system function and signal transduction  traits necessary for scale formation

cathepsins and septins, which squelch bacterial infections

odorant receptor genes that underlie the pangolin's superior sense of smell.

So the clues in the pangolin genomes  which gene families have contracted and which expandedsuggest strongly that the armor has replaced part of the immune response. The tightly-knit, tough scales deter not only predators, but keep the animal free of infection.

Although it is intriguing to imagine reasons why animals are as they are  from the giraffe's neck to the leopard's spots to the pangolin's armor  clues in DNA sequences can provide a broader and less biased view of adaptive traits, from those that have stood the test of evolutionary time to those relegated to the genomic junkyard.

More information: Siew Woh Choo et al. Pangolin genomes and the evolution of mammalian scales and immunity, Genome Research (2016). DOI: 10.1101/gr.203521.115 Journal information: Genome Research

Provided by PLOS Blogs

This story is republished courtesy of PLOS Blogs: blogs.plos.org.
In 1937, US physicist Isidor Rabi introduced a simple model to describe how atoms emit and absorb particles of light. Until now, this model had still not been completely explained. In a recent paper, physicists have for the first time used an exact numerical technique: the quantum Monte Carlo technique, which was designed to explain the photon absorption and emission phenomenon. These findings were recently published in EPJ D by Dr Flottat from the Nice -Sophia Antipolis Non Linear Institute (INLN) in France and colleagues. They confirm previous results obtained with approximate simulation methods.

According to the Rabi model, when an atom interacts with light in a cavity, and they reach a state of equilibrium, the atom becomes "dressed" with photons. Because this takes place at the quantum scale, the system is, in fact, a superposition of different statesthe excited and unexcited atomwith different numbers of photons.

In the study, the team adapted a quantum Monte Carlo algorithm to address this special case. They created a novel version of the existing algorithm, one which accounts for the fluctuating number of photons. This made it possible to study atoms dressed with up to 20 photons each. No other existing exact simulation methodincluding the exact diagonalisation and density matrix renormalisation group approachescan factor in these effects.

The authors found that there are dramatic consequences at quantum scale for strongly coupled light-atom systems. They showed that it is essential to take into account the effects resulting from the number of excitations not being conserved, because the atom-photon coupling is substantial enough for these effects to matter. For example, in a conventional light-atom coupling experiment in a macroscopic cavity, the coupling is so small that an atom is, on average, dressed with much less than one photon. With a coupling that is increased by a factor of, say, ten thousands, physicists have observed dressed states with tens of photons per atom.

More information: Thibaut Flottat et al, Quantum Monte Carlo study of the Rabi-Hubbard model, The European Physical Journal D (2016). DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2016-70492-x Journal information: European Physical Journal D

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Credit: Thierry Ehrmann

Computers that learn for themselves are with us now. As they become more common in 'high-stakes' applications like robotic surgery, terrorism detection and driverless cars, researchers ask what can be done to make sure we can trust them.

There would always be a first death in a driverless car and it happened in May 2016. Joshua Brown had engaged the autopilot system in his Tesla when a tractor-trailor drove across the road in front of him. It seems that neither he nor the sensors in the autopilot noticed the white-sided truck against a brightly lit sky, with tragic results.

Of course many people die in car crashes every day  in the USA there is one fatality every 94 million miles, and according to Tesla this was the first known fatality in over 130 million miles of driving with activated autopilot. In fact, given that most road fatalities are the result of human error, it has been said that autonomous cars should make travelling safer.

Even so, the tragedy raised a pertinent question: how much do we understand  and trust  the computers in an autonomous vehicle? Or, in fact, in any machine that has been taught to carry out an activity that a human would do?

We are now in the era of machine learning. Machines can be trained to recognise certain patterns in their environment and to respond appropriately. It happens every time your digital camera detects a face and throws a box around it to focus, or the personal assistant on your smartphone answers a question, or the adverts match your interests when you search online.

Machine learning is a way to program computers to learn from experience and improve their performance in a way that resembles how humans and animals learn tasks. As machine learning techniques become more common in everything from finance to healthcare, the issue of trust is becoming increasingly important, says Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering in Cambridge's Department of Engineering.

Faced with a life or death decision, would a driverless car decide to hit pedestrians, or avoid them and risk the lives of its occupants? Providing a medical diagnosis, could a machine be wildly inaccurate because it has based its opinion on a too-small sample size? In making financial transactions, should a computer explain how robust is its assessment of the volatility of the stock markets?

"Machines can now achieve near-human abilities at many cognitive tasks even if confronted with a situation they have never seen before, or an incomplete set of data," says Ghahramani. "But what is going on inside the 'black box'? If the processes by which decisions were being made were more transparent, then trust would be less of an issue."

His team builds the algorithms that lie at the heart of these technologies (the "invisible bit" as he refers to it). Trust and transparency are important themes in their work: "We really view the whole mathematics of machine learning as sitting inside a framework of understanding uncertainty. Before you see data  whether you are a baby learning a language or a scientist analysing some data  you start with a lot of uncertainty and then as you have more and more data you have more and more certainty.

"When machines make decisions, we want them to be clear on what stage they have reached in this process. And when they are unsure, we want them to tell us."

One method is to build in an internal self-evaluation or calibration stage so that the machine can test its own certainty, and report back.

Two years ago, Ghahramani's group launched the Automatic Statistician with funding from Google. The tool helps scientists analyse datasets for statistically significant patterns and, crucially, it also provides a report to explain how sure it is about its predictions.

"The difficulty with machine learning systems is you don't really know what's going on inside  and the answers they provide are not contextualised, like a human would do. The Automatic Statistician explains what it's doing, in a human-understandable form."

Where transparency becomes especially relevant is in applications like medical diagnoses, where understanding the provenance of how a decision is made is necessary to trust it.

Dr Adrian Weller, who works with Ghahramani, highlights the difficulty: "A particular issue with new artificial intelligence (AI) systems that learn or evolve is that their processes do not clearly map to rational decision-making pathways that are easy for humans to understand." His research aims both at making these pathways more transparent, sometimes through visualisation, and at looking at what happens when systems are used in real-world scenarios that extend beyond their training environments  an increasingly common occurrence.

"We would like AI systems to monitor their situation dynamically, detect whether there has been a change in their environment and  if they can no longer work reliably  then provide an alert and perhaps shift to a safety mode." A driverless car, for instance, might decide that a foggy night in heavy traffic requires a human driver to take control.

Weller's theme of trust and transparency forms just one of the projects at the newly launched 10 million Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI). Ghahramani, who is Deputy Director of the Centre, explains: "It's important to understand how developing technologies can help rather than replace humans. Over the coming years, philosophers, social scientists, cognitive scientists and computer scientists will help guide the future of the technology and study its implications  both the concerns and the benefits to society."

CFI brings together four of the world's leading universities (Cambridge, Oxford, Berkeley and Imperial College, London) to explore the implications of AI for human civilisation. Together, an interdisciplinary community of researchers will work closely with policy-makers and industry investigating topics such as the regulation of autonomous weaponry, and the implications of AI for democracy.

Ghahramani describes the excitement felt across the machine learning field: "It's exploding in importance. It used to be an area of research that was very academic  but in the past five years people have realised these methods are incredibly useful across a wide range of societally important areas.

"We are awash with data, we have increasing computing power and we will see more and more applications that make predictions in real time. And as we see an escalation in what machines can do, they will challenge our notions of intelligence and make it all the more important that we have the means to trust what they tell us."
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- As Hurricane Matthew churned off the coast of Haiti earlier this month public health officials and aid groups issued warnings not just about the dangers from the storm itself but what could follow: a cholera outbreak.



In 2010, a devastating cholera outbreak infected hundreds of thousands in Haiti just months after a severe earthquake left more than 100,000 dead. Prior to the outbreak, there were no reported cases of cholera in Haiti.



This summer, the United Nations finally acknowledged that it was involved in the initial outbreak and the profound suffering that has followed.



Cholera is a bacterial infection that can lead to potentially serious symptoms of watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and muscle cramps, according to the CDC. Often spread through contaminated water or food, the incubation period of the disease can be as short as two hours, meaning it can move quickly through a densely populated area. As the mucus membrane of the intestinal wall is affected, it can lead to diarrhea that can cause severe dehydration.



The disease appeared in Haiti in October 2010 and spread quickly, causing an estimated 770,000 infections in the years since and approximately 9,200 related deaths, according to a 2016 report in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics.



Within days of the first diagnosis, the AP reported that local politicians and other residents suspected the source of the outbreak was the human waste entering a river system from a military camp for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. A group of peacekeeping soldiers had recently arrived there from Nepal, where cholera is endemic. AP reporters found U.N. investigators testing samples for cholera and a septic tank that was overflowing with broken pipes.



At the time U.N. officials strongly denied the base was linked to the outbreak and reportedly told the AP that no Nepalese soldiers had the disease and that the liquid being tested was from kitchens and showers and not from human waste.



On November 1, 2010, the CDC, working with Haitian public health experts, announced that the strain of the disease was similar to one seen in South Asia.



John Mekalanos, a cholera expert and chairman of Harvard University's microbiology department, told the AP in a November 3 news report that early evidence suggested military UN members likely brought the disease to Haiti from Nepal where an outbreak had recently been reported.



Dr. Renaud Piarroux, an epidemiologist at the University of Aix-Marseille, then worked on the ground in Haiti with Haitian and French experts in the days and weeks that followed to confirm the source of the outbreak. They quickly identified the U.N. camp as the likely cause of the outbreak.



Piarroux and his co-authors later published a study about the source of the outbreak in Emerging Infectious Diseases medical journal in 2011. The studys findings strongly suggested that the United Nations camp led to the contamination of the Artibonite river and one of its tributaries, which helped to trigger the cholera epidemic. The tributary system was a source of water for bathing, drinking and cooking for those living downstream from the camp. Early findings from Piarrouxs report were published by the AP, in 2010 putting additional pressure on the U.N. to investigate the source of the outbreak.



However, confirmation by officials was hampered since, in the weeks after the outbreak began, officials at the CDC, UN and the World Health Organization said finding the source was not a priority.



"Our primary focus here is to save lives and control the spread of disease," CDC medical epidemiologist Dr. Jordan Tappero, who was leading the CDC cholera response team in Haiti, said in its that Nov. 1, 2010, press release. "We realize that it's also important to understand how infectious agents move to new countries. However, we may never know the actual origin of this cholera strain."



A WHO spokesman told the AP in November 2010 that the question of whether U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal were to blame was not a priority." Riots broke out after the U.N. dismissed the allegations about the peacekeeping camp, saying its sanitation was airtight, according to the AP. By December, however, the AP reported that the U.N had relented, calling for a probe into the cause of the outbreak.



In February 2011, independent investigators sent by the United Nations finally arrived in Haiti to examine the possible cause of the outbreak.



Their report, released in May 2011, acknowledged that members of the United Nation Stabilization Mission in Haiti arrived in the country after working in Nepal, where the disease is endemic. They also found that the water system at the camp was haphazard, and that human waste was being disposed of near a tributary where the early cholera cases were reported. Furthermore, local hospital staff reported to the U.N. researchers that the first severe cases of cholera came from an area named Meye, which is located 150 meters downstream from the U.N. camp where the soldiers had been staying.



However, that 2011 U.N. report stopped short of putting blame specifically on that camp, going only so far to say there was an hypothesis that the source was the soldiers from a cholera-endemic country was a commonly held belief in Haiti. The report went on to say that the country of origin of the strain was debatable and instead cited multiple factors for the spread of the disease, including the widespread use of the tributary system by Haitians, their lack of immunity to cholera, and the conditions within medical facilities treating the victims.



"The Independent Panel concludes that the Haiti cholera outbreak was caused by the confluence of circumstances as described above, and was not the fault of, or deliberate action of, a group or individual," the report said.



The United Nations refusal to accept responsibility for the outbreak led to continued demonstrations in Haiti. Members of the medical community also railed against the U.N. for shirking responsibility.



In 2013, researchers from the Yale Law School and the Yale School of Public Health released a report called Peacekeeping without Accountability to analyze the actions of the U.N.



By causing the epidemic and then refusing to provide redress to those affected, the U.N. has breached its commitments to the Government of Haiti, its obligations under international law, and principles of humanitarian relief, the report authors wrote.



That same year, a number of advocacy groups filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of five U.S. and Haitian citizens affected by the cholera outbreak against the U.N. and certain U.N. officials alleging they were responsible. A United States District Judge found that the U.N. had immunity from prosecution, according to court documents.



The decision was appealed this year but the original decision was affirmed. The plaintiffs have until mid-November to decide whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.



Then, this past August, The New York Times broke the news of a confidential report from New York University law professor and U.N. special rapporteur, Philip Alston, to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In his report, Alston wrote, The fact is that cholera would not have broken out but for the actions of the United Nations.



Shortly after that report was made public, the United Nations finally acknowledged that its personnel likely played a part in the Haitian cholera outbreak. "Over the past year, the U.N. has become convinced that it needs to do much more regarding its own involvement in the initial outbreak and the suffering of those affected by cholera," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, told reporters on August 18.



The following day, Haq said, "The Secretary-General deeply regrets the terrible suffering the people of Haiti have endured as a result of the cholera epidemic. "The United Nations has a moral responsibility to the victims of the cholera epidemic and for supporting Haiti in overcoming the epidemic and building sound water, sanitation and health systems."



Piarroux, the lead author of the 2011 study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in September, decrying the United Nations for taking so long to acknowledge its role and respond to the crisis.



By admitting that it was involved in the outbreak, the United Nations made only a first and timid step toward a full assessment of its responsibility, he wrote. "The United Nations must continue to open up about what happened in Haiti, rectify the damage, and establish policies that prevent such disasters in the future. Its credibility is still on the line.



A spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general told ABC News a full presentation on the assistance and support to combat the Haitian cholera outbreak will be presented later this month.



Today, the U.N. camp at the center of the outbreak controversy is no longer fully functional and has no military members, according to a spokesperson for the U.N.s Departments of Peacekeeping and Field Support.



Since the 2010 outbreak, the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti has pursued a multi-pronged course of action to adequately deal with the waste management of its peacekeeping forces. It was not until October, 2015, that the U.N.s oversight services department found the Mission to be in compliance with all of the recommended procedures.



In addition, as of late 2013, the peacekeeping forces have been supporting the Haitian government in its long-term plan to eradicate cholera.



In the meantime, in Haiti today, cholera remains stubbornly endemic. This week, the Pan American Health Organization reported there have been 1,351 suspected cases of cholera identified since Hurricane Matthew hit the country. PAHO has identified the disease as a main priority in the storms aftermath.



Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Democratic congressional candidate Mike Derrick and his wife had joint income of $129,880 in 2015, according to the couples 2015 federal tax return released Friday to The Post-Star.

Derricks campaign released the tax return a day after U.S. Rep. Elise Stefaniks campaign issued a press release that criticized Derrick for having not yet released his tax return.

Stefanik, R-Willsboro, posted her tax return on her House website on Oct. 5.

Derrick and his wife, both retired Army officers, listed $129,059 in taxable pension and annuity income, $2,397 in business income and $16,523 in wages.

They listed a loss of $17,929 on rental real estate, and an adjustment of $170 in deductible self employment tax.

The couple listed $2,470 in gifts to charity, and paid $11,751 in federal income tax.

Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, is running in the 21st Congressional District against Stefanik and Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello, a bread company owner and political activist from Hudson Falls.

Stefanik earned $149,735 in 2015, according to her 2015 income tax return.

Funiciello has said he requested an extension of the April 15 deadline to file his 2015 tax return.

Funiciello said Friday his accountant has finished preparing the tax return, and he expects to file it and release a copy by the middle of next week.

Candidates for elected office are not required to release tax returns.

Candidates for president and statewide office, and some congressional candidates, have typically voluntarily released returns.

The topic has been widely debated this year because Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has refused to release his tax return.

Stefanik has said Trump should release his tax return.
GLENS FALLS  It's worth it to see "Trespass Against Us" just for the chase scene in the middle of the movie.

The movie is a headliner at this weekend's Adirondack Film Festival and will be shown again Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the Wood Theater.

In January, the movie will be shown at Sundance Film Festival.

See it now and you can enjoy that chase scene before the rest of the world.

In fact, I am nominating it for the top 10 chase scenes of all time. So many great chase scenes play for laughs. This one was gritty and all-too-realistic, which elevated it beyond exciting to compelling art.

It had everything: a traditional road pursuit, off-roading, a helicopter, a foot chase and delightful unexpected moments.

I certainly didn't think they would suddenly mount an attack on a police car from the fleeing vehicle.

And I've rarely seen a chase scene need cows before.

It's not to be missed.

The movie is about Chad Cutler (played by Michael Fassbender), a married man with two school-aged children in the UK. His father (played by Brendan Gleeson) and extended family are burglars, but he wants to get out of the family business so his children won't end up like him.

There are strong parenting moments, and a truly frightening scene when police catch up with Chad while he's sleeping with his family. The audience watching Friday gasped at the start of that scene, and Chad's devotion to his children as he tried to keep them safe was deeply moving.

It's hard to quote him  he curses regularly  but at times he sounds like every other parent.

When the children skip school and force the parents to search for them for hours, he tells them, "You are in trouble forever. Do you hear me? For-e-ver."

When his father proposes they all move away to escape the attention of the police, he refuses to go because he's finally gotten his children enrolled in school.

Chad can't read, but he's a great getaway driver. He drives so many cars through fields and forests that I began to wonder if cars are fundamentally stronger in the United Kingdom. It was a relief near the end of the movie when a rider asked him, "Why are you driving through a field?"

The only problem with the film is the thick British accents. I found Chad's father particularly hard to understand, throughout the entire film. Other filmgoers said they wished the movie had subtitles.

But it didn't stop me from enjoying the movie.
CORINTH  The elementary school teacher suspended last spring because of irregularities with the way Common Core state tests were given to students will be allowed to return to work in November, following a settlement with the district.

The school board on Oct. 11 approved the agreement with third-grade teacher Stacia Sheehan, who had been suspended with pay since last year, pending an investigation into misadministration of the tests. The exams in math and English are given to students in grades three through eight.

The unspecified problem led to an invalidation of the math and English tests taken by her third-grade students, according to the district.

Misadministration could encompass a variety of circumstances, including giving inappropriate help to students, permitting students to use calculators or electronic devices, giving inappropriate accommodations to students or a variety of other situations.

The district brought formal charges against Sheehan, who has tenure, through the Section 3020-a disciplinary process. Sheehan denied the allegations and was preparing to defend herself.

A hearing officer had been assigned to decide the case, when the two parties reached the settlement.

Sheehans paid suspension was changed to unpaid effective Sept. 20 and it will last through Oct. 31, at which point she can return to work. She must pay a $1,500 fine, according to the agreement, which was obtained by The Post-Star through a Freedom of Information Law request. She will continue to receive benefits.

The district placed a letter of reprimand in Sheehans file. Superintendent Mark Stratton said in the letter that he has concerns with the actions Sheehan took during the administration of the math and English tests for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years.

Based on an investigation into the allegations outlined below, the district has concluded that your actions were a violation of your duties and responsibilities as a teacher for the Corinth Central School District in regard to the proper administration and proctoring of New York State examinations, he wrote in the letter.

The following section of the letter is blacked out, which presumably spells out the nature of the allegations. The district said it redacted portions of the documents sought in the FOIL request, citing the exemption to the law for intra-agency communications that are not factual tabulations or data, instructions to staff that affect the public, final agency policy or determinations or external audits.

The letter then goes on to say that the state has strict regulations concerning appropriate test administration and proctoring: The purpose of these regulations  among other things  is to guard against fraud in the administration of the tests. The importance of these regulations is underscored by the requirement that teachers who simply witness test misadministration must report such misconduct or else face discipline themselves. A brief section is again blacked out.

Stratton goes on to say that Sheehan must adhere to the written and verbal directions given by the state regarding the testing of students.

It is also expected that, should you witness potential testing improprieties in the future, you will report it immediately, Stratton wrote.

The agreement represents a last chance. Any more missteps and the district will seek to fire her.

Stratton said Friday he could not comment much on the case, since much of the matter predates his arrival as superintendent on July 1.

As I understand it, they took great precautions last year and preceding years to make sure test administration was done correctly, he said.

The district is going to maintain those high levels of test security, according to Stratton.

Speaking on behalf of the district, were looking forward to putting this behind us and moving forward in a positive direction, he said.

Sheehan wrote in an email: I am happy to be returning to work and will have no further comment.

She referred additional questions to her legal counsel, Laura Delaney, at New York State United Teachers.

NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn issued a statement on the matter.

Stacia Sheehan is an excellent teacher and her rightful place is in the classroom helping Corinth students. The district acknowledges this in returning her to the classroom. I know shes looking forward to getting this behind her and continuing her career, working hard to ensure that every child in her classroom continues to learn and succeed.

Whitehall experienced an instance of test misadministration during the 2014-15 school year. The teachers involved were allowed to return to the classroom this September after being suspended without pay for most of the preceding school year.

In that case, the teachers improperly photocopied the test booklets. The exams are supposed to be kept secure until they are given out to students.
GLENS FALLS  About half the people watching dark comedy short films Friday afternoon had never seen a short before buying a ticket to the Adirondack Film Festival.

They werent quite sure what to expect, but no one guessed there would be a comedy about suicide, a murderous rejected wife, or an alphabetical listing of accidental animal deaths.

Viewers also watched a man pee in an elevator that got stuck, only to have the door finally slide open at just the wrong moment.

They saw a young Mormon man trying to spread the word of the Gospel in Missionary. A drag queen asked him, Is that all youre spreading tonight? Two women tried to touch him inappropriately. A video game player told him his knock had interrupted the most epic game ever and demanded an apology.

It got many laughs as viewers enjoyed the young mans misadventure. And then the short took a sudden dark turn, and silence filled the theater. But at the last moment, they saw the scene from a new persons point of view, and it became hilarious. Some viewers were still laughing when the credits ran.

After the first set of shorts, many newcomers to the art form said they loved its brief, darkly funny stories.

It got high marks from Glens Falls resident Kristine Reynolds, who had never before seen anything but short documentaries.

Its awesome! Reynolds said.

190 Grille & Cinema was full to bursting for every show Friday. Waiting in line was the key: the small dinner theater only had seats for a couple dozen viewers in each theater. When all the tables were full, waitresses carried in chairs and created more seating right in front of the screen.

Some picked a seat and stayed for every showing in that theater. Among them was Carolyn Fielder of Queensbury, who goes to theater festivals to see shorts.

Theyre different, she said. Theyre true human beings, how they feel, how they think. Theyre not commercialized.

Shorts can vary from very inexpensive films that are only a few minutes long to 15-minute productions with dozens of extras. At festivals, they are packaged together in groups of about five films, each grouping lasting about an hour.

Its not necessarily easier to make a short film, but it is cheaper, said film maker Christian Strevy of Philadelphia, who attended the festival.

Theyre a better place to make mistakes. Youve only maxed out one credit card, he said.

Filmmaker Mark Shahan of New York City argued that it was a different way to tell a story.

You use the same kind of tools, but youre painting in broad strokes, he said. This is a window into a world, very quickly.

The dark comedy and light comedy shorts ran Friday afternoon, followed by documentary, experimental, scary and drama shorts. All of them will be shown again Saturday.

Michele Nevins of Fort Edward decided to see all of the shorts because her brother was an extra in one drama short.

She had never seen a short film before.

As long as Im going to do it, Im going to experience it all, she said.

Workers at 190 Grille were astonished by the sell-out crowd and had to rush to get food to every diner during the short films and get the tables cleared in the few minutes after each show. Viewers were surprised by the crowd too, but said they hoped it would send a message to the organizers.

This will bring Glens Falls alive, Fielder said. This is the answer to make Glens Falls another Saratoga or New York. Its to bring things like this.
HARTFORD  Firefighters from at least nine volunteer fire departments were called out to battle a house fire on county Route 23 late Friday morning.

The fire was reported at 63 Hartford Main St. shortly before noon. A Washington County Sheriffs Office deputy was first on the scene and reported flames at the rear of the home and smoke coming from windows.

The home was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported. Neighbors said a young couple with children lived in the home.

Hartford, Granville, North Granville, Middle Granville, Hebron, Argyle, West Pawlet, Vermont, Kingsbury and Whitehall firefighters were called out.

Washington County fire investigators were on scene and the investigation is ongoing. Main Street was closed at the corner of East Street and Christian Hill Road.

A Post-Star staff member on scene said the rear of the two-story home suffered extensive fire damage. A neighbor spotted the fire and called it in.

Strong winds and rain made fire fighting conditions difficult for crews on the scene.

There was no word on the fires cause late Friday afternoon.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  State Sen. Elizabeth Little and Green Party challenger Steve Ruzbacki differed over drug policy and government spending in a forum taped Friday by Look-TV.

Little, R-Queensbury, is seeking her eighth two-year term in the 45th Senate District, which represents Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Warren and parts of St. Lawrence and Washington counties. The debate was moderated by Look-TV owner Jesse Jackson.

Ruzbacki, a teacher from Minerva, supports legalization of marijuana. He said because of the prohibition of drugs, a black market develops. The price goes up and that attracts interest from dealers.

We spent a trillion and a half dollars (on the drug war) and the problems have gotten worse, he said.

Little said the Legislature has passed reforms so the insurance companies can get addicts into treatment. Previously, a person had to fail at outpatient treatment twice before the insurance company would pay for residential treatment. She is opposed to legalization of recreational marijuana.

I think they are gateways to deeper addictions, she said.

In response to a question about tourism, Little pointed to her work to make sure upstate gets an adequate share of funding for roads and bridges.

Ruzbacki said this regions tourist attraction is its natural splendor.

Environmental conservation and preservation has to be paramount, he said.

Little said other communities also need to expand and improve their sewer infrastructure, and the Legislature has obtained $350 million in funding over the next two years so rural communities such as Salem can apply for grants.

The taxpayers in our communities are really so small that they cant fund these projects without help from the state, she said.

Ruzbacki said he worried about government spending that is being wasted and spent on patronage. He dislikes top-down administration of government programs.

We end up having a lot of waste, fraud and abuse, he said.

Both candidates support increased use of renewable energy. Little said wind turbines and solar power are becoming more popular, and the region should explore the expansion of hydroelectric power.

Whats cleaner than water power? she asked.

Ruzbacki supports a Green New Deal that would focus on renewable energy and provide jobs for the North Country.

I would like to do anything I can to fight any new fossil fuel infrastructure investments, he said.

The debate will air at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday on Channel 8 on Time Warner Cable systems in Warren and Washington counties and on Channel 68 on the Time Warner Cable system in Saratoga County. It will re-air at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
More area school districts are reporting elevated levels of lead in their water supplies.

As part of a law that took effect Sept. 6, schools were required to test water outlets used for drinking or cooking for levels of lead. If levels of 15 parts per billion or higher are found, school districts must take those sources off line and develop a remediation plan.

Tests for elementary buildings were to be completed by the end of September and those for buildings housing students in sixth through 12th grade need to be completed by the end of October.

Here is the latest batch of results:

Fort Ann had about 74 percent of 183 water sources pass inspection, and nearly 26 percent had levels above the 15 parts per billion threshold, according to a letter from Superintendent Kevin Froats.

These results are not surprising due to the age of some of our infrastructure; many districts throughout New York state are experiencing similar results, Froats wrote.

School officials put bags over faucets, shut off sources of water and posted signs. They are preparing a remediation plan that includes removal and replacement of faulty appliances or water supply lines.

The district did not provide a breakdown of where the elevated readings occurred.

Greenwich Central School had 19 sources out of 49 test just over the 15 parts per billion threshold, according to a letter from Superintendent Mark Fish. All water fountains were in compliance and the elevated readings were only at sinks. Signs have been posted stating they are to be used only for hand washing.

Hadley-Luzerne also had levels above the 15 parts per billion. It was not broken down by source.

Lake George and South Glens Falls had previously reported some elevated levels of lead.

Some school districts are reporting that the water sources that tested above the threshold for lead are not used for cooking or drinking.

Hartford had 29 out of 106 sources test above the threshold. Superintendent Andrew Cook pointed out in a letter to parents that all the ones that tested above the limit are sinks that are not used for drinking or cooking. The district tagged the sinks and advised people not to consume the water.

Whitehall had 38 out of 95 sources that tested positive. All but six were handwashing sinks. The other six sites were water fountains. The source of water has been shut off to these fountains and temporary water coolers have been installed at these locations, according to Superintendent Patrick Dee.

At Granville, only six out of 117 outlets tested positive for lead levels above 15 parts per billion. All but one source was a sink, according to a letter from Superintendent Mark Bessen.

The only elevated reading that Minerva Central School had was from the photography darkroom sink, according to Superintendent Timothy Farrell.

A few school districts received clean readings.

Hudson Falls Primary School had no water sources that had levels above the threshold, according to Superintendent Linda Goewey.

Abraham Wing School had no results test above the 15 parts per billion threshold.

Some districts are still waiting for the results, including Glens Falls, Queensbury, North Warren, Warrensburg and Johnsburg.

Johnsburg Superintendent Michael Markwica said he sent in his districts results a month ago. He sent a follow-up email to the testing company and found out that the laboratory is backed up because of all the school testing.

In Washington County, Argyle, Cambridge, Fort Edward and Salem have not yet received results.
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether 

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They were like my mother and father when I got here, Khin Maung Soe said of the Carrolls. They have helped so many other people, too.

All that helping started by accident in late 2008, after the Carrolls met a young refugee from Burma through a friend who worked at the Hope Refugee Drop-In Center.

The Carrolls invited the woman, Paw Sha, to Thanksgiving at their Buffalo home. At the end of the meal, Paw Sha asked about the leftovers  and offered a suggestion.

Pack it up, said Paw Sha, who had fielded a call from a desperate Khin Maung Soe during dinner. I know a family thats hungry.

Arriving at the West Side home of Khin Maung Soe, his wife and their two young children, the Carrolls found not only an empty refrigerator, but also an empty apartment.

We had nothing but the hardwood floors, recalled Khin Maung Soe, who had just relocated his family to Buffalo because their rent in New York City outstripped their income.

Seeing that, the Carrolls rallied their friends at the Hamburg Wesleyan Church, which they attended, to collect used furniture for the refugee familys apartment.

That was just the beginning.

The Carrolls befriended Khin Maung Soe and his wife and children, helping the couple along as they worked long hours and built their savings.

By 2010, the refugee couple combined those savings with help from Khin Maung Soes siblings in order to open the Lin Asian Grocery on Grant Street. Jim Carroll was there, helping with the renovations, just as he did when the family bought a house on the West Side.

As they built their friendship with Khin Maung Soe and his family, the Carrolls met other refugees from Burma, and the couple couldnt help but help them, too.

Theyre just wonderfully warm, smart, hardworking people, Nancy Carroll said of the refugees.

Even so, many refugees arrive in Buffalo with nothing.

Those who come directly from the refugee camps in Thailand and the slums of Malaysia are the lucky ones: they settle in Buffalo with the aid of one of four agencies that set them up with a furnished apartment and food, along with help navigating the culture and finding a job.

Others, though, arrive in Buffalo as Khin Maung Soe did: nearly destitute after the U.S. government resettled them in an expensive city like New York.

For those secondary migrants arriving in Buffalo, the Carrolls became a two-person refugee-assistance center.

Over the years, they organized hundreds of deliveries of unused furniture from the Hamburg Wesleyan Church and other donors to refugee families.

Last spring, the Carrolls helped renovate the building that became the new Karen Baptist Church  and at an interview for this series, the pastor, the Rev. Myo Kyaw, presented Jim Carroll as his spokesman.

At one point, the Carrolls even started teaching English classes in their home for the new arrivals from Burma.

None of this is exactly in the Carrolls occupational wheelhouse. He sells flooring, and shes an occupational therapist.

But the help comes from their hearts, and their faith.

Khin Maung Soe is pretty likable, said Jim Carroll, 64, who admitted difficulty saying no to the gap-toothed, always-smiling refugee from Burma, who has become a quiet leader in his community.

The other thing thats involved is our Christian faith, said Nancy Carroll, 60.

Her husband added: We have different goals than a lot of people.

That goal, it seems, is to do Gods work: to give unto others.

We just wanted to help these people, no strings attached, Nancy Carroll said.

 Jerry Zremski
Theres nothing new about Congress worrying that refugees might be terrorists. A decade before Syrian refugees flooded into Europe and Republican politicians aimed to stop them from coming to America, Congress made the U.S. refugee vetting process so tough that Jim Jacobson told the first lady it was hurting the refugees she wanted to help.

A post-9/11 anti-terror law kept refugees from Burma stranded in camps in Thailand, Jacobson said on a 2006 U.N. panel where he joined first lady Laura Bush in a discussion of one of her obsessions: aiding the people of Burma.

Days later, not so mysteriously, things started changing.

I dont know how she did it, but that next Monday, I started getting calls from the State Department, said Jacobson, founder and president of Christian Freedom International, who works with refugees in Thailand. And before long, everything was put into place to make it easier for refugees from Burma to move to America.

In other words, Laura Bush went to work for the people of Burma  as she has for years.

Of course, Laura Bush didnt solve the problems in the refugee program all alone. But her former chief of staff and others said President George W. Bush and Laura Bush were intensely interested in Burma  which helped ensure that a law aimed at blocking terrorists from entering the U.S. wouldnt block refugees from Burma, too.

Mrs. Bush declined an interview request. But her chief of staff at the time of the event, Anita McBride, wasnt surprised by Jacobsons story.

The refugee program was discussed at the U.N. event, so certainly that was one of the outcomes, she said.

The issue Jacobson raised was the post-9/11 Real ID Act. To this day, that law blocks people from entering the United States if they provided material support to anyone allied with a terrorist group  which is how the United States then classified Burmas ethnic armies.

So if a refugee did so much as give a drink of water to a rebel soldier, that refugee would be barred from the United States.

U.S. diplomats struck a deal with Thailand to bring refugees from Burma to America, but most of those refugees had contact with rebel soldiers. So the material support provision could stop significant U.S. refugee resettlement from Thailand in its tracks, U.S. diplomats said in a 2005 cable.

By the time Mrs. Bush convened that September 2006 U.N. panel, the State Department had waived the material support provision for noncombatants from the Karen ethnic group. Refugees from other minorities, such as the Karenni and Chin, remained barred from America, as were former rebel combatants.

The Department of Homeland Security  which manages security checks for refugees  argued that it couldnt just waive the law to let such groups into the United States.

There was quite a big battle, literally, between the State Department and DHS on the interpretation of this, said Ellen Sauerbrey, then the assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and immigration.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice got very involved, Sauerbrey said.

Rice won the battle in early 2007, when Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff waived the material support provision for noncombatants among the rest of Burmas ethnic groups. And later that year, with a push from the Bush administration, Congress voted to allow the ethnic rebels themselves to resettle in America.

Asked about Mrs. Bushs role in this, Sauerbrey said: While I never had discussions with her about it, I know she was very concerned about the situation.

Laura Bush was concerned about much more than that.

McBride said George W. Bushs cousin, human rights advocate Elsie Walker, spurred the first ladys interest in Burma. Wanting to help, she reached out via intermediaries to Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

While I was in the White House, some of what I did to aid the Burmese had to be done in secret, Bush said in her book, Spoken from the Heart. But by the fall of 2006, I could no longer remain publicly silent.

So the first ladys office organized that U.N. panel on Burma. The next year, she met with refugees from Burma at the White House, and when the Burmese army cracked down on Buddhist monks in August 2007, she called Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary general, and asked him to act.

All the while, I wanted to see the Burmese border lands, Mrs. Bush wrote in her book. So in August 2008, she did just that, visiting the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand.

As you can see, the buses are lined up, and a lot of these families will be leaving for the United States, the first lady happily noted at the camp.

Even now, the Bushes continue working to aid Burma. Last October, for example, the George W. Bush Institutes Liberty and Leadership Forum brought 18 young Burmese leaders D.C. to study democracy, and later held a follow-up in Yangon, Burmas largest city.

Such efforts didnt attract a lot of attention, but the refugees know what Mrs. Bush has been doing for their homeland.

For proof, witness what happened in Buffalo after a Karen Baptist Church service when refugees were asked if any public figures had been especially helpful to their cause.

In unison, several voices called out: Laura Bush.

 Jerry Zremski
I am very happy, Naw Kwee, Tha Dahs 73-year-old mother, said through an interpreter. I love Rachel like I love my own children. I became part of their family today.

She had no trouble fitting into the role of the matriarch, either, warmly grabbing forearms and chatting intimately with nearly everyone she encountered and rushing around to dole out second helpings of ice cream after the reception and the ceremony ended.

It was a day of two ceremonies, not just one, at a Buddhist monastery here. Before the wedding, Htoo Klee  Tha Dahs nephew and a refugee living in Buffalo for the last several years  donned a saffron robe and took his vows as a monk.

I came here because my family wanted to see me become a monk, said Htoo Klee, whose family lives in Burmas Karen State.

And that they saw, as Htoo Klee sat cross-legged on the floor with five other monks and a giant reclining Buddha behind him, performing the rite that every devout Buddhist man does to become a monk, at least briefly.

Afterward, Htoo Klee walked slowly out of the temple carrying a gold bowl, collecting alms, just as monks have done for centuries.

It was a solemn ceremony compared to what followed.

That was the wedding reception for Tha Dah and Rachel: a Burmese feast of spicy chicken and pork, freshly grilled fish and a sour yet savory seafood soup.

About 120 people sat cross-legged on the floor at low-slung round tables for the meal before lining up in rows on the floor of the temple at the start of the ceremony that followed.

Nine monks sat facing the crowd, and the happy couple sat in the front row before them. There they joined the crowd in one incantation after another and listened to a monks lecture about Buddhisms five principles.

The weddings last scene also came as a surprise, as the bride and groom reached into bowls of candy and threw pieces wildly to the crowd.

Unusual as that may seem to those accustomed to a more beer-drenched Buffalo wedding, such events  weddings pairing a Buffalonian and Buffalo culture with a refugee from Burma and a very foreign culture  are increasingly common. Tha Dah is just one of several refugees to have married a Buffalo native in recent years.

As Tha Dah and Rachel renewed their vows in Thailand, one thing here seemed to cut through time and across cultures. Here, just like at weddings everywhere, the bride and groom spent much of the ceremony staring deep into each others eyes.

This is the best day of my life, said Tha Dah, who wore a smile throughout the day. All my family is here, with my wife.

His wife appeared even more overwhelmed.

Looking at the Karen faces and colorful garb all around, she said: Theyre my family.

Hearing herself say that, she broke into tears.

But its so sad that Im so far away from them, she said. Its so amazing to have a family like this.

 Jerry Zremski
















The US-led coalition systematically destroys infrastructure in Syria and carries out airstrikes against civilians and the Syrian army, Russian envoy to the UN office in Geneva Alexei Borodavkin said at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday. "While hysteria is being whipped up around Aleppo, the US-led coalition has been systematically destroying infrastructure in government-controlled areas, delivering crushing strikes to civilians and the Syrian Army, and now seems to intend to squeeze Daesh terrorists from [the Iraqi city of] Mosul into Syria," he said.





The Iraqi government announced an operation to retake Mosul from Daesh , a group outlawed in Russia, on Monday and has been making rapid gains on several fronts. The US-led coalition supports the offensive.





The Syrian Amry claimed on Tuesday that the US and Saudi Arabia decided to allow Daesh terrorists pass into Syria from Mosul .









Borodavkin added that "certain countries continue placing stakes on terrorists and extremists, rendering them political and propaganda assistance, supplying them with arms and ammunition."





In September, the US-led coalition attacked the Syrian Army in Deir ez-Zor. The airstrikes by the coalition planes near the Deir ez-Zor airport were first reported by the Syrian troops . The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks . The US Central Command said that the Syrian forces were mistaken for Daesh terrorists. The attack killed more than 80 soldiers .

































Five years after Libyas longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was cold-bloodedly murdered right in front of mobile phone cameras and with the full backing of the Western nations participating in the 2011 military campaign against Libya, Sputnik talked to Abdel Baset bin Hamel, a journalist who was close to the late Libyan leader.









The reforms in education, health care and infrastructure Muammar Gaddafi carried out in Libya for 43 years will forever remain part of this countrys history. The current crisis results from the fact that the changes, which have been taking place here [since 2011], are implemented by foreigners and with international support. All this has been the work of the great powers pursuing their own goals, Abdel Baset bin Hamel said.





He added that in 2011 everyone was talking about protecting the peoples rights and that a pertinent resolution adopted by the UN Security Council allowed 43 countries to use military force to topple Gaddafi and his government.









That the large-scale military operation against Libya was not meant to solve the crisis is fully evident now that people in Sirte and Benghazi are being slaughtered like cattle and billions of dollars have been stolen from the Libyan people, Abdel Baset bin Hamel said.









He added that the 2011 Western military operation was meant to get rid of Gaddafi, not to solve the countrys problems.









Gaddafi was the only one who pitched the idea of a united Africa and a single African army. Back in those days, Libya was the most independent country in the region, but the big powers, led by the US, got a pretext for 'protecting civilians and spreading democracy' in Libya. They used the young Libyans legitimate demands for better living conditions and new jobs to stoke up the conflict and Hillary Clinton was actively involved in the Western effort to topple Gaddafi, Abdel Baset bin Hamel noted.









It was not a revolution we had in Libya, it was a national catastrophe that has turned Libya into a failed state, he added.





We had no conflicts within our society and tribes and between our political factions. Gaddafi always managed to find a compromise to keep the nation together under one flag. He was a born leader and this is how people viewed him, rather than a top-level official. A real phenomenon, thats what he was, Abdel Baset bin Hamel said in conclusion.
















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Currently, students who opt for the students loans receive from GHS750.00 and GHS1,000.00.

But with the increment, students will now receive GH1,000 as minimum and GH2,000 as maximum loans under the prevailing Students Loan Trust.

READ ALSO: Students Loan Trust Fund

He also announced the introduction of a new component of the Students Loan Trust known as the Students Loan Plus, which is mainly for cash-strapped students.

Under the Students Loan Plus, beneficiaries could access an extra GH2,000 in addition to the existing loans, the President said.

"Just last Wednesday, I received some good news. The Student Loan Trust Board has reviewed the students loan rates of the Students Loan Trust," he added.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Leye Oyebade, announced the arrests at a news briefing in Umuahia on Thursday.

Oyebade said that the command would not relent in its resolve to rid the state of criminals, adding that the command had adopted strategies for crime management.

Oyebade said that on Oct. 18, three men were arrested in Amuvi village in Arochukwu Local Government Area for defiling a 12-year-old girl.

The commissioner said that the suspects took turns to sexually abuse the victim, adding that the suspects were arrested following an alarm by her guardian.

One of the suspects, Uche Nwaokoro, admitted that he committed the crime and said that it was the devil that made him do it.

Nwokoro said that he used to lure the victim to his house with gifts and that he regretted his actions.

Speaking with newsmen, the victims guardian revealed that the suspects encouraged my sister to be disobedient and always runaway from the house whenever she is scolded for misbehaving.

This has been the practice until she went missing for two days recently and upon investigation it was discovered that these men have been sexually abusing my sister.

In a similar development, the police said an undergraduate in Aba had been arrested for possessing one Mercedes Benz 230E with registration number UMA 134 HR.

The suspect, according to the police commissioner, was the leader of a syndicate and his arrest led to the recovery of another Mercedes Benz 230E.

Oyebade said that the vehicle was reported stolen on Oct. 9, adding that the blacksmith that fabricated keys for the syndicate was also in police net.

The police boss said that a two-man gang involved in vandalising street lights and stealing solar batteries in Isuochi in Umunneochi local government had also been arrested.
Chiefs are not supposed to get involved in partisan politics accordance with the 1992 constitution he said.

"Nananom are fathers and mothers of the people who belong to different political parties and they see us as such, and therefore when you declare your support for one candidate or party other than the party or candidate, the subjects support, you will no more be seen as a father or mother but as an opponent and that could reduce the respect your people have for us", Professor Nabila stressed.

Speaking at a meeting of the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi in the Ashanti region, Professor Nabila made an appeal to all Ghanaians to make sure that there is absolute peace in the country before, during and after the general elections.

Meanwhile the minister of Interior, Prosper Bani assured the Chiefs that government and security agencies are alive to their responsibilities of ensuring that Ghana remains safe and peaceful before, during and after the 2016 General Elections.

"There is the need to engage the National House of Chiefs because they are development partners and have broad National influence and appeal."

Bani met with the National House of Chiefs to discuss the security situations in the country ahead of the elections. The minister was accompanied by the IGP, the Director General of the Ghana Prisons service and other heads of security agencies.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Attorney Generals Department Owusu Ansah who confirmed this to Accra-based Citi FM said they are complying with the directives of the National Labour Commission (NLC).

The NLC directed that the State Attorneys return to work immediately.

But the State Attorney accused the Attorney Generals Department of failure to enforce an earlier ruling by the Commission.

READ ALSO: Minister begs for more time to resolve concerns of State Attorneys

Meanwhile the Department denied the accusations saying they have complied with all the rulings of the Commision.

Owusu Ansah said.

He added that the State Attorneys were directed not to embark on a strike but they defied the order.

READ ALSO: 17 specialised courts selected to handle electoral cases

The Association of State Attorneys declared an indefinite nationwide strike following failure on the part of the government to meet their conditions of service demand.

They blamed the Finance Ministry, Attorney Generals Department and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) for not implementing the directive of the National Labour Commission (NLC) for improved conditions of service.
This argument was made by a former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye when he spoke to Accra-based Citi FM.

Prof Ocquaye added that the call for a debate was unnecessary because the NDC refused to participate in a debate which was organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).

Prof Ocquaye rather asked President Mahama to rather tell the people of the Northern Ghana what happened to the Guinea fowls and other projects meant for the area.
Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM, a Deputy Communications Director of the NPP Anthony Karbo said: we would only debate this president if he [Mahama] is minded to respond to the 170 questions we had put to before this president about the state of this countrys economy.

He argued that they cannot respond to someone who has decided to ignore their questions and yet is calling for a debate.

READ ALSO: Bawumia reiterates establishment of Zongo Development Fund

Karbo, however, believes the Ghanaian electorate has already decided which party to for in the upcoming elections.

he said.

The Vice Presidential Candidate of NPP Dr Mahamudu Bawumia asked President Mahama and Vice President Kwesi Ammisah Arthur to respond to 170 questions after a lecture on the state of the economy.
Greenstreet was addressing a gathering in the Central Region as part of his campaign tour to the region.

he said.

READ ALSO: EC to begin balloting positions for qualified aspirants

In August this year, the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) in a survey revealed that National Democratic Congress (NDC) topped the list of vote-buying by 51 percent. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) was second with 32 percent. The CPP and PPP both recorded 4 percent each.

The gifts range from money, cars, clothes, outboard motors, farming equipment among others. These are given to the electorates by the political parties to influence their voting pattern.

Greenstreet, asked electorates to vote for the CPP since the NDC and NPP who have governed the country for the past 24 years have done nothing to develop the living conditions of Ghanaians.
Speaking to Pulse.com.gh, ASP Joseph Benefo Darkwa, the Public Relations Officer for the CID, said those wanted by the police are Salifu Abdulai, Adu Thomas, Alfred Yevuglo, Richard Aseda, Amadu Babia Latifa, Amadu Ayuba, Owusu Stephen, Abdulai Mariama, also known as Fusheini Mariama and Abaako Issifu.

He said Salifu of the National Democratic Party (NDP); Mariama and Owusu, both of the Reform Democratic Party (RDP) engaged in the offence of multiple registration.

Ayuba subscribed for both the Peoples National Convention (PNC) and the All Peoples Congress (APC), while Adu and Yevuglo subscribed for both the Independent Peoples Party (IPP) and the United Front Party (UFP).

Latifa, on the other hand, subscribed for both the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and the UFP, while Aseda subscribed twice for the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP).

According to ASP Darkwa, the suspects action had breached Article 63 of the 1992 Constitution, the Criminal Offences Act, Act 29, the Public Elections Regulations, 2016, C.I. 94 and PNDCL 284.

He said others have already appeared and have been granted bail.

We have started investigations to the electoral breaches. Quite a number of them have reported, however, a few of them have not yet reported and we are appealing to them to report. Otherwise we will go after them, we will arrest them, he said.

He added: Our duty is to investigate and when we have enough evidence, we present the docket to AGs office, and then AG will advise and direct us as to what to do, or AG will prosecute them.

The EC, on Monday, October 10, 2016, disqualified 12 presidential aspirants from contesting the December 7 polls for various reasons, including forgery, impersonation, and perjury.

The EC subsequently forwarded a complaint against the subscribers for eight aspirants to the CID for investigations.
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The Chief of Staff told supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Brong Ahafo Region that adults who drink Kalyppo risked being plagued by a disease called Kalyppolitis.

The adults here, I am pleading with you to avoid taking Kalyppo because the sugar content is harmful to your health, he told the supporters in the Twi language.

His comment comes after a picture of the NPPs Presidential nominee sipping Kalyppo fruit juice was made public.

This was meant to possibly mock Nana Akuffo Addo but it interestingly started a social media challenge.

Many have criticised Mr Debrah for his comment, saying patronage of the Kalyppo might be affected as a result.

But the deputy Communications minister insists that the comments were based on doctors advice that adults should reduce sugar intake.

Even doctors have recommended that adults should quit sugar intake and so that was the point the Chief of Staff was making. He only advised that as adults, we should take our doctors advice by reducing sugar intake, he said on Asempa FM.
His comments come on the back of calls by some section of Ghanaians for the presidency to maintain a smaller government in the wake of some economic challenges.

Many believe a huge government will deplete the national purse.

Interacting with the electorate live on Facebook on Thursday, 20 October, Dr Nduom said a lean government with fewer ministers will devolve the powers of the central government by allowing elected metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives to have total oversight over their localities without any political interference from regional ministers who are appointed by the president.

Dr Nduom said a PPP government would also change the law that requires the president to appoint 50 percent of his ministers from parliament.

He believes such a move would ensure that members of parliaments, MPs remain focused on their law-making duties, thus strengthening the work of parliament and making it more independent.

Below is the live video from Nduom:

Dr Nduom is one of 13 presidential aspirants who was disqualified in the presidential race due to some anomalies on his forms.

On reasons why the PPPs Papa Kwesi Nduom was disqualified, the EC Chair said: the Commission is unable to accept Dr Nduoms nomination because again the number of subscribers in his forms did not make the requirements of regulation 7(2) of CI 94.

The details are as follows, one subscriber, Mr Richard Aseda, with voter ID number 7812003957 endorsed Dr Nduoms forms in the Central region and again endorsed the same forms with the same ID number in the Volta region.

She said: the same subscriber, Mr Richard Aseda endorsed the form with different signatures in both portions of the nomination forms. This again raises questions as to the legitimacy of one or both signatures.
Masterpass QR is the first mobile-driven, Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payment solution.

Mr Ade Ayeyemi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank, announced this on Friday at the launch of Masterpass in Lagos.

Ayeyemi said that the banks customer base, currently at 11 million, would increase to 100 million in 2020 with the mobile application.

He said that the application would boost the banks customer base in 33 countries across Africa.

This new agreement will give Ecobank the scale and capacity to achieve its 100 million customer ambition in a profitable and sustainable way by 2020.

The bank is creating a platform for everybody, for people who want to sell or even transfer money to make banking easy.

Banking is not just about people on the top of pyramid but for everybody, and that is why we partnered with a range of people to make payment very easy, Ayeyemi said.

He said that the application would address the challenge of expensive infrastructure associated with point of sale devices and eliminate the need for cash.

This partnership will shift Africa to instant and secure digital payment solution, he added.

Ayeyemi stated that the service would enable millions of micro, small and medium enterprises across Africa to have access to fast and secure digital payments.

Mr Charles Kie, the Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, said that the application would open a lot of opportunities for everybody.

Kie said that the application would make banking easy and more convenient for Ecobank customers.

Mr Daniel Monehin, Division President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mastercard said, said that Masterpass QR would meet the needs of micro merchants in Nigeria.

Our extended partnership with Ecobank signals one of the largest implementations of a digital payment solution in Africa, resulting in millions of previously excluded people joining the financial ecosystem, Monehin said.

According to him, micro, small and medium enterprises across Africa contribute significantly to economic growth, creating about 80 per cent of the regions employment.
On Friday, October 21, 2016, MTV announced that Bonang Matheba would be hosting the MAMAs after Trevor Noah's unforeseen cancellation.

Noah, who cancelled for health reasons, took to Twitter to apologize. Due to an infection and strain on his vocal cord, the doctor has advised the comedian to rest his voice and recover his health.

Reacting to his Tweet, organisers of the prestigious award responded via an official Twitter account, wishing him speedy recovery and their support.

"We love you and still support you. We wish you a speedy recovery ," they tweeted.

Previous hosts of the MAMA have included Wyclef Jean, Eve, Marlon Wayans, Anthony Anderson and Trevor Nelson.

The event will feature performances from African acts including Nasty C, Babes Wodumo, Yemi Alade, Ycee, Cassper Nyovest, Alikiba, Wizkid, DJ Maphorisa, C4 Pedro and Kenya music group Sauti Sol.

The definitive annual celebration of African and international talent and achievement, MAMA 2016 recognises and rewards musicians and achievers who have made the most impact on African music and youth culture over the previous year.
The Governor who has been a thorn in the flesh of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government, had, a few months ago signed into law, the bill criminalizing cattle grazing in the state and he stepped up the enforcement by inaugurating the Marshalls.

During the inauguration held at the Government House in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, October 20, 2016, Fayose mandated the new Marshalls to arrest and confiscate any cow found grazing beyond the 6pm deadline, declaring that such cows will be slaughtered and shared to the people as part of the 'Stomach Infrastructure' policy of his administration.

The EGEM is saddled with the task of enforcing the prohibition of cattle and other ruminants grazing law in Ekiti while the owners of the cows so arrested will also be liable to a six months jail term.

His Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, took to his Facebook wall and Twitter account to give an update on the inauguration.
The teacher purportedly blamed Ndung'u for downgrading the performance of the whole class, which in turn reflected negatively on the teacher's performance.

READ ALSO: Teacher falls to death during rehearsals for parade

Narrating the story to the Standard, the mother of the deceased, Elizabeth Nyokabi, said: "My son said he was feeling sick when he came back home that day. He later told me a teacher had beaten him severely for failing to score the minimum marks he had set for the class. He said the teacher caned him everywhere, including on the head," she said.

"He said he was considering not doing the KCPE exams because the teacher had given up on him and he was also tired of the beatings.

I took him to Subukia Hospital where he was treated and discharged, but Ndung'u's condition worsened last Friday.

By the time he was being admitted, my son was very weak. He could not walk on his own and I had to support him," she added.
According to the Command on its Facebook wall, the feat was achieved by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the force after it received a complaint about the kidnap of one Sir (Chief) Samuel Iheanachor along Aba-Oyibgo Road on October 10, 2016.

Sir Iheanachor was allegedly abducted by six armed men while he was driving his Toyota Highlander and taken to an unknown destination.

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Omoni Nnamdi, who confirmed the incident, said following the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, CP Francis Odesanya instructed a discreet investigation into the matter.

The Commissioner of Police, CP. Francis M. Odesanya, has emphasized the commitment of the police to protect lives and properties of the people of Rivers State.

He noted that paying ransom to kidnappers is not ideal. He encourages those concerned to always cooperate with the police and provide useful information that will assist the police is getting rid of all forms of criminal acts in Rivers State.

Nnamdi added that the jeep was tracked along Aba Road and was driven by Lance Corporal Abdul Yusuf attached to the 2nd Brigade along with another man and both of them wore Army uniforms.
According to A. S. Aruwa , a Twitter user who has been consistent with reporting happenings in the state and other parts of the north, the two suspects had allegedly attacked Kontagora on Tuesday, October 18, 2016.

In the process, they shot their victim to death so they could snatch his phone. They were declared wanted by the State Command and just two days later, they were apprehended and during interrogation, have allegedly confessed to killing Kontagora.
The week began with the breaking story of a self-confessed notorious cultist and killer, Ibrahim Balogun, also known as Small JPron, who was arrested a few weeks ago for allegedly murdering many people in the Shomolu area of Lagos State.

Just as the residents of the area were heaving a sigh of relief that the menace of the community has been removed from amongst them, he made a triumphant return a few weeks to the local council elections.

Then came the story of 67-year-old Irish national, James Turner who was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for deliberately infecting his girlfriend with the HIV Virus when he knew he had tested positive.

But Turner himself dropped a bomb when he told the police during interrogation that he had slept with more than six ladies without protection.

Following on the heels of the James Turner bombshell, came the story of the trepidation by commercial sex workers in Lagos who are now living in fear, with many of them not knowing if they had fallen victims to the moving death merchant.

Many of them are scared he could have slept with them and passed on the disease to them

A bride-to-be, Temitope Makinde, who was looking forward to her wedding coming up in May, 2017, has been thrown into lamentations following the death of her fiance, Damilare Oladapo Oluwafeyisan, who lost his life in a fire disaster caused by a generator explosion.

Following comments made by President Muhammadu Buhari about his wife belonging to his kitchen and some other rooms in his house, the First Lady, Aisha, turned up the style by dressing in an expensive apparel said to be worth N1.2 million to attend an event.

This display drew the anger of Nigerians who attacked her for wearing such a dress after all, her husband has been preaching change and the need to buy made in Nigeria good.

Here is a rundown of the top five of such trending stories for the week:

There is palpable fear in the Shomolu area of Lagos State following the release of a notorious murderer, Ibrahim Balogun, also known as Small JPron, who was arrested a few weeks ago.

Balogun, a notorious cultist, and self-confessed murderer, had been arrested and held in the custody of the police at the Panti Police Division after months of evading the law, but on Monday, October 10, 2016, he was seen attending a welcome party organized for him by his gang members.

He was allegedly heard boasting that he has a list of the people who fingered him to the police and would go after them one after the other.

The 29-year-old Balogun was arrested on August 20, 2016, for the murder of five people during a cult war in Bariga area of the state.

The police also accused him of setting fire to a house in which a 65-year-old woman, Adejoke Adefuye, was burnt to death.

A 67-year-old Ireland national, James Turner, who was arrested for deliberately infecting his 31-year-old Nigerian lover with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, (HIV), has admitted to also sleeping with six other ladies.

Vanguard reports that Turner was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command after his lover identified as Helen, an indigene of Benue State lodged a complaint, confessed that he had unprotected sex with the ladies including Helen's close friend, knowing he was infected and intentionally passing the virus to them.

Turner also told the police that when his status was confirmed, he had to send his wife back to their country so as not to infect her but continued to sleep with the Nigerian ladies.

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, has confirmed the incident, saying the police is waiting for experts opinion to conclude the charge against the suspect.

Some commercial sex workers in Lagos State, especially those that live in brothels around the Ikeja, Lekki and Festac Town axis, are not sitting pretty at the moment.

The cause of their worries, according to a member of the National Association of Nigerian Prostitutes (NANP) who gave her name only as Milly, is an Irish national, James Turner, who is a certified HIV virus carrier but had been freely distributing the virus to many Nigerian ladies.

Turner was arrested last weekend by the Lagos State Police Command after his Nigerian lover, Helen reported that he deliberately infected her with the virus.

During interrogation, he confessed that he knew he was HIV positive and had gone ahead to have unprotected sex with about six ladies.

What would have been a joyful anticipation for Temitope Makinde as she looked forward to her wedding in a few months time, has turned to sorrow after she lost her fiance, Damilare Oladapo Oluwafeyisan, to a fire disaster.

According to Makinde who spoke to Tori News, the 35-year-old Oluwafeyisan, who was an Operations Manager with an international pay television company based in Minna, Niger State, lost his life on Monday, October 17, 2016, after suffering first-degree burns in a fire accident from a generator explosion.

Describing the sad incident that led to the demise of her fiance whom she fondly calls Dre, Makinde said he was assisting one of his neighbours in switching off the generating set around 12:15am in the night Sunday, October 16, when it exploded and caught fire which rapidly consumed his body.

The victim was reportedly rushed to the General Hospital in Minna where he gave up the ghost at 9:30pm the following day, apparently due to inadequate medical apparatus and incompetence of the medical officials on duty.

Following her praised controversial comments against her husband's government, Mrs Aisha Buhari is now being criticized for wearing a N1.2 million apparel.

The First Lady on Tuesday, October 18, on her way to Brussels, Belgium wore a $2,600 (N1.2m) Salvatore Ferragamo cape.
Emechebe, of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nnewi that the call was necessitated by the increase in paedophilia in the state.

NAN reports that paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult experiences exclusive sexual attraction to children or has a carnal knowledge of children.

The person who commits the act is called a paedophile and could be either a male or a female.

The paediatrician said he treated no fewer than two paedophile cases every month.

He said that there was a need for cohesive effort to stop the act which is alien to Nigerian culture.

Victims of paedophiles come with bruises and bleeding from their private parts, having psychological trauma and, most times, contract infections.

It is expedient for parents and guardians of younger children to be aware of this social ill and protect their children and wards carefully.

They should monitor their movements and know the people they leave their wards with, he advised.

Emechebe encouraged parents to report any act of paedophile to the nearest police station and take the victims to hospital for medical check immediately.

Speaking on the same issue in a telephone interview with NAN, Dr Lawrence Ikeakor, said the hospital had not recorded such a case.

Ikeakor, Chief Medical Officer, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, said paedophilia was an aberration and a psychological problem.

He said it had a psychological impact on the affected children, noting that victims, oftentimes, found it difficult to adjust in future.

Okafor said that parents should be careful of the custody of their wards, advising that necessary action should be taken instantly in case anything happened.

Mrs Pat Offiah, an aide to Gov. Willy Obiano of Anambra, said that cases of paedophilia were on the increase, adding that government would deal with any offender caught.

The government will punish any confirmed offender to serve as a deterrent to others.

Let the public know that it is not a socially acceptable act in the state, Offiah, Obianos aide on primary education, told NAN on telephone.

A school proprietor, Mrs Chinwe Anunobi, blamed cases of paedophilia on parents who neglected their primary assignment of taking care of their children for material gains.

Another educationist, Mrs Sharon Mmaduabuchi, said the issue of child sexual abuse was rampant in the state, citing a case of a two-year-old girl who was raped by her uncle.

Mnaduabuchi advised mothers to be on red alert in order to prevent reoccurrence.

The most recently reported case of paedophile in Anambra was that of a pastor who raped a thirteen-year-old boy at the church premises at Ifite, Awka.

Another case in the state was that of an eleven-year-old girl who was raped recently by her elderly neighbour.
The suspects, according to NDLEA, who were arrested during the screening of passengers on board a Turkish flight, were allegedly laundering the drug money from Greece and Austria.

It was gathered that Nicholas was found in possession of 279,190, while Lovely had on him $30,000 and 46,450, inside envelopes and shoes.

During interrogation, Nicholas who claimed to work in a bakery in Austria said that several people had given him the money for onward delivery to their relatives in Nigeria.

The money does not belong to me. It was given to me by different people in Europe to give to their relatives. I have been living in Vienna, Austria, for over 15 years.

On his part, Lovely who lives in Athens, Greece, said the money belonged to his friends.

I live in Athens and I work in an African shop. I have lived there for 12 years. The money belongs to many people and some of them are my friends.

However, the NDLEA commander at the MMIA, Ahmadu Garba, insisted the money were proceeds from a drug deal.

We discovered 325,640 and $30,000 during the inward screening of passengers on a Turkish flight.

Edos Nicholas was found in possession of 279,190 and Hallowell Lovely was found in possession of 46,450 and $30,000  about N175m (parallel market) in all.

This is a suspected case of money laundering. Criminal groups seek to conceal the origin of illegally obtained money.

It is pertinent therefore for us to trace the origin of the money and prevent the introduction of criminal funds into the economy. Consequently, I have directed that the case be meticulously investigated."
The sins of the woman identified as Taiwo Kehinde, according to Vanguard, was that her husband allowed a man the landlord saw as an enemy, into her apartment at Ishaga Street in the area.

It was learned that the landlord had banned the man from entering his house but Taiwo's husband, Mayowa Kehinde, defied the orders and allowed the man into her apartment, leading to an altercation that led to her being battered.

Narrating her experience on her hospital bed after coming out of coma, Kehinde, said:

My landlords son, , attacked me right inside my apartment with broken bottles. My sin was that my husband allowed one of his friends into our apartment.

I was returning from my shop last Friday when I met this family friend, who lives opposite us.

He told me to leave the house that my husband and our landlords son were quarreling. I decided to go inside and change into something else.

The family friend left for his house, while I entered our apartment. I was trying to change my wears when Jimoh barged inside and started shouting.

He said I have told you and your husband that I dont want to see that man (family friend) anywhere close to this house. But you wouldnt obey. I am going to kill you before your husband comes back.

Before I knew it, he broke the bottles in his hands and started stabbing me all over my body, until I passed out. This is not the first time he has beaten me.

I am not his wife, neither am I related to him.

The assailant, it was gathered, was later arrested and charged to court and has been remanded in prison after he could not meet his bail conditions.
They shared other survival stories while speaking to the congregation at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Lagos.

ALSO READ: Nigerian drug baron who was deported from Kenya twice arrested again

A returnee, Tracy Stephen, who is from Edo State said, My attempt to reach Italy was almost fatal when the over-filled rubber dinghy I had boarded ran out of fuel.

There were no life-jackets and none of us could swim. Children and babies were among the 140 crammed on-board.

We were finally rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard and I was imprisoned for three months before being repatriated to Nigeria through the intervention of the International Organization for Migration, IOM, who subsequently provided a vehicle to bring the deportees to The SCOAN in recognition of the churchs humanitarian efforts.

The experience is so bad a ladys two children had to drink my urine to survive.

Im among the lucky ones who remained alive after over 3,600 other Europe-bound migrants lost their lives while trying to flee Africa, she said.
The group also said that Buharis hands are soiled with the blood of Ogoni activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa.

NDA made the comments via a letter written to Buhari on Thursday, October 20. Read the full letter below:

The High Command of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is constrained to write you Mr. President, General Muhammadu Buhari on your continuous disparaging remarks; since the cessation and suspension of hostilities by our fighters for liberation of the Niger Delta from economic colonialism of Nigeria.

We are curious of comments like  Niger Delta militants objective is to colonize Nigeria economically  Niger Delta militants are sponsored by economic looters During the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 63rd Regular Course; where you personally issued misleading statements and threats of decisive military action- if necessary to deal with Niger Delta agitation because you have purportedly opened up channels of talks through security agencies/agents and the Multinational Corporations.

Mr. President do democratically elected governments open channels for talks in situations like we have in the Niger Delta through security agencies/agents or you are assuming the Niger Delta as a conquered colony in your 1984 Era?

Mr President, you continue to emphasize on the charade you called  the flagged off process to the cleanup of Ogoni land as part of your governments program to salvage the ravaged environment. We are disturbed with the type of rhetoric and politics you are degenerating your age and authority as president of federal republic of Nigeria on issues concerning Niger Delta since you came into office.

You continue to live in pretence and blind to the history of the Niger Delta agitation because of some psychopaths around and advising you as far as you are concerned, You are as white as the snow!

But do I recall that you were once a military governor, a minister of petroleum, military head of state and chairman Petroleum Trust Fund and general Sani Abachas henchman (the most corrupt dictator in the history of Africa) .

To say the least, your hands are soiled deep in the blood of Kenule Saro Wiwa (the Ogoni nines), events leading up to the pollution of Ogoni land that you are politicizing the cleanup process. Wait a moment, how come your government is glorifying a charade called Ogoni cleanup while you were a major player in that crime!

How can you justify Ogoni clean up at the same time constitute a Task Force Called Operations Delta Safe that is embarking on environmental pollution with the burning and bombing of petroleum products in the guise of fighting oil theft?

Does that amount to lack of genuine ideas or sincerity? OR at least, is there no relationship between environmental pollution and the ongoing indiscriminate burning and bombing of petroleum products by operatives of the so-called  Operations Delta Safe?

Mr. President basically, some other factors fueling the Niger Delta conflict are corruption engendered by successive government that you served since oil becomes the commonwealth of the nation Nigeria. What is wrong in president simply producing a copy of secondary school leaving certificate instead hiring 13 Senior Advocates of Nigeria to suppress the judiciary?

Whilst you start the Ogoni clean up process; what is wrong in reviewing the Sir Henry Willinks Commission Report 1958? The Ogoni Bill of Rights, The Kaiama Declaration document of the Ijaw Youths Council, The General Alexander Ogomudia Committee Report, and The Leedum Mitee led Niger Delta Technical Committee Report?

ALSO READ: Militants say Operation Crocodile Smile is a scam
This is contained in a statement co-signed by the President and Secretary of the NGO, Hajiya Hadiza Buhari-Bello, a daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, and Don Uche, respectively.

The BBOG advocacy group via statement jointly signed by Aisha Yesufu and Oby Ezekwesili had dissociated BBOG group from a fund-raising event organised by Hadiza Buhari-Bello, daughter of Nigerias president.

The event tagged: Official Inauguration and Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Chibok Girls Endowment Project, took place at the Peace Corps of Nigeria premises, Abuja, on Oct. 17, with the #BringBackOurGirls inscription on the backdrop.

While demanding an immediate retraction and unreserved apology from the organisers of the event, the BBOG also urged the general public to disregard attempts at linking the group to the event.

However, Hadiza Buhari-Bello and Uche stated that contrary to Yesufu and Ezekwesilis allegation, AFRISEI did not need to lean on the BBOG to be of service to the Chibok Girls.

They maintained that they had no reason to steal anything from BBOG or use its name to achieve any advantage.

The Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative has its own defined objectives and that it didnt need to steal anybodys ideas to operate in line with its own objectives.

While praising the activities of the BBOG to raise and sustain awareness about the plight of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls, the Presidents daughter said that their organisation had broader objectives beyond the Chibok girls.

They said though the Chibok girls were within the priority of their organisation, their commitments to humanitarian causes did not end with Chibok schoolgirls.

Given the size of the problem at hand, the more organisations we have assisting Chibok and other devastated communities, the better for the country, they said.

According to them, as a charitable organisation, AFRISEI is committed to empowering the youth and the less privileged in the area of job creation and skill acquisition.

It is also committed to supporting the education of the less privileged students, giving material support to the downtrodden; the internally displaced persons.

AFRISEI is committed to educating the masses to discourage unhealthy practices such as child trafficking, child abuse, child labour and gender discrimination.

The AFRISEI president and secretary said there was no law that prevented their organisation from assisting the Chibok schoolgirls, adding that as a charity organisation, they offered help to people in distress, including the Chibok girls and the Boko Haram victims.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 20, by its Head of Operations Maiduguri zonal office, Ibrahim Bappa, it was disclosed that N196.7 million was recovered for the Federal Government and about N3 million for individuals that petitioned the commission.

"Since the office resumed operations in November 2015, it has recovered the sum of N196, 670, 000 for the Federal Government of Nigeria and the sum of N2.8m for individual victims as a result of petitions received and acted upon by the zone," Bappa said.

He did not, however, state the persons from whom the money was recovered.

He said the EFCC office in Maiduguri zonal office was opened on March 22, 2011, but suspended its operations due to the security challenges.

Bappa said with the resumption of operations by the anti-graft agency, the fight against corruption will intensify in the area.

ALSO READ: EFCC to prosecute 130 INEC staff for bribery

He urged Nigerians to report any public official "suspected to have used his/her position to enrich himself or herself or any individual living above his/her known means" by writing petition to the executive chairman of the commission through the head of operation in the state.
Akunyili was honoured at RATTAWUs First National Merit Award held in Abuja.

RATTAWUs National President Yemisi Bamgbose, said that the late Akunyili was honoured because of her immense contributions in the struggle for a better welfare package for media workers.

We decided to honour her posthumously today because of her efforts at securing better welfare for our members.

Whatever we are enjoying today as improved welfare package was made possible with her efforts.
Fani-Kayode was taken into custody by EFCC agents on Friday, October 21, outside the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, Punch reports.

He had visited the court for a continuation of his trial on fraud charges brought against him by the EFCC.

Fani-Kayode had said, on Thursday, October 20, that the EFCC was planning to re-arrest him on politically motivated charges.

I have been reliably informed by my sources within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that they are planning to re-arrest and detain me for as long as possible once again even though I have been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos. Fresh charges were filed against me by the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 7th," he said.

The allegations border on a baseless allegation and false claim that I received twenty six million naira from the NSA's office in 2014. These are politically-motivated charges and there is no truth in or substance to them whatsoever.

Because of that the matter is now seized of the court yet the EFCC are still planning to arrest me probably at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos after I appear there on Friday 21st October to attend my trial on the trumped up and, again, politically-motivated charges concerning the presidential campaign funds.

If they do not arrest me then they will arrest me and seek to detain me for as long as possible soon after that. Whichever way they will come and I am ready for them. I am not running. The truth is that the EFCC are a ready, willing and able tool in the hands of the hawks and hardliners in the Buhari administration and they are apparently acting on orders," he added.

Fani-Kayode was initially arrested in May after being accused of money laundering by the EFCC.
For the un-initiated, stomach infrastructure is Fayoses major policy thrust.

Simply put, stomach infrastructure means handing the people food to eat when you should be building for them durable infrastructure like roads and schools.

According to Fayose and his stomach infrastructure advocates, you hand the people food to eat because only living humans will drive on roads, work in factories or inhabit classrooms.

To hear Fayose say it, stomach infrastructure is to thank for the votes he garnered on the way to becoming Governor. So, hes carried on with that very ground-breaking policy--daft as it sounds to the educated.

Bags of Beans and Rice have been distributed in the past, live Chickens have been handed out to the people of Ekiti as the cameras rolled, the Governor has made stops at Amala joints to drive home the stomach infrastructure policy and hes been photographed in markets holding aloft Ponmo, Palm Oil and Fish in the spirit of stomach infrastructure.

ALSO READ: Ekiti Governor supervises arrest of cows

Cows are now the latest addition to the stomach infrastructure family in Ekiti.

Peripatetic Pastoralists have been a pain in the neck for Fayose, given that their cattle have destroyed farmlands and crops.

The herdsmen have carved a negative reputation for themselves across Nigeria for their murderous inclinations as well.

Fayose has made it clear that in Ekiti, theyll have to play by the rules or take their herd of cattle out of his State.

Theres a curfew for the herdsmen these days in Ekiti. It finds expression in an Anti-grazing law which was hurriedly passed by a rubber-stamp legislature

A week ago, Fayose made a show of his new law by arresting a Cow.

His spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, gleefully sent out the following:

Governor Ayodele Fayose demonstrated the seriousness of the State Anti Grazing Law by personally seeing to it that one of the cows was arrested by youths who chased the cows after the herdsmen ran into the bush upon seeing the Governors security men. The remaining cows ran into the bush too.

This week, Grazing Enforcement Marshals, have been commissioned to arrest more cows and have them slaughtered for stomach infrastructure purposes.

Cattle are no longer allowed to graze after 6pm in Ekiti.

Said Fayose: On August 29, this year, the Anti-Grazing Bill was passed by the House of Assembly. I signed it into law on August 30. Some people go as far as grazing in the night, when farmers are no longer on their lands. Any cattle found grazing after the time stipulated by the law would be confiscated. Such cattle would be sold or killed on the spot and shared out to people, as part of our Stomach Infrastructure programme.

It may just be time to relocate to Ekiti.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, said this in Abuja on Thursday at the monthly revenue allocation to Federal, States and Local Governments.

She was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse.

According to her, the revenue allocation to Federal, States and Local Government for September declined by N90.2 billion.

Adeosun attributed the decline to the loss of 45.5 million dollars in Federation export sales, despite the increase in average price of crude oil from 46.06 dollars per barrel in May to 48.4 dollars in June.

Force Majeure was declared at Bonny Terminal and there was a subsisting Force Majeure at Forcados Terminal.

Shut-in and Shut-down of pipelines for repairs and maintenance also contributed to the drop in revenue.

Also, there were decreases in volume of dutiable imports receipts from Joint Venture Cash Call, Foreign Companies Income Tax and Value Added Tax, she said.

Giving a breakdown of how the N420 billion revenue for September was generated, Adeosun said that N250.9 billion was from the distributable Statutory Revenue of the month.

She added that N6.33 billion was refunded by the NNPC to the Federation, N63.4 billion from the Excess Petroleum Profit Tax account, exchange gain of N41.4 billion and VAT, N64.2 billion.

The minister said after deductions as cost of collection by FIRS, Customs and DPR, the Federal Government received N120.4billion, representing 52.68 per cent; states and N61 billion, representing 26.72 per cent.

The local governments, she said, received N47 billion, amounting to 20.60 per cent of the amount distributed.

She announced that N13.7 billion, representing 13 per cent derivation revenue, was also shared among the oil producing states.

Adeosun said that the country generated N135.4billion as mineral revenue and N144.3 billion as non-mineral revenue.

She said this showed a decrease of N23.3 billion and N12 billion from what the country generated as mineral and non-mineral revenue in the months of August and September.

She said that the balance in the Excess Crude Account remains 2.45 billion dollars.

Meanwhile the Chairman, Commissioners of Finance Forum, Mr John Inegbedion, said the lower revenue generated for the month would put a strain on the finances of states and local government.

Something needs to be done to end the activities of the Niger-Delta militants because it is really impacting on the economy.
Mr Song Liyan, AIIB Senior Communication Officer, in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday, announced that Okonjo-Iweala would join 10 other key persons on the panel.

The Panel provides impartial, objective and independent advice to the President, allowing the Bank to benefit from the international experience and expertise of panel members, Liyan said.

He quoted AIIB President, Jin Liqun, as saying that the panel members would advise the bank on the development of its strategy.

It is a great honour to convene such an experienced and diverse group of international leaders to advise on the development of the Banks strategy.

I have no doubt that the advice the panel provides will help shape the development of the Bank in the years ahead.

I could not ask for a better group of ambassadors to help promote our new Bank to the world, Jin said.

The panel members are former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Dr Zeti Aziz, former Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and former Swedish finance minister Anders Borg.

The others are former Timor-Leste finance minister Emilia Pires, former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern and former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Global Foundation secretary-general Steve Howard.

Others include Korea National Diplomatic Academy chair professor and former South Korean deputy prime minister and strategy and finance minister Dr Oh-Seok Hyun.

Former U.S. ambassador Paul Speltz and London School of Economics professor and former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-Hwa are the remaining panel members.
Buddies who made sure she received $15m as gifts in a span of 15 years.

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), is coercing the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to prosecute Mrs. Jonathan over allegations that she stole $15m, ostensibly from State coffers while her husband, Goodluck Jonathan, was President.

Not so fast, SERAP.

But Mama Peace (as the former First Lady is fondly called) has said she can explain. Her friends have been looking out for her, she says.

The funds in question were legitimate gifts from her friends and well-wishers over the last 15 years which she had been saving in order to utilise to upgrade family businesses and concerns which had been somewhat dormant by reasons of the long period of her husband service as a public officer in Nigeria, the former First Lady said in a statement made available to Pulse.

The money came from friends so numerous, Mama Peace cant even put names and faces to most of them.

The gifts were given in small contributions by several persons, some of whom she cannot even now recall over this period of 15 years...sometimes in as small a gift as N250,000", the statement read.

If you were one of Mrs. Jonathan's friends; donating to her purse unconditionally, rest assured you've been forgotten. You are now history, to put it nicely.

How we hated breaking that to you!

In order to preserve the value of these funds, which she did not require for any purpose at the time, she changed them into foreign exchange and kept them as cash for a long period in her home safe in Port Harcourt and Abuja, the statement read some more.

Mrs. Jonathans $15m gift has long been the subject of intense debates and investigations by Law Enforcement. The first reaction from her team was that the money came from legitimate earnings.

Mrs. Jonathan sheds some more light on how the money made it from a safe in her family home to the banks.

It was when the family home in Otuoke was burnt down by hoodlums under the instigation of political adversaries in 2010 that she began to think about banking these gifts, which had now grown to large sums in the United States dollars.

In 2010 she therefore summoned one of her husbands domestic aides, Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, to assist her in opening bank accounts into which the funds could be deposited.

Unknown to her, the said Dudafa, in a bid to be discreet about the owner of the funds, decided to bank the funds in the names of companies owned by him.

When she discovered this, she was constrained to continue with the names of the companies when she was advised that it did not make any difference as to the ownership of the funds since the director of the company would appoint her as sole signatory to the accounts in question.

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operative who spoke to Pulse on the basis of anonymity, said the anti-graft agency isnt sold on Mrs. Jonathans story just yet.

Her story doesn't add up. My brother, you went to school na! Does that make any sense to you?

"Recall that weve frozen the accounts opened by fronts for Mrs. Jonathan. Well make sure the money is returned to State coffers if we eventually establish that the money belongs to the State. If she now says her friends gave her the money in a 15 year span, thats an average of $1m from a friend annually. Investigations are ongoing so I wont disclose so much now, said the EFCC operative who spoke to on the basis of anonymity because he hadnt been authorized to comment on the subject.

Moral of the story: we all need new friends. Like yesterday.
She alleges that the non-governmental organisation embarked on a 'campaign of calumny' against her person.

The suit was filed before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, through a youth organisation - 'Union of Niger Delta Youth Organization for Equity, Justice and Good Governance.'

The organisation, according to the suit, is suing for itself and on behalf of Mrs Jonathan.

It accused SERAP of making use of the online, print and electronic media to publish unfounded and malicious allegations against the ex-first lady that she stole $15 million.

Reacting to the suit, SERAP says it is ready for the legal battle against the ex-first lady.

In a statement issued on Thursday, October 20, by the Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the group described the move against it as intimidation and harassment.

"SERAP will never, in the discharge of its mandates, succumb to any intimidation, harassment and attacks in any way, shape or form," the statement said.

SERAP had repeatedly demanded the Federal Government to prosecute Mrs Jonathan following the revelation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that large sums of money stashed in various bank accounts, amounting to $15 million, were traced to her.

ALSO READ: EFCC wants Patience Jonathan to explain how a housewife like her got $20M

The human rights advocacy group even went further to sue the government for failing to initiate criminal charges against the ex-first lady over the funds believed to have been acquired fraudulently.

But the youth group representing Mrs Jonathan claimed she acquired the $15 million legitimately - it was said to be an accumulation of gifts from her friends and well-wishers over the last 15 years.

"She had been saving in order to utilise to upgrade family businesses and concerns which had been somewhat dormant by reason of the long period of her husband service as a public officer in Nigeria," the group said in a previous statement.
For today, October 21, 2016:

THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Another judge blames Chibuike Amaechi for arrest by DSS

Another judge, Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court has blamed his ordeal on the former governor of Rivers State and now, Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

Buhari nominates 46 as ambassadors

President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded the names of 46 nominees as non-career ambassadors from 35 states to the Senate for confirmation. A letter addressed to the Senate President Bukola Saraki, which was read on the floor of the upper chamber yesterday revealed that former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olorunimbe Mamora, former Plateau State Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen and erstwhile Deputy Governor Mohammed Ibeto of Niger State are among the nominees.

Senate passes north east development bill, includes Kano, Plateau

The Senate yesterday passed for third reading a bill seeking to establish the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) to intervene in the reconstruction of the region devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.

THE VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Pomp, pageantry as Bini Kingdom crowns Oba Ewuare IIBenin City, the Edo State capital, was at a standstill yesterday, as prominent Nigerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, traditional rulers, governors, National and state Assembly members, ministers and ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps and captains of industry, among others, thronged the ancient city for the Obass coronation.DSS planted hard currency in my house  Justice NgwutaAnother Justice of the Supreme Court, whose home was raided by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, has opened fresh can of worms, alleging that operatives of DSS, planted hard currency in his house. He also alleged that his ordeal was a result of his refusal at various times to help the All Progressives Congress, APC, pervert justice in governorship election disputes involving Ekiti, Rivers and Ebonyi states.NNPC slashes price of Nigerias crude oil gradesThe Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Thursday, slashed the official selling price of Nigerias crude oil grades as parts of strategy to make Nigeria crude oil attractive to buyers and to help it regain its share of the global crude oil market.

THE NATION NEWSPAPER

I was nominated for VP, says Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday night confirmed that he was nominated for his present position in last years presidential election, Prof. John Paden claims in a book on the President, titled: Muhammadu Buhari: Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria, that Osinbajo emerged as vice president despite pressure against it by All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Gunmen kill Mimikos CSO

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimikos Chief Security Officer (CSO) Idowu Oyewole was yesterday shot dead by three gunmen.

Dollar scarcity persists as demand overwhelms Travelex

Dollar scarcity has been linked to the inability of Travelex, the sole dollar distributor appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to meet increasing demand from bureaux de change (BDCs).

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Patience Jonathan sues SERAP, says $15m is gift

Wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, has urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to restrain a human rights organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, from coercing the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute her over unfounded and malicious allegations that she stole $15m.

Customs fire four deputy comptrollers, 25 other senior officers

Less than a week after sacking 17 junior officers, the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday announced the dismissal of 29 senior officers, including four deputy comptrollers and five assistant comptrollers.

N22.8bn fraud: Amosu, others abandon plea bargain

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday opened its case against a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), and 10 others, who are being tried for an alleged fraud of N22.8bn.

THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER

MTN, Banks say $13.9bn alleged illegal repatriation of $13.92bn factually inaccurate

Telecom giant, MTN Nigeria yesterday denied allegation on the repatriation of $13.92 billion leveled against it by the Nigerian Senate

Nigerians refurbish vehicles as new car prices soar

Chike (not real name) says he is not buying a new car to take home at Christmas this year, as has been his tradition in the last five years because they have become too expensive.

Air cargo exports up 39% as Nigerians cash in on weak naira
L-R: Frank Ocean, Katonya Breaux Riley; Rick Kern/WireImageFrank Ocean finally broke his almost three-year interview silence -- to talk about the sneakers he wore to the White House state dinner for Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife Agnese Landini.

In an video captured by the Frank Ocean Daily, an interviewer asks Ocean about his decision to wear black-and-white Vans to the exclusive affair, in which he answers, "First time doing it. Probably because my first time here."

After some more prodding into his unique fashion choice, Frank says, "You can't think. You just have to do things."

The performer also was asked what he was most looking forward to doing during the night.

"Asking Obama if he had fun these last eight years," Frank replied.

Frank also said that he never expected to land in the White House for such a prestigious occasion, and with a witty sense of humor, told reporters hanging on his every word, "I think that explains the Vans."

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
He made the comments at the premiere of Oloibiri, a movie about the Niger Delta, while serving as the guest of honour.

Watching through the movie, I cannot help but feel with the plight of Oloibori and all other oil producing communities and their people in the land. I agree that the movie mirrors a clear manifestation of the collective negligence and failure of leadership in successive governments in our country, Gowon said according to The Cable.

Looking back today, I must confess here that the people of Oloibiri have felt badly neglected and of course, they are hurt. We must, however, acknowledge as a nation and as a people that along the way, we have made mistakes, clearly Oloibiri community has not been treated fairly, they deserve or sympathy, consideration, and collective resolve to develop this once vibrant community.

I move as a former head of state to offer the nations profound regrets and my personal apology to the good people of Oloibiri with the prayers to the present and future government at all levels in the land to work towards redressing the wrongs of the past to these people.

I also request the people of Oloibiri to forgive the oversight and mistakes of the government and the corporate government of Nigeria. I have great faith in our youth in the Delta region. The future is yours if you keep it whole, you will be able to build a better country than we would leave to you today. It is up to you to love your country, defend it whether good or bad but try to make it right.

ALSO READ: Gowon praises Buhari's fight against corruption

In the Delta region, do not go on destroying all these facilities that you would need to develop, for Gods sake, stop doing that because you are hurting yourself and you are hurting the nation as a whole, he added.
Obanikoro is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly receiving N4.745 billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Sambo Dasuki, which he was said to have disbursed to PDP Chieftains and Governors to fund the 2015 elections.

The money is believed to be part of the controversial $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms for the military, but allegedly diverted by Dasuki on the orders of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

During the grilling of Obanikoro by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he had mentioned that out of the money, he gave Governor Ayodele Fayose $5.377 million cash in the presence of PDP elders, including Aluko.

It was gathered that when the EFCC was interrogating Aluko, who had since fallen out with Fayose, he revealed that Obanikoro brought out a large suitcase from a green military trunk, which contained the cash he gave Fayose.

Aluko reportedly named those who witnessed the collection by Fayose as a former Secretary to the State Government, a senator, two members of the House of Assembly, a former Director-General and others.

The N4.685 billion was reportedly transferred to Sylva McNamara Limited out of which N60 million ($5.377m) cash was personally given to Fayose by the ex-minister.

Aluko was quoted to have told the EFCC investigators that: "The ex-minister brought the $5.377million cash to Spotless Hotel for Fayose in a green military trunk. He was accompanied by four military men.

"Obanikoro handed over the trunk and a key to Fayose in the presence of nine eminent PDP elders in the state.

"Holding a piece of paper, Obanikoro later entered into an inner room in the hotel for a brief discussion with Fayose. Maybe the paper was for Fayose to acknowledge the receipt of the cash.

"Upon coming out, Fayose opened the trunk with the key and we all saw it was filled with dollars. We had a list of how we wanted to use the money but we had not expended the Naira cash at hand.

"Fayose, who asked me to call other PDP leaders, later took the trunk to his room at the hotel for safe keeping. That was the last we heard about the cash.

It was reported that Aluko and Obanikoro had a face-off before the interrogators.

A source privy to the matter was quoted as saying: "Both Obanikoro and Aluko were brought to the interrogation room by EFCC detectives.

They asked if Aluko had ever met the ex-minister, the ex-PDP Secretary in Ekiti State said: Obanikoro was the liaison personnel between the Presidency and Fayose.

"He confirmed that he had met with the ex-minister at a meeting in Abuja before the delivery of the money.

"Aluko also admitted that he was present when Obanikoro brought the over $5.377m cash to Governor Ayo Fayose."
Daniel also said that he would never insult Obasanjo because he is a thorough bred Yoruba man.

He made the comments during a radio programme on Sweet FM, Abeokuta.

I opined that we should use one stone to kill 2 birds by picking a Muslim from Ogun West, to assuage the people of Ogun West who have continuously complained that they cannot be governor and the Muslim community who were also agitating at that time, he said.

That I felt was the winning formula then. Obasanjo disagreed insisting that religious factor should not be an important issue for that position at that time. It was a principled disagreement. Some extraneous factors also created a communication gap which did not help matters.

I have told you earlier that I am a man of principles. Baba Obasanjo is also a man of principles. We attended the same school. We were trained to be very strong on principles. Beyond that, Baba remains Baba. I am a thorough-bred Yoruba man. In terms of age, he is my senior.

In terms of experience, he is my senior. I have ruled only Ogun state and he has ruled the entire country Nigeria. Check it out and you will discover that there is no other person that I have celebrated when I was governor more than Baba Obasanjo.

Anytime I am ready for Baba, I will go to him and ask of what we are going to do. I will prostrate for the old man. The last time I was in his house, he gave me bush meat. We joked and we moved on. I think it is people who for various other reasons throw spanners between people

We have no issues. The relationship may not be described as excellent but it is good. Have you ever heard me publicly disparage Olusegun Obasanjo? You know the people who abuse Baba. Even in newspaper advertorials. I am a thorough-bred Yoruba man and that is the difference, he added.
ALSO READ: Governor confirms rescue of 3 abducted school girls

The Chairman of the Union, Mr Akinlawon Fasasi, said that the strike was total, comprehensive and indefinite while declaring the strike to enforce their demands.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Fasasi revealed that the union decided to go on strike after several discussions with the institution's management for its demands had proved futile.

Fasasi said that the union has been requesting for the payments of arrears of the Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure (CONTISS 15) migration to staff at the lower cadre amongst other things.

The union members carried placards with inscriptions such as Pay CONTISS 15 migration and arrears to the lower cadre or De-migrate existing beneficiaries; No to management threat to sack, amongst others.

Fasasi said: The union reasoned and agreed with the management then that when the Polytechnic funding improves, the case would be re-opened.

Fortunately, this year Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode increased the subvention to the institution from N153million monthly to N 210 million, so we decided to re-open the case and demand for our pending entitlements.

Unfortunately, the management rather than paying the workers their dues is saying that the N57million increase on the subvention by the State Government was not for staff welfare."

Fasasi also said that investigations carried out into the Polytechnic's account upon the request of the governing council when the management claimed that there was no funds, showed that the institution Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had increased.

The institution is so rich with a sum of over N1.8 billion while the total amount of the migration is just N20 million monthly, as the increment for some the staff on level 1 to 12 is between N3,000 and N20,000,  he said.

The Chairman also accused the management of squandering the Polytechnic's money on themselves in the form of several allowances, while the junior staff's welfare was abandoned.

Fasasi assured that the strike would be made effective and that the union would ensure that its members comply, as the administrative offices were already locked.

Our members have also been directed to resume at the Administrative block every morning to continue pressing home their demands even if it takes a year to be implemented.

The Polytechnic will continually be in a state of unrest until our demands are met since they do not value our peace, they will also not know peace, he said.

Reacting to the union's declaration, the Head of Public Relations Unit, Mr Olanrewaju Kuye, said that the management was fully aware of the protest as well as the strike.

Kuye commended the Lagos State Government and the Polytechnic's efforts concerning the welfare of the staffs but said that the union could not do without the demonstration.

He went on to add that the Union was demanding of migration but that there is nothing of such but rather, an alignment with staff salary.

According to Kuye, there had indeed been an increase in the Polytechnic's subvention, but the payment being demanded by the union cannot be paid without approval, even if the funds were available.

ALSO READ: Ambode promises to assist youths to become wealth creators

Kuye said that the Polytechnic's management met with the government on the issue and have been directed to put their demands in writing which would be incorporated into the 2017 budget.

This is October and the Rector had told all the unions at a town hall meeting to put their demands in writing .

These are to be forwarded to the state government as directed, and would be implemented by January in the 2017 budget,  he said.

He said that the government has been generous enough to include the the payment in the 2017 budget despite the current recession in the country.
He asked Iraq to arrest Velayati "in order to extradite him, after learning via the international press that the accused travelled to Baghdad" on Wednesday, the Argentine justice ministry said in a statement.

In July Argentina issued a similar warrant to Singapore and Malaysia after learning Velayati was on a lecture tour to those countries.

Argentine investigators accuse Velayati and four other Iranian former officials, including ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, of orchestrating the July 18, 1994 car bombing at the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.

The Iranians allegedly ordered the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to carry out the bombing, the deadliest terror attack in the South American country's history.

Iran, which denies involvement, has repeatedly rejected Argentine demands for the accused to testify.

Velayati rejected the accusations as a lie in an interview last year with Argentine television channel C5N.

The attack remains politically explosive in Argentina.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Alberto Nisman, was found dead last year in mysterious circumstances four days after accusing then-president Cristina Kirchner of conspiring with Iran to shield suspects from prosecution.

The case against Kirchner has since been thrown out for lack of evidence.
Four years after Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, the tension between host and guest is plain to see.

Ecuador said Tuesday it has cut Assange's internet access because of leaks by his anti-secrecy website "impacting on the US election" -- a reference to the release of a damaging trove of hacked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign.

The leaks have put Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa's government in an awkward position.

Back in June 2012, offering Assange refuge was a waggish way for Correa, a radical economist, to thumb his nose at the United States, the domineering neighbor that the Latin American left has long loved to hate.

WikiLeaks had infuriated Washington by leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables and secret files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In granting Assange asylum, Ecuador backed his argument that the criminal investigation he was fleeing -- for accusations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden -- was a smokescreen to extradite him to the United States.

But Assange appears to have gone too far by letting WikiLeaks wade into the US election with hacks that have embarrassed Clinton and effectively helped her Republican rival, Donald Trump.

Clinton's team blames the Russian government for hacking Democratic Party emails and the Gmail account of campaign chairman John Podesta -- a view shared by the US government.

With polls showing Clinton likely to beat the volatile billionaire on November 8, and recession-hit Ecuador needing to make nice with the superpower to the north, Assange may now be wearing out his welcome.

"Of course Correa's government is uncomfortable," said Mauricio Gandara, who is in a position to know, as Ecuador's former ambassador in London.

"The government is scared because it understands Clinton is probably going to win and could make them pay," he told AFP.

Ecuador plays nice

Correa has repeatedly voiced his support for Clinton in the election.

WikiLeaks on Monday accused Ecuador of severing Assange's communications at the behest of Clinton's successor as secretary of state, John Kerry.

"That's just not true," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday.

Ecuador also implicitly denied the claim, saying it "does not yield to pressure from other states."

But Ecuador is keener to pursue good neighborly relations with the United States than it was in 2012.

Then, the South American country was in the midst of a commodities-fueled economic boom. Now, it is stuck in a long recession.

The fact that Ecuador is currently negotiating loans from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank -- two institutions where Washington wields outsize influence -- may be an "additional factor" in the decision to cut Assange's internet, said Santiago Basabe, an Ecuadoran political scientist.

Correa's government "is trapped between the pressure Assange exerts with the relevant information in his possession, and pressure from the United States to stop embarrassing information from being published," he said.

Assange lifeline severed

Losing his internet connection is a particularly low blow for Assange, whose computer had been his link to the outside world.

It is unclear how long Assange will remain in the Ecuadoran embassy.

He denies the accusations against him, but refuses to travel to Sweden over fears he would be handed over to the United States.

Prosecutors dropped their sexual assault case against him last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired.

But the limit on the rape allegation will not run out until at least 2020.

Sweden and Ecuador have agreed to a deal for him to be interrogated by Ecuadoran prosecutors, with questions posed by their Swedish counterparts.

The session was recently postponed until November 14.

Cooped up in a small apartment in the embassy -- a redbrick Victorian building in a chic district of London -- the 45-year-old Australian reportedly has a sparse existence.

He has a treadmill, a microwave and a sunlamp, and had until now spent the overwhelming majority of his time on the web.

"It's not worse than a prison cell," a friend and supporter, Vaughan Smith, told AFP after visiting Assange in August 2012.
Cunha was jailed Thursday to await trial on charges of bribe taking, money laundering and stashing his illicit gains in Swiss accounts.

It was a shocking comedown for the former speaker of the lower house who launched the impeachment of former leftist president Dilma Rousseff, leading to his fellow center-right PMDB party member Michel Temer taking over the presidency.

But the possibility that the Brazilian wheeler dealer, often compared to Frank Underwood in Netflix's dark political series "House of Cards," could cooperate with prosecutors is causing alarm among other politicians, analysts say.

Prosecutors leading the investigation into a huge embezzlement and bribery scheme at state oil company Petrobras have repeatedly used plea bargains to extract new information and expand their probe. Cunha, the ultimate insider, would potentially be a mother lode.

"Who in Brasilia would be safe from a plea bargain with Cunha?" asked law professor Ivar Hartmann at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.

"Cunha has a major destructive potential," Alberto Almeida, director of the Analysis Institute, said.

Who's next?

The Petrobras scandal has already put a host of leading politicians in the crosshairs. Ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the mentor of Rousseff, is the subject of three cases and there is speculation that he could be next to face arrest.

However Temer's government is also reeling from the probe. Three of his ministers facing investigation had to step down soon after he took over the presidency in August.

One of them, Romero Juca, resigned as planning minister after the leak of a recording in which he appeared to discuss wanting to shut down the investigation, dubbed Operation Car Wash.

Although Cunha was a close ally of Temer and others in the new government, they are likely to be fearful of what he might say if prosecutors put him under pressure.

"I have no doubt that if Cunha has to choose between saving his party's reputation or his own skin that he'll opt for his own skin," Hartmann said.

Even without a plea bargain, Cunha is keeping Brasilia on its toes with his promise to write a book -- something that being incarcerated will give him plenty of time to do.

If Cunha spills the beans on his insider knowledge "the crisis could affect the inner core of the government," said analyst Marco Antonio Teixeira at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

So far the Temer government has reacted with notable caution. Brazilian media reports said that ministers had been instructed to avoid comment.

Temer, on a trip to Tokyo, would not be drawn on speculation that more cabinet members could be downed by the Car Wash probe. "For now these are just allegations," he said.
Its executive director, Evelyne Paradis, said "growing populism, extremism and xenophobia" are affecting sexual, ethnic and other minority groups.

"In many countries LGBTI groups find themselves among the most vulnerable," she told AFP.

Campaigners at the conference in Cyprus said the LGBTI movement had made enormous gains in some countries, successfully campaigning for laws allowing same-sex marriage and banning discrimination.

But they said populist politicians were fuelling a backlash.

"Whereas in the last few years we had seen a decrease in direct targeting of offices of LGBTI organisations' offices, that's starting to reappear," Paradis said.

Brian Sheehan, who co-chairs the group's executive board, said inequalities created by austerity policies were damaging social cohesion and threatening "the diversity that is at the heart of the European project".

"Post-Brexit we've seen a rise in attacks on foreigners and we also seen a rise in attacks on LGBTI people," he said of the vote in Britain to leave the EU.

"The notion of being different or other has been politically manipulated."

ILGA-Europe, which represents 490 organisations from 45 countries, is holding its conference in Nicosia two years after the city held its first Greek Cypriot gay pride parade.

The conference opened with a drinks gala at Nicosia's presidential palace -- something Sheehan said would be unthinkable in many European countries.

"It's an extremely important event for Cyprus, which has come a long way in recognising rights of LGBTI community in last few years," said Stella Kyriakides, a member of the Cypriot parliament.

But she said elsewhere in Europe, an influx of refugees was stirring up xenophobia.

That prompted many to vote for far-right parties in local elections in Germany and France, she said.

"I am extremely concerned that we are seeing extremist movements on the rise in Europe and especially in recent years," she said.
Several hundred, all dressed in civilian clothes, demonstrated for a second night on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Wednesday, eventually gathering at the Arc de Triomphe to sing the Marseillaise national anthem.

"Police officers need recognition," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Thursday.

"They are loved by the French people, and not only since Charlie," he added, referring to an outpouring of sympathy for police following the attack last year on the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

The execution-style killing of a police officer during the raid by two extremists became one of the emblematic images of the tragedy, the first in a string of Islamist-inspired attacks that have shocked France.

"I call for calm and peace and I say to the police officers of France that they can count on my support, my solidarity, my understanding and my commitment," Valls continued.

With security at its highest possible level, officers have been up in arms over attacks on officers during patrols in tough suburbs and during street demonstrations.

On October 8, a 28-year-old officer suffered serious burns when he was attacked with a petrol bomb on the outskirts of the capital. He remains in a coma.

Police unions, which have already met Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, are demanding a meeting with President Francois Hollande and calling for fixed minimum sentences for attacks on the police.

Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas met union representatives on Wednesday and pledged his "entire support to the police... who are exposed to significant and constant risks".

Police were also set to protest Thursday in the central city of Lyon after officers came under attack in the gritty Venissieux suburb where around 40 youths pelted them with petrol bombs.

Under French law, police may protest only when off duty, out of uniform and provided they leave their service weapons and vehicles behind.

The Socialist government has accused former president Nicolas Sarkozy of cutting 10,00 police jobs during his 2007-2012 presidency.
"Two men pretended to be couriers to get the door opened," a police source said.

After threatening staff there with tear gas canisters, they escaped "with about 10 watches with an estimated value of 500,000 euros ($546,000)", said the source.

A spokesman for Girard-Perregaux's parent company Kering confirmed the value of the stolen watches.

In March, a Chopard jewellery store in the nearby Place Vendome was robbed of an undisclosed amount of merchandise by two men armed with a pistol and a grenade.

Security was stepped up in the chic square after a series of violent robberies there in 2014.
A draft of the new basic law, which President Alassane Ouattara says will put an end to years of crises in Ivory Coast, but which the opposition derides as dangerous and anti-democratic, will be put to a referendum on October 30.

A vast deployment of anti-riot police in the economic capital, Abidjan, greeted protesters carrying banners saying "No to the Ouattara monarchy", referring to the main architect of the proposed constitution.

The opposition has complained it was not included in the drafting process.

Several opposition political leaders were briefly detained, including Aboudramane Sangare, a senior figure in the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), the party created by former president Laurent Gbagbo, who is now on trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"This is Ouattara's democracy," said former national assembly speaker Mamadou Koulibaly after being loaded into a police vehicle.

'Path of disobedience'

"We are showing the path of disobedience against an authority that has no legitimacy to do what it is doing. We don't want this constitution," he said after his release.

After she was released by police, another opposition politician, Danielle Boni Claverie, announced that a "mega meeting" against the constitution would take place on Saturday in the city's Yopougon district.

The prefect of Abidjan said in a statement that the route and duration of the protest "would have disturbed social, administrative and economic activity" in the city.

"Although no agreement was reached, the concerned parties went ahead with the demonstration in defiance of the authorities," the statement added.

The draft constitution, which parliament overwhelmingly approved last week, changes the rules on presidential eligibility and establishes a senate and the post of vice president.

Critically, it would lift the current requirement that both parents of a presidential candidate must have been born in Ivory Coast.

In the past, this stipulation prevented Ouattara standing for the highest office and is widely seen a trigger of civil conflict in the country.

Ivory Coast's main opposition coalition last week called on voters to boycott the referendum.

"We are on the path to boycott," said FPI chairman Pascal Affi Nguessan during the protest Thursday.

Ouattara told lawmakers earlier this month that under the proposed constitution, the election calendar "will be known in advance by everyone, with fixed dates, so that there can no delays that could disturb our country's stability."
The group said the Italian coastguard had sent a Seawatch rescue ship and a diverted oil tanker to help a dinghy in distress in international waters, 14 nautical miles off Libya, early Friday.

As the operation was unfolding, assailants arrived aboard a vessel with Libyan coastguard insignia and tried to steal the dinghy's motor, a spokesman for Sea-Watch said.

The men, who spoke only Arabic, beat some of the migrants with clubs, causing panic which caused most of them to fall into the sea, the spokesman said.

Sea-Watch said it had rescued 120 out of the estimated 150 people onboard.

Its team recovered four bodies but saw other corpses in the water that could not be retrieved. They estimate that between 15 and 25 are missing, the group said.

The Italian coastguard confirmed that the rescue vessel SeaWatch2 rescued 120 people before dawn Friday, but gave no further details.

According to the UN, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday.
The trio snatched the two-year-old in 2015 because she bore a resemblance to the young daughter of one of the French women, who was involved in a bitter custody battle with her estranged partner, according to the verdict.

A source close to the inquiry said Emeline Oeillet, 27, plotted with her mother and step-father to submit the Serbian girl to paternity tests so that the DNA match would come back negative, allowing her to claim her ex-partner had not fathered their child.

Oeillet was handed a seven-year sentence for the kidnap, and her mother Alexia Branchu, 51, was jailed for nine years. Branchu's husband Sebastien, 46, was jailed for ten years.

The trio insisted they had the agreement of the Serbian toddler's family to "borrow" her, but this claim "of a pre-existing agreement with the parents of the Serbian girl was not proven", according to the judgement quoted by media.

"The telephones and computers of the accused were analysed and no trace of contact with the parents of the Serbian girl were discovered," said judge Dragan Milosevic.

The Serbian family's lawyer Natasa Jovicic said claims of an agreement "were not worthy of comment", adding: "From the point of view of the victims, no punishment is sufficient for someone who tries to harm your child."

According to the verdict, the French trio followed the toddler and her mother as they entered a Belgrade supermarket on March 13, 2015, and snatched the child as they came back onto the street.

"The accused tore the girl from the hands of her mother and violently pushed the mother to the ground," the judge said.

"They then put the child in their car where they changed her hairstyle, switched her clothes with others prepared in advance, and fled."
The session, called by Britain, is seeking a resolution condemning gross abuses especially in Aleppo's rebel-held east where an estimated 250,000 civilians are besieged by a brutal government offensive backed by Russia.

"The siege and bombardment of eastern Aleppo, are not simply tragedies; they also constitute crimes of historic proportions," Zeid said.

Calling Syria's more than five-year civil war "a proxy conflict", he urged parties to the fighting to set aside "global gamesmanship".

The head of the United Nations's commission of inquiry for Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, reiterated a call for the International Criminal Court to probe violations in the war-ravaged country.

While rights council resolutions are non-binding, regime ally Russia is expected to push back against any draft strongly condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.
Under pressure from international lenders for reforms to cut spending, spur growth and create jobs, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has proposed a broad package of initiatives to control the fiscal deficit and increase government revenues.

But proposed new taxes and the halt to public wage increases included in the government's 2017 budget has worried many Tunisians already wary about the lack of economic progress since their 2011 revolution ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.

"We call for regional protests, a large national protest in Kasbah Square (near the Prime Minister office) and another in front of the parliament," the UGTT union said in statement, without giving a date.

The parliament is expected to debate the 2017 budget in the next few days after it was approved by the cabinet.

The UGTT, the country's main labour union with 900,000 members, also called for a general strike to protest against plans to freeze the increase in public wages, which it warned could trigger protests.

The UTICA industry and business employers' association, one of the country's major economic lobbying groups, said on Wednesday it rejected a proposed exceptional tax contribution on business as a way for the government to generate finances.

Thousands of lawyers are expected to go on strike on Friday to protest against new tax measures against their industry and other sectors such as healthcare.

Tunisia expects to seek $2.78 billion in foreign loans next year - nearly double its 2016 external financing needs - to help cover a 2017 fiscal deficit seen at 5.4 percent of GDP.
It was the latest blow for the center right-dominated opposition, whose aim of forcing a referendum this year through a series of preliminary petitions now looks practically impossible.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro has vowed to hold on to power in the South American oil exporter, where an economic crisis has prompted food shortages and looting.

The pro-Maduro governors of the states of Apure, Aragua, Bolivar, Carabobo and Monagas announced on Thursday that local judges had annulled the results of the last petition, held in June, in their states because of alleged fraud in the counting of signatures.

Maduro's number two Diosdado Cabello said later in a speech: "Let us hope that those responsible will now be sought out and detained and go to prison for the deception they have committed."

The opposition MUD coalition says Maduro and his allies control the courts and electoral authorities and are using them to cling to power.

Maduro's opponents were hoping to mount a fresh petition next week, the last stage necessary for calling a referendum.

Electoral authorities had warned that if the first-round petition was annulled in any state, that key stage in the referendum process would be void.

But the chances of Maduro being removed by referendum this year already looked impossibly slim. The electoral authorities have said a referendum could not take place before mid-January.
The attorney general's office said in a statement that a tribunal in Mexico City ruled against Guzman. But his lawyer immediately told AFP he would appeal the ruling to a higher court.

The Foreign Ministry had approved the Sinaloa drug cartel chief's extradition in May, but his lawyers fought the decision in district court.

The tribunal in the capital, which had been reviewing the case since September 26, "decided to reject the protection" sought by Guzman, the attorney general's office said.

One of Guzman's lawyers, Andres Granados, said he would pick up court documents on Tuesday and from then he would have 10 business days to appeal to a "college" of judges.

He also vowed to seek a Supreme Court hearing.

"We are not defeated," Granados told AFP, adding that he could still take the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The lawyer said he suspects the government is seeking to violate Guzman's due process by speeding up his extradition.

Guzman was recaptured in January, six months after his brazen escape from a maximum-security prison through a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) tunnel that opened into his cell's shower.

The national security chief, Renato Sales, said last week that the government hopes to extradite Guzman by January or February.

Extradite by year-end?

A US government official has told AFP that the extradition process could finish earlier, by the end of this year.

Guzman is facing two extradition bids, one in California for drug distribution and another in Texas on charges that include murder and money laundering.

Guzman's extradition would set up a major trial in the United States for the head of a cartel accused of providing tons of drugs to addicts in the United States while fueling violence in Mexico.

Guzman was captured in February 2014 after 13 years on the lam, but he escaped a year later from a maximum-security prison near Mexico City, humiliating President Enrique Pena Nieto.

After the slippery drug kingpin was recaptured in January in his northwestern home state of Sinaloa, Pena Nieto demanded his speedy extradition.

The president had balked at extraditing Guzman before his July 2015 escape, preferring to put him on trial in Mexico.

Guzman was returned to the same prison he had escaped from near Mexico City, but in May he was abruptly transferred to a penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez, a city bordering the US state of Texas.

His name was again in the news earlier this week after a federal judge who had analyzed one of his appeals was shot in the head in broad daylight as he jogged in Metepec, near Mexico City.

Another Guzman lawyer, Carlos Castillo, rejected any links between his client and the murder Monday.

While the judge, Vicente Antonio Bermudez, had analyzed Guzman's case, he did not issue a ruling, Castillo said.
Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday.

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres tweeted that it had rescued 802 people on six rubber dinghies and one small wooden boat, and MOAS, a Maltese NGO, said it had rescued 432 migrants on three dinghies.

Italian coastguards and the crew of an EU counter-trafficking vessel rescued the remaining migrants.

Boats carrying migrants are treacherous even if they don't sink: exhaust fumes, hypothermia, dehydration and overcrowding have all proved fatal.

The Italian interior ministry said Tuesday that more than 145,000 migrants had landed in Italy so far this year, a figure similar to that of the previous two years.

According to the UN, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

Meanwhile, it emerged Thursday that as many as 900 migrants may have died in the 2015 sinking off Libya of an overcrowded fishing trawler, about 100 more than previously thought.

The new toll from the worst maritime tragedy in the Mediterranean since World War II came after forensic scientists, who spent three months examining 675 body bags, discovered that many contained the remains of more than one person, Italy's missing person chief Vittorio Piscitelli told a news conference in Rome.
Italy received 154,000 migrants last year and this year's figure is likely to be higher. Only on Thursday, more than 1,400 boat migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya, Italy's coastguard said in a statement.

To curb flows along the so-called central Mediterranean route, where thousands of migrants drown every year as they make the dangerous journey, the EU is offering trade deals and investment to African countries.

"It is not just about money, it is about substantially improving the capabilities and the chances of people in these African countries and to give hope," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on her arrival to the EU summit in Brussels.

In exchange for financial support EU leaders require their African partners to impose tighter border controls and to take back illegal migrants.

"More efforts are needed to stem the flows of irregular migrants, in particular from Africa, and to improve return rates," said the joint statement on migration agreed by EU leaders.

Leaders gave their backing to plans devised by the EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini to initially use the new approach with five African countries: Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Ethiopia.

First results of these plans will be presented by Mogherini at next EU summit in December, with a view to "extending the approach to other countries," the joint text said.

Eritrea, often described as Africa's North Korea for its reclusive regime and poor record on human rights, is another African country that may be considered by the European Union.
"Putin agreed to the deployment of such a mission during the talks," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring to Wednesday's four-way talks on the conflict with the leaders of Germany, France and Ukraine.

"There is an understanding on the positive nature of the deployment of such a mission, but it needs to be worked out in the framework of the OSCE."

The OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) has 580 unarmed staff based in the conflict zone and has had its mandate extended to the end of March 2017.

Despite Putin's endorsement of armed OSCE observers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the process of ensuring local elections in the rebel-controlled areas needs to advance before an armed OSCE mission could be put in place.

The idea of arming that mission does not sit well with the separatists' self-proclaimed "people's republics" in the industrial regions of Lugansk and Donetsk.

One of the Donetsk separatist leaders, Denis Pushilin, told AFP that his self-proclaimed republic was against the measure and that it had not been agreed upon in 2015 peace agreements known as the Minsk accords.

"The fact that we are against an armed OSCE mission is not only the personal position of the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic," Pushilin said.

"It has been confirmed at rallies with several thousand people that took place on our territories."

In June, more than 5,000 people took to the streets of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk to protest against the presence of OSCE monitors in the war-torn region, one of many rallies against the monitoring group.

Merkel said Thursday that "no miracles" were achieved on the Ukraine crisis during the talks but said they had led to some progress on ending a deadlock in the peace process.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said all sides had agreed to draw up a roadmap by the end of November for applying the frayed 2015 Minsk peace accords following months of impasse.
In a confidential report to the Security Council obtained by AFP on Thursday, the panel described the arms deals that are not recent and involve Israeli and Bulgarian firms.

The council has threatened to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan to try to end the fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven 2.5 million from their homes.

While the arms deals date back to 2014 or earlier, "this evidence nevertheless illustrates the well-established networks through which weapons procurement is coordinated from suppliers in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and then transferred through middlemen in eastern Africa to South Sudan," said the report.

The panel said rebel fighters loyal to Reik Machar recently turned up in the Democratic Republic of Congo armed with Israeli-made automatic rifles that were part of a stock sold to Uganda in 2007.

The weapons were likely taken from South Sudanese government stocks either through battlefield capture or defections, said the report sent to the council last week.

The panel said the Israeli-made rifles were likely part of a larger group of weapons that was transferred to South Sudan from Uganda.

After receiving a tip from Spain, the UN experts are looking into an arms trafficking network based in Europe that received an "extensive list of small arms, munitions and light weapons" from the rebels in 2014.

The deal which also involved a middleman from Senegal provided for shipments that were at least partially delivered, they said.

Deals through Uganda

A Bulgarian firm delivered a shipment of small arms ammunition and 4,000 assault rifles to Uganda in July 2014, which were later transferred to South Sudan.

The firm, Bulgarian Industrial Engineering, worked through an intermediary in Uganda identified as Bosasy Logistics, whose chairman Valerii Copeichin is a Moldovan national.

The report said recent arms supplies were likely to have been made "through the same modality."

UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous has called on the council to move quickly to cut off the arms flow, but Russia opposes the move while African countries have expressed reservations.

"I think an arms embargo should happen now and that's even very late," Ladsous told reporters on Tuesday.

"The rainy season is coming to a close and that has frequently been the time of the year when people go back to military operations."

The council has said it will impose an arms embargo if Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon determines that the government in Juba is blocking the deployment of a UN-mandated regional force.

South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup.
"They denied me food. They beat me up. They put me in leg irons. They beat me in the private parts," Biti, a lawyer who later served as finance minister in an eventual unity government, told Reuters. "That's real election rigging."

To opposition figures in Africa, and in other parts of the world that lack the 240-year U.S. history of peaceful transitions of power, Trump's assertion that November's U.S. presidential election will be "rigged", and his declaration that he may not accept the outcome, are dangerous words.

"Donald Trump is a gift to all tin-pot dictators on the African continent. He is giving currency and legitimacy to rigging because if it can exist in America, it can exist anywhere," Biti said.

"He has no idea what he's talking about, absolutely no idea," said Biti, who speaks from the experience of three election defeats to Mugabe, a 92-year-old ex-guerrilla who has run Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. "It makes us cross because in Africa there's real election rigging."

Long-serving rulers who have faced U.S. criticism in the past are already using Trump's remarks to counter Washington's pro-democracy message.

When Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 30 years, won re-election to his seventh term in February, U.S. officials accused his government of arresting opposition figures, harassing their supporters and intimidating the media.

Trump's comments, said Museveni's spokesman Don Wanyama, "should be an eye-opener to them. As they sit down to lecture other countries, they should realise that it's not easy."

"Democracy is a process and it really takes time."

HORRIFIED

Trump refused during a debate on Wednesday to say whether he would respect the result of the Nov. 8 poll. That sent a chill down the spine of Musikari Kombo, a former local government minister in Kenya, where 1,500 people were killed in a wave of ethnic bloodletting unleashed by disputes over the result of a 2007 election.

"I was shocked. I was horrified," Kombo said. "People in Africa who have always challenged elections will say: 'You see, we are vindicated. Even in the Mother of all Democracies, the presidential candidate is not willing to accept because there is rigging.'"

U.S. officials, including state governors from Trump's own Republican Party, say there is no serious vote fraud problem in the United States and the election will be clean.

Nevertheless, Trump and some allies have alleged anomalies in the voter roll in cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago that could allow the votes of dead people to be counted on behalf of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

It is hard to think what they would have made of this year's election in Gabon, where opposition leader Jean Ping cried foul after narrowly losing to President Ali Bongo, whose family have ruled the oil-producing former French colony for half a century.

The focus of Ping's concern was the province of Haut-Ogooue, where results showed 95.46 percent of voters backed Bongo on a turnout of 99.9 percent, more than double anywhere else.

Gabon's constitutional court - led by the long-time mistress of Bongo's father, Omar - upheld the result.

"I would say to Mr. Trump 'Come to Gabon to see what a fake democracy looks like, to see what a stolen election looks like,'" said Alexandre Barro Chambrier, a senior Ping adviser.
Employees from Hy-Vee stores across the Quad-Cities showed their construction know-how  and picked up some new skills  as they spent Thursday helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home in west Davenport.

A total of 20 employees and store directors left their work behind to help hang drywall, insulate, paint and complete other interior work in a new Habitat home. The house, located at 1601 W. 9th St., is the 99th home for Habitat for Humanity Quad-Cities.

The morning shift was made up of 10 store directors, who were followed in the afternoon by 10 employees  one from each Quad-City store.

"We do a lot of things outside our stores together, but nothing like this," said Mark Streit, director of the Bettendorf store on Utica Ridge Road. "There are some guys here who are really skilled."

The volunteer crew was led by Habitat volunteer and construction supervisor Ross Christopher. Each week, a different group from an area business, organization or church arrives to volunteer and help advance the project, he said.

Of his help from Hy-Vee, he said "They're doing awesome."

Debbie Geisler, the grocery chain's Quad-City marketing director, said the outreach project aligns with Hy-Vee's goals. "Our mission statement is 'making lives easier, healthier and happier' and helping to build strong foundations for families is just one small way for us to achieve that goal."

With help from Habitat, a non-profit Christian organization, new homeowners achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need for a stronger future for themselves and their families. To date, the local Habitat chapter has helped 97 families achieve the dream of home ownership.

New homeowners are required to provide 250 hours of "sweat equity" as part of the program. The hours come from working on their own home, the homes of other Habitat families and donating time and labor at Habitat's ReStore and offices.

The 99th home will go to a couple originally from Togo, Africa, who have one child.

"We are proud to be a part of helping a family in our community become a homeowner," Geisler added.
Jenna Chronos thought she had the skills to plaster a wall until the white, goopy substance slid off the trowel as she tried her hand at the craft.

"I thought I had it all under control and then I got it all over my jacket," Chronos, a GED student from Highroads Advantage in Aledo, Illinois, said Thursday during Junior Achievement of the Heartland's Building Trades Career Expo.

"This isn't for me," she said as she talked instead about a future job as an insulator or in asbestos removal.

But that chance to have a hands-on experience was the intent behind the expo, hosted Thursday and today by Junior Achievement. More than 400 students from 18 area high schools and youth programs are testing their skills and interests at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Training Center in Rock Island. With nearly a dozen area trades unions involved, the students are being introduced to the different types of trades, the training required to pursue a career as well as the apprenticeships available.

"Hopefully there are some great candidates for the trades here," said Rory Washburn, executive director of the Tri-City Building Trades Council, one of the expo's participants. "They might see something that lights a fire under them and want to make a career out of it."

The event include representation from the brick layers, carpenters, cement masons, glaziers, heat and frost insulators, iron workers, laborers, operating engineers, painters, plasters, plumbers and pipefitters, electricians.

Matt Lienen, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 25 training coordinator, said the event is an opportunity to raise awareness of the careers as well as the training available through apprenticeships. "We offer on-the-job training where you're working for a contractor," he said, adding that each trade also requires a certain amount of classroom work.

"There's always a shortage of skilled tradesmen, our numbers are dwindling and many of our members are retiring at an early age," he said.

JA president Barbara VenHorst said the event also addresses the community's skills shortage. "We're helping with Q2030 in that we are helping prepare the workforce for the Quad-Cities. This expo lets the students know these careers are here, that businesses in the Quad-Cities use these jobs and there is a shortage of these workers."

The Q2030 plan is a regional strategic plan, unveiled earlier this year, for improving the future of the Quad-Cities.

Moline High School junior Spencer Oestmann arrived at the expo already planning for a future in welding after graduation. "The plaster work, that was cool. They can make anything," the 17-year-old said. "I got to see all they've got in the trades, the things you can do. It gets you excited about it."

Dave Arnold, the training coordinator for Plasterers Local 18, Rock Island, said even if these students never pursue a trades career "at least they have the knowledge of what a plasterer, an electrician and a plumber do. We're the best kept secret," he added.

But there is definitely a need for a new generation. "The average age of tradesmen is 45. We need more youth. It's a little scary," Arnold said of the future workforce needs.
Iowa's Republican and Democratic parties have poured nearly $500,000 into the Senate District 46 race between incumbent Sen. Chris Brase, D-Muscatine, and Republican rival Mark Lofgren.

New financial reports, filed Wednesday, show the race as one of a handful that are most important to the parties in the battle for control of the state Senate. Democrats now hold a narrow edge.

From July 15 to Oct. 15, Republicans had thrown in more money than the Democrats in the District 46 race, but not by much.

Lofgren, who also is from Muscatine, reported $258,785 in in-kind contributions, with nearly all of it coming from the Iowa GOP. Brase reported $236,886 in in-kind contributions, with nearly all of it from the Iowa Democratic Party.

Brase also reported expenditures of $217,068, but nearly all of that was sent back to the state party.

Lofgren reported spending just $18,737.

Brase had a much better fundraising quarter than Lofgren. The Democrat raised $129,736 for the three-month period, compared with $25,355 for Lofgren.

Much of Brase's money came from unions, including about $37,000 from unions representing firefighters. The International Association of Firefighters PAC gave Brase $25,000. Brase is a Muscatine firefighter.

The Iowa Realtors PAC gave Lofgren $5,000, his most significant political action committee donation for the quarter.

As of Oct. 15, Lofgren held a cash lead going into the last few weeks of the election. He had $42,815 in the bank, compared with $5,249 for Brase.

The 46th District, the only contested state Senate race on the Nov. 8 ballot in the Quad-City area, includes much of western Scott County as well as parts of Muscatine County.

Contested House Races

District 92: Republicans are vastly outspending Democrats in the race between incumbent Rep. Ross Paustian, R-Walcott, and Democrat Ken Krumwiede, a former member of the Davenport School Board.

The new financial reports say Paustian has received $164,147 in in-kind donations, nearly all of it from the Iowa GOP, from July 15 to Oct. 15. Krumwiede, meanwhile, got $20,747 from his party for the period.

Paustian also reported spending $37,745, compared with $2,808 for Krumwiede. That left Krumwiede with $25,607 in the bank and Paustian with $2,107 going into the last few weeks.

It's hard to tell what meaning the GOP's big spending advantage at this point might have. The 92nd District seat has been highly coveted by both parties in the past several years and has gone to the Democrats in the elections in which President Barack Obama has been at the top of the ballot and Republicans during the midterms.

At this point in 2014, both parties were pouring money into the race, and Paustian won. But in 2012, Democrats won the seat without having to invest much money.

Despite the spending imbalance, Krumwiede said Thursday he's pleased with how his campaign is going. And he said a television ad that has been airing criticizing him for the performance of Davenport schools while he was on the board is backfiring on Paustian.

"I love it every day it comes on," he said. Krumwiede said he hears from people who are appalled at the criticism. He said the TV ad demonstrates a misunderstanding of the role of school board members in student performance as well as a harsh view of Davenport schools themselves.

But Paustian said Thursday he has gotten a good response about the ad, including from former school board members. And he said the spending edge the GOP has in the race so far may reflect that Democrats are putting their money into other contests.

The 92nd District includes much of western Scott County, including the cities of Eldridge, Blue Grass and Walcott, as well as parts of northwest Davenport.

House District 93: Incumbent Rep. Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, and Republican Kurt Whalen of Bettendorf had spent roughly the same amount of money for the three-month period, but the GOP had made $15,997 in in-kind contributions to him. Thede had spent just $2,435 for the period, while Whalen spent $3,007.

Thede outraised Whalen for the quarter, taking in $17,350, compared with $3,950 for him. That left her with $20,256 in the bank as of mid-October, while Whalen had $3,766.

The 93rd District includes most of eastern Davenport and a part of western Bettendorf south of 53rd Avenue.

House District 97: Incumbent Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, had spent $27,727 between July 15 and Oct. 15, while his Democratic rival Jeff Wolf of Long Grove had spent just $3,122. David Melchert, a Libertarian from Grand Mound, spent $866.

Mommsen raised $22,035 for the quarter, compared with $3,759 for Wolf and $868 for Melchert. Mommsen had $3,329 in the bank as of Oct. 15, compared with $637 for Wolf and $2 for Melchert.

The 97th District includes most of rural Clinton County, as well as northern Scott County, including LeClaire and Princeton.
Weighed down by anxious anglers and spectators, the floating dock in Lake of the Hills at West Lake Park sinks deeper into the water with every flip of the fish-filled net.

Holy smokes, someone shouts from the crowd. Thats a big one.

Its a recent Friday morning, and more than 115 people  including dozens with their poles at the ready  watch as 2,000 rainbow trout fly into the 54-acre body of water just west of Interstate 280.

This fall, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to stock 17 urban sites across the state with the cold-water fish, a longstanding effort to introduce trout fishing to more people, especially beginner anglers. West Lake Park, which is loaded twice each year, hosts one of the largest events. It started there in 2006.

Quad-City Times photographer Andy Abeyta strapped on waders to capture the action from the water.

We select fish that will bite, even on the day of the event, said Chad Dolan, fisheries biologist with the Iowa DNR, said.

While most of the fish released at Lake of the Hills weigh less than a pound, the DNR also let go of a couple 3.5-pounders, which officials referred to as lunkers.

The agency transported the trout here in a truck from Manchester Fish Hatchery, located about 100 miles north of the Quad-Cities, in Manchester, Iowa.

Iowa has three trout hatcheries, including the hub in Manchester, where more than 600,000 rainbow, brook and brown trout are spawned, incubated and hatched every year.

"Even after last Friday's big number of trout caught, there are still plenty of trout left to be caught" at Lake of the Hills, according to the DNR's Oct. 20 fishing report.

Ron Sipes of Davenport, a self-proclaimed catch-and-release guy, watched last week's stocking from the shore with his two grandchildren. He didnt bother bringing any fishing gear.

I dont believe in fishing on the first day, said Sipes, who noted trout put up a good fight and taste great. I like to let them get acclimated for a day. Its not too sporty to go after them as soon as theyre released.

The Iowa DNR suggests beginner anglers use small hooks with nightcrawlers, simple spinners or small bobbers and corn.

Others, including Dan Stauffer of Muscatine, cast their lines as soon as the first group of fish hit the water.

"I don't care if I catch any as long as I catch the big one," said Stauffer, who enjoys breading and frying trout at home. "They taste pretty good."

He also plans on attending next Saturday's stocking at Discovery Park in Muscatine, where 1,000 rainbow trout will be released into the one-acre pond.

When he has time, Stauffer ventures about three hours with his sons to Yellow River State Forest in northeast Iowa, home to hundreds of miles of trout streams.

While people often associate quality trout fishing with western states, like Colorado and Idaho, Iowa has several excellent fisheries in the northeast part of the state, Dolan said.

Within an hour of the Quad-Cities in Jackson County  the southern-most county with wild self-sustaining populations of brown and brook trout  the DNR stocks and monitors four streams.

Mark Winn, who works at the hatchery in Manchester, labeled Big Mill Creek, located about 20 miles northeast of Maquoketa in the Big Mill Wildlife Management Area, a "phenomenal system."

In 2015, the DNR stocked the 0.9-mile waterway, which also contains wild brown trout, with 1,545 brook trout and 5,505 rainbow trout.

Throughout October, the DNR will stock trout in 50 northeast Iowa streams, which rarely freeze and remain open for fishing year-round.

As of Oct. 1, almost 45,000 resident and non-resident anglers purchased trout permits in Iowa.

Anglers need a valid fishing license and must pay a trout fee to fish for, and possess, trout. Iowa children 15 and younger can fish with a licensed adult, but they cannot catch more than one fish per day unless they purchase their own trout fee.

Anglers can catch a maximum of five trout per day and possess a maximum of 10.

The farther north you travel, Dolan pointed out, the quality of fish also increases.

A lot of people arent aware of that, but when they go up there, theyre going to find that its a little bit more challenging to catch some of those trout species," Dolan added. "If you can see the fish, you can bet they've already seen you  they're not stupid."
We didn't hit it at the right time, but we had the right idea.

About two weeks ago, the night tornadoes hit the Quad-Cities, a buddy from Chicago met me in Savanna, Illinois, a small Mississippi River town about 60 miles north of here.

I parked my vehicle  packed with our camping gear and a bike rack overnight right off the Great River Trail next to the fire department. We planned to pedal back there the next day on our bicycles.

A colleague of mine estimated it would take us about three to four hours to complete the trek, but high wind speeds, which reached 30 mph, slowed us quite a bit. Chilly temperatures also toughened the first quarter of the ride along the riverfront, until the sun eventually broke through the clouds in Port Byron.

This weekend's forecast, however, promises to bring gorgeous fall weather.

Following Friday's frost advisory, temperatures will be above normal this weekend, according to Tim Gross, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Davenport.

Temperatures could rise to the upper 60s on Saturday, with winds up to 10 mph, and the lower 70s on Sunday, with little to no wind at all.

"I wouldn't say it's the last of the warmth, but it's definitely getting really close to one of the last warm-ups," Gross said.

The Great River Trail, which starts at Sunset Marina in Rock Island and stretches north through three counties to Savanna, leads to several small-town attractions along the way.

If you're up for it, stop at Indian Mounds State Historic Site in Albany, home to 200-plus acres of rolling hills, valleys and prairie, for a walk or a snack break.

We ate our homemade lunch there and found it hard to leave.

The leaves hadn't turned yet, but I've heard the canopied sections of the trail offer plenty of fall splendor right now.

By the end of the ride, which lasted about five hours, beds and a hot meal trumped the idea of setting up camp at Mississippi Palisades State Park.

So, we dined at Poopy's Pub n' Grub, touted as "Illinois' biggest biker destination," for their Alaska pollock fish fry, and drove back to the Quad-Cities.

If you go, do yourself a favor and leave a vehicle in Savanna or arrange for someone to pick you up, so you have the option to head home after the ride.

On the following Monday, we felt fresh enough to wake up early for a sunrise canoe session under blue skies on the Rock River, an outing I hope to replicate this weekend.

For more information on the 60-mile route from Rock Island to Savanna, including details about restaurants, landmarks and events along the way, visit GreatRiverTrail.org.
A Bettendorf man, who was out on bond from a Rock Island County charge of trafficking drugs near a park, was arrested along with his girlfriend Tuesday by Davenport police after he was found cooking crack cocaine in the womans apartment while her two children were home.

Dominique Darvonte Charles Hoskins, 23, of 1331 Fairlane Drive, is charged with a controlled substance violation in cooking crack cocaine. The charge is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Hoskins also is charged with conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years, and child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of up to two years.

Hoskins girlfriend, Angela Marie Brown, 34, of 4311 Cheyenne Ave., Apt. 9, is charged with conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony and child endangerment. She also is charged with hosting a drug gathering, a Class D felony, and first offense of possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor that carries a jail term of up to one year.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by members of the Davenport Police Departments Tactical Operations Bureau, on Tuesday, officers searched Browns apartment as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. When officers arrived, they interrupted the process where Hoskins was taking powder cocaine and turning it into crack cocaine.

During their search, officers discovered that Browns daughters, ages 7 and 9, were in the home.

Officers seized 1/20 of a gram of crack cocaine from a prescription pill bottle found in Browns bedroom.

In the kitchen, detectives found a warm pan with water in the sink and a dish with baking soda on the counter.

Also, in the top drawer of a dresser in a bedroom, officers found a white measuring cup with 1/10 of a gram of cocaine. They also seized two glass pipes with marijuana residue in them, and marijuana crumbs in a small box along with a tablet of Ecstasy. The bedroom had the odor of burned marijuana.

According to the arrest affidavits, Brown made arrangements with Hoskins through a series of text messages to manufacture crack cocaine in her apartment.

Hoskins was being held Thursday night in the Scott County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Brown bonded out Wednesday after posting 10 percent of a $5,000 bond through a bonding company.

It is the second time in four months that Hoskins has been arrested on felony drug and delivery charges.

On June 11, Moline police arrested Hoskins on a charge of manufacture and deliver of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a park. Hoskins was near Velie Park, on 5th Avenue between 11th and 12th streets.

According to Rock Island County Circuit Court electronic records, the charge against Hoskins is a Class X felony under Illinois law that carries a minimum prison sentence of six years, and a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Hoskins was taken to the Rock Island County Jail after his arrest and his bond was set at $30,000. According to Rock Island County Circuit Court records, Brown paid $3,000, or 10 percent, to bond Hoskins out of jail.

Rock Island County States Attorney John McGehee said Thursday that his office could choose to revoke Hoskins bond and part of the conditions for him being free is that he commit no crimes. Should Hoskns bond in Rock Island County be revoked, he would be liable for the remaining $27,000 of the $30,000 bond.

Hoskins' next appearance on the charge in Rock Island County is set for Nov. 10 in Circuit Court.
Anastasia Somoza, a disabilities rights advocate who has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, was in Davenport on Friday, praising the former secretary of state and saying more needs to be done to fully integrate all people into society.

Somoza, who mesmerized delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with a speech there in July, said even though laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act have helped to make it easier for people with disabilities to gain physical access to buildings, more work needs to be done to fully include them.

"The ADA has been really successful in terms of increasing physical access, meaning the physical world. Buildings like this are physically accessible so people with disabilities are more visible, Somoza told about a dozen people at Clinton's Davenport campaign office. But she added, Its more than just this inclusion revolution were in the middle of. We need to continue to include, but we also need to find ways to engage people with disabilities. And thats the piece that still needs to be worked on.

Advocates for people with disabilities have pushed for greater advancements in employment, housing and education. Even with her education, Somoza, a graduate of Georgetown University and the London School of Economics, said she's still had difficulty getting hired.

Somoza and her sister, Alba, were born prematurely and diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. Anastasia currently works for an organization in New York that helps people with disabilities and their families. She also is working with the Clinton Global Initiative to stop babies and children with disabilities from being abandoned in China.

Somoza first came to public attention in 1993 at the age of 9 when she took part in a White House event in which she tried to get help from President Bill Clinton to get her non-verbal sister into a mainstream class in their New York school district.

Since then, Somoza said, she and the Clintons have stayed in touch. In September, she introduced Clinton at an event in Orlando, Florida, where Clinton gave an economic speech focusing on people with disabilities.

Public opinion polls have said that both Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump are looked upon unfavorably by most Americans. But in remarks at the Davenport campaign office, Somoza called Clinton someone who is genuine and who "truly wants to make the world a better place."

In addition to being in Davenport, Somoza was going to Iowa City, Ames and Des Moines on Friday.
An acquaintance has been subbing on both sides of the Mississippi River and asked me why the Illinois school buildings seemed more rundown and worn than the Iowa schools. A large sign, posted outside Bettendorf High School for months thanking Scott County taxpayers for voting in the 1 percent facilities sales tax, answers that question.

I know how much maintenance a house requires with only two to four people causing wear and tear. A school building that has anywhere from 100 to 1,700 students pouring in and out each day, takes a significant beating.

Opponents feel the sales tax will drive Illinois customers to the Iowa side. Ironic if that's the case, because Illinois citizens will be paying for the betterment of Iowa schools. I consistently patronize Rock Island and Illinois businesses, and my shopping habits will not change with the 1 percent school facilities sales tax.

Young families look closely at school districts when buying a house, and to remain vital, a community needs new blood.

I haven't agreed with all the financial decisions Illinois school districts have made, but democracy rests on a free, equal public education. We owe it to our children to give them one and that means educating them in well-maintained and safe buildings.

Scott, Whiteside, and Henry Counties have seen that; it's time for Rock Island County citizens to do the same.

Sue Swords

Rock Island
I was born and raised in Scott County, and spent my young adulthood mostly working out of state. But I have recently moved back to help care for my aging parents, and I must say how disappointed I am in what has happened to Iowas once great commitment to education, to our elderly, and to our disabled.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and the Republicans in the Legislature have underfunded education so much, schools are literally closing. His privatization of Medicaid has left many of Iowas disabled poor people in a state of limbo, not knowing whether or not their trusted doctor is an approved provider under the governors privatization scheme.

This is why I fully support Sen. Chris Brase for state Senate. Chris was an outspoken opponent of the privatization of Medicaid. He debated into the late hours to fully fund our schools. Chris also spoke out against the closure of Iowas hospitals that serve those with mental health issues.

Dont believe the rhetoric coming from Brases opponent, who had only a 5 percent voting record for working families when he served in the House. Compare that to Sen. Chris Brase who voted 95 percent of the time in favor of legislation that helps workers, students, and the disabled.

I love my state, but under the Republican leadership, it is indeed in a sorry state. Iowa students, Iowas disabled, and Iowas working families deserve better. Vote for Chris Brase and help save our state.

Charles Fostrom

Eldridge
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad signed a letter Friday asking President Obama to issue a presidential disaster declaration for public assistance as a result of damage sustained in 19 Iowa counties from last months severe storms and flooding.

The governors request did not include activation of the federal Individual assistance program as the damage incurred to private homes during flooding from Sept. 21-23 did not meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency criteria.

Iowa counties included in Branstads request included Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Des Moines, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Howard, Linn, Mitchell, Winneshiek and Wright.

The governor requested funding under FEMAS public assistance program, which is used to rebuild damaged infrastructure that may include roads, bridges, culverts and other public facilities, or to cover costs of emergency work during, and debris removal after, the storms.

A joint federal, state, and local preliminary damage assessment of the 19 counties found the severe weather caused an estimated $22 million worth of damage that could be eligible under the public assistance program. The governor also requested funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state.

John Benson, communications bureau chief in the Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, said the damage estimates compiled by FEMA, state and local officials of $22,045,302 ranked this years Cedar River flooding as the seventh worst weather disaster dating back to 1990, Benson noted. Two other counties  Black Hawk and Butler  had public infrastructure damages exceeding $1 million.

In Linn County, the damage estimated at $12,742,469 includes about $11.3 million for the city of Cedar Rapids, about $630,000 for the county, $314,000 for the city of Palo and $373,000 for the Mercy Medical complex, Benson said. Damage to infrastructure in upstream Black Hawk County totaled at least $3,423,005 and Butler Countys damage assessment totaled $1,633,164, he added.

Benson said about 500 homes and businesses in Iowa also were damaged by the flooding event  including 103 that were assessed as destroyed or having sustained major damage. The number with damage not covered by insurance was 79, which Benson said is below threshold needed to trigger individual FEMA eligibility.

Branstads request for a presidential disaster declaration does not include a request for the federal individual assistance program, which provides assistance to homeowners, renters and businesses to pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses.

Officials from the state and FEMA completed a joint preliminary damage assessment for federal individual assistance earlier this month which determined the 79 uninsured homes that sustained major damage or were destroyed during this event fell far below the FEMA threshold to request federal funding.

The U.S. Small Business Administration did grant an SBA disaster declaration to make low-interest loans available to impacted residents and businesses in Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, and Hardin counties. Also, SBA officials have opened a Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Butler County to assist residents in applying for loans.

Also Friday, Branstad announced the creation of a flood recovery task force  comprised of state and local agencies  to address the unmet needs of impacted residents as part of an effort to assist Iowans in their recovery from flooding and severe weather. The task force will focus on working with communities to develop long-term housing recovery options, he added.

This task force has been established to help meet the unmet needs of those who have sustained damage from the recent flooding, Branstad said in a statement. Members of the task force will bring with them a number of resources and creative solutions to help communities and people rebuild their homes, businesses, and most importantly, their lives.
NATION

6 die in rural house fire

A Cass County sheriff's official has confirmed that all six members of a rural southeast Nebraska family were killed in a house fire this week.

Capt. Dave Lamprecht said Friday that 36-year-old Michael Speer; his wife, 36-year-old Michelle Speer; and their four young daughters died in the blaze reported just after midnight Wednesday.

Lamprecht says autopsies were performed Friday, but no results have been released. He said he is unaware whether the cause of the fire has been determined.

Duke qualifies for Senate debate

White supremacist David Duke has qualified for a televised debate in Louisiana's U.S. Senate race.

Duke's campaign hasn't said whether he plans to attend the debate, which will be held at historically black Dillard University.

Raycom Media commissioned an independent poll to determine which candidates to include in its Nov. 2 debate in New Orleans, which will air live on its TV stations across much of the state.

Any candidate with 5 percent or more in that poll received an invite  and Duke narrowly hit the mark, getting 5.1 percent in the telephone survey done by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.

WORLD

53 die in train derailment

Cameroon's transport minister says at least 53 people have died after a train overloaded with passengers derailed along the route that links the country's two major cities.

Transport Minister Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o said the derailment Friday also injured at least 300 people. State radio is reporting that the crash occurred in Eseka, about two hours from the capital, Yaounde.

Journalists have been blocked from the scene by angry crowds.

Rail officials say the train had been carrying 1,300 passengers instead of the usual 600. The accident comes as heavy rains have caused landslides along roads in the region.

Ex-police chief arrested in town where 43 disappeared

The former police chief of Iguala, Mexico, where 43 students went missing in 2014, was detained Friday after two years at large in a development that Mexican authorities and relatives of the disappeared hope could shed new light on the case.

The National Security Commission announced that federal agents arrested 58-year-old Felipe Flores in Iguala, in the southern state of Guerrero, in a raid in which no shots were fired.

Flores was arrested at 6:30 a.m. leaving a house where he had visited his wife, Commissioner Renato Sales said. He said he had not always been in Iguala, but did not elaborate on his movements. He said Flores was unarmed.

Flores is accused of offenses including organized crime and kidnapping the students. He is alleged to have followed the then-mayor's order to attack the students and then tried to cover up the role of Iguala police in the disappearances.

Militants launch attacks in Iraq

Islamic State militants launched a wave of pre-dawn attacks in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday, killing at least 14 people and setting off fierce clashes with Kurdish security forces that were still raging after sundown.

The assault appeared aimed at diverting attention from the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, and raised fears the extremists could lash out in unpredictable ways as they defend the largest city under their control and their last urban bastion in Iraq.

Multiple explosions rocked Kirkuk, and gunfire rang out around the provincial headquarters, where the fighting was concentrated. Smoke billowed over the city, and the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers. IS said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters in a claim carried by its Aamaq news agency.

North of the city, three suicide bombers stormed a power plant in the town of Dibis, killing 13 workers, including four Iranian technicians, before blowing themselves up as police arrived, said Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the assault, which he said also wounded three Iranian workers, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

The Turkmeneli TV station, which had earlier shown live footage of smoke rising from outside the provincial headquarters, said in a news bulletin that one of its reporters, Ahmet Haceroglu, was killed by a sniper while covering the fighting.

There was no immediate word on casualties among other civilians or the Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. Police and hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

Kirkuk is some 100 miles (170 kilometers) from the IS-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale offensive on Monday. IS has in the past resorted to suicide bombings in and around Baghdad in response to battlefield losses elsewhere in the country.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city claimed by both Iraq's central government and the largely autonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish forces assumed full control of the city in the summer of 2014, as Iraq's army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by IS.
Editor's note: This is part of Divided America, AP's ongoing exploration of the economic, social and political divisions in American society.

RALEIGH, N.C. | When Manasi Gopala immigrated to America, she finally got the chance to row crew.

As a child in India, she had dreamed of the sport from watching Olympic telecasts. Now, twice a week, she pulls a pair of oars as her scull glides along tree-lined Lake Wheeler, far from her birthplace of Bangalore.

Gopala is among throngs of educated Indians who have moved in recent years to North Carolina's tech-laden Research Triangle and other areas across America. A 39-year-old software developer, she became a U.S. citizen three years ago.

"America had given me the opportunity to pursue my own life," she said.

Increasingly, the face of U.S. immigration resembles Gopala.

For all of Donald Trump's talk of building a border wall and deporting 11 million unauthorized immigrants who are mainly Hispanic  and for all of the enduring contention over illegal immigration  immigrants to the U.S. are now more likely to come from Asia than from Mexico or Latin America. And compared with Americans overall, immigrants today are disproportionately well-educated and entrepreneurial. They are transforming the nation in ways largely ignored by the political jousting over how immigration is affecting America's culture, economy and national security.

As of three years ago, Census figures show, India and China eclipsed Mexico as the top sources of U.S. immigrants, whether authorized or not. In 2013, 147,000 Chinese immigrants and 129,000 Indians came to the U.S., compared with 125,000 Mexicans. Most of the Asian immigrants arrived in the United States legally  through work, student or family visas.

Immigrants are also more likely now to be U.S. citizens. Nearly half of immigrants over the age of 25  18 million people  are naturalized citizens, compared with just 30 percent back in 2000, according to Census figures.

Simultaneously, more Mexicans without documentation are returning home. The number of Mexicans in the United States illegally tumbled nearly 8 percent in the past six years to 5.85 million, the Pew Research Center found. Border Patrol apprehensions, one gauge of illegal crossings, last year reached their lowest point since 1971.

With the share of U.S. residents born abroad at its highest level in a century, immigrants increasingly defy the stereotypes that tend to shape conversations on the issue. Consider: About 40 percent of Indian immigrants hold a graduate degree. Fewer than 12 percent of native-born Americans do. And earnings for a median Indian immigrant household exceed $100,000, more than twice the U.S. median.

The result of this recent influx is that America's 40 million-plus immigrants more and more reflect the extremes of America's economic spectrum, from super-rich tech titans to poor agriculture workers.

The changes flash into view on a visit to the political swing state of North Carolina. The proportion of immigrants in the state's population has quadrupled from 1990 to nearly 8 percent. Similar trends have emerged in Georgia, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

None of these states approaches the more than 20 percent share in California and New York where educated Chinese immigrants are largely concentrated. Yet the transformations are evident in a drive across the dense highways that connect North Carolina's Research Triangle.

Indian immigrants have put their distinctive stamp on this area. Their rising numbers have established a broad community that has made it easier for new arrivals to integrate than it was for prior generations. Asked how they have been received in the community, about a dozen Asian immigrants said they have generally been warmly accepted despite the national furor over immigration.

"Now, you come from India, you don't really have to know anything else," said Pranav Patel, a 57-year-old software developer. "The system is here to help you adjust. There are no real hardships."

When the Hindu Society of North Carolina celebrated India's independence day in August, one prominent outsider did show up: Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican in a heated re-election campaign that has been fueled in part by a crackdown on illegal immigration.

"This is the best of America," he said, sharing the stage with a life-sized statue of Mahatma Gandhi. "This is the best of India. We work together. We learn together. We can pray together. We love family values together."

Americans' sentiments about immigrants have largely hardened along racial, political and demographic lines. Overall feelings toward immigrant workers remain negative. But sentiment has improved since 2006, possibly a sign that the growth of educated immigrants has begun to reshape attitudes, according to a Pew survey released this month.

Two-thirds of Republicans and 54 percent of whites said they think immigration harms U.S. workers. But a majority of Democrats, Hispanics and the college-educated said they felt immigrants made society better off.

By comparison, almost all economists view immigrants as helpful  even essential  for the nation's continued prosperity. Because of the aging U.S. population causing more retirements, most economists say immigrants are needed so that the workforce increases to sustain overall growth.

The anti-immigrant rhetoric has concerned Gopala. She feels fortunate to no longer be among the millions of foreigners still applying for U.S. residency.

"I got very lucky that my green card was processed when immigration wasn't a bad word," Gopala said.

"America had given me the opportunity to pursue my own life. On the day you're born in India, your life is written. But here, that is not true."
SPEARFISH | Bill Weld strolled into a lower-level meeting room in the Black Hills State University Student Union on Thursday looking more like the grandparent of a college student, and not like a former Massachusetts governor running to be vice president of the United States.

But there was Weld in Spearfish on Thursday  appearing during a presidential election year when it seems truly anything can happen  wearing a brown jacket, jeans and work boots. The candidate who is part of the Libertarian ticket leaned back in a chair to lay out the vision of the party led by his running mate, presidential hopeful Gary Johnson.

More than 100 students, faculty, and others greeted Weld, who will visit Rapid City today.

In his remarks, Weld pushed the Libertarian Partys principles of fiscal conservatism and social inclusion. He made the point that his party's views stand in stark contrast to Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump has gone against everything the Republican Party, the Party of Lincoln, has stood for, Weld said. The Democrats have just gotten into the practice of spending way too much money, he added.

Johnson, at the top of the Libertarian ticket, is a former New Mexico governor who was born in North Dakota and raised in Aberdeen. He teamed with longtime friend and colleague Weld, a two-term Massachusetts governor, as standard-bearers of the partys tenets of less-intrusive government, lower taxes and a balanced national budget and decriminalization of drug laws.

The candidates have appeared on video billboards in Rapid City recently, urging people to select them and skip the major party candidates. Weld told students that the growing national debt directly threatens their future.

In this room, itll will be the students, the next generation Im looking at right now, who will get the bill if someone doesnt go down to Washington and start acting in a responsible fashion, he said.

As a young attorney in 1972, Weld worked with Hillary Clinton, then Rodham Clinton, in researching the case for President Richard Nixons impeachment for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.

He cited his experience as a prosecuting attorney in defending Clintons controversial use of a personal email server during her time as President Barack Obamas Secretary of State.

Republicans and Trump have repeatedly assailed Clinton's use of the server as a criminal act, putting classified material at risk.

I think the Justice Department got that one right, Weld said. It didnt scream criminal intent to me at all.

Weld said the party platform plank calling for the legalization and regulation of marijuana and the treatment of drug addiction as a disease and not a criminal issue is an acknowledgment that the war on drugs has been an expensive failure.

Weld said his partys support of the Second Amendment right to bear arms also includes opposition of a ban on assault-style weapons and large magazines.

Wed just be creating another class of criminals and we dont need more criminals, he said.

Weld said he and Johnson make a good team for the White House, bringing years of executive experience, as two-term Republican governors elected in Democratic states.

The combination of our approaches, which is fiscally conservative, socially inclusive and welcoming to all comers, is an appealing combination that describes about 60 percent of the United States, he said. Our pitch is to say voters should think for themselves instead of listening to someone from Washington who is trying to brainwash them, and they should vote for us."

Former Republican state senator Stan Adelstein of Rapid City introduced Weld, saying that the Libertarian ticket has a chance to carry South Dakota in the Nov. 8 presidential race, if everyone listens to their message, he said.

The Johnson-Weld campaign claims on its website to have raised $1.13 million in October with goals of garnering five percent of the popular vote or taking just one major battleground state to prevent either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump from getting to 270 electoral votes on Nov. 8.

Weld stopped in Sioux Falls on Wednesday, stumping for Johnson and the Libertarian ticket at Augustana College.
Editor's note: Maricarrol Kueter, the former editor of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, produced this article on behalf of the South Dakota Newspaper Association. The Journal is running these articles on the 10 ballot measures as a public service to voters.

AMENDMENT S

Crime victims would be told when perpetrators appear in court or get out of jail under proposed Constitutional Amendment S on the Nov. 8 general election ballot in South Dakota.

Proponents say the measure, known as Marsy's Law, is needed to protect crime victims and to allow them to participate in the judicial process.

But opponents say the victims-right measure is too expansive and would drain county budgets while stressing prosecutors.

The measure is named for Marsalee (Marsy) Nicholas, a California university student who was stalked and killed by an ex-boyfriend. Her family members saw the accused man in a store a week later. They did not know he had been released from jail.

Nicholas' brother pushed for the bill's passage in California. Illinois also has approved it and it has been proposed in seven states in addition to South Dakota.

Proponents say the amendment offers crime victims constitutional protections already afforded to accused offenders.

No rapist should have stronger rights than their victim, said Jason Glodt, the state director of Marsy's Law for South Dakota in an email.

In addition to requiring notifications, the proposed amendment would guarantee victim input into the prosecution of their cases and would allow them to confer with prosecutors before any plea agreement was finalized.

The South Dakota States Attorney's Association and State Bar of South Dakota have opposed the measure. Representatives of those organizations say its requirement for prosecutors to notify and involve crime victims in all cases will be time-consuming and could potentially interfere with prosecutors' ability to spend time on the most serious crimes.

And, says Ryan Kolbeck, a Sioux Falls lawyer, the extensive notice requirements will cost budget-strapped county governments money they don't have.

The counties are broke, Kolbeck, president of the South Dakota Association of Criminal Defense lawyers, said in an email. If this passes, the counties will bear the responsibility of the majority of the costs of enforcing.

Kolbeck said expensive enhancements would need to be made to the statewide computer court records system in order to provide the required notice and to allow more expansive tracking of court cases.

Opponents say state law currently provides rights to victims of violent crime. Any possible expansions would be better made through the legislative process, not through constitutional amendment. In addition, they say some of the proposed laws provisions could conflict with the rights of the accused.

But Glodt said existing crime victim protections currently apply only to those who are victims of certain serious crimes. Victims of arson, simple assault and hate crimes, for example, are not included in the protections.

South Dakota is one of the last remaining states to pass constitutional rights for crime victims, Glodt said.

Thirty-two states have at least some protections for victims written into their constitutions.

AMENDMENT R 

South Dakota's four technical institutes are essential players in the state's continuing efforts to develop and attract workers.

Constitutional Amendment R would put into the state constitution a new governing structure for those schools.

Supporters of the amendment say the current system of oversight for Lake Area Technical Institute, Mitchell Technical Institute, Southeast Technical Institute and Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City does not allow them to be focused exclusively on workforce training needs.

Amendment R would shift responsibility for that oversight from local K-12 school boards to a new governing board determined by the legislature. The new board would not be under the South Dakota Board of Regents, which has oversight of the state's public universities.

Tech schools have a different mission than the degree-granting universities, supporters say.

Proponents say the change would help the technical institutes be more responsive in developing skills training as needed to meet the state's workforce needs.

Rep. Mark Mickelson, R-Sioux Falls, said in an email that the amendment would provide for dedicated decision making for technical education issues.

Such a change would necessitate the establishment of a new, non-elected governing board that would be heavily influenced by lobbyists and favored industries, according to Rep. Elizabeth May, R-Kyle, who opposes the change.

She also pointed to concerns that other laws ultimately might shift the cost of technical schools from the state budget onto local governments.

Mickelson said details on the governing board structure are yet to be decided, but it would likely consist of a citizen board with some employer representation.

The technical schools and the Board of Regents as well as state business and industry representatives support the proposed changes.

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 State's website.
Russia denies Ukraines request for transfer of filmmaker convicted of terrorism

MOSCOW, October 21 (RAPSI)  Russia has denied a request filed by Kiev for transfer of film director Oleg Sentsov, sentenced to 20 years in prison for organizing a terrorist group in Crimea, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Sergei Petukhov wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.

According to Petukhov, Sentsov has received Russian citizenship. Due to the fact that Sentsov has become a Russian citizen, his extradition to Ukraine is impossible in accordance with the Convention of 1983 on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, he added.

In August 2015, the North Caucasus District Military Court gave the sentence to Sentsov. Another defendant in the case, Alexander Kolchenko, received ten years in prison.

The state prosecutor has requested 23 years in a high security prison for Sentsov and 12 years in prison and 18 months of parole for Kolchenko.

Investigators found that Sentsov started a terrorist group in Crimea, a branch of the Right Sector movement that is banned in Russia. He was allegedly promoting Crimeas secession from Russia.

The Investigative Committee claims that between April and May 2014, the defendants set Crimean NGO, Russian Community, offices on fire in Simferopol and were charged with doing the same at the local United Russia office. The defendants were also charged with attempting to blowup a statue of Lenin in Simferopol on May 9, 2014.

According to the Prosecutor Generals Office, Russias Federal Security Service prevented the terrorist group from committing other alleged terrorist activity in May 2014. Two other defendants in this case, Alexei Chirny and Gennady Afanasyev, have been sentenced to seven years each in prison.

Sentsov denied all charges against him. He said he had never been a member of the Right Sector and that the investigators had no evidence against him.
Russian court to review sentences for former Bank of Moscow managers

MOSCOW, October 21 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  The Moscow City Court will review prison sentences for former top managers of the Bank of Moscow, convicted of embezzling over 1 billion rubles (about $13mln) from the bank, on October 25, RAPSI learned from the courts press-service on Friday.

On February 10, Moscows Meshchansky District Court sentenced Konstantin Salnikov and Alla Averina to 4.5 and 4 years in prison respectively.

A prosecutor earlier demanded to sentence Salnikov and Averina to 7 and 6 years in prison and to fine them 500,000 ($6,350) and 400,000 rubles ($5,000) respectively.

Investigators claim that Salnikov, the former senior trader at the banks Currency Transactions Department, and Averina, the former director of the banks Department of Transactions Administration, were the accomplices of Andrei Borodin, then president of the Bank of Moscow, and his first deputy, Dmitry Akulinin, who have been charged in absentia of embezzling over 1 billion rubles from the bank.

Salnikov has been charged with embezzlement, and Averina stands charged with being an accessory to embezzlement and abuse of office. According to investigators, they acted in collusion with Borodin, Akulinin and one other bank employee.

In 2011, a criminal case was opened against Borodin and Akulinin on charges of large-scale fraud involving state funds. They were accused of lending $443 million to shell companies, which then transferred the funds to Yelena Baturina, the wife of former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov and the owner of the construction empire Inteco.

Borodin fled to the UK in 2011. In November 2011, the Russian Interpol bureau put Borodin and Akulinin on the international wanted list. In March 2013, Borodin was granted political asylum in the UK.
Montanas state parks arent created equally.

Some are tiny and some large. Others are a great place to recreate while still others are better for learning about history or culture. Some are set up to handle overnight stays and others prohibit it.

But right now, its hard for visitors to know exactly what theyll find when they make the trip to visit one of the states parks.

Every single one of the 54 properties managed under the Montana State Park system is simply called a state park.

Thats most likely going to change sometime in the near future.

On Thursday, the Montana State Parks Board heard about a proposal to change the way the parks are designated at a meeting held in Hamilton.

Under the proposal, only 13 of the properties will retain the designation as a state park. The rest will be divided up among three designations that include state heritage site, state natural area, and state recreational area.

Melissa Baker, state parks chief of operations assistant administrator, said the effort is part of a reorganization occurring under the state parks 2014 strategic plan that initially focused on prioritizing the agencys limited resources.

The state parks system is facing funding challenges that have limited the resources it needs to maintain and manage all of its parks.

We knew that we had to find a way to prioritize what we do, Baker said.

Beyond that, state park officials knew that it was challenging for visitors to know just what they could expect when they visit one of the states parks.

For instance, members of the state park board and other officials met Wednesday with the landowner whose property completely surrounds the 1.2-acre Fort Owen State Park.

The landowner said visitors often trespass onto his land while making the stop at the park. He said if Fort Owen was called something other than a state park some of those trespassing challenges might be averted.

We have parks that have very, very little development, Baker said. Some are very small and arent well staffed. We still call all of them a state park. That can be confusing to our visitors.

We want to be able to align the expected experience with what is actually found on those sites, she said.

In the process to develop the strategy, Baker said a state parks team reached out to other states to learn about how they have addressed the issued.

We didnt want to reinvent the process, she said.

They discovered that other states had gone through a similar process to prioritize resources and provide designations that help visitors have a better idea of what the individual parks have to offer.

The process to change the designations is just beginning.

On Thursday, Park Board Chair Tom Towe questioned Baker on several of the different designations on individual parks. He hoped that the process could remain flexible enough that if things change on different properties, the designations could change as well.

In the Bitterroot, Fort Owen would be renamed a state heritage site. Painted Rocks would become a state recreational area.

Travelers Rest would remain a state park.

Baker said the next step will to write a draft administrative rule that would outline the process. The rule will go before the board both as a draft and a final before being signed off by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks director.

Public comment will be taken throughout the process.

Glacier County Tourism Executive Director Racene Friede said renaming the sites would be helpful for those promoting tourism in different areas of the state.

I may not know anything about these areas, but with these new classifications, I can have a certain expectation in my head on what Im going to be able to see there, Friede said. Labeling all of these areas as state parks has been very frustrating and confusing to our customers.
Bigfoot is coming to Hamilton.

While it may not be the actual creature of lore, many of the men and women who have spent years hoping to unlock the secrets of Bigfoot will share what theyve learned at the second annual Big Sky Bigfoot Conference.

The event gets underway Friday, Oct. 21, at a town hall meeting featuring a presentation by Misty Allabaugh of Columbia Falls.

She had her own sighting when she was a teenager and has been researching Bigfoot for over 20 years, said the events organizer, Sarah Lederle of Missoula. She is going to have some really interesting information to share.

The town hall meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn.

The big day for Bigfoot starts early Saturday with a presentation at 10 a.m. by Montanas contingent of Bigfoot field researchers, Caitlin and Thomas Ertz and Tom Brodhead. The three will present evidence and reports theyve gathered here under the Big Sky.

Before the day is over, convention goers will hear from the legendary Bob Gimlin who 49 years ago witnessed history as the Bigfoot that he and his partner, Roger Patterson, named Patty was caught on a grainy few moments of film that captured the imagination of millions.

This is our second Bigfoot convention, Lederle said. The first one was held at Hot Springs, but frankly we didnt have enough room. People came out the woodwork to be a part of it.

Thats not a surprise for Lederle.

There are Bigfoot conventions all over the United States that attract large crowds, she said.

They are being held all over the place, she said. There is a big one in Ohio. I recently attended one at Kennewick, Washington, where there was over 500 people. Its a real thing thats a little bit under the radar.

As of Thursday, more than 100 people had preregistered for the Hamilton convention.

Its hard to tell just how many well have, she said. We have people coming from all over the country and Canada. There are a bunch of people coming from California. The furthest person registered at this point is from Vermont.

Lederle is certain the lineup of speakers are part of whats driving the interest.

We have Dr. Jeff Meldrum coming, she said. Hes a professor from Idaho State University who has been in several TV documentaries.

An export in foot morphology, Lederle said Meldrum has a huge collection of footprint casts that hell share.

Its where Sasquatch legend meets science, she said.

Kathy Strain is an anthropologist who has been collecting Native American stories about Bigfoot for decades. Writer Russell Acord is a Corvallis native who has spent years researching and writing about the subject. John Mionczynski is a wildlife biologist and naturalist who had his own experience with Bigfoot back in the 1970s.

Hes super interesting, Lederle said of Mionczynski. He knows a lot of about ecology and how a creature of that size could survive.

The 85-year-old Gimlin is the conventions guest of honor who will certainly share about his experience in the forest alongside Californias Bluff Creek.

People can come and find out what the best researchers have to say, Lederle said. Ive found that people are interested in Bigfoot because they love a good mystery. They just love the thought that there is something thats not explained still on this planet.

We like to think we know everything about everything, but there are still new species being discovered all the time, she said. Honestly, I think thats what humanity needs, something to reach out for, to discover, to understand. Thats why I love this subject.

There is a suggested donation of $5 to attend the town hall meeting Friday night. The cost of the Saturday conference is $30 at the door.

After covering the costs of the event, Lederle said the remaining money raised will be donated to the Bitter Root Humane Association.

For more information, go to http://mtbigskybigfootconference.blogspot.com/
Chinese Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce Zhang Mao (left) shakes hands with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at latteras official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, on Friday, October 21, 2016. Photo Courtesy: PM Secretariat

Kathmandu, Nepal: Visiting Chinese Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce Zhang Mao called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal as a courtesy call at latters official residence in Baluwatar on Friday.

During the meeting Prime Minister Dahal Chinese Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce Zhang Mao discussed on ranges of issues related to the bilateral relations between the neighboring countries.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Dahal expressed pleasure for the recent agreement between the two countries. Both the countries have signed in an agreement on intellectual property protection during the Chinese Ministers Nepal visit.

Likewise, Chinese Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce Zhang Mao also expressed pleasure as bilateral projects were smoothly moving ahead.
Arghakhanchi, Nepal: CPN-UML Arghakanchi district committee has on Friday terminated the general membership of two party leaders, who were accused in the murder of a local woman.

A meeting of the CPN-UML Arghakanchi district committee made the decision to expel partys Dhanchaur VDC's former Chairman Khemraj Bhusal and immediate past Chairman, Ganesh Kumar Bhusal.

The CPN-UML Arghakanchi district committee has also called for objective investigation into the murder case and legal action against the perpetrators.

The Bhusal duo has been alleged for murdering of UML's Dhanchaur Village Committee former member, Kalpana Bhusal. Preliminary investigation had showed that the Bhusal du had murdered Kalpana and dumped into the jhimruk river of the Piuthan district.
Kathmandu, Nepal: A writ petition has been filed at the Supreme Court (SC) demanding a halt on the pay and perks from the state coffer to the suspended Chief Commissioner of the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Lokman Singh Karki on Friday.

Advocate Om Prakash Aryal, who had filed a writ at the SC raising question over the qualification of Karki to be appointed as the Chief Commissioner of the CIAA, filed a writ petition seeking a stay order on the pay and perks that Karki has been enjoying as CIAA chief.

In the writ filed in the SC it is demanded that suspended Karkis pay and perks including security personnel and government quarters should be halted. Though, Karki is suspended from the post, he has been staying at the government quarter at Tangal.
Email me any time: farrorita@gmail.com Sewing + Thrift store shopping = Frankensewing. I love vintage linens, hanging my sheets out on the line to dry...and creating adventures for my two Grandchildren. Doing those very ordinary things -- and then BLOGGING about it -- is how I work things out.

King Arthur Popover Recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees... then preheat the Popover Pan...it needs to be screaming hot. Butter the sides generously -- right before you pour the batter.



4 eggs

1 1/3 c. milk

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbl melted butter



Whisk eggs into milk. Make sure everything is room temp. Whisk in the flour & salt, add the melted butter at the end.



Pour thin batter into Popover pan (2/3 full) and bake for 30 minutes. DON'T OPEN THE DOOR.



When the popovers are done -- get them out of the pan ASAP and prick the top with a sharp knife to prevent collapse.



Serve with REAL BUTTER...that's mandatory. Homemade jam is optional...




EVEN in a year of extraordinary reversals, few would have expected it. In July China reacted with fury when an international tribunal upheld a complaint from the Philippines and rubbished Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea. This week it is rolling out the red carpet for the mercurial Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte. He is being feted in a four-day state visit, with 400-odd businessmen in tow. Rub your eyes: Americas strongest ally in South-East Asia appears to be plopping like a ripe mango into Chinas hands.

Consider what Mr Duterte, in power since June, has said in recent weeks. He has branded Barack Obama a son of a whore for criticising his kill them all war on drug dealers and addicts, which has claimed thousands of lives, many of them innocent. He has demanded an end to joint naval patrols and to Americas assistance in the southern jungles of Mindanao, where American special forces advise Filipino troops fighting against Abu Sayyaf, a violent group linked to al-Qaeda. And he has questioned whether America would honour its treaty obligation to come to the Philippines aid if the archipelago were attacked.

What that means for the American pivot to Asia scarcely bears thinking about. But do the eyes deceive? American officialsfrom Admiral Harry Harris, commander in the Pacific, downinsist that all is dandy. Joint naval patrols continue, as does co-operation in Mindanao; and America still has five bases on Philippine soil. The close working relationship with Filipino counterparts, the Americans insist, is as strong as ever. The Filipinos, for their part, report no change of orders from the new chief.

Yet Mr Duterte talks of China like a moonstruck lover. On the eve of his visit he told Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, that Chinas generosity to poor countries was without reproach. China deserves the kind of respect that [it] now enjoys...Its only China that can help us. He has been at pains to point out that one of his own grandfathers was Chinese. Thrilled, the Chinese ambassador in Manila talks of clouds fading away and the sun rising to shine beautifully on the new chapter of bilateral relations.

What is Mr Duterte up to? Bear in mind that development and growth are his priorityone reason for his sky-high popularity in a country with an entrenched plutocracy lording it over legions of urban and rural poor. But development needs capital, and the Philippines has been excluded from recent Chinese largesse showered around the rest of the region. Relations suffered in 2012 after China dislodged the Philippine navy from the Scarborough Shoal, which is just over 200km from the Philippines proper, within its exclusive economic zone, and almost 900km from China. Filipino businesses have struggled in China, while little Chinese investment has come to the Philippines. The tribunals ruling only made matters worse: afterwards, China told even its tourists to stay away.

The Philippines had been plucky in standing up to China. But it has paid a price. Now, the goodies that China is dangling look irresistible. Mr Duterte wants lots of infrastructure, particularly railways. China is offering cheap loans. He wants the country to export more. China is offering to reopen its markets to Philippine fruit. He wants help with the war on drugs. A Chinese businessman is building a big rehab centre. And he wants Filipino fishermen to be able to return to their traditional fishing grounds around the Scarborough Shoal. China has told Philippine officials that it is open to an accommodation.

Perhaps America, in banking so much on its plucky ally, should have been more clear-eyed about the cost to the Philippines of standing up to Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. Perhaps, too, it should not have assumed that all Filipino politicians have an instinctive allegiance to America.

Although Filipinos are overwhelmingly pro-American, they are also patriotic. The American colonial period saw its share of atrocities, especially in Mindanao. One colonial general mused that it might be necessary to kill half the Filipinos in order that the remaining half of the population may be advanced to a higher plane of life. Mr Duterte himself says he was molested by an American priest as a child. The landed elite that he claims to be displacing achieved its ascendancy under American rule. And standing up for the little guy is part of his shtick. The insistence of his foreign secretary, Perfecto Yasay, that Filipinos will not be Americas little brown brothers does not go down too badly.

Yet it is not only Americans who lament the impetuousness of Mr Dutertes tilt to China: many Filipinos, including senior officials, are worried sick. Jay Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines fears Mr Duterte is squandering all the practical leverage that comes from being in alliance with the United Stateswithout knowing what assurances, in terms of sovereignty in the contested South China Sea, the Philippines will get in return.

Bide your time

It is a reckless approach, but not necessarily a lasting one. For the time being, China wishes to draw the Philippines into its camp. That is why it has not yet attempted to build the kind of military facilities on Scarborough Shoal that it has constructed on other reefs in the South China Sea and that many Western analysts had assumed were imminent.

But China will have to offer more than fishing rights to make any deal acceptable to Filipinos. Even the China-loving Mr Duterte has talked about leaping onto a jet ski to defend the Philippines interests in person if need be. So the Chinese idea of a package deal in which Chinese sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal is acknowledged in return for fishing rights which Filipinos had anyway long enjoyed will be greeted as an insult back in the Philippines.

America, in short, can be patient. The Philippines may yet return to its camp. If so, both sides will claim it never left.




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Pinjra Tod had called for a protest called ABVP Khabardar on 20 October 2016 at Delhi University. Here are photos of posters from that protest and a news report also link to the original protest call

Link to original Call for a Demonstration by Pinjra Tod of 20 October 2016 at Delhi University

Posters from the Protest

A facebook post regarding the Protest of 20 October

[a facebook post says: Today at the Arts Faculty with their fearless sloganeering and posters, their singing and their dancing, the PINJRA TOD women called out the ABVP on its "aa a aa a" cowardice and declared war.

aa aa aa aaaaa aaaaa aaa aa a aa a a aaaaa aa aaa aaaaa ]

o o o

Press Report on the Demo

The Times of India

Pinjra Tod rails against aharassmenta by ABVP

TNN | Oct 21, 2016, 00:48 IST

New Delhi: The student collective Pinjra Tod protested at Delhi Universitys Faculty of Arts on Thursday against the members of the political outfit ABVP, for their alleged harassment of the students on the night of September 23, when the group had organised a Night March from North Campus to Vijay Nagar.

"On the night of our vigil, many ABVP members, including former DUSU president, Satender Awana, came to the venue and started misbehaving with us. One of them showed us a Rs 100 note and called us women of loose morals. They even grabbed a girls wrist. This, and many other incidents in the past few weeks have prompted this protest," said Devangana Kalita, a Pinjra Tod member.

The protesters came with handmade posters which questioned the discrimination they face in colleges and hostels. The girls spoke of the threats that they have received for voicing their concerns.

"They often follow our members from their homes and corner them whenever they have the opportunity. They also intimidate and bully them by making obscene gestures," said Srishti Shrivastav. She alleged that ABVP tore the posters of Pinjra Tod and tried disrupting their programmes.

The group has lent its support to Ved Kumari, the dean of Law Faculty a who they believe is a strong feminist voice a and is under fire from her students who are protesting at the campus. "She is facing an attack from DUSU, which has unfairly targeted her for the problems in the faculty," said Kalita.

Several women students from DU, Jamia, JNU, and Ambedkar colleges joined the protest and even students from Aligarh Muslim University. They say that the students who belong to the reserved categories face discrimination in the allocation of hostel rooms.

Many male students also came to support the protest. A DU student, Khushwant Singh, said, "Hooliganism at the campus is not acceptable and equality should be the norm in colleges."

o o o

[ see also relevant material from the past:

Photos from PinjraTod [Break Hostel Locks] - campaign against discriminatory rules for womens hostels in Delhias universities (20 September 2015) http://www.sacw.net/article11652.html

Being a woman in Indian universities sucks - A video from Hindustan Times https://youtu.be/EgSXl8_xer0

NDTV Report in Hindi - aaaa aa aaaa aaaaa aaaa aa aaaa aaaa aa aaa aaaaaa aaa

aa aaaaaa: aaa aYaaa 20, 2016 http://khabar.ndtv.com/video/show/news/students-of-delhi-universitys-initiative-pinjara-tod-435746

Pinjra Tod: Delhi girls fight back to reclaim public spaces for women by Aparna Alluri, Hindustan Times - Oct 09, 2016 http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pinjra-tod-delhi-girls-fight-back-to-reclaim-public-spaces-for-women/story-BlZuGdeLSiBXNE2onG40QP.html
Moroccos Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Omar Hilale, who seems to know the weaknesses of the Algerian regime, has not hesitated to burst the many abscess festering Algerian leaders souls.

After he brilliantly demonstrated through a question-answer game before the Fourth UN Committee the clear-cut involvement of Algeria in the Sahara conflict, contrary to its claims that it is neutral and only has an observer status in the issue, Omar Hilale returned to the charge, this time by focusing on the census of the Sahrawi populations in Tindouf camps.

He recalled that Algeria continues to reject all requests to conduct a census and registration of the camps residents, made by specialized UN agencies, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

As the host country of these so-called refugees it has been sequestrating for more than 40 years in the arid desert, Algeria has never accepted to open the doors of this Hitler-like concentration center.

Algerian diplomats and their boss, Ramtane Lamamra, could not retain themselves and rose against the Moroccan diplomat when he brought up the issue before the 4th Committee, as the issue casts doubts on the Algerian regimes credibility.

Hilale dug the knife even deeper into the wound by challenging the Algerian rulers to authorize such a census to prove, as they claim, that the Tindouf camps house more than 30,000 so-called Sahrawi refugees.

According to UNHCR, the number hardly exceeds 40,000 people, while other NGOs and specialized agencies say in their reports that these figures are knowingly inflated by Algeria and the Polisario to get more humanitarian international aid that is partly diverted to the bank accounts of some of their unscrupulous leaders.

The same reports show that the Tindouf camps, host not only Sahrawis from Western Sahara but also Tuaregs, nomads and other bedouin from Algeria, Mauritania and other Sahel countries. They were driven to the camps by the DRS (Algerian Military Intelligence) to inflate the actual number of people in the Tindouf camps. This is why Algerians fear that any census might put bare their allegations and lies.

The Moroccan ambassador is not the only diplomat to raise this issue. Delegates of other countries including the European Union were stunned at the beginning of 2015 by the shocking revelations made by the European anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) on the large-scale diversion of European aid to the populations of Tindouf.
Intro

Greetings! I am a political scientist , specializing in International Relations , my research and teaching focus on ethnic conflict and civil-military relations . I watch way too much TV, and I like movies as well so I tend to write about both and find IR stuff in pop culture. I rant alot about American politics and sometimes about Canadian politics. I like to take ideas I once learned a long time ago and apply them to whatever strikes my fancy.


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Which states' students do the best on AP exams?
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Patients with serious wounds and diseases that cant be treated in the besieged part of Aleppo, Syria, were not able to leave the city Friday as planned.



Medical evacuations were supposed to begin Friday after Russia said it extended a humanitarian pause to allow patients, other civilians and rebels to leave the besieged city through corridors. Russian and Syrian officials have suggested that after the cease-fire, the Russian and Syrian armies will launch a new offensive on Aleppo to clear the area of the rebels fighting the Syrian government, which is besieging the eastern part of Aleppo. But the United Nations and medical sources in Aleppo said that the evacuations could not be carried out Friday because of lack of security assurances.



We are in desperate need to evacuate injured and sick children, women and elderly, but there is no guarantee for their safety, Mohamed Abu Rajab, a radiologist in the besieged part of Aleppo, told ABC News. We dont trust the Syrian government. How can people who are killing us guarantee our safety? We dont want to cooperate with them. We want to cooperate with the world community and humanitarian organizations, but how can we cooperate with our killers?



After a U.S.-Russia brokered cease-fire collapsed on Sept. 19, the Syrian government launched an offensive on east Aleppo, which has killed at least 500 people and injured 2,000, with more than a quarter of all deaths being children, according to the U.N. Humanitarian organizations have criticized Russia and the Syrian government for using cluster bombs, chemical weapons and bunker-buster bombs, targeting civilians sheltering underground in the past month.



Among the patients who are in need of urgent evacuation out of east Aleppo are people who suffer from nerve injuries, renal fractures, eye wounds and heart diseases, as well as people in comas and malnourished children, said Abu Rajab. The besieged part of Aleppo has not received any aid since early July, according to the U.N., which means that the estimated 275,000 people who live there are in need of food, clean water, gas and health care.



Unfortunately, medical evacuations were not able to commence in eastern Aleppo this morning as planned because the conditions to ensure a safe, secure and voluntary evacuation of those in need and their families were not in place. All parties to the conflict and those with influence over them need to ensure that all conditions are in place so we can proceed with this urgently needed medical evacuation as soon as possible, David Swanson, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told ABC News.



Swanson and the U.N.s spokesperson for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria declined to comment on what security assurances it is waiting for before evacuations can take place, but they said that the U.N. and its partners are present and ready in west Aleppo to carry out a detailed operational plan as soon as conditions allow. If evacuations take place, the U.N. would start with evacuating a small number of urgent cases and their families from east Aleppo to either west Aleppo or to the Bab al-Hawa hospital in Idlib on Day 1. That will allow us to test the safety and effectiveness of the operation, said Swanson.



According to Physicians for Human Rights, 95 percent of medical personnel who were in Aleppo before the war have fled, been detained or were killed. Several health facilities have been bombed leaving only around five hospitals left functioning to service thousands of people, according to the U.N., which estimates that about 30 doctors are left in Aleppo.



Abu Rajab used to be the manager at one of the largest hospitals in Aleppo, which is now out of service after being bombed multiple times. At the hospital, Abu Rajab helped treat Omran Daqneesh, the boy whose photo of him sitting in an ambulance was seen by millions of people. A video showing Omran touching his wounded head and wiping away the blood without shedding a tear has come to symbolize the humanitarian suffering in Aleppo. In a recent interview with Swiss TV SRF1, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called the image of Omran fake. To Abu Rajab that is an example of why he doesnt trust that the Syrian government will guarantee the safety of civilians leaving through the corridors, as Syria claims.



You saw a Swiss journalist with the head of the government," Abu Rajab said. "When he saw the photo of Omran what did he say? He lied. Omran was at our hospital. We treated him. And he says 'this is fabricated.' How can we trust him when he doesnt tell the truth?



Thursday, medical sources in Aleppo said they treated 12 civilians who were wounded by gunfire as they tried to leave Aleppo through one of the corridors. Aleppo residents said that they heard the sound of clashes near a corridor in the Bustan al-Qasr area.



During an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the U.N.s humanitarian chief said that Aleppo has become a slaughterhouse.



The ancient city of Aleppo, a place of millennial civility and beauty, is today a slaughterhouse -- a gruesome locus of pain and fear, where the lifeless bodies of small children are trapped under streets of rubble and pregnant women deliberately bombed, the U.N.s High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said in a speech to the council.



Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Tuyul director Billy Christian returns to Indonesian screens next month with his latest effort Rumah Malaikat and it's abundantly clear from the freshly released trailer that he has no intentions of straying from his horror roots any time soon.

Christian again displays top notch attention to production design and atmosphere here, his tale of a young teacher freshly hired on at a boarding school plagued by strange occurences showcasing some fabulous visuals and what appear to be strong performances across all of its leads. For the international audience it's worth noting that they've included English subtitles here to make it easy to follow along and this looks like a quality take on a classic genre. Take a look below!
As the countdown on the official website keeps gently reminding us, there are only a few days left to go until Tokyo International Film Festival. Roppongi Hills, along with other venues, will once again play host to one of the biggest and most famous film events in Asia. Celebrating its 29th edition, TIFF offers a program that boasts an eclectic mix of movies from all around the world. This year's lineup features a considerable number of world premieres, six of which will screen in Competition.

The festival is divided into several sections, each with its own particular profile: Asian Future centers on up-and-coming filmmakers from the region, Japanese Cinema Splash showcases the country's exciting independent scene, World Focus offers a rare chance to see foreign movies that aren't scheduled for Japanese release, Crosscut Asia aspires to portray the ever-changing landscape of modern Indonesian cinema, among others.

Visitors from other countries might want to check out the Japan Now section, as it includes some of the most-talked about contemporary Japanese films of the past few months. Although most of them have already screened at various festivals around the world, the versions previously shown in cinemas here didn't have English subtitles.

The festival wouldn't be complete without some noteworthy, traditionally Japanese events, such as the Special Night at Kabukiza Theater, a unique opportunity to travel back in time to the era of silent film. One of the highlights of the evening is the screening of a digitally remastered copy of Ikeda Tomiyasu's Chushingura (1926), one of the first versions of the famous 47 Ronin story.

The film will be accompanied by a live performance of a modern-day benshi (narrator), Kataoka Ichiro, whom I had the pleasure of seeing perform in Kyoto last week. Though a bit on the pricey side (admission with a specially prepared bento box costs 10,000 yen), the event should prove unmissable to anyone interested in the history of Japanese film and theater. Digitally restored versions of other classic films, such as Ugetsu or Floating Clouds, will also screen during the festival.

Parents take note: TIFF is reviving the highly anticipated Youth and TIFF-Children sections. All the screenings in the Children section take place in the beautiful area of Futako Tamagawa, and feature live dubbing, so even the smallest guests will be able to thoroughly enjoy the movie-viewing experience. And if you're on the lookout for some animation films, then The World of Mamoru Hosoda is a section you should definitely give special attention to.

As it's been announced earlier this month, the Samurai Award, created three years ago to honor veterans of international cinema, will go to Martin Scorsese and Kurosawa Kiyoshi. Although the former won't be able to attend the festival due to conflicting schedule, the latter will be present at the closing ceremony on November 3 to receive the prestigious award. On the same day, he will give a talk titled "In Person: Kiyoshi Kurosawa" (free of charge).
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Cloudy with light rain developing after midnight. Thunder possible. Low near 60F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy with light rain developing after midnight. Thunder possible. Low near 60F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
 "Status Courts" | Main | UCLA School of Law looking for Executive Director of new Criminal Justice Program 

This new Gallup item, headlined "Americans' Views Shift on Toughness of Justice System," details the results of its latest annual Gallup poll on on crime and punishment opinions. Here are the highlights:

Americans' views of how the criminal justice system is handling crime have shifted considerably over the past decade. Currently, 45% say the justice system is "not tough enough" -- down from 65% in 2003 and even higher majorities before then. Americans are now more likely than they have been in three prior polls to describe the justice system's approach as "about right" (35%) or "too tough" (14%).

Incarceration rates in the U.S. have soared over the past few decades, and political leaders, justice officials and reform advocates have sought criminal justice reform as a result. With this, Americans' views of the criminal justice system have shifted with the national conversation, with less than a majority now saying the system is "not tough enough." Although considerably higher than in the past, relatively few believe the system is "too tough."

Views of the justice system's toughness vary across racial and political party lines. The majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say it is "not tough enough" (65%), with most of the rest describing it as "about right" (30%). Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, on the other hand, are most likely to say the system is "about right" (42%), with the rest dividing about evenly between saying it is "too tough" (22%) or "not tough enough" (29%).

A majority of whites (53%) say the system's handling of crime is "not tough enough," while a third (32%) say it is "about right." One in 10 whites say the system is "too tough." Nonwhites -- who as a group make up a disproportionate percentage of the U.S. incarcerated population -- are more than twice as likely as whites to say the system is "too tough" (23%). They are also more likely than whites to say it is "about right" (40%). Meanwhile, 30% of nonwhites say the system's handling of crime is "not tough enough."

Against a backdrop of bipartisan efforts in Congress to reform drug sentencing in 2016, 38% of U.S. adults describe guidelines for sentencing of people convicted of routine drug crimes as "too tough." A slightly smaller percentage say they are "not tough enough" (34%), while a quarter say they are "about right" (25%). Fifty percent of Democrats say drug crime sentencing guidelines are "too tough" -- twice as high as the percentage of Republicans (26%) who say the same. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to describe drug crime sentencing as "not tough enough" (47%).

Differences in views between whites and nonwhites are less pronounced on drug crime sentencing guidelines compared with their views of the criminal justice system's handling of crime more generally. Both whites and nonwhites have sizable percentages, ranging from 21% to 39%, of those who describe drug crime sentencing guidelines as "too tough," "not tough enough" or "about right."

Americans' views about the toughness of the criminal justice system have clearly shifted in recent decades, with less than a majority now saying the system is "not tough enough" and more Americans describing it as "about right" or "too tough." Although more than in the past believe the system is overly tough, this view is still held by a relatively small minority. U.S. adults are much more likely, however, to describe drug crime sentencing guidelines as "too tough" compared with their opinions of the system's handling of overall crime, and this is the case among both racial and political party groups.
Police have arrested two individuals they say are connected to Tuesday's school shooting that left four students injured, one critically. ABC 7 reports that one of the suspects was apprehended the evening of the shooting itself, and the second was arrested today in Fairfield.

The incident occurred in the afternoon at the Excelsior's June Jordan School for Equity, and Officer Carlos Manfredi of the SFPD told KTVU that the shooting appeared to have been targeted. The students are believed to have been in the parking lot when they were hit by gunfire.

The Examiner reported yesterday that four suspects are believed to have been involved, shooting air guns and a real handgun. While the identity of the suspects, and any possible relationship to the school or students, has not been confirmed, the paper writes that initial reports suggest the shooters were not students and were targeting a specific student.

These kids and I, were just innocent people, one unnamed student who says her knee was hit by a ricocheted BB told the Ex. We didnt have to get injured like this.

#SFPD has made two arrests in connection to the #JuneJordan High School shooting incident. This is an active & ongoing investigation.  San Francisco Police (@SFPD) October 20, 2016

Previously: 4 Students Shot, 1 Critically Outside June Jordan High School In The Excelsior
Brunch is something I especially love to hate, mostly because I can make myself a great egg dish at home without spending extra money or standing in a line, and loving brunch too hard and getting excited about being drunk at noon on a Sunday is something one does when one is 23. That being said, there are always going to be occasions when you need to meet up for a meal with people during weekend brunch hours, and we have a few recommendations for how not to be totally basic about it  because these are all great and well known brunch spots, but how about going somewhere where you won't have to make a reservation or stand around hangry and hungover for 45 minutes before sitting down? Nobody needs that. It's just brunch.  Jay Barmann





20th Century Cafe

Instagrammable down to the floral patterned dishes, this slice of Eastern Europe in Hayes Valley is known for knishes and cake (the bagels are also pretty good!) but it's also a great spot for a weekend brunch. Come on, have some baked eggs Budapest and challah french toast like bubbie used to make. You're skin and bones! Caleb Pershan

198 Gough between Oak and Lily Streets





Most adorable breakfast award goes to @tehhalt A photo posted by Eve Batey (@evelb) on Oct 9, 2016 at 11:17am PDT



Bashful Bull Too

Though the original Bashful Bull closed some years ago, their Taraval outpost has retained the "Too," maybe because the wordplay was just too too too fun to give up? I don't know. Brunch goers seeking a locally sourced heritage cheese omelette will be disappointed with a trip to BBT, but fans of perfectly-cooked hash browns, eggs made to order, a bottomless cup of coffee, and fruit in an adorable arrangement (see above) will be back again and again. Best of all, while BBT is always bustling, it's never so full that you're stuck with a crippling wait  and large parties are welcomed.  Eve Batey

3600 Taraval Street at 46th Avenue







Boulette's Larder

This Ferry Building gem may not be any big secret, but after the Saturday farmers' market crowds disappear, this place can be a haven on a Sunday morning, serving up gorgeous, seasonal brunch fare, albeit for a price. You shouldn't miss their perfect beignets or seasonally changing poached egg dishes, but then you'll have to go back to try the market-inspired Sunday Salad, or one of their delicious scrambles  currently it's white shrimp, chard stem gumbo, and antebellum red grits. Do note that brunch is only served on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Jay Barmann

Ferry Building





The Cubano. Photo: Manda Bear B./Yelp

The Castro Republic

Gone are the days of multiple health-department shutdowns, and now under totally new ownership with a new menu, this mostly Mexican Castro spot actually serves solid, delicious, often spicy brunch fare with the added bonuses of outdoor seating and no waits. Or virtually no waits, anyway, because it seems like the neighborhood is starting to catch on that it's safe to go back to this place, now under the management of nearby Tacos Club (and no longer SliderBar). Go for the breakfast enchiladas, or the delicious, toasty Cubano sandwich, and you won't be disappointed. Even the french fries, I have to say, are great.  Jay Barmann

2295 Market Street at 16th





Heartbaker

Blessed with both indoor and front-patio seating, Heartbaker is one of the best places in town to grab brunch with the dog (and other humans, if you must). Chef Sybil Johnson handcrafts the glorious and decadent pastries you see at Heartbaker (do not miss her galettes or the bread pudding), and if you want "real" food, there's always a couple of great egg dishes (the Benedicts are on homemade biscuits, how did I never think of this before?), quiches, and a decent selections of salads for the killjoy in your group. Note: I like Heartbaker so much I almost didn't put it on this list because I don't want to wait in line behind y'all. So, if you see me, please consider allowing me to cut, thanks.  Eve Batey

1408 Clement Street at 15th Street





Photo via Yelp.

Jamber

When you roll out of bed well into the afternoon, perhaps after a late night, a little hair of the dog brunch is probably the only possible salvation. For those moments, Jamber has you covered. The SoMa spot opens up at 3:30 p.m. on weekends, and serves food that will sop up whatever sin you poured into your belly the night before. The poutine: very good. The P2B, pictured above, combines pork belly, peanut butter, and cranberry-walnut jam for a sweet and salty punch which is sure to heighten the dulled senses. On top of that, the list of beers and wines is huge, meaning there will definitely be something to your liking. Perhaps best of all, Jamber isn't thought of as a brunch spot by most, meaning you can avoid the lines often associated with what is practically San Francisco's official meal. And as an added bonus, happy hour runs 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., every day. So feel free to order an extra round of fried mozzarella.  Jack Morse

858 Folsom Street, between 4th and 5th





Photo via Yelp.

Just For You Cafe

While residents of Potrero and the Dogpatch all rave about this spot, it has slipped under the radar for many brunchers unwilling to trek outside of their own neighborhood. But trek they should, and not just for the signature beignets. In additional to the relaxed neighborhood vibe and (limited) sidewalk seating, the cooks throw New Orleans specialties in along with the classic eggs, pancakes and French toast. Importantly, there's a different menu for weekends and weekdays, so check the calendar before heading over. The Hangtown Fry, which scrambles bacon, onions, and oysters along with three eggs, practically guarantees a cured hangover (if it fails, try the bloody Mary). All in all, Just For You Cafe is a brunch gem.  Jack Morse

732 22nd Street, between 3rd and Tennessee





Photo via Yelp.

Old Bus Tavern

While Old Bus Tavern has been around for just over a year, it only began serving brunch this past August. So far, the brew pub is doing it just right. Think oatmeal-maple pancakes, pulled pork eggs Benedict, cured salmon, and plenty of Bloody Marias. When you add in outside seating and a full bar, this spot hits the brunch trifecta. Also, in what we're sure has been a life-saver for hungover brunch patrons sitting outside, they'll provide you with a pair of sunglasses if you forget yours at home. Oh, and the Earl Grey and blueberry coffeecake is a must  Jack Morse

3193 Mission Street, at Valencia





Rusty's Southern, Tiffany W. via Yelp

Rusty's Southern

Why wait all morning for a table at Brenda's when you can turn the corner and be seated at Rusty's? Wake up and smell the Lexington-style barbecue, people! Rusty Olsen was the longtime Suppenkuche bar manager before opening his Carolina BBQ spot, and the place shines at Brunch  well lit and new in feel. Brunch faves are pig grits (grits with hickory-smoked chopped pork barbecue) and a (Mary's) chicken biscuit, with thigh meat and a generous helping of sausage gravy. Caleb Pershan

750 Ellis Street between Polk and Larkin Streets





Birria, guac, and a Michelada, at San Jalisco. Photo: Mariela D./Yelp

San Jalisco

Possibly the best place in town to find birria, the traditional Jaliscan goat stew (here made with a bit of beef as well, available Friday to Sunday only), San Jalisco has your hangover covered in multiple ways on the weekend including some great chilaquiles (they make four different versions), a selection of more Euro-style omelettes (as well as one filled with guacamole), and the traditional spicy tripe soup known as menudo, available only on weekends and obviously not for the offal-faint of heart. Added bonus: Breakfast is served all day.  Jay Barmann

901 South Van Ness at 20th





The veal schnitzel breakfast sandwich at Schmidt's. Photo: Kevin M./Yelp

Schmidt's

Fans of traditional German and Eastern European-style hostel breakfasts, featuring cured fish or meats and assorted breads, will be excited to know you have such things here in the Mission at the Walzwerk spinoff Schmidt's. Given the location over at 20th and Folsom, the place tends often not to have a wait for weekend brunch, and in addition to the fishplatte and groes fruhstuck platter options (the latter comes with cured meats, cheese, German breads, deviled egg, and cucumber salad), there are heartier options like a sausage plate, and a veal schnitzel sandwich with a fried egg on it. Also, of course, there's plenty of great beer.  Jay Barmann

2400 Folsom Street at 20th





Sea Breeze Cafe's Chipotle Benedict. Photo: Sin Yee C/Yelp

Sea Breeze Cafe

The Sea Breeze is so beneath the radar that they don't even have a website (but you can get a general idea of their offerings via menupages). Since the opposite-of-underrated Outerlands opened across the street in 2009, the Sea Breeze has become the place visitors settle for when confronted with the former's hours-long wait for brunch. In my opinion, it's more than a place to merely settle for, with service that's far warmer and less pretentious than some spots in the area. There's a solid tofu scramble, they have fantastic home fries that you can add cheese to, and most importantly they serve milkshakes all day long. It's brunch, fool, get a milkshake. You only live once.  Eve Batey

3940 Judah Street at 45th Avenue





It's Tops' Spicy Dark Chocolate Chili Pepper Bacon Waffles. Photo: Garret T. via Yelp

It's Tops

Diner brunch feels so right and It's Tops knows how to do it. Occupying a little corner on Market Street, the spot has been Tops since 1935, though it was a short-order joint since 1906 as Minute Man's. Antique waffle irons are the secret to their stuffed waffles, and pancakes are so soft and fluffy you could take a nap on them. In another universe, or maybe in the '50s, Tops would be packed constantly  it isn't, and that's a plus in my world. Caleb Pershan

1801 Market Street at Octavia Boulevard





Dana S. via Yelp

The Vestry

The Vestry's brunch is hiding in plain sight: Sure, it's right there inside the Chapel on Valencia, but because it's cavernously large and has that whole outdoor seating area and maybe it's thought of more as a music venue, The Vestry is usually less than full and ready to accommodate more from the brunching hordes. To ensure your spot you can make online reservations. The house cured lox flatbread, a group dish, is a crowd pleaser, as are bottomless mimosas and tomatillo bloody Marys. Caleb Pershan

777 Valencia Street between 18th and 19th Streets



See also The 10 Best Brunch Spots In San Francisco (and One In Oakland)

The 50 Best Brunch Spots For Every Occasion In SF And Oakland




The Lower Haight is undergoing a new wave of change that perhaps began a couple years ago, or five years ago, or even ten years ago. But in comparison to similar neighborhoods around it  or even nearby Divisadero which has seen a rapid makeover in its retail and restaurants in the last four years alone  the Lower Haight has held on to much of its character and largely avoided becoming the next Valencia, though that could be changing.

Some are going to argue that the neighborhood has been gentrifying for decades, and in some respects of course that is true  virtually no neighborhood in SF has been spared the scourge/boon, depending on your perspective, except maybe the Excelsior, and Chinatown. Still, as easily accessible neighborhoods in the center of the city go, the Lower Haight has remained a bit of an outlier until very recently, and the closing of a longtime, pre-gentrification meat and fish market this week could be seen as a last nail in the coffin for the neighborhood as it was, making way for a new business that will cater to the neighborhood as it will be in years to come.

First, let me define my terms. Apartment rents in the Lower Haight have risen alongside rents everywhere else in the city, but they seem to be rising a bit faster this year than some nearby neighborhoods  a Zumper guide to median one-bedroom rents for September 2016 puts the Lower Haight just about on par at $3,600/mo with the Castro and the Mission, and higher than Hayes Valley, while just six months previously the Lower Haight median was well below all three.

And while the Tenderloin remains the final inner-city frontier when it comes to lower rental prices and a mix of low, middle, and higher income residents  and a historic cluster of residence hotels housing some of the city's poorest people that sit in close proximity with newly remodeled, market-rate rentals in older buildings  the Lower Haight has been somewhat unique in the last decade in being close to Muni Metro lines, lined with Edwardian and Victorian buildings, and near downtown, yet still not home to a densely upscale retail landscape like the ones found in Hayes Valley, the Mission, the Castro, or SoMa. The Lower Haight, even still, is a neighborhood that feels largely the same as it did 15 years ago, or more, and it hasn't been overwhelmed by new construction because of few available sites.

When RNM opened a decade ago in the space that's now home to Maven, it was the first time that an upscale neighborhood restaurant, with Valencia Street prices, had tried to make a go of it on either end of Haight. It had a successful five-year run before shuttering in 2010  largely because chef-owner Justine Miner got married, took an extended honeymoon, and decided she was done with the restaurant business. Maven took over a couple years later to immediate crowds, which have kept coming ever since.

Joining Maven on the current food and beverage scene is new sushi spot Nara, new ramen spot Iza Ramen  both of which replaced counter-service operations that had slightly lower price points  and new, upscale neighborhood brewpub Black Sands Brewery, which sells $13 shrimp toasts and a $13 burger. Along with The Lodge, which has a similar vibe to the restaurant it replaced, Rickybobby, but with counter service, and Uva Enoteca, the Lower Haight is now a pretty great place to eat night or day.

Other stalwart neighborhood businesses like Mad Dog in the Fog, Nickies, Danny Coyle's, Memphis Minnie's, Toronado, Kate's Kitchen, and Rosamunde draw some steady business from within the neighborhood and elsewhere. And both the Noc Noc (opened in 1986) and Two Jack's Nik's Place (opened in 1977) have seen the neighborhood through multiple decades of change  with Two Jacks just receiving one of city's first statuses as a Legacy Business, hopefully insuring its longevity in its space at 401 Haight.

Retail businesses in the neighborhood, with a few exceptions, have tended not to be of the twee or expensive types found in Hayes Valley or the Mission. Cove specializes in air plants, succulents, jewelry and gifts, and morphed two years ago out of the business called Xapno that was more of a florist. Meanwhile clothing shops like Revolver and Upper Playground and custom t-shirt shop DSF (formerly D-Structure) all cater to a hip crowd with money to spend. And Three Twins Ice Cream, back last year after a hiatus following a 2011 fire, is now joined next door by fancy French cream puff purveyor Choux.





A kerfuffle apparently inspired by gentrification pressure broke out this summer in the neighborhood, focusing on a new upscale marijuana dispensary taking over what had been a longtime neighborhood smoke shop and licensed dispensary. A couple of business owners whose own leases might be feeling gentrification pressure brought the issue to planning to no avail, and SPARC's renovation plans were soon approved.

This week, as Hoodline reported, one of those businesses, Lo-Cost Meat & Fish Market, called it quits after 30 years in business. Co-owner Pierre Pegeron told the site the landlord had hiked the rent, and "We can't afford to stay here anymore." The space, at the prime corner of Fillmore and Haight, has been listed for $25,000 a month, and this follows on the 2014 shuttering of Cuco's next door, in the same building  pushed out at the hands of the same landlord who's seeking the maximize the potential rent in these spaces in what is, clearly, a changed neighborhood from when they moved in.

Peregron was celebrated as a neighborhood hero, as Hoodline had reported in 2011, when he and another man rushed into the building across the street when it caught fire to help alert and evacuate residents there.

In August he told SFist he had two years left on his lease, and expected his rent to go "through the roof" after that, but perhaps he knew the rent hike was coming sooner than that. "It is what it is here in San Francisco," he said. "I had a good run."



Related: New Lower Haight Medical Pot Dispensary Has Local Merchants Bickering, Possibly Lobbing Threats


We have two and a half weeks until Nov. 8 arrives, the flood of presidential campaign events ends and voters give a final verdict. Since the time the nominees were officially tapped in national conventions in July, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have had some events in Iowa.

Trump came on the heels of the Republican Party Convention, with stops in Davenport and Cedar Rapids on July 28. Clinton arrived to Iowa by Aug. 10 in Des Moines, and vice presidential nominees have been in the state too.

If you notice the cities chosen for events above, they don't include Sioux City. The stops have been bigger cities to the east and central parts of the state.

So here's the question: Will Trump or Clinton come in the next 17 days before the election to Sioux City, the state's fifth largest city?

Trump's campaign in Iowa did not respond to a Journal inquiry on whether such a city stop may happen. Clinton's Iowa campaign communications director Yianni Varonis said Iowa is important to Clinton, but did not specifically address if a city event may get planned.

Clinton campaigned in Sioux City five times from 2015 to January 2016, and Trump was in the city three times, plus made another stop in nearby Sioux Center. They essentially drew their campaigning before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses to a close in Sioux City, when Trump and Clinton on Jan. 30 made overlapping stops downtown on the evening. It was a big night for Sioux City.

But since then, no Clinton, no Trump.

Why should they come?

(1) Iowa remains a battleground state. An analysis I saw two months ago placed Iowa as one of only two true swing states in the race to nab 270 electoral votes and seize the presidency. Another analysis this week had Iowa as the sole battleground state, although some see it leaning for Trump.

(2) There is a precedence for a last-hour visit by one of the presidential nominees. In November 2004, President George W. Bush filled up the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City the very day before the election. Bush won re-election, over Democrat John Kerry, a day later. (He also became just the fifth sitting president to make a stop in Sioux City. Barack Obama became the sixth with a September 2012 event.)

(3) Trump in particular may want to schedule an appearance. As has been recounted time and again, Northwest Iowa is very prime turf with Republican voters. Making a Siouxland stop could drive turnout for Trump. If some Northwest Republicans are wary about Trump given some controversial statements, he may be able to use a rally to deliver them to his camp.

For sure, the campaigns are looking strategically, based on polls and other factors, at which states must get visits in the precious few last days.

Here's the view of Clinton's spokesman Varonis: "Hillary Clinton is committed to running hard in Iowa and our supporters and volunteers are encouraging Iowans to cast their votes early in this historic election. Early voting shows that Iowans are rejecting Donald Trumps hateful rhetoric and dangerous policies in droves."

It takes a few days to finalize a campaign stop. Sometimes the candidates' teams block out venues in case a stop happens. Unfortunately, the Sioux City official who oversees the larger city-owned facilities is out of the office, unable to answer if some places are being held.

The campaigns also could be working with Morningside College, which could pull off a stop that could hold 2,000.
DES MOINES --- A $3 million incentive package for Wells Enterprises in Le Mars was among three Northwest Iowa business expansion projects that were awarded state financial assistance Friday by the states economic development board.

Le Mars-based Wells, makers of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties, is planning a $40 million upgrade and modernization project that will include a 6,000-square-foot addition and two new production lines to its South plant. The expansion will create more than 80 news jobs, all of which will be incented by the state tax relief and therefore must pay at least $16.09 per hour.

The state economic development board on Friday awarded the privately-owned, family business a $3 million tax relief package, the vast majority in an investment tax credit.

The South plant currently boasts 39 production lines. The company also operates another plant in the self-proclaimed "Ice Cream Capital of the World," where it employs more than 2,000 people.

VT Industries was awarded more than $690,000 in tax refunds and credits toward the companys expansion in Holstein.

VTI plans a $21 million, 184,500-square-foot expansion at its Holstein facility, which produces wood doors. The project is expected to create 60 new jobs, although only four will be incented by the state tax credits and thus be required to pay at least $16.26 per hour.

Bruening Eye Specialists in Sioux City was awarded nearly $99,000 in tax credits for a new complex in Sioux City.

Bruening, which has an office in Dakota Dunes, plans to build a $1.6 million, 7,000-square-foot office in Sioux City to serve as its primary location. The project is expected to create 13 new jobs, six of which will be incented and thus must pay at least $18.72 per hour.
SIOUX CITY | Jeff Foxworthy suggested Thursday night he might run for president. Im not qualified but this time around I dont think that matters.

Performing a benefit concert for Girls Inc., he got a huge ovation and lots of buy-in for his platform.

Among the planks: No more reality TV series. If I want to watch the day-to-day lives of ordinary people I will hang out with my own people.

Visually demonstrating some of his reasoning, Foxworthy proved to be a consummate storyteller. Even better, he was more than willing to point out his own failings. Recently turning 58, he said 55 was the real game changer. Then, he got his first colonoscopy and didnt realize what was up. He drank all of the prep liquids in 10 minutes (instead of four hours) and found himself attached to the toilet like a bronc rider. I passed things I had only thought about eating.

Foxworthy hit on the woes of kidney stones, too, and compared it to breaking a little toe. He asked women in the audience if anyone had gone through both childbirth and a kidney stone. One agreed with him  the kidney stone was worse. Said Foxworthy: The kidney stone was like the Somali in Captain Phillips.: Im the captain now.

A king of capturing the mundane, he also talked about his wifes ability to pack. Reading an airplane magazine article about filling a single bag for a 10-day trip, he reasoned, My wife couldnt pack for a nudist colony in a carry-on suitcase.

Married 31 years, Foxworthy got great mileage out of lampooning her logic. She takes a hair curler and a hair straightener. Dont they cancel each other out? He also talked about her 12-times magnifying mirror. Looking into it, a wrinkle looks like an irrigation ditch.

Foxworthy praised the Orpheum Theatre (this is a little treasure in your community), cheered the work of Girls Inc., and encouraged others to find their purpose, just as he did leading a mens Bible study every Tuesday in Atlanta.

For good measure, he offered up some of his new bits called Fact of Life and closed with a few of those classic you might be a redneck jokes.

If you have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say Cool Whip on the side and if you think a 401K is your mother-in-laws bra size were good. But the gold standard is still: If someone shouts Hoedown and your girlfriend hits the floor, you might be a redneck.

Opener Nick Hoff offered plenty of clean humor, too, and shared his own take on family. The father of two, he said having a baby was creating a friend when your friends abandon you when you have a baby.
First United celebrates 100 years

SIOUX CITY | First United Methodist Church, 1915 Nebraska St., will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its church building on Sunday.

A worship service at 10 a.m. will include excerpts from the original dedication service. A celebration dinner will be held at 11:15 a.m. with historical documents, information and trivia about the church's history.

Dedicated on Oct. 22, 1916, it was known as the First Methodist Episcopal Church.

Presbyterian Church to bless animals

SIOUX CITY | Faith United Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave., will have an animal blessing service at 3 p.m. Sunday on the lawn of the church.

All are invited to bring their pets.

Tabernacle celebrates 50 years

SIOUX CITY | Tabernacle C.O.G.I.C., 610 Center St., will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a special midnight service at 10 p.m. Friday, and a celebration service at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Bishop J.O. Ford, of Second Advent Church in Omaha, Nebraska, will be the guest speaker.

Unitarian service to explore Robert Frost

SIOUX CITY | "Robert Frost: From Delight to Wisdom" by the Rev. Ron Knapp will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at First Unitarian Church, 2508 Jackson St.

Knapp, a retired minister from Omaha, Nebraska, will be the speaker.

Fall friendship celebration is Sunday

SIOUX CITY | A fall friendship celebration will begin with Sunday school and adult bible class at 9:15 a.m. Sunday at Hope Lutheran Church, 218 W. 18th St. A worship service will follow at 10:30 a.m. and a dinner with special music will begin at noon.

The menu will include turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, sweet potatoes, cranberries, buns, apple pie and pumpkin pie.

A free will offering will be accepted; all are welcome.

Grace United to host human trafficking talk

SIOUX CITY | United Methodist Women of Grace United Methodist Church will host Sister Shirley Fineran from Briar Cliff University at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the church, 1735 Morningside Ave.

Fineran will speak about the problem of human trafficking from a local perspective as well as ways to eliminate it. Fineran is a founding member of the Siouxland Coalition against Human Trafficking.

The event is open to all women in the community, regardless of age. Daycare will be provided.

Islam lecture set in Wayne, Neb.

WAYNE, Neb. | The Rev. Nabil S. Nour will present a lecture titled "Islam" at 3 p.m. Sunday at Grace Lutheran Church, 904 Logan St.

Doors will open at 2 p.m.; a free will offering will be collected. Supper will begin at 5 p.m., followed by evening prayer at 6 p.m.

Omelet lunch and bake sale Sunday

CHEROKEE, Iowa | Memorial Presbyterian Women will host an omelet brunch and bake sale from 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Presbyterian Church, 127 E. Willow St.

Tickets for those 6 years and older are $5.

St. Mark to host big band concert

SIOUX CITY | The Roseville Lutheran Church Jazz Band of Roseville, Minnesota, will present a free concert of big band classics and jazz hymn tunes at 7 p.m. Friday at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 5200 Glenn Ave. Everyone is invited.
Screenings

Free blood pressure screenings, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living, front lobby. No appointment necessary.

Programs/Self-Help Groups

Al-Anon Information Center, call 712-255-6724.

Al-Anon and Alateen, meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 712-255-6724.

Alcoholics Anonymous, beginners information, call 712-252-1333.

Arc of Woodbury County, serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons.

Child Care Resource and Referral, provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers. Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180.

Co-Dependence Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church, Fireside Room.

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA), 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.

Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month (third Thursday in November and second Sunday December) in Mercy Medical Center's Leiter Room. For families who have lost children. Contact Nancy Webb 712-212-4032 or Don Mulder 712-541-5512.

Children of Divorce, to help children cope with the challenges of parental separation or divorce. Call 712-279-2373 for more information.

Eating disorder coalition awareness event, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Boy's and Girl's home and family services, 2101 Court St. Contact Lisa 712-251-0570 or Michele 712-898-2351.

Clinics

Siouxland District Health immunization clinics, call for appointment, 712-279-6119 or 1-800-587-3005.

Information

Family and Addictive Illness series, for more information, call 234-2300.

Iowa Fathers, 6 to 8 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month at Hope Lutheran Church, Education Building, 218 W. 18th St., South Sioux City, Neb. Support group to help single, divorcing and divorced parents residing in the state of Iowa.

Mercy Pathways Outpatient Program, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, on the third floor, Mercy's Central Medical Building, 801 Fifth St., Suite 360. Provides hope, help, opportunity to connect through group therapy for individuals experiencing personal, relationship, psychiatric issues. For more information, call 712-279-5991.

Narcotics Anonymous, meetings daily, various times, dates and locations. For more information, call 712-279-0733.

Overeaters Anonymous, 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive; 6 p.m. Tuesdays at St. John's Lutheran Church, 402 Lane Ave., Storm Lake; 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Nazarene, 226 N. Main St., Viborg, S.D.; 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at Newman Center, 320 E. Cherry St., Vermillion, S.D.; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. A 12-step recovery program for people who have problems with food and weight. No fees.

St. Lukes Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on fifth floor of St. Luke's, located at 2720 Stone Park Blvd. Offers several levels of outpatient care including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and group therapy. This program provides support and integrated treatment to individuals experiencing personal or relationship issues as a result of their mental illness. For more information and admission criteria, call 712-279-3906.

Sobriety By Faith, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For more information, call James Mothershead at 712-577-9715.

The Link-Recovery and Freedom, 1603 Glen Ellen Road; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday workshop, and Christian 12-step meeting 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For all ages. Call Dee at 389-7432.

Women in Recovery, meets monthly at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For details, call 712-255-4623.

Tarahouse Meditation Center, 8 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6:30 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, all at 3112 Rebecca St. Three easy 10-minute sessions in small group; beginners welcome. For more information, call 490-6410.

Blood pressure and blood sugar screening, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in the lobby at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Free to public.

Support Groups

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Hawkeye Club basement, 420 Jones St. For more information, call 277-5935.

Celebrate Recovery, Bible-based 12-step recovery group. Thursdays at 6:30 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Daycare provided. 712-490-3343.

PFLAG of Siouxland, (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), 7 p.m., fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. St. Mark ELCA Church, 5200 Glenn Ave., in the upstairs meeting area. 712-258-3116.

Singles widowed and divorced, all ages, 4 p.m., Sundays. McDonald's at Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard. 712-252-2675.

GriefShare, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

HIV/AIDS Support Group, meets weekly. For more information, call Darla or Teri at Siouxland Community Health Center, 712-252-2477 or 888-371-1965.

Hospice of Siouxland, seeking volunteers. For more information, call 712-233-4144 and ask for a volunteer coordinator.

La Leche League of Siouxland, breastfeeding support group meets every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at Morningside Lutheran Church. Children are welcome. For more information, call Mary at 712-546-7280 or Jacquie at 712-255-2998.

Living Each Day Cancer Support Group, 7-8 p.m. second Thursday of the month, Floyd Valley Hospital, Conference Center Room 2, Le Mars, Iowa. Open to all cancer patients, cancer survivors and family members. No charge. Pre-register by calling 712-546-3441 or 800-642-6074, ext. 441.

Mom and Baby Support Group, 10-11 a.m. last Monday of the month at the Orange City (Iowa) Hospital, lower level. For new moms and babies. 712-737-5260.

Tri-State Sober Project, 12-step meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Friendship Community Church, 305 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff. 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, Transitional Services of Iowa, 1221 Pierce St., Sioux City.

Doug's Donors Support Group, information for organ donors and recipients, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Fridays, 5:15-6:30 p.m. second Thursdays of the month at Mercy Cafeteria Woodbury Room. 712-277-1050.

Divorce Care, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

NAMI Siouxland, (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Support Group meets 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday of the month at Friendship House, 1101 Court St. For individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. 712-255-4209.

New Life Life Support Group, 3:30 p.m. every Saturday at 2929 W. Fourth St. Spiritual 12-step program. For more information, call Donald at 712-574-1744 or James at 712-255-7624.

Post Polio Support Group, 11 a.m. first Thursday of the month at Perkins Restaurant by Menards. 712-490-8213.

Relationship Support Group, 7 p.m. Fridays at Marketplace Mall. For more information, call 239-3129.

Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Individual and Support Groups. For more information, call CSADV in Sioux City at 712-258-7233; Plymouth County at 712-546-6764; Monona County at 712-423-3443. Advocacy and support available 24 hours a day at 1-800-982-7233. All services free of charge and confidential.

Sickle Cell Disease Support Group, 11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at St. Luke's Hospital, meeting room 1. For patients, their family and any concerned member. Call La'Keshia Rainey at 712-203-2019 for more information.

Single and Parenting, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

Sioux City Association of the Deaf, 7 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Morningside Church of Christ, 5015 Garretson Ave. Regular meeting, September-May; no meeting, June, July, August and December.

Siouxland Autism Support Group, second Thursday of the month at Northwest Area Education Agency, 1520 Morningside Ave. For more information, call Julie Case at 712-490-8939.

Siouxland Epilepsy Support Group, 5 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Prestwick Apartment Clubhouse, 4230 Hickory Lane. For anyone diagnosed with seizures or epilepsy and family or friends. For more information, call Steve at 274-6927.

Siouxland IC support group, meets quarterly in Sioux City. For patients struggling with interstital cystitis. For more information, call Jacque Dundas 316-641-9766.

Siouxland Informational Group for the Blind, 2-5 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Northern Hills Retirement Community, 4002 Teton Trace. For more information, call 712-266-8926 or 258-8151.

Grief support group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 5 for 13 weeks (may join at any time), Crescent Park United Methodist Church, 2826 Myrtle St., Sioux City. Scott, 712-899-6315.

Siouxland Ostomy Association, 2 p.m. first Sunday of each month (except September, which will be second Sunday; and no meetings June, July, August), in Room 300 at Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St. For more information, call Dick Lindblom at 251-2453.

Siouxland Parkinson Disease Support Group, 1 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at Siouxland Center for Active Generations, 313 Cook St. For more information, call Sally Reinert at 402-987-3516.

Sojourners, support group for families of persons with life-threatening illness, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Room 416. For more information, call Marjorie Jarvill at 402-241-8637.

South Sioux City Weight Support Group, 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church, South Sioux City. For more information, call 494-1401 or 494-2133.

Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland, 520 Nebraska St., Suite 101: Women's Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month; LGBT Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Friday of the month; Adult ADHD, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; Advocacy Group, 1:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 712-255-1065.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, group meetings various times, days and locations in Siouxland. For information on the chapter in your area, call 1-800-932-TOPS.

Voice Disorder Support Group, meets as needed at Mercy Medical Center, Buena Vista Room. 712-279-2686.

Women's Peer Support Group, in Wayne and South Sioux City, Neb., for those who have experienced domestic abuse. For more information, call the Wayne office at 402-375-4633 or 1-800-440-4633; in South Sioux City, call 402-494-7592. Help and support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services free and confidential.

Woodbury County D.M.D.A., noon-2 p.m. first Saturday of the month at Country Friendship Acres, 4501 West St.; 7-8 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at 515 Court St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at 441 W. Third St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at 409 W. Third St. in the Community Room. Support group for people with disabilities and mental disorders.

Natural Mamas in Siouxland, 1 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in the Garretson room of the Morningside Public Library. All ages of children are welcome to come with moms. For sharing natural living tips, recipes, natural remedies and health, homemaking, mothering, etc. For more information, call 402-913-0038 or visit their Facebook page.

A Step Beyond support group, 3:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, except for August, November and December when it meets at 5:30 p.m. (no meeting in January) at the Christy-Smith Resource Center, 1819 Morningside Ave. For more information, call 712-276-7319.

Divorce care, 5 p.m., Sundays. Fireside room, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 South Martha St.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings, 4 p.m. Thursdays at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 315 Hamilton Blvd.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Morningside Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave.; 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. John Lutheran Church. 712-277-2901.

Art therapy support group, 5:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Registration required, call 252-9387.

After Breast Cancer Support Group, 5:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call Brenda, 252-9370.

After Prostate Cancer Support Group, 5:15 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call 252-9426.

Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter Support Group, 2 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; 4 p.m. third Tuesday of the month (under age 65) at 201 Pierce St., Suite 110 (Famous Dave's building); and 6 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For more information, call Emily Lord at 712-279-5802.

Christy-Smith Funeral Homes of Sioux City, extensive grief library at the Morningside location. Open to the public during weekday hours. For more information, call 276-7319.

Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness Support Group, 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday of the month in the lower level of the Orange City Hospital. For more information, call 712-737-5260.

Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Mercy Medical Centers Older Adult Services Welcome to Medicare, 1:30-4 p.m., the first Friday of every month at Connections Area Agency on Aging, 2301 Pierce St. To pre-register, or for more information, contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-279-6900.
CHICAGO  As the sun began to set on a recent Friday evening, more than 25 millennial-age guests gathered at the Lakeview apartment of brothers Adam, 25, and Andrew Kouba, 27, to partake in a communal welcoming-in of the Jewish Sabbath.

The group greeted guests with hugs and kisses and Happy Shabbats. At sundown, they moved into the dining area to read Hebrew prayers for light, wine and bread (challah).

Raised in a reformed Jewish household in Illinois Western Springs before attending college in Pennsylvania and moving to Chicago, Adam Kouba recounted how friends helped rekindle his interest in the religion.

I consider myself more culturally Jewish than religious, but because I appreciate the social aspect of Judaism, I look for opportunities to connect and build community.

Following the formalized part of the evening, folks descended on the kitchen for a buffet-style pasta bar dinner featuring gluten-free noodles and a variety of toppings.

A departure from the more standard Shabbat fare of roasted chicken, brisket and noodle kugel, the Koubas offering paid homage to the hosts individuality while reflecting a modern version of a centuries-old religious practice.

In a second break from tradition, whereby no work or physical exertion is supposed to occur on the Sabbath, and following the evenings theme  Shabbat, Wine and Canvas  Adam Koubas after-dinner activity featured painting on canvases.

Adam Koubas partnered with two national nonprofit organizations: One Table, helped with food, and Moishe House, donated art supplies.

Since the New York-based nonprofit organizations official launch in 2014, One Table, has helped raise young Jewish peoples awareness of and participation in Shabbat rituals with more than 2,400 unique dinners.

With chapters in four cities: New York, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco, the organization plans to add two more cities per year. Among those being considered for the next installment are Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C.

Were religious about Friday, but beyond that, Shabbat can be whatever you want it to be, said Marissa Freeman, One Tables Chicago city manager. Were trying to help young, post-college, pre-family Jewish people create a personally meaningful Shabbat.  We are all about ending the week with intention.

One Table provides approved hosts with gift cards to purchase food, allotting $15 per guest, with a maximum amount of $150.

We want to help create a space where young people can test what they may want their lifelong Shabbat practices to look like, Freeman said. Though it may change over time, they may use our resources to make those decisions.

One Table is helping to usher in a new era of Shabbat that is more about meaningful connection than prescribed traditions.

Younger Jews have mixed feelings about religion, said Hannah Litvin, 27, a One Table host in Philadelphia who has hosted four Shabbat dinners. We only learn one narrative, and that can be very alienating.

Post-college and living on her own, Litvin sought out a like-minded community of people with shared similar life experiences and values.

No room in my life for Orthodox practices, she said, but Shabbat is beautiful and way more liberal.

Like Litvin, many millennials relocate to new cities and are eager to build a social network.

Stefanie Adler, a 23-year-old nanny living in San Francisco, believes that Shabbat helps create a sense of community. Having also lived in Israel for a year, she developed a fondness for the ritual of Friday night Shabbat dinners, she said.

Everyone there does dinner on Friday night. It is a time when people get together, said Adler.

Aliza Kline, One Tables New York-based executive director, said the organization conducted extensive research and held focus groups to better understand Jewish millennials practices and ideas. After determining that the level of engagement was based on the individuals life stage, the group tailored its approach to be social and communal.

In all, it really is about finding joy and connection.  The idea behind Shabbat is fulfillment, renewal and replenishment, Kline said.
The presidential election is driving people to their wits end, according to a new poll from the American Psychological Association.

The poll found more than half of Americans adults are stressed  regardless of party affiliation  about the election. To be specific, the poll found 52 percent of Americans ages 18 and older said the election was a somewhat or very significant source of stress. And 38 percent of respondents said political and cultural discussions on social media caused them stress.

Lynn Bufka, executive director for practice research and policy at the American Psychological Association, said in a news release that social media exacerbated the election with arguments, stories, images and video that range from factual to hostile and inflammatory.

The survey found that people who used social media were more likely to say the election caused them stress.

The survey found that the youngest and oldest voters  millennials and Matures, who were born pre-1946  reported being most stressed by the election, compared to baby boomers and Generation X.

MedlinePlus, a project of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, summarized the poll findings and offered tips to keep calm heading into the Nov. 8 election:

 Read just enough to stay informed, but turn off the news feed.

 Be aware of how often you discuss the election with family, friends or co-workers and avoid talking about the election, if theres a risk it could escalate.

 Instead of worrying about the election, which is unproductive, take action on issues that matter to you. For instance, through volunteer work and community groups.

 And most important of all: vote.
OCHEYEDAN, Iowa | Iowa Sen. David Johnson greeted me in his driveway on Main Street in Ocheyedan late Wednesday afternoon. He'd just finished physical rehab in nearby Sibley, a requirement following knee-replacement surgery on Oct. 10.

"I'm moving slowly," Johnson said as I grabbed a stack of papers from his pickup and followed to his back door.

Two hours before the final presidential debate I dropped by to report on the 18-year Iowa legislator who made national news on June 7 by leaving the Republican Party over its current standard-bearer, Donald Trump.

"I cannot be a member of a party whose leader is a race-baiter, a xenophobe," Johnson said as he sat to ice his right knee. "This is not the party of Abraham Lincoln. Conservatism is dead in the Republican Party. Donald Trump killed it."

He didn't cower as the countdown to Trump's final debate against Hillary Clinton continued.

"If you don't stamp out bigotry, sexism, misogyny and xenophobia when any one of them rears its ugly head, you better cut that head off as soon as you can," he added.

Our visit covered a wide swatch, from civility in politics to Watergate to the Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns? "I can't do anything right," Johnson said with a laugh, pledging allegiance to a team considered by many to be the worst in the NFL.

While he's loyal to his team, he broke from his party despite representing the third-most Republican district in Iowa. Johnson said he couldn't put party over conscience. His heroes? Elliot Richardson and William Ruckelshaus, the attorney general and deputy attorney general who resigned rather than act on orders of President Nixon and fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox on Oct. 20, 1973, a chain of events dubbed the "Saturday Night Massacre."

Johnson grew up in West Branch, Iowa, son of Donald E. Johnson, a Republican who lost to Robert Ray in a gubernatorial primary in 1969. West Branch, the birthplace of President Herbert Hoover, a Republican, was largely settled by peaceful Quakers. The Underground Railroad, a pathway to freedom for slaves, ran near West Branch.

"My father, through example, instilled that you must have respect for every human being," Johnson said.

Johnson on Veterans Day will give a speech in West Branch at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, where he remains a trustee. The talk focuses on his father's steps in World War II with the U.S. Army's 89th Infantry, which was among the first to liberate a concentration camp in Germany.

Johnson spent a portion of his college summers working at The Washington Post in Washington, D.C., a city in which his father resided while directing the Veterans Administration. Johnson has vivid memories of Watergate, and of befriending African-American coworkers at the newspaper.

"In 1970, I gave co-worker Walter Jackson a ride home late one night. Walter turned to me and said, 'You know, we (African-Americans) cannot do this alone," Johnson said. The moment has remained, crystallized in Johnson's memory.

I came to know Johnson for his work as editor and publisher of The West Branch Times, a newspaper deemed the top weekly in the U.S. in 1991. Johnson did it all 25 years ago, covering local government, crime, education, feature stories and more.

He left West Branch in 1993 and, after toiling for a South Dakota newspaper for one year, found his way to Ocheyedan. After a stint with the Northwest Iowa Review, Johnson landed a job working for dairy farmers Paul and Phyllis and Vellema at Harris, Iowa, in Osceola County. He turned to politics when a legislator serving the Iowa House retired. Johnson visited 135 farms across 38 townships in 6 weeks, knowing the key to victory involved winning a three-way GOP primary. He emerged victorious by 159 votes.

"I still remember a man telling me I wouldn't win because of three things," Johnson said. "I wasn't born here; I wasn't Dutch; and I was one of those suspicious Catholics."

Johnson has now lived in this area for 21 years, longest continuous stretch he's resided anywhere. And, he's still Catholic. And while voters have elected him to the Iowa House twice and the Iowa Senate four times, Johnson giggled and said, "I'm still not Dutch."

What is he? Well, he's a public servant who altered the landscape in June, becoming the first political candidate in the U.S. to suspend his GOP membership over Trump. A growing number of elected officials have since called upon the billionaire real estate developer to exit the race in the wake of sexually offensive comments about women caught on tape in 2005.

Johnson doesn't support Democrat Clinton, either. He cast his ballot on Sept. 30 for Evan McMullin, of Utah, a candidate Johnson called "the only conservative in the race."

On Wednesday, Johnson participated in a forum in Des Moines, one focused on the lack of civility in politics. He's concerned about the future of politics, wondering how many decent people are being discouraged from entering public service, an outgrowth of smear tactics and shouting over an opponent.

"Who can control the civility?" he asked. "Is it the responsibility of the voter? The responsibility of the party? The reporter?

"This is where politics has gone," he continued as the last presidential debate began. "It's all about controlling what people hear, even if it's lies."
SIOUX CITY | The O'Brien County Sheriff's Office arrested a man on a felony drug charge after a body cavity search.

Sheriff officials in a Friday release announced the arrest of Saverio Marino, 28, of Sheldon, Iowa, after a pursuit. A deputy believed Marino was driving a stolen motorcycle in Paullina, Iowa, and Marino collided with a sheriff's office vehicle on the motorcycle.

The sheriff's office reported that jailers suspected Marino concealed contraband during his booking into the O'Brien County Jail on Thursday. After a body cavity search, he was arrested for introducing a controlled substance into a jail.

Marino was also cited for several misdemeanors for his actions in eluding police.
SIOUX CITY | Jon Wagoners confidence as a young adult mightve been a blessing.

Now 80, Wagoner reflects on his service in the Navy during the Korean War. On a trip on the USS Talladega to Incheon, South Korea, Wagoner observed the effects of the bloody conflict that divided the Asian nation and ended in an uneasy truce. War damage and an unswept mine channel stood out to the 21-year-old. Eye opening, sure, but the Adel native said at the time, it was just part of the war.

When youre 19, you think youre still indestructible, he said. Usually, you have to get a little bit older to find out how mortal you really are.

He said hes thought several times since his service with the Navy about how close he was to combat and a life altering situation.

When we first went into Yokosuka (Japan), we had aircraft carriers, cruisers, amphibious vehicles and we thought we could just do the job, he said. I think the older you get, you think, what if the other side had assets we didnt know anything about?

Yokosuka was where Wagoner and a crew of about 300 on the Talladega called home for most of six months.

The Talladega was an attack transport ship (APA), which was used for transporting Marine battalions and all equipment, excluding tanks. If needed, the ship could navigate waters and drop troops off right on shore.

A typical day aboard the Talladega for Wagoner consisted of watch duty, cleaning and scrubbing the ship and identifying foreign ships. Wagoner said he saw no combat, but the realities of war were apparent during training exercises.

On one War Games mission to Iwo Jima, Japan, Wagoner said the Navy acted as the aggressor, moving to take the island. A U.S. Army team played to defend. But to Wagoner, it seemed like anything but a game.

It was very clear to me that all the Army had to do was reduce the range on the live fire and instead of being spectators, wed have been targets, he said. They were firing over us, but you could see the splashes. Thats as real as I wanted.

By the time Wagoner entered active duty in 1956, the fighting in Korea had died down. His ship went to Korea twice; once for rest and relaxation in Inchon  an idea that still makes Wagoner chuckle, and for a training exercise in Busan. The unswept mine channel and war damage in Inchon let Wagoner know that even after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, fights were still a real possibility.

It was pretty eye opening for a 19-year-old, he said. You didnt know what to expect.

Part of that unexpected aura around the Korean War was due to the fact that no one who had been in combat really talked about what went on, he said.

You hear some scuttlebutt, but by and large, they dont talk much, he said. It was something they would rather not talk about.

Wagoner spent six months overseas on the Talladega, coming back to the United States in November 1956. He stayed in the reserve after his eight years were up and was a member of the Navy Reserve for 41 years.

Wagoner is retired now after 43 years as a retail pharmacist. He enjoys volunteering at the Siouxland Center for Active Generations and the Sioux City Railroad Museum.

The Navy was a major part of Wagoners life before he served. His father, Frank, was a contract employee as a carpenter with the Navy. George, his twin brother, also served aboard a ship in the Navy.

He joined the Navy Reserve in February 1954 after his draft status was listed as 1A. He said he figured he would join the Navy at some point, but his draft status accelerated his decision.

I always thought we would go to the Navy, but that hastened it, he said.

Looking back, Wagoner said hes pleased with his decision to join the Navy. He was able to see the world and was able to grow as a human being through his service.

Overall the experience was pretty positive, he said. When you get out and you reminisce, you think, That wasnt so bad after all.
SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa | A Sergeant Bluff police officer fired his weapon Thursday morning after a man allegedly made a move toward a gun in his pants.

While in the driver's seat of a Jeep parked at the Bridge Mobile Home Park, John Charles McPherson, 47, of Sioux City, "made furtive movements with his hands towards his waistline," according to a police report released Friday.

The officer, who was not identified, "perceived the move as a threat to his life and the life of other officers present," according to the report. The officer then fired one shot, which went through the window of the vehicle but did not strike McPherson.

Police removed McPherson from the vehicle, and found a .45 caliber handgun in the waist of his pants. McPherson also had an ounce of methamphetamine in his possession. He was arrested on several charges, including carrying a concealed/dangerous weapon and possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine.

Law enforcement officers had been called to the mobile home park in the 100 block of Eighth Street in Sergeant Bluff to serve an arrest warrant on another defendant.

About half a dozen cars from the Sergeant Bluff Police Department and Woodbury County Sheriffs Office were on scene. A section around the scene was blocked off with yellow police tape.

McPherson was booked into Woodbury County Jail. His court date regarding the charges has been set for Oct. 31.
SIOUX CITY | The Storm Lake Police Department on Friday announced an arrest in an ongoing investigation into the sale of marijuana in town.

Police arrested Jose Ramos-Martinez, 19, of Storm Lake, at his residence in the 800 block of Hyland Drive on Thursday. Police said Ramos-Martinez sold marijuana to a police informant on multiple occasions since January.

He was charged with two counts of delivery of marijuana, a felony charge. Ramos-Martinez is being held in Buena Vista County Jail on $5,000 bond.
AKRON, Ohio -- It was a two-track debate. At times, it was the setting for a detailed argument over serious issues in which Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump offered voters a relatively straightforward clash of progressive and conservative perspectives.

But this is 2016, and eventually the third and final debate on Wednesday reached the fundamental issue of the campaign: whether Trump is fit to be president. Despite her substantial lead in the polls, Clinton did not hang back, as many predicted she would. Instead, she pressed Trump sharply on the entire catalogue of his shortcomings, accusing him of being a "puppet" of Russian President Vladimir Putin and denouncing his treatment of women, his mocking a disabled reporter and his habit of saying that any contest he loses is "rigged" against him.

And she clearly signaled one of the closing themes of her campaign when she declared that Trump had shown "a pattern of divisiveness, of a very dark and ... dangerous vision for our country." The election, she said, was about "what kind of country are we going to be."

Trump drew from his own arsenal of favored attacks on Clinton, from the work of the Clinton Foundation to her use of a private email server and her role in the Obama administration's foreign policy. "She been proven to be a liar," Trump said.

Had the exchanges come down to an ideological fight and simple tit-for-tat, fire and counterfire, it might have constituted a kind of victory for Trump, given his polling deficit and his gaffes and lies in his earlier debate performances. But as the debate wore on, Trump once again left behind moments that will only reinforce the doubts many voters already have about him.

Repeatedly, he refused to disown Putin, and he once again praised him relative to both Clinton and President Obama. "She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her at every step of the way," he said.

He did himself no good when he accused the nine women who have said he groped and accosted them of being liars, motivated by a desire for fame.

And again and again, when Clinton repeated things that Trump had actually said, he simply denied saying them, providing fact-checkers with another rich Trumpian trove.

From the start, Chris Wallace, the moderator in Las Vegas, tried to press Clinton and Trump on a series of specific issues -- what sort of justices they would nominate, how they viewed the Constitution, where they stood on abortion rights and gun control. In each case, they stressed themes congenial to their core constituencies.

Clinton strongly endorsed Roe v. Wade, sharply attacked the Citizens United decision that undercut campaign finance restrictions and stressed that she wanted justices who would stand with ordinary citizens against the wealthy and the powerful.

Trump began with his commitment to the Second Amendment and gun rights and kept coming back to the issue. Although Wallace pressed him repeatedly, Trump refused to say if he wanted Roe overturned, though he predicted that because his Supreme Court appointees would be "pro-life," Roe would fall. Although Trump no doubt pleased opponents of abortion, Clinton showed passion in the exchange, while Trump seemed to be answering by rote.

Oddly for a campaign in which immigration is a central issue, the third debate was the first in which voters were exposed to an extended look at their sharply different approaches.

But since nothing in this campaign is ever destined to look like the Oxford Union or any other stately discussion of public problems, the first track was overwhelmed by the second. Trump's obvious purpose was to shake voters away from Clinton. And if Clinton was trying to drive up turnout -- her fervor on abortion rights and gun control no doubt helped her with women and liberals -- Trump may have been attempting to drive it down, figuring that in a smaller electorate, his committed voters would give him a better chance of prevailing.

Yet Trump suffered from what he always suffers from: an inability to control his anger or stop himself from interrupting, which only reinforced undecided voters' worst perceptions of him.

The most important moment of the evening was Trump's refusal to say that if he lost, he would accept the outcome: "I will look at it at the time," he said. "I will keep you in suspense."

Never has a candidate for president challenged the legitimacy of the entire electoral enterprise in which he was engaged. Clinton's core claim is that Trump is a dangerous man who lacks respect for American institutions and American democracy. On this central issue, Trump chose to prove Clinton right.
Steve King has once again refused to debate in this election cycle, so an introduction to Kim Weaver, his opponent, is needed.

Weaver, a lifelong Iowan who lives in Sheldon, has been a direct care provider at Village Northwest in Sheldon, a Targeted Medicaid Case manager with DHS, and currently is Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocating for seniors in nursing homes, assisted living and residential care. Her work has strengthened her belief that we need to protect Social Security, expand Medicare and make seniors a priority.

Weaver also believes we need more infrastructure investment and renewable energy. She understands college costs and debt (one child has an aerospace engineering degree from MIT, one is a second-year med student at the University of Iowa, and one is at Iowa State majoring in geology), and she knows that Iowa needs immigrants to grow and prosper.

Weaver is kind, motivated, compassionate with lots of Iowa common sense and a track record of accomplishment. Representative Steve King has done nothing of note to help Iowa and has been living on our tax dollars far too long. Named one of the least effective congressmen, his own party increasingly ignores him and his amendments while he continues the racist and inflammatory comments that have made him an embarrassment to the whole state.

It is time for a breath of fresh air. It is time for Kim Weaver, the right voice for Iowa. - Donna Hoadley, Sheldon, Iowa
3SIOUX CITY | As a campaign to secure private funding for the Bomgaars Ag Expo & Learning Center enters its final phase, organizers say they are no longer interested in bringing a hotel to the proposed site perched on the front door to the city.

Members of the Woodbury County Expo Board said this week that pledged funds for the proposed $16 million facility have surpassed $3.5 million and are on pace to reach the goal of $5 million around the beginning of next year.

Its going very well, said Gene Leman, a retired Tyson Foods executive who heads the Ag Expo Board. Siouxland has been amazing in this project so far.

In addition to $3.58 million so far from the private sector, the group had previously secured $4.5 million in pledged funding from the city of Sioux City, Woodbury County and Missouri River Historical Development. Still pending is $6.7 million in tax credits from Iowa's Reinvestment District program, the approval of which is the linchpin for the ag center project.

Iowa Economic Development Authority staff also have recommended the project receive up to $1 million from "grayfield" tax credits. The IEDA board is expected to vote on the award during its meeting Friday.

The grayfield program seeks to redevelop abandoned public buildings, industrial or commercial properties that are vacant, blighted, obsolete, or otherwise underused. The ag center is envisioned at the site of the former John Morrell pork plant, which closed in 2010 and has since been demolished.

Members of the Bomgaars family, who operate a Sioux City-based chain of farm and ranch stores, who are still finalizing their naming gift for the ag center. Leman said major donors also include the Hard Rock Hotel Casino Sioux City, which has pledged $400,000 for the facility and will provide shuttle service to and from the casino. The casino name also will be on the ag center's video board facing Interstate 29, he said.

Hotel options

The ag center, which would host a range of special events from equine competitions to rodeos to large farm equipment, is one of three main components of Sioux City's application for $14 million in future hotel and sales tax credits through the state's Reinvestment District program. Other major projects include an upscale hotel connected to the Convention Center and Ho-Chunk Inc.s commercial and housing development in the 100 block of Virginia Street.

Local officials are expected to provide an update on the project at the IEDA's monthly meeting Friday in Des Moines, but the board is not expected to make a final decision until the November meeting.

An ongoing part of the local discussions has been whether to build a second hotel adjacent to the ag center to serve out-of-town event-goers or renovate an existing hotel nearby the site.

Leman said organizers would prefer the latter option, which would allow for more parking for ag center patrons and exhibitors.

"We do not want that on the site," he said of the hotel. "We need the room."

City officials have not identified which existing hotel they have been talking to, or the developer for the proposed convention center hotel.

Consultant hiring

As the ag center board continues its fundraising campaign, Leman said the board is also finalizing the hiring of a consultant to assist with the project, which is currently under design.

"We have the right person, and he has tentatively accepted," Leman said. "If he comes, he would come on a five to six-month basis."

Leman said the consultant will work on finalizing the size and scope of the facility to meet costs, put together a business plan and organizational structure for the facility and look for a qualified manager who will run the facility once it is completed.

He declined to make the candidate's name public prior to the hiring but said he is expected to begin Nov. 1.

Dennis Gann an ex-officio ag center board member and former longtime director for Sioux City's events facilities department, said the candidate has nearly 35 years of experience operating equestrian and ag-related facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Reno, Nevada, areas.

He said the executive's connections will be helpful in landing events for the facility, which will prove critical for the facility's its first few years.

Thats the kind of stuff weve got to start working on now," Gann said. "So when the building opens -- if it gets done it will probably open sometime in 2018, early 2019 -- youd better have events in there.

Preliminary designs

Once completed, anticipated facility will include a 130-by-200-foot main arena with a seating capacity of 3,000. Gann told the Sioux City Rotary Club this week that the group has sold 10 suites in the arena. An additional 10 sky boxes are still available for $25,000 apiece per year over a 10-year period, he said.

The facility also will include 400 livestock stalls, a warmup arena, a Bomgaars store, an Ag Hall of Fame showcasing contributors to Siouxlands agricultural legacy, and space for hands-on agriculture and veterinary classes through Western Iowa Tech Community College.

In late August, the City Council approved a consulting services agreement with Sioux City-based M Plus Architects Inc. for an amount not to exceed $860,000. M Plus Architects is partnering with CMW, a Kentucky firm that specializes in planning and designing equestrian facilities, for the project.

Leman said preliminary presentations show an appealing design that creates a smooth flow for traffic loading and unloading livestock on the premises.

"The ideas look really good, now we've just got to make sure the cost comes in where we want it," he said.

Leman reiterated that while the $16 million total could inch up as the designs and bids come in, cost remains an important guide for the design of the facility.

"We really have to work to keep the cost in line," Leman said. "This has to be pretty much a very nice but basic facility that's functional."

Leman said once the funds are raised, the board plans to continue raising money to begin an endowment that would cover the ag center in the case of an operational shortfall. He said finding good management will also be key to keeping the ag center financially steady.
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.
LA PLATA, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(Oct. 21, 2016)The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.POSSESSION OF DRUGS: On October 19 at 12:06 a.m., Officer A. Bringley was patrolling the area of Dorchester Circle in Waldorf when he noticed a suspicious vehicle. Upon making contact with the driver, a strong odor of marijuana was detected. Further investigation revealed approximately 20 grams of marijuana in multiple bags, a scale and other drug paraphernalia. A BB gun resembling a 9mm handgun was also found. Donovan Lewis Benton, Jr., 18, of Oxon Hill was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a concealed dangerous weapon.THEFT: On October 18 at 11:37 p.m., officers responded to the 100 block of Park Square Court in Indian Head for the report of a wheel theft in progress. While en route, officers were given a description of the suspect's vehicle. The vehicle was located, and a traffic stop was initiated. A search of the vehicle revealed the stolen tires. Robert William Warren, Jr., 20, of Indian Head, Kayla Marie McCombs, 19, of Landover and Jakeya Cynthia Cobey, 18, of Nanjemoy were arrested and charged with theft scheme and theft under $1,000. PFC C. Curtis investigated.RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT: On October 18 at 10:40 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Highgrove Drive and Oxon Court in White Plains for the report of a shooting. Investigation revealed the victim and three acquaintances were driving when one of the acquaintances pulled out a gun in the car to unload it. The gun accidentally discharged, and the victim was shot in the back. He was transported by helicopter to Prince George's Hospital with injuries that were later determined not to be life-threatening. Mark Anderson Jr., 20, of Clinton was charged with reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a regulated firearm. Det. C. Shankster is investigating.BURGLARY: Sometime between 6:40 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. on October 18, an unknown suspect broke into George's BBQ located in the 4800 block of Strauss Avenue in Indian Head. The suspect used a crow bar to pry open the side door. Once inside, the suspect stole a cash register. The suspect is described as a white female with a heavy build wearing black clothing. Det. C. Gilroy is investigating.BURGLARY: Sometime between October 14 and October 17, unknown suspect(s) entered a townhouse under construction in the 11100 block of Siwanoy Place in White Plains and stole PVC trim boards. PFC. J. Campbell is investigating.BURGLARY: On October 16 at 12:03 a.m., officers responded to an establishment located in the 2200 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf for the report of a burglary. Investigation revealed unknown suspect(s) shattered a door to the establishment. Once inside, the suspect(s) stole cash from registers and ransacked the office. Officer B. Virts is investigating.BURGLARY: Sometime between 4 p.m. September 27 and 4:30 p.m. September 28, unknown suspect(s) broke into several sheds near Timberbrook Drive and Lantern Lane in Waldorf. Investigation revealed suspect(s) cut the locks and pried open the doors to get inside. Once inside, the suspect(s) stole several items including an ECHO String Trimmer, a Toro Electric Leaf Blower, a Troy-Bilt Gas Hedge Trimmer, a Troy-Bilt String Trimmer, a DeWalt Sawzall and a case containing several DeWalt drills and impact drivers. Officer C. Gustafson is investigating.POSSESSION OF CRACK/COCAINE: On October 4, Officer T. Morgan was conducting routine patrols on St. Patrick's Drive in Waldorf when he noticed a possible drug sale. After investigating further, Officer Morgan learned the suspect, Diane Raichelle Francisco, 22, of Waldorf, was in possession of a large amount of crack cocainewith a street value of approximately $1,400and marijuana. She was arrested and charged with distribution of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Several other violations were issued to other individuals including alcohol citations, marijuana-related offenses and one person had an open warrant in Prince George's County.
Although Food Networks and Cooking Channels South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SoBeWFF) isnt until Feb., tickets go on sale soon (if they havent already by the time you read this) and are snatched up quickly. With more than 90 events taking place from Feb. 22 through 26, it is widely recognized as one of Americas most prestigious food and dining festivals.

The iconic series of Miami Beach signature events kicks off with Italian Bites on the Beach hosted by Valerie Bertinelli and Alex Guarnaschelli, followed by one of the festivals most coveted tickets, Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray. The weekend will close with Lucky Chopsticks, an Asian night market hosted by Andrew Zimmern.

With an array of dinners, tastings, seminars, and parties showcasing a variety of cuisines, wines and spirits from around the world, guests will find plenty of ways to satiate their taste buds at this years Festival, noted festival founder and director Lee Brian Schrager

This year, SoBeWFF again expands into Broward County with the Taste Fort Lauderdale series. Kicking off with Seaside Eats, hosted by Anne Burrell at Bonnet House on Feb.22, DRINK Fort Lauderdale, takes over FATVillage on Fri. Feb 24. Closing out the series, Bloody Mary Brunch, will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. Other events in the Fort Lauderdale series include dinners hosted by Amanda Freitag, Marc Murphy, Valerie Bertinelli, Daphne Oz, Tiffani Thiessen, and Geoffrey Zakarian. For tickets, call 877-762-3933 or go to SoBeFest.com.

Meet the Pizza King! Gennaro Luciano is a world-renowned pizza maker known for his signature pizza. His familys Pizzeria PortAlba, reportedly the first pizzeria in the world, opened in Naples, Italy in 1830. Louie Bossis Ristorante will host the Italian chef, one of his few American appearances, on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. During the event, Luciano will discuss the history of Antica Pizzeria PortAlba, and showcase his pizzas. In addition to hearing him speak on his familys history and his authentic pizza-making methods guests will have the opportunity to meet Luciano and take photos with him. The event is free of charge, but reservations are required. For more information, go to LouieBossi.com.

Mojo, will host a wine dinner on Friday, Oct. 28 featuring Fratelli Wines. The five-course meal will include grilled octopus, roasted duck breast, artichoke flatbread, osso bucco ravioli and chocolate hazelnut semi-freddo, each with an accompanying wine tasting. The evening begins at 6:45 and costs $80 per person, prepaid in advance. The featured wines will be available for purchase, by the bottle or case, at a reduced rate. Call 954-568-4443 for reservations.

The 5th Annual Brazilian Festival returns on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Pompano Beach Community Park. The festival will feature more than 100 exhibitors, two stages, and a wide variety of Brazilian and international food offered by 30 food vendors. For more information, go to BrazilianFestPompano.org.
Despite a spotty record on LGBT rights that included co-sponsorship of the anti-gay First Amendment Defense Act, Sen. John McCain of Arizona picked up the endorsement of LGBT conservative group Log Cabin Republicans.

Log Cabin Republicans came out with their latest round of endorsements for United States Senate races on Thursday. McCain, the GOP's failed presidential nominee in 2008, is among the six endorsed candidates.

Joining McCain are: Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R- NH), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), who will receive support from LCR PAC in their campaigns for re-election. Interesting to note, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was not endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans.

"As members of the greatest deliberative body in the country, these endorsed United States Senators represent some of the most important voices in support of LGBT freedom," Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo said in a statement released Thursday.

The endorsement of McCain, who was a stalwart foe of same-sex marriage and who called the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell a "very sad day" marks a significant shift in the four-term Senator's position on LGBT rights. Although up until a year ago, he regularly appeared as a guest on Family Research Council Radio where he said to hate group leader Tony Perkins "Thanks for the great work you do," 2016 has seen McCain begin to shift from Opponent to Ally.

Most notable of McCain's shift was his vocal support of the confirmation of openly gay Eric Fanning as secretary of the Army.

Still, McCain's 2015 co-sponsorship of the First Amendment Defense Act, a bill that would prevent the federal government from taking action against a person who discriminates against same-sex couples under the guise of "religious freedom," has many troubled.

"McCain is in a tough re-election race, and he needs to broaden his coalition whenever he can. Discrimination against gays is now a big loser politically in most states, and that even includes Arizona - which is not nearly as conservative as it used to be," Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia told NBC News.

"I'm grateful to have the support of the Log Cabin Republicans," McCain said of his endorsement Thursday. "This organization does great work in supporting fiscally conservative values while championing equality through policy. I look forward to working to continuing to work with them in the U.S. Senate."

In U.S. House races, the Log Cabin Republicans endorsed seven candidates, including two from Florida. The endorsements are as follows: Congressman Mike Coffman, (R-CO), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Robert Dold (R-IL), John Katko (R-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ).

Curbelo and Ros-Lehtinen represent districts in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. In a news release Curbelo said, The Log Cabin Republicans have done important work building consensus on LGBT issues across the country. In Congress I have been proud to stand up for equality. I am honored to have the support of Republicans who understand that equality can never be a partisan issue.

Ros-Lehtinen, mother of a transgender man, stated: I am grateful to once again count on the support of Log Cabin Republicans as we work together to achieve equality and justice for LGBT Americans. I will continue to promote inclusiveness and ensure the fair and equal treatment of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
(CNN) Tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of now-abolished sexual offenses in Britain will be posthumously pardoned, the government announced Thursday.

The government proposal will also make it easier for living Britons, convicted years ago of since-decriminalized sexual behavior, to clear their names.

The proposal has been dubbed the "Turing Law" -- named after World War II codebreaker Alan Turing, subject of the 2014 film "The Imitation Game." Turing committed suicide in 1954 after he was subjected to chemical castration as punishment for homosexual activity. In 2013, nearly 60 years later, he received a posthumous royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth II.

Anyone previously convicted of the abolished laws can already apply through the UK's Home Office to have their names cleared and wiped from criminal record checks. But under the new law, the government will automatically pardon living men convicted of historical sexual offenses "who would be innocent of any crime today," Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said in a statement.

"Through pardons and the existing disregard process we will meet our manifesto commitment to put right these wrongs," Gyimah said.

Private homosexual acts for men aged over 21 were decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967. However the law was not changed in Scotland until 1980 or in Northern Ireland until 1982.

'An admission of guilt'

Brighton resident George Montague, who was convicted in 1974 for gross indecency with a man, told CNN he won't accept the government's pardon because "it's an admission of guilt."

Instead, he wants an apology for the way he and many others were treated.

"In my view if you're born only able to love and be in love with another a man -- which means you're gay -- then it can't be a crime. How can that be a crime? It's not fair," Montague said.

"The law didn't apply to heterosexuals -- they could have sex anywhere. But if you were gay and all you did was kiss your boyfriend in public you were convicted."

He said he wouldn't stop fighting until he received an apology from the government.

"We were treated very badly. I can't understand it, even today, that there are so many people who do not understand or accept homosexuality."

Announcement 'welcomed'

Andrew Gilliver from the LGBT Foundation in the UK told CNN that while the government's announcement is welcomed, it's long overdue.

"What's unfortunate is that it's taken this long. Obviously in that time (since the laws were abolished) so many people's lives have been ruined," he said, adding that family relationships and career opportunities were destroyed.

On Friday Parliament is set to debate a bill by MP John Nicolson which proposes a blanket pardon be applied to everyone living so that they don't have to go through the disregard process via the UK's Home Office.

However, the government has said it will not support the Nicolson bill because it "could lead, in some cases, to people claiming to be cleared of offenses that are still crimes."

The government has already rejected several applicants under the current law because the activity was non-consensual or the other person involved was under 16 years old.

Closing a loophole?

Gyimah says he worries the consequences of the Nicolson bill haven't been fully thought through.

"A blanket pardon, without the detailed investigations carried out by the Home Office under the disregard process, could see people guilty of an offense which is still a crime today claiming to be pardoned," he said.

However Paul Twocock of the Stonewall organization, which campaigns for the equality of LGBT people across Britain, said in a statement to CNN that he doesn't agree with the government's interpretation of the proposed bill.

"It explicitly excludes pardoning anyone convicted of offenses that would still be illegal today," he said.

Twocock said the proposed Nicolson bill "closes a loophole which means some gay and bi men who are still alive and living with those convictions still can't have them deleted, despite them being unjust and not illegal today."

Gay rights around the world

In recent years homosexuals around the world have fought to be pardoned for same-sex crimes that have long since been abolished.

Earlier this month Germany announced plans to compensate thousands of men who were convicted under an old law for their sexual preferences, Deutsche Welle reported.

And in New Zealand, lawmakers introduced a petition in July seeking a formal apology and a pardon for those convicted of same-sex acts under laws abolished 30 years ago.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Hydrogen escape from Mars NASA

After investigating the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet for a full Martian year, NASAs MAVEN mission has determined that the escaping water does not always go gently into space.

Sophisticated measurements made by a suite of instruments on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft revealed the ups and downs of hydrogen escape  and therefore water loss. The escape rate peaked when Mars was at its closest point to the Sun and dropped off when the planet was farthest from the Sun. The rate of loss varied dramatically overall, with 10 times more hydrogen escaping at the maximum.

MAVEN is giving us unprecedented detail about hydrogen escape from the upper atmosphere of Mars, and this is crucial for helping us figure out the total amount of water lost over billions of years, said Ali Rahmati, a MAVEN team member at the University of California at Berkeley who analyzed data from two of the spacecrafts instruments.

Hydrogen in Mars upper atmosphere comes from water vapor in the lower atmosphere. An atmospheric water molecule can be broken apart by sunlight, releasing the two hydrogen atoms from the oxygen atom that they had been bound to. Several processes at work in Mars upper atmosphere may then act on the hydrogen, leading to its escape.

This loss had long been assumed to be more-or-less constant, like a slow leak in a tire. But previous observations made using NASAs Hubble Space Telescope and ESAs Mars Express orbiter found unexpected fluctuations. Only a handful of these measurements have been made so far, and most were essentially snapshots, taken months or years apart. MAVEN has been tracking the hydrogen escape without interruption over the course of a Martian year, which lasts nearly two Earth years.

Now that we know such large changes occur, we think of hydrogen escape from Mars less as a slow and steady leak and more as an episodic flow  rising and falling with season and perhaps punctuated by strong bursts, said Michael Chaffin, a scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder who is on the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) team. Chaffin is presenting some IUVS results on Oct. 19 at the joint meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences and the European Planetary Science Congress in Pasadena, California.

In the most detailed observations of hydrogen loss to date, four of MAVENs instruments detected the factor-of-10 change in the rate of escape. Changes in the density of hydrogen in the upper atmosphere were inferred from the flux of hydrogen ions  electrically charged hydrogen atoms  measured by the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer and by the Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition instrument. IUVS observed a drop in the amount of sunlight scattered by hydrogen in the upper atmosphere. MAVENs magnetometer found a decrease in the occurrence of electromagnetic waves excited by hydrogen ions, indicating a decrease in the amount of hydrogen present.

By investigating hydrogen escape in multiple ways, the MAVEN team will be able to work out which factors drive the escape. Scientists already know that Mars elliptical orbit causes the intensity of the sunlight reaching Mars to vary by 40 percent during a Martian year. There also is a seasonal effect that controls how much water vapor is present in the lower atmosphere, as well as variations in how much water makes it into the upper atmosphere. The 11-year cycle of the Suns activity is another likely factor.

In addition, when Mars is closest to the Sun, the atmosphere becomes turbulent, resulting in global dust storms and other activity. This could allow the water in the lower atmosphere to rise to very high altitudes, providing an intermittent source of hydrogen that can then escape, said John Clarke, a Boston University scientist on the IUVS team. Clarke will present IUVS measurements of hydrogen and deuterium  a form of hydrogen that contains a neutron and is heavier  on Oct. 19 at the planetary conference.

By making observations for a second Mars year and during different parts of the solar cycle, the scientists will be better able to distinguish among these effects. MAVEN is continuing these observations in its extended mission, which has been approved until at least September 2018.

MAVENs findings reveal what is happening in Mars atmosphere now, but over time this type of loss contributed to the global change from a wetter environment to the dry planet we see today, said Rahmati.

MAVENs principal investigator is based at the University of Colorados Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder. The university provided two science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education and public outreach, for the mission. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN project and provided two science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeleys Space Sciences Laboratory also provided four science instruments for the mission. NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, provides navigation and Deep Space Network support, as well as the Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.
Smallsats NASA/ASU

Last week, President Obama wrote about the progress we as a Nation have made over the past 8 years to ensure our space program continues to inspire generations of students and serve as a leading source of innovation in our country.

Central to this work has been developing new, innovative technologies that continue to pioneer new frontiers in space and test the bounds of knowledge and discovery.

Today, astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly are visiting the White House to talk to the President about just these types of advances. One critical area for technology development is making satellites more affordable, adaptable, and adept at providing the sorts of real-time information that will help advance knowledge out in space and right here at home.

Over the past several years, commercial companies, government agencies, university researchers, and national labs have demonstrated the capability of small satellites (smallsats) and constellations of smallsats to support important commercial, civilian, and national-security applications. These applications include providing high-speed Internet connectivity to remote rural communities and transforming humanitys understanding of the world around us with continuously updated imagery of the entire planet.

Traditional large satellites, which can weigh tens of thousands of pounds and be as large as a school bus, provide important capabilities for communications, remote sensing, and science, but they typically cost hundreds of millions of dollars per satellite and often take years to build and launch. Because of the massive investment required to build, launch, operate, and insure larger satellites, for most of the past half-century, only governments and large corporations have had the resources necessary to operate in their own satellites in space.

The recent advent of smallsats, spacecraft that weigh anywhere from an ounce to as much as a few hundred pounds, has upended that status quo. The same advances in electronics and communications technologies that enabled smartphones and put significant computing power in the palm of everyones hand are allowing scientists and engineers to design smallsats and coordinated networks of multiple smallsats (known as smallsat constellations) that deliver novel and diverse capabilities from orbit. These capabilities can sometimes be delivered at a fraction of the cost and time of legacy satellite systems. Scientists and engineers can more quickly test their systems on orbit, allowing them to devise new, better systems more quickly, shortening the cycle of innovation and finally bringing Moores Law to space.

For all of these reasons, today, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is announcing the Harnessing the Small Satellite Revolution initiative. Working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and other Federal agencies, OSTP has identified the following opportunities to promote and support both government and private use of small satellites for remote sensing, communications, science, and the exploration of space. OSTP will continue to work with Federal agencies to identify additional steps to foster innovation in the development and use of smallsat technologies.

 NASA will propose up to $30 million to support data buys for smallsats, including up to $25 million to support data buys derived and purchased from non-governmental small spacecraft constellations and $5 million to advance small spacecraft constellation technologies. In the near-term, NASA intends to purchase Earth Science observation data, such as (but not restricted to) moderate-resolution land imaging and radio occultation data. The agency is also committing to a comprehensive review of space missions to determine which science and exploration needs could be met more effectively using smallsat technologies.

 NASA will establish a Small Spacecraft Virtual Institute at Ames Research Center in the heart of Silicon Valley early in 2017. The Virtual Institute will provide a one-stop shop for technical knowledge in the rapidly burgeoning small spacecraft technology fields. It will also act within the agency to promote relevant programs, guidance, opportunities, and best practices, as well as share lessons learned on smallsat missions. To take full advantage of the rapid iteration cycles associated with smallsats, NASA is also working to standardize its management practices associated with smallsat missions to reduce the administrative burdens associated with them in comparison to larger, more traditional space missions.

 The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded a $20 million contract to Planet, a startup currently building out a constellation of imagery smallsats in low earth orbit. This allows NGA to obtain imagery of at least 85 percent of the Earths landmass every 15 days from Planet. The imagery has many operational uses, including environmental monitoring, augmenting higher resolution capabilities, change detection, and answering intelligence questions.

 NGA is partnering with the General Services Administration to develop an efficient, single point to access and purchase commercially-provided imagery, data, analytical capabilities, and services. This effort, labeled the Commercial Initiative to Buy Operationally Responsive GEOINT (CIBORG), will connect with trusted commercial sources and match products to intelligence-user needs and match the right capability against the right intelligence problem. CIBORG is also designed to grow into a good for Government initiative, allowing other U.S. government users to order and share data through this process.

 The Department of Commerce is elevating the role of the Office of Space Commerce to reflect the growing importance of commercial space as a driver of economic growth, productivity, and job creation. This will enable the Offices Director to advise the Secretary of Commerce on commercial space issues and the office to coordinate policy on critical issues such as licensing, export controls, export promotion, and open data. The Directors statutory role is to act as an advocate and ombudsman for the commercial space industry within the Federal government, and the Director will work with Federal agencies to help them take full advantage of the new capabilities (including smallsats, constellations of smallsats, dedicated launch capability for smallsats, and data analytics) that are being developed by the private sector.

 Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded the first Commercial Weather Data Pilot program contracts to smallsat-constellation operators GeoOptics, Inc. and Spire Global, Inc. to provide space-based, radio-occultation data for the purpose of demonstrating data quality and potential value to NOAAs weather forecasts and warnings.

 The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is releasing satellite datasets as part of two prize-driven challenges to achieve breakthroughs in the analysis of overhead imagery. The Multi-View Stereo 3D Mapping Challenge invites researchers and entrepreneurs to generate accurate 3D point clouds from multi-view satellite imagery, while the Functional Map of the World Challenge will invite solvers to identify building functions and land use.

These and other actions hold tremendous promise to capture the potential of the small satellite revolution, and ultimately to advance our knowledge and understanding of our own world and the far reaches of space.
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Siblings Tito Santanna and Yoga Pants were stakes winners during Thursdays card of racing at Fraser Downs, and that was music to the ears of trainer/driver Jim Marino.

The British Columbia oval hosted four stakes tilts  two divisions of the Betty Millbank Memorial Breeders Stake for two-year-old pacing fillies and two splits of the Robert Murphy Breeders Stake for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

Yoga Pants won her $15,000 division of the Betty Millbank Memorial Breeders Stake in 2:00 to get the ball rolling for Marino. The daughter of Sportswriter-Lucks Pleasure led through fractions of :30.2, 1:00.4 and 1:29.4 before cruising home in :30.1 to post the win by 3-1/4 lengths over Sustainedintensity. Third prize went to Attila The Hen.

Sent off as the 1-9 favourite in the five-filly affair, Yoga Pants improved her freshman record to 2-1-0 from three trips to the track. Marino shares ownership on the talented lass with J J J Stables of Prince George, BC.

Marino was back to victory lane two races later with that fillys half-brother Tito Santanna, who was a handy winner in his $15,000 division of the Robert Murphy Breeders Stake. The son of Santanna Blue Chip-Lucks Pleasure sat a pocket trip behind race favourite One Big Cat before popping out late and firing home in :27.4 to win by 1-3/4 lengths over One Big Cat in a career-best clocking of 1:55.1. Taking home third prize was Fire Of The Dragon.

Marino owns the homebred who is now a two-time winner from 15 trips postward. Sent off at odds of 8-1, Tito Santanna has banked more than $30,000 to date.

Bobby Dazzler won the other division of the Robert Murphy Breeders Stake in 1:55.4 over Credit Risk and Bettors Mark. The son of Village Jiffy-Dal Reo Millee sat fourth through the first half of the $15,000 contest before making a first-over move going to the three-quarter pole. The gelding then used a :28.1 closing quarter to post the head decision over race favourite Credit Risk.

Clint Warrington, Jr. trains and drives the pacer for partners David and Freda Woolley of Langley, BC. The six-time winner owns a 4-1-0 record from just seven trips to the track this season. Hes banked close to $30,000 this season and more than $90,000 to date.

Lil Beach took the other division of the Betty Millbank Memorial Breeders Stake by a comfortable margin in a career-best clocking of 1:57.4. After making an early miscue, the filly regained her composure for trainer/driver Rod Therres and muscled her way to the top at the mid-way point of the mile. She had a solid lead at the three-quarter pole, and that lead increased to 5-1/4 lengths by the time she hit the line. Badlands Palace was next best, with Orangevale Gazette taking home third prize.

The homebred daughter of Lil Dude Starrbuck-Greek Beach now owns a 2-1-0 record from her first three attempts. Shes closing in on $20,000 in lifetime earnings for BC partners Robert Collier of Victoria and Jane Kelly of Langley.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results  Fraser Downs.
JIC Dismisses Complaint Against Justice Tom Parker

Contact: Liberty Counsel, 800-671-1776, Media@LC.org, Press Kit



MONTGOMERY, Ala., Oct. 21, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) dismissed the complaint filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) against Justice Tom Parker. The SPLC complained that Justice Parker was interviewed on the American Family Radio talk show regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's marriage opinion, claiming that any comment on any case anywhere in the country violated Canon 3(A)(6) of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics.

Canon 3(A)(6) purports to prohibit Alabama judges from making "any public comment about a pending or impending proceeding in any court," even if such a proceeding is not pending before the judge making the comments, and even if the judge's comments do not have a reasonable likelihood of affecting the outcome or impairing the fairness of that proceeding. The American Bar Association has stated this broad speech restriction violates the First Amendment.

Parker was not charged by the JIC, but, if charged, he would have been suspended pending a hearing. Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit challenging Canon 3 and the automatic removal provision. That lawsuit is still pending.

"We are pleased that the complaint against Justice Tom Parker has been dismissed," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "The speech restrictive Judicial Canon clearly violates the First Amendment. The Canon is so broad that it prevents judges from commenting on any case pending anywhere in the county, even if they are teaching students in law school. Shame on the SPLC for filing this politically-motivated complaint against Justice Parker. I call upon the Alabama Supreme Court and the legislature to change this unconstitutional speech restriction and the automatic removal provision," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
STEVENSON, Wash.  Like most jobs, the duties of Sgt. Jeff Wickersham of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police are a mixed bag of enjoyable tasks  and some not too pleasant at all.

On Oct. 16, I spent 10 hours riding with Wickersham in the West Klickitat and Grayback game management units as he worked the second day of Washingtons modern firearm rifle deer season. Id guess we put 150 miles on his Ford F250 patrol truck, which was about half that of his 13 1/2-hour, 350-mile day on Saturdays rainy opener.

A graduate of Washington State University in Pullman with a major in Natural Resource Science and a minor in Criminal Justice, Wickersham grew up in Clark County. Now a resident of Stevenson, he supervises seven officers in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties.

Here are some of my observations from the day:

The enjoyable: Wickersham stopped and chatted with a father accompanied by two elementary-school age sons searching a hillside near the Klickitat River with their binoculars. He encouraged the boys to be sure and help dad if the trio got a buck.

Im glad to see that, Wickersham said, about the two boys. Recruitment of young hunters is on the decline. I wish there was a way to get more of them in the outdoors and hunting. The 16- to 30-year-old age group is, for the most part, conspicuously absent.

The sweaty and bloody: A local hunter, who wished to remain anonymous, called Wickersham about 11:30 a.m., and reported finding a freshly killed spike buck in the West Klickitat unit, which has a three-point antler minimum.

In Goldendale when the call came, Wickersham hurried to the Snowden area and met the hunter, whom he knew from previous seasons. The hunting party that had poached the spike were field dressing it when the reporting party spooked them, and they fled the scene. But the hunter found a bullet casing and had a description of the culprits vehicle.

The hunter lead Wickersham and I to the carcass.

Here some of the dirty work  literally  began. The three of us dragged the deer body out of a steep ravine for about a quarter-mile to Wickershams truck.

Without a license plate number, theres probably a 15 percent chance well be able to make this case, he said. But theres still a lot of deer season left and well keep looking.

The complicated: A ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014 in the case of Tarabochia v. Adkins has further defined when fish and wildlife police can  and cant  stop citizens afield.

The case originated from a 2007 stop of a commercial fishing family in Wahkiakum County.

To oversimplify the Tarabochia ruling, it says officers need a reasonable suspicion of a violation in progress to stop a vehicle.

We cant stop a vehicle simply because theres a deer in the back of it during an open season, Wickersham said. People in a vehicle have a greater expectation of privacy.

But if the vehicle is already stopped, or if the hunter is in the field, then an officers inspection authority has not changed.

No doubt, its made our job harder, Wickersham said. Encountering violations of possessing a loaded gun in a vehicle are way down. But were still able to find the bad violators. Most of those are not from an encounter from a chance inspection anyway.

The computer: Patrol vehicles are equipped with laptop computers stationed in the middle of the front seat. As expected, the laptops allow officers to check for previous violations.

Theres also a real-time mapping application giving very specific information about land ownership and other relevant information at their current location, including information on the whereabouts of other officers statewide.

Ticket quotas: Wickersham says he has no hard number for citations for himself or his detachment.

Officers should be getting in the same range of others, give or take 20 percent, when they work a similar area, he said. I want to see my officers mixing it up  working significant resource violations, working odd hours, having presence in remote reaches of a game unit where violations are hard to get at, and working unpredictable schedules.

Deer season versus elk season: From a law enforcement perspective, the two major big-game seasons are very different.

In my mind, deer hunters and steelhead fishermen are similar, Wickersham said. Deer dont herd and steelhead are spread across a lot of water. Elk hunting is more like salmon fishing  they are in a smaller space and people know where they are concentrated. Deer hunting and steelhead fishing often require a different mindset than elk hunting and salmon fishing.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has stopped its hunt for the Profanity Peak wolf pack now that the grazing season on public lands in the Colville National Forest is over for the year.

Agency Director Jim Unsworth lifted his previous order to kill off the pack Wednesday. The department, though, will continue to monitor the four remaining wolves in the pack, an adult female and three young, and target them again if they harm livestock this year.

The pack once numbered 12 wolves. Since Aug. 5, state wildlife staff members have shot and killed seven members of the pack. Another wolf, a pup, is presumed to have died of natural causes.

In all, the department documented 15 dead or injured cows. Of those, 10 were confirmed to have been preyed upon by wolves. The other five probably were, according to the department.

The pack is one of 19 documented in the state so far. Most are in the eastern third of the state, where they are not protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.

Under state policy, the department can take lethal action against wolves if its field staff confirm four or more attacks on livestock in a calendar year, or six or more in two consecutive calendar years.

According to the department, ranchers in the area used by the Profanity Peak pack moved cattle onto public lands for grazing in early June. The wildlife department captured two adult members of the pack and fitted them with GPS radio collars, allowing the department to monitor the packs movements. By July 8, the department confirmed the first calf kill.

It was no surprise to some: Ranchers and local officials in Ferry County predicted problems with the pack, and in 2014 called for the packs elimination, according to the Stevens County Cattlemens Association.

The state is targeting the pack at public expense  as yet uncounted  to protect cattle grazing by ranchers on public lands and has raised a storm of controversy in Washington and beyond that has yet to subside.

The department promises a final report on its actions with regard to the pack next month.

Meanwhile, wolf recovery is expected to build in Washington.

Wolves were trapped, poisoned and hunted out of existence in Washington in the early 1900s, in part by ranchers to keep them away from sheep and cattle. Wolves began recolonizing the state in 2008, when the first packs were confirmed in Washington, from populations in Idaho and British Columbia.

There were about 90 wolves in the state as of early 2016, most of them documented in packs in Northeastern Washington.
Cowlitz County Commissioner Dennis Weber still remembers his inspiration for both politics and education  the late Arlie DeJarnatt, Webers high school history teacher who served as a state representative and senator for Southwest Washingtons 19th District.

Weber said observing DeJarnatt, a liberal Democrat, he realized teaching was the perfect way to practice what he preached.

It just struck me as a perfect blend, he said. I just thought, Why wouldnt you? Why wouldnt you use your knowledge and history and use it to help your community and serve other people? 

Webers love of politics began as a child, seeing his father run unsuccessfully for Longview City Council, but his involvement began as a R.A. Long senior when he attended his first Republican county convention.

On the convention floor, Weber said he proposed dozens of amendments. All were rejected. But at the state convention, one of his amendments  which required grocery labels to state the unit price  was incorporated in the state party platform. The voting age at the time was still 21, but Weber said the party welcomed him and his ideas with open arms.

I just thought, Wow. This is the party for me,  he said. That really meant a lot to me.

Weber said DeJarnatt showed him the perfect balance between being a representative and teaching history. He learned to think outside the box during his decades working as a social studies teacher at R.A. Long, when sticking to the textbook wasnt nearly as effective as telling stories about people who made history.

Today, Weber stays in touch with some of his students, many of whom became county employees. Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor was one of them. He taught the son of Shawn Nyman, his neighbor and opponent for re-election this year.

Weber unsuccessfully ran for state legislator in 1990. He said he doesnt plan to run again, in part because of the difficulties of running as a Republican in a Democratic district.

I really enjoyed being on the Longview City Council and found that extremely fulfilling, he said.

Weber has been county commissioner for District 2, Longview, for four years. He became the commissioners representative on several controversial departments, including Building and Planning, the Cowlitz County 911 Communications Center, the Corrections Department and Law Enforcement Records.

Weber touts improving the customer service at Building and Planning by having to make tough personnel decisions, though critics say the department still has problems.

Im not afraid to tackle difficult problems, he said.

Commissioners this week approved a $250,000 county bid for the Kelso building that currently houses the Love Overwhelming shelter. While Weber said initially he felt passionately about using the building for the 911 center, the need for the center to coordinate with Emergency Management creates a bigger footprint that may make the old shelter unsuitable, he said. Public defenders, he added, are crammed into their downtown location and dealing with a rise in felony prosecutions and arrests.

Theres a lot of different possibilities, he said.

Despite the controversies surrounding the countys handling of homelessness, Weber said the county has established many good services to address the problems,such as therapeutic drug courts.

Weber in an early interview said Love Overwhelming bit off more than they could chew by trying to establish too many programs at once. But the shelter provided homes to dozens of families last year and the model is one of many the county needs to support. He said the biggest obstacle in the housing first model is the countys lack of affordable housing.

Weber, like Nyman, also worked to protect employee rights when he was president of the Longview Education Association before he took the commissioner seat in 2012.

Weber maintains the areas biggest challenge is making Cowlitz County open for business and creating jobs. The county currently has a 7.6 percent unemployment rate, two full points above the state average.

During the campaign he has advocated for a four-year college in the county that would attract a younger generation and more diversity, an idea Weber had brought up in the 1990s when he was Longview mayor.

He said local health care providers could create more jobs through partnerships and cooperation to create new services for the region. He said there should be a long-term plan to make Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens more accessible to Puget Sound tourists.

Nobody in Puget Sound pays attention to Spirit Lake or Mount St. Helens because its too hard to get to, and we miss a lot of opportunities that way, he said at a League of Women Voters forum on Oct. 16.

Weber said that while some changes take time, the commissioners have been hard at work and some of the changes requires patience.

I have devoted most of my life to (making) my hometown a better place, he said.
Mercifully, it's time to vote.

As one of the most acrimonious presidential election seasons in modern history draws to a climax, ballots for the Nov. 8 general election were mailed out Thursday to voters in Cowlitz and other Washington counties. Voters have 18 days to mail or drop off their ballots.

The local ballot is the largest in county history, with many contentious races at the local, state and federal levels, including the presidency. Cowlitz County voters will decide nine statewide and nine local ballot measures, three seats on the 19th District and two seats for county commissioner. Races for a U.S. Senate seat and most statewide offices, including governor, also are on the ballot.

Cowlitz County Elections Manager Carolyn Fundingsland said she expects an 83 percent turnout, the most since the 2008 election. Statewide, the vote may also rival the 85 percent turnout in 2008. More than 4.2 million Washingtonians are registered to vote, the most ever.

A fight for control of the Legislature makes the 19th District House race between Longview Democrat Teresa Purcell and Grays Harbor Republican Jim Walsh especially important. Republicans are only two seats away from a majority in the House and currently hold a narrow majority in the Senate.

Five of six ballot boxes in the county were replaced in time for the Aug. 2 primary to address security concerns. The old ones still in place are those at the Longview Civic Circle because of design concerns relating to the historic nature of the location.
SILVER LAKE  Ray Neuneker has been hunting since he was a teenager, and hes been shooting deer, elk and bear on Weyerhaeuser Co. land since the 1960s.

The 73-year-old retired Reynolds Metals Co. worker guesses hes driven every road on Weyerhaeuser Co.s St. Helens Tree Farm, which covers much of the land between Kelso and Mount St. Helens  multiple times.

Ask Neuneker how often he likes to hunt and hell answer, All day, every day.

So Neuneker was willing this year to pay $300 for an annual permit to hunt on the St. Helens Tree Farm. The company this year nearly doubled the price over what it charged for access to the area in 2014 and 2015. Now, however, the permits are good for a whole year; the 2014 an 2015 permits were good for only six months.

Weyerhaeuser reports that it has nearly sold out the thousands of permits it offered this fall. But many hunters who were willing to pay for a $160 permit in 2014 and 2015 are refusing to pay $300. Some have stopped hunting altogether, while some have found other, more distant places to hunt. Some hunters are worried that escalating access fees are pricing people out of hunting and making hunting an elitist sport like it once was on the kings land in England.

Its becoming a rich mans land, Neuneker said.

Weyerhaeuser spokesman Anthony Chavez said the company tried to accommodate low-income hunters by instituting the $50 non-motorized day-use permit, which he said some people requested this year.

Chavez said the price increased this year to account for the costs of providing year-round access and permission to camp up to 10 days and chop two cords of firewood. The permit system will continue to evolve, Chavez said.

Every year well do a review of whats working well and what can be tweaked. Clearly the demand is there, he said.

In 2015, the company offered 5,000 six-month permits and sold about 3,900. This year, it offered 3,000 year-round motorized permits and 500 non-motorized permits. As of early this week, Weyerhaeuser reported that it had sold all but one of the motorized permits and all but 46 non-motorized permits.

Lee Wolf of Kelso bought one of those non-motorized permits. Hes been hunting on Weyerhaeuser land for 25 years, but refuses to buy a $300 permit. He called the $50 permit a joke.

Keeping some of the overall rationale for permits in mind, no one walking in is dumping a bunch of garbage and no one walking in will cause a big safety concern, he told The Daily News.

Cody Palm of Olympia said hes been hunting local Weyerhaeuser lands for 13 years, since he was 10 years old, and hes been exploring the same woods with his dad for even longer. He stopped purchasing a permit when the company increased it to $300 this year.

It is not worth it. Its a scam. The elk population in St. Helens has been on a decline for about seven or eight years, he wrote in an email. Vandalism rates have gone down on the tree farm, but the garbage is worse sitting outside the gates and on the side of the public roads.

Its unclear whether Weyerhaeusers permit system has made a difference in the amount of game on its land. Anecdotally, permit holders say they dont see much of a difference since the system began. Chavez said Weyerhaeuser doesnt track the number of animals killed on its property, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife can provide only very rough estimates because of how game management units are outlined (the St. Helens Tree Farm crosses at least two GMUs).

Chavez said the permit system  which Weyerhaeuser has used for decades in the southeastern United States  has produced the intended effect.

Since weve instituted the program, weve seen a noticeable decline in vandalism and dumping, he said.

Chavez said the company estimates the monetary value of that vandalism, but Chavez didnt have those numbers available Thursday.

Weyerhaeuser is among many major timber owners that now charge access fees to its lands. For example, Rayonier charges $420 per person for an access permit on its lands in western Wahkiakum County.

After 47 years in the sport, Dale Williamson of Ostrander said hell likely stop hunting altogether because of the new price tag. He purchased the $160 permit last year but said that was his limit.

Its just not worth it, said Williamson, a 59-year-old retired account manager for Applied Industrial Technologies. He said theres no state or federal land close enough to make a hunting trip worth it. He sympathizes with Weyerhaeusers desire to protect its property, but he worries that fewer hunters will mean less money for the local economy.

When you really start thinking about the money issue, sure Weyerhaeuser is getting their $300, but look at all the people who arent getting the money from state licensing fees, sporting equipment and gas purchases, he said. Its just sad. We had access to that land for so many years. I understand their position with the vandalism and garbage. Its just a few people who cause this to happen  99.9 percent of the hunters are law-abiding because they appreciate being in the outdoors.

He also said he worried about the permit systems impact on the future of the sport itself in Cowlitz County.

Heres a tradition that I see going away if it gets too expensive for families to hunt, said Williamson, who was taught to hunt by his father and in turn taught his son to hunt.

Chavez, Weyerhaeusers spokesman, said the company understands and wanted to honor that tradition by allowing a permit to cover the holder, his or her spouse, children under 18 and grandchildren.

Jim McCulley purchased a permit last year but not this year. He said he wanted access to the land to explore where his father, Bill McCulley, used to log, adding that, like many other hunters and hikers, hes often helped clean up Weyerhaeuser land.

I wish the garbage dumpers loved the woods like I do, he wrote in an email. Well, now the gates are closed, and it takes $300 bucks to go where I used to go for free. Thats too rich for me, so Ill have to rely on my memories.

Last Friday, Neuneker was looking for bear to shoot. He rumbled his Dodge Dakota truck down the 19 mile road, a logging road east of Castle Rock that shoots off Spirit Memorial Lake Highway. Alder, hemlock and Douglas fir dominated the rain-soaked terrain around him.

With Dr. Death  the 7mm Savage short magnum rifle he uses for all his hunting  relaxing at his right hip, the veteran hunter explained that he sympathizes with Weyerhaeusers choice to charge for access to its land, which the company said it did to cut down on vandalism and illegal dumping. Neuneker said hes seen less garbage since Weyerhaeuser started the system.

And Neuneker loves hunting so much he said hed likely pay anything to be on Weyerhaeuser land.

I would bitch about it, but Id probably buy it, he said.
At a media briefing in China on Wednesday, Huawei unroll its new HiSilicon Kirin 960 chipset, which is expected to power its imminent rumoured smartphone for next month. The new chipset will carry massive graphics and storage subsystem performance improvements while also improving battery life. The Kirin 960 could debut as soon as next month, powering Huaweis expected Mate 9 smartphone.

The Kirin 960 SoC is the first to strap the power of the Cortex-A73 cores. This will allow Kirin 960 to gain an lead against MediaTek, Apples A10, Qualcomms Snapdragon 821 and of course Samsungs manufactured chips. Huaweis own chip features an octa-core processor configuration that features 4 Cortex-A73 cores, while the staying are Cortex-A53.

The Kirin 960 is also the first processor to adopt the latest ARM Mali-G71 MP8 GPU, which is rumoured to be inside the Galaxy S8 next year. The Mali-G71 MP8 GPU also brings much needed improvements to the gaming features of the consumer experience, with performance 180% faster than the previous generation Mali-T880 GPU used inside previous Kirin chipsets (and other devices). HEVC and h.264 encode and decode are supported at 4K 30fps.

A further improvement is support for faster random read/write speeds thanks to UFS 2.1 storage allows the Kirin 960 to stroke faster than other chipsets. Huawei proceed further to say that in its own testing, out of the most popular 14 apps used in China, the Kirin 960 was the fastest to open 13 of them when related with the competition.

The Kirin 960 SoC supports LPDDR4 RAM, and the modem supports 4G LTE which can get a handle on to Cat 12/13 speeds. This means that download speeds up to 600Mbps, and upload speeds of 150Mbps can be handled by the Kirin 960. The chipset supports CDMA and radio frequencies covering between 330MHz to 3.8GHz. The chip is built by TSMC using the 16nm FinFET process.

Huawei hasnt revealed which handsets will use the new chipset but presumably, the first handset will be the rumoured Mate 9 when its widely known on November 3 in Munich, Germany. Well be there bringing you all the info so stay tuned.
The US space agency NASAs Chandra X-ray observatory has observed mysterious cosmic objects erupting in X-rays which can be a new class of explosive events present in space. Scientists were astonished to find such objects which can flare up and become over 100 times brighter withing a minute and takes at least an hour to return original X-ray levels. These objects become ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) at their peak that give off hundreds to thousands of times more X-rays than typical binary systems where a star is orbiting a black hole or neutron star.

Weve never seen anything like this, said Jimmy Irwin of the University of Alabama, who led the study that appears in the latest issue of the journal Nature. Astronomers have seen many different objects that flare up, but these may be examples of an entirely new phenomenon.

While magnetars  young neutron stars with powerful magnetic fields  have been known to produce bright and rapid flares in X-rays, these newly discovered objects are different in key ways.

First, magnetars only take a few seconds to tens of seconds to decline in X-rays after a flare. Secondly, these new flaring objects are found in populations of old stars in elliptical galaxies, which are spherical or egg-shaped galaxies that are composed mostly of older stars.

This makes it unlikely that these new flaring objects are young, astronomically speaking, like magnetars are thought to be. Also, these objects are brighter in X-rays during their calm periods.

These flares are extraordinary, said Peter Maksym, a co-author from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. For a brief period, one of the sources became one of the brightest ULX to ever be seen in an elliptical galaxy.

When they are not flaring, these sources appear to be normal binary systems where a black hole or neutron star is pulling material from a companion star similar to the Sun. This indicates that the flares do not significantly disrupt the binary system.

While the nature of these flares is unknown, the team has begun to search for answers. One idea is that the flares represent episodes when matter being pulled away from a companion star falls rapidly onto a black hole or neutron star. This could happen when the companion makes its closest approach to the compact object in an eccentric orbit. Another explanation could involve matter falling onto an intermediate-mass black hole, with a mass of about 800 times that of the Sun for one source and 80 times that of the Sun for the other.

Now that weve discovered these flaring objects, observational astronomers and theorists alike are going to be working hard to figure out whats happening, said co-author Gregory Sivakoff of the University of Alberta.

One of the sources, located near and presumably associated with the galaxy NGC 4636 at a distance of 47 million light years, was observed with Chandra to flare once. Five flares were detected from the other source, which is located near the galaxy NGC 5128 at a distance of 14 million light years. Four of these flares were seen with Chandra and one with XMM-Newton.

The team looked at the X-ray variation of several thousand X-ray sources in Chandra observations of 70 nearby galaxies. Although several examples of flaring X-ray sources were found, none exhibited the behavior of the giant rapid flares reported here.

NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, controls Chandras science and flight operations.
tech2 News Staff

Apple's presence at trade shows has been almost no-show, so far. A screenshot of Mobile World Congress 2017 surfaced (via MacRumours) showing Apple as one of the exhibitors, and took everyone by surprise. After all, the company's last presence was at MacWorld way back in 2009.

If this piece of news is to be believed than Apple will mark its debut at the MWC 2017 that will take place from February 27 to March 2, 2017. However, the listing was pulled out subsequently, adds the report. The report also claims that Apple has booked some space in the App Planet in Hall 8.1, and two spaces in the upper level, which runs above Hall 2 in the 'Fira Gran via Conference Centre'.

So, App Planet is an area that focuses on new tech from app industry. Moreover, other spaces are meeting rooms, so speculation is rife that the company may not really face the public.

According to AppleInsider, the company may be planning to put on display Apple Music's upcoming 'Planet of the Apps' TV series. The expo's timing, according to the report, is in sync with the shooting of the reality show shoot schedule. This show pairs developers with mentors in search of the next great app.

Apple is known to host its own separate events, and seemingly is not very fond of trade shows. While announcing its departure from trade shows, Apple had reportedly said that trade shows are a very small part of reaching to consumers. However, a lot of water has flown since. With its first ever iPhone sale decline, saturating markets and emergence of newer tech, the company will have to ensure that it doesn't fall behind in the race.
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China's tech industry giants are sloughing hundreds of millions of dollars into what they're betting will be the country's next big internet craze - 'Uber for bikes'. A symbol of China's cities long before a boom in cars, snarling traffic and smog, the humble bicycle is making a comeback. Start-ups equipped with smartphone apps, GPS and scannable codes are selling cheap bike-sharing to city-dwellers as the way to beat jams on China's most clogged streets.

The rush to invest in car ride-hailing apps in China peaked with Didi Chuxing's acquisition of Uber's China arm in August, creating a $35 billion giant. Now Shanghai's MoBike and Beijing-based ofo - both use customised Anglicised branding - have raised big money in the past month alone from bullish investors on the hunt for China's next tech 'unicorn'.

MoBike, backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings among others, closed a $100 million funding round this month, two sources told Reuters. Ofo raised $130 million this month from investors including Didi, smartphone maker Xiaomi and U.S. hedge fund Coatue, which has backed Facebook and Google.

"We did not expect there to be so many investors and we did not expect this field to get so hot," ofo co-founder Zhang Siding, 26, told Reuters in an interview. Zhang was one of five Beijing students who launched the firm in 2015, now charging 1 yuan ($0.15) per hour to rent.

MoBike, also founded in 2015, and ofo say several hundred thousand residents of Chinese cities use the services every day, though tech sector watchers estimate neither yet makes a profit. Neither discloses earnings details. Each claims to be the first of its kind in the world, raising the question for the firms and their investors of whether the model could be replicated in other countries.

In the meantime, the custom-made 'smart bikes' stand out in a country estimated to have close to 400 million bicycles: MoBikes have orange-red inner wheels with fewer spokes and airless tyres to reduce maintenance; ofo's yellow bikes have a lower-tech, retro look.

Mobike: Bringing 'Sexy' back?

Riders use smartphone apps to unlock and pay the cost of hire, and they are free to leave the bikes wherever their journey ends, a feature ofo and MoBike say is a major plus over traditional rental services, which require bikes to be returned to a parking station. MoBike's app also allows users to see nearby vacant bikes using a GPS tracking system.

"I find it very convenient, because road traffic is so bad, especially during rush hour," said Yu Xiaoxia, 29, a teacher in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou who pays 1 yuan per half-hour to use MoBike. The ride is worth it for Yu but isn't all smooth. "The bikes are heavy to pedal, and it is also harder to find a vacant bike now that it (MoBike) is gaining more users," she said.

The two firms are growing fast - as is their rivalry. Ofo, which says it has more than 300 employees, claims some 85,000 of its bikes are providing 500,000 rides daily. At MoBike, which declined to disclose how many people it employs, Chief Executive Wang Xiaofeng said his firm has more than 100,000 daily active users.

"We want to make bicycles sexy again by making a fashionable, high-tech bike," Wang, 43, told Reuters in an interview. Wang is a MoBike co-founder who was previously the Shanghai head of Uber. Zhang said if each of his firm's bikes were used four times a day, the company would recoup the bike's cost in two to three months.

Challenges in store

It remains to be seen whether the new bike-sharing businesses will follow the path of bruising competition, heavy investment and ultimate consolidation seen in the taxi-hailing sector. Didi now reigns supreme after absorbing a local rival before cutting a deal to take over Uber China. In the meantime, the business model faces challenges, both operational and strategic.

Risks of theft, vandalism and irresponsible users who park bikes off-limits are the biggest everyday headaches for both firms. The services are also prone to the caprices of regulators, an issue that has dogged China's taxi-hailing market, where firms still face tight restrictions on drivers. Another issue could be the very design of Chinese cities, adapted to meet booming private car ownership over the last two decades.

"Bike-sharing is a good direction from a planning point of view. But many Chinese cities have been built with scales prioritising vehicles," said Sylvia He, assistant professor at the Institute of Future Cities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "There are just not enough facilities for bikes," said He.

Reuters
Naina Khedekar

This may sound repetitive but the Galaxy Note 7 is dead after Samsung's failed attempt at reviving it, post incidents of the device bursting into flames. The company is taking measures for the quickest and safest recall with its fire-proof boxes and ground mail, as most airlines have banned the device. You can check the list here. In India, luckily there weren't many hazardous incidents that could have stung its reputation in one of its biggest markets.

In India, Samsung had officially launched the Note 7 on 11 August at Rs 59,900. It was open for pre-orders. But soon started sending out emails to those who pre-booked the device, apologising for the delay, alongside a few SMS acknowledgements promising to make up for the delay with free VR headset and apps. The company put the release on hold, and soon after the new batches started shipping, 28 October was rumoured to be the date for India release.

Meanwhile, some users may have begun asking for refund while some others chose to patiently wait. With the replaced batch devices also bursting to flames, Galaxy Note 7 was finally declared dead. Samsung India soon started putting forth its Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to appease India users waiting for a high-end Samsung device.

Meanwhile, the whole fiasco is believed to cost Samsung India Rs 6,457 crore in revenue. Its smartphone shipment to India is predicted to fall short of target by 4 million units in 2016, due to the global recall and halt in production of the Note 7. Samsung has roughly 25 percent market share in India, and so reports around appeasing its loyal customers who had pre-booked the Note 7 with either its Galaxy S7, or S7 Edge devices make sense as they are the safest bet right now.

Though there an official statement hasn't been released, according to a PTI report, Samsung plans to offer complete refund to users, and the pre-bookings will be converted into the S7 edge and S7. According to the report, Manu Sharma, VP (mobile business) of Samsung India Electronics also said that Samsung will launch only 4G/VoLTE enabled smartphones in India as the market has shifted totally towards this end.

Moreover, we also heard about how the company is planning to bring some of the Note 7 features to the S7 and S7 edge, trying in every possible way to make up for its consumers. If reports are to be believed then owners of Samsungs Galaxy S7 and S7 edge models will see an update (tagged v1.4.02) notification on the Galaxy Apps store. The new update brings features that were earlier available on the Note 7. This would include the an all-new calendar option, a new digital clock with customer text signature that can also be customised to be written with a different font or colour.

While the Note 7 India release was well-planned just ahead of the Indian festive season, unfortunately it didn't go as planned. But the company has also started making its presence felt in the mid-range segment, with the most recent being the On Nxt. We have tried reaching out to Samsung asking for a confirmation on the alternatives as well as software updates for Indian users who pre-booked the device, and awaiting response.
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Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is in talks with LG Chem Ltd to supply batteries for its new smartphones, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing sources.

Samsung, the world's biggest smartphone maker, scrapped production of the fire-prone Note 7 and said it would take a hit to its operating profit of about $3 billion over the next two quarters as a result.

The company had blamed faulty batteries for the original problem in its flagship device, but has given no indication about the cause of the overheating seen in the replacements.

The companies are discussing ways to supply batteries to Samsung's new smartphones starting next year, the report said. (s.nikkei.com/2ew8B9f)

Samsung's subsidiary, Samsung SDI Co Ltd, is the dominant battery supplier for the Note 7, supplying around 70 percent of the batteries globally, according to analyst estimates.

Samsung and LG Chem were not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

Samsung had recently released two teasers for its upcoming On Nxt smartphone that was slated to release on 20 Oct as a Flipkart exclusive. The company has launched the On Nxt for Rs 18,490, but as expected isn't yet available on Flipkart. The Flipkart page still reads, 'coming soon', though it has listed the 32GB variant of the gold and black units.

However, now, we do know the complete specs of the device. To begin with, the On Nxt sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display. It comes with a 2.5D Gorilla Glass screen and a full metal unibody design. Under the hood, it is powered by an 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 Processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and also includes an ARM Mali T830 MP1 GPU. On the camera front, one will get a 13MP rear snapper and an 8MP front-facing camera. The device runs the Marshmallow version of the Android OS.

Samsung smartphone offers 32GB onboard storage that can be expanded up to 256GB with support for a microSD card slot. The connectivity options include 4G LTE, 3G, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS and offers dual SIM ability. Finally, a 3300mAh battery completes the package.

The On8 launched last month was also a Flipkart exclusive, and the On Nxt as expected is a mid-range option from Samsung for the festivities. In terms of specifications, the On 8 is a 4G and VOLTE-enabled smartphone. Powered by a 1.6 GHz Octa Core processor and 3GB RAM, the hardware included dual-SIM functionality, a 13MP shooter, internal storage space of 16GB (expandable upto 128GB) and 3,300 mAH battery.
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With mounting cases of white-collar crime impacting businesses adversely, "sweeping changes" along with "ramping up of skill-sets" of anti-fraud fighting professionals in India are required to mitigate future threats and risks, said a report released on Thursday.

A white paper -- The changing dynamics of white-collar crime in India -- prepared by the global consultancy firm EY (Ernst & Young) unravels the impact of white-collar crime and the need to undertake drastic changes with respect to technology, transparency, ethical frameworks and strengthening the compliance ecosystem."The cost and impact of white-collar crime has proved steep, and is increasing in magnitude, incidence and intricacy. Mitigating these risks will require sweeping changes at a macro as well as micro level, and also involve the expertise of anti-fraud or forensic specialists to deter current and future threats," said Arpinder Singh, Partner and National Leader, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, EY.

"The cost and impact of white-collar crime has proved steep, and is increasing in magnitude, incidence and intricacy. Mitigating these risks will require sweeping changes at a macro as well as micro level, and also involve the expertise of anti-fraud or forensic specialists to deter current and future threats," said Arpinder Singh, Partner and National Leader, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, EY.According to the paper, as many as 6,533 corruption cases were prepared by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over last 10 years and 517 corruption cases were referred to the investigating agency in the last two years.

According to the paper, as many as 6,533 corruption cases were prepared by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over last 10 years and 517 corruption cases were referred to the investigating agency in the last two years. The future of investigations will also be redefined by ramping up skill-sets and creation of a wider pool of anti-fraud or forensic professionals, the report said."Increased public awareness, changing

"Increased public awareness, changing mind-set and technological disruption has created a challenging environment. As fraudsters attempt to break ethical and regulatory barriers, corporates, government and the society at large need to join forces with the mutual objective of curbing white-collar crime," said Satish Mathur, Director General of Police, Maharashtra.Stringent anti-fraud and anti-corruption frameworks, coupled with penalties on errant companies and fraudsters, have helped mature markets such as the US and UK deter such risks at an early stage.

Stringent anti-fraud and anti-corruption frameworks, coupled with penalties on errant companies and fraudsters, have helped mature markets such as the US and UK deter such risks at an early stage. "Emerging markets such as India are not far behind and have taken strides in the right direction to come up with different and effective methods of identification and deterrence, in line with its global counterparts," the report said.EY's Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services in collaboration with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Mumbai Chapter launched the Forensic Trailblazer Award to recognise the growing talent in the anti-fraud fighting space.

EY's Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services in collaboration with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Mumbai Chapter launched the Forensic Trailblazer Award to recognise the growing talent in the anti-fraud fighting space.
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Tesla Motors Inc's decision to equip all of its vehicles with self-driving hardware has intensified competition among rival camps of technology and auto companies over what equipment will be on board cars of the future. Tesla's self-driving system will rely on cameras and radar sensors -- but not lidar, the laser imaging technology most other companies pursuing self-driving cars are using to generate precise pictures of the environment around their vehicles.

Tesla also is not using technology from Mobileye, the Israeli-based supplier of computer vision chips and software that provided components for earlier Tesla models equipped with Autopilot, a semi-automated system designed to assist with driving but not replace the driver. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and Mobileye this summer engaged in a public dispute over the safety of Autopilot following a fatal crash in May in which the driver of a Tesla Model S was killed after hitting a truck while driving on Autopilot.

"Selling a vehicle with the latest and greatest hardware, but an unproven self-driving software package is a risky strategy," said Barclays analyst Brian Johnson. On Thursday, investors appeared to be betting on Mobileye. Shares of the company rose 2.6 percent to $38.27, while Tesla shares fell 2.2 percent to $199.10. Mobileye supplies two dozen other automakers and suppliers, and has formed alliances to pursue self-driving vehicle systems with German automaker BMW AG, U.S. supplier Delphi and chip maker Intel.

"As we move to a higher level of autonomy in vehicles, you're going to want to have more redundancy," which radar and lidar can provide, Dan Galves, senior vice president at vision safety system maker Mobileye, said in an interview. "The more sensors, the better." A winner in the fallout from the Tesla-Mobileye dispute is Nvidia, the Silicon Valley chipmaker that will provide processors for the new Tesla system. Nvidia shares have more than doubled in the past year, and rose another 1.9 percent on Thursday to close at $67.73.

No automaker, including Tesla, currently offers a fully self-driving car, although most major manufacturers and suppliers are working furiously on different technology suites -- including cameras, radar and lidar -- to enable vehicles to drive themselves. Google's self-driving cars use a combination of lidar, radar and cameras. The company has said the multi-sensor approach compensates for the limitations of each type of sensor.

Cameras do not perform well in the dark or in bright light. Ice and snow can block a camera's view. Lidar can create a 360 degree view of the car's surroundings, although it is less effective in fog, rain and snow. The high cost of lidar, currently about $8,000, is just one of the obstacles to putting self-driving cars in consumers' hands. But the cost is rapidly declining and is expected to fall to $25-$100 in the coming years.

Ford Motor Co, an investor in lidar manufacturer Velodyne, said it does not plan to put a fully self-driving vehicle into production for ride-sharing fleets until 2021 and for individual consumers until 2025 or later. Toyota Motor Corp has said it does not expect to see Level 5 vehicles -- those capable of fully automated operation without humans in all situations -- in widespread use for another 10-15 years.

Major automotive technology suppliers, including Delphi Automotive PLC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG and Valeo SA, are all developing self-driving technology and systems that incorporate lidar. Without lidar, Tesla "will not be able to handle all situations with this array of sensors," said Marta Hall, head of California-based Velodyne, one of the largest suppliers of automotive lidar. UBS analyst Colin Langan raised a concern that while excluding lidar could lower the overall cost of a self-driving system -- now pegged by Tesla at $8,000 without lidar -- "it would increase negative scrutiny" if it is proven that a lidar sensor could have prevented a fatal accident.

Regulators have signaled they intend to keep tighter reins on automakers and other companies, including Alphabet Inc's Google self-driving car project and Uber Technologies, as they roll out self-driving vehicles on public roads.

Summarizing the concerns of other automakers and suppliers involved in developing self-driving systems, Langan said Tesla's early deployment of full automation "without enough testing could have negative long-term consequences" for widespread adoption of self-driving technology. "Lidars are becoming very inexpensive, and they will always add an additional safety layer. So in these early days of self-driving, I wonder why anyone wouldn't want to use lidars for added safety," said Sebastian Thrun, former head of Google's self-driving car project.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

Galaxy Note 7 has been put to rest by Samsung. The Korean giant will not be making any Note 7s and is in the process of recalling all the Note 7s which are currently with users. But it looks like the stigma of burning and exploding phones is not going to wean off for a while.

While everyone has been having their say on the matter on social media sites and the like, the burning phones got yet another mention at an unlikely platform.

https://twitter.com/ddiamond/status/789173837699031040

The US President Barack Obama while addressing an audience at the Miami Dade College took a slight dig at Samsung Galaxy Note 7. While defending the Affordable Care Act which is being criticised by Donald Trump who wants to repeal the act, Obama made a not so subtle reference to the burning Note 7.

He said, "When one of these companies comes out with a new smartphone, and it has a few bugs, what do they do? They fix it, they upgrade. Unless it catches fire and then they just, then they pull it off the market. But you dont go back to using a rotary phone. You dont say well, were repealing smartphones."

Samsung is doing all it can to control the damage caused to its reputation by the Note 7. It has already announced that it will take back all the Note 7s in the market, even second hand ones. These phones will either be replaced with a Galaxy S7/S7 edge or any phone of the buyers choice in that price bracket. Samsung has also sent out fire proof boxes for users to transfer their phones into.

A lot of airlines have banned the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onboard or in checkin baggages. Here is the complete list.

With even POTUS taking a dig at the Note 7, Samsung surely will have to double its efforts to change that perception.
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Software major Wipro Ltd on Thursday announced that it had acquired Appirio, a US-based cloud services firm, for $500 million (Rs 3,340 crore). "Appirio's acquisition will create one of the world's largest cloud transformation practices, a game changer in as-a-service and digital economy," said the IT firm in a statement here ahead of its second quarter (July-September) results on Friday.

With 1,250 employees and offices at Dublin in Ireland, London in Britain, Jaipur in India and Tokyo in Japan, the Indianpolis headquartered Appirio is a partner to leading global brands, including Stryker, Robert Half, Johnson Controls, Cardinal Health, Coca-Cola, eBay, Facebook, Home Depot, and Sony PlayStation. Appirio also brings to Wipro, Topcoder, a leading crowd-sourcing marketplace connecting over a million designers, developers and data scientists the world over with customers.

"In a digital world, as consumer behaviour and expectations are reshaped by experiences, companies are recognising the need to transform how they engage with customers and employees by leveraging the power of cloud," said Wipro Chief Executive Abidali Z. Neemuchwala on the occasion.

The merger will also unlock transformation synergies in the applications space and help enterprises create new business models. The buyout will also enable Wipro to consolidate its cloud applications practices of Salesforce and Workday under the Appirio brand and structure. Appirio's Chief Executive Chris Barbin will lead the expanded business.

"When you combine Wipro's global scale and digital focus with our transformative worker and customer experience expertise, you create a formidable force in the industry," said asserted Barbin in the statement. Subject to regulatory approvals, the acquisition is expected to be closed in the current (third) quarter ending December 31. William Blair & Company acted as financial advisor to Appirio for the deal.

IANS
About me I'm Avi Green

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IS jihadists attack Iraq`s Kirkuk in Mosul diversion

A 60-nation US-led coalition and neighbouring Iran have been helping Iraqi forces to regain one city after another and Mosul is now the Islamic State group\'s last major stronghold in the country.

AFP, Kirkuk :

Jihadist gunmen, some of them wearing suicide vests, attacked the Iraqi city of Kirkuk Friday, an apparent effort to divert the thousands of troops and militiamen closing in on their Mosul stronghold.

The assault, together with another further north, left at least 22 people dead and came as pro-government forces were making major gains on the fifth day of their advance on the last major urban centre held by the Islamic State group in Iraq.

An AFP correspondent saw a group of men carrying rifles and grenades and wearing "Afghan-style clothes" walk down a street in Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city to the south of Mosul under Kurdish control. At least five suicide bombers struck government targets in the city, including the main police headquarters, in a coordinated attack that began in the middle of the night.

The Islamic State jihadist group claimed the attack, according to the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency.

Gunfire and explosions echoed across the city all morning, residents said, and live footage on local television showed street battles in several neighbourhoods.

"Around morning prayers, I saw several Dawaesh (IS fighters) enter Al-Mohammadi mosque," Haidar Abdelhussein, a teacher who lives in the Tesaeen neighbourhood, told AFP.

"They used the loudspeakers to shout 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) and 'Dawla al-Islam baqiya' (Islamic State will remain)," he said.

The governor of Kirkuk, Najmeddin Karim, told AFP he suspected the involvement of IS sleeper cells. According to Amaq, the jihadist group claimed to control half of the city but reports from witnesses and security officers suggest that may be an exaggeration. Kirkuk lies 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, in an oil-rich region. The large city is ethnically and religiously divided but currently under Kurdish control.

Kurdish peshmerga fighters have played a major role in the advance on Mosul-Iraq's biggest military operation in years-and both they and federal security forces have made gains on several fronts.

Political and military leaders have praised what they say is faster than expected progress, with IS offering deadly but so far ineffective resistance as forces backed by air strikes steamroller towards the edge of Iraq's second city.

The jihadists defending the city where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in June 2014 are vastly outnumbered and the final outcome is hardly in doubt.
Vatican, China in final push for elusive deal on bishops

Pope Francis meets people in a youth centre dedicated to Pope John Paul II during his visit to Sarajevo.

Reuters, Rome :

Representatives from the Vatican and China are expected to meet before the end of the month in Rome in an effort to finalise a deal on the ordination of bishops on the mainland, a move aimed at ending a longstanding dispute, according to Catholic Church sources familiar with the negotiations.

The Church sources also told Reuters that China is preparing to ordain at least two new bishops before the end of the year and these appointments would have the blessing of the Vatican. A person with ties to the leadership in Beijing confirmed that these ordinations would go ahead. For more than six decades, China's ruling Communist Party has strongly opposed Rome's right to ordain Chinese bishops in a bitter contest for authority over as many as 10 million Catholics on the mainland. Bishops, priests and lay Catholics loyal to Rome have faced persecution, which has sparked scepticism over the detente in some Catholic quarters.

In yet a further sign of progress, the Vatican has reached a decision to recognise at least four Chinese bishops who were appointed by Beijing without the consent of the pope and so are considered illegitimate by the Holy See, according to Catholic Church sources and others briefed on the talks. The decision follows a breakthrough meeting in mid-August in Beijing between the Vatican representatives to talks with China and several of these bishops.

For the Vatican, an agreement on the ordination of bishops is important because it would lessen the possibility of a formal split within the Catholic Church in China, which is divided between a community that follows the state-sanctioned Catholic hierarchy and an "underground" community that swears allegiance only to the pope in Rome. A deal on the ordination of bishops would help to unite these two communities, say Catholic Church and Vatican sources.

An agreement "would definitely remove the risk of a schism (within the Church in China), which for sixty years has been a potential threat," said Elisa Giunipero, a researcher at the Catholic University of Milan who has studied the history of the Catholic Church in China for 20 years.

The latest developments are part of behind-the-scenes negotiations that have been driven by Pope Francis. A deal on the ordination of bishops would be a major leap forward in efforts to bridge a decades-old rift between the Chinese Communist Party and the Vatican.

Since becoming leader of the Catholic Church in March 2013, Francis has made it a priority to chart a new course in the Vatican's contentious relationship with China. Reuters reported in July that Francis had sought to meet President Xi Jinping during a 2014 trip to New York in an effort to smooth the way to talks, and that a joint working group had been set up earlier this year in April to hammer out a deal on the bishops.


Nat`l governance assessment framework drafted

City Desk :

Bangladesh has drafted the national governance assessment framework through extensive discussion and consultation in the wake of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The framework will clearly identify challenges and opportunities to improve the quality of governance in the country. It will also identify specific markers for the government and civil society to intervene, and set benchmarks for SDG16 monitoring.

The observations came yesterday in a regional workshop titled "National Governance Assessment Framework (NGAF)" held in Circuit House conference hall in Rajshahi.

Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) of the Prime Minister's Office and Commissioner Office of Rajshahi division jointly organized the workshop in association with UNDP.

With Divisional Commissioner Abdul Hannan in the chair, Abdul Halim, Director General of GIU, addressed the workshop as chief guest. Member of Human Rights Commission Prof Dr Akter Hossain and Prof Dr Mobasser Monem from Department of Public Administration in Dhaka University spoke as resource persons.

More than 30 persons comprising government and non-government officials concerned, civil society representatives, media personnel, educationists and public representatives attended the workshop.

Taking part in group discussions on five thematic areas covering Rule of Law; Transparency, Accountability and Corruption; Institutional Effectiveness; Participation and Responsiveness; and Equity, the participants put forward a set of recommendations on how to make the themes more effective and meaningful.

They also deliberated on the types of data and the data management systems required populating the assessment framework.

Discussions also conceptually clarified the relationship between the national governance assessment framework and related efforts to measure progress and performance, such as reporting and monitoring of the 7th Five Year Plan and SDG commitments.

Chief Guest Abdul Halim reaffirmed the commitment of the Government as well, underlining that every structure of the government was willing and ready to take the NGAF towards its logical conclusion.

He also said the framework will be prepared in consultation with more other government officials, civil society and academicians.
2 arms traders held

Chittagong Bureau :

Chittagong Metropolitan Police in a drive arrested two arms traders including a female with one light gun and two round of cartridges from city's Baizeed thana early Wednesday.

The arrested persons was identified as Shamshad Khatun,28, and Abu Toyob, 30.

On secret information, a team of Detective Branch police conducted a raid at Mosjid complex area under the thana at 1.00 am.

The DB men also recovered one light gun and two rounds of cartridges from their possessions, said Mohammad Mohsin, Officer in Charge (OC) of Baizeed thana.A case was filed in this connection.


Penalty imposed upon dead employee is not legal

High Court Division :

(Special Original Jurisdiction)

Hasan Foez Siddique J

Jahangir Hossain J

Honufa Begum and others Petitioners

vs

Secretary Ministry of Posts Telegraph and Telecommunication and others. .Respondents

Judgment

August 7th, 2011

Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980 (VII of 1981)

Sections 4 and 7A

Only the servant of the republic may apply before the Tribunal or his heirs may be substituted in the case if he dies during pendency of the case filed by him against his removal or dismissal from service. But there is no such case pending in the Tribunal at the time of his death. The petitioners do not have locus standi to file an application before the tribunal as they are not servants in the republic. 10)

Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972

Article 102(2)

Penalty imposed by the authority concerned upon the dead man is not legal in the eye of law. It is apparent that the petitioners are admittedly heirs of the deceased-employee, having no other forum except to invoke writ jurisdiction and since the predecessor of the petitioners was acquitted from the charge brought against him by the competent court of law, there is no bar to the petitioners as heirs of the ex-employee in obtaining full service benefits as per service rules. ............... (12)

Kazi Shamsunnahar vs Commandant RRF Khulna, 2 BLC 569 ref.

Aminul Islam, advocate-For the Petitioners.

Bishwjit Roy, DAG-For the Respondents.

Judgment

Jahangir Hossain J : Upon an application Rule Nisi was issued calling upon the Respondents to show cause as to why the impugned order bw_ bs-Kg-we/Gb-02/08 dated 11 -5-2008 (Annexure-H) passed by the respondent No. 3 dismissing a departmental appeal preferred by the petitioners challenging the order vide Memo No. Gd-1-1/96-97 dated No. 2-8-2007 (Annexure-E) passed by the Respondent No.4 in a department proceeding imposing penalty upon the predecessor of the petitioners by treating his suspension period as leave as due in spite of releasing him from the charge of the proceeding and also the order vide bw_ bs-we-1-1/KgPvix/ Aemi/2006 dated 24-9-2006 and bw_ bs we-1-1/KgPvix Aemi/2006 dated 19-8-2007 (Annexure-F and F -1) sanctioning family pension and other service benefits without granting LPR should not be declared to have been made without lawful authority and are of no legal effect.

2. The facts for disposal of the Rule, in brief, are that the petitioners are the legal heirs of late Abdur Rob Chowdhury, an Ex-employee of the Postal Department, who joined the same in the year 1972. The Predecessor of the petitioners while in service, was posted at Sub Post Office, Khalifarhat, Noakhali and delivered his service at the address mentioned above from 10-4-1994 and 23-7-1996. During that time, a departmental proceeding was initiated against him upon false and baseless allegation and subsequently he was suspended from the post temporarily. Besides, a criminal case was also started against him upon the same self allegation and the appointing authority served a notice upon the predecessor of the petitioners who replied in writing in time to the same explaining the reasons thereof.

3. It has been further stated in the petition that during pendency of the criminal, proceeding, departmental proceeding was suspended. In the criminal proceeding the predecessor of the petitioners was acquitted after holding trial of the case by the competent court. Against the order of acquittal the concerned authority preferred an appeal being Govt. Appeal No. 23 of 2003 before this Court. During pendency of the said government appeal the predecessor of the petitioners died of fatal disease on 13-1-2007 and subsequently the criminal appeal was abated at the instance of the authority concerned under section 431 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

4. It is further stated that the concerned authority in respect of the family pension and other service benefit of the predecessor of the petitioners, sought a legal opinion from the learned government pleader through a letter vide Memo No. 317 dated 23-7-2007. The G P gave his opinion in favour of the petitioners. Thereafter, the respondent No. 4 issued a letter vide Memo No. Gd-1-1/96-97 dated 2-8-2007 in the caption of `Uv`k bvgv withdrawing the departmental proceeding against the predecessor of the petitioners but most arbitrarily granted leave as to be paid for his suspension period as penalty (Annexure-E to this writ petition) . In the meantime, the predecessor of the petitioners had got 57 years age. As a result, he would have been placed on LPR (leave preparatory to retirement) but the authority through letter vide bw_ bs we-1-1KgPvix/Aemi/2006 dated 24-9-2006 informing that no order as required to be issued for sending him on LPR. Thereafter, the respondent No. 4 through letter vide vide bw_ bs-we-1-1/KgPvix/Aemi/2006 dated 19-8-2007 sanctioned family pension without granting LPR. The petitioner No. I being wife of the deceased preferred an appeal against the said letters dated 2-8-2007, 24-9-2006 and 19-8-2007 respectively before the respondent No. 3 stating reasons thereof and further seeking for full pay with allowances and other service benefits treating the suspension period of the predecessor as usual duty and granting LPR in due course. But the appellate authority dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the Respondent No. 4 through bw_ bs-Kg-we/Gb-02/08 dated 11-5-2008 on misconception of law and non-consideration of the merit of the appeal. Thereafter, the wife (petitioner No. I) of the predecessor made a representation before the Respondent No. 2 seeking remedy in. respect of the same but the respondent informed her. by issuing a letter vide bw_ bs-Z`sI 6-2/96/1681 dated 15-10-2008 under signature of Respondent No. 5 that they had no jurisdiction to consider the prayer filed by her and further issued a letter by the Respondent No. 4 clarifying the leave to be granted for the suspension period of the deceased employee through Memo No. bw_ bs-we-306 dated 22-22009 wherein it has been stated that from 14-8-1996 to 22-4-1998 the 'deceased employee was granted leave with full pay and 23-4-1998 to 9-6-2000, was granted leave with half pay and from 2-62000 to 30-9-2006 long six years three months granted leave without pay, which appears to be penalty upon him though the departmental proceeding was withdrawn by the authority. Thus, the heirs of the predecessor-employee, being petitioners moved this court with a petition and obtained the present rule.

5. Mt Aminul Islam, learned Advocate on behalf of the petitioners submits that the impugned orders (Annexures -H, E, F and F 1 to this writ petition) passed by the appellate authority and the appointing authority are arbitrary and malafide and not tenable in the eye of law. He submits that the allegation brought by the concerned authority against the predecessor of the petitioners was vague and baseless. In fact, no offence or misconduct of deception was committed by the predecessor of the petitioners and the amount, of cash shortage was duly deposited in the office of the Respondent No.4 as the same was kept in his personal custody' of being in secured inside the post office.

(To be continued)

He submits further that the predecessor on the petitioners got order of acquittal from the charge brought against him. Against which the government preferred an appeal in which he had been abated after his death. He submits further that the departmental proceeding was also withdrawn by the concerned authority and subsequently? the concerned authority obtained the opinion as desired from the learned government pleader in respect of the service benefit of the petitioners wherein the learned pleader opined that the petitioners are entitled to get all benefits of the predecessor as per as usual course. He further submits that as per provision of Rule 247, 1st Part, Bangladesh Service Rules, if Departmental Proceeding is withdrawn after death of the person concerned, no penalty can be imposed upon a dead man who served as an employee in the republic. He finally submits that the heirs of the late employee have been passing the days with financial hardship on being deprived by, the impugned orders preventing, them from getting full payment of benefits and other allowances of the predecessor and the petitioners, finding no other alternative and efficacious remedy, moved this' court and obtained present the rule 'which, should be made absulate.

6. On the other hand, Mr Bishwajit Roy the learned Deputy Attorney-General appearing on , behalf, of the Responde its submits that the petitioners are not government employees and they are not on any way aggrieved persons, for which they' can file a writ' petition before this Court invoking Article 102 of the Constitution. He further submits that the petitioners as heirs of the late employee filed application before the appellate authority which was, turned down narrating all the reasons therein. He lastly submits that the petitioners could file an application before the Administrative Tribunal if they were somehow aggrieved, by the impugned letters. In fact, they did not have any right t6 file a writ petition before this Court. Accordingly, this rule should be discharged.

7. Heard the learned Advocates from both the parties and perused the petition along with annexures there of, wherefrom it transpires that the predecessor of the petitioners during his service in the republic at Khalifarhat, Noakhali upon an allegation of shortage of, fund in the sub post office, a departmental proceeding was initiated against him and on the same self allegation a criminal case was also started against him. During pendency of the criminal proceeding, the departmental proceeding was suspended, but in trial of the criminal case he got an order of acquit that from charge brought against him when he was found not guilty of the offence by the competent court of law. Subsequently a government appeal was preferred by the authority concerned. During pendency of the Govt. appeal the predecessor of the, petitioners died of cancer and therefore, the departmental proceeding was also withdrawn by the concerned authority. But the' authority treating the predecessor of the petitioners, unusual servant of the republic, curtailed some service benefits which the petitioners are entitled to get asusual course of his service. It 'appears from the 'submission of the learned' Deputy Attorney-General that' the petitioners have not been aggrieved the impugned letters as they are not servants in the service of the republic. Therefore, they don't have locus standi to file this writ petition before the court under Article 102 of the constitution. In view 'of the facts as above: let' us see sections 4 and section 7,A of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 980 which provides as under:

4. (1) An Administrative Tribunal shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine applications made by any person in the service of the Republic - [or of any statutory public authority] in respect of the terms and conditions of his service including pension rights, or in respect of any" action taken in relation to him as a person in the service of the Republic 2[or of any statutory public authority].

(2) A person in the service of the Republic 3[or of any' statutory public authority] may make an application to an Administrative Tribunal under sub-section (l), if he is aggrieved by any order or decision in respect of the terms and conditions of his service including pension rights or by any action taken in relation to him as a, person in the service of the Republic 4[or of any statutory public authority]:

Provided that no application in respect of an order, decision or action which can be set aside, varied or modified by a higher administrative authority under any law for the time being in force relating to the terms and conditions of the service of the Republic [for of any statutory public authority] or the discipline of that service can be made to the Administrative Tribunal 'until such higher authority has taken decision on the matter:

2 [Provided further that,. where no decision on an appeal or application for review in respect of an order, decision or action referred to in the preceding proviso has been taken by the higher administrative authority within a period of two months from the date on which the appeal or application was preferred or made," it shall on the expiry of such period, be deemed, for the purpose of making an application to. the Administrative Tribunals under this section, that such higher authority has disallowed the appeal of the application:]

Provided further that no such application shall be entertained by the Administrative Tribunal unless it is made within six months from the date of making or taking of the order, decision or action concerned "or making of the decision on the matter by the higher administrative authority, as the case may be.

(3) In this section "person in the service of the Republic 3[or of any statutory public authority]" includes a person who is or has retired or is dismissed, removed or discharged from such service, but does not include a person in the defence services of Bangladesh 4[or of the Bangladesh Rifles] .

8. It appears from the provision of section 4 of the Administrative Tribunal Act that a servant if being aggrieved by any order of the concerned authority, shall have to go to the Administrative 'Tribunal "for his remedy first, but the present petitioners have no that scope to file any application before the Administrative Tribunal as they were not in the' service of the republic. Section 7 A says:

2[7 A.(I) Where a person is dismissed or "removed from service and an" application is made under section 4 against such removal or dismissal and that person dies 'during the pendency of the case, the right to sue of that applicant shall survive if his service had been pensionable under any law for the time being in force.

(2) Where the" right to 'sue' survives under sub-section (1), such legal representative of the deceased applicant who' would have been entitled to the pensionery benefit at the event of the death or' retirement of the deceased applicant may be substituted, upon an application, made tathe Tribunal 'or, as the case may be, to the Appellate, Division, within sixty days from the date of the death of the applicant

(3) The legal representative of the deceased, as referred to in sub-section (2), shall be entitled to the pensionery benefit which would have been payable to that deceased if he had been removed or dismissed:

Provided that, such pensionery benefit shall not be payable unless the Tribunal or, as the case may be, the Appellate Division, declares the order of the dismissal or removal, as the case may be, as illegal or void:

Provided further that, for the purpose of this section, the applicant shall be deemed to have died or retired, as the case may be, on the day on which he was removed or dismissed.

9. It his been provided in Section 7 A that when an application against the dismissal or removal from service is pending before the Administrative Tribunal, if the employee or servant of the republic dies, than his/her heirs can be substituted in the pending proceeding as heirs of the deceased and right to so survive. But here there was no case pending against any dismissal or removal before the administrative tribunal when the employee died of cancer. Therefore, no question of substitution can be raised for the heirs of the deceased.

10. On plain reading of these sections it appears that only the servant of the republic may apply before the Administrative Tribunal or his heirs may be substituted in the case if he dies during pendency of the case filed by him against his removal or dismissal from service. But there is no such case pending in the Administrative Tribunal at the time of his death. In such view of the fact, the petitioners do not have locus standi to file an application before the administrative tribunal as they are not servants in the republic.

11. In such a situation, the petitioners as heirs of the predecessor, have no other forum to seek relief rather to move this court with a writ petition invoking Article 102 of the constitution. It is pertinent here to refer the case of Kazi Shamsunnahar vs Commandant RRF Khulna reported in 2 BLC 569 where their Lordships observed that

"Admittedly, the deceased government servant was not removed from service prior to his death but he was removed from service just after his death resulting thereby the government servant died while he was still in the service of the Republic for which the petitioners as heirs of the government servant are entitled to recover the service benefits as permissible under the law and the writ petition is maintainable."

12. In the instant case there is no dispute that Abdur Rouf Chowdhury was neither convicted nor removed, nor dismissed from service before his death. So the penalty imposed by the authority concerned upon the dead man is not legal in the eye of law. It is apparent that the petitioners are admittedly heirs of the deceased-employee, having no other forum except to invoke writ jurisdiction under Article 102 of the Constitution and since the predecessor of the petitioners was acquitted from the charge brought against him by the competent court of law, there is no bar to the petitioners as heirs of the ex-employee in obtaining full service benefits as per service rules. Furthermore, as the departmental proceeding was withdrawn by the concerned authority the service of the predecessor of the petitioners was seemed to be treated as regular pone and all service benefits of the predecessor to be recovered by the petitioners as his heirs.

13. In view of the discussion as above, we are inclined to hold that the impugned orders (Annexures-H, E, F and FI to this writ petition) are ex-facie illegal and the same have been passed without any lawful authority and are of no legal effect, therefore, the petitioners as heirs of late Abdur Rob Chowdhury are entitled to get all service benefits including pension and arrear, if any, as permissible in law.

In the result the rule is made absolute without order as to costs. The impugned orders (Annexures-H, E, F and FI to this writ petition) have been passed without lawful authority and are of no legal effect. The respondents are directed to pay full service benefits of late Abdur' Rob Chowdhury to the petitioners as permissible undet the law.




Nasim, Jyotika Jyoti in TV serial after four years

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

After a break of four years, Ahsan Habib Nasim and Jyotika Jyoti worked together in a drama serial.

Directed by Taju Kamrul they worked together in Fazlul Karim written a story based serial titled Dhushor Manush. Shooting of the serial began at a house at Pubail in Gazipur last week. In the serial, Nasim and Jyoti played the role of husband-wife.

While talking about the serial Nasim told this correspondent, Story of the serial is not traditional. As a playwright, Fazlul Karim is really noted and talented. He writes well. For this reason, I have liked his story which helped me to show keen interest to work. Earlier I had worked with Jyoti in several numbers of serials and fraction plays. I have better understanding with her in case professional works. I am really optimistic about this work.

Jyotika Jyoti shared her feelings by this way, Story of the serial is really exceptional. Nasim Bhai acted in role my husband in the serial who has returned to his village after conquering the Himalayans. Story of the serial starts from here. I always like to work with Nasim Bhai because I can share my personal talks with him though he is senior to me. Taju Kamrul works in organised way. I honour his works.

Director of the serial informed that Dhushor Manush will be aired on Bangladesh Television soon.

It is noted that Nasim and Jyoti first worked together in Syed Shakils play Rangila Bau. It was aired on ATN Bangla in 2006. Later they worked together in many plays and serials. They last worked together in a serial which was telecasted on Asian TV. It was directed by Syed Jamim which shooting was done in Mymensingh.

Meanwhile, Jyoti acted last released movie was Morshedul Islams Anil Bagchir Ekdin. On the other hand, recently Nasim got the post of member secretary of new convening committee of Bangladesh Actors Unity.


Anti-dumping on jute goods contradicts fair trade

THE Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has rightly expressed the concern over the Indian governments move to impose 25 to 30 percent anti-dumping duty on export of jute goods to its market. Earlier this week media report made the disclosure of Delhi's move in this regard prompting protest from various chamber bodies and trade associations. The DCCI has also urged the Indian government on Thursday to stop the move to keep export of jute goods to India unaffected. They said the Indian move is not based on reasonable ground and justified at a time when Bangladesh is seriously lobbying with India to make our export access easier to Indian market. It contradicts fair trade.



We believe that the concern of our business circles is quite reasonable at a time the existing trade balance is over 12 times against Bangladesh. It is not correct that Bangladesh's jute goods such as jute yarn are under-priced as Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) claims causing loss to their competitiveness. What is true is that local producers are dominating their market because exporters from Bangladesh have to work against many disadvantages and spend a lot to reach the Indian market.

In this situation our trade circle's fear makes sense that the Indian move will seriously impact our local farmers, jute goods processors and exporters to finally add to more trade imbalance. When Bangladesh is asking India to remove the existing tariff and non-tariff barriers to fully implement the duty-free trade under SAFTA, several duty-free export items are rather facing major setback. Export of jute goods was so far at zero tariff but Indian government now wants to impose higher level of tariff on its export. RMG export is also suffering the most from counter veiling duty thus narrowing all scope for new trade creation and expansion of existing trade. Such Indian attitude is not conducive to allow Bangladesh to increase its trade to India.

Reports said that the Indian government's Directorate of Anti-dumping and allied duties is convinced that Bangladesh is dumping its cheaper jute goods into Indian market at low cost and market study has verified it. But Bangladesh Tariff Commission officials differ with the Indian claim. In our view one may also look into the new Indian government move from a different perspective. Since Bangladesh has stopped exporting raw jute, Indian jute mills owners are facing setback; as many of them were dependent on raw jute import from Bangladesh. We are not sure whether or not the new move has any relation with such decision of Bangladesh government.

We must say a big country like India can't take Bangladesh as a threat to its market. Rather Bangladesh needs support to increase exports to India to repay the growing import bills. In our view India must rethink its move.


Election in three CHT District Councils

THE first and only election of three district councils in Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) was held in 1989. At that time these were known as Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban Local Government Councils. Since then 27 years have passed. Peace Treaty was signed between Bangladesh government and Jana Sanghati Samity (Political wing of Armed Tribal Insurgent Group Santi Bahini) in 1997. According to this Treaty the highest body of Local Government in Chittagong Hill Tract was formed namely the Regional Council. Under it, three district councils were formed and as per new provision elections to the District Councils and Regional Council were to be held in every five years. But a report in a national daily on Friday said no such elections were held to these local councils both before the Peace Treaty was signed and there is no sign that such elections would be held soon.

It appears that the local councils have become the domain of tribal leaders and their opposition to include Bengalee settlers in CHT in the voter list is making such elections practically to be out of sight. It appears that under the Peace Treaty of 1997 the jurisdiction of three CHT councils is much wider than other 61 District Councils of the country. But there is no accountability as these bodies are not formed with elected persons. The government is nominating one chairman and 15 members of each District Council turning their office virtually into the den of ruling party men where corruption and misuse of government fund is often causing factional feuds. Moreover uncertainty to holding elections to the District Councils and Regional Council due to complication with voters list is denying the people of the CHT regions to elect their own public representatives to see for a change. The fact is that settlers in CHT are registered voters for National Elections along with local Upazila and Union Parishad elections. But Jono Shanghati Samity's (JSS) which is one of the two parties of the Peace Treaty of 1997 condition that only tribal residents of three CHT districts has made the situation complex.

We want peace and harmony in three CHT like any other parts of the country. We also want that the tribal people of the hill districts should get equal opportunity, protection of their life and ownership on land so that they can live in dignity. But these cannot be achieved denying equal rights to Bengalee settlers who are living from the past. We must say they can't be discriminated. We call for immediate resolution of the voters' problem to hold elections as soon as possible. People must be allowed to vote to run the local bodies by their elected representatives.


2 financiers of Neo-JMB held

Slain militant Rahman was the chief: RAB

Staff Reporter :

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Friday arrested two financiers of Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Motijheel and Mohakhali areas.

The RAB officials also recovered a sum of Tk 27.7 lakh, a pistol and some knives from them.

They were identified as Hasibul Hasan, 48, and Nasir Ahmed Noyon, 28.

Director General of RAB Benazir Ahmed disclosed the information at a press briefing in Dhaka on Friday.

Benazir Ahmed said, Hasib is an engineer of Rajshahi Public Works Department, Benazir said. His hometown is in Gopalganj and Nasir's is Boaliya in Rajshahi.

Both men were Hundi traders, and the money was intended for financing of Neo JMB, he said.

The Neo-JMB financiers are also close accomplices of Abdur Rahman, Chief of the Neo-JMB, who died after falling from the fourth floor of a building in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital during a raid recently.

He said, Rahman had used the alias Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif while forming Neo-JMB.

Benazir showed a copy of a Neo-JMB announcement to prove his claim at the press briefing.

The announcement was signed by Hanif and one Sheikh Abu Dujuna, he said.

According to the RAB Chief, Dujuna is Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, who has so far been identified as the Chief Coordinator of Neo-JMB, the group blamed for the July 1 terror attack on a cafe in Dhaka's Gulshan.

Tamim, the suspected mastermind of the deadly attack on the premises of Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen in Gulshan, was killed during a raid in Narayanganj in August.
20th AL Council begins in festive mood today

The boat-shaped podium has been built at Suhrawardy Udyan for 20th Awami League\'s National Council that begins today.

Sagar Biswas :

The stunning illuminations have changed the usual night view of Dhaka. The magical colours of the main street decorations created a dazzling sight where luminous arches, multi-coloured bulbs, sparkling projections of lights and gorgeous portraits have given the capital city a festive splendor.

Especially, the eye-catching lighting along with artistic-designed boat-shaped stage has turned the Suhrawardy Udyan into a magnificent venue for the two-day 20th triennial council of country's oldest political party Awami League that begins Saturday [today].

Dhaka now can get the name -- 'City of Light'! The lights, which embellish the prestigious character of the ruling party AL and its courageous role in the nation's crises, particularly in the War of Liberation in 1971.

Shining large-size coloured portraits of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and PM's IT advisor and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy have been set up in different positions inside the venue and beside city thoroughfares.

All the seven gates of the Suhrawardy Udyan [for enter and exit] have been bedecked marvelously. If anyone enters through the Engineers Institution gate, he will see the portrayals of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Shamshul Haque, Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabgish, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four slain national leaders.

The gate adjacent to the Institute of Fine Arts is displaying the nostalgic photographs of Sheikh Hasina [in different ages] along with her family members.



Besides, the photos of PM's different national and international achievements are shown through the walkway of VVIP gate at Shikha Chiranton.

"About ninety-five percent works of podium, pandal and others sections are almost completed. We'll be able to give final touch by Friday midnight," AL joint secretary Zahangir Kabir Nanak said on Friday.

In various aspects, the council of AL this time has drawn attraction not only of political circle but also of entire nation. There is widespread speculation that some vital changes may take place in different tiers of the AL leadership. A total of eleven sub committees have been formed for different works, including amendment of party constitution and manifesto.

Interestingly, despite of lavish decoration the AL leaders and activists are now passing busy time in guessing who are coming in the party's important posts. Thousands of AL men, including 6,700 councillors and same number of delegates, have already arrived in Dhaka to intensifying the lobbying and pushing.

Especially, the media reports of bringing change in the post of party's general secretary [Obaidul Quader's inclusion as an alternative of Syed Ashraful Islam] has fueled the rumour.

"If there is more than one candidate in the General Secretary post, it will be decided through ballots," AL Presidium Member Kazi Zafarullah said. He, however, did not comment what will be the position of Syed Ashraf, if Quader is elected as secretary.

On the other hand, slain national leader and country's first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed's only son Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj came to Bangladesh from USA on Thursday centering the council. He has already met Sheikh Hasina and there is strong rumour that he can get the post of a joint secretary.

To elect new leaders, a three-member election commission has been constituted on Thursday headed by advisory council member advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayun as its chairman. Two other members of the commission are Dr Mashiur Rahman and former secretary Rashidul Alam.

Apart from the General Secretary post, several leaders are trying to get a room in the presidium, the highest policy making body of the party. Of them, the names of education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Mahabubul Alam Hanif, Colonel [retd] Faruk Khan, former food minister Abdur Razzak, Abul Hasnat Abdullah, Mufazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and ABM Mahiuddin Chowdhury are mentionable.

Besides, the names for organizing secretaries have been surfaced are: Shahriar Alam, Mirza Azam, Abdullah Al-Islam Jacob, Enamul Haque Shamim, Sujit Roy Nandi, SM Kamal Hossain, Saifuzzaman Shekhor and Mainuddin Hasan Chowdhury.

"Naturally, the councillors and party workers will show enthusiasm over the forthcoming committee. The councillors have come from different parts of the country. So, there may be a discussion among them over the issue," Zahangir Kabir Nanak said.

Meanwhile, the session of incumbent AL Central Working Committee [ALCWC] has been adjourned till the completion of party council. In the ALCWC meeting on Wednesday, all eleven subcommittees submitted their reports, and the 'amended party constitution' got final approval.

As per amendment, the members of central committee will be 81, which were earlier 73. In this regard, there will be four new seats in the presidium while one joint secretary, one organizing secretary and two members will be included in the council.

Side by side, the party manifesto has also been furnished with future goal and objectives of the party, including pro-people development works, sources said.


Groundwater monitoring drive in limbo

UNB, Dhaka :

Although salinity intrusion into coastal aquifers is increasing gradually due to sea-level rise trigged by global warming, groundwater data collection from wells installed in coastal districts have remained suspended for nearly two years due to lack of fund.

"We earlier established groundwater monitoring network installing wells in coastal districts under a

project. But, cannot collect data from these wells as the project in this regard is over, though it's a continuous process," Dr Anwar Zahid, a deputy director at the Directorate of Ground Water Hydrology, told UNB.
Cancer patients on rise

Treatment facilities insufficient

Reza Mahmud :

The number of cancer patients is rising alarmingly in the country leading to death of many people every year.

There are about 15 lakh cancer patients in the country now, according to Bangladesh Cancer Society.

A recent statistics of the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital revealed that about 80 per cent cancer patients have increased in this hospital during the last one year.

The cancer patients have started increasing seriously in the hospital since 2011. Around 3,498 cancer patients were admitted to this hospital in 2011, 4,057 in 2014 and 7,285 in 2015, the data showed.

Among them, 92 patients died in 2011, 95 in 2012, 118 died in 2013, 90 in 2014 and 168 in 2015.

According to medical experts, 181 people out of one lakh are infected by cancer nowadays. Various causes are leading people to infect with this deadly cancer disease, they said.

"Badly changed of environment, and change of food habit and life style, are the major causes of the increased number of cancer patients nowadays," Dr. Mokhlesuzzaman Hero, a public health specialists and deputy director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMUH) told The New Nation yesterday.

He added: "Insufficient capability to identify and treat the cancer disease at the earlier stage is also one of the major causes of the disease."

Experts said, around one lakh and fifty thousand people are infected with cancer every year. One fourth of them get facilities to treatment, while the rest of the patients failed to get proper treatment.

Though the cancer patient is increasing in the country, the technology for proper treatment of the disease is insufficient, they said, adding most of the rural poor people are almost staying out side the treatment facilities of the disease.

Generally, the patients belonging to rich families go abroad for better treatment.

This correspondent while visiting the National Cancer Hospital at Mohakhali in the city found that some patients are taking treatment on the floor of the hospital due to insufficient number of beds there.

An official of the hospital, preferring anonymity, said the hospital has 300 beds, but the number of patient is more than three times now. So, the hospital is not in a position to provide treatment for every patient.

Even, they failed to give patients radiation therapy properly due to execs number of patients.

One of the professors of the institute not to be named said only medical oncologist can give chemo therapy properly. But there is no medical oncologist in every hospital. Other staff members of the hospitals give the service to the patients.

The patients alleged that the x-ray, biopsy and other pathological services are frequently disturbed. The concern officials said the machines are not in work. They push the patients to go outside to do the pathological tests prescribed by the physicians of the hospital.

The experts said, there is a serious lack of treatment capability in the country for the disease. There are insufficient hospitals and other treatment services for the cancer patients. It is pushing the country to a grave situation.

Sources said, there are 15 radiation therapy centers in the country. Nine of them are government and the rests are private. It is very insufficient for the increasing number of patients.

Experts said, use of tobacco related items like smoking is pushing people to lung cancers. A large portion of the patients are suffering from lung cancer because of smoking and tobacco-related habits.

Data shows that 60 percent of cancer patients are male. Of them, 13 percent are infected by lung cancer.

On the other hand, 33 percent of female patients were infected by breast cancer. 40 to 60 years people are mostly infected by cancer disease. Besides, the unsafe foods are also a major cause to the spread the disease.

Dr. Mukhlesuzzaman Hero said, various chemicals like formalin, used in foods are responsible for the spread of cancer disease. The environmental pollution is also pushing people to get infected with the disease, he said.

"Radiations of various technical materials like mobile phone, x-ray and other medical machineries are also responsible for the spread of cancer," he said.

The chief of Cancer Epidemiology Department of National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital, Dr. Habibullah Talukdar Raskin, said, "The people have become conscious about cancer disease nowadays. But the treatment facilities are really insufficient in our country. It should be increased soon."
Poor FDI inflow hinders growth

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Bangladesh is lagging behind regional and neighbouring countries in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) for political uncertainty and varying cost of doing business.

Such an uneven inflow of FDI is hindering Bangladesh's long-term growth prospect, economists said on Friday.

"Our neighbouring economies drew more foreign direct investment than Bangladesh in recent years, benefiting largely their economies," Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam, a leading economist of the country told The New Nation on Friday.

Even, they are aggressively perusing FDI by easing policy norms in major sectors of the economy to become an attractive investment destination.

"But, Bangladesh is lagging behind from its neighbours in absence of a congenial business climate resulted from political uncertainty, infrastructure bottlenecks and lack of policy reforms," he added.

Referring to empirical experience, Mirza Azizul Islam said, FDI gives a fresh boost to employment and help poverty reduction finally helping to accelerate economic growth. But poor FDI into the country compelled it to miss out the opportunity.

"Both Macro economic stability and political stability are key consideration for businesses to relocate or shift their capital in a country," he said adding, "The other one is necessary infrastructure along with competitive business environment."

Mirza Azizul Islam mentioned that Bangladesh is yet to ensure these prerequisites to become an attractive investment destination. "The government seems to be serious in promoting foreign investment. But a lot has to be done to improve the investment situation," he added.

Bangladesh received $2.2 billion FDI last year with the manufacturing sector getting the bulk of the investment, according to the World Investment Report 2016.

The inflow was lower than other Southeast Asian countries like Maldives, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and India.

Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal but trails behind

India received $44 billion FDI last year.

Inflows to Pakistan and Sri Lanka declined to $865 million and $681 million respectively. In Nepal, FDI inflows rose by 74 per cent to $51 million last year.

Net FDI inflows contributed to 10.3 per cent of Maldives GDP, Myanmar 4.8 per cent, Cambodia 9.4 per cent, Vietnam 6.1 per cent and India 2.1 per cent whereas contribution of FDI to Bangladesh GDP was only 1.7 per cent similar to Bhutan.

FDI contributed to 0.4 per cent of Pakistan's GDP, Nepal's 0.1 per cent and Sri Lanka's 0.8 per cent.

"FDI receipt to Bangladesh remained below two per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) which is frustrating," Khandker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue told The New Nation yesterday.

The current trend on foreign investment shows that foreign investors are investing their profits in Bangladesh without potential new investors is investing here.

"New investment is not coming because of fundamental problems persisting in Bangladesh economy," he said, adding, "Most of our neighbouring economies attract investors with their strong economic fundamentals leading them ahead of Bangladesh in FDI inflows."

"Fundamental barriers have been holding back FDI inflow into the country," Dr Zahid Hussain, lead economist of the World Bank's Dhaka office, told The New Nation.

He has identified inadequate communication network, port facility, land to set up industries, policy reforms and high cost of doing business as fundamental barriers to foreign investment.

"Bangladesh is seeking more foreign investment to accelerate its economic growth. But it has many improvements to make, particularly in its business and investment climate, to lure foreign investment in line with its need," he said.
Govt to govt business or World Bank`s help is no sign of economic growth

Editorial Desk :

It is our fear that the government is not in the know of the whole truth about economic growth in the country. This happens where the bureaucrats are in charge of the government who cannot admit failure and they know how to manipulate figures on papers to hide the truth. The distortion of truth is the reality in those countries dominated by bureaucracy.

True information becomes the first casualty under all authoritarianisms. That is why pro-people good governance is possible only where the government has accountability to the people and there is fear in airing information.

By political stability what is meant is absence of too much police power and presence of more accountability of the government to the democratic institutions of checks and balances.

There has also to be a sure way of peaceful change of government. This is now completely absent in Bangladesh. The present election process is socialism kind and not helpful for peaceful change of the government.

Foreign business and government to government investments on infrastructure development are not invariably for the consideration of political stability or just economic development. The interest of the foreign countries remains uppermost. We do not complain about it, we are only analysing the logic of things. For foreign countries, strategic importance is a big consideration for finding footholds in another country. Such investments or cooperations are welcome but we must see them in proper perspective.

The World Bank Chief Mr Kim has categorically pointed out in an interview with a national daily during his recent visit to Dhaka that

political stability is highly critical for development. For uncertainty, in his view, plays the negative role to discourage local and foreign investment; which is so important to achieve higher growth.

Mere spending money on mega projects by the government is not mega economic growth. Real growth has to come from the private sector development. There is no denying that investment in private sector is far from encouraging.

Banks are going after the businessmen for recovery of the loans they are unable to repay. The senseless pressure from banks is responsible for closing down many businesses. For the consequence of lack of vitality in private sector, it is hurting the economy. But the Finance Ministry has no anxiety.

High level of bank robbery, massive corruption and mismanagement within the government cannot be indicators of economic development for the good of the general public. Constraining free flow of information and making police all powerful are weaknesses of the government and not signs of success.

We do not say that the government always directly interferes with the media. Because of too much police power in the name of fighting terrorism there exists a general atmosphere of fear which is not helpful for the government to get the correct picture of the country.

Our country is in a peculiar situation of beginning of socialism paving the way for a full socialism kind of authoritarianism. The main task for the bureaucrats now is how to make the judiciary cowed down.

BNP is no democratic opposition and it is only exploiting the government's fear of free election. The responsibility lies with the government to create conditions for stable and sensible alternative. Fight against terrorism will not save the country from fearful violence if peaceful political alternative is not put in place. Denying the possibility of peaceful change of government is no assurance against change.

Let us learn from the causes of our Liberation War.


DevelopingLafayette.com

The building at 2441 W. Congress St. that began as a convenience store but spent many years as Green Olive restaurant is soon to become Bismillah  what appears to be an Arab grocery and delicatessen. Local website Developing Lafayette reported the news Wednesday. The building's interior has been prepped, the parking lot striped and a sign affixed to the facade, suggesting that the new business will be open sooner than later.

The grocery-delis name  it's an Arabic word, the first word in the Quran, and translates as "in the name of God"  was registered with the Louisiana secretary of states office in July, and records show a Lafayette resident named Juhi Shah, owner of Juhi Enterprise LLC, as the person behind the new concept. ABiz was unable to contact Shah before posting this story.
Perhaps most news-worthy: Former KKK leader David Duke makes the cut for the next televised debate.

Treasurer John Kennedy

With a little more than two weeks until Election Day, Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy holds a five point lead over his next rival  25 percent to Democratic Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbells 19 percent  in a new poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research and commissioned by Baton Rouge television station WAFB.

Democratic lawyer Caroline Fayard, the only one among the major candidates who hasnt been elected to public office, follows Campbell with 12 percent. Fayard and Campbell, realizing only one Democrat is likely to get into the December runoff, have been sparring with one another in press releases and on social media for weeks.

Republican Congressman Charles Boustany of Lafayette, who is giving up his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to try for retiring Sen. David Vitters open seat, is close on Fayards heels with 11 percent, just a point ahead of Tea Party Congressman John Fleming, a Republican out of North Louisiana.

Not astonishingly  this being Louisiana  former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke is in fifth place at 5 percent. Duke won 60 percent of the white vote when he ran against Edwin Edwards in the 1990 governors race. Perhaps most news-worthy: Duke makes the cut for the next televised debate.

Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel and Tea Party candidate, is in sixth place with 3.4 percent support. None of the other 18 candidates shows support in the single digits. The margin of error for the poll of 625 registered voters is less than 4 percent. Tellingly, perhaps, 13 percent of respondents in the poll remain undecided.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is seeking a waiver of federal regulations that would require environmental reviews of any flood-damaged, single-family home that is repaired with federal disaster block grant aid.

The governor's office Friday released a letter sent to U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro requesting the waiver in using the aid earmarked by Congress after August floods ravaged south Louisiana.

Edwards said the environmental reviews cost about $3,500 per inspection  carrying a potential price tag of more than $100 million based on estimates of how many Louisiana homeowners the disaster aid may help.

Edwards said the expense "essentially provides no return on investment." He asked that HUD's Office of Environment and Energy work with Louisiana to devise a cheaper environmental review process for single-family home rebuilding.
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.
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?

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S ocialists vow to fight against Critical Socialism Theory

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Biden solves border crisis with free direct flights from Central America to major metropolitan areas

Critical race theory: destroy the world of systemic racism, build a world of systemic race-baiting

In the future everyone will get canceled for fifteen minutes

Biden proposes bill to spend two trillion dollars on more money printing factories

Social unity: They pretend to hold elections and we pretend we voted

Immigrants to Texas and Florida from New York and California break down and cry when they realize all their sacrifices for a better tomorrow were based on lies

China anal swabs detect new 'silent but deadly' transmission of covid-19 variant

Social science breakthrough: 'White' is the new way of saying 'Bourgeois'

Biden administration swat teams make sweeping arrests of underground female-only track meets

'Green energy' to be renamed 'blackout energy' for easier comprehension of climate complexities

New children's game: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Science







Texas: Biden administration sends emergency wind turbines to help fight the blackouts

BREAKING: Biden signs executive order canceling the number 45

ATTENTION: It is your duty to report anyone who says this is no longer a free country. Fact-checking commissars are monitoring all state-approved social media platforms for your convenience

OUT: If you don't vote, you can't complain!

IN: If you didn't vote Democrat, you can't complain!

Social media justice: followers removed from pro-Trump accounts will be added to Biden's Twitter account

Fact check: a democratic election is the one in which votes are counted until Democrats win

JUST IN: China bans Twitter for being too totalitarian

Pelosi introduces new House rule to replace 'gender' terms like mother, daughter, father, son with the word 'comrade'; the only acceptable pronoun will also be 'comrade'





Sources: Biden transition team demands access to White House basement to begin renovations

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Biden creates Antifascist Librarian Justice Committee; the first book scheduled for burning is Fahrenheit 451

Media study: 148% of Americans believe voter fraud doesn't exist

2020 Election forecast: if Joe Biden emerges from the basement on Election Day and sees his shadow, expect four more years of Trump

BREAKING: President Trump pardons Corn Pop

Toobin, though on administrative leave, is still pulling for Biden

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Nancy Pelosi sponsors a bill to create the office of removal of the President

New college humanities major: Critical Trump Studies

Opinion: Joe Biden is just an idea

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Having ordered that all Californians switch to electric cars by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom follows up by mandating them to have electricity by 2035

Election 2020: Joe Biden pledges to a peaceful post-election transfer of power to George Soros

Out: Flatten the curve. In: Flatten the country.

Breaking: the Democrat Party has finished transitioning from being the party of JFK to being the party of Lee Harvey Oswald

Paradigm shift in Chromatics: Study shows Indigo (#3F00FF) mixed with Jamaic (#C0FF01) yields Black (#000000)

Study: the trouble with wokeism is eventually you run out of victims

Stacey Abrams refuses to concede to Harris; declares herself Biden's VP

Election 2020: Spunky former presidential candidate wins VP slot by a head

Churches in many states to hold services in opened up pubs and bars

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Reports: Republicans pounce on 'Republicans pounce' reports

Minneapolis launches online looting app to combat Covid-19

DNC study finds lockdowns no longer necessary as the economy is now being destroyed more effectively by looters and rioters

With America in lockdown, China offers to host Democrat primary

Bernie Sanders tests negative for President

In related news, Joe Biden follows other candidates in withdrawing from race and endorsing Joe Biden

New York Governor Cuomo shuts down all 'non-essential' business, surprised to find himself out of a job

Biden commits to picking a woman as running mate as long as she passes his sniff test

Joe Biden's coronavirus prevention tips: always rub hand sanitizer on young girls before sniffing and fondling them

Russian lawmakers warned that the American Democrats are meddling to re-elect Putin

Joe Biden promises lucrative board member jobs as door prizes to get people to his rallies

Democrats now worried they might even lose the illegal alien vote

Soleimani's remains FedExed back to Iran and now no one knows what happened to the box

BREAKING: massive search underway in Iran after Soleimani's boxed FedEx'd remains stolen off front porch

Liz Warren harshly critical of Biden's suggestion to coal miners that they should learn to code, offers to have them trained as romance novelists instead

Pelosi: "First we have to impeach Donald Trump before we can find out why we impeached him."

Schiff calls his Amazon Alexa to testify: 'She knows absolutely everything'

Iran answers to new Reagan statue in Berlin by erecting Obama statue at Tehran airport where he delivered pallets of cash

California accepts award for most progressive environmental policies; further progressive developments to be announced as blackouts permit

BREAKING: Romney DNA test reveals he is 1/1024th Republican

California Governor Gavin Newsom blames electricity blackouts on Ukrainian kulaks, vows revenge

Rat falling from White House ceiling fears for his life, begs reporters for protection, offers a tell-all memoir

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Climate science: there's no need for climate protests in China because China is already communist

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Dem candidates call for the Beatles' song 'Get Back' and the 'White Album' to be banned; surviving two white guys of the group must pay reparations

Bond's number is up: next 007 will be a black woman, played by Barack Obama

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Korean war must continue: Hawaiian federal judge declares Trump's peace effort unconstitutional

New York: feminists march on Broadway, demand the street be given new, non-misogynistic name

Experts: California's planned transition of all state jobs from citizens to illegal aliens by 2020 will help to avoid bankruptcy and save money for social programs for illegal aliens

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Experts: The more we embrace diversity the more everything is the same

BOMBSHELL: TMZ offers Kathy Griffin $5 mil to keep any future sex tape private

DEVELOPING: CNN, WaPo, NYT anonymous sources say Vladimir Putin may have ties to Russia

BREAKING: Manning and Snowden have come out with strong condemnation of Donald Trump leaking classified information to Russia

Gun store goes into lockdown over report an "active university professor" roving the grounds

Dozens injured at Ralph Lauren & Louis Vuitton headquarters after Ivanka calls in missile strikes on rival fashion houses

BOMBSHELL: Evidence proves Donald Trump conspired with his campaign to defeat Hillary Clinton

University ranked "very intolerant of free speech" fights the accusation by banning the study and all involved

Concerned that Russians don't consume enough alcohol in the month of March, Russia's Orthodox Church makes St. Patrick's Day official holiday

Grassroots group calls for "The Million Regulators March" on Washington, supported by all who fear the loss of their betters telling them what to do

Experts: Starbucks CEO Schultz's hiring of 10,000 Muslim refugees likely to blow up in his face

Will the groundprog be frightened by its own shadow and hide - or will there be another season of insane protests?

Trump signs executive order making California and New York national monuments; residents have two days to vacate

Women's March against fascism completed with 400,000 fewer deaths than anticipated

Feminist historians uncover ghastly concentration camps where so-called "housewives" were forced to live inauthentic lives slaving away in kitchens

Dictionary of the future: Global Warming was a popular computer simulation game, where the only way to win was not to play

"Anti-fascist" groups violently protest misspelling of their original name, "aren't-we-fascists"

Post-inauguration blues: millions of democrats distraught as the reality of having to find real jobs sets in

"Journalism is the continuation of war by other means" is exposed as a fake quote by mainstream media journalists

Congressional Democrats: "We cannot just simply replace Obamacare with freedom because then millions of Americans will suddenly become free"

Schoolchildren jailed for building only white snowmen

Obama's reckless attacks on Russia serve as recruitment tool to create more Russian hackers

Hillary: "I lost, so I'm going to follow our democratic traditions, poison the wells, and scorch the earth"

Children in Venezuela cook and eat their Christmas toys

Hillary: "I can hack Russia from my bathroom"

Hillary suggests to counter "fake news" with government newspaper called "Truth" ("Pravda" for Russian speakers)

BREAKING: Millions of uncounted votes found on Hillary's private voting machine in her Chappaqua bathroom

New York Times: Fidel Castro world's sexiest corpse

After years of trial and error, CIA finally succeeds with the "waiting it out" technique on Fidel Castro

Post-election shopping tip: look for the PoliticsFree label at your local grocer to make sure you don't buy from companies that don't want your business anymore

In Hillary's America, email server scrubs you

Obama transfers his Nobel Peace Prize to anti-Trump rioters

Democrats blame Hillary's criminal e-mail server for her loss, demand it face prison

Afraid of "dangerous" Trump presidency, protesters pre-emptively burn America down to the ground

Clinton Foundation in foreclosure as foreign donors demand refunds

Hillary Clinton blames YouTube video for unexpected and spontaneous voter uprising that prevented her inevitable move into the White House

Sudden rise in sea levels explained by disproportionately large tears shed by climate scientists in the aftermath of Trump's electoral victory

FBI director Comey delighted after receiving Nobel Prize for Speed Reading (650,000 emails in one week)

U.N. deploys troops to American college campuses in order to combat staggeringly low rape rates

Responding to Trump's surging poll numbers, Obama preemptively pardons himself for treason

Following hurricane Matthew's failure to devastate Florida, activists flock to the Sunshine State and destroy Trump signs manually

Tim Kaine takes credit for interrupting hurricane Matthew while debating weather in Florida

Study: Many non-voters still undecided on how they're not going to vote

The Evolution of Dissent: on November 8th the nation is to decide whether dissent will stop being racist and become sexist - or it will once again be patriotic as it was for 8 years under George W. Bush

Venezuela solves starvation problem by making it mandatory to buy food

Breaking: the Clinton Foundation set to investigate the FBI

Obama captures rare Pokemon while visiting Hiroshima

Movie news: 'The Big Friendly Giant Government' flops at box office; audiences say "It's creepy"

Barack Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Micah Johnson"

White House edits Orlando 911 transcript to say shooter pledged allegiance to NRA and Republican Party

President George Washington: 'Redcoats do not represent British Empire; King George promotes a distorted version of British colonialism'

Following Obama's 'Okie-Doke' speech, stock of Okie-Doke soars; NASDAQ: 'Obama best Okie-Doke salesman'

Weaponized baby formula threatens Planned Parenthood office; ACLU demands federal investigation of Gerber

Experts: melting Antarctic glacier could cause sale levels to rise up to 80% off select items by this weekend

Travel advisory: airlines now offering flights to front of TSA line

As Obama instructs his administration to get ready for presidential transition, Trump preemptively purchases 'T' keys for White House keyboards

John Kasich self-identifies as GOP primary winner, demands access to White House bathroom

Upcoming Trump/Kelly interview on FoxNews sponsored by 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price is Right'

News from 2017: once the evacuation of Lena Dunham and 90% of other Hollywood celebrities to Canada is confirmed, Trump resigns from presidency: "My work here is done"

Non-presidential candidate Paul Ryan pledges not to run for president in new non-presidential non-ad campaign

Trump suggests creating 'Muslim database'; Obama symbolically protests by shredding White House guest logs beginning 2009

National Enquirer: John Kasich's real dad was the milkman, not mailman

National Enquirer: Bound delegates from Colorado, Wyoming found in Ted Cruzs basement

Iran breaks its pinky-swear promise not to support terrorism; US State Department vows rock-paper-scissors strategic response

Women across the country cheer as racist Democrat president on $20 bill is replaced by black pro-gun Republican

Federal Reserve solves budget crisis by writing itself a 20-trillion-dollar check

Widows, orphans claim responsibility for Brussels airport bombing

Che Guevara's son hopes Cuba's communism will rub off on US, proposes a long list of people the government should execute first

Susan Sarandon: "I don't vote with my vagina." Voters in line behind her still suspicious, use hand sanitizer

Campaign memo typo causes Hillary to court 'New Black Panties' vote

New Hampshire votes for socialist Sanders, changes state motto to "Live FOR Free or Die"

Martin O'Malley drops out of race after Iowa Caucus; nation shocked with revelation he has been running for president

Statisticians: one out of three Bernie Sanders supporters is just as dumb as the other two

Hillary campaign denies accusations of smoking-gun evidence in her emails, claims they contain only smoking-circumstantial-gun evidence

Obama stops short of firing US Congress upon realizing the difficulty of assembling another group of such tractable yes-men

In effort to contol wild passions for violent jihad, White House urges gun owners to keep their firearms covered in gun burkas

TV horror live: A Charlie Brown Christmas gets shot up on air by Mohammed cartoons

Democrats vow to burn the country down over Ted Cruz statement, 'The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats'

Russia's trend to sign bombs dropped on ISIS with "This is for Paris" found response in Obama administration's trend to sign American bombs with "Return to sender"

University researchers of cultural appropriation quit upon discovery that their research is appropriation from a culture that created universities

Archeologists discover remains of what Barack Obama has described as unprecedented, un-American, and not-who-we-are immigration screening process in Ellis Island

Mizzou protests lead to declaring entire state a "safe space," changing Missouri motto to "The don't show me state"

Green energy fact: if we put all green energy subsidies together in one-dollar bills and burn them, we could generate more electricity than has been produced by subsidized green energy

State officials improve chances of healthcare payouts by replacing ObamaCare with state lottery

NASA's new mission to search for racism, sexism, and economic inequality in deep space suffers from race, gender, and class power struggles over multibillion-dollar budget

College progress enforcement squads issue schematic humor charts so students know if a joke may be spontaneously laughed at or if regulations require other action

ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios

Virginia county to close schools after teacher asks students to write 'death to America' in Arabic

'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break

ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood

Impressed by Fox News stellar rating during GOP debates, CNN to use same formula on Democrat candidates asking tough, pointed questions about Republicans

Shocking new book explores pros and cons of socialism, discovers they are same people

Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need

John Kerry accepts Iran's "Golden Taquiyya" award, requests jalapenos on the side

Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone

John Kerry proposes 3-day waiting period for all terrorist nations trying to acquire nuclear weapons

Chicago Police trying to identify flag that caused nine murders and 53 injuries in the city this past weekend

Cuba opens to affordable medical tourism for Americans who can't afford Obamacare deductibles

State-funded research proves existence of Quantum Aggression Particles (Heterons) in Large Hadron Collider

Student job opportunities: make big bucks this summer as Hillarys Ordinary-American; all expenses paid, travel, free acting lessons

Experts debate whether Iranian negotiators broke John Kerry's leg or he did it himself to get out of negotiations

Junior Varsity takes Ramadi, advances to quarterfinals

US media to GOP pool of candidates: 'Knowing what we know now, would you have had anything to do with the founding of the United States?'

NY Mayor to hold peace talks with rats, apologize for previous Mayor's cowboy diplomacy

China launches cube-shaped space object with a message to aliens: "The inhabitants of Earth will steal your intellectual property, copy it, manufacture it in sweatshops with slave labor, and sell it back to you at ridiculously low prices"

Progressive scientists: Truth is a variable deduced by subtracting 'what is' from 'what ought to be'

Experts agree: Hillary Clinton best candidate to lessen percentage of Americans in top 1%

America's attempts at peace talks with the White House continue to be met with lies, stalling tactics, and bad faith

Starbucks new policy to talk race with customers prompts new hashtag #DontHoldUpTheLine

Hillary: DELETE is the new RESET

Charlie Hebdo receives Islamophobe 2015 award; the cartoonists could not be reached for comment due to their inexplicable, illogical deaths

Russia sends 'reset' button back to Hillary: 'You need it now more than we do'

Barack Obama finds out from CNN that Hillary Clinton spent four years being his Secretary of State

President Obama honors Leonard Nimoy by taking selfie in front of Starship Enterprise

Police: If Obama had a convenience store, it would look like Obama Express Food Market

Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males

NASA: We're 80% sure about being 20% sure about being 17% sure about being 38% sure about 2014 being the hottest year on record

People holding '$15 an Hour Now' posters sue Democratic party demanding raise to $15 an hour for rendered professional protesting services

Cuba-US normalization: US tourists flock to see Cuba before it looks like the US and Cubans flock to see the US before it looks like Cuba

White House describes attacks on Sony Pictures as 'spontaneous hacking in response to offensive video mocking Juche and its prophet'

CIA responds to Democrat calls for transparency by releasing the director's cut of The Making Of Obama's Birth Certificate

Obama: 'If I had a city, it would look like Ferguson'

Biden: 'If I had a Ferguson (hic), it would look like a city'

Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'

Ethicists agree: two wrongs do make a right so long as Bush did it first

The aftermath of the 'War on Women 2014' finds a new 'Lost Generation' of disillusioned Democrat politicians, unable to cope with life out of office

White House: Republican takeover of the Senate is a clear mandate from the American people for President Obama to rule by executive orders

Nurse Kaci Hickox angrily tells reporters that she won't change her clocks for daylight savings time

Democratic Party leaders in panic after recent poll shows most Democratic voters think 'midterm' is when to end pregnancy

Desperate Democratic candidates plead with Obama to stop backing them and instead support their GOP opponents

Ebola Czar issues five-year plan with mandatory quotas of Ebola infections per each state based on voting preferences

Study: crony capitalism is to the free market what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity

Fun facts about world languages: the Left has more words for statism than the Eskimos have for snow

African countries to ban all flights from the United States because "Obama is incompetent, it scares us"

Nobel Peace Prize controversy: Hillary not nominated despite having done even less than Obama to deserve it

Obama: 'Ebola is the JV of viruses'

BREAKING: Secret Service foils Secret Service plot to protect Obama

Revised 1st Amendment: buy one speech, get the second free

Sharpton calls on white NFL players to beat their women in the interests of racial fairness

President Obama appoints his weekly approval poll as new national security adviser

Obama wags pen and phone at Putin; Europe offers support with powerful pens and phones from NATO members

White House pledges to embarrass ISIS back to the Stone Age with a barrage of fearsome Twitter messages and fatally ironic Instagram photos

Obama to fight ISIS with new federal Terrorist Regulatory Agency

Obama vows ISIS will never raise their flag over the eighteenth hole

Harry Reid: "Sometimes I say the wong thing"

Elian Gonzalez wishes he had come to the U.S. on a bus from Central America like all the other kids

Obama visits US-Mexican border, calls for a two-state solution

Obama draws "blue line" in Iraq after Putin took away his red crayon

"Hard Choices," a porno flick loosely based on Hillary Clinton's memoir and starring Hillary Hellfire as a drinking, whoring Secretary of State, wildly outsells the flabby, sagging original

Accusations of siding with the enemy leave Sgt. Bergdahl with only two options: pursue a doctorate at Berkley or become a Senator from Massachusetts

Jay Carney stuck in line behind Eric Shinseki to leave the White House; estimated wait time from 15 min to 6 weeks

100% of scientists agree that if man-made global warming were real, "the last people we'd want to help us is the Obama administration"

Jay Carney says he found out that Obama found out that he found out that Obama found out that he found out about the latest Obama administration scandal on the news

"Anarchy Now!" meeting turns into riot over points of order, bylaws, and whether or not 'kicking the #^@&*! ass' of the person trying to speak is or is not violence

Obama retaliates against Putin by prohibiting unionized federal employees from dating hot Russian girls online during work hours

Russian separatists in Ukraine riot over an offensive YouTube video showing the toppling of Lenin statues

"Free Speech Zones" confuse Obamaphone owners who roam streets in search of additional air minutes

Obamacare bolsters employment for professionals with skills to convert meth back into sudafed

Gloves finally off: Obama uses pen and phone to cancel Putin's Netflix account

Joe Biden to Russia: "We will bury you by turning more of Eastern Europe over to your control!"

In last-ditch effort to help Ukraine, Obama deploys Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to Crimea

Al Sharpton: "Not even Putin can withstand our signature chanting, 'racist, sexist, anti-gay, Russian army go away'!"

Mardi Gras in North Korea: "Throw me some food!"

Obama's foreign policy works: "War, invasion, and conquest are signs of weakness; we've got Putin right where we want him"

US offers military solution to Ukraine crisis: "We will only fight countries that have LGBT military"

Putin annexes Brighton Beach to protect ethnic Russians in Brooklyn, Obama appeals to UN and EU for help

The 1980s: "Mr. Obama, we're just calling to ask if you want our foreign policy back. The 1970s are right here with us, and they're wondering, too."

In a stunning act of defiance, Obama courageously unfriends Putin on Facebook

MSNBC: Obama secures alliance with Austro-Hungarian Empire against Russias aggression in Ukraine

Study: springbreak is to STDs what April 15th is to accountants

Efforts to achieve moisture justice for California thwarted by unfair redistribution of snow in America

North Korean voters unanimous: "We are the 100%"

Leader of authoritarian gulag-site, The People's Cube, unanimously 're-elected' with 100% voter turnout

Super Bowl: Obama blames Fox News for Broncos' loss

Feminist author slams gay marriage: "a man needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"

Beverly Hills campaign heats up between Henry Waxman and Marianne Williamson over the widening income gap between millionaires and billionaires in their district

Biden to lower $10,000-a-plate Dinner For The Homeless to $5,000 so more homeless can attend

Kim becomes world leader, feeds uncle to dogs; Obama eats dogs, becomes world leader, America cries uncle

North Korean leader executes own uncle for talking about Obamacare at family Christmas party

White House hires part-time schizophrenic Mandela sign interpreter to help sell Obamacare

Kim Jong Un executes own "crazy uncle" to keep him from ruining another family Christmas

OFA admits its advice for area activists to give Obamacare Talk at shooting ranges was a bad idea

President resolves Obamacare debacle with executive order declaring all Americans equally healthy

Obama to Iran: "If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program"

Bovine community outraged by flatulence coming from Washington DC

Obama: "I'm not particularly ideological; I believe in a good pragmatic five-year plan"

Shocker: Obama had no knowledge he'd been reelected until he read about it in the local newspaper last week

Server problems at HealthCare.gov so bad, it now flashes 'Error 808' message

NSA marks National Best Friend Day with official announcement: "Government is your best friend; we know you like no one else, we're always there, we're always willing to listen"

Al Qaeda cancels attack on USA citing launch of Obamacare as devastating enough

The President's latest talking point on Obamacare: "I didn't build that"

Dizzy with success, Obama renames his wildly popular healthcare mandate to HillaryCare

Carney: huge ObamaCare deductibles won't look as bad come hyperinflation

Washington Redskins drop 'Washington' from their name as offensive to most Americans

Poll: 83% of Americans favor cowboy diplomacy over rodeo clown diplomacy

GOVERNMENT WARNING: If you were able to complete ObamaCare form online, it wasn't a legitimate gov't website; you should report online fraud and change all your passwords

Obama administration gets serious, threatens Syria with ObamaCare

Obama authorizes the use of Vice President Joe Biden's double-barrel shotgun to fire a couple of blasts at Syria

Sharpton: "British royals should have named baby 'Trayvon.' By choosing 'George' they sided with white Hispanic racist Zimmerman"

DNC launches 'Carlos Danger' action figure; proceeds to fund a charity helping survivors of the Republican War on Women

Nancy Pelosi extends abortion rights to the birds and the bees

Hubble discovers planetary drift to the left

Obama: 'If I had a daughter-in-law, she would look like Rachael Jeantel'

FISA court rubberstamps statement denying its portrayal as government's rubber stamp

Every time ObamaCare gets delayed, a Julia somewhere dies

GOP to Schumer: 'Force full implementation of ObamaCare before 2014 or Dems will never win another election'

Obama: 'If I had a son... no, wait, my daughter can now marry a woman!'

Janet Napolitano: TSA findings reveal that since none of the hijackers were babies, elderly, or Tea Partiers, 9/11 was not an act of terrorism

News Flash: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) can see Canada from South Dakota

Susan Rice: IRS actions against tea parties caused by anti-tax YouTube video that was insulting to their faith

Drudge Report reduces font to fit all White House scandals onto one page

Obama: the IRS is a constitutional right, just like the Second Amendment

White House: top Obama officials using secret email accounts a result of bad IT advice to avoid spam mail from Nigeria

Jay Carney to critics: 'Pinocchio never said anything inconsistent'

Obama: If I had a gay son, he'd look like Jason Collins

Gosnell's office in Benghazi raided by the IRS: mainstream media's worst cover-up challenge to date

IRS targeting pro-gay-marriage LGBT groups leads to gayest tax revolt in U.S. history

After Arlington Cemetery rejects offer to bury Boston bomber, Westboro Babtist Church steps up with premium front lawn plot

Boston: Obama Administration to reclassify marathon bombing as 'sportsplace violence'

Study: Success has many fathers but failure becomes a government program

US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?

Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy

This Passover, Obama urges his subjects to paint lamb's blood above doors in order to avoid the Sequester



White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras

Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse

Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school

Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition

Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State

Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'

Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'

Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested

Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead

Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending

Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances

Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons

Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago

Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections

Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country

Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'

White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out

New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen

White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class

To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead

State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations

Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward

President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward

Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects

World ends; S&P soars

Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood

Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes

Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway

Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013

Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama

As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list

Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves

Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium

Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future

Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs

Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet

Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'

Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties

Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years

Obama attends church service, worships self

Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending

Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"

Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh

Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"

Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness

Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears

Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke

Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights

Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'

Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"

Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't

Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost

Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space

Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck

White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus

Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed

Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"

Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere

Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"

Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college

Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!

Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'

Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'

Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome

People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies

Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"

Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans

Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law

Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond

Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics

Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof

Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels

Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party

Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend

May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above

Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"

Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name

Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich

Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag

Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"

Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off

Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"

Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed

White House: "Let them eat statistics"

Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama







AD GOES HERE
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

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

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.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

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

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

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.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

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.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

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.
INDIANAPOLIS  Many Americans were shocked Wednesday night when Republican Donald Trump suggested at the final presidential debate that he might not accept the results of the Nov. 8 election.

Legal, electoral and political experts, however, disagree somewhat on whether Trump is generally right to take a wait-and-see approach. Its impossible to predict what might happen on Election Day or whether legal action will be needed to determine the outcome, even though the possibility of a rigged election is virtually nonexistent.

Its hard to draw a conclusion until you actually have the election, said former Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter. Sometimes there can be miscounting of votes or irregularities that are not necessarily criminal, and thats what gets fixed in a recount.

Carter, a Republican, said theres nothing particularly dangerous about Trump advising his supporters that hell protect his interests in a fair outcome.

After all, he said, there are processes in place for candidates to review and contest election results, just as Democrat Al Gore did in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.

But Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, sees it differently.

Mooney said Trumps statements should give pause to voters of all political stripes.

Thats hugely dangerous, he said. To satisfy his own ego, basically, he is calling into question some of the fundamental, bedrock principles of American democracy.

Mooney cited the 2000 election as an example of a smooth transition of power after a contentious race.

Statewide rigging virtually impossible

Carter, who has experience in ferreting out voter fraud, said another reason to wait is that the effects of electoral misdeeds may not be immediately apparent on election night.

East Chicago, Indiana, Mayor Robert Pastrick appeared to have lost his 2003 re-election bid until mail-in absentee ballots counted several days later gave him a razor-thin margin of victory.

However, further investigations determined that Pastrick campaign workers fraudulently produced many of those ballots.

Ultimately, 47 people would be convicted of various crimes out of that election, and the Indiana Supreme Court later overturned the result.

However, researchers widely agree that in-person voter fraud is extremely rare.

Illinois and Iowa authorities say there are safeguards in place to ensure that the type of widespread election rigging Trump has warned about is virtually impossible.

Jim Tenuto, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, noted there are 109 individual election authorities across the state, each responsible for counting its own ballots.

Its hard to imagine how you would put something together to rig an election, Tenuto said.

The elections board issued a statement Thursday outlining its safeguards, which include public testing of voting equipment prior to Election Day and the presence of five election judges, composed of both Democrats and Republicans, at each of the states roughly 10,000 voting precincts.

The board encourages those who are concerned about the integrity of the process to volunteer as election judges.

In response to an earlier Trump tweet alleging large scale voter fraud, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Monday that politicians should knock it off when it comes to casting doubt on the voting process.

This state has a pretty darn good track record, and I really resent anybody trying to blemish it, said Pate, a Republican who also serves as Iowas election commissioner.

The office of Democratic Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan takes steps each election to uphold the integrity of the voting process, spokeswoman Annie Thompson said.

Our office will be sending out teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators to monitor elections throughout the state to make sure that voters rights are protected, Thompson said. We encourage voters to contact our office if they encounter suspected improper or illegal activity, and we will have hotlines up on Election Day.

Madigans office, the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of Illinois and the state elections board quickly met with Kankakee County officials earlier this month in response to dueling allegations of voter fraud and intimidation. That area is home to one of this years most hotly contested Illinois House races.

Firing up the base

Political science professor Andrew Downs of Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne heard gasps at a debate viewing party Wednesday when Trump said he might not accept the election results.

But after thinking it over, Downs said he realized technically, legally that is the correct answer since the law provides numerous methods for a candidate to challenge or correct the vote count.

Downs is doubtful Trump will be able to pile up enough electoral votes to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, or even come close, making any localized ballot counting errors all but irrelevant to the national outcome.

But he said Trump certainly has his reasons for claiming the election could be rigged.

He manages to motivate his base.  The pro-Trump base gets to get excited a little bit longer, and thats all good for him, Downs said. But the problem for him, I think, is his base is not big enough to win an election.

At the same time, Downs said, Americans who arent supporting Trump are rightfully shocked by his rhetoric.

It is dangerous to say things like that because youre talking about institutions that for a couple hundred years weve trusted to pick the winners of the election, he said. To say youre not going to accept them says you dont trust the entire system.

Trump steps back

Trump clarified his position in a speech Thursday, joking that he happily will accept the results  If I win.

He later committed to participating in a peaceful transition of power.

Of course I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result, and always I will follow and abide by all of the rules and traditions of all of the many candidates who have come before me, Trump said.
CHICAGO  Illinois' top election officials insist that the recent hack into state voter rolls, which contain the names of 8 million active voters, doesn't pose a threat to the Nov. 8 election and shouldn't undermine public confidence in the results.

And even though GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has talked about a "rigged" election, most experts say large-scale voter fraud isn't possible.

The cyberattack on the Illinois database, as well as a similar one on Arizona, prompted more anxiety than any claims about a fixed election, Illinois State Board of Elections general counsel Ken Menzel said, adding: "That is something that gets my attention more than a candidate making allegations."

A look at key questions regarding voter fraud:

Q: Generally, how big a problem is election fraud in Illinois?

A: Humorists for decades have riffed that Chicago's voter registration rolls are filled with names of the deceased; jokes like: How do we know Elvis is really dead? Because he's registered to vote in Chicago.

But rampant and overt election fraud is a thing of the past, officials say. An Arizona State University project that tracks cases of alleged election fraud found 2,068 instances nationwide between 2000 and 2012, but just 23 in Illinois out of tens of millions of votes over that 12-year period. Six were registration fraud and two were double voting.

Kane County State's Attorney Joseph McMahon said this week that in the 15 years since establishing a voter complaint hotline, his office hasn't identified a single major violation of election laws. Most complaints, the Republican said, have to do with campaign signs or electioneering too close to polling stations.

Q: How was the databased hacked?

A: The cyberattack began June 23 but wasn't detected until mid-July by the Illinois State Board of Elections, according to documents.

It was later discovered that hackers were probing the data computers five times a second, 24 hours a day. They likely viewed the names, addresses and other information of around 90,000 Illinois voters, the documents say.

Q: What harm did the hacking do?

A: Voting machines aren't online, so hackers weren't going to be able to change or delete votes, Menzel explained. The chief concern, he said, was that the hackers were engaging in standard identity theft, and election officials sent notices to any voters whose information might have been stolen.

Q: Who were the hackers?

A: Illinois officials say they don't know, though speculation has focused on Russia. "The FBI and Homeland Security are working feverishly on the who," Menzel said. "We are more interested in the how."

Officials spent weeks upgrading security procedures for the database, including requiring managers to always use a two-step authorization process to get into the database and mandating more complex passwords.

Q: Are Illinois election officials taking extra precautions because of Trump's warnings?

A: It doesn't seem to be the case. Menzel said it's healthy to have "a reasonable level of paranoia" heading into Election Day, but hasn't noticed more than usual.

Standard precautions include polling station workers that are supplemented by watchers dispatched by political parties to guard against voting intimidation or fraud. It's also standard for voting machines to be tested and retested.

"Every couple years, there are people who ... say, 'The elections are being stolen,'" Menzel said, but noted such claims invariably lack specifics, which makes it hard for officials to respond.
CARTERVILLE  Carterville Police Chief Heather Reno is breaking new ground again with a new event for the department. Carterville Police Department will host its first Chat with the Chief event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in Carterville Community Center. Chief Heather Reno and several members of the police department will be available to meet informally with the public.

There is no agenda for the event, and there will be no speeches. This is an opportunity to sit down one-on-one with members of the police department to exchange thoughts and ideas. Residents can get feedback from officers and ask questions about the department.

Chief Reno hopes this is the first of many informal meetings between the public and the department.

A spokesperson for the department said Chief Reno and officers are excited to have this opportunity and to see what questions arise.

The chat is sponsored by Carterville Area Rotary Club. Light refreshments will be served.

When Heather Reno assumed the job of Cartervilles top cop in June 2015, the department had been through rough times. Reno replaced Monty Jeralds as chief after Carterville City Council voted to demote him on Feb. 24, 2015.

It was very challenging initially. Change is really hard for people, and the department had to make changes, Reno said. Everyone was understandably anxious.

Reno added that it probably took six months for things to settle down and for her to get a feel for the department.

During Renos short tenure, the department has added technology, including a new electronic records management system. Before moving to the new system all department records were on paper.

That was really significant, Reno said. You dont think about people operating without technology.

The system can store pictures and generate a photo lineup, and allows officers to access information with a couple of clicks of a mouse.

The department used a white board for case communication and information. Now, every officer and the department in general has an email address. Reno said information that should be confidential can now be kept confidential.

The department also has implemented a system that will automatically upload video from squad car cameras to the department server.

As soon as cars get into range, video wirelessly uploads, Reno said.

Reno also added a deputy chief, Keith Stiff.

For many, many months, I did not have an assistant chief. Now I have a competent counterpart who can share administrative duties, Reno said.

Reno has been surprised during her first year as Carterville Police chief.

The biggest, pleasant surprise has been the community support. People walk in and bring us food, or cards from a daycare, Reno said.

That support increased after police officers in Dallas were shot and continues today.

She is also pleased by how well police departments in Williamson County work together.

Everybody takes really good care of each other. They are wonderful, Reno said.

Reno was also surprised that many people still call the departments nonemergency phone number for emergencies, when calling 911 will get officers dispatched quicker. Her advice? Call 911 if you see a crime being committed. She also wants residents to call the department if they see something that is unusual or that seems off.

Reno said it is a good feeling to walk down the street, recognize people, and have them say hello.
CRAINVILLE  Drive along Illinois 13 through Carterville and you will see more than road construction. Two-year-old Deloufleur Decor and Design is expanding, and the new building is just off the south side of Illinois 13, west of the new Wolf Creek Interchange.

Denise Fann and Sandy Clark opened Deloufleur two years ago, and the business already has outgrown its current location. These days, the 1,400-square-foot showroom at 1615 Landing Drive is jam-packed with home furnishings of all shapes and sizes.

Two years ago, it contained just one piece of furniture: a small card table.

Fanns former employer, the West Frankfort furniture titan Coleman-Rhoads, had just shut its doors, leaving her out of a job. After having worked as a buyer, decorator and designer for the beloved Franklin County outlet for 18 years, Fann knew the furniture industry inside and out, so she decided to find a place of her own.

We were without a job and this really is the only thing we know, Fann said.

Deloufleur has customers that drive from all over the area because they are very loyal to Fann and Clark.

I've had an overwhelming, huge response from the people of Southern Illinois. They are excited to see progress and the store moving forward, Fann said.

Deloufleur has come a long way since Fann sat down at that card table  in fact, it has run out of space. In November, the business will move from its current location at 1615 Landing Drive in Carterville to a larger place nearby, a little closer to Illinois 13.

With a unique French design, the new location is a massive 6,400 square feet. And it has another asset: superior visibility.

Crainville Mayor Ron Mitchell said the construction is the first TIF project in Crainvilles TIF district that runs from Main Street to Wolf Creek Road. The district covers a mile and a half area on the north and south sides of Illinois 13, and has been in place four or five years.

The new store will have three times the space. We will have a warehouse, too, Fann said.

She added that the new store will be very unique in its design, featuring a French design with lit trees and elements that will surprise customers.

I feel like we have a need for a nice store that recreates what you want in your home, Fann said.

The store will features a full line of quality home furnishings that are built to last and will highlight the talents of the designers.

We can help a customer from needing a recliner to furnishing a whole home, Clark said.

Even road construction has not detoured Fann. Construction of a diamond exchange on Illinois 13 at Wolf Creek Road has made Deloufleur harder to find, but Fann said it has not decreased the amount of business they have.

For a long time, I really thought I wanted to be in Marion, but I think this is where I am supposed to be. Im excited for the people of Crainville and Carterville, Fann said.

She is already making plans to plant flowers at the new location.
While children can be found running and playing in parks across Southern Illinois, it is often a different story for children with disabilities. Those same swings, slides and jungle gyms are not designed in a way that lets them play, too.

Thanks to Let Them All Play-Ground children and adults of all abilities can join in the fun on playgrounds in Carterville, Cambria and Crainville.

Marcie Carrier said she and some friends saw a need for an accessible playground in the Carterville area and went to work. They formed and organization called Let Them All Play-Ground. The group started raising money and collecting donations at the end of January 2014, with a large fundraiser in March.

We just had an idea and decided we could do it, and we did it, Carrier said.

In June 2014, the group distributed more than $22,000, the proceeds of fundraising and donations, and split that amount between Carterville, Crainville and Cambria.

Carterville hosted a ribbon cutting for its accessible playground Sept. 26, 2014, at Cannon Park, the end result of that idea. In October 2014, Crainville officially opened its accessible playground in Crainville City Park.

Cambria got off to a slow start. After a few problems surfaced in the mat used at another location, Crainville officials took time to do more research. They hope it will pay off by having fewer problems maintaining the playground. The accessible playground at Cambria Village Park opened Aug. 28, 2016.

Each playground includes the wheelchair-accessible swings on a cushioned surface, handicapped parking spots and concrete paths that connect the parking to the playground. Carterville added a ten spin, a merry-go-round designed for children of all abilities, in August 2015.

The Cambria project cost $28,859 for the swings, sidewalk, mat and a new concrete parking area. Coffey added the mat alone cost $8,000, but the village wanted to get the best mat possible.

Valerie Lawrence is an adult now, but grew up in Cambria, and she uses a wheelchair. She was instrumental in getting this going, Coffey said.

All of the concrete labor was donated by Mike Bailey and Family Concrete of Cambria.

Let Them All Play-Ground donated money to Cambria, Carterville and Crainville to set up these types of playgrounds. We have had other donations, including donations from churches and individuals. We raised money, too, Coffey said. It has definitely been a community effort.
Numerous residents told HUD they didnt want to move. Dont do this. Its wrong, man, one resident told them. You dont know what were going through because you're not from here, said another, noting he has lived in Cairo since the 1950s and doesnt intend to live elsewhere. Stop moving our people out of town. Build something new here.
The proposed amendment adds a new section to the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution. The proposed amendment provides that no moneys derived from taxes, fees, excises, or license taxes, relating to registration, titles, operation, or use of vehicles or public highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail, ports, or airports, or motor fuels, including bond proceeds, shall be expended for other than costs of administering laws related to vehicles and transportation, costs for construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, and betterment of public highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail, ports, airports, or other forms of transportation, and other statutory highway purposes, including the State or local share to match federal aid highway funds. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become part of the Illinois Constitution.

For the proposed addition of Section 11 to Article IX of the Illinois Constitution.

The question above is one of the first things voters will see on the ballot this November.

Its full of jargon, but it asks a simple question: Should transportation taxes and fees, like gas taxes and license plate fees, be spent on transportation?

Lawmakers have, during tough budget times, tapped into the revenue that is to be used exclusively for transportation costs. They use them to plug other holes in the budget.

According to a study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, the state has diverted $6.8 billion in transportation funds since 2002. Most recently, according to The Southerns Springfield bureau, the current Democratic-led Legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner agreed to take $522 million from transportation funds to plug the fiscal year 2015 budget.

That doesnt seem right. Roads, bridges and other modes of transportation in Illinois need the money. Then again, that can be said for a lot of things in Illinois.

The real question is this: Does it have to be a constitutional amendment? That seems to be taking it a bit too far.

When state legislators voted on the amendment, only four voted no in allowing it on the ballot. That tells us that even they think this is definitely a problem.

But, why not make it law? After all, its these very same legislators that are raiding the road funds for other purposes. The onus needs to be on the legislators raiding the funds, not the electorate.

We need to hold these lawmakers more accountable. If they dont want those funds raided, well, dont raid them. Make a law. Dont raid the funds.

Remember, to change a law, legislators have to pass another law. To change a constitutional amendment, there needs to be another constitutional amendment passed through a ballot initiative. In other words, the law is easier to change if it goes all wrong.

Were in the middle of a budget crisis here in Illinois, plain and simple. Social services need money. Schools need money. And, yes, our roads and bridges need money.

Maintaining safe roads is an important goal, but its not more important than maintaining safe schools or maintaining higher education or maintaining services to the mentally ill or providing a reasonable payment schedule for the states creditors, Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a nonpartisan budget watchdog based in Chicago, said in a story last week. It is part of an overall state budget and should be treated as part of an overall budget.

It may be tempting to vote yes on Nov. 8 on this constitutional amendment. After all, it sounds like a good deal. Its premise is a solid idea. We can see why a lot of people would vote for this amendment.

But making it an amendment to the states Constitution is taking it too far. Lets force legislators into looking into making it a law.
The goal: $100 million.

The achievement: over $105 million.

Claflin University publicly launched its Imagine the Possibilities Capital Campaign five years ago.

When we launched the public phase of the campaign in 2011, it was designed to reposition Claflin as one of the top teaching and research institutions in the nation. It was the most ambitious fundraising effort in the universitys history, Claflin President Dr. Henry N. Tisdale said.

We overcame a lot of obstacles, including a struggling economy, but we did it, he said.

On Thursday night, Claflin officials announced that the university exceeded the $100 million goal of the campaign, with a grand total of $105,153,431.19.

As a result of the campaign, Claflin supported numerous achievements and campus improvements such as:

Doubling the number of endowed scholarships from 100 to more than 200.

Endowing three professorships and one academic department chairmanship.

Increased funding for scholarships for high-achieving high school seniors.

Purchasing two nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers.

Campus-wide Wi-Fi.

Renovations of buildings.

New chapel.

Establishing the online program in 2014.

I am very proud of this Board for its commitment and dedication, said James A. Bennett, chairman of Claflins Board of Trustees and the campaign committee.

We had 100 percent participation in this campaign by the Board of Trustees, he said. The campaign brought us all together to visualize what Claflin could be.

The Board of Trustees donated $6 million to the campaign.

Claflin received 15 gifts of $1 million or greater for the drive. For instance:

Sodexo gave $4.35 million.

Philanthropist Darla Moore gave $1 million to the Department of Music.

The Osher Foundation gave $1 million to support scholarships for adult learners.

The United Methodist Church gave approximately $13 million through its General Board of Higher Education Ministry, the Black College Fund and the S.C. Annual Conference.

The inner family  individuals, groups and organizations with close relationships with Claflin  gave $17 million.

Students, board members, alumni, donors and supporters gathered in Tullis Arena in the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center on Thursday night to celebrate with heavy hors d'oeuvres catered by Sodexo.

Freshman Demetre Smith, who received an academic scholarship, said I was accepted at the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University and Georgia Tech, but I felt at home when I visited Claflin.

Prior to visiting Claflins campus, the Georgia resident had never visited South Carolina.

What I love most about Claflin is the people Im meeting, he said. I have friends from all over the globe.

I love the diversity and talent here.

Tisdale said, My vision was for Claflin to be recognized globally as a leading institution of higher education in the 21st Century.

Tisdale recognized the challenge of achieving the universitys Phase I fundraising goal of more than $80 million. After Claflin exceeded that goal in March 2015, he realized that the board of trustees, alumni and other stakeholders shared his vision for the future of Claflin.

When we exceeded our Phase I goal, it confirmed my belief that we could do even better, he said.

The board of trustees accepted Tisdales recommendation, which resulted in the establishment of a new campaign goal of $100 million.

We now have resources that will expand learning and research opportunities for Claflins globally engaged visionary students and faculty, Tisdale said.

Our focus in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines will help us attract talented faculty who are research driven and exceptional students who want to attend graduate school, medical school or enter the workforce in STEM-related careers, he said.
The smell of barbeque sauce from ribs hot off the grill and freshly seasoned chicken filled the air and plates of Democratic Party members.

Politicians served the people in a different way Thursday evening as the party held its annual Democratic Candidates and Elected Officials Cook-Off at the Premier.

We always like to do for you because youve always done so much for us, Orangeburg County Coroner Samuetta Marshall said.

The menu included Sen. Brad Huttos crawfish, which Orangeburg County Democratic Party Chair Betty Henderson described as simply delicious. Sen. John Matthews provided Southern-style barbeque ribs, chicken, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. Marshall provided a day at the fair theme complete with sausage dogs.

Were having food, fun and politics, Matthews said.

He told the crowd that good days are on their way.

While full of laughs, dancing and food, the events focus was still firmly placed on the election just weeks away.

Congressman Jim Clyburn told the crowd, In two and a half weeks, were going to be going to the polls.

We must do everything we possibly can to return all these Democrats to office and elect some new ones, he said.

Rep. Russell L. Ott stressed the importance of voting.

This county is at a crossroads and we cannot afford to sleep on this upcoming election, he said.

Just casting votes in this election cycle will not be enough, Ott said. Weve got to knock on doors. Weve got to make telephone calls.

Ott said he wants to prove, that this is still the best Democratic county in the state of South Carolina.

County Council member Harry Wimberly reminded the crowd that Orangeburg County voters will be asked to renew the 1 percent capital projects sales tax.

Its what makes Orangeburg click, Wimberly said. Orangeburg County couldnt go anywhere without that penny.

Special guest for the evening was Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond, a candidate for chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Richmond said the upcoming election will decide the future of the country.

This election will be the most important election of your lifetime, he said. Think about what the future would look like under the two different candidates that we have.

Richmond added that this election is, "much bigger than just electing the first female president."
South Carolina State University alumna Keisha Esprit will hold a book-signing on homecoming weekend.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 22, in the S.C. State bookstore. Seven of Esprits 11 books will be available Saturday.

Esprit is an International Society of Poets Honorary and Editors Choice Award Poet.

She is a former track-and-field athlete who has represented Barbados. The sprinter is a NCAA Division 1 MEAC five-time medalist, seven times NAIA All-American and regional competitor.

She attended Wayland Baptist University in Texas and continued her education at S.C. State, where she obtained her bachelors degree in psychology and masters degree in transportation.

Esprit is a fashion model and CEO of www.EFMCI.biz. She also does occasional acting for movies, mainly extra/background work, and is featured in the film Indigo, to be released this year.
The headlines from Wednesday nights final presidential debate did not surprise Republican Donald Trump. He may complain about them, but he knew what would get the most press: his refusal to state he would accept the results of the Nov. 8 election.

It is debatable whether Trump opting to keep the nation in suspense about his post-election course of action is another example of manipulating the media. Not in question, however, is the GOP candidate playing to his base of support.

That base is the roughly 30 percent of the electorate made up of white males and females who do not have college-level educations. Ensuring they vote is vital to Trump, though alone they are not enough for him to win.

This group of voters gave Trump his stunning march through the primary process to the GOP nomination. They are the angry voters receptive to the message of America in decline and in need of a revolutionary such as Trump to fix it. They have no trouble believing the ongoing Trump allegations about a rigged system and the election being stolen from Trump  and them.

As historical voting patterns show Trump is unlikely to get any significant portion of the African-American and Hispanic vote, he is gambling on producing record turnout among his base, particularly in states key to the Electoral College count.

Still, winning for Trump would mean also attracting a sizable portion of the 40 percent of the electorate made up of college-educated white men and women. He is hoping by labeling Hillary Clinton as the failed establishment  contending leaders are lying and cheating Americans  they can be brought into his camp. It could happen. The post-recession economy is often as cruel to those with college degrees as those without.

Trumps tactics do have risks. By holding out that he will not accept the results of a rigged election, the candidate may incite violence should he not win. And he is certainly doing damage to the image of the American electoral process, which is the envy of the world.

BUT  that process will survive and America will move on after Nov. 8, with Trump or Clinton as the president-elect. Trump wants to win and is using every tactic to do so  actually doing no more than taking the hard-nosed approach in the campaign that he promises to apply to the nations problems as president.

If Trump wins, focus on the nominating and electing process will fade. If he loses, there will be lots of backlash as Trump and his supporters look for a source blame. But in the end, Trump is an American and will not want to see the country he proposes to lead to renewed greatness become mired in some kind of undeclared civil war  violent or not.

Come Nov. 9, the sun will come up and, hopefully, America will begin to heal election wounds with our leaders once and for all accepting the necessity of finding common ground to move forward on addressing the real concerns that have so many people on both sides of the political spectrum so angry and frustrated.
DENMARK -- Camron McClain said he would not have become the man he is without the help of Voorhees College and the support and education he received at the historic Denmark institution.

McClain didnt have many responsible male role models growing up and attending college was nothing more than a dream after he barely graduated from high school.

Receiving a college education at Voorhees with the help of scholarships, the senior mass communications major wanted to thank those who made his dream a reality.

Voorhees took a subpar athlete and molded him into a hungry scholar, from a 1.8 GPA to finishing out last semester with a 3.6. So today I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. This institution could not exist without dedicated supporters like you, McClain said.

I would not be standing before you as the man I am today. I hope that your support continues because it is my dream that the generations after me can benefit from your generosity, he said.

McClain was one of eight scholars who attended Voorhees Colleges third annual United Negro College Fund Corporate & Community Luncheon on Wednesday.

More than 100 community members from Bamberg County and surrounding areas gathered at the Leonard E. Dawson Health & Human Services Center for the luncheon, which helps raise funds to provide scholarships for deserving students.

Teesa Brunson, assistant vice president for institutional advancement at Voorhees, said, The purpose of the luncheon is to involve our businesses and communities in Bamberg County and surrounding area to raise scholarship funds for our students.

Voorhees College is one of several of the UNCF schools, so we work with the UNCF to raise additional funds. Each year the luncheon has gotten bigger. The one last year did really well, and with this one well be raising even more funds, Brunson said, noting the 2015 luncheon raised $10,000.

Brunson said the university is thankful for the support it has gotten from the community, including the cities of Bamberg and Denmark and different organizations like the NAACP, different companies and organizations in the area.

If they dont have additional scholarships, many of our students would not be able to get a quality education. A lot of our students come from backgrounds where their parents might not be able to afford a college education. It continually rises and rises each year, so without events like this one, a lot of students would not be able to continue their education, she said. So its important, and we appreciate the support.

Voorhees College President Dr. W. Franklin Evans said, Educating minds is extremely important. ... We here at Voorhees understand our mission and so when we have community and business partners and supporters ... coming and spending time and supporting our institution and our students, it really touches my heart. Thats the business that were in.

Evans added, Im appreciative of our involvement with the United Negro College Fund because it affords students the opportunity to go to college. ... Going to college is an expensive endeavor ... so your presence here today is a meaningful one.

State Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, said he also appreciates the community support he has received in developing as a both a representative and attorney. The 29-year-old encouraged the scholars to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.

You never know when an opportunity will come. The question is whether or not you will be ready to walk in those steps when youre called, he said.

Rosaline Achiangia, a junior biology major at Voorhees, was another scholar who spoke during the luncheon. She was also thankful for the scholarship support she has received at Voorhees.

She said her experience at Voorhees has built her confidence and will bring me ever closer to my dream job of becoming a researcher.

This college has shown me the true meaning of changing lives and changing minds and my efforts to be the best I can because of you, she said.
Dr. Lennox Honychurch and Jeon Adams-Julien at a simple, informal handing over of the book.

by Gloriah





Renowned Dominican historian, Dr. Lennox Honychurch, last week Wednesday donated a copy of his latest publication to the National Archives and Documentation Centre of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





The book, entitled Negre Mawon: The Fighting Maroons of Dominica, was published in 2014 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the uprising of the Maroons in Dominica.





The book donation was made after Dr. Honychurch made a presentation, Genocide, Loss of Land, Breach of Treaties: The Kalinago Case in the Reparations Struggle, at the 3rd International Garifuna Conference, held at the Peace Memorial Hall, October 12.





He was part of a panel that presented on the broad theme of Reparations and the Indigenous Cultural Experience.





According to Dr. Honychurch, Negre Mawon: The Fighting Maroons of Dominica deals with issues of the Kalinago people establishing Dominica, "like in the case of St. Vincent where the mountainous, forested nature of the landscape provided refuge for these peoples.





"That refuge was not only for the Kalinago people who were being stripped from the other, more accessible islands, he said, "but also for African enslaved persons who were escaping from other parts of the Eastern Caribbean.





This, he informed THE VINCENTIAN, formed the foundation for what was later called the "Maroon camps in Dominica.





Dr. Honychurch believes that what will prove to be a point of interest in this book is the outline of the ways how, after the British took over Dominica in 1763 and established the plantation system, "the Kalinago people provided the basis, the foundation and also provided information to the Africans on all of the things - vegetation, wild life and whatever they needed for their survival, the author expounded.





Dr. Honychurchs book will be revised next year to reflect what the author calls a "less derogatory name in Negre Mawon, and a broader scope within the issue. It will be renamed, The Forest of Freedom: The Fighting Maroons of Dominica.





Librarian Jeon Adams-Julien of the National Archives and Documentation Centre accepted the donation on behalf of the institution.




Grenadians will have their say on some pertinent constitutional amendments.

Grenadians will vote in a Constitutional referendum on Thursday 24th, 2016.





On that Day, dubbed Constitutional Referendum Day, Grenadians will vote for or against seven Bills, each on a different set of amendments, with each vote being cast separately.





In brief, Grenadines will be asked whether or not to amend their constitution so as to make the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) their final court of appeal for Grenada instead of the Privy Council.





Also in the mix is whether or not Grenadians want to have an Elections and Boundaries Commission comprising two members each from the government and the main opposition, with an independent Chairman appointed by the Governor-General.





The Grenadian electorate will also be asked to support or not to support a constitutional amendment that will allow the Governor-General to appoint a Leader of the Opposition from the party getting the second highest number of votes, if one party wins all the seats in general elections.





Also to be decided is the question of a fixed day and month after a fixed number of years, for the holding of general elections.





Up for consideration too, is a Bill to amend the Constitution that would allow a change to the name of the state from Grenada to "Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.





Last but not least, a decision is also being sought with respect to expanding the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, including: protecting citizens under arrest; protection of intellectual property; protection for children generally, whether born in or out of wedlock; guarantee public funded education to all children under the age of 16 years and those with disabilities under the age of 18 years; guarantee gender equality; establishing an enabling environment for persons who are physically, visually, aurally and or mentally challenged.





Once two-thirds majority is secured in favour of each Bill, there will be amendments to the Constitution.
Left:Renold Hadaway, Commissioner of Police (Ag), assured that the local constabulary has mounted a search for the RPFAB officer. Right:A call has been made for the suspension of Wendell Robinson, Commissioner of Police in Antigua & Barbuda.

As of Wednesday, press time, officers of the Royal SVG Police Force were on the hunt for an officer of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB), who is wanted in Antigua and Barbuda in connection with a sexual molestation of a minor investigation, and who had fled to this country.





The hunt follows the RSVGPFs receipt of an arrest warrant for the Antiguan officer, after it became known that he, according to the father of the minor involved in the matter, and newspaper reports from Antigua, had been allowed to leave the country.





The word quickly spread that the accused was a foreign national.

The issuing of the arrest warrant to the RSVGPF led many to conjecture that the accused might be a national of SVG and had, therefore, fled to his homeland.





Commissioner of Police (Ag) Renold Hadaway confirmed on Wednesday that their investigations since receiving the arrest warrant had turned up information that the officer in question had been sighted in at least two locations.

Investigations had already confirmed that the officer had given his place of abode, on arrival in SVG, as Byrea. Checks in that community did not turn up the officer, but reports there, according to the police, pointed to him being in the Questelles/Campden Park area.





Commissioner of Police (Ag) Hadaway confirmed that the undertaking to apprehend the accused was in full train, with an appropriately ranked officer appointed to head the effort.





Background





Reports from Antigua and Barbuda said that the officer might never have been taken in for questioning, even after a report was filed by the father of the minor, on September 28.





The father is reported to have said in his report that the alleged perpetrator was known to the family, and had been visiting their home for several months.





The Public Relations Officer of the RPFAB, Senior Sergeant Frankie Thomas, did, however, confirm to the Antigua media, that investigators had subsequently executed several search warrants at the home the officer would have occupied.





Thomas revealed that a fact-finding investigation has been launched into the allegations, and several statements stating the alleged crime have also been recorded, and that the issue will be treated as any other offence.

It took little time for the incident and subsequent developments to become a national issue in Antigua and Barbuda, with the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) calling on Prime Minister Gaston Browne to order a probe to determine how the police officer was able to leave the country, ahead of an investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct.





A call was also made by the UPP for Commissioner of Police Wendell Robinson, a Vincentian national, to be suspended forthwith while the investigation is ensuing.












Vying for the Miss Police Queen 2016 title are (from left) Renalda Solomon, Arianna Snagg, Enrica Akers, Leisa Baptiste, Kemelia Boyde, Nadisha Browne, Melissa Davis and Julianna Parris.

The once well patronized Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Forces Miss Police Queen and Calypso Monarch competitions return after a 15-year hiatus.





The Show is scheduled for November 4th at the Russells Auditorium, Kingstown, and Inspector Trevor Bailey, a leading member of the shows organizing committee, described the return as the RSVGPF effort to bridge the gap between the public and police..





"Over the years, the police have been seen as if our only function is to deal with crime and make arrests, Insp. Bailey said.





"We are hoping that we will be able to break down some barriers between the police and the public, he added.

Bailey beamed when he said that there was tremendous hidden talent within the organization (Police Force), implying that the public would be more than satisfied with what is on offer at the Show.

Five officers will compete for Calypso Monarch title: Sgt Renwick Cato, Corporal Parnell Browne and PCs Trevor Grant, Enkem Richards and Niquet Best. Notable absentee from this competition is police officer Zamfir Man Zangie Adams, the reigning National Calypso Monarch.





And eight will be looking to be crowned Miss Police Queen and for the opportunity to represent St Vincent and the Grenadines in a regional competition scheduled to be held in the British Virgin Islands, in March next year.

The eight are Nadisha Browne  Miss Central; Julianna Parris  Miss Eastern; Leisa Baptiste  Miss South Central; Melissa Davis  Miss Traffic; Arianna Snagg  Miss Grenadines; Kemelia Boyde  Miss CID, Renalda Solomon  Miss Port and Enrica Akers  Miss Western Division. (DD)
The jeep in which Kyron Sylvester was found, shows what appears to be bullet impressions on the front windshield. Inset:Inset: Kyron Sylvesters shooting death followed closely on that of 10-month-old Mozary Lee.

The local constabulary has another matter on their hands.





Investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the death of 19-year-old Kyron Sylvester, whose body, with a gunshot wound to the head, was discovered in a motor vehicle, in Villa, on Wednesday morning, according to police.





Father of the youngster, Michael Sylvester, recalled hearing shots early that morning, but he did not go outside. At about 6:30am when he did venture outside, he found his son slumped across the drivers seat of a two-door jeep PR 998, in the yard of the residence they occupied.





The vehicle showed signs of bullet marks to the windscreen, and it came to a stop next to a garbage bin.





Kyron spent his early years in Pauls Avenue in the heart of capital city Kingstown. He moved to Villa in recent times where he lived with his father. His mother, Cas Tommy, died of natural causes some years ago.





Kyron was employed at his fathers popular food outlet, Kye Vegetarian Cuisine, Pauls Avenue.

This incident adds to a list of gun related incidents which have raised alarm and eyebrows.





Commissioner of Police Renold Hadaway repeated a call to citizens to share with the Police any information they might have in relation to any crime(s). He assured the public that information shared with the police will be handled in the strictest confidence.

Kyrons death brought to twenty-six the number of homicides recorded so far for the year.
The Royal SVG Police Force continues to crack down on cannabis cultivation, trafficking and use, amidst numerous calls for the decriminalization of the herb.





Last week Friday, Alexis Williams, a 42-year-old labourer of Chateaubelair, was arrested and charged with having in his possession, "553 grammes of cannabis, with intent to supply it to another, at Chateaubelair on the same day of his arrest.





On Saturday, October 15, Anthony Dells, 28 years, of Trinidad and Tobago and residing at Kingstown Park, and Leslie Cummings, 50 years, Kingstown Park, both declaring themselves to be labourers, were arrested and charged jointly with having in their possession, "770 grammes of cannabis, with intent to supply it to another, at Clare Valley on 15th October 2016.





That same day, Sheldon Latham, 32 years; Jimmy Latham, 40 years; Lesroy Paul, 45 years; and Duke Parsons, 48 years, each giving his occupation as labourer, and all of Mesopotamia, were arrested and charged jointly with having in their possession, "458 grammes of cannabis, with intent to supply it to another, at Diamonds on 15th October 2016.




The Canadian Government funded Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) Project continues its survey of legal education, with a visit to SVG, October 21st to 23rd.





The survey interviews, to be conducted by the IMPACT Justice Consultants, Professor Jane Ching, Dr. Noel Watson and Dr. Adrian Cummins, Q.C., are expected to involve the Attorney General, Minister of Education, the Bar Association and prominent attorneys-at-law.





The Survey of Legal Education, which is now in its final phase, was suggested by the Council of Legal Education. It is intended to consider the purpose of legal education, and revisit the "West Indian System to see how thinking has changed since it was designed in the 1960s, and consider whether it is adequately meeting the needs of the region, particularly having regard to, inter alia: the current and projected demand for legal education and the need for the services of legally trained persons; the current arrangement for funding legal education and the scope for change, particularly taking into account the prevailing and projected economic environment; the current system of admissions in the Council of Legal Educations Law Schools and in the Faculties of Law of the University of the West Indies (UWI), University of Guyana (UG) and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTECH); the extent to which information technology is being used to cut cost through the provision of online courses; and how well equipped are new practitioners graduating from the West Indian System of Legal Education for practice in non-traditional areas of law.





The consultants have already visited The Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and St. Lucia to interview key stakeholders in these territories.

Following their assignment in SVG, the consultants head for Grenada (October 24th  26th), Guyana (October 27th  30th), Trinidad (October 31st  November 3rd ) and Belize (November 4th  8th).




The St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU) has issued an advisory to its members, urging them not to enter the Adelphi Secondary School building, until the authorities take action to address certain concerns.





In a release made public on Tuesday 18th October, the Union expressed its alarm and extreme concern about what it described as "the deteriorating conditions at the Adelphi Secondary School, and called on "the Ministry of Education to take immediate action and implement the steps necessary to correct the situation.





It is the contention of the SVGTU that the Adelphi Secondary School is unfit for use; that in its current state, it is a threat to the safety and health of staff, students and others who use the school.





According to the content of the release, the Union has taken cognizance of the fact, giving rise to its advisory, that very little if anything was done to effectively address the matter, even after the Union had made known the situation to the relevant authorities.





From all reports, the school is infested by termites, rodents, and mosquitoes. Its structure is said to be in a state of decay and general disrepair.





Senator Julian Francis, Minister of Works, in addressing the Unions concern during his Tuesday evening radio programme on Star FM, admitted that the situation at the school was untenable and gave the assurance that plans are afoot to address the situation.
Umar Abdullah, head of the Islamic Front of Trinidad and Tobago, has been at the head of the effort to have the men released. (Photo Credit: tv6t&t. com)

All things being even, five Trinidadian Muslims who were imprisoned for two years and seven months in a high security jail in Venezuela, will be united with their families.





The five had been held on charges of suspicions of terrorist activities and espionage.





The five  Wade Charles, Dominic Pitilal, Asim Luqman, Andre Battersby and Leslie Daisley  were reportedly taken to court on Thursday and Friday before being released on Saturday, after being held snce March 19, 2014.

Also detained in March 2014, were the wives of three of the men along with eight children and three Imams.





Reports then said that 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 the children were the first to be allowed to return to Trinidad, while the Imams were freed after 45 days.





At a press conference held Saturday in Trinidad, Head of the Islamic Front, Umar Abdullah asked that the nation welcome the men home.





"This is what you can expect of a Muslim community when they return home, he said.

Abdullah also called on the government to put measures in place to make it easier for them to reintegrate back into society.





It was Abulah who, in August this year, accused the Venezuelan authorities of inventing ways to prevent the return of the men, and (he) called on the government of Trinidad and Tobago to establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, to ensure that local Muslims did not have to travel to Caracas in search of visas to attend the Hajj.

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims. (Source: CMC)
Mrs. Juliette Hinds-Wilson, VINLECs Manager, Finance, conducted the first mentorship session. Inset:Some of the students who were involved in the first mentorship session.

St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) continues to reach out to the youth of this country through its VINVolunteeers programme.





The VINVolunteeers initiative was launched earlier this year to encourage volunteerism across the Company. Traditionally, VINLECs contributions to charities and organisations have been in the form of financial donations. Through the VINVolunteers initiative, the Company grants time for volunteers to work on projects, in addition to providing financial assistance.





On Thursday 13th October, the Company formally launched a project at the Bishops College Kingstown (BCK). Through this particular initiative, VINLEC will provide financial as well as moral support. A mentorship aspect of the programme will concentrate primarily on Form 3 students as they are at a crucial juncture in their lives, both academically and personally. BCK has three Form 3 classes, and VINLEC employees will meet the students from these classes on Thursday mornings, for the remainder of the academic year.





Last week Thursdays session was done by Mrs. Juliette Hinds-Wilson, VINLECs Manager, Finance.

In addition to this, the VINVolunteeers initiative will provide support in the area of transportation for some disadvantaged students, and lunches for twelve children who require such assistance over the school year. There are nine employees involved in this project.





A number of other areas of interest have been identified, and in some cases preparatory work has commenced. These include projects at the West St. George Secondary School and the School for Children with Special Needs.

All of the initiatives are in keeping with the Companys theme for 2016, "Our Community, Our People.
And they are off on the 2016 edition of CIBC FirstCaribbean Walk for the Cure.

Organizers of this years CIBC FirstCaribbean Walk for the Cure, staged last Saturday, October 15, have labeled the event a tremendous success.





A record number of walkers  estimated at more than 350 - turned out for the activity, which took them on a route from the Banks headquarters on Halifax Street, to the Arnos Vale Roundabout, then back to the Banks Car Park, where they participated in warm-down activities, coordinated by the BE FIT MOVEMENT and other fitness groups.





The Walk had been postponed from the originally scheduled October 1 date, because of the passage of Tropical Storm Matthew.





This years proceeds from the Walk are slated to be handed over to Project Pink, which is dedicated to an awareness programme to combat breast cancer, and which, therefore, aligns itself with the purpose of the Walk, i.e. to raise funds for cancer awareness and treatment.





Jacintha Hinds, Chair of the CIBC First Caribbean Walk Committee, thanked partners FLOW, Going Places, Visa, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Quick Cash, Arabesque, Mustique Co. Ltd, Harmony Investments, ECGC / JU-C and Tus-T water, for making the event possible.





"We at CIBC FirstCaribbean would like to especially thank each and every person who came out and joined us on this walk.





"It shows that you are aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it, and it speaks volumes to the commitment that we (as a society) have for our fight against cancer.





"We thank you from the depths of our hearts, and hope that you would join us again next year as we strive to make Walk for the Cure 2017 bigger and greater, as we continue our fight against the dreaded disease, Hinds said.

Walkers in St Vincent and the Grenadines as well as the other 16 CIBC FirstCaribbean markets, are hoping to raise over US $500,000 for cancer research, awareness and treatment.
Up to press time Wednesday, THE VINCENTIAN was unable to confirm whether any one or both of the men granted bail in the sum of $40,000 and one surety, was/were able to meet that requirement.





The two, Ezra Harry and Simeon Francois, both of Petit Bordel, were granted bail at the Serious Offences Court on Monday, when they appeared to answer charges of theft, and attempted robbery, unlawful and malicious wounding of a yachtsman Andri Kholou.





The men were not required to plead given that they were indictable charges.

The charges arose from an attack on Mr. Kholou while he was on his yacht anchored in the Chateaubelair Bay, around 7:30pm, on October 10.





Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche did not object to bail, but he asked for suitable surety; that the mens travel documents be surrendered; that they report twice a week to the Chateubelair Police Station; that stop orders be placed on them at all ports of exit in the state; and that they be placed on a 7 pm to 6am curfew.

Magistrate Rechanne Browne granted Delpleches request.

Harry and Francois are due to reappear in court on January 27, 2017.
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By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan and Russia have discussed international trucking as a joint intergovernmental commission convened in Baku.

Azerbaijan`s delegation at the event was headed by chairman of State Automobile Transport Service Elnur Abdullayev. Russia`s delegation was led by director of the Department of Motor and City Passenger Transport of the Ministry of Transport Alexey Bakirey.

Russia and Azerbaijan plan to open six new regular passenger bus routes, said Elnur Abdullayev.

Currently, there are nine regular bus routes for passenger transportation between Azerbaijan and Russia. These are the approved routes Baku-Moscow, Baku-Krasnodar, Baku-Tolyatti, Baku-Kazan, Baku-St.Petersburg, Baku-Nizhny Novgorod, Ganja-Moscow and Baku-Stavropol, Abdullayev said, adding that there are no problems observed in passenger transportation.

In turn, Deputy Director General of Rosavtotrans (Russian Agency of Automobile Transport) Ruslan Luzhetsky requested the Azerbaijani side for extension of the term of permission for the Russian carriers, which is currently issued for one year.

This is a big problem for our carriers. The procedure of consideration and passing of documents takes 4-5 months. As a result, there are only some six months remaining for the real implementation of the transportation, Luzhetsky said, asking to increase the term from one to five years.

There was also raised the question about the extension of a permit for transportation on the route Baku-Kazan, which has expired on September 27. The Azerbaijani side said that it has received the corresponding request and considers it.

There was stated that Russia is ready to increase up to 120 days the term of stay on its territory for Azerbaijani drivers engaged in cargo transportation. This was announced by Hidayat Aslanov, Head of Sector for international cooperation and transportation of the State Road Transport Service of Azerbaijans Transport Ministry.

Under existing rules, the citizens of Azerbaijan, including the drivers involved in the cargo transportation, may stay on the territory of Russia without permission up to 90 days.

In accordance with the presidential decree, we addressed the Russian side with a request to increase the length of stay for carriers. A mechanism for the distinction of the drivers from ordinary citizens should be created soon, Aslanov said.
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

Baku will host the Azerbaijan-Ukraine Business Forum in November to define the priority areas in the economic cooperation.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Alexander Mishchenko announced about this on October 20 during a Ukrainian tourism forum in Baku.

He said the representatives of about 50 Ukrainian companies from different sectors of economy will attend the Azerbaijan-Ukraine business forum.

The ambassador noted that a lot of issues will be discussed at the forum, including construction of a plant for manufacturing the Ukrainian Antonov An-178 aircraft in Azerbaijan, as well as construction of a medicine factory with the support of Ukraines biggest pharmaceutical company Indar.

Mishchenko noted that currently Indar is negotiating with Azerbaijan and the share in the future enterprise is expected to be 50-50.

Moreover, Ukraine proposes to Azerbaijan to organize health tours to Truskavets for veterans of war and people with disabilities, the ambassador said, adding that the appropriate negotiations are being held with Azerbaijans Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

Ukraine also actively cooperates with Azerbaijan in the education sphere; about 6,000 Azerbaijani students are currently studying in Ukraine, Mischenko noted.

Currently, we start cooperation with Azerbaijan in order to ensure that students from Ukraine can get education in Azerbaijan in the energy sphere, as well as defend their dissertations.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine made up $234.7 million in the first nine months of 2016. A total of $201.8 million of them were the imports from Ukraine to Azerbaijan, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

This year, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited Azerbaijan, and a number of agreements were signed during the visit.

Particularly, the Protocol of the 5th meeting of the Council of Azerbaijani and Ukrainian presidents was inked by President Aliyev and President Poroshenko.

The Protocol on cooperation in fighting customs violations in air transportation of goods between Azerbaijans State Customs Committee and State Fiscal Service of Ukraine was signed by head of the State Customs Committee Aydin Aliyev and head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov.

The Program of cooperation in culture and art for 2016-2020 between Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ukraines Ministry of Culture and Tourism was inked by Azerbaijans Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev and Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.
By Azertac





Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has today signed an order providing funding for renovation of multi-apartment residential buildings in the city of Qazakh.





Under the presidential order, three million manats were allocated from the President`s Contingency Fund to Qazakh District Executive Authority for renovation of 24 multi-apartment residential buildings in the city.
By Azernews





By Gunay Hasanova

Russian Foreign Ministrys spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that there are no discussions to change the OSCE Minsk Group, established to mediate for peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, Moscow can only hail constructive role of the OSCE MG member states, including Turkey, in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement, she said addressing a briefing on October 20.

It is a direct responsibility of all the members of the OSCE MG to facilitate the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Zakharova.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Turkey is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, established to mediate between the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and supports the conflict resolution within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
By Azernews





By Gunay Hasanova

Turkey and Russia seek to rebuild their damaged ties and grow even closer rather they were.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing on Thursday that the process of restoring the Russian-Turkish relations is underway.

After negotiations, we signed a number of documents at the highest level, including economic agreements, which should contribute to the restoration of our relations. And it is clear that their immediate implementation takes time. This example shows that this process is still going, said Zakharova.

She further said that Moscows contacts with Turkey on Syria have been restored.

"Contacts with our Turkish colleagues on Syria have been restored," the diplomat said. "An exchange of views is in progress, we are assessing what Turkey is doing. Our contacts have been restored, and we express the concerns that we have not so much in public as through the direct channels. Public rhetoric doesnt add any constructive proposals."

Moreover, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardym recently said that an official representative of Turkish Foreign Ministry will visit Moscow next week to hold consultations with Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"The representative of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Tanju Bilgic, will visit Moscow next week for consultations with Maria Zakharova on the question of media," Umit Yardym said.

He also added that the mayor of Istanbul is expected to visit Moscow on October 25.

Relations between Turkey and Russia broke down for about seven months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015.

However, relations have improved since the August meeting of the two presidents. The visit of Erdogan marked a first since last November when the crisis in relations between the countries started and is also Erdogans first foreign visit after a failed coup attempt in Turkey.

The last time the two leaders met on the sidelines of World Energy Congress on October 10 held in Istanbul.
This post is prompted by a number of things that have left me pondering how as Christians we are to bring about change in our churches. When we strongly b...

7 years ago
Advancing Iraqi-led forces met with stiff resistance on day four of their battle to liberate the city of Mosul from two years of ISIS rule, reports said.



However, they have made sweeping gains, recapturing at least 100 sq km of territory, a CNN report said.



Iraqi Maj Gen Maan Al-Saadi said 200 ISIS fighters were killed as Iraqi forces took the Christian town of Bartella from ISIS militants, the latest territorial win for a coalition of around 100,000 people quickly closing in on Mosul.



ISIL fighters unleashed a wave of vehicle-borne suicide bombers, while leaving a deadly trail of hidden explosive devices.



Iraq's government said on Thursday its soldiers advanced from the south and east, while Kurdish Peshmerga fighters moved in from the north and east on the country's second-largest city, now under control of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS.



"After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else they will crumble," said Major-General Fadhil Barwari.



ISIL fighters drove at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armoured Humvee, Lieutenant-Colonel Muntadhar Al-Shimmari was quoted as saying by an AP report.
Amman Rotana hotel, the newest property by leading hospitality group Rotana, is already creating an expectant buzz and attracting widespread attention from both visitors and tourists in the kingdom since opening its doors in mid-July 2016.



Amman Rotana, the tallest building in Jordan, towers 188 metres and features 50 floors that include 412 lavish rooms and suites that were designed to combine luxury and comfort. Additionally, the hotel is home to a number of world-class dining venues, the cutting-edge Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club and an outdoor swimming pool.



Mohammad Haj Hassan, area vice president of Rotana in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain, said: "The opening of Amman Rotana falls in line with our group's determined expansion vision and Jordan's rich tourism offerings and diverse cultural identity made it an appealing prospect, one that Rotana is proud of. Amman Rotana has already become a landmark in the city, towering over the capital and offering a unique luxury experience housed in a magnificent design.



Located in Amman's new downtown as an integral part of the Abdali project, the hotel is centrally located with a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view of the capital and its seven hills. Amman Rotana is adjacent to The Boulevard Arjaan by Rotana and is steps away from the contemporary Boulevard commercial district, which features luxurious outdoor shopping options as well as a number of popular restaurants and cafes. Also close by is the Al-Abdali Mall, Jordan's largest commercial complex, showcasing numerous international brands and boutique shops.



Cluster general manager of Amman Rotana and The Boulevard Arjaan by Rotana, Atieh Hamarneh said: "The hotel's design, architecture and interiors reflect creativity and innovation. The hotel has, in a short period of time, become an outstanding landmark of the kingdom, and we are looking forward to being a qualitative addition to the hospitality sector in Jordan through our distinctive characteristics, world-class services and strategic location."



Amman Rotana hosts six diverse restaurants with menus boasting delicacies from around the world, including the venue ThreeSixty all-day-dining, The Lounge, Rodeo Grill steakhouse, Italian restaurant Gusto, Bar on Four and The Deck Pool Lounge. Additionally, the hotel houses the Monarch Ballroom, a deluxe hall for special occasions and nine exclusive meeting spaces, as well as Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club with modern gym facilities that offer up-to-date equipment, expert trainers, a sauna, Jacuzzi and steam rooms.



"Amman Rotana is focused on providing the best services to our guests in addition to providing exceptional facilities and meeting their needs in line with Rotana's approach," said Haj Hassan. - TradeArabia News Service
Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
Neighbors on a central Casper street are butting heads over whether one of the residents should be able to turn his second property into a halfway house for recently released inmates.

Jerry Gonzales bought the house at 205 S. Minnesota Ave. in December with the goal of renovating it and selling it again at a profit. But hes had little interest since he put the property on the market six months ago. He couldnt even find someone to rent it, he said.

Until a nonprofit approached him with an offer: Could they rent the house and use it to shelter and treat recently released inmates recovering from addiction?

The house would host between one and eight residents at a time, along with a live-in staff member from Warrior Down, the nonprofit dedicated to fighting addiction that would run the house, Gonzales said. All residents would be graduates of a 12-month program offered by the Casper Re-Entry Center, where they would prepare for life outside of prison, and would be vetted by Warrior Down before moving in. The residents would be subject to drug and alcohol testing and there would be no tolerance for aggressive behavior.

Gonzales would work with Warrior Down on a six-month trial basis, he said, and would consider extending that time period if things go well. But when summer comes around again, he plans to look for a buyer for the house.

With the plan made, Gonzales took the proposal to his neighbors.

I dont need permission from neighbors to do this, Gonzales said. But Im the kind of guy who loves his neighbors, and I respect their opinions.

But some of his neighbors are concerned.

We have many, many vulnerable citizens in our neighborhood, said Jennifer DeGaugh, who has lived on Minnesota Avenue for 10 years. There are lots of kids, lots of single women, lots of elderly. I feel that it would endanger our safety and decrease our property values as well as create a parking issue on our block.

DeGaugh said she knows that theres a need for halfway houses and addiction recovery treatment but that her neighborhood isnt an appropriate option. Even with strict vetting of residents, it would be impossible to eliminate risk, she said.

Its not the kind of neighborhood for that kind of facility, she said.

Jennifer McKay has lived on Minnesota Avenue for 27 years and said theres nothing Gonzales could do to make her support the proposed halfway house.I dont want those people living on this street, she said. Ive felt safe on this street for 27 years, and I dont think Ill feel safe with those people living here.Concerned neighbors are holding a meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Casper Senior Center and have been circulating a petition against the idea.Gonzales planned to host his own meeting Thursday evening in his home so that he could listen to the thoughts of his neighbors and explain the project. I get it. I get that people are concerned, he said. But I want you to know something. I live in this neighborhood  my house is four houses down from (the proposed halfway house). The last thing Im going to do is put myself and my family in harms way.Gonzales visited the Therapeutic Community Treatment Program offered by the re-entry center, which the halfway house would model, and talked with staff and residents to learn more about residential treatment and what residents would need. The halfway house would help former inmates learn necessary skills, like writing a resume and using a smartphone, while also providing a culture that empowers them to move forward positively, Gonzales said.It seems right that the house become a home for those recovering from addictions because all of the refurbishing and renovation work was done by former inmates and recovering addicts and alcoholics, said Gonzales wife, Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter.

The natural next step is to rent the house to people who are looking to create a sober living house and a culture of responsibility and accountability, she said. These are people who are looking well. Theyve paid their dues; theyve paid their debt to society.

The project is also personal for the couple  theyre both recovering addicts themselves, though theyve been clean for decades. Some people discriminate against former inmates because they think a convict could never change their ways, he said. I am one of those people  thats who I am, he said. The only difference between them and me is that I didnt get caught, and thats by the grace of God.His recovery was only possible because of the people who helped him along the way, he said. So one of my ways to give back is to help the people who walked the same horror I did and giving them hope, he said. This is about giving a human being some help.Simon-Peter looks to her experience as a United Methodist clergywoman and her faith for guidance in the issue. I know that Jesus said love your neighbor and I know that these guys are our neighbors too, she said.The couple hopes they will be able to come to an understanding about the project. Gonzales doesnt want to force the idea down anyones throats, he said, and wants to maintain good relationships with the people who live around him. But he also wants to give back to the larger community and follow what he sees as Gods will for him.If its in your heart to help people, how can you .... say no to that? he said. Someone has helped me my whole life, and I am forever thankful for that.
Remember when Trump was the lightweight with no policy specifics?

At this point, the only policy specific Trump hasnt given us is which company will supply rebar for the wall.

But now, the medias entire campaign against Trump is to prevent him from talking policy. They would rather talk about fat-shaming than trade, immigration and jobs.

Sometimes, it seems like Trump is cheating by taking the vastly more popular side of every issue.

Hes against amnesty, for building a wall, against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, for Social Security, against the Iraq War and for extreme vetting of Muslim immigrants.

Thats why the media have to change the subject: Trump is a groper!

The medias interest in sex scandals goes back and forth.

The fact that a lacrosse team had hired a couple of strippers was all the evidence our media needed to conclude that the athletes had committed a gang-rape, based on centuries of entitlement.

By contrast, when former U.S. Senator John Edwards was cheating on his wife, the media primly refused to cover it.

That is, until Edwards was out of the race, at which point the media refused to cover it because he wasnt a candidate.

The only sex stories our media believe are the false ones.

Emma Sulkowicz, or Mattress Girl, claimed she had been raped by a fellow student at Columbia University and that college administrators refused to take action against her rapist.

Columbia is the institution that invited Irans Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak. Administrators constantly change mascot names and cancel celebrations because some feminist yelps.

But Mattress Girls claim that administrators at Columbia turned a deaf ear to her brutal rape was believable.

Among the many articles in The New York Times about brave Mattress Girl, writer Roberta Smith said her art project  carrying a mattress around campus to symbolize the weight carried by rape victims  raised analogies to Christs Stations of the Cross.

After Mattress Girl had spent a couple of years accepting awards, her alleged rapist released her texts to him.

Heres one from before the alleged rape:

I love youuuu

And here are a few after:

I wanna see yoyououoyou

I love you Paul. Where are you?!?!?!?!

About the same time, Rolling Stones Sabrina Rubin Erdely was reaping accolades for a story about a gang-rape at the University of Virginia.

Erdely was the toast of the town ... until a few weeks later. Rolling Stone retracted the article, the Columbia Journalism Review investigated and there are currently three defamation lawsuits proceeding against the magazine.

Now, the same people who brought us the Duke lacrosse case, Mattress Girl and the Rolling Stone abomination  but who discreetly left John Edwards sex scandal to the National Enquirer, Bill Clintons serial sexual assaults to private litigant Paula Jones, and the Kennedy familys whoring to journalists Seymour Hersh (30 years later) and Leo Damore (20 years later)  these are the people who tell us theyre pretty sure Trump is a groper.

Three weeks before a major election.

Trump has been a rich celebrity for 40 years, employing thousands of women, but this is the first time he has been seriously accused of sexual impropriety.

Trump denies the allegations, but dont expect a correction like this one from the Chicago Tribune, dated Sept. 5, 1996: In her Wednesday Commentary page column, Linda Bowles stated that President Clinton and the former campaign adviser Dick Morris both were guilty of callous unfaithfulness to their wives and children. Neither man has admitted to being or been proven to have been unfaithful. The Tribune regrets the error.

The reason for these claims is that the ruling class doesnt want voters thinking about the immigration policies, trade deals and wars that are destroying their way of life.

Theyre so close! Just four more years of importing the Third World, and America will be o-ver.

Maybe it will work. And then six months after the election, Americans will realize theyve been scammed into giving away their country.
The process of hiring a new fire chief will begin immediately, city officials said, though formal recruitment for the position probably wont start until January.

Fire Chief Kenneth King announced his retirement Wednesday, hours after apologizing for an email he sent last year during the Cole Creek Fire asking a fire investigator to delete bad parts of video evidence.

King will step down Jan. 2, 2018  a date the chief selected himself, city manager V.H. McDonald said. King declined to explain his decision to retire and his selection of the date when contacted by the Star-Tribune on Friday, saying he wanted to keep the decision low key. King is required to give only 30 days notice before leaving his position, according to his employment contract.

The 14-month period between the announcement and Kings retirement allows the city more time to hire a new chief, though that wasnt why the date was selected, McDonald said.

Theres a little bit of fortune with that because it takes so long to find a replacement, he said.

In the next few weeks, staff will research the process used to hire the past two chiefs, McDonald said. City leaders will then decide whether they will recruit from outside of the department and how they will evaluate candidates. Both King and his predecessor, Mark Young, were hired from within Casper Fire-EMS.

The process is going to be long and deliberate, he said. Its got to be a carefully thought-out process.

McDonald hoped to formally open the job search by January 2017 but said he wouldnt be surprised if it took longer. City staff will soon be busy creating next years budget and preparing for spring projects, McDonald said, and cuts in the human resources department due to the economic downturn will also slow down the hiring process.

Former city manager John Patterson hired King as fire chief in July 2013 after Young announced his retirement in May of that year. King had held various positions within the department since he joined in 1980, including the division chief of operations, the division chief of training, a captain, a fire engineer and a firefighter.

The Casper Fire-EMS Department consists of five stations and more than 70 employees. The fire chief reports directly to the city manager.

The email King sent during the Cole Creek Fire last year became public last week when the Star-Tribune published a story about it  10 days before Kings retirement announcement.

King sent the email to Devin Garvin, who was helping collect evidence for the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the state fire marshals office, on Oct. 14, 2015, as the fire continued to engulf rural Evansville. By the time the fire was extinguished two days later, it had destroyed 14 homes and charred about 10,000 acres.

Could you cut out the bad parts, and make sure that no copies are made and only DCI views? King wrote in the email.

King later told the Star-Tribune the email had been a joke. He apologized for the email Wednesday, hours before announcing his retirement.

I deeply regret my insensitive words and lack of judgement, King wrote in a letter released after noon Wednesday. Words simply cannot express how truly sorry I am for the way my actions have offended and embarrassed members of the community and the City organization.
BOISE, Idaho  The National Park Service must attract younger and more racially diverse visitors to the areas it manages, and it will probably uncover more cases of sexual harassment in its workforce of 22,000 employees following a scandal involving demands for sex by male workers from their female colleagues, the services outgoing director said in an interview Tuesday.

Jon Jarvis, who will retire from the park service in January after a 40-year career, was called before Congress in June after a report confirming sexual harassment and a hostile work environment at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Canaveral National Seashore in Florida. Some lawmakers on a House committee called for his resignation.

Jarvis, who is 63, said he is not retiring in response to those demands but that his term as director automatically ends after a new U.S. president takes office in January.

He called the sexual harassment horrible and unacceptable. Jarvis said he was unaware it had been going on, but he expected more cases to emerge now that the park service is actively investigating.

Jarvis, whose final year running the park service coincides with its 100th anniversary and celebrations that Jarvis said have enticed more visitors, also said hes worried that most visitors to the nations parks are like him  older, white and not representative of the demographics of the United States.

Were an institution that only exists at the will of the people, Jarvis said before giving a speech for the Andrus Center for Public Policy to about 250 at Boise State University. If were not relevant to the next generation or the generation after that, we will have failed our mission.

Since being confirmed by the Senate in 2009, Jarvis has pushed for a park system more representative of the diversity of the U.S. population as well as efforts to attract younger visitors. Thats led in recent years to national monument designations by President Barack Obama for places honoring blacks, Latinos and women.

Those designations include in 2012 the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in California, recognizing farm worker rights. In 2013 came the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Maryland recognizing efforts by an escaped slave to help others to freedom.

In 2016 came the Belmont-Paul Womens Equality National Monument in Washington, D.C., a significant site for women seeking the right to vote. The Stonewall National Monument in New York was also created earlier this year. Its the first national monument to gay rights.

Jarvis said whoever succeeds him must keep up the momentum to attract a more diverse parks visitor base because making sure that were telling the full and complete American story is going to be a big part of our second century.

Conservation national monuments have also been created, including almost half a million acres for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico in 2014.

Besides the demographics of park visitors, another challenge Jarvis sees is climate change. That could include what to do about new species that move into conservation areas as a kind of last refuge, possibly displacing existing species.

These are tough policy and tough scientific questions, he said.

He said he expects the park service to coordinate with other land management agencies, such as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, to try to connect large landscapes as climate change influences species migration.

He said the agencys budget has been a problem for years, and theres currently a $12 billion backlog of maintenance. He said that can mean outdated facilities for visitors and shabby housing for employees. But Congress controls the agencys budget.

Jarvis biggest challenge came this year, when a report by the Interior Departments inspector general found male employees at the Grand Canyon preyed on female colleagues, demanded sex and retaliated against women who refused.

Reports of sexual harassment, bullying and other misconduct among employees have also come to light at Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park.

Jarvis, one of the longest-serving directors the agency has had, said in the interview that the agency has been male-dominated and has sought advice from the U.S. Department of Defense on how to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace.
U.S. House candidates Liz Cheney and Ryan Greene criticized each others careers at a debate Thursday night, with each saying the other was lucky to have parents who helped open doors in their professional lives.

Throughout the nearly hourlong debate at Casper College, Cheney and Greene continuously referred to the other as my opponent. While Libertarian Lawrence Struempf and the Constitution Partys Daniel Cummings both tried to establish themselves as viable third-party alternatives to the major party candidates in the race for Wyomings only U.S. House seat, the zingers between Cheney and Greene elicited the most audience reaction.

Now not everybody in our state has the job security of being able to work in their parents company their whole career like my opponent, said Cheney, a Republican, in a criticism of Greene, a Democrat who runs operations and is a welder for the family energy company in Rock Springs.

The remark drew boos from some of the roughly 130 people attending the debate, which was sponsored by the college, WyomingPBS and the Casper Star-Tribune.

As Cheney continued to speak, Greene spoke over her, saying, Not everybody was handed a job at the State Department because their dad was vice president.

Some audience members applauded Greenes comeback.

Cheneys father is Dick Cheney, who served as vice president under George W. Bush and was at the debate. Liz Cheney was principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs during that time.

Greene criticized Cheneys out-of-state fundraising, saying wealthy people on the coasts dont care for Wyoming.

Lets be honest, folks: They dont give a hoot about Wyoming issues, he said. They want a candidate that can push their agenda.

Cheney, however, countered that her ability to mobilize money and attention at a national level bodes well for Wyoming.

Im the only candidate on the stage who will be able to get a national focus and a national attention on our issues, she said.

Cheney criticized Greene for his early support of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and later backing of Hillary Clinton. She said Greene will elect as his partys House leader U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, which will be bad for Wyoming.

Greene said hes worked in the energy industry and has worked his entire life in Wyoming. He criticized Cheneys time in the Washington, D.C., area. He also criticized her for receiving campaign donations from the wind energy industry, which he said could hurt the coal industry.

Struempf grew up on a ranch near Riverton. Hes a teacher and has management experience. He said hes not an extremist, such as Cheney and Greene. He said hes a moderate Libertarian who wants to protect social liberties yet be fiscally responsible. He said he is like what Republicans used to be in the 1970s and 1980s.

I believe that you need someone who can go to Congress, who can work for you and fight for your rights, he said.

Cummings rejected many suggestions that the federal government can fix national problems for the good. He doesnt think the federal government should be involved in gun control, the minimum wage and other activities.

I am the candidate for individual liberty, smaller government, for peaceful coexistence with one another, he said.
Giving Wyoming more control over public land is unlikely to result in a financial windfall because state regulators would still have to adhere to federal laws over the terrain, a new report found.

The two-year study of state management of public land was completed Aug. 31 by Y2 Consultants in Jackson. The state hired the natural resources firm shortly after the 2015 legislative session, when lawmakers adopted a bill to fund the $75,000 study.

The 350-page report looked at land under the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. The Legislature did not include national parks or military installations in the study.

A movement afoot throughout the West, which contains much of the countrys public spaces, has pushed for the transfer of the land to the states. Its adherents are frustrated with the time it takes the feds to approve permits for mineral development and by the closed-off access to roads and recreation. They say bureaucratic red tape and rules are hurting local economies. They believe local management would be more responsive.

Sportsmen have generally opposed state management of public land, warning that land will be too complex and expensive for Wyoming to manage and will result in states selling the most picturesque and mineral-rich acres to the wealthy and well-connected, forever blocking the publics access.

The Wyoming study was different than ones commissioned by legislatures and counties in Utah, Nevada and Idaho, which evaluated the federal government transferring the land to the states and the states owning the land. Wyomings study assumed the federal government still owned the land, but the state would manage it.

But the Wyoming study states many people would need to be hired to accommodate the management of public land. The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments manages only 3.5 million acres and employs 96 people full-time.

The state is looking at managing an additional 25 million acres. The BLM has 800 full-time employees in Wyoming. Almost 530 people work for the Bridger-Teton, Shoshone and Bighorn national forests, the report states.

With federal ownership, the rules and laws governing public lands would remain intact. Wyoming would have to create affirmative action plans to adhere to federal labor laws. The state would also have to comply with complex government contracting rules and nevertheless would have to continue to share mineral wealth and recreation and grazing fees with the federal government, the report states.

Most significantly, the report concludes that Congress is unlikely to kick back more money to Wyoming under a state management scheme.

Most of the royalties and fees that go back to Washington are earmarked for programs under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the report states. Wyoming currently receives 48 percent of the mineral revenue generated in Wyoming on public lands  about $1 billion two years ago. The federal government receives 52 percent.

It is unlikely that Wyoming would receive more of that share with a transfer of management unless it were negotiated and written into necessary legislation as a form of payment for the state to take over the management duties of the federal agencies, the report states.

The report concludes the state cannot exclusively manage the land for profit, as it does with the 3.5 million surface acres of school trust lands. The state is required by law to manage the trust lands to raise money for public schools and other beneficiaries.

Bureaucratic maze

Several federal laws require public land to be managed for the needs of the various industries and recreational enthusiasts. Public land also must be managed under the concept known as sustainable yield, which means continuing the supply of natural resources through regrowth or reproduction to ensure replacement of the part that has been harvested.

Two years ago, the BLM spent almost $100 million to operate in Wyoming, from permitting to fighting wildfires to construction, the report states. That year it generated about $2 billion in revenues in the state, from mining to timber to recreation fees.

In that same year, the Forest Service collected over $9 million in Wyoming from activities such as logging, mining and grazing. But its expenses were over $44 million.

Ultimately, without significant changes to federal law, the greatest challenge would be that the state would be inheriting the same bureaucratic maze of overlapping, entwined, often conflicting federal mandates established in the labyrinth of laws and directives laid out by Congress, the study states. These mandates and directives are frequently underfunded, contradictory and may regularly and suddenly change according to the political whims of a particular year.

Federal laws require extensive environmental reviews with which the state would have to comply. State employees would be dispatched across Wyoming to gather input from stakeholders ranging from industry to communities to tribes for new activity on federal land. The state would need attorneys to help its agencies comply with the federal Freedom of Information Act, which guarantees the publics right to government paperwork, data and other records.

Two years ago, the BLM in Wyoming processed 56 FOIA requests from law firms, trade organizations, ranches, businesses and environmental groups.

The FOIA workload is due in large part to the multi-use nature of federal public lands and how the balance should be struck between them, the report states.

Conflicting interests over the public lands are leading to more lawsuits that Wyoming would be dragged into, the report states.

Sportsmen and public lands

The study is vindication to sportsmen, who said its time for the state to abandon notions of state control over federal land.

Wyoming sportsmen and women are not surprised by the conclusion offered up by the long-awaited Study on the Management of Public Lands, Max Ludington of the Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance said in a statement. The study concludes state management of federal lands would be unlikely to accomplish the goal of markedly better managed federal lands and management decisions.

Cheyenne sportsman Earl DeGroot, a hunter who organizes the Wyoming Sportsmen for Federal Lands page on Facebook, hopes the study will be taken seriously.

I hope the Legislature will consider the findings of this report, and the overwhelming opposition that Wyoming sportsmen have expressed, and finally put an end to this effort, DeGroot said in a statement released by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. The focus of our legislators should be on the real land management solutions and partnerships that will benefit our state.

The report offers several recommendations to state and local leaders to achieve more desirable decisions from the federal government on public land. The recommendations would save the state money and are a safer bet than land management, the report states.

For example, it would be very beneficial if the state could financially support the gathering of social and economic data that could demonstrate  with cold, hard facts  the impacts of federal management decisions on communities, the report states.

Local governments have the opportunity to write policy plans and submit them to federal agencies, which are required by law to consider them. The study contains examples from in and around Wyoming of successful partnerships between the federal government, states and industry.

The report hails a partnership between conservation groups and the Wyoming County Commissioners Association on Wilderness Study areas, which have been in a holding pattern for decades because Congress wont follow the law and either designate them as official wilderness areas or release them as regular public lands.

The report also suggests the state propose to Congress management of small pieces of land instead of 25 million acres.

The recommendation rang familiar to Casper Rep. Tim Stubson, a member of a legislative committee that will review the report Nov. 9 in Riverton. The Republican ran for U.S. House earlier this year with a platform that included management of small pieces of land.

You give the state the opportunity to prove it can responsibly manage those lands, and if you make those mistakes you do so on a small scale, versus a large scale, he said.

Legislative response

Rep. David Miller said hes not surprised that the study concluded that state management wouldnt be successful with Washington still involved.

The parties are always going to be disagreement at what needs to be done, he said. It would be a real nightmare.

The Riverton Republican, who may become House speaker next year, wants transfer of the lands to the state.

He criticized the study as rehashing numbers that were already publicly available. Missing from the study, he said, was potential mineral development that could happen under state control. For instance, he said in the past decade, numerous uranium mining permits were denied or were stalled. Those should have been factored into the study, he said.

About 70 percent of the states revenue comes from mineral taxes. But oil, gas and coal are down and Wyoming is facing revenue shortfalls in the hundreds of millions. Lands transfer could be a solution because the state would allow more minerals production, Miller said.

Weve got a problem, he said. Are we going to cut services as mineral production goes down? Are we going to cut education as mineral production goes down? The bottom line is well have to unless another tax can replace this.
A mountain lion was spotted recently in a residential area in the Wind River Mountain foothills near Lander. Game and Fish was not called in, but a department spokesman says the large cats are on the hunt.

Large carnivore biologist Justin Clapp of the Lander office says mountain lions are usually elusive and dont typically attack humans, but are curious, like most cats, and may wander into populated areas following a food source, such as deer. For that reason, he warns everyone to always be on the watch, and if a lion is seen in the distance, he recommends backing slowly out of the area.

If the animal approaches or acts aggressively and comes closer, he recommended making noise.

We certainly promote being loud, but we certainly dont want people to turn around and run, which would instigate a chase instinct, he said.

The animals are found in mountainous areas across the state and have been managed by his department since the mid-1970s, when they were reclassified from predator to trophy animals, he said. Trophy game status gives the state Game and Fish department the authority to manage the species.

Under a predator status, there isnt much regulation on the take of those animals, he said. So predators would be considered things like coyotes, raccoons, red fox, feral cats, things like that. A trophy game animal is something that the state actively manages for populations like black bears, mountain lions, and even some that we dont currently manage, like wolves and grizzly bears.

Just how many mountain lions prowl the state is unknown.

Right now, we dont actually estimate an overall population of mountain lions, he said. Our management plan is brought together assessing population trend. So it takes a lot of time and effort and is extremely expensive to try and accurately go out and estimate how many animals we have, especially with Wyoming being as big as it is.

Officials keep an eye on the population to see if its stable or changing by the information collected by game officials, hunters and harvests, and they do, occasionally gather information by collaring the animals.

We always try to improve our monitoring strategies, Clapp said. So besides harvest data, and age, sex composition and some of that information we can get from animals that are harvested, we do continue monitoring efforts by occasionally capturing and collaring, to monitor movement rates and habitat use and things like that. But, its certainly not something that is applied across the entire state.

In general, he said, Wyomings mountain lion population continues to thrive, so much so, that theyve had to harvest more animals in areas of extreme density and the lions are expanding eastward. He said there have been continued sightings and reports in other states to the east, in particular, where mountain lions are becoming more common.
Two leaders in their respective parties are competing for votes in one of the countys more high-profile state House of Representatives races.

House Minority Leader Rep. Mary Throne, D-Cheyenne, is facing a challenge from the leader of Laramie Countys Republican Party, Jared Olsen.

Throne, an attorney, has been in office since 2007.

Olsen, also an attorney, is making his first run for public office.

House District 11 is a hook-shaped urban district east of U.S. Highway 85 that encompasses neighborhoods east of downtown Cheyenne, neighborhoods south of Lincolnway and east of Holliday Park, and areas between Jefferson Road and Allison Road.

Much of the information in this story comes from candidate forums held last week by the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters.

Olsen

Olsen said there needs to be leadership in the Legislature, and he can be part of that change.

Olsen said he is open to a conversation on Medicaid expansion but also said he favors repealing the Affordable Care Act.

He said one factor is what the future of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid will look like, depending on the outcome of the Nov. 8 election.

Olsen said he is not opposed to the transfer of federal public lands to the state but wants to make sure any transferred lands stay public.

Im not opposed to the transfer, he said. I think it would be ideal if we could  manage our own land.

However, he also said he doesnt know if now is the best time to even consider the transfer.

If we managed our own lands  it doesnt mean they fall out of public hands, he said.

Olsen said because the bulk of education funding comes from coal, the state may need to look at nontraditional funding sources.

He is also strongly in favor of Constitutional Amendment A.

The amendment, which is on the general election ballot, would allow the state treasurer to have more flexibility to invest state funds.

Olsen wants the state to create a policy for use of the rainy-day fund before its used. Wyoming currently does not have a policy or guidelines for how to use the money.

Olsen said the state will need to continue to make cuts and said one of the chief jobs of a Legislature is to reduce bloat and waste.

We have to make tough cuts; we have to do that, Olsen said.

He said the state should look at different budgeting practices, like zero-based budgeting.

Olsen said he thinks its time to hand over the reins of the Legislature to new leaders.

If legislative experience is the solution, then why do we still have problems? he said, later adding, Its time for fresh, new ideas in the Legislature.

Throne

Throne is running for her sixth term in the Legislature.

She wants to continue to help Wyoming solve its problems and noted that Democrats in the Legislature have disagreed with how the state has handled the current budget situation.

Its no secret that I have been extremely frustrated for the last four years with how weve approached our budget, she said.

Throne wants to move the state past a boom-and-bust economy, but said, It takes somebody who knows the process to get the job done.

Throne continues to support Medicaid expansion, noting the federal money the program would bring to Wyoming, as well as health care for about 20,000 people.

She said while weve been having the conversation for four years and studied the issue to death, people have not had health care, and theres no evidence on the table that its bad for Wyoming.

Its been the most ridiculous thing Ive seen in my 10 years in the Legislature, she said.

Throne is against transferring federal land to the state, and noted that such a scenario is unlikely from the federal level.

She said the state would not have enough financial resources to manage those lands, and she fears the public would lose access to that land.

Education is one of the tremendous challenges the state faces as funding dries up, and Throne said its still important to make sure school facilities are provided for growing areas like Laramie County.

Throne also favors using the rainy-day fund to help stabilize the state budget through the economic downturn, and she supports Amendment A.

Things like zero-based budgeting, which she called a gimmick, wont work for the state.

Overall, Throne emphasized that she puts Wyoming first and is not bound to any party platform.

She said she analyzes issues based on if they are a good idea for Wyoming.

I have a long record of trying to do what makes sense to Wyoming, she said. Its not time to cut and run. Its time to come together and look for opportunities for Wyoming.
CHEYENNE  Wyoming has the largest gender wage gap in the United States.

On average, women in Wyoming earn 64 cents for every dollar a man earns. In some Wyoming counties, its even lower than that. Crook County has the widest wage gap. Women in that county make an average of 52 cents for every dollar a man earns.

In Laramie County, women earn an average of 74 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Now a few nonprofit organizations across the state are taking steps together to decrease that wage gap.

The Wyoming Health Council, the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and Laramie County Reproductive Health have joined forces to create a collective impact initiative to address the issue.

Jody Sanborn, a prevention specialist for the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, is a representative working on the partnership.

Collective impact initiative is when groups of people come together across disciplines because they have a shared vision and mission, she said. They work collaboratively with a common agenda to share resources. Those different agencies or organizations might have different ideas on how to come to that outcome, but reinforce what the other organizations are doing.

Susie Markus, executive director of the Wyoming Health Council, said the wage gap can contribute to conditions that place women and children at risk. It can keep women in abusive relationships, for instance, if the woman cannot earn enough to support her children if she leaves.

Markus said the same organizations have been working through a collective impact initiative to increase prevention of sexual violence, which she said goes hand in hand with the wage gap.

She said they took a step back to the wage gap after reading comments Rep. Gerald Gay, R-Casper, made to a Casper journalist about the wage gap.

According to interview transcripts published by Better Wyoming, Gay said, Men and women have different ways of going about taking time off  moms for maternity leave and that sort of thing. Women are always going to take their full maternity leave, and theres the dependability issue about whether theyre going to show up for things.

He also said that women abuse the work system by taking every sick day available to them. Some of the misuses and abuses that go on there, and its predictable, its statistics that are written in stone, he said.

In response, Markus said, What he said is in support of (gender) norms  women are responsible for their own inequality in the workplace.

Gay later placed blame on Better Wyoming and said the article was agenda-based, according to information published by the Casper Star-Tribune.

Sanborn said, There was this urgency of the issue to address it collectively, with whats going on politically.

And she also stressed that the wage gap affects much more than just how much a woman is paid. I think that whats great about this (partnership) is it would allow us to come together as a united front in addressing not just the wage gap, not just sexual violence work. It would allow us to say all our issues are connected at the core.

Markus said they are in the beginning stages of the work the initiative will undertake and the representatives still need to meet to form solid plans, but she expects the first steps will be to start spreading information about the gender wage gap.

That is the direction the groups took in their work on sexual violence prevention. Regarding that work, Markus said, I feel like we have made a big difference. As such, she believes the work on the wage gap will be successful as well.

Sanborn said she hopes more organizations will join the initiative as they learn about it. Its all important. We as communities  as society  we need to care. We can be more powerful as a group than as individual organizations.
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP)  A judge denied a motion Thursday to dismiss incest charges against a New Mexico mother who is accused of having a romantic relationship with her 19-year-old son.

The decision handed down in a brief letter sets the stage for Monica Mares' trial to begin next week in Clovis, where authorities say she was living with her 19-year-old son, Caleb Peterson.

Mares put up Peterson for adoption when he was an infant, and the two recently reunited. After the son moved into his mother's home, the relationship became romantic and sexual in nature, authorities said.

The Clovis News Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2elTgNH) that Judge Drew Tatum's decision not to dismiss the case comes a day after she appeared in court, with her attorney, who said the state incest statute criminalizes sexual relationships between "parents and children."

The relationship between Mares and Peterson represented a consensual relationship between two adults, defense attorney Brett Carter told the judge.

He also argued that incest laws punished women disproportionately.

Mares and Peterson told the British paper the Daily Mail that they made their relationship public to raise awareness about "genetic sexual attraction."

Police learned of the relationship in February after responding to a dispute on the street where they lived. It's not clear if it may have been a statement from a neighbor or an acquaintance that led police to determine the two were romantically involved.

A criminal complaint states that Peterson acknowledged the relationship at the time of the arrest, saying his mother had been in a series of abusive relationships with men.

He told authorities he believed he could take care of her and keep her safe from abusive men like those in her past, a criminal complaint states.

Mares denied having an incestuous relationship at the time of her arrest.

The trial of Peterson, who is also charged with incest, is scheduled for November.

___

Information from: Clovis News Journal, http://www.cnjonline.com
The Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University this morning announced they've created a formal alliance to collaborate on health education, patient care and research.

The Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University Alliance for Health Care is different from an affiliation created last year between the University of Arizona and Phoenix-based Banner Health, officials said. That affiliation was a result of a merger between Banner and the University of Arizona Health Network.

The alliance between ASU and Mayo has a governing board and leaders said they are building on an existing relationship that already includes millions of dollars in joint research projects, and a planned partnership on a medical school that will open in 2017.

"Partnerships among medical and academic institutions have become critically important resources to expanding research, medical education and improvements in clinical care in our state," officials with Banner Health said in an emailed statement, reacting to the new alliance.

"At Banner we have found immeasurable value in our relationships with the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Arizona State University and MD Anderson Cancer Center, among others. In many areas, like Alzheimers Disease, multiple Arizona institutions are actively collaborating to accelerate research around prevention and cure."

The work that Mayo and ASU will be doing together working on improving healthcare delivery through technology, bioengineering and interdisciplinary care will complement the work that the UA and Banner are doing together, ASU president Michael Crow told reporters today.

This is a big state already. You want these various entities to be different from each other, Crow said. This is different in the sense that this is an intellectual joint venture as opposed to financial. At the end of the day we end up with a lot of good things happening in Arizona.

They are different and thus complementary.

The Mayo Clinic in 2017 will open an allopathic medical school with ASU as a partner. It will be the third allopathic medical school in the state. The other two are both operated by the UA. They are the UA College of Medicine Tucson, which has a class size of 115 per year and the UA College of Medicine Phoenix, which has a class of 80 students per year.

This is an alliance that is really the culmination of over a decade of collaboration, said Dr. Wyatt Decker, CEO of the Mayo Clinic Arizona. But it does not involve an acquisition or merger.

Decker says he expects that the alliance will result in better care for patients at Mayo with interdisciplinary work ranging from humanities to engineering. He cited an example of an existing project where humanities students from ASU write poetry at the bedside with Mayo patients.

ASU in 2017 plans to break ground on a 150,000 square foot Health Solutions Innovation Center on land it owns adjacent to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, officials said. The facility will include a med tech innovation accelerator, biomedical engineering and informatics research labs and an education zone.

One key part of the collaboration involves developing highly skilled physicians who can not only provide the finest in medical care but also help shape and improve the nations complicated health care system, Decker said.

The national Mayo Clinic School of Medicine has collaborated with ASU to develop a specialized curriculum and certification in the science of healthcare delivery, jointly conferred with ASU, which students earn concurrent with their Mayo Clinic medical degree.

Students will have the option of continuing beyond the certification to pursue a masters degree in the science of healthcare delivery through ASU.

Since 2003, leaders from ASU and Mayo Clinic have worked together on a series of strategic collaborations, including dual degree programs, a nursing education program, collaborative joint research projects and more than 80 joint faculty appointments and numerous joint intellectual property disclosures, officials said in a news release.
The Mayo Clinic and ASU announced Friday theyve created a formal alliance to collaborate on health education, patient care and research.

The Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University Alliance for Health Care is different from an affiliation created last year between the University of Arizona and Phoenix-based Banner Health, officials said. That affiliation was a result of a merger between Banner and the University of Arizona Health Network.

The alliance between ASU and Mayo has a governing board and leaders said they are building on an existing relationship that already includes millions of dollars in joint research projects, and a planned partnership on a medical school that will open in 2017.

Partnerships among medical and academic institutions have become critically important resources to expanding research, medical education and improvements in clinical care in our state, officials with Banner Health said in an emailed statement, reacting to the new alliance.

At Banner we have found immeasurable value in our relationships with the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Arizona State University and MD Anderson Cancer Center, among others. In many areas, like Alzheimers Disease, multiple Arizona institutions are actively collaborating to accelerate research around prevention and cure.

The work that Mayo and ASU will do on improving health-care delivery through technology, bioengineering and interdisciplinary care will complement the work that the UA and Banner are doing together, ASU president Michael Crow told reporters during a teleconference Friday.

This is a big state already. You want these various entities to be different from each other, Crow said. This is different in the sense that this is an intellectual joint venture as opposed to financial. At the end of the day we end up with a lot of good things happening in Arizona.

In 2017 the Mayo Clinic will open an allopathic medical school with ASU as a partner. It will be the third allopathic medical school in the state, and will be accepting a class of 50 students for its first year. The school is already taking applications for those spots and so far has received 2,500 applicants, officials said.

The other two allopathic medical schools in Arizona are both operated by the UA. They are the UA College of Medicine Tucson, which has a class size of 115 per year, and the UA College of Medicine Phoenix, which has a class of 80 students per year.

This is an alliance that is really the culmination of over a decade of collaboration, said Dr. Wyatt Decker, CEO of the Mayo Clinic Arizona. But it does not involve an acquisition or merger.

Decker said he expects that the alliance will result in better care for patients at Mayo with interdisciplinary work ranging from humanities to engineering. He cited an example of an existing project where humanities students from ASU write poetry at the bedside with Mayo patients.

ASU plans to break ground in 2017 on a 150,000-square-foot Health Solutions Innovation Center on land it owns adjacent to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. The facility will include a med- tech innovation accelerator, biomedical engineering and informatics research labs and an education zone.

One key part of the collaboration involves developing highly skilled physicians who can provide the finest in medical care and also help shape and improve the nations complicated health care system, Decker said.

The national Mayo Clinic School of Medicine has collaborated with ASU to develop a specialized curriculum and certification in the science of health-care delivery, jointly conferred with ASU, which students earn concurrent with their Mayo Clinic medical degree.

Students will have the option of continuing beyond the certification to pursue a masters degree in the science of health-care delivery through ASU.

Since 2003, leaders from ASU and Mayo Clinic have worked together on a series of strategic collaborations, including dual degree programs, a nursing education program, collaborative joint research projects and more than 80 joint faculty appointments and numerous joint intellectual property disclosures, officials said in a news release.
Local artist Danny Martin has a new coloring book, "Cowgals and Dudes" and will celebrate its release at Tap & Bottle, 403 N. Sixth Ave., this Friday.

The project is a follow-up to his Tucson-themed neon sign coloring book (seen above), that he released in 2015.

The coloring fun runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
Allowing a Border Patrol agent to escape trial for shooting a Mexican teen through the border fence in Nogales would expose area residents to the same danger, an attorney for the teen's mother told federal judges Friday.

Lee Gelernt, of the American Civil Liberties Union, contends Lonnie Swartz should be forced to answer the wrongful death claim filed by the mother of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez.

He acknowledged that the boy was not in the United States when shot, nor had he just fled over the fence. In fact, there was no evidence the boy had ever even been in this country or that he wanted to live in this country.

But Gelernt told the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that's legally irrelevant.

We don't think that you need to want to live in the U.S. to not be shot across the border, he said.

Potentially more significant, Gelernt warned the three-judge panel that allowing Swartz  and anyone else who fires shots across the border  to escape civil liability in a cross-border shooting is bad policy.

He pointed out that the boy was walking along Calle Internacional, a major street in Nogales, Son., which runs parallel and adjacent to the border fence.

This is a community that has to walk along this street all the time, Gelernt said. He said they should not have to have some contact with the United States, like asking for health care benefits, to have legal standing and legal protections.

They're just saying that they don't want to be shot when they walk to the store or go to the doctor along the border which it's inescapable that they have to do, Gelernt said. They cannot be asked to have to assume the risk of being shot every time they walk along the main thoroughfare.

Swartz has separately been charged with second degree murder, with that case pending before a federal judge in Tucson.

But Swartz, who is on administrative leave, is trying to get the indictment dismissed. And Gelernt said even if Swartz is convicted, that is not the same as giving civil relief to the boy's family.

The judges are not expected to rule any time soon.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month agreed to hear a similar case out of Texas where a Border Patrol agent in 2010 shot and killed a Mexican teen playing in a culvert that separates El Paso from Juarez. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year the parents cannot pursue their claim against Jesus Mesa Jr. because the boy, Sergio Hernandez, was a Mexican citizen who was on Mexican soil at the time he was shot.

Appellate Judge Milan Smith Jr. said his court will be bound by whatever the Supreme Court rules.

But Smith pointed out that there are still only eight justices on the high court. The U.S. Senate has refused to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland by President Obama. And Smith said if the high court splits 4-4 on that Texas case, there will be no precedent set, freeing the 9th Circuit to reach its own conclusion.

Elena Rodriguez was near the international border fence when Swartz shot him from Nogales, Arizona, on Oct. 10, 2012.

The Border Patrol has said Swartz was defending himself against rock-throwers. Elena Rodriguez's family says the boy did not throw anything at the agent and was walking with friends.

Elena Rodriguez was hit about 10 times in the back, an autopsy conducted in Mexico showed.

Camera footage of the shooting has not been released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Smuggling arrests in Southern Arizona often conjure up images of Mexican drug cartel foot soldiers sneaking across the border in the dead of night. But a decade of U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics  and a review of more than 100 federal court cases by the Arizona Daily Star  turn that idea on its head.

Actually, most suspected smugglers arrested in Arizona and along the rest of the U.S.-Mexico border either are U.S. citizens or went through the yearslong process of becoming legal permanent residents.

U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents  CBP statistics do not distinguish between the two  accounted for about two-thirds of smuggling arrests made by Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents in fiscal year 2015. Along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, citizens and legal residents accounted for 81 percent of smuggling arrests by agents.

These unlikely smugglers  many of them recruited in bars, high schools, or by family and friends  hide drugs in their car and drive through legal ports of entry, scoop up packets of marijuana fired over the border fence by air cannons, and strap packets of hard drugs to their bodies after hand-offs in the bathrooms of fast-food restaurants in Southern Arizona.

They pick up undocumented immigrants at motel rooms or convenience-store parking lots north of the border. They wait at prearranged spots near the border or along highways for undocumented immigrants to hustle out of the brush and into their backseats or trunks.

They then drive through Border Patrol checkpoints along Arizona highways on their way to stash houses in Tucson, Phoenix and small towns scattered throughout Southern Arizona, court records and statements made to federal judges at more than a dozen sentencing hearings show.

And traffickers depend on them more with each passing year.

Smuggling subcontractors

Smuggling arrests in Arizona dropped by half from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2015 as the busiest routes shifted to Texas, CBP records show.

But U.S. citizens and legal residents made up a larger portion of those arrests.

In 2005, U.S. citizens and legal residents made up 44 percent of the Border Patrols 5,300 smuggling arrests in Arizona. In 2015, they were 68 percent of the 2,100 smuggling arrests.

The two groups accounted for 35 percent of 1,600 smuggling arrests at Arizona ports of entry in 2005 and 57 percent of 1,400 arrests in 2015.

Years ago, smugglers would bring a load of drugs or people across the border and drive to Tucson or Phoenix, said former Border Patrol chief Michael Fisher, who headed the agency from 2010 to October 2015.

But with the evolution of cross-border networks, smuggling patterns now are more akin to subcontracting, Fisher said. Drug cartel smugglers often hire U.S. citizens to get drugs across the border or they get the drugs across and then hand off the load to a citizen paid to transport it to Tucson of Phoenix, Fisher said.

In a January incident, agents arrested Lynard High, 27, and Mason Walker, 41, near Sasabe after cameras saw four men emerge from the brush and load 185 pounds of marijuana into the Chevy Tahoe SUV that High and Walker were driving. The two said they were to be paid $1,000 for the smuggling job.

In May 2015, a group of 10 undocumented immigrants crossed the border near Sasabe and walked until they reached a dirt road. They had been told to wait there until they were picked up by a white pickup truck. Later that day, Jeffrey Taylor, 37, was arrested near Three Points with the immigrants lying on top of each other in the back of his white Dodge Ram. Taylor told agents he was to be paid by an unidentified individual to get the group to Tucson.

The multitude of arrests of U.S. citizens  most of which are one-offs, people without criminal smuggling records  represents the democratization of the smuggling industry, said defense lawyer Thomas Higgins.

Judging by his clients comments, Higgins said drug trafficking organizations have delegated the bulk of their smuggling efforts north of the border to independent operators.

Many of his clients are approached and recruited at bars in Nogales, Sonora, where traffickers keep an eye out for potential couriers, he said.

Cartel recruiters also find couriers by studying people who cross the border regularly, said Francisco Burrola, deputy special agent in charge for the Tucson office of Homeland Security Investigations, which handles smuggling cases at ports of entry.

If new recruits show interest, someone from the drug-trafficking organization contacts them and directs them to meet someone in Mexico, Burrola said. A cartel mechanic then builds a hidden compartment in the vehicle or the new smuggler straps hard drugs to his or her body.

In a January incident, an X-ray scan at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales showed a hidden compartment under the carpeted floor of a 1988 Fleetwood recreational vehicle driven by Wickenburg resident Richard Lewis, 36. Inside the compartment, officers found 540 pounds of marijuana.

While many of the cases reviewed by the Star ended with sentences of probation or less than one year in prison, the January incident was Lewis second federal smuggling charge. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of probation.

U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are attractive to traffickers because they are established in their community, with a house to stash drugs or people, and have cars to move cargo to the next location, Fisher said.

They often come from families with smuggling histories or get recruited while in high school, where cartel recruiters look for drivers who likely wont face criminal prosecution at the federal level, Fisher said.

Defense lawyer Jessica Turk is seeing more cases coming from Phoenix in which high school students are recruited through Facebook and told they can go to Tucson and make a few hundred bucks.

In one case, a high school senior was arrested Sept. 8 after a Border Patrol agent pulled her over near Tombstone with an undocumented immigrant hiding under a cover in the back seat of her BMW.

Recruiters make it seem like a quick trip to Tucson, Turk said.

But when they get to Tucson, she said, they are told to go a little farther and they end up at the border.

Easy money

Smugglings attraction often boils down to simply getting a paycheck.

Its easy money, tax-free, former Border Patrol chief Fisher said.

Dallas Hochanadel, 31, was arrested at the I-19 checkpoint in February with a Mexican man hiding in the trunk of his Hyundai.

Hochanadel told agents: I know I messed up, I was recently laid off and did this out of necessity, court records show.

After her brother lost his job, Karen Burgueno, 22, agreed to smuggle meth, cocaine and heroin for $500, court records show. She met an unidentified individual in the bathroom of a Burger King in Nogales, Arizona, hid the packages that person gave her under her clothes and hopped into a taxi.

In addition to being enticed by easy money, court records show drug addiction plays a role in the choice to smuggle.

William Simmons, 26, was arrested at a Nogales port of entry in August 2015 with 95 pounds of marijuana under the floor of a Nissan Maxima. Court documents say Simmons took a smuggling job to pay off a drug debt.

Defense lawyer Turk sees a deeper pattern among her clients, many of whom live in economically depressed areas of Arizona: women who were sexually abused as children and men whose fathers were absent due to being incarcerated, often on smuggling charges.

Its like an equation, Turk said. You put in these factors and you get these results.

The lawyer for a woman who suffers from mental illness wrote in a memo to the court that her clients life reads like a Dickensian novel and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her family was a Petri dish for mental illness and despair.

She told a judge in September that her client smuggled three people in the trunk of her car so she could earn enough money to get to California, where she hoped her family would help her kick a long-term heroin addiction.

While easy cash and drug addiction are the primary lures for smuggling drugs and people, they are not the only ones, court records show.

Donald Soper pulled into the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 19 in early May with four undocumented immigrants in the trunk of his Nissan Altima.

The 55-year-old Air Force veteran told agents he did it for a thrill, court records show.

Several defendants told federal judges they were acting under duress.

One man said his brother-in-law was kidnapped in Agua Prieta, Mexico, and the kidnappers demanded he and several relatives smuggle 170 pounds of marijuana in order to secure the mans release.

A man who drove a load of marijuana from Sierra Vista to Tucson said he owed money to someone who threatened his wife and children.

The role of citizens

The Center for Investigative Reporting found that U.S. citizens were involved in 80 percent of 40,000 drug-related Border Patrol busts from 2005 to 2011 in which the suspects citizenship was shown.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review found that U.S. citizens were involved in 60 percent of 3,254 federal human smuggling cases in border states in 2013 and 2014.

The Stars analysis of 295,500 arrests from 2005 to 2015 included both drug and human smuggling busts made by CBPs Office of Field Operations at ports of entry and by the Border Patrol along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

The Star found that U.S. citizens or legal residents were involved in 75 percent of drug smuggling arrests during that period and 61 percent of human smuggling arrests. In 2015, they accounted for 77 percent of drug smuggling arrests and 74 percent of human smuggling arrests.

Far from being smuggling masterminds, most of the U.S. citizen smugglers are one link in an extensive cross-border smuggling chain.

Defense attorneys often argue for leniency, saying their clients were simply hired to shuttle drugs or people. They say their clients had no role in planning the smuggling attempt and did not stand to benefit from the sale of the drugs or collection of a smuggling fee.

After their arrest, defendants regularly tell Border Patrol agents they expected to be paid a few hundred dollars to drive people to their next destination  far less than the several thousand dollars people being smuggled pay someone to get them across the border and to Tucson or Phoenix.

Although more U.S. citizens are being arrested on smuggling charges in recent years, customs officers are not targeting them, said CBP spokeswoman Teresa Small. Officers look for an array of suspicious signs, such as nervousness or a vehicle riding low because of hidden cargo.

The increase in arrests of U.S. citizens and legal residents likely comes from the ever-changing tactics used by drug cartels, Small said.

Several years ago, for example, officers saw a spike in the number of teenagers caught smuggling drugs. Similar trends involved smuggling drugs in tires, then dashboards, then in truck beds.
People like transparency, so why not extreme transparency?

A candidate for state House in Legislative District 14 is pledging that if he wins, he will wear a body camera while serving in the Legislature.

Democrat Jason Lindstrom said the idea came to him while talking with friends about transparency in politics, but also as a result of his work as a deputy Cochise County attorney. Prosecutors work a lot with police, who are under increasing pressure to wear body cameras for the sake of accountability.

He thought, what better way to ensure hes accountable to the people who elect him?

Basically, its the only way to truly ensure transparency, Lindstrom told me Thursday. It turns your representative into a direct representative, someone whos carrying you with them at all times.

Lindstrom is running along with fellow Democrat Mike Holmes and Republicans Becky Nutt and Drew John. The top two vote-getters will represent the district that includes far southeastern Tucson and all of Cochise County.

Lindstrom acknowledged hes not sure if there are times when he would be legally prevented from wearing the camera. On the other hand, he said, it would be informative for voters to see who wants to avoid being filmed and why.

If someone tells me I cant wear it, theyll be on camera telling me I cant wear it, he said.

Lindstrom isnt sure how hed make the video available. It could be live streamed, but maybe a more likely scenario is hed upload the video at the end of every day, perhaps marking its important points.

Sounds like a good idea, of course. More transparency could make our elected officials more representative of voters. But there is a growing school of thought arguing this sort of reform is what got us into todays problems of political polarization and stalemate.

Political parties, leaders and consultants are a despised group now, but they are what allowed our elected officials to accomplish things, an author named Jonathan Rauch argued in his 2015 book. Its name acknowledges the unpopularity of the argument: Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy.

Rauch says our current politics suffer from chaos syndrome, which he defines as a chronic decline in the political systems capacity for self-organization.

In an article summarizing his argument, Rauch argues, As these intermediaries influence fades, politicians, activists, and voters all become more individualistic and unaccountable. The system atomizes. Chaos becomes the new normal  both in campaigns and in the government itself.

When I explained the idea to Lindstrom, he wasnt buying it.

The argument that you cant make deals unless youre behind closed doors kind of offends me, he said. I think good ideas rise to the top.

Candidate rolls

in dough

One local challenger is raising money like an incumbent.

In fact, Democrat Daniel Hernandez Jr. has raised more money than any legislative candidate in Southern Arizona. Of that $82,375, some big donations are coming from surprising people.

Michael Bidwill, the president of the Arizona Cardinals and a close ally of Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, donated $2,500.

Jan Brandt, a former AOL executive who lives in Virginia, donated $5,000.

Don Brandt (unrelated), the CEO of Arizona Public Services parent company and a Republican supporter, gave $500.

Jonathan Sackler, a Purdue Pharma director and member of the family that made billions on OxyContin, gave $1,500.

Hernandez, of Tucson, is running in Legislative District 2 along with Democratic incumbent Rosanna Gabaldon and Republican incumbent Chris Ackerley.

New TUSD committee

If youve been in Tucson, youve seen the thousands of yellow signs put up by TUSD Kids First, the group trying to unseat the school boards three-member majority.

Now theres a new independent-expenditure group trying to counter that group as much as it can at this late date. Its led in part by Patty Valera, a TUSD parent who is hoping to defend Kristel Foster and Cam Juarez, the two incumbents up for re-election who are part of that majority.

What is bothering us is that a handful of well-financed people is bashing TUSD and our children, Valera said.They are attacking the schools and consequently harming our students.

Now, Im not convinced that the Change the board signs really harm the students, but they definitely oppose the status quo. Valera says the status quo is pretty good and improving.

I really love TUSD, she said.

The group hasnt had to file a financial disclosure form yet, and Valera said she didnt know how much money it has raised, but it wont come close to the $30,000-plus raised by TUSD Kids First, much of it from business interests in and out of the district. In any case, the new group hopes to put out its own sign to counter the yellow ones, perhaps as early as this weekend.

Prop. 205 up or down?

Two new polls out this week give opposite impressions of how Prop. 205, the marijuana legalization measure, will fare.

The Arizona Republic/Cronkite News/Morrison Institute poll has the measure winning by about 50 percent yes votes to 42 percent no.

A newer poll by Data Orbital, a political consulting firm, has the measure down by 53 percent to 41 percent.
A composite sketch of a man wanted in connection to an abduction attempt Thursday at PCC's West Campus was released Friday night.

A student reported that a man approached her near the main entrance on the south side of the "A" Building, shortly after 3 p.m. and tried to drag her to his car, authorities said.

The assailant was described as an African-American man in his 20s who was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. He was about 6 feet tall and weighed about 170 pounds. He had brown eyes. The woman used the wrong terminology to describe his hairstyle. It was not in cornrows, said Libby Howell, a PCC spokeswoman.

The woman told police that the man said he had been watching her, and then tried to abduct her. She said the man's car was parked about 20 feet away, Howell said.

The woman, who said she did not know the assailant, said she fought him off and the man drove away in a small gray vehicle. It had tinted windows and possibly four doors.

She went into a campus building where she reported the incident, said Howell. The woman did not require medical attention.

Police searched the campus at 2202 W. Anklam Road, but did not find the man or the vehicle, Howell said. Classes were cancelled Thursday evening and resumed Friday morning.

The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call the PCC Police Department at 206-2700.
PHOENIX  Claiming disenfranchisement of a substantial number of voters, the Arizona Democratic Party wants U.S. District Court Judge Steven Logan to order election officials to reopen the registration rolls.

Attorneys for the party contend Secretary of State Michele Reagan acted illegally in refusing to direct county election officials to extend the deadline through Oct. 11.

The actual deadline set by statute is 29 days before the Nov. 8 election. That fell on Oct. 10.

That day, however, was both a state and federal holiday.

While offices in 14 of the states 15 counties were open anyway, the partys lawyers point out that other last-minute registration options were not available. That includes going to an office of the state Motor Vehicle Division or dropping a registration form into a post office box and getting it postmarked by that Oct. 10 deadline.

Reagan, the states chief elections officer, refused to direct counties to allow an extra day. And Assistant Attorney General Dominic Draye rebuffed a request by House Minority Leaders Eric Meyer that his office order Reagan to change her mind.

In his letter to Meyer, Draye conceded there is a state law that says when certain deadlines fall on a holiday it can be moved to the next day. But Draye also cited a 1968 Arizona Supreme Court ruling which says that election statutes have to be interpreted literally even where a strict interpretation led to a Sunday deadline for ballot delivery.

Draye said that lack of clarity in the law leaves room for the exercise of discretion on the part of the secretary of state, a discretion he said his office will support and defend.

He will now get that chance: Logan has scheduled a hearing for later today on the issue.

Sambo Dul, an attorney for the party, cited an opinion issued in 1958 by Robert Morrison, then the state attorney general, which specifically addressed the question of what happens when the voter registration deadline falls on a holiday.

The registration of electors is not a work of necessity or charity but rather the performance of an act of a secular nature, which may be performed on the next ensuing business day with effect as though performed on the appointed day, Morrison wrote.

But Morrison also said that if a county office is open on the deadline day, then the deadline remains; if it is closed, then the deadline moves to the next business day.

Only Mohave County shut its doors on that day, with election officials there agreeing to accept registrations through Oct. 11. The other 14 counties remained open despite the state holiday, having traded the day off for the Friday after Thanksgiving.

But Spencer Scharff, the partys Voter Protection Director, said other problems remain with that Oct. 10 deadline.

Scharff said the National Voter Registration Act forbids deadlines greater than 30 days before an election. He said that with MVD and post offices closed both Sunday and Monday, that effectively made the deadline Saturday, Oct. 8  or maybe even Friday, Oct. 7  clearly putting the state out of compliance.

There also are claims the Oct. 10 deadline imposed by Reagan violates federal constitutional provisions.

The lawsuit essentially asks Logan to require counties to accept the registrations of those who submitted them on Oct. 11, whether in person, by mail or any other method. Scharff said the Arizona Democratic Party, which is empowered to accept registration, had several submitted that day which it turned over to the proper county officials only to be rejected.

He said it is irrelevant that only a handful of individuals might have been disqualified.

One would be one too many, he said.

Reagan spokesman Matt Roberts, who has previously defended the strict reading of the deadline, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
PHOENIX  Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer  Donald Trumps chief Arizona surrogate  is defending his comments that he wont commit to abiding by the results of the election.

Hes not going to concede any kind of election before he knows the results, said Brewer.

Its no different than Bush v. Gore, Brewer continued, referring to the close race in 2000 that was not resolved for days until the Supreme Court finally halted further recounting of questioned ballots in Florida.

In that case, however, it was never in question whether Republican George W. Bush or Democrat Al Gore would accede to what was the final Electoral College tally, even with Gore actually winning the popular vote.

Trumps comments have left some Arizona Republican politicians distancing themselves from the remarks.

During Wednesdays 90-minute debate, Chris Wallace of Fox News noted Trump has said during the campaign the election is rigged. So he asked Trump if hell accept the outcome.

I will look at it at the time, Trump responded, saying the media is so dishonest and so corrupt and the pile-on is so amazing. He claimed there are millions of people who are illegally registered to vote and that Hillary Clinton should not be allowed to run based on what he claims are crimes she committed.

Nor was Trump dissuaded by Wallaces comments about the long tradition of peaceful transition of power and that at the end of the campaign that the loser concedes to the winner.

What Im saying is that I will tell you at the time, Trump responded. Ill keep you in suspense, OK?

Clinton called that horrifying.

But Brewer, who attended Wednesdays debate in Las Vegas, said she sees it through a different lens. Hes going to concede when the results and known and certified and verified, she said.

But Brewer, who before becoming governor was secretary of state and Arizonas chief election official, said Trump cannot ignore allegations in some states that there has been some hanky-panky.

If theres hanky-panky, hed have a reason to question the results, she said, not specifying what would fit into that category.

Trump doubled-down on Thursday, telling supporters in Ohio he will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election  if I win.

He did say later in the same speech he would accept a clear election result but reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result. Trump did not define what result he would find questionable.

Trumps refusal to provide a clear statement of his willingness to abide by the vote drew a sharp reaction from Sen. John McCain who ran for president in 2008  and conceded defeat to Barack Obama.

McCain, in a statement Thursday, said he didnt like the results.

But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance, he said.

A concession isnt just an exercise in graciousness, McCain continued. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leaders first responsibility.

McCain said in every previous election the loser congratulates the winner and calls them my president.

This election must not be any different, he said.

Jeff Flake, the states other Republican senator, had a shorter response, tweeting out after the debate that Trumps refusal to say he will accept the election results is beyond the pale.

Current Secretary of State Michele Reagan, also a Republican, sidestepped the direct question about Trumps statement. Instead, she insisted that no one will have reason to question the results, at least those from Arizona.

Signature verification, proper identification at the polls and multiple layers of system safeguards make manipulating the outcome of an election exceedingly difficult, she said in written statement. County officials test equipment before each election and state law requires it remain secure and under constant surveillance, Reagan said.

Combined with audits and full paper trail after each election, we are confident in our election systems, but remain vigilant, she said.

Daniel Scarpinato, press aide to Gov. Doug Ducey, gave an equally non-responsive answer to the question about what his boss thinks about Trumps refusal to say he will abide by the results. Instead, Scarpinato mentioned the opportunities for Arizonans to vote.

Robert Graham, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, said he does not interpret what Trump said as being the candidate would refuse to honor the results. But Graham, who also attended the Wednesday debate, suggested perhaps Trumps verbiage was a bit inartful.

This guy hasnt made a career out of being a polished orator, he said. The way its better said that if its a close race, you wouldnt expect anybody to concede, he said.

And Graham said that as much as he agrees with Trump about Clinton being unqualified and possibly guilty of a crime with destruction of emails and lying to the FBI about it, in the end, none of that matters.

If she wins, game over, he said. Nobody should challenge it.

And Graham said hes sure that Trump agrees.

He just wants to make sure that people are playing by the rules, he said.

Brewer, for her part, said the whole discussion of what Trump might do is meaningless.

Hes probably not going to have to worry about it because hes going to win, she said.
Two fired Tucson-area cops have lost their state licenses for police work, and a third is facing discipline, officials said.

Beau Tribolet, formerly of the Tucson Police Department, and Alexander J. Roy, formerly of the Sierra Vista police department, appeared before the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board Wednesday.

The board accepted a consent agreement with Tribolet for voluntary relinquishment of his certification and Roy's certification was revoked, said spokeswoman Sandy Sierra.

The board also disciplined Marana police recruit Kyle D. Lovett, denying his request for certification, Sierra said.

Another former TPD officer, Jaime F. Gutierrez, is also facing sanctions, after the board voted to initiate proceedings against him.

Beau Tribolet

Tribolet, an 18-year veteran of TPD, resigned Nov. 4 after internal affairs determined that he gave false testimony during a civil hearing, an AZPOST document obtained by the Star shows.

In November 2014, Tribolets wife ran a red light and received a ticket from a red-light camera. A process server went to their home in February and gave Tribolet paperwork for the violation, the document said.

In April, his wife was notified her license had been suspended for failure to appear in court, and when she asked Tribolet, he said he didnt remember receiving any paperwork, the document states.

Tribolet was placed under oath at a June court hearing to contest her suspension, and denied being served with the paperwork.

The process server produced a nearly four-minute recording of his conversation with Tribolet, after which his wife confirmed that it was Tribolets voice. The suspension was upheld, and the judge contacted TPDs internal affairs division to alert them to Tribolets false testimony, the document said.

During his internal affairs interview, Tribolet stated several times that he didnt remember being served with the paperwork, even after hearing the recording, the document said.

He resigned in lieu of termination.

Alexander J. Roy

Sierra Vista police notified the AZPOST after Roy was fired in October on suspicion of having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl, AZPOST documents show.

Roy appealed his termination with the city of Sierra Vista, and a hearing officer decided the punishment was too severe. Roy was reinstated after an 80-hour suspension without pay, according to the document.

AZPOST rules dictate that once a termination report is received, the case is investigated regardless of if the officer's termination is overturned.

The investigation determined that in early 2015, a woman filed several serious complaints with the Cochise County Sheriffs Department, regarding her daughters alleged relationship with Roy, the document said.

The sheriff's office determined that while Roy hadn't broken the law, his relationship with the girl was still inappropriate.

It was clear to the department that Roy, an adult male, had an inappropriate relationship with a minor female, the document says. This includes inappropriately slapping her buttocks, spending time with her alone and picking her up in his patrol vehicle while on-duty and without supervisory approval.

Between July 2012 and June 2014, Roy committed five violations of department policy, and in conjunction with the findings of the investigation, he was fired for demonstrating a pattern of poor judgment, the document says.

Kyle D. Lovett

While conducting a routine new-hire audit in July, AZPOST investigators learned that Lovett, a Marana Police applicant, lied multiple times on past applications, regarding a theft case and drug use, documents show.

Lovett was immediately removed from the academy, pending the outcome of his AZPOST case, the document said.

The decision to deny his certification is permanent, and he will not be able to seek employment in law enforcement in the future, Sierra said. Similar to a revocation, the applicant is permanently barred from working in law enforcement in Arizona.

Jaime F. Gutierrez

Gutierrez was fired from TPD in January, after internal affairs learned that he lied to superiors and violated five department policies, AZPOST documents show.

In May 2015, Gutierrez was guarding a suspect in an officer-involved shooting at a local hospital, when another officer witnessed the suspect make an incriminating statement to Gutierrez, according to the records.

The officer informed their supervisor that she didn't believe Gutierrez documented the conversation, and it was discovered that he did not.

Gutierrez denied doing anything wrong, but admitted to his supervisor that he'd known the suspect had been involved in an officer-involved shooting, and planned on writing up the report later, according to the documents.

During a July interview, he changed his story, telling investigators, "Yeah, I didn't know it was an officer involved shooting . . . If I would've known, then yeah, I woulda done it right there and then."

It was determined that Gutierrez lied during the interview, and he was terminated, but later reinstated by the city's Civil Service Commission.

At the time, Gutierrez was being investigated for a second incident, that also occurred in May 2015.

When responding to a domestic violence call, Gutierrez applied force to a male suspect, but failed to report it to his supervisor within 30 minutes, which violates department policy. Although the force was found to be justified, records show that Gutierrez released the suspect without charging him, despite the fact that other officers at the scene discussed charging the man with multiple offenses, records show.

He told his supervisor that he released the man because there were no criminal charges associated with the incident, but it was confirmed that there were. In June Gutierrez also is accused of lying when he told investigators that another officer ordered him to let the domestic violence suspect go, documents show.
House Speaker Paul Ryan poked fun at himself, the Senate's top Democrat, President Donald Trump and even the Catholic church on Thursday night as he delivered the keynote address for the 72nd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, an event, according to the program, that encourages speakers to "poke fun at a political issue, an opponent, or themselves." Here's a look back at previous events, including the 2016 dinner that brought together then presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Trump.
OPINION: "Dickens' famous passage about an earlier fraught time captures this knife-edge moment: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...'" writes Tucsonan Brent Harold.
Help India!

By TCN News,

Murshidabad (WB): The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Murshidabad Centre celebrated the 199th Birth Anniversary of the founder of AMU Sir Syed Ahmad Khan with all traditional gaiety and charm.

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Dignatories on Dias



To pay homage to the great founder and visionary, Quran-Khawani was organized on Monday in the Mosque after Zohr (Noon) prayer. A large number of teachers and students recited the Holy Quran, and prayed for the noble soul.

The commemoration ceremony was organized in the evening. The Chief Guest of the function Dr. Abhijeet Mukhurjee, Member of Parliament and Court Member AMU said that it is high time people from all walks of life and belonging to different political shades should come together for the development of the Centre. He said that despite being one of the largest districts of West Bengal, Murshidabad is still deprived of any full-fledged university. He emphasized that quality education is hallmark of AMU and it should not be compromised at any cost while converting this Centre into an independent university. Supporting the idea of establishment of a school at the Centre, he said that the school will act as a feeder institution for the Centre attracting local students. He assured all possible help and support for this purpose. He also suggested that there is a dire need for starting and encouraging student exchange program at the Centre in collaboration with other institutes of higher learning.





Dr Mukhurjee Addressing the Gathering



Director of the Centre, Dr. Badaruddoza welcomed the distinguished guests, alumni, teachers, students and non-teaching staff to the event. He stated that the students of Murshidabad are not only Aligs but are in fact Murshid-e-Alig and hence they share a greater responsibility towards the society at large. He further said that Just getting degrees and taking corporate jobs will not suffice. It is the duty of every student and faculty member of Murshidabad Centre to strive hard towards community development and eradication of illiteracy from the region.

Expressing gratitude towards the Honorable President of India, His Excellency Pranab Mukhurjee, Dr. Badaruddoza said that it was with the blessings of Honorable President that the Centre was established and is being run under his noble guardianship. He said that students of the Centre have got tremendous talent and the alumni from the Centre are performing well in various fields across the globe. He informed the gathering that during the last one year the Centre has successfully got recognition from National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) for its B. Ed. program and Bar Council of India (BCI) for BALLB course. He urged the students to study the life history of Sir Syed, to draw lessons from it, and to implement the learning in their day-to-day life.





MDI Director_AMUCM Director ,Dr Abhijeet Mukhurjee



The Guest of Honour, Mr. Badaruddoza Khan, Member of Parliament and Court Member AMU expressed happiness over the manner in which the Centre is being administered. He stated that though the Centre has progressed in many fields but the real objectives for its establishment will only be met with sufficient funding. He expressed his desire to work in collaboration with other MPs from Murshidabad and surrounding areas to request the government to release the sanctioned funds urgently.

The Guest of Honour, Mr. Md. Sohrab, Ex-MLA Jangipur congratulated the entire Alig community on this occasion. He told the students that they should not worry about any kind of discrimination if they have the skill set that the corporate and industry requires.

Dr. Gurudas Gupta, Director MDI Murshidabad while speaking as a special invitee said that on this day every student should introspect that whether they are the true followers of Sir Syed. He said, To be successful in life, students should focus on two things. First is to gain more and more knowledge and to excel in academics. Second is to develop a sense of social responsibility towards the society. Drawing analogy from Sir Syeds famous A bride with two beautiful eyes statement, Dr. Gupta said that AMU and MDI are two beautiful eyes of Murshidabad and when these two eyes will see in same direction, perfect vision will be achieved. He said that though Murshidabad can be termed as one of the remotest part of India but it should never be considered as backward because it is an intellectually enriched place for hundreds of years. The district has a glorious past and inherits the great legacy of Nawabs of Murshidabad who were patrons of education.

AMU Alumni and President of Old Boys Association Behrampore, Mr. K G Murtuza, speaking on behalf of Old Boys expressed the desire to work more closely with the Centre in future. He said that SS Day is the occasion to revitalize the bond of Alig Fraternity once again.

Industrialist Mr. Shajahan Biswas committed to contribute towards the construction of a couple of rooms in the proposed boys and girls hostel. Mr. B. B. Chattoraj, CO Suti expressed his desire to see the Centre getting transformed into a university soon as envisioned initially.

Ms. Hafsa, B. Ed First Year student mesmerized the audience with a beautiful song. Mr. Irfan Karimi, MBA Final year student also expressed his thoughts on Sir Syed and Aligarh Movement. Prizes for various co-curricular events held under Sir Syed Week were also distributed among the students.
Help India!

By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net

The world of activism cannot function within boundaries, and for Kannur resident Rupesh Kumar, this statement is apt: he is a filmmaker, academic, writer, journalist and orator. But all these abilities are channelled towards just one cause: fighting against casteism, which often shows its ugly face in all strands of social life.

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Fight against discrimination needs activists. Some shout slogans, some extend physical fight, but I opt to fight with visuals, pictures and words. By getting engaged in this kind of activism, I am able to express my solidarity to all forms of fight against casteism and fascism,says Rupesh, in a conversation with Twocircles.net.

Rupeshs recent documentary Dont Be Our Fathers sheds light to the hypocrisy of the patriarchal caste oppressors. In fact, Dalits need no patrons to get empowered. Empowerment is an organic thing, Rupesh says sharing his personal experiences, in which he came across what he called the irritating advises of the upper caste. They think we need their feet to walk. We have no crisis and we will shape our own politics and our own development, he says. Unlike them, life is not crisis ridden for Dalits as we have got rid of the rigidity of caste biases. We are free, he says. He also pointed out that there was casteism even in the basic forms of communication.

When I attended discussions, I would often be introduced as a Dalit academic or a Dalit activist. However, this question would never be asked to participants from other castes. This points fingers to a casteist lenient attitude of the society

Rupesh was born and brought up in a village Peringeel, which was among the typical party villages, controlled by CPM. When I completed my graduation, some of the party men advised me that I shouldnt go for post graduation in journalism. I completed post graduation by my own efforts and I knew my choices and merits better. Dalits often come through a kind of mental torturing from these men, who pretend to be the caste oppressors, he says.

Rupesh completed MA in English Literature from Kannur University after graduating from Payyannur Government College in English Literature. He also did his post graduation in Mass Communication and Journalism from Kerala University.

Dont Be Our Fathers gives voice to three generations of Peringeel, a marshy land, where Dalits were evicted by feudal lords. It narrates the experiences of untouchables, who were practically the slaves of feudal powers, raised crops that filled the barns of the upper castes. We cultivated for them and they turned our patrons and now try to be our owners. In fact, they should be our slaves as we feed them by farming, says Bapputty, one of the natives of Peringeel, in the documentary.

The documentary also brings the hypocrisy of Marxists and secular liberals in addressing the casteism to the light.

We will fill your barns no more. We wont shout Zindabaad for you, say the lyrics of a song in the last part of the documentary referring to how the upper-caste Left comrades hindered the liberation of Dalits.

In addition to Dont Be Our Fathers, as a director Rupesh has added five documentaries to his credit: Underworld Memories Of Untouchables; Love Stories In Black Letters; By The Side Of A River; Sabitha- A Woman and a Day and Once Upon A Time in An Ocean.

Underworld Memories Of Untouchables is the account of the memories of his grandparents, who came through various hardships as untouchables. I felt that we were losing an era of experience. So that I wanted to record their experiences, he says. While Love Stories in Black Letters narrates the crisis related to inter caste marriage, By The Side of A River briefs the blatant discrimination towards the lower castes even in the cultural and arts spheres of Kerala.

Sabitha; a Woman and A Day and Once Upon a Time in an Ocean shed light to life of a tribal girl in Wayanad and the issues of fishermen community and their politics.

An advocate of Dalit-Muslim political unity, Rupesh says that the two communities need to join hands against Brahmanism. Muslims are also the victims of otherization. Getting a chance to participate in programmes by Muslim organisations gives me a lot of pleasure, he says. He appeals to Muslims to address the casteism, which has got strong roots within the community.

Rupesh, who is married and has a child, is about to complete his first novel and script for a mainstream commercial film. Through all these initiatives, my goal remains the same: to take on casteism in all its forms, he says.

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Throughout developed countries such as the UK, franchises are beginning to launch Cashless shops and restaurants; arguing its an easier alternative.However, this method of payment means transactions can be easily traced, which is both a benefit and a disadvantage.

Learning from the past

As seen in the past,over-relianceon banks can cause grave consequences for account holders. Following the 2008 financial crash in the UK, many were rushing to a cash point to take out their money and stash it in a much safer place  their own pockets. Similar incidents have happened in Greece, Japan, and Cyprus in recent years  suggesting very few countries would be totally exempt from crashes and bankruptcy.

Understandably, panic sets in when savings are at threat to being sequestered in order to bail out the banking system. This suggests having savings in other forms, and not solely Digital cash, is less risky and doesnt require dependence on banks.

Risking crime and fraud

Although there are benefits to digital money, such as efficiency and cash management, it is highly disposed to criminal activity.

Jeremy Josse, author of Dinosaur Derivatives and Other Trade, believes that although we already somewhat live in a cashless society, digital money is vulnerable and prone to hacking.

In theory, someone could hack into even the most secure money center banking systems and potentially steal, transfer or confuse those systems.

We have already seen that with card fraud and even on a large scale, he said.

In terms of fraud, money in its physical format is not quite as easy to replicate as money when it is just electronic digits. A note (with all its details and watermarks) is not that easy to counterfeit. Likewise, old gold coins are difficult to replicate with the right amount of gold, etc.

so we seem to have creased this incredibly efficient form of money (digital money) but nevertheless it is very vulnerable, potentially, to abuse on a wide scale.

Balancing investment and funds

Access to money should be diverse, as money can be vulnerable if it is only stored in one place  i.e. a bank account. The number of hackers breaking into bank accounts is sky rocketing - around 160,000 pro-hacking computer viruses are developed everyday worldwide.

Last year hackers stole an estimated 650m from bank accounts around the world in what was thought as the biggest ever cybercrime. In Britain alone cyber scams costs Britons 3.1bn a year.

Banks are encouraging customers to independently protect their accounts, to avoid relying solely on insurance. Methods include shredding bank statements, have different pin codes for different cards, avoid writing down bank details, and do not use websites that save bank details or strong personal details.

Financial exclusion is also an issue that can by triggered by a cashless society; one important caution is that around 20 percent of the US population is known as unbanked  they do nothave any sort of bank account at all, according to Josse.

Populations such as these are still highly dependent on cash, and if cash were to disappear, they would simply be stripped of a means of value exchange.

A society without cash is a society without on-demand, easily accessible money. It is a societythat relies entirely on the banking sector and the vulnerability that comes with digital wallets. Although there are obvious benefits to digital cash, we cannot live without a balance of the both.
Background

On Friday, October 1, 2016, Aisha BUHARI (The President's wife) gave an interview to the BBC in which she stated that her husband needed to change his approach to leadership or she may not support him in his next elections. She noted that the majority of the officials he appointed were unknown to her and possibly even her husband.

This sparked controversy and during the Berlin News conference, whilst standing opposite the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (who happens to be a woman), he remarked that 'I don't know what party my wife belongs to but she belongs to my kitchen, my living room and my other room.' Many are wondering what this other room is but it doesn't take too much imagination to conclude that it involves a bed in it.

You can watch the Video of the conference here.

The Reaction

The presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu took to twitter dismissing Buhari's remarks as a joke and banterous.

Politics sometimes should be spiced with humour. Those of us around him know there is never a dull moment with him.  Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) October 14, 2016

He claims that the President's installation of a female finance minister shows his respect for women. It is important to know though that of the 36 states in Nigeria, a woman has never been a governor of one and the idea of a female vice president, let alone President is stillcompletely mythical in Nigeria.

A small amount of people (thankfully) blamed Aisha for provoking the President based on he comments and remarked that she had no place to grant such an interview and should have fully supportedher husband like Hillary Clinton did.

This is merely confirmation of the issue that needs to be addressed, not only in Nigeria but apparently following the Donald Trump antics, worldwide.

The issue

Whilst this is not a 'we should all be feminists' article, it is undeniable that for the President of a country as big and civilizedas Nigeria to make such a comment, there is a lot of work to be done for the betterment of women if we are to make any progress.

It is sad that the president whose role is to empower and celebrate the citizens he governs over chooses to degrade and trivializetheirexistenceso publicly. Coupled with the fact that according to Unicef, Nigeria homes the largest number of child brides in Africa, with 23 million girls having been married in childhood. It is also noted that Northern Nigeria (Buhari's origin) has the highest amount of child marriage in the country; Hence why many do not see his views as surprising.

President Buharis lack of respect for his wife and women should not come as a surprise - https://t.co/Knp8d0CM4G #TheOtherRoom  Maryam (@damikazeem) October 14, 2016

It's not right and it's shocking that it happened but it's good that attention was drawn to it, opening the floor for the conversation.

As always comment down below your opinion on the issue and let's have a conversation.
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In early October, another dedicated Wildlife conservationist lost their life in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The person in question,Munganga Nzonga Jacques, murdered by armed militiamen as he attempted to protect Kahuzi Biega national park's embattled population of Eastern Lowland Gorillas. This abhorrent event marking the second attack on park rangers in Kahuzi Biega in the land six months alone, following a similar incident in March whereOscar Byamungu Mianziro was fatally shot in the line of duty.

The Eastern Lowland or Grauer's Gorilla, as it is otherwise known, is one of the world's most threatened ape species.

Now facing extinction due to illegal killing following a catastrophic population decline of 77% over the past twenty years.

Despite this, Kahuzi Biega had previously been thought to ask as a refuge for the species, at least according to a statement by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Though now it is thought that the Gorillas are facing a significant, almost insurmountable, threat from armed militant groups who have occupied the area in an effort to exploit its ample natural resources. The large apes, largely killed for food, make an easy target for the hunters guns.

Due to this tragic event, Jacques joins a long list of dedicated wildlife protectionists to have died for their passion. With perhaps the most famous example involving the case of Diana Fossey, the famed scientist who lost her life in 1985, slain at the hands of poachers in Rwanda.

Due predominantly to her often fearsome opposition to the killing of endangered Mountain Gorillas.

Though both Jacques and Fossey are not alone in this regard, and many conservationists have, unfortunately perished under similar circumstances including the case of Jairo Mora in 2013 and Gregory Gibbard in 2015. Wildlife protection is a dangerous career choice it seems, and one can only admire the dedication of those willing put all on the line in their quest to safeguard the natural world.
Sweden is often the home of progressive policies and they already have a De-Radicalisation policy. But the city of Lund is taking this one step further in a bid to tackle extremism and the rehabilitation of terrorists. Through fear of the fallout of recent ISIL losses, there is potential for those who are escaping to flee to Sweden. That is why Lund have taken it into their own hands to tackle the issue head on. But what is the policy that they are implementing?

When Anna Sjostrand reacted to the possibility of ISIL fighters fleeing she told a national broadcaster when this subject came up we thought: oh god, how should we handle this.

They have since put together a progressive policy.

Swedens Progressive De-Radicalisation and Rehabilitation Policy

Sweden have recently announced a progressive policy in a bid to tackle extremism. With a fair amount of Europeans being radicalised by ISIL and fighting for them, the solution to the issue is difficult. Whilst people like Maajid Nawaz rightly promote having the conversation about the problems within Islam, and further help advertise the ideology and reasoning behind radicalisation. No government has yet to address the issue of those who were radicalised by ISIL but have since rejected it and returned home to Europe. Public backlash over the proposal is inevitable, because what they would have done as extremists will not be easily forgiven by a vast number of people.

But the plan itself is one worth a try, because violence, hate and segregation has clearly not worked.

The city of Lund is introducing a controversial policy to help de-radicalise and rehabilitate ISIL fighters who are defecting. They plan to treat them in the same light as those who have come from organised crime groups and neo-Nazis.

The policy plan is to offer them housing, education, employment and financial support and whilst it is controversial the local authority question why they should be treated differently from other extremists and organised crime groups. Anna Sjostrand said pretty quickly we realised that we should deal with this in the same way.

Reintegrate a person into society than to abandon them, for example.

This idea comes as a positive step for de-radicalisation, and whilst many news outlets are criticising it claiming that they are rewarding Jihadists. They miss the point as to why they were radicalised in the first place, by promoting hate and fear of an idea. But it is this very same promotion that led to radicalisation in the first place. Whilst being critical of an idea is correct, segregating an innocent community because of it leads to the potential of radicalisation. In this case that idea is the religion of Islam, and communities who subscribe to this idea can often feel unwanted by the nation, where they have made their life.

But with the city of Lunds policy it can help fuel the idea that these people belong somewhere, as opposed to rejecting them because of the very essence of who they are. This can further help social cohesion whilst helping local communities understand what radicalisation is, and why it happens.
Heading into the third and final presidential debate, all eyes will be on how the two candidates close their argument to the American people with just three weeks remaining until Election Day. For Repubican nominee Donald Trump, he's using the opportunity to make headlines once again.

Trump's guest list

One of the biggest stories from the second 2016 presidential debate was when Trump decided to hold a press conference just hours before with Bill Clinton sexual assault accusers. Following the press conference, Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, and Kathleen Willey made their way to the debate and served as one of Trump's invited guests, which caused an instant media backlash who labeled the ordeal a political stunt.

As Trump and Hillary Clintonmake their way to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Wednesday night, Trump has revealed his final debate guest list filled with even more controversial names, as reported by NPR on October 19.

The name invited that has gotten the most attention has been Malik Obama, President Obama's half-brother from Kenya. The estranged relationship between the two escalated after Malik Obama blamed the president and Clinton for killing his "friend," former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. During an interview with The New York Post this summer, the president's half brother expressed his support for Trump because billionaire real estate mogul "speaks from the heart."

And via @AlexNBCNews, Palin source reiterates she'll be in audience tonight. Will she come here to spin room? pic.twitter.com/LJZVqFvsGk  Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) October 19, 2016

Another person that will be in attendance will be Patricia Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, who was killed in the Benghazi terrorist attacks in 2012.

Smith spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, and was greeted with cheers from the conservative crowd. She has since gone on record to blame the former Secretary of State for her son's death.

This isnt the first time a guest list has been used to get under the other teams skin https://t.co/XWTnTpBQvM  USA TODAY (@USATODAY) October 19, 2016

Other names to attend as Trump's guests will be retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, and four "Angel Moms," which is the name given to mothers whose children have been killed by illegal immigrants.

Leslie Millwee, a former Arkansas television report who recently accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault, will also in the crowd. Rounding out the list is former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin, who is expected to appear after receiving an invite, which was reported by MSNBC's Hallie Jackson as late addition.

Election update

Following an October that has included multiple allegations of sexual assault against him, Trump has found himself falling in the polls and is currently trailing Clinton by nearly double digits on a national level.

Due to this, Trump has pushed the debunked conspiracy theory that the election is being rigged against him by the media and the Clinton campaign, though no credible evidence has been released to back-up his claims.
Ministry: China welcomes WTO ruling against US anti-dumping measures Updated: 2016-10-21 07:40 By Jing Shuiyu and Zhong Nan(China Daily)

China welcomed the World Trade Organization's recent rulings that certain anti-dumping measures of the United States against Chinese exports are in violation of its rules, said the Ministry of Commerce in a statement.

"The US and some other countries that initiate trade investigations into China are abusing the trade remedy measures. This has a negative influence on the international trade environment," said Sun Yibiao, vice-minister of the General Administration of Customs of China on Thursday.

An official with the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that all countries shouldn't set up standards that go beyond the WTO rules, nor should they determine anti-dumping remedies deviating from the rules.

The WTO ruled against the 13 anti-dumping methods taken by the US Commerce Department on Chinese products in terms of targeted dumping and a refusal to set separate rates, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Dumping is found when a firm exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges on its domestic market.

On Dec 3, 2013, China filed a WTO complaint against the US over anti-dumping measures on machinery, electronics, light industry, metals and minerals. The products' annual export value totaled nearly $ 8.4 billion, said the Ministry of Commerce in a statement.

China urges the US to respect the rulings of the WTO, correct the wrongdoing of abusing the trade remedy measures and ensure Chinese companies enjoy a fair competition trade environment, the ministry stated.

The ministry said China is currently evaluating the panel report, and doing follow-up work in accordance with WTO disputes settlement procedures.

The US initiated 18 trade-remedy measures against Chinese products including steel, agricultural and photo-voltaic products in the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

China's nonmarket economy status is seen as a major obstacle for Chinese enterprises to deal with anti-dumping investigations. As a condition of joining the WTO, China agreed in 2001 that other WTO members could treat it as a "nonmarket economy" for 15 years ending on Dec 11, 2016.

As the deadline draws near, however, some members are disputing the automatic recognition of China as a market economy.

"Excessive trade protection is the primary reason that major economies continue to launch trade investigations on Chinese products and limit China' access for trade," said Chen Xuedong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation
Belt and Road lights up global growth Updated: 2016-10-21 10:14 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - Although the world has been mired in sluggish economic growth, countries along the Belt and Road Initiative are bucking the trend.

According to a report Wednesday by China's National Bureau of Statistics, despite a slight decline of trade volume overall, China's imports and exports with the Belt and Road countries have impressively increased over the last three quarters of 2016.

China's exports to Pakistan, Russia, Poland, Bangladesh and India have increased by 14.9 percent, 14 percent, 11.7 percent, 9.6 percent and 7.8 percent respectively, compared to last year's numbers. China also continues to import more bulk commodities including iron ore, crude oil, coals and coppers from Belt and Road countries.

Charles Onuaiju, director of Nigeria's Center for China Studies in the capital Abuja, said that the Belt and Road is a model of global development that stresses inclusiveness and participation.

Countries including Cambodia and Bangladesh have also connected their domestic development plans to the Belt and Road in a bid to bolster growth and explore further opportunities.

Former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jiri Paroubek said the Belt and Road can accelerate the economic growth of many Eurasian countries and will also become a driving force for the overall development of the global economy.

The Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative brings together countries in Asia, Europe and Africa via overland and maritime networks.

Trade between China and the Belt and Road countries exceeded $600 billion, 26 percent of China's total foreign trade volume, during the first eight months of 2016, said Fang Aiqin, deputy head of China's Ministry of Commerce.

Investment and financing is another cornerstone of the Belt and Road plans.

From January to August, China invested nearly $10 billion in countries along the Belt and Road through financial institutions including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund, according to the ministry.

Preliminary estimates showed that loans provided by the AIIB were to the tune of $1.2 billion in 2016 and are expected to rise to $2.5 billion in 2017 and $3.5 billion in 2018.

The New Development Bank (NDB) is another key institution for multilateral financial cooperation. The bank, jointly founded by China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa, officially opened in July, 2015 in Shanghai with an initial authorized capital of $100 billion.

The bank has approved five investment projects in the area of clean energy, one in each member country, for a total of over $900 million, a fact sheet provided by the bank has shown.

Also according to preliminary estimates, totals loan provided by the NDB are $1.5 billion to $2 billion, $2 billion to $2.5 billion and $4 billion to $5 billion for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Under these measures, Pakistan has witnessed a boom in infrastructure construction. The China-Pakistan economic corridor is regarded as the first chapter of the Belt and Road symphony. With the economic corridor at the center and the Gwadar Port, transport infrastructure, energy and industrial cooperation being another four key areas, a "1+4" cooperation structure is gradually taking shape.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the China-Pakistan economic corridor is a boon to the whole region and it will bring tangible benefits to the 3 billion people of China, Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

Many Belt and Road countries have also witnessed an increase in employment and decrease in poverty.

Bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and Bangladesh is a good example. An increasing number of Chinese investors have opened factories in the populous South Asian country, raising employment along with the training of personnel.

The Belt and Road Initiative has only begun, and experts believe it will be further integrated into the global economy in the future.

The initiative acknowledges people's hopes for a better life and champions the diversity of values in the world, said Onuaiju, director at the China center in Abuja.

Without any doubt, it will also promote world peace, stability and prosperity.
Global wine production to decrease by 5% in 2016 Updated: 2016-10-21 10:24 (Xinhua)

PARIS - Wine production worldwide is estimated at 259 million hectoliters(Mhl) in 2016, down five percent compared to that of 2015, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) announced on Thursday.

According to OIV, global wine consumption is estimated to reach between 239.7 and 246.6 Mhl.

Italy will be the world's leading wine producer, with a production volume of 48.8 Mhl. It is followed by France and Spain, respectively at 41.9 Mhl and 37.8 Mhl, OIV estimated.

As the fourth largest wine producer this year, production in the United States is estimated to reach a new record level in 2016, or 22.5 Mhl, while Australia's production is estimated at 12.5 Mhl, up five percent compared to 2015 and is relatively stable over the period from 2012 to 2015, according to OIV.

China, a major new world wine market, maintained its production level of 11.5 Mhl in 2016, securing its place as the world's sixth largest wine producer, OIV said.

In South America, the output of three main producers, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, is in net decline, said the organization, adding Argentina registered in 2016 a sharp decline with a production of 8.8 Mhl, 35 percent less than that of 2015.

At the same time, wine production in Chile this year is expected to fall down to 10.1 million hectoliters, a level very close to that of 2014 (10.5 Mhl), registering a significant decline relative to the 12.9 Mhl wine it produced in 2015. Brazil's production has fell down to 1.4 Mhl in 2016, a decrease of 50 percent compared to 2015, OIV said, explaining that the production of the three countries was affected by climatic events.

South Africa, with a production of 9.1 Mhl, saw its production level in 2016 decline by 19 percent from 2015, according to OIV.
Europe can learn innovation from China's e-commerce giant: experts Updated: 2016-10-21 10:37 (Xinhua)

BRUSSELS - European countries can learn from China's innovation-driven economy represented by leading e-commerce companies like Alibaba, experts attending a symposium said on Thursday in Brussels.

Duncan Clark, an expert on the internet and entrepreneurship in China and author of "Alibaba: the House That Jack Ma Built," told Xinhua that the firm represents an innovation-driven economy which can enlighten European countries lagging behind in this field.

China is setting out a step-by-step approach for building it into an innovative nation by 2020, an international leader in innovation by 2030 and a world power house of scientific and technological innovation by 2050, he said on the sidelines of a policy insight debate.

Propelling such an ambitious target forward are the country's high-profile tech companies like Alibaba, Clark noted.

Alibaba was founded by Ma in a small apartment in 1999, the year Clark first met him. It has since become one of the world's largest companies on which millions of Chinese consumers depend. Ma, for his success, has long been an icon among the youth in China and around the world.

Referring to Alibaba's innovative business mode of bringing choices to people, Clark said, "There's no Alibaba-style company in Europe, the market is dominated by US companies like Amazon and Ebay. The situation should be and can be changed."

"The key to Alibaba's success is the scale of consumers. Europe also has such a scale, so it can learn from Alibaba," said Clark, who is also chairman of BDA China, an advisory firm serving investors in China's technology and consumer sectors.

The policy insight debate focusing on innovation-driven economy is organized jointly by ChinaEU, a business-led international association, and the China Internet Development Foundation in association with Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe.

Echoing Clark's views on innovation, Chen Laiji, associate professor of Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication, Shantou University of China, said, "Ma and Alibaba made the most of opportunity through innovation and new technology revolution."

"But their successes also reflect Confucian thought which stresses hard work," Chen said.
Xi, Duterte hail 'springtime' of ties Updated: 2016-10-21 01:58 By AN BAIJIE(China Daily)

Beijing, Manila agree to handle maritime disputes properly, in what expert calls a 'welcome U-turn'

President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony to greet Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing on Thursday. Xie Huanchi / Xinhua

China and the Philippines agreed on Thursday to properly handle their maritime disputes and restore the bilateral ties soured by the South China Sea dispute.

The development is a "welcome U-turn" in the bilateral ties, said Jia Duqiang, a senior researcher of Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Rodrigo Duterte's first visit to China as Philippine president also saw the two countries sign 13 deals, worth more than $13.5 billion, on finance, anti-drug efforts, production cooperation and tourism, said Ramon Lopez, the Philippine trade and industry secretary.

President Xi Jinping, after a grandiose welcoming ceremony for his counterpart, described his handshake with Duterte as "warm and firm", even though the bilateral ties recently underwent some "winds and rains".

China is the first country outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region that Duterte has visited since he took office in June.

The visit took place amid a backdrop of bilateral ties that had suffered due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case against China by Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.

Xi called on the two countries to handle disputes properly on the South China Sea issue, to set aside the disagreements, and to focus more on cooperation. China and the Philippines have a history of generations of friendship, and there are no excuses for hostility and confrontation, he said.

Xi, who called the visit a milestone for bilateral ties, said the two countries remain friendly neighbors.

Duterte expressed gratitude for China's support for the economic development of the Philippines.

"This is the springtime of our relationship," he told Xi, adding that the two countries should enhance cooperation in areas including trade, investment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism, as well as in efforts to combat drugs and terrorism.

Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the visit means a new page has been turned in the relationship between the two countries in addressing the South China Sea issue through bilateral consultations.

China will provide financial support for infrastructure construction in the Philippines, Liu said, and will take part in the construction.

According to Liu, Xi has announced that China will lift the travel advisories issued two years ago for Chinese people traveling to the Philippines, adding that this will encourage more Chinese to visit the Southeast Asian country.

China has also resumed permits to 27 Philippine companies that export tropical fruit, including mangoes, to the country, he added.

Jia Duqiang, the researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Duterte's visit is a "turning point" for China-Philippines ties.

"Unlike his predecessor Benigno Aquino III, who relied much on the United States, Duterte has taken an independent approach in diplomatic policies," he said.

Jia expressed cautious optimism regarding China-Philippines ties because "setting aside the arbitration case temporarily does not mean the resolution of disputes for good".

Song Junying, a researcher of Asia and Pacific studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that as a pragmatic political figure, Duterte aims to speed up the country's economic development to bring real benefits for his people.

Aid from China will be crucial for Duterte to improve the country's infrastructure, he said.

Zhang Yaozhong contributed to this story.
China-Vietnam ties touted Updated: 2016-10-21 07:19 By WANG QINGYUN(China Daily)

China and Vietnam should work together to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties in the long term, officials of both countries' ruling parties said at a meeting on Thursday.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met in Beijing with Dinh The Huynh, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Both Liu and Huynh said the two countries should increase exchanges between the CPC and the CPV, and deal with the South China Sea issue properly.

The meeting took place on the same day that President Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, met Huynh.

Xi told Huynh that the momentum of China-Vietnam ties should be cherished by both countries, adding that such ties will continue to develop steadily as long as the two stick to looking at the bigger picture, deal with discrepancies properly and conduct mutually-beneficial cooperation.

China and Vietnam are "a community of shared destiny of strategic significance", and the two should exchange views on major issues, broaden their consensus and increase mutual trust, said Liu, also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.

Bilateral ties have been moving in the right direction in recent years, and the exchange of visits last year by Xi and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the CPV, paved the way for the development of such ties, Liu said.

Liu called for increased sharing of experiences related to party discipline and country governance between the two sides, and touted comprehensive exchanges between the two parties at various levels.

In addition, the two countries should strengthen people-to-people exchanges to increase mutual understanding between youths, Liu added.

On the South China Sea issue, Liu said the two must maintain the peace and stability of the region, manage their discrepancies properly and work toward enhanced maritime cooperation.

Huynh said that the two sides should implement the important consensus their leaders have reached, and let interparty exchanges and cooperation lead relations of the two countries.

China Central Television contributed to this story.
New cultural hub boosts China's ceramics capital Updated: 2016-10-21 17:29 (Xinhua)

NANCHANG -- Ryan Labar, an American artist, carefully wipes his ceramic sculptures as he greets visitors in his ceramic studio in eastern China's Jiangxi province.

Labar is among the first group of foreign artists to start a workshop in Taoxichuan, a ceramic-themed avenue that opened Wednesday in Jingdezhen, China's ceramics capital.

"I put my workshop here because I saw the scope of the project," said Labar, who arrived in the city a year ago and has since worked at Taoxichuan International Studio, a government-funded program with an annual budget of 900,000 yuan ($133,000).

The program sponsors foreign artists to work in the studio for three to four months, but Labar chose to stay.

Partnering with a young Chinese businessman Wang Jusi, Labar established Lab Artz, a 260-square-meter workshop where he plans to house more artists and offer ceramics classes.

"More and more artists are coming to be part of the avenue and help build it up," said Wang, who also wrote the business plan for Lab Artz. The space is rented from the government for a very low fee.

Taoxichuan offers preferential renting rates for young artists and foreign artists, said Liu Zili, general manager of Jingdezhen Ceramic Culture Tourism Group, a state-owned enterprise and developer of the avenue.

In the evening, not far from Labar's studio, people swarm around the booths that line both sides of the avenue to buy ceramics. These booths are rented to college students and young artists for free, Liu said.

Over 3,000 people have signed up for the booths. "It is a place for young artists to build their dreams," Liu said.

CREATIVE POTENTIAL

Taoxichuan was once the site of 10 thriving ceramic plants in Jingdezhen, a city with a 1,700-year history of making porcelain.

The plants, built 60 years ago, were once important porcelain export bases, but they suffered from drastic drops in profits in the 1990s and employees were laid off as the plants became deserted. However, in 2014 the local government decided to renovate them to revitalize the area.

Over 450 million yuan has been invested in the avenue so far, turning it into an art community bustling with workshops, cultural centers, galleries, restaurants and hotels.

At the opening ceremony of the Scandinavian Center in Taoxichuan on Wednesday, over 50 artists from 14 countries were present.

"This place was dust and earth a year ago," said Anna Mellergard, one of the Swedish founders of the center. "But now it's a popular meeting place for artists and students."

At the avenue, most buildings feature a combination of old red-brick factory walls and renovated glass with black steel bezels.

The original walls were intentionally kept during the renovation so "when former workers come here they can still talk about their old jobs and reminisce about the past with their children," Liu said.

The respect toward craft and tradition, and the interest in dialogue with Western culture gives this city great creative potential, Labar said.

"Art is about finding potential and this place is bustling with it," Liu said. "Now over 140 businesses have settled in the avenue, taking up 89,000 square meters, filling over half the space, and the annual revenue is about 90 million yuan."
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Apps aiding foreigners with internet shopping Updated: 2016-10-21 16:27 By Li Jing(China Daily USA)

But language barrier remains a stumbling block to uptake of online payment services

Dee Prichard has lived in China for four years and started shopping with WeChat Wallet, an online payment service, about 12 months ago.

"It makes it easier for me to use JD.com," she says, referring to the popular online shopping site. "Before, when I tried to use JD.com, I had to look for products that allowed me to pay on delivery. But now, because I have the online payment, I can buy anything."

Prichard, an English and business teacher from the US, shops online about three times a week. Except for clothes, she buys everything online.

"Honestly, before I go shopping, I look online first. If I can find it online, I buy it," she says.

At first, she used online payment only when shopping online, but later she discovered that it could be used for many things in the real world.

"At a local vendor where I buy beef, it was kind of a surprise to me when she said she also accepts mobile payment," Prichard says, adding that she's become accustomed to asking at every store whether they accept WeChat Wallet.

The growth in online payment has also transformed the life of Czech businessman Jan Hebnar.

"I transfer money to my friends online, pay for dinners, lunches, and so on, whenever it's possible," he says. "I'm getting into the habit of not carrying much money in my pocket anymore."

Hebnar is a managing partner of CEE Investment and Trade, a company that imports food products from Central European and sells them to Chinese consumers on the internet. He says he started to use online payment in 2012 after opening his first shop on Taobao, an online marketplace operated by Alibaba Group.

"Online payment smoothes e-commerce a lot," he says, adding that Taobao also forward payment immediately to a vendor's account, whereas websites such as JD.com or Amazon hold on to the money for a period of time. "For example, JD.com will then send the money 60 to 90 days after payment."

Compared with China, he adds, online payment is used much less in his native Czech Republic.

"It's because the penetration of credit and debit cards is much higher than in China, so the adoption of this new technology is slower," Hebnar says. "In China, online payments basically replaced debit cards before they were made available to the majority of Chinese."

According to Analysys, a Beijing internet consultancy, WeChat Wallet has 300 million monthly active users and is available at more than 300,000 retailers in China, while Alipay has 200 million monthly active users and works with about 1 million retailers.

Wang Pengbo, an analyst for Analysys, says the sprawling development of online payment echoes the developments in e-commerce and smartphone penetration in China. It is forecast that the number of smartphone users in China will reach 740 million next year.

"Online payment giants are competing to make their services available in offline stores, which has brought great convenience to users and catalyzed the market's development," Wang says.

For foreigners, however, the biggest problem with online payment apps is the language barrier.

Prichard says one of her colleagues helped to set up her WeChat Wallet, but she found it difficult to get any English instructions for Alipay.

"If a foreigner needs to ask for help so many times, it's a little embarrassing," she says. "If I could use Alipay, I'd use Taobao more."

The problem is also true with other Chinese apps. "I've downloaded several apps, but there is no way to change languages," Prichard says. "I have many foreign friends who have all asked the same questions - does anybody know how to use this app?"

For example, Jenny Lou's, a Beijing supermarket specializing in imported foods, has an app that advertises promotions and enables shoppers to buy online. "But it is all in Chinese," Prichard says.

Hebnar adds that he doesn't use many other Chinese apps due to the same problem.

lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn
Duterte's visit offers chance to turn new page Updated: 2016-10-20 08:27 By Wang Hui(China Daily USA)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is leading a big delegation to China this week. Even before he embarked on his first trip outside of Southeast Asia as president, Duterte sent many positive signals that have raised hopes the new Philippine leader can repair his country's ties with China, which were strained under the previous government led by Benigno Aquino III.

In his interviews with Chinese media ahead of his Beijing trip, Duterte expressed his desire to improve ties with China and strengthen cooperation with China in a wide range of fields. He also said the just concluded joint military drills between his country and the United States in the South China Sea will be the last while he is in office.

Such words and gestures can help turn a new page in relationship between Beijing and Manila and ratchet down tensions in the disputed waters, which will in turn contribute to peace and stability in the region.

If such desirable momentum can be maintained, people should not be surprised if Beijing and Manila reach a consensus on resolving their maritime disputes through bilateral talks and negotiations very soon. Such a prospect is also sought by China as the South China Sea disputes have become a major man-made obstacle standing in the way of deepening mutual trust and cooperation between China and its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Yet, some in the world arena are unhappy about the warming relations between Manila and Beijing. Their narrow-mindedness leads them to think Manila is backing down from its South China Sea position and distancing itself from Washington and its security alliance with the US because it wants economic benefits from Beijing.

A Financial Times report on Oct 12 presents a typical view of such kind. Quoting some analysts, the London-based newspaper said Duterte has unrealistic expectations about what China will give him, and he has lessened his leverage with Beijing by publicly repudiating the US.

Those who harbor such views would like to drive a wedge between China and the Philippines. However, reciprocity and win-win outcomes have always prevailed in China's interactions with other countries, and this is likely to be the case this week, with China and the Philippines expected to sign agreements on deepening bilateral cooperation in various fields.

In fact, outside forces, the US in particular, instigated the previous Philippine government to provoke China over the maritime disputes between the two countries again and again.

As a result, China-Philippines relations became ice cold and tensions continued to build up in the disputed waters, serving the interests of neither country nor the region at large.

Fortunately, the new Philippine government under Duterte has decided not to be used as stepping stone in the US' strategic maneuvering in the region, which is intended to contain China's rise as Washington increasingly sees China as a rival that is bound to challenge its leadership in the region and beyond.

As such, those who feel uncomfortable about or even outraged by the rapprochement between Beijing and Manila only want to fish for their own interests in the troubled waters. To this end, the US and some of its die-hard regional allies may continue to use the South China Sea arbitration ruling or the so-called freedom of navigation as a pretext to intervene in the maritime disputes. But their ulterior motives are doomed to fail.

Abraham Lincoln once said, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all of the time. That the Philippines has finally seen through the US' hidden agenda in the South China Sea and is making efforts to mend fences with China is ready proof of this.

The author is deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific.

jasmine@chinadailyhk.com

(China Daily USA 10/20/2016 page12)
Road-tripping Senegal: Experience Africa's west coast by car Updated: 2016-10-17 08:30 (Agencies)

A side street on the Ile de Goree, or Goree Island, off the coast of Dakar, Senegal. [Photo/Agencies]

From dizzying Dakar to vibrant Saint-Louis, Senegal pulsates with rich culture, history and charm.

If you want to experience it allfrom bustling cities to sleepy, seaside villageshop in a rental car, charge up your favorite navigation device or app, brush up on your conversational French, and start your road trip across Africa's colorful western coast.

Dakar for the music, and the art lover.

Senegal's largest city perched on the tip of the Cap-Vert peninsula is an ideal starting place for your journey.

Spend the afternoons filling your suitcases with trinkets and T-shirts from the capital's many frenetic street markets.

For a more serene shopping experience, head to La Galerie Antenna. This African art mecca boasts an impressive collection of sculptures, paintings, masks and jewelry from across the continent.

Rest up and head out after midnight to experience Dakar's thriving music scene at a local bar or club. After your late night, regroup by the beach at one of Dakar's luxury hotels.

While most of Senegal is surprisingly drivable, Dakar traffic is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for a general disregard of road signs and discombobulating roundabouts.

Some rental-car packages include drivers or one can be arranged through your hotel.

Or hop in taxis for short trips. They're abundant and inexpensive. Be sure to check rates with a local before hailing a ride and negotiate the fare with your driver in advance.

Goree Island for history buffs

An afternoon (at least) spent exploring the history and architecture of Ile de Goree is a must when visiting Dakar.

The UNESCO World Heritage site was a shipping point for African slaves during the 16th through 19th centuries.

The island's most famous and sobering attraction, Maison des Esclaves (Slave House), has had many high-profile visitors, including President Obama in 2013. It is now a museum and memorial site serving as symbol for the larger slave trade throughout Africa. You can easily book a tour guide when you arrive, but the small, tranquil island is quite walkable on your own.

Take in the scenic ocean views, colorful, crumbling architecture, shops and street vendors before dining on fresh fish at the hilltop restaurant, Dolce Vita.
Trump says he will totally accept election results 'if I win' Updated: 2016-10-21 03:44 (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON -- US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said at a rally on Thursday he will totally accept election results "if I win."

"I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win," Trump told supporters in Delaware, Ohio, which is a key swing state in the the Nov. 8 election.

During the third and final debate with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night, the New York real estate billionaire refused to say if he will honor the election results, an unprecedented statement by a major party presidential nominee in the US history.

"I will look at it at the time," he said during the high-stake showdown in Las Vegas. "I'll keep you in suspense."

"Of course, I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result," Trump told the crowd on Thursday.

His comments ratcheted up his claims that has intensified in recent days that the election is being rigged against him.

The Republican nominee's refusal to commit to accepting the election outcome shocked many voters in the United States, where the concept that defeated candidates should concede to the winner and bow out graciously and quietly has been considered an inherent part of its political system.

Recent polls have shown Clinton has a steady double-digit lead over Trump after a leaked tape revealed Trump's lewd remarks about groping women earlier this month. The lead is more obvious among female voters, where Clinton enjoys a margin of 61 percent against 28 percent.
EU leaders mull new trade rules Updated: 2016-10-21 16:45 By HARVEY MORRIS/FU JING/DAI TIAN(China Daily UK)

Beijing pays 'close attention' to ideas, says they must not exceed WTO requirements

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 20, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

European Union heads of government gathered for a two-day summit in Brussels on Thursday, with trade issues high on the agenda, including proposals to adopt more robust anti-dumping measures that would impact Chinese exporters.

A statement from China's Commerce Ministry said Beijing was paying "close attention" to EU proposals to revise existing trade rules, which it says should not exceed World Trade Organization standards.

The statement came as the European Commission, which functions as the executive of the 28-member EU, announced on Thursday it would come up with proposals by the end of the year on how to calculate anti-dumping tariffs involving China.

The Commission had earlier urged government leaders to back its efforts toward strengthened so-called trade defense instruments. It believes current measures have not been adequate in dealing with enormous overcapacity, which it blames for the "dumping" of Chinese goods on the European market.

It will be the first such summit for British Prime Minister Theresa May, who came to office following the UK referendum decision in June to quit the EU. She is expected to say she is looking forward to a smooth and orderly British departure. But there will be no substantive debate on the terms of so-called Brexit, which has not been formally triggered.

Tackling the trade issue in a letter to European leaders ahead of the summit, the Council's president, Donald Tusk, wrote: "I am convinced that together we can deliver a trade policy that is fit for today's concerns and tomorrow's challenges."

In response to the Commission's proposals, the Chinese Commerce Ministry cautioned: "The rules should not exceed the current standards under the WTO on market distortion, and should not become an excuse for enforcing anti-dumping measures that are against WTO rules."

The ministry also hoped the EU will avoid sending the wrong signal on trade protectionism.

In a gesture of assurance to a European public that has shown mounting skepticism about the negative effects of proposed trade pacts with the US and others, the EU leaders were expected to emphasize these concerns and underline their commitment to fully protect and promote the social, environmental and consumer standards central to the European way of life.

Dai Tian in London contributed to this story.
China-Philippine united front on South China Sea Updated: 2016-10-21 19:12 By AN BAIJIE(chinadaily.com.cn)

China and the Philippines agreed to address the South China Sea disputes "through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned", according to a joint statement released on Friday.

The statement, issued during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's state visit to China, highlighted "the importance of handling the disputes in the South China Sea in an appropriate manner".

"Both sides also reaffirm the importance of ... addressing their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned," the statement said.

The statement also says the two countries "agree to continue discussions on confidence-building measures to increase mutual trust and confidence and to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities in the South China Sea that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability".

"In addition to and without prejudice to other mechanisms, a bilateral consultation mechanism can be useful, which will meet regularly on current and other issues of concern to either side on the South China Sea," the statement said.

Duterte's China trip, from Tuesday to Friday, is his first official visit to a foreign country outside ASEAN after assuming the presidential post in June. The visit took place amid a backdrop of deteriorating China-Philippines ties due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case initiated by his predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China.

According to the joint statement, the Philippines welcomes China's proposal to open a Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Davao.

The statement also laid the basis for China-Philippines cooperation in areas including infrastructure investment, finance and customs.

"Both sides will develop financial cooperation including in areas such as concessional loans, preferential buyer's credit, bonds issuance, loans, investments, securities, and others as mutually agreed upon including special loans for development," the statement said.

According to the statement, the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other multilateral and regional development banks.
Entrepreneurs seek fewer Canada constraints Updated: 2016-10-21 11:40 By Na Li in Toronto(China Daily USA)

The head of a group of China's most powerful business leaders called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to open Canada's trade and investment doors even wider.

Ma Weihua, the president of the CEC, told The Canadian Press that the entrepreneurs had urged Trudeau to ease what they see as rigid rules that hold back Chinese investors.

Members of the China Entrepreneur Club (CEC) - often referred to as the billionaires club - met with the prime minister on Tuesday for the second time in less than two months.

"Trudeau himself expressed very clearly to support the business collaborations in the two countries," Ma said as club members attended a business luncheon hosted by Invest Ottawa, the second day on the group's eight-day Canadian tour covering Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

The group encouraged Trudeau to create "more favourable conditions" on government approval procedures and to open up more sectors to investment by Chinese companies.

"Our primary purpose this time is to build the bridge, build those connections with our counterparts here in Canada," Ma said.

He said the group wants to create a "win-win situation" for both countries by helping combine China's vast market and capital with Canada's wealth of human talent and cutting-edge technologies.

"China has a huge market with unlimited potential; Canadian business should seize the opportunity to engage with China's market," said Andre Desmarais, deputy chairman, president and co-CEO of Power Corp in Montreal, who joined the meeting on Tuesday.

Club member Xu Jinghong, chairman of Tsinghua Holdings, said that his investment firm sees great technological opportunities in Canada, thanks in large part to the country's strong educational system.

He said his company, which has partnered with Simon Fraser University on a clean-tech innovation centre, is primarily interested in scientific innovation and research and development, including life sciences, environmental and smart technologies.

The club also expressed concern about British Columbia's new 15 percent real estate tax on foreign investors aimed at the sizzling Vancouver housing market.

"Although the 15 percent tax brings inconvenience to overseas buyers, I plan to invest in Canada to build residential property in the next two to three years, especially for the Chinese buyers," Frank Wu, one of China's top real estate moguls, said on Monday in Montreal.

The tour is taking place only a few weeks after an exchange of high-level official visits - Trudeau's recent trip to China, followed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Canada.

The travelling members met with Trudeau north of Ottawa, near Quebec's Meech Lake.

Trudeau has shown more willingness to do business with the world's second-biggest economy than the previous Conservative government - he's even committed to launching exploratory free-trade talks.

renali@chinadailyusa.com
Trump's next bankruptcy may be US-China relationship Updated: 2016-10-21 10:33 (China Daily USA)

The final presidential debate went viral as Republican Donald Trump wouldn't commit to accept the election results, to which his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, responded that such a statement was "horrifying" and that he was "taking down our democracy."

This does not bring out the best in America's highly valued democracy.

Candidates are often careless with facts at campaign rallies and debates, but Trump has set a record of making false statements, deceptions and even outright lies never seen before in a presidential election, especially his blistering attacks on trade agreements and China. Here is a reality check:

Trump has stated repeatedly that he would slap a 45 percent tariff on all Chinese products entering the US.

Reality: What he does not know is that there are thousands of US trade actions that already limit Chinese exports to the US. These punishing import tariffs are often applied unfairly because China is still considered a non-market economy, but ultimately they do unintended harm to US importers (who pay the tariffs), end-users, retailers and American consumers.

The Department of Commerce recently levied a 500 percent duty on Chinese cold rolled steel (metal to make appliances, cars and electronic motors), significantly higher than what Trump is advocating.

Trump also believes he could get away with such action, but he should know China will not hesitate to retaliate whenever they believe US trade laws are being applied unfairly.

This was certainly the case involving the solar panel sector. When the US applied anti-dumping duties of up to 78 percent on Chinese solar panels (prompted by lobbying on behalf of a German-owned solar panel facility based in Portland, Oregon), China quickly responded with its own 57 percent against US produces of polycrystalline silicon, the raw material for photovoltaic cells essential to making solar panels. If this continues, we most certainly will be on the path to a trade war.

Finally, if Trump took time to read the Constitution, he would see that it clearly states it is the Congress (not the president) that has the authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.

Trump finds it convenient to blame China and trade agreements for the huge job losses across America's heartland.

Reality: While he finds it convenient to portray China as the chief beneficiary of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trade pacts, the truth is China is not involved in any of the US trade agreements.

Many factors contributed to the job losses, but it was mostly US corporations relocating their operations abroad adjusting to a more global economy. Trump lives in fantasyland when he boastfully claims he will bring back all those manufacturing jobs if he becomes president.

The campaign rhetoric surrounding TPP has all but guaranteed it will not be approved. While China was excluded for obvious geopolitical and economic reasons, it has much more to gain if TPP fails to be ratified, which is the opposite of what Trump claims.

More alarmingly is Trump's pre-campaign statement that "I'd love to have a trade war with China if we did no business with China, frankly we will save a lot of money."

Reality: This is typical Trump saber-rattling, threatening a trade war that would force China to make major concessions, or he genuinely believes as commander-in-chief, that America would emerge victorious.

Trade is a two-way street, so a trade war would have huge consequences on both sides.

According to the Rhodium Group, China is a top investor in America with $18 billion in the first half of 2016 and another $30 billion in the pipeline. There would be even greater investments if the US-China Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) were to be approved but that is unlikely given the anti-trade rhetoric this election year.

Also some of China's top corporations are locating their manufacturing operations all across America. According to a report issued by the National Committee on US-China Relations and Rhodium Group earlier last year, more than 1,900 Chinese companies have operations in the US and employ over 90,000 Americans.

Most of the nation's state governors are anxious to lead trade delegations to China to urge more investments in their states.

The reality is that China is investing heavily worldwide and if, as president, Trump were to shut the door or erect barriers, then the needed investment capital will flow to other countries. Despite his business savvy, this would be a bad deal for the United States.

There is imbalance in the trade relationship, to be sure, but China is now importing $130 billion in merchandise from the US, an amount that's increasing with China's rising middle class and the surge of online purchasing.

This election year, Trump has been ever boastful of his business achievements despite the multiple bankruptcies, as evidenced by the enormous $900 million debt he acquired building casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

If Trump wins the election in November and moves from the Trump Tower to the White House, we can expect another bankruptcy, this time possibly of the US-China relationship.

The author is executive director of APCO Worldwide, a former Democratic US congressman and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Trade.
Updated: 2016-10-21 10:32

(Xinhua)

[Photo/Xinhua]

Wine production worldwide is estimated at 259 million hectoliters(Mhl) in 2016, down five percent compared to that of 2015, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) announced here on Thursday.

According to OIV, global wine consumption is estimated to reach between 239.7 and 246.6 Mhl.

Italy will be the world's leading wine producer, with a production volume of 48.8 Mhl. It is followed by France and Spain, respectively at 41.9 Mhl and 37.8 Mhl, OIV estimated.

As the fourth largest wine producer this year, production in the United States is estimated to reach a new record level in 2016, or 22.5 Mhl, while Australia's production is estimated at 12.5 Mhl, up five percent compared to 2015 and is relatively stable over the period from 2012 to 2015, according to OIV.

China, a major new world wine market, maintained its production level of 11.5 Mhl in 2016, securing its place as the world's sixth largest wine producer, OIV said.

In South America, the output of three main producers, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, is in net decline, said the organization, adding Argentina registered in 2016 a sharp decline with a production of 8.8 Mhl, 35 percent less than that of 2015.

At the same time, wine production in Chile this year is expected to fall down to 10.1 million hectoliters, a level very close to that of 2014 (10.5 million hl), registering a significant decline relative to the 12.9 Mhl wine it produced in 2015. Brazil's production has fell down to 1.4 Mhl in 2016, a decrease of 50 percent compared to 2015, OIV said, explaining that the production of the three countries was affected by climatic events.

South Africa, with a production of 9.1 Mhl, saw its production level in 2016 decline by 19 percent from 2015, according to OIV.
This article was published in the October/November 2016 issue of Financial World.

Breaking the vicious circle

Nicolas Veron argues that EU banking union can only be complete if the vast amounts of domestic sovereign debt held by many banks are reduced

The eurozones banking union has moved from vision to reality in a short period of time, with the European Central Bank now an established supervisory authority for the areas large banks. This has already made a big difference to the many national banking champions that local supervisors had been treating with kid gloves. But the banking unions ultimate policy goal, memorably defined by heads of state and government in June 2012 as the imperative to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns, has not yet been achieved.

One essential link in this vicious circle is the vast inventories of domestic sovereign debt held by many European banks. Reducing these holdings is now central to discussions on a more complete banking union.

The Dutch EU presidency in the first half of 2016 valiantly tried to make progress but could not overcome the stalemate of entrenched positions. Most countries want to keep the option of using national banking systems as buyers of last resort of their sovereign debt.

In May, the Governor of the Bank of Italy referred publicly to the need to maintain banks ability to act as shock absorbers in the event of sovereign stress. Even Germany, usually an advocate of strict fiscal discipline, is constrained by the role played by its local banks (the Landesbanken) in financing public-sector activities at local or regional level. But, at the same time, the German government refuses to endorse the creation of a European deposit insurance scheme (EDIS), a cornerstone in banking union, unless limits are put on banks domestic sovereign exposures. Its concern, not unreasonably, is that the risk-sharing inherent to EDIS could be exploited by impecunious governments. The fear is that EDIS could be used to get easier government financing conditions through outright financial repression or through the use of moral suasion on domestic banks.

The Ecofin meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in mid-June decided that any new initiatives on the regulatory treatment of sovereign exposures will await the outcome of ongoing work at the Basel Committee. It is only then that EDIS be discussed at the political level.

But the issue of sovereign exposures cannot be simply wished away. To achieve resilience, the eurozone needs to enable banks to withstand sovereign stress, even in their respective countries of origin. Only then can the banking system act as a genuine shock absorber for the local economy  as happened, say, in the Baltic countries in 2009-10 when local banks were supported by their Scandinavian parents. Forceful regulatory measures are needed to sharply reduce home bias in banks sovereign debt portfolios and to ensure that it do not reappear.

This is a specific eurozone challenge that calls for a specific eurozone solution. In countries that have their own currency, including those inside the EU, the bank-sovereign linkages are less vicious since the central bank can act as a buyer of last resort of sovereign debt. Outsourcing the problem to the Basel Committee, therefore, will almost certainly bring no breakthrough. Conversely, the eurozone can strongly limit the home bias, without practically constraining the banks total holdings of euro-denominated sovereign bonds as safe assets, since these can be diversified across 19 issuing countries and there would be no adverse competitive distortion with banks from outside the eurozone. This could be done with a graduated capital charge on any individual eurozone governments debt.

Holdings at banks of such debt under, say, 25 or 50 percent of own funds could face a limited capital charge, which is gradually increased once the threshold is crossed. That would vastly improve the banks incentives to avoid the current home bias. Such thresholds should not depend on a sovereigns perceived riskiness but be applied to all Eurozone banks and member states in the same way. The inescapable reality is that there is no objective way of assigning any significant issuer-specific risk weights to sovereign countries and any attempt to do so may be damaging.

National debt management offices can be expected to lobby fiercely against limits on eurozone banks sovereign exposures, but financial stability demands such limits. Together with provisions for bailing-in the creditors of unviable banks, which are now in place, if not much tested in practice, sovereign exposure limits would avert the sort of contagion spiral that nearly broke up the eurozone in 2011-12. They would also bring some welcome fiscal discipline to member states  a good thing given the otherwise toothless eurozone fiscal framework. Several EU countries already exhibit low home bias in their banks debt portfolios, for example Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden. With adequate transitional arrangements, it can be done.

The Eurozone should aim for a package to strengthen banking union, including the introduction of sovereign exposure limits, the implementation of EDIS broadly as proposed by the European Commission last November, and additional harmonisation of relevant features of bank insolvency regimes, such as the hierarchy of liabilities. Given lingering banking weakness in Italy, forthcoming elections in Germany and elsewhere, the distractions of Brexit and the sheer complexity of the issues, this negotiation is unlikely to be concluded immediately  but the sooner it is conducted, the better.
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HCM CITY - Viet Nams economy is expected to grow at 7 per cent from around 6 per cent currently, while private consumption should increase by 5 per cent per annum from the current 4.4 per cent, says an expert.

Nguyen Xuan Thanh, director of Fulbright University Vietnam told participants at a seminar Wealth through Consumption held by the Nhip Cau au tu magazine on October 20 that private consumption contributed 4.9 per cent annually to GDP growth between 2006-2010. The rate decreased to 4.4 per cent during the 2011-15 period.

He said private consumption represented major stakes in the countrys GDP, up to more than 84 per cent in 1990, then decreasing to 65 per cent during 2011-2015. It was, however still higher than the East Asia average and in other countries including China, Indonesia and India.

Thanh also said domestic producers should improve their competitiveness to satisfy higher consumption to control higher imports.

In the short term the driver for consumption growth is low global commodity prices, but in the medium term, it is the growth in consumer finance, and in the long term, a growing middle class.

The consumption-driven growth is only sustainable when supported by higher productivity and strong institutions and governance as well as improved firms competitiveness, he said. - VNS
HCM CITY  Vietnamese enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized ones, should increase the use of e-commerce to boost their exports and showcase their products to potential partners globally, a seminar heard in HCM City yesterday.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, chief representative of the Viet Nam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency (Vecita) in HCM City, said Viet Nam was among countries with a high growth rate in internet penetration and has around 50 million internet users or more than half of its population.

Its key export markets like the US, Japan, South Korea and the EU have high rates of internet use, and it would be very effective if enterprises know how to use the internet to access them, she said.

But the use of e-commerce among Vietnamese exporters remains low, she told the seminar organised by the worlds leading e-commerce company, Alibaba, OSB Investment and Technology JSC, VPBank, and the Post and Telecommunication Insurance Joint Stock Corporation (PTI).

A survey by Vecita of more than 800 export firms found that only 42 per cent of them have websites.

Most surveyed firms contacted their business partners through direct meetings (59 per cent) and via trade fairs and trade promotion programmes (19 per cent), while only 19 per cent said they approached potential buyers through websites, e-commerce platforms and email, she said.

In the survey, more than 59 per cent of enterprises said e-commerce was effective for exports and 14 per cent said ineffective, she said.

Le ang Doanh, former director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said, existing and future free trade agreements would provide opportunities for Vietnamese firms to boost exports, but the competition would be fiercer.

Vietnamese exporters have been encountering challenges in a fast-changing global economy and due to the slow growth of the global economy and the depreciation of the British pound, he said.

This requires them to adopt effective measures to boost exports, he said.

Tran Xuan Thuy, the country manager of Alibaba in Viet Nam, said cross-border transactions were shifting from a traditional environment to an online environment to optimise operations.

With advantages like low costs, convenience and absence of geographical restrictions, e-commerce offers opportunities for small-scale firms to compete, explore and expand markets, he said.

Speaking about her experience in using e-commerce to promote exports, Le Thi Thien Ngan, director of Paper Colour Co Ltd, which makes 3D pop-up cards for export, said her company had been exporting online since 2014 and enjoyed great success.

From making 1,000 products a month, the company has expanded to produce 22,000-24,000 now, she said.

Alibaba, OSB, VPBank and PTI have signed an agreement to offer exporters services to enable them to access the global market.

Hanh said Viet Nams e-commerce sector had grown at 25-30 per cent annually in recent years, and this was expected to continue for the next five years.  VNS
SINGAPORE - Moodys Investors Service on October 19 concluded its review of eight Vietnamese banks.

At the same time, Moodys affirmed the long-term B1 local currency deposit and issuer ratings of Bank for Investment & Development of Vietnam. Its caa1 baseline credit assessment (BCA) was also affirmed. The outlook on the banks ratings remains stable.

Under the review, Moodys upgraded the long-term credit ratings and BCAs of Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank and Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank. The banks ratings outlooks are stable.

Confirmation/Affirmation of the long-term credit ratings of five other banks was also done, with their BCAs upgraded by one notch. These five banks are Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade, Vietnam International Bank, An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Asia Commercial Bank (and Vietnam Technological and Comml JSB. Ratings outlooks of these banks are stable.

Moodys also confirmed the B3 long-term credit ratings and caa1 BCA for Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint-Stock Bank. The banks ratings outlook was revised to negative.

Moodys review of the ratings of eight other banks for upgrade was initiated on September 5, 2016, following Moodys change of Vietnams (B1 stable) banking system Macro Profile to "Weak" from "Weak-." The Macro Profile captures the risks related to the operating and economic environment of the banks.

The BCA of JSC Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam remains under review for upgrade, pending regulatory approvals and finalisation of an announced capital increase. The B1/B2 long-term local and foreign currency deposit ratings of that bank are not under review.

According to Moodys, the positive rating actions are broadly driven by the credit agencys view that the more benign operating and economic conditions for banks in Vietnam (B1 stable) have resulted in somewhat lower solvency and liquidity risks for the majority of Moodys-rated banks in the country.

Vietnamese banks will continue to benefit from the countrys robust economic growth and from Viet Nams enhanced, but still weak, institutional strength. These positive developments support the banks funding profiles.

Moodys has captured the above mentioned macroeconomic improvements by changing the Macro Profile for Viet Nams banking system to "Weak" from "Weak-" in early September 2016.

Despite these broadly positive rating actions, Moodys believes that the banking system in Viet Nam remains under-capitalised against the backdrop of rapid credit growth and a high share of legacy problem assets, which are not always adequately disclosed on the banks balance sheets. Moodys expects that these challenges will continue to persist in the medium term, despite some improvements. - VNS
HA NOI  Vietnamese firms must draw up long-term business strategies to exploit opportunities in the European Union (EU), as the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will come into force by 2018.

The EU, an open market with an integrated legal framework for all its members, can offer more export opportunities to local firms, experts told Vietnam News Agency correspondent.

In the past few years, trade between Viet Nam and EU has been on a continuous rise. In the first half of this year, the total import-export turnover to EU touched US$21.2 billion, posting a 9.05 per cent year-on-year rise. Of this, Viet Nams exports to EU were worth $16.2 billion and imports were $4.97 billion, both recording an 8.68 per cent and 10.28 per cent increase, respectively, from the same period last year.

The annual growth rate of Viet Nams export turnover to EU could be 4 to 6 percentage points higher once the EVFTA comes into effect. The trade pact can help Viet Nam promote the export of key products such as garments and textiles, leather shoes and seafood to one of the most developed economic regions in the world.

Experts said Vietnamese companies had so far only been shipping raw materials, though EU had brought the biggest export turnover for the country. Made-in-Viet Nam products are tough to find a place in big commercial centres in EU.

Businesses said they were concerned that their technology may not meet the requirements, so they were sticking to export raw products and letting EU firms package and label the products. This, however, means that Vietnamese products could lose their trademark if they didt register brand names and geographical location.

ang Hoang Hai, director of the industry and trade ministrys EU Market Department, said local businesses should know the tax cut roadmap under the EVFTA, make precise calculations for their products and draw up long-term export plans.

Bui Huy Son, director of the ministrys Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), said the country had the ability to conquer the EU market once the EVFTA takes effect. Viet Nam had two years to improve its capacity through reforms of mechanism and policies.

Truong inh Tuyen, former minister of commerce, said the EVFTA would mean greater export opportunities for Vietnamese firms as the EU market was bigger than the US and Japan in terms of marketshare and value.

However, the EU is a demanding market, and Vietnamese companies can face issues relating to assessment, retention, competition and domination of the market. Tuyen said under the World Trade Organisation principles, the importing companies have the right to initiate anti-dumping duty and impose sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) non-tariff barriers and technical barriers to trade (TBT).

In addition, Vietnamese companies can be levied anti-dumping taxes if they focus on only one market. Domestic firms should come up with suitable policies to avoid concentrating on a certain market or a specific product.

Viet Nams strength of offering inexpensive products may no longer be an advantage once the EVFTA commitments are applicable. Product quality and trademark will be the decisive factors in the market. It will be useful if local businesses develop items that are in low supply instead of trying to offer similar products at lower costs.

Valentin Tran, exporting director of Casino, said he was optimistic about Viet Nams exports to the EU and that Vietnamese goods would benefit from zero tax. Firms should understand the market properly.

Vietnamese businesses should participate in exhibitions and fairs in the EU and visit its supermarket chains to understand consumption habits. The most important thing to promote export is to pay attention to the quality of goods and meet international standards, he said. -- VNS
HA NOI  A one-day seminar to promote trade and investment activities between Viet Nam and France under the Viet Nam-European Union Free Trade Agreement was organised in Paris on Thursday.

The seminar was organised by Viet Nams Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese Embassy in France and Business France, the national agency that supports international development of the French economy and authorities in Paris, reported Vietnam News Agencys correspondent in France.

About 80 enterprises from Viet Nam and France, including from Hung Yen, Nghe An and Quang Binh provinces, participated in the seminar, advertising brands from Viet Nams key industries and products.

At the seminar, French and European businesses were invited to take part in Vietnam Foodexpo 2017, a large-scale international trade show for the food industry.

Speaking at the seminar, Nguyen Manh Thang, minister-counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in France, said economic and investment co-operation between Viet Nam and France had developed strongly in the past few years. France was the second largest European investor in Viet Nam with total capital investment to the tune of US$4.36 billion (4 billion euros).

The total value of bilateral trade between the two nations touched US$4.44 billion (4.07 billion euros) in 2015, Thang said, adding that in EU, France was the third largest exporter to Viet Nam, after Germany and Italy. Among the ASEAN nations, Viet Nams export value to France is the highest.

The bilateral strategic partnership was signed in 2013 and has been realised through various activities, especially the French president Francois Hollandes official visit to Viet Nam in September.

In September, Ta Hoang Linh, deputy director of Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency under the industry and trade ministry, said Viet Nam ranked 90th among the 189 global economies on the parameter of ease of doing business as per the World Banks survey, a rise by three ranks from 2015.

Viet Nam exported to France electronic equipment and spare parts, garment textile, footwear, timber products, coffee and seafood, while France shipped medicine, chemicals, equipment, machinery, milk and dairy products and cosmetics to Viet Nam.

Philippe Yvergniaux, director of Business Frances international co-operation department, said about 2,000 French companies had exported goods to Viet Nam while 300 French businesses had made investments in the country.

Viet Nam has an attractive investment environment, political and social stability, high economic growth, improved legal environment and a young and dynamic population, he said.

Apart from large companies such as Airbus and Peugeot, many French small- and medium-sized enterprises operate in Viet Nam, he said, referring to business opportunities in transport infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and the fisheries sectors. - VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam will successfully implement commitments in greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate change mitigation, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has said at the Assembly Meeting of the Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR) in Ha Noi.

As a country severely affected by climate change, Viet Nam has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) by 8 per cent a year by 2030 and mitigate the effects of climate change. The figure could increase to 25 per cent if there was more international support, Ha said on Tuesday.

The meeting provided support for stakeholders to prepare and implement climate change mitigation policies, including carbon-pricing instruments, in order to scale up greenhouse gas mitigation.

The Paris Agreement on climate change, which will come into effect in November this year, is an important milestone ahead of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Morocco. This was a good start for global efforts in GGE mitigation after 2020, he said.

As a party to the convention, Viet Nam had made specific commitments to the important joint effort, Ha said at the event, which is part of preparations for Viet Nams national dialogue on the National Climate Change Strategy and the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC).

At the meeting, the minister said that the ministry in collaboration with other ministries and agencies would build an action plan for the Paris Agreement to concretise Viet Nams commitments to the international community.

From now until 2020, Viet Nam would continue to implement the mitigation of GGEs in the action plan to respond to climate change and promote green growth, he said. The country would also research policies to formulate a domestic carbon market and apply carbon-pricing instruments to suitable sectors in pilot, Ha added.

In the 2021-2030 period, Viet Nam will strengthen the implementation of measures to mitigate GGEs, he said.

Despite many difficulties and challenges caused by climate change, the country has pledged in its INDC an 8 per cent reduction of green house gas emissions in 2030 and 25 per cent in the future, noted the minister. He affirmed that the targets would continue to be evaluated and adjusted to suit the countrys socio-economic situation in particular periods.

According to the World Banks report, 101 countries consider carbon pricing as part of their Paris Agreement Commitments.

Greater co-operation through carbon trading could reduce the cost of climate change mitigation by 32 per cent by 2030, the report said.

New modelling analysis undertaken for the State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2016 report shows that increased international carbon trading could enable large-scale emission reductions at a much lower cost than at present, based on the carbon mitigation goals spelled out in countries national climate plans under the Paris Agreement - the Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs.

By the middle of the century, an international market has the potential to reduce global mitigation costs by more than 50 per cent.

Under this new co-operative framework, one country can benefit from mitigation activities resulting in emission reductions in another country to fulfill its NDC. The report indicates that financial flows of 2-5 per cent of gross domestic product in countries with lower-cost mitigation activities could be realised for investments that will reduce emissions by 2050.  VNS
The Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant 2. Up to 27 projects of seven State corporations are listed in a Ministry of Industry and Trades directive as being liable to cause environmental pollution.  Photo baohaiquan.vn

HA NOI  Up to 27 projects of seven State corporations are listed in a Ministry of Industry and Trades directive as being liable to cause environmental pollution.

In the directive on strengthening environmental protection issued this week, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh requested all relevant corporations to review and report their findings, as well as suggest measures for environmental protection in 2016-17.

The Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) topped the list with eight projects, namely Thai Binh Thermal Power Plant 1, Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant 2, Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant 4 and its expanded project, Duyen Hai 1, Duyen Hai 3 and its expanded project, and the Quang Ninh Thermal Power Company.

The Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group was second with six projects, including Vung Ang 1 Power Plant, Long Phu 1 Thermal Power Plant, Thai Binh 2, Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant, Nghi Son Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Complex and the Ca Mau Gas Processing Plant.

Projects of Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group - Nhan Co-ak Nong Alumina Plant, Lam ong Aluminum Company, Thach Khe iron mine project and Sin Quyen copper mining and processing project - were also named.

Other listed projects belong to the Viet Nam National Chemical Group, the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Group, the Viet Nam Steel Corporation and the Viet Nam Paper Corporation.

Minister Anh asked the ministrys Industrial Techniques and Environment Agency to closely monitor, inspect and report on the projects which are likely to cause pollution.

"The agency will co-ordinate with other departments of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to organise special monitoring on such projects," he stressed.

Also in this directive, Anh requested a specialised review and evaluation of production technology in the fields of thermal power generation, chemicals, mining, mineral processing and textiles.

In the case of EVNs projects, Anh required the General Directorate of Energy in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the EVN to review and evaluate the overall impact on the environment of the Vinh Tan and Duyen Hai power centres in 2017 and continue with other power centres afterwards.

For investors in coal-fired power projects, the minister asked for the development and implementation of appropriate ash treatment so that no ash can be released into the environment.

"All State groups and corporations should resolutely refuse to invest in projects with potential risks of affecting the environment. They also need to gradually innovate the technologies to reduce emissions into the environment," Anh said.  VNS
QUANG NAM  United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has pledged US$24 million to help the Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces protect forests, enhance biodiversity conservation and strengthen communities resilience.

USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Gloria Steele announced the Green Annamites Project (2016-2010) during a meeting with leaders of the Peoples Committee of Quang Nam Province yesterday.

Climate change work is an important part of our strategy in Vietnam, Steele said. This project is designed to improve peoples incomes by promoting investment in climate smart agriculture, while at the same time protecting Viet Nams natural forests and biodiversity. The Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces are demonstrating how sustainable development can contribute to Viet Nams efforts to achieve low emission and resilient economic growth.

Forests play a crucial role in Viet Nam by protecting watersheds, precluding soil erosion, alleviating climate change and providing for resilient communities.

They are also home to rare and endemic species which are found only in these areas. However, in recent times, Viet Nams forests, and the people and species that rely on them, are under mounting pressure from unsustainable development.

The USAID Green Annamites Project, in tandem with provincial authorities efforts, will engage small-holder farmers and their families to boost livelihood and increase investment in climate-smart agriculture while maintaining the natural biodiversity of the aforementioned provinces.

Climate change is a priority issue that directly threatens Viet Nams sustainable development goals. To accelerate Viet Nams transition to low-emission development, the country has collaborated with USAID to better respond to climate change through adaptation, sustainable landscapes and clean energy programmes.  VNS
HA NOI  The Korean Tourism Organisation (KTO) signed memorandums with the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to promote co-operation.

Jung Chang-soo, head of the KTO, also signed a numer of documents with Vietnam Airlines, Viettravel Company, and other Korean enterprises in Viet Nam such as Lotte Vietnam Company, CJ Group and Shinhan Bank to promote Korean tourism.

Apart from Japan and China, Viet Nam is the most attractive destination for Korean tourists, said Jung.

We expect that the number of Korean tourists in Viet Nam will reach 1.5 million this year and 2 million next year.

Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the VNAT called Viet Nam a charming place for South Korean visitors seeking year round attractions and comforts. He added that the affection goes both ways, citing that 400,000 Vietnamese tourists are expected to visit South Korea next year.  VNS
Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, inh The Huynh (L) meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Le Trung Kien

BEIJING  Viet Nam treasures the friendly neighbourly ties and comprehensive strategic partnership with China, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, inh The Huynh, told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday.

Huynh, on a three-day visit to China, added that the relationship with Beijing is based on Viet Nams foreign policy of peace, independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and intensive international integration.

The Politburo member expressed satisfaction with the bilateral relation, especially the outcomes of the official visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the State visit to Viet Nam by President Xi last year, and the official visit to China by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc this September.

The official suggested the two countries implement agreements reached by their leaders, intensify political trust, improve the efficiency of co-operation across various fields and enhance people-to-people exchanges.

Huynh also called on the two sides to make an effort to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea (South China Sea), take no actions that complicate and expand their dispute, stringently observe the agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related matters, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

He also urged joint work with other ASEAN members to reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), while seeking long-term solutions to the problems in the spirit of mutual respect and compliance with international law.

For his part, Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping hailed Huynhs visit and sent regards to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran ai Quang and other senior Party and State officials.

He hailed the success of the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV), expressing his belief that under the leadership of the CPV led by Party General Secretary Trong, the Vietnamese people will successfully fulfill targets and tasks set in the Congresss Resolution and achieve more reforms and socialism construction.

As neighbouring socialist nations led by communist parties, Viet Nam and China share many similarities, he said, adding that the two countries Party and State leaders have reached common perceptions on which to orient bilateral ties.

The Chinese leader called for increased exchanges of delegations as well as sharing of experience in Party building and national leadership and management, and promoting relations between the two Parties and States.

The same day, Huynh held talks with Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Huynh asserted Viet Nams stance of handling the disputes by peaceful measures and on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), while fully respecting diplomatic and legal procedures.

Huynh also called for joint efforts to address issues concerning fisheries and operations of fishermen, and to avoid actions that complicate and broaden disputes, not use or threaten to use force, and not militarise the sea.  VNS
HA NOI - The Experts Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) convened their fourth conference in Ha Noi yesterday.

In his speech opening the function, Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh said Viet Nam is pleased to work together with India in co-ordinating the groups activities for the 2014-2017 tenure, lauding the responsibility and co-operative spirit of India.

He stated that the conference of ADMM+ Experts Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacekeeping in India in March 2016 marked a new development of the group, contributing to peace and security in the region.

Eighteen member states discussed and agreed with a report summarising the groups activities for 2014-2017.

The group was established in 2013, consisting of the ten ASEAN member states and their eight dialogue partners  India, the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, China, and Australia.

It aims to promote co-operation among member countries in recovery from the aftermaths of bombs, mines, and explosives left over from wars and conflicts.

Viet Nam and India were assigned to be the first chairs for 2014-2017.

Participants discussed tasks for 2017-2020, with proposals on organising more conferences on bomb/mine affairs, boosting humanitarian mine actions and carrying out a drill in 2019.

Concluding the meeting, Viet Nam and India officially announced they accomplished their terms and transferred the co-Chairmanship to Laos and Russia for the 2017-2020 tenure. They expected the new chairs to collect feedback and ideas from the conference to complete the action plan for submission next year.

The same day, the Viet Nam National Mine Action Centres headquarter was inaugurated in Ha Nois outlying district of Thach That.

Located in the Thach Hoa Commune, the headquarter covers a total area of 52,400sq.m and involves a total investment of VN415 billion (US$18.6 million), of which VN213 billion was drawn from official development assistance funds from South Korea.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is concerned that Viet Nam might fail to achieve its GDP goal of 6.7 per cent this year.

In his report on the countrys socio-economic development in 2016 delivered to the National Assembly (NA) yesterday, Phuc said the average economic growth in the last three quarters only reached 5.97 per cent. This was much lower than the GDP growth rate of 6.5 per cent in the same period last year.

At the second meeting of the newly-elected NA, which opened yesterday morning, the PM said projected GDP growth this year may only reach 6.3-6.5 per cent, lower than the original target of 6.7 per cent set by the previous NA.

That economic growth has failed to meet the goal will affect other targets, for example it will lead to higher budget deficit and public debt, Phuc said.

Viet Nams public debt was among the top issues on the Governments agenda as it has already crossed the red line set by the NA at 65 per cent of the GDP. The Ministry of Planning and Investment in its latest report released last month issued a warning that the risk of public debt climbing beyond the ceiling rate was becoming more apparent".

Despite the looming risk that Viet Nam might not be able to reach the GDP goal this year, the Government has still proposed a GDP target of 6.7 per cent for next year, according to Phuc.

Economy restructure

The NA yesterday also heard Government reports on the economic restructuring plan and the management of public debt during the 2016-20 period.

According to the Government report on the economic restructuring plan during the 2016-20 period, the plan has an overall target of restructuring the economy linked to the shifting growth model, focusing on improving the effectiveness of the distribution and use of development resources, through which a more reasonable and dynamic economic structure with higher productivity, higher competitiveness, bigger growth potential and ensuring sustainable, clean and green growth.

The restructure will focus on developing the domestic private sector and foreign direct investment attraction; restructuring the State sector; restructuring the finance market; modernising the planning of economic sectors and economic regions towards increasing productivity, quality, efficiency in connection with promoting international integration; and restructuring the markets of important products, including the land use rights market, labour force market and science and technology market.

To achieve the targets, the plan put forth key tasks, including improving the business environment and supporting the development of the private sector; resolutely equitising and withdrawing State capital following approved plans; completing public investment mechanism; restructuring agencies providing public services; speeding up the handling of bad debts; expanding the scale, number and quality of investors and products and improving the efficient operation of the stock market and the securities market; modernising planning tasks; encouraging the expansion of safety standard production models to ensure quality of farm products; and developing and restructuring prioritised economic sectors.

In the report on public debt management during 2016-2020, the Government proposes to increase the cap on Government debt from 50 per cent to 55 per cent of GDP. However, the NA Committee on Finance and Budget said, after examining the Government report, that because the State budget still faces many difficulties and national financial security was not firm enough, so a rate of 53 per cent could be considered but it should be reduced to 50 per cent by 2020.

The Government report on mid-term public investment plan sets a target of maximising the attraction and effectively using investment capital sources to develop the economy and complete basic infrastructure systems for the implementation of the socio-economic development strategies during 2011-2020 and during 2016-2020.

Total social investment capital during the 2016-2020 period is estimated at VN9.12-9.75 quadrillion (US$408-435 billion), equivalent to 32-34 per cent of GDP, including VN2 quadrillion from the State budget, accounting for 20.5 per cent.

Public investment will focus on 14 key sectors, including agro-forestry, fishery and irrigation; industrial sector; transport; education and training; information technology; science and technology; natural resources and environment and healthcare and food safety and hygiene.

The Government report on medium-term investment capital said total medium-term investment capital from the State budget during the 2016-20 period is estimated at VN2 quadrillion.

Capital distribution will target national target programmes on building new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction and key socio-economic development projects, prioritising projects on agricultural restructure, development of satellite hospitals, climate change adaptation and natural disaster prevention and control.  VNS
The Special Viet Nam-Cambodia Working Group will meet in early November to exactly locate four border markers in the field in ak Lak-Mondulkiri and Tay Ninh-Svay Rieng pair provinces.  VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY  The Special Viet Nam-Cambodia Working Group will meet in early November to exactly locate four border markers in the field in ak Lak-Mondulkiri and Tay Ninh-Svay Rieng pair provinces.

This was consented during a three-day meeting of the Presidents of the Viet Nam  Cambodia Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting in HCM City that ended yesterday.

The Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, who is also Chairman of the National Boundary Commission, while the Cambodian delegation has headed by Var Kim Hong, Cambodian Senior Minister in charge of border issues.

At the meeting, the two sides displayed their resolve to quickly complete the border demarcation and marker planting as 83 per cent of the work has been done in accordance with the Border Demarcation Treaty signed in 1985 and the Supplementary Treaty to the 1985 Treaty inked in 2005.

They informed each other about their plans on planting auxiliary border markers and stakes, and pledged to join hands for the best results.

The two sides discussed measures to speed up the delineation of the remaining border sections in line with international law and reality, agreeing to invite international consultants to help with the work.

They also touched upon land exchanges under the models applied by the several relevant provinces of the two countries.

At the same time, the two countries will work to hasten the construction of a new bridge to replace the ak Dang Bridge along their common border in an effort to step up exchanges and economic links between their localities.  VNS
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) meets Peter Tichansky President of the BCIU in Ha Noi yesterday.  Photo VGP

HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has suggested the US-based Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) endorse the early ratification and implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and help Viet Nam carry out the pact effectively.

Minh, who is also Foreign Minister, met with Peter Tichansky, President of the BCIU in Ha Noi yesterday.

The BCIU is an organisation that works to expand international trade and commerce. It has 200 member companies, including many Fortune 500 firms.

After giving a brief on his organisations future plan, Tichansky proposed co-operation projects to promote Viet Nam as an investment destination, including co-organising market study trips in Viet Nam for US businesses and trade promotion activities during upcoming visits of Vietnamese leaders to the US.

He also suggested the organisation of a conference on business competitiveness in Viet Nam in 2017.

For his part, Minh lauded the co-operation of the BCIU in hosting the roundtable discussion in September.

He welcomed Tichanskys collaborative suggestions, requesting the BCIU to have detailed discussions with relevant agencies.

Viet Nam will support the BCIU in the promotion of international partnerships, Minh said, hoping for more joint projects with the organisation to deepen the Viet Nam-US comprehensive partnership.

The Deputy PM on the same day received the new Singaporean Ambassador to Viet Nam, Catherine Wong Siow Ping, as she started her term in Viet Nam.  VNS
QUANG NAM  The ancient city of Hoi An and its twin town Wernigerode in Germany will start construction of a solar power system project for the old quarter of the city.

The citys administration said the project would be built with total funds of 135,000 euro (nearly US$150,000), of which 90 per cent will come from the German government.

The solar power source will provide 55 kilowatts per hour (kWh) for a public lighting system, lanterns, decorations, street and folk performances, the Japanese Bridge and public loudspeaker system.

The installation of the renewable energy source would promote the use of environmentally friendly power from wind, solar and water.

In 2013, the city in co-operation with UNESCO and the Korean International Co-operation Agency (KOICA) also debuted a solar power system at Hoai River Square and Cham Island.

Earlier this year, the UNESCO-recognised world heritage city of Hoi An, and Naha City, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, have agreed to commence the third phase of the Eco-city Achievement Support Project.

The city became the first locality in the country to host a Car Free Day. It has been lauded for its efforts to stop using plastic bags and for its 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) programme.

The city plans to use 100,000 bicycles among local people with the aim of building Hoi An as the first eco-city in Viet Nam.

Since 2002, Hoi An has earmarked several streets for pedestrian and non-engined vehicles to reduce noise and ensure peoples safety in the old quarter, where most foreign tourists use bicycles to tour the city, beaches and villages during their visits to Hoi An.

The city was chosen for the 2013 Townscape Award by the UN-Habitat Regional Office in Asia, and was listed among the top 10 Asian cities in the US magazine Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards in 2012.

Covering an area of 60sq.km, the tourism hub city has developed 22.5sq.km with agriculture and forests and 11sq.km with lakes and channels.

In 2014, the citys Hoai River and its channels featured in the list of the 10 most famous canals in the world, produced by US-based travel website touropia.com.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Noi International Womens Club (HIWC) has awarded the Vision Award for Inspiring Women to Doctor Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, a woman who has worked to address the plight of some of Viet Nams most marginalised people.

Doctor Oanh is the founder and director of the Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI). She has dedicated her professional life to improving access to reproductive healthcare and to raising HIV/AIDS awareness among Viet Nams at-risk groups. She also advises government policymakers regularly on tackling drug use, according to the HIWC.

A talented, intelligent and ambitious woman like Oanh could have chosen any career path. She could have taken the path to wealth or self-advancement. Instead she took a difficult and challenging route by making it her mission to improve the lives of people living at the very edges of society, Gill Lever, the president of the HIWC, said.

For this, Oanh deserves enormous respect and admiration and we are delighted to be able to honour her with the award.

Doctor Oanh said the HIWCs Vision Award was a wonderful surprise for her.

Oanh said that it was a huge honour for her to be granted this award by the HIWC, the first organisation to fund the Bright Future Group  a community organisation for people living with HIV in Ha Noi.

With HIWC funding, Bright Future was able to set up Cafe PP, a safe place for people living with HIV to meet and interact, in 2002.

At that time people living with HIV were severely stigmatised and discriminated against. Being infected with HIV was equal to a painful and shameful death, said Oanh.

I have visited Cafe PP many times and witnessed the movement grow. This movement has contributed to shape my professional path and my life as a person. This award, therefore, is very special for me. It comes from my fellow women. The award is even more precious to me because of the connection I just shared. Im so proud and so moved, said Oanh.

In 2007 Oanh founded the Vietnam Civil Society Partnership Platform on AIDS. The Partnership brings together hundreds of non-governmental organisations and institutions in coordinated efforts to combat HIV and AIDS.

Oanh was recognised as a Young Global Leader in 2009 by the World Economic Forum.

The HIWC is an international group with over 450 members of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life hailing from nearly 70 countries.  VNS
HCM CITY  HCM City has called for investment from Spanish businesses in urban waste treatment, transport and flood control during a recent visit by a Spanish delegation to the city to explore business opportunities.

The delegation was led by Jaime Garcia Legaz Ponce, Deputy Minister of Commerce and chairman of the Foreign Trade, Investment and Export Institute.

At a meeting earlier this week with the delegation, Vo Van Hoan, chief of the city Peoples Committee Office, said the city is seeking to accelerate socio-economic development, including expansion of transport infrastructure.

However, it faces a number of challenges caused by rapid urbanisation and climate change, including worsening traffic congestion, regular flooding, and environmental pollution, he said.

He called on Spanish investors to build a modern waste treatment plant since the metro with a population of more than 10 million now has only one plant.

The lone plant also uses obsolete technologies and cannot cope with increasing volume of household waste, he noted.

The city also sought help from the Spanish Government to speed up major flood-control works, especially one to renovate the drainage system and dyke embankment.

Hoan appreciated Spains support for the metro route No 1 and No 5 and sought its continued help to expand the metro network.

Ponce spoke highly of the metro route No 1 project that has many Spanish contractors, and assured that his government is committed to continuing support for the citys metro projects.

He also said that his government is willing to co-operate with HCM City for anti-flooding projects and a large-scale waste treatment facility.  VNS
In a bid to ease payroll pressure on the national budget and improve staff performance, the Prime Minister has decided to reduce the number of those on the State payroll by 1.4 per cent at all levels next year.  Photo thuonggiathitruong.vn

HA NOI  In a bid to ease payroll pressure on the national budget and improve staff performance, the Prime Minister has decided to reduce the number of those on the State payroll by 1.4 per cent at all levels next year.

Under the PMs decision, the total number of government staff and officers at ministries, localities and government agencies on State payroll in various sectors next year will be 269,084, a reduction of 3,832 people compared to this years figure.

Specifically, the number of public employees will be 268,084, including those working for State agencies from central to district levels and overseas representative offices.

The number of "State employees of association" that operate with special treatment - like Viet Nam Fatherland Front, Labour Confederation, Viet Nam War Veterans Association and Viet Nam Womens Union - will be 686.

The Prime Minister authorised the Ministry of Home Affairs to allocate government staff on the State payroll to each ministry, agency and locality.

He also directed ministries, agencies and localties to carefully arrange employees roles relevant to their abilities and responsibilities.

According to Le Vinh Tan, Minister of Home Affairs, over 10,000 civil servants lost their jobs in the first half of this year, raising the number of employees removed from the countrys administrative system to 15,799 since the beginning of 2015.

However, he said, the figures fell short of the target of removing 40,000 staff, or 1.5 per cent of the current 2.6 million employees on the State payroll.

The MoHA has set a target of reducing 100,000 State employees between 2014 and 2020.

Earlier in April last year, Central Committee Politburo issued a resolution calling for a reduction of the number of staff on the State payroll at all levels.

Accordingly, at least 10 per cent of government staff and officers at ministries, localities and government agencies on State payroll in various sectors will be reduced by 2021.

The resolution states that education and health sectors must closely monitor the number of staff on the State payroll, even though there will be increased demand for staff for new schools and hospitals.

The Party also called to re-assess the professional quality of those on the State payroll and investigate if any employees needed to be reshuffled. -- VNS
A NANG  The anti-smuggling investigation department, under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, yesterday gave the go-ahead to prosecute a criminal case against Thanh Hai Trading & Services Limited on charges of smuggling.

On July 23, customs officials at a Nang port, in collaboration with the anti-smuggling investigation departments Unit 2 (central region), intercepted a huge shipment of aluminium and copper ingots intended to be illegally exported via the port.

The two shipments in six containers were registered by the Binh inh Province-based company and declared to customs as rags meant to be filled in bags and exported to Thailand and India.

The first declaration was a shipment of 86 tonnes of rags, worth over US$48,000; the second shipment was 43 tonnes, worth some $24,000. These type of goods, i.e. unprohibited items or items within permitted customs limits, get automatic customs clearance through the green channel.

However, customs officials at a Nang port had some suspicion and decided to inspect the shipment manually. The inspection revealed copper scrap and aluminum ingots weighing 41.1 tonnes and 98.6 tonnes respectively  all without customs declaration.

As per Vinacontrols valuation report (dated on August 4, 2016), the total estimated value of the shipment was 5.6 billion.

The offence is serious enough to constitute as a crime under Article 153 of the Penal Code.

Expanding investigations, customs authorities discovered that Thanh Hai Trading & Services had registered the export of 12 batches of goods  all declared to be rags  via a Nang port since January. Checks revealed that the rags registered on 10 waybills had in fact been 171 tonnes of aluminium ingots and 193 tonnes of copper scrap.

Nguyen Trong Hai, the companys director, confessed to the falsification of 12 purchase contracts with foreign partners to legitimise the exported consignments and bypass customs inspection.  VNS
HA NOI  Two passengers who hit a female airline employee at the Noi Bai International Airport on Tuesday have been banned from flying by Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam.

Tran Duong Tung and ao Vinh Thuan are banned from flying for 12 months and six months, respectively.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued an official document yesterday requesting the Peoples Committee of Ha Noi to investigate the case and report the results to the PMs office within this month.

Tran ang Hai, chief inspector of the citys transport department, confirmed to the media yesterday that one of the two passengers, ao Vinh Thuan, was an official of the road-bridge inspection team.

The department issued an official document yesterday requesting the Transport Inspectorate to clarify the case and report it to the department before October 23.

After completing procedures for a flight from Ha Noi to HCM City on Tuesday afternoon, the two passengers hit a female airline member of staff on the head at procedure counter No 38.

A representative from Vietnam Airlines said the airline stands against, and does not accept, behaviour that violates regulations on aviation safety, aviation security and causes damage to the mental and physical wellbeing of the on-duty staff.

The airline asked the authorities to investigate the case and enforce strict measures against the two passengers.  VNS
HA NOI  Vuong Bach Lien won the first prize in the journalism writing contest Young Francophones Reporters Viet Nam 2016, which was organised for the first time by Le Courrier du Vietnam (CVN), a weekly French language newspaper under Vietnam News Agency.

Lien won the prize with two French language reportages. The first features the daily life of Mong ethnic group in Meo Vac in northern mountainous Ha Giang province; and the second portrays her meetings with members of different ethnic groups in Tram Tau District of Yen Bai Province whose generosity highly impressed her.

She said she was touched by the courage, innocence and optimism of the people she met in Meo Vac and Tram Tau, despite their life hardships.

Her two reportages were highly appreciated by the jury for the originality of the subjects, beautiful writing style in fluent French, and illustrative photos.

Lien, who is currently a reporter at the Viet Nam News, started learning French at the age of 12 and has fallen in love with the language that she finds very beautiful.

This contest has an important significance because it allows young Francophone people like me to show our love of the French language and of our country Viet Nam, she said.

I believe that this contest will encourage more and more young people in Viet Nam to learn French and that Viet Nam will further strengthen its active role in the Francophonie in the near future.

Previously, in 2003, she also had won first prize at the song lyrics writing contest entitled UTOPIA for young Francophone in Viet Nam, which was organised for the first time outside Europe.

The second prize of Young Francophones Reporters Viet Nam 2016 went to Nguyen Thuy Tien from Ha Noi, with the entry entitled Vendeur De Rue (Street Vendor), and the third prize was presented to Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh from the northern province of Quang Ninh with the story Le Sourire de Lancinne Maison (The Smile of the Ancient House).

This competition, with the theme The power of words aims to encourage young Francophone living in Viet Nam aged from 18 to 35 years old to write articles about Viet Nam in French language, while showing the vitality of French language, through their talents of writing and illustration.

It provides an opportunity for Vietnamese and foreign participants to express their feelings, emotions and points of view about the country, while highlighting the richness and diversity of the French language.

Launched from May 10 to August 31, the organisation board received 57 entries across the country, from Ha Noi to southern provinces like Can Tho, and even one entry by a border guard from the central province of Nghe An, who won prize of impression.

The competition has fulfilled its initial goals, which are to promote the image of the only French-language newspaper in Viet Nam, to create a playground of creativity for young Francophones in Viet Nam, to offer chances for contestants to familiarise themselves with journalism as well as to introduce Viet Nams culture and people to the community of 80 Francophonie countries, said Nguyen Thu Ha, the editor-in-chief of CVN.

The competition is supported by the Asia Pacific Regional Office (BRAP) of the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF), the Group of Francophone embassies and international delegations to Viet Nam (GADIF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and others.

The jury of the contest was composed of journalists, French language teachers, writers, representatives of OIF and of different Francophone embassies.  VNS
QUANG NAM  Tra Que Vegetable Village is a must-see for visitors to the ancient town of Hoi An in the Central province of Quang Nam.

Located about 3km from the centre of Hoi An, Tra Que Village is well-known as the freshest and cleanest herb and vegetable supplier in Hoi An.

The village has some 40ha of fertile land, sustaining more than 41 different kinds of vegetables.

Established 300 years ago and surrounded by the e Vong River, the first citizens of Tra Que made a living by fishing. Gradually, they started taking advantage of the rivers abundant seaweed to make fertilizer. Tra Que now supplies all Hoi An restaurants and households with the finest quality herbs and vegetables. Hoi An is considered the food mecca of Viet Nam and Tra Que Village is the main contributor to this status.

This village is not only beautiful to look at; its real treasure lies in the quality of its soil. No chemicals are used in the plant-growing process. Also, its situated on top of a rice field, which adds to the richness of the soil. This guarantees you the best quality and the healthiest vegetables.

From a Nang, it takes a visitor about one hour to travel to Tra Que Village by motorbike.  VNS
BRUSSELS - EU leaders backed down yesterday from an explicit threat of sanctions against Russia over the bombing of Aleppo but warned that they would consider "all available options" if atrocities in Syria continue.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded that any mention of possible punitive measures against Moscow over the Syrian carnage should be removed from a statement issued after a summit in Brussels.

The climbdown underscored the deep divisions between the 28 European Union leaders as they tried to thrash out a long-term strategy on their increasingly bellicose eastern neighbour.

The watered-down statement said the EU "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo" and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities".

"The EU is considering all available options, should the current atrocities continue," it added.

An earlier draft had mentioned sanctions.

Russia had upstaged the summit by announcing that it would halt hostilities over Aleppo on the same day, and said on Thursday it would extend the truce by 24 hours.

EU President Donald Tusk, who had earlier said that sanctions should be on the table, insisted that the leaders had agreed to "keep the unity of the EU" over Russia.

The leaders brought up Russian "airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, interference in political processes in the Balkans and beyond" and other issues.

"Given these examples it is clear that Russias strategy is to weaken the EU," said Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland, one of the countries that is most hawkish on Russia.

The EU is due to decide at their next summit in December whether to renew sanctions over the Ukraine crisis for another six months.

But the European Union remains split over how best to deal with Russia, with countries such as Italy and Greece favouring selective engagement with a major economic partner and energy supplier.

Relations with Russia were put on the agenda of the two-day summit in Brussels months ago amid expectations of progress on Ukraine.

Since then, the deepening of the Syrian crisis has poisoned the atmosphere.  AFP
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian federal prosecutors announced homicide charges on Thursday against 21 people, including senior mining executives, allegedly responsible for the deadly collapse of the Samarco iron-ore mine dam last year.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Jose Leite Sampaio, made the announcement in a televised news conference in Belo Horizonte, near Mariana, the site of the disaster, where on November 5, 2015, the failed dam unleashed a torrent of muddy water down the River Doce, killing 19 people.

In a statement, prosecutors denounced the mining companies for reckless policies in pursuit of greater profits that amounted to "qualified homicide," which in Brazilian law is more serious than ordinary manslaughter.

"Security was always of secondary importance. The increase in production at Samarco sought to compensate for the falling value of the ore in order not only to maintain but also to boost profits and dividends," Sampaio said. "It should have taken steps to promote the safety of the dam."

Prosecutors said Samarco -- which operated the mine and is owned 50-50 by Brazils Vale and Anglo-Australian giant BHP Billiton -- ignored basic responsibilities.

They accused the mining companies of not taking into account the fate of communities downstream or even their own employees, saying there were not even "sirens or warning lights" in case of disaster.

The accused included the chief executive of Samarco at the time of the tragedy, Ricardo Vescovi, as well as operations managing director Kleber Terra, and three operations managers.

They could face sentences of "up to 54 years," prosecutors said in the statement.

The three companies themselves also face charges for a total of 12 different environmental crimes, prosecutors said.

Vehement rejection

Vale said in a statement that it "vehemently rejects the charges presented by the federal prosecutors office".

BHP also issued a statement, saying it "rejects outright the charges against the company and the affected individuals. We will defend the charges against the company, and fully support each of the affected individuals in their defense."

The charges still need to be approved by a judge before a jury trial would start.

The breaking of the tailings dam unleashed a massive flood of sludge into the River Doce, reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

Drinking water supplies were cut for hundreds of thousands of people, a village was flattened, and local fishing and tourist businesses were badly impacted. According to prosecutors, 14 tons of dead fish were collected in the aftermath.

The mining companies have agreed to pay billions of dollars in compensation but in May prosecutors filed a civil lawsuit against Vale, BHP and Samarco seeking 155 billion reais ($49 billion).  AFP
Ltd has bagged order worth $170 million (around Rs 1,140 crore) from the United Republic of Tanzania. The order includes supplying of vehicles, gensets, spares and equipment for development of workships, training modules and allied equipments to be fitted on ambulances.

Vinod K Dasari, managing director, commented that exports is an import part of Ashok Leyland's strategic intent to globalise its product portfolio and derisk itself from supplying only into India.

Recently the company has bagged order worth $200 million from the Cote dIvoire in the African region and another order to supply 773 vehicles to Tanzania under Line of Credit from the Government of India. Further the company is currently executing another order to supply of 777 vehicles to the Minister of Home Affairs in Tanzania.

This latest order is being financed fully by EXIM Bank of India under National Export Insurance Account (NEIA) Scheme.
In recent months, several top global have announced that they plan to curtailed or close some of their businesses in India. Business Standard lists five such instances from the past five months:
Labor stands by industrial relations bill amid mining sector threats The Albanese Government has fought off criticism to its industrial relations bill, including mining and energy sector employers who are threatening to spend millions on a campaign against the legislation.

New update for family of rugby league star found dead in Spain Spanish court officials authorised the release of his body, allowing the Australian Consulate in Barcelona to help the family repatriate Liam Hampson to Queensland for his funeral.

Chinas veiled threat to Australia amid US B-52 bombers reports China has again unleashed on the Washington-Canberra relationship and issued a grim threat to Australia amid reports the US Air Force could deploy nuclear-capable bombers to the Northern Territory.

Extreme left activist questions NSW Labor Partys membership expulsion NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has been called upon by extreme left activist Jay Tharappel to explain why his party membership was revoked.
Jaxport CEO Eric Green said the $23.5 million grant marks a milestone in our initiatives to build the port of the future and move cargo in the most efficient and eco-friendly way possible.
Government in action

Kevin and Tammy Jones opened their guns-and-coffee store in an old bank building in Hamilton, Va., in August, but despite the controversies about the ease of gun acquisition in America, their Bullets and Beans shop has had a harder time pleasing government regulators over the coffee than over the firearms. Kevin told Washingtonian magazine that there were no problems in getting gun-shop and firearms-instruction permits from state and federal agencies, but several local-government roadblocks delayed the coffee-sales permit: the property being zoned for retail but not food or drinks; permission to open certain businesses near residences; and a coffee shops need to have parking.

God bless the oil

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared Oct. 13 Oilfield Prayer Day to cap a statewide initiative of mass wishing for improved performance of the states energy industry, which has been in the doldrums recently with the worldwide drop in oil prices. Though the initiatives founders, and the associated Oil Patch Chaplains, were largely Baptist church leaders, the governor emphasized that all religions should be praying for a more prosperous industry.

No smiling allowed

In September, a court in Paris upheld Frances government ban on people smiling for their passport and identity photos. One official had challenged the required straightforward pose (neutral, mouth closed), lamenting that the French should be encouraged to smile to overcome the perpetual national depression that supposedly permeates the countrys psyche.

War on drugs

On Sept. 21, as part of a six-target raid using military-type helicopters by the Massachusetts State Police and the National Guard, drug warriors halted the criminal enterprise of Margaret Holcomb, 81, of Amherst, seizing the one and only marijuana plant in her yard that she had planned to harvest soon for relief of her arthritis and glaucoma.

Couldnt stop themselves

Joshua Hunt, 31, was arrested in October inside St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., where he had gone to check on his 9-month-old son, who was being treated for an injury. Police said that while in the ward, he snatched another visitors purse and took a cellphone and credit cards.

Brittany Carulli, 25, was arrested in Harrison Township, N.J., in October, charged with stealing a medics wallet from inside an ambulance. The medic had allowed Carulli in the ambulance to grieve over her boyfriends body after he was struck and killed by a car.

Bad neighbor

Jeffrey Osella, 50, was arrested in August in Westerly, R.I. after allegedly firing corncobs at his neighbors house, using a PVC potato gun, as part of their long-running feud. When Osella answered the door, officers said he was shirtless, with corn kernels stuck to his chest.
WATERLOO  Crystal Cathedral of Faith Southern Baptist Church, 3040 Hammond Ave., will host a Praise Fest musical at 6 p.m. Saturday, with special guests the Chosen Disciples.

Local artists and groups also will perform.

The church will host the annual Family and Friends Day on Sunday, with the theme, The family that prays together, stays together.

The Rev. N.J. Sims of Minnesota will be the guest preacher during the noon service, and Pastor Faye Scott of Ambassadors for Christ Church will be the guest speaker for the 4 p.m. service. A soul food dinner will be served after the noon service.

The public is welcome.

WATERLOO  Pilgrim West, 432 Newell St., will celebrate its 51st anniversary at 4 p.m. Sunday at the church.

The guest church will be Corinthian Baptist and the Rev. Marshaundus Robinson will speak.

WATERLOO  The Mothers Deaconess Ministry of Community Southern Baptist Church will observe its Annual Day on Sunday at the church, 522 Anthony St.

Worship services will begin at 6 p.m. with guest speaker Dr. Charletta Suddeth of Shilliam Avenue C.O.G.I.C.

Everyone is welcome.
Technology experts have proposed several solutions for Japans population decline, including robot babies.

With a disproportionately high number of people aged 70 and older, the United Nations predicts by 2050, older Japanese citizens will outnumber those aged 15-30 by a ratio of more than 2-1.

To encourage couples to have babies, The Guardian reports some companies introduced lifelike robots that mimic a babys behavior.

Early next year, Toyotas nonautomotive division will release Kirobo Mini. The palm-sized robot is equipped with artificial intelligence that powers facial and voice recognition.

That is, the little cutie will coo when it sees or hears its parents.

Unveiled in late September, the Kirobo Mini is expected to retail for 39,800 yen ($390). While it doesnt look like a baby, it is intended to tap a latent desire to procreate, said Fuminori Kataoka, chief design engineer.

He wobbles a bit, and this is meant to emulate a seated baby (that) hasnt fully developed the skills to balance itself, he told The Guardian. This vulnerability is meant to invoke an emotional connection.

For some, the thought of robot babies causes concern and discomfort about artificial intelligence.

This stems, in part, from extensive research about the need for human interaction. And some of the outcry is based on popular depictions of AI as thinking, feeling machines.

We may imagine a machine with a human face, such as the Red Dwarf computer or Commander Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Or the computer may be a disembodied voice like HAL, the super creepy computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I admit it: My underlying, irrational fear is machines will far exceed the human capacity for intelligence. They will use this ability to rise up, take over and enslave humanity. (Blame HAL.)

Thankfully, reality is much broader than my childish musings. While the future will likely include increasingly lifelike android creatures  who probably wont aspire to anything, let alone world domination  AI is already quite prevalent.

In other words, artificial intelligence isnt the future; its a current and evolving innovation. It is the ability of any computer to assimilate data and make decisions about how to use it. AI is about increasing a machines ability to become informed by data and experiences, thereby augmenting its ability to interact with other machines as well as with humans.

Consider Apples Siri, an iPhone function. She has all of the information you give her contact list, places you often visit, music you like, data from email, mobile messaging and search applications and so on. She also has the internet at her disposal. Because of AI, Siri can use her resources to provide you better driving routes or find restaurants you might enjoy.

The same is true of refrigerators that tell you youre out of milk, slow cookers that talk to an app on your smartphone and whole house systems that alert you to temperature and security anomalies.

We have all the necessary tools to facilitate next-level AI, according to George Lee, a top technology officer at Goldman Sachs.

Earlier this week, Lee told CNBCs Squawk Alley machine learning will change the course of our species in ways that are hard to predict today.

What are your thoughts regarding artificial intelligence? Can it go too far? If so, where should the line be drawn? Share your ideas by writing me in care of The Courier or via email.
CEDAR FALLS  Cedar Heights Community Presbyterian Church will celebrate its 100th anniversary with an Oct. 29 dinner and program at the Supervisors Club.

At 10 a.m. Oct. 30, there will be a commemorative service with special music and a reception following.

Current pastors David Kivett and Johnny Janssen will lead the Sunday worship hour with former pastors Bob Roof, Fred Halde, Cathy Young, Jim Guyer, Shelly White Wood and Eric Sunderland along with greetings from the Rev. David Feltman, pastor to the Presbytery.

Projects honoring the centennial year included assembling 100 layette kits for mothers and babies in Chinandega, Nicaragua, through the Waterloo Rotary Club; production of the Around the Table recipe book; sales of 100th anniversary T-shirts; the selection of 100 Bible verses by the congregation; a fellowship and prayer patio; and 100 favorite hymns and praise songs sung throughout the year.

The church was established Oct. 27, 1916, in the town of Cedar Heights, incorporated early in 1916.

Members met in a house on Rownd Street, then in 1922 purchased the old Cedar Heights School on the corner of Rownd Street and Rainbow Drive. A sanctuary and education additions were built over the years on the same site.
Vets group will host open house

WATERLOO  The local chapter of Disabled American Veterans will host an open house at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Veterans Memorial Hall, next to the river between Fourth and Fifth streets.

All veterans are welcome to find out about the DAV and benefits for serving.

Gallery plans Cuba exhibition

CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art will present Troika in Cuba: Soul Deep from Oct. 27 through Nov. 28. This exhibition, by photographers Karen Graffeo and Chip Cooper and journalist Julio Larramendi, reveals the cities and rural regions of Cuba as seen and photographed from three perspectives.

Graffeo and Larramendi will present a lecture about this collaboration at 6 p.m. Nov. 3 in Kamerick Art Building, room 111.

All events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and by appointment. The Gallery will be closed Nov. 19-27 for Thanksgiving. To learn more, go to www.uni.edu/art/gallery.html or call Taylor at 273-6134 or darrell.taylor@uni.edu.

Pillow Cleaning fundraiser set

INDEPENDENCE  The annual Pillow Cleaning sponsored by the Buchanan County Historical Society is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Wapsipinicon Mill in downtown Independence.

Pillows can be completely renovated and have new ticking made.

This is one of the many fundraisers for the Capt. D.S. Lee mansion. The historical society also has a website that lists the calendar of events for the society, www.buchanancountyhistory.com.

Check BlackHawkCountyParks.com for more information and to register.
WATERLOO  A judge denied a request Friday to reduce bond for a mother accused of child endangerment in the death of her 4-year-old daughter.

Kristi Buss, formerly of Waterloo, is being held in the Black Hawk County Jail on a $75,000 cash or surety bond on a charge of child endangerment leading to death.

Prosecutors allege Buss boyfriend, Chad Little, abused her two children, and she failed to stop abuse that killed Gracie Buss last year. Little is being held on charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment leading to death.

In a hearing Friday morning, attorney David Mullin, who represented Buss, argued she had no criminal history and did not represent a flight risk. He also noted releasing Buss, who is pregnant, would be easier for jail staff who then wouldnt have to accommodate her appointments and medical needs.

Theres just no need for this first-time offender to be held at Black Hawk County Jail, Mullin said.

Black Hawk County Attorney Brian Williams argued the nature of the charge constitutes a flight risk. Child endangerment resulting in death is a Class B felony that carries up to 50 years in prison upon conviction.

Williams added Buss demeanor was another reason to hold her.

Ms. Busss position on the death of her 4-year-old child can only be described as indifference, he said.

Judge Andrea Dryer ruled the bond would remain as set.

Paramedics were called to Busss Waterloo home on Downing Court in May last year. They found Gracie Buss, 4, unconscious. She was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City where she remained on life support until she died June 3, 2015.

Buss initially told authorities Gracie had fallen down the stairs the night before, then later said the child fell down the stairs hours before the ambulance call, according to court records. Buss also told police the child had a seizure disorder and frequently fell down stairs.

An autopsy determined she died of blunt injuries to the head. It also found other injuries that were in different stages of healing, according to court records.

Little was arrested Sept. 30 and booked into the Black Hawk County Jail. He had been at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility serving a five-year prison sentence for a Black Hawk County burglary case. He faces life in prison on a first-degree murder charge and a charge of child endangerment resulting in death.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man who was injured in a brief motorcycle chase with police Thursday night has been flown to an Iowa City hospital.

Dennis Devore Sr. was suspected of being involved in an argument at Corks Grocery on Lafayette Street and then threatening people with a knife at about 8:30 p.m., said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department.

He left on a motorcycle before officers arrived, and police attempted to pull him over, Mohlis said. As the chase was headed southeast on lower Washington Street, the motorcycle and a northeast-bound sport utility vehicle collided at the intersection of West Sixth Street.

The motorcycle left the roadway and came to a rest in a grassy area. The Devore was conscious but suffered serious injuries to his leg, officials said. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Occupants in the sport utility vehicle werent injured.

The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the crash.
Clarification added: 10/21/16: The article misstated the staffing ratio at the Independence MHI. The ratio does fluctuate, but DHS maintains appropriate staffing at the Independence MHI based on patient needs.

INDEPENDENCE  American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan expressed his concern about the staffing levels at the Independence Mental Health Institute after two separate incidents at the facility.

The issue of understaffing permeates too many of our state facilities, Homan said in a statement. Whether prisons, mental health institutes or resource centers, putting staff in harms way simply because we are continually understaffed is unacceptable.

Homan pointed to two separate incidents at the Independence MHI where staff were seriously injured by the same patient in the past two weeks. He said the second incident resulted in injuries because insufficient staff was available to respond and assist the staff member.

Amy McCoy, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Human Services, said appropriate staffing levels are maintained at the Independence MHI, and they fluctuate based on patient needs. She said there is not a staffing shortage at all.

She said like any agency or business, there are occasional staff openings but the department tries to ensure the appropriate staffing ratios and keep staff on hand if anyone has an absence from work.

Its one of the unfortunate risks of the positions, and so we do continually try to look at those policies and procedures and staffing levels to keep both the patients and our staff safe, McCoy said of the recent incidents. They do difficult jobs, and we want to make sure that were being responsive to their needs too.

She said there have not been any policy changes as a result of the incidents Homan described.

But Homan said appropriate placement also has been an ongoing issue at the MHIs and resource centers, particularly in light of the staff shortages.

The patient who attacked multiple staff at Independence MHI was transferred from a private facility who was no longer able to handle his violent behavior, Homan said. There should have been a period of consideration by the state to determine whether or not his behavior pattern could be appropriately handled at Independence MHI, given their staff shortages.

Homan said appropriate placement for patients also is a concern at Woodward Resource Center, where there is a convicted rapist who has been threatening another attack since being transferred to the facility.

McCoy said there are occasionally patients who behave aggressively, but the staff are trained in de-escalation methods to try to work through their issues in a positive way. When that is not possible, the policies and procedures the facilities have are in place to keep both patients and staff safe.

She noted the Independence MHI got reaccredited earlier this spring, and it is for a three-year period. It also has a license through the states Department of Inspections and Appeals.

When we step back for a moment, and we look at what the MHIs mission is, its really to serve people at that very high level of inpatient care, and those are often the people who may have some aggressive behaviors too, McCoy said.
WATERLOO  Monica Vernon, Democratic candidate for Iowas 1st District U.S. House seat, remembers fateful Friday.

Thats what she calls the day a videotape leaked showing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump talking about groping women against their will. It also was the day the Democrats message of stronger together hit home for her.

The tape ... came out, and I think about, who do we want to be? Vernon told a crowd of more than 100 Democrats at the Black Hawk County Democrats fundraiser Thursday night. It made me think about what stronger together really means.  I think stronger together is all about what our nation was founded to be.

Her comments touched on the theme of the event at the UAW Hall in Waterloo. Speakers focused on the choice to be stronger together  Hillary Clintons campaign theme  rather than divided by groups.

I think we are the party that includes people, said Vernon, who is challenging incumbent Republican Rod Blum. We are the party that says, Come on in. This is a big tent. Come on in. We will include you.

When retiring Black Hawk County Supervisor John Miller received a certificate for his years of service, he made a point of stressing how the county is better for working together.

This certificate belongs  at a time when everybody who works for the government is bad  this belongs to all of the people in Black Hawk County that show up day after day and do the work that the government is supposed to do, Miller said. This belongs to them.

Also recognized was retiring state Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, who noted how well the Black Hawk County lawmakers work together. She also pointed to her legislative record.

Im proud of my record of fighting for the least of these, as I always would say on the House floor, the least of these who I care mostly and dearly for, those without a voice, Berry said.

As Democrats focused on electing their own up and down the ticket, their method less about bashing opponents and more about boosting each other. While Trump leads in Iowa by 3.7 percentage points, according to a Real Clear Politics average of polls, the candidates did not seem worried in the Democratic county.

Their biggest concern seemed to be preserving the narrow Democratic majority in the Iowa Senate.

Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart quoted Democratic President Barack Obama, who asked if the nation will participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope.

Im not going to make any comments about that other side, but what I do want to say is I am absolutely proud that I get to serve and participate in a democracy, in a party that would allow a young girl with a ponytail from the east side of Waterloo to be a seven-term state representative in the Iowa House, Hart said of Berry. He gave similar descriptions to Rep. Anesa Kajtazovic and to Berrys potential successor in Waterloo, Democrat Ras Smith.

I dont want to get up here and talk about what the other party doesnt have. I like talking about what we have, what weve been blessed to have in this state, he said.
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad signed a letter Friday asking President Obama to issue a presidential disaster declaration for public assistance as a result of damage sustained in 19 Iowa counties from last months severe storms and flooding.

The governors request did not include activation of the federal individual assistance program as the damage incurred to private homes during flooding did not meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency criteria.

Iowa counties included in Branstads request were Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Des Moines, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Howard, Linn, Mitchell, Winneshiek and Wright.

John Benson, communications bureau chief in the Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, said the damage estimates compiled by FEMA, state and local officials of $22 million ranked this years Cedar River flooding as the seventh worst weather disaster dating back to 1990, Benson noted. Three counties  Linn, Black Hawk and Butler  had public infrastructure damages exceeding $1 million.

In Linn County, the damage estimated at $12.7 million includes about $11.3 million for the city of Cedar Rapids, about $630,000 for the county, $314,000 for the city of Palo and $373,000 for the Mercy Medical complex, Benson said. Damage to infrastructure in upstream Black Hawk County totaled at least $3.4 million and Butler Countys damage assessment totaled $1,633,164, he added.

Benson said about 500 homes and businesses in Iowa also were damaged by the flooding  including 103 assessed as destroyed or having sustained major damage. The number with damage not covered by insurance was 79, which Benson said is below threshold needed to trigger individual FEMA eligibility.

The U.S. Small Business Administration did grant an SBA disaster declaration to make low-interest loans available to impacted residents and businesses in Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, and Hardin counties. Also, SBA officials have opened a Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Butler County to assist residents in applying for loans.

Iowas entire congressional delegation also wrote the president urging him to declare 19 Iowa counties a federal disaster area, making them eligible to receive federal aid for the damage inflicted by weather and flooding Sept. 21 through Oct. 3.

Also Friday, Branstad announced the creation of a flood recovery task force  comprising of state and local agencies  to address the unmet needs of impacted residents.
Third in a series of stories profiling area legislative races.

WATERLOO  Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, was the voice for House District 62 in the Statehouse for 14 years before retiring this year.

She tipped the scales to support a successor in Waterloo Democrat Ras Smith by making her announcement the day before the primary filing period ended. But Smith, 28, wasnt unopposed for long.

Independent John Patterson, 25, gathered the requisite signatures to get on the ballot. Waterloo Republican Todd Obadal, 48, was nominated by his party.

Its time for someone else to try to move up and make sure were carrying on in the district and representing the district properly, which is extremely important to me. Im extremely passionate, said Patterson, of Waterloo.

Though Smith has the backing of the incumbent, hes taking nothing for granted.

Its important to me that people dont just vote for me because Im a Democrat running for office. I want them to vote for me because they agree with what we believe in, Smith said.

The district has nearly as many active Democratic voters as active Republicans and no-party voters combined.

Obadal, meanwhile, is trying to make inroads by being straight-forward about his Republicans beliefs. His basic principle is to get government out of the way.

Its a lot easier to come to Mulberry Street than it is Grand Avenue, he says, referring to the locations of Waterloo City Hall and the Iowa Capitol building.

The candidates each have unique priorities if elected. Obadal will prioritize reducing the influence of Des Moines in local communities, while Patterson and Smith will both prioritize education and health care.

Education

Smith works as a site coordinator through George Washington Carver Academy. He sees education as an important issue, including the need to get input from students.

Theres that efficacy, and they also have a feeling of responsibility  so we have to make them be a part of the fold and then in doing so, when theyre older, now theyre more likely to reinvest because they were invested in, Smith said. We can do some really good things together.

Patterson also has had experience in Waterloo schools as a paraeducator.

His focus would be improving local dropout and graduation rates.

I know that you can have 100 percent graduation rate out of minority students if we push them, Patterson said. Theres no passion in education, so restoring the passion in education, I think that is going to come from a community.

Obadal also values education, he just believes its best run at the local level.

The singular malfunction is government, and prioritizing government as the solution to our problems, Obadal said. I want the best schools. Im not for cutting education funding. Im for cutting Des Moines out of the loop.

Health care

Patterson moved to Waterloo nearly eight years ago to take a job as an emergency medical technician and still volunteers as an EMT. But hes also got a personal connection to health care that makes it a top priority.

His brother suffers from mental health issues. Hes seen first-hand the impact of closing mental health institutes and how law enforcement must fill the gap. If elected he absolutely wants to see the MHIs reopen.

Its not even reopening facilities. The facilities are there. We have the beds. Its just getting the governor to reroute that funding to make sure that we have the funding to provide those facilities, Patterson said.

Smith has also worked in health care. He said he used to work closely with the Quakerdales youth shelter, but not anymore. And its not just that his career field changed; the facility is shuttered.

Smith noted the closed MHIs are still required by law, and he supports reopening them.

All three candidates want to see more oversight of Medicaid privatization. Obadal said the implementation has not been smooth but agrees with its overall goals to lower costs. The other candidates argue privatization program isnt working.

Local control

Obadal said his first question about any program is: Can it be done at the local level?

If it can it should, he says. Issues like water quality, where what happens upstream affects downstream, have a place at the state and federal levels.

He favors reducing taxes and spending in areas where he sees the local government is best suited to handle the issue.

If the government is wasteful, if the government is inefficient or if the government is corrupt, by increasing the power of the government, thats not going to help the problem, Obadal said.

Both Smith and Patterson are focused on economic development, particularly on Waterloos east side.

Smith said good things are starting to happen, but a sense of urgency is whats needed.

On the state level, I think we have to figure out a way to make sure the funding, whether it be from grants  we have to make sure that those are things that our state is willing to keep there, because we really depend on it as a community, Smith said.

Clarification added 10/21/16: Ras Smith's title was incorrectly stated in the article. He is a site coordinator at George Washington Carver Academy.
WATERLOO  To borrow a song line from the rock band The Who, Northeast Iowa seniors are about to meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Donna Harvey, who headed the Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging from 1987 until she was appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad to head the Iowa Department of Aging in 2011, is taking a job closer to home and will become executive director of the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, also known by the acronym NEI3A, effective Monday.

She succeeds former Denver mayor Mike Isaacson, who succeeded her at Hawkeye Valley and presided over that agencys merger with two other organizations in Dubuque and Decorah to form NEI3A in 2013. Isaacson left to take a position with an agency serving seniors in Pasco and Pinellas counties in Florida, in the Clearwater-St. Petersburg area, NEI3A communications coordinator Vicki Hyke said. Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes said Harvey had informed the governor she wished to retire from her state position and take a job closer to home. It was the right time for her and the Governors Office wishes her well in her new opportunity, Hammes said. He noted Harveys successor in her state job will be named in coming weeks.

Harvey, who just turned 60 this year herself, said the change is a quality of life move for her. She and her husband maintained their home in Denver during her time with the state, and she stayed with family in her hometown of Colfax, in Jasper County east of Des Moines, during the week.

Its not fun living apart from your spouse, she said, and extended family had just moved back to the Cedar Valley from Arizona. While she enjoyed her Colfax family, theres something to be said for sleeping in your own place.

There were three things I missed working for the state, Harvey said. One was my family. The second was the feeling of a community, because with state government, thats much more difficult to do than when youre a community service organization. Third, it was just one step removed from the people Im supposed to serve. So when Isaacson took the Florida position, I jumped at the chance to finish my career here.

At NEI3A, Harvey noted, she also will be able to see firsthand how the 2013 statewide consolidation of senior service operations worked. They took place while she was state director. State legislation mandated consolidation of 13 senior service organizations into six.

I am very happy that I can continue my work in the aging network where I have lived for over 30 years by becoming the CEO of NEI3A, Harvey, also of Denver, stated. This will allow me to move home to spend more time with family while still being able to advocate for older persons and persons with disabilities. I look forward to building on the great work already being done at NEI3A.

Harvey is past president of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging and was a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging.

She also has served as staff at a National Governors Association Policy Academy on Long Term Care as well as on Governors Task Forces in Iowa including Transit, Alzheimers and Long Term Care in Iowa. She also served on several other national committees on elder care issues. NEI3A serves 18 Northeast Iowa counties and is headquartered at 2101 Kimball Ave. Suite 320, on the former Schoitz Hospital campus.
In better times  and suffice it to say, any days were better than now  Mosul was a prosperous financial center in northern Iraq, its second-largest city with a diverse population of nearly 2.5 million.

It had a Sunni Arab majority but also was home to Kurds, Assyrians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Armenians, Christians and Jews.

On Sunday night, the Iraqi government began the long-awaited battle to regain control of Mosul where nearly 1.5 million beleaguered souls live in the Islamic States crown jewel.

Nearly 45,000 Iraqi forces  with 5,000 U.S. advisers  have massed around the city taken by 1,000 ISIS fighters in June 2014 who routed 60,000 Iraqi army and police forces, prompting Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to declare his caliphate.

Lately, though, ISIS has been steadily losing ground, having been evicted from Tikrit, Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq. Top field commander Omar al-Shishani was killed in an air strike. It lost control of oil fields near Raqqa in Syria and Qaiyara in Iraq as well as the Mosul Dam. Trade routes in Iraq and Syria were cut off. Desertions have become numerous. Western intelligence estimates recruiting is down from 2,000 per month to 50.

Having lost considerable territory on the battlefield, its inciting more lone-wolf terror attacks on Western targets.

ISIS came to prominence by exploiting the sectarian divisions after U.S. troops pulled out in December 2011.

President George W. Bush sought a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, but Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki insisted on a total withdrawal when negotiating the December 2008 Status of Forces Agreement. Efforts by the Obama administration to renegotiate the accord stalled over a provision for immunity for U.S. troops.

Malikis Shiite-dominated government failed to rein in Shiite militias, which committed atrocities against Sunnis after years of chafing under Saddam Hussein, whose nonsectarian Baath Party had become increasingly fundamentalist Sunni prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion.

The Maliki government had so alienated Sunnis that many regarded ISIS as conquering heroes when they entered Mosul.

It was a misconception soon shattered by harsh social codes, floggings and executions. Nearly one million people fled and some who remained formed rebel groups, assassinating ISIS members.

Two years later, the political landscape has changed. The Obama administration pressed for the divisive Maliki to step aside, replaced by the conciliatory Haider al-Abadi who has tried to earn the trust of Sunnis.

Iraqi military leaders have been replaced, army morale has reportedly improved and equipment has been upgraded.

Meanwhile the U.S. military presence has increased from nonexistent in 2014, albeit with three combat casualties since then. American Special Operations personnel have been active in northern Iraq. In Mosul, U.S. advisers will accompany Iraqi battalions, possibly exposing them to combat. U.S. pilots will fly Apache helicopters.

U.S. advisers also will be assisting Iraqi leaders with the strategic deployments of a dozen army brigades, Kurdish peshmerga fighters, Sunni fighters and Shiite militias.

Given the age-old animosities involved, herding cats would be far simpler. Considering the high stakes, hopefully the common goal prevails.

The U.S. wants neither the Shiite militias nor Kurds within Mosul once its secured because of concerns regarding the Sunni population.

Abadi has maintained Mosul will be retaken by the end of the year, although military experts believe ISIS wont give up easily. Those fleeing the city have described an ISIS network of tunnels and explosive booby traps.

Of course, Iraq and ISIS have been major topics in the presidential debates. Republican nominee Donald Trump has expressed amazement that plans to attack Mosul would be announced beforehand and blamed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for the growth of ISIS. Clinton references both issues with barebones strategies on her website.

Regaining Mosul was not going to be reminiscent of a D-Day surprise. The encirclement has been occurring for some time, and the military strategy was only part of the puzzle. Getting disparate groups  Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds  to work together has been the most difficult element.

As for the rise of ISIS, Anthony Zinni, a retired four-star Marine general who was head of the U.S. Central Command for the region, told Time magazine the Shiites grasp on power in 2011 was more to blame than the U.S. troop pullout.

He added, The big question is, can Iraq ever be a truly inclusive country again?

Indeed, no matter the outcome of the battle for Mosul, the ultimate fix in Iraq wont occur until the sectarian factions finally decide its in their best interests to live together harmoniously without the presence of a Saddam-like strongman.
Concurrent with the deal for Glencore Rail, the Australian subsidiary of short line and regional rail operator Genesee & Wyoming has issued a 49 percent equity stake to funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, the company said.



Genesee & Wyoming Australia (GWA) has agreed to purchase Glencore Rail for $1.14 billion Australian (U.S. $856 million), the company said in a statement.

As part of the deal, the Australian subsidiary of short line and regional rail operator Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) has issued a 49 percent equity stake to funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).

With the acquisition of GRail, the partnership between GWA (51 percent) and MIRA (49 percent) will have enterprise value of A$2 billion, according to GWA.

G&W said it expects the transaction to have no effect on earnings (EPS) and be modestly free cash flow accretive upon closing. In the medium term, however, the company expects significant EPS and free cash flow accretion from anticipated growth under the terms of the rail haulage contract.

The incremental financial impact to G&Ws consolidated financial results is expected to include $76 million in revenues, $44 million in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), $32 million in depreciation and amortization, $30 million in interest expenses, $9 million to $10 million in net income attributable to non-controlling interest for MIRAs 49 percent stake, and $3.8 million in capital expenditures, the company said.

Although still subject to approval by the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board, the transaction is expected to close Dec. 1, 2016.

The acquisition of Glencore Rail solidifies GWAs position as the most efficient rail operator with the highest service quality in the Australian rail market, Jack Hellmann, president and chief executive officer of parent company G&W, said of the deal. Through the acquisition and 49 percent new equity issued to MIRA, we are effectively doubling the size of GWA and retaining 51 percent of a business with stronger long-term free cash flow and a significant portion of GWAs rail shipments under long-term, take-or-pay contracts.

GWA is a strong business that owns and operates essential rail infrastructure supporting industries primarily operating in regional Australia, added Frank Kwok, Asia-Pacific co-head of MIRA. For MIRA, this agreement expands our infrastructure footprint in Australia and allows us to contribute our international experience investing and managing transport and transport services assets.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch served as financial advisor to G&W, while Allens served as legal advisor on the GRail acquisition and formation of the GWA-MIRA partnership, and King & Wood Mallesons served as legal advisor on the Australian debt financing.

Macquarie Capital served as financial advisor to MIRA, and Norton Rose Fulbright served as legal advisor.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 20, 2016 | 05:55 PM | MAYFIELD, KY

A lengthy investigation into counterfeit money in Graves County has led to the arrests of two people on multiple charges.

According to Mayfield Police Chief Nathan Kent, over the course of the last month, his office has fielded seven complaints of counterfeit money being passed to city businesses. On Wednesday, an officer responded to a call for service at Walmart regarding a stolen check.

While at the store, the officer observed Bobby Joe Brown, who, according to police, had an active warrant for his arrest and was also a suspect connected to the stolen check. When officers arrested Brown, he was found to be in possession of a large amount of counterfeit cash.

Officers obtained a search warrant for a home on Lampkins Road and during the search, they found uncut printed counterfeit bills, a printer believed to be used in the manufacture of the bills, paper consistent with the printing of money, methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Brown and a woman at the home, Shannon Morrison, were each charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of a forgery device, criminal possession of a forged instrument and forgery.

Both were booked into the Graves County Jail.
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BEIJING - A free trade area should be set up to facilitate regional economic cooperation between members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a senior Chinese official said Thursday.

Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming made the proposal at an SCO economic forum.

He also called for the establishment of an SCO development bank, which would provide funding for regional projects together with other multilateral funds and development banks, to be expedited.

Most SCO members are also members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and should actively implement the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement to cut trade costs by 10-15 percent and remove restrictions in service trade, Qian told the forum.

He called for better coordination and more policy transparency in cross-border investment, noting that protectionism must be avoided.

Investment in infrastructure, industrial cooperation, agriculture and high-tech areas should be expanded between SCO members, Qian said.

The SCO, an inter-governmental organization founded in Shanghai in 2001, groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, covering over 30 million square km and accounting for a quarter of the world's population.

It has Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey as dialogue partners.
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Chinua Albert Achebe Biography- Family, Net Worth & Death Chinua Albert Achebe, of blessed memory, was a Nigerian prolific author best known for his inventive style of writing and simplicity of expressions. Famed as one of the finest writers Nigeria has ever produced, Achebe lived and died an international hero and a literary giant, who left behind unforgettable legacies and footprints in the sands of ...

Steve Harvey  His Wife, Kids & Height Steve Harvey is an American comedian, actor, radio and TV show host, producer and an author of different relationship advice books. Steve Harveys Early Life Born in Welch, West Virginia, on January 17, 1957, as Broderick Stephen Harvey, Steve was the last of five children. His family relocated to Cleveland when he was young and there, he attended Glenville High School from ...

Intriguing Things You Should Know About Danny Kokers Rise to Fame and Who His Wife Is Danny Koker is popular as the star of the History Channel reality TV series, Counting Cars. Prior to him appearing on the show, the TV personality was a musician who had embarked on a number of national tours with his rock group, Counts 77. He and his group have released quite a number of songs ...

Fun Facts You Didnt Know About Andy Cohens Rise to Prominence and His Partner Andy Cohen is one of Americas top media personalities who gained prominence after helping to bring the Bravo network back to life. He also hosted a couple of shows on the network, including the popular nightly series Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. After rising to the position of head of production and development at ...

Tracing Isha Sesays Career Until CNN, Her Worth And Why She Divorce Her Husband As far as journalists of African origin go, Isha Sesay is one of the most famous on the continent  and by extension, the world. The Sierra Leonean and British journalist has had a successful career since she joined the industry in 1998. In that time, she has worked for a host of major media ...

Open Secrets of How Joanna Gaines Balances Her Career With Being a Wife and Mother Joanna Gaines is the co-founder of Magnolia Homes, a business she runs with one goal: converting houses to homes. She doubles as the lead designer of the company which she co-owns with her husband, Chip Gaines. Lady Gaines gained massive popularity when she became a co-star with her husband on the HGTVs show, Fixer Upper. ...

Juicy Details of Ayesha Currys Love Story With Stephen, Her Family Members and Recent Pursuits When your husband is one of the greatest basketballers that the NBA has ever seen, then it bestows on you the status of a celebrity wife  and may not even demand that you do anything extra to maintain that status. However, Ayesha Curry, the wife of multiple NBA champion, Steph Curry, is not one ...

What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ...

Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ...

Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ...

Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ...

Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ...

Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ...

What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ...

Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ...

How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ...

Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina  American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ...

Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ...

Team Valor Pokemon Go  7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go  The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ...

Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

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Oct 21, 2016 | By Alec

It looks like Maastricht University is rapidly becoming one of Europes key centers for medical 3D printing efforts. Just this month, they spearheaded the new 4.6 million PRosPERoS project for 3D printed joint implant development, while researchers from Maastrichts Moroni lab pioneered 3D bioprinted scaffolds that control stem cell differentiation. And just last Thursday, Maastricht cardiologists showcased a 3D printed heart valve surgery simulator for educational purposes. And now, partly through the efforts of that same Moroni Lab, Maastricht University and the Brightlands Materials Center have started the biggest 3D bioprinting research program in European history. Their goal? To bring various 3D printed tissues, including bone and organ tissues, to clinical trials.

The Moroni Lab itself can already be found at the forefront of European 3D bioprinting and biofabrication efforts. The lab was founded two years ago, as part of the MERLN institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine at Maastricht University. Their roots can be actually be traced to the University of Twente in 2009, when the research group was first set up. Since then, they have grown into a key member of the Brightlands ecosystem, which is working to establish new biomedical 3D printing programs in collaboration with clinical hospital departments. The Moroni Lab is further backed by various European initiatives and linked to various international biofabrication efforts.

Many of those partners are now also involved in this gargantuan 3D printing initiative, which includes both public and private partners such as DSM, Dutch research institution TNO and the Province of Limburg. As the Maastricht team revealed, this initiative itself grew from the observation that various technological and material challenges cannot be overcome without a significant collaborative impulse. Together, they say, they can facilitate the translation of 3D printed and biofabricated products to the clinics.

Professor Lorenzo Moroni, who heads the Moroni Lab that facilitated the 3D printed scaffold successes earlier this month, says that achievement is only the beginning. Our ambition is to bring skeletal applications in the program to clinical trials and to create a first functional working prototype for heart and kidney regeneration that can enter into pre-clinical evaluation. By doing so, we will also be able to synthesize new bioactive materials for applications ranging from skeletal to heart and kidney regeneration, he revealed.

This new research program is mostly aimed at improving our overall understanding of the processes at the heart of different 3D bioprinting technologies, which in turn can be used to improve 3D printed results and bring them to trial. The know-how and competences on UM side combined with the material knowledge and industrial outlook of BMC make our collaboration a perfect match. Together we can deliver solutions to the clinics. At the same time, we can contribute to industrial development and new product lines of the companies associated to BMC, say Moroni and Marnix van Gurp, Managing Director of Brightlands. Sustainable public-private partnerships in which academia work closely together with industry are needed to change tomorrows healthcare.

Much of these efforts also rely on the Brightlands Materials Center, part of the Brightlands Chemelot Campus. Established in 2015, it houses various industrial and societal technology studies, including 3D printing. The Center was set up by the Province of Limburg and TNO, and houses numerous PhD researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology and Maastricht University. With this new biofabrication project the Center, as well as the entire region, becomes a hotspot for 3D printing innovation.

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Alvaro wrote at 10/24/2016 1:10:35 PM:An example that must be followed !




Summit Carbon files lawsuits against Brown, Edmunds counties

Two South Dakota counties are facing federal lawsuits from one of the companies planning a carbon capture and sequestration pipeline.
Marcus Corp. is considering conceptual plans for a mixed-use project that includes a 20-story office and housing tower, as well as an eight-screen cinema, on a site north of E. Knapp St. and west of N. Water St. Credit: Marcus Corp. and InPlace Design

SHARE This Edison St. parking lot, looking downriver from E. Cherry St., would be part of a site for Marcus Corp.'s possible mixed-use development. The site would include a vacated block of N. Edison St., between E. Knapp and E. Cherry streets, and a vacant lot between N. Edison and N. Water streets. TOM DAYKIN

By of the

Marcus Corp. is considering preliminary conceptual plans for a large mixed-use development that would feature a downtown Marcus Theatres cinema, as well as housing, offices and restaurants.

The project, called Edison Place, would be developed on 2.25 acres overlooking the Milwaukee River, north of E. Knapp St.

Katie Falvey, Marcus Corp. vice president of real estate, declined to provide details about the plans, which could change.

Falvey called the site "extraordinary," with frontage on N. Water St. and potential for a 650-foot RiverWalk segment "in an area of downtown that has obviously matured and still has unlimited, untapped potential."

In a Wednesday statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Falvey said, "A landmark building at this site will create world-class vista terminations from every direction, and beautiful views of the city."

Baltimore-based InPlace Design is working with Marcus on the plans, which can be found at the design firm's website.

The 20-story, 780,000-square-foot development would include commercial space on the ground floor extending to the riverfront.

That street level could feature two restaurants, with 11,000 and 10,400 square feet, a 4,500-square-foot cafe and a health club.

That would be topped by a six-level parking structure on the building's northern portion, and an eight-screen cinema at its southern end, according to the conceptual plans.

The cinema's screens would be divided between two levels, with that portion of the project rising to the equivalent of five stories above the ground.

There would be five floors of offices above the parking structure, topped by eight floors of residential space. The office and residential portions, along with the cinema, would have street-level lobbies.

Edison Place would be set back from N. Water St., with a curved private drive and landscaped green space in front of the building. That area could include a 1,500-square-foot restaurant.

The project also would have a RiverWalk, an eighth-floor terrace on top of the parking structure and one level of underground parking.

The plans don't specify whether the residential space would be apartments or condos. However, demand remains strong for downtown area apartments, which are typically rented by either people in their 20s and early 30s or older "empty nesters."

The conceptual plans also do not provide details on the number of housing units or the amount of proposed office space. One source indicated the offices could total 300,000 square feet, although that would depend on how much space an anchor tenant would lease.

Edison Place would combine the various uses "to create an authentic urban community," according to the narrative at inplace-design.com. InPlace Design is an architectural, planning and design firm primarily focused on the retail industry.

InPlace Design was launched in 2015 by Dustin Watson, who was previously a partner at Baltimore-based Development Design Group Inc.

At DDG, Watson's portfolio included The Corners, a retail and apartment development under construction at I-94 and Barker Road in the Town of Brookfield. Marcus is co-developing The Corners with Chicago-based Bradford Real Estate and London-based IM Properties PLC.

Watson, who also worked on Glendale's Bayshore Town Center mixed-use development, declined to discuss Edison Place.

"The uses are kind of fluctuating a bit," he said. "It's really preliminary."

The project site includes a 1.2-acre parcel at 1301-1357 N. Edison St., which a Marcus affiliate bought in November for $3.1 million.

That property, mainly a parking lot, would be combined with one block of Edison St., between E. Knapp and E. Cherry streets, which would be vacated.

The development site also would use an empty parcel north of E. Knapp St. and west of N. Water St., which Marcus would buy from Milwaukee County. That lot is part of the Park East strip.

The county is evaluating development proposals for the 0.37-acre vacant lot, said Melissa Baldauff, spokeswoman for County Executive Chris Abele. Baldauff didn't respond to a request for additional information, other than saying an update will be provided "when one is available."

City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux said he wasn't aware of any specific mixed-use development plans for the Edison St. site.

Other developments under construction near the site include the conversion of the former Laacke & Joys building, 1433 N. Water St., into an office building anchored by Bader Rutter & Associates, and the latest phase of The North End apartment community, just upriver from the Laacke & Joys project.

Meanwhile, developer Jon Hammes continues to work on plans for a possible office project on a 1.5-acre parcel, 210 E. Knapp St. Hammes' investment group last year bought that vacant lot, bordered by E. Knapp, N. Water and N. Market streets, from BMO Harris Bank for $1 million.

Hammes initially planned to develop offices on the Edison Place site.

But that development site would have environmental cleanup and utility relocation costs estimated at $6.5 million to $7.2 million, according to a 2014 county report.

The estimated cleanup costs just for the county-owned lot, which has contaminated soils and buried freeway support piers, are $450,000 to $475,000.

Edison Place's tentative plans to use the county-owned lot primarily as green space, and part of the vacated block of Edison St. as a private drive between Water and Knapp streets, could reduce those cleanup and utility relocation costs.

Marcus Corp., which operates hotels and movie theaters, in 2008 first proposed developing a cinema at the Edison St. site. It would have been combined with other buildings, such as offices and restaurants.

However, that project did not proceed, despite the company's commitment, because of a lack of interest from office tenants. Those plans were dropped in 2014 by a group led by real estate broker Bruce Westling and developer Gary Grunau.

Marcus Theatres President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Rodriguez told the Journal Sentinel in 2014 that the company still wanted to operate a downtown cinema.

Milwaukee's last downtown theater was the two-screen Grand Cinemas, 214 W. Wisconsin Ave., which Marcus Theatres closed in 1995. The Grand was hurt by several years of declining business, with patrons drawn to the growing number of larger cinemas operated by Marcus and other circuits in suburban locations.

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Armanino LLP is expanding its presence to Dallas by combining with Travis Wolff, effective Jan. 1, 2017.

Armanino, based in San Ramon, Calif., ranked 24th on Accounting Todays 2016 list of the Top 100 Firms. Managing partner Andy Armanino anticipates his firms annual revenue will reach $195 million for 2016. Travis Wolff is expected to add another $23 million to $25 million to the combined firms revenue.

Both firms offer audit and tax services, and Travis Wolff will supplement Armaninos practice servicing high net worth individuals and real estate businesses. Armanino also has a consulting practice offering business management and family office services. The firm specializes in technology consulting and reselling enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, budgeting, forecasting, business reporting and analytics software.

Were pretty strategic in our desire to grow, both organically, which has been the main means of our growth over the years, and inorganically, Armanino told Accounting Today. Part of the strategy from an inorganic standpoint has been to identify very strong economic markets where we feel there is great access to talent. Then well identify a target firm that is culturally aligned with us, that has a leader who buys into what Armanino buys into and has some industry overlap with us, and we absolutely found that in Travis Wolff. We were looking at the Dallas marketplace because of the strong Texas economy and particularly Dallas has access to great people there. Travis Wolff has a large number of strong up and comers. Their leader, Perry Kaufman, very much buys into what we buy into at Armanino.

Travis Wolffs 12 partners and approximately 120 employees are expected to join Armanino as part of the deal.

This combination is the result of thoughtful consideration about our firms future growth, Travis Wolff managing partner Perry Kaufman said in a statement. Armanino is the perfect fit for us, both in client service approach and firm culture. Our clients and staff will greatly benefit from the deep bench of expertise Armanino brings with its wide breadth of industry experience and new innovative solutions we can now offer our clients.

Armanino plans to retain Travis Wolffs existing office in Dallas. Armanino already has several offices across California, in addition to locations in Oregon and Illinois.

They have a strong high net worth and real estate practice that were excited about, said Armanino.

Both firms are members of the Moore Stephens network and have known each other for a while, according to Armanino. He and Kaufman once attended a Harvard leadership program together.

That was a great experience because we could tell we were very much aligned in what we wanted to do, he said. We look at clients a little differently from some folks. Were all about them and not about what we want to sell them. Its about what they need to hopefully move the ball forward.

Travis Wolff currently doesnt have an extensive technology consulting practice as Armaninos firm does, but he is eager to expand the practice in Dallas. They do a little bit today, theyre just starting, but we think we can really supercharge that practice, he said.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan carried out sabotage infiltration attempts on October 20 at 23:00-23:30 in the eastern and southern directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact, the Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told ARMENPRESS.

The ministrys announcement reads:  On October 20, at 23:00-23:30, Azerbaijan carried out sabotage infiltration attempts in the eastern and southern directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. The Defense Army units detected the advance of the Azerbaijani special forces in time and pushed them back to their starting positions by inflicting losses.

During the confrontation with the sabotage unit the Defense Army did not sustain losses.

In addition to the sabotage infiltration attempts, overnight October 20-21 Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire regime more than 50 times, firing around 2800 shots at Armenian positions from various caliber small arms.

Azerbaijani forces also used a DShK heavy machine gun in the southern directions, firing 200 shots.

The Defense Army continues maintaining full supervision in the frontline and are ready to prevent any provocative action of Azerbaijan, by inflicting a heavy blow.
The ping of a text or a Google search lights up parts of the brain once thought to be ignited only by gambling, drugs, and sex. For adults with ADHD, informational pursuits can reach a manic pitch.

Pats train of thought is typical. She sits at the kitchen table 45 minutes before her daughter, Maya, needs to be picked up at school. She wants to purchase a new tablet computer. Heres one thats 2 pounds, she says, the same weight, as it turns out, she is trying to lose on her Weight Watchers program over the next two weeks. She heads to the Weight Watchers website to check out menus. Tablet, tablet, her mind says. Pat reads a blog about tablets, and clicks on a link about ergonomics. Up pops a desk you can pedal like an exercise bike. Then her phone vibrates. It is the school. Is she coming to pick up her daughter?

I needed a new car, Ann told me. Her husband, Joe, diagnosed with ADHD, offered to help. Joes online research went on for two months, as he searched for the perfect car. Meanwhile, Anns old car was in and out of the shop. Joe thinks that the perfect information is out there, but there is no end to the information out there, so perfect information is always out of reach.

[Free Resource: 10 Rules for ADHD-Proof Productivity]

Limit Your Search

1. Permit yourself to value something over something else, what we commonly call pickiness. It takes practice. Drop down your Favorites or Bookmark menu and pick the best 20 percent of items. Or go to your saved photos, be picky, and save only the best.

2. Search wisely. To do that, log on to Google Inside Search. The more defined your search is, the more likely youll avoid the digital undertow.

3. Set an alarm on your phone, your exercise watch, or another device. Start an informational search and stop when the alarm sounds.

4. Use the Freedom app, which blocks you from the best-known time sinks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

5. Stop when youve met other peoples expectations. If someone asks you to do an informational task, know their expectations and stop when youve met them.

[Finally, Apps That Build Productive Habits]
A one day International Summit on Indoor Air Quality was today organised by Prospurs Pte. Ltd. along with Indian Pollution Control Association at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. The inception and need of the summit has been essential given that the capital city of New Delhi is now one of the most polluted city in the world leaving even some global capital cities behind.

While we cannot always monitor outside air quality we can take control of the air inside our homes. It is estimated that the air inside the house is at-least ten times more polluted than the air outside. Smoke from the kitchen, incense, pet dander, detergents, chemicals from paint, floor cleaners, dust, microbes, viruses, bacteria, suspended particulate matter, pollens, cigarette smoke, gases are commonly found that people inhale in closed environments.

Opening the conference Mr. Ashish Jain, Director, IPCA, Delhi welcomed the delegates and panellists, Dr. Radha Goyal, Deputy Director, IPCA, Delhi informed the gathering more about the summit. The inaugural address at the summit was given by Dr. T.K Joshi, head, centre for occupational and environmental health (COEH) Maulana Azad Medical College who praised the organisers lavishly a very well organised meet on very important topic, Prospus India have assembled top class experts who delivered excellent talks he added. Special address was given by Dr. Mukesh Khare, Professor, IIT Delhi. Keynote address was delivered by Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur.

CPCB is very much open to accept the technologies for IAQ. Ministry of urban development and MOEF are trying to bring this agenda in 68 city plan. CPCB is in the process of considering IAQ as a mandate for national air quality monitoring plan, said Dr. A.B Akolkar, Member Secretary, CPCB, Delhi.

TK Joshi, Director, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, said while the focus has largely been on outdoor pollution, the same phenomenon plays out inside our dwellings as well. "People often spray room freshners, oblivious of the fact that it contains methyl alcohol which is extremely toxic. Practically every air freshner brand uses that. They should be rather called air polluters. People have actually turned blind over prolonged exposure to it," Joshi said.

Mr. Syed Moonis Alvi, General Manager, Water & Air Purifier, Panasonic India said, Quality of indoor air is all about health and comfort. Therefore, it is important that we breath healthy air when we are inside our homes and offices. With lack of ventilation in todays houses, it is all the more important to monitor the air quality and take actions for indoor air cleaning. At Panasonic, it is our continuous endeavor to enhance the quality of life of our consumers as it is core to our principle values. Our wide-range of air-purifiers and its technology ensures that it monitors the indoor air-quality and improve it as per the requirement. Equipped with Nanoe technology, Composite Air Filter and Econavi technology, Panasonic air-purifiers make sure to filter out harmful particles, including PM2.5, out of the air and provide a healthy and safe environment to breathe in.

Mr. Vinayendra Jain, Director, Marketing, Honeywell Environmental and Energy Solutions said, Honeywell is a technology leader satisfying millions of customers globally, and we are delighted to be able to share that experience and expertise at Air-O-Thon. Rising air pollution outdoors is currently top of the agenda. However, there is a strong need to increase the awareness towards indoor air pollution and how it adversely affects human health  be it for kids, senior citizens, expecting mothers or the general health conscious citizen. Air pollutants inside enclosed spaces of our homes, cars and offices are mostly invisible and people in India would need cost effective and efficient solutions across the spectrum to fight this new nemesis. With its HEPA and patented HiSivTM technology, Honeywell range of air purifiers help people deal with the unique indoor air pollution problem in India and hence help improve their lifestyle

Mr. Rohit Chaudhary, PH Leader  Sri Lanka & Bangladesh and Head - Trade & Shopper Marketing at Philips India Limited said Philips introduces Aerosense technology for indoor Air Purifiers, which measures real-time the quality of Air Indoors. Now consumers can monitor the quality of air indoors and the improvement thereafter, when the Air Purifier is switched on. Philips is also the market leader in India for Indoor Air Purifier & has the widest range of the air purifiers available across sell Points and suited for various room sizes.

This summit has provided a platform for the researchers, experts, policy makers, engineers, designers, IAQ professionals, architects and other industry participants about what works and what really doesnt work when tackling major improvements in indoor air quality, said Mr. Sunil Bangwal, Director, Prospurs Pte. Ltd. the organiser of Air-O-Thon 2016.

More than 30 experts from leading institutes and companies also presented facts figures, held discussions, question answers rounds with audience throughout the day. Prospurs India plans to hold similar events across India to increase awareness on indoor air quality.
BARC India and Kerala TV Federation (KTF) together have filed a police complaint with the Director General of Kerala Police. The case was filed after BARC Indias vigilance team received constant complaints regarding attempts to retrieve addresses of BARC India panel homes and influencing them. KTF is a trade body representing Malayalam channels in Kerala.



The complaint was filed with BARC India vigilance teams gathered conclusive evidence of more than one effort to tamper with BARC Indias television viewership measurement system in favour of a couple of channels. Preliminary scrutiny by on-ground vigilance team has confirmed that attempts have been made by some individuals to not only find out addresses of BARC India panel homes, but also to incentivise them and influence their viewership.



These acts of the suspects are a cause of concern to BARC India and the broadcasting community in the Kerala market and are causing financial loss and loss of reputation. Kerala Police will investigate the matter further.

As per its established standard operating procedure, BARC India has immediately quarantined the impacted panel homes from its TV viewership measurement system to ensure efforts at infiltration dont impact ratings of channels operating in the region.



TV industry trades on the currency released by BARC India and we understand how important every rating point is to the broadcaster. We have evidence of a couple of broadcasters trying to tamper with our panel homes to improve ratings. We have taken steps to quarantine the affected panel homes. While we have filed a complaint this time, we want the industry to be aware that going forward BARC India will stop publishing ratings for those channels found involved in such activities, said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.
DB Corp, home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar, has reported 55.9 per cent YOY growth in its profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 885 million (PAT margin 16.6 per cent) for the second quarter ended September 30, 2016. The figure stood at Rs 568 million (PAT margin 11.7 per cent) in Q2 of last fiscal.

Total revenue reported growth of 9.7 per cent YOY at Rs 5,328 million in the current period from Rs 4,858 million in Q2 of last fiscal.

Advertising revenues reported growth of 9 per cent YOY at Rs 3,740 million in Q2 FY17 from Rs 3,433 million in Q2 of last fiscal.

Circulation revenue has increased 11.5 per cent YOY to Rs 1,179 million from Rs 1,057 million, primarily due to yield driven growth. The growth has largely has come from mature markets.

EBIDTA grew by 33.2 per cent YOY at Rs 1,547 million with strong EBIDTA margin of 29 per cent for the quarter; against EBITDA of Rs 1,162 million (margin 23.9 per cent) in Q2 FY16.

Digital business revenue grew by 21 per cent to Rs 140 million in Q2 FY17 from Rs 116 million in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal.

Radio business: Advertising revenues expanded by 24.6 per cent YOY to Rs 299 million in Q2 of the current period, against Rs 240 million in Q2 of last fiscal.

Radio business EBIDTA delivered strong growth of 89.9 per cent YOY at Rs 152 million (50.9 per cent margin), from Rs 80 million last year. Radio business maintains highest EBIDTA margin amongst all radio companies.

Radio business net profit grew by 114.1 per cent YOY to Rs 85 million (28.3 per cent margin) from Rs 39 million last year.

Meanwhile, out of the 13 acquired frequencies during Phase III radio auction, My FM (the FM radio offering from DB Corp) launched three new frequencies in Hisar, Karnal and Rajkot over July and August 2016. Following the new launches, the FM player has now extended operations to 20 live stations. MY FM also introduced several new content programmes as part of its Ab Har Kaan Sunega campaign, aligned to audience preferences distilled from the Aap Ki Marzi survey undertaken at the pre-launch stage.

Commenting on the performance for Q2 FY2016-17, Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, DB Corp, said, Our performance till date reflects a strong top line growth with an even better profitability growth despite a challenging market situation. We are also pleased to share that Dainik Bhaskar is probably the only newspaper in India to be ISO 9001:2015 certified for Quality Management Circulation Distribution Systems, which acknowledges our commitment to efficient processes.

He further said, As we grow, the following operational and strategic areas will continue to be important: maintain market share and consolidate our leadership, strengthen the Bhaskar brand recall in a competitive environment and fortify client relationships. As our editorial strategies remain at the core, we are also very excited with our non-print segments, as My FM extends presence in three new stations of Hisar, Karnal and Rajkot that strengthens our local focus to deliver better value to advertisers. Our digital initiatives are on course as we expand our forays into specialty genres to acquire new users.
Forbes India, the most influential business magazine, will release the India Rich list in its latest issue that hits the stands on 21st October 2016. Recognized as the most awaited and highest revenue grossing issue, the magazine this time is resorting to innovative packaging and marketing to celebrate its legacy.

Joy Chakraborthy  CEO, Forbes India & President-Revenue, Network 18 News said, We are delighted to present yet another edition of The Forbes India Rich List - one of the most recognized and awaited lists in India. The Rich List celebrates and chronicles the spirit of entrepreneurial leadership and wealth creation in the Indian economy. Over years this List has become one of the strongest reference brands on India for media across the world. This is also the highest revenue grossing issue for us and we are looking forward to double the numbers on news stand as well.

The List, which was released last month, is also available on www.forbesindia.com, the digital destination of the magazine. This is a collectors issue priced at Rs 250 with specially designed 5 covers. This edition will cover details of the profiles and analysis of the wealth of some of the biggest wealth creators of the country. It will also contain some never-heard-before trivia and nuggets and glimpses of their lives.

Speaking on the eve of the release of the collectors edition of the India Rich List, Sourav Majumdar, Editor, Forbes India said,The 2016 Forbes India Rich List is evidence that Indian enterprise is alive and well. The cut-off for entry into this exclusive club has hit a record high of $1.25 billion this year and while we have seen some notable exclusion, new and younger entrepreneurs have also announced their arrival into the list. As fresh ideas and ventures emerge, we hope to see more new names in the future.

The top gainers on the Rich List in percentage terms were KP Singh and Ajay Piramal who added a whopping 84.6 percent and 82.6 percent to their wealth, respectively. Young entrepreneurs like Flipkarts Sachin and Binny Bansal dropped off the list, while newcomers like tech entrepreneurs the Turakhia brothers and Acharya Balkrishna make their debut.



Some of the highlights of the 2016 Forbes India Rich List includes:
Mumbai based film production company Passion Film was awarded the winner at the 2016 edition of Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, the Cannes festival dedicated to corporate and brand films, for their Product Film B. L. Agro Oils - The Story of Liquid Gold in the Marketing Communication category.

B. L. Agro, the Bareilly based Oil Company is in the business of Refining and Marketing of branded Mustard and other Edible Oils.

This is the second time in a row that Passion Film has received this prestigious award after being the first ever-Indian company to win the Cannes Dolphin for their Brand Film on Shakti Bhog Foods in the year 2015.

The winning team of producer Ricky Singh Bedi and directors Ranadeep Bhattacharyya & Judhajit Bagchi were awarded with the prestigious Cannes Dolphin trophy along with special diplomas at the special Awards Ceremony today at the Palm Beach Cannes. The international jury declared Passion Film as a winner in this highly competitive creative competition that received over 1000 top entries from across the globe.

The same film has also been declared as the winner of a Gold Stevie Award at the 13th Annual International Business Awards, the Worlds premier business awards programme receiving entries from more than 60 nations, to be held on October 21, 2016 in Rome, Italy. Its is again the only Indian film to win this prestigious award this year being felicitated in Toronto last year for their previous corporate image film on Shakti Bhog.

The jury commented on this 5-minute film that showcases the amazingly turbulent journey of edible oils processed by BL Agro as being the most beautiful film on mustard oil with gorgeous cinematography and being somewhat poetic.

Ecstatic after their win, the director duo said, It was challenging to work on a humble Desi oil brand from Bareilly and yet create a mark in the international arena with stiff competition from the best creative minds from across the globe. This would not have possible without the trust and unmatched support from our producer Ricky Singh Bedi. We are delighted with this recognition at Cannes for the second time.

It is such a great honour to win a Cannes Dolphin, and this being twice in a row is a major accomplishment for our agency. Despite having limitations we have never compromised on quality & our passion which drives our work to be nothing less than the best remarks founder producer of the agency Ricky Singh Bedi.

The winning team also includes Sylvester Fonseca and Varun Sud who are behind the exemplary cinematography for the film with soundtrack by Hollywood music composer Aron Latina. Filmfare award winning sound designer Anil K. has mixed the films track along with styling for the ad done by Goldwin Fonseca.
Most read of the week
This festival season, the people of Kolkata and Delhi celebrated the victory of good over evil, albeit in a different manner. In both the cities, as the magnificent festivities of Durga Puja and Dusshera respectively hit a crescendo, a campaign by The Brand Brewery (TBB) -- a leading experiential marketing agency  became the talk of the town.

The campaign aptly christened Sehat-ki-Goonj was conceived and executed by TBB for Indias first iron fortified salt brand Tata Salt Plus. The inimitable initiative aimed at creating awareness about anaemia which is highly prevalent among women as well as children in India.

In Kolkata, TBB chose the setting of Durga Puja to spread the message of health because the festival that pans over four days is one of the most opulent celebrations in the City of Joy and sees lakhs of enthusiasts participate in the revelry. The brilliantly accomplished campaign centred around a simple premise that Bengalis, especially women, follow as a tradition  that blowing a conch will eradicate all negative energies and usher in wellbeing before the start of something new or auspicious.

In tandem with this thought, TBB envisaged the maverick campaign by connecting it with the aspect of health. As part of Sehat-ki-Goonj, a massive conch was placed at the FD Block Salt Lake City pandal. Women were then invited to blow the conch and the decibel units that they produced while blowing it for over 15 to 20 seconds were recorded. Every participant was gifted a free hamper which included a one kg Tata Salt Plus pack while those who won or crossed the set decibel were given a bigger hamper.

It is a known fact that blowing a conch requires enough strength and stamina. Through Sehat-ki-Goonj, TBB cracked upon the idea of using the conch as a medium to spread awareness for the campaign and bank upon the tradition of blowing a conch to eliminate evil.

Said Mr Pradyumn Tandon, Founder and Director, TBB, About 55% of women and 73% of children in India are iron deficient, which makes us one of the worst-hit anaemic countries in the world. We felt that in a city like Kolkata, Durga Puja celebrations are the best way to reach out to women especially since the festival also symbolises the power of a goddess.

The campaign was popularly referred to as Swasther Protidhwani in Kolkata. A special Sehat-ki-Goonj tune was also recorded for the occasion based on the ragas ShuddhaKalyan and Bhairav both known for celebrating good health and end of evil.

Meanwhile in Delhi, as large crowds participated in achieving proverbial victory by celebrating the burning of Ravaanat the iconic Ramlila Maidan, team TBB preferred to focus upon their health. A similar conch was also placed at the venue where women were invited to blow it and the decibel levels were checked. While it was Durga Puja in Kolkata to reach out to a larger demographic, in Delhi it had to be Dusshera celebrations. It is the day when millions relive mythology and rejoice the victory of good over evil as they witness the enactment of Rama killing Ravana.

Added Tandon, In Delhi, we thought Dusshera was the best occasion since that is when huge crowds throng this venue to participate in Ravaandahan. Tata Salt also looks at anaemia as an evil that needs to be wiped out of our country. Hence it was a perfect opportunity to reach out to people, especially women and talk about the menace.

During the campaigns, 950 kg of Tata Salt Plus was distributed in Kolkata and 580 kg of Tata Salt Plus was distributed in Delhi.

TBB has successfully conceived and executed several other campaigns for Tata Salt during festivities which provide the perfect setting to reach out to more and more people. The campaigns have helped in projecting the brand as the official health keeper of the nation with its purest form of salt. The Sehat ki Goonj campaign was an extension to this thought especially with the Tata Salt Plus variant that is Indias first iron fortified iodised salt that is known to provide up to 50% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of iron.
Lenovo has launched its latest digital film featuring its newly launched detachable laptop, the Miix 310. With this long format digital video, which is part of the #GoNewcampaign launched earlier this year, Lenovo captures the dreams of forward looking individuals, who are not bound by their circumstances and aspire of a better tomorrow for themselves and their loved ones.

Conceptualised by Ogilvy Bangalore, the digital film  titled Back Seat  encapsulates the story of every Indian dreamer who aims high and pushes boundaries every day. The conversation between the taxis driver and his son revolves around a fathers aspirations for his sons bright future. It is a thought that crosses the drivers mind every time the he ferries around executives from multinational companies in his taxi. The release of the video coincides with Diwali, a season when Indians celebrate shared aspirations and family bonds like no other time of the year.





Bhaskar Choudhuri, Director - Marketing, Lenovo India, remarked, The most impactful stories come from the simplest insights. The insight behind Back Seat is that Indians are dreamers who aspire for a better tomorrow for their loved ones and are not bound by everyday constraints. The film also brings to life the super human ability of technology to not only be a great leveler but also, to allow the forward thinking minds to leapfrog their current situation. This is why the Lenovo brand strives to make technology accessible for everyone.

Elaborating on the campaign, Azazul Haque, ECD & Creative Head, Ogilvy Bangalore, said, Our nation is a nation of dreamers. We are pushing ourselves every day, every moment to make our tomorrow and the tomorrow of our loved ones better, brighter. And this is the story of every Indian. No matter where you go. No matter who you are. Like this taxi driver, who sees dreams for his son every time he sees some multinational executive sitting on the backseat of his car, working on his laptop. The dream of his son sitting behind like the ones he calls sir.

He further said, We thought this insight, this story can encapsulate the dream of majority of people who are struggling and yet dreaming of a better tomorrow. And they know technology will play a major role in connecting them with their dreams. They know technology can shape the future of their next generation. And Brand Lenovo urges them to dream on. And facilitates them with such technology at a price they can afford.

This is not the first time that Lenovos advertising has celebrated the spirit of dreamers. Whether it is their three-year association with YUWA that saw the brand empowering girls from a Jharkhand village or the previous commercial in the Go New series released in July this year, Lenovo has been seen committing strongly to progressive mindsets of a new generation of Indians.

Watch the film here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9XBs08AKo

Campaign credits:

Client: Lenovo India

Creative agency: Ogilvy Bangalore

National Creative Director: Rajiv Rao

ECDs & Creative Heads (Bangalore): Azazul Haque, Mahesh Gharat

Senior Vice President: Kiran Ramamurthy

Servicing Team: Kamala Gowri V

Director: Azazul Haque

Production House: Storytellers

Producer: Zina Khan

Director of Marketing, Lenovo India: Bhaskar Choudhuri

Marketing Team, Lenovo India: Amit Doshi, Hima Nandan, Vinod Kumar
SINGAPORE, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ground Labs, a sensitive data discovery software company, has appointed Yen Nee Si as its new Regional Channel Director. Based in Singapore, Yen Nee Si will be responsible for leading growth in the APAC region. She joins Ground Labs with over 15 years of experience in sales and channel management, specifically in the IT security domain.

"Yen Nee joins us at an extremely opportune time for two reasons," says Ground Labs' Director of Corporate Development, Stephen Cavey. "Firstly, the APAC region is widely considered one of the weakest in terms of IT security. We intend to help companies across Asia meet the levels of IT security required to protect their customers' sensitive data."

"Secondly, Ground Labs' rapid growth is exciting. Having locally established teams each region allows to focus on the unique needs of each market."

Ground Labs now operates 3 distinct regional teams across APAC, EMEA, and North America.

Ms. Si is optimistic about the growth opportunity for the APAC region. "While Singapore and other countries in Asia are some of the most internet savvy countries in the world, recent surveys have shown that very few organisations have matched up with international levels of data security. With more and more global data security standards being implemented, many businesses are wondering how to close the gap between technological advancement and security."

"I strongly believe that the Ground Labs data security software tools are exactly what modern businesses need to ensure that their security matches up with the sophistication of their businesses," Ms. Si commented.

Contact:

Stephen Cavey

128947@email4pr.com

#29-01 Suntec Tower Two

9 Temasek Boulevard

Singapore 038989

Ph: +65 3133 3133

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ground-labs-appoints-new-regional-channel-director-for-apac-300349064.html

SOURCE Ground Labs Pte Ltd
HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry released its employment situation report for September 2016.

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was unchanged from August at 5.7 percent. Pennsylvania's rate remained above that of the United States, which increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.0 percent in September.

Pennsylvania's civilian labor force was up 7,000 from August to 6,522,000. Resident employment increased by 5,000 while the unemployment count rose 1,000.

Total nonfarm jobs declined 5,300 to 5,895,200 in September. Jobs in seven of the 11 supersectors were down from August. The supersectors with the two largest gains this month both set record high levels  professional & business services (+6,700) and leisure & hospitality (+4,800). Education & health services and government, both down by 6,400, tied for the largest volume decline.

The August nonfarm jobs count was revised upward by 1,000 jobs, resulting in August setting the fourth record high so far in 2016.

Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 51,500 (+0.9%). Six of the 11 supersectors added jobs from last September. The largest increase over the past twelve months was in education & health services (+21,800), while the largest decline was in mining & logging (-7,900).

Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sara Goulet, 717-787-7530

Editor's Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania's employment statistics follows.

Current Labor Force Statistics

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)



September August September Change from August 2016 Change from September 2015

2016 2016 2015 volume percent volume percent PA Civilian Labor Force 6,522 6,515 6,429 7 0.1% 93 1.4% Employment 6,151 6,146 6,117 5 0.1% 34 0.6% Unemployment 371 370 312 1 0.3% 59 18.9% Rate 5.7 5.7 4.9 0.0 ---- 0.8 ----

U.S. Civilian Labor Force 159,907 159,463 156,867 444 0.3% 3,040 1.9% Employment 151,968 151,614 148,942 354 0.2% 3,026 2.0% Unemployment 7,939 7,849 7,925 90 1.1% 14 0.2% Rate 5.0 4.9 5.1 0.1 ---- -0.1 ----

Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)



September August September Change from August 2016 Change from September 2015

2016 2016 2015 volume percent volume percent















Total Nonfarm Jobs 5,895.2 5,900.5 5,843.7 -5.3 -0.1% 51.5 0.9%















Goods Producing Industries 822.5 827.2 835.2 -4.7 -0.6% -12.7 -1.5% Mining & Logging 23.9 24.2 31.8 -0.3 -1.2% -7.9 -24.8% Construction 233.7 237.1 236.3 -3.4 -1.4% -2.6 -1.1% Manufacturing 564.9 565.9 567.1 -1.0 -0.2% -2.2 -0.4%















Service Providing Industries 5,072.7 5,073.3 5,008.5 -0.6 0.0% 64.2 1.3% Trade, Transportation & Utilities 1,133.7 1,134.5 1,126.2 -0.8 -0.1% 7.5 0.7% Information 84.7 86.0 85.0 -1.3 -1.5% -0.3 -0.4% Financial Activities 317.0 315.4 317.1 1.6 0.5% -0.1 0.0% Professional & Business Services 792.4 785.7 777.3 6.7 0.9% 15.1 1.9% Education & Health Services 1,215.3 1,221.7 1,193.5 -6.4 -0.5% 21.8 1.8% Leisure & Hospitality 562.1 557.3 548.1 4.8 0.9% 14.0 2.6% Other Services 258.7 257.5 256.1 1.2 0.5% 2.6 1.0% Government 708.8 715.2 705.2 -6.4 -0.9% 3.6 0.5%

For a more detailed breakdown of seasonally adjusted jobs data at the sector level, please contact the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at 1-877-4WF-DATA, or visit www.workstats.dli.pa.gov

Note: October 2016 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released November 18, 2016.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pa-unemployment-rate-at-57-in-september-300349091.html

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
LONDON, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Q2 2016 Long-term LNG Contracts Review - EDF Group Signs Highest LNG Contract Volume in the Quarter



Summary



In Q2 2016, a total of five long-term LNG contracts were signed. Of these, the biggest contract was signed between Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (III) and EDF Group for supply of 2 mtpa of LNG for about 20 years. As per the contract, LNG will be imported from the Ras Laffan III terminal in Qatar to the Dunkirk terminal in France. Itochu Corporation and Toho Gas Co Ltd also signed contracts for import of 1.5 mtpa and 0.2 mtpa of LNG respectively to Japan. Global Energy Holding Company and Guangzhou Gas Company were the other companies to sign contracts in the quarter.



Scope



- Details of long-term LNG contracts signed in Q2 2016 by country and company

- Comparison of LNG contracted capacity and share by importing countries between Q2 2016 and Q1 2016

- Comparison of LNG contracted capacity, and share by key seller and purchaser companies between Q2 2016 and Q1 2016

- Count of contracts and contracted capacity signed by key purchaser companies during 2014 to 2016



Reasons to buy



- Obtain information available on long-term LNG contracts across the world for Q2 and Q1 2016

- Identify countries and companies involved in signing of long-term LNG contracts for both the quarters

- Facilitate decision making on the basis of long-term LNG contracts data

- Keep abreast of recent long-term LNG contracts signed across the world

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4239869/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: query@reportbuyer.com

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/q2-2016-long-term-lng-contracts-review---edf-group-signs-highest-lng-contract-volume-in-the-quarter-300348992.html

SOURCE ReportBuyer
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of South East Asia Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.

South East Asia Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in South East Asia. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in South East Asia are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.

Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the South East Asia countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the South East Asia Fuel Oil outlook report.

Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.

The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in South East Asia Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Tables & Figures

2 Executive Summary

3 Brunei LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

4 Indonesia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

5 Malaysia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

6 Myanmar LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

7 Philippines LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

8 Singapore LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

9 Thailand LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

10 Vietnam LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

11 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners

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YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry discussed the ongoing conflict in Syria and its embattled city of Aleppo in a phone call on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Sputnik News reported.

According to the statement, the Russian minister said that militants in Aleppo were trying to derail ceasefire in the city and prevent local residents from leaving the embattled city.



"In continuation of the bilateral dialogue on the Syrian issue, the heads of the foreign ministries, in pursuance of the Lausanne agreements reached on October 15, discussed the ways to normalize the situation in the eastern part of Aleppo, where Syria's government forces and Russia's Aerospace Forces have announced a humanitarian pause in their military operations and are ready to extend it if the Nusra Front and illegal armed groups that have joined it do not violate the ceasefire regime," the statement said.



The statement added that the experts from both Russia and the United States would continue their efforts aimed at the settlement of the conflict in the Middle Eastern nation.



The "humanitarian pause" was introduced in Aleppo at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Thursday to ensure the safe evacuation of unarmed militants, and civilians from eastern Aleppo via eight designated corridors. Earlier in the day, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Moscow had decided to extend the humanitarian pause in Aleppo for another 24 hours.




WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- One of New York State's largest oncology clinics has agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle claims of Medicare and Medicaid fraud brought by a former employee under the Federal False Claims Act. Lost dollars will be returned to the federal government and the State of New York.

According to a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains, Hudson Valley Hematology-Oncology Associates, R.L.L.P. (Hudson Valley) allegedly over billed federal and state health care systems, by up-coding to obtain reimbursement for more extensive treatment than the clinics provided and by waiving patient co-pays in a manner violating the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.

The case is U.S. ex rel. Abrahamsen v. Hudson Valley Hematology-Oncology Associates et al. Ms. Abrahamsen, a Certified Professional Coder, is represented by the law firm of Guttman, Buschner & Brooks PLLC (GBB) and Robert T. Bernat of Bernat & Bernat, P.C.

"This is an important case which sends a message that medical practitioners at the local level will be held responsible for conduct that cheats health care systems," said GBB partner Traci Buschner.

GBB partner Justin Brooks said "This case is a victory for the American tax payer. In an era of spiraling health care costs, everyone working in the health care space needs to guard against fraudulent billing and related practices that inflate the cost of health care for everyone. We fully expect that this settlement - which is significant for claims against medical offices - will place doctors on notice and alert potential whistleblowers who want to step forward."

According to the complaint in intervention filed by the United States Attorney, Hudson Valley's practice of waiving patient co-pays "without making an individualized determination of financial hardship or exhausting reasonable collection efforts" violated the Anti-kickback Statute, a law that prohibits the "payment of kickbacks in any form to protect the Medicare and Medicaid programs because remuneration can influence health care decisions that would result in services being provided that are medically unnecessary, of poor quality, or even harmful to a vulnerable patient population."

The case was filed and resolved under the Federal False Claims Act (FCA). That statute enables the United States government to recover money it wrongfully paid as a result of fraudulent conduct and allows individuals who learn of unlawful conduct to bring a law suit in the name of the government.

The GBB team included Traci Buschner, Reuben Guttman, Justin Brooks, Liz Shofner, and Caroline Poplin, MD, JD, the firm's Medical Director.

Guttman, Buschner & Brooks PLLC, www.gbblegal.com, is one of the nation's leading whistleblower law firms. The firm's attorneys have represented whistleblowers in cases returning more than $5 billion to state and federal governments. Earlier this week GBB reported that it represented the lead whistleblower in a case against Omnicare returning 28 million to the government.

For more information on the False Claims Act go to www.whistleblowerlaws.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/suburban-new-york-oncology-clinic-pays-55-million-to-settle-claims-by-whistleblower-represented-by-guttman-buschner--brooks-300349220.html

SOURCE Guttman, Buschner & Brooks PLLC
Vigilant Shield 17

An F-22 Raptor receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during exercise Vigilant Shield 2017, Oct. 17, 2016. Vigilant Shield is an annual exercise sponsored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command and led by the Alaskan NORAD Region, in conjunction with the Canadian and Continental NORAD Region, who undertake field training exercises aimed at improving operational capability in a bi-national environment. The F-22 is from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and the KC-135 is assigned to the 92nd Aerial Refueling Squadron from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wa. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Gregory Brook)
Nations first special tactics memorial unveiled

A seven-foot tall bronze statue of a special tactics Airman in operational gear stands atop a black granite base -- a memorial to past, present and future special tactics operators.



The Special Tactics Memorial was unveiled at a dedication ceremony with more than 800 people present, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein presided over the ceremony at Hurlburt Field Air Park Oct. 20.



This memorial serves to close a loop in our airpark, said Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, the Air Force Special Operations Command commander. As special tactics is the connective tissue between the ground and the air, this memorial links our past to our present and our future."



The memorial, according to Col. Michael Martin, the 24th Special Operations Wing commander, is a physical touchstone of the special tactics communitys place in history.



This monument serves as recognition of the battle-hardened operators who defend our nation's freedoms against tyranny and oppression, Martin said. The members who serve within the special tactics community are dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to preserve our way of life. This monument represents the valor of those who never wish to highlight themselves  the quiet professionals of Air Force's ground special operations force.



Special tactics, the Air Forces ground special operations force, has been engaged in every major conflict since 9/11, continuously deployed for more than 5,000 days to more than 73 locations. As a result of their actions in combat, the special tactics community has earned the highest number of valorous medals in the Air Force since the Vietnam War.



In the last 40 years, only 10 Airmen have received the Air Force Cross, the second highest medal that can be bestowed for valor in combat. Eight of those recipients were special tactics Airmen.



Their names are now forever etched into granite of the monument.



They dont consider themselves as heroes; they see themselves as Airmen, Goldfein said. In this community, uncommon valor is a common virtue.



In addition to eight Air Force Crosses awarded since the Battle of Mogadishu, Airmen in the special tactics community have received 35 Silver Stars, 105 Purple Hearts, more than 600 Bronze Stars, and hundreds have received Bronze Stars with valor.



In todays battlefield environment, joint operations is the only way to go, said Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman, the U.S. Special Operations Command deputy commander. Being an infantry guy, I can tell you theres nothing better than having a special tactics Airman around and having a gunship overhead. That changes everything on the ground: a sense of confidence that isnt really matched by anything else."



Flanking the statue will be two pedestals with the names of fallen special tactics Airmen --19 Airmen killed in action and eight in training -- recognition of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.



The costs of war are real, and special tactics Airmen understand these costs as well as anyone, Goldfein said. The price of admission to this community is higher than most are willing to pay  checks signed with blood and cashed in loved ones tears.



Families of several fallen special tactics Airmen were present for the unveiling of the memorial.



In our line of work, the next day is never a certainty, Martin said. Our special tactics community understands that risk and rises to the challenge. Any loss of an Airman is tragic, but we are committed to continuing the legacy of those who gave their lives, and the sacrifice made by our Gold Star families."



The memorial was conceptualized by retired Chief Master Sgt. Steven Haggett, who served 14 of his 30 years in AFSOC as a first sergeant and maintenance crew chief. Haggett volunteered to lead the project, from concept to design to final creation.



In over 30 years of military service, I have not come across a community like special tactics. They never asked for anything other than allowing them to do their job, without complaint -- with no regrets, Haggett said. It was clear to me that a memorial was the least we could do for these Airmen who give everything for their country, and ask for nothing in return. To us, it is the right thing to do.



The memorial was a team effort between many units here, including AFSOC leaders, the 1st Special Operations Wing, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, and 823rd RED HORSE Squadron.



After the ceremony, nearly the entire crowd participated in a set of memorial pushups, a special tactics tradition that honors fallen comrades.



I commend you for guarding this, your heritage, as fiercely as you defend our nation, Goldfein said. Ive never been prouder to be an Airman than I am standing here before you on this sacred ground.
The 315th Airlift Wing took top honors Thursday night, Oct. 20, after receiving the Raincross Trophy for the best wing in 2016 at the 4th Air Force at the Raincross Trophy Dinner in Riverside, California.

We are proud to receive this prestigious award of excellence, said Col. Gregory Gilmour, 315th AW commander. It represents the hard work and professionalism that the members of our wing demonstrate on a daily basis. I thank everyone at the 315th, and their families that support them, for all the hard work you do every day.

The Raincross Trophy recognizes exceptional airmanship during an individual mission or sustained operations and carries bragging rights as the best wing or group in the numbered Air Force. In 1998, the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce elected to commemorate the 'return home' of Fourth Air Force, by creating a new trophy -- The Raincross Trophy - to honor the best of the best in 4th Air Force.







One of the awards highlights was that the 315th Airlift Wing provided unrivaled global mobility operations and wartime support, executing over 7,600 flying hours on 1,662 sorties, delivering 13,820 passengers and 12,126 tons of critical cargo. Standing at the forefront of C-17 airlift operations, the wing played a vital role in major contingencies and humanitarian relief efforts.The award citation also said the 315th dominated the realm of Presidential Support missions, and the fact that the wing was handpicked to plan and execute Air Force Reserve Commands first-ever Expeditionary Skills Rodeo.Not only are we the best in 4AF, but now everyone knows it. Thanks for all your hard work and professionalism. We should all be very proud of this accomplishment, said Col. Caroline Evernham, 315th Operations Group commander.The awards dinner was sponsored by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Military Affairs Committee. It is held to celebrate the excellent work and commitment of the 16 wings and one group in Fourth Air Force and was a highlight of the 4th AF Commander's Conference.
Osan fighter wing enhances "fight tonight' readiness at Red Flag-Alaska

The 25th and 36th Fighter Squadrons have been training during Red Flag-Alaska 17-1 at the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, from Oct. 6-21.



Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise that focuses on improving the combat readiness of U.S. and international forces while simultaneously providing training for units preparing for air expeditionary force taskings.



We're here to expose our pilots, particularly the younger ones, to more stress and pressure than they've ever experienced while airborne, said Lt. Col. Michael McCarthy, the 36th FS commander. Working through this stress and then carefully debriefing our planning and execution makes us more capable to handle and prioritize critical situations in the future.



The fighter squadrons will test their skills during highly realistic replications of surface-to-air and air-to-air defenses while utilizing live weapons, something unique to Red Flag-Alaska 17-1.



The live weapons target complex in Alaska is phenomenal, said Lt. Col. Craig Morash, the 25th FS director of operations. While every weapon dropped requires planning, live weapons expenditures illustrate just how important weapons fragmentation cylinders, mutual support contracts, and formation timing really are.



The ranges there also allow the pilots to fly down to 100 feet, a skill that is vital to build confidence, he said.



The exercise also gave the pilots an opportunity to showcase the interoperability between the two squadrons and their South Korean air force partners.



We train with our (South Korean Air Force) 11th Tactical Fighter Wing brethren often and know them very well, McCarthy said. We've truly enjoyed the opportunity to welcome them to the United States, but the experience is much more like friends who find themselves in a challenging situation together very far from home.



International participation is a traditional part of Red Flag-Alaska which gives the 25th and 36th Fighter Squadrons unique training, furthering the squadrons abilities to fight tonight.



The training we get here is extremely important, Morash said. The Alaskan ranges contain one of the best threat replication matrices on the planet along with live weapons targets. Pilots who flew in (Red Flag-Alaska 17-1) will take these lessons and experiences with them through their entire Air Force careers.



McCarthy echoed those sentiments on behalf of his squadrons pilots.



Overall, RED FLAG is overwhelming, McCarthy said. It is crushing defeats, hard-earned lessons, and occasionally a sweet victory. It is very stressful, and it is absolutely necessary training for our young aviators.


Combat to cowboy boots: Airman uses horses to spread resiliency

(This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)



Growing up, she recalled running around the woods of North Carolina trying to catch a wild horse. She had fallen in love with a flea bitten, little and gray Arabian horse, which nobody could manage to catch, except her. She wasnt yet tall enough to put the halter on, so she would put the rope around the horses neck, hold her and look to her dad for help -- until she got older that is.



For Airman 1st Class Lauren Nolan, a 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron materials management journeyman, this is where her passion for horses began and continues to be a blessing throughout her Air Force career.



She can pick up on a horses personality in a second; she has a natural gift with them, said Teresa Nolan, Laurens mother. Lauren would always get up really early. By the time I woke up, she would already be out in the pasture to see her horse and have her tied up, grooming her by herself.



Stationed at McConnell Air Force Base since 2015, Lauren has two horses that occupy her time. Tiz Sunshine, 4 years old, and Shoobie, 6 years old, and both are off-the-track thoroughbreds. Lauren has owned Tiz for two and a half years and Shoobie for about a year. She boards them in the local community and spends her off-time taking care of them and training them for barrel racing.



When I leave work, if Im not helping out at the barn, Im working with them on barrels, Lauren said. Shoobie is a diva, and Tiz is a little doll button. If youre trying to teach Shoobie something and she doesnt understand, shell give you attitude right back. Tiz will do whatever you tell her; she doesnt care. She will stand there, look at you and stick her tongue out at you -- she is so quirky.



Much like a military training instructor develops civilians into Airmen, training horses takes the same time and perseverance, although a milder process. Lauren works with the horses most every day, and has even set individual goals for them. She wants them to be really patterned with the barrels and running well by the spring.



I have to have a lot of patience, Lauren said. You cant take a 1,200-pound animal and turn it into a superstar overnight. It takes months and months, but its very rewarding to take a horse that didnt really have a chance, work with it and make it into something.



Lauren also uses patience at work. She works in an office ordering aircraft parts for the KC-135 Stratotanker. The stress of having the responsibility of ordering millions of dollars worth of equipment and the potential for mistakes can be somewhat daunting. If she has a bad day at work, her outlet for stress is in the dusty barn and muddy pasture.



Its very relaxing to go and just hang out with them and get rid of all the stressors of the day, Lauren said. My family is over 1,000 miles away. I cant see them but once a year, so the horses mean everything to me. Tiz and Shoobie have helped me more than anything else ever could.



With the unique challenges military members face, from frequent moves to deployments, everybody needs a way to unwind; spending time with the horses is hers. Realizing how much Tiz and Shoobie help her, she is sharing this experience with others.



Every once in a while, Ill take Airmen out to see them so they can have their little getaway, Lauren said. They could come ride them, brush them or just interact with the horses to help them cope with whatever theyre dealing with.



Lauren not only brings Airmen out to see the horses, but the Airmens families as well. She specifically wants to help first-term Airmen, like herself, who are new to base, as well as children with deployed parents.



I take anybody out to see the horses who needs it, Lauren said. Being on base and in military life is stressful for a lot of the people. It has impacted and helped everybody I have ever brought out there -- you can see it. The kids grin, laugh and giggle the whole time. Its instant. They get all giddy the moment they see them.



Just as she takes pride in her work as an Airman, she has pride in her horses. When she brings other people out to the barn to see Tiz and Shoobie, she said she wants them to look their best.



Its in her nature, its who she is and what she loves, Teresa said. Lauren will do whatever she has to do to keep them healthy and well-fed, even it means shes not going to have something, just to take care of the horses.



She gets off work and switches from combat boots to cowboy boots. When she gets to the barn and heads to the pasture to round up the horses, she stops in her tracks. Shes got fellow Airmen coming to the barn to see the horses and Shoobie looks like a walking mud puddle from rolling on the ground after a night of Kansas rain. With a sigh, a few words mumbled under her breath and a hint of smile, she gets the watering hose and brush. Here they go again.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday filed a third chargesheet in a special court in the 2012 Sheena Bora murder case.

In its supplementary chargsheet, the CBI claimed that Peter Mukerjea, Indranis husband, was aware of the disposal of Sheenas body. The CBI said it has given further proof to implicate Peters involvement in the case. Both Peter and Indrani are in jail awaiting trial.

Peter had allegedly sent several emails to his son to discourage him against any affair with Sheena.

Further investigation has revealed that Indrani Mukherjea kept Peter Mukherjea informed on the phone about the selection of place for disposal of dead body of Sheena during the period of reccee and selection of spot on 23.4.2012, that is on the day of murder, the CBI said.

Indrani also reportedly kept Peter in the loop and he was aware of the disposal of Sheenas body.

24-year-old Sheena, daughter of Indrani Mukerjea from a previous relationship, was allegedly strangulated in a vehicle on April 24, 2012.

Her body was later burnt and dumped in a forest near Gagode, in Raigad district of Maharashtra.

The Mumbai Police arrested Indrani, her former driver Shyamvar P. Rai and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna in August 2015, and later the CBI nabbed media baron Peter Mukerjea in November.

On June 20 this year, the Special Court granted Rais plea for a pardon in return for turning approver and a prosecution witness in the case.

In its chargesheet filed in November 2015, the CBI had named Indrani, Khanna and Rai as accused in the case.

In February, the CBI in a supplementary charge sheet reportedly stated that prime accused Peter and Indrani had been planning Sheenas murder since 2009, because they were unhappy with her relationship with Rahul.

The 52-page charge sheet also includes call records between the husband and wife after disposing of Sheenas body.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named NRI defence consultant Vipin Khanna as the key beneficiary in the FIR lodged in the 2008 Embraer aircraft purchase deal.

Mr. Khanna, 87, is accused of receiving nearly $6-million from Embraer, the worlds third largest aircraft maker, to broker the deal. The Commission was allegedly paid to him in 2009. A Singapore-based company has also been named. Following a reference from the Ministry of Defence, the CBI, in September, initiated a preliminary enquiry (PE) into the bribery allegations.

A joint US-Brazil investigation into Embraer, has uncovered a bribery case leading to a deal signed between the company and DRDO in 2008 for three aircraft equipped with indigenous radars for AEW&C (airborne early warning and control systems).

Embraer also sold VVIP executive jets to the Indian Air Force. This deal is also likely to come under a probe. According to FIR by CBI, Vipin Khanna significantly benefitted from the kickbacks and from a Singapore-based company, Interdev Pte Ltd, as the entity via which the money was routed in three tranches through a subsidiary of Embraer. The alleged kickbacks were routed via Austria and Switzerland. Interdev Pte Ltd is listed as a software consultancy firm incorporated in 2000.

Kickbacks were paid in India in the $210 million-deal for purchase of three Embraer-145 aircrafts.

Questions were raised in 2010 after the US Justice Department started investigating Embraer for alleged payment of bribes to secure contracts in various countries. The investigation began when a contract between Embraer and the Dominican Republic raised suspicion. The investigation was later expanded to business dealings with eight other countries.

Two Embraer platforms were delivered to India in 2012 and the remaining one in 2015 for eventual use by the Indian Air Force.

CBI is planning to send teams to Brazil, USA and other involved countries to close in on the money trail and send LRs (Letters Rogatory) for assistance.
Mumbai University has agreed to hand over 34,715 sq mt land in Kalina to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to build two roads that will connect BKC to Vakola and Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road.

In all, the university will hand over land measuring 34,715 sq mt to MMRDA. The TDR, generated after handing over of the land, will be sold and used for the overall development of the university, which will include construction of hostels, staff quarters, guests house, science block in area of about 3 lakh sq mt, the authority said in a statement.

The MMRDA will be constructing 1.2 km-long elevated road with 2+2 lanes from Bharat Diamond Bourse Junction in BKC to Vakola Junction near Western Express Highway.

It will also construct 400-metre long and 30-metre wide road in the vicinity of Mumbai University for additional connectivity from BKC to Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road.

The MMRDA has also planned to build a flyover from Bandra Worli Sea Link to BKC and a road on stilt from Kalanagar towards Sea Link. The estimated cost of the work is Rs. 253 crore, the statement said.

It has also proposed to develop an elevated connector from G Block in BKC to join EEH via Mithi River, LBS Road, Central Railway track Duncan Causeway Road, colony road leading to Chunabhatti Railway Station, crossing Harbour Line tracks and Somaiyya Trust Ground at an estimated cost of Rs. 155.70 crore and expected to be completed by April 2018.
The Pakistan Supreme Court has held that a psychiatric disorder like schizophrenia does not subjugate the death sentence.

In our opinion, rules relating to mental sickness are not subjugative to delay the execution of death sentence which has been awarded to the convict, says the Supreme Court in its 11-page judgment on the famous Imdad Ali case.

Safia Bano, wife of the convict Imdad Ali, had approached the Supreme Court, claiming that her husband was insane and the execution of death sentence may be delayed till he gets medical treatment so that he can write down his will.

Imdad, from Burewala district of southern Punjab, was awarded death sentence in 2002 in a murder case. His sentence was upheld by all superior courts, including the Supreme Court. The president has also rejected his mercy petition.

However, when black warrants were issued for his execution on July 26, his wife filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court Multan bench to delay her husbands hanging till the recovery of his mental illness. The high court rejected her plea on August 23.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) protested against the judgement. A spokesperson said mental illness and insanity were reasons for a court to not declare a person guilty of a crime. This decision will have far reaching implications, HRCP said.

Earlier, the watchdog Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) too filed an appeal against the Lahore high courts order dismissing pleas that Ali could not be executed because of his mental illness. JPP argued the court should look into Alis medical condition and extenuating circumstances that had aggravated his mental illness during his lengthy time on death row.

Ali hails from Burewala district of Punjab province. After warrants were issued for his execution on July 26, his wife filed a writ petition in the Lahore high court, which rejected her plea on August 23. She then approached the Supreme Court with the same plea but the three-judge bench upheld the death sentence.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenias border guards are better trained to counter the illegal transport and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction thanks to border security and interdiction training provided by the U.S. The 10-day training session is the latest part of a joint U.S.-Armenian project to improve Armenias abilities in this fight against contraband, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia told Armenpress.

From October 10 to 21, 27 Armenian border guards who serve along the Armenian-Georgian border attended training on viable border interdiction strategies that stressed the necessity for interagency cooperation. The border guards were introduced to new tools that can be used to maintain security and aid in border monitoring. The course also included sessions on basic tracking skills, operations management, safety, and evidence control. The course, which was moderated by border security subject matter experts, consisted of lectures and practical exercises, culminating with several full-scale interdiction exercises.

The training was conducted by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs WMD-Proliferation Prevention Program.

Out of the dozens of agents participating in this months course, 12 will go on to receive additional training to become instructors. This will enable Armenian authorities to institutionalize the training locally and ensure all Armenian border guards eventually receive the training they need to succeed.

The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Security Service of Armenia, and the Armenian Border Guards have a long history of cooperative efforts aimed at reducing the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Since 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense, through DTRAs Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, has provided $21.3 million in aid to properly train and equip Armenian border guards.
[dropcap]B[/dropcap]haratiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Varun Gandhi has landed into a potage following assertions of him getting honey-trapped. Ironically, instead of feeling ashamed about it that partys Nehru-Gandhi scion getting into an unseemly controversy, BJP is just relieving. The serious allegations have been made in two letters sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modis office on August 25 and September 16 by lawyer-turned-whistle blower C Edmonds Allen, who has over the years supplied hundreds of documents to CBI and other agencies against Abhishek Verma, an accused in the infamous Navy war-room leak of 2005 and other cases. Ahead of UP elections if this matter takes a news space, it simply shows Varun is paying price for being more popular than any other BJP leader aspiring to be the CM of UP. As a result, he is being targeted by well-oiled Parivar propaganda machine. Most of the time such matters come up usually to harm peoples image and career.

In the recent past, Varun Gandhi and his mother was very vocal in praising Congress, that has irked BJP and now Varun aspires to be the CM candidate of UP, but some BJP insiders wanted to side track him. In the mid of the election campaigns, where Congress leaders are running towards BJP, the party has made another move by sending Gandhi parivar member out, Varun being a potential candidate for UPs Chief Ministerial post. Of late, Varuns popularity in the region is becoming more of a liability than an asset for BJP. The MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh had been pressuring the party leadership hard to anoint him its chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 state assembly elections. This had irked the party leadership. The BJP is yet to decide on the partys chief ministerial face for the UP elections. The favourable public sentiments and euphoria in the wake of the surgical strikes conducted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) may even lead the party to abandon the idea of announcing a CM candidate. Instead, it may contest the polls by relying on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Riding on the Modi wave just after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party had employed the same strategy in Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir, and emerged victorious. Some people opposed to him might have engineered the plan. With growing and constantly upgrading technology, such unscrupulous thugs make the credulous believe and create a doubtful situation about people.

Earlier, Varun had been trying to convince the BJP to consider his name for the CMs post. A number of surveys conducted by different agencies projected Varun as the most popular candidate for the UP campaign. Subsequently, massive hoardings came up in Allahabad just days ahead of BJPs June 12 and 13 National Executive meeting there. Varun supporters waged a virtual poster war on BJP to project him for the top job of the state. The posters had Varuns face juxtaposed with those of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. This apparently did not go down well with the BJP leadership. The once blue-eyed boy of the BJP had fallen out of favour. Leaving all other speculations and equations aside, truth should be found out and only CBI inquiry will reveal it. This should be given priority. Defence deals always have been shaded grey. Everyone, ministers or army heads, since 1971 took commission in those deals. Something, if not everything, may have transpired. Now the ways is to come clean, both the young MP and the trusted government at the centre.

The rumours on Varun are backed with CDs and photos with foreign prostitutes in compromising positions; letter alleges that Verma and his associates compromised and blackmailed Varun Gandhi, who was then a member of the parliamentary consultative committee on defence, and possibly other MPs, their staff as well as some officers. A US-based lawyer has alleged that his former business partner and controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma honey-trapped him. Though, Varun Gandhi strongly rejected all charges. Though Varun accorded importance to senior RSS leaders, he apparently ignored the local leaders in his state. In a sign of inconsistency, he has taken a sharp leftward ideological turn from being a Hindutva poster boy.

As party in-charge of West Bengal during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Varun had embarrassed the BJP by saying that there were just 50,000 people in one of Modis public rallies. He contradicted the partys stand which stated that more than 2 lakh had turned up to hear the prime ministerial candidate.

However, now the scenario has changed as BJP shifted its focus from Hindutva and took heavily on Gandhi family. Now, Gandhi and Nehrus surname is no more a popular brand. Its charm is certainly fading. He already had a bleak chance for being the CMs face because of BJPs unstated policy of not promoting two persons from the same family. Veteran leader Yashwant Sinha was rested and his son Jayant Sinha was given the ticket and, after he won, was made a Union Minister. Similarly, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Rajes son Dushyant Singh was not considered for a ministerial berth at the Centre. At such juncture, BJP will not defend Varun in this controversy; rather they will make his exit smooth from the party.

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YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan continues proving that it ignores the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters in the Parliament, commenting on the latest Azerbaijani sabotage infiltration attempts in the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact.

Once again Azerbaijan reaffirms that it has tangled in the negotiations process and has appeared in a deadlock, perhaps even failed. I think the international community must strongly condemn such crimes of Azerbaijan. Why? Because during the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg, mediated by Secretary of State Kerry and then Russian President Vladimir Putin, an agreement was reached to solve the issue exclusively by a peaceful path, as well as introduce mechanisms of trust, so there wont be any tension, Sharmazanov said.

Sharmazanov added that the CSTO summit took place in Yerevan last week and Presidents of CSTO member states issued the Yerevan declaration, which stated the following paragraph: The Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be settled by a peaceful path, and CSTO member states will assist this settlement. If this is the response of Aliyev to the CSTO, to the co-chair countries, the United States, France, I think very serious assessments must be made here and the international community must realize as to who is escalating the situation in the border. I am convinced that Nagorno Karabakh has confidently carried out its functions and pushed the enemy back. This once again proves the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karbakh carry out their duties on the highest level, Sharmazanov said.

Deputy Speaker Sharmazanov rules out a large-scale war. According to him, perhaps a large-scale war is theoretically possible; however its impossible in practice.

Sharmazanov once again stressed that Armenia expects a rough assessment of the international community.

Azerbaijan carried out sabotage infiltration attempts on October 20 at 23:00-23:30 in the eastern and southern directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact, the Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told ARMENPRESS.

The ministrys announcement reads:  On October 20, at 23:00-23:30, Azerbaijan carried out sabotage infiltration attempts in the eastern and southern directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. The Defense Army units detected the advance of the Azerbaijani special forces in time and pushed them back to their starting positions by inflicting losses.

During the confrontation with the sabotage unit the Defense Army did not sustain losses.

In addition to the sabotage infiltration attempts, overnight October 20-21 Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire regime more than 50 times, firing around 2800 shots at Armenian positions from various caliber small arms.

Azerbaijani forces also used a DShK heavy machine gun in the southern directions, firing 200 shots.

The Defense Army continues maintaining full supervision in the frontline and is ready to prevent any provocative action of Azerbaijan, by inflicting a heavy blow.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. During parliamentary debates on the governments action plan Prime Minister Karen Karapetyans unintentional pronunciation error caused high spirits and joyous laughter during the session.

During his summarizing speech the PM talked about the stance of Prosperous Armenia party regarding the governments action plan. Speaking about the issue, he accidentally mispronounced the partys name and said Prosperous Republican.

I dont understand why the Prosperous Republican party doesnt want to take part in the voting, the Prime Minister said and went on with his speech, when lawmakers and government officials responded with laughter and joyous mood.

Realizing the mispronunciation, Karapetyan apologized, and said: Im sorry, this definitely was not intentional.
October 20, 2016

Citing unspecified regional circumstances and security challenges, Emir Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah exercised his authority to dissolve the countrys colorful, dynamic and vibrant National Assembly, the institution that makes Kuwait the most democratic member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). For Kuwaitis, his Oct. 16 act is nothing new. Since the countrys parliamentary life began in 1962, the emir dissolved the parliament on eight previous occasions: in 1976, 1986, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. Only six elected parliaments have lasted full terms. With the latest dissolution, Kuwaitis are now preparing for elections on Nov. 26, instead of in July 2017.

This time around, with cheap oil plaguing Kuwaits economic health and violent extremists posing a threat, the emir declared that Kuwait must turn to the people, the source of authority, to choose their representatives who express their aspirations. Parliament Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim, hailed the emirs decree as a praiseworthy democratic practice. Below the surface, however, tensions are mounting in the political arena.

Although the Arab Spring of 2011-12  in Kuwait largely shaped by public outcry over the mismanagement of public funds and corruption, calls for a more democratic government and open criticism of privileges enjoyed by Al Sabah family members  did not come remotely close to destabilizing Kuwait to the degree that it did in other Arab states, the activism that did occur indicated that the rich emirate is not immune to the winds of change blowing across the region.

Plummeting oil prices pushed Kuwait to run its first deficit in 2016, after 16 years of surpluses, and prompted the government to implement unpopular austerity measures. Most recently, parliamentarians and activists voiced their staunch opposition to a gas price hike, which took effect in August but was scraped late last month by an administrative court. With low oil prices squeezing Kuwait financially, a growing number of Kuwaitis fear reductions and slashes in long-provided social services.

Dissent is clearly on the rise in Kuwait and so is the monarchys increasingly authoritarian response to it. Since the Arab Spring, the countrys courts have handed down jail sentences for figures in the opposition, including Mussallam al-Barrak, former member of parliament and secretary-general of the nationalist Popular Action Movement, and even members of the royal family for insulting the emir. The governments closure of newspapers and television channels in the last two years also highlights this trend.

Before the emir issued the decree dissolving the National Assembly, parliamentarians had planned to grill several government officials over the next few months about the countrys austerity measures. This prompted speculation that the decrees timing was intended to thwart these proceedings. The issue now is whether this will backfire against the royal family, with the opposition picking up more seats in the 50-member legislature. Perhaps the government's thinking is that by avoiding a political showdown with parliamentarians interrogating ministers, holding early elections will shift public attention away from unpopular measures aimed at decreasing the country's budgetary shortfall, effectively buying the Al Sabahs' time.

It is unclear at this time how dissolving parliament and holding early elections will impact Kuwaits political and economic landscape. To what extent will the opposition have the means to alter public policies and the new parliament satisfy the various tribal blocs demands during this era of cheap oil? How will the early elections affect the Al Sabah's relationship with the opposition and Shiite-Sunni relations in the National Assembly? The answers to these questions will heavily influence the prospects for national cohesion and long-term stability under the Al Sabah family.

In 2012, the emir imposed a voting law that gave each citizen one vote (rather than four, as previously) in each district. Many interpreted the change as giving an advantage to independents over established political and tribal blocs (primarily comprised of Islamists, liberals and tribal elements), creating anger within the broad opposition. As Kuwaits Muslim Brotherhood bloc, the Islamic Constitutional Movement, boycotted the 2013 elections to protest the voting law, but has opted to participate in next months election, it remains to be seen to what extent the law will impact the Brotherhoods ability to win seats in the National Assembly. Unquestionably, the past several years of regional developments, chiefly in Egypt and Syria, have weakened the Brotherhood branch in Kuwait with a growing number of Kuwaitis questioning the Islamist factions loyalty to the countrys ruling monarchy.

Like other ruling Arab Gulf families, the Al Sabahs face the challenges of maintaining the social contract, which is based on a sacred agreement of generous subsidies and free services in exchange for political obedience. Even before oil prices fell two and a half years ago, the leadership in Kuwait City had sought to decrease Kuwaitis dependence on the welfare state, which costs $17.7 billion annually, an amount Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah has called unsustainable. To achieve this end, the leadership must navigate cautiously while pursuing economic diversification beyond the countrys traditional oil sector, hiking service fees, cutting electricity subsidies and introducing a value-added tax to a society unaccustomed to taxation.

Although Kuwait has long prided itself on its political openness (by GCC standards) and promoting greater space for debate with respect to public policy, the governments tightening of the screws on dissent and efforts to prevent the opposition from accomplishing its objectives are tarnishing this image. Without doubt, the Al Sabahs and the countrys opposition will have a difficult decision to make in 2017 in terms of how to manage their historically cordial relationship.

The ruling family appears determined to weaken and divide the opposition to safeguard its position as the government moves forward with unpopular austerity measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit and transitioning Kuwait to a post-oil economy. How the opposition plays its cards in this new climate will largely influence the countrys future. For many Kuwaitis, the stability and tolerance that the Al Sabah rulers have preserved and promoted makes their nation uniquely special in a region beset by political turmoil and ultra-violent and hateful extremists. With a sovereign wealth fund worth $600 billion, the Al Sabahs were able to use the power of the checkbook to keep a lid on anti-government activism during 2011-12. It remains unclear how the different actors in the political arena will interpret the ruling familys unwritten and sacrosanct social contract with Kuwaitis during this era of rising dissent and authoritarianism.
October 20, 2016

Some friends from Turkey and I recently watched representatives of the Colombian government sign a peace deal with that countrys largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). My friends, young women who are peace activists, joyfully joined me on Skype to watch the signing. Joyfully, that is, until one of the women broke out in tears.

"I am happy for the people of Colombia, yet saddened for the stolen opportunity of peace for our peoples," said Berfin, a Kurdish woman from southeast Turkey. "Flags should no longer be used to wrap coffins, but rather be raised up in the sky."

On Sept. 26, the signatories used pens made from bullet casings to endorse the deal, designed to end a 52-year-old conflict. But voters narrowly rejected the pact Oct. 2. Fewer than 38% of voters turned out. Yet the disappointing results did not rob Turkish peace advocates of their enthusiasm. Several opinion pieces were penned while hundreds of comments on social media discussed the details of the FARC deal.

Ertugrul Kurkcu, a seasoned parliamentarian from Izmir province who is a founding member, former co-chair and current honorary chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), answered Al-Monitors questions about why the FARC peace deal generated so much enthusiasm in Turkey.

It provides concrete and immediate proof that peace is possible, attainable and achievable, despite all past atrocities and bloody feuds and despite crimes of war and crimes against humanity," Kurkcu said. "The Colombian peace came at a moment when Turkey was caught in a fierce resumption of war that daily costs the lives of dozens of people, which drives a wedge of hatred and enmity between the Turkish and Kurdish folk and dangerously strains the bonds between peoples."

She added, "The Colombian peace thus presents Turkey's peace activists with a convincing example of negotiations being more useful instruments than warfare for resolving disagreements, that there exists a possibility of building an escape out of an imminent civil war and that a horrible repetition of the civil wars that tore apart the former Yugoslavia and present-day Syria is not inevitable."

Indeed, the HDP sent a formal letter to both the Colombian government and the FARC leadership congratulating them for signing the peace deal and stating that it is a source of inspiration for all. Ryan Gingeras, an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, offered Al-Monitor two explanations for the enthusiasm among those hoping for a peaceful end to the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

First, as organizations born out of the Cold War, FARC and the PKK share an ideology and a history rooted in socialist revolutionary struggle. They recognized each other as groups fighting for greater political and economic freedom for historically disenfranchised peasants. The deal that ends Colombia's fight against FARC in theory gives legitimacy to the PKK's tactics and political goals."

Gingeras continued, "Second, the deal between Bogota and FARC specifically legitimizes demands that the PKK generally finds favorable. The pact recognizes FARC as a legitimate negotiating partner and absolves its members of many acts of violence committed in the past. The PKK  which, like FARC, has long been considered a terrorist organization  would very much like to obtain these sorts of concessions from Ankara. Perhaps an even more important concession FARC obtained was the right to maintain 'peasant reserves,' or recognized autonomous territories in multiple areas of rural Colombia. Creating a system that allows Kurds in southeastern Turkey greater political autonomy, in some form or another, has long been a critical element of the PKK's struggle."

As the peace process has collapsed in Turkey, and especially since the attempted coup in July, just calling for peace has become a risky endeavor under the tightening grip of emergency law. Anyone who dares demand it is labeled a terrorist or traitor with links to the PKK or the Fethullah Gulen movement. That said, the Colombian deal has demonstrated to the Turkish public that even with FARC  which is older than the PKK, has been blamed for more casualties and is the target of strong public sentiment against it  peace is possible. FARC and the Colombian government are able to carry on peace talks with multiple international mediators and sign an open deal.

On the other hand, a deal proposed between the Turkish government and the PKK  in which imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan participated remotely  is still mostly a mystery to the public. Under what is known of the proposed terms, the PKK would have disarmed in Turkey and withdrawn to Iraqi Kurdistan. In turn, the government would have implemented constitutional reforms granting the Kurds political and cultural autonomy.

Although the PKK has openly agreed to international war crimes investigations like those conducted by the South African truth commissions, PKK leaders claim the Turkish government disagreed. There has been no third-party involvement. Despite all that, the government said more than 70% of the Turkish public was ready and willing to accept a deal even with unclear terms, as long as the fighting stopped.

Hatice Altinisik, the chairwoman of Alevi-Bektasi Institute, worked as a grass-roots HDP organizer during the peace process. She told Al-Monitor, In those days, I was always welcomed to small towns known for their conservative Sunni identity. You could see how people would embrace each other even with the slightest hope of peace. Today, if I traveled to the same town as an openly Alevi Kurdish woman, I would fear for my safety.

The hope the FARC deal provides for Turkeys peace activists brings the question: Can it be replicated in Turkey as well?

The point  is not to repeat the Colombian peace process, but to learn about the ways and means from every process in communicating with adversaries, opening negotiations channels between enemies during the fiercest wars and communicating with the people," said Kurkcu.

"Turkish governments and the PKK have previously made at least three unsuccessful attempts for peace negotiations. In my opinion, the Colombian experience presents a historical lesson, in a negative sense, that the governments and the insurgents may reach an agreement  but it is not enough to attain a durable and stable peace. The people who throughout the war have sided with one of the warring parties should also be included in the peace-building process.

Gingeras is not hopeful. He said, There currently is a very strong and very clear consensus among Turkish voters, and certainly among Turkish political parties and the army's general staff, that fundamentally rejects the dilution of state power on the basis of nationalist demands. To accept that Kurds deserve political autonomy, let alone occupy a distinct territory in Turkey, would be to accept that Turkey is not truly Turkish."

He added, "For Turkish nationalists, the core lesson gleaned from the history of the Ottoman Empire is that allowing minorities to have autonomy or greater rights opens the door to rebellion, foreign invasion and the partition of the state. This contention has gained even greater currency in the last 12 months, especially in light of the July 15 coup attempt.

As emergency law normalizes in Turkey, peace becomes a harder-to-reach goal for the dwindling number of activists who are not yet in prison.

In ancient Kurdish mythology, there is a cruel king known as Dehak. Kurdish activists have been using the term on social media with increasing frequency in the past couple of months. Altinisik coined a new term, dehakrasi, combining the Turkish word for democracy ("demokrasi") and "Dehak" to mean a reign of absolute cruelty.

She told Al-Monitor, When your readers are viewing this piece, I and people like me advocating peace could well be in custody at dehakratic prisons. We were so close to peace. Now we live in fear of prisons and death again.

Behind the compassionate enthusiasm of the Turkish people for the end of fighting in Colombia and its signing of a transparent peace deal lies hope, but also a somber fear for the future of any such Kurdish-Turkish agreement.
October 20, 2016

Two young Egyptian drummers are defying their country's social norms and taboos by taking part in an art form that has scarcely been practiced by women and is usually associated with belly dancing.

Donia Sami and Rania Omar started the first female drumming band in Egypt to challenge Egyptian society's stereotypes and encourage more Egyptian women to take up their art.

Art is for everyone, Donia, 21, told Al-Monitor. Playing any instrument is a right of every woman on earth, especially if she is passionate about it, added the young drummer, who began to play at the age of 16 and is also studying acting and directing.

In Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, banging on drums has usually been associated with men rather than women, and performances by female drummers are seen by conservative societies as abnormal and shameful. Some people also believe that women cannot be drummers because the art requires physical strength, stamina and endurance.

We want to change this social stereotype and let society know that women can be and do whatever they want to be and do, Donia said.

Donia and Rania have been harshly criticized since they started their band, but they say that they are determined to keep up with their art and blaze a trail for other women passionate about drums.

Rania, who shares her friends passion for music, said that there are many talented female drummers in Egypt, but they are let down by society. In Egypt, we have many women fond of drumming, but they are lambasted by their families, friends and the audience. That is why most of them quit, Rania, 23, told Al-Monitor.

In Ranias case, she said, it is even worse because she wears the hijab and experiences more pressure. But she said she does not mind it: It is my passion and as long as I am able to bang on drums I can endure anything. Rania studied business administration at university and has been playing the drums since she was 13 years old.

When Donia and Rania were introduced to each other on Facebook a few months ago, they met and agreed to start a band. With the support of their families and friends, the two young artists have put on dazzling performances on Al-Moez Street, one of the oldest in Egypts capital, in downtown Cairo and the Cairo Opera House, among other venues. In their performances, which are most often on the streets, Donia and Rania hypnotize their audiences and leave them with smiles on their faces.

Videotapes of their performances went viral on social networking sites and within a few months, they attracted tens of thousands of Facebook and Instagram followers.

Loai M. Dahab, one of Rania and Donia's fans, wrote on the band's Facebook page in response to a question for fans that what he loves the most about their performances is the look of challenge in their eyes: When they play the drums, they are striking with their hands all social norms and traditions.

Nagham Ali, another fan, wrote that she doesn't have a specific reason for supporting them, but called their performances "perfect" and said, They are more than gorgeous. I love them so much.

Donia said that the audiences are usually thrilled by their performances, but the enthusiasm does not prevent negative comments. Bad comments making fun of us are always there. But we have stopped being emotionally affected by them because we are doing what we love and our families are proud of us, Donia said.

She added that in Egypt, drums have always been associated with being the background for belly dance performances, and that is another stereotype that the two drummers aspire to change. In many countries around the world, there are solo performances of only drums and people love them so much," Donia said. We want the Egyptian people to have that culture too.

Donia and Rania also seek to perform across the country, especially in the conservative Upper Egyptian governorates. We want our art to reach each and every part of this country and let people know that women are capable of playing any kind of music, Rania said.

The drum is the oldest known musical instrument in the world, dating back to 4000 B.C. in Egypt. The instrument has long been very widely used across Africa. Drums have been made from an enormous variety of materials including alligator skins. Across cultures, drums have been used for much more than music and celebrations. They were commonly used during battles to motivate fighters and communicate orders, and in more peaceful times to make announcements.

In Arab and Middle Eastern countries, drummers are most often seen as part of musical ensembles or in the background for belly dancers. Drummers rarely perform on their own in the Middle East.

One exception is Egyptian percussionist Said El Artist, who broke all the rules and formed a band of 10 drummers that over the years has increased to nearly 100. Artist refined his art and found a warm reception in Middle Eastern audiences. He established a school of percussion that has attracted both Egyptian and foreign students.

Donia and Rania want to follow suit and establish their own girls-only school, where they will help women and girls learn to drum. Rania said that the students will then join their group and form the first major all-female drumming band.

Drums are cheerful. They get out negative energy, anger and fear and spread joy and peace, said Donia. We want to spread happiness and peace in the world through our art. We want to be happy and make other people happy.
October 21, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  On Oct. 13, the Legal Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) endorsed a recommendation on reviewing the study submitted by some Hamas members of parliament for the return of the 11th government to its functions in the Gaza Strip. The Ismail Haniyeh government resigned on June 2, 2014, following the Beach Refugee Camp agreement, to pave the way for the formation of the national consensus government headed by Rami Hamdallah. The recommendation stirred controversy on the Palestinian arena.

The PLC (Hamas) members submitted their study to the PLC on the same day, Oct. 13, as they accused the consensus government of failing to execute the tasks entrusted to it since it was formed in June 2014. These tasks include merging the government institutions in the West Bank with those of the Gaza Strip and preparing for the presidential, legislative and local elections as well as the Palestinian National Council elections.

Also, on Oct. 4, the government canceled the local elections that were initially scheduled for Oct. 8. This has pushed the PLC members to call for the return of Haniyehs government in order to take action in light of the consensus governments failure to present its program before the PLC to gain the vote of confidence, in virtue of Article 66 of the Palestinian Basic Law.

The PLCs recommendation was followed by an official statement issued by Hamas Oct. 16, accusing the consensus government of reneging on the internal accord between Hamas and factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization to form the 2014 consensus government, and replacing a number of ministers with Fatah leaders  turning it into a Fatah government. For his part, Prime Minister Hamdallah operates as a Fatah official.

The government responded to Hamas statement at the end of its weekly session Oct. 18 and accused the movement of impeding the governments work in Gaza after refusing to hand over the ministries, the governmental departments and crossings and preventing Gazas abstaining employees from going back to their workplace.

The government statement read, The citizens have the right to know that Hamas is impeding many achievements that could have been made to serve its own interests. The recent reshuffle of ministries and government departments [in Gaza] is proof that it is a de facto government that does not care about the suffering of our people.

Fatah also refused the recommendation. The movements spokesman in Gaza, Fayez Abu Eita, noted in a press statement Oct. 13 that such a step was illegal and deepens the Palestinian division, considering it a call to separate Hamas-controlled Gaza from the West Bank.

He explained that such a call lacks legitimacy in light of a national reconciliation government, which was agreed upon by both Fatah and Hamas, as well as all the Palestinian factions, that signed the Beach Refugee Camp agreement. However, he stressed that Fatah was holding onto the government, considering it the legitimate body that represents all Palestinians, and he called on Hamas to allow the government to operate in the Gaza Strip and carry out its functions in order to alleviate the suffering of Gazans.

Hamas PLC member and head of the PLCs Security Committee Ismail al-Ashqar told Al-Monitor that the purpose of the study was to search for alternatives because the consensus government is not fulfilling the tasks entrusted to it.

He explained that not only did the consensus government fail to fulfill its tasks, but it even turned into a partisan government, acting on behalf of Fatah and following its orders. He added that the government also failed to present its program before the PLC for the vote of confidence, which violates the Palestinian Basic Law  thus making it an illegitimate government.

Ashqar noted that Haniyeh's government is the only one that gained the PLCs vote of confidence since the last parliamentary elections in 2006, pointing out that the study will be discussed during the next few days without specifying a date by the PLC and its competent committees.

Yasser Khalaf, the spokesman for the Palestinian Freedom Movement, told Al-Monitor that his movement welcomed the recommendation, saying, The decision to examine the return of Haniyehs government is wise in light of the consensus governments failure as it only follows the orders of the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and marginalizes the Gaza Strip.

Khalaf gave the consensus government an ultimatum  either it fully executes its duties toward Gaza or it resigns. At the same time, he said it would be best to wait for the future steps the PLC will take after examining the demand presented before it.

For his part, Secretary-General of the PLC and legal expert Nafed al-Madhoun, told Al-Monitor, Although Haniyehs government resigned after the Beach Refugee Camp agreement in order to form the current consensus government, it remains the legitimate government that is assigned to conduct government business. This is because the consensus government failed to gain the PLCs vote of confidence.

He added, The consensus government is factional-oriented and does not act according to the national consensus. In addition, no authority is monitoring it  neither the PLC nor any other Palestinian institution, stressing that the study will be discussed from every legal, political and social aspect before voting on it. Noteworthy is that the PLC has yet to hold a session to discuss the study.

Political analyst Mustafa Sawaf believes that the study was a message to Abbas to tell him that either you order the government to serve all Palestinians or the people of Gaza have the right to find someone else to manage their affairs after the consensus government abandoned them.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, he pointed out that Hamas has several options, including forming a leadership of members from every Palestinian faction to manage the Gaza Strip, or accepting the reality and wait until it has a clearer vision in the future. After that, Hamas could resort to other options to manage Gaza.
October 21, 2016

TEHRAN, Iran  Two weeks after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered government bodies to prepare their annual budget plans for the fiscal year starting March 21, 2017, senior member of parliament Gholam Reza Kateb urged the Cabinet to submit the national budget bill before the Dec. 5 deadline so that lawmakers will have enough time to review it, the Young Journalists Club reported Oct. 9.

Kateb, a member of the parliaments presiding board, also urged the Rouhani administration to consider the generalities of the sixth Five-Year Development Plan while preparing the budget bill. His comments came as parliament itself has now been sitting on the development plan, which was proposed by the Management and Planning Organization, for about nine months. Indeed, lawmakers only approved the plan's generalities as late as Oct. 2  eight days after Rouhani ordered government bodies to prepare their budgets for the coming fiscal year.

Since 1989, Iran has produced and pursued five development plans in a bid to help reconstruct the country after the eight-year war with Iraq and achieve sustainable development. These efforts have been in line with the six development plans implemented prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. But the fact is that neither the pre- nor post-revolution development plans have fully achieved the goals they have laid out. As such, many Iranian economists now believe that the era for such plans has ended and that governments instead need long-term strategic approaches toward growth and development.

It is no longer the time of long-term comprehensive plans, which have concrete quantitative targets, leading economic newspaper Donya-e Eqtesad quoted Mousa Ghaninejad, a prominent economist in Tehran, as saying on Oct. 18. Ghaninejad believes that the current development plans, which he described as useless, need to be replaced by strategic road maps that can depict clear frameworks for long-term financial, monetary and trade policies.

In this vein, Pedram Soltani, the deputy head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, also said there is a problem with the manner of planning in Iran, arguing that development plans have usually been the subject of radical change under various governments. So far, administrations have used the development plans as an opportunity to make quick decisions without them needing to bargain with lawmakers. The parliament, on the other hand, has also seen the plans as an opportunity to keep administration officials committed to the laws they impose, Soltani said, as reported by the ISCA news website. Instead of preparing development plans, he noted, administrations have to follow a set of back-to-back strategies, so that governments will remain on the same track and avoid contradictory decisions.

Lawmakers say they expect details of the sixth Five-Year Development Plan to finally be approved later this year. The fifth Five-Year Development Plan, which expired in March 2016, was extended for a year as lawmakers argued at the time that they need more time to review it. Parliamentarians say the sixth development plan gives priority to the implementation of a fair pay system in state-run bodies and the allocation of a bigger share of oil revenues to underdeveloped regions and oil-producing cities.

The current development bill is set to focus on four major policies, according to Mohammad Khodabakhshi, the spokesman of the parliamentary panel in charge of reviewing the plan. First, environmental concerns and water shortages need to be addressed. The second policy will be a call on administrations and municipalities to help develop suburban residential areas, restore historical monuments and expand certain areas of the southeastern Makran coast along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The third issue to be given priority is the development of industries, such as mining, information technology, energy, tourism, agriculture and transportation, which officials believe will drive the economy in the next five years. And the last main policy is set to encourage the government to improve the business environment so that unemployment and poverty can be addressed in a significant way. Among other main issues raised in the review process are matters related to productivity, cyberspace, educational reforms and academic development.

Critics insist that the sixth Five-Year Development Plan must detail all aspects of its proposed policies and be crystal clear. In an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency, Abdorreza Mesri, a member of the parliamentary review panel, wondered whether the Guardian Council will give parliament the go-ahead to prepare a detailed plan on its own. In this vein, he argued that there are perhaps too many ambiguities in the proposed plan that need to be addressed.

Another critic, Ehsan Khandouzi, the head of the parliamentary research centers economic office, criticized the plan in a September interview, saying that it lacks a clear vision. For instance, he said, it doesnt offer a clear policy on the national currencys trend, nor does it [offer a clear policy] on the pricing policies of raw material suppliers in the energy sector.

Despite the ongoing dispute over whether the sixth Five-Year Development Plan should include detailed economic policies, Rouhani has already signaled that he prefers strategies rather than quantitative targets. In his budget directive, the president urged the imposition of a budget-deficit cap, unification of foreign exchange rates, expansion of debt markets and avoidance of borrowing from the Central Bank as a solution to finance government development projects. These are all signs that there will be strategic reasoning behind the budgeting process, Ghaninejad noted. He added, The time is now ripe for the government to propose a binding legal document that can replace the vain and costly five-year development plans.
October 20, 2016

BAGHDAD  The head of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi parliament, Hakem al-Zamili, has spoken out about the corruption prevailing over Iraq's border crossings. In a press conference held Oct. 3, he stated that the state was not benefiting from financial revenue that is directly going into the pockets of corrupt officials.

Corruption is robbing the state of potential revenue from the tariff law implemented this year to reduce the deficit in the current budget, which amounted to 24 trillion dinars ($18 billion). The General Customs Authority has announced that it had expected to collect $5 billion this year, but only $306.5 million had been received as of August.

Alaa Matar, a food merchant from Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, The officials at the border crossings and customs are delaying processing their goods for up to a month to force [merchants] to deal with middlemen to reduce the delay to a week.

He said, Border crossing and customs employees work as middlemen between the managers and merchants and get paid 1 million dinars [$766] for each transaction. When it comes to imported goods with high taxes, these middlemen coordinate with the officials to change their category to goods with low taxes in exchange for thousands of dollars that go into the pockets of the customs officials.

Matar added, The goods coming from the Kurdistan Regional Government to Baghdad and the southern provinces should be taxed at the main entrance to the capital, but merchants are paying $2,500 to middlemen for each car to evade inspection.

From 2003 until the end of 2015, the Iraqi government stopped applying the tariff law and merely applied the Iraq reconstruction tax, which amounted to 5% of the value of the goods, under Resolution 38 for 2003 issued by the Coalition Provisional Authority headed by Paul Bremer.

A major conflict erupted in 2015 between the local governments in southern Iraq and the KRG and the central government when the local bodies refused to enforce the law, but Baghdad finally used its power and applied the law and set up customs points around the capital to double-check customs.

A member of Iraqs Commission of Integrity, Mohammad Qawn, told Al-Monitor, The Commission of Integrity invited the customs officials [to speak to the commission], which confirmed that corruption is indeed prevailing. For example, they said that only one car out of dozens undergoes government inspections while other vehicles pass without inspection as long as a bribe is given to corrupt officials.

He explained, The goods' classification is being altered to reduce the tax and the positions at border crossings are being bought and sold openly because they bring financial returns for some parties." He did not name them.

Qawn pointed out, Improving the work of border crossings is very difficult at this stage because they are located in border areas far from the monitoring authorities. He called on the government to change the management and hold accountable those who are buying and selling positions, adding, The government did not benefit from the tariff law as expected. Only the corrupt officials are taking advantage of this at the expense of the Iraqi people.

In regard to the budget for the current year, the Iraqi government confirmed that it will take in 11.9 trillion dinars ($9 billion) in non-oil revenue from tariffs and fees. But the head of the parliamentary Finance Committee, Mohammed al-Halbusi, revealed Oct. 9 the government could not access these funds, which amounted to 2.4 trillion dinars ($2 billion) that had been collected but not delivered.

Abdul-Hussein al-Anbaki, an economic adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, attributed the problems impeding the implementation of the tariff law to the doubling of the tax on imported goods and corruption among some of the staff.

The Iraqi government has taken measures to curb corruption, but some parties are resisting and practicing extortion, he told Al-Monitor. The purpose of applying the law is not necessarily to support the budget, but mainly to support sectors such as industry and agriculture, because the country's economy is currently going through a recession.

Anbaki went on, There are obstacles facing the tariff collections by customs at the checkpoints in Baghdad, but the prime ministers office has recently formed committees and teams to end this problem. He stressed, There is a good development in the KRG in terms of enforcing the customs tariff law, which is helping the KRG put an end to its financial crisis.

Between 2003 and 2015, Iraq imported goods worth $475 billion, according to statistics from the Central Bank of Iraq.

In this regard, the Economic Committee rapporteur in parliament, Faris al-Faris, told Al-Monitor, If corruption continues to control border crossings, it will hurt the economy because industry would remain disrupted and the foreign goods would flood the local markets while the corrupt officials get richer than the state.

He added, The parliament has taken action to curb corruption at border crossings by approving the law for a border crossings committee, which has been given full liberty to eliminate corruption and further monitor the border crossings as well as work on developing them. However, a conflict has erupted between the parties that wish to promote the committees role and those who oppose it.

The president of the Iraqi Federation of Industries, Ali al-Saadi, told Al-Monitor, The Iraqi states revenue from enforcing the tariff law currently stands at 20% of what it should be, which is a very weak proportion. He said he hoped that applying the law properly would positively reflect on the industry and result in reviving around 50,000 stalled industrial projects.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, the president of the Economic Media Centre, Durgham Muhammad Ali, summarized the situation at the border crossings, saying, The border crossings are subject to quotas, corruption and meddling by parties. Meanwhile, the state remains unable to apply the tariff law as it lacks control.
October 21, 2016

Civil society and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have failed over the past decade to influence the Palestinian street and put an end to division or to topple the two ruling parties behind the division, namely Fatah and Hamas  even though they are the cause behind the deterioration of living conditions and the growing violations of human rights.

This raises questions about the role these institutions should play, the limits of their intervention and their pursuit of democracy and change, as they receive foreign funding. According to official government estimates published by the Palestine Economy Portal in January 2016, these funds amounted during the first nine months of 2015 to $800 million.

Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in the Gaza Strip, believes that these questions and demands undermine the role played by NGOs. We cannot ask them to do what is beyond their capacity under a weak state or authority and amid the Israeli occupation, he told Al-Monitor. He pointed out that these institutions will never be a substitute for the state, as a strong civil society infers a strong state and vice versa.

Amid the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the ongoing siege, people's needs are increasing due to poverty, unemployment and food insecurity. In addition to democracy, human rights, agriculture and water projects, civil society organizations are now asked to provide relief. This is why the amount of money that is mentioned is little amid the escalating crisis, Shawa said.

Atef Abu Saif, author of Civil Society and the State, said that despite the great effort made by NGOs, neglect continues to result from two main reasons. The first is the international funding agenda, which is not determined by local partners but by foreign experts and is subsequently not based on local development policies. The second, according to Abu Saif, is related to the elitist nature of Palestinian civil society, which makes NGOs distant from the needs of the people.

A simple comparison between the millions received by giant institutions in Ramallah and Gaza and the little money received by institutions working in marginalized camps, villages and neighborhoods is quite revealing in this context, he added.

In an article published by economic expert Omar Shaban, director of Pal-Think for Strategic Studies, on the foundation's website on Aug. 16, he wrote, The Palestinian civil society did not stand silent or neutral facing the repercussions of the damned division. It has continuously offered ideas and made efforts to put an end to division, although these efforts were sometimes underestimated and fell prey to the split, blockade and marginalization.

In the same article, Shaban said, The absence of a national fund dedicated to supporting the efforts and initiatives of civil society organizations prompts some of these to rely on international grants  some of which have their own agenda that does not necessarily go in line with the Palestinian development goals.

Most NGOs, including feminist and human rights organizations, receive funding from foreign parties due to the lack of a dedicated national fund supported by the government or Palestinian parties. Shaban suggested in his article following the example of the German experience, saying, NGOs must receive bigger domestic funding so that their dependence on international funding is reduced. The German experience is a great example in this context, as the German Foreign Ministry allocates budgets for all of the political parties development bodies to support their work both inside and outside the border. Shaban suggested the creation of a national fund that allocates financial budgets to professionally support the efforts of these organizations.

Asked about the inability of these institutions to get rid of the West Bank and Gazas governing political system  whose electoral term ended in January 2010  and whether such inability was due to the NGOs weakness or to their complicity with the authorities, Shawa said, Civil society is not complicit with any of the parties to the [Palestinian] division, and it has loudly criticized them using the civil society tools  namely democracy, figures, events, workshops and demonstrations, and even mediation, which these institutions sponsored between the two parties.

He stressed that these institutions play a major reformist role in the health and electricity sectors at a time when the two authorities of the West Bank and Gaza refuse to communicate with each other, especially in light of the absence of the role of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Shawa revealed that there is negligence in monitoring the performance of the two ruling parties in the West Bank and Gaza because they are simply the ones monitoring these institutions.

Abu Saif believes that getting rid of the Hamas regime is probably not among the priorities of civil institutions. This raises an important question: Why didnt the civil society organizations develop strategies against the repressive policies? Isnt it their duty to protect rights and confront the ruling authority when it encroaches upon individual space? Civil society seems to be in solidarity with the ruling power. It may criticize it, but it surely does not confront it, he told Al-Monitor.

Asked about the role of these institutions on the ground, Abu Saif said that it can be boiled down to continuing to exist, as they are unable to develop genuine approaches to their role. The ideal and proper role is to protect the space between the state and the individual and prevent any encroachment in this regard, but this is not happening.

Shaban voiced a different opinion, saying, On the contrary, these organizations play a significant role in the protection of human rights, reconstruction and exposure of corruption.

He added, Some of them might have been bought by the regime, and some of them might have been forced to remain silent and neutral given their need for funding. Also, civil society has lost many of its figures and much of its cohesion and collective responsibility, but the situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is disastrous and there are big problems that need to be faced. Division has widely undermined the civil societys capacity to influence.

Shaban pointed out that it would not be fair to disregard the role played by these institutions knowing that they have set a lot of laws to protect women and rehabilitate young people, and they condemned the arrest of political detainees, the suppression of freedoms and the freezing of the democratic process.

Human rights organizations in the Gaza Strip, such as the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, periodically document violations related to freedom of opinion and expression, political arrests, the killing of women against the backdrop of the so-called honor crimes, or the security services dispersion of peaceful gatherings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Also, the Coalition for Integrity and Accountability monitors the transparency of the work of the government, the ministries and the NGOs.

Ayman Ayesh, general manager of Public Affairs and NGOs in the Hamas Interior Ministry, refused to use the word complicity to describe the relationship of NGOs with them. The relationship has evolved over the past years through serious dialogue and debate, and has moved from repulsion and collision to understanding and partnership  and this is a very acceptable level.

He added, This does not mean we are on the same page, but we have developed communication channels with them to overcome any obstacles in the context of shared space with us.

The Arab Spring revolutions that took place in the past few years were partly caused by the civil society components, including human rights defenders, activists, institutions and parties. This instills great hope in the hearts of Palestinian citizens that these institutions will one day put an end to poverty, the high cost of living, political arrests and the deferral of the right to elect.
October 19, 2016

Even as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas keeps on keeping on at the age of 81, Palestinians remain preoccupied with the question of who will succeed him. In a recent reminder of the lack of a leading candidate for succession, Abbas was admitted earlier this month to Ramallah Hospital for an emergency heart catheterization after experiencing chest pains. He emerged with a clean bill of health.

The race to replace Abbas has been on for years. Some of the candidates mentioned include the exiled Mohammed Dahlan, the former head of the Preventive Security Force in the Gaza Strip; Jibril Rajoub, the former head of the Preventive Security Force in the West Bank; and Majid Faraj, the head of the General Intelligence Service. They all enjoy broad influence in the Palestinian arena. These days, diplomat and politician Nasser al-Qudwa is being mentioned more frequently in the Palestinian media as a potential successor. Although Qudwa entered the race without much notice, he has all the political and personal qualifications to make him a credible candidate for the highest position in the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Qudwa has an impressive resume. He is a former foreign minister, member of Fatahs Central Committee, former representative for the PLO at the United Nations and Arab League envoy to Libya. He is also the nephew of late PLO Chairman and PA President Yasser Arafat.

Qudwa has remarkable political experience, Hani al-Masri, the head of the Palestinian Center for Strategic Studies - Masarat, told Al-Monitor. He is a decent diplomat, and his patriotism is unquestionable. [Though] he lacks a popular political base, he is not involved in the current Palestinian feuds. He is a suitable candidate with a comprehensive vision for rebuilding the Palestinian political system and integrating its roles and powers.

Fatah has not commented much on the media attention Qudwa has received. Some of Qudwa's colleagues in Fatah's leadership oppose his nomination, because he is neither the eldest leader or from the movement's founding generation. Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatahs Central Committee, said Oct. 7 that talk of Qudwa succeeding Abbas is an offense to the latter because such an option is impossible and the thought of his doing so did not originate from within the movement.

Another Central Committee member, Amin Maqboul, told Al-Monitor, Talk about nominating Qudwa to succeed Abbas is unnecessary. The sole purpose of such talk is to create confusion within the Palestinian arena. Maqboul refused to further discuss the issue, but there appears to be more than is being said to the opposition to Qudwa.

In an article on the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs website, Yoni Ben-Menachem, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, claims that Abbas is not so keen on Qudwa's nomination to succeed him, because Qudwa is a close associate of Dahlan, Abbas' chief nemesis, and could pave the way for Dahlans return to Palestinian politics. A feud erupted between Dahlan and Abbas in 2011, when Fatah's Central Committee, headed by Abbas, dismissed Dahlan and referred him to the attorney general on charges of financial corruption. Five years of Palestinian and Arab efforts to get Abbas and Dahlan to reconcile have failed. Dahlan now lives in the United Arab Emirates.

Palestinian affairs analyst Ehud Yaari said on Israels Channel 2 on Oct. 2 that Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have asked Abbas to anoint Qudwa as his successor.

Al-Monitor was unable to reach Qudwa, but a close associate of his told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Talks about Qudwa could do more harm than good. The Arab Quartet [Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the UAE] might want him to serve as a bridge for Dahlan to cross over to the presidency later on. Qudwa has informed some Arab parties  which he did not name  that he does not want to succeed Abbas, but he would not refuse the position if it were presented to him following a Palestinian-Arab agreement. He does not see himself as a replacement to anyone in the Palestinian arena, and he has decided not to speak about this issue publicly.

Hamas' leadership, naturally keeping tabs on developments regarding the succession, appear to think that Fatah should not unilaterally determine the next president. Hamas, which is competing with Fatah for leadership of the Palestinian people, is an important actor that cannot be easily bypassed. Hamas has been in control of Gaza since 2007 and thus could make it easier or harder to choose a future leader. Qudwa could be in luck, however, because his political positions are not bound by the Fatah-Hamas division, so the Islamist movement might not oppose him.

The presidency does not involve Fatah solely, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al-Monitor. This issue interests the Palestinian people as a whole. The head of the PA is not the head of Fatah, and the movement cannot manipulate him or deal with [the presidency] as a partisan issue of its own. Hamas refuses to appoint a president based on external pressure. Palestinian leaders are chosen by ballot and national consensus.

Qassem added, Fatah should solve its internal issues without using public institutions to impose its leadership on our people. Fatah should not allow its internal conflicts to affect the course of the Palestinian cause.

Saleh Naami, a Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs, told Al-Monitor, The fact that the Arab states agree on Qudwa does not mean others should not declare their candidacy and compete against him for the presidency of the PA. If he were to become president, he would have to deal with [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahus government, which will be sure to embarrass Qudwa and ruin his credibility [in Palestinians' eyes]. He would be required to do as Abbas is doing today and provide an environment that helps Israel continue its settlements [project] and maintain security cooperation with it.

Palestinians respect Qudwa because he is not involved in the corruption issue plaguing the PA. Qudwas disengagement from internal Palestinian conflicts could either be a weakness or his strongest suit. Although he might seem weaker than most of those aspiring to become the next Palestinian president, many of Qudwa's fellow contenders could actually agree on him in light of his good relations with most of them in addition to his cordial ties with leaders in Fatah, the PLO and the Palestinian factions.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Provinces of Armenia exhibited their production at the ArmProdExpo exhibition, with Lori Province also presenting innovations.

Representative of Lori Margarita Kirakosyan told ARMENPRESS this year they have experimentally grown buckwheat and achieved successful results.

Although we have grown in little quantities, but in terms of quality its quite good, we have grown minimally chemically enriched crops, which in my opinion will have success in the future as well. We presented the old product range, which seems to already have a brand look. We have a range of products typical to the province  cheese, honey, kiwi, broccoli, which we present every year, she said.

According to Kirakosyan, each province is unique on its own, the same food has its taste and smell in each province.

Armavirs Karas Wine Factory presented its wines in the expo.

Marketing and Sales Manager of Karas Wines Vlad Khachatryan says their wines are one of the most demanded in the market.

Since 2010 the quality is being confirmed and proved every day. We export the wines to a number of countries  Russia, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Canada and others. We also plan to export it to Japan and China, he said.
October 21, 2016

An unexpected move by an opposition leader has abruptly brought Turkey to a critical threshold, raising the prospect of a profound political shift. In a speech to his parliamentary group Oct. 11, Devlet Bahceli, the head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for overstepping his constitutional powers and acting as a de facto executive president. As a solution, Bahceli suggested that the executive presidential system, which Erdogan has long dreamed of, should be put on a referendum to let the people have the final say. The MHP leader did not stop there. Though he had been a staunch defender of the parliamentarian system so far, he said the MHP could support the required constitutional amendments if its sensitivities were respected, lending critical leverage to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Clearly, the Turkish political system is now faced with a prospect that would change all balances, sway political alliances and impact its fundamental problems.

On Nov. 2, Turkey will mark 13 years under Erdogan rule (11 years as prime minister and two years as president). Over the years, Erdogans priorities shifted according to the political conjuncture and according to his political power and standing. No doubt, transition to an executive presidency has been his top priority lately. Even in the early years of his rule, Erdogan brought up the presidential regime as his preferred model, but he made it a concrete objective only after August 2014, when he became Turkeys first popularly elected president.

Turkeys constitution, in force since 1982, bestows only symbolic powers to the president and thus exempts him from political responsibility, concentrating the actual authority in the prime ministers hands.

Yet Erdogan did not give up his ambition to rule the country, convinced he had strong popular support on that. He moved step by step. He based his 2014 campaign on the theme that he would be a president different from his predecessors and he would remain involved in decision-making. And in the general elections last year, he pushed the government to promote the presidential model as a priority, while also personally holding rallies to that effect. Yet the AKP fell short of the parliamentary majority it needed to rewrite the constitution unilaterally or at least force a referendum on the issue, while the other three parties in parliament stood behind the parliamentarian system.

Erdogan, however, was not deterred. He now argued that the spirit of the constitution had changed because the president was no longer elected by parliament but by popular vote, and that the constitution should be interpreted accordingly. Acting as a de facto executive president, he flouted key constitutional provisions like the one that requires presidents to be neutral vis-a-vis political parties, retained control over the AKP parliamentary group and pressed ahead as an executive authority.

So in the past three years, problems stemming from the conduct of a president who pushes and violates constitutional limits have become a dominant issue in Turkish politics, leading to much criticism and controversy, including the power struggle between Erdogan and former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who was eventually sidelined. Since May, when Erdogan loyalist Binali Yildirim took over as prime minister, the de facto presidential regime has virtually become a routine despite all objections.

It was in this climate that the MHP leader spoke out, prompting the AKP to quickly revive the drive for a formal constitutional amendment. In a matter of days, AKP leaders announced that the amendment could be brought to parliament in January and put on a referendum in April.

The prospect of a presidential regime has never been that close and real for Turkey, which has been governed under a parliamentarian system since 1876. So what could be in store for the country now?

To start with, a completely new political atmosphere. Step by step, a new power block, a new political alliance is emerging, promising a climate with a stronger nationalist and statist bent. The MHPs condition of a presidential regime that takes into account its sensitivities is the first signal to that effect. And the partys sensitivities basically mean that:

any formula of decentralization, like autonomy, regional administrations or enhanced powers for existing local administrations, should be ruled in the context of the Kurdish issue;

existing constitutional provisions that define citizenship on the basis of Turkishness should be preserved; and

national symbols like the flag, the language and the education language should remain the same.

What these preconditions have in common is that they all block political avenues in the Kurdish problem, like negotiations, political settlements and peaceful initiatives. This, however, would be no bother for the AKP. On the Kurdish problem, Erdogan has adopted an approach similar to the one of the MHP, thus opening the door to their alliance.

The Kurdish problem is also a key aspect in Erdogans interventionist policies in Syria and Iraq. While in Turkey, his policy is based on ruling out any effort other than the military one; in Syria and Iraq, it is focused on curbing the Democratic Union Party and the Kurdistan Workers Party and keeping them away from any negotiation table.

In sum, a common fear of Turkeys breakup and partition, sparked by the rise of the Kurds in the Middle East, is the basic ingredient of the AKP-MHP partnership under the presidential regime umbrella.

With a Kurdish policy centered on security, the rise of a nationalist, statist and authoritarian wave  especially in the states relations with its citizens  will come as no surprise, for this is already proven by experience.

And what would an executive presidency mean politically? How would political and institutional balances change?

The AKPs formal amendment draft is not yet known. What is known though is that for Erdogan the project means the institutionalizing of todays de facto situation and practices. In a memorable statement three years ago, the then-chair of parliaments Constitution Commission, senior AKP member Burhan Kuzu, had expressed pity for the poor Obama because, he opined, US presidents wielded much less power than Turkish leaders. So what the AKP wants is not an American-style presidential system, based on a strict separation of powers, but exactly the opposite  a system in which the president controls the executive and legislative branches and shapes the judiciary. In short, it is a model based on the de facto unity of powers, with authority concentrated in single hands.

With the presidential regime prospect, the AKP is heading toward a third phase in its 14th year in power. Having devolved from reformism to arbitrary governance, AKP politics are now aimed at formally installing an authoritarian model of stability. Such a prospect will, no doubt, put a severe strain on Turkey and plunge it into trouble of historic proportions.
October 21, 2016

Turkeys foreign policy is subject to bizarre cycles, and nowhere is that clearer than in the following example:

In March 2011, when then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Baghdad, he was met with an avalanche of cheers and affection from supporters of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Thousands of greeters lining his route carried placards welcoming him. Five years later, there is not the slightest trace of that affection. On Oct. 18, Sadrs supporters demonstrated in front of the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, shouting Occupier, get out!

As the dialogue between Ankara and Baghdad turned into angry threats, Erdogan warned, We are determined to be in the Mosul operation. If coalition forces dont want Turkey, then our B plan will enter into force. If not that, we have plan C.

What plans B and C are is open to speculation. There are many who see Erdogans threat as a bluff he hopes will portray him as a strong leader, but there are also some who think Turkey is liable to seek a new adventure similar to its outing in Syria.

Plans B and C suggest Turkey is using tactics against the coalition to find a place in the Mosul operation or to create a buffer zone along the border, as was done in Syria. Should there be a massive refugee wave, Turkey could use that to legitimize active intervention. Turkey is working on emergency plans to cope with such a refugee influx or Islamic State (IS) infiltration attempts. There is talk of a 10-kilometer-wide (6-mile-wide) buffer zone in Iraq, similar to the corridor from Jarablus to al-Rai in Syria.

It will be difficult to establish a buffer zone without the consent of Erbil, Baghdad, Iran and the United States. Erdogan keeps saying, We did it in Syria; we will do it also in Iraq, but he forgets that the United States and Russia weren't against Turkey entering Syria.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter met Oct. 21 with Turkish officials in Ankara and said Turkey should play a role in removing IS from Mosul, but Iraq will make the final decision.

That's quite a bit less supportive than a meeting that supposedly took place Oct. 18 in Washington, when the US reportedly gave Ankara the green light to participate in air operations in Iraq. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced an agreement between Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford. He said the agreement stipulates Turkish planes will be directed by the Mosul Command Center in Kuwait and used to bomb IS targets where there are no risks of civilian casualties. Coalition planes based at Turkey's Incirlik Air Base are to be used for these operations, according to the announcement, and Turkeys Diyarbakir air base is to be designated as the communications, search and rescue center of the air operations.

Yildirim said Turkey would join the coalition air operations if there is a need and request for it. Although it is not yet clear if the coalition will assign missions to Turkish jets, the reported green light from Washington is enough for Ankara to brag and say, We pushed for it and got it.

This agreement does not cover the Turkish soldiers at Bashiqa camp, although the main issue was about Turkey being in the field. Ankara wants to demonstrate its involvement by using its four howitzers at Bashiqa; but for that, the coalition has to provide the coordinates. So far it hasnt, and the guns are silent.

Meanwhile, Turkey is pressing hard diplomatically to keep its soldiers at Bashiqa. On Oct. 18, a delegation headed by Umit Yalcin, the undersecretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, was in Baghdad to negotiate. On the table once again were Turkeys warnings against Shiite militias entering Mosul, fear of possible massacres by Sunni Turkmens at Tal Afar and expansion of the Kurdistan Workers Partys (PKK) presence in Sinjar. According to Al Jazeera, Ankaras formula to retain the Turkish forces at Bashiqa is to place that camp within the coalition framework. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the talks in Baghdad were positive and negotiations will continue with an Iraqi delegation expected in Ankara. But the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced no progress was made in the talks.

Turkey has been saying its ground forces have been invited to Iraq by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkmens. But no such request came from either camp. KRG leader Massoud Barzani knows that to consolidate his control of the disputed areas, he needs Baghdad's partnership. That is why he is saying, probably much to Ankaras disappointment, There must be a way to reconcile Ankara and Baghdad about the presence of Turkish soldiers. We dont think a force should participate in the operation without Baghdad's consent." He is simply not playing Ankaras game. In return for his crucial contribution to the operation, Barzani wants to control the area east of the Tigris River that divides the city and to make his de facto rule of Kirkuk a permanent one.

Turkmens are already upset and desperate. Erdogan, by declaring that only Sunnis should have a role in the future of Mosul, actually delivered the final blow to fractured ties between Turkey and the mostly Shiite Turkmens.

Contradictions in the Mosul issue dont end there. Ankara, while pressing with all its might to participate in that operation, is also claiming that the operation is actually against Turkey, according to sources who spoke to the daily Milliyet.

Relations are becoming more toxic as tensions mount, with a true risk of clashes. At the moment, the Bashiqa camp  with about 400 Turkish soldiers  is not secure because of Iraqi forces deployed around it. A source in Mosul told Al-Monitor that some heavy Iraqi guns are pointing at the camp.

This tension will also have implications for the economy. In some Iraqi provinces, there are calls for Turkish companies to be expelled. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a warning about travel to Iraq. Nevertheless, Erdogan seems intent on punishing Iraq with his rhetoric. While doing that he is citing border arguments of 100 years ago. He has repeatedly referred to the "National Pact" of post-independence days that showed western Thrace, Mosul, Kirkuk and Erbil within Turkeys borders. On Oct. 18, Erdogan said, If we comprehend the National Pact, then we will understand our responsibilities for Iraq and Syria. Today we have responsibility for Mosul. If we are saying we will be both in the field and at the table, there is a reason for it.  What you call Baghdad today commands a totally Shiite army. Are we going to talk to those people? They are going to deliver Mosul to Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Units]. If they really want to come, we will teach them. We will be here, in the field and at the table. Talks at the table are going on and preparations continue for the field.

Ankara feels that allowing a Shiite belt to extend to Mosul and Kirkuk would force Turkey to strategically withdraw.

Ankara also thinks the defense of Turkmens is one of Turkeys primary interests in Iraq. But Turkey had lost ground on these parameters before the Mosul operation because of its policies of the past eight years. The status in Kirkuk has changed. Turkey designated Sunni Arabs as instruments of political patronage. Whatever Ankara wanted to play as a card did not succeed. Sentiments of the Justice and Development Party rule arent enough anymore to define the parameters of its classic foreign policy.

Turkey's approach to Mosul may have given the impression that it has scored some minor gains, but they are not enough to reverse what has been long lost.

Ankaras concerns

Ankaras objections to the possible outcome of a Mosul operation without Turkeys involvement and without addressing its concerns are the following:
October 21, 2016

SANAA, Yemen  After being confined to Yemen's mainland for the past 19 months, the country's civil war has finally spread to the sea in a major development that mobilized the fleets of international and regional players.

On the evening of Oct. 12, a US Navy destroyer launched Tomahawk missiles against three radar sites on the Yemeni coast after a failed missile attack against a US destroyer on Oct. 9. Washington believes that the radar stations, which are under the control of the Houthis, had targeted the USS Mason off of Yemens coast on Oct. 9.

This engagement in one of the most important maritime routes in the world has been in the making since Oct. 1, when Ansar Allah, a Houthi group, announced the targeting of a UAE ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait with an anti-ship missile. The attack seriously damaged the US-flagged Swift 2. The United Arab Emirates said "the targeting will have serious implications for freedom of navigation."

The said attack was not limited to the Emirati ship, as a US destroyer was also targeted three times in a week while sailing in international waters in the Red Sea. The most recent attack was against the USS Mason on Oct. 15 from Yemeni territory in an apparent escalation of military operations in Bab el-Mandeb.

A US defense official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that several rockets were launched against the USS Mason while it sailed in international waters, but the destroyer used countermeasures to prevent a direct hit.

A source in the city of Hodeidah told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the three US missiles targeted radars belonging to the Yemeni coast guard  the first in the Ras Isa region, the second in the al-Khawkha region in the province of Hodeidah and the third in Bab el-Mandeb on the coastal strip in Taiz province.

Yemeni affairs researcher Mohammed Saif Haider said that this is the first escalation of its kind in Bab el-Mandeb since the October 1973 war, which the Egyptian and Syrian armies had launched against Israeli forces and had led to a halt in navigation in the Strait.

Haider told Al-Monitor, "From a military point of view, this tension will be limited, but it will raise concerns in the long run."

After the incident, the Houthis and their allies rushed to categorically deny responsibility for the rockets fired against the US destroyer. Sharaf Luqman, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said they control their fighters and weapons on the coast of Yemen. US officials told Reuters, "There are growing signs that the Houthis, despite their denial, were responsible for the incident."

The Houthis use the slogan "Death to America," as the group's leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi accuses the United States of running and guiding the Saudi-led coalition in the war in Yemen. The United States has offered Saudi Arabia logistical support for coalition airstrikes in Yemen. Furthermore, the United States provided aerial refueling for coalition aircraft and sold weapons worth billions of dollars.

The Houthis are in control of areas in Yemen's western coast that extend from Bab el-Mandeb in Taiz province to the Midi district in Hajjah province, a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles).

Journalist Khaled Abdul Hadi commented on the recent escalation by saying that even if the US warships were not targeted from the Yemeni coast, any threat against navigation in one of the most important waterways in the world would trigger a US response or a US-led international response. That is because such a step deals a blow to world trade, and trade flow is a pillar of the global economic system led by the United States, the self-proclaimed protector of global trade rules.

Amid tensions in Bab el-Mandeb  through which more than 3.4 million barrels of oil passed through every day in 2013  the Washington Institute said Oct. 12 that following the targeting of the UAE-operated Swift, the USS Mason destroyer joined the USS Nitze and the amphibious transport ship USS Ponce on Oct. 9 to patrol Bab el-Mandeb.

For its part, Iran sent the warships Alvand and Bushehr to Bab el-Mandeb on Oct. 13 and said they aimed at protecting commercial ships from piracy  thus gaining a foothold in the region.

Abdul Hadi told Al-Monitor, "Based on facts related to the Houthis' capabilities and the requirements of maritime confrontation, and even if rebels had a large say in the land war that has been ongoing for 19 months, the fact remains that the decision of war at sea is not in their hands, but in the hands of their regional supporters in Tehran."

The US destroyers' attacks are the first direct US military action against the rebels, and it coincides with the ongoing drone war against al-Qaeda in Yemen.

Haider believes that tensions in Bab el-Mandeb would have a significant impact on relief action, prolong the process of inspection of ships coming toward Yemen and result in a shortage of food supplies. "We might enter a new type of long conflict," he added.

The civil war in Yemen has led to a famine and the spread of diseases such as cholera. More than 10,000 people have been killed since March 2015.
Beach Scenes 6.24.16

Crowds like this one at Gulf Shores public beach left a lot of debris on the sand until the city and neighboring Orange Beach passed tough littering laws. Officials say they're working. (Brian Kelly/bkelly@al.com)

Here are the top stories in business on AL.com for Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime.

Two summers ago, Alabama's beaches were sometimes a littered mess after visitors left the shores at night for their condominiums and hotels. Things are different after new laws and enforcement.

Hyundai is announcing a voluntary recall of an estimated 63,000 vehicles, some of which were manufactured at its Alabama plant, due to problems with the sunroof panels.

Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association has opened a new office in the Highland View office building at 2545 Highland Avenue.

It's been quite a journey for Huntsville's food truck events. Starting with a handful of trucks five years ago, the events grew to major events with hundreds of fans. The last such rally downtown Friday will boast 30 trucks.
Dan Nevins

Dan Nevins, who lost both of his legs in Iraq, is a Baptiste yoga instructor. He will offer two workshops for all levels on Friday and Saturday night, and both are free to veterans, military and first responders. (www.dannevins.com)

Dan Nevins, a professional speaker, yoga instructor and advocate for veterans, will lead an all-levels yoga workshop, "Find Your Warrior, Heal Your Wounds," on Friday night and Saturday morning, sponsored by Glow Yoga of Mobile and Gulf Shores.

Jennifer Guthrie, owner/instructor at Glow Yoga, invited Nevins to the Mobile area because "I know how powerful yoga is to heal all kinds of physical and emotional wounds," she said.

After eight years of active duty in the Army, Nevins became a stock broker and pharmaceutical salesman and continued to serve through the U.S. National Guard. After Sept. 11, 2001, he was deployed to Iraq.

On Nov. 10, 2004, his vehicle was bombed, and his life was changed forever. One of his legs was amputated below the knee, and he lost the other soon after. In addition to those wounds, he suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as the emotional impact of war, as well.

Nevins found yoga through the Wounded Warrior Project. Because yoga changed his life, his mission is to spread the power of yoga, especially to other veterans. "The lessons have been so profound for me that I have to share them with people," he said.

"Dan focuses on what he can do - what is possible versus what isn't possible," said Guthrie, whose mission is "to increase awareness of the benefits of yoga to every body, and to get to what yoga is really all about, which is finding the best of who we are and can be."

Nevins shares her passion, she said. "Like Glow, Dan's classes highlight the similarities we all share rather than focusing on our differences or competition. We practice a style of yoga that is accessible to all and focuses on breath, which is something we can all do... breathe!"

He will lead two workshops: Friday, Oct. 21, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Glow Yoga, 4467 Old Shell Road in Mobile, and Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Gulf State Park Beach Pavilion in Gulf Shores. The workshops are $30 each and are free to veterans, members of the military and first responders.

For more information, visit www.glow-yoga.com or www.facebook.com/events/347730908900850/.
A man who authorities say was driving a stolen truck in the nude when the vehicle struck another vehicle and killed three women is in the Calhoun County Jail.

Sheriff Matthew Wade said Jordan Stewart Baker, 20, of Ohatchee, faces several charges including murder in connection with the Sept. 27 accident near the intersection of Old Gadsden Highway and Alexandria Road.

Baker was driving a stolen truck in the nude while being pursued by law enforcement.

Baker drove the truck around a bend on Old Gadsden Highway in the wrong lane, colliding with a 2006 Honda Civic, driven by Melanie Brown Hurst, 39, carrying the two female passengers. The car was thrown down an embankment.

Hurst, Melanie Dawn Trantham, 43, and Joy Ann Howell, 74, all of Anniston, were killed at the scene.

Baker had been airlifted to UAB Hospital from the scene and had been undergoing treatment. Wade said Alabama State Troopers took Baker into custody and he was booked into the jail this afternoon.

A Calhoun County deputy began pursuing Baker shortly before the crash when he ran a red light on the wrong side of the road. The chase lasted about 75 seconds before the crash, which did not involve the deputy's car.

Authorities said Baker had earlier left the hospital and broke into an Anniston home.
Alabama, Delaware and Florida were in a very small club at the start of 2016, but Alabama now stands alone -- last in the nation to embrace a set of rules, deemed unconstitutional elsewhere, that increases the likelihood of a death sentence.

All three states were the only ones in the nation to allow judges to override jury recommendations for life without parole and instead impose the death penalty. And they also were the only states that didn't require jury advisory votes for the death penalty be unanimous.

Since January, however, courts have ruled those practices unconstitutional in Delaware and Florida. The most recent ruling came last Friday when the Florida Supreme Court ruled that jury recommendations for the death penalty must be unanimous.

That leaves Alabama as the only state that allows judges to override jury recommendations and the only one to allow split juries to recommend death. In Alabama, at least 10 of 12 jurors must vote for a death recommendation.

But there have been signals that the U.S. Supreme Court may be taking aim at Alabama.

"Alabama is out on the limb and the U.S. Supreme Court has already suggested it might be pulling out the saw," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

One sign that Alabama's death penalty law is on the U.S. Supreme Court's radar is that the high court this spring sent back the cases of three death row inmates for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to review. The U.S. Supreme Court didn't say in its brief orders what it was about each of those cases that the Alabama appellate court should consider because in all three the judges followed jurors' recommendations for death. One recommendation was unanimous and the other two split decisions.

Now the Alabama court must see if the sentences should be overturned in light of the federal decision in January. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the law in Florida that allowed judges to override jury recommendations.

"That suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court is looking at this issue," Dunham said.

While the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals hasn't ruled on those three cases, that same court has since declared Alabama's death sentence law constitutional in light of the Florida case anyway.

That happened in June when the state appeals differed with Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd. The state court ordered Todd to vacate her March 3 ruling that declared the state's capital punishment sentencing scheme unconstitutional in the cases of four men charged with capital murder in her court. She had considered the Florida case in her order.

Then on Sept. 30, the Alabama Supreme Court weighed in. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled in the case of Death Row inmate Jerry Bohannon that Alabama's death penalty law is constitutional in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Hurst v. Florida in January.

District attorneys and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange have said Alabama's law is not the same as Florida's.

The AG's office and district attorneys have said the U.S. Supreme Court held in the Florida case that a jury, not the judge, must find the aggravating factor in order to make someone eligible for the death penalty. Alabama's system, however, already required the jury to do just that in either the guilt or sentencing phase, they said.

Once a jury has unanimously made the factual determination that a defendant meets the criteria to be eligible for the death penalty, the judge may make the legal determination of whether to impose it or not, the attorney general has stated.

"The Hurst ruling has no bearing whatsoever on the constitutionality of Alabama's death penalty, which has been upheld numerous times," the AG's office has stated.

The Alabama Attorney General's Office declined an interview this week regarding Friday's new ruling in Florida regarding unanimous jury recommendations for death sentences, but a spokesman for the office offered a response.

"Florida and Alabama have different laws regarding death penalty sentencing," Mike Lewis, communications director for the attorney general. "Alabama's Supreme Court has already found Alabama's death penalty law to be constitutional."

But Emory Anthony, a Birmingham lawyer who has filed motions for about five defendants seeking to have their capital murder charges dismissed in light of the Hurst decision, believes judicial override and non-unanimous will be changed.

"We're still trying to hold on to something that will have to be changed legally," Anthony said, adding that the state has been "dragging our feet" because elected judges and justices and prosecutors want to show the electorate that they're tough on crime.

"I think we are finding out that one individual should not be the final voice on whether someone should live or die. That should be a decision for 12 people," he said. "I don't know why we are so hard headed. It is almost stupid when you think about it."

At least two U.S. Supreme Court justices - Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer - have indicated in recent years that it may be time to look again at Alabama's death penalty sentencing law when it comes to overrides by judges.

Within days after the SCOTUS decision in the Hurst case in Florida attorneys for Alabama Death Row inmate Christopher Brooks argued that his execution should be halted because Alabama's death penalty sentencing law was similar to Florida's.

SCOTUS declined to stop Brooks' Jan. 21 execution.

But Justice Sonia Sotomayor, with whom Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed, noted in the court's denial of Brooks' motion that the court in Hurst v. Florida had overruled the two cases that underpinned Alabama's law, basically knocking out any legal foundation for Alabama's system. But procedural obstacles would have prevented the court from granting the stay of Brooks' execution, she wrote.

Justice Stephen Breyer also wrote that SCOTUS has recognized that Alabama's sentencing scheme is much like and based on the one used in Florida that has been declared unconstitutional. "The unfairness inherent in treating this case differently from others which used similarly unconstitutional procedures only underscores the need to reconsider the validity of capital punishment under the Eighth Amendment," Breyer wrote in the Brooks' opinion.

Sotomayor in a 2013 dissenting opinion in the case of Mario Dion Woodward, who was convicted in the shooting death of Montgomery Police Officer Keith Houts, said it's time to look at Alabama's law again.

She noted that while Florida, Delaware and Alabama still had override laws at that time, Alabama judges were the only ones who were still using it. No one is on Delaware's death row as a result of an override and no death sentences have been imposed by override in Florida since 1999.

Since 1976, Alabama judges have overridden jury verdicts 112 times, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.

"Eighteen years have passed since we last considered Alabama's capital sentencing scheme, and much has changed since then," Sotomayor wrote. "Today, Alabama stands alone: No other State condemns prisoners to death despite the considered judgment rendered by a cross-section of its citizens that the defendant ought to live."
A Tuscaloosa County mother, whose teen son died two months ago in a traffic crash, is under arrest amid accusations she's been giving alcohol to multiple underage teens for months.

Kimberly Ann Bigham, 39, was arrested by sheriff's deputies Thursday and released from the county jail a short time later after posting $500 bond. She is charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor, which is a misdemeanor.

Court records in the case accuse Bigham of giving at least 16 teens alcohol at one party at her home, and said she even tried to give alcohol to some 12-year-olds. The alcohol included Pinnacle vodka, beer and moonshine. Bigham resigned from her job as a bus driver on Friday, according to a statement from a Tuscaloosa County Schools spokeswoman.

Bigham's 16-year-old son, Northside High School student Tyler Bigham, was killed Aug. 22 in a single-vehicle crash. The wreck happened at 5:54 p.m. on Northside Road, about 18 miles northwest of Northport. Authorities said the teen was driving a 2005 Ford F150 that left the roadway and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead a short time later at DCH Regional Medical Center.

Bigham told AL.com Friday afternoon the allegations against her are false. "All I can say is it's a misunderstanding, it's not true and it stems from a custody battle,'' she said. "My son was killed two months ago tomorrow and anyone who would target a mother going through this grief has no heart."

The investigation into Bigham began on Wednesday when a mother of one of the victims received a message from a friend about incidents involving teens "conducting adult activities" in the care of Bigham, according to a deposition in the case. The mother asked her teen daughter about the allegations, and then looked at her cell phone. There she found several Snapchat messages between her daughter and Bigham.

One of the messages from Bigham said that her ex-husband had found out what was going on, and the teen girl replied, 'It's not like we have been posting all of us drinking at your house on Snapchat or anything." Another message from Bigham asked the teen girl to repay her $14 for the cigarettes and six pack she had bought for them, the deposition shows.

The mother confronted her daughter about the messages, and the teen girl told her Bigham had bought and supplied alcohol to her and other minors on multiple occasions between May 2016 and August 2016. When investigators interviewed the teen, she said that on May 19 - the first day of summer break - Bigham invited a group of the teens to her Northside Road home in Berry where she gave them alcohol and tobacco products.

"Throughout the summer, there have been many occurrences of a group of teenagers (going) to Kim's home where she had provided minors with alcohol,'' according to the deposition. At least 10 minors are named in the deposition as having been at the party, and the records say there may have been even more in attendance.

Another teen told investigators of a gathering were Bigham and several of the teens went to the store. When they returned, according to the deposition, at least 16 teens there accepted alcohol from her. "Kim even tried to give the alcohol to some 12 year olds, along with her daughter who is 13,'' the deposition reads.

A third teen provided a statement similar to the others. "These parties took place over the course of the summer until Tyler Bigham passed away in a car wreck in "August 2016,'' according to the deposition. The investigator wrote that a picture of one of the teens holding a beer with Bigham standing next to her surfaced at a custody hearing between Bigham and her ex-husband.

Bigham also denied the accusations to investigators. "Kim stated she did not have parties at her house and the kids come to her residence because her son Tyler Bigham had passed away,'' the document reads. "Kim states the kids come to her house because they help her grieve from her son's death, and the parents know they are there." She said her ex-husband and his wife are making up the stories so he could get custody of their surviving children.

Bigham told AL.com she plans to vigorously fight the charges against her. Her mugshot was not available because the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office does not release mugshots after an inmate has been released on bond.
The city of Birmingham is now seeking public input in its effort to have the Civil Rights Historic District named a national historical park.

A public meeting is set for Thursday, Oct. 27 at 16th Street Baptist Church at 1530 6th Ave. North. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis will be in attendance.

President Barack Obama is expected to sign a proclamation designating the Birmingham's Civil Rights Historic District as a national historical park before he leaves office.

"This historical designation as a national park will help us tell, not only the story of our past, but the story of our present and the story of our future as well," Birmingham Mayor William Bell said.

During the public meeting, Sewell and Bell will discuss the plan for the creation of a national historical park to preserve and interpret the places where significant events in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s occurred in Birmingham.

Sewell introduced legislation in March 2016 that would create the national historical park.

More than 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement, the designation of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Historical Park would recognize critical places and events in the city as a turning point in American history, according to the city of Birmingham. Activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Sr., and countless unnamed heroes gathered in Birmingham to demand equality for all people.

Bell said the city has set aside $10 million for the restoration of the A.G. Gaston Motel, which played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. The motel was the headquarters for King during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. He held press conferences there, part of the "I Have a Dream" speech was written there and the planning for the march on Washington took place there.

A portion of the restored facility will be used as archival space for the Civil Rights Institute, he said.

Following the national park designation, the Civil Rights Historic District will be staffed by park rangers and receive federal funding.

The proposed national historical park would span portions of the Birmingham Civil Rights Historic District and include the following sites:

- 16th Street Baptist Church, target of September 1963 bombing that killed four young girls during a Bible study. This act of domestic terrorism became a galvanizing force for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

- Bethel Baptist Church, the church of Rev. Shuttlesworth. The church, its parishioners and leadership played pivotal roles in the battle for equality in Birmingham, including the 1961 Freedom Ride and the "Project C" protests that challenged segregation in Birmingham in 1963.

- A.G. Gaston Motel, built in 1954 and owned by a prominent black businessman, served as home base for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and "Project C" (C for confrontation). The National Trust for Historic Preservation named it to its portfolio of National Treasures almost a year ago.

- Kelly Ingram Park, where protesters were violently disrupted by police dogs and powerful water cannons. Images of the brutal police response to peaceful protesters spread across the country, shocking the conscience of the nation and the world.

- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which opened in 1992 as a center for the public and scholars to examine our country's Civil Rights history as well as broader subjects such as equality and race.
It's not hard to find the Confederate battle flag at Talladega Superspeedway.

Even on Wednesday - before the campgrounds filled with thousands of race fans for this weekend's NASCAR action - the flag could be seen flying, flapping in the wind outside motorhomes and prominently displayed by nearby vendors who also stocked plenty of Confederate-themed merchandise.

While the flag continues to stir controversy as a symbol of hatred, AL.com talked to race fans flying the flag, and virtually all of them said they don't consider it a symbol of hatred or racial divisiveness.

"Southern heritage," replied Robert Ogletree, from Shreveport, La., when asked why he's flying a Confederate battle flag. "It's a part of our history. Our history is the Civil War. End of story."

Mark Smith, Ogletree's friend from New Jersey, said he planted the Confederate battle flags as the campsite and said he flies them to honor Southern friends, whom he considers family. He insisted flying the flags is not intended as a hateful gesture.

"I don't hate nobody," Smith said.

The Confederate battle flag has been used by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups.

Flag supporters - including many in the Talladega campgrounds - say it represents the South's heritage and culture and serves as a memorial to Civil War soldiers who died in battle.

In July 2015, NASCAR released a statement concerning the Confederate battle flag and asked fans "to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at our facilities and NASCAR events. We are committed to providing a welcoming atmosphere free of offensive symbols."

Visit Talladega this week and it's clear the battle flag remains near and dear for many NASCAR fans.

Larry Estes, a longtime Talladega fan from Martinsville, Virginia, said he sees the Confederate battle flag prominently displayed when he attends NASCAR Sprint Cup events in Bristol (Tenn.), Martinsville (Va.) and Richmond (Va.). Talladega isn't an outlier, he said, when it comes to NASCAR fans embracing the Confederate battle flag.

Track response

Talladega Superspeedway has not banned the flag, although it and other tracks were listed as signatories on NASCAR's statement in July 2015.

"We understand the flag means different things to different people, so we can't say put it up and don't say put it down," Talladega Superspeedway President Grant Lynch said. "We welcome everybody at Talladega."

Lynch stressed that the track has worked for more than 20 years to increase minority attendance at the track's two NASCAR events each year. He said the number of minority fans is "not large, but has grown."

"For the majority of fans I've met, it's not a hate symbol, and they're not showing in a hateful way," Lynch said. "They see it as a sign of respect for their heritage. That's why they're flying it."

The questions

An AL.com reporter walked around the speedway's campground Wednesday and talked to fans and vendors displaying the Confederate battle flag and asked three basic questions:

1) Why do you fly the flag or are you are trying to send a particular message by flying it?

Most said the flag represented no specific message, although Henry Case, of Tarpon Springs, Florida, said he's "not politically correct."

"I have the freedom to express what I want to express," he said. "We're not shoving it down anyone's throat. That's crossing the line."

Chuck Fiske, of Caledonia, Mississippi, had a Confederate battle flag with a motorcycle emblazoned on it. He said he bought it "because I like the motorcycle."

"I understand some of the opposition to it," he said, "and I understand not the opposition to it."

2) Has anyone ever expressed to you that the Confederate battle flag is offensive or asked you to take it down?

None of the fans who spoke to AL.com said anyone had ever expressed opposition to the flag or asked them to refrain from displaying it.

"It ain't going to happen in Talladega," said Sidney Arabie, a fan from New Orleans.

Some said the flag is celebrated at Talladega.

"They're hooting and hollering. They're all happy," said April Gard, sitting next to Case.

3) Does it bother you that the Klan and other hate groups use the Confederate battle flag as a symbol?

"I don't know if they use it as a symbol," said Chuck Chandler, from Union City, Tennessee,

Chandler also disagreed with the notion that the Confederate battle flag is considered racially divisive.

"It's not a racial issue. I don't know anyone who considers it a racial issue unless you listen to the liberal media," he said. "The idea to make it into a racial issue or to slavery is nonsense."

Chandler's friend, Russell Bardin, agreed.

"It serves no purpose as a racial statement," Bardin said.

Buy your flag

Vendor Tom Jones, from Gautier, Miss., said Confederate-themed merchandise is his best seller. Vendor Tracy Johnson, from Ardmore, Alabama, said Confederate-themed items sell well, but that Trump flags are likely his top seller now.

"It's just part of our Southern heritage," Johnson said.

Jonathan Kirk - an African-American from Oklahoma - paused at the track's sign along Speedway Boulevard while his brother, John, snapped a photo. They said they do not plan to attend the race, but were delivering a car to a Pell City car dealership for a Thursday event featuring NASCAR team owner Jack Roush.

Both said they noticed the Confederate battle flags flying, but said it was not cause for concern.

"It seems more like a tradition than anything else," Johnathan Kirk said. "You can take offense, but it won't get you nowhere."
A robot draws a portrait at an industry expo held in Beijing on Friday. WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY

Long-term input in domestic production of components and AI necessary, experts say

Long-term commitments to core technologies and closer ties with artificial intelligence firms are needed to make robots more intelligent and flexible, as China ramps up resources to upgrade its labor-intensive manufacturing with technological innovation, experts said on Friday.

Zhao Jie, a mechanic professor at Harbin Institute of Technology, a top engineering university in China, said China's robot industry is growing rapidly, but it is still bottlenecked by domestic robot maker's lack of competence to mass-produce reliable key robot parts.such as speed reducers.

"Most of components are still imported from foreign countries, which increases the cost of robots," Zhao said at a robot conference in Beijing.

Also, lack of well-known brands is limiting the development of the domestic robot sector, he added.

China became the world's biggest market for industrial robots in 2013, surpassing Japan, according to the International Federation of Robotics. But for every 10,000 employees, there are still only 36 robots in China, compared with 478 in South Korea, 292 in Germany and 164 in the United States in 2014.

Amid surging labor costs, the robotics federation estimates that China will likely to usher in more than one-third of the industrial robots installed worldwide in 2018, more than doubling over the next two years from 262, 900 currently to 614,200.

Michael Wang, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said that with advances in technology, robots would become increasingly affordable and what really mattered was how to expand various application scenarios.

"Currently, most robotic arms are deployed in the automotive industry, whose products are highly standardized," Wang said.

"But when it comes to the consumer electronics sector, robots are still not smart enough to assemble smartphones, which require the flexibility of human hands. That is the direction robot makers should move forward."

China earlier this year unveiled plans to triple its annual output of industrial robots to 100,000 in five years, which prompted investors to pour money into the booming industry.

Heavyweights such as Siasun Robot & Automation Co  China's largest robot maker by market value  and startups are all joining in.

Li Boji, deputy chief engineer at GSK CNC Equipment Co Ltd, a major robot maker in China, said the robot industry was more complicated than the smartphone sector, with far more components and technologies involved. "Any breakthrough demands long-term efforts. Shortsighted strategies will lead to failure," Li said.

Zhao, from Harbin Institute of Technology, agreed. "The robot industry is investment-intensive, highly risky and of slow-return," he said.

"Investors need to remain calm and have a clear mind. More efforts are needed to focus on scientific research."

Zhu Fangjie contributed to this story

Contact the writers through masi@chinadaily.com.cn
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on October 21 received EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and for the crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber, press service of the Presidential administration told Armenpress.

Emphasizing that the previous meetings of the EU Special Representative were held in open and frank atmosphere, President Sargsyan expressed hope this meeting will be like this kind in its nature as well.

Serzh Sargsyan highly appreciated the EUs commitment on forming a climate of trust between the sides aimed for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Serzh Sargsyan and Herbert Salber exchanged views on the recent developments and the current situation over the negotiation process of the NK conflict settlement after the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg.

President Sargsyan presented Armenias efforts through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on reaching the conflict settlement through peaceful negotiations and reaffirmed that the Armenian side is ready to continue the constructive steps for the benefit of establishment of peace and security in the region.

Herbert Salber said while on a visit in Armenia he is holding meetings with the civil society representatives, as well as the residents of the bordering settlements.

The sides also exchanged views on regional developments during the meeting.






Impeachment Press Conference

Alabama Rep. Ed Henry discusses the documentation filed to impeach Gov. Robert Bentley Tuesday, April 5, 2016, during a press conference in Montgomery, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

(JULIE BENNETT)

The state representative who started the effort to impeach Gov. Robert Bentley said today the exoneration of former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier strengthens the case for impeaching the governor.

Attorney General Luther Strange issued a press release today saying that a special grand jury investigation found no credible evidence of "misuse of state funds" by Collier and no credible basis for starting the probe.

When Bentley fired Collier in March, the governor said an internal investigation at ALEA had found "possible misuse of state funds."

Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, who sponsored the impeachment resolution in the House, said the information from Strange shows Bentley has not been truthful.

"He's a liar and a fraud," Henry said. "Nobody trusts him. Businesses are not going to invest heavily in our state as long as he is our liaison."

Bentley issued a statement tonight through his press office:

"Based on concerns presented to me by a member of the Alabama Senate and information that was given to the then Acting Secretary of Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Stan Stabler, when he assumed his position, I felt a new direction in our state law enforcement agency was needed. The information obtained by the ALEA integrity unit was gathered and presented to the Attorney General's office and a determination has been made. I am very satisfied with the new direction of ALEA and its leader Secretary Stan Stabler."

The governor has denied breaking any laws or doing anything to warrant impeachment.

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether there are grounds for impeachment. Henry's resolution, signed by 22 other House members, initiated the investigation.

House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, who signed the resolution, said he was not surprised that the attorney general's investigation cleared Collier.

"I'm glad to see the justice system worked and see Spencer exonerated," Ford said. "I never had doubts about Spencer. I served with him in the Legislature and he's always been upfront and honest with me."

In September, Bentley's lawyers gave the special counsel investigating the impeachment charges a report on an internal ALEA investigation that Bentley said showed he was justified in firing Collier.

The report quoted ALEA employees as saying Collier failed to follow protocol when he bought guns and clothing with ALEA funds, among other things.

Collier said he had never been questioned during the investigation and called the report "sleazy."

Several of the people quoted in the report have told AL.com they were misquoted or taken out of context.

Today's news from Strange is the latest development in a scandal that has followed Bentley for most of this year concerning his relationship with former political advisor Rebekah Mason and his decision to fire Collier.

Bentley put Collier on medical leave in February after Collier, against Bentley's orders, gave the attorney general's office an affidavit in the Mike Hubbard case.

Collier was also to undergo back surgery at the time.

The next month Bentley fired Collier, citing the "possible misuse of state funds."

Collier said Bentley fired him for refusing to lie to prosecutors about the affidavit in the Hubbard case.

Bentley said he did not tell Collier to lie.

When Bentley fired Collier, Collier went public with allegations that Bentley had an affair with Mason and said he warned Bentley not to use state resources to facilitate it.

Audio recordings of Bentley's phone conversations became public at that time, and Bentley publicly apologized for making sexual comments to Mason.

Bentley and Mason said they did not have an affair.

Collier has sued Bentley, Mason and others, alleging wrongful termination and defamation.

Bentley's lawyers have said the governor is not receiving due process in the impeachment investigation because the impeachment allegations are so vague that he cannot adequately defend himself.

The resolution charges Bentley with willful neglect of duty and corruption in office.

Updated at 8:01 p.m. with statement from Bentley.
A crowd of dozens walked the streets of Ensley this morning to bring awareness to bullying in schools after a 17-year-old Jackson-Olin High School student was jumped, stomped and beaten after getting off the bus earlier this week.

Cantrell Furr, 17, is recovering after the Oct. 17 attack in front of his home and has since returned to school. His mother, Latoya Hudson, grandmother, Bobbie Akins, and father Rodney Furr, were among the 50 people who took part in today's anti-bullying walk.

"It means a lot to me,'' Hudson said. "The support is amazing and I can't believe the love I have received, not just here in Alabama but all over the world. I'm just grateful."

Hudson this week shared video of the attack on Facebook, and the widely-viewed images show not only the fight between the boys and her son but also Hudson herself getting thrown to the ground by one of the teens. The blows only stopped, they said, when Furr's 65-year-old grandmother threw herself on top of her grandson.

The ordeal began Monday afternoon when Furr got off of the bus about 3:45 p.m. after Jackson-Olin High School and walked to his nearby home on Avenue T. The grandmother heard a commotion outside, and went outside to investigate. That's when she saw the group circling up.

Hudson then heard Akins calling her name, and joined them all on the sidewalk. "I went up to the group of boys surrounding my mom and I was like, 'What's going on? Why do you want to fight my son?''' Hudson said.

At first one of the boys said that Furr had threatened to fight his little brother. Then he changed the story to say that Furr had used an expletive when referring to the boys' Central Park gang, Hudson said. She said her son, who just started Jackson-Olin High School this year, said he didn't even know the boys and had not threatened anyone.

"I said, 'That ain't no reason to fight,'' Hudson said. "That's why we have all these killings, over stupid stuff like this."

A fight then erupted between one of the boys and her son. "He went to swinging at my son and of course my son's going to defend himself,'' Hudson said. "After him and my son had a couple of blows, that's when all of them came and jumped my son."

"They were uncontrollable. It was ridiculous,'' she said. "Then one of the boy's bounced me on the ground. It was horrible."

Hudson said the boy that knocked her to the ground had already been expelled from school and she doesn't know why he was even there. "That's why I think it was planned,'' she said. "He had no reason to be anywhere near that bus stop. They singled out my son and targeted him."

The police were called to the scene, but the boys had fled by then. Her son is bruised and sore, but was not seriously injured.

The family went and spoke with school officials on Tuesday, and met with Birmingham police detectives from the department's Family Services Unit on Wednesday. Hudson said she plans to pursue criminal charges.

Four Jackson-Olin High School students have been suspended, pending a hearing, after the altercation, according to Birmingham City Schools spokeswoman Chanda Temple. "As soon as school leaders learned about the incident, they opened an investigation. The fight appears to be an isolated incident. School leaders will continue to monitor the situation," Temple wrote in an email to AL.com.

"The school has preventive measures in place for buses. School officials are currently reviewing those measures. For now, the school will ask some teachers and administrators to ride certain buses to assist in monitoring student behavior.

Hudson led today's walk which began outside Jackson-Olin High School and ended at Holy Family Cristo Rey High School about 12 blocks. The group, which had a Birmingham police escort, chanted "Justice for our kids" and "Stop bullying."

"I know we can't babysit our kids,'' Hudson said, "but if we come together and keep putting this out there, I know it will never go away, but maybe it will calm it down. I just want the message out there. I'm afraid for my safety, but it's worth it."

"I'm not just fighting for my son," Hudson said. "I'm fighting for all of our kids."
Tom Jones arrived at Talladega Superspeedway this week in a pickup truck emblazoned with his own political slogan: "Don't Be a Dumb-A-Crat Vote Trump."

Jones, a 74-year-old double amputee from Gautier, Mississippi who said he served in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s, is also selling T-shirts that read "Last Great White Hope/Trump For President."

Jones' souvenir stand sits across Speedway Boulevard from the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, where he plans to hawk Confederate-themed memorabilia and stump for Trump throughout the NASCAR race week leading to Sunday's Sprint Cup race.

"Trump is like me," Jones said. "If he thinks something, he says it. He might regret it, but at that moment that's how he feels.

"He's not a politician," he continued. "I hate politicians. ... A politician is someone who will promise you heaven and give you hell."

With the presidential election less than a month away, Trump seems to be the candidate of choice for many race fans at Talladega Superspeedway this week.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and several Sprint Cup drivers have endorsed Trump, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Wayne Self will have the Trump-Pence campaign logo on his truck this weekend, including the "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Trump flags can be seen flying prominently throughout the campground, sometimes alongside the Confederate battle flag. Tracy Johnson, a vendor from Ardmore, Ala., with a souvenir tent near Jones, said Confederate-themed items are often his best sellers - until this year.

What's selling better right now? "Trump flags," he said.

National polling suggests Trump's campaign resonates with white men, especially those without a college degree, and that's one of the largest demographic groups found at virtually every NASCAR track.

NASCAR fan Chuck Chandler placed a Trump flag near his campsite, while his friend, Russell Bardin, wore a T-shirt that read "Trump That Bitch." Chandler voiced displeasure with President Barack Obama and indicated plans to vote for Trump.

Jones, however, appears to be one of the most vocal Trump supporters near the track this week.

In an interview with AL.com, his explanation for why he supports Trump became a stream-of-consciousness speech that included the use of racial slurs.

He said he's a "history teacher" for selling Confederate flags because he explains the difference between the battle flag and the Confederate States of America's official Stars and Bars flag.

He volunteered his opinion on accusations that Trump attempted to sexually assault women. "I wouldn't put it past him," Jones said.

Jones also said he's never met Trump and has no formal tie to the campaign, although he wanted to attend Trump's speech on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in January. "I couldn't get a ticket," he said.
A north Alabama man was arrested for allegedly beating a woman for 12 hours, the Limestone County Sheriff's Office said.

Larry Eugene Holt II

Elkmont resident Larry Eugene Holt II, 39, was arrested Wednesday after a woman arrived at Athens Hospital with severe injuries. The victim alleges that Holt forced her into his garage at his home after arguing with him the day before. She then accuses Holt of beating her with his fists, a rock, a wooden board and an electrical cord for 12 hours. Investigators said the victim's injuries supported her story.

The victim said Holt continued beating her as he took her to multiple locations throughout Tennessee and Limestone County. She said Holt threatened to kill her family, set her on fire and drown her in the creek if she called police.

When Holt and the victim returned to his residence, she begged him for food and he went inside without grabbing his car keys. The victim took the car and fled to the hospital.

Holt was charged with second-degree domestic violence assault and first-degree kidnapping. He was booked into Limestone County Jail on $65,000 bail.
A north Alabama high school student was arrested for allegedly having child pornography on Thursday, the Morgan County Sheriff's office said.

Danville High School student Kody Austin Lawrence Cox, 18,was arrested after a three-week investigation conducted by the sheriff's office Special Victims Unit. After obtaining a search warrant, investigators allege that Cox downloaded the pornography off the internet and saved the images.

School resource officers were contacted and Cox was arrested at Danville High. He was booked into Morgan County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
Star comparison.jpg

The photo at left shows a distant star at baseline energy levels. At right, the star experiences a massive surge of energy. A University of Alabama study found the unusual development, but scientists can't explain it yet. (Chandra space telescope images)

Cue the "Twilight Zone" theme music. A University of Alabama astronomer says huge and mysterious energy spikes are regenerating stars in distant galaxies when they should be destroying them. "Whatever these objects are - we just don't know yet ....," he said.

Dr. Jimmy Irwin, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, and a three-student team found the strange stars in two galaxies. They used data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The stars flare up enormous energy only to "simmer (back down) to baseline energy in an hour" and repeat, a UA report said. Releasing so much energy and returning to baseline six times, as one example did, showed the flares clearly weren't destroying their source. That is something new.

"It could be a black hole, it could be a neutron star ... we don't have enough information yet," Irwin said. "But it's not something we've seen in our own galaxy. It must be rare enough that our galaxy doesn't contain one of these examples, and we have to go to other galaxies to find other examples of these."

The phenomenon occurred in what scientists call a "globular cluster" of hundreds of thousands of stars clustered around a galaxy.

"It's possible that it's a somewhat larger intermediate mass black hole, tens of thousands times more massive than our sun," Irwin said. "They could be material raining down onto the event horizon of an intermediate-sized black hole inside these star clusters. People have hypothesized for a long time that [intermediate mass black holes] exist, but there's really no good evidence those objects exist. We don't know yet."

Iwin's students found the mysterious phenomena from the trove of data collected by Chandra since its launch in 1999. They were searching for sources of flares using a program Irwin wrote and bringing interesting findings to him for further study.

"Originally, we were only hoping to find further examples of black hole X-ray binaries within globular star clusters of other galaxies, which vary by modest factors ...," Irwin told AL.com this week. Instead, they found "two spectacular sources ... that vary by factors of 100-200 on time scales of less than a minute."

"We were quite surprised," he said.

Irwin wrote about his team's findings in a paper published Thursday in the journal Nature.
One of the books, Enga Culture & Community, Wisdom from the Past, is an ethnography that provides an overview of Enga culture including stories, songs, poems, kongali (words of wisdom), nemongo (magic formula), drawings and early photographs.

The American ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Catherine Ebert-Gray, will be among government ministers, national politicians, education officials and other invited guests to witness the launch of this milestone event.

Two books to be used in the pilot project across Grades 612 will be launched in Wabag next Friday.

CULTURAL history is to be taught in all Enga schools to help students draw knowledge and wisdom from past traditions and apply it in their lives.

The second book is the Teachers Guild for the Enga Cultural Education Pilot Program and provides recommendations, questions and activities to help teachers integrate material into the curriculum for Grade 612 subjects.

The two books are the result of 30 years of hard work, research and study on Enga culture by Professor Polly Wiessner, Akii Tumu and Nitze Pupu.

Two high school teachers, Ruth Minape and Leo Maso Malala, were recruited last year to coordinate the cultural education project in the province. They also helped write the teachers guide.

The pilot project is the first major attempt in PNG to teach the rich and fascinating oral traditions that have been passed down from elders to youths over so many generations.

These traditions hold valuable information on cultural principles, practices and values that made for a harmonious and prosperous society in the past.

The project has been designed to enrich the existing curriculum with materials to allow culture to be integrated into all subjects at all grade levels. Since culture is a part of all aspects of life, it will not be taught separately.

In the past, culture has been taught in private schools in PNG but not as a standard part of the curriculum. Primary schools have always featured some cultural activities but these have centred more on song, dance and material culture but not on values.

The new project is designed to teach these values as well as cultural history to students as part of Enga history. It is also hoped that the reference book will be widely read and enjoyed by the general public because learning and understanding are lifelong challenges.

Engans are not a people if they dont have a history, says Professor Wiessner, a professor of anthrophony at the University of Utah, who has been conducting research in the province since 1985 along with Akii Tumu and Nitze Pupu.

Akii Tumu is the director of the Enga Cultural Centre where Nitze Pupu also works as research director. He is PNGs first blind person to have received a law degree.

During their research, they realised that the rich oral traditions and cultural knowledge that used to be passed on in the mens and womens houses, known as Akalyanda and Endanda, were no longer being transmitted to younger generations.

Rapid change meant that the Enga people were experiencing change rapidly resulting in the loss of traditional frameworks for cultural education like rituals and feasts like the Sangai and Mena Yae that had brought people together were disappearing.

From the beginning of our research, we have always dreamed of including cultural education in the Enga school curriculum, pProfessor Wiessner said. How else could the principles, practises and values of Enga society reach present and future generations?

They realised that three books they published on Enga culture, numerous articles, history and womens lives had not reached the people that mattered  the students and the people in local communities.

One of the three books, a major work on oral history, Historical Vines published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in Washington, sold over 4,000 copies but not many Enga people have read it or are aware of its existence.

So in 2014, they asked the Enga provincial government to support a proposal to teach cultural education in schools and it was approved by the Enga Provincial Education Board and the Provincial Executive Council.

An example of what will be taught is birth control. It was said that people should not breed like pigs, but space their children between three and five years to have time to care for each child properly.

Men retired to mens houses at night and women stayed in womens houses with girls and boys under the age of eight. Women did not resume sexual relations with their husbands until their infants stopped breastfeeding at about three years.

Sometimes serious quarrels broke out when women wanted wider birth spacing than man. But social norms supported womans rights to decide. Magic spells, poto nemongo were used to avoid pregnancy, however there were no effective means of birth control.

Here is the poro nemongo magic spell to avoid pregnancy:

Wanaku naa poto puu lao pato pelyo,

Tatali puu lau pato pelyo

Dilya potai, mama potai.

Niki langapu, kana langapu.

Wanaku naa ingi potai, kondonge potai,

Dilya potai, mama potai,

Aikena puu lao pato pelyo. I, this girl, will be like a poto vine

Will go like a tatali vine

Be strong like dilya wood,

be strong like mama wood.

Cheat the sun, cheat the moon.

I, this girl, stomach be strong,

intestines be strong.

Be strong like dilya wood,

Be strong like mama wood.

Be strong like aikena pandanus.

The launching of the pilot project on Friday is the result of that important provincial government decision - a decision which was greatly appreciated by Enga people themselves who saw their rich cultural heritage disappearing fast.

In fact many people had asked Professor Wiessner, Akii Tumu and Nitze Pupu to write down all the valuable information they had gathered during their thirty years of research so it could be stored by modern means  books, drawings and photographs.

Their request will now be answered when the two books will be launched and the material taught to students as part of their education and draw wisdom from the rich cultural history of their province.
Relations between China and South Korea have been quickly descending over the past year.

J Berkshire Miller is the director of the Council on International Policy.

Earlier this month, two Chinese fishing vessels rammed and sunk a South Korean Coast Guard ship in response to Seouls attempt to enforce against illegal fishing off the west coast of the Korean peninsula.

The lost Korean vessel was trying to enforce laws against a quasi-fishing militia of more than 40 Chinese ships. Fortunately, both sides avoided a more harmful clash when reinforcements from the Korean Coast Guard defused the situation and scattered the remaining Chinese vessels after firing in the direction of the boats.





South Korea has responded to the aggressive move by summoning the Chinese ambassador in Seoul and promising that any future incidents of illegal fishing would be met by armed force.

Meanwhile Beijing has tried to downplay the situation and has urged Seoul, unconvincingly, not to overreact.

Tense relationship

This incident, which fortunately did not result in the deaths of any Coast Guard officials, sheds light on the increasingly tense relationship between China and South Korea.

Indeed, relations between China and South Korea have been quickly worsening over the past year, following an initial honeymoon period under the leadership of Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye respectively.

OPINION: Hague ruling could spark China-Japan row

Initial cracks in the bilateral relationship started to form with Chinas decision to unilaterally declare an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea in the fall of 2013.

The idea that Beijing would noticeably change policy on North Korea soon became a fantasy, despite China's almost unavoidable acceptance of new United Nations Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang earlier this year. by

While the move was primarily intended to turn the screws on Japan, with which Beijing has had a long-standing territorial row over the Senkaku islands, China made an inexplicable error in extending the ADIZ to include Ieodo Reef  a somewhat latent maritime feature in dispute which is controlled by Seoul but claimed by Beijing.

The overlap of the ADIZ and  more importantly  the failure to communicate the decision well in advance to Seoul irritated South Korea and caused a hiccup in the positive trajectory of relations between Beijing and Seoul.

The second significant disappointment for Seoul was the lack of return on its political investment with Beijing  especially in terms of Chinas relationship with North Korea. Park seemingly was prepared to open a new era of relations with Beijing, even at the cost of its reputation in the United States and Japan, if China could produce tangible efforts to rein in the regime of Kim Jong-un in North Korea.

The idea that Beijing would noticeably change policy on North Korea soon became a fantasy, despite Chinas almost unavoidable acceptance of new United Nations Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang earlier this year.

A tougher approach

Since the beginning of the year, the North has conducted two nuclear weapons tests and a barrage of ballistic missile tests aimed at refining its range and accuracy.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang continues to stockpile fissile material for its nuclear weapons programme and has also been working on perfecting the process of miniaturisation of a nuclear warhead to be fitted on top of one of its missiles.

Beijing has incrementally taken a tougher approach to the North, but it remains Pyongyangs only real economic lifeline and cross-border trade between the two has been growing rather than subsiding.

Simply put, Chinas urge for calm and the avoidance of provocative actions  such as its veiled critiques of joint US-Korea military exercises  fall short of any diplomatic consensus that Seoul had in mind.

Indeed, Park even went as far as attending Beijings ostentatious military parade in 2015 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Parks dubious attendance at the ceremony, which raised eyebrows in Washington and elsewhere, was ostensibly an extension of goodwill to Beijing with the expectation that Xi would take a more favourable position on North Korea.

OPINION: North Korea cements Kim Jong-un at the top

North Koreas sustained provocations  and its lack of interest in denuclearisation  have forced Seouls hand to lean more heavily towards deterrence. This has pushed South Korea even closer towards its alliance with Washington and also helped to partially reverse the negative trajectory of relations with Japan.

Chinese interests

Both of these developments are antithetical to Chinese interests but ironically have been facilitated largely by Beijings own policies vis a vis the North. Indeed, Seoul decided to go ahead with its decision to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) advanced anti-missile shield as a response to Pyongyangs sustained provocations.

The decision to deploy THAAD has enraged Beijing, which  irrationally  believes its strategic interests are directly threatened by the missile defence battery. South Korea has also drawn closer to Japan on security issues and signed a trilateral military information-sharing agreement  with their mutual US ally  in late 2015.

Over the past three years, Park and Xi have held numerous summits and at times have gushed at the possibilities of the bilateral relationship. The two sides also signed a free trade agreement and remain deeply connected economically. Despite this, the honeymoon period of relations between Seoul and Beijing has subsided and hard geostrategic divergences have come to fore.

J Berkshire Miller is the director of the Council on International Policy and is a fellow on East Asia for the EastWest Institute.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
In a country renowned for the commercial prowess of its businessmen and brokers whose activities span the globe, Lebanese leaders Saad al-Hariri and Michel Aoun just struck a political deal to fill the vacant presidency that may well set a record for audacity and about-faces  though its actual gains and losses remain to be calculated for all sides.

As Lebanon now enters into a wild spree of speculation and anticipation about what happens next, the deal reconfirms that in politics there are no principles, only interests; and Lebanese officials have reconfirmed that the self-interest of individual politicians to preserve their power is the greatest interest of them all.





In return for supporting Aoun as president, Hariri will be appointed prime minister. This would halt for now Hariris slow decline as a credible political leader in the country.

It would also reinforce the supremacy of Shia political and military movement Hezbollah as the kingmaker in the country, while also maintaining indirect Syrian and Iranian influence in Lebanese politics.

Marriage of opposing political camps

Hariris endorsement of Aoun for the presidency on Thursday is a dramatic and expedient marriage of opposing political camps that have been at each others throats for years.

OPINION: Lebanon and the land of Karagoz

The sheer political geometry, reversals, and contradictions of these enemies-turned-allies is staggering, even by Lebanese standards.

Prominent Christian leader and former armed forces commander Aoun has been backed for the past decade by Hezbollah, the strongest single force in the country.

The Hezbollah-Aoun alliance in parliament has lobbied for a Aoun presidency, but its blockage by Hariri and his allies has caused them effectively to prevent the election of a new Lebanese president in parliament since May 2014.

Hariri even nominated Hezbollah-friendly Sleiman Frangieh for the presidency, which by tradition is held by a Maronite Christian; but Hezbollah and Aoun held out, insisting that Aoun would be president or there would be no president at all. They have now prevailed.

Hezbollah is also locked in a vocal and ugly battle of accusations with Saudi Arabia, once Hariris solid backers. Yet Saudi Arabia recently withdrew a $3bn grant to upgrade the Lebanese armed forces, which was also a slap in the face for Hariri.

The erratic behaviour of Hariri now is largely explained by the fact that his best days may be behind him, given his long absences from the country for security reasons... by

The erratic behaviour of Hariri now is largely explained by the fact that his best days may be behind him, given his long absences from the country for security reasons, his declining Saudi business interests, some local challenges to his tepid leadership in recent municipal elections, and his decline in stature in the eyes of his Saudi backers.

Marginalisation of the Sunnis

He also may have wanted to stop two other trends: the gradual marginalisation of the Sunnis in Lebanon, who shared power with the Christians at Lebanons birth 75 years ago, and the general deterioration in the public political climate and efficiency of the state, due to the presidential vacuum and the consequent sense of marginalisation of the Christian community.

Aouns alliance with Hezbollah appears finally to have paid dividends in moving him into the presidential palace, which the 128-member parliament must formally vote on, probably next week.

Yet the process may lead to new fault lines and resentments across the notoriously unstable Lebanese political system whose 18 different confessional groups share all levels of power.

READ MORE: In the Arab world, sectarianism is real, sects are not

Opponents of Hezbollah resent that its Syrian and Iranian allies may increase their influence in the country, and it ultimately aims to use its power to revise the constitutional system and strengthen its hand in the long run.

The Hariri-Aoun agreement has shown that Hezbollah can bring the national political system to a halt. This happened in the past several years, and it worsened conditions in sectors such as foreign debt, electricity output, rubbish collection, water delivery, and other essential services, to the discomfort of the majority of Lebanese who have spoken out intermittently against the oligarchy of sectarian leaders who rule the country.

Given the broad discomfort across most sectors of Lebanese society, especially poor and low-income people, Hariri not surprisingly said he endorsed Aoun to protect Lebanon, protect the [political] system, protect the state, protect the Lebanese people  relaunch the economy, and distance us from the Syrian crisis.

He also seems to have protected his own political fortunes for now, though many sympathisers say he really had no other option. Some important political figures, including within Hariris party, refuse to support him on Aouns presidency, but it is unlikely they can prevent parliament from bringing this about.

Lebanon has shown once again that it is a land of dazzling deals and mercurial personalities, including in the realm of the national presidency itself.

Yet the average Lebanese citizen has no say in the power-politics and back-room deals of his or her sectarian leader; so most people will go along with this new arrangement if they see their government functioning more efficiently and their daily basic services improving slowly.

Rami G Khouri is a senior public policy fellow at the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut and a non-resident senior fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Stanley L Cohen is an attorney and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.

Military historians tell that the first rockets appeared on the battlefields of central Asia, in the Mongols 13th century invasions of the Chinese and the Eastern European fringe, as they burst from the steppes like a force of nature.

Adapting Chinese black powder fireworks, they added the innovation of hollow tubes that could travel over enemy lines, run out of burn-fuel, fall and burst. Seven hundred years of development brought the 1969 Moon landing, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and not incidentally, telemetry computing, which makes possible the GPS miracle in everyones pocket. In the 1960s, every high school in the United States had a model rocket club dedicated to the art of flight  the whizz and the bang of boyhood.





Two weeks ago, a small rocket, just over a metre in length, sailed from the north end of the Gaza Strip, flew for a few seconds, sputtered and fell to earth leaving a scorched patch of asphalt on a street outside the Israeli town of Sderot.

A crude affair

A crude affair, it lacked any guidance capability, or telemetry control, or significant destructive power and, like its 13th-century predecessors, was a burn out and fall style of rocket.

Photos of the impact site show Israeli policemen standing around what looks like crumpled light-weight metallic industrial tubing, broken in pieces, with the road surface blackened, but not otherwise damaged.

OPINION: Harder times for Palestine if Clinton wins US election

The Israeli army reported that 10 residents of Sderot were treated in hospital as a result, for anxiety attacks, suggesting an underlying public health problem of uncertain dimensions among the towns nervous residents.

A Salafist group, the Grandsons of the Companions of the Prophet  an aspiring Islamic State franchise  at least some of whose members had only recently been rounded up by Hamas, Gazas governing authority, claimed responsibility in a statement in Arabic and Hebrew, openly mocking hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman.

Well, as with our hobbyist model rocket clubs, one might conclude Boys will be boys, even in Gaza, the worlds largest open-air prison camp  now in its 11th cruel year of total blockade and crippling privation at the hands of Israels military machine.

Predictably, Israel retaliated within hours with artillery and air strikes and, over the next week, with pre-dawn waves of F-16 attacks against Gaza  wounding several residents while destroying private homes, agriculture, commercial and government buildings in densely populated urban areas  and sparking a fire in Gaza City that burned down a block in the al-Tufah neighbourhood.

Under Article 33 of the conventions, an occupying power may not inflict any mass punishment on occupied people and states plainly, in broad language, a simple test for the war crime ... by

It was a minor miracle that there were not dozens dead. While the Israeli army cited Hamas terror infrastructures as their explicit targets, it acknowledged simultaneously that it cant be expected to go after every little group in Gaza with a couple of dozen members that goes out one night and fires a rocket, so instead will target and punish Hamas rule, as well as the citizens of Gaza, holding Hamas accountable as  the sovereign in the Gaza Strip, which bears responsibility for every terror incident emanating from it.

Right to strike?

A similar round of retaliatory strikes occurred in August following an earlier rocket launched by a different lone wolf from the north end of the Strip.

Western press reporting on the air strikes and their rationalisations gave a group-think nod of assent, as if to say, Yes, of course, Israel is justified, while passing silently over Israels admission of Hamas sovereignty short of statehood.

Yet it is important to situate the official Israeli position that it has a right to strike the governing authority of Gaza and its residents in retaliation for the offending acts of individuals within international law. All the elements of collective punishment are present in these air strikes and, thus, it constitutes a war crime by legal standards.

Bad Palestinians under Israels collective punishment

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 added collective punishments to its list of war crimes as a direct response to calculated attacks made by World War II occupying powers  notably, Nazi Germany and fascist Japan  against citizens to terrorise populations into obeying the occupier or as reprisal violence against innocent parties, meant to snuff out organised resistance to occupation.

The German SS relied on this tactic, infamously in the Warsaw Ghetto and at the Ardeatine Caves, when Nazis occupying Rome took revenge against Italian partisans by selecting 10 Romans for every SS policeman killed in a bombing, executing 335 Italians in a single massacre.

Yet collective punishment need not be so blatantly lethal or even so mathematically quid pro quo. Under Article 33 of the conventions, an occupying power may not inflict any mass punishment on occupied people and states plainly, in broad language, a simple test for the war crime:

Article 33. No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.

Pillage is prohibited.

Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.

Gazans, as an occupied population, fit the definition of protected persons.

The occupiers duties

Further articles in Section III (Occupied Territories) of the Convention set forth the occupiers duties, including maintenance of infrastructure for medical, health and hygiene, non-interference with food and necessities and the protection of private property from destruction.

In general, the Conventions constrain the occupying power from mistreating those under occupation in any way and generally imposing upon it the duty to care for occupied persons under military rule.

Israel seeks to publicly shame human rights groups

Zionisms enablers and protectors love to argue that, because Palestinians have no state, Israel has not been at war with them all these years and that, as non-state actors and stateless citizens, Article 33 is irrelevant and, therefore, the Geneva Convention is inapplicable.

Zionism's enablers and protectors love to argue that, because Palestinians have no state, Israel has not been at war with them all these years and that, as non-state actors and stateless citizens, Article 33 is irrelevant and, therefore, the Geneva Convention is inapplicable. by

Alternatively, if they grudgingly call Gaza a de facto state, it is only to claim that Israel does not occupy Gaza after its 2005 withdrawal from the Strip and that the total blockade and military control over Gaza and its residents do not constitute an occupation, thus, they are free from the onus of law placed on occupying armies.

In reality, Israels withdrawal from Gaza took place after years of resistance. Its former regime of military rule and Jewish settlement of Gaza has since been replaced by a de facto occupation through a complete blockade of land, sea and air, with total economic subjugation of the Strip.

All exchange of goods, food, medicine, energy, drinking water, travel and outside contact chokes down to a single checkpoint which can be closed on a whim. Gaza does not possess a free seaport, airport, or any freedom of travel, in or out, not directly controlled by the Israeli military. In other words, it is occupation by other means.

By international law, according to Rule 149 Responsibility for Violations of International Humanitarian Law, Israels explicit October admissions that it targeted Hamas, a governing entity, and the residents of Gaza, protected persons, in retaliation for acts by individuals they acknowledge are unconnected to Hamas (or, for that matter, to other Gazans), is simply and plainly a war crime.

Israels startling admission

As recognised by the applicable International Red Cross covenants, a state itself can only be held accountable for acts it carries out directly, or subrogates to others, or permits others to carry out. Any nexus connecting Hamas to the Grandsons is here absent.

Whether or not Israel recognises Hamas as a state entity, Hamas bears no responsibility for rogue actions by individuals striking at Israel and has, in fact, arrested and punished lone wolf attackers.

Moreover, Gazas residents bear no collective responsibility for individual acts. The standard here is clear and Israels startling admission should trigger prosecution.

This latest crime stands at the front of a long line of war crimes for which Israel must be brought to account. Since the late 1980s Israel has used reprisal attacks on the Palestinians of the West Bank and in Gaza as a means for enforcing its larger agenda of conquest, subjugation and annexation, in contravention of international law.

As a simple thought-experiment, imagine the inverse: individual Israelis have for many years acted with terrorist violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza.

Should the Israeli state apparatus, its military and cities, have been targeted by Palestinians in justifiable reprisal?

When Baruch Goldstein killed 29 worshipers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Hebron; or when 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and burned to death by settlers in East Jerusalem; or when rampaging Hebron settlers in 2008 burned Palestinian homes; or when settlers in the autumn of 2013 cut down or burned more than 1,000 olive trees in Palestinian-owned groves, should each of these crimes have justified attacks on Israeli targets?

No one countenances the idea that Palestinians have a legal right to reprisal attacks. The Israeli state was expected in each case to apprehend the Jewish criminals and prosecute them. Hamas, in fact, had been active in doing just that by arresting members of the Grandsons only the month before.

Israels point in claiming it has the right to launch million-dollar F-16 sorties against Palestinian property, wounding Gazans, fails any legal test. Home-made $100 rockets from the 13th century hardly pose an existential threat. Israels disproportionate response seems once again intended to collectively punish Gazans for any vestige of resistance.

This may make Defence Minister Lieberman stand taller in the eyes of his right-wing constituency, yet simultaneously, his increased stature surely makes him the obvious target of who to put in the dock should international war crimes law ever be applied.

Stanley L Cohen is a lawyer and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Crowded passenger train goes off the tracks along the route that links capital Yaounde with economic hub Douala.

At least 70 people were killed and nearly 600 injured when an overloaded passenger train travelling between Cameroons two largest cities derailed and overturned.

My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the Camrail train derailment in Eseka. Over 70 passengers died and 600 wounded in the accident, President Paul Biya, who is travelling abroad, wrote on his official Facebook page.

Transport Minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngoo said Fridays accident took place near the central town of Eseka  120km west of the capital Yaounde  as the train travelled to the economic hub of Douala.

The cause of the accident is not yet clear, said the minister, via state broadcaster CRTV, adding that several of the injured were in a very serious condition.

Rail officials said the train had been carrying 1,300 passengers, instead of the usual 600. The collapse of a bridge along the main highway between the capital and Douala had prompted more people to undertake the journey by rail.

Passenger Joel Bineli told Reuters news agency he saw three dismembered bodies on the tracks at the accident site.

Photos posted on social media purporting to have been taken at the scene showed several wagons overturned on a slope beside the tracks.

There was a loud noise. I looked back and the wagons behind us left the rails and started rolling over and over. There was a lot of smoke, said a Reuters journalist travelling on the train.

He added that prior to the trains departure from Yaounde, a railway employee said eight additional wagons had been added to the normally nine-wagon train in order to accommodate extra passengers.

It remains unclear whether that played a role in the accident.

Intervention and security teams have been mobilised, the rail company Camrail said.

The route is one of the busiest in the country with trains to Chad and the Central African Republic also using the axis, which has a poor safety record.

In 2014, Cameroon began building its first highway between the two towns, but the work is not due to be completed until 2018.
US court reinstates lawsuit by four ex-prisoners held in Iraq against military contractors after eight years of appeals.

Four former inmates of Iraqs notorious Abu Ghraib prison will now be able to sue over alleged torture by United States military contractors.

A US federal appeals court reinstated the lawsuit on Friday against CACI Premier Technology, which is accused of abusing the men during interrogations at the prison in the early 2000s. The ruling comes after eight years of appeals.

The case had been dismissed by a judge, who ruled legal action would improperly require second-guessing of military leaders in a war zone, making it a political question that is off-limits for the judiciary.

But the appeals court ruled unanimously that any unlawful acts committed by private contractors could be subject to judicial scrutiny, even if they were doing so under the direct control of the military.

The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the four Iraqi inmates, praised the appellate courts decision.

READ MORE: Iraq: Abu Ghraib victims fight for US justice

Todays decision reaffirms the role of the courts to assess illegality, including torture, and we are optimistic this case will finally move forward, and our clients will have their day in court, the centres legal director, Baher Azmy, said in a statement.

One of the plaintiffs, Salah Hassan, said in a statement: Today, part of justice was achieved and this is something wonderful, not only for me and the other plaintiffs, but for all the just causes in the world  No doubt the result will be a white light in the process of justice in the world at the time.



Former Abu Ghraib inmate tells his story

According to the lawsuit, Hassan, who now lives in Qatar, was arrested in November 2003 and sent to Abu Ghraib. He was released in February 2004 without being charged with a crime.

The lawsuit alleges he was beaten, stripped naked, threatened with dogs, and suffered other abuses.

The lawsuit has faced numerous hurdles since it was filed in 2008. In addition to the legal battles, the plaintiffs have struggled to get their clients into the United States for depositions because the US government has denied them visas.

CACI, meanwhile, has long denied any wrongdoing.

Well proceed with our expectation unchanged: exoneration for CACI. Nothing in todays decision changes our view of the ultimate outcome, the company said in a statement on Friday.
Interior minister said coup was attempted on October 8 and blamed it on the dismantled presidential guards.

Security officials in Burkina Faso said they had foiled another coup plot in the West African nation and blamed it on former presidential guards.

The government said on Friday that it thwarted a vast conspiracy by forces loyal to ousted leader Blaise Compaore that aimed to seize power.

About 30 men from the former presidents security unit plotted to free prisoners who were part of a September 2015 coup attempt and then attack the presidential palace, said Interior Minister Simon Compaore.

A local news website, Koaci.com, quoted the minister as saying the coup plotters also intended to target the headquarters of the gendarmerie in the capital, Ouagadougou, in addition to the detention centre where leaders of a failed coup attempt last year were being held.

Guards killed and arrested

According to the minister, the coup was planned for October 8 and called for the detention of certain authorities.

They also intended to create a mutiny in the army barracks and launch a rebellion using social media, he said, adding that at least 10 people had been arrested.

The security ministry said the latest attempt was foiled when two former guards were killed trying to enter the capital.

Blaise Compaore was forced from power in October 2014 following a popular uprising against his attempts to change the constitution to remain in office.

The attempted 2015 coup was staged by troops from the presidential guard loyal to the former leader but was blocked by street protesters and the army, which attacked the plotters barracks.

The country was plunged into crisis last September when the powerful presidential guards detained the interim leaders who had been running the country since the uprising against Compaore.

The elite unit of 1,300 men, loyal to the former president, had declared a coup and installed rebel leader General Gilbert Diendere, Compaores former chief of staff, as the countrys new leader.

The presidential guard was dismantled last year.
LYNCOURT  Several central New York unions want to make one thing clear: It's Democratic challenger Colleen Deacon, not U.S. Rep. John Katko, who has significant labor support in the 24th Congressional District race.

But it's Deacon, D-Syracuse, who has been backed by some of the largest unions in the region and the state. She has the support of 1199 SEIU, a labor organization representing health care workers.

She's also been endorsed by American Postal Workers Local 257, Bricklayers Local 2, Ironworkers Local 60, New York State United Teachers and the Public Employees Federation.

SEIU Local 200United, United Auto Workers Region 9, United Steelworkers District 4 and United Food and Commercial Workers Local One round out the list of unions supporting Deacon.

At a rally Thursday in the Syracuse area, representatives from the 10 unions reiterated their support for Deacon and criticized Katko for not having a solid legislative record on labor issues.

John O'Hara, a representative with United Auto Workers Region 9, said the union is supporting Deacon because of its past experiences with her when she was U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's central New York regional director.

"She was always there for us  great contact, always got what we wanted," he said. "When we had any questions and stuff, she was there to get back to us. She's going to be a solid congresswoman in the 24th Congressional District, for all of us."

O'Hara said Katko's legislative record, based on UAW's calculations, is "less than 50 percent." The congressman's positions on issues, including opposition to a minimum wage increase, are a concern for the unions.

For O'Hara, those concerns mounted when House Speaker Paul Ryan headlined a fundraiser for Katko in August.

"When you have Paul Ryan come as your surrogate to come here to Syracuse and stump for you," he said. "The guy who wants to get rid of Social Security and Medicare as we know it today, I have to wonder about what (Katko's) feelings are about that."

Jamila Sherman, a health unit coordinator at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse and a member of 1199 SEIU, said workers in her field need members of Congress who will listen to them about the best ways to deliver quality health care to patients.

She recalled traveling to Washington for a meeting in Katko's office. While her group met directly with another congressman, U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, they didn't get a meeting with Katko. They met with his staff instead.

"Why could he not come out and hear firsthand about how we're doing more with less in our facilities?" Sherman said.

Deacon also criticized Katko for, in her view, not living up to a pledge he made on the campaign trail in 2014.

During the 2014 race, Katko pledged to make creating jobs a top priority. But Deacon says "we haven't seen him do anything to bring jobs back to this district."

"I'm running because I've seen firsthand how the policies in front of Congress affect real people and working families in this district," Deacon said. "And unlike John Katko, I will stand with labor every step of the way."

Aside from the endorsement, Deacon has her own ties to labor unions.

She noted that her first job was at The Nottingham, a retirement center in Jamesville. As an employee there, she was a member of 1199 SEIU  one of the unions now supporting her campaign for Congress.

"I got to see firsthand at a young age how valuable the support of labor unions can be for working people and for families," she said.
In a historic Oscars entry, movie by Yemeni director Khadija al-Salami will vie for best foreign language film award.

For the first time in the countrys history, Yemen has entered a film into the Academy Awards competition in the category of best foreign language film.

It was announced last week that the dramatic feature film, I Am Nojoom: Age 10 And Divorced, would be among 85 entries vying for the Oscar.

I was happy to hear the news, even though I have no expectations whatsoever, director Khadija al-Salami told Al Jazeera over the phone from Canada, where she was promoting the film.

It is a tough competition, but lets hope this news at least gives war-torn Yemen some positivity and encourages young Yemeni filmmakers to dream big.

OPINION: The birth and death of cinema in Aden

Shot in 2013, prior to the ongoing war in Yemen, and released in 2014, I Am Nojoom is Salamis debut drama feature film. She has previously made 25 documentaries about Yemen, with a heavy focus on womens issues.

Salami both wrote and directed the film, inspired by her own personal experience of being forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 11  which led her to attempt suicide, and ended in divorce  and by the story of Yemens youngest divorcee, Nujood Ali.

My belief in the importance of empowering our women and enforcing a law that criminalises this practice is what drove me to do this film, said Salami, whose movie has so far earned 18 international awards.

But mainly, it was important for me to tell a story based on a mix of my own story, Nujoods story and many other girls stories suffering from this practice. And as I am touring around the world releasing the movie, my initial understanding of how child marriage is a global problem is increasingly being confirmed.

The latest official statistics suggest that more than 50 percent of Yemeni girls are married before the age of 18. There is no law in the country banning the practice  a problem that reaches far beyond Yemens borders: Globally, there are around 15 million female children being married every year, Salami noted. The film speaks to many girls across the world.

Ironically, I Am Nojoom is making global headlines at a time when Yemens cinema scene has largely faded.

The country once boasted a vibrant cinematic culture, having gone through many phases since the early 1900s. In 1910, moviegoers in Yemen flocked to mobile cinema shows in Aden, and in the ensuing years, Bollywood films were widely exhibited in the citys cinema halls.

During the 1970s, the film scene gained strength, with around 50 cinema halls emerging in Aden, including Radio Cinema, Popular Cinema and Cinema Hurricane. In Sanaa, several cinema halls showcased both Arab and Western films.

The uprising represented a moment of courage for many Yemeni filmmakers and a time when their voices were validated. by Sara Ishaq, Yemeni filmmaker

In the mid 70s, north Yemens late president, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, had a vision for the art scene to develop  part of his nation-building strategy, Yemeni art critic Ahlam Mohammed told Al Jazeera.

Yemens cinematic scene peaked after the reunification of northern and southern Yemen in 1990. In the years that followed, several cinema halls opened in major cities, showing foreign and locally made films.

Despite the early 90s being marked by several conflicts, the unification contributed [to] the film culture of both north and south Yemen in the coming years, Mohammed said, noting that Yemens culture ministry provided support to local Yemeni filmmakers  particularly to those working on films with an anti-terrorism message.

But the growth did not last long. Economic problems bumped the film industry to the bottom of the governments priority list, while the rise of conservative forces further curbed cinematic growth.

When we, the actors and filmmakers, sought the states support, government officials used to state clearly that it was not the right time to support films, as they had more important issues to deal with, actor Adnan Alkhadher, a cast member in I Am Nojoom, told Al Jazeera. We had terrible support in funding cinema, whether in the north or the south.

Amid this backdrop, the outbreak of Yemens 2011 uprising offered a sign of hope for filmmakers.

The uprising represented a moment of courage for many Yemeni filmmakers and a time when their voices were validated, as Yemen received great attention during the Arab Spring, said Yemeni filmmaker Sara Ishaq. I was and still am impressed by the rise of art and film in Yemen in the wake of the uprising.

Ishaq directed the first Yemeni film to be nominated for an Oscar, the documentary Karama Has No Walls (2012), which was set during the uprising.

EXPLAINER: Key facts about the war in Yemen

Salami, meanwhile, says that she has made efforts to ensure that residents of war-torn Yemen would be able to see her film, arranging screenings in local forums and community centres.

I Am Nojoom has faced some criticism for portraying stereotypes about Yemen and exploiting the issue of child marriages in an effort to please a Western audience  accusations that Salami vehemently rejects.

This debate is not only another reminder of why, until today, Yemen has no law against child marriage  but it also reflects the status of womens rights in Yemeni society, she said.

As she begins thinking about her next project  a love story that she hopes to shoot inside Yemen once the war comes to an end  Salami says that she is optimistic about the future.

Nothing is impossible, she said. If you put your heart into something, the sky is your limit.
Armed men in a speedboat attack overcrowded dinghy, leaving at least 25 people missing off the Libyan coast.

Armed men attacked an overcrowded dinghy carrying refugees off Libya, leaving at least four dead and up to 25 missing, the , said.

The group said the Italian coastguard had sent a Sea Watch rescue ship and a diverted oil tanker to help a dinghy in distress in international waters, 14 nautical miles off Libya, early on Friday.

As the operation was unfolding, the crew of a speedboat labelled Libyan Coast Guard attacked the boat packed with about 150 refugees, beating them with sticks and causing at least four to fall into the water and drown, Reuters news agency reported.

The violent intervention of the Libyan Coast Guard caused a situation of mass panic on board the rubber boat in distress, Sea Watch said in a statement.





One tube of the rubber boat collapsed, causing the majority of the 150 people to slip into the water.

Sea Watch said four bodies had been recovered and 120 people were rescued. Search operations were still under way, Sea Watch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told Reuters.

The men, who spoke only Arabic, beat some of the refugees with clubs, causing panic that caused most of them to fall into the sea, said Neugebauer.

The Italian coastguard confirmed that the vessel SeaWatch2 rescued 120 people before dawn on Friday, but gave no further details.

A spokesman for Libyas naval forces in Tripoli said he had not heard about about the incident.

According to the United Nations, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

Attempts at the dangerous crossing continue despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants and refugees rescued off Libya since Sunday.

The Italian interior ministry said on Tuesday more than 145,000 refugees and migrants landed in Italy this year, a figure similar to the previous two years.
American Navy has now conducted four so-called freedom-of-navigation operations in the past year in the disputed waters.

A US Navy warship on Friday passed through waters claimed by China near disputed islands in the South China Sea  a move that Beijing called illegal and provocative.

Navy Commander Gary Ross said the destroyer USS Decatur conducted the transit operation near the Paracel Islands. He said it was done in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident.

Chinas Defence Ministry said two Chinese vessels warned the US warship to leave during a patrol. In a statement on its website, it added the Chinese military would increase air and sea patrols in the area.





The Paracels, a group of islands and reefs, are occupied by China but are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

The US Navy has now conducted four so-called freedom-of-navigation operations in the past year in the South China Sea, where China has reclaimed land to assert its claim to disputed features  mostly in the Spratly islands that lie further south.

China has looked dimly upon the US operations, which it views as meddling in waters where the United States does not have territorial claims.

Fridays operation comes a day after the leader of the Philippines, one of the six governments with claims in the South China Sea, announced during a visit to Beijing his nations separation from the US, as it seeks to deepen ties with China.

Ross said the operation was unrelated to any such event.

Beijing and Moscow launch South China Sea naval drills

He said the US conducts these operations on a regular basis around the world. He said the move demonstrated that coastal states may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea, which all states are entitled to exercise under international law.

This operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims, not territorial claims to land features. The United States has been clear that we take no position on competing territorial sovereignty claims to naturally formed land features in the South China Sea, said Ross.
Philippines president announces severing of ties not in the best interest of his country after his return from China.

President Rodrigo Duterte has backtracked on his comments about the Philippines separation from the United States, saying severing of ties was not in the best interest of his country.

Following a meeting between Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, the tough-talking president announced separation from the United States, both in military but economics also.

America has lost it, Duterte was quoted as saying in a transcript of his speech released by the Philippine Presidential Communications Office on Friday.





I mean, I realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia.

However, following his return from China on Friday, he announced that the statement meant Philippines foreign policy need not dovetail with that of the US.

Its not severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that. Why? Its in the best interests of my country that I dont do that, Duterte said in his hometown of Davao.

Dutertes visit to Beijing capped a series of recent declarations blasting the United States and President Barack Obama.

Duterte was quoted by the Manila-based website Rappler calling Americans loud, sometimes rowdy. Their larynx is not adjusted to civility.

In response, the White House said Duterte has made too many troubling statements recently that lend uncertainty over its ties with the US and are at odds with their alliance.

Weve seen too many troubling public statements from President Duterte over the last several months, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

And the frequency of that rhetoric has added an element of unnecessary uncertainty into our relationship that doesnt advance the interests of either country.

Duterte has also repeated his denunciation of Obama on Thursday as a son of a whore.
Facebook continues to disable Palestinian pages, as several administration accounts and two pages have been deleted recently, according to Palestinian activists.

Last week, administrators from the Palestinian Information Centre (PIC) Facebook page in Arabic reported that at least 10 accounts were suspended, seven permanently and three temporarily. The PIC has more than two million followers.

When contacted for an explanation, Facebook responded by saying: Your account has been permanently disabled for not following Facebook Community Standards. We will not reactivate it for any reason.

But according to PICs general director, Yahya Abu Hassan, the Facebook Community Standards are just a pretext. Whatever these standards are, they remain loose, arbitrary and moody. However, Facebook clearly uses them as a sword to delete whichever material gets reported to them by the Israelis, thus reminding us of the worst censorship by dictators across time and place.

READ MORE: Is Facebook neutral on Palestine-Israel conflict?

Whatever these standards are, they remain loose, arbitrary and moody. However, Facebook clearly uses them as a sword to delete whichever material gets reported to them by the Israelis, thus reminding us of the worst censorship by dictators across time and place. by Yahya Abu Hassan, PIC's general director

On Monday, PICs Facebook page in English, which has more than 200,000 likes, had one of its videos removed by Facebook under the pretext that it had nudity.

[The page] posts news stories, reports, features, pictures, cartoons and videos exclusively about Palestine and Palestinians, said Rami Salaam, the pages main administrator.

The video is motivational. Its about a Palestinian college graduate who is defying the Israeli siege and unemployment by selling flowers. It sends a message to occupied and besieged Palestinians that there is still a ray of hope, Salaam told Al Jazeera. I have had my accounted temporarily suspended for no reason a number of times before. Its frustrating and, worse, it is distracting.

Last September, Facebook disabled several Palestinian accounts on the basis that they breached community standards. Four editors from the Shehab News Agency, which has more than 6.3 million likes on Facebook, and three executives from the Quds News Network, with about 5.1 million likes, reported they could not access their personal accounts. Both agencies cover daily news in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Facebook And Israel Officially Announce Collaboration To Censor Social Media Content https://t.co/L5W3UHVYt6 #news via @activistpost pic.twitter.com/O2b2uvjNJN  Palestine Info Center (@palinfoen) October 12, 2016

Palestinians and pro-Palestine activists tried to counter the crackdown with a campaign on social media using the hashtag #FBcensorsPalestine. Thousands interacted with the campaign, generating tens of thousands of tweets and posts.

Coming under pressure, Facebook apologised and reactivated the accounts. However, the social media giant has been singling out Palestinian pages one at a time, say activists, who allege that the crackdown is the result of an agreement between Facebook and Israel.

Last September, a Facebook delegation met Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to improve cooperation against incitement to terror and murder, according to a statement from the prime ministers office. Shaked, of the right-wing, settler-supported Jewish Home party, hailed the meeting as a success.

Several Israeli press reports suggested that Facebook and the Israeli government would set up joint teams to counter online incitement, but no further details were provided.

A spokesperson for the social network told Al Jazeera in a statement at the time that the visit was part of an ongoing dialogue with policymakers and experts around the world to keep terrorist content off our platform and support counter-speech initiatives.

Facebook is collaborating with the Israeli government to determine what should be censored https://t.co/v953NKj4gl #FbcensorsPalestine pic.twitter.com/uVIDPWHGDd  Palestine Info Center (@palinfoen) October 12, 2016

READ MORE: Israel detains Palestinian beautician over Facebook post

While Palestinian activists say they are frustrated about being silenced by Facebook, some are still determined to pursue their activism for Palestine on the service.





Facebook is an important platform. We cant just leave it because of its repressive policies against Palestinians, said Bayan Mohammed, PICs main Arabic page administrator, whose account was permanently disabled.

We will continue posting. We will create more accounts and pages to make sure Palestines voice is heard loud and clear, he told Al Jazeera.

Other activists say that they are working on finding another platform that guarantees freedom of speech to all, to put an end to what renowned Palestinian novelist Susan Abulhawa referred to as digital dictatorship.
Pakistan refutes claims of confrontation and deaths as India reports sniper fire along disputed Kashmir border.

Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory fire by Indian forces along the disputed Kashmir border, according to Indian officials, but Pakistan refuted those claims.

Indias Border Security Force (BSF) said Pakistan Rangers targeted Indian positions with sniper fire early on Friday, following a failed overnight attempt by fighters to cross the border near the main city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir.





During intermittent firing of small arms and area weapons, one militant and seven rangers were shot dead, the BSF said in a press statement.

Its spokesman, Shubhendu Bhardwaj, told AFP news agency that troops launched an aggressive offensive after one of their soldiers was critically wounded by sniper fire from across the border.

There was an infiltration attempt and sniper fire. We retaliated. The bodies are on the other side of the border, said Bhardwaj.

However, Lieutenant-General Asim Bajwa, a Pakistani army spokesman, refuted the claim and accused India of unprovoked shooting across the Line of Control (LoC), the de factor border.

Both India and Pakistan claim the disputed Himalayan region in full, but govern over separate parts of it, divided by the heavily militarised LoC.

Indian claim of hitting or killing any Pakistani soldier/Ranger with firing at anytime of today at LOC/ working bdry absolutely false-2/2  Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) October 21, 2016

The Indian-controlled part of the territory has a Muslim majority, and there are a number of armed separatist groups fighting New Delhi.

Tensions had already been high in the region since the Indian army killed a leading Kashmiri separatist in a gunfight in early July, sparking a series of protests that have left more than 80 dead and thousands injured.

A major attack on an Indian army base in Indian-administered Kashmir last month further heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, with both armies reporting daily exchanges of fire along the disputed border.

Nineteen Indian army soldiers were killed in last months attack, which Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based armed groups.

India later said it launched what it termed surgical strikes on terrorist targets several kilometres inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan dismissed those claims as an illusion.
The University of al-Qarawiyyin takes steps to preserve decaying medieval manuscripts.

Fez, Morocco  The oldest university in the world is undergoing a facelift in the Moroccan city of Fez.

Founded in AD 859, the University of al-Qarawiyyin has stood for centuries as a prestigious centre of science and technology.

Abandoned for years, decay and humidity have damaged many of its library books, but steps are now being taken to preserve rare manuscripts written by some of the greatest medieval thinkers.

To control the humidity, gutter systems, solar panels and air-conditioning have been installed at the ancient institution.

I had no idea that I would spend years dealing with rare and invaluable manuscripts, Abdelfattah Bougchouf, library curator, told Al Jazeera.

I have people coming from all over the world just to check facts on a page in one of the manuscripts.
At least 550 families forced to walk to Mosul by ISIL fighters as Iraqi forces intensify offensive.

ISIL fighters may be preparing to use civilians as human shields  or simply kill them  rather than let them be liberated in an Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, according to the UN human rights chief.

Zeid Raad al-Hussein said his office had reports that civilians were being held close to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant positions in Mosul, possibly as a buffer against advancing Iraqi forces.

There is a grave danger that ISIL fighters will not only use such vulnerable people as human shields, but may opt to kill them rather than see them liberated, Zeid said in a statement.

READ MORE: Inside Mosul  We fear for our lives

Separately, Zeid said his office had reports that ISIL fighters had forced an estimated 200 families to walk from the nearby Samalia village to Mosul last week.

Another 350 families were forced to Mosul from Najafia, according to the rights office.

Elite Iraqi troops have been closing in on Mosul , the last ISIL bastion in Iraq, in a long-anticipated offensive.

The UN has voiced fears that a million people still trapped inside Mosul could be forced to flee the fighting, sparking a humanitarian emergency .

Speaking to reporters in Geneva by phone, the UNs humanitarian chief in Baghdad, Lise Grande, said the working scenario foresees 200,000 people fleeing Mosul.

But she cautioned the number could be higher depending on how the military campaign develops.

So far, 3,900 people have been displaced from the northern city, UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards said.

UNHCR was working to build up camps and emergency settlements in the area as fighting intensifies.

Families inside Mosul say they are living in fear and desperation as the military operation pushes on.

There is no way out for us as families. Even if we think about fleeing the city, that is not possible at the time being. We are being held hostages. ISIL took the whole city of Mosul as hostage, a 36-year-old father of three told Al Jazeera over the phone this week from inside Mosul.

ISIL has no regard for human life

Aside from caring for those who manage to flee, Zeid stressed that Iraqi military planning for the US-backed offensive needs to prioritise civilian protection, especially with some of the combat expected to take place in confined urban settings.

We know ISIL has no regard for human life, which is why it is incumbent upon the Iraqi government to do its utmost to protect civilians, he said.

Ravina Shamdasani, of the UN human rights office in Geneva, said it had verified information that the ISIL group had forced hundreds of families to relocate to Mosul from nearby villages, part of an apparent policy of preventing civilians from escaping.

Fighting has forced 5,640 people to flee their homes so far from the vicinity of the city, the International Organization for Migration said.

Iraqs Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Friday renewed a call to spare civilians.

All those who are participating in the battle have to respect the humanitarian principles and refrain from seeking vengeance, said a sermon delivered in Sistanis name by one of his representatives in Kerbala.

On Thursday, Iraqs government said its soldiers advanced from the south and east, while Kurdish Peshmerga fighters moved in from the north and east on the countrys second-largest city, now under ISILs control.

Attack helicopters strafed ISIL positions as Iraqs special forces entered the town of Bartella, 15km east of Mosuls outskirts.
Organisers staged demonstrations after authorities closed down five makeshift mosques on administrative grounds.

Hundreds of Muslims offered Friday prayers near Romes Colosseum to protest at the closure of mosques and other places of worship in Italy.

The prayer demonstration was staged over what they see as unfair restrictions on freedom to practise their faith in the country, according to organisers who called the protest following the recent closure of five makeshift mosques on administrative grounds.

Worshippers knelt on prayer mats and tarpaulins on the pavement metres away from the ancient amphitheatre. Some held placards reading Peace and Open the mosques.

Many Italian Muslims suspect local authorities are responding to a climate of mistrust caused by recent attacks in Europe by closing down the places of worship on the grounds of easily resolved problems, such as the number of toilets on a particular premises.

The protest was organised by a Bangladeshi group, Dhuumcatu, which has complained that Muslim places of worship in Rome have been branded illegal by authorities for various building violations.

The group wants City Hall to intervene.

We feel people are pointing the finger at us, said Francesco Tieri, a convert to Islam who acts as a coordinator for a number of Islamic groups.

There is no political will to recognise that we are here and that we are a peaceful community. We are forced to rent places to pray  which for us is like breathing air. If we cant do it, we die.

Politician Barbara Saltamartini  of the anti-immigration Northern League party  called Fridays demonstration an unacceptable provocation that should never have been allowed to take place in Rome.

Police confirmed the closure of some places of prayer. In a statement, police said authorities guarantee freedom of thought, but within a legal framework.

Islam not an official religion

In Italy, Islam is not recognised as an official religion, unlike Judaism or the Mormon faith, and many Muslims from North Africa and South Asia feel discriminated against on the grounds of both race and religion.

According to official figures, there are more than 800,000 Muslims living in Italy legally, and officials estimate another 100,000 live there permanently without official papers.

That would suggest that the Muslim community makes up more than 1.5 percent of the population and Islam is the second most-followed faith in the mostly Roman Catholic country.

Most prayers take place in houses and Islamic cultural centres  a development that some right-wing politicians have said makes them difficult to monitor, raising the risk of radicalisation.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said in August that mini mosques in garages should not be allowed.

Right-wing parties have called for a blanket ban on any mosques built with funds from donors outside of Italy.

Rome is home to the biggest mosque in the western world, but proposals to construct traditional-style mosques elsewhere have frequently run into opposition from local councils.
Ten gunmen board South Korean ship off Tawi-Tawi province in southern Philippines and kidnap captain and crew member.

The captain and one crew member of a South Korean cargo ship have been abducted by suspected Abu Sayyaf fighters in the southern Philippines, according to military officials.

Ten gunmen, who reportedly identified themselves as fighters from the Abu Sayyaf group, boarded the Dongbang Giant 2 ship on Thursday and kidnapped its captain, described by the Philippine army as Korean, as well as a local crewman.

They identified themselves as Abu Sayyaf Group members . Were looking into this, regional military command spokesman, Major Filemon Tan, told the ABS CBN television channel on Friday.

The ship was en route to South Korea from Australia when it was attacked.

Other crewmen were not seized and one managed to call his family, which reported the assault to authorities, according to Tan.

READ MORE: Philippines  Case of Italian kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf

The 11,400-tonne vessel was allowed to continue on its course after the abductions, Tan said, adding that authorities had interviewed witnesses on board, with the military now in hot pursuit of the kidnappers.

Naval patrols off Tawi-Tawi and nearby Sulu, where fighters take most of their kidnapping victims, have been strengthened in recent months due to a spate of abductions, Tan told the Associate Press news agency.

We do our best to secure that area but its a wide body of water, Tan said by telephone.

Abu Sayyaf, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), has entrenched its network in recent years with vast sums of ransom money.

The group began abducting sailors in border waters between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines early this year, taking several dozen Indonesian and Malaysian hostages.

READ MORE: The returning jihad  ISIL in Southeast Asia

The armed fighters also beheaded two Canadian hostages and released a Norwegian man along with a number of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors in the past.

Military sources say the group is still holding a Dutch hostage, five Malaysians, two Indonesians and four Filipinos in their jungle stronghold in the southern Philippines.
With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, U.S. Rep. John Katko's campaign is out with a new TV ad that links his new foe to an old one.

The commercial, which will begin airing Friday night on Syracuse-area broadcast and cable stations, labels Deacon, D-Syracuse, a "political insider" and then shows an image of her next to former U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, a Democrat who served two non-consecutive terms as central New York's congressman.

As the image is shown, the narrator says, "We can't afford another follower."

Katko, R-Camillus, defeated Maffei in the 2014 election. Polls show the GOP congressman is leading Deacon, D-Syracuse, by 23 points in the 24th Congressional District race.

An incumbent hasn't won re-election in the Syracuse-area congressional district since 2006, when then-U.S. Rep. Jim Walsh narrowly defeated Maffei. Walsh retired in 2008 and Maffei was elected to the first of the two terms he served in Congress.

Maffei's first re-election bid came against Republican challenger Ann Marie Buerkle in 2010. He was favored to win, but Buerkle pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the election cycle. She defeated the Democratic incumbent by 648 votes.

Buerkle only lasted one term in office. In a rematch of the 2010 race, she lost to Maffei in 2012.

Maffei's second re-election bid also ended in defeat. He lost to Katko by nearly 20 points.

The new TV ad released by Katko's campaign alludes to the string of congressional representatives who haven't been able to win re-election. The narrator makes the case that Katko has earned another term in Congress.

"John Katko: Finally, a congressman we should keep," the narrator said.

The 24th Congressional District includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western portion of Oswego County.

Election Day is Nov. 8.
Government to submit a bill to exit the ICC, amid growing concerns that Hague-based court tries mostly African leaders.

South Africa is pulling out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) because its obligations are inconsistent with laws giving sitting leaders diplomatic immunity, according to government officials.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha said on Friday that the government will soon submit a bill in parliament to withdraw from the court in The Hague, a move that comes as several African countries express concerns over what they call the ICCs disproportionate targeting of the continent.

The bill will propose that South Africa repeal the Rome Statute that created the court because the statute is in conflict and inconsistent with the countrys diplomatic immunity law, said Masutha.

A difficult choice had to be made, Masutha told reporters in the capital Pretoria.

OPINION: Why South Africa let Bashir get away

Last year, South Africa said it planned to leave the ICC after it faced criticism for not arresting Sudans President Omar al-Bashir, who is accused of genocides and war crimes, when he visited the country. Bashir has denied the accusations.

Officials here say the ICC unfairly targets African governments and leaders, Al Jazeeras Haru Mutasa, reporting from Johannesburg, said.

Mutasa said that government began the process of withdrawing from the ICC last year after civil society groups dragged the government to court over its decision to let Bashir go.

A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed that the move would take effect one year after notice is formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The document was dated October 19, and signed by Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africas minister of international relations and cooperation.

The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court, the document said.





The Republic of South Africa is committed to fight impunity and to bring those who commit atrocities and international crimes to justice and, as a founding member of the African Union, promotes international human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the African continent, it added.

In complex and multi-faceted peace negotiations and sensitive post-conflict situations, peace and justice must be viewed as complementary and not mutually exclusive.

The ICC, which opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

OPINION: African leaders and the bias of international justice

Another African country, Burundi, appeared set to become the first county to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty establishing the global court, after its parliament voted last week to leave.

Burundis President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on Tuesday, but the United Nations has not yet been officially notified.

Other African countries have also threatened withdrawal, accusing the court of disproportionately bringing charges against suspected human rights abusers from the continent.

Al Jazeeras Mutasa said South Africas move will have huge ramifications on the African continent, citing divisions withing the African Union as some countries want to stay while some of them want to leave.

If Africa does leave the ICC, human rights activists are concerned [whether] there will be a body that will hold leaders to account if they commit human rights abuses and violations, our correspondent said.

The opinions of ordinary Africans were also divided, Mutasa said. They want the ICC to broaden its reach, and perhaps target leaders from the US and Europe.
Yingluck Shinawatra says she will fight order demanding nearly $1bn in compensation for a failed rice subsidy policy.

Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailands former prime minister, has vowed to fight an administrative order demanding she personally pays $1bn over her governments money-losing rice subsidy scheme.

The plan, which paid farmers above market rates for their rice, was a flagship policy of Yinglucks administration and helped sweep her to office in a 2011 general election.

Thailands first woman prime minister, Yingluck was ousted by a court decision shortly before the military staged a coup in May 2014 and seized power from her elected government.

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After her overthrow, prosecutors accused Yingluck of criminal negligence over the scheme which critics say haemorrhaged billions of dollars and temporarily cost Thailand its crown as the worlds top rice exporter.

Yingluck told reporters outside a Bangkok court on Friday that she had received a notice two days ago ordering her assets to be seized and hitting her with a fine of 35 billion baht ($996m).

In terms of the order, it is not right and it is not just, Yingluck said. I will use every channel available to fight this.

The rice subsidy scheme was a policy engineered by Yinglucks brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a 2006 coup.

Under the plan, the Thai government bought rice from farmers at a fixed rate, sometimes up to 50 percent higher than global market prices.

Fluctuations in market prices and mismanagement of the stockpiles led to large losses, estimated to have been worth between $4bn-$17bn.

But Yingluck supporters say the case against her is part of a military plan to wipe out the influence of the Shinawatra family  a view shared by some analysts.

It is par for the course of the military coup which was to put down the Thaksin challenge once and for all, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.

The junta denies it is singling Yingluck out.

READ MORE: Thai ex-PM defends rice scheme at impeachment

In addition to cases against Yingluck and senior members of her former cabinet, the military government is investigating some 850 cases related to the rice scheme for corruption, government spokesman General Sansern Kaewkamnerd told Reuters.

Many of the cases involve lower-ranking public officials and members of the private sector, he said.

An adviser to Yingluck, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that the asset seizure was done using section 44 of the interim constitution, which gives former army general and current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha absolute power to give any order deemed necessary to strengthen public unity and harmony.

Yingluck has 45 days to appeal the order.

The army said it staged the 2014 coup to bring stability following months of unrest. It denies staging the coup to limit the influence of Thaksin, his family and their political allies.








US-backed Kurdish rebels come under Turkish attack in Sheikh Issa town and other areas in northern Aleppo province.

About 100 Turkish rockets pounded a group of Kurdish fighters allied with a US-backed militia in northern Syria on Friday as Ankaras attacks against Syrian Kurds continue to intensify.

The confrontation between Turkey-backed Syrian rebels and Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has escalated as both sides race to be the first to expel the armed group from the northern Syrian city of al-Bab.





The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nearly 100 rockets fired by Turkish forces hit the town of Sheikh Issa and other frontline areas in northern Aleppo province on Friday.

On Wednesday, Turkey launched dozens of air strikes on the American-backed Kurdish fighters, highlighting the conflicting agendas of NATO members Ankara and Washington in an increasingly complex battlefield.

Turkey said between 160-200 Kurds were killed in the strikes, but a war monitor said only nine died.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday Turkeys activities in Syria are aimed at destroying terrorist organisations and securing its border, adding all operations are discussed with coalition partners.

An adviser to the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), who gave his name as Osama Abu Zayd, told Reuters news agency that Fridays clashes were fierce and widening as they try to push Kurdish fighters out of the northern Aleppo countryside.

READ MORE: Syrian Civil War Map

Two days ago, the [Kurdish fighters] tried to exploit our battle against Daesh [ISIL] to advance towards Marea, Abu Zayd said. Marea is a town in Turkey-backed rebel territory on the way to al-Bab.

What is happening today is a natural response to these separatist groups, Abu Zayd added.

Ahmad Araj  a political representative for the Kurdish fighters allied to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia  said fighters were now under attack both from ISIL and Turkey.

He said more than 150 rockets on Friday hit areas from which they had pushed ISIL out this week.

Today at 10am, Turkish shelling began  There was an attack and the clashes have continued since morning, said Araj. Their rockets are not targeting Islamic State, rather they are targeting our forces in areas liberated [from ISIL].

Conflicting agendas

The United States has backed the Kurdish-led SDF in its fight against ISIL, angering Turkey, which sees the umbrella groups dominant YPG militia (Peoples Protection Units)  as an extension of Kurdish PKK fighters. The PKK has waged a three-decade conflict in southeastern Turkey.

Turkey, a major backer of the fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, entered the Syrian conflict in August, using artillery and air power to help FSA rebels take ISIL-held territory near the border.

But it fears the YPG will try to connect three de facto autonomous Kurdish cantons that have emerged during the five-year war to create a Kurdish-run enclave in northern Syria, stoking separatist ambitions of Kurds on its own soil.

Ankaras intervention, therefore, also aims to prevent Kurdish forces from gaining more ground in Syria.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz makes televised appeal for calm after soldiers allegedly open fire on his convoy by mistake.

The Mauritanian president has appeared on state television, assuring his people that he was in good health following what he said was his accidental shooting by soldiers, before flying to Paris for further treatment.

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, 55, was shot late on Saturday as he returned to the capital, Nouakchott, from a weekend retreat.

I want to calm all citizens. The operation last night was a success thanks to the effectiveness of the medical team, he said in a statement broadcast on the state-owned TVM station on Sunday.

I want to reassure everyone about my state of health after this incident committed by error by an army unit on an unpaved road near Touela. Thanks to God, I am doing well.

Following his statement, Abdel Aziz flew to Paris for medical treatment on Sunday, local media reported.

This second operation comes after an operation at a Mauritanian military hospital to remove a bullet from his body, a security source told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.

Details murky

The government has played down the shooting, saying Abdel Aziz was only slightly wounded and that the shooting was an accident as the soldiers didnt realise that they convoy was his.

This was an accidental shooting on the presidential convoy as it returned to Nouakchott. The army unit did not recognize the presidential convoy, Hamdi Mahjoub, communications minister, said in remarks on national television.

A security source had earlier told AFP that the president had been directly targeted.

The source did not specify where the bullet had lodged but said none of his vital organs had been hit and his life is not in danger.

Unconfirmed media reports in Nouakchott said variously that Abdel Aziz had been hit in the arm or the abdomen.

Mahjoub had sought to reassure about Abdel Azizs health in his televised remarks.

The Mauritanian people can be reassured, the president is fine He was slightly wounded, and he got out of the vehicle unassisted upon arrival at the hospital, where he walked in without difficulty, he said.

Unknown assailant

Earlier, a security source told AFP news agency that Abdel Aziz was hit in the arm by a bullet that an unknown attacker fired at him as he was driving from his weekend retreat in nearby Tweila.

The assailant in a car directly targeted the head of state, he added, without giving any indications as to the identity of the attacker or the motive.

The presidents life is not in danger. He got out and walked to a military hospital where he received first aid, the source said.

Analysing the developments, Al Jazeeras Mohamed Vall said: Little has so far been revealed about who shot him, regardless of whether or not it was in error.

The incident certainly challenges the governments account that he was in a presidential convoy when a security patrol opened fire on him personally and wounded him in particular  all by mistake.

After all, Mauritania is notorious for its history of military coups. It has seen at least half a dozen since 1978.

Abdel Aziz himself staged two of them; the first against former dictator Mouawyia Ould Taya in 2005, and the second against a democratically elected civilian government in 2008.

Not resigning

Opposition politicians accuse Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of despotism and mismanagement and having failed to heed commitments made in the Dakar Accords that led to his election in 2009, a year after he seized power in a coup detat.

The opposition wants a transition government to take over from Abdel Aziz and find a way out of the crisis, dealing with issues such as unemployment, slavery and attacks on human rights.

Abdel Aziz has insisted he will not resign, despite a series of opposition protests.

I have no intention of leaving power because I think that in a democracy, change must be done through the ballot box, Abdel Aziz said in August.

Abdel Azizs mandate expires in 2014.

He has led a military campaign against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

He has been the subject of several failed assassination attempts by AQIM, a north African group loosely associated with al-Qaeda, according to sources.

AQIM, which stems from a group started in the late 1990s by radical Algerian Islamists, formally subscribed to al-Qaedas ideology in 2007, but after a string of attacks, the Algerian army managed to severely curtail its operations.

It has since been boosted by the turmoil in neighbouring Mali that followed a coup there in March, with hardline Islamists occupying the countrys vast northern region.
Satirists use their platform not only to entertain the Yemeni public, but also to subvert rival media narratives.
Former NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen defends intervention against Gaddafi, and we debate Kurdish independence in Iraq.

In this weeks UpFront, we talk to the former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who still maintains the NATO-led air campaign against Muammar Gaddafi in Libya was a model intervention.

In the Reality Check, Mehdi Hasan explains how, although the refugee crisis in Europe may be overwhelming, the scale of the catastrophe is much worse in Africa.

And in the Arena, we debate the future of an independent Kurdish state in Iraq, and whether it would further destabilise the already war-torn country.

Headliner: Ex-NATO boss: Libya still a model intervention

Five years after an armed revolution, supported by a NATO-led air campaign, resulted in the overthrow and death of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya continues to find itself in turmoil.

The UN-backed government still comes under repeated threat from armed militias.

But who is to blame?

In this weeks Headliner, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen defends the air strikes on Libya that led to the toppling of Gaddafi.

According to Rasmussen, the ensuing turmoil in Libya isnt due to NATOs model intervention, but because the international community did not follow up politically.

It was a very successful military intervention, Rasmussen says. I had expected  the UN to stand ready to assist the new authorities, but the UN didnt.

Anders Fogh Rasmussens latest book is The Will to Lead: Americas Indispensable Role in the Global Fight for Freedom.

Reality Check: Europe vs Africa: The refugee double standard

As hundreds of thousands of refugees continue to make their way into the European Union  which in 2015 received 1.3 million asylum applications  many governments have begun passing anti-immigration laws in response.

But while wealthier Europe panics over the influx of asylum seekers, the numbers are much higher in Africa.

In this weeks Reality Check, Mehdi Hasan sets the record straight on how Africa is really bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis.

Arena: Could Kurdish independence lead to a new Iraq war?

In 2014, following the withdrawal of Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga troops seized the oil-rich city of Kirkuk from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Two years on and with a fresh joint offensive against ISIL under way, calls for Kurdish independence are getting stronger. But in the absence of any real power-sharing negotiations with the Iraqi government, some are left wondering if the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is making a landgrab instead.

The KRG  with its own executive leadership, armed forces and diplomats abroad  is able to sign oil deals with foreign companies on its own. But the KRG says it is being held back; that the Peshmerga is not armed or trained properly, and that it cannot tap into international market as freely as it would like.

If the autonomous Kurdish region were to declare independence, what would it mean to war-torn Iraq? Could it spark a new war?

In this weeks Arena, we debate the future of Iraqs Kurds. Joining us are Iraq scholar Abbas Kadhim, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the official representative in the United States of the KRG.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook.
The Florida Board of Governors hopes that by the year 2025, 40 percent of undergraduate credits will be completed online.

At a Monday meeting, the board met with Florida university representatives to discuss the future of online learning. For UF, the goal of having 40 percent of credit hours completed online would mean increasing the number of online classes by 5 percent each year.

Andrew McCollough, the UF assistant provost, said that in the 2015-2016 school year, about 29 percent of undergraduate credits were completed online.

It has been growing organically, he said. I would not be surprised to see us close to 40 percent by 2025.

He said prerequisite or pre-professional courses can be completed in an online or hybrid setting. Hybrid courses are taken half online, half in person.

We try to measure success in the amount of learning that takes place, he said.

UF currently offers 17 online degree programs, with five to six added each year, he said.

John David Gaines, 21, a UF online student, said taking online-only courses has both pros and cons.

I think its more difficult just because theres no one to hold you accountable for watching lectures, the UF business senior said, but for the most part, he enjoys it.

He said he dreads group projects, which are even more difficult to complete in an online setting.

He said although it takes more effort to manage his schedule, the flexibility has opened up time for other things.

Over Summer, Gaines enrolled in his usual online classes while also working a part-time job and spending time with his family.

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Im enjoying it, he said. Im not ready to be in the real world yet.
UF has extended the freshman admission application deadline following Hurricane Matthew.

The university extended the deadline from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4 this week, wrote UF spokesman Steve Orlando in an email. The university chose to extend the deadline because of the hurricane, which brought strong winds and heavy rain to the eastern part of the state earlier this month.

Hurricane Matthew was a significant event that impacted the lives of many individuals including students applying to college, Orlando wrote. We hope this extension will (alleviate) any stress students may have about meeting the application deadline.

UF has extended the freshman application deadline in the past, following other storms such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012, he said.

A few high-school seniors affected by Hurricane Matthew had reached out to the admissions office, asking for more time due to the storm, Orlando said.

Tori Knott, a senior at Lely High School in Naples, Florida, said shes glad the university extended the deadline for those who live in areas impacted by Hurricane Matthew.

She said shes halfway through her application and plans to submit it by the end of the month. Although Naples didnt see any damages from Matthew, she said the extension will also help her and other students in the state to fine-tune and finish their applications.

I think it shows that theyre really understanding and considerate of those who want to attend their university, the 17-year-old said. I think its really thoughtful of them. It shows a lot of really good character from UF.
UF students will help raise money for girls education in developing countries Sunday.

Shes the First UF will hold its second annual Day of the Girl Summit to educate students about global gender-inequality issues while raising scholarship funds through the donations required to attend, which are $5 during presale and $7 at the door. The summit, which includes workshops and panels, will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Ustler Hall.

Last year, STF UF raised about $400 during the summit for girls from countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia and Peru, said Valentina Lopez-Diaz, the groups vice president of operations. The money raised will be given to the STF national chapter for scholarships to fund the education of six girls.

Many of these girls will be the first in their families to graduate from high school, the 20-year-old UF marketing junior said.

I think being educated is one of the greatest gifts Ive ever had, Lopez-Diaz said. I think that everyone deserves a chance to get an education, especially girls, because we have the power to change the world.

About 100 people can attend the summit, and there are about 60 spots left, said Michelle Ospina, the summits director. She said she hopes to raise as much money as possible for the girls.

I think it just gives everyone a purpose and connects each one of us together, the 19-year-old UF industrial and systems engineering sophomore said.
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson visited Gainesville on Thursday to meet with the citys Chamber of Commerce and campaign for a Florida Senate nominee.

Nelson discussed the Affordable Care Act and taxes on local medical-device manufacturers and complimented Gainesvilles public transportation system. Nelson later joined local politicians at an event for Rod Smith, who is running for the Florida Senate District 8 seat against Rep. Keith Perry.

I think hes one of the finest public servants that Ive ran into, Nelson said.

During the meeting, John Pastore, a chamber member and the president of Crime Prevention Security Systems, asked Nelson how he would reform the Affordable Care Act. As a small-business owner, Pastore said he pays too much for his employees health insurance.

Its drowning us, he said.

Nelson defended the Affordable Care Act, arguing more people have health insurance under the act and are no longer denied insurance for pre-existing health conditions. But he said Congress should work together to reform the act and accommodate businesses that face high fees.

Thats a part that ought to be fixed, Nelson said. But theres a certain element of politics in the country that say we dont want to fix it, we want to replace it.

Nelson said he plans to campaign with former President Bill Clinton and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. On Sunday, he will be in Alachua County campaigning with vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine, although no official time or location has been announced for Kaines visit.

Florida is such a ripe battleground swing state that youll see a lot of these candidates coming in, Nelson said.

Bill Nelson

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AUBURN  An idea floated in the aftermath of several public corruption cases involving New York state legislators received support from the Democratic challenger in the 51st Senate District race. But the incumbent, state Sen. Jim Seward, isn't a fan.

At an hour-long televised forum Thursday at Cayuga Community College in Auburn, Democratic candidate Jermaine Bagnall-Graham said he supports shifting from a part-time to full-time state Legislature. He views that as one way to address concerns about corruption in state government.

Seward, R-Milford, is opposed to the proposal. He thinks such a move would prevent those with outside employment from seeking state-level office. That means various backgrounds and viewpoints could be missing during discussions in Albany.

"I have found over the years that it's very helpful to have a variety of opinions," he said.

The candidates also offered different proposals for addressing ethics reform.

Bagnall-Graham said he supports legislation to close the so-called LLC loophole, which allows limited liability corporations to donate large amounts of money to candidates. He also was critical of the "pay-to-play atmosphere" in Albany, which he believes Seward has benefited from.

Seward, who chairs the Senate Insurance Committee, has received financial support from several insurance companies. Bagnall-Graham believes that gives the impression of pay-to-play.

Later in the debate, Seward responded when Bagnall-Graham once again made that claim. Bagnall-Graham said Seward, as the committee's chairman, "regulates" the insurance industry. While his committee does oversee insurance matters in the Senate, he's not a regulator.

"I consider holding public office to be a sacred public trust," Seward said. "I work hard every single day to maintain that trust. I conduct myself with the highest ethical standards."

On ethics reform, Seward said, if elected, he will vote a second time for the pension forfeiture constitutional amendment. He also supports term limits for legislative leaders and committee chairs. The Senate has imposed eight-year term limits on leadership positions and committee chair assignments. He hopes the Assembly will do the same.

Seward also came out in support of allowing recall elections  a position Bagnall-Graham agrees with.

"People should have the opportunity to recall their elected officials," Bagnall-Graham said.

The pair also found agreement  at least partially  on the controversial SAFE Act, a gun control law that was adopted in early 2013.

Seward noted that he voted against the SAFE Act when it was voted on in the Senate. Some Republicans supported that bill, but Seward was part of a small group that did not.

"I've never voted for any gun control law in the state of New York, and I never will," he said.

Bagnall-Graham said he believes there should be some sort of law in place, but sees problems with the SAFE Act. He thinks it was a "knee-jerk reaction" to the events at the time, which included the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.

"Let's recraft the SAFE Act," he said. "We need to have input from the upstate community. We should tighten it up. I do believe in gun control, but let's not punish the people who are responsible gun owners."

The 51st Senate District candidates forum was the first of three forums scheduled to be recorded at Cayuga Community College. On Thursday, Oct. 27, the candidates for the 54th Senate District seat will participate in a forum at the college.

On Nov. 1, Assemblyman Gary Finch and Democratic challenger Diane Dwire will take part in the final forum before Election Day.
Once a year for the past 25 years, Steve Perry looks for bubble trails in the water: a sign that an alligator is nearby.

During Floridas two-and-a-half-month alligator-hunting season, the Gainesville resident gathers a group of friends and scours state and county lakes for the reptiles, hunting them and selling their hides to make a living.

In March, he turned his passion into a legitimate business, starting a Gainesville-based online retailer, Perrys Alligator Products, and becoming one of several Floridians who profit from the alligator hunt.

So far this season, which spans from Aug. 15 to Nov. 1, Perry has caught 22 alligators throughout the state and Alachua County, which he will sell to high-paying leather processors.

When we sell our leather hides, we have people that will take the high-quality ones and sell them to high-end designers the 47-year-old said. The high-end designers will then turn them into handbags that sell upwards of $45,000.

In 1988, to sustainably control rebounding alligator populations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission enacted the alligator-hunting season, which allows hunters to take two alligators per permit.

Steve Stiegler, a wildlife biologist for the FWC alligator management program, said permits are in high demand, so theyre closely regulated. Last year, the commission received 24,000 applications, only approving 6,000. This year, 6,128 permits were issued, he said.

All the permits are the same in that they allow the hunters to kill and tag up to two alligators, Stiegler said. Once they have used their two tags, their hunting season is over.

Despite restrictions, Perry said his 20-alligator catch isnt violating any laws because he pays his friends for their tags.

In Alachua County, his go-to spots include Newnans Lake, Orange Lake and Lochloosa Lake. Just before sunrise, he and two other hunters will set out in a boat. When the bubbles break the surface, Perry jabs a hook into the water.

Well put a hook into them on a rod and reel, fight them for a while, get them up and put a harpoon in them, Perry said. Once you have the harpoon in them, you use a bang stick, pull the pin and pop them on their skull cap. That kills them.

After the hunt, Perry sells the gator hides to someone like Tracy Howell, 54, who processes the skin and sells it to clothing manufacturers like Italian-based Mauri Shoes and U.S.-based Tucket Footwear.

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To legitimize his business and encourage walk-in sales, within the next few weeks Howell will open up a store called the Ty Hill Collection in Plant City, Florida, where he will sell alligator-skin shoes, wallets and belts.

An industry veteran for the past 39 years, the Plant City resident said the hunting season is a self-supporting program that funds research and helps local economies.

This is how I make my living, he said.
Youve been studying all week. Late nights in the library. Early mornings with the study group. Youve never felt more prepared for an exam in your life. Now, here you are, sitting in the exam room with your blue book in front of you. Im ready for this, you think to yourself as the teaching assistants pass out the exams. Once theyve all been dispersed, you read the first question on the exam. But its not really a question. You raise your hand, and a TA walks over. Is this a joke? you ask. The TA shrugs, mutters good luck, and walks away. You glance back down at the exam, hoping its changed. It isnt. Staring right back at you are 35 questions, each with four multiple choice answers, each question and each answer reading nothing but

Darts & Laurels

If youve been keeping up, dear readers, then youll know that this week, a team of Tennessee scientists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered a chemical reaction by which carbon dioxide can be converted into ethanol, which can in turn be a new source of energy. This could be key in the fight against climate change. But thats not all in the wonderful world of science that has happened this week, dear readers. On Wednesday, the first new U.S. nuclear reactor in 20 years went live again in Tennessee, providing quality clean energy to many residents of the Tennessee Valley. We give this laurel to all the Tennessee scientists who have been kicking butt lately, not only by developing clean energy, but also for keeping in mind that all of this brings us closer to remedying the problem of climate change.

Speaking of problems, the third and final presidential debate was held Wednesday night. The beginning of the end of this circus is finally near. At the beginning of the debate, the moderator, Fox News Channels Chris Wallace, reminded the audience that they agreed to not cheer or boo at any point during the discussion. But when Trump insisted that no one has greater respect for women than he does, the audience sworn to silence exploded into laughter. This should speak volumes about his character. Regardless, the audience broke their promise, and for that, we lob a dart at them. Though we also give them a secret laurel for identifying the irony in Trump saying, Nobody respects women more than me, before calling the first nominated female presidential candidate of a major party in American history a nasty woman.

The debate was held in Las Vegas, and its safe to assume that people flew in for the debate. As many of you know, flying is by far one of the worst experiences one can endure. Sometimes its so bad that your luggage gets lost and ends up in a foreign land for what feels like forever. Luckily for us, President Barack Obama and his administration rolled out a proposal earlier this week that would make it so airlines have to refund those pesky baggage fees if your luggage is delayed. We present a laurel to you, President Obama, for bringing justice to the repeat offender that is the American commercial airline industry.

The Obama administration also learned this week that North Korea, yet again, failed to test-fire a missile. There is still no information as to where the missile was intended to go. Regardless, were extremely grateful that the operation was a fluke. But for trying to launch missiles in the first place, we give a dart to North Koreas de facto dictator Kim Jong-un. Seriously, he is really sticking to his plan of starting World War III.










English News US presidential race now a ferocious battle between bigwigs

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 21 Octobre 2016



Most Americans have lost their faith in the current US economy and political power. The American Dream, which advocates changing ones destiny through personal efforts, has faded. Most people are now worrying about daily life and feel impotent when it comes to changing their fates.

Josef Braml Source: People's Daily



US democracy is now facing fundamental challenges: growing inequality and stagnant social mobility. Instead of combating these challenges, the government has adopted clientele policy in the interest of election campaigners, putting its people in a powerless position.



The US political system is no longer welcomed by its people, instead, it is now falling into a legitimacy crisis. This is also one of the core arguments in my new book, At the Expense of Freedom - The Sell-out of American Democracy and the Consequences for Europe.



Most Americans have lost their faith in the current US economy and political power. The American Dream, which advocates changing ones destiny through personal efforts, has faded. Most people are now worrying about daily life and feel impotent when it comes to changing their fates.



In the meantime, they can do nothing while the 1 percent alter the rules so they get a bigger slice of the pie by influencing politics. Such an abnormality will only shift the redistribution of power towards a higher social hierarchy and benefit the elites, thus widening the gap between the rich and the poor.



During the presidential race, nationalists like Donald Trump have been hailed by Americans because they believe the current political system can no longer represent their interests. The people are sick of monotonous US politics. In their eyes, the funding of Hilary Clintons campaign is tied to Wall Street, while real estate mogul Donald Trump needs donations from no one.



In the last presidential race, official campaign funding reached $2 billion. This year, that figure is likely to reach $6 billion. Every cent of that money is a bargaining chip to sway policy making for arsenal dealers, oil tycoons, IT tech companies and the finance industry, all of whom do not want state regulation and taxation..



Plutocrats can also make a killing in the congressional election. During the race for the House of Representatives, 94 percent of the winners are those who spent the most money. As for the Senate, 82 percent of the most generous runners win the election.



It costs at least $2 million to keep a seat in the bi-annual House of Representatives election whereas to survive the Senate race every six years, candidates spend $10 million on average.



Since the US midterm elections in 2010, the president and Congress have been caught in a standoff, which will continue after the 2016 election. This deadlock in US politics has completely twisted the intention of the founding fathers to create a balance of power between the commander-in-chief and the bicameral legislature.



The only area that the next US president may have true authority is security policies. As the commander-in-chief, the president also runs US intelligence activities across the globe. That is when he is at his strongest in the world, especially when the country claims to be threatened by extremists or other terrorists.



Whenever a threat approaches, the president, who normally would be restricted by many factors, can expand his or her power range and break the limitations posed by Congress, because on the one hand, external threats can draw public attention away from severe domestic conflicts, such as racism, poverty, high crime rate and drug abuse; and on the other hand, creating an enemy can offer the excuses they need to inject more capital into military, intelligence and other security areas.



(The author is an expert on US studies on the German Council on Foreign Relations.)



Dans la meme rubrique : < > More robots entering people's daily life China sees accelerated development of express delivery sector in rural areas China's FAST discovers largest atomic cloud in universe Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
In the wake of the Wells Fargo scandal, many inside and outside the industry are asking a very simple question: "Are the unethical sales practices unique to Wells Fargo or do they have broader industry implications?"

Those who believe opening phony accounts is restricted to Wells Fargo note that the bank has touted its cross-sell success as a core component of its overall performance and valuation for years. Others, mostly industry critics, claim that the Wells Fargo situation is symptomatic of just another industrywide practice designed to maximize profitability at the expense of customers.

While the "is this unique?" question is an important one, the answer won't change the ripple effect. The regulatory, management, reputational and risk oversight implications of the Wells Fargo action will be (and already are) significant for the industry as a whole.

It is doubtful that many CEOs or boards of directors are taking pleasure in the humiliation, public shaming and outright ridicule of one of the nation's largest banks. They understand, from firsthand experience, that the industry's reputation remains fragile: when a large bank sneezes, the rest of the industry catches a cold.

If there is one thing that is virtually certain, it is that regulatory actions are rarely one-off events. To respond quickly and credibly to regulatory inquiries and examination requests, get the data and programs in place now.

While it is likely that the CEO and board have been exposed to retail banking and sales performance metrics, it is also likely that most of them do not know how those metrics are calculated, reported, monitored or achieved. Expect this to change and change quickly.

The first question many CEOs will ask is "do we have a problem or risk and how do we know?" The answer of "yep, we're good, no problem" will not suffice. As a result, many retail executives have already taken the logical first step of scrubbing their sales and customer data for low balance and/or inactive accounts  the goal of which is to estimate the size and scope of potentially inappropriate sales behavior.

This is a good first step. However, take this step a little further  evaluate sales reports to identify outliers. Look at specific branches where sales and cross-sell performance far exceeds averages for the network as a whole and the profile of the individual salesperson.

This endeavor can be awkward because it means putting your top performers under the microscope and explicitly or implicitly appearing to question their integrity. Nevertheless, if this analysis is done in a transparent and supportive way, it will help to provide confidence that extraordinary performance is not being achieved through unethical behavior.

While this initial analysis will help to determine immediate issues and risks, it is probably not sufficient to determine how, and if, existing programs and practices should be changed. It is incumbent on retail and executive management to answer these questions:

Do our performance metrics reflect the full range of activities and expectations of the branch and branch personnel, or do they primarily reward sales?

Are the goals reasonable? Are they established based on the characteristics and potential of each individual branch market or are all branches and bankers expected to achieve the same results?

Do sales metrics measure quality of sales as well as quantity?

If we pride ourselves on creating value-added relationships with our customers, do we reward quality relationship management or do we push widget sales and incentivize product sales?

Have we developed reporting and monitoring systems to systemically identify potential risks, and not just report numbers?

Do we have a system in place to ensure proactive communications with customers to verify account opening and thank them for their business?

Are we doing the in-the-field management work required to monitor behavior or are we just managing by the numbers?

Do our incentive compensation programs clearly align with overall bank goals and with our cultural values or are they seemingly independent?

Have we created a process and supportive environment to respond quickly and objectively to employee questions and concerns?

Can we prove that there is consistent alignment between policies and practices and that there are proven methods in place to identify where and when there is a disconnect between the two?

This type of review is essential to assure that retail management, executive leadership and the board all have a consistent and confident view of the processes and practices in place to mitigate risk, grow the franchise, support the culture and achieve enterprisewide objectives.

Rolland Johannsen is senior consulting associate at the Capital Performance Group, a Washington-based consultancy focusing on the financial services industry. He can be reached at rjohannsen@capitalperform.com.
A former director at Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., has pled guilty to insider trading.

James Cope entered into an agreement with the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee to plead guilty to one count of insider trading; he will serve a two-year probationary sentence, according to court documents. During the first nine months of the sentence, he will be subject to home confinement.

He will also pay a $55,000 fine.

The maximum penalty would have been 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $5 million fine.

Cope is a lawyer "with an impeccable reputation" who "made a mistake in judgment," said Aubrey Harwell Jr., a lawyer at Neal & Harwell and represented the former bank director. "He is accepting responsibility for what has transpired."

The Securities and Exchange Commission is also pursuing a case against Cope. During a Jan. 5 executive committee meeting, Cope learned about the potential acquisition of Avenue Financial Holdings in Nashville, according to court documents. He allegedly used the information to buy roughly 10,000 Avenue shares.

Cope reaped more than $56,000 from buying the shares after Avenue agreed to sell itself to Pinnacle, the SEC claimed in its complaint.

Cope, who lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn., resigned from the Pinnacle's board in April. Pinnacle later disclosed the potential insider trading in a regulatory filing.

The $11 billion-asset Pinnacle completed its acquisition of Avenue on July 1.
Heather Russell, who was fired earlier this year as Fifth Third Bancorp's chief legal officer, has re-emerged in a new role.

BuckleySandler said in a press release Thursday that it had hired Russell to head its new financial institutions regulation, supervision and technology practice. The team combines institutional bank regulatory capabilities with the law firm's broader regulatory compliance, enforcement, transactional and fintech practices.

Russell had worked at the $141 billion-asset Fifth Third until the company disclosed in July that it had fired her over a "personal matter" that presented a conflict of interest. Russell later revealed to the Wall Street Journal in a statement that she had been terminated after informing the banking company's senior management about a personal relationship with Timothy Mayopoulos, Fannie Mae's chief executive.

Mayopoulos had disclosed the relationship in March to Fannie Mae's compliance and ethics office, which determined that no more action was needed as long as he avoided matters concerning Fifth Third, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Russell's employment history includes time as global chief regulatory counsel at BNY Mellon, where she created and led the company's global office of public policy and regulatory affairs. She also spent five years at Bank of America  where Mayopoulos had also worked  where she had been lead counsel for a number of the company's divisions.
Recent news and leaks make it clear that a plot is afoot. A smoking gun has been found. Republicans are committing political malpractice by not making it clear they are the last line of defense.

ObamaCare is imploding, as was widely predicted upon its passage by Republicans and a range of non-partisan experts. The ObamaCare meltdown is even worse than we thought. Bloomberg News recently:

A growing number of people in Obamacare are finding out their health insurance plans will disappear from the program next year, forcing them to find new coverage even as options shrink and prices rise. At least 1.4 million people in 32 states will lose the Obamacare plan they have now, according to state officials contacted by Bloomberg. Thats largely caused by Aetna Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and some state or regional insurers quitting the laws markets for individual coverage. Sign-ups for Obamacare coverage begin next month. Fallout from the quitting insurers has emerged as the latest threat to the law, which is also a major focal point in the U.S. presidential election. While its not clear what all the consequences of the departing insurers will be, interviews with regulators and insurance customers suggest that plans will be fewer and more expensive, and may not include the same doctors and hospitals. It may also mean that instead of growing in 2017, Obamacare could shrink. As of March 31, the law covered 11.1 million people; an Oct. 13 S&P Global Ratings report predicted that enrollment next year will range from an 8 percent decline to a 4 percent gain.

Far more people are being afflicted by premiums and deductibles that are soaring, regardless of whether they have coverage under Obamacare plans or private or employer based insurance. Premiums are increasing by high double digits in many states (the national average premium increase will be 24.2% in 2017) and deductibles have grown so much that health care costs are devouring a record eight percent of the typical household budget in the wake of ObamaCare.

Barack Obamas oft-quoted promise that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it has been living up to its dubious distinction granted in 2013 as the lie of the year. Actually, it is the biggest lie in decades and he and his people knew it was a lie all along. Remember that the bills architect admitted that they relied on the stupidity of the American people to help the bill pass and three Obama speechwriters laughed about it on a PBS show. The lie may have been erased from the Obamacare website after it had served its purpose but many millions are enduring the reality of the disaster.

Republicans knew it was a lie; not one Republican in either the Senate or the House voted for the absurdly titled Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act. They tried to mitigate the damage from the deviously passed legislation by inserting into a 2014 spending bill a provision that prevents Obama and the Democrats from bailing out insurance companies. Barack Obama is again trying to circumvent the law by tapping the so-called Judgement Fund for billions of dollars to keep ObamaCare afloat. This would be illegal. House Republicans have filed a brief in a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the bailout of insurance companies.

Clearly, Obama is trying to keep Obamacare on life support until what? The facts and basic economics are on the side of Republicans; the program is a disaster. Even Democrats have begun to waken to the reality of the problems they face from ObamaCare. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, previously one of its most fervent supporters, declared Obamacare no longer affordable. Even President Obama, as much as he lives in some fabulist world of his own imagination, cannot avoid reality and admitted there were problems in his legacy achievement. Predictably, he blamed Republicans even though they opposed Obamacare at every opportunity. Were they to blame because they did not want to be complicit in the man-made disaster he and his Democratic allies have imposed on America?

But there is a tell, and it reveals Hillary Clintons remedy for the ills of ObamaCare. is worse than the disease. Hillarys frenemy Bill Clinton shockingly admitted that ObamaCare is the craziest thing in the world since Americans  wind up with premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half and its the craziest thing in the world. Clearly, Bill Clinton was sending a message -- wittingly or not -- that big changes were afoot and big government was coming to the rescue.

What is Hillary Clinton plotting should she become President?

Wikileaks revealed an email that is a smoking gun. Despite a massive media blackout, some of the emails see the light of day on social and conservative media. HillaryClinton wrote an email to senior policy advisor Ann OLeary that disclosed she was working, behind the scenes (naturally since she has a public persona -- or multiple ones, actually -- and a private one) to undermine the Affordable Care Act.

Jeffrey Anderson writes at the Weekly Standard:

If further evidence were needed that this country faces two choices going forward on health care, a leaked Hillary Clinton email just provided it. The choices we face are (a) the repeal of Obamacare and its replacement with a conservative alternative, or (b) a government monopoly. Obamacare cannot last, and even the Democratic nominee for president is apparently seeking, and pushing for, its demise. A WikiLeaks release Tuesday shows Clinton writing the following in an email exchange, reportedly with senior policy adviser Ann O'Leary: In the email, Clinton conveys her support for Republicans' ill-advised effort to repealor delayObamacare's "Cadillac tax." (Such efforts are ill-advised because Republicans should be pushing for full repeal, not catering to various interest groups in pushing for partial repeal.) But the striking thing is Clinton's motivation: She wants the Democrats "to be careful" to let the Republicans' legislation pass, because that legislation, she conveys, "begins the unraveling of the ACA" [Obamacare]. That doesn't sound like someone who's trying to make Obamacare better, which Clinton has campaigned as being committed to doing. Rather, while posing as an Obamacare supporter, she has been eager to see President Obama's signature legislation "unravel," so that it can to give way to a true government monopoly.

Hillary clearly wants her own legacy to supersede that of Barack Obamas: HillaryCare.

Recall that as First Lady during her husbands first presidency she tried and tried but failed disastrously to get her version of healthcare reform passed. She seems very determined to leave her own mark, even if it meant conniving behind President Obamas back to replace ObamaCare.

What form would Hillary Care take? Phil Gramm wrote a Wall Street column giving us a glimpse of the horrors to come in Where Clinton will take Obamacare:

In claiming earlier this year that the current U.S. health-care system was HillaryCare before it was called ObamaCare, Hillary Clinton was telling the truthbut not the whole truth (snip) HillaryCare was a comprehensive plan for the government to take over the health-care system, with program details and cost-control measures precisely defined. (snip) As with HillaryCare, a single payer, national health-care system has always been the goal. Hillary Clintons Health Security Act of 1993 would have broken the nations health-care system into regional Healthcare Purchasing Cooperatives, which would have collectively set treatment guidelines and implemented cost-control measures. (snip) The decisions of HillaryCares National Control Board, which would have determined every allowable benefit and treatment, would have been finalnot reviewable by any agency or judge. (snip) Except for the fact that it is occurring right before the elections, the four largest national health insurers dropping out of ObamaCare is not a problem. This is the plan. Eliminating the facade of private insurance is how ObamaCare morphs into HillaryCare and ultimately into a single-payer plan like Medicaid or Medicare. (snip) For the ObamaCare of today to be transformed into the HillaryCare of 1993 and finally into a nationalized health-care system, a president is needed who has the willpower to impose the coercive details, nail down hard deadlines and unleash agencies to tighten controls and squeeze the life out of private insurers.

This is Hillary Clintons plot against America.

If you dislike ObamaCare, you will hate HillaryCare. What dAmericans have to look forward to: rationing, loss of freedom, long lines and mediocre care (2/3 of doctors say ObamaCare hurts quality and cost of healthcare), nationalized health care.

True, a President Trump would prevent this plot from reaching its fruition. What should be the backup plan? Republicans were successful in putting into place provisions severely weakening ObamaCare to the extent that it is rapidly collapsing on its own pile of lies. They can prevent HillaryCare just as they did back in 1993 in is first rollout. But they need control of Congress, or, at the very least, the House. They might not be able to repeal and replace ObamaCare but they have put in place measures that are crippling its implementation, something they get far too little credit for doing. When Democrats elected Barack Obama and controlled Congress they burdened America with Obamacare. Does anyone think Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and President Hillary Clinton will stop there if that triad assumed power?

As Kimberly Strassel recently wrote in Make Democrats Own Obamacare:

ObamaCare is roaring back as a political liability to Democrats in a way not seen since that 2010 wave election. Right in time for this falls presidential contest, insurers are bailing out of the government system, leaving millions of voters with dwindling options and skyrocketing premiums. ObamaCare was always destined to crack up, but there is something notable that it comes precisely as so much control of Washington is up for grabs. Especially since the health law is playing an outsize role in the states that will matter most for which party controls the Senate. At least three crucial elections feature Democrats who provided the final Senate votes to make ObamaCare the law of the land. Several other high-profile races are playing out in states where the health law has wreaked particular damage.

Republicans should pin the tail of ObamaCare on the Democratic Donkey. Not to do so is political malpractice-a chronic disease among Republicans.

Why arent Republicans running against ObamaCare and raising the specter of something worse and more horrifying to come: HillaryCare?
The media frequently and correctly point out that ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has killed far more Muslims than non-Muslims. Hence, some have suggested that ISIS is against Muslims. Wrong.

The greatest violence perpetrated by ISIS has been in the Middle East. Also, statistically speaking, one has a greater chance of dying from heart-related diseases than from a terror attack.

Hence, some have suggested that we must be worried, but not unduly fret over ISIS here in the U.S. Or, as articulated by some (most prominently by President Obama), ISIS does not pose an existential threat to the U.S.

I respectfully disagree. And I will tell you why.

First, we must analyze what exactly ISIS is. The "brand" ISIS represents is very different from the "organization" structured in the Middle East. An accurate understanding will also explain why most Muslims happen to be vehemently against ISIS.

ISIS is a radical Muslim organization that espouses a return to the roots of Islam (hence the phrase "Islamic fundamentalism" we hear about often). Of course, there is no consensus as to what that would mean to more than a billion Muslims around the world. This is where ISIS emphasizes (and violently enforces) the ISIS version of Islam. And it will kill anyone (including Muslims) who disagrees.

Just consider two examples where ISIS's understanding of Islam differs from the vast majority of the Muslim world. The first one is cultural, the second religious.

Music: Music is immensely popular in the Muslim world. ISIS is absolutely against music, period. But wait; there is more. ISIS is also against religious music  like the "azan" or "Islamic call to prayer," a regularity in nearly all countries with a substantial Muslim population. Pilgrimage: The Prophet's mosque in Medina (where Prophet Muhammad is buried) is one of the holiest sites in Islam, frequented by millions of Muslims every year. On 06 July 2016, ISIS attacked the Prophet's mosque, as ISIS perceives it as idol-worship.

That being said, it would be a huge mistake to interpret from the above that ISIS is against Islam or Muslims. It is not. ISIS is against everything it believes is un-Islamic, including what it thinks is "wrongful religious practice" by the vast majority of Muslims around the world.

Now you know why they bombed Medina.

And needless to mention, ISIS is vehemently against non-Muslims. ISIS considers the actions of non-Muslims un-Islamic by definition.

Now consider the organization. The ISIS leadership is based in Iraq and Syria, embroiled in a "war" against the governments in these countries. Given the demographics of the region, it is but natural that their first line of conflict would be with the "other" Muslims (who are an overwhelming majority in the region).

The reason ISIS has killed more Muslims than non-Muslims is simply because the overwhelming majority of the population in their area of operation comprises Muslims. Not because ISIS is against Muslims.

This brings us to the next question. If ISIS is an extremist group based in Iraq and Syria, why does it pose an existential threat to the U.S.?

I think this is because there is a fundamental misunderstanding about what ISIS represents in mainstream conversation. One tends to confuse the "ISIS organization" with the "ISIS brand."

There is a group called ISIS in the Middle East, where the leadership is based. And then there is a brand called ISIS. This brand has co-opted social media campaigns, bombing, and brutality. And yes, this brand is very dangerous and operates globally.

Take the attacks in Mumbai, Paris, and San Bernardino. Or the shootings in the Orlando nightclub. Most of the victims there were probably non-Muslims. Why? Because non-Muslims formed the majority in these places.

This explains the modus operandi of the ISIS organization and ISIS brand. They do not care for lives, Muslim or non-Muslim. They will destroy everything they think is un-Islamic. This means they are against all non-Muslims and the vast majority of Muslims.

The risk the U.S. faces is less from the ISIS organization and more from the ISIS brand. It would be a huge mistake to conflate the two.

What is at stake here is the First Amendment itself, the very right to free speech. Hence, it might be prudent to consider that the ISIS brand is an existential threat to everything America stands for.

Dr. Arnab De is a Ph.D. from Columbia University and also has a mini-MBA from Rutgers University.
Oct. 21, 1936

Jumping to safety an instant before their truck was demolished by a fast freight at the New York Central crossing at Fletcher's Corners, about two miles north of Jordan, two Cato men escaped death at 6 o'clock last night. Millard Mott, Cato undertaker, and Stanley Briggs were uninjured as the impact tossed the light truck 15 feet in the air, snapping two telephone poles.

The truck stalled on the crossing a minute before the train was scheduled to pass. Mott, the driver made an effort to start the truck, but jumped as he saw the train approaching. Briggs, making a last effort to move the machine, delayed jumping until the train was speeding down upon the crossing. As the engine crushed the truck, Briggs still had one hand on the vehicle and almost was hurled to the ground by the force of the impact.

Oct. 21, 1961

The fifth annual dinner sponsored by the Cayuga County Democratic Committee for the southern end of the county has been scheduled at the Goodrich House in Moravia at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. William H. McKeon, Cayuga County Democratic chairman, has appointed Mayor Clifford Galbraith of Moravia as the general chairman for the affair.

Mayor Galbraith has appointed the following committees: J. Harry Lacey of Scipio, reception chairman, assisted by William L. Richardson of Sempronius, James Mahaney of Genoa, Andrew J. Carey of Locke, Alton Andrews of Niles, Keith Brightman of Springport, Lauren Hopkins of Summerhill and Thomas Costello of Venice. David Wade of Moravia is chairman of the ticket committee.

Oct. 21, 2006

Oct. 21, 2011

CCC nominated the Bisgroves for their work over the years as principals of the Stardust Foundation and the Stardust Foundation of Central New York, which included support for the Irene A. Bisgrove Community Theatre, Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute and other performing arts and entrepreneurial initiatives. The two will receive the award on Nov. 11 during the Council for Resource Development's annual conference in the nation's capital.
No one wants to leave his or her own family unprotected. There is no such thing as a true proponent of open borders. It is only a question of what the borders look like -- and whom they are designed to protect.

When almost everyone believed in nationalism, or what we used to simply think of as patriotism, borders got drawn around the country as a whole. Nobody questioned it, or even thought about it. The border was defended by the military and the border patrol. America, the national family in the public mind, was defined by the people whom the border protected -- the citizens of the United States. In the current, post-nationalist way of thinking that is the brainchild of progressives, the elites who advocate for open borders certainly dont intend to let American riffraff into their neighborhoods -- let alone the great unwashed of foreign shores. Their borders are the gated community, the homeowners association, the local police or private security, and, in the case of high government officials, the Secret Service. The polity are the political, media, and academic elites and their retainers. To them, what it is important to protect is no longer the nation, but rather the class.

This modern conception of borders is, in some ways, a throwback to the Middle Ages, when the landed aristocracy lived in castles with retinues of armed men, and had a deeper sense of kinship with the nobility of other nations than they had with their own peasants. In some ways, unfortunately, the current state of affairs is worse than medieval. In the Middle Ages, a large population meant both military power and economic wealth. The nobleman might look down upon the humble peasant, but he had a vested interest in protecting him. Now, in an age in which both wars and industry are increasingly the province of machines, most of the populace yields very little benefit to the people who rule over them. When people vote in line with the aristocracys wishes, they retain some marginal political value. When they dont, they are seen as nothing but a resource-hungry nuisance. The revelations from Wikileaks have shown this clearly. No U.S. citizen now living on the dole should be fooled into believing that the elites look down from their high places with loving concern. Peons are not cherished. Moreover, a dirty peon of ones own country is no better than a dirty peon of a foreign one. Citizenship is a concept that progressives have slated for destruction, as it gives rights to people with whom the elites feel no particular kinship. To the remarkably insular ruling class, the people who run the machines and make the lattes are fungible. That we are deemed deplorable as soon as we rebel against the interests of the elites should come as no surprise. If the ragged remnants of our democratic institutions can ever be dissolved or fully nullified, we will find out just how little we matter. Some of us are finding out already.

One need look no further for hard evidence of this process than the current state of the black community. Perhaps the welfare programs of the 1960s and 1970s really were an attempt to fix the problems of the ghetto, but by any measure other than the simple alleviation of hunger, the welfare state has made things worse. There is now more illegitimacy, more crime, more drugs, and fewer jobs in predominantly black communities than there were in 1960. However, the gated community, the homeowners association, and the local police in the most affluent neighborhoods make this a distant and rather academic problem for the ruling class. The failure of social programs to eliminate actual poverty has had no real consequences for policy makers themselves. So why should they care? Impoverished, miseducated people living on the taxpayers largess can usually be counted on to vote for the people who confiscate their livelihood for them. Conveniently, the Black Lives Matter narrative -- that the racist police that patrol the ghetto are the oppressive force that keeps the black population down -- does no substantive harm to the elites either. Policymakers do not own the little businesses that end up getting burned or looted in riots. Those belong to peons of one sort or another, and are expendable. The political class can only be glad for a narrative that absolves their failed policies of any culpability. Section 8 housing subsidies that relocate the decivilized populations of the inner cities to middle class neighborhoods never deposit their beneficiaries in Georgetown, Marin County, or the Hamptons. Chappaqua NY, where Hillary Clinton lives, has an African-American population of a mere 0.94% -- and those are, no doubt, well-educated and successful professionals like everybody else in Chappaqua. To the elites, middle class neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods are functionally indistinguishable -- both places they never visit, populated by unfortunates and inferiors in a variety of unpleasant shapes, sizes and colors. A person who lives in Bethesda (an affluent suburb of Washington DC) is far more likely to visit the nicer parts of London or Paris than any part of SE Washington. A defended border around the U.S. makes no sense to such a person. Their true nation consists of an archipelago of protected enclaves of their own kind scattered here and there across the Western world.

The question of Islamic migrants yields entirely the same story. Any Muslims who live among the elites are themselves educated -- and largely westernized -- elites. You will find no Syrian refugees in Georgetown, Marin County, or the Hamptons for the same reason you will find no Section 8 housing there. So long as terrorists only kill off members of the lower classes, the damage they do can be seen as a statistical abstraction. If you look at Islamic terrorism statistically, the numbers of victims are indeed quite small  far, far fewer than the numbers accounted for by ordinary crime or traffic accidents. When Obama said groups like ISIL (ISIS) are not an existential threat to the U.S. -- this is exactly what he meant. There are more than 300 million Americans. Whats a few dozen, a few hundred, or even a few thousand more or less? Stalin said famously -- The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic. The problem for us is that we are among the rats rather than among the experimenters. That more people die in traffic accidents is not the point. The government makes some effort to reduce the death toll from traffic accidents. In the case of the dangers posed by Islamic migrants, however, the elites have taken the position that a few deaths among the peasantry are more than worth the perpetuation of their diversity meme. They were shaken by 9/11 -- but only because that attack managed to kill a few of their own.

While I cannot, in good conscience, recommend actually hating anyone, I have come to find the passivity and naive optimism of many of my fellow middle class citizens unbearable. The daily drumbeat of outrages against the great sleepy bulk of the American public should not be, and cannot be, ignored. Our republic has been quietly suspended, not in favor of a better and more modern form of government, but in favor of a far older and infinitely worse one. Friedrich Hayek warned us this was coming in The Road to Serfdom -- and now it has arrived. We are ruled with no less callous disregard than we might expect if wed been invaded by a foreign army. Any customer picked at random from a Walmart in the heartland of America would probably serve the public interests better than either the Democratic nominee, or the current Republican Speaker of the House.
Most Muslims don't support terrorism. Most Muslims don't support terrorism. Most Muslims don't support terrorism.

We get that drilled into us, over and over, with feel-good articles about Islam from the liberal media, and yesterday in the Washington Post was no exception. The Post wrote a glowing press release/article about the good works of America's largest Muslim charity, Islamic Relief USA.

Founded in 1993, Islamic Relief is the largest Muslim charity in America, with about $100 million a year in donations. They were Muslim, and they had come from all over the country to the traditionally red state of North Carolina. Plodding in their blue disaster-relief vests through neighborhoods devastated by floods, tornadoes and fires, they frequently encounter people who are pretty surprised to see Muslims, said Hani Hamwi, 29, the charitys disaster response team manager. On Sunday, the group sorted cans of food, clothes and other donated supplies and scrubbed the schools wrestling room so that it could be converted into a day-care center for babies and toddlers. So far this year, the charity has responded to eight disasters, including tornadoes in Oklahoma, wildfires in Washington state, floods in Louisiana and Texas, and water contamination in Flint, Mich. Often, they are dispatched to rural parts of the country, where Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric has received enthusiastic support.

Trump = bad; Muslims = unappreciated do-gooders.

There is only one problem with this narrative: Islamic Relief USA has numerous links to radical Islamic terrorist groups around the world.

Islamic Relief Worldwide [IRW] is the poster-child of an exemplary Islamic charity. Headquartered in the UK, and given tens of millions of dollars by Western governments, the United Nations and the European Union, IRW consists of a "family of fifteen aid agencies" which "aim to alleviate the suffering of the world's poorest people." New information, however, indicates that IRW  which counts Islamic Relief UK and Islamic Relief USA as its most important branches  is an extremist organization with a pro-terror agenda. IRW has worked with a significant number of organizations linked to terrorism. In 2004, 2007 and 2009, IRW accounts revealed donations of tens of thousands of pounds from the Charitable Society for Social Welfare [CSSW], a charity founded by Al Qaeda terroristand "Bin Laden loyalist" Abdul Majeed Al-Zindani. In 1998, the Al Qaeda terrorist Anwar Al-Awlaki, eventually killed by a U.S. drone strike, served as vice-president of CSSW's San Diego branch. During a terrorism trial in 2004 in the U.S., Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Brian Murphytestified that CSSW was a "front organization to funnel money to terrorists." In 1999, Human Concern International, a charity that Osama bin Laden told an Egyptian interviewer in 1995 was funding an al-Qaeda charitable front called Blessed Relief, gave IRW a $50,000 donation. IRW continues to refer to Human Concern as a partner. In 2008, Human Concern granted IRW a further 25,000. Further, in 2008, IRW's accounts revealed a donation of 13,437 from the Yemeni Al-Eslah organization  a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood whose leaders include Sheikh al-Zindani, whom the US Government has designated a "Global Terrorist."

There's a lot more. You can read it here.

The most elementary web search would have uncovered Islamic Relief USA's links to terrorism. The WaPo, on its own "jihad" to make Islamic Relief look sympathetic, either didn't want to know or more likely didn't care.

American Muslims says they are unfairly portrayed as sympathetic to radical Islam.

American Muslims are sometimes viewed this way because they rarely speak out against radical Islam. Furthermore, they have a history of not cooperating with the authorities, such as their failure to report the San Bernardino shooters to the police. The neighbors of the terrorist shooters knew what was going on but did not call the authorities.

And now we find out that the largest Muslim charity in America has links to terrorist groups.

It legitimately raises the question of how far and how wide radical Islam's appeal to American Muslims goes.

But instead of doing investigative reporting to answer this question, the Washington Post prefers to peddle pro-Islamist propaganda.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
It was deja vu all over again when Fox News debate moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump the question that has dominated the news media ever since, drawing new attacks on Trump from political establishment stooges everywhere.

Back in the spring, during the primaries, Trump was asked if he would sign a pledge to support whoever the eventual GOP nominee might be, pledging not to challenge that nominee and, in the end, to support that nominee. Trump, along with every other GOP primary candidate, agreed to take that pledge, only to watch other GOP candidates refuse to keep that pledge and support him.

Trump didn't fall for the same trick twice. This time, he answered Wallace by saying he would look at the situation at the time and leave everyone in suspense on the matter  a conservative approach to a blind loaded question aimed more at Trump's supporters than at Trump himself. The real question was, would Trump supporters accept the outcome of a rigged election?

Wallace had posed a loaded question, and much to the disdain of the pro-Clinton propaganda media, Trump was smart enough to stay out of the corner this time.

Finally grasping the level of anger in millions of American voters fed up with establishment politicians, their complicit news media, phony polling data, and a growing mountain of evidence proving that the election is indeed "rigged" in favor of Hillary Clinton, the media is in a mad search for any way available to quell the rising tide of angry voters before the pot boils over on November 8.

Hard evidence of "election-rigging" is so overwhelming at this point that the only way to deny it is to flat-out lie about it.

Hillary Clinton insulted Trump's answer to Wallace's rigged question, saying, "This is how democracy works!"

But it's not how it worked in 2000, when Democrat presidential candidate Al Gore refused to accept his loss and wanted those "hanging chads" counted again and again and again until the election would have swung in his favor, once there were enough hanging chads on the floor.

It's not how it worked when Hillary Clinton claimed that George W. Bush was "selected, not elected" in 2002, or when John Kerry stated that the 2004 election, which he lost handily to Bush, was "rigged."

Asking Trump if he would accept the results of a "rigged election" before the election is even held reminds me of the time Nancy Pelosi told Americans that they would have to pass Obamacare to see what was in it. Both were insanely foolish, but not on Trump's part.

A day later in Delaware and Ohio, and under fire from the Clinton-media, Trump announced that he will accept the outcome if he wins. Exactlythe fight isn't over until it's over, and this fight is far from over.

Last on this matter, why didn't Chris Wallace ask Hillary Clinton if she would accept defeat by Trump? Could it be because everyone including Chris Wallace knows exactly how "rigged" this election is? Mr. Fair and Balanced certainly wasn't Fair or Balanced with this question.

Chris Wallace should never have asked that question. It was inappropriate unless he asked it of Hillary Clinton, a career criminal and the most unpopular Democrat candidate in DNC history.
The New York Times is reporting that many victims of rape are running to therapists because of the mere possibility that Donald Trump could get elected president.

For women, particularly those who have been victims of sexual assault, the election has triggered painful memories. Ms. Elias [a therapist] said that after the second debate, "many of my female patients came in and wanted to talk about Trump." She said patients felt that Mr. Trump seemed to stalk Mrs. Clinton and invade her space. Some patients needed to process incidents in which they had felt belittled or harassed by men in their lives. "Women said their hearts were racing during the debate, they were that triggered," Ms. Elias said. "Some came in complaining of having had nightmares."

First there were trigger words, words that liberals simply could not endure. Now we have trigger people, people whose mere existence causes panic! And Donald Trump is one of them.

Thankfully, this triggering experience is limited to the thought of Donald Trump and no one else.

Women do not report being triggered by the thought of accused rapist Bill Clinton returning to the White House. Nor are they triggered by Mrs. Clinton's legal representation of a child rapist, or her seeming indifference to the Disney ride length line of women whom Mr. Clinton allegedly abused or raped during his long politica and sexual career. Nor are they apparently triggered by Mrs. Clinton's receipt of large sums of money from Muslim countries who literally, and I do mean literally, enslave their women.

Women seemed more concerned that Mr. Trump "invaded" Mrs. Clinton's space during the debate, but Mr. Clinton invaded a lot more intimate spaces of women than Mr. Trump did that night.

There's plenty to criticize about what Donald Trump has said about women (and perhaps done), but this asymmetical hysteria shows how liberal women conveniently ignore the excesses of their own candidate and focus, to the extreme, on the other. If only there were a treatment for politica brainwashing, perhaps some of these women could be cured.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
My wife Mary read me a frustrated woman's Facebook post. To cover only herself, her ObamaCare payment is $1000 per month which is higher than her old health insurance payment which covered her and her husband. Outrageously, her payment will become even higher beginning the first of the year.

Worse American ObamaCare Horror Stories are all over the internet; unreported by the mainstream media, which leaked emails confirm is in Hillary's/Democratic Party's back pocket.

Check out this headline to a Reuters story, White House Plans Community-based Prevention of Violent Ideologies.

Authorities blamed radical and violent ideologies as the motives for attacks in Charleston, South Carolina; San Bernardino, California; Orlando, Florida; New York and New Jersey in 2015-16.

In a nutshell, White House (the Left) is blaming conservative speech for causing violence. Meanwhile, the Left ignores the huge elephant in their living room, Black Lives Matter. This vile hate group openly calls for their minions to kill cops and white people. And yet, BLM was invited to the White House and praised for their outstanding work by Obama. It still blows my mind that the Ford Foundation pledged $100 million dollars to BLM. What part of BLM is committing and instigating murder are democrats and their leftist buddies not getting?

Using government agencies as Leftist agenda enforcers, the Left's plan is to ultimately make conservative speech/ideology illegal.

In other words, the same way a pit bull bites and refuses to let go, the Left is coming after us, folks. Obama's destruction of the best health-care system in the world and attacks on our constitutional right of freedom of speech are just a few ways Leftist enemies within are diligently and insidiously working to fundamentally transform America.

Borrowing this line from the Twilight Zone movie, Wanna see something really scary? House Majority Leader, Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer created a very scary nightmare for America.

Regardless of who occupies the Oval Office, the Left (Democrats with mainstream media and Hollywood support) will not be deterred in their relentless laser-focused plan to repeal as many of our constitutional freedoms as our dumbed-down public will allow them to get away with. Hillary has vowed to go further than Obama on rolling out the red carpet for illegals.Why? It will produce 20, 30 to possibly 50 million new Democrat voters.

Frankly, if Democrats keep the WH, take back the House and Senate while putting a hardcore liberal on the Supreme Court, it is pretty much game-over for America as founded; our country governed under a veiled Communism. That is not crazy talk folks, but a very real horrific possibility.

If Trump wins, which I believe he will, he will need the House and Senate to implement real change which is what the American people so desperately desire.

Bottom line, brother and sister patriots, we must help the Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate; not for the GOP, but for America.

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Chairman: The Conservative Campaign Committee

http://www.lloydmarcus.com/
A few nights ago on Megyn Kellys program Chris Stirewalt made a clever comment that epitomized the blindness of political pros in government and the media to the stakes and significance of the 2016 presidential campaign. Noting Trumps current unfavorable standing in the pre-election polls, Stirewalt concluded that this election is starting to look more and more like 1996 (or words to that effect).

What Stirewalt presumably meant was that he expects Hillary Clinton to prevail on Election Day 2016 by a margin similar to Bill Clintons margin of victory in 1996. She might, although I doubt it. But even if Hillary does prevail and equals Bill Clintons re-election margin down to a single vote, 2016 wont be anything like 1996, except perhaps in the eyes of blinkered professionals like Stirewalt. Thats because at a distance of 20 years only political obsessives can remember who the Republican candidate was in 1996, and even fewer can remember the issues on which the election was contested. Donald Trumps candidacy, in contrast, is a phenomenon that will be remembered and resonate with significance for decades, regardless of the outcome on Election Day. Whether Trump ever becomes president or not, his campaign has already served, with enormous success, as the platform of a loud cry of popular protest against elite rule of our political and cultural institutions. Even Trumps personal flaws, by attracting so much concerted, nasty, and hyperbolical opposition from elites, have had the salutary effect of enticing the elite manipulators out of concealment and into the ugly glare of daylight.

While a few left-wing media venues have sometimes characterized Trumps campaign as an extra-political hate movement, since Trump dipped in the polls at the end of September the predominant theme of media and insider commentary has focused on the horse race and whether Trump is doing what he needs to do to win -- solidifying Republican support, seeming presidential, expanding his base, appealing to college-educated suburban white women, etc., etc., etc. According to this view, Trump goes counter-productively off message when he criticizes the media or Paul Ryan, because his only opponent in the election is Hillary Clinton, so she should be the sole object of his attention. Or Trump may be encouraged to offer a more positive vision that will supposedly enhance his appeal to a certain demographic of voters. This communications-consultant perspective treats the 2016 election like any other presidential election, and the Trump campaign like any other campaign.

But without minimizing the importance of who actually becomes the next president, it should not be so difficult to recognize that Trumps campaign has always had a second dimension. It combines features of both a presidential campaign and a protest movement. Some elite conservative figures may feel resentful that their partys presidential ticket has been taken over by a hybrid protest-presidential candidate, when a merely presidential candidate might have stood a better chance of winning the White House (they think). But this is not a reason to ignore the reality of the protest element of Trumps candidacy. In the protest campaign Trump really is running against the media, which his myriad supporters resent and wish to protest against. Hes also running against Jeb Bush and Paul Ryan. Im so grateful that Jeb Bush wasnt the Republican nominee. I thank Donald Trump for that.

The success of this protest campaign is not measured by the margin of popular votes on Election Day, or the Electoral College votes, but rather by the people who join the protest to make themselves heard, by casting votes or in other ways. This is why the large and enthusiastic turnout at Trump rallies is important, although in recent weeks its significance has repeatedly been downplayed by commentators like Charles Krauthammer who observe that Walter Mondale enjoyed large crowds in the lead up to his devastating loss to Reagan in 1984. Its true that the attendance at Trumps rallies may not predict victory in the election, but any comparison between Trumps candidacy and Mondales is absurd and completely misleading. Mondale was not the leader of a protest campaign, and his events were not protest rallies. Trumps are. They are manifestations of immense popular discontent to which Trumps candidacy and issues have given concrete form.

Seen in both his dimensions, as protest leader and potential president, Donald Trump is relatively stronger as a protestor. Indeed, if Trumps performance as potential president were half as good as his performance as protest candidate, hed probably bury Hillary Clinton and the MSM together in one huge landslide. I hope he does. But if he doesnt, his protest candidacy will still have organized a huge constituency that is self-consciously opposed to the elite and primed for political action. The fight should go on without a stop after Election Day. Other leaders unburdened by Trumps personal baggage should run as Trump successors on Trumps issues of immigration, trade, and national sovereignty. Theyll win a lot of elections, and Donald Trump will have really made history.
William Congreve was one of those fortunate playwrights whose prose becomes a byword. Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned comes from Act III, Scene VIII of his play The Mourning Bride.

This quote has become a contemporary, if trite, proverb of a rejected woman who is ferociously vindictive. But the dirty little secret of this election which no one will speak of, is that we are all actors in a terrible extrapolation of this maxim being played out on the American political stage. Every wife who has devoted her life to helping her husband knows this. Every woman who has ever been a victim of sexual abuse or unwanted advances knows this. Even women who have only been wounded by scurrilous comments about their looks understand this in a real and personal way -- not to mention a wife who has been repeatedly cheated on by her husband for other, more attractive women. Is it a surprise to any of us that these have been the memes continually thrust upon women voters this election cycle?

Not too long ago, news anchor Roger Mudd asked Ted Kennedy why he wanted to be president. Well, ah, well ahh, the Massachusetts senator stumbled and bumbled and like the Lusitania, sunk his candidacy in that one historic moment. So youve got to wonder whats driving Mrs. Clinton and what heartfelt answer she might have for Mudd, or all of us for that matter.

So, lets ask just that: Why does Mrs. Clinton want to be president? By all accounts this is a deeply private person who deplores the media and perhaps even the public to whom she claims to want to serve. What is the compelling force behind all this vitriol? Men might be confused. But women know. Women get it and they are about to use their franchise to stick it to those men, to even the score.

It is continually rammed down our throats that this is the ugliest election America has ever witnessed. Marquess of Queensberry rules have been put aside as we ashamedly admit to being voyeurs to the most disgusting and dirty of all presidential elections. Any cursory view of American history proves this patently false. In Whistlestop: My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History, John Dickerson waxes eloquent about the revolting election of 1800. You want a real eye opener to bitter and vindictive campaigns, read that one, but make sure you have a good strong drink next to you when you do.

The point is -- this isnt the ugliest presidential campaign in American history. This is an attack on American women and their most private, insecure thoughts about themselves and their relationships with men. If you were the head of Central Casting, you couldnt choose a better foil for this theater of the absurd than Donald Trump. Isnt it supremely ironic that this feeding into the worst parts of a female psych emanates from  wait for it-- a female candidate?

So here it is, folks. Hillary Clinton can and must and it seems more and more likely will get even with her husband for humiliating her in front of the nation for his legendary Oval Office exploits. It is a vow any woman with a shred of dignity would make. The only problem is that female American voters have been dragged along in this very private, perhaps self-righteous crusade. And in doing so, by voting for Mrs. Clinton, we may right a personal wrong at our own peril.

Because, you see, The Mourning Bride, in which William Congreve wrote those famous words, wasnt just any play.

It was a tragedy.
The newest John Podesta email dump from Wikileaks shows some suprisingly close cooperation between the Clinton campaign and the CEO of the Spanish language TV network Univision, Haim Saban. The two entities plotted broad and specific attacks on Donald Trump, with Univision, at times, echoing the Clinton campaign's themes.

Washington Times:

The frequent email exchanges reveal that Mr. Saban, who is Israeli-American and not Hispanic, was at the forefront of the push inside Camp Clinton to pound Republican candidate Donald Trump for his stance against illegal immigration and comments about Mexican criminals  a message echoed in Univision news coverage.

Shortly after Mr. Trump announced his run in June 2015, pledging to build a border wall and accusing Mexico of exporting criminals and rapists, Mr. Saban was on the phone with Mr. Podesta plotting strategy.

Haim thinks we are under reacting to Trump/Hispanics. Thinks we can get something by standing up for Latinos or attacking Rs for not condemning, Mr. Podesta said in an email to his campaign colleagues.

Haim is right  we should be jamming this all the time, responded Jennifer Palmieri, director of communications for the Clinton campaign.

At Univision, news anchor Jorge Ramos became a chief antagonist of Mr. Trump, challenging his illegal immigration policies as un-American at press conferences and from the anchor desk.

Beyond blurring the lines between news and advocacy, Mr. Sabans prominent role inside the Clinton campaign demonstrated how wealthy donors can buy a seat at the table.

Indeed, Mr. Saban in May 2015 hosted a dinner in the private wine gallery of the posh kosher steakhouse Reserve Cut in New York City for a whos who of the Clinton universe.

The guest list included Mr. Podesta, Ms. Palmieri, campaign vice chair Huma Abedin, campaign manager Robby Mook, campaign finance director Dennis Cheng, fundraiser Laura Hartigan, deputy national political director Brynne Craig and rapid response director Adrienne Elrod.

Vanderbilt University political science professor Marc J. Hetherington said it wasnt surprising to find intimate dealings between politicians and big donors such as Mr. Saban, who has poured more than $6 million into Mrs. Clintons campaign, super PACs and allied party committees.

Thats the way democracy in America works, he said, adding that it was still troubling.

This is something that the American public is concerned about  overly cozy relationships between people who have interests in different policies and policymakers, said Mr. Hetherington, an expert on media coverage of political campaigns and voter behavior. The concern would be whether there was some quid pro quo.

The emails did not indicate pressure form Mr. Saban to change Mrs. Clintons positions. He appears to believe that he shared her agenda.
Owasco Watershed Lake Association is a citizen-based advocacy organization that serves as a catalyst to identify and help find solutions to water resource problems in the waters and watershed of Owasco Lake. A new challenge has risen in the past few years with the increasing number of harmful algal blooms. The blooms are correlated globally with excess nutrients, particularly very high phosphorus levels, feeding into waterways and coupled with rising water temperature. But in some waters, including Owasco Lake and other Finger Lakes, HABs are occurring in the absence of high phosphorus levels. This new challenge has been the focus of OWLA for the recent past and is presently the focus of intense volunteer efforts that include weekly shoreline surveys and three buoys in shallow and deep water. Looking to the future, OWLA will continue searching for new ways to deal with this threat, collaborating with the Owasco Lake Watershed Inspection Program, the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council and a host of research groups and scientists.

The past several years have found OWLA actively involved in many area projects. OWLA played an important role during the design and construction of Cayuga Correctional Facility in Moravia in the 1980s. A decade later, OWLA focused on the Groton Sewage Treatment Plant, again focused on the need to remove phosphorus from the effluent before it is discharged into the Owasco Inlet. A decade after that, OWLA was again involved in the identification of a new phosphorous problem coming from a fish farm located in the southern watershed of Owasco Lake. In 2014, OWLA called public attention to a large manure spill into the lake from a farm in the watershed. This led to implementation of a new lagoon system, including several miles of pipes put into place by the owners, to reduce the chances of such an event ever happening again. It also led to extensive efforts by the Cayuga County Legislature to review and change manure handling methods throughout the county. This work is still ongoing.

Regarding present projects, OWLA is actively supporting a de-channelization project in the inlet (which accounts for about 55 percent of the surface water influx to the lake) designed by the Cayuga County Planning Department to restore the natural entrapment of phosphorus in the flatlands. At the Dutch Hollow Brook sub-watershed (20 percent of the water influx), nine projects designed by the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District to reduce phosphorus loading have been made possible with a $200,000 grant secured by OWLA and the efforts of New York state Reps. Finch, Seward and Nozzolio. These projects (beginning in 2013) are now entering final construction stages.

OWLA worked hard with state Sen. DeFrancisco to capture an additional $600,000 from New York state in 2014 supported greatly by Sens. Seward and Nozzolio and Assemblyman Gary Finch. This funding will support phosphorus reduction efforts in the VaNess and Sucker Brook sub-basins, tributaries at the north end of the lake that are responsible for 15 percent of the surface water influx. An additional stream bank and road ditch stabilization program by the OLWIP and the CCSWCD has also started this fall, thanks to a $20,000 award to OWLA in 2016 from the Fox Toyota Group.

All of these efforts to lower the amount of phosphorus in the lake will diminish weed and algae growth, increase water clarity and also reduce the probability of the HABs now occurring in the lake. But because scientists do not know what triggers a HAB (harmful algal bloom), a surveillance program and related tributary testing has been ongoing during the summer months of 2015 and 2016. Securing the scientific data necessary to understand these blooms will allow public policy makers and land managers to move forward with mitigation strategy.

Education and outreach has been conducted through a cove captain initiative in which information is distributed to the lakefront properties concerning best practices. A notification system is being developed in order to update OWLAs membership base on the lakes condition and this new HAB problem.

The past, present and future initiatives of OWLA are made possible through the dedication of volunteers. As the membership base increases, so does the effectiveness and influence of the organization. Visit OWLA at owla.org and owascolake.org for more detailed information and membership forms. Always visit owascoinspection.org for the most current information about the location of HABs in Owasco Lake.
When it comes to Android smartphones, the Chiense market has become not just an important one, but has become something very different to the way that we do things here in the West. Not only is there no Google presence in China, but theres a myriad of different app stores, more brands to choose from than there is over here in the West, and a whole lot more going on in general. The one defining characteristic of devices from China is often the low price that theyre sold for, which is what makes devices from Xiaomi and now LeEco popular. As these brands start to become more known in the West and ship more units across the world, so too, are their supply chains changing.

As the Chinese market becomes larger and larger, its perhaps inevitable that Chinese manufacturers are now starting to purchase supplies from their local suppliers, rather than looking further afield. LCD and OLED suppliers such as BOE Technology, Truly Optoelectronics and Tianma Micro-electronics have increased their shipments throughout 2016, while more Chinese vendors such as AUO and Innolux are all set to increase shipments to Chinese smartphone manufacturers throughout 2017, too. As for the silicon inside of our devices, Taiwan Semiconductor, often referred to as TSMC, is apparently starting to produce the upcoming Snapdragon 830 and also produces a lot of chips for Chinas MediaTek, which give lower-end and more affordable devices some much-needed oomph. HiSilicon Technologies, a subsidiary of Huawei that designs and makes their own chips, which recently announced the worlds fastest mobile chip, is also set to increase shipments next year, too.

As Chinese brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, ZTE and LeEco start to turn their attention to sales in the West, its no wonder that these Chinese firms are eager to turn to cheaper and more reliable sources of displays and processors, which should no doubt please the Chinese economy. As Samsung faces more issues from their recent Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, which was thought to be down to Korean-made batteries, it looks as if the smartphone future for China overall is a bright one.
The OnePlus 3 is one of the best smartphones of this year. This handset had been announced earlier this year, and it has been selling really well ever since then, so good, in fact, that OnePlus had to halt sales in specific regions for one month in order to catch up. That period had ended a while back, though the device is still not available for immediate shipping, if you order one, youll have to wait for a couple of weeks before it ships your way, at least in some regions. In any case, rumors regarding a new OnePlus-branded smartphone have been surfacing for weeks now, and a specific one suggested that OnePlus could launch an even more powerful variant of OnePlus 3 with an IPS LCD display, though the companys CEO quickly confirmed that the company has no intentions of ditching Optic AMOLED displays, which left the door opened for a new smartphone with an AMOLED display, even though the lack of AMOLED panels in the market could be the main reason behind OnePlus 3 manufacturing delays.

Having that in mind, the mysterious OnePlus A3010 was certified in China recently, and rumors have been suggesting that the name of the new device could be the OnePlus 3S or OnePlus 3 Plus. Having that in mind, we have some new info to share with you now. It seems like one of OnePlus designers has used the OnePlus 3T while posting to Weibo (Chinese social network). Now, his post has been removed since then, but it seems like the OnePlus 3T could be a reality. Now, if rumors are to be believed, this handset could ship with the Snapdragon 821 64-bit quad-core SoC, just like Googles new Pixel devices. OnePlus CEO did confirm that they company is sticking with Optic AMOLED displays, so is it possible this is a smaller version of OnePlus 3? It is somewhat hard to believe that the company would release an almost identical device with slightly higher-end specifications, but well see. You can also expect this phone to ship with a metal body, and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, at least if rumors are to be believed.

That is pretty much every piece of info we have thus far, and if this handset is in the works, well surely see more leaks in the coming days / weeks. In any case, stay tuned to the site, if something new pops up, youll be the first to know.
In case you havent noticed, G is for Google and while that may or may not be for tax reasons, the Alphabet company is finally getting to grips with the great branding opportunity theyve had for a long, long time. If the new Pixel phones, Made by Google arent evidence enough, then perhaps the earlier change of their Google for Work suite of services to simply the G Suite is another massive example? Users and businesses alike know Google best for their products and services that people can actually use. The G Suite offers businesses all the services they would need, such as email, document storage, real-time collaboration and a lot more all within the big, bad Google Cloud. Now, Google is joining forces with Intuit, the firm behind the infamous QuickBooks software to make the G Suite even more powerful.

Google Calendar is arguably the most recognizable Google tool in the workplace, and with this latest collaboration, users of the G Suite will see their Google Calendar meld effortlessly with their QuickBooks software. The press release from Intuit states that over 56 percent of QuickBooks users are also Google Calendar users, and with the two now working together, invoicing and keeping on top of payments is even easier. This is what Google gets out of this deal, they get to tap into an ever-growing userbase of QuickBooks users, but what about Intuit? Well, this deal will make it easier for those that havent yet signed up for or downloaded QuickBooks, as they can now sign up for QuickBooks online using their Google account info, and the software is also available from the Google Apps Marketplace for G Suite users, too.

These might seem like small crossovers for these two businesses, but this is more about the future of such a deal. After all, these are two of the biggest names in the modern workplace, and while their collaboration might be starting off small, things can only get better. Given how much time and money Intuit spend promoting QuickBooks, this new G Suite integration could also have a knock-on effect for users wondering just what Google can do for their business.
Samsung might be the driving force behind South Koreas economy, but the firm is also a major player in the United States as well as much of the West. Something that still surprises some readers is that the firm is one of the biggest smartphone names in India. Surprising due to the high prices of their devices, Samsung still manages to fight it out with home names such as Micromax as well as firms from China like Xiaomi. Even expensive devices like the Galaxy Note 7 have proven popular in the Far East, but now that the phone has been discontinued, where do Samsung fans turn? The South Korean giant is hoping that, during the Holidays in India, users will be willing to purchase the Galaxy S7, and in high volume, too.

Speaking to the Economic Times of India, Manu Sharma, Vice President of Samsung Electronics for India, Sharma says that they have converted the Galaxy Note 7 prebooked customers in India to S7 and S7 Edge. We are humbled by the loyalty of the consumers towards the brand. There is now a strong sales momentum on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. Figures from the United States and elsewhere suggest that Galaxy Note 7 customers are more than willing to move to the Galaxy S7, rather than go for another brand of device, but with reports that Samsung isnt going to pay for damages caused by the device, this might not be the case for too much longer. With Diwali coming up, and a number of names in the region looking to push offers and discounts in celebration, its likely that Samsung will follow suit, and the firm is confident that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will be the two big-sellers during this period.

Often, Samsung has come under fire for releasing more models than others in India, but Sharma says that being a full range player with 25 models across segments is a virtue, and that they are onfident to grow our share and sales this quarter. With the Galaxy Note 7 disaster continuing to have effects for the company, a strong quarter to end the year in India will be good for Samsung, and its perhaps just what they need at this point.
Sprint has a lot of reasons to be happy these days. After posting its preliminary financial results for last quarter earlier this week, the fourth largest US carrier demonstrated that its slowly steadying the rocky ship that its business results have been in recent years. A little over a year ago, T-Mobile managed to take the title of the third largest US wireless carrier away from Sprint but a new major fight for market share is now in the making once again.

Interestingly enough, Sprint isnt targeting T-Mobile customers. In fact, its taking on the largest wireless carrier in the country  Verizon Wireless. Over in New Jersey, everyone at Verizons HQ is a little on edge after its third-quarter earnings report revealed that the company missed analysts expectations when it comes to additions of postpaid users. Sprint is now trying to rub some salt on that wound with a couple of new ads it launched yesterday. The ads note how Sprints network reliability is now within 1% of Verizon and pokes fun of Verizons executives as it depicts them panicking and hiding around the office. Sprints network reliability was questioned in the past on more than one occasion so its not surprising that the carrier is now proudly advertising the fact that its only 1% worse than Verizon. Of course, thats because Sprint is still aggressively marketing its half-off promotion which promises to cut your phone bill in half if you switch from another carrier. As both of the companys latest ads put it, dont let a 1% difference cost you twice as much.

Whether this is good marketing or not is up for discussion, but its definitely interesting to see Sprint employ such cheeky advertising practices which one would usually associate with T-Mobile. Well, T-Mobile under John Legere, that is. Speaking of which, this also isnt the first time Verizon was mocked by another competitor. Earlier this year, T-Mobile made fun of the companys earnings call by coming up with an elaborate drinking game which required you to take a shot every time Verizons executives mentioned millennials or were unable to form a sentence which didnt include some jargon. Whether thats an effective advertising strategy or just a way to entertain existing customers is debatable, but Sprint has obviously decided to join in on the fun.

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This year, President Barack Obama became the first sitting President to visit Cuba and reopened relations with the country. Since then, airlines have started daily flights to the island, with JetBlue being the first to fly out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Havana, Cuba. Last week, Obama lifted the ban on Cuban cigars and rum. And now, the US wireless carriers are getting their roaming partners in place for those visiting Cuba. AT&T announced this week that they had begun allowing customers to roam in Cuba. Now T-Mobile has followed suite and is doing the same thing.

In a press release posted today, T-Mobile announced that their customers now have the ability to roam in Cuba. But that doesnt mean you are getting free roaming. It simply means you can roam, but youre going to be paying higher prices. Which is unfortunate, to say the least. But it is a step in the right direction. Customers will be able to call for $2/minute, SMS and MMS will be $0.50 per message but you can receive messages for free, and data will be $2 per megabyte. T-Mobile did note that you can call back to the US for free, thanks to WiFi calling. T-Mobiles CEO, John Legere said in a prepared statement that the opening of Cuba has been historic  and were excited to do our part to help people connect. He continued by saying that they have more customers of Cuban descent than any other wireless company, were incredibly happy to light up Cuba today for all of our T-Mobile customers.

Its unfortunate that Cuba isnt part of the global roaming that T-Mobile already offers in over 120 countries. But that will likely come with time. But this is better than what was available for T-Mobile customers. Where they were unable to even use their phones in Cuba without getting a local SIM card. While that is still likely a better choice than running up your bill with these roaming charges, it is another option for those traveling to Cuba. Theres nothing to add to your account, roaming in Cuba is automatically available to all T-Mobile customers.
Darryl Clark and Nick Guariglia can each think back to significant moments in their lives that steered them to careers in audio, visual and video production.

For Clark, part of it was growing up in Queens with his father, whom he said was a member of the 1970s rhythm-and-blues group The Invisible Man's Band. Clark said his interests in multimedia developed after finding he needed to learn visual techniques to promote his own music mixes.

Guariglia, who is about seven years Clark's junior, was cut from a similar cloth, with needs for his own rap and hip-hop music. He said Clark has been like a mentor to him for much of the 10 years they have been working together, helping Guariglia develop a passion for multimedia production.

The two are now partners in a new business, AVP Unlimited (Audio, Video and Photography). With it, part of the pair's mission is to provide fledgling young artists in the Auburn area an outlet to learn and develop their craft in a controlled setting.

"Music kind of helped me figure out what I like to do and kept me out of trouble," Guariglia said. "I feel like if I hadn't found that outlet, it could have been different for me."

Clark said, "We want to be able to create that for these kids, these people, these adults  it doesn't matter. That's the bigger picture here."

AVP Unlimited, located on West Lake Road in Fleming, has services available not only for audio and video production, but also studio and on-site photography for special events or professional portfolios.

The Auburn men said they have a total of 20 years of experience in their field between them. Both studied at Cayuga Community College before transferring to four-year colleges  Clark attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, while Guariglia went to Five Towns College in Suffolk County. Clark, who's worked in music production in Auburn for years, said he and Guariglia decided to pursue AVP with desires of doing something on a larger scale.

Citing his concerns with poverty and heroin abuse in the area, Clark said he and Guariglia want to give back to the community.

He said they have been in touch with CCC about a potential production internship program starting next year, with hopes of eventually opening that up to local high schools over time. Guariglia added that there are also plans for AVP to host monthly or bimonthly seminars for students.

In the immediate future, AVP Unlimited will hold a coat drive event Saturday to collect winter jackets that will be distributed by the Auburn Rescue Mission.

"We want to create with a group of people. So when we get people in here and we work with them, we want them to fill in gaps for us and each other. We want to pass that on," Clark said. "We're doing things, giving back to the community  it's all-encompassing. It's keeping kids off the street."

In furthering their partnership with AVP Unlimited, Clark and Guariglia said the West Lake Road space was a great fit for their needs.

When the pair leased the property, they had to build brand-new walls in a completely open space  a construction process that took two months "day and night" to complete, Clark said. In addition to an audio suite, AVP Unlimited has a photo studio sectioned off from the space's front lobby area.

Guariglia said the entire setup was built off a single room: The vocal booth, which was set up inside an intimate space that was, at one point, used as a walk-in cooler.

"It's an outlet for kids and we want to be able to give that to them," Guariglia said.
HIT: To the unexpected availability of a new music program in the Cato-Meridian school district.

Music teacher Amy Christian entered a contest online and was surprised to be chosen as one of the winners of 40 ukuleles. She said the four-string instruments are less daunting to learn how to play than guitars, so younger students can learn some chords rather quickly.

The plan now is to teach a ukulele unit to fourth-graders and also establish a club so that other students can work with the news instruments, as well.

MISS: To a frighteningly violent robbery in Skaneateles.

Police said that a man pretending to be a shopper at Skaneateles Furs Monday grabbed an employee from behind with a chokehold and dragged her behind the counter, where she lost consciousness. The man then took the worker's purse and put several fur coats into a bag before walking out, where an an accomplice was waiting in a car.

Police have been scouring security camera footage from village businesses in hopes of identifying the thieves. We hope they find them.

HIT: To the continuation of a family legacy with Weedsport ties.

Descendants of Civil War veteran Alonzo Northrup gathered at Weeedsport Rural Cemetery in Brutus recently to dedicate a new grave stone in his honor.

The son of an African American, Alonzo served with a segregated troop during the war and later raised 10 children in Weedport while working on the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad.

Alonzo's descendants want to make sure that he is remembered as one who fought against slavery and injustice so that others could have a brighter future.
Gasgoo.com (Shanghai June 20) - Great Wall has once again come under controversy as rumors that is has made a major staff cut reappear once more in the media. According to a report appearing in the China Youth Daily today, reports have appeared that Great Wall has announced that it would lay off 20,000 workers as part of an internal restructuring program brought on by the delayed launch of the Haval H8, which has caused the manufacturer's sales to fall and its production costs to soar.

According to statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Great Wall sold a total of 52,000 vehicles in May, down 12.5 percent from April and 15.7 percent from the previous May. Its cumulative sales total for the first five months of the year was 299,000 vehicles, down 3.2 percent from figures reported a year ago. A sharp discrepancy is also evident between its different segments. The manufacturer's SUV sales in May totaled 35,994 units, representing year-on-year growth of 12 percent; a total of 189,442 Great Wall SUVs were sold over the first five months of the year, up 22.35 percent compared with figures from a year ago. By comparison, its sedan sales for May and the five month period from January to May respectively totaled 4,643 units and 17,530 units; the two figures represent year-on-year declines of 73.5 percent and 45.6 percent, respectively. Sales of its key sedan models, the C30 and C50, fell 68.6 percent and 77.5 percent, respectively.

The massive drop in its sedan sales can be partly attributed to increasing competition in the sedan market, especially among subcompact manufacturers. As more and more joint venture models enter the segment, own brand manufacturers are coming under a lot of pressure to offer competitive products, something which Great Wall was not really offering. At the same time, SUVs remain a promising avenue for Great Wall, which has focused in the segment for quite some time now, allowing it to devote even less resources to its sedan business. One example of this can be seen in the C30, which has still to be redesigned or replaced after several years on the market.

While in the past Great Wall has championed its balance between its SUV, pickup truck and subcompact sedan divisions, the appearance of only Haval SUVs at April's Beijing Auto Expo has led many analysts to believe that it is now shifting all of its attention to the SUV segment.

When asked about the staff cuts, an official from Great Wall stated that the reports were "definitely untrue", adding that it recruited over 9,000 new employees in this year alone. However when asked if the manufacturer has any staff reduction plans for the future, the official refused to give a direct answer, instead making the following statement: "Finding talent is an important part of Great Wall's strategic development. As far as I know, Great Wall is currently working on expanding its staff of capable and talented individuals for its R&D team, production managerial staff and assembly line workers. In addition to promoting development of domestic and foreign technological workers, [the manufacturer] is using training to boost the professional skills and comprehensive abilities of its staff teams, as well as attracting talented new graduates to work at its assembly lines in order to satisfy the operation demands of its Xushui, Baoding, Tianjin and other factories."

Will Great Wall abandon the sedan business? According to a source close to Great Wall, production capacity of the Great Wall C50 sedan has been shifted to the Haval H6 SUV to ensure that it meets market demand and sales growth requirements. A Great Wall-invited quality control specialist further revealed that CEO Wei Jianjun is entirely focused on ensuring the quality of the Haval H8, and has even expressed the possibility of the manufacturer quitting the sedan business.

The above Great Wall official rebutted the allegations, saying that the reports were "unwarranted". Another official from the company offered an explanation: "[Although] Great Wall's current development focus is the Haval brand, it definitely does not mean that is abandoning sedans. The current strategy for its sedan business is one of maintenance, so there will not be any large-scale investment in sedans for the next two years."

Many analysts have pointed out the dangers for a manufacturer to exclusively rely on the SUV segment. Even though growth rates in the domestic SUV market are very high, SUVs still make up only a small fraction of total automobile sales in the country; meanwhile, the subcompact segment still offers the greatest sales and development potentials in the country. At the same time, Great Wall has already made some respectable development achievements in the sedan market, and it would be a shame to let those go.
WASHINGTON -- US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said at a rally on Thursday he will totally accept election results "if I win."

"I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win," Trump told supporters in Delaware, Ohio, which is a key swing state in the the Nov. 8 election.

During the third and final debate with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night, the New York real estate billionaire refused to say if he will honor the election results, an unprecedented statement by a major party presidential nominee in the US history.

"I will look at it at the time," he said during the high-stake showdown in Las Vegas. "I'll keep you in suspense."

"Of course, I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result," Trump told the crowd on Thursday.

His comments ratcheted up his claims that has intensified in recent days that the election is being rigged against him.

The Republican nominee's refusal to commit to accepting the election outcome shocked many voters in the United States, where the concept that defeated candidates should concede to the winner and bow out graciously and quietly has been considered an inherent part of its political system.

Recent polls have shown Clinton has a steady double-digit lead over Trump after a leaked tape revealed Trump's lewd remarks about groping women earlier this month. The lead is more obvious among female voters, where Clinton enjoys a margin of 61 percent against 28 percent.
(ANSA) - Rome, October 20 - A door broke off a moving Metro B line train in Rome Thursday, leaving at least two passengers bruised in the resulting commotion and a third passenger in a state of shock.

The train was pulling in to Piramide station when the door came flying off at approximately 15:00.

It didn't hit anyone.

The driver evacuated the passengers, recovered the door, and took the train to the depot.

ATAC public transport company has opened an internal investigation.

City cabinet member for transportation, Linda Meleo, said the "unacceptable" incident was due to years of "practically zero maintenance".

"If anyone is responsible they will have to answer for this," she wrote on Facebook.

Angry and frightened passengers blamed overcrowding.

"My boyfriend is in hospital, he was almost crushed," was one comment posted on InfoATAC's twitter profile along with a picture of the passenger in question in a neck brace.


(supersedes previous)(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - The Italian government is willing to listen to EU assessments of its budget but the bill will stay the way it is, Premier Matteo Renzi said Friday. "The budget bill won't change," he told private RTL 102.5 FM radio.

"If the EU has observations we'll listen, but this budget has the lowest deficit in the past 10 years. We're making efforts and we want to send a message to taxpayers not to technocracies in Brussels".

The 2017 budget allocates an extra two billion euros to the national health service, a measure that is neither left- nor right-wing, the premier said.

"The budget is about concrete issues, and that will not change," he said.

The Italian premier also denied his administration is giving amnesties to tax dodgers. "Those who got fined must pay," he said. "To those who accuse the government of giving amnesties or aiding tax evaders, I say that in 2015 we obtained the best result of the past 60 years: we recovered over 14 billion euros thanks to the fight against tax evasion. Such charges have absolutely no connection with reality".

Renzi added the government is scrapping tax collection agency Equitalia, which must no longer act as "a killer" and in a "punitive" manner but rather as an advisor to taxpayers. The premier also commented on yesterday's court decision nixing an appeal on the wording of the yes/no question on a December 4 referendum on his constitutional reform law, which reform opponents said was phrased in a misleading way. "The referendum question has been officially approved, because the illustrious professors on the 'No' committee appealed to the Lazio regional administrative court (TAR) and they lost," Renzi said.

"Let us now enter into the merit (of the reform) - this referendum is not about me, nor about the government".

The Italian premier initially staked his political future on the outcome of the referendum, but has since backed down from that stance.


(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - Premier Matteo Renzi had a "very positive and constructive" phonecall with the head of the union of Italian Jewish communities (UCEI) Noemi Di Segni Friday after condemning a UNESCO vote on a Jerusalem holy site that made no mention of its Jewish name, the Temple Mount, UCEI said.

Renzi said earlier Friday the recent UNESCO resolution calling on Israel to stop excavating near holy sites in East Jerusalem was "unreal".

"It's incomprehensible, unacceptable and wrong," Renzi told private RTL 102.5 FM radio in an interview earlier in the day.

"Yesterday I expressly asked our people to immediately cease maintaining these positions. We can't continue with these motions designed to attack Israel. If European unity should come undone over this, so be it," the Italian premier said, earning the gratitude of Israel.

"We thank and congratulate the Italian government for this important statement," said Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon. The text of the October 13 resolution "deplores the failure of Israel, the Occupying Power, to cease the persistent excavations and works in East Jerusalem particularly in and around the Old City" and "strongly condemns the Israeli escalating aggressions and illegal measures... against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif".

The latter is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and the fact that this was not included in the resolution sparked an outcry from Israeli politicians as well as rabbis in Italy.

The resolution was backed by 24 countries including China and Russia. Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the US and the UK voted against it while 26 abstained, including Italy.

At the end of an EU summit later on Friday, Renzi said Italy's abstention was based on "a position taken years ago (but this) doesn't mean the time hasn't come to change it". "We certainly realized this too late. It would have been better to realize it sooner," he said, adding that the status of Jerusalem is "undeniable" and comparing the Middle Eastern city to "a treasure chest".

Rome Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni praised Renzi for speaking out on "the risks inherent in dogmatic religious visions, political commingling, and the moral principle that history and values are not for sale - in this case, not just Jewish but also Christian ones".


(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - Premier Matteo Renzi said Friday a recent UNESCO resolution calling on Israel to stop excavating near holy sites in East Jerusalem was "unreal".

"It's incomprehensible, unacceptable and wrong," Renzi told private RTL 102.5 FM radio in an interview earlier in the day.

"Yesterday I expressly asked our people to immediately cease maintaining these positions. We can't continue with these motions designed to attack Israel. If European unity should come undone over this, so be it," the Italian premier said, earning the gratitude of Israel.

"We thank and congratulate the Italian government for this important statement," said Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon. The text of the October 13 resolution "deplores the failure of Israel, the Occupying Power, to cease the persistent excavations and works in East Jerusalem particularly in and around the Old City" and "strongly condemns the Israeli escalating aggressions and illegal measures... against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif".

The latter is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and the fact that this was not included in the resolution sparked an outcry from Israeli politicians as well as rabbis in Italy.

The resolution was backed by 24 countries including China and Russia. Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the US and the UK voted against it while 26 abstained, including Italy.

At the end of an EU summit later on Friday, Renzi said Italy's abstention was based on "a position taken years ago (but this) doesn't mean the time hasn't come to change it". "We certainly realized this too late. It would have been better to realize it sooner," he said, adding that the status of Jerusalem is "undeniable" and comparing the Middle Eastern city to "a treasure chest".

Rome Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni praised Renzi for speaking out on "the risks inherent in dogmatic religious visions, political commingling, and the moral principle that history and values are not for sale - in this case, not just Jewish but also Christian ones".


(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - The measures in Italy's 2017 budget bill won't change, Premier Matteo Renzi said after an EU summit in Brussels Friday.

Italy "is not asking for flexibility", Renzi added, but is invoking "exceptional circumstances" for spending on relief and reconstruction in the aftermath of a devastating August 24 earthquake in central Italy that caused billions in damage, plus spending on asylum seeker processing and reception.

Italy and Greece bear the brunt of the refugee crisis as the first European landfall for people fleeing wars and persecution in Africa and the Middle East.

"We didn't discuss the budget, but I want to make it clear we have not asked for flexibility, because flexibility is only granted once," the Italian premier explained.

"We've made a spending request under treaty exceptional clauses for the earthquake and immigration". It's up to the European Union to point out parts that aren't convincing or raise doubts, he said. "But the substance of the budget measures won't change".

Italy's budget deficit next year will be the lowest in the last decade, he added.

"That means it's the lowest budget since the Berlusconi, Monti and Letta administrations. The only government that achieved a lower one was that of (center-left Premier Romano) Prodi in 2007," he said. "We're on a tough road to keep our commitment to growth while respecting the rules," Renzi stated. "We want to change the rules but as long as they aren't changed we'll respect them".

The U.S. model for boosting growth lifted its economy out of a downward spiral while EU austerity has not, he added.

"We think the culture of austerity, which is continuing to hurt Europe, is a mistake. The Obama model has worked...Europe's model of austerity hasn't," said the Italian premier.

Renzi went on to point out that from an EU standpoint, Italy's accounts are in better shape than those of France and Germany.

"Every year (an EU) letter arrives (on the budget), there's a debate, and all the pundits write 'who knows if Italy will make it and get the EU green light'," he said. "But as I recall, our deficit is slightly above 2% and France's is at 3%".

"I think that Germany's balance of trade has many problems, starting from a trade surplus that doesn't respect EU rules and I hope our friends can move to rebalance it," Renzi added. "We have a privileged relationship with Germany - a piece of Italy's economy depends on Germany and vice versa. We disagree on many things - that's what happens between friends.

But Europe needs an unbowed Italy. It would have been better if we'd raised our head in the past. Italy can't come here just to ratify decisions (taken by others)... I will never be able to accept the attitude of coming here and always saying yes to everything".

Italy's young reformist premier also said he was defending national interests and not playing Giamburrasca, the fictional Italian archetype of a restless and protesting boy. "No one is pointing the finger to spark a row, but I'm defending the national interest because the national interest is a value among European ideals," he said.


(ANSA) - Frankfurt, October 21 - The European Commission "has expressed no skepticism" on Italy's 2017 budget, Italian Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said Friday. "The dialogue is ongoing," the minister said on the sidelines of a university conference in Frankfurt. "We're following a procedure involving precise and specific assessments of the various (budget) measures.... It's not an overall matter of (the EU having) a skeptical attitude (about Italy's budget)".

"The debate is very constructive," Padoan added.

"As in our previous budgets, the (2017 one) combines growth opportunities that stimulate public and private investments while continuing the process of... cutting the deficit and increasing the GDP growth rate," the finance minister explained.

"This year we must account for exceptional circumstances such as the (August 24) earthquake, which was devastating, and migratory pressures which are climbing, unfortunately," Padoan said.


(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - Rome's chief rabbi on Friday praised Premier Matteo Renzi after he said an October 13 UNESCO resolution on holy sites in East Jerusalem was "unreal".

"I hope those words will be followed up in a consistent manner. Renzi's words are undoubtedly important," Rabbi Ricccardo Di Segni told ANSA.

Italy abstained from voting on the resolution. Both the content of the resolution and Italy's position have sparked criticism within the Jewish community.

Di Segni said Renzi spoke out about "the risks inherent in dogmatic religious visions, political commingling, and the moral principle that history and values are not for sale - in this case, not just Jewish but also Christian ones".

"Interfaith dialogue must be carried out based on mutual understanding not on snatching symbols," the rabbi said, adding that the incident also points to "politicians' responsibility".

The latter must find a way to find a balance between "real needs and respect for history and its values," Di Segni said.

UNESCO's executive board approved the Arab-sponsored resolution, which repeatedly refers to a hilltop complex that is also the holiest site in Judaism only by its Islamic name.

The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

The resolution prompted Israel to freeze co-operation with UNESCO.


Calais 'Jungle' migrant camp to be evacuated Monday To be cleared entirely during the week

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, OCTOBER 21 - The full evacuation of 'The Jungle' of Calais, a camp in northern France where between 5,400 and 8,150 migrants have been living for the past 18 months, will begin on Monday at 8 AM.



It is expected to last for a week, the French interior ministry and the local prefect's office reported on Friday.



The clearing of the camp will begin on Sunday afternoon with patrols by immigration services officials who will be informing the migrants of the scheduled evacuation and urging them to leave it voluntarily.



According to the prefect's office of the Pas-de-Calais region, prefect Fabienne Buccio has issued an order that grants 72 hours for the ''unauthorized occupants'' of the Lande camp (the official name of the camp) to leave it. The directive does not apply to ''foreign, unaccompanied minors'', who two reception centers will be tasked with. The order was posted in 'The Jungle' beginning at 6 PM on Friday in several languages.



In recent weeks there were still 6,400 migrants according to the prefect's office and 8,143 according to associations in the area. The southern part of the camp was entirely dismantled in March. (ANSAmed).




Russian envoy hails Italy stop to Aleppo sanctions 'Italian line reflects public, business opinion'

(ANSAmed) - VERONA, OCTOBER 21 - Russian Ambassador to Italy Sergey Razov on Friday hailed Italy's successful opposition to possible EU sanctions against Moscow over its bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo. "The Italian position taken in Brussels follows a non-contradictory line and reflects the opinion of the Italians, the political establishment and above all the country's business community," he said. "This time good sense prevailed in the EU, I hope". Russia has been widely criticised over its bombing of Aleppo. (ANSAmed).




ANSAmed - Weekly diary from October 24 to October 31

(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 21 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled in the Euro-mediterranean area from October 24 to October 31: MONDAY OCTOBER 24 VALLETTA - Third edition of the Euro-Mediterranean forum on intercultural dialogue organized by the Anna Lindh Foundation (also 25/10).



MADRID - King Felipe will begin consultations with political leaders ahead of a possible designation of a prime minister candidate (also 25/10).



VARIOUS CITIES - United Nations Day. TUESDAY OCTOBER 25 HAMMAMET - Conference on telecommunications (until 3/11).



PARIS - Anti-ISIS military coalition meeting.



WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26 ROME - Conference entitled 'Literature as Bridge of Dialogue Between Populations' organized by the Euro-Mediterranean Institute for Arab Countries (ADDAR), to be opened by the awarding of the 'Citta di Castello' literary prize.



THURSDAY OCTOBER 27 PAESTUM - The 19th edition of the Mediterranean Bourse of Archaeological Tourism (until 30/10).



CASABLANCA - Opening of Medinit Expo, an Italian design fair (until 29/10).



FLORENCE - Opening of the exhibition 'E le Acque si Calmarono' ('And the Waters Were Calmed'), on Jewish heritage hit by the Arno.



ROME - Seminar by the NATO PA Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group (GSM) (also 28/10).



ROME - Presentation of the 2016 Immigration Statistics Dossier.



BRUSSELS - NATO Defense ministers meeting. FRIDAY OCTOBER 28 CARTHAGE (TUNISIA) - Carthage Film Festival begins (until 5/10).



SATURDAY OCTOBER 29 ROME - Salone dell'Editoria Sociale begins with a focus on immigration, terrorism and Libyan instability (until 1/11). SUNDAY OCTOBER 30 NO MAJOR EVENTS SCHEDULED. (ANSAmed).




ROME - The interior ministers of Italy, Angelino Alfano, Germany, Thomas De Maiziere, and France, Bernard Cazeneuve on Friday morning agreed to rise the number of repatriations of illegal economic migrants back to African countries at a G6 meeting of interior ministers in Rome.

The three ministers will coordinate together national repatriation measures.

They also agreed to jointly ask Brussels for a ''serious and massive'' engagement of the Commission and the external action service of the European Union to immediately increase voluntary and assisted repatriations.

Migrants: Avramopoulos, Italy in the front line

EU Immigration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Friday said an ongoing meeting in Rome of G6 interior ministers is ''very important'' as it proves the role of Italy in the front line of ''security and immigration''.

''Work started last night, under the excellent presidency of our friend minister Alfano - said Avramopoulos - was fruitful and more significant in light of the very high-level American delegation with Loretta E. Lynch and Jeh Johnson. The open challenges - he said - are still difficult but we must remember the work already done, mainly on the foreign relations front and action in Africa, also following Italy's push. The participation of qualified members of international organizations like Iom, Unhcr, Frontex, Europol, Interpol was also helpful''.
ROME - EU Immigration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Friday said an ongoing meeting in Rome of G6 interior ministers is ''very important'' as it proves the role of Italy in the front line of ''security and immigration''.



''Work started last night, under the excellent presidency of our friend minister Alfano - said Avramopoulos - was fruitful and more significant in light of the very high-level American delegation with Loretta E. Lynch and Jeh Johnson. The open challenges - he said - are still difficult but we must remember the work already done, mainly on the foreign relations front and action in Africa, also following Italy's push. The participation of qualified members of international organizations like Iom, Unhcr, Frontex, Europol, Interpol was also helpful''.
Migrants: Renzi, EU steps forward on Africa, let's see facts Council document good but always 'quite good' with words

(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 21 - The words on immigration in the ''final document'' of the European Council ''are fine. But words are never a problem for the EU, facts (are), because everyone is quite good with words. Let's see, a few steps forward'' have been made, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi told Rtl 102.5 on Friday.



''The point that looks to me to be finally good is that everyone has understood that if we want to solve the root of the problem, it is necessary to have a different relationship with Africa. The Commission is willing to work more, Angela Merkel took a demanding trip to Africa''. (ANSAmed).




Russia extends Aleppo ceasefire through Saturday 'Humanitarian pause' 8 AM-7PM

(ANSAmed) - MOSCOW, OCTOBER 21 - A ''humanitarian pause'' in Aleppo called by Russia has been extended for another day and will thus be in place on Saturday from 8 AM until 7 PM.



The announcement was made by General Sergey Rudskoy chief of the main operations department of the Russian General Staff, said Friday. Previously, Russia's largest news agency TASS had reported that Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Alexey Borodavkin had said that the humanitarian pause had been extended until Monday and that it could be extended further if Jabhat Al-Nusra and opposition groups associated with it did not violate the ceasefire. TASS subsequently published a connection, eliminating the mention of Monday. (ANSAmed).




(by Patrizia Antonini)

BRUSSELS - The possibility of sanctions against Russian ''people or entities'' for supporting the Syrian regime of Assad has disappeared from the final text approved by EU leaders. The language was softened, evolving into an ''evaluation of all available options''. ''There is no sense in talking about sanctions for Russia'' at a time when ''we all agree that it is necessary to put all possible pressure in order to reach an agreement on Syria'', said Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, the promoter, among others, of a sweeping discussion on EU-Russia relations. European sources said the Italian premier blocked the hypothesis of sanctions at a dinner held behind closed doors.



Renzi asked to go back to the idea that emerged at a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday, specifying that restrictive measures would be applied to the ''Syrians''. The draft text that arrived yesterday on the table had instead been changed over the past few days, at the request of France, Germany and Great Britain. Here the reference to the ''Syrians'' had disappeared, leaving room to a more ambiguous formula that paved the way also to measures against Russian people or entities. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini cooperated with the premier, building a solution accepted by all, including Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel and Theresa May, who arrived at the summit with a foot on the accelerator for the line of sanctions against Moscow. Spain, Greece, Austria and Cyprus were also against sanctions, according to other sources.



The political signal, however, remains. European leaders ''condemned the attacks of the Syrian regime and its allies, Russia in particular, against civilians in Aleppo'', prompting ''an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of a credible political process under the sponsorship of the United Nations''. Mogherini was charged with moving forward with work to bring humanitarian aid to Syria and continue along the path of diplomacy. Meanwhile Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, stressed ''concern'' for a Russian aircraft carrier en route towards the eastern Mediterranean that ''could support military operations in Syria'' and announced that it will be monitored ''in a responsible and measured way''.



The hard line is not over. The head of the Elysee had arrived in Brussels to ''convince colleagues to exercise all possible pressure''. The German chancellor had called to assume ''a position'' because ''speaking is not enough''. The ceasefire ''must be long-lasting'' and the situation in Aleppo ''is inhuman''.



''It is vital to continue to work together to put pressure on Russia'', warned British Premier Theresa May. European Council President Donald Tusk urged to ''keep all options open, including sanctions if crimes continue in Syria, in Aleppo''.



Sources spoke, among others, about a phone call by Hollande to Tusk on Wednesday night, after a meeting with Putin, to stress the need to boost pressure on Moscow.
MOSCOW - ''All humanitarian corridors'' in Aleppo yesterday ''were under constant aimed fire'', said the Russian defense ministry in a note published last night, adding that however, through humanitarian corridors, ''eight wounded militia members'' could leave Aleppo and they were provided with ''medical assistance, warm food and new clothing'', according to Moscow. A bus then reportedly took them ''in areas controlled by illegal armed unites outside the city''.

In the note, the Russian defense ministry stated that the truce was violated 43 times over the past 24 hours, adding that 19 violations were registered in the province of Damascus, 18 in Aleppo, four in Hama and two in Latakia.

Yesterday, Russian Defense Minister Serghei Shoigu announced that Putin ordered to extend the ''humanitarian pause'' in Aleppo, with the interruption of attacks of the armed Russian and Syrian forces, by 24 hours, or until this afternoon.

Previously, the UN councilor for humanitarian aid, Jan Egeland, told the Ap that he received verbal assurances by the Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva and in written form by Russian military sources in Syria that Moscow accepts to extend until Monday the truce on Aleppo.
ROME - ''There are two models of power: a despotic one of the Pharaoh and that of the 'shura' followed by the Queen of Sheba, who consulted the people. Arab countries were unfortunately governed by Pharaohs and not by Queens of Sheba'', said the leader of Ennahda, Rached Ghannouchi. He concluded referring to a figure that is both in the Bible and the Koran in a speech yesterday held at a meeting on 'Islam and democracy: the Tunisian exception', promoted by Ispi with the president of Italian foreign affairs commission Pier Ferdinando Casini.



''When we talk about democracy we refer to the council of the Shura, at the government according to the will of the people'', added the elderly president of the Tunisian Islamic party. The party announced last July at its 10th congress that it would historically severe ties with ''political Islam'' to distance itself from extremism and jihadism.



Ghannouchi spoke about this at a meeting in a room at the Italian Senate, where he however called for a more concrete engagement by Italy and Europe to support Tunisia and its model of inclusive democracy which he defined as a ''fortress'' on the southern shore of the Mediterranean against terrorism in the region. ''If the Tunisian model falls into the hands of terrorism - he warned - it will also be a danger for the northern shore of the Mediterranean''.



Up until now, the ''engagements taken by the EU have not been respected - he denounced - we have been abandoned to ourselves.



With Nobel peace prizes - he also said, referring to the prize awarded in 2015 to the 'Quartet' for Tunisian national dialogue - you don't give bread and jobs to the young. Democracy needs development and economic and financial support, its first enemy is desperation. For this reason, I wish for a wider participation of investors in the International Conference of Tunis'' on November 29-30.



''At the origins of terrorism - stressed Ghannouchi - there is also lack of development and the antibiotic against this evil are the values of democracy. Ennahda, whose name means 'renaissance', like the Italian one, is the first party of 'democratic Muslims', similar to 'Christian democrats'. We have carried out a strategic change, an avant-garde one, for a true partnership with moderate secular parties, against the extremism of Islamic and secular movements''.



Ghannouchi - who then met with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni - stressed that his party has given up power in 2013 for the good of the country, and now takes part in the national unity government led by Youssef Chahed. ''We have not chosen the opposition but participation in the government - he said - because in a young democracy, governing with 51% is not enough, wider consensus is necessary''.



And he set Ennahda apart from the Muslim brothers in Egypt and Erdogan's Akp in Turkey. ''There is no pope in Islam - he recalled - there are many interpretations and we are not tied to others nor responsible for what they do. There is diversity and pluralism in Islam. And there are differences also within Ennahda, but in the end what counts is the majority's vote''.



Finally - after expressing appreciation for the gradual path towards democratization chosen by the king of Morocco - he spoke about chaos and civil war in Libya, from which Tunisia fears infiltrations and destabilizing inflows and where many Tunisians were recruited by ISIS. ''We support the Sarraj government recognized by the UN - he concluded - but there are conflicts also in Tripoli''. (ANSAmed).
ROME - Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on Friday said a resolution adopted by the United Nations cultural agency which makes no reference to Jewish ties to a holy site in Jerusalem is ''unbelievable''.

Renzi said he has asked for a meeting with Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni as soon as he returns to Rome in an interview with Rtl radio 102.5.

''It is incomprehensible, unacceptable and wrong'', the premier also said of the resolution, adding that ''if it is necessary to break European unity on this, then it must be broken''.

''Historically, we have always been together with other European countries on these positions. But I sincerely find Unesco's decision incomprehensible and wrong. Claiming that Jerusalem and Judaism have no relation is like claiming that the sun sheds darkness'', Renzi also said.

The premier added he has told ''diplomats dealing with these issues that we can't continue to go on like this - we cannot deny reality''.

Unesco's executive board has approved the Arab-sponsored resolution, which repeatedly refers to a hilltop complex which is also the holiest site in Judaism only by its Islamic name.

The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

The resolution prompted Israel to freeze co-operation with Unesco last week.
The design and construct contract was signed during GITEX Technology Week, one of the biggest annual ICT trade shows. The project will serve the worlds busiest international airport.

On average, almost 230,000 passengers pass through DXB per day and growing towards 325,000 per day by 2023, making zero downtime and high reliability a vital requirement for Dubai Airports.

The DXB data centre will be the first of two planned modular facilities that Huawei will build for Dubai Airports. Together, they will operate as a pair of mirrored Tier III data centres interconnected through a dedicated fibre optic link that will provide high-level resilience and availability to support the critical operations of Dubai Airports.

They will provide a stable and reliable environment for Dubai Airports to host its private cloud. The MDCCs will be the worlds first modular data centres that will be certified by the Uptime Institute to Tier III for design and construction.

Technology is key to enhancing our ability to grow, innovate and ultimately enhance the customer experience, said Abdel Rahman Alhosani, vice president, business technology infrastructure & operations, Dubai Airports. At the same time we will improve system reliability across both airports and cut operational costs, he added.

Alaa ElShimy, managing director & vice president, Huawei Enterprise Middle East said, Ensuring that mission-critical IT is constantly operational is key in the aviation sector  and even more so for the operator of the worlds busiest international airport. Huawei is working closely with Dubai Airports to design and build one of the most advanced and unique Tier III certified data centres in the world that will ensure highest levels of availability, maintainability, resiliency and seamless business continuity.

We are committed to work alongside Dubais philosophy to create the happiest city on earth through driving innovation and creating smarter services for its citizens and visitors from the moment they arrive to Dubai.

The first facility will be constructed at Dubai International during 2017. The timelines for the other data centre have yet to be confirmed.
Beginning 2 February 2017, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will add four new flights each week on the route to support the existing Wednesday, Friday and Sunday services.



Etihad Airways, which launched the non-stop route in December 2014, will continue to operate a Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft featuring eight First Class seats, 40 Business and 191 seats in Economy Class.



The additional frequencies will also provide 96 tonnes of more cargo capacity each week to facilitate the movement of international freight to and from Dallas/Fort Worth.



Kevin Knight, Etihad Aviation Group chief strategy and planning officer, said: Since launching our Dallas/Fort Worth service less than two years ago, the response from our guests travelling between Dallas/Fort Worth and our home Abu Dhabi and beyond, has exceeded expectations. We are therefore delighted to further expand this service into a daily operation to meet strong market demand.



The increased frequency will provide greater convenience and more options to business and leisure travellers throughout the Texas region, and will also cater to the huge travel market from India and the subcontinent to and from our Dallas/Fort Worth gateway and beyond.



Abu Dhabis unique geographical position, along with the airlines extensive route network and that of codeshare partner American Airlines, ensures guests are provided easy access between two major worldwide hubs and reinforces its commitment to the United States, a key global market



Sean Donohue, chief executive officer of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), added: We are excited by the news that Etihad Airways will soon increase their service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Abu Dhabi to daily flights. This move shows the strength of the North Texas market for international business and leisure travel, and further demonstrates that a great amount of global business flows through DFW. We thank Etihad for their continuing partnership and their service to our customers, our region and our airport.
Under the agreement, Atlasglobal will now offer Travelport-connected agencies in over 180 countries, servicing millions of consumers around the world, real-time access to its fares and inventory-through the Travel Commerce Platform.

Atlasglobal sales and marketing director, Tuna Tunca, said: AtlasGlobal brings premium airline services to strategic locations at world-class standards. As our product offering evolves to meet and exceed traveller trends and expectations, its pivotal we utilise the newest and most cutting edge technologies so our travel agency partners can fully understand and promote our offering to passengers. We are very happy to announce this agreement with Travelport, which is aligned with meeting these objectives.

Will Owen Hughes, senior director, Air Commerce, Travelport Africa and Middle East, added: In the airline industry Atlasglobal is a customer service innovator and we are delighted that through this agreement, our technology will empower this carrier to showcase its entire product offering so that it can improve efficiency in selling and marketing to passengers across the globe through our Travel Commerce Platform.
When it comes to safety, Diane Knight doesnt clown around.

Knight is careful to check who is hiring Cloe the Clown and the locations where her clown persona is performing.

The Aurora woman said recent reports of creepy clowns popping up, some of whom have threatened students on social media, are not funny, nor are the posts by people who say they plan to hurt any clown they come across in public.

For professionals like Knight, the threats of reprisals are scary, especially for people who see their job as bringing smiles to others by twisting balloons into animals, telling stories, painting whimsical faces and performing magic tricks.

I love what I do; I dont want to stop, she said. They say theres a shortage of clowns. I hope this doesnt scare people away.

Knight, who travels extensively throughout the Naperville, Fox Valley and Chicago areas, said she had one recent cancellation for an Oswego event. Shes not sure if it was related to the social media hoax involving a clown that was directed at Thompson and Traughber junior high schools in Oswego.

Knight, who has been clowning for three decades, said the creepy clown phenomenon is just one of many hits her profession has taken over the years.

In the late 1970s, serial killer John Wayne Gacy hurt the business when it was learned he dressed as a clown for fundraisers. Nicknamed the Killer Clown, its believed Gacy murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County.

She also cites Stephen Kings 1986 novel, It, and the television miniseries based on it, for increasing peoples fears. The central character is a shape-shifting creature that appears as a clown.

That movie was scary, she said. It made a lot of adults frightened of clowns.

Since then, Knight has softened the look of her clown to appear less intimidating.

I havent done white face in years, she said. My clown is more like a human being.

The white-face look also is gone for Lily the Clown, who said the potentially violent overreaction to clowns is no laughing matter.

I am really concerned. Im a bit afraid to be out in public in clown costume, said Debbie George, the human side of Lily. It is kind of scary. You just dont know how people are going to react.

The Montgomery, Ill., woman said shes spoken with other members of her troupe, Merry Hearts Clowns. They have discussed whether it might be better to wait to apply makeup until they arrive at an appearance, she said.

Several police agencies have urged people to call 911 if they see someone dressed as a clown and behaving suspiciously.

The DuPage County sheriffs office is aware of the recent clown sightings occurring locally in our parks, on the paths and trails, and even on our roadways, the agency noted in a community alert.

George said even that is frightening.

I dont want to get stopped by police driving up to a library or church, she said. This is something weve never really dealt with before.

George suggested the 2016 creepy clown wave might be related to the remake of It.

Police in 20 states started recording incidents shortly after the first images of Pennywise, the fictional killer clown from It, were published this summer. The movie is set for release in September 2017.

The hubbub over clowns also has Ronald McDonald keeping a low profile.

McDonalds Corp. said Tuesday that it is being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonalds participation in community events as a result of the current climate around clown sightings in communities.

Edward Hospital in Naperville has a Ronald McDonald Family Room.

John Jay-Jay the Clown Joseph said he isnt surprised by this years craze.

Every year about this time we get the same reaction, Joseph said.

Clowns are no different than any other profession. Someone could dress up like a scary firefighter and carry an ax. Its just unfortunate that the profession they chose is clowns, he said.
With an active strength of 60,000 military personnel and operates approximately 668 manned aircraft in about 33 Squadrons, the Turkish Air Force is a major power.

Eleven squadrons operate a mix of Block 30, Block 40 and Block 50 F-16s, one of them equipped with DB-110 EO reconnaissance pods and assigned to recce duties, two remaining combat squadrons operate about 49 F-4E-2000 Phantoms, in the upgraded Terminator configuration, while the Turk Yildizlari (Turkish Stars) form a squadron equipped with 23 Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighters upgraded locally to NF-5A-2000 and NF-5B-2000 configuration. The Phantoms and some of the older F-16s will be replaced by 116 Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, and there are already two squadrons operating unmanned platforms, one flying armed Heron, Predator and Reaper UCAVs and one flying ISTAR roled Heron, Harpy, I-GNAT ER and Anka UAVs.

Seven transport squadrons and three base flights between them operate two of the eight A400M on order, about 15 C-130B/E, 16 C-160 Transall and 43 CN235 transport aircraft, 20 AS532 Cougar and 59 UH-1H helicopters. There is also one tanker squadron with seven Boeing KC-135R air to air refueling aircraft, two squadrons operating three Boeing E-7T AEW&C aircraft and two CN235EW Elint/EW aircraft, as well as eight surface-to-air missile (SAM) squadrons. Six training squadrons operate about 36 SF-260 primary trainers, 40 KT-1T and 20 Hurkus B basic trainers, and 68 T-38M advanced/lead in trainers.

Until recently, the frontline squadrons were spread between two Tactical Air Force Commands, headquartered at Eskisehir and Diyarbakr, each with five main bases. In August 2014, the two Tactical Air Force Commands were merged into a single Combat Air Force Command, and the Secondnd Tactical Air Force Command centre in Diyarbakir was closed.

Two transport bases come under Air Force Staff Division Command, while the training units are parented primarily by Air Training Command and Air Force Academy Command.

The Turk Hava Kuvvetleri (THK or Turkish air force) can trace its roots back 105 years, having been founded on 1 June 1911, when Turkey was still part of the Ottoman Empire. The infant air arm fought in the Balkan Wars (19121913) and World War I (19141918), which ended with the occupation of the Ottoman Empire by the Allies in 1919, and the effective dissolution of the air force. Since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the THK has grown in stature and capability.

The THK guarded Turkeys neutrality against neighbouring Axis allies and occupied nations during World War II before fighting briefly on the Allied side, and joining NATO in 1952, forming part of NATOs 6th Allied Tactical Air Force. Since then, the air force has engaged in air combat with Greek aircraft over the Aegean on numerous occasions, as well as supporting the invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

It was a mainstay of NATO air power during the Cold War (equipped with large numbers of mostly obsolescent, usually second hand aircraft types cascaded from richer NATO allies), and played a vital role in securing NATOs Southern Flank. The THK steadily began to catch up with other NATO air arms, not least with the arrival of F-16C/D Fighting Falcons from 1987.

All but eight of the F-16s supplied to the Turkish air force were locally produced by TUSAS Aerospace Industries at Akinci (formerly Murted). TUSAS stands for Turkiye Ucak Sanayii AS, or Turkish Aircraft Industries (TAI). The aircraft were produced in four batches, under the Peace Onyx I, II, III and IV programmes, with progressively greater local content. In the initial batch, TAI manufactured 70% of the airframe of the F-16 aircraft including aft and centre fuselages and wings.

210 surviving F-16s underwent a $3.9 billion Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) upgrade, with improvements including APG-68(V)9 multimode radar, the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System, Link 16, and compatibility with a number of new weapons and targeting systems. The F-16s weapons now include AGM-65A/B Maverick TV-guided air-to-surface missiles, CBU-103/105 Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers, AGM-84H SLAM-ER and AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon cruise missiles and AIM-9X and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.

The THK purchased AGM-142 Popeye attack missiles from Israel intending these to be used by the F-4E and the F-16, but so far they have been used only by the Phantom, though the smaller indigenous Roketsan SOM next-generation high precision cruise missile has been integrated on Block 50 and CCIP F-16s and F-4E 2020s.

More than 200 Phantoms were delivered to Turkey from 1974, 54 of which were upgraded to F-4E-2020 Terminator standards by IAI with a new Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radar, and an upgraded avionics suite, including a digital glass cockpit, and a Kaiser El-OP 976 wide-angle HUD and HOTAS system.

The Terminator is compatible with the AGM-142 Popeye/Have Nap missile, Litening-II targeting pods, and a range of other modern weapons. The AGM-142 was first used in anger on 16 December 2007 during Operation Sun, an incursion into Northern Iraq targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The Turkish air force has encouraged local industry to help it meet its equipment requirements, and has commissioned a wide range of indigenously designed and manufactured weapons, and licence-built and locally designed aircraft types and helicopters, as well as upgrade and modernization programmes that incorporate indigenously designed avionics and other systems. Some of these are now in full operational service, like the TAI Hurkus trainer, while others are still in development.

The Turkish air force has been an important participant in multi-national coalition operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and the Middle East, gaining a great deal of operational experience in the process. In 2006, four Turkish F-16s were deployed to take part in NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation.

Ongoing operations against the PKK in Northern Iraq, and against Daesh and other insurgent groups in Syria have kept Turkeys air force at a high operational pitch and the Syrian Civil War has provided plenty of opportunities for combat experience. On 16 September 2013 a Turkish Air Force F-16C shot down a Syrian Mi-17 that violated Turkish airspace, while on 23 March 2014 another F-16 shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force MiG-23 Flogger.

On 3 and 4 October 2015 Russian Air Force Su-30SM and Su-24 aircraft violated Turkish airspace in the Hatay region. Despite what the Turkish air force described as clear, timely and repeated warnings the Russian aircraft continued until F-16s on QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) were scrambled. During the incident on 3 October the Russian Su-30SM maintained a radar lock on one or both the F-16s for more than five minutes, an unusual and provocative thing to do. Following the incident the Turkish Government said that its air force would shoot down any aircraft violating their sovereign airspace in future.

Accordingly, on 24 November 2015, a Russian Su-24 Fencer was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 when it crossed the border from Syria, resulting in the death of one of the crew.

Following the shootdown, relations with Russia deteriorated, and Russian incursions continued. Russia equipped aircraft flying in Syria with air-to-air missiles for self-defence, and began to routinely dispatch Su-30s to escort Su-24 bombers and Su-25 fighter bombers, deployed an S-400 SAM missile system to Hmeymin airbase and dispatched the Moskva guided-missile destroyer (equipped with S-300F SAMs) off Latakia, establishing a Missile Engagement Zone (MEZ) over Syria.

On 29 January, following a further border violation (this one by an Su-34 Fullback bomber, Turkey refrained from engaging the aircraft but did summoned the Russian envoy for a formal dressing down.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry commented that: We are making a clear call to the Russian Federation not to violate Turkish airspace, which is also NATO airspace.

Turkey finally became a Level 3 partner of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development programme on 11 July 2002 and joined the production phase of the programme on 25 January 2007, initially agreeing to purchase 116 F-35A Lightning II aircraft. It is also studying a future fighter requirement, known as TFX, which is to replace the F-16 with a domestically produced fighter after 2023.


PHOENIX -- Donald Trump's chief Arizona surrogate is defending his comments that he won't commit to abiding by the results of the election.

"He's not going to concede any kind of election before he knows the results,'' said former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. "It's no different than Bush v. Gore,'' Brewer continued, referring to the close race in 2000 that was not resolved for days until the Supreme Court finally halted further recounting of questioned ballots in Florida.

In that case, however, it was never in question whether Republican George W. Bush or Democrat Al Gore would accede to what was the final Electoral College tally, even with Gore actually winning the popular vote.

But Trump's comments have left some Arizona Republican politicians distancing themselves from the remarks.

During the 90-minute debate, Chris Wallace of Fox News noted Trump has said during the campaign the election is "rigged.'' So he asked Trump if he'll accept the outcome.

"I will look at it at the time,'' Trump responded, saying "the media is so dishonest and so corrupt and the pile-on is so amazing.'' He claimed there are "millions of people'' who are illegally registered to vote and that Hillary Clinton "should not be allowed to run'' based on what he claims are crimes she committed.

Nor was Trump dissuaded by Wallace's comments about the long tradition of "peaceful transition of power'' and "that at the end of the campaign that the loser concedes to the winner.''

"What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time,'' Trump responded. "I'll keep you in suspense, OK?''

Clinton called that "horrifying.'' But Brewer, who attended Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas, said she sees it through a different lens.

"He's going to concede when the results and known and certified and verified,'' she said. But Brewer, who before becoming governor was secretary of state and Arizona's chief election official, said Trump cannot ignore "allegations in some states that there has been some hanky-panky.''

"If there's hanky-panky, he'd have a reason to question the results,'' she said, not specifying what would fit into that category.

Trump doubled-down on Thursday, telling supporters in Ohio he "will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election -- if I win.''

The refusal drew a sharp reaction from Sen. John McCain who ran for president in 2008 -- and conceded defeat to Barack Obama. McCain, in a statement, said he didn't like the results.

"But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance,'' he said.

"A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness,'' McCain continued. "It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility.''

McCain said in every previous election the loser congratulates the winner "and calls them 'my president. ''

"This election must not be any different,'' he said.

Jeff Flake, the state's other Republican senator, had a shorter response, tweeting out after the debate that Trump's refusal to say he will accept the election results "is beyond the pale.''

Current Secretary of State Michele Reagan, also a Republican, sidestepped the direct question about Trump's statement. Instead, she insisted that no one will have reason to question the results, at least those from Arizona.

"Signature verification, proper identification at the polls and multiple layers of system safeguards make manipulating the outcome of an election exceedingly difficult,'' she said in written response to the query. Reagan said county officials test equipment before each election and state law requires it remain "secure and under constant surveillance.''

"Combined with audits and full paper trail after each election, we are confident in our election systems, but remain vigilant,'' she said.

Daniel Scarpinato, press aide to Gov. Doug Ducey, gave an equally non-responsive answer to the question about what his boss thinks about Trump's refusal to say he will abide by the results. Instead, Scarpinato mentioned the opportunities for Arizonans to vote, including early.

Robert Graham, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, said he does not interpret what Trump said as being the candidate would refuse to honor the results. But Graham, who also attended the Wednesday debate, suggested perhaps Trump's verbiage was a bit inartful.

"This guy hasn't made a career out of being a polished orator,'' he said. "The way it's better said that if it's a close race, you wouldn't expect anybody to concede,'' he said.

And Graham said that as much as he agrees with Trump about Clinton being unqualified and possibly guilty of a crime with destruction of emails and lying to the FBI about it, in the end, none of that matters.

"If she wins, game over,'' he said. "Nobody should challenge it.''

And Graham said he's sure that Trump agrees.

"He just wants to make sure that people are playing by the rules,'' he said.

Brewer, for her part, said the whole discussion of what Trump might do is meaningless.

"He's probably not going to have to worry about it because he's going to win,'' she said. And Brewer continues to predict Trump will take Arizona despite recent polls showing Clinton with an edge.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. German historian and author of a number of works on the Armenian Genocide Michael Hesemann revealed documents of 1100 pages linked with the Armenian Genocide in Vaticans open and secret archives. Armenpress reports the German historian told the reporters that he plans to write a book based on the findings, while the copies of the documents he handed to the director of Armenias National Academy of Sciences. Hesemann informed the book will be not only in German, but also English and other languages. The scientist is ready to share his experience with other scientists and researchers studying Armenian Genocide.

Referring to the content of the document, Michael Hesemann noted that they are mainly the correspondences of Popes with their representatives in the East, as well as with the representatives of the Capuchin and Franciscan orders. The documents are mainly in Italian and French.

The studies manly reveal that extermination of the Christian element, and particularly Armenians, took place in the Ottoman Empire. It was a well planned state policy. The Young Turks believed that only homogeneous states are powerful, and for reaching that goal ethnic cleansings were necessary, the scientist said.

According to him, the documents show that the Catholic Church had tried to influence the German position on the Armenian Genocide. Vatican tried to influence Germany through Austria-Hungary aiming to stop the genocide. But Germany wished to keep Turkey under its influence, even at the expense of the fate of Armenians, Michael Hesemann said. He thinks that the feeling of guilt coming from this act made the German parliament adopt a relevant decision and recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The German historian also mentioned that the documents examined by him contain precise evidences about the number of Armenian victims amounting to 1.5 million. The letter of a Capuchin representative also documents this fact, who mentions that 1.5 million out of 2.3 million Armenians have been killed by November, 1918, the scientist said.
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Mr. Chess and his brother Leonard Chess arrived in America as little boys, two Jewish immigrant kids from Poland. They started Chess in 1950, recording Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin Wolf, Buddy Guy and other top musicians who spread the gospel of the blues. Teens in England and around the world heard the so-called race music Chess helped popularize, and the cross-pollination helped birth rock.
Even during the years when he was working in factories, pushing a broom, getting fired from jobs, battling illness and going through rehab, Mr. Jones always thought of himself as a writer. Im a great believer in fate, and I believe that all those things in my life had to happen  being a drunk, a boxer, the epilepsy, the diabetes, he told the Seattle Times. You have to suffer a lot before you can be a writer of fiction.
Although my Wall Street Journal piece, A Capital Overhaul at the National Gallery, on the reinvented and revitalized permanent collection displays, was generously granted three images by my editors, I think readers often crave a chance to see the other works discussed.

You wish, artlings, is CultureGrrls demand. Below are most of the works whose images didnt make it into the article, along with a few other related works and additional information and commentary.

But what I didnt have space to tell you in yesterdays artcle is that Harry Cooper, curator and department head for modern art, expects to re-do the permanent collections contemporary art installations within a year or two.

Heres why, as revealed during our conversation on the East Buildings new sculpture terrace, where he chose to pose with two small Nam June Paik bronzes when I asked if I could take his picture. (His knees are obviously in better shape than mine are.)

The Concourse (the level where the most recent art from the permanent collection is currently shown) will probably be taken over by our next special exhibition: Lynne Cooke (senior curator, special projects in modern art) is organizing Outliers, looking at the relationship between mainstream and outsider art (the subject of her research as a 2012-13 Andrew Mellon professor at the National Gallery). That will kick the contemporary permanent collection upstairs, where we will do a completely different installation.

Cooper added that the displays of contemporary art from the permanent collection will be more fluid than the installations of earlier modern works. The museum, he said, has to stay lively.

For now, lets look at the current installations, as I described them in the WSJ. All excerpts from my article in italics. The captions mention which works were part of the recent windfall from the defunct Corcoran Gallery.

All photos by Lee Rosenbaum

Last of the Buffalo (1888), a sweeping Western panorama, featur[es] a life-or-death battle between a spear-wielding Native American and a huge brown beast:

Heres the other Bierstadt I mentioned. Inhabited by a lone bear, this more tranquil painting was named by the artist for the founder of the Corcoran Gallery, whose contribution, under regrettable circumstances, to the National Gallerys collections cannot be overestimated.

As illustrated by the two Bierstadts, the Corcoran windfall was able to fill major gaps, because that much older Washington museum was able to acquire many historic works in the 19th century, when they were contemporary. The National Gallery had owned a Bierstadt landscape from Switzerland, Lake Lucerne, but not the monumental western views for which the artist is most renowned.

Enlivening one of the new Tower Galleries are recent long-term loans from the Calder Foundation, beefing up the museums already superb Alexander Calder holdings (from the artists dealer, Klaus Perls, and his wife, and from Mrs. Paul Bunny Mellon):

What this delightful focus gallery lacked during my visit was a gentle air current to set in motion Calders delicately balanced constructions, as now happens at the recently reopened San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Calder display.

Another in-depth focus installation has been accorded to portraits and sculpture by Amedeo Modigliani, who has traveled from the West Building to the East.

Ex-Corcoran European painting highlights include sun-dappled landscapes by Theodore Rousseau and Narcisse Diaz de la Pena, raising the level of the museums modest Barbizon School holdings:

A pensive young womans portrait by Mary Cassatt, further strengthens the National Gallerys superb Impressionist trove:

I would have liked to have seen this ex-Corcoran work by Cecilia Beaux (with a cat) juxtaposed with the ex-Corcoran Cassatt (with a dog). Both artists were American, although Cassatt, at the National Gallery and elsewhere, is traditionally associated with the French Impressionists.

Although still labeled Studio of Sir Peter Paul Rubens when I visited recently, on the museums website The Judgment of Midas (c. 1640) has been firmly assigned to his assistant, Jan van den Hoecke. But Arthur Wheelock Jr., curator of Northern Baroque painting, is still weighing other scholars opinions that the paintings luminous central figure, Apollo, may be by the masters own hand.

Harry Cooper has recruited single works by artists who are at home in the West Building to create provocative pairings: An illogically off-kilter Post-Impressionist Cezanne, Still Life With Milk Jug and Fruit (c. 1900), keeps company with the Cubists jumbling of perspectives.

Heres the Cezanne in the East Buildings Cubism gallery:

And heres a less precarious-looking still life that remains in the West Building with the other Cezannes:

An Impressionist Monet, The Houses of Parliament, Sunset (1903), resonates with a similarly dappled 1906 Fauvist Andre Derain of a similar scene.

In another gallery, color-field and hard-edge painters are fittingly joined by members of the Washington Color School, a strength of the Corcoran. Beta Kappa (1961), a late work by Morris Louis, the movements progenitor, shares a gallery with Gene Daviss Black Popcorn (1965):

A surprising no-show in that gallery is Helen Frankenthaler, whose signature work, the delicately stained canvas Mountains and Sea (1952), has been exiled downstairs to a loosely thematic temporary installation, Flow, where it is overwhelmed by bolder works from later decades. It would have made a more fitting companion for the Sam Gilliam, Relative, 1969, in the Color Field/Color School gallery.

Heres the Frankenthaler:

And here it is in the Flow display:

Heres one other gripe that space limitations kept out of my WSJ piece:

It took me a while to find one of my favoritesthe once prominently displayed Richard Serra Five Plates, Two Poles, 1971. A 29,000-pound prop piece assembled from eight-foot-square steel plates and 12-foot-long slotted poles, it is now tucked away in a distant corner of the East Buildings cavernous atrium, making it difficult (even dangerous) to circumnavigate.

A more interesting view of this mass of hot-rolled steel is afforded in back. But the tightness of its placement discourages that journey:

If you view the Serra from its side, standing in the narrow passage where the man in the above photo is walking, youll get the best sense of how delicately balanced these unwelded elements are:

Given the challenges of circling around it without getting too close, youll need to carefully observe the bold-face admonition on its labelfor the safety of the object (and maybe your own):
Grand Canyon National Park partnered with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Department of Transportation earlier this month for the park's annual commercial vehicle inspections.

During the checks, which occurred Oct. 3 and 5, employees inspected 208 commercial vehicles entering Grand Canyon National Park. One hundred forty-two had not safety violations. The rest combine for a total of 237 violations.

Eight drivers and 12 vehicles had violations so serious that they were taken out of service. Several of the vehicles removed from the road had at least one inoperable brake and one bus had a 6-inch crack in its frame near the engine mount.

National Park Service staff also performed commercial use authorization audits of all the commercial vehicles carrying passengers. They identified eight violations.
Sex offender notifications

Detectives with the Flagstaff Police Department would like to make the following Level 3 (high risk to the community) sex offender notification:

 Elden Nez, 57, is living at Flagstaff Shelter Services, located at 4185 E. Huntington Drive in Flagstaff. He was convicted in 1994 of sexual abuse in Maricopa County. He was also convicted of failure to register as a sex offender in 2003 in Coconino County. Nez is not wanted by police at this time.

Detectives with the Flagstaff Police Department would like to make the following Level 2 (intermediate risk to the community) sex offender notifications:

 Alex Hink, 31, is living at 1917 N. First St. in Flagstaff. Hink pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and was sentenced to the Arizona Department of Corrections in 2007. The burglary was sexually motivated. Hink is not wanted by police at this time.

 Thomas Mansmann, 56, is living at Flagstaff Shelter Services, located at 4185 E. Huntington Drive in Flagstaff. Mansmann was convicted in 1983 of lewd and lascivious acts with a girl under 14 years old in San Diego, Calif. He is not wanted by police at this time.

Notification that Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders are living in the community is required by Arizona law. Resident abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass sex offenders will not be tolerated by the police department.

If residents have information about current criminal activity by any offender, contact the police department at 774-1414.

For more information on sex offenders in the Flagstaff area, visit the Arizona Department of Public Safety sex offender Web site at www.azsexoffender.com.

City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
Poverty and red tape in cities deny children schooling and health care. This has generated high risks of accidents and juvenile delinquency. In 2015, China had 247 million migrant workers.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  In China 61 million rural children are left behind to live without parents, this according to a survey on internal migration by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

For most of the year, these left-behind children do not see their migrant parents working in the countrys richer coastal cities. This comes with human cost that can be measured in terms of accidents, sometimes fatal, involving in minors and in juvenile delinquency.

The main reason for the situation is that whilst Chinese cities need the labour of migrant workers, municipal authorities  especially in big cities like Beijing  often deny their children essential services such as schooling and health care.

The low incomes and poor housing conditions of migrant workers make it all but impossible for children to accompany their parents to the cities.

The problem of left-behind children is most severe in Anhui, Henan and Sichuan provinces, the key sources of migrant workers, where 44 per cent of rural children live without their mother or father. This is far higher than the national average of 35.6 per cent.

The Chinese government realises the problem. In February, the State Council, Chinas cabinet, issued guidelines to local authorities to improve the physical and psychological health of such children; however, poverty and red tape make the task beyond the reach of migrant workers.

Last year, China had 247 million migrant workers aged on average 29.3 years. Whilst the group is younger than the national average, they are ageing more quickly  their average age was 27.9 in 2013.

Two-thirds of migrant workers earn between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan (US$ 295-740) a month. Only 5 per cent make more than 8,000 yuan (under US$ 1,200) a month.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Sworn in on 20 October 2014, Indonesias president has been praised for his economic policy, tax amnesty, and infrastructure development in remote areas. However, he has been criticised for human rights violations, capital punishment, and castration of paedophiles.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Infrastructure development in rural and remote areas of the country, a new impetus to the economy and investments, and crackdown on tax evasion are the highlights of the first two years of Indonesian President Joko Widodo who took office on 20 October 2014.

Yesterday, Mr Widodo marked the anniversary on Miangas, part of the Talaud Islands, only 48 nautical miles from the Philippines, where he inaugurated the islands first airport, hitherto reachable only by sea.

With the new airstrip, the president said, the state wants to reinforce its presence in the most remote parts of Indonesia. We are committed, the president added, "to show our neighbour (Philippines) that we also take care of our territory near other countries."

Two days ago Widodo inaugurated another airport in Yahukimo, Papua province, after decades of isolation due to its geographic features.

Most observers acknowledge that the president has given new impetus to the economy. A tax amnesty has favoured the return of capital hosted in tax shelters and allowed the government to recoup lost revenues.

Analysts also praise the governments steps to curb corruption and the misuse of public funds, which are the scourge of Indonesias bureaucracy.

With a GDP of US$ 861 billion, the South-East Asian nation has one of the most vibrant economies in the world. Although growth slowed last year, the forecast for 2016 is 5.2 per cent.

Widodos economic policy is praised even by the super-rich, starting with Mochtar Riady, founder and chairman of the Lippo Group, a real estate giant.

According to the 87-years-old tycoon, the two years of the Widodo led to "revolutionary" reforms that will turn Indonesia into be a major economic power.

Having known every president since 1945 (when the country proclaimed its independence from the Netherlands), the businessman believes that Widodos infrastructure development will lead to "a new era in Indonesia".

I strongly believe that within the next five years, the so-called Indonesian factor will dominate the worlds economy and nothing will be done without involving Indonesia, Riady said.

However, human rights groups have criticised the president, accusing his administration of complicity in several crimes.

The Commission of the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) noted that Widodo has appointed to his cabinet some ministers known for human rights violations.

Rights advocates also point to Indonesias continued reliance on the death penalty, and its new law to use chemical castration and the death penalty against paedophiles.
The court granted 11 defendants the benefit of the doubt, and found no clear evidence in the case of the three others. In all, 31 people had been convicted in connection with the death of 33 Muslims burnt to death in a house where they had sought shelter during a riot by Hindus.

Ahmedabad (AsiaNews)  A court in Ahmedabad upheld appeals by 14 defendants accused in connection with the mass killing of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. The 14 had been convicted five years ago over the death of 33 Muslims burnt alive.

"Out of the 14 acquitted, the bench granted benefit of doubt to 11, while it said it did not find evidence against three others," said defence lawyer N L Jain after the hearing.

In total 31 people were tried in this case. The court upheld the convictions of the other 17 who ewre sentenced to life in prison in the 2011 trial.

The victims had crowded into a small house in the village of Sardarpura seeking refuge during a wave of anti-Muslim violence by Hindus that swept across Gujarat in February 2002 after a fire on the Sabarmati Express in Godhra burnt alive 59 Hindu pilgrims.

Over the following three months, more than a thousand Muslims were massacred in various cities of Gujarat.

Then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was blamed for turning a blind eye to the violence, and for doing nothing afterwards.

Although a court dismissed all charges against him in 2012, Indias current prime minister is still dogged by criticism over his handling of the affair.
by Sr.Bindu Michael

Born into a Buddhist family, she converted when she was 12. Drawn to the monastic life and the adoration of the Eucharist, she became a nun. During her 40 years in India she taught children with intellectual disabilities, seeing Christ in them.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  Sr. Asunta Nakade is a Japanese nun; belonging to the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She has lived in India, at Dilkhush Convent Juhu, for the past 40 years. She is leaving for Japan, her home country, forever, on the 21st of October 2016. We are grateful to her, for her contribution to our country, India, especially to the Archdiocese of Mumbai, and in particular, to the overall development of children with special needs. Let us look back at her journey of faith, with Jesus Christ, as her GURU.

She was born in Tokyo in 1937, to a Buddhist family, consisting of her parents and her brother. Her original name was Keiko. She had to change school often, as her father, working for the Trading Company, would be transferred, to any of its many branches in Japan as well as abroad. It was in 1949, while she was in Kobe, in the final year of Primary school, that a mysterious encounter with the Catholic Church, (in a way, an encounter with God, Himself) took place. One evening, Keiko saw her neighbors going to church, and she followed them. It was a Catholic church, and at the chapel by the side, the right arm of St. Francis Xavier, (the holy relic) was placed. She saw a long queue of people going to the altar, one by one, to venerate the Holy Relic. Although she did not know anything about Catholicism, (as it was for the first time that she had entered a Catholic church) she would never forget the experience that she had on that Day! Keiko was overwhelmed by holiness! Later she believed that surely through St. Francis Xavier, she received the gift of faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Keiko was 13 years, her father shifted her to another school, run by Franciscan sisters. It was a great surprise for her. She was once again overwhelmed by the holiness of the sisters. Deep down in her heart; she experienced heavenly joy and happiness. She started attending Sunday school to learn more about the Catholic faith. One of the sisters taught her Catechism, and thus, began her faith formation. The experience of Gods presence in her heart was so strong, that she wanted to give herself completely to God, by joining a convent. She expressed her desire to her parents, but they could not comprehend it, as she was not yet baptized. She continued her faith formation, and she was baptized at the school chapel, on 15th August, 1950 with 3 of her class mates. She took the name Asunta. Even though her family was Buddhist, her father didnt object to her becoming Catholic. He told her that it would be good to have a personal religion. Her mother was baptized 2 years later, and then her brother too. Her father wanted to keep Buddhism as a family religion and so he did not get baptized.

At the age of 19, Asunta felt deep down in her heart, the call of God, but did not know where God was calling her. As per the suggestion of one Jesuit priest, she visited the Convent of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at Yokosuka. She was welcomed by a Japanese sister, who was the Novice Mistress, at that time. She was so taken up by the warmth and hospitality of the sisters that she visited the convent several times later. Through these visits, she was drawn to the Blessed Sacrament. The sisters had Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every day and she was falling in love with Jesus Christ. She wanted to dedicate her life totally for Him.

When she finished her graduation, she expressed her desire to join the convent; her mother could not digest the idea, and endured a lot of pain in losing her only daughter. But, her Buddhist father understood the meaning of following Jesus and without any objection, he advised her to be ever faithful, without looking back again.

Asunta joined the Novitiate on the 13th November 1962; there were 20 novices with her. She made her Vows on the 11th of February 1965, and after the wonderful experience of the Third Probation, she took her Final Commitment on 15th August 1972.

She came to India on 6th July 1976, in place of another sister who was supposed to go to India, but whose visa was rejected. Before coming to India, she did a Montessori course in Dublin, as a preparation to teach in a special school.

In India, Sr. Asunta joined the small community of the Handmaids at Dilkhush Convent, Juhu. At that time 5 nuns from abroad, were running the school for intellectually challenged children. For the first 3 months, it was hard for her to adjust to a new place. Sr. Asunta was appointed as the class teacher of the Junior Class. She said: It is not easy to deal with these children, but our charism, which is to adore the Eucharistic Lord, is the source of my strength and joy. The mystical experience, of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, was similar to seeing Christ in our children. When God loves these children they become lovable. The special children were a special gift that the Lord gave me, in India. I had a wonderful time teaching and learning from them, a lot of experiences of love, sensitivity and care from them! Until 2014 Sr. Asunta lectured at the Dilkhush Teachers Training Centre, on the Montessori Method of teaching.

Sr. Asunta is a pastoral woman. She has always been there for any activities of St. Josephs Parish Juhu. She likes to visit the families of the parish, and even now, at the age of 79, she distributes communion to the sick and the homebound!

She has a big heart for the poor. She goes out of her way to help them, whether it is for the education of poor children or for the medical needs of HIV patients. She is quite well known among the poor people right from Madh Island to Dadar! She has stayed at the hospital, when a poor woman from the street was admitted. Any poor person who comes to Dilkhush will not go away, without receiving a cold drink and snacks from Sr. Asunta. She would be very unhappy if they are not served food. She has helped many broken families; rehabilitated them in different places and most of them are doing well. On her birthday and special occasions, we have had many of them come with their families, to wish her personally, and to express their gratitude. When she celebrated her Golden Jubilee, in the year 2010, she preferred to have a special celebration only with the poor people. So we invited all the poor people whom she was in contact with and had a get together. It was a great joy to see them organizing the whole felicitation and cultural programme for Sr. Asunta. This concluded with a meal with them.

Sr. Asunta says, India is a land of contemplation. The Spirit works in silence, and takes us to the experience of Gods presence and His unconditional love. The following three Csare my guiding stars; Contemplation, Communion and Compassion.

We are grateful to you dear Sr. Asunta for all that you have been to us! We will surely miss your presence and your smiling face. But we are very much united with you in Spirit, because we will never forget your love, sacrifices and enthusiasm for the mission and your great love for India!

SAYANORA Sr. Asunta!!!
Despite truce, ex al-Nusra Front shells western Aleppo, killing a girl. Turkish air force strikes north of the city, killing 150 civilians, an "unjustified massacre" for Syrian media. Islamic State leaders flee Aleppo, raising questions and doubts about how they are escaping. Some reports indicate that US and Russia have agreed on splitting Aleppo and Mosul.

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  Despite the truce in place, the extremist al-Nusra Front (ex al Qaeda in Syria) and Nur Eddin Al Zenki shelled Hamdaniya, a district in western Aleppo, killing a girl and seriously injuring a woman, with heavy material losses.

North of the city, Turkish planes struck targets in Hasjek, Al Wardiya, Hassiya, Gul Sruj, the dam of Al Shahba'a, Ahras and Um Hosh, killing 150 Syrian civilians. The local media described the attack as an unjustified massacre".

Aleppos fate seems increasingly linked to Mosuls. As in the Iraqi city, reports indicate that many Daesh* leaders, taking advantage of the truce, are fleeing towards Idlib and Raqqa. The latter, the Caliphates stronghold in Syria, has been under air attacks from Russian, Syrian, and French planes.

Some analysts and experts wonder how Daesh leaders can move without being tracked by satellites or intercepted by air patrols, or without using tunnels, as Palestinian leaders do in the Gaza Strip to evade controls.

Over the past two years, a certain pattern has emerged with the leaders of the Islamic State and other extremist groups fleeing first from areas that seem to be on the verge of being lost.

If Islamic State leaders are running away from Aleppo, as reported by local Christian sources, that means that they know that Aleppo and Mosul are a lost cause.

Yet, no one seems willing to uproot them as if they still had a mission, but somewhere else. What mission? We'll find out in the coming months.

For the Syrian government, moving the problem to another city appears an expedient way to take the countrys second largest city. Having fighters leave the city seems convenient to Russia as well. Russian President Vladimir Putin asked his Turkish counterpart to let al-Nusra fighters flee Aleppo.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan had once vowed that he would not allow the Syrian government take Aleppo, implicitly acknowledging Turkish support for the al-Nusra Front (deemed a terrorist group by both Russia and the United States, it now calls itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham).

However, the Turkish leader has recently changed his tune. Commenting on a phone conversation he recently had with Putin, Erdogan said the two sides had talked about a consensus for taking al Nusra fighters out of Syrias second largest city.

He [Putin] said that as of 10:00 p.m. [Oct. 18] the air bombardment was stopped [in Aleppo]. They [Russians] appealed to us about taking al-Nusra out of the city. We have given the necessary instructions to our friends. We have talked about a consensus [with Putin] to work on taking al-Nusra out of Aleppo and maintaining the peace of the people of Aleppo, Erdogan said 19 October.

This clearly shows the background to al-Nusra when it was shelling Aleppo and destroying Armenian churches and neighbourhoods. This almost daily scourge sowed death and destruction, including a stunning 17th century Armenian church that collapsed after al-Nusra placed explosives under its foundations through a tunnel it dug.

For its part, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters slammed UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, accusing him of being an agent of the Syrian government when offered to escort them out of Aleppo to safe places. Now, those same fighters are silent and no one dares insult Erdogan as de Mistura was.

Armenian sources in Aleppo report that the extremist groups have begun to move their headquarters into residential areas. People can also be seen burning documents, with no one knowing what they might contain.

Some reports indicate that 300 armed men from extremist groups are moving out of eastern Aleppo. The move began last night and is expected to last until Sunday through two corridors  one that runs via Bustan al Qasr in Khan al-Asal in western Aleppo, and the other, for Islamist fighters and their families, via Al Jandul and the Castello Road in the north of the city before they can fall back on Idlib.

Meanwhile, civilians continue to flee eastern Aleppo, seeking refuge in the western part of the city. So far at least 90,000 people are said to have moved to the areas controlled by Syrias regular army.

Other reports claim that 250,000 people have taken advantage of an amnesty proclaimed by the Syrian government to flee. The figure seems exaggerated because that would represent the entire population of eastern Aleppo.

Some sources in Aleppo speculate that Russia and the United States might have a reached a secret deal whereby Mosul is left to the United States and its allies, whilst Aleppo goes to Russia and its allies. (PB)

* Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.
by Peter Jacob

One bill would establish a Pakistan Minority Rights Commission; the other, the Protection of Minorities Bill 2016, would make forced conversion an offence. Promoters are aware of social problems like the conversions of Hindu and Christian women abducted, raped and enslaved by Muslims.

Islamabad (AsiaNews)  This September, the speaker of the National Assembly accepted two bills on issues of grave concern for religious minorities, which parliament may consider voting into laws. One is about establishing a Pakistan Minority Rights Commission and the other Protection of Minorities Bill 2016 is about making forced conversion an offence.

The bill for constituting the Commission encompasses the needs of an independent, empowered and a delivering human rights institution. For example, it envisions a body of 11 members, with a combination of religious, ethnic, gender and age diversity, though most importantly it does not exclude the representation from the majority community. Because, after all, the object is integration of the citizenry beyond religious divides. Besides being representative, the Commission ought to be an effective body to curtail human rights abuses; a question which runs through the entire scheme of the bill, not merely its composition.

In the course of debate one expects that the parliamentarians and the civil society will be mindful to address any shortcomings and to make the bill worthy of laying the foundation of this long-awaited institution. For instance, section 25 of the bill places one-year limit on the purposed commission for pointing out difficulties that needs to be removed for discharge of their functions towards the stated objectives. A sunset clause can be a hindrance to the procedural powers of an evolving institution, expected to expand the scope of respect for human rights in a challenging environment. Hence such limits ought to be removed. It is also suggested that the realising equality of rights among citizens needs a mention among the objects of the Commission.

The bill addressing the forced conversions is a well-articulated draft. Take section 4 for instance that states, a minor who claims change of his religion before attaining the age of maturity (18 years) shall not be deemed to have changed his religion and no action shall be taken against him for any such claim or action made by such minor. The section fulfils the requirements of two basic standards of international law; the freedom of religion and belief and; the best interest of the child in two sentences though with a margin of appreciation for ground realities.

Drafters seem to be fully aware that a number of reported cases of forced conversions involved minors, usually female who were abducted, raped and reported to have contracted marriage, finally driven into forced servitude. Moreover, there is a looming threat of being charged with apostasy in case a forcibly converted person objects to his or her victimisation. Such violations involving abuse of religion feed into social processes the larger scheme of religious extremism and exclusion of minorities. The bill therefore is a welcome development.

The anti-forced conversion laws of Sri Lanka and a few states of India were driven by majority communities fear of losing members to growing minority faiths. Pakistan faces no such danger. The demographic picture of Pakistan suggests a need to preserve its diminishing religious minorities.

The mover of the bills, Sanjay Pervani, and his legal experts deserve praise for their hard work, as well as a nuanced understanding of domestic issues, international and domestic laws.

This February, when the Human Rights Action Plan was unveiled, the federal government had pledged to move legislation for establishing a National Commission for Minorities. In fact, the government was already in defiance of the Supreme Courts order given in June 2014, to form a council which could monitor realisation of the rights of religious minorities and policy formation.

Now that the opposition has shared its burden, the government must seize this opportunity for an early approval of this bill. Pakistan is already behind countries of comparable clout in the Asian region, whereas human rights institutions have demonstrated an enormous potential in helping the countries in transition or in socio-political transformations.

Despite all difficulties, the National and Provincial Commissions on Status of Women and Commissions on Right to Information made important strides in their respective areas in the recent past. The institutionalisation of minorities rights will not only rehabilitate minorities as equals but it can also treat the existing imbalance and discrimination on the basis of religion. The next step will be apt and timely appointments, which has been a challenge, not attributable to a lack of competent human resource though.
The Shiite rebels reported to have carried out "at least 43" violations of the truce in force since yesterday. Houthi response: a Saudi air raid killed three civilians in Saada. Despite violence, UN diplomacy is hoping for an extension of the ceasefire. 80% of the population need humanitarian aid.

Sana'a (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Saudi led Arab coalition that supports the Yemeni government against rebel militias who occupy the capital and other areas of the country, charge the Houthis with having repeatedly violated the fragile ceasefire in force from midnight of yesterday.

In an official statement - even if there are no independent confirmation - the coalition says that the rebels have broken the UN backed cease-fire on at least 40 with rocket attacks and bombs along the border with Saudi Arabia .

The leaders of the rebel militias instead reply that the Arab coalition has carried out at least one airstrike in areas controlled by Houthis, killing three civilians in the province of Saada.

Despite this, the UN leaders continue to hope for a continuation of the ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks.

In the statement the Saudi leaders - recently responsible for an air strike on a wake that killed more than 140 people, a large majority civilians - have denounced the rocket fire by Houthi against the city of Jazan and Najra, across the border. "There were at least 43 violations along the border " adds the note, during which "snipers and other various kinds of weapons, including missiles" have been used.

In the past international diplomacy mediated a truce in the fighting five times the, without success, and this time the risk of failure is real.

Since January 2015, Yemen has been the scene of a bloody internal conflict pitting the countrys Sunni leaders, backed by Riyadh, against Shia Houthi rebels, close to Iran.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against the rebels in an attempt to free the capital Sana'a and bring back then exiled President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. So far the air campaign  criticised by the UN - has killed mostly civilians and many children.

To date they died about 7 thousand people, of which about 4125 civilians; least three million people displaced by conflict.
This is a last resort to protect Lebanon, the political system, the State and people on the condition of dissociating Lebanon from the Syrian crisis. Some Sunni lawmakers are against the deal, but Nabih Berri (Amal) is the most critical. Still, chances are good for an election on 31 October.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  Former Prime Minister and Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Movement leader Saad Hariri yesterday formally endorsed Michel Aoun, Free Patriotic Movement founder and ally of radical Shia Hezbollah party, for the post of president.

In a country without a president since May 2014 when the mandate of Michel Suleiman came to an end, this could be an important turning point.

Before making public his position, Hariri visited the tomb of his father, Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister killed in 2005 in an attack blamed on members of Hezbollah and Syrias Assad. Perhaps for this reason, Saad described his decision "a major political risk".

Hariri, a Sunni, is close to Saudi Arabia. Aoun is allied to Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. This polarisation has led to a stalemate of more than two years over the presidential election, boycotted by Hezbollah lawmakers.

This decision, Hariri said yesterday at a press conference with Aoun (pictured), stems from the need to protect Lebanon, the political system, the State and people. . . It is a decision based on an agreement to cooperate to preserve the system, strengthen the State, reactivate economy and dissociate ourselves from the Syrian crisis.

This last point seems however out of reach, given Hezbollahs military role in Syria on behalf of the Damascus government.

At the same time, it is very likely that Hariris will be met with hostility in his own party, but in his view, Aoun was the only choice left, after his other preferred candidates failed to secure a majority.

In any case, given Aouns popularity among Christians lawmakers and Hariris decision, the former general is likely to be elected president at the next vote, scheduled for 31 October.

Amal, a moderate Shia party led by Nabih Berri, remains critical of the choice, fearing that the bilateral deal between Aoun and Hariri will marginalise it.

For Aoun however, There will not be bilateral, tripartite or four-party agreements but rather a single agreement on running the country's affairs . . . and whoever tries to eliminate a certain sect would be trying to eliminate Lebanon.

In fact, The National Pact was a pact between Muslims  both Sunnis and Shiites  and all Christians to live together with equal rights. The National Pact does not contain a bilateral agreement (between Sunnis and Christians), Aoun noted. No one will be excluded and we will not deal with anyone maliciously.

Yesterday evening, right after his meeting with Hariri, Aoun met with Nabih Berri.
US States Reject Russia's Offer To Monitor Elections

Trending News: Russia Wants To Monitor The US Elections

Why Is This Important?

Because the elections need to be monitored  but by Russia?

Long Story Short

Russia's offer to oversee the US elections in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas has been rejected by officials within the state as well as the State Department. This offer comes following Donald Trump's allegations that the election will be rigged and that he'll accept the result "if I win."

Long Story

If you didn't know better you might think that Vladimir Putin is running for vice president considering how often he, and the state of Russia, have been brought up during this election. The foreign government appears to be poking its head into America's business, as evidenced by WikiLeaks hacks on the Democrats, which are being investigated by the FBI as orchestrated attacks by Russia. The former Cold War nemesis also comes up during discussions about Syria and Donald Trump continues to bring up how much he respects the Russian president, despite not knowing him personally. And now Russia is getting itself involved in a new way.

via GIPHY

USA Today reports that Russia has offered to monitor voting in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, but has been rejected by each state. Russian-controlled media Izvestia said that the states rejected the offer in "harsh" terms, but Oklahoma and Texas officials reportedly just wrote that Russia's presence would be against state laws and Louisiana used the recent flood as an excuse.

"Had this flood event not occurred, we certainly would have been open to such a visit, but I cannot meet such a request with the situation I currently have in front of me," wrote Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler.

Although, a spokesperson for Schedler called the offer a "propaganda ploy."

The offer comes following Trump's allegations throughout the campaign that the system and the election are "rigged." This allegation showed its ugly head during the debate when Trump refused to say he'd respect the election result if Clinton wins. And on the day after the debate, he said he will "totally accept the results  if I win."

Now, it's possible that there'll be problems with the election  remember 2000 and the hanging chads? So America should let in other countries observe, which it does. But to allow Russia, a country that may be rigging the election in its own way by trying to embarrass one party with hacks  thanks, but no thanks.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Is the election rigged?

Disrupt Your Feed

Hey Vlad, piss off!

Drop This Fact

A poll in June found that nearly 3 of every 4 Americans think the economy is "rigged."
The SkunkLock Bicycle Lock Makes Thieves Vomit

Trending News: This Bike Lock Will Literally Make Would-Be Thieves Vomit

Why Is This Important?

Because if youre sick of having your bike stolen, you can turn the tables on the thieves.

Long Story Short

Two inventors from San Francisco have masterminded a bike lock that releases a noxious gas spray to make anyone who tries to steal it feel sick and struggle to breathe.

Long Story

Owning a bike in any major city is a fragile existence. You chain them up, count to 10 and theyre gone, like a magic trick. However many locks you employ, thieves seem to be able to get through them.

So, enter the SkunkLock.

Two inventors from San Francisco have come up with an ingenious bike lock that can sense an attempt at theft and spray the offender with a noxious gas.

Inventor Daniel Idzkowski told the Guardian: Basically we were fed up with thefts. The real last straw was we had a friend park his very expensive electric bike outside a Whole Foods, and then went to have lunch and chat. We went out and his bike was gone.

The U-shaped lock contains three pressurized gases, including the nasty sounding "Formula D_1," and once the hapless thief has cut a third of the way through the lock it releases the spray.

The gas has the same effect as pepper spray, leaving the thief gasping for air and needing to vomit, effectively ending any chance of pulling off the bike heist.

The SkunkLock team are planning to crowdfund the device on Indiegogo, and if you donate $99 you will receive your SkunkLock in June 2017. Or if you live in a major city, in about 10 bikes time.

It seems that a more vigilante approach to stopping bike thieves is becoming fashionable. Back in June, a man in South Oregon chased down a bike thief on horseback and brought him down by lassoing him.

But the SkunkLocks inventors have admitted that they will be taking legal advice before releasing their product, just to be on the safe side. Probably not worth facing a lawsuit for the sake of your rusty old BMX.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Would you use a bike lock that makes thieves sick?

Disrupt Your Feed

We've all dreamed of getting revenge on a thief, but this may be a little much.

Drop This Fact

A recent study in Montreal found that half of all cyclists had had their bike stolen and only 2.4% had been recovered.
Suspected felony shoplifting

Flagstaff police are on the lookout for a man suspected of stealing a gold and diamond vintage watch from a local antique store.

According to the police report, the suspected shoplifting occurred in the 100 block of South Milton Road at approximately 4:30 p.m. last Friday. An employee told officers a man had previously attempted to purchase a vintage women's white gold Hamilton watch with diamonds but left when his credit card was declined. On Friday, the same man returned to the store and asked to see some items in the locked jewelry case. When the employee opened the case, the suspect grabbed the white gold and diamond watch and ran out of the store. Both his shoes fell off while he was fleeing. The employee chased the suspect but could not catch him.

The police obtained surveillance footage of the suspect. He was described in the report as a Hispanic man, approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 140 pounds with braces. He was wearing a blue and white plaid button-up shirt, a blue sweatshirt with a Nike logo on the right corner and brown pants.

The investigation is ongoing.

Charged with DUI

 Flagstaff police arrested Alexander Romero, 26, of Carlsbad, N.M. on a DUI charge at 3:23 a.m. Sunday.

 Flagstaff police arrested Verna M. Thompson, 27, of Second Mesa on a DUI charge at 3:45 a.m. Saturday.

City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
Its a measure of the professionalism and public confidence in local law enforcement when the top jobs are consistently filled by officers moving up the ranks.

Some might call that too parochial  any organization can always benefit from new blood and fresh ideas.

But successful leadership in an area as sensitive as public safety relies in large measure on public trust at the neighborhood level. How well officers on the beat can do their jobs often depends on whether citizens perceive their bosses and the department as competent, fair and transparent. When trust is replaced by doubt and even fear, then the mutual cooperation needed to make a criminal justice system run smoothly breaks down.

Thus we are fortunate in the Flagstaff region to have continuity in top law enforcement leaders  it demonstrates the confidence that not only other leaders have in them but citizens, too. At the Flagstaff Police Department, every single police chief since its founding has come from within the ranks, despite national searches during recent vacancies. Chief Kevin Treadway, like the chiefs before him, carries the weight of that legacy but also the advantages of a wide and deep involvement in the community beyond the walls of the police department.

At the Coconino County sheriffs office, theres a slightly different dynamic to the line of succession. As an elected position, the sheriff must cultivate a relationship with citizens that honors whatever campaign platform he ran on. In some jurisdictions such as Maricopa County, that has meant politicized and divisive enforcement priorities.

In Coconino County, continuity in the sheriffs job hasnt relied on politics so much as basic policing in one of the nations biggest counties amid changing technology and mobility. Joe Richards moved into the post in 1972 and served through 2004 before yielding to his chief deputy, Bill Pribil. Now Pribil is retiring and his chief deputy, Jim Driscoll, is running for the job.

With more than three decades in the sheriffs office, Driscoll has performed just about every task, from patrol and detective work to running the jail and founding the search and rescue unit. His postings have included Page, Williams, Grand Canyon, the Havasupai Reservation and the Navajo Nation. The sheriff even loaned Driscoll to Sedona to be its interim police chief in 2010. Both Richards and Pribil enthusiastically endorse his candidacy.

In addition to his work with search and rescue, Driscoll founded the Community Emergency Response Team. Both are volunteer groups with 100 members apiece, and they leverage not only citizen expertise but also the grassroots feedback and outreach that keeps the sheriffs office in touch with citizens.

Driscoll is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, the FBI National Academy, Southwest Command College, Flagstaff Leadership Program, the Executive Leadership Program for the Naval Post Graduate School and the Leadership in Police Organizations program from AZ POST. He has been sent to Russia twice to conduct search and rescue training and attend international conferences. He has served on a number of community boards and state commissions, including the American Red Cross, Big Brother/Big Sisters, and Governors Homeland Security Commission. He was also an Arizona Daily Sun Citizen of the Year in 2003.

If he becomes sheriff, Driscoll says he will focus on new approaches to the mental health problems of inmates at the county jail and build partnerships to address the winter snowplay congestion in the Highway 180 corridor. He wants to equip deputies with body cameras and do more cultural awareness training.

Running for sheriff as an independent is Danny Thomas, well-known in the region as the Arizona Department of Liquor inspector for 20 years, followed by 10 years as a consultant in the field. He also has a decade of experience with the Pima County Sheriffs Office. Thomas is concerned with relatively low deputy pay and seven vacancies out of 62 patrol positions, a financial resource problem that seems to be a chronic one. Pribil addressed it five years ago by eliminating four positions in order to give remaining deputies a 7 percent pay hike, but when he asked the supervisors this year to restore all four positions, he got back only two.

Driscoll, whose job as chief deputy is to oversee most operations, including patrol, would inherit that two-deputy deficit if elected. But he would also have a healthy $30 million balance in the jail district fund and a solid working relationship with the Flagstaff Police Department through the colocation of both departments in the Law Enforcement Administration Building. His hands-on experience and his community-building skills gives us confidence that Jim Driscoll will be able to handle most any challenge that comes his way, and we strongly recommend him to voters as the next Coconino County Sheriff.
Cross-border M&A activity remains stifled as political and macroeconomic uncertainty continues to plague the business world, according to a new report released by Baker & McKenzie.



But the Asia-Pacific region has fared well compared to other regions, with values up 30% on the same quarter last year and up 67% from Q2 this year. While the report said Japan has been the most active Asian buyer by value, China is on pace for a record year in outbound M&A deal value.



Growth in Asia Pacific has been driven by China as it looks beyond its shores to Europe and US for investment purposes, Australia M&A head Steven Glanz told Australasian Lawyer.



The story from both China and other countries such as Japan has been heavily weighted to outbound investment activity.



Globally, he overall value of cross-border deals last quarter dropped a whopping 22% compared with the same quarter last year. But valuations are up 64% quarter on quarter this year, the report, using a baseline score of 10, estimates that cross-border M&A is up 23% from the previous quarter but down 10% from the same quarter last year.



Its the infrastructure, property and agribusiness that are the hot areas and Glanz said lawyers should be gearing up to service clients in these sectors.



Clients want lawyers who intimately know their businesses and how their industry operates; understanding the unique challenges posed by their particular sector, he said.



The M&A Index for Q3 really underlines the importance for lawyers to understand industry sectors and what matters to the businesses within them.



As for the next 12 month period, Glanz is cautiously optimistic.



Steady as she goes, he said.



While of course the US elections and Brexit will have an impact, I am optimistic that the Australian legal market will be busy with appetite for cross-border deals underpinning globalisation and the search for growth beyond national borders.






A program thats producing spectacular results in reducing delays in the New South Wales District Court is gaining support for wider implementation.



Don Weatherburn, the director of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), told The Canberra Times that the pioneering trial has produced some spectacular improvements in criminal case processing in the District Court.



The results encouraged BOCSAR to call for an expansion of the program called the Rolling List Court (RLC) which was started April last year.



Under the program, a dedicated District Court judge  in this case, former defence barrister Ian McClintock  and prosecution and defence teams are assigned to manage criminal cases much earlier compared to the normal process.



A BOCSAR report released on Tuesday said that the success of the RLC to date is promising.



Matters assigned to the [RLC] result in more early guilty pleas and are finalised sooner than matters which go through the normal court system, BOCSAR wrote.

The agency said that 63% of matters dealt with by the RLC resulted in a guilty plea compared to 41% of matters dealt with by the control courts.



The report also noted that by July this year, 65% of the cases involved in the RLC pilot program had been finalised in contrast to 37% in the control courts. It also said that a much smaller proportion of RLC matters (16%) were still awaiting trial or were currently being tried compared with control group matters (44%).



The agency wrote:

Perhaps the most notable effect is the difference between the two groups in terms of the timing of these guilty pleas. A guilty plea was entered within 3 months of ballot for nearly one in five (18%) of all the RLC matters. This compares with just 5% of matters dealt with in the control courts. In over half of the RLC matters, a guilty plea was entered before the trial had been listed or commenced. In the control group, nearly one in four matters resulted in a guilty plea on the first day of the trial or after the trial had begun. For matters where a guilty plea was entered, the average number of days from ballot to plea was 144 days (median 114 days) in the case of matters assigned to the RLC, compared with 174 days (median 184 days) for matters assigned to the control courts. The latter difference is not statistically significant. However, this is potentially an unfair comparison given that there are currently a large number of cases in the control courts still awaiting trial, many of which could result in a late plea.



According to BOCSAR, even a limited expansion of the RLC would be expected to significantly reduce the overall demand for criminal court time.



Nonetheless, there are impediments to an expansion of the program in its current form, said the organisation. One is that it requires defence and prosecution counsel specifically assigned to the court. Another is that there is a financial benefit for private counsel paid a salary by the state to prolong matters, though the practice may not be widespread.



In an interview, Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton told The Canberra Times that the state government will consider the impressive results of the RLC in its ongoing efforts to make justice faster, fairer and more accessible.



The 2016-17 budget contains provisions for the program, Upton said.


A former judge in Arkansas had tried to bribe witnesses and an accomplice threatened to make one witness disappear, federal prosecutors alleged in court.



The accusations were made in the arraignment of former Cross County District Court Judge Joseph Boeckmann Jr., 70, who is accused of doling out lighter sentences in exchange for sexual favours and nude photos, a report from The Associated Press revealed.



A dishevelled Boeckmann appeared this week at the US District Court in Little Rock, Arkansas pleading not guilty to bribery, fraud and other federal charges, the organisation noted.



A TIME report said a grand jury has accused the former judge of using his position to obtain personal services, sexual contact and the opportunity to view and to photograph in compromising positions person who appeared before him in traffic and misdemeanour criminal cases in exchange for dismissing the cases.



The judge faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for the most serious charges lobbed against him, according to The Associated Press.



TIME reported that federal prosecutors have indicted Boeckmann on eight counts of wire fraud, one count of federal program bribery, two counts of witness tampering and 10 counts of violating the federal Travel Act.



Boeckmann resigned in May after the states judicial review board alleged he used his judgeship to procure sex from young men and said they found the former judge in possession of more than 4,600 images of nude and semi-nude men.



According to U.S. Department of Justice Attorney Jonathan Kravis, two witnesses had said that an accomplice of the judge approached them with bribes to recant statements or lie to authorities.



One of the witnesses claimed that a third person told them that should they not recant, they would be made to disappear or words to that effect, Kravis said.



According to a separate report from The Associated Press, Federal Magistrate Judge Joe Volpe denied bond to Boeckmann who will remain in custody.



The magistrate said he would consider secure detention with a family member who lives far from Wynne should defence attorneys propose the alternative.



Wynne is where the allegations are centred, the news organisation noted.


The driver killed early Wednesday morning in a crash linked to heavy smoke on Interstate 40 near Parks was a Williams resident.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has identified the victim as Aaron Anderson, 48, of Williams. A friend of the family, Traci Melchert, has set up a Go Fund Me account online to raise money for his widow.

"We are all heartbroken and in shock," Melchert wrote on the webpage. "For those of you who knew him, he always had a smile on his face and was one of the nicest people I have ever met."

According to DPS, two semi trucks and Anderson's Chevrolet van were involved in a collision in the eastbound lanes of I-40 at approximately 3:30 a.m. Wednesday at milepost 173, located between Parks and Williams near Pittman Valley. Based on the description of the crash given by the Ponderosa Fire District chief, it appears one of the semi trucks rear-ended the van and pushed it into the back of a second semi truck.

A Highway Patrol captain at the scene said smoke in the area from a prescribed burn reduced visibility down to about 20 feet, DPS spokesman Bart Graves said.

The U.S. Forest Service halted plans for additional prescribed burns due to weather conditions Wednesday and Thursday, but residual smoke from burning that took place Tuesday likely settled along the interstate overnight as temperatures cooled.

Highway Troopers responded to five additional collisions on eastbound and westbound I-40 in roughly the same area as the fatal crash Wednesday morning. Two of the crashes resulted in injuries. The highway was closed for 35 miles between Williams and Flagstaff for about five hours.
(Opinion) -- International human rights law provides a set of universal principles and aspirational standards that are fundamental to the creation of safer and more inclusive societies for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.But right now, there are seven countries in the South Pacific region where it is still a crime to be gay.Laws in countries including the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea continue to criminalise people on the basis of their sexual orientation. And thats despite calls for such laws to be repealed by the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.In the Pacific, there is an absence of anti-discrimination laws that are inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.Harmful religious and socio-cultural norms continue to stigmatise LGBTI people and inhibit their access to vital health care and other support services. Persistently high rates of HIV infections in the region, which are some of the highest in the world, have been linked to these barriers.Just this month, news broke in Papua New Guinea of the killing of an openly gay man, Harry Peter, by a family member and the division this has caused in the wider Alotau community.Last week, DLA Piper played host to a forum of leaders, advocates and allies from 14 countries across the South Pacific, to focus on advancing LGBTI rights in the region.The inaugural two-day LGBTI Pacific Youth Forum was organised by the Kaleidoscope Australia Human Rights Foundation and funded by the US Embassy in Australia.The forum was designed to equip delegates with the knowledge and skills to lead in LGBTI rights advocacy, to drive the debate around inclusiveness and equality and become effective change-makers in their own countries. It marked a number of important firsts.It was the first time that youth representatives from the South Pacific region were able to come together to connect and share their knowledge, skills and experiences in combatting violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons in their own communities.New networks established between the representatives will be fundamental in building greater awareness and breaking down barriers in the region in future.The forum also facilitated the first joint dialogue between Australia and the US on directly advancing the human rights of LGBTI people.And it closely followed another important milestone; in September 2016 the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to create the first independent expert to monitor violence and discrimination against LGBT persons. Thai International Law Professor, Vtit Muntarbhon, has been appointed as this expert.Personal experiences shared by delegates at the forum illustrated that instances of violence and discrimination in both public and private environments, such as at home, in schools and in the workplace, are sadly still a regular occurrence.And it went right to the heart of fundamental human rights and the lived experience of LGBTI people across the South Pacific region. As Benjamin Oh, co-convenor of the Asian Australian Rainbow Alliance, told the forum "when LGBTI rights are undermined, human rights are undermined."In his key note address at the forum, US Special Envoy Randy Berry expressed his deep concern about the tragic loss of Jeanine Tuivaiki in Somoa in June of this year and the incorrect, insensitive and upsetting way the story had been captured by the press.Following the forum, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) stated that it would continue to be a "strong and positive voice for the human rights of LGBTI persons in the United Nations."DFAT also pledged its commitment to the Global Equality Fund, a ground-breaking initiative which brings together 25 governments and major corporations committed to advancing the human rights of LGBTI people.The Global Equality Fund's primary mandate is to establish more inclusive societies for LGBTI people in future, where all individuals will one day live freely and exercise their rights without fear of discrimination or violence.Innovative mechanisms, such as the Pacific Youth Forum and the Global Equity Fund, create vital opportunities to engage in open dialogue on LGBTI issues and create momentum for change.Importantly, they expand and strengthen networks of leaders, advocates and allies that can build on this momentum to make equal rights for all LBGTI persons a universal reality.By Courtney Adamson, pro bono associate, DLA Piper.
By Phil Bell, Palaeontologist, Earth Science Faculty, University of New England

Travis Tischler/Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History

The outback region around Winton in central Queensland is arguably Australias ground zero for giant dinosaur fossils. Here, graziers occasionally stumble across petrified bones on their paddocks, amid the stubbly grass and cow dung.

These bones appear like the living dead, rising from the underworld by an unusual process whereby the wetting and drying of the clay-rich soil works like a convection current, slowing bringing rocks and sometimes fossils to the surface. In the past, these stray bones would have been picked up and slung into the back of a ute, leaving researchers wondering what became of the rest of the animal.

In recent years, researchers from the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum (AAOD) in Winton have been returning to some of these old sites, and finding dozens of new ones with the help of bulldozers. They have been digging down through the deep soil to the bedrock below  the source of these fossil relics.

Their unconventional methods have proved incredibly fruitful. In 2009, palaeontologist Scott Hocknull and a team from the Queensland Museum and the AAOD named three new species of dinosaur: the long-necked sauropods Diamantinasaurus and Wintonotitan, and a huge predatory dinosaur, Australovenator.

Since then, another palaeontologist working with the AAOD, Steven Poropat, has been dodging the bulldozers blade and watching keenly during the early stages of each excavation for the telltale glint of bone among the freshly exposed rocks before it is crushed by the dozers tracks.

Savannasaurus, the little titanosaur

Enter Savannasaurus, Australias newest face in the world of dinosaurs, a long-necked plant-eater named by Poropat and his team today in the journal Scientific Reports. The new skeleton includes most of the vertebrae from the back, parts of the hips, forelimb and a scattering of ribs, foot bones, neck and tail vertebrae.









Judy Elliott/Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History





It was a fairly small animal as far as sauropods are concerned, perhaps measuring around 12-15m long based on the published drawings, but belongs to a group known ominously as the titanosaurs, which were most common in Asia and South America.

Poropat and his team also found further remains of Diamantinasaurus, which included part of its skull  the first sauropod skull unearthed in Australia. Together, the new fossils show that these two species were closely related within the titanosaur family.

Based on the timing of the breakup of the Gondwanan supercontinent, Poporat and his colleagues believe that Savannasaurus titanosaur ancestors probably made their one-way trek to Australia from South America via Antarctia during the mid-Cretaceous, some 105100 million years ago.

The similarities between South Americas and Australias dinosaurs have been recognised before. In fact, my own research has found evidence that Australia may have bequeathed to South America its own cohort of carnivorous dinosaurs  a group called the megaraptorids, of which Australovenator was a member.

Exactly how and when they arrived is somewhat contentious. Given the general paucity of Australian dinosaur fossils as a whole, the final word is still out regarding who begat whom. One of the major hindrances faced by Australian palaeontologists is the limited timeframe in which their fossils are found. The most productive dinosaur localities in Australia are clustered between 115 million and 100 million years old; spanning a mere 10% of the known time that dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

What happened before and after this time slice is very poorly understood. Poropat and his team, as they put it, provide a framework within which new discoveries can be assessed. Weve got a long way to go, but then again, science can only move forward once the first step is taken.

Phil Bell receives funding from National Geographic.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Jobs in hospitality, tourism and retail are popular with backpackers in Australia and the latest data suggests there are plenty of them around.The working holidaymaker visa allows young people aged 18 to 30 to spend a year in Australia working short term while they are travelling with an extension if they work in two different regions. Working in tourist locations, restaurants, hotels and shops is popular and this year September proved to be the strongest hiring month for these industries, according to the latest data from jobs site SEEK.Adverts for these areas increased by 2.7% compared to the same month in 2015 and seasonal hiring, which is particularly suitable for backpackers, led the increase.'The data shows that September is the strongest hiring month of the year for the hospitality and tourism and retail industries across Australia,' said Michael Ilczynski, managing director for SEEK Australia and New Zealand.'When we analysed our SEEK job ad data for the hospitality and tourism and retail industries, over a three year period, on average 10% of the total job ads over that time for both industries fell in September,' he explained.'We know job advertising for the hospitality and tourism and retail sectors increases each September because hirers aim to have their seasonal teams in-place by late September and early October, ahead of the busy festive and Summer season. This means it's a great time for jobseekers to be onsite looking and applying for opportunities,' he added.The top jobs on offer include chefs, cooks, waiting staff, retail assistants and department assistants. Jobs in these roles have increased the most in New South Wales and Victoria, up by 15% and 3% year on year respectively. But there has been no change in Queensland.One employer explained that those seeking a seasonal job who already have experience in the retail industry are much sought after. 'In September we most commonly recruit for part time and casual roles, and the hardest positions to fill are for store managers due to the extra layer of responsibility involved,' said Stephanie Chara, recruitment officer for Jeanswest.Those looking for short term work might want to look at what locations are doing best in terms of hiring. South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have seen the largest year on year growth in jobs advertised, up 13.2% and 13.1% respectively.Advertising increased by 6.8% in New South Wales and by 5.3% in Victoria year on year while Western Australia remains the county's weakest labour market with advertising falling by 3.7% month on month and 19.1% year on year.The report points out that there is a clear difference in candidate availability at a state and territory level. It was a hirer's market in Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory this September when compared to the same period last year.For each job advertised there was a higher than average number of candidates applying, creating more competition for job seekers but providing hirers with a larger pool of candidates to choose from. In New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT in August, there were reasonable competition conditions for job seekers and employers.
Hello All,



I am new to this forum. I need a help with my application for tourist visa, subclass 600.



I have submitted my spouse visa (309/100) application in September through online, am currently residing in Singapore and here average processing time for spouse visa is 6-8 months.



My husband is travelling to Australia in Feb 2017, and I wish to travel together with him to Australia. So in case if our spouse visa is not granted by then, I would like to get a tourist visa to travel together with him.



My doubt is, whether I should apply for tourist visa now or to wait for outcome of my spouse visa till January and apply after that. ? And would I be able to get a 6 months stay period for my tourist visa?



The CO contacted me few weeks before for some additional documents, so would it be better to check with CO regarding my intention to apply for tourist visa?



Kindly help with your answers, thank you.
Hi everyone!



This is my first post, I understand how forums work and I know that questions like mine have been answered a million times and I could just search for the answer but my anxiety about my visa situation is through the roof and I'd just like some help, please!



Okay, so my partner and I would like to apply onshore for our partner visa. As of today, we have only been together for 10 months, and moved in together in March. We have a joint bank account, and are in the process of getting our relationship registered within Victoria.



Because we haven't been together, or lived together, for more than 12 months, our plan was to visit the UK in January (when my 2nd year WHV expires) and return to Australia in late February (myself on a tourist visa). I was going to use the time in my tourist visa to stay at home and compile our application.



Having spoken to someone yesterday who went through the process a few years ago, apparently this isn't feasible. I have been told I should not come back on a tourist visa at all, and instead lodge my application right now, with the payment being priority.



I have heard so many conflicting "facts" from so many people and would like a straight (ish) answer from people such as yourselves who are actually going through the application process right now.



So, at long last, my questions are:



1. Can I apply right now considering we have not been together for a full 12 months yet?



2. Is it true that it would not be wise for me to come back on a tourist visa in February?



3. Can I lodge/open my application online now without the majority of documentation, and just the payment?



Any help or advice at all would be greatly appreciated, we are both panicking!



And sorry if I've breached any forum etiquette, I'll learn!
The launch of the 946 Emporio Armani and the 70th anniversary special edition Vespas scheduled for Anchorearly November.

The Piaggio Group had planned to launch two new scooters in India on October 25, 2016  the radical Vespa 946 Emporio Armaniand a special edition model to celebrate the company's 70th anniversary, paying homage to the design of Vespa GTS 300. But, due to a change in the company's planning schedule, the launch of the scooters has been postponed to early November.

While not too many details are known about the 70th anniversary model that's coming to India, we can assume it will follow in the lines of the anniversary models launched in Europe, and will feature a new blue paint scheme, brown seat covers and a matching tail bag. The Vespa 946 had been on display at Auto Expo 2016 and has been developed with inputs from famed Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Armani as well as the 130th anniversary of the Piaggio Group.

Since the 946 will mostly taking the CBU route, prices are estimated to be in the region of Rs 8-10 lakh, making it more of an haute couture collectors item rather than a scooter for the daily grind. Details about the launch date are expected shortly.
BMW Motorrad is expanding its motorcycle production globally to achieve sustainable business growth, explained Stephan Schaller, President of BMW Motorrad. Brazil remains an important market for this strategy, and we see great potential in this country over the mid and long term. This is why we have decided to construct our first 100% BMW Group-owned motorcycle plant outside of Germany in Manaus.It took around nine months to built the new plant which sits on an area of around 10,000 square meters and uses the latest technology along with a highly-trained small army of workers. BMW invested about 10.5 million euros in the new factory which is said to have an initial capacity of 10,000 bikes per year.The first model that will be built there will be the BMW F 700 GS followed by the F 800 GS, F 800 GS Adventure, F 800 R, R 1200 GS , R 1200 GS Adventure, S 1000 R, S 1000 RR, and S 1000 XR."BMW Motorrad Brazil is focusing its strategy on sustainable growth, based on domestic market potential. With our local production, we expect to increase sales significantly. Domestic production, starting with the BMW F 700 GS, guarantees even more availability and fast response to local demand, which is important to the success of our business in Brazil, added Peter Vogel, Production Director of BMW Motorrad in Manaus.The new plant holds more than 175 workers for the moment and, depending on the local market, the number will grow to meet the demand. All the workers are trained to ensure the same level of quality as at other BMW Group plants.
EV

The monster, which the rumor mill sees delivering 1,360 hp, has been spotted on the infamous German track and we can now bring you a piece of footage showing the contraption thanks to Green Hell-obsessed blog BridgeToGantry (BTG).The electric hypercar hasn't gone into maximum attack mode yet. Instead, we've seen the machine engaging in activities such as getting filmed using a dedicated camera car.Speaking of flying laps, if NextEV were to challenger the Nurburgring's EV record, the beast would need to be faster than 7:22, a time set by Toyota Motorsport.However, we're dealing with a record that comes from the EV P002 racecar, which was manhandled by Jochen Krumbach earlier this year, so this isn't a road car lap.In fact, the Nurburgring road EV lap record is a gray area at the moment, as things in this area are even less clear than in the case of combustion engine records, which see every carmaker playing by its own rules.Returning to NextEV, the Chinese automaker's Nurburgring arrival is just one of the efforts the company has done this fall. For instance, the carmaker has recently inaugurated its North America headquarters.And the 85,000 square-foot will house a workforce of 400, including Jamie Carlson. The firmware engineer worked on the Tesla Autopilot feature since the system's inception, while subsequently joining Apple. Nothing is official, but now that the tech giant has scaled down its car-building ambitions , Carlson is said to have joined NextEV.So while this prototype's Ring run may be all silent, it seems like it's worth listening to.
SUV

The death of communism in the Old Continent made the folks of Central and Eastern Europe understand that the Western world has some pretty nice cars, superior in design, quality, and reliability. As Czechoslovakia started to turn its focus on privatization, the Volkswagen Group caught wind of that, buying 30 percent of Skoda in 1991. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen, Skoda has gone a long way from its humble roots and financial struggles.Crucial to this evolution is the Skoda Superb. No, not the full-size luxury car built between 1934 and 1949, but the current Superb . (Re)introduced in 2001 as a large family car (D-segment in Europe), the Superb is the flagship of the Mlada Boleslav-based manufacturer. Even though the Kodiaq mid-size seven-seat crossover SUV is in the limelight nowadays, the Superb sedan and Combi laid out the road for the high-riding. 15 years on, the Superb soldiers on.Since the first generation (B5 Typ 3U produced between 2001 and 2008), the Superb sold approximately 900,000 units in both body styles. Since the third generation (B8 Typ 3V) joined the party in March 2015, more than 100,000 vehicles were produced. Thats significantly more than its luxed-up ancestor from the 1930s and 1940s, of which around 200 examples of so were made.Even if Skoda Auto is present in places as far away from the Czech Republic as Australia and China, the carmaker is currently interested in maximizing its global footprint. In this regard, the Czech brand looks toward North America. Having filed several trademarks with the USPTO , Skoda has still to decide if its worth having a go at the U.S. and Canadian markets in the near future.If you think about it, Skoda in America makes a lot of sense. Thats because the Volkswagen brand lost a lot of credit around here due to the Dieselgate scandal. By bringing Skoda across the Atlantic, U.S. sales of the VW Group could spring back to former glories. Fingers crossed the worlds second-largest new car market will soon add Skoda to its automotive ecosystem.
However, the idea of a police chase is almost immediately associated with cars, and for once, it's not just the Hollywood movies to blame for that. You very rarely see a police officer give chase on foot, and if they do, it's usually ten on one coming from all directions, so it doesn't last long.A classic pursuit also has no element of surprise. It's all flashing lights and wailing sirens so that the other drivers and pedestrians alike can hear there's something potentially dangerous coming their way. No subtlety there whatsoever.This particular police officer was driving a Toyota Camry, which means it was definitely an unmarked car. He tries to get the jump on the suspect, but the alleged burglar has quick reactions and starts running away. Showing not all cops are guilty of spending too much time at the donut shop, the officer keeps running after the perpetrator.What follows is an adrenaline-filled foot chase that has some pretty good parkour elements built into it. The two jump over fences, make a roll landing on gravel, go through people's backyards and then jump some more fences. There's even a little giggle to be had as the suspect vaults over a gate, only for the chasing man of the law to push it open.In the end, you can see and hear the fatigue getting the best of the officer as he slows down the pace and starts panting for air. The gap between the two appears to grow, but the suspect makes the mistake of attempting to go over one more concrete fence. He is apprehended and is reportedly facing charges of burglary and resisting arrest, among others.If any movie directors are watching, take some notes. This is how we like our chases: simple, raw, real. No effects, no music, just the shaky view of a body cam and the sound of that person's steps against the pavement. Guaranteed to keep anyone on the edge of the seat.
The smooth mounds of cinder cones filled the horizon as a group of three students set off up a slope near SP Crater last week. They were equipped with a GPS, a ghostbusters-esque device to measure the strength of the Earths magnetic field and a computer-and-sled contraption to emit and measure ground penetrating radar.

The 5-kilometer route they followed was the same one taken by a NASA rover six years ago as astronauts tested how it could traverse this type of terrain and be used for field geology work on other planetary bodies.

This time around, a research team from Northern Arizona University, the University of Maryland and NASA is instead studying whats below the surface in this section of the San Francisco Volcanic Field.

That sort of subsurface data collection wasnt done in the 2010 NASA mission but it is an important part of exploring anything from the moon to an asteroid to another planet, said Nicholas Schmerr, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Maryland.

Over three years, Schmerr said this project will add another layer of information to astronauts' past work in this area.

Basically were trying to recreate what (the astronauts) would have seen if they would have been dragging that system behind them or carrying it with them, Schmerr said.

The area around SP Crater is ideal for geological and geophysical field tests because the cinder cones and solidified lava flows are similar to what astronauts might see on other planetary bodies, he said.

Through several different testing techniques, the researchers are examining how lava flows are related to the underlying rocks, estimating the relative timing of ancient volcanic eruptions and tracking the areas seismicity. Theyre also looking at how different equipment functions in an environment like the cinder cones.

This year, the team is retracing the routes taken by NASA rovers while next year the goal will be to find the best places and ways to collect the data to find areas for improvement, Schmerr said.

While one group of students set off to retrace the rovers route, another team stationed themselves along a 120-meter cable stretched across the ground. In a procedure called active source seismology, one person swings a 10-pound sledgehammer down on an aluminum plate placed on the ground. The plate is hooked up to the cable lined with geophones that pick up seismic waves as they travel through different rock and sediment layers. As they travel through the ground, the waves bend differently depending on the material, which is what can be measured to distinguish different layers, Schmerr said.

The information that is gathered in these experiments will be used to write academic papers and create recommendations for how engineers can better design instruments and equipment to be used by astronauts collecting geophysical data, Schmerr said.

Their techniques and processes also will be relayed back to NASA directly thanks to astronaut Don Pettit, who shadowed the fieldwork.

Pettit is a veteran of three different space missions who works at the Johnson Space Center. He was there taking scads of pictures and learning how geologists collect this type of data, he said.

Well have to learn all we can from these guys and gals then blast off into space and end up on another planet and collect as much good data as we can, Pettit said. Its all part of what makes an integrated scientific exploration when you are going to a place you know very little about.
Up to 50 new cars and, more than 20 world premieres are confirmed to be showcased at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 14 to 17. Although always in the shadow of the prestigious Detroit Motor Show, the LA auto show no doubt continues to grow each year and this year is one of the best years it recorded having the 2017 Honda Civic Si, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, 2018 Jeep Compass and other surprises on its list.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio And Other SUVs

Although many new features will be presented in the Hall of Los Angeles 2016, there is no doubt that the Alfa Romeo Stelvio will shine. It is the first SUV model of the Italian brand and is base on the architecture of the new Giulia sedan, albeit with a modified and high version. It will have rear-wheel drive versions and an all wheel drive version, with theoretically a diesel engine of 180 hp 2.2-liter and 2.0-liter mechanical 200hp, 250hp, and 280 hp .

But the new Alfa Romeo Stelvio will not be the only SUV release at the LA auto show, according to Digital Trends. The SUV market is hugely growing in the US and it is just right that car manufacturers will take advantage of this.

Thus, the new Volkswagen Atlas, a seven-seater SUV, will also be showcased at the LA auto show. It becomes something like a Touareg but based on the more modest MQB platform, the same on which the Passat emerges. Although initially there was speculation that it will be called Terranmonth, at the end it was named Atlas. So far, only spy photos of the Atlas sporting a camouflaged has been out and no official photos or teasers has been revealed.

2018 Jeep Compass

The new Jeep Compass is another important SUV that will be seen in Los Angeles. Located in the range between the Jeep Renegade - which is the platform it was base on - and the Cherokee, this compact SUV is expected to reach distributors in 2017. It will measure 4.41 meters long and will feature up to 17 different versions result of combining their engines (which will have diesel 1.6 and 2.0 Multijet) with its 4x2 and 4x4 versions and different finishes. Trailhawk, Sport, Limited and Longitude

Other important SUV that will be showcase are the 2017 Nissan Rogue (equivalent to X-Trail in Europe) and one limited edition version of it with the Star Wars theme, the 2017 Land Rover Discovery that although already seen in Paris is new in America, the prototype Infiniti QX Inspiration Sport and the updated 2017 Honda CR-V.

2017 Honda Civic Si

The Japanese brand's main attraction for LA is the 2017 Honda Civic Si. This high performing car is located in the range just below the beastly Honda Civic Type R and the humble Honda Civic hatchback which can have the perfect blend of simplicity with the most striking aesthetic, There arent many details on the new Si, though we know it will be launched on the market in 2017 but it could be equipped with new engine 1.5 turbo four-cylinder and around 220 hp power, according to MotorAuthority.

Other high-performance cars that will be showed will be the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, like the new generation of Porsche Panamera already known in Europe. And if there is a prototype that will shine in Los Angeles, it will be the Cadillac Scale Concept, a preview of a new and spectacular saloon representation of the mark so far only been seen in the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach and cause a sensation.

The Los Angeles Auto Show promises a lot of awesome cars, as well as the new LA Automobility to be launched. Are you excited? Watch the video below to rev up:

Check out all the details about the auto show here or watch the teaser trailer here:
International efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have not reached an impasse despite fresh recriminations traded by Armenia and Azerbaijan, a senior European Union diplomat said during a visit to Yerevan on Friday.

The peace process is certainly in a difficult stage but I would not describe it -- according to the information that we have -- as a deadlock situation, Herbert Salber, the EUs special representative to the South Caucasus, told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

It seems to me that people, leaders of the sides are talking, he said. I observe that the Minsk Group co-chair countries are making a lot of efforts. We have seen a lot of travel all over the place during the summer. So I have good reasons to believe that the talks are going on.

I think we should make a difference between the talks themselves and declarations that are made for whatever purposes, Salber added in reference to the latest statements by Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders blaming each other for a lack of decisive progress in the Karabakh negotiation process.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents raised fresh hopes for a breakthrough after meeting twice in the wake of heavy fighting around Karabakh that broke out in early April. The U.S., Russian and French mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group hoped that they will meet again soon in an effort to flesh out understandings reportedly reached by them.

It is still not clear, however, whether another Armenian-Azerbaijani summit will take place before the end of this year. The co-chairs are due to visit the conflict zone later this month.

Salber suggested that the mediators are unlikely to radically change their peace proposals. I would not expect too much here because proposals are on the table, they have been discussed over the summer, and I am very confident that if the co-chairs visit the region soon these proposals will be discussed further and maybe also amended, he said. But that is in their hands.

The EU envoy also expressed hope that the situation along the line of contact around Karabakh and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will remain relatively calm. Adherence to the ceasefire regime there is one of the preconditions for productive talks, he said.

Salber met with President Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian during his latest trip to Armenia. The Karabakh issue was reportedly high on the agenda of his talks.
21 October 2016 17:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Armenia is going to apply a new economic program, which doesnt seem very promising to end the economic crisis in the country.

Armenias National Assembly approved the new governments policy program on October 21.

Prior to the voting at the parliament, Head of opposition Orinats Yerkir partys faction in the parliament Heghine Bisharyan noted that the program is very similar to the previous governments program.

Bisharyan claimed that the focus should be the fight against monopolies and informal sector, further mentioning that the faction did not agree with many of its provisions, and therefore would abstain from voting.



Mikael Melkumyan from the Prosperous Armenia partys parliamentary faction stressed that the party can not share the political responsibility for the program and its MPs will not participate in the vote.



The parliamentarian from another oppositional Armenian National Congress, Levon Zurabyan stated that the program does not attempt to address the countrys major economic and other problems lacking also concrete estimates of the situation and models of economic development.



"It contains only a set of tools that the government plans to use in its activities. The program lacks any financial or economic indicator, perhaps, because the experience of previous programs shows that they are not fulfilled. There are no GDP, investment or other economic indicators. The impression is that this government was set up to create a positive impression for the population before the elections, Zurabyan said.



Earlier, the local newspaper "Zhoghovurd" compared the new program with the program of the previous government headed by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan presented in 2014, in which the rate of annual economic growth has been specified in the amount of 5%, but, as time has shown, the program was not implemented.

The program of Karen Karapetyan government doesnt contain such promises, therefore, no one can blame them for the failure, says the message.

Meanwhile, Armenias external debt is growing, as well as the budget deficit. Moreover, the economic growth is significantly lower than it was foreseen. The state debt of Armenia has already amounted to $5.36 billion as of the end of the first half of 2016. Noteworthy, the forecasted GDP in 2016 amounts to 5.443 trillion drams. Consequently, by the end of the first half-year, the national debt of Armenia made up 46.7 percent of GDP, which is quite risky for the countrys economy.

The unemployment rate in Armenia is still the highest among the CIS countries, making up 19.3 percent, and due to the wrong structure of the national economy, new vacancies do not seem to come up in near future.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2016 15:59 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry has refuted Armenias reports about the Azerbaijani army`s sabotage operation and losses.

Information of the Armenian side alleging that the military units of Azerbaijans Armed Forces attempted to commit a provocation on the frontline and suffered losses on the night of October 20 is untrue, the Ministry said, assessing it as an attempt to trigger another escalation of the situation on the line of contact of the troops.

We declare that our military units did not carry out any provocative activity and did not suffer any losses. Currently, the operational situation on the frontline is under the full control of our military units.

The Ministry further added that retaliatory action to prevent any possible provocations of the enemy will be stronger and tougher.

Armenian armed forces almost every day violate the ceasefire with Azerbaijan from various positions on the contact line of the troops. The Armenian armed units shattered ceasefire with Azerbaijan a total of 28 times throughout the day, the Ministry reported on October 21.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2016 13:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Carl Bildt

We are living in dangerous and uncertain times. The United States is engaged in a bizarre and highly polarized presidential election. Its relationship with an increasingly revisionist Russia is undergoing what is essentially a re-set in reverse, while Russias revisionism is also putting pressure on a Europe already plagued by uncertainty in the wake of the United Kingdoms vote to leave the European Union. Meanwhile, the Middle East is imploding, with wars in Syria and Yemen fueling a large-scale refugee crisis.

So overwhelmed are world leaders that many have had little time to focus on mounting tensions at the other end of the Eurasian land mass: the divided Korean Peninsula. But while the crisis in Syria may be the most urgent conflict the next US president will have to address, developments in North Korea could well turn out to be the most intractable.

Since North Korea detonated its first nuclear device a decade ago, its activity on this front has been uneven. But the regime has lately stepped up its efforts: two nuclear tests have been carried out this year, with the countrys largest-ever device detonated last month. Tests of long-range missiles have also increased, suggesting that North Korea is slowly but surely progressing toward a deliverable nuclear weapon.

As usual, the international communitys response focuses on sanctions. Indeed, the United Nations Security Council is currently discussing a new resolution in response to last months test. Whatever the resolutions precise contents, it is likely that new sanctions will hurt. The question is whether they will hurt enough.

North Koreas economy is not exactly in a strong position to withstand much more pressure. In the 1950s, the Norths economy was better off than the Souths; today, it is 40-80 times smaller (depending on who is estimating).

While the North Korean government has loosened its grip on the economy slightly, enabling shadow activities to develop, the countrys prospects remain grim. In human terms, the North Korean regimes failure to provide for its nearly 25 million inhabitants has been as tragic as it is spectacular.

Even the countrys elite has been feeling the effects of sanctions, reflected in an increase in the number of higher-level defectors over the last year. Of course, political strain has also likely contributed to this trend. In South Korea, some are even considering the possibility of the North Korean regimes collapse, though others believe that the persistence of harsh repression will continue to ensure a kind of stability.

The North Korean regime has one critical source of support: China. Though China has agreed to tough sanctions, implementation has been lax, and its leaders have shown a distinct reluctance to tighten the screws on their client further. Unlike South Korea, which would welcome a collapse of the regime in Pyongyang (at least in theory), China fears the political and economic consequences.

The fact remains, however, that North Koreas regime poses a serious threat to stability in the region and perhaps beyond  one that cannot be mitigated without China. While representatives of both US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have reiterated that the military option must remain on the table  direct US military intervention has always ultimately been rejected. Chinas relationship with North Korea no doubt has had some influence over that decision.

So, to mount an effective response to the North Korean nuclear threat, the next US president will need to secure Chinas cooperation. That is easier said than done, not least because of Americas recent decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea.

Officially, the THAAD system is meant to protect South Korea from the North Korean threat. For the US, its primary purpose is to minimize the risk of South Korea deciding to acquire its own nuclear weapons to counter the North.

For China, however, the systems advanced X-band radar raises concerns, because it reaches well into Chinese territory. China fears that it could be linked with more advanced missile systems either in Japan or on nearby naval ships, potentially posing a threat to Chinas strategic missile forces. These are valid concerns.

The US must reach out to China to explain the nature of the system and discuss measures that might address its fears. One possible approach, proposed by Yoon Young-kwan, a former South Korean foreign minister, would be to tie the existence of the THAAD system explicitly to North Koreas nuclear program. If the latter is eliminated, the missiles would be removed.

The ultimate goal of talks should be to secure Chinas cooperation in developing a comprehensive peace treaty, signed by all regional powers, that normalizes relations with a North Korea that agrees to give up its nuclear weapons and commit to political reform. But the North Korean regimes past behavior suggests that, even with China on board, the chances of such a Damascene conversion are close to nil.

That is why discussions must also address what might happen if North Koreas regime suddenly collapses  a possibility, though not imminent, cannot be excluded. In such a scenario, a plan  agreed in advance by the US, China, South Korea, and Japan  that covers border control, refugees, port access, and military operations would need to be in place.

Without Chinas buy-in, efforts to curb North Koreas nuclear ambitions are likely to falter. In that case, the countrys volatile leadership could eventually possess long-range nuclear capabilities  an outcome that must be averted at all costs. The last thing a dangerous and uncertain world needs is more danger and uncertainty.

Copyright: Project Syndicate:Taking North Korea Seriously

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21 October 2016 19:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Ilona Kickbusch, Stephen Matlin and Michaela Told

October 24, 2016, should be a unique day in the history of polio. If all goes according to plan, it will be the last annual World Polio Day before the disease is eradicated. But now is not the time for celebration or complacency; while we know how to eliminate polio, we have not yet finished the job.

Consider this: in August 2014, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola crisis in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); it lifted that status in March 2016. In May 2014, the WHO declared the international spread of wild poliovirus a PHEIC as well; yet that status is still active today, leaving one to wonder if world leaders are paying sufficient attention.

They should be. The continuing polio PHEIC is endangering the success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), into which the world has invested $15 billion since it was launched in 1988; and it threatens global health generally.

For starters, the GPEI effort to interrupt poliovirus transmission could miss its latest target date; unfortunately, it would not be the first time. By the original 2000 target date, the incidence of polio had been reduced by more than 99%, from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988. Since then, however, a long, stubborn tail of infection has persisted, mainly in remote, poor regions and conflict zones. The effort to tackle these lingering cases is laborious, and it remains incomplete, despite PHEIC status.

To be sure, there have been some successes, such as in India, which was certified polio-free in 2014, and in Nigeria, which interrupted transmission the same year. But there have also been setbacks: in 2016, Nigeria suddenly had two new cases among children from an area that had just been liberated from the militant group Boko Haram.

The two other polio-endemic countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, missed their 2015 eradication target and have had to extend it by another year, at a cost of $1.5 billion. The root causes of both countries missed deadlines will require delicate, skilled political handling to resolve. They include internal conflicts that make children inaccessible to public-health professionals, opposition by some religious leaders, and public mistrust of national governments and international initiatives.

Eradicating polio is expensive, but it would cost tens of billions of dollars more to fight the disease in perpetuity. Politicians and policymakers should be reminded that a polio-free world would be a global public good, that eradication is by far the best bargain, and that sustained financing and political support is necessary to ensure the GPEIs success.

But it is also important to ensure that valuable assets and practices built up by the GPEI over time are not squandered once polio is gone. These include cold chains to preserve vaccines during transport from factories to patients; established immunization days and negotiated days of tranquility in conflict zones, when vaccinations can be administered; trained health-care workers; and systems for surveillance, laboratory analysis, and rapid response. These assets have proved their worth in combating other diseases: Nigeria was able to stop Ebolas spread during the West Africa outbreak owing to its efficient polio-tracking system.

The reality, however, is that countries will be able to absorb GPEI assets into their health systems only if they are supported financially, logistically, and politically. A major effort will be required to transfer materials to where they are needed, and to coordinate surveillance and laboratory operations. Doing so would not only boost global-health security and resilience for the next outbreak; it would also help us reach the United Nation Sustainable Development Goal for universal health-care coverage.

More broadly, lessons from the GPEI and other eradication efforts must not go unlearned. In 1980, smallpox became the first disease in people to be successfully eradicated, and there were prior unsuccessful campaigns against hookworm, yaws, yellow fever, and malaria. But many lessons that were already known by the 1980s went unheeded for too long  such as the importance of tackling remote infection reservoirs and maintaining high immunization levels everywhere so that health systems arent overwhelmed.

A complex array of political pressures, motives, and aspirations determines which lessons we take from history, and which new global-health targets we set for ourselves. World Polio Day is thus an occasion to urge politicians to renew their commitments to polio eradication, and to apply lessons from the GPEI to improve health everywhere.

In the fight against polio, the world is largely relying on the generosity of the United States, Rotary International, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and European countries such as Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom (with additional political support from others such as Monaco). Other European countries and the European Commission itself should do more to contribute to the eradication effort.

While G7 member states renewed their commitment to eliminating polio at a summit in Japan earlier this year, a subsequent G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, where two-thirds of the worlds population was represented, made no reference to it; nor did the G77 group of 134 developing countries at its last meeting.

That is not good enough. After years of effort, it is now clear that only a strong, consistent, worldwide commitment to full eradication can end the polio emergency.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Why Cant We End Polio?

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21 October 2016 10:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan and Russia have discussed international trucking as a joint intergovernmental commission convened in Baku.

Azerbaijan`s delegation at the event was headed by chairman of State Automobile Transport Service Elnur Abdullayev. Russia`s delegation was led by director of the Department of Motor and City Passenger Transport of the Ministry of Transport Alexey Bakirey.

Russia and Azerbaijan plan to open six new regular passenger bus routes, said Elnur Abdullayev.

Currently, there are nine regular bus routes for passenger transportation between Azerbaijan and Russia. These are the approved routes Baku-Moscow, Baku-Krasnodar, Baku-Tolyatti, Baku-Kazan, Baku-St.Petersburg, Baku-Nizhny Novgorod, Ganja-Moscow and Baku-Stavropol, Abdullayev said, adding that there are no problems observed in passenger transportation.

In turn, Deputy Director General of Rosavtotrans (Russian Agency of Automobile Transport) Ruslan Luzhetsky requested the Azerbaijani side for extension of the term of permission for the Russian carriers, which is currently issued for one year.

This is a big problem for our carriers. The procedure of consideration and passing of documents takes 4-5 months. As a result, there are only some six months remaining for the real implementation of the transportation, Luzhetsky said, asking to increase the term from one to five years.

There was also raised the question about the extension of a permit for transportation on the route Baku-Kazan, which has expired on September 27. The Azerbaijani side said that it has received the corresponding request and considers it.

There was stated that Russia is ready to increase up to 120 days the term of stay on its territory for Azerbaijani drivers engaged in cargo transportation. This was announced by Hidayat Aslanov, Head of Sector for international cooperation and transportation of the State Road Transport Service of Azerbaijans Transport Ministry.

Under existing rules, the citizens of Azerbaijan, including the drivers involved in the cargo transportation, may stay on the territory of Russia without permission up to 90 days.

In accordance with the presidential decree, we addressed the Russian side with a request to increase the length of stay for carriers. A mechanism for the distinction of the drivers from ordinary citizens should be created soon, Aslanov said.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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21 October 2016 12:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Baku will host the Azerbaijan-Ukraine Business Forum in November to define the priority areas in the economic cooperation.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Alexander Mishchenko announced about this on October 20 during a Ukrainian tourism forum in Baku.

He said the representatives of about 50 Ukrainian companies from different sectors of economy will attend the Azerbaijan-Ukraine business forum.

The ambassador noted that a lot of issues will be discussed at the forum, including construction of a plant for manufacturing the Ukrainian Antonov An-178 aircraft in Azerbaijan, as well as construction of a medicine factory with the support of Ukraines biggest pharmaceutical company Indar.

Mishchenko noted that currently Indar is negotiating with Azerbaijan and the share in the future enterprise is expected to be 50-50.

Moreover, Ukraine proposes to Azerbaijan to organize health tours to Truskavets for veterans of war and people with disabilities, the ambassador said, adding that the appropriate negotiations are being held with Azerbaijans Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

Ukraine also actively cooperates with Azerbaijan in the education sphere; about 6,000 Azerbaijani students are currently studying in Ukraine, Mischenko noted.

Currently, we start cooperation with Azerbaijan in order to ensure that students from Ukraine can get education in Azerbaijan in the energy sphere, as well as defend their dissertations.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine made up $234.7 million in the first nine months of 2016. A total of $201.8 million of them were the imports from Ukraine to Azerbaijan, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

This year, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited Azerbaijan, and a number of agreements were signed during the visit.

Particularly, the Protocol of the 5th meeting of the Council of Azerbaijani and Ukrainian presidents was inked by President Aliyev and President Poroshenko.

The Protocol on cooperation in fighting customs violations in air transportation of goods between Azerbaijans State Customs Committee and State Fiscal Service of Ukraine was signed by head of the State Customs Committee Aydin Aliyev and head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov.

The Program of cooperation in culture and art for 2016-2020 between Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ukraines Ministry of Culture and Tourism was inked by Azerbaijans Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev and Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

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21 October 2016 13:49 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support (NFES) under the Economy Ministry allocated preferential loans in the amount of 123 million manats ($76 million) for entrepreneurs since early 2016.

These funds were allocated to 1,863 entrepreneurs, Arif Valimammadov, Deputy Executive Director of NFES, noted while addressing the business forum in the country's Samukh region on October 20.

Velimuradov noted that to date the entrepreneurs from Ganja-Gazakh economic region have received from the Fund soft loans of 223.7 million manats ($138 million). They were aimed at funding more than 6,000 investment projects.

Within the Samukh forum, 53 entrepreneurs were granted preferential loans in the amount of 646,000 manats ($399,000) through authorized credit organizations.

These loans will be directed for development of animal husbandry, beekeeping, vegetable growing, horticulture, viticulture and other sectors. These projects are expected to create some 60 new jobs.

The National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support was established in 1992. Loans are allocated to entrepreneurs through authorized banks and non-bank lenders.

Until the end of 2016, NFES plans to provide 250 million manats ($155 million) of preferential loans to businessmen. Some 70 million manats ($44 million) of the loans will be granted at the expense of budgetary funds.

Allocation of these soft loans is directed at countering the effect of the global economic crisis to the Azerbaijani economy and minimization of the countrys dependence on the oil sector by improving other industries throughout Azerbaijan. The country takes steps to diversify the national economy and provide for the development of the agricultural and other spheres.

Recently, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on improvement of the Fund's activity. Under the decree, a responsibility of controlling the process of return of soft loans by entrepreneurs has been transferred from the Central Bank of Azerbaijan to the Financial Markets Supervision Chamber.

Currently, Azerbaijan ranks 63 out of 189 countries in the World Banks ease of doing business index, and work to improve this index even more is being implemented.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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A record 81,461 people are registered to vote in Coconino County, according to updated numbers released by County Recorder Patty Hansen. About 8,700 of those people registered to vote in the past month and a half.

The breakdown of voter registrations by party show Democrats make up the largest share of voters in the county at 39.78 percent, while independent voters make up 33.65 percent of registered voters. Registered Republicans account for 25.15 percent of the total.

In 2008, the most recent time the presidential election did not feature an incumbent, only 69,855 people were registered to vote in the county. Party breakdowns were different as well, with independents making up a smaller percentage of registered voters. That year, 41.69 percent of voters were registered Democrats, 27.75 percent were registered Republicans and 28.83 were independents.

The three precincts on the Northern Arizona University campus had the highest increase in registrants this fall. There were 589 registered voters for the Aug. 30 primary election and now there are 2,752 registered voters for the Nov. 8 general election.

Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen said in a press release that the record high number of registered voters could mean the county will set a new record for voter turnout as well. The recorder's office has already issued more than 47,800 early ballots, Hansen said in the release.

For information about your voter registration status or early voting, call the Elections Office at 928-679-7860 or 800-793-6181.
21 October 2016 12:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Energy-rich Azerbaijan continues to improve its export sector and seeks to increase the volume of its electricity supply.



The Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey energy bridge opens great prospects for Azerbaijan in terms of the export of the country's electricity.

Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said the amount of electricity transmission via the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey energy bridge may reach 700 million megawatts.



The work on the creation of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey energy bridge is underway, noted Aliyev. The project will allow integrating energy systems of the three countries and entering the European market in the future. The volume of electricity export within the project may reach 700 million megawatts.

The minister added that work is being carried out to connect the energy systems of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran, as well.



Technical and political situation for the projects implementation is satisfying, he said, adding that the emergence of a new market, electricity transit and swap with other countries are among the advantages of the project.

Electricity will be exported from Russia to Azerbaijan and further to Iran via the North-South Energy Corridor, a great transport project, which is beneficial to all the countries involved.

The connecting of the three countries energy systems will create an opportunity to expand export and import operations. Azerbaijan will strengthen its positions as an exporter and transit country.

A memorandum of understanding on electricity swap was signed between Iran and Azerbaijan in December 2015.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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21 October 2016 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) paid compensations worth around 527.26 million manats ($325,481 million) to depositors of Dekabank, Kredobank, Zaminbank, Parabank, Caucasus Development Bank, AtraBank, Bank of Azerbaijan, Ganjabank, Texnikabank and Bank Standard, ADIF reported on October 21.

Below is the list of closed banks and the volume of obtained compensations as of Friday morning:

Banks Paid compensations (million manats) Insured deposits (million manats) Bank Standard 261.62 460 Zaminbank 50.98 60 Dekabank 2.85 5.59 Kredobank 18.07 30.21 Caucasus Development Bank 1.88 2 Atrabank 14 14.55 Bank of Azerbaijan 24.09 24.2 Ganjabank 0.97 1 Texnikabank 119.98 122.6 Parabank 32.82 43.79

Acceptance of applications from insured depositors of DekaBank, KredoBank, Zaminbank and Parabank began August 1, 2016 and the payment of compensations has been carried out since that day.

Compensations to the insured depositors of Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank are being paid starting from August 23. Clients of Atrabank can receive compensations in the branches the deposits were placed in. However, those who concluded the contract in the Khazar branch must approach to the banks main office.

Depositors of Caucasus Development Bank receive compensations at the banks main office.

Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan has been carried out since Jan. 29, 2016 at branches of Muganbank and Rabitabank, and since Sept. 8 at ADIFs office.

Clients of Ganjabank receive compensations since February 4 at the branches of Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank.

Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank Standard started October 11, 2016 at the banks main office and its branches in the regions of Azerbaijan and will continue for one year.

Depositors of Texnikabank can receive compensations since February 12 at ADIFs office.

The licenses of all the ten banks were cancelled during 2016 as the aggregate capital of these banks didnt meet the minimum requirements [50 million manats]. In general, they havent fulfilled the regulators instructions.

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21 October 2016 16:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijans banking sector, which was seriously affected by certain unfavorable factors, is now passing throw certain processes aimed at improvement of the situation.

Financial Market Supervisory Body has already prepared a mechanism on the support of important banks. Head of FMSB's Board of Directors Rufat Aslanli said the authority has also defined main criteria of important banks by using world experience as a basis.

He said that the process of the improvement of International Bank of Azerbaijan is currently underway.

In July 2015, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the measures for rehabilitation related to the preparations for privatizing the state-owned shares of the International Bank of Azerbaijan JSC.

IBA's distressed assets had been removed from its balance sheet and transferred to Agrocredit in 2015 to recover financial position of the bank. Bonds worth 3 billion manats ($1.8 billion) were issued under state guarantee to provide the bank with liquid funds.

As for Bank Standard, the government took certain steps to keep the bank in the system but the improvement of the situation appeared to be impossible, as expenses required for the improvement were twofold higher than closure of the bank.

Bank Standard earlier got support from the CBA and a recovery program was worked out for the bank to restore its financial sustainability. The controlling stake of Bank Standard was transferred to Azer Turk Bank for recovery. The measures, however, turned to be insufficient.

The insurance event in Bank Standard became the biggest ever occurred in the banking system of Azerbaijan. The volume of compensations to be paid to the depositors of Bank Standard amounts to 460 million ($282 million).

Moreover, FMSB may soon unite bad assets of the banking sector. Aslanli said that the government is currently engaged in discussions on the institutionalization of bad assets management, while the relevant report was submitted to Presidential Administration.

He also mentioned that the Council of Financial Stability is working on this direction and the decision will be taken in a due course.

Experts believe that to improve the situation, it is reasonable to create a separate institution that will be able to buy bad assets of the banks operating in the country.

President of the Azerbaijan Banks Association Zakir Nuriyev, earlier said that such agency may help decrease the volume of bad assets in the countys banking sector and optimize management of these assets.

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21 October 2016 16:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijans state energy giant SOCAR will cooperate with ASAN Service in the spheres of education, environmental protection, ICT, and support to small-scale business.

The relevant agreement was signed by SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and ASAN Chairman Inam Karimov in Baku on October 21. The document also envisages cooperation between SOCAR and ABAD Service on the support of small-scale business.

Abdullayev, addressing the signing ceremony, said SOCAR and ASAN enjoy a close cooperation, while the agreement will give an impetus to implementation of new joint projects aimed at socio-economic development of the country.

He said that some $ 68.2 billion have been so far invested in the oil sector of the country.

Karimov, in turn, said that the main objective of ABAD Service is provision of support to small scale enterprises in entering foreign markets, by means of rendering assistance in packing, design, marketing and logistics.

He mentioned that talks on joint projects are currently underway with foreign financial institutes and local investors.

ASAN service, an innovative Azerbaijani model of public service delivery, was established upon the presidential decree in 2012. The service reduces extra expenses and loss of time increases transparency and strengthens the fight against corruption.

The decree on formation of ABAD public legal entity under the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations, was signed on September 23, 2016.

The main aim of ABAD Service is based on implementing projects that support small and medium enterprises and establishing fund to finance these projects, identifying the exact target group and creating proper conditions for use of modern technological equipment for agriculture products, assisting in preparation of business plans and organizing of various functional services as well as organizing certification of produced products on the basis of one window principle.

SOCAR includes such production associations as Azneft (the enterprises producing oil and gas onshore and offshore), Azerkimya (the chemical enterprises) and Azerigas (distributor of gas) as well as oil and gas processing plants, service companies, and the facilities involved in geophysical and drilling operations.

SOCARs assets currently stand at 40 billion Azerbaijani manats ($ 25.04) its share capital is 13.5 billion manats ($ 8.4) and authorized capital is 1.6 billion manats ($ 1.01).

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21 October 2016 17:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijans Financial Market Supervisory Body, in a bid to improve financial market of the country and oust problems triggered by a number of unfavorable processes, is drafting a bill on the regulation and control of the market.

Head of FMSB Board of Directors Rufat Aslanli said that the government is currently discussing the bill, expressing his hope that the issue will be on agenda during the next session of the Parliament.

He added that the authority is ready to report on its activities in parliament in case of necessity.

Aslanli said that problems of the banking sector are mainly related to the existence of troubled assets in banks, mentioning that the problem and a number of other difficulties lead to certain problems in the sphere.

Problems that challenged the financial sector of Azerbaijan forced the state to interfere in the situation and take serious steps to overcome the difficulties.

A certain number of banks were closed in the country as they havent fulfilled the instructions of the regulator. The closure of banks is expected to reduce the risks for the banking sector, as well as strengthen the financial stability, increase the confidence and ensure the development of the sector.

Some 32 banks are currently implementing their operations in Azerbaijan.

FMSB was established within the framework of ongoing structural reforms to improve the business environment, promote transparency and increase efficiency of public administration. This body covers all aspects of regulation of financial and banking activities based on the best international principles.

Moreover, it is in charge licensing, regulating and controlling activities of securities market, investment funds, insurance and credit institutions (banks, non-bank credit institutions, postal operator) and payment systems.

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21 October 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Indias Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Baku to participate in the 4th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Indian intergovernmental commission in late October, the Azerbaijan Entrepreneurs Confederation said on October 21.

During the Baku visit, a meeting of entrepreneurs of both countries will be held on October 25. Mutual investments and other issues are to be discussed at the meeting.

Deputy Economy Minister Sahil Babayev, President of Azerbaijans Confederation of Entrepreneurs Mammad Musayev, Head of Azerbaijans Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) Rufat Mammadov and others will also take part in the event.

India and Azerbaijan have growing bilateral cooperation in oil as well as non-oil sectors. Indian company ONGC-Videsh is a partner in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) oil fields and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.

Also, Indian companies are interested in developing a mutually beneficial partnership in Azerbaijan, particularly in agriculture, IT and communications, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and education.

India and Azerbaijan are also cooperating in the development of International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) which will give a big boost to trade and commercial exchanges in the region.

The trade turnover between India and Azerbaijan amounted to $142.36 million in January-June 2016 (compared to $180.89 million in the same period of 2015), according to Azerbaijans State Statistics Committee.

The items of direct and indirect imports from India are clothes and textiles, information technologies, food items and heavy machinery.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

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21 October 2016 11:02 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Russian Foreign Ministrys spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that there are no discussions to change the OSCE Minsk Group, established to mediate for peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, Moscow can only hail constructive role of the OSCE MG member states, including Turkey, in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement, she said addressing a briefing on October 20.

It is a direct responsibility of all the members of the OSCE MG to facilitate the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Zakharova.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Turkey is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, established to mediate between the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and supports the conflict resolution within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

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21 October 2016 17:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The United States remains committed to work with Azerbaijan and Armenia to help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Robert Cekuta, told reporters on October 21.

"The visit of my colleague Ambassador James Warlick to Azerbaijan, together with other OSCE MG co-chairs, is part of the ongoing efforts to find a solution to this issue," the diplomat said.

Cekuta positively assessed the current level of the U.S.-Azerbaijani relations. There is still work to do, but there is a lot of progress in the relations, the ambassador said.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France, and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs dubbed the Madrid Principles. However, the negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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21 October 2016 09:57 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Global warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system made many nations to seek help in renewable and alternative sources of energy today. The usage of renewable energy is expected to significantly reduce emissions and thus protect nature.

In recent years, more and more attention is paid to the development of renewable energy sources in the energy-rich country of South Caucasus -- Azerbaijan. Currently, Azerbaijan studies experience in this field from Italy, Spain and other European countries.

This December, Azerbaijan joined almost 200 countries from every corner of the world to sign the Paris Agreement, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to support green planet. The agreement will be ratified by the country's Parliament and come into force on October 28 this year.

Although, currently the share of renewable energy in the total energy balance is 16 percent, Azerbaijan still known as a country with rich potential of alternative energy.

Akim Badalov, Chairman of the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy said that Azerbaijan plans to increase the share of alternative and renewable energy sources in the country's energy balance up to 20 percent by 2020.

In addition, Azerbaijan intends to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 35 percent by 2030, he said at the 7th international forum on energy for sustainable development international conference on renewable energy in Baku on October 18.

Experts believe that the era of alternative energy is coming forth in Azerbaijan.



Azerbaijan invested 987.4 million manats ($613 million) in the development of alternative energy in 2005-2015.

Jamil Melikov, Deputy Head of the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources said that 83 percent of this amount accounted for public investment, while another 17 percent for private sector.

Some 12 percent of public investment have been provided by the State Agency. Overall, the projects that we have implemented will enable the country to save 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas in 2020, which will ensure the growth of the country's export capacity as well as 7.9 percent of GDP, Melikov explained.

Azerbaijan, which has good renewable energy resources including wind, solar, hydroelectric and biomass power, set them as the priority areas. The countrys unique diversity of nature and climate, with continental, mild and subtropical zones, and its varied terrain of mountains, plateaus, plains and lowlands are highly favorable for these types of power generation.

The wind, which blows more than 250 days per year and may generate 2.4 billion kWh of electricity annually, is the countrys preferred option because of its lower cost, environmental soundness and unlimited availability.

Offering 2,400-3,200 hours of sunshine per year, Azerbaijan has also good potential for solar electricity and heat generation. While its technically feasible potential remains underexploited, hydro power is currently the most developed renewable energy source.

Traditionally, Azerbaijan is known as the oil and gas producer worldwide. Even a century ago, oil was produced in Azerbaijan with mechanical means, and now the country has enough reserves to meet the demand for many years to come.

Oil and natural gas exports account for around 95 percent of total export revenues of the country, which is the second-largest oil producer in the former Soviet Union region after Russia and Kazakhstan.

But, why the issue of alternative energy sources is so important for Azerbaijan? After all, the hydrocarbon reserves of the country is able to provide the nation with the gifts of nature for many years.

The fact is that imminent depletion of oil reserves make the international community to focus on alternative energy sources, some of the most promising of which are wind, solar, and biological sources. When properly used, these resources are practically inexhaustible, that is unlikely for fossil energy resources such as oil and gas.

So, the development of this direction of the economy promises significant investments to Azerbaijan and creates the preconditions for a substantial reduction of dependence on oil and gas resources. Reducing the use of hydrocarbons in the country, in turn, will make it possible to redirect them to overseas markets, increasing the export potential and revenues.

Potential of renewable energy sources in the country exceeds 25,400 megawatt. The potential of solar energy in the country is more than 8,000 megawatts, while the capacity of wind power and geothermal energy are 15,000 and 800 megawatts, respectively.

The potential of bio-energy (a type of renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources) is estimated at 900 megawatts, while capacity of small hydroelectric power plants is 700 megawatts.

Now, Azerbaijan is focusing on the establishment of one of the largest renewable energy projects -- the first offshore wind power project in the former Soviet area. Moreover, under its strategic plan of renewable energy development, Azerbaijan will build solar plants totaling 2,065 of megawatts and wind farms to an energy output of 1,512.5 megawatts.

Azerbaijan is open to foreign investments in alternative energy and many countries are seeking to assist the country in this direction. So far, several foreign companies from China, the U.S., Italy, Germany and Georgia have been interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in this sphere.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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21 October 2016 10:35 (UTC+04:00)

The 25th anniversary of the restoration of Azerbaijans independence was celebrated in Los Angeles on October 19, 2016 with a well-attended reception.

Hosted by Azerbaijans Consulate General in Los Angeles, the reception was attended by representatives of the U.S. State Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Los Angeles City and County; Consuls General and Honorary Consuls of various countries, professors of California universities, mass media representatives, as well as members of Azerbaijani, Turkish, Jewish, Korean, Vietnamese and Iranian communities.

The event started with the national anthems of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States.

Speaking afterwards, Azerbaijans Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev highlighted the tumultuous history of Azerbaijan in the 20th century, especially the fact that within one century the people of Azerbaijan achieved its freedom and independence twice  first in 1918, establishing the first secular democracy in the Muslim world, and then in 1991, gaining freedom from the Soviet Union.

Speaking of the huge political and economic hardships faced by the young Republic in the early 1990s, the Consul General mentioned that Azerbaijan was on the brink of fragmentation.

Only the election of Azerbaijans National Leader Heydar Aliyev to the presidency saved Azerbaijan from potential collapse, the diplomat said. Thanks to the titanic efforts by Heydar Aliyev, the stability was restored, crucial oil contracts signed, important economic reforms launched and smart foreign policy pursued, which all paved the way for the tremendous transformation of the country into a political and economic powerhouse.

Highlighting the achievements of Azerbaijan during the 25 years of its independence, the Consul General mentioned that under the visionary leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has become today the regions largest economy, a rapidly modernizing country and an island of stability in an otherwise unstable region. Noting Azerbaijans long-standing traditions of interfaith harmony and tolerance, Aghayev said: Azerbaijan has been able to establish an exemplary environment where Muslims, Christians, Jews and representatives of other faiths continue to live together in peace, dignity and mutual respect.

Then the floor was given to the Deputy Director of the DHS Center of the White House Office of Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships Dr Jannah Scott. Appointed to this position by President Barack Obama in 2009, Dr Scott has played a crucial role in interfaith dialogue and cooperation across the nation. In her remarks, Dr Scott said that she was highly impressed by what she learned about Azerbaijans exemplary model of interfaith tolerance, harmony and positive multiculturalism. She noted that in these difficult times moderate and secular majority-Muslim nations like Azerbaijan deserve more attention, and one could also learn from their experiences of building solid bridges between various faith communities.

Certificates of recognition celebrating Azerbaijans independence were presented at the event on behalf of the boards of supervisors of the Los Angeles County and Orange County. The celebration continued with the performance of Azerbaijani songs by talented musicians, followed by a reception that included meals from Azerbaijani national cuisine.

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(TNS) -- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most unpopular nominees ever to run for president, yet third-party candidates dont seem to be making much of a dent this election. Voters have plenty of options, including Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, Jill Stein of the Green Party, and Evan McMullin, the apparent candidate of choice for so-called Never Trump Republicans.

Should voters take a closer look at third-party options this year? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue.

JOEL MATHIS

Talking about third parties can bring to mind the oft-quoted prayer of St. Augustine: Lord make me chaste  but not yet!

Which is to say: The United States would probably benefit from the emergence of strong and stable third parties that can compete for the presidency, Congress, and even seats on your local school board. The differences between Democrats and Republicans do not contain the full breadth of political opinion in this country, and its possible that an increasingly cranky electorate might calm down a bit were it given a few more (realistic) options at the polls.

But, per Augustine: This isnt quite the year to get that going.

First: Trump is the worst major-party nominee to compete for the presidency in recent memory  and perhaps ever. And while Clinton surely has her problems, we know what were getting with her: The republic will survive a Clinton presidency. Trump? Hes a nasty, vindictive narcissist who embodies every stereotype of inherited (and squandered) wealth youve ever heard. Every vote possible is needed to defeat him.

One other problem: The major third-party candidates this year just arent very good. Youve already heard about Gary Johnsons Aleppo problem, and Jill Stein seems to be pandering to anti-vaccination activists. Neither would make a good president, so why vote for them?

One exception: Polls show Evan McMullin, a conservative former CIA officer, running within striking distance of both Trump and Clinton in Utah. (Apparently Mormons, usually Republican, arent so hot on candidates associated with lengthy histories of vulgar womanizing. Who knew?) Theres a chance he could win the states electoral votes  and its kind of difficult not to root for him.

Why? Because the rebellion of a solid-red state like Utah would give Never Trump Republicans a chance to cleanse their party: If the GOP loses usually loyal voters because of Trump, party leaders will know theres no point running him or his ilk for president.

Aside from McMullin, though, its best to put third-party candidates out of mind for another, better election. Theyre fine in theory, but this election is all about ugly, brutal reality. Maybe next time.

BEN BOYCHUK

It doesnt feel like a good time to be a Democrat or a Republican, does it?

Clinton and Trump are the weakest to come along in decades. Both bring to mind that great old song from The Simpsons about mediocre presidents. Much like Zachary Taylor, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore or Rutherford B. Hayes, these two are unlikely to ever wind up on our currency.

The third-party candidates arent much better. But dont believe the line, peddled by practically every Democratic or Republican partisan, that a vote for the Libertarian or the Green or the independent conservative is a vote for Trump or Hillary (whichever is worse in your view).

You dont owe the Republican or the Democrat your vote or anything else for that matter. Much like respect and an honest buck, a vote must be earned. Has Clinton earned your vote? Has Trump?

One of them will win the presidency. But your vote isnt necessary for their victory. A third party is a perfectly respectable way to go, especially if winning ranks low among your priorities. Failure is not only an option; its a certainty.

Libertarians had high hopes for Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld. Both men were successful during their tenures as Republican governors of Democratic states. They may score a technical victory with 5 percent of the popular vote, which would entitle the famously anti-government Libertarian Party to federal election funds in 2020.

McMullin, an independent, appears to be polling well in Utah at the moment. But when it comes down to it, his chances of winning that state or neighboring Idaho, thereby throwing the election to the House of Representatives  the sole rationale for his candidacy  is vanishingly small.

And Green Party candidate Stein is so far to the left that she is meeting Trump on the right. The other day, Stein said Trump would be a better choice than Clinton because Clinton is so in thrall to corporate interests.

On second thought, it doesnt feel like a good time to be a Libertarian, an independent or a Green, either. The most powerful vote in 2016 may be abstention. None of the above never looked so good.

Joel Mathis is an award-winning writer in Kansas. Ben Boychuk is managing editor of American Greatness. Reach them at joelmmathis@gmail.com, bboychuk3@att.net, or www.facebook.com/benandjoel
21 October 2016 16:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Azerbaijan and the European Union seek to strengthen their bilateral ties through cooperating more closely in the energy sector.

Cooperation in energy, transportation, as well as a number of regional transportation projects will be considered during the upcoming meeting of Azerbaijan-EU energy subcommittee.

The meeting of the energy subcommittee between Azerbaijan and the EU will be held on December 14, a diplomatic source told Trend on October 21.

Earlier, Malena Mard, head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan, voiced hope that a meeting of the Subcommittee on Energy will be before the end of the year.

The European Union and Azerbaijan are strong partners on energy policy and are working together on a number of joint projects. The main project is the building of a pipeline to connect the Caspian oil supply to Europe, providing a viable route for oil and gas to reach consumers. Europe is also supporting Azerbaijans state-sponsored program for the increased use of alternative and renewable energy sources.

The EU and Azerbaijan are maintaining relations under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 1996 and came into force in 1999.

Since then the PCA has provided the legal framework for EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations in the areas of political dialogue, trade, investment, economic, legislative and cultural cooperation.

Azerbaijan is also included in the EU program on "Eastern Partnership" adopted on the initiative of Poland and Sweden and approved at the EU summit in Brussels in 2008.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

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21 October 2016 11:06 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The attention of the global energy market is focused on the forthcoming next formal meeting of OPEC due on November 30 in anticipation of decision to boost the descending oil prices. The cartel is determined to implement a highly desirable plan to cut oil output in order to oust dominating oil glut, which is currently reagrded as one of the main problems of the market.

Members of the cartel in September agreed on a preliminary deal to limit production to 32.5 - 33 millions barrels a day, effectively promising to cut production from the current level of about 33.6 million barrels.

Prices initially responded positively to the preliminary consent, while doubts about the possibility of the agreement are still looming over the market.

The 14-member group is expected to finalize details, deciding on how much each of its members can pump. Moreover, the cartel is now looking to secure the cooperation of non-OPEC members to help support oil prices.

Policy Analyst at European Policy Centre Marco Giuli said that the negotiation is quite difficult and the big unknown is related to Saudi Arabias determination to strike a deal.

"On the one hand, its oversupply strategy did not work: US shale proved resilient, Iran continued to increase production, and OPEC was fundamentally broken. This seems to suggest that the Kingdom strongly needs a deal. However, with discipline gone within the cartel and negative signals coming from Iraq, Libya and Nigeria, the Saudis will have huge problems of credibility vis-a-vis Russia," he said.

Giuli mentioned that Moscow already stressed that before coming to an agreement with OPEC, the cartel must work out a quota allocation within itself.

If other OPEC countries smell desperation in Riyadh, they will push to let the Saudis take the largest burden in terms of production cuts, which can be good news for Russia at the condition that the burden wont be so high that the Saudis will renounce to a deal. This will imply bigger and painful efforts to restructure the Saudi economy, he said.

A key concern is that the agreement is only preliminary and has too many uncertainties, the fact implies that the cut is not at all guaranteed. Moreover, the issue on whether proposed quota system can be sufficient for reaching a balance in the market raises additional concerns.

Fresh production records from OPEC, which pumped out a record 33.6 million barrels of crude oil per day in September, became an additional indication for investors that to finalize cartels decision to cut production would be difficult. Doubts are also raised by the issue on how reductions will be shared and which countries will bear the brunt of the reductions given the fact that certain countries are expected to be treated as exceptions.

The consensus, reached in Algeria provided certain exceptions for such countries as Iran, Libya and Nigeria, allowing them to produce "at maximum levels that make sense". Iran has taken serious steps to increase its oil production and oil export and reach pre-sanctions level since sanctions imposed on the country were lifted.

Giuli said that Iran is important  especially as its geostrategic rivalry with Saudi Arabia complicates efforts to reach a deal. However, it is not the only problem within OPEC. At the moment, doubts arise from Iraq  which continues to pump at record levels  and from Nigeria and Libya, that due to political unrest find a large portion of their export capacity unused. They certainly do not want to take the burden of an agreement, especially in their current political predicament.

Co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) Gal Luft told Azernews that it is likely that the market will see additional production cuts coming from OPEC as its members suffer greatly under the current prices and are struggling to balance their budgets.

"The problem is that some members are exempted from the quota cuts and are likely to increase production offsetting the Saudi-led production cuts. One example is Libya where exports are projected to double in the next several months," he said.

A global glut of oil supply caused oil prices to crash over the past two years, as the world's biggest oil producers refused to cut production in order to defend their market share.

Luft said that the year 2017 will probably be the last year Saudi Arabia and Russia will be able to tolerate low prices and the market is likely to see strong push led by them to drive the market toward some adjustment. The shortfall in new investments will contribute to market tightness. The market is also likely to see Venezuela cracking under political pressure which might drain Venezuelan oil from the market. Altogether we are going to turn a corner with prices touching the $80 mark.

Moreover, the further action of non-OPEC states is also essential for the market, as drop of supply by 0.5 million barrels is expected to be reached by means of output reductions in the countries outside the group. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said that the country supports the recent initiative of OPEC to fix oil production limits and hopes that at the OPEC meeting in November, the idea will be embodied in an official agreement, giving a positive signal to the markets and investors.

Non-OPEC Azerbaijan is also ready to support any decision aimed at increasing the oil price. Energy minister Natig Aliyev said that the country, which has not yet received an invitation to take part in Vienna meeting, will support the decision of the cartel.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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21 October 2016 14:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The World Bank increased its forecast for oil demand in 2016 and 2017 in its new Commodity Markets Outlook, as the financial institute expects OPECs output cut agreement to help adjust excess supply.

World oil demand for 2016 is projected to increase by 1.2 million barrels per day (1.3 percent) to an average of 96.3 mbd. In its previous report published in July the World Bank forecasted oil demand to stand at 96.1 million barrels per day. Global demand growth is expected to rise further by 1.2 mb/d (1.3 percent) in 2017.

The forecast for energy prices, which include oil, natural gas and coal, are kept at the average level of $43 per barrel in 2016, while a jump of nearly 25 percent is expected in 2017. The forecast of oil prices for 2017 was increased up to $55 per barrel as compared to the expected index of $53 per barrel.

Oil demand in the countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is projected to rise by 0.1 mbd, with increases in Europe offsetting declines elsewhere.

Non-OECD oil demand is projected to rise by 1.1mbd (2.3 percent), led by increases in China and India but at the slowest pace since 2009.

World oil demand expanded by 1.5 mbd (1.6 percent) year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016, but only 1.3 mbd (1.4 percent) in the second one. The slowdown occurred in both OECD and non-OECD regions. Demand growth is estimated to have slowed further to 0.8 mbd (0.8 percent) in the third quarter, with all of the reduction falling to a share of the OECD.

A global glut of oil supply caused oil prices to crash from as high as $115 per barrel in mid-2014 to below $30 at the beginning of 2016.

OPEC is keen to limit output, in coordination with other major producers such as Russia in its next meeting in Vienna in November.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2016 10:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkmenistan and Pakistan exchanged opinions on partnership perspectives and opportunities in the migration area, Turkmenistans State Migration Service reported.

During the meeting held in Ashgabat, the parties discussed the issues of visa and invitations registration for Pakistani citizens.

It was noted that the long term bilateral cooperation between the countries, connected not only geographically, but also by extensive historical background, common culture and spiritual traditions, has recently reached a fundamentally new level in such key areas as energy, transport, agriculture and health.

A strong legal framework, created in the last decades, that includes a number of documents signed at various levels, as well as bilateral agreements reached during regular meetings of a high level, provides a solid foundation for progressive development of the Turkmen-Pakistani cooperation at a new historical stage, the message said.

Ashgabat and Islamabad are interested in implementation of large joint projects. One such example is a large project on construction of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, initiated by Turkmenistan and launched in December 2015, which aims to provide long term supplies of Turkmen natural gas to the largest countries in South Asia.

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21 October 2016 13:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkey and Russia seek to rebuild their damaged ties and grow even closer rather they were.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing on Thursday that the process of restoring the Russian-Turkish relations is underway.

After negotiations, we signed a number of documents at the highest level, including economic agreements, which should contribute to the restoration of our relations. And it is clear that their immediate implementation takes time. This example shows that this process is still going, said Zakharova.

She further said that Moscows contacts with Turkey on Syria have been restored.

"Contacts with our Turkish colleagues on Syria have been restored," the diplomat said. "An exchange of views is in progress, we are assessing what Turkey is doing. Our contacts have been restored, and we express the concerns that we have not so much in public as through the direct channels. Public rhetoric doesnt add any constructive proposals."

Moreover, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardym recently said that an official representative of Turkish Foreign Ministry will visit Moscow next week to hold consultations with Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"The representative of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Tanju Bilgic, will visit Moscow next week for consultations with Maria Zakharova on the question of media," Umit Yardym said.

He also added that the mayor of Istanbul is expected to visit Moscow on October 25.

Relations between Turkey and Russia broke down for about seven months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015.

However, relations have improved since the August meeting of the two presidents. The visit of Erdogan marked a first since last November when the crisis in relations between the countries started and is also Erdogans first foreign visit after a failed coup attempt in Turkey.

The last time the two leaders met on the sidelines of World Energy Congress on October 10 held in Istanbul.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2016 15:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Russia is ready to extend humanitarian pause in Aleppo until Monday, reported the Associated Press adviser to the UN special envoy on Syria, Jan Egeland.

The UN has a window, at least until Monday, said Egeland.

Earlier it was reported that Russia has extended humanitarian pause in Syria for three days starting October 20.

The "peaceful pause" in Aleppo was announced in order to let to the sick and wounded, civilians and armed groups to leave the city.

Russia has unilaterally announced an eight-hour "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo on October 13, as the UN voiced a necessity to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to numerous individuals in need in the city.

Russias ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin then said that a longer ceasefire in the city of Aleppo is possible, but has to be agreed on multilaterally.

The situation in Aleppo has extremely deteriorated lately as heavy battles are going on in the city and its outskirts. The Syrian government launched an operation in Aleppo last month with Russian air support and Iranian-backed militias.

Earlier, the U.S. accused the Syrian authorities and the Russian Federation of bombing peaceful civilians and armed opposition. Damascus and Moscow insist that strike blows only at the terrorists and accuses Washington of failing to pressure on the troops of "moderate opposition" so that they separate themselves from the terrorists.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2016 17:32 (UTC+04:00)

Frances Foreign Minister Jean Marc-Ayrault will visit Turkey, Greece and Cyprus on October 24-25, RIA Novosti reported on October 21 citing French Foreign Ministry's spokesman Romain Nadal.

During his visit to Turkey, the foreign minister will particularly discuss the situation in Syria and Iraq, according to the report.

The minister will discuss the main issues of topical agenda in Europe and the world, in particular, Syria, Iraq, the fight against the IS and migrant problems, said Nadal during a briefing Oct. 21.

He added that Ayrault will also meet with the representatives of political parties and civil society.

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21 October 2016 18:06 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Philippines plan to buy more oil products from Iran, and the issue was mulled during the meeting between Philippines Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez and Iranian ambassador Mohammad Tanhaei.

The Iranian government has expressed interest in working with the Philippines energy sector in the fields of oil exploration and the petroleum product trade, Philippines Department of Finance reported.

In return, Iran promised to source more bananas from the Philippines. We do want to improve our relationship with Iran, Dominguez said.

Currently Philippines do not intake Iranian oil, while it is importing almost 70 percent of its needs from Persian Gulfs Arab nations, like Kuwait, from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, according to the official statistics.

Philippines imported 5.9 million barrels of crude oil from Iran in 2011. However, following the imposition of the international sanctions against Tehran, the oil supplies were ceased.

In January 2012, President Benigno Aquino III appealed to a number of U.S. lawmakers to consider Philippine interests, as it would want to maintain "non-harmful" trade with Iran

Philippines fruit exports to Iran was greatly affected also. 30 percent of Philippine banana exports go to Iran.

Obstacles to the trade relations between the two countries were reduced with the lifting of sanctions against Iran with the securing of the Iran nuclear deal.

Iran exported about 2.05 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil, 435,000 b/d of gas condensate and the more than 400,000 b/d of oil products like diesel and mazut in September.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Political Scramble is The Californians regular page of local election coverage. Send information on events, endorsements, positions and the like to tdouglas@bakersfield.com, jburger@bakersfield.com or cbedell@bakersfield.com.
FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi wait for their delegations during their meeting in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia. Egypt has made fighting Islamic militants its overriding foreign policy objective, a decision that led to a series of regional realignments that have puzzled Western backers, antagonized traditional Arab allies like Saudi Arabia and brought Cairo closer to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia and Iran. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File) (The Associated Press)

Egypt has made fighting Islamic militants its overriding foreign policy objective, a decision that has brought it closer to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia and Iran, in turn antagonizing its chief financial backer, Saudi Arabia.

The policy is risky at a time when Egypt is struggling to contain a homegrown Islamic insurgency and tackling its worst economic crisis in decades. Saudi Arabia, which has helped keep Egypt's economy from collapse with billions in aid, has already signaled its displeasure by holding back promised supplies of fuel.

This direction of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's foreign policy is rooted in the military's 2013 ouster of his predecessor Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

"Cairo's single-minded pursuit of the Brotherhood  and of any Islamist group that bears the slightest resemblance to the Brotherhood  has become the guiding principle of Egypt's foreign, as well as domestic, policy," Middle East expert Steven A. Cook wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine.

Perhaps no single incident showcased this direction as much as Egypt's support this month for a Russian resolution on Syria at the U.N. Security Council.

Moscow put forward its resolution even as it vetoed a rival French resolution calling for a halt to Russian and Syrian airstrikes, which have caused hundreds of deaths in the Syrian city of Aleppo in past weeks.

Egypt voted in favor of both drafts, saying it did so in hopes of stopping Aleppo's suffering. But siding with Russia  and by implication Assad  reflected the stance of el-Sissi's government that defeating Islamic militants in Syria is the priority.

It led to the first public spat between Cairo and Riyadh since el-Sissi took office in 2014.

Adding insult to injury, Egypt this week hosted one of Assad's top security aides for talks, while Russian and Egyptian commandos held joint war games  at a time of widespread outrage in the Arab world over Russia's air bombardment of Aleppo.

Saudi Arabia is seeking Assad's ouster and has strongly backed rebel factions, including ones with hard-line Islamist ideologies.

Egypt, in contrast, sees militants in Syria as a threat. It has been far cooler to the prospect of removing Assad.

Egypt's direction undermines Saudi Arabia's hopes to build a Sunni axis to block the influence of its top rival, Shiite, non-Arab Iran. In fact, Cairo's show of support for Assad put it closer to Iran, the Syrian leader's top ally.

Egypt has sided closer to Russia even though Moscow has banned commercial flights to Egypt ever since the downing a year ago of a Russian jet full of tourists in the Sinai Peninsula. The crash is blamed on a bomb placed onboard by Egypt's branch of the extremist Islamic State group.
Birmingham-based 2 Sisters, which owns Hollands Pies and Foxs Biscuits, is providing young unemployed people with practical skills that will help them find the right job.

This October 2 Sisters has created more than 350 learning opportunities across 29 sites nationwide, as part of Skills for Work Month.

This has included help with CV preparation and interview skills, as well as provision of factory tours and work experience.

Jenni Chambers, head of talent at 2 Sisters, said: The most sustainable way to get the talent you want is to cultivate it yourself. 2 Sisters Food Group recognise this, and we are continuously developing our talent plans across the business.

She added that young people often dont see the food industry as their first choice for a career: Weve learnt that identifying the right people first time allows their careers to grow and we have many people that started on the shop floor now running senior teams.

Dan Whillock, Scunthorpe general manager, agreed: I started as a temporary factory operative in 1999 and very quickly became aware of the extent of opportunities on this site and in the wider food industry.

Last month it was announced that 2 Sisters division Gunstones Bakery could cut over 500 staff as the company has lost a contract with Marks & Spencer.
Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods has been awarded for its charitable activities by food and drink charity the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD).

Premier Foods CEO Gavin Darby this week received the Presidents Cup at the IGD awards ceremony at the Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster, London. The event was hosted by journalist and broadcaster Fiona Bruce.

Premier was recognised for its significant overall contribution to IGDs various groups and charitable activities.

These included the Feeding Britains Future programme, which supports young people in the skills they need to find employment, and playing a major part in IGDs Healthy Eating programme

Premier also co-chairs the Technical Leaders Forum and supports other IGD initiatives.

Premier is a longstanding and considerable supporter of IGDs charitable programmes, helping deliver public benefit across areas from sustainability and nutrition, as well as employability, IGD president Andy Clarke told the awards ceremony audience.

The IGD this week announced that Clarke is to by succeeded from 1 January 2017 by Leendert den Hollander, general manager of Coca-Cola European Partners Great Britain.

Darby said Premier was incredibly proud to have been recognised for its contribution.

IGD plays a very important role in fostering collaboration amongst the food and grocery industry and helping to develop people working in, or looking to join, the industry, he added. Were fully committed to playing a leading role in supporting the charitys valuable work.

Among Premiers plans are supporting up to 60 schools visits as part of the Feeding Britains Future programme and backing the pilot Jobathon programme that works in partnership with Job Centre Plus to offer skills training to the young unemployed.

The winners of the IGD Awards were selected by judges from across the food and grocery supply chain and announced at the ceremony on 18 October.
MEXLend: Financial Planning Key to Early Retirement

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - When can I retire? It's a though that crosses everyone's mind... sometimes as soon as we start our career! Starting a smart financial planning strategy early, including real estate investment, is the key to retiring early and securely, but what are the factors you need to keep in mind?

Number one on the list should be your sources of income:

 Social Security: Both the USA and Canadian government websites provide calculator tools to let you estimate what your social security benefits will be.

 Pension: Your company's HR department should be able to give you an estimate of whatever pension you may be receiving in the future.

 Other Income Sources: Income like rental from an investment property or a second business would fall into this category.

 Investments: Things like 401K savings for Americans or RRSPs for Canadians would be included in this income group.

Then of course you need to consider your expenses. Medical and insurance, monthly living costs, travel and lifestyle expenses; expenses can vary greatly depending on what you need and what you want from your retirement.

Another step that can get you closer to your dreams of early retirement is to choose a place where living costs are lower. This is one of the reasons why owning a second home or income-generating rental property in Mexico is such a popular option.

In cities like Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and San Miguel de Allende, the price of real estate is lower and the cost of living can be 45% to 65% less than in the retiree's country of origin. Add to that an incredible lifestyle, great climate and excellent health care, and there's no wonder that so many American and Canadian retirees are choosing Mexico over any other country in the world.

With MXN and USD home loans in Mexico now available through MEXLend, there has never been a better time to invest in your retirement lifestyle than by investing in Mexican real estate today.
Selling a home isnt hard if youve got the right guidance and approach. Here we break down the process to sell your housefrom deciding if you really should sell, to finding a real estate agent wholl be your partner through it all, to pricing your home and negotiating offers.
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/fairfield/fairfield-high-school-butler-tech-racial-remark-about-chinese

In the video, the high school substitute teacher, Katherine Klimach, was heard saying:

"We're waiting for it to come on. You broke it already. What's wrong with you? You Chinese are supposed to make computers, and you're breaking them instead."

Klimach, a veteran teacher who has worked for public school districts in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky since the late 1990s, could not be reached for comment. She is now suspended by her employer and the school district may bar her further employment at the district.

Political Correctness to the fullest!

Her boss appologized: "Comments like those heard on the video have no place in the classroom, and we fully understand the community's disappointment. We are disappointed, too."

The boss continued to say that a teacher "assumes responsibility for overall classroom management and promotes positive work habits.

Your actions to address students in any way in regards to race or lack of intelligence or motivation constitutes a poor choice in judgment, careless behavior and an apparent disregard for the policies and procedures that are intended to promote professionalism."

Remember, this is the same school district in which an adopted Chinese girl was bullied. Emilie Olsen killed herself in late 2014, critics have alleged district leaders failed to prevent bullying and racial harassment in the district.
Man's Journey to Join Assyrian Forces Fighting ISIS Stopped

A LIMERICK man who attempted to travel to Iraq to fight Isis was detained by airport security in London before his flight was due to depart. David Hayes, from Kileely, was due to travel to an Assyrian base near Mosul, Iraq, where he would take up arms in the fight against Islamic State. He has been left "disheartened" after being detained by anti-terrorism police in Gatwick Airport, who said that despite his "honourable intentions" they could not permit him to travel. Mr Hayes told the Limerick Leader that he feels a "strong moral obligation to help the people who are suffering under Isis atrocities". Speaking before his journey, he explained his reasons for wanting to join the Assyrian military group Dwekh Nawsha. "I've been observing what Isis are doing in Syria and Iraq and throughout the world," he said. David was struck with the urge to take action when he saw a disturbing photograph of a child who had been killed by Islamic State. "When I saw that, something in my heart just said I have to do something," he said. "I felt morally obligated to not just be a casual observer and have an opinion on Facebook about it, but to actually volunteer. "So that's what I said to the Assyrian people, I told them that I want to put myself forward. "That was two years ago, in 2014," he said. The Dwekh Nawsha is a military organisation set up to defend Iraq's Assyrian Christian minority. The group also fights to retake land controlled by Isis, and is an ally to the Iraqi armed forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against Isis. A descendent of 1916 hero John Devoy, David likens this cause to that of the Irish rebels. "The Assyrians are fighting for their survival," he said. "You're asked to commit to three months. You can't just land as a volunteer and after two weeks decide you're out, that it's not for you. "I'm a little bit scared, yes. I'm a little bit nervous, but I feel duty bound to go ahead and do it," he said. Although stopped from travelling this time, David Hayes said that he is still exploring ways to help the Assyrian people. "No, I haven't given up in regards to Isis or any grouping that threatens our way of life and who oppress and murder others." This week began with news that an operation has begun to retake Mosul by Iraqi armed forces and allies.
The City of Beatrice is very busy with a number of new projects popping up all over town. We are in constant motion with new industrial and agricultural employers, plans for new residential developments, and a newly adopted downtown revitalization plan.

One thing has permeated each of these items and weaved itself into nearly every economic development project the City is currently working on: tax increment financing, commonly known as TIF.

What is this nefarious sounding tax tool? Is it a tax increase? Is it a tax deferment? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is none of these things. TIF is simply an economic development tool used to lift what would be an unfundable project off the ground.

Pursuant to Nebraska law, cities can apply TIF financing to development projects and utilize increased property tax payments, after the project is completed, to pay off public improvements related to the project. A TIF project may be able to capture future property tax payments for up to fifteen years.

I believe a quick example is in order: a blighted property is assessed at $10,000, and pays an annual property tax payment of $197 (using our recent Beatrice property tax rate). After applying for TIF and building a new facility the assessment rises to $200,000, and thereby the annual property tax payment rises to $3,940. That increased property tax ($3,743) can go towards paying off public improvements each year for up to fifteen years. That is $56,145 in public improvements from payments the developer will be paying whether they access TIF or not.

The Citys proclivity has been to fund TIF projects like street improvements, sidewalks, utility extensions, and other related public improvements. Beatrice operated under the supposition these were the only improvements fundable under TIF. This mistaken belief was adjusted recently when Michael Sothan of Main Street Beatrice and myself visited a number of communities in Nebraska and took an up-close look at their downtown economic development projects. We saw firsthand that TIF could be used to assist downtown historic properties and turn them back into functional, viable, and beautiful buildings.

The City of Hastings has been a paragon of downtown revitalization in recent years. Their planning and programming, and strong utilization of TIF, has culminated in significant investments and aggressive redevelopment. I would encourage you to visit Hastings and take an afternoon walk in their downtown.

Hastings and other communities utilized what the State of Nebraska calls a plan to repair or rehabilitate buildings or other improvements. These communities have been making lasting and exciting investments back into historic buildings.

Pursuant to these discoveries, the City of Beatrice has become quite adroit in our application of TIF to some of the more recent projects coming in the door. For nearly twenty years the City has had a redevelopment area available to utilize TIF in downtown Beatrice, but has never funded a single project in the designated area. Property and business owners sometimes felt that the paper work and disclosure requirements were just too much for them to handle.

As my favorite president once said: "Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty." While the task of filling out and filing a bunch of documents, environmental reviews, historical reviews and such can be enervating, the City has been working with our development partners, like NGage and Main Street Beatrice, to make the process more streamlined, less cumbersome, and less invasive. Couple TIF with newly available federal and state historic tax credits, the Citys current sidewalk improvement grants, and the Citys upcoming facade improvement program, and you have a recipe for success. We want business and property owners to take advantage of these tax funded tools and leverage back money into our community.

The City of Beatrice currently has six redevelopment areas designated across the City. If you are considering commercial or residential development or redevelopment of any kind, stop in, see us, and we will voraciously assist you in finding the tools to make your project, and our community, a success.
When a 16-year-old Theresa Simmons gave up her baby for adoption 57 years ago, she never thought she'd see the child again. On Thursday, she got that chance.

Simmons's daughter, Joanne Farrell, looked into family history online

Farrell tracked down half-sister, put their mother in touch with her



Simmons's children arranged for reunion as a surprise

Another of Simmons's children, Joanne Farrell, looked into her family history online. She tracked down her half-sister, Roseanne Lombardi, the daughter Simmons gave up decades before, in Connecticut.



Farrell then contacted Lombardi and then put their mother in touch with her, as well.



"I always wondered if she thought of me, if she was alive, why did this happen?" said Lombardi.



Simmons's children arranged for Lombardi to fly to Tampa to meet their mother, but kept it a surprise. They took their mom to Tampa International Airport, telling her they were just going there for lunch.



"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster," said Farrell.



"Somebody has been out there all these years that we've never known, and yet so close when we were living up north and yet so far away, " said Simmons other daughter, Ann Marie Crawford.



"This is a big surprise for Mom," said Simmons's son, Anthony. "I tried to keep it under wraps for as long as I could."



There were tears and big hugs when Lombardi got off the plane, and she and her mom met for the first time.



"I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and I said, 'Please give me a chance to see her, just one chance,'" said Simmons. "I just want to see her one time, to hold her and kiss her."
Gov. Rick Scott has distinguished himself recently as one of the few high-level Republicans willing to campaign for Donald Trump. That effort has established him as such a player in national political circles that some GOP operatives are floating him as a potential presidential contender in 2020, should Trump lose in November.

Rick Scott's super PAC raised $18 million in 3rd quarter

Scott's fundraising success seen as preparation for U.S. Senate run

Support of Trump has earned Scott loyalty of Trump's own supporters

Talk of a future Scott presidential bid has been simmering for weeks but has been mostly confined to Scott loyalists in Tallahassee, who are largely viewed as separate and distinct from the state's Republican establishment.



This week, however, the Scott-chaired Trump super PAC Rebuilding America Now reported raising $18 million in the third quarter, an impressive haul that's getting the attention of national Republican operatives.



Written off by many political observers as too aloof and unpolished for the national political stage, Scott has nonetheless proven himself to be a prolific fundraiser. He pulled in more than $5 million for his own state political committee since his 2014 re-election to an office he's unable to run for again because of term limits.



The governor's fundraising streak has been cast as preparation for a U.S. Senate campaign in 2018, when Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson will be facing re-election. Trump's rise this year on the back of populist fervor, however, could embolden Scott's message, regardless of whether he seeks the Senate seat or the presidency, or both.



"We need somebody that's going to go to Washington, D.C., cut taxes, reduce regulation, streamline the permitting process," said Scott earlier this year. "Don't create an incentive for companies to move out of this country; create an incentive for companies to move to this country, and so, we need that."



The governor's choice to embrace the most divisive Republican presidential nominee in two generations has gained him the allegiance of Trump's loyal followers. In many respects, those followers resemble the Florida Tea Party activists that propelled Scott to the Governor's Mansion in 2010. They're likely to remain a force in Republican presidential politics, no matter the outcome of this year's election.



That storehouse of potential grassroots support, combined with his fundraising prowess, could position Scott as an attractive GOP presidential candidate in four years. His greatest challenge, some strategists suggest, could be keeping the party establishment at arm's length.



"He's always talked about taking the battle to Washington, that government is broken," said Republican consultant Chris Cate. "That's been his message, so if he wants to continue that message, I think it'll be important to keep a distance from those mainstream Republicans if he wants to, sort of, use that Trump momentum, that outsider class, those outside voters, to propel himself."



That, it would seem, wouldn't be difficult for a governor whose message to Trump's supporters in Tampa last spring could also serve as a rallying cry for his own potential presidential bid.



"Who is our common enemy? Washington, D.C.!" Scott thundered.
Medical marijuana advocates hope their second shot at the ballot delivers cannabis to sick Floridians.

Floridians will again decide on Amendment 2 in November

Proposal narrowly failed to pass in 2014

'No on 2' group claims amendment will lead to 'dispensary on every corner'

RELATED: Making sense of Florida's amendments: Amendment 2



One supporter, Amy Guenst of Riverview, has one person in mind when it comes to her belief in the need for Amendment 2.

"As a mother, I should have this option for my child," Guenst said. "A vote for medical marijuana is really about compassion."

Guenst is due any day now with her fourth child. But it was right around the due date of her third child that she learned her youngest son, Luke, had leukemia.

"He was in horrible pain from the chemotherapy," Guenst said.

Guenst said the pain medicine and chemotherapy caused nausea, vomiting and angry rages for Luke, who was just 2 1/2 years old at the time.

Luke is now a happy 4-year-old, and his leukemia is considered to be in remission. But he still has to do chemotherapy every day, and every three months Luke goes to the hospital for a spinal tap.

His mother thinks full strength medical marijuana would allow her to keep him off powerful painkillers such as morphine and hydrocodone.

"The politicians have not served us on this," Guenst said. "So now we are a group of grassroots people just begging for compassion."

Floridians will again decide on a medical marijuana amendment to the state's constitution in November, an amendment that narrowly failed to pass in 2014. This time, Amendment 2 has more clearly defined medical conditions for cannabis treatment.

The changes to the ballot question this time include language requiring parental consent before a doctor can recommend medical cannabis.

Amendment 2, of course, has its opponents, just as it did in 2014. The Florida Medical Association has come out against it, and the "No on 2" group claims the amendment will lead to a pot dispensary on every corner.

"All those ads are so bogus," Guenst said. "This is a healing plant. I hope people will pray before they vote, and God will lead them toward compassion."
Tampa Electric is sending crews to Grand Bahama Island Friday to help restore power still out after Hurricane Matthew.

Crews going to Grand Bahama Island to assist with power outages

About 100 percent of the island lost power

Crews will be there for 2 weeks

About 100 percent of the island lost power when the Category 4 hurricane slammed into the island on Oct. 6.

Multiple lineman from the Bay area utility company are headed by boat to the island. Also, crews will take three trucks, which are being ferried to Grand Bahama Island.

TECO officials said some of the damage on the island is so severe that in some areas, crews are rebuilding entire electrical systems from the ground up.

Although there were no deaths associated with Matthew in the Bahamas, there was an estimated $400 million in damage caused by winds of about 140 mph.

"Everybody is getting along, we're trying to do the best we can, these people have been devastated," said TECO lineman Skipper Flowers. "Their whole lives have been upset and destroyed, we're just trying to help them out.

"Most of the time, the people there are just happy to see us."

The TECO crews are relieving linemen that have already been on the island. The TECO crews will remain in Grand Bahama for two weeks.
HALLAM -- A future plant to produce carbon black and hydrogen will create jobs in southeast Nebraska and provide clean energy for the country, said leaders of the project at the Monolith Materials groundbreaking ceremony in Hallam on Thursday morning.

Monolith is producing carbon black in the U.S. for the first time in 30 years, its website reads. At its Olive Creek Plant, located just northeast of the center of Hallam, pipeline grade natural gas will be converted into carbon black and hydrogen.

Carbon black is used in everyday products such as industrial rubber products. It can also be customized to act a pigment in inks, paints and toner and as a UV absorber in pipes and other agricultural products, the website says.

Carbon black is virtually pure elemental carbon produced by thermal decomposition of natural gas under tightly controlled and monitored conditions, the website goes on.

The key part of that is the utilization of natural gas rather than crude oil. In their formal addresses on Thursday, leaders of the project as well as Governor Pete Ricketts called the production process efficient, environmentally friendly and economically savvy.

Monolith searched starting about three years ago for the right location and the right partners to build this plant, speakers explained at the event. Eventually, they found Nebraska and partners Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and Norris Public Power District.

The hydrogen byproduct will be used by NPPD to replace the coal-fired boiler of unit 2 at Sheldon Station, the website explains. The new boiler will generate 125 mw of electricity  enough to supply power to 150,000 homes.

Monolith is hiring now for an initial staff of 50 to develop and run Phase 1 of the manufacturing plant. The company expects of the plant initial production capacity in 2018 and full production capacity by 2020. By 2020, the plant should employ about 600 people, they said.

Three years ago we decided to bring our company to Nebraska and build our company here and ever since then, weve been trying to prove ourselves to you, Monolith co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Rob Hanson said in his opening remarks. Soon, were going to be one of the biggest employers in this region and you have my word we will be very good to our employees.

Were your neighbors now and you can trust that were going to continue to be very transparent in this project.  Were going to continue to involve the local community in making decisions that impact it and the project as a whole.

Monolith Materials Executive Chairman Bill Brady spoke of the future of the carbon black industry and the significance of the companys project in terms of using U.S. land and resources.

Although its the first phase, I can guarantee you we expect to expand here for a long time to come, Brady said. For decades, the carbon black industry has expanded outside the United States, creating jobs and economic growth in countries like China and Southeast Asia. This project brings it back to the heartland.

We really call ourselves the next generation of American industrial technology. We take an abundant natural resource in natural gas and turn it into carbon black  which is found in everything black around you  and hydrogen to replace coal for clean power in Nebraska.

Brady thanked his partners, Monolith employees and investors and Ricketts and the state of Nebraska.

Pat Pope, President and CEO of NPPD, called the project revolutionary.

NPPD is always looking for opportunities to utilize new fuel sources for electric generation that are both cost effective and environmentally friendly, Pope said. The partnership with Monolith Materials, the state of Nebraska, NPPD and Norris Public Power District is a unique combination of innovation, environmental sustainability and economic development for the area and the state.

Governor Ricketts said the first phase of the project will not only produce 50 jobs but also a $30 million economic impact on Nebraska. He said the second phase, in 2020, will create a $600 million impact on Nebraska.

That helps us grow Nebraska, Ricketts said. That helps our kids and grandkids find the jobs they want, right here in Nebraska.

Ricketts said Monolith was drawn to Nebraska in part by its people and workforce, which he described as loyal, hardworking and the type of workers who help their companies succeed and grow.

He said he couldnt be more excited about the project.

This is a big deal, Ricketts said. This is a big deal for our country.
Ken Ruddy and his Classic Southeast Texas auto group were the receipients of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce's Spindletop Award at their annual meeting Thursday evening at the Beaumont Civic Center. The keynote address was given by U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, himself a car dealer in the Dallas area.
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Republican Rep. Brian Babin came out to bat for Donald Trump after his comment calling Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" during the final presidential debate on Wednesday.

Babin, whose Congressional district includes multiple Southeast Texas counties, appeared on Fox News' radio "The Alan Colmes Show," where they discussed Trump's performance.

READ MORE: Local Trump fans fear a 'rigged' election, too

"You think it's appropriate to call her a nasty woman?" asked Colmes.

"Well I'm a genteel Southern gentleman, Alan," Babin said.

"So does that mean no?" Colmes asked.

"No, I think sometimes a lady needs to be told when she's being nasty," Babin replied. "I do."

READ MORE: Donald Trump: I will 'totally accept' results of the presidential election 'if I win'

Trump's "nasty woman" comment about Clinton came during the final moments of Wednesday's heated debate, when the Republican presidential candidate interjected after Clinton said "my Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it."

Babin represents Texas' 36th Congressional District, which includes Jasper, Newton, Polk, Tyler, Orange, Hardin, Liberty, Chambers and a portion of southeastern Harris County.

Born in Port Arthur, Babin attended Lamar University and has served as Woodville's mayor, city councilman and school board member, according to the biography on his website. He also served on the Lower Neches Valley Authority and was a chairman in Tyler County before being sworn into Congress in 2015.

Click through above to see other comments Trump has made about women.
Archived Results for Friday, October 21st, 2016

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With Port Arthur accusing Bridge City of making an illegal land grab to increase its tax base, a decades-old rift over boundaries has reemerged between the bordering Southeast Texas cities.

They wrangled about land in the 1970s, when Orange County voters first incorporated Bridge City, then again in 1988.

Port Arthur has always won the battles.

But since Bridge City two years ago expanded its boundaries to include undeveloped property on Humble Island in the Sabine-Neches canal, negotiations for a proposed industrial facility are in jeopardy of falling through.

In a lawsuit filed against Bridge City in 2014, Port Arthur leaders say the land has belonged to them for more than 100 years.

Bridge City officials rely on a state law passed in 1999 that effectively stripped Port Arthur of property around the Neches River and the Sabine-Neches canal.

Port Arthur's attorneys argue the law is unconstitutional and was specifically crafted to target the city.

The two cities have been in mediation since January, according to court documents.

Port Arthur city attorney Val Tizeno said there could be a resolution soon, though Bridge City took no action Tuesday night after council members discussed the lawsuit in a closed meeting.

Jerry Jones, city manager in Bridge City, declined to comment because of the ongoing litigation.

"Now, for the purely self-interested purpose of controlling prime industrial development property along the Neches River, Bridge City is ignoring and trespassing upon Port Arthur's long established boundaries," the lawsuit states.

In response to Port Arthur's allegations, Bridge City has cited the 1999 legislation crafted by then-State Rep. Ron Lewis, which limited extra-territorial jurisdicition (ETJ) - areas that might be annexed - for cities located on or near a navigable stream like the Neches.

Limitations require cities to provide full services to waterway properties, or remove them from the ETJ.

The 1999 law changed the Local Government Code to apply specifically to cities with populations less than 60,000; and at least partly located in a county with a population less than 240,000.

Lewis, now running an Austin-based private company consulting on governmental affairs, said the legislation was in response to a statewide annexation issue.

"It was an aggressive time for cities to extend ETJs or annex without providing the necessary services that people should have if they're annexed," Lewis said. "I thought it was important that the people be protected. That wasn't specifically addressed for one particular area."

The disputed land between Port Arthur and Bridge City is located in Orange County, where the population has never been more than 85,000. Neither city had 60,000 residents in the past 17 years.

"(Port Arthur officials) knew the statute affected them by its clear language, and (they) had ample opportunity to challenge it if they felt it was improper," wrote Ryan Henry, a San Antonio-based attorney representing Bridge City.

No residents live in the disputed area, according to officials from both cities.

Port Neches-based Sterling Shipyard planned to build a new facility on Humble Island, according to Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation CEO Floyd Batiste.

Negotiations between Port Arthur and Sterling Shipyard officials have stalled since 2014.

A resolution to the dispute could determine which city adds to its tax roll.

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
Anesthesia Business Consultants is slated to unveil its "MACRA Made Easy Platform" at the end of the month.

Here's what you need to know:

1. The "MACRA Made Easy Platform" helps anesthesia practices prepare for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act as part of CMS' Quality Payment Program.

2. This information includes advice to protect practices from penalties and to put practices in place for incentive payments.

3. The platform will be introduced at the American Society of Anesthesiologists' annual meeting, which takes place Oct. 22 to Oct. 26 in Chicago.
During last night's third presidential debate, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump discussed their plans for Medicare and healthcare reform, according to Medscape.

Here are six highlights:

1. Ms. Clinton said she planned to keep both Medicare and Social Security viable through "more resources and smarter decisions." To obtain resources for these programs, the Democratic candidate plans to have the wealthy and corporations "pay their fair share."

2. Donald Trump said he plans to revamp Medicare and Social Security by growing the economy, which Mr. Trump said will "grow at a record rate."

3. Debate moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News countered that growing the economy will not help with entitlements, to which Mr. Trump said it will. Mr. Trump went on to say he plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, saying premium increases for ACA policies have increased between 60 percent and 90 percent.

4. Regarding Mr. Trump's repeal and replace plans, Ms. Clinton said repealing the health law would only exacerbate our nation's issues with Medicare.

5. Medicare's board of trustees estimates the program's Part A for hospital care will be depleted of funds in 2028, leaving Medicare completely reliant on tax revenue. Medicare's Part B fund and Part D do not have the same risk of running out of funds as its general revenue income and beneficial incomes reset each year.

6. The Social Security fund for retirees is projected to run out of funds in 2035, which will result in taxes covering almost 77 percent of benefits.

More articles on coding & billing:

A snapshot into America's nearly 27M uninsured population  6 thoughts

HHS secretary proclaims SC Medicaid expansion inevitable: 3 notes

CareCredit expands locations, scope of coverage: 5 things to know
Throughout the United States, rates vary for physicians not accepting Medicare patients, according to Physician's Money Digest.

Merritt Hawkins conducted a survey of 17,000 physicians and found the following 10 states have the highest and lowest Medicare participation rates amongst physicians.

The following five states have the highest percentage of physicians who do not see Medicare patients:

1. Nevada: 22.5 percent

2. Virginia: 22.2 percent

3. New Jersey 18.9 percent

4. Arkansas: 18.5 percent

5. Texas: 18.4 percent

These five states have the lowest percentage of physicians who do not see Medicare patients:

1. South Dakota: 2.9 percent

2. Maine: 5 percent

3. North Dakota: 5.6 percent

4. Montana: 5.7 percent

5. Iowa: 8 percent

More articles on coding & billing:

2 legislative changes impacting ASCs  Oct. 21, 2016

Clinton, Trump talk Medicare plans during 3rd presidential debate  6 highlights

Failure to align quality measures across payers poses challenges for providers  7 things to know
Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds toured Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center, according to Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Here are five things to know:

1. Prior to visiting the center, Gov. Branstad spoke about the surgery center's cost benefits and referred to the center as a "real leader in outpatient surgery."

2. Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center performs nearly 6,000 surgeries each year.

3. More than 60 physicians across many specialties staff the ASC, and also provide services at Mercy Iowa City hospital.

4. The surgery center is equipped with two beds for 23-hour observation purposes.

5. Every two years, Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center hosts an open house.

More articles on surgery centers:

2 legislative changes impacting ASCs  Oct. 21, 2016

Outpatient Surgery Center of Hilton Head sells for $8M: 4 takeaways

Analysts give AmSurg price target of $94.33  3 notes
Here are 39 key companies involved in the management and development of ASCs.

Note: This list is not an endorsement of any company. The companies are listed in alphabetical order.

Acumen Healthcare (Marietta, Ga.). Andrew T. King founded Acumen Healthcare in 1999. Mr. King now serves as the company's president. Since its inception, the company has worked with more than 25 ASCs located across the United States, providing services related to accounting, development and operations.

Alliance Spine and Pain Centers (Atlanta). Robin J. Fowler, MD, founded Alliance Spine and Pain Centers, a physician-owned ASC management and development company. Dr. Fowler now serves as the company's chairman and medical director; Stephen Rosenbaum serves as the company's CEO. Alliance Spine and Pain Centers works with more than 10 ASCs, all of which are located in Georgia.

Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies (Rochester, N.Y.). John J. Goehle, MBA, CASC, CPA, founded Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies in 2009. Mr. Goehle now serves as the company's CEO and COO. The company's clients have almost doubled in size over the past year; today, Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies works with about 25 healthcare facilities, most of which are located in the northeast.

Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America (Hanover, Mass.). Tom Bombardier, MD, FACS; Brent Lambert, MD, FACS; and George Violin, MD, FACS, founded Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America in 1984. Luke M. Lambert, MBA, CFA, CASC, now serves as the company's CEO. The 16 ASCs the company manages are located across the United States, including a freestanding joint venture ASC in Bronx, N.Y., that opened last year.

AmSurg (Nashville, Tenn.). David Manning and Rodney Lunn founded AmSurg in 1986. Christopher A. Holden now serves as the company's CEO, director and president. The 256 ASCs the company manages are located across the United States, and focus on endoscopy and ophthalmology. A few AmSurg centers include orthopedics as well. In 2015, AmSurg net revenue reached $2.57 billion, up 58 percent from $1.62 billion in 2014.

ASD Management (Dana Point, Calif.; Dallas). Robert Zasa, MSHHA, FACMPE, and Joseph Zasa, JD, founded ASD Management in 1986; today, they both serve as the company's managing partners. The 23 ASCs the company manages are located across the United States. In 2015, the two founders wrote the first comprehensive book on ASC operations, titled Developing and Managing Ambulatory Surgery Centers.

Avanza Healthcare Strategies (Austin, Texas). Joan Dentler founded Avanza Healthcare Strategies in 2007. Ms. Dentler now serves as the company's CEO and president. The company, which does not require an equity stake in its ASC partners, provides consulting services to numerous ASCs across the United States. This past September, Avanza Healthcare Strategies contracted with a hospital-physician ASC joint venture in North Carolina, which marks the 41st state in the company's client portfolio.

Constitution Surgery Alliance (Avon, Conn.). Theodore J. Krawiec, MD, founded Constitution Surgery Alliance in 1997 as Constitution Surgery Centers. Kris Mineau now serves as the company's CEO and president. The 16 ASCs that Constitution Surgery Alliance works with are located in the northeastern region of the United States. The company's focus is on single-specialty ASCs, including gastroenterology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, orthopedics and urology. The company boasts a history of successful turnarounds after turning a joint venture ASC that had been losing $500,000 each year into a center that generates seven-figuring annual distributions.

Covenant Surgical Partners (Nashville, Tenn.). Rick Jacques is the CEO and president of Covenant Surgical Partners, a company that was founded in 2008. The 28 ASCs the company manages are located across the United States. This past August, Covenant Surgical Partners acquired Villages Endoscopy & Surgical Center in Summerfield, Fla., which expanded the company's presence in the GI industry.

ECG Management Consultants (Seattle). Formerly known as Eveia Health, ECG Management Consultants' Ambulatory Surgery practice has been an industry leader in the ASC space since 1998. Led by Principal I. Naya Kehayes, ECGs team partners with hospitals, ASCs and physician practices to provide management, business operations and strategy consulting services that optimize performance in a value-based care environment. The ASC teams background is bolstered by the firms national perspective and multidisciplinary approach to every engagement, with experience in healthcare strategy, finance, operations and technology.

Elite Surgical Affiliates (Houston). Lori Ramirez founded Elite Surgical Affiliates in 2008. Ms. Ramirez is now the company's CEO and president. The three Houston-based ASCs Elite Surgical Affiliates manages focus on orthopedics, spine surgery and pain management, among other medical specialties. This past November, the company's Elite Spine Centers initiative launched four spine-focused specialty practices in Texas.

Foundation HealthCare (Oklahoma City). Thomas A. Michaud founded Foundation HealthCare in 1996. Today, Mr. Michaud serves as the chairman, while Stanton M. Nelson serves as the CEO and Tom Newman serves as the COO of the company's surgery center division. The 10 ASCs Foundation HealthCare manages are located throughout the United States. This past May, the company acquired majority interest in the Dallas-based healthcare management company Ninety Nine Healthcare Management.

Frontier Healthcare (New York City). Frontier Healthcare was founded by Jordan Fowler, Roy Bejarano and Oleg Gutnik, MD, in 2010. Its more than 10 ASCs are located in the New York and New Jersey markets, and they cover a range of different specialties. The firm had previously focused on developing and operating ambulatory endoscopy centers but has since expanded. Frontier employ more than 150 physicians performing more than 125,000 operations annually. The company plans to expand to Florida and Texas.

Hospital Corporation of America (Nashville, Tenn.). Hospital Corporation of America (Nashville, Tenn.). Thomas Frist Sr., Thomas Frist Jr., MD, and Jack Massey founded Hospital Corporation of America in 1968. Gregary W. Beasley now serves as the president of the company's ambulatory surgery division. The 116 ASCs HCA manages are located across the United States and the United Kingdom. Outpatient revenues comprise 40 percent of HCA's total patient revenues. In 2015, HCA's net income was $2.129 billion. That year, the company's facilities performed 909,400 outpatient surgeries  an increase of 17,800 outpatient surgeries compared to the previous year.

Laser Spine Institute (Tampa, Fla.). James St. Louis, DO; Glenn Hamburg, MD; and Michael Perry, MD, co-founded Laser Spine Institute in 2005. David Pillsbury now serves as the company's CEO. The seven ASCs the company manages, which are located in various regions of the United States, focus on minimally invasive spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute's most recent center, located in Cincinnati, opened in 2015.

Medical Facilities Corporation (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Medical Facilities Corporation works with five specialty surgical hospitals located in Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma and South Dakota, as well as an ambulatory surgery center in California. The ASC has two operating rooms and one procedure room. Britt T. Reynolds has served as the company's CEO since May 2016.

Meridian Surgical Partners (Brentwood, Tenn.). Kenny Hancock and Cathy Kowalski founded Meridian Surgical Partners in 2006. Kenny Hancock now serves as the company's president and chief development officer and John C. Wilson Jr. serves as the company's CEO. Ms. Kowalski is currently the executive vice president and COO of the company. The 10 ASCs the company works with, many of which are specialized in orthopedics and spine surgery, are located across the United States.

Merritt Healthcare (Ridgefield, Conn.). Matthew Searles, MBA, and William Mulhall, RN, founded Merritt Healthcare in 2001. The company manages eight ASCs located in the northeastern United States  seven are based in Connecticut and one is based in New York. Merritt Healthcare advised RMC Medstone on the sale of majority interest in Modesto, Calif.-based Stanislaus Surgical Hospital, which was sold to Sutter Health.

Murphy Healthcare Group (Montvale, N.J., New York, N.Y.). Murphy Healthcare Group was started in 1990 by Robert Murphy, current CEO. John Murphy serves as president of the group. The chain is responsible for more than 30 ASCs throughout the United States, with a market cap of $650 million. The group specializes in turning around failing ASCs. Murphy frequently works with ENT, urology, pain management and podiatry centers, among other specialties.

Nobilis Health (Houston). Nobilis Health owns and manages more than 40 ASCs primarily in the Southwestern United States. Harry Fleming is the current CEO of the company with Steve Ozonian serving as the chairman of the board. Nobilis centers feature a variety of specialties including spine, pain, orthopedic, podiatry and several others. The firm frequently partners with physicians to develop centers under six brands including: North American Spine, Migraine Treatment Centers of America, Evolve, MIRI Women's Health, Onward Orthopedics and Nuestep.

NueHealth (Leawood, Kan.). In 2015 Dan Tasset founded NueHealth, a privately owned venture of Nueterra Capital. Steve Harmon now serves as CEO of the company, which maintains operations in 28 states. NueHealth's portfolio includes multispecialty ASCs, hospitals, physical therapy centers and GI centers. This past January, NueHealth acquired the ASC management company Blue Chip Surgical Center Partners, including full ownership of the company's 11 ASCs.

Outpatient Healthcare Strategies (Kingwood, Texas). Outpatient Healthcare Strategies provides operational, performance enhancing and strategic planning services to ASCs and hospitals. Jessica Nantz is the president and founder of the company. She has 28 years of experience in the field, with 18 focused in the outpatient healthcare setting. She started the company after she founded and sold a successful ASC consulting company which focused on hospital outpatient departments and ASCs.

PhyBus (Brentwood, Tenn.). PhyBus develops and manages a variety of single and multispecialty ASCs. Rodney Lunn, president and CEO of the company, founded PhyBus in 2009. PsyBus has developed more than 200 ASCs across the country specializing most commonly in ophthalmology, endoscopy and pain management services.

Physicians Endoscopy (Jamison, Pa.). Physician Endoscopy was founded in 1998. It specializes in developing and managing single-specialty endoscopic ASCs in both the joint venture and physician-owned formats. Barry Tanner is the CEO and founder of the company. Physicians Endoscopy has 42 centers across the nation. It recently was sold to Kelso & Company after being owned by Pamlico since August 2013.

Physicians Surgery Centers (Tarzana, Calif.). Glenn Cozen, Norm Lapin, JD, and Bob Trevathan, MBA, co-founded Physicians Surgery Centers in 1999. They currently serve as principals in the company. The company offers development and management services for 11 centers in the Southwestern United States. The centers are between 4,000 and 17,000 square feet with two to seven operating rooms each.

Pinnacle III (Lakewood, Colo.). Pinnacle III develops and manages single- and multi- speciality physician owned and joint venture surgery centers. It was founded in 1999 and has partnered with more than 40 centers. Robert Carrera is the president and CEO of the firm. He took over from company founder Richard DeHart, who now serves as principal partner with the company.

Practice Partners in Healthcare (Birmingham, Ala.). Larry Taylor founded Practice Partners in Healthcare in 2005. The company develops and manages centers serving as a minority shareholder. It has nine operational centers and three are in the process of being developed. A majority of its centers are in the Southeast with one in Colorado. They specialize in orthopedics and pain management.

Regent Surgical Health (Westchester, Ill.). Regent was founded in 2001 and manages 23 ASCs across the United States and in Europe. Regent facilitates partnerships in a 49/51 model, where the physician group owns 49 percent and the hospital has the majority ownership. Of the firm's centers, a majority of them specialize in orthopedics. Chris Bishop is the CEO of Regent. He recently replaced Tom Mallon who continues to serve on the board.

Solara Surgical Partners (Dallas). Founded in 2008, Solara Surgical Partners develops and manages single- and multispecialty centers. Solara has more than 100 facilities nationwide. Kenneth Ross is the CEO and founder of the company. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field and serves as a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Sovereign Healthcare (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Sovereign Healthcare was founded in 2003 by Jeremy Hogue. The firm develops and manages ASCs while co-managing service lines of acute-care hospitals and managing the business side of physician practices. Sovereign has 13 centers and is a partner with four health systems. The centers specialize in a range of services including orthopedics and endoscopy. The centers are primarily located in the Southwestern United States. Jeremy Hogue is the president and CEO of the company. Recently, Sovereign partnered with the Biltmore Surgical Center.

Spine Centers of America (Fair Lawn, N.J.). Spine Centers of America has three centers offering endoscopic spine services throughout New Jersey. Bryan Massoud, MD, founded the firm and practices through it. He has performed more than 1,000 procedures throughout his career. Dr. Massoud specializes in minimally invasive endoscopic spine procedures.

Surgical Care Affiliates (Deerfield, Ill.). Surgical Care Affiliates was founded in 1982 by Joel Gordon, Andrew Miller and Jack Massey. The firm has developed and managed more than 200 ASCs and surgical hospitals nationwide. Its 7,500 physicians perform more than 800,000 procedures each year. Andrew Hayek is the current chairman and CEO of SCA. He began his tenure in 2008. Recently, SCA partnered with Executive Surgery Center, a physician-led, patient-focused, outpatient center. The company also entered into a strategic partnership with Austin, Texas-based Arise Healthcare, which includes three ASCs.

SurgCenter Development (Phoenix). SurgCenter Developments develops and operates more than 100 physician-focused ASCs nationwide. The firm's centers are typically between 5,000 to 9,000 square feet and have between one and three operating rooms. SurgCenter can develop a center in nine months. Gregory George, MD, and Sam O'Neal are the founding principals of SurgCenter. Recently one of the company's total hip and total knee replacement facilities was awarded the first ever advanced accreditation from The Joint Commission.

Sovereign Health System (Glen Rock, N.J.). Sovereign Health System, formerly Surgem, was founded in 2005 by Urologist John Hajjar, MD. Sovereign develops and manages 19 multispecialty ASCs mostly in the Eastern United States. The centers primarily offer cancer services. Dr. Hajjar serves as the founder, chairman and CEO. Sovereign recently invested in Fit4D, a digital health company focused on improving the health of people with diabetes.

Surgery One (San Diego). Surgery One is a network of surgery centers specializing in minimally invasive joint procedures. The company has four centers in California. Scott Leggett is the company's CEO. He has more than 20 years experience in the field. Recently the Carlsbad Center provided help to some of San Diego's most in need.

Surgery Partners (Nashville, Tenn.). Founded in 2004, Surgery Partners develops relationship with physicians and focuses on increasing the profitability of their single- and multispecialty practices. Michael Doyle is the CEO of the firm which has 96 facilities nationwide. The centers have a variety of specialties focusing on orthopedics and minimally invasive procedures among others. The firm recently tapped Teresa DeLuca to serve on its board of directors.

Surgical Management Professionals (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Established in 2004, Surgical Management Professionals acquires, manages and develops surgery centers and physician-owned hospitals. SMP has 20 centers mostly specializing in orthopedics. Its centers are primarily located in the Midwest with one in Canada. Michael Lipomi is the president and CEO of the company. He has more than 30 years experience in the field.

Tenet Healthcare/United Surgical Partners International (Dallas). Tenet Healthcare/United Surgical Partners develops and manages 79 hospitals, 20 short-stay surgical hospitals, and more than 470 outpatient centers nationwide and in Europe. Trevor Fetter is the chairman and CEO of Tenet. William Wilcox is the CEO of USPI. The firm's centers specialize in a variety of procedures. USPI was founded in 1998 and Tenet acquired 50.1 percent of the company in June 2015.

TRY Health Care Solutions (Salmon, Idaho). TRY Health Care Solutions was founded in 2005 by Thomas R. Yerden, The company handles assessments and planning services. It works with hospital-physician joint ventures and ASC mergers. Mr. Yerden additionally founded Aspen Healthcare. Before it sold, Aspen developed, opened and managed more than 75 surgery centers.
In light of continued developments, primarily since 2008, there exists in these United States a Legal System which operates on a proved Two Tiered approach to justice rendered, which primarily benefits Democratic Elites and Woke Ideological Virtue Signalers, representing their co-dependent wards, to the expressed exclusion of normal hardworking American citizens: What is your suggestion in remedying this widespread injustice and, if not corrected, its existential outcome for our Constitutional Republic?

Complete overhaul of the Department of Justice and their enforcers - the FBI - to reflect a far more honest justice system to keep patriots remaining calm.

Disband the FBI, and request that congress investigate all unethical and non patriotic practices to partially right the wrongs of a distrusted and politically weaponized "Department of Justice."
A medical coder and healthcare reimbursement expert in Baton Rouge, La., aims to increase the number of certified medical coders in her area through her newly launched training program, according to the Baton Rouge Business Report.

Sherie Phillips Thomas, who became a nationally certified coding specialist in 2000, works at the local Louisiana Healthcare Institute, training people to become certified medical coders, according to the article. One of her goals with the institute is to address a shortage of medical coders. With the demand for healthcare services expected to grow, medical coding jobs are expected to also increase by 15 percent in the coming years, according to the report, which cites the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The institute offers an eight-month program that prepares students for a national certified coder exam, according to the report.

Ms. Thomas' program is different from others, the report states, in that she offers hands-on training once students are certified.

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Kansas City, Mo.-based St. Joseph Medical Center CEO Robert Erickson stepped down from his role, after a little more than a year, according to a Kansas City Business Journal report.

Mr. Erickson joined the medical center as CEO in February 2015, just after Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services purchased the facility from St. Louis-based Ascension. Prior to joining St. Joseph, Mr. Erickson was CEO of St. Francis Health in Topeka, Kan. Since then, there have been a number of changes at St. Joseph, including the decision to close its birthing center on Oct. 31. The hospital has not responded to a request for comment on Mr. Erickson's departure from the Kansas City Business Journal.

Jodi Fincher, previously the hospital's SNO, is now serving as interim CEO.
At a speech in Miami, President Barack Obama said a public option, increasing the number of states with Medicaid expansion and upping enrollee tax credits could aid the ACA, ABC News reports.

The president spoke at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus for 50 minutes Thursday, addressing the ACA's achievements and posing solutions for the health law's "growing pains."

Below are five takeaways from President Obama's speech.

1. The president said ACA achievements include the more than 20 million previously uninsured Americans that now have health coverage, the uninsured rate's record 8.6 percent low and the elimination of preexisting conditions, Miami Herald reports.

2. President Obama said challenges persist with covering the approximately 27.3 million remaining uninsured. He proposed expanding Medicaid in the 19 states where it is not expanded, lowering prescription drug costs and increasing ACA enrollee tax credits to reach the untapped uninsured. In terms of uncompetitive health insurance markets, President Obama proposed creating a "public fallback plan," or a public option to be offered with commercial insurance in limited competition markets.

3. While President Obama argued employers  not the ACA  are responsible for narrowing physician networks and increasing copays, he acknowledged rising premiums and fewer plans offered on ACA exchanges challenge those who do not qualify for subsidies. The president said his successor could expand the threshold of subsidy eligibility to more middle-class enrollees, The Washington Post reports.

4. President Obama said it is not "the time to move backwards on healthcare reform and that "problems that may have arisen from the Affordable Care Act [are] not because government is too involved in the process. The problem is we have not reached everybody and pulled them in."

5. Halfway through the speech, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said in a statement, "Obamacare is collapsing. Insurance companies are abandoning the program, leaving stranded families to face higher premiums and fewer choices," The Wall Street Journal reports.

In addition, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) issued a statement following the speech saying premium hikes were a result of the ACA. He said, "That's why we've seen record premium hikes. That's why millions of people  including millennials  have lost their plans, or been forced to buy plans they don't like. That's why we've seen waste, fraud and abuse. And at this point, one thing is clear: This law can't be fixed," reports The Washington Post.

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Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.

1. Boston Children's Hospital's $1B expansion receives final approval

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Public Health Council voted Oct. 20 to approve Boston Children's Hospital's proposal to begin construction on a $1 billion expansion project, according to WBUR radio.

2. President Obama throws support toward public option, defends ACA: 5 speech highlights

At a speech in Miami, President Barack Obama said a public option, increasing the number of states with Medicaid expansion and upping enrollee tax credits could aid the ACA, ABC News reports.

3. Home health company owner, medical director sentenced for roles in $34M fraud scheme

New Orleans-based Christian Home Health's owner and medical director were sentenced to prison Oct. 19 for their roles in a $34 million Medicare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

4. Full-page ad bashes CHS-owned hospital over billing, quality

A group demanding Lower Keys Medical Center reverts to public ownership took out a full-page ad in a local paper calling on the state attorney to investigate LKMC over claims of fraudulent billing, FL Keys News reports.

5. IBM Watson to generate $500M this year

After a slow start, IBM's artificial intelligence technology, Watson, is expected to grow in the coming years, according to the New York Times.

6. 400 healthcare workers rally at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

Four hundred healthcare workers and their supporters rallied at Pomona (Calif.) Valley Hospital Medical Center at noon on Oct. 19 to pressure hospital executives who they say have put profits and executive pay above quality and affordable medical care.

7. Former health clinic CEO sentenced to 18 years in fraud case

The former CEO of two Alabama health clinics was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in a fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

8. 1.4M to lose health coverage as payers flee exchanges

A significant number of Americans who purchased coverage through the ACA exchanges last year have learned their policy will cease to exist in 2017, forcing them to find new coverage as options dwindle.

9. CHS to sell controlling interest in home health business for $128M

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems signed a definitive agreement to sell a controlling interest in CHS Home Health to Louisville, Ky.-based Almost Family, a provider of home health nursing services.
The following is a roundup of recent events pertaining to hospital-union relationships, including strikes, legal battles, rallies and new contract agreements. All events were reported after Oct. 5.

1. Washington State to get union for physicians

The National Labor Relations Board was expected to certify election results Oct. 20, creating a new union for physicians working at Auburn Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash. The union will include hospitals, pediatricians, surgeons and OB/GYNs, among other specialists.

2. Windham Hospital workers picket to rally support amid stalled negotiations Workers at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Conn., picketed Oct. 20 amid stalled contract negotiations with the hospital's owner, Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare. The workers, including nurses, therapists and technologists, were picketing to make the public aware of the contract negotiations and to voice their concerns about what they see as threats to patient care, according to a Journal Inquirer report.

3. 53 nurses accuse Tenet-owned hospital of labor violations

Fifty-three nurses at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, Calif., filed claims against the hospital, alleging it violated California labor laws, according to lawyers representing the nurses. A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 25.

4. Union workers protest 175 layoffs at UC Irvine

About 200 union members and supporters rallied Oct. 18 outside UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., to protest 175 layoffs, reports Orange County Register. Unions represented at the rally included the California Nurses Association, the University Professional and Technical Employees 9119 and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 3299.

5. 400 healthcare workers rally at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

Four hundred healthcare workers and their supporters rallied at Pomona (Calif.) Valley Hospital Medical Center Oct. 19 to pressure hospital executives who they say have put profits and executive pay above quality and affordable medical care. Along with the rally, the workers held a formal press conference with U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D), State Sen. Connie Leyva (D) and Rust Hicks, leader of the L.A. County Labor Federation.

6. As negotiations continue, Catholic Health Services nurses authorize strikes

Registered Nurses at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, N.Y., and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., overwhelmingly voted to authorize strikes, the New York State Nurses Association said in a news release. Nurses at the hospitals, which are part of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, are working under expired contracts. They are asking for "a fair contract that enforces adequate staffing for patient care," as well as "adequate health benefits and pay needed to help recruit and retain skilled healthcare workers at the facility," the union said.

7. Allina nurses vote to end strike after months of negotiations and 6 weeks off the job

Allina Health nurses voted Oct. 13 to approve a contract offer from their Minneapolis-based employer, ending nine months of contentious negotiations in which they went on strike twice, according to a Star Tribune report. The latest offer from Allina, which required a simple majority vote, was similar to a contract offer nurses rejected Oct. 3, but it provided enough new financial incentives and guarantees about health benefits to gain favor from nurses, according to the article.

8. El Camino Hospital nurses, administrators head back to the bargaining table

Nurses at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., have rejected a tentative agreement with hospital officials on a new three-year contract, according to a Mountain View Voice report. By rejecting the contract, the workers, represented by the Professional Resource for Nurses union, indicate they are not satisfied with concessions on wages and pay cuts for working nights and weekends in the new contract, according to the article. The union and hospital have been in negotiations since March.

9. Morton Hospital nurses vote for option to strike

Union nurses at Steward Health Care System's Morton Hospital in Taunton, Mass., voted Oct. 5 to authorize a potential strike, a vote that allows the bargaining committee to call a strike after the existing three-year union contract expires at the end of 2016, reports Boston Business Journal. The vote took place prior to starting contract negotiations.

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New Orleans-based Christian Home Health's owner and medical director were sentenced to prison Wednesday for their roles in a $34 million Medicare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

Company owner Elaine Davis was sentenced to eight years in prison. Pramela Ganji, MD, medical director of Christian Home Health, was sentenced to six years in prison.

Ms. Davis and Dr. Gangi were each convicted in March of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of healthcare fraud.

Evidence introduced at trial showed Dr. Gangi and Ms. Davis caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare for services that were not needed and/or not provided. Ms. Davis paid employees to recruit patients from in and around New Orleans. The new patients' Medicare information was then sent to physicians, including Dr. Ganji, to certify the patients qualified to receive home healthcare services. Evidence introduced at trial showed many of these patients did not qualify for home healthcare services, according to the DOJ.

Christian Home Health submitted $34.4 million in claims to Medicare during the scheme, which ran from 2007 through June 2013, and many of those claims were fraudulent.

A hearing will be held Dec. 7 to determine the amount of restitution owed by Dr. Ganji and Ms. Davis, according to the DOJ.

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A woman from Carlisle, Pa., has been formally accused of pretending to be a physician and performing physical exams on truck drivers who sought to renew their commercial driver's licenses, according to the Central Penn Business Journal.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania disclosed Oct. 19 that Joann Wingate, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury Sept. 28 on various counts, including wire fraud, submitting false documents and aggravated identify theft.

Ms. Wingate allegedly used the identity of a licensed physician to perform physical exams on truck drivers and test them for drug use between 2012 and 2014, according to the report. She had been a licensed chiropractor, but records show her license expired in October 2014.

A local trucking firm had entered into a business agreement with Ms. Wingate, and under the agreement she led the firm's driver drug and alcohol program requirements, collected urine samples and dispatched the samples to medical laboratories while claiming to be a medical review officer, according to the report. Ms. Wingate is also accused in the indictment of performing medical examinations and sending false documents to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on behalf of the company.

Ms. Wingate could face a maximum penalty of a life sentence in prison, a term of supervised release following incarceration and a fine, according to the report.
Officials said at least 52 people were treated for respiratory discomfort and other minor injuries at Atchison (Kansas) Hospital Oct. 21 after a major chemical spill occurred at a nearby distillery, according to NBC-26 news.

Police said the leak started around 8:15 a.m. after two chemicals were inadvertently mixed together in the wrong holding tank at an MGP Ingredients distillery in Atchison.

Officials told residents in the area to remain in their homes for roughly two hours. Witnesses reported massive clouds of smog throughout the city for approximately 90 minutes. The smoke has since dissipated, according to the article.

Atchison Hospital admitted and treated at least 52 people who experienced respiratory problems after breathing in the contaminated air, one of which was admitted to the ICU. Five of the individuals were reportedly city employees, according to the article.

City officials closed schools and businesses in the area. Some roads were also reportedly closed for about an hour but have since reopened.
Oregon saw a two-year increase in visits to emergency departments after the state expanded Medicaid in 2008, according to a new study led by health economists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers examined new evidence from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, a controlled evaluation of the effects of Medicaid expansion.

Prior results from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment showed that extending Medicaid coverage led to increased healthcare use across a range of settings  there were more visits to physicians, prescription drugs used and hospitalizations, according to a news release. There was also a 40 percent increase in ED use in the first 15 months after people gained coverage.

Additionally, researchers estimated the effect of Medicaid coverage on whether the person had an office visit and whether he or she had an ED visit. They found no evidence that Medicaid coverage makes use of the physician's office and use of the ED more substitutable for one another.

"For policymakers thinking about expansions, our results suggest that a typical Medicaid program will increase healthcare use across settings  including the ED  for at least two years, and that it won't lead people to go to the doctor instead of the ED," Katherine Baicker, PhD, C. Boyden Gray Professor of Health Economics at Harvard Chan School, said in a statement.
By September 2014, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami had seen less than 40 heroin overdoses for the year. In the same time frame for 2016, Jackson Memorial treated more than 180 heroin overdose patients with 52 cases occurring in September alone, according to the Miami Herald.

The increase can be partly attributed to the rise of heroin laced with the potent, synthetic opioid fentanyl, which has been linked to a string of overdose deaths in the United States in recent months. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than morphine.

"It's much harder to bring them back from the overdose," said Amado Alejandro Baez, MD, an ER physician, at a Wednesday meeting of the Public Health Trust that governs Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade's public hospital network, according to the Herald. "Many of these patients, even those we see in the news, come back two days, three days later with an overdose. What we would like to do is start looking at integrated solutions, looking at the chain of problems."

To fight the surging overdose rates, which involve many non-violent users, hospital administrators and a Miami-Dade drug court judge are developing a pilot rehabilitation program to divert these individuals away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The new program will serve 50 to 80 patients annually for three years. Treatments will include medication-based therapies and counseling to reduce the rate of recidivism among heroin addicts.

"What we've found here, is that even though we provide inpatient detox, if they're going to leave, or there's not enough beds for residential, or any gaps of care we're not providing in that program, you just end up knowing that you're failing them," Nicoletta Tessler, CEO of Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital in Miami, told the Herald. "We have to make sure we're treating it as the whole scope of care."

The novel rehabilitation program, still in the planning stages, consists of four Miami partners: Jackson Health, the University of Miami Health System, the South Florida Behavioral Health Network and Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Grants from two federal agencies totaling $1.4 million, including $975,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and $400,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, will fund the three-year program, which, according to Ms. Tessler, will be the first of its kind in South Florida.

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NuVasive held a Spine Summit on Oct. 13 and 14 in California focused on topics that impact spine surgeon leaders as well as hospital and healthcare executives.

Elizabeth Teisberg, co-author of Redefining Healthcare: Creating Value-based Competitive Results, spoke at the event along with Houston-based Memorial Hermann CEO Dan Wolterman, Las Vegas-based Western Regional Brain & Spine's William Smith, MD, former CMS Administrator Leslie Norwalk and Advisory Board Consultant Emily Brown, among others.

There were more than 100 attendees, primarily hospital administrators, who gathered at the event to learn more about where healthcare and spine are headed and engage in a dialogue with surgeons, CMS and other healthcare thought leaders.

"The days of the surgeon, hospital and industry doing their own thing are over," said Michael Farrington, head of corporate marketing for NuVasive. "Especially given how our financial model is set up, we have to work together. We aren't going to succeed if we don't approach healthcare collaboratively, specifically in spine. There has to be alignment between the patient, surgeon, hospital and device community."

Spine is a particularly complex subspecialty because there are multiple critical systems between the vertebrae, muscles and nerves to navigate during treatment. It's difficult to simplify the service line in the same way orthopedic knee and hip replacements have been streamlined in many hospital departments.

There is also a shift of spine procedures to specialized, high-volume spine hospitals or outpatient surgery centers. "Minimally invasive surgery  that's what really kicked off the latest and greatest outpatient shift," said Ms. Brown.

Ms. Teisberg addressed service line outcomes in her presentation, examining the best outcomes to measure success and how patients and physicians often measure success differently.

"Quality is better health outcomes for individual people," she said in her presentation. Failing to measure the outcomes could lead to slower improvement and higher costs. Measuring the outcomes also expresses empathy and can create a meaningful context for the patient's recovery.

Physicians often measure pain scores, fusion rate and readmissions to declare surgery a success. However, if patients aren't able to return to function, is the procedure still a success?

"ODI and VAS are not a true measurement of outcome," said Dr. Smith. Achieving predictable clinical and economic outcomes will be important for surgeons under new payment models to deliver value for the patient, clinician and industry partner. The outcomes will include some of the traditional measurements in addition to functionality, mobility and patient satisfaction.

Dr. Smith spearheaded efforts to bring new technology into his hospital that would add thousands to the upfront cost of spine cases but could achieve better outcomes and additional revenue. Initially, the hospital's value committee balked at the idea, but armed with data, he was able to show the technology's worth and the value committee changed its tune. Dr. Smith substantiated the technology and expanded the patient population eligible for the procedure.

Ms. Norwalk discussed healthcare spending trends, as the national health expenditure growth rates have been unsustainable. Many Americans, she said, aren't getting the best care possible and readmissions affect the quality and cost of care.

"Focus on the things that reduce overall administrative cost while improving quality," she said. "Innovation in healthcare delivery will be critical in having a sustainable healthcare system."

Mr. Wolterman spoke on identifying an end goal and working backwards to achieve desirable outcomes. He also addressed collaboration and providing the right incentives for clinicians to deliver high quality care.

"No longer can we divide and conquer; we all have to come together and behave as one [and] put the patient at the center of everything we do," said Mr. Wolterman.

In one example discussed at the conference, a small practice decided to change their culture to become more transparent. The surgeons shared cervical outcomes data and reviewed it as a group. The head surgeon found he ranked low on outcomes compared to the junior surgeons. The head surgeon observed how the junior surgeons performed their cases and was able to incorporate their techniques into his practice and deliver better outcomes for his patients as well.

"The culture has to change to become more open and transparent with data outcomes," said Mr. Farrington. "Organizations that are continually learning will deliver better outcomes."
About a decade ago, a novel technology called the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold for patients with spinal cord injury came to fruition. Today, Cambridge, Mass.-based InVivo Therapeutics' INSPIRE study is underway to prove the technology's efficacy.

A bioresorbable polymer scaffold, the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold is designed for implantation at the injury site within a spinal cord contusion, degrading over several weeks. The scaffold is composed of two biocompatible and bioresorbable polymers  Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and Poly-L-Lysine. These polymers are manufactured to create a porous scaffold encouraging cellular attachment and neurite outgrowth.

"What we've learned is, fundamentally what we're doing in the spinal cord is putting in a bandage to lay down in a neuro-permissive environment, which then stimulates endogenous stimulation," explains Mark Perrin, CEO of InVivo.

InVivo quickly recognized the diversity of SCIs and categorized them into two major groups:

Contusion or closed injuries involve an injured cord, causing the bone to press up against the cord. The cord is not lacerated and the surgeon can view the hemorrhage in the cord through various imaging modalities.

Compound or open injuries shatter the spine, and bone fragments rip open the cord.

"We were concerned about our product working [for compound injuries] because the outer white matter has been destroyed," Mr. Perrin says. "[However,] we found the surgeons could easily fit the scaffold into the spinal cord defect just as in our experimental hemi-chordectomy model."

Mr. Perrin notes their study has not revealed any predictor variables, and they believe the scaffold could benefit patients with a wide range of injuries.

"I'm so proud of this company. I've never seen passion in employees like this before," says Mr. Perrin. "I can't wait to bring this product to market and help patients  because that's what it's all about."

Making INSPIRE a reality

Back in 2014, InVivo jumpstarted a pilot clinical trial to test this innovative approach for SCI treatment in five patients.

Initially, the FDA mandated a surgeon implant the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold into one patient and wait three months. Based on the submitted safety data, the FDA said the trial could move forward with the second patient. However, Mr. Perrin says the data proved so encouraging after the second implanted patient that the FDA allowed InVivo to run the last three patients concurrently.

In December 2015, the FDA approved the INSPIRE study to test the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold's efficacy and safety for complete thoracic AIS A spinal cord injury. The FDA allowed InVivo to roll over the five patients from the pilot study. InVivo has approval to enroll as many as 30 patients, with the intent of reaching 20 evaluable patients.

The company had enrolled an initial 12 patients, but two died from unrelated complications and two were eliminated due to screening errors. Of the eight implanted patients, the fifth just achieved AIS grade improvement, placing InVivo on track to achieve the INSPIRE study's Objective Performance Criterion. Of the patients achieving complete conversions, two suffered contusion injuries and three suffered compound injuries.

The FDA delivered a surprise in May, however, asking InVivo to consider a control group. Mr. Perrin notes they are continuing to work with the FDA on this issue.

The pathway to commercialization

InVivo had hoped to approach full enrollment for the INSPIRE study by the close of 2016, but because of a pre-specified enrollment hold at 12 patients, the study was on hold at the majority of the company's clinical sites throughout the summer. Mr. Perrin now anticipates reaching full enrollment in the first half of 2017.

"Regardless, [the FDA] is going to want a database of 20 patients for safety purposes," explains Mr. Perrin. "We need six months for all 20 patients, which puts us at the end of 2017 for filing of a humanitarian device exemption application."

Although anticipating submission of a humanitarian device exemption at the end of 2017 or in early 2018, Mr. Perrin notes that aspect of the process is the most unpredictable variable.

If approved, the company will target Level 1 trauma centers. Some SCI patients are sent to Level 2 trauma centers as well, receiving spine stabilization by orthopedic surgeons. InVivo is currently evaluating these centers as secondary commercial focuses.

Although the company plans to push its commercial interests in the United States, Mr. Perrin says they are examining commercializing the product themselves in Europe and Canada.

Headed by a new chief commercial officer, Pamela Stahl, InVivo's commercial strategy will heavily emphasize reimbursement, highlighting the impact of this product on the healthcare system's costs.

In 2015, InVivo teamed up with health economists for a burden-of-illness analysis. The study looked into hospitalization rates for thoracic SCI patients based on level of injury.

"There's such little data on SCI, because there have been no products to impact it," says Mr. Perrin, noting the study revealed "fascinating data" reflecting reduced hospital utilization rates. Mr. Perrin says the study, which will be published in the future, will provide a solid foundation for InVivo's reimbursement strategy.

"That's the basic value proposition we will put forth to payers," explains Mr. Perrin. "Neurosurgeons will be persuaded by the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness, and patient advocacy is extraordinary because there's been nothing. Between payers, surgeons and patients, hopefully we will put together the perfect storm."
Earlier this week, Pfizer said it will sell a biosimilar version of Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, a rheumatoid arthritis treatment, causing investors to worry about the competition's impact on Johnson & Johnson's sales, according to STAT.

Here are seven insights:

1. During this year's first quarter, Remicade brought in nearly $1.2 billion for Johnson & Johnson.

2. Pfizer has plans to sell its biosimilar, Inflectra, at a 15 percent discount to Remicade.

3. Initially, Wall Street analysts estimated Johnson & Johnson could expect a $1 billion loss in revenue in 2017 due to Inflectra's market launch.

4. However, other analysts are contesting this figure, with Wells Fargo analyst Lawrence Biegelsen, projecting Johnson & Johnson can expect sales to plummet by $600 million next year.

5. Johnson & Johnson currently sells Remicade at a 30 percent discount off the $1,113.26 list price per 100mg vial. Mr. Biegelsen says Pfizer's discount will likely be "modest."

6. Johnson & Johnson also affirms the two drugs are not interchangeable, which may pose a challenge for Pfizer to compete on prices. In an investor note, a Barclays' analyst weighed in, saying, "From a biosimilar implementation perspective, we believe that a lack of formal guidelines on interchangeability and multiple switch studies [which would be used to convince doctors to switch between drugs] could initially limit Inflectra uptake."

7. Joaquin Duato, leader of Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceuticals unit, told The Wallstreet Journal, the company is in the process of creating 10 line extensions on existing products. The company expects the extensions to generate more than $500 million in sales to each of the products and 10 new drugs could have sales surpassing $1 billion.

More articles on devices:

Minimally invasive spine surgery, data gathering, value-based care & more: Key thoughts from NuVasive's Spine Summit

Transforming SCI treatment  The promise of InVivo's Neuro-Spinal Scaffold

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center jumps into INSPIRE study as 25th clinical site: 5 things to know
A new study by the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit shows patients think surgeons receive much higher reimbursement than they actually do from Medicare for knee surgery.

The study was published in Orthopedics and shows patients thought physician reimbursement was too low when they found out the actual cost.

The researchers surveyed 231 patients from April to June in 2015 who underwent knee surgery. The researchers found:

1. Almost all  90 percent  reported physicians aren't overpaid and wouldn't recommend their salaries be cut.

2. Sixty-one percent of the patients felt the surgeon's pay shouldn't be tied to outcomes.

3. A majority of the patients  79 percent  felt reimbursement to drug and device companies should be reduced.

4. The patients estimated physicians received the following amounts from Medicare for knee procedures:

 Arthroscopic knee surgery: $5,442

 ACL surgery: $6,667

The actual reimbursement for arthroscopic knee surgery is $576 and for ACL repair is $1,103.

5. Patients said they would be willing to pay $2,286 out-of-pocket for arthroscopic knee surgery and $3,517 out-of-pocket for ACL surgery. The patients reported they'd be willing to pay higher out-of-pocket costs and believed surgeons should be compensated more highly due to their advanced medical training.
The majority of medical students don't feel comfortable pointing out potential adverse events, based on a Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine survey, according to HealthLeaders Media. The medical school is located in Dayton, Ohio.

American Journal of Medical Quality published the findings.

Here are five insights:

1. Of those students surveyed, 62 percent reported seeing safety problems.

2. Forty-four percent of medical students said they witnessed an absence of evidence-based care.

3. Ninety percent of the students noted they had seen adverse events, and 29 percent of students believed they saw avoidable adverse events monthly.

4. About half of medical students (51 percent) said they felt comfortable reporting safety concerns. But, only 20 percent reported a "change in response to their concerns," according to HealthLeaders Media.

5. The researchers noted their findings represent a problem, as medical students are not seizing opportunities to learn about quality and safety in clinical medicine.
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Further job losses are feared at Bombardier in Northern Ireland after it revealed it is cutting another 7,500 jobs across the company, slashing around 10% of its workforce.

The plane maker, which employs around 5,000 staff in Belfast, is understood to be cutting two-thirds of the jobs in Bombardier Transportation.

The rest of the cuts will be made in the aerospace division.

But the company has not said how many Northern Ireland jobs will be affected.

Bombardier's main operation here is in Belfast, but it also has factories in Newtownabbey, Dunmurry and Newtownards.

It announced it was cutting 1,080 jobs in Northern Ireland over the next two years, and bringing 700 of those losses forward this year.

A spokeswoman for Bombardier in Belfast said: "Following the update today by Bombardier Inc on its five-year turnaround plan, we will be evaluating the impact on our Belfast operations and will communicate with our employees when that is completed.

"We are not in a position to elaborate further at this time."

Last month it announced that "serious concerns" meant it was likely to rein in production of its flagship passenger jets in Belfast after it was revealed the plane-maker would be delivering just half the total number of planned CSeries passenger aircraft this year.

The wings and part of the fuselage of the jet are made in Belfast.

Alain Bellemare, chief executive, said: "After successfully de-risking our business last year, our focus has shifted to building a clear path to profitable earnings growth and cash generation. The actions announced today will ensure we have the right cost structure, workforce and organization to compete and win in the future.

"We are confident in our strategy, our eadership team and our ability to achieve both our 2016 goals and our 2020 turn-around plan objectives.

Bombardier has said the 7,500 cuts will be "partially offset by strategic hiring to support the ramp-up for key growth programs, including the C Series and Global 7000, as well as to support major rail contract wins".

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said: Todays announcement by Bombardier will come as a great shock to the Northern Ireland workforce. The staff at Bombardier's sites across Northern Ireland are foremost in my thoughts as they face into an uncertain time ahead.

I, and my officials in Invest NI, together with colleagues in the UK Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy will continue to engage with Bombardier management both here and in Canada.

"As the company works through the detail of what the impact will be here, we will do absolutely everything we can and take every opportunity available to us to highlight to senior decision makers in the company the strength of Bombardier's Northern Ireland operations and the skills of the workforce. I will do everything I can to fight to save as many Bombardier jobs in Northern Ireland as possible.

"It had been our hope that the announcement in February represented a peak in potential job losses at the company. Based on todays announcement from Canada it is clear that the combined pressures on both its markets and the ongoing need to drive competitiveness means the organisation is having to make further changes to its business to safeguard its future.

When I met with Michael Ryan recently he discussed with me Bombardier's ongoing challenges and it was made clear to me that government intervention would not help them address the difficulties the business is facing across the globe."

Davy Thompson of the Unite union said: "We are deeply concerned that these job-losses could affect the Belfast workforce as it is involved in every Bombardier line of production. The job-losses amount to one-in-ten of their global workforce but there is no further information about what this will mean for Belfast.

Our members can be assured that Unite will work over the coming period to minimise any potential job-losses here and if necessary we will strive to deliver the best possible outcome for those affected. We can only hope that todays announcement will mean the company is better positioned to achieve long-term growth and safeguard future employment.

"Yesterday our union joined with Manufacturing NI, which represents employers in the sector, to launch a campaign for the Northern Ireland Executive to reverse course and adopt a strategic approach to defending and growing NI industry.

"The scale of todays announcement, coming on the back of similar announcements over the past two years which have seen us lose 6,000 high-value added core jobs in the sector, only reinforces the case for such an approach."

Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton: "Todays news will be very upsetting to those working for the company, and their families, especially following on from the announcement made in February.

"The company is yet to provide the detail on where these job losses will come from and therefore we do not yet know the potential impact on Northern Ireland.

"It is important to note that todays announcement by the company signals an ongoing ramp-up on its newest aircraft programmes, the CSeries and Global 7000, both of which have significant Northern Ireland work content.

"We will continue to work closely with Michael and his team in Belfast to support them through this process, and will maintain contact with the management team in Canada to present the strengths and benefits of Northern Ireland as part of the Bombardier operation.

"We also remain committed to the implement the Aerospace Growth Partnerships Industrial Strategy for UK Aerospace and our regional strategy for the sector."

DUP MP for East Belfast, Gavin Robinson, said it is "very troubling news for Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland".

"I have already spoken to Michael Ryan from Bombardier this morning along with the Economy Minister Simon Hamilton. I will continue to work with management of the company at all levels to establish what the impact of this is likely to mean for workers in Belfast and their other local sites.

"We have assured the company of our full support, both locally within the Executive and I will continue to ensure that it is raised at all levels within Westminster.

"There had been some positive steps forward in terms of the CSeries aircraft, including developments at London City Airport which can help it accommodate CSeries aircraft. However, the CSeries project has clearly faced significant challenges and has impacted on Bombardier's operations right across the globe."

"Bombardier is a key part of the economy, not just in Belfast but of Northern Ireland as a whole. Whist local representatives may have a limited impact on a global problem I will continue to stand with the company and its employees."

The cuts come 24 hours after Manufacturing NI and Unite joined together to launch a joint campaign calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to adopt an industrial strategy.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton has ruled out any form of dedicated manufacturing plan.

But Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said: "Northern Ireland's manufacturing sector employs more than 85,000 and contributes more than 18bn in sales, of which 14bn are external.

"An opportunity exists to do more, so it is vitally important that our politicians adopt an ambitious approach to create the conditions which will allow manufacturing to grow to 20% of the Northern Ireland economy, creating jobs, increasing investment and quickly assisting the Executive to deliver a rebalanced economy which benefits the entire region. We need an industrial strategy to ensure that high-value added manufacturing stays on the agenda, that there is real action to lower energy and transport costs and to win foreign direct investment.

Unite regional secretary Jimmy Kelly added: "Northern Ireland has lost 6,000 jobs in manufacturing over the past two years - these were among the best paid jobs in the region and will not be easily replaced by jobs of an equivalent value."
The world's biggest burger chain saw global sales notch up 3.5% in the three months to the end of September

Fast-food giant McDonald's served up better-than-expected third-quarter sales, boosted by its breakfast menu and a strong performance in the UK.

The world's biggest burger chain saw global sales notch up 3.5% in the three months to the end of September, above analyst expectations of 1.3%.

A growing customer appetite for its all-day breakfast menu and chicken nuggets with no artificial preservatives helped US sales lift 1.3% over the period.

It comes as the company looks to add more items to its all-day breakfast menu and test a Happy Meal for kids with an egg and cheese McMuffin.

Shares in McDonald's were up more than 2% in New York following the update.

Chief executive Steve Easterbrook said: "Our third-quarter results, including our fifth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales across all segments as well as improved restaurant profitability, are a testament to the progress we are making to satisfy the needs of today's dynamic customers."

The firm recorded net income of 1.28 billion US dollars (1.04 billion) in the third quarter while its revenues also hit a higher-than-expected 6.42 billion US dollars (5.26 billion).

Mr Easterbrook was the first Briton to be appointed president and chief executive of the business when he took over from Don Thompson last year.

His appointment came as the chain faced slumping sales in the US, intense competition and changing consumer tastes.

"Looking ahead, we are focused on growing global comparable sales and serving more customers while being mindful of the near-term challenges in several markets," Mr Easterbrook added.
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?



The recent court order to extend voter registration in counties impacted by Hurricane Matthew is only logical if you assume that without it the people impacted did not have adequate time or alternatives. If you go back to November 8, 2015 (one year before Election Day 2016) and add up the days you find that subtracting the days between the end of registration and the start of "One Stop" early voting and the accompanying same-day registration, and between the end of "one Stop" early voting and election day gave you 356 days to register to vote on Election Day or to register and vote at a "One-Stop" site.The court order added 5 more days bringing the grand total to 361 days now available. The reason we have a cutoff in registration is to give the people who run our elections time to "verify" (such as it may be) the voter registration rolls and send out the voter cards. The mailing of the card is an important part of the verification process as it confirms the mailing address given. It may surprise some that registration cards can be mailed to any address, not just the address given for registration, even addresses outside of NC. By extending registration, you are almost guaranteeing that the verification process, if even attempted, will not be completed.This is just more of the Progressive Left's attempt to squash any attempt at having a rational registration and voting system. Because 356 days a year is just too little time to register to vote!
From left, First Minister Arlene Foster, general manager Neil Cairns and director of furnishing and fittings Francis Kelly during a tour of B/E Aerospace

A Northern Ireland aerospace firm is creating at least 50 jobs as part of its latest expansion, it can be revealed.

B/E Aerospace, which is based in Kilkeel, is hosting a recruitment drive in Belfast later this month.

The firm said it was looking for more than 50 new staff across a range of areas.

That includes engineers, quality control, finance, supply and operations.

Earlier this year, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that American Airlines - the biggest carrier in the US - will take delivery of new premium economy seats made by B/E Aerospace.

The company launches its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in August. B/E now employs around 800 staff.

While the exact seating plan for the new 787-9 is a closely guarded secret, its understood there will be 21 premium economy seats on every craft.

And with a total of 22 on order, B/E Aerospace would be making a total of 1,386 for American Airlines.

B/E Aerospace has also confirmed that it would be making seats for all three seating classes on American Airlines' new A350s.

David Thomas, the airline's regional director for the UK/Ireland, Middle East and Africa, told the Belfast Telegraph it started working with B/E Aerospace after problems with its former supplier, Zodiac Aerospace.

American Airlines is the first US airline to introduce a full premium economy product.

Mr Thomas had also said air passenger duty was "stifling" the travel industry in Northern Ireland.

B/E Aerospace in Kilkeel has made economy and business-class seating for airlines including British Airways, Emirates, Qatar, Air France, Qantas, Continental, United, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and more.

The new jobs fair will take place at the Clayton Hotel in Belfast on October 27.

Northern Ireland's aerospace sector has had mixed fortunes over the past year.

In June, Co Armagh plane seat manufacturer Thompson Aero Seating reported a 25% jump in its turnover to 64.9m. The Portadown company, which produces seats for Aer Lingus, Malaysia Airlines and more, had pre-tax profits of 13.7m, up nearly 30%.

Thompson Aero's category of machinery and transport equipment was the strongest performer - accounting for 2.3bn of exports, up 1.8%.

However, plane maker Bombardier has faced a series of major concerns over the past year, partly due to a huge overrun in its CSeries passenger jet programme.

It announced it was cutting 1,080 jobs in Northern Ireland over the next two years, and bringing 700 of those losses forward this year.

Last month it announced that "serious concerns" meant it was likely to rein in production of its flagship passenger jets in Belfast after it was revealed the plane-maker would be delivering just half the total number of planned CSeries passenger aircraft this year.

The wings and part of the fuselage of the jet are made in Belfast.
Heavy traffic on the M2 heading into Belfast, towards its intersection with the M3 and Westlink

Belfast could be consigned to gridlock for a generation now that a massive 165m road project has been put on hold, it has been warned.

The York Street Interchange was intended to solve the city's increasing traffic problems.

It aimed to transform traffic flow where the Westlink, M2 and M3 converge.

And the bulk of the cash needed to build it, around 40%, was due to come from the EU.

There are now fears Belfast traffic will get worse, as other major road projects, such as the A6, make getting to the city easier. Last night, the news was branded a "disaster" for Northern Ireland.

Earlier this week this newspaper reported that Belfast is now the third most congested city in the UK.

It has now emerged that the Interchange project is on hold, and tenders for the work have stopped, according to a document released by Transport NI to potential bidders.

Belfast councillor Jim Rodgers fears the city will have to deal with another generation of major congestion. "I would say absolutely, yes. That's the big worry ... I would urge the Minister to have another look at this," he said.

The upgrade of the York Street Interchange aims to tackle the traffic gridlock which occurs daily.

As Northern Ireland's busiest junction, it carries 100,000 vehicles daily, mostly commuters to and from Belfast from around Co Antrim.

A tender for the project is valued at 100m, but it is thought the entire scheme could cost up to 165m. A spokesman for the Department for Infrastructure told the Belfast Telegraph: "The Minister has a range of capital priorities including four Executive flagship projects. Progress on these will be determined by the scale of resources available to him from the forthcoming Budget process. As a result, as the published procurement plan states, the procurement in relation to the York Street project is currently on hold."

A list from Transport NI indicates a total of 34 projects for which the tender process has already been completed, or a target date has been set. But the York Street project is the only one which is now on hold.

Mr Rodgers is due to meet with Transport Minister Chris Hazzard (right) today, and said he would raise the York Street Interchange concerns.

"We are losing business to the Republic of Ireland because it takes so long to get through. Freight companies are in a very competitive market. It's going to hit the docks," he added.

Ulster Unionist MLA and economy spokesman, Steve Aiken, said: "I am really frustrated by this. It's a complete and utter disaster for Northern Ireland. Of all things that would be close to shovel-ready, this is something we should do." And he warned of further implications for traffic in Belfast: "If we get the A6 complete, that will funnel more traffic down into the M2 where it can't be distributed.

"If you consider this also, the Port of Belfast needs the footprint of traffic to get bulk through to the Harbour. If it's going to be stuck on the Westlink or on the M2, it could impact on Northern Ireland exports."

Adrian Doran, chair of the CBI's infrastructure network, said news the plans are on hold was "unwelcome". He added that it "potentially damages both Belfast and Northern Ireland's economic competitiveness".
Rupert Everett has praised the new plans fo r thousands of deceased gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished crimes to be posthumously pardoned as a "great victory".

But the openly gay actor also said the move is "very sad in another sense" regarding Oscar Wilde, who was convicted in 1895 for gross indecency with men.

The playwright was imprisoned for two years for his crime - homosexual acts not amounting to buggery, which is no longer considered illegal - and he could be one of those pardoned under the new ruling.

Complexities involving the evidence for Wilde's conviction may lead to him not being eligible for a pardon, however.

Everett said: "I think it's a great victory in one sense and very sad in another sense, obviously that Oscar Wilde himself had to go through such a period of desperation and almost vagrancy really being an outcast."

He added: "I think it sends a great message out to other parts of the world, where the same kind of things are still happening that happened to Oscar Wilde."

Everett is playing the Importance of Being Earnest writer in his forthcoming self-written and directed film The Happy Prince.

The movie, also starring Colin Firth and Merlin's Colin Morgan, tells the story of the writer's life in exile after he was convicted and jailed before his death.

Justice Minister Sam Gyimah announced the new move, dubbed "Turing's Law", this week.

It is named as such in honour of Second World War code-breaker Alan Turing, who received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 over a conviction in 1952 for gross indecency with a 19-year-old man.

He was chemically castrated and died two years later from cyanide poisoning in an apparent suicide.

Calls for wider action emerged after Mr Turing's pardon and Mr Gyimah said the Government would seek to implement the change through an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill.

Mr Gyimah said: "It is hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offences who would be innocent of any crime today.

"Through pardons and the existing disregard process we will meet our manifesto commitment to put right these wrongs."

A Private Member's Bill by Lib Dem peer Lord Sharkey was a large factor in securing the pardon for Mr Turing.

Lord Sharkey said: ''This is a momentous day for thousands of families up and down the UK who have been campaigning on this issue for decades. I am very grateful for the Government's support and the support of many of my colleagues in Parliament.

''It is a wonderful thing that we have been able to build on the pardon granted to Alan Turing during the coalition by extending it to the thousands of men convicted of sexual offences that existed before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967 and which would not be crimes today.''
An Antrim chef has become the highest scoring contestant on the Great British Menu.

Mark Abbott beat rival Chris McGowan in the Northern Ireland regional finals of BBC 2's Great British Menu.

However his high scores - including two tens for his potato based starter and his fish course - have made him the highest scoring competitor across the week.

Read More

Mark beat off competition from Chris, and also Eddie Attwell, currently chef at St Kyrans in Co Cavan to win the Northern Ireland title.

He will now go on to compete with the seven other regional winners in the national finals for a chance to cook at the Great Britons Banquet at the Houses of Parliament.

Mark was back in Northern Ireland this week and even visited his competitor Chris McGowan's restaurant Wine and Brine in Moira for a "lovely lunch", particularly praising the black pudding sausage rolls he had sampled.

The Antrim man is now head chef at the two Michelin starred Cambridge restaurant Midsummer House owned by top chef Daniel Clifford

But he has not forgotten his roots and this week also paid a visit to Belfast Metropolitan College where he first learned his skills.

He revealed there how tough the competition really is and his shock at his incredible scores.

Thank you @wine_brine for a lovely lunch!! Black pudding sausage rolls were very very nice! And of course catching up with @chefchrismc1  mark (@Markabbott60) October 19, 2016

"I was speechless when I got those scores, I work hard but did not expect to do so well," he said.

"I was an emotional wreck all that week during filming  what you dont see is that the starter and fish course are both filmed on the same day  we were on set from 6.30am to 9.30pm.

"The series is just going to heat up even more later on in the week as the competition continues."

Mark attributes much of his success and confidence to his two years spent training at Belfast Met's hospitality centre of excellence formerly at the colleges Brunswick Street campus and now in its flagship Titanic Quarter campus.

I really enjoyed my time there and got great support and from all of the lecturers both in terms of skills and practical advice on how to make it in the industry," he said.

"The course and my supportive family really sparked my passion for food and cooking and allowed me to follow my ambitions."

Following Belfast Met, Mark attracted the eye of renowned chef Michael Deane and worked for him at his Howard Street restaurant.

"When I was 19 years-old I moved to Edinburgh and London to work in Michelin starred restaurants but I found the big city wasnt for me," he said.

"I then settled in Midsummer House where I have been for six years and I absolutely love it."

His former tutor Thomas Turley said Mark is an inspiration to students.

I am so proud of Mark, his performance last night was amazing, and to be awarded such high marks all this week is truly staggering," he said.

"I was so fortunate to have Mark in my group when he stared his chefs programme at the college, and will be following the Great British Menu with huge pride throughout this series.

"Mark is an inspiration to the rest of our students. Belfast Mets recently launched Linen Lounge, Scullery and Yard restaurants are now open to the public and are the training grounds for our aspiring chefs and food and beverage trainees  it teaches them how to work in any type of restaurant, anywhere in the world.

The Great British Menu is shown on BBC 2 every evening, with the episodes on finals week starting at 7pm.
Sarah Gordon can't quite believe that her very first play is about to debut in her home city and that she herself will be taking centre stage.

The 27-year-old from Greenisland has only ever wanted to be a writer since she was a child so it's a dream come true that her first piece of work has been included in this year's Belfast International Arts Festival.

The breakthrough artist has been working as a freelance light technician for the past few years as she waited for her chance to break through in theatre.

The opportunity to hone her skills as a writer finally came when she landed a place on the Prime Cut Productions' Reveal Programme, which supports and mentors artists in the development of new work.

Her play, written as part of the programme, debuts in Belfast tonight with another performance tomorrow at the Culturlann McAdam O Fiaich on the Falls Road, but has already been performed to rave reviews at the Tiger Fringe Festival in Dublin

Thrilled to be making her mark with her first foray into writing there was another surprise in store for the budding young playwright.

Bursting with ideas for future works, Sarah harbours no desire to perform on stage but has taken on the role of one of the two characters in her play.

Much to her amazement she was shortlisted for an Irish Times Best Performer Award for her Dublin stage debut.

She says: "That was a bit of a shock but a really nice one. I'm not an actor and I don't want to be an actor.

"It suited the play that I, as the playwright, should perform that role and it was fun.

"It was great just to get that nod for your first piece of work, it's very encouraging and it makes you feel very supported and that you have a bit of momentum behind you."

She admits performing away from home was nerve-wracking: "It was really scary taking the play to Dublin. It is not really my home town and I felt a bit out of my depth but my friends travelled down which was great.

"I feel very fortunate to be having my first piece performed in my home town. I just feel like I have really lucked out."

Sarah studied Fine Arts at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.

She then spent a couple of years travelling, completing residencies in Canada, Mexico and Texas, and an internship with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

On returning home to Belfast she entered the world of theatre initially via a route she hadn't planned on.

She laughs as she recalls: "When I got back to Belfast the Lyric was advertising for a lighting technician.

"I thought I could operate a spotlight and for me it is about getting your foot in the door and one job leads to another. Now I work as a freelance lighting technician in theatre and film in Northern Ireland."

Last year she got her big break when she secured a place on the Prime Cut Productions' Reveal Programme.

Prime Cut Productions is the Theatre Company in residence at The MAC, and is one of Ireland's leading independent theatre producers.

Sarah was one of three artists supported through the 2016 programme offering her an opportunity to develop new work. As part of this she travelled abroad to see international work and participated in workshops with world class theatre-makers here, too.

He play takes its name from the 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole disaster when an area measuring 65 ft by 300 ft deep collapsed in the city swallowing a three-storey factory.

She explains: "It's about a sinkhole opening somewhere near you and, much like a sinkhole, you don't know where it will take you. Things appear and disappear into it. It is a play for anyone who has ever forgotten what they came upstairs for or opened the fridge to look for their car keys.

"It was inspired a bit by my late grandmother who looked after me a lot when I was younger. It explores loss and is also a play about how we tell stories, looking at the background to theatre and film production, revealing the mechanics of the show."

There are only two people in the play, one of whom one is Sarah, who adds: "I have two really brilliant actors Patrick O'Reilly and Tara Lynne O'Neill playing the other character on each night. They are totally different and amazing and bring their own individuality to it."

Unusually the actors only get the script the night before the performance and have it with them on stage. "This is all part of really showing the audience how the play is done," she says.

"On the other hand I, as the playwright, know it inside out which, again, is all part of showing how a production is put together. There is a nice paradox there too in that they are veteran actors who have honed their craft over years and I'm not an actor at all."

The Ulster Bank Belfast International Arts Festival runs until October 29. Sarah's play A Sinkhole in Guatemala is at the Culturlann McAdam O Fiaich on the Falls Road tonight and tomorrow at 7pm. Tickets cost from 4. Visit belfastiinternationalartsfestival.com
Having turned her troubled life around by immersing herself in yoga, Bangor woman Emma Warmington is now passionate about bringing its healing qualities to ordinary men and women in Northern Ireland.

You don't have to wear fancy clothes or be able to perfect fancy moves to enjoy the benefits of this ancient art, according to the now internationally acclaimed yoga teacher.

Emma (42) hopes to train an army of teachers in Northern Ireland, who then can go out into local communities and give people the chance to improve their lives through yoga.

With mental health now a major issue affecting one in five people, Emma believes she has found the key to inner peace and, although she now travels the world teaching yoga, her focus is on bringing it to people here.

Inner peace is something that eluded her in her own life since her early teenage years.

Emma endured many years of alcohol abuse and violent relationships, before beginning her own yoga journey in her early 30s and finally finding peace.

She says: "I spent 5,000 hours honing my skills, and the most amazing part was not the toned body it gave me or even the travel, but the realisation that yoga was my life-saver. My yoga practice encouraged a healthy mind and a healthy body and almost without me realising, it had become my priority."

Emma was just nine years old when her parents divorced and it had a devastating impact on her - leading her to abuse alcohol and take drugs from her early teens.

Although she eventually went on to enjoy a successful career as a travel agent in London, she continued to drink every night and got involved in string of abusive relationships.

She says: "My parents divorced in 1983, when getting divorced in Northern Ireland was very uncommon, and it was very difficult.

"I started drinking very young and I got involved with a very dangerous man in my teens, who I believe is now in prison for a serious crime. I got into all sorts of trouble with the police and drugs.

"It was the time of the rave scene in Northern Ireland and I was taking ecstasy and speed and my life was very disjointed and unstable. I didn't really know what I was at and I was a bit lost and had severe depression.

"I suppose at the time I thought it was all a bit of an adventure, but my parents were worried sick.

"I started to travel when I was 17 to Spain and then Majorca and, eventually, Australia. I would work at home for a few months doing two jobs and saving like mad and then take off for a few months."

Emma was so unsettled from the age of 17 to 24 that she did 52 different jobs, finding that travel was the only thing that made her feel good.

"I was so restless and easily bored that I just quit one job and went to another," she explains.

Eventually, she realised that travel was something she could maybe enjoy as a career, and she wrote a letter to a leading travel agency in London asking for a job and was amazed to be given a position.

She proved to be a natural and found herself thriving in the environment, enjoying many perks and bonuses for exceeding her sales targets.

However, she was still drinking heavily, which impacted on her self esteem and quality of life.

Her lack of self-worth meant she attracted men who - more often than not - were abusive.

A turning point came in her early 30s when she got involved with a particularly violent man, who assaulted her so badly that she has been left with permanent pain in her back. "In my career, I had finally found that being able to mix my work with my passion for travel allowed me to really be myself and I thrived there, although I was still drinking a lot," Emma says. "I drank every night of the week and was either drunk or hungover the next day.

"I had started practising yoga in London, but after my class I would go to the pub and get drunk. I went on a world trip in 2005 and started what was to be my most destructive relationship and the darkest time of my life.

"My boyfriend was a damaged alcoholic, and it was a very toxic relationship. My life was started to fall apart. It ended very violently when he threw me across a room and I injured my back, which is still bad today."

A number of other traumatic events coincided with this period in her life, bringing things to a head.

She was working in Russell Square in London during the 7/7 terrorist bomb attacks in July 2005, when Islamist extremists detonated three explosions in quick succession in the underground and another on a bus, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700.

"One of the bombs went off underneath our office and another round the corner, and I was watching people being pulled out of the tube station," Emma remembers.

"My granny, who I had been very close to, had also just died, and all these things happened at once.

"It was like everything I thought that I had had now fallen away in a very short time, and everything I believed in had been shaken to the core."

She took herself off to a two-week yoga retreat in Egypt and realised that her life needed to change.

In 2006, Emma took part in a three-month residential yoga teacher training course in Thailand, where she began teaching and remained in her new-found home for almost a decade.

During this time, her focus and lifestyle changed entirely and she devoted herself to training and learning, serving as an apprentice with some of the world's best yoga teachers and on some of the most sought-after yoga teaching programs.

"I prioritised yoga over everything else and completely devoted myself to the yoga path," she explains.

Emma also met internationally renowned yoga master Mark Whitwell, who was to become her most influential teacher and who now invites her to teach around the world.

With Mark's guidance, Emma became a senior Heart of Yoga teacher, and her reputation grew.

Now she has brought her knowledge back home where she is dedicated to sharing what she has learned and to facilitating the teacher training that helped her transform her own life, with the ultimate aim of helping others transform theirs.

Emma has trained more than 160 teachers across the globe and, in an exciting move, is recruiting for her Jivani yoga teacher training program, which starts in Belfast in January.

Her ultimate aim is to create a ripple effect within local communities that can bring about a greater sense of connection.

Emma believes that yoga is for everybody and must be adapted to the individual, not the other way around.

As they practise alongside her, she says her students will also gain an understanding of the history and the philosophy of yoga and how it applies to modern life.

Through mantras, chanting, meditation, mindfulness, pranayama, asana, kriya, philosophy and anatomy, she hopes students will find their own teaching voice and take a transformational journey of personal discovery.

By training teachers, Emma believes that more people will have access to more classes so that eventually yoga will be practised as part of life for everyone in Northern Ireland.

"I believe yoga was intended for everyone and has less to do with fancy poses and more to do with cultivating a sense of intimacy with yourself, your community, your friends, family and loved ones," she says.

"It is a journey of self discovery, which helps you to break down your belief systems and allows you to live freely.

"It allows you to participate fully in life and it is especially relevant in today's world, which is all so digital. We are expected to be available 24-hours a day, we are using phones last thing at night and first thing in the morning.

"In some ways, we are connected more than ever to the news, social media and gossip, but we are now less and less connected as humans, and I think many of us are desperate to connect deeply at a human level.

"We don't listen any more - we wait until someone has stopped speaking so we can jump in. We check out at the supermarket with a machine, we check in at airports with a machine, we are all on gadgets on public transport. We used to see our friends and lovers separately, but now we're all in the same room connected by internet, but it is costing us in actual human contact.

"I want to go out every day and look up, look people in the eye, smile, and have the connection.

"I have been to more than 30 countries around the world and I find people are actually kind of the same wherever you go. There are also times when we all need to be a bit introverted - to take quiet time for ourselves."

Emma believes that we all need to take time to be alone with ourselves and that even a few minutes of yoga practice, or sitting quietly doing nothing, will allow us to hear our inner voices.

This quiet time can also unlock trauma and create healing. "We are so disconnected from our bodies maybe because of trauma or sedentary lifestyles or because of all the digital stimulus," she says. "A key to unlocking trauma and reconnecting with ourselves is the development of sense awareness - yoga is great training for that too.

"We are social beings, not social media beings. Gathering in groups to play together is in our DNA - I think we are missing it. And I have seen that yoga is that. Yoga is the way in to greater connection with ourselves and others. We're all in this together."

Emma is keen to hear from people who would like a yoga teacher to come out to their workplace or their community centre to deliver a taster or a six-week introductory course.
Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Dissidents are being blamed for the brutal murder of a man in his own home in west Belfast on Thursday night.

The man, named locally as Joe Reilly (43), was shot a number of times by gunmen in his Glenwood Court home in the Poleglass area at around 8pm.

Within minutes a crowd had gathered at the house amid scenes of distress.

Officers from the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch have launched a murder investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery said the murder was "a cold-blooded, summary execution of a man in his own house."

He said: "At this early stage of my investigations I have no motive for this murder and I will keep an open mind as to why he was killed.

"I have two appeals - firstly, I understand three children were seen in the area as the gunmen ran away.

"I need to talk to these children and find out what they saw."

"Secondly I appeal for anyone who was in Glenwood Court and Glenwood Crescent before or after 8pm to come forward."

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but speculation is mounting that the murder was carried out by dissident republicans.

One neighbour said his mother heard the gunfire and "thought it was fireworks".

He added: "This place is wild".

The incident comes just days after Peter Lagan (56) was shot six times in the legs in nearby Glenwood Drive after being abducted in Ardoyne. That attack was claimed by Oglaigh na hEireann in a statement.

Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann described distraught scenes at the house last night as members of the victim's family tried to see him.

Local councillor Stephen Magennis said the family of the man who was shot dead, and the local community, were in shock at the murder.

"The people who did this need to get off the people's backs," he said.

"This community is very, very shocked at what has happened here tonight. The mood is very tense, very angry."

The west Belfast representative said that his heart went out to Mr Reilly's grieving family - especially his partner and teenage son.

Mr Magennis said that, coming just a few days after another paramilitary-style shooting in the same area, it looked like republican dissidents were responsible for last night's crime.

SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood added: "These savage assaults had no place in our past and have no place in our society today".

Anyone with information is asked to contact the PSNI on 101 or the anonymous charity Crimestoppers.
More than 30,000 has been raised to help a Northern Ireland man who is fighting for his life after suffering a rare type of stroke in Guatemala.

Peter McGarry, from Dunmurry, suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage on Friday, October 14.

This is an uncommon type of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain.

The 38-year-old lives in Jocotenango, Sacatepequez, in the north east of the country.

He is currently in hospital in Antigua and his family say he is in "excruciating pain".

A MRI scan showed that he has a brain aneurysm and needs surgery imminently.

However, the public hospital he is in has limited resources and his family say every time he needs a test or scan he is moved to a different hospital in another city.

They are concerned that this puts him at risk of the aneurysm rupturing.

His partner, Elvira, has to go the pharmacy every day to buy medication for the doctors to administer.

Mr McGarrys parents, Sean and Helen, and two sisters, Louise May and Joanne McGoran, have since set up a Just Giving page in a bid to raise the 50,000 needed to move him to a larger hospital in Guatemala City.

Expand Close Peter and Elvira in Guatemala in August 2015. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Peter and Elvira in Guatemala in August 2015.

Mr McGarrys sister, Louise May (35) said: Peter is in excruciating pain and, at times, has had to be sedated and restrained.

"Yesterday (Thursday October 20), an MRI confirmed that he has a brain aneurysm and needs surgery imminently. He is in a public hospital with limited resources. Every time he needs a test or a scan, he has to be moved to a different hospital in another city. This puts him at risk of the aneurysm rupturing, which could be fatal.

Compounding their distress, Mr McGarrys partner, Elvira Mendez, has restricted access to the ward and is not allowed to stay.

Louise added: Elvira is not allowed to stay with Peter and this is causing him to get very distressed when she is not there."

Founder of Guatemala Medical Travel, Lori Shea, described the the conditions in the hospital as totally barbaric and urged the family to move Mr McGarry to another facility as soon as possible.

Meanwhile a consultant neurosurgeon in the UK, who has seen Mr McGarrys MRI results, highlighted the seriousness of his condition.

"The aneurysm needs repaired. There is a 50% chance of re-bleed within 30 days with 80% chance of mortality."

Since launching their appeal, the McGarry family have been inundated with messages of love and support for Mr McGarry who they describe as fun-loving, happy and full of life.

In just three days 30,000 has been raised to date and the family have thanked the public for their support so far.

Louise said: Peter is a fighter, but he can't do this on his own. He needs your help.

Please donate whatever amount you can to help us move him to a better hospital for the best treatment and surgery there, with a view to seeing if he can be moved back home to Belfast when his condition is stable. Please do what you can to help.

To donate click here
The chief executive of Charter NI has hailed loyalist groups for keeping drugs off the streets of Northern Ireland.

In an interview with the Guardian, Dee Stitt - the self-confessed boss of North Down UDA - said loyalist groupings and community workers do "brilliant" work in their communities.

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In a segment on his flute band, the North Down Defenders, Mr Stitt says: "There is always inter-community violence. In normal society there is always going to be big guy.

"Working class housing estates, it's a jungle."

He continued: "People see paramilitary grouping structures as a negative - some people see that as a negative and use it against loyalist communities

"They are involved in crime, drugs, racketeering....

"Loyalist groupings are doing some brilliant work, they are involved in community development running flute bands

"Loyalist groups and loyalist community leaders keep drugs out of our communities full stop, period. It's not here.

"North Down Defenders is our homeland security.

"It says it in its name, we are here to defend North Down.

"From anybody," he laughs.

Read More

Responding on BBC Stephen Nolan's Radio Ulster Show, East Belfast MLA and acting Alliance leader Naomi Long said: "If anyone is going to defend the people of North Down or east Belfast it is the PSNI

"That is why it is so important they have the full backing of politicians to do the job that they are there to do.

"Which is to protect the community from those involved in criminality.

"It is really important that they feel they can do that job without having to curry favour with what the chief constable described as 'community workers by day and paramilitaries by night'.

"That has to stop."

Charter NI was initially set-up to help UDA ex-prisoners, but it has expanded rapidly in recent years with millions of pounds in government funding.

Mr Stitt's UDA gang in north Down has been linked to drug dealing, racketeering and intimidation. Among the gangs victims was community worker Aaron McMahon, who was attacked with hammers for opposing an illegal UDA bonfire.

The notorious loyalist served a five year prison term for an attempted UDA armed robbery in the 1990s.

In 2008, Mr Stitt was back before the courts charged with kidnapping a man in Bangor and threatening to kill him after he was discovered in the boot of a car. However, the case against him and two co-accused was later dropped.

In a 2013 radio interview Mr Stitt confessed to being a UDA member from the age of 15.

'Paramilitary life in the past'

Prior to the Guardian interview, in a statement he told the Nolan show his paramilitary life which he had been a part of, was in his past.

He said: "My personal history is matter of public record but even before my release from prison I resolved that my personal past would not determine my personal future.

"I also resolved that as far as it would lie within my gift I would counsel members of my community to positively influence them in order to avoid involvement in the paramilitary life I had been part of.

"And also contribute to the improvement in lives of people in protestant working class areas which for too long had been labeled as hard to reach and thereby failed to benefit from economic regeneration being experienced in east Belfast, North Down and Ards area.

"With others I became part of an ex-prisoners association whose members had the same aspirations, ambitions and visions. From that Charter NI was formed and I became an integral part of progressing the transformation of those working class communities.

"Charter NI is now the driving force in my life and daily provides me with the opportunity to make positive contribution to a peaceful and prosperous future for Northern Ireland where paramilitary organisations are in the past."

He continued: "Much has been made of my competence to manage an organisation in receipt of significant amounts of public money because of my background.

"These questions reflect an unwillingness to receive the transformational experience which I have articulated. They also fail to take into account reliability, openness and transparency of the management of these monies during my time as ceo and the successful outcomes of projects over the years.

"The accounts of Charter NI are a matter for public record and I can vouch for the complete accuracy of each and every financial transaction."

He said his role in Charter NI provided "visible evidence" of his "leadership" in community transformation.

"And I am pleased at the direction of travel that Charter NI has taken has been whole-heartedly endorsed and supported by the communities."

He concluded: "For several months allegations have been made about me being the UDA commander for North Down.

"To the best of my knowledge none of these allegations have been supported by evidence or presented to the PSNI

"My position as ceo of Charter NI brings me into regular contact with senior police officers both in North Down and east Belfast and I am pleased to confirm that I have never been accused by the authorities of the role which the allegations make against me.

"The persistence of these allegations in the media will not deflect me from the responsibilities which I carry out as ceo of Charter NI, nor from the responsibility I feel toward the communities which I am a part.

"I suspect the source of these allegations my be found among those who do not share the same values, and vision which I and my Charter NI colleagues are committed.

"I would wish to empathise the professional journey which I am undertaking has been based on the academic qualifications which I have earned, a period of personal mentoring by a highly experienced and well-regarded public servant and the guidance and direction of the board of Charter NI who have brought a wide range of life and work experiences to myself, the staff team and our organisation corporately

"In spite of the media intention which is largely focused largely on me, Charter NI continues to provide a positive and community service to an exceptional standard as verified by all independent scrutiny and monitoring."
Describing the situation as "intolerable", Tom Black, chairman of the BMA's GP committee, highlighted major issues with workload, workforce, funding and more

Northern Ireland has fewer GPs than in the 1950s, the British Medical Association has said.

Warnings over the future of general practice were given to Stormont's Health Committee amid claims that droves of doctors could leave the health service if an urgent rescue package was not rolled out.

Describing the situation as "intolerable", Tom Black, chairman of the BMA's GP committee, highlighted major issues with workload, workforce, funding and more.

He said: "It is a very, very difficult time and it is as bad as we've ever seen it."

There are 950 full-time GPs working in Northern Ireland, but 25% are older than 55 and expected to retire within the next few years, MLAs were told.

Pressures have dramatically increased in the past 10 years and a typical day now includes 43 patient consultations as well as writing prescriptions, lab tests and dealing with letters.

Dr Black said: "No other professional would be asked to perform 43 consultations. It is extraordinary pressure."

There were also claims that GP services in some rural areas could implode within five years.

Fermanagh is likely to be worst hit, with grim predictions of a drastic drop in the number of practices from 17 to five, meaning some patients may have to drive up to 40 miles to see a medic, the committee was warned.

Small practices in Belfast are also under threat.

Dr Black said: "We really cannot stop this. It is happening now.

"This might sound cataclysmic, apocalyptic, but it has already happened in the USA, where three-quarters of family physicians have disappeared."

A much-anticipated report on reforming the health service is expected to be published next week. It follows a review by a six-person panel led by Professor Rafael Bengoa.

According to Dr Black, the BMA has devised radical contingency plans to protect services because GPs are not confident that recommendations will be implemented by political leaders. "If this report is not implemented, we will move outside the NHS," he said.

"As a union, we will be collecting undated resignation letters, and 12 months from now we could be outside the NHS."

Health Committee chairwoman Paula Bradley said GPs had been facing a crisis for years. "This has been going on for the last decade at least," she added.

Ulster Unionist MLA Jo-Anne Dobson said the warnings would send "ripples of fear" into the community.
Rescue dog Zorrito has been on his travels with owner Terrie Orr

In two years Zorrito the mongrel has clocked up more air miles than many humans will in a lifetime.

Not bad for an abused rescue dog, who was adopted by his Lisburn-born owner Terrie Orr while she was staying in Buenos Aires. Since then, she's refused to travel anywhere without him.

Zorrito - who is named after the Spanish word for 'little fox' due to his red fur and fluffy tail - has accompanied the hairdresser from Argentina to Amsterdam, Madrid and Ireland.

But the process of flying a dog overseas isn't simple and airlines can vary significantly in terms of both accommodation and the cost of bringing pets on board.

Like all other flying dogs, Zorrito has a canine passport and vaccinations against rabies.

He first travelled on a plane last year when Terrie, who is in her forties, took him on holiday with her to Amsterdam with the airline KLM for only $200.

"They had a special area with heating for dogs - and the pilot actually took a photo of Zorrito and came up and showed me to tell me that he was okay," said Terrie.

But the long flight was quite an ordeal for the dog.

"He was in a kennel for about 15 and a half hours and he was very nervous," she said. "And you can't give them anything for it because it can affect their breathing on the flight.

"I thought he was going to be a little wreck but when I picked him up at the airport in Amsterdam he jumped around like a little puppy."

A few weeks later, she flew with him to Madrid for 60. His last trip was in September, when the pair moved back from Argentina to Terrie's home country of Northern Ireland via Dublin - which proved to be very expensive.

"I had to pay 1,000 because they had to use a cargo company," she said.

Terrie is just one of many pet owners who insist on taking their pets with them on their travels - including X Factor judge Sharon Osborne. This week the Daily Mail revealed that the celebrity forks out a whopping 230,000 a year to bring her two dogs in first class with her as "emotional support animals".

"If I had Sharon Osborne's money, Zorrito and I would be going to a lot more places," said Terrie.

In January, Terrie is flying back to Madrid with Zorrito and she is already planning to take him with her on a holiday with her friends.

For Terrie, the idea of leaving her beloved pooch behind is too painful to bear.

"I could never imagine life without him," she said.
14-year-old Georgia Cocking is the youngest person to be involved in the project

The beauty and resilience of Northern Ireland men, women and children who have battled cancer are being celebrated in an inspiring photography exhibition in Belfast.

Here I Am aims to show the truth about cancer and how it affects the human form with a series of photographic exhibitions of people living with the disease as well as their first-hand stories.

Nina Cristinacce, a cancer survivor herself, came up with the concept after seeing the image of an Australian woman on Facebook who had undergone a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy.

"I thought she was incredibly beautiful and courageous and put up a post saying that I wished I had the courage to do this," she said.

She added they had no budget for the project, but had been lucky to have photographers Michael Barbour, Mark McGrogan, James Hislop, Brian Sherry, Carrie Davenport, Shelley Rodgers and Karolina Harper come on board for free.

One person who bravely bared all was 41-year-old Maura Gilmore, from Kircubbin, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2013. "My sons were only one and two at the time, so I had to survive - I had a life to live," she said.

Maura carries the BRCA2 gene and has a higher risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. In February 2013, she underwent a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using implants.

She also went on to have her ovaries removed and a nipple which had cancerous cells. She then started taking Tamoxifen, which she will take for 10 years to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.

Her sons moved in with other family while she recovered and started the gruelling journey of chemotherapy. Describing her lowest points, Maura said her "mind, body and spirit fought the endless side-effects as the treatment attacked every cell in my body".

She described feeling depressed and hopeless as not only was she incredibly ill, she wasn't able to look after her children and struggled seeing herself with a bald head and a new body that was healing from surgery.

However, slowly, Maura began to feel better and she began to get her life back.

It was thinking back to her diagnosis that pushed her to pose for the project.

"At that stage, you are in complete shock thinking, 'What is going on?'" she explained. "You are handed this wee booklet showing pictures of women's breasts that had breast cancer with reconstruction or without. It was like they weren't real, you don't see a person there - it's not real.

"If it had happened within the first year of me having surgery, I probably wouldn't have bared all, but I had come through so much I thought, 'If it wasn't for this I wouldn't be here'. So I went, 'You know what, do it'."

Maura said that she was "in awe of everyone in the pictures".

"A lot of the time I don't even think about what happened and I don't really look myself, because you don't really and it was actually when I was reading all the other people's stories and then I came to mine," she added.

"I was looking at it in the third person and I just got this feeling in my stomach and thought, 'That's you, you did do that'. It has made me quite emotional.

"Things like this are therapeutic. It is important for people not to suppress their feelings and it's just an outlet for people to discuss it."

The Here I Am exhibition is on at the ArtCetera Gallery in Rosemary Street, Belfast, until this Sunday. Organisers hope to bring the collection to a new venue afterwards
Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

The murder of Joe Reilly in the Poleglass area of west Belfast was "a cold-blooded and summary execution of a man in his own house," police have said.

Mr Reilly (43), is believed to have been shot a number of times by gunmen at his home in Glenwood Court.

The incident happened at about 8.15pm on Thursday.

Officers from the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch have launched a murder investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery has urged anyone in the area at the time or who has any information about the shooting to contact police.

He said: "This was a cold-blooded, summary execution of a man in his own house.

"At about eight oclock last night a number of men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, opened the unlocked door of number 1 Glenwood Court in Poleglass.

"Two people in the house were subsequently ordered into the kitchen and made to lie on the floor. The man who lived in the house, 43 year old Joe Reilly, was kept in the living room. Mr Reilly was shot a number of times in the chest and, despite the best efforts of paramedics, he died at the scene.

"The gunmen ran out of the house by the front door and down the street. They are described as being about six ft tall, wearing dark coats and dark trousers. One was wearing dark rimmed glasses and a Celtic scarf.

"It is really difficult to know how to describe what happened last night. The adjectives brutal, senseless and barbaric are inadequate. This was a cold-blooded summary execution of a man in his own home.

"At this early stage in the investigation, we have no motive for Joe Reillys murder. We will keep a completely open mind as to why he was killed."

"I have two appeals - firstly, I understand three children were seen in the area as the gunmen ran away.

"I need to talk to these children and find out what they saw.

"Secondly I appeal for anyone who was in Glenwood Court and Glenwood Crescent before or after 8pm to come forward."

At the scene on the edge of a densely-populated housing estate, an extensive cordon was put in place as Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detectives conducted their investigations.

As parents walked past the red and white police tape to drop their children at a school, just a few hundred metres away, there was a palpable sense of shock, although few people wanted to speak publicly.

One woman, who was looking on at the police line while clutching her young daughter, said the community was stunned.

It was the second shooting in the area in less than a week. On Sunday a man in his 50s was hit up to six times in the lower legs.

Justice Minister Claire Sugden described the shooting as an attack on the whole community.

Expand Close Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Kevin Scott / Presseye / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

The independent MLA said: "I unreservedly condemn this appalling act and I offer my deepest sympathies to the family.

"Murder is an attack against our entire community and those responsible have no place in society while they continue to be involved in crime."

SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood condemned those behind the attack.

Expand Close Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Kevin Scott / Presseye / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Mr Attwood said: "I completely condemn the latest barbaric attack on a man in West Belfast. These savage assault had no place in our past and they have no place in our society today.

"This is a very small group of people, unrepresentative of the local community, who have now repeatedly taken the law into their own hands.

"The best response that we can make is to provide information to law enforcement and ensure that these individuals are caught, arrested and prosecuted under the full weight of the law."

Expand Close Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Kevin Scott / Presseye / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

In a joint statement, the First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness united in condemnation of the gun attack.

They said: "We unreservedly condemn the murder of a man shot dead in his home in Poleglass last night.

"This savage killing is senseless and has achieved nothing. The perpetrators care only for themselves."

Expand Close Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Kevin Scott / Presseye / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Glenwood Drive area of West Belfast on October 16th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

It is understood an armed gang forced their way into the house at Glenwood Court shortly after 8pm and shot Mr Reilly in the chest.

He was taken to hospital and later declared dead.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has also expressed outrage.

He wrote on Twitter: "Appalled by senseless and brutal murder in west Belfast last night. My thoughts are with family & everyone affected by this."

West Belfast Policing Chief Inspector Norman Haslett expressed sympathy to the Reilly family and said officers were determined to provide a comprehensive service to keep local people safe.

He said: "I would like on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to express my sincere condolences to the family of Joe Reilly following the terrible events in West Belfast yesterday evening. This was a brutal, senseless and horrendous killing of a man in cold blood and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. There is no place for such activity in our society or in the community of west Belfast.

"I want to take this opportunity to reassure the community ofwest Belfast that police have, and will continue to deploy our resources in a significant and meaningful manner to prevent harm and to protect the community.

"Such harm comes in various forms and on a daily and nightly basis, around the clock, police will be on the streets of west Belfast to continue to take drugs from our streets, to stop child sexual exploitation, to address anti-social behaviour and death driving and to prevent and detect burglaries. The local community and the criminals can continue to expect to see visible policing in the coming weeks and months.

Police in west Belfast are providing a much needed and increasingly valued service and we remain determined to work together with the community to keep people safe. The vast majority of the community of West Belfast are law abiding people who just want to live in peace. Those people who did what they did last night want to try and drag us back to the past are not supported by the community.

I would like to reiterate our appeal for anyone who saw or heard anything yesterday evening to come forward and give us the information which we need to bring those responsible to justice. There may be people out there who have never picked the phone up to talk to us in the past. If you know anything at all, think about what has happened to Joe Reilly, think about what his family are now going through and please make the phone call and help us catch those who did it.
A killer driver who was using his mobile phone when he struck a telegraph pole which then caused fatal injuries to an elderly pedestrian has been told to prepare for a jail sentence.

Releasing 21-year-old Edward Devlin on bail until he passes sentence next Tuesday, Craigavon Crown Court Judge Patrick Lynch QC warned the apprentice plant mechanic to "be prepared for an immediate custodial sentence to be passed".

At a previous hearing Devlin, from the Leitrim Road, Hilltown, Newry, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Ian Leonard Bailie by driving dangerously on the Old Ballynahinch Road in Lisburn on October 28, 2014.

Yesterday, prosecuting lawyer Nicola Auret said a Skoda Octavia car was waiting to overtake a tractor and slurry tanker when Devlin, driving a works VW Caddy van, mounted the grass verge to avoid a collision with the car and struck a telegraph pole.

Mr Bailie, the court heard, had been standing at his gateway on the other side of the BT pole and it struck him. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital but, Ms Auret said, almost a month later, on November 19, "he was found to have succumbed to his injuries".

The lawyer said witnesses described seeing Devlin getting out of his van to assist Mr Bailie, but that "he had a mobile phone in his hand which he discarded."

A forensic engineer examined the scene and from their report, it appeared "this was a relatively straight portion of road."

Devlin would have had sight of the Octavia and tractor for around 300 metres and for approximately 13 seconds as he approached the scene.

There was no evidence of excess speed, said Ms Auret, which was established through a GPRS device installed on the van which belonged to WAC McCandless. However, when Devlin's mobile phone was examined, it was discovered that it had been used to send a text message and for "web browsing" during the course of his journey.

During his initial police interview, Devlin denied using the phone, but during the second interview, when the phone evidence was put to him, he admitted he had sent a text as he left Belfast in slow moving traffic.

He further confessed that up until the time of the collision, he had been browsing Gumtree "to look at lists of cars," stating that as his phone locked and required a passcode after a certain amount of time, he had left it on the passenger seat and "admitted to keeping the phone open".

"That was the reason he didn't see the Skoda stopped behind the slurry tanker," said Ms Auret, adding that Devlin further claimed he took evasive action onto the grass verge "on seeing children in that car".

She revealed that Devlin has two previous convictions for careless driving, committed within the space of a week in March 2013.

While the court did not hear any of the contents of Mrs Bailie's statement or victim impact report, Ms Auret revealed that the couple had been "looking forward to retirement together but tragically that position has been forever changed".

At the very outset of his plea in mitigation, defence lawyer Tony Lunny said Devlin and his legal team "express our sincere condolences to Mrs Bailie".

"The defendant wishes to acknowledge the severe hurt and heartbreak that's been caused to her because of his behaviour," said the lawyer, adding that Devlin himself "has found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that he caused someone's death, it's something that he will never forget".

In adjourning the case, Judge Lynch said he "wished to reserve sentencing" in order to consider the matters which had been put before him.

Releasing Devlin, he warned: "I will advise him that although I have not determined what the exact sentence is, I think he should be prepared for an immediate custodial sentence."
Reid was told she faced prison if she breached her suspended sentence.

A woman narrowly escaped going to prison on Friday after she attacked her partner with a knife during a drunken row.

A judge at Belfast Crown Court told Danielle Reid that "this is your last chance'' and warned her any breach of the 18 month suspended sentence would be met with immediate custody.

The 31-year-old, of Heath Lodge Avenue, Whitebbey, Co Antrim, had pleaded to a single charge of wounding.

Prosecution lawyer Robin Steer told the court that the injured party Emmanuelle McArdle was at his home address with the defendant Reid who was his partner at the time on the evening of December 8, 2015 and both had been drinking alcohol.

He said that at around 9.15 pm an argument broke out and he "phoned the police to have her removed from the property''.

Mr Steer said that during the altercation Mr McArdle turned his back on her and Reid lifted a kitchen knife and "swiped him to lower part of his back'' causing a one and a half inch laceration which needed a number of sutures.

He added that Reid then ran out of the property and later interviewed by police claimed she was "acting in self defence''.

Defence barrister John O'Connor said Reid had a very "traumatic background'' and her criminal record didn't start until the end of 2014.

He said that after her mother died her father "became an alcoholic''.

Mr O'Connor told the court that Reid had alcohol addiction problems as a result and was drinking a "litre bottle of vodka a day her life went into a "downward spiral''.

The defence barrister said Reid had been in a previous relationship with another man for 11 years and had suffered domestic violence at his hands.

The court heard that she had on a number of occasions overdosed on medication and had been admitted to hospital several times.

He added that Reid was now in a new relationship and had been "sober for the past three months'' after she found out she was pregnant with his child.

But Mr O'Connor said that she recently miscarried after nine weeks.

He told the court that Reid "realises that she faces immediate custody in this case'' but the Probation Service say they can work with her in relation to her addictions.

"This was not a premeditated assault. The wound was minor. It was superficial. This an exceptional case with exceptional circumstances.''

Judge Geoffrey Miller QC said it was quite clear that Reid had an addiction to alcholol and was in a relationship that was "marred by domestic violence''.

He told the court that Reid's partner of 11 years committed suicide in 2012 which had a "traumatic effect on her life''.

The judge said that her criminal record showed "increasing levels of violence'' and was given probation for common assault.

"That order was breached and an immediate custodial sentence was imposed. The appeal came before me in April this year and I suspended that sentence for a period of two years.

"In this case the custody threshold has been passed and after a trial a sentence of two years would have been passed.

"By virtue of your guilty plea I am going to impose a sentence of 18 months in custody but I am going to suspend that sentence for a period of three years from today.

"I must make it absolutely clear to you that if you breach this order and you commit and further criminal offence you will be referred back to me and I will impose this sentence consecutive to any other sentence imposed,'' added Judge Miller QC.
It will be closed westbound from the Sydenham direction from 11pm tonight until 6am on Monday

The M3 Lagan Bridge in Belfast will be closed this weekend while Transport NI completes its final weekend of essential maintenance works.

It will be closed westbound from the Sydenham direction from 11pm tonight until 6am on Monday.

The diversion route will include Bridge End, Dalton Street Link, Middlepath Street on-slip, M3 Nelson Street off-slip, Great George Street and York Street.

A TransportNI spokesman said: "This weekend is expected to see the completion of a major maintenance scheme on the M3 Lagan Bridge, Belfast.

"The works are necessary to ensure the safety of the road network and have involved the replacement of bridge expansion joints and resurfacing.

"TransportNI has made every effort to programme the necessary works operations and traffic management arrangements to minimise inconvenience.

"TransportNI would like to remind the public about work taking place this weekend."
Stormont's economy minister has pledged to fight to save jobs at Bombardier in Belfast after the company announced plans for 7,500 global redundancies.

The posts will be cut in 2018 as part of the Canadian plane and train manufacturer's ongoing restructuring of its worldwide operations.

It is not yet clear where the axe will fall.

As well as a huge aircraft manufacturing plant in Belfast, Bombardier also has operations at a number of sites in England, including a train making plant in Derby.

The multinational has been under financial pressure having invested large sums in its new C Series jet, which is crucial to many jobs in Belfast.

The 5,000-strong workforce in the city was already in the process of shedding 1,000 jobs as part of the first wave of redundancies outlined in what is a five-year restructuring plan.

Bombardier Belfast said it would be evaluating its local operations in the wake of the announcement.

It said it would communicate with the workforce when the evaluation is complete.

"We are not in a position to elaborate further at this time," said a spokeswoman from the company.

Stormont economy minister Simon Hamilton said the news would have come as a "great shock" to the Northern Ireland workforce.

"As the company works through the detail of what the impact will be here, we will do absolutely everything we can and take every opportunity available to us to highlight to senior decision makers in the company the strength of Bombardier's Northern Ireland operations and the skills of the workforce," he said.

"I will do everything I can to fight to save as many Bombardier jobs in Northern Ireland as possible."

Announcing the latest phase of the restructuring programme at the company's headquarters in Montreal, Alain Bellemare, president and chief executive officer, said: "After successfully de-risking our business last year, our focus has shifted to building a clear path to profitable earnings growth and cash generation.

"The actions announced today will ensure we have the right cost structure, workforce and organisation to compete and win in the future."

Trade union Unite said it would strive to minimise job losses in Belfast.

Regional co-ordinating officer Davy Thompson said: "We are deeply concerned that these job losses could affect the Belfast workforce as it is involved in every Bombardier line of production. The job losses amount to one in 10 of their global workforce but there is no further information about what this will mean for Belfast.

"Our members can be assured that Unite will work over the coming period to minimise any potential job losses here and if necessary we will strive to deliver the best possible outcome for those affected. We can only hope that today's announcement will mean the company is better positioned to achieve long-term growth and safeguard future employment."

Mr Thompson called on the Stormont Executive to do more to defend the region's manufacturing sector.

Gavin Robinson, MP for the East Belfast constituency where the Bombardier factory is based, said: "I will continue to work with management of the company at all levels to establish what the impact of this is likely to mean for workers in Belfast and their other local sites.

"We have assured the company of our full support, both locally within the Executive and I will continue to ensure that it is raised at all levels within Westminster."

The Democratic Unionist added: " Bombardier is a key part of the economy, not just in Belfast but of Northern Ireland as a whole. Whilst local representatives may have a limited impact on a global problem, I will continue to stand with the company and its employees."

The GMB union said it intended to engage with the Stormont executive with the aim of bolstering the under-pressure manufacturing sector.

Michael Mulholland, GMB regional officer, said: "Our intention at this stage will be to engage with the executive at Stormont once details are clearer, with a view to putting support measures in place and look at ways they can bolster what is becoming a sector under severe pressure.

"The GMB will work to minimise the impact on our members."

In relation to Bombardier's Derby operations, Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said: "RMT is keeping a close watch on any potential impact of today's Bombardier announcement on the train-building operations in Derby.

"We have been in contact with the company today and we are seeking firm assurances from them.

"The union will, of course, continue to campaign to defend and expand train-building in the UK."
Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw has made an early morning apology to Northern Ireland Attorney General John Larkin.

It is understood the apology relates to a retweet the South Belfast representative made in relation to a story on a woman who had to bring her baby home to Northern Ireland in a cooler bag following an abortion.

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The original tweet has since been deleted and it is believed her apology comes after the the attorney general threatened legal action, the BBC reports.

Mrs Bradshaw, in tweets sent just after midnight on Friday, said she accepted the allegation in the tweet was "totally unfounded" and wrongly referenced Mr Larkin.
David Byrne was killed in a gun attack at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin in February

No diagnosis has been provided on the medical condition of a Northern Ireland man fighting extradition over his alleged role in a gangland murder at a Dublin hotel, a court heard today.

Kevin Murray, from Co Tyrone, is wanted in the Republic of Ireland to face charges connected to the killing of David Byrne on February 5.

Lawyers for Murray, 46, previously disclosed that he was undergoing brain scans amid fears he is developing multiple sclerosis.

But a judge at Belfast Recorder's Court was told today that his precise condition is still to be confirmed.

Counsel representing Irish authorities argued that the bid to have Murray transferred across the border should not be characterised as oppressive.

Pressing for a full hearing, Stephen Ritchie said: "This man, if extradited, will be going 100 miles to Dublin, it's an advanced state who will be able to look after him.

"This case is nowhere near (oppressive); it's a physical condition this man is suffering from."

But Murray's barrister, Desmond Fahy, held firm on progressing without expert opinion on his client's health.

"I can't commit to a position until there's a diagnosis and I'm not going to," he replied.

Murray was detained at his home in Townsend Street, Strabane last month under a European Arrest Warrant issued by authorities in the Irish Republic.

He is being sought in connection with the fatal gun attack at Dublin's Regency Hotel.

Byrne, a 34-year-old father of two from the Crumlin area, was shot dead when masked men dressed as Garda officers opened fire with automatic guns.

His killing ignited a deadly feud between members of the rival Kinahan and Hutch gangs.

Murray is wanted in connection with alleged offences of murder, possession of a firearm with intent, and possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances.

It was previously claimed in court that he had stayed overnight at the hotel in preparation for his alleged role in the shooting.

Gardai investigating the killing allege Murray can be clearly identified on CCTV footage and photographic evidence.

Another man, 24-year-old Patrick Hutch of Champions Avenue in Dublin, has already been charged with the murder.

He is alleged to have acted with the Co Tyrone man as part of the same gang.

At an earlier hearing Murray appeared in court using a walking aid due to his debilitating condition.

But he was not produced from custody for today's update on the case.

Adjourning proceedings, Her Honour Judge Patricia Smyth stressed the need for both a diagnosis and prognosis to be provided.
GP Dr Thomas Egerton leaving Newtownards Magistrates Court where he was charged and ordered to stand trial accused of abusing his position as a doctor to obtain massive amounts of painkillers and sedatives for himself.

A doctor has been ordered to stand trial accused of abusing his position as a GP to obtain massive amounts of painkillers and tranquillisers.

After hearing how 57-year-old Dr Thomas Egerton had "mobility problems" as a result of double leg fractures, District Judge Mark Hamill allowed the GP to remain in the public gallery of Newtownards Magistrates' Court for the preliminary enquiry.

Dr Egerton, from the Station Road in Holywood, faces a total of 27 offences allegedly committed on various dates between 11 June 2009 and 31 October 2014.

They include fraud by abuse of his position, 18 offences of possessing class C drugs, three of having class A drugs and five further counts of breaching various drug regulations.

The GP is alleged to have breached his position as a doctor by "completing and presenting requisitions/prescriptions to obtain controlled drugs for immediate administration to patients or for their use before a normal supply could be obtained, whereas the drugs were obtained for your own personal use".

While the 21 drug offences alleged that he possessed class A morphine based pain killers as well as class C painkillers and sedatives such as tramadol, lorazepam, diazepam, midazolam and zopiclone.

The final five counts allege that Dr Egerton breached drug regulations by failing to keep proper records of prescribed drugs and their respective strengths.

While none of the facts giving rise to the charges were opened in court on Friday a prosecuting lawyer submitted the legal papers disclosed a case for the doctor to answer, a submission his defence lawyer did not argue against.

The court clerk told Dr Egerton, who confirmed he was aware of the charges, that although not obliged to he had the right to comment on the charges, give evidence to the PE himself or call witnesses on his behalf be having looked to his lawyer for guidance, the GP declined the opportunity.

Returning the case to Downpatrick Crown Court, Judge Hamill released Dr Egerton on his own bail of 500 and ordered him to appear before the higher court for his arraignment on 2 December.

The judge asked if there was an application for legal aid but Dr Egerton's barrister, instructed by Carson McDowell, said he was no applying for the public funds.

Rather than be taken to the cells to wait for the preparation of bail papers, Judge Hamill said given Dr Egerton's mobility problems, he would allow him to remain in the company of his solicitor until the papers were ready.

Pointing to the door to the cell area, the judge said he had been told of someone complaining "that I allow some people to go out that door and others to go with their solicitors."

"Whoever complained, it was because if the assessment of flight risk," said the judge adding "his man has fractured both legs, that's why I'm giving him this leeway."
Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers recover a piece of burnt evidence a short distance away from a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Police officers at the scene of a fatal shooting in the Glenwood area of West Belfast on October 20th 2016, Northern Ireland (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

A 43-year-old father of one was shot twice in the chest during what police have described as a cold blooded execution.

Joe Reilly was gunned down at his home in the nationalist Poleglass area of west Belfast on Thursday night.

A motive for the shooting has yet to be established.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery, who is leading the murder hunt, said: "It really is difficult to know how to describe what happened last night. The adjectives brutal, senseless and barbaric are inadequate.

"This was a cold blooded summary execution of a man in his own house."

It is understood the killers, one armed with a handgun, entered the house at Glenwood Court through an open door.

They ordered two other people to lie down on the kitchen floor while Mr Reilly was held in the living room where he was shot.

He died at the scene, police said.

There has been widespread speculation that dissident republicans may have been responsible for the killing but, as yet, no group has claimed responsibility.

Mr Montgomery said the victim had been known to police but added: "I will keep a completely open mind as to why he has been killed.

"Mr Reilly had a criminal record and that will form part of my investigation.

"But what is important here to understand is that a man has been brutally murdered in his house and I am determined to try and find out who was responsible and bring those people to justice and make Belfast a safer place to live."

The 6ft tall gunmen, who were dressed in dark coats and trousers, fled through the front door of the house and ran down the street.

One of the suspects was also wearing dark rimmed glasses and a Celtic scarf.

Police want to speak anyone who was in the Glenwood Court, Glenwood Crescent or Laurelbank area before or after 8pm on Thursday and who may have seen anything.

However, detectives are particularly keen to speak to three children who were in the area after the shooting and may have seen the gunmen make their escape.

Mr Montgomery added: "My knowledge of what happened and why it happened is far from complete and any information people can provide to me is very important."

An incident room has been set up at Musgrave Street PSNI station from where a team of detectives are working on the case.

Meanwhile, political leaders have united in condemnation of the murder.

In a joint statement, the First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness said: "W e unreservedly condemn the murder of a man shot dead in his home in Poleglass last night.

"This savage killing is senseless and has achieved nothing. The perpetrators care only for themselves."

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has also expressed outrage.

He wrote on Twitter: "Appalled by senseless and brutal murder in west Belfast last night. My thoughts are with family & everyone affected by this."

It was the second shooting in the Poleglass area in less than a week.

On Sunday a man in his 50s was hit up to six times in the lower legs.

Justice Minister Claire Sugden described the murder as an attack on the whole community.

The independent MLA said: "I unreservedly condemn this appalling act and I offer my deepest sympathies to the family.

"Murder is an attack against our entire community and those responsible have no place in society while they continue to be involved in crime."

Sinn Fein Assembly member Jennifer McCann, who was at the scene a short time after the shooting, appealed for anyone with information to contact the PSNI.

She said: " This brutal killing has achieved nothing other than plunging another family into grief and despair.

"I have expressed my condolences to the victim's family and I appeal to anyone with information to bring it forward to the police."

SDLP MLA Alex Attwood said such "barbaric" attacks had "no place in our past and they have no place in our society today".

He said: "The voice of our condemnation has to be consistent and strong. At the scene last night there were many young people who, unlike previous generations, will not have witnessed this brutality. We must say to younger generations and to all, that an assault on the rule of law, an assault on a citizen, is an assault on us all."

Alliance Party justice spokesman Trevor Lunn said the gunmen must be caught.

He said: " The local community will be rightly shocked by this murder.

"Those responsible need to be removed from the streets and should face the full rigours of the law. I would encourage anyone with information on this incident to pass it to police immediately."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at Musgrave Street PSNI station on 101.
The leader of the SDLP is to address the Ulster Unionist Party conference in a bid to demonstrate the extent of cooperation between Stormont's two official opposition parties.

Colum Eastwood said his speech at Saturday's event in Belfast would prove that there was significant common ground between the parties, despite their many policy differences.

Former SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie addressed the UUP conference nine years ago. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said the event would offer a tangible sign of cooperation. Both parties declined a position in the DUP/Sinn Fein led executive in the wake of May's Assembly election, instead choosing to take up the newly created option of forming an official opposition.

Mr Eastwood said: "This is a demonstration of what genuine cooperation looks like.

"Two leaders of two parties with different views coming together not in our own narrow self-interest, but in the interests of people across this region who deserve better from government.

"It's the principle of partnership, ingrained in our institutions by the SDLP and UUP and degraded by the current government, that brings us together on issues of common cause where we can make a positive difference to the lives of the people we represent.

"That commitment to cooperation does not mean absolute unanimity or uniformity - and nor should it. But it is a position of strength and it's the kind of cooperation that people want to see in our politics on issues like housing, homelessness and our health services.

"People across the North realise that Irish Nationalism and Unionism can never hope to seamlessly fit.

"However, our difference does not diminish our ability to pursue the commonality of our immediate cause. Both the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists share the common ground of wanting to make Northern Ireland work. That's a healthy common ground to hold for today and tomorrow.

"The constitutional change of the future will be the product of persuasion.

UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said: "Behind the scenes, there is a lot of joined up work going on between the SDLP and ourselves, but this is largely unseen and Colum and I are conscious that people want to see tangible signs of cooperation.

"Margaret Ritchie addressed our annual conference in 2007, while she was Social Development Minister, so this will be the first time we have welcomed a serving leader of the SDLP to our annual showcase. It's something the two parties of the executive are unlikely to match in the foreseeable future.

"We will not agree on everything, but rather than dwell on what divides us, I am focused on the common ground, and importantly, the fact that Colum and I both want Northern Ireland to work, which opens huge possibilities for cooperating on the bread and butter issues of the economy, education, housing and the health of all our people."
Britain's exit from the EU must change the Border arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has said.

Mr Hogan also said Ireland will not have a designated nominee on the EU-UK negotiating team. "Nobody from any member state will participate in that. That was never envisaged," he said.

The Commissioner, who spent three hours answering TDs' and Senators' questions at Leinster House yesterday, said there will be a back-up 'advisory group' to the negotiators, and this group will have Irish membership.

Mr Hogan said the view among EU leaders in Brussels was that Britain "cannot have its cake and eat it" - remaining half-in and half-out of the EU.

"The UK's choice is between hard Brexit and no Brexit. And it's only no Brexit that can give us the Border we have now," he added.

The Commissioner said the EU and the other member states were now well aware of Ireland's concerns about the north-south relations, and the strong Ireland-UK relationship, including the common travel area. He said he had discussed these matters with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, and he believed Irish politicians and diplomats were busy informing other member states.

"I predict that conversations between Dublin and Brussels will be almost as significant as those between London and Brussels," he said.

Mr Hogan said the UK Leave campaign had canvassed on "half-truths and outright lies." The upcoming exit negotiations to frame a new EU-UK relationship, due to begin in March, would be very tough.

"Any deal, by its nature, will be inferior to the deal that the UK currently enjoys due to its membership of the EU. The UK is going to learn a hard lesson, it's not going to have its cake and eat it. The posturing and fancy talk of Brexit is already beginning to collide with reality," Mr Hogan told the Oireachtas EU affairs committee.

Mr Hogan also said that the EU had its problems and shortcomings but ultimately these were also problems and failings for member governments and the citizens of every member state.

"It's high time we stopped blaming the union for everything that goes wrong while taking credit nationally for everything that goes right," the Commissioner said.

Replying to Fine Gael Senator Paul Coghlan, he said the UK's departure would cut the EU budget by 11bn per year. That would have implications for EU farm spending, which accounts for 38pc of the yearly budget, and for other member states' contributions to Brussels.
Canada says the EU is not capable of striking an international deal on trade

Canada has walked out of talks meant to save a trade deal with the European Union, unable to break a deadlock with a small Belgian region that was blocking next week's official signature.

The departure of Canada's international trade minister was a stunning setback and leaves it unclear whether the rest of the EU will be able to persuade the region of Wallonia to sign up to the agreement.

Canadian international trade minister Chrystia Freeland said it had been impossible to overcome the differences with Wallonia, a region of 3.5 million people.

The agreement needed unanimity within the EU, and Belgium in turn needs unanimity among its regions.

"It seems that for me, and for Canada, that the EU is not capable now to have an international deal, even with a nation with such European values like Canada," Ms Freeland said as she left.

Close to tears, she added: "Canada is disappointed ... but I think it is impossible."

The deal was supposed to be signed next week in Brussels by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The disagreement has pitted Wallonia against the entire EU and Canada, with populations of over 500 million and 35 million.

An official at the European Commission, which has been steering the pact through negotiations, said it "doesn't consider that this is the end of the process".

It is unclear how the EU will keep negotiating with Wallonia in coming days to solve the impasse.

Wallonia wants more guarantees to protect its farmers and Europe's high labour, environmental and consumer standards. It also fears the agreement will allow huge multinationals - first from Canada, and later from the US, if a similar deal with Washington follows - to crush small Walloon enterprises and their way of life.

Proponents say the deal would yield billions in added trade through tariff cuts and other measures to lower barriers to commerce. At the same time, the EU says it will keep in place the region's strong safeguards on social, environmental and labour issues.

Paul Magnette, the president of Wallonia, spent hours talking with EU officials and Ms Freeland to find a compromise by the end of a two-day summit in Brussels.

He had already pleaded that, "in an amicable way, we jointly postpone the EU-Canada summit and that we give ourselves time".

EU leaders warned that failure to clinch the deal with Canada could ruin the 28-nation bloc's credibility as a trade partner and make it more difficult to strike agreements with other global allies like the US and Japan.

As the leaders wrapped up the summit in Brussels, negotiations fell apart between officials from the EU Commission, regional leaders and Ms Freeland in Wallonia's capital, Namur, 40 miles away.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is the EU's single biggest economy, said at the time that she was optimistic a deal would emerge from the talks.

Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP Christian Democrats, the biggest group in the European Parliament, was less enthusiastic about local politics holding up such a significant international agreement.

"Europe cannot be held hostage because of internal political games in the Walloon region," he said.

A similar free trade agreement between the EU and the US is also being negotiated, but has met with far more opposition than the Canada pact. Progress on the US deal is highly unlikely any time before next month's presidential election.

EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said after the EU summit that he hoped a deal would be reached "within the next few days".

Belgian prime minister Charles Michel said he had worked through the night in an effort to broker a deal.

AP
Russia plans to have a military unit permanently stationed in the Arctic by 2018

A secret Nazi military base in the Arctic has been discovered by Russian scientists.

The site - located on the island of Alexandra Land 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole - was constructed in 1942, a year after Hitler invaded Russia.

It was codenamed Schatzgraber or Treasure Hunter by the Germans and was primarily used as a tactical weather station.

The base was abandoned when the scientists stationed there were poisoned by polar bear meat in 1944 and had to be rescued by a German U-boat.

It has been rediscovered 72 years later and more than 500 objects have been found, including a batch of well preserved documents, the Daily Mail reported.

The ruins of bunkers, rusted bullets and other relics dating from the Second World War have been discovered at the site, many of which remain in a good condition having been preserved by the cold weather.

The island was vital during World War II as the meterological reports it produced were essential for planning the movement of troops, submarines and ships.

The name given to the base has led some to believe it may have had another secret mission  with some specialists speculating that it might have been used for the pursuit of ancient relics.

Alexandra Land was a disputed territory for a number of years but is now part of the Russian Federation.

Russia is thought to be looking to build its own permanent military base there today.
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Assyrian Delegation Meets Australian FM

Julie Bishop (C), the Australian minister for Foreign Affairs, meets an Assyrian delegation. On Thursday, 20 October 2016, a delegation led by Mr. Hermiz Shahen, Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA), Mr David M. David , President of the Assyrian Australian National Federation, Mrs. Suzy David , AUA senior advisor and former Deputy Secretary General, together with Mrs. Karen Bos , from Christian Faith & Freedom held a meeting in parliament house in Canberra with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon Julie Bishop MP. The delegation expressed the concerns of Australian Assyrians, about the future of the indigenous Assyrians of Iraq and Syria, and their plight in both countries. The delegation presented the Australian Foreign minister with a letter and briefed her about the battle that already started to liberate Mosul and Nineveh Plains from ISIS and the vacuum that will be created once the military operation is completed that could easily fall into civil war over who controls the region. As a matter of the uttermost importance, the Assyrian Universal Alliance urged the Australian government, to lay out a comprehensive strategy assisting the Assyrian nation's needs in the establishment of a self-administered safe haven in Northern Iraq within federal Iraq and provide training and funding to the existing Assyrian Christian militia who can protect their lands themselves.
In North Carolina, Republican candidates for the General Assembly and statewide offices have been told that their policies are to blame for the fact that fewer high school graduates pursue teaching careers.Their political opponents argue that school and teacher accountability, differentiated pay, school choice, and other reform efforts are discouraging high school graduates. In this view, the changes signal a "lack of respect" for public school teachers and an affront to the idea of public education and an educated electorate generally.Naturally, the preferred course correction requires voters simply to elect teacher-union-backed, typically Democratic candidates who generally support massive tax increases, repeal of substantive accountability measures, and the abolition of popular alternatives to the traditional district system.The truth is that the supply and demand for teachers depend more on economics than politics. Nearly all states - both "red" and "blue" on the political spectrum - have seen fewer college students choose education as their college major.The Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington, D.C.-based think tank, recently published an analysis of the supply and demand of teachers across the nation. In "Educator Pipeline at Risk: Teacher Labor Markets After the Great Recession," researchers Lisette Partelow and Christina Baumgardner examined enrollment trends in teacher education programs and found that in all but three states - Washington, New Hampshire, and Utah - institutions of higher education enroll far fewer students pursuing a teaching career than in the past.According to federal data, North Carolina's education school enrollment dropped by 15 percent between 2008-09 and 2013-14. Our state's decline is trivial compared to the 79 percent drop in Oklahoma, which is the largest percentage decrease in the nation.It is also relatively small compared to other states in the Southeast. South Carolina had a 50 percent enrollment decline, while colleges and universities in Tennessee saw a 40 percent drop. Virginia's 8 percent decrease was the smallest in the region and one of the lowest in the nation.Nevertheless, these figures do not tell the whole story. In their October 2015 brief, "Missing Elements in the Discussion of Teacher Shortages," researchers from the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research pointed out that the production of teachers is cyclical and has grown steadily since the mid-1980s.Research suggests that college students select their course of study based on their perceptions of economic conditions. Regardless of the political party in charge, college students tend to pursue degrees that maximize earnings and employment opportunities when economic conditions are poor.That may account for why fewer college students earned education degrees during the Great Recession. But that does not necessarily mean that recent economic downturns have undercut the supply of teachers.The production of teachers has been on the rise since the mid-1980s. Between 1984 and 2013, the aggregated number of degrees issued in education fields increased by around 125,000. Even so, schools hired only around half of newly credentialed teachers. (This does not account for Teach for America, Troops to Teachers, and other lateral-entry programs that bring qualified but noncredentialed individuals into the teacher work force.)In other words, the number of candidates for teaching positions includes both new college graduates and candidates who did not obtain a teaching position immediately after graduation. When considering both groups, CALDER researchers conclude that the overall supply of teachers will outpace hiring. In some districts and regions, however, shortages of math, science, and special education teachers may continue.In the end, enrollment in teacher education programs hasn't dropped because Gov. Pat McCrory and state legislators do not "respect" the teaching profession. More importantly, recent declines in education school enrollment are not as dire as politicos would like voters to believe.
Mercatus Center report says patients benefit and save money in states that allow non-physician practitioners to provide more services



Photo from N.C. Chiropractic Association website

A new study finds that expanding the scope of practice for midlevel health care providers, including chiropractors and physical therapists, may improve the efficiency of the health care market in the United States.The study, done for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Arlington, Va., found that chiropractors earn more if they work in states that allow them to offer a greater range of medical services, defined in what are called scope-of-practice laws.said Dr. Joe Siragusa, CEO of the N.C. Chiropractic Association. Siragusa said there was a time in America when chiropractic medicine was maligned. Over time, chiropractic medicine has integrated more-traditional scientific evaluation and as traditional health care has become more costly, more people are choosing to see a chiropractor.Siragusa said.The study was conducted by economists Edward Timmons, associate professor at Saint Francis University; Jason Hockenberry, associate professor at Emory University; and Christine Piette Durrance, associate professor at UNC Chapel Hill.The study also found that direct-access laws for physical therapists appear to reduce chiropractor earnings. However, those laws do not increase wages for physical therapists. And, it found, neither scope-of-practice laws nor direct-access laws appear to affect physician wages significantly.The Mercatus study also noted that neither chiropractors nor physical therapists are perfect substitutes for primary-care physicians.the study says.The study noted that the medical community historically has viewed chiropractors with suspicion, and scope-of-practice laws, which vary state by state, have limited the range of services chiropractors can provide. In many states, physical therapists traditionally have worked under the supervision of physicians and only recently have been permitted to see patients without a physician referral.Because many traditional physicians believed chiropractic practice was based on dubious science, the American Medical Association actively fought the expansion of chiropractic care and barred any association of physicians with chiropractors in the mid-20th century, the study notes.However, chiropractors fought back and began intensive and successful lobbying efforts for Medicare to cover some chiropractic services in the 1970s.The influence of physicians in influencing chiropractic licensing laws in many states remains visible, the study notes.the study says, noting that scope-of-practice laws vary tremendously from state to state.North Carolina has one of the more liberal scope-of-practice laws for chiropractors, Siragusa said.he said.The study notes that chiropractors, physical therapists, and physicians are competing for market share in the $300 billion market for treating back and neck pain.the study says.
It can be tough to be a vegetarian. You have to work harder than everyone else to make sure youre getting all the nutrients your body needs. So, when its time to take a
FCB Joburg has taken a strategic decision to further bolster its creative product by bringing the highly respected and awarded Ahmed Tilly into the agency to partner Executive Creative Director, Jonathan Deeb, in a joint chief creative officer leadership team.

Ahmed Tilly,Brett Morris,Jonathan Deeb

Making the announcement, FCB Africas Group CEO and Group Chief Creative Officer, Brett Morris, said the decision was on the back of FCB Joburgs outstanding growth, having more than doubled in size over the past three years.

He said that Deeb, Executive Creative Director of the agency since July 2013, had been pivotal in driving both creative excellence and new business.

Tilly, Co-founder and Executive Creative Director of Black River FC and previously Creative Director at The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town and TBWA, would be joining forces with Deeb to further enhance the agencys creative product.

In light of FCB Joburgs growth, Jonathan has been looking for a partner to share the creative leadership with him and continue producing iconic South African work that builds South Africas favourite brands with value, scalability, and real integration. We couldnt ask for a better creative talent than Ahmed to help us on that journey, said Morris.

This formidable new partnership will be responsible for the overarching creative vision of the agency, driving transformation and developing young talent. Welcome, Ahmed, he said.

Ahmed is an industry leader known for his integrity, creative vision and for being a genuine human being, said Deeb. I have loved working with him in the past and I believe that the creative chemistry we have will build on the agencys existing successes and propel us to even greater heights.

Tilly, who will be joining forces with Deeb on 1 November, added: I started my career at Lindsay Smithers FCB 20 years ago. It just feels right to be returning to the place where it all began. Im so excited about starting a whole new chapter in my life and who better to do it with than old friends.




As consumers' patterns of consumption dictate, with content aggregated and apps serving up information to people that is useful and relevant to them, media brands will matter less and less. Therefore, in the future media brands such as CNN will become secondary.

"Media brands are becoming increasingly less important as more people are informed by sources that they trust and these brands are people that they trust. For them it is not about formally packaged news, but shared experiences, says Andreij Horn, head of 24.com.

Media brands need to understand that this trend is happening and make plans. Otherwise we are doing ourselves a disfavour. We must be conscious of the trends even if they make us uncomfortable or panic. It is better to confront it, states Horn.

According to Toby Shapshak, editor-in-chief and publisher of STUFF, humans are resistant to change and the real problem in journalism is that we are reluctant to change. Instead we cling to a range of sentimental practices. But if you do not disrupt yourself, someone else will. We need to keep throwing spaghetti to the wall to see what sticks. Do research so you know what your audience wants, says Shapshak.

It cannot be ignored that the nature of news has changed. Everywhere you go, everyone has a camera in their hands through their mobile phone or device. Significant news has been captured on mobile devices. While not everyone is a reporter in the traditional sense of the word, everyone is a potential news source.

It is literally about being in the right place at the wrong time with a phone... that's citizen journalism. Thats what happened when a plane landed in the Hudson, says Shapshak.

On social media, citizen journalism is about posting what your friends like and what you care about. So when a citizen covers the news, it is almost by accident. They cover it because it affects them and because it is news that they care about, says Horn.

The trick is to understand that social media just like any other source has to be interrogated. As journalists we have to make sure the information that we send out is correct, regardless of where we source it from says Shapshak. As such we need to apply rigour to all our data sources. The reason we trust certain brands, such as CNN, is because they have processes in place to verify information, says Shapshak.

Fake news and stories are a problem on social media. Facebooks robots cannot differentiate between whether a story is true or false. This is where humans come in. Journalists are trained to work with a variety of sources; it is what we do, and we have bulls**t detectors. All humans have the ability to filter out what is false and therefore while it is chaos now, it will self-correct, says Horn.

Horn and Shapshak were part of a panel on the relationship between journalists and social media at the recent CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards 2016 Media Forum that took place in northern Johannesburg recently.
The second edition of the 2016 Truth Loyalty Whitepaper, one of the most comprehensive snapshots of the current state of loyalty in South Africa, has been released. It indicates that more South Africans are using loyalty programmes than in 2015 and the biggest growth (at 13%) can be seen among the younger population (under 25 years of age), among those with a household income of R20,000 or less (up 9.5%) and among men (up 7%).

South Africa has seen rapid growth of loyalty programmes available to customers across almost every industry sector. Therefore, the 6% growth in customers who say they are using loyalty programmes more than they did in 2015 is perhaps not surprising. More recently weve seen a number of brands really up their loyalty game in terms of innovation and designing offerings that their customers really want. The figures reflect this because now customers actually experience tangible benefits, says Amanda Cromhout, founder and CEO of Truth.

Jade Kirkel, marketing manager at the Sorbet Group echoes this sentiment, Customers are becoming more and more selective about where they spend their money and rewarding them for choosing your brand should become a significant part of a business strategy. In the past, Sorbet rewards were often a surprise or bonus when you got to the till; now we are making our guests more aware of the benefits hoping that they will start working towards their rewards and tracking their spend until they reach their next one.

Lets get personal

The true extent of the value that companies can derive from data is still being explored. However, customer data that enables brands to target consumers on a more individual level gives those brands an immeasurable advantage through increased relevance and minimised risk. As a result, companies have started to move away from the traditional points-based loyalty model as the key indicator of a loyalty programmes value.

Sonja Fourie, head of ABSA Rewards and VAS explains, Loyalty in South Africa is following the global trend of moving away from pure rewards, earn-and-burn programmes to personal and personalised interactions that stretch further than just name personalisation in emails towards big-data analysis of individual consumer behaviours and needs and the subsequent addressing of those needs.

Cromhout believes this is where brands can make a connection and a lasting impression with customers  by designing covert elements that are tailored according to the individual rather than overt elements such as a generalised birthday voucher that everyone gets. Truth advises clients to place the majority of their focus on the covert elements of their programme. The data-fuelled marketing efforts that enable a company to offer cat lovers discounts on cat food and offer the cash-strapped student money off two-minute noodles  these should form a core part of a companys value proposition, says Cromhout.

Brands need to listen to younger market

South Africa is a young nation  around 66% of the population is below the age of 35. Brands would therefore be remiss to ignore their unique wants and needs. According to the Whitepaper, a collaboration between Truth and WhyFive, positive strides have been made with loyalty programme usage for respondents under the age of 25, showing growth of 13%. This indicates that loyalty programme usage in the younger segment is increasing at double the average growth across all ages, with 60% of all consumers under the age of 25 using loyalty programmes in 2016.

Naturally, mobile adoption in the loyalty space has experienced an exciting surge and Cromhout believes that as this adoption of mobile and omni-channel innovation grows, so too will the interest of younger consumers.

Cash is king  and so are vouchers and discounts

For brands wondering about the preferred types of rewards, the message is simple: cash is king. These monetary benefits can however include discounts, coupons, a voucher or savings. Interestingly, this trend is broadly observed across gender, age and income but more women appear to prefer cash back rewards (at 70%) than men, of whom 56% indicated the same.

According to Cromhout, although a cash-back programme has a hard cost associated with it, the benefit is dramatically increased redemption, which in turn translates into a decreased liability element associated with the loyalty programme. In our experience, an unconditional cash back voucher (ie receive R10 off immediately or off your next purchase) can achieve higher redemption levels as compared to a campaign-led conditional voucher (ie R50 off of R250 spend), where redemption rates can be as low as 2-5%.

Referrals not so popular

Rewarding non-transactional activity, basically any activity other than actual spend, is definitely on the rise, as brands realise the benefits of rewarding numerous interactions during the customer lifecycle. It is therefore important for these brands to know which of these non-transactional activities are appealing to customers and which are not.

The whitepaper reveals that customers are more likely to complete online activities such as responding to online surveys (54% of respondents) and updating details on a brands website (34% of respondents) in exchange for rewards. Meanwhile, by far the least popular non-transactional interaction is referring friends to a programme. This implies that consumers are reluctant to potentially spam their friends or put their reputation on the line by sharing non-relevant content in exchange for reward, says Cromhout.

Who is leading the charge in loyalty?

The results of the 2016 survey show that Pick n Pays Smart Shopper programme remains the number one most used programme in South Africa, with 71% of respondents belonging to the programme whose membership currently sits at approximately 10.7 million. While this ranking is unchanged since last year, a dramatic shift is evidenced in the second spot since 2015. Last year, research showed that Clicks Clubcard and Edgars Thank U shared second place, however, for 2016 Clicks Clubcard has surpassed Edgars Thank U, rising to 62% from 59% while Edgars has dropped by 14% to 45% of respondents.

Interesting to note is that the recent Sunday Times and Top Brands survey saw customers rank Pick n Pay and Clicks as the top two loyalty programmes respectively. While the loyalty landscape continues to become ever more competitive, the solutions are evident for brands wanting to differentiate themselves by offering more compelling value propositions. They just need to listen to their customers.

For more information, click here.
Just this past week, I've had to correct grammar, fix spelling mistakes and rewrite press releases to make PR clients look better than they were portrayed, and to head off a potential social media storm. I also had to send a press release back with suggestions on how to make it newsworthy so that I could publish it. This is not my job, I'm not a PRO.

Image by 123RF

Public relations is often maligned by the media, sometimes unfairly so, as there are excellent PR agencies out there creating internal newsrooms and running social media campaigns and building brand reputation.

What is worrying - is that with the shrinking of media newsrooms, mass retrenchment of sub-editors at some media houses over the past few years, and the loading of more and more responsibilities on journalists in this multi-media world  is that there is no room for error, public relations has to take on more responsibility too.

Public relations agencies need to make sure that their press releases and other work that leaves their offices, headed for a media organisation, journalist and editor, is flawless: written by an experienced writer, subbed by a sub-editor and passed by an editor. By editor, I mean someone who has experience working in a media newsroom, be it a magazine, newspaper, online, television or radio station. Not just by an account manager who may be great at client strategy, but not understand the nuances of the fast-changing media world today.

And by experience, I dont mean the ubiquitous three to five years, as stated in 99% of job ads - 10-20 years is real experience, lets not sugar-coat it to save money on salaries. Someone who has had proper on the job training  there is nothing that can replace that gut feel when something is wrong or just doesnt flow properly.

I have had press releases cross my desk that could have destroyed the career of the client, or cost them business, because of how they were quoted. I have had press releases with so many errors in them, that I could have got the PRO fired if I had sent it to the client with my corrections attached.

But experienced journalists and editors dont do that. We fix your mistakes, reshape press releases, use them as stepping stones to exclusive interviews or content, and build on the relationships. However, newsrooms are getting more youthful and less experienced as media owners downsize and prioritise digital deadlines and journalists that can tweet, write, interview, shoot video, take pictures, create podcasts, etc, - on every single story.

There is no longer any time to fix anyone elses mistakes. The news cycle has speeded up to the extent that we are all running, all of the time. It is easier to just hit the delete button.

Mentorship

Sadly, most PR agencies are lagging behind. It is obvious many still dont understand the 24-hour news cycle, and have no idea how to prep trusted journalists with content in advance to ensure the best coverage for both the media organisation and the PRO's client. Or even how to maintain media networks.

It works both ways of course, many young journalists have no idea how to build networks to source breaking news and build trust, as there are few mentors left in newsrooms; Im told that the inexperience of many media people frustrates my PR friends; and it is harder to build relationships with journalists and editors as beats and specialisation are more rare and staff turnover is high. I worked for newspapers for several years at the start of my career and was mentored by brilliant senior journalists before I was given the responsibility of my first beat as a municipal reporter on a leading daily newspaper. But that was the 1990s. It happens less today.

For the last 20 years Ive worked in business-to-business publishing, where most magazines only have an editor, a salesperson and a layout artist, so many PROs have become an extension of my news gathering operation in the absence of staff: setting up interviews, sourcing quality visuals, and providing background material, alerting me to breaking news, helping me on deadline. Ive had many successful collaborations over the years for great exclusives. Online media is no different. The days of the 100-strong newsroom is gone  this is a global trend.

Which means that there is an opportunity for the public relations industry to step in, by being more professional with how they create, produce and distribute their content. How they come up with content projects or pitch news angles  not just spin  to the media.

Content marketing is an evil we all have to live with to bring in revenue as run-of-paper advertising budgets are squeezed. But the content does not have to be self-promotional rubbish. It can be great thought leadership, exclusive content, fed by access to key clients. Sometimes your job is just to set up the right journalist with the right industry leader.

And get senior journalists and editors in to train your staff; hire them  so many good media people have been retrenched in recent years, but dont turn them into PROs, theyre content specialists; and be more accountable to your clients  they pay you to produce professional work and manage their reputations and those of their brands.

With digital agencies and advertising agencies owning the social media domain and content marketing, the days of the independent public relations agency are numbered  unless they do what they have always done best: nurture those media relationships and access to exclusive content and key brands. Thats something the digital and advertising agencies havent got right yet.

This is a small window of opportunity for the public relations industry to hold on to their territory. They need to own storytelling. And who writes better stories under pressure, to deadline, than journalists?
Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane will on Friday, 21 October, turn the sod for the construction of the R18bn Vaal Gamagara Water Project in the Northern Cape.

Phase one of the project, which is an 82km pipeline, will stretch from Roscoe in Kathu to Black Rock.

The maximum capacity of the current scheme is 2,500m3/h and the new scheme will be able to supply a peak demand of 5200m3/h, including future water supply to Botswana. The system will be upgraded by replacing the existing pipeline with a larger diameter pipeline, the department said.

The original scheme was built 56 years ago and is beyond its lifespan. It no longer has the capacity to supply sufficient water to satisfy the increased demand brought about by mines, municipalities and agricultural production.

On completion, beneficiaries of phase one will include 14 livestock farms, 12 mines, solar parks and the communities of Kathu, Olifantshoek and Hotazel, benefiting a population of 23,499.

The driving force for the increased demand is the expanding iron ore and manganese mining operations.

Some of the mines that will benefit include Khumani, Sishen Iron Ore (Kumba), Mamatwan, Tshipi e Ntle Manganese, United Manganese of the Kalahari, Kudumane Mineral Resources, Kgalagadi Manganese, Hotazel, Wessels, Gloria, Black Rock and other prospecting mines.
The United Nations has made the gathering of data on girls across the world the coming year's focus. Marking the International Day of the Girl Child , it issued a call for action for increased investment in collecting and analysing data that's focused on and relevant to girls.

Robust and reliable data collected on a regular basis is essential for policy making. According to the UN, improving data on girls is critical to fulfilling the new global 2030 roadmap and the Sustainable Development Goals.

CC BY Participants in the Finote Hiwot project to end child, early and forced marriage in Ethiopia. Department for International Development/Jessica Lea

For Africa, girl-focused and girl-relevant data is a critical tool for identifying the challenges that continue to disadvantage girls. This will enable African politicians, lawmakers and civil society to better understand the barriers that confront girls and design policies and services to respond to their specific needs.

Africa still has a long way to go for girls to fully realise their rights.

A report from Save the Children ranked Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia as the hardest places in the world to be a girl. Research indicates that the rates of enrolment for school aged girls in primary education in sub-Sahran Africa are below 1990s levels.

The 2015 UN Women Beijing +20 Report points to Africa as having the highest prevalence of physical or sexual violence in world. According to the UN, 4 in 10 girls marry before age 18 and UNICEF has warned that the number of child brides across Africa is expected to triple by 2050.

The question that needs to be answered is: why do sexual violence and forced marriage continue to be pervasive vehicles for injustice against girls in Africa, even though there are various laws and regulations that African governments can use to protect girl children?

The answer is twofold.

First, there is a limit to the ability of the law to change ingrained social and cultural attitudes that suppress girls and discriminate against them.

Second, a top down approach (such as structural changes in law and policy) must be integrated with a bottom up approach that targets the hearts and minds of local communities.

The shared goal is clear: to enhance and amplify Africas girl power.

Legal instruments

African states have a number of regional and international instruments that they can rely on to help tackle sexual violence and forced marriage. These include the:

International law has given girls rights some visibility and sets out the duties of states in respect of these rights. For example, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1979 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child

have been used to emphasise that culture and tradition do not justify the failure of states to intervene and prevent traditional practices that foster discrimination and violence against women and girls.

GNB/Sophie Drouet

There are signs that a number of African states are taking positive steps to combat violence against girls. For instance The Gambia and Tanzania have banned child marriage, with tough sanctions for those who breach the law. Other countries are under pressure to follow suit. In Malawi the Ministry of Gender, Children and Community Development is mandated to tackle violence against women, including child marriages.

This top-down approach seeks to provide a legal infrastructure that national authorities can use to prevent and respond to forced marriage and sexual violence.

But social and cultural barriers can nullify national laws and strategies.

Societal and cultural barriers

Sexual violence and forced marriage thrive in a climate of gender inequality and discrimination. This is true for girls living in conflict as well as non-conflict situations.

A report on child marriage by Save the Children notes that:

 in many contexts, it is sustained as a result of harmful social norms and practices associated with the roles and expectations assigned to girls, and the negative consequences of poverty and deprivation.

Patriarchy is present in many societies in Africa and is perpetuated through social, cultural and religious norms and practices. These reinforce the subordinated position of women and girls in both public and private spheres.

Females who are victimised also have to cope with negative responses from their families and communities. This serves to shift fault or blame away from the perpetrators to the victims.

Many of those who escaped from the jihadist group Boko Haram face taunts of being called Boko Haram wives. And girls who fall pregnant and bear children are ostracised.

In northern Uganda former girl soldiers  girls who were abducted and drafted by the Lords Resistance Army  and were sexually exploited as bush wives live with significant physical and mental trauma. Their trauma is compounded by physical and verbal abuse from their communities.

The perceived inferiority of girls is reinforced by ideologies around chastity, virginity and the perceived roles girls should adopt in their families and societies.

This means that addressing the victimisation of girls also demands tackling the stigmatisation they face.

Such a bottom-up approach, combined with top-down implementation, can strengthen and sustain initiatives for promoting girls empowerment.

Africas girl power

Girls must be allowed to decide, free of coercion or violence, about their futures. Many girls across the continent are asserting their rights and raising their voices. Social media campaigns such as #GirlsTakeover and #BecauseiamaGirl convey a global message of awareness and action. They have drawn attention to the challenges girls face and have amplified stories of resilience, survival and empowerment.

Girls must be provided with the information, education and services they need to enable them to take their lives into their own hands.

For Africa, girl-focused and girl-relevant data provides a gateway for telling the stories of girls across the continent, the challenges that stifle their full potential and the best means to overcome them.


Hortgro invested R2.5m in bursaries and the development of students for 2016. Over the past 10 years, Hortgro has spent R20m on bursaries as an investment in budding agriculturalists.

Hortgro bursary holders at the function in Stellenbosch - (from left) Lebotse Kamogelo, Faith Mokapane and Msizi Mdakiane.

Hopefully over time most of you will find your niche somewhere in our sector specifically, but also agriculture at large, where we know there are a lot of opportunities, Hortgro executive director Anton Rabe told the group of students at a cocktail event held at the South African Plant Improvement Organisation (SAPO) Trust in Stellenbosch.

According to Rabe, 65 students had received financial support and were spread across institutions including the Elsenburg College of Agriculture, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of Limpopo, Pretoria University, and Stellenbosch University. The students, who were predominantly from previously disadvantaged groups, were given a tour of the SAPO Trust facilities followed by a motivational talk by Hortgro Science Crop Production Programme manager Prof Wiehann Steyn.

Steyn, who was a Hortgro bursary holder at various stages of his academic career, used his personal story to encourage students. All of you who are studying and have received a bursary are extremely privileged to be part of an elite group who gets the opportunity to study, Steyn said. He told the group that recognising his privilege provided him with enormous motivation when things got tough.

In the audience was a 22-year-old Hortgro bursary holder with big dreams. Faith Mokapane is studying towards a BSc Agric in Horticulture and Plant Pathology and sees herself as a farm owner in the not too distant future. But first, she plans to further her studies. I plan to do my Masters in postharvest pomegranate, she said with much excitement.
South Africa has formally requested to withdraw from the Rome Statute, a treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On Wednesday, 19 October 2016, after Cabinet approval, the South African government sent an instrument of withdrawal letter to the United Nations Secretary-General explaining its intention, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha confirmed on Friday.

Written notice to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court has been submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in accordance with Article 127(1) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The withdrawal will take effect one year after the Secretary-General has received the notification. South Africa will remain obligated under the Rome Statute for the duration of the 12 months notice period, Minister Masutha said.

The Justice and Correctional Services Ministry has already informed in writing the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the NCOP of this executive decision.

Minister Masutha said the decision to withdraw was an executive one.

Authority to negotiate and enter into agreements is up to executive. But until Parliament withdraws from the Rome Statute, our legal obligations will remain.

The ICC, which opened in July 2002, has 124 member states. It was set up as a means to try war criminals and perpetrators of genocide, who were never tried in their home countries.

South Africa was the first African country to assent to the ICC and adopted the courts founding Rome Statute into domestic law.

However, Minister Masutha said the South African government has found its obligations, with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, at times incompatible with the interpretation given by the ICC.

'Targeted'

Other African Union member states have accused the ICC of unfairness in servicing its mandate. They claim the court is targeting African states over other members.

Since its inception, the ICC has opened probes involving eight nations - all of which are African. These are Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda and Mali.

Minister Masutha explained that last year's legal arguments around the failure to detain Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir pinpointed Pretorias main problem with the ICC obligation to arrest heads of state.

Bashir is wanted by the ICC in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity over atrocities committed in the Darfur conflict.

Bashir was attending an African Union summit in Johannesburg last year. He was allowed to leave South Africa, even though the High Court in Pretoria had ordered authorities to prevent him from doing so. The Supreme Court of Appeal also dismissed the State's appeal against the high court ruling.

Minister Masutha said an application for leave to appeal the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal, set down for hearing at the Constitutional Court on 22 November 2016, will now be withdrawn.

This is so, especially as the Supreme Court of Appeal has removed the uncertainty around customary international law in relation to diplomatic immunity, in so far as it affects heads of states and others who may be wanted for serious violations of human rights and other serious crimes but who enjoy diplomatic immunity under international customary law.

SAs diplomatic mission

Elaborating on the reasons behind South Africas exit from the ICC, Minister Masutha said in exercising its international relations with foreign countries, particularly with countries in which serious conflicts occur, South Africa has been hindered by the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC Act, 2 (Act No 27 of 2002).

This act and the Rome Statute compel South Africa to arrest persons who may enjoy diplomatic immunity under customary international law but who are wanted by the court.

South Africa has had to do so, even under circumstances where we are actively involved in promoting peace, stability and dialogue in those countries, said the Minister.

He said the implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC Act, 2002, is in conflict and inconsistent with the provisions of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, 2001, which provides for the immunities and privileges of diplomatic missions and consular posts and their members, heads of states, special envoys and certain representatives.

We wish to give effect to the rule of customary international law, which recognises the diplomatic immunity of heads of state and others in order to effectively promote dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts wherever they may occur, particularly on the African continent, the Minister said.

Quizzed about South Africas rationale of choosing the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act over the ICC obligations, Minister Masutha said South Africas wish is to remain a key player in conflict resolution in Africa.

What may need to happen is that we host conflicting parties, thus our international legal obligations may hinder our efforts to remain a key player in conflict resolution in Africa.

Aligning international and local law obligations

In order to ensure South Africas continued ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, a bill proposing the repeal of the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act, 2002 will soon be tabled in Parliament.

The focus, Minister Masutha said, is on ensuring that South Africas international law obligations are fully aligned with local law obligations, without contradiction.

Despite sending an instrument of withdrawal letter, Minister Masutha stressed that South Africa remains committed to the fight against impunity and to hold accountable those who have committed crimes against humanity and other serious crimes.

Our unwavering commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights throughout Africa and elsewhere in the world is further demonstrated by our continued participation in various international and continental human rights instruments.

The Minister said South Africa will work closely with the African Union and with other countries in Africa to strengthen continental bodies, such as the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, created to deal with such crimes and to prosecute the perpetrators.

South Africa will continue to actively promote dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the African continent and elsewhere.
The Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) has launched a property portal specialising in the Cape Town CBD area.

A first for a South African city improvement district (CID), the CCIDs property portal aims to enable buyers to search specifically for commercial, retail, residential or light industrial property for sale, for rent or on auction.

CCID chairperson Rob Kane explains: When the CCIDs website was redesigned last year with a Central City first theme, it provided the perfect opportunity for ours to become the first downtown in South Africa to offer this free service to both brokers and property seekers.

The CCID constantly looks to innovate, and providing this one-stop portal for all types of properties in the CBD is another way in which we can offer a tangible service that our stakeholders will be able to use on a regular basis.

Listings for free

All listings will be free of charge, says CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos. This is a value-add service that the CCID is bringing to its property partners and, in turn, all those who have an interest in finding property in our area. The only prerequisite to the free listing is that the property absolutely must fall within the CCIDs footprint.

As with other property websites, visitors will be able to search either within a category or price range, or  in terms of residential property  by number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

For more information, go to www.capetownccid.org.
The state was not a "free for all", said MPs arguing against free higher education. They said it was not practical, too costly and would eat up at least a quarter of the country's gross domestic product if it were implemented.

MPs on Tuesday, 18 October 2016, discussed the findings of research by the parliamentary budget office, which presented an analysis of the cost of higher education and other funding models to the standing committee on appropriations.

The budget office provides independent advice and analysis to parliament on matters relating to budgets and money bills.

The discussion came as the fees commission sitting in Pretoria considers submissions from various stakeholders, including Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande.

The committee heard that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme recovered only 12% of student loans.

According to the research, paying for all undergraduate enrolments would cost the government more than R250-billion in additional funds in the medium term, or over the next three years.

It found that only 30% of students starting their first year graduate within three years, 56% within five years.

Institutions of higher learning have been hotbeds of violent protest over the past four weeks, with students demanding free and "decolonised" education.

On Tuesday, four University of Cape Town students were arrested when protesters clashed with private security guards when they tried to gain access to the library.

People in balaclavas triggered the fire alarm at the chemical engineering faculty and attempted to enter the building. But they were stopped after a tussle with the head of department, Eric van Steen.

At Wits University, on Tuesday, about 100 academics and staff who were protesting outside the Great Hall have accused management of subjecting students to "police excesses".

"The minute police come on campus, they don't ask questions, they just spray water and start shooting," said Wits staff member Tumisho Madihlaba.

"When students retaliate to those rubber bullets, they are labelled 'violent'."

Speaking in parliament during a sitting of the standing committee on appropriations, Ahmed Shaik Emam, of the National Freedom Party, said the poor graduating rate was part of the problem, as was the quality of basic education.

"There is this perception that the state is a cash cow; you just get and get. A 12% recovery rate [for student loans] is very low, he said.

"These graduates are supposed to go and get employed so they can start paying [their loan back]. But I don't think there's a will to even do that. [They say]: 'It's not my money; it's state money.'

"I don't personally believe the country is really in a position to be able to provide free education at this point."

Source: The Times
Stellenbosch has reaffirmed its status as South Africa's Food Capital by clinching seven of the 20 nominations for the coveted 2016 Eat Out Top Ten Restaurants Awards - South Africa's food Oscars. Fuelled with a wealth of creative, culinary talent and top end gourmet distinction, Stellenbosch continues to push the culinary boundaries.

The seven nominees are all based on Stellenbosch Wine Routes wine farms, highlighting the routes booming wine tourism offerings with more restaurants opening their doors on wine farms.

Indochine's Beef Tartare Starter

They nominations are:

Indochine at Delaire Graff Estate  headed up by Chef Virgil Kahn, lauded for his Asian menu and styling on the Top 20 shortlist for the past three years now.

Jordan Restaurant  run under the auspices of Chef George Jardine who also opened up his new signature fine dining eatery in the heart of Stellies, Restaurant Jardine, earlier this year.

Overture Restaurant at Hidden Valley  the culinary jewel of multi-talented Bertus Basson who needs no introduction. This much-lauded chef is at his best with bold, innovative dishes that put flavour first.

Rust en Vrede Restaurant- situated on the starlit Annandale strip where Chef John Shuttleworths graceful food and intricate combinations of elements and flavours whets appetites with world-class service.

Terroir at Kleine Zalze Estate  consistently rated amongst SAs finest eateries thanks to Chef Michael Broughton and his team. A master saucier, Michael is renowned for his classic French cooking techniques presented in contemporary, seasonal fare.

Virgil Khan, Indochine Delaire George Jardine, Jordan Restaurant Bertus Basson, Overture

John Shuttleworth, Rust en Vrede Michael Broughton, Terroir Restaurant

The other two nominated restaurants are situated on the outskirts of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes and form part of the Helderberg sub-route. They are The Restaurant at Waterkloof Estate, a hillside-perched venue in wrap-around glass that offers spectacular views and a premier dining experience. This Restaurant in the sky scored its first Top Ten ranking last year, with the super creative and talented Gregory Czarnecki heading up the kitchen.

Completing the magnificent seven is Camphors at Vergelegen Estate. Headed up by culinary genius Michael Cooke, the restaurant is lauded for its high-quality food and clever food and wine pairings enjoyed in a polished yet casual setting.

Stellenbosch, South Africas first and foremost wine route, has long been regarded as one of the countrys most beautiful and cultured destinations thanks to, amongst others, its heritage, entrancing landscapes and collection of world-class restaurants and iconic wine estates.

These latest foodie accolades along with a myriad of local and international awards garnered by our esteemed wine ambassadors throughout 2016, reaffirms our reputation as the Food & Wine Capital of South Africa. In our company, you are in for exceptional wines and gastronomic excellence forged from our regions illustrious past and future. Our City of Oaks truly is the centre of epicurean distinction, shares Elmarie Rabe, Stellenbosch Wine Routes Manager.

The Eat Out Top Ten Restaurant will be announced on 20 November.
Uber has welcomed the Competition Commission's decision not to refer a complaint against it by the metered taxi industry to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution.

Samantha Allenberg, the head of communications at Uber Africa, said on Thursday the company was pleased to see that the commission "has ensured that the public has access to a marketplace that thrives on innovation and change".

In the complaint lodged with the commission, the metered taxi industry said Uber operated unfairly "in that it secures partnerships with multinational firms and this gives it unparalleled access to the market". Uber also misleads the public by its notion of job creation for drivers and does not comply with South African public rules and regulations, said the metered taxi industry.

It also complained that Uber flooded the market with vehicles because it did not have to comply with licensing and other public transport regulations. In addition, the metered taxi industry said Uber charged prices that were below costs.

The metered taxi industry now has 20 business days to refer the complaint directly to the tribunal if it disagrees with the commission's decision. A direct referral is unusual but not unheard of.

One of the highest profile direct referrals was lodged by Nationwide Poles in a case against Sasol more than 10 years ago. The Competition Commission had decided not to refer the complaint and so Nationwide Poles went directly to the tribunal and won the case. However, the tribunal's decision was appealed at the Competition Appeal Court where it was overturned.

Allenberg said competition authorities across the world had been among the first government agencies to come out in support of innovative transportation platforms. "This is an exciting time to be a consumer," she said.

On Thursday Transaction Capital said neither it nor SA Taxi were parties to the commission's proceedings and so could not comment on the matter.

Source: Business Day
The saga of Oakbay Investments continues with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa expressing its concerns about claims that money held in trust for mine rehabilitation was diverted and used for other purpose as suggested in the affidavit submitted by the minister of finance, Pravin Gordhan.

The affidavit suggests that funds that were held in trust by Optimum Mines, specifically for mine rehabilitation, may have been released for purposes other than restoring environmental damage. This would amount to an unacceptably deleterious outcome to human wellbeing, the organisation says.

CEO of WWF South Africa, Dr Morne du Plessis, said: I have requested an urgent meeting with Minister Mosebenzi Zwane to discuss the measures that his ministry and the department of mineral resources have in place to ensure that we will never face a situation as implied in the court documents, namely that even one cent of funds set aside (by law) for rectifying environmental damage of mining activity be diverted to any use other than for what it was intended.

He adds: WWF will leave no stone unturned to ensure that human wellbeing is protected from the long-term degradation that may result from the extraction of mineral resources from our South African soil.

By their very nature mining operations have a devastating impact on the environment. More than this aspect are the consequences of such damage to the livelihoods and the wellbeing of communities in the vicinity of mines.

Many of the specific impacts of mining usually relate to a reduction in the quality of water sources and land around such sites, with concomitant impacts on human and animal health, and the consequent deterioration in human wellbeing and the destruction of livelihoods.

It is for this reason that companies are required by law to set aside money for rehabilitation. However, research published in a 2012 WWF report indicates that mining companies are not fulfilling this obligation adequately. Furthermore, a joint report by the department and the Council for Geoscience in 2015 estimates that rehabilitating South Africas derelict and owner-less mines and treating polluted water from these operations will cost almost R60bn.

Recognising the urgent need to ensure that further liability is not transferred to the state and by extension society at large, new and more onerous financial provisioning requirements were introduced in 2015 and are now governed by the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

Importantly this now makes provision for the rehabilitation of long-term impacts, particularly water related impacts, such as acid mine drainage associated with coal and gold mining, that may only become apparent in years to come. Such funds (either in the form of a financial guarantee or which are deposited into a specific accounted administered by the minister or the department) must be held for the specific purpose of environmental rehabilitation after mine closure.
It's been a tough week for Oakbay Investments. CEO, Nazeem Howa quit, the finance minister virtually thumbed his nose at the company's suggestion that he withdraw his court application for an investigation into financial transactions valued at R6,8bn. Now they have to fend off media speculation that a pre-payment from Eskom was siphoned off to pay for the Optimum Coal Holdings (OCH) acquisitions from Glencore.

The activity forms part of the application made by finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, and is based on a letter by the business rescue practitioners for Optimum Coal Mine (OCM) reporting the transaction to the South African Reserve Bank.

Source: The Presidency/ENCA

Oakbay says: This is yet another inherently flawed attempt by media to create a sensational story out of nothing.

A statement issued by the company reads:

The contents of the queries are wrong and factually incorrect.

The vehicle that acquired the shares of the seven target companies that previously belonged to OCH was Tegeta Exploration & Resources.

Tegeta is not  and has never been  in business rescue. As such, the structure of Tegetas consideration for the target companies, was no twithin the remit/scope of the business rescue practitioners in any shape or form.

Tegeta received the pre-payment not Optimum.

Tegeta had been supplying coal to Eskom since January 2016 on a short-term supply basis, and receiving payments for that supply. By definition, the pre-payment received by Tegeta in April 2016 from Eskom was for continuing supply, In other words, the pre-payment was perfectly legitimate and Tegeta was entitled to do with the proceeds as it saw fit.

The pre-payment was agreed against onerous provisions including: a 3,5% discount in favour of Eskom, securities in place, due delivery of the required coal and strict quality compliance criteria.

Tegeta could have obtained finance from any other source or business venture or bank, we utilised the money as we deemed appropriate. This is not in any way, inappropriate.

There was no need to inform business rescue practitioners as our negotiations with Eskom has no bearing or relevance to them. The coal being supplied by Tegeta was being purchased from Optimum and for which we had separate agreements from time to time and business rescue practitioners, who were in control of the business, were fully aware of this. We took the necessary steps to ensure increase in coal supply and even delivered prior to the deadline date.

Tegeta completed the acquisition of Optimum in April 2016 with the full approval of the business rescue practitioners and other regulators. Optimum was also released from its business rescue status on 30 August 2016.

Tegeta has not received any notification from any regulatory body that anything untoward has taken place, in respect of the above.

Earlier this year, some of the countrys biggest financial institutions terminated their relationship with Oakbay. The company is owned by the now-notorious Gupta family, against whom there has been numerous allegations of state capture and corruption related to their close relationship with President Jacob Zuma.
Can be used for meetings, hearings, workshops, discussions, training, workspace, events, presentations, demonstrations, brainstorming, strategic planning, Cape Town based space, etc. Cost Full-day: R 1,095 for eight hours Half-day: R 765 for four hours

-Seats 18 comfortably around three round tables of six each

-Room configuration is flexible

-Can hire, if additional chairs if required

-Air-conditioning

-Flat screen monitor

-Data projector available to rent (extra)

-Wi-Fi

-Flip chart stands and rails

-Variable lighting

-Comfortable, modern, stylish seating

-Standard set-up: round tables; other options available, i.e. school room or board room

-Monday to Friday from 07.00 till 18.00 (not open on weekends or evenings)

-Conveniently located on MyCiTi bus route - close to bus stops for a number of routes

-No parking available on premises

-Street parking available in area and Kloof Lifestyle Centre is two blocks away with undercover pay parking

Catering

-Standard package - R20 per person. Arrival, morning and afternoon refreshments which includes: water/tea/coffee/biscuits

-Treat package - R40 to R50 per person. Arrival, morning and afternoon refreshments which includes: water/tea/coffee/juice/biscuits/pastries/muffins/table sweets

-Lunch package - R25 per person. Standard package plus in-room lunch, including ordering take aways, cutlery, crockery and cleaning (actual take away food order cost not included).
"Americans voting for a president on 8 November must realize that they are voting for peace on Planet Earth if they vote for Trump. But if they vote for Hillary it's war. It will be a short movie. There will be Hiroshimas and Nagasakis everywhere."

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?



Speaking during Wednesday's presidential debate, Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton revealed to tens of millions of television viewers thatNational security officials and military commanders were upset by Clinton disclosing what should be considered classified information. Her disclosure came just as the fitness of Clinton to hold the nation's nuclear codes.Even officials in other countries were concerned about Hillary Clinton's casual relationship with what is considered protected information, especially those nations that at times must allow their military forces to work with the United States.Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist Russian politicians who is one of Vladimir Putin's staunchest allies, said Americans should vote for Donald Trump or risk a nuclear war. Zhirinovsky said that electing Trump would be awhile electing Hillary Clinton would lead to warfare. The Russian press claims the powerful leader was referring to Iran which, despite the Obama denials, will not only have a nuclear bomb but may also develop a delivery system that can strike the U.S. mainland or American interests throughout the globe.Zhirinovsky is a flamboyant and colorful individual typically offering brazen, even outrageous, comments, which appeal to the nationalist segment of the Russian electorate. His pro-Putin Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) came third in Russia's parliamentary elections last month.He is a long-time political insider who has had a seat in the Duma for more than two decades, and is especially close to Putin.The Daily Express notes that as a close ally of Putin, Zhirinovsky has regularly been used to float policy ideas.Zhirinovsky told Reuters Zhirinovsky said he thought Trump would keep the United States out of foreign conflicts such as those currently going on in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and Iraq. He added that Trump could even win a Nobel peace prize.Zhirinovsky said.The Express notes that in 2013, Zhirinovsky vigorously campaigned for a proposal intriguingly similar to one of Trump's main campaign ideas: a border wall. Zhirinovsky three years ago called for building a defensive system - consisting of a barbed wire fence, watch towers, and even mine-fields - to better control the movement of people from the majority Muslim North Caucasus region into Russia.Zhirinovsky has also been dogged by allegations of crude misogyny. In 2014 he was threatened with criminal charges he ordered one of his aides to rape a reporter, but the Kremlin interfered and the case was dropped.Zhirinovsky found an especially inviting target in former U.S. secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, unleashing a stream of ugly racist and deeply offensive comments against her.Zhirinovsky first won a seat in the Duma in the elections of 1993, promising voters that if his party won power, Russian men would get cheaper vodka and Russian women would get sexier lingerie. During the interview with Reuters, Zhirinovsky described Clinton as "an evil mother-in law" and said it was too great a risk for a powerful country to be led by a woman.
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MISSOULA  Actress Lily Gladstone says she and everyone who worked on "Certain Women" knew that director Kelly Reichardt's film was special.

Whether its quiet, contemporary stories about four women in the Livingston area reached audiences or would be a sleeper hit was the open question.

A recent string of recognition indicates that the film, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, is reaching viewers.

"When anyone is nominated, it's a validation that the project is as spectacular as you thought," she said in a phone interview from Oregon, adding that "it's exciting that Kelly's work is being picked up by a more mainstream audience all the time."

Last weekend, "Certain Women" won best film at the 60th London Film Festival, put on by the British Film Institute.

On Thursday morning, the nominations for the Independent Film Project's Gotham Awards were announced. The film is in competition for Best Feature, going up against against Richard Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some!!," Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester by the Sea," Barry Jenkin's "Moonlight" and Jim Jarmusch's "Paterson."

Meanwhile, Gladstone, a 30-year-old Native Montanan, was nominated for Breakthrough Actor.

Gladstone's competitors for the award are Lucas Hedges ("Manchester by the Sea"), Royalty Hightower ("The Fits"), Sasha Lane ("American Honey") and Anya Taylor-Joy ("The Witch").

A win would put Gladstone in the company of esteemed actors, all of whom were acknowledged not long before they did indeed break through to the mainstream. Previous winners include Melissa Leo ("Frozen River"), Ellen Page ("Juno"), Amy Adams ("Junebug"), Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Secretary") and Michelle Rodriguez ("Girlfight").

The winners will be announced on Monday, Nov. 28, at a ceremony in New York, which Gladstone will attend with Reichardt.

Gladstone said the award and nominations demonstrate that audiences are hungry for complex films. She said "Certain Women" has an underlying theme of entitlement: what various characters feel they're owed and how they try to achieve it, but added that Reichardt doesn't manipulate the audience or underline that theme too overtly.

"It's nice that audiences are drawn to works that haunt them and don't hand everything to you," she said. "This one does touch a deep nerve for a lot of people on a lot of different levels."

Gladstone learned of the award when she checked her phone Thursday morning and found a stream of text messages and Facebook notifications from friends and family. She also has a following with fans of co-star Kristen Stewart who keep her up-to-date on new articles.

She said she was stunned, made a call to her mother, and then had to head to work: "I'm in the middle of a work week. I'm excited and honored and overwhelmed and elated and moving on" to her next projects.

Gladstone is currently in Ashland, Oregon, working on an Oregon Shakespeare Festival production for next summer, "Off the Rails," an adaptation of the Bard's "Measure for Measure." She and her agent are discussing other movies that are in the earliest stages, ones that she can't discuss publicly.

Reichardt wrote the screenplay based on short stories from Helena native Maile Meloy's collection "Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It."

The film is structured in three parts, each focused on a separate character. Laura Dern plays an attorney dealing with a difficult client; Michelle Williams stars a woman seeking a pile of sandstone from an elderly man's yard to build her Montana dream house. In the final and longest section, Kristen Stewart portrays a recent law school graduate teaching a night class in a rural community. Gladstone, a solitary ranch worker, happens upon the course and develops a connection with Stewart, who seems to interrupt the stillness of her routine.

Rolling Stone listed Gladstone among 12 "breakout stars," and Variety called her performance "revelatory."

Gladstone was cast based on a video audition for her character, who has a significant amount of screen time but not an overabundance of dialogue. She said Reichardt wondered aloud if Gladstone's and Kalispell-born Williams' comfort with silence is a "Montana thing."

Gladstone grew up in Browning on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, with tribal affiliations including Kainai, Amskapi Piikani and Nimi'ipuu First Nations. Her family moved to Seattle when she was 11. She returned to Montana to study theater at the University of Montana and has toured nationally with the Montana Repertory Theatre, a professional company in residence at UM.

In addition to theater-based social justice work, she's had roles in a number of Montana-made films: "Winter in the Blood," Alex and Andrew Smith's adaptation of James Welch's novel; director Arnaud Desplechin's "Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian," which starred Benicio del Toro; and "Buster's Mal Heart," a film by Sarah Adina Smith that features "Mr. Robot" star Rami Malek that's now in limited release.

"Certain Women," shot in the Livingston area with ultra-realist Montana winter gray, premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It had its home-state premiere in early October at the Montana Film Festival.
A man who admitted to 12 child sex abuse charges was sentenced Thursday to 100 years to the Montana State Prison.

Jared Addison Terhune, 40, was sentenced by Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael Moses.

Terhune pleaded guilty in August to five counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and four counts of sexual abuse of children.

Moses issued a sentence of 100 years on each charge, although the sentences will run at the same time.

Five children between ages 2 to 13 reported being abused by Terhune while at Sunshine Daycare or after meeting him there. Terhune's mother, Sunshine West, ran the home day care in the Heights.

The mother of one of the victims said her daughter cringes around men she does not know. The child will not wear a bathing suit. Her daughter's innocence is gone, she said.

"Why let him out? Hes a predator," the victim's mother said. "He preyed on innocent children through his mothers daycare."

Another victim's mother submitted a statement about how the abuse has changed her daughter's life. The woman described how her daughter came forward to protect her younger sister. The girl blames herself for Terhune's imprisonment, the woman said. The girl's mother also shoulders blame for not protecting her daughter, the statement said.

Sunshine Daycare, at 432 Declaration Ave., was licensed as a family child care center since 2010 with an enrollment of six children. It closed in August 2014, a month after the first report of abuse was made to police.

West was the listed care provider for the Sunshine Daycare according to the State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

According to court documents, Terhune was in charge of the children when West was not present.

Terhune no longer denies any of the charges. Terhune said everything the children had reported was true. He also admitted to possessing pornography of children under the age of 12.

Child pornography makes children into repeat victims every time someone views these images, Senior Deputy County Attorney Mary Barry said. There are no mitigating factors in this case, Barry said.

Terhune took the stand at the sentencing and said he was molested from the age of eight until he was 10 years old. The guilt these victims will feel for the rest of their lives is something no child should have to live with, Terhune said.

"I should have just killed myself a long time ago, I know that now," Terhune said.

He said he wished he had gotten treatment sooner.

"Ill do everything I can to make things as right as I can," Terhune said. "Im so very sorry. There is nothing I can say that will make anything I did right."

Terhune's past history of victimization did not excuse his actions, Moses said.

"Of all the people who can understand the pain and suffering of these victims, why he would do that to someone else boggles the mind," Moses said. "Harm that has been caused here is just simply incalculable and horrendous."

Though Terhune's attorney requested that Michael Moses suspend 75 years of Terhune's sentence, Moses said it was not his place to do that.

"Can he be reintegrated into society, I cant answer that," Moses said. "Im not smart enough to deal with that. Im just a judge."

Terhune's mother was called to testify in court, but ended up declining to take the stand in Terhune's defense.

West operated a day care from 1998-2007, closed for three years, and then reopened in 2010.

Before 2010, West was licensed for group home child care as well as family care. In a group home, West looked after up to 12 children at a time and would have needed a second adult to look after the children. A second staff member's name was not listed in state records.

An 8-year-old alleged Terhune had abused her since she was 5 or 6.

West told the 8 year-old victim's mother that police had arrested Terhune for molesting children. The mother asked her 8-year-old later if Terhune had ever touched her, and the girl began to cry. The girl reported Terhune had told her it was "a secret between them."

According to court documents, a child who was 7 reported the abuse to officers in July 2014. The girl formerly lived in an apartment in the basement of the day care.

The child said Terhune touched her vagina while he was wrestling with her. He also touched her during a camping trip with the day care, court documents state.

Another 7-year-old reported Terhune had assaulted her while she was asleep and tried to bribe her with pie to show him her underwear.

A 13-year-old reported Terhune touched her in July 2013, when she awoke during a backyard camping trip to find her pants undone.

A search of Terhunes electronic devices revealed an extensive collection of child pornography. There was also a printed image of child pornography found in Terhune's possession.

Since 1998, 40 children have been enrolled in some type of day care through West, according to DPHHS records.
Great Falls attorney Kristen Juras sought to undercut the reputation of Cascade County Judge Dirk Sandefur in a new campaign attack Thursday that alleges her opponent violated ethics rules with a television ad that used a backdrop common to judicial campaigns: a courtroom.

Juras and Sandefur are competing for an open seat on the Montana Supreme Court in a race that has drawn more than $1 million in political fundraising, including by outside groups, and at a pace that could surpass a record set in 2014. Much of that campaign cash has been spent on television ads and mailers.

Juras said that Sandefurs use of video footage of himself inside a courtroom is an obvious violation of the judicial code that reads, a judge or a judicial candidate shall not: use court staff, facilities, or other court resources in a campaign for judicial office.

As a sitting judge, Sandefur is fully aware of these ethical rules. Yet he has deliberately disregarded them in his campaign for the states highest judicial office, she said in a statement. The message he is sending out is that he is above the law. He ought to pull those ads down to minimize the damage done.

Sandefur countered that previous Supreme Court candidates have used courtroom settings in their campaign ads, and that furthermore, he sought  and received  an opinion from the state commissioner of political practices as to the legitimacy of the tactic before running the ad.

Sandefur argues that the most critical part of the ethics code, in this instance, is the first few words of that rule, which Juras omitted in her press release: except as permitted by law. He said he is not, in fact, violating judicial code because he is permitted by law to use images from the courtroom in his campaign, citing an advance opinion he received from the Commissioner of Political Practices.

He also noted that a 2005 attorney general opinion  written by Mike McGrath, who now serves as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court  that broadly found public officials do not give up their rights to free speech, so long as it is not done on public time or the publics dime. Sandefur said the television ads at question were filmed in 2015 during non-court hours and are are no different from the images of public buildings numerous other judges have used in campaign ads.

A cursory web search pulls up several such ads, including those used in judicial campaigns by 2014 Supreme Court candidate Lawrence VanDyke, current Supreme Court Justices McGrath and Mike Wheat, Justice Beth Baker of Helena and Judge Nels Swandal of Livingston.

Juras malicious allegations are demonstrably false and defamatory, Sandefur said in a statement. "Whether deliberately or only negligently misleading, Juras' amateurish legal analysis clearly shows not only her lack of legal expertise but also a disturbing lack of personal and professional integrity in attempting such a political smear for political advantage."

Juras disagreed, calling the judicial code an additional layer of rules for judicial candidates that sometimes go above and beyond those set for other candidates in state campaign laws.

I dont believe (the commissioner of political practices) intended his letter to be an exception to the judicial code of ethics, she said.

Juras Spokesman Chuck Denowh further argued that just because other judicial candidates had used courtroom footage doesnt mean they should have.

Just because no one has filed a complaint about this before doesnt excuse the practice, Denowh said. An opinion of the commissioner of political practices does not carry the weight of law, and hes citing an attorney general opinion that has been supplanted by these rules adopted in 2008. Unless it is expressly authorized, it is prohibited.

Denowh declined to say whether Juras has filed a state bar complaint against Sandefur, saying generally the process is confidential unless the bar decides on disciplinary action.

Members of the state bar and Judicial Standards Commission could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

In March 2015, about a month after Sandefur announced he was running, he sought an advisory opinion from the commissioner of political practices on using photos from his courtroom in campaign ads.

The opinion, written by Jonathan Motl, said Sandefur could use photos taken in his Cascade County courtroom on his campaign website and other campaign materials.

Motls advisory opinion focused on two issues  public time and public equipment. The opinion assumes Sandefur wouldnt use public equipment to take the photos and points out prohibiting Sandefur from using the photos could create a situation where someone who is not currently a judge could use a courtroom for the backdrop of campaign photos, but a judge could not.

Sandefur in asking for the opinion pointed out court proceedings are generally open to the public and press to observe and photograph, and that when court is not in session rooms are used for tours, weddings and political appearances such as appearances by the governor and gatherings including debates.

He also pointed out courtrooms have been used for occasional judicial campaign photography.

Motl cited a decision from 2012 by a former deputy commissioner of political practices, which says a photograph of a public employee or officer taken in a building where they work does not equate to using the facility to support the persons election to office.

In that decision, Ken Toole, who was running for the Public Service Commission, used the PSC conference room to take photos for his re-election campaign. One of the photos appeared in a brochure. In that case, Deputy Commissioner Thomas Honzel found nothing wrong with Toole's use of the photograph.
Republican Corey Stapletons goals, if elected Montana secretary of state, are to:

Improve business services.

Protect the integrity of the elections process.

Be a great steward on the State Land Board.

Thats what Montanans want in their state elections and information chief.

To Stapleton, a financial planner in Billings, election security is a big deal. Hes determined to protect Montana elections from hackers.

Stapleton dove into state computer system improvements when, as a Republican state senator, he sponsored legislation that eventually replaced the failed Department of Revenue POINTS system. In the legislature, Stapleton said, I was kind of a friend of the whistleblowers.

As a state senator, Stapleton also carried legislation for studies that preceded the leasing of state-owned Otter Creek coal. The state reaped an $80 million advance payment from leasing to Arch Coal Co. before the coal markets disappeared and the project was shelved.

Stapleton pledged to protect public access to public land as a member of the Land Board.

Stapletons Democratic opponent, Monica Lindeen, is completing her second term as state auditor, an office that regulates insurance and securities. Lindeen, a Huntley native, has built up the offices customer service and consumer protection outreach over the past eight years. She has successfully argued for laws that provide more transparency and protection to Montanans who purchase insurance or securities. Like Stapleton, Lindeen served in the Montana Legislature, where she used her small-business experience to champion legislation to encourage business and economic development.

However, Lindeen went from legislator to state official. Stapleton returned full time to the private sector after his legislative stint. In the secretary of state office, that private sector perspective will be valuable for streamlining the processes that affect every business in Montana.

I want to empower and allow 56 counties to be our retail representatives, Stapleton told editorial board members.

Stapleton gets The Gazettes nod for secretary of state.
A total of 96 people from 19 Burmese families, who have been living at refugee camps in Thailand for a variety of reasons, will return on 25 October.

The Karen State Chief Minister, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, inspected the preparation of temporary camps for the returning refugees at Kyauk Lone Gyi Pagoda Road in Myawaddy, Karen State on 15 October.

She said: They [the refugees] will return on the 25th [October]. I have come to inspect the arrangements made for them. We will meet all their livelihood needs: education, health, and resettlement. The government will take step-by-step measures in handling the issue of the hundreds of thousands of refugees living in Thailand.

The Burmese and Thai governments cooperated together to organise the return of the refugees after some of the refugees living in Nu Po Refugee Camp and other refugee camps on the Thai side of the Burma - Thai border said they were interested in resettling back in Burma.

Over 93,000 refugees live in seven Karen refugee camps on the Thai side of the Burma-Thai border. The Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) that represents the refugees in the camps has policies on resettlement issues, but according to the KRC the group of refugees due to return on the 25 October are returning voluntarily.

Naw Blooming Night Zan, a KRC spokesperson said: This issue hasnt been discussed with the KRC. The refugees that want to return registered with the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and are going back in line with their own wishes. We are not forcing refugees to return home and we are not going to stop them if they want to return home.

Of the 19 returning families 17 will move to a temporary camp in Myawaddy and officials will arrange the resettlement of the two other families in Chin State and Magway Region.

U Zaw Min, the director of the Karen State Social Welfare Department said: Seventeen families will temporarily live in Myawaddy for now, then they will be given houses in Lay Kay Kaw Myothit when the houses are complete. The relevant officials from Chin State and Magway Region will come to take the remaining two families.

The Karen Social Welfare Department said that they will work in tandem with international organisations such as the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children to assist the families who will be temporarily living in Myawaddy with their health, educational, social, physical and mental needs.

This will be the first resettlement programme for returning refugees from the border area run by the Thai and Burmese governments.

Reporting by Ka Saw Wah for KIC News

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
More than a month ago fighting between Burma Army troops assisted by Border Guard Forces (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (Splinter DKBA) in the area of Mae Tha Wor forced local residents to cross the Thaung Yin River (also known as Moei River) before seeking shelter in the Karen villages of in Binu, Naw Ta, and Htee Thay Khee, close to the border with Thailand.

Ko Htet Aung Linn from the Parahita Student Youth Group said to KIC News: Relevant organisations came to provide assistance at first after the clashes broke out. Now the number of aid groups is less, so they [the refugees] are facing difficulties. Moreover, it is difficult to provide effective assistance due to difficulties in travelling.

When the Parahita Student Youth Group took a boat from Mae Tha Wor to Naw Ta Village on 10 October to donate 100 bags of rice, medicine, clothing, and food supplies they were told that they could not continue on to Naw Ta Village to the east of Mae Tha Wor because it was too dangerous as there had been outbreaks of fighting every day in that area.

Some people displaced by the fighting have also crossed the border into Thailand. Rather than staying in refugee camps, they are staying at relatives homes. They are in need of tents and are also facing other difficulties and are unable to travel elsewhere.

Initially, when the fighting first broke out in Mae Tha Wor Karen civil society organisations (CSOs) such as the Overseas Karen Refugees' Social Organisation (OKRSO), the Karen Youth Organisation (KYO), the Karen Womens Organisation (KWO), and the Overseas Karen Culture Group (OKCG) distributed food supplies to displaced people on both sides of the border, but now those people are receiving far less aid.

Naw Thinzar, a nurse from Myaing Gyi Ngu refugee camp, said: We went to deliver supplies from Myaing Gyi Ngu camp. There are many inconveniences with food and travelling. There are still cases of being sniped at so they [people] cant travel safely. Its dangerous. If the war continues for long, the local residents may face living difficulties.

There are 952 refugees in Binu Village, 399 refugees in Naw Ta Village and 614 refugees in Htee Thay Khee Village, according to aid groups.

Reporting by Ka Saw Wah for KIC News

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
He made the comments at the 28th anniversary celebrations of the DPNS held at Sri Rama Krishna Hall in Rangoon on 14 October.

He said: We are making our request to the authorities, especially the Commander-in-Chief. Normally we would be making our demands to the president. We should be telling our rulers to halt the wars in the country, but what is unique in our country is that it is unclear whether the government is one or two groups, so we are making our request to the Commander-in-Chief to halt the fighting in the country.

U Aung Moe Zaw also said that peace is crucial if the country wants to become developed and stand dignified and tall and that the causes of the civil war need to be solved because without peace there will be no democracy.

Over 100 people attended the DPNS anniversary celebrations. They held a political roundtable discussion entitled Genuine Peace chaired by the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin. The panel members were Dr Yan Myo Thein, Kyun Pyan Yebaw U Kyaw Soe, and author Tun Win Nyein.

Sai Nyunt Lwin said: In the last session of the 21st Century Panglong [Conference], most of the organisations didnt give priority to union issues and state issues. They only gave priority to their own organisations, parties, and people. This is very sad. At a time like this, the first priority should be given to our country or union. I want to say that we will not have peace if we only prioritise discussing our own issues.

Students and youth activists from the 8888 Uprising established the DPNS on 14 October 1988. When the party was banned by the Burmese military government after the 1990 election the partys leaders fled to the Thai-Burmese border and continued their political activities from there.

The party officially re-registered in 2014. Its headquarters are in Seik Kan Thar Street in the Kyaukthada Township of Rangoon.

Reporting by Saw Tun Lin for KIC News

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
Woman Arrested For Stealing 3 French Fries! Pulse oi-Syeda Farah

When you read this piece of article, you will only wonder as to where the world is heading to! A woman from Maryland was arrested, just because she took 3 French fries from a police officer's plate!

Though we all love French fries and one can hardly keep their hands off of them, this woman ended up learning her lesson the hard way.

Also Read: Why Is Halloween Celebrated?

All this happened because she picked up the French fries from the officer's plate while she was trying to strike a conversation with the officer!

Also Read: Pakistani Chaiwala Becomes The New Internet Sensation

This insane incident did happen and it happened for real! Check out how things got nasty and ugly in this case!

Where It Happened... This unidentified rude police officer was dining at the Italian Pizza Kitchen in Washington D.C. The lady approached him and tried to strike a conversation. While They Chatted... While the woman started chatting with the officer, she picked up French fries from his plate. Then, she did it again the second time and ate it for the second time. He Warned Her... The officer claimed that he warned the woman politely, as to not eat from his plate, since he had paid for it and she could be arrested for doing so. Her Reply Was... When the officer warned her, she chuckled and told him that if he could arrest her, then would he take her to the jail as well, and she popped in the fries for the third time. Finally, The Officer Arrested Her! The officer arrested the woman and charged her with second-degree theft. His report listed, "the items stolen" as "French Fried Potato . . . quantity 3." Really? Do you think it is really worth an arrest?? Do leave your comments in the section below.

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Story first published: Friday, October 21, 2016, 14:53 [IST]


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A lot of questions have been raised about executive orders; whether they usurp control from Congress, whether President Barack Obama has utilized them more than past presidents, and even whether they are constitutional. The purpose of this article is to objectively look at the use of executive orders during our countries history, including current use.

First, Obama has not used executive orders more than past presidents. According to the American Presidency Project, the numbers of executive orders used by notable presidents, as well as the last 13 presidents, are as follows:

George Washington: 8

John Adams: 1

Thomas Jefferson: 4

Abraham Lincoln: 48

Theodore Roosevelt: 1,081

Franklin Roosevelt: 3,271

Harry S. Truman: 907

Dwight Eisenhower: 484

John F. Kennedy: 214

Lyndon B. Johnson: 325

Richard Nixon: 346

Gerald R. Ford: 169

Jimmy Carter: 320

Ronald Reagan: 381

George Bush: 166

William J. Clinton: 364

George W. Bush: 291

Barack Obama: 252

Second, executive orders certainly usurp control from Congress. Congress has no input into executive orders and does not debate the merits of an executive order, which has the same effect as law. To be frank, I was surprised when I started looking into executive orders and learned how frequently they have been utilized. After all, I was taught we have checks and balances through three branched of government  the executive, the judicial, and the legislative  but since popular sovereignty, or ultimate governing authority, rests with the people, and reflects the peoples will, the legislative branch was intended to have legislative supremacy. The legislative branch creates legislation, the president executes the legislation, and the judiciary judges the legislation.

Third, most executive orders are constitutional, but some go too far. Throughout our country's history, executive orders have been utilized to manage government. This makes sense. Legislation cannot imagine every situation that may come up. Some interpretation of a bill is sometimes necessary to make it work. On the other hand, a president can go too far, making the action unconstitutional. Three recent executive orders, one which impacts Montana, are examples.

In NLRB v. Canning, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 9-0 vote, ruled President Obama exceeded his constitutional authority when he made three appointments to the National Labor Relations Board without Senate approval.

When President Obama gave legal status to approximately 4 million illegal aliens, allowing them to work, a federal judge struck down his action, stating: President Obamas unilateral legislative action violates the separation of powers provision in the United State Constitution as well as the Take Care Clause, and therefore, is unconstitutional. The Take Care clause is found in Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution and says the president shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

In a third case that has many Montanans upset, the U.S. Supreme Court halted enforcement of an executive order which regulated emissions from coal-fired power plants. According to the secretary of energy, less than a 1 percent reduction of carbon would have resulted. This is a prime example of executive overreach, particularly without legislative debate.

In summary, I was surprised executive orders have been utilized so much, by presidents of both parties. Some limited use makes sense. However, I am also pleased there is a line which cannot be crossed in their use. Our country was founded by the Declaration of Independence in 1776 based upon the Consent of the Governed. This consent is the foundation of our great country. Checks and balances are critical to keeping that consent.
MISSOULA  Costco is looking to build a new 154,000-square-foot wholesale superstore on West Broadway, west of Reserve Street, and wants the city to annex the land into city limits.

The project is expected to generate 10,482 weekday trips from customers, as the site will also have a gas service station with 24 pumps. The property, which is on the south side of West Broadway about 4,500 feet west of North Reserve, is vacant. The new design, which would include a store about 30,000 square feet larger than the present Costco, would include a massive parking lot.

Under the terms of a development agreement with the city, Costco would be required to construct a portion of Mary Jane Boulevard from West Broadway to Camden Street to accommodate additional traffic, including bike lanes and five-foot sidewalks. A new traffic signal at Mary Jane Boulevard and West Broadway also would have to be built.

Drew Larson with the citys Development Services staff said the new roadway would provide additional egress and ingress for the additional traffic, some of which would be routed through the Pleasant View Homes subdivision.

There are several different options on the table for how the streets around the new development would be constructed to accommodate traffic. Several City Council members expressed concerns for the way traffic would increase in the area.

I dont want that neighborhood to be inundated with traffic," said council member Julie Armstrong. "I would request that we have multiple meetings with neighborhood councils to see what they want, because there are so many kids in this neighborhood and bringing more traffic into that would be a nightmare for those families."

David Rogers, a representative with Costco Wholesale, traveled from Washington state to make the request for annexation to the City Councils Land Use and Planning Committee on Wednesday.

He said Costco has been looking for a number of years to relocate its existing warehouse on Reserve to a site that would allow the company to build a Costco with all the bells and whistles that Missoula deserves.

Rogers did address the fact that there have been rumors that Costco had been looking at other sites in Missoula.

Though I wont go into where that site is, we had been looking at another site in the city and it was a parcel assemblage and we were not able to come to terms with one of the property owners, which caused us to come back to the site were looking at today, he said.

Rogers brought a traffic engineer with him who provided the committee with background on the traffic impact work that has been done to date and how it plays into the annexation element thats related to the construction of Mary Jane boulevard. He said the company has developed a transportation impact study, which has been submitted to the Montana Department of Transportation, which then accepted it as long as the new traffic signal is constructed.

Committee member Michelle Cares wanted to know if a roundabout was a possibility rather than a signal, and the traffic engineer responded that an evaluation showed that the signal was the recommended option because there are already two other signals to the east and another one to the west. Also, the size of the roundabout would have to be large in that area, and there would have been right-of-way issues.

Officials from Costco did not say what would happen to the old Costco or whether it would remain open, but they termed the project a relocation.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter on Monday, Nov. 14.
A Honduran man who admitted transporting methamphetamine into Montana by stashing nearly pure meth and heroin in a car seat occupied by a child will spend about five years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters on Friday sentenced Francisco Gutierrez, 23, who is in the country illegally, to 63 months for his conviction on conspiracy to possess meth for distribution. The sentence was the low end of the guideline range, which went to 78 months.

Watters said she considered Gutierrezs role as a minor participant in a bigger conspiracy, and she described his childhood and background as horrendous and shocking.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich argued for a 78-month term, saying transporting the drugs by using a childs car seat to hide drugs was pretty shocking. And engaging in criminal activity while in the country illegally showed a lack of respect for the law, he said.

Defense attorney Lindsay Lorang sought a low-end sentence saying Gutierrez was young and that living in a coercive atmosphere had contributed to his actions.

I really apologize for what Ive done, Gutierrez said. In addition, he said he would use his time in custody to better his life.

In sentencing Gutierrez, Watters noted that his parents were not around and he lived with his grandparents until age 6, when his grandparents died. Living on the streets, Gutierrez tracked down his mother, who was in the prostitution business, and lived with her for a while until she abandoned him by moving to Spain.

Gutierrez became subject to the Mexican mafia, which forced him to sell drugs, and has had friends murdered in Honduras, Watters said. In addition, Gutierrez began smoking marijuana at age 11, has been deported three times and is appealing the latest deportation effort.

Prosecutors said Gutierrez, along with co-defendants Rachel Ruiz, of Portland, Ore., and Timothy Patrick Pine II, of Miles City, trafficked meth from about January 2014 to June 2015 in Miles City, Missoula, Kalispell and other places in Montana. Gutierrez acted as a courier to bring meth from Oregon.

Federal and state investigators used a confidential source and undercover agent to buy ounce and gram quantities of pure meth from Pine, who got his meth from Gutierrez and Ruiz.

In June 2014, investigators made a traffic stop along Interstate 90 of a Honda Civic that was heading to Missoula. Gutierrez was the driver, Ruiz was a passenger and her 8-year-old son was in a car seat in the back seat.

The pair was arrested and taken to a hotel room that had been set up for questioning. Ruiz agreed to go but insisted her son, and his car seat, come with her, Rubich said.

Agents got a search warrant for the car seat and found a pound of nearly pure meth and eight grams of heroin hidden in the bottom of the seat, he said.

Ruiz and Pine also have pleaded guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing.
Calling him a leader who preyed on methamphetamine addicts to help spread the drug throughout the Glendive community, U.S. District Judge Susan Watters on Friday sentenced Michael Vincent Villalobos to more than 10 years in prison.

Watters followed a sentencing recommendation by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich in ordering Villalobos to spend 10 years and 10 months in prison, which was about the middle of the guideline range.

Villalobos, 22, pleaded guilty earlier to conspiracy to possess meth for distribution and to conspiracy to launder money. The judge dismissed a third count as part of a plea agreement.

Watters said that Villalobos needed a significant sentence because of his leadership role for bringing meth into the community from California and using local addicts to store and distribute the drug. The addicts dont have money to buy meth but helped traffickers to get the drug for personal use, she said.

You come into town and prey on those individuals, Watters said.

The judge also noted that Villalobos supported himself with drug trafficking proceeds and that the investigation showed there were an amazing number of transactions from Glendive to California.

Villalobos apologized to his family, the community and to friends and said that while hes been in custody he had earned his high school equivalency diploma and wanted to improve his life.

Defense attorney David Freedman recommended a low-end sentence of about 10 years.

Prosecutors said an investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration found that Villalobos was part of a conspiracy to have meth sent to him from California connections and regularly sent back drug proceeds.

In February 2015, Sidney Police Department officers pulled over Villalobos and co-defendant, Roper Ray Blankenship, 22, of Patterson, Calif. During the execution of a search warrant, officers found 72.3 grams of meth and a .38-caliber revolver.

And in September 2015, Miles City Police Department officers attempted a traffic stop of Villalobos vehicle. But when the vehicle stopped, Villalobos, Blankenship and others fled the scene.

Officers got a search warrant and in a search of the vehicle, found 35.74 grams of meth and a .22-caliber gun in a backpack belonging to Blankenship.

Blankenship pleaded guilty to charges and is awaiting sentencing. Other co-defendants, Teal Cherie Harris and Devin Allen Mitchell, were sentenced to time served. Watters said Harris and Mitchell has minor roles in the conspiracy.
Botswana Life, a stalwart in the life business this Tuesday launched its affluent service centre which, according its Chief Executive, opens up a world of investment, growth and security to its multitudes of existing and potential clients.

The affluent service centre, which is located at Central Business District, is the first of its kind in the country and provides high-end customer service, including personal visits, to qualifying clients. Speaking at the official launch of the centre, Botswana Life boss, Bilkiss Moorad said exclusiveness in the local insurance industry is new in Botswana, but is fast gaining traction globally. As a leading company, it is not surprising that the company is launching such service platform, she stressed.

While exclusive and new to our industry, affluent service is slowly becoming a global proposition and gaining traction, said Moorad at a gathering which included Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Morupisi. Botswana Life, a company which is owned by Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited is content that it is the first to launch an affluent service centre, a development which further puts them ahead of peers.We realise Africa is poised to be the next frontier for this kind of service. We have taken the lead as Botswana Life to introduce this model to our local insurance market, said Moorad who took the leadership from Catherine Lesetedi-Letegele early this year.





Botswana Life, which controls over 70 percent of the life business, constantly thrives to innovate and match our offerings to our customer goals. Moorad explained the affluent service centre comes hot on the heels of three life products that her company launched. The products are Tapologo retirement annuity, Isago savings plan and Poelo term assurance.

The launch of these products, and tonights launch of our Affluent Service Centre is a clear testimony that Botswana Life has some exciting times ahead, said Moorad. Speaking at the same event, Morupisi, who is also Botswanas cabinet secretary commended Botswana Life for coming with such a centre. In todays highly competitive industry, participating entities have to always endeavour to provide service that sets them apart from the rest, said Morupisi. What is setting Botswana Life apart from the rest is that the affluent centre is the first of its kind in Botswana.

Morupisi reminded the company of the importance of quality customer care, which is often found lacking, both in the private and public space. Head of affluence centre, Colleta Simbanegavi told attendants that market segmentation allows the company to know better clients tastes, expectations and preferences.
The recent firing of Edward Tswaipe, by Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) as Head of Department, Education and Capacity Building, is said to be a plan that the leadership of the Union has been hatching for a long time.

While the union attributes Tswaipes dismissal to Serious Misconduct, BG News is reliably informed that the pair has been navigating a thorny relationship and that the unions leadership has always sought an excuse to get rid of Tswaipe. The fallout between Tswaipe and his employer is that, he was always questioning some of the decisions taken by the union leadership particularly on staff recruitment and promotion. When we went for union elections last year, Tswaipe was one of the people who were behind the campaign for union president, Andrew Motsamai to be re-elected. This was done because we wanted to prevent Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) to take control of the union and interfere in our affairs, said the source.

It is said the tension between Tswaipe and his employer started this year when he questioned decisions on staff recruitment and promotions and the delay to open the labour college at the African Mall. The president was always asking him why he is delaying the official launch of the school. Motsamai (Andrew) felt Tswaipe is trying to steal the limelight from him, said an insider who did not want to be named. Initially the school was supposed to have been launched last year in September but was postponed to this year as they were still waiting for accreditation from Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA). The Vice President, Mokgweetsi Masisi was supposed to launch it. Motsamai refused to comment when approached saying he could not discuss employer and employee issues with the media. He denied that they have fired Tswaipe saying his disciplinary hearing is still ongoing.





When trouble started for Tswaipe two months ago, he rushed to court on an urgent application to interdict the disciplinary hearing against him. But Industrial court Judge, Vigil Vergeer, dismissed his application saying Tswaipe failed to demonstrate the urgency and also failed to show a clear right in the case. Comrade Tswaipe is not a yes man and he has on several occasions declined to take orders from the union leadership. He was questioning high expenditure of the union leadership, said the source. In his defence Tswaipe argued that a Secretary General couldnt institute a disciplinary hearing because he is a specified employee and that the authority lies with the National Executive Committee (NEC). But the court dismissed his arguments saying he is not a specified employee.

It is said Tswaipe in a Facebook page called, Strategy Room revealed some confidential information about the union.

I was always told gore Molale, Carter, etc gaba ganediwe. I differed with them openly, until I left the public service. I even wrote articles in press. I was not fired. I resigned voluntarily. At Kasane retreat I was told gore Motsamai ga a rate go buiwa ka issue ya PR, but I did and even banged the table that BOPEU MUST have a PR function. After he stormed out of the room one colleague said I must apologize because I was new to BOPEU. I said I will not apologize. Im fighting to say eventually it was adopted into new strategic plan, reads part of the snippets Tswaipe wrote on the Facebook page.

He also writes, Nna it hurts me since coming to BOPEU. You use your capacity very sub-optimally. I once said to my colleague Disho that at TAWU we knew that big unions cannot use their resources optimally and we used to capitalize and move quicker. She laughed at me scornfully because she said oh TAWU with less than 1000 members. But we had position papers reaching OP. One of them is being implemented on the split of MOESD, O&M, which was the authoritative policy position of Govt then. Eventually we shaped Govt policy in our direction. That is how advocacy works. We also shaped the takeover of Brigades, challenge BTEP and decided what happens to staff leaving Lobatse College when it was closing down. We stopped sale of Tlokweng Brigade to a South African private university. BOPEU could be running this country if it used that approach. If a small union like TAWU could do so many things.



POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT

The union is believed to be eyeing some people to replace Tswaipe as head of labour college. But the fear among the union leadership is that they have to find someone who will be a game changer because Tswaipe was the right candidate for the job. I dont think it will be possible for us to find someone like comrade Tswaipe. The guy has done a lot for the college and it was going to bring a lot of fortune for the union, said the insider. The decision to set up the college was taken at a congress in 2012. The delay to launch the college leadership is thought to be a failure on Tswaipes part, said the source.

Botswana Guardian understands that the following are being eyed to replace Tswaipe.

Ogaufi Masame: Currently the second Deputy President at the union and lecturer at Gaborone Technical College. The problem with her being appointed is that her husband is currently the Human Resource Manager at Babereki Investments. Leadership is having a tough time to appoint her because of this, said a source.

Ibo Kenosi: Former Secretary at Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) and a close friend to the union leader, Motsamai. It is alleged he is the best person to protect the interest of Motsamai. He has Diploma in Primary Education.

Tshiamo Salona: He has Degree in Adult Education and has worked in the department for quite some time. His knowledge of trade unionism is not extensive enough. He was one of the persons interviewed for the post previously before it was given to Tswaipe.

The union President, Motsamai refused to comment on Tswaipes replacement saying as far as he knows the veteran unionist is still their employee. We do not have a candidate at the moment because his hearing is still ongoing, said Motsamai. Tswaipe was not available for comment as his mobile phone rang unanswered.

However sources say he is planning to appeal his dismissal.
The Cuban government has vowed to continue to demand for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States since 1959. Despite the restoring of Cuban-US diplomatic relations, the reopening of embassies over a year ago, and President Barack Obamas visit to Cuba in March 2016, the sanction against Cuba is still in place.

Cuban Ambassador to Botswana Juan Carlos Corrales this week cried that the embargo constitutes a basic obstacle to the process aimed at normalisation of relations between the two countries. Corrales said the embargo against Cuba must be removed unilaterally and unconditionally. It is the most unjust, severe and prolonged system of sanctions ever imposed on any country, and remains a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of human rights of the Cuban people. The embargo constitutes the greatest obstacle to developing the full potential of the economy and wellbeing of the Cuban people and to Cubas economic, trade and financial relations with America and the rest of the world, he said.

He explained that the Cuban governments proposed resolution reflects the current status of bilateral relations between Cuba and the United States. We reiterate our appreciation of the restoration of diplomatic relations and the American presidents expression of willingness to work towards the lifting of the embargo, reaffirmed during his historic visit to Cuba this year, he stated. The ambassador said his country hopes to enjoy the international communitys support regarding the issue at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly during the general debate and the UN member states vote in support of the resolution against the embargo next week Wednesday (26th October 2016).





He revealed that Cuba has already submitted and registered the Draft Resolution to the UN Secretariat, entitled Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. While amendments in 2015 and 2016 by the US Treasury and Commerce Departments affecting the operation of certain regulations implementing the Sanctions Policy constituted steps in the right direction, they are not enough. Washington continues to ban exports to Cuba of products and equipment important to key sectors of the economy.

Cuba cannot get investors from US. Despite the March 2016 measure authorising use of the US dollar in our international transactions, there are still no normal banking relations between the two countries. Cuba is banned from opening correspondent accounts in American banks and has been unable to make either deposits or payments in cash in US dollar, revealed Corrales.

He said the US President still possesses wide executive powers, which he has not used to continue adjusting application of the embargo regulations beyond the concessions already made. Corrales stated these would enable Barack Obama, if used decisively to virtually dismantle the embargo Policy even though the complete elimination requires a decision by the US Congress. We reiterate our gratitude for the permanent support of Botswana for the demand by the Cuban people for an end to this illegal, genocidal and extraterritorial policy, which will never prevent the Cuban people from defending its sovereignty and its unfettered right to choose its own future.
Former Member of Parliament Ezekiel Obakeng Moumakwa is a relieved man after Lobatse High Court granted a defamation judgment against the Botswana Gazette in his favour. Moumakwa opened up about the case that saw Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) officials knocking at his office.

Moumakwa, Jerry Chitube and Specially Elected Councillor and the then MP Mephato Reatile were reported to have had their P150 million oil deal foiled by the DCEC. The report led to a standoff between DCEC and the Botswana Gazette, with the former raiding offices of the latter and the arrest of the newspaper journalist and lawyer. It further resulted with DCEC and the Botswana Gazette instituting parallel legal actions against each other. Moumakwa confirmed that on 25 May 2015, four agents from DCEC came to his office requesting him to surrender his cellphone and tablet in accordance with the provisions of the DCEC Act. He also confirmed to this publication a statement leaked from the DCEC, which he gave after the DCEC officials returned his confiscated gadgets.

The agents advised that allegations had been leveled against me to the effect that on 25 November 2014 I held an official meeting at the Pavillion, Fairgrounds with a representative from Vecto Petroleum. The allegations further said that the purpose of the meeting was to source fuel for the Botswana Government/Botswana Oil. My intention was to use my position to procure Government fuel through my company Petro Lilac, therefore gaining unfairly. My response to the allegations was that they were not true. I have at no stage been a representative of the Botswana Government/Botswana Oil in procuring fuel. I am neither a member of Botswana Oil Board of Directors nor do I belong to any of Botswana Oil procurement structures. Admittedly, I work for the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources but my line of duty is far remote to fuel procurement, he revealed.





The former legislator explained that this was more so that the mandate of procuring fuel was now entrusted with Botswana Oil, a registered private company whose daily operations are completely de-linked from the Ministry activities. In his words, Moumakwa is convinced that someone or some people with ulterior motives framed him, adding that he did not know Chitube at personal level. According to him, he first heard (and read) about Chitube when the print media started writing about the BDP Youth Chairmanship candidate who disappeared in Masunga around January/February 2015, and the stories that followed.

As for Reatile, he acknowledges that he has known him since their early days of Botswana National Front (BNF) activism. He said they were both elected to Botswana National Assembly on BNF ticket in 2004. We were associates, maybe not friends. Our association resulted with, among other things, jointly forming Petro Lilac. Sometimes in mid-2014 our relationship soured and we went our separate ways. Adds the former MP, Between June/July 2014 and January 2015, I did not hear from Reatile and the reverse is the same. I remember at some point (around August 2014) he made efforts to reach me through cell phone calls but I ignored his calls. I could not therefore have been involved in an oil deal with two gentlemen, one of whom I did not know personally and had never met and the other one, I had neither met, made contact with or any form of communication for almost half a year.

Moumakwa said he ended up seeking legal recourse against the newspaper, which carried the article because he knew he was not wrong. He approached the court to seek damages amounting to P2 million which he succeeded by order of Court last month. It is for this suit and the return of his gadgets by the DCEC officials that Moumakwa decided to grant the interview.Moumakwa said the 25 November 2014 meeting with a representative from Vecto Petroleum came about after he had had a private discussion with a relative (name withheld). He indicated that the discussion was about the positive responses he was getting for advertised filling station plots across the country and that he needed to firm up fuel sources so that he could prepare a business plan. He did not intend using the majors as sources of fuel because the planned filling stations would use his own brand - Ayo Oil.

His relative promised to assist and called after a couple of days to say he had found a potential supplier based in South Africa and that the potential supplier would come over to Gaborone if Moumakwa was available. I advised that I was available and they could come. The following day the meeting was arranged at The Pavillion. It was attended by my relative in the company of two gentlemen, a white man and a black man. We exchanged greetings, with the white man giving me a business card. The name of the white man was Richard Venn and the company on the business card was Vecto Petroleum

He indicated that he explained to Venn that he needed a supplier who could do sustainable fuel supply at competitive prices. Moumakwa, knowing that he was due on a trip to Germany and that on his return he had a pre-scheduled meeting on the Trans-Kalahari Railway Line in Johannesburg, proposed that they could meet in Johannesburg to progress their discussions. The Johannesburg meeting did take place at the Intercontinental Hotel, OR Tambo International Airport. Moumakwa was surprised to read from a newspaper that the meeting was successfully video filmed. That somehow showed that DCEC agents were set up on him even at the very first meeting. Disappointedly to those who wanted his head, at no stage did he discuss the supply of fuel to Botswana Oil because it was never an action item. It was all private personal business.

He said it took him sometime to solve the puzzle on why the newspaper story linked his name with those of Chitube and Reatile. He declined to divulge the puzzle to this reporter saying it is his understanding that DCEC is still investigating a case of malicious reporting. His hope is that those who knowingly and deliberately raised the false alarm, sending a Government institution in a wild goose chase, which he maintains dragged his name in the mud, would be prosecuted.
The city of Mandan was honored for the best tasting tap water in North Dakota during 25th annual Drinking Water Taste Test at the 88th annual North Dakota Water & Pollution Control Conference in Minot on Oct. 12.

Duane Friesz, Mandans Water Treatment Plant superintendent, said this is the first time since 1993 that Mandan has won the award. Friesz, who was at this years conference and accepted the award, said This year we are very happy to receive the award.

We are fortunate to have a good quality source of water coming out of the Garrison Dam, the Missouri River water is a great quality source, Fiesz added.

Conference attendees selected Northeast Regional Water District, Valley City, and Mandan as the top three contenders in a blind taste test. The final judging was completed by Jeannie Bennett Bailey of American Water Works Association, Lynn Broaddus of Water Environment Federation and radio show host Scott Hennen.

Its really a friendly competition among peers in the industry. The primary reason that we have the competition is to give ourselves an opportunity to promote and help people understand that there are a lot of professionals across the state that are working hard every day to make your water taste clean and clear, said Meredith Quinn, a project engineer at Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services. Quinn is a chair on the board of trustees at the American Water Works Association.

The N.D. chapter of the American Water Works Association puts on the Drinking Water Taste Test during the North Dakota Water and Pollution Control Conference each year. Past winners : Valley City (2015), Fargo (2014), Medina (2013), Mayville (2012), Fargo (2011), Mayville (2010), Valley City (2009), Enderlin (2008), Grand Forks (2007), and Minot (2006).
Botswana Guardian has established that mine experts had informed Cabinet that the four shafts of the BCL Selibe Phikwe mine have sufficient reserves that can be mined up to the year 2021. Further cabinet was advised that the reserves could be mined commercially up to the end of the mines life and that the current depressed commodity prices would last until 2017.

This meant that BCL needed government support for only 2016-17. The expert advice was informed by two studies, the first done in 2002 by SRK Consultants showing that the mines lifespan could go up to the year 2013 while the second study by TWP recommended the restructuring of the mine. Based on that, the board decided in 2012 to adopt the TWP report showing that the volumes from the four shafts were viable and the mine could go up to 2021.

Polaris established

To extend the mines lifespan then minister Ponatsheg Kedikilwe and BCL management devised a turnaround strategy called Polaris following a three-day workshop facilitated by a consultant named Andre Parker. The Polaris strategy had six areas amongst them to expand the nickel, copper circuit, iron extraction and exploration. The board was advised by a consultant in RMB bank.





Buying Nkomati, Tati

When the Norilsk announced it was selling its mines in Africa, BCL tendered to buy 50 percent and was shortlisted among the top three companies alongside the Chinese Company. BCL won because its bid was attractive and had also offered to buy Tati Nickel mine despite having reached its lifespan. The reason why BCL offered to buy Tati even though it was left with two years was that there is a nearby mine, Selkirk which is still to be mined and has high grade ore that will last for 15 years. In their bid, BCL had stated that they are buying both Nkomati and Tati on conditions that Norilsk will process the concentrate from the Nkomati mine at BCL smelter in Phikwe for processing. Norilsk agreed.

Botswana Guardian has it on good authority that the Nkomati acquisition was approved by all relevant stakeholders being BCL board, MEWR, Minerals policy committee, Attorney General, Bank of Botswana governor, Botswana Economic Advisory Council, cabinet and Ministry of Finance and Trade respectively.

The letdown

Experts argue that the smelter should have been refurbished in 2013 once BCL was sure of concentrate from Nkomati. The smelter design started two years later because the maintenance people are booked in advance. But in 2015, nickel sale prices reduced by 57 percent with BCL account dropping from P2.2 bn to P1, 3 bn, while the cost price of production remained the same. At the same time BCL was supposed to do the refurbishment, which would cost P700m. Further their P400m debt to BPC and P50 m to Water Utilities caused them a P900m shortfall.

The Nkomati deal was furthered delayed by the ministers approval. In 2016 BCL entered into negotiations with Norilsk and both parties agreed in February to the adjustment of transaction price which would have resulted in the obligation of BCL to Nkomati. But while BCL was waiting for government to bail it out, the latter had his own ideas and established new company - Minerals Development Company Botswana - which advised for liquidation.

Nkomati profitable

However, Nkomati has proven to be a good deal. Botswana Guardian can reveal that the agreement between BCL and Norilsk over the purchase of Nkomati has been profitable this far as BCL has raised over P500 million from the processing of the Nkomati concentrate in the last 18 months.

Botswana Guardian has learnt that the Liquidator, Nigel Dixon Warren, has to move fast, he has been given four months to have completed his assignment and made recommendations of what is next as the smelter plug has to be switched on within six months. Experts who spoke to Botswana Guardian revealed that the Smelter cannot close for six months because once that happens it will cost USD40 million to re-brick the furnace.
Fresh details emerged this week of unjustified wide salary and wage disparities, favouritism and allegations of employees working under duress at the Botswana Tourism Board (BTO). The organisation mandated to, among others, develop and implement tourism marketing and promotion strategies for Botswana - has been making headlines for the wrong reasons since last month about how it has been mismanaged by the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama.

BTO was also established to expand local and international travel trade networks. This week, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Thabo Dithebe threw the gauntlet against his boss, Minister Khama, and revealed how his salary was even lower than that of his subordinates at the organisation.

Dithebe dropped the bombshell before the Parliamentary Committee on Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises and revealed that they are working under serious duress. Dithebe was supposed to be leaving the organisation next month (November) but Minister Khama wrote a letter to him requesting that he leave the office within five days.





Today (Friday) is his last day as the most powerful man in the troubled orgnaisation. He said he is not aware of the reasons why his work notice has been cut short. When responding to a question from Chairman of the Committee, Moyo Guma, Dithebe said, The committee must understand that we are working under serious duress.

When asked by Moyo why he has not reported the terrible working conditions he is working under, he answered, I have reported to Permanent Secretary and the matter was elevated to Permanent Secretary to the President but nothing was done.

Moyo said it was not constitutional that a dysfunctional Board could make such a decision and called on (Elias) Magosi to advise the minister that it is wrong. Why did he do this, this might as well make our job difficult when we want to call him as he can choose to relocate from Botswana when he is no longer a BTO employee, but we still have a long way in engaging you on these issues, he said.

At the committee meeting it was even revealed that, Dithebe was earning less than his juniors, Legal Officer, Tswelelo Kebatlile and the Executive Manager, Jilian Blackbeard. His monthly salary was P42 000 while Kebatile earns P50 000 and Blackbeard earns P49 000. Blackbeard is the daughter to Botswanas High Commissioner to London, Roy Blackbeard, a close family friend to the Khamas.

Ministrys PS, Elias Magosi said he also raised the issue to PSP but no interference was made. It is a hard environment and the committee must understand this, said Magosi. He also said he does not rule out the possibility of also resigning because of interference from Minister Khama.

I tried to advise Minister Tshekedi that it was wrong to cut short the notice of BTO CEO but he ignored my advice. I have never been involved in the running affairs of BTO. Lots of meetings have been held without my knowledge, noted Magosi.

Dithebe became the top man at BTO after serving a full year as acting CEO following the sudden departure of the parastatals founding CEO, Myra Sekogororoane.

Minister Khama who did not show up will now be forced to appear before the committee. He knows very well that whenever Parliament calls you, you drop whatever you are doing and give it priority, he now leaves us with no option but to subpoena him, nobody is above the law, him included, said Moyo.He said their interrogation is not about politics. Our role is to make sure rules and procedures are followed. But I see chaos here in the organisation. A golo mo ga lona semausunyana hela, said Moyo.Dithebe also revealed that a British national, Sally Anne Smith has been working at the troubled organisation without a work permit for two and half years while Minister Khama was aware of this. In September Smith was arraigned by the immigration officials for working without permit but later given one-month work permit.

BTO is currently having one board member Lawrence Khupe as Acting Board Chairman. In January the organisation signed memorandum of agreement with UK based company, ASUIA to implement development levy without approval of Parliament. They went against Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) advice and went ahead to sign a contract with UK-based insurance broker while there are many insurance companies in Botswana offering the same product and not as brokers, said Dithebe.

Following presentation by ASUIA to the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MWET) and subsequently to Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), it is confirmed that a preliminary contract has since been signed for ASUIA to provide inbound insurance for Botswana, states the letter written by Minister Khama dated 8th February 2016.

He further writes, In the absence of a board to consider the ASUIA proposal, you are accordingly instructed to implement the instruction, inclusive of directly appointing ASUIA as a service provider for inbound insurance under the terms and conditions stipulated in the existing contract, save for any reference to BTO Board approval.
Gaborone is fast becoming a melting pot of good food, dining experiences and everything that those who wish to go out and indulge in a meal and a drink or two in the company of friends or colleagues wish for.

The latest kid on the block to join the growing number of restaurants in the city is Adega, a restaurant that prides itself on offering clients the opportunity to experience Portuguese cuisine without leaving a dent in their pocket. Located at Airport Junction shopping mall, Adega officially opened its doors this February. Offering its clientele competitive prices and unending specials, on the menu those who are hungry have a wide variety of meals to choose from on the menu ranging from seafood, chicken, and more.

The menu has mouth watering dishes such as Squid Heads, Stuffed calamari, oysters, Prawn Rissoles, Prawn Tempura, Chicken Tempura, Monk Style Steak, Trinchado (which is your choice Rump or Fillet steak grilled to your liking and topped with a creamy Mushroom sauce and served with your choice of starch). For those with a sweet tooth, there is a wide selection of sweet treats including Creme Caramel, Peppermint Delight, Liquorice Ice Cream and Monks Kisses.





The restaurant also offers special breakfast at an affordable rate on weekends. According to Michelle Phetlhe of ESTeRES Boutique Agency, who is tasked with marketing the eatery joint owned by Shehla Desai, Adega is a family orientated restaurant that targets people who enjoy good food that is affordable. She further says that what sets Adega apart is the fact that they are strictly Halaal and do not sell alcohol. But before you worry about how you can go out and not indulge in an alcoholic beverage, they have virgin cocktails that are an absolute delight.

Phetlhe further explains that Adega is a franchise from South Africa, and that they are currently running a number of campaigns to showcase the restaurant.

They currently feature several guest bartenders. Over the past week, fashion designer Mothusi Lesolle of Izaura, had a chance to create his own cocktail. In the coming month, the restaurant will have another concept that will focus on meals. Adega will also run a competition themed Best Dinner Date in December and the winner will have an opportunity to win a weekend for two at the Indaba Lodge in Johannesburg.
A Cause for Claws Thrift Store (701-751-5828)  Seeks volunteers to sort, test, repair and set up store displays. All profits support a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

Abused Adult Resource Center (701-222-8370)  Volunteers advocates needed to help answer the crisis calls in the evenings and on weekends. An advocates role is to listen, offer support and give options. Free training provided.

AID Inc. (701-663-2122 or 701-663-1274)  Adults to sort clothing, sort other donations, pricing, cashiering, cleaning, organizing, hanging clothes, sorting, testing and repairing electrical items and other various tasks.

American Cancer Society (701-433-7582)  Volunteer drivers for Road to Recovery Program.

American Red Cross (701-223-6700)  Disaster and Health and Safety Services to teach CPR/first aid courses, aid in disaster response locally and nationwide, training provided. Adults and youth 16 and older.

Arc of Bismarck (701-222-1854)  Work in the thrift store.

Baptist Health Care Center (701-223-3040)  Assist residents with clinic appointments, activities, meals, chapel on Sunday and bingo.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (701-222-0797)  Be a mentor for youth.

Bismarck-Mandan Chapter of SCORE (701-328-5861)  Volunteer management counselors to provide free and confidential mentoring and counseling for those who wish to start a small business. Call or stop by the office at the Bank of North Dakota building on Memorial Highway.

Buckstop Junction/Missouri Valley Historical Society (701-250-8575)  Conduct tours of historic buildings, help with The Shoppe, building or grounds maintenance, general office work, Corn Feed/Old Settlers Day, publicity or adopt a building.

Burleigh County Senior Adult Program (701-255-4648)  Deliver meals to homebound elderly individuals and assist as nutrition servers, gift shop attendants, Wii bowling scorekeeper and answering phones.

Central Dakota Humane Society (701-667-2020)  Provide companionship, exercise and socialization to the dogs and cats; assist with basic animal care; assist with special events.

Charles Hall Youth Services (701-255-2773, ext. 303)  Volunteer mentors needed to commit to supporting, guiding and mentoring at-risk youth. Mentors serve as positive role models, teaching youth healthy and safe ways to have fun and to meet positive academic, career and personal goals. Mentors must be minimum of 21 years of age. Training provided.

CHI St. Alexius Health (701-530-7159)  Deliver mail and flowers, escort patients, help with the gift shop.

CHI St. Alexius Home Health & Hospice (701-530-4500)  Share your time, energy and compassion while enriching your own life and lives of others. Help with a variety of activities such as companionship, errands, respite care, administrative and bereavement support. Volunteers who are a veteran, can play an instrument for music therapy and/or perform pet therapy are particularly needed.

Community Action (701-258-2240)  Help in the donation center and the food pantry.

Cystic Fibrosis Association (701-222-3998)  Help with mailings and fundraising events.

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch (701-223-7979)  Help in thrift store and perform janitorial duties.

Dakota Zoo (701-223-7543)  Accepting applications for adult volunteers to provide animal conservation programs and animal handling for educational programs. Training provided. Also looking for general volunteers for light building and repair projects. Carpentry, mechanical and fencing skills are a plus but not needed.

Foster Grandparent Program (701-258-5436)  Provide one-on-one assistance to children in schools, Head Start and child care centers. Listen to children read, assist with homework, etc.

Good Samaritan Society (701-323-3274)  Volunteers needed.

Lutheran Social Services Senior Companions (701-838-7800)  Seniors 55 and older who are healthy, active and interested in helping their older neighbors.

Make-A-Wish (701-280-9474)  Help with upcoming special events.

Manchester House (701-223-5600)  Be a mentor for youth. Must be at least 18.

Mandan Golden Age Services (701-663-6528)  Pick up prepared meals at Mandan Senior Center and deliver them to the homes of the elderly.

McLean Family Resource Center (701-462-8643)  Assist with crisis line.

Mental Health America of North Dakota (701-255-3692)  Help with data entry, various office duties.

Neighbors Network Program (701-323-4277)  Volunteers with pickups to help move donated furniture items to clients homes.

New Song Church (701-258-5683)  Janitorial and light maintenance work. For details, email erickson.e.michael@gmail.com.

North Dakota Operation Lifesaver (701-223-6372)  Help spread the message about railroad safety.

Pride Inc. (701-258-7838)  Support people with disabilities in social and recreational activities, especially between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, Monday-Friday, also evenings and weekends. Staff on site to assist at all times.

Public Health Emergency Volunteer Reserve Corps/Medical Reserve Corps (701-328-1334)  Accepting registration of volunteers to assist with public health emergencies. Medical and non-medical volunteers needed. Choose to help only in own county, in the surrounding counties, statewide or anywhere in the U.S. Register at www.ndhealth.gov/EPR/volunteer.

RSVP+ Central North Dakota (701-258-5436)  RSVP+ will connect volunteers of all ages to a variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the community.

Ruth Meiers House (701-222-2108)  Sorting donations, stocking food pantry shelves, dining room servers, childrens learning center aides, baby boutique program assistants and special event help. More information: www.ruthmeiers.org.

St. Vincents Care Center (701-323-1974)  Entertainers for background music for Sunday social events.

Salvation Army (701-223-1889)  Assist with meals, activities and tutoring in the youth program; stock food pantry shelves; light maintenance work.

Sanford Health (701-323-6011)  Greet and assist visitors in the surgical waiting room, deliver flowers, help in the Gift Shoppe and Koffee Korner and assist with special projects.

Sanford Health Hospice (701-323-8400)  Volunteers needed to assist terminally ill patients. Assistance commonly includes visiting, reading and taking walks; child care assistance; bereavement support; and administrative/clerical work. Orientation, training and support provided.

Seeds of Hope store (701-222-8370)  Greeters, price clothes, stock and straighten shelves, Diggers Delight and more. Creative people needed for designing gift baskets and store displays.

Tracys Sanctuary House (701-258-5889)  Perform daily housekeeping tasks, answer phones, stock kitchen and food pantry.

Volunteer Care Givers for the Elderly (701-223-9290)  Assist with transportation, yardwork, light housekeeping, respite care, errands and shopping and other companionship activities with the elderly.

Welcome House Inc. (701-391-5184)  Assist with food pantry, kitchen and front desk.
Question: What is a mammogram?

Tello-Skjerseth: A mammogram is an X-ray image of the breasts used to find and diagnose breast disease. It uses a small amount of radiation to create images of breast tissue that may indicate breast cancers, noncancerous or benign tumors, cysts and other masses.

Q: What happens during a mammogram?

Tello-Skjerseth: The test takes about 20 to 30 minutes. During the test, one breast will be placed on the X-ray plate and a flat plastic plate will be placed on top of the breast to compress it for imaging. Two pictures will be taken of each breast at different angles. After the X-ray, the radiologist will review the images to ensure no more are needed. Results will be given at a later date.

Q: What if a mammogram detects something?

Tello-Skjerseth: If a mammogram shows a mass, additional imaging may be necessary, such as ultrasound or MRI. A biopsy can be performed to remove a tissue sample by needle or through surgery. The tissue will be looked at under a microscope to determine if it is cancerous.

Q: At what age is a mammogram recommended?

Tello-Skjerseth: Sanford Health recommends yearly screening mammograms for women at average risk of breast cancer starting at 40 years of age. This follows national guidelines from the American College of Radiology, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Breast Imaging and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Q: Why would a doctor order a mammogram?

Tello-Skjerseth: A mammogram may be ordered as a routine screening test when a person is asymptomatic or as a diagnostic test if a person has a breast issue, like a lump or pain. Routine mammograms are recommended for anyone over 40 years of age, sometimes earlier, depending on family history and other risk factors. Mammograms may be needed more frequently when a person has a personal history of breast cancer. For people over 25, mammograms may be needed if any of these symptoms occur: a lump; a nipple sore that doesnt improve; breast pain; nipple discharge; skin indentation on the breast; or thickened skin on the breast.

Talk with a health care provider to find out specific screening guidelines.

Q: What are the risks of a mammogram?

Tello-Skjerseth: Pain and discomfort during a mammogram may occur because the breast is compressed. The pressure does not harm breasts. Exposure to small amounts of radiation occurs during the test. Radiation exposure during pregnancy may lead to birth defects. Informing a provider of pregnancy will keep radiation exposure to a fetus as low as possible. Other specific health conditions may add additional risks.
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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Ken Barclay hears a bluebird sing, his head turns.

When you get to know the voice, its great, but mainly itd be the colour, explained Barclay of what he notices when hearing the elusive avians call.

Its a special bird, its not like any other kind of blue.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Ken Barclay and Herb Goulden with the Friends of the Bluebirds show a few of the bluebird boxes built by Goulden that they set up throughout western Manitoba. Friends of the Bluebirds is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The bluebird all but disappeared decades ago on the prairies of western Manitoba, where it is supposed to flourish, until one man from Brandon, Jack Lane, changed that.

Now, 40 years following Lanes passing, the group borne out of his lifes work has the same mission  to protect the bluebird.

Friends of the Blue Birds will celebrate 40 years at its next meeting Sunday afternoon at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon.

The informal organization only meets twice a year, but boasts approximately 90 members, 50 of whom actively monitor the few thousand bluebird-nesting boxes atop fence posts in Westman. They jot down specifics like the number of eggs, number of young birds taking their first flaps and if a second nesting occurred. They record all their statistics for posterity.

As marvellous as a bluebird is, there are other reasons compelling Barclay to take four hours out of his day, every few weeks, to check on his 150 birdhouses, some northwest of Souris and the rest south of Shilo.

Its the conservation, the outdoors, Barclay said. Youre going to see bluebirds. Youre going to see wildlife. Youre going to see wild flowers.

Herb Goulden, a retired wildlife biologist, has long been fascinated with the outdoors, as his career attests. He now builds birdhouses out of his garage, and is one of the volunteers who documents the local bird population.

He said tree swallows occupy the birdhouses, too, which doesnt bother the Friends of the Blue Birds, since both species are at risk.

These are cavity nesters, nestled in hollow trees, normally made by woodpeckers, Goulden said of both animals. Most of those kinds of trees have been knocked down or done away with it, so these boxes work well.

Lane started building nesting boxes, after the avid birdwatcher noticed, in 1959, he hadnt heard a bluebird sing in 30 years. He and his wife Nora formed the Brandon Junior Birders club, which, in collaboration with local children, built birdhouses to replicate the trees where the birds nested.

By 1962, the group spotted their first bluebird.

In the early 1970s, they wrapped a band around every bluebird they found. They counted more than 10,000 mountain bluebirds and nearly 2,000 eastern bluebirds within four years.

At its height, there were 4,500 nesting boxes along a 2,414-kilometre stretch, a year before Lanes passing in 1975.

These days, Goulden estimates there are between 2,000 to 3,000 birdhouses throughout the region  many of which are tended to by their members.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Herb Goulden with the Friends of the Bluebirds works on a Bluebird box in the garage of his home on Thursday.

Like anywhere in North America, bird populations are vulnerable as urbanization, agriculture growth and even climate change threaten their natural habitats.

Goulden said it sometimes feels like a losing battle.

I think, overall, were not quite holding our own, he said.

Bluebirds thrive in native prairie grasses, and man-made developments wipe out those pastures.

Theyre kind of like the canary in the coalmine, the last remnants of prairie, thats where youll find the bluebirds, he said. They need grasslands and they need the insects.

Lanes commitment is apparent in volunteers like Goulden and Barclay, who, along with dozens more, want the bluebird to be a sight for birdwatchers to witness decades from now.

They need younger volunteers to get involved, however, and they encourage anyone interested to attend this weekends meeting.

For me, this is an excellent example of how much people care about wildlife  in this particular case, bluebirds and tree swallows, Goulden said. Its people giving to conservation right out of their own pocket.

Friends of the Bluebirds holds its next meeting Sunday at the Riverbank Discovery Centre at 2 p.m.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Business owners in downtown Brandon are looking for solutions to clean up the neighbourhood.

A number of businesses, who were given anonymity by The Brandon Sun to voice their concerns, are fed up with people loitering downtown.

Various owners said loiterers have been known to hassle their customers, in rare cases while under the influence. One owner mentioned seeing someone urinate on a downtown building in broad daylight.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun People come and go at the The Town Centre in downtown Brandon on Thursday. Some local businesses are fed up with loiterers hanging around downtown.

Feedback from businesses is helpful with future planning, said Mayor Rick Chrest, who recently met with the business owners along with Brandon Police Service Chief Ian Grant and Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Rosser) to discuss their concerns.

We are looking to find better ways to deal with undesirable behaviour  We cant arrest our way out of the problem.

The success of Community Mobilization Westman, a program that connects potential victims and offenders with the social supports they need before their troubles lead to a run-in with police, shows there are alternative ways the community can work together to deal with the issue, Chrest said.

Earlier this year, Robyn Sneath, who operates Fraser Sneath Coffee, suggested creating an ambassador program, similar to the cadet program that runs in Winnipeg.

Sneath said she would like to see these ambassadors walk the streets, ensuring people feel safe.

So there is more of a positive pedestrian presence, she said during the Downtown Brandon Development Forum. Not necessarily a police officer, but people who are representatives of the city.

Chrest said he is optimistic programs like this will be developed to curb less desirable behaviour, although on a more informal basis.

It needs to be merchant driven  We have some great people committed to downtown, getting organized and working with one another to improve the downtown area, Chrest said.

The Brandon Police Service did not respond to requests for comment by press time, however Chrest said the police are also looking into the possibility of increased patrolling.

Undesirable behaviour downtown sort of ebbs and flows  patrolling tends to ramp up during the summer when the weather is nice and drops off as it gets colder, Chrest said. However, even when patrolling is down, police are extremely responsive and attend fairly quickly.

Police also rely on people to report undesirable incidents when they occur, Chrest said.

There have been times (business owners) have felt they ought not to bother the police about it, but if they see something they shouldnt hesitate to call the police, Chrest said. They need to know whats going on so they can fix it.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Sun was named as a finalist for two international journalism awards for its feature Knights of D-Day.

The video feature focuses on five Westman veterans who received Frances highest distinction for their involvement in the countrys liberation during the Second World War. The men join more than 1,000 other Canadian veterans who have become Knights of the French Legion of Honour.

The feature, which was led by former Sun reporter Eva Wasney, was nominated for an EPPY Award as the best news or event feature and the best news or event feature video. In both cases, the categories represent features and videos with less than one million unique monthly visitors.

File The Brandon Suns feature Knights of D-Day has been named a finalist in two EPPY Award categories, including best news or event feature. The story chronicles Brandon veterans Geoffrey Casson, above, and Elmer Cole, John Carl Roseveare and Jack Houston of Kenton, and Virdens Les Downing.

Its a huge honour to have Knights of D-Day recognized alongside so many examples of high-calibre journalism, Wasney said. This recognition shows the value of multimedia and long-form storytelling and Im proud to have worked in a newsroom that endeavours beyond the status quo. This project is the epitome of teamwork and wouldnt have been possible without the hard work and support of videographer Colin Corneau, web developer Andrew Nguyen, graphic designer Tyler Stephens and editor Matt Goerzen.

Corneau shot the videos, which can be viewed by going to brandonsun.com. While Nguygen handled the project digitally and Stephens worked on graphic elements.

The story chronicles Brandon veterans Elmer Cole and Geoffrey Casson, John Carl Roseveare and Jack Houston from Kenton, and Virdens Les Downing.

I would never call myself a history buff or a military aficionado, but sitting down with each of the veterans featured in Knights of D-Day gave me a better understanding of the unfathomable sacrifices made by those who go to battle for their country, Wasney said. Throughout the project I was humbled by all five men who invited us into their homes and told us, without hesitation, about lost comrades, close calls and life on the front line. These candid interviews allowed us to share first-hand accounts of the Second World War with generations who have, thankfully, never been called on to enlist.

The EPPY Awards, now in its 21st year, honour the best digital-media websites. Other companies recognized for the awards include The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed News.

The winners will be announced Wednesday, less than three weeks from Remembrance Day.

File The Brandon Sun feature Knights of D-Day, which focuses on five Westman veterans who received Frances highest distinction for their involvement in the countrys liberation during the Second World War, has been nominated for an EPPY Award as the best news or event feature and the best news or event feature video. In both cases, the categories represent features and videos with less than one million unique monthly visitors. The feature was led by former Sun reporter Eva Wasney. The award winners will be announced on Wednesday.

Our goal was to foster remembrance and I think we achieved that in an honest and meaningful way, Wasney said.

 The Brandon Sun
Three are vying for the leadership of the North Dakota Insurance Department, where Republican Adam Hamm chose not to seek another term. The department has a 2015-17 budget of more than $11.5 million and nearly 50 staff.

Jon Godfread, Republican

Jon Godfread, 33, aims to create an environment in the insurance commissioners office to work with providers to improve affordability of insurance, competition in the marketplace and accessibility.

Godfread, vice president of governmental affairs for the Greater North Dakota Chamber, said hes worked with the insurance commissioners office frequently in the past and is knowledgeable on its functions.

Thats one of my strengths; Ive worked on behalf of small businesses, said Godfread, adding that insurance agents are small businesses looking for the ability to succeed within the right framework of strong regulations.

Theres a lot of good things that can be done in this office, Godfread said. Its a critical office for a number of reasons.

Godfread said his chamber position allows him to bridge the gap between consumers, businesses and insurance providers.

Its important to take our North Dakota beliefs ... to a national level, Godfread said.

He said how the state addresses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in the years ahead will depend on the outcome of this years presidential election.

Ruth Buffalo, Democrat

For Ruth Buffalo, running for statewide office is just another step along her path in recent years of becoming more involved in leadership roles.

Buffalo, a small business owner from Mandaree, said training and running for insurance commissioner is a logical fit for her to serve North Dakotans.

Im running to stand up for all North Dakotans. My unique experience and background provides a fresh and informed perspective to this office," said Buffalo, who earned her bachelors degree in criminal justice from Si Tanka-Huron University in South Dakota.

Buffalo, who has master's degrees in management and business administration from the University of Mary, oversaw the wellness program at United Tribes Technical College for seven years and also taught as an adjunct instructor.

Her campaign has been aimed at educating people on what the insurance commissioner does as well as hearing from residents on concerns over the importance of having insurance, according to Buffalo, who just completed a master's degree in public health from North Dakota State University earlier this year.

Nick Bata, Libertarian

Libertarian Party insurance commissioner candidate Nick Bata says hes the only candidate pushing to reduce onerous regulations within the industry and create a more free-market marketplace for insurance.

We need people who are going to look out for the little guy. Most of us are the little guy, said Bata, a first-time candidate who has a bachelor's degree in physical education from Mayville State University.

Making people dependent on the government for solutions, including insurance programs, is not a solution, according to Bata, who works for a drywall company out of Fargo.

We need entrepreneurs that will solve the problems, Bata, 28, said. I think we can have customer standards without intervention.

Bata said hes been running his campaign largely through social media and is jointly running a blog with the partys Public Service Commission candidate, Thomas Skadeland, on campaign and non-campaign topics.

He expects to continue his campaign in the same manner until Election Day.
Opinion

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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many farmers are still working on their autumn harvest before the first snowfall of the year hits. Here, and out east, breweries are showing off this years grain crops as part of the beers they brew.

In 2014, Garrison Brewing out of Halifax has teamed with Canadas most popular organic brewery, Beaus All Natural out of Vankleek Hill, Ont., to create a sweet ale using fresh malted rye, wheat and Munich barley to celebrate the prosperous harvest season. This autumn the breweries decided to bring the beer, Sweet Ryed Harvest Wheat Ale back for beer drinkers, and for the first time in Manitoba.

Sweet Ryed, a pun on sweet ride because of the farm machinery used on the label, is described as a tasty copper-coloured harvest ale brewed with rye wheat malts, a good dose of floral and bog from Beaus All Natural Brewing. It tops out at 6.0 per cent ABV.

Submitted Sweet Ryed Harvest Wheat Ale, which has been created by Garrison Brewing of Halifax and Beaus All Natural organic brewery in Vankleek Hill, Ont., is available for the first time in Manitoba.

Since the folks over at Beaus are big fans of Torque Brewing, I carefully opened up this beer with my cast iron Torque bottle opener. The first impressions I got from the beer was that it was a heavy, copper-brown ale with a moderate amount of cloudiness to it, some sediment, minimal carbonation and a light amount of beige head sticking to the side of the glassware.

When I got the beer, all I saw on the label was Sweet Ryed so I expected it to be a full-on rye ale (which I love) rather than a medley of rye, wheat and barley so my expectations werent what I expected. The aroma has a very grainy vibe with notes of rye to give it a bit of a bit of earthiness and bite, the wheat and barley give it a hint of grain bin aroma to it  though just slightly, notes of caramel and a hint of grapefruit from the hops to give it just a presence of bitterness. The taste is pretty rye forward so Im back to what I was hoping for in a rye ale, the flavours are an earthy, gritty-rye flavour, followed by a moderate grapefruit flavour from the hops, a hint of pear, caramel and a light metallic/apple aftertaste.

For it being harvest season in Westman, this is a great autumn ale  its a caramelly, earthy, liberally hopped rye ale that gives off flavours of a successful harvest.

Every time Garrison Brewing brings a new beer to Brandon, I always end up buying more than my budget allows  and not only that, they partnered up with Beaus, which just makes it just a bit more special!

Garrison & Beaus Sweet Ryed Harvest Wheat Ale is available at Liquor Marts in Brandon and Dauphin for $5.95 per 650 ml bottle.

For those Beaus fans out there, they just released their annual Oktoberfest mix packs. These mix packs contain four 600 ml bottles containing their Vienna Style Lager, Return of the Mumme Ale, Ginger Wolf and One Ping Only Porter. It costs $29.95 and is available at the South End and 10th and Victoria Liquor Marts.
Opinion

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This article was published 21/10/2016 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO  Its a form of political nostalgia, a misplaced and divisive attempt to grip tight to a now-irrelevant but still damaging narrative that hasnt genuinely shaped or informed Canadian politics in 25 years. It may be moribund, but right now is speaking loudly  perhaps in death throes  in the form of Conservative leadership candidate Brad Trost and, to a lesser extent, Andrew Scheer, as well as in various theme-driven political campaigns across the country.

It is anchored in a small and tight package of policies: opposition to abortion, a refusal to accept gay marriage and full LGBTTQ* equality, resistance to euthanasia and an intense regard for what is known, perhaps misleadingly, as the traditional family. Its supporters call it social conservatism; its critics label it as bigotry. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Committed followers, however, are not in the middle and are increasingly based on the fringes of society. With a few exceptions, they are religiously motivated, on the conservative wing of the Roman Catholic Church and the more politicized churches within evangelical Protestantism.

Their natural home is, of course, the Conservative party, but in recent years theyve seen leader after leader abandon them. Stephen Harper was largely indifferent to their opinions and frightened of allowing them any influence; provincial Tory leaders tend to be gay-friendly and refuse to even discuss abortion; and the last Conservative convention earlier this year voted to support equal marriage.

So what happens now and where do these people go? Saskatoon MP Brad Trost is their most outspoken leader, proudly embracing opinions even former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day tried to avoid. While calling for a new debate about marriage and reproductive choice, hes also trying to force rival Andrew Scheer to be more vocal about his social conservatism  Scheer was, after all, once given the full praise of the hardline and vehemently anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage Campaign Life Coalition. But Scheer is a more polished and gentle politician and also a less clumsy one.

Social conservative Jason Kenney may not be gentle, but he is certainly capable and, while running to be leader of the Progressive Conservatives in Alberta, is being extremely careful about discussing any moral or social issue. Unlike Trost, he has a very good chance of winning the leadership and even becoming premier. Trost surely knows that he is merely flying the flag and guaranteeing his status as a hero to the few.

And heres the central issue: Social conservatives complain that they are marginalized and not taken seriously, even though they claim to speak for a significant proportion of society. But the truth is that while Canada is more than 40 per cent Catholic and around 11 per cent evangelical, the vast majority of the former and a good chunk of the latter no longer subscribe to their churchs teachings on sexuality, abortion and contraception. Canadian leaders including Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Pierre Trudeau are all Catholic and it was during their collective years as prime minister that Canada adopted its progressive stance on most of the pertinent issues.

More than this, there is a solid argument to be made that social conservative views actually deserve to be pushed to the edges of polite society and not given a hearing within mainstream politics. They seek to limit a womans freedom of choice, prevent gay people from marrying and stop the terminally ill from deciding their own fate. In other words, none of this is about improving the common good or making life better for Canadians, its about imposing a specific theology on a secular society.

Its this  and not some media conspiracy  that has led to the evaporation of respect for social conservatism, and the antics of social conservatives themselves have confirmed that disrespect among most Canadians. Anybody who has seen the extremism of those protesting the new sex-ed curriculum in Ontario, for example, will testify to the nasty mingling of hysteria, prejudice and downright dishonesty among social conservatives.

Someone with more socially liberal views will win the Tory leadership, the new generation in this country will hardly even know what social conservatism is and the remains of the movement will retreat ever further into paranoia and outrage. People like Brad Trost are only prolonging the agony, but in so doing, are also opening up old wounds and causing pain to people who assumed justice and equality was largely won. And that is difficult to forgive.

 Michael Corens latest book is Epiphany: A Christians Change of Heart and Mind over Same-Sex Marriage. His column was recently published in the Winnipeg Free Press.
A number of families plan to decorate their cars and hand out candy from the church's parking lot.

The event's goal is to allow children to have a safe Halloween, while taking the hassle out of the event by providing one spot where they can enjoy decorated cars, lots of costumes, pumpkin carving and candy.
Canada has walked out of talks meant to save a trade deal with the European Union, unable to break a deadlock with a small Belgian region that was blocking next week's official signature.

The departure of Canada's international trade minister was a stunning setback and leaves it unclear whether the rest of the EU will be able to persuade the region of Wallonia to sign up to the agreement.

Canadian international trade minister Chrystia Freeland said it had been impossible to overcome the differences with Wallonia, a region of 3.5 million people.

The agreement needed unanimity within the EU, and Belgium in turn needs unanimity among its regions.

"It seems that for me, and for Canada, that the EU is not capable now to have an international deal, even with a nation with such European values like Canada," Ms Freeland said as she left.

Close to tears, she added: "Canada is disappointed ... but I think it is impossible."

The deal was supposed to be signed next week in Brussels by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The disagreement has pitted Wallonia against the entire EU and Canada, with populations of over 500 million and 35 million.

An official at the European Commission, which has been steering the pact through negotiations, said it "doesn't consider that this is the end of the process".

It is unclear how the EU will keep negotiating with Wallonia in coming days to solve the impasse.

Wallonia wants more guarantees to protect its farmers and Europe's high labour, environmental and consumer standards. It also fears the agreement will allow huge multinationals - first from Canada, and later from the US, if a similar deal with Washington follows - to crush small Walloon enterprises and their way of life.

Proponents say the deal would yield billions in added trade through tariff cuts and other measures to lower barriers to commerce. At the same time, the EU says it will keep in place the region's strong safeguards on social, environmental and labour issues.

Paul Magnette, the president of Wallonia, spent hours talking with EU officials and Ms Freeland to find a compromise by the end of a two-day summit in Brussels.

He had already pleaded that, "in an amicable way, we jointly postpone the EU-Canada summit and that we give ourselves time".

EU leaders warned that failure to clinch the deal with Canada could ruin the 28-nation bloc's credibility as a trade partner and make it more difficult to strike agreements with other global allies like the US and Japan.

As the leaders wrapped up the summit in Brussels, negotiations fell apart between officials from the EU Commission, regional leaders and Ms Freeland in Wallonia's capital, Namur, 40 miles away.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is the EU's single biggest economy, said at the time that she was optimistic a deal would emerge from the talks.

Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP Christian Democrats, the biggest group in the European Parliament, was less enthusiastic about local politics holding up such a significant international agreement.

"Europe cannot be held hostage because of internal political games in the Walloon region," he said.

A similar free trade agreement between the EU and the US is also being negotiated, but has met with far more opposition than the Canada pact. Progress on the US deal is highly unlikely any time before next month's presidential election.

EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said after the EU summit that he hoped a deal would be reached "within the next few days".

Belgian prime minister Charles Michel said he had worked through the night in an effort to broker a deal.
Around 1,600 entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts are expected to attend Irelands second National Digital Week.

The event, which takes place in Skibbereen, Co Cork from November 10  12 , is the only event of its kind in a non-urban area in Ireland, organisers say.

National Digital Week aims to develop entrepreneurship by making digital accessible for all, catering for everyone with an interest in the future of digital technology.

The event has been organised by the Ludgate Digital Hub, Irelands first rural digital hub to receive 1GB connectivity provided by Vodafone as the town is connected to SIROs 100% fibre-optic broadband network.

Following last years successful inaugural event which saw in excess of 2m generated for the local West Cork economy, we are delighted to be rolling this exciting event out for a second year, said co-organiser Callum Donnelly.

It is great that Skibbereen is taking such a leadership position in the transformation of rural Ireland into a 1 gigabit society.

In rural Ireland we have so many talented people of all ages. However, talent often leaves our communities. National Digital Week is about rebranding rural Ireland as a location in which people can stay by choice to establish businesses, that can scale, employ skilled employees, and compete at a global level, that is the beauty of digital.

National Digital Week 2016 is attracting National Digital Week 2016 will be held across two stages, the AIB arena and the Google stage.

Geography is no longer a restricting factor as long as Ireland continues investing in future proofing broadband connectivity.

Over 80 speakers will be attending, including Ben Verwaayen, Former CEO of Alcatel-Lucent & Founding Partner of Keen Venture; Mark MacGann, Senior Board Advisor, Uber; David Puttnam, Irelands Digital Champion & Oscar Winning Film Producer; Grainne McCarthy, London Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal; and Ronan Harris, VP of Sales Google EMEA & Head of Google Ireland.

Day 1 of the event local students will also get the opportunity to speak and showcase their coding skills which includes a virtual reality tour of Skibbereen created in Minecraft.

The event is supported by partners AIB, Vodafone and Google.
The plummeting value of sterling is putting pressure on Irish businesses both at home and abroad, according to new research by the foreign exchange specialist FEXCO Corporate Payments.

The data reveals the full scale of the boom in Irish imports from the UK since the result of the Brexit referendum triggered a dramatic fall in the value of the pound.

The analysis, of more than 2,000 transactions made through FEXCO Corporate Payments, shows that by September Irish businesses were importing 16% more British goods and services than they did in September 2015.

The import splurge is most acute in the transport sector.

Purchases of cars and other vehicles from the UK were a third (33%) higher in September than at the same time last year.

Imports from the UK in the construction, energy and utilities sector were also up sharply, rising by a fifth (20%) on their September 2015 levels, with wholesale imports of British goods climbing by 5%.

Individuals are cashing in on the weak pound too, with FEXCO recording a surge in personal customers sending money to the UK.

In September, transfers from Ireland to the UK were 73% higher in euro terms than at the same time last year.

Meanwhile, Irish exporters suffered an immediate hit after the decision of UK voters to quit the EU. Official figures from the Central Statistics Office show that total Irish exports fell by 11% in July, the first full month after the Brexit referendum.

The UK is Irelands biggest trading partner in the EU, but British demand for Irish goods and services has plunged as the falling Pound makes Irish products more expensive for UK buyers. CSO figures show that Irish exports to Britain slipped to 1.08bn in July, a 1.5% drop on their June levels and 3% lower than at the same time in 2015.

David Lamb, head of dealing at FEXCO Corporate Payments, explained: It may have rallied a touch this week, but the Pound is still worth 15% less against the Euro than it was on the eve of the Brexit vote. The sterling flash crash in early October  in which it lost a tenth of its value in just minutes  shows just how fragile the Pound is.

As a result British demand for Irish goods and services is shrinking, in what the Irish Business and Employers Confederation has described as a full-blown currency crisis.

But while the tumbling Pound is causing mayhem for Irish exporters struggling to sell to the UK, our research also reveals the costs closer to home.

With Ireland splurging on UK imports, theres a growing danger that Irish firms will lose out in the domestic market to a flood of cheaper British competitors."
Ground was broken for a 70-animal facility that will house cats and office space at the Central Dakota Humane Society complex north of Mandan.

The south side facility will replace a 40-year-old building on the east grounds of the non-kill animal shelter even as the group continues to raise money to build a larger facility in southeast Bismarck.

Staff describe the existing cat building in poor repair, raising concerns about its stability during heavy rains and snowstorms.

"It costs more for maintenance of the old building than to build a new one," said Jerry Kemmet, a board member for the nonprofit who estimated the structure is 40 years old. "Our board of directors felt that we could no longer allow our staff and pets to work and reside in our oldest building on our property."

The new building in Mandan will house 70 cats and have office space for administrative staff.

Kemmet said completion date for the Mandan project is set for Feb. 1. The building, a steel structure, will allow the organization to house cats and quarantine sick animals from the general animal population. The existing shelter has a capacity to house 75 cats and 50 dogs, but the demand for shelter space is increasing with the growing metro area.

Though the $280,000 project is being built in Mandan, the group's board of directors indicated they plan to build a larger structure on eight acres set on the Missouri Valley Complex by 2019. The group purchased the property in March 2013 for $133,000 from Burleigh County.

"We still plan to maintain a presence in Mandan," Kemmet said.

In six months, a fundraiser is planned for the larger shelter in Bismarck, Kemmet said.

"Our new facility will increase our capacity and efficiency," Kemmet said. "The site we have cannot handle all of our needs."

To date, about $1 million of the $5 million needed has been raised to build the larger shelter in southeast Bismarck, said Sue Buchholz, shelter director for the Central Dakota Humane Society.

"We have to care for the animals here in the interim .... For now, we intend to keep the property we have in Mandan," she said.

"The roof is leaking, and it's very drafty in here," Buchholz said of the building being replaced. "It's not healthy for people or our animals. We've spent decades patching it up."
Amnesty International is calling for technology companies to observe users' rights to privacy and freedom of expression.

The human rights charity has ranked the quality and strength of privacy levels offered by different online messaging services.

Facebook and Apple are among the companies ranked the highest, while Tencent and Snapchat were given lower privacy scores.

Amnesty International said it is concerned about how compromised privacy online impacts on activists' abilities to communicate with each other.

The group says all online messaging services should be encrypted, so that only the sender and recipient can read them.

Executive director of Amnesty International Ireland Colm O'Gorman said Skype was also lacking in some areas of protecting users' messages.

"Disappointingly, despite Microsoft's strong policy commitment on human rights, it's still using quite a weak form of encryption on Skype. It only scores 40 out of 100.

"None of those companies are using end-to-end encryption for their users' communications.

"Snapchat, which many people use, also scored badly, despite having a strong policy commitment towards privacy. In practice, it's not doing enough to protect privacy."
A 43-year-old father of one was shot twice in the chest during what police have described as a cold blooded execution.

Joe Reilly was gunned down at his home in the Poleglass area of west Belfast on Thursday night.

A motive for the shooting has yet to be established.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery, who is leading the murder hunt, said: "It really is difficult to know how to describe what happened last night. The adjectives brutal, senseless and barbaric are inadequate.

"This was a cold blooded summary execution of a man in his own house."

It is understood the killers, one armed with a handgun, entered the house at Glenwood Court through an open door.

They ordered two other people to lie down on the kitchen floor while Mr Reilly was held in the living room where he was shot.

He died at the scene, police said.

There has been widespread speculation that dissident republicans may have been responsible for the killing but, as yet, no group has claimed responsibility.

Mr Montgomery said the victim had been known to police but added: "I will keep a completely open mind as to why he has been killed.

"Mr Reilly had a criminal record and that will form part of my investigation.

"But what is important here to understand is that a man has been brutally murdered in his house and I am determined to try and find out who was responsible and bring those people to justice and make Belfast a safer place to live."

The 6ft tall gunmen, who were dressed in dark coats and trousers, fled through the front door of the house and ran down the street.

One of the suspects was also wearing dark rimmed glasses and a Celtic scarf.

Police want to speak anyone who was in the Glenwood Court, Glenwood Crescent or Laurelbank area before or after 8pm on Thursday and who may have seen anything.

However, detectives are particularly keen to speak to three children who were in the area after the shooting and may have seen the gunmen make their escape.

Mr Montgomery added: "My knowledge of what happened and why it happened is far from complete and any information people can provide to me is very important."

An incident room has been set up at Musgrave Street PSNI station from where a team of detectives are working on the case.

Meanwhile, political leaders have united in condemnation of the murder.

In a joint statement, the First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness said: "We unreservedly condemn the murder of a man shot dead in his home in Poleglass last night.

"This savage killing is senseless and has achieved nothing. The perpetrators care only for themselves."

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has also expressed outrage.

He wrote on Twitter: "Appalled by senseless and brutal murder in west Belfast last night. My thoughts are with family & everyone affected by this."

It was the second shooting in the Poleglass area in less than a week.

On Sunday a man in his 50s was hit up to six times in the lower legs.

Justice Minister Claire Sugden described the murder as an attack on the whole community.

The independent MLA said: "I unreservedly condemn this appalling act and I offer my deepest sympathies to the family.

"Murder is an attack against our entire community and those responsible have no place in society while they continue to be involved in crime."

Sinn Fein Assembly member Jennifer McCann, who was at the scene a short time after the shooting, appealed for anyone with information to contact the PSNI.

She said: "This brutal killing has achieved nothing other than plunging another family into grief and despair.

"I have expressed my condolences to the victim's family and I appeal to anyone with information to bring it forward to the police."

SDLP MLA Alex Attwood said such "barbaric" attacks had "no place in our past and they have no place in our society today".

He said: "The voice of our condemnation has to be consistent and strong. At the scene last night there were many young people who, unlike previous generations, will not have witnessed this brutality. We must say to younger generations and to all, that an assault on the rule of law, an assault on a citizen, is an assault on us all."

Alliance Party justice spokesman Trevor Lunn said the gunmen must be caught.

He said: "The local community will be rightly shocked by this murder.

"Those responsible need to be removed from the streets and should face the full rigours of the law. I would encourage anyone with information on this incident to pass it to police immediately."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at Musgrave Street PSNI station on 101.
Enda Kenny has denied that Ireland could face hundreds more tax investigations following the Apple ruling.

It's after reports earlier today of 300 possible investigations are wide of the mark and have been denied by Brussels.
Update 4.54pm: A 17-year-old boy is planning to appeal the guilty verdicts handed down today for falsely imprisoning Joan Burton and her adviser in November 2014.

He was aged 15 when he blocked them from leaving a graduation ceremony in Jobstown in Dublin - by standing in front of two Garda vehicles.

The judge described the boy as an active participant but decided not to give him a criminal record if he stays out of trouble for the next nine months.

Afterwards, his solicitor Michael Finucane said they intended to appeal.

My client has asked me to say that he is extremely relived that the proceedings have ended, and that the stress on him and his family has, to some degree, been lifted, for the time being, he said.

But he is disappointed by the outcome.

Counsel and myself are considering the options, but I can confirm that an appeal of some description will be taken in due course.

Update 1.57pm: Todays guilty verdict against a 17-year-old protester for the false imprisonment of Joan Burton has been called an outrageous assault on civil liberties and the right to protest by the #JobstownNotGuilty group today.

The judge later applied a conditional discharge whereby the boy will escape a criminal conviction if he stays out of trouble for the next nine months.

This young man has had this hanging over him for almost two years while he completed his Leaving Certificate and started college, the group stated.

No evidence of false imprisonment was presented. Instead, he was found guilty on the basis of images of him attending a protest, leading a chant and holding a megaphone.

This verdict represents the criminalisation of protest and sets an extremely dangerous precedent. It is, as his barrister argued in court, a recipe for totalitarianism.

Any people who engage in sit-down protests or slow marching in future now face the threat of being convicted of false imprisonment.

All those who oppose the criminalisation of protest should now make a stand. The right to protest must be defended by exercising it.

We are calling on people to join the Rally for Justice tomorrow at 1pm at the Central Bank, which will march to the Childrens Court.

Update 12.57pm: A teenager found guilty of falsely imprisoning the former Tanaiste Joan Burton and her adviser during a protest in Jobstown in Dublin has been granted a conditional discharge by the trial judge today.

Both sides in the trial of agreed to proceed with his sentence hearing today, during which the court heard that Ms Burton had no desire to see any young person go to jail over this.

The judge decided to apply a conditional discharge whereby the boy will escape a criminal conviction if he stays out of trouble for the next nine months.

Earlier: A 17-year-old boy had been found guilty of falsely imprisoning the former Tanaiste Joan Burton and her adviser during a protest in Jobstown in Dublin.

The judge described him as an active participant in the blocking of an unmarked Garda car they were in, following a graduation ceremony in 2014.

Judge John King said it was clear the passage of Joan Burton and her adviser Karen OConnell was obstructed as they moved from the graduation ceremony to a nearby church.

He said they were clearly detained when an unmarked Garda car was surrounded outside the church and again when they were moved to a jeep.

YouTube clips and Garda evidence put the boy at both scenes and he could be seen directing the crowd with a megaphone at various points.

Judge King described him as an active participant. He said all elements of common design were made and rejected his claim he had no case to answer.

He said he was satisfied the offences had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted him on both counts.

His sentence hearing is due to take place at later date. The maximum penalty for false imprisonment at district court level is 12 months in prison.

Chants from a large crowd gathered outside court grew louder and louder as news filtered through that the boy had been found guilty.
One of seven Dubliners charged with murdering a man, who was beaten to death, said the deceased was already black and blue and bleeding from his eyes before he punched him.

The jury in the Central Criminal Court trial was today hearing evidence of garda interviews conducted with one of the accused, Graham Palmer, who initially denied assaulting the 20-year-old.

Dale Creighton was assaulted on New Years Morning 2014 at the footbridge over the Tallaght bypass between Saint Dominics Road and Greenhills Road.

The Tallaght native died in hospital the following day.

A woman and six men, who are in their 20s and from Tallaght, have all pleaded not guilty to murder and went on trial last week.

They are 23-year-old Aisling Burke and 28-year-old David Burke, both with a current address at Beechpark, Collinstown, Co Westmeath; Graham Palmer (aged 26) with a current address at Park Avenue, Portarlington, Co Laois; Ross Callery (aged 23) currently of Brittas, Co Dublin; James Reid (aged 26) currently of Glen Aoibhinn, Gorey, Co Wexford; Jason Beresford (aged 23) with an address at Coill Diarmuida, Ard a Laoi, Castledermot, Co Kildare; and Gerard Stevens (aged 27) currently of Grosvenor Square, Rathmines in Dublin.

Each accused also initially pleaded not guilty to violent disorder at the footbridge. However Jason Beresford later changed his plea and pleaded guilty to the violent disorder charge.

Garda Alan Young testified yesterday that he interviewed Graham Palmer a number of times that New Years Day.

I didnt put a finger on that young fella, said Mr Palmer initially.

He said he was walking home in the early hours when he heard a commotion.

That young fella was black and blue long before I got to the bridge, he said.

He said that he heard screaming and shouting.

That young one was hysterical on the bridge. I walked up to see if she was ok, he said, referring to Aisling Burke.

That young fella was in a ball, he said. His face was black and blue and he had blood pi**ing from his eyes.

He said he was told that someone had robbed Ms Burke of her bag and phone and that someone was asking the deceased where the phone was.

He said that someone had given the deceased either a boot or a punch while Mr Palmer was picking him up off the ground.

His interviewers told him that chances were Mr Creighton would not survive.

Well, I hope to God for him and for his family that he does, he responded.

I didnt put him in that state, he said, when it was put to him that he hadnt helped him.

I did not do that to that young fella, he said. I didnt kick him I picked him up but I didnt put him in a ball like that.

He said he was 100% sure that he hadnt touched him.

He was later shown CCTV footage of the fatal assault and identified himself crouching over the injured party and was asked what was happening.

There were people trying to kick him and punch him and I tried to prevent it, he said.

But, you hit him yourself, it was put to him.

I did. I hit him in the stomach, he said.

He was asked why.

I slapped him in the stomach just to get his attention, he replied.

You again speak to him as hes lying lifeless. What did you say? he was asked.

He said he didnt know.

He agreed that he had hit him again as he lay upside down and that he appeared to get something on his hand. He was asked if this was blood.

I got blood on my face when someone kicked him, he said.

It was put to him that he had left him to die when the gardai arrived.

He was alive when I left, he said. Everybody else ran so I just did.

He was asked how he felt, having seen the footage.

Not good, ashamed, he said.

I slapped him in the stomach twice, he said when asked about his involvement.

However, he then agreed that he had also punched him in the face.

He was asked if he had anything to say about his actions.

I deeply regret them, he responded, later saying he had got involved out of stupidity.

The court had already heard that he and Ms Burke were holding hands when they were arrested nearby shortly after the gardai arrived.

He was asked if they were a couple and he said no. He said he had put his arm around her because she was shaking like a leaf.

He denied trying to look like a normal couple, who had nothing to do with what had happened.

The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy and the jury of six men and six women.
A seven-year-old boy who was "living life entirely as a girl" has been removed from his mother's care following a ruling by a High Court judge.

Mr Justice Hayden said the woman had caused her son "significant emotional harm" - and he criticised local authority social services staff responsible for the youngster's welfare.

The judge said the woman had been "absolutely convinced" the youngster "perceived himself as a girl" and was determined that he should be a girl.

He said the boy was now living with his father, who is separated from the woman. The youngster still saw his mother.

Mr Justice Hayden said "flares of concern" had been sent from a "whole raft of multi-disciplinary agencies" - and he said he could not understand why so many concerns were "disregarded so summarily" by social services staff.

The judge said social services staff had "moved into wholesale acceptance that (the boy) should be regarded as a girl".

He said he wanted the council to undertake a review of the "social work response" to the case.

A council "spokesperson" said bosses had already begun a review.

Detail emerged on Friday in a ruling by the judge following private hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Mr Justice Hayden said no-one involved in the case - including the local authority - could be identified.

The judge also barred the woman from revealing specifics of the case in any media interviews.

He said he was afraid that an information jigsaw which might lead to the boy's identity being revealed could be created.

The judge said he had analysed evidence from the boy's parents, local authority social workers and a psychologist.

He indicated the boy's parents had separated some years ago. The boy had stayed with his mother.

Family court litigation had started about three years ago after the father raised concerns about not having contact with his son.

A lower-ranking judge had authorised a "wide-ranging" inquiry and local authority social services staff had begun investigations.

"(His mother) told me that (he) was 'living in stealth' by which was meant, she explained, that he was living life entirely as a girl," said Mr Justice Hayden.

"He dressed, at all times, like a girl and, it transpired, had been registered at a new general practitioner's as a girl."

The judge added: "I was also left in no doubt that (the mother) was absolutely convinced that (the boy) perceived himself as a girl."

Mr Justice Hayden said his "overwhelming impression" was that the woman "believes herself to be to fighting for (her son's) right to express himself as a girl".

He said the woman had told him how the boy "expressed disdain for his penis".

The judge added: "I consider that (the mother) has caused significant emotional harm to (her son) in her active determination that he should be a girl."

Mr Justice Hayden said the boy had settled well in the care of his father - and his father's partner.

"I have been told that (the father) and his partner were shocked when they first saw (the boy) by the extent to which he appeared to be a girl, both in appearance and in mannerism," said the judge.

"However, what is striking is how well (the boy) has settled down."

The judge added: "I have noted from reports that (the boy) has become interested in Power Rangers, SpongeBob, Superheroes and is constantly finding new interests...

"It is striking that most of (the boy's) interests are male-oriented.

"I am entirely satisfied, both on the basis of the reports and (the father's) evidence at this hearing, that he has brought no pressure on (the boy) to pursue masculine interests.

"(The boy's) interests and energy are entirely self-motivated."
Hillary Clinton ramped up her pressure on Donald Trump in the election's most competitive states on Friday with an emotional TV ad targeting his criticism of a Muslim-American family.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, vowed to go all-out in the final three weeks so he'll have no regrets - even if he loses.

The nominees retrenched behind familiar arguments a day after appearing together at a charity event that veered into cutting personal attacks.

Mrs Clinton's new ad features Khizr Khan, whom Mr Trump assailed after Mr Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

In the minute-long ad, which Mrs Clinton's campaign said was airing in seven battleground states, MrKhan retells how his son, Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq seeking to protect his US military unit from a suicide bomber.

"Mr Trump, would my son have a place in your America?" the father asks, welling up as the ad fades to black.

Mrs Clinton has sought to use Mr Trump's widely panned attacks on the father and his wife as evidence supporting her case that the Republican bullies minorities, especially those who disagree with him.

In person, she was promoting early voting in Ohio and planned a meeting with two activists for Black Lives Matter.

Mr Trump has settled on a new target: Michelle Obama, who has emerged as one of the most effective voices for Mrs Clinton.

One of the country's most popular Democrats, the first lady for years has been loathe to devote significant time to campaigning, but has done so in recent days with searing indictments of Mr Trump's treatment of women.

Captain Humayun Khan died serving his countryand saving his entire unit.



Trump seems to think someone like him doesn't belong in America. pic.twitter.com/qGKhm0l6e7  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 21, 2016

"All she wants to do is campaign," Mr Trump said as he rallied supporters in North Carolina. He cited comments Mrs Obama made during her husband's 2008 campaign in which she said someone who can't run their own house can't run the White House. "She's the one that started that," Trump said.

Mr Trump was unusually candid about the possibility of losing the election, a prospect that's grown in likelihood as Mr Clinton solidifies her lead in battleground states that will decide the election.

He said he is packing his schedule with campaign events through to Election Day so he will know he spared no effort even if ultimately unsuccessful.

"I will be happy with myself," he said.

The two candidates were still sharply at odds over Mr Trump's unprecedented assertion in the final debate on Wednesday that he may not concede if he loses.

Mrs Clinton has called that "horrifying," while Mr Trump has said he's merely reserving the right to contest the results if the outcome is unclear or questionable.

Underpinning his threat is his contention - presented with no evidence - that the election is "rigged" against him and may be soiled by widespread voter fraud. He's urged supporters to "monitor" polling places for potential shenanigans.

Fanning those flames, Russia's government has asked Oklahoma and two other states to allow Russian officials to be present at polling stations on Election Day, to study the "US experience in organisation of voting process".

Allegations by the US government that Russia is trying to influence the election by hacking Democratic groups has fed a Clinton camp claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is siding with Mr Trump.

The Oklahoma secretary of state's office said it had denied the Russian request, in line with state law. At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest said it was unclear what Moscow was trying to do.

"It's appropriate that people might be suspicious of their motives," Mr Earnest said.

Early voting is under way in more than 30 states.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has described North Korea's government as "an illegal and illegitimate regime".

Mr Kerry used the unusually tough language as he met Kuwait foreign minister Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah on Friday and credited the Gulf nation for its efforts in countering the North's proliferation activities.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have traded sharp barbs and brutal put-downs at a supposedly light-hearted New York charity gala, with many in the well-heeled crowd turning on the Republican nominee midway through his remarks and showering him with jeers.

The annual white-tie Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner - often the last time the US presidential nominees share a stage before election day - is traditionally a time when campaign hostilities are set aside.

But the night after their final presidential debate, Mr Trump, who had drawn big laughs earlier in the speech, appeared to lose the room as he repeatedly dug in with caustic swipes at Democrat Mrs Clinton, drawing rare boos at an event meant to raise money for impoverished children throughout New York.

He appeared to straddle the line when he talked about how "listening to Hillary rattle on and rattle on" had made him better appreciate his former nemesis Rosie O'Donnell. But he then seemed to cross it when he referred to her as "corrupt" during a lengthy riff on the FBI's investigation into her use of a private email server as US secretary of state.

"Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt," he said to loud boos and at least one call demanding he get off the stage.

He then almost appeared to segue into the standard attack lines of his rally speeches, setting aside jokes to bring up material contained in hacked Clinton campaign emails.

"Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private," he said to growing jeers. "Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics."

Mrs Clinton also veered into personal digs, making one joke in which she said the Statue of Liberty, for most Americans, represented a symbol of hope for immigrants.

"Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a '4'," she said. "Maybe a '5' if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer. And when they entered and took their seats, they did not greet each other or make eye contact, though they did shake hands later.

Cardinal Dolan later called his seat "the iciest place on the planet".

Most eyes were on Mr Trump, who infamously glowered through Barack Obama's jokes at his expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and is not known for being self-deprecating.

But some of his jokes landed well, drawing laughs from both the crowd and Mrs Clinton.

His biggest laughs came as he talked about Michelle Obama getting rave reviews for a recent speech. "They think she's absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case," he said to whoops and laughs.

And some of his attack lines flashed a sense of humour that has been mostly absent from the gruelling campaign.

Mrs Clinton was the first one to laugh when Mr Trump joked that she had bumped into him earlier in the night "and she very simply said 'Pardon me'" - an unsubtle reference to the Republican nominee's frequent declarations that his opponent should go to jail.

Mrs Clinton, meanwhile, was more self-deprecating than Mr Trump, joking that she had taken a break from her "usual nap schedule" to attend and suggesting that the audience should be pleased she was not charging her usual fee for speaking in front of potential donors.

But she also landed some digs at Mr Trump, a few of which drew scattered jeers. She said she understood why he was wary of teleprompters because they can be difficult to follow and "I'm sure it's even harder when you're translating from the original Russian".

The dinner is named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928. And fittingly for an event named after a man nicknamed "The Happy Warrior", the occasion has produced dozens of memorable presidential jokes - and sincere moments of goodwill that have remained largely absent from the 2016 campaign.

"I can't wish my opponent luck," John McCain said in 2008, turning towards Mr Obama, "but I do wish him well".

Meanwhile, figures show both White House contenders have been spending furiously at the November 8 election looms.

Defying his notorious stinginess, Mr Trump more than doubled his campaign spending last month compared with August, burning through about $70m as his standing in polls and among fellow Republicans dropped.

And Mrs Clinton spent even more, almost $83m.

New finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission outlined their dramatically different approaches to the quest for the White House.

Mr Trump, while putting more money than ever into advertising, spent a fraction of the $66m Mrs Clinton poured into media buys.

Her payroll topped 800 people, coming in as her second-highest expense of the month, about $5.5m. Mr Trump paid about 350 employees and consultants. He has outsourced most of his on-the-ground voter contact to the Republican Party.

The New York billionaire property mogul has bragged until recently about his low-cost campaign and dismissed the need for television ads and polling services. But in September, he paid $23m for commercials.
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The Democratic-NPL candidate for lieutenant governor is criticizing her Republican counterpart for declining to participate in a debate before the Nov. 8 election.

State Sen. Joan Heckaman of New Rockford, who is running with Rep. Marvin Nelson of Rolla on the Dem-NPL ticket, said both she and Libertarian Party candidate Marty Riskes running mate, Joshua Voytek of Fargo, accepted an invitation to participate in an Tuesday debate at the University of Mary in Bismarck.

But GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Burgums running mate, Watford City Mayor Brent Sanford, declined the invitation and the debate never happened, Heckaman said.

Heckman said Thursday she didnt know why Sanford declined, but she speculated in a statement late Wednesday, I would argue that Brent Sanford doesnt know enough about government or about policies to take a stance and he knew if he came to this debate, it would be apparent.

I think a debate is a job interview, and I think the public in North Dakota need to know information about the individuals themselves and also their backgrounds and also their plans and what they can do, Heckaman said by phone Thursday.

An emailed statement from Burgums campaign Thursday didnt address why  or even whether  Sanford had declined the debate, noting only that the Burgum-Sanford team had followed the North Dakota tradition of three gubernatorial debates.

Doug and Brent look forward to spending the next 18 days sharing their plan across North Dakota to balance the budget without raising taxes, diversify the economy and empower communities with their Main Street Initiative, campaign spokesman Jahan Wilcox wrote in the email.

University of Mary spokesman Tom Ackerman said the debate didnt happen because Sanford had a scheduling conflict. Once it was determined the schedules couldnt all align, it was too late to reschedule, he said via email.

Forum archives show no records of lieutenant governor debates dating back to at least 2000.

The lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate, leads the North Dakota Trade Office and chairs the State Investment Board and Capitol Grounds Planning Commission, among other duties. The positions current annual salary is $100,224.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple is not seeking re-election, and Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley did not make a run for governor.
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Police from the ACT's outlaw motorcycle group and the AFP's National Anti-gang Squad will be out in large numbers this weekend monitoring the Rebels' outlaw motorcycle gang's annual meeting in Canberra.

A series of small groups of Rebels club members rolled into Fyshwick on Friday ahead of their national meeting at their Wollongong Street club house on Saturday.

ACT policing make their presence felt in Wollongong street Fyshwick, the home of the Rebels bikie clubhouse, ahead of this weekends planned club Annual meeting. Photo by Karleen Minney. Credit:Karleen Minney

While ACT Police would not say how many officers would be on the streets for the meeting, members of the Taskforce Nemesis, traffic, general duties and specialist response teams were given a watching brief for the weekend.

A police spokeswoman said they would be monitoring for any intimidating, anti-social or illegal activity, and ensuring Rebels members were compliant with road transport laws.
One is a walking, talking children's book, the other has thighs inspired by Doctor Who.

Meet Kerri Eckhardt and Leanne Duck, two of four Canberra women representing the ACT in the national final of the Miss Ink Australia pageant this weekend.

Canberra women Kerri Eckhardt and Leanne "Lulu" Duck are vying for the title of Miss Ink Australia this weekend. Credit:Karleen Minney

More than 20 women from across Australia and New Zealand will take to the stage of The Basement in Belconnen on Saturday night to vie for the titles of either Miss Ink or Miss Tattoo.

Both categories include three pageantry rounds  daywear, swimwear and formal wear  and are judged by a panel of experts from the tattoo, fashion, and modelling industries. The judges are looking for tattoo quantity and quality, outfits, and personality.
Clint Hutchinson has announced he will leave Zoo Group after 15 years at the Canberra advertising agency.

Hutchinson, who is one of the founding partners of the agency, will step aside from his role as managing director at the end of the year.

Zoo Group managing direction Clint Hutchinson has announced he will leave the agency after 15 years.

He will not completely cut ties with the company though, and remains a stakeholder.

"Zoo's been amazing for me and I love it - nothing's changed there. And I'm still a stakeholder - it's not like I'm leaving and it's all done. So it's not like I've lost the love or anything. It's just, it's 15 years. And I'm going in a different direction but I'm still a part of it."
Qantas says it will keep a tight focus on costs and ensure capacity matches demand as intense competition on international routes pushes fares lower than a year ago.

Speaking at the airline's annual meeting on Friday, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline would "stay disciplined on cost, manage our capacity to match demand", and carefully hedge fuel.

"Like most other global carriers, intense competition on international routes means we're seeing air fares below where they were 12 months ago," he told shareholders at the meeting in Sydney.

"And the economic transition in Australia and broader geopolitical issues in the northern hemisphere continue to have an impact on aviation markets globally."
The skills in demand by Australian employers are changing rapidly, according to research by LinkedIn.

Cliff Rosenberg, the Australian head of LinkedIn, says the technology disruption is behind the change.

"Our data strongly suggests that tech skills will continue to be most in demand," says Cliff Rosenberg, the Australian head of LinkedIn.

"Our data strongly suggests that tech skills will continue to be most in demand," he says.

"However, professionals also need soft skills to succeed as organisations are looking for well-rounded skill sets."
He had axed a tradition at the Year 12 formal known as the "House Captains' Strip", which had reportedly offended female guests, and cancelled the social because students' social media discussion had "descended into sexist and misogynistic puerility". The "Milk Run"  which involved students drinking milk and lemon juice until they vomited, leaving somebody else to clean up the mess  was also abolished.

The issue came to public attention earlier this week when the current SRC Vice President, Ben Qin, used his final year speech to declare that he "no longer believed in Melbourne High" and criticised the school for failing to listen to students about major decisions including changes to school social events. He accused the school of being out of touch with students, who no longer wanted to be treated like the gentlemen of yesteryear.

As a former student of Melbourne High School, I commend the principal's attempts to stamp out a purported "locker room" culture at the all-boys selective school. But culture change requires more than a disciplinarian approach to the education of young men.

Author Tarang Chawla with his parents and a photo of his sister Nikita. Credit:Penny Stephens

I was SRC Vice President in 2004, but my time was marked by a different sentiment. The Melbourne High School I remember attending was brimming with intelligent students, characterised by its diversity, its inclusion and the frequent opportunity for frank exchange between students and its administrators, especially under then-principal Ray Willis. Given my fond memories and leadership at the school, it is a source of personal distress should this no longer remain the case.

I'm sure that the problems which have led to this reaction were intended in good fun, and likely passed of as part of "boys being boys". It always has been such. But we know more now. And we understand that we have a responsibility to be better. The evidence is clear: the sorts of attitudes that condone the "boys will be boys" mentality inevitably lead to a form of entrenched toxic masculinity that hurts all of us, not least of all those who embody it.

The culture that principal Ludowyke has expressed concerns about is something that troubles me deeply. I know its consequences too well. I dislike the term, but "locker room" culture typifies male entitlement and privilege. It's the kind of culture that grants men an amnesty to behave as they please, especially with regard to women and their bodies.

It is the kind of culture that has resulted in women being three to four times more likely than men to experience violence. It is the kind of culture that results in one in three Australian women experiencing sexual violence from the age of 15. It is the kind of culture that leads to one woman a week being killed by a current or former partner  women like my 23-year-old sister, Nikita, who was murdered last year.
This week, Samsung representatives are standing by at some of the world's busiest airports, ready to exchange Galaxy Note 7 phones for something new and less combustible. After dozens of fires, two recalls and the complete cancellation of the product, the United States government on Saturday warned that anyone knowingly bringing a Galaxy Note 7 and its potentially explosive battery onto a plane could be subject to criminal prosecution.

There's plenty of reason to blame Samsung for this debacle. It rushed the phone to market. It didn't subject the batteries to independent testing, as its competitors routinely do. It was slow to acknowledge the scale of the problem. And it failed to properly coordinate its response with regulators.

But perhaps Samsung's biggest mistake was one common to many phone makers: In the race to make the slimmest devices possible, it created a product that can no longer be easily repaired or refurbished. For years, this trend has been harmful to consumers and the environment; now it's clear that it can hurt a manufacturer's bottom line and reputation, too.

The immediate problem with the Galaxy Note 7 is a manufacturing defect that makes its batteries prone to short-circuiting and combustion. That didn't need to be a fatal flaw: As recently as 2014, one of the top selling points for Galaxy Note phones was that a user could switch out the battery pack with ease. If the Note 7's batteries could have been quickly replaced, the toll of the current crisis would have been far smaller.
There must be such relief in the Liberal Party at the moment.

After 13 months of insisting that everything's totally great amid endless sniping, wrecking and undermining, finally everyone can acknowledge the bitter, spiteful war that everyone's been assiduously pretending isn't going on between current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and previous prime minister Tony Abbott.

Even the frontbench are cool with talking about it on television now. "Of course they have a difference of opinion about who the prime minister should be," a deeply agitated Christopher Pyne fizzed on on the Today Show on Friday morning. "That's been played out in public, we know that, and Malcolm Turnbull is the Prime Minister."

After all, it's not like anyone has taken the claims of party unity the least bit seriously for the past year and a bit through Abbott's po-faced criticisms of Australia's response to the Paris terror attacks, backhanded slights at the current PM while lecturing European leaders on their insufficiently cruel border policies, claims of being "flabbergasted" about Australia's submarine contract and tut-tutting the PM's use of the word "invasion" when discussing the arrival of Europeans in Australia.
If you have seen the film Groundhog Day, you will recall Bill Murray's character is a Pittsburgh weatherman, sent to a small town in Pennsylvania by his television network to cover the annual event for the news. Finding himself caught in a frustrating, seemingly endless time loop, Murray's character is trapped in a small country town, experiencing the same day over and over again.

This film resonates on a number of levels. First, it highlights the importance of covering regional news events. Secondly, all regional media organisations have been experiencing their own form of Groundhog Day for close to four years. While the film has a predictably positive Hollywood conclusion, the story arc for the future of regional media is less optimistic.

The regional TV industry, like Bill Murrays weatherman in the movie Groundhog Day, is trapped in a seemingly endless time loop, say network chief executives.

In recent years, regional media companies have made countless representations to both Coalition and Labor governments about the importance of preserving a vibrant regional media sector. Our Groundhog Day story has been consistent: we are trapped in an environment that means our capacity to continue to deliver services to regional Australians is steadily declining.

There are two key factors contributing to this: the laws under which we operate are redundant, and we are being saturated by the proliferation of internet-based media companies, many of which are global juggernauts who pay no tax and employ no staff in this country.
A former government official of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks from a construction contractor has pleaded guilty to federal charges in North Dakota. Randall Phelan was an elected representative of the governing body of the Three Affiliated Tribes from the end of 2012 to the middle of 2020. Investigators say Phelan used his official position to help the contractors business by awarding contracts, fabricating bids and managing fraudulent invoices. His trial had been scheduled to begin Tuesday. Phelan and two others were originally charged with receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bribery scheme on the oil-rich Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The contractor has pleaded guilty to bribery.
Labor frontbencher Patrick Dodson has panned the government's inaction on incarceration issues facing Aboriginal communities, zeroing in on Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion's "appalling demonstration of ignorance".

In an illustration of the altered dynamic that comes with having more Indigenous voices in Parliament, Senator Dodson's frustration was evident as an estimates hearing questioned Senator Scullion over the justice system and Don Dale youth detention revelations.

Senator Dodson - a Yawuru elder, known as the Father of Reconciliation, and a royal commissioner on the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody - said his former colleagues on the 1987-1991 inquiry would be "absolutely horrified to listen to the discussion here today".

"An appalling demonstration of ignorance about the criminal justice system and its interface with Indigenous peoples, about existing cultures in prisons, within police departments," he said.
For most Australian travellers Fiji is synonymous with the cluster of beach resorts around Nadi, on the west coast of Viti Levu, and the more exclusive private hideaways on more far flung islands such as Denarau, Savusava, Royal Davui, Malolo and the fabled Yasawa archipelago.

While a resort-based vacation has its obvious attractions, especially for honeymooners and families with small children (Fijians are the world's best nannies) consider leaving the swimming pool, jet-skis and mojitos behind for a couple of days and going on a road trip from Nadi to Suva, the capital, following the picturesque Coral Coast.

Fiji's Coral Coast is dotted with traditional family-run resorts. Credit:M Timothy O'Keefe

Along the way you'll come across Indian temples, such as Nadi's much-photographed Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami, emerald green sugar cane fields, dusty old regional towns and many traditional Fijian villages  pull into the shade and you'll surrounded by bright-eyed children shouting 'Bula' (the national greeting) and laughing in delight. If the all-conquering Fijian rugby team is playing a test match the villagers will invite you to join them in the rowdy communal television room. Fijians are mad about rugby (who could forget the Fiji Rugby Sevens victory at this year's Olympic Games?) and totally partisan so it's probably best to leave the replica Wallaby shirt at home. Stay long enough and you'll end up sharing a cup of kava with the village elders. Best described as having the texture of wallpaper paste with a strong, a mouth numbing, peppery aftertaste, kava is another Fijian institution  it shows disrespect to refuse a cup.

Surfers, beachcombers, scuba divers and keen anglers will want to book into one of the many family-run resorts dotted along the coast. One of the most popular is Seashell@Momi (formerly Seashell Cove Resort) a laid-back establishment that offers charming bures, a small dining room, a shop, excellent surf breaks and dive trips to nearby Navula Barrier Reef.

Before surrendering to Suva's South Sea charms, it's worth making a small detour to Colo-i-Suva National Park, a tropical oasis celebrated for its many indigenous bird species, including spotted fantails, goshawks, sulphur-breasted musk parrots, warblers and barking pigeons, walking paths and delicious swimming holes.
A WAG-worthy pop-up, retro rags for a tenner and Australia's biggest millinery stockist gets a long-awaited physical store, just in time for the spring racing carnival.

Sales round-up

If you didn't know who Nadia Bartel was before this year's Brownlows, she made damn sure you'd remember her after the award ceremony last month. Dressed in a glitzy gold jumpsuit by J'Aton, she was the standout on the night. The stylish blogger launched online fashion store The Con-nection with her sister Michelle Coppolino in 2015 and this weekend they're having their very first pop-up sale. Expect up to 80 per cent off past season styles, samples and new arrivals from designers including Acler, Christopher Esber, Thurley, Alice McCall and Nobody Denim.

565 Chapel Street, South Yarra. Friday 8am-7pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 9am-3pm.
Family of a 64-year-old man, who is missing from Sydney's south, fear for his welfare after he was involved in a car crash and told a friend he was deteriorating.

Police are asking for help to find him.

Police are concerned for the welfare of Paul Parkinson, who has been missing since Monday.

Police said Paul Parkinson was involved in a minor crash on Monday afternoon.

Friends and family last heard from him about 6.30pm on Monday.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Premier Mike Baird have announced a "city deal" for Sydney's west that promises 100,000 jobs for the region - without specifying how those jobs will be created.

With high rhetoric but scant detail, Mr Turnbull and Mr Baird declared the venture "historic" as they signed a memorandum of understanding at Australian Technology Park near Redfern on Friday.

The Western Sydney City Deal, which is intended to provide a model for future arrangements, aims to deliver more jobs, transport, and services centred around a new airport at Badgerys Creek.

But there is as yet little information about the content of these deals, nor how they will change the regions in which they will operate.
They say moving can be more stressful than divorce, and for the government's 5000 public servants, politicians and ministerial staff, the shift is about to begin to their sleek new 41-storey skyscraper.

About 900 public servants  the first group to move  are packing their things into boxes to be moved to 1 William St, dubbed the "tower of power" this weekend.

But first, the media was given a tour of the schmick office building, which features almost floor-to-ceiling windows and boasts stunning views of South Bank and the river, indoor plants and comfortable lunch areas.

"Biomimicry", which describes imitating nature, is used throughout the building.
Gable Tostee's lawyer doesn't know why his client started recording his encounter with Warriena Wright, but believes the decision may have helped convince the jury of his innocence.

Nick Dore says he'd never asked his client why he decided to press the record button on his phone.

"I never needed to know, to be honest with you," he told the Nine NetworK on Friday.

But he says without the recording, his client's murder trial would have been very different.
Police say more than 45 vehicles at two wrecking yards were destroyed in suspected arson attacks on Brisbane's northside on Friday night.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Service were called to the first fire at 10.24pm at a wrecking yard on Beams Road in Fitzgibbon. The fire was extinguished by 10.50pm but destroyed about seven vehicles. Beams Road was closed by police just before 11pm.

Police are appealing for information after two car wrecking yards were targeted during suspected arson attacks on Brisbane's northside. Credit:Rob Gunstone

A second blaze broke out just before 11pm at a wrecking yard on Sandgate Road at Boondall, just five kilometres away from the first fire. More than 40 cars were destroyed by the time the fire was extinguished at 12.34am and Sandgate Road southbound was also closed.

A police spokeswoman said "two or three houses either side of the fires" were evacuated as a result, but the roads have since re-opened and all residents returned to their homes, which were not damaged.
Echidnas may not seem the most active of animals. Waddling around, they spend much of their time dozing and hiding. But in research published today in the Journal of Experimental Biology, we show that echidnas dig huge amounts of soil, and play a crucial role in Australias ecosystems.

By attaching miniature GPSs and accelerometers to echidnas in Western Australia, we found that these mammals move on average 200 cubic metres of soil each year. For the 12 echidnas we studied, this is the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

University of the Sunshine Coast researcher Dr Christofer Clemente and echidnas tracked in the study Credit:Dr Christine Cooper

Zoology gets small

Short-beaked echidnas are one of few surviving species of monotreme; unique mammals that reproduce by laying eggs. As well as a strange anatomy, they have an unusually low body temperature and metabolism.
The claim that elderly prisoners are the driving force behind a wave of deaths in custody in Victoria may be a myth.

New figures obtained from the Coroner's Court show 60 per cent of deaths in a 15-month period were men under the age of 60.

Since July 1 last year 25 prisoners, all of them male, have died in Victorian jails. Credit:Angela Wylie

Since July 1 last year, 25 people, all men, have died in adult prison, with the state experiencing the most fatalities in custody in almost a decade.

The steady rise in deaths has been attributed to an ageing and increased population, but Chanrandev Singh, a deaths-in-custody researcher and advocate, said the data tells a different story.
It'll be a wintry Cox Plate on Saturday, with a strong cold front settling over Melbourne.

One thousand homes are without power in Victoria after wild winds and the Great Ocean Road is closed again, as more storms hit the state.

And the weather bureau is predicting the equal-coldest Cox Plate day on record, with a maximum of 13 degrees and possible hail, thunder and snow above 900 metres.

As the winds eased in the city on Friday, the rain arrived and set in.
Victorians have been shivering their way through spring, with chilly temperatures and unseasonable smatterings of rain.

When there has been a rare burst of sunshine, like on Thursday when the mercury climbed to 22 degrees, Melburnians have had to battle strong winds too.

If you recall a warmer October 12 months ago, you aren't wrong.

October 2015 in Melbourne was hot, with six days above 30 degrees  and one scorcher of 35.8  and an average top of almost 25.
Kittens and bikies tend to only come together at the infamous Melbourne strip club which takes its name from the juvenile cat.

But early on Friday morning it was a small feline of the non-showgirl variety which needed rescuing from a suspicious fire at the Rebels clubhouse in Dandenong South.

The kitten rescued Credit:Victoria Police

Police pulled the small black cat out of the burning factory, which was completely destroyed in the blaze about 4.25am.

No one else was injured in the fire. At this stage it is unclear if the kitten was a fully patched member of the Rebels or if it was part of an underground fighting kitten ring.
Two children have been killed in a violent incident at a Yanchep home on Thursday night.

Major Crime Detectives and forensic officers were called to the property in Flight Vista about 10.30pm, where they had to force entry.

"Inside they located, deceased, children - a boy aged three and a girl aged five," Acting Detective Inspector Peter Clements said.

Their father, a man in his 30s, was critically injured inside and had been taken to hospital.
Developer Edge Living has finally won an 18-month fight with council and residents to build the Lumiere tower in the South Perth 'station precinct'.

The council's new Town Planning Scheme, drafted to encourage development, allowed unlimited heights in the Mill Point area around the long hoped-for train station.

Another planning battle ends in Perth. Credit:Emma Young

The council was taken aback by the rush of interest from property developers and scrambled to bring back height limits, but not before approvals went through for multiple towers of up to 38 storeys, including $60 million Lumiere.

In February, a residents' Supreme Court appeal overturned the Lumiere approval, with the 29-storey building not meeting requirements for a 50-50 residential-commercial mix.
London: Russia's show of naval strength in the English Channel may have backfired, with black smoke belching from the country's recently-refitted aircraft carrier hinting at engine troubles, a military analyst says.

The 31-year-old, 306m-long Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, was the highlight of a Russian armada that passed through the Channel on Friday, on its way to Syria.

It passed Dover, perhaps not coincidentally, exactly 211 years since the Battle of Trafalgar, the high-water-mark of Britannia's claim to rule the waves.

The journey was marked by chest-beating in the Russian media, with Sputnik news boasting "It's Time: Admiral Kuznetsov Carrier Group Heads to Med to Kick Daesh Ass".
MANDAN  Organizers of the Dakota Access Pipeline resistance camp said Thursday the filmmakers who reported being accosted this week were oil-funded provocateurs who filmed children and a ceremonial space that was off-limits to photography.

Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, issued a press release Thursday that said the FrackNation filmmakers broke several rules of the camp on Tuesday, including refusing to show credentials or get a press pass for the Oceti Sakowin camp.

A camp security officer said filmmaker Phelim McAleer and producer Magdalena Segieda were asked to show security images of children and remove images of the camps sacred fire. The crew became irate and jumped their vehicle toward members of the camp, hitting a security officer, according to the camps statement.

McAleer said he was reporting on the pipeline protest for the Facebook page of FrackNation, a film that aimed to counter the anti-fracking movie Gasland.

Phelim McAleer wanted to provoke an issue and thats exactly what he did, Goldtooth said, noting that McAleer has received funding from oil and gas interests. He hoped to slander our efforts as water protectors and discredit our movement after disingenuously entering our community and posing a threat to our children.

McAleer told Forum News Service he was not filming children and was doing interviews in the kitchen area of the camp, away from any ceremonial areas. He said a man accosted him after he began asking difficult questions related to how the protesters were using fossil fuels to protest fossil fuels.

The crew reported to police they were blocked in their vehicle for 30 minutes until law enforcement arrived.

Goldtooth said the man who had an altercation with McAleer and is pictured in video released by the Morton County Sheriffs Department was not a member of camp security, but was the uncle of a child who was photographed. The man is currently under review by camp security, pending expulsion, Goldtooth said.

Also Thursday, the sheriffs department released photos of people investigators would like to interview in connection with the incident. The department is investigating allegations of felonious restraint after the film crew reported being assaulted and held against their will. People with information are asked to call (701) 667-3330.

Goldtooth said in the statement the sheriffs office did not ask any questions while at the camp. Bismarck Police Lt. Glen Ternes, who responded to the incident, said they had only 12 officers there and didnt feel it was safe to enter the camp to investigate.
Yesterday the Post, for the first time, put a price tag on the Bristol Rovers' owner's fortune.

As you might expect this caused some controversy with many wanting to know how the figure was reach and also why it wasn't higher.

It was thought that the club's owner Wael Al-Qadi was a billionaire rather than a millionaire but looking more closely at the figures available it seems that may not be the case.

In our regional rich list, which we released yesterday, we put the figure at 400 million.

To answer the some of the questions as to how this sum was reached the compiler of the list, Ian Strachan, has touched on the some of the ways Al-Qadi's estimated wealth was calculated.

How the wealth was calculated

"Assessing the wealth of individuals and families whose wealth lies overseas is one of the most difficult aspects of compiling rich lists.

"While we can enlist the help of organisations such as Forbes and Fortune who compile international rich lists, they have no more access to private bank accounts than anyone else, so there will always be an element of subjectivity."

He said: "For UK, US and European-based companies there are registers of the financial performance, assets and book value of all companies. In the UK these are held by Companies House and other countries have their equivalents. There are also registers of directors' interests which are publicly available documents. For many countries in Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world, this information either doesn't exist or is not publicly available.

"This presents rich list compilers with a problem. I am currently writing the Midlands Rich List for the Birmingham Post and am battling with the Chinese puzzle of assessing the wealth of the new owners of West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Wolves."

He said: "All we can do is concentrate on what we know. Assessing the wealth of individual members of the Al-Qadi family would be impossible, so we concentrate on family wealth. The family wealth comes from banking. Wael Al-Qadi's father, Abdulkader Abdullah Al-Qadi founded the Arab Jordan Investment Bank in 1978. The family also has interests in tourism. They are major shareholders in the Mediterranean Tourism Investment company which owns the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman.

"The Al-Qadi's Arab Jordon Investment Bank acquired HSBC's Jordan operations and the AJIB has interests in Qatar. Wael Al-Qadi and his brothers have a 13.5 per cent shareholding in the bank.

"Looking at all assets we can make an intelligent estimation of their value, based on the value of known similar assets. In all cases we try not to over-value estimations.

"In estimating Wael Al-Qadi's fortune at 400 million we have taken a conservative view. It may well be higher, but as the wealth cannot be clearly seen we have to work with the information we have. Yes, there is some guesswork involved. But it is educated guesswork based on experience.

So he isn't a billionaire?

"I think any rich Arab can often get described as a billionaire. If you were to take all of the interests of the extended family you may be able to get over the 1bn mark, but by "and family" we're really talking about Wael, his father and his brothers. Otherwise it gets a bit silly and inconsistent with UK people on the list."
Montclair High School's athletic director leaves district

The athletic director at Montclair High School, whose football team was forced to forfeit its playoff game, has left the district.
Supporters of a measure that would sharply raise the states tobacco tax say, if approved, public health costs would be reduced and fewer young people would be drawn into taking up the habit.

Opponents counter that the measure places an unfair tax burden on a portion of the states population with lower income, adding that the measure lacks a specific spending plan for the tens of millions it would produce in new revenue.

If approved, Measure 4 would increase the tobacco tax for cigarettes in North Dakota from 44 cents per pack to $2.20 and would be the first increase in the state since 1993. Only Georgia, Missouri and Virginia have lower tobacco taxes than North Dakota.

Taxes on other nicotine products would be increased from 28 percent of the wholesale purchase price to 56 percent. The national average tax on a pack of cigarettes is $1.61.

Eric Johnson, a Grand Forks physician and head of Raise It for Health North Dakota, says Measure 4 would have save more than $250 million annually in health care costs related to smoking. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the tax increase could result in a 20 percent drop in youth smoking, preventing about 5,800 youths from becoming adult smokers.

It makes medical sense that we do this, Johnson said.

The coalition has raised more than $10,600 for its efforts, according to campaign finance reports.

Lawmakers have rebuffed multiple attempts to raise the tax over the years, which is why doing so through the ballot box is the way to go, Johnson said.

Through Measure 4, current allocations of tobacco tax dollars going to the state general fund and to cities would be held harmless.

A fiscal note released last month to lawmakers estimates the fiscal year 2017 impact if Measure 4 passes at $28.7 million in additional revenue. For the 2017-19 biennium, total revenues collected would be $141.7 million.

New tax revenues created through the measure would be split between health-related programs in the states Community Health Trust Fund as well as a newly created Veterans Tobacco Tax Trust Fund.

Bruce Sailer, a veteran and member of the North Dakota Veterans Coordinating Council, said the funds would be controlled by boards appointed by the governor so there is proper oversight of dollars.

The increase would bring North Dakota in line with the surrounding states in the tax per pack of cigarettes, according to Johnson. The tax in Minnesota is $3 per pack, in Montana its $1.70 and in South Dakota its $1.53.

North Dakota Retail Association President Mike Rud said the group he leads is in opposition and has been against legislative attempts in the past to raise the tax, including two bills in the 2015 session.

The about 400 percent tax increase would most negatively impact lower-income smokers, according to Rud.

Why are we going to tax the least wealthy portion of the population? asked Rud, who said it would also impact businesses, particularly those in small communities, that operate on slim margins and would cause closures and job losses.

He said Measure 4 isnt the way to reduce smoking.

Industry groups, including the tobacco industry, have put more than $3.4 million into defeating Measure 4. While retailers dont endorse smoking, particularly among youth, Rud said its a legal product and hes glad theyre getting involved in protecting their interests.

How the moneys going to be spent is our biggest concern. Thats just not the North Dakota way," said Rud, indicating the ballot measure route is the wrong way to go about making changes in tobacco taxes.

While theres statewide support for veterans, Rud said Measure 4 isnt the way to meet their needs.

If we need to fund the veterans, then we should all foot the bill, Rud said.
Supernatural season 12 is officially here. After the first two episodes, we have a clear picture of whats to come as this episode, Mamma Mia, introduces some big elements.

Why Mary Should Become a Full Member of the SPN Team>>>

First we have the new Lucifer, a rock star who makes a terrifying first impression. Then theres Mary Winchester reuniting with both of her sons, and theres bound to be plenty of drama surrounding how each of them handles her resurrection. Finally, we learn a little bit more about the British Men of Letters and what their plans are for the Winchesters.

Lady Toni Interrogates Sam

The episode begins with Toni and Samin bed! Obviously this is a hallucination as part of her interrogation of Sam to get info on American hunters, but its definitely the most fun and sexy style of interrogation. It works to an extent, but then Sam is able to realize that something isnt wrong and he wakes up, still tied to a chair in the basement.

Mama Drama

Dean is struggling to figure out how to talk to his mom now that shes not dead. When Cas tracks down Sams location, Mary invites herself a long, much to Deans chagrin. Hes worried about her, but Mary was a Hunter before he was even a twinkle in her eye. In the car, Mary learns about how Sam and Dean started hunting after Johns disappearance, and shes quite upset to learn that Sam had the chance to get out of the family business and didnt take it. Dean explains that family is all the Winchesters have.

They arrive at the house and Dean goes in alone to rescue Sam, but hes captured and tortured as well. It seems Toni really has done her Winchester homework since she knows about Ruby and Benny. What she doesnt know is that Mary is back, so Mama Winchester shows up to save both of her sons and kick the British ladys butt.

The Men of Letters Offer

At this point, Tonis boss Mick arrives. Hes much more reasonable, chastising her for using the stick instead of the carrot. Mick explains that the British Men of Letters suspects something unusual is happening within the ranks of American Hunters, and their goal is to figure out what it is and potentially work with them. Mick is willing to work WITH the Winchesters since they have done a lot of good to clean up the American Hunter community.

Mick leaves with Toni while the Winchesters consider the offer. But first they have to deal with family drama. Sam is much more open about his emotions, talking to Mary, giving her Johns journal and hugging her. Dean is more reserved, shoving pie into his face and tearing up all alone while drinking beer and looking at old family photos.

But all is not well with the British. Toni wants to eliminate the Winchesters and Mick wants to work with them, but hes willing to do it her way if need be. Thats where Mr. Catch comes in, some mysterious man we see packing up his guns in England before heading to America. This is only the beginning.

The New Lucifer

We meet Vince Vincente, an aging, alcoholic rock star. With his long, floppy hair and tragic loss of a wife, its almost like hes the Ghost of Sams Future, which might be why hes such a perfect vessel for Lucifer. Lucifer takes the form of Vinces dead wife and tricks him into saying Yes, giving us a new Devil.

And hes kind of bad-ass. Guest star Rick Springfield brings a more sinister attitude to the role than Mark Pellegrino did. I loved the old Lucifer, but he was definitely a little bit funnier than youd expect. This Lucifer is simply scary.

Which SPN Demon Are You?>>>

Elsewhere, Crowley recruits his mom into helping him track Lucifer. Rowena is trying to get away from all of the monster drama, but Crowley wont let that happen since shes the only one who can help put Lucifer back in the Cage.

Lucifer shows up to Crowleys dungeon to threaten him, but Crowley gets the upper hand thanks to his mom. He throws sulfuric acid in Lucifers face, resulting in some gnarly special effects where Lucifers face is partially destroyed. However, Rowenas spell to send him back to the Cage fails.

Lucifer powers up, cures his face and proves that hes stronger than ever. Crowley disappears as fast as he can, leaving Rowena to suffer the wrath of Lucifer. And he decides to keep her around to use her witch powers, locking her away in the Cage instead.

Supernatural airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.

(Image courtesy of the CW)
UB dental professor receives AAP Teaching Fellowship Award

Abhiram Maddi, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.

BUFFALO, N.Y.  Abhiram Maddi, DDS, PhD, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, has received the 2016 Teaching Fellowship Award from the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP).

The fellowship, which includes financial support of $50,000, is the AAPs highest teaching honor for junior faculty and is presented in recognition of excellence in teaching and research in the field of periodontics.

Maddi, who joined the UB Department of Periodontics and Endodontics in 2013, is one of two recipients chosen for the award from a competitive pool of national applicants.

The strong research and clinical training that I have received at UB has played a pivotal role in my career as an educator, he says. Now, as a faculty member at UB, I would like to contribute to excellence in dental education.

Maddis research focuses on genetics and treating oral and systemic fungal infections. His current work involves studying the cell wall in Candida albicans, an oral pathogenic fungus that results in an infection commonly known as oral thrush, with the goal of developing novel therapeutics.

Maddi received his doctorate in oral biology from UB, a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Manipal Academy of Higher of Education and a masters degree in oral and maxillofacial surgery from the National University of Singapore.

He also maintains a faculty practice in periodontics and surgical implant dentistry.
Research News

Study solves 50-year-old puzzle tied to enigmatic, lone wolf waves

Using a computer-assisted wave generator, scientists produced a train of solitons in a 110-meter-long water tank in Berlin, recreating in water the mathematical results of a famous 1960s computer experiment.

By CHARLOTTE HSU

Zabusky and Kruskals famous work from the 1960s gave rise to the field of soliton theory. But until now, we lacked a simple explanation for what they described. Gino Biondini, professor Department of Mathematics

Solitary waves called solitons are one of natures great curiosities: Unlike other waves, these lone wolf waves keep their energy and shape as they travel, instead of dissipating or dispersing as most other waves do. In a new paper in Physical Review Letters (PRL), a team of mathematicians, physicists and engineers tackles a famous, 50-year-old problem tied to these enigmatic entities. The puzzle dates back to 1965, when physicists Norman Zabusky and Martin Kruskal came up with a surprising solution to the Korteweg-de Vries equation, which serves as a mathematical model for describing nonlinear waves in shallow water. Using a computer, Zabusky and Kruskal generated an approximate solution to the equation that featured eight independent, particle-like waves. Each of these waves retained its form and speed over time and distance  even after colliding with other such waves. The colleagues coined the term soliton to describe these unusual entities, giving birth to modern research in this field. Kruskal and others then went on to invent a new mathematical method to solve the Korteweg-de Vries equation exactly. However, the calculations needed to obtain concrete answers are complex, typically requiring the use of a computer to complete  thus limiting scientists ability to understand phenomena, including Zabusky and Kruskals 1965 solution, says UB mathematician Gino Biondini. Moreover, to Biondinis knowledge, the original wave pattern that Zabusky and Kruskal described in 1965 has never been fully reproduced in the physical world (though earlier experiments have managed to generate portions of the solution). The new PRL study, published Sept. 28, addresses both of these problems, says Biondini, a co-author on the paper.

A new approach to an old problem

With Guo Deng, a UB PhD candidate in physics, Biondini developed a mathematical approach that produces an approximate solution to the equation that Zabusky and Kruskal tackled in the 1960s. The new approach enables researchers to make explicit, accurate predictions about how many solitons will emerge in a given setting, as well as what features these waves will have, such as their amplitude and speed. The methods simplicity means that researchers can use it to gain a better mathematical understanding of soliton formation in these kinds of situations, Biondini says. Zabusky and Kruskals famous work from the 1960s gave rise to the field of soliton theory, says Biondini, a professor of mathematics in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. But until now, we lacked a simple explanation for what they described. Our method gives you a full description of the solution that they observed, which means we can finally gain a better understanding of whats happening.

Making waves
World Series Game 3 postponed due to rain in Philly

Rain is moving into Philadelphia and it could impact Game 3 of the World Series
Whats left of our rationality took another tooth-loosening blow in Mathura the other day. One morning, according to newspaper reports, several dozen Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and other Hindutva activists showed up at the Bindu Seva Sansthan Ashram, and made round eyes and scary teeth at its leader, Swami Balendu, because the Swami had organised a meeting ofwait for itatheists. The activists felt that the godless have no business meeting in their extremely goddy town.
on Friday said it has raised Rs 300 crore by issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis.

At a meeting held, the committee of directors-NCDs has allotted non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis aggregating to Rs 300 crore, said in a regulatory filing.

The present issue is for allotment of 3,000 NCDs of face value of Rs 10,00,000 each aggregating to Rs 300 crore, it added.

The company, however, did not share further details.

Shares of today ended 0.24 per cent up at Rs 213.10 apiece on BSE.
Pharma major today lost a case related to alleged overcharging in certain drugs as per the provisions of Drug ( Price Control) Order, 1995. As per the
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Delhi International Airport Private Ltd (DIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Ltd and GMR Infrastructure Ltd, raised $522.6 million by selling 10-year bonds in the international market. The money will be used to refinance its domestic rupee loans and external commercial borrowings (ECBs).
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has approved French financial services major BNP Paribas proposed Rs 2,060-crore acquisition of retail-focused brokerage Sharekhan. However, it rejected a proposal by BT Global Communication to acquire the remaining 26 per cent stake in BT Telecom India.
Electronics major Samsung has lately been dealing with one of its deepest crises, with the South Korean company having to suspend the production and sale of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 amid reports of these devices catching fire. Initially, the company tried to douse some of the fire it was drawing by replacing the handsets. But the move failed miserably as there were similar complaints from the users who had received replacements.
Italian mobile services provider on Friday announced that it has acquired 51 per cent majority stake in Solutions Infini, a Bengaluru-based enterprise communication and cloud telephony services startup.

The acquisition will broaden Ubiquity's offerings and business solutions, including the addition of a voice services platform by expanding its range of services to the enterprise and developer segments in the emerging Indian market, the company said in a statement.

"Solutions Infini will be an excellent addition to our existing businesses, thanks to its state-of-the-art cloud platform and its large customer and partner base," said Dario Calogero, founder and CEO of .

The investment is part of Ubiquity's drive to expand its international presence beyond Europe while also providing Solutions Infini with a global platform to scale up in other international markets.

The combination of the two will create a global group with offices in 10 locations across Europe, India, and the Middle East, with a collective turnover of over $65 million and 180 employees.

expects this partnership to help generate combined business revenues of over $200 million by 2020.

Founded in 2009, Solutions Infini has a cloud-based technology platform which enables enterprises across industries engage with their customers using mobile messaging, voice communication and e-mail.

"Joining Ubiquity will help us accelerate our expansion into new, international markets and also allow us to drive greater value to consumers and help them grow their businesses," added Aniketh Jain, co-founder and CEO of Solutions Infini.

The deal is expected to close in early 2017, following which Solutions Infini will become a subsidiary of Ubiquity.
Japanese automobile major Motor's acquisition of a 34 per cent stake in Mitsubishi Motor and the latter's entry into the Renault- alliance could give Mitsubishi an edge in the Indian market. The alliance partners are expected to share platforms, manufacturing and procurement.
Hollywood actor has said that he is deeply shocked and saddened over his controversial participation in the endorsement of Pan Bahar breath freshener, which might include ingredients that cause cancer, according to people.com.
Stepping up its attack on the Congress government in the wake of a brutal murder of an RSS worker, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vala demanding an inquiry by Investogation Agency (NIA) into killings of party and RSS activists.

The party has blamed blamed "unholy nexus" of "Jihadists" and Marxists for the killing.

The delegation led by state party chief B S Yeddyurappa and Leader of opposition Jagadish Shettar met Vala and alleged that the Congress government "is bent upon allowing the killers to have a field day", adding that it is not keen to trace the assailants involved in the cases.

Alleging that the Congress is indulging in "vote-bank politics", they appealed to the Governor to prevail upon the state government and hand over the cases to "unearth the motive" of the crimes and "expose" their perpetrators.

Rudresh, a 35-year old RSS worker, was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne men, who struck him with machete on Kamaraja Road on Ocotber 16 when he was returning home after attending a Sangh event.

Stating that Rudresh's killing was the latest among a series of attacks targetting activists belonging to the "Nationalist School of Thought" in the past two years, the memorandum cited a list of Hindutva activists who had allegedly fallen victim to goons from the Popular Front of India (PFI) party.

"The attacks are executed systematically. In all attacks, the weapons used are more or less the same (long swords and tamancha) and the modus operandi adopted by the attackers is almost the same," it said.

said the attacks have been taking place in quick intervals in various parts of Karnataka, especially in coastal Dakshina Kannada district, and that the attackers are perpetrating the crime with "impunity and escaping with felicity."

Noting that not one case has reached its logical end,it said a disturbing trend has emerged with the Congress government "pre-determining the course of investigation" by "deliberately" making "loaded" remarks, almost immediately after the crime, with a "sinister design" to "prejudice" the investigating officers.

"Our charge is that the government has directed the police to take this line in all such cases involving and Sangh Pariwar Activists," it added.

Alleging that has every reason to suspect that there is a "pattern, a design and a diabolical motive" behind these killings, the party said it also suspects the "unholy nexus of the Jihadists and Marxists", working behind the exceutions.

"Going by the pattern, design and modus operandi, it is almost sure that the workers of the PFI are involved. These elements are being provided with intellectual and moral support by Marxists," it said.

"As far as the diabolical motive is concerned, the PFI, in league with the Marxists, wants a communal flare up so that the BJP and Sangh Pariwar outfits can be blamed. It suits the vote-bank politics of the Congress," it added.
Promising swift action on the debit card data compromise issue, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said on Friday that there is no need to panic over the feared security breach that has affected over 32 lakh cards.

The government, he said, has sought a detailed inquiry report into the issue and appropriate action will be taken once it is received.

"Customers should not panic because these hackings are done through computer and trail can easily be reached. They should not be alarmed. Whatever action has to be taken, it will be done with speed," Das said on the sidelines of an event at New Delhi.

In the biggest-ever security breach affecting the Indian banking sector, 32 lakh of various public and private sector banks are feared to have been 'compromised' by cyber malware attack in some ATM systems.

Several banks, including state-owned SBI, have recalled a number of cards, while many others blocked the ones suspected to have been compromised and asked their customers to change PIN (personal identification number) before use.

Fraudulent withdrawals have been reported from 19 banks so far, while complaints have been received from a few banks that their customers' cards were used fraudulently abroad, mainly in China and the US when their customers were still in India.

On October 20, G C Murmu, the Additional Secretary at the department of financial services, said that only 0.5 per cent of the total debit card details were compromised while the remaining 99.5 per cent cards were completely safe.

There are around 60 crore operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously developed by RuPay and the rest are Visa and Master Card-enabled.

"Since the data compromise took place from specific machines within a particular time period, it is just a limited issue and banks have asked their affected customers to replace their card or change their PIN," Murmu had said, adding that other cards are not affected at all.

The ubmrella body of all retail payments system in India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), had said yesterday that all affected banks have been alerted by card networks.

Of the 32 lakh cards affected due to the malware function, 6,00,000 were RuPay enabled ones.

Complaints of fraudulent withdrawals have come from 641 customers and the total amount involved is Rs 1.3 crore as reported by various affected banks, NPCI said in a statement.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is interacting and showing progressing, Apollo Hospitals said on Friday.

Apollo Hospitals, in which the Chief Minister was admitted on September 22, said that she is continues to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and passive physiotherapy.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday declined to comment on the Foreign Secretary's briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on across the .

Answering multiple questions on the Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs on the conducted by Indian Army on the intervening night of September 28 and 29, spokesperson said, "Proceedings of the parliamentary standing committee are confidential. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on it."

He said, "Indian position on the was made very clearly and very categorically by the Director General of Military Operations from this very podium on September 29."

Jaishanker briefed the Parliamentary Committee on October 18 on the surgical strikes conducted by Indian Army on terrorist launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Media reports said that Jaishankar told the Parliamentary Committee that India had in the past too conducted similar strikes across the LoC.

Replying to a query on the issue of terrorism in the BRICS declaration, Swarup said that the word terror features some 37 times in the declaration and there was unprecedented condemnation of terrorism.

He said that for the first time BRICS has called all states to prevent terror action from their territory. BRICS also agreed that religion is no justification for terrorism.

BRICS also realised the growing nexus between weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. This was the strongest ever declaration of BRICS on terrorism, he said.

Asked about the reported disagreement between India and China on describing Pakistan as the mothership of terrorism, Swarup said, "We are all aware that in our region which country is the epicentre of terrorism."

India and China have ongoing dialogue on countering terrorism which is a phenomenon that affects China as well and the latter has said so in the past. So India's dialogue with China on the issue of terrorism will continue. In the coming two months number of dialogue mechanisms are scheduled to happen with China on this issue, he added.

Swarup also informed that the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad was summoned by the Pakistan Foreign Office on Thursday and Pakistan conveyed its concerns about alleged ceasefire violations. But the Indian understanding is that there was an exchange of fire connected with attempt of infiltration on the Pakistani side, he added.

Swarup informed that India has not banned content from Pakistan on Indian media. He termed the Pakistani ban as unfortunate and said it shows lack of confidence on the part of Pakistan.
The group has submitted a 24-month road map before the Supreme Court for payment of dues to market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
Uttar Pradesh will pay a subsidy of about 50 per cent to English films shot in the state's scenic locations as part of the efforts to promote the state as a leading tourism destination, a top official has said.


Bharatiya Janata Party MP on Thursday denied allegations of being "honey trapped and compromised" by defence middleman Abhishek Verma and said he didn't pass on any "secret data".

Gandhi also said he would file a criminal defamation suit against Swaraj Abhiyan leaders who held a press conference on the allegations against him.

"I am going to file a criminal defamation suit against Swaraj Abhiyan leaders," Gandhi said.

Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan on Thursday released a letter written by US based lawyer C Edmonds Allen to the Prime Minister's Office in which he has alleged that Gandhi was "honey trapped and compromised" by defence middleman Abhishek Verma.

"They made allegations on behalf of the mails sent by an American lawyer to the Prime Minister," Gandhi said, adding "But that didn't have any evidence against me.

"In their entire press conference, I did not get a single iota of substantial evidence in substance of allegations made against me," Gandhi said.

Asked if he knew Verma, Gandhi said, "I met him in 2002, when I was doing my post-graduation in politics. It has been 14 years now that I haven't met him."

"I didn't know him personally but knew him through family as he was the son of a Member of Parliament," Gandhi added.

Allen's letter, written on September 16, said: "A member of parliament of defence consultative committee named has been honey trapped and compromised by the notorious arms dealer Abhishek Verma."

Gandhi is no longer a member of the consultative committee of defence ministry.

Allen has also sent the letter to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

"I am deeply hurt by the sleazy allegations made against me," Gandhi said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday the existing provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) that do not distinguish between an erroneous decision and a corrupt decision, are hampering public-sector banks recovery of non-performing assets (NPAs) and their capacity to lend to the growing needs of the economy.
The central government on Friday unveiled final guidelines on its ambitious regional connectivity scheme, aimed at bringing down the cost of flying to and from smaller cities. Concerns, however, remained that the policy of cross-subsidising might get legally challenged by airlines.

While a levy to fund the corpus for the scheme was not announced, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said the government would frame rules in this regard by the end of this month. The government aims to have an annual corpus of Rs 500 crore for this purpose.

In the hallmark style of the Narendra Modi government, the scheme has been named UDAN  Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik  and aims to cap fares at Rs 2,500 for a 500-km flight of up to 30 minutes. The auction is expected to begin within days and will follow a reverse bidding process, implying that an airline which bids the lowest fare and provides more seats will win the bid for a particular route. The scheme aims to encourage airlines to provide low-cost flying by providing subsidies like viability gap funding (VGF), zero landing charges by airport operators and reduction of excise duty on jet fuel.

The ministry had announced the draft guidelines of the scheme, following which consultation with stakeholders took place. In the final guidelines, the ministry has increased the VGF amount for participating airlines. Stakeholders said the draft VGF was not enough to bridge the cost of operation of flying on these routes, said Choubey.

While major scheduled operators said they were still weighing pros and cons of participating in the scheme, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he was cautiously optimistic. As we gather experience, we will learn about it, the minister said, adding that the first flight under the scheme would take off by January from one of the 16 underserved airports. There are more than 25 ghost airports in India.

Asked about the scheme, SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh said his airline was looking forward to take part in the scheme but infrastructure bottlenecks would play a hurdle. It is a good proposal by the government to reduce cost of flying and SpiceJet already has a large amount of operations on regional routes but the shortage of slots at large airports and trained manpower for smaller aircraft will be a hurdle, Singh said. He refused to comment whether the airline lobby was going to approach the court but said there should be an alternative for funding the scheme rather than putting a levy on existing routes.

Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said the carrier would be a pioneer in participating in the scheme, as the airline was already focusing to get large revenue from Tier-II and Tier-III cities. According to an earlier report, the scheduled operators were contemplating legal action against the levy to fund the scheme but Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said the concept of cross subsidy was prevalent in sectors like telecom. This will kick-start the regional aviation market of India, he added.
As the call for a detailed investigation into the security breach of 3.2 million debit cards heats up, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has stepped in to ascertain the quantum of risk.
Online insurance, which has slowly become one of the fastest growing channels for life insurers, has also led to companies tightening underwriting policies around these products. With a rise in fraudulent claims, life companies now ensure that the process weeds out any potentially fraudulent persons at the entry-stage itself.
Address by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of inauguration of global conference on national initiative towards strengthening arbitration and enforcement in India

It gives me great pleasure to be amidst you this evening to deliver the opening address for the 2016 Global Conference on National Initiative towards Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement in India. We are gathered here today to set the stage for a global conference that is aimed at providing an international platform to deliberate upon the future of arbitration in India.

It may be appropriate at this stage to first recollect our own experience with arbitration.

As with most commercial laws, the first Indian statute on arbitration - the Indian Arbitration Act of 1899 - was modelled on its English counterpart - the English Arbitration Act of 1889. The 1899 statute was restricted in its application only to the three Presidency towns of India - Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.

Cross-border enforcement of arbitral awards was not covered under the 1899 law. So the Arbitration (Protocol and Convention) Act, 1937 was enacted. It laid down the procedure for filing foreign awards, their enforcement and conditions of such enforcement. The operation of the law was based on reciprocal arrangements.

The Arbitration Act of 1940 consolidated the extant law. The 1940 Act however, did not deal with enforcement of foreign awards. Over time, the working of this Act was found to be quite inadequate due to too much of court intervention. Consequently, the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 was enacted:

(1) Comprehensively cover international commercial arbitration and conciliation and also domestic arbitration and conciliation;

(2) Minimise the supervisory role of courts in the arbitral process;

(3) Provide that every final arbitral award is enforced in the same manner as if it were a decree of court.

The working of the 1996 Act also led to various practical problems. Various committee reports like the 176th report of the Law Commission, Justice B. P. Saraf Committee, the Report of the Departmental related Standing Committee on Personnel, Public grievances, Law and Justice and the 246th report of the Law Commission highlighted these challenges. Ultimately, the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 brought in crucial changes to the 1996 Act to overcome the shortcomings.

Legal reforms like these are certainly a step in the right direction to strengthen the arbitration ecosystem in India. Moreover, India has some inherent advantages compared to its other counterparts. The first of these is that English language is frequently used in courts and in arbitration matters which enables us to engage with the international commercial world of arbitration centred around London, New York and Singapore. Secondly, India has a diverse and rich pool of human resource, in law as well as in other disciplines. This human resource can help support and sustain the arbitration ecosystem in India. Thirdly, major Indian cities have the necessary infrastructure - airports with international connectivity, world-class hotels etc - to facilitate international arbitrations.

While India quite clearly has the basic legal and physical infrastructure to support international arbitrations, we would, going ahead, need basic institutional reforms to strengthen our arbitration framework. Good laws themselves cannot substitute the need for good institutions. Three institutions are particularly critical for strengthening arbitration in India - arbitral institutions, judiciary and the government.

Arbitral institutions help facilitate the core advantage of arbitration - the absence of a centralised state-based dispute resolution institution like the judiciary. Instead, arbitration allows decentralised dispute resolution through private market-based solutions. Parties can resolve disputes by a privately-constituted arbitral tribunal.

It is typically made up of one or three arbitrators. Yet, the final outcome is an arbitral award that binds the parties.

Lack of a centralised state-based institution like the judiciary gives flexibility to arbitration. But it also increases costs - if for each and every dispute, the parties have to separately draft rules, appoint arbitrators, procure administrative support services etc, the cost of dispute resolution would naturally be much higher.

Arbitral institutions step in to mitigate these costs. They assist the parties with the appointment of the tribunal, and the administration of the proceedings. They take deposits on account of the arbitration costs and fix the arbitrators fees, remind parties and tribunals of deadlines, make arrangements for hearing facilities and so on. But unlike courts, they comprise a private competitive market of non-state institutions. Thus, institutional arbitration takes advantage of economies of scale to facilitate arbitration without imposing the rigidity of the traditional judicial institutions.

Unfortunately, unlike advanced jurisdictions, institutional arbitration is still not widespread in India. Ad hoc arbitration is the norm. Although domestic arbitral institutions have come up, there is a huge untapped potential for growth of institutional arbitration in India. Both domestic and international arbitral institutions have to play a proactive role in shaping this market.

For arbitral institutions to expand their foot print, they need to partner with the Indian legal profession. A vibrant arbitration ecosystem would need a vibrant arbitration bar as well as a respected pool of seasoned arbitrators. Arbitral institutions need to proactively nurture and expand the pool of arbitrators to include subject matter expertise in sectors like infrastructure, energy, finance etc. This will in the long run help build confidence in the arbitration ecosystem in India.

The second crucial institution is judiciary. Although arbitration is an alternative to the judiciary, it cannot function without support from the judiciary either. Judges have the delicate task of maintaining a balance between interference and over-interference.

Indian courts need to devise an administrative mechanism to ensure that arbitration matters are handled separately and efficiently so as to avoid any delay arising out of judicial intervention.

Finally, I want to touch upon the role of the government in developing the arbitration ecosystem in India. State intervention in a market economy should be limited to situations of market failure - where the market left to itself cannot work out a solution. Private commercial disputes are not market failures by themselves. They can be resolved by the private parties on their own and businesses will continue. If the cost of private dispute resolution is willingly absorbed by businesses through private innovation, such innovations should always be encouraged instead of exhausting the judiciarys resources. Therefore, the government needs to create an enabling framework for institutional arbitration in India.

This conference provides an excellent platform to debate the pros and cons of such critical institutional reforms as well as potential strategies to implement them at ground level taking in account the interests of all stakeholders. Each session will try to answer two questions: What needs to be done and how will it be done? Seeing the collective wisdom and depth of experience of the panelists, I am certain that the answers to these questions will help generate concrete action points for each stakeholder which need to be implemented at the earliest to make India an international arbitration hub.

With this, I welcome you all to the Global Conference on National Initiative towards Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement in India. I wish you Godspeed and all success in your deliberations.

Thank you.

Jai Hind!
Experts and students from across the country will discuss issues related to Disaster Risk Management at three events organised by the School of Planning and Architecture on 22nd October, Indian Institute of Technology on 26th October and National Institute of Public Finance and Policy on 27th October, as curtain raisers to the upcoming Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016. .

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AMCDRR 2016 is being hosted from 2nd to 5th November, 2016 in New Delhi by the Government of India in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The Conference aims at setting the direction of Sendai Framework implementation in the Asia-Pacific region. .

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Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRRR) was adopted at the third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan in March, 2015. It identifies four priority areas for focussed actions within and across all levels - Understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk, investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. .

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The deliberations at these curtain raiser events will be centred on the priorities underlined in SFDRR and will help sensitise participants to the recent advancements in areas related to DRR. .

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Apart from analysing the efforts undertaken by India in reducing the disaster risks of communities, these events will also reflect on the 'what next' for the implementation of Sendai priorities. .

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These events aim at reaching out to students, academicians and professionals who may be able to integrate the concepts of Disaster Risk Reduction with their areas of expertise, such as financial planning, technology and architecture. .

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First installment of Rs. 1500 crore released to states as central assistance for 99 prioritized irrigation projects under AIBP

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti announced today the release of first installment of Rs. 1500 crore to the states as central assistance for 99 prioritized irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Program (AIBP). This amount has been released for 50 projects in the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Telangana

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi today the Minister said today is historic day for AIBP as it will mark a new beginning for these projects. She said total funds required for completion of all the 99 identified projects have been estimated at Rs.77595 crore (Rs.48546 crore for project works and Rs.29049 crore for CAD works) with estimated CA of Rs.31342 crore. Likely potential utilization through these projects is estimated to be 76.03 lakh hectare (Lakh ha). Sushri Bharti said accordingly a proposal was made for providing Central Assistance and State share for above mentioned 99 projects through NABARD. The Minister said these projects will cover all most all drought prone districts of 18 States of country and will also go a long way to contain the incident of suicide by farmers. She expressed the hope that with regular monitoring the speedy implementation, the Government would be able to complete all the 99 projects well ahead of the schedule.

The Finance Minister in his budget speech of 2016 had announced for creation of dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) in NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs. 20,000 crore and an amount of Rs.12517 crore was provided as budgetary resources and market borrowings during 2016-17.

The Union Cabinet on July 27, 2016 had approved establishment of the Mission to ensure completion of 99 prioritized projects in phases by December 2019 including Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM). The arrangement of funds for Central share/Assistance (CA) has been made by taking loan from NABARD as per year-wise requirements which could be paid back in 15 years time keeping a grace period of three years. Further, the State Governments, if required, may borrow funds from NABARD for the States Share.

Central Government launched the AIBP in the year 1996-97 to provide Central Assistance to major/medium irrigation projects in the country, with the objective to accelerate implementation of such projects which were beyond resource capability of the States or were in advanced stage of completion. Priority was given to those projects which were started in Pre-Fifth and Fifth Plan period and also to those which were benefiting Tribal and Drought Prone Areas. From the year 1999-2000 onwards, Central Loan Assistance under AIBP was also extended to minor surface irrigation projects (SMI) of special category States (N. E. States & Hilly States of H. P., Sikkim, J&K, Uttaranchal and projects benefiting KBK districts of Orissa). Since its inception, 297 Irrigation / Multi Purpose Projects have been included for funding under AIBP. Out of this 143 projects have been completed and 5 projects were foreclosed. An irrigation potential of 24.39 Lakh ha. has been created through these projects.

The cumulative Central Loan Assistance / Grant provided to States under AIBP to all of above project till March 31, 2015 was Rs. 67539.52 crore. Twenty five States got benefited from the programme.

During 2015-16, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices etc. Major and medium irrigation/multipurpose irrigation projects are being funded under PMKSY-AIBP and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) projects and CAD&WM projects are being funded under PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP). During 2015-16, Central Assistance of Rs. 2327.82 crore was released for projects under AIBP and CA of Rs. 1905.81 crore was released for projects under CADWM, SMI and RRR of water bodies together. Total CA of Rs 4233.63 crore was released during 2015-16 for PMKSY (AIBP+HKKP)

The issues related to implementation of projects under PMKSY-HKKP including prioritization of projects were deliberated in the Committee headed by Shri Brijmohan Agrawal, Minister (Water Resources) of Chhattisgarh. As per the information supplied by concerned States to the Committee, 99 projects have been identified for completion upto 2019-20. 23 projects (Priority-I) have been identified to be completed by 2016-17 and another 31 projects (Priority-II) have been identified to be completed by 2017-18. The balance 45 projects (Priority-III) have been identified to be completed by December 2019.

One of the major reasons for the projects to remain incomplete was inadequate provision of funds by the concerned State Governments. As a result, large amount of funds spent on these projects were locked up and the benefits envisaged at the time of formulation of the projects could not be achieved. This was a cause for concern and initiative was required at the national level to remedy the situation.

A Mission has been established vide order dt September 07, 2016 with the Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD & GR) as the Mission Director for completion of the identified 99 projects including development of their command area. Mission would be responsible for overall coordination and outcome focused monitoring of all components of PMKSY for achieving its targets.

A Council headed by CEO, NITI Aayog and having Secretary(WR, RD & GR), Secretary (A&C), Secretary (RD) and Secretary(Finance), Chairman, NABARD as members, has been established vide order dated September 07, 2016 which shall look after the overall implementation of works and policy matters. Chief Secretaries (or their representative) of the States having large number of projects to be completed under this programme i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana shall also be members. Further, one of Chief Secretaries (or his representative) from rest of the States implementing projects, under this programme, shall also be a member by rotation. The Mission Director would be the Member Secretary of the Council. The Council shall be responsible for overall implementation of project works, coordination and monitoring in a manner so as to complete identified 99 projects as per targets. The Council would be responsible for overall supervision of the Mission to achieve its objectives and shall also undertake monitoring and course correction, where required during implementation.

A High Level Empowered Committee (HLEC) comprising Finance Minister, Minister (WR, RD & GR), Minister of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Minister of Rural Development, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog has also been constituted vide order dt September 07, 2016 which would review the progress of the identified 99 projects and other components under PMKSY and also provide policy guidance for mid-term course correction.

Further, online monitoring as well as physical monitoring at various levels including third party monitoring has been contemplated for ensuring completion of these projects as planned. Expression of Interest (EOI) has already been sought for finalizing the agency in this regard. A MIS system and mobile based application being prepared in this regard in consultation with NITI Aayog is in advance stage of development.

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Jungle is a living entity and it also communicates, provided we have the ability to listen to it. The three essential components forests, tribal forest dwellers and life forms living in forests complement one another and are not rivals", Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Anil Madhav Dave, said today. He also said that large-scale felling of trees in forests is not being done by tribal forest dwellers. Calling for a change in the colonial outlook that has existed from the pre-Independence period towards forests, tribal forest dwellers and life forms living in forests, the Minister emphasised the need to reduce pressure on forests. He said that agro-forestry, bamboo, or grass can be possible alternatives to reduce this pressure. Right way of development is the right way of environment. Right way of life and leading a life with minimum carbon footprint is the answer to climate change", Shri Dave said. .

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Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day conference of Additional Chief Secretaries (Forests)/Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Wardens here today, the Minister highlighted that India has agreed to take a number of actions on avoluntary basis to meet the commitment under Paris Agreement, Self Development Goals 2030, as well as the recently-concluded agreement on HFCs. The Minister referred to the recent developments at the global as well as national level in the environment sector. He underlined the need to develop an effective strategy to achieve forestry-related NDC targets, which India had submitted under the Paris agreement. Shri Dave also referred to new developments at the national level, such as passing of the CAMPA Bill, which paves the way for effective utilization of large sum of funds available under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund. He pointed out that environment and development have always gone hand-in-hand. He highlighted the need to plant trees and more importantly, protect and conserve them Shri Dave also underlined the importance of connecting the younger generation to forests. .

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The central theme of the conference is development without destruction, peoples participation, building skills and capacities of the workforce, as well as people dependent on forests and illegal trade in wildlife and timber. The Conference will discuss important issues related to forestry and wildlife. .

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The focus will be on various issues related to wildlife conservation and management on the second day of the conference tomorrow. Some of the identified areas for discussion will include human-animal conflict, wildlife crime, illegal wildlife trade and discuss ways to address these issues effectively. .

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The year 2016 represents a very important milestone in the evolution of the Indian Forest Service, as it completes 50 years of its formation as an All India Service. To mark the occasion, a book titled, Golden Leaves - Celebrating 50 years of Indian Forest Service was released by the Minister. A short film on the evolution and contribution of IFS to the growth and development of the nation was also screened. .

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Director General, Forest and Special Secretary, Dr. S.S Negi delivered the welcome address, while Additional Director General of Forest, Shri Anil Kumar gave the vote of thanks. .

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Government to release Chana through NCDEX also from its buffer stock Inter-Ministerial committee suggests using KVIC outlets also for distribution of subsided pulses

The meeting of Inter-Ministerial committee on prices held here today under chairmanship of Secretary Department of Consumer Affairs, Shri Hem Pande reviewed prices and availability of pulses. It was decided that besides offering Chana (chickpea) to the State Governments, its significant quantity should be released immediately through NCDEX (National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited) also to cool down prices.

The meeting also suggested exploring possibility to use KVIC outlets for distribution of pulses besides postal network.

The committee was informed that Department of Consumer Affairs is working on modalities with Department of Post to start distribution of pulses through its network at the earliest. The subsidized pulses are already being distributed through Kendriya Bhandar, Safal and NCCF in Delhi and NCR Region, NCCF is also selling the pulses in some other metros also.
Heritage Rail Tourism Conference was organized by Indian Railways at National Rail Museum, New Delhi jointly with Asia Pacific Heritage & Rail Tourism Organization (APHRTO), from 19-21 October, 2016. Participants from many countries including Japan, UK, Germany, Australia, Taiwan, senior officers of Indian Railways and other stakeholders of Heritage Rail Tourism were present in the Conference. .

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Shri Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia delivered a talk on Heritage Rail Tourism in Australia in a curtain raiser held on 19th October 2016. .

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Shri Tim Fischer (Australia), along with Shri Adrian Shooter (UK), Shri David Morgan (UK) and Dr. Nui (Taiwan) and accompanied by Secretary, Railway Board and Executive Director/Heritage, Railway Board met Honble Union Minister for Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 19th October 2016 to discuss ideas on developing Rail Heritage Tourism in India. The participants also visited Heritage Transport Museum, Gurgaon, being managed by Heritage Transportation Trust, New Delhi. .

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Dr. Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Aayog delivered keynote speaker in the inaugural session held on 20th October 2016. The inaugural session was graced by Shri Hemant Kumar, Member Rolling Stock, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani, CMD/Air India Ltd., Shri R.K. Verma, Secretary, Railway Board. The international conference, the first time ever organized in National Rail Museum on Heritage Rail Tourism is having three technical sessions with 14 papers being presented by national and international delegates primarily covering various aspects of Rail Heritage and promoting Heritage Rail Tourism in the world. .

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The Annual General Meetings of APHTRO and WATTRAIN (World Association of Tourist Trams and Trains) had been held as a side event. It was envisaged that this APHTRO Conference will bring ideas and visions for strategizing Rail Heritage Tourism in India. .

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MHA holds Second round of tripartite talks with Govt. of Manipur, KNO and UPF of Manipur .

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India had decided to hold tripartite talks with Government of Manipur, Kuki National Organization (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF) of Manipur in June 2016. .

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Second round of tripartite talks was held on October 19th, 2016 in New Delhi. KNO and UPF indicated their demands in the presence of senior representative of Government of Manipur. Talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. Next round of talks will be held in consultation with Government of Manipur, KNO and UPF. .

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NITI Aayog and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare holds consultations on agriculture reforms.

NITI Aayog and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare today jointly conducted a one day national consultation with States and UTs on Reforms in Agriculture. The three important areas of reform namely (i) agricultural marketing reforms (ii) laws related to felling, transportation and processing of farm forestry produce and (iii) land leasing for agricultural purposes were discussed in the meeting. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretaries in-charge of Agriculture marketing, Forest and Revenue Departments of the States. The Vice chairman, NITI Aayog while inaugurating the consultation stressed that reform will be the key for enhancing agricultural prosperity and should be the part of vision for 15 years being prepared by NITI Aayog. Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture) made a presentation on Agriculture Reforms.

It was also highlighted that while reforms happened in other sectors of economy post 1990-91 liberalization, the agriculture witnessed patchy and half done reforms. The Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare mentioned that the reform process started in 2000 which faced a slow down after the initial years. He stated that in order to promote emergence of alternative channels and encourage investment in development of marketing and cold chain infrastructures. DAC has been advocating States to provide complete freedom to the farmers to sell their fruits and vegetables to the buyer of their choice in the notified market area with the additional option to sell the produce in the main yard, wherever they get better prices. Although 14 States have initiated reforms in varied models, States need to adopt the model which is more beneficial for them.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Department of Land Resources were also represented by the senior officials. Additional Secretary, DAC&FW also made a presentation on status of reforms in APMC act and progress of e-NAM.

The States overwhelmingly supported the views of the NITI Aayog and Ministry and pitched for the reforms to be put on fast track. It was decided that DAC&FW will come out with model APMC Act soon, incorporating suggestions from States for quick action on reforms.

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President of India to visit Gujarat on October 22 to 23

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will visit Gujarat on October 22 to 23, 2016.

On October 23, 2016, the President will inaugurate the renovated Sevashram Hospital at Bharuch and inaugurate the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Heart Institute at Ankleshwar.

On the same day, he will also address the students and faculties of Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village and Samarpan College and meet Shri Madhavsinh Solanki, former Chief Minister of Gujarat before returning to Delhi.
Union Home Minster paid homage to the Police Martyrs on Police Commemoration Day held today

The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh paid homage to the Police Martyrs on Police Commemoration Day, held in New Delhi today.

During the occasion, the Home Minister along with the Ministers of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Shri Kiren Rijiju, National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Chiefs of Intelligence agencies and Police forces laid the wreath at the memorial. The day commemorates the sacrifices of ten policemen while defending our borders with China in 1959.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Western Zonal Council Meeting held today in Mumbai

The 22nd meeting of the Western Zonal Council consisting of the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli was held at Mumbai today under the chairmanship of Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers and Ministers of these States and Administrators of Union Territories as well as senior officers of Central and State Governments.

The Council reviewed the progress of implementation of the recommendations made in the last meeting. Thereafter, the Council took up issues which relate to coastal security, internal security, issuance of bio-metric identity cards to fishermen & issue of card readers, formulation of plans for countering terrorism, modernization of police force etc.

Other important issues discussed were Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban) Mission, surplus lands of Central Government for Housing for All : 2022 and providing shelters to the urban homeless. Issues relating to checking pollution in Daman Ganga and Kolak river due to discharge of untreated effluents from Vapi industrial area were deliberated in detail. Appropriate measures to be adopted were also given. Issues relating to setting up of Regional Development Authority for development of infrastructure in the region, setting up of international museum of Indus Valley civilization in Kutch District was also discussed.

Recently Inter-State Council meeting was also held under the Chairmanship of Honble Prime Minister on 16.07.2016 after a long gap of 10 years. The Council also considered some of the important issues discussed in the meeting of Inter State Council held in July, 2016 under the Chairmanship of Honble Prime Minister.

These issues related to bringing back Indian fishermen (many of them belonging to Gujarat) languishing in Pakistan Jails, Internal Security, education and Aadhaar, Pollution control and environmental related issues were also discussed. Out of the 21 items discussed today most of the items were resolved in the meeting.

Five Zonal Councils (Northern, Western, Eastern, Central and Southern) were set up under the States Reorganization Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State co-operation and co-ordination among the States. The Zonal Councils are mandated to discuss and make recommendations on any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport etc. They are regional fora of cooperative endeavor for States linked with each other economically, politically and culturally. Being compact high level bodies, specially meant for looking after the interests of respective Zones, they are capable of focusing attention on specific issues taking into account regional factors, while keeping the national perspective in view.

With the active involvement and initiative of Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, all the meetings of the five Zonal Councils (Eastern, Western and Southern and Central) were held last year 2015. In fact, other than 2015, it was only in the years 1972 and 2005 that the meetings of all the Zonal Councils could be held during a calendar year over the last 50 years. And of the 150 and odd items discussed last year, 50 to 60% items were resolved in the meetings.

Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, Shri Hansraj Ahir was also present in the meeting.
US President Barack Obama has said Republican Donald Trump's insistence that he might not accept the election result is "dangerous".

Trump's comments undermined American democracy, BBC quoted the President as saying at a campaign rally in Miami for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump refused in a televised debate to say he would accept the outcome of the election on November 8.

He later said he would accept a "clear" result but left a challenge open.

Speaking in Ohio on Thursday, Trump said, with a grin: "I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election - if I win."

In the same speech, he said he would accept a clear election result but reserved the right to file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable one.

Hours later, the President said that sowing the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of US elections provided a boost to the country's enemies.

"You're doing the work of our adversaries for them, because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters," BBC quoted Obama as saying.

For days, Trump has claimed the election is rigged against him, due to media bias and voter fraud.

During Wednesday night's debate with Clinton, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he would accept losing to her, the Republican candidate said he would "keep you in suspense".

Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later insisted that the candidate had meant he would not concede until the "results are actually known".

Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Obama eight years ago, said: "A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility."

First Lady Michelle Obama also joined the attack on Thursday, saying "you do not keep American democracy in suspense".
Hillary Clinton today traded barbs with and poked fun at him, describing him as "healthy" as the horse Russian President Vladimir Putin rides on and wondered how Barack Obama would get past the "Muslim ban" for a presidential photo-op in a Trump White House.

Clinton and Trump came face-to-face at a white-tie charity dinner at the Waldorf Astoria here, barely 24 hours after they clashed with each other at the third and final vitriolic presidential debate in Las Vegas.

The two were sitting one seat away from each other at the 71st annual Alfred Smith charity dinner, which historically has been a good-natured roast and a presidential campaign ritual of levity where the candidates make self-deprecating remarks, indulge in light-hearted banter and poke fun at each other.

Clinton, who spoke after Trump said it is "amazing" she is up here after him.

"I didn't think he'd be okay with a peaceful transition of power," she said to laughter from the elite audience of about 1,000 people that included New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio,Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, US Senator Chuck Schumer and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Democratic nominee took a jab at Trump's perceived closeness with Russian President Putin when she brought up the 70-year-old reality TV star's concerns during the election campaign over her health.

The 68-year-old former secretary of state said Trump has been very concerned about her health throughout the campaign.

"Donald really is as healthy as a horse, you know the one Vladimir Putin rides around on," a reference to a famous picture of a bare-chested Putin riding his horse.

She also said that there were no teleprompters at the dinner, which was good since such devices "are hard to keep up with and even harder when you are translating from the original Russian".

She then made a reference to Trump's proposed ban on Muslims and linked it to his skepticism over Obama's birthplace and faith.

Clinton said if Trump does win the elections, then things will get "awkward" at the annual presidents' day photo when all the former presidents gather at the White House. "And not just with Bill. How is Barack gonna get past the Muslim ban."

The audience laughed and cheered as Clinton made her remarks, occasionally giving her an applause.

Trump, who was accompanied by his wife Melania, laughed at Clinton's jokes, occasionally leaning in towards his wife and grinning.

The 70-year-old Republican nominee began his remarks with some light-hearted comments, including jokes about his "beautiful hands" and that Clinton appearing at the event without charging any fees for it, but was booed as he shifted gears from the self-deprecating humorous tone of the event to call Clinton "corrupt".

"Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate commission. How corrupt you have to be to get kicked off of the Watergate commission. Pretty corrupt," he said as the elite crowd booed.
The chief of a radical Islamist group accused of carrying out Bangladesh's deadliest terror attack on a popular cafe here in July died during a police raid, the country's elite security force announced on Friday, in a major blow to the ISIS-linked outfit.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) confirmed the identity of dead militant Abdur Rahman as the chief of Neo-JMB, a new faction of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

"Our investigations confirmed that (slain) is the chief of Neo-JMB," RAB's director general Benazir Ahmed told a media briefing.

Rahman died on October 8 after falling from a five storey building in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital while attempting to evade arrest during a police raid, BD News reported.

Rahman's identity was confirmed by his family who were shown pictures of his body, the statement added.

Rahman had used the alias Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif while forming Neo-JMB.

RAB officials said Rahman took over as the Neo-JMB's 'ameer' in July last year.

They said the Neo-JMB has been reduced to just 21 operatives after security forces launched a massive crackdown against the group after the July attack.

New JMB is said to be ideologically linked to the ISIS which had claimed responsibility of the attack on Dhaka's Holey Artisan restaurant on July 1 in which nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American, an Indian and five Bangladeshis, including two police officers, were killed.
The Russian and Syrian bombing raids in have had horrific results with nearly 500 dead, while food rations are expected to run out by the end of the month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

The air strikes on rebel-held eastern since the Syrian government offensive was launched on September 22 have been the most intense of the five-year war, Ban told a special meeting of the General Assembly on Wednesday.

"The results have been horrific", he said.

Nearly 500 people have been killed and about 2,000 injured. More than a quarter of all deaths are children.

No UN aid convoy has entered since July 7 and food rations will run out by the end of October, Ban warned, saying hunger was being used as a weapon of war.

The meeting at the General Assembly was called by 72 countries led by Canada to try to break the deadlock after the Security Council failed to take action to end the bombings and revive peace efforts.

Two resolutions were defeated during a stormy council session earlier this month, one of which was vetoed by Russia, which is backing the Syrian regime in its war against opposition fighters and jihadists.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he was "puzzled" by the statements at the meeting because they failed to mention the urgent need to combat terrorism in Syria.

Churkin said Ban and had not pronounced "a single word to talk about terrorist organizations, as if the disaster in Syria was like the hurricane that hit Haiti."

Russia has long maintained that it is supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in a war against the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists, both designated as terror organizations by the United Nations.

US Ambassador Samantha Power shot back.

"Let us be real: terrorists are not the ones dropping bunker-busting bombs on hospitals and civilian homes in eastern Aleppo, nor are they besieging civilians there," she said.

"The Assad regime and Russia are."

Canada's Foreign Minister Stephane Dion called for a formal emergency session of the General Assembly to discuss urgent measures that could be taken by the 193 UN member-states.

"We need to act and to act now," he said.

It remained unclear what concrete action the assembly  whose resolutions are non-binding  could take to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

The gathering was seen by some diplomats as an attempt to turn up the pressure on Russia and Syria to halt the bombing of Aleppo.

Russia this week declared a humanitarian pause in the assault on eastern Aleppo, where more than 250,000 civilians have been trapped, under near-continuous siege since July.
A petition seeking Field Marshal's status for Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was on Friday dismissed by the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.

When judge asked the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose, Dawn reported today.

In his order, Justice Farooq said, "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law."

The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed".

Petitioner Sardar Adnan Saleem had sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest.

The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Sharif launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.

It said Sharif had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of and was also monitoring the China- Economic Corridor project.

Sharif, currently serving as the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Army, was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 29, 2013 for a three-year term.

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.

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.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on Friday appointed Aditya Birla Group chairman as the new chairman of Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), according to sources.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Friday refused to soften its stand against the release of Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' which also stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and said that the Producers Guild's meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh makes it clear that the Raj Thackeray-led party has dominance in the state.

"We are still holding our stand for not releasing the movie. We will not let any movie to be released which has Pakistani actors in it," MNS leader Amey Khopkar said.

"It is fine that producers are meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh ji but we still maintain our stand. We respect the government and the police administration. This meeting against the ongoing protests shows the power of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the state that the Producers Guild had to meet the Union Home Minister to sort out the issue," he added.

Film & Television Producers Guild of India president Mukesh Bhatt and Apoorva Mehta from Dharma Productions, which is behind "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday to discuss the smooth release of the upcoming film.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Australian-Indian nanotechnology expert, who was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour - the Companion of the Order of Australia, begins a five-city tour of India on October 24.

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, has welcomed the visit by Professor Chennupati Jagadish, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

"Australia greatly values our close science and relationship with India. Professor Jagadish's efforts in solidifying the bond between Australia and India through science are noteworthy," she said.

"Professor Jagadish has been associated with Australia India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF), Australia's largest fund dedicated to bilateral research with any country, since its inception," Ms Sidhu said.

Professor Jagadish said he was looking forward to visiting premium institutions in India to explore possible collaborations.

"I am grateful to India for nurturing me from childhood to adulthood and providing excellent education and grateful to Australia for providing me the opportunities to flourish as a scientist and make a difference to the world," he said.

"Science plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life and inspiring the younger generation to pursue science is critical to ensure that various countries flourish in terms of improved quality of life for their citizens."

As part of the visit, Professor Jagadish will deliver lectures at premier institutions in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi - the Indian Institute of - Madras, the Indian Institute of - Delhi, Anna University, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Science and the University of Hyderabad. He will also address the next generation aspiring scientists at various schools across the country.

Born in a small village in southern India, Professor Jagadish moved to Australia in 1990 with his family to forge a career in nanotechnology. In January this year, Professor Jagadish was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour - the Companion of the Order of Australia - for his contribution to physics and engineering.

He has pioneered the creation of high performance next generation optical devices, which have huge potential in the field of communications, data storage and solar cells. Professor Jagadish and his wife Dr Vidya Jagadish have set up an endowment fund with their own money to help students from developing countries to undertake research at ANU in Canberra.

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Actor Varun Dhawan is getting all pampered by his director and the crew ever since he got injured while shooting for his upcoming romantic comedy 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya'.

The 29-year-old actor, who is currently shooting in Singapore, shared a small video with director Shashank Khaitan and captioned it as, "The director who makes me bleeds then comes and pampers me @shashankkhaitan #badrinathkidulhania."

On a related note, the movie features Alia Bhatt opposite the handsome hunk and is set to release in March next year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To keep a check on the rapid rise of Bird flu in the capital for past few days, Animal Husbandry Minister, Gopal Rai on Friday said the Delhi Government has made health certificate mandatory for poultry transported to the Ghazipur poultry market.

The decision was taken by Rai after he visited the Ghazipur market early in the day to take stock of the situation after several migratory birds were found dead in various parts of Delhi over the last week.

"Vehicles coming without medical certificate will be first warned tomorrow, and after that we will not allow them in the market," Rai said while addressing a press meet here.

He also said a monitoring committee of 15 members will be formed, which will closely monitor the situation of the market on the regular basis, adding that medicated subways will be made at the entry of all the market to curb the spread of infection.

He said there is no need to be sacred of, adding that further decision will be taken after the result of new samples sent for testing will come.

Earlier today, Rai visited Ghazipur chicken mandi and said that no infection was found in the 2.2 lakh birds which arrived recently.

Meanwhile, the Zoological Park in Delhi, which has been closed temporarily, has reported fresh cases of deaths of pelican birds.

The zoo was shut down on Wednesday after nine birds, including painted storks, ducks and pelicans died of avian influenza at its premises between October 14 and October 17.

A team of Central Zoo Authority is currently inspecting all the enclosures at the zoo.

Also, the Delhi government has shut down the Deer Park in Hauz Khas after it suspected that two birds found dead inside the park could be infected with bird flu.

Around 100 more samples have been collected in the last two days from Ghazipur, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Najafgarh drain, Yamuna Biodiversity Park and the Central Park in Hauz Khas and sent to a specialised Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar.

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With the controversy surrounding Ae Dil Hai Mushkil refusing to die down even as producer Karan Johar appealed to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ensure its safe release, the Congress has said Bollywood will find it difficult to flourish as long as it has to get clearances from the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office instead of from the censor board.

Congress leader Tom Vadakan said the Indian film industry, which is known to be a symbol of unity, is being polarised by political ideologies.

"What has happened to this country and film industry after this party has come to power in 2014. The film that was cleared by the central boar essentially has the right to be exhibited in any way and this kind of politcising of the film is absolutely not acceptable. But now if a producer or the director has to get clearances from PMO, Home minister, I don't think the film industry is going to flourish," Vadakkan told ANI.

On Thursday, the president of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, Mukesh Bhatt said that he had received assurances from the Home Minister on the issue of providing full security to exhibitors of the movie.

He said the government has assured them that the movie is released without any violence and problem.

The movie is scheduled to be released on October 28.

After situation between India and Pakistan worsened, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been demanding a ban on the film.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taking a strong exception to former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Friday said the saffron party that is known for communal disharmony would still face defeat in the upcoming assembly elections.

"The people come and go and parties have independent process. There is no importance of a person in a political and social struggle. Rita ji knows best why she joined the BJP. But the identity of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is of communal disharmony," BSP leader Sudheendra Bhadauria told ANI.

Bhadauria said the BJP would face the same results as it witnessed in Bihar and Delhi.

"The result would be same as it happened in Bihar with (Jitan Ram) Manjhi, Krishna Tirath and Kiran Bedi in Delhi. The result was zero. In the same way, the result of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh would be zero," he added.

In what came as a major setback to the Congress in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Joshi yesterday formally joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah.

Joshi told the media that she was "hurt when the Indian Congress questioned the surgical strikes by the Army along the Line of Control" and that it was unseemly for a party like the Congress to have done so.

The former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief also said that she was hurt by the importance accorded to election strategist Prashant Kishor.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Party on Friday dubbed Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who switched sides to the BJP, as "opportunist" and alleged that the saffron party has a script ready for every single individual joining its fold.

Congress leader Tom Vaddakan took on the BJP for Joshi's outburst against party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

"When somebody leaves, they have to say something negative. The BJP has a script ready for every person, who has to read it after joining their camp and she has read it..she has gone there for an opportunistic reason and that is her basic reason," Vaddakan told ANI in New Delhi.

He alleged that Joshi joined the BJP as she was scared of the candidature of Dimple Yadav, the daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"There has been also her father, who left the party but then he at least sustained himself on a secular platform. But here is something she has gone to the other side essentially to improve her prospects in her constituency where she is finding difficult to contest the Mulayam Singh family. So, that is the reason why she has gone out," he added.

It may be recalled here that Joshi's father Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, had quit the Congress twice, for brief recesses. In 1977, he launched 'Congress for Democracy', a front that didn't last for long. Again in 1980, he cut out.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told ANI in Bengaluru that Joshi's decision to join the BJP would not create any impact, adding it is useless and baseless for people to always blame Rahul Gandhi

"It is very unfortunate why she has left the Congress and she was with the Congress for many years. On personal grounds if she goes that's a different thing but she cannot blame Rahul Gandhi ji or Congress leadership..I also don't think she would make any great impact in particular. She is not going to add anything to BJP," he added.

In what came as a major setback for the Congress in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Joshi on Thursday formally joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah.

Joshi told the media that she was "hurt when the Indian Congress questioned the surgical strikes by the Army along the Line of Control" and that it was unseemly for a party like the Congress to have done so.

"The country was happy that Pakistan was being given a fitting reply. I was happy too, but the Congress behaved like a small party and questioned the surgical strikes. The whole nation was upset with Rahul Gandhi using words like 'khoon ki dalali' (blood trader) for PM Modi," she said.

The former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief also said that she was hurt by the importance accorded to election strategist Prashant Kishor.

"A poll manager cannot replace a leader," she said.

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The Janata Dal (United) on Friday brushed aside the 'baseless' allegations levelled against the ruling grand alliance in Bihar by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Modi and said that the Nitish Kumar-led government has always fulfilled its duty with responsibility.

"Be it any matter, the government has put forth its stand very firmly and Sushil Modi ji is levelling baseless allegations. On June 6, the district administration asked the court ion Gaya for a speedy trial of the case,"JD (U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told ANI.

"The government has done its work with full responsibility. We neither trap anybody nor save anybody. The government will do its work. The state government did their research firmly and presented their side. Now, the matter has been taken to the Supreme Court and its decision will be accepted by all. The state government supports the victim's family," he added.

Training guns at the grand alliance, Modi earlier asked as to why the Bihar Government, which has moved the Supreme Court for bail cancellation of Raj Ballabh Yadav chose not to involve a renowned lawyer to fight its case, when the latter has hired the services of noted lawyers like Siddharth Luthra and R. Basant.

"The state government is under pressure following the meeting between Lalu ji and Raj Ballabh and that's the reason why they have not involved any top lawyer to challenge Raj Ballabh's bail," he said.

Modi also alleged that the Bihar Government was always taking a soft stand and assisting accused instead of the victim.

He said that criminals in the state were openly getting political patronage and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was busy in fulfilling his prime ministerial aspirations.

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United Jihad Council (UJC) chairman Sayeed Salahudeen has said that talks will not provide solution to the Kashmir dispute and urged the Pakistani military to support the Mujahideen in its cause.

"The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions. Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the Mujahideen", the Dawn quoted Salahudeen as saying at a press conference.

"If the Mujahideen get military support, not only Kashmir will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change," he said.

He, however, declined to elaborate the kind of military support required by the cadres.

"India invaded and occupied Kashmir at the strength of its military might and military occupation can hardly be brought to end through politics or diplomacy," he said.

"When the is paying no heed to us, the only option left with us is the armed struggle," Salahudeen said alleging that the Indian Government had also resorted to economic terrorism in Kashmir in a bid to pressure Kashmiris into surrendering their legitimate struggle.

He also alleged that the Indian intelligence agencies and their "touts" were trying to create disunity among the Hurriyat leadership as well as the Kashmiri public.

He was of the view that the base camp of the freedom movement - a reference to Pakistani side of Kashmir - should not only send a strong message of solidarity across the divide but also adopt a forceful, rather aggressive, role in this regard.

Salahudeen asked the police on the Indian side of Kashmir to stand by the unarmed public instead of being in the vanguard of the Indian Army or face the wrath of Kashmiri people.

"The governments in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad should also raise the problems of Jammu-based Muslims at national and international forums," he said.

In India, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is a designated terrorist outfit and Salahudeen is National Investigation Agency's (NIA) most wanted terrorist.

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After kabbadi champion Rohit Chillar and his father Vijay Kumar were arrested separately on Friday in connection with the former's wife Lalita's suicide case, Joint Commissioner of Police (South West) Dependra Pathak on Saturday said police have reached to the boy in Mumbai, arrested him and would be producing him before a Mumbai court for a transit remand.

"He will be brought to Delhi and join the investigation; whereas, in the meantime, his father appeared in the police station in Delhi and we have arrested him," Pathak told reporters.

"Both son and the father answered our questions. Besides, the details and nuances that are there in the audio clips, the suicide note, the circumstances, the statements of the parents of the girls before the SDM and all other statements, we will go into it and investigate professionally as per the law of the land," stated the Joint CP.

Divulging details of the police investigation thus far, he said the death of the girl in Ashoka Park in Ashok Nagar under the Nangloi Police Station area came to their notice on the evening of October 17.

"The police reached the spot and found a suicide note, wherein there was a mention of audio clips in the mobile phone of the girl. We have gone through the suicide note and the audio clips, which made a case of dowry harassment and dowry death," said the Joint CP, adding, accordingly, a case has been registered under sections 498 A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 304 B (dowry death), and the SDM was called and all the processes were followed and an investigation was taken up.

"The parents of the boy were not found at their place in Nizampur and at the places of their relatives and friends. All possible places were inquired into and simultaneously we sent a team to Mumbai, where the possibility of the boy was there. Today, finally, we reached to the boy and we have arrested him and we are producing him before the local court for a transit remand," he said.

The further investigative efforts we are taking.

Meanwhile, Chillar's father Vijay Chillar sent to 14 days' judicial custody.

Lalita, 27, allegedly committed suicide at her apartment in West Delhi's Nangloi area and had left a suicide note accusing her husband, who is in the navy, and his family for provoking her.

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The Muslim community came together on Friday to offer prayers for the speedy recovery of ailing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

"Special prayers were held at madrassas situated in Chennai, in which all the advocates and the VIPs of the Muslim community participated and prayed for the speedy recovery of honourable Chief Minister Amma," All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP Navaneetha said.

The AIADMK had earlier on Thursday stated that Jayalalithaa was recovering well and would return home soon.

68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London besides three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support.

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Firing a fresh salvo at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, newly-inducted BJP leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Friday said the former is not able to lead a party, adding the people of India do not see him as their leader.

Stating that the Gandhi scion is not able to execute his duties as he should, Joshi said even the members of the grand old party are not accepting his working style.

"I am openly speaking that the nation does not see Rahul Gandhi as its leader. The members of the Congress are not accepting the working style of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul ji is not able to lead a party like the way it should be helmed," she told ANI.

Joshi further trained guns at senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad while calling them sycophants.

She alleged that these are few politicians, who are hand in glove with all parties and sell their outfits for personal benefits.

"I am shocked. And their statements make it clear that my exit from the party has affected them. The kind of personal accusations levelled against me is very shameful and irresponsible on the part of Congress Party. Kapil Sibal ji said that I took his money and left the party. The money which he gave was from his MP fund and was for the development of my constituency. I returned the same soon after resigning from the Congress Party. How could he say that he gave money to me? I would like to ask him that what is his stature that he will give me money. Rita Bahuguna has not entered politics for money," she said.

"I will also ask you to file a RTI and know who all have earned and built what in Uttar Pradesh in the past 20 years, you would know who is practicing politics for money. The people, who sell their party, are levelling allegations against me? I will not accept it. I respect Ghulam Nabi Azad but how did he lie that I went to him and asked for a ticket for my son? My son is not in politics, he never showed interest in contesting elections," she added.

Joshi further accused the Congress of practicing negative politics and said that the nation would very soon witness many others quitting the grand old party.

"I am speaking so blatantly because they falsely accused me. The Congress is playing negative politics. One should stand with the nation on foreign policies, against terrorism. The 'khoon ki dalali' comment was not needed. All the Congress leaders say that they are not able to face people after Rahul Gandhi made this comment," she said.

"I am with the BJP because it is the only party which can save UP. UP has faith in Modi ji. I joined Congress at a time when it was going through a very bad phase. If the Congress gave me a lot then so did I. I have no regrets over my decision," she added.

Dealing a heavy blow to the Congress Party ahead of next year's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Joshi on Thursday formally joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah.

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With another person succumbing to his injuries on Friday, the death toll in the deadly SUM hospital inferno has risen to 24.

Earlier, Manoj Naik, owner of Bhubaneswar's SUM Hospital was arrested by the state police on Thursday morning.

He was arrested after he surrendered at the Khandagiri Police Station in Bhubaneswar. The police had earlier issued a look-out notice against Naik and his wife Saswati Das to prevent them from fleeing the country.

Both of them were on the run since the major fire broke out at their healthcare unit killing several patients on Monday.

In another instance, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine the financial transactions of Naik's institutions.

SIT Vice Chairman Arijit Pasayat has directed the state DGP to extend all cooperation to the ED in its investigation with regard to the hospital's financial transactions.

The state government has filed two FIRs and police have arrested four employees of the hospital in connection with the fire mishaps.

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Peace in Kashmir is a prerequisite for good relations between India and Pakistan, said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday.

Mufti was speaking at Police Commemoration Day Parade in Srinagar.

"Then (Pervez) Musharraf had assured him (former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee) that he wouldn't allow Pakistani territory to be used by for militant activities against India. He kept his promise. As a result, there was peace on our border, infiltration fell in this region and dialogue process began. Unfortunately, the process was broken. If we want good relations between our country and Pakistan, we will have to improve the situation here," said Mufti.

Kashmir is in the middle of one of its worst unrest since July 8, following killing of militant leader Burhan Wani by security forces.

At least 80 civilians have been killed and thousands wounded in over three months of clashes between protesters and security forces.

Normal life Kashmir Valley has been crippled for 105 days straight amid a shutdown call given by separatists against Wani's killing.

Mufti also appealed for calm to protesters.

"Peace in Jammu and Kashmir is imperative for dialogue to begin because we can't force somebody to talk by using gun, stick or by pelting stones," Mufti added.

The separatists, who accuse the Indian security forces of using excessive force, have repeatedly extended their shutdown call. The current shutdown programme is scheduled to last till October 27.

India has long accused Pakistan of backing militant groups operating in disputed Kashmir, as well as of sending fighters to other parts of the country to carry out acts of violence. However, Pakistan denies the allegations.

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The Islamabad High Court has dismissed a petition seeking the status of field marshal for Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif.

Justice Aamer Farooq on Thursday observed that the matter falls within the domain of the legislature and the court lacks jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard, reports the Dawn.

When the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti was asked by the judge if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, Satti said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose.

In his order, Justice Farooq said: "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law."

The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed".

The petition was filed citing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents and said that General Raheel, whose three-year term is going to expire on Nov 27, launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.

It said that Geneneral Raheel also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 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 the military hierarchy.

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The Supreme Court will today hear a case involving Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy in connection with return of money to its investors.

Sahara has returned a total of Rs 18,000 crores to its investors till now.

However, the apex had asked Sahara India to reveal the source of Rs. 18000 crores it had claimed to have paid back to the investors.

The Sahara chief was sent to jail on May 4, 2014, for his failure to comply with 2012 order directing him to return investor's Rs. 17,600 crores with 15 percent interest that his two companies Sahara India Real Estate Corp Ltd and Sahara Housing Finance Corp Ltd had raised through optionally fully convertible debentures (OFCD) in 2007 and 2008.

Roy has been directly charged in the case pertaining to non-refund of nearly Rs 20,000 crores to investor.

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Normal life remained crippled for 105th day in the Kashmir Valley amid a shutdown call given by separatists.

At least 80 civilians have been killed and thousands wounded in over three months of clashes between protesters and security forces, sparked by the killing of a field commander of separatist militant group Hizbul Mujahideen Burhan Wani by security forces on July 8.

Wani was idolized by some youth and his killing provoked an outpouring of anger across the state.

The separatists, who accuse the Indian security forces of using excessive force, have repeatedly extended their shutdown call. The current shutdown programme is scheduled to last till October 27.

Srinagar wore a deserted look as businesses remained shut and people stayed indoors.

Though curfew was lifted in Kashmir last week, security and police personnel dressed in riot gear patrolled the deserted roads of Srinagar to prevent any untoward incidents.

Small traders, street vendors and transporters, who survive on their daily incomes, have been hit the hardest.

Reportedly, the traders are suffering losses of Rs.1.35 billion every day.

Security has also been stepped up amid repeated militant attacks on several Indian army bases and exchanges of fire across the border between Indian and Pakistani soldiers.

India has long accused Pakistan of backing militant groups operating in disputed Kashmir, as well as of sending fighters to other parts of the country to carry out acts of violence. However, Pakistan denies the allegations.

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After Burundi, South Africa has said that it is pulling out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), making the country the second this week, to leave the tribunal that pursues the world's worst atrocities.

South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha as saying that the ICC's obligations are inconsistent with domestic laws giving sitting leaders diplomatic immunity, reports the Guardian.

Pretoria said last year it planned to leave the ICC after receiving criticism for ignoring a court order to arrest the visiting Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes.

At a press conference in the capital on Friday, Masutha said,"The implementation of the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court Act 2002 is in conflict and inconsistent with the provisions of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act 2001."

Under the Rome statute, countries have a legal obligation to arrest anyone sought by the tribunal.

Any move to leave would take effect one year after notice is formally received by the United Nations secretary general.

Earlier on Friday, the public broadcaster SABC published a document outlining the withdrawal plan.

The document was signed by South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and dated October 19.

"The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the international criminal court," the document states.

The International Criminal Court opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states. It was the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

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The Congress party on Friday said it is useless and baseless for people to always blame vice president Rahul Gandhi and claimed that Rita Bahuguna Joshi's decision to switch her allegiance from the Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was expected.

"When her father and brother left, it did not have any adverse affect on the party, so I don't think her exit will now have any sort of effect. It doesn't bother us at all. I think she should have taken her decision sooner," Congress MP Sanjay Singh told ANI.

When asked why all rebel members of the party always blame vice present Rahul Gandhi's leadership for their exit, Singh said, "It is useless and baseless. They just want to hide their failures by sprouting such useless excuses."

Rita Joshi on Thursday blamed Rahul Gandhi and Congress' poll stratergist Prashant Kishor for her exit.

"Prashant Kishore could be a poll manager, but he certainly is not the poll director. But, unfortunately, the entire direction and leadership of the election has been given into his hands. How long we have to walk, when we will stand and sit, all these things were told to us a day before, despite the fact that leaders are grassroot workers. Nothing could be more unfortunate than handing over the party on contract (to Prashant Kishor)," she said, adding that even senior leaders of the Congress are unable to put across their point in the party.

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Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not taking action against party MP Varun Gandhi for allegedly leaking sensitive information about defence deals, asserting that the saffron party is not taking any action in the matter to safe guard their own.

Yadav added that the BJP has also not been able to take action in the case because if it taken cognisance of the wrong doings in the issue, then it would have not been able to strike the Rafale deal with the company.

"In the year 2005 under the Congress regime Submarine were purchased and all know that this deal was made in an unfair manner. The whole country knows that the wrong doing in this deal was camouflaged by the CBI and the then Congress government. The question is why this case has not been opened under the BJP regime," Yadav told ANI here.

"Why no action was taken against Abhishek Verma who was accused then. I guess the BJP did not take action because their own MP is involved and second if the saffron party would have taken action against in this case, then it would have not been able to strike the Rafale aircraft deal with the same company," he added.

Meanwhile, Gandhi has threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Allen, who claimed that he was honey-trapped and compromised by arms dealer Abhishek Verma.

"Prashant Bhushan's allegations are baseless; will file a defamation lawsuit against him," he said.

According to reports, a US-based lawyer C Edmonds Allen has alleged that his former business partner and controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma honey-trapped BJP MP Varun Gandhi and some senior military officers with foreign sex workers to extract sensitive information about defence deals.

Allen has alleged that Gandhi, as member of the parliamentary defence committee, had access to information that was shared with Verma to "compromise security'."

The seven-page letter goes on to say that the BJP MP stood "compromised" because of his pictures with foreign escorts and prostitutes.

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Govt's top priority to save domestic industry

The public and private enterprises in India's manufacturing sector must provide quality products at an affordable cost thereby obtaining economies of scale to face challenges posed by China together with latest technologies of automation and robotics, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Mr Anant Geete said at an ASSOCHAM event.

The era of globalisation has led to cut-throat competition across the world thereby making it a challenge for our manufacturing sector to survive, we need to face up to these global challenges else we might get isolated, said Mr Geete while inaugurating an ASSOCHAM International Conference on 'Industry 4.0: Smart Manufacturing.'

He said that though the government felt that pushing the industrial sector will lead to create more job opportunities but the upcoming robotics technology might lead to significant job losses.

He also said that India's manufacturing sector has been reeling under distress during the course of past few years due to various reasons.

Highlighting how the government came to the rescue of domestic steel industry by fixing the minimum import price for steel as China was supplying finished products at the cost at which domestic industry gets raw material, he said, This is how China has been destabilising the domestic steel sector and more or less a similar situation is there in the entire manufacturing sector.

We need to compete with China which has spread across the world, we need to accept this challenge, added Mr Geete.

The Minister said that the Prime Minister under the aegis of the government's ambitious 'Make in India,' program has invited global investors and industrialists to come and set up their manufacturing units here in India.

But our first priority should be to save our domestic industry including both private and public sector enterprises as they will play the most significant role in development of programs like Make in India, said Mr Geete.

He also assured the industry representatives that the government stands together with them as it will also automatically push various government programs of Make in India, Digital India, Start-up India and others.

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HCL Technologies rose 2.59% at Rs 836.40 at 10:15 IST on BSE after the company retained revenue growth guidance of 12% to 14% for the year ending 31 March 2017 in constant currency terms.

The result was announced before market hours today, 21 October 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 135.88 points or 0.48% at 27,993.96.

On BSE, so far 1.15 lakh shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 1.58 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 848.70 and a low of Rs 822 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 889.80 on 1 February 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 706.50 on 11 May 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 20 October 2016, rising 2.91% compared with 1.38% decline in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 11.77% as against Sensex's 0.77% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 282.18 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

HCL Technologies' consolidated net profit fell 1.6% to Rs 2014 crore on 1.6% growth in revenue to Rs 11519 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q1 June 2016. Revenue in constant currency rose 2.8% in Q2 September 2016 over Q1 June 2016. The company expects revenue growth between 12% to 14% in constant currency terms in the current financial year ending 31 March 2017 (FY 2017). This translates into 11% to 13% growth in dollar terms based on 30 September 2016 exchange rates. HCL Technologies expects its operating margin (EBIT) to be in the range of 19.5% to 20.5% for FY 2017.

HCL Technologies announced that the board of directors of the company declared an interim dividend of Rs 6 per share for FY 2017.

HCL Technologies' CFO Anil Chanana said the conversion of net income to operating cash flow has been in excess of 100% for last twelve months ended 30 September 2016 while the return on equity continues to be robust at 28%.

HCL Technologies announced that C. Vijayakumar, Chief Operating Officer of the company has been elevated to the position of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from 20 October 2016. Anant Gupta has decided to leave the company to pursue personal interests outside of HCL.

Separately, HCL Technologies before market hours today, 21 October 2016 announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Butler America Aerospace, LLC (Butler Aerospace), a provider of engineering, design services and aftermarket engineering services to US Aerospace and Defense customers. Butler Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary of Butler America LLC. The proposed acquisition will exclude the staffing business of Butler America Inc. The consideration for the proposed transaction is $85 million to be paid in cash. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals including CFIUS approval in the US, along with other customary closing conditions. It is expected to be completed by 31 December 2016.

Butler Aerospace had revenues of $85.4 million for the year ended 31 December 2015 at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of 12.2%. The acquisition when consummated is likely to be EPS accretive, HCL Technologies said. Butler Aerospace serves customers primarily in the Aerospace and Defense industries in the US, to whom it provides engineering & design services in the areas of mechanical and structural design, electrical design, tool design and aftermarket engineering services. With over 900 highly skilled engineers and 7 design centers in the US, Butler Aerospace has a marquee list of clients in the Aerospace & Defense industries and works with OEMs and their suppliers. The acquisition will bolster HCL's capabilities in this space and access to clients with large R&D spends.

HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses.

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Vice Admiral GS Pabby, AVSM, VSM, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition, Indian Navy, said this is the right time for India to take a major step towards building submarines indigenously by forging a strategic partnership with the Indian industry. He urged the leading industry houses to grab the opportunity to strengthen Indian's Navy and added that there is a plethora of design and development opportunities available to the private sector in manufacturing of Navy equipment for the future. He mentioned that the six submarines on offer to the private sector for under P75(I) program was yet another opportunity by MoD to integrate the private sector in strategic defence production.

Vice Adm GS Pabby said that though India entered the sphere of submarines late but it was able to quickly catch up with the complex technology. Today, Indian Navy is designing and developing many of its equipment indigenously. The Navy has also built need-based operational requirements but is now developing its capabilities and is setting up extensive infrastructure to develop submarines in India. He mentioned that the Indian Navy took a visionary step in 1986 to establish in-house submarine design capability and the proposed seminar coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Directorate of Naval Design (Submarine Design Group).

Rear Admiral CS Rao, NM, DGND (SDG), Indian Navy, presented the scope of seminar which aims to deliberate on unique challenges and complexities of submarine design and construction; with the aim to achieve national competence in submarine design and construction through industrial partnership.

He mentioned that the seminar will be divided in two technical sessions wherein session 1 will focus on self-reliance in design and construction of submarines while session 2 will deliberate on design challenges in platform integration of emerging submarine technologies. During the seminar, the officers of Indian Navy, will present perspectives on the above topics and deliberate on the future requirements to be met by the industry, academia and research and development agencies.

Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, said that the objective of the international seminar is to emphasize the design capabilities of Indian Navy and other design agencies and to hand hold Indian industry to make the best of the capabilities and how to focus on the future requirements. He said FICCI is continuously focusing on futuristic technologies and added that in order to fulfil the national aspiration of establishment of strong defence industrial base in country, there is a need to do away with licensed production. India needs to encourage innovations in design to enhance its scientific capabilities which can later be transferred to industries for commercialisation of defence technologies.

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Key benchmark indices hovered in a narrow range in negative zone in mid-afternoon trade. At 14:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 150.69 points or 0.54% at 27,979.15. The Nifty 50 index was currently down 38.10 points or 0.44% at 8,661.30. The Sensex was currently trading below the psychologically important 28,000 level. The index swung above and below that level in intraday trade so far. The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was positive. On BSE, 1,333 shares rose and 1,299 shares declined. A total of 241 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently down 0.12%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently down 0.05%. The losses for the both these indices were lower than Sensex's decline in percentage terms. Weakness in global stocks weighed on sentiment on the domestic bourses.

In overseas stock markets, European and Asian stocks edged lower after the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its policy rate unchanged after a monetary policy meeting yesterday, 20 October 2016. Though ECB left its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged, President Mario Draghi said the European region's central bank had left the door open to more monetary stimulus. US stocks registered small losses yesterday, 20 October 2016, after a sharp fall in oil prices, while investors parsed through key US economic data.

Pharma stocks edged lower. Cipla (down 2.55%), Strides Shasun (down 0.59%), Wockhardt (down 0.48%), Aurobindo Pharma (down 0.18%), Lupin (down 0.04%), GlaxoSmithkline Pharmaceuticals (down 0.2%), Ipca Laboratories (down 0.34%) and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 0.02%) declined. Dr Reddy's Laboratories (up 1.47%), Divi's Laboratories (up 1.5%), Alkem Laboratories (up 0.33%) and Cadila Healthcare (up 0.3%) edged higher.

Capital goods were mixed. Havells India (up 0.84%), Thermax (up 0.84%), Crompton Greaves (up 0.85%), GE T&D India (up 0.15%), L&T (up 0.13%) and Siemens (up 0.05%) rose. Bharat Electronics (down 1.31%), BEML (down 1.25%), ABB India (down 0.85%), Bharat Heavy Electricals (down 0.14%) and Suzlon Energy (down 0.93%) edged lower.

Bank of Baroda (BoB) was down 1.27%. The bank said that the Capital Raising Committee of the board at its meeting held today, 21 October 2016, authorized the bank to raise funds through issuance of Basel III Compliant AT- I (Additional Tier - I Capital) bonds for Rs 1000 crore with Green shoe option of Rs 1000 crore (Total size not to exceed Rs 2000 crore) on private placement basis. The announcement was made during market hours today, 21 October 2016.

JSW Holdings dropped 1.1% after the company reported 22.63% fall in net profit to Rs 15.56 crore on 16.97% decline in income from operations to Rs 22.01 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced during market hours today, 21 October 2016.

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Key benchmark indices continued trading in a range in afternoon trade. At 13:16 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 112.53 points or 0.40% at 28,017.31. The Nifty 50 index was currently down 25.75 points or 0.30% at 8,673.65. The Sensex was currently trading above the psychologically important 28,000 level. The index swung above and below that level in intraday trade so far.

The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was positive. On BSE, 1,353 shares rose and 1,224 shares declined. A total of 221 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently up 0.06%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.17%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

In overseas stock markets, European shares were trading higher in early trade today, 21 October 2016, kicking off the last trading day of the week with a positive tone as merger deals and a stronger US dollar and corporate earnings support prices. Meanwhile, as widely expected, the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its policy rate unchanged after a meeting yesterday, 20 October 2016. Though ECB left its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged, President Mario Draghi said the European region's central bank had left the door open to more monetary stimulus.

Asian stocks edged lower after the ECB left its policy rate unchanged after the conclusion of a monetary policy meeting. US stocks registered small losses yesterday, 20 October 2016, after a sharp fall in oil prices, while investors parsed through key US economic data.

Back home, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) was up 0.05% to Rs 1,327.15. Mahindra Electric, part of the diversified Mahindra Group and a pioneer in the development and production of electric vehicles in India, announced the national launch of its new electric CitySmart car, the 'e20Plus'. The announcement was made during trading hours today, 21 October 2016.

With zero emission, the 'e20Plus' is set to usher in a whole new concept in urban mobility and is priced at an attractive Rs. 5.46 lakh (for the P4 variant ex-showroom Delhi, post state subsidy and FAME incentive). On a full charge, the Mahindra e20Plus can travel for upto 140 kms and can achieve a top speed of 85 kmph. Powered by the latest electric drive train technology from Mahindra Electric, the e20Plus can effortlessly cruise through city traffic and drives Mahindra's vision of the Future of Mobility. The tall-boy design and spacious interiors make for a compact city car that can comfortably seat four adults.

Most FMCG shares edged higher. Godrej Consumer Products (up 1.97%), Dabur India (up 1.50%), Hindustan Unilever (up 0.95%), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care (up 0.50%), Nestle India (up 0.34%), Marico (up 0.23%), Bajaj Corp (up 0.12%), Britannia Industries (up 0.11%) and Colgate Palmolive (India) (up 0.03%), edged higher. Jyothy Laboratories (down 0.16%), Tata Global Beverages (down 0.26%) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (down 0.73%), edged lower.

Metal shares edged lower. Hindalco Industries (down 1.9%), Hindustan Zinc (down 1.62%), Vedanta (down 1.55%), Bhushan Steel (down 1.03%), NMDC (down 0.92%), JSW Steel (down 0.83%), Tata Steel (down 0.54%), Jindal Steel & Power (down 0.45%), Hindustan Copper (down 0.42%) and National Aluminium Company (down 0.39%), edged lower. Steel Authority of India was up 1.62%.

Meanwhile, copper price edged lower in the global commodities markets. High Grade Copper for December 2016 delivery was currently down 0.26% at $2.0905 per pound on the COMEX.

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Key benchmark indices registered small losses in a lacklustre trading session. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex lost 51.02 points or 0.18% at 28,078.82, as per the provisional closing data. The Nifty 50 index fell 4.25 points or 0.05% at 8,695.15, as per the provisional closing data. The Sensex provisionally settled above the psychologically important 28,000 level. The index swung above and below that level in intraday trade. Key indices trimmed intraday losses towards the fag end of trading session.

The Sensex lost 171.92 points or 0.61% at the day's low of 27,957.92 in mid-morning trade, its lowest level since 19 October 2016. The barometer index rose 33.57 points or 0.11% at the day's high of 28,163.41 in opening trade. The Nifty lost 47.35 points or 0.54% at the day's low of 8,652.05 in mid-morning trade, its lowest level since 19 October 2016. The index rose 9.70 points or 0.11% at the day's high of 8,709.10 in early trade.

In overseas stock markets, European and Asian stocks were mixed as investors remained on sidelines after the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its policy rate unchanged after a monetary policy meeting yesterday, 20 October 2016. Though ECB left its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged, President Mario Draghi said the European region's central bank had left the door open to more monetary stimulus. US stocks registered small losses yesterday, 20 October 2016, after a sharp fall in oil prices, while investors parsed through key US economic data.

Closer home, the market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was positive. On BSE, 1,453 shares rose and 1,320 shares declined. A total of 248 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index provisionally rose 0.31%. The BSE Small-Cap index provisionally rose 0.1%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

The total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 3180.87 crore, lower than turnover of Rs 3424.71 crore registered during the previous trading session.

Reliance Industries (RIL) lost 2.17% after consolidated net profit fell 22.9% to Rs 7206 crore on 9.6% increase in turnover to Rs 81651 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 20 October 2016.

RIL's profit before depreciation, interest, and taxes (PBDIT) rose 24.8% to Rs 13551 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015.

RIL said its turnover increased primarily on account of increase in volumes in refining, petrochemical and retail businesses.

RIL's revenue from the refining and marketing segment decreased by 0.4% to Rs 60527 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. Segment earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose 9.7% to Rs 5975 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015, aided by stronger volumes and yield shifts to capture higher margins.

Gross refining margin (GRM) stood at $10.10 per barrel in Q2 September 2016, a tad lower than $10.60 per barrel in Q2 September 2015.

Revenue from the petrochemicals segment increased by 5.6% to Rs 22422 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015, primarily due to increase in volumes of fiber intermediates and polyester products.

Revenues for organized retail business grew by 63% to Rs 8079 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The increase in turnover was led by growth in digital, fashion & lifestyle and petroleum products. During the quarter, Reliance Retail added 59 stores across various store concepts and strengthened its distribution network for consumer electronics. As on 30 September 2016, Reliance Retail operated 3,442 stores across 679 cities with an area of over 13 million square feet.

Commenting on the results, Mukesh D. Ambani, chairman and managing director, RIL said that the company has achieved outstanding second quarter results with strong refining business performance and record petrochemicals segment earnings. Refining business sustained high profitability in a tough environment highlighting the company's exceptional refining assets, dynamic response to market trends and robust operations. Petrochemicals segment gained significantly from higher volumes, integration and supportive product margins. RIL's projects in the hydrocarbon chain are at advanced stages of mechanical completion and precommissioning activities. These projects will further strengthen the company's position as a leading operator in the energy and materials businesses. RIL is delighted and humbled by the enthusiastic adoption of Jio by India. Jio is built to empower every Indian with the power of data.

RIL's outstanding debt as on 30 September 2016 was Rs 189132 crore compared to Rs 180388 crore as on 31 March 2016.

Cash and cash equivalents as on 30 September 2016 were at Rs 82533 crore compared to Rs 89966 crore as on 31 March 2016. These were in bank deposits, mutual funds, CDs and Government Bonds and other marketable securities.

Separately, RIL announced after market hours yesterday, 20 October 2016 that Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) has received communication from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) stating that the tariff plans offered by it are fully compliant with regulatory norms of IUC compliance, non-predatory and non-discriminatory. This clearly establishes the fact that all the tariffs offered by RJIL are in compliance with the prevailing regulations, RJIL said.

ACC lost 2.74% after consolidated net profit fell 28.85% to Rs 81.97 crore on 9.75% decline in turnover to Rs 2472.81 crore in Q3 September 2016 over Q3 September 2015. Operating EBITDA declined 12.61% to Rs 273.70 crore in Q3 September 2016 over Q3 September 2015. The result was announced during market hours today, 21 October 2016.

ACC said that on the supply side, the company expects its volumes to pick up as the newly commissioned units stabilize, especially in the fast-growing eastern region. On the overall demand side, the company maintains an optimistic outlook for the economy in the coming months.

Wipro rose 0.91%. The company is slated to announce Q2 September 2016 results today, 21 October 2016. Wipro after market hours yesterday, 20 October 2016 said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Appirio, a global cloud services company that creates next generation worker and customer experiences for a purchase consideration of $500 million. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to be closed in Q3 December 2016.

HCL Technologies edged higher after the company retained revenue growth guidance for the year ending 31 March 2017 (FY 2017) at the time of announcing Q2 September 2016 results before market hours today, 21 October 2016. The stock rose 1.64%. HCL Technologies expects revenue growth between 12% to 14% in constant currency terms in FY 2017. This translates into 11% to 13% growth in dollar terms based on 30 September 2016 exchange rates. HCL Technologies expects its operating margin (EBIT) to be in the range of 19.5% to 20.5% for FY 2017.

The company's consolidated net profit fell 1.6% to Rs 2014 crore on 1.6% growth in revenue to Rs 11519 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q1 June 2016. Revenue in constant currency rose 2.8% in Q2 September 2016 over Q1 June 2016.

HCL Technologies' CFO Anil Chanana said the conversion of net income to operating cash flow has been in excess of 100% for last twelve months ended 30 September 2016 while the return on equity continues to be robust at 28%.

HCL Technologies announced that C. Vijayakumar, Chief Operating Officer of the company has been elevated to the position of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from 20 October 2016. Anant Gupta has decided to leave the company to pursue personal interests outside of HCL.

Separately, HCL Technologies before market hourst today, 21 October 2016 announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Butler America Aerospace, LLC (Butler Aerospace), a provider of engineering, design services and aftermarket engineering services to US Aerospace and Defense customers. Butler Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary of Butler America LLC. The proposed acquisition will exclude the staffing business of Butler America Inc. The consideration for the proposed transaction is $85 million to be paid in cash. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals including CFIUS approval in the US, along with other customary closing conditions. It is expected to be completed by 31 December 2016.

Butler Aerospace had revenues of $85.4 million for the year ended 31 December 2015 at EBIT of 12.2%. The acquisition when consummated is likely to be EPS accretive, HCL Technologies said.

Pharma major Cipla lost 1.78% after the company said that the Supreme Court today, 21 October 2016, decided in favour of the Government of India in an appeal filed against the company and others arising out of the judgement of the Allahabad High Court. The other petitions filed in the Bombay High Court on completely separate sets of grounds relating to alleged overcharged amounts are pending and are still subject to the interim stay granted by the Supreme Court in July 2016, Cipla said. The ruling was with reference to pending legal cases relating to alleged overcharging in respect of certain drugs under the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 1995.

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A range-bound movement was witnessed as key benchmark indices hovered in negative zone in early afternoon trade. At 12:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 133.57 points or 0.47% at 27,996.27. The Nifty 50 index was currently down 35.50 points or 0.41% at 8,663.90. The Sensex was currently trading below the psychologically important 28,000 level. The index swung above and below that level in intraday trade so far. The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was positive. On BSE, 1,242 shares rose and 1,182 shares declined. A total of 200 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently down 0.11%. The decline in this index was lower than Sensex's decline in percentage terms. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.1%, outperforming the Sensex.

In overseas stock markets, Asian stocks edged lower after the European Central Bank (ECB) left its policy rate unchanged after the conclusion of a monetary policy meeting. US stocks registered small losses yesterday, 20 October 2016, after a sharp fall in oil prices, while investors parsed through key US economic data.

In Europe, as widely expected, the ECB kept its policy rate unchanged after a meeting yesterday, 20 October 2016. Though ECB left its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged, President Mario Draghi said the European region's central bank had left the door open to more monetary stimulus.

Stocks of public sector banks edged lower. Bank of Baroda (down 1.68%), Indian Bank (down 1.46%), Bank of India (down 1.4%), Union Bank of India (down 1.01%), State Bank of India (down 0.87%) and Punjab National Bank (down 0.55%) declined. IDBI Bank (up 0.14%) edged higher.

Stock of private sector banks were mixed. Axis Bank (down 2.28%), ICICI Bank (down 0.5%) and Yes Bank (down 0.26%) edged lower. IndusInd Bank (up 0.61%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (up 0.32%), RBL Bank (up 0.67%) and HDFC Bank (up 0.1%) edged lower.

IT stocks were mixed. Tech Mahindra (up 1%) and TCS (up 0.55%) edged higher. Infosys (down 0.31%) and Oracle Financial Services Software (down 0.14%) edged lower.

Wipro rose 0.45%. The company is slated to announce Q2 September 2016 results today, 21 October 2016. Wipro after market hours yesterday, 20 October 2016 said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Appirio, a global cloud services company that creates next generation worker and customer experiences for a purchase consideration of $500 million. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to be closed in Q3 December 2016.

HCL Technologies edged higher after the company retained revenue growth guidance for the year ending 31 March 2017 (FY 2017) at the time of announcing Q2 September 2016 results before market hours today, 21 October 2016. The stock rose 2.05% at Rs 832. HCL Technologies expects revenue growth between 12% to 14% in constant currency terms in FY 2017. This translates into 11% to 13% growth in dollar terms based on 30 September 2016 exchange rates. HCL Technologies expects its operating margin (EBIT) to be in the range of 19.5% to 20.5% for FY 2017.

The company's consolidated net profit fell 1.6% to Rs 2014 crore on 1.6% growth in revenue to Rs 11519 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q1 June 2016. Revenue in constant currency rose 2.8% in Q2 September 2016 over Q1 June 2016.

HCL Technologies' CFO Anil Chanana said the conversion of net income to operating cash flow has been in excess of 100% for last twelve months ended 30 September 2016 while the return on equity continues to be robust at 28%.

HCL Technologies announced that C. Vijayakumar, Chief Operating Officer of the company has been elevated to the position of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from 20 October 2016. Anant Gupta has decided to leave the company to pursue personal interests outside of HCL.

Separately, HCL Technologies before market hourst today, 21 October 2016 announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Butler America Aerospace, LLC (Butler Aerospace), a provider of engineering, design services and aftermarket engineering services to US Aerospace and Defense customers. Butler Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary of Butler America LLC. The proposed acquisition will exclude the staffing business of Butler America Inc. The consideration for the proposed transaction is $85 million to be paid in cash. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals including CFIUS approval in the US, along with other customary closing conditions. It is expected to be completed by 31 December 2016.

Butler Aerospace had revenues of $85.4 million for the year ended 31 December 2015 at EBIT of 12.2%. The acquisition when consummated is likely to be EPS accretive, HCL Technologies said.

Biocon rose 2.58% at Rs 1,005.50 after the company reported consolidated net profit of Rs 146.70 crore in Q2 September 2016 as compared with net loss of Rs 10.60 crore in Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 20 October 2016.

Biocon's consolidated total income rose 21.2% to Rs 992.50 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 45% to Rs 277 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. EBITDA margin improved to 28% in Q2 September 2016 from 23% in Q2 September 2015.

Biocon said that the company reported robust performance led by a strong growth of Small Molecules, Biologics and Syngene. Licensing income stood at Rs 32 crore while other income reported was Rs 52 crore in Q2 September 2016.

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As a sequel to the path breaking initiative announced by Hon' ble Union Finance Minister Shri. Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech 2016-17 to set up Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), NABARD has sanctioned a loan of Rs 19,702 crore to National Water Development Agency (NWDA), the agency of Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR, towards central government share in 50 identified irrigation projects from 11 states. This would help create additional irrigation potential of 39.14 lakh hectares under these projects in 11 states.

NABARD handed over the sanction letter of loan amounting to Rs 19,702 crore and a cheque for Rs 1,500 crore towards first instalment of loan disbursement to NWDA Top officials of the Government of India and Directors of the Board of NABARD were present on the occasion.

Loan released by NABARD to NWDA would be disbursed to the respective State Governments as central share in the projects sanctioned.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Arun Jaitley said that this development was a part of the vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister to double farmers' income by 2022, for which providing assured irrigation to farmers was one of the important prerequisites. The loan towards the central share of assistance to state governments will ensure front loading of resources so that the identified incomplete irrigation projects under Pradhan Mandtri Krishi Sinchai Yojna [PMKSY] are executed in time. He further stated that this unique initiative would help complete not only the irrigation structures but also the Command Area Development works which are central to ensuring full utilization of irrigation potential created. He highlighted that the initiative would bring additional 76 lakh ha area under irrigation and to a great extent mitigate water scarcity and drought situations in project areas.

He appreciated the initiative of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and NABARD and indicated that Ministry of Finance is committed to support this endeavor. He advised the agencies to undertake very close monitoring of the progress of work to ensure timely completion of projects.

Sushree Uma Bharati, Hon' ble Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganaga Rejuvenation said that she was commited to ensure that the project works are completed by the state governments as scheduled and exhorted them to complete the required formalities in time. She shared the vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister to ensure 'Har Khet ko Paani' and Per drop more crop which the Ministry is endeavoring to translate into reality. She emphasized that the irrigation potential would be enhanced through participation of farmers. She also highlighted a strong monitoring mechanism put in place to ensure that the money is effectively utilized.

Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, Chairman, NABARD said that besides supporting the central share component, NABARD would also be extending 15 year loan support to the willing state governments at reasonable rate of interest to meet their share in the identified irrigation projects. The total fund requirement is expected to be of the order of Rs 78, 535 crore in the next four years up to 2020, with the shares of the central and state governments at Rs 31,342 crore and Rs 46,253 crore, respectively. He said that through LTIF the irrigation potential in the country was expected to go up by 11.50 % in the next four years.

Shri Shashi Shekhar, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganaga Rejuvenation informed that the programme will be implemented in a Mission mode and the ministry was gearing up for very close monitoring of this massive programme.

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Key benchmark indices extended intraday slide in mid-morning trade. At 11:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 155.48 points or 0.55% at 27,974.36. The Nifty 50 index was currently down 38.60 points or 0.44% at 8,660.80. The Sensex was currently trading below the psychologically important 28,000 level. The index swung above and below that level in intraday trade so far. The Sensex lost 162.26 points or 0.57% at the day's low of 27,967.58 in mid-morning trade, its lowest level since 19 October 2016. The barometer index rose 33.57 points or 0.11% at the day's high of 28,163.41 in opening trade. The Nifty lost 42.95 points or 0.49% at the day's low of 8,656.45 in mid-morning trade, its lowest level since 19 October 2016. The index rose 9.70 points or 0.11% at the day's high of 8,709.10 in early trade.

The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market once again turned positive from negative in mid-morning trade. On BSE, 1,141 shares rose and 1,119 shares declined. A total of 166 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently down 0.18%. The decline in this index was lower than Sensex's decline in percentage terms. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.06%, outperforming the Sensex.

Realty stocks edged higher. Unitech (up 2.01%), Godrej Properties (up 1.67%), DLF (up 1.3%), Oberoi Realty (up 1.08%), Housing Development & Infrastructure (up 0.38%), D B Realty (up 0.21%) and Prestige Estates Projects (up 0.37%) rose. Sobha (down 0.31%) and Indiabulls Real Estate (down 0.3%) edged lower.

Auto stocks were mixed. Tata Motors (down 0.87%), Eicher Motors (down 0.32%), Mahindra & Mahindra (down 0.27%) and Hero MotoCorp (down 0.12%) edged lower. Ashok Leyland (up 0.58%), TVS Motor Company (up 0.29%), Bajaj Auto (up 0.1%) and Maruti Suzuki India (up 0.01%) edged higher.

Praj Industries dropped 4.88% after consolidated net profit fell 39.32% to Rs 3.04 crore on 1.79% fall in income from operations to Rs 205.79 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. Consolidated order backlog as on 30 September 2016 stood at Rs 1025 crore, which comprised 72% orders from domestic market. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 20 October 2016.

In overseas stock markets, Asian stocks were trading mixed. US stocks registered small losses yesterday, 20 October 2016, after a sharp fall in oil prices, while investors parsed through key US economic data.

In Europe, as widely expected, the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its policy rate unchanged after a meeting yesterday, 20 October 2016. Though ECB left its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged, President Mario Draghi said the European region's central bank had left the door open to more monetary stimulus.

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Over 200 students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were detained on Friday while they were demanding swift action to locate a missing student, Najeeb Ahmed.

Ahmed went missing from the university campus on an October 15 night, after allegedly entering into a brawl with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members.

The students were led away by police when they reached the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of the capital.

They were taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. The students kept a steady chant of anti-police slogans while being detained.

The police have set up a Special Investigation Team to trace Ahmed.
Film: '31 October'; Director: Shivaji Lotan Patil; Starring: Soha Ali Khan, Vir Das; Rating:***

I was very young on the day Mrs Indira Gandhi died. I remember the nationwide horror of losing a beloved leader and how it was overshadowed by the horror of watching Sikhs being dragged out on the streets and burnt alive for the ghastly assassination.

I remember everyone said, 'How can the country go on without her?' But it did. History of genocide has a way of repeating itself, unless we learn from the mistakes we make in the past. So here we are 32 years later looking at a film that recreates the chilling carnage of an innocent community made vulnerable by the crimes of a few.

The film, made with touching earnestness, opens on the morning of October 31 depicting an ordinary day in the life of an affable Sikh family. The cut-and-dried treatment of the film, and our knowledge of the dreadful events that transpired on the day, give to the narration a kind of authority and power to move and shake us even when the goings-on onscreen are quite often underwhelming, both in terms of execution and performance.

Made on a meager budget, "31 October" is a big-hearted attempt to bring us the ghastly incidents on that fateful day through the eyes of a traumatized Sikh couple, played with reassuring sincerity by Vir Das(very convincing in his turban) and Soha Ali Khan(whose Punjabi accent makes a guest appearance at the start and then vanishes as we go along).

Their two little sons and their austere yet idyllic low-income existence in a Sikh-dominated locality of Delhi is ripped apart by communal violence so savage it shakes us to even see it onscreen so many years later.

Like Mani Ratnam's "Bombay", this film humanizes the terrible violence by throwing in two little boys and sundry characters who are chillingly real either in their demonized avatar or their humanism during the days of acute malevolence. Specially gripping is the Sikh family's car journey from imminent death to relative safety with the Sikh patriarch locked in the trunk of the car to avoid detection.

For all its made-to-shock manipulation, the scenes of violence and savagery shock as they are rude reminders of how vulnerable we all are as individuals and as a community. That day it was the Sikhs. On another day it is the Muslims or Hindus. Who is safe from separatist violence in this country?

The melodramatic yet moving film makes this point with telling affect. It also shows the psychological warfare that human beings unleash on one another when political crimes intervene in ordinary lives.

When the assassination happens the stunned nation is shown glued to the radio while the affable Sardar-hero is instantly isolated by his office colleagues. Outside, his wife out shopping is caught in the sudden eruption of violence. Elsewhere a drunken NRI mona Sardar pleads with the rioters to be killed like his friend was, and a drunken lout offers asylum to a panic stricken Sardarji in exchange for his cash and gold chain, only to hand him over to the mobs.

Such characters and incidents belong more to a long-running Doordarshan serial than a feature film. Much of the drama is theatrical and the acting is plainly amateurish. But "31 October" is a film that must be seen more for what it tells us rather than how it says it, about a shameful chapter from Indian history.

At the end we see the now-old Sikh couple, trapped in a web of frustration and rage, still waiting for justice.

--IANS

skj/nv/vm

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For all the 22 years of his young life, Ajith (name changed to protect identity) has had to hide his sexual preference for male partners. The management graduate, who works at a hotel in Chennai, comes from Kambam, a small Tamil Nadu village.

Ajith's parents and younger sister are aware of his sexual orientation but he fears the abuse, attacks and ridicule he would have to face in Kambam as an openly gay man. But in Chennai, where he is less secretive about his orientation, he said, he feels much safer thanks to the support of the community organisations (COs) for men with alternate sexual identities.

A recent survey conducted across five Indian states by Swasti Health Resource Centre for 12 such COs has proved him right: Gay men who seek peer support were far safer than those living with their parents, most often without outing themselves. The aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the profiles and needs of those who approach the COs for help.

More than half of all men who face physical violence (52.4 per cent), sexual abuse (55 per cent) and emotional torture (46.5 per cent) were still living with their parents and mostly in the closet, according to the survey. The attackers, it turned out, are most often strangers, clients (in the case of male sex workers) and goons.

The likely reason for this is that it is tougher for men living with their families to seek peer support from other homosexuals. In contrast, the study found that those living with long/short-term partners or peers face very little violence.

The study, conducted between April and October 2015, covered Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. It found that of the 8,549 respondents, 14 per cent have faced some kind of emotional violence, 8.9 per cent sexual violence and 9 per cent physical violence.

Of those interviewed, 1,762 reported facing 2,795 incidents of violence -- an average of about 1.6 attacks per person. Most of the violence is perpetrated by clients on male sex workers (39.4 per cent), followed by strangers (24 per cent) and goons (17.5 per cent).

In many families, there is severe pressure on gay men to marry. The survey found that 8.9 per cent of respondents were married and 42.5 per cent were separated.

There are an estimated 3.1 million men who prefer sex with men in India, according to the United Nations Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS Report. HIV prevalence among this group in the country is 14.5 per cent, according to a 2011 working paper by the Global Commission on Law and HIV.

Criminalisation of homosexuality makes it tougher for homosexual men to seek medical help for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). "Repressive legal contexts and pervasive social stigma can limit access for these men to appropriate services for STIs and HIV, including prevention, treatment and can even be life-threatening," the global commission's working paper said. After being decriminalised by the Delhi High Court in 2009, homosexuality was re-criminalised in India by the Supreme Court in 2013.

On October 5, 2016, the Union cabinet ratified the 2014 HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The long-awaited bill seeks to prohibit discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS. But, as human rights lawyer Deya Bhattacharya wrote in Firstpost: "The bill does not elucidate on the legal dissonance between its provisions of non-discrimination and other acts and case-law that discriminate against sex-workers, homosexuals and transgenders."

For men engaged in sex work, especially those with a high client load, the study found that the danger of violence is multiplied.

However, low income from sex work results in even higher prevalence of STI symptoms. Similarly, men with lower weekly client load (four or less) reported higher STI prevalence (8.3 per cent) than those who dealt with more clients (4.3 per cent). This could be because the lesser the men earn in total -- from all work, including sex work -- the less likely they are to undergo testing for STIs/HIV.

Men who face violence are most likely (41.3 per cent) to not report if it is physical, less likely (39.8 per cent) if it is sexual and least likely (32.4 per cent) if it is emotional. Ajith said that in Chennai, it is easier to seek police protection against violence through COs than as an individual.

"We can reach out to the network when violence occurs. If I am standing at a bus stop and if cops come to inquire, we can call our CO for help," he said.

The study showed that COs provide a strong support system for respondents engaged in sex work and other professions. A total of 6,482 men or 75 per cent are registered with COs. Most cases reported to COs relate to emotional violence (51 per cent).

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Sumit Chaturvedi is an Independent Media Consultant with Swasti Health Resource Centre, Bengaluru, and a blogger at OpinionTandoor.in. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)

--IANS/IndiaSpend

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The Indian telecom regulator on Friday slapped heavy penalties on three telecom players -- Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular -- for not providing sufficient points of interconnections (PoI) to Reliance Jio.

It also said the action of the three operators showed "ulterior motive to stifle competition".

In three similar letters to the three players, the watchdog -- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) -- said it has recommended a penal action of Rs 50 crore per licence service area (LSA) (except Jammu & Kashmir) where PoI congestion exceeded the allowable limit of 0.5 per cent as reported by Airtel/Vodafone/Idea Cellular through emails in September 23.

In the case of Airtel and Vodafone, the fines imposed were for 21 LSAs, amounting to Rs 1050 crore each while in the case of Idea, the fine was Rs 950 crore for 19 LSAs.

The regulator had received a letter from Reliance Jio on July 14, stating that the incumbent players were not providing it with sufficient E1s (interconnect points, with technical parameters).

After exchanging several communications with the three operators, the TRAI arrived at the decision that each of them has been non-compliant to provide anough PoI between them and Reliance Jio.

The regulator also stated that the incumbent operators were in "non-complaince of the terms and conditions of licence and denial of interconnection to Reliance Jio appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer."

It defined the act of the incumbent players as against public interest.

It said non-compliance of terms and conditions of licence warrants recommendations for the revocation of licence.

"However, the Authority is mindful of the fact that revocation of the licence will entail significant consumer inconvenience and therefore in view of the larger public interest involved, the Authority recommends penal action..."

--IANS

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Bollywood actors Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor on Friday expressed their keenness to return to Meghalaya, which is also known as abode of clouds, to shoot more films.

"I have fallen in love with Meghalaya courtesy Rock On 2... The natural beauty here is very rare. Every person on the crew felt sad when it was time to go back from here," Akhtar told journalists at Ri Kynjai resort before serenading the crowd at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender at Bhoirymbong in Ri-Bhoi district.

Shraddha Kapoor, who was also at the press conference, said: "Shillong is one of the places where it is difficult for me to go back home."

"I have been here four times from the time the film was shot. This is my favourite place, and it's very hard to say goodbye to Shillong. People are lovely and we all feel at home. It is a dream to be part of Rock On 2," she said.

The "Rock On 2", which will be released on November 11, was shot in several locations in eastern part of Meghalaya.

Meghalaya has a lot of potential with beautiful spots and the hospitality. We enjoyed the hospitality during the shooting of the film, they said.

"People here are lovely, and have inherent love for music. We also fell in love with the place as we start the journey of the film. As Shillong has many rock bands that also performed in different cities, we felt it incomplete if no band from here is involved in the movie," Akhtar said.

When asked if he plans to shoot more films in Meghalaya, Akhtar said "every film calls for its location setting, and its own backdrop. I do hope more movies come and shoot here and have the creative experience that we had and enjoy this amazing place".

On the controversy not to allow Pakistani artistes feature in Indian films, Akhtar said when things were "good", nobody was complaining about working with each other.

"It's not only films, there are lot of export and import, and lot of exchanges that happen. It's a way beyond that film industry can imagine.

"It affects a lot of things and we need to weigh the pros and cons of the issue. Personally, I believed there is certain distinction to be made between artistes and others," Akhtar added.

--IANS

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Rome, Oct 21 (IANS/AKI) Italy's anti-mafia directorate on Friday impounded assets worth 10 million euros from alleged Sicilian mafia member and businessman Giuseppe Montalbano.

The expropriation of the assets followed a probe by anti-mafia investigators in Trapani that uncovered "suspect money flows" involving Montalbano's cement-making firm Tre Noci, investigators asid.

Montalbano, 47, from the town of Alcamo in the province of Trapani has done jail-time for abetting several mafia fugitives and for extortion.

The Sicilian mafia was Italy's most powerful organised crime syndicate in the 1980s and 1990s, but has seen its power diminish after years of probes and mass arrests.

--IANS/AKI

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As many as 600,000 firearms have made their way into Australia illegally, according to an official report on Friday.

Chief executive of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Chris Dawson said the country was in the midst of a surge in the number of illegal guns circulating Australia streets, and blamed outlaw bike gangs and organised crime groups for the rise in the numbers, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is a common feature when police are searching 'bikies' or Middle Eastern crime groups that weapons are found," Dawson said.

ACIC's 2016 report on guns suggested there were around a quarter of a million illegal firearms on Australian streets, but Dawson said that was a conservative estimate and under UN calculation, the figure was more likely to be upwards of 600,000.

ACIC said there was a need for further consultation and cooperation between the state governments to close a number of loopholes which make it easy for criminals to steal, de-register and import deactivated handguns.

It also suggested lawmakers impose an amnesty program so that grey and black market guns can be handed over to authorities.

"Grey market firearms are targeted by criminals because they are difficult for law enforcement to trace to the last known legal owner," the report said.

"A national program encouraging the registration and/or surrender of unregistered firearms could significantly reduce the number of firearms available to the illicit market."

The report comes amidst heated discussion in Parliament regarding the controversial ban on a rapid-fire Adler shotgun, while earlier this year, Australia's second largest city Melbourne was labelled the crime capital of the country.

--IANS

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Bangladesh police on Friday said they have identified dead militant Abdur Rahman as chief of the banned New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the outfit responsible for the July 1 Dhaka cafe terror attack.

The anti-crime and anti- unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Benazir Ahmed said at a press briefing that Rahman, who allegedly jumped to his death from a five-story building during an October 8 raid in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, was the ameer of the New JMB terror group, and went by the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif.

The RAB said his real name was Sarowar Jahan, son of Abdul Mannan and Saleha Khatun, who are residents of Thumribhuja in Bholahat upazila of Chapainawabganj.

RAB said Abdur Rahman was found involved in activities of the banned JMB from 1998.

The RAB earlier claimed they recovered a passport and a driving licence from his flat on October 8. His name was mentioned as Abdur Rahman in the document.

Rahman died in RAB custody at Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital hours after he sustained injuries after falling from a building during an RAB raid in Ashulia, Savar, on October 8 evening, Prothom Alo reported.

Meanwhile, the RAB said they found evidence pointing to the involvement of New JMB in the killing of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Gulshan last year, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Benazir said documents recovered at Rahman's den in Ashulia suggest that the group may have been involved in the murder, however, they are still investigating the matter.

Cesare Tavella, an aid worker and veterinary surgeon, was shot dead at Gulshan in September last year. He had been living alone in Dhaka and worked on food security issues for a Dutch aid organisation.

--IANS

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US Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday warned that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's refusal to commit himself to accepting the result of the November 8 elections, if he is defeated, is a "threat" to the country's democratic process.

"No democratic process can be sustained without a sense of trust. He's questioning not the legitimacy of our elections, (but) the legitimacy of our democracy," EFE news quoted Biden as saying in New Hampshire, where he is campaigning for Trump's Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Trump's failure to commit himself to accepting the election result is "a big problem", besides being a "threat to our democratic process", emphasised Biden on a visit to one of Clinton's campaign offices.

Biden said that the response of the public to Trump's challenge should be to ensure an "exceptional turnout" at the polls in November.

Almost at the same time Biden was speaking, Trump said at a Delaware, Ohio, campaign rally that he will accept the results of the elections "if I win".

The mogul remarked that he would accept a "clear" election result, but "would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result. And always, I will follow and abide by all of the rules and traditions of all of the many candidates who have come before me. Always".

During the third and last presidential debate with Clinton on Wednesday evening in Las Vegas, the real estate magnate refused to promise to accept the election result if she wins.

"I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense," Trump told debate moderator Chris Wallace.

The businessman-turned-politician has frequently claimed that there may be voter fraud in the upcoming balloting, and he has complained about what he calls an electoral system that is "rigged" in Clinton's favour, EFE news reported.

That response contradicts what Trump said in the first televised debate with Clinton in late September, when he unequivocally committed himself to support the former Secretary of State if she wins the election.

--IANS

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Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan is "deeply shocked and saddened" about the "deceptive" and "unauthorised" use of his image to promote an Indian pan masala brand.

Brosnan, best known for his stint as the British spy James Bond in the popular film franchise, featured in the ad holding a tin of the pan masala Pan Bahar.

In a statement to people.com, Brosnan said that he has the "greatest love and affection for India and its people".

"As a man who has spent decades championing women's healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar's unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products," he said.

"I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one's health," he added.

Brosnan said that his contract detailed that he was to advertise a "breath freshener or tooth whitener", which wouldn't include an ingredient that can cause cancer.

He agreed to advertise a single product only, and that it was presented as "all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient".

"Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting women's healthcare and research programs that improve human health and alleviate suffering," the statement further read.

The actor has demanded the company to remove his image from all their products, and assured that he had no knowledge that he was endorsing items that would have a negative or painful reaction in India.

He added that Pan Bahar "grossly manipulated" media outlets to falsely present him as a brand ambassador for their entire line of products, something he writes is "in violation of my contract".

"I shall endeavor to rectify this matter. In the meantime, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to all whom I have offended," he said.

After the release of the advertisement earlier this month, Brosnan was criticised by many over various social media platforms for being a part of the pan masala brand.

--IANS

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China is sincere in its aim to improve ties with the Vatican and is making considerable efforts in this regard, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks while responding to a question at a daily news briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.

Representatives from the Vatican and China are expected to meet in Rome before the end of the month in an effort to finalise a deal on the ordination of bishops in the country.

Hua said China and the Vatican have effective channels for dialogue.

"We are willing to make joint efforts with the Vatican to meet each other half way and keep improving bilateral ties with constructive dialogue," she said.

--IANS

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Ridiculing Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the potential breach of debit cards security, the Congress on Friday demanded full disclosure of the extent of the breach and compensation to the affected card holders.

Over three million debit cards issued by various public and private banks are said to have been exposed to a potential risk of data breach.

"This government has a habit of saying that it is the first in doing anything. Well, it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," Congress spokesman Ajoy Kumar told the media here.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. While these lists were being stolen, the nation's 'chowkidar' (watchman) Modi was sleeping," he said.

Besides demanding full disclosure of the data theft, Kumar said the central government must compensate card-holders who have suffered loss due to the security breach.

"We demand that the Modi government makes a full disclosure on the extent of this theft. They must inform all those affected."

"The common man, whose hard-earned money has been taken out of their accounts, should get back their money. The government must ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their losses," said Kumar.

He said hackers in China, Russia, Indonesia and the US were behind the security breach.
A Mexican court has denied drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's appeals against extradition to the United States, the Mexican Prosecutor-General's office said on Thursday.

A district court in Mexico City had rejected five stays of proceedings filed by Guzman's defence team and refused to block the extradition of the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Xinhua news agency quoted the office as saying in a statement.

After the decision was made to extradite Guzman earlier this year, the five stays were filed in May and originally approved by a judge.

One of the judges overseeing the case, Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias, was murdered near Mexico City on Tuesday.

However, the decision by this court does not mean Guzman's extradition is certain as his defence team has announced it will appeal.

Following the announcement on Thursday, Guzman's lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said that "the final word, as we have always said...will be" with the Supreme Court.

The drug lord is currently being held in a federal prison in Ciudad Juarez, in the northern state of Chihuahua, while two district courts in California and Texas are demanding to try him for drug-related crimes.

Last week, the Mexican government said it hoped to extradite Guzman in early 2017.

Mexican army and naval operatives arrested the drug trafficker on January 8 in the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, six months after he made a dramatic escape from the Altiplano maximum security prison in the central State of Mexico.

--IANS

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The CBI on Friday registered a case against a UK-based NRI arms dealer, two foreign firms and some unknown Defence Ministry officials regarding alleged kickbacks in the purchase of three Embraer aircraft in a $210 million deal in 2008.

The FIR was registered against arms dealer Vipin Khanna, two private firms based in Brazil and Singapore, and some unknown Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials regarding the procurement of EMB-145 aircraft from Brazilian Embraer company, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Devpreet Singh told IANS.

They were booked under charges of criminal conspiracy and Prevention of Corruption Act.

The officer said the CBI also conducted searches at certain premises of Khanna and others in Delhi on Thursday and recovered some incriminating documents.

Khanna, 87, is reportedly accused of receiving nearly $6 million from Embraer, the world's third largest aircraft-maker, to broker the deal. It is alleged the payoffs were routed through Austria and Switzerland.

The CBI sources said the UK-based NRI's name also figured in another defence deal probed by the agency. Khanna was probed by the CBI in connection with the oil-for-food scam in 2006, wherein his son Aditya Khanna was named the main beneficiary.

In its initial enquiry, the CBI found that the DRDO officials moved a proposal for purchase of the three aircraft from Embraer on a single vendor basis as a result of mediation by Khanna, and the firm secured the contract for supplying the aircraft.

The CBI official said that a purchase agreement was allegedly signed between Embraer and DRDO on July 3, 2008 for supply of three modified Embraer Aircraft EMB-145 for $210 million.

The deal was signed to build indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems for the Indian Air Force.

"In lieu of facilitating the agreement or deal between Embraer and DRDO, the firm paid an amount of $5.76 million to Khanna through a Singapore based company during 2009," the official said.

The amount of $5.76 million was used by a private person to influence the officials of DRDO for the contract to supply the Embraer aircraft, the official said.

Leading Brazilian newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' had also reported that Embraer allegedly paid commissions to Khanna to finalise the deal with India.

The CBI on September 16 registered a Preliminary Enquiry in the case on a reference from the Defence Ministry over accusations that Embraer employed an agent to facilitate various contracts for AEW&C project with DRDO for procurement of three fully modified EMB-145 aircraft.

The agency converted the Preliminary Enquiry into a First Information Report (FIR) after it collected enough evidence to show illegalities in the Embraer aircraft deal, the sources said.

The first aircraft was delivered in 2011 and the remaining two in 2013.

--IANS

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Rome, Oct 21 (IANS/AKI) Police on Friday arrested a Sicilian priest who performed exorcisms and a soldier, both accused of sexually abusing women and children.

Salvatore Anello, 59, was arrested at a Capuchin monastery in Palermo while 52-year-old army colonel Salvatore Muratore was held at his barracks in the Sicilian capital and suspended from duty.

Both suspects are alleged to have sexually assaulted several women and young girls during 'exorcism' rites, according to police.

Anello "insistently" groped the genitalia of several women and girls who sought his help because they believed they were possessed, investigators said.

The youngest of Anello's victims was only 12 years old, according to investigators.

Muratore is also accused of molesting several women and girls during supposed exorcisms, allegedly telling them: "The devil is speaking and he is invoking the demon of lust."

The arrests followed an investigation begun after two of Muratore's child victims and one of their mothers reported him to police.

The probe led police to Anello and investigators are trying to identify other possible suspects in the case.

--IANS/AKI

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An Indian-American researcher and his team have created life-size 3D hand models, complete with all five fingerprints using a high-resolution 3D printer that can produce the same ridges and valleys as a real finger.

Like any optical device, fingerprint and hand scanners need to be calibrated, but currently there is no standard method for doing so.

"This is the first time a whole hand 3D target has been created to calibrate fingerprint scanners," said Distinguished Professor Anil Jain from Michigan State University (MSU).

"As a byproduct of this research, we realised a fake 3D hand, essentially a spoof, with someone's fingerprints, could potentially allow a crook to steal the person's identity to break into a vault, contaminate a crime scene or enter the country illegally," Jain cautioned.

Jain and his biometrics team were studying how to test and calibrate fingerprint scanners commonly used across the globe at police departments, airport immigration counters, banks and even amusement parks.

To test the scanners, they created life-size 3D hand models complete with all five fingerprints.

"Another application of this technology will be to evaluate the spoof-resistance of commercial fingerprint scanners. We have highlighted a security loophole and the limitations of existing fingerprint scanning technology, now it's up to the scanner manufacturers to design a scanner that is spoof-resistant," Jain noted in a university statement.

The study aims to design and develop standard models and procedures for consistent and reliable evaluation of fingerprint readers and is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

"We are very pleased with this research and how it is showing the uncertainties in the process and what it can mean for the accuracy of the readers," said Nicholas Paulter, Group Leader for the Security Technologies Group at NIST and a co-author of the study.

The FBI, CIA, military and manufacturers will all be interested in this project, he added.

Along with Jain and Paulter, the study was co-authored by Sunpreet Arora, MSU doctoral student.

--IANS

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The opposition and tribal leaders in Jharkhand on Friday accused Chief Minister Raghubar Das of raising the issue of conversion to weaken the ongoing agitation against proposed amendments to two land acts.

Das, heading a Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance in the state, had claimed that those "involved in conversions" of tribals were inciting the protest against the state's bid to amend the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNTA) and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (SPTA).

Das's frequent statement had not gone down well among the Christian community and leaders protesting the land amendments.

On Thursday again, Das, participating in an official programme in Dumka, raised the issue drawing flak from several parties and organisations.

"The Chief Minister is threatening the minority community in the state. Instead of finding a solution, he is trying to divert attention by raising the conversion issue," Adivasi Sangharsh Morcha (ASM) convenor Karma Oraon told IANS.

Das is deliberately trying to divide the society. "But his move will not work and the protests will continue," Oraon said.

"Raghubar Das is the CM and such statements do not suit his position. His conversion statement is sending a wrong message among the people," Adivasi Buddhijivi Manch President Prem Chandra Murmu told IANS.

Das was making such a statement to create a communal divide and to dilute the agitation against the amendments, Murmu said.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief and Lok Sabha member Sibu Soren also attacked Das for threatening the minority community and trying to make land acquisition easy in the state.

"If Raghubar Das cannot stand hearing names of Adivasi and Moolvasi then he should go back to his parent state Chhattisgarh," Soren said, adding that the Das government had failed at every step.

Echoing the view, former central Minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay told IANS: "Jharkhand's image has been dented nationally after two police firings in the state during the ongoing land acquisition protest."

Das is trying to give land to the Adani Group at throwaway prices in the Santhal Parganas by violating the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, Sahay said.

"Where in Jharkhand is conversion taking place," Sahay wondered adding that the minorities in the state were feeling threatened following the amendment move.

"BJP is playing the communal card as in the past and I don't think such a card will weaken the protest," Sahay said.

In June, the Jharkhand government sought to promulgate the two ordinances which Governor Draupadi Murmu sent to President Pranab Mukherjee for approval.

The desired amendments could facilitate acquisition of agricultural lands for non-agricultural purposes like building roads and setting up power projects.

The opposition parties, besides BJP alliance-partner AJSU (All Jharkhand Students Union) and tribal organisations have been protesting the move since.

--IANS

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National-level Kabbadi player Rohit Chillar was arrested from Mumbai on Friday, three days after his wife Lalita committed suicide, Delhi Police said.

His father Vijay Singh, 51, a co-accused in the dowry death case, on Friday surrendered at the Nangloi police station here. Chillar's mother Sunita is still on the run, police said.

Chillar was arrested from Colaba in Mumbai where he works with the Indian Navy.

"We arrested Chillar from Mumbai. He will be presented in a court there for transit remand to bring him back to Delhi for interrogation. Lalita's suicide note and audio clips prove that she was facing harassment," Joint Commissioner of Police Deependra Pathak said.

A Delhi Police team went to Mumbai on Thursday and arrested Chillar from his staff quarters on Friday morning.

A notice was served on Chillar's family on Thursday evening to join the police investigation but they absconded after locking their house.

Lalita, 27, was found hanging by a sash by her father Karan Singh on Monday evening in Delhi. She was staying alone while her in-laws stayed in Kanjhawala in Delhi.

Her marriage to Chillar in March last year was her second.

She left a two-hour audio message and a suicide note in which she wrote: "I am not strong enough to survive this, I have decided to quit."

A case of dowry death was registered against Chillar and his parents on a complaint of Karan Singh.

--IANS

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will visit Punjab for three days from Sunday to release the AAP's Trade and Industry Manifesto ahead of next year's assembly elections.

Kejriwal will go to Ludhiana, Bhatinda, Jalandhar and Batala among other places during the trip, an Aam Aadmi Party spokesman said here.

The 21-point manifesto to be released will concern the interests of traders, realtors, industry and the transport sector, the spokesman said.

It will be the third such AAP document after the Youth Manifesto and the Farmers Manifesto.

The AAP has emerged as a key player in Punjab, which goes to the polls early next year.

"The Trade and Industry Manifesto has been stitched together after extensive discussions with people and industry concerned," the spokesman said.

--IANS

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Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday called for regulating trade on the international border in northeast India.

He said absence of legal trade led to illegal activities across the borders, which has a dangerous fallout for India as a whole.

Sangma was addressing a two-day international seminar on 'Border Trade in North East India: A Politico-Economic Perspective' organised by Women's College here.

Referring to pre-Independence days when trade flourished in the remotest and most difficult border areas, the Chief Minister regretted that no advantage had been derived from border trade after 1947 and that the northeast borders have became areas of conflict and poverty.

Sangma said the opening of two border 'haats' in 2012 -- one at Kalaichar in South West Garo Hills and Balat in East Khasi Hills -- was meant to promote the age-old trade relations with Bangladesh. These not only brought economic benefit but also promoted people-to-people contacts across the borders.

"Given the success of these border markets, Meghalaya has submitted a proposal for setting up 22 more border 'haats', of which four have been sanctioned," he said.

Earlier, Indian Institute of Management-Shillong's Board of Governors Chairman Falguni Rajkumar termed South-East Asia as a divided family broken down by state and stressed the need to restore the dynamics of exchanges across the borders.

--IANS

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At a time when governments the world over are struggling to tackle cyber attacks and data breach, technology giant Microsoft India on Friday launched a full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement Centre (CSEC) in India.

After a successful year-long pilot - - the centre is India's first and Microsoft's seventh Cybersecurity Centre globally -- opened at a juncture when over three million debit cards of various banks are believed to be 'tainted' following a suspected security breach in the country.

"We believe security of critical information is imperative for our corporate customers, just as it is vital to ensure security and privacy of citizen data and transactions. Our first investment towards this was setting up our local data centres in India and the Cybersecurity Engagement Center is the second," Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India, told reporters here.

While answering a question regarding the existing cyber laws in India, Pramanik told IANS: "The Indian cyberlaws are stringent and there is a need to educate corporates about Microsoft's three-pronged approach of comprehensive platform, unique intelligence and partnerships".

Microsoft's strategy is to provide protection across all end-points -- from sensors to the data centre, detection of attack using targeted signals, behavioural monitoring and machine learning - and eventually closing the gap between discovery and action taken to neutralise the attack.

According to the leading software security group Kaspersky Lab, India is among the top five countries in the world to be attacked by ransomware -- malware that forces its victims to pay a ransom through certain online payment methods to regain their data.

In the last 12 months, Microsoft's cybersecurity management team met with over 100 organisations in the country to understand what plagued them.

"The team observed three common IT issues plaguing them that include unmanaged and unregulated IT assets usage, procurement and maintenance, poor knowledge of cyber hygiene among users withing organisations and inability of companies to timely monitor, detect and remove cyber threats," the company said.

The CSEC will bring together Microsoft and its partners to identify and respond to cyber threats in the country.

"As governments and enterprise embrace digital transformation and strive for resilience, a holistic and agile security platform is ever more critical. This is where Microsoft's unique threat intelligence innovations and trusted cloud ecosystem offer them powerful protection against security threats," added Madhu Khatri, Associate General Counsel of Microsoft India.

In addition to enabling and empowering enterprises to manage modern security threats effectively, the CSEC aims to expand Microsoft's public-private partnerships in India.

The centre will also enable customers tap into a pool of resources such as security specialists and technologies at Microsoft.

As part of Microsoft Consultancy Services (MCS), a dedicated India-based response team will offer security consultancy services to enterprise customers.

Microsoft has also rolled out Microsoft Secure, a nationwide campaign to increase awareness on cybersecurity to help organisations understand their security requirements better.

--IANS

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BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Biloxi Planning Commission has delayed a hearing on the rezoning of land around the Margaritaville Resort.

The Sun Herald reports five minutes before the planning commission meeting Thursday, a decision was reached between attorneys for the city and the Secretary of State's Office to slow down the rezoning process.

The planners meet again on Nov. 3.

The planning commission voted unanimously at the end of the meeting to recommend approval of a zoning change for land north of U.S. 90, which Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann does not oppose. Margaritaville wants to build an extended-stay hotel on that parcel.

Hosemann has said rezoning the property next to the old waterfront casino and leasing it for only $2 per square-foot would result in the Coast losing $25 million.
Riding on the success of Cloud, Office and Surface tablets, Microsoft reported revenue of $20.5 billion and net income of $4.7 billion in the first quarter of its 2017 fiscal earnings - a news that took its shares to an all-time high on Thursday.

While Office commercial products and cloud services revenue grew 5 per cent, Office consumer products and cloud services revenue grew 8 per cent. Office 365 consumer subscribers has now increased to 24 million.

Dynamics products and cloud services revenue grew 11 per cent driven by Dynamics online revenue growth while revenue in Intelligent Cloud grew 8 per cent to $6.4 billion.

Microsoft Azure Cloud revenue grew 116 per cent, with Azure compute usage more than doubling year-over-year, the company said in a statement.

"We are helping to lead a profound digital transformation for customers, infusing intelligence across all of our platforms and experiences. We continue to innovate, grow engagement, and build our total addressable market," said Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella.

The news led Microsoft shares jump nearly 6 per cent, adding over $26 billion to its market value.

Surface notebooks (Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book) revenue recorded $926 million in the quarter - up 38 per cent from the $672 million 2015.

Server products and cloud services revenue increased 11 per cent while Enterprise Services revenue increased one per cent.

"Our first quarter results showed continued demand for our Cloud-based services," added Microsoft's executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood.

"We continue to invest, position ourselves for long-term growth, and execute well across our businesses," Hood added.

Windows revenue was flat year-over-year, slightly ahead of the PC market, while Windows commercial products and cloud services revenue also remained flat year-over-year.

Phone revenue declined a massive 72 per cent. Since Microsoft has given up on smartphone hardware, this has not come as a surprise.

Gaming revenue went down by 5 per cent, driven by lower Xbox console revenue.

"Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs grew 9 per cent driven by increased revenue per search and search volume," Microsoft said.

Microsoft recently acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion and now plans to incorporate this enterprising social networking platform into the productivity and business segments of its earnings results, media reports said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Read the tale of a single parent's quest for love, and understanding; the story of a girl who is confused about giving her ex another chance. Wade through a powerful love story of heartbreak, strength and unconditional love; enjoy the journey of a detective in his new venture; and celebrate the benefits that messiness has in our lives.

The IANS bookshelf, this weekend, offers plenty of romance and other interesting reads.

1. Book: Happily Never after; Author: Jane De Suza; Publisher: HarperCollins; Pages: 272; Price: Rs 299

Tina Raja's average day involves a houseful of kids, animals, fleas, leaking pipes and sundry relatives. Is this the marriage she signed up for? And anyway, with an absentee husband, can she be certain she's still married?

Loneliness and bad plumbing aside, her 10-year-old daughter is writing a super-secret diary of her own and her sister is being a dolt as usual. There just might be one silver lining, though: A kissable dentist. Can an often invisible lover trump an always absent husband?

This book is the laugh-out-loud chronicle of Tina's quest for love, lust and understanding.

2. Book: Did I Mention I Miss You?; Author: Estelle Maskame; Publisher: HarperCollins; Pages: 373; Price: Rs 399

It's been a year since Eden last spoke to Tyler. After his sudden departure, she left for Chicago for college and found a new boyfriend, who hopefully won't run when things get tough -- like Tyler did. But as school breaks up for the summer, she heads back to Los Angeles. And she's not the only one with that idea.

Despite their break-up, Tyler is determined to rekindle what they once had. He has restarted his life and wants her in it. Eden is not sure about forgiving him. But when a tragedy draws them together, can Eden search her heart and decide if Tyler is worth the risk once and for all? Read "Did I Mention I Miss You?" to know the interesting tale.

3. Book: Two by Two; Author: Nicholas Sparks; Publisher: Sphere; Pages: 606; Price: Rs 399

Russell Green has it all: A stunning wife, a lovable six-year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expensive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, but underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence fault lines are beginning to appear and no one is more surprised than Russell when he finds that every aspect of a life he took for granted has turned upside down.

In a matter of months, Russell loses his job and his wife. Caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality and throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, he embarks on a journey that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

4. Book: Remember Death; Author: Ankush Saikia; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 423; Price: Rs 399

Detective Arjun Arora is to track down an air hostess who has allegedly killed a bar dancer and vanished with a large sum of money. The search for Agnes Pereira leads Arjun on a nationwide hunt. But when their paths finally cross, everything spirals out of control.

From being hunted by a hit man to uncovering a deadly secret, Arora's life becomes an endless nightmare. Haunted by his personal demons and his growing attraction for the beautiful, mysterious Pereira, Arora realises that sins from the past always cast their shadow over the present. But the closer he gets to the truth, the more terrifying the threat becomes to both of them.

5. Book: Messy; Author: Tim Harford; Publisher: Little, Brown; Pages: 327; Price: Rs 599

Many of us feel threatened by anything that is vague, unplanned, scattered around or hard to describe. We all benefit from tidy organisation but the forces of tidiness have marched too far. Corporate middle managers and government bureaucrats have long tended to insist that everything must have a label, a number and a logical place in a logical system. Now that they are armed with computers and serial numbers, there is little to hold this tidy-mindedness in check.

The trouble with tidiness is that, in excess, it becomes rigid, fragile and sterile. In Messy, Tim Harford reveals how qualities we value more than ever -- responsiveness, resilience and creativity -- simply cannot be disentangled from the messy soil that produces them.

--IANS

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Scientists have said NASA's Cassinis mission has allowed them to observe the pattern of seasonal changes on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in exquisite detail.

"Cassini's long mission and frequent visits to Titan have allowed us to observe the pattern of seasonal changes on Titan, in exquisite detail, for the first time," said Athena Coustenis, a member of Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer team at the Observatoire de Paris.

Winter is taking a grip on Titan's southern hemisphere, and a strong, whirling atmospheric circulation pattern -- a vortex -- has developed in the upper atmosphere over the south pole, the probe has revealed.

Cassini has observed that this vortex is enriched in trace gases -- gases that are otherwise quite rare in Titan's atmosphere. Cassini's observations show a reversal in the atmosphere above Titan's poles since the spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004, when similar features were seen in the northern hemisphere, the scientists said.

"We arrived at the northern mid-winter and have now had the opportunity to monitor Titan's atmospheric response through two full seasons," Coustenis noted.

Heat is circulated through Titan's atmosphere via a pole-to-pole cycle of warm gases upwelling at the summer pole and cold gases subsiding at the winter pole.

Cassini's observations have shown a large-scale reversal of this system, beginning immediately after the equinox in 2009.

Titan's hemispheres have responded in different ways to these seasonal changes.

The wintry effects have led to a temperature drop of 40 degrees Celsius in the southern polar stratosphere over the last four years.

This contrasts with a much more gradual warming in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures remained stable during the early spring, the scientists said.

The findings are being presented at the joint 48th meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences and 11th European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC), this week in Pasadena, California.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Patidar leader Hardik Patel has invited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to Gujarat to support the demand of reservation for Patidar community, JD-U Spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said on Friday.

"The party will soon decide about Hardik Patel's invitation to Nitish Kumar to visit Gujarat. Hardik also thanked Nitish Kumar for supporting the reservation movement," Tyagi said.

Hardik Patel, in his letter to Bihar Chief Minister, said that his community is locally known as Patidar , Maratha in Maharashtra, Gujjar in Rajasthan and Kapu Kamma Reddy in southern states.

"We firmly believe that the roots of social justice in the country would further consolidate under your (Nitish Kumar's) leadership. Your struggle against communalism is commendable," Hardik wrote.

To date, Nitish Kumar, who is also President of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), has been targeting and firing salvos against Modi by questioning his much-hyped Gujarat development model to '56-inch chest' phrases.

"Now, Nitish Kumar will challenge Modi in Gujarat, thanks to the invitation of Patidar leader Hardik Patel," another senior JD-U leader said.

Earlier this week, Nitish Kumar in his address at the JD-U National Council meeting at Rajgir in Nalanda said the country is passing through an agrarian crisis, as once prosperous and powerful agrarian castes, including Jat in Haryana, Pataidar in Gujarat and Maratha in Maharashtra, have been demanding reservation.

--IANS

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Pakistani and Indian border troops exchanged fire on Friday across the working boundary in Shakargarh sector in Punjab, the Pakistani military said.

No loss of life or property was reported, the Dawn quoted the Inter-Services Public Relations as saying.

The statement said that Punjab Rangers "befittingly" responded to the "unprovoked" firing by their Indian counterparts. The firing began at 9 a.m. and continued for half an hour, the report said.

--IANS

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The Pakistan Army on Friday fired at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district as the Indian army foiled an infiltration bid elsewhere in Poonch district of Jammu region.

"Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire on the LoC in Rajouri district by using automatics and small arms to target Indian positions. Firing by Pakistan troops started at 12.40 p.m. Our troops effectively retaliated," Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.

He said intermittent exchanges were still on in this sector till last reports came in.

An infiltration bid was foiled by vigilant Indian troops in a densely forested area on the LoC in Poonch sector on Friday, he added.

"On noticing some suspicious activity, alert troops challenged a group of two-three infiltrators who were attempting to sneak into the Indian side through the LoC.

"The group of terrorists opened fire, which was responded to in equal measure by the troops, forcing the group to flee back into the Pakistani side."

--IANS

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President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are arriving in Gujarat on Saturday and will be attending separate events.

Protocol department section officer M.R. Mallik on Friday said the after landing in Ahmedabad, the President's convoy would drive down to the state capital Gandhinagar for a night halt at Raj Bhawan.

The next day he will leave for Bharuch by helicopter and inaugurate the renovated Sevashram Hospital. Later, he will go to Ankleshwar to inaugurate the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Heart Institute.

Mukherjee will return to Gandhinagar and address the students and faculty of Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village and Samarpan College run by a trust of opposition leader Shankersinh Vaghela.

The President will also call on former Gujarat Chief Minister and former union external affairs minister Madhavsinh Solanki before returning to New Delhi on October 23.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive at the Vadodara airport on Saturday around 2.30 p.m. and inaugurate the newly built international terminal there.

He would later participate in a function of the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry where he would distribute aid kits to around 10,000 differently abled persons.

The Prime Minister will leave for Delhi the same day from Vadodara.

--IANS

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Provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), which do not distinguish between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, are hampering the process of recovering non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, by state-run banks, the government said on Friday.

"I can tell you in settling current lot of NPAs, it is this one problem alone which is also creating challenges before officials of various public sector banks," Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

"Today, a private sector bank has a liberty to settle its NPAs, and officers of public sectors banks are constrained by provisions of the 1988 PCA Act," Jaitley said in his address to the Accountants General Conference, organised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

"I think this distinction needs to be finally stated. The corrupt decision must be punishable, the erroneous decision can only give you a post facto analysis so that the system is wiser by that experience," he said.

The Finance Minister said the PCA's existing provisions give a lot of discretion to the investigating officer in deciding whether a gain accrued was fair or unfair.

"People transact with governments to earn money...so a gain in transaction is inevitable. Whether that gain is a fair gain or unfair gain, that distinction is to be determined, which puts a decision maker, particularly the civil servant, in a very difficult position in a large number of government departments," he said.

Declaring that the time had come for a liberalised regime that distinguishes between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, Jaitley said the banks will have to enforce their rights and take effective action to recover NPAs as it is constraining their capacity to lend.

"We are now coming to a stage where a lot of effective steps both in terms of policies and legislative has been framed and therefore banks will now have to enforce their rights in the larger interest of the economy, because if money keeps lying blocked in a particular section, then your capacity to lend to others is adversely affected," he said.

Gross NPA of public sector banks has surged from 5.43 per cent (Rs 2.67 lakh crore) in 2014-15 to 9.32 per cent (Rs 4.76 lakh crore) in 2015-16.

The Finance Minister also said that India has not been a tax compliant country and introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would make it one.

"We haven't been a tax-compliant society. Disincentivising use of cash, making tax rates conducive to compliance are all steps being taken," he said.

"We are testing deliberative democracy and maturity of Indian democracy in the GST Council," he added.

Following the third meeting of the GST Council here earlier this week, Jaitley, who chairs the body, announced that it had almost reached a consensus on compensating states for loss of revenue under the proposed GST regime, which will permit a decision on the new tax structure at the next meeting slated for November 3-4.

The government has set the target of implementing the pan-India GST from April 1, 2017.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Police has ordered the arrest of a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV)principal for not taking timely action in a Dalit student's thrashing in the school premises in August, police said on Friday.

"An arrest warrant against Muzaffarpur Kendriya Vidyalya's Principal, Ravi Ranjan, was issued on the basis of a probe report conducted by senior police officers," a police officer said.

He said that raids were being conducted to arrest Ranjan.

Ranjan was earlier suspended by the Kendriya Vidyalya Sangathan (KVS), while 14 other teachers of the school were transferred on Wednesday following a probe by a three-member team of the school.

After the report found involvement of the school authorities to suppress the incident, "Ravi Ranjan was suspended by KVS for not taking timely action on the victim's complaint," a KVS official said.

The shocking incident of thrashing had surfaced after a video went viral on social media.

The school authorities were forced to lodge a police complaint on October 13.

The victim's family had also lodged a police complaint on Monday naming the accused students, who had thrashed and humiliated their child in a classroom.

School authorities and teachers were also made co-accused in the family complaint, the police said.

A chargesheet was filed against two of the accused students on Thursday, who were arrested and sent to remand home.

The accused are brothers, who had reportedly threatened the victim of dire consequences if he defied their diktat.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, -- who was questioned by the NIA after the Pathankot air base attack in January -- has now been booked on the charge of sexual assault, police officials said here on Friday.

This followed an inquiry by a senior police officer into a complaint submitted by seven woman constables against the Superintendent of Police.

He has been booked under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code at the Gurdaspur City police station.

Punjab Police Additional Director General Gurpreet Deo held the inquiry on the joint complaint by the women constables working under him.

Earlier, Salwinder was booked in August on charges of rape of a woman and corruption by the Punjab Police.

Salwinder was in the news after he said he was abducted by Pakistani terrorists on January 1, a day before the terrorists attacked the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.

The Pakistani terrorists had reached the IAF base from the India-Pakistan border using his Sport Utility Vehicle and attacked the Pathankot base, 250 km from here, in a pre-dawn attack on January 2.

He was questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials over his claims of abduction but given a clean chit.

Salwinder also courted controversy after the Punjab DGP ordered an inquiry into bigamy accusations levelled against him by a woman based in Tanda town in Hoshiarpur district. The woman alleged he had secretly married her and they even have a teenage son.

--IANS

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PASCAGOULA, Mississippi - A woman found shot in her car in Mobile Tuesday had been an Ingalls Shipbuilding employee for about a year and a half, company officials said Friday.

Delauna Anderson, 24, was found in her vehicle around 5 a.m. Tuesday in near Broad Street and the Interstate 10 service road in Mobile, according to Mobile police.

Anderson was still alive when she was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, investigators said. She was taken to a Mobile area hospital, where she later died. Investigators believe she was shot while stopped at a stop sign.

Anderson was a single mother of a 5-year-old daughter who had been working at Ingalls since February 2015 when she entered the company's apprentice program as a structural welder.

"We were very saddened to hear of the senseless death of Delauna Anderson, a structural welder in our apprentice program," said Ingalls president Brian Cuccias in a statement. "We offer our most sincere condolences to her family."

Mobile Police Chief James Barber, noting Anderson was the city's 33rd homicide of 2016, took to Facebook to vent his frustration with the growing violence in the community.

"Here is a new name that I want all of us to talk about and repeat: Delauna Anderson," Barber wrote. "She was our victim today. She wasn't involved in any at risk behavior that we know of. She is a single mom of a five year old daughter that worked at Ingalls and was attending training classes to better herself, which is what she was going to this morning.

"She got up like all of us. When the alarm went off she got ready, got dressed, kissed her five year old good bye, got into her Jeep and began driving to her training class only to be shot and killed at a stop sign," Barber's post continued. "This victim could have been any one of us or our wives, daughters, mothers, or even one of us. It appears right now that whoever drove up to that stop sign at 4:15 am this morning would be the victim."

Barber's post also referenced 19-year-old Michael Moore, killed in a police-involved shooting in June. That reference touched off a storm of controversy. Barber later issued an apology for the reference, but repeated his concern over growing gun violence in Mobile.

Al.com contributed to this report.
British comedian Russell Brand is "very excited" about becoming a father.

The 41-year-old and his fiancee Laura Gallacher are getting ready to welcome their first child and he is "lit up by the idea" of becoming a father, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"I feel lit up by the idea. I'm very excited about becoming a dad and I'm preparing myself," Brand told ES magazine.

"I am just getting ready to be with a new little person and see what it is they want," he added.

The couple has not found out the sex of their baby and Brand has joked that he may "never find out".

He laughed: "I might never find out. I may never look".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft carrying three crew members has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) "Poisk" module two days after its launch, the Russian Mission Control Center said on Friday.

The three crew members -- two Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko and US astronaut Shane Kimbrough -- are expected to move to the space station in the next several hours, Sputnik news quoted the space centre as saying.

The spacecraft is scheduled to undock from ISS on October 30 with the previous crew Anatoly Ivanishin from Russia, US astronaut Kathleen Rubins and Takuya Onishi from Japan. Its landing on the earth is planned for the same day, the space centre added.

The new two-day flight plan aims at testing all systems of the new spacecraft, according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos.

The Soyuz MS is the latest and most advanced version in the Soyuz TMA family. It features modernised communications and navigation systems, and also has more efficient solar panels, which will significantly increase its energy performance, RT news reported.

Russia on Wednesday successfully launched the spacecraft from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of the spacecraft had been postponed in September due to technical problems.

The other remaining launches in 2016 include the Soyuz MS-03 manned spacecraft, which will be launched on November 16 and the Progress MS-04 space freighter launch on December 1.

--IANS

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Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Salahuddin has urged Pakistan to extend "military support" to help secede Jammu and from India.

"The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions. Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the mujahideen," the Dawn on Friday quoted him as saying.

"If the mujahideen get military support, not only will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change," the United Jihad Council (UJC) Chairman added.

He, however, declined to elaborate the kind of military support required by the militants in Jammu and Kashmir, where a separatist campaign raging since 1989 has left thousands dead.

India accuses Pakistan of providing arms, money, and training to the militants fighting to end Indian rule in Jammu and . Islamabad says it only gives political and diplomatic support to the rebels.

"When the world is paying no heed to us, the only option left with us is the armed struggle," added Salahuddin, who has been living in Pakistan for many years.

Originally a resident of Budgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, Salahuddin unsuccessfully contested assembly elections in the state in 1987 and later went over to Pakistan.

He heads the United Jihad Council, an umbrella organisation of separatist groups which enjoy the backing of Pakistan.
A Siberian tiger, roaming freely in a Russian city, was tranquilised on Friday after a driver on a busy road spotted the big cat and alerted the police.

The tiger was found at night, close to Shamora suburb, and has been removed and delivered to a rehabilitation centre at Alekseevka village, with hopes it would be released in the wild next spring, the Siberian Times reported.

A huge search had been underway in Vladivostok city for the tiger, involving police and hunting supervisors with machine guns. Parents were frightened to allow their children to go out, or attend school.

Fearful residents were told by an expert the hunt for the wild cat was like "a needle in a haystack", and it was likely that there were two or more tigers on the rampage.

The Siberian tiger is one of the rarest big cats, but rising species numbers in recent years, due to better wildlife protection spearheaded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was seeing them roam more widely, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

One social media posting read: "It is scary. We need to cancel all kindergarten, schools and not go to work. Declare a state of emergency. And let them catch the tiger."

Meanwhile, a female tiger was plaguing the village of Solontsovy, about 200 km from Vladivostok, said residents.

"It is impossible to go out at night because you can't be sure she is not waiting somewhere in the bushes," said a resident.

"We are afraid of taking children to school in the morning," the resident added.

The tiger has left prints in the snow. The village shops close early amid concerns the tiger was active at night.

Siberian tiger numbers had dwindled to an alarming level in the Soviet era due to over-hunting and poaching. The species have recovered significantly in recent years, and there were now at least 562 tigers in the country's Far East.

--IANS

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The night before Atal Bihari Vajpayee was to leave for Lahore on his historic bus ride in February 1999, his office was frantic. How to reach film star Dev Anand in the middle of the night? It seems that it had just occurred to the prime minister that his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif was a pucca Dev Anand fan. Anyway, another Dev Saab fan was roused to reach him and ask if he could reach in time to travel with Vajpayee on the bus, which he cheerfully did. Sure enough, his arrival became the highlight of that visit. The showman charmed politicians, elites, common Pakistani media, and took TV cameras to the exact spot in his college where he (supposedly) kissed a girl for the first time: in the conservative early-1940s, of course. Vajpayee, about the same vintage (a year younger, in fact), wasnt trivializing his visit. He was exercising Indias soft power.
As warnings go, it could not have been direr. Citing research based on his organisations data, the World Bank president told a questioner in Washington earlier this month that India stood to lose 69 per cent of its jobs on account of automation. The research paper was not cited, but Jim Yong Kim made the familiar argument that the traditional progression from improving productivity in agriculture to light manufacturing to full-scale industrialization may no longer be a feasible option for many countries, because technology would be disruptive of this process. Observers in India, like Nandan Nilekani, have already been warning of disruption in major employment-creating sectors like financial services, while the slowdown in headcount-based IT services is there for all to see. Todays omnipresent car drivers (numbering a few million) may also be threatened if driverless vehicles become the norm, while developments like 3D printing have to be reckoned with.
Two weeks after Congress President Rahul Gandhi concluded his month-long 'Kisan Yatra' across Uttar Pradesh (UP) to consolidate rural electorate ahead of the 2017 UP polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is taking the poll battle to his home turf of Amethi.
Congress Vice-President on Friday thanked Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the inauguration of the permanent campus of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology in his parliamentary constituency Amethi on Saturday and urged the BJP leader to help push similar other projects stalled by the NDA government.
In the latest addition to the ongoing power struggle within the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh, chief minister on Friday skipped an important meeting convened by his uncle and party's UP president Shivpal Singh Yadav.
Wild lion populations have declined by 60 percent across much of Africa over the last 20 years. There are now only around 20,000 lions remaining in the wild. Photo by Vanessa Mignon

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Starting today, the United States will not allow the import of captive-bred lion trophies from South Africa  the worlds leading lion trophy hunting nation by a long shot (600 of the 700 lion trophies that come into the United States each year are from South Africa). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe announced this policy today and it comes in the wake of the listing of the African lion as threatened and endangered across its range, which I announced last year (The HSUS and Humane Society International led that legal effort). This is the right kind of blow to this grotesque industry that is driven largely by the participation of American trophy hunters.

Canned lion trophy hunting is a disgraceful, tawdry replica of the already unethical practice of hunting wild lions for their heads. In fenced areas, trophy hunters corner lions or are led around by the nose by guides. They participate in a guaranteed kill, for bragging rights and to secure a higher position in the pantheon of their fraternity. There are an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 captive bred lions being held in canned lion hunting facilities in South Africa. In 2014, the most recent year for which international trade data are available, trophy hunters killed 999 captive bred lions in South Africa, with 664, or 66 percent, slain by Americans.

Todays announcement is the latest in a series of steps taken by the U.S. government over recent years to address the deteriorating conservation status of wild lion populations that have declined by 60 percent across much of Africa over the last 20 years. There are now only around 20,000 lions remaining in the wild.

In response to a legal petition filed in March 2011 by The HSUS, HSI, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Born Free, and other non-governmental organizations to list the African lion as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the United States listed lion populations in West, Central, and Northern Africa as endangered and the rest of the lion populations in Africa as threatened, in December 2015. When the listing became effective, on January 22nd this year, it meant that, for the first time, the United States must regulate the import of lion trophies into the country.

The U.S. has punted on a final decision about imports of wild lion hunting trophies from South Africa as well as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia, among other countries. We urge the Fish and Wildlife Service to shut the door on these trophy kills, too. We can take the lead from some African countries turning away from this ugly sport and choosing non-consumptive tourism, such as photographic safaris, as the future for their economic growth. Kenya prohibited trophy hunting in 1977 and Botswana prohibited trophy hunting in 2014, and both countries have seen growth in tourism as a result. These two nations should serve as an example for the rest of the region and the United States should look to them as the model management programs for lions. Its time to entirely end the era of international transport of lion trophies.
As the rifts widens in the first family of Uttar Pradesh with each passing day, Samajwadi Party seems to be either heading for a split or face the danger of campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections in early 2017 with depleted strength and low morale among party workers.
A vegetable vendor was killed and another injured today when their motorcycle was hit by a overspeeding DTC bus from behind in southwest Delhi.

Arjun (20) and Suresh (35) were returning after buying vegetables from the market when their motorcycle was hit by the bus near Brar Square in Delhi Cantonment area around 11.45 am today, a senior police officer said, adding that both of them were not wearing helmets.

The bus going from Mayapuri towards Lajpat Nagar hit their motorcycle from behind.

Both were rushed to the hospital but Arjun was declared brought dead while Suresh is currently undergoing treatment, he said.

"The accused bus driver Rajendra Singh (54) was apprehended from the spot of the incident," said DCP (Southwest) Surendra Kumar.

The deceased and the injured belong to Karghana Kotia village in Bareilly, UP and used to sell vegetables in Moti Nagar area.

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More than 280 persons have been arrested so far on charges of indulging in violence, damaging property and arson in and around the city after the murder of Hindu Munnani functionary C Sasikumar on September 23, police said.

He was hacked to death by a four-member gang.

A total of 18 persons were also detained under Goondas Act for their involvement in violence and arson during the funeral procession of Sasikumar on September 23, police said.

Meanwhile, SP, Ramya Bharathi recommended the detention of three youths-- Pradip Kumar, Karthik and Praveen Kumar--under Goondas Act, for their involvement in torching a police vehicle near Thudiyalur, where Sasikumar was staying, on Septermber 23.

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Two students of the Jaffna University were today gunned down by police in Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated Northern Province, prompting authorities to arrest five police officials.

The two students were shot dead at a police checkpoint at Kokuvil, Kulappidy junction in Jaffna in the early hours.

Though police initially denied shooting the students, a post-mortem report, however, found bullets in one of the bodies.

The five arrested policemen were manning the check point. They have been arrested, police officials said.

Tamil National Alliance has sought an independent investigation into the incident.

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Two Tamil students were today gunned down by police in Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated former war-zone Northern Province's Jaffna city, prompting authorities to arrest and suspend five policemen.

The two students of the Jaffna University were shot dead early morning at a police checkpoint at Kokuvil, Kulappidy junction in Jaffna, nearly 400 kilometres north of Colombo.

Though police initially denied shooting the Tamil students saying they had died in an accident, a post-mortem report, however, found bullets lodged in one of the bodies.

The five arrested policemen were manning the check point. They have been arrested and suspended, police officials said.

Tamil National Alliance has sought an independent investigation into the incident.

The incident comes a day after a UN rights expert asked exhorted the Lankan government to return military-occupied land and reduce the role of the army in northern areas, a long-pending demand of the ethnic Tamils since the end of the nearly three-decade-long separatist war led by the LTTE in 2009 in which thousands of civilians were killed.

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At least 21 terrorists were killed today in army raids on militant hideouts in Egypt's North Sinai while a roadside bomb claimed the lives of two policemen in the restive governorate.

Military spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said 21 militants were killed while 24 hideouts and 40 motorcycles used by terrorists were also destroyed.

The army operations were part of a retaliation campaign launched to avenge last week's militant attack that killed 12 soldiers in North Sinai.

Earlier in the day, a statement by the Ministry of Interior said that a roadside bomb exploded in Al-Arish city of North Sinai killing two policemen and injuring a conscript.

Egypt has witnessed a series of terrorist attacks which have targeted policemen, judges and military personnel in different parts of the country.

Since the 2011 revolution that topped ex-president Hosni Mubarak, North Sinai, which is the base of a number of extremist groups, became the main stage of many violent attacks by militants.

The attacks increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following massive protests against his rule.

Over 700 security personnel have been reported 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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A total of 252 recruits took oath and became sepoys of the Madras Regiment Centre at an attestation parade at the MRC near here today.

Reviewing the attestation parade, Colonel of the Madras Regiment Rajeev Chopra lauded efforts of the Madras Regiment Centre at nearby Wellington in transforming raw civilians into combat warriors raring to take on the enemies on all fronts.

Speaking after reviewing the attestation parade, Chopra highlighted the tasks awaiting these gallant 'thambis' on reaching their respective battalions.

Chopra also inaugurated the 'Thambi Soldier park', dedicated to the fighting spirit of Madras Soldiers, which has now become a major tourist attraction in Wellington.

During his two-day stay, Chopra visited variaous training infrastructure at the Centre and stressed on the well-being of soldiers and their families.

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A 30-year-old BJP worker was



seriously injured when three persons attacked him here today, police said.

The activist, Vishnu, was riding his two-wheeler when he was attacked by the assailants, who came in a vehicle, at Idyanchira, they said, adding he has been admitted to a hospital here.

While police said the attackers have not yet been identified, BJP alleged that they were CPI(M) workers.

BJP had yesterday taken out three protest rallies in Thiruvanathapuram, alleging that workers of rival parties were "getting killed" under LDF rule in Kerala. It had urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take steps to end the bloodshed.

The rallies were taken out a day after the Chief Minister expressed readiness to call an all-party meeting to end violence in Kannur, which witnessed a series of political clashes between CPI(M), heading the ruling front, and BJP after the LDF government came to power four months ago.

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Over 3,000 business delegates including 150 CEOs from India and abroad would participate in the two-day Global Investors Meet here, starting tomorrow.

The participants will represent sectors such as agri-business, food processing, automobile, engineering, defence, IT, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, textile and tourism.

During the meet, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would woo both the domestic and global investors by informing them about the business-friendly policies and skilled labour force of the state.

"The event will showcase the strengths and industrial prowess of the state and provide a platform for interaction with the policy makers, bureaucrats, industry captains, investors, professionals and academia," the state government said in a statement.

"Madhya Pradesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the country. With our business-friendly policies and skilled labour force, we aspire to become the growth pillar of Make in India," it said quoting Chouhan.

The government is offering a slew of incentives, including providing land at lower rates, tax concessions, and rebate in power tariff.

The state has also created a single window secretariat for investment facilitation - Madhya Pradesh Trade and Investment Facilitation Corporation (MPTRIFAC) - that allows prospective investors to apply online for various approvals required to set up businesses in the state, it added.

Of the 3,000 delegates, about 500 are representing the five foreign partner countries of this meet - South Korea, the UAE, Japan, Singapore and the UK.

Apart from the meet, the state is organising a three-day business exhibition, featuring domestic and international participants.

Industry body CII, which is participating in the meet, said Madhya Pradesh has emerged as one of the fastest growing states in India and one of the leading states in ease of doing business.

"With a proactive government, excellent human talent and rich natural resources, Madhya Pradesh offers a wealth of investment opportunities across agribusiness, infrastructure, manufacturing and services," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.

Madhya Pradesh was among the list of top ten states in India providing a better climate for businesses, according to a report prepared by the World bank and the DIPP.

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Governor E S L Narasimhan today asserted that there were "no disputes" between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and all issues were being sorted out through negotiations.

After a 90-minute meeting with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here this afternoon, Narasimhan told reporters that "if there is any (contentious) issue, we will resolve it amicably through discussions".

"There are no disputes (between AP and Telangana). Only the media is seeking controversies. We are sorting out everything through discussions. Even in the case of Schedule 9 and 10 of the AP Reorganisation Act-2104, we are trying to address them through negotiations," the Governor, common for both the states, said.

On his part, the Chief Minister too said confrontation was good for none.

"We are ready to resolve all issues amicably. But there will be no compromise on the state's interests," Chandrababu said.

The Chief Minister said he discussed law and order, development and "all issues" with the Governor.

"Since I met him after some gap, we discussed all issues," he said.

Asked if he discussed about the possible expansion of the state Council of Ministers, Chandrababu said, "If there is anything, I will let you know first."



On Telangana government's request that buildings vacated by the AP government in the Secretariat at Hyderabad be handed over to it, the Chief Minister said they would discuss the issue and take a decision.

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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today described the Congress senior leader Amarinder Singh's promise of waiving farmers' debt if his party comes to power in the state, as an "election stunt".

He asked the Amritsar MP to explain why was he "mum on this issue when his party was in power both in the state and Centre".

Stating this on the sidelines of 'Sangat Darshan' programme in Pathankot assembly segment here, the Chief Minister said, "Captain (Amarinder) was just shedding crocodile tears on the issue just in false hope of regaining power in the state."



Badal said had Amarinder been serious on this issue, he might have got it resolved during UPA-I, when he was the head of the state.

He alleged that the former chief minister neither has "vision nor the will power" to get this issue resolved but was just raising it to "mislead" people.

He said the PPCC chief was heading the same party which was solely responsible for the "plight" of farmers in the state.

The Chief Minister said that the SAD-BJP coalition government "believed in actions" whereas both the Congress and AAP were trying to "mislead the people through hollow and false slogans".

Rejecting the pre-poll surveys, he said that these surveys don't have any "credibility".

Badal said none of such survey predicted SAD-BJP alliance government before 2012 polls but the people of the state gave verdict in favour of the alliance.

On allegations of state AAP leadership regarding sale of tickets by SAD, the Chief Minister said it was a case of "pot calling kettle black".

He alleged, "Every single person of the state knows that AAP has sold tickets to aspirants due to which widespread resentment is prevailing in its cadres".

Addressing the gatherings in village Naushera Naal Banda and Foolda, the Chief Minister asserted that under the "dynamic and visionary" leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NDA-government would "serve the country for minimum 25 years".

Reminding people about the "notorious" past of Congress, Badal said the party has "irrelevantly meddled" in the social, political, economic and religious affairs of the state.

Badal said that Congress party was the "perpetrator of a deep rooted conspiracy" to deprive the state of its waters by constructing the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, which was aimed at "ruining" the state by snatching its only available natural resources.

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Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh today raised the issue of problems faced by farmers on procurement in the state with Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Alleging a nexus between the Akali government and inspectors in state mandis, he complained to Paswan that as a result of this "collusion", the farmers' paddy was not being picked up from mandis.

"The farmers were thus being forced into a situation where, out of sheer desperation, they would have to sell their paddy at lower rates, helping the Akali middlemen make money out of the criminal nexus," he told Paswan.

In the telephonic conversation, the food minister assured Amarinder that he would look into the matter on priority and take required action.

The PPCC chief told Paswan that he had personally visited several mandis, where he had checked the paddy quality and found the moisture content within the permissible range. "Yet, procurement inspectors were rejecting the same paddy citing excess moisture," he pointed out, adding, "this clearly showed a strong and unholy nexus involving the Akalis."



During his 3-day roadshow, as part of his Kisan Yatra, Amarinder had earlier this week visited several mandis in Bhagapurana, Kotkapura, Faridkot, Bathinda, Doda, Muktsar, Guru Har Sahai and Ferozepur.

Farmers in all the mandis had come out in large numbers to share their woes with the Punjab Congress president, who assured them of taking up the matter with the Centre.

"Many farmers complained that they had been camping at the mandis for more than a week, waiting for their paddy to be picked up. But the inspectors were deliberately delaying the whole process," said Amarinder.

He has already promised the farmers of the state to waive their debts once he comes to power. Launching his kisan yatra, he had given his personal guarantee to farmers that their debt would be waived.

The Congress leaders and workers across the state are currently engaged in the loan waiver campaign. Punjab is slated to go to polls early next year.

"Spoke to Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan today regarding problems in procurement being faced by farmers of Punjab. Have been assured of a swift and suitable action," Amarinder later said.

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The CID has arrested the fifth person in connection with the theft and alleged arson at the Jessop factory in Dum Dum where a fire broke out on Monday.

Gautam Mondal, a resident of Kaizar Street under Maniktala police station, was arrested late last night, a senior CID officer said.

"Mondal is one of the receivers of the stolen property of Jessop. His name surfaced after questioning the four accused we had arrested earlier in connection with the case," he added.

A Special Investigating Team (SIT) was yesterday formed by the CID to probe the theft at the factory.

A fire broke out in the painting department of the vacant factory premises on Monday evening, the third such incident in two weeks.

Former workers of the factory alleged that the fire was part of a "conspiracy by a third party" following which, the West Bengal government ordered a CID probe into the mishaps.

Incidentally, the state has also registered a complaint on Jessop owner Pawan Ruia at Dum Dum police station.

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Armed men have attacked an overcrowded dinghy carrying migrants off Libya, leaving at least four dead and up to 25 missing, the German NGO Sea-Watch said today.

The group said the Italian coastguard had sent a Seawatch rescue ship and a diverted oil tanker to help a dinghy in distress in international waters, 14 nautical miles off Libya, early today.

As the operation was unfolding, assailants arrived aboard a vessel with Libyan coastguard insignia and tried to steal the dinghy's motor, a spokesman for Sea-Watch said.

The men, who spoke only Arabic, beat some of the migrants with clubs, causing panic which caused most of them to fall into the sea, the spokesman said.

Sea-Watch said it had rescued 120 out of the estimated 150 people onboard.

Its team recovered four bodies but saw other corpses in the water that could not be retrieved. They estimate that between 15 and 25 are missing, the group said.

The Italian coastguard confirmed that the rescue vessel SeaWatch2 rescued 120 people before dawn today, but gave no further details.

According to the UN, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday.

The Italian interior ministry said on Tuesday that more than 145,000 migrants had landed in Italy so far this year, a figure similar to that of the previous two years.

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Former cabinet minister and senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar today said that the Centre has given its nod for laying of a broad-gauge rail line from Pathankot to Leh which will act as a "strategic defence link."



Speaking to the media at Dharamshala on Friday, the BJP MP from Kangra constituency said that this new rail link will touch Dharamshala and its adjoining Army bases and a survey for this upcoming project has already begun.

"This rail line shall be laid down by the Indian Army according to their requirements, and can be used by the civilians," the former Himachal Pradesh CM said.

Kumar said that this project is a "necessity" to counter China as it has already created a big rail-road network around India's borders.

Kumar said that the century old Pathankot- Joginder Nagar narrow-gauge rail line "will not be disturbed" in order to construct the new rail link.

He said unlike previous governments in New Delhi, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is taking efforts to strengthen India's borders.

Another rail link project from Bhanupali (Nangal) to Leh via Mandi has also been cleared by the Centre.

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A decorated US soldier from Illinois and an Army civilian employee from Oklahoma who both had been deployed multiple times to support military operations in Afghanistan were killed in an attack this week in Kabul, the Defense Department said.

Army Sgt. Douglas J Riney, 26, of Fairview, Illinois, and Michael G. Sauro, 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma, died of wounds received when they encountered hostile enemy forces in Afghanistan's capital, the military announced yesterday.

"Mike was the type of person who no matter what you asked of him, he was always willing to lend a helping hand to everybody," said Deborah Schreiner, chief of HAZMAT Training at the Defense Ammunition Center, Oklahoma, where Sauro was assigned. "He was such a joy to work with and always so upbeat."



The Defense Department initially said in a statement that the men died yesterday, but later confirmed the deaths were Wednesday.

NATO and an Afghan official said a man wearing an Afghan army uniform had killed a US service member and an American civilian Wednesday in Kabul.

NATO said another US service member and two US civilians were wounded in the attack.

Riney entered active-duty service in July 2012 as a petroleum supply specialist, the military said. He had been assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, since December 2012.

Riney earlier was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from July 2014 to February 2015 and deployed in June of this year in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.

Riney's remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware today morning.

Sauro was assigned to the Defense Ammunition Center, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester, Oklahoma, the Defense Department said.

He traveled to Afghanistan last month for his third deployment and was scheduled to return to the US in March.

He previously deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February to May 2009 and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from October 2012 to January 2013.

The two US civilians injured also were from the Defense Ammunition Center.

Richard "Rick" Alford was in stable condition and Rodney Henderson suffered minor injuries, the center said, adding that they will both return to the US.

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A hotel electrician here was today sentenced to two years in prison for attempting to molest a foreign tourist last month.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dushyant Dutt also imposed a cash penalty of Rs 15000 on Chhotelal Jat.

In its order, which came in just 41 days of the incident, the court termed the incident pernicious to the Indian tradition of 'Athithi Devobhava' stating that the tourist was a guest to this country and the act of the employee tantamount to the creating a blot on the rich hospitality of India and also damaging the hospitality industry.

Refusing to provide any benefit of probation to the accused, the court said if he was given any relief, it would amount to infusion of a sense of fear and disturbance among women and it would also deal a blow to the culture of the land, which respects women.

The electrician of the hotel had attempted to molest the Spanish tourist on September 6 night in her room, where he had gone to fix some electrical fault.

The tourist had complained to the police next day with the help of the hotel manager after which Jat was arrested.

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In a shocking incident, a Bangladeshi national was found locked in a container that reached the port here after 12 days, police said today.

Md R Hussain (26), a resident of Vikrampur village in Munshiganj district of Bangladesh, said he had come to Chittagong from Dhaka some days ago. On seeing an open empty container, he went inside it and slept, One Town police station Inspector K Venkat Rao said.

The container, which was booked by Visakhapatnam-based Samsara Shipping Company, the local agents for Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, was locked in Bangladesh. It was then loaded onto a ship with the man sleeping inside and dispatched to Visakhapatnam.

When the container was opened here after sailing for 12 days, the man, who claimed to be a destitute, was found inside it in a semi-conscious state.

Hussain was found in a badly dehydrated state as he did not have food or water for many days. He was admitted to a local hospital for treatment to which he is responding well, Rao said.

"It is a miracle that he survived. We shall question him after he recovers. We have taken him into our custody," the Inspector said.

He will be sent back to Bangladesh after completion of certain procedures, the police official added.

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At the time West Bengal was struggling hard as an investor-friendly destination, state-based logistics solution startup, TYGR app was set to roar in the matured markets like US, European countries besides India and aimed to become a game changer in the industry.

"In the international markets, we are in talks with Mayors of Montreal and Toronto in US and European Logistics Association to launch the app in a few EU countries shortly. Talks are also been held to launch our app in UK cities of London and Cardiff," TYGR app co-founder& MD Dipanjan Purkayastha told PTI.

"In the domestic market, we have divided India into 33 regions each containing 10 sub-regions or clusters. We have begun to appoint franchisees in a tieup with Franchise India," he said.

Bouyant to get classified as a top five product start-ups by IT industry body Nasscom, co-founder and CEO Aditya Poddar said, "We are a product company, we will empower the vehicles to transform to get business online with complete control on their cashflow for a small fee or a meagre share of their revenue.

The app to automate all vehicles in the logistics verticle like cabs, delivery service, trucks, buses, ambulances and other speciality vehicles on a single platform, he added.

In India alone the roadway logistics is a USD 150 billion industry - of which USD 30 billion is from last mile connectivity.

The FB statup company claimed that in the last four months they were using Kolkata as trial with 500 bikes and 2000 cabs including yellow taxis.

"In Kolkata, we aim to 'appify' 5000 vehicles (including cargo trucks) while across the country 10,00,000 vehicls were under the app," Poddar said.

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Ron Dai, PHD

New Jersey

Abstract

Human cultural activities are rich and varied, and they could all be broadly classified into the categories of art, philosophy, science, theology, literature, and mathematics, or combinations of some of these categories. These basic categories not only have different logical roots of their own, but also correspond to different characteristics of human thinking. This article discusses how we could better understand the differences and connections between basic constituents of human cultural activities, by taking into consideration of factors of language, use of data, the way of thinking. The severe negative consequence of ignorance of relationships between the fundamental cultural constituents for our civilization is also discussed.

Keywords: art, philosophy, science, theology, literature, mathematics, culture, logic, language

1. Introduction

In a broad sense, the so-called culture is referring to the general way of living in a society, which might be recorded and reflected in different forms of intellectual works. Human activities are the basis of any culture, and human activities can be roughly divided into physical activity and mental activity. Since physical activity is governed by the mind, even when discussing categories of physical activity people would focus on the different forms of their mental guidance, rather than the intensity of physical activity itself. For example, although swimming and ball activities are all physical activities, but what determines their different forms is the mental activity behind body movements: when in the water the human mind would guide the body to swim and when in a ball game the human mind would guide the body to make movements of playing the ball game. Therefore, when we analyze the basic classification of civilization, it is more meaningful for us to focus on the characteristics of the mental activity involved rather than the characteristics of physical activity.

Human culture could be abstracted as a network of infinite dimensions of concepts. Those dimensions are not completely independent but are intertwined with each other; correspondingly, the separation of cultural constituents is also relative. Different cultural constituents are logically coupled and mutually influenced in a very complicated way. Human beings grasp knowledge about the differences between those constituents naturally as each constituent was gradually formed through history. But during this naturally happened process, some misunderstandings about the relationships between those constituents also occurred due to the complicacy involved. Although it seems that we could easily identify different cultural constituents in everyday life by the contrast between the respective representative characteristics of each constituent, misunderstandings as a result of complicacy could cause social confusion about the relationships between those constituents. That confusion could severely impact the development of human civilization in a negative way, and this has not been aware by the world and its leaders.

Since language is the most fundamental element of all human social activities, lets start our discussion with the corresponding relationship between human mind and language.

2. Art and General Philosophy

The capacity to think is what differentiates human from any other species on earth. Language is not only the basic medium of human social activity, but also a basic tool of human thinking. Therefore, the different ways of using language would be reflected in the characteristics of different intellectual activities, and thus could be used as one basic criterion for classification of human cultural activities. In the first chapter of Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu pointed out: "Thus when it is not named, we would like to sense it through its effects; and when it is named, we could see its boundary." This sentence tells us[1] that human knowledge of an object is developed through a process from no name to named in such a way: For anything without a name, we could sense the existence of that thing by our sensation of its effects (i.e. light, heat, taste, or abstract social logic, etc. that we might sense from it); once anything is given a name, we would be able to better perceive it by its contours and details of its existence, as well as the limitations of our language description about the existence. This argument provided by Lao Tzu is obviously consistent with our life experience. In fact, in that sentence Lao Tzu identified two basic categories of human thinking: linguistic thinking and non-linguistic thinking. Based on these two basic categories of thinking we might further classify human culture into art and general philosophy.

We need to highlight three issues: First of all, the category of general philosophy as named above not only covers the discipline that we normally refer to by the word "philosophy" but also covers the disciplines of science, theology, literature, mathematics and other systems that require systematic use of language. The main difference between art and these disciplines is that although the creative process of an artist also involves many techniques that could be expressed by use of language, the creation of every single artistic work would involve some unspeakable artistic sense of the artist; and the artistic talent (including the artistic talent of language usage) special to each person mainly lies in the realm which cannot be reached by completely following the instructions by language. Thus we might characterize the constituent category of art as a social activity of non-linguistic thinking, in contrast to the grand category of other disciplines of linguistic thinking.

Secondly, the division of art and philosophy exists naturally just as the division between two basic categories of thinking pointed by Lao Tzu.

Thirdly, the classification of cultural activities discussed in this writing is based upon the main characteristic of each constituent, not by drawing sharp lines between different territories, which means that activities within each cultural constituent might be overlapped with activities in other cultural constituents. This is because human social activities are always full of complexities, and thus division between different constituents, whether it was formed naturally over history or defined artificially, could not be an absolutely exclusive division as between chemical elements, but rather a fuzzy separation with each other mutually infiltrated. For example, although an artistic creation process would frequently involve unspeakable senses, the existence of the art schools itself could tell that some characteristics of previously unspeakable senses could be captured by use of language gradually and then some previously pure artistic processes would be elevated to philosophically comprehended procedures; meanwhile artistic use of the text is also a valuable skill of philosophical writing.

The reason why we might make the classification of cultural activities by use of the main characteristic of each constituent could be better understood by analogy with human face sketch. A grand master might show the lifelike face of a person with a few strokes because he is able to catch the basic characteristics of a face. Similarly, the key for us to defining (or comprehend) a cultural constituent here is to seize its main characteristic in comparison with others.

Fourthly, although for a given cultural activity people could very naturally determine whether it belongs to the category of art or not (i.e. belongs to the category of philosophy as discussed above), the clear distinction between art and the general philosophy has never been easy over history. Very often we might hear professional artists or even professional philosophers are confused about what is the distinction between art and philosophy. This is because it was not realized that the essence of the difference between them is the use of language.

3. Philosophy and Science

One important reason why we could frame a multitude of disciplines, such as philosophy, science, literature, theology and mathematics into a grand category of general philosophy as named previously is because that traditionally those disciplines were either part of philosophy or considered closely related to philosophy. Within this general philosophy category, the division between science and philosophy is of a special importance not only because traditionally the natural boundary between these two ancient fields have been always vague but also because confusion about the relationship between them has become a cultural root of many serious social crises today.

Although the history for both philosophy and science could go back to thousands of years ago, the subject matters of many modern sciences were traditionally territories of philosophy. In fact, philosophy has nurtured the seeds of many sciences and then given them birth when they were ready to become independent. Besides, philosophy has also been providing directional guidance to the development of science since ancient time. On the other hand, philosophy has kept drawing fresh strength from scientific discoveries and making replenishment of its own repository of knowledge from metaphysical summaries of scientific achievements. That has been the common knowledge about the relationship between philosophy and science for centuries. However, what is missing in the above picture about the relationship between philosophy and science is a clear description about the logical line that could be used to clearly separate the territory of science and philosophy. This vagueness about the distinction between philosophy and science is one important reason (among many other reasons[2]) that led to the announcements of the death of philosophy by renowned figures in the communities of philosophy[3] and science[4].

While professionals are focusing on philosophy as a professional discipline when discussing whether philosophy is dead or not, when facing the threat from the rising sciences, our civilization is actually affected by philosophy in many different ways at different levels of life. No one would deny the value of philosophical thinking for this world including for scientific work even if philosophy would have been truly dead as a profession. Strictly speaking, even though the public might often view the profession of philosophy equivalent to philosophy itself, the significance of philosophy as a cultural constituent of our civilization is determined by the role and logical position of philosophical thinking and methods as well as relevant theories in the civilization.

In this article I would not focus on philosophy as profession, but would discuss the characteristic of philosophy as a cultural constituent in human civilization, within which the professional philosophy is a subset. In real life, people could naturally judge whether certain cultural activities belong to science or philosophy, just as with arts and general philosophy as I discussed earlier; nonetheless, there still has been great confusion about the relationship between philosophy and science. One of the most important causes of the confusion about the relationship between philosophy and science is the lack of clarity about the positions and roles of philosophy and science in civilization. This lack of knowledge has a long history, but becomes even more serious with the development of modern sciences.

Then how should we look at the difference and connection between science and philosophy? In fact, the development of modern technology and economic system provides us with a good perspective about the relationship between science and philosophy:

Science relies on data, whether calculated of a formula or results of numerical simulations, or production records, or obtained from laboratories, or collected from natural observations, or those of statistically significance (e.g. the results collected by poll questionnaires); in short, the establishment, verification, and application of scientific theories are all dependent on data. But philosophy only relies on purely logical speculation, not on data.

The logical speculation mentioned above is not just logical reasoning in a narrow sense, but a broader mental activity including logical reasoning, which might also be called philosophize. There are two points that need special notice. First, is logical speculation required in science? Of course yes. But if the content of a discipline does not involve any data or mathematical formulas other than logical speculation, then it becomes a field in philosophy rather than a science. Second, although the establishment and development of science and technology depends on data, scientific conclusions and knowledge are often expressed in qualitative form, which is the overlap of science and philosophy (a typical example is a variety of popular science literature at different levels of difficulty). In addition, in the social field, the meaning of the data mentioned here is not limited to computable values, but also involves other forms of data, such as strings, used in the IT industry.

The above criterion could be used very effectively to judge whether an article or a project or a specific professional field belongs to philosophical or scientific category. In fact, in ancient Greece philosophy was regarded as the source of wisdom (or love for wisdom) and science the system of reliable knowledge. In other words, according to ancient Greeks, the essence of philosophy is wisdom, while the essence of science has two basic aspects: knowledge and reliability. This should be the starting point for us to identify philosophy and science. It is not hard to see that the criteria for identifying science and philosophy as mentioned above, which is based on the dependence on data or pure logical speculation, are obviously in line with the basic characteristics between philosophy and science laid down by ancient Greeks. The reason why the ancients did not put forward the criteria mentioned here would be because the concept of "data" has never been so important and obvious as today. Philosophy should advance with the times, and this article is an effort to help philosophy to advance with the times.

It is also important to note that, although science has been considered as a vocation to provide reliable knowledge since ancient Greece, this does not mean that scientific knowledge is always reliable. For example, from time to time we might hear some reports from some medical or pharmaceutical experts that some theories that were considered correct a few years ago are wrong now. Therefore, the reliability (of science) itself is relative. Some people might insist that science as a whole is reliable based upon some scientific principles, such as repeatability and falsifiability. Such an assertion is itself relative as well because as to any repeatable and falsifiable instance you cannot guarantee that it will be reliable; otherwise there will not be the previously mentioned phenomenon that scientific conclusions are constantly updated.

Nonetheless, ideally speaking, it seems that we might just naturally use scientific methods when we need to and make philosophical speculations when we need to as well, and thus it seems that there is no base at all for having the criteria of distinguishing science from philosophy, or even no need to bother with the categorization of cultural constituents at all. However, the problem is that we do not live in an ideal world, but live in a real world. One of the most fundamental problems in real social life is the allocation of resources, and those who have the power to allocate resources normally do not understand or even do not intend to understand when to use science or when to use philosophy. They only need some formal authoritative statements about the meanings and values of science and philosophy, and then make their decisions to allocate resources in accordance with those statements. Therefore, if the main stream society is overwhelmed by the idea that philosophy is no longer useful, they would then reduce the resource allocation to philosophy. One of the simplest examples is that, because philosophy as a discipline has been repeated announced dead by academic authorities and declining, in many websites, including some namely academic websites, we could not find philosophy in their list of subjects. Although setting up such a subject type actually only involve very limited extra resources (it might just be that the programmer adds one more metadata to the database), but as a consequence of the societal derogatory attitude towards philosophy, people do not want to assign any resources, even in the smallest sense, to philosophy as an independent category in many places.

Therefore, if philosophy, as a logical category, still has an irreplaceable and extremely important position in the continuation of human civilization, then there should be a formal way to articulate the value of its existence so that those, who have the power to decide on the allocation of resources but do not personally understand the value of philosophy, would not arbitrarily cancel the allocation of resources to philosophy. However, in order to let the public to clear about the value of philosophy we need to clarify their confusion that science could replace philosophy with its big data and super power as many people have thought today. We need to show them the irreplaceable special role of philosophy in civilization, which is what behind the motivation of this writing.

But on the other hand, as we know that scientific work (especially the avant-garde theoretical work of physics) is full of logical speculation and philosophy itself often cites scientific conclusions. In fact, in any particular scientific research process no one could completely rule out philosophical speculations, just like no one could completely rule out philosophical thinking in everyday life; meanwhile, metaphysical enlightenment based upon scientific achievements are main sources for new philosophical advances, and scientific conclusions cited in philosophical writings actually have become philosophical knowledge. This intertwining situation between science and philosophy would make it apparently impossible to divide science and philosophy as I am trying to do in this writing.

For this we need to be clear about the difference between the cultural categorization at the level of the disciplines and the relationship of different types of thinking for any specific mental process. The criteria for categorizing cultural constituents proposed in this article are based upon the roles or logical positions of those constituents in human civilization. Therefore, when we come to judge whether a project belongs to philosophy or science, we would not attempt to strictly exclude philosophizing from a scientific project or exclude scientific knowledge from a philosophical project. Rather we should base our judgment upon whether the primary methodology of the project is data collection or purely logical speculation. Similarly, when we judge one specific discipline is a philosophical type discipline or a scientific type discipline, we should apply the same way of thinking. Generally speaking, a project could be a combination of scientific and philosophical ones, and some interdisciplinary disciplines could also include be a mix of philosophical and scientific practices.

Many people diminished the value of philosophy after science rises up for that philosophy does not have a clearly repeatable or falsifiable standard as science, and as a result we cannot distinguish between true wisdom and sophistry. However, as we have seen through this discussion so far that the fundamental value of philosophy is to provide wisdom, and correspondently the key to judge good and bad philosophy is the logical resonance (or intellectual resonance) between readers and writers, which require much higher intellectual standard than identifying the authenticity in science. This requirement of high standard is the main cause for the general lack of ability to judge good and bad philosophy without hard criteria as in science. But if the right of existence of philosophy as a discipline is denied simply for that the discernment of a good philosophy demands a higher level of mental capacity, it would be not only an absurd coward's thought, but also a violation of the basic human principle of pursuing truth. For thousands of years, human civilization has been moving forward as the result of struggle between truth and fallacy to move forward even though for discerning good and bad philosophy requires a high standard of ability. Unfortunately, over the past century or so many people in the mainstream of the world have been trying to use the so-called positivist way of thinking to deny the value of the existence of philosophy for its lack of hard criteria for judging good and bad theories. Consequently, human civilization as a whole has paid a huge sum of the cost for the stalling of the development of philosophy. Nonetheless, because science and philosophy are not two mutually exclusive disciplines but two complementary disciplines, not only science needs to use philosophical speculation and philosophy needs to use scientific conclusions, but also we could surely use science to verify the correctness of philosophical theories, which would make up to a large extent the general lack of high level of philosophical thinking ability.

Then the question is whether the lack of understanding of the characteristic distinction between science and philosophy as proposed in this paper would be harmful to human civilization? Yes, and also great. This is not alarmist, but a warning about a grim reality that the leaders of the world have not well recognized. It is typical around the world today that people often spend hundreds of millions of dollars to do some large-scale project using scientific methods, based upon the so-called big data calculation, but then end up with economic recession rather than prosperity. The cause behind this type of phenomena is the derogatory attitude towards the role of philosophy in social practices and over dependence on scientific means. People made this kind of high-level errors, which seem to be too simple from the results, because they failed to recognize that the dividing line between philosophy and science is the fact that philosophy relies on purely logical speculation and science depends on data.

Social practices without the guidance of advanced philosophical thinking, regardless of super capacity and high accuracy of data collection, might fail due to the error in their directions. The reason why advanced philosophical thinking is generally missing in nowadays social practices is because of the lack of people who are talented in this aspect. There are two main reasons for the lack of philosophically talented people in nowadays society: 1) dereliction of duty of professionals in the field of philosophy; 2) the bias in social selection and education as a result of the neglect of the importance of philosophy at the societal level.

4. Theology and Philosophy

While theists and atheists disagree with each other in their beliefs throughout the world, even atheists would not deny the fact that religious beliefs have a profound and significant impact on human civilization. The theoretical system corresponding to religious belief is called theology.

According to Bertrand Russell[5], philosophy is something intermediate between theology and science. When discussing the division of philosophy and science earlier, I mentioned that philosophy depends on logical speculation. The logical speculation here is not the logical reasoning in a narrow sense, but the so-called philosophize. The main difference between the logical speculation and the logical reasoning in a narrow sense is that metaphysical thinking in the logical speculation as named here is normally informative and initiative, not just limited to logic derivation based on the information contained within the original knowledge. And philosophers, in their enlightening or ground-breaking metaphysical thinking, often rely on some sparks of wisdom coming to their mind in a mental status that is generally called inspiration.

The fundamental difference between theology and the other disciplines is that the basis of theology is neither general logic nor data analysis, but supernatural revelation. In general, there are two levels of revelations: one is the general doctrine level and one is the everyday personal life level. We might see that philosophy is close to theology in sense that inspirations in the creative work of philosophers are often very spontaneous and not follow any strict logical line of human reasoning, which share some mental similarity with the form of personal revelations when they come to human mind. Actually for those philosophers who do receive personal level revelations during everyday life, they might feel that the inspirations for their philosophical work and the revelations for their faith life could often be united as the same.

Besides, although theology is primarily based on revelation, theological discourse often employs a large amount of logical reasoning. In connection with our previous discussion of the relationship between philosophy and science, we can see that Russell's claim that philosophy is a domain between theology and science is reasonable.

5. Literature and Philosophy

A typical example of the close relationship between literature and philosophy is that the Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to a number of philosophers, including Bertrand Russell mentioned above, for their philosophical contribution to humanity. Very often, people could enjoy profound or inspiring philosophy of life from the literature books they read, and good writers often get their reputation for the philosophical insight provided in their works. Besides, one of the basic commonalities between literature and philosophy is that both are using language as their professional tool, and thus the creative and refining work on the use of words by literary writers would also provide a better tool for the creation of philosophical theories by philosophers.

However, the difference between literature and philosophy as disciplines is also obvious: literature focuses on the use of words without regard to the rigor of logic, literature allows fiction, and philosophy focuses on logical speculation.

6. Mathematics and Science and Philosophy

Mathematics is most closely related to science because mathematics is a fundamental tool for the data-dependent science. However, the boundary between mathematics and science is also evident: mathematics deals with relationships that are numerically meaningful or can be expressed in numerical meaningful ways, whereas science needs to provide explanations of the natural and social phenomena of real world.

Mathematics is also often associated with philosophy, not only because, like any other discipline, mathematics itself is the object of philosophical research, but also because, like philosophy, mathematics is highly dependent on logical thinking. However, the boundary between mathematics and philosophy is simple and clear: mathematics is only concerned with numerically meaningful relationship, while philosophy cares about the relations between all being(s).

7. Non-Science/Quasi-Science and philosophy

From the previous discussion we have learned that among science and philosophy, since ancient times, the value of science is providing the society with a reliable knowledge system while the value of philosophy is providing people with wisdom to explore and understand the relational logic of being(s); however, human beings do not always acquire knowledge through the so-called reliable ways or by very wise speculations. A large amount of human knowledge has been the good sediment out of unreliable erroneous information relayed from person to person in everyday life after all the fake part were eliminated; also a large amount of human knowledge has been obtained through some approaches that are conditionally reliable only under very specific circumstances but cannot be simply promoted to generally reliable accesses to truth. Even the reliability of science is relative, which can be seen from the fact that old scientific conclusions continue to be replaced by new scientific conclusions. Besides, social practices that would normally be considered as scientific might also involve something that definitely doesnt belong to authentic scientific activity. For example, scientists often acquire important insights from informal interpersonal conversations which help them to make significant progress in their scientific research, but those conversations obviously cannot be categorized as strict science. Therefore, while a clearer definition of an idealized discipline such as science or philosophy can help us to allocate social resources more effectively so as to facilitate the use of scientific or philosophical methods to help people acquire truth or solve problems, we should not naively exclude practices that do not fall into ideal categories of science and philosophy completely from feasible options for people to access knowledge and solve problems.

What we should do is not denying the diversity of human civilization, rather, is to emphasize that scientific methods could help people to improve the reliability of the acquired knowledge and philosophical knowledge and training could help people to better understand and the logic and various existences in life more intelligently. We need to tell people that the violation of scientific principles in life could often lead to bad or even catastrophic consequences, rather than denying the diversity of ways and means by which human beings could acquire knowledge and solve problems. Neither should we attempt to expand the boundary of science unlimitedly nor should we even attempt to apply scientific methods to treat all aspects of human civilization. We should never attempt to make the so-called scientific transformation of philosophy and literature.

In real life, when people are lack of scientific means and the capacity of high level philosophical thinking, some simple practical ways could be feasible options. Since many of that kind of practices cannot be called scientific for they do not meet formal scientific standards (i.e. repeatability and falsifiability, etc.) and thus we might classify them as non-science. For the non-scientific class, even though we also are aware that they might not be very reliable without further logical scrutiny or some scientific examination, we should not rule out their validity under certain circumstances. The reliability of various non-scientific activities will increase when the proportion of scientific methods and strict logical thinking involved increases; so we might call those non-scientific activities with relative high reliability as quasi-science.

It is important to emphasize that, while non-scientific activities should not be excluded from valid options of human access to knowledge and effective solutions to problems, false philosophy, as opposed to truly effective philosophy, should be rejected as a highly undesirable way of thinking for life or academic activity. Here the so-called false philosophy refers to the use of futile word games or the wrong logic of thinking. All human activities are carried out under the guidance or influence of people's mental activities, and therefore systematically expressed seemingly reasonable but invalid word games or the wrong logic would lead to failure or disaster, and thus must be rejected. So even when acquiring knowledge or solving problems through non-scientific activities we should use wisdom and follow right logic, that is, even non-scientific activities need correct philosophical thinking.

8. Closing words

Human cultural activities are rich and varied, but they could all be broadly classified into the categories of art, philosophy, science, theology, literature, and mathematics, or combinations of some of these categories. Although as we have mentioned above, a large part of everyday activity might not fall into any of the basic constituents mentioned above but could be call non-scientific or quasi-scientific, if we focus on the effective ingredients in these activities, we could still roughly classify many of them as scientific or philosophical. For example, politics and economics are often classified as philosophical and scientific. People might tend to view them as branches of philosophy for their logical complexity and the consequent reliance on a high level of speculation; but on the other hand, they might also be naturally classified as science for their dependence upon the reliability of data to a great extent.

Philosophy is special in all cultural constituents discussed in this writing since all other constituents are objects of philosophical research, and for this reason the discourse in this writing is laid out around the relationships between philosophy and other individual constituents..
Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of "provoking and supporting communal riots", the West Bengal unit of the BJP today met Governor KN Tripathi and urged him to intervene and "restore the rule of law" in the state.

"We have told the Governor how the TMC has helped rioters wreak havoc on Hindus at various parts of the state. In most of the cases, the police administration has acted in a partial manner and its personnel have been mute spectators," senior BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar said.

"There is a rapid rise of fundamentalism and anti-national forces in the state. All this is happening because the state government has decided to turn a blind eye to the situation for the sake of vote-bank politics," Majumdar said.

His remarks were in reference to clashes during the recently-concluded Durga Puja festival and Muharram which the state government today described as "stray incidents" occasioned by "personal rivalry".

The government also claimed that "quick action" was taken in all these incidents.

The BJP team also apprised the Governor of the attack on Union minister Babul Supriyo two days back in Asansol when he was on his way to a police station to stage a protest against the arrest of some BJP workers.

The BJP today observed 'Kala Diwas' (black day) in the state to protest against the attack on Supriyo and alleged police brutalities on BJP supporters yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NCP today claimed that an accomplice of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was part of BJP's campaign for general and Assembly elections.

"He (Riyaz Bhati) was actively involved with BJP during recent Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls. He is also a member of BJP working committee," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told reporters at a press conference.

Malik claimed that Bhati had charges of land grabbing and extortion pending against him.

"After our expose, BJP is saying that they will slap a case against us. We accept their challenge and are ready to fight legal battle," he said referring to release of photographs purportedly showing Bhati with some BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others, by NCP yesterday.

BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari had yesterday threatened to file a defamation suit against Malik, saying BJP has nothing to do with Bhati.

Malik said he wanted to know on whose direction Bhati was provided security by police.

"We have been asking a question since yesterday as to on whose direction police security has been provided to the gangster (Bhati) since December 2014?"



"He was roaming the entire world with a fake passport under the name of Fulji Bhati. He was arrested at Sahar airport (Mumbai airport) on the basis of a red-corner notice, following an IB alert that Fulji Bhati is actually Riaz Bhati," Malik claimed.

The NCP leader said Bhati got bail within 15 days of his arrest.

"Why sections of MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act) were not slapped on him (Bhati). Why no chargesheet has been filed even after 365 days. So, at some level he has political blessings of BJP government," Malik said, adding that they will file a writ petition if Bhati is not booked under MCOCA.

Malik yesterday alleged that ruling BJP had admitted people with criminal background into its fold including Bhati, and sought clarification from Fadnavis, who heads Home portfolio.

He had claimed that Bhati was arrested by the ATS last year, but was admitted to the BJP and made executive committee member of the Mumbai BJP.

Replying to NCP's allegations, the BJP spokesperson Bhandari yesterday said: "Mumbai unit of BJP has not announced its executive committee, so there is no question of Bhati being a member. Bhati was voter in the MCA election and has been included in a special MCA committee.

(Reopens BES 25)



Meanwhile, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar today submitted an application to the police demanding an enquiry against Bhati.

Deputy Commissioner of Police and police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe said the crime branch will conduct an enquiry.

Bhati is a member of Mumbai Cricket Association and runs a sports academy in the city.
In a statement that could increase the trouble for the Sum Hospital authorities further, Director General of Fire Service in Odisha, Binay Kumar Behera today said the fire department was informed about the leaping flames 45 minutes after the incident.

"We were informed about the fire incident about 45 minutes after fire was detected in the dialysis ward of the hospital. Had they called the fire department immediately, the casualty would have been much less," Behera told reporters.

Seeking a special legislation to control fire in medical facilities and high-rise buildings, Behera said his department is not empowered to enforce the laws governing the fire safety measures in high-rise buildings, including hospitals and hotels.

Behera met top officials of the fire department from across the state in the wake of the Monday's fire tragedy at the private hospital in Bhubaneswar, which so far has claimed 23 lives.

The official said fire safety certificate is mandatory for all government and private hospitals.

"But due to lack of coordination between the authorities we still do not have a list of how many hospitals in the state are functioning without mandatory fire safety certificate," he added.

Behera said his department had repeatedly informed the appropriate agencies about the violators.

"We can only complain but cannot file an FIR until a cognisable offence is made," Behera said, adding his department had filed an FIR in connection with the erring Bhubaneswar hospital.

He said his office has recently received more than 270 applications for issuance of no-objection certificate (NoC).

"But we had to refer back at least 244 of those applications for inefficient fire safety measures," Behera informed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A roadside bombing killed two Egyptian policemen today in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic State group jihadists are waging a fierce insurgency, the interior ministry said.

The bomb targeted a truck distributing water to police checkpoints on a highway leading to El-Arish, the capital of north Sinai, the ministry said in a statement.

The explosion also wounded a police conscript, it added.

Jihadists have killed hundreds of soldiers and police since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

They pledged allegiance to IS more than a year later, and their attacks have persisted despite a sweeping military campaign in the peninsula which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The jihadists have also targeted foreigners, claiming the bombing in 2015 of a Russian airliner carrying tourists home from a Sinai resort. All 224 people on board were killed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government bonds (G-Sec) prices had a mixed trade on alternate bouts of buying and selling.

Interbank call money rates ended higher following rising demand from borrowing banks amid tight liquidity in the banking system.

The 7.59 per cent government security maturing in 2026 slipped to Rs 104.9850 from yesterday's level of Rs 104.9950, while its yield held stable to 6.85 per cent.

The 7.88 per cent government security maturing in 2030 dipped to Rs 107.41 as compared to Rs 107.45, while its yield inched up to 7.02 per cent from 7.01 per cent.

However, the 7.61 per cent government security maturing in 2030 rose to Rs 105.5650 from previous level of Rs 105.51, while its yield stood at 6.97 per cent.

The 6.97 per cent government security maturing in 2026 gained to Rs 101.4900 from yesterday's level of Rs 101.4825, while, its yield ruled steady to 6.76 per cent.

The 7.68 per cent government security maturing in 2023 moved up to Rs 104.7150 from previous level of Rs 104.69, while its yield softened to 6.83 per cent from 6.84 per cent.

The overnight call money rates finished higher to 6.35 per cent from Thursday's closing level of 6.20 per cent. It moved in a range of 6.38 per cent and 6.20 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), purchased securities worth Rs 162.87 billion in a 30-bids at the 3-days repo auction at a fixed rate of 6.25 per cent as on today, while it sold securities worth Rs 24.42 billion from 18-bids at the overnight reverse repo auction at a fixed rate of 5.75 per cent as on October 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With an aim to test the innovative skills and technical knowledge of fledgling companies, Kochi based Maker Village will team up with Bosch to host "Bosch DNA Grand Challenge" for electronics startup companies here.

Young entrepreneurs will take up challenges intended to encourage innovations in electronics product design and development at an event to be held tomorrow at National Institute of Technology (NIT), here, as part of their annual cultural fiesta "Tatva", which is underway now.

Prof Lyla Das of NIT-Calicut will deliver the key-note address on the "Role of Incubators" in the event which will have brainstorming sessions on "Regional development on the growth of technology based small enterprises' and vision of electronic startups", a release said.

Maker Village, One of India's largest incubators focusing on electronic products, is a state-of-the-art public-private partnership model incubator in partnership with the Government of India, Kerala Government, KSUM, IIITM-K and Bosch.

The Bosch Group, a global giant and innovator active in 150 countries, is a leading supplier of technology and services in the areas of Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology, it said.

Each winning team will be offered a cash prize of Rs one lakh and incubation at Maker Village for 12 months.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Campaigns calling for boycott of Chinese products have impacted sales of those items by up to 40 per cent here with many people preferring to buy India-made products only during their festive shopping.

In the wake of escalating tension between India and Pakistan after the Uri attack, activists have been running campaigns on roads and on social media platform to boycott products from 'Pakistan's friend' China.

A trade body has ascertained that there has been a 30-40 per cent impact on goods like decorative lights which records huge sales during Diwali, whereas a slight impact has also been felt on China-made electronic goods.

"In an internal survey, we found that the sale of decorative Chinese lights and other similar products has declined by 30-40 per cent in recent days.

Demand of electronic items like LCDs and others made in China has also declined by 10-15 per cent while this impact is 2 per cent on mobile phones," Suresh Agrawal, president of Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry (FORTI), told PTI.

He said that FORTI has been conducting an internal survey for the past several days and members of the federation are giving their feedback on the demand and sale of Chinese products.

"Consumption of Chinese products has come down in recent days. Be it decorative items or any other product, people are preferring Indian products over . Looking at the trend, traders are also avoiding placing orders for Chinese goods," Ajay Vijayvargiya, Secretary of Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh, said.

Shyam Meena, a decorative light trader lfrom the walled city area, also acknowledged the decline in sale.

"The sale is no doubt down this time. Most of the customers are demanding Indian lights. The impact of the call to boycott Chinese products is high.

"Last year, I ordered goods worth Rs 10 lakh approximately, but I have not ordered that much (this year)," he said.

Large number of Chinese products ranging from idols, portraits of Hindu Gods and Goddesses to decorative lights which bear no indication of the product being manufactured in China are in the market at cheaper prices, yet people are showing awareness in purchasing the items, said Sandeep Gupta, an activist.

Gupta, a chartered accountant by profession, takes out a few hours every day to go to the streets and markets to call for the boycott of Chinese products.

"Shaheedon ko de do Shradhanjali, China ke Samano ko do Tilanjali (Pay homage to the martyrs, boycott products from China)" is the slogan written on a banner which he carries with him on a jeep.

"Chinese products are sometimes very difficult to identify. The list of Chinese products is very long and people as well as traders will have to show awareness against them. The impact will be visible when the market of electronic goods will be affected," he said.

Gupta added that the young generation is quite aware on this issue.

"Why should we buy Chinese products, a friend of Pakistan? We will buy Desi things," an engineering student, Bhaskar Verma, said.
A Welsh village marked the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster which killed 116 children and 28 adults when a colliery spoil tip collapsed, engulfing a school.

The 1966 tragedy shook Britain and provoked a huge outpouring of sympathy as a generation of children mostly aged seven to 10 were all but wiped out  and the few survivors have battled with their memories ever since.

Some 150,000 tonnes of coal waste slid down the hillside before engulfing Pantglas Junior School at 9:15 am on October 21, 1966.

Had the landslide happened 20 minutes earlier, the classrooms would have been empty. Had it struck a few hours later, the children would have already left to start their half-term holiday. No survivors were found after 11:00 am on the day of the disaster.

Residents in Aberfan, north of Cardiff, took part in a day of commemorative events, attended by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The heir to the throne read a message from his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who had visited the grief-stricken village with her husband Prince Philip to pay their respects in the days after the disaster.

"You are in my own and my family's thoughts, as well as the thoughts of the nation," the message read.

She remembered the dead and also the "hundreds more who have lived with the shock and grief".

"I well remember my own visit with Prince Philip after the disaster, and the posy I was given by a young girl, which bore the heart-breaking inscription, 'From the remaining children of Aberfan'.

"Since then, we have returned on several occasions and have always been deeply impressed by the remarkable fortitude, dignity and indomitable spirit that characterises the people of this village."

Marilyn Morris, 64, spoke of the stoicism with which the village internalised its grief.

"There were six children from my street that died. We just blanked it from our minds, nobody spoke about it," she said.

"It was such a shock that we couldn't bring ourselves to talk about it but now we are and we are feeling much better for it."

An emotional memorial service was held in the local cemetery. A minute's silence was observed across Wales.

Survivor Irene Hollett, 58, said: "I really feel for the parents of those who died, because seeing us grow up and even be here today it must be hard for them because we are a reminder of what their son or daughter could have been like."

Diane Fudge, 58, lost her twin sister Daphne in the tragedy.

"This has been the first time I've ever come to an event in connection with the disaster," she said.

"I'm finally facing my demons.
Scamsters in the recently busted multi-crore call centre racket were using well-known people search websites, which provide a person's name and addresses, to gauge a potential victim's ability to pay as part of their illegal operations, police have revealed.

An internet-based call were made to many phone numbers simultaneously, called 'blasting' in technical terms, and the potential victims were made to listen to it which allegedly used to threaten them, they said.

"Some of the victims got frightened with this and called back. When the call was returned, the call centre executives, through the phone number of the caller, surfed through the websites (having information about people's name, addresses and other details) in real time to understand the paying ability of the person at the other end," a police official told PTI.

Those having a higher ability to pay were prioritised over others and the (call centre) agents engaged with them in deeper conversations which led to negotiating a sum the victim had to pay, the official said.

"During investigation it was revealed that the scam's alleged mastermind, Sagar Thakkar alias Shaggy, and his associates used to blast the VOIP calls from Ahmedabad," the official said.

These calls were made with Direct Inward Dialling (DID) by which at a time 10 US citizens could get calls with the help of a software, he said.

The call was spoofed and contact numbers similar to those in United State's were displayed on the cell phones, by which the American citizens were made to believe that it was a call from the US Tax Department.

The frightened US nationals would reply on the numbers to prevent their arrest and were then engaged in negotiation.

The 'dialler' used to asked the victim if he wanted to resolve the issue. If he agreed, then the call was transferred to his senior - the 'closer'.

Later, the 'closer' used to finally negotiate with the citizen and insist him/her to keep mobile phone on speaker mode and go at the nearest reputed supermarket chain.

At the supermarket, the victim was instructed by the



'closer' to purchase 'gift cards' and tell their 16 digit number to him. The 'closer' would then pass this 16 digit number to Thakkar.

Thakkar then used to call his vendors in the US and asked to deposit the gift cards worth thousands of USDs. He would then allegedly receive the money through 'hawala' in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the official said.

With this scam, Thakkar allegedly collected hundreds of crores of rupees, he said.

Police had raided the Universal Outsourcing Services, on Mira Road in neighbouring Thane district, among six other call centres during the midnight of October 4-5 and got the data of thousands of US citizens who were cheated.

From June 1 to October 4 this year, Thakkar allegedly collected USD 18 lakh from just one call centre, the police official told
Interestingly, the NAFTA debate of the current election cycle has focused primarily on USMexico trade generally ignoring the USCanadian relationship. Sometimes we forget how significant this latter relationship is[i]:

The largest bilateral trading relationship in the worldapproaching three-quarters of a trillion dollars and supporting almost 2 million jobs; The longest international border in the worldcrossed by 400,000 people each day; The largest integrated electrical power system in the worldand, lest we forget, Canada is the largest supplier of foreign oil to the US; and finally, The largest system of Foreign Direct Investment in the world with the US being the largest source of FDI in Canada and Canada being the 3rd largest source of FDI in the US.

There can be no question that the United States and Canada are uniquely joined. Even pre-Brexit, our interdependencies were much more significant than those of the European Unionwe share a common language and a common level of economic development and it has now been over two centuries since we raised arms against each other.

NAFTA created a $19 trillion dollar common market of 470 million customers. Importantly, it was the first trade agreement that combined developed nations (the US and Canada) with a developing one (Mexico).[ii] This is a remarkable achievement and represents an element that is critical to the future resiliency of the partnership.

Despite Ross Perots warning of a gigantic sucking sound and Donald Trumps recent declaration that NAFTA is a total failure, most economists argue that the agreement has had a net positive impact on all three countries.[iii] Unfortunately, the effects have been uneven; and the post-election period will probably focus on worker adjustment programs to ease transitions from old into new jobs or to financially compensate displaced workers. I do not, however, see a renegotiation of NAFTA on the horizon. As a matter of fact, I think that a post-election Congress is more likely to support TPP albeit in a form that provides more worker retraining and displaced worker provisions.

The reason I expect this outcome relates to one of the most important, but frequently ignored, statistics surrounding the NAFTA relationships. Today, approximately 40 percent of the average US import from Mexico is attributable to US value-add. The comparable statistic for Canadian imports is approximately 25 percent.[iv] The success story of NAFTA is not free trade but integrated economies. For example, consider the construction of a Bombardier Learjet. With the exception of Irish wings, the Learjet 85 is a North American productfuselage constructed in Mexico and engines built in Canada but designed by Pratt & Whitney in the US. Automobiles are similarly North American with the parts and labor of the majority of cars spread across the US, Canada and Mexico. When Ford recently decided to shift production of compact cars to a plant in Mexico, it retooled the plant to produce high end trucks and SUVs at no loss of US jobs. Actually, auto-making jobs in the US have grown by 200,000 since the end of the Great Recession.

Importantly, since the NAFTA partnership is not homogeneous, it creates opportunities for Canada and the US to utilize lower wage rates in Mexico strategically (as in the case of low margin compact cars) to compete with products from low wage Asian nations. The development of cluster industries exploiting our heterogeneous North American comparative advantages is likely to grow in future years. In particular, both demographics (a young Mexican workforce) and energy (huge US and Canadian reserves of low cost natural gas and clean Canadian hydroelectric power) as important hedges against Asian Tigers.

The unevenness of the impact of trade agreements, however, is real. Trade boosts overall GDP while redistributing the portions to capital and highly educated workers at the expense of low skilled workers. Thus, the trade discussion needs to move forward considering funding for increased worker training and displaced worker compensation as a condition for lowered trade barriers. Economist Jeffrey Sacks goes so far as to argue that companies benefiting from free trade should be taxed to provide the funds to compensate displaced workers.

This strategy should be very familiar to people within the logistics industry. Mark Levinson's landmark book, The Box, provides a great description of our experience with the introduction of standardized shipping containers. To allow the introduction of standardized containers over the objections of longshoremen in the 1960s, shipping companies agreed to share the efficiency gains through guaranteed but unnecessary jobs. Surprisingly (or not), the efficiency gains were so great that the introduction of the new technology resulted in labor shortages not surpluses in the very first year of the agreement.

The world economy is not perfect, but it is hard to make a rational case for isolationism. I, for one, think that rational analysis will lead us back to a discussion of how to make trade work to the betterment of our economies in the upcoming months. For logistics, this means an increasingly important role in making the transportation system an increasingly efficient part of the world economy.

[i] https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/10/fact-sheet-united-states-%E2%80%93-canada-relationship

[ii] https://www.foreignaffairs.com/videos/2014-06-06/foreign-affairs-focus-carla-hills-nafta-20

[iii] http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/nafta-20-years-later-benefits-outweigh-costs/

[iv] https://www.foreignaffairs.com/videos/2014-06-06/foreign-affairs-focus-carla-hills-nafta-20
Mobile users will get a lot of relief from call drop problem as the recently-concluded airwaves auction is expected to resolve the spectrum shortage issue, Telecom Secretary J S Deepak said today.

"Spectrum shortage was one of the reasons for call drops. We have just auctioned spectrum and with this, the shortage of spectrum is almost finished. Now when they (telecom operators) roll out network in next 6-8 months, there will be a lot of relief from call drops," Deepak told reporters on the sidelines of a public outreach programme here.

Spelling out more steps to resolve the problem of call drops, the secretary said the number of 2G network not meeting quality benchmark in terms of call drops dropped significantly.

"In October-December 2015, out of 195, (2G network), 54 were not meeting quality of service standards and that was leading to the problem of call drops. In June 2016, with all measures we have taken, this figure dropped to 19 from 54," he said.

He further said that in the last four months, 1.20 lakh base transceiver stations (BTS) have been set up which will further lead to improvement in service.

On the recent spectrum auction, he said the 965 MHz of spectrum sold and it was more than the total airwaves auctioned previously in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

"In this auction, we got an upfront payment of over Rs 32,400 crore...There will be collection of 15 per cent service tax," he said.

On why the 700MHz band did not find any takers, the telecom secretary said it was costly and ecosystem was not there.

"The (first) reason is ecosystem is not there and the second it was expensive," he said.

Speaking about the electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions and mobile towers, he said that there was no scientific evidence backing the claim that EMF radiation from mobile towers could cause adverse health effects.

He further said the department was holding a public outreach and awareness programme in several parts of country to share scientific studies on EMF.

"We are trying to convince well meaningful activists about their misconception on radiation," he said adding that in the next phase, such outreach programmes would be held at district-level as well.

"Telecom towers are critical installations on which the backbone of wireless communication rests and unfounded apprehensions around EMF emissions and mobile towers have the potential to derail our growth story," he said.

The secretary said the Department of Telecom (DoT) has



already prescribed strict precautionary norms for exposure limit for the Radio Frequency Field (Base Station Emissions) which is ten times more stringent than the existing limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO.

"In fact our EMF norms are much stricter than what is followed by many developed nations, including the US, the UK and most parts of the European Union. Further, the government of India has taken adequate steps to ensure that service providers strictly adhere to prescribed norms," he added.

R M Chaturvedi, DDG-CS, DoT, said, "WHO has referred to approximately 25,000 studies, conducted around the world over the past 30 years, and based on an in-depth review of scientific literature, has concluded... Current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields."



A committee -- formed at the behest of Allahabad High Court comprising experts from five IITs, AIIMS (Delhi), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow -- has also on the basis of scientific evidence, studies and reports available, found that there is no conclusive evidence about the stated dangers of EMF radiation from mobile BTS tower.
Canada's Bombardier today said it was cutting around 7,500 jobs by the end of 2018 as the aircraft and train manufacturer tries to cut costs and boost productivity as part of a turnaround plan.

"The actions announced today will ensure we have the right cost structure, workforce and organization to compete and win in the future," chief executive Alain Bellemare said in a statement about the measures that aim to produce USD 300 million in recurring savings.

The cuts, to hit mostly administrative posts, follow the announcement in February of 7,000 cuts to manufacturing jobs.

Together, they represent about 20 per cent of Montreal-based Bombardier's workforce.

The government of Quebec came to the rescue of Bombardier last year, giving it USD 2.5 billion for a 49.5-per cent stake in its C Series plane programme and 30 per cent of its rail unit.

Delays in the C Series, the first completely new aircraft in the 100- to 150-seat category in more than 25 years that could put Bombardier in a position to snatch business from Airbus and Boeing, drained the company of cash and pushed it into a deep restructuring effort.

Bombardier earlier this year delivered the first C Series plane and has received additional orders for the plane which provides considerable fuel savings compared to most passenger planes in operation.

"We are confident in our strategy, our leadership team and our ability to achieve both our 2016 goals and our 2020 turnaround plan objectives," said Bellemare.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With over 32 lakh debit cards compromised in India's largest banking security breach, the government today went into damage control mode, assuring customers that there is no cause for alarm and prompt action will be taken.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asked RBI and banks to submit a report on the issue.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India, as many as 641 customers across 19 banks have been duped of Rs 1.3 crore using stolen debit card data.

The government asked regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as well as banks to provide details of the data breach and also preparedness to deal with cyber crimes.

"Have sought a report in the debit card issue. The idea is to contain the damage," Jaitley told reporters here.

Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said a report has been sought on all aspects.

"There is no cause for alarm, the integrity of IT system of banks is robust and whatever action is required, the government will take promptly," he told reporters here.

The government, he said, is seized of the matter and reports have been called from RBI and banks to know what exactly has happened.

A preliminary input "sort of report" has already come in and the government is awaiting further details from the final report, he said.

"After getting the report... Whatever action is required, necessary action will be taken by the government," he said.

Earlier, speaking on sidelines of a German government event, Das said, "Customers should not panic because these hackings are done through computer and trail can easily be reached... They should not be alarmed. Whatever action has to be taken, it will be done with speed."



Of the debit cards affected, about 26.5 lakh are on Visa and MasterCard platforms while 6,00,000 are on RuPay. The breach reportedly involved some 90 ATMs.

While Visa and MasterCard, in separate statements, have stated that their own networks had not been compromised, Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Payment Services, which manages some of the ATM network processing, was investigating the matter, including whether there was a malware problem.

Das said that based on the report of RBI and banks, the government would exactly know what happened.

"And as you know, in the cyber world, the trail will always be there and it will be our effort to locate, to sort of trace the exact trail and locate the point of origin of where this has happened, and the government will definitely act on this," he said.

Stating that cyber security is of utmost importance, he said the matter of cyber security was discussed in detail at the RBI board meeting four months ago.

Instructions were given to the banks to strengthen and tighten the firewall with regard to cyber security and protection of their systems, he said, adding that banks have taken a number of steps in this regard.

The issue, he said, was important from the point of view of financial stability as well.

"After getting the report, perhaps it will also be discussed at the FSDC meeting to review the matter comprehensively and give directions to all the banks, public and private sectors, and some other financial institutions to take action," Das said.

Several banks, including state-owned SBI, have recalled a number of cards, while many others blocked the ones suspected to have been compromised and asked their customers to change PIN (personal identification number) before use.

There are some 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously-developed RuPay ones while the rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled.

Fraudulent withdrawals have been reported from 19 banks so far while complaints have been received from a few banks that their customers' cards were used fraudulently abroad, mainly in China and the US while the customers were in India.

SBI is said to have recalled around 6 lakh cards while others like Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Central Bank and Andhra Bank have replaced debit cards of several customers as a pre-emptive measure.

Among private sector players, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have asked customers to change their ATM PINs. HDFC Bank also advised its customers to use its own ATMs for carrying out any transaction.

The suspected security breach happened through a malware in the systems of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves ATM network of Yes Bank and also some white-label ATMs.
With over 32 lakh debit cards compromised in India's largest banking security breach, the Cyber Crime Cell of Maharashtra Police has written to several banks seeking information on fraudulent withdrawals, officials said today.

Fraudulent withdrawals have been reported from 19 banks so far. A few banks have complained that their customers' cards were used fraudulently abroad, mainly in China and the US while the customers were in India.

"We have sent mails to the banks seeking information on the fraudulent withdrawals and other details," an official of the Cyber Crime Cell of Maharashtra Police told PTI.

According to the official, the data security breach came to light two months ago, but none of the banks have approached the Mumbai Police yet.

"Let the banks approach us and file a complaint first, then we will investigate the case," the official added.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India, as many as 641 customers across 19 banks have been duped of Rs 1.3 crore using stolen debit card data.

Several banks, including state-owned SBI, have recalled a number of cards, while many others blocked the ones suspected to have been compromised and asked their customers to change PIN (personal identification number) before use.

There are around 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously-developed RuPay ones while the rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled.

SBI is said to have recalled around six lakh cards while others like Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Central Bank and Andhra Bank have replaced debit cards of several customers as a pre-emptive measure.

Among private sector players, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have asked customers to change their ATM PINs. HDFC Bank also has advised its customers to use its own ATMs for carrying out any transaction.

The suspected security breach happened through a malware in the systems of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves ATM network of Yes Bank and also some white-label ATMs.

The Centre today assured customers that there is no cause for alarm and prompt action will be taken and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asking RBI and banks to submit a report on the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Allahabad High Court today reserved its order on a petition by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas challenging summons issues by a lower court in connection with a criminal case.

Petitioner's counsel Onkar Pandey said during the Lok Sabha elections, an FIR was lodged by the assistant election officer on April 20, 2014, against Kejriwal and Vishwas for allegedly making provocative speeches in Gauriganj area of Amethi district.

The charge sheet was filed on April 13, 2016 and on October 7, the court of additional chief judicial magistrate, Sultanpur, issued summons against them.

Both the petitioners challenged the proceedings of this case.

On behalf of the state government, additional government advocate Shivanath Tilahari opposed the petition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CBI has registered a case against NRI arms dealer Vipin Khanna and two companies based abroad in a case of alleged kickbacks worth over USD 5.70 million in connection with three aircraft deals with Embraer signed in 2008.

CBI sources said today that Khanna, whose name had figured earlier also in defence deals probed by the agency, has been booked along with two companies--Brazil-based Embraer and Singapore based Interdev Pte Ltd--in conenction with the deals totalling USD 208 million.

It is alleged that the kickbacks were allegedly routed from subsidiaries of Embraer to Khanna through Interdev.

The sources said the agency had carried out searches at several locations here yesterday. The operation continued till late in the evening.

Khanna had faced CBI probe in a gun deal involving South African company Denel in which the agency had to file a closure report as it could not gather enough evidence from abroad.

He had also faced the agency probe in the Barak missile deal with Israel and sale of arms to Pakistan. Khanna is believed to be a relative of a former Congress leader and his son was an MLA in Punjab till last year.

The sources also said that it is alleged that the commission in Embraer deal was routed through Austria and Switzerland.

They said the agency, which had registered a preliminary enquiry in September, has converted it into a regular FIR on October 18 as enough prima facie material has been found by it to proceed in the case.

The deal for the three aircraft which were to be used by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for air-borne radar systems was inked with Embraer in 2008.

A Brazilian newspaper had alleged that that the aviation



company had taken the services of middlemen to clinch deals in Saudi Arabia and India.

According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

Leading Brazilian newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' had reported that the company allegedly paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the deal with India.

DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customized them for serving as air-borne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AWACS for the Indian Air Force.

The company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised US suspicions, the report said.

Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries.

After the PE was registered, Embraer had issued a statement saying, "Since 2011, Embraer has publicly reported that it has been conducting an extensive internal investigation and cooperating with the authorities on investigations regarding alleged violations of the FCPA.

"The company voluntarily expanded the scope of the investigation, systematically reporting the progress of the case to the market."



"The company is not party of the legal proceedings in Brazil. Therefore, it does not have access to the information contained therein," it had said.
Under the Skill India programme, the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) organized a two-day 'employment fair' for dependents/wards of employees/ex-employees of the company at its headquarters in Ranchi.

At the end of the two-day fair 421 candidates were interviewed by 34 companies for different posts like electrician, welder, fitter and for other jobs, a CCL release said here.

They were interviewed by companies like L&T, HEC, Cummins, Tata Motors, Usha Martin, STI Marketing and Allsion, the release said.

"This employment fair has acted as a bridge connecting the candidates and companies and is mutually beneficial to both," the release said quoting one of the employers.

Both the participating companies and the candidates appreciated the efforts by CCL CMD Gopal Singh as it would help the youth, particularly in the rural areas.

In order to bridge the skill gap Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the vision of "Skill India", and the CCL have launched several skill development programmes through various training institutions, especially to the youth from rural background.

The aim of these programs, it said, was to make these youths employable and self-reliant.

ITI, Multi Skill Development Center (MSDC), Mining Sirdar Training, Mobile repairing etc are some of the vocational training that is being provided by Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a bid to give a fillip to the housing for all scheme, the Centre today asked Maharashtra Government to prepare a master plan on development of salt pan land in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) so that shelter is provided to the urban poor on them.

The direction was given at the 22nd Western Zonal Council meeting here presided over by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by representatives of States concerned, including Chief Ministers.

Maharashtra government was told to study how much salt pan land was available in the MMR, which includes areas from adjoining Thane and Raigad districts, to provide shelter to the urban homeless.

To this, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed that Mumbai planning agency MMRDA has been entrusted the task of preparing a master plan on how much area is under salt pan and how much of it is under mangrove, wetland, litigation and coastal regulation zone, Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya told reporters after the meeting.

Fadnavis's proposal of establishing a Central Marine Police Force was also discussed during the meeting, which was attended by Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister of Goa and administrators of Union Territories Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Naini Jayaselan, Secretary of the inter-state council who was also present at the press conference, said, "Maharashtra will prepare the master plan and a cabinet note, which will be sent to the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy for further action."



She said the possibility of using surplus land belonging to central agencies like Railway and defence was also discussed. They, too, were asked to identify land to be used for implementing Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana.

Speaking on coastal security issues, Jayaselan said, "The Chief Secretaries were asked to set up high resolution cameras on high rises along the coast to supplement the Coast Guards' effort in patrolling.

Kshatriya said, "Chief Minister Fadnavis reiterated his



demand for a separate central force for patrolling the sea and coastal areas. The Centre indicated it will actively consider the proposal."



"Fadnavis highlighted the steps taken by the state government to strengthen internal security like setting up of Force One (an elite commando force), NSG hub in Mumbai, Quick Response Team (QRT) and installation of CCTV networks in Mumbai and Pune," the Chief Secretary said.

Kshatriya said the task of providing biometric cards to fishermen who regularly venture into the sea would be completed by December.

Jayaselan said the identity of 252 Gujarat fishermen languishing in Pakistan jails have been confirmed after they were given consular access.

The Home Minister assured the Gujarat government that he would seek the help of External Affairs Ministry to bring them back, she said.

"Gujarat has set up a maritime coastal police training institute in Dwarka, while Maharashtra has completed the coastal mapping. All States and the Union Territories (under Western Zonal Council) were sensitised on the issue of internal security," Jayaselan said.
A man arrested in a case of cheating allegedly committed suicide at the Bandra police station here today, police said.

Rampal Yadav (30) had been arrested by suburban Vakola police in a case of cheating.

This evening he was found hanging by his shirt in the police station's toilet, police said.

He was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A jubilant China today defended Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to "separate" from the US, saying as an elected leader of a sovereign state he has every right to make "independence choices".

"Duterte is elected by the people. We believe he will make choices independently which benefits the Philippines and its people in mind," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here reacting to confusion and concern caused by Duterte's remarks in the US.

"The sovereign state Philippines can make decisions policies based on its own interests and we respect that," she said defending Duterte's U-turn virtually ending the Philippines alliance with the US and turn to Beijing.

In a shocking announcement after his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Duterte told a meeting of Chinese and Philipino businesspeople yesterday that"I announce my separation from the United States. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost."



In the meeting attended among others by Chinese Vice Premier at Zhang Gaoli, Duterte said "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines, and Russia. It's the only way."



US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the America was "baffled by this rhetoric" and that Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel would be in Manila this weekend and would try to get some answers.

"We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the US," BBC quotedKirby as saying.

China has virtually embraced Duterte, who decided to visit Beijing after his bitter spat with US over his controversial violent war on drug smugglers.

Filipino officials said the two countries yesterday signed 13 agreements and China had promised to invest USD 13.5 billion in various Philippines.

China is facing severe pressure since July this year after an international tribunal struck down its claims on the South China Sea (SCS).

Asked today whether China has imposed in any condition on Duterte that the Philippines has to reject The Hague arbitration verdict on the SCS delivered in response to Manila's petition, Hua said "China's stand on the so called arbitration case has been made very clear".

"I can tell you that in the past 41 years China and the Philippines had consensus on the SCS issue. We should stick to this political wisdom and pass it on as a successful practice and regard it foundation for the future bilateral relations.

"For some known reason there have been some twists and



turns in China-Philippines ties and after this visit the China and the Philippines have returned to the right track resolving the SCS through bilateral dialogue. We believe this meets the common aspiration of the regional people and the two countries," she said.

The joint statement issued after Duterte-Xi talks said "both sides exchange views on issues regarding the SCS. Both sides affirm that contentious issues are not the sum total of the China-Philippines bilateral relationship. Both sides exchange views on the importance of handling the disputes in the SCS in an appropriate manner," it said.

Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the SCS addressing their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force.

The two countries also decided to restore defence ties.

An editorial in China's state-run Global Times said the SCS issue has been shelved.

"The maritime disputes (between China and the Philippines) appear to have been shelved, replaced by pragmatic cooperation projects worth hundreds of million dollars, as China will be among the most important investors in infrastructure in the Philippines."



"The South China Sea is embracing a brand-new landscape. It's a worrisome gesture. Maritime disputes between SCS claimants have been obsessively exploited and manipulated by irrelevant forces driven by huge interests.

"Those forces want to maintain the status quo and further stir confrontation between China and the Philippines. The sudden shift puts them on the back foot. Will they give up their previous pursuits to help consolidate the Sino-Philippine rapport?" it said.

"Many worry that the US and Japan will not. Without being pressured by so-called threats from China, the Philippines has publicly announced its decision to suspend joint patrols and drills with US," it said.

Duterte's stand on the SCS and the US was expected to unravel further as he is set to visit Japan in the next few days.

"Public opinion conjectures that the US may pressure the Duterte government and that Japan will try to turn Duterte around during his upcoming Tokyo visit," the editorial said.
Parents overwhelmingly want their childrens school to use more technology, and they believe that devices and digital resources can contribute to a more personalized educational experience. But just 1 in 3 parents think schools are currently doing a good job using ed tech to tailor student learning.

Those are the top-level findings from a new national survey of 1,000 parents, released today by The Learning Assembly , a network funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that includes seven nonprofit educational organizations from around the country. (The philanthropy provides support for Education Weeks coverage of personalized learning.)

Parents dont see technology as a silver bullet, said Phyllis Lockett, the CEO of LEAP Innovations, a Learning Assembly member organization that works with Chicago schools, in a statement.

But the data suggests that they do see a link between smart implementation of technology and the kind of tailored, personalized education that they want and expect for their children, Lockett said.

The findings are the latest in the ongoing discussion of parents attitudes and practices when it comes to educational technology. In recent months, for example, the advocacy group Parents Across America has released a series of resources detailing what it describes as the threats posed by education technology , while the Pew Research Center released an analysis of adults digital readiness.

Some of the most interesting findings from the new Learning Assembly survey arent directly related to technology. For example: Just 22 percent of parents said they communicated with their childs teacher about academic progress or performance at least once a week, and such communications still happen most frequently in person, the survey found.

Parents also reported being less passionate about personalized learning (defined in the survey as making sure that students have learning experiences that are tailored to students individual needs and strengths) than about schools providing access to high-quality teachers, teaching subjects that will prepare children for the future, and robust parent involvement.

Among the other highlights from the new survey:

Parents see a growing role for ed tech: 66 percent say use of technology in their childs school has increased in recent years.



93 percent of parents surveyed said they believe in the use of technology to tailor student learning.



Just 1 in 3 parents reported believing that schools are currently doing an excellent job using technology for this purpose.



Only 35 percent of parents whose children use devices in school say their children have learned more because of technology.



Parents reported a lack of confidence that they understand such terms as personalized learning (44 percent said they were confident they understood the term), competency-based education (43 percent), 21st century skills (31 percent), data-driven instruction (27 percent), and differentiated instruction (21 percent).



Parents generally described their childs schools as good or excellent on various aspects related to personalization, such as using technology to tailor your childs learning experiences (74 percent) and understanding your childs individual needs, strengths, and interests (71 percent).



Parents were somewhat less positive about the extent to which schools are using technology to give their child more choiceover both how he/she demonstrates what he/she has learned (66 percent) and how he/she wants to learn (56 percent).



The poll was conducted by YouGuv between September 9 and 16.

Learning Assembly members include Citizen Schools, Digital Promise, Highlander Institute, iZone, LearnLaunch, LEAP Innovations, and the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. All told, those groups partnered with 101 schools serving 13,400 students, according to the networks release.

See also:
Try to bring back to their homes the "local boys" who have joined militancy instead of killing them in encounters, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged police today amid unrest triggered by the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in a gun-battle with forces in July.

She also appealed to the police and security forces to refrain from using weapons like pellet guns while dealing with protests and instead "tolerate" stone-pelting as a "sacrifice".

The Chief Minister said while the police had exhibited patience during the last three months of unrest in the Valley, there were some mistakes which warrant action.

She also underlined that "black laws" like AFSPA would be repealed from the state only when the situation improves.

"We all have to work together, heal the wounds of the people here. The children here are the responsibility of God first, then our police because it is they who see them every day, everywhere," she said.

"Those who have taken up arms or those who have not but are missing from their homes and want to join militancy, they are local boys. I request the police to try to bring them back to their homes. Instead of their being killed in encounters," she added.

Mehbooba, who has dealt with the unrest triggered by Wani's killing on July 8 in a tough manner, told the police, "such youth (who have taken to the gun) need hand-holding... If it is possible to bring them back, make them a part of the mainstream. Give them bats, balls and good education, instead of guns."



Her remarks at the Police Commemoration Day function at Armed Police Complex in Zewan on the outskirts of Srinagar came close on the heels of a fresh video surfacing which shows a group of local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit displaying weapons. Earlier, similar videos of Wani and his associates used to surface in the Valley, before he was killed in an encounter.

Urging local youth to shun violence, Mehbooba said, "When the situation improves here, we will end the black laws. For that we have to create an atmosphere first. I know that today the situation is not such, but tomorrow, a year after... We have to repeal AFSPA as we cannot keep it in force forever."



While stressing that ending militancy and restoring peace were a pre-requisite for repealing AFSPA and for seeking start of dialogue process in the state, she said, "We cannot force anyone to have dialogue on gun-point, stones or by lathis."



She said only when there is a "conducive" atmosphere, she can go to Delhi with her "head held high".

"How can I do it today? There is infiltration, there are encounters. We have to end militancy and create peace in Jammu and Kashmir so that we can repeal AFSPA from some areas here," she said.

She said the police should deal with militants but civilians should not be troubled.

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Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says he is not in favour of banning Pakistani actors from working in India.

Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, filmmaker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been at the receiving end of MNS' ire.

The party has said it won't allow the release of the film, which is set to arrive in theatres on October 28.

When asked if politics is getting mixed up with cinema, Dibakar told PTI, "It is nothing new. It has always been happening. But I am completely against banning Pakistani actors in India."



The "Khosla Ka Ghosla" dierctor said it totally depends on the director who is facing the backlash, on how he reacts to the situation.

He was speaking at 'Half Ticket Young Adult Script Writing Workshop'at the ongoing18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival with Star.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.

Johar's multi-starrer film has been at the centre of a controversy since the Uri terror attack last month.

In the aftermath of the terror strike, various sectors demanded a ban on Pakistani artistes from the film industry.

Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka.

Director-actor Pooja Bhatt also criticised the demand to stall the movie's release, saying it has nothing to do with nationalism.

"It is neither nationalism nor blackmail. It is schoolyard bullying at its best & worst," Pooja tweeted.

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With Opposition parties making "drug menace" as major issue in the wake of upcoming assembly polls in Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today slammed Congress and AAP for "defaming" the youth of the state by calling them as "drug-addicts".

He claimed only 1.27 per cent of 3.75 lakh youths during recent police recruitment were "tested positive" for drug abuse.

Sukhbir also lashed out at Opposition party leaders, including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, and questioned them that how they arrived at the figure of "70 per cent youth of Punjab being drug addicts".

Addressing media here, Sukhbir who is also president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), asked the "anti-Punjab and anti-youth" Congress leader Amarinder Singh and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal to tender an "unconditional apology" to the people of Punjab and its youth for conducting a "dangerous image distortion fraud" against them by branding the "children of the land of the Gurus" as a "generation of drug addicts".

"The demon-duo (Amarinder and Kejriwal) as well as their parties will have to pay heavily for this unforgivable sin which is akin to a heinous and deadly crime against our own children and younger brothers and sisters. In fact, so inseparable will the names of Amarinder and Arvind, and Rahul Gandhi remain on the list of the enemies of Punjab that in the popular perception they will always feature simultaneously with the leaders of the anti-Punjab " invasion and defamation" pack," he alleged.

He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal launched a "decisive" war on drugs and has "successfully" enlisted a wide-base popular support, especially from Punjabi youth against this social evil.

Sukhbir alleged the Congress and AAP entered into an "unholy conspiracy" to brand the entire Punjabi youth as a "lost generation" addicted to drugs and even "funded" Bollywood films to defame Punjab and Punjabi youth across the country and the world.

Sukhbir said the anti-Punjab leaders must now disclose how they arrived at the figure of 70 per cent youth of Punjab being drug addicts.

He alleged that the campaign launched by the Congress and AAP to brand Punjabis as "drug addicts" was akin to the Congress campaign of the eighties which branded all Sikhs as "terrorists".

Speaking about the test conducted on police recruits, he said the government took a decision in this regard to make the factual position clear before the nation.

"Now the defamation campaign initiated against us stands thoroughly exposed as only 1.27 per cent of the tested 3.75 lakh youth have been tested positive for drug abuse," he claimed.

He said the average drug abuse in case of opioids was much "below" the national average.

Baba Farid Health University vice chancellor Raj Bahadur,



whose institution had been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the tests by the Punjab government, disclosed that the objective of the study was to identify incidence of drug use among youth.

"We decided to test candidates presenting themselves for recruitment as constables. Urine samples were taken using standard USFDA approved kits at a cost of Rs three crore and 3.75 lakh persons were tested across the state", he said.

Bahadur said only 1.27 per cent candidates (4501) were tested positive for drug use. He said some candidates who had used performance enhancers were given an opportunity to get themselves retested and 1,672 candidates cleared the subsequent test.

He said what was most significant was that the incidence of drug use in youth in Punjab was less than the national, Asian and global averages.

Quoting a UNODC study, the vice chancellor, who was accompanying Sukhbir, said the global and Asian percentage of opiod use was 0.3 per cent and the use in India was 0.7 per cent.

He said in comparison to this, the opiod use percentage revealed in the study on police recruits was only 0.33 per cent.

The vice chancellor said this study revealed that the dubious reputation being given to Punjabi youth as drug addicts was false.

"I can confidently state in my professional capacity that the statistics prove that the incidence of drug abuse in Punjab is less than national and international averages," he said.

Giving details of the action taken against drug smugglers and drug trafficking, Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora said Punjab had been the "most effective" in taking action against drug smugglers.

He said 14,483 cases had been registered against drug smugglers in Punjab in 2014 which formed 31 per cent of the percentage cases nationally.

He said similarly 38 per cent of all arrests and seizures under the NDPS Act were recorded in Punjab in 2013.

Punjab also recorded 46 per cent of all heroin recovered in the country and 31 per cent of opium in 2014, he said.

Arora said Punjab had also frozen and forfeited properties worth Rs 227 crore of 195 smugglers after obtaining approval from the competent authority.

Meanwhile, Punjab unit of Congress today rejected the



"Akali-sponsored" survey on drug abuse in the state as a "state-sponsored piece of fabrication" and accused Sukhbir of trying to "mislead the people by fudging" the official numbers.

In a statement issued here, the PPCC said Sukhbir's claim that there were only about 1 per cent drug addicts in Punjab was nothing but a "bundle of lies", which was in total conflict with data based on independent surveys.

"The government-sponsored figures released by Sukhbir are a clear attempt to hoodwink the people of Punjab," said the PPCC, adding that even the common man on the street was cognisant of the gravity of the situation.

The rampant drugs menace in Punjab has assumed such grave proportions that virtually no family is insulated from its adverse impact, said the statement, adding that the people of the state are not going to be "fooled by the fake data" that Sukhbir is trying to project.

The "controlled sample" used by the Akali government to support its claim that there was no "serious drugs problem" in the state could not help them "cover up" the issue.

The people of Punjab are suffering the truth every day and will not accept his patently false claims, said PPCC leaders Sunder Sham Arora, Ramanjit Singh Sikki and Gurchet Singh Bhullar.

The sample on which Sukhbir's claims were based related to the 3.75 lakh youth who had applied for police recruitment, and who were naturally expected to be normal and healthy. It would be naive, said the PPCC leaders, to expect a drug addict to apply for a police job, which requires rigorous physical and medical tests.

The PPCC leaders further pointed out that the Badal government had itself admitted, in an affidavit submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court through its Chief Secretary on July 13, 2015, that between June 2014 and June 2015, three lakh addicts had approached the de-addiction centres for treatment, while 13,000 were admitted indoors.

"Do these figures show that there is no drugs problem in Punjab or do they indicate that the situation is indeed alarming?" they asked.

Countering Sukhbir's charges that PPCC president Amarinder Singh was defaming the people of Punjab, the leaders asked how recognising the seriousness of a problem that has destroyed an entire generation can amount to defamation of the youth.

The PPCC leaders cited the independent study- 'Punjab OPIOID Dependence Survey', conducted by Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment -to point out that an estimated 2.3 lakh people in Punjab were opioid dependent.

Also, the study had found that 76 per cent of all opioid dependents in Punjab were in the 18-35 age group, indicating an alarming rise of drug addiction among youth.

Ironically, said the PPCC leaders, the data released by DGP Suresh Arora in Sukhbir Badal's presence at the latter's press conference was itself indicative of the scale of the problem.

As per Arora's figures, in 2014, 14,483 cases were registered against drug smugglers in Punjab, which constituted 31 per cent of the cases nationally.

Punjab also reportedly recorded 46 per cent of all heroin recovered in the country and 31 per cent opium in 2014, according to the DGP's statistics.

With such large-scale seizures, there can be no doubt in anyone's mind that drugs are flowing freely all over the state, under the benign eye of the state government and its agencies, the Punjab Congress leaders observed.
Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt today moved the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the Maharashtra government to appoint a regular Advocate General in place of the current acting Advocate General.

His lawyer Ashish Mehta mentioned the petition before a division bench headed by Justice S C Dharmadhikari which said it would hear the matter after Diwali vacation.

Dutt's petition said the court should declare that the post of 'acting Advocate General' was unconstitutional, and appointment of Advocate General should be made only as per the provisions of Article 165 of the Constitution.

Seeking to clarify he was not questioning the professional capability of acting Advocate General Rohit Deo, he said he wanted a direction to the government to follow the constitutional provisions.

Deo was functioning as an acting AG for the last seven months, while under the Constitution no post of 'acting AG' exists, he said.

Dutt had also raised the issue in the state legislature earlier, the petition said.

Pending hearing and final disposal of the petition, the high court may pass an interim order directing the government to withdraw the charge given to the acting Advocate General, said the petition.

Deo was appointed as acting AG after previous Advocate General Srihari Aney was forced to resign. Aney's open support for separate Vidarbha had incurred him the wrath of political parties including the ruling ally Shiv Sena who are opposed to the idea of statehood for the region.

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Seeking to dismiss the perception that Indian courts overly interfere in arbitral awards, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur today said some of the "path-breaking pronouncements" by the judiciary have helped the country emerge as an arbitration-friendly destination.

Citing orders in cases like Balco, he said the objective is to have "best arbitration facilities, quick disposal of arbitration proceedings that are cost-effective, competent, non-partisan and neutral". This can be achieved especially with effective enforcement of arbitral awards, he added.

"There is, in some quarters, a perception that courts in this country interfere with arbitral awards more than courts in other jurisdictions do. I take this opportunity to point out that this perception should no longer persist in view of some path-breaking pronouncements towards making India an arbitration-friendly destination," he said.

Speaking at a conference on arbitration, Thakur said globally, adjudication of disputes by way of arbitration is acquiring rapid acceptance in view of overworked courts.

India being the fastest growing economy cannot remain unaffected from contractual disputes, he said.

"Such disputes call for quick redressal by affordable and adjudicatory mechanism. Considerable efforts are being made to project India as global arbitration hub," he noted.

The Chief Justice further said that notwithstanding legal infrastructure, there are areas of concerns that need to be addressed.

To buttress his point, he cited verdicts in the Balco case where multiple and multi-party agreement, non-signatories to agreement were referred. It had widespread implications for foreign investors and parties.

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A CRPF constable committed suicide by allegedly shooting himself with his service revolver in outer Delhi's Narela area, police said today.

25-year-old Hazrat Ali shot himself at around 2.30 PM yesterday, they said.

After hearing the bullet sound, his colleagues rushed him to the hospital where was declared brought dead, police said.

No suicide note has been recovered from the spot and it is not yet known what prompted him to take the extreme step, they said.

"Ali's family was contemplating about his marriage and he used to talk to them frequently about the same. He might have been depressed about not finding a suitable match, but we are not sure of the exact reason behind the constable's extreme act," a senior police officer said.

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A desperate Pakistani family anxiously awaiting a US visa for their ailing little girl is running out of time: Maria is just six years old but a rare genetic disease has left her frail body wracked with pain and stunted her growth.

Soon she will be unable to walk because her vertebrae are compressing her spinal cord.

A US hospital has offered to perform a surgery for free that could significantly improve Maria's condition, but the American Embassy in Islamabad has so far twice refused to give the family visas to travel to the United States, said the girl's father, Shahid Ullah.

When he submitted a visa application again, he was told it will "take time," he said. Ullah has now turned to an American lawyer, Facebook and the media for help, starting a campaign he says could be the last resort.

The surgery in the US has been scheduled for November 2, 2016.

"If we delay Maria's surgery, there will be too many problems," said Ullah, who runs a small store selling blankets in the town of Rawalpindi, near the capital of Islamabad. He said Maria has to be in the US by next Wednesday for pre-surgery tests.

He said he embarked on the tortuous quest to find help for Maria nearly four years ago, researching her condition, sending her blood and urine samples to laboratories in India and Germany, connected with families of children with the same disorder, known as Morquio Syndrome.

Through the internet, he tracked down doctors with expertise in Maria's condition and families with children who suffer from the same disease from countries as far as Chile, Britain and America steered him to the Nemours/Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.

Ullah said this time he only applied for a visa for Maria, himself and his wife. He plans to leave his other two children behind with relatives during their stay in America.

US Embassy spokeswoman Fleur S. Cowan declined to comment on Maria's case, citing privacy laws, but said she would look into the matter. In Washington, the State Departments said visa records are confidential under US law and that it could not "comment on the specifics of an individual visa case."



The Delaware hospital first reduced the cost of the $100,000 surgery to $82,000, Ullah said, but when it was clear he could not afford it, the Nemours Foundation said it would cover the full cost of the procedure.

"The hope is to do the surgery for the child . . . without any cost to the family," said Chris Manning, who is with the Nemours Children's Health System public relations department.

He added that the hospital also sent documentation to the embassy in Pakistan to facilitate Ullah's visa application.

Melissa Harms, a California lawyer, offered to help pro bono when she heard of Maria's troubles from a client whose child has the same disorder.

"I was appalled," she said, adding housing for the family in the US has been arranged and "the airline tickets have been donated."



"All of this will go to waste if we can't get these visas approved this week," she said.

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The East Singhbhum district administration today ordered for barring four 'history-sheeters' from the distirct.

Based on the recommendation made by the Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop T Mathew, the Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar has ordered for banishment of notorious criminals Kundan Singh of Sakchi, Mangal Tiwari of Parsudih police station area and Nizamuddin alias Chilli and Kalim alias Kallu (both resident of Jugsalai police station limit) from the district for six months.

The order will be effective from November 1, official sources said adding that the four will have to fill up personal bond of Rs.25,000/- each by October 31.

The Deputy Commissioner had recently directed the concerned administrative and police officials that no slackness will be tolerated in dealing with law and order situation.

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Nagaland Director General of Police, L L Doungel today called upon police personnel to be prepared to give their best in the service of the people.

"No one forced us to join police service but we did in our volition, so we should be prepared to give our best as demanded of us to make Nagaland shine," Doungel said while addressing the police officials and jawans on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day Parade at New Police Reserve here.

He said October 21 every year is observed as Police Commemoration across the country as a mark of respect to the brave police martyrs who had laid down their lives during the period from October 1 to September 31 every year.

The DGP also narrated the history of Commemoration day tracing back to October 21, 1959, when a patrol CRPF, led by SI Karam Singh, was ambushed by the Chinese forces at Hot springs Ladakh and 10 jawans were killed.

Additional Inspector General (Ops) Temsu Ao, IPS reading out the roll of honour said that during the last one year altogether 473 personnel made supreme sacrifice for the nation.

Two constables from Nagaland, A Khekho Chishi and R Bermong Yimchungru are among those dead, he said.

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President Rodrigo Duterte's shock "separation" from the United States has thrown Philippine foreign policy into confusion, with the Americans saying they are baffled and some of his top aides contradicting him.

The firebrand leader rarely lets a day pass without taunting or abusing the United States but his latest comments, made during a state visit to Beijing, were the strongest signal he wants to torpedo a 70-year alliance in favour of China and Russia.

"I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte said yesterday as he paused to soak up the applause from hundreds of Chinese businessmen in the audience.

"I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."



Until Duterte took office on June 30, the Philippines had been one of the United States' most important and loyal allies in Asia, and a key to President Barack Obama's "pivot" to the region.

The Philippines had also been a bastion of democracy -- albeit a chaotic and corrupt one -- in Southeast Asia since shedding the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

But Duterte, who describes himself as a socialist and has close links with communists still waging a rebellion in the Philippines, has revealed a deep dislike of the United States.

He has repeatedly branded Obama a "son of a whore", and called on his countrymen to remember crimes committed by Americans when the Philippines was a colony of the United States from 1898 to 1946.

Ignoring the thousands of American lives that were lost to liberate the Philippines from Japan during World War II, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid, Duterte has also told Filipinos that the United States had done nothing for them.

He has said there will be no more joint US-Philippine patrols in the South China Sea, nor will there be any further joint military exercises with the United States that see thousands of troops pass through the Philippines each year.

Duterte's tirades are causing confusion in Washington, where officials have repeatedly said the Philippine government has not made any of his words official policy.

"I just want to say that obviously we're aware of this rhetoric," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

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Eric Gordon, the CEO of the Cleveland school district who is charged with implementing a comprehensive district transformation plan, was selected Thursday as the Urban Educator of the Year.

The annual honor, known as the Green-Garner Award, is given by the Council of the Great City Schools, the Washington-based organization that represents the nations largest urban school districts. The announcement was made at the councils annual conference in Miami.

The council said in a statement that since the adoption of the 2012 Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools , the district has seen increases in graduation rates, family engagement, and student enrollment.

The plan aimed to improve academic outcomes and make significant changes to the way the district operated . Among other things, it allows the district to share property taxes with some charter schools; changes teacher-compensation to one based on skill and performance; and allows for an expanded school day and year.

Gordon, who has been superintendent since 2011, was charged with putting the plan into effect.

Eric Gordon has made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of Clevelands students, helped propel a once-struggling school system forward, and significantly contributed to the future of the Great City of Cleveland, Michael Casserly, the councils executive director, said.

The Cleveland Plan has had mixed results thus far. While graduation rates have increased, fewer students are leaving the district, and more students are graduating ready for college-level work, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that test scores were not as notable.

State test scores released in September showed that the district ranked at the tail end of eight urban districts in the state , including twoLorraine and Youngstownwhich had been taken over by the state, the paper reported.

But on the plus side, five Cleveland schools had 100 percent graduation rates, and attendance moved up a bit from 90 percent to 91.5 percent from the previous year. The graduation rate rose to 69 percent. It was 56 percent in 2011, according to the paper.

A separate analysis of test data, which the Plain Dealer published on Sept. 25, concluded that compared with the decline in test scores in other districts, Cleveland schools had made gains.

The award comes with a $10,000 scholarship prize that will go to a Cleveland student. Gordon was chosen by former award winners.

There were eight other finalists: John Allison from Wichita, Kansas; Juan Cabrera from El Paso, Texas; Alberto Carvalho from Miami-Dade; Michael Grego from Pinellas County, Fla.; Kaya Henderson, the former chancellor of the District of Columbia school system; Barbara Jenkins from Orange County, Fla.; Mary Ronan from Cincinnati; and Leticia Rodriguez-Rosario, a superintendent of District 9 in New York City.

The award is named after Richard Green, the first African-American chancellor in New York City, and Edward Garner, a former Denver school board member. It alternates each year between a school board member and a superintendent. Last years winner was William Bill Isler, a former school board member in Pittsburgh .

Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland school district, was named Urban Educator of the Year at the Council of the Great City Schools annual conference in Miami on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. Photo by Clarence Tabb, Jr., Council of the Great City Schools.


Former CPI(M) leader Lakshman Seth, one of the main accused in the 2007 Nandigram violence case, joined BJP in presence of state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh at a programme in Tamluk of East Midnapore district today.

Seth had met Ghosh at BJP's state unit headquarters in Kolkata earlier this week and finalised his joining the party.

A former MP from 1996-2009 from East Midnapore and CPI(M) state committee member, Seth was expelled from CPI(M) for "anti-party activities" in 2014.

After the expulsion, he had floated Bharat Nirman Party but it failed to make any dent in the political space of the state.

Seth became more well-known during the anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram in 2007 that led to the killing of 14 people in police firing on March 14 in 2007.

The anti-land acquisition movement leaders had alleged his role had caused the flare up of violence culminating in police firing. They also blamed him for atrocities on farmers who refused to part with their land.

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His golden hair twists into smelly, fly-infested excrement. In other cartoons, his trademark locks are shaped into a tongue or a wall. His silhouette also serves as Adolf Hitler's mustache.

Donald Trump has been such a well of inspiration for cartoonists that a gallery is dedicated to the Republican presidential candidate at Mexico City's Caricature Museum.

The exhibit's title takes aim at Trump's threat to make Mexico pay for a giant barrier across the border: "Trump: A Wall of Cartoons."



By calling Mexican migrants criminals and rapists, and vowing to deport millions back to their homeland, he has inspired a plethora of cartoonists from Mexico and other nations who contributed to the exhibit.

Other Mexicans have vented their anger by bashing pinatas of his likeness or burning his effigy.

Among the cartoonists, there are some recurring themes: the bouffant hair, brick walls, fresh feces and Nazi symbols.

One by the Mexican artist Antonio Rodriguez Garcia shows the Republican Party's symbol -- a red and blue elephant -- defecating dung shaped like Trump's unmistakable hairdo.

Another signed Rodriguez shows Trump as Uncle Sam pointing his finger, with the phrase "I hate you" instead of the famous "I want you" message of the military recruitment poster.

In a similar far-right vein, the Spanish cartoonist Jose Rubio Malagon drew Trump's hair into the shape of a hand doing a fascist salute.

Belgium's Luc Descheemaeker, or O-Sekoer, drew Hitler's own distinctive haircut and small mustache, which, if you look closer, is Trump's silhouette.

Others were less subtle, depicting Trump as a gorilla wearing a swastika armband or as a Hitler figure with blond hair.

The cartoonist behind the exhibit is Arturo Kemchs, who as president of the Ibero-American Union of Graphic Humorists had requested contributions from his peers for a book on Trump a few months ago.

He received hundreds of cartoons and fit 350 of them in the book, of which 2,000 copies were sold. The idea for the exhibit, which began October 13, came after the book.

"It's a character who made our work easier," Kemchs, 57, told AFP. "He's an involuntarily comical character."



"This character has taken over spaces in the sense that some cartoonists no longer do caricatures of Mexican politicians. They go with the Donald Trump theme because he gives us a lot of material," he said.

Kemchs shows two of his Trump cartoons: one with a brick wall replacing Trump's hair, the other with his crest shaped like a tongue.

"I picked the tongue precisely because of his ability to talk and talk nonsense," he said.

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Odisha's Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak today resigned in the wake of death of 23 people in a hospital fire tragedy, while opposition parties asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to follow suit on moral grounds.

"Mr Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has sent me his letter of resignation. He has resigned on moral grounds. I have accepted it and sent it to the Governor," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters here.

The minister, who was also holding Information and Public Relations portfolio, put in his papers as police began interrogation of the arrested SUM Hospital owner Manoj Ranjan Nayak.

Manoj Nayak was arrested and sent to jail yesterday. He was taken by police on a two-day remand today.

Sources said the minister's resignation came barely a few hours after police began grilling Manoj Ranjan Nayak. The opposition had accused the health minister of shielding the owner of the fire-ravaged hospital.

Opposition parties, which had been demanding the Minister's head to roll since the fire tragedy took place on Monday evening, also alleged that Atanu's wife was an employee of Sikshya O Anusandhan University, headed by Manoj Nayak.

This apart, it was alleged that both Khurda District Collector Niranjan Sahoo and Director, Department of Medical Education and Training P C Mohapatra failed to take action against SUM Hospital because of the minister's close proximity with Manoj Nayak, who also hailed from Kendrapara district as the minister.

However, the minister had for the first time yesterday admitted that there were lapses in fire safety measures in SUM Hospital where the blaze killed 23 people. The hospital had violated fire safety norms and other guidelines.

The hospital was also accused of overlooking a 2013 advisory of the government to improve firefighting apparatus.

As soon as the chief minister announced the resignation



of Nayak, opposition Congress and BJP began gunning for him.

"We welcome Nayak's resignation. However, it will be proper if the Chief Minister also resigns on the same moral ground. This is because people died in fire which is under home department headed by Patnaik," said OPCC spokesman Ganeswar Behera.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress said, "There cannot be a neutral probe unless Patnaik resigns as he is also the Home Minister. The hospital fire was bacuse of the mismanagement in both the health and home departments. If the Health Minister resigns on moral ground, why not the Home Minister as well?".

BJP state President Basant Panda said,"The Chief Minister should also resign on moral ground."



Maintaining that the Chief Minister cannot escape responsibility for the tragedy, Panda said BJP would launch a state-wide campaign demanding Patnaik's resignation.

Odisha BJP had yesterday lodged a police complaint against both the Chief Minister and Atanu Nayak, naming them as accused in SUM Hospital case.

Nayak was not immediately available for comments on his resignation.

(Reopens CAL11)



The exit of Nayak from the Patnaik ministry came after he faced persistent opposition attacks since last year over alleged "gross mismanagement" of the health and family welfare department.

The opposition parties have accused 49-year-old Nayak, who represents Mahakalapara Assembly constituency, responsible for the death of at least 163 people in a series of health- related incidents.

The opposition had been demanding Nayak's resignation after death of around 60 infants at Sishu Bhavan in Cuttack last year and that of 20 children due to alleged malnutrition at Nagada in Jajpur district.

The death of at least 58 children from Japanese Encephalitis in tribal dominated Malkangiri district also brought brickbats for him.

He also came in for sharp criticism from different quarters after Dana Majhi, a tribal man from backward Kalahandi district, walked 10 km carrying his dead wife's body on shoulder after being denied a hearse by astate-run hospital in Bhawanipatna.

Nayak, who become a minister at a young age, had defeated BJP heavyweight Bijay Mohapatra in two elections in 2004 and 2014.
India's foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 1.506 billion to USD 366.139 billion in the week to October 14, due to fall in foreign currency assets, the Reserve Bank said today.

In the previous week, the reserves had decreased by USD 4.343 billion to USD 367.646 billion.

It had touched a life-time high of USD 371.99 billion in the week to September 30, 2016.

Foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves, dipped by USD 1.486 billion to USD 340.908 billion.

FCAs, expressed in US dollar terms, include the effect of appreciation/depreciation of non-US currencies such as the euro, pound and the yen held in the reserves.

Gold reserves remained steady at USD 21.406 billion, the apex bank said.

The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund declined by USD 8 million to USD 1.468 billion, while India's reserve position with the Fund dipped by USD 12.8 million to USD 2.356 billion, RBI said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gangster Mukesh Harjani, wanted in many criminal cases in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, was allegedly shot dead by unidentified assailants here, police said today.

The incident took place in Harni where security has been tightened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit tomorrow to inaugurate the new international airport terminal building.

"Some unidentified assailants fired eight rounds from close range at Harjani near Harni Road here while he was heading towards his home in Warasiya locality late last night and then fled the spot," Joint City Police Commissioner D J Patel said.

Soon after receiving the information, police reached the spot and took Harjani to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead, the police officer said.

Patel said all police stations across the state have been alerted for tracing the unidentified persons.

According to police, Harjani was a tempo driver before becoming gangster and has nearly 36 cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping lodged against him across Gujarat and some other states.

He had turned a bootlegger by allegedly supplying country-made liquor in Dahod and Panchmahals districts while delivering bread in his mini-van. He was also a wanted criminal in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An "alarming" situation prevails in Delhi as the garbage mounds near three landfill sites here are "like Qutub Minar", the Supreme Court today said as it rapped the Delhi government for not doing enough to dispose of the huge quantity of waste.

It also asked the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators to create awareness about garbage disposal among the people here.

"Garbage mounds near landfill sites are above 45 metres. These are almost like towers as like Qutub Minar. Height of Qutub Minar is 73 metres and these mounds are more than half the size. It's an alarming situation. Who is going to deal with it? You (government) have to deal with the problem," a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Adarsh Kumar Goel said.

The observations came when Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar appearing for Delhi Chief Secretary pointed out that near three landfill sites at Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa, there are garbage mounds of the height of 45 metres.

The bench asked Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the AAP had MLAs across Delhi who could create awareness among the people about garbage disposal.

Mehra said the MLAs have to look after several other responsibilities including construction of drains, sewers and roads in their constitutencies and asking them to create awareness was "just too much".

"Don't say that. It has to start from home. Your MLAs, your elected representatives, they should sensitise the people. Don't say that MLAs do not have responsibilities," the bench said.

Mehra contended that garbage collection and disposal was the work of local bodies and not the lawmakers.

"It's a bully who blames others for every problems. You are just blaming everybody. Don't say MLAs do not have any responsibility to keep the city clean," the bench said.

The court while directing that MLAs of Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa areas to attend meetings with all stakeholders, also enquired about how much amount does each MLA get for local area development. It was informed that each MLA got Rs 4 crore as local area development fund.

The bench asked the Delhi government that it should be ready for future eventualities and not take measures only when the problem arose.

"You have to be ready for the situation. Now that avian flu cases are being reported, Deer Park has been closed. Dengue and Chikungunya cases are now low. You have to be ready for all situations," the bench said.

The bench said that Delhi government should not react



only to a situation, but plans and preparedness should reflect the future.

The Solicitor General assured the bench and said that things were happening and garbage was being disposed of through waste-to-energy plants.

He said that at Okhla, waste-to-energy plant has been setup and 16 MW of power was being produced from waste. Within one months, things will improve, he said.

The bench said the Centre for Science and Environment, headed by environmentalist Sunita Narain, has done a good study on the issue which should be looked into by the Delhi government.

The apex court directed that a meeting of stakeholders in which MLAs of the areas where three landfill sites are situated should be chaired by Chief Secretary of Delhi.

On October 17, the court had expressed concern over garbage dumped at landfill sites and said that "people are dying" due to lack of proper disposal of waste.

On October 6, the apex court had criticised the authorities over the handling of dengue and chikungunya menace in Delhi and observed that they here were "not interested" and the people have been "left to suffer".

The apex court had also expressed disappointment over the outcome of October 5 meeting between the LG, CM and others on curbing vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya and had asked them to hold another meeting on October 6.

The bench had directed that participants should discuss the steps to be taken to prevent the problem faced by people of Delhi this year and also the future measures.

The apex court had on October 3 imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain for failing to file an affidavit disclosing names of officials whom he had alleged of not cooperating in checking the menace of dengue and chikungunya in Delhi.

It had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a seven-year-old boy due to dengue last year after being allegedly denied treatment by five private hospitals and the subsequent suicide by his parents.

The five hospitals -- Max hospital in Saket, Moolchand Khairatiram Hospital in Lajpat Nagar, Aakash Hospital in Malviya Nagar, Saket City Hospital and Irene Hospital, Kalkaji, were issued show cause notices to explain why their registration should not be cancelled for allegedly refusing to admit the boy.
One girl was killed and two others were injured today when a car dashed against them while trying to overtake a goods vehicle at Mahishadal in East Midnapore district, police said.

Madhumita Bagh (16) was killed while her friends Sunita Bagh and Pinki Nayak were injured while going to tuition classes, after one Sedan hit them while trying to overtake a goods vehicle yesterday evening, East Medinipore SP Aloke Rajoria said.

Driver of the car - Subrata Maity (32) and fellow occupant Dibyendu Das (29), have been arrested and charged with IPC Section 307 (Attempt to murder), 302 (Punishment for murder) and 325 (Punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), the SP said.

While Madhumita was declared brought dead when taken to the hospital, her two friends were being treated, he added.

Meanwhile, state Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purkayastha today directed police to strictly deal with accident-related matters and to slap "attempt to murder" charges in cases where drivers were found to be "negligent".

"I have directed my force to deal with accidents very seriously. In cases where drivers will be found negligent... If they are found to have continued driving knowing fully that this might cause loss of life they will be charged with attempt to murder," Purkayastha told PTI.

The developments followed the mishap involving Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee in which he was injured on NH-2 near Singur while returning here from Murshidabad on Tuesday in his vehicle.

In a prompt follow-up action, the state government decided to revamp the traffic management system on three National Highways 2, 6 and 34 to keep a check on the rising number of accidents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Multilateral lending agency World Bank and India today signed a USD 650-million loan agreement for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).

"The project will benefit industries of Northern and Eastern India, which rely on railway network for transportation of material inputs and exports that would accelerate creation of jobs in the northern and eastern regions of the country," the World Bank said in a statement.

This the third loan agreement that the World Bank has signed for the Eastern Corridor, which is 1,840 km long and extends from Ludhiana to Kolkata.

The World Bank is supporting EDFC as a series of projects in which three sections with a total route length of 1,193 km will be delivered sequentially, but with considerable overlap in their construction schedules, the statement said.

EDFC 3, approved by the World Bank on June 30, 2016, will build the 401 km Ludhiana-Khurja section which goes through Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The first loan of USD 975 million for the 343 km Khurja-Kanpur section in the EDFC programme was approved by the World Bank in May 2011 and is already under implementation.

The second loan of USD 1.1 billion for the 402 km Kanpur-Mughalsarai section was approved by the Bank in April 2014 and is in the implementation phase. The World Bank noted that the major contracts for civil works and systems has been awarded with a total value of Rs 6,300 crore.

EDFC is part of India's first Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) initiative - being built on two main routes - the Western and the Eastern Corridors. The DFC lines are being built to carry bulk freight trains of 6,000 to 12,000 gross tons.

Noting that economic opportunities are also being explored along the freight corridor, the statement said the government is planning to set up integrated manufacturing clusters using EDFC as the backbone.

"These clusters will be set up with an investment of about USD 1 billion on either side of EDFC. The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 7-year grace period, and a maturity of 22 years," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre today said a new bird flu virus subtype H5N8 has been confirmed in samples from Gandhi Zoological Park, Gwalior, days after Delhi government shut the National Zoological Park in the wake of avian influenza.

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has asked Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to issue advisories to all wildlife/bird sanctuaries in the country.

National Institute for High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) has said that the samples were received from Gandhi Zoological Park, Gwalior which have tested positive for H5N8 AIV, Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.

"Instructions have been issued to state Animal Husbandry Director. The Ministry Of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has also been requested to issue advisories to all wildlife/bird sanctuaries in the country," it added.

Till now, no human infections with H5N8 has been established anywhere in the world. However, necessary precautions are to be undertaken while handling sick/dead birds and contaminated material during control and containment operations, it said.

Earlier this week, NIHSAD had confirmed that the virus subtype H5N8 infection in wild birds, which is a new subtype, is being reported for the first time in the country.

H5N8 has been reported from 11 countries during 2015 and four countries (including India) during 2016.

The statement said avian influenza disease in wild/ migratory birds does not affect the status of the country and hence there are no trade implications.

On October 17, NIHSAD Bhopal had said that samples of wild birds died in National Zoological Park (NZP), New Delhi have tested positive for H5 avian influenza virus.

These samples had earlier tested positive for Influenza A virus at Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NRDDL), Jalandhar.

Immediately, the advisory was issued to the Director, Animal Husbandry, Delhi Administration and the Director, NZP and were requested to send the report to the Department.

On October 18, the NZP said that the mortality was among the wild birds and not the captive birds.

"Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has requested NIHSAD, Bhopal and the NRDDL to investigate the outbreak thoroughly to determine the source of infection, so that the zoo authorities across the country can implement suitable strategy to prevent the ingress of the disease to captive birds. The same is under progress," the statement said.

On Wednesday, Delhi government announced shutting down of the National Zoological Park for the next three days in the wake of the death of nine water birds due to H5 avian influenza.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hacked emails reveal internal disagreement among top aides to Hillary Clinton about her determination to hold a Clinton Foundation summit in Morocco that later drew attention over its reliance on large financial pledges from foreign governments.

Clinton aide Huma Abedin bluntly wrote in the January 2015 email that "if HRC was not part of it, meeting was a non-starter" and then warned: "She created this mess and she knows it."



It was an uncharacteristic remark from a confidante known for her abiding loyalty to Clinton over the years.

The hacked email was among more than 4,000 messages posted yesterday on the website of the WikiLeaks organization. The emails were stolen from the accounts of John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman.

In Wednesday's final presidential debate, Donald Trump said he doubted the conclusion by US intelligence officials that the Russian government is behind a string of recent targeted cyberattacks and subsequent leaks to influence the election.

Clinton sharply criticised the Republican nominee for using the stolen emails to attack her, as well as a past statement encouraging hackers to leak more.

Podesta has warned that some emails may have been edited or altered by the hackers prior to release, though the Clinton campaign has yet to publicly identify an instance of that happening.

In her email, Abedin told Podesta and current Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook that the lavish May 2015 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative was based on a USD 12 million pledge from Moroccan King Mohammed VI to host the event.

"The King has personally committed approx. USD 12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting," Abedin wrote.

Clinton Foundation records do not show any direct pledge of funding from the king or government of Morocco to the charity. Commitments to the charity's CGI program are agreements only to aid the program's international projects, not to directly fund the Clinton Foundation itself.

Clinton was no longer serving as secretary of State at the time of the meeting in Marrakesh. Sponsor donations have sometimes been used to defray the costs of meetings for CGI, the foundation's program of worldwide charity and development projects.

Politico has reported that the meeting was partly supported by a pledge of at least USD 1 million from OCP, a Moroccan phosphate export firm whose directors at the time included several top Moroccan government ministers, including the heads of the nation's foreign affairs and interior ministries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
How are students around the world advocating for LGBT rights? Today, 17-year-old Jenny from Diocesan Girls School in Hong Kong shares the situation there as well as the actions she is taking. U.S. students can be inspired by this work and think about the similarities and differences between attitudes in Hong Kong and the U.S. This blog is part of our ongoing series by young adults who participated in the Global Citizens Youth Summit hosted by Global Citizens Initiative .

While the West has been making impressive progress on marriage equality and protection of LGBT minorities, the same can not be said for Asian countries. Hong Kongs LGBT civil rights movement has been advancing at a painfully slow rate due to opposition from religious groups and educational institutions. Though local Chinese culture has undergone drastic changes due to previous colonial times and the citys metropolitan nature, the traditional expectation of carrying on the family line contributes to negative attitudes towards LGBT people.

Apathy is equally detrimental to the development of social equality. Though Hong Kong has a relatively low rate of physical assault cases towards LGBT members compared to other cities, a Chinese cultural emphasis on restraint in personal relationships may help prevent violence against sexual minorities. Societys collective unwillingness to call out the ever-existing homophobia and heteronormativity across generations perpetuates the unhealthy stereotype of gay is abnormal. In order to de-stigmatize sex and sexualities, we, as a society, need to be open to different voices and encourage healthy, open discussions. The infrequency of hate crimes does not equate with progressiveness: by adopting a passive, apathetic attitude towards the subliminal discrimination against people of different sexual orientations, we are accommodating intolerance. The problem of homophobia and transphobia exists, even if we ignore it.

Only in 2011 did the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists publish an announcement stating that homosexuality is not a mental illness. While we celebrate the U.S. Supreme Courts decision for legalizing gay marriage across all states, we need to be grounded in reality: Hong Kong is not the United States. Hong Kongs advancement in equal rights has been painfully slow, if not stagnant. LGBT protection policies have never been considered a pressing concern and are hardly a priority in the Legislative Council and the high courts. We cannot blindly push for the legalization of gay marriage without changing societys fundamental prejudice against sexual minorities due to lack of education.

Lack of Education

Sex education has never been a part of local educational curriculum, and sex remains a taboo topic. As Christian missionaries founded the majority of schools in Hong Kong during British colonial rule, and because they condemn the idea of premarital sex, schools often forgo sexual education. The lack of sexual health information, coupled with sexual stigmatization, is one of the major hindrances of the local LGBT movement, and undoubtedly, contributes to the lack of understanding about different sexualities and gender identities.

Discrimination stems from ignorance. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it (To Kill a Mockingbird). Sexual empowerment and adequate education are critical to teenagers healthy development: an inclusive sexual education assists LGBT youths, as well as non-LGBT peers, in understanding gender identities and sexual orientations under the guidance of professionals. This encourages healthy discussions within an academic setting and dispels misconceptions and stereotypes of the LGBT community. The fact that adolescents in Hong Kong are deprived of sex education contributes to everyday homophobia, be it Internet hate comments, gay slurs, or general apathy towards sexual minorities. In the past, LGBT activists have pushed for legal protection of people with different sexual orientations. However, anti-gay rights groups like the Family School Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance Concern Group have vehemently opposed the proposal on the basis that this would infringe upon their freedom of speech and encourage homosexual behaviors among younger generations. Therefore, despite conscious efforts from local LGBT support groups, anti-discrimination laws remain flawed.

Student Action

Homophobia penetrates deep into my daily experience: students using gay as an insult, teachers condemnation of LGBT communities in school, and the fetishization of gay men on prime time TV programs. So, while I have always been open about my support for LGBT rights, my involvement with the civil rights movement always ended there. I never tried to change the status quo. I always assured myself that there were always other activist groups pushing for equality, that this was not an urgent concern, and that my individual efforts were negligible and futile. My recent experience at the Global Citizens Youth Summit gave me a new perspective on the issue: my passivity on this issue is an act of cowardice. I realized the root cause of my passivity was not actually that I thought my effort might be futile, but rather my fear of being deemed strange or radical in my social circles. I have been privileged with access to information on different sexual orientations, and the least I could do is to be vocal.

After the Youth Summit, I, along with a few of my friends who represent different spectrums in the LGBT community, decided to set up an LGBT support website. We will write articles on local and international LGBT news in order to shed light and give perspective, as well as accept art submissions from LGBT teens that wish to express their feelings through creativity. We will also include educational material on our website in hopes that through education we can unveil the misconceptions and prejudice against sexual minorities. Setting up the website will allow us to bring the topic to the table and initiate dialogues that are typically discouraged at school and within our communities. By utilizing the potency of social media, we can reach a larger group of teens through a communication platform they are comfortable with. The peer-to-peer nature also eliminates the Pecksniffian tone that teenagers may perceive from organizations overseen by adults, even if its not intended.

We have received art submissions from local youth, which will be published in later stages of our project, as well as much positive feedback from our schoolmates and students from other schools. Though our project is in its nascent phase, the incredible response signifies we are heading in the right direction. In the future, we hope to establish a network between local LGBT members and straight allies, as well as connect with teenager-driven initiatives from other parts of the world.

We hope to show through our actions that we, as teenagers, would like to be well-informed on social issues, and that we care. We need not be protected from sexual content, but rather, educational institutions have the responsibility to provide basic sex education, as well as a comprehensive curriculum addressing different sexualities to cultivate a set of principles coherent with the universal values of respect and acceptance.

We should not generalize everyone who is unfamiliar with different sexualities as close-minded and backwards. We need to take into account their upbringing, their culture, and the society they are accustomed to. Only by considering the cultural context of the city we live in, refusing to indulge in the comfort of the backseat, and providing information and sexual health education can we make a sizeable push in LGBT activism towards the right direction and truly embrace the idea of equality enshrined in the Hong Kong basic law.

Follow Global Citizens Initiative, Inc. and The Center for Global Education at Asia Society on Twitter.

Photo caption: The author at the GCI Youth Summit. Photo credit: Brenden Drumm.
Haryana government today hiked the ex-gratia grant given to the family members of police personnel killed in the line of duty from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh.

Besides this, the accidental insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh given to police personnel was also increased to Rs 30 lakh, said an official release.

The Director General of Police (DGP), KP Singh, who was speaking at the state-level Police 'Smriti Parade' at Panchkula today, said that Haryana Police is "fully prepared" to tackle criminal elements.

He also paid tributes to martyr constable Raj Singh of Haryana Police and other martyrs of police and paramilitary forces on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay High Court that actress-turned-MP Hema Malini had refused to accept the land allotted to her by the state government in suburban Andheri for a dance academy.

Following the statement, a bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur disposed of a public interest litigation filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar which had challenged the allotment to the actress at a nominal rate.

Reports of allotment of a prime piece of land to the BJP MP had kicked up a row earlier this year.

Nothing survived in the PIL in view of the statement made by government pleader Priyabushan Kakade that the actress had declined to accept the offer, said the judges.

However, the court gave liberty to Tirodkar to file a fresh petition if it came to his notice that the actress had, after all, got the land.

Petitioner's lawyer Sadhana Kumar said as per the information obtained under Right To Information Act, a piece of land in suburban Andheri was allotted to the actress at a very low rate. As this information was in the public domain, the petition should be heard, notwithstanding the government's today's statement.

However, the court said the "cause of action" no longer survived.

Tirodkar had alleged that the allotment was arbitrary and several past judgements of the High Courts and the Supreme Court had said that public property cannot be allotted by the state without issuing an advertisement inviting applications.

The academy run by Hema Malini had first got a land in Versova, but it fell under coastal regulation zone (CRZ), so she asked for alternative land. In December 2015, BJP-headed Maharashtra government allotted 2,000 sq metres of land to her for just Rs 70,000.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hinduja Group today for the first time unveiled its plans for a new luxury hotel complete with a swimming pool, spa and roof top bar to be built here on the site of the historic Old War Office building, once occupied by Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill.

The hotel-cum-residential complex will come up on the site of Churchill's 1,100-room Old War Office building on Whitehall, central London, which the Hindujas, Britain's wealthiest people, officially acquired in partnership with Spanish industrial company Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos.

"With our Spanish partners, we have a unique vision for the Old War Office - our ambitious plans will give it a new lease of life and add a glittering new jewel to London's crown," G P Hinduja, global co-chairman of the Hinduja Group, had said at that time.

According to a planning application filed with the Westminster Council, the heritage building's new look will include a ballroom for 600 guests, a 25-metre swimming pool, spa, wine cellars and roof top bar as well as 125 bedrooms and 88 flats.

The 580,000 square feet development has been designed by London architects EPR.

"Our vision is to convert this historically important building in one of the most important conservation areas in the country, into an international landmark, mixed use luxury hotel and residential development of exceptional quality, with corresponding amenity, public access and heritage benefits," reads the planning application seen by the Evening Standard.

The building, which was sold by the UK's Ministry of Defence for 350 million pounds (USD 427 million), has also been used as the MI6 headquarters in a number of James Bond films: "Octopussy", "A View to a Kill", "Licence to Kill" and "Skyfall".

One of the four entrances to the building is still known as "The Spies Entrance" as it was used by members of MI5 and MI6 security services to enter the Old War Office discreetly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The made-ups and home textile segment is expected to be covered under the Rs 6,000-crore special package recently approved for the garment sector.

Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani today told the industry her Ministry is actively considering to extend the benefits of special package to the made-ups and home textile segment, which had been excluded from its ambit.

"The Ministry is actively considering to extend the special package recently approved for the garment sector to be made-ups and home textile. An announcement for the same is likely to be made around Diwali," Irani said in her address after presenting Texprocil Awards here.

The made-ups and home textile segment is equally, if not more labour intensive than the apparel sector, and has the capability of generating sizeable new employment. At the same time it will act as a pull factor for increased consumption of fiber, yarns and fabric produced domestically, she said.

Irani appreciated the industry's efforts to remain leading exporter and assured all help to it from her Ministry.

She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision of doubling the income of farmers by 2022. "We are happy the farm yield has already increased and the country hopes to become a leading producer of cotton.

Earlier, R K Dalmia, Chairman, The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), said the special package of Rs 6,000 crore for the apparel sector is a step in the right direction given the current scenario of world trade and international competitiveness.

The reimbursements of State and Central levies along with labour reforms will strengthen the textile sector by improving its cost competitiveness in the global market, he said.

Considering that textile is a low margin industry, introduction of such packages can lead to an exponential leap in export performance. This can be seen from the fact that in September 2016 export of garments showed a 12 per cent growth amid a downward trend in most other sectors, Dalmia said.

He said the Government needs to move with vigour to expedite the negotiation of Free Trade Agreements with EU, Australia and Canada. "We are glad the Ministry is already reviewing the various FTAs that India has signed so far, as it will enable India to be on a level playing field with other competitors in different markets."



High and discriminatory import duties on textiles sourced from India in major markets like China and Turkey also pose a challenge, Dalmia said.

The hardening of cotton prices in the last few months is a matter of concern for the textile industry. It is necessary that a policy framework be put in place so that Indian manufacturers get raw materials at international prices or below at all times, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader and prominent Shia cleric Aga Syed Hassan was today put under house arrest, shortly after his return from New Delhi, where he met the Pakistan High Commissioner and discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Syed Hassan was detained at his Budgam residence (in central Kashmir) soon after his return from Delhi," a spokesman of his Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian, a constituent of hardline Hurriyat Conference, said in a statement here.

He said the Hurriyat leader had gone to the national capital for a medical checkup on the advise of his doctors as his continuous detention had badly affected his health.

"The state administration had allowed Aga (Syed Hassan) to go to Delhi where he also met Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Tuesday," the spokesman said.

"Hassan discussed the ongoing resistance (unrest) movement in the Valley and the aggressive revenge adventure for breaking the determination and courage of Kashmiri people," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global airlines' body IATA has sought an "abated" rate of GST on flight tickets, saying the tax burden on the aviation sector was already high and the GST regime should conform to global standards and principles.

Maintaining that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has been "working closely" with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Secretariat here to address some issues of concern to airlines, its chief Alexandre de Juniac said "the GST regime needs to adhere to international standards and principles."



"We have called for a zero-rating for international flights when the GST comes into effect next April. This seems unlikely. To limit its damage to the sector's competitiveness, we would at least hope for an abatement in the rate," de Juniac told reporters here.

He said the airlines in India faced "an onerous tax burden, including the imposition of service tax to services rendered abroad, including those for overflight charges, global distribution systems and international tickets."



This, he said, was "in contravention of international principles established by governments" through the UN body International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The IATA Director General and CEO, who met top officials of the government and Indian carriers during his two-day visit here, said he had shared these and other concerns with the government.

Besides GST, the concerns included "high" tax on aviation fuel charged by states, the service tax on air tickets and exorbitant airport charges.

On privatisation of major Indian airports, he acknowledged that the awarding of airport concessions has contributed to the development of India's airport infrastructure.

However, "while the passenger experience has improved, the impact for airlines has been far less positive," he said.

Asserting that IATA "does not support privatisation of airports, nor are we officially opposed to it", de Juniac said looking at the experience in this regard in India and other countries, "I am hard pressed to find an example where the results, overall, have been positive."



"A private sector mindset can add value to airport projects with efficiency, cost effectiveness, entrepreneurial spirit, and so on. But we need a stronger regulatory framework than exists today to ensure that there is a balance struck between commercial and national interests," he said.

Quoting data, de Juniac said the airlines operating in



India have faced huge cost increases.

"This is in part due to the up to 46 per cent concession fee that the private airport operators have to pay to the government," the IATA chief said.

"At the same time, the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority has been unable to preserve its independence sufficiently and has not been able to implement its own tariff orders, such as the one to reduce Delhi's charges" by over 80 per cent, he said.

Noting that while there was "no turning back" to the public-private partnership at Indian airports now, he said "what can be done is to strengthen the regulatory structure for the airports already privatised in order to defend public interest."



He said air transport contributed "enormous value" to India by stimulating growth and development with increasingly accessible air connectivity.

"India's air transport industry has been through tough times. While many Indian airlines are now posting profits, the sector is still in loss territory with many challenges. These include a massive debt burden, onerous regulations, expensive airport infrastructure and high taxes.

"Addressing these will bring huge social and economic benefits to India," de Juniac said.
India and the US are likely to sign an agreement for the purchase of 145 American Ultra-Light Howitzers, worth about Rs 5,000 crore, this fiscal, the first deal for artillery guns since the Bofors scandal in 1980s.

The Defence Ministry yesterday cleared the file for M777 guns, which would now be sent to the Finance Ministry before being put up before the Cabinet Committee on Security.

Sources said the approval for certain "deviations" were made.

The ministry has already shortened the supply period of the guns, with a strike range of 25 km, though the exact period could not be known.

India had sent a Letter of Request to the US government showing interest in buying the guns which will be deployed in high altitude areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, bordering China.

The US had responded with a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and the ministry had in June looked into the terms and conditions and approved it.

The offsets, under which BAE Systems, manufacturer of the gun, will invest about USD 200 million, will be pursued independently.

While 25 guns will come to India in a fly away condition, the rest will be assembled at the proposed Assembly Integration and Test facility for the weapon system in India in partnership with Mahindra.

The howitzers that can be heli-lifted were first proposed to be bought from BAE about 10 years back.

The Defence Ministry also approved buying of over nearly 4,900 radio sets for the Army's Armoured Corps from an Israeli firm.

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on Friday reported a rise of 23.2 per cent in net profit at Rs 684.31 crore for the second quarter ended September 2016.

Company's net profit was at Rs 555.54 crore in the July-September quarter of previous fiscal 2015-16.

"Total income has increased to Rs 2874.95 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 from Rs 2245.72 crore in the same period a year ago," it said in a regulatory filing.

On standalone basis, the net profit rose 17.7 per cent to Rs 641.11 crore from Rs 544.57 crore in the year-ago quarter.

Total income on standalone basis increased to Rs 2,760.36 crore from Rs 2,160.56 crore in the year-ago period.

The Board of Directors also declared a second interim dividend of Rs 9 per equity share for 2016-17.

Core home loan business is the growth driver as it carries lowest risk weight, the company said, adding sub Rs 28 lakh priority sector home loans have the highest demand.

The first issuance of rupee denominated masala bonds worth Rs 1,330 crore ($200 million) during the quarter has helped the company tap into a new and vast international investor class, leading to a true and broad-based diversification of funding profile, it said.

On the growth momentum trends in residential real estate, the company said there has been a remarkable gain in supply of affordable, mid-ranged housing units.

There was twice as many launches of affordable housing projects during the first half of 2016 against the same period a year ago, it said, adding there has been a strong pick-up in sales in Mumbai and Bangalore residential sales.

It said the urban housing requirement is estimated at 45 million units by 2022 and demand continues to increase due to rapid urbanisation, which is expected to rise to 40 per cent by 2030, and growing trend of nuclear families.

Besides, the company said for the first time, bank borrowings are less than 40 per cent of the funding mix.

"Business goal of reducing funding from bank term loans to below 40 per cent by 2017-18 has been achieved 1.5 years in advance. All of our incremental funding needs in first half of the current fiscal have been met from capital market securities and loan sell-downs," it said.

stock traded 0.14 per cent down at Rs 872.45 on BSE.
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2016 has been shortlisted forMelbourne's prestigiousawards for its contribution to multiculturalism in the coastal Australian city.

TheIFFM, runby Mitu Bhowmick Lange'sMind Blowing Films, was selected as one of the 30 finalists this yearfor the annual 'Melbourne Awards', which honour significant contributions to the city'senvironmental sustainability, community, profile, and multiculturalism by corporations and community organisations.

TheIFFM, which celebrates Indian cinema internationally, was selected under the 'Contribution to Multiculturalism by a Corporation' category,which includes initiatives like promoting racial harmony and cultural understanding.

Dubbed as the largest Indian film festival in the Southern Hemisphere, IFFM ran its fifth edition in August thisyear on 'Female Empowerment' theme.

The other finalists in this category wereCrown Melbourne's Indigenous Employment Programme andMelbourne Museum - Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre that works to educate and celebrate the culture of Koorie people.

Lange, Director Mind Blowing Films said: "A big big thank you to the City of Melbourne for recognising our humble efforts.

"To be nominated alongside some of Melbourne's top institutions like Crown and Melbourne Museum is itself an honour."



Lange said that she wasdelighted that IFFM's motto of promoting diversity has contributed to Melbourne's multicultural lifestyle.

City of Melbourne Chief Executive Officer Martin Cutter congratulated the finalists and said, "This year's finalists embody the true spirit of our city. Our finalists vary in their areas of focus and expertise but they are all exemplary in their commitment to Melbourne."



The final result will be announced here on November 12.

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An Indian-origin man has been jailed for 21 months by a British court for illegally taking a double-decker bus on a drunken joyride here, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage by dangerously driving around the streets.

Deepak Malhotra, 35, who had admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified and drink driving at an earlier hearing, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court here on Wednesday.

He stole the bus on the night of July 7 while it was parked at Watford Bus Station in Hertfordshire near here and drove it around, mounting kerbs, hit railings, jumping a red light and causing motorists to brake sharply.

Investigating officer Police Constable Mark Logan said, "Malhotra caused thousands of pounds worth of damage as he dangerously drove around the streets of Watford and it is only pure luck that no-one was injured during his reckless joyride".

"He was both under the influence of alcohol and banned from driving at the time of the offence," Logan said.

Malhotra's lawyer argued that his client had expressed genuine remorse and had been on suicide watch as he was devastated by a marriage breakdown and family problems.

He had 14 previous convictions for 30 offences including drink driving and was banned from driving at the time of the incident.

The court was told that Malhotra got onto the bus by forcing open the doors at the bus garage while the driver had gone for a toilet break, having left the key in the ignition.

He eventually came to a halt after his dangerous joyride and ran away from the vehicle but was arrested soon after.

Prosecutor Will Noble told Malhotra in court, "It was a double-decker bus. What followed was a spectacularly dangerous piece of driving and it was a wonder no pedestrian or other road user was hurt".

"You drove the bus erratically, at speed and through red lights. This was an atrocious and highly dangerous piece of driving. The nature of which was a double-decker bus on which you had no training. You were at the time a disqualified driver. These offences are so serious they merit a custodial sentence," Noble said.

The bus, which was worth 150,000 pounds (USD 182,795), had to be written off as a result of the disaster.

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DreamWorks $50M Settlement for Wage-Fixing and Anti-Poaching Agreement

DreamWorks is one of several large animation studios sued in one of the largest class action lawsuits ever brought against animation studios by employees. DreamWorks has offered to settle their portion of liability in the case by putting $50 million into the settlement's common fund. DreamWorks, along with Disney, Pixar, LucasFilm, Sony, Blue Sky, and others were sued for allegedly agreeing to wage-fix and not poach each other's animators and employees.

The settlement still needs to be approved. However, prior settlements from Sony and Blue Sky for much smaller amounts have already been approved, so it seems likely that DreamWorks' offer will be as well. Unlike most settlements, class action settlements must be approved by a judge in order to protect the interests of the class members. Shockingly, the lawsuit seems to be a result of Steve Jobs' time as the CEO of Pixar.

What Is Wage-Fixing and Poaching?

The major animation studios allegedly conspired, or worked out a secret agreement, for the studios to keep animator salaries below a certain point. While companies are free to set their employee salaries however they choose, when numerous companies "fix" salaries in order to make sure that employees will not be incentivized to leave by another company offering more money, that's illegal.

The legal theory behind wage-fixing is the same as price-fixing. When companies get together to make sure consumers don't pay below a certain amount for a type of product the companies are all producing, it is labeled as anti-competitive behavior that undermines the free market system.

Poaching is when one company hires another companies employee to perform the same or similar work for them. An agreements not to poach, as is the case here, is when companies agree not to hire each other's employees. This is done in order to prevent employees from being able to leave for another job. Similar to wage-fixing, it is anti-competitive behavior that restricts the market, and can be illegal.

What the Settlement Means for Class Members

Class members for the action against DreamWorks include all employees in creative, technical, artistic, research and development positions who were not part of HR or management. It is unclear exactly how much each employee will receive as the complaint alleges that there are potentially thousands of claimants.

When a settlement includes a large award to the class, courts will typically set up what is called a 'common fund,' as they are asking to do in this case. This settlement will require an administrator for the common fund to distribute the money to each class member based on each class member's earnings while employed.

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A 30-year-old Indian-origin woman has gone missing in the UK and an "extremely concerned" Scotland Yard today arrested two men over her disappearance.

Pardeep Kaur, from south-west London, was reported missing by a relative earlier this week, having failed to turn up for work.

Metropolitan Police murder detectives said the disappearance was out of character and they were "extremely concerned" for her safety.

Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lawson said: "Our enquiries have led us to make these two arrests but until we have evidence to the contrary, we continue to treat Mrs Kaur as a missing person.

"We are extremely concerned for her welfare as her disappearance is completely out of character. If you think you have seen Pardeep since her disappearance on Sunday, or have any information about her whereabouts, please get in touch with police as soon as possible."



Kaur was last captured on CCTV walking down Harlington High Street, near Heathrow airport.

Two men, aged 30 and 31, were arrested over her disappearance.

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Police today claimed to have busted an interstate extortion racket by arresting 10 persons accused of trying to coerce businessmen into paying money by sending them fake summons of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Kolkata-based businessmen Sanjay Surekha and Mahavir Aggarwal had received "summons" from the ED asking them to join investigation in alleged money laundering complaints against their companies, police said.

But, when they approached the ED office in Delhi, it was found that no such summons were issued, Sanjeev Yadav, DCP (Special Cell) said.

Following this, Assistant Director of ED Kamal Singh filed a complaint at Tuglak Road police station on September 2. The case was registered in this regard, which was later transferred to the Special Cell, the officer said



A number of teams were formed to nab the accused who were scattered in different parts of the country. Kalyan Shukla and Gaurav Pradhan were nabbed from Kolkata. Both had tried to extort Rs 5 crore from Sanjay Surekha by assuring him they would get ED matter settled, he said.

Dinesh Nagpal was arrested from his residence at Pandara Road here. Kingpin of the gang, Alex Joseph, and Sanjay Paswan were also arrested from Delhi, Yadav said, adding Rakesh Kundra was arrested from Mumbai.

Joseph was earlier arrested in cases of importing around 500 luxury cars from Dubai as second-hand vehicles and evading import duty over Rs 200 crore, the DCP (Special Cell) said.

Another accused, Rajesh Nair, was arrested from Delhi on October 14, who led to the arrests of Ericsson Massey and Mohammad Tariq two days later. The 10th accused, Javed Khan, was arrested from Jamia Nagar here on October 19, he said.

The police teams have seized incriminating materials including fake ED summons from the accused, the officer added.

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Jihadist gunmen, some of them wearing suicide vests, attacked the Iraqi city of Kirkuk today, killing at least 22 people, in an apparent effort to divert the thousands of troops and militiamen closing in on their Mosul stronghold.

The assault, together with another further north, left at least 22 people dead and came as pro-government forces were making major gains on the fifth day of their advance on the last major urban centre held by the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Kirkuk, an ethnically and religiously divided city currently under Kurdish control, woke up to find IS fighters spreading across several neighbourhoods.

A correspondent saw a group of men carrying rifles and grenades and wearing "Afghan-style clothes" walk down one street in Kirkuk.

At least five suicide bombers struck government targets in the city, including the main police headquarters, in a coordinated attack that began in the middle of the night.

IS claimed the raid, according to the IS-affiliated Amaq agency, one of the most spectacular such attacks by the group in recent months.

Gunfire and explosions echoed across the city all morning, residents said, and live footage on local television showed street battles in several neighbourhoods.

"Around morning prayers, I saw several Dawaesh (IS fighters) enter Al-Mohammadi mosque," Haidar Abdelhussein, a teacher who lives in the Tesaeen neighbourhood, told AFP.

The governor of Kirkuk, Najmeddin Karim, said he suspected the involvement of IS sleeper cells.

According to Amaq, the jihadist group claimed to control half of the city but reports from witnesses and security officers suggest that may be an exaggeration.

Kirkuk lies 240 kilometres north of Baghdad, in an oil- rich region.

The IS fighters who attacked before dawn and later holed themselves up in several buildings appear to have no vehicles nor heavy equipment.

"Our security forces are working relentlessly to eliminate all these terrorist cells by the close of day," Colonel Arkan Hamed, from the provincial police, said.

"Sniper fire is what is preventing us from ending this now," he said.

Kurdish peshmerga fighters have played a major role in the advance on Mosul - Iraq's biggest military operation in years - and both they and federal security forces have made gains on several fronts.

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Jihadists staged brazen attacks on the Iraqi city of Kirkuk today, killing at least 22 people, in what appeared to be an attempt to divert attention from the huge offensive against their Mosul bastion.

Residents awoke to the sound of shooting and praise for the "Islamic State" blaring through mosque loudspeakers.

Some attackers carried grenades and wore explosives vests or belts in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

An AFP reporter attended the interrogation of one suspected jihadist who said after being captured by Kurdish forces that the attack was designed to ease the pressure on the Mosul front to the northeast.

"Today's attack was one of caliph Baghdadi's plans to demonstrate that the Islamic State is remaining and expanding and reduce the pressure on the Mosul front," he said.

The young man in a grey tracksuit had his hands cuffed and gave his name as Hani Aydan Mustafa, but his role in IS was unclear.

Two years ago in Mosul, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

One of its main slogans was to remain and expand but it has been shrinking steadily since last year and losing Mosul could mean the end of its days as a land-holding force in Iraq.

The attack on Kirkuk, a strategic city some 240 kilometres north of Baghdad, demonstrated the group's continued ability to time its attacks and grab headlines.

"Around morning prayers, I saw several Dawaesh (IS fighters) enter Al-Mohammadi mosque," Haidar Abdelhussein, a teacher in the Tesaeen neighbourhood, told AFP.

"They used the loudspeakers to shout 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) and 'Dawla al-Islam baqiya' (Islamic State remains)," he said.

At least five suicide bombers targeted government buildings, including Kirkuk's main police headquarters. At least six policemen and 12 jihadists were killed in clashes.

A senior police officer said the main obstacle to flushing out holdout attackers was the risk from snipers.

A journalist for a local Turkmen television station was killed by an IS sniper, and health officials also said 51 wounded residents were evacuated to nearby hospitals.

A curfew was in place and sporadic gunfire could still be heard as night fell on what was now a war zone, with armoured vehicles taking up position and security forces manning rooftops or crouching behind walls.

IS is unlikely to hold positions in Kirkuk for long, and its attack had no immediate impact on the offensive against Mosul, the biggest Iraqi military operation in years.

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A jihadist sniper killed an Iraqi journalist in Kirkuk today during clashes between the security forces and fighters from the Islamic State group, the police and his channel said.

Ahmed Hajr Oglo, 30, was hit by a sniper bullet to the chest and died of his wounds, a colonel in the Kirkuk police told AFP. The channel confirmed the reporter's death.

"Journalist Ahmed Oglo, chief correspondent at Turkmeneli, was killed by a Daesh sniper as he covered the incidents in Kirkuk," the colonel said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Abdelkader Mohammed, a friend and colleague at Turkmeneli TV, confirmed the journalist's death.

Before dawn today, dozens of IS fighters armed with rifles, grenades and explosive vests attacked Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed city under Kurdish control.

They used mosque loudspeakers to broadcast messages supporting the "caliphate". Suicide bombers also attacked several government buildings, including the city's main police headquarters.

The brazen raid sparked a response by Kurdish and other security forces across the city, which was turned into a war zone and where fighting was still ongoing as night fell.

Security officials said a number of IS attackers had already been killed and added they were confident they would hunt down the rest but warned that snipers were the main obstacle.

Oglo was a father of two.

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In the wake of apprehending of a few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulated rumours regarding Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's health status, NHRC chairperson Justice H L Dattu today said arrest may not be an answer and there are other avenues for checking rumour-mongering.

"People have the fundamental right to express. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer. There are other avenues to check rumour-mongering," he told reporters.

He was addressing a press conference here to mark the foundation day of the the National Human Rights Commission which was born in 1993.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, rumours have been running rife about her health on social networking sites like Facebook and WhatsApp.

To scotch such rumours, the local police have formed a team comprising private cyber experts to keep a watch on those who spread false information about the health and warned of stern action against those involved in such acts.

She is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, amid rumour-mongering on her health condition, and police have registered 43 cases so far.

28-year-old, Mani Selvam, a bank employee, hailing from Ottapidaram Taluk, Tuticorin and 42-year-old Bala Sundaram hailing from Pammal, Chennai, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch police, Chennai Police had said on October 13.

Two persons were earlier arrested for allegedly spreading such rumours.

Three specialists from AIIMS in Delhi had also flown in to Chennai for her treatment early this month.

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said that the gap between government and the people could be reduced through maximum use of information technology.

And it could also rein in corruption and middlemen, Das said while addressing the 'Digital India Conclave' organized here by India Today.

Stress was being given in every department to use IT to the maximum for taking good governance benefits to the people, the chief minister said.

Nearly a couple of years ago Jharkhand was being discussed with regard to corruption, but now with the change in situation, now the state was being identified as digital Jharkhand, Das said.

Underscoring the need to make the state having pool of skilled and educated resources, the chief minister said these endeavours were necessary to end poverty.

A total of 4,404 panchayats are to connected through e-village, of which 1,400 have already been connected and the target to complete the exercise is December 2017, he said.

Das said that when he came he stressed upon giving corruption-free governance, accountable and transparent governance, besides giving accent on technology and further steps were being taken in this direction.

Rewards were bestowed upon those personalities and institutions working well in the IT sector in the programme.

Urban Development Minister C P Singh, CM's Principal Secretary, Sanjay Kumar, Inspector General of Police R K Malik, CM's Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal were among other dignitaries present on the occasion.

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JK Lakshmi Cement today said it plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through private placement for which it will seek shareholders approval.

"The Board shall ... Consider issue of non convertible debentures (NCDs) of up to Rs 500 crore, in one or more tranches, on private placement basis subject to requisite approval of the shareholders...," the firm said in a regulatory filing.

The company's Board will meet on October 26 to consider the proposal, it added.

The firm, part of the USD 4 billion JK Group, operates integrated cement facilities at Sirohi (Rajashthan), Durg (Chhatisgarh), Kalol and Surat (Gujarat) and Jharli (Haryana).

At present, it produces 8.4 million tonnes annually and its capacity is scheduled to go up to 12 million tonnes per annum shortly.

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JNU students, who have been agitating for the last six days over a missing student, today staged a protest outside Home Ministry alleging inaction in tracing him following which nearly 100 of them were detained.

With the agitated students keeping Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar and other university officials confined to the university's administrative block for over 20 hours, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had yesterday directed Delhi Police to set up a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to trace the missing student.

A student of School of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, allegedly went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before. An FIR for kidnapping and wrongfully confining a person was lodged at Vasant Kunj North police station yesterday after the police received a complaint from the student's guardians.

"It has been seven days and there is no sign of Najeeb. he was beaten up in front of senior warden of the hostel, security personnel and many students. All the eyewitnesses have given statement against the identified students but they are roaming freely," JNU Students Union President Mohit Pandey said.

According to police officials, around 80-100 students were detained as a preventive measure.

Security was beefed up at Raisina Hill in anticipation of the protest. Vehicular movement was stopped on Raisina Road and police, and paramilitary forces deployed in and around the area after police received information that the university students would arrive to stage a protest.

The students also submitted a memorandum to Home Ministry officials demanding speedy investigation into the case.

JNUSU decided to change the mode of their protest after confinement of the VC and around 12 other officials attracted criticism from various quarters.

Najeeb's family, which has been camping inside the JNU campus for five days, also joined them in the protest today.

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Bollywood actor John Abraham said he was initially apprehensive about telling his co-star Sonakshi Sinha to do action sequences in their upcoming film "Force 2".

In the second installment of "Force", an action drama, John and Sonakshi will be seen doing some heavy duty daredevil scenes.

"There was a scene where I and Sonakshi had to jump...And it was just second day of shoot. I was thinking...Should I tell her we have to jump...I was actually worried thinking what if she calls her dad (Shatrughan Sinha),"he told reporters here at the song launch event of "Force 2".

"She was like OK. Then I felt she was comfortable doing action sequences. It felt great to see her do action," he said.

The 43-year-old actor said he gets impressed when he sees actresses doing action.

"There is not enough action for heroines in films. We usually like to see them dancing most of the time," he said.

The song "Lal Rang" was launched today in presence of lead actors John, Sonakshi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, director Abhinay Deo, producer Vipul Shah and Ajit Andhare of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.

John said it was Abhinay's idea to give the actor's voiceover for the anthem song of "Force 2".

"Lal Rang" salutes India's unsung martyrs and for the first time ever John has lent his voice to a track.

"I had tears in my eyes while singing it. I also had anger while doing the song. It was a voice over but the experience was fantastic," John said.

The film, a sequel to the 2011 hit "Force", is due to release on November 18.

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Historically, being an elected prosecutor was a sweet gig: operating with "unchecked power and no transparency," you generally got to run unopposed for re-election, and on the rare instances in which someone did dare to run against the incumbent, the incumbent usually won.

Prosecutors are the reason that so many Americans were put behind bars on the basis of flimsy forensic evidence based on pseudoscience. Prosecutors are the ones who make the call not to prosecute cops who gun down unarmed black people. Prosecutors made the call to charge Aaron Swartz with 13 felonies for violating the terms of service on MIT's network, asking for 35 years in prison and hounding him to his death.

But prosecutor-turned-Stanford-law-prof Alan Sklansky has just released a pre-publication law review article that analyzes 8 recent elections in which "hard-line" prosecutors lost their jobs, precisely because they were such tough-on-crime assholes. He calls it a "small but growing trend." As such, it's particularly interesting when posed against Trump's evidence-free assertions of skyrocketing inner-city crime.



For example, 26-year veteran Mississippi prosecutor Forrest Allgood (a perfervid defender of an infamous medical examiner and discredited bite-mark evidence) was ousted last fall by Scott Colom, a young attorney who ran a campaign centered on reforming the system. Voters have also unseated Tim McGinty, the Ohio prosecutor whose jurisdiction includes Cleveland. McGinty was elected as a reformer in 2012, Sklansky notes, and his undoing seems almost entirely attributable to his failure to indict the police officer who killed Tamir Rice in a city park in November 2014. Holding police accountable was also a factor in prosecutor races in New Mexico and Baltimore, where Marilyn Mosby ran on a more traditional tough-on-crime platform, but also criticized the incumbent for being too closely aligned with the police department and for failing to indict officers after their fatal encounter with Tyrone West. Mosby has since been criticized for her handling of the prosecution of officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. Several races have focused more closely on prosecutorial misconduct, or on failings in the death penalty system, and some have been fueled by out-of-state campaign donations, notably by the billionaire George Soros. In other words, behind each victory there is a unique and myriad assortment of issues at play. Still, notes Sklansky, the recent upsets are not geographically pigeonholed or confined to larger jurisdictions. And although they represent a fraction of the 2,500 prosecutor offices across the country, the fact that incumbent prosecutors generally enjoy such great job security suggests they are significant. "This is a small trend, but it is a trend. Maybe a dozen or so over the last few years, and it is steadily growing," Sklansky said. "I think that suggests that there is a possibility [for reform] that 15 years ago didn't seem to exist."

The Changing Political Landscape for Elected Prosecutors

[David Alan Sklansky/Stanford]

HARD-LINE PROSECUTORS FACE REJECTION FROM VOTERS IN ELECTIONS ACROSS THE U.S.

[Jordan Smith/The Intercept]
The "Jungle" migrant camp on France's northern coast will be cleared of its residents on Monday before being demolished, authorities said today.

The local administration "made a legal order Friday that is to take effect on Monday", it said in a statement announcing the long-awaited operation.

Migrants at the camp in the ferry port of Calais will begin boarding 145 buses at 8:00 AM Monday to take them to nearly 300 temporary accommodation centres dotted round France.

The demolition of the sprawling makeshift camp closes a difficult chapter in Europe's migrant crisis.

The camp has strained relations between France and Britain, the country most of its residents are trying to reach.

On Sunday, officials and charity workers will pass through the settlement of shacks and tents to inform residents that they will have to leave.

The order from the local authorities informing residents that the camp is about to close was displayed from today in several languages.

"The aim is to give everyone a roof over their heads and we will do everything we can to make that happen," one official said.

The current Jungle camp dates from April 2015 and housed more than 10,000 migrants at its peak, although that number has dwindled to around 6,400 in its final days.

Migrants were attracted to Calais because it is a key departure point for Britain, where some have family links and many believe they have a better chance of finding work.

Their persistent efforts to climb on to trucks heading across the English Channel aboard ferries or trains have led the authorities to build a wall to keep them off the main road leading to the ferry port.

The Jungle residents are mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea.

For many, the camp embodies the failure of European governments to deal with the influx of migrants.

Calais residents and businesses have called for months for the camp to be razed.

But the fate of around 1,000 unaccompanied minors has delayed the camp's closure.

British authorities are allowing those with family links in Britain to settle in the UK.

By the end of the weekend, the week's total number of children transferred to the UK was expected to have reached 200, according to the France Terre d'Asile charity.

The head of the charity, Pierry Henry, told AFP that 73 minors had travelled to Britain on Friday and more than 100 were due to follow tomorrow.

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Opposing Centre's move to shift the Head Office of CIPET from here to Delhi, DMK today urged for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to withdraw the proposal.

"This move has no convincing reason or acceptable logic, and in fact it is a retrograde step," DMK chief M Karunanidhi told the Prime Minister in a letter.

The people of Tamil Nadu in general and the labour unions in particular "are very much agitated over the proposed move" to shift the head office of Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) to Delhi, he added.

CIPET, coming under the Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, was established here in 1968, "with an avowed objective of promoting plastic tools and dye-making industries in India," Karunanidhi said.

"It was registered under the Societies Registration Act, incorporating in it that the Head Office should be located at Chennai only," he said, adding, CIPET has grown into a premier institution of plastics engineering and technology with 27 Centres spread across the country.

CIPET had gained a reputation of continuously running on profits as well as international recognition "and it occupies a pride of place in the plastics engineering and technology map of India," he said.

Over a period of time, CIPET's head office here has built-up at par with international standards and equipped with all the high-end equipments, Karunanidhi said and recalled that the issue had come up during previous NDA government too.

"When a similar move was in the offing during the tenure of the NDA government at the Centre, headed by A B Vajpayee, I, as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, raised a strong voice of dissent and took up the issue with the Prime Minister," he said.

"Finally Suresh Prabhu, then Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, wrote to me on 30-11-1999, affirming that there was no proposal to shift the CIPET headquarters outside Tamil Nadu. Such was the helpful attitude adopted by Vajpayee government in responding to the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

Karunanidhi sought Modi's "immediate intervention" on the matter and to respect "popular demand of Tamil Nadu," to withdraw the proposal to shift CIPET head office from the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will release party's trade and industry manifesto on October 23 in Ludhiana during his visit to the state.

Chairman Punjab Dialogue Committee Kanwar Sandhu and head Trade and Industry wing of AAP Aman Arora stated this here.

They alleged that the anti-traders policies of SAD-BJP forced the industrialists to shift their units to other states.

There is great need to reinstall the faith of the traders in the government by drafting pro-traders policies, they said.

During his three-day visit to Punjab, Kejriwal will meet traders and industrialists in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh on October 23.

He will release the manifesto and address the community there.

On October 24, apart from paying respect at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo, he will interact with the traders at Bathinda and Jalandhar.

On the last day of his visit, Kejriwal will visit Batala and Mohali to meet traders and will listen to the problems and possible solutions from the community, they said.

Talking about the trade and industry manifesto, Sandhu said seven round of dialogues were organised with different sections of traders community, including commission agents, sheller owners, real estate, hoteliers and others, throughout the state.

The committee got more than 2000 written suggestions and many emails that helped the team to draft the manifesto, he said.

Sandhu said the investor's summits organised by the Punjab government were mere "eyewash" and "failed" to provide amicable environment to the industry forcing it to shift its base.

As per the records, more than 18,000 small and medium industry units have been shut down in recent years, he claimed.

Arora said AAP would stand by the rights of traders community and will provide a healthy environment for doing business in the state. He said that land, sand and liquor mafia would be wiped out of the state if AAP forms the government in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala government has ordered a probe by a special task force headed by Inspector General of Police Balram Kumar Upadhyay into complaints of lottery frauds involving single-digit lotteries in the state.

Replying to a notice seeking adjournment motion on single digit illegal lotteries trade flourishing in the state, Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac informed the Assembly that government viewed the matter very seriously and stern action would be taken on the basis of the report of the STF.

To take on the single-digit lottery operators, the state would telecast live the result of the draw of Kerala State Lotteries everyday, he said.

"Government has an open mind on the issue. It has be to curbed. Government is ready to accept any suggestions from the Opposition side," Issac said.

"The single-digit lottery, locally known as 'written lottery', is actually illegal betting. It is suspected that an organised group is behind the lottery which operates more in the Northern parts of the state," he said.

People become addict to this kind of betting quickly, he said.

Seeking leave for the motion, V D Satheeshan (Congress) said it was operated online and through SMS messages.

The 'lottery mafia' from other states were trying to gain strength in Kerala in a different form as they were pushed out of the state few years ago, he said.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala wanted the government to take stern action against single-digit lotteries as it has already started affecting the state-run lottery.

He alleged that "benamis of lottery king Santiago Martin" were behind it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today sent the father of national-level Kabaddi player Rohit Kumar to 14-day judicial custody in connection with the alleged suicide by his wife Lalita who had accused him and her in-laws of harassment.

Rohit's father, Vijay Singh, was produced before a link magistrate who remanded him to judicial custody till November 4 after the police did not seek his custodial interrogation.

Vijay was arrested after he surrendered at Nangloi Police Station in West Delhi. He was a sub-inspector in Delhi Police and had been dismissed from service, police said.

During the day, Rohit, who is in the navy, was arrested by a team of Delhi Police in Mumbai this afternoon. The kabaddi player would be produced to Delhi after being produced before a Mumbai court.

Lalita had allegedly committed suicide on October 17 at her parents' house in Nangloi. In her suicide note as well as audio and video clips left behind, she had alleged that her in-laws "harassed" her for minor issues and Rohit asked her to go away from his life.

A case was registered against Rohit and his father and two Delhi Police teams were formed to arrest Rohit and his father, who had also gone into hiding after Lalita committed suicide.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kerala Human Rights Commission today ordered a probe into registering of cases against journalists, including two women, in connection with the alleged manhandling by advocates at the Vigilance court here on October 14.

Commission acting chairperson P Mohandas issued the direction in this regard to the District Superintendent of Police and ordered the probe to be done by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The case had been registered against four journalists when they were on duty inside the court, on a complaint from a lawyer that they had caused 'simple hurt' to the advocates.

The commission observed that from reports, it was understood that cases were registered against the journalists without any reasons.

The journalists were allegedly dragged out of the court during hearing of a private petition against former Kerala industries minister Jayarajan on October 14.

Though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had recently said there was no bar on journalists reporting court proceedings and called the action of a section of lawyers obstructing reporting as unacceptable, mediapersons are not allowed in courts in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unsavoury scenes were witnessed in the Supreme Court today when some lawyers got agitated and started shouting at each other to get the attention of the Chief Justice's bench, leading CJI T S Thakur to lose his cool and asking them to "shut up" or get thrown out.

"Shut up. Why are you shouting? Is this a court or a fish market? Shut up I say. I will get you thrown out. There has to be some dignity of the court. This is the problem. People who do not conduct themselves in the courtroom want to become senior lawyers," the Chief Justice of India told the lawyers who were indulging in heated exchanges inside the court room.

The CJI warned some of them that they could be thrown out of the courtroom if they did not behave and told an advocate who had raised his voice not to do it again.

"You keep quiet. There is a dignity of this court. Is this a court or a market place? You are not a party in this matter. Just look at (eminent lawyer) Soli Sorabjee. Just look at him and try to learn something. Do you think raising your voice and browbeating will help you," Justice Thakur said.

The CJI's bench, which also comprised Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, was hearing a PIL filed by senior advocate Indira Jaising seeking transparency and overhauling the "opaque system" of designating lawyers as senior advocates.

At the outset, Jaising said that "monopoly" at the Bar of a handful of seniors was affecting access to justice and sought a system that provided "equal opportunity" to all as she compared it with the concept of monopolistic and restrictive trade practices.

She alleged that the present system was discriminatory and "if we want this to continue with the present system, it has to be democratised."



However, her suggestions that a lawyer with 20-30 years of experience or those who filed PILs and had published articles in prominent periodicals should be automatically be designated as seniors, did not appeal to the bench.

The bench was also not impressed with her suggestion that there should be interviews for nominating a counsel as senior on the ground that the process did not involve selection as the judges always interacted with them during hearing.

While showing its disagreement, the court remarked, "just because a lawyer has spent a number of years in the profession cannot be a ground for his designation. You will also say that lawyers with education in Harvard, Oxford be considered for designation as senior counsel.

The apex court also questioned the criteria suggested by



Jaising to give marks to candidates.

When Jaising spoke about the practice of lobbying, the court asked her whether she had lobbied for her gown. To this, she retorted, "No. I did not. Please don't compel me to disclose information which I am privy to."



Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, senior advocate A M Singhvi, Supreme Court Bar Association President Dushyant Dave and senior counsel Soli Sorabjee also addressed the court on the issue.

Rohatgi opposed the suggestion of a marking system. He also vehemently argued that the designation process should restart and that this case should be closed.

While Singhvi maintained that a mechanism of marking could be followed internally by the judges, his stress was on consistency. Dushyant Dave said the Court should formulate some rules but it should not go for a very formal method.

The parties have now been given a week to file their written submissions and suggestions to make the process of designation more transparent.

Earlier, the Court had said it was open to suggestions from the bar to improve the system of designating lawyers as senior, but the final decision would remain with the judges.

It had said that the Bar could form a committee and the court could take into account the views of the committee.

In the PIL, Jaising had termed the present process as "opaque, arbitrary and fraught with nepotism."



She had claimed that the advocates taking up matters of human rights or public interest litigations were ignored and there was need to analyse data relating to the cases argued, judgements delivered in their matters and their contribution to jurisprudence and legal aid programmes.
With view to promote Bengali literature, two-day-long Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob 2016 started today with writers from West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Festival Director Swagat Sengupta said "we haven't been able to adequately pass on Bengal's cultural and literary heritage to the next generation."



"Our literature and cultural legacy can be preserved and can thrive when millennials understand its relevance and take it forward in their own unique ways," he said.

The festival brings together eminent poet Sankha Ghosh and writers like Nabaneeta Deb Sen, Sanjib Chattopadhyay, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Bani Basu besides renowned Bangladeshi author Selina Hussain.

Sengupta said the festival is being curated as a celebration as well as a beehive of information about the Bengali literary legacy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Biotechnology major Biocon today said its manufacturing facility in Malaysia will be commercialised in the second half of the current financial year.

"Our facility in Malaysia will be commercialised in the H2 of the current fiscal," Biocon Chairperson and MD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw told PTI during a conference call on the Q2 FY 17 results.

Initially, the products from the facility will cater to local markets but they would be taken gradually to global markets, she added.

The facility manufactures the drug substance for the company's range of rh-insulin and insulin analogs as well as drug products in vials, cartridges and devices.

The rh-Insulin became the first product to be manufactured at this facility that has been approved for commercialisation by the Ministry of Health (MoH), Malaysia, as per the company's website.

Regulatory filings for several other emerging markets are underway to enable commercial sales from the Malaysian facility, Biocon had said earlier.

The facility has received the cGMP certification from the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau (NPCB), Malaysia.

Biocon's Malaysia facility is located within BioXcell, a biotech park in Nusajaya, Johor, promoted by the Malaysian government.

According to the company's website this is Biocon's first overseas biopharma manufacturing and research facility.

Biocon entered Malaysia in 2010 through formation of its subsidiary Biocon Sdn Bhd and has set up integrated insulin manufacturing facility at an investment of over USD 250 million, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Police personnel, led by Commissioner Alok Verma, today paid homage to the martyrs on the occasion of Police Commemoration Parade at Kingsway Camp here.

A total of 473 para military and police personnel, including 17 Delhi Police men, laid their lives serving the country.

The Commissioner read out the names of the martyrs and a two-minutes silence was observed as a mark of tribute to the martyrs on the occasion.

Senior Delhi Police officers and their retired colleagues paid floral tributes at the 'Shahidi Puskitka' at the memorial of martyrs at Kingsway Camp.

A commemoration day programme was also organised in South West Delhi, where six martyrs were remembered. The family members of the martyrs were also present on the occasion.

The 'Shoke Shastra Salute' of the Commemoration Parade was taken by the Additional DCP of the southwest district and the Delhi Police Flag was brought down in remembrance of the martyrs.

Senior police officials of the district were present on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Join the Emperor's Bridge folks for a short adventure and a fun celebration! Help celebrate Emperor Norton's bridge's birthday!

If you're in the Bay Area on November 12th, please join The Emperor's Bridge Campaign for a celebration to wish the Emperor's bridge a happy 80th birthday  and to show your support for naming the Emperor's bridgefor him!

RINCON + RED'S

The Emperor Norton Bridge Turns 80

Saturday 12 November 2016

2 p.m.



Gather in Rincon Park (map)

For picture-postcard views of the bridge

2:30 p.m.

Short walk to Red's Java House

3 to 5 p.m.

Red's Java House (patio) (map)

Beautiful views of the Bay and bridge

Plus: An update on the Campaign's effort to have the bridge named for Emperor Norton in 2022

ADMISSION: Free

Although Red's will appreciate the appropriate coin for drinks and food!
Mexican federal forces arrested today the fugitive former police chief of the city where 43 students disappeared in 2014 after they were rounded up by local officers.

Felipe Flores was detained at 7 AM in Iguala in an operation involving federal police, the military and the attorney general's office, the National Security Commission said on its Twitter account, without providing more details.

Flores was Iguala's police chief when officers attacked dozens of students in the town on September 26, 2014, after the young men stole buses for a protest in Mexico City -- a common practice among the trainee teachers in Guerrero state.

His arrest may offer new clues about the fate of the students in a case that has bedeviled President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration for more than two years.

Prosecutors have said that the police officers took 43 students and handed them over to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel, which killed them, incinerated their bodies at a garbage dump and tossed the remains in a river.

But the government's conclusions were rejected by independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who said there was no scientific proof that the students were burned at the dump.

The attorney general's office has since agreed to look at other lines of investigation and conduct new searches.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress today accused the Narendra Modi government of "ignoring" poor and weak resulting in India slipping to 97th position on Global Hunger Index from 55th place during the UPA regime and witnessing suicides by 52 farmers daily.

India performed poorly in the Global Hunger Index slipping to 97 position under the NDA dispensation as against 55 in the erstwhile UPA regime, Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar told reporters here.

This, he said, has taken place because the Modi government has effected cuts in social welfare schemes, which were targeted at the marginalised sections of India. UPA-I and -II had taken steps to reduce hunger through schemes like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and MGNREGA.

"Under Modiji, everyday 550 jobs are lost in India. Every day 52 farmers commit suicide," he alleged.

Kumar also alleged that a sugar scam is brewing in India with the government planning to reduce customs duty on the commodity, saying the move would not reduce the price of sugar before Diwali, but those importing the sugar and then selling it will be profiting.

He claimed under the plan, price of sugar will not go down, but sugar will be imported from Brazil at Rs 26 per kg and sold at Rs 45 per kg here.

Accusing the government of mismanaging the sugarcane economy, he said the arrears to cane growers stood at Rs 13,000 crore in 2015-16 as against of Rs 800 crore in 2013-14.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress today latched on to biggest debit card breach in India to take pot shot at the Narendra Modi government telling the Prime Minister that it should take credit for this first ever "surgical strike" from hackers in the US and China.

"In China, Russia, Indonesia, the US, there are hackers who have stolen lists of 65 lakh card holders. While these lists were being stolen, the nations 'Chowkidar', Narendra Modi was sleeping," party spokesman Ajoy Kumar told reporters.

Demanding that the government make a full disclosure on the extent of this "theft", he wanted it to inform all those affected by this leak and ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their loss.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. And these lists were stolen on Modiji's watch. This government has a habit of saying that it is the first government to do anything. Well it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," he said suggesting that it should take credit for this 'surgical strike'.

He lamented that instead of the NDA government fulfilling its promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in each citizen's account by bringing back black money stashed abroad, "money is being taken out of the people's account in Modi's India".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Joined by two Trinamool Congress MPs, Shahi Imam of the Tipu Sultan Mosque here, Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati today charged the Narendra Modi government with trying to "polarise the nation" by "imposing" the Uniform Civil Code.

Alleging that the Modi government was trying to "impose" UCC on the Muslims, the Imam called all the Muslims, as well as the Hindus, the Christians, the Dalits and other communities to come together to oppose the move.

He was addressing a protest demonstration in front of the Tipu Sultan Mosque at busy Dharamtala area in which two TMC MPs-- Sultan Ahmed and Idris Ali-- were present.

Sultan Ahmed told reporters, "I have come to attend the programme to oppose UCC."



"There cannot be any uniform civil code in the country. It will disturb the unity of the country. Muslims in the country have been targeted and the Centre is trying to impose UCC on the Muslims. We have inherited the law and we will not allow any interference," Sultan Ahmed said.

Asked whether it is his party's view, the MP said, "This is not the TMC office. You ask our party's national spokesperson about it."



Idris Ali, another TMC MP said that "nobody will be allowed to amend the Quran".

"We will oppose any such move of the Centre and will stop anybody who will try to amend the Quran," Ali said.

The Shahi Imam also called for a nationwide road blockade protesting the Centre's move. A rally at the Park Circus Maidan would also be held, he said.

For the first time in India's constitutional history, the Centre on October 7 opposed in the Supreme Court the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy among Muslims and favoured a relook on the grounds of gender equality and secularism.

The Ministry of Law and Justice, in its affidavit, referred to constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practice of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Vadodara tomorrow to inaugurate the international terminal at Harni airport.

He will also attend a programme to distribute artificial limbs and other implements to more than 8000 'Divyangs' (disabled persons) in the city.

It will be Modi's first visit to Vadodara after becoming PM in May 2014. In last Lok Sabha elections, Modi got elected from both Vadodara and Varanasi seats, but he retained latter.

"After arriving in Vadodara tomorrow afternoon, the PM will first inaugurate the newly-built international terminal at the city airport and then he will attend Divyang camp at Navlakhi ground," said an official of Gujarat Information Department.

The state-of-the-art terminal, built at the cost of Rs 160 crore, is spread over 18,120 sq mt and can handle 700 passengers (domestic plus international) per hour. It will have 18 check-in counters. The airport is located in Harni area on the outskirts of Vadodara.

After the function, Modi will head to Navlakhi ground, where artificial limbs, tri-cycles and other assistive devices will be distributed to over 8000 'Divyangs'.

The event has been jointly organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Kanpur-based Artificial Limb Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), and Vadodara district administration, stated a government release.

This will be Modi's fourth visit in last three months to his home state, where Assembly elections are due next year.

On his 66th birthday on September 17, Modi had inaugurated various irrigation and drinking water projects in the tribal district of Dahod. He had attended a Divyang camp at Navsari in south Gujarat.

In August, he had visited Gujarat twice - once to condole death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj at Botad district and then to inaugurate the ambitious Sauni Irrigation Scheme in Jamnagar district.

(Reopens BES 15)



Harni is only the second "green building" airport in country.

Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra told
India's financial hub Mumbai has been named among top 15 cities globally in terms of total wealth held, while London topped the list, says a report.

According to New World Wealth, the wealthiest cities in the world are London with USD 2.7 trillion of total wealth, followed by New York City (USD 2.6 trillion) and Tokyo (USD 2.2 trillion) in the second and third place respectively.

Mumbai featured on the 14th place in the list with a total wealth held in the city worth USD 820 billion.

"Home to 45,000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, Mumbai is the economic hub of India. It is also home to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)," the report said.

The report further noted that among the 15 cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai and Sydney were the fastest growing in terms of wealth over the past decade (2006-2016).

"Going forward, Mumbai is expected to be the fastest growing city (in terms of wealth growth over the next 10 years)," the report added.

Others in the list include San Francisco Bay area at the fourth place with a total wealth of USD 1.9 trillion; Beijing (5th, USD 1.8 trillion); Shanghai (6th, USD 1.6 trillion); Los Angeles (7th, USD 1.2 trillion); Hong Kong (8th, USD 1.1 trillion); Singapore (9th, USD 870 billion) and Chicago (10th, USD 860 billion).

Sydney at 11th place has a total wealth of USD 850 billion; Toronto (12th, USD 850 billion); Frankfurt (13th, USD 830 billion) and Paris (15th, USD 800 billion).

Meanwhile, total wealth held worldwide amounts to USD 185 trillion (as of June 2016). Globally, there are 13,300,000 millionaires and 1,940 billionaires in total, the report said.

'Total wealth' refers to the private wealth held by all individuals in a country.

It includes all their assets (property, cash, equities, business interests) less any liabilities. Government funds are from the figures.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai University has agreed to hand over 34,715 sq mt land in suburban Kalina to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to build two roads that will connect BKC to Vakola and Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road.

"In all, the university will hand over land measuring 34,715 sq mt to MMRDA. The TDR, generated after handing over of the land, will be sold and used for the overall development of the university, which will include construction of hostels, staff quarters, guests house, science block in area of about 3 lakh sq mt," the authority said in a statement here.

The MMRDA will be constructing 1.2 km-long elevated road with 2+2 lanes from Bharat Diamond Bourse Junction in BKC to Vakola Junction near Western Express Highway.

It will also construct 400-metre long and 30-metre wide road in the vicinity of Mumbai University for additional connectivity from BKC to Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road.

The MMRDA has also planned to build a flyover from Bandra Worli Sea Link to BKC and a road on stilt from Kalanagar towards Sea Link. The estimated cost of the work is Rs 253 crore, the statement said.

It has also proposed to develop an elevated connector from 'G' Block in BKC to join EEH via Mithi River, LBS Road, Central Railway track Duncan Causeway Road, colony road leading to Chunabhatti Railway Station, crossing Harbour Line tracks and Somaiyya Trust Ground at an estimated cost of Rs 155.70 crore and expected to be completed by April 2018.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid a raging debate over the issue of triple talaq, an 18-year-old Muslim woman, who was recently divorced as per the Islamic tradition, has refused to accept the talaq and decided to take up the cudgels against the "abhorrent practice".

Arshiya Bagwan alleged that soon after her marriage two years ago, her in-laws started torturing her. She was sent back to her parents' house in Baramati town near Pune, where she received a divorce notice from her husband a few days back, with the word 'talaq' written three times.

Narrating her ordeal in a press conference organised by Muslim Satya Shodhak Mandal here today, Arshiya said she was married to one Mohammad Kazim Bagwan, a vegetable trader in the city at a tender age of 16.

"After six months of marriage, my mother-in-law started torturing me for not conceiving. However, even after I became pregnant, the harassment continued," she said.

Arshiya, who is now a mother of an eight-month-old boy, said due to the constant quarrels and disputes at home, she was packed off to her parents' house by her in-laws recently.

"I tried to resolve the matter with my husband mutually. However, he also started avoiding me and even stopped taking my calls. A few days back, I got a shock of my life, when I received a notice from my husband in which he had declared thrice that he was giving me talaq," she said.

As the woman was not willing to accept the talaq given in an "unilateral" way, she approached the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal, a city-based reformist organisation.

"Though I received the notice from my husband, I do not accept it and will go to the family court against this arbitrary method of separation," she said.

Arshiya, who had to cut short her education after completing Class XI, said that she always wanted to study further, but could not do so after marriage.

"I will now pursue my education and will work with Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal (MSM). I will help women from Muslim community, who have been subjected to such abhorrent practices," she said.

Shamshuddin Tamboli, president of MSM said that the organisation will support Arshiya and all those women in similar situation.

"In the coming days, we plan to hold symposia and meetings across the state to create awareness about triple talaq, polygamy and various other practices," he said.

The organisation is planning to start a signature campaign against triple talaq.

(Reopens BOM 22)



Tamboli also demanded the abolishment of "atrocious" conditions in Muslim Personal law and sought "equal rights" to women under Articles 14 and 15 of the Indian Constitution.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Arshiya's parents said they committed a "big mistake" by getting their daughter married at a very tender age.

"Even we do not accept this arbitrary divorce and will support our daughter, who has decided to raise her voice against this practice," said Nasrin Bagwan, mother of Arshiya.

Her father, Nisar Bagwan, a vegetable trader, rued that after receiving the notice, he had approached the senior members of the community, but they also expressed their inability to resolve the matter.

"When I approached them to mediate between the two families, they simply refused and expressed their inability to resolve the matter by saying that since talaq has already been given, they cannot do anything," he said.
Several hundred Muslims staged a protest prayer outside the Colosseum in Rome today over what they see as unfair restrictions on their freedom to practise their faith in Italy.

Organisers said they had called the demonstration following the recent closure on administrative grounds of five makeshift mosques.

Many Italian Muslims suspect local authorities are responding to a climate of mistrust caused by recent Islamist attacks in Europe by closing down the places of worship on the grounds of easily resolved problems such as the number of toilets on a particular premises.

"We feel people are pointing the finger at us," said Francesco Tieri, a convert to Islam who acts as a coordinator for a number of Islamic groups.

"There is no political will to recognise that we are here and that we are a peaceful community.

"We are forced to rent places to pray - which for us is like breathing air, if we can't do it we die."



According to official figures there are just over 800,000 Muslims living in Italy legally and officials estimate that a further 100,000 live in the country permanently without official papers.

That would suggest the community makes up more than 1.5 per cent of the population and that Islam is the second most followed faith in the mostly Roman Catholic country.

Islam however is not recognised as an official religion, unlike Judaism or the Mormon faith, and many Muslims from north Africa and South Asia feel discriminated against on the grounds of both race and religion.

Rome is home to the biggest mosque in the Western world but proposals to construct traditional-style mosques elsewhere have frequently run into opposition from local councils who can withhold planning permission on any number of technical grounds ranging from the size of proposed parking facilities to the architectural harmony of a particular neighbourhood.

Right wing parties have called for a blanket ban on any mosques built with funds from donors outside of Italy.

Lawmaker Barbara Saltamartini of the anti-immigration Northern League called today's demonstration "an unacceptable provocation" which should never have been allowed to take place in Rome.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pitching for making India an important commercial arbitral centre, Finance Minister today said efforts are being made to revive the arbitration centres in Mumbai and national capital with a view to expedite contractual dispute resolution at lesser cost.

India, he said, is the bright spot in gloomy world economy and has attracted highest foreign direct investment and to retain investor confidence the nation should have robust mechanism for expeditious disposal of disputes.

For India to become an important arbitral centre, "We need the adequate infrastructure for arbitration, that's an area we have made headway," he said pointing to progress made in setting up arbitration centres at Mumbai.

"I am conscious of the fact that efforts are being made to actively revive the arbitration centre in Delhi also and hopefully in the other large towns of India," he said addressing a conference on Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement in India.

Currently, the most respected arbitration centres are in US, UK, Europe and Singapore.

Jaitley said the objective is to "expedite dispute resolution, bring down the cost and incentivise people on arbitrating in India, rather than otherwise."



For India to emerge as a major arbitral centre, it needs "independent and credible set of arbitrators," he said adding besides a pool of independent and credible set of arbitrators, there is a need to nourish talent from fields like academia.

"We need arbitration with a speed, we need arbitration at modest cost. We need to recognise the principle that arbitration being a domestic redressal mode chosen by the contracting parties, contracts should be respected and therefore judicial intervention to be either minimal or virtually non existent," he said.

For economic activity taking place in India, the seat of arbitration must be within the country as otherwise the cost on contracting parties would become unaffordable, he said.

"The objective is India does become an important arbitral centre as an economy which is attracting investment which is a fast growing economy, disputes in relation to that economy should take place in India.

"A country like India has experienced independent and powerful judiciary, there is no reason why we can't have a very independent and robust arbitral mechanism in India," he said.

The Finance Minister said investment is key to any economy and investors today have a choice across the world.

"His anticipated returns, his likelihood of profitability, his security of investment are all key decisions which guide the investment.

"And one key consideration for them is how safe and secure is investment. Will I have the right to exit at the appropriate moment and will I have the right to have expeditious disposal of any issue of dispute in relation to my investment," Jaitley said.

India, he said, needs investment because it has a large infrastructure gap.

Road, highways, railways, airports, seaports, power sectors as well as manufacturing still have a large distance to cover.

"And history has provided us an opportunity where the world today looks at us. For the last two years and hopefully for the next few years we occupy the place of a bright spot as the fastest growing economy in the world.

"And when there is a global slowdown we have still been able to maintain respectable growth rates. We attracted one of the highest foreign direct investments into our economy," he said.

Stating that public spending has increased, he said it was extremely important both from the point of view of the ease of doing business as also to retain the confidence of the investor itself, that Indian system is tuned in order to ensure that it has a robust mechanism for expeditious disposal of any disputes which arise.

Speaking on the occasion, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya said with foreign investments increasing in the economy, there is a need to develop India as a global hub for arbitration.

Panagariya said India is a bright spot in challenging global economy and is projected to grow at 7.5 per cent in current year. Also improvement in ranking of the country in the competitiveness index shows inherent dynamism in the economy.
Nepal is willing to participate in China's ambitious "One Belt, One Road" initiative, Prime Minister Prachanda said today, expressing confidence that the development project could benefit the land-locked country.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal told visiting Chinese Minister of State for Industry and Administration Zhang Mao that Nepal wants to actively take part in the initiative and benefit from the endeavour, according to sources at the Prime Minister's office.

China's proposed "One Belt, One Road" initiative, a pet project of President Xi Jinping, aims to link the economic circles in East Asia and Europe, connecting China - on land and over water - to partners in Asia, Europe and Africa.

The initiative known as the revival of the ancient Silk Road trading route would link Asian markets with economic groups in Europe.

With nearly three billion people inhabiting areas covered by the proposed economic belt, it represents the biggest market in the world with unparalleled potential.

Chinese President Xi first introduced the conceptin 2013 during his visit to Kazakhstan.

During the meeting with the Chinese minister, Prachanda also welcomed signing of an agreement relating to the protection of intellectual property between the two countries.

Zhang lauded timely implementation of Nepal-China joint projects and also expressed happiness over creating conducive environment for Chinese companies to work in Nepal.

During a separate meeting with Nepalese minister for Industry Navindar Raj Joshi, Jhang said Nepal could benift from the economic progress of its northern neighbour.

They also discussed issues regarding Nepal-China relations and Chinese support for overall economic development of Nepal, according to sources close to Joshi.

During the meeting, Joshi sought China's support in constructing special economic zone (SEZ) infrastructures in northern borders of Nepal.

In response, Zhang said the Chinese investors were eager to invest in Nepal.

The Chinese government also offered assistance to Nepal in introducing the Chinese technology in the country's cottage and small industry sector, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal is all set to welcome President Pranab Mukherjee on November 2, with a team of Indian officials arriving here to discuss logistic issues and security arrangements.

The team from New Delhi comprising officials from security, protocol, the Indian External Affairs Ministry and the President's Office arrived here yeaterday.

The Indian team has held discussion with the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal regarding the preparation of the upcoming visit, including security matters.

Mukherjee is embarking on a three-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Although the date of the visit of Mukherjee has been tentatively fixed from November 2-4, no official announcement has so far been made regarding the matter.

Beside Kathmandu, Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Janakpur, Pokhara and Lumbini.

Janakpur and Lumbini are two famous religious sites of Hindus and Buddhists and Pokhara in western Nepal is a tourist hub of the country.

In Janakpur, Mukherjee will attend a civic reception organised in the premises of the famous Ram-Janaki temple.

President Mukherjee is also scheduled to address a function at the Kathmandu University during the visit.

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A Nepalese has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a court for smuggling drugs into India.

Additional District judge Brij Lal Chaurasia yesterday held Ishwarlal Roka, a resident of Dang district in Nepal, guilty of smuggling narcotics into India.

The court also imposed a fine Rs 1 lakh on him.

Roka was arrested by SSB personnel on the Rupaiyadeeh check post on December 5, 2011 with 5.238 kg of narcotics, prosecution counsel said.

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Akbar's effort to redefine his equation with religion is worth a deep study, believes journalist-turned-author Shazi Zaman, whose latest novel is a result of 20 years of research on the great Mughal emperor.

"I think Akbar is relevant for all societies which have multiple streams, ideologies, and denominations. In that sense, his relevance transcends time. I am living in the 21st century and I find his life and thoughts very relevant today," Zaman says.

The author says the way Akbar "interacted with different and differing ideologies" is inspiring.

"He created an equal opportunity platform for all faiths in his 'ibadatkhana' (House of Worship) and protected their right to speak their mind. I find his quest to seek a larger-than-life role --that of a spiritual leader -- interesting.

"His efforts to redefine the king's equation with religion is worth a deep study. He was a king who was trying to make sense of religion, was trying to drill sense into religion and also trying to find a space for himself in the spiritual realm," says the author.

"Akbar", published in Hindi by Rajkamal Prakashan, also draws from some of the exemplary work on the king such as Akbarnama, Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, Baburnama, Humanyunnama and Tazkirat-ul-waqiat.

The author traveled extensively from Indian Museum in Kolkata to Victoria Albert in London to study the resources available about Akbar and his contemporaries.

"These two decades have been exploratory. Unknown terrains opened up as I read what his spokesperson Abul Fazl, his critic Mulla Badaoni and many other contemporaries had to say about him," says Zaman, a History graduate from St Stephen's College, Delhi University.

"Unlikely sources threw up surprising details about his mind and thoughts. So what began as a quest to understand Akbar's life expanded to an exploration into his mind. History usually records utterances and events. State of mind is something that has to be gleaned. I was fortunate to have come across sources that revealed how his complex mind worked.

Zaman says he came across a Rajasthani source that



documents Akbar's fit with a clergy and realised the extent of the emperor's impatience with organised religion.

"His interactions with Vaishnav saints, Jesuits, Jains and Parsees as recorded by religious personalities give an insight into how he was viewing these faiths and how these faiths were viewing him."



Asked about the challenges in writing a book on Akbar, Zaman says he is aware that people are sensitive about historical figures but his book goes beyond history.

"I am aware that history is not just about the past. It is about the present as well. People alive today feel deeply, and often politically about people who were alive yesterday. What makes the issue complicated is people's imaginative thoughts about past characters.

"I can foresee an adverse reaction in case the picture I present is not in line with what they think. While my work is historical, it goes beyond history as well. It is a piece of fiction that is rooted in history."



The author says he has explored Akbar's thought process without deviating much from real incidents.

"While all incidents mentioned in the book actually happened, where I have exercised my license is in exploring the manner in which those events and happenings affected the thoughts of the emperor and conversely how it affected the course of events. And that is a matter of interpretation which an author is entitled to," he says.

While the copies of the book are yet to hit the stands, publishers Speaking Tiger have already purchased the rights for the English translation.

"The English translation will appear in next few months. The next steps is to publish it in other Indian Languages for which the announcement will be made soon," says Ashok Maheshwari, Managing Director of Rajkamal Prakashan.
Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam today faced the National Green Tribunal's ire for its failure to comply with a 2015 order directing it to seal all hand pumps which were releasing contaminated ground water in six districts in the western part of the state.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar pulled up the authorities for not complying with its November 2015 order and asked why a joint affidavit has not been filed yet.

"It's shocking. Why don't you read the order and comply with it," the bench said and granted the last opportunity to UP Jal Nigam to comply.

The authorities sought more time to complete the process of dismantling the hand pumps after which the tribunal granted them a week's time and posted the matter for October 28.

"Authorities say they need more time. In the interest of justice, we give last opportunity and grant one week's time. Put up the matter for further hearing on October 28," the bench said.

The green panel was hearing a petition filed by NGO Doaba Paryavaran Samiti head C V Singh, a retired scientist of Haryana Pollution Control Board, who has alleged that due to consumption of contaminated ground water over 50 villagers have died in western Uttar Pradesh of cancer.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for petitioner, sought that heavy cost be imposed on state authorities so that they get a lesson as children were also dying after drinking contaminated water, contending that the people were suffering due to the failure of the authorities.

During the hearing, the bench asked whether the state government was providing potable water to the poor villagers of thse six districts, to which the state's counsel replied in affirmative.

The tribunal was also informed that the government was in the process of dismantling the hand pumps and its completion required some more time.

The bench had earlier observed that it was the fundamental duty of the state government to look after the health and environment of villagers.

In November last year, the bench had directed UP Jal Nigam to forthwith seal the hand pumps of all western UP districts which were releasing contaminated ground water.

NGT had constituted a panel consisting of officials from



the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), UP government and UP Jal Nigam to submit a study with analysis report and data on the issue of contaminated ground water in the western UP districts.

It was alleged by the petitioner that ground water in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat and Ghaziabad districts was polluted due to effluents being released underground due to reverse boring by industries.

The counsel had said that children were being born with deformity and the people suffering from cancer due to high chemical contents found in the ground water released from hand pumps in these villages.

The bench had then directed the state government and its officials to provide potable drinking water to the villagers of the six districts through vehicles having GPS system.

It had also said the committee was at liberty to engage experts to analyse the impact of use of fertilisers, insecticides and pesticide on contamination of ground water.

The petitioner had said that there were several rivers like Hindon, Kali and Krishna that pass through the villages of western Uttar Pradesh.

"Due to the effluents being discharged into the rivers by the industries located in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Meerut, the groundwater has become toxic and poisonous," the plea had said.

It was stated by the petitioner that Gangnoli village of district Baghpat had 37 cancer patients, while 71 had died due to cancer and the hand pumps there released contaminated water which had high quantity of lead, arsenic and sulphur.
National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice H L Dattu today pitched for vesting NHRC with "more power", saying the rights watchdog should "roar like a tiger".

"Everyone wants to have more power. We (NHRC) also want to have more power," he told reporters.

The former Chief Justice of India was addressing a press conference here to mark the Foundation Day of the NHRC.

According to a recent media report, Dattu had termed NHRC a "toothless tiger" that needed some teeth to enforce its orders on remedial measures in cases relating to any violations.

"In many cases, due to our active intervention, we have addressed human rights issues. We are celebrating our foundation day today... And, with more power, it (NHRC) should roar like a tiger," he told PTI on the sidelines of the press conference.

Since its inception in 1993, the NHRC has come a long way by addressing several issues of human rights violations as well as giving inputs on key legislations impacting human rights, he said.

"Whenever an issue of human rights violation comes to the notice of the NHRC, it has to take cognisance without bothering for the permutations and combinations of electoral politics or caste and creed equations," Dattu said.

When asked what action the NHRC takes in case a party to which a notice has been served by it does not respond within the stipulated time, he said, "In case they don't, we give them one more opportunity, and even then if they don't respond, then we issue them a conditional summon to appear before us and submit the report."



"In 95-96 per cent cases the state government or authorities do respond. But, there have been instances, where despite repeated reminders they don't respond and in those cases, we presume they have nothing to say in the matter. And, so based on the given material, we take a decision, and if we don't find merit in the case, we dismiss it," he said.

The rights panel chief also enumerated cases where the Supreme Court had accepted its recommendations, like in the encounter cases of Manipur and the incident of silicosis in a state.

"Since October, 2015 to September, 2016, the NHRC has registered 1,05,664 cases on the basis of complaints, intimation from police and prison authorities, etc, and on suo motu basis," the NHRC said.

During the period, maximum 32,498 complaints were registered against police, out of which 206 cases were of encounter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Public sector Neyveli Lignite Corporation has commenced construction of its 1980-MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh.

The power plant is a joint venture between Tamil Nadu-based NLC India Ltd and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd.

Neyveli Lignite Corporation has allocated Rs 17,237.80 crore towards the construction of the plant, of which 30 per cent would be equity and rest through loans.

Unit I is expected to be completed early 2020. The project would require 11.35 million tonne coal per annum.

Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal unveiled the plaque during the ground breaking ceremony yesterday at Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh. Member of Parliament from Kanpur, Murli Manohar Joshi was also present at the ceremony, a press release said here.

"The central government is very eager to complete the construction work of this project within the sanctioned period as it would bring industrialisation in this area," Goyal was quoted as saying in the release.

The plant would provide the maximum share of the generated power to the state to improve the power situation in there, he said.

The Environment Ministry has given its clearance for the project with imported coal option.

The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated 80 cubic feet per second water from the Allahabad Branch Canal to fulfill the water requirement of the project.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP today maintained that there is no need for the party to comment on the allegations against Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi after he has reacted to them, flatly rejecting the charge that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma after being "honey trapped".

"He (Gandhi) has issued a clarification. There is no need to offer further comments," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

A BJP office-bearer said there is no need for the party to be drawn into the controversy involving a sensitive issue like defence deals.

"Let's see how the issue plays out. As of now, we don't think that there is a need to join the issue," an office-bearer said when asked about the attack by leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress on the government over the issue.

Gandhi was at the centre of a controversy over allegations by Swaraj Abhiyan that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Verma and arms manufacturers after being "honey trapped", a charge he stoutly denied.

He had said in press conference yesterday that he last met Verma when he was a post graduate student in London at the age of 22 years.

"I am going to turn 37 now. I have never met him since I entered public life in 2004. The only reason why I even know of him is because his parents were members of Parliament and was a respected family. I knew them as many other leaders knew them," he had said.

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A government Medical College here has asked its students to shun jeans, leggings, short tops and 'noisy ornaments' while attending classes and interacting with patients.

The circular in this regard was put up by the Principal of the Trivandrum Medical college yesterday.

Women students have been asked not to come to classes and attend to patients wearing short tops, jeans, leggings, chappals and 'noisy ornaments' and insteadwear churidars or saris with their hair put up.

Male students cannot wear jeans, T shirts or any other casuals and chappals and should instead wear 'neat and clean' dresses.

Some students said they have the freedom to wear dresses of their choice and cannot be forced to wear dresses to suit the patients.

When the issue turned controversial, the medical college authorities clarified today that the circular is brought out every year when new students are admitted.

Like all years, this year also the circular was issued, Vice Principal Dr K Girija Kumari said in a statement.

The college maintained that a majority of students adhere to the dress code and none of them have made any complaints. Only a very small percentage of students do not follow the dress code, it said.

According to the college, the dress code is only when students attend classes and visit patients in wards.

"Inside the campus, when there is no class and they are not with patients, there is no bar and they can wear any dress of their choice," the Vice Principal said.

She said a majority of students from the second to fourth year spend most of their time at the hospital with patients and future doctors ought to be dressed properly, which was important. They should also wear overcoats and carry identity cards.

This year the medical college has decided to strictly implement the dress code.

Patients and teachers have several times complained that students are not coming to classes dressed properly. Due to this circular was brought out once again, the college stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State-owned power firm NTPC will set up solar projects totalling 50 MW with battery storage system at different locations in Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar.

"As part of green commitment given to the government of India, NTPC shall be setting up solar power projects of 50 MW capacity with battery energy storage system at different locations in Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Islands," NTPC said in a release.

A memorandum of understanding among NTPC, the Andaman & Nicobar administration and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to this effect was signed on October 20, 2016.

The power generated from these solar plants is expected to contribute to higher renewable energy deployment and greening of A&N islands.

NTPC group's total installed capacity stands at 47,228 MW, which includes 800 MW of hydro and 360 MW of solar generation capacity.

Various projects with an aggregate capacity of around 24,000 MW are under implementation at 23 locations across length and breadth of the country.

This includes 4,050 MW being undertaken by joint venture and subsidiary companies.

Out of the total capacity under implementation, 1,329 MW is based on diversified sources of renewable energy.

The company is quickly moving towards its ambition of achieving a solar portfolio of 10 GW out of the 100 GW target of the government by 2022. Over 1,700 MW renewable energy projects of the company are under execution.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik must be "grateful" to people who elected him despite water woes in parts of the state, Union Minister Uma Bharti said today and asked him to "pay them back" ensuring water availability by co-operating with the Centre on a river- linking project.

Bharti made the remarks while urging Patnaik to let the Centre conduct initial studies on the project involving Mahanadi, which flows through the state.

"I really feel sorry for the state. It is such a good state. The people there are so nice. There is so much of water, but still some people of the state have to face trouble (water shortage).

"Patnaik must be grateful to the people of the state. They have been voting for him and his family for years. He must pay back by ensuring food, jobs and water for people," she told reporters here.

Bharti said the Centre has a "complete offer ready" to address water concerns of Odisha and urged the Chief Minister to give nod to the initial studies on river-linking projects involving the Mahanadi.

"He should give his nod to Tista-Sankosh-Mahanadi- Godavari river-linking project. Water in the Mahanadi will increase with the project. Naveen dada, give us permission to examine and withdraw your objections," she said.

To a question relating to her trilateral meeting with Patnaik and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh last month over the dispute between the two states on sharing the river water, Bharti said a joint panel of the states is at present preparing a report on the availability of water there.

She added that telemetry system has been installed to monitor river flow in the two states.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man was severely injured as Congress leaders clashed here during 'Rahul Sandesh Yatra' in Sirauli police station area of Aonla Lok Sabha constituency.

Former constituency incharge of the party Ashfaq Saklaini had invited the yatra to his place for welcoming it but allegedly attacked former city unit president Atul alias Mohit Gupta last night.

Senior SP Joginder Kumar today said that he was aware of the incident and proper action will be taken.

An FIR has been filed in this connection with Sirauli police.

District unit president Ramdev Pandey said as soon as the yatra reached the spot, Ashfaq dragged Atul from the vehicle and along with his accomplices started thrashing him.

All those who rushed to save Atul received blows and were injured, Pandey said, adding that he has been admitted to Bareilly hospital.

AICC secretary and incharge of Rahul Sandesh Yatra, Shakeel Ahmed who was present in the yatra, said he has informed UPCC chief Raj Babbar and he has immediately expelled Ashfaq from the party for six years besides asking the police to take prompt action in this connection.

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A team of Imphal West District Police Commando has arrested an active cadre of proscribed NSCN-K in Imphal city, a Manipur police communique said today.

The NSCN(K) activist, Oinam Saratchandra Singh (44) of Chingamakha Kakwa Maning Leikai of Manipur's Imphal West District was arrested while conducting frisking and checking in front of Indira Park near Kangla moat at the heart of Imphal city on October 18, the release said.

Investigations revealed that he was an elected member of Maibam Gram Panchayat ward No 7 and he had extorted huge amount of money from various government departments, businessmen, travel and transport agencies and educational institutions here.

He had also conducted recruitment drives of young people in various places for NSCN-K, the release said.

A case has been registered at City Police station in Imphal West district in this reagard, the release further added.

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A woman TV reporter was slapped by a constable here in a government office, an act caught on the security camera that went viral on social media, forcing authorities in Pakistan to order a probe.

Interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan ordered the inquiry after a female anchor for a local television channel was slapped by a Frontier Corps constable at the office of the National Authority for Database Registration (NADRA), officials said.

"Minister Khan has been informed about the incident and he has ordered an inquiry. A complete footage of the incident has been dispatched to him," officials were quoted as saying in the local media.

The constable was also seen resorting to aerial firing to scare away the people who were present in the NADRA office at that time.

The video, which went viral on the social media, has divided the nation with many speaking out against the brutality of the security guard but also questioning the aggressive behavior of the reporter as well.

"Her behavior was also not proper and she should not have provoked the guard," Fazil Jamali, the President of the Karachi Press Club, said.

The video shows the reporter and her cameraman trying to enter the NADRA office in Liaquatabad when she shouts loudly on camera that the guards were misbehaving with the people and also with her cameraman.

The video shows her confronting the guard constantly and warning him to stay away from the cameraman.

"Don't you have a mother or sisters? Don't you have shame treating people like this," the reporter asks the constable as she is seen tugging at his badge before he turns around and slaps her and shots are fired.

The reporter, who works for the Karachi based K-21 channel, said she had gone to the NADRA office after getting complaints about the public facing hardships.

The guard has now disappeared but a FIR has been filed against him on the complaint of the reporter.

However, the police have also filed a counter FIR against the reporter on the complaint of the NADRA office head which charges her with obstructing official duty and tearing the uniform of the guard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Citing a judgment by India's Supreme Court, Pakistan's apex court has ruled that schizophrenia is not a "permanent" mental disorder so it cannot be a ground for halting a death penalty.

A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, made the ruling yesterday while upholding a decision of the high court in which it had rejected a plea to delay the hanging of a murder convict, Imdad Ali, who is suffering from schizophrenia.

"In our opinion, rules relating to mental sickness are not subjugative to delay the execution of death sentence which has been awarded to the convict," the Supreme Court said in its 11-page judgment.

"Schizophrenia is not a permanent mental disorder; rather it is an imbalance which can increase or decrease depending on the level of stress," it said.

The court termed it as a "recoverable disease", not falling in the definition of "mental disorder" as defined in the Mental Health Ordinance, 2001.

Pakistan's apex court cited the judgment of India's Supreme Court in 1976 case of Amrit Bhishan Gupta vs the Union of India in which the court had rejected a petition to stop execution of a man suffering from schizophrenia.

Ali, suffering from schizophrenia, was to be executed on July 26 but his wife filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court to delay her husband's hanging till the recovery of his mental illness.

The high court rejected her plea on August 23, forcing the wife to approach the Supreme Court.

Ali from Burewala area of Punjab was convicted in 2002 in a murder case and his appeals were already rejected and he faced execution.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A BSF jawan was today injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire for the fourth consecutive day along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district.

BSF troops had yesterday foiled a major infiltration bid in the same area by a group of six militants.

"Pakistani Rangers resorted to small arms firing on a forward border out post(BoP) along the IB in Bobiya area of Hiranagar sector in the district at 0945 hours today," BSF officer said, adding the Indian troops retaliated.

Pakistani troops used small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm mortars bombs to target Indian positions, he said.

Indian and Pakistani troops are exchanging fire for past four days in the sector.

"BSF troops guarding the borderline took positions and retaliated, resulting in the exchange which continued for over 15 minutes," he said, adding one BSF jawan was injured in the firing.

According to unconfirmed reports, a Pakistani ranger was either injured or killed in retaliatory action.

With this, the number of ceasefire violations along the IB and the LoC in the state after surgical strikes by the Indian Army in PoK has risen to 31.

Pakistani troops had yesterday heavily shelled areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.

(Reopens DEL16)



Meanwhile, Pakistan Army said Pakistani and Indian border troops today exchanged fire across the working boundary.

Army said the exchange took place in Shakargarh sector in Punjab province.

"No loss of life or property has been reported so far," said the military statement.

The exchange of fire started at 9 am and continued for half an hour, it said.
A BSF jawan was today injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the LoC in Rajouri and the International Border in Kathua district, prompting the Indian forces to retaliate strongly.

BSF troops had yesterday foiled a major infiltration bid in the same area by a group of six militants.

"Pakistani soldiers resorted toindiscriminate firing from 1240 hours on the Indian Army posts along the Line of Control in Rajourisector," a defence spokesman said.

"The Indian Army is responding strongly. The exchange is going on," he said.

A BSF officer said, "Pakistani Rangers resorted small arms firing on a forward border out post(BoP) along IB in Bobiya area of Hiranagar sector of Kathua district from 0945 hours today."



"BSF troops guarding the borderline took positions and retaliated, resulting in the exchange which continued for over 15 minutes," he said, adding one BSF jawan was injured in the firing.

According to unconfirmed reports, a Pakistani ranger was either injured or killed in retaliatory action.

Pakistani troops used small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm mortars bombs to target Indian positions, he said.

With this, the number of ceasefire violations along the IB and the LoC in the state after surgical strikes by the Indian Army in PoK has risen to 31.

Indian and Pakistani forces are exchanging fire for past four days in the sector. Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire five times in past four days.

Pakistani troops had yesterday heavily shelled areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army said Pakistani and Indian troops today exchanged fire across the working boundary.

It said the exchange took place in Shakargarh sector in Punjab province. "No loss of life or property has been reported so far," a Pakistani military statement said.

The exchange of fire started at 9 AM and continued for half an hour, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister on Friday has accused the PDP-BJP coalition government of unleashing repression and coercion against entire population in the Valley.

"The PDP-BJP coalition government has unleashed repression and coercion against the entire population and this must stop immediately lest the situation takes such an ugly turn that it will be beyond control of the governments at Srinagar and in New Delhi to handle," he said.

Referring to killings and large scale arrests being made daily in "mistaken belief" of quelling the ongoing unrest, he said it could be described as people's anger against betrayal of PDP by joining hands with BJP.

Addressing workers at Surankote in Poonch district on the conclusion of his four-day visit to border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, Abdullah said normalcy cannot be restored by subjecting people to harassment and intimidation or by rehabilitating jails with "thousands of innocents".

"Peace shall remain a distant dream unless New Delhi addresses the root cause by assuaging political aspirations of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh," he said, reminding the promises made with people of the state in 1947.

Referring to the statement of former Sadr-e-Riyasat Karan Singh in Parliament recently on the Instrument of Accession, he said younger generation has at least come to know the terms of accession and circumstances that led to its inking by Maharaja Hari Singh.

The NC chief cautioned the central leadership against "crucial delay in reaching out to the people and making sincere efforts in resolving political problem of Kashmir, saying the grim situation in the Valley calls for winning over hearts and minds.

"People's trust and confidence cannot be won by pellet guns or putting youth behind bars," he said, wondering that instead of showing semblances of civility and compassion, the government is indulging in provocations.

"How can they expect students to appear for examinations with many of them being in jails?" he said, adding situation in the Valley is worse, as people are suffering for want of basics,medicare which is worst-hit.

Abdullah alleged continued unrest has unnerved the ruling coalition, which in a bid to divert the attention from current "alarming" situation is brazenly dividing people on the basis of region and religion.

"The RSS,is encouraging polarisation, which is against the idea of secular and inclusive Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Lamenting that despite making anti-BJP plank its core in 2014 election campaign, PDP turned out to be a biggest facilitator for RSS to play its dubious role in the state.

He urged the people to guard against polarising people in the name of region and religion while reminding them of the sacrifices offered by Conference to maintain amity and tranquillity even in most turbulent situations.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said today he would not sever his nation's alliance with the United States, as he clarified his announcement that he planned to "separate".

"It's not severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations. I can not do that. Why? It's in the best interests of my country that I don't do that," Duterte told reporters in his hometown of Davao after returning from China.

The firebrand leader signalled yesterday during his four-day state visit to Beijing that he intended to end the Philippines' 70-year alliance with the United States in favour of China and Russia.

"I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told a group of Chinese businessmen.

"America has lost. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."



Until Duterte took office on June 30, the Philippines had been one of the United States' most important and loyal allies in Asia, and a key to President Barack Obama's "pivot" to the region.

But since becoming president Duterte has done a dramatic foreign policy U-turn that has baffled US leaders.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said yesterday that the United States would seek clarification from the Philippines about the "separation" remark.

"It's not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications," he said.

Kirby also indicated Asian governments were growing increasingly nervous about Duterte, who has been fiercely criticised in the West for a war on crime in which thousands of people have been killed.

"It isn't just the United States who is baffled by this rhetoric. We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are likewise confused about where this is going," he said.

Duterte today gave a series of comments to clarify those remarks.

"Sever is to cut. Separate is just to chart another way of doing," he said.

"What I'm really saying was separation of foreign policy, which in the past and until I became president, we always followed what the United States would give the cue."



Nevertheless, Duterte launched another tirade against the United States for criticising his war on crime, which has left more than 3,600 people dead and raised fears about extrajudicial killings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Several functions were organised across Jammu region today to observe 'Police Commemoration Day 2016', remembering the sacrifice of the police and paramilitary personnel who laid down their lives for the country.

The main function was held at 'Police Martyr Memorial' near Jammu Railway Station where senior police officers and officials from the civil administration laid a wreath to commemorate the sacrifice of the police and paramilitary personnel.

Speaking at one such function, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the soldiers sacrifice their lives to safeguard the "integrity and unity of the country".

Reports of the day being observed from other districts of the region also poured in.

Several blood donation camps were also held where police personnel and volunteers donated blood.

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Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today paid homage on the occasion of the Police Commemoration day at the Police Memorial here to the personnel who sacrificed their lives across the countryfor the security of the nation and of the society.

He placed a wreath at the Memorial and stood in silence in memory of those who were killed while on duty.

Director General of Police S K Gautam, high ranking police officers and state government officials were among thoseplaced wreaths at the Memorial and observed silence.

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Even after 15 years of its release, "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" still enjoys a massive fan following and actress Dia Mirza says it would be fantastic to take the movie forward with a sequel.

Directed by Gautham Menon, the 2001 romantic drama starred R Madhavan, Saif Ali Khan and Dia, who made her acting debut with the film.

Asked if there are any plans for a sequel, Dia told PTI,"There has been a lot of pressure for a sequel. I don't know whether there will be one. But it will be interesting to explore what happens to Maddy and Reena, at some level."



"Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein" was a remake of the popular Tamil film "Minnale" and was not that big a success during the time of its release, but developed into a cult later on.

To celebrate 15 years of its release, the 34-year-old actress along with co-star Madhavanrecreated the film's poster, something which she says was a tribute to the fans.

"I had forgotten it has been 15 years until my team pointed out. It doesn't feel like it. When I discovered it, I was like 'Wow'. It was a good opportunity to hat-tip to all the love fans have shown us," the ex-Miss Asia Pacific said.

The actress was speakingat 'Half Ticket Young Adult Script Writing Workshop' at theongoing 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival with Star.

She was one of the three mentors, along with filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee and lyricist Varun Grover, who conducted a screen writing workshop for aspiring school-going film writers aged 12 to 16 years.

"One of the most important aspect of progress is communication and cinema plays a very integral role in that. The 'Half Ticket' category is trying to encourage the spirit of enquiry and the importance of communication in children.

"I was deeply influenced and inspired by the cinema that I watched growing up as a child. I think it did many things for me. One of the most important was, it pushed me into places where I wouldn't have gone otherwise," she said.

Half ticket presents an exciting slate of 28 films from across the world, including fiction, non-fiction and animation. It showcases 13 features and 15 shorts, and the jury consists of 7 kids aged 9 to 17 years from across Mumbai.

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An executive engineer of Road and Building (R&B) department in Jamnagar was caught red handed while he was allegedly accepting bribe of Rs 50,000 from a contractor, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials said today.

Executive engineer Bhupat Jesabhai Sabada was nabbed while he was taking Rs 50000 as bribe at his office last night in Jamnagar from contractor Pravin Bhanderi, inspector, ACB, H P Doshi said.

Bhanderi had deposited Rs 1.25 with R&B department for the repairing of roads in Jamnagar. However, after completing the work, the contractor asked the executive engineer to release the deposited amount.

Sabada allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from Bhanderi to release the amount, following which the contractor lodged a complaint with Rajkot ACB, Doshi said.

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Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini today stressed on the need of integrating various segments of agriculture, including horticulture and poultry, for overall development of the sector and doubling farmers' income by the year 2022.

"For empowerment of farmers, we need to enhance production, nutrition value and quality-based competition.

"Horticulture, olericulture, poultry and fisheries should be integrated with agriculture for overall development of the sector," Saini said while delivering inaugural address at the regional conference on doubling farmers' income.

He said the state government has formed a policy for agriculture marketing in the interest of marginal farmers.

Saini said the Rajasthan government is organising global agriculture meet from November 9-11 with an objective of promoting agriculture. It will be attended by farmers, technologists, agribusiness companies and others.

Neeraja Adidam, Joint Secretary of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare said innovating efforts should be made to attract new generation towards the agriculture sector.

"We need to come up with a business model for the agriculture sector. We need to show the light to the young generation so that they come to this sector," she said.

The conference is organised by NABARD and government of Rajasthan.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today paid homage to the police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty as the nation marked the National Police Commemoration Day.

Singh laid a wreath at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri here along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Director of the Intelligence Bureau Dineshwar Sharma and other senior police and paramilitary officers.

The National Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 to remember the martyrdom of security personnel.

"On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day today, I salute all those brave police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty," Singh said.

The Director of the Intelligence Bureau said that 473 policemen were killed in the line of duty in various parts of the country between September 2015 and August 2016.

The day is observed in the memory of the policemen who were killed while taking on Chinese forces at a place called 'Hot Springs' in Ladakh in 1959 when they were guarding the Indian border.

Other paramilitary forces like CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB and NSG will hold events at their respective locations to mark the say.

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Home Minister Rajnath Singh tonight reviewed the situation along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir where BSF shot dead seven Pakistan Rangers and a terrorist while retaliating to a ceasefire violation.

On receiving the news, the Home Minister, who was in Mumbai, called up Director General, BSF, K K Sharma and took stock of the situation along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.

Senior Home Ministry officials are also in regular touch with BSF officials and monitoring the situation along the border, they said.

The Home Minister earlier had said that BSF should not fire the first shot towards Pakistan but if fired upon by Pakistani forces, BSF should not count the bullets and retaliate forcefully.

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Reserve Bank has inked a pact with the Central Bank of Myanmar for enhanced co-operation and information sharing.

"The Reserve Bank of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 'Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information' with Central Bank of Myanmar," RBI said in a release.

The MoU was inked on October 19, 2016 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, during her visit to India.

This is RBI's 34th such MoU, it added.

The MoU was signed by U Kyaw Tin, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Government of Myanmar and S S Mundra, Deputy Governor, RBI.

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Embattled Sahara Group today told the Supreme Court it was ready with a roadmap to deposit the remaining amount of Rs 12,000 crore in the SEBI-Sahara account by December 2018 to be refunded to the investors.

The group told a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur that the road map has been shared with market regulator SEBI and amicus curiae and senior advocate Shekhar Naphade.

The bench then continued with the interim bail and other arrangements granted to Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy till November 28.

Earlier, the top court had said it had been "taken for a ride" by the Sahara group through its past conduct and had directed it to submit a roadmap to pay the balance amount of Rs 12,000 crore to SEBI, while extending the parole of Roy and others till October 24 on payment of Rs 200 crore.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the group, today told the bench, which also comprised Justices A R Dave and A K Sikri, that they have deposited Rs 200 crore with SEBI in pursuance to an earlier apex court direction.

The bench said Sahara has to deposit another Rs 200 crore by November 28 so that the interim arrangement could continue.

Sibal said the group was ready with Rs 15 crore and the remaining amount of Rs 185 crore would be deposited by the next date of hearing.

The court also allowed the group to re-auction certain properties in Ajmer, Firozabad, Vellore, Tiruchirappalli and Ujjain for which the bidding was at a much higher price.

The bidding could not be taken to the logical conclusion at that time due to some legal impediments because of income tax issues.

The group had yesterday told the apex court that it would deposit Rs 200 crore with SEBI in pursuance of the earlier direction and had sought advancement of hearing in the case.

The apex court, on September 28, had asked Sahara to



deposit another Rs 200 crore by October 24 while extending the interim order releasing Roy and two other directors on parole.

It had said Sahara had not disclosed earlier that out of the list of 60 properties given to SEBI for sale, 47 were provisionally attached by Income Tax department.

During the earlier hearing, senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for SEBI, had said that Sahara group was liable to pay Rs 37,000 crore with interest to SEBI, of which the principal amount payable was Rs 24,000 crore.

Sahara has paid Rs 10,918 crore out of Rs 24,029 crore raised from investors, he had said then.

While extending the parole of Roy and two directors -- Ashok Roy Choudhary and Ravi Shankar Dubey -- till October 24, the bench had directed the group to deposit Rs 200 crore by then, failing which they will be committed to jail.
World peace can be achieved only through a firm commitment to respecting human life and its dignity, it was stressed at a peace symposium here today.

It was organised by Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), the Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a global association of grassroots organisations which seeks to promote the values of peace and respect for all, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB).

Titled 'Universal Respect for Human Dignity: The Great Path to Peace', the symposium was based on the 2016 Peace Proposal by SGI president Daisaku Ikeda.

It aimed to address the global concerns of violence, conflict and disregard for human rights, the organisation said in a release.

In his 2016 peace proposal, Ikeda looks at three areas which require prompt and coordinated action by governments and the civil society: Humanitarian aid and human rights protection, ecological integrity and disaster risk reduction.

In her keynote address, Smita Srinivas, Head, School of Economic Development, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, focused on issues of economic development and health as a way to respond to the wider concerns that were raised in the proposal on human dignity.

According to her, while dialogue is essential, "The ways in which different professions frame the issues shape how they -- with specific training and social privileges -- can respond to the essential needs of the society."



Srinivas pointed out that a changing world of multi-lateralism, away from the nation-state, offered increased opportunities in professional engagement with overt value propositions.

She said, "Increased dialogue needs instruments of professional education explicitly combined with reflective value propositions. I place great value therefore on problem-framing and experiential learning."



Vishesh Gupta, chairperson, Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), said, "The preamble of the UNESCO charter opens with the famous declaration, 'Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed'.

"How, then, are defences of peace that are truly lasting to be built?"



Corinne Kumar, founder, World Courts of Women, said, "We live in very violent times. Think of the Iraq wars. The words we use now are words that have never been used before. These are times that focus on the rights of the privileged and the powerful. Times that are destroying the diversity of the world. We are living in times where dreams are turning into nightmares.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Reliance Industries today fell by 2.5 per cent after the company reported 23 per cent decline in second quarter net profit.

The stock, even after a positive opening, failed to hold on to the gains and slipped 2.51 per cent to Rs 1,061.10 on BSE.

At NSE, shares of the company went down by 2.33 per cent to Rs 1,062.15.

Reliance Industries yesterday reported 23 per cent drop in second quarter net profit as compared to last year's figure, which was boosted by income from sale of US shale gas assets.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 7,206 crore in the July-September quarter, lower than Rs 9,345 crore in the same period a year ago.

After excluding the exceptional item, the net profit was up 43.1 per cent.

The owner of world's largest refining complex saw profits from the refining business dip 9.4 per cent as it earned USD 10.1 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel in the second quarter, lower than USD 10.6 per barrel gross refining margin in the same period of last fiscal.

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About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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National-level kabaddi player Rohit Kumar was today detained in Mumbai while his father surrendered in Delhi in connection with the alleged suicide by his wife Lalita who had accused him and her in-laws of harassment.

Rohit, who is in the navy, was detained by a team of Delhi Police in Mumbai at noon, said Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner of Police (South West) in Delhi



Rohit's father, Vijay Singh, also surrendered around noon at the Nangloi police station in the national capital and was questioned, said a senior police officer.

Vijay was a sub-inspector in Delhi Police and had been dismissed from service, he said.

Lalita had allegedly committed suicide on October 17 at her parents' house in Nangloi and in her suicide note as well as audio and video clips left behind she had alleged that her in-laws "harassed" her for minor issues and Rohit asked her to go away from his life.

A case was registered against Rohit and his parents and two Delhi Police teams had been formed to arrest Rohit and his parents.

Rohit's parents had left their home in Kanjhawla and gone into hiding after Lalita committed suicide.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Justice Roopanwal Commission, which probed the circumstances leading to Rohith Vemula's suicide, was appointed to put a "seal of approval" on claims that he was not a Dalit, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman P L Punia alleged today.

"He (Roopanwal) was not judicious. In fact, I would say he was hired to put a seal of approval on what the political party (BJP) people were saying..," Punia said.

He said, as per the Commission's terms of reference, it was constituted to ascertain the circumstances that led to Vemula's suicide and fix responsibility.

"It was not formed to ascertain or assess the case of Vemula...And as per Guntur Collector's report submitted to the Commission, Vemula was a Dalit. And the final authority on caste is District Collector," Punia added.

Punia's remarks came in response to reports that the Roopanwal Commission, has observed that Vemula did not belong to a Scheduled Caste.

The Roopanwal panel had recently submitted its report to the UGC. Though its contents are yet to be made public officially, some reports said the panel has held Vemula was not a Dalit.

A Hyderbad University research scholar, Vemula had committed suicide in January this year, a few days after he was suspended from the campus. His suicide had triggered a huge political storm with opposition parties launching a massive attack on the Modi government over the issue.

Amid a nation-wide outrage on educational campuses over Vemula's suicide, the Human Resource Development Ministry had appointed the judicial commission of former judge of Allahabad High Court A K Roopanwal to go into the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unaccounted cash of about Rs 2.4 crore stashed in abox in a person's car was found on the premises of VidhanaSoudha -- the state secretariat-- here, police said today.

The cash was unearthed by the Vidhana Soudha security officials during a routine security check this afternoon, a Cubbon Park police station official said.

The owner of the car, Siddharth, was being questioned, the official said.

"Right now we are not in a position to say anything on this count. We have brought Siddharth to the Cubbon Park police station and we are interrogating him," the official added.

To a question whether the unaccountable money was meant to be handed over to a minister as was being speculated, the police official said, "We are also looking into it... The interrogation is on.

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Superstar Salman Khan has wrapped the Manali schedule of his upcoming film "Tubelight" directed by Kabir Khan.

The 50-year-old actor was filming in the beautiful locations of Himachal Pradesh for past two months.

"It's a wrap for @beingsalmankhan Manali schedule #Tubelight #Eid2017 We have 3 more days to go," Kabir tweeted along with a black and white picture of Salman sitting on wooden stairs.

The actor previously shot for the film in the picturesque locations of Ladakh.

The movie marks third collaboration of the actor-director duo, who have previously worked on blockbuster "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Ek Tha Tiger".

"Tubelight" also stars Chinese actress Zhu Zhu. The movie will hit the theaters on Eid next year.

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SBI associate State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) has reported a loss of Rs 210.10 crore for the September quarter mainly on account of higher non-performing assets (NPAs) due to changes in the group's policy of classifying loans and advances.

The bank had reported net profit of Rs 180.63 crore for the July-September quarter of last fiscal, 2015-16.

SBBJ said it has changed its policy of classifying common loans and advances within SBI group.

"Accordingly the bank has classified the common loans and advances considering the lowest income recognition and asset classification (IRAC) status of the accounts within the SBI Group as a whole.

"This has resulted in increase of gross NPAs by Rs 2,004.12 crore, incremental provision of Rs 511.19 crore, interest reversal of Rs 46.57 crore and its consequential impact on various ratios," it said in a regulatory filing.

The bank classified incremental provision in 45 such eligible accounts, it said.

This the provision and contingencies for July-September 2016-17 rose to Rs 850.01 crore as against Rs 236.71 crore in the year ago period.

Total income of the bank fell slightly to Rs 2,614.21 crore from Rs 2620.34 crore earned in the same quarter of previous fiscal.

Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of the bank rose to 10.5 per cent of the gross advances as of September 30, 2016 from 4.2 per cent a year ago.

Net NPAs or bad loans were 7.17 per cent of the net advances as of quarter ended September, 2016-17 up from 2.15 per cent year earlier.

Further, SBBJ said the Board of Directors at its meeting held on September 26, 2016 approved the scheme of acquisition of the bank by State Bank of India (SBI).

SBBJ stock closed 0.61 per cent up at Rs 704.05 on BSE.

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The Supreme Court today directed Parsvnath developers to hand over possession of a flat in its Gurgaon project to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in two days.

A bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said "the possession of flat shall be handed over to the respondent in two days" and said Rathore should not pay any more amount to the developer.

The apex court said the issue of compensation to be paid by the realty firm to Rathore for the delayed possession would be dealt with at a later stage of the hearing.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for the builder said the flat was ready and they could handover possession.

Rathore had booked a flat in Parsvnath's Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it.

The firm was to deliver the flat in 2008-09. In January this year, the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had directed the bulider to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.

Earlier, the apex court had rapped real-estate firms for making tall claims to purchasers which remained unfulfilled due to inordinate delay in completing the housing projects.

The court had on October 18 directed the SC registry to disburse Rs 12 crore, deposited by real estate firm Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd, to 70 home buyers on pro-rata basis after proper identification.

It had also directed the firm to deposit Rs 10 crore by December 10 with Supreme Court registry.

The apex court's observation had come after Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd had said it would give the flats to 70 home buyers, who are before the court, by December 17.

The apex court had on September 15 directed the firm to deposit Rs 12 crore within four weeks as interest bearing short term deposit for delaying giving possession of flats to home buyers in its Ghaziabad project.

On August 26, the developer had told the court that they were in "serious financial difficulty" as they had suffered a loss of around Rs 400 crore last year. They had also said they would hand over possession of the flats in its delayed project at Ghaziabad within a year.

The firm was asked by the apex consumer commission in May to refund the principal amount in four weeks with 12 per cent interest, Rs 3 lakh as compensation and Rs 25,000 as litigation cost to 70 buyers who had booked flats in the Parsvnath Exotica project, Ghaziabad.

The court was also informed that 854 flats were to be constructed in the project and 818 buyers had made bookings.

Parsvnath Developers Ltd had moved the apex court against the apex consumer commission's order asking it to refund the money to 70 buyers along with interest.
The Supreme Court today agreed to examine a plea seeking direction to the Centre and some states to take action against so-called cow vigilantes who are allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy asked the Centre and six states-- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand -- to file their replies to the plea.

"We will examine the plea. Reply to be filed by the respondents," the bench said.

The apex court , however, did not issue any notice to the Centre and the states and asked the petitioner, Congress activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, to serve the copy of petitioner to the parties.

Poonawalla, in his plea, said violence committed by these 'Gau Raksha' groups have reached to such proportions that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently declared them as people who are "destroying the society".

The plea alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protection of cows and other bovines and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country".

"The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading fast to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes," the petition said.

It also sought a direction to remove alleged "violent content" uploaded on social media and hosted by the cow protection groups.

The plea sought to declare as "unconstitutional" section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, and Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which provide for protection of persons acting in good faith under the Act or rules.

"These laws and the protection granted therewith act as a catalyst to violence perpetrated by these vigilante groups," it said.

Seeking action against the vigilantes, the petition said the atrocities committed by them were punishable under various provisions of IPC and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 19-year-old man was arrested today for terror-related offences after a suspicious item was found on a Tube train in North Greenwich area here.

The man was nabbed by officers from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, assisted by armed colleagues in a street in north London.

Officers discharged a Taser during the arrest but no firearms were used.

"The 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts, under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He has been taken to a London police station where he remains in custody," a Metropolitan Police statement said.

The incident on the London Underground railway system took place yesterday when British Transport Police (BTP) were called to the North Greenwich Underground Station after train staff reported finding a suspicious item on a train travelling eastbound on the Jubilee Line.

The station was evacuated while specialist officers from the Metropolitan (MeT) Police Service and BTP attended and made the item safe by carrying out a controlled explosion.

"The item is currently being forensically examined and we await the results of that examination. The Met and BTP have been working tirelessly since the item was found to follow up all potential leads. Officers are keeping an open mind regarding any possible motive. They are not looking for anyone else in relation to this investigation at this stage," the Met statement said.

Scotland Yard encouraged the public to remain "vigilant and alert" at all times and report anything suspicious to police. They have ordered extra officers to patrol potential transport targets across London after the suspicious item was found.

Media reports indicated that the suspicious item was an abandoned bag full or wires.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security has been beefed up in New Delhi district in anticipation of a protest by JNU students in front of the Home Ministry at Raisina Hill today over alleged inaction of the university administration and police in tracing missing student Najeeb Ahmed.

Vehicular movement has been blocked on Raisina Road and police, and paramilitary forces have been deployed at and around the area after police received information that the university students would arrive here to stage a protest, a police official said.

Ahmed has been missing from the JNU campus since Saturday.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had yesterday ordered the Delhi Police to set up a special team to trace Ahmed, even as the agitating students decided to change their mode of protest after keeping the Vice Chancellor and some other top officials under siege for over 20 hours.

The agitating students had said they decided to change their mode of protest and will no longer confine VC M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials of the university.

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Smartphones may not be as useful for weight loss as expected, according to a new study which found that teens are not be able to control weight when the devices are the only tool helping them stay on track.

In a 24-week behavioural study, researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) in the US combined traditional weight control intervention with smartphone-assisted helps.

The study took place during two consecutive 12-week periods, the first of which combined electronic (smartphone) intervention and traditional in-person treatment.

During this period, each of the 16 participants met weekly with a clinician and other participants to share their experiences and discuss topics like adopting healthy eating patterns, reading food labels and increasing physical activity throughout the day.

In addition to these meetings, the teens were encouraged to record their daily food intake and exercise on the Daily Burn app.

They also received text messages from the researchers three times each day to encourage healthy behaviour and pose thought-provoking questions about motivations.

Study participants achieved modest weight loss during this period, decreasing their BMI by 0.08 points on average.

However, the in-person meetings were removed for the second 12 weeks of the study, so the only interventions helping the teens stay motivated were the daily texts and self-monitoring on the Daily Burn app.

During this period, self-monitoring rates dropped from nearly 50 per cent to 16.8 per cent and the teens regained their lost weight.

Lead author Chad Jensen, professor at BYU, suggested that a possible reason for this result is that smartphones, no matter how helpful or easy-to-use, lack certain critical characteristics present during the in-person treatment.

"The Daily Burn app does not include all the things we know are successful for weight control, like social support and the accountability that comes with it," said Jensen.

"That support existed when the teens were meeting with other teens and sharing their experiences. And that was taken away," said Jensen.

These results emphasise the importance of social support in creating lasting change and motivating healthy behaviour.

However this does not mean that smartphone fitness tools are useless - they are just best used as an add-on to augment other fitness habits by making it easier to track progress.

"We know that self-monitoring is really important for weight control as it helps people be mindful about the foods they are eating, but very few teens do it because it is so laborious," Jensen said.

The study was published in the Journal of Medical Research.

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A South Korean flier has been held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for carrying foreign currency worth over Rs 3.26 crore in an alleged unauthorised manner.

Officials said the incident was reported at about 12:40 AM when an on-duty CISF official detected the suspicious movements of a passenger, identified as Li Chang H from South Korea, as he entered the terminal-III to take a flight to Hong Kong.

"The flier was made to undergo a detailed check and an assortment of various foreign currencies were recovered from his baggage. He could not immediately explain the reason for carrying such huge some of money. He was later handed over to Customs authorities," they said.

The value of the assorted foreign currency is Rs 3,26,98,000, they said.

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Realty portal Square Yards today said it has crossed USD one billion in terms of total value of properties sold through its platform.

The company, which has completed three years of operations, has sold a cumulative 9 million sq ft of property worth over USD one billion from over 350 developers to more than 8,500 customers worldwide, Square Yards said in a statement.

"The USD one billion worth sales is a significant achievement considering that overall real estate market sentiments were down for the past few years. The sector is still largely unorganised and fragmented. It demonstrates our ability to deliver in toughest market conditions," company's Chief Financial Officer and Principal Partner Piyush Bothra said.

As it enters the next phase of growth, the company is taking initiatives to transform the real estate brokerage ecosystem in India by bringing global best practices such as developer's due diligence, internal ERP's, escrow mechanisms and tripartite agreement structures involving the developer financing entity, he said.

"Going forward, with improved market sentiments and Real Estate Regulatory Bill (RERA) kicking in we expect to further consolidate our leadership position and build a highly scalable model with multiple barriers to entry," Bothra added.

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DMK supremo has said his son Stalin has arduously worked his way up to be the second-in command in the party, virtually ruling out any possibility of his estranged Madurai-based son Alagiri becoming the dravidian party's head in the future.

In an interview to a Tamil weekly, the 92 year-old patriach said Stalin has made sacrifices like going to jail during the Emergency.

To a question seeking his response to the "widespread talk and expectations that Stalin is the next DMK President", Karunanidhi recalled his son had started off at a young age by running the Gopalapuram Youth Club.

Later, Stalin was even jailed under the stringent MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) during the Emergency, Karunanidhi pointed out.

"From his prison days where he faced a lot of hardships, he has himself worked very hard and elevated himself systematically to the position of future president (of DMK). In that aspect, he remains my political heir apparent today," Karunanidhi told the Ananda Vikatan magazine.

Asked if he viewed the "absence" of Alagiri, dismissed from DMK, as a "loss", Karunanidhi indicated there was no point talking about those who were not in the party.

"One has to be happy with what is there and keep progressing, and feeling about those who are not in the party now will impede the journey," he said.

Succession issue had been a major bone of contention in the DMK's first family, involving Chennai-based Stalin and his elder brother Alagiri.

Alagiri, said to have fancied his chances of leading DMK, had once famously asked if the party was a "mutt" where the senior pontiff could anoint his successor.

The firebrand leader, who once held the powerful post of Organisation Secretary (South) in DMK and was even a cabinet Minister in UPA II, however later fell out of favour with his father and was subsequently expelled from the party in March 2014 for alleged anti-party activities.

Meanwhile, Stalin on Friday refrained from making any comments on his father's statement.

"I have nothing to say," he told reporters when asked for his reaction to the interview.
The Syrian city of Raqa, the Islamic State group's de facto capital, stands next in line in the battle against jihadists after this week's assault on Mosul in Iraq.

French President Francois Hollande has warned that IS jihadists under attack by Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Mosul are already fleeing across the border to Raqa.

"We can't afford mistakes in the pursuit of the terrorists who are already leaving Mosul for Raqa," he said, pointing to the Syrian city as the next target.

Today, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the international coalition lined up against IS must now set its sights on Raqa.

"We need to do both things, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria," Blinken told radio station RTL in Paris, speaking in French.

"After Mosul, we'll look at Raqa, absolutely. Raqa is the most urgent, that's the town where Daesh (IS) plans its attacks overseas. Raqa is the real capital," he added.

The 7,500-strong US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, as well as providing training, arms and equipment to local forces opposed to the jihadists.

Raqa on the Euphrates River, near the Turkish border and home to more than 200,000 people, in March 2013 became the first provincial capital in Syria to fall into the hands of rebels, at the time Al-Nusra Front, then Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the country.

But tensions soon erupted into clashes between Al-Nusra and fellow jihadists of a precursor of the Islamic State group.

The latter imposed Islamic dress code in schools and attacked churches in Raqa as they imposed a rule of terror marked by kidnappings and public beheadings.

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Telangana cabinet today passed a resolution requesting that the buildings in Hyderabad which are allocated to Andhra Pradesh be handed over to the new-formed state.

Certain government buildings, including the secretariat, have been allocated to the residual state of Andhra Pradesh as Hyderabad is the common capital of the two states for 10 years as per the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari told reporters after the cabinet meeting that the AP government had already shifted its offices, including Chief Minister's office and offices of secretaries and heads of department to its upcoming capital, Amaravati.

The AP government was thus not using the buildings in Hyderabad, he said.

Telangana government had also taken note of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's statement that his government would deliberate on handing over the buildings to Telangana, Srihari said.

The buildings are to be allocated by the Governor who is common to both states, he said.

Telangana government is reportedly considering building a new secretariat because of 'vastu' defects in the current building.

The cabinet today also decided to form separate cabinet sub-committees to study the impact of the decision of Brijesh Kumar tribunal on sharing of Krishna river water, improvement in administration of universities, and other issues.

The government also decided to expeditiously clear the dues under the students' tuition fees reimbursement scheme, farmers' loan waiver and 'Arogya Sri' health scheme.

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The UN said today security concerns had forced it to delay planned evacuations from Syria's Aleppo, as Russia extended a truce that was largely holding for a second day.

Moscow said it was extending the unilateral "humanitarian pause" in the Syrian government's Russian-backed assault on opposition-held east Aleppo until 1600 GMT tomorrow.

But there was no sign that civilians or rebels were heeding calls to leave, with Damascus and Moscow accusing opposition fighters of preventing evacuations.

In Geneva, the UN rights council called for a special investigation into the violence in Aleppo in a resolution fiercely critical of Syria's government.

East Aleppo, which the rebels captured in 2012, has been under siege by the army since mid-July and has faced devastating bombardment by the government and its ally Russia since the September 22 launch of an offensive to retake the whole city.

Nearly 500 people have been killed, more than a quarter of them children, since the assault began. More than 2,000 civilians have been wounded.

The scale of the casualties has prompted outrage in the West, with Washington saying the bombardment amounted to a possible war crime.

Russia announced a halt to its air strikes from Tuesday and the unilateral ceasefire from yesterday.

The Syrian army says it has opened eight corridors across the front line for the more than 250,000 civilians in rebel-held areas to leave, but so far almost none have taken up the offer.

"There has been no movement in the corridors in the eastern district. For the moment, we haven't seen any movement of residents or fighters," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syrian state media accused rebels of preventing people from leaving the city's opposition-held sector.

And Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said fighters were using "threats, blackmail and brute force" to prevent civilians and rebels evacuating.

The United Nations had hoped to use the truce to evacuate injured people from Aleppo, and possibly deliver aid.

But today afternoon, a spokesman said the operation had been delayed because of security concerns.

"Medical evacuations of sick and injured could unfortunately not begin this morning as planned because the necessary conditions were not in place," said Jens Laerke of the United Nations humanitarian office OCHA.

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is setting up "rigged election" excuses only because the Republican presidential nominee is aware that he will lose the upcoming general elections, Democratic vice presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine has claimed.

" has been going around the country saying that the whole thing is rigged against him, rigged. 'It's rigged against me.' He knows he's losing, and he's kind of trying to set up an excuse," Kaine said at an election rally in North Carolina.

"It can't be his fault if he loses the election. He wouldn't be able to admit that he ran a divisive campaign that was out of touch with the American values. So it's got to be somebody else's fault. So he's been saying over and over again, 'rigged election.' And he was challenged. 'Will you accept the results of this election?' And he wouldn't. He wouldn't accept it," Kaine, 58, said.

He said Americans were fortunate to have peaceful transition of power as a basic pillar of the US democracy.

"And doesn't accept it. Can you imagine that? Donald Trump doesn't accept it," he said.

Kaine alleged that Trump ran his whole campaign insulting one group after the other from Mexican Americans, Muslims, women, African-Americans, John McCain, generals and a disabled reporter among others.

"It's like when he ran out of groups to insult, what more could he - I know what I'll do. I will insult our democratic tradition and say that we cannot run a fair election in this country. And he wants to be commander-in-chief. This was amazing," he said.

Kaine said Trump has to accept the results of the elections no matter whether he wins or loses.

"You've got to accept the results, win or lose. You've got to accept them. That's the pledge. That's what every candidate does in every presidential election in this country. And you can't go around saying you'll only accept the results if you win," he said.

Kaine said another "pretty interesting" thing Trump did last night was showing unwillingness to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin who is trying to "destabilise" and "influence" American elections.

"Can you imagine this? He won't defend our traditions, but he's trying to come to the defence of Vladimir Putin," he said.

Kaine alleged that it was clear that Russia under the direction of Putin was engaging in cyber activity to influence the American election.

"Donald Trump stood up in July and encouraged that to happen. And Russia is doing it with Vladimir Putin directing it. And, yet, for some reason, Donald is taking the stance, 'We have no way of knowing that. There's no evidence for that," he said.

Kaine alleged that despite being informed by the top intelligence officials about what was going on in the country, Trump still wants to stand up and be Putin's lawyer on the stage of a presidential debate when he himself will not even defend American democratic traditions.
made First Lady Michelle Obama a public target of his anger for the first time on Friday in the final weeks of the presidential race, attacking her for comments she once made about Hillary Clinton.

"His wife, all she wants to do is campaign. And I see how much his wife likes Hillary," Trump told a rally in North Carolina as he shifted his attack from President Barack Obama to the first lady.

"But wasn't she the one that originally started the statement: If you can't take care of your home ... You can't take care of the White House or the country," Trump said, paraphrasing a memorably harsh remark that Michelle Obama made of Clinton when she ran for the 2008 Democratic nomination against fellow senator Barack Obama.

Michelle Obama earned praise from Clinton last week for delivering a whithering critique of Trump and his "intolerable" attitude toward women.

Trump hit back on Friday.

"She's the one that started that," he said of Obama's comments. "I said 'We can't say that, it's too vicious,'" Trump went on.

"Now she said that, but we don't hear about that."

Obama had caused a stir during the 2008 primaries when she addressed a women-for-Obama event in Chicago and criticized Clinton, whose husband, former president Bill Clinton, was accused of sexually harassing and abusing women.

"One of the things, the important aspects of this race, is role-modelling what good families should look like," Michelle Obama said at the time.

"And my view is that, if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House. Can't do it."

Last week the White House warned against Trump potentially firing back at the first lady after her anti-Trump speech.

"I can't think of a bolder way for to lose even more standing than he already has than by engaging the first lady of the United States," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters.
Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) will purchase 100 mini-AC buses at a cost of Rs 20 crore, an official release said.

Initially, the road transport corporation will introduce the mini-AC bus service between Hyderabad and Warangal and Hyderabad and Nizamabad sectors in the state, it said.

The mini-AC bus service named 'Vajra' would be very shortly introduced, which will provide services at door-steps of the intending passengers, it said. The sitting capacity of each bus will be 21.

"These buses will not go to Bus stands but pick up passengers from colonies and drop them back in colonies in the destination city," it said adding that 60 trips daily are proposed on Hyderabad-Warangal route, while there will be 36 trips daily on Hyderabad-Nizamabad route.

Tickets will not be issued in buses, but will be provided only through advance reservation facility, which would be available on www.Tsrtconline.In.

Apart from various passenger amenities, these buses would be fitted with a mobile device with GPS and passengers can track the movement of buses through a mobile App, (which also be launched soon) and know the exact time of arrival at boarding point, the release added.

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Tuberculosis (TB) tricks the immune system into attacking the body's lung tissue so the bacteria are allowed to spread to other people, new research suggests.

Researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK propose that current ideas about how tuberculosis develops in patients may be incomplete and that, in fact, infection causes autoimmunity, where the immune system reacts incorrectly to its own tissue.

Tuberculosis kills more people than any other infectious disease, and the causative bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics used to treat the infection.

The research team conducted a review of published studies and found evidence suggesting that an autoimmunity process develops in TB.

"We are not disputing that the immune system mainly targets the bacteria to fight it off, but we are suggesting that there is more to the story," said Professor Paul Elkington, from Southampton, who led the project.

"It seems that TB tricks the immune system into damaging our own lung tissue, which therefore makes the person highly infectious through coughing and the TB then spreads by aerosol droplets to other individuals," said Elkington.

"There is also a group of patients who develop a range of symptoms, such as eye inflammation, joint inflammation and skin rashes, that are not explained by current TB disease concepts," he said.

"These symptoms are usually associated with diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, which led us to believe autoimmunity plays a key role in the TB disease process," Elkington said.

Elkington highlights that more research is needed to investigate the hypothesis but if it is proved, the discovery could have major implications for the design of new vaccines and drug treatments.

The study was published in the journal Trends in Immunology.

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The usually frenetic streets of Hong Kong were deserted Friday as the city was battered by Typhoon Haima after the storm left a trail of deaths and damage in the Philippines.

More than 700 flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled or delayed, roads were clear of cars and pavements empty, with schools and offices shut as the storm passed east of the city and hit southern mainland China.

Trading on the city's stock exchange was also cancelled for the day.

As Haima swept past Hong Kong in the early afternoon, trees were felled by winds, and waves crashed over coastal roads.

At 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) Haima's centre was 110 kilometres (75 miles) to the northeast of Hong Kong as the storm made landfall near Shanwei in China's southern Guangdong province, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

The observatory issued a Number 8 storm signal Friday -- the third-highest warning level.

"As the western part of Haima's eye wall is rather close to Hong Kong, gales will affect the territory for some time," the observatory said.

It warned the public to stay away from the shoreline due to rough seas, but many residents turned storm watchers.

In the western neighbourhood of Kennedy Town people laughed and joked as they were soaked by waves.

"I'm from Nepal and I used to live by a lake. I like playing with the water. I'm not afraid of the water," said one resident who gave his name as Raju.

Others jogged, fished and practised tai chi as the storm rolled in.

Rain poured down into the early afternoon and wind gusted up to 105 kilometres per hour.

Ferry services including the city's famous cross-harbour Star Ferry were cancelled.

Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific said it expected "significant disruptions" to its flights between 11:00 am and 10:00 pm (0300 GMT to 1400 GMT) Friday.

Underground metro train services were also reduced and all buses cancelled.

The government has set up more than 20 shelters and the city is expected to remain in lockdown for most of Friday until the storm passes.

It comes after a week of downpours in Hong Kong that brought severe flooding to some parts of the city.

Traffic was caught in torrents of water flowing down main roads on Wednesday as the observatory issued its severest "black rainstorm" warning.

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Fliers on major domestic routes will soon have to shell out more for flights to fund the government's regional connectivity scheme announced today under which fares will be capped at Rs 2,500 for half of the seats in one-hour flights.

The cap on fares would be reviewed periodically based on Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers and would also vary in tune with duration of a flight under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), which has been named 'UDAN'.

However, the government's move to impose a "very small" levy on every departure on major routes to fund the scheme seems to have not gone down well with many of the existing airlines as they feel that such a move could push the airfares higher and are of the view that there are other ways for funding the scheme.

The exact quantum of levy to be imposed would be decided in the coming days.

A "first of its kind" in the world, UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) will be based on market mechanism as well as bidding for a minimum of 50 per cent seats in the participating airline's flight and the rest would be market-based pricing. Helicopter services too can be part of the scheme.

The government expects the first flight under this scheme to take off in January.

Charging a levy on profitable routes is likely to push the airfare for fliers.

"We are cautiously optimistic about it (UDAN)," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said at a media briefing, adding that the first flight under the scheme is expected to take off in January 2017.

Under the scheme, mainly aimed at connecting unserved and under-served airports, airfares would be capped at Rs 2,500 for half of the seats in flights travelling a distance of 476 -500 kilometre. This translates to around a one-hour journey.

As per the government, a participating carrier -- which would be extended Viability Gap Funding (VGF) -- has to bid for at least 9 seats and a maximum of 40 seats. In the case of a helicopter, the operator has to bid for a minimum of 5 seats and a maximum of 13 seats.

The limit of RCS airfare would vary from Rs 1,420 to Rs 3,500 for fixed-wing aircraft. For helicopters, half-an-hour ride under the scheme would cost Rs 2,500 and for over one- hour duration, the cap would be Rs 5,000.

On each RCS route, the minimum frequency of flights would



be 3 and a maximum of 7 in a week.

"This is first of its kind globally... We are doing something not done anywhere else," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said.

The fares will be capped at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights on unserved and under-served routes.

Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said the rules related to the levy will be "printed in the gazette in two days" while the executive order in this regard will be ready by month-end.

The levy would be "very small", he added.

Opposing the levy, no-frills airline SpiceJet's Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said that perhaps the government should fund the scheme from its own budget.

"When you build a railway station it is not that you start penalising passengers for that railway station. So when you launch a scheme of this sort, perhaps the government needs to fund it from its budget instead of imposing more of a tax on consumers.

"So, we oppose it from the perspective that surely there could be other ways to fund the scheme which is nationally so important," Singh said soon after announcement of the final version of the RCS.

The airfare cap for every RCS route in a network proposal shall be based on the respective stage length/ flight duration of such RCS route and airfare caps specified under this scheme, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

"Further, VGF per RCS seat for each RCS route in a network proposal shall be based on the respective stage length /flight duration of such RCS route and corresponding VGF caps specified under this scheme and the VGF per RCS seat bid/ quoted by the selected airline operator," it added.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) would be the implementing agency for the scheme which would be in place for 10 years and the provisions would be reviewed at least once in three years.

Choubey said that interested entities can submit their proposals to be part of the scheme from today.

(REOPENS DEL36)



Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for the scheme would be shared by the Centre and the states concerned, for a limited period.

The civil aviation ministry will create a Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF), which will be funded by a "levy or fee per departure on all domestic flights other than the ones on Category II/Category IIA routes under Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG), RCS routes and flights using small aircraft below 80 passenger seats".

Apart from VGF, the select airlines participating in the scheme will be extended various concessions, including 2 per cent excise duty on jet fuel drawn at RCS airports as well as lower VAT on the fuel.

"Airfare for all passengers seats on an RCS flight will not be subject to any levies or charges imposed by the airport operators... Service tax will be levied on 10 per cent of the taxable value (abatement of 90 per cent) of tickets for all passengers seats on RCS flight, without any input credit, for an initial period of one year from the date of notification of the scheme," the ministry said.

Various states, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, have already inked the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry for RCS.

The government plans to upgrade 50 unserved and underserved airports in the country, which would further boost air connectivity pan-India.

There are 394 unserved and 16 under-served airports.
The UK government today confirmed the use of cyber "offensive" against Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists for the first time since the dreaded terror group swept through large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

UK defence secretary Michael Fallon told a conference on 'Waging war through advanced technology' here earlier this week that while he could not give details, the country had begun the use of cyber weapons against the terror outfit in Syria and Iraq.

"I'm not going into operational specifics, but yes, you know we are conducting military operations against Daesh [ISIS] as part of the international coalition, and I can confirm that we are using offensive cyber for the first time in this campaign," Fallon said.

According to 'The Times', the operations are likely to include penetrating ISIS' computer networks and not only preventing the group's militants being able to communicate with each other and the outside world but also inserting false messages to cause confusion.

Fallon also revealed that the government would invest around 265 million pounds in new ways to uncover cyber vulnerabilities within the UK military platforms.

He said: "The UK is a world leader in cybersecurity, and we recognise that cyber-risk is one of the greatest threats we face in the modern world.

"But, as our US colleagues would say, this cannot just be about our defence. It must be about our offence too. It is important that our adversaries know there is a price to pay if they use cyber weapons against us, and that we have the capability to project power in cyberspace as elsewhere.

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The UK government has placed a temporary export bar on a rare 17th century tapestry designed by a British weaver in the "Indian manner" in an attempt to prevent it leaving Britain.

The tapestry, designed by Michael Mazarind and inspired by Indian, Chinese and Japanese design, is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of 67,500 pounds.

"This intricate design provides us with a unique opportunity to explore the tapestry workshops of 1600s London. I hope we are able to keep it in the country so we can learn more about our nation's textile industry, and of the decorative fashions of the time," UK culture minister Matthew Hancock said in a statement yesterday.

The tapestry includes small groups of oriental figures, buildings, exotic creatures and plants.

This is the combination of elements that has been described as being put together "in the Indian manner", and was one of the most popular decorative fashions of the period.

Under the export bar, any decision on an export licence application for the tapestry will be deferred until January 19, 2017.

This may be extended until April 19, 2017 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by the UK's Arts Council.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of significance for the study of Mazarind's work, English tapestry of the period, and London's history.

RCEWA member Christopher Rowell explained: "This beautiful blue ground tapestry, with an equally unusual border of Chinese inspiration, dates from the late 1600s and is the only one to bear the woven signature of the mysterious Michael Mazarind, who was a rival of the more well-known London tapestry weaver, John Vanderbank.

"This type of 'Indian' tapestry depicting a Chinoiserie fantasy paradise in Cathay, with courtly and hunting scenes, was devised for the court, but soon became more broadly popular. Saving the tapestry for the nation will allow specialists to study it in detail and help to reconstruct Mazarind's contribution to tapestry production in early-Georgian London."



Little is known of Mazarind's workshop, but it is believed he was based in Portugal Street, London, between 1696 and 1702.

He was relatively unknown, but is said to have connections to John Vanderbank, a more well-known Soho-based weaver in London.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan, son of a bus driver from Pakistan, is the most influential Asian in the UK, according to a list featuring Britain's 101 prominent Asians, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the Hinduja brothers, Laxmi Mittal and musician Zayn Malik.

According to GG2 Power List brought out by the leading bi-lingualweekly Garavi Gujarat, 46-year-old Khan "smashed one of the biggest glass ceilings in the country" by becoming the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital.

Launched by Indian Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik at the GG2 Leadership Awards at Park Plaza hotel yesterday, the list ranks Sajid Javid - business, innovation and skills minister in the former prime minister David Cameron's government, at second place followed by new international development minister and Indian-origin Priti Patel.

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is the fourth most powerful Asian in the country while Hinduja family led by S P Hinduja is ranked sixth on the list.

"The UK has the best relations with the Commonwealth countries.So I am sure that the UK will negotiate and try to work more with Commonwealth countries where they have an edge on the EU.With India, the UK has a long historical and trade relations," Gopi Hinduja, said Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group.

The list compiled by the Asian Media and Marketing Group (AMG) also includes NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal at seventh position while Pakistani-origin activist and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai features tenth on the list.

Sir Rabinder Singh, one of Britain's most celebrated high court judges, presiding in the south eastern circuit since 2013 is rated 12th on the list.

Lord Navnit Dholakia, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords is rated 41st followed by NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul at 42nd spot.

Malik, who signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records last year after his departure from the popular boy band 'One Direction', is ranked 17th on the list.

"The one Prime Minister who has truly recognised the value of Non-Resident Indians after Mrs Gandhi is NarendraModi.I think he has been a great prime minister.He is the first one who has been able to deliver respectability to NRIs," Paul said.

"This is what the NRIs deserve.Mrs Gandhi tried (to do the same) but unfortunately at that time she didn't have the kind of majority (Modi has) and her own ministers in government also let her down," he was quoted as saying in the publication.

Paul said that Modi's policy of engaging with the Indian diaspora has been beneficial both to NRIs and the Indian government.

"I am very optimist of India. I think Modi and his cabinet members whom I've met are all very committed.I think his greatest achievement is you don't hear of corruption at the top," he said.

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UK Prime Minister Theresa May to attend the three-day India-UK Tech Summit to be held in New Delhi starting November 7.

British Deputy High Commissioner Bruce Bucknell said at a roadshow held here today that this would be the first time that May would be visiting any country outside Europe after she assumed office of the Prime Minister.

With CII as the joint organiser, Bucknell said that the proposed summit would seek to address issues like technologies needed to develop West Bengal and the rest of eastern India, in areas where Britain could provide a solution and sectors issues like advanced manufacturing, smart cities, healthcare, life sciences and use of ICT.

He said that India emerged as one of the largest investors in the UK and vice-versa.

Numerous British companies would attend the summit along with noted Indian firms which had already forged technological collaboration among themselves.

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The UN rights council today called for a special investigation into violence in Aleppo in a resolution fiercely critical of Syria's government.

The text spearheaded by Britain repeatedly condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's offensive to retake east Aleppo from rebel forces, while also admonishing "terrorist acts" by the Islamic State group and other extremists in the Syrian conflict.

Russia, an ally in Syria's east Aleppo campaign, condemned the resolution which was approved in a majority vote.

Moscow's envoy to the council, Aleksei Goltiaev, also described criticism of Syria and Russia as "pathetic".

The resolution called for the UN's existing Commission of Inquiry for Syria (COI) to "conduct a comprehensive, independent special inquiry into the events in Aleppo", and to identify individuals responsible for the most serious violations.

Assad's government has repeatedly denied COI investigators access to the country, although they have published multiple reports documenting violations.

The resolution demanded that warring parties "in particular the Syrian authorities and their allies", allow unrestricted humanitarian access to desperate civilians and "end immediately all bombardments and military flights over Aleppo city".

It also condemned "the starvation of civilians as a means of combat". East Aleppo, captured by the rebels in 2012, has not received aid since July 7 when regime forces seized the last supply route.

John Fisher of Human Rights Watch said the resolution passed at a special session on Aleppo "sent a clear message that illegal attacks on civilians must end and that those responsible will be held to account".

UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein opened the debate by denouncing "crimes of historic proportions" being perpetrated in east Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people have been besieged under the joint offensive by Damascus and Moscow.

A so-called "humanitarian pause", initiated by Russia, has been broadly holding since yesterday in east Aleppo but the UN and Red Cross have not yet gained access to the rebel side of the city.

The UN had voiced hope it could begin medical evacuations today before bringing in dozens of aid-filled trucks, but said the security guarantees needed to mobilise had not yet been provided.

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The UN special envoy for Yemen today urged "restraint" as a shaky truce imposed under global pressure to end the war on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula takes hold.

The cease-fire "is fragile but largely holding," envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

He urged participants "to show restraint, avoid further escalation, and strictly adhere to the 72-hour ceasefire."



The UN official is liaising with the parties in an attempt to extend the ceasefire in order "to create a conducive environment for a long-lasting peace" in Yemen.

The envoy also "reminds all parties that the terms and conditions" of the ceasefire "include commitments for the unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel to all parts of Yemen."



The truce, for an initial period of three days, took effect just before midnight on Wednesday to allow sorely needed aid deliveries in Yemen, where the conflict has left millions homeless and hungry.

A Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Huthi rebels overran much of the impoverished country.

Five previous truce attempts failed, but cautious optimism preceded the current pause after an escalation of combat led to intensified international pressure.

Nearly 6,900 people have been killed in the conflict, more than half of them civilians, while an additional three million are displaced and millions more need food aid.

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: Declining to grant relief to realtors, who sought relaxation of its earlier order banning registration of plots and buildings whose layouts have not been approved, the Madras High Court today directed the government and petitioners to categorise lands for which registration was being sought.

On September 8, while hearing a PIL, the high court had banned registration of plots and houses, whose layout had not been approved, and conversion of agricultural land for non-farming purposes in an unplanned manner in Tamil Nadu.

Hearing a batch of 30 impleading petitions seeking relaxation, the court today said the question of modifying its September 8 order or lifting it would be considered only after categorisation of land was done and a report submitted to it.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on November 16.

During today's hearing, a real estate owners association from Tiruchirapalli submitted that the court order had halted the entire real estate activity, resulting in huge losses.

When some counsel submitted that types of registration like those by individuals for gift deeds could be considered, the court said they could file separate writ petitions.

Another counsel claimed Tamil Nadu had lost Rs 274 crore since registration had come to a halt, following which the Chief Justice drew an analogy of smuggling, saying that merely because it involved several hundred crores of rupees, it could not be permitted.

"Don't use these types of pressure tactics. We will not succumb to such pressure. We know pretty well why this is done. Don't say that the registrations were stopped because of our order."



There was no impediment in case agricultural land was sought to be transferred in the same category with an undertaking to use it as such, the court said.

"There may be similar other cases and those various applicants who seek to be impleaded, after some discussion, agree that they categorise these registrations, so that specific orders may be obtained qua areas of concern which are unnecessarily not being registered."



The government submitted a copy of the October 20 Government Order (GO) issued by the Commercial Taxes and Registration Department, which amended the Section 22-A of the Registration (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2008.

This provision would prevent registration of land holdings converted by the planning authorities for housing purposes without developing the plots. However, holdings already converted and registered were excluded from the purview of the new GO, the government said.

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Entertainment / Music

by Staff reporter

Popular news anchor at the local ZiFM Stereo - Candice Mwakalyelye and four other presenters - have left the private radio station for new opportunities on the continent and family reasons the station announced yesterday.In statement, station manager, Tendai Madondo, said the departure of the presenters was testimony to the talent that the radio station was producing."The fact that our personalities are being head-hunted is testimony of the quality that we have at ZiFM Stereo," Madondo said.Madondo said this while announcing the departure from ZiFM Stereo of Simbarashe Kaparipari aka DJ Eskay, Samantha Nozihlobo Ndhlovu aka Zihlo, Fire Friday host Kundayi Chiyanike, Current Affairs host Farai Mwakutuya and Mwakalyelye.Eskay, who was hosting the popular Love Lounge and Old School shows on Sunday, is joining his wife in the United States.Zihlo, who was co-hosting the Rush with DJ Munya, has moved to South Africa to work for a new continental television station while Kundai joins the same station but will continue to host her show.Madondo said In News and Current Affairs, Farai Mwakutuya has been head-hunted by the same continental TV station although he will remain a talk show host, albeit on an intermittent basis.Those leaving said they leave happily and will forever be indebted to ZiFM Stereo for providing them with a platform to be recognised in and out of Zimbabwe.Mwakalyelye said she was leaving a happy person having worked for the station for four years."I have been at the station for four years and there comes a time for one to grow and move on and that is what I am doing. I leave the station a happy person who has been grown and built by a station I both love and admire," she said.Mwakutuya said his new engagement would see him travelling a lot although he will be available at ZiFM Stereo.
Union Minister on Friday sustained injuries after he fell on the ground while getting off a helicopter in Jind district of Haryana and was rushed to a Delhi hospital where he was admitted.

The Union Minister of Steel, along with Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, arrived for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Kendriya Vidyalay at Uchana-Budayan village.

At around 10.30 AM, while getting off the chopper, Singh slipped and fell on the ground and received injuries on his right ankle and back, officials said.

A Health Department team attended to the 70-year-old Rajya Sabha member on the spot. After waiting at the helipad for about an hour or so, along with Javadekar and Uchana MLA Prem Lata, Singh was taken to the venue of the function in a car. He delivered his speech while sitting on a chair.

After the function, Singh was taken by road to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi where he was admitted in the evening. Hospital sources said x-ray and other tests were performed on the Union minister, the results of which were awaited.

Sources, however, said the Union Minister had suffered a muscle rupture.
Uttar Pradesh will pay a subsidy of about 50 per cent to English films shot in the state's scenic locations as part of the efforts to promote the state as a leading tourism destination, a top official has said.

"We will pay up to Rs 3.25 crore per film shot in the state which is about 50 per cent of the filming cost," said Navneet Sehgal, the state's Principal Secretary for Information, Tourism and Religious Affairs.

This grant to encourage shooting English films featuring scenic locations in the state will be announced soon, said Sehgal who is leading a tourism delegation to ITB Asia 2016, an annual international travel-trade show held here.

The state has been giving the same amount to Indian films shot in the state for the past two years, he said, adding that currently about 100 Indian films were being shot in Uttar Pradesh.

"UP is third most popular tourist destination in India," Sehgal told Singapore-based tourist and travel agents at a gala dinner last night.

The state government has set a target to increase tourist visitors by 20 per cent a year as part of tourism industry development, he said.

In 2015, the state received 2.5 million foreign tourists and 30 million domestic tourists.

Sehgal elaborated on the state's tourism locations, health and wellness services at the gathering dubbed as 'Travel Trade Networking Evening'.

He pointed out that India remains the cheapest for tourist outings given the comparative strength of South East Asian currencies.

Uttar Pradesh has many locations rich in ancient history and religious significance, including the iconic Taj Mahal.

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A US destroyer sailed close to a cluster of islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea today, the Pentagon said, amid continued tensions in the contested waterway.

The USS Decatur passed close to the Paracel Islands and "conducted this transit in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident," Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross said.

"This operation demonstrated that coastal States may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise under international law."



The maneuver is the third South China Sea "freedom of navigation" operation conducted this year by the United States, which has repeatedly stressed it will ignore China's "excessive" maritime claims.

Ross said the Decatur did not sail within 12 nautical miles of the islands, but crossed through a broader swath of ocean claimed by China.

Today's operation was the first since a July ruling by a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which ruled there was no legal basis to China's claims to nearly all of the sea - a verdict Beijing dismissed vehemently.

China that month held a week of military drills around the Paracels in the northern part of the South China Sea, during which other ships were prohibited from entering the waters.

Several other nations across the region including the Philippines and Vietnam have rival claims to various parts of the South China Sea.

China has been accused of doing massive environmental damage to the sea by building artificial islands, some with airstrips, capable of hosting military facilities.

The issue is a source of ongoing tension and anger in the region, and today's US operation is likely to further inflame Beijing's ire.

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The government today signed USD 650 million agreement with the World Bank towards the third loan for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) that will help faster and more efficient movement of raw materials and finished goods between northern and eastern parts of India.

The project was approved by the World Bank Board on June 30, 2015, according to a release.

The loan and guarantee agreement for EDFC Project was signed by Finance Ministry, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation and World Bank.

EDFC is 1,840-km-long and extends from Ludhiana in Punjab to Kolkata in West Bengal, with the World Bank supporting it as a series of projects in which the three sections with a total route length of 1,193 km will be delivered sequentially.

The project envisages the construction of 401 km Ludhiana-Khurja section which goes through Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The project will help increase the capacity of these freight-only lines by raising the axle-load limit from 22.9 to 25 ton axle-load (upgradable to 32.5 ton axle loads) and enable speeds of up to 100 km/hr.

The DFC lines are being built to carry bulk freight trains of 6,000 to 12,000 gross tons. The project is also developing the institutional capacity of the DFCCIL to build and maintain the DFC infrastructure network.

The objective of the EDFC project is to augment railway freight carrying capacity along the Railway Corridor between Ludhiana and Kolkata. The project will benefit industries of northern and eastern India, which rely on railway network for transportation of material inputs and exports that would accelerate creation of jobs in those regions.

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To protest against China's alleged support to Pakistan, the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Bengal unit has initiated a campaign against the use of Chinese products in the upcoming Diwali festival.

The VHP is using social media forums, like Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp, and by word of mouth to "spread the message of boycotting Chinese goods".

The message reads "Nation First- Boycott goods by China as it is supporting Pakistan."



"Pakistan is a terror state and China has stood in its support. China has vetoed the move against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar at the UN. During this festive season, when Chinese goods are traded in plenty, we are calling everyone to boycott these goods. China will survive on our economy by selling their below standard products and will conspire against India. This duplicity must end," VHP state president Sachindranath Singha told PTI.

Apart from VHP cadre in Bengal, members of other right-wing organisations, like Bajrang Dal, Dharma Jagran Manch, Durga Bahini and Go Seva Dal also supported the ban.

"We will try and create awareness that if Indian goods are used regularly, it will in the long run generate employment for Indians and will be good for Indian economy," Singha said.

The VHP and other right-wing outfits are promoting earthen pots instead of the Chinese products.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping today called for building strong armed forces - under the command of the Communist Party leadership - that commensurate with the country's international status and national security.

Speaking at a function to commemorate 80th anniversary of victory of Long March led by Chairman Mao Zedong to capture power,Xi, who is regarded as the most powerful leader after Mao, said the party's absolute leadership over armed forces is the fundamental guarantee for the army's victory.

"To build a strong country requires efforts to build a strong army, and only with a strong army can the country's security be guaranteed," said Xi, the general secretary of Communist Party of China and chairman of Central Military Commission - the high command of the Chinese military.

His comments came amid reports of murmurs of dissent over his military reforms which included retrenchment of three lakh troops to downsize 2.3-million strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) - the world's largest military.

Xi has already reconstituted military's administrative and command structure after carrying out an anti-corruption drive in which several retired and servicing top officials were indicted.

He called for efforts to foster a new generation of Chinese servicemen who are "soldiers with soul, high caliber, gut and virtue," and to build rock-solid troops with "iron-like belief, conviction, discipline and commitment."



"The Long March is the glory of the people's army, and the honourable people's army must always carry forward the great spirit and fine tradition of the Red Army in the Long March," Xi said.

He called on the armed forces to adhere to the party's absolute leadership, maintain their nature and uphold their principles as the people's army, and be the heir to the Red Army.

Moreover, he urged the military to uphold political integrity, promote reform and rule of law, and strengthen combat readiness, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The entire military should remain vigilant and be aware of its responsibilities, Xi said, noting that the modernisation of national defence and armed forces must advance in a bid to safeguard the country's national sovereignty, security and development interest.

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A youth died due to unknown reasons in Budgam district on a day when restrictions had been imposed by the authorities on assembly of four or more people in entire Kashmir.

A police spokesman said barring a few stray incidents of stone-pelting, the situation across Kashmir valley remained by and large peaceful while 72 more people were arrested for their alleged involvement in disrupting public order.

Javaid Ahmad Mir (25) from Nasrullahpora area of Budgam was declared "brought dead" by doctors at a hospital here, a police official said.

He said Mir did not bear any injury marks on his body and his cause of death could not be ascertained immediately. Giving details of the situation in the Valley, the police spokesman said, "Barring a few stray incidents of stone- pelting, situation across the valley remained by and large peaceful today."



Officials, however, said over a dozen people were injured in clashes between protesters and law enforcing agencies at various places inSrinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama districts.

The police spokesman said 72 people were arrested for their involvement in disrupting public order from different parts of the valley.

"Continuing its sustained drive against miscreants and hooligans found involved in disrupting public order in different parts of the valley, police has arrested 72 more such people during past 24 hours," he said.

Earlier, authorities had imposed restrictions in entire Kashmir valley on assembly of four or more people to prevent any untoward incident after Friday prayers.

Authorities had also imposed curfew in six police station areas of Srinagar district to prevent any violent protests after Friday prayers.

A police official said curfew was imposed in view of violent protests that have taken place after Friday prayers at these places in the past.

Normal life came to a standstill due to restrictions imposed by the authorities, with roads and streets across the valley wearing a deserted look even though semblance of normalcy returning was being seen over the last few days.

Security forces had been deployed in strength at vulnerable spots and along the main roads to ensure that the day passed off peacefully, the official said.

Shops and business establishments remained shut in the Valley in view of separatists' shutdown call.

The ongoing unrest in Kashmir has affected education as schools, colleges and other educational institutions continue to remain shut in the Valley.

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By Emma Thomasson and Donny Kwok

BERLIN/HONG KONG (Reuters) - As Europe's fashion giants brace for what could be the toughest leg of their expansion in China, a South African retail tycoon has launched a bold assault on the world's most populous nation.

Christo Wiese is promising to open 500 of his New Look stores in just three years, catapulting the British brand into the same league in China as the world's top fashion chains - Spain's Inditex and Sweden's H&M .

His plan is to make most of the clothes in China to ensure they cater to local tastes and can get to stores quickly - a strategy similar to the one successfully pursued in Europe by Zara-owner Inditex.

The arrival of New Look - and its local sourcing strategy - poses a new risk for the likes of H&M and Inditex, already suffering from slower growth in China, fierce competition for real estate and the cost of investing in ecommerce.

H&M is opening more stores in China this year than anywhere else in the world and the country is already the second biggest market for Inditex outside Spain.

China is a big draw for retailers who hope to tap the aspirations of a fast-growing middle class, with mid-range names benefiting as consumers trade down from luxury brands since Beijing's clampdown on corruption and conspicuous spending.

But recent history offers plenty of examples of failure. Western brands that have struggled in China include Gap Inc , Abercrombie & Fitch and Marks and Spencer , which decided last year to close five stores in smaller cities to focus on flagship stores in large cities and online.

"Most of the Western fashion labels that are mid-range fail in China. A large part of it is that the styles and the fit are so completely different," said Shaun Rein, founder of market intelligence firm China Market Research.

LOCAL TASTES, LOCAL SOURCING

New Look, a chain founded in 1969 and bought last year by Wiese's investment vehicle Brait SE , does not want to make the same mistake. It now runs 94 stores in China, out of a global total of 852, and hopes to have up to 150 by next March.

"I will definitely give it a try if it is a foreign brand and as long as I like it," said Chen Jie, a 32-year-old businessman from Shenzhen who was carrying an H&M bag in a shopping district in Hong Kong. "Price is not an issue but the design and quality must be good."

While New Look is cashing in on the popularity in China of British style - it is adding the "London" tag to its logo for its Chinese stores and website - it is also catering for local tastes.

Sven Gaede, managing director of New Look's international business, says the firm has an advantage over many European rivals as 85 percent of what it sells in China is sourced locally and more than a third is designed exclusively for China.

That has allowed New Look to tap into the current popularity in Asia of culottes - flared, three-quarter length trousers. Gaede said they account for 12 percent of the firm's sales in China, though they are not popular in its European markets.

"South Korea and Japan drive a lot of the trends that the Chinese customer seeks, so our ability to be able to identify those trends, source them locally and get them into our stores quickly is key," said Gaede.

That helps explain the success of the Uniqlo chain of Japan's Fast Retailing <9983.T> in China, which already has almost 500 stores in the country and is aiming for 1,000 stores in about five years - more than in Japan.

"It's pretty hard for the foreign fast brands to do the localisation that Uniqlo does in China as it was born with the Asian gene," said Violet Shen, a marketing executive in Shanghai.

The "fast fashion" model was pioneered by Inditex, which can bring new styles from the catwalk to stores in Europe within days from factories mostly in Spain and North Africa. However, Inditex does not have the same advantage in China.

Inditex plans to add 60 stores in the next few years to the 582 it already runs in China, but it serves them from its logistics centres in Spain.

"As their proportion of sales increases in the East, it challenges this model. You can't hub out of Spain," said Dominic Jephcott, chief executive of supply chain experts Vendigital.

New Look is not the first Western retailer to try to bring the Inditex model to China.

Denmark's Bestseller, which runs brands like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones, says over 90 percent of its products sold in China are also produced in China and most of the designs for the Chinese market are adjusted to local tastes.

That has helped the family-owned firm to become the clear leader in China, with more than 6,800 stores in over 300 cities, to give it a 2 percent share of the fragmented market, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

Anders Kristiansen ran the China business of Bestseller before taking over as New Look chief executive in 2013. Gaede said Kristiansen's experience in Asia is one of the reasons behind the group's aggressive expansion strategy.

H&M also buys many of its garments in China - the country accounts for about a quarter of its global sourcing.

But the Swedish firm does not make a big point of adjusting its ranges for China, where it has opened 47 stores in the last nine months, taking its total to 400.

"We see that fashion becomes more and more global and that China doesn't differ much from the rest of the world regarding trends and fashion," said investor relations head Nils Vinge.

"There are of course local differences but that is true for every market. H&M has a business model that can adapt to this," Vinge said, declining to elaborate.

Rein of China Market Research says Western brands must strike a delicate balance.

"You have to keep your global brand image and you can't be that creatively different in China than other markets. The Chinese travel around the world," he said. "It is good to localise. But it hard to localise an aspiration."

STORES VS ECOMMERCE

A bigger challenge for New Look may be to secure the right locations, especially as rivals also seek to add hundreds of stores in the coming years.

"To find 500 stores of real estate and roll that out in the right way ... I think it is virtually impossible," said Franklin Yao, managing partner at strategy consultants Smith Street.

But the more established New Look's brand becomes in China, Gaede said, the better the locations and terms it will be offered, adding that the firm was now pushing into smaller cities.

"We are less wedded to the number each year and we are more wedded to getting quality locations," he said.

Meeting soaring Chinese demand for buying clothes online is also tough.

Most international brands initially launch on Chinese ecommerce sites like JD.com and Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao, but are keen to build up their own online operations to protect margins and integrate ecommerce and store services.

New Look is currently available on Tmall and JD.com, but plans its own transactional site in the next 12 to 18 months.

Partnering with Chinese sites and local payment and delivery service providers is essential to reach consumers across such a vast country, said Vendigital's Jephcott.

"It is a hard physical push and a very hard digital push, all premised on a strong relationship with the logistics partner like Taobao," Jephcott said, noting that Taobao has established a delivery network of micro-stores even in small towns.

(Additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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By Ethan Lou

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil settled up on Friday on hopes Russia and OPEC will reach agreement at the weekend on market support initiatives to keep crude above $50 a barrel, although traders cautioned about pressure from a double-digit rise in the U.S. oil rig count.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said he would make proposals to his counterpart from OPEC leader Saudi Arabia this weekend on price-supportive measures that could include an oil production freeze.

Some traders were sceptical about Russia's commitment after Novak also said the country might produce up to 11 million barrels per day next year to hit a new post-Soviet record. OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, has also been pumping crude at or near record levels.

"Market bulls are counting on Russia's credibility to seal a deal with OPEC to take prices to new levels above $50," said Phil Flynn, analyst at the Price Futures Group in Chicago.

Also pressuring the market, oil services firm Baker Hughes reported that U.S. oil rigs rose by 11 this week, the first double-digit growth since August.

Brent settled up 40 cents, or 0.8 percent, at $51.78. For the week, it ended flat.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled up 22 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $50.85 a barrel. WTI hit a July 2015 high of $51.93 on Wednesday and ended the week 1 percent higher.

Oil prices, which in February hit 12-year lows of around $26, have risen more than 13 percent since Sept. 27, when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced plans to curb production for the first time in eight years to rein in a global crude glut that has halved prices from mid-2014 highs above $100 a barrel.

Analysts have warned for weeks that U.S. shale oil drillers, responsible for much of the crude glut, could ramp up activity once prices return above $50.

"This is what we've been anticipating. With prices at these levels and rising, rig count increases will likely be in the double digits hereon," said Tariq Zahir, crude trader at Tyche Capital Advisors in New York.

Some traders think the U.S. government will report a weekly rise in crude inventories next week to counter the surprise draw in this week's report that drove WTI prices to July 2015 highs.

"We've shorted WTI at $51 in the hope of reaching $47.50 if there's be a build big enough to counter the recent draw," said Phil Davis, trader at PSW Investments in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

(Additional reporting by Barani Krishnan in NEW YORK and Karolin Schaps in LONDON; Editing by Mark Heinrich and David Gregorio)

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MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday recommended the country's top three network operators be fined a combined 30.5 billion rupees ($456 million) after it found they were denying new entrant Reliance Jio sufficient interconnection points.

Jio, part of India's richest man Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd, began offering 4G services in September, triggering a war over network points that connect Jio customers with Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Plc's India subsidiary and Idea Cellular Ltd.

Responding to Jio's complaints over the denial of points of interconnection (POI), TRAI recommended a fine of 500 million rupees per telecom zone for each of the three operators.

Airtel and Vodafone India were fined for 21 zones each while Idea was fined for 19 zones in a country with a total of 22 telecoms zones or circles.

The denial of POI to Jio "appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer", TRAI said in a statement.

Reliance Jio did not respond to an email seeking comment while Airtel, Vodafone and Idea declined comment.

($1 = 66.9126 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Promit Mukherjee; editing by David Clarke)

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News / Local

by Mary Charamba

President Robert Mugabe reportedly arm-twisted the family of the late Cephas Msipa to have him buried at the National Heroes Acre.Msipa's family had initially resolved to bury him in Gweru on Saturday as per his wish.However, according to his son Obert, Mugabe said Msipa cannot be buried in a cave, referring to Midlands Provincial heroes Arce."Yes you might have read in the papers of some disagreements that were there but President Mugabe showed us the way."President Mugabe said his fellow comrade, his former roommate when they were still bachelors, could not be buried in a cave," said Obert Msipa.There was mounting speculation that Msipa would be denied national heroes status as he was a staunch critic of Mugabe recently.Mugabe attended Msipa's funeral wake on Wednesday.Msipa died on Monday in Harare.
This week, the production team behind the upcoming Bollywood drama, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM), met the Mumbai Police commissioner to request improved security arrangements for the release of the film, which has been targeted for including Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a key role.
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International Monetary Fund's latest warning on CPEC has sent ripples in Pakistan's political class. Soon after the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s assessment on CPEC, lawmakers from the upper house of Pakistan expressed fear that the CPEC could turn into another East India Company if the country's interests were not actively protected.

Last year in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping rolled out his most ambitious project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with the initial investment of 46 billion-dollar. The CPEC investment is one of China's biggest ever outside the country.

Soon after the announcement, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the $46 billion CPEC would be a "game-changer" for the country as well as for the entire South Asia region. Sharif's statement underlines the geopolitical significance of this project not only for Pakistan but also for the South Asian giant.

But, the first real assessment by an international financial global organization has raised serious doubts about the long-term impact of the Chinese investment in Pakistani economy. IMF has warned in its latest report that the repayment obligations that come with the investment will be serious for the country.

Moreover, Beijing stands to gain more as the CPEC will essentially make it easier for China to import oil, gas and other resources from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran via the port and an extensive land route in Pakistan.

ALSO READ: 5 socio-economic issues where Pakistan trails behind India

However, Pakistan has got its own share of problems that will force Nawaz Sharif to walkover the IMF's warning and look forward to the Chinese investment. Here's why:

Weak economy

As per the State Bank of Pakistan, country's total foreign debt and liabilities has piled up to Rs 74 trillion, which is a record high in the history of Pakistan. Till 2013, the total debt of the country stood at $61.9 billion, which was the first financial year of Nawaz Sharif's government.

Pakistan badly needs huge foreign investment as the current situation is quite disappointing. The State Bank of Pakistan statistics showed that country's overall foreign private investment (FPI) plunged by 55 per cent to $405.5 million during July-February 2015-16 from $898.3 million in the same period last year.

This drastic decline was due to a massive outflow of $345 million from the equity market during the period. Nawaz Sharif knows that terrorism has severely affected country's prospects of foreign investment. And in such turbulent time, he is in no position to back off from the 46 billion-dollar project which is three times the total FDI Pakistan has got in the last decade.

India's rise

Pakistan's relations with the United States has virtually ebbed over a period of last one decade. And, during the same period India's economy has done fairly well. Last year, India replaced China as the fastest growing major economy in the world.

According to Delhi's Central Statistics Office, India's economic growth is now expected to hit the high of 7.6 per cent in year 2016. India's last year's quarterly growth was in line with expectations at 7.3 per cent which outstripped China's 6.9 per cent.

All troubles aside, India's economic growth could be the most worrying factor. India is one of the biggest purchasers of arms in the world and Pakistan will be deeply worried with its neighbour's military prowess exceeding its own. China also sees partnering with Pakistan as an effective strategy to counter India's rise in the region.

"Much of what we have seen in the strengthened China-Pakistan alignment in the last decade is a reaction to the rise of India. China's move to invest in Pakistan has been purely geopolitical and it's policy has been driven by power political criteria," writes Andrew Small in his book - The China-Pakistan Axis.

ALSO READ: Goa BRICS Summit: Does trade imbalance make India the weakling?

Energy crisis

Pakistan has also been gripped by severe energy crisis for some years with parts of the country facing acute electricity shortage. In most of the places electricity cut goes for up to 20 hours a day. The country has an installed electricity capacity of 22,797 megawatts (MW), but production stands at a dismal 12,000 MW. China has announced $34.4 billion for power projects in Pakistan.

Poverty

What is more serious of all is acute poverty in Pakistan. A little less than half the population of Pakistan comes under poverty line. At least four out of 10 Pakistanis are living in acute poverty with the population of Balochistan faring the worst among the provinces. Pakistan's first-ever official report on multidimensional poverty states that 38.8 per cent of Pakistan's population lives in poverty. A majority of the rural population 54.6 per cent lives in acute poverty.
Spain is about to pass 300 days without a government. But guess what? Few Spaniards seem bothered by that as the country's economy roars ahead.

Spanish cities are boasting of packed cafes and restaurants, thriving fashion shops and art galleries, plenty of tourists. The overall impression is of a bustling, vibrant country.

ALSO READ: Baba Ramdev open to setting up Patanjali unit in Pakistan

So who needs a government?

"I'm not especially worried about it," said retiree Goyito de Camacho. "I see it on the TV and in the papers but (politicians) are all the same. They're all scum who don't care about the people."

Two inconclusive elections on Dec. 20 and June 26 have left the conservative Popular Party running a caretaker government for the past nine months - Saturday will be its 300th day. The party won both elections but lacked a majority and now has until Oct. 31 to muster support to form a minority government or Spain will face a third election.

There's no sense of panic, however. A CIS survey this month showed Spaniards' chief worry - by far - is the country's 20 percent unemployment rate. After that, those questioned expressed concern about corruption and disappointment with politicians and political parties. The absence of a government came in fifth.

"Politics in Spain is chaotic, the parties are only interested in themselves" said 52-year-old computer technician Jose Luis Alfonso. "They say it's not affecting the economy, although I imagine it is. Maybe we'd be better off without a government."



ALSO READ: Pierce Brosnan deeply shocked to learn Pan Bahar may cause cancer





But economics professor Jose Ramon Pin of the IESE Business School and other experts warn that the impression that Spain is doing just as well without a government is deceptive.

"It's true that a country can maintain itself without a government. The problem is if it goes on for too long," said Pin.

Spain's case is by no means unique. Belgium set a European record with a massive 541 days needed to form a government following a 2010 election.

As it stands, Rajoy has the support of 170 lawmakers in the 350-seat national parliament - 137 of them from his own party - but he needs other parties' votes, or abstentions, in a confidence vote if he wants to form a minority government.

But Spain has never had a coalition government and its political parties seem incapable of making deals. Speculation, however, is rife that the leading opposition Socialist party, whose leader has quit amid the stalemate, may abstain if a vote is held this month.

Meanwhile, Spain is one of the European Union's fastest-growing economies. The International Monetary Fund says Spain will grow 3.1 percent this year, just as strongly as when it had a fully functioning government last year.

There are clouds on the horizon, however.

Spain's central bank is warning that the political deadlock could have negative economic effects as key reforms to ensure long-term growth aren't being introduced.

Pin, the economics professor, notes that a key reason for continuing growth is that Spain's 2016 budget was passed before the political paralysis set in.

"The problem will be in 2017, because there's no budget yet and public investments, fiscal policy or money distribution won't be known till then," he said. "This produces uncertainty."



ALSO READ: Diwali offer from Maharajah! Air India offers buy one get one on tickets


Ahead of Diwali, the government will launch on October 24 the sixth tranche of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) scheme, in which people can buy securities worth up to 500 grams.

"Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds 2016-17 - Series III. Applications for the bonds will be accepted from October 24, 2016 to November 02, 2016," the Finance Ministry said, adding that SGB will be issued on November 17.

SGB, an alternative mode of investment to physical gold, was launched in November last year. It provides investors a choice to diversify portfolio without the need to buy the metal in physical form.

ALSO READ: Gold trades at premium for first time in 9 months

So far, the government has come out with five tranches of the SGB. There were more than 2 lakh applications for the fifth tranche.

The bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognised stock exchanges, NSE and BSE.

The RBI had earlier this week said that five tranches of SGB for a total value of Rs 3,060 crore have been issued till date. The Reserve Bank issues bonds on behalf of the government.

"The (SGB) investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value of investment," the ministry said.

The tenor of the bonds will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.

Payment for the bonds will be through cash payment (up to a maximum of Rs 20,000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking.

The maximum amount subscribed by an entity will not be more than 500 grams per person per fiscal year. A self- declaration to this effect will be obtained. In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 500 grams will be applied to the first applicant only.

Price of bond will be fixed in rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Limited for the week (Monday to Friday) preceding the subscription period. The issue price of the Gold Bonds will be Rs 50 per gram less than the nominal value.

The bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The loan-to-value ratio is to be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time.

The capital gains tax arising on redemption of SGB to an individual has been exempted. The indexation benefits will be provided to long-term capital gains arising to any person on transfer of bond.

Bonds will be tradeable on stock exchanges from a date to be notified by the RBI.
India's marine product exports have been a bright spot in the otherwise gloomy merchandise export growth scenario of the country. After managing to recover from last year's blip, marine exports is all set to achieve the $5.6 billion revenue mark, closest to its record high, this year. A. Jayathilak, Chairman of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), the Commerce Ministry arm responsible for the promotion of quality marine product exports, talks about the increasing global demand for shrimp, and India's preparedness to harvest this single most important growth driver for marine exports. Excerpts:



Marine product exports dipped 10 per cent last year. How do you see the market growth now?



Even though we had a 10 per cent dip last year, in the first eight months or so, we have recovered that completely. We are going at 10 per cent growth rate for the last six months. I think the worst of recession is over. As far as the fish sector is concerned, the worst period is over. If you look at the rate of export growth, we are confident of touching $ 5.6 billion this year. We have set a $ 10 billion target for 2020.



If you look at our marine exports basket, it is heavily skewed in favour of shrimp. Here again, there is a very sharp focus on one particular species. Is this way of export promotion sustainable?

Ideally, we shouldn't be putting all our eggs in one basket. This is happening because of the huge international demand for pacific white shrimp. It goes by market dynamics. We don't expect the demand to come down overnight because it has already captured the world market. But, yes, we need to diversify.

Why is white shrimp farming so attractive?

One visit to any farm in Andhra Pradesh will tell you why it is so attractive. The payback period for white shrimp farming is the smallest for any crop. It is less than two years. The cost of aquaculture per hectre is Rs 12 lakh. In the first year itself you can take one crop; you will get a net profit of Rs 6 lakh. In the second year, you get a net profit of Rs 12 lakh. If you invest 12 lakh rupees, you get 18 lakh in two years, and you would have recovered your entire investment. Everything else is a bonus after that. That is why anybody who comes to coastal Andhra Pradesh, and sees the economics of this, finds it attractive.



Food exports to USA - a key market for India - are increasingly coming under regulatory scrutiny. How can the aquaculture industry be equipped to face the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) challenge?

The quality standards are becoming more and more stringent not only with USFDA, but with other regulators, too. The standards, and the periodic modifications, have to be communicated to and understood by the entire supply chain. In all our extension activities, this information is communicated, so that they adhere to all the procedures that are now mandated internationally. We take inputs from them (USFDA), though there is no direct role for the regulatory agency. The other way to ensure best practices is to let the exporter know who actually produced the lot he exports. When you merely aggregate and sell in containers, you will not know which lot came from where. We are setting in place a traceability system. It will take some time. But with bar coding, you will be able to trace the shrimp to the pond.

Each year, new areas are getting added. Every region has its own problems



The great demand for shrimp itself will ensure that the industry takes care of this problem. They are aware that they will either get the best return, or get zero return - if the lot is contaminated, it is not exported at all.

The minister had announced plans for turning MPEDA into a federation of state-level bodies. You already have 14 regional offices which are trying to assist state-level exporters. How relevant, hence, is this new attempt?



This is similar to what we have already introduced in the spices sector (Jayathilak was earlier chairman of the Spices Board). As regulatory and marketing agencies, Spices Board and MPEDA cannot get into cultivation or production. Both are clearly areas that come under the domain of respective state governments. However, farmers approach us (MPEDA, Spices Board) for problems related to land or cultivation. Since our mandate is limited, we cannot intervene. The new state-level agencies will fill that gap. These agencies will function as a good coordinating mechanism between the production aspect of the supply chain and the export linkages. A very good, established exporter, one who has already developed his contacts with the state government and MPEDA, may not need this. But institutional mechanism will help every farmer and every exporter, as you will have a single window system to address all the issues. These agencies will be headed by the Chief Secretary, so there will be total involvement of the state government in addressing all the production related issues. It will be addressed by all the regional offices of MPEDA, which will take care of quality control and export promotion. That is the value addition.

Q. Is your $10 billion target completely dependent on pacific white shrimps?



We want to promote the black tiger shrimp, the original Indian shrimp variety, too. Suddenly there is this craze for pacific white shrimps, and we have forgotten our family heirloom, so to speak. Black tiger shrimp has a distinctive taste. There is a latent demand for black tiger, which is not tapped. It is a niche market. Even now there are enquiries, but we are not able to meet them. We will actually get a higher price for black tiger, since when supply is low, unit value realisation will be higher. Once our nucleus breeding centre in Andaman is ready, the production of black tiger will also go up. That is how we will approach the $10 billion target.

Q. What is the most critical issue before you at the moment?

In case of pacific white shrimps, the critical issue is the supply of raw material. Right now, we are dependent on seedlings from the US. In the two to three years, we should be totally self-sufficient in providing seedlings. That is the plan.


Banks on Thursday moved into damage control mode on Thursday as the biggestever security breach is feared to have put at risk as many as 32 lakh debit cards, with Rupay cards taking the biggest knock in a cyber malware attack on some ATM systems.

Several banks, including state-run SBI, have recalled a large number of cards, while many others blocked the ones suspected to have been compromised and asked their customers to change PINs (personal identification number) before use.





ALSO READ: Diwali offer from Maharajah! Air India offers buy one get one on tickets "All affected banks have been alerted by card networks that a total card base of about 3.2 million could have been possibly compromised. Out of this 0.6 million are RuPay cards," said National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella body for all retail payments system in India. In a statement, NPCI said the complaints of fraudulent withdrawals so far have come from 641 customers and the total amount involved is Rs 1.3 crore as reported by various affected banks. Fraudulent withdrawals have been reported from 19 banks so far, while complaints have been received from few banks that their customers' cards were used fraudulently abroad, mainly in China and USA while customers were in India.

Allaying fears over the fallout, Department of Financial Services Additional Secretary G C Murmu said, ``Only about 0.5 per cent of total debit card details were compromised while remaining 99.5 cards are completely safe and bank customers should not panic.'' There are around 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously developed RuPay cards while the rest are Visa and Master Card enabled. Bankers said the recalled cards include those that have been replaced as a 'pre-emptive measure', while in many cases the customers have been asked to mandatorily change the PIN and other security numbers to resume using the blocked cards. While SBI has re-called around six lakh cards, others like Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Central Bank and Andhra Bank have already replaced their debit cards which were suspected to have been affected as a preemptive measure. Leading private sector banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Yes Bank and Axis Bank have asked customers to change their ATM PIN. HDFC Bank also advised its customers to use its own ATMs for carrying out any transaction.

ALSO READ: Mukesh Ambani's wealth at $22.7 bn equals Estonia's GDP: Forbes





The suspected security breach happened through a malware in the systems of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves Yes Bank. According to bankers, the breach took place in such a way that anyone using the Yes Bank ATMs faced the risk of being cheated.

However, Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor exuded confidence in the security architecture of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), calling it as the finest in the world. State Bank of India said, card network companies NPCI, MasterCard and Visa had informed various banks about a potential risk to some cards owing to a data breach. Accordingly, we have taken precautionary measures and have blocked cards of certain customers identified by the networks.

SBI deputy managing director and chief operating officer Manju Agarwal explained that the data breach took place between May and July, but was discovered only in September and so the bank decided to proactively change the cards.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya is reportedly in Germany on undisclosed official business.His trip coincide with reports that a German company which specializes in the printing of bank notes, Giesecke and Devrient has rejected Zimbabwe's request to print bond notes.Mangudya could be in Germany to beg the firm to print the bond notes.The bond notes are due to be introduced in November.However, RBZ has not issued any spacemen with officials saying they have not even made the designs of the controversial notes.
Leaders from the World of Financial Services gathered at the offices of prominent Irish law firm McCann FitzGerald yesterday for a seminar discussing the implications and opportunities for the financial services sector post-Brexit.

The seminar, organised by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and McCann FitzGerald involved three panel discussions which explored, in both a pre and post-Brexit context - issues arising that affect the financial services industry, the nature of post-Brexit access and relationships that UK (re)insurers could continue to have with the EU and an insight into what opportunities are available for the sector.



Opening the seminar, Director General of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, John McGrane said, "Although Brexit poses some challenges for the financial services sector, there should be no doubt that Ireland cannot hesitate to capture the opportunities that are now presented to us. Ireland is an attractive and dynamic destination for any financial entity."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
ESB has invested 2.5 million to take a minority shareholding in Irish solar company, Terra Solar, which will accelerate the development of solar energy generation in Ireland.

Terra Solar and ESB have the potential to deliver over 260 megawatts of electricity generation capacity from solar energy, which would power over 50,000 homes every year.



Terra Solar was founded by David Fewer and Andre Fernon and is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin.

The company previously announced plans to develop solar farms in Kerry and Clare and is now also accelerating the roll out of solar farms across Limerick, Waterford and Wexford.

Founders David Fewer and Andre Fernon said, "This investment by ESB is an important vote of confidence not only in Terra Solar but in the future of the solar industry here in Ireland. The funding provided by this investment will enable us to accelerate the development of our sites in Munster and in Wexford over the coming months and years. We are delighted to have ESB as a strategic investor and partner in the business."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Wrike today announced the opening of the companys new Dublin office that will support its ongoing expansion into Europe; one of Wrike's fastest growing markets with 30% year-over-year growth in EU customers.

The firm also recently opened a new data center in Amsterdam. To help support this growth, the company has rounded out its European leadership team, adding Alexander Belenky as VP of Sales, EMEA.



Wrike began operations in Dublin over one year ago, but quickly outgrew its office space and has outpaced its own expectations for growing its team. It currently employs 25 in Dublin and plans on increasing that total to 80 over the next three years  a number well above the 50 jobs projected when it selected Dublin as its European headquarters in 2015. The jobs are being created with the support of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland.



Welcoming the news, Minister of State at the Department of Finance Eoghan Murphy TD commented, The government continues to target fast-growing technology companies to invest in Ireland and make us a part of their growth from the earliest possible stage. Wrike is a hugely exciting software company, growing rapidly and selling cutting edge products and services around the world. It is heartening to see the company take this space and continue to recruit and build their team here.

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
The Irish Software Association and Bank of Ireland today launched The API Economy, turning your business into a platform.

The Technology Sector Insights event in Dublin featured leading international and domestic speakers from the technology sector.



APIs, or application program interfaces, are having a major impact in the technology sector. There are over 12,000 APIs offered by firms today and the Harvard Business Review reports that Salesforce.com generates 50% of its revenue through APIs, Expedia.com generates 90%, and eBay generates 60%.



Speakers at the Technology Sector Insights event which took place at Ibecs offices in Dublin included Research Vice President at Gartner - Paolo Malinverno, Head of Technology Sector at Bank of Ireland- Adrian Mullett, Investment Director at Atlantic Bridge - Dr Helen McBreen, Group CEO at Blueface - Alan Foy, CEO at TheHireLab - Maurice Buckley.



Addressing attendees, Director of Irish Software Association, Paul Sweetman said, "The success of Irish software and technology companies is built on an ecosystem of collaboration. As such, we are delighted that Bank of Ireland partnered with us on this mornings event and they will once again celebrate the success and achievements of the industry through sponsorship of the upcoming Software Industry Awards in November. We have a strong relationship of open discussion with Bank of Ireland in discussing key financial needs of the sector that supports exceptional growth."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Redfaire, an Irish IT Services and Software company headquartered in Limerick, yesterday announced the creation of forty jobs to support its fast-growing international customer base.

The jobs are in a range of roles including, IT Support, Sales, Software Product Development and Cloud IT Consultants.

The company expects to continue its expansion in Limerick over the next three years to support its ambitious growth targets. Redfaire currently employs forty-three people in Ireland as well as a further seventy-seven at offices in the UK and France.



Redfaire's growth since the beginning of 2016 is thanks, in part, to winning a contract with international convenience store brand Circle K, previously known as Statoil Fuel and Retail. Circle K also recently acquired Topaz Ireland.

Redfaire offers 24/7 support 365 days a year to Circle Ks European team covering Oracle ERP. Redfaire won the business when Circle K decided to move IT support from India to Europe. Redfaire is also expanding staff levels to meet the increasing demand for Oracles suite of Cloud products and to scale its own software business.

At an event in Limerick City Hall yesterday evening with the Minister for Finance - Michael Noonan, representatives from the Oslo office of Circle K, Minister of State for Employment & Small Business- Pat Breen, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick - Councillor Kieran OHanlon and Enda McDonnell - Manager, Global Sourcing, Public Procurement, Business Process Outsourcing, Business and Consumer Services at Enterprise Ireland, congratulated Redfaire on their success.



Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Kieran O'Hanlon said, "I'm delighted that Redfaire is creating highly-skilled jobs in Limerick. The Redfaire story shows all that is best in Limerick, it was founded by LIT alumni and Redfaire has partnered closely with all the local stakeholders including LIT, UL, the City and County Council and other local businesses to ensure that the right skills are available in Limerick for the roles that are being created."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
LOGAN  Once again Utah Republican State Senator Lyle Hillyards name will be on the November ballot. The veteran legislator has served eight four-year terms in the senate. Prior to that, he spent four years as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. Hillyard, who is an attorney by profession, has no opposition and that may be because he holds the important position of Chairman of the Senates Executive Appropriations Committee, a seat he has occupied since 2009.

Hillyard said he decided to seek another term because in that job he is able to influence legislation relating to education and revenues.

Its a pretty awesome pressure job to get it done and having the knowledge and background to do has been very helpful, he said. Were getting our budgets done and getting a lot of accolades for how we do it. As long as I can physically do it and feel physically good I want to be able to continue to serve the people of the state of Utah that way.
LOGAN  Motorists driving through Sardine Canyon Friday morning may encounter delays, as ranchers move a herd of sheep through a part of the canyon to a winter pasture.

Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Lee Perry said the ranchers will be moving the heard along the highway from Mantua into Brigham City. Its expected to begin around 8:30 a.m. along the southbound lanes of US-89/91.

Troopers will be in the canyon warning motorists to watch for ranchers and the sheep.

Perry said moving the sheep through the canyon will last about an hour and should primarily only slow traffic heading south.

The sheep will then be herded through Brigham City, to a pasture in Corrine.

Perry said it is quite a site to see, as the herd of about 7000 sheep, is herded through the canyon.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
Andrew Lesky, who opted to represented himself in his attempted murder jury trial, interacts with bailiffs from the Cache County Sheriff's Office on Thursday morning in Logan.

LOGAN  Andrew Lesky took the witness stand in his attempted aggravated murder case as prosecutors finished presenting their evidence. State attorneys concluded Thursday afternoon, hours after Judge Brian Cannell ruled to allow the defendant to represent himself as his own attorney.

Court records show, defense attorney Chad Hutchings filed a motion Wednesday, asking for Lesky to be his own lead defensive counsel. It stated the defendant was frustrated with how witnesses were not being questioned the way he wanted them to be cross-examined. It also said, he felt he could represent himself better than his current attorney.

Judge Cannell ruled to allow Lesky to be lead counsel but retained Attorney Hutchings as support counsel. A similar request was denied in September.

Lesky took the stand, telling jurors about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, the alleged victim, who he first met at a party in Preston, Idaho. He explained that their romance was volatile because of the victims drug use. He is expected to continue his testimony Friday.

As part of their evidence during the past seven days, prosecutors called the victim and her now husband to the stand. They described how on the night of October 24, 2014, Lesky approached them while they were outside their Logan apartment, near 75 East 600 North. They claimed he brandished a handgun and tried to shoot her, but the gun misfired. They then said he produced a knife and cut the mans clothing.

Prosecutors also called others to testify including neighbors who witnessed the fight.

Lesky has been charged with 10 felonies and 17 misdemeanors. The trial is only for six of those felonies including one count of attempted aggravated murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies. He could face up to life in prison if found guilty.

The trial is expected to continue through Monday.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Robert Mugabe Jr, the son of 92-year-old President Mugabe has reportedly become a maize dealer.According to the Zimbabwe Independent, Robert Jr sought details from BancABC on maize importation facility.The publication said BancABC official Lincoln Chirinda wrote to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe explaining circumstances surrounding a meeting with Mugabe's son.Below is part of the letter :"On Friday 5th of August, I received a call from the main reception where I was advised that Stephen Rwodzi wanted to see me around 12.46 hrs."At that time I was attending to another client and only managed to go to the reception and see him around 1300hrs."I enquired from Mr Rwodzi the purpose of the visit as I had no prior appointment with him; he advised to me that he needed a letter of confirmation on behalf of Bonero Corporation to give a potential grain supplier. (Mr Rwodzi and Bonero Corporation had a business relationship for the importation of grain on behalf of the Grain Marketing Board)."Mr Rwodzi introduced me to the two gentlemen in his company who were Mr Robert Mugabe Jr and Mr Billet Magara (I handed them my business cards); he went to highlight the purpose of the meeting which was to explain the mechanics of the grain importation."I went to highlight the purpose of the meeting which was to explain the mechanics of the grain importation."I went on to explain the process and payment modalities involved upon enquiry."There was further enquiry on the use of trade finance instruments such as Letters of credit and Guarantees which I advised the members that it was feasible but highlighted that there was a challenge of very few international banks willing to confirm on our behalf without cash cover".
Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan has reshuffled the government only months before the general elections, after which the presidential system will be replaced with a parliamentary one. The new appointments seemingly aim to ensure the continued rule of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) after next years elections. The current foreign policy course based on loyalty to Russia and its Eurasian project will likely remain unchanged, despite its dire economic consequences.

BACKGROUND: Speculations about the possible resignation of Armenias Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan began several months ago. However, President Sargsyan likely took the principal decision after the armed attack in July on a police compound in Yerevan, which a group of 31 armed men captured and kept under control for two weeks before surrendering on July 31. On August 1, Sargsyan stated that he would form a government of national unity. Abrahamyan formally notified the president about his resignation on September 8. He remains deputy chair of the RPA.

On September 13 the National Assembly, upon the presidents request, voted in favor of Karen Karapetyan as the new prime minister. Karapetyan briefly served as mayor of Yerevan in 2010-2011. Before his 10-month term, he had worked as chief executive of the Armenian subsidiary of Russian natural gas producer, Gazprom. Karapetyan has continued his career with Gazprom since 2011. Karapetyans background has led some analysts to suggest that his new appointment was particularly approved by Moscow as an additional guarantee against a possible change of foreign policy.

Instead of the majority of ministers in the previous cabinet, who have served in several cabinets while entertaining strong connections with oligarchic structures, Karapetyan appointed a number of newcomers unknown to the public, many of whom cannot even be located via online search engines.

Journalistic investigations show that most of new cabinet members have had connections with Russian commercial structures. In addition, Karapetyans successor at the post of chief executive of Gazprom Armenia, Vardan Harutyunyan, was appointed the director of the State Revenues Service on October 11.

President Sargsyan practically gave Karapetyan a free hand concerning appointments to posts in the new cabinet. Consequentially, Karapetyan has been able to change almost the entire cabinet with the exception of appointments that remain the presidents prerogative. Thus, the head of the police and the ministers of national security and foreign affairs remained on their posts; President Sargsyan also appointed the head of the presidential staff, Vigen Sargsyan, as the new minister of defense.

IMPLICATIONS: Forming a new government about half a year before the parliamentary elections could be an attempt to placate the public, as disappointment with the previous government was a major reason for the radicalization of protests. Following the July attack on the police compound, a number of people gathered nearby, despite several attempts by the police to disperse them. These have included two police attacks on a nearby neighborhood, leaving over a hundred wounded, and daily arrests of hundreds of protesters. Forming a new cabinet with members who were not previously state servants and therefore less likely to have been involved in corrupt practices and misappropriation of public funds, could be useful. Some observers suggest that unless Karapetyans cabinet demonstrates at least some achievements, a new mass protest campaign is inevitable.

However, just before Karapetyans appointment, the tax code was amended with potentially unfavorable outcomes for small and medium businesses. Also, remittances from Armenians working in Russia  the countrys main source of hard currency  are expected to decline further. Thus, the prospects for economic improvement are bleak. Karapetyan is also hardly in a position to change the structure of governance dominated by oligarchs, whose possessions are safe as long as they remain loyal to the president, similarly to the Russian model. Any attempt to change the oligarchic, monopolistic economic structure, or to tax the oligarchs businesses could seriously destabilize the whole structure.

Karapetyans and some of his appointees connections with Gazprom remain an issue of public concern. Just days before Abrahamyans resignation, it was announced that the Yerevan thermoelectric plant had accumulated a debt amounting to US$ 52 million for natural gas supplied by Gazprom Armenia  the monopolist gas supplier in which Gazprom owns 100 percent of the shares. It may be expected that another property for debt deal is in the making. The largest, and most scandalous, previous deals of this kind took place in 2013, when Gazprom acquired the remaining 20 percent of the shares in Armenias gas distribution network that had until then been state property. The government then explained that the handover was necessitated by a debt of over US$ 300 million that had been accumulated since 2011. During the parliamentary debates, it turned out that cabinet members had not been aware of this debt, as minister-chancellor Vacheh Gabrielyan, who until April 2013 had been the minister of finance, admitted in a Radio Liberty interview. Gabrielyan, who was later promoted to deputy prime minister, is of the few officials who remained on his post in Karapetyans newly appointed cabinet.

The appointment of Vigen Sargsyan, the presidents loyal aide, as the new minister of defense, was unexpected. Sargsyans appointment, as well as the reconfirmation of Eduard Nalbandyan as the minister of foreign affairs, occurred on October 5  much later than the other cabinet appointments. In his first public statement Sargsyan, educated in the U.S., demanded a greater role for the army in social and economic life, claiming that the army should turn from being a very heavy burden on the state and economy into a leader and locomotive, and that the entire population should have many scientific, economic, industrial or other projects related to the army. It remains to be seen whether Sargsyans statement was only lip service to the nation-army concept that some politicians have long promoted, but particularly after the heaviest exchange of fire along the entire line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh on April 2-5, or signals a possible redistribution of assets. A patriotic agenda could be a convenient pretext for redistribution, as it would be less fervently opposed. In any case, the fundamental structure of the oligarchy can hardly be touched.

CONCLUSIONS: Last years constitutional amendments will probably secure the RPAs hold on power after the general elections in 2017, when the presidential system will be replaced with a parliamentary one (see the 12/29/15 Issue of the CACI Analyst). Against this backdrop, and given President Sargsyans previous political course, he would be unlikely to change the cabinet shortly before the elections if the newly appointed prime minister could potentially become a strong contender within the party.

From this point of view, Karapetyans appointment seems quite logical, as he has no political base of his own and no serious political ambitions in Armenia, and will hardly run for election. He has no previous political status to defend and it would therefore be safe to blame him for economic hardship and failure to reform. He could easily return to Russia once again, like he did in 2011 after resigning as mayor of Yerevan overnight and immediately taking a job with Gazprom in Moscow.

Therefore, the suggestions that Karapetyans appointment will give Moscow additional leverage are probably incorrect. In this regard, keeping Nalbandyan, whose dismissal was long awaited by the expert community and would be welcomed by the political opposition, as the minister of foreign affairs is a more important signal of Armenias consistency in foreign policy and continuing allegiance to Russia.

AUTHORS BIO: Armen Grigoryan is an Armenian political scientist, the author of several book chapters, journal articles, and policy papers. His research interests include post-communist transition, EU relations with Eastern Partnership countries, transatlantic relations, energy security, and conflict transformation.

Image source: static.kremlin.ru, accessed on October 18, 2016
News / National

by Alice Dube

A rape case against Prophetic, Healing and Deliverance (PHD) leader Walter Magaya is slowly crumbling after a Harare magistrate removed all bail conditions.Magaya was arrested in August on allegations of raping a former congregant.Today, Harare magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe set aside all remaining bail conditions and Magaya is due back in court on November 15.According to court papers, the complainant - a 25 year old Masters in Marketing student used to be a congregant at Magaya's PHD ministries.She allegedly accepted an invitation from the preacher to visit him and was shown around the house.Magaya allegedly left the woman in a room inside the house and returned later, naked.It was alleged that Magaya then raped the woman once.After the sexual encounter, Magaya gave her $200 and she later reported the matter to her boyfriend in July last year.
News / National

by Staff reporter

EMPLOYERS have thrown their weight behind a court application by a Harare vendor Hardlife Mudzingwa seeking to compel police to arrest Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo over the alleged abuse of the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).The allegations against Moyo and his deputy Godfrey Gandawa came to the fore when the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) attempted to arrest the minister a fortnight ago over the saga.President Robert Mugabe blocked the arrest. Moyo has said the allegations against him are a smear campaign driven by factionalism and tribalism, adding that some of his colleagues are guilty of abusing funds but had not been apprehended. Likening himself to Robin Hood, Moyo said he used the money, among other purposes, for the development of Tsholotsho constituency.Employers pay 1% of their payroll monthly to fund human capital development for the economy.Employers' Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) president Josephat Kahwema said yesterday his organisation was considering seeking recourse via the courts of law."We fully support the court case made by the individual (Mudzingwa) as it will make the courts decide whether Moyo is guilty or innocent so that we can get to the bottom of this issue," Kahwema said."Otherwise we will have people who will stand up and ask why we should continue paying to a facility that has excess funds that it distributes for party programmes at a time when employers are struggling to pay workers and remain viable."He said the business community will meet on Tuesday next week to come up with a way forward on how to deal with the allegations of the funds' abuse, which has also sucked in former higher education ministers Olivia Muchena and the late Stan Mudenge as well as former permanent secretary in the ministry, Washington Mbizvo.Kahwema said employers were concerned about the allegations, especially at a time when scores of students were being kicked out of tertiary institutions over failure to pay fees, with other students on internship going unpaid.Kahwema's remarks come after Emcoz issued a press statement raising concerns over the allegations of abuse of Zimdef."We are concerned that a legal institution like the [Zimbabwe] Anti-Corruption Commission is vulnerable to attack by the very institutions that are sworn to protect it. This could be interpreted locally and internationally as interference with the course of justice, which significantly affects the attitude of investors," Emcoz said in its statement last week."Zimdef, as a public institution, must apply the funds for the purpose for which it was established and it should not be allowed to operate outside its mandate."
| BY Ricki Green |

Aussie photographer Gary Sheppard is launching his fine art photography exhibition I Am Someone on Saturday November 5  19 at Special Group Gallery in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Sheppard will present a series of portraits of rescued farm animals with all proceeds going to help the animals.

Event details:

What: Gary Sheppard  I Am Someone

Where: Special Group Gallery

Address: 270 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
| BY Lynchy |

AirAsia, Carat Singapore, Posterscope Singapore and Clear Channel sparks commuters interest on an adventure to Mauritius, with 3 flights weekly to paradise.

Air travel is a highly competitive sector and airlines find themselves competing for consumers attention. Commercial carriers are stretched to develop creative and innovative ways to attract savvy travellers who are hungry for new and memorable adventures.

Digital innovation and technologies can provide a competitive advantage, from improving consumer experience to engaging audience and building brand loyalty. AirAsia embraces the digital transformation and experiments new ways of getting consumers attention with Clear Channel.

AirAsias digital out-of-home campaign on Clear Channel Play promotes its new route with an intriguing concept that showcases the exotic beauty of Mauritius. The interactive photo booth acts as a follower engagement campaign, using a branded hashtag (#TravelGr8toMauritius) topped with an attractive prize (flights to Mauritius) to encourage user-generated-content. The extensive 360 campaign also includes a holistic media plan with print, radio, digital and social media efforts.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwean pastor Evan Mawarire who is leading protests against the brutal dictatorship of President Robert Mugabe has been refused entry into the UK.Mawarire was told by immigration officials his visa had been refused just hours before he was due to board a flight to London.He's been instrumental in the " #ThisFlag " campaign - an uprising against the leadership of Mugabe.He was held in prison for several days after convincing his fellow countrymen and women to take part in a general strike but was released after protests. He was then forced to flee Zimbabwe.Mugabe, 92, has described the pastor as a "disgrace".Mawarire is currently in the United States but was due to give a speech in London on Tuesday night.The reasons for his visa being rejected were not immediately clear but Premier understands he is appealing.An event in Parliament, where Mawarire was due to speak to the Africa All Party Parliamentary Group, has been cancelled.Premier has contacted the Home Office for further information.Writing on his Twitter account, Mawarire said, "My visit to the UK has been delayed due to visa not yet being issued. Looking forward to the UK interactions once it comes through #ThisFlag ".Mawarire is one of anti-Mugabe activists  including exiled music star Thomas Mapfumo  who are expected in the UK where they will mobilise Diasporans to bring back the troubled southern African nation into the spotlight.The UK tour comes as pro-democracy activists are now devising new strategies to confront Mugabe - Zimbabwe's only president since independence 36 years ago - after his government's repressive and brutal clampdown on demonstrations and imposition of a ban on protests in Harare.According to UK-based Free Zimbabwe Advocacy (FZA) group, prominent activists such as Patson Dzamara, Sten Zvorwadza as well as Linda Masarara and Mapfumo will address gatherings in Leicester and Dunstable to drum up support for their course.Dzamara is famed for the #OccupyAfricaUnitySquare anti-Mugabe crusade - started by his abducted and still missing brother, Itai.Mawarire led one of the fiercest resistance movements against Mugabe's rule, leading to successful country shutdown in July this year.He fled the country in fear, but has remained instrumental in Zimbabwe's quest for Mugabe to step down, following allegations of running down the country's economy and failure to deal with corruption.His #ThisFlag movement became the face of Zimbabwean people's struggle, ushering a new era of a fearless generation that has braved to confront the most feared Mugabe, who has maintained a firm grip on power since 1980 when the country got its independence from the British colonisers.Mawarire's #ThisFlag pioneered a host of other #Hashtags that have given the nonagenarian leader sleepless nights and by any standard is posing him with the greatest threat to his coveted throne that he has ever known in independent Zimbabwe.Pursuant to a number of protests against his rule, Mugabe went on to issue a ban on demonstrations in central Harare using the controversial Public Order and Security Act.
An obvious product is radioactive chemicals in the air. In the 1949, the US used weather balloons to collect data about tests in the Soviet Union. If the bomb is underground, this probably won't work, but it still gives off clues. In 2009 North Korea detonated a bomb one kilometre below the surface, and this was detected by changes to the signals received by GPS satellites.
"The two groups of people we don't want to talk about having sex in the world are our parents and our children, [but] if you say to anyone ... that relationships and sexual experiences will be one day something you're not able to enjoy, I don't think that thought brings a lot of joy," he said.
Ms Saikal argued Lemmon's initial financial woes had been enough to drive him to deal drugs and the fact he now found himself in far more dire circumstances could prompt him to reoffend.
News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

Guruve - Shocking drama as man presumed to be "dead and buried" found alive in a granny store room.The man who is yet to be identified by Bulawayo24.com emerged from the granary storeroom when villagers and relatives where gathered for his memorial service.The bizarre incident has left villagers tongue tied.It is said villagers at Chikonyora farm had summoned a Mozambican Sangoma to conduct a cleansing crusade following an alleged mysterious death.The Sangoma shocked villagers and relatives when he dismissed the death and called the presumed dead man who came out of the granary in a state of shock after seeing a multitude of people witnessing his memorial service.Further allegations say the "dead man walking" is now only associating with the Sangoma and no one else.The village head has ordered everyone to give in to the cleansing since the dead man is said to have been found in a granary storeroom.As the bizarre incident continues to boggle the mind, this morning two herds of cattle were attacked by hyenas it is not clear whether these hyenas are natural or are as a result of witchcraft.Villagers who spoke to Bulawayo24.com expressed shock over the hyenas since there have never been seen in the history of Chikonyora, instead lions were once reported and were taken care of by Nyamaneche Game Park but these hyenas are a puzzle.More to follow as the drama unfolds...
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Gokwe Sesame ward 11 traditional leaders have reportedly threatened to remove MDC-T members' names from the food aid list if they continued to support the main opposition political party.This was revealed by the Heal Zimbabwe Trust through its report."Following an MDC-T rally at Nemangwe Cotton Marketing Board on 16 October 2016, Village head Sande called for a meeting at Nemangwe ward centre on 17 October 2016."At the meeting, he told people that all those who had attended the MDC-T rally risked having their names removed from the food aid beneficiary's list."Village head Sande also barred any opposition political activities in the area. He further highlighted that anyone who fails to comply with his order shall be forced to relocate," said the trust.
Opinion / Columnist

Recently Zimbabweans were alarmed by claims that Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) is training some misguided Zimbabweans to embark on acts of banditry in their peaceful country. One, Jeff Judahosana posted video clips on line claiming that he is the commander of a shadowy terrorist group, Smoke That Thunder, which is recruiting Zimbabwean males aged between 20 and 45 years to undergo training by RENAMO in Cerra de Gorongoza, Mozambique with the intention of carrying out acts of banditry against the ZANU (PF) Government before this year,s Christmas.The deranged bandit, Judahosana, further claimed that his group was offered a military training base in Gorongoza by RENAMO. Some Zimbabweans have dismissed the man as just a hoodlum who is politically posturing and even insane, but such dangerous utterances cannot be just dismissed or taken lightly.Judahosana also heaped praise on Morgan Tsvangirai and his party, the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T), for allegedly standing up against President Mugabe and ZANU (PF). He went on to mention top security officers, and government leaders, including President Mugabe, his terrorist group intends to target. The RENAMO leader, Afonso Dhlakama, has since revealed that Tsvangirai is his close friend; so MDC-T owes Zimbabweans an explanation on whether it is linked to Judahosana and his terrorist groups, actions. Security forces should hunt down Judahosana and make him regret as one cannot just publicly bluff threatening to carry out acts of terrorism against a country. He should be made to pay for his reckless utterances.Zimbabweans are aware that MDC-T is a violent party as evidenced by the senseless mayhem that party carried out in the country in recent month through its Tajamuka/Sijikile thugs and hoodlums. MDC-T hooligans have petrol bombed police stations and public transport in the past. Tsvangirai is on record threatening to remove President Mugabe from power violently. So it up to that party to clarify its position in reference to acts of terrorism promised to be perpetrated on Zimbabwe by Judahosana.In March 2016, Nyanga North Member of Parliament, Hubert Nyanhongo, told the House of Assembly that RENAMO was recruiting Zimbabwean youths for military training. Through its brutality, RENAMO has caused displacement of many Mozambican nationals, especially those of Zimbabwean origin, who are now refugees in neighboring countries including Zimbabwe. By July 2016 hundreds of refugees were accommodated in Mabuye Village, Chipinge in makeshift tents made from mosquito nets.The situation at the camp was pathetic as there were no clean water and ablution facilities, thereby creating conditions for possible outbreaks of epidemics like cholera. Children of these refugees are not going to school. The refugees claimed that they were being persecuted by RENAMO for allegedly supporting the FRELIMO government. RENAMO extorts money and also forcibly takes away cattle, goats and other properties from defenseless people after severely assaulting them.RENAMO is looting hospitals and clinics as well as attacking vehicles on major highways in Mozambique resulting in many deaths. Zimbabweans have not forgotten RENAMO,s brutality at the height of Mozambique,s civil war that ended in 1992. Thousands of Zimbabweans were either killed or maimed during RENAMO,s incursions into the country. RENAMO has also assassinated many FRELIMO politicians in the recent years. It is therefore only prudent for Zimbabwe,s security forces to urgently engage their Mozambican colleagues in order to get to the bottom of this disturbing development before it gets out of hand.RENAMO should clarify whether it is a fact that it is involved in training and supplying logistics like arms of war to terrorists who intend to cause mayhem in Zimbabwe. If it remains silent over the claims then Zimbabweans should not be blamed for believing that Judahosana,s claims are authentic and that RENAMO has become a security threat to Zimbabwe once more.
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Opinion / Columnist

There is nothing like a serious challenge to Zanu PF's iron grip on power to bring out the ugly side of that party! When the disgruntled war veterans announced that they would be switching their support from the Zanu PF candidate to an independent in the Norton by-election they did not just throw the electoral gauntlet challenge at President Mugabe, they might as well have slapped him in the face several times with it.Of all the independent candidates to support, the disgruntled war veterans are supporting Themba Mliswa, himself a former Zanu PF MP and provincial party chairman, who was booted out of the party together with Mai Mujuru and others in 2014. All those Mugabe kicked out of Zanu PF are not supposed to stage any form of comeback!No one likes to lose and President Mugabe is no exception in that; what sets him apart from everyone else however is that whilst there are red-lines they will never ever cross to secure victory, Mugabe has no such inhibitions. None!In the past President Mugabe has relied on the rogue war veterans, his storm troopers, to harass, beat, rape and even murder his political opponents and the public at large to secure election victory. He has since fallen out with the rogues because he has failed to keep his promise of a fair share of the country's looted wealth. Whilst President Mugabe and a few in his inner circle have become filthy rich the rest of the population including the great majority of the rogue war veterans have been forced into a life of abject poverty."We are the stockholders of Zanu PF and Zimbabwe," the disgruntled war veterans told President Mugabe finally. "You and everyone else are stakeholders who come and go!"So the stakes in the Norton by-election are sky-high for President Mugabe. A Mliswa victory will confirm there is life outside Zanu PF for those Mugabe has kicked out and, worse still, that, without the war veterans terrorizing the electorate on Zanu PF's behave, the party is not as electorally invisible as Mugabe would have us believe. These are two myths President Mugabe cannot afford to have demystified hence the reason some of the demonic aspects of Zanu PF normally kept for nation-wide elections are coming out in this by-election.VP Mnangagwa who has been out campaigning in Norton is support of the Zanu PF candidate told his listeners President Mugabe has instructed him the party must win the seat "at all cost"!Zanu PF has been dolling out residential land to party supporters and has even boasted about it."The youth fund is continuous and all you requests and recommendations will be considered. Of course Zanu PF youths will get priority because it is the party in government," said Youths and Empowerment Minister Patrick Zhuwao recently."The white man should go back where he came from, we will keep our Zimbabwe," said VP Mnangagwa in Norton. "Zimbabwe will never be a colony again."This is the kiss-of-death in Mugabe's satanic kit because he has unleashed all the state's power and resources to hunt down and kill all those accusing of helping the white's regime change agenda. The threat to re-colonize the country is a smoke-screen to justify the imposition of a de facto one-party (Zanu PF) state cum one-man (R G Mugabe) dictatorship. Instead of upholding the individual right to free, fair and credible election, the basis of good and accountable governance, President Mugabe has systematically denied the people this right under the pretext that granting it would result in regime change and re-colonialization.Zimbabwe is not the only country in the world to have been a colony and then gain her independence; none of the other nations have ever been re-colonized. It is total irrational to deny the people their freedoms and basic rights, the very things independence was supposed to bring, on the pretext that to grant them will result being recolonized!Of course the people of Zimbabwe did not have any democratic say on whether or not they approved the imposition of this no-regime-change mantra  it was imposed and is being maintained against their will. Indeed, in the last 36 years the people have risked life and limp to demand the country holds free, fair and credible because this is the only way to end this corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe rule that has destroyed the country's once promising economy leaving millions living in abject poverty.Given Zanu PF's unfettered access to state resources including land and billions of dollars looted from Marange diamonds and total control of State institutions like the Police and ZEC it is clear Zanu PF will rig the Norton and the upcoming 2018 elections hands down. Not even ex Zanu PF candidates like Mliswa, even with the help of disgruntled war veterans, can force Zanu PF to hold free, fair and credible elections."You should vote for the rulers, not for the ruled. Vote to be part of the rulers, not the ruled," boasted VP Mnangagwa."Even if you are asleep and you dream of Zimbabwe under another government, which is not Zanu PF, you should wake up, brew beer and ask your ancestors why they have forsaken you." The voice of one who knows Zanu PF will always "win" the elections regardless of what the ordinary people would say in a free and fair vote. Zanu PF knows that the people will never ever have a free vote  not without dismantling its vote rigging machinery.We all know what Mliswa is going to say after the by-elections; "Zanu PF rigged the elections!" And unlike Donald Trump, we all know Mliswa is right because we already have a mountain of vote rigging evidence.The people of Zimbabwe should wake up to the reality that those participating in elections, knowing fully well the elections will not be free, fair and credible, granting the process the veneer of competition and thus a veneer of legitimacy. Zimbabwe's economic recovery and with it the hope of getting out of this hell is dependent on the country holding of free and fair elections.Zanu PF will rule "until the donkeys grow horns" as Simon Khaya-Moyo once boasted because Zimbabwe is a de facto one-party state with a well-established and well-funded vote rigging machinery. It is foolish to contest elections knowing Zanu PF will rig the elections and nauseating to then complain about the rigging!
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.
The Global Languages programme is part of OUP's mission to extend learning and education worldwide

New Delhi, Thursday, October 21, 2016: Oxford University Press (OUP) today announced the launch of the Hindi online dictionary, as part of the Oxford Global Languages (OGL) programme from Oxford Dictionaries. OGL is one of the most significant projects of OUP which aims to build dictionaries and lexicographical resources for around 100 of the world's languages and to make them available online.

Hindi is the 9th language to become part of the OGL programme, which has led to the development of a Hindi-Hindi online dictionary. The Hindi site will be supported by a Language Champion who will provide strategic advice and help grow awareness of the initiative. Dr Poonam Nigam Sahay, Associate Professor at Ranchi University, is the Hindi Language Champion.

Speaking about the Hindi Online Dictionary, Sivaramakrishnan V, Managing Director - Oxford University Press India said "The development of a dictionary website for Hindi will help increase awareness and access for the language, not just in India but everywhere else where learners and speakers of Hindi exist. He added "a digital platform for languages not just provides vast storage of language data that is accessible anytime, but also helps in the development of the language."

The OGL programme's major objective is to transform the experience of millions of people worldwide, by making web based digital content available in their own language. The initiative will not only strengthen the community involvement in preserving the language, but also arm the language users with modern day tools for overall communication enhancement. The web-based versions are an essential digital resource that are easily accessible to language users.

Speaking on the inclusion of Hindi in the Oxford Global Languages programme, Dr Poonam Nigam Sahay, OGL Hindi Language Champion and Associate Professor at Ranchi University said "Including Hindi in the [OGL] repertoire would undoubtedly enrich the language and lend a solid support to its fast and phenomenal development." she explained.

The OGL programme effectively combines OUP's tradition of digital innovation with the wide reach and scale of OUP's global dictionaries programme and plays a significant role in shaping the future development and consumption of content across various global languages.

What is Oxford Global Languages?

Oxford Global Languages (OGL) is an initiative from Oxford Dictionaries which aims to build lexical resources for 100 of the world's languages and make them available online. Thanks to OGL, large quantities of quality lexical information for a wide range of languages are now available in a single, linked repository for use by speakers, learners, and developers.

OGL aims to transform the experience of millions of people worldwide by making their language available in digital form - on websites, in apps, and via other tools. OGL records how living languages, including their variants and dialects, are used today. The result is a vast data store of language data that is accessible, linked, and reusable.

OGL launched its first two language sites, isiZulu and Northern Sotho, in 2015, followed by Malay, Urdu, Setswana, Indonesian, Romanian, Latvian, Hindi, and Swahili. Many more will be added over the next few years.

For more information on OGL, please visit: https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ogl

Note on Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press (OUP) is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. Our global academic publishing program spans the entire academic and higher education spectrum, including a wide array of scholarly and general interest books, journals, and online products. Our mission is to support Oxford University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education.

As a press, we take pride in this mission, which allows us to enable, support, and facilitate research and scholarship. Our authors range from classic thinkers to modern masters, including twentieth-century Nobel Prize winners, and and many others from across the globe.

OUP brings together leading scholars to address contemporary political issues. Published and developed in partnership with the world's most prestigious learned societies, OUP is proud to publish leading journals in the area.
This September, county-level "community bills of rights" in Medina, Portage, Athens and Meigs were removed from these Ohio counties' respective ballots, despite all four gathering enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The bills of rights would have banned fracking-related projects, established enforceable rights for ecosystems and carved out powers for localities to improve state protections for health, safety and welfare. Some, like Medina's, would have halted construction on the fiercely contested NEXUS fracked-gas pipeline.



But as a result of the removal of these measures from local ballots, no votes will be cast. They were removed by county boards of elections working closely with the Secretary of State to apply stringent pre-election requirements.



It is a virtual repeat of 2015, when the Ohio Supreme Court sided with Secretary of State and gubernatorial hopeful Jon Husted in a decision that effectively pulled four county-wide initiatives -- in Medina, Fulton, Meigs and Athens counties -- from their ballots, ahead of the November 2015 elections.



The 2015 court battle came after Husted claimed "unfettered authority" to determine the legality of local initiatives before they go to a vote. It was a baseless legal argument that flew in the face of established legal precedent that defines a secretary of state's role in the ballot process as procedural, and which protects petitions from legal or constitutional challenges before citizens get a chance to vote. The court struck down Husted's proclamation but sided with him on a technicality -- and the initiatives were removed.



Decisions, such as this, which sidestep the democratic process, maintain predictable "investment climates" for the oil and gas industry, and perpetuate the illusion of consensus and the notion that somehow issues regarding the oil and gas industry are democracy-immune. The industry -- wary of a domino effect -- does not want the thought that oil and gas extraction can be governed by citizen-crafted law to spread, for fear that if it does, it will do so rapidly. The very concept of putting fracking to a vote is dangerous to the oil and gas companies' agenda. It is why they worked so hard to squelch attempts at 2016 statewide anti-fracking ballot measures in Colorado and Michigan.



This is not the first fracking-related standoff in recent Ohio history. Since 2012, Ohioans working with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund have passed community bills of rights in Yellow Springs, Broadview Heights, Oberlin and Athens, and proposed over a dozen more that either failed at the ballot or were removed from the ballot before votes could take place.



Heading into 2016, activists, seemingly undeterred by the 2015 setback, crafted new initiatives with painstaking attention to detail on the "form of government" requirement. Some went so far as to explain how county coroners would be compensated under the new charters.



But their efforts were not enough to satisfy Husted or the local county boards of elections. Ultimately, all four county measures were removed from the ballot for not delineating every single specific responsibility of all county officials.



Husted appoints all the county boards of elections. In one county, he tapped Ohio Gas Association President Jimmy Stewart. And this spring, Husted organized a fundraiser with the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. Husted has also earned infamy for his attacks on early voting and trimming of the state's voter registration rolls.

And that is what the Teabagger Secretary of State John Husted is doing in Ohio to pesky ballot initiatives that would annoy his reactionary backers and perhaps break his rice bowl as he looks forward to running for governor.Beyond depriving voters of access to their democratic process, Husted's activities also highlight the necessity of paying attention to down ballot elections especially those in off years. It is unlikely that anything will be done before the removal of people like Husted and Gov. Kasich.
Nearly Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Marijuana Legalization

Trending News: Legal Pot Is Now More Popular Than Either Presidential Candidate

Why Is This Important?

Because we finally have an issue both liberals and conservatives can more or less agree on.

Long Story Short

A new Gallup poll shows that 60% of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Long Story

Amid all the hot air and insults and jaw-dropping statements weve heard these past few weeks, a major hot button issue will be on the ballots in nine states next month: the expansion of legal access to marijuana.

In Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, voters will be casting ballots on whether or not to legalize pot for recreational use. Meanwhile, Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota voters will decide whether to permit legal marijuana for medical use. And over in Montana, where a medical marijuana law is already on the books, voters will decide if they want its current restrictions eased.

Huffington Post

At the national level at least, momentum seems to be on the side of the anti-prohibitionists. A new Gallup poll says 60% of American adults favor the legalization of marijuana. A similar poll by the Pew Research Center showed support at 57%.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, there is significant  but not insurmountable  difference of opinions based on age and political affiliation. Legalization is most popular among adults aged 18-34, with 77% of respondents in favor. Among those over age 55, support dropped to a still-not-insignificant 45%.

Among Democrats, support for legalization was 67%; among Republicans, 42% and among independents a whopping 70%.

These are big numbers, and a big increase from just a decade ago, when support hovered at just over 30 percent.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

If this trend continues, how long before weed is legal across the country?

Disrupt Your Feed

Smoke as much as you want, but please dont engage me in a political conversation, or about marijuana culture in general, while youre high, thanks.

Drop This Fact

CNN reports that weed being grown legally in Colorado is getting stronger and more potent, so much so that some legislators are thinking of introducing limits on THC levels.
Woman Auctioning Off Virginity To Rebuild Family Home

Trending News: This 20-Year-Old Is Auctioning Off Her Virginity To Help Her Family

Why Is This Important?

Because she's trying to be a hero to her family  but is this going too far?

Long Story Short

A 20-year-old woman is auctioning off her virginity to raise money for her family, whose home burned down in Seattle. So far, the highest bigger has pledged $400,000.

Long Story

Katherine Stone's family home in Seattle burned down. Without insurance, her mother, brother and sister have been forced to live on the scorched property, but Stone has a plan to raise enough money to save her family  sell her virginity.

Stone has begun working at one of Nevada's legal brothels  offering sexual favors but not sex  and is taking bids for a "hymen auction."

So far, the highest bid is $400,000, but Stone won't necessarily take the highest bid unless there is some sort of "connection" with the bidder.

"People say you are suppose[d] to do it for love," Stone said, according to CNN, who reported the story. "But if you think about it, I am doing it because I love my family."

Her pimp (his words not mine) is Dennis Hof, who owns the Bunny Ranch legal brothel in Nevada. Hof, who has been in headlines before including "Hookers for Hillary" and offering a Game of Thrones sex experience, says Stone is "a hero" and is waiving his usual 50% cut for her virginity auction.

Katherine has the one thing that every man in the world wantsand thats her virginity, and its that priceless female commodity that this brave and selfless girl is putting up on the auction block to rescue her family from ruin and destitution," said Hof on the auction website, America's Next Top Bunny Ranch Virgin. "It is her choice. I don't think it is a good idea for a girl to drink six tequilas and lose her virginity on the bathroom floor in a frat house ... If she wants to (sell) it, I think that's great."

If you feel icky about this (I sure do), I don't blame you. On the one hand, she's making a huge sacrifice for her family and it's her right to choose what to do with her body. If people are willing to pay for it and it's legal  why not? On the other hand, well, selling your virginity is a good reason in itself for why not. But yeah, it's her choice at the end of the day.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Is she a hero or victim?

Disrupt Your Feed

It's her choice what to do with her body and she's old enough to decide  but this whole thing sucks regardless.

Drop This Fact

There are 19 legal brothels in Nevada.
Jaguar Land Rover showed off their latest connected and autonomous technologies at the UK Autodrive demonstrations taking place at Horiba Mira Technology Park.



JLR is working together with Ford and the Tata Motors European Technical Center in order to test connected features that will allow vehicles to communicate with each other as well as with roadside infrastructure in the future. These types of technologies are among JLRs priorities in terms of research.

In order to test a wide range of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies over the next four years, theyre creating a fleet of more than 100 research vehicles, looking to make driving smarter and cleaner in the near future.

We know that theres a huge potential for these technologies in future vehicles around the world, said Tony Harper, head of research for JLR. Until now we have focused on communication between Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, this collaborative approach is a major stepping stone towards all Connected and Autonomous Vehicles co-operating with each other in the future.

Our aim is to give drivers exactly the right information at the right time and collaborations with other manufacturers are essential to help us deliver this commitment to our customers.

Among the suite of technologies being tested are Advanced Highway Assist, Electronic Emergency Brake Light Assist and Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory.

With the help of Advanced Highway Assist, a vehicle is able to overtake other vehicles automatically as well as to stay in its own lane without any input from the driver via the steering wheel or pedals. Electronic Emergency Brake Light Assist on the other hand is meant to warn drivers when another vehicle brakes severely or unexpectedly, which can come in handy under poor visibility conditions.

Finally, the Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory feature, which is also being tested by Ford, could help motorists move through traffic without needing to stop at the lights  because they would always be green. The way this would work is that the car would connect to the traffic lights and then advise the driver on which speed would be best in order to catch the next green light.

PHOTO GALLERY
Mercedes-Benz recently confirmed that its bold new pickup truck would debut on October 25. Unfortunately, we now know that itll just be a concept version.



As the reveal date edges closer, the German automaker has dropped the first teaser of the pickup, believed to be dubbed the GLT. It confirms that the car initially presented will be a concept and that the model will adopt a similar shape to the Nissan Nivara on which it is based.

The image also reveals that the Mercedes pickup will be built with four doors, at least initially, and includes traditional pickup truck proportions as well as a sharp lip spoiler extended out over the tailgate.

Based on recent spy shots and videos, it seems apparent that the model will also have a familiar Mercedes-Benz front fascia with headlights similar to those of the brands ever-growing SUV range.

As the model will be based around the same architecture as the Nissan Navara, it is expected to receive the same selection of engines, meaning a 2.5-liter petrol, 2.3-liter diesel and 3.0-liter diesel V6 will be available.

Mercedes-Benz has previously said that the model will target customers in Latin America, Australia and South Africa.

PHOTO GALLERY
Unveiled earlier this year and priced in some European markets, the Skoda Kodiaq has taken one more step closer to consumers, as the first examples have just rolled off the assembly lines.



Present at the ceremony, the brands Board Member for Production, Michael Oeljeklaus, said: We are pleased that its now underway. The series production launch of the Skoda Kodiaq is an emotional moment for the entire company and especially for our colleagues in Kvasiny.

Manufactured in Kvasiny, Czech Republic, the companys first-ever large SUV will contribute to strengthening its position in the worlds fastest growing segment with its distinctive design, interior space and innovative technologies.

The facility, which is home to approximately 5,900 employees, is one of Skodas three manufacturing sites in the country. Before welcoming the Kodiaq, it has been modernized and it now has an expanded paint shop and logistics areas, a new car body construction and a converted assembly line. The process however is not just limited to the factorys parts where the Kodiaq comes to life as it also includes other key areas too, described as the most extensive modernization and expansion in its history.

Last year alone, around 142,000 Skoda vehicles were produced in Kvasiny, but the facilitys capacity is bound to be extended to 280,000 cars annually, over the next few years. Besides the Kodiaq, Skoda assembles the Superb and Yeti as well, in this plant.

PHOTO GALLERY
New Zealand is poised to enter the Academy Award race this year with 25 April, an adult-skewing animated feature based on actual journals of New Zealanders and Australians who took part in the disastrous Gallipoli invasion during World War I.

Tomorrow, the film starts a one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles County at the Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino. Here is the trailer:

Per its official description, the documentary-style film weaves together animated interviews based on the diaries, letters, and memoirs of six people who were actually there, to tell the compelling and heart-wrenching tale of war, friendship, loss and redemption using the words of those who experienced it.
Photo: Google Street View

Employees at an adult intermediate care facility owned by Westbank First Nation, will be protesting what they call unfair labour practices.

Staff members at Pine Acres Home will be joined by band members at a protest Friday morning in front of the facility.

Pine Acres is being accused of not paying to employment standards.

It's alleged, since 2013, Pine Acres has not been following employment standards as it pertains to average days' pay.

According to one employee, they have been trying to get the situation rectified through grievances and numerous meetings.

He claims the administrator refuses to acknowledge that employment standards would apply to them.
Photo: Contributed

A Shuswap cafe has been hailed as one of the 10 best motorcycle cafes in the world by For the Ride magazine.

Sprokkets Cafe is part of the Dreamcycle Motorcycle Museum in Sorrento.

The cafe, located an hour from Vernon, was listed among some of the most prestigious motorcycle-oriented eateries in the world, including the famed Rock Store in California.

Located on Mulholland Drive, the Rock Store is considered by many to be California's most popular motorcycle stop.

Sprokkets opened in May, 2012 and, along with food, showcases classic and collectable rides.

The Dreamcycle Motorcycle Museum opened 25 years ago at 3096 Trans-Canada Highway.
Photo: Facebook - Quentin James

A former member of the now disbanded Kingpin Crew has been sentenced to 16 months behind bars after he was caught mailing three ounces of cocaine to Alberta.

Quentin James, 39, was found guilty of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a Kelowna courtroom Thursday, just under three years after he was caught mailing the drugs.

After his December 2013 arrest, police raided James' home, two storage lockers and two safety deposit boxes, finding more cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms, along with a bulletproof vest, brass knuckles and assorted rounds of ammunition.

Police also found about $100,000 in cash.

RCMP Sgt. Laurie White said at the time they had been investigating James since February 2013, focusing on the drug trafficking of the Kingpin Crew.

Police had described the club, which disbanded in 2013, as a puppet club of the Hells Angels.

Along with the 16 month jail sentence, James was also given a lifetime ban on firearms.
To keep the conversation around suicide awareness and mental health going, Castanet has joined forces with The LifeLine Canada Foundation for the month of October.

Local restaurants will bring the message of positive mental health to the dinner table during Food For Thought.

Today, we are featuring Micro Bar Bites, located in downtown Kelowna. They are featuring multi-grain seared Albacore tuna with bone broth.

The tempting tuna dish contains braised celery and carrots with an avocado creme.

Check back now through Oct. 30 to find out which restaurants are featuring delicious meals with unique mental-health benefits.
Take Our Kids to Work Day Kamloops - 6:00 pm
Photo: http://emwcf.org/ Cori McGuire, Aj Gill and Mohini Singh

Celebrated during the most colourful time of year, when leaves are changing and the sun is setting, Diwali will light up Rutland Centennial Hall this Saturday.

The Hindu festival of lights is observed every autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the south.

Each year, residents are invited to celebrate the victory of light over darkness during a special dinner.

Hosted by Kelownas East Meets West Childrens Foundation, money raised from the Oct. 22 event will be sent to an orphanage in Kolkata, India, to provide medical care for the children.

Mohini Singh, the organizer of the event, says the funds raised will also help local children of the Starbright Childrens Development Centre.

We pay close to $14,000 a year to help give them breakfast and lunch, uniforms and preschool, said Singh.

Recently, East Meets West adopted a daycare in Krishna Nagar, Delhi, for children living in slums.

Our goal is to provide funding to children for day-to-day physical health, hygiene, dental, health and education, she said. And to improve their well-being.

The sold out event is expected to raise more than $20,000 and will include traditional Indian food and dancing.

For more information click here.
Photo: Contributed

Kelowna needs to consider changes to the way it does business if it's going to attract more affordable housing.

That's the opinion of Michael Geller, a Vancouver-based architect and developer, and head of the Geller Group. He spoke to city council Monday as part of council's Imagine Kelowna Speaker Series.

Geller touched on the housing choices council should consider, in terms of forms of housing, and forms of tenure, "which will benefit you significantly."

Read more
UPDATE: 12:45 p.m.

Ryan Quigley has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for the March 2014 killing of his ex-fiancee, Aimee Parkes.

Justice Alison Beames delivered the manslaughter sentence Friday afternoon, sticking to the joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.

"(Parkes) was clearly a wonderful person," said Justice Beames. "She was described as kind, caring, polite, respectful and warm.

"She was a contributing and important member of society and a beloved, appreciated and respected member of her family and her circle of friends."

Quigley received 31 months credit for time served, meaning he'll spend another nine years and five months behind bars.

Quigley has also been banned for life from possessing weapons.

He stabbed Parkes 26 times in the head, neck and torso.

"You've committed an unspeakable crime that has wounded many people," Justice Beames said to Quigley after sentencing. "You will honour the memory of Ms. Parkes if you do everything within your power to rehabilitate yourself, to treat and constantly maintain your mental health and stay as far away as you can from a drug that is the source of so much tragedy in our society."

UPDATE: 11:45 a.m.

Crown counsel and defence submitted a joint submission for Ryan Quigley's sentencing Friday morning, recommending Justice Alison Beames hand down a sentence of 12 years for stabbing his ex-fiance to death.

While originally charged with second-degree murder, Quigley pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday, which the Crown accepted.

Last month, Crown prosecutor Colin Forsyth had denied the plea at the start of the trial. He said Friday the psychology report on Quigley, which he received in the first week of trial, helped convince him to accept the lesser charge.

Twelve years is at the high end of sentencing for a manslaughter charge, but Forsyth said Quigley's case was near murder and he held a high degree of moral culpability in Aimee Parkes' death.

Parkes was stabbed 26 times to the head, neck and torso. Based on a lack of defensive wounds, Forsyth said she "had no warning about what was about to befall her and no chance to defend herself from the attack."

Forsyth said the pathologist's evidence suggests Parkes could have been alive for "several minutes to several hours," following the attack, but Quigley made no attempt to call 911. He did drag her body to a bedroom, propped her head up on a pillow and provided her with a bottle of water and a straw.

"The two major wounds ... were such that if she had received proper medical attention, she most likely, almost certainly, would have lived," Forsyth said.

Just hours after Quigley stabbed Parkes, he had pawned her Pandora bracelet, her most prized possession that her mother had given her, for drug money.

The bracelet contained several charms that Parkes had collected on trips with her mother.

Days later, he tried to sell Parkes' vehicle as well to support his crack cocaine addiction.

Quigley's defence lawyer Kevin McCullough admitted his client's post-offence behaviour was outrageous, and Parkes' dozens of family members in court appeared to agree, gasping when hearing of Quigley's thefts.

Quigley served just over 20 months in jail before he was let out on bail, giving him 30 months credit for time served, at the standard 1.5 times credit for jail time served before a verdict.

If Justice Beames agrees with the Crown and defence's joint submission, Quigley will serve an additional 9.5 years.

Justice Beames will be back in court just after 12 p.m. Friday to hand down her sentence.

ORIGINAL: 8:58 a.m.

Ryan Quigley's four-week trial comes to a close today, as he faces sentencing in the stabbing death of his former girlfriend, Aimee Parkes.

Quigley surprised the court on Wednesday when, three and a half weeks into his second-degree murder trial, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in a joint submission with Crown counsel.

He had attempted to plead guilty to manslaughter at the beginning of the trial, but prosecutors rejected the plea, pushing forward with second-degree murder charges.

Quigley and Parkes had been engaged, but Parkes decided to call the wedding off due to Quigley's drug addiction issues.

The night Quigley stabbed Parkes in the head, neck and torso 26 times, she had been attempting to have her locks changed at her home at the Hiawatha Mobile Home Park.

She had been trying to get Quigley to leave their shared home for several days.

After Quigley's guilty plea Wednesday, Parkes' father said he was extremely disappointed Quigley was not found guilty of second-degree murder, and hoped he would face a sentence at the high end of the manslaughter charge.

Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail and no minimum sentence.

Quigley's sentencing begins at 10 a.m. Friday morning.
Photo: Dave Ogilvie

A collision between a semi and a car caused traffic headaches for commuters coming into Kelowna from the Westside this morning.

A tractor-trailer rear-ended a small sedan about 8:20 a.m. at Highway 97 and Gellatly Road in West Kelowna, creating traffic delays for drivers coming into the city.

There were two people in the sedan, and one was treated by ambulance paramedics.

The rear end of the car was heavily damaged.

The semi had a Waste Management logo on the driver's door.

Traffic continues to be backed up because of the collision.
Photo: Dave Ogilvie

Boucherie Road is currently down to single-lane traffic due to a crash in which a pickup slammed into a utility pole.

The full-size Ford pickup was travelling northbound when it crashed about 9:30 a.m. near Green Bay Road.

The truck's front end was smashed in, and the pole leaning at a precarious angle.

Emergency services are on scene.

The driver is believed to have suffered injuries in the crash, although their severity is not known at this time.
Photo: MiningWatch Canada

A watchdog group says the owner of the proposed AJAX mine near Kamloops could face at least $100 million in compensation or litigation costs if the mine opens, and possibly more.

MiningWatch Canada says Kamloops residents should heed recent legal developments in a case involving the only other urban mine of comparable size in Canada: the Malartic open pit mine in Quebec.

The owners of the Malartic mine, Agnico Eagle and Yamana Gold, face a $70 million class action lawsuit for the impacts on 700 houses and 1,400 people located closest to the mine site, according to a MiningWatch press release.

Complainants are asking for damages related to dust, noise, and daily blasts from the mine.

MiningWatch Canada says the Quebec mining company has agreed to offer a $50 million relocation and compensation package for 3,500 residents of Malartic, some of whom live up to about 2-2.5 km away from the mine site at the city limits.

Based on that case, MiningWatch predicts that KGHM International, which owns the AJAX site in Kamloops, could face at least $100 million in compensation or litigation costs if the mine opens, and possibly above $200 million.

AJAXs economic feasibility study clearly shows that KHGM didnt plan for this type of costs. It also shows that the project has no financial room or capacity to absorb those costs, said Ugo Lapointe, program coordinator for MiningWatch Canada.

We need to keep in mind that, compared to Malartic, AJAXs mine would be twice as big and located on high ground, upwind from the city of Kamloops, and in a drier climate.

Studies show that this would allow dust, noise and air-blasts to travel further into the city and affect at least twice as many people.

MiningWatch bases its estimates on a 2.5 km radius from the AJAXs pit edge, which would include approximately 2,700 houses and 7,000 people living predominantly in the Aberdeen neighbour area.
Photo: CTV

A man who pleaded guilty to shooting his former boss outside a Vancouver coffee shop has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Gerald Battersby pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder last month in connection to two June 2014 shootings starting in the city's Yaletown area.

His sentence amounts to 14 1/2 years after time already served.

Provincial court has heard Battersby shot bike-shop owner Paul Dragan and set off a police chase that shut down part of the city for hours.

Police have said Dragan was left fighting for his life outside a coffee shop where two plain-clothes officers exchanged gunfire with a suspect who escaped on a bike.

One of the officers commandeered a bike and followed before another shootout erupted outside Science World, with dozens of officers surrounding the shooter.
Photo: CTV

A dredging project in Esquimalt Harbour has uncovered mysteries dating back to the turn of the 20th century.

The dredging is part of an environmental remediation project launched by the CFB Esquimalt naval base and environmental officer Duane Freeman says items linked to the naval and shipbuilding history of the harbour, near Victoria, have been uncovered.

He says objects ranging from a pipe to a wedding ring, service medals and several wallets have been sifted from the mud.

The goal is to track down the rightful owners of the objects.

Freeman says if that can't be done, it's hoped that a permanent display can be set up at the base to display artifacts that date back to the early-1900s.

One wallet appears to contain the naval identification of a sailor named Norman Boulton and Freeman says it was likely dropped from ship more than 70 years ago.

"We hope we can track him down and actually reunite him with his entire wallet," says Freeman.

"His ID card was inside his wallet, and you can imagine his reaction back in the 1940s when he dropped this over the side."
Photo: Contributed

Owners of the Okanagan Innovation Centre have scrapped plans for a liquor primary facility on the roof of the soon-to-be-completed building in downtown Kelowna.

Council did not have a positive reaction to that plan when it was presented a few weeks ago, asking the developer to go back and re-think the plan.

"Based on community feedback regarding possible rooftop operations at the Okanagan Innovation Centre, the applicants have withdrawn the C7LP (liquor primary) zoning application and associated liquor primary licence application, and are now only applying for the development permit amendment for the addition to the interior rooftop space," city staff stated in a report for council.

The enclosed restaurant has been increased in size by about 51 square metres from the original design. A storage space will be eliminated to allow for the expansion.

"The final roof plan and landscaping plan represents a simpler version of the original considerations in 2014."

Contrary to assumptions, the rooftop space was never considered as a public amenity, open to the public.

It was to be an amenity used by the tenants. However, the inside and outside space would be available for public rental.

"The proposed addition will allow for an interior capacity of 37 persons and an outdoor capacity of 298 persons. Food and beverage, bar and soft seating, amplified music, and catering services would be available within the increased space," said the staff report.

Operating hours have not been determined.

Council will review the changes Monday.
Photo: CTV

British Columbia's independent police watchdog is sending a report to Crown counsel after investigating a fatal RCMP shooting in Surrey.

The Criminal Justice Branch must now decide if charges are warranted against any officers in connection with the July 18, 2015, shooting in south Surrey.

The Independent Investigations Office found the shooting occurred as officers responded to reports of a possibly suicidal man outside an RCMP detachment.

The BC Coroner's Service later identified the victim as 20-year-old Hudson Brooks.

The IIO must file a report to Crown lawyers after a police-involved serious injury or death.

The threshold for forwarding reports to the Criminal Justice branch is lower for the IIO than for other agencies, and Crown counsel must make the final decision about proceeding with any charges.
Photo: Flickr/BC gov't

Premier Christy Clark is appointing two longtime backbenchers to new positions that focus on rural issues and Metis relations.

Cariboo-Chilcotin member of the legislative assembly Donna Barnett will be sworn in as minister of state for Rural Economic Development, while Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Marc Dalton will become parliamentary secretary for Metis relations in the Aboriginal Relations Ministry.

Dalton is Metis, speaks French and has represented B.C. at national francophone events.

Barnett has been serving as the parliamentary secretary for rural development for the Forests Ministry for three years.

Clark says the former long-time mayor of 100 Mile House is a champion for rural development.

Clark's cabinet now totals 22 members.
China Resources Jan-Sep net profit declines 35%

ICR Newsroom By 21 October 2016

China Resources Cement reported a 35 per cent fall in net profit for the first nine months of 2016 as weaker revenues impacted profits of the Hong Kong-listed cement producer.



Net profit in Jan-Sep declined to HKD838.3m (US$108m) from HKD1.28bn in 9M15. Revenues saw a 12 per cent drop to HKD17.48bn.



For the three months ended September, the company posted a net profit of HKD580.8m, considerably improving on last years third-quarter net loss of HKD248m.

Published under
China: FLSmidth install HOTDISC at China Resources' Hongshuihe plant

21 October 2016

FLSmidth partners with China Resources Cement (CRC) and Sino Environment Engineering Development Co Ltd (SEPETC) to process uraban and industrial waste and burn alternative fuel at CRC's Hongshuihe cement plant.

FLSmidth has installed a HOTDISC pyro-processing system that consumes 300tpd of waste to ensure the Hongshuihe plant's production of 3200tpd cement. FLSmidth is responsible for the design, engineering and integration of the integrated waste burning solution, while SEPETC is the general contractor.

The solution wil also assist the city of Binyang, located in the Guangxi region of southwest China, in its efforts to reduce the city's urban and industrial waste. China's waste problem is growing. Among the 600 biggest cities in China, more than a third battle with serious groundwater pollution due to waste disposal. In the suburbs, several hundred million tonnes of urban household waste, municipal sludge and industrial waste are left untreated in landfills, increasing at an annual rate of around eight per cent, claims FLSmidth.



Country Manager for FLSmidth in China, Cyril Leung says: "China's energy intensive industries, such as cement production, are coming under pressure from the government that wants to rebalance the economy towards a less energy-hungry mode of growth, curb pollution and reduce carbon emissions. CRC plans to initiate several similar municipal solid waste co-processing projects for other cement producers with FLSmidth and SEPETC as partners."



In China's latest five-year plan, the government encourages more cement producers to co-process municipal solid waste in the cement industry, with an aim of getting 15-20 per cent of the cement kilns in the country to be co-processing waste by 2020. In 2017, China will introduce a national carbon-trading scheme. About 4.3bnt of cement was consumed globally in 2014, causing global cement production to contribute around five per cent of global CO 2 emissions. China alone produces 60 per cent.





Published under
(TNS) -- Harrisburg, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Department of Education has pulled school performance scores off its website over concerns of the "accuracy and reliability" of the data.The department last week released its latest School Performance Profiles, which rate all schools across the state based on standardized tests scores and other factors.On Wednesday afternoon, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera sent a message to the superintendents of all 500 school districts saying the academic performance data for the profiles will be suppressed for "further review." The Reading Eagle obtained a copy of the message, which was sent to districts just after 2:30 p.m.The problem occurred with the growth measure portion of the profile scores, according to department press secretary Nicole Reigelman.Reigelman said the Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment system scores - which track students' academic growth - had "acuracy issues" and caused some schools to get incorrect scores. She said a small number of schools will see a modest change in their scores when the problem is resolved.The issue affected only schools that administer the Keystone Exams, Reigelman said. The Keystone Exams are end-of-course tests whose scores are counted whe students are in 11th grade.Reigelman said the department is in the process of notifying all stakeholders - school administrators, teachers, policymakers and the public - about the situation."Supporting our schools, students and communities is the Department of Education's top priority, and we know collecting, synthesizing, and releasing accurate data is essential in meeting that objective," she said Wednesday evening. "The department takes these issues seriously and believes a swift and transparent response best serves our schools and communities."By 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the academic performance data had disappeared from the profile website.Clicking on the academic performance tab at first resulted in the following message:"Due to an error in the data reported to the department, a building level academic score is not available at this time. The department of education is working with the district to make corrections to the data used to calculate an SPP and should be available within 90 days."It was later changed to read:"The academic performance tab has been temporarily removed by the Pennsylvania Department Education for a review of data integrity. We will restore this page upon completion of that review."In Rivera's message to superintendents, he said the department will hold three meetings over the next two days at locations across the state. Thursday's meeting will be in Malvern, while ones on Friday will be in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.The purpose of the meetings, open only to superintendents, is to provide additional background on the situation.This is not the first time there has been an issue with the performance profiles.The initial release of the new system in 2013 was delayed for four days to give schools more time to review the department's data. And when those first profiles were finally released, they were not available for several schools.Those missing scores - representing about 20 percent of schools across the state - were due to the schools reporting that their data were incorrect or incomplete. The scores were included on the website about two months after the initial release of scores.
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Christians United for Israel, along with churches in North Georgia and the Greater Chattanooga area, invites the community to a Night to Honor Israel on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Colonnade, 264 Catoosa Circle in Ringgold.

"The purpose of this event is to show solidarity between Jewish people and Christians in their support of Israel," officials said.

The event is open to the public. There is no cost to attend. A complimentary reception will follow the event. All people are welcome regardless of religion or denomination.



The Keynote Speaker is Erick Stakelbeck, director of Christians United for Israels Watchman Project and host of TheWatchman, a weekly news magazine program that airs Thursdays nights on TBN.

"Mr. Stakelbeck is a sought after authority on Midddle East, terrorism, and radical Islam. He is a frequent guest on Fox News. He has written three books on terrorism with the latest entitled: ISIS Exposed: Beheadings, Slavery and the Hellish Reality of Radical Islam, which will be on sale during a book signing following the event," officials said.



Additional speakers include the Consul General from Israel to Southeastern United States Judith Varnai-Shorer; Lyndon Allen, central regional coordinator, Christians United for Israel and Pastor of Woodmont Bible Church in Nashville; as well as Georgia State Senator Jeff Mullis.



Musical presentations will be given by Shiran Amir, Israeli cultural emissary with the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga; the Lee University Symphonic Band, conducted by Dr. Mark Bailey; and Melissa Stamper from Woodmont Bible Church in Nashville.

The ROTC from Ringgold High School will act as the Color Guard. Scouts from the Cherokee Area Council Boy Scouts of America will serve as parking attendants and ushers. Pastor Bret Yaeger, Temple Baptist Church in Dalton, will serve as the master of ceremonies. The planning committee for the local CUFI area consists of members from Chattanooga and North Georgia and includes both Christian and Jewish people.

For more information about this program and local Christians United for Israel activities, contact Margaret Bean at 423-645-1552 or by email at mrbean1@catt.com.
A sober-living facility being built by the Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services was the focus of a Tennessees Best award Chattanooga-based nonprofit received last week during the 2016 Governors Housing Conference in Nashville.



CADAS earned the Tennessees Best award from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency

in the Housing Plus category. The Tennessees Best awards honor outstanding individuals and

organizations whose contributions on behalf of affordable housing, whether producing,

designing, developing, financing or promoting housing policy, inspires others to serve

Tennesseans housing needs.



CADAS Executive Director Paul Fuchcar said award shows the importance a stable and structured housing environment can for those working through recovery.



We are extremely pleased to be recognized by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency,

Mr. Fuchcar said. The sober living facility will help those living there redefine how they view their

personal recovery and assist them in regaining their lives.



THDA Director Ralph M. Perrey praised the deal for improving the quality of life for hundreds of families and individuals across Tennessee.



We realize the important role housing plays in helping those struggling with addiction and

commend CADAS for making it a central part of its efforts to help those who need it, Mr. Perrey

said.



"CADAS embarked on its most ambitious project to date in 2015 when it received funding and

broke ground on a new sober-living facility in Chattanoogas Northshore community. The 24-

unit Sober Living Residence was built with the help of a THDA Housing Trust Fund grant and

allowed CADAS to expand its residential treatment offerings for patients," officials said.



According to CADAS, the Sober Living Residence enables those struggling with addiction to

heal in a more controlled and long-term environment. While they offer highly-successful short-term recovery programs, CADAS officials say some cases require more stability, structure and

long-term work in order for the person to stay clean amidst the challenges of daily life.



The development is the largest construction project CADAS has taken on since it was founded in

1964 with the mission of helping those in the community afflicted with the disease of addiction, officials said.



CADAS was one of six 2016 Tennessees Best awards winners from throughout the state

announced at the 2016 Governors Housing Conference.



The 2016 Conference was held Oct. 12-13 at the Music City Center in Nashville with a goal to

"encourage sharing of best practices."



Tennessees Best awards are considered among several categories: Best in Innovation, Program; Best in Innovation, Finance; Remarkable Achievement, Rural; Remarkable Achievement, Urban; and Excellence in Partnership and Housing Plus. Awards are not made in every category every year.



A full list of winners, as well as award summaries, can be found at THDA.org.
SGL Carbon SE signed the sale and purchase agreement to sell its graphite electrode (GE) business to Showa Denko (Japan). The two parties have agreed on an enterprise value (cash and debt free) of 350 million euros, which, after deduction of standard debt-like items (mainly pension and restructuring provisions) results in cash proceeds of at least 200 million euros. The final proceeds will be determined based on the balance sheets at closing. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, relating in particular to antitrust approvals. Closing is expected in the first half of 2017.

Following the closing of the transaction, approximately 900 employees and six production sites in Germany, Austria, Spain, USA, and Malaysia will be transferred from SGL Group to their new owner.

The sale will result in impairment charges of 40-50 million euros in the current fiscal year of SGL Group, which are related to transaction costs and the continuation of the GE business until the closing date. The cash proceeds equal the book value as of September 30, 2016. Thus, the transaction does not trigger any write-downs on the book value in the GE business.

To maximize proceeds, the CFL/CE business, which is also part of the business unit PP, will be sold separately, with the sales process to be continued in early 2017. Given the outcome of the GE sale, SGL Group is now confident to achieve more than the book value of the former business unit PP in the aggregated transactions.

SGL Group is convinced that the proceeds of the GE sale and the expected proceeds of the CFL/CE sale will contribute to a significant reduction of the Group's net debt position and thereby improve the balance sheet ratios. In addition, the company is currently evaluating the merits and viability of a potential near term rights issue utilising the existing authorized capital framework to further improve the capital structure and restore key financial metrics to create a solid foundation for its growth businesses CFM and GMS.

Against the backdrop of the disposal procedures for the GE and the CFL/CE businesses, the measures to adjust the administrative structures to a smaller SGL Group following the entire PP disposal, and the related other transitional matters in connection with the repositioning of the SGL Group to focus on its growth businesses CFM and GMS, the company decided to withdraw its guidance as provided in its report on the first half year 2016 with immediate effect, and to abstain for the time being from providing any short term profit guidance during this transformation phase. SGL Group plans to resume providing a new profit guidance around the time of the publication of its 2016 annual report in March 2017.
Every month, some 55,000 people across the United States and Canada receive a box full of fake fish and frogs, and sometimes a hook or two.

Mystery Tackle Box, based in Chicago, has built a growing business out of sending subscribers fishing tackle for $15 to $25 a month. Revenue will top $11 million this year, up from $5 million a year ago, said CEO and founder Ross Gordon.

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But with doubts about subscription boxes' long-term profitability, the four-year-old company is planning to change its name and expand its mission. Next month, Gordon plans to rebrand as The Catch Co.

Mystery Tackle Box will remain a product, and Gordon will also introduce an e-commerce site where customers can buy tackle the company makes itself as well as other fishing gear. He hopes the brand change will keep the company going for 50 or 60 years, longer than a subscription box service might survive.

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Today, the company is up to 20 employees and looking to double in the next two years. In late 2015, it raised $1.3 million led by Chicago-based Guild Capital. In June, it moved into a 3,500-square-foot office in the West Loop that features a Great Wall of Tackle.

"Our core customer is addicted to excitement  that's one of the reasons why they fish," said Gordon, a serial entrepreneur who previously founded two companies and sold one of them. "The monthly surprise element is very exciting to them."

Although business is good, Mystery Tackle Box continues to face competition from major retailers focused on outdoorsy customers. Earlier this month, outdoor gear retailer Bass Pro acquired competitor Cabela's for $4.5 billion. Brick-and-mortar shops such as these dominate the $47 billion sporting goods industry.

Gordon is now betting that transformation into The Catch Co. will keep it competitive and possibly even give it an edge, with lower prices than retail, more chances to use data and new ways to sell to customers who don't want to sign up for a subscription.

"We do think there is a larger segment of the market that doesn't just want mystery products," Gordon said. "They know what they want, they want to be more choosy with what they get."

The Catch Co. will produce its own line of fishing lures, some made with standard molds and others created in partnership with top lure designers. Gordon declined to share the designers' names. He said the company's direct-to-consumer model helps keep prices down.

The first of the new lures  those created with standard, already available molds  will likely go out in January's Mystery Tackle Box, and customers will later be able to purchase them from The Catch Co.'s online store around springtime, Gordon said. Those will be produced domestically.

He did not know yet where The Catch Co. will make its custom lures. New molds can cost up to $8,000 in the U.S., as opposed to $800 to $1,200 overseas, he said.

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Gordon said Mystery Tackle Box has evaded an issue that has plagued other subscription box companies: high costs. He said his company makes money on every box it sells but increased spending on marketing has it hovering around break-even, he said.

There is a limit to how many people want subscription boxes, Gordon said, though he doesn't think Mystery Tackle Box has reached it yet.

"We're also trying to think ahead and not wait until we hit the ceiling and then be like, 'Oh, wait, now what?'" Gordon said.

Down the line, Gordon wants to give the company's customers a way to interact with its products. At the moment, the physical experience is something Bass Pro and other retailers can offer but Mystery Tackle Box can't.

"We're looking at ways to leverage data and new innovative commerce experiences to allow people to touch and feel products," he said.

The expansion into e-commerce is essential for the long-term success of this kind of company, said Brendan Witcher, principal analyst and expert on retail strategy at Forrester Research. Profits on subscription boxes can be small or nonexistent, he said.

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"Eventually, a very high portion of customers are going to say, 'I don't need this anymore,'" Witcher said.

Plus, customers need to know they can go back to the company to buy additional or replacement products for items they sampled and liked, rather than turning to that other major e-commerce retailer  Amazon  for a product introduced to them by the subscription company, he said.

aelahi@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @aminamania
Sarah Kunst, left, and Shradha Agarwal spoke at the Venture Capital: The Glass Ceiling No One Ever Talks About discussion at Chicago Ideas Week. (Sarah Kunst photo; Antonio Perez / Blue Sky)

Sarah Kunst is not trying to hear any excuses for the lack of venture capital getting to women-led startups.

Not for the "pattern matching" that has men running VC funds gravitating to entrepreneurs who remind them of themselves.

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"It's insane to me that it's continued to be acceptable," said Kunst, founder and CEO of celebrity personal training fitness app Proday.

Not for the "pipeline issue"  the idea that there are no qualified candidates  that some cite as a reason they don't bring in women partners, who could help close the gap with funding female founders.

"I have 100 female VCs on a listserv I started for that purpose," she said.

And certainly not for the "unconscious bias" that hinders hiring or funding women.

"I don't really care if it's not on purpose, or functionally right to your eyes. Get conscious about it. It's OK to call it out and get people to realize this is not OK," Kunst said Thursday at a Chicago Ideas Week event.

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CNN anchor and correspondent Poppy Harlow moderated the "Venture Capital: The Glass Ceiling No One Ever Talks About" discussion at Morningstar. Kunst is based in San Francisco; her subscription workout app features fitness celebrities and professional athletes and is backed by the Los Angeles Dodgers' accelerator program.

Panelists discussed studies that put the percentage of women partners among the top 100 venture firms at 7 percent; showed women accounting for less than 12 percent of the roles at accelerator and corporate venture firms; and said less than 5 percent of VC funding goes to women-led companies, even as they suggest female-founded startups outperform startups with all-male founding teams.

"There's a lot of excellent work being done to help women entrepreneurs, but there's very little work to change the gender gap on the investment side," said serial entrepreneur Beth Haggerty, co-founder of New York-based Parity Partners, which recruits women and minority executives for positions in venture capital and private equity.

"At the top levels where investment decisions are being made, the paucity of women there affects all the distribution of capital," she said. "If we can't fix this, it will continue to self perpetuate where women just cant get access to capital that their male counterparts can."

Haggerty said pattern matching is unintentional.

"It's very human. It's very natural. When I see female entrepreneurs, I'm immediately attracted to try to help them. I see myself in them," she said. "The reality is if you share the same background, social circles, ethnicity and gender, you're naturally going to go through subconscious bias. This is a big part of the problem."

Men in major venture firms realize the problem but say it's difficult to hire and promote women to begin a cultural shift, Haggerty said.

But Kunst, who is also an investor, said leaders in these firms shouldn't have such a difficult time.

"We're talking about massive billion-dollar venture capital funds, and, theoretically, the smartest people in the room," she said. "If you can't find women  other than secretaries, because they always find women then  and you're telling me, with a straight face, 'Oh, I'm a great money manager. I'm a visionary. I can turn your $50 million into $200 million'? Leave. You're not smart enough."

All panelists agreed women need to amplify each other's voices in meetings, as well as look to men as mentors and advocates for women in business.

"It's really on both men and women to play it forward" in guiding women founders and changing the investor culture, said Shradha Agarwal , co-founder and president of ContextMedia and founding partner at the JumpStart Ventures fund.

She said in the early days of ContextMedia, founded in 2006, an advisor asked her to not attend venture capital pitches because investors might be biased against women.

And the avid Bulls fan was left out of a "guys' night" for entrepreneurs at a Bulls game. Her male co-founder got an invite though, she said.

Today, she aligns herself with men who advocate for change. One, she said, won't even sit on a panel addressing such issues unless he is assured at least half of the panel is female.

Cheryl V. Jackson is a freelance writer.

Twitter @cherylvjackson
Myla Kramer is now a thriving 4-year-old, thanks to heart surgery by Dr. Mark Plunkett, who used a 3D printed model of Myla's own heart. (Chicago Tribune)

The night before operating on 2-year-old Myla Kramer, her surgeon held a copy of her heart, produced on a 3-D printer, in his hands.

Dr. Mark Plunkett studied it, trying to determine how to patch the many Swiss-cheeselike holes in the bottom of her heart  a potentially life-threatening condition. The next day, he knew exactly what to do.

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The surgery was a success. Myla, of Coal City, Ill., is now a thriving 4-year-old, attending preschool, acting silly and insisting as many kids her age do, that she can do everything herself. Her mother calls her recovery a miracle.

"If you saw her, you'd think nothing ever happened to this child," said her mom, Heather Kramer.

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Plunkett, a doctor at Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, said the surgery helped Myla, who was born with a heart defect, turn a corner. Without the 3-D printed heart, "There was a significant possibility that I would get in there, try to patch over this area, and not necessarily get all of the holes."

Though the practice still isn't widespread, some doctors and hospitals are printing 3-D models of patients' hearts to help prepare for operations. With use of 3-D printed heart models expected to grow, Illinois hospital system OSF HealthCare and the federal National Institutes of Health hope to partner with the American Heart Association to improve the quality of printed hearts, with the goal of helping more patients. OSF has 10 hospitals in Illinois, all outside the Chicago area, including OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria and OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.

A 3-D printed model shows cross sections of a child's heart. The model was displayed at an Oct. 12, 2016, event at Matter, in Chicago's Merchandise Mart, that focused on plans by OSF HealthCare and the National Institutes of Health to partner with the American Heart Association to improve 3-D heart models. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

The groups want to create an online database of 3-D printed hearts from patients with congenital heart defects, reviewed by experts in the field. The idea is to help standardize the process of printing hearts.

Congenital heart defects are problems with the structure of the heart at birth. They're the most common type of birth defect, affecting eight out of every 1,000 newborns, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Some defects are easy to fix and others, such as Myla's, require multiple surgeries.

The printed hearts can help doctors in tricky cases such as Myla's, doctors say. They also can help parents like Kramer, who found it reassuring to see the 3-D heart before Myla's surgery, and hear the surgeon explain his plan.

"That understanding, that's a precious thing for a family that's getting ready to go through surgery on their child," said Dr. Matthew Bramlet, a pediatric cardiologist at the Children's Hospital of Illinois.

At OSF HealthCare's Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, which printed Myla's heart, engineers typically take an MRI or CT scan of a patient's heart and run the scan through computer programs that allow them to print plaster composite hearts in three dimensions, Bramlet said.

Four-year-old Myla Kramer on visit to Konow's Corn Maze in Homer Glen. Myla was born with a rare congenital heart defect and her doctors printed a 3-D model of her heart to prepare for her successful surgery. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

If you saw her, you'd think nothing ever happened to this child.  Heather Kramer, Myla's mom

He said the process takes about two days at Jump, a research, development and education arm of the hospital system that's a collaboration between OSF and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. Bramlet also serves as Jump's director of advanced imaging and modeling.

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An outside company might charge about $3,000 for the process, but Jump prints hearts at no cost to patients, funding the practice through its endowment. Other hospitals also generally don't charge patients, instead turning to other funding. Right now, insurers usually don't cover it either.

The 3-D printers themselves vary in cost. Jump's printer cost about $80,000, Bramlet said.

Other hospitals are making the most of the 3-D printing technology too. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago occasionally uses 3-D printed hearts to prepare for patient surgeries and Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C., prints about one or two hearts a month. The University of Washington Medical Center has also printed hearts.

Some doctors are starting to print 3D models of patients' hearts to help prepare them for surgeries. (Lisa Schencker / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

An online database of 3-D printed hearts reviewed by experts would promote the use of high-quality models as more doctors and hospitals turn to them, said Dr. Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and chairman of the American Heart Association's Chicago Heart Innovation Forum. The National Institutes of Health already has such a database, but the hearts in it have not all undergone a rigorous review by experts.

"This is so we don't end up with so much variation from one model to the next," Yancy said. "We can avoid making decisions based on models that are not as accurate."

Practitioners, medical students and others would be able to download the models at no charge and print them or view them in 3-D using virtual reality tools.

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Myla's mother called the use of a 3-D printed heart "a huge technological advancement" for her daughter.

Myla Kramer on a visit to Konow's Corn Maze in Homer Glen. Myla was born with a rare congenital heart defect and her doctors printed a 3-D model of her heart to prepare for her successful surgery. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Though the patching of her heart was successful, Myla has had a difficult road to wellness. She suffered serious complications that kept her in the hospital for about 100 days, and she's not done with surgeries yet. She has three artificial heart valves that will need to be replaced as her heart grows.

But Kramer hopes her youngest daughter won't need any additional surgeries for some time. She's now an independent little girl who jumps and claps every time she sees the bus, excited to spend time with her friends at school.

"Even with everything she's gone through, she loves life and loves to play," Kramer said. "She's overcome a lot."

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Amid this year's dark and divisive presidential election, the 2012 campaign can feel like a distant memory. But four years ago this month, a flurry of stories focused in on corporate CEOs who were ominously telling their workers what might happen if President Obama won a second term. If that happened, the CEO of Westgate Resorts said, he would have "no choice but to reduce the size of this company." The CEO of a software company in Florida warned that "if the U.S. re-elects President Obama, [the company's] chances of staying independent are slim to none."

And Mitt Romney himself encouraged business owners to "make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections."

While 2016 hasn't brought the same kind of headlines, it's not because the law has really changed. It is still legal for corporations to advocate for specific candidates when communicating with their rank-and-file employees. Private employers can distribute materials that tell all their workers the company's positions on political issues. And if your boss were to send an email urging you to attend a rally for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton this weekend, because electing his favorite candidate is "essential for the future of the company," legal experts say he'd be within his rights to do it.

As this heated election sprints to the finish line, it's impossible to game out every situation employees might face. While many workers may never hear a political pitch from their boss, it can still be surprising to hear what workers and their employers can and can't do when it comes to mixing politics and work. (That is, if they work for a private employer; government workers have much more in the way of protections. Some rules are also different for union workers.) Six years after the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision gave employers greater ability to express their political views and engage in unlimited "independent" political spending, experts say some legal questions remain unresolved, leaving gray areas and gaps in regulation that could leave workers at risk.

In a private company, employees are often surprised to hear they don't have the First Amendment rights they do outside the workplace, says Lindsay Burke, vice chair of the employment law practice at Covington & Burling. Companies can't prohibit workers from talking about labor issues and working conditions during workplace breaks, so a cafeteria debate over Trump's position on the minimum wage or water cooler chatter over Clinton's parental leave policies should be protected. But employers can ban staffers from soliciting donations from their coworkers for political candidates. And technically, companies could ban other political speech in the workplace, even if few of them try to police it.

One type of campaign banter that should get more scrutiny, however, is anything that creates a harassing or discriminatory workplace, Burke says. In an election that's lurched from controversial statements about one protected class after another - with raging debates about religion, race, and gender - she's gotten complaints from clients about workers making distasteful jokes about "building walls." "You can find your way into harassment and discrimination claims if people are parroting the statements or arguments of the candidates in a way that others find offensive," she says.

Employers, meanwhile, have seen their rights grow when it comes to political speech, especially since the Citizens United decision expanded the First Amendment rights of corporations and unions. As long as they're not coordinating with the campaign, corporations can now encourage rank-and-file employees to make contributions to candidates. The decision has also made corporations more comfortable with giving all employees educational materials or "voter guides" that make their political positions clear, says Ken Gross, who leads the political law practice at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in Washington. Before the decision, he says, companies were more careful to "make those things not slanted and not favor one candidate over another. Now I think they're pretty clear as to where they're going with those communications," even if they don't directly name candidates.

At the same time, say some legal experts, the Federal Election Commission's regulations haven't kept up with the changes that Citizens United brought. The FEC prohibits employers from coercing workers when it comes to monetary donations or fundraising. But the rules are not as clear about what happens if the corporation, acting independent from the campaign, compels workers to, say, stuff envelopes. "One of the problems is the FEC, after Citizens United, has been unable to resolve these issues," says Larry Noble, a former FEC general counsel who now holds that title at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center.

Some have argued that election law, as it currently stands, permits employers to actually require workers to participate in certain independent political activities, such as attending a rally. Others say it's more of a gray area that hasn't yet been sorted out. "It leaves me thinking this is an area where there's litigation in the future that's going to help write these rules a little more clearly than we have them today," says Robert Lenhard, a lawyer who works in the elections and political practice at Covington.

When it comes to employment law, some states, such as California and Louisiana, offer workers protection from discrimination regarding their political views. But at the federal level, such protections are weak, says Debra Katz, a Washington-based labor lawyer who represents employees, meaning it's possible workers could be terminated for objecting to the company's political activities. Other than in certain states, there is a "failure of the law to provide any type of protection for political affiliation discrimination or refusal to engage in political activity that your employer asks you to engage in," Katz says. "That is clear as a bell."

Many point to high-profile decisions by the FEC to close two complaints involving Murray Energy. The complaints alleged the Ohio-based coal mining company mandated that workers attend a Mitt Romney rally during 2012 - images of miners standing behind the shirt-sleeved GOP nominee were later used in Romney advertisements -- as well as that the company pressured workers to make donations to the company's political action committee, reimbursing them with bonuses.

In both cases, the commissioners deadlocked along party lines, closing the complaints without taking any action. (In a company statement emailed by a spokesperson, Murray Energy said it was pleased the FEC ruled there were "no issues;" the company and its CEO "consider these matters closed, and will continue to vigorously exercise their rights to participate in the political process as the law allows.")

Some think the FEC's deadlocked response could prompt some companies to push the envelope. "When you have ... the compliance people and the outside lawyers saying, 'Look, be careful here, stay well within the line,' and then they see a case like the Murray case," says Noble, "they'll be like, 'Why are we being so conservative about this? Why don't we get more aggressive?"

A 2015 survey of about 1000 U.S. employees conducted by a Harvard researcher found that 25 percent said they experienced some kind of political message from their employer, ranging from simple voter registration efforts at work to messages about political candidates. Seven percent of the respondents said they felt these messages were "somewhat coercive" and another 7 percent said "strongly coercive."

Yet others say the risk of behavior like the kind described in the Murray complaints is quite low. Gross, whose practice counsels a few hundred large publicly traded companies on election issues, says he doesn't see clients testing those gray areas. "I have to say the Citizens United impact has been minimal," he says, noting clients are "not that adventuresome."

Not only do many companies not want to do the required reporting that goes along with such spending, but they're cautious about turning off employees. "It just doesn't go over well in the workplace, to really be pushing hard for one candidate or the other," he says. He adds: "It can backfire and it can be bad business."

However much CEOs are actually promoting their favorite candidates, when they do it appears to work. A recently published academic study found that employees donate significantly more money to the candidate their CEO supports. By examining reports to the FEC, the authors wrote recently in the Harvard Business Review, they found the link "is strongest in firms that explicitly advocate for political candidates." The study, which looked at U.S. federal elections between 1999 and 2014, found that CEOs overwhelmingly gave to Romney in 2012 - some 174 of the 197 CEOs in that sample - and thus, employees did too.

That may offer one reason why this year's election hasn't turned up the same kind of high-profile, strongly worded letters from CEOs urging employees vote a certain way, as there were in 2012. A recent Wall Street Journal analysis found that through August, none of the CEOs in the Fortune 100 had given donations to Donald Trump's campaign. "This election is unique in many ways," Gross said. "The traditional corporate support for the Republican candidate is not lining up."
As Kmart closes more stores, Walgreens has been able to purchase some its customer's pharmacy information. (Elise Amendola / AP)

As closing Kmart stores sell off their remaining inventory, the retailer also is selling customers' pharmacy records to nearby chains.

Last month, Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings announced plans to close six Illinois Kmart stores by mid-December, part of a batch of closings reportedly including 64 stores. Another 68, including six more in Illinois, closed earlier this year.

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Deerfield-based Walgreens acquired customers' pharmacy records from some of those stores, including New Lenox and Lansing Kmarts near existing Walgreens stores, said Phil Caruso, a Walgreens spokesman.

That could provide a new group of customers for Walgreens  both for pharmacy goods and general merchandise they might pick up while filling prescriptions  but the focus is on health care, Caruso said.

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"The goal is to make sure patients have continued access to nearby pharmacy services so they can continue their therapy," he said.

Pharmacy customers at those Kmart locations will receive letters about the switch, and any who would rather choose a different pharmacy can request Walgreens transfer their records, Caruso said.

lzumbach@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @laurenzumbach
From left, David Graham, Michael Petrie and Scott Catron, principal owners of Social Detection, which uses social media and other Internet tools to investigate cases of fraud. (Jessica Griffin / Philadelphia Inquirer)

Spying is pretty creepy. But cheating spouses and people who file false insurance claims have made poking around others' business a necessary profession for a long time.

Which brings us to Scott Catron, a private investigator for more than 20 years.

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His work has exposed him to dogs and wild animals during camouflage surveillance on public land. He has endured eight hours on a deep-sea fishing excursion to catch an insurance claimant evidently fit enough to work on the boat.

Then there were the six days he hid in a hatchback, waiting to capture visual evidence that a supposedly wheelchair-bound person could walk.

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But time-consuming, shot-in-the-dark, rough-on-the-body tactics aren't the only ways to learn all there is to know about a person  especially in the digitally abundant 21st century, when people just can't seem to stay off social media, even when they're attempting a scam.

Recognition of that truth inspired Catron and Michael Petrie, another longtime private investigator, to create Social Detection, where people searches involve fast, comprehensive internet scouring rather than days sitting in a car with binoculars.

"If there is fraud, it will be found, provided there's a web presence," said Petrie, 45, suggesting an important change in our personal record. "It's not a reputation anymore. It's a webutation."

At Social Detection, which is moving from the suburbs to Philadelphia, the goal is not to hassle people but to stop insurance payouts to those not entitled to them, its founders said. By some estimates, insurance claims nationwide total $80 billion to $120 billion a year, with up to 10 percent fraudulent.

In less than six months, Social Detection saved insurance carriers and employers more than $7 million in eight cases, Petrie said.

Think a Google search is a comprehensive review of a person's public profile? Watch Social Detection's sleuths plug your essentials into Google and see the results. Then watch them do the same using their software and marvel  maybe cringe a little  at how much more comes up.

"There are a lot of sites that don't let Google index their database," said Catron, 44. "So you need to know what sites to go to."

At Social Detection, "we're going beyond the surface web," using up to 50 identifiers, including nicknames, user names, email addresses, aliases, relatives, Facebook tags, texts, photos, and videos, ensuring more informed searches and, consequently, more relevant results, said David Graham, 52, another owner and director of business development.

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All the information found is public. Social Detection never makes contact with individuals  the work is from a keyboard.

Following a rollout of a beta version of Social Detection's proprietary software in April 2015 at the Risk and Insurance Management Society conference in New Orleans, business has been steadily building from its target market  insurance companies, third-party administrators, lawyers, and private-investigation agencies.

The 14-employee company, profitable and self-funded, would not disclose revenues, saying only that 2016's will be about 2 1/2 times last year's. About 20 percent is from subscriptions (mostly law firms and private investigators); the rest, from individual, or "concierge," jobs.

Prices for concierge searches and reports range from $375 to $500. Subscriptions run $199 to $1,000 a month, depending on number of searches.

Jamie Kuebler is a New York litigation attorney who specializes in insurance defense work. He said he uses Social Detection "on every bodily-injury case. It's really that good."

The first time involved a claim by a man in his early 20s who had lost the tip of a finger in a work accident and was said to be suffering from complex regional pain syndrome (RSD) to the point where a bed sheet touching his hand caused unbearable suffering. The man also said he couldn't raise his right hand. Even a physician retained as a defense expert believed him.

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"I was looking at a case valued at $8 million to $10 million," recalled Kuebler, who tried doing a search on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. But the man had a common name and while "a million things came up, I found nothing" on him, he said.

Social Detection found the man under an alias, turning up "hundreds of photos of him at amusement parks, him going down waterslides headfirst, going in pools, playing musical instruments," he said.

The case settled "for peanuts," Kuebler said.

Though Catron and Petrie started the business to serve the insurance industry, their focus as PIs for two decades, "we know it belongs in almost every category of business where people need to make critical decisions about people," Petrie said.

Currently, access to Social Detection's searches is not available to individuals, but it likely will be in the future for people to search themselves, connect with lost family and friends, even scope out online dating prospects, Petrie said.
Gymnast Simone Biles, left and her teammate Aly Raisman celebrate after the women's individual all-around final during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Aug. 11, 2016. (THOMAS COEX / AFP/Getty Images)

It's been nearly two years since one of my dearest friends, Natalie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Back then, the news hit hard among my close-knit group of girlfriends who date back to high school. The thought of losing our loyal, funny, fashionable friend was unthinkable  an instant tear-jerker, a pit in our stomachs that kept us each awake at night wondering what we could do.

So, without any script or rule book to follow, my friends and I threw ourselves into gestures we hoped would make a difference.

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Our friend Chrissy, a stay-at-home mom with four very active children, cleared her schedule for a full day each month so she could sit with Natalie at chemotherapy appointments. She'd bring coffee, bagels or VHS tapes of high school talent shows that made Natalie laugh hysterically  even as toxic and frightening chemicals dripped into her body.

Anngie, Natalie's younger sister, took a week off of work to be with her after her mastectomy. She babysat Natalie's two young daughters, polished her toenails and lovingly helped her into the shower for the first time post-surgery  never batting an eye at her sister's scarred and changed body.

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And I and other members of our tribe took turns dropping off meals, going to her house to fold laundry, and calling and texting her with uplifting messages, which felt like paltry gestures compared with the pain and fear our beloved friend was feeling.

But two years later, as Natalie enjoys being back to good health, and spent this Breast Cancer Awareness Month encouraging Facebook friends to get mammograms, she says the support she got from her female friends when she needed it most was unforgettable.

Her husband and father, to be sure, were supportive, loving and dependable. But it was her mother, sister and girlfriends who really carried her, she said.

"Nobody understands us like us," Natalie said. "You just sort of get this bond with women that is so much stronger than any relationship you could have with anyone else."

It's a bond I've been thinking about lately, in the wake of my father's death, as the women in my life have rushed to my aid with visits, meals and fun activities planned for us and our kids to keep my spirits lifted.

I don't know how any woman could get through life without girlfriends. The ones who cry along with you when you tell them your sad news, share the 1,000-calorie peanut-butter chocolate cake with you after dinner so you feel less guilty and remind you of how brave and wonderful you are  even when you feel the complete opposite.

One of my all-time favorite movies is the 1989 film "Steel Magnolias," adapted from the play, which just like its title, captures the strength and beauty of female relationships. The scene that gets me every time is at the end, when Sally Field's character is so overcome with grief over the death of her daughter, she exposes her raw heartbreak to her three best friends who, still in their funeral attire, walk, listen and cry along with her.

"I just want to hit somebody until they feel as bad as I do! I want to hit something! I want to hit it hard!" Field's character screams, to which one of her girlfriends brilliantly reacts by grabbing another girlfriend and shoving her in front of Field.

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"Here, hit this!" Olympia Dukakis' character deadpans, both acknowledging her friend's pain and breaking up the moment until they're all laughing through tears.

It's the emotionally perfect response that only a girlfriend could administer on the spot, in the midst of her own heartache.

And research shows that female relationships are not only biologically inherent, but good for our health.

"Women innately have a need for emotional expression," said Ilene Kastel, a licensed clinical professional counselor and founder of Next Step Counseling in Chicago. "Women having a social network of other females that they closely trust is pivotal to things that impact women  like their self-esteem, getting emotional validation, getting support, feeling a part of one's community."

Kastel, who runs women empowerment support groups, said studies show that female relationships lead to noticeable decreases in health issues, from high blood pressure to anxiety and depression.

At the start of support groups, women often seem timid and unsure, she said, but by the end, they are exchanging phone numbers and making plans to attend each other's life events.

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This is why I'm not surprised by a new tribe of female friends that seems to be forming on my block in Elmhurst. After years of construction of new homes, our street is finally intact, which we celebrated earlier this month with our first annual block party.

The party  including barbecue, beer and a bouncy house  was organized by the husbands on the block. But since then, it's the women who have kept in touch and been making plans for future gatherings.

I sent an email out to gauge interest in forming a mom's group  for girls' nights out, organized play groups and holiday gatherings. Within days, every single woman on the block had enthusiastically replied, and our first get-together was planned.

No one could ever replace Natalie, or my core group of besties I've known since I was young.

But if I've learned anything from my heartbreaks through the years, it's that you can never have too many girlfriends.

vortiz@tribpub.com

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Twitter @vikkiortiz
Ask any Chicagoan for their top shopping recommendations, and you'll likely get a slew of answers that span the entire city  from unique boutiques to shopping megacenters and everything in between. We honed in on specific personalities to trim down that list and make it as personalized as possible. From the home chef to the animal lover, here are the very best shopping destinations based on what you're looking for.

The dapper gent

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Style is all about expressing your personality. Let the threads do the talking.

Mildblend Supply Co. (1342 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-772-9711, www.mildblend.com): You don't know denim if you haven't shopped this Wicker Park store. It offers an entirely American-made selection of clothing, shoes and grooming products with an emphasis on high-quality construction and design. Oh, and denim. Lots of denim. Look out for free hemming sales.

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Penelope's (1913 W. Division St., 773-395-2351, www.shoppenelopes.com): Smart designs, perfect colors and beautiful prints fill the racks at this Euro-American-style store in Wicker Park. Most of the boutique's stock focuses on prints and colors  perfect for pieces that stand out against more classic threads. Pick up socks, hats or scarves that add a perfect pop of style to any outfit.

The home chef

Cooking at home is a great way to save money, stay healthy and spend time with friends.

The Spice House (1512 N. Wells St., 312-274-0378, www.thespicehouse.com): With its wall-to-wall shelves of glass jars and colored powders, this Old Town shop is like a library for spices, herbs and extracts. While its selection is extensive enough for virtually any cooking project, our favorite items are the spice blends named after Chicago neighborhoods, such as the Bronzeville Rib Rub and the Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher's Rub.

Old Town Oil (1520 N. Wells St., 312-787-9595, www.oldtownoil.com): When you can afford to splurge on a bottle of something, go for olive oils and vinegars like those carried here. The specialty shop has oils infused with every salad dressing flavor we can think of (garlic, basil, lemon) and others we would never have paired together, like blood orange and porcini.

The Chopping Block (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, 312-644-6360; 4747 N Lincoln Ave., 773-472-6700, www.thechoppingblock.com): This informal cooking school with locations in Lincoln Square and the Near North Side is perfect for friend dates, special occasions or if you really need someone skilled to teach you how to grill a fish and roll out pizza dough. Class gift certificates make great presents, too.

The bookworm

Fair warning: You won't be able to leave any of these places without an armful of new reads.

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Uncharted Books (2620 N. Milwaukee Ave., www.unchartedbooks.com): This Logan Square literary gem offers a curated collection of used books and hosts a variety of weekly readings and events. Plus, shop dog and PAWS rescue Ramona is usually around if you need a side of snuggles with your afternoon read.

Bookman's Corner (2959 N. Clark St., 773-929-8298): How many used books can you pack into one tiny storefront? More than you'd think, if you stack them to the ceiling, pile them onto chairs and cram them into the aisles. Bookman's Corner is absolutely bonkers in the best way, like the home library of a prickly but brilliant professor.

The grill master

Butcher Scott Berg at Paulina Meat Market (3501 N. Lincoln Ave.) on Thursday, September 8, 2016. (Hilary Higgins / Chicago Tribune)

Get adventurous and expand your horizons at these meat markets.

Paulina Meat Market (3501 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-248-6272): The deer sausage, beef shank and rib-eye we've purchased from this Lincoln Park shop are the best we've ever had. Add in the extremely knowledgeable and polite staff, and the trek is always worth it. And you can't cook a true gumbo without andouille sausage  and the quality of the stuff they sell here is better than anything else we've seen outside Louisiana.

Gepperth's Meat Market (1964 N. Halsted St., 773-549-3883, www.gepperths.com): This place is often packed. Grill up a few links of its specialty sausages, and you'll know why: They're so juicy and flavorful. The lamb sausage  don't knock it until you try it  may have been one of the best sausage types we've ever cooked.

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Gene's Sausage Shop (4750 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-728-7243, www.genessausage.com): A meat market with a rooftop bar? We walked in, shopped around and headed upstairs to check out the rooftop that we had been hearing so much about. News flash: It's amazing.

The animal lover

These are purr-fect places for pet parents to spoil their fur babies.

Dog-a-holics (3657 N. Southport Ave., 773-857-7600, www.dog-a-holics.com): With its distinctively urban vibe and sense of humor, this Lakeview shop is a pet lover's fully stocked treasure trove. In addition to a selection of quality foods and treats, the store scores points for quirkier items, such as a wide variety of Cubs and Sox gear, an ice cream fridge, floral collars for weddings and pet-themed home decor. With the doggy day care and walking service it also runs across the street, it's nearly a one-stop shop.

Doggy Style Pet Shop (2023 W. Division St., 773-235-9663, www.doggystylepetshop.com): Cat people won't be left out here. The Wicker Park shop features a solid feline section, plus a down-to-earth community vibe. Flyers up front give pet parents info on local businesses, vets and shelters, while a self-service spa in the back lets them lather up and hose down Fido without polluting their apartments with the smell of wet dog.

The gifter

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Pick something up for a friend  and a little extra something for yourself, too.

RR#1 Chicago (814 N. Ashland Ave., 312-421-9079, www.rr1chicago.com): This former pharmacy (it still features original cabinets and display cases) is so overflowing with treasures that it's hard to find the right words to describe its grandeur. A random mishmash of things that have been on sale here: an illustrated book on Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, a tea light with a Tiki face, a huge bicorn hat, an air plant and a tea set.

Inkling (2917 1/2 N. Broadway, 773-248-8004, www.theinklingshop.com): The selection at Inkling is slightly less overwhelming, which can be a great thing if you're dashing to a party and need a last-minute card or gift. And by "last-minute card or gift," we clearly mean "jewelry for yourself."

The paper snob

Judge a book by it's cover ... and typography, color palette and paper quality.

Elizabeth Grace (2438 N. Clark St., 773-477-9830, www.elizabethgrace.com): Make sure you have a free afternoon before you head into this elegant Lincoln Park boutique, where the walls are lined with gorgeous cards.

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Greer Chicago (1657 N. Wells St., 312-337-8000, www.greerchicago.com): You will immediately get sucked into Greer by the eye-catching displays. The quirky card collection, featuring many local designers, makes finding cards for family and hard-to-buy-for friends the swiftest shopping we had ever done.

Pulp & Ink (1344 N. Wells St., 312-475-1344, www.pulpandink.com): Fun colors and fabulous typography featured on the wall of greeting cards made shopping at this Old Town store an inspiring experience. The friendly staff was welcoming but not overbearing as we perused around the tables of stationary and flipped through gorgeously designed invitation booklets.

The accessory addict

The interior of Una Mae's in Wicker Park. (HANDOUT )

Here's where to pick up trendy, fun pieces without breaking the bank.

Una Mae's (1528 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-276-7002, www.unamaeschicago.com): This Wicker Park boutique is the go-to for quality vintage accessories and contemporary jewelry with an edge.

Art Effect (934 W. Armitage Ave., 773-929-3600, www.shoparteffect.com): The jewelry cases in this Lincoln Park boutique's rear room are great for splurges and special-occasion pieces, but be sure to check out the peg boards near the staircase for more affordable earrings and necklaces.

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Vintage Underground (1834 W. North Ave., 773-252-4559, www.chicagovintageunderground.com): This basement shop of vintage jewelry and accessories is a gold mine: a huge selection, a super-knowledgeable owner and prices from steal to splurge.
The cast of the musical "Hamilton" hit the streets Friday, Oct. 20, 2016 to support a voter registration push by Cook County Clerk David Orr. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The multicultural cast of "Hamilton" hit the streets Friday to support a voter registration push by Cook County Clerk David Orr  but if there's a Donald Trump supporter lurking among them, they've yet to uncover him, or her.

"I just can't imagine that anybody that has the sensibilities to do something like this, in a community like this, with the passions that we have ... could align with the kind of values he represents," said Miguel Cervantes, who stars in the hit musical's title role.

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"It's hard to imagine that there's any Trump voters in this group, but hey, we're not here to tell anyone here how to vote."

Cervantes noted that playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda and the show's producer were visible Hillary Clinton supporters and that though no one had asked him "to go either way, we're in an environment where we're all like-minded."

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Samantha Marie Ware, who plays Peggy Schuyler, took a break from collaring potential voters on a brisk Monroe Street to agree, but said that if you are in the cast and "you're a Trump supporter, I don't think you're speaking up about it!"

And Karen Olivo, who plays Angelica Schuyler, said, "We had one moment where we were all talking about politics and then we all realized that, oh, that's one of those things you're not supposed to do at work, because we were being very specific about our views, so someone put the kibosh on it."

Of potential Trump supporters in her workplace, she said: "Hopefully they'd start reading, or they'd turn on the debate and they'd realize, 'Oh, that's a vile human being  I could never vote for that person!'"

Orr, a former history professor, described himself as an expert on Hamilton's era and said "campaigns back then were pretty dirty too."

Though he downplayed his musical chops, he confessed that he is a workplace whistler and that "I love Adele."

"My favorites are 'One and Only' and 'Don't You Remember?'" he said. "Those are hard songs, because who has the range? But I love doing it anyway."

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
You shouldn't need a map to get to the corner of Clark and Washington streets in the heart of the Loop but if you do you will probably just punch your phone and let technology be your guide.

Such is our modern way, the efficient and practical way. It is technology at its most refined (so far) and, frankly, it's a bore.

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There is a store on southwest corner of the aforementioned intersection that features a dozen windows facing Clark Street and they are filled with all manner of ancient, non-high tech and, frankly, beautiful objects. Some are in the form of campaign buttons from long ago  and certainly more civil and substantial  presidential election contests. Others are coins, dozens of them for various places and times. There's a vase or two and, astonishingly, a woolly mammoth tooth and jaw fragment, dating from 25,000 to 8,000 B.C.

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Above the windows on the exterior wall of the building are nine large sculpted coins, a buffalo nickel and others, and in the northernmost window there is a small sign that asks a question, "Searching for a perfect gift?" and provides an answer, "Find it in a map."

That's what is sold at Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., the family-owned store on the corner: collectible coins, currency, antiquities and maps.

Berk began the business in 1964 and in a suite of offices upstairs works Sammy Berk, Harlan's son, surrounded by hundreds of books and an incalculable number of eye-catching items.

"Sometimes up here it's just a mess of treasures," he says.

Indeed, there are plenty of them but let's focus on maps, because Berk has at his fingertips more than 650 in various style, size and shape.

You can see some of them at the Chicago International Map Fair, which was founded by Berk in 2013 and takes place Oct. 29-30 (there's a preview Friday) at the Cultural Center at 77 E. Randolph St.

The weekend is free to the public who will be able to see and purchase thousands of maps (including one of Berk's that compellingly and colorfully captures Chicago in 1861), meet more than 35 exhibitors and dealers, listen to lectures, ask questions and just stare.

Given the time of year and political climate, one of the fair's highlights will surely be the MacLean Collection's exhibition titled "American Presidents and Politics." It will feature presidential and other political maps that show mapping's central role in American history.

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"Chicago has always been known as a great map collecting town. The Newberry Library has a great collection and there are many private collectors too," says Berk. "Barry MacLean in the northern suburbs has an amazing collection. He is what I believe to be the largest private collector in the world."

Hard to argue with a collection that includes more than 40,000 maps and books that dates from the 15th century to the present, from globes to wall maps, atlases to relief maps.

At the fair, the MacLean items will include several 19th-century maps used as propaganda to promote and inform the public about presidential elections, long before people were forced to accustom themselves to the red-blue maps that will soon dominate TV screens.

To look at an old map  and the older the better  is to partake of a feast, a feast for the eyes and the imagination. Yes, some of the maps are weird looking (in many California is represented as an island) but even those contain important historical information. And many of the maps are indeed works of art. Many are engravings made from wood or, later, copper block and are hand colored. Many feature flights of the cartographer's fancy, filled with spouting whales, ships, sea monsters and other imagined terrors and delights.

"Some cartographers were doing a lot of speculation," says Berk. "They would put some things in just because they felt like it."

All of the net proceeds from the map fair will be used to fund a new not-for-profit organization started by Berk. It is called the History in Your Hands Foundation and its stated purpose is to "provide educators with historical objects to support and enhance the study of U.S. and World History (by giving students) the opportunity for hands-on interaction with historical objects thereby promoting interest and enjoyment in history via an enriched learning experience."

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Berk shows a photo of one of the classes he visited with maps and other artifacts. It was a fourth-grade class at Cicero East Elementary, taught by Colin Fahey. He was the best man at Berk's 2010 wedding; Berk and his wife Denise now have two kids, a boy Wyatt, 4, and a daughter Autumn, 2.

As Fahey told Berk after the class visit, "The material brought into our class was reflective of what a child's imagination would conjure when thinking of old maps. The imaginary lakes and islands, the sea monsters, and the skewed projection of the world as we know it today, captured the attention of the students in a way that stands out from any other history based activity we had done all year. It was a unique and engaging experience to have our homeroom turned into an interactive museum for that afternoon."

And Berk says, "We think this has the potential to be a nationwide initiative. Most kids increasingly live in worlds of virtual reality. The maps, the coins and other artifacts are reality. To touch an ancient coin and imagine how and where it might have been used centuries ago, that really fires the imagination. I have seen it in the kids' eyes. And, who knows, some of these kids might grow up to be collectors."

When people ask Berk what he does for a living, he says, "I'm a map dealer."

"And the most common response from people is, 'I love maps,' " he says.

After visiting with Berk, I was drawn back to the great Chicago writer Miles Harvey and his stunning 2001 true crime book, "The Island of Lost Maps," and in it I found this: "A map has no vocabulary, no lexicon of precise meanings. It communicates in lines, hues, tones, coded symbols, and empty spaces, much like music."

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rkogan@chicagotribune.com







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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
"Certain Women" feels like a movie that just sort of  happened. It's suffused with delicate but true magic, tying its three stories together with something akin to invisible string.

This is writer-director Kelly Reichardt's sixth feature, and her third with one of the best cinematographers alive, Christopher Blauvelt. In "Meek's Cutoff" (2010), they collaborated to create a muted, unglamorous vision of mid-19th-century frontier life. In the more conventional "Night Moves" (2013), a plot-driven thriller about environmental terrorists, the shadows told the most interesting story. That picture had its satisfactions, but "Certain Women" marks Reichardt's return to effortless character studies and subtle visual mastery. (The film just won the top prize at the BFI London Film Festival.)

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It comes from three short stories by Maile Meloy: "Native Sandstone," "Tome" and "Travis, B." Reichardt, who also edited the picture, spent three months in and around Livingston, Mont., scouting locations, finding just the right visual information to make emotional sense of the characters and their states of mind, and of the heart.

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Blauvelt shot "Certain Women" on 16 mm film stock, which responds beautifully to gray skies and fast-moving clouds. The look is wintry and melancholy, but not falsely dramatic. And there's none of the usual, self-conscious epic quality you tend to get with movies shot anywhere near the mountains, as this one was. The paradox of women and men living in a world of wide-open spaces and serious isolation comes through in a single, terse line of dialogue, when a prisoner (Jared Harris) represented by a Livingston lawyer (Laura Dern) responds to the lawyer's question about what it's like living behind bars. "Lonely," he says. And then he adds: "No privacy."

That's from the first story. Dern's character, named Laura, is in a complicated cul-de-sac of a relationship. Harris' character, one of Laura's more desperate clients, has suffered a workplace injury and subsequently was hoodwinked out of decent compensation. His options, financial and otherwise, are lousy. And before long a hostage situation pulls Laura into a vulnerable position.

The second story features Michelle Williams, a Reichardt alum and a tremendous, intuitive artist when it comes to activating the inner life of a character. Gina (Williams) is living in a tent with her shaggy, somewhat passive husband (James Le Gros) and their withdrawn-when-not-openly-hostile daughter (Sara Rodier). The tent's located on the site of the house they're building, outside Livingston.

Not much happens in this narrative, or rather, just enough happens. Gina has her eye on a pile of old sandstone, the remnants of the old town schoolhouse, belonging to a foggy-headed neighbor (Rene Auberjonois). Gina's idea is to build a new house of old materials native to the area. You know, she says. "Things that fit in." In author Meloy's stories, fitting in is not an easy thing.

The third story, charged by romantic possibility, makes that outsider state of mind tactile, and ever-present. A rancher, played by Lily Gladstone, meets a visitor more or less out of the blue. The visitor is Beth, played by Kristen Stewart with perfect, ambiguous pitch. She's a lawyer teaching a twice-weekly night class in education law, four hours away from her home in Livingston.

The rancher audits the class simply to be closer to this stranger. They spend some time, and a few words, together at the nearest truck stop. Jamie, heartbreaking in her sincerity thanks to Gladstone, sees in Beth a woman of her dreams. She has plenty of time and space to dream. We get to know the rancher's routine  feeding the horses, being chased by her dog  as a way of getting to know what she doesn't currently have.

"Certain Women" says a great deal about the way these women live, and settle, and occasionally take a risk, without stating anything heavily. Reichardt's films require a certain degree of letting go if you're used to movies that do all the work for you. But there's nothing difficult about these three stories, which intertwine, but barely, and not in a fancy, oh-now-I-see-the-connection way. They're lifelike, I suppose, in that you believe and become invested in what happens to everyone. But they're poetic, too, in that Reichardt and her first-rate ensemble find intersections of the mundane and the mysterious all around this broad, blustery landscape.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

"Certain Women"  3.5 stars

MPAA rating: R (for some language)

Running time: 1:48

Opens: Friday

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Bob Weir arrived at the Chicago Theatre on Thursday having played what he estimated to be more than 6,000 shows during his career. Yet at a great majority of those concerts  whether by the Grateful Dead, various spinoffs or his own groups  his signature, offbeat guitar rhythms and storytelling narratives were often overshadowed by other members or band chemistry.

Joined by a quintet for most of the two-set performance, Weir nonetheless carved out his own space at an event solely billed to him. In addition to bringing his unorthodox strumming to the fore, the 69-year-old revealed himself a cowboy at heart  a nature- and plains-loving drifter whose taste for adventure began when he ran off to Wyoming as a teenager to spend a summer as a ranch hand.

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Memories from that Old West jaunt inform the recent "Blue Mountain," Weir's first album of all-original material in three decades. It's the latest salvo in a surprising late-career revival. Within the last two years, the California native connected with revered indie-rock ensemble the National, served as the subject of the documentary "The Other One" and received recognition via the exhaustive "Day of the Dead" tribute.

Bryan and Scott Devendorf, two artists involved with boosting Weir's profile, helped him maneuver Thursday. The National drummer and bassist, respectively, remained anonymous as they anchored a band less inclined to jamming and more concerned with setting scenes. Brushed percussion and pedal-steel solos established steady country-folk frameworks that stretched out in a manner akin to a vast Montana sky. With images of rural landscapes projected behind them, Weir and company tread rustic paths en route to extending Appalachian, blues and roots traditions.

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In fine voice, Weir sounded equal parts sincere and reminiscent on newer music. Singing in understated tones, he turned "Darkest Hour" into a comforting plea, "Only a River" into quiet redemption and "Lay My Lily Down" into a rattling lament that traced its bluegrass origins to Ireland. Along with the invitational "Ki-Yi Bossie" and reverb-drenched "Ghost Towns," they functioned as campfire songs branded with outlaw spirit and reserved longing  not unlike Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," a Dead staple Weir delivered with similar biographical pluck.

During the final third of the 160-minute-plus show, Weir treated Deadheads to extended workouts of favorites such as "China Cat Sunflower." Feel-good nostalgia and improvisational rearrangements aside, the Dead covers paled in comparison to the personality and vulnerability Weir invested in his so-called "bunkhouse" songs.

"Living free from my past," he sighed on "Gallop on the Run," knowing better than to believe any such break possible while coming full circle with the experiences that first shaped him  and continue to do so.

Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @chitribent

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
NEW YORK  The first sight Alex Horwitz ever caught of Lin-Manuel Miranda was on a stage at Wesleyan University, playing the title role in - aptly enough, given the near-idolatry that would one day follow - "Jesus Christ Superstar."

The two became buddies and then castmates in an extracurricular improv-comedy troupe. "He was our fifth Beatle," Horwitz jokes of his fellow member of the Class of 2002. Years later, as Miranda himself climbed toward superstardom, they would forge an even more significant alliance, for a project that would not only propel Horwitz's trajectory as a filmmaker but also set down a definitive account of the means by which his college pal would change musical theater and, perhaps, American culture.

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"Hamilton's America," the fruit of Horwitz's three years of following the development - and spectacular success - of Miranda's legend-in-its-own-time musical "Hamilton," is unveiled for the world Friday night at 9 ET on PBS' "Great Performances." The eagerly anticipated documentary is not, however, just another backstage film about the arduous task of putting together a musical. The film takes a more ambitious tack, in its attempt to weave a portrait of both Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who is the show's title character, and the Singing Composer who had the inspiration to turn history into a hip-hop Broadway musical.

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"The film is three years of what his life was like, from the writing process to the awards and accolades," says Horwitz, a Chevy Chase, Maryland, native who lives in New York with his wife and son, with another boy due any minute. "I didn't have an agenda for how I wanted to present him, other than simply to make a record of this moment of his life."

Augmented by interviews with a formidable A-list of politicians, academics, "Hamilton" cast members and American celebrities, "Hamilton's America" is, as Horwitz advertises, a further elucidation of a pivotal historic figure through a singular artist's eyes. Talks with the likes of President Barack Obama, former president George W. Bush, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim round out the discussion of both Hamilton's place in the pantheon and the finer points of making a Revolutionary hero sing.

If "Hamilton" seeks to frame the nation's first treasury secretary, the visionary who invented the nation's monetary system, as a recognizably flawed human being, "Hamilton's America" opens yet another window on Miranda, who comes across as appealingly down-to-earth, earnestly engaged with his world and, yes, a bit of a musical theater geek.

"Lin's public persona is very much the same as his private persona - he's a gregarious, quick-witted guy," Horwitz says, adding that his subject made the filming fun and, despite the long hours and technical demands, never an exercise in pulling teeth: "I could always count on Lin to be a good showman," he explains. "It's no surprise that he has a very good sense of story. He knew what was compelling - and he's good in front of a camera."

Horwitz, whose father, Murray, is a playwright ("Ain't Misbehavin' ") who was founding director of AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, has pursued a film career as an editor and director, albeit one of some eclectic tastes: A few years ago he made a short movie, "Alice Jacobs Is Dead," that he describes as a "zombie love story." In the aftermath of the initial public excitement about Miranda's Hamilton project, he approached his old friend about a documentary.

Modeling his concept on "Looking for Richard," a 1996 documentary that followed Al Pacino as he explored contemporary ideas about Shakespeare in researching the title role in "Richard III," he pitched it to Miranda: "We could do a straight-up behind-the-scenes documentary, but I've seen that movie," Horwitz told him. "The more interesting thing is to make a documentary about Alexander Hamilton."

Miranda was on board for that and, soon enough, Horwitz was serving both as director and sound man, alongside cinematographer Bryant Fisher, filming Miranda as he wrote lyrics on his laptop in a bedroom in which Aaron Burr - who of course figures notoriously in Hamilton's story - once slept. After filming began, RadicalMedia - where Horwitz has worked as a freelance editor and which produced a documentary about "In the Heights," Miranda's first Broadway musical - agreed to produce this one, too. PBS would sign on as well, and the production's size and crew grew.

Horwitz envisioned the documentary as a mirror of "Hamilton": presenting a story belonging to no single partisan or ideological identity. "This is a film about shared history, shared ideals," he says. As a result, he felt it natural to invite commentators on Hamilton's legacy from both sides of the aisle. Once he could get across the fact that this was an opportunity to expound on history, he found that politicians readily agreed to be in it.

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"They were thrilled," he said of people such as Warren and Obama, and George and Laura Bush. "They were like, 'Oh, my God, I get to talk to somebody about what I'm excited about - I get to nerd out about history?' All of them could not have been more welcoming." (Off camera, one of the famous interviewees, who had not yet seen 'Hamilton,' asked him: "So is it really that good?")

Viewers will probably be able to discern, even from the smattering of musical numbers that show up in "Hamilton's America," that indeed it is. Horwitz knows that it was the magnetic pull of the musical that provided him with the kind of access that does not occur every day for a film involving a world so distinct from the concerns of government.

"It is certainly a fact that 'Hamilton' got them to return the call," he says. The way I put it is, Lin opened the door. We just walked right through it."



"Hamilton's America" airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET on PBS' "Great Performances."

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Ulysses S. Grant, writes Ronald C. White in his superb new biography, has "slipped from our American memory."

And White need offer no better evidence than the fact that, though he had written three books on Abraham Lincoln, in whose story Grant plays no small role, he confesses that he "did not know the man."

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In writing "American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant," White found that, "as I dug deeper, I discovered his intellectual journey was filled with surprises, detours, questions and insights." Over the course of almost 700 thoroughly-researched pages  he spent seven years scouring primary documents  White brings the reader through a similar journey to a conclusion that is illuminating, inspiring and deeply moving.

Entering this hefty  though highly engaging  read, my knowledge of Grant underscored White's premise. I could have recited the four major factoids that most people basically conversant in U.S. history probably think they know about Grant: Civil War hero, 18th president, drunkard, scandal-ridden administration.

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The first two are indisputable facts; the second two White presents as distortions. While alcohol does seem to have been involved in Grant's resigning his commission during his first stint in the army  when, before the Civil War, he was stationed in the then-remote Pacific Northwest for several years, without his young family  subsequent allegations are presented as the sniping of rivals and contradicted by contemporary witnesses. And, while many members of his administration were involved in scandals  spoilsmanship characteristic of the post-Civil War period and the robber baron mentality of the rising Gilded Age  these incidents did not touch Grant himself.

Yet, it is the negative view that has largely prevailed over time. Since 1948 there have been 18 major scholarly surveys rating our best and worst presidents. In aggregate, they place Grant 36th out of 44.

However, in his lifetime he was classed with Washington and Lincoln in the "Trinity of great American leaders." Mark Twain, a skeptic about fame and power if ever there was one, described Grant as, "America's Great Soldier, Honored Statesman, Unselfish Citizen." At his death, the New York Tribune declared that "the foremost man of the nation has closed a career second to no other in the history of the republic." The Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser  in the first capital of the Confederacy that he was so instrumental in defeating  wrote that "no man since George Washington has better illustrated the genius of American institutions or the temper of the American people." The Times of London asserted that "His name shall share with Abraham Lincoln the chief glories of American history in the 19th century," and a memorial service at Westminster Abbey could not contain all those who wished to honor the man then seen as a colossus and paragon.

And, surveying American history in 1900, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote, "Mightiest among the mighty dead loom the three great figures of Washington, Lincoln, and Grant." In the second rank Roosevelt placed Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

Exactly how this towering reputation declined so precipitously is not clear. And White doesn't wade into a critical debate. He just presents his man. And the man he gives us is impossible not to admire, even love. Gertrude Stein, also no pushover, said that she could not think of Grant without weeping; by the time White finishes with the odyssey of this American Ulysses, she's not alone.

No presidential biography can avoid serving as a comment on its own time. In this regard, White's book is an invaluable gift. The Grant he finds is, in every regard, the antithesis of what has come to be viewed as the modern politician  humble, modest, self-made; known as "the quiet man," he spoke little, but thoughtfully and judiciously (he also wrote his own memoirs, of which Gore Vidal stated, "the author is a man of first-rate intelligence. ... His book is a classic.") He was fair, altruistic, loyal (sometimes to a fault and at his own expense), honest, decent, and deeply honorable. He was magnanimous in victory, concerned for the welfare of his country and his fellow citizens, open-minded, curious about the world and others. He fought against the nascent Ku Klux Klan, and for fair dealing with Native Americans, causing Frederick Douglass to conclude, "To him more than any other man the Negro owes his enfranchisement and the Indian a humane policy. ... He was accessible to all men. ... The black soldier was welcome in his tent, and the freedman in his house."

Again, the gulf between the man White presents and scholarly opinion of the past 70 years is perplexing. The book was motivated not by the enthusiasm of an established partisan, but by the discoveries of a curious historian. Far from a mere hagiography, the positive conclusions reached are measured and invariably supported by facts or contemporary statements.

Insofar as you can't sing it, it's unlikely this biography will lead to the kind of reputational rebirth that Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" has produced for its subject  but the Grant we meet in "American Ulysses" is richly deserving of a fuller understanding and of celebration for the man he was and the legacy he left us.

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At the dedication of the General Grant National Memorial ("Grant's tomb") in New York City, President William McKinley noted that, "A great life never dies." With his excellent new biography, White has proven this maxim. He has done yeoman's work to restore this good man to the American memory and, in the process, has done our country a great and timely service.

'American Ulysses'

By Ronald C. White, Random House, 826 pages, $35
They both have served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff.

But an intriguing curiosity buried in a recent cache of WikiLeaks emails suggests that William Daley wasn't entirely troubled by the fact that the man he succeeded in the White House, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, had been forced into a runoff election last year by Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.

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"How u doing?" Daley asked the chief of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, John Podesta, in an email sent from his iPhone on March 18, 2015, according to a leaked chain of emails that the Clinton campaign and U.S. intelligence services say was hacked with Russian involvement.

A relaxed Podesta responded, "Breezing along with the breeze. You?"

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Daley, apparently also at ease, replied later that morning from his iPad, "Ok watching Rahm twist."

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Emanuel at the time was engaged in a hard-fought campaign to present himself as a more touchy-feely mayor, memorably appearing in a campaign ad in which he was mocked for wearing a sweater while acknowledging, "I can rub people the wrong way."

While Daley's reference to watching Emanuel "twist" hardly qualifies as malice, it also didn't exactly suggest that Daley was suffering heartache over the mayor's problems.

The exchange concluded with Podesta noting that Emanuel  who went on to win the runoff handily less than a month later  had "stabilized" before changing the subject to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Daley, who has worked for a Swiss hedge fund since 2014, did not respond to a request for comment except to clarify that the later part of the conversation was about Netanyahu.

Though both sides have been eager to play down any friction, tensions between the Daley clan and Emanuel have occasionally surfaced. Former Mayor Richard M. Daley  William's brother  had to twice be shushed by his longtime spokeswoman in August when he appeared to be on the verge of laying into Emanuel, who has not so subtly laid many of the city's long-term problems at Richard Daley's feet.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
Protesters rally outside police headquarters in Chicago on Oct. 20, 2016, the two-year anniversary of shooting death of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police. (Alyssa Pointer and Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer and Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

About 300 people gathered outside Chicago Police headquarters Thursday evening to mark the second anniversary of the death of Laquan McDonald, who was fatally shot by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke.

The crowd stood in front of 16 small yellow markers of the type police use to mark bullets at crime scenes, signifying the number of shots Van Dyke fired at McDonald.

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After a prayer, Chicago-based rapper Rhymefest read a poem. Another speaker was Gwendolyn Moore, 56, a South Side resident whose son, Jamaal Raymond Moore was 23 when he was shot and killed by police four years ago.

"It's important to talk about because the system has created injustice for its people. If we don't voice how we feel and just lay down with blinders on, it will not change. I don't want to see another child dead on the streets. It doesn't matter, black brown, white, we are all one," she said.

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Activist William Calloway organized the event and led a balloon release to commemorate the more than 600 people who have been killed in Chicago this year.

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"At this rate we might see more than 700 homicides in the city," he said "We have to come together as a community as a city to end this gun violence, put an end to gang violence... we just can't sit back and put the blame on the police all the time. We have to hold ourselves accountable."

If the Illinois Legislature fails to pass the Laquan McDonald Act, which would allow for the recall of Chicago's mayor and aldermen and the Cook County state's attorney, Calloway said "we're shutting down the Mag Mile on Black Friday."

Jamaica West, 23, a volunteer from North Lawndale, said it's "a social responsibility to stand for all levels of injustice."

"I'm here hoping to seek out justice for our community, justice in our policing and our justice in our judicial system. It's one step at a time.

She said the proposed Laquan McDonald Act would help recall elected officials who violate the law.

"If at that time we had the recall law, or what we now call the Laquan Law, we would've voted them out. It's on hopes that if God forbid it happens in the future, that we would be able to use that to call those people out that are covering up horrific crimes."

A group of about 20 people left the gathering at CPD headquarters to protest near the 4100 block of South Pulaski Road, where McDonald was shot and killed. Some pledged to camp out for 16 hours to symbolize the 16 times he was shot.
Surveillance photo of a man who robbed a bank in the Aon Center, 200 E. Randolph St., on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. (Surveillance photo via the FBI)

A man charged with robbing a Loop bank this week was turned in to authorities by his uncle, a retired Chicago police detective, after the man gave the uncle $2,600 in cash and the man's mother told the uncle the man might have robbed the bank, according to court documents.

Ramses Longstreet, 42, who most recently has lived in a North Center recovery home, is charged with robbing the Associated Bank branch in the Aon Building, 200 E. Randolph St., of $2,859 about 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to charging documents filed in the federal case against him. Longstreet's uncle had tricked Longstreet into going with him to the Chicago offices of the FBI on Thursday, according to a filing by an FBI agent.

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The bank was robbed by a lone man holding a black laptop bag, dressed in a yellow sweatshirt with the word "Iowa" on it and light blue jeans, according to the FBI.

The man walked up to the teller counter and stood very near a woman who was waiting there. The man asked for change for a $10 bill, and when the teller told him she couldn't give change to customers she didn't know, he turned away as if he were going to leave, according to the FBI.

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The man turned around, then went to the teller area next to the one he'd just been at, then jumped over the counter and said something like, "Give me all your money. Fill my bag up," according to the filing.

As the robber jumped over the counter, the witness saw a cellphone fall on the floor.

The robber started pulling at the teller's locked drawer, and the witness moved, prompting the robber to turn to her and say something like, "Don't move, I have a gun" while patting his waist, according to the FBI.

The robber turned back to the teller, who unlocked the drawer, and the robber said something like, "Give me all your hundreds," then grabbed money from the drawer. He jumped over the counter and fled the bank, according to the FBI.

After the robber left, the witness picked up the cellphone and put it on the teller's counter.

After getting descriptions of the robber from witnesses, the FBI released photos of him.

About 4 p.m. Wednesday, Longstreet went to his uncle's house and gave him about $2,600 in cash and asked the retired detective to hold onto it for him, according to the filing.

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The retired detective got a call Thursday from Longstreet's mother, who told him an employee of the recovery home where Longstreet has been living recently had called her and told her Longstreet robbed a bank Wednesday.

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On Thursday, the uncle called Longstreet and arranged to pick him up on a pretense.

The uncle also called the FBI and talked to an FBI employee, whom he told he thought Longstreet was the robber, and that he would bring Longstreet to the FBI's Chicago headquarters, according to the filing.

The uncle then drove Longstreet to the FBI office.

When investigators showed the uncle photos of the robber, the uncle identified him as Longstreet, according to the FBI. The uncle gave investigators the cash Longstreet had given him, and 10 of the $20 bills among the cash were so-called "bait" bills that had been stolen in the Associated Bank robbery.

The teller also identified Longstreet as the robber.

Longstreet was arrested and appeared in court Thursday, where he was ordered held pending a detention hearing.
A former gang member who turned his life around to become an emergency medical technician received a dose of good and bad news Friday when a Cook County judge reduced his $2 million bail for a weapons charge.

Judge Erica Reddick agreed to lower Michael Arquero's bond, but only by $1 million, citing his history of criminal charges dating to his teenage years. The high bond means he will likely spend the holidays in jail away from his pregnant wife, though he would be placed on home electronic monitoring if he managed to raise the $100,000 bail for release, the judge ordered.

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Arquero's attorney had sought have the bond lowered to $10,000 or have his client placed on house arrest.

"It's almost like 'A Tale of Two Cities,'" the judge said, citing how Arquero had managed to escape a troubled youth to become an EMT/paramedic for a private ambulance company only to find himself back in trouble with the law because as a felon he is barred from owning or possessing a gun.

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Reddick said she considered letters regarding Arquero's character from friends and colleagues, but said ultimately his past prevented her lowering it further.

Arquero's attorney, Nenye Uche, argued that $2 million bond was exceptionally high for a charge of unlawful use of a weapon and that Arquero had strong ties to the community and wouldn't be a flight risk.

Prosecutors countered that no new evidence had emerged since Arquero's first court appearance to justify a reduction and noted that he had family in New Jersey.

"He's not going to run away and skip to New Jersey," Uche told the judge.

Uche said afterward he and his client were disappointed in the ruling but were hopeful they could revisit the issue as evidence surfaces. "(Arquero) hoped to be able to get home for Christmas, but he remains confident in the process," Uche said.

Since Arquero's September arrest, the Tribune has followed his unusual tale of a married EMT/paramedic caught in a drive-by shooting that resulted in him killing the gunman, being shot and later charged with a felony after authorities uncovered his criminal past.

Intermingled in an already strange case were concerns by law enforcement about how the former street gang member with several past felony convictions managed to obtain a concealed carry permit and firearm owner's card.

Arquero, 33, was carrying a Glock 9 mm on Sept. 9, 2016, as he ran a late-night errand for his pregnant wife, who was craving tacos, according to his family. Arquero was standing near outdoor seating at a restaurant in Humboldt Park when a Honda Civic circled and someone inside the car opened fire, police said.

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Arquero was hit, and he pulled out his gun and fired back, killing the 18-year-old driver, according to police and court records. Two gang officers arrived on the scene and fired at Arquero as he fired into the car, hitting him. Police said he ignored orders to drop his gun.

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He was shot four times, at least once and maybe twice by the officers, according to police.

When his fingerprints were checked, police discovered Arquero had a criminal record under two aliases and he was charged with unlawful use of weapon by a felon. Police pressed for murder charges too, but prosecutors said the shooting appeared to be self-defense.

Despite his criminal record, Arquero was able to get a FOID card and a concealed carry permit by submitting applications under the name Michael Xavier Arquero, which he legally changed his name to after his stint in prison.

Arquero's family and his attorney argued that he had completely turned his life around, avoiding all trouble since being released from prison and looking forward to the birth of the couple's first child.

Both sides are to return to court Dec. 1.

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wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
Three police officers  two from Chicago and one from Glenview  charged with perjury for their courtroom testimony in a drug case entered not guilty pleas Friday and agreed to go on trial in December.

In a stunning development last month, Cook County prosecutors dropped charges moments after the officers went on trial when their lawyers pointed out the indictment had been brought under an out-of-date state statute.

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Chicago police Sgt. James Padar and Officer William Pruente as well as former Glenview patrol Officer James Horn were re-indicted last week on perjury and official misconduct charges under the correct statute. Padar and Pruente were also charged with obstruction of justice.

Chicago police Officer Vince Morgan pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice and was sentenced to a year of probation.

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The four officers had faced felony charges in a case first revealed by the Chicago Tribune in an April 2014 front-page story. Joseph Sperling, a Glenview resident whom the officers suspected of narcotics dealing, was pulled over in his car after allegedly failing to signal.

In court, all four officers had taken the stand to defend the arrest. Pruente testified he smelled marijuana in Sperling's car, justifying his decision to order him out of his car. Police found a backpack containing about a pound of marijuana inside.

But Sperling's lawyer, Steven Goldman, pulled a surprise, producing a video from a Glenview squad car at the scene that showed Pruente had immediately opened up the driver's door and arrested Sperling. A furious Circuit Judge Catherine Haberkorn suppressed the traffic stop and arrest.

In June 2015, Alvarez's office charged the officers with perjury, obstruction of justice and official misconduct.

The case is now set for a bench trial before Judge Matthew Coghlan beginning on Dec. 5. The three officers remain free on personal-recognizance bonds.

sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke
Rodney Harbin, 34, is charged with murder after a fight over whether someone had stolen a gun from Harbin led to two people being shot to deathlast month, prosecutors said Thursday. (Cook County sheriff's office / )

A fight over whether someone had stolen a gun led to two people being shot to death in the parking lot of a West Pullman bowling alley last month, prosecutors said Thursday.

Rodney Harbin, 34, is charged with murder in the deaths of Miguel Williams, 34, who Harbin had accused of stealing a gun and shot in the dispute, and Donald Brunson, 28, a friend of Harbin's who was shot by Williams during the dispute early on Sept. 21, prosecutors said. Harbin, of the 500 block of West 116th Street, was ordered held without bail Thursday in a hearing regarding the two shootings outside the Halsted Bowl, 12345 S. Halsted St.

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Harbin was at the bowling alley the night of Sept. 20 into early Sept. 21 with friends from his motorcycle club, including Brunson, prosecutors said Thursday. After Harbin left the bowling alley, he got into a dispute with two of Williams' friends over a gun Harbin thought Williams had taken from him.

The two friends got into an SUV where Williams was sitting in the back seat with a loaded gun, prosecutor said.

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A few minutes later, Harbin, with a gun in hand, went up to the driver's side of the SUV and pointed the gun at the driver, demanding the SUV from the driver as payment for the gun he thought had been stolen, prosecutors said. Harbin told Brunson to open the doors to the SUV.

As Brunson opened the door, Williams shot and killed him, prosecutors said. Harbin began shooting into the SUV, firing two volleys of shots at the vehicle, one of which hit Williams and fatally wounded him.

The driver of the SUV took off following the gunfire and Williams told his friends he had been shot, prosecutors said. The group drove a few blocks and then flagged down a Chicago police squad car, according to prosecutors. Williams was found by officers at a gas station in the 700 block of East 111th Street, police said at the time.

After police arrived, they found 17 shell casings near where Williams and Brunson had been shot.

Harbin fled the area after the shootings, prosecutors said.

Several witnesses identified Harbin as the man who killed Williams, and detectives issued an investigative alert for Harbin, prosecutors said.

Harbin turned himself in to police on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Richard Stephenson, founder of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, left, and his ex-wife, Alicia Stephenson, head into the McHenry County Courthouse on Oct. 17, 2016. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Private jets to the Super Bowl and vacation homes. Millions of dollars in jewels. Handmade ball gowns, yachts, celebrities hired to perform at parties.

The past few days of testimony at the divorce trial of multimillionaire cancer treatment mogul Richard Stephenson and his ex-wife Alicia have featured one witness after another describing the couple's luxurious lifestyle during nearly 20 years of marriage.

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All so far have been witnesses for Alicia Stephenson, intended to establish how she lived during the marriage as her attorney argues she deserves to maintain the same standard in her divorce settlement.

She is seeking $400,000 a month in maintenance plus a portion of other assets. Lawyers for Richard Stephenson, who founded Cancer Treatment Centers of America, want a prenuptial agreement enforced that would provide Alicia Stephenson with considerably less, including $250,000 toward the purchase of housing and $5,000 per month.

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Though the couple's marriage was dissolved earlier this year, the trial is taking place in McHenry County civil court because the Stephensons have not been able to reach a settlement privately in the seven years that have elapsed since Alicia filed for divorce.

On Thursday, a man took the stand who owns a company that cares for the four private jets to which Alicia Stephenson's attorneys said she had access during their marriage. But Richard Stephenson's attorneys argue that the planes are business assets, not personal ones. The man testified that he was also a personal friend who had sailed on a 60-foot yacht while visiting the former couple's vacation home in the Virgin Islands.

Earlier, a real estate agent testified that Alicia Stephenson has been eyeing a Chicago condo and a home in a gated community in Florida, both on sale for more than $4 million.

It's also been revealed that Richard Stephenson continues to provide financial support to Alicia's mother, Marguerite Valentine, who tearfully testified that he has "always been so generous and nice to me." Valentine continues to live in a home on Richard Stephenson's Barrington Hills estate, and he pays for her medical caregiver and most other expenses. Another witness, a friend of Alicia Stephenson's, testified that Richard Stephenson paid her medical bills when she had breast cancer.

The couple married at the estate in 1991 in a ceremony that included a performance by the Drifters.

On Friday, a woman who has been friends with Alicia Stephenson since both were teens testified about the dozens of events she attended as a guest of the Stephensons, including a concert where they had a private, backstage audience with Jon Bon Jovi as part of Alicia's 40th birthday celebration. Paulette Davidson described "fairy tale" parties at the Barrington Hills home with caviar bars and chocolate fountains, as well as group trips to the Virgin Islands and Colorado, all expenses paid for by the "very generous" Stephensons.

Richard Stephenson's attorney, David Grund, pressed the point that it was Stephenson, not his wife, who was footing the bill. He also said many of the parties she described were business or charity events.

Grund also noted that Alicia Stephenson had little money when she met Davidson.

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"Together, we probably didn't have a lot of money then," Davidson said.

Davidson also said Alicia Stephenson was often busy with business trips and other responsibilities while working for Cancer Treatment Centers.

But since the couple's separation, Alicia Stephenson has had to curtail her lifestyle considerably, Davidson said, and has to pay bills, live on a budget and fly commercial.

"It's been very stressful. I can tell," said Davidson, who also previously worked for Cancer Treatment Centers.

Grund later asked Davidson if Alicia Stephenson was under stress because she has to "live like an ordinary person now."

Kris Lennon, an interior designer who also was a personal friend of the Stephensons, testified that there appeared to be no limits or budgets for the couple when they were redecorating their homes, yachts or the motorcycle shop they once owned.

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She said that on each project she worked on for the Stephensons, which included their wedding, cost was "never an issue."

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She testified that she received gifts of leather purses, attache cases and clothing from the couple over the years and attended several Chicago sporting events where she was driven in a Cancer Treatment Centers of America limousine and sat in sky boxes.

Lennon also described lavish parties at the couples' Tudor Oaks Estate in Barrington Hills.

Lennon also said that when she had breast cancer and her insurance would not cover the bills, Richard Stephenson told her not to worry and to "just get better." When she called to settle her debt, she was told "everything had been taken care of."

A Barrington dermatologist, Dr. David Van Dam, took the stand Friday and said Alicia Stephenson has for several years routinely received cosmetic procedures at his office, including Botox and fillers, some costing thousands of dollars per treatment.

Alicia Stephenson's attorney has asserted that Richard Stephenson has created a web of complicated business holdings to try to prevent his ex-wife from claiming a stake in them.

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The trial has been acrimonious from the start. Judge James Cowlin has admonished the lawyers about their repeated interruptions and objections.

Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
Vandetta Redwood was being questioned by Chicago police hours after the slaying of 14-year-old Endia Martin when she vehemently denied even being at the scene, let alone supplying the murder weapon to her teenage niece.

"I wasn't there until after the fight," Redwood told detectives at a South Side police station, according to court records. "I don't know nothin' about no gunshot. I wasn't even (expletive) there. Why the (expletive) would I give her the (expletive) gun to shoot somebody, she's 14?"

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But federal prosecutors say cellphone video taken that day in April 2014 showed an agitated Redwood yelling outside the Back of the Yards home where a group of teens was preparing to settle a dispute over a boy that had boiled over on social media. Just off camera, Redwood reached into her coat and handed a loaded gun to her 14-year-old niece, prosecutors said.

"Shoot that bitch," Redwood said as her own 12-year-old daughter stood just a few feet away, according to prosecutors.

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On Monday, Redwood, 35, is scheduled to go to trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on federal weapons charges stemming from Endia's shocking slaying. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

It's the second criminal case Redwood has faced stemming from the shooting, which also left Endia's 16-year-old best friend wounded. In 2014, Redwood had been charged in Cook County court with obstruction of justice and mob action, but Judge Donald Panarese Jr. threw out the case after viewing the shaky cellphone video of the incident and concluding prosecutors had failed to meet their "minimal burden" to justify the charges.

Earlier this year, a Cook County jury convicted Redwood's cousin, Donnell Flora, of first-degree murder and attempted murder for supplying the .38-caliber revolver the 14-year-old relative used in the shooting. He was sentenced in March to 100 years in prison.

Meanwhile, the girl who allegedly opened fire, now 17, is awaiting trial on murder charges. The Tribune is not naming her because she was charged as a juvenile.

Police said the girl had been friends with Endia since elementary school but had feuded with Lanekia Reynolds, Endia's best friend, over a boy in the weeks leading up to the shooting. The dispute worsened after both sides taunted each other on Facebook.

The taunting led to a confrontation one day after school, when at least 20 people gathered outside a home in the 900 block of West Garfield Boulevard, some armed with bottles, chains and metal pipes. Among the crowd was Redwood, federal prosecutors said.

At his murder trial in January, Flora testified he brought the gun to the confrontation but never intended for the weapon to end up in his niece's hands. Flora, who has used a wheelchair since a 2010 shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down, said he gave his niece the gun when he was unable to wheel across a grassy median and told her to give the weapon to her aunt.

"I told (the suspect), 'Vandetta would be right behind you ... to protect you,'" Flora testified.

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Several of the teenagers who were involved in the fight are expected to testify at Redwood's trial that she was encouraging the violence, telling her cousin "words to the effect of, 'kick they ass,'" court records show. The video taken by one of the teens shows Redwood "yelling and animated" and "the only adult ... not attempting to break up or de-escalate" the situation, prosecutors wrote in a recent court filing.

At a bond hearing for Redwood in February, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Nasser said Redwood's niece had briefly passed the gun back to her aunt after people at the scene "started yelling for the 14-year-old with the firearm to put the gun away and fight fair, no weapons."

But minutes later, Reynolds could be seen on the video coming down from the porch with a lock on a chain, Nasser said. At that point, Redwood crosses in front of the camera toward her niece, who is holding her hand out. Several witnesses then overheard Redwood tell her niece to "shoot that bitch," Nasser said.

"A second later, the 14-year-old girl has a silver gun raised in the air and shoots it," Nasser said.

At Flora's murder trial earlier this year, Reynolds stood up on the witness stand and raised both hands in a firing stance as she demonstrated how the girl had fired three shots, wounding her in the left arm and striking Endia in the back as she tried to run back into the house. She fidgeted with a package of tissues as she described finding her friend, a cheerleader who dreamed of being a nurse, mortally wounded on the kitchen floor.

"It was a whole bunch of blood," she testified.

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In her video-recorded interview with police hours later, Redwood, who had no previous criminal record, denied being at the scene. When detectives left the room, she began muttering to herself about others setting her up to take the fall for the gun, according to federal court records.

"I ain't gonna let nobody put (expletive) on me," said Redwood, a mother of two who worked at McDonald's, according to court records. "I'm not going down. I'm not going down for nobody. ... I ain't never had no case, and I ain't never gonna get one."

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Redwood was called as a defense witness at Flora's trial in January but invoked her 5th Amendment rights and refused to answer questions. Two weeks later, agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested her on an indictment charging her with transferring a firearm to a juvenile knowing it would be used in a crime of violence and possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school zone.

Records show Redwood remained equally defiant at her bond hearing a few days later.

"They (expletive) lied on me!" she yelled in court, according to a transcript of the hearing. "I swear to God. I didn't do this."

In arguing against releasing Redwood on bond, Nasser showed the judge a still frame from the video that showed Redwood's daughter, her hair in pigtails, standing just a few feet away as the shots rang out.

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"It is beyond heinous," Nasser said. "It shows that this defendant has a complete disregard for human life."

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
A Kentucky man has been charged with sexually assaulting an 8-year-old boy in Cook County, officials said.

Edward Vaughan, 18, who previously lived in Palatine, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and child pornography, according to a Cook County Sheriff's office news release.

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An undercover officer in Washington, D.C. had made contact with a person through an online application in August. He learned the person, who was living in Kentucky, had sexually assaulted an 8-year-old boy in Cook County, officials said. The man sent the officer pictures of the assault.

Cook Countysheriff's investigators discovered the assaults took place in Palatine and Hoffman Estates, and identified the attacker as Vaughan, officials said.

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A warrant was issued for his arrest Oct. 5, and he was arrested Oct. 7 in Kentucky.

Thursday, Vaughan was ordered held on $2.5 million and his next court appearance at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse was scheduled for Nov. 4.
Rhonda Crawford, a lawyer accused of impersonating a judge in Cook County court, speaks to the media with her attorney Victor Henderson after her bond court hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Oct. 21, 2016. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

In a sharp escalation of a case that has roiled the Cook County court system, Rhonda Crawford, the judicial candidate who allegedly donned a judge's robe and ruled on traffic cases in August, was arraigned Friday and charged with official misconduct, a felony.

Crawford, 45, also was charged with one count of false impersonation, a misdemeanor. She pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on $10,000 bond.

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At the same time, Valarie Turner, the Markham judge who Crawford has said allowed her to wear her robe and handle three traffic cases, was not expected to be charged in the case.

"We do not anticipate any additional charges at this time, however if new information or evidence were to come to light we would certainly review it," said Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

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Crawford's lawyer, Victor Henderson, said she would fight the charges, adding that he was astonished that she was being prosecuted for what Crawford has called an honest mistake.

"This incident that happened over three to four minutes is being blown out of proportion," Henderson said. The felony count carries a potential sentence of two to five years in prison.

A date for Crawford's trial, which was assigned to Judge Alfredo Maldonado, has not been set.

Crawford, who won the March Democratic primary, remains on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election for the 1st Judicial Subcircuit, a district that includes the city's South Side and some south suburbs. She is running unopposed, except for a long-shot write-in candidate, Maryam Ahmad.

After the hearing, Crawford remained steadfast in her intent to stay in the race.

"I've acknowledged that I wore the robe. I've acknowledged that it was a mistake. I've apologized for that mistake and I look forward to continuing the campaign," she said.

Turner has not spoken publicly about the case, and a court spokesman acknowledged for the first time that Turner, 59, has been on medical leave since Aug. 22. Her lawyer did not return messages seeking comment. But court records prosecutors filed Friday indicate that Turner believed Crawford was, in fact, a judge.

One legal expert said he was not surprised that Turner was not charged. Samuel V. Jones, a John Marshall Law School professor and an expert on judicial ethics, said that based on what he had seen and read, Turner did not commit a crime.

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"I don't think there is a criminal charge for allowing someone to put on your robe," Jones said. "It's more of an ethical offense. She lent the prestige and dignity of the judicial office for the private benefit of Crawford."

He also said that prosecutors had little choice but to charge Crawford, especially since she has refused requests to voluntarily drop out of the judicial race.

"I don't believe it's overkill to charge her criminally," Jones said. "We cannot tolerate engaging in this kind of conduct, impersonating a judge. The Cook County judiciary has enough issues."

At issue is an incident that occurred in the south suburban Markham courthouse on Aug. 11, when Crawford took a seat in the witness box in to shadow Turner and learn more about her work as a judge.

The day was routine enough, but during the 1 p.m. hearing, officials said, those in the courtroom were informed that Crawford was going to put on Turner's robe, sit in her chair and hear cases. According to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, the state panel that oversees lawyers, she heard and ruled on three traffic cases from the village of Dolton.

In days that followed, Chief Judge Timothy Evans fired Crawford from her $57,000-a-year job as law clerk and staff attorney. He also reassigned Turner to administrative duties while also referring the matter to the Judicial Inquiry Board, the state agency that oversees judicial conduct.

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That board could file charges with the Illinois Courts Commission, which ultimately can impose anything from a reprimand to removal from office. The board has declined to comment about the matter.

As for Crawford, she is facing other sanctions as well. The lawyer disciplinary commission urged the Illinois Supreme Court to suspend Crawford's law license and prohibit her from taking office.

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The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Crawford to explain in writing by Oct. 28 why her license should not be suspended.

While under indictment, Crawford can continue her campaign. Election officials have said a felony conviction would disqualify her and if she loses her law license, she cannot become a judge.

Also on Friday, Ahmad, the write-in candidate running against Crawford, asked the Supreme Court to order election officials to remove Crawford's name from the ballot and not count votes cast for Crawford.

Ahmad's lawyer, Burt Odelson, said Crawford was unfit to practice law or to be a judge.

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"Should Crawford remain on the ballot or her votes are counted, Illinois will again be embarrassed, throughout the world," Odelson said, "this time by electing a lawyer under criminal indictment and facing possible disbarment."

tlighty@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @tlighty
A 29-year-old man who authorities said fired a handgun inside a crowded Megabus shortly after it departed Chicago for Minneapolis last year was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison.

Jacques L. Anderson of Chicago pleaded guilty at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows to armed violence and aggravated battery to a peace officer. Prosecutors said Anderson spit in the face of an Illinois state trooper and kicked out the window of a patrol car after he was handcuffed.

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Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber said Anderson was arrested in May 2015 after he went into the bathroom of the bus while it was on Interstate 90 and fired a shot from a .40-caliber handgun. Two passengers wrestled Anderson to the floor and disarmed him when he emerged from the bathroom, Gerber said.

One of the passengers who subdued Anderson told the Tribune the shooting took place about 10 minutes into the trip, which began about 11 p.m.

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No one was reported injured. The driver pulled the bus over in Des Plaines and state police took Anderson into custody. Anderson briefly escaped from the patrol car after kicking out the window, Gerber said.

Once Anderson was placed into custody, the passengers were transferred to another bus for the eight-hour trip to Minneapolis, two hours behind schedule.

Officers found 34 grams of cocaine on Anderson, Gerber said. Other charges against Anderson were dropped in exchange for his plea.

Judge Marc Martin told Anderson he was lucky that police refrained from using deadly force during the incident.
Torrez Moore, shown in a Cook County Jail interview in 2015, was convicted Friday in connection with the occupancy of several vacant or foreclosed homes on the South Side and one in the Sauganash neighborhood. (Gary Middendorf-Daily Southtown) (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)

A man who prosecutors say was part of a group that illegally took over and rented out or lived in foreclosed properties in Chicago was convicted by a jury Friday of multiple financial crimes, according to prosecutors and court records.

Torrez Moore, 57, one of four men charged last year in the squatter scheme, was convicted of felony theft, felony financial institution fraud and felony operating a continuing financial crimes enterprise.

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Another man, David Farralso known as Fahim Aliwas convicted last month in case before Cook County Judge Alfredo Maldonado, who also oversaw Moore's trial, while a third, Arshad Thomas, was sentenced to 45 months in prison this spring. The last defendant, Raymond Tribble, is awaiting trial, according to court records.

Prosecutors allege the men illegally claimed vacant or foreclosed properties, including changing the locks, filing bogus paperwork with county offices, putting up numerous "no trespassing" signs and calling police if realtors or others came by to try to sell the properties.

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Among the houses Moore was involved with were two in Beverly, two in Chatham and one in Sauganash, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office said Friday.

Moore and Farr, using the name Fahim Ali, told Daily Southtown columnist Phil Kadner last year that they did nothing wrong. Moore told Kadner he made no money when he tried to help people unable to afford a place to live.

Prosecutors alleged Moore and the others identified themselves as "Moors," part of the larger "Sovereign Citizen" movement, whose adherents don't recognize the authority of most law enforcement. In his interview with Kadner, Moore denied he was a Moor or a Sovereign Citizen, but said he wanted to challenge banks' ownership of the properties he was involved with.

Moore is due back in court Nov. 30.
Chicago police are warning people about a group of teens who have been robbing women late in the evening near Millennium Park and in the Loop.

In each robbery, the group of about five to eight teens has gone up to the woman or teen and hit her in the head, police said in an alert issued Friday. Victims have also been kicked.

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The robbers have stolen cellphones and backpacks containing tablets, then fled on foot.

The recent robberies took place:

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 On Sunday at 9 p.m. in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue.

 On Sunday just after 9:10 p.m. in the 200 block of East Randolph Street.

 And on Wednesday at 10 p.m. in the first block of East Van Buren Street, just east of State Street.

Police did not release a detailed description of the attackers, who they said include male and female teens.

Anyone with information is asked to call Area Central detectives at 312-747-8384.
Abigail Arroyo, 13 and her brother, Eder Arroyo, 12, both died from injuries they suffered after going into the Kankakee River near the Wilmington dam. Eder swam into the water to try to touch the waterfall and was pulled under. Abigail died after trying to save him. (Family photo)

The city of Wilmington is being taken to court for a river dam it owns that some have called "a drowning machine."

Since 1982, 21 people have drowned and another 20 have been rescued at the dam on the Kankakee River, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Will County.

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The suit, filed by the mother of two Joliet children who drowned on Memorial Day near the dam, seeks more than $1 million in damages from the city for the deaths of Eder Arroyo, 12, and Abigail Arroyo, 13.

"So many people have died. When is it going to end?" asked Katherine Cardenas, a Chicago attorney representing the children's mother. "When will the city put the public safety before recreational park areas? When will it end? That's all the family wants is for no other person to have to bury their children because of this dam."

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Over the last 35 years, the man-made dam has claimed the lives of children, the elderly and even would-be rescuers trying to save others from the dangerous undertow.

In 2006, a 4-year-old boy was saved after falling in the water near the dam, but three people who rescued him  including the boy's mother  drowned. In 2000, two adults canoeing near the dam capsized and drowned.

On May 30, Eder and Abigail were at a Wilmington park near the dam with family. Police said Eder went in the river to try to touch the dam's waterfall and started struggling to get out. His sister went in trying to save him and she, too, became trapped.

Rescuers later were able to remove Abigail from the river, but she died that night at a hospital. Eder's body was found downriver two days later.

The lawsuit cites a 2007 report from the state of Illinois recommending fixes for the dam. Cardenas noted that one of the suggested fixes included placing large boulders at the bottom of the dam to break up the "underwater vortex" beneath the surface of the Kankakee River.

Cardenas argued the state has wanted to take over the dam, but Wilmington officials have refused, noting that the dam and the park surrounding it, known as Island Park, are defining features of the city.

"This park is advertised as a place for families," she said. "The city of Wilmington actively invites family and children, yet there's this extreme danger there that they're unwilling to fix."

Cardenas said the children's mother, Beatriz Adame, did not want to comment on the lawsuit at this time.

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The city of Wilmington issued the following statement Friday:

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"All of us in the Wilmington community offer our continued condolences to the family and friends of the Arroyo children who died in the tragic accident in the Kankakee River. The men and women of the city of Wilmington work every day to ensure the safety and good quality of life for our residents and all who visit. We are unable to comment further on the pending litigation at this time."

In 2012, Illinois started removing some low-head dams like the one in Wilmington, citing safety concerns, but the state budget crisis halted the process. In 2013, there were discussions about transferring ownership of the dam to the state, but some local officials resisted.

City Administrator Tony Graff previously has said local officials want to improve safety at Island Park, but they fear they will lose the park despite assurances from state officials that the river will continue to flow just as it does now.

"Our island is the jewel of Wilmington," Graff said in an August article in the Tribune. "A lot of people from the area come down to enjoy nature here. We're proud of it."

This past spring, the city hired an engineering firm to study the flow of the water to see if cutting notches in the top of the dam would reduce or eliminate the force of its undertow.

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"We're all in agreement, we need to do something," Graff has said. "We're trying to maintain the character of the river without removing the whole dam."

Robert McCoppin contributed; Alicia Fabbre is a freelancer.
A DuPage County Board member is trying to unseat the only Ph.D. scientist in Congress next month in a campaign for a west and southwest suburban seat.

The 11th Congressional District contest pits Republican challenger Tonia Khouri, of Aurora, against Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, of Naperville. The incumbent has a few advantages.

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The district, which stretches from Aurora east to Burr Ridge and south to Joliet and covers part of Naperville, was drawn by Democrats a few years ago to a elect a Democrat. Foster also is running in a presidential year, when Democrats tend to turn out in larger numbers than in midterm elections.

In addition, Foster has piled up a huge advantage in campaign fundraising ahead of the Nov. 8 election. To start October, Foster reported nearly $2.6 million left after collecting about $456,000 from July through September. Khouri reported about $163,000 left after raising $126,000 in the third quarter. House Republicans named Khouri one of the party's "Young Guns" candidates, but it hasn't sent much campaign cash her way after a narrow win in a three-way March GOP primary.

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Despite a relatively low-key campaign, the candidates say they differ on big issues from presidential leadership to immigration reform to gun control.

Foster, taking a page out of the national Democratic playbook, has criticized Khouri for supporting Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.

"The biggest single issue today is her repeated public endorsement of Donald Trump, which says a tremendous amount about the way you think the country should be governed," Foster said.

While Khouri said she plans to vote for the Republican nominee, she did speak out against what she called "locker room banter" after the revelation of Trump's lewd comments about women in a recording for a 2005 segment on "Access Hollywood."

"I am personally offended by the comments made by Donald Trump even though they were made 11 years ago," she said in a statement this month. "Locker room banter is something I, and many other hardworking women, have been subjected to throughout our lives. It is unacceptable and demeaning to those of us who have worked tirelessly to better our families, our community and the businesses we lead."

Khouri lives in a district with a large Latino population, and she has tried to distance herself from Trump's calls for mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission, saying she supports earned legal status for those who qualify.

"Earned legal status removes the fear of deportation," she said. "It allows individuals to work and it allows individuals to travel in and out of the United States."

Khouri listed border security as a high priority, and she said she'd look at all options, which include building a wall along the southern border with Mexico. "Whether it's a physical wall or not, we do need to secure our borders," she said.

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Foster favors what he calls "a tough but fair path to citizenship." He supported a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate several years ago and co-sponsored the House companion bill. For a period, candidates for citizenship would pay taxes but not yet be able to receive federal benefits, and that extra funding would be used to bolster border security, he said.

As for refugees from Iraq and Syria, Khouri said she's for helping other nations such as Jordan and Lebanon that have accepted a large influx of refugees.

"I only want to make sure anyone let into this country with refugee status is 100 percent safe," she said. "I would like the international community to pressure countries that have not accepted any refugees that are in the region."

Foster said refugee candidates already are vetted for 18 months or more, which he called a reasonable first step.

"There will always be a balance between protecting our security and humanitarian issues," he said. "And our country has always been willing to take reasonable risk by letting people in from wartime countries. And the times we haven't done that, we haven't ended up very proud of ourselves."

On gun control, Foster said he supports universal background checks for gun owners and an assault weapons ban. "These are supported by a strong majority of Americans," he said.

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Khouri said she agrees with a "no fly, no buy" policy  restricting the sale of firearms to terrorist suspects  so long as it includes due process, but would not be in favor of additional background checks for gun buyers or a ban on assault-style weapons.

"I believe law-abiding citizens should have the ability to purchase the weapon of their choice," she said. "It's a constitutional right."

Khouri came under scrutiny last month when a Daily Herald story said she had improperly taken homeowner exemptions on rental properties. Khouri attributed the situation to mistakes by Kane County officials and a property seller's representative, and said an attorney is working to fix the errors and she plans to pay property taxes owed.

Foster, 61, won the seat in 2012 after representing another congressional district for several years before that. He co-founded a theater lighting business, earned a doctorate from Harvard University and worked as a physicist for more than two decades at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia.

Foster said his background as a scientist often serves him in Congress, from researching money-saving technologies and medical treatments to helping his colleagues better understand the Iran nuclear agreement, which he supported.

"There is a real merit in having someone in Congress who understands both the science and the technology that constrain policy decisions," said Foster, who is married to physicist Aesook Byon and has two adult children from a prior marriage.

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Khouri, 47, said her dozen years on the DuPage County Board have prepared her to represent the district in Washington. As the board's economic development chairman, she said she helped found a program to recruit, train and place people in full-time manufacturing jobs, and also voted against raises for elected officials.

She and her husband own Green T Services, a landscaping and home services company. She said that gives her a unique perspective on the needs of small businesses.

"I'm a big believer that jobs change people's lives," said Khouri, who has three children. "I've been helping people on the County Board and I want to continue to help the people in the 11th District. I want to continue to help small businesses that have been crushed by regulations."

eleventis@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @angie_leventis
Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Topspin

Does Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle think Mayor Rahm Emanuel is doing enough to improve police accountability and community relations since the fatal shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald by a white officer two years ago?

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Well, it's hard to say.

Preckwinkle ducked when asked that question Thursday following a speech to the City Club of Chicago.

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She noted that the mayor was forced to release police dashcam video of the incident by a court ruling. And she added that "first and foremost" there's a new Democratic nominee for state's attorney  Kim Foxx, who Preckwinkle backed to replace incumbent Anita Alvarez  that she thought "will have a different attitude toward people who are ground up in our criminal justice system than the incumbent."

Then Preckwinkle, who briefly flirted with challenging Emanuel for mayor in the 2015 city election before pulling the plug after getting a lot of questions about it, said, "It's quite clear that the Police Department has a lot of work to do on the community relations side, and I hope that Superintendent Eddie Johnson will be more committed to that  that is improving police-community relations more than his predecessor was." Emanuel appointed Johnson to replace Garry McCarthy in the wake of the release of the McDonald video.

And despite the changes Emanuel is making to the city's much-maligned police accountability system, Preckwinkle added, "We still have a long way to go, and I await the findings of the Department of Justice, which is looking into the conduct of our police officers and, in particular, how officers who are alleged to engage in bad acts get treated."

But asked specifically whether the mayor is doing enough, she responded: "I think this is a challenge to us on all levels." (Hal Dardick)

What's on tap

*Mayor Emanuel will make an announcement about a partnership between the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Public Library.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner's public schedule was not available.

*Chicago City Council budget hearings: Chicago Public Library/Animal Care & Control/City Clerk/City Treasurer

*Cook County budget hearings: county clerk/elections board/technology/homeland security/treasurer

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*County Clerk David Orr will appear with some cast members of the Chicago production of "Hamilton" to register voters. It's at the PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

What we're writing

*U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth outraises U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk in Q3 by 3-to-1 margin, holds cash edge headed into home stretch of Senate race.

*IL-11 race: DuPage County Board member trying to unseat lone Ph.D. scientist in Congress.

*The Chicago City Council Board of Ethics budget hearing was very short. The culprit? Awkwardness over Cubs tickets.

*Law clerk indicted in Cook County judge impersonation case, says attorney.

*Former city building inspector pleads guilty to attempted extortion.

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*Illinois unemployment rate holds steady at 5.5 percent in September.

*IDFPR could yank license of cat saliva doctor.

What we're reading

*Sen. Mark Kirk talks about 2012 stroke in opinion page piece.

*Chicago production of much-hyped musical that you can't get tickets for anyway is really good, it turns out.

*Something is causing the whole solar system to wobble. What it might be may surprise you.

From the notebook :

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*Congressional debates on Saturday: Candidates in the two hottest suburban congressional races will square off in separate debates on Saturday that will be livestreamed.

First up is the 8th Congressional District forum featuring Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Schaumburg businessman, against Republican Peter DiCianni, a DuPage County Board member from Elmhurst. That'll be streamed at 11 a.m. Saturday at abc7chicago.com and air on Ch. 7 at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Then it's the main event, the 10th Congressional District contest featuring Republican U.S. Rep. Robert Dold, of Kenilworth, against former Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, of Deerfield. It's the third time the two are running against each other, with each candidate claiming one victory. This one will be streamed at 1 p.m. and air at 4 p.m. Sunday.

The TV station is partnering with the League of Women Voters of Illinois and Univision Chicago on the debates.

*Dold gets small business endorsement in IL-10: U.S. Rep. Dold got the backing of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation's lobby of small-business owners.

"Bob Dold stands with small-business owners in Illinois and deserves to be re-elected," the group's national political director, Sharon Sussin, said in a statement.

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"He has been working to reduce red tape, lower health insurance costs, and provide tax relief for small businesses. The NFIB is proud to endorse a small-business owner who knows what needs to be done to encourage growth and prosperity," she said.

The group traditionally backs Republicans. (Rick Pearson)

*The Sunday Spin: On this week's show, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests are James Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners; John McCormick, political reporter for Bloomberg News; and state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston. The "Sunday Spin" airs from 7 to 9 a.m. on WGN-AM 720. Listen live here.

Follow the money

*House Republicans sent about $285,000 in cash and mail to appointed Rep. Avery Bourne of Downstate Raymond. She faces a challenge from Democrat Mike Mathis of Gillespie. He's gotten some union money.

*The state Republican Party sent $1.5 million to the Senate Republican campaign fund.

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*Liberty Principles PAC, which is run by conservative radio talk show host Dan Proft, reported spending about $640,000, mostly for TV ads in a bunch of House and Senate races.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*This clears it up: Trump says he'll accept election result "if I win."

*Clinton's third debate strategy: Use Trump's tormenting style.

*U.S. service member killed in northern Iraq bomb blast.

*Washington foreign policy elites not sorry to see Obama go.
Smoke rises from a building where two militants armed with assault rifles and explosives are believed to be holed up, in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Oct. 21, 2016. (Rudaw TV)

KIRKUK, Iraq  Islamic State militants launched a wave of pre-dawn attacks in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday, killing at least 14 people and setting off fierce clashes with Kurdish security forces that were still raging after sundown.

The assault appeared aimed at diverting attention from the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, and raised fears the extremists could lash out in unpredictable ways as they defend the largest city under their control and their last urban bastion in Iraq.

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Multiple explosions rocked Kirkuk, and gunfire rang out around the provincial headquarters, where the fighting was concentrated. Smoke billowed over the city, and the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers. IS said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters in a claim carried by its Aamaq news agency.

North of the city, three suicide bombers stormed a power plant in the town of Dibis, killing 13 workers, including four Iranian technicians, before blowing themselves up as police arrived, said Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the assault, which he said also wounded three Iranian workers, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

The Turkmeneli TV station, which had earlier shown live footage of smoke rising from outside the provincial headquarters, said in a news bulletin that one of its reporters, Ahmet Haceroglu, was killed by a sniper while covering the fighting.

There was no immediate word on casualties among other civilians or the Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. Police and hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

Kirkuk is some 100 miles from the IS-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale offensive on Monday. IS has in the past resorted to suicide bombings in and around Baghdad in response to battlefield losses elsewhere in the country.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city claimed by both Iraq's central government and the largely autonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish forces assumed full control of the city in the summer of 2014, as Iraq's army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by IS.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early Friday, but that his forces repelled the assault.

He said IS maintains sleeper cells of militants in Kirkuk and surrounding villages. "We arrested one recently and he confessed," he said, adding that Friday's attackers may have posed as displaced civilians in order to infiltrate the city. Kirkuk province is home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched the multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas  the largest operation undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

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By Thursday, the Iraqi forces had advanced as far as Bartella, a historically Christian town some nine miles from Mosul's outskirts.

An Associated Press reporter traveling Friday with the Iraqi special forces saw homes along Bartella's main road painted with IS graffiti, including the first letter of a derogatory word in Arabic for Christians that the militants use to mark Christian property. Under IS rule, Christians must convert to Islam or pay a special tax.

IS graffiti was also sprayed on the inside walls of the town's church. Iraqi soldiers raised the national flag over the building and rang the church bell, signaling its liberation.

"Bartella was liberated yesterday, and today we are inside its church," Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati declared. "I bring the good news to our Christian brothers that the church is liberated."

Elsewhere in Iraq, the country's top Shiite cleric called on forces taking part in the Mosul offensive to protect civilians, and for residents of Mosul, a mainly Sunni city, to cooperate with security forces.

"We stress today upon our beloved fighters, as we have before on many occasions, that they exercise the greatest degree of restraint in dealing with civilians stuck in the areas where there is fighting," the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a Friday sermon read by an aide. "Protect them and prevent any harm to them by all possible means."

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Some 3,900 people, or about 650 families, have fled Mosul and the nearby Hamdaniyah district since the operation began, according to Adrian Edwards of the U.N. refugee agency.

Ravina Shamdasani, of the U.N. human rights office, said it had "verified information" that IS forced 550 people to relocate to Mosul from the nearby villages of Samalia and Najafia on Monday, part of an "apparent policy of preventing civilians from escaping to areas controlled by Iraqi security forces."

Shamdasani reiterated concerns IS could use civilians as human shields, and said the office was investigating reports that the group had killed at least 40 civilians for suspected disloyalty. She did not provide further details.

Associated Press
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, speaks during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, unseen, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 20, 2016. (Wu Hong / AP)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that his country is separating from the U.S. in a speech before a Beijing economic forum on Thursday, after handing China a major diplomatic victory, agreeing to resume dialogue on their South China Sea territorial dispute following months of acrimony.

The rapprochement between the two Asia nations could widen a political rift between the United States and the Philippines, whose recently elected leader has made no secret of its antipathy for America and ordered an end to joint maneuvers between their militaries.

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"Your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States ... both in military and economics also," Duterte said. His remarks were met with applause, but Duterte was not more specific.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Duterte's remarks were "inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship we have with the Filipino people as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective."

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Following talks in Beijing between Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a senior Chinese diplomat announced the sides had agreed to restore the full range of contacts, although he said the leaders touched only briefly on the South China Sea.

"Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters.

The two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue, Liu said.

That was followed with an announcement by Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez at a bilateral economic forum that his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals this week. He did not elaborate.

Separately, the Philippines Presidential Communications Office said Xi committed more than $9 billion in low-interest loans to the country, with about a third of the loan offer coming from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.

In opening remarks to his talks with Xi, Duterte hailed a warming of relations with China.

"China has been a friend of the Philippines and the roots of our bonds are very deep and not easily severed," he said. "Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our relationship."

Xi, who greeted Duterte with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing, said the meeting had "milestone significance." In a reference to the South China Sea tensions, Xi said that "although we have weathered storms, the basis of our friendship and our desire for cooperation has not changed."

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While not mentioning the South China Sea specifically, Xi said that the two sides could set aside "issues on which an agreement is hard to reach" in their discussions, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Bilateral talks had been suspended after China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, off the main Luzon island in the northern Philippines, and the Philippines launched the arbitration process under Duterte's predecessor. The Philippines has insisted the ruling form the basis for any negotiations, while Beijing has insisted on the opposite.

Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country's claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippine leader known for his devil-may-care, profanity-laden speeches had said he would not raise the issue that has angered China unless his Chinese counterpart first brought it up, out of "courtesy" to his host.

Duterte's visit showed his desire for economic benefits, while the Chinese want to manage issues between the two countries through bilateral talks, Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., wrote in an email.

"This is an interesting courtship between China and the Philippines," Glaser wrote. "It remains to be seen whether China will seek Manila's respect for Chinese sovereignty. That would likely be a deal breaker."

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In Washington, officials seemed puzzled by Duterte's comments.

"We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from us," Kirby told reporters. "It's not clear to us exactly what that means and all its ramifications."

Kirby said the top U.S. diplomat for Asia, Daniel Russel, is traveling to Manila this weekend and would hold conversations with Filipino government officials.

"It isn't just the United States that is baffled by this rhetoric," Kirby said. "We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are likewise confused about where this is going."

Despite Duterte's increasingly sharp criticism of the United States, Kirby said the two countries' 70-year alliance hasn't yet been affected.

"We remain rock solid in our commitment in the mutual defense treaty we have with the Philippines. That hasn't changed," he said, adding that he hoped the alliance would "grow and develop and deepen."

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Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the final presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19, 2016. (Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images)

Donald Trump is a clear menace to our democratic form of government, the rule of law and my James Madison bobblehead. The teenage Ted Cruz could recite the entire Constitution from memory. Trump wouldn't know it from 2 Corinthians.

But it's not exactly safe to entrust your copy of the Constitution to Hillary Clinton either. You might get it back with some parts missing or mutilated  like the First Amendment and the Second.

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When it comes to gun rights, Clinton has taken a position appreciably to the left of Barack Obama's. From his first presidential campaign, he has assured gun owners he respects their cherished prerogatives and would never take away their weapons.

When the Supreme Court issued its landmark 2008 decision in D.C. v. Heller, he applauded it. "I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms," Obama said.

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Not Clinton. When asked in June whether she endorses that interpretation, she conspicuously declined to do so. "For most of our history, there was a nuanced reading of the Second Amendment, until the decision by the late Justice (Antonin) Scalia," she groused.

Asked whether she agrees "that an individual's right to bear arms is a constitutional right," Clinton replied, "If it is a constitutional right, then it, like every other constitutional right, is subject to reasonable regulations." If?

In her final debate with Trump, Clinton was asked again about the Heller decision. She reiterated her opposition, insisting that "what the District of Columbia was trying to do was to protect toddlers from guns, and so they wanted people with guns to safely store them." She eventually said, "I also believe there's an individual right to bear arms."

So Clinton rejects the Supreme Court decision that established constitutional protection for that right  but now agrees the right has constitutional protection? As former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan once said, "If I seem unduly clear to you, you must have misunderstood what I said."

She and Obama both favor universal background checks for gun purchases, a ban on "assault weapons" and denial of guns to anyone on the federal no-fly list. But her cramped view of the Second Amendment suggests she would favor additional curbs that she knows the Supreme Court would not abide.

Clinton seems to think that a new justice or two might set the Second Amendment right. On the First Amendment, however, she sees the Supreme Court as a lost cause.

Her target is the 2010 Citizens United decision, which established the right of corporations and labor unions to participate in electioneering. In the debate, she said it "has undermined the election system in our country because of the way it permits dark, unaccountable money to come into our electoral system."

But all the decision did was to prevent the government from suppressing speech about political matters. The justices noted that under the law it struck down, it would be a felony for the Sierra Club, within 60 days of a general election, to run an ad urging "the public to disapprove of a Congressman who favors logging in national forests." The court ruled that speech doesn't lose protection merely because it comes from corporations  a category that includes many advocacy groups.

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Such expression would be censored if Clinton had her way. She proposes a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision  which would be the first time in our history that the Bill of Rights would be altered to restrict our freedoms.

The idea has drawn opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says, "Our system of free expression is built on the premise that the people get to decide what speech they want to hear; it is not the role of the government to make that decision for them."

Her alarms about "dark money"  contributions to politically active groups that don't have to reveal their donors  are misplaced. In the 2014 campaign, 77 percent of political spending was fully disclosed, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, up from 45 percent in 2010.

What Clinton omits is that Congress could require more transparency from these groups if it wanted to. The Citizens United decision doesn't forbid such regulation. The obstacles are political. But the same obstacles stand in the way of her constitutional amendment.

Trump and Clinton make me miss Al Gore's famous Social Security lockbox. Over the next four years, it would be the perfect place to keep the Constitution.

Steve Chapman, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/chapman.

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schapman@chicagotribune.com

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This file photo taken on June 19, 2016, shows the building housing the Ecuadorian embassy in central London where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has hold up for four years. (Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty Images)

Julian Assange might be forgiven for feeling paranoid. Shortly after WikiLeaks posted a transcript of a speech delivered by Hillary Clinton to Goldman Sachs, his internet access at Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has lived since 2012, went down. A few days later, a British bank suspended the bank accounts of RT, the Russian state-backed news outlet that has enthusiastically reported on WikiLeaks' recent publications.

Assange immediately claimed that shadowy forces were acting against the WikiLeaks founder, and accused the U.S. government in a tweet of leaning on Ecuador to shut down his internet. Washington immediately denied the claim.

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Denying Assange internet access amounted to something of a slap on the wrist of Ecuador's moody boarder. But it also shows Quito's acknowledgment that a shifting political and economic environment in Ecuador has turned Assange into a serious liability.

In a time of high oil prices, protecting Assange was a convenient way for the anti-American government in Quito to poke at Uncle Sam. But amid collapsing commodity prices and an implosion of the Latin American left, Ecuador is confronted with an unappetizing future: A potential Donald Trump presidency, ushered in by Assange, that may damage Quito's interests.

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"Russia may be rooting for Trump, but Ecuador knows its best interests would be served by a Clinton administration," Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank, said Wednesday.

In a statement confirming it had severed Assange's internet, Ecuador's foreign ministry struck a regretful tone. "Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states," said a ministry statement issued Tuesday evening. WikiLeaks "published a wealth of documents, impacting on the U.S. election campaign." As a result, Ecuadorean diplomats exercised its "sovereign right" to limit internet access.

The new stance represents a stunning change for a government whose provocations of Washington have, on occasion, risen to an art form. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, after all, once said Hugo Chavez's comparison of George W. Bush to Satan was unfair to the devil.

Correa rode Ecuador's oil boom to international prominence as part of a vanguard of 21st century socialism in Latin America. But that movement, buoyed by high oil prices and sustained by a fervent anti-Americanism, is now collapsing. Oil prices have cratered. Chavez is dead; Venezuela's free-falling economy has dragged down Ecuador's exports. And the Cuban revolutionaries who provided the intellectual base for this new brand of socialism have made peace with the United States.

Today, Correa presides over an economy gripped by recession. If growth is going to return to Ecuador, it will likely be with the help of its main trading partner, the United States. Ecuador has sent trade missions to the United States recently, Shifter said, and U.S. officials traveling to Quito report a noticeably warmer reception.

While it's unclear exactly what Washington can do to boost the Ecuadorean economy, Correa isn't confident about what Trump would do for the United States as president. If Correa were a U.S. citizen, he said in an interview earlier this month, he'd vote for Hillary Clinton.

But Correa also saw a silver lining to a Trump presidency. "I sincerely believe that it would be better for Latin America if Trump won," he said in the interview. "When did progressive governments come to power in Latin America? During the Bush administration. His primitive policies were rejected so much that it caused reaction in Latin America. Trump would do the same."

Experts said a Trump presidency might in fact boost the budgets of Ecuador and its leftist, oil-producing allies  a far better payoff than sparking an ideological renaissance. "If Trump's policies created global instability, the oil price might rise, which would actually give Ecuador a big boost," said Daniel Altman, a professor of economics at New York University.

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It's unclear the degree to which Ecuador would suffer because of a Trump presidency. But as it stands now, in a far weaker geopolitical position than years past, cutting Assange's internet access may well be what Altman called a "costless olive branch" to a country  the United States  that might be able to boost the Ecuadorean economy.

Despite losing internet access, Assange has continued his furious pace of publishing. On Wednesday, WikiLeaks released another batch of emails apparently belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

And Ecuador has not completely abandoned Assange. In its statement, Ecuador's foreign ministry reiterated "its intention to safeguard his life and physical integrity until he reaches a safe place."

Next year, Ecuadoreans head to the polls to select a new president  and Correa will not be on the ballot. The government's favored candidate is viewed as a more conciliatory figure than Correa, Shifter said. "If the opposition wins in February, relations with the U.S. are bound to improve," he added.

In short, Ecuador has accomplished a neat diplomatic trick. It can say it has acted to rein in Assange, while also continuing to shelter him. Perhaps that will build some goodwill with its most important economic partner even as it allows the cypherpunk's work to continue.

Washington Post

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Elias Groll is a staff writer at Foreign Policy magazine.
"Faced with the contents of the two-story house (plus basement) where my mother-in-law had lived for more than half of her life, I thought about that wildly popular book that suggests we give the heave-ho to any thing we own that doesn't bring us joy." (Los Angeles Times )

I was not the absolute worst daughter-in-law who ever lived, but I'm probably the last person my mother-in-law would have chosen to paw through her private papers and possessions. Like almost everything else about her death and its after-mess, however, my mother-in-law had very little control in the end.

She tried, though. Even at 93, she kept meticulous financial records. She had a legal will, and she secured it in a safe deposit box at her Michigan bank. She even remembered to send the key to her one and only child, my husband, in Los Angeles.

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What she failed to anticipate, however, was that even with her death certificate and the safe-deposit-box key in hand, her son would not be allowed near her will until he'd performed a variety of tasks involving bank rules, probate court, blah blah blah and power of attorney.

That took time, which had something to do with how she came to be cremated weeks before we were able to discover that she'd actually wanted to be buried. Also, with how some of her things were disposed of before we learned she'd earmarked them, heir by heir.

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Oops. I bet a curse comes with that.

Because my husband had a job he had to return to quickly and I didn't, and because there was no one else to do it, the task of clearing out her house fell to me.

I started as soon as we arrived: Faced with the contents of the two-story house (plus basement) where my mother-in-law had lived for more than half of her life, I thought about that book that suggests we give the heave-ho to any thing we own that doesn't bring us joy. But my mother-in-law's things did bring her joy  they just didn't do the same for me.

I didn't share her taste for things frilly and was utterly flummoxed by her fondness for those beer steins with faces  Toby mugs. As an unsentimental person, I found myself particularly unsentimental about slides from a lifetime of family vacations and birthday parties. I won't even get into my feelings about her fake flower arrangements, or glass whatnots, or clusters of candles. I think it's fair to say that I didn't share my mother-in-law's taste for, well, anything, except perhaps her son.

Were any of us to imagine the scene, we'd all certainly prefer to picture our belongings cradled in loving hands, eliciting sweet reminiscences from bereaved family and friends who give careful thought to their future. Anything but the hasty mercies of an irritated, sleep-deprived, dry-eyed daughter-in-law seething with resentment for being stuck with sorting, donating and pawning.

The moral of this cautionary tale is don't alienate or outlive your friends and relations, or maybe, get rid of your stuff while you still can.

When I was a young bride, newly annoyed by my mother-in-law, my father told me that the friction between mothers and daughters-in-law was timeless and innate. He said that I wouldn't understand it until I was a mother.

That irritated the heck out of me and I said so.

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But he insisted that no one loves anyone as much as a mother does, which probably made me roll my eyes.

Then he said: "Let me ask you this. If you found out that Mitch (that's my husband) was a violent pedophile who raped little children, would you visit him in prison?"

"Pfft, no way!"

"Ah!" My dad held up his drink in victory. "But if it was your son, you'd visit, and bring him a cake!"

I remembered this conversation as I made my 700th trip upstairs to bring down yet another dusty carousel of old slides. My mother-in-law gave birth to my husband. She loved and raised him. These slides were  I assumed, I still haven't looked  mostly pictures of him. She did not store these slides on the top shelf of the furthest closet just to torment me. She did so because they were precious to her and gave her joy.

I knew she was still waiting her turn at the crematorium. The idea of simply adding everything she owned to the funeral pyre was wildly tempting. Why not call and ask if I might include a few mementos? Then sneak in the entire contents of her home?

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I did not make that call. And I didn't torch her house or dump her slides and doilies and Toby mugs into the local landfill. I just packed them into her car, along with her cremains, and drove back home to L.A. to tuck everything away in a closet for my own daughter-in-law to deal with when the time comes.

Tribune Content Agency

Amy Goldman Koss is the author of "Side Effects" and many other books for teens.
During a campaign stop in Florida, Donald Trump said the reality of the election is "a small handful of global special interests rigging the system." Oct. 13, 2016. (C-SPAN) (Chicago Tribune)

If Donald Trump loses the presidential race, I hope he will concede and move on. That's what democracy demands. The current histrionics over his insistence that the process is rigged against him are overblown.

We've been here before, and the republic has survived. In fact, we have been there recently. I have friends who to this day insist that Al Gore actually won the 2000 presidential election.

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In truth, for as long as there have been elections, there have been fears that somebody would steal them. Some scholars even believe that Solon's edict of the 6th century B.C. requiring Athenians to vote was motivated in part by a determination to ensure that potential tyrants could not steal elections. On these shores, the same logic was followed in the Virginia Colony, which made voting compulsory largely as a device for preventing fraud.

Accusations of rigged and stolen elections have been a commonplace of U.S. history. In the hotly contested race of 1800, supporters of Aaron Burr insisted that Thomas Jefferson had cheated him out of the presidency. (More likely, Jefferson took delicate political advantage of the cumbersome and clunky constitutional machinery.)

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Allegations of fraud similarly plagued the 1824 contest between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. That year's race was the only one ever thrown into the House, where Adams prevailed. The conviction of the Jackson forces that the election had been stolen provided momentum that helped propel him to victory in the 1828 rematch  probably the nastiest race in U.S. history (no, the current campaign doesn't come close).

In 1864, some Republicans suggested that the election should be postponed because of the Civil War, and Democrats began to worry that President Abraham Lincoln might use the army to remain in power. Wrote a Copperhead newspaper in New Jersey: "We must be prepared to enforce a constitutional ballot, if need be, by constitutional bullets."

Throughout the 19th century, everyone seemed to think that election fraud was widespread. Democrats insisted that Rutherford B. Hayes stole the 1876 presidential race. Republicans said the same about Grover Cleveland in 1884. The frequency of the charges led the Rev. Joseph Cook, a popular speaker and essayist, to lament that democracy was at risk: "If the great parties continue to accuse each other of stealing the presidency, such facts will go far to prove that the domination of political tricksters has begun and that the rights of the people are vanishing."

But the accusations continued. In 1916, the presidential contest between Charles Evans Hughes and incumbent Woodrow Wilson went unresolved for several days. California, the last state to report, was counting and counting, and Hughes's Republican supporters fretted publicly about the possibility that the election would be stolen. Hughes, to his credit, did his best to silence them. Even as he steadfastly refused to concede, he insisted that "in the absence of absolute proof of fraud no such cry should be raised to becloud the title of the next president of the United States." (An attitude from which all partisans can learn.)

Sometimes the accusers were right. Once the votes were counted in that disputed 1876 election, it appeared that Democrat Samuel J. Tilden had won a majority in both the popular vote and the Electoral College. Hayes would not admit defeat, and his backers argued that the vote had been unfair because of massive vote fraud. Black voters had been beaten and intimidated throughout the South. In particular, the Republicans challenged the balloting in Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana.

Recounts were ordered. In South Carolina, the board of canvassers was threatened, and troops dispatched to protect them. The Tilden forces were furious. One Democratic newspaper lamented: "The character of the state government of South Carolina is so notorious that the integrity of this board will be considered absurd."

Congress finally appointed a committee to adjudicate the matter. When Hayes supporters said the nation should abide by the outcome, whatever it was, the pro-Tilden Cincinnati Enquirer replied angrily that this argument betrayed "ignorance of the law and the Constitution."

In the end, the committee awarded all the disputed states to Hayes, giving him the presidency by a single electoral vote, and allowing him to go down in history as the man who ended Reconstruction and left the freed slaves to the untender mercies of their former owners. The Democrats cried foul, and there is ample reason to think they were right. In fact, the battle produced a dismaying symmetry: First Tilden won by intimidation and then Hayes won by fraud.

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These instances are hardly the only disputed elections in the nation's history. Whenever the rhetoric is heated and the margin is small, the losing side will emerge unsatisfied. And we have been speaking here only of contests for the presidency. Charges of fraud further down the ballot are more common still.

The partisan will insist that all of the cases I have mentioned are different from the current political moment. Black voters were intimidated in the South in 1876. The Supreme Court did put an end to the Florida recount in 2000. But such nuances miss the point. The principal charge against Trump is that merely suggesting the possibility of unfairness in the election outcome constitutes an offense against our democracy. If that's so, then lots of us are guilty.

There are plenty of excellent reasons to oppose the election of Donald Trump. Let's not sit around inventing new ones.

Bloomberg

Stephen L. Carter, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a Yale law professor.
Syrians evacuated from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo during the ceasefire arrive at a refugee camp in Rashidin, near Idlib, Syria, on Dec. 20, 2016. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors in a peace deal between the Syrian government and the opposition. He spoke on Tuesday after a meeting of the three countries' foreign ministers in Moscow. (STR / AP)

There are 275,000 people trapped in the eastern half of Aleppo, Syria, a war zone cut off from the outside world. Zaher Sahloul, a Chicago-area doctor, has run the gantlet of Syrian and Russian jets, snipers and bomb-dropping helicopters to treat the wounded at a secret field hospital known as M10 in the basement of a half-destroyed building.

Sahloul, a critical care specialist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, last spent time in Aleppo this summer, but as it goes for those who witness gross tragedy, he still feels like a bit of him is there, with the victims. He's got photos on his phone of bloody, damaged children, and a conscience that compels him to speak out about the suffering he's witnessed.

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There was Ahmad, a 5-year-old boy hit by shrapnel from a barrel bomb that severed his spinal cord. Ahmad was pulled from the rubble and might have survived if he could have been evacuated to a hospital in Turkey. There was 12-year-old Abdullah, another bombing victim, with a bleeding chest. Sahloul needed to insert a draining tube to keep Abdullah's lungs clear, but there was no anesthesia so the pain was excruciating. What Sahloul thinks about is how polite the boy remained, even in his pleading. There was Fatima, 25, in the third month of pregnancy, whose house was hit twice by barrel bombs. Two of her children were killed, and she lost the pregnancy.

Those barrel bombs, Sahloul says, are crude, insidious weapons of destruction dropped by the regime of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad. The barrels are filled with explosives and metal shards. They fall straight from the sky so there is no question they are meant to rain terror on civilian targets. The preferred strategy is the "double tap," Sahloul says. "They hit you with one bomb, and then the paramedics come and they hit you with another, to cause as much injury as possible to the first responders."

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Dr. Zaher Sahloul, left, and Dr. John Kahler at the ruins of the Great Umayyad Mosque in the old city of Aleppo. The two U.S. doctors traveled to Aleppo in late June for the Syrian American Medical Society.

To hear Sahloul's stories is to take on some of his burden and lift the fog of war in Syria if only briefly. Eastern Aleppo is held by anti-government rebels. The fighting and politics in Syria are so complex and intractable that it's easy to shrug and focus elsewhere. Sahloul reminds us why that's unacceptable: because the innocent are suffering in a country with crucial stakes for U.S. national security. At a minimum, Americans should understand Aleppo's pain.

Sahloul visited us recently with two other Chicago doctors, Samer Attar and John Kahler, who went to Aleppo on behalf of the Syrian American Medical Society. Sahloul is no strategist or politician, but he feels that the Obama administration gave up on Syria. He's frustrated, and so are we. Since President Barack Obama's 2012 misguided declaration of a "red line" over Assad's use of chemical weapons, the U.S. receded, allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to step in and prop up Assad.

"I follow every word on Syria, and (Obama) tends to put it on the back burner," Sahloul says of the multifaceted conflict that involves Assad, Islamic State, the Kurds, Russians, Iranians and others. He notes that Obama's preferred name for Islamic State is ISIL instead of ISIS. "He calls it ISIL because the 'S' means Syria and that means failure."

Is there hope for Aleppo? The U.N. calls it a slaughterhouse. Sahloul says it is genocide. In recent days, Russia has declared temporary cease-fires to allow Aleppo's residents and wounded to flee, but people aren't leaving; they don't trust the offer  and have nowhere to run. The bombing surely will resume and ultimately this ancient city may be destroyed.

Our most recent Syria editorial called for sanctions on Putin to drive him to the negotiating table. We know pressing him will take time and a commitment we haven't seen from the current occupant of the White House. Meanwhile, the American-led war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria shows greater results. That means the temptation will be to focus efforts there, and avert our attention from Aleppo. Zaher Sahloul reminds us of the human cost of looking away.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
You crack open a can of Anti-Hero IPA from Chicago's Revolution Brewing, anticipating the robust hoppy flavor of a great craft beer. You take a sip and then  wham!  something hits you right on the palate: An alien flavor, a subtle earthiness that shouldn't be there. Are these esters you detect? And phenols?

Oh, the horror! An IPA that doesn't hit all the correct profile notes. Bewildering and disappointing for beer geeks, it's a serious issue to the company: a breakdown in quality control. Something apparently went slightly askew in the brewing process, and Revolution is mortified.

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The brewery, one of the city's biggest and most popular craft brands, said ale yeast used to make its beers somehow became contaminated with wild yeast. As a result, a large batch of Revolution's beers "exhibit ester or phenolic flavors, which are more characteristic of Belgian-style ales, and which should not be present in our standard American ales."

There's nothing unsafe about these beers, and a lot of drinkers wouldn't even notice those esters and phenols. A tasty brew is a tasty brew, right?

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But to Revolution, this is a calamity because a beer company needs to assure the consistent flavor of its products. Revolution is recalling the affected beers, including Anti-Hero, Fist City Pale Ale, Cross of Gold Ale, Mosaic Hero IPA, Eugene Porter and Unsessionable Imperial IPA. All those suds down the drain, at great expense. "Our brewing team has repropagated our house ale yeast, and all beer now being packaged at the brewery meets our standards for taste and flavor," the company said.

"It's like a death in the family," Revolution founder Josh Deth told the Tribune's Greg Trotter. "No one likes to deal with it, but you deal with it the best you can. And it brings people together and refocuses you on what really matters, which for us is the quality of our beer."

We understand the emotions. To true believers, beer is serious. Precious, even. Once on a Metra train we spilled an Old Style tall boy and nearly burst into tears.

In other words, we admit to being slightly mystified by the intricacies of Revolution's screw-up and doubt we would have noticed anything amiss with a cold Fist City. Count us among the many consumers more intrigued than knowledgeable about the craft beer phenomenon. Studying the menu at a place like Hopleaf on Clark Street leaves us dizzy even before a drink: extra pale ale with a hint of pine, black lager with roasted malt flavor, breakfast stout. We're a long way from the days of regular or light.

Even if we aren't geeky enough to immediately distinguish the flavor difference between a Belgian ale and an IPA, we do consider ourselves connoisseurs of good character and high standards. So it's heartening to see a company like Revolution Brewing obsess over quality, and acknowledge when it falls short.

There's always a risk in such a competitive industry that some consumers may become disenchanted with the brand over the lapse. But we hope beer drinkers stick with Revolution, or try one of the brews if they haven't. Companies with integrity are worth their weight in gold ale.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
The Arlington Heights Police Department was awarded first place recently in The National Law Enforcement Challenge, a highway safety competition designed to recognize exemplary traffic safety programs. Pictured here from left: Cmdr. Mark Recker, Motor Officers David Lavin and Jeff Aiello; and Traffic Sgt. Michael Shabez. (Karen Ann Cullotta / Pioneer Press)

The Arlington Heights Police Department was awarded first place in the 2016 National Law Enforcement Challenge, a highway safety competition that recognizes outstanding traffic safety programs that target impaired and distracted drivers.

In addition to Arlington Heights winning first place in the division for all municipal police departments having between 101 and 350 sworn officers, the police department also captured the top prize overall, winning the Clayton J. Hall Memorial Award.

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With local, county and state law enforcement agencies of all sizes from across the U.S. and abroad competing for the top honor, past winners include the Maryland State Police, the California Highway Patrol and the Ontario Provincial Police of Canada.

The police department was honored with both awards at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference in San Diego earlier this month.

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"To have the Arlington Heights Police Department recognized at the state, national and international level is something we're pretty proud of," Deputy Police Chief Andrew Whowell said. "We're all trying our best, and proud of the fact that work we do here was recognized. But we also receive an unbelievable amount of community support."

With the goal of encouraging departments to focus on education and enforcement activities in the areas of impaired driving, occupant protection, and speed enforcement, like-sized agencies compete against each other nationwide each year, and are judged by a panel of traffic safety and law enforcement professionals.

Police departments were judged on the strength of their policy statements, training, public information and education efforts, enforcement activities, and overall program effectiveness, with the 2016 award judged on the Arlington Heights Police Department's efforts in 2015.

For example, according to Traffic Sgt. Michael Shabez, who prepared the police department's award-winning report, in 2015, Arlington Heights police issued: 4,184 speeding citations; 1,608 illegal cell phone use citations; 942 seat belt citations; 153 impaired driving citations; and 57 child seat citations.

"This recognition as being the best police department in the National Law Enforcement Challenge shows the hard work being done by the entire department," Deputy Police Chief Nicholas Pecora said.

"But it's the community that's reaping the benefits of our education and enforcement initiatives, because the end result is traffic safety, and a reduction in traffic accidents," Pecora said.

kcullotta@tribpub.com

Twitter @kcullotta
Before we go any further, Tom Weisner wants to set one thing straight.

Lots of rumors have been flying  some, understandably so  since the Aurora mayor who's been battling colon cancer the past nine years announced in August he was stepping down a few months before next spring's election to replace him.

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"I am not at death's door," he insisted, a smile on his face.

And he wants to keep it that way. After leading the state's second largest city for almost a dozen years, Weisner will spend his last day in office on Friday, a decision he and Marilyn, his wife of 44 years, made together to give him the best possible chance of winning this medical fight.

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To even be eligible for many of the "exciting new clinical trials" now available  including viral and immunology therapies  patients must be in the best shape possible, Marilyn noted. And the demanding, high-stress job Weisner himself admits "I used to thrive on" at City Hall is now a detriment at this critical juncture in his life.

Certainly the on-again/off again treatments he's undergone for so long factor in to Weisner's stamina for a job that required him "to go at it full-tilt." But as Weisner also pointed out, "I'm 67 years old now, and I can't keep it up and still expect to be in the kind of health needed for these trials."

Slowing down, however, does not mean standing still.

Indeed, when I sat down last week with the Weisners on the backyard porch of their long-time Prairie Street home, the mayor was as eager to talk about his plans for the future as he was to reflect on the past. And he was especially pumped about attending the Jeff Awards in Chicago that evening with his wife, an event he regrettably missed last year because of his health.

The award-winning Paramount Theatre  it received five Jeffs last year; and picked up another three on Monday evening  is without question one of the successes he's most proud of as he looks back on almost three terms as mayor.

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, pictured at home with his wife, Marilyn, will step down at the end of October. He said he is leaving office because of his ongoing battle with cancer. (Mike Mantucca / The Beacon-News)

The police department and crime reduction rank at the top of that list. But without the incredible draw  300,000 people annually  of the Paramount's critically-acclaimed Broadway Series, not to mention the burgeoning crowds that gather at RiverEdge Park, that negative perception this city has tried to shake from those violent years would have lingered.

Even more critical, he pointed out, residents themselves have become believers.

Certainly there is much to hype these days, including downtown's revitalization, as well as what the mayor describes as "those unsexy" accomplishments like improved infrastructure and improved city services that include everything from snow removal to customer service itself.

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"It was all milk and honey for a few years," Weisner said, looking back on his time in office. "Then the Great Recession hit," forcing hard decisions that included a 15 percent reduction in staff. "But we did not sit on our hands and wait for it to be over."

What the mayor and staff did do, he said, was study the work of Stephen Covey and his "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" that contributed to City Hall not only following best practices but creating some of its own.

"People pay attention to what we've done, " said Weisner, clicking off the police department's reputation, the building and permits user-friendly system, and the national and international attention the city has drawn because of its sustainability measures and conservation policies.

While there are goals he'd like to have seen through to the end, including cleanup and redevelopment of more Fox River waterfront, Weisner describes himself as "blessed to be the guy, the man in the arena who got to deal with these challenges."

"One of his greatest attributes," said his wife, "is being able to see the possibilities  to think outside the box."

Weisner admits he's developed a thicker skin and "a lot more confidence" as the years wore on. And he seems genuinely appreciative of  and humbled by -- the support he's received.

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"I learned long ago if you want to be successful, you surround yourself with people who are smarter than you," he said. "Marilyn was my first experiment and it worked so well I tried to keep doing it going forward, which includes my city staff.

"I stand in awe with what they have accomplished."

For the next six weeks or so, Weisner says he has little else planned except to kick back and listen to Radiohead, hoping for a little inspiration on what comes next.

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner rides the elevator to his office at City Hall in Aurora Friday. He is stepping down at the end of October. (Mike Mantucca / The Beacon-News)

No doubt that will include some writing, although the mayor's not sure if that means a column or biography or perhaps even a play. Weisner, who once volunteered with the Peace Corps and has been active on regional planning boards, also wants to stay involved in the issues he is passionate about, including transportation, water supply, global warming and other environmental concerns.

While he would not rule out working as a consultant, Weisner insists anything to do with politics or lobbying is out of the question. One of the reasons Aurora has been able to thrive at a time when the state is immobilized and bankrupt, he insists, is because "local government is bipartisan and does not let party power" get in the way of what is best for the people it is supposed to serve.

He and Marilyn, who says she has no plans to retire as executive director of Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, will also devote time to the Weisner Family Charitable Trust recently formed in memory of their son Thaddeus, who had cerebral palsy and died in 2006 at age 21.

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Both personally and professionally, Aurora's first couple has seen more than their share of the struggles families face. And because it is a cause "that is near and dear to us," Weisner says they want this trust to "benefit children and young adults who have been impacted by disability or disease."

A fundraiser for this trust had originally been scheduled for Thursday. But because of his mother's death and the public open house for the mayor that will take place from 3-8 p.m. at the Paramount on Monday, the fundraiser was postponed, perhaps until early next year.

It's been an exceptionally busy and emotional time for Aurora's first couple, as Weisner's days in office wind down and the community responds to his departure.

"Everywhere we went in Aurora, the people we ran into told us they were praying for him," said Marilyn. "He has managed so well with the cancer  and I believe that those prayers made a difference."

For the mayor himself, "the highest compliment I can receive," is when people come up to him and thank him for his service.

"Aurora has become a progressive city again ... people are proud of that fact," he said. "It's a wonderful thing."

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Dcrosby@tribpub.com

Open house

A public open house will be from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 in honor of Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner. The event is open to the public and will be located in the Paramount Theatre's Grand Gallery, 23 E. Galena Blvd. Weisner and his wife Marilyn will welcome and speak with visitors. Guests will also have an opportunity to watch a scrolling pictorial review of some of the highlights of Weisner's administration since he first took office in 2005.
Rick Kempke, 56, of Lockport, won $1 million on an Illinois Lottery scratch-off ticket recently while at home watching a Cubs game. (Illinois Lottery)

As the Cubs battle their way through postseason play, one loyal fan already has 1 million reasons to celebrate.

Rick Kempke, a self-described "huge" fan of the boys in blue, was at home in Lockport watching a recent Cubs game when he scratched his way to a $1 million windfall, courtesy of the Illinois Lottery's $300,000,000 Cash Spectacular game.

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"I can't believe it," Kempke, 56, said in a statement released Friday. "Now that I won the lottery, I might buy a ticket for tomorrow night's game."

The lifelong Lockport resident, who is retired from the Environmental Protection Agency, opted to receive his prize as a one-time payment of $600,000.

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While his money may not be able to buy that elusive World Series victory, Kempke is planning to use his winnings to purchase a house and a new car.

The occasional lottery player bought his winning ticket at Speedway, 314 S. State St., Lockport. The store receives a bonus of 1 percent of the prize amount, or $10,000, for selling the winning ticket.

zkoeske@tribpub.com

Twitter @ZakKoeske
Police sought the publics help in identifying a man accused of robbing a bank Oct. 18, 2016, in Frankfort, officials said. (FBI Chicago Bandit Tracker / Handout)

A New Lenox man is charged with taking $1,838 from a U.S. Bank in Frankfort in a robbery while his girlfriend  who thought he was cashing a check  waited for him with her child in a car, according to court documents.

Steven W. Lamancusa, 27, of the 800 block of East Joliet Highway in New Lenox, was taken into custody early Friday morning after a Frankfort police officer recognized him from the surveillance video obtained from U.S. Bank, 9795 W. Lincoln Highway, according to Frankfort police Deputy Chief Kevin Keegan.

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The robber went into the bank about 2:35 p.m. Tuesday and talked to a teller about opening a savings account, according to an FBI affidavit filed as part of the complaint against Lamancusa.

The teller gave the man a pen to write something, and the robber then gave a demand note to the teller that read, "I have a gun! No dye or tracer packs, $100s, $50s $20s I have nothing to lose!" according to the complaint.

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After the robbery, the man fled the bank toward a nearby Jewel-Osco just southwest of the bank, according to the complaint.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The Frankfort police officer recognized Lamancusa, including the tattoos on his hands and fingers, because both men attended the same gym, according to the bank robbery complaint filed in federal court Friday.

"Probably within an hour of the occurrence, we had a pretty good idea who the suspect was," Keegan said.

Police showed photos of the bank robber to gym staff, which led to Lamancusa's home, according to the complaint. Lamancusa's girlfriend identified him as the person in the surveillance photos, and told investigators they had gone to the gym Tuesday afternoon, and he had then stopped at the bank. She thought he was cashing a check, according to the complaint.

Among the money stolen from the bank were 46 $2 bills, several of which were recovered in Lamancusa's girlfriend's car, and his girlfriend said he gave her $2 bills to pay for pretzels at a store after the robbery, the complaint said.

Lamancusa had been released from Illinois Department of Corrections custody in August 2015 after serving two years for a felony theft charge that originated in Monee, according to the Will County circuit clerk of courts website.

If found guilty of bank robbery, he faces up to 20 years in prison and fines. He is currently detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center awaiting a detention hearing.

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Souththown.
Republican nominee Donald Trump takes part in the final presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Las Vegas on Oct. 19, 2016. (Joe Raedle / AFP/Getty Images)

Lately, Donald Trump is complaining how the election is rigged because mainstream media are biased against him.

He loved it when media covered his rallies during the Republican primaries. His messages of being a Washington outsider who spoke his mind reached millions of audience members, and it didn't cost him a cent.

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Media outlets covered Trump's speeches because they were newsworthy. He said outrageous things. Viewers and readers were interested. Trump boosted TV ratings and website page views.

During the primaries, Trump trounced opponents with deep pockets. Jeb Bush's campaign spent more than $130 million with nothing to show for it.

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Trump has received billions of dollars in free media coverage. He had just about pulled even with Hillary Clinton in national polls and in several key swing states, as recently as Oct. 7.

That's when video surfaced of Trump bragging to Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women. His poll numbers have been tanking ever since.

"Free" media coverage adheres to the proverb, "live by the sword, die by the sword." It's great when it goes your way. Not so great when it doesn't.

Now the thin-skinned Trump blames the mainstream media, saying bias is the reason he's losing.

Trump is a modern-day P.T. Barnum, who gambled that his celebrity name recognition alone could carry him to the presidency. He largely shunned such traditional campaign essentials as fundraising, securing the backing of his party's leadership, and organizing grassroots ground games.

It seemed to work, until it didn't. Trump created a narrative that he was a master manipulator of media, until he wasn't. He came so close, but in hindsight his downfall seems inevitable.

Why? Because he failed to recognize that the size of his audience was limited to those who were already inclined to agree with views.

Trump got a free pass a lot of the time. Many of his statements went unchallenged. He's the one, after all, who championed the "birther" movement, based on a lie that President Barack Obama wasn't born in America and thus had no legitimate claim to the presidency.

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If you repeat a lie loudly and often enough, eventually a lot of people start to believe it. That doesn't make it true. But people who like that kind of talk want to hear more of it.

That doesn't mean, however, that everyone wants to hear it, or even a majority.

Mainstream media helped Trump. CNN president Jeff Zucker told students at Harvard Kennedy School Oct. 14 that it was probably a mistake to air so many Trump rallies early in the Republican nominee's candidacy.

"If we made any mistake last year, it's that we probably did put on too many of his campaign rallies in those early months and let them run," Zucker was quoted as saying.

The Bush tape must be particularly frustrating for Trump and his supporters because the same day it surfaced, Wikileaks began releasing email correspondence allegedly belonging to John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman.

The Trump camp clearly hoped TV, newspapers and other media would devote their energies to covering the Clinton emails. Instead, coverage focused more on Trump's treatment of women.

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It's not as if anyone was surprised by what Trump was caught saying about women. Many of his core supporters said they would forgive Trump. He's still got his base of 30-something percent of the electorate.

He lost the middle, though. Undecided voters, independents and moderate Republicans  especially women  are fleeing Trump.

I think it's important that for the first time in recent memory, the Republican nominee has failed to secure the endorsement of a single major newspaper. I think that says a great number of professionals with experience monitoring government and investigating public officials find Trump unfit for the presidency.

As I've said in this column before, media bias is nothing new. Edward R. Murrow created the notion of objectivity in the middle of the 20th century. Prior to that, dating back to America's founding, media outlets (newspapers) were exclusively partisan.

Multiple newspapers typically served communities, and party affiliations often were part of a newspaper's name. In Illinois, you've got papers like the Quincy Herald-Whig and the Belleville News-Democrat.

People got their news from the outlet that mirrored their views. That's still how many people consume information today. Many cable TV channels and websites are decidedly partisan in how they present information. What stories are highlighted and which ones are ignored says a lot about an outlet's political affiliations.

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Any perceived increase in media bias is merely a reflection of how society has become more partisan. Mainstream media audiences may be shrinking, but they're still fairly large and influential. A niche outlet catering to a certain audience segment can achieve success, but at some point it reaches audience saturation.

Trump's "unshackled" campaign has given up trying to convert others and doubled down on telling its base what it wants to hear. That message pleases core supporters, but they make up less than 40 percent of the total audience. Trump's support has a ceiling, and media bias didn't create it.

First Amendment guarantees of free speech are a foundation of our democracy. People seek information, often framed in a way that agrees with them. Of course there's a media bias. Because most people are biased, having already formulated core beliefs and positions based on their experiences and backgrounds.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Lately, Trump seems frustrated that media refuse to only cover his rallies and nothing else, as if the tens of thousands of people who turn out in support perfectly represent the 320 million people who live in the United States.

They don't. For the most part, things have been pretty evenly balanced in recent years. There's about 40 percent on the left, 40 percent on the right, and about 20 percent in the middle.

Republicans like Ronald Reagan and Bushes 41 and 43 managed to appeal to enough people in the middle to win the presidency. Trump, in my opinion, is unlikely to attract more voters who don't already like him or what he has to say.

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Trump will do very well in some places. He'll win several deep-red states. He'll get millions of votes. I hear Trump/Pence signs are all you see in some counties in downstate Illinois. That's why people like Gov. Bruce Rauner are so reluctant to denounce Trump and his outrageous comments, because Republicans need Trump supporters to vote for them.

After this election the media will still be biased, and so will most of its audience. Strategists on both sides will retreat to their corners and begin scheming about the best way to win over the 20 percent in the middle during the next election.

tslowik@tribpub.com

Twitter @tedslowik
Work on the reconstructed Fox River Bridge on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway should be completed by the end of December. Construction crews are working on local roads underneath the bridge as the project wraps up. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)

Work on the Fox River Bridge Project on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway is expected to be done by the end of the year, according to the Illinois Tollway. However, there will be local road closures as construction work wraps up.

The $95 million Fox River Bridge Project, which began in 2014, is scheduled to be done by the end of December, said Dan Rozek, an Illinois Tollway spokesman, via email.

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Rozek said the project is part of a $2.5 billion rebuilding and widening project on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (Interstate 90) that created two new, side-by-side, 1,315-foot-long structures to increase capacity from six lanes to eight lanes.

The Illinois Tollway estimates up to 101,300 vehicles use the I-90 Fox River Bridge daily, according to a news release about the project. The bridge project will increase capacity by 83,000 more vehicles, and the entire improvement plan along I-90 will save drivers $440 million annually due to reduced congestion and delay, Rozek said. Improvements on I-90 will also save drivers up to 27 minutes on an average trip from Elgin to the Kennedy Expressway, he said.

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The bridge project will help reduce the environmental impact on the river and a forested fen nearby because the design uses eight spans supported by seven piers  less than the previous design, Rozek said.

I-90's reconstruction will make it a 21st-century, state-of-the-art corridor linking Rockford to O'Hare International Airport as part of its 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, Rozek said.

Some of the technology planned for I-90, between Barrington Road and the Tri-State Tollway, will make the road safer and more efficient for drivers, he said. The SmartRoad technology will help the Tollway provide drivers with real-time information, lane closures, traffic pattern changes and electronic signs with information, Rozek said.

The SmartRoad electronic signage and message boards are being installed, and testing is scheduled to be complete so the I-90 SmartRoad will go live in spring 2017.

While the work is almost done, motorists will have to deal with the closure of some local roads under the bridge, specifically Duncan Avenue and Trout Park Boulevard, as construction crews restore haul roads used during the reconstruction, according to the release. Construction and detour signage is posted in the area to alert drivers.

The northbound lane on Duncan Avenue was closed recently, and there will be closures until the end of November. The southbound lane will remain open during construction with traffic shifts to maintain access, according to the release. Trout Park Boulevard was also closed. Glenwood Avenue is being used as a detour.

Access to the Fox River Trail, on the east side of the Fox River in Elgin, remains relocated to the east adjacent to Duncan Avenue and extends from the Trout Park parking lot to the south, under the bridge and connects back to the trail north of the bridge, the release stated. Trail access will be restored by the end of the year, the release stated. A bicycle and pedestrian bridge under the Fox River Bridge is scheduled to reopen in the spring.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
The Elgin City Council will be discussing finances and signs at a special committee of the whole meeting Saturday at 9 a.m. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News)

A Saturday morning Elgin City Council committee of the whole meeting will focus on the city's finances and adjusting the city's rules for signage in light of a 2015 Supreme Court ruling.

"I will be providing a brief overview of our projections for the general fund for 2016," Elgin Chief Financial Officer Deb Nawrocki said.

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Nawrocki said that, overall, things are looking positive with those projections.

Last December, the Council approved a budget that raised property taxes $130 on a $170,000 home, with refuse collection fees upped $18 annually. The city's budget was to decrease from about $291 million the council unanimously approved for 2015 to more than $288 million for 2016.

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The general fund levy was to stay at $26.9 million. The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund pension was to increase to $4 million from $2.8 million, while the police pension increase was to $7.2 million from $6.2 million. Fire Pension was to rise to $5.1 million from $4.2 million.

Bonds and interest increased to $4.5 million from $2.9 million to cover $25 million in bonds the city issued this year. About $15 million of that money is being used for street projects, with $10 million used for underground infrastructure work.

About 95 percent of the general fund budget covers public safety expenditures (police, fire, public works, code enforcement).

John Prigge was the only Council member to vote against the adopted budget.

Nawrocki's discussion is in advance for what is the busiest time of year for city  preparing for the presentation of the following year's budget which happens in November with a final document set for approval by December's end.

Thursday, Councilman Terry Gavin said he expected there might be tough decisions to be made again for 2017, and Mayor Dave Kaptain echoed that perspective.

"This could very possibly be as tough as last year," Kaptain said. "Pension costs and medical (health insurance) costs keep rising. There's been no resolve to the state's budget crisis, and I don't expect that to happen until after the first of the year."

As for the discussion of signs, Elgin Senior Management Analyst Aaron Cosentino said what's spurring it is the Supreme Court case from June 2015, Reed v. The Town of Gilbert.

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According to reports, in that case, justices unanimously agreed to strike down a law in Gilbert, Arizona that set tougher rules for signs that direct people to Sunday church services than for signs for political candidates and real estate agents.

But the justices divided over why the law violated the rights of the Good News Community Church.

The church complained that the law forced the church to put up smaller signs than those for political candidates, real estate agents and others. The church's signs also could be in place for short periods of time.

Lower federal courts upheld the town's sign ordinance, saying the distinction it drew between different kinds of temporary signs was not based on what a sign said.

Justice Clarence Thomas rejected that argument in his majority opinion for six of the nine justices. Thomas said political signs are "given more favorable treatment than messages announcing an assembly of like-minded individuals. That is a paradigmatic example of content-based discrimination."

Under the rigorous review the court gives to laws that treat speakers differently because of content, the law must fall, Thomas said.

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Justice Elena Kagan said she feared that all sign ordinances now will have to face the same strict review and many "are now in jeopardy" because of the court's decision.

There was a narrower way to decide the case in the church's favor, Kagan said

Thursday, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Goldberg said the ruling had nothing to do with restrictions or rules towns might place on signs related to zoning matters or size or distance from a road. Rather, those restrictions or rules must be regardless of the content of the sign  and apply to what a church, business or any other organization or person might want to put on that sign.

Cosentino said that Saturday he will give a "signs 101" overview before Corporate Counsel William Cogley details changes legal staff feels are required for the Council to approve making to the city's existing ordinances to bring them in line with the court's ruling. The discussion also will look at suggestions for LED sign regulations for the city, Cosentino said.

Associated Press contributed.

mdanahey@tribpub.com
An Elgin man, who works as a Naperville firefighter, was charged with possession of pornographic images of children after police executed a search warrant on his home and confiscated a computer with lewd images of children on it, authorities said.

Louis J. DiGrazia IV, 47, of the 900 block of Glenmore Lane, Elgin, is charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, each a Class X felony, according to a Kane County State's Attorney's press release.

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DiGrazia posted 10 percent of his $200,000 bond and was released, according to Elgin police. Under his bond conditions, he is to have no unsupervised contact with children younger than 18 and he is prohibited from accessing the Internet, the release stated.

The Kane County State's Attorney alleges that when Elgin police detectives served a search warrant Thursday at DiGrazia's Elgin residence and searched a computer owned by DiGrazia, the release stated. Detectives found multiple image files depicting children younger than 13 unclothed and in lewd positions, according to the release.

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DiGrazia has worked as a Naperville firefighter since April 1995, said Linda LaCloche, communications director for the city of Naperville. He has "not ever been disciplined" on the job, she said.

"We are starting an internal investigation, and he's been placed on administrative leave without pay immediately," LaCloche said.

DiGrazia's initial court appearance is set for Nov. 10 in front of Circuit Judge John A. Barsanti at the Kane County Judicial Center. If convicted, DiGrazia would face a minimum sentence of six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the state's attorney's office.

In addition to the prison term, DiGrazia would have to register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act, the release stated.

Naperville Sun reporter Bill Bird contributed.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
A Chicago teen is facing felony gun and cannabis charges after leading police on a foot pursuit Thursday in the area of Marshfield Avenue and Jonquil Terrace, according to a Friday police statement. Police say the boy was found with this loaded Beretta 9mm handgun. (Evanston Police Department / Handout)

A Chicago teen is facing felony gun and cannabis charges after leading police on a foot pursuit Thursday in the area of Marshfield Avenue and Jonquil Terrace, according to a Friday police statement.

Police said around 7 p.m. Thursday evening, members of the Evanston Police Department's tactical unit were looking for a known 16-year-old boy who lives in the area. They said he was being sought by juvenile detectives in connection to an incident that occurred in August.

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Upon seeing the boy, officers attempted to stop him, prompting a foot chase before arresting him in the 7600 block of North Bosworth Avenue, police said. Once in custody, police said they found about 10 grams of suspected cannabis and a loaded Beretta 9mm handgun on the boy.

After initially being taken to the Evanston Police Department, police say the boy was transferred to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago. He is facing multiple felony charges for aggravated unlawful use of weapon, unlawful use of weapon with no firearm owner's identification card and unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver.
Listings are subject to change. Please call the venue in advance. To submit items to the calendar, go to newssunonline.com/community.

Monday

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Rotary Club of Highland Park/Highwood: Join in fun community service projects and fellowship. Now accepting donations at every meeting for Moraine Township Food Pantry! 11:30 a.m. Monday, Highland Park Country Club, 1201 Park Ave. West, Highland Park, Donations accepted for Moraine Township Food Pantry, 847-562-1099

Tai Chi: Promote serenity through gentle flowing movements performed in a slow focused manner with deep breathing. 12:15 p.m. Monday, Recreation Center of Highland Park, 1207 Park Ave. West, Highland Park, $12-$15, 847-579-4554

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Lake Shore Men's Club: Weekly meeting and guest speaker. Menu includes bagels, cream cheese, lox, sliced cheeses, vegetables, fresh fruits, cake, juice and coffee. Speakers present at 9:30 a.m. on broad range of interesting topics. Women are always welcome. 8:30 a.m. Monday, Lakeside Congregation, 1221 Lake Cook Road, Highland Park, $15, 847-383-5460

"Winter Is Coming": In recognition of October asNational Domestic Violence Awareness Month, enjoy a complimentary evening of pampering, food and wine to benefit A Safe Place, an advocate for eliminating domestic violence in northern Illinois. Attendees are encouraged to bring new or unopened beauty item(s) to donate toA Safe Place throughout October. 6 p.m. Monday, Salons by JC of Highland Park, 229 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park, free, 847-877-4784

That's Amore: A Dean Martin Tribute: Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime  and you'll love this tribute to the legendary "King of Cool!" Capturing the spirit of Dean Martin, Peter Oprisko brings Mr. Martin to life with anecdotes and renditions of Dino's signature songs, style and sense of humor. 7 p.m. Monday, Lake Bluff Public Library, 123 East Scranton Ave., Lake Bluff, free, 847-234-2540

Lake Forest Open Lands: Little Trekkers: Set out each week on a new adventure at Mellody Farm Nature Preserve searching for insects, following deer trails and learning about the natural world. This program is for the child (ages 4 and 5)that likes to explore, get muddy and make discoveries. To register and for more information visit www.LFOLA.org. 1 p.m. Monday, Mellody Farm Nature Preserve, 350 N. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, Members: $150; Non-members: $215, 847-234-3880

Kundalini, Meditation Gong Monday Nights Pulsation Yoga: If possible, close your eyes, focus them on the root of the nose, and observe the flow of breath  in and out, out and in. Not only will your mind become more still but your body will respond as well  pulse and blood pressure slowing, muscles relaxing, nerves calming. 6:45 p.m. Monday, Pulsation Yoga, 729 W State Route 22, Lake Zurich, $18 drop in or regular class package, 847-989-7792

Monday Night ACoA Group: Adult Children of Alcoholics is a support group for adults who were part of alcoholic and other dysfunctional families while growing up. For more information, visit www.acoa-libertyville.org. 7 p.m. Monday, St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, 125 W. Church St., Libertyville, free, 847-362-2110

Knights of Columbus Bingo: Knights of Columbus is having weekly bingoas a fundraiser to help support Santa Maria church and the community. Knights of Columbus is a nonprofit family fraternal service organization. 6:45 p.m. Monday, Santa Maria Del Popolo Catholic Church, 116 N. Lake St., Mundelein, free, 847-566-8213

Mundelein and Vernon Hills Rotary Club: Weekly meeting to discuss community service projects and fellowship. Meetings are held at the restaurant each Monday. 12:15 p.m. Monday, Dover Straits, 890 E. US Highway 45, Mundelein, free, 847-949-1550

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Tuesday

Chair Yoga: Experience safe yoga movements and poses that build awareness of your body and breath. This three-session series leaves participants relaxed and refreshed. All fitness levels are welcome. 2 p.m. Tuesday, Antioch Public Library, 757 Main St, Antioch, free, 847-395-0874

Introduction to QuickBooks: This class is designed for users who have less than six months' experience working with QuickBooks. Topics include: setup of new files, processing banking, accounts receivable and accounts payable transactions, reconciliation of bank and credit card accounts and running basic financial reports. This class does not cover the cloud/online version of QuickBooks. 6 p.m. Tuesday, College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus, 19351 West Washington St., Grayslake, $150, 847-543-2033

Start Strong Business Boot Camp: This accelerated small business boot camp explores business fundamentals needed to start and run a new business. Evaluate your business idea including personal objectives, business feasibility, market potential and financial strength. This class provides the resources, support, and motivation to prove that a dream of business success is within reach. This event is sponsored by: First Midwest Bank. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus, 19351 West Washington St., Grayslake, $100, 847-543-2033

Cocoa Corner 101 Chocolate Sourdough with Cocoa Butter: Chef Turso returns to make a beautiful Glazed Chocolate Mousse Dome with a silky raspberry coulis and caramel sauce for you. It's a showstopper and can be prepared in advance  a great option for your next dinner party! Participants, must be21 years of age or older, as they receive a complimentary glass of wine during class. 7 p.m. Tuesday, The Chocolate Sanctuary, 5101 Washington St., Gurnee, $50, 847-247-4576

Crafting a Compelling Resume: A well-crafted resume that highlights your accomplishments and strengths will differentiate you from the competition. This workshop,presented by Jan Leahy, Executive Director, Career Resource Center, Inc.,offers attendees a framework for identifying the unique talents they bring to the table. 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Career Resource Center, 40 East Old Mill Road, Lake Forest, Free CRC Members; $20 fee non members, 847-295-5626

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Advocate Condell Medical Center Bereavement Group: This is asupport group for widows, widowers, significant othersor anyone grieving the death of someone close. The groupmeets every Tuesday, except forthe fifth Tuesday of the month at the Daycare Center, Building 700, Solarium 11048, adjacent to the West Tower and the Conference Center. For additional Information contact: matthew-j.holmes@advocatehealth.com. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Advocate Condell's Intergenerational Daycare Center, 700 Garfield Ave., Libertyville, free, 847-816-4585

Anime Club: The North Chicago Public Library starts an anime club. Stop by after school from 4 to 6 p.m. to watch and discuss anime, read manga, make anime themed crafts and eat Japanese snacks. Must be 12 or older to attend. 4 p.m. Tuesday, North Chicago Public Library, 2100 Argonne Drive, North Chicago, free, 847-689-0125

Wednesday

Highland Park/Ravinia Farmers Market: Shop for fresh and organic produce, baked goods, meat, flowers, crafts and more at the weekly market that runs through the end of October. 7 a.m. Wednesday, Dean Ave. and Roger Williams Ave., 475 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park, free

Zumba Fitness Classes with Live Drummers: Zumba Fitness Class led by Melissa Kerpel, Kate Wettergren & Ruben Zapata. Licensed Zumba Instructors, AFAA Group Exercise Certified, CPR Certified. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. -9:30 a.m. with live drummers, and Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. JCYS/Lutz Center, 800 Clavey Road, Highland Park. For more info: www.melissazumba.com and 312-961-8484. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. Saturday, JCYS Lutz Family Center, 800 Clavey Road, Highland Park, $10/drop-in OR punch card ($35/5 classes, $70/10 classes), 312-961-8484

Linkedin's Advanced Features: Come learn the power of this professional network, by taking advantage of newly introduced techniques and applications. This is presented by Michael Yublosky, JEM Consulting. 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Career Resource Center, 40 East Old Mill Road, Lake Forest, Free for CRC Members; $20 fee non members, 847-295-5626

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Zumba Gold at the Lake Forest Rec Center: Zumba Gold is a crazy, fun dance exercise class without impact on the joints. It's for everyone. The fees are: $138 persession for members; $172 - $207 per sessionfor non-members. 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Lake Forest Recreation Center, 400 Hastings Road, Lake Forest, $138-$207 per session, 847-810-3935

Substance Series From Use to Abuse: Substance Series: From Use to Abuse: What You Need to Know about Substance Use Disorder and Addiction. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, 660 North Westmoreland Road, Lake Forest, free, 847-295-9075

Quilting and More: Join friends for quilting and discussion. 9 a.m. Wednesday, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 29700 N St. Marys Road, Libertyville, free, 773-523-3838
DuPage County Forest Preserve District officials took this photo of the pig that's been roaming the Springbrook Forest Preserve, McDonald Farm and the area around Knoch Knolls Road and avoiding capture. (DuPage County Forest Preserve Di / HANDOUT)

The not-so-little piggy spotted around parts of Naperville is no more.

The pig was killed by a USDA sharpshooter at about 4 p.m. Thursday in the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve on the city's far south side. The pig, which was declared a nuisance animal because of the damage he was doing, was first seen in September.

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In the last several weeks, the pig managed to outsmart his captors and was spotted in Springbrook, on McDonald Farm and even crossing Knoch Knolls Road. No one knows how he got there or if he belonged to anyone. But officials dealing with the pig agreed the slippery swine could not stay.

The pig's remains will be tested for disease, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Police Chieft Marty Gainer said. Once testing is complete, the pig's remains will be disposed of, he said.

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The pig -- who some .suggested naming Wilbur or Capt. Glitter Whiskers -- left his mark in the areas he visited. Large impressions where he wallowed, mud rubs on trees and rooting marks where he used his snout to dig for food in the grass were spotted in a southern section of Springbrook Prairie Preserve. Though he was spotted along trails and in public areas, there were no reports that the pig charged or injured anyone.

"This is the first time I've ever had to deal with a pig," said Brian Kraskiewicz, an ecologist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County earlier this week. "We do have animals that escape, but we don't want this becoming a larger problem on the landscape."

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has joined forces with the USDA to capture a pig that's been on the loose for several weeks, going so far as to set up video cameras in areas where they think the animal may be living. (DuPage County Forest Preserve Di / handout)

Wildlife experts noted that wild pigs can cause serious damage to an ecosystem by digging up dirt, damaging crops and preying on other wildlife in the area. Pigs also have been known to carry up to 30 different diseases or parasites, said Brad Wilson, a wildlife biologist and the feral swine coordinator for the USDA.

Through the years, state officials have worked with the USDA to remove feral swine. Since 2011, some 485 feral swine have been removed from areas in southern and central Illinois. Wildlife experts agree it is rare to see a wild pig this far north and suspect that the pig was likely released in the area by either an owner who could no longer handle the pig or by someone who hunts pigs.

At one point, a nearby farmer told authorities he had lost one of his pigs and believed the runaway animal belonged to him. However, when approached again, the same farmer said he did not think it was his and suspected someone had released it, Gainer said.

The farmer did not return a phone call seeking comment.

A feral pig that's been wandering around areas in and near Naperville has done a lot of damage by digging up grass and rooting around for food, forest preserve officials say. (DuPage County Forest Preserve District / HANDOUT)

USDA worked with the forest preserve district to track the pig and figure out how to capture it. Video cameras were set up in the area they believed the pig was living. However, the pig seemed to be on the move and was recently spotted at McDonald Farm, about one mile away from Springbrook.

"He has been on our property and was seen on Monday crossing Knoch Knolls Road trying to get across the street," said Carrie Thompson, member services manager at McDonald Farm.

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Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
Dolores Pigoni-Miller teaches Italian at Ridgewood High School in Norridge. Her leadership in her AP Italian Culture and Literature class has led her students to pursue a variety of fundraisers to help Italy's victims of an August 2016 earthquake.

Q: What made you decide to do the fundraiser?

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A: In all of my classes, we were reading articles about the devastation the earthquake caused as part of our ongoing study of contemporary Italy. ... Italy lost some of its precious monuments, and others need major restoration. It was my AP Italian Culture and Literature students who began to feel an urge to help in some way. All of these students are also members of the Italian National Honor Society. I feel strongly that it is important to teach students such philanthropic values. It also presents a great opportunity to strengthen the ties between RHS and the surrounding community and to create new relationships between Americans and Italians.

Q: How is the fundraiser going and what are your goals?

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A: The fundraiser is going better than we could have ever imagined! While the needs of the earthquake victims are enormous, we began with modest goals for what we would be able to contribute. The INHS kids set a goal of $1,500. Since then, we received a generous donation of $1,000 from Mr. Ronald Rossi of Rossi Construction Company, and the GoFundMe page my students have created has already generated $275 in donations in just one day. These successes lead the group to reset their goal at $3,000 when they posted their video on Facebook. In less than 48 hours, they have already received over 9,000 views! INHS would like to be able to offer as much towards earthquake relief as we possibly can. We are also making efforts to get chef Mario Batali to come to our school and help us make Pasta all'Amatriciana, the specialty dish of one of the towns which was most affected by the quake. We have also contacted Ellen DeGeneres: we sent the video to the Ellen show in the hopes that she can get him to Ridgewood for us, and we have asked her to come to our Festa Italiana on Nov. 30 so that she can induct our new Italian National Honor Society members! In turn, we have offered to induct her as an honorary member of Ridgewood's Chapter of INHS, the Leonardo Da Vinci Society.

Q: In what ways are the needed funds going to benefit victims?

A: National treasures have been lost, others have been damaged, such as the ancient church in Amatrice. The funds will go to help rebuild the town of Amatrice, and if we raise enough, to help as many homeless people as we can.

Q: How can someone get involved in the fundraiser?

A: First, they can go to the Ridgewood High School webpage (www.ridgenet.org), where they will find a link to the video the AP students have made to try to convince Mario Batali to come visit our school ... Everybody, please watch the video and share it with the public so that we can get as many people aware as possible. Tag Mario Batali! The second thing people can do is to click on the GOFUNDME link above the video. Third, send Ellen DeGeneres, or Ellen "Da Generous" as we have renamed her, a message asking her to get us Batali and to come to our Festa Italiana. Fourth, the Italian National Honor Society is running a second fundraiser. We are selling two sets of raffle tickets, one for gift certificates to various restaurants and local businesses who have very generously donated to this cause ... and the other for a very special set of four tickets to the Dec. 28 Bulls game ... Both Ridgewood INHS students and Union Ridge eighth-grade Italian students are selling these tickets now. The tickets will also be available for purchase at the Festa Italiana on Nov. 30 at 6:30, to which the entire community is invited. ... If you want to purchase the raffle tickets immediately, and don't know an Italian student selling them, email APItalian@ridgenet.org.

Karen Medina is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Oak Park Education Foundation Executive Director Deb Abrahamson announced she will retire in December after 19 years with the organization. (Oak Park Education Foundation / Handout)

After nearly two decades of service to the Oak Park Education Foundation, Executive Director Deb Abrahamson announced she will be retiring at the end of the year.

Abrahamson joined the organization 19 years ago, and became its first executive director in 2006.

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"My husband Tom is retiring at the end of the year, and we decided we want to go traveling," Abrahamson said. "I don't know what I'll be doing next, but we'll be staying in Oak Park."

Though she couldn't pick one achievement as her favorite, Abrahamson cited the growth of the organization as one of her proudest accomplishments, particularly the 2010 launch of the summer BASE Camp program.

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"We offered three camps and had 130 kids in that first year," Abrahamson said. "This past summer, we had close to 800 kids who took part in multiple sessions. It was about 1,700 participants in total."

Another initiative she cited was the free programming the OPEF provides each school year, which allows every District 97 student to participate. The programs bring working professionals into the classrooms to allow the students to have a hands-on experience while learning a variety of topics.

Under her direction, the organization has expanded its offerings from two to six free programs, which includes VEX Robotics, Spoken Word, Science Alliance, Geared Up, Art Start and Architecture Adventure.

"Expanding our programming that reaches every kid in every District 97 school has been wonderful," Abrahamson said. "It's been really exciting to be a part of that, and the partnership with District 97 has been a total joy. They're just wonderful, devoted teachers and administrators."

Originally from Philadelphia, Abrahamson first moved to Chicago before landing in Oak Park to raise her two children. While her kids were at Mann Elementary School, she made a decision to become more involved with Oak Park students.

"I was in charge of their arts programming with the PTO, and I got a questionnaire from the OPEF, which I was not familiar with and had not heard of them," Abrahamson said. "It was a call for ideas. I submitted the idea of having a visiting artist program. There were others who submitted the same kind of idea."

According to Abrahamson, several parents, including herself, were selected to start the new program. In 1998, she left her job as a freelance writer to become a part-time program coordinator for Art Start.

While serving on the organization's board of directors, she again pursued an opportunity to become more involved, and became the executive director more than 10 years ago.

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"During that time, we put together a strategic plan," Abrahamson said. "At the conclusion, we thought the organization couldn't get much bigger or have much of an impact unless we had an executive director. I resigned from the board and got the job."

With her retirement looming, the organization announced it will launch a search with board members and community leaders to find Abrahamson's replacement.

"Deb has played an instrumental role in the dynamic growth that OPEF has experienced during the past two decades," board President Lisa Kitzman said in a statement. "While we are incredibly sad to see her go, we are looking forward to building on the tremendous success we have enjoyed with Deb at the helm."

Though she will officially be leaving the foundation, Abrahamson expects to remain a familiar face around the organization that has seen so much growth under her watch.

"I imagine I'll be back doing some kind of work in the community," Abrahamson said. "I love the OPEF and expect to stay involved in the community, certainly as a supporter of OPEF and whatever they need help with in the future. It's been a very gratifying experience."

sschering@pioneerlocal.com

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Twitter: @steveschering
A gateway for immigrants and a beacon to artists, this Near South Side neighborhood celebrates hard work and innovation. Once a hub for Eastern European immigrants (and named for a city in the Czech Republic, as is Pilsner brew), Pilsen became a destination for new arrivals from Mexico in the second half of the 20th century. Given the presence of the University of Illinois at Chicago just to the north, a good proportion of students find getaways, if not residences, in Pilsen.

Morning

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Owner Eleazar Delgado speaks with a customer at the Cafe Jumping Bean which remained open despite the record cold temperatures, Monday, Jan. 6, 2014. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Bid yourself buenos dias at Jumping Bean Cafe (1439 W. 18th St., 312-455-0019, www.facebook.com/cafe-jumping-bean-111641328871554), where the vibrant, colorful decor almost equals the wake-up call of the perfectly proportioned cappuccinos. It's a popular joint, so be prepared to sit close to your neighbors at the next table. Not a coffee person? No matter. Try one of the licuados (like a Latin American smoothie) or the killer Mexican hot chocolate to go with your meal.

Afternoon

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Pilsen's known for its many art galleries, but if you have to choose just one, go for the biggest and best: the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th St., 312-738-1503, www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org), which showcases a wide range of visual art, from folk to contemporary. One of the museum's biggest draws is its annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibit, which lasts most of the autumn (into early December).

A chocolate filled churro with vanilla ice cream at The Churro Factory in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on May 13, 2014. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Time for a treat? Thought so. They've got your back at Churro Factory (2214 S. Wolcott Ave., 773-823-9571, www.churrofactory.com), a locally owned business that's been bringing sugar smiles to Pilsen for 20 years. There's no end to its creativity with these delectable fried-dough pastries, traditionally sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Toss in some ice cream for a churro sundae.

Now you're ready for the informal Pilsen mural walk, which happens naturally if you wander long enough anywhere in the neighborhood, but there's a concentration of these engaging public works of art along 16th Street.

Evening

Wrap up your neighborhood stroll at Knee Deep Vintage (1425 W. 18th St., 312-850-2510, www.kneedeepvintage.com), where you can boost your fashion factor with clothes and accessories, or browse the housewares. (Head there after dinner for Knee Deep's regular Midnight Sale, which happens once a month.)

Now swagger over to Honky Tonk BBQ (1800 S. Racine Ave., 312-226-7427, www.honkytonkbbqchicago.com), where the pork and brisket slow-cook over wood. The menu of delicious comfort foods includes plenty of meatless options, from a salad of spring greens with goat cheese to fried green tomatoes  and the tasty house cocktails mean you don't have to go anywhere else for your nightcap.

Web Behrens is a freelancer.
Thanks to Randolph Street Restaurant Row and the art galleries of Fulton Market, the West Loop has been a hip 'hood for years, but it's only gotten hotter as of late as more and more big names move in  from Google's new headquarters to the Soho House to Rick Bayless' brewery and restaurant, Cruz Blanca and Lena Brava. The addition of the Morgan stop on the Green Line makes traveling to the heart of the neighborhood from the Loop to the east or Oak Park to the west even easier. Pro tip: For the best possible experience, plan ahead and make reservations when noted, or skip those stops if you prefer to go the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants route.

Morning

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Steeped for 16 hours in stainless steel wine tanks, free from oxygen, pressed and filtered twice, PURE BLACK is a bottled celebration of the culinary flavors of coffee - cocoa tones and sweet goodness. We recommend pouring PURE BLACK over ice. (La Colombe/HANDOUT)

If it's coffee you crave, starting the day at La Colombe (955 W. Randolph St., 312-733-0707, www.lacolombe.com) is a must. Choose from myriad blends and single-origin beans  plus reserve offerings for the truly coffee-obsessed  and kick back at a table to sip.

You may have heard that the buzzed-about Soho House (113 N. Green St., 312-521-8000, www.sohohousechicago.com) down the street is a members-only club for creatives, but the spa and lobby lounge are open to the public. Make a reservation for a pedicure or a hot-towel shave at Cowshed (312-754-6915, www.cowshed.com), and after your treatment, settle into a sofa at high-ceilinged hangout The Allis (312-521-8000, www.theallis.com) for a pastry and prime people-watching.

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Afternoon

Desserts at Avec (Derek Richmond / HANDOUT)

As you head east on Randolph Street over the highway and toward the Loop, you'll pass tiny wood-walled restaurant Avec (615 W. Randolph St., 312-377-2002, www.avecrestaurant.com), which was doing communal tables and small plates before they were ubiquitously cool. If you spy an open bar seat (or if you made a lunch reservation ahead of time), pop in and try the latest seasonal special or the perpetually adored bacon-wrapped, chorizo-stuffed dates. If not, keep walking and hang a right on Canal Street to find the Chicago French Market (131 N. Clinton St., 312-575-0306, www.frenchmarketchicago.com), which features stall-sized outposts of local gems such as Da Lobsta, with decadent lobster rolls, and Lillie's Q serving saucy barbecue.

Loop back west via Madison Street, where you can check out a cluster of cute boutiques. Browse fashion-forward threads for ladies at Tribeca (1035 W. Madison St., 312-492-9373, www.shopattribeca.com), high-end labels such as Derek Lam and Loeffler Randall at Another 20 (1041 W. Madison St., www.another20.com) and gifts galore at Smitten Boutique (1047 W. Madison St., 312-226-7777, www.smittenboutique.com) and the Fig Tree (1037 W. Madison St., 312-226-6303, www.figtreechicago.com).

An afternoon treat awaits at Cone Gourmet Ice Cream (1047 W. Madison St., 312-666-5111, www.conechicago.com), where the hardest decision you'll make all day is what to put your ice cream in: waffle bowl, cookie cone, sugar cone or cake cone.

Evening

Dining at celebrity chef Stephanie Izard's Girl & the Goat (809 W. Randolph St., 312-492-6262, www.girlandthegoat.com) requires a reservation made months in advance, but walk-ins stand a better chance at her more low-key diner across the street, Little Goat (820 W. Randolph St., 312-888-3455, www.littlegoatchicago.com). Also a grad of "Top Chef," Sarah Grueneberg's new Italian restaurant Monteverde (1020 W. Madison St., 312-888-3041, www.monteverdechicago.com; reservations recommended) serves beautifully crafted pastas with global influences that will keep you guessing. If you're not feeling particularly fancy, head over to Wishbone (1001 W. Washington Blvd., 312-850-2663, www.wishbonechicago.com) for grits, greens and other belly-warming Southern eats.

Lisa Arnett is a freelancer.
Like a hulking hero and his cute sidekick, Wicker Park and Bucktown go better together. That's good news for these next-door neighbors because people have a hard time agreeing on the exact boundaries of tinier, triangular Bucktown. Both areas benefited from the cultural renaissance that grew out of Wicker Park's indie-rock boom in the '90s.

Morning

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Jacob Nelson prepares a chemex pour at The Wormhole Coffee in Wicker Park Friday, Mar. 28, 2014. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Tucked onto Milwaukee Avenue  the diagonal thoroughfare that serves as Wicker Park's spine  you'll find Wormhole Coffee (1462 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-661-2468, www.thewormhole.us), a haven for anyone who loves old-school geek culture, not to mention a good brew. Whether you prefer your Sumatra black as midnight on a moonless night or you're game to try one of the baristas' fancy-flavored concoctions, don't miss the chance to channel your inner Marty McFly for a photo op with the DeLorean. Yes, there's a car in this coffee shop!

Afternoon

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It's hard to get more "classic Chicago" than Margie's Candies (1960 N. Western Ave., 773-384-1035, www.margiesfinecandies.com), a family-owned joint for three generations. If you need a full meal, there's basic diner fare, but most folks flock here for the ice-cream-parlor treats. Grab a booth to enjoy your shake or sundae, or sit on the benches outside.

Half a block away, pop into Bucktown's Challengers Comics for a pop-culture fix (1845 N. Western Ave., 773-278-0155, www.challengerscomics.com). These award-winning, friendly retailers eschew boxes of comics for shelves of graphic novels. Younger readers will find a room full of merch geared for them, while adults can peruse hundreds of titles, ranging from standard superhero to comedy classics to fully literary. From there, it's a short walk to the Western Avenue access ramp to The 606 (above Bloomingdale Avenue at 1800 N. Western Ave., www.the606.org). One of the city's best developments of the past of couple of years, this 2.7-mile-long elevated trail connects six city parks. Join cyclists and pedestrians (and the occasional dog) heading east into Wicker Park to complete your day.

Evening

An avocado toast entree at Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Wicker Park. (HANDOUT)

Right off the trail, a scrumptious dinner awaits at Mindy's Hot Chocolate (1747 N. Damen Ave., 773-489-1747, www.hotchocolatechicago.com), a restaurant whose name belies its delectable full-service menu. Dedicated to local and sustainable food, Mindy's offers amazing savory meals  but leave room for a pastry and one of its signature hot-chocolate creations, served with a giant housemade marshmallow. Ready for your nightcap? Slide back into the era of the speak-easy at The Violet Hour (1520 N. Damen Ave., 773-252-1500, www.theviolethour.com), Wicker Park's sumptuous destination for a splurge. The cozy-yet-sophisticated candlelit interior and the long list of artisanal ingredients explain both the long wait and the hefty prices. You won't regret it.

Web Behrens is a freelancer.
A Griffith woman has been sentenced to five years in an alternative sentencing program for maintaining a common nuisance and a probation revocation.

Nancy Lee-Farino, 52, will serve her time in Lake County Community Corrections, Lake Superior Judge Diane Ross Boswell said.

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Defense attorney Shane O'Donnell argued recently that his client has been attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and has been receiving treatment at a local mental health facility. He said Lee-Farino is on "an upward trend" and was on an ankle monitor for nine months with no violations.

Deputy prosecutor Maureen Koonce presented testimony from Griffith police Detective Sgt. James Sibley, who said police have been called to Lee-Farino's home in the 900 block of North Indiana Street about 200 times for a variety of issues, from disturbances to drug overdoses, domestic disputes and complaints from neighbors. "Everything was a negative about that house," Sibley said.

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In court, Lee-Farino admitted that on June 19, 2015, she was at her home when police were called for an overdose. Police found evidence of narcotic use in the garage. Four other people have overdosed at her home since 2012, she admitted. "She harbors drug users," Koonce said.

"I have been very, very good," Lee-Farino told the judge. "I haven't had anybody at my house."

The judge imposed a sentence of two years and six months for the felony charge of maintaining a common nuisance and the same sentence for possession of a narcotic drug, a class C felony. Farino had been sentenced in April 2014 on the possession charge to four years on probation. A petition to revoke her probation was filed eight months later.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Thanks to a partnership, Purdue University Northwest claims the nation's first baccalaureate degree program in mechatronics engineering technology.

What is mechatronics engineering technology?

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It combines mechanical, electrical controls and automation technologies to prepare graduates for jobs and careers in the multi-million dollar packaging industry.

Introduced at the former Purdue University Calumet in Hammond eight years ago, it represents the fruits of a collaboration between the university's College of Technology and a group of area packaging industry employers, led by Nick Wilson, president of Glenwood, Ill.-based Morrison Container Handling Solutions.

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The packaging industrialists were eager to contribute to the development of a baccalaureate program that would produce skilled and knowledgeable technologists for jobs and careers in their packaging plants and firms.

With the emergence of the program, the partnering employers invested in mechatronics engineering technology instructional laboratories on the Hammond campus. The packaging leaders also have advised the university's College of Technology on academic curriculum matters.

Twenty-nine baccalaureate students have graduated from the program. Two master's degree graduates in technology added a specialization in mechatronics engineering technology.

Marriage and Family Therapy program honorees

The former director and 11 students of Purdue Northwest's Marriage and Family Therapy master's degree program were nationally recognized at the recent American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) conference.

Professor and former 25-year program director Joseph Wetchler of Chicago received the AAMFT's 2016 Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award.

Wetchler, an AAMFT Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor, directed the program at the former Purdue Calumet from 1988 through 2013. He advanced a rigorous and high quality program of study by requiring students to complete a thesis as a graduation requirement.

A professional journal editor, he has written or edited nine books, 63 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 16 book chapters, and he has made 96 presentations at national, state and local conferences. He also continues to teach and routinely encourages students to publish papers written for class in peer-reviewed journals.

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The program attracts students from across the country and internationally. Among the 11 students recently recognized is Northwest Indiana resident Bridget Sanchez of Highland, who earned a Student Research Award.

Selected for entry into the AAMFT Minority Fellowship Program for training and financial support to further their skills working with underrepresented and underserved populations are Angelique Foye and Bailey Mack of Griffith, Song Paik of Merrillville, Brogan Crosby of Highland and John Wall of Munster.

PNW hosting 300 high school students at engineering seminar

Some 300 students from 12 Indiana and Illinois high schools will spend much of Friday at Purdue Northwest's Hammond Campus learning about engineering.

Students from East Chicago Central, Hammond High School, Hammond Academy of Science and Technology, Highland, Lake Central, Lowell, Merrillville, Portage, Washington Township and the Illinois schools of Thornton Township (Harvey), Morton East (Cicero) and Morton West (Berwyn) will participate in lab sessions and hear speakers during the ninth annual High School Engineering Seminar, sponsored by the Association for Iron & Steel, Midwest Chapter.

The students will attend five hands-on lab sessions focusing on various aspects of engineering, including mechanical, electrical, civil/structural, metallurgical/material science and PNW's Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation.

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Wes Lukoshus is assistant vice chancellor of media relations and communications at Purdue University Northwest.

wlukosh@pnw.edu
Fletcher Franklin looks at a news clipping about the abandoned toddler he discovered in Gary in 1992. (Javonte Anderson / Post-Tribune)

As Fletcher Franklin walked briskly through the winter darkness, he heard what he initially believed was a cat whimpering.

"It was freezing outside and there was ice on the ground," he said.

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Franklin, who worked then as an operations employee for the Chicago Tribune, got off a South Shore train at 2 a.m. near the Ambridge neighborhood on Gary's West Side and was taking a shortcut through a field to his home at Westbrook apartments. He finally realized that what he heard was a small girl, and now, 24 years later, not a day goes by that he doesn't think about what happened, he said..

"I thank God every day that he put me in that place at that time," Franklin said.

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Before retiring in December, he kept a framed newspaper clipping about his rescuing the tiny girl on his desk at the car dealership where he worked for 18 years.

"So I had daily conversations with customers once they sat at my desk and read that article, hoping that somebody would come in and know something, but to no avail," he said.

Franklin wants to know what happened to her.

"I just want to know that she's OK and doing well," he said. "I would just love to see her before I leave this earth."

He can't put the 10- to 13-month-old girl in the field out of his mind.

"I'll never forget that image of her on that freezing ground," Franklin said. "It was terrifying, heartbreaking and I will never understand why and how someone could do that.

"She was on the freezing ground, trying to pull herself back into the car seat," he said, adding that she was wearing a pink snowsuit. "To be honest, where she was left, in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, I believed she was left to die."

Franklin said he picked her up and knocked on the doors of the two nearest apartments. After no one answered, he took the child to his apartment.

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"I came home and woke up my wife and I was still shaking," he said. It wasn't long before his three kids were up and anxious to embrace her. "By her being a baby, everybody wanted to hug her. They were all saying 'give her to me; give her to me.'"

They fed her some hot oatmeal to warm her up before calling police.

"They didn't really ask me a lot of questions," he said. "They just took the baby and disappeared in the middle of the night."

The next day, Franklin said he went to the police station with a teddy bear, but police couldn't provide him with any information on the child's whereabouts.

A Feb. 6, 1992, article in the Post-Tribune said police took her to a hospital for a checkup and then Lake County Protective Services placed her in a temporary foster home.

jaanderson@tribpub.com

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Twitter @JavonteA
John Gregg, far right, Democratic candidate for Indiana governor, urges supporters to help get out the vote during a rally at American Legion Post 430 in Merrillville Thursday as Mara Candelaria Reardon, Democratic candidate for District 12 House seat, from left, Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and Shelli VanDenburgh, Democratic candidate for the District 19 House seat, listen. (Karen Caffarini / Post-Tribune)

With an eye on a higher minimum wage and bringing more jobs to the area, a crowd consisting primarily of union members pledged Thursday to get out the vote for John Gregg, the Democratic candidate for governor.

"We've got your stickers on our trucks and at our job sites," one member of Ironworkers Local 395 told the candidate as Gregg shook hands with supporters at an informal gathering at American Legion Post 430 in Merrillville.

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Jacob Bielecki, also a member of Ironworkers Local 395, said Gregg lost to Gov. Mike Pence in 2012 in a close race.

"We won't let that happen again," he said. "Local 395 is out here making sure Gregg gets in office."

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"The biggest thing about this election is right to work. It hurts the middle class. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer," Bielecki said.

Gregg is leading his Republican opponent, Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb, by 12 points according to a Monmouth University poll released Sunday. He told his supporters to vote with their pocketbooks and kids in mind.

"We can stop that war on organized labor, on our schools and on the working class," Gregg said to a cheering group.

He said if elected officials work with U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, on the ports, rail and double-tracking, they could turn the state around.

Visclosky, who is being challenged by Libertarian candidate Donna Dunn of Hammond, was not at the rally.

Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, chairman of the county's Democratic Party organization, said it's not only important to have a Democratic governor, but to gain more seats in the House and Senate so Gregg could be more successful in his role, should he win.

Buncich urged the supporters to help bring Democratic candidates Shelli VanDenburgh, of Crown Point, and Mara Candelaria Reardon, of Munster, back to the House.

VanDenburgh lost to Republican Julie Olthoff in the District 19 race and Candelaria Reardon to Republican William Fine in District 12 in the last election.

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"We not only need for you to vote, but to get out the vote. We want to help John Gregg be the most successful and impactful governor we've ever had," Candelaria Reardon said.

VanDenburgh said Democrats need to capture six more seats to stop lawmakers from possibly overriding Gregg if he wins.

Tyler Rimkus, a member of Ironworkers Local 395 and Schererville resident, said he's supporting Gregg because he believes the candidate can bring more jobs to the region.

Tyleah Phillips, a home health care worker with Service Employees International Union, said she likes that Gregg supports bringing more money to home health and to increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

As for Gregg, he said he's not taking anything for granted, despite leading in the polls.

"I'm by no means confident or over-confident," he said, noting that the only poll that counts is the vote on Election Day.

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Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
In the on-again, off-again rain Friday morning, Joe Keen looked over a gray, 2008 Ford Ranger outside the Porter County Sheriff Garage.

"I bought a few trucks like this. I bought a few older police cars a few years ago. I know one year I bought a Jeep Cherokee and miscellaneous tools, things like that," the Valparaiso resident said while perusing items up for sale in the sheriff's department's annual auction off of Indiana 2. "Some of them I repair and resell. Some of them I keep for my personal use."

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Keen started coming to the auction as a teen with his dad before he got old enough to go on his own. The offerings this year included an assortment of old police vehicles; four dump trucks from the county highway department' a 1995 Sea-Doo seized by police a few years ago; and an array of bicycles, office equipment, tools and other miscellanea.

The public auction, required by county ordinance, has been in place for more than 20 years, said Major Gary Gear. The sale also meets another requirement for keeping the number of police vehicles in check.

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"The commissioners require that when we buy our police vehicles, if we buy nine, you get rid of nine," he said.

Other than the police cars and dump trucks, the rest of the items were found, abandoned or, like the Sea-Doo, taken in seizures, he said. All the vehicles sell, he added, and anything left over, if it's considered junk, is thrown out.

How much money the auction brings in varies, but Toni Downing, chief deputy with the auditor's office, said proceeds from the sale of the sheriff's department vehicles go back into the county's general fund. Funds from the highway trucks go into that department's budget.

Potential buyers said they could find good deals at the auction, which bring them back each year.

The tools and other items are cheaper at the auction than they are at yard sales, Keen said, and with some research, buyers can suss out whether a car is a good deal.

He also appreciated that when the county is done with items purchased with taxpayers' money, taxpayers get the chance to buy it. And the rain wasn't a deterrent, either.

"Most of the people buying things wouldn't care if it was hailing and snowing," he said. "That's the way we are."

Larry Cota of Michigan City eyed one of the dump trucks. He comes to the auction every year and his son likes buying old police cars, though they keep their eyes open for other wares, too, and typically buy things on the cheap to flip and resell.

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"Anything that looks like you can make a couple bucks on," he said. "I'd say most of the people here, that's what they're thinking."

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Financial rewards for teachers and students, plus the latest in technology, has enabled a number of Lake County schools to offer more Advanced Placement courses and to grow their enrollment.

A five-year $5.1 million federal grant is credited with providing the spark. While that funding ends in December, the Indiana Commission on Higher Education has provided $371,000, but efforts to find a sponsor for the monetary incentives have so far been unsuccessful.

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"We've seen growth for sure," said teacher Dustin Verpooten, recently named the program's science teacher of the year for his work at Lake Central High School. "Before the grant, I had 50 students in AP Biology. This year, I have 130. Similarly, we developed AP Environmental Sciences and we've seen an influx of students taking the courses, exams and (an increase in)

Clark, Gavit, Griffith, Hammond, Merrillville and Lowell high schools also are beneficiaries of the Advanced Placement Teacher Investment Program (AP-TIP IN) started in 2012. The program is administered by the Institute for Educational Initiatives at Notre Dame University in South Bend. Clark

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Gavit, Hammond and Lake Central had 613 students enrolled in AP classes in 2012, according to Karen Morris, AP TIP IN program director.

"That grew to 971 by the 2014 school year. This is based on the number of students who actually took the exam. That was a 58 percent increase. Of the 971 students who took the classes, about 452 got a 3, 4, or 5," said Morris. "We've exposed more students to more rigorous course work. Students who experience more rigorous coursework also persist in their post-secondary pursuits because they understand what it means to be in a rigorous course."

"I do think it helped establish a culture where students want to learn and they want to succeed," Verpooten said. "Students recognize that 'so-and-so' took AP Biology and now is doing well in college. It creates a culture where people value AP classes."

The program's goal was to invest in select school districts for three years to try and increase student enrollment in AP math, science and English courses and to increase the number of students who achieve qualifying scores of 3, 4, or 5 on AP exams. Those scores permit students to receive college credit.

In introducing Verpooten at the awards ceremony, Morris said his AP Biology course exploded from one class to four in the last three years and that more than half of his students earned qualifying scores..

"He pioneered AP-TIP IN webinars. He piloted the mock exam peer-editing strategy and trained to be a trainer for the Pre-AP Biology program," said Morris. "In addition, he is a highly sought-after Saturday AP Student Conference presenter."

Morris said she's proud of all the participating schools, but "Lake Central has knocked it out of the park. It is a school that has really thrived."

The initial round of funding provided financial incentives to students and teachers. Students were paid $100 for each qualifying test score. To help stretch funds through December, teacher payments were modified to provide a $500 incentive if more than 90 percent of the teacher's students took the exam. A $500 bonus also was paid if the teacher met or exceeded a goal set for a specific number of students receiving a qualifying score. The number was determined in advance. Later funding will pay only for professional development for teachers.

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Morris said no sponsor for the student incentives has been found..

"We've been asking private industry and we've asked for foundation support. We just can't get the interest of any one group to fund that. We are still asking though," she said.

Schools were selected based on their efforts to expand math/science/English AP programs and their ability to qualify as having either 32 percent low-income students, 19 percent low-income students or a general achievement gap in STEM or AP.

Morris thinks the program will continue to expand as students experience success in the courses.

"In my role here at Notre Dame  and I've been here for 30 years  I could tell when students were successful and had experienced rigorous course work. It killed me when kids came in bawling because their parents want them to be a doctor, but they can't get through chemistry because they never experienced rigorous course work," said Morris.

Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Republican nominee Donald Trump speaks as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton looks on during the final presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Las Vegas on Oct. 19, 2016. (MARK RALSTON / AFP/Getty Images)

Is the volatile presidential election causing you too much stress? Have you lost friends over it? Do you feel estranged by your family over your choice of candidate?

You're not alone.

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More than half of American adults claim similar anxiety amid one of the most contentious races for the Oval Office in modern history, according to a survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association.

The mental health organization conducts its Stress in America survey each year and, not surprisingly, the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are right up there with work stress, money problems and relationship issues.

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"We're seeing that it doesn't matter whether you're registered as a Democrat or Republican, adults say they are experiencing significant stress from the current election," said clinical psychologist Lynn Bufka, the APA's associate executive director for practice research and policy.

"Election stress becomes exacerbated by arguments, stories, images and video on social media that can heighten concern and frustration," Bufka said. "Particularly with thousands of comments that can range from factual to hostile or even inflammatory."

I've witnessed this time and again on my social media sites. My readers and followers just can't stop themselves from piping in about Trump's charges, Clinton's rhetoric, both candidates' flaws and negatives, or anything else regarding their muddied campaigns.

I've purposely posted certain election-related news items to see if the same responses are generated from the same readers. It routinely works, as if anyone else's mind  or vote  will change. There's no way that will happen for 99 percent of voters, I say.

In fact, I'm astounded how any voter can still be undecided at this point in the election. Undecided about what, voting at all for a presidential candidate? When I voted last week, I paused and shook my head when looking at my ballot's choices for U.S. president, to be the most powerful person in the world, as the White House is historically billed.

Of the 310 million or so people in this amazing country of brilliant minds, I'm profoundly discouraged that it has come down to an accused bully, an alleged liar and a Libertarian candidate who probably still can't name a single world leader.

Still, this sad fact hasn't stopped their supporters from rallying around their candidate, at any cost. These voters would likely stump for their candidate in the middle of the woods if they thought even one animal was listening. Even casual observers who typically avoid talking politics at any cost can't resist jumping in to the fray.

Psychologically speaking, the aspect that intrigues me most is that we can't stop debating or discussing this presidential election, regardless of scenario. I've heard it in grocery store aisles, at gas station pumps, school events and even hushed libraries.

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At my latest public presentation at the Hobart Public Library, I first asked if anyone had a question, as I do at all of my events. I prefer an open dialogue rather than a boring monologue. The first three questions from guests revolved around the presidential election, specifically suggesting I stay more "neutral" on this powder-keg topic.

Today's column is about as neutral as I'll get leading up to the Nov. 8 election. Stress spreads across party lines, according to that APA survey, showing Democrats (55 percent) and Republicans (59 percent) are statistically close in saying the election is a "very or somewhat significant" source of stress.

As expected, adults who use social media are more likely than those who do not to say the election is raising their blood pressure or anger. For an example of this, check out my Facebook page and the endless hyperbole from both ends of the political spectrum.

Unlike many previous elections, it doesn't matter if they're men or women, millennials or matures, Generation Xers or baby boomers, or blacks, whites or Hispanics. Everyone has a dog in this bloody fight, and many of us are quietly enjoying its viciousness.

I'm not at all surprised about Trump and Clinton's viciousness in this election. They're both wired for ruthless battles. They're entirely in their element on a stage debating and degrading each other in front of tens of millions of salivating viewers.

"I'll keep you in suspense," Trump said in the last debate regarding the whether he will accept the results of next month's election if he loses to Hillary Clinton.

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The only suspense left for me is how America votes in (thankfully and finally) just a couple of weeks. In the meantime, we're left to twist in the winds of political zealotry while losing sleep and possibly losing friends.

If it helps, the APA offers a few stress-relieving suggestions until Election Day: Limit your media consumption to needed facts, not inflammatory opinions; go for long walks without your phone; avoid any more wasteful debates with others; volunteer your time to support your cause; and finally, vote, to help you feel better about your decisions.

"Whatever happens on Nov. 8, life will go on," Bufka said, sounding more like a philosopher than a psychologist.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Batistatos: 'I'm really a nice guy'

I've known Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, for almost 20 years. Yet every time I've spoken with him for a story or column, it's about tourism, convention centers or our area's hospitality industry, issues that he loves but I've grown tired of writing about.

With that in mind, I invited the outspoken public official to be on my Casual Friday's radio show with one important caveat: He was not allowed to even utter the word "tourism" or anything else about his job.

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Instead, we peppered him questions about his personal life, his childhood, his politics, his faith and Greek heritage. His responses were candid and refreshing, especially when he revealed he honks his horn three times every time he returns to Lake County from downstate Indiana. Why?

Listen to our on-air chat here: http://lakeshorepublicmedia.org/casual-fridays-october-21-2016/

jdavich@post-trib.com

Twitter@jdavich
By Alexander Chipman Koty

As Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte wraps up his controversial state visit to China, his string of inflammatory comments has continued and intensified, drawing concerns from foreign investors throughout emerging Asia. Known for his crude insults directed at world leaders and comparing himself to Adolf Hitler in his drive to eliminate drug dealers and users from the country, Duterte is now raising eyebrows for his explicit rejection of the U.S.  historically the Philippines most important ally  in favor of Chinas rising might.

During his visit to China, Duterte categorically denounced the Philippines longstanding partnership with the U.S. I announce my separation from the United States, both in military but economics also, he stated. Meanwhile, Duterte fully embraced his East Asian hosts, saying that The only hope of the Philippines economically, Ill be frank with you, is China, and calling the visit the defining moment of my presidency. These overtures stand in remarkable contrast to the frosty relations between the two countries earlier this year when The Hague ruled against Chinas vast claims to the South China Sea, which is contested between China, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian nations, leading Chinas Defense Minister to call for preparations for a peoples war at sea. Dutertes stunning pivot is emblematic of Chinas rapidly expanding political and economic influence  and also of its potential to destabilize the region.

Chinas allure

Under the rule of previous president Benigno Aquino III, the Philippines emerged as one of Asias fastest growing economies, growing at an average rate of 6.2 percent. However, a feeling that the fruits of the countrys growth were not shared with the average Filipino helped fuel anti-establishment sentiments towards the political and economic elite, thereby sweeping Duterte into office. The Philippines impressive growth during Aquinos presidency came in spite of tense relations with China. In response to the Aquino regimes filing of an official complaint to The Hague regarding Chinas incursions in the South China Sea, the Chinese government discouraged trade and investment with the Philippines and slapped a travel advisory on the country to steer away tourists. Despite the cold relationship with China, the Philippines managed to maintain steady growth through macroeconomic reforms and a growing consumption class.

Duterte, however, is placing greater importance on Chinas role in developing the Philippines economy, courting the Middle Kingdom for low interest loans, infrastructural development, and greater access to its consumer market. With several hundred influential businesspeople in tow for his visit, Duterte oversaw the signing of 13 bilateral agreements with China and US$13.5 billion worth of deals between the countries. Beijing committed over US$9 billion in low interest loans, including US$15 million for drug rehabilitation programs in support of Dutertes aggressive anti-drug campaign. In addition to deals on energy and infrastructure, China promised to import more Philippine fruit and lift the travel advisory on the country, claiming that Chinese tourists will inject US$1 billion of revenue by the end of 2017. Other potential deals include a possible US$700 million investment in the Philippines by state-owned steel firm Baiyin Nonferrous Group Co. and up to US$3 billion by China Railway Group Ltd.

Impact on the U.S.

Despite Dutertes colorful rebukes of the U.S., strong relations with the country are essential to sustain growth. The U.S. and the Philippines had more than US$18 billion in trade in 2015, and American companies have invested over US$4.7 billion in the Southeast Asian nation. Although Duterte disparages the American militarys presence, its capabilities are instrumental in combating the violent separatist and terrorist movements that have plagued the country for years. However, Dutertes unpredictable policies, both at home and abroad, cast considerable uncertainty for foreign investors concerned about political instability and anti-American sentiment.

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On the other hand, the Philippines pivot could deepen and accelerate the U.S.s emerging alliances with other countries wary of Chinas rise, such as Vietnam. Although Chinas growing influence is at the crux of the Philippines jettison of the U.S., Sino-U.S. relations will likely remain stable as China prioritizes strengthening its domestic economy and takes the opportunity to appear as a responsible international actor. However, instances of longstanding alliances recalibrating could accelerate in the future as China flexes its financial muscle, particularly as is expressed in infrastructure development and low interest loans through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the One Belt, One Road policy.

A short term fling?

Although Dutertes comments appear combative and emotional, his foreign policy is more likely than not a pragmatic strategy, even if it may not end up beneficial for the Philippines. Duterte may be gambling that he can increase Chinese trade and investment while ultimately still benefiting from the American security blanket. While he called to halt joint military exercises with the U.S. and expel them from their Philippine bases, Duterte has still upheld the U.S. as a treaty-bound ally. Indeed, Duterte memorably exclaimed that he would jet ski to contested islands and personally plant a Philippine flag if China violated the Philippines sovereignty, displaying his awareness of the countrys wariness over Chinese influence. However, the force with which he has moved away from the U.S. and towards China may end up creating uncertainty and instability rather than acting as a balancing act between two global powers.

Additionally, domestic factors may impede Dutertes embrace of China. While Dutertes domestic popularity is high, as noted by the Diplomat, it is not noticeably higher than that of previous Filipino presidents at the same point of their respective mandates. In fact, Duterte won a slightly smaller percentage of the popular vote during the 2016 Philippine presidential election (39 percent) than his predecessor did in 2010 (42 percent). The U.S. remains extremely popular in the Philippines, with 92 percent having very favorable or somewhat favorable views of America in 2015. In contrast, 51 percent had little trust and 19 percent were undecided in connection with China in June of this year. If the rejection of the U.S. in favor of China damages the economy, which has held a 6.9 percent growth rate in the first half of 2016, support for Duterte could quickly collapse.

Further, his support for extrajudicial killings, while popular in some corners, has raised concerns among elements of the political elite and the wider population. An ill-advised pivot towards China could raise strong opposition from the American-friendly military, and the nationalism Duterte has been stoking against the U.S. could easily be manifested towards China instead. While Dutertes bold shift reflects Chinas growing presence on the world stage, it may in the end be a blip in the Philippines foreign policy rather than a permanent switch. In the meantime, however, the situation highlights the potential for geopolitical maneuvering to impact foreign investment in what is an increasingly dynamic and unpredictable region.



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In this issue of China Briefing, we examine the role of Free Trade Agreements and the various regional blocs that China is either a member of or considering becoming so, as well as how these can be of significance to your China business. We also examine the role of Double Tax Treaties, provide a list of active agreements, and explain how to obtain the tax minimization benefits on offer.

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A free trade area should be set up to facilitate regional economic cooperation between members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a senior Chinese official said Thursday.

A Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) economic forum is held in Beijing on Oct. 20, 2016. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming made the proposal at an SCO economic forum.

He also called for the establishment of an SCO development bank, which would provide funding for regional projects together with other multilateral funds and development banks, to be expedited.

Most SCO members are also members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and should actively implement the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement to cut trade costs by 10-15 percent and remove restrictions in service trade, Qian told the forum.

He called for better coordination and more policy transparency in cross-border investment, noting that protectionism must be avoided.

Investment in infrastructure, industrial cooperation, agriculture and high-tech areas should be expanded between SCO members, Qian said.

The SCO, an inter-governmental organization founded in Shanghai in 2001, groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, covering over 30 million square km and accounting for a quarter of the world's population.

It has Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey as dialogue partners.
Yang Feng with a microsatellite developed by his company in Changsha, Hunan province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

While most people consider space technology to be a serious scientific topic, Yang Feng describes it as "something sexy".

In the office of his satellite company, walls are decorated with NASA posters, because he feels they help create a "sexy atmosphere".

He had a company T-shirt made with two sentences printed on the back: "World's Greatest Aerospace Engineer. Yes, I am a scientist."

"When I wear it in public, it gets a lot of attention," he said.

The 34-year-old is the CEO of Spacety Aerospace Co, which develops microsatellites for scientific experiments and technology validation, in Changsha, capital of Hunan province.

Said to be the country's first privately funded satellite company, Yang's firm is unusual for China, where almost all satellites are developed by large State-owned corporations and all the launching sites are State-owned.

In the space industry, private companies are more heavily involved in the satellite applications fields of telecommunications, remote sensing and navigation, but not satellite building.

"Many people think satellites must be big, heavy constructions, but in fact, microsatellites can achieve what big satellites do at a lower cost," said Yang, who used to work for a State-owned organization.

In addition, using microsatellites for scientific experiments and technology validation is a market worth $30 billion, or 10 percent of the global satellite applications market, he said.

"Last year, the government adopted favorable policies for private capital to enter the space industry and encouraged scientific researchers to start businesses. I read success stories of private space companies abroad, such as SpaceX, Skybox and Planet Labs, and I believed it could also work in China," he said.

Yang quit his job last year and brought together a group of people, with an average age younger than 30, who boasted similar career backgrounds and had shared goals.

"Elon Musk is an idol for us. It's his story that led me and my colleagues to pursue the commercialization of satellite applications, but we don't compare ourselves to him, because what we've achieved, so far, is not comparable to his achievements," he said.

But what his group has done has already exceeded many people's expectations.

After recently securing investment of more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), his company will see two satellites launched before the end of the year.

One of them is to help researchers conduct scientific experiments in microgravity. The satellite was jointly developed by Yang's company and its European partners, and will be launched in Europe.

The other, a self-developed CubeSata type of miniaturized satellite for space researchis scheduled to be blasted off at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in November and will test some key technologies developed by the company.

"If successful, our satellites could be more cost-effective and will allow scientists, engineers and public users to access and control satellites more conveniently," he said.

Yang's company plans to launch three more satellites next year, one of which is an astronomical satellite.

The idea emerged after Yang heard one of his friends, an amateur stargazer, spent more than 100,000 yuan last year on a survey telescope in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to better see the stars.

"The money he is willing to spend on stargazing shocked me. It came to me that we could launch a satellitenamed Mini Hubbleequipped with an optical astronomical telescope and connect it to the web, so stargazers around the world can access it via the internet and take photos with it," he said.

"The benefits of working for yourself, instead of within the State system, are that you can pursue your own innovative ideas and hopefully see some returns," he said.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing. The Long March was a military maneuver carried out by the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army of the Communist Party of China from 1934 to 1936. [Photo by Yang Jia /China.org.cn]

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged building a solid national defense and strong armed forces that are commensurate with China's international status and national security and development interests.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a gathering on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March.

He also noted that the Party's absolute leadership over the armed forces is the fundamental guarantee for the army's victory.

"To build a strong country requires efforts to build a strong army, and only with a strong army can the country be secured," Xi said.

He called for efforts to foster a new generation of Chinese servicemen who are "soldiers with soul, high calibre, guts and virtue," and to build rock-solid troops with "iron-like beliefs, conviction, discipline and commitment."
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday said it will continue to send more satellites into space under its national blueprint for space development.

Photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 9, 2015 shows the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un (L) inspecting the test-firing of a strategic ballistic missile in DPRK. [Photo/Xinhua]

A spokesman for the DPRK National Aerospace Development stressed in a statement that a satellite launch by the DPRK and its right to use space for peaceful purposes was "legitimate."

The spokesman refuted claims by South Korea that the true intention behind Pyongyang's satellite program is not for peaceful purposes.

In the statement carried by the official news agency KCNA, the spokesman said the DPRK will launch more Juche satellites.

The statement came amid South Korea's strong denunciation of the DPRK over its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Thursday, which Seoul's military presumed to have failed.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the missile launch violates the United Nations Security Council resolutions and poses a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.

The resolutions ban the DPRK from launching a rocket by use of any ballistic missile technologies because a long-range rocket and a ballistic missile have overlapping technologies.

The DPRK delegate attending the 71st session of UN General Assembly in New York denounced the resolutions as "a wanton violation of the legitimate right of a sovereign state" and "a product of a hostile U.S. policy toward the DPRK."

On Sept. 9, Pyongyang said it had successfully tested a nuclear warhead, which marked its fifth nuclear test, eight months after it conducted a purported hydrogen bomb test in January. It also launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7.

In March, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on tougher sanctions against the DPRK to curb the country's nuclear and missile programs. Security Council members also called for an early resumption of the six-party talks.
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Iraqi security forces on Thursday clashed with Islamic State (IS) militants in a town near Mosul, in continue efforts to seize more ground around the city, a security source said.

A picture taken from the top of Mount Zardak, about 25 kilometres east of Mosul, shows smoke billowing on the outskirts of the Iraqi city of Nineveh, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists, on October 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Early Thursday, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi anti-terrorism commandos advanced from the north and east of Mosul, a Kurdish security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

In the east of Mosul, the troops, with air cover by a U.S.-led coalition, attacked the town of Bartillah from the eastern edge, the source said.

The assault on Bartillah was preceded by heavy artillery mortar shelling, the source said.

Other Peshmerga fighters recaptured the villages of Nawran and Barmia to the northeast of Mosul, while other troops advanced from the north toward the towns of Tal Asquf and Batnaya.

Heavy battles are underway in what is known as Nineveh Plain, which lies to the east and northeast of Mosul, the capital of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh.

The villages and towns of the vast plain are inhabited by various religious and ethnic minority groups, mostly Assyrian Christians.

Many members of the minorities in the plain have fled during the chaos and ensuing insecurity that followed the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Another wave of exodus, of mostly non-Sunni Muslim minorities, came after June 2014, when the extremist IS group took control of Nineveh province and seized large parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.

Early on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled.
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The UN humanitarian agency has decried violence against humanitarian workers and assets in South Sudan, saying at least 67 aid workers have been killed since conflict erupted in December 2013.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that the number includes a recent case in which an aid worker was shot and killed in an ambush on a clearly marked NGO vehicle in Eastern Equatoria on Oct. 18.

"In the first nine months of 2016, more than 640 humanitarian access incidents were reported in South Sudan, including 81 in September alone," OCHA said in the report released on Thursday.

According to OCHA, out of the 81 incidents, 59 involved violence against humanitarian personnel and assets.

"This included a substantial increase in assaults, ambushes and armed attacks, with 11 incidents reported in September compared to 5 in August," it said.

The report said armed ambushes and attacks were mainly reported in Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Lakes and Western Bahr el Ghazal.

The UN agency said impediments and restrictions have continued to affect the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need in October.

"In Western Bahr el Ghazal, after occasional access in previous weeks, humanitarians have again been denied passage at checkpoints outside of Wau town in the past two weeks, preventing access to tens of thousands of people in dire need of assistance," it said.

The OCHA said key roads in Eastern Equatoria have witnessed ambushes against both civilian and humanitarian vehicles in recent weeks.

The increased attacks on relief workers forced the agencies to relocate some 10 aid workers from Budi County in Eastern Equatoria last week.

Humanitarian Coordinator Eugene Owusu said violence against aid workers must stop and called for swift action to hold those responsible to account.

"Violence against humanitarians jeopardizes the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance to millions of people in dire need across this country," he added.
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The ongoing European Union (EU) summit would not discuss any Brexit negotiations, European Council President Donald Tusk said Thursday.

"We will not discuss our future negotiations," Tusk told reporters after arriving at the two-day summit, adding "We need to wait for a formal decision on Article 50."

He said he welcomed British Prime Minister Theresa May, who was attending her first EU summit assuming power, saying May would be "absolutely safe" with her European counterparts.

"Some media described her first meeting in the European Council as entering the lion's den. It is not true, it is more like a nest of doves," Tusk said.

"I hope that she will also realize that the European Union is simply the best company in the world," he added.

Britain needs to trigger article 50 to initiate its divorce talks with the EU. May earlier said this would take place at the end of March, 2017, at the latest.
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Political reforms in South Sudan will only come after peace is restored, a South Sudan official said Thursday, responding to claims that the government is against reforms.

President Salva Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny dismissed claims by the armed opposition led by ousted former First Vice President Riek Machar that the current transitional unity government is anti-reforms.

"The political reforms will come after implementation of peace, silence of the guns. It cannot be an event but a process," Ateny told Xinhua in Juba.

Renewed fighting erupted in July between troops loyal to Kiir and Sudan People's Liberation Army-in opposition (SPLA-IO) loyal to Machar, displacing thousands of people and forcing Machar to flee the country.

Machar's spokesman James Gatdet Dak said the alliance between Kiir and Taban Deng, who replaced Machar as first vice president, was geared at selectively implementing the peace agreement brokered by the regional body Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Among the political reforms include drafting of new constitution for the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and security sector reforms. "These are the very people (Kiir and Deng) who can do reforms in peace," Ateny said.

The peace agreement is behind schedule in terms of implementation due to cash constrains that have delayed cantonment of troops from the SPLA-IO breakaway wing led by Deng.

South Sudan conflict broke out in December 2013 after President Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup. The fighting has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of people and displacement of more than 2 million others.
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At least 10 people have been killed and five others shot dead in separate attacks this week in a village about 75 Km from South Sudan's capital of Juba, authorities said on Thursday.

A Police spokesman, Daniel Justine Bolo told Xinhua that police recovered bodies of 10 charcoal traders from Mangalla County, northeast of Juba, adding that the dead included eight men and two women, among them a Sudanese national.

Meanwhile, Managalla County Commissioner, Elario Fataki said four cattle traders and a government soldier were also gunned down early this week in the same area along a major trading route.

He said calm has since returned after deployment of security operatives to the area.

Insecurity in South Sudan has raged to other peaceful parts of the war-torn country following renewed fighting in July.

The government said last week that at least 95 people have died in targeted killings along major roads across South Sudan since September.

South Sudan's president Salva Kiir on Wednesday threatened to take direct command of the fight against ethnic violence if the country's security agencies fail to stop the widespread killings in the Equatoria region which enjoyed relative peace during the country's civil conflict that began late 2013.
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The Saudi-led coalition hinted on Thursday the end of the ceased-fire in Yemen by announcing steps against Houthi violations, local news Al Arabiya reported.

The announcement was made hours after the beginning of the UN-brokered 72-hour cease-fire that started at 11:59 p.m. local time (2059 GMT) on Wednesday.

It came as a response to military activities by Houthi militants at Saudi-Yemeni borders, including an attack that injured a Saudi man and his daughter in Jazan region.

At least 24 violations were reported at the borders on Wednesday, according to Al Arabiya.

The coalition spokesperson Major-General Ahmed Al Asiri told local TV that the attacks didn't stop since the beginning of the truce.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis, while welcoming a unilateral ceasefire announced by Russia in Syria's northern city of Aleppo.

Ban told the UN General Assembly that the humanitarian pause will pave the way for the implementation of the UN's medical evacuation plan in Aleppo where "the conflict continues to reach new and awful depths."

"But this is the bare minimum. It is far from enough. We need full humanitarian access to eastern Aleppo," said Ban.

According to Ban, nearly 500 people have been killed and 2,000 injured in eastern Aleppo since Sept. 23 when the most sustained and intensive aerial bombardment began.

He also noted that the eastern Aleppo has been besieged and no UN convoy has entered since July. "Food rations will run out by the end of the month."

Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo has been the scene of fierce fighting between government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces seeking to oust him.

The UN estimates that 275,000 civilians are trapped in the eastern parts of the city. Among them, 100,000 are children.

Ban said he regrets that the Security Council has failed to discharge its responsibilities to uphold peace and security for Syria and that he is appalled that regional rivalries have taken primacy over the needs of the Syrian people.

"The central issue is and must remain a credible political transition," said Ban. "I call on all of you to cooperate and fulfil your collective responsibility to protect."
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South Korea strongly denounced the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Thursday, which Seoul's military presumed to have failed.

File photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 24, 2016 shows a scene of an underwater test-fire of submarine ballistic missile in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). [Photo/Xinhua]

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that regardless of whether the launch was a success or not, South Korea strongly condemns the DPRK as the launch is in a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and poses a grave threat to peace and security in the international society and on the Korean peninsula.

The DPRK launched a Musudan missile, which can strike as far as the U.S. military base in Guam, earlier in the morning from the country's northwestern airfield, some 100 km north of the capital Pyongyang.

South Korean military said Thursday's launch appeared to have failed as seen in the previous test of the Musudan missile on Saturday when it exploded shortly after its liftoff.

The South Korean foreign ministry said the provocation was conducted despite the UN Security Council's warning on Monday against Pyongyang over the Oct. 15 Musudan test-launch.

Repeated provocations by Pyongyang, the ministry said, would only deepen the DPRK's international isolation and economic difficulties.
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The crew from the mobile short-range ballistic missile system Iskander-M have conducted tactical exercises at the firing field of Luga in Russia's Western Military District, authorities said Thursday.

A Russian serviceman walks past Russian Iskander-M missile launchers before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, with the Moscow International Business Center also known as "Moskva-City" seen in the background, at a range in Moscow, Russia, May 5, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

"The group ran many kilometers, practiced deploying the Iskander-M and loaded missiles with the help of transport-loading vehicles," said the press office of the Western Military District.

According to the District, over 100 servicemen and over 20 pieces of equipment were involved in the training.

During the drills, the abilities of the commanders to make independent decisions in different situations was also checked.

In December 2013, Russia said it has deployed Iskander-M missiles along the borders with NATO countries. The missiles deployed are said to have a range of 400 kilometers, which do not fall under a category of the middle-range missiles banned by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between Moscow and Washington.
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit Japan next week to "further bolster the strong strategic partnership" between Manila and Tokyo, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag told a news conference at the Malacanang presidential palace that Duterte will make the three-day official visit starting from Tuesday next week.

She said Duterte will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "to discuss matters of mutual interest to both countries."

Banaag said Duterte will also make a state call on Japanese Emperor Akihito at the imperial Palace.

"A bold scope of bilateral discussions between (Duterte) and Japanese leaders will include security, economic and defense cooperation, infrastructure development and development projects in Mindanao (in the southern Philippines), among others," Banaag said.

While in Tokyo, Banaag said Duterte would also meet with Filipinos living in Japan. There are about 400,000 Filipinos in Japan.

Moreover she said that Duterte plans to meet with Japanese top business leaders.

Duterte also plans to visit a Japanese shipbuilding facility while in Japan, she said.

Duterte is expected to return to Manila Friday from his state visit to China that started Tuesday.
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The Syrian army foiled an attack by the armed rebels on the eastern rim of the capital Damascus on Friday, killing 14 of them, a military source told Xinhua.

Residents in Damascus woke up on Friday morning to the sounds of the Syrian artillery pounding the rebels, who unleashed an attack from the rebel-held Jobar neighborhood in eastern countryside of Damascus toward government-controlled areas in eastern Damascus.

According to the source, the rebels started their attack by sneaking into a tunnel toward the districts of Zablatani, and the adjacent al-Hal Souk.

The violent offensive was foiled by the Syrian army, whose soldiers engaged in battles against the rebels, while the artillery pounded the rebels' positions, rendering their offensive flat.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the rebels couldn't make any progress.

Meanwhile, relative calm returned to eastern Damascus districts after the hours-long intensive confrontation amid sporadic artillery shelling on the rebels, and mortar shelling from the rebels on government-controlled areas in eastern Damascus.

Jobar is deemed as one of the most important strongholds for the rebels in the eastern countryside of Damascus.
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Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday, reiterated Nepal's readiness to participate in the China's Belt and Road Initiative saying that the country wants to be benefited from the initiative.

The prime minister made such remarks at a meeting with visiting Chinese Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce Zhang Mao in Kathmandu.

"The prime minister reiterated Nepal's active participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative," Foreign Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister Rishi Raj Adhikari told Xinhua after the meeting.

The Belt and Road refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and the initiatives aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

The two sides discussed on a range of bilateral issues during the meeting.

"Relationship between Nepal and China has remained trouble-free for ages and it needs to be further strengthened in the present context. I believe that frequent exchanges of high level visits help to enhance our bilateral ties," Advisor Adhikari quoted Prime Minister Dahal as saying.

On the occasion, the visiting Chinese minister expressed satisfaction over smooth-running of ongoing various bilateral cooperation projects between China and Nepal.

The Nepali prime minister also expressed happiness over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral exchange of information on the areas of consumers' right protection between Nepal and China recently.

The deal is aimed at helping to create competitive market environment and more particularly, accentuate the trade relations between two neighboring countries, according to Nepal's Ministry of Commerce.
Associated Press

By Christopher Bodeen

 Beijing (AP)  Chinese authorities have released the pastor of the countrys largest Protestant mega-church after he was detained for more than two months following protests against the governments removal of crosses from churches, a church worker said Friday.

Despite gaining his freedom, Joseph Gu Yuese has been confined to his home since his March 31 release and barred from meeting or communicating with others without permission, according to a U.S.-based Christian group.

Gu was formally arrested on Feb. 6 on embezzlement charges that supporters said were invented to punish him for public opposing a campaign by officials in the eastern province of Zhejiang to forcibly remove hundreds of rooftop crosses from churches.

Gu was also banned from the pulpit of his enormous Chongyi Church and removed as head of the provincial state-sanctioned Protestant church association, despite his case not having gone to trial.

A man who answered the phone at church offices in the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou confirmed that Gu had been released but offered few details.

He is out now and lets pray for him, said the man, who declined to give his name. Asked whether Gu had returned to work at the church, the man said: That is impossible.

Chinas officially atheistic communist government has long had an uneasy relationship with Christianity, and Zhejiang has led the charge over the past two years in tearing down church crosses and other outward symbols of the Christian faith, saying they violated building codes.

Critics say thats a sign of how the rapid growth of Christian groups has made the ruling Communist Party nervous. The dispute has been complicated by growing contacts between Chinese churches and overseas supporters at a time of increased government scrutiny toward what it considers foreign meddling in domestic issues.

While authorities have long targeted unsanctioned house churches, the latest crackdown is notable because it involves members of the usually compliant government-sanctioned religious bodies.

China Aid, which is based in Midland, Texas, said it appeared Gu may have been released without trial to prevent his detention throwing a shadow over a meeting between the U.S. and Chinese presidents earlier this month.

All of the people currently apprehended should be released, China Aid founder Bob Fu said in a news release, referring to others held or sentenced amid the Zhejiang crackdown.

China Aid Contacts

Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.chinaaid.org
Wang Wei, deputy director of the administrative committee of the Tianjin High-tech Area, speaks during an interview in Tianjin on Oct 20, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's northern port city Tianjin will join hands with Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland and the third-largest city in the UK, in new energy vehicle (NEV) development, said an official of Tianjin on Thursday.

The Tianjin High-tech Area signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Allied Vehicles Group, the UK's leading supplier of adapted and special purpose vehicles, in NEV, according to Wang Wei, deputy director of the administrative committee of the high-tech zone.

The high-tech area has formed a complete NEV industrial chain over the years, said Wang. In the sector of battery, the most key technology for NEVs, a 6 billion ($889.7 million) yuan power battery project from Boston-Power, a world leading battery provider, is expected to settle in the high-tech zone soon, Wang revealed.

In the field of motor, the world's leading in-wheel motor producer Protean Electric plans to invest 450 million yuan in an in-wheel motor production line in the area, which is expected to have an annual output value of 1.2 billion yuan as it goes into operation, Wang said.

In terms of complete vehicle manufacturing, the high-tech zone has projects from automobile manufacturers such as Hawtai Motor Group, the National New Energy Vehicle Co and the China Hi-tech New Energy Automobile Co Ltd, he said.

Looking forward, the high-tech zone will expand the industrial chain based on its strength, with priority on shaping itself into an innovation center for NEVs and power batteries, said Wang.

The area will also strive to be a R&D and production center of NEVs with world leading technologies, he added.

The high-tech zone is expected to see investment in the NEV sector increase by nearly 80 billion yuan by 2020, with a total output of around 120 billion yuan.
China welcomed the World Trade Organization's recent rulings that certain anti-dumping measures of the United States against Chinese exports are in violation of its rules, said the Ministry of Commerce in a statement.

"The US and some other countries that initiate trade investigations into China are abusing the trade remedy measures. This has a negative influence on the international trade environment," said Sun Yibiao, vice-minister of the General Administration of Customs of China on Thursday.

An official with the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that all countries shouldn't set up standards that go beyond the WTO rules, nor should they determine anti-dumping remedies deviating from the rules.

The WTO ruled against the 13 anti-dumping methods taken by the US Commerce Department on Chinese products in terms of targeted dumping and a refusal to set separate rates, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Dumping is found when a firm exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges on its domestic market.

On Dec 3, 2013, China filed a WTO complaint against the US over anti-dumping measures on machinery, electronics, light industry, metals and minerals. The products' annual export value totaled nearly $ 8.4 billion, said the Ministry of Commerce in a statement.

China urges the US to respect the rulings of the WTO, correct the wrongdoing of abusing the trade remedy measures and ensure Chinese companies enjoy a fair competition trade environment, the ministry stated.

The ministry said China is currently evaluating the panel report, and doing follow-up work in accordance with WTO disputes settlement procedures.

The US initiated 18 trade-remedy measures against Chinese products including steel, agricultural and photo-voltaic products in the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

China's nonmarket economy status is seen as a major obstacle for Chinese enterprises to deal with anti-dumping investigations. As a condition of joining the WTO, China agreed in 2001 that other WTO members could treat it as a "nonmarket economy" for 15 years ending on Dec 11, 2016.

As the deadline draws near, however, some members are disputing the automatic recognition of China as a market economy.

"Excessive trade protection is the primary reason that major economies continue to launch trade investigations on Chinese products and limit China' access for trade," said Chen Xuedong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation
Boxes of swimsuits sold online at a logistics warehouse in Binhai Economic Zone in Huludao city, Northeast Chinas Liaoning province, on Oct 20, 2016. [Photo by Yao Yao/ chinadaily.com.cn]

A coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning province is happy to see that the swimsuits it produced took up 40 percent of the domestic market share and 20 percent of the overseas market share. The big market share was not possible without internet plus strategy.

Huludao, also called China's Swimsuits Capital, produces 180 million swimsuits annually with 60,000 employees in the city. And the swimsuits are sold in more than 140 countries and regions, including Russia, the US and South Korea.

"In 2015, Xingcheng swimsuits industry cluster made a sales revenue of 12.61 billion yuan ($1.87 billion), and the export sales took up nearly $80 million," said Liu Xiaojun, vice-mayor of Xingcheng city, a prefecture-level city in Huludao city.

"Nowadays, the swimsuits industry in Huludao is using the opportunity brought by internet to seize its place in global market, which can be seen in the fact that local companies decided to set up logistics warehouse in foreign countries on the basis of big data analysis," said Li Haifeng, president of the Xincheng Swimsuit Industry Association.

Li said that Tiancheng Swimming Industry Service Co Ltd in Huludao city has built some overseas O2O experience centers in the cities including Los Angeles and Madrid, and also logistics warehouses, which not only sell the swimsuits produced in Huludao city to other countries, but also import some quality swimsuits from foreign countries to improve domestic swimsuits production.

Another example is the first e-commerce swimsuits seller I'M XIAOTAO (in Chinese: Xiao Tao Yong Yi) in Xingcheng city. I'M XIAOTAO, established in 2003, has been the swimsuits sales champion from 2009 to 2015 on the basis of the data from Taobao.

Besides swimsuits, the original farm produce can also be sold out to enrich local farmers' income through cuntao, a rural e-commerce platform launched by e-commerce giant Alibaba.

On Oct 12, 2015, Xincheng city agreed to develop cuntao with Alibaba. Thanks to cuntao, "locally planted peanuts, a geographical indication product of China with an almost zero aflatoxin, can be sold on the Taobao," said Liu Xiaojun.

Apart from increasing rural residents' income, cuntao also helps improve locals' life quality, since nowadays they can buy the things which are not easy for them to buy due to a long distance and inconvenient traffic in the past, said Liu.

Facing the booming e-commerce development in Huludao city, Liu said local government are thinking about how to let the swimsuits industry influence the development of local tourism and cultural industry.
MACAO - The 21st edition of Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) opened here Thursday with participation of delegations from over 50 countries and regions.

The theme of the three-day event is "Cooperation - Key to Business Opportunities."

Macao's Secretary for Economy and Finance Leong Vai Tac said during his opening speech that the Macao Special Administrative Region has worked hard to develop the exhibition industry as one backbone to its diversified economy, and the IMF is an important part of that effort.

"This fair has been recognized as a platform for regional trade and investment cooperation, and we will continue our effort to innovate and made greater contribution to regional cooperation," Leong added.

This year's exhibition covers more than 30,000 square meters, and sets up over 1,600 exhibition booths and several exhibition areas. More than 40 forums, promotion meetings and seminars have been or will be held during the trade fair.

Portugal and Beijing have been invited as the partner country and the partner city respectively. Both sides organized high-level delegation groups who seek bilateral and multilateral cooperation opportunities through large exhibitions and promotion activities.

The 21st MIF also sets up for the first time a commercial and trade service area for small and medium-sized enterprises from China and Portuguese-speaking countries, which will provide information relating to the products, services, investment projects and business laws for companies who intend to expand markets in the Portuguese-speaking countries.
Night view of the Tianhe central business district on June 26, 2016.[Photo/IC]

China-Russia Internet Media Forum will be held in Tianhe district, Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province between Oct 28 and Oct 29, 2016.

The forum, whose theme is "development and cooperation between Chinese and Russian internet new media organizations", aims to enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, create an information platform for the Belt and Road countries, enable relevant enterprises to hold dialogues and further promote development in the cultural, creative and information industries of the two nations.

With the assistance of Sputnik News Agency and Radio, the forum will be hosted by China Daily website under the guidance of the organizing committee of Sino-Russian Media Exchange Year and the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation.

Due to achievements made by Guangzhou's Tianhe district in recent years in technological innovation and international exchanges, it was chosen as the venue of the forum, a major event of the 2016-2017 Sino-Russian Media Exchange Year, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2015, according to the organizer of the event.

The China-Russia New Media Youth Leadership Summit will be held over the same time in Guangzhou's Tianhe district.
Automaker hopes to attract technology-savvy motorists in the world's major megacities

Chinese automaker Geely launched a new car brandLynk & Coon Thursday in Berlin as it seeks to seize the midrange market.

The medium-sized, tech-laden SUV was developed by Geely's China Euro Vehicle Technology R&D center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

An Conghui, CEO of Geely, stressed the strong coordination, research and development between Geely and Volvo, which Geely acquired six years ago.

The R&D center has grown from nothing to more than 1,000 employees and consultants in just 3 years.

The design of the new Lynk & Co is a bit different from concept cars, and has a modern European look.

"This car points toward the future," said Peter Horbury, Geely's executive vice president of design. "It shows the design language is versatile and flexible."

Horbury said it aims to create a strong personality that has both European and Chinese characteristics.

The new brand is targeting tech-savvy drivers, especially young people in megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, New York and London.

Andreas Nilsson, Geely's head of design, said: "Our car needed to stand out from the crowd and appeal to a global audience. Our interior design reflects this and feels familiar in the context of new technology."

The new brand is said to be an entirely new way to own and use the car. Registered owners will be able to rent out their car to others using the Lynk & Co app and a shareable digital key, said Alain Visser, senior vice president at Lynk & Co.

The first Lynk & Co vehicle will make its debut in China in 2017, and launch in Europe and the US in 2018.

Analysts say the brand is likely to be less luxurious than Volvo, but higher rated than Geely, and will go head-to-head with Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford and Hyundai.

Michael D Dunne, president of Dunne Automotive, an investment advisory company, said: "It combines Chinese financial and manufacturing efficiency with an international team of designers and engineers. It will compete with mainstream products."

But the road ahead for any new brand of auto can be bumpy.

Namrita Chow, principal analyst at IHS Automotive, a global information company, said the performance of the brand will depend on its price.

"One of the challenges will come from China's local producers" because many of them have also done well with R & D and sales in recent years, Chow said.

Geely saw sales of its feature-packed cars grow for 16 consecutive months to September.
Nissan Motor Co completed its acquisition of a $2.3 billion stake in Mitsubishi Motors Corp, clearing the way for Carlos Ghosn to take over as chairman and embark on a bid to turn around a third major automaker.

Mitsubishi Motors said Nissan paid 468.52 yen ($4.54) per share for about 34 percent of its outstanding stock. Ghosn will become chairman effective on Dec 14, putting him at the helm of Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan and its alliance partner Renault SA.

Nissan is coming to Mitsubishi Motors' rescue following its admissions of improperly measuring fuel economy and manipulating test data.

A Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance creates the world's fourth-largest auto group, after Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. An industry wide push toward electrification and autonomous-driving technology is leading smaller carmakers to align with bigger rivals to share resources and save costs, exemplified by Suzuki Motor Corp's talks to form an alliance with Toyota.

Mitsubishi Motors Chairman and President Osamu Masuko will stay on as president of the company. An alliance with Nissan will create 25 billion yen in synergies for the 2017 fiscal year, he said.

Nissan expects common platforms and joint purchasing will yield savings equal to about 20 percent of its investment. The two companies have highlighted financial services, pickup trucks, and plug-in hybrid and electric cars among areas they can complement each other.

Bloomberg
Geely launched a new car brandLynk & Coin Berlin, Germany on Thursday. [Photo/China Daily]

Chinese automaker Geely launched a new brand of carLynk & Coon Thursday in Berlin in its drive to seize the midrange market.

The medium-sized, tech-laden SUV was developed by Geely's China Euro Vehicle Technology R & D center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Li Shufu, chairman and founder of Geely, said that the new brand merges safety and high quality with modern technology,embodying the response from the traditional automaker to the challenges of internet companies.

Li stressed the strong research and development ties between Geely and Volvo, a company it acquired six years ago, led to the new product.The R & D center in Sweden has grown from nothing to more than 1,000 employees and consultants in just three years.

The design of the new Lynk & Co auto is distinct from concept cars, and has a modern European look.

"This car points toward the future," said Peter Horbury, Geely's executive vice-president of design. "It shows the design language is versatile and flexible."

Horbury said the car has a personality with both European and Chinese characteristics.

The brand targets tech-savvy drivers, especially young people in megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, New York and London.

Andreas Nilsson, Geely's head of design, said: "Our car needed to stand out from the crowd and appeal to a global audience. Our interior design reflects this and feels familiar in the context of new technology."

The makers say the car offers an entirely new way to own and use a vehicle.Registered owners will be able to rent out their car to others using the Lynk & Co app and a shareable digital key, said Alain Visser, senior vice-president at Lynk & Co.

The first vehicle will make its debut in China in 2017, and will launch in Europe and the US in 2018.

Analysts say the brand is likely to be less luxurious than Volvo, but higher rated than Geely, and will go head-to-head with Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford and Hyundai.

Michael D Dunne, president of Dunne Automotive, an investment advisory company, said: "It combines Chinese financial and manufacturing efficiency with an international team of designers and engineers. It will compete with mainstream products."

But the road ahead for any new brand of auto can be bumpy.

Namrita Chow,principal analyst at IHS Automotive, a global information company, said the performance of the brand will depend on its price.

"One of the challenges will come from China's local producers" because many of them have also done well with R & D and sales inrecent years, Chow said.

Geely saw sales of its feature-packed cars grow for 16 consecutive months to September.
Visitors walk past the Qualcomm Inc stand at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona. [Photo/Agencies]

US chip giant Qualcomm Inc has set up an innovation center in Shenzhen, southern Guangdong province, in a move to deepen its business in the Chinese market by taking advantage of the country's innovation drive.

It is the first innovation center the company has set up in the country.

The innovation center will provide technological support to Chinese enterprises with a focus on the internet of things, which the company believes will be a promising sector that will see explosive growth.

The world's leading electromagnetic testing equipment, for example, will be included in the center's experimental lab, providing precise testing services for innovative companies to help them reduce research and development costs and increase international competitiveness.

"Shenzhen has strong innovation capability," Frank Meng, chairman of Qualcomm China, said.

"With the accumulation of technology, capital and talents in China over the years, many 'China Firsts' will emerge in robots, virtual reality and other fields," he said. "We hope the establishment of the innovation center will help us deepen cooperation with Chinese enterprises in innovation to achieve mutual development."

Having been in the Chinese market for more than 20 years, the chip-maker has research and development centers in Beijing and Shanghai.

The newly-established Shenzhen innovation center is different from the R&D centers, Meng said, pointing out that R&D centers mainly focus on developing the company's own technologies and promoting them to the market.

"At the innovation center, however, the aim is to make joint efforts with Chinese enterprises to promote innovation. Cooperation will be carried out at an earlier stage so that we can develop technologies and products together with Chinese enterprises," Meng said.

The center will also provide capital investment to help small and medium-sized enterprises in Shenzhen and Guangdong province innovate, Meng added.

Qualcomm announced in July 2014 that it was setting up a $150 million fund to invest in Chinese startups, mainly in the internet, e-commerce, semiconductor, education and health sectors.

"There are a number of innovative enterprises in Shenzhen which own creative ideas, but are in need of help in technology," said Jason Low, a Shanghai-based analyst with Canalys. "Establishment of the innovation center by the information technology giant provides a favorable condition for them to turn their creative ideas into reality."
BRUSSELS - European countries can learn from China's innovation-driven economy represented by leading e-commerce companies like Alibaba, experts attending a symposium said on Thursday in Brussels.

Duncan Clark, an expert on the internet and entrepreneurship in China and author of "Alibaba: the House That Jack Ma Built," told Xinhua that the firm represents an innovation-driven economy which can enlighten European countries lagging behind in this field.

China is setting out a step-by-step approach for building it into an innovative nation by 2020, an international leader in innovation by 2030 and a world power house of scientific and technological innovation by 2050, he said on the sidelines of a policy insight debate.

Propelling such an ambitious target forward are the country's high-profile tech companies like Alibaba, Clark noted.

Alibaba was founded by Ma in a small apartment in 1999, the year Clark first met him. It has since become one of the world's largest companies on which millions of Chinese consumers depend. Ma, for his success, has long been an icon among the youth in China and around the world.

Referring to Alibaba's innovative business mode of bringing choices to people, Clark said, "There's no Alibaba-style company in Europe, the market is dominated by US companies like Amazon and Ebay. The situation should be and can be changed."

"The key to Alibaba's success is the scale of consumers. Europe also has such a scale, so it can learn from Alibaba," said Clark, who is also chairman of BDA China, an advisory firm serving investors in China's technology and consumer sectors.

The policy insight debate focusing on innovation-driven economy is organized jointly by ChinaEU, a business-led international association, and the China Internet Development Foundation in association with Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe.

Echoing Clark's views on innovation, Chen Laiji, associate professor of Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication, Shantou University of China, said, "Ma and Alibaba made the most of opportunity through innovation and new technology revolution."

"But their successes also reflect Confucian thought which stresses hard work," Chen said.
Visitors walk past the stand of Digital China during the 14th China International Industry Fair in Shanghai, November 8, 2012. [Photo/IC]

China's largest IT service provider Digital China Group Co Ltd signed a cooperation agreement with Oracle (China) Software System Co Ltd on Thursday, seeking larger enterprise market shares in China.

The cooperation aims to enable Digital China to provide enterprise clients with more products with their own brand. With the help of Oracle, Digital China will arrange sales cooperation, marketing training, project management and augment technical support.

According to Digital China, it will introduce an all-in-one database machine, based on Oracle's core technology.

"To drive the partnership, Digital China will set up a special technical team. We will also invest more money in technology, talents, market and other related fields. In the future, both sides will tap deeper to meet market demand in terms of the internet, cloud computing and big data," said Ye Haiqiang, vice president at Digital China.

Li Hanzhang, senior vice president of Oracle, said, "Digital China has been deeply involved in China's information technology for more than 30 years, having a thorough understanding of the Chinese market and users' needs. We are glad to see our partnership moving forward."

Oracle, which first entered China in 1989, offers a fully integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services for more than 420,000 customers across 145 countries and areas.

To date, Digital China has built China's biggest IT marketing network, covering 860 cities and 30,000 partners in China. The company has provided information technology products, solutions and services for more than one million Chinese enterprises.

As the internet and information technology penetrates the economic and social fields, information security has become increasingly important, according to a report released by Shenzhen-based CI Consulting. Last year, the global information security market totaled $124.2 billion with an annual growth rate of 12 percent.

Digital China's president Yan Guorong said, "We are doing three things today, including building our own branding, cloud marketplace platforms and B2B ecological platforms. In terms of our own branding, we will cooperate with more suppliers."
Hua Yan, a female giant panda, is released into the wild in Shimian county, Sichuan province, on Thursday. [Photo by He Haiyang/For China Daily]

There have been seven bears set free since 2006, two of which diedTwo captive female pandas from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, were released into the Liziping Nature Reserve in the province's Shimian county on Thursday morning.

Hua Yan, 3, and Zhang Meng, 2, started receiving training for survival when they were about 1 year old.

"The two cubs have distinguished themselves in training and can recognize their natural enemies, establish their own territory, and look for food and a source of water," said Huang Yan, chief engineer of the center.

Thursday marked the sixth time pandas from the center had been released into the wild with the intention of increasing the wild panda population.

"The purpose of breeding captive pandas is to conduct research and return them to the wild to enlarge the wild panda population and prevent their extinction," center chief Zhang Hemin said.

The center was set up in 1980 under an agreement between the World Wide Fund for Nature, formerly the World Wildlife Fund, and the Chinese government.

Jia Jia, the longest-living panda in captivity, who was euthanized at the age of 38 on Sunday at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, was captured as a cub in 1980 in the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve in Sichuan.

It used to be difficult for captive pandas to become eroused and mate, and for their cubs to survive. As researchers in the center have worked to solve the three problems, the center has built up the world's largest captive panda population. It is home to 234 captive pandas, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the world's captive panda population.

As the center has enough captive pandas to prevent the species' extinction, it has released captive pandas instead of catching them for research purposes, Zhang said.

The first panda released into the wild was Xiang Xiang, who was born in 2001. The male panda was released in 2006. In 2007, his body was found in the woods, with broken ribs and injuries to his ears and back. Researchers suspected he had taken refuge in a tree after fighting with wild pandas, but had fallen.

His death forced handlers to revise their approach to training pandas to survive in the wild. They started training female pandas to be released into the wild.

"Female pandas might be more likely to integrate into the wild panda population. Releasing a captive panda into the wild cannot be hailed as a success until the bear has been accepted by a wild panda and has one or more cubs with a wild panda," Zhang said.

Since 2006, the center has released seven panda cubs into the wild, five of them female.

In 2013, Zhang Xiang, a 2-year-old female, was released into Liziping.

Earlier this year, researchers wanted to capture her for a checkup. With information from a GPS tag on her neck, they managed to find her after trekking the mountains for nearly three hours.

But she ran away at the sight of humans. Although no physical checkup was conducted, she is believed to be in good health, said Zhang Guiquan, a senior researcher in the center.
By ZHENG CAIXIONG in Guangzhou and LUIS LIU in Hong Kong | China Daily | Updated: 2016-10-21 07:52

A woman stands outside her house which was damaged by a fallen tree during Typhoon Haima in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, in northern Philippines on Thursday. [Photo/Agencies]

Coastal cities and government departments in the southern province of Guangdong are on high alert and preparing for possible disasters caused by Typhoon Haima.

Haima, the 22nd typhoon to hit China this year, is expected to slam into coastal areas between Zhuhai at the mouth of the Pearl River and Shanwei in the eastern part of the province on Friday noon.

Haima, which will be accompanied by raging winds, is expected to wreak havoc in the southern Chinese region on Friday and Saturday.

All fishing boats, ferries and related vessels in the cities and counties that may be hit by Haima are required to return to typhoon shelters before noon on Friday, according to a notice issued by the provincial government on Thursday.

Major construction sites in such cities are also required to cease activity to prevent any casualties, the notice said.

Effective and concrete measures are required to protect coastal dikes and water conservancy projects, and prevent possible landslides and flooding caused by Haima.

Zhang Hongwei, a fisherman in Zhuhai, said most of the fishing boats in the city had returned to shelters by Thursday evening.

"The gales accompanying Haima are so strong that no one will dare to risk their lives to go fishing in the coming two days," Zhang said.

Guangzhou Railway Group canceled part of its train service operating in the eastern part of Guangdong.

The Guangzhou meteorological bureau issued a yellow alert on Friday, indicating that local kindergarten, primary and high school classes will be suspended.

The Shenzhen government has also ordered kindergartens and schools to suspend classes on Friday.

In Hong Kong, the local observatory forecast that the weather will "deteriorate significantly" with frequent squalls and heavy rain, a rare occurrence in late October in Hong Kong.

As seas will be rough with swells, and flooding in low-lying areas is possible, the observatory warned the public to remain vigilant and take precautions as early as possible.

Dragonair, Cathay Pacific Airways and Hong Kong Airlines estimated that flights scheduled from Friday morning to Saturday morning will be affected. The airlines urged passengers to move forward or postpone travel plans according to the situation. Taiwan's China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines had canceled 24 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan as of Thursday.

Ferry services were closed in the Pearl River Delta. Routes from Hong Kong to Guangdong's Jiangmen, Doumen, Zhuhai, Shekou and Lianhuashan were suspended from 3 pm on Thursday until Saturday.

Train services between regional cities will be halted due to bad weather.

In Southeast Asia, Haima weakened and blew out to sea on Thursday after smashing the northern Philippines with ferocious winds and rain overnight. Flooding, landslides and power outages were evident, but large casualties appeared to have been averted after nearly 100,000 people fled to safer ground.

At least seven people were killed in the storm, officials said. But evacuations from high-risk communities helped prevent a larger number of casualties.
Qu Shuanling weaves a pair of insoles at her home in Huachi county, Gansu province. [Photo/China Daily]

A cold autumn wind blew across the Loess Plateau in Huachi county, Gansu province, but beads of sweat were rolling down the face of Qu Shuanling in her yaodong, a type of cave dwelling common in the area.

With a blanket wrapped around her lower half, the 29-year-old lay flat on her stomach on a 1.5-meter-wide kang, or raised heated bed, trying to keep her hands steady as she wove intricate details onto a traditional Chinese insole.

Gansu is famous for its handcrafted insoles, and local women often make them to prove their deftness. But for Qu, it is a much more serious mattershe is partially paralyzed and the income from her work is crucial to providing for her family of four.

Qu is one of the 17,000 documented poverty-stricken residents in Huachi countythere are 4.17 million in the whole of Gansu. Her family's annual income is 3,000 yuan ($450) per capita, which is 1,000 yuan below the province's projected poverty threshold for 2017.

She is waiting to be resettled next year under the local government's poverty alleviation program, which will move her family to somewhere with better economic opportunities and infrastructure. But until then, her insoles are her only form of income.

Seven years ago, Qu fell off a motorized tricycle and landed on her back. "My neck was in great pain, but I felt nothing below my chest," she recalled.

After surgery, she went to a rehabilitation center and saw patients struggling to stand, even after years of therapy. "It was then I realized I too might never walk again," she said.

At age 22, with a 1-year-old daughter, Qu was paralyzed from the waist down. She even contemplated suicide, but the thought of not seeing her daughter grow up pulled her out of her despair.

Her husband works as a casual laborer and would often collapse asleep in a chair after a long day at work. Seeing this, Qu was determined to do what she could to support the family, without leaving her bed.

She began weaving insoles in 2013, studying designs by browsing the internet on her mobile phone and falling in love with the craft almost at once.

Within a week, she had finished her first pair, which were sold to a bride in Shaanxi province through WeChat for 100 yuan.

"I was so happy when someone bought my handicrafts. I could finally buy some new clothes for my daughter," she said.

Qu had her second daughter last year, which filled her with new determination. "These insoles are really hard to make. When my neck and back get too tired, I hug my 10-month-old daughter in my arms and rest a little," she said.

It takes a week for Qu to make one pair of insoles. She posts her designs and receives orders entirely through the WeChat platform. A standard pair sells for 100 yuan each, while those stitched with Chinese blessings cost 150 yuan.

Most of her customers are WeChat users who sympathize with her condition and although her insoles have sold far and wide, from Shanghai to Guangdong province, her earnings can swing from 500 yuan one month to nothing the next.

But she doesn't let the uncertainty discourage her from trying to help out with the family finances.

Many of Qu's customers go out their way to support her. Some even send donations of more than 200 yuan a time.

A friend from Guizhou province has also sent her boxes of medicine to help with her bedsores.

"I am grateful to all the people who have helped me," she said. "I wish my body could be healthier so I could make more insoles with blessings for everyone."
Yang Feng with a microsatellite developed by his company in Changsha, Hunan province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The microsatellite market, worth $30 billion, accounts for 10 percent of the whole industry

While most people consider space technology to be a serious scientific topic, Yang Feng describes it as "something sexy".

In the office of his satellite company, walls are decorated with NASA posters, because he feels they help create a "sexy atmosphere".

He had a company T-shirt made with two sentences printed on the back: "World's Greatest Aerospace Engineer. Yes, I am a scientist."

"When I wear it in public, it gets a lot of attention," he said.

The 34-year-old is the CEO of Spacety Aerospace Co, which develops microsatellites for scientific experiments and technology validation, in Changsha, capital of Hunan province.

Said to be the country's first privately funded satellite company, Yang's firm is unusual for China, where almost all satellites are developed by large State-owned corporations and all the launching sites are State-owned.

In the space industry, private companies are more heavily involved in the satellite applications fields of telecommunications, remote sensing and navigation, but not satellite building.

"Many people think satellites must be big, heavy constructions, but in fact, microsatellites can achieve what big satellites do at a lower cost," said Yang, who used to work for a State-owned organization.

In addition, using microsatellites for scientific experiments and technology validation is a market worth $30 billion, or 10 percent of the global satellite applications market, he said.

"Last year, the government adopted favorable policies for private capital to enter the space industry and encouraged scientific researchers to start businesses. I read success stories of private space companies abroad, such as SpaceX, Skybox and Planet Labs, and I believed it could also work in China," he said.

Yang quit his job last year and brought together a group of people, with an average age younger than 30, who boasted similar career backgrounds and had shared goals.

"Elon Musk is an idol for us. It's his story that led me and my colleagues to pursue the commercialization of satellite applications, but we don't compare ourselves to him, because what we've achieved, so far, is not comparable to his achievements," he said.

But what his group has done has already exceeded many people's expectations.

After recently securing investment of more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), his company will see two satellites launched before the end of the year.

One of them is to help researchers conduct scientific experiments in microgravity. The satellite was jointly developed by Yang's company and its European partners, and will be launched in Europe.

The other, a self-developed CubeSata type of miniaturized satellite for space researchis scheduled to be blasted off at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in November and will test some key technologies developed by the company.

"If successful, our satellites could be more cost-effective and will allow scientists, engineers and public users to access and control satellites more conveniently," he said.

Yang's company plans to launch three more satellites next year, one of which is an astronomical satellite.

The idea emerged after Yang heard one of his friends, an amateur stargazer, spent more than 100,000 yuan last year on a survey telescope in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to better see the stars.

"The money he is willing to spend on stargazing shocked me. It came to me that we could launch a satellitenamed Mini Hubbleequipped with an optical astronomical telescope and connect it to the web, so stargazers around the world can access it via the internet and take photos with it," he said.

"The benefits of working for yourself, instead of within the State system, are that you can pursue your own innovative ideas and hopefully see some returns," he said.
After more than six decades, Shang Yuanmei (left), 93, receives her husband's letter at her home in Lishui, Zhejiang province, delivered by Chen Jingtao (right), a member of staff at the Jilin Provincial Archives.Provided By Jilin Provincial Archives

Messages written at the height of a crucial siege are finally arriving at the homes of their intended recipients, six decades after the end of China's civil war. Zhao Xu and Liu Ce report from Shenyang.

"I dreamed of you last night, reclining against my chest ... only to wake to the incessant rain beating on the window. Frogs are croaking nonstop. Deep inside, I feel a sudden invasion of loneliness, a loneliness that disrupts my peace of mind ..."

Those words were written by Liang Zhenfen, a veteran soldier with the Chinese Nationalist Army, on the night of June 3, 1948, during the siege of Changchun, capital of Jilin province and a Nationalist stronghold. It was two years into the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists, and barely four weeks since the Communists had laid siege to the city in Northeast China.

The letter was sealed in an envelope stamped with multiple seals and the words "Air-Mail", in English. It should have traveled 2,900 km to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and landed in the hands of Huang Guantang, Liang's girlfriend, who he had nicknamed Bi, meaning "Jadeite".

It never arrived. Instead, 62 years later, in early 2010, a copy was handed to Liang by his longtime carer, Li Bei, who had just returned to Guangzhou, Liang's home, from the Jilin Provincial Archives in Changchun, where the letter is kept along with 1,396 others written by Nationalist soldiers stationed in the city from May to October 1948.

Wang Man, director of the archive's material collection office, said she could hardly imagine the depth of emotion in the letters, until she leafed carefully through the dried-out, yellowed pages.

"The vertical lines-Chinese used to be written vertically, from right to left-are powerfully evocative," she said. "The rustling sound made by the turning of the pages reminded me of a river, the river of history which once flooded, rather ruthlessly, over these young lives."

Personal details

In May 1948, a 100,000-strong Communist force advanced to the outskirts of Changchun and laid siege to the city, which contained 100,000 Nationalist soldiers and hundreds of thousands of local residents. The siege lasted until mid-October, when some of the Nationalist soldiers revolted and the last defenses collapsed.

"What is mentioned briefly in high school history books is recounted in bristling detail in the letters, which also contain personal photographs, awards certificates and money orders," Wang said.

Since 2010, the archive has been searching for the owners, including senders and recipients, and their offspring. "We give them high-quality copies - the real letters stay in the archive permanently," she said. "By doing this, we intend to shed more light on these precious materials and offer solace to wounded souls."

Last year, the archive joined with Netease, a leading Chinese internet company, to get the message out. So far, the owners of about 40 letters have been traced across 10 provinces.

The circumstances under which some of the letters were written are likely to remain mysteries. One was written on June 11, 1948, by Yang Yanting, a field doctor with the Nationalist Army, to his mother. He recalled childhood events, and tried to "peer towards my hometown in the far southwest, but the view was clouded by dark plumes of smoke from another round of bombing."

The Communists had already taken control of Dafangshen Airport, on the city's northwestern fringe, which effectively cut off air traffic between Changchun and Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, the nearest Nationalist stronghold, 300 km away. Even though no letters could be sent, the increasingly desperate Nationalist troops still wrote them.

Soybeans and suffering

The bombing campaign continued, in part to prevent Nationalist airplanes from dropping supplies. The result was "a winter scene" depicted by Jilin Daily on July 23, 1948: "In the city park, the trees are largely leafless ... those that still had some left saw their branches bent to the weight of a few hungry gentlemen."

In a recent interview, Zuo Lichun, a self-professed "old Changchun hand", said that during the siege his mouth became "a soybean milk machine".

"Our whole family would only get up after dark - that's when my mother reached for a small bag of soybeans. Each one of us got a few-no more than 10 I think. After chewing until there was nothing left, we curled up in bed and closed our eyes," the 86-year-old recalled.

Zuo saw the body of an elderly woman in the street: "I dared not to go up and look. A passer-by said, 'she's dead'. Money wasn't worth anything: a big sack of banknotes was not enough to buy one shallow scoop of rice, and people with gold bullion traded it for a block of wine lees."

Zuo is one of about 70 people connected with the siege who have been interviewed by Qiao Huibo, from the Jilin archive.

One of them is Shang Yuanmei, 93, the intended recipient of a letter written by her husband, Zheng Zhida, a Nationalist soldier, in June, 1948.

The last time they had seen each other was in 1944, when Zheng's regiment passed their home in Zhejiang province, and it would be more than four decades before they met again.

"My grandpa fled Changchun during the siege, and left for Taiwan before 1949," Shang Xiaowan said. Her mother was the veteran's only daughter with Shang Yuanmei.

"When grandpa returned in the 1980s, he was with fellow veterans who had just been granted permission to visit the mainland. My mother recognized him instantly because she looked just like him."

Qiao gave the replica letter to Shang Yuanmei in August last year, three years after Zheng died in Taiwan at the age of 91.

"Initially she showed no emotion. Yet when she started to trace the lines of familiar writing with her fingers, her lips began to tremble. The shore of her memory, which must be littered with wreckage from the past, was being flooded once again," the 38-year-old said.

Escape

By comparison, 86-year-old Ma Yulan was lucky: her 93-year-old husband, Chen Yixiu, gave her a comforting pat on the back as she haltingly told the story of her escape.

"I left my woolen coat - my only valuable possession - with a man who got me and my infant daughter out through his associates in the Communist army," she said. "I had to part with the coat, anyway. Someone told me that looking like the wife of a Nationalist officer would do me no good. That was just a few weeks before the siege started."

In January, 1948, Ma gave birth to a daughter in Changchun, while her husband, a Nationalist army doctor, was stationed in Shenyang. "I remember walking to one of the checkpoints on the city border, baby in arms. There, people were piling up, all wanting desperately to get out," she said. She and her husband were later reunited in Shenyang.

In early 1946, Nationalist troops were sent to Northeast China, where fierce battles were about to break out between them and the Communists. Chen was stationed in Shenyang, as part of the 50th division of the New First Army of the Nationalist Army. At the same time, Liang Zhenfen's 38th division merged with other forces to form the New Seventh Army - the main force defending Changchun.

War of attrition

Chen Jingtao, 43, joined the archives in 2009. Having met several letter writers and recipients, he rejects criticism of the Communist's tactics.

"There were casualties - no doubt about that. But if fighting had broken out, there would probably have been many more deaths," he said. "At the beginning, no one, including locals, was allowed out by the besiegers. This is understandable from a military point of view, since the siege was designed to bring the Nationalist troops to their knees, mainly by cutting off their food supply. Letting people out would have lengthened the process, and possibly allowed spies to escape."

However, during the middle and latter stages of the siege, when starvation gripped the city, the checkpoints were opened a number of times to let people out.

"Those who left were treated very well. A few years ago, a Communist soldier who participated in the siege told me that they prepared rice soup for the 'newcomers' - soup because the people had been starving for so long that their stomach walls had become extremely thin and inelastic," he said.

Qiao's grandmother lost two of her three young children, including a newborn son, to starvation, before she managed to flee the siege with her surviving child. Later, she had six more children, including Qiao's father.

Friends and enemies

Among the besiegers was Li Zuyao, the father of Li Bei, who has cared for Liang, the veteran, for the past eight years.

"Liang was interviewed in a documentary I watched about the siege in 2008," the 55-year-old Guangzhou resident said. "Before his death in 2005, my father's stories offered me glimpses of that history. What did his former enemy have to say? I wondered, and knocked on the door."

It was the start of a caring relationship. Li Bei said she rediscovered the father who had left her, while Liang found the daughter he never had.

"My father and Liang are so similar. Both had excellent recall and were avid map readers, with keen interests in geography and history," Li Bei said.

On April 5, 2006, Liang visited the New First Army Memorial in Guangzhou. The memorial was built by the Nationalists between 1945 and 1947 to commemorate those who had fought and fallen in the China-Burma-India Theater, which saw some of the bitterest fighting of World War II.

There, he befriended Yan Weiquan, a WWII historian whose father-in-law was a New First Army general. In 2009, Yan undertook research at the Jilin archive. "I came across a book published by the archive a few years earlier which consists of more than 100 letters. Liang's was among them."

When Li Bei handed Liang a copy of the letter, the old soldier simply smiled bashfully. Bi died in 1995, and the last time they saw each other was in the early 1980s.

"Liang was captured at the end of the siege, but was released in 1954," Li Bei said. "He returned to Guangzhou, but refused to marry Bi, fearing that more upheaval was about to come."

Bi moved to the mountainous province of Guizhou, nearly 1,500 km from Guangzhou, where she had a daughter. In August last year, Liang met Bi's daughter for the first time. "She gave him a photo of her mother, the only one the old man ever had," Li Bei said.

Liang had written "No 316" on the envelope of the letter. "That means it was the 316th letter he had written to her (Bi) since he left Guangzhou in the spring of 1946," Li said. "It was also the last he wrote to her, and the only one known to still exist."

Following their breakup in the 1950s, Bi burned the letters Liang had sent her.

The last visit

In 2009, Zheng, the former Nationalist soldier, returned to the mainland for the last time.

"Over the years, my grandfather returned more than 20 times, despite the fact that he had married in Taiwan. He couldn't forget my grandma," Shang Xiaowan said

Shang Yuanmei's memory is increasingly frail, yet every day, the 93-year-old picks up the replica letter and gazes at the promise her 27-year-old husband made all those years ago: "I will be back very soon."

Han Junhong contributed to the story.

Left: An undated photo of Huang Guantang (left) and a friend. Center: The letter written in 1948 by Liang Zhenfen to Huang, his girlfriend at the time, was sealed in an envelope with the words AirMailin English. Right: Liang Zhenfen, a former soldier with the Chinese Nationalist Army.Photos Provided By Jilin Provincial Archives And Jiang Hui / For China Daily
Workers raise a net to safeguard a glass window outside a hotel as Typhoon Haima approaches in Hong Kong, Oct 21, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

SHENZHEN -- Offices, businesses and schools in the southern city of Shenzhen will close as Typhoon Haima is expected to hit Friday afternoon, the local flood control authorities said.Shenzhen in Guangdong Province will activate China's highest-level of emergency response measures starting midnight Thursday to prepare for the country's 22nd typhoon this year.Shenzhen's Meteorological Observatory predicated that Haima will land at 2 pm, bringing winds of up to 117 km per hour and rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters.Residents have been advised to stay in doors. Safe locations across the city have been set up for anyone who may get caught out.Haima has already disrupted rail services in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangxi.No trains between Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong will run on Friday, according to Guangzhou Railway (Group) Corp.A total of 85 trains, mainly plying the Jiangxi and Fujian route, have been ordered to stop services between Thursday and Saturday, Nanchang Railway Bureau of Jiangxi said Thursday.Railway authorities in Guangxi also canceled 20 trains to major cities in Guangdong, on Thursday and Friday.In addition, Shenzhen airport canceled 76 flights over the past two days. All ferry services between Shenzhen and Hong Kong airport scheduled to depart after 11:30 am Thursday have also been canceled.Haima was about 590 km southeast of Shenzhen at 4 pm Thursday.The Guandong flood control authorities predicted that the typhoon will wreck havoc and cause grave losses, as its power is similar to typhoon Usagi that killed scores of people in Guangdong in 2013.
China plans to sign more agreements on the mutual recognition of academic degrees with other countries, according to an educational official.

"We hope that by 2020, such mutual recognition agreements could cover most countries of the world, particularly the developed ones," said Xu Tao, director of the Ministry of Education's department of international cooperation and exchanges.

Xu made the remarks at the 17th China Annual Conference for International Education, which kicked off in Beijing on Thursday.

The conference was organized by the China Education Association for International Exchange with support from the Education Ministry. Each year, the conference works to promote study in a foreign country. This year, Ireland was selected.

Xu said such mutual recognition agreements represented other countries' acceptance and recognition of the quality of China's higher education, and could accelerate bilateral cooperation between countries beyond the education field.

Since entering into its first mutual recognition agreement with Sri Lanka in 1988, China has inked similar deals with 46 countries across the world, including Russia, Britain and France.

This year alone such agreements have been reached with Poland, Indonesia and the Czech Republic.
Xi'an Jiaotong University in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, recently developed China's first ultra-precise lathing-grinding composite machine with large caliber of 1,500 mm and aspheric surface.

The school, also well-known as Xi'an Jiaoda, announced on Wednesday the successful development of one of the key national science and technology projects. Led by Jiang Zhuangde, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor of Xi'an Jiaoda's mechanics collage, the project was highly praised at a national appraisal meeting of scientific research achievements.

Guo Dongming, president of Dalian University of Technology, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the expert team for the appraisal meeting, said that the development of the machine achieved by Jiang and his team had complete independent intellectual property rights and filled the gaps of this kind of machinery in China.

The national engineering and national defense advanced technology such as laser nucleus fusion devices, satellite optical system and large astronomical telescope have great demand for high precision and large aperture aspheric optical element (diameter of more than 400mm).

This kind of element is hard brittle materials which are very difficult to be processed and has very high requirement for the aspheric surface machining precision. Compared with foreign countries, the current domestic precision and ultra precision processing technology and equipment still have gaps and the overall level of technology lags the developed countries.

In order to meet the significant demand for high precision and large aperture aspheric optical elements, Xi'an Jiaoda cooperated with Qinchuan Machine Tool Group Co., Ltd., Harbin Institute of Technology, Beijing Space Electromechanical Research Institute, Xiamen University and Soochow University to have successfully developed the machine.

The expert team said the successful development had great significance to enhance the core competitiveness and innovation capability of China's related fields.
Chinese examinees walk towards an exam site to attend the 2015 China National Civil Service Examination in Nanjing city, East China's Jiangsu province, Nov 30, 2014. [Photo/IC]

Over 500,000 people registered to take China's national civil-service examinations only six days since registration began. As of 4:00 pm October 20, the registration system has already verified 521,120 candidates to participate in the exam, 87,471 more than the figure at the same time last year. The average number of applicants per position reaches 19.25:1.

At present, the position with the largest number of applicants is an opening under the Central Committee of the China Democratic League. A total of 2,162 applicants are competing over this one job. Additionally, the number of applicants amounts to over 10,000 for provincial tax administration bureaus in 13 provinces.

Conversely, 920 positions received not even a single applicant. The majority of these positions are arduous, base level jobs stationed in relatively rural areas. For example, the Hohhot Railway Public Security Bureau is looking to hire six people. However, not one person has yet to register for those positions.
The first Shandong Forum on an "East Asian Community of Common Destiny  Past, Present and Future" kicked off in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, on Friday.

Scholars will share their views on how to promote social change and economic cooperation in East Asia during the forum, which is scheduled to end on Saturday.

Park In-kook, president of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, said that as the birthplace of Confuscius, Shandong is the source of Confucian culture, which forms the foundation of East Asian society.

Shandong, therefore, is well suited as a place to discuss the ways to reinterpret the East Asian community's shared philosophical values and wisdom to fit modern times, he said.

"I am confident that our discussions here at the Shandong Forum will provide concrete guidelines on the role everyone has in East Asian integration, as well as shedding light on how to establish a peaceful world order," Park said.

Zhang Rong, president of Shandong University, described the forum as "a platform for scholars sharing their views on how to tackle problems faced by East Asian countries".

The forum is co-sponsored by Shandong University and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies.
NANCHANG -- Ryan Labar, an American artist, carefully wipes his ceramic sculptures as he greets visitors in his ceramic studio in eastern China's Jiangxi province.

Labar is among the first group of foreign artists to start a workshop in Taoxichuan, a ceramic-themed avenue that opened Wednesday in Jingdezhen, China's ceramics capital.

"I put my workshop here because I saw the scope of the project," said Labar, who arrived in the city a year ago and has since worked at Taoxichuan International Studio, a government-funded program with an annual budget of 900,000 yuan ($133,000).

The program sponsors foreign artists to work in the studio for three to four months, but Labar chose to stay.

Partnering with a young Chinese businessman Wang Jusi, Labar established Lab Artz, a 260-square-meter workshop where he plans to house more artists and offer ceramics classes.

"More and more artists are coming to be part of the avenue and help build it up," said Wang, who also wrote the business plan for Lab Artz. The space is rented from the government for a very low fee.

Taoxichuan offers preferential renting rates for young artists and foreign artists, said Liu Zili, general manager of Jingdezhen Ceramic Culture Tourism Group, a state-owned enterprise and developer of the avenue.

In the evening, not far from Labar's studio, people swarm around the booths that line both sides of the avenue to buy ceramics. These booths are rented to college students and young artists for free, Liu said.

Over 3,000 people have signed up for the booths. "It is a place for young artists to build their dreams," Liu said.

CREATIVE POTENTIAL

Taoxichuan was once the site of 10 thriving ceramic plants in Jingdezhen, a city with a 1,700-year history of making porcelain.

The plants, built 60 years ago, were once important porcelain export bases, but they suffered from drastic drops in profits in the 1990s and employees were laid off as the plants became deserted. However, in 2014 the local government decided to renovate them to revitalize the area.

Over 450 million yuan has been invested in the avenue so far, turning it into an art community bustling with workshops, cultural centers, galleries, restaurants and hotels.

At the opening ceremony of the Scandinavian Center in Taoxichuan on Wednesday, over 50 artists from 14 countries were present.

"This place was dust and earth a year ago," said Anna Mellergard, one of the Swedish founders of the center. "But now it's a popular meeting place for artists and students."

At the avenue, most buildings feature a combination of old red-brick factory walls and renovated glass with black steel bezels.

The original walls were intentionally kept during the renovation so "when former workers come here they can still talk about their old jobs and reminisce about the past with their children," Liu said.

The respect toward craft and tradition, and the interest in dialogue with Western culture gives this city great creative potential, Labar said.

"Art is about finding potential and this place is bustling with it," Liu said. "Now over 140 businesses have settled in the avenue, taking up 89,000 square meters, filling over half the space, and the annual revenue is about 90 million yuan."
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. ROBERT ALVAREZ; GEORG-ANDREAS POGANY, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. COL DAVID GROSSO, in his official capacity; SGM MARK COOK, in his official capacity; COL JOHN IRGENS, in his official capacity; LTG JOSEPH ANDERSON, in his official capacity; COL JOEL HAMILTON, in his official capacity Defendants-Appellees. No. 15-1398 Decided: October 18, 2016

Before LUCERO, EBEL, and GORSUCH, Circuit Judges.

ORDER AND JUDGMENT*

The appellants seek access to Fort Carson, a U.S. Army base in Colorado. For some time, they were able to enter the base and assist service members in military administrative proceedings. But that came to an end in 2012 when the Army issued an order barring their entry. An order the Army justified first by asserting generally that the appellants' presence had proved disruptive to order and discipline  and then by more specifically explaining that the appellants had physically interfered with administrative discharge proceedings and encouraged a soldier to falsify symptoms of mental illness and drool in an attempt to evade a bad conduct discharge. In reply, the appellants filed this lawsuit, contending that the Army's stated rationales were false and that the order barring their entry violated their due process and free speech rights. The district court dismissed the appellants' complaint and it's this ruling we're now asked to review, though in the end we find ourselves affirming for essentially the same reasons the district court offered in its thoughtful opinion.

A military commander's power to exclude civilians from a military base is considerable and constitutional in origin, deriving from Congress's power to regulate the Army and Navy, and the President's authority as Commander in Chief. See U.S. Const. art. I,  8; id. art. II,  2; Cafeteria & Rest. Workers Union, Local 473 v. McElroy, 367 U.S. 886, 890 (1961); cf. Orloff v. Willoughby, 345 U.S. 83, 94 (1953) (Orderly government requires that the judiciary be as scrupulous not to interfere with legitimate Army matters as the Army must be scrupulous not to intervene in judicial matters.). Indeed, so long as Congress has authorized the commander in question to exercise discretion when deciding whom to admit to a military base, and so long as the commander hasn't exercised that discretion to permit civilians to enter freely and treat the base as a public forum, the commander has historically [enjoyed] unquestioned power  to exclude civilians from the area of his command without the necessity of prior notice and hearing so long as his announced grounds for decision are not themselves patently arbitrary or discriminatory. McElroy, 367 U.S. at 893, 898; see also Greer v. Spock, 424 U.S. 828, 840 (1976); Flower v. United States, 407 U.S. 197, 198 (1972) (per curiam); United States v. Gourley, 502 F.2d 785, 786-87 (10th Cir. 1973). Out of respect for the authority the Constitution affords Congress and the President over military affairs, and out of respect for the collective decision of these authorities to invest military commanders with near unquestioned authority over the administration of military installations, this deferential due process standard requires us to accept, not second guess, the veracity of the commander's stated reasons for action. So, for example, in McElroy the Supreme Court upheld a commander's exclusion of a civilian worker from a military base on the announced ground that she posed a security threat without any examination into whether the worker, in fact, posed such a threat. 367 U.S. at 898; see also id. at 899 (acknowledging that, [f]or all that appears in the record, it may have [been] simply that the commander thought the worker garrulous); id. at 901 (Brennan, J., dissenting) (observing that under McElroy the mere assertion  that exclusion is due to security reasons forecloses further inquiry). And in Weissman v. United States, this court, following McElroy, expressly held that [a]s a matter of law there may be no challenge to the [military commander's] statement of the reason for the bar order. 387 F.2d 271, 274 (10th Cir. 1967).

This precedent forecloses the appellants' due process challenge. The appellants do not question that Congress and the President have invested the commander in this case with wide discretionary authority to bar civilians from the base. See 18 U.S.C.  1382; Army Regulation 190-16  2-2. Neither have the appellants preserved an argument that the commander used his authority to permit civilians to enter the base freely or treat any portion of it as a public forum. See Alvarez v. Grosso, No. 14-cv-01319-PAB-MJW, 2015 WL 5728499, *7-8 (D. Colo. Sept. 29, 2015). And their own complaint reveals that the commander's announced grounds for decision are not patently arbitrary or discriminatory, but focused on ending disruptions to military order and discipline like the physical interference with administrative proceedings and the suborning of false testimony. Of course, the appellants seek to challenge the truth of the commander's announced grounds for decision: they dispute that they ever disrupted proceedings or encouraged service members to testify falsely. But they do not suggest that the announced grounds are themselves arbitrary or discriminatory. And their effort to look behind or test the commander's announced reasons for his action is foreclosed by the deference McElroy and Weissman indicate we owe them.

Neither have the appellants offered us any way to avoid this conclusion, any way to distinguish or read McElroy or Weissman differently than we have here. The closest they come is to suggest a different result should obtain because it is 2016, not 1961 or 1967, when those decisions issued. But the vintage of a Supreme Court or Tenth Circuit precedent does nothing to render it less binding. If some reasonable way around these precedents exists, then, the appellants simply have not identified it to this court and so have waived it. For that matter, the appellants have not directed us to a single case in any circuit court granting relief where an excluded civilian sought to challenge the accuracy of a military base bar order that wasn't arbitrary or discriminatory on its face. See Serrano Medina v. United States, 709 F.2d 104, 109 (1st Cir. 1983) (To delve into the truth or falsity of the facts behind the exclusion would be to require the very hearing that appellant has been found not entitled to.). To be sure, the appellants observe that some lower courts have assumed without deciding that they might be able entertain challenges to the factual assertions in a military bar order, but even here it appears the courts in question have done so only to the end of showing that the challenge would fail in any event. See, e.g., id.; Tokar v. Hearne, 699 F.2d 753, 757 (5th Cir. 1983).

The appellants' First Amendment retaliation claim fails for similar reasons as their due process challenge. They assert that the commander barred them from Fort Carson in retaliation for exercising their constitutional right to speak. But that begs the question whether the appellants in fact had a constitutionally protected right to speak on the base. See Nielander v. Bd. of Cty. Comm'rs, 582 F.3d 1155, 1165 (10th Cir. 2009) (to establish a First Amendment retaliation claim a plaintiff must show, among other things, that he was engaged in constitutionally protected activity). And, as we have already noted, the appellants have failed to preserve any argument that Fort Carson qualifies as a public forum for speech by private citizens. Cf. Greer, 424 U.S. at 838; Gourley, 502 F.2d 787. Neither, for that matter, do we see any well-pleaded facts here suggesting that denying access to Fort Carson would be sufficient to chill a person of ordinary firmness from engaging in constitutionally protected speech outside the installation, another element essential to any First Amendment retaliation claim. See Nielander, 582 F.3d at 1165.

The appellants' remaining claims fail too. They contend that the bar order interferes with their right to observe court martial proceedings in violation of the First Amendment. But this court has held that the right to a public criminal trial did not entail a personal right of individuals to observe the trial in United States v. McVeigh, 106 F.3d 325, 335-36 (10th Cir. 1997), and the appellants do not offer us any argument for distinguishing that precedent. Besides, the appellants have not alleged that they ever sought permission to attend a court martial proceeding or that permission to do so has been denied. Everyone before us acknowledges, too, that the commander's bar order isn't absolute and expressly permits the appellants to seek access to the base for specific purposes like this. And given that, it is altogether unclear whether a meaningful case or controversy about the mere attendance to observe proceedings will ever ripen here. See Morgan v. McCotter, 365 F.3d 882, 890 (10th Cir. 2004). The appellants seek to press various other theories for relief before us, including a First Amendment associational claim and a void for vagueness challenge, but they failed to pursue these in the district court and we decline to entertain them for the first time on appeal. See Richison v. Ernest Grp., Inc., 634 F.3d 1123, 1127 (10th Cir. 2011).

The judgment of the district court is affirmed.

ENTERED FOR THE COURT

Neil M. Gorsuch Circuit Judge
Visitors view the models of the Long March-series carrier rockets during the 16th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in Beijing, May 22, 2013.[Photo/Xinhua]

As China's Long March rocket carries two Chinese astronauts into space, the country celebrates another historic moment: the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March undertaken by the Red Army, on Saturday.

Here we take a look at the Long March, an event that changed China's history, and analyze why this event continues to resonate so strongly with Chinese even after eight decades. We look at its role in different fields, its legacy and its symbolism.

Many events are planned to commemorate the epic expedition, including a speech by President Xi Jinping at a convention in Beijing on Friday.

Marching from Earth to space

China once again impressed the world with the successful launch of manned spacecraft Shenzhou XI on Monday, a feat that's doubly impressive as it's the country's longest manned space program.

While the technology, training and everything connected with the program belong to the modern age, the clue that even this journey to explore the world far away from our Earth has strong ties with the expedition that took place 80 years ago lies in the name of the rocket that carried the spacecraft: Long March-2F Y11.

Interestingly, this year also marks the 60th anniversary of China's space exploration and 50th anniversary of the Long March rocket family.

"It is not a coincidence that the rocket series is named 'Long March'. The name is endowed with profound meaning and significance," said Liang Xiaohong, top official of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

"At the beginning, designers fretted over the name and all were at a loss. Several days later, one major designer read a poem entitled 'The Long March' by Chairman Mao and was touched by the spirit of persistence and bravery of the Red Army. He thought 'Long March' was the perfect word for the rocket and immediately decided to use it," Liang added.

In 1970, Long March-1 rocket sent China's first satellite Dong Fang Hong-1 into Earth's orbit, making China the fifth nation to achieve independent launch capability after Soviet Union, the US, France and Japan.

This week's launch was Long March-2F's 13th attempt and the 237th of the whole rocket family.

In June, the new model of this rocket family Long March-7 blasted off for maiden space flight, which together with the orbiting Tiangong II space lab bodes well for the final phase of China's three-step manned space program to assemble and operate a permanent manned space station.
A gala commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Red Army's Long March is held in Beijing on Oct 19, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Red Army soldiers trekked through mountains and rivers, fought hundreds of battles with the intercepting and pursuing enemies, and finally converged in northwestern China more than 80 years ago. They achieved a miracle in human history.

In recent years, some have started claim that the Red Army successfully finished the Long March because Chiang Kai-shek intentionally "let them off", according to People's Daily. Some media outlets started spreading this claim without scrutinizing it and those with ulterior motive hyped it.

Let's take a look at facts and see if this claim holds true.

1. The claim

Chiang Wei-kuo, the second son of Chiang Kai-shek, said in his oral autobiography that "rather than saying an unsuccessful encirclement lead to the Communist Party of China's breakthrough, it is better to say that we let it off." The purpose was to allow "the central government's forces for the first time to formally enter the southwestern region." Chiang Kai-shek had predicted that "Japan will invade us sooner or later, and at that time, we needed to build up a great rear area, transferring industries to the southwestern region in time." Chiang Wei-kuo said, "considering the situations at that time, it was a successful political strategy that we followed the Communist Part of China's army to enter Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan to realize China's union."

A foreign female writer said, "undoubtedly, Chiang Kai-shek released the main forces of the Red Army, the Communist Party of China and Mao Zedong on purpose", "Chiang's strategic plan was to build Sichuan a great rear area for the war against Japan, a place Chiang said was 'a base for nation's revival.'" She even made an assertion that "Chiang had a private motive to release the Red Army: he wanted Stalin to release his son Chiang Ching-kuo who had been a hostage for nine years in Soviet Union."

2. The rebuttal

Reason 1: If Chiang Kai-shek had intentionally let the Red Army move to the southwest, it would have been more convenient to not set up any blockades for the Red Army to retreat and the Kuomintang army to follow.

Fact: In the later stage of the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign, Chiang Kai-shek deployed a tactic to drive the Red Army to leave their bases with the aim to avoid excessive losses. He left a gap in the encirclement at the west side and exerted more pressure on other directions to force the Red Army to move west. Apparently, he released the Red Army, but it was a cat and mouse game since he had prepared a net, setting up many blockades along the way.

Reason 2: If Chiang Kai-shek had intentionally let the Red Army move to the southwest, then why did the Red Army lose about half of its forces at the Xiangjiang River battle?

Fact: Soon after the Central Red Army broke through the encirclement, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary, "not to miss the good opportunity of successfully suppressing bandits."

He continued to deploy forces to block and pursue the Red Army, and expected to destroy the Red Army by setting up many blockades. "Make sure to annihilate the bandits east to Xiangjiang River," "prevent the Red Army from entering Guizhou."

The historical records from Kuomintang army's archives on intercepting and pursuing the Red Army show that in order to prevent the Red Army from "fleeing to the west," Chiang Kai-shek even issued "an outline on suppressing bandits," clearly demanding troops "wiping out bandits in regions east to the Xinagjiang River," and if the plan failed, troops should prevent "the bandits from entering Guizhou, converging with the bandits in Sichuan or moving to western Hunan to join forces with He Long and Xiao Ke." At that time, he worried about the Central Red Army moving along the route of the Sixth Corps of the Red Army to go northward from eastern Guizhou to join forces with the Second and Sixth Corpses in western Hunan or the Fourth Front Army in northern Sichuan. Therefore, he planned to destroy the Central Red Army in the border area of Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou, preventing it from entering Guizhou.

Reason 3: If Chiang Kai-shek wanted to drive the Red Army to Sichuan, why they were blockaded when they tried to cross the Yangtze River, and had to cross the Chishui River four times?

Fact: After the Red Army entered Guizhou, Chiang Kai-shek started to think of combining the two factors together, suppressing the Red Army and unifying the southwestern region, but he still focused on "destroying the Red bandits." He still mobilized troops to block and pursue the Red Army, and he had no intent to drive the Red Army to Sichuan. Chiang Kai-shek's orders to his military leaders were clear that "regardless of all, the more urgent thing is to pursue the bandits," "it is the time for eradication." When the Red Army crossed the Jinsha River and the Dadu River to the north, Chiang Kai-shek sent several troops in an attempt to destroy the Red Army, and he wrote in his diary that he felt regretful for not achieving the goal.

Reason 4: The proposal of "releasing the Communist International's liaison officers to exchange for Chiang Ching-kuo" has been denied by Chiang Kai-shek. How could he drop the opportunity of eradicating the Red Army because of it?

Fact: On July 7, 1934, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary definitely that "only by wiping out the bandits in Jiangxi, [he will] be able to talk with Russia." When Soong Ching Ling in 1931 suggested releasing the Communist International's liaison officers, the couple of Niu Lan, in exchange for Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek refused firmly, "I would rather leave Ching-kuo not to return or killed by Soviet Russia, and I would never use the criminals harming the country in exchange for my son."

3. The reasons

The failure of Kuomintang's suppression is not because of Chiang Kai-shek internationally letting the Red Army off, but many factors.

(1) Warlords were outwardly united but actually alienated, protecting themselves

Though Chiang Kai-shek himself did not take the attitude of "let off," the warlords in places often performed sloppily. Guangdong warlords offered the Red Army a path to leave, Guangxi forces seeing off the Red Army, and Sichuan forces also turned a blind eye to the Red Army passing through.

Deng Xihou, a warlord in Sichuan, told his military officers that "the pursuing troops should keep about one-day distance with the Red Army, not losing the Red Army or really pursuing but firing at no target. It is okay to just make reports to the upper-level."

Feng Bochang, a deputy regimental commander of Sichuan forces, recalled that "during the pursuit, we stopped and moved when the Red Army stopped and moved. Every day, we asked locals and the lost injured Red Army soldiers about the Central Red Army's move, and then reported to Chiang's government."

This means it was not Chiang himself who let the Red Army off, but the warlords made it happen.

(2) Kuomintang soldiers had low morale and lacked combat capabilities

Kuomintang soldiers were in low morale under the heavy attacks from the Red Army, which could be seen in the historical records of Chiang Kai-shek.

On April 4, 1935, Chiang Kai-shek sent telegraphs to his military officers, "investigations show that major forces of bandits crossed rivers free and easily, but our defense troops could not prohibit the bandits from crossing, or attack them in the river. Even the major forces crossed the rivers, but our forces could not discover. The army is so corrupt, it is rare.  military officers at different levels are sluggish, slow and careless, and they slacked to work.  military officers performed like this, and they are lost to shame."

On April 8, he criticized Wu Qiwei's ineffective suppression of the Red Army, "dare not attack little groups of bandits, and fear of being ambushed, . It was so protracted, fearing the bandits," "It is not to fight bandits but avoid the bandits, and at last, indulging them to escape."

On April 21, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary, "Xue Yue's troops have no discipline, and soldiers did not receive trainings. I worried about it much."

(3) Public support to the Red Army along the Long March routes

The three major forces of the Red Army passed through more than 10 provinces where tens of ethnic groups lived during the thousands of kilometers trek. Ethnic people joined in the Red Army to fight together, actively saved and protected the injured Red Army soldiers and provided food, clothes and money, which contributed a lot to the success of the Long March.

Some 20,000 from ethnic groups joined in the Central Red Army and the Second and Sixth Corpses in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. Many moving scenes happened along the journey, such as fathers seeing children off and wives seeing husbands off to join in the Red Army. Couples, brothers, sisters, fathers and sons, as well as mothers and daughters, or even a whole family joined in the Red Army.

From April 1935 to August 1936, when the Red Army's three major forces walked by and stayed in Aba prefecture for about 16 months, Tibetans, Qiang and Hui people provided some 15,000 kilograms of food, some 200,000 domestic animals, 2,500 kilograms of salt, lots of beef, cooking oil and vegetables. When the Red Army passed Longnan, locals offered tens of thousands of kilograms food.

(4) Right military command and bloody fight to secure the success

The most important reason for the Red Army's success of going through the inhospitable places and winning over the enemies was the right military command and soldiers' bloody fight.

Especially after Mao Zedong resumed the leadership of the Red Army after the Zunyi Meeting, he used flexible tactics to guide the army to move based on the actual situation of the battlefields, leading the Red Army out of the encirclement.

The Red Army took advantage of its mobility to lead and confuse the enemies. After crossing the Chishui River four times and crossing the Wujiang River, the Red Army jumped out of the encirclement. They gestured to attack Guiyang, send troops to eastern Guizhou, march toward Yunnan, but crossed the Jinsha River, which entirely broke Chiang's plan of destroying the Red Army and achieved a decisive victory in the transit.

The soldiers came through bloody and difficult battles in the Long March. The Central Red Army lost some 52,500 of its 86,800 soldiers in crossing the Xiangjiang River. All the soldiers of the rear-end division died. Chen Shuxiang, the division commander, was caught by the enemy, but he tore his bowels to die at 29 years old.

In general, Kuomintang's failure and the Red Army's success in the Long March were because of lots of factors. The claim that Chiang Kai-shek "let off" is groundless, opposite of the truth. Perhaps, Chiang's decisions might have helped the Red Army to break the encirclement, but it was not his intention.

The claim that Chiang's help leads to the Long March success is vicious slander on the great event and disservice to the martyrs and the people's army.
The two countries are 'a community of shared destiny of strategic significance', official says

China and Vietnam should work together to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties in the long term, officials of both countries' ruling parties said at a meeting on Thursday.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met in Beijing with Dinh The Huynh, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Guangxi

Woman tried to smear son's darling

A woman, who raised a false alarm to prevent her son from eloping with his girlfriend, has been censured by police in Liuzhou city. The woman, surnamed Zhou, refused to allow her son Ah Hong to marry his girlfriend Ah Hua. When the couple attempted to elope, Zhou called the police and untruthfully claimed that she had been assaulted by a female burglar. She named Ah Hua as the prime suspect. When Ah Hong explained the matter to officers, they asked her to respect her son's decision. Zhou apologized to the police, and promised to improve communications with her son and would-be daughter-in-law when they marry.
The first Hello Kitty-themed hotpot restaurant in Shanghai. [Photo/IC]

The Chinese mainland's first Hello Kitty-themed hotpot restaurant recently opened in Shanghai, becoming an instant sensation among local foodies.

The store is filled with various images of the famous kitten, from walls and doors to tableware and even the dishes served, so that netizens are hailing it "the cutest hotpot restaurant."

A similar restaurant was opened in Hong Kong last year.
Prospective buyers attend a real estate trade fair in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Oct 3, 2016. [Photo/For China Daily]

THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN-RURAL DEVELOPMENT recently introduced new measures to better strike against nine illegal business activities of real estate developers. The move is welcome as illegal activities such as falsifying information about their development programs harm others, says a commentary article on xinhuanet.com:

In the last few months, property prices have risen sharply in several second-tier cities, such as Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu province and Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan province. The municipal governments have already taken measures such as tighter control on loans to cool the real estate markets in these cities.

Yet the ministry has highlighted a real problem in unambiguously saying that those spreading false information should be punished.

Past experiences show that abrupt, abnormal rises in property prices always have something to do with rumors. Some real estate developers spread false information that their newly developed houses have sold out, while some property agents spread rumors about tighter policies. Their common aim is to spread panic in the market and press people to rush to buy houses without carefully considering their decisions.

These nine kinds of activities are illegal and threaten the healthy order of the real estate market. More important, they hurt the legal interests of many families, who use the lifesavings of several generations to buy property.

It is time the government intervened with its visible hand. Central and local governments must regulate the real estate market and help it return to normal. The ministry and the municipal governments have done the right thing by cracking down on illegal activities and introducing tighter restrictions on loans.

But normal market order cannot be achieved by the government alone. Enterprises must play their roles well, too. Recently 20 large realty enterprises jointly promised not to spread false information about their property developments, which is a good start and we hope they will honor that promise.

For ordinary families, a house is often their biggest investment, so a property market filled with rumors will hurt the interests of the residents. It is time for all sides, namely the government, enterprises and residents to join hands and maintain a healthy realty market.
President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony to greet Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing on Oct 20. [Photo/ Xinhua]

The whiff of sour grapes notwithstanding, everyone who is worried the China-Philippine showdown in and over the South China Sea may trigger a period of turbulence across the Asia-Pacific can now breathe a sigh of relief.

Particularly those who figured Beijing would throw its weight around and bully smaller, weaker neighbors. And those volunteering to arm Manila so it would not get bullied by an "assertive" Beijing.

During a meeting in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, which Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte praised as "historic" and a "milestone", the two leaders agreed to bury the hatchet and pursue the "all-round improvement" of bilateral ties.

No matter what the dramatic turnaround in China-Philippines relations means to concerned third partiesa few have lamented Duterte's "China pivot"it is a blessing to all who have a stake in peace in the region.

Just weeks back, there was the nervous speculation that the furor over the award by an arbitral tribunal in The Hague might push the two countries toward a dangerous showdown in the South China Sea waters.

While the damaging potential of that controversial award remains, the two countries' leaders clearly believe bilateral ties should not be taken hostage by it.

As Xi stated, as long as both parties care for friendly dialogue and consultation, managing differences, and maneuvering cooperation, the apparent dead knot should not be allowed to get in the way of the repair work.

Such pragmatic wisdom is essential to clearing the diplomatic mess the Benigno Aquino III administration left behind, and rebooting the damaged relationship between the two countries.

Duterte's visit has proved fruitful and rewarding. His anticipations are being fulfilled, from the agreements on specific cooperation projects to the assurances of a broader, long-term partnership.

Disappointing as it will be to some, the relatively low profile the South China Sea is being given during Duterte's visit is an inspiring sign that the limelight is being shifted onto development concerns.

Although some considerate outsiders fear Duterte's alleged "pivot" or "tilt" to Beijing will weaken Manila's bargaining advantages and the United States' pivot to the Asia-Pacific, the Philippine leader obviously knows what he is up to, and where his country's fundamental interests lie.

By defusing the South China Sea tensions and prioritizing development issues, Duterte is showing he is being "pragmatic" and not in the mood for confrontation, echoing his earlier observation that confrontation does not bring prosperity.

Good relations with Beijing will.
Chinese student Zou Minzhe answers a question in a statistics class at Orono High School in Orono, Maine, United States, on March 8, 2011. Zou has credited his year at the school with helping him get accepted to five US colleges. Robert F Bukaty / for China Daily

The poor global literacy of college-aged students in the United States revealed in a recent survey provides a clue to why US politicians can publicly and falsely accuse China time and again.

The global literacy survey, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Geographic Society, found that only one-quarter of the students knew that China is a country with veto power over United Nations Security Council resolutions due to its status as a permanent member of the council.

Less than half (49 percent) knew that Mandarin Chinese was spoken by the most people in the world as their primary language. And 67 percent believe China has a larger economy than the US, some-thing only true according to an IMF report comparing purchasing power. Only 29 percent think the US economy is larger.

No wonder the two US presidential candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democr at Hillary Clinton, can accuse China of currency manipulation despite the basic facts.

Fred Bergsten, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who years ago accused China of currency manipulation, is now saying that there is no currency manipulation in China and if there is, it's only positive manipulation. A US Treasury report on Oct 14 dismissed China as a currency manipulator. It instead praised China's intervention in foreign exchange markets as seeking to prevent a rapid RMB depreciation that would have had negative consequences for the global economy.

Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass and National Geographic Society President and CEO Gary Knell collectively sighed at the significant gaps between what young people understand about today's world and what they need to know to successfully navigate and compete in it.

Only 29 percent of the respondents earned a minimal pass (66 percent correct or better). Just over 1 percent 17 of 1,203 earned an A (91 percent or higher).

Other shocking findings included only 28 percent knew the US is bound by treaty to protect Japan if it is attacked and only 34 percent knew this about South Korea. More alarmingly, only 30 percent knew that the US Congress is the constitutional authority to declare war.
The documentary The Corruption Fight Is Always Underway that began airing on China Central Television on Monday has attracted widespread attention. It displays the achievements the nationwide anti-corruption campaign has made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

It not only tells the stories of some so-called big tigers, corrupt high-ranking officials, but also those of some "flies", corrupt low-level officials, found guilty of some relatively minor discipline violations. For instance, in 2013, officials at Hainan Provincial Health School gave the faculty moon cake coupons paid for with public funds as gifts for Mid-Autumn Festival. They were duly punished.

Since the beginning of this year, tackling the corruption of the flies has become a focus of the anti-corruption work. As top leader Xi Jinping pointed out at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection at the beginning of this year, people are more sensitive to the corruption of the ordinary Party members around them.

The minor instances of corruption that people encounter in their daily lives are a big issue, not only because they undermine the public's interests, but because they also undermine the public's confidence in the Party.

The anti-corruption campaign has already made remarkable achievements at the grassroots level, not only in targeting the corruption in poverty relief work but in all areas related to ordinary people's lives and interests.

These achievements in curbing the corruption of local officials have instilled public confidence in the effectiveness of the anti-corruption campaign. However, it should be noted that there are some anti-corruption activities that go too far and these too dam-age the image of the Party. There are two major reasons for this phenomenon. The first is that some local officials blur the difference between corruption and normal welfare. The second is the so-called welfare, such as allowances or benefits that local authorities and organizations once gave people. The local officials have failed to explain that they are no longer provided because they violated the Party's discipline.

From 2012, when the CPC Central Committee issued its eight-point code of conduct to cut bureaucracy and extravagance, so as to maintain close ties with the people, to the end of September this year, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has dealt with more than 13,000 cases of local authorities violating the Party's discipline by offering allowances or benefits. All the reasons for these cases should be made clear to the public, as the real goal of the anti-corruption work is to protect the public's interests.

As the anti-corruption campaign continuously deepens at the grass-roots level, it faces more challenges than before. How to increase the efficiency of the anti-corruption work at the grassroots level, eliminate any misunderstandings people might have about it and guarantee the public's legal interests and welfare, is the key to the success of the next phase of anti-corruption efforts at the grass-roots level.

On the one hand, all kinds of corruption at the grassroots levels should be rooted out by reinforcing the anti-corruption efforts and actively involving the public in the anti-corruption campaign. There should be a zero tolerance attitude toward corruption and officials who violate the Party's discipline and national laws should be seriously dealt with in order to create a deterrent to the spread of corruption among local officials.

On the other hand, more attention needs to be given to the education and guidance of local officials, as well as the ordinary people, to help them understand the anti-corruption campaign and correct any misunderstandings they might have of anti-corruption work.

There's every reason to believe that pursuing the anti-corruption campaign at the grassroots level will help improve the Party's self-governance in an all-round way and so people will gain a sense of clean government and support for the anti-corruption campaign will further increase.

The author is deputy director of the Center for Anti-corruption Studies, University of Science and Technology of China.
[Photo/Xinhua]

Wine production worldwide is estimated at 259 million hectoliters(Mhl) in 2016, down five percent compared to that of 2015, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) announced here on Thursday.

According to OIV, global wine consumption is estimated to reach between 239.7 and 246.6 Mhl.

Italy will be the world's leading wine producer, with a production volume of 48.8 Mhl. It is followed by France and Spain, respectively at 41.9 Mhl and 37.8 Mhl, OIV estimated.

As the fourth largest wine producer this year, production in the United States is estimated to reach a new record level in 2016, or 22.5 Mhl, while Australia's production is estimated at 12.5 Mhl, up five percent compared to 2015 and is relatively stable over the period from 2012 to 2015, according to OIV.

China, a major new world wine market, maintained its production level of 11.5 Mhl in 2016, securing its place as the world's sixth largest wine producer, OIV said.

In South America, the output of three main producers, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, is in net decline, said the organization, adding Argentina registered in 2016 a sharp decline with a production of 8.8 Mhl, 35 percent less than that of 2015.

At the same time, wine production in Chile this year is expected to fall down to 10.1 million hectoliters, a level very close to that of 2014 (10.5 million hl), registering a significant decline relative to the 12.9 Mhl wine it produced in 2015. Brazil's production has fell down to 1.4 Mhl in 2016, a decrease of 50 percent compared to 2015, OIV said, explaining that the production of the three countries was affected by climatic events.

South Africa, with a production of 9.1 Mhl, saw its production level in 2016 decline by 19 percent from 2015, according to OIV.
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. GUILLERMO RUIZ, Appellant v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA No. 16-1759 Decided: October 20, 2016

Before: CHAGARES, GREENAWAY, JR. and GARTH 1, Circuit Judges

OPINION*

Appellant Guillermo Ruiz appeals from a district court order granting the Appellee's motion for summary judgment. Because we conclude that this appeal presents no substantial question, we will summarily affirm the District Court's judgment. See 3d Cir. LAR 27.4; I.O.P. 10.6.

I.

Ruiz, a prisoner at United States Penitentiary  Allenwood acting pro se, filed this action under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) against the sole defendant United States of America. The Complaint stems from events that allegedly occurred while Ruiz was incarcerated at USP  Lewisburg. Ruiz alleged that prison officials had him removed from his cell in retaliation for refusing to volunteer to accept a radical gang member as a cellmate. Ruiz alleges that he was removed from his cell without incident and placed in unnecessary ambulatory restraints which were applied too tightly for a period of 48 hours. Due to the tightness of the restraints, Ruiz purportedly suffered ankle and wrist lacerations and chest pain, had difficulty breathing, and fainted. Ruiz claimed that he was denied medical treatment and adequate food and water while in the restraints. Finally, Ruiz claimed that, upon his release from the restraints, prison officials placed him at risk of harm by forcing him to accept an HIV-positive inmate as his cellmate despite the fact that he still had open wounds.

The defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment, which the District Court construed as a Motion for Summary Judgment. The District Court granted the Motion for Summary Judgment on the grounds of (1) the discretionary function exception to the FTCA as to the cellmate claims, (2) the favorable termination rule as to the misconduct claim, and (3) the lack of a genuine issue of material fact as to the remaining negligence claims. Ruiz now appeals the District Court's order.

II.

We have jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  1291. Our review of orders granting motions for summary judgment is plenary. See McGreevy v. Stroup, 413 F.3d 359, 363 (3d Cir. 2005). We will summarily affirm the District Court's order granting summary judgment because Ruiz's appeal presents no substantial question. 3d Cir. LAR 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6.

As an initial matter, the District Court correctly found that the discretionary function exception shielded the United States from liability based on Ruiz's cellmate-related claims. The FTCA does offer a limited waiver of the federal government's sovereign immunity as to the negligent acts of government employees acting within the scope of their employment. 28 U.S.C.  2671-80. Thus, in certain circumstances, prisoners may invoke the FTCA to seek damages for injuries received while in confinement. United States v. Muniz, 374 U.S. 150, 153 (1963). However, the FTCA is subject to exceptions, such as the discretionary function exception, which provides that no liability shall lie for claims based upon the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary function or duty  whether or not the discretion involved be abused. See 28 U.S.C.  2680(a). To determine whether the discretionary function exception to the waiver of immunity applies, a court must determine (1) whether the act involves an element of judgment or choice, rather than a course of action prescribed by a federal statute, regulation, or policy; and (2) even if the challenged conduct involves an element of judgment, whether that judgment is of the kind that the discretionary function exception was designed to shield. Mitchell v. United States, 225 F.3d 361, 363 (3d Cir. 2000) (citing United States v. Gaubert, 499 U.S. 315, 32223 (1991)).

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) conduct at issue in this case  forcing Ruiz to accept a gang member as a cellmate and later assigning him a cellmate who was HIV-positive  is broadly governed by a federal statute which requires the BOP to provide for the protection and safekeeping of inmates in its care. See 18 U.S.C.  4042(a)(2),(3). As the District Court aptly explained, however, this statute leaves the implementation of these duties to the discretion of BOP officials, thereby satisfying the first prong of the Mitchell analysis. See Cohen v. United States, 151 F.3d 1338, 1342 (11th Cir. 1998) (explaining that even if  4042 imposes on the BOP a general duty of care to safeguard prisoners, the BOP retains sufficient discretion in the means it may use to fulfill that duty to trigger the discretionary function exception).

As to the second prong of the Mitchell test, a judgment as to how best to protect one prisoner from fighting with another is necessarily one of the kind that the discretionary function exception was designed to shield. See Gaubert, 499 U.S. at 322-23; Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 547-48 (1979) (holding that prison administrators should be afforded wide-ranging deference in implementing and executing policies because discretion is needed to preserve internal discipline and maintain institutional security). In sum, because both prongs of the Mitchell test are satisfied here, the District Court correctly determined that Ruiz's claims regarding cellmates were properly dismissed pursuant to the discretionary function exception to the FTCA.

Next, the District Court correctly concluded that Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 487 (1994), precluded Ruiz's claim arising from being issued a misconduct, being found guilty of a disciplinary charge, and receiving sanctions including the loss of good conduct time. Under Heck's favorable termination rule, if the success of a civil rights damages suit would necessarily imply the invalidity of his conviction or sentence, [a] plaintiff's claim is cognizable only if he can prove that his conviction or sentence was reversed, invalidated, or called into question by a grant of federal habeas corpus relief. Torres v. Fauver, 292 F.3d 141, 147 (3d Cir. 2002) (citing Heck, 512 U.S. at 486-87). This principle applies in the context of Ruiz's FTCA claim because a judgment that his good conduct time has been miscalculated or improperly deducted would raise the same problems that led the Supreme Court to hold in Heck and Edwards that no constitutional civil rights cause of action accrued. See, e.g., Erlin v. United States, 364 F.3d 1127, 1133 (9th Cir. 2004) (action under FTCA for negligently calculating prisoner's release date, or otherwise wrongfully imprisoning the prisoner, does not accrue until prisoner has established, in direct or collateral attack on his imprisonment, that he is entitled to release from custody). Because the duration of Ruiz's confinement has never been declared invalid, he has not satisfied Heck's favorable termination rule. The District Court, therefore, properly granted summary judgment.

The District Court also correctly granted summary judgment on Ruiz's claim that he was denied food and water while in ambulatory restraints. The United States submitted records at summary judgment that established that food and liquids were available and adequately consumed and that Ruiz suffered no substantial deprivation of food while he was restrained. Only a substantial deprivation of food is recognized as being of constitutional dimension. Cf. Robles v. Coughlin, 725 F.2d 12, 15 (2d Cir. 1983) (allegations that petitioners were denied any food on 12 days, three of which were consecutive and that prison staff contaminated food were sufficient to defeat motion practice). In opposing summary judgment, Ruiz offered no conflicting evidence. Given the short duration of Ruiz's ambulatory restraints, his failure to provide any factual detail regarding his vague claim of denial of food and water and the undisputed evidence submitted by the United States that water and food were available to Ruiz during the period at issue, the District Court properly found the absence of any disputed material facts sufficient to defeat summary judgment.

The District Court also aptly concluded that Ruiz similarly did not meet his burden regarding claims of inadequate medical care. A prison is required to provide basic medical treatment to those whom it has incarcerated. Rouse v. Plantier, 182 F.3d 192, 197 (3d Cir. 1999) (citing Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97 (1976)). In order to state a cognizable claim, a prisoner must allege acts or omissions sufficiently harmful to evidence deliberate indifference to serious medical needs. Estelle, 429 U.S. at 106. Ruiz contended that, due to the tightness of the restraints, he suffered ankle and wrist lacerations and chest pain, had difficulty breathing, and fainted, all without being provided adequate medical treatment. However, at summary judgment the United States submitted a videotape that showed that after he was placed in restraints, the prison's medical staff tended to Ruiz and monitored him on a regular basis. Written records confirmed that during those visits Ruiz voiced no complaints and he showed no signs of abnormality or injury. Thus, because record evidence demonstrates that basic medical treatment was provided, Ruiz has not adduced evidence to support a claim of deliberate indifference. Accordingly, summary judgment is appropriate on this claim.

III.

For these reasons, we conclude that this appeal presents no substantial question. Accordingly, we will summarily affirm the District Court's order granting the defendants summary judgment on Ruiz's complaint. See 3d Cir. L.A.R. 27.4; I.O.P. 10.6.

FOOTNOTES

. Uncontroverted evidence revealed this period of time to be only 21 hours.

. Ruiz was issued an incident report for threatening bodily harm to another, which necessitated his placement into ambulatory restraints per BOP policy. He was found.

. Heck applies to internal prison proceedings if success in that action would necessarily demonstrate the invalidity of confinement or its duration. Wilkinson v. Dotson, 544 U.S. 74, 81-82 (2005); see also Edwards v. Balisok, 6 520 U.S. 641, 646-47 (1997).

. These medical checks are also fatal to the potential negligent use of excessive force claim mentioned in passing in the Complaint. Ruiz could not, as required, show a causal connection between the alleged use of excessive force and an injury. During each of the health care checks, Ruiz's vitals were checked to ensure his well-being as provided under prison policy. As supported in the record, health services personnel visited Ruiz at least twice during an eight-hour shift to check his restraints. With the exception of Ruiz's initial complaint of not being able to breathe, which was addressed on the video during the application of the restraints, at no point during the health checks did Ruiz complain of chest pain, cuts and bleeding to wrists or ankles, or circulation restriction. Thus, the general standard of care, under the circumstances, was followed according to BOP policy. Ruiz has not established that the United States negligently engaged in excessive conduct that deviated from the general standard of care expected under the circumstances, and that this deviation proximately caused actual harm. Martin v. Evans, 711 A.2d 458, 461 (Pa. 1998).

PER CURIAM
The best thing about science is that it's all about solving mysteries.

A new one comes from the world of archaeology and it's already making headlines around the world.

Evidence suggests Xi'an's fabulous 8,000-man, 300 BC terracotta army may have been influenced by ancient Greek sculptures, the headlines read.

"The figures' startlingly lifelike appearance could have been influenced by the arrival in China of ancient Greek sculptures," the Guardian reported. Greek sculptors themselves may have made their way to teach their techniques, one of the researchers suggested.

The scientist cited DNA evidence that Europeans were mingling genes in Xinjiang in the second century BC, when the Silk Road officially opened (1,500 years before Marco Polo hit it), so the time frame can be nailed down.

Li Xiuzhen, an archaeologist at the Xi'an site, said, "We now think the Terracotta Army, the acrobats and the bronze sculptures found on the site have been inspired by ancient Greek sculptures and art."

There's apparently no prior tradition of Chinese artisans making life-sized human figures, but new ancient artifacts are turning up in China all the time  and remember archaeology's cardinal rule: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Professor Lukas Nickel, chair of Asian art history at the University of Vienna, told Fox News that "the massive employment of sculpture in the mausoleum is totally unprecedented in the Chinese tradition" making it "likely that the skills necessary came not from China but from the outside".

Nickel also had some written evidence in the form of a record written about 100 years after the death of Emperor Qin, the ruler the 8,000-man terracotta army was crafted over four decades to protect.

"It states that the first sculptures the emperor made were intentional copies of other figures the Chinese had found at the Western end of the Chinese world," he said.

A few days after the article went viral, Li Xiuzhen refuted the report, saying her remarks had been taken out of context and clarified to Xinhua.

"I think the terracotta warriors may be inspired by Western culture," she said, "but were uniquely made by the Chinese."
Tsingda New Media, a new mode featured by "internet+education severcie" developed by Tsingda eEDU Corp, was launched on Wednesday in Beijing.

Taking the opportunity of "internet+", the new media project combined online platform and O2O and created a new ecological development of education under which internet, education, E-commence and communication could achieve win-win breakthrough.

The new media integrates Tsingda education, Wechat commerce, Wechat courses and other online courses to provide education marketing tool and service. The service covers education in kindergarten, tutorial classes, stationer shops, bookstores and libraries. Users could get one-to-one service through a smart phone APP.

China is a market with over 200 million students aged from 0 to18. The new media service will connect education brands to users through the internet with low cost.

Zhang Hui, predient of Tsingda eEDU Corp, said in the era of "internet+", each one is both a producer and a consumer in education. This new type of educational ecology is the inexorable trend of social development.

According to Zhang, Tsingda new media has established more than 70,000 platforms in over cities domestically with over 50,000 educational institutes as partner. The number of platforms is expected to reach 200,000 and 360,000 in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Tsingda eEDU Corp, owns Beijing Tsingda Century Education Investment Consultants Limited, Beijing Tsingda Century Advertising Media Co. Ltd, Beijing Tsingda Century Training School and thirteen subsidiaries. Now the corporate core business covers the whole education chain with people aged 0-18, including nursery, primary and secondary school education brands and featured training projects.
A man rides a bicycle near damaged ground in the rebel held besieged al-Sukkari neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria October 19, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

DAMASCUS -- The Syrian army on Thursday accused Turkish airstrikes of killing 150 people in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo a day earlier, state news agency SANA reported.

The general command of the Syrian army said the Turkish airstrikes on towns and villages in the northern countryside of Aleppo had targeted "innocent people" and constituted a "dangerous development that will further complicate the situation."

Meanwhile, the army threatened to down any Turkish plane that would violate the Syrian airspace.

"Any further violation to the Syrian airspace by the Turkish warplanes will be dealt with by downing them with all possible means," the statement said.

The Turkish air forces and tanks have been backing several rebel groups in an operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield, which aims primarily at thwarting the advance of the Kurdish forces near the Turkish borders, and dislodge the Islamic State (IS) group from the areas they hold in northern Syria.
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S. July 25, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Thursday that the United States would make an "overwhelming" military response if Pyongyang was to ever successfully launch a nuclear weapon.

The United States "strongly condemns" the missile test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) last night, said the Pentagon chief, noting the attempt, "even in failing, violated several UN Security Council resolutions."

"Make no mistake: any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response." he warned at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo at Pentagon.

The South Korean Defense Minister told reporters that Seoul and Washington will consider "permanently deploying US strategic assets on a rotational basis" in a bid to back up US commitment to defend South Korea from DPRK's nuclear and missile threats.

The United States and South Korea will enhance cooperation on both the maritime and cyber security, Carter added.

Earlier on Thursday, a spokesman for the DPRK National Aerospace Development said in a statement that the DPRK will continue to send more satellites into space under its national blueprint for space development, refuting claims by South Korea that the true intention behind it is not for peaceful purposes.

The statement came amid South Korea's strong denunciation of the DPRK over its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile last night, which Seoul's military presumed to have failed. It was the second failed launch in less than a week and the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month.

On Wednesday, Carter reiterated the US commitment to provide "extended deterrence, guaranteed by the full spectrum of US defense capabilities" to South Korea and other allies in the region.
Firefighters from Staffordshire, UK, swaps boots for ballet gear in a tutu-daring video to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. Members of Blue Watch from Hanley fire station switched their usual firefighting gear for short orange tutus and stockings in an act of clothing rebellion for Stand Up To Cancers stand out challenge. The cheeky firefighters took the challenge one step further when they showed off their best ballet moves to the well known Swan Lake classic. [Photo/IC]
A homeless family eats lunch along a street in Sanaa, Yemen, October 20, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

SANAA -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group traded accusations with Saudi Arabia on Friday over breaching a ceasefire mediated by the United Nations, deepening the uncertainty of the peace process in the country.

The UN-brokered 72-hour ceasefire, meant to last for three days, came into effect on Wednesday midnight.

According to a statement released by Houthi-run media, a Thursday night air strike by the Saudi-led coalition killed three civilians in the northern province of Saada.

The coalition accused the Houthis of firing rockets on the southern Saudi cities of Jazan and Najran, killing two civilians, according to a statement by Saudi official media.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said its troops in the Yemeni central province of Marib shot down three missiles fired by Houthis late on Thursday.

The ceasefire is aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid supplies to the war-stricken cities.

UN officials hoped the truce would be extended to pave the way for resuming stalled peace talks and to end the war.

Previous attempts to cease fire between warring parties in Yemen had hardly been observed, with all sides involved in the conflict trading accusations of violating the truce.

Ceasefires backed by the UN are frequently interrupted.

On March. 23, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, announced that a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen was scheduled to begin in April, and peace talks scheduled to begin in Kuwait.

However, the Houthis accused Saudi-led coalition warplanes of killing seven Houthi followers in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on May 8, which triggered the Houthi and Saleh delegations to walk out of the talks in protest.
Liverpool's iconic waterfront property the Royal Liver building is viewed across the River Mersey in Birkenhead , northern England October 17 , 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Business and local government delegations from the UK cities of Liverpool and Derby will fly to China this month in the hope of attracting Chinese investment.

Derby councilors will fly into Shanghai on Oct 30 and head to Hefei, one of China's fastest-growing metropolitan regions.

Council leader Ranjit Banwait is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Hefei officials to increase trade between the cities. The delegation will then pitch 12 investment opportunities to Hefei businesspeople before departing on Nov 6.

"This is a big opportunity for the city," Banwait said in a statement. "China is a superpower and we've got the opportunity to do business with them. This is our opportunity to be part of the world stage and to sit alongside the greatest cities in the world.

"We have been proactive since Brexit and now is the time to build links with the rest of the world. We need to avoid isolating ourselves."

University of Derby representatives will also visit the Chinese city, to further develop an academic collaboration previously agreed with Hefei University.

Representatives from organizations in the Liverpool region will travel to China this weekend for a multi-city tour aimed at building business links.

Heads of companies in a range of industries will participate in a two-week drive to attract investment from Tianjin and from Southwest China from Oct 22 to Oct 29. They will then head to Qingdao and Shanghai from Oct 29 until Nov 4. The second leg of their tour will include attendance at the CBBC China Outbound Conference in Shanghai on Nov 3.

"What is really important about this trip is that the city region is coming together in its efforts to build new trade links and seek inward investment," Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said in a statement. "Our relationships with Chinese businesses are flourishing and it makes absolute sense that we market the entire city region to achieve maximum impact and the best results."

The first week of their visit will focus on investment opportunities in the creative, digital/IT, healthcare, and tourism industries as well as the urban development and planning sectors. The final leg will concern shipping and logistics, manufacturing, and property development.

Liverpool and Derby are following in the footsteps of several other British cities that have sought to attract Chinese investment.

In July, Sheffield landed a 1 billion pound investment deal with Sichuan Guodong Construction Group. The Chinese manufacturing firm will invest the money during a 60-year period, spending 220 million pounds in the first three years on development projects in the city center.
Chinese students at the 18th International Student Fair in London on Wednesday. [WANG MINGJIE/CHINA DAILY]

With record numbers of Chinese students studying in the UK, the volume of graduates finding work and getting the visas they need to remain in the country has not risen proportionally, with difficulty finding visa sponsorship a major reason.

According to the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency, the 89,540 Chinese students in Britain far exceeds the total from any other nation. Recruitment experts say only a small portion, largely those from top-tier universities, are able to find UK jobs after graduation.

The number of foreign students in the UK has stimulated a debate about whether curbs are needed. UK Chancellor Philip Hammond has reportedly challenged one of Prime Minister Theresa May's stances on immigration. He believes foreign students should be excluded from immigration curbs likely to be introduced in the wake of Brexit, British media reports have said.

May has been firmly opposed to excluding students from any immigration controls.

Chinese graduates, meanwhile, have been getting little help in finding the sort of work that qualifies them for a visa, said Sarah Jones, business director at Hays, a leading global specialist recruitment group.

Speaking at the 18th International Student Career Fair in London, she said: "There are lots of nuances and intricacies involved and not many organizations are able to do this, which I think is quite sad."

Zhou Jia, a postgraduate film studies student at University College London, wants to work in the UK after graduation next year but has not found an employer able to sponsor her visa application. She is looking at other options, such as applying for a Tier 5 temporary work visa.

Tier 5 visas allow students to stay an additional 12 months after their Tier 4 student visa expires, as long as they find an internship with an employer that meets certain conditions.

While some students want to stay in the UK, others favor returning to China.

Hou Lu, who studies strategic marketing at Cranfield University, does not want a permanent job in the UK because of the growing number of opportunities in China, but she does value the overseas working experience.

A survey conducted by Hays among 1,000 recent Chinese graduates suggests many lack business acumen, social skills, internship experience, and the ability to understand businesses' expectations.

Mike Muttiah, a senior manager at Career Interactive UK, noted many Chinese students lack soft skills.

"They tend to talk in Chinese most of the time and therefore their communication skills and English proficiency are two things that hold them back from getting a top graduate job in the UK, despite them being hardworking and results-driven," Muttiah said.

Jones, from the recruitment company Hays, said graduates should consider doing an internship to show employers they are eager and able to work.

However, she said Chinese graduates from top UK universities are finding work.

The top sectors in which Chinese graduates find work are financial services, IT and software, and pharmaceutical and healthcare. Companies in these fields can also usually offer visa sponsorship.
China and the Philippines agreed to address the South China Sea disputes "through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned", according to a joint statement released on Friday.

The statement, issued during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's state visit to China, highlighted "the importance of handling the disputes in the South China Sea in an appropriate manner".

"Both sides also reaffirm the importance of ... addressing their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned," the statement said.

The statement also says the two countries "agree to continue discussions on confidence-building measures to increase mutual trust and confidence and to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities in the South China Sea that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability".

"In addition to and without prejudice to other mechanisms, a bilateral consultation mechanism can be useful, which will meet regularly on current and other issues of concern to either side on the South China Sea," the statement said.

Duterte's China trip, from Tuesday to Friday, is his first official visit to a foreign country outside ASEAN after assuming the presidential post in June. The visit took place amid a backdrop of deteriorating China-Philippines ties due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case initiated by his predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China.

According to the joint statement, the Philippines welcomes China's proposal to open a Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Davao.

The statement also laid the basis for China-Philippines cooperation in areas including infrastructure investment, finance and customs.

"Both sides will develop financial cooperation including in areas such as concessional loans, preferential buyer's credit, bonds issuance, loans, investments, securities, and others as mutually agreed upon including special loans for development," the statement said.

According to the statement, the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other multilateral and regional development banks.
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JUAN GORDON, Appellant No. 16-1270 Decided: October 20, 2016

Before: JORDAN, VANASKIE, AND KRAUSE, Circuit Judges,

OPINION*

Appellant Juan Gordon challenges the validity of a search warrant on the ground that the law enforcement officer who swore out the warrant provided the issuing judge with deliberately misleading information in the affidavit of probable cause. On that basis, Gordon contends that the District Court erred in denying him a hearing pursuant to Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154 (1978), so that he could further develop his claim that the evidence obtained from the search should have been suppressed. For the reasons that follow, we will affirm.

I. Background

In connection with an ongoing investigation into heroin distribution in Western Pennsylvania, Detective Christopher Minton applied for a warrant to search Gordon's person and car. In support of his application, Detective Minton submitted an affidavit of probable cause in which he averred, among other things, that he received information from a reliable confidential source that an individual was selling heroin to Damon Agurs, a known heroin distributor; that he conducted surveillance based on tips from this source and observed Agurs meet briefly with an individual on two different occasions; and that, after pulling the individual's car over, he was able to identify him as Appellant, Juan Gordon. According to the affidavit, Detective Minton determined from Gordon's criminal history that Gordon had multiple prior drug-related criminal convictions and was then on federal probation from a conviction for possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

The affidavit further explained that, after receiving another tip from his confidential source, Detective Minton set up a surveillance team and watched as Gordon and Agurs drove around the block in Gordon's car for approximately one minute before Gordon dropped Agurs off. Immediately following this meeting with Gordon, according to the affidavit, Agurs began driving a separate car before a team of officers pulled him over. During this stop, officers recovered 500 stamp bags of heroin from Agurs' person. At the same time Agurs was stopped, a different team of officers pulled over Gordon's car and deployed a drug-sniffing dog, who gave a positive identification for drugs near the door where Gordon was driving. The affidavit concluded by stating that, following these events, Gordon was detained and his car was secured for a search warrant.

On the basis of this affidavit, the reviewing judge agreed that there was probable cause to search Gordon's person and car, and officers executing that warrant recovered a large quantity of cash and Gordon's cell phone. Gordon was later indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  846, and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1) and  841(b)(1)(C).

In connection with pre-trial motions and discovery, the Government informed Gordon's counsel that the confidential source referred to in Detective Minton's warrant affidavit was in fact another law enforcement officer who provided information based on a Title III wiretap. Gordon then filed a motion to suppress, arguing that he was entitled to a so-called Franks hearing to examine Detective Minton and argue for suppression on the basis of the alleged material misrepresentationsi.e., that Gordon had made the necessary threshold showing (1) that Detective Minton's references to a confidential source were intentionally or recklessly misleading, and (2) that those misrepresentations were material to the issuing judge's finding of probable cause. Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 156 (1978).

The District Court disagreed and denied Gordon's motion, concluding that even if Detective Minton's statements were intentionally misleading, those statements were not material to a finding of probable cause. Gordon now appeals.

II. Jurisdiction and Standard of Review

The District Court had jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C.  3231, and we have jurisdiction to review its final order under 28 U.S.C.  1291. We exercise plenary review over a district court's denial of a motion in support of a Franks hearing where, as here, the district court makes a probable cause ruling based on facts contained in a warrant affidavit. United States v. Shields, 458 F.3d 269, 276 (3d Cir. 2006) (citing United States v. Ritter, 416 F.3d 256, 261 (3d Cir. 2005)); see also United States v. Martin, 426 F.3d 68, 74 (2d Cir. 2005) (Whether the untainted portions [of an affidavit] suffice to support a probable cause finding is a legal question, and we review the district court's ruling on that question de novo.) (internal quotation marks omitted).

III. Discussion

On appeal, Gordon argues that the District Court erred in two ways. First, he contends that the District Court should have addressed both prongs of the Franks analysis and should not have denied him a hearing on the basis of materiality alone. Second, he challenges the District Court's conclusion that any misleading statements were immaterial to a finding of probable cause. Both arguments are unavailing.

In Franks v. Delaware, the Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment entitles a criminal defendant to an opportunity to overcome the presumption of validity of an affidavit of probable cause by proving both (1) that the affidavit contained a false statement [made] knowingly and intentionally, or with reckless disregard for the truth, and (2) that once the allegedly false statement is removed, the remainder of the affidavit is insufficient to establish probable cause. 438 U.S. at 156. In recognition of the countervailing interests in promoting finality and judicial efficiency, the Court established a two-step procedure for a defendant to prevail on a motion to suppress on the basis of an alleged false statement: first, the defendant must make a substantial preliminary showing with respect to both Franks elements to warrant a hearing, id. at 155-56, and, second, at that hearing, the defendant must carry his ultimate burden of proving both elements, id. at 172.

In view of this framework, we may dispose quickly of Gordon's first argument, which appears to be that the District Court erred by assuming, instead of deciding, that the affidavit contained deliberate false statements before denying a Franks hearing on the ground that those statements were not material to the finding of probable cause. There is simply no requirement in Franks that a district court decide both deliberate falsehood and materiality before denying a defendant a Franks hearing; rather, the burden is on the defendant to make the requisite preliminary showing that he can satisfy both prongs to be entitled to such a hearing. Id. at 171-72. Thus, if a district court determines the defendant has failed to make that showing with respect to either prong, there is no need for the court to proceed any further for the defendant then is not entitled to a hearing, much less suppression. Id. That was the case here, and the District Court, having concluded that Gordon failed in any event to make the threshold showing as to materiality, did not err by declining to reach whether the statements in question were deliberately false.

Nor do we perceive any error in the District Court's conclusion that the allegedly misleading statements in Detective Minton's affidavit were immaterial to a finding of probable cause. In order to satisfy the second prong of the Franks test, the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that once the false statement is excised, the remaining allegations set forth in the affidavit do not establish probable cause. United States v. Yusuf, 461 F.3d 374, 384 (3d Cir. 2006). The question is whether after considering the totality of the circumstances, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place. Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 238 (1983). This determination does not require absolute certainty that evidence of criminal activity will be uncovered, but only that it is reasonable to assume that the requested search will lead to the discovery of the sought-after evidence. Yusuf, 461 F.3d at 390.

Considering the substance of the affidavit without reference to Detective Minton's confidential source, we agree with the District Court that the combination of Gordon's prior conviction for heroin distribution, Agurs' reputation as a heroin dealer, the heroin discovered in Agurs' pocket shortly after the one-minute ride around the block with Gordon in Gordon's car, the drug sniffing dog's positive identification for drugs on the driver's side door of Gordon's car, and Detective Minton's personal observation of the two additional interactions between Gordon and Agurs, established a fair probability that evidence of heroin distribution would be discovered in a search of Gordon and his car. Gordon thus did not make the substantial preliminary showing of materiality necessary to warrant a Franks hearing. See United States v. Stearn, 597 F.3d 540, 557, 562 (3d Cir. 2010) (identifying the use of prior arrests or convictions for drug offenses and activity evocative of drug dealing as supportive of probable cause to search for evidence of a narcotics offense); cf. Florida v. Harris, 133 S. Ct. 1050, 1058 (2013) (stating, in the context of a probable cause hearing regarding a drug dog's reliability, that [i]f the State has produced proof from controlled settings that a dog performs reliably in detecting drugs, and the defendant has not contested that showing, then the court should find probable cause).

At certain points in his brief, Gordon characterizes Detective Minton's reference to a confidential source as a misleading omission rather than as an affirmative misrepresentation, but that characterization only strengthens our conclusion that Detective Minton's reference to a confidential source was not material. In the case of a misleading omission, as we recently observed, the proper course would be for the District Court to identify any improperly  omitted facts and perform a word-byword reconstruction of the affidavit to include those facts. Dempsey v. Bucknell Univ., No. 15-1328, 2016 WL 4434400, at *7 (3d Cir. Aug. 22, 2016). But here, as even Gordon concedes, if a court were to reconstruct the affidavit to eliminate any mention of a confidential source and to state instead that Detective Minton's source of information was another law enforcement official who had listened to a Title III wiretap, the evidence in support of probable cause would only be more reliable. See Yusuf, 461 F.3d at 384-85 (stating that informants are not presumed to be credible but information received from other law enforcement officials during the course of an investigation is generally presumed to be reliable). In sum, whether viewed as an affirmative misstatement or as a misleading omission, Detective Minton's reference to a confidential source was not material.

Gordon argues, nonetheless, that he is entitled to a Franks hearing because the District Court evaluated probable cause by considering not only the evidence set forth in Detective Minton's affidavit, but also other information known to that Court as a result of the broader Title III investigation. Nothing in the record supports that conclusion. Indeed, the statement by the District Court on which Gordon relies for this argumentthat the District Court believe[d] that there was probable cause in the four corners of the warrant to search, even if one excludes the confidential informant's last wiretap informationis directly to the contrary. Appellant's Br. 18. In any event, we have conducted a plenary review of the District Court's determination as to materiality and also conclude that the factual allegations in the affidavit, even excluding the references to the confidential source, were sufficient to establish probable cause.

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, we will affirm the order of the District Court denying Gordon's motion to suppress.

FOOTNOTES

. While the District Court did not issue any written findings in relation to Gordon's motion to suppress or request for a Franks hearing, the record is sufficiently clear that we may extract findings from [the court's] oral decision at the hearing. In re Application of Adan, 437 F.3d 381, 396 (3d Cir. 2006).

. To the extent Gordon contends that even a minor misrepresentation warrants a Franks hearing, Appellant's Br. 26, he misapprehends Franks' holding that a defendant must first show that a misrepresentation is material before he is entitled to a hearing.

. Gordon's reliance on Sherwood v. Mulvihill, 113 F.3d 396 (3d Cir. 1997), for the proposition that a district court must address both prongs of the Franks analysis, is misplaced. In Sherwood, a case brought under 42 U.S.C.  1983, appellees conceded that the affidavit in question was partially false and the first prong of the Franks test was satisfied. Sherwood, 113 F.3d at 398. Nevertheless, we affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in their favor because the appellant had not shown that any misrepresentations in the warrant affidavit were material. Id. at 402. Thus, even if we accept Gordon's contention that the facts in Sherwood are similar to the facts here, our analysis in Sherwood has no bearing on the instant case and, if anything, supports the Government's position that Gordon's claim is meritless because he cannot make the showing of materiality that Franks requires.

. In his motion to the District Court, it appears that Gordon argued that Detective Minton's reference to a confidential source was both a materially false statement and a material omission. Thus, we reject the Government's waiver argument, but nonetheless conclude that whether the statement is characterized as a misstatement or an omission does not affect the outcome of this case.

KRAUSE, Circuit Judge.
Belgium is on the way to becoming the next European country, after the UK, Czech Republic and Greece to actively engage in China's Belt and Road Initiative to better connect Asia, Europe and Africa, according to deputy Belgian Prime Minister Kris Peeters.

Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister Kris Peeters told Friday's Belt and Road forum held in Brussels that Belgium is expected to become the member of China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank next year. (Fu Jing for China Daily)

He told Friday's Belt and Road forum held in Brussels that Belgium is expected to become a member of the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

"We have much to gain from this initiative. Belgium hopes to become a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank next year," Peeters told the forum, organized by Chinese Embassy in Belgium.

The embassy organized the event as part of its efforts to mark the 45th anniversary of China-Belgium relations. Peeters also said the Belgian ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge are ready to contribute to the success of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Earlier this week, when Peeters met visiting Vice-Premier Ma Kai, he confirmed that Belgium is among the group of European countries which will live up to the obligations agreed with China when it signed World Trade Organization treaty 15 years ago.

Peeters said he was impressed by the progress China has made within just three years after President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative. "For the past three years, China has indeed been the driving force behind these unprecedented initiatives," said Peeters.

Peeters said he knows the proposal involve already more than 60 countries, 4.4 billion people, representing well over half of global GDP. "This has led to new forms of cooperation and the creation of new financial instruments and institutions, such as the Silk Road Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank," he said.

"Belgium is ready to join you on the exciting path of the One Belt One Road Initiative. We may be a relatively small country, certainly in comparison with China, but we are very big in terms of creating and strengthening links."

Qu Xing, the Chinese Ambassador to Belgium, said the Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote the connectivity of Asian, European and African continents and their adjacent seas, tap market potential, and promote Asia to secure a favorable position in the global supply chain, industrial chain and value chain.

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Qu Xing said at Friday's Belt and Road forum as both side celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations, he believe the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework will bring the connections to new highs. (Fu Jing for China Daily)

"It is not a Chinese strategy that requires support from other countries, but rather a Chinese initiative open for participation of all," he said, adding that this project will only succeed when it is jointly built through consultation to meet the interests of all.

Qu also said under the "Belt and Road" framework, a number of cross-border infrastructure projects covering 44 countries have started construction this year, and some have even come into service.

Qu said Belgium is located in the western end of the Eurasian continent, and enjoys convenient transportation and well-developed logistics, so thus has great advantage in carrying out cooperation with China.

In respect of the policy coordination, high-level mutual visits are frequent, said Qu.

In 2014, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Belgium and the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative, especially the railway connection between China's western regions and the port of Antwerp.

In June last year, King Philippe paid a return state visit to China and witnessed the signing of more than 90 agreements and contracts. During a visit to Belgium in June of last year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, together with Prime Minister Charles Michel, witnessed the signing of 12 cooperation agreements, accounting for more than 20 billion dollars.

"When we celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations, I believe the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework will bring our connections to new highs," said Qu.

To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

Editor: Chris Peterson
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. WILLIAM EDWARD RUTZLER, Defendant - Appellant. No. 15-4747 Decided: October 20, 2016

Before WILKINSON, KING, and FLOYD, Circuit Judges. J. Clark Fischer, RANDOLPH & FISCHER, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for Appellant. Terry Michael Meinecke, Assistant United States Attorney, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee.

William Edward Rutzler pled guilty, pursuant to a written plea agreement, to conspiracy to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), 846 (2012). The district court sentenced Rutzler to 84 months' imprisonment, a sentence at the bottom of the applicable Sentencing Guidelines range. Counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), stating that there are no meritorious grounds for appeal but questioning whether the indictment properly alleged the charged offenses, whether Rutzler's plea was knowing and voluntary, and whether Rutzler was properly sentenced. Although notified of his right to do so, Rutzler has not filed a pro se brief.

We detect no flaws in Rutzler's indictment. Moreover, when a defendant pleads guilty, he waives all nonjurisdictional defects in the proceedings conducted prior to entry of the plea, and thus has no non-jurisdictional ground upon which to attack that judgment except the inadequacy of the plea. United States v. Smith, 640 F.3d 580, 591 (4th Cir. 2011) (brackets and internal quotation marks omitted). As discussed below, Rutzler's guilty plea was valid and thus any nonjurisdictional challenges to the indictment have been waived.

Prior to accepting a guilty plea, a court must conduct a plea colloquy in which it informs the defendant of, and determines that the defendant understands, the nature of the charge to which he is pleading guilty, the maximum possible penalty he faces, and the various rights he is relinquishing by pleading guilty. Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(b)(1); United States v. DeFusco, 949 F.2d 114, 116 (4th Cir. 1991). The district court also must ensure that the defendant's plea is voluntary, supported by a sufficient factual basis, and not the result of force, threats, or promises not contained in the plea agreement. Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(b)(2)-(3); DeFusco, 949 F.2d at 119-20.

Because Rutzler did not move to withdraw his guilty plea in the district court or otherwise preserve any allegation of Rule 11 error, we review the plea colloquy for plain error. United States v. Sanya, 774 F.3d 812, 815 (4th Cir. 2014). To prevail on a claim of plain error, [Rutzler] must demonstrate not only that the district court plainly erred, but also that this error affected his substantial rights. Id. at 816. In the guilty plea context, a defendant establishes that an error affected his substantial rights if he demonstrates a reasonable probability that, but for the error, he would not have pleaded guilty. Id.

Our review of the record reveals that the district court satisfied all requirements of Rule 11 and ensured that Rutzler's guilty plea was knowing and voluntary. Accordingly, we conclude that the district court did not err in accepting Rutzler's guilty plea.

We review the reasonableness of a sentence for abuse of discretion. United States v. Martinovich, 810 F.3d 232, 242 (4th Cir. 2016). We must first determine whether the district court committed significant procedural error, such as incorrect calculation of the Sentencing Guidelines range, inadequate consideration of the 18 U.S.C.  3553(a) (2012) factors, or insufficient explanation of the sentence imposed. United States v. Dowell, 771 F.3d 162, 170 (4th Cir. 2014). Upon a finding of a procedural error, the error shall be subject to harmlessness review. Martinovich, 810 F.3d at 242. The district court informed Rutzler of his right to appeal, but failed to inform him that he could seek leave to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal, as required by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(j). However, this minor omission was harmless, as it neither impacted the sentencing process nor hindered Rutzler's timely filing of an appeal.

If the sentence is free of significant procedural error, we examine the substantive reasonableness of the sentence, taking into account the totality of the circumstances. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51 (2007). Any sentence that is within or below a properly calculated Guidelines range is presumptively reasonable. Such a presumption can only be rebutted by showing that the sentence is unreasonable when measured against the 18 U.S.C.  3553(a) factors. United States v. Louthian, 756 F.3d 295, 306 (4th Cir. 2014) (internal citation omitted). We conclude that Rutzler has failed to overcome the presumption of substantive reasonableness accorded to his within-Guidelines sentence. The district court did not abuse its discretion in sentencing Rutzler.

In accordance with Anders, we have reviewed the entire record in this case and have found no meritorious issues for appeal. We therefore affirm Rutzler's conviction and sentence. This court requires that counsel inform Rutzler, in writing, of the right to petition the Supreme Court of the United States for further review. If Rutzler requests that a petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel's motion must state that a copy thereof was served on Rutzler.

We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

PER CURIAM:
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Roselyne MarikasI, Petitioner, v. Loretta E. Lynch, Attorney General, Respondent. No. 16-3281 Decided: October 20, 2016

Before: KEITH, McKEAGUE, and WHITE, Circuit Judges. ON BRIEF: Larisa I. Schneider, Florence, Kentucky, for Petitioner. Alexander J. Lutz, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondent.

OPINION

Petitioner Roselyne Marikasi (Marikasi) appeals the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming an Immigration Judge's (IJ) denial of her asylum petition. On August 20, 2014, an IJ denied Marikasi's application for asylum, withholding of removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) 8 U.S.C.  241(b)(3) and withholding of removal pursuant to the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The IJ determined that Marikasi was not a credible witness due to inconsistencies in her testimony and her failure to sufficiently corroborate her claims. The BIA affirmed the IJ's denial of Marikasi's applications for asylum and withholding of removal on all counts and ordered Marikasi removed to her native country of Zimbabwe. Marikasi timely appealed the BIA's decision on March 24, 2016. See 8 U.S.C.  1252(b)(1).

For the following reasons, we AFFIRM the decision of the BIA.

I. BACKGROUND

Marikasi, a native citizen of Zimbabwe, legally entered the United States on January 19, 2002 on a non-immigrant visitor's visa with an expiration date of July 18, 2002. On November 25, 2002, Marikasi filed a form I589 application for asylum and withholding of removal. Since she had overstayed her visa, her application was referred to the Immigration Court, and on September 25, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security commenced removal proceedings alleging that she was in violation of the INA, 8 U.S.C.  1227(a)(1)(B). On July 11, 2005, Marikasi filed an amended Form I589 application for asylum and withholding of removal.

In her initial application from 2002, when asked whether she had suffered from harm or mistreatment in the past, Marikasi stated the following:

I got married to a very abusive husband it all started when I kept having miscarriages and that was when beatings and death threats started from a man I was living woth [sic] everyday [sic]. He use [sic] to sleep with a knife under the pillow and he was accusing me of cheating on him and I was causing all the miscarriages.

She did not check the box provided for political opinion as a reason for seeking asylum, but instead checked nationality and membership in a particular group. This initial application made no mention that her husband was a government agent in Zimbabwe or that she or her husband were members of any political party. In the portion of the application that asked whether Marikasi had been a member of any organization, such as a political party in Zimbabwe, she mentioned only the Musasa Project for battered women.

In the 2005 amended application for asylum, Marikasi provided a different answer. In this application, when asked whether she had suffered from harm or mistreatment in the past, Marikasi stated:

I was tortured and mistreated by my husband who was a Government agent [in Zimbabwe] and by members of the ZANU PF [the leading party] because I belonged to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) [the opposition party]. My brother was brutalized and killed in 2002 by ZANU PF members because of my political activities in the MDC.

This time, Marikasi checked the box provided for political opinion, membership in a particular group, and torture convention as reasons for seeking asylum, but did not check the box for nationality. In response to the question concerning whether she had been involved in any organizations, such as a political party, Marikasi stated that she belonged to the MDC, Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe and actively organized meetings, campaigns, and rallies.

Following the submission of these asylum applications and several corroborating documents, a hearing was first held before an IJ in 2006. The IJ found that Marikasi was not a credible witness. The IJ said her story developed wings, transitioning from a battered wife's story of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband to a political asylum story from an anti-government activist. As such, the IJ denied Marikasi's claim for asylum due to its lack of credibility and deemed her removable.

On appeal in 2011, the BIA remanded the case for further factual development regarding Marikasi's claim of domestic abuse.

Following remand in 2014, an IJ once again denied Marikasi asylum and withholding of removal under the INA and CAT. The 2014 IJ made the following findings concerning Marikasi's testimony: (1) Marikasi was inconsistent regarding the number of times she went to the hospital, when she went to the hospital, and what caused her husband to beat her so badly she had to go to the hospital; (2) Marikasi was inconsistent with regard to whether she reported the abuse she suffered; (3) Marikasi was inconsistent regarding her involvement with the Musasa Project for battered women; (4) Marikasi's testimony that she went into hiding from her husband in either April 2001 or October 2001 was inconsistent with evidence in both her initial asylum application and her amended asylum application; and (5) Marikasi was inconsistent in describing the reason or reasons why her husband would abuse her. Because domestic abuse was the central reason for her asylum application, the 2014 IJ held that her inconsistencies, and her stated explanations for them, warranted an adverse credibility determination.

In addition, the 2014 IJ held that Marikasi did not sufficiently corroborate her claims to meet her burden of proof on the issue of past persecution. Relevant corroborating documents included a medical record showing that there was a scuffle with her husband, an affidavit from a former co-worker to whom Marikasi confided regarding the alleged domestic abuse, a letter from an American psychologist reporting anxiety related to domestic abuse and a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and a letter from a doctor in Zimbabwe reporting political violence she allegedly suffered in 2001. The BIA affirmed the IJ after according limited weight to the individualized evidence of corroboration proffered by Marikasi.

The 2014 IJ, however, made the following determinations in Marikasi's favor: (1) the Zimbabwean government is unable or unwilling to control domestic violence, and (2) women who suffer from domestic violence in Zimbabwe at the hands of a domestic partner and are unable to leave are sufficiently particular and therefore meet the requisite social distinction for asylum purposes. However, the 2014 IJ found that Marikasi was unable to demonstrate that her status in the domestic relationship with her husband was or is immutable because she could not show that she was unable to leave the abusive relationship and therefore failed to show that she was a member of this particular social group.

Next, the 2014 IJ held that Marikasi also did not meet the higher burden of proof for showing fear of future persecution. Similarly, the 2014 IJ found that she could not meet the higher burden required for withholding of removal under the INA or CAT.

Marikasi appealed the 2014 IJ decision to the BIA, which affirmed the IJ and dismissed the appeal. The BIA concluded that the 2014 IJ's adverse credibility determination was not clearly erroneous. The BIA also agreed that Marikasi failed to present sufficient corroborative evidence to rehabilitate her discredited testimony or independently satisfy her burden of proof. Further, it held that Marikasi waived the issue of whether she could avoid future persecution by relocating to another part of Zimbabwe and that she was not a member of an immutable group based on marital status because she did not show that she was unable to leave the marital relationship. Accordingly, the BIA dismissed the appeal.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Jurisdiction and Standard of Review

This court has jurisdiction to review a final order of removal from the BIA pursuant to 8 U.S.C.  1252. The agency's findings of fact are reviewed for substantial evidence, and questions of law are reviewed de novo. Abdurakhmanov v. Holder, 735 F.3d 341, 345 (6th Cir. 2012) (citing Khalili v. Holder, 557 F.3d 429, 435 (6th Cir. 2009)). The BIA's decisions are final agency determinations for purposes of judicial review, and we are also empowered to review the IJ's opinion to the extent that the BIA adopts that opinion. Gaye v. Lynch, 788 F.3d 519, 526 (6th Cir. 2015).

Credibility determinations are considered findings of fact, and are reviewed under the substantial evidence standard. Sylla v. I.N.S., 388 F.3d 924, 925 (6th Cir. 2004) (citing Yu v. Ashcroft, 364 F.3d 700 (6th Cir. 2004)). This is a deferential standard: A reviewing court should not reverse simply because it is convinced that it would have decided the case differently. Id. (internal quotation omitted). Rather, findings of fact, such as adverse credibility determinations, are conclusive unless any reasonable adjudicator would be compelled to conclude to the contrary. Liti v. Gonzales, 411 F.3d 631, 636 (6th Cir. 2005) (quoting Yu, 364 F.3d at 702). However, [a]n adverse credibility finding must be based on issues that go to the heart of the applicant's claim. Id. at 637 (quoting Sylla, 388 F.3d at 926). Adverse credibility determinations cannot be based on an irrelevant inconsistency. Daneshvar v. Ashcroft, 355 F.3d 615, 619 n. 2 (6th Cir. 2004). If discrepancies cannot be viewed as attempts by the applicant to enhance [her] claims of persecution, they have no bearing on credibility. Id. at 623 (quoting Shah v. INS, 220 F.3d 1062, 1068 (9th Cir. 2000)). Even where several inconsistencies cited by the IJ are irrelevant or do not go to the heart of the applicant's asylum claim, only one relevant inconsistency is required to uphold an adverse credibility determination. See Sy v. Holder, 337 Fed.Appx. 487, 495 (6th Cir. 2009).

B. Legal Standard

Under the INA, the Attorney General may grant asylum to an alien who has applied for asylum if it is determined that such an alien is a refugee. 8 U.S.C.  1158 (b)(1)(A). The applicable definition for refugee includes a person away from her home country who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Id.  1101(a)(42)(A). When interpreting the INA, this court defers to the BIA's judgment. CastellanoChacon v. I.N.S., 341 F.3d 533, 546 (6th Cir. 2003) (we recognize the deference due the BIA's interpretation of the INA insofar as it reflects a judgment that is peculiarly within the BIA's expertise) holding modified on other grounds by Almuhtaseb v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 743 (6th Cir. 2006).

The burden of proof is on the applicant to establish that the applicant is a refugee[.] 8 U.S.C.  1158(b)(1)(B)(i). This burden can be carried  either because [s]he has suffered actual past persecution or because [s]he has a well-founded fear of future persecution.  Mikhailevitch v. I.N.S., 146 F.3d 384, 389 (6th Cir. 1998) (quoting 8 C.F.R.  208.13(a)-(b) (1997)). The applicant's testimony, if credible, may be sufficient to sustain the burden of proof without corroboration.  Id. (quoting 8 C.F.R.  208.13 (a) (1997)). If past persecution is shown, [a]n applicant  [establishing] such past persecution shall also be presumed to have a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of the original claim. 8 C.F.R.  208.13(b)(1).

The INA does not define persecution, but this court has held that it does not encompass all treatment that our society regards as unfair, unjust, or even unlawful or unconstitutional. Lumaj v. Gonzales, 462 F.3d 574, 577 (6th Cir. 2006) (internal quotation omitted). We have interpreted persecution to require physical punishment, infliction of harm, or significant deprivation of liberty. Mikhailevitch, 146 F.3d at 390. Further, persecuted individuals are those who are specifically targeted by the government for abuse based on a statutorily protected ground and  not merely a victim of indiscriminate mistreatment. Gilaj v. Gonzales, 408 F.3d 275, 285 (6th Cir. 2005).

Likewise, membership in a particular social group is statutorily undefined, but several [BIA] decisions have refined and articulated the requirements to include: (1) a shared immutable or fundamental characteristic; (2) social visibility; (3) particularity; and (4) the group cannot be defined exclusively by the fact that its members have been subject to harm. Kante v. Holder, 634 F.3d 321, 327 (6th Cir. 2011) (internal quotation and citations omitted).

III. ANALYSIS

1) Adverse credibility determination

Marikasi challenges each of the inconsistencies on which the 2014 IJ based the adverse credibility determination. Because only a single relevant inconsistency that goes to the heart of the applicants claim, and that plausibly could be viewed as incredible or could be viewed as inconsistent need support an IJ's adverse credibility determination, we will not review each of these in detail. Pilica v. Ashcroft, 388 F.3d 941, 954 (6th Cir. 2004); see also Sy, 337 Fed.Appx. at 495. We conclude that Marikasi's inconsistent statements provide substantial evidence on the record that plausibly could be viewed as incredible or could be viewed as inconsistent.

Regarding whether any of these inconsistencies are relevant and go to the heart of Marikasi's claim, [i]f discrepancies cannot be viewed as attempts by the applicant to enhance  claims of persecution, they have no bearing on credibility. Daneshvar, 355 F.3d at 623. The hospitalizations recounted by Marikasi were allegedly caused by either her husband's abuse or a group of pro-government youths who attacked Marikasi for organizing a political opposition rally. The BIA found that Marikasi was inconsistent regarding the number of times she was hospitalized, the dates of her hospitalization, and the reasons for the abuse that led to the hospitalization. Marikasi also did not mention being hospitalized in her initial asylum application. Her asylum claim is based on abuse from her husband, who she alleged was a Central Intelligence Officer for the leading party in Zimbabwean government, the ZANUPF. Marikasi's initial asylum application alleged persecution based on membership in a particular social group, and her amended asylum application alleged persecution on basis of political opinion. These hospitalizations can be viewed as attempts to enhance [her] claims of persecution because evidence of hospitalization can show the physical punishment, infliction of harm, or significant deprivation of liberty required in the context of an asylum claim. Mikhailevitch, 146 F.3d at 390. If credible, hospitalizations resulting from Marikasi's domestic abuse or her political activities would bolster her asylum application and thus her inconsistencies concerning those hospitalizations go to the heart of her claim. Accordingly, we find that substantial evidence on the record supported an adverse credibility determination in this case and we will not disturb those findings on appeal.

Additionally, we agree with the BIA that other important factual inconsistencies between Marikasi's asylum application and her testimony supported an adverse credibility determination. In Marikasi's initial asylum application, she reported the following:

I got married to a very abusive husband it all started when I kept having miscarriages and that was when beatings and death threats started from a man I was living woth [sic] everyday [sic]. He use [sic] to sleep with a knife under the pillow and he was accusing me of cheating on him and I was causing all the miscarriages.

Yet, as the BIA noted, Marikasi claimed in her declaration and testimony upon remand that her husband physically abused her and she subsequently suffered two miscarriages. This differs significantly from the claim in her first asylum application that the miscarriages predated the abuse. This inconsistency in the timeline of domestic abuse is relevant and at the heart of Marikasi's asylum claim because domestic abuse forms the very basis for her claim. It is of no moment that Marikasi expressed varying reasons as to why her husband abused her. Yet, alarm bells rightly toll on account of her variant stories as to when such tragic miscarriages transpired. Thus, Marikasi's testimony surrounding her miscarriages plausibly could be viewed as incredible and support IJ's adverse credibility determination. Pilica, 388 F.3d at 954.

2) Corroborating evidence

The BIA concluded that Marikasi did not present sufficient corroborative evidence to rehabilitate her discredited testimony or independently satisfy her burden of proof. Marikasi raises several arguments in response to this determination.

First, Marikasi claims that the BIA ignored the medical records reflecting Petitioner's hospitalization in 1999 resulting in her miscarriage due to her beating by her husband. However, this claim is without merit. In regard to the 1999 medical records, the IJ found that the records corroborated only the fact that Marikasi was abused by her husband in 1999, but failed to provide sufficient details to allow the court to determine that the abuse qualified as persecution under asylum standards. Considering that, oddly, Marikasi failed to discuss the account of the abuse in 1999 in her initial application or her 2006 hearing, we agree that this medical record, which reported a scuffle at home with her husband, does little to corroborate domestic abuse rising to the level of persecution, which requires evidence of physical punishment, infliction of harm, or significant deprivation of liberty. Mikhailevicht, 146 F.3d at 390. Nor does the medical record clear up the credibility concerns stemming from Marikasi's inconsistent statements.

In her remaining arguments concerning corroboration, Marikasi essentially argues that the corroborating evidence should have been afforded more weight. However, the role of this court is not to weigh the evidence. See Gray v. SLC Coal Co., 176 F.3d 382, 387 (6th Cir. 1999) (stating that [w]e should not re-weigh evidence or substitute our judgment for that of the [factfinder]). Our role here is to ensure that substantial evidence on the record supported the BIA's fact-finding. In this regard, the letters, affidavits, and reports cited in Marikasi's brief do not sufficiently corroborate her underlying asylum claim because they fail to fill significant, relevant gaps in her testimony.

Additionally, Marikasi cites to a Third Circuit case, Fiadjoe v. Attorney Gen. of U.S., 411 F.3d 135, 137 (3d Cir. 2005), to argue the impact that PTSD can have on the accurate testimony of women who have been subjected to domestic or sexual violence. However, comparison to this case is inapposite. Fiadjoe involved a victim later recalling sexual abuse from when she was seven years old. Id. at 137. The adverse credibility determination in that case turned in part on allegedly improper conduct by the IJ at her hearing. See id. at 155. In addition, some of the inconsistencies were based on testimony that was given to an INS officer in the airport very shortly after she suffered abuse. Id. at 159. Marikasi had a significant amount of timealmost a yearbetween her arrival in the United States and filling out her asylum application, and she claims no partiality or abuse on the part of the IJ. Further, her psychologist's note provides no particularized explanation for how PTSD played a role in Marikasi's varying accounts of the events in Zimbabwe. Thus, none of the pressures or circumstances that existed in Fiadjoe are present here, and the BIA did not err in finding that Marikasi failed to corroborate a litany of outstanding inconsistencies in her statements.

3) Past PersecutionParticular social group

Lastly, Marikasi contests the IJ and BIA determination that she did not meet the standard for an abused spouse seeking asylum. Under the INA, a refugee includes a person away from her home country who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. 8 U.S.C.  1101(a)(42)(A). In Matter of ARCG, 26 I. & N. Dec. 388 (BIA 2014), the BIA reviewed the issue of whether spouses escaping an abusive domestic relationship can obtain asylum on refugee grounds and concluded in the affirmative.

This court has held that a particular social group is a group of individuals who share a common, immutable characteristic that is one that members of the group either cannot change, or should not be required to change because it is fundamental to their individual identities or consciences. UmanaRamos v. Holder, 724 F.3d 667, 671 (6th Cir. 2013); Kante v. Holder, 634 F.3d 321, 327 (6th Cir. 2011). The group may not be circularly defined by the fact that it suffers persecution, and the group must be both particular and socially visible. UmanaRamos, 724 F.3d at 671. In this case, the BIA determined that, while victims of an abusive domestic relationship can qualify as a particular social group, Marikasi did not prove that she was part of a group with the requisite common, immutable characteristic. We agree.

Marital status is an immutable characteristic when the the individual is unable to leave the relationship. Matter of ARCG, 26 I. & N. Dec. at 392. As further explained:

A determination of this issue will be dependent upon the particular facts and evidence in a case. A range of factors could be relevant [in a domestic abuse situation], including whether dissolution of a marriage could be contrary to religious or other deeply held moral beliefs or if dissolution is possible when viewed in light of religious, cultural, or legal constraints.

Id. at 393.

The BIA distinguished Marikasi's case in the following important respects from Matter of ARCG: (1) when Marikasi went into hiding with the Musasa Project, she did not have any contact with her husband; (2) after she left the Musasa Project, she stayed with friends and never returned to her husband; (3) a substantial period of time had passed since Marikasi went into hiding and she remained out of contact with her husband; and (4) she remained out of contact with her husband after leaving Zimbabwe. In addition, we note that because of her ability to freely move through the country and avoid her husband, Marikasi failed to substantiate any religious, cultural, or legal constraints that prevented her from separating from the relationship in Zimbabwe or moving to a different part of that country. See Matter of ARCG, 26 I. & N. Dec. at 393. Furthermore, Marikasi's case illustrates that she had a substantial network of family, friends, and co-workers who showed willingness and ability to help her within Zimbabwe and she did not credibly show any particular actions or complicity by the government which would have rendered her unable to avail herself of that country's protection.

Thus, Marikasi failed to carry her burden because she failed to prove that she could not leave the relationship or that she could not relocate to another part of Zimbabwe.

4) Fear of Future Persecution

Having found that Marikasi did not show past persecution, consequently, there is no presumption that she faces a well-founded fear of future persecution. See 8 C.F.R.  1208.13(b)(1)(ii); see also Mapouya v. Gonzales, 487 F.3d 396, 412 (6th Cir. 2007) (stating that where an applicant proves past persecution, there is a presumption of a well-founded fear of future persecution). Marikasi argues that the burden of proof was improperly placed on her by the BIA. However, because we agree with the BIA that she has not shown past persecution, the burden is properly on her to show future persecution. Mikhailevitch, 146 F.3d at 390.

Having made a determination that Marikasi has not suffered past persecution, we must determine whether the evidence would compel a reasonable factfinder to conclude that there is a reasonable possibility of Marikasi suffering future persecution if she were to return to Zimbabwe. Id.; 8 C.F.R.  1208.13(b)(2)(i)(B). Our inquiry requires reasonably specific information showing a real threat of individual persecution, and a general, speculative assertion of fear is not enough to compel such a conclusion. Mapouya, 487 F.3d at 412 (emphasis added). Marikasi cites primarily to a State Department Report that discusses the difficulties the government of Zimbabwe has with controlling domestic violence in support of her claim. This report, however, does not support Marikasi's individual claim of persecution. Further, despite her general expression of fear that her husband will resume the abuse upon her return, Marikasi failed to explain why she cannot move to another part of Zimbabwe, where she could avoid contact with her husband. See 8 C.F.R.  1208.13(b)(2)(ii). Therefore, we are not compelled to conclude that the BIA erred in failing to find a reasonable probability of future persecution.

For the aforementioned reasons, we affirm the BIA's determination that Marikasi's has not met her burden of proof to establish eligibility for asylum.

5) Withholding of Removal

Because Marikasi has not met her burden of proof on her eligibility for asylum, she accordingly cannot satisfy the more demanding standard that there is a clear probability of persecution required for withholding of removal under the Act. Liti, 411 F.3d at 641.

III. Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the order of the BIA.

FOOTNOTES

. We note that there is a new standard of review for credibility determinations, which was created by the REAL ID Act of 2005. Under the REAL ID Act, considering the totality of the circumstances and all relevant factors, a fact finder in an asylum claim may base an adverse credibility determination on an inconsistency, regardless of whether the inconsistency goes to the heart of the claim. 8 U.S.C.  1158 (b)(1)(B)(iii). However, when an application for asylum is filed before May 11, 2005, the REAL ID Act of 2005 does not apply. See Abdurakhmanov, 735 F.3d at 345 n.3. Here, Marikasi's application for asylum was filed in 2002. Thus, the inconsistencies on which the adverse credibility determination was made must go to the heart of the applicant's claim. See Sylla, 388 F.3d at 926.

. At least one sister circuit has utilized this analysis in a domestic abuse asylum claim. VegaAyala v. Lynch, No. 152114, 2016 WL 4205890, at *3 (1st Cir. Aug. 10, 2016) (denying petition for review because petitioner, who was not married to the abusive man, could not prove immutability or social distinction).

. We note that this analysis is based on Marikasi's demonstrated ability to escape the abusive relationship and survive safely within her native country. The facts of Matter of ARCG dictate that asylum applicants who allege that they cannot leave the relationship under this rule are not precluded from relief merely because they were able to escape the relationship and arrive in the United States. The petitioners in Matter of ARCG were natives and citizens of Guatemala who entered the United States without inspection. Id. at 389. Thus, it would be inappropriate to use the fact that Marikasi was able to escape her country and arrive in the United States to defeat her asylum claim, as this undercuts the very purpose of asylum.

DAMON J. KEITH, Circuit Judge.
(Photo : getty images.) US Private investment firm Starwood Capital Group said on Tuesday that it sold a stake in a roughly $2 billion portfolio in US hotels to a group led by China Life Insurance Co. Ltd.

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US Private investment firm Starwood Capital Group announced on Tuesday that it offloaded a stake in a roughly $2 billion portfolio in US hotels to a consortium led by China's largest insurance company, the China Life Insurance Co. Ltd.



The portfolio comprises of 280 hotels spread across 40 cities in United States.



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"We are honoured to have been given the opportunity to serve as stewards of China Life's capital, and thrilled to embark on a partnership that represents a first-of-its-kind relationship for our firm," said Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht. "With this select-service hotel portfolio, China Life has an efficient vehicle for investing in the United States economy as a whole."



Starwood said valuation of the entire portfolio stands more than $3 billion.



To recall, the Connecticut-based investment company sold New York's luxury Baccarat hotel to another Chinese insurance company last year.



Chinese insurance companies have shown great interest in US real-estate properties in recent years, with main focus being on properties related to tourism and hotels. Experts say that the Chinese companies focus on hotels and tourism properties is mainly spurred by the recent boom in outbound tourism.



Last month, Anbang Insurance Group Co shelled out nearly $6.5 billion to acquire 15 luxury US hotels, including New York's JW Marriott Essex House and Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.



Meanwhile, Anbang also acquired Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan for approximately $2 billion last year. This year the company also made a $14 billion bid to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, which was eventually bought by Marriott International Inc.



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TagsStarwood Capital Group, China Life Insurance, china, China Life Insurance Co. Ltd
(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/mining-excavator-electric-1736289/) The World Trade Organization (WTO) provided a panel ruling for the complaint lodged by China in December, 2013.

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China scored victories on most of the cases of anti-dumping rules applied by the United States. The World Trade Organization provided a panel ruling for the complaint lodged by China in December 2013.



The complaint was part of the series of disputes between China and the US regarding the definition of dumping.



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WTO panel assessed that the US method of determining dumping margins in certain cases of "target dumping" is faulty. Target dumping denotes price cuts carried out by foreign firms on products aimed at specific demography, time period or regions.



The panel ruled against the zeroing practice employed by the US Commerce Department in cases of target dumping.



The practice involves assigning a value of zero to any instance where the export price exceeds the producer's regular price in the home market, partly to make up for customer and freight expenses. This practice leads to elevated levels of US anti-dumping duties on overseas manufacturers.



The ruling has been welcomed by Chinese authorities.



The country's Ministry of Commerce said the decision upholds "China's principal claims." The ministry also added that the dispute spans a large number of industries, including metals and minerals, light and machinery sectors, contributing up to $8.4 billion worth of exports.



The US Trade Representative's office, on the other hand, expressed its disappointment over the findings.



It stated that the report will be carefully reviewed for determining the next steps. The department's spokesperson even noted that the ruling will not "undermine the commitment of the United States to impose antidumping duties to address injurious dumping." Both parties have 60 days to appeal the said ruling.



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TagsWTO, US Trade Representative's office, Ministry of Commerce
(Photo : Punjab) The Indus River System and its six rivers.

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India's determined bid to review the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan is seen by some as a de facto declaration of a "Water War" against its neighbor, whose agricultural economy depends heavily on water from the Indus River system that first passes through India before reaching Pakistan.



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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is reviewing India's position on the Indus Waters Treaty as another way to punish Pakistan without having to wage war. In other words, India wants to wage a "Water War" and not a shooting war against Pakistan, which will be a world first.



The treaty, which was signed by both countries on September 19, 1960, is India's most potent weapon in its desire to inflict painful damage on Pakistan. The Pakistani economy depends heavily on agriculture and on the Indus River system that traverses both countries.



India sees this Water War as another form of retaliation for a series of attacks over the past two months by Muslim Kashmiri militants that have killed over 20 Indian jawans. India accuses Pakistan, specifically its Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency, as behind these terrorist attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir.



The Indus Waters Treaty, which was brokered by the World Bank, was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan.



It was a result of Pakistani fears that since the source rivers of the Indus basin are in India, this fact can create droughts and famines in Pakistan, especially in times of war were India to block these rivers. That fear seems to be well-founded given today's tensions.



To calm this apprehension, the treaty stipulates India can use only 20% of the total water carried by the Indus River and its system of six rivers while 80% of total water can be used by Pakistan.



The treaty also gave control over the three "eastern" rivers (the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej) to India while control over the three "western" rivers (the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum) went to Pakistan. The waters of these six rivers flow to Pakistan from India.



Indian media said Modi and his Cabinet this week took a good look at the treaty, and received briefings from top officials from various ministries (including External Affairs and Water Resources).



Pakistan immediately responded to news India was reviewing the treaty. Islamabad on Oct. 20 warned of "appropriate action" if India violates the treaty. It also said it's closely monitoring the situation.



"Appropriate action will be taken in line with the Treaty in case of any violation by India," said Nafees Zakaria, Foreign Office spokesperson. He said India is making "desperate attempts" to divert attention from the "atrocities and human right violations" it's committing in Kashmir, a Muslim majority province.



He said Pakistan is highlighting Indian brutalities in Kashmir at world fora. He claims there has been "very substantive outcome" of these efforts and the international community remains concerned about the situation.



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TagsIndia, Pakistan, Water War, Indus Waters Treaty, Indus River system, World Bank, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ayub Khan, Nafees Zakaria
(Photo : PLA) Men of the PLA.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater cooperation between the military and civilian sectors to build a stronger People's Liberation Army (PLA), a move that should be a huge challenge considering a weak Chinese economy facing a huge debt and real estate crisis.



"Military-civilian cooperation, as a national strategy, is crucial to national security and the bigger picture of development," said Xi.



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He also noted this cooperation also helps build a prosperous nation and stronger armed forces. Military-civilian cooperation can achieve much and Xi said institutional reforms and innovation should continue.



He urged substantial efforts be made to promote military-civilian cooperation from both the demand and supply side and in the aspects of management, operation and policy making.



Xi made these remarks at an exhibition at the Academy of Armored Forces Engineering of the People's Liberation Army in Beijing. The exhibition profiled the achievements of military and civilian cooperation since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.



Displayed were models and videos featuring processes and technology such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System; hybrid power stations; cloud data encryption technology; large-scale 3D printers unmanned planes and vessels.



Xi is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).



Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli also visited the exhibition.



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TagsXi Jinping, People's Liberation Army, Academy of Armored Forces Engineering, Communist Party of China, military-civilian cooperation
United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Ronda Walker, PlaintiffAppellant v. Progressive Direct Insurance Company, et al., DefendantsAppellees No. 16-1433 Decided: October 18, 2016

Before LOKEN, BEAM, and BENTON, Circuit Judges. Counsel who presented argument on behalf of the appellant was John Christian Steffens, of Cape Girardeau, MO. In addition to Mr. Steffens, the following attorney(s) appeared on the appellant brief; J. Michael Payne, of Cape Girardeau, MO., and John D. Harding, of Cape Girardeau, MO. Counsel who presented argument on behalf of the appellee was James A. Wilke, of Saint Louis, MO. In addition to Mr. James A. Wilke, the following attorney(s) appeared on the appellee brief; Daniel Wilke, of Saint Louis, MO.

Steve Walker died in a motorcycle accident. His wife, Ronda Walker, brought a wrongful death action against the driver of the other vehicle, which the parties settled for the driver's liability policy limit of $25,000. Ronda then sued the Walkers' insurer, Progressive Direct Insurance Company, to recover underinsured motorist insurance (UIM) under two Progressive Auto Policies insuring their six other cars. After Progressive removed the action to federal court, the district court granted Progressive's motion for summary judgment, concluding that the policies' owned vehicle exclusion barred UIM coverage because Steve did not purchase UIM coverage under a separate policy insuring his motorcycle. Ronda appeals. Reviewing de novo the district court's interpretation of the insurance policies and their ambiguity, as Missouri law requires, we affirm. FloydTunnell v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co., 439 S.W.3d 215, 217 (Mo. banc 2014).

The two Progressive policies provided UIM coverage for each of the six named vehicles. The policies' owned vehicle exclusion (OVE) is common in auto liability policies. The Supreme Court of Missouri has noted the exclusion's purpose: one cannot simply buy a policy of insurance on one vehicle and then argue that the policy covers other vehicles that the insured also owns but chose not to insure. Dutton v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 454 S.W.3d 319, 323 (Mo. banc 2015). Here, Steve Walker separately insured his motorcycle without UIM coverage.

UIM coverage is not required by statute in Missouri, so Ronda's coverage claim turns on the UIM provisions in Progressive's policies, construed in accordance with Missouri law. Progressive provided UIM coverage in Part III (B) of its Auto Policy. The Insuring Agreement in Part III (B) provided:

If you pay the premium for this coverage, we will pay for damages that an insured person is legally entitled to recover from the owner or operator of an underinsured motor vehicle because of bodily injury:

1. sustained by that insured person;

2. caused by an accident; and

3. arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of an underinsured motor vehicle.

The policies' general definitions defined Bodily injury to mean bodily harm  including death that results from bodily harm, and defined You to mean a person shown as a named insured on the declarations page.

The OVE exclusion in Part III (B) provided that UIM coverage will not apply:

1. to bodily injury sustained by any person while using or occupying:

* * *

b. a motor vehicle that is owned by or available for the regular use of you or a relative. This exclusion does not apply to a covered auto that is insured under this Part III (B)

Part III (B)'s Limits of Liability section provided that the each person limit of liability includes the total of all claims made for bodily injury to an insured person and all claims of others derived from such bodily injury, including  wrongful death. Part III (B) also contained a relevant Additional Definition:

Insured person means:

a. you or a relative 

and

d. any person who is entitled to recover damages covered by this Part III (B) because of bodily injury sustained by a person described in [subpart] a

In this case, Steve Walker was a named insured on the policies' Declarations Page and therefore was an insured person. He sustained bodily injury caused by an accident arising out of the use of an underinsured motor vehicle. Therefore, unless excluded, the Insuring Agreement in Part III (B) covered a claim by Steve, had he survived, or, after his death, a wrongful death claim by Ronda based upon (derived from) Steve's bodily injury. However, as the district court explained, Part III (B)'s OVE barred coverage for these claims because [Steve] was a named insured who owned the vehicle he was driving during the accident, and that vehicle was not covered under the policies at issue here. As in Bush v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co., 412 S.W.3d 336, 342 (Mo. App. 2013), the Progressive policies' OVE exclusion simply and unambiguously precludes coverage for damages sustained while the insured is occupying a vehicle he owns that is not included on the polic[ies'] declarations page.

On appeal, as in the district court, Ronda avoids this straightforward analysis applying Progressive's OVE to the undisputed facts in this case. Rather, she argues that the OVE does not bar a claim for her own injury because (i) she is a person named on the policy Declarations Page and therefore an insured person; (ii) she may recover wrongful death damages from an underinsured motorist, see Mo. Rev. Stat.  537.080.1(1); and (iii) [s]he was not using or occupying any vehicle involved in the accident, nor did she suffer any bodily injuries in the accident.

The district court succinctly answered this contention: if you could only mean plaintiff herself, there would be nothing for her to recover under UIM coverage because she was not injured. We agree. Of course, Ronda did suffer personal injury from Steve's death that may be recovered in a wrongful death damage action. See Mo. Rev. Stat.  537.090. But she did not suffer bodily injury as defined in the Progressive Auto Policy, and Part III (B) provides UIM coverage only to an insured person for bodily injury sustained by that insured person. Thus, Ronda's argument that the policy definition of you makes the OVE ambiguous when she seeks coverage for her own injury does not identify a relevant ambiguity. Ronda's UIM claim is not covered whether you refers to Ronda or Steve, or both, because a UIM claim based on Steve's bodily injury is barred by the OVE, and Part III (B) provides no UIM coverage for a separate claim by the other named insured, Ronda.

The Supreme Court of Missouri reached the same conclusion in FloydTunnell, where the plaintiff claimed uninsured motorist coverage for her husband's wrongful death under each of their three auto policies, but the insurer, applying an OVE exclusion, limited coverage to the statutory minimum for the policies covering cars the husband was not driving when the accident occurred. 439 S.W.3d at 217. On appeal, plaintiff argued that the policies provide coverage to her for [wrongful death] damages, and because she was not in the car when the accident occurred, the [OVE] exclusion does not limit this coverage. Id. at 219. The Supreme Court rejected this argument, concluding that the policies' plain languagemoney owed to an insured for bodily injury  sustained by that insureddid not cover a claim for wrongful death damages. Because plaintiff did not suffer bodily injury herself, [t]he plain language of the policies denies her coverage for the damages she sustained as a result of her husband's death. Id. That reasoning applies and is controlling here.

The judgment of the district court is affirmed.

FOOTNOTES

. The Honorable Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri.

LOKEN, Circuit Judge.
(Photo : Getty Images) Toyota says China's new rules on emission and fuel is giving the company a hard time to reach quota.

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It appeared that Toyota is not just relocating its United States headquarters from its current location in Southern California to Texas, as the company is overhauling is entire operation in the region.



Toyota North American chief executive officer Jim Lentz said that as part of this overhaul, the automaker recently announced that it is hiring 1,000 workers as it transitions to Texas.



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In a statement acquired by USA Today, Lentz said, "Most everyone, when they think of Toyota, they think of a single company in the US, and we are really not."



"We are a group of affiliated companies working together," he added.



Toyota first announced its plan to relocate the company's operations from Torrance, California to Plano way back in 2014. The decision came after a long deliberation that maintaining three separate operation hubs located in California, Northern Kentucky and Michigan is taking up too much resources.



Recently, reports revealed that at least 100 employees are moving in to the Texas hub every month. By 2017, Lentz shard, at least 1,800 employees will be working on the new headquarters already, with the aim to raise it to more than 4,000 employees.



Toyota's decision to restructure its North American business synchronizes as well with how the company operates its international business.



Back in 2009 and 2010, Toyota was not able to contain the massive recall revolving around the sudden acceleration of its vehicles. Following the crisis, Toyota decided to overhaul its management and give regional management teams autonomy on decision making policies.



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TagsToyota, Texas, Toyota news, toyota location, north california, toyota hiring
(Photo : Getty Images) Celebrity hacker Alonzo Knowles received five years jail time for exposing sexually explicit photos of artists and hacking unpublished TV scripts.

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Police authorities in the Czech Republic have apprehended an alleged Russian hacker believed to be connected to a series of cyber-attacks that targeted companies based in the United States.



Authorities said the suspect, whose name is yet to be released, was arrested on Wednesday by a joint operation of local police force and United States Federal Bureau of Investigation agents working on the case.



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Hours after the arrest was reported by the media, professional networking service LinkedIn released a statement tying the alleged hacker to a system breach back in 2012.



In a statement acquired by Fox News, LinkedIn said, "Following the 2012 breach of LinkedIn member information, we have remained actively involved with the FBI's case to pursue those responsible."



"We are thankful for the hard work and dedication of the FBI in its efforts to locate and capture the parties believed to be responsible for this criminal activity," LinkedIn added.



The breach LinkedIn was referring to occurred in 2012 when a hacking incident compromised more than 100 million user passwords. Further investigations revealed that 117 million user email and passwords were actually stolen during the breach.



A local Prague Municipal Court is now working whether to extradite the suspect to the United States. Justice Minister Robert Pelikan, accordingly, has the final say on the issue.



While extradition to the US is currently under discussion, Russian officials are also demanding that the suspect be handed over to them.



Court spokesperson Marketa Puci said the court ruled that the suspect will remain under detention, while waiting for the extradition case to be heard.



Czech authorities said they are giving the US two months to deliver all the necessary documents in order to support its extradition claim.



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Tagshacker, linkedin hack, linkedin hacker, Russian Hacker, Czech Republic
(Photo : FBI) Harold Martin

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U.S. federal authorities confirm that Harold T. Martin III, a civilian contractor that worked for the National Security Agency (NSA) before being arrested last August, is responsible for the largest theft of classified information in the history of the United States.



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That breathtaking haul of secret military and government information lasted for over 20 years and was described by federal prosecutors as "an astonishing quantity." The only silver lining in this incredible failure of U.S. counter intelligence is that Martin apparently isn't a spy working for either China or Russia. The government hasn't alleged that Martin passed any material to a foreign government.



Martin, 51, did technology work for Booz Allen Hamilton, an American management consulting firm headquartered in Virginia. Edward Snowden, another infamous leaker of stolen U.S. government secrets, also worked for Booz Allen.



Government sources said Martin was probably in it for the money but can be 100% sure this is the case. What led to Martin's arrest was a baffling leak last August that saw secret NSA hacking tools being sold online.



Among these tools Martin sold online included "exploits" that take advantage of unknown flaws in firewalls, allowing the government to control a network. They were posted online by a group calling itself Shadow Brokers, which authorities believes is Martin himself.



Experts said the tools stolen and placed online by Martin could allow targets of NSA spying to determine they were being hacked by the NSA. Some foreign spy agencies might be able to reconfigure the tools to use against the NSA.



The FBI last August charged Martin with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials.



Martin, who has top secret clearance, was arrested after FBI agents raided his home in Maryland. Investigators found documents and digital information stored on various devices containing highly classified information they initially said dated back only to 2014.



They were wrong. Deeper investigation revealed thefts dating back over 20 years, a time span covering most of Martin's employment with Booz Hamilton.



Federal prosecutors in Baltimore on Oct. 20 said they will charge Martin with violating the Espionage Act. In a 12-page memo, U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein and two other prosecutors laid out a far larger case against Martin than was previously outlined.



They said Martin took at least 50 terabytes of data and "six full banker's boxes worth of documents." Some of this classified material was in his home office or kept on his car's back seat and in the trunk. Other material was stored in a shed on his property.



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TagsHarold T. Martin III, National Security Agency, NSA, largest theft of classified information, Booz Allen Hamilton, Edward Snowden, Rod Rosenstein
(Photo : Getty Images) Rodrigo Duterte is currently visiting China on his first state visit outside ASEAN.

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, known for his anti-US tirade, has decided to ditch old ally US for China and Russia.



Duterte announced on Thursday that his country's economic and military "separation" from the United States saying that Philippines has found new allies in a new anti-US geopolitical set up.



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"I announce my separation from the United States both in the military but economics also," Duterte said during his state visit in China. "So please you have another problem of economics in my country."



"I have separated from them so I will be dependent on you for a long time but don't worry we will also help," he added.



"I've realigned myself in your (China) ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to President Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," Duterte declared.



The firebrand Filipino leader's remarks came after a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital.



The two heads of state agreed to resume talks on their dispute over the South China Sea. Duterte and Jinping also decided to restore diplomatic and defense security communications to improve bilateral relations.



China and Philippines have long been engaged in a bitter territorial dispute.



In July, an international tribunal had rejected China's ownership claims over the contested waters. Beijing had rejected the ruling by calling it "null and void."







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Tagschina, Philippines, Russia, Rodrigo Duterte, US
(Photo : Getty Images ) Xi Jinping met his Filipino counterpart Duterte on Thursday.

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China and Philippines have agreed to start bilateral talks to resolve their long-standing territorial dispute over South China Sea.



Chinese deputy foreign minister Liu Zhenmin said on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte have decided to resume bilateral dialogue to address the issue.



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"Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship," the junior foreign minister stated. "The two sides agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialogue."



The Filipino leader is now in the mainland for a four-day state visit, which many described as historic.



The Philippines' 16th President's visit in China is his first state visit outside of ASEAN since he assumed his post in June.



He met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital on Thursday.



The two heads of state also agreed to restore diplomatic and defense security communications to improve bilateral relations, said Zhenmin in a press conference in Beijing.



The two leaders have signed more than a dozen agreements for enhancing cooperation in economic, trade, cultural and maritime affairs between the two countries.



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TagsSouth China Sea, South China Sea talks, china, Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte
(Photo : Getty Images ) An Indian campaign to ban all Chinese goods is gaining momentum across the country.

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Renowned Indian Yoga guru and controversial figure Baba Ramdev has called for boycott of Chinese products in the country.



The 50-year-old founder of Patanjali Ayurved said on Thursday that India could turn into China's "economic slave" if the country's trade deficit with the Asian superpower continues.



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"Five years ago China's commerce with India was around Rs 2 lakh crore, this has doubled in five years," Ayurbed said. "If the same speed continued then it will result into a major threat for our economy, India will fall victim of China's economic slavery."



Ramdev's remarks came amid increasing concern on India's huge trade deficits with China. He also raised alarm over growing proximity between China and Pakistan.



"In 2015, China has sold goods worth $61 billion to India whereas India has sold goods only worth $9 billion to China," he continued. "This trade deficit with China is increasing every year. And the sad part of is that China is using this money to help Pakistan."



An Indian campaign to ban all Chinese goods is gaining momentum across the country.



The campaign was initiated following China's support to Pakistan in the wake of the Uri terror attack. India is also unhappy over Beijing's stance over its Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish e Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's issued.



Several Indian government officials, including Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, have recently appealed to the public to avoid buying Chinese products. A powerful trade body in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat has issued a directive to its members to boycott all Chinese goods.



China has always betrayed us. Buying Chinese products is like helping the enemy. Every nationalist Indian should boycott Chinese products

 Swami Ramdev (@yogrishiramdev) October 17, 2016







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TagsIndia, china, chinese goods, India Boycott, Narendra Modi, Baba Ramdev
(Photo : Getty Images) China was left fuming on Thursday after the Milan granted honorary citizenship to the Dalai Lama.

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The Italian city of Milan granted Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, honorary citizenship on Thursday. The move is most likely going to anger from China, which sees the Dalai Lama as a separatist leader.



Milan's Mayor Giuseppe Sala posted a photograph on Twitter, where he was seen clasping hands with the Dalai Lama. Sala tweeted "Milan, an open city. In the past, the present and the future," according to Italian media.



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Sala reportedly added that he does not fear the "repercussions" of the meeting, taking a direct swipe at China.



It is not clear whether the Dalai Lama will be meeting Pope Francis, the current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican City may be mindful of allowing the Tibetan spiritual leader to meet Pope Francis as it is desperately seeking to mend ties with Beijing.



Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Rome took note of the Dalai Lama's visit to Milan, adding that the decision of city officials to meet with the Buddhist leader "had gravely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."



Beijing often expresses anger with countries and leaders who host the Dalai Lama at international gatherings and forums. A few days ago, China promised to retaliate against Slovakia, after Slovakian President Andrej Kiska held a special meeting the Buddhist spiritual leader.



China has always viewed the Dalai Lama with suspicion for his activities aimed at separating Tibet from Mainland China. The Buddhist leader accuses China of suppressing cultural and spiritual identity of Tibet, while Beijing maintains that its rule has brought economic prosperity and political stability to the region.



The Dalai Lama has been living in exile since 1959 after he led a failed uprising against the Chinese government. Since then, the Tibetan spiritual leader has been living in exile in India's Northern state of Himachal Pradesh.



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TagsDalai Lama, China and Dalai Lama, Milan, China and Italy
(Photo : Getty Images.) Samsung's 10nm chips are likely to be used to power the rumored Galaxy S8 device.

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South Korean tech giant Samsung has unveiled the company's first 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM memory module. This new memory module uses the latest 10nm semiconductor fabrication process which allowed the manufacturer to squeeze more transistors into it.



Through this new 10nm process, Samsung can create more power-efficient memory modules while doubling the capacity of the older 20nm memory modules. The new 8GB memory module operates at speeds up to 4,266Mbps. That is twice the speed of DDR4 memory modules designed for desktop computers which usually runs at 2,133Mbps.



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Samsung said that this new memory module meets the required form factor for small devices such as smartphones. The company added that the memory module could also be used for tablets. Although some tablets, due to their bigger build, already ship with 8GB of memory, Samsung said that these devices could receive a boost when they are fitted with LPDDR4 modules.



In a statement, Samsung vice president Joo Sun Choi said, "The advent of our powerful 8GB mobile DRAM solution will enable more capable next-generation, flagship mobile devices around the world."



Aside from memory modules, Samsung also announced that the company is planning to use this new 10nm fabrication process in manufacturing new system-on-chip (SoC). Chipsets fabricated using the 10nm process will be used on devices that are to be launched early next year. There are rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be the first device to use a chipset manufactured using the 10nm process.



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TagsSamsung, samsung memory, lpddr4, 10nm process, smartphone memory
(Photo : Pixabay) JPMorgan is backing out of its investment in China's First Capital Securities.

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JPMorgan is reportedly in talks to sell out its stake in First Capital Securities joint venture. The banking company has a 33 percent stake in the joint venture.



The development may lead to the first instance of a top global investment bank exiting the Chinese securities market. However, the company has said that the move does not signify its retreat from the country.



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The revelation was made in a regulatory filing submitted by First Capital Securities of Shenzhen. The Chinese company holds the majority stake in joint venture. JPMorgan has been embroiled in controversies. The banking company is currently nearing a settlement of a three-year investigation related to the hiring of Chinese officials' progenies. It is alleged that the banking company employed discriminatory tactics to win business.



JPMorgan confirmed the news that it is negotiating an exit from the joint venture. The company stated that China remains a key market for JPMorgan. It also stated that it is optimistic about the long-term opportunities provided by the country. The banking company's stake is likely to be bought by First Capital Securities. However, the deal has not been finalized yet. The companies also did not provide any financial details.



Growing domestic competition is believed to be the main reason behind the exit. Major investment banks form a joint venture with local Chinese companies for securities business and hold a minority interest. However, such minority interest results in a lack of control. The revenue generated by such joint ventures is also generally minuscule.



Various other banking companies such as Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs Group and UBS Group also have such JVs.



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(Photo : Getty Images) The Philippine government expressed gratitude to China for helping out Manila to boost its economy

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On the last day of his state visit to China, Philippine President Duterte on Friday signed more than 20 Memoranda of Understanding MOU) agreements with China worth US$24 billion. The deals included trade, investment, and other areas of mutual interest.



Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez told reporters on Friday that the initial US$13.5 billion worth of Chinese investment that was supposed to be signed by Duterte had increased to US$ 24 billion by the end of his visit on October 21.



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"Based on the numbers we are putting together now, in terms of investments, credit facilities opened, $24 billion," Lopez announced at a press conference in Beijing.



Soft loans



Around US$15 billion of the US$24 billion worth of deals that Duterte is scheduled to take home to Manila came from Chinese private companies while the US$ 9 billion were in the form of soft loans from Chinese banks.



Lopez said the loans would be made available for Philippine development projects such as infrastructure, railway, and the industrial sector, among others.



The Philippines trade secretary said the Chinese investments and soft loans would be spread across various industries which include tourism, agriculture, energy, telecommunications, food, and infrastructure.



2 million jobs



Officials from the Philippine department of trade and industry said China's numerous investments in the country would generate at least two million jobs for Filipino people with the figure expected to rise in the next five years.



Meanwhile, Duterte announced on Thursday that he was "separating" from the United States and realigning Manila with Beijing in terms of military and economic relations.



"I've realigned myself in your [China] ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to President Vladimir Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world--China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," he told a group of Chinese and Filipino businessmen after his talks with President Xi Jinping.



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TagsPresident Rodrigo Duterte, President Xi Jinping, MOUs, trade and investment, business deals, deveopment projects, infrastructure, Duterte China visit, Manila, Beijing
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. United States of America, PlaintiffAppellee, v. Xiaoying Tang Dowai, DefendantAppellant. No. 1410277 Decided: October 17, 2016

Before: Sidney R. Thomas, Chief Judge, and Consuelo M. Callahan and Mary H. Murguia, Circuit Judges. Joseph E. Horey (argued), O'Connor Berman Dotts & Banes, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, for DefendantAppellant. Garth R. Backe (argued) and Ross K. Naughton, Assistant United States Attorneys; Alicia A.G. Limtiaco, United States Attorney; United States Attorney's Office, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; for PlaintiffAppellee.

OPINION

Xiaoying Tang Dowai (Tang), a native of China, appeals her convictions for visa fraud, making a false statement, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. On appeal, she asserts she has been deprived of her constitutional right to an independent federal judiciary because the Northern Mariana Islands District Court (NMI District Court) is not properly established under the Constitution. We hold that Tang was properly tried in the NMI District Court and affirm her conviction.

I

Tang came to Saipan from China in 2002 and worked in several garment factories. When her employment contract expired in 2009, Tang was unable to find another contract employer. In order for Tang to remain in Saipan, her boyfriend, Shahadat Hossain (known as Chico), approached Jesse Dowai, a native of Saipan, and asked him if he would help out by marrying a Chinese woman. Chico told Dowai he would pay him $500. Dowai agreed to the proposition and married Tang in September 2009. Chico was present at the marriage and gave Dowai $500.

Following the marriage ceremony, Tang and Dowai never lived together and never spent any time together in the absence of Chico. Tang's marriage to Dowai made her eligible for an immediate relative (IR) entry permit under Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) law, pursuant to which she could reside and work on Saipan without a contract. Tang secured work as a cashier in a poker room through November 2011.

At that time there was a change in the law and Tang's IR status no longer allowed her to work. She was advised that if she wanted to keep working she would have to apply for lawful permanent resident status. Accordingly, she applied for a green card. Tang's application asserted that she was married to Dowai and that they had lived together since October 2009.

Tang was initially indicted in October 2013 in the NMI District Court. Her motion to dismiss the indictment on constitutional grounds was denied and a superseding indictment issued on January 21, 2014, charging her with conspiracy to defraud the United States (18 U.S.C.  371), visa fraud (18 U.S.C.  1546(a)), and making a false statement (18 U.S.C.  1001(a)(2)). The jury found Tang guilty on all three charges.

After the NMI District Court denied Tang's post-trial motion for judgment of acquittal and arrest of judgment, she was sentenced to a term of two years' probation. Tang filed a timely notice of appeal.

II

Tang's most serious contention on appeal, at least in terms of its potential consequences, is that because the judges of the NMI District Court lack the secure tenure required by Article III of the Constitution, her trial for violations of Title 18 in that court violates Article III. In support of her position, Tang notes that the NMI District Court is created by statute, 48 U.S.C.  1821(b), and objects that NMI District Court judges serve ten-year terms and can be removed by the President alone.

The constitutionality of a statute is a question of law that we review de novo. United States v. GodinezOrtiz, 563 F.3d 1022, 1032 (9th Cir. 2009); United States v. Harris, 185 F.3d 999, 1003 (9th Cir. 1999). However, Tang has the considerable burden of making a plain showing that Congress exceeded its constitutional bounds in creating the NMI District Court. United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598, 607, 120 S.Ct. 1740, 146 L.Ed.2d 658 (2000) (Due respect for the decisions of a coordinate branch of Government demands that we invalidate a congressional enactment only upon a plain showing that Congress has exceeded its constitutional bounds.).

Tang is correct that the NMI District Court is not an Article III court and its judges are not Article III judges. Indeed, the Supreme Court in Nguyen v. United States, 539 U.S. 69, 7273, 123 S.Ct. 2130, 156 L.Ed.2d 64 (2003), stated that the NMI District Court is not an Article III court but an Article IV territorial court with subject matter substantially similar to the jurisdiction of the District Court of Guam. But it does not follow that the NMI District Court lacked authority to try Tang.

A. The NMI District Court was established by Congress pursuant to its authority under Article IV of the Constitution.

Despite the Supreme Court's statement, Tang asserts that the NMI District Court is not a territorial court created pursuant to Congress' authority under Article IV of the Constitution, but an Article I treaty court. Tang explains that Article II of the Constitution gives the President the power to make treaties, and the terms of a treaty are implemented by Congress under its Article I powers, including its power under the Necessary and Proper Clause and its power to constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court. See Missouri v. Holland, 252 U.S. 416, 432, 40 S.Ct. 382, 64 L.Ed. 641 (1920). Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States. (emphasis added).

We have recognized the unique political relationship between the [Northern Mariana Islands] and the United States. Com. of N. Mariana Islands v. Atalig, 723 F.2d 682, 684 (9th Cir. 1984). From 1947 until 1975, the United States exercised powers of administration, legislation, and jurisdiction over the CNMI under a United Nations Trusteeship. Id. However, in 1975, the people of the CNMI chose to become a self-governing commonwealth under United States sovereignty. Id. at 685.

Whatever the initial authority for the United States exercising authority over the CNMI, the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States, coupled with Congress' approval of the Covenant in Joint Resolution of March 24, 1976 (Pub. L. No. 94241, 90 Stat. 263, reprinted in 48 U.S.C.  1681), established Congress' authority over the CNMI under Article IV of the Constitution. The Covenant states that the people of the CNMI, exercising their inalienable right of self-determination,  have clearly expressed their desire for political union with the United States. The United States, in return, while recognizing that the people of the CNMI have the right of local self-government, agreed to have complete responsibility for and authority with respect to matters relating to foreign affairs and defense affecting the Northern Mariana Islands. Pub. L. No. 94241 (Sections 103 and 104).

In conjunction with the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, Congress, in November 1977, passed legislation that has been codified in Title 48 U.S.C.  1821. See Pub. L. 95157, 91 Stat. 1265 (1977). Title 48 U.S.C.  1821(a) establishes for and within the Northern Mariana Islands a court of record to be known as the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. Subsection (b) provides for the President to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, a judge for the NMI District Court who shall hold office for a term of ten years and until his successor is chosen and qualified, unless sooner removed by the President for cause. Section 1822 states that:

The district court shall have original jurisdiction in all causes in the Northern Mariana Islands not described in subsection (a) of this section jurisdiction over which is not vested by the Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands in a court or courts of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Moreover, Congress clearly intended that the NMI District Court have jurisdiction over criminal cases as the legislation provided that [i]n causes brought in the district court solely on the basis of this subsection, the district court shall be considered a court of the Northern Mariana Islands for the purposes of determining the requirements of indictment by grand jury or trial by jury. See id.

The language of 48 U.S.C.  1821 and 1822 clearly shows that Congress intentionally created the NMI District Court and gave it jurisdiction over criminal prosecutions. Congress did so based on the authority conferred on it by Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 of the Constitution. This, indeed, may well be sufficient in itself to defeat Tang's heavy burden of showing that Congress exceeded its constitutional bounds. Morrison, 529 U.S. at 607, 120 S.Ct. 1740. However, Tang's challenge to the NMI District Court's authority fails completely in light of Supreme Court precedent that has rejected challenges similar to hers.

B. The Supreme Court has rejected similar challenges to non-Article III courts.

In Palmore v. United States, 411 U.S. 389, 93 S.Ct. 1670, 36 L.Ed.2d 342 (1973), Palmore challenged his conviction of a felony under the District of Columbia Code because the District of Columbia judge did not have protection with respect to tenure and salary under Art. III of the Constitution. Id. at 390, 93 S.Ct. 1670. Writing for the Court, Justice White described Palmore's position as being that an Art. III judge must preside over every proceeding in which a charge, claim or defense is based on an Act of Congress or a law made under its authority. Id. at 400, 93 S.Ct. 1670. At the very least, [Palmore] asserts that criminal offenses under the laws passed by Congress may not be prosecuted except in courts established pursuant to Art. III. Id. This is precisely Tang's position.

But the Supreme Court was not impressed. It held that Congress was not constitutionally required to create inferior Art. III courts to hear and decide cases within the judicial power of the United States, including those criminal cases arising under the laws of the United States. Id. at 401, 93 S.Ct. 1670. The Court further commented [n]or, more particularly has the enforcement of federal criminal law been deemed the exclusive province of federal Art. III courts. Id. at 402, 93 S.Ct. 1670. The Supreme Court then specifically addressed Article IV courts:

It is also true that throughout our history, Congress has exercised its power under Art. IV to make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States' by creating territorial courts and manning them with judges appointed for a term of years. These courts have not been deemed subject to the strictures of Art. III, even though they characteristically enforced not only the civil and criminal laws of Congress applicable throughout the United States, but also the laws applicable only within the boundaries of the particular territory.

Id. at 40203, 93 S.Ct. 1670. The Court noted that [t]erritorial courts, therefore, have regularly tried criminal cases arising under the general laws of Congress, as well as those brought under territorial laws. Id. at 403, 93 S.Ct. 1670 (footnotes omitted).

In the final section of its opinion, the Supreme Court reiterated that neither it nor Congress had read the Constitution to require every criminal prosecution  to be tried in an Art. III court before a judge enjoying lifetime tenure and protection against salary reduction. Id. at 407, 93 S.Ct. 1670. Rather, the requirements of Art. III must in proper circumstances give way to accommodate plenary grants of power to Congress to legislate with respect to specialized areas having particularized needs and warranting distinctive treatment. Id. at 408, 93 S.Ct. 1670.

C. Tang's challenge to the NMI District Court misreads Supreme Court precedent.

In response to this approach, Tang argues that Article IV does not apply because the CNMI is not so remote and its relation to the United States is not so impermanent that an exception to the requirements of Article III is justified. She appears to extract this suggested limitation on Congressional authority under Article IV from an observation in Justice Harlan's opinion in Glidden v. Zdanok, 370 U.S. 530, 82 S.Ct. 1459, 8 L.Ed.2d 671 (1962), and possibly O'Donoghue v. United States, 289 U.S. 516, 53 S.Ct. 740, 77 L.Ed. 1356 (1933). However, this argument fails for three reasons. First, Justice Harlan's opinion was not an opinion joined by a majority of the justices. Second, Glidden precedes and thus is superseded by Palmore, 411 U.S. 389, 93 S.Ct. 1670, 36 L.Ed.2d 342, which, as noted, expressly affirms Congress' authority to create and maintain Article IV courts. Third, and dispositive, the Court in Glidden was concerned with defining an Article III court, not with limiting the authority of an Article IV court.

The issue in Glidden was whether the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and the United States Court of Claims were Article III courts or had been created by virtue of other substantive powers possessed by Congress. Glidden, 370 U.S. at 531, 82 S.Ct. 1459. The Court held that the courts were created under Article III and that their judges have been constitutionally protected in tenure and compensation. Id. at 584, 82 S.Ct. 1459. In reaching this conclusion, Justice Harlan noted that Congress had declared that the courts were Article III courts. Id. at 54043, 82 S.Ct. 1459.

In the course of his opinion, Justice Harlan endorsed Chief Justice Marshall's opinion in American Insurance Company v. Canter, 26 U.S. 511, 1 Pet. 511, 7 L.Ed. 242 (1828). In Canter, the Court rejected a challenge to the Superior Courts of Florida based on the fact that their judges were appointed for only four years. The Court concluded that Article III did not apply in the territories because they were legislative Courts, created in virtue of the general right of sovereignty which exists in the government, or in virtue of that clause which enables Congress to make all needful rules and regulations, respecting the territory belonging to the United States. 1 Pet. at 546. In Glidden, Justice Harlan explained that Chief Justice Marshall's opinion established that in the territories cases and controversies falling within the enumeration of Article III may be heard and decided in courts constituted without regard to the limitations of that article; that is, having judges of limited tenure and entertaining business beyond the range of conventional cases and controversies. Glidden, 370 U.S. at 545, 82 S.Ct. 1459.

Justice Harlan noted that Article III has been viewed as inapplicable to courts created in unincorporated territories outside the mainland as well as to the consular courts established by concessions from foreign countries. Id. at 547, 82 S.Ct. 1459. While discussing these courts, Justice Harlan did observe that when the peculiar reasons justifying investiture of judges with limited tenure have not been present, the Canter holding has not been deemed controlling. Id. at 548, 82 S.Ct. 1459 (citing O'Donoghue, 289 U.S. at 53639, 53 S.Ct. 740). However, this observation was made in support of the determination that the Court of Claims and Court of Custom and Patent Appeals were Article III courts. In context, Justice Harlan's observation cannot be read as suggesting that the authority of a non-Article III court established by Congress might somehow erode with the passage of time or because of changes in the local setting. Indeed, in Glidden, Justice Harlan noted that it was not necessary to explore the extent to which Congress may commit the execution of even inherently judicial business to tribunals other than Article III courts. Id. at 549, 82 S.Ct. 1459. Thus, Glidden offers no support for Tang's suggestion that an Article IV court may somehow, over the passage of time, lose its authority.

O'Donoghue, like Glidden, was concerned with defining an Article III court, not with limiting the authority of an Article IV court, and thus does not apply to the NMI District Court. O'Donoghue addressed an effort by Congress to reduce the salary of the judges of the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. O'Donoghue, 289 U.S. at 525, 53 S.Ct. 740. The Court held that the judges had been appointed under Article III of the Constitution and therefore their remuneration could not be diminished. In doing so, the Court took pains to distinguish the District of Columbia from territories of the United States, noting that Congress' authority over the District is set forth in a separate clause of the Constitution (Article 1, section 8, clause 17), and that the District is as lasting as the states from which it was carved or the union whose permanent capital it became. Id. at 538, 53 S.Ct. 740. Here, there is no contention that the judges of the NMI District Court are Article III judges. Rather, Tang's contention is that because the judges of the NMI District Court are not Article III judgesserving for good behavior and without diminution of compensationthe NMI District Court lacks jurisdiction to try her. However, as noted, the Supreme Court rejected such an argument in Palmore, 411 U.S. at 40102, 93 S.Ct. 1670, which, having been decided some forty years after O'Donoghue, implicitly limits the Court's prior opinion.

Even if O'Donoghue or Glidden were read to suggest that contingencies or the passage of time might somehow affect the authority of an Article IV court, there has been no change with regard to the NMI District Court. Indeed, O'Donoghue seems to envision that the operative change is becoming a state. 289 U.S. at 537, 53 S.Ct. 740. However, the CNMI's relationship with the United States continues to evolve and the CNMI remains geographically remote. Despite the fact that the United States has exercised control over the CNMI since World War II, the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America was not approved until 1976. We know of nothing subsequent that might have eroded the authority of the NMI District Court.

D. Nothing inCommodity Futures Trading Commission v. Schor, 478 U.S. 833 (1986), undermines the authority of the NMI District Court.

Our recognition of the NMI District Court as a non-Article III court does not implicate the concerns expressed by the Supreme Court in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Schor, 478 U.S. 833, 106 S.Ct. 3245, 92 L.Ed.2d 675 (1986). There, in holding that Congress could constitutionally give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission authority to adjudicate state law counterclaims in reparation proceedings, the Court set forth the broad standard that the constitutionality of a given congressional delegation of adjudicative functions to a non-Article III body must be assessed by reference to the purposes underlying the requirements of Article III and this inquiry is guided by the principle that practical attention to substance rather than doctrinaire reliance on formal categories should inform application of Article III.  Id. at 84748, 106 S.Ct. 3245 (quoting Thomas v. Union Carbide Agric. Prods. Co., 473 U.S. 568, 587, 105 S.Ct. 3325, 87 L.Ed.2d 409 (1985)).

Schor concerned legislation that gave an agency authority over matters that would otherwise have been adjudicated in state court or an Article III court. Here, however, we address Congress' creation of a United States judicial forum where none had previously existed. As noted, Congress' authority to do so is clearly set forth in Article IV. Moreover, there is no danger of encroachment on the judicial power by the executive or legislative branch, see 478 U.S. at 85354, 106 S.Ct. 3245, as decisions by the NMI District Court are reviewed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, an Article III court. Furthermore, we note that in Schor, the Supreme Court rejected Schor's novel theory that Article III should be read to absolutely preclude any adjudication of state law claims by federal decisionmakers that do not enjoy the Article III salary and tenure protections. Id. at 858, 106 S.Ct. 3245. In sum, the creation of the NMI District Court as a non-Article III court is purposed by Article IV of the Constitution and Tang has not shown that any constitutional interest has been improperly infringed by it exercising jurisdiction over her criminal trial.

III

In Nguyen, 539 U.S. at 7273, 123 S.Ct. 2130, the Supreme Court stated that the NMI District Court is not an Article III court but an Article IV territorial court. In light of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States, coupled with Congress' approval of the Covenant in Joint Resolution of March 24, 1976, we agree. Reviewing the guidance provided by the Supreme Court in Palmore and Glidden, we affirm what we previously stated in an unpublished memorandum: the NMI District Court was properly established by Congress under Article IV and is empowered to hear federal criminal cases. See United States v. Wei Qin Sun, 399 Fed.Appx. 319, 320 (9th Cir. 2010) (unpublished).

Accordingly, we reject Tang's challenge to the authority of the NMI District Court to try her for violations of United States Code Title 18. In conjunction with our concurrently filed memorandum disposition, Tang's conviction is AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. We reject Tang's other challenges to her conviction in a memorandum disposition filed concurrently with this opinion.

. Tang does not allege that being tried in the NMI District Court otherwise violated any of her constitutional rights.

. Section 105 of the Covenant further states:The United States may enact legislation in accordance with its constitutional processes which will be applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands, but if such legislation cannot also be made applicable to the several States the Northern Mariana Islands must be specifically named therein for it to become effective in the Northern Mariana Islands. In order to respect the right of self-government guaranteed by this Covenant the United States agrees to limit the exercise of that authority so that the fundamental provisions of this Covenant, namely Articles I II and III and Section 501 and 805, may be modified only with the consent of the Government of the United States and the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands.Reprinted in Pub. L. 94241, 90 Stat. 263 (1976). Title 48 U.S.C.  1821 specifically names the CNMI as required by Section 105.

. None of the cases cited by Tang compels a different conclusion. In Atalig, we implied that Congress administers the CNMI under Article IV. 723 F.2d at 689 (noting that the doctrine of incorporation is designed to limit the power of Congress to administer territories under Article VI of the Constitution). In Ngiraingas v. Sanchez, 858 F.2d 1368, 1371 n.1. (9th Cir. 1988), we noted that the CNMI has a unique relationship with the United States and commented on the relationship under the Trusteeship, but not under the Joint Resolution. In Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. v. Republic of Palau, 924 F.2d 1237, 1244 (2d Cir. 1991), the Second Circuit, after describing the unique nature of a trust territory, took judicial notice of the fact that the United Nations Security Council has approved the termination of the trusteeship arrangement as to the Northern Mariana Islands, which has acquired the status of commonwealth.

. Moreover, Tang has failed to show that it makes any difference whether Congress' creation of the NMI District Court derives from its authority under Article IV or Article I of the Constitution. The grounds for holding that the NMI District Court has authority to convict Tang as an Article IV court also support its authority to convict Tang as an Article I court.

. The Supreme Court continued:Nor, if inferior federal courts were created, was it required to invest them with all the jurisdiction it was authorized to bestow under Art. III. [T]he judicial power of the United States  is (except in enumerated instances, applicable exclusively to this court) dependent for its distribution and organization, and for the modes of its exercise, entirely upon the action of Congress, who possess the sole power of creating the tribunals (inferior to the Supreme Court)  and of investing them with jurisdiction either limited, concurrent, or exclusive, and of withholding jurisdiction from them in the exact degrees and character which to Congress may seem proper for the public good. Cary v. Curtis, 44 U.S. 236, 3 How. 236, 245, 11 L.Ed. 576 (1845).411 U.S. at 401, 93 S.Ct. 1670.

. Only Justices Brennan and Stewart joined Justice Harlan's opinion. Justice Clark wrote a concurring opinion which was joined by Chief Justice Warren. Justice Douglas wrote a dissent that was joined by Justice Black. Justice Frankfurter and Justice White took no part in the decision in the case.

. Justices Clark and Douglas agreed that the Court of Claims and the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals were Article III courts. 370 U.S. at 58687, 82 S.Ct. 1459.

. Justice Harlan further noted:It would have been doctrinaire in the extreme to deny the right of Congress to invest judges of its creation with authority to dispose of the judicial business of the territories. It would have been at least as dogmatic, having recognized the right, to fasten on those judges a guarantee of tenure that Congress could not put to use and that the exigencies of the territories did not require. Marshall chose neither course; conscious as ever of his responsibility to see the Constitution work, he recognized a greater flexibility in Congress to deal with problems arising outside the normal context of a federal system.370 U.S. at 54647, 82 S.Ct. 1459.

CALLAHAN, Circuit Judge:
(Photo : PLAAF) Chengdu J-20 in war paint.

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China's much-hyped Chengdu J-20 fifth generation stealth fighter seems doomed to a career attacking U.S. Navy warships and U. S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers because of its crippling disabilities as an air superiority fighter.



The J-20, which made its first flight only in 2011, was never intended as an air superiority fighter armed with the stealth and advanced electronics that will allow it to prevail against its two premier antagonists: the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.



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In Asia, however, the J-20 will see battle against the F-35, a squadron of which is already operational in Japan with the United States Marines.



It seems China isn't certain of the J-20's true calling. This 5th gen jet is billed as a long-range air superiority fighter that's also a multirole combat aircraft. But its design points more towards the J-20 being a long-range maritime strike jet than an aerial superiority fighter.



The jet's huge size (20 meters long with a wingspan of 13 meters) means it can carry more fuel for longer range patrols. It also means it's less stealthy since this massiveness compared to the F-35 (which is five meters shorter in length) will reveal it faster to an F-35.



More tellingly, the J-20's design is what called "forward stealth," meaning the J-20 is only truly stealthy when seen by radar head-on. From the side, the rear and because of its larger size, the J-20 has a radar cross section that's not that of a stealth aircraft.



Some analysts feel the J-20 is more accurately described as a "low observable" (LO) aircraft instead of a true stealth aircraft because of its many design deficits. These include its forward stealth design and its use of canards that sacrifice stealth.



An American analyst believes the J-20's combination of forward stealth and long range is more of a danger to the U.S. Navy than the U.S. Air Force. The jet's long-range maritime strike capability should also concern the U.S. military more that its capability as an air-superiority fighter.



Its unreliable engines also preclude the J-20 from taking on either of the American stealth fighters on anything approaching equal terms. The J-20 prototypes are underpowered because their twin Saturn AL-31F engines produce about 30,000 lbs of thrust each compared to the 35,000 lbs delivered by the F-35's engines.



It's not clear if the jets now in low rate initial production will have this engine or the more powerful WS-15. This new engine, however, remains under development.



The availability of more powerful and reliable engines should transform the J-20 into a credible air superiority fighter. But without these new engines, the J-20 is at its best when attacking huge and practically defenseless aircraft such as aerial tankers and airborne early warning aircraft.



The J-20 is expected to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 2018 at the earliest.



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TagsChengdu J-20, stealth jet, forward stealth, low observable, U.S. Navy
(Photo : DARPA) Space Surveillance Telescope

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A powerful space telescope designed to quickly spot fast moving spy satellites; small space debris (and even alien spacecraft?) has been turned over to the U.S. Air Force by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).



With the handover, the Space Surveillance Telescope or SST officially becomes a sensor in the Space Surveillance Network of the Air Force Space Command (AFSC). Operational use of the SST, however, won't begin until 2020 after the system is moved to Australia.



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AFSC, a major command of the United States Air Force, supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations.



SST will be operated by AFSC in cooperation with the Royal Australian Air Force to officially track debris floating around space about 36,000 kilometers from Earth, which is a location called geostationary orbit (GEO).



SST has a 3.5 meter aperture mirror and came online in 2011. It's a ground based, advanced optical system for the detection and tracking of faint objects in space such as asteroids. It also conducts space defense missions that protect the United States.



SST is designed to expand space situational awareness, and to quickly provide wide area search capability.



"SST has about an order of magnitude better performance than the existing space surveillance network," which is the Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS), said Lindsay Millard, DARPA's program manager.



Three technologies help contribute to that performance. The telescope incorporates the steepest curved primary telescope mirror ever made, which can collect light across a wider field of view.



The first-ever "curved charge coupled device" for the camera provides clear imagery, and its fast shutter speed allows it to take a greater number of photos.



Previous space telescopes could only see a couple large objects from a very narrow field of view, the equivalent of looking through a drinking straw. SST broadens that to a "windshield" view that can see 10,000 objects as small as a softball at the same time.



It also can conduct surveillance quickly, with a scan of an area the size of the continental United States taking only seconds. It can survey its entire field of view, which amounts to about one quarter of the sky, several times per night.



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TagsSpace Surveillance Telescope, SST, U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Air Force Space Command
(Photo : ROC Navy) HF-3

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Taiwan looks to double the range of its formidable Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) hypersonic anti-ship missile so this missile can destroy invasion forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that might invade Taiwan before 2020.



The exact top speed of the HF-3 is unknown, but some experts believe to be in excess of Mach 10 (12,000 km/h). The HF-3 can carry a nuclear warhead.



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A speed this fast would make the HF-3 faster than India's BrahMos (touted as the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile) with a speed of Mach 3 (3,700 km/h) and China's 3M-80MBE anti-ship missile, also with a speed of Mach 3.



China's acquisition of Russia's SS-N-22 Sunburn naval anti-ship missiles (from which the 3M-80MBE is derived), was the major reason Taiwan developed the HF-3.



The effectiveness of the HF-3, however, is limited by its short range of 150 kilometers, not enough to cover the 180 kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from mainland China. An invasion force from the PLA can traverse the strait in a few hours.



Taiwanese media reports the Republic of China Armed Forces is developing an HF-3 extended range (ER) version of the HF-3. Tests of this ER missile, which will likely have a range exceeding 300 km, are to be completed by late 2017.



The new version should enter mass production by 2018. Its longer range means this ER missile can be deployed in the mountains around Taipei to cover the entire Taiwan Strait.



The extended range will also allow the HF-3, which can also be used to destroy land targets, to reach farther inland from the coast of mainland China to attack PLA missile, amphibious and air force units in Fujian threatening Taiwan.



Taiwan published a report in 2015 that said China plans to attack Taiwan before 2020,



The new version might also retain the current HF-3's warhead, a 225 kg Self-Forging Fragment, which is a special kind of shaped charge designed to penetrate armor at standoff distances.



HF-3 is in large scale volume production under project Chase Wind and is deployed on most missile boats of the Republic of China Navy, as well as mobile land platforms.



The HF-3 also arms the ROC Navy's new Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, which are fast, twin-hull and stealthy multi-mission warships. The navy has one operational Tuo Chiang with 11 more on order.



This class is armed with a total of 16 anti-ship missiles: eight subsonic Hsiung Feng II and eight hypersonic Hsiung Feng III nuclear warhead- capable missiles.



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TagsThe effectiveness of the HF-3, Hsiung Feng III, HF-3, Taiwan, BrahMos, 3M-80MBE, Republic of China Navy, Republic of China Armed Forces
Many Christians are joining Jews in Israel to celebrate the Jewish festival of Sukkot, otherwise known as The Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles takes place this year from October 16 through the 23 and commemorates when, during biblical times, the Israelites were required to make a pilgrimage to the Temple.

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Media Director David Parsons explained the significance of the festival:

"The prophet Zechariah said one day all the nations would come to worship the Lord and keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem [Zechariah 14]," Parsons explained. "You're not only remembering God's provision in the wilderness at this Feast but you're looking forward to the Messianic Kingdom. We believe this is [the] Feast of the birthing of the Messianic Kingdom when the Lord arrives to take up the Throne of David."

A Sukkot parade winds its way through the streets of Jerusalem and, according to CBN News, Jews arent the only ones who are celebrating.

Thousands of Christians from around the world traveled to Israel to take part in the festivities.

"We love Israel," a Christian pilgrim from Malaysia remarked. "We stand with Israel and we want to be here. Every year we make a point to be here. We're bringing people to show that there are friends for Israel."

Another pilgrim from Singapore stated, "Israel has been a close ally of Singapore since the beginning and we owe Israel so much. They helped us when we were nothing. Israel was the one who helped us. It is my honor to support Israel on behalf of my country."

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: October 21, 2016
Churches around the world are ringing their bells to honor those killed in the ongoing conflict in Aleppo, Syria.

According to ChristianToday.com, more than 500 churches are participating in the campaign called #BellsForAleppo.

Around 275,000 people are reportedly still trapped in Aleppo as fighting continues between the Syrian government and the rebel forces, and thousands have lost their lives in the conflict. Many have been buried under rubble from bombings.

Lutheran Kallio church in Helsinki, Finland began the movement on Oct. 12.

"After reading the news that day, of Aleppo, we decided to ring funeral bells at 5pm to remember the deaths. First I just asked a few local churches to join us, said Vicar Teemu Laajasalo.

Among the 500 churches that have joined the Finnish church are churches in Britain, America, Australia, and many other countries in Europe.

We all see the devastating events in Aleppo, but at the same time feel powerless to help, because of the complexity of the situation. With the bells, we want to make our voices heard, and give hope for better future," Laajasalo added.

The churches will ring their bells through United Nations Day on Oct. 24. To sign your church up to join the movement, click here.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: October 21, 2016
Citizens in North Korea are reportedly told by the government that Christians are evil and want to kill people and drink their blood.

The Christian Post reports that this revelation came from a North Korean woman who was imprisoned for her faith, but was eventually able to escape to South Korea.

Before she became a Christian Hae Woo heard stories of the horrendous things Christians reportedly did.

"Every form of religion, and especially Christianity, was like opium: addictive and destructive. I heard stories about Christians who went to hospitals, enticed people into cellars, killed them there and sucked the blood out of their bodies so that they could sell it. The thought of it was horrifying to me," she said.

However, once Hae Woo became a Christian she realized it was the North Korean government that brutally persecuted Christians.

According to Open Doors World Watch List, North Korea is the single worst country for Christian persecution.

While in a prison camp, Hae Woo was able to make other converts to the Christian faith.

"Offering a message of hope inside hell on earth, she won a handful of converts, and a tiny secret church was formed. On Sundays and religious holidays, the faithful few would gather to worship at the toilets or another unwatched corner of their wretched home," the National Catholic Register reported.

Hae Woo says God helped her to survive until she could escape to South Korea.

Open Doors CEO David Curry said that thousands of Christians are believed to be imprisoned in North Korea where they are also tortured and killed.

It is hard to get an exact estimate because the country is so closed-off to the rest of the world, but at least 70,000 Christians were estimated to have been imprisoned in 2015 alone.

Publication date: October 21, 2016
This week in Lahore, Pakistan, a court freed a Muslim man charged with double murder after he forgave himself and his two accomplices. Leveraging a longtime Islamic tradition, Faqueer Muhammad claimed family pardon and legal forgiveness for himself, along with his son and nephew, for the so-called honor killing of his daughter and her lover.



The deceased, Kiran Bibi, was my real daughter, Muhammad said in court. I have forgiven the accused persons in the name of Almighty Allah, and have no objection to their acquittal. I also waive my right of [retribution] and [blood money].



Muhammads self-acquittal came days after Pakistan enacted the Anti-Honor Killing Law, which prohibits the use of family pardon to absolve criminal punishment. But since Muhammads crime took place in 2014, the law does not apply to his case, according to the court in Lahore.



There is no chance of conviction at all, the judge assured Muhammad, demonstrating the difficulty of changing attitudes in the deeply conservative Islamic society.



After a year of parliamentary bickering and verbiage tinkering, Pakistani lawmakers finally passed the bill to toughen penalties for men who murder womenoften their wives or sistersin the name of family honor.



Honor killings are a cancer in our society. This law is being presented against this cancer, said Naveed Qamar, a member of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party.



In Pakistani society, family honor is closely linkedif not synonymouswith a womans perceived virtue. If a Muslim woman is suspected of indecent behavior, which can include offenses such as marrying a Christian, committing adultery, or sitting down too near another man, Islamic tradition allows for her murder. Under Sharia law, the killer may be forgiven and acquitted of criminal punishment.



Last year alone, about 1,100 Pakistani women and girls were victims of honor killings, according to the countrys independent Human Rights Commission. Like rape, honor crimes are woefully underreported, and the actual number likely is much higher.



It may not change much overnight, but [the Anti-Honor Killing Law] is certainly a step in the right direction, wrote Pakistani activist Sharmeen Obaid.



Obaids Oscar-winning film, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, which tells the story of an honor crime survivor, caught the eye of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, perhaps sparking the new bills parliamentary success.



The law still allows for Sharia-styled forgivenessbut only if the killer receives a death sentence. If pardoned by the slain womans family, the convicted honor killer would escape execution and serve a 25-year prison sentence. Pakistani lawmakers added the forgiveness provision as a concession to Islamic parties, who complained the law granted women too much freedom.



They are trying to impose Western culture over here, Senator Hafiz Hamdullah told the Associated Press. We will not allow [it]. We will impose the law that our holy Quran and Sunnah [tradition] say.



Hardline Muslims also expressed frustration that the government refused to consult the conservative Islamic Ideology Council before incorporating the new policy into national law. The group recently criticized a domestic abuse reporting law as un-Islamic, and leaked a statement saying Pakistani men have religious license to lightly beat their wives.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Publication date: October 21, 2016
Gunmen kidnapped an American missionary from his home in central Niger and killed two other people. The incident is the first reported kidnapping of an American in the region.



On Oct. 14, the attackers stormed into Jeffery Woodkes home in the town of Abalak, killing his guard and housekeeper, Nigers interior ministry said in a statement the following day. The armed men, driving a white Toyota Hilux pickup truck, took Woodke and headed across the desert toward Mali.



Our forces are on their trail, Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum said. The president of the republic is personally following the situation and our forces are fully mobilized to capture them and put an end to this disastrous affair.



Woodke, a 55-year-old native of McKinleyville, Calif., has lived in Niger since 1992. He worked with JEMED, a local partner of U.S. non-profit Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The Nigerien charity group helps Tuareg herdsmen who are battling disease, drought, and lack of education.



Woodke served as an instructor at The Redwood Coast School of Missions, a ministry run by the Arcata First Baptist Church in Arcata, Calif. His biography on the missions website describes him as having a passion in providing humanitarian aid to those who are among the poorest in the world, coupled with his desire to see Gods kingdom advanced in a largely Muslim world.



The Sahel region faces attacks from al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist groups, Nigerian-based extremists Boko Haram, and other criminal gangs. Armed attackers have targeted and kidnapped Europeans, demanding huge sums of money in ransom. An Australian doctor kidnapped in February in Burkina Faso and a Swiss woman kidnapped in Mali both remain in captivity. Woodkes kidnapping is the first of any American in Niger. In 2009, suspected extremists attempted to kidnap U.S. embassy personnel from a hotel in the town of Tahoua.



We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of a U.S. citizen in Niger, a State Department official said after the Friday abduction. The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Publication date: October 21, 2016
A new study found that millennials who had divorced parents were more likely to have moved away from the Christian faith than those whose parents were together in their formative years.

The research notes that divorce rates were highest in the 1980s, when about 50 percent of the marriages were likely to end in divorce.

"Previous research has shown that family stability -- or instability -- can impact the transmission of religious identity. Consistent with this research, the survey finds Americans who were raised by divorced parents are more likely than children whose parents were married during most of their formative years to be religiously unaffiliated," says the study, which is a part of a broad landscape survey conducted by Public Religion Research Institute.

About 35 percent of Americans raised by divorced parents identified as religious nones as compared to 23 percent of those who grew up in households where their parents stayed together.

About 31 percent of the religious Americans who had divorced parents attend church services at least once a week, while 43 percent of the adults raised by married parents reported going to church frequently.

Other studies have tried to establish a correlation between the church's inadequacy in reaching out to people with homosexuality, and religion's apparent disconnect with science. This research adds to the probable factors which can be correlated to Americans' religious life.

"A lot of the narrative around the rise of the nones, or the rise of the non-affiliated, has focused on how there's changing cultural preferences, that people are choosing to move away from religion," said Daniel Cox, one of the co-authors of the study told The Washington Post. "I think there's also a structural part of the story that has not gotten as much attention. We wanted to focus on the way millennials were raised, which is different from any previous generation. And part of that is they're more likely to have grown up with parents who are divorced."
World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization, resettled in the United States nearly twice the number of refugees than usual.

In the past 40 years, 270,000 refugees from all over the world have resettled in the U.S. through World Relief, resettling 650 refugees a month on average.

In September, World Relief settled 1,400 refugees through churches and its 26 offices across the country. In the past year, the organization has worked with 9,759 refugees, the largest number of refugees to go through its office since 1999, according to Christianity Today, having partnered with 1,180 congregations.

World Relief is one of nine organizations authorized by the federal government to help resettle refugees. Others include Church World Service, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), Episcopal Migration Ministries, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

President of World Relief Scott Arbeiter was invited to the Summit on Refugees hosted by President Obama in late September where world leaders gathered to discuss funding for humanitarian organizations and ways to increase the number of refugee resettlements.

Since my time at the UN, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of attention refugees have been receiving in the news. At times Ive felt discouraged, as voices of fear have tried to convince us that refugees should be seen only as a threat, Arbeiter says on the World Relief website. But other times Ive been profoundly encouraged, as voices of compassion and hope have risen up. These voices have reminded us that not only is it a moral and Scriptural imperative that we welcome refugees, but also that refugees have the potential to contribute to and enrich our country in countless ways. Its simply unthinkable that we wouldn't welcome refugees.

At the Summit on Refugees, President Obama announced that the U.S. will accept 110,000 refugees in fiscal year 2017 which began on October 1.
Tools are fashioned in the image of their user. Hammers are productive in the hands of carpenters and malignant in the hands of an angry mob. Spiritual tools are a little more complicated than material tools, because souls are complicated. Prayer walking, guided meditation, and lectio divina can wield wonders in the hands of a mature Christian, counselor, or spiritual director. They can also wield destruction in the hands of someone who has only read a pamphlet or written a blog post.

Like every tool, a popular self-assessment test known as the Enneagram has the capacity to heal or to harm, depending on how its used. In the first Enneagram resource from an evangelical publisher, InterVarsity Presss new release The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, coauthor Ian Morgan Cron calls new Enneagram fans number thumpers. They run around typing people and pets, hacking off family members, and alienating people who have no idea what theyre jabbering about, he writes.

The Enneagram is not a spiritual tool, per se, but it is increasingly being used as one in church classes and faith-based counseling settings. Its origins are obscure. We do know that it was introduced in the West in the 1970s by Chilean psychiatrists, then adopted by Jesuit priests and popularized in 1992 by Franciscan spiritual director Richard Rohrs Discovering the Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey.

My description thus far probably doesnt give evangelicals warm feelings. Indeed, some connect the Enneagrams roots to Sufism (Islamic mysticism), while others see in the Enneagram a Gnosticism that encourages users to find their hidden, true self. ...

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The worlds most unexpected megachurch pastor might be an illiterate, barefoot father of five.

Bhagwana Lal grows maize and raises goats on a hilltop in Rajasthan, Indias largest state, famous for its supply of marble that graces the Taj Mahal. He belongs to the tribals: the cultural group below the Dalits, whose members are literally outcasts from Indias caste system (and often called thumb signers because of how they vote).

Yet every Sunday, his one-room church, with cheerful blue windows and ceiling fans barely six feet off the ground, pulls in 2,000 people. His indigenous congregation draws from local farmers, whose families members take turns attending so that someone is tending the familys animals. The cracks in the churchs white outer walls are a source of pride: They mark the three times the building has been expanded.

Thousands of colorful flags stream down the sanctuary along the blue beams that support the corrugated metal roof. Their rustling approaches a roar.

When asked the reason for the flags, Lal responds, For joy! laughing heartily. The decorations are normally used at weddings. The same feeling should be inside the church. People should feel this is Gods place.

Yet consider a contrasting megachurch in southern India. A taxi drives under the shadow of Hyderabads four-story elevated train, whose massive support beams are marked with alternating colorful gods and goddesses. The roadside, lined with movie posters and squatter tents, gives way to clusters of large stone elephant-headed gods waiting to be painted with customary bright colors. The taxi turns into a dense traffic jam: a mile-long jumble of buses, motorcycles, ...

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If you ever get invited to a wedding on a Friday night in Morocco, the invitation will say the ceremony starts the evening of Saturday. North Africans consider each day to begin the evening before nightfalljust the way Genesis describes each day of the worlds first week: And there was evening, and there was morning. . . .

This small connection between Scripture and one of Africas myriad cultures appears at the beginning of the Africa Study Bible (ASB), set to launch in February 2017. The first English-language study Bible written by African scholars for an African context, its also attracting Western readers.

Using the New Living Translation, the ASB includes explanations of unfamiliar words, African proverbs, and ways to apply Scripture to life in Africa.

A lot of the analogies and cultural phrases in American study Bibles dont relate fully to many of the issues a lot of Africans are going throughlike civil war, polygamy, and the worship of idols, said Natalie Cameron, spokesperson at Oasis International, which helped to develop the ASB. Conversely, some Bible stories resonate especially well, such as those of the Israelite tribes, given that many Africans are deeply connected to their own tribes.

Just as Westerners generally spend more time in the New Testament, African Christians can over-relate to the Old Testament, said Priscilla Adoyo, a lecturer at Africa International University who worked on the ASB.

Sacrifices, blessings and curses, family and other relational practices, drought and famine are all familiar ground to the African, she said. Unfortunately, some have embraced the Old Testament teachings and picked and ...

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Bridge Music to Release Award-Winning 'Trust in You' in Spanish Renowned Mexican worship artist Majo Solis brings the voice behind the new version of Lauren Daigle's hit single



Contact: Morgan Canclini, 817-944-1071,



NASHVILLE, Oct. 21, 2016 /



"Confiare en ti" is a powerful confession of trust in the wisdom and care of the Lord, especially for those in Solis' audience who face doubts, problems and struggles. Solis lends a vocal strength and softness to Daigle's song, and this Spanish rendition opens up the song to an even wider audience.



"The launch of this song is part of Bridge Music's mission to reach the nations with music that has a huge impact on the Millennial generation, thereby creating a personal encounter with Jesus," said Jake Salomon, CEO and Founder of Bridge Music based in Franklin, Tennessee.



In order to adapt "Trust in You" into Spanish, Bridge Music brought together several notable artists including Lucia Parker, Abraham Osorio and Sean Moffitt. Moffitt was well versed in the mixing of the Spanish version having also had a hand in the original recording of "Trust in You" with Daigle herself. The team came together to remix and bring a fresh sound to the song while keeping true to both Daigle and the flavor of Spanish vocals.



"Listening to the sincere, real, shocking message of 'Confiare en ti,' I thought, How much would I have wanted to listen to this throughout my difficult moments. All of this alongside the possibility of working with my friends in the production of the song was what made me say 'Sure, let's do it!'" said Solis.



"Confiare en ti" can be purchased anywhere online for downloading and streaming on Friday, October 21st. To date, the song has already been picked up by 85 radio stations in Latin America and more than 25 in the US and Puerto Rico.



Majo Solis was born in Monterrey, Mexico City. A worship artist with a global vision, she is an active vlogger with a YouTube channel of over 66k subscribers. You can follow Solis on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or visit her website at



Bridge Music LLC is an all-encompassing Christian music company that is bringing a fresh outlook to the Christian music realm with its innovative approaches to music publishing. Bridge Music is able to provide its artists with flexibility and an exceptional, focused attention with services in publishing, licensing, music production, management, marketing, event booking, radio promotion and public relations. For more information, visit



Media Contact: Morgan Canclini

morgan@twopr.com

817-944-1071

Share Tweet Contact: Morgan Canclini, 817-944-1071, morgan@twopr.com NASHVILLE, Oct. 21, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Bridge Music announces the launch of its "Confiare en ti" (Trust in You) campaign with Mexican native Majo Solis. The single, adapted from Dove-award winning recording artist Lauren Daigle's hit song "Trust in You," is set to release the Spanish version of the song, "Confiare en ti," and accompanying music video on October 21st, 2016."Confiare en ti" is a powerful confession of trust in the wisdom and care of the Lord, especially for those in Solis' audience who face doubts, problems and struggles. Solis lends a vocal strength and softness to Daigle's song, and this Spanish rendition opens up the song to an even wider audience."The launch of this song is part of Bridge Music's mission to reach the nations with music that has a huge impact on the Millennial generation, thereby creating a personal encounter with Jesus," said Jake Salomon, CEO and Founder of Bridge Music based in Franklin, Tennessee.In order to adapt "Trust in You" into Spanish, Bridge Music brought together several notable artists including Lucia Parker, Abraham Osorio and Sean Moffitt. Moffitt was well versed in the mixing of the Spanish version having also had a hand in the original recording of "Trust in You" with Daigle herself. The team came together to remix and bring a fresh sound to the song while keeping true to both Daigle and the flavor of Spanish vocals."Listening to the sincere, real, shocking message of 'Confiare en ti,' I thought, How much would I have wanted to listen to this throughout my difficult moments. All of this alongside the possibility of working with my friends in the production of the song was what made me say 'Sure, let's do it!'" said Solis."Confiare en ti" can be purchased anywhere online for downloading and streaming on Friday, October 21st. To date, the song has already been picked up by 85 radio stations in Latin America and more than 25 in the US and Puerto Rico.Majo Solis was born in Monterrey, Mexico City. A worship artist with a global vision, she is an active vlogger with a YouTube channel of over 66k subscribers. You can follow Solis on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or visit her website at majosolis.com Bridge Music LLC is an all-encompassing Christian music company that is bringing a fresh outlook to the Christian music realm with its innovative approaches to music publishing. Bridge Music is able to provide its artists with flexibility and an exceptional, focused attention with services in publishing, licensing, music production, management, marketing, event booking, radio promotion and public relations. For more information, visit bridgemusic.co Media Contact: Morgan Canclini817-944-1071
home US Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton jokes at Alfred E. Smith charity dinner escalate tensions further

U.S. presidential campaign tensions seeped into a high-profile charity dinner on Thursday as Donald Trump joked about sending Hillary Clinton to prison and she alluded to Trump's statements about women by estimating how he might rate the Statue of Liberty's attractiveness a four, maybe a five.

The candidates shared the stage at a formal dinner in New York City named for the state's former governor, Alfred E. Smith, less than 24 hours after finishing their third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The annual event, which raises money for needy children, typically offers presidential hopefuls a respite from the tension of the campaign trail. But Trump and Clinton opted to instead trade sharpened barbs that reflected the acrimony of the 2016 White House campaign.

Trump spoke first and set the room on edge with bitter jabs at his rival, with his label of Clinton as "corrupt" drawing boos.

"With all of the heated back and forth between my opponent and me at the debate last night, we have proven that we can actually be civil to each other," Trump said. "In fact just before taking the dais, Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, 'Pardon me.'"

"And I very politely replied, 'Let me talk to you about that after I get into office,'" said Trump, a Republican whose supporters chant "lock her up" at rallies.

Clinton, whose remarks elicited both polite applause and derision, riffed off Trump's derogatory remarks about women's appearances, such as joking in a 2002 radio interview that they become less attractive after age 35.

"Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair," Clinton said of the New York City landmark.

"Come to think of it, you know what would be a good number for a woman? 45," Clinton said. The president elected on Nov. 8 will be the 45th in U.S. history.

Trump and Clinton sat just a seat apart on the dais, separated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York. At the event's conclusion, they shook hands a a gesture they avoided at Wednesday's debate.

But the tone of both candidates' remarks was a departure from the past, when political figures and presidential candidates have stuck to a largely self-deprecating and good-natured brand of humor.

At one point at the event, which raised $6 million for Catholic charities supporting children, Trump said Clinton was "pretending not to hate Catholics."

Trump was referring to the apparently hacked personal emails of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, published by Wikileaks, which show Clinton staffers criticizing high-profile figures for embracing Catholicism as the most "politically acceptable" of socially conservative religions.

Alfred Smith IV, the evening's host, perhaps best reflected the tension in the room, and the campaign, in his introductory remarks: "This has been a campaign for the history books," he said. "It has also been a campaign for the psychiatry books."
3 Things That Need Your Prayers This Weekend

This week has seen some sad and difficult situations unfold. As Christians, we don't just want to lament these but to do something about them. One thing we can do is pray  bring them to the throne of God and ask Him to intervene.

Presidential election

This US election has been the most bitter and divisive in living memory, with each candidate attracting fierce hostility from the supporters of the other. The candidacy of Donald Trump has given particular concern and led to deep soul-searching among evangelicals horrified by his attitude to women; Clinton's liberal views on abortion, not shared by most evangelicals, have made her a hard pick for them.

Pray for national healing in the US, and for a spirit of co-operation and generosity after the election.

Battle for Mosul

Islamic State's last main stronghold in Iraq is under siege by Iraqi forces. There are fears for the safety of the civilians in the city and for the cost of the operation to retake it  IS has been preparing ambushes and booby traps for the attacking soldiers. Its regime in Mosul has been horrifying, but liberating the city could be horrifying too.

Pray that civilians are able to escape and that IS surrenders quickly.

Chibok schoolgirls

More than 200 kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria and 21 were released last week. Another 83 could be released soon. But many of them feel ashamed because of what's happened to them and don't want to return to their families.

Pray for them and their families, that Christ's love will break down the stigma they face. And pray for all women who are the victims of violence.
Charlie Hebdo Mocks New Russian Cathedral: Russians Say It's 'Blasphemous And Scandalous'

A Russian parliamentarian has hit out at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for an "absolutely blasphemous and rude escapade" over its treatment of the opening of an Orthodox Church centre in Paris.

The new Russian Orthodox centre includes a school, bookshop, coffee shop and conference facilities as well as a cathedral.

Charlie Hebdo  attacked by Islamist extremists in January 2015 in a massacre that left 12 dead and 11 wounded  printed an edition yesterday depicting the five golden domes of the cathedral as faces, accompanied by a satirical article.

According to Tass, Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the State Duma international affairs committee, told reporters: "This is yet another provocation that strongly hurts the feelings of the believers, this time in the Orthodox world. Any church is a holy place. Cartoons using holy images as impermissible, outrageous and insulting for any person seeing himself or herself as part of the Russian world."

He suggested the cartoon might have been inspired by France's strong opposition to Russia's policy in Syria, which has seen its warplanes repeatedly target civilian areas in Aleppo.

The cathedral was consecrated on Wednesday by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.

Charlie Hebdo has frequently annoyed Russia. Kirill said after the massacres in a broadcast sermon: "The cartoons of Prophet Mohammad are childish caricatures compared to what this publication allows itself in mocking the feelings of Christians.

"Today, in saying 'no' to terrorism, killings, violence, we also say 'no' to the inexplicable drive by a certain group of people to deride religious feelings."

Earlier this year Russian lawmakers asked the Russian and European Journalists' Unions to boycott the magazine after it published a cartoon mocking the recent attacks on women by immigrants in Cologne.
Churches Around The World Ring Bells For Aleppo As Hundreds Slaughtered In Brutal Siege

More than 500 churches around the world are ringing their bells every day in tribute to the thousands of civilians being slaughtered in Aleppo.

The Syrian city has been under brutal siege for weeks, intensified by Russian and Syrian bombing of rebel-held areas that began last month. Around 275,000 people are believed to be trapped in the east of the city.

The Lutheran Kallio church in Helsinki began the tolling on October 12. Vicar Teemu Laajasalo told Reuters: "After reading the news that day, of Aleppo, we decided to ring funeral bells at 5pm to remember the deaths. First I just asked a few local churches to join us."

They have now been joined by hundreds of churches nationwide and across the globe, including congregations in Britain, America and Australia.

Each church will ring the bells daily in the lead up to United Nations Day on October 24.

"We all see the devastating events in Aleppo, but at the same time feel powerless to help, because of the complexity of the situation. With the bells, we want to make our voices heard, and give hope for better future," Laajasalo said.

Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden is one of the churches to join in the initiative. Archbishop of Sweden Antje Jackelen and cathedral dean Annica Anderbrant said in a joint statement: "We become desperate and helpless when we learn of the stories about the situation in Aleppo and other places in Syria  the fate of the children, hospitals in impossible working situations, innocent civilians who suffer.

"When impotence is greatest, it is important to gather in prayer."

Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, today branded the bombardment of Aleppo "crimes of historic proportions".

In a speech before the UN Human Rights Council, he said the "indiscriminate airstrikes across the eastern part of the city by government forces and their allies are responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties".

He accused those forces of committing "war crimes" and added: "If knowingly committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against civilians, they constitute crimes against humanity."

The "collective failure of the international community to protect civilians and halt this bloodshed should haunt every one of us", he said.

To sign up your church for Bells for Aleppo, click here.
Churchgoing Grandma Fighting for Her Life after Being Sucker-Punched by Man Outside New York Store

A grandmother from Queens, New York City is now fighting for her life after a suspected petty thief sucker-punched her into unconsciousness.

Eve Gentillon, 69, a mother and grandmother of two, was on her way to meet her church friends around 8 a.m. on Saturday when she was hit on the head by a man outside Sutphin King Deli on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens.

She suffered brain haemorrhage from the blow, and began having trouble speaking and breathing on her own, the New York Post reported. She also experienced seizures.

Her daughter Marie said she is now heavily sedated at the ICU of Jamaica Hospital.

Gentillon, a retired home health aide, underwent emergency surgery to remove a bone fragment in her skull. A plate was also placed inside her head after she suffered from a brain aneurysm, which was caused by her fall.

The suspect  identified as 28-year-old former convict Richard Springer  still remained at large. Marie called him "a demon" and said he needed to pay for what he did to her mother. She said the police need to apprehend the attacker so as to make sure he would not harm anyone else.

Police reports showed that Springer, who is also known as "Kwasi," stole a can of Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita beer worth $3.50 from the deli. While fleeing the scene of the crime, he hit Gentillon across the face. The collision was so strong that Gentillon was knocked out cold.

The attack was caught on video. Gentillon was seen standing outside the deli wearing a hoodie. Springer exited the deli in a rush, and without any provocation at all, he punched Gentillon on the face.

The deli's employee David Lebron told DNAInfo.com that after getting punched, Gentillon laid motionless on the pavement with blood coming out of her mouth.

Before the attack, Springer already got into an altercation with the 18-year-old store clerk over the price of beer. Springer only had a dollar and was outraged that it was priced at $3.50. He then got into a verbal dispute with store worker Methaq Algabyali and punched him in the face.
EU Slams Britain: ISIS Is Committing Genocide And You're Doing Nothing

Boris Johnson is under fire from the EU's special envoy on religious freedom over the failure to describe ISIS atrocities against Christians and Yazidis as "genocide", Christian Today can reveal.

In an interview in Brussels on Thursday Jan Figel, the European Union's special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion and belief, criticised the Foreign Secretary for not acting after MPs' unanimously described ISIS crimes as "genocide". The term, which carries legal and moral obligations, has been adopted by the White House, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.

Figel told Christian Today he was "disappointed" with Johnson and expected him to "take it up" after the "British Parliament clearly expressed an announcement of genocide".

In an interview in Brussels, Figel issued a direct call on the UK to act on the will of its MPs. "The United Nations needs leadership and there are certain countries who are permanent members of the UN security council [who can do that].

"I am sure the message of the US people and the UK population has given a strong mandate" to the two governments, he said. "The government should take executive action which is truly in line with the parliament."

MPs passed a motion by 278 to 0 votes that described ISIS' atrocities as genocide and called on the government to act in April. But ministers and their aides were ordered to abstain from the vote and no action has since been taken.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) can only investigate whether a genocide has occurred if it is asked to do so by the UN security council, of which the UK is a permanent member. But the foreign office has refused to bring a resolution to the council. A senior source told Christian Today there was an "institutional reluctance" among officials to declare genocide because it would require action.

The UK is a signatory to the genocide convention which, if declared, requires states to both prevent it continuing and prosecute the perpetrators. This would require a significant step up in UK military action in the Middle East and would also oblige more action to protect the refugees who have fled.

Figel issued an impassioned call to end "a century of genocide". He told an audience of journalists and officials: "In October 1946 there was a commitment  'never again'. We have failed."

There is evidence of genocide "like never before", he said at the conference organised by the legal organisation Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). "Whether this century of genocide continues or ends depends on us. It is a question of whether indifference, ignorance and fear will prevail, or if humanity will prevail."
Fresh Blow To International Justice Body As South Africa Says It's Quitting

South Africa said on Friday it was quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws.

Pretoria had previously ignored a court order to arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited.

The announcement places the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court, under fresh pressure. It has been accused of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based.

Burundi has already said it plans to leave and Kenya's parliament is considering following suit.

South Africa's justice minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal South Africa's adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute in order to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice.

He said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity.

A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed the move would take effect one year after notice was formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

James Selfe, a senior executive at the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said the party would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans "on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed".

Former South African judge Richard Goldstone, a respected figure in international justice and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said quitting the ICC was "demeaning" to the country.

From a moral standpoint, it detracts from the inspiring legacy of the administration of President Nelson Mandela that so strongly supported the ICC," said Goldstone, chairman of the advisory board of the coalition for the ICC, which provides strategic guidance on key issues.

The ICC has been existence for 14 years and has frequently been criticised for the glacial pace of its investigations. It has returned only five verdicts, all against Africans.

Among the ICC's targets were Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto following horrific violence after elections in 2007. Kenyatta was accused of inspiring violence including rape, murder and torture. Men were forcibly circumcised and Kenya was brought to the point of civil war. The charges were dropped in 2014 after the Kenyan government refused to hand over vital documents.

In January, the African Union backed a proposal by Kenyatta for officials of various member states to "develop a road map" on possible withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The decision was not legally binding as the final decision to leave the ICC would be taken by individual nations.

Burundi's parliament voted last week to leave the court, although the United Nations has not yet been officially notified.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
'God Helped Us Come Out of Bondage,' Say 21 Nigerian Schoolgirls Freed by Boko Haram Militants

Freedom at last!

Joyful singing of Christian songs of praise filled the air as families celebrated the release from captivity of 21 of the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Nigeria more than two years ago. Nearly all of the kidnapped girls were Christians.

"Praise the Lord! We are thankful," exclaimed Helen Musa, one of the 21. "We never imagined we would see this day. But with the help of God we were able to come out of bondage," she said, as quoted by God Reports.

"I felt like it was the day that I born her into this world," said Ruth Markus, the mother of Saratu Markus, one of the freed girls. "I danced and danced and danced," The New York Times quoted her as saying.

Videos of the ceremony held in the Nigerian capital Abuja showed reunited families in joyful celebration on Sunday.

Boko Haram militants kidnapped as many as 276 girls in April 2014 after storming their boarding school in Chibok. The Islamist militants have captured and killed many other schoolchildren, but the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls was the one that caught the world's attention following the launching of the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign.

About 50 of the girls managed to escape a few days after the abduction. But only one of them had been founda girl named Amina Ali who was discovered this year roaming in the forest with a baby.

The Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross reportedly helped negotiate the release of the girls.

After they left the Boko Haram camp, the girls walked for two days in the forest before arriving in a border town where they were able to contact Nigerian officials.

Recalling their ordeal, the freed girls told their parents that right after their abduction, the militants took them into their camp where they were offered a choice: Join the militants or become their slaves.

About half of them chose to join and marry the fighters and were taken away, never to be heard from, The New York Times reported.

Those who rejected the offer endured more than two years of servitude, doing washing, water fetching and cooking chores for the militants.

The girls said they lived in grass huts and were forced to convert to Islam. At first they were fed rice and maize. But then food became scarce.

During their captivity in the forest, the girls revealed that a few of them died.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that the other 114 girls are either dead, or don't want to leave their captors because they are married or have been radicalised.
'Hawaii Five-0' season 7 news, rumors: reunion for Kono and Adam; Alex O' Loughlin having to quit over health reasons?

After Steve McGarrett (Alex O' Loughlin) and Alicia (Claire Forlani) successfully escape from the clutches of the Chess Piece killer and close the case with slight injuries to Steve, the team will be faced with yet another challenging case in the fifth episode of the seventh season of "Hawaii Five-0."

According to a report by Game N' Guide, the next episode  entitled "Ke Ku 'Ana" or "The Stand"  will see the team dealing with a gun thief that seeks to make a statement against gun violence.

"When a cache of guns is stolen from a gun range, Five-0 discovers the culprit is intent on making a dramatic statement on gun violence," read TV.com's synopsis for the episode. According to the report, the team should act fast to make sure that the perpetrators do not use the stolen guns to hurt people.

In other news, shippers of Kono (Grace Park) and Adam (Ian Anthony Dale) have something to look forward to as the two will allegedly reunite after Adam is released from jail. The pair got married but after a brief honeymoon, Adam was arrested and imprisoned. It is expected that the two will explore their relationship upon their reunion.

Meanwhile, there are reports that season 8 may be Alex O' Loughlin's final season with the show. According to Movie News Guide, the actor has been experiencing back pains that are further aggravated by the physical requirements of his role in the show.

If this happens, it is expected that the dynamics of the show will be affected since aside from being a lead character,he is also partners with Danno, a role played by Scott Caan.

Speaking of Danno, TVLine reported that Missy Peregryn will appear as a guest star for the 10th episode of Hawaii Five-0. The actress will be playing Danno's sister and it is expected that there will be a lot of hilarity as he discovers a different side to his sibling.
Hillary Clinton Defends Abortion Of Babies At Nine Months In 3rd Presidential Debate; Donald Trump Calls It 'Terrible'

It's one of the most divisive issues in America and during Wednesday's third presidential debate, Hillary Clinton didn't hold back in clarifying exactly where she stands on late-term abortion despite the risk of further polarizing a significant portion of Americans for whom it is a decisive factor come election night.

During the final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ahead of the November 8 election, Fox News' Chris Wallace asked the Democratic nominee how far she believed abortion should be regulated, and particularly why she believed the fetus has no constitutional rights and a ban on late-term, partial-birth abortion should be lifted.

An unflinching Clinton answered that it was not the government's place to be making such "personal" decisions for the American people and that she supported the provisions set by Roe v. Wade to regulate abortion on the basis of the life and health of the mother.

"The kinds of cases that fall at the end of pregnancy are often the most heartbreaking, painful decisions for families to make," said Clinton.

"I do not think the United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions. So you can regulate if you are doing so with the life and the health of the mother taken into account."

Trump, who has promised to appoint "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court should he become president, said such a view on abortion was "terrible".

"Honestly, nobody has business doing what I just said, doing that as late as one or two or three or four days prior to birth," Trump said.

"If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. Now, you can say that that's OK and Hillary can say that that's OK. But it's not OK with me."

Clinton said Trump's "scare rhetoric is just terribly unfortunate".

"We have come too far to have that [Roe vs Wade] turned back now," she continued.

"This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make and I do not believe the government should be making it."

While Clinton's support of abortion is nothing new, her support of late-term abortion is more contentious and puts her beyond the pale for many Americans, particularly conservative voters who want to see the U.S. tighten regulations around abortion so that the weight of consideration is shifted away from the health of the mother to protection of the unborn baby.

A poll by Marist in July found that only 13 percent of Americans agree with legalizing abortion "through the entire pregnancy."

Clinton is also more liberal than most Americans on the Hyde Amendment, which limits federal funding on abortion. While Clinton wants the Hyde Amendment removed, a YouGov poll found that 55 percent of Americans and 41 percent of Democrats support the ban.
How The Vatican And China Are Trying To Make Up After A Decades-Long Dispute

A long-standing dispute between the Vatican and China could be resolved by the end of the month as representatives from both sides are expected to meet in Rome.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that China is hoping to finalise a deal on the ordination of bishops on the mainland.

Relations have historically been strained between the Catholic Church and China's ruling Communist party (CCP) over irreconcilable claims to authority. The Vatican does not accept the validity of episcopal consecrations by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association  the government's state-approved Catholic body  while the CCP has strongly opposed Rome's right to ordain Chinese bishops.

An underground Catholic Church refuses to compromise with the state and is loyal only to the Pope. The feud has been ongoing for more than six decades, alongside growing concerns from the CCP about the growth of Christianity in China.

The government has signalled a crackdown on churches, and closely monitors members of even state-controlled institutions.

According to Reuters' source, however, China is preparing to ordain at least two new bishops before the end of the year and these appointments would have the blessing of the Vatican. A person with ties to the leadership in Beijing confirmed that these ordinations would go ahead.

There are as many as 10 million Catholics in China, and bishops, priests and lay Catholics loyal to Rome have faced persecution, which has sparked scepticism over the detente in some Catholic quarters.

In yet a further sign of progress, the Vatican has reached a decision to recognise at least four Chinese bishops who were appointed by Beijing without the consent of the Pope and so are considered illegitimate by the Holy See, according to Catholic Church sources and others briefed on the talks. The decision follows a breakthrough meeting in mid-August in Beijing between the Vatican representatives to talks with China and several of these bishops.

For the Vatican, an agreement on the ordination of bishops is important because it would lessen the possibility of a formal split within the Catholic Church in China, which is divided between a community that follows the state-sanctioned Catholic hierarchy and the underground church. A deal on the ordination of bishops would help to unite these two communities, say Catholic Church and Vatican sources.

An agreement "would definitely remove the risk of a schism (within the Church in China), which for 60 years has been a potential threat," said Elisa Giunipero, a researcher at the Catholic University of Milan who has studied the history of the Catholic Church in China for 20 years.

Priority for Pope Francis

The latest developments are part of behind-the-scenes negotiations that have been driven by Pope Francis. A deal on the ordination of bishops would be a major leap forward in efforts to bridge a decades-old rift between the Chinese Communist Party and the Vatican.

Since becoming leader of the Catholic Church in March 2013, Francis has made it a priority to chart a new course in the Vatican's contentious relationship with China. Reuters reported in July that Francis had sought to meet President Xi Jinping during a 2014 trip to New York in an effort to smooth the way to talks, and that a joint working group had been set up earlier this year in April to hammer out a deal on the bishops. The issue of full diplomatic relations is not currently on the table.

A deputy spokesperson for the Vatican, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, said the Holy See had no comment in response to questions from Reuters. The Chinese foreign ministry didn't respond to questions.

Vatican officials would like to see the appointment of the bishops before China's Ninth National Assembly of Catholic Representatives, which is expected to convene in December, according to Catholic sources. The Assembly is the highest authority governing the church in China and appoints the head of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, as well as that of the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference.

The Assembly last met six years ago when tensions were high between Beijing and the Vatican over China's appointment of new bishops without papal consent. The Vatican retaliated by excommunicating three of these bishops in 2011 and 2012.

Now, the Vatican is anxious to conclude a deal on the ordination of bishops to head off another showdown with Beijing and to forestall a schism among China's Catholics, the Church sources say.

Positive gesture

The ordination of new bishops in China is also pressing because some 30 of the more than 100 dioceses on the mainland are currently vacant, while a similar number are led by ageing bishops who are 75 or older. Three people familiar with the negotiations said the talks about the appointment of the new bishops were focused on the dioceses of Changzhi, in the northern Shanxi province, and Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern Sichuan province. Separately, a person with ties to the leadership in Beijing said that the new bishops would be ordained in Chengdu and the city of Xichang, in Sichuan.

It was during the last round of talks in Beijing in August that the Vatican delegates were permitted to meet with several of the bishops whom the Pope does not recognise. Catholic sources say they view this as a positive gesture by China, which had previously barred contact between the bishops and Vatican representatives. The meeting, the sources said, paved the way for Vatican recognition of some of these bishops.

One of the bishops who met the Vatican delegation was Joseph Ma Yinglin, the bishop of Kunming in Yunnan province, according to Catholic sources. Ma is president of the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference and vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Both institutions answer to the Chinese Communist Party and are not recognised by the Vatican.

Along with Ma, the other three bishops whom the Vatican is set to recognise are Guo Jincai, the bishop of Chengde in Hebei province near Beijing; Yue Fusheng, the bishop of Harbin in the northern Heilongjiang province; and Tu Shihua, the bishop of Puqi in Hunan province.

In total, there are eight bishops whom the Vatican has refused to recognise. Of the remaining four, two have children or girlfriends and the other two head dioceses where there is already an existing bishop who has been approved by the Vatican, according to Catholic sources.

During the August meeting in Beijing, the sides agreed on the principles that would govern the appointment of new bishops, say people with knowledge of the talks. According to a draft agreement, new Chinese bishops will be chosen by local clergy, with the pope making the final appointment. The pontiff can veto a candidate, for instance on ethical grounds, provided the Vatican presents evidence supporting such a decision to Beijing.

Obstacles remain

For the Vatican, which is the only Western state that doesn't have diplomatic ties with Beijing, further detente with China following a deal on the bishops could make life easier for Christians on the mainland who have suffered decades of persecution at the hands of the Chinese authorities. For Beijing, better relations with the Holy See could improve its international standing and ultimately pry the Vatican away from the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province.

In some quarters of the Catholic Church, including among the underground community in China, there is concern over a deal between the Vatican and Beijing. That's especially the case in Hong Kong, where local missions and clergy maintain ties with foreign and Chinese priests working on the mainland, often underground. Some fear the Vatican may make too many concessions to Beijing and that a deal will not lead to an improvement in the lives of Catholics inChina.

Despite the progress toward an agreement on the ordination of new bishops, the Vatican and China are still at loggerheads over a range of other issues. In one case, for instance, some Chinese officials are still pushing for the appointment of a bishop without papal approval, according to two Church sources.

The matter of Thaddeus Ma Daqin also needs to be settled. Ma, the auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, was placed under house arrest in 2012 when he announced at his ordination as a bishop that he could no longer remain in the state-backed Catholic Patriotic Association. Ma remains under house arrest despite writing in a blog post in June that his move had been "unwise."

There is also the issue of some 30 bishops who belong to the underground Catholic community and who, along with local priests, face pressure from the authorities to join the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The Vatican is hoping that China will recognise these bishops once the issue of the eight bishops it considers illegitimate has been resolved, say Catholic officials.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Leading Evangelical Calls For Civil Disobedience Against California Abortion Law

The evangelical leader Dr James Dobson has called for civil disobedience against a law in California which requires pregnancy centres to inform women about abortion services that are publicly funded.

Dobson, founder of conservative group Focus on the Family, was speaking out after the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a motion filed by pregnancy centres that are opposed to abortion which sought immediately to block the law.

The three-judge panel last Friday rejected a claim by the centres that the law violates their freedom of speech and religion.

In a column for Charisma News, Dobson said the requirement to inform women about their abortion options "a violation of our Christian conscience."

He added: "I have a simple word of advice to those pastors, priests and others who run California's crisis pregnancy centres. If California attempts to enforce this law, then do not comply. Make them put you in jail."

The controversial call for civil disobedience came as a federal judge yesterday sided with women's health provider Planned Parenthood in a lawsuit aiming to block a Mississippi law that barred medical providers that perform abortions from participating in the state's Medicaid program.

The decision by US District Judge Daniel Jordan III is the latest in a string of rulings striking down similar laws elsewhere in the country against the women's health provider.

Jordan's two page order noted a ruling from the 5th US District Court of Appeals that rejected a similar law in Louisiana, saying "essentially every court to consider similar laws has found that they violate" federal law.

Medicaid is a health insurance program for the poor run jointly by the federal government and individual states.

Planned Parenthood said in its complaint that the law, which went into effect in July, unconstitutionally limited patients' rights to choose the healthcare provider of their choice and would have stopped it from serving low-income patients.

"Yet another court has said it is unacceptable for politicians to dictate where women can go for their health care," Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood will fight for our patients at every turn."

Mississippi's Republican Governor, Phil Bryant expressed disappointment with the ruling, saying in a statement on Facebook: "I believe the law was the right thing to do and I will continue to stand with the legislature and people of Mississippi who do not want their hard-earned money going to the largest abortion provider in the nation."

Mississippi was among many states adopting new abortion laws as conservatives have sought to chip away at the US Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalising abortion.

In August, a federal judge prevented Ohio from cutting federal taxpayer funding from 28 Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, setting back the governor's hopes of stopping the women's health services group from providing abortions.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Mosul Offensive Is Going Faster Than Planned, Says Iraqi PM

The offensive to seize back Mosul from Islamic State is going faster than planned, Iraq's prime minister has said, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched a new military operation to clear villages on the city's outskirts.

Howitzer and mortar fire started at dawn, hitting a group of villages held by Islamic State about 10-20 km (6-12 miles) from Mosul, while helicopters flew overhead, according to Reuters reporters at two frontline locations north and east of Mosul.

To the sound of machine gun fire and explosions, dozens of black Humvees of the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), mounted with machine guns, headed toward Bartella, an abandoned Christian village just east of Mosul.

Militants were using suicide car-bombs, roadside bombs and snipers to resist the attack and were pounding surrounding areas with mortars, a CTS commander said.

Hours later, the head of Iraq's Special Forces, Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, told reporters at a command centre near the front line that troops had surrounded Bartella and entered the center of the village. Two soldiers were hurt and none killed, and they had killed at least 15 militants, he said.

"After Bartella is Mosul, God willing."

A cloud of black smoke wreathed some frontline villages, probably caused by oil fires, a tactic the militants use to escape air surveillance.

Iraqi state TV later quoted a CTS spokesman as saying about 80 insurgents were killed in fighting in Bartella and 11 suicide car-bombs destroyed.

A US service member also died on Thursday from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq, the US-led military coalition said in a statement.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a US defence official said the incident took place near Mosul. Roughly 5,000 US forces are in Iraq. More than 100 of them are embedded with Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces involved with the Mosul offensive, advising commanders and helping them ensure coalition air power hits the right targets, officials say.

The fighting around Mosul has also forced 5,640 people to flee their homes in the last three days, mostly in the past 24 hours, the International Organization for Migration said on Thursday.

More quickly than we thought

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, addressing anti-Islamic state coalition allies meeting in Paris by a video link, said: "The forces are pushing toward the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programmed."

Islamic State denied that government forces had advanced. Under the headline "The crusade on Nineveh gets a lousy start," the group's weekly online magazine Al-Nabaa said it repelled all assaults on all fronts, killing dozens in ambushes and suicide attacks and destroying dozens of vehicles including tanks.

The US-led coalition that includes France, Italy, Britain, Canada and other Western nations is providing air and ground support to the forces that are closing in on the city in an operation that began on Monday.

Mosul is the last big stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq and around five times the size of any other city the group has held. The push to capture it is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.

The United Nations says Mosul could require the biggest humanitarian relief operation in the world, with worst-case scenario forecasts of up to a million people being uprooted by the battle.

About 1.5 million residents are still believed to be inside the city, and Islamic State has a history of using civilians as human shields. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said controls were being put in place to check jihadists were not trying to insert themselves among those fleeing Mosul.

Bombs, bunkers and tunnels

On the northern front, Kurdish peshmerga shot down a small drone that had flown over from the Islamic State lines. It was not clear if the drone, one to two metres wide, was carrying explosives or being used for reconnaissance.

"There have been times when they dropped explosives," said Halgurd Hasan, one of the Kurdish fighters deployed in a position overlooking the plain north of Mosul.

Ali Awni, a Kurdish officer, kept a handheld radio receiver open on a frequency used by Islamic State. "They are giving targets for their mortars," he said.

So far, advancing Kurdish troops have moved through villages outside the city, finding abandoned houses rigged with explosives and underground bunkers. In some cases fighters from Islamic State appear to have fled without putting up a fight.

"We did not face resistance from Daesh. They are retreating to Mosul and to Syria. They gave no resistance," peshmerga soldier Ahmed Midhat Abdullah told Reuters in the village of Nawaran, north of Mosul, where a Kurdish column of armored vehicles was advancing in the dusty desert terrain.

Islamic State swept into Mosul and other parts of northern Iraq in 2014 and has used extreme violence to administer a self-proclaimed caliphate there and in parts of neighboring Syria.

"The objectives are to clear a number of nearby villages and secure control of strategic areas to further restrict ISIL's movements," the Kurdish general military command said in a statement announcing the launch of Thursday's operations.

Shi'ite militia

The area around Mosul is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse parts of Iraq, and Western countries backing the assault are concerned that communities feel safe as the government forces advance, to avoid revenge attacks or ethnic and sectarian bloodletting as fighters are driven out.

Western allies have tried to limit the role of Shi'ite militia fighters known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which human rights groups say have carried out killings and kidnappings of Sunnis in other areas freed from Islamic State.

After the Paris meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari offered reassurance: "In answer to those who criticise the PMF for behaving badly, this is not true... They are part of the Iraqi forces and will be disbanded afterwards."

Prime Minister Abadi said the Mosul advance demonstrated that Iraqis from all groups could fight in common cause, noting that it was the first time in 25 years that troops from the Baghdad government had entered territory controlled by the Kurdish region to fight alongside the peshmerga.

"Our war today in Mosul is an Iraqi war conducted by Iraqis for Iraqis and for the defense of Iraq's territory," he said. "Full Iraqi unity is shining through and more than ever showing the unity to vanquish terrorism."

US President Barack Obama hopes to bolster his legacy by seizing back as much territory as he can from Islamic State before he leaves office in January.

Islamic State "will be defeated in Mosul", Obama said on Tuesday, expecting the fight to be difficult.

Iraqi officials and residents of Mosul say Islamic State is preventing people from leaving the city, in effect using them as shields to complicate air strikes and the ground progress of attacking forces.
Nigerian Christians Massacred In 'Savage' Attack, At Least 40 Dead

At least 40 people have been killed in a brutal massacre of a Christian community in Nigeria.

Gunmen believed to be Fulani tribesmen raided Godogodo in Kaduna State, Nigeria  a predominantly Christian settlement  on October 15. The incident followed previous killings in the village last month. Besides those killed and wounded, hundreds have been displaced with housing, places of worship and agriculture destroyed.

Village residents said the massacre began at 5pm, shortly after journalists had left after reporting the machete attack that killed eight on September 24-26, Morning Star News reports.

One witness, Peter Atangi, watched his four children being killed by the herdsmen. He spoke to World Watch Monitor:

"The herdsmen came around 9pm on Saturday [15 October]. They invaded our homes after they attacked a military checkpoint. They were armed with sophisticated guns, machetes, knives and sticks. As soon as they came, they started shooting indiscriminately and we started running in different directions," he said.

"They shot and killed my four children. As we ran for our dear lives, they also set our homes on fire. Many of us have been rendered homeless."

Pastor Isaac Balason of Nasara Baptist Church, Godogodo, spoke to Morning Star News on the phone during the attack. "It is now 8:30 p.m., and the attack is ongoing," he said. "We're not sure we'll survive this time. Please be in prayers with us."

Solomon Musa, attorney and president of the Southern Kaduna People's Union, said at a press conference on Monday that local residents had identified at least 40 victims.

He said: "Godogodo communities once again came under very fierce, terrifying, brutal, savage and barbarous attack by Fulani herdsmen without provocation of any nature from Saturday 15th October, 2016, to Sunday afternoon," he said. "So far, the locals have been able to identify not less than 40 corpses, aside from the several other corpses burnt beyond recognition."

According to Musa nearly all the houses in the village were burned. "The savagery and barbarity of the attack is beyond belief," he said. "Yet, governments at the federal and state levels appear quiet and noncommittal. We have been abandoned, deserted and neglected."

Rev Thomas Akut of the Evangelical Church Winning All Good News Church in Godogodo said the attack had displaced all 245 members of his church. "Most of the villages around Godogodo have been destroyed and thousands of Christians displaced, " he said, noting that he considered the attacks part of an Islamic war against Christians.

"This is a jihad," he said. "It is an Islamic holy war against Christians in the southern part of Kaduna state."

World Watch monitor reports that more than 300 people  the majority of them Christians  have been killed in attacks by Fulani herdsmen in the last five months, and more than 5,000 people have been displaced.

Another Nigerian pastor, Rev Augustine Akpen Lev, told the site: "This is another jihad like the one waged by Boko Haram in the north-east of the country. The attackers carry sophisticated weapons, sometimes they even used chemical weapons on our communities. They just come, often overnight when people are sleeping. They attack defenseless people and go away. They clearly have an agenda: to wipe out the Christian presence and take over the land."
The Lonely Catholic President: The Faith Of JFK

Continuing a series on the faith of America's presidents, which began with Ronald Reagan's fight for freedom, and explored the rich faith of Jimmy Carter, this week we briefly explore the faith of America's one and only Catholic President: John F. Kennedy.

JFK is a cultural icon, his image enduring beyond his presidency to an almost mythic status. His tragic assassination in 1963 left many wondering what would or could have been, had he lived on. He didn't often discuss God in public; as Biographer Thurston Clarke wrote of Kennedy, "Few presidents have been as religiously observant yet reluctant to discuss their faith."

Kennedy's faith is mysterious, but where we see it emerge, it is important and profound.

Fighting for the faith

Kennedy's status as the only Catholic President is hard to ignore. Before he won the election many doubted his chances precisely because of his Catholic faith. It deterred many in the Protestant community, without whose support a victory seemed impossible. Anti-Catholic prejudice was pervasive, so Kennedy had a tough fight when, in May 1960, he entered the West Virginia primary, where the Catholic constituency was only 4 per cent of the electorate. As the JFK Library documents:

"When the polls in West Virginia showed JFK behind by 20 points, he decided to address the issue head on in a speech before the American Society of Newspaper Editors:

'Are we going to admit to the world that a Jew can be elected Mayor of Dublin, a Protestant can be chosen Foreign Minister of France, a Muslim can be elected to the Israeli parliamentbut a Catholic cannot be President of the United States? Are we going to admit to the world--worse still, are we going to admit to ourselvesthat one-third of the American people is forever barred from the White House?""

Kennedy could have disowned his religion, which clearly wasn't helping him get elected, yet he stood steadfast. He won the West Virginia primary, but in September 1960 a group of 150 Protestant ministers gathered in Washington to insist that Kennedy publicly repudiate the Catholic Church's teaching as a sign of his independence from Rome. In response, Kennedy made a now famous speech to a Protestant gathering at the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. He emphasised the importance of the separation of Church and State, and how subsequently there should be no religious test for the office of the Presidency.

He said: "I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials; and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.

"For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a Jew or a Quaker or a Unitarian or a Baptist. It was Virginia's harassment of Baptist preachers, for example, that helped lead to Jefferson's statute of religious freedom. Today I may be the victim, but tomorrow it may be you  until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped at a time of great national peril."

Kennedy wasn't just defending himself as a Catholic, but pointing to something even more profound: religious freedom in society and the opportunity to serve in office whatever your personal beliefs may be.

"Ask not what your country can do for you..."

JFK's emphasis on the division of Church and State might incline one to see faith as having little relevance to Kennedy's political life. It's true that he didn't talk about God often, but there is a rich Christian ideal underpinning his political vision, which we glimpse in his inaugural address in 1961.

The Rev. Daniel Coughlin, first Catholic chaplain in the US House of Representatives, wrote about the speech in a blog post: "The whole speech was framed by his belief in a living and ever-present God both at its beginning and in the end."

Kennedy's words: "For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath ... Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe  the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."

He then famously called Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you  ask what you can do for your country...Knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."

Kennedy's iconic words were rooted in the idea of Christian participation in and for the world. As Coughlin writes: "With a Catholic perspective of humanity, personal power, the needs of the world and the priority concern for the weak and the poor, President Kennedy's words still stir the heart and imagination of America."

The Coming Storm

But Kennedy's faith would be put to to the test when he faced the tragic loss of his newborn son, Patrick. Clarke describes the raw emotion that was revealed from this normally reserved man, breaking the family tradition that "Kennedy's don't cry."

Seen in this light, the glimpses seen of Kennedy's emotional and spiritual life  at prayer, or the prayers he wrote  are important. After one tense Soviet summit he scribbled these words to himself, paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln: "I know there is a Godand I see a storm coming; If He has a place for me, I believe I am ready."

Whether it be his struggle for peace in the tension of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, or his tragic assasination, his storm did indeed come.

In Kennedy's life we may not see fervent, public dedication to God - indeed he was perhaps "a little less convinced" than others. But he nonetheless stands out for his faith: his commitment to Catholicism despite the political cost, his struggle for peace, and the glimpses we get of a belief that grounded both his world vision, and the daily storms of his life.
Tom Wright: Church Must Reclaim Its Prophetic Role In Society

Tom Wright made his name as a theologian with his groundbreaking work on Paul. His New Testament study  especially his call for Christians to read what the Bible actually has to say about heaven  has been highly influential in the last two decades.

Yet Wright is also a cultural commentator of some distinction, and this week he turned his attention to how the Church and the media should relate to each other. Speaking at the Church and Media Conference in London, Wright used the occasion to challenge both.

In his keynote address the former Bishop of Durham made four points. Firstly he said, "God wants the world to be wisely ordered through human agency... God is the working-through-humans God, and human authorities whether they know it or not have the noble vocation of bringing God's wise order into the world. The corollary of this, equally clear in scripture, is that God will hold people to account for their stewardship of these vocations; and that holding-to-account, which will one day be clear and complete, must happen already in the present time."

This role given to human kind is an essential part of God's plan, he argued. In other words  if there are things wrong with the world, we can't just 'leave it up to God' to resolve them  but we have a responsibility to get our hands dirty and be agents of God's transformation.

Wright's second point helps us to realise that although humans have been given that important task, we really shouldn't get ideas above our station. We are not God. "Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him" Wright said, "so that all other authority, whether the so-called 'authority of scripture' on the one hand or the authority of political leaders and rulers on the other hand, must be understood as in some sense delegated authority."

What happens, then, if political rulers mistake their own role for that of God? Thing go wrong very quickly. According to Wright, one prime example is the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. "We have seen in recent decades some disastrously naive experiments in messianism," he said, "in which rulers suddenly discovered that there was this thing called 'evil' out there in the world and thought that they could deal with this 'evil' by dropping bombs on it."

Wright's third argument speaks directly to the role the media play in shaping our society  and how the Church should be active in the same area.

"The media really do have a vocation... of speaking truth in the public square in a way which can shine an unwelcome light on rulers and their follies," he argued. "But the church, too, has its vocation of speaking the truth to power, which goes all the way back to Jesus' argument with Pontius Pilate in John 18 and 19 and Paul's arguments with the Roman officials in Philippi in Acts 16 or with the chief priests in Jerusalem in Acts 23."

The St Andrews-based academic said this can lead to tension between the Church and the media. "Many journalists in our own day strongly believe that the church has no place in the public square, or only a small circumscribed place called 'religion', carefully screened off from everything else; and they believe that the job of holding rulers to account (or indeed of commenting on many other aspects of public life) belongs to the media only."

Wright suggested this has led to certain sections of the media trying to replace the role God has given the Church: "we are warned off the patch by secular journalists who have appointed themselves as not only poets and philosophers but also as high priests of our culture."

In a room full of journalists, who may have thought of themselves as the only bulwark against political wrongdoing, it was a helpful reminder  that God gave a role to the Church. Yet it isn't without controversy  those secular journalists who have tirelessly exposed wrongdoing, from Watergate to the MPs expenses scandal have undoubtedly been doing good work.

The final point Wright raised looks towards a better future where the Church recaptures its prophetic role. He suggested that Christians must speak with confidence into the public square. "The church has to recapture the art of Spirit-led, wise critique, speaking truth to power," he said. "The Church needs to make space and time, and Christian journalists need to make space and time, prayerfully to work together so that the different kinds of critique which we both must bring may be clearly and properly articulated."

It's what we try to do here at Christian Today and many other believers working for secular and Christian publications are doing the same. Still, Wright's words are a call for us to renew our vocation, for the good of the Church and the world.
You Have The Right To Be Angry! Bishop Of Liverpool Advice To LGBT Christians

The Bishop of Liverpool has urged lesbian and gay Christians not to hide or suppress their anger about the way they have been treated by the Church.

Too often, people in power dismiss angry people with phrases such as, "Calm down, dear," he says.

"In the face of this old and cold advice I want to offer an even older, warmer, Biblical encouragement to those on the edge in the churches, and in this season to LGBT Christians in particular: be warmly angry, be hot with anger, but do not boil away."

He urges them not to give up, however hard things get.

"Feel what you feel, and turn the feeling to strength. Don't mourn, organise. Let the person you are in God speak out, so that your own desires and your own anger become the engine for a just world."

He is writing on the Via Media blog, set up by the General Synod member Jayne Ozanne who recently came out as a lesbian.

Bishop Paul Bayes, from the Church of England's evangelical wing, admits Christians have a tradition of denying anger.

Yet anger is not sin, he insists.

"The Christian tradition has often suspected anger, excluding it from this vision of the whole of life redeemed, expecting disciples to amputate it or repress it or ignore it, at any rate to suspect it and fear it, to regret it and deplore it and certainly not to listen to its voice and amplify its cry."

He has written about this subject to address poor practice in the Church.

"The poor practice is this; that people whose inner and outer lives are deeply impacted by an issue, and who become angry as a result, are discounted precisely because of their anger.

"This has been the age-old fate of women in the West, and the fate of any oppressed group, and it is the fate of many LGBT people in the Church today. The advice from the men at the top (and they usually are men, and they are always at the top) is the old, infuriating, demeaning advice: 'Calm down, dear'."

He cites the story of a desert saint of the early Church, who kept a stone in his mouth for many months "until he learned to speak without anger".

Bayes writes: "For much of the church and much of the time, to be angry has been the same as to be immature. In such a view anger must be bottled up, we must hedge the heart before we speak."

This supports the view that the only thing that matters is dispassionate argument.

"In such a view argument is what makes a difference, argument is what moves and changes people, only argument. After argument there can be no room for feeling, only argument moves the world and the church family along, we were born to argue and then to submit to the better argument."

Even Jesus hmself said the angry would be subject to judgement, in Matthew 5:22. Yet Jesus was not afraid to show his own anger when he cleared the Temple.

The answer is that aggression should be present, but "reasonable".

He quotes former Labour leader Neil Kinnock in 1992 speaking to Philip Gould: "That's what politics is about, Philip; love and anger."

Bayes also quotes director Ken Loach, who said this year: "That constant humiliation to survive. If you're not angry about it, what kind of person are you?"

Bayes says: "What motivates people to make a difference? What motivates people to return, day after day, in the face of discouragement and misunderstanding and opposition, to make a difference again? And to keep on making a difference until things are different? How do we find the strength inside?"

Yet the jumble of emotions, desires, longings and hopes is made in the image of God, therefore God-given and capable of redemption.

"From there the journey begins, the journey to change the world inside and outside. Kieran, one of the leaders of 'Open Table', our LGBT congregation in Liverpool, told me this week of a saying they have there: 'Come as you are. Be as you are. Leave differently'."
A Houston company will build a new industrial facility atop 17 acres it recently bought in Pearland.

McKee Tessa, which builds precast underground concrete structures for industrial use, will build a new 55,000-square-foot facility in the 700 block of Almeda Genoa Road, according to a Houston Business Journal report.
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Did Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman get out of jail again?

While the United States is working to extradite El Chapo, people near the U.S.-Mexican border around El Paso and Juarez claim to have seen the infamous drug lord walking the streets and eating at a restaurant.

READ MORE: Violence is rising near the U.S.-Mexico border - 'El Chapo' Guzman's capture could be helping drive it

According to Blog Del Narco, about a dozen people reported seeing Guzman eating at a small restaurant known as "La Cocina de Silvia" in Cuidad Juarez. He was allegedly seen with "a small handful of custodians and military in the service of the Mexican drug lord."

Blog Del Narco says that authorities have not denied the reports, but note that similar false stories circulated online months ago. Guzman is lodged at a prison in Cuidad Juarez.

While it's unconfirmed that Guzman has been getting in and out of prison, authorities did have a recent setback with the drug lord. On Monday, the judge who presided over Guzman's case was shot in the head while jogging outside of his home near Mexico City.

READ MORE: Report: A 'big order of tacos' led to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's recapture

Guzman has escaped from Mexican prisons twice. The first time was in 2001 when he escaped from Mexico's Puente Grande prison. Officials said he escaped by hiding in a laundry cart. The second time, Guzman escaped on July 11, 2015 through a tunnel underneath the prison.

Guzman was recaptured by Mexican marines in a raid at a home in the coastal city of Los Mochis, in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa. Since his recapture, there have been false reports that Guzman has escaped from prison for a third time.
Talk about fusion. Since he was hired by Berryhill Baja Grill as its new corporate chef in August, Alvin Schultz has been plugging away at bringing some new ideas into the home of Houston's favorite fish tacos.

Berryhill's Taco of the Month campaign has so far yielded fresh ideas such as the Mexican Boudin Breakfast Taco and the Smoky Buffalo Chicken Taco.
Fort Hood

A soldier from Fort Hood was killed in combat on Thursday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced.

Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, died in Kabul, Afghanistan, from what Army officials called "wounds received from from encountering hostile enemy forces." Military officials did not provide other details about the circumstances leading to his death.
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How many records can the Houston Zoo break in a single evening?

The answer, revealed during Thursday night's "Feed Your Wildlife: Saving Rhinos, Stories from Africa" gala, is three.

Event organizers somehow managed to squeeze a record-breaking 601 animal lovers into an aqua-washed white tent on zoo grounds. And not just any tent; despite the relatively lax dress code  Austin Alvis sported a safari-style hat while his wife Holly Alvis paired a silk maxi skirt with studded sandals  chandeliers sparkled overhead as wildlife conservation supporters raised an outstanding $187,955 during the paddles up round of giving. The previous record was $150,000.

FLASHBACK TO THE 40S: Costume party raises big bucks

Only one figure mattered in the end: $1,030,304, which marked the ninth annual soiree's first triumph of hitting the million-dollar bulls-eye.

To their credit, co-chairs Nancy and David Pustka and Randa and K.C. Weiner effectively and elegantly stacked the deck with high fundraising goals in mind. Hand-carved rhinoceroses, some still bearing "Made in Kenya" stickers, dotted each table setting. City Kitchen's seasonally on-point menu of curried cauliflower soup, grilled chicken breast and crispy chicken thigh duo, and scrumptious petit fours made for an exceptionally satisfying meal.

Then there was the video from renowned British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace, Dame Jane Goodall. Her passionate plea on behalf of the rhinoceroses being slaughtered illegally for their tusks moved several onlookers to tears. Goodall also congratulated "two dear friends," honorees Donald Kendall, whom she met at the Houston Zoo, and Rick Barongi, the Houston Zoo's previous head director.

Immediately  and perhaps strategically - before bidding and charitable giving began, "National Geographic" photographer and Photo Ark founder Joel Sartore presented a slideshow of his work.

"The two questions I get asked the most are 'how do you get a job with "National Geographic"' and 'have you ever been close to getting killed on assignment?'" he quipped.

Sartore spoke frequently of using photography to "move the needle" as he clicked through dozens of powerful images including brown bears feeding, flesh-eating parasites in Brazil, primates, and near-extinct animals and amphibians.

"There are times in your life where something as fleeting as money will last longer than you will," he said. "Two hundred years from now, what will people say about us if we let rhinos go extinct?"

Audience members responded with pledges, bids, and donations. The rest is conservation gala history.
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Businesses in and around Cleveland served up a tailgate party of sorts called A Taste of Cleveland at the Cleveland Civic Center on Oct. 19 where guests could enjoy a buffet-style lunch while also coming together as a community.

Hosted by the Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, A Taste of Cleveland gives the citizens a chance to experience a variety of businesses in Cleveland, all of which were expected to bring different foods to present to the visitors.

"The idea is to kind of bring the community together," said Cleveland Chamber Chief Operating Officer Jim Carson.

Seventeen vendors showed up to participate in the event, bringing with them dishes ranging from sweets to barbecue meatballs, pulled pork, fried fish, cakes, ice cream and many more.

Visitors paid an entrance fee of $5 before taking a plate and experiencing a buffet. Some of the participating businesses included Sam's Club, Fish Tales, Cleveland Health Care Center and Rehab, Mann Eye Clinic, Pace-Stancil Funeral Home and Sears Hometown Store.

"We offered the booths at a very reasonable price," said Carson.

The Chamber has hosted A Taste of Cleveland in years past with the last one being in 2012.

"They were trying to do them annually," said Carson.

The previous events, according to Carson, did not have the best turnout. Carson believes this is in part due to a higher entrance price.

"That's why we kept the price down," he said.

Carson says the event drew in around 180 people, though he says the final count is uncertain at this time.

"I think it bridges the gap between a lot of things going on in the city," he said.

Carson also believes A Taste of Cleveland is also showing the best of a partnership between the Chamber, the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Civic Center. He also stated that the Chamber is focusing on the quality of its events as opposed to the quantity, which he hopes will help bring more attention to Cleveland.

"This adds to the direction we're going," said Carson.
Gable Tostee, 30, was found not guilty of murder after 26-year-old Warriena Wright fell from his 14th floor balcony.

The Queensland state Supreme Court also acquitted him of manslaughter in the case that has attracted widespread interest.

RELATED: Gable Tostee 'Tinder murder' trial reveals new chilling details

Prosecutors in the trial alleged that Tostee, after locking Wright out on his balcony in Brisbane, had intimidated and scared his date to the point that she fell trying to escape his apartment.

The week-long trial was extended after jurors could not come to a unanimous decision. One juror was scolded by the judge for posting information on Instagram. Thursday, when the verdict was read, there were gasps in the courtroom, the Brisbane Times reports. The families of Tostee and Wright, including some jurors, wept.

Tostee didn't speak after he was released, but his attorney said some words on his behalf.

"He's relieved this matter is now behind him and he's looking forward to moving on with his life," Tostee's lawyer Nick Dore said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "He thanks all those people who have supported him through this and realizes just how tragic this has been for many people. At this stage, he's looking forward to putting it behind him and considering his future from here."

Tostee and Wright, who met on Tinder, were on a date that spiraled out of control on Aug. 8, 2014. After drinking and being intimate, they began arguing. Tostee's phone recording of the night was played at the trial.

The 199-minute recording revealed the moment he locked Wright on his balcony saying: "I'm gonna let you go, I'm gonna walk you out of this apartment just the way you are. You're not going to collect any belongings, you're just going to walk out. I'm gonna slam the door on you. If you try to pull anything I'll knock you out, I'll knock you the f--- out."

Wright, a tourist from New Zealand, then climbed down the balcony. Her legs could be seen dangling by a neighbor in the unit directly under Tostee's. (Story continues below.)

When she fell, Wright reportedly ricocheted off lower balconies. Forensic pathologist Dianne Little testified that Wright suffered 80 separate injuries and that her body had "folded over itself," making it impossible to determine her height.

"Why does this sh--t keep happening to me?" Tostee said in a phone call to his dad that night. "I swear to God I didn't push her, I just chucked her out on the balcony because she was beating me up."

Tostee faced life in prison if found guilty. The death will now be investigated by the Queensland coroner.

"This was not a conventional homicide investigation. It was always acknowledged it'd be a very difficult investigation from the start," Homicide squad Detective Inspector Damien Hansen said.
Three teens were arrested on multiple charges after an alleged carjacking incident in the Deerbrook Estates area of Humble.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's deputies responded to the incident in the 20500 block of Marker Ridge Oct. 16 in reference to an alleged carjacking.

Caleb Swafford, 17; Monterious Thomas, 17; and Charles Adamore, 19, were arrested and charged in relation to the incident.

"Responding deputies were advised that two unknown males approached the complainant while he was inside his vehicle," Constable Mark Herman said. "One of the males pointed a handgun at him and told him to get out of the vehicle. The complainant exited his vehicle with his cell phone in hand. The unknown male with the gun continued to point the handgun at the complainant and told him to leave the phone in the car. The unknown male with the handgun got in the driver's side and the other unknown male got into the passenger seat and both fled in the complainant's vehicle."

Deputies provided a description of the suspects and the vehicle to all police units in the area. A few hours later, deputies were able to locate the vehicle occupied by three males in the 20000 block of Foxwood Forest Blvd. They were detained without incident.

"Following an investigation into this incident, all three males were identified, charged with criminal offense and booked into the Harris County Jail," Herman said.

Swafford was charged with criminal trespassing, his bond was set at $1,000; Thomas was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, his bond is set at $2,000 and Adamore was charged with aggravated robbery and criminal trespassing, his bond is set at $31,500.
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East Montgomery Improvement District is well known for its free annual festivals, but some may not know about the variety of services for existing businesses in East Montgomery County.

"People know about our festivals and grants, but they don't always know about the business end of what we offer," Kelley Mattlage, EMCID director of communications, said. "We think it's a good idea to provide opportunities for new businesses coming in, but also for the businesses that are already here."

One such opportunity is the Growth of East Montgomery County Initiative, which aims to inform the community about development opportunities for potential and existing local businesses through financial incentives available for hiring underemployed and low-to-moderate income EMC residents.

Entrepreneurs and local small business owners in EMC are invited to learn more about development and expansion options available through financial incentive agreements during a free seminar to be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Splendora Independent School District Administration Building.

"This seminar is to get the word out that we do offer incentives for local businesses that are already here," Mattlage said. "We want them to grow and to be successful. We have programs where we offer grants, low interest loans and all kinds of different things for existing local businesses."

Business owners will receive information from the Small Business Development Center about options offered by the East Montgomery County Economic Development Corp., which is a nonprofit subsidiary of EMCID able to give financial incentives to fund training, improvements and equipment.

The financial incentives can include one or a combination of different options such as cash, lease-purchase options, tax abatement on improved property, land donation, low-interest loans, equity participation, professional construction assistance or participation in development costs.

"A lot of people think there's a menu or formula, but we don't have a formula," Mattlage said. "Each agreement is determined on a case by case basis based on the business, how many employees they have and what improvement or expansion they want to do. Then, a customized package is put together for the business."

In the past three months, several local businesses in EMC have benefited from customized incentive agreements including Back Pew Brewing Company in Porter, Brewingz, La Casita in Porter, Coals Smokehouse in Splendora and McDonald's at Northpark Drive and U.S. 59.

Each incentive agreement included unique specifications that work to meet the needs of the individual business while benefiting the community.

McDonald's, for example, received a check for $19,103.07 in October covering a rebate for a half-cent sales tax for 2014-15 in exchange for hiring at least 51 percent of employees from within EMC. The location surpassed its requirement, employing 69 percent of its employees from within the district.

La Casita Mexican Restaurant in Porter was provided a $12,000 EMCID grant for parking lot repairs in September and a $10,000 loan for additional repairs from EMCEDC. In return, La Casita agreed to hire at least one new employee from within EMC and contribute $500 annually to the EMCID Scholarship Foundation.

Coals Smokehouse is planning to open in Splendora in early 2017. It received $20,000 in incentive funds for agreeing to hire at least 50 percent of the first 30 employees from within EMC.

"It helps businesses because it grows their success," Mattlage said. "It also helps with job creation. When we have the opportunity to provide jobs in the community in which we live, it's important. A lot of people don't want to commute to Houston every day. They live out here and want a certain quality of life. It's important to stimulate the local economy and help grow local businesses so that we can have locals employed in the community."

The Growth of East Montgomery County Initiative also provides help to businesses seeking qualified local employees through Lone Star College Career Center Services and Mission Northeast,.

"Representatives from those organizations will be at the seminar too," Mattlage said. "They have a wealth of knowledge as far as people seeking jobs who have skill sets that are higher than the job they are currently performing."

EMCID provides incentives to approximately 10-to-15 businesses annually.

"We've had quite a bit of interest," Mattlage said. "Word is getting out there, which is good for everyone: businesses, residents the district. Any time we can increase retail, the sales tax revenue that comes back to EMCID then allows us to help even more people through community and economic development initiatives."

Business owners, entrepreneurs and community members interested in attending the seminar to learn more about the Growth of East Montgomery County Initiative can register for the event by calling 281-354-4419. A meal will be provided.

For more information about EMCID visit www.emctx.com.
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The third and final presidential debate aired for millions of Americans' viewing pleasure on Wednesday night.

As Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump faced off over various issues in Las Vegas, Twitter users were quick to express their opinions in funny memes.

READ MORE: Trump once tweeted about Putin possibly becoming his 'new best friend'

The candidates spoke on border control; foreign relations, specifically Russia; abortion and the national debt. With every topic they discussed, Twitter seemed to have a cheeky response.

The moment that flared the most tweets was when Trump said "hombres," Spanish for "men," while speaking about border control.

RELATED: Editorial writer 'live sketches' the final presidential debate

"We have some bad hombres here and we've got to get them out," Trump said.

An instance that prompted laughter in the crowd was when Trump said "no one treats women as well as he does."

The laughs were so loud, Fox News moderator Chris Wallace had to hush the crowd. At the beginning of the debate, the audience was asked to remain silent throughout the entire 90 minutes.

CONTROVERSY? Trump refuses to say he will accept election results

Before voting, get a laugh with some funny debate memes in the gallery above.
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When Rick Knapp first told his good friend Loyd Thornton his concept of putting a floating bar on a Clear Lake pier, he was sold.

"I thought it was a crazy idea, but a good crazy good idea," Thornton said.

Rick's Turtle Club opened in 1983 and this New Year's Eve, as Lance's Turtle Club, it will serve its last round of drinks, steaks and good times, while leaving 33 years-worth of memories to its faithful regulars.

"There's no place like it," said Kathy Morales, a Baytown resident who has been coming to the Seabrook/Clear Lake area floating institution for more than 20 years.

Owner Lance Stephens recently announced the selling of the property to a land speculation and investment company.

"It's been wonderful, but it's time for me to leave," Stephens said.

Morales, 56, remembers a Labor Day weekend at the bar in the late 90s that "sealed the deal" for her and her husband after they had known each other since junior high school.

"It holds a lot of personal memories for me," she said.

While known as a local watering hole for boaters in the Kemah, Seabrook and Clear Lake area, it's mostly those kind of personal connections that made a place like the Turtle Club more than a funky novelty bar on the water.

"There is no other place like it around here," Morales said. "Where are we going to dock our boats?"

Stephens, who has owned and operated the Turtle Club since purchasing it from Knapp in 1995, was there in the beginning. Two months after its opening, Hurricane Alicia arrived.

The first floor of the original structure, which had been built on an old, out-of-commission Brown & Root deck station purchased by Knapp, sank underwater. That structure was rebuilt and it has since weathered several storms.

"I came to work for him (Knapp) after Hurricane Alicia, helped him rebuild and get it reopened," said Stephens, originally from Brownsville, Texas.

Stephens had worked in the restaurant industry in Houston before coming to work for Knapp, and while left briefly from 1987-1990, he has been the constant in Turtle Club history.

"You can always count him being there, he's very committed to his customers and friends," said Morales.

Just as it had taken off at first, the Turtle Club became the place to be for both those guests simply curious about the local "floating tavern" and people in the area who appreciated the unconventional surroundings and didn't mind the subtle rocking from the water currents, Stephens said.

"Part of what draws everybody to it is the fact that it actually floats," he said. "I can always tell by looking across the room at somebody by the look on their face that they're not sure what's wrong. They'll be sitting there and I'll walk up to them and say, 'You're okay'  but it moves so subtly that most of the time you're not aware of it and forget."

The term, Turtle Club, originally referred to a fraternity of World War II pilots who used passwords and riddles to identify other members.

Lance's Turtle Club has its signature Bushwacker, the house drink, its Steak Night as well as a few its own quirky traditions. For instance, special guests, or those who answer the correct answers to its own series of riddles, are initiated as an official VIT, or "very important turtle", while Stephens is known as the "imperial turtle".

"It's all in good fun," he said.

It wasn't meant to be fancy or high-end, and that was part of its charm, said Thornton.

"It felt like home when you went there," Thornton said. "If there was anybody there who had problems - had too much to drink, car trouble  someone would be there to take care of them. There was a lot of camaraderie there."

It was also the unofficial home for the Texas Offshore Performance Powerboat Squadron, a boating club for which Thornton, 65, was a founding member.

The bar was the perfect setting for people who loved life on the water, Thornton said.

"There are so many good times, so many memories and it was a great place to watch gorgeous sunsets," he said. "It was unique and you could pull up by boat or car."

As much as she'll miss the house drink and Stephen's homemade blue cheese salad dressing, Morales will mostly miss the experiences.

"The location, the people, and friends we made, Lance - that's what I'll remember," she said.

Stephens said it was simply time for him to move on.

"I've been working here for 30 years and I just think it's time for me to step away," he said.

He said he will spend the next few months "tying up loose ends", with plans to sell the building barge next.

"Somebody new will hopefully take it over and do whatever they want to do with it, maybe carry on the tradition or rebrand it," he said. "It's just the end of this journey."

When Stephens, 61, announced he was closing the Turtle Club, he heard from his disappointed regulars.

But the memories aren't going anywhere, he said, for him or for those who made it more than a "good crazy idea."

"I've been here a long time, and I'm going to miss a lot of the people," he said. "Overall, we're going to be remembered absolutely fantastically for many, many years to come. That means a lot to me."

Lance Turtle Club is located at 2613 E. NASA Parkway in Seabrook; for more information, visit its Facebook page.
The Pearland Police Department is looking for information on the whereabouts of Mr. Peter J. Lanther w/m (86 yoa) who... Posted by Pearland Police Department on Thursday, October 20, 2016

A "Silver Alert" was issued on Thursday for an elderly Pearland man with health problems who has been missing since Monday evening.

Peter J. Lanther, 86, was last seen about 6 p.m. Monday in the Country Place subdivision in Pearland. He is known to frequent nearby businesses, authorities said.
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Conroe police arrested three men believed to be involved in the attempted robbery of Jeff's Jewelry in Conroe that left one robber dead earlier this month.

Kadarius Krisshawn Royston, 23, Sedrick Jermaine Townsend, 36, and Coredarian Javonte Bailey, 20, face felony aggravated robbery charges for their alleged participation in the Oct. 3 failed heist.

Javian Jackson, 21, who started shooting at employees, died in the doorway of the store after Jeff's Jewelry owner Jeffery Turner Jr. fired back at the robber.

Jackson was one of four armed assailants who burst into the Conroe West strip center in the 4800 block of Texas 105 West. Jackson exchanged shots with Turner and was killed.

RELATED: Deadly shootout haunts Conroe jeweler

Conroe Police Lt. Dorcy McGinnis previously said four men dressed in all black entered Jeff's Jewelry around lunchtime and demanded jewelry, purses and other items. They opened fire on the store employees and customers.

"There was a lot of gunfire," McGinnis said the day of the crime.

Windows were broken out of the store, and police set up barriers around the crime scene.

A manhunt ensued for the three other men. Conroe police found the abandoned getaway vehicle near Tink Calfee Road between West Fork Boulevard and Longmire.

All three are in the Montgomery County Jail with a $150,000 bond each.

Attorneys for Royston (arrested Oct. 12) and Townsend (arrested Oct. 10) could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. Bailey (arrested Oct. 14) did not have an attorney of record on the District Clerk's website.
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A woman accused of running an illegal spa in north Houston was arrested on Thursday as part of the Harris County District Attorney's Office's initiative to shut down illegal spas along FM 1960 and in surrounding areas.

"Since I've been district attorney, I've talked to many residents who are upset about these businesses which seem to be little more than just fronts for prostitution," District Attorney Devon Anderson said during a news conference on Thursday.

Ying Wen, 43, was arrested at her home in northwest Houston after the District Attorney's Office, in conjunction with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, raided the spa, her house and an empty store front next to the spa, finding $24,000 in cash and several designer purses at the different locations.

READ MORE: Woman arrested in raid at La Porte spa

Wen is charged with money laundering and faces up to 20 years in prison, with a possible fine of $10,000. Anderson noted a sexual assault and robbery also occurred at Wen's spa, Hana Top in the 14000 block of Bammel North Houston, on Aug. 8.

Three women were found in the spa, whom Anderson said might be sex trafficking victims. Authorities are still investigating.

"It's clear until we can charge and convict the owners, these businesses are just going to keep popping up," Anderson said.

Due to residents' complaints, the District Attorney's Office has been going after illegal spas in the FM 1960 area.

RELATED: Massage parlor raids lead to 14 prostitution arrests

Tim Navarre, captain at the Harris County Sheriff's Office, said they don't know how many illegal spas are located in the city but there is a "plethora" of illegal spas in Harris County.

"It's like cockroaches. We stamp out one and then it seems like 10 more pop up, but we're not going to stop," Anderson said. "We all deserve to have a safe place to live."
A man has called police and confessed in the killing of a 19-year-old 30 years ago, Houston police said on Friday.

Lawrence Fox, 56, was charged with murder for his role in the death of Randy Erekson, 19.
A 45-year-old Honduran woman who owned brothels in the Houston area was sent to prison Friday after her conviction related to a sex trafficking charge, officials said.

Gonzales Munoz, also known as "Merci," was sentenced to 12 and half years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, according to U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston. She had pleaded guilty Jan. 21 to charge.
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Texas history buffs know the role that Dallas Love Field played in the events of November 22, 1963 and how it was the venue for some of the most trying times in American history.

The airport was where President John F. Kennedy landed on the morning of the day of his assassination.

Its also where his successor President Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office as the 36th president just hours later while Kennedys casket was loaded onto Air Force One.

RELATED: JFK motorcade members: What happened after the assassination?

According to reporter Jason Whitely at Dallas' WFAA-TV the powers that be at the historic airport are dragging their feet on creating a permanent indoor exhibit honoring the spot where the reins of power in America changed hands on one of the worst days in the nations history.

Love Field began life as a World War I army airfield and has played many supporting roles in Texas history over the past century. This week its celebrating its 99th year in operation.

Nicola Longford, the executive director of the Sixth Floor Museum in Dealey Plaza, would love to see the airport honor the spot for future generations to reflect, even if its just a plaque in a terminal.

It was a powerful event that took place there. I wish people knew what happened, she tells Whitely.

RELATED: Newly rediscovered tape of JFK's Houston speech at Rice Hotel released

There were vague plans in 2013 around the time of the 50th anniversary of the assassination for a marker and small exhibit to be placed. Renderings were even created of the project to be called Transition from Tragedy.

Last year a marker was placed inside the cement on the taxiway to mark where Air Force One was parked. No one can get to it though since that part of the airport is closed to the public.

According to Whitleys report this week there are currently no plans to place any markers within the Southwest Airlines terminal telling travelers what happened there.

Some in Dallas, particularly the older residents, still have an aversion to talk of the Kennedy assassination as it tainted the city for a decades.

RELATED: The Rice's downtown building turns 103 years old

Its just been the last decade or so that younger people have begun to see things differently and accept history for what it is.

The Dealey Plaza area, where the assassination and the shooting of Governor John B. Connally took place, has developed into a tourist-friendly locale with the museum and a handful of shops and cafes popping up.
Houston ranks second to last among major Texas cities for LGBT equality with a final score of 71 out of 100.

Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth received perfect scores in the study released by the Human Rights Campaign in their 2016 Municipal Equality Index. El Paso was the only other major city that scored lower than Houston at 57 out of 100. San Antonio was near the top with a score of 95.
Snakes are showing up in herds in north Texas due to an increase in rodents.

The Wichita Falls Times Record News reports animal control collected four rattlesnakes over the weekend and several pets have been attacked. City health department workers told the newspaper they believe rat and mice populations increased because of excess rainfall and increased crop yields.
Summer may have ended nearly two months ago, but you wouldn't know that in Houston. Space City residents have been battling with temperatures ranging between the 80s and 90s for the past week.

But, thanks to a mix of cool winds and rain on Thursday, Houstonians may finally get their first taste of fall today.
LM Otero/STF

AUSTIN -- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday warned Texas' public colleges and universities that he intends to block any plans they have to increase their staffing levels will be blocked, his latest salvo against rising costs at institutions of higher education.

At a conference last month, Patrick had criticized high salaries and bonuses at come colleges and universities.
-- MUST READ: Some back of the envelope ciphering on Clintons chances in Texas, by Joshua Blank and Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project:

Just when you thought the presidential election couldnt get any weirder, many poll aggregators and various election projections have moved Texas from deep red, Solid Republican to light reddish Lean Republican. These shifts in expectations have been driven by a cluster of polls, conducted at various points during the last 10 days, finding Donald Trumps lead over Hillary Clinton in Texas to have dwindled to between 2 and 4 points, depending on the poll.

The three most recent polls used methodologies, including modes, that were completely dissimilar, yet, as the results below suggest, yielded strikingly similar margins. In short order, the narrowing race led to a resurgence of speculation about whether Hillary Clinton had a shot at winning Texas, just four years after Mitt Romney bested Barack Obama by more than 15 percentage points.

While the trend line in Texas presidential polling certainly justifies this speculation, there are good reasons not to go too far down the road toward speculating on  well just use the phrase even though we dont want to  Texas turning blue based on this polling. The main reason is timing: all of these polls were in the field during a period of sustained negative media coverage of Donald Trump. Two of the polls were conducted during a period in which the Access Hollywood tapes were released, Trump responded (and responded and responded), and during the second debate and its aftermath. One of them was in the field in the three days immediately following the Sunday debate. Needless to say, these were not good times for Donald Trump.

-- Galindo fights for survival in perpetually purple district, by the Express-News Gilbert Garcia : Its telling that the proudest achievement of Galindos first term has been the passage of a bill that instantly attracted Democratic support, but took persuasion to bring around the members of Galindos own party.

The further you stray from Galindos wheelhouse (education, annexation reform and mental health) into deeply partisan territory, the less likely that the state rep will give you definite answers. When asked about transgender bathroom legislation, likely to be pushed next year by Patrick, Galindo will only say, If it comes up, I want to see what the bill looks like. This is all presumptive.

-- Dukes resignation scrambles Austin state House race, by the Texas Tribunes Alex Samuels: Voters in state House District 46 face an unusual predicament this November  unless they want to flip Republican, most of those casting ballots in the reliably Democratic district will opt for an incumbent Democrat who's already said she won't serve. That means a special election early next year is likely to decide who ultimately fills the seat representing Manor, Pflugerville and part of Austin.

>> Amid probe, Dukes flew in lawyers before announcing retirement, Statesman

-- GOP Super PAC spends big in Hurd-Gallego race, by the Express-News Bill Lambrecht . All told, more than $10 million is scheduled to be spent on advertising in the race, about half in the next three weeks. The ad to be aired today on television and digital media is part of the Congressional Leadership Funds $2 million spending allocation in the San Antonio-area congressional race, the second-biggest outside commitment to the contest. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is contributing more.

>> Texas Republicans wary of Trumps election suspense, Houston Chronicle

>> Lawmakers want Harmony probe turned over to AG, Texas Rangers, Houston Chronicle

CAPITOL DAYBOOK - no meetings



SPEED READ



Saudi Arabia soaking up investors' cash for oil and gas, Houston Chronicle

Sleeping with the enemy: He's for Trump. She's for Clinton, Houston Chronicle

US confirms 11th death due to Takata air bags, AP

Texas couple pleads guilty in enslaved nanny case, Houston Chronicle

Some adjunct faculty in the biggest college UTSA could be first to go, Express-News

Election Day Wont Change LGBT Texans Extremely Underrepresented Status, Texas Observer

Most Syrian refugees arriving in US are kids; schools adapt, AP

RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

-- Trumps incredible shrinking map, by Politico:

Clinton leads Donald Trump by 5 points or greater in POLITICOs Battleground States polling average in Colorado, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. If the Democratic nominee won those six states, plus all the other reliably Democratic states President Barack Obama captured in both 2008 and 2012, she would eclipse the 270-electoral-vote threshold and win the presidency.

Even if Trump ran the table in the remaining battleground states  Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio  he would fall short of the White House if he cannot flip another state where Clinton currently leads in the polls.

>> No happy warriors to be found at Al Smith dinner, CNN

-- GOP braces for Trump loss, roiled by refusal to accept election results, per WashPost : A wave of apprehension and anguish swept the Republican Party on Thursday, with many GOP leaders alarmed by Donald Trumps refusal to accept the outcome of the election and concluding that it is probably too late to salvage his flailing presidential campaign. As the Republican nominee reeled from a turbulent performance in the final debate here in Las Vegas, his partys embattled senators and House members scrambled to protect their seats and preserve the GOPs congressional majorities against what Republicans privately acknowledge could be a landslide victory for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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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Scanfil's Q3 Profits Up, Sales Down Published: 21 October 2016 by Mike Buetow by Mike Buetow

SIEVI, FINLAND -- Scanfil reported third quarter revenue of 121.7 million euros, down 10.3% from a year ago.

The company's net profit rose 131% over last year to 6.5 million euros. The operating profit for the period ended Spet. 30 was 7.4 million euros up 41% from a year ago *

The results include the acquisition of PartnerTech, which Scanfil purchased in fall 2015.

The EMS firm forecast 2016 sales of 500 million to 520 million euros and operating profit before one-time charges of 22 million to 25 million euros.

In a statement, CEO Petteri Jokitalo said, "I am pleased with our profitability in the third quarter. The operating profit of 6% shows that the restructuring and efficiency measures we have taken can already be seen in our result. We have concentrated on our profitable businesses, and our cost structure is significantly lighter."

He added that the market slowdown and integration of PartnerTech have led to factory closings around the world.

"During the third quarter, customer demand decreased in general, and the market situation was and continues to be challenging. The integration of companies, elimination of overlapping activities as well as the restructuring of unprofitable factories proceeded according to plans. The Dongguan plant in China was closed, and the statutory labor negotiations to adjust Vantaa (Finland) plant's operations were started."

$1 = 0.9173 euros
As a strong proponent of early voting, I joined hundreds at the Hamilton County Election Commission headquarters on Amnicola Highway yesterday to exercise what I consider one of our greatest freedoms  for the people, by the people. Candidly, I have never been as upset or as disappointed over my choices for President in my life. Locally I am fine with our candidates but to pick between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is as distasteful as any ballot I have ever cast and I believe the majority of the American people feel the same as I do.

Then this happened. In my morning readings on Thursday, before I cast my vote, I happened across a blessing. I am at peace with the election. I have long professed that Max Lucado, a gentle pastor from San Antonio, has inspired and comforted me for years (along with 100 million others who have bought his books.)

One of my quiet go-to sites almost every day is www.christianpost.com and wouldnt you know that Max, my favorite Christian author  strike that, one of my favorite of all writers  had written a guest opinion entitled, The Answer to this years election.

Please indulge me as I share how Max Lucado calmed the swirling storm that was in my heart. I hope this will provide the solitude it did for me:

* * *

MAX LUCADOS ANSWER

(From the Christian Post, Oct. 20, 2016)

I have a prediction. I know exactly what November 9 will bring. Another day of God's perfect sovereignty. He will still be in charge. His throne will still be occupied. He will still manage the affairs of the world. Never before has His providence depended on a king, president, or ruler. And it won't on November 9, 2016. "The LORD can control a king's mind as he controls a river; he can direct it as he pleases" (Proverbs 21:1 NCV).

On one occasion the Lord turned the heart of the King of Assyria so that he aided them in the construction of the Temple. On another occasion, he stirred the heart of Cyrus to release the Jews to return to Jerusalem.

Nebuchadnezzar was considered to be the mightiest king of his generation. But God humbled and put him in "detention" for seven years. "The kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations" (Psalms 22:28).

Understanding God's sovereignty over the nations opens the door to peace. When we realize that God influences the hearts of all rulers, we can then choose to pray for them rather than fret about them. Rather than wring our hands we bend our knees, we select prayer over despair.

Jeremiah did this. He was the prophet to Israel during one of her darkest periods of rebellion. He was called "the weeping prophet" because he was one. He wept at the condition of the people and the depravity of their faith. He was so distraught that one of his books was entitled Lamentations. But then he considered the work of God. Note the intentionality of his words:

"This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:21-23)

Imitate Jeremiah. Lift up your eyes. Dare to believe that good things will happen. Dare to believe that God was speaking to us when he said: "In everything God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).

Many years ago, I spent a week visiting the interior of Brazil with a long-time missionary pilot. He flew a circuit of remote towns in a small plane that threatened to come undone at the slightest gust of wind. Wilbur and Orville had a sturdier aircraft.

I could not get comfortable. I kept thinking that the plane was going to crash in some Brazilian jungle and I'd be gobbled up by piranhas or swallowed by an anaconda.

I kept shifting around, looking down, and gripping my seat. (As if that would help.) Finally, the pilot had had enough of my squirming. He looked at me and shouted over the airplane noise. "We won't face anything I can't handle. You might as well trust me to fly the plane."

Is God saying the same to you? If so, make this your prayer:

Dear Lord,

You are perfect. You could not be better than you are.

You are self-created. You exist because you choose to exist.

You are self-sustaining. No one helps you. No one gives you strength.

You are self-governing. Who can question your deeds? Who dares advise you?

You are correct. In every way. In every choice. You regret no decision.

You have never failed. Never! You cannot fail! You are God! You will accomplish your plan.

You are happy. Eternally joyful. Endlessly content.

You are the king, supreme ruler, absolute monarch, overlord, and rajah of all history.

An arch of your eyebrow and a million angels will pivot and salute. Every throne is a footstool to yours. Every crown is papiermache to yours. No limitations, hesitations, questions, second thoughts, or backward glances. You consult no clock. You keep no calendar. You report to no one. You are in charge.

And I trust you.

In Jesus holy name, I pray,

Amen

Circle November 9 on your calendar and write upon it the words: Our good God rules the world.

* * *

To find out more about Max and his servants heart, please visit www.MaxLucado.com.

While I am so ashamed of my vote I will not reveal it, I am not ashamed that my faith is in no mortal. Jesus has given me his word that it is He who is my Savior. Nothing can happen to our country, or to the futures of my children and their children, Jesus cant handle. I am trusting him to fly my plane.

royexum@aol.com




Though the presidential election hasnt yet happened, the journalistic post mortems have already begun.

The past year has included some of the best moments in political journalismreporting at the Washington Post, The New York Times and BuzzFeed have particularly stood outas well as the most tortured: News outlets have struggled with the roles their reporters should take on Twitter, whether and how to call out Donald Trump as a liar, how far to go in reporting lurid sexual details.

To begin the process of making sense of it all, the Columbia Journalism Review convened a group of media executives on Oct. 20 to hash through the issues.

The conversation was moderated by CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope and featured Carolyn Ryan, political editor at The New York Times; Sir Harry Evans, editor-at-large of Reuters and former editor of The Sunday Times; and Howard Wolfson, a political adviser who served as co-chief strategist for Hillary Clintons 2008 presidential campaign.

We began with the question: What do you think is the journalistic legacy of this campaign?

An edited transcript follows.

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Sir Harry Evans: Well, I hope its not Harry Truman [laughs]. We all remember the famous front page, Dewey Defeats Truman in 1948, because Truman was finished. Truman was in the same place Trump is today. Everybody had written him off. That front page stuck in my mind forever, of Truman holding it up there.

Im a big admirer of the American press. In this election, I must say I was very disappointed at the beginning because it seemed to me that more than a year ago it was apparent that Trump was going to be the front-runner. Where were all the investigative reporters then?

I think the job of journalism, if I may say so, is to expose lies all the time in pursuit of truth. Now, the lies you expose are only a small part of the truth. When I was editing politics in London, I was obsessed about whos got it right.

Ive got criticisms of the [New York] Times, but the idea that this morning, after the debate, you could go through the Times page, straight across the board, and every major fact was fact-checked, instantly, not waiting for Politifact in about three months time or whenever it is, but there and then. I thought it was a superb piece of journalism. The Times finally got going and did great stuff on the casinos, great stuff of course on whoever dropped off those income tax returns, and so on.

By and large Im disappointed because I thought if the investigative journalism was started much earlier it would have been brilliant, and it could have started much earlier. Of course the big story now, that I hope everybody is on, is what the real connection is in cyberspace between Putin and Trump. This is the big untold story and its the most important thing in the election for me.

Carolyn Ryan: When I got to the Times it was interesting because, believe it or not, we had never done fact checks that reached any sharp conclusion. We would say, heres a fact, and then wed have a lot of paragraphs about it and commentary. But what we have created this year, and what I think you are responding to, is a very simple, concise, No, thats not true.

Institutions sometimes move slowly, but to get this going, essentially you have to have reporters, who are the best experts in their fields, responding in real time, usually within five minutes. I was just looking at the audience numbers and its become even more popular than the main story [on the debate].

Weve kind of created this platform that works and works really quickly. Its somewhat addictive for our readers who just want quick, factual analysis.

CJR: Were almost to the point when we can start thinking about this race in historical terms. What about this notion that the press missed the rise of Trump and the rise of the Trump support base, that it took a lot of people especially in this part of the world by surprise that there are all these people out there that felt the way they did. Do you think thats a fair criticism, both in general and of the Times?

Ryan: Not of the Times [laughs]. I think there was a moment in 2015, right around Labor Day, when our sense of how real it was becoming, just from being out around the country, became quite powerful. There was one story that we did, right around Labor Day, that stands out to me, which was looking at the beginnings of the effect of Trumps racial rhetoric on the rest of the field. You started to see some of the messages he was putting out there and how it was hardening other Republican candidates rhetoric.

And then we had two reporters spend a week just transcribing and watching every word that came out of Trumps mouth. It ended up being about 95,000 words, and we went to historians and people who study demagogic patterns in language, and we did a quite powerful story capturing that part of Trump. So, some of the stories I feel like we were earliest on were sort of getting at what was happening around race and otherness and the kind of language that he was putting out there, and what that was doing more broadly in the campaign.

CJR: Im really interested in this business of calling out lies, saying This is a lie. Its not a contested fact. There was this moment when we picked up the Times and saw this story on the front page about Trumps lies, and a lot of our jaws dropped with the notion that were in a new world now. Im interested in the evolution of that decision. What can you tell us about that?

Ryan: We had been talking about this for a long time, and sort of cataloging the way that Trump talked, and aggressively fact-checking. We started doing something where when we would write a story about Trump, we would do real-time fact-checking of his assertions.

What youre referring to is the birther moment, where he came out and said Obama was born in this country, but blamed Hillary Clinton for starting the whole mishigas. We decided within about 40 minutes, Michael Barbaro, Dean Baquet, and I, that we were going to write something very straightforward.

I went to Dean Baquet and I said, Can we call this the unwinding of a lie? He understood the potency of coming out very directly and saying that, and that what Trump had done  a willful deceit  was far more egregious than some of the fabrications and stretching of the truth that we usually see in politics.

So he was firmly behind us, and I think a lot of readers reacted favorably. In the newsroom, its a fairly traditional institution and there were some suggestions that it was precedent-shattering and what does that mean, and how do we go forward when other people stretch the truth or say things that are untrue? This felt, to me, like the very definition and essence of lying, that it was more than inaccuracy, that there was a willful desire to deceive.

CJR: Just so I understand this: the time it took between you raising this and it going to Dean and the time of the decision was 40 minutes?

Ryan: Yeah, so what happened was, if you remember that Friday, he gave that press conference that was bizarre for so many reasons. It was like a hotel tour and he was surrounded by military men, and then he came out. Michael Barbaro is a reporter who Ive worked with for about eight years, so once we start putting something together, we knew exactly what we wanted to say and we knew how to say it. If you look back on the story, theres a forcefulness about the language, and I think some of that was just the pent up feeling that we had covering him and being confronted with the way he is rather elastic with the truth.

CJR: Howard Wolfson, based on what [Carolyn] just said, what does the world look like going forward in the relationship between a candidate and the press?

Wolfson: Maybe its a little bit of back to the future. I remember my start in politics, [when] I was at one side of the Democratic Campaign Committee. We ran ads in maybe 40 or 50 different districts around the country. This was in 2000, 2001, and we spent an enormous amount of time thinking about what a newspaper would say in the fact check or ad-watch column about the ad.

There was an enormous fear that we all had, that if the local paper in the district in wherever-ville said that this was false, that this could be very damaging to the candidate that we were trying to help. You have no idea how much time we spent wordsmithing every word. Obviously were trying to support the candidates we were helping to elect, so we wanted to push the envelope. But, at the the same time, [we had] a real fear that somewhere someone was going to say that the assertion was false and that this could be used against us.

This was true when I worked for Hillary Clinton when she ran for senate in 1999 and 2000. I remember the Times would do these sort of ad-watches. You know, my god, if the Times said that an assertion in our ad was false, we wanted to jump off a roof. Not because we were so high and mighty in terms of our morality, but because we thought that it would hurt us in the campaign.

I think that the media landscape has changed significantly, and over the years that function has largely disappeared. Fewer and fewer papers [are] fact-checking these ads, which is the principal way that people communicate. Obviously, fewer and fewer [are] fact-checking what a candidate says. I do ads for Mike [Bloomberg]s super PAC, and were running ads now.

CJR: Is that mainly on guns?

Wolfson: Guns and the soda referendum and soda tax in California. When we think about what were going to say in these ads, I feel like its almost a nostalgic quaintness that I feel like somebody will fact-check this ad and say whether its accurate or inaccurate. Nobodys fact-checking them. There is literally no fact-check function to anything that were doing.

CJR: I think you might regret having said that [laughs].

Wolfson: I dont, because I still feel that the ads are accurate. I havent constitutionally gone away from that initial training that I learned. I dont know exactly when people in your business decided when this is not a useful function, but I will tell you, in my business, back when it was a ubiquitous function, we took it very seriously. It actually affected our behavior around what we wanted to say and how we said it. I realize that your business is not necessarily to impact our behavior, but it kept us to a certain degree of honesty that, if youre coming up in the political business now, you dont really have to think about.

I was laughing about it with a political consultant whos a little bit older than I am. He said, Were running ads in another state, and its literally the Wild West. Theres not a single arbiter that is engaged in the process of determining whats truthful. Maybe thats partially because the public is less believing of neutral arbiters and their ability to be neutral.

CJR: I think it also has to do with the decimation of local news outlets.

Evans: Its very interesting. I grew up have a reverence for truth as the aim of journalism. Its a very difficult thing to achieve, but my main concern is the open sewer of the Web.

Something that you think is an established fact is no longer established; its been covered in excrement. One side is congregating around one set of untruths and the other side is congregating around another set of untruths, and the two shall never meet. I think one of our jobs in journalism is somehow to get over this enormous thing and to restore the reverence.

Ryan: It is enormously labor-intensive. I dont know if you have seen what NPR is doing during the debate where theyre essentially taking a real-time transcript and annotating it. From what I was told, there are about 50 people involved in putting it together. Its enormously popular, but for us to devote 19 reporters, multiple editors, producers who are putting it together, Web designers, it is really expensive.

Evans: Its been very good. Chris Wallace made a misstatement last night in one of his questions. He said. Since the stimulus has been a complete failure , which is not true. Theres nobody to check the moderator. I thought whos going to check the checkers?

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The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.
I

remember when I saw my first deplorable. I was in my teens. He was the subject of a photograph by Berenice Abbott. The picture has haunted me as a person, and as a journalist, ever since.

In 1935, Abbott traveled through Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Deep South, taking pictures of the people and places she encountered. Though not done under the auspices of the Farm Security Administration, which had sponsored the work of photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans, Abbotts pictures often possess the same acute social consciousness.

Entitled Old Man on Porch, the picture shows a white man who appears to be in his late sixties or early seventies sitting in a rocking chair on the rundown porch of a shanty. The baggy pants of his overalls fall over his bare feet. One arm rests on his thigh, his hand hanging down between his legs. His other arm hugs a hound dog, which has placed its front legs on the mans other thigh. Under a small, billed cap, the man looks through two slits of eyes, with a slight air of knowingness, out beyond the shanty. The dog is gazing, with open mouth, at its master with obedience and affection.

Underneath the photograph, and obviously after talking with the man, Abbott wrote this caption: Here is one of the people who made for tension in the South. He felt vastly superior to any black man out doing all the work, sweating in the sun. It was so dreadful I dont even like to talk about it.

Photo by Berenice Abbott

The knowing, slightly sardonic expression on the mans face has always disturbed me. The picture was taken at time when blacks were being harassed, tortured and killed in the South. Yet I am also taken aback by Abbotts quick condemnation of her subject, without any attempt to find out, for example, if his actions had ever corresponded to his hate-filled words. And at the end of this train of thoughts, I am annoyed with myself for caring about this man at all.

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The word deplorable has, along with so much else in this political season, crystallized the disruptions rippling through American life. The term also encapsulates a dilemma confronting journalists who have come to report on the class of people that Hillary Clinton designated, with the power of a formal indictment, as a basket of deplorables.

Journalists have had to grapple with the most consequential questions surrounding the issue: Once you have established what class of people Clinton was referring to, how do you write about them? How do you cover their lives, their opinions, their judgments, their values, especially when their values fall outside the pale of what is socially and morally acceptable?

The media response to the revelation of Trumps America fell into two approaches. The first was to send reporters out to the hard-pressed hinterlands with the intention of trying to find out how, literally, the other half lived. Many of these stories were sensitive, subtle investigations and explorations of the lives of the working class and the working poor. They fell into that traditional journalistic category of the human interest story. Ordeal was emphasized and, as is so often the case in journalism, so was triumph over adversity. The subjects of these stories may well have been in Clintons basket of people who held abominable social attitudes but that fact was scarcely mentioned or alluded to, if at all.

The second approach, on the other hand, made no bones about trying to find out what made Trumps followers tick. Though they also included details of economic struggle and dislocation, they were more focused on the personalities and motives of the people who want to see Trump in the White House. The moral indictment that lay behind Clintons use of the term deplorables was strongly present in these stories, but it was never explicitly referred to. Yet the term lurked in every one of these reports and articles.

Only a fool would deny that the election of our first black president revealed a profound schism in American society and politics more vividly than ever before. The unprecedented threats made against Obama in the wake of his first election. The rise of racist sentiment. The Tea Partys extreme right-wing agenda. Sarah Palin and the normalization and even the celebritizing of what were once fringe ideas. And now the advent of Donald Trump, the unintended consequence of what the election of our first black president hath wrought, and the product of, among other things, the feeling on the part of many in the class of deplorables that the countrys first woman president, coming right after the countrys first black president, is the last straw.

Our familiar frames of reference have been radically altered. The economic meltdown in 2008, ongoing economic displacement, the shifting paradigm of work and labor relations, the gradual exposure of a growing oligarchy of wealth, the shocking revelations of police brutality and of law enforcements tortured relationship with black Americansall these have, with the catalyst of this election, become as part of the common conversation as the latest change in Facebooks privacy policy.

It is an immutable fact of journalism that the world is divided between people who write about other people, and people who are written about.

Books like White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America and Hillbilly Elegy, a complex memoir of growing up in the impoverished Rust Belt, became almost instant bestsellers when they were published this year. A stream of other books examining those Americans left behind by the juggernaut of a global economy, as well as by an increasingly unmoored political and financial class, have filled the bookstores.

Predictable contrarian takes have emerged in response, arguing that not all of Trumps followers are economically hard-pressed. This may be true, but that doesnt change the fact that many of them are. The idea that a substantial number of Trump voters dont fit the socio-economic mold of the deplorables might satisfy journalists ceaseless appetite for new angles on new angles, but the Gallup study by Jonathan Rothwell upon which it is based concludes that the majority of Trumps supporters are poor, almost poor, or blue collar.

Few stories grip the medias attention so strongly as the subject of the medias attention. Journalists love to investigate themselves, uncover their own prejudices, and vow to overcome them.

The pressing issue here was whether journalists who, regardless of their backgrounds, enjoy a privileged existence relative to the deplorablesand often hail from rarefied backgrounds themselvespossessed the sensibility and/or the morality to cover their new subjects without elitist prejudice, elitist condescension, or elitist sentimentalilty.

A rash of journalistic outreach was unleashed with Puritan fervor. Roger Cohen flew out to coal country. David Brooks reflected on the white working class. Reporters from all over America converged on forgotten, struggling America as if on a foreign battlefield. But were these Americans being now written about because of their newly discovered plight? Or was it because their newly discovered plight had a sudden and unexpected political impact? Was their situation, in other words, a permanent condition of American life, or was it a component of the soon-to-be-forgotten political cycle?

The predicament, and the agony, of the white underclass and near-underclass have not gone unnoticed or unchronicled. Its first scholarly examination was in the once-famous and now-forgotten volume of essays titled The Radical Right by Daniel Bell and the equally neglected Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter, in which Hofstadter attributes extreme right-wing attitudes to what he famously termed status anxiety. Bells book appeared in the mid-fifties and Hofstadters ten years later. Both books concerned themselves with deplorables.

It is an immutable fact of journalism that the world is divided between people who write about other people, and people who are written about. The rise of digital culture has changed this equation to some extent. But in the context of the establishment media, the ones who cover and the ones who are covered might just as well be two separate civilizations.

This is why, of course, journalists are under the obligation to write about other people with a kind of objective empathy. Though the rules of fairness and detachment apply equally to all subjects, it is an ethical trait of journalism to write about marginalized, disempowered people with the strongest degree of empathy. This instinctive alliance with people under pressure also applies to people who are alien to a journalists experience. The stranger the subject, the more powerful the objective empathy. And underneath this subterranean journalistic tradition is an even more fundamental assumption. People are ultimately unfathomable. You must write about them with care.

It might cut against the grain of traditional reporting, but once a certain group or class of people are proven to hold attitudes that fall outside the basic assumptions of freedom and tolerance that are the pillars of American democracy, they no longer require to be treated with objective empathy. Of course it is necessary to understand such people, to grasp the nature of their humanness, to understand what makes them hold the beliefs they have. But there is a moral and ethical tipping point in the media when a journalistic occasion occurs in the vortex of a political, or an impending political crisis. There is a point at which sensitive reporting, analysis and commentary canmustmake way for withering expose.

Though the rules of fairness and detachment apply equally to all subjects, it is an ethical trait of journalism to write about marginalized, disempowered people with the strongest degree of empathy.

It is good and healthy for journalists to examine their own prejudices, to ask themselves how their own circumstances shape their perceptions of other peoples situation. Indeed, just as a limitation of the Supreme Court is that every justice is the product of an elite Ivy League institution, and most graduates of Harvard Law School, there are far too many journalists who exist in the bubble of privilege in which they were born and grew up. Hailing from hard-pressed circumstances is no guarantee of understanding and compassionsometimes quite the contrary. But no experience of social adversity among an entire class of journalists is a sure guarantee of myopia, posturing and bad faith. One of the golden developments of the digital age is the opportunity for people from every level of society to establish themselves as authentic journalistic voices.

At the same time, the boilerplate criticism of the press that it is elitist and too far removed from ordinary life is itself detached from reality. A certain level of education, cultivation and freedom from material constraints are essential components of fairness and skepticism. The Trumpist lament of the medias elitism, if taken too conscientiously by the media, has the ironic effect of elevating Clintons deplorables to a new type of elite, with its own special immunity.

Of course not everyone who supports Trump is morally deplorable, any more than every white farmer in the Deep South in 1935 was a dangerous racist. But it is a verifiable fact that millions of people who wish to see Trump in the White House fit Clintons description. They have demonstrated the accuracy of her characterization on websites, at rallies, in testimony to reporters. In this case, the coverage of them can be as frank about their moral nature and their political influence as Abbotts caption was frank about her subject, without which her photograph would simply be just another photograph.

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Lee Siegel , a widely published writer on culture and politics, is the author of six books and the recipient of a National Magazine Award for Reviews and Criticism.
Stephanie Land had all but given up on becoming a writer in 2015. She was like many of the subjects who appear in articles about the poora single, thirtyish mother of two little girls from Missoula who worked long hours as a cleaner and collected food stamps. To pay for pizza dinners, she bounced checks. She earned $10 per hour posting ads for local businesses on bathroom stalls of bars, with the infant strapped on because she couldnt afford childcare. At one point, her family lived in a shelter.

Land, who wanted to capture her life experiences on the page, published the odd article, writing at night with the baby curled on her lap. But she couldnt survive on the low publishing fees. Then she heard about the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a newish online publication devoted to inequality. Land pitched an editor, so hurriedly that she spelled the name wrong. No matter. The founder, acclaimed author Barbara Ehrenreich, took Land under her wing and helped sell a memoir about her years as a maid. The EHRP also placed an essay in The New York Times about the class politics of decluttering. The story was widely shared and generated 309 comments. Land has since gotten enough assignments to quit her menial jobs.

I have been dreaming about becoming a writer since I was 10, says Land, now 30. The EHRP made it real.

Stephanie Land

Ehrenreich launched the project in 2012 to change the national conversation about Americas 47 million poor people, and to put a face on financial instability, as the site describes. One mission is to find authentic stories that startle readers of all social classes, an example being of a freelancer who sold blood plasma to pay bills. The other aim is to illuminate the path for struggling writers who didnt learn how to network at elite journalism schools. By commissioning, editing, and placing stories at national publications, the project is giving folks like Land their big break. The project pays them a dollar a word (a generous rate), in addition to whatever fee they earn from publications that run their pieces.

EHRP stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Washington Post and The Atlantic, to name just a few. Movie star Mark Ruffalo tweeted a piece about the rich breaking rules. John Oliver used a film about restrictive abortion laws as a jumping point to discuss reproductive rights.

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Inspiration for the site came from Ehrenreichs 2001 bestseller Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. For the book, the author worked variously as a waitress, cleaning woman, and Wal-Mart salesperson to test how Americans survive on the minimum wage. She found that many could not.

That revelation continued to preoccupy her. In 2009, she was talking to The New York Times about doing a series about the recessions impact on people already in poverty. I was well into the reporting when I realized that the amount they were paying me would not cover the expenses, which was a shock. I thought, You have to be wealthy to write about poverty?

So she used her star power to persuade the Institute of Policy Studies, a progressive think tank on whose board she sat, to support a new venture. The site vaguely follows the nonprofit model of The Marshall Project, the online criminal justice outfit, if the latter hired convicts to write about jail.

Im still putting most of my content together on an iPhone with a cracked face. Im still poor, but working.

The EHRP quickly garnered support from the Ford Foundation and Open Society to generate about 70 stories a yearphotography, video, narrative features, graphic novels, even a documentary film. About a third of the offerings are by journalists who actually live in hardship.

Ehrenreich stresses she is not playing advocate, and wants to humanize and surprise rather than inspire pity.

We dont do sad stories about noble people crushed by poverty. Forget that. She warned that her latest story idea may disgust you. It paints the misery that smoking bans create for the poorest 25 percent.

To make poverty sexy for the one percent, the site creators went for a stark look that vaguely calls to mind Depression-era photos of Walker Evans. Artsy portraits of contributors decorate the pages rather than graphs on income disparity.

Were colorful, satirical people who are allergic to conventional storytelling, explains Alissa Quart, the executive editor. One woman wrote about her terrible teeth because she lacked dental care. The straightforward way to tell it would be an Op/Ed about policy. A poet and cultural critic, Quart is currently working on a book about the eroding middle class.

She sees EHRP as an immersive undertaking, with writers losing themselves in reporting for weeks, contributors writing about their own lives. These are ways to refresh the eye and get around the fatigue, so that youre in it rather than staring at a screen.

One notable example is John Koopmans account of his descent from war correspondent, to strip club bouncer, to Uber driver.

The reporters dont simply cite numbers from economists. Its hard to do poverty in a novel way. I see people falling back on the same tropes and cliches, explains Atlantic Associate Editor Joe Pinsker. These pieces, however, are analytical and smart, coming from someone on the front lines.

His magazine has run nine EHRP stories, his favorite being how Chipotle underpays its workers.

Writers are happy, too. Melissa Chadburn, who grew up in the foster care system in Los Angeles, wrote a piece about resilience for the website Jezebel. It was viewed 400,000 times, and she now fields regular queries from foundations about better practices. She recently sold a novel to Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

After Cryn Johannsens story on student debt suicides ran in the Huffington Post, she was booked on multiple radio and television programs. Donnell Alexander was living in motel rooms when the EHRP reached out to him. He has since gotten assignments with Rolling Stone and Time, and can afford to rent one-bedroom apartment in Portland.

Im still putting most of my content together on an iPhone with a cracked face, Alexander says. Im still poor, but working. EHRP has helped keep me afloat, primarily. But theres something else. Alissa and Barbara enabled me to do a lot of reporting I could not have afforded to undertake on my own. My Burns patriots piece, specifically, happened when I was flat broke.

Likewise for Melissa Bunni Elian. I had been knocked down so many times, she says about freelance life. The EHRP lifted her with a $1,000 grant to document gentrifying Yonkers. It was, Yes! Someone is counting on me. Now she has an editing job with NBC.

An image from Bunnis project on Yonkers: Angelina, Anna, and Angela Zimniak, who live in a low-income section of Yonkers, prepare to make beef tacos for dinner.

Looking ahead, Quart wants to see more films, video, and community outreach, especially with immigrants. Theres a new prize for young writers of color. Shed like to collaborate with museums and public spaces. Shes trying to reach more reporters outside the mainstream.

While the EHRP may fill a gap in American coverage, however, it remains to be seen if the project will become a permanent fixture on the media landscape. Quart still must persuade editors its okay to take content from nonprofits. Then theres money. Foundations on which the group depends cannot guarantee unlimited support.

The prospect of no EHRP worries Darryl Wellington, who penned the blood plasma piece for The Atlantic. The article led to other assignments and a writing fellowship at the Center for Community Change. That gig ends in a few months, however, and at age 50 hes not sure whats next.

The life of a freelancer is precarious. I hope I never have to sell plasma again. Its possible, though.

The life of a freelancer is precarious,  he muses unhappily. I hope I never have to sell plasma again. Its possible, though.

Stephanie Land, meanwhile, is savoring success while it lasts. On August 31, she pocketed $400 from her book advance and headed to the grocery store with her nine-year-old daughter. She promised the girl, Mia, that for the first time in her life she could buy whatever she wanted. Into the cart went donuts, fruit cups, her favorite yogurt drinks, Cookie Crisp cereal, chocolate chips, and a huge jar of Nutella. Mom treated herself to pickled beans and fancy mustards.

Watching the cashier ring up, Land blanched instinctively. Then she reminded herself they werent on food stamps any more.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Judith Matloff teaches conflict reporting at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. She's the author of two books on conflict, Fragments of a Forgotten War and No Friends But the Mountains, as well as a manual for journalists covering dangerous stories, How to Drag a Body.
A ship involved with the deep-sea sonar search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is being fitted with a drone that will examine several sonar contacts of interest on the remote seabed west of Australia, officials said Wednesday.

None of the sonar contacts exhibit the characteristics of a typical aircraft debris field, said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is heading up the hunt for the Boeing 777 in a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean. But some of the contacts do exhibit man-made properties and therefore must be investigated before they can be eliminated as having come from the plane, the agency said in a statement.

Officials have previously said that more than 20 sonar contacts that crews have picked up in recent months require closer examination by a sonar-equipped underwater drone. They are between 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) and 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the Australian port of Fremantle where the search ships are based.

Poor weather during the southern hemisphere winter has, until now, prevented the ships from deploying the drone. With the weather improving, the Chinese vessel Dong Hai Jiu 101 is being fitted with a video camera-equipped remotely operated vehicle that will scrutinize the sonar contacts.

Crews have picked up hundreds of sonar contacts of interest throughout the two-year hunt. The contacts are grouped into three classification levels based on their likelihood of being linked to the plane. Contacts dubbed classification 1 are considered the most likely to have come from the aircraft. None of the recent sonar contacts that the drone will investigate are classification 1. There have only been two contacts that fit into that category thus far; one turned out to be an old shipwreck, and the other was a rock field.

Search crews have so far come up empty in their attempt to find the main underwater wreckage of the plane, which vanished on March 8, 2014, during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. The ships have less than 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 square miles) left to scour of the 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) search zone.

Officials previously said the search would be finished by December. On Wednesday, the transport bureau said it is now likely to take until January or February to complete, due to the long stretch of poor winter weather that has hampered search efforts.

Malaysia, China and Australia agreed in July that the hunt would be suspended after the crews finish scouring the current search zone, unless credible new evidence emerges that identifies the planes location.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A year after a blowout at a natural gas well near Los Angeles spewed tons of natural gas and drove thousands from their homes, a federal task force is recommending dozens of safety changes for the nations 400 underground natural gas storage wells.

A report released Tuesday recommends that operators of gas-storage facilities conduct strict risk assessments and develop robust safety procedures, including ensuring that wells have backup systems to contain gas flows in the event of a leak.

The leak at the Aliso Canyon well was the largest-known release of climate-changing methane in U.S. history, according to scientists. It spewed an estimated 107,000 tons of methane before being controlled in February. The blowout sickened residents in the Porter Ranch neighborhood and surrounding suburbs. Many complained of headaches, nausea, nosebleeds and other symptoms from the foul-smelling gas.

Natural gas plays an important role in our nations energy landscape, and we need to make sure the associated infrastructure is strong enough to maintain energy reliability, protect public health and preserve our environment, said Franklin Orr and Marie-Therese Dominguez, who co-chaired the interagency task force.

The failed Aliso Canyon well was one of 115 wells at a sprawling storage facility operated by Southern California Gas Co. The well was built in 1953 to pump oil and converted in the 1970s to store natural gas. It used a design that made it dependent on a single barrier to contain the gas. When that barrier failed, a blowout reported Oct. 23 spewed methane uncontrollably for nearly four months.

SoCalGas has pleaded no contest to a criminal charge and agreed to pay $4 million in a settlement with prosecutors. The deal requires the utility to adopt a leak-monitoring system at the facility that goes beyond federal and state requirements.

SoCalGas has estimated costs of $717 million related to the leak, including about $500 million to relocate about 8,000 families uprooted as a result of the accident.

The task force makes a total of 44 recommendations to industry and government regulators to reduce the likelihood of future gas leaks and minimize impacts of leaks that occur.

No community should have to go through something like Aliso Canyon again, Orr and Dominguez said. Companies operating natural gas storage facilities should adopt the recommendations as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of future leaks.

Orr is an undersecretary of energy. Dominguez is administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Dominguez said at a news conference Tuesday that her agency expects to announce interim federal rules for natural gas storage operations by the end of the year. The rules would apply to the nations 400 underground natural gas storage wells, scattered among 30 states.

Currently there are no federal regulations on gas storage. Regulations are left to states and local jurisdictions.

The report released Tuesday focuses on the 12 largest sites, including Aliso Canyon and another California site, as well as five in Mississippi, three in Louisiana and one each in Michigan and New York.

Improved safety standards are especially important, given the countrys increased reliance on gas-fired plants to provide electricity, the report said. While incidents at U.S. underground natural gas storage facilities are rare, the potential significant consequences of those incidents require additional actions to ensure safe operations, the report said.

Mark Brownstein, vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group that has pushed for stronger safety standards, hailed the report, but said the true test will be in the new federal regulations.

Many of the 400 underground storage facilities nationwide are old and have problems related to initial well construction and long-term corrosion, Brownstein said. The older these systems get, the more leaks and blowouts become a problem. Right now were effectively crossing our fingers, hoping for the best.

Aliso Canyon is the largest gas storage facility west of the Mississippi River and a major source of energy for the Los Angeles area. Energy officials have warned of possible blackouts if it is not able to resume operations.

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Federal regulators are looking to set up new standards for big banks planning and testing for possible cyberattacks. The aim is to bolster the banking industrys defenses amid concern over periodic security breaches at U.S. banks.

The move announced Wednesday by the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and a Treasury Department banking agency is designed to get banks senior executives and directors to pay closer attention to cybersecurity, agency officials said.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen has said that cybercrime is a very significant threat.

The proposal, open to public comment for three months, would apply to banks with $50 billion or more in assets. That would affect several dozen major banks and a few big insurance companies, all deemed to be so interconnected with the financial system that a cyberattack against one of them could shake the systems stability.

In a stunning incident early this year, hackers diverted $101 million from the Bangladesh central banks account at the New York Federal Reserve.

The theft amplified worries about the security of the SWIFT global money-transfer system, which is overseen by the Fed and other central banks. Belgium-based SWIFT, formally the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is a cooperative that manages the international transfer system among banks. The hackers in the Bangladesh bank case apparently got the money by stealing the central banks SWIFT access codes.

The rules proposed by the three agencies would pile on a second set of stricter standards for big banks computer systems that are considered critical to the functioning of the financial industry.

The banks should establish goals for how long it would take them to recover from a cyberattack, and should assess the potential for malware or corrupted data to spread through connected computer systems, the regulators said.

The proposal doesnt require the banks to submit their cybersecurity plans for approval or to notify the regulators if they suffer a data breach.

Beyond their oversight of banks efforts, the agencies themselves have suffered some serious security breaches. Computers at the Fed were penetrated dozens of times between 2011 and 2015, according to House lawmakers. The breaches raised concerns about the Feds ability to safeguard sensitive financial information in its computer systems, the lawmakers said.

The Chinese government, meanwhile, is believed to have hacked into computers at the FDIC in 2010, 2011 and 2013, including the workstation of then-FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, according to a congressional report. It cites a May 2013 memo from the FDIC inspector general to agency Chairman Martin Gruenberg, describing an advanced persistent threat said to have come from the Chinese government  which compromised 12 computer workstations and 10 servers at the FDIC.

The issue of suspected Chinese government hacking has been sensitive since the disclosure last year of a massive breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Managements databases, which the U.S. believed was carried out by Chinese cyber spies. In one of the worst data breaches in U.S. history, the personal files of 21 million Americans were stolen.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Authorities say looters broke into dozens of Beaufort County, S.C., homes after residents evacuated the area to flee from Hurricane Matthew.

Citing incident reports, The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports that 47 burglary cases were reported to the Sheriffs Office from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11. Eleven of those break-ins were reported on Hilton Head Island, while nine occurred on St. Helena Island.

Bluffton and Beaufort police also received multiple reports of burglaries.

Items reported missing include guns, televisions, jewelry, cash and outdoor furniture. One woman said looters took sausage from her refrigerator but made the bed.

Beaufort County Sheriffs Office Cpt. Bob Bromage says the small chance of getting burglarized should not be a reason for homeowners to risk their lives by ignoring evacuation orders.

Looters werent the only ones that reportedly entered homes without permission.

Flood waters from Hurricane Matthew not only drove hundreds of families from their homes in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina. They also forced insects, rodents and snakes from their natural surroundings as well.

The Fayetteville Observer reports the unprecedented water has led to a march of biting and stinging creatures across the area. Justin Jackson of Stedman said his attempt to save his wifes decorations from flood waters resulted in an encounter with fire ants.

In addition, rats that were chased from flooding basements have begun looking for new homes, and that means snakes flooded from their holes were looking for the rats.

Daniel Ortiz of the Cumberland County Department of Public Health says mosquitoes are also a potential problem because of standing water, which can be a breeding ground.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thick smoke from a blaze set to reduce wildfire risks blinded motorists Wednesday on the main highway across northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon, causing numerous accidents as haze clouded the freeway for hours and reduced visibility to 20 feet, officials said.

The fire to burn dry brush and trees was set Tuesday in the Kaibab National Forest that surrounds Flagstaff, and officials knew that a wind shift overnight would send smoke toward Interstate 40.

But they were surprised that it did not dissipate as predicted, said Brady Smith, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman.

Multiple collisions with minor injuries to motorists and passengers were blamed on smoky haze that settled over the highway for about five hours. Authorities closed I-40 for hours to prevent more accidents.

Police had not immediately determined whether the poor visibility was the cause of a fatal accident after a vehicle was sandwiched between two tractor-trailers before dawn, Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said.

Controlled burns are frequent events in Arizona this time of year as forest managers work to thin brush and trees that can present major wildfire risks in summer months.

Smoke from the fires can cause a nuisance for residents and tourists who flock to the Flagstaff area this time of year to look at fall foliage only to encounter a haze overhead.

Grand Canyon officials warned this week that controlled burns on at the canyons North Rim could produce smoke visible throughout the national landmark. And burns to the south in the Prescott area earlier this month prompted complaints from residents about poor air quality.

Kaibab National Forest officials had announced Tuesday that the burning operation would produce visible smoke along the highway, and Smith said electronic signs cautioned drivers about the potential hazard.

The planned fire was set west of Flagstaff and forest officials thought there would be enough air movement overnight Tuesday into Wednesday to dissipate the smoke.

But the area at this time of year experiences temperature inversions allowing smoke to be trapped close to the ground and hover over the highway, said Cory Mottice, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Flagstaff.

It almost always gets trapped after dark, he said. Its just a question of where the wind blows it.

Forest officials thought weather conditions would vent smoke near the freeway more than it did in low-lying areas, Smith said.

I believed they used good judgment based on the conditions and the information that they had, he said.

Traffic was diverted before dawn until about 9 a.m. on I-40 between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon gateway town of Williams to an alternate route that added about one hour of travel time for motorists.

The highway was reopened when the smoke dissipated.
McCallie school has joined forces with Bright Spark, a local nonprofit group, to help expose students throughout the Chattanooga area to design thinking. The partnership will launch Saturday, Oct. 22, with a training seminar for teachers and students from 26 area schools working on two design thinking challenges for students in grades 6 through 12.

The ExperienceInnovation Simulation Learning Experience will be offered free of charge to five students and one educator from each of the enrolled Bright Spark 2016-17 competition teams.

Saturdays training session will take place in the Center for Technology, Engineering, and Design located in the bottom floor of Walker Hall on McCallies campus. As many as 150 participants are expected and will be working in the TED on projects to design the high school of the future and build playgrounds that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concepts.

ExperienceInnovation is a half-day expert-guided innovation simulation that reveals the fundamentals of IDEO's design thinking approach. Participants work in teams through the design thinking process to formulate solutions for improving sustainability for a town in California.

Check-In begins at 12:45 p.m. at Walker Hall with the simulation beginning at 1 p.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m.

Bright Spark is an organization launched by business consultants Bridge Innovate with the goal to ignite creative confidence with students and educators. Additional funding for their programs is provided by The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Causeway and The RSA Fellows-Chattanooga Network Fund.

"The TED is looking forward to hosting students and teachers from around Chattanooga for a day of exploring how design and innovation can immediately impact our community," said McCallie Director of Educational Technology Brad Droke. "The Turner Center for Technology, Engineering and Design provides a space and programs where students can explore their passions, be inspired and develop a capacity for creativity, invention and innovation. Through our partnership with Bright Spark, we can now provide that for the broader Chattanooga Community."
AKRON, Ohio -- The Summit County Prosecutor's Office ruled that an Akron police officer was justified in shooting a man who attacked a Humane Society officer with a knife, according to a report released Thursday.

Officer John Turnure shot McCullen Webb in the leg March 28, 2016. The shooting happened and officer shot Webb with a Taser and Webb continued his attack, the report says. .

"Officer Turnure had a reasonable basis to believe that Webb was an imminent threat not only to the officers but to Webb's mother and to citizens in the residential area," the report says.

Webb, who suffers from mental health issues, recovered from his gunshot wound after spending several days at Summa Akron City Hospital.

He pleaded guilty in September to one count of felonious assault the attack on Human Society officer Timothy Harland. He was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison, according to the prosecutor's office.

The attack on Harland happened about 2 p.m. March 28 when Harland parked his truck outside the home of Webb's mother on the 2100 block of 18th Street S.W. in Akron's Kenmore neighborhood. The mother called 911 to report that Webb "went off" on Harland.

Webb broke the windshield of Harland's work van with a barbell, the prosecutor's office said. He hit the officer with a shovel and then sliced the officer's head, face and arms with a knife.

When Akron police officers arrived at the Webb household, they found Webb standing on his mother's lawn with a knife, the prosecutor's report says. Webb refused to drop the knife despite the officer's demands.

The officer used his Taser on Webb, the report says. Webb was knocked to the ground, but he got back up and tried to go back into his house with knife in hand.

Webb was locked out of the house, so he stayed on the front stoop, according to the reprot. When more officers arrived, Webb approached again. He was Tasered again, but he was not phased by the shock.

Turnure fired several shots at Webb after multiple officers ordered him to drop his knife, the report says.

Harland's have mostly healed, but he will undergo future surgeries, the prosecutor's report says.

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BEREA, Ohio -- Three Berea-Midpark High School students saw their Army of Angels web application fly high Saturday afternoon. They competed as one of five finalists at the Hyland Innovation Showdown, an annual competition the Westlake software company offers across the region. They achieved second place.

This year's challenge, which consisted of two prior elimination rounds, required a 10-minute live presentation on the theme "Using Technology to Solve a Business Problem." Army of Angels was designed by juniors Sam Fredericy and Alexis Lee, as well as senior Leiana Yates, to match volunteers in need of hours with opportunities at corporations, clubs and non-profit organizations.

"We want to help the community," Lee explained. "It's so hard to find events around here that will fit into our schedules, so the whole point is to bridge that gap and find these volunteer opportunities."

She described her role as "part CEO," while Yates provided additional technical support. Fredericy is the project spokesperson. They also worked on product development and quality assurance.

"There's not really a medium out there to get those volunteer opportunities to people like us," Yates said.

Gifted Services Instructor Jane Darrow estimated the trio expended at least 15 hours in preparation. She praised the students for their self-motivation, team ethic and commitment to the project.

"They have taken the lead on this, and it's more on the kids' own time," Darrow said. "Not everyone wants to do that."

Fredericy said he likes tackling challenges such as this.

"I enjoy solving problems, so the idea of Army of Angels actually having a website for volunteers was interesting to me," he said. "This is an opportunity to test our skills."

Berea-Midpark High School Principal Vincenzo Ruggiero couldn't be happier to have the district represented at Hyland.

"I'm exceptionally proud of the team," Ruggiero said. "It speaks very positively about our district that we facilitate and create these kinds of opportunities for our students. When you have students who step up to do things like this, it's that much more fulfilling for all of us."

Darrow agreed, adding the experience goes beyond the contest's final results.

"It's not about first place," Darrow said. "When a person takes the initiative and says 'I own this project' like they have, it's a pleasure to work with them."
Assault, Eastland Road: An Akron man, 22, was arrested at about 11:55 p.m. Oct. 14 after he punched and injured two haunted-house workers portraying scary clowns at 7 Floors of Hell, a haunted house at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds.

The man told police that at least one of the clowns had grabbed him as he walked through the haunted house. The man's friends backed his story, adding that it's against the rules for clowns and other haunted-house actors to touch customers.

The man said he punched the clowns out of fear. He mentioned recent media reports of scary clowns appearing across the country, and said that some clowns are killing people. The man repeatedly apologized for hitting the clowns and offered to pay their medical bills.

An officer told the man he was not aware of a single case involving a clown killing someone. Police noticed the man smelled of alcohol.

The two victims denied grabbing the man, saying they were veteran haunted-house actors who knew better. Further, one victim said the man had warned him - when they first met outside the haunted house, before the man entered - that he would hit him inside the house.

After the incident, one victim was unable to stop his nose from bleeding and had a loose tooth. The second victim suffered a cut lip. Both declined medical treatment.

Drug paraphernalia possession, Henry Street: Two brothers, 41 and 36, both from Cleveland, were arrested at about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 13 after police learned they were wanted in other communities.

Police stopped the men's Chevrolet Impala after seeing it make an improper right turn. Officers discovered that the license of the older brother, who was driving, had been suspended, and that three warrants had been issued for his arrest. Westlake police had issued an arrest warrant for the younger brother.

Both brothers said they felt ill, so police called paramedics, who took the men by ambulance to Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights. The men admitted smoking marijuana in their car before police pulled them over. The younger brother said he was a heroin addict. Police found hypodermic needles in the Impala.

Marijuana possession, Eastland Road: Police confiscated two small bags of marijuana from two Toledo residents - a 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman - at about 11:20 p.m. Oct. 15 outside 7 Floors of Hell, a haunted house at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds.

An officer working the event saw a black four-door Pontiac drive into the fairgrounds. As the car passed, he smelled marijuana. After the car parked, the officer asked the man inside to roll down his window, and marijuana smoke billowed out.

The man handed over the marijuana bags. Police advised the man that the managers of 7 Floors of Hell don't want drugs in their haunted house. The man and woman said they understood.

Marijuana possession, Prospect Street: A Maple Heights man, 20, was arrested at about 12:15 a.m. Oct. 17 after police checked his car's license plate number and determined that his driver's license had been suspended.

After stopping the man's car, police smelled marijuana inside. Police found several marijuana nuggets and marijuana shake in the car. The man accused the officer of planting the marijuana in his vehicle.

Credit card theft, Chestnut Drive: Someone stole a credit card belonging to a Chestnut woman and used it to buy $4,000 in merchandise between Sept. 12 and Oct. 17. The purchases were made in local stores. The woman cancelled the credit card.

Heroin overdose, Abbyshire Drive: A Berea woman, 36, was taken to Southwest General Health Center after she overdosed on heroin at about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in a home.

A friend of the woman found her semiconscious in the bathroom. He performed CPR and called police.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Long Island rock quartet Brand New brought their passionate brand of punk to the Wolstein Center in Cleveland Thursday night.

It wasn't a typical show for the New York rockers, as they were celebrating the 10th anniversary of "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me," their third album, which happens to be their most critically and commercially successful record.

They announced several weeks ago that they would play the album in its entirety during their concert at the Wolstein Center Thursday. That promise was kept, much to the crowd's delight.

Brand New skillfully blends genres, incorporating pop, indie and alternative rock into their punk act, and "The Devil and God" represents their most artistically ambitious project.

They showed a little of that artistry Thursday, with songs that spoke to the audience and packed an emotional punch.

Here are five of the songs that highlighted their night in Cleveland:

Degausser

A sheet of red light shining from the rafters separated the audience from the band at the beginning of this song, indicating that it likely wouldn't be a happy tune. The stage itself was also bathed in red light, as Brand New played some ominous opening riffs as they began this song.

Limousine

This was a foreboding tune, and the impassioned guitar riffs and melodramatic lyrics had the crowd breathless for just a few fleeting minutes. Jesse Lacey sang "I should be laughing right now," with an air of trepidation as Vincent Accardi played a sorrowful improvisation on his guitar.

Luca

An echoing guitar solo reverberated through the Wolstein Center as this song started. The speed gradually intensified, and the crowd got a little rowdier as the band played more fervently. "Luca" is one of the stronger tunes on "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me," and it was undoubtedly a crowd favorite.

Handcuffs

Lacey came on stage with an acoustic guitar when he began this song, leading to the most intimate moment of the evening. It was more or less just Jesse and the audience as other members of the band either played quietly in the background or sat out entirely. For just a few moments, everyone in the crowd felt like he was singing directly to them.

Untitled

The lyrics to this song are simple, yet powerful, with "I can never love you" repeated over and over. Brand New ended their set with this song. A slow and bittersweet guitar solo opened the tune, expressing a feeling of longing and remorse. But their play became more upbeat and hopeful as the song progressed, until they started pounding out cords and screaming their way to a fiery conclusion.
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin -- A police officer involved in a fatal shooting that set off riots in the city in August has been arrested on accusations he sexually assaulted a man just a day later, reports say.

Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, is charged with two counts of felony second-degree sexual assault, two misdemeanor counts of prostitution, and a felony count of possessing or distributing a recording of nudity without consent, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Heaggan-Brown fatally shot Sylvie Smith, 23, on Aug. 13, who was running from a traffic stop, according to NBC News. The incident led to days of riots in which seven police officers were injured. A teen bystander at the riots was shot in the neck.

"Its all-together awful," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said at a news conference. "The fact is this individual has revealed his character [in ways] that did not come to light during the hiring process."

The Washington Post reports that court documents show that a man accused Heaggan-Brown of raping him while the city was contending with riots from the shooting. The officer was off-duty at the time of the reported assault.

He is accused of bragging that he could do whatever he wanted "without repercussions" while watching TV coverage of the riots.

The officer later sent a text to a police sergeant saying he had "(expletive) up big time" and needed help handling the situation in "the most secret and right way possible."

Investigators say Heaggan-Brown might have sexually assaulted a second man on July 30, and paid for sex with two others last year and this summer, the Journal Sentinel reports.

Heaggan-Brown currently is suspended with pay as the investigation continues. He is being held in jail on a $100,000 bond. He started with the department as a police aide in 2010 and became a sworn officer in 2013.

"This is more than a little distressing but members of this Police Department take their oath seriously," Flynn tells the Journal Sentinel. "We investigated this case thoroughly, we went where the facts led us and have participated in drawing up serious criminal charges."

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Hungary Revolution 1956 Rebels

Rebels wave the Hungarian tricolour, with the Kossuth symbol bearing the cross of St. Istvan, from a tank captured in the main square in front of the Houses of Parliament in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 2, 1956.

(AP file photo)

Sixty years ago, Hungary played an historic role in the Cold War when it fought for freedom and independence from Soviet communist tyranny.

On Oct. 23, 1956, I was an incredulous 14-year-old, caught up in a peaceful march of a few hundred university students. By the time we found ourselves in front of the Parliament, there were 200,000 of us, euphorically singing, reciting poetry and shouting demands for free elections, and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country.

Later, when the demonstrators tried to read 16 points at the Hungarian Radio, the AVH (State Secret Police) shot into the crowd, killing and injuring many. The Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956 had begun.

The excitement we felt was indescribable. Schools and workplaces closed, and within 24 hours, unarmed students and workers organized cells to resist the Soviet tanks that appeared overnight in Budapest.

In the coming days, my sister and I were soon prying up paving stones on the busy nearby intersection to build barricades against the tanks. My mother, a pharmacist, was helping injured freedom fighters and supplying alcohol for Molotov cocktails.

Edith K. Lauer witnessed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 as a young teen in Budapest.

My father was a member of the Revolutionary Committee of his workplace, the Hungarian National Bank. My grandfather, a realist, feared certain reprisal but still encouraged us to "take part in the miracle around us."

The world soon learned about the extraordinary courage of the Hungarian Freedom Fighters. Although inexperienced, these "lads of Budapest" together with the workers invented Molotov cocktails and other rudimentary implements against the tanks. Alone, they would have had little chance of success, but much of the Hungarian military soon joined them.

We were glued to the radio where we found out the revolution had rapidly spread from Budapest to the countryside. My sister's classmates reported and took part in intense fighting in Budapest neighborhoods, including our own.

To our great delight, the Soviet forces began to withdraw from Hungary.

On Oct. 28, Imre Nagy, a reform-minded Communist leader, was sworn in to head a new government.

After what appeared to be an unexpected victory, Hungarians began to organize new city and workers' councils, to clean up the debris of battle, and to establish contact with the West. They freed political prisoners; they negotiated for withdrawal of Soviet troops; they announced the country's neutrality and withdrawal from the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Events to mark Hungarian Revolution anniversary in Cleveland

A reception at the Rotunda of Cleveland City Hall was held Thursday.

* Saturday at 2 p.m.: Opening of "Spirit of Freedom" exhibit at the Cleveland Hungarian Museum, Galleria at Erieview, 1301 East 9th Street, Cleveland.

* Sunday at 4 p.m.: "Legacy of Freedom" Concert at St. Emeric Roman Catholic Church, 1860 West 22nd Street, Cleveland.

* Sunday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Terminal Tower will be lit in red, white and green, the colors of the Hungarian flag.

Radio Free Europe and the West encouraged Hungary's brave struggle, yet Western countries never seriously considered providing military support or demanding a stop to the brutal actions of the Soviet Union.

The U.N. Security Council met in emergency session, but took no action. The world's attention focused on the Suez Crisis, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower was preoccupied with his re-election campaign.

When Secretary of State John Foster Dulles stated that the United States would not interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the Soviet sphere of influence, the Soviets knew they had a free hand to reassert control in Hungary.

At dawn on Nov. 4, it all came to a sudden, tragic end.

I will never forget the shock my family and all Hungarians must have felt listening to the prime minister's desperate appeal on the radio for the world's help.

That help never came: The Soviet Army re-entered Hungary and attacked with overwhelming force, quickly defeating the freedom fighters. Although civilian resistance and widespread strikes continued, a Soviet-appointed Hungarian government headed by Janos Kadar took over.

But Hungary had managed to show the world the terrible face of communism and thereby struck a fatal blow on the worldwide communist movement.

The revolution - a journey that brought a temporary taste of freedom - also brought tragic results. With approximately 3,000 killed and 25,000 wounded, there was widespread destruction in Budapest and elsewhere.

Years of harsh retribution followed: Two hundred twenty-nine persons were executed, 22,000 people imprisoned.

My family was among the 200,000 mostly young and well-educated Hungarians - two percent of the population - who left the country in a mass exodus. Of those, 35,000 sought refuge in the United States, and 6,000 to 8,000 settled in Cleveland.

It would take Hungary 33 more years to achieve its freedom in 1989.

During those 33 years when Hungarians were sentenced to silence about the revolution, it was the 1956ers in Cleveland and all over the United States who kept their countrymen's hope for freedom alive.

In this 60th anniversary year, they will pay special homage to that "Legacy of Freedom," and to the memory of family, friends, and all freedom fighters who perished as they showed extraordinary courage six decades ago.

Edith K. Lauer is founder and chair emerita of the Hungarian American Coalition.

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Hungarian Revolution

A young Hungarian girl, one of thousands who fled Soviet repression after the crushing of the Hungarian revolt, rests amid a pile of family belongings while waiting for her parents at a refugee camp at Traiskirchen, Austria, near Vienna, Nov. 17, 1956. Her family crossed the border from Hungary on Nov. 12, avoiding Soviet troops seeking to halt the flight of refugees out of Hungary following collapse of revolt. Andrea Meszaros writes that the legacy of struggle by the 56ers who came to Cleveland and others who died in the uprising is a reminder of how precious are true civil rights in a democracy.

(Anonymous, AP File Photo )

It was a spring semester in 1970 at a local university in Cleveland, and the topic in Western Civilization class was revolution. I distinctly recall the professor explaining that revolutions occur often because the totalitarian government, be it absolute monarchy, dictatorship, or colonial rule, clamps down on the citizens' rights, and shuts down all forms of dissent. It's like a steam engine, he said. If you didn't let the steam escape, the engine would explode at some point ... as it did so many times in history, and as it did 60 years ago in Hungary.

In 1956, Hungary was an occupied nation. It never chose to be part of the Soviet sphere of influence.

What happened to Hungary after World War II also happened to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia and the eastern half of Germany: millions of people under Soviet military domination, ruled by committed puppet governments. Millions were murdered, and it is safe to say that terror spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe to a degree that many people today cannot even imagine.

The 1956 Hungarian uprising was about a nation committed to freedom from foreign occupation. It was about a communist system that brutalized people. It was about party elitism. It was about an Iron Curtain. It was about people being sent to the Gulag, or to prison, or executed simply for having independent ideas.

What many students on today's American campuses take for granted -- anti-government protests, sit-ins, signs and twitter comments -- would have been criminal activities in communist Hungary.

Andrea Meszaros is on the board of the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Society and Museum.

During this anniversary, we commemorate several things: a spontaneous march on Oct. 23, 1956, turning into a national uprising; a revolution, if you will, fought by everyday people on the streets of Budapest and other outlying cities; a list of demands written by the Freedom Fighters that included ideals rooted in the American Bill of Rights.

For me, the message of the 1956 Freedom Fighters to us Americans might, in part, be this: Don't ever take your civil rights for granted.

Don't take the First Amendment for granted. It's the Amendment that takes the biggest hit in a system that Hungary suffered under for so many years.

You should not countenance the limiting of free speech, free press, free association and free exercise of religion, and if you begin to limit these things in the name of some perceived greater good, then when that good is no longer the goal, something inherently evil will take its place, and there will be no constitutional protection for anyone in the new system.

Civil liberties belong to the body politic by virtue of a government by the people. Not by one political ideology, not by one political party, not by one arm of government.

If we are not willing to let people speak on campuses, if we disinvite speakers of opposite political persuasions, if we create real or imaginary safe spaces to limit a certain type of speech, we encroach on the integrity of the First Amendment.

The Hungarian refugees of 1956 who fought, and the heroes who died, would look at us and ask, "Why are you so shortsighted? Why are you so cavalier with the rights of others? Why are you setting precedents to have your rights trampled on in the future?"

The communism that the 56ers faced was not faceless. It took the form of secret police, of academic inculcation, of propaganda posters, of closed churches and religious schools, of slogans written everywhere. It sapped the creativity of artists, composers, and poets.

It took Hungary one violent uprising and then 33 more years of living under communism to finally break free of this degrading form of government.

Hungarians were lucky, because regaining their freedom in 1989 was not inevitable. Just look at the people of North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam and China, who continue to suffer under communism.

We owe to the memory of these great freedom fighters our gratitude and our attention -- so that we learn from their fight, and never take for granted what rights and liberties we enjoy in Cleveland, and what rights and liberties we enjoy in these United States.

Andrea Meszaros is a retired attorney and junior high social studies teacher. She serves on the board of the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Society and Museum, and the American Hungarian Friends of Scouting.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Four years ago a one-time hurricane named Sandy killed more than 100 people and caused more than $70 billion in damage in the United States alone.

Sandy, later dubbed a superstorm, battered Jamaica, all the way to Michigan.

Here in Cuyahoga county, damage was estimated at a whopping $17 million due to damaged facilities, power lines, and debris clean up. The highest wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service, were 68 mph at Cleveland-Hopkins, 67 mph at Burke-Lakefront Airport, and 48 mph at Akron/Canton Regional Airport.

So why was the destruction so severe, especially so far from the Atlantic coast?

Meteorologist Kelly Reardon breaks down the storm.

How did a hurricane hit Northeast Ohio?



To be fair, Sandy was no longer a hurricane or even a tropical storm when it swept through Northeast Ohio, causing days of power outages, closing schools and even postponing trick-or-treating.

Northeast Ohio got hit with such intense thunderstorms and wind damage because a cold front collided with the remnants of Sandy, making the storm even fiercer.

Cold fronts cause storms systems of their own, because they cause rising motion -- the first, most important ingredient in thunderstorm formation.

Sandy provided extreme amounts of moisture to support heavy thunderstorms along this front which is what lead to the strong winds from downdrafts, down-bursts, and gust fronts.

The blustering winds led to dangerous waves on Lake Erie, some reaching 20 feet, which forced the Ohio Department of Transportation to close all lanes of the East Shoreway between East 72nd and East 55th streets.

Winds from Hurricane Sandy push water from Lake Erie over banks at the E. 55th street marina, spilling to the shoreway, Tuesday, October 30, 2012.

How bad was the damage everywhere else?

Sandy was the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history causing $71.4 billion in damage, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005, at $108 billion, according to FEMA.

The storm claimed the lives of over 100 people in the United States, 54 in Haiti, 11 in Cuba, 3 in the Dominican Republic, 2 in the Bahamas, 2 mariners, 2 in Jamaica, and 1 in Canada and Puerto Rico as it dominated the Atlantic Oct. 22-29.

Once Sandy made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. as an extra tropical cyclone (low pressure weakened to less than a tropical storm), widespread preparations and damage ensued. Here's what Sandy did:

Over 650,000 homes destroyed.

110 homes burned completely due to storm surge causing electrical fires.

A declaration of state of emergency in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Amtrak canceled numerous routes to the coast.

Nearly 14,000 canceled flights for over a week.

New York Stock Exchange closed.

United Nations headquarters in Manhattan closed.

7.9 million businesses and households without power in 15 states and Washington D.C.

A storm surge created some of the most devastating impacts, including flooding in New York City's subway tunnels, water over-topping runways at La Guardia and Kennedy airports, and damage to the New Jersey Transit System estimated at approximately $400 million, according to NOAA.

Inundation (flooding/storm surge) analysis.

Even though Sandy made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone, it approached as a category 2 hurricane, with strong winds extending over 175 miles. This is when the most damage was inflicted.

Once over New Jersey, the cyclone pushed west across New York before tracking northwest directly toward Northeast Ohio.

Here, hundreds of trees and power lines were ripped down due to high winds, leaving over 300,000 Ohioans without power for days.

This giant tree on Beachcliff Boulevard in Rocky River was one of hundreds felled by superstorm Sandy last October.

In Bay Village, wind speed readings reached over 60 mph, knocking down an estimated 500 trees. Lakewood's downed tree count was around 100, and city damage was estimated around $250,000, later reimbursed by FEMA, because of 36 continuous hours of 50 mph winds.

A tree destroyed a 2007 Camry owned by Trevor Niskala, 30, on Leedale Avenue in Lakewood on Tuesday, October, 30, 2012. Neighbors said they heard the tree fall around 2:15 a.m. High winds from Hurricane Sandy played havoc on trees near Lake Erie in Lakewood.

But Hurricane Sandy definitely didn't only impact the United States -- check out Sandy's day-to-day movement from day 1 as a tropical storm to the last day of the hurricane's path.

Day-by-day summary

Oct. 23: Sandy intensified to category 1 hurricane strength on Oct. 23 just before reaching Jamaica, and a major hurricane (category 3 or above) just before hitting eastern Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center. Jamaica was hit with heavy rainfall and 80 mph winds, while Cuba saw 115 mph winds.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Oct. 25: Sandy then hit Haiti still as a category 2 hurricane.

Oct 26: Once it hit the Bahamas, forecasters were seeing promising weakening, to a category 1 then to just a tropical storm, and thought there were only a few days left in the storm's life span as it continued north.

Oct. 27: However, once the storm drifted northeast off the coast of the Carolinas and encountered warmer waters, more moisture, and increased atmospheric instability, it strengthened once again to a category 1 and then took a very rare turn to the northwest.

Hurricane Sandy track.

You can see how most hurricanes tend to move northeastward, and stick to that path, once near the east coast:

Hurricane history map. Most hurricanes take a northeast turn off the east coast of the U.S., and Sandy took a very rare northwest turn.

On that same day, Governor Chris Christie ordered mass evacuations in New Jersey for coastal areas and barrier islands.

New York City suspended all of their subway line activity as Sandy approached the United States as a category 2 hurricane.

Oct. 29: Sandy made landfall in New Jersey.

FEMA Hurricane Sandy impact analysis.

Path and forecast progression

Forecast progression of Hurricane Sandy, Oct. 12 - 29.

Wind progression

Sandy's maximum wind speed was 115 mph, a category 3 hurricane.

Sandy maximum wind gusts. 34 to 47 kt is 39 to 54 mph. 48 to 63 kt is 55 to 72 mph. 64 to 82 kt is 73 to 94 mph.

Sandy maximum wind gusts. 34 to 47 kt is 39 to 54 mph. 48 to 63 kt is 55 to 72 mph. 64 to 82 kt is 73 to 94 mph.

Sandy maximum sustained wind. 34 to 47 kt is 39 to 54 mph. 48 to 63 kt is 55 to 72 mph.

Storm surge and flooding

Some of the worst flooding, up to 9 feet, was seen in New Jersey, with 6 feet in New York near Long Island.

Storm surge values.

Storm surge values.

Rainfall and snowfall

Sandy dumped over 10 inches of rain focused in Maryland and Delaware. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "This late season storm also generated blizzard conditions in western North Carolina and West Virginia, resulting in snowfall totals as high as 2 feet."

Sandy rainfall and snowfall.

Tides

Battery, NY predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

Bergen Point West Reach, NY predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

Kings Point, NY predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

Montauk, NY predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

Bridgeport, CT predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

New Haven, CT predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

New London, CT predicted versus actual tides Oct. 29 - 30.

Other Sandy graphics

Our partners at @CIRESnews are working with NGDC to remap the NJ coast after Hurricane Sandy: http://t.co/4hIBBppWva pic.twitter.com/eBGVh9mp0S  NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) October 29, 2014

Sea level pressure map.

Keep checking cleveland.com/weather for twice daily weather updates for Northeast Ohio, and don't forget to submit any weather questions you may have!

Kelly Reardon is cleveland.com's meteorologist. Please follow me on Facebook and Twitter @kreardon0818.
The Corporation for National and Community Service announced recipients of the 2015 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Each year, the President of the United States recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in communities through service.

The Honor Roll recognizes performance in four categories: Economic Opportunity, Education, General Community Service, and Interfaith Community Service.

Cleveland State Community College was one of only 36 community colleges nationwide recognized by the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and was selected in two performance categories.

The college was one of five community colleges named to the Economic Opportunity category. Institutions named to this category demonstrated service programs throughout the year that built economic independence, increased family stability, and created more sustainable and resilient communities.

The college was also recognized as one of 35 community colleges nation-wide named to the General Community Service category. Institutions named to this category have made a commitment to improving the quality of life of off-campus community residents, particularly low-income individuals. Areas of service include education, health, economic opportunity, the environment, disaster preparedness, and support for veterans and military families.

Cleveland State takes great pride that we are the college that always puts community first, stated Dr. Bill Seymour, CSCC President. This recognition further signifies that the service-learning program at Cleveland State is among the best in the country. Very few community colleges are so successful at weaving this ethic into their curriculum and sense of community.

Dr. Denise King, Vice President for Academic Affairs, said, Service-learning has become an integral part of the Cleveland State experience. Sherry Holloway and Jaime Barks, along with a cadre of committed faculty have led the campus in a continual process of growth and development in learning through service. It is this commitment to excellence that has propelled CSCC to the President's Honor Roll year after year as an exceptional community college.



Cleveland State initiated its Service-Learning program in 2008. The program has expanded to include seven stand-alone Service-Learning Experience classes, a service-learning component within the First Year Seminar course, and continued growth as a component of academic courses campus-wide with approximately 60% of faculty incorporating the program.

Cleveland State has been named to the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2015 (there was no honor roll program in 2011).

We were so pleased to learn that Cleveland State was named to the 2015 Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, stated Sherry Holloway, CSCC Service-Learning Director. We appreciate recognition of the dedicated team of students, faculty, staff, and community partners who demonstrate tremendous love and dedication as they invest themselves into addressing the needs of our communities.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovations Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the Presidents national call to service initiative, United We Serve.


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The pound will remain volatile amid uncertainty over when the U.K. will leave the European Union (EU), the U.K. chairman at KPMG told CNBC on Friday. "There's nothing sort of implicitly good for the pound at the moment, and there's volatility," Simon Collins said on CNBC's "The Rundown." "What we're telling our clients who are sterling denominated, at the moment, is we think sterling is a little bit undervalued, but don't expect it to stop being volatile anytime soon." In the wake of the U.K.'s June 23 referendum vote to exit the EU, the pound tumbled from as high as $1.5018 to as low as $1.1450 earlier this month, Reuters data showed. That marked sterling's lowest level since 1985, when the pound neared parity with the U.S. dollar amid an acrimonious miners' strike in the U.K. At 10:21 a.m. HK/SIN, the pound was fetching $1.2238. Collins noted that the uncertainty was heightened by the lack of Brexit negotiations as of yet.



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At an EU summit on Thursday, France's President Francois Hollande told U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May to expect tough negotiations, with multiple EU leaders saying that they wouldn't begin negotiations until Article 50 was invoked, Reuters reported. May has said she plans to formally notify the EU on Brexit at the end of March, Reuters reported. "Until then, everybody's positioning, but nobody can negotiate," Collins said. That's left companies engaging in "sensible contingency planning," amid an uncertain environment that may drag on for years, he said, pointing to a survey of 100 CEOs that KPMG published last month. "Two-thirds of them said they were very confident about the U.K.'s prospects and they were contemplating M&A, joint ventures and alliances," Collins noted. "But three-quarters of them also said that as part of sensible contingency planning, of course, they were looking at potential escape routes, whether in terms of some operations relocating, or indeed, in some instances headquarters relocation." One U.K. business told CNBC that it would be watching Brexit negotiations closely as it plans its strategy.

Tai Alegbe, a founder of U.K. online specialist wine marketplace Baacco, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday that the referendum had impacted its sales in the U.K. Alegbe noted that he expected merchants that his company works with would begin making larger orders to compensate for increased import and distribution costs in the wake of the pound's drop. Looking ahead, he noted that his company hopes to expand to new markets, including within Asia, within the next year, but he added that the final decision will depend on the agreements that the U.K. government negotiates.





Christopher Furlong | Getty Images
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Asian geopolitics and the Philippine economy could undergo profound changes if Manila ends up breaking historic military and economic ties with the U.S. to ally with China instead. President Rodrigo Duterte announced the "separation" during a state visit to China on Thursday, ending speculation as to whether or not he would follow up on previous threats of "breaking up with America." Speaking to an audience in Beijing, the outspoken leader said that he had "realigned" himself to China's ideological flow. "Maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," media quoted him as saying. Philippine policymakers released a statement following his speech, clarifying that their county was not turning its back on the West and adding that Asian integration was long overdue. On Friday, Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines that his country would maintain its trade and economic ties with the U.S. In recent weeks, the President has ramped up anti-American rhetoric while simultaneously cozying up towards the world's number two economy to gain Chinese funds and distance his country from the U.S., which has criticized the extra-judicial killings under his war on drugs.

China's Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli walks past Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte after he made a speech during the Philippines-China Trade and Investment Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 20, 2016. Wu Hong | AFP | Getty Images

The U.S. State Department said it was "baffled" by the comments. "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the President meant," said spokesman John Kirby, adding that America wasn't the only one feeling bewildered. "We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are likewise confused about where this is going."



What is a separation?

"Cutting ties with the U.S. doesn't mean cutting all ties. It simply means the unequal, special relations will have to end," Ramon Casiple, executive director at Quezon City-based think tank Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, told CNBC. One example of these special ties is the visa process. "The Americans can enter the Philippines anytime without visas. Why? Why don't we make it reciprocal?" Duterte said during his Beijing speech. So, tighter entry requirements for Americans could be on the table, Casiple suggested. Other measures may include changes in access to resources, tax credits and preferential custom tariffs on industries controlled by Americans, or rules regarding U.S. custody of American servicemen undergoing criminal trial, he continued. Indeed, any form of separation is unlikely to be official in nature given just how strategic of an ally the U.S. is to Manila, analysts said. "The Philippines depends on the U.S. not just for military cooperation but also for economic support. American firms have invested a lot in the electronic industry. Remittances from the U.S. are large, and a lot of business process outsourcing (BPO) is also by American firms into the Philippines," pointed out Trinh Nguyen, Asia-Pacific economist at investment bank Natixis. Remittances and the BPO sector are key pillars of the Philippine economy, contributing 10 and 6 percent, respectively, to annual gross domestic product. So if Duterte really did end economic ties, as indicated, it could significantly hit the domestic economy in terms of trade and labor movements, Nguyen added.



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What this means for Asia

The move could also alter the balance of power in Southeast Asia. Neighboring Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are already at odds with China over territorial claims to the South China Sea, a conflict that has weighed on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The bloc was under pressure to produce a united stance on the issue during a July meeting but failed to do so after Cambodia, upon China's request, blocked any mention of The Hague's court ruling on the matter in an official statement marking the end of the summit. Now that the Washington can no longer count Manila as a steadfast ally in Southeast Asia, that could provide Beijing with leverage to expand its grip in the already-tense region, suggested Joseph Franco, research fellow at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. "Expect the Indonesians to buff up their presence in the Natunas [islands located in the South China Sea], or for Malaysia to patrol more into its claims."

Another PR stunt?
From olive oil that has been cut with cheaper ingredients to honey infused with banned antibiotics and ground coffee contaminated with corn and sawdust, the food you eat is ripe for fraud. Not only that, but it's costing consumers $30 billion to $40 billion a year worldwide, according to Michigan State University's Food Fraud Initiative.

The problem is only getting worse, highlighted by the woes of ice-cream maker Blue Bell Creameries. The Brenham, Texas-based company agreed to an $850,000 fine after its product was found to contain harmful bacteria.

"We have worked closely with the State of Texas Department of Health Services to ensure the safety of our products. We are pleased with the steps that have been taken in our facilities and confident that we are producing safe products that our customers can enjoy," Blue Bell wrote in a statement e-mailed to CNBC last month.

"The thing with food fraud is we don't know what's in there and we don't know what the processes is the bad guys used, the criminals, the fraudsters used to manufacture the product," John Spink, the director of Michigan State University Food Fraud Initiative told CNBC's On The Money in a recent interview. "So, there is always a vulnerability even if there is not an actual threat."



Food tampering "tends to be high-value items that you cannot easily discern with the naked eye," said Larry Olmsted, author of "Real Food, Fake Food."



Not only can food fraud hurt consumers' wallets, it can also make them sick.

"The best-case scenario with food fraud is that you're not getting what you paid for. You know, the worst-case scenario is that consumers become ill and sometimes have died from food fraud," said Karen Everstine, a scientific liaison at U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), based in Rockville, Maryland. USP is a nonprofit that sets standards for foods and medicines.
As the new chairman-elect of the Mitsubishi Motors board, Nissan 's chairman and chief executive officer, Carlos Ghosn, has two priorities: Help the troubled Japanese carmaker regain consumer trust and return it to a growth path.



The turnaround effort will be led by Mitsubishi's chief executive officer, Osamu Masuko, and its employees, with support from Nissan, while Ghosn's role would be more of governance at the top.



"I will be responsible for the governance and making sure that there is a good mid-term plan [and] there is transparency into the company," Ghosn told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday, adding there was a need to maintain Mitsubishi's identity as a company and its autonomy.

In response to a question, Ghosn hinted that there likely wouldn't be any sweeping job cuts or plant closures after Nissan completed the acquisition of a controlling 34 percent stake in the company on Thursday.

In turn, Mitsubishi will become part of the global alliance between Nissan and Renault. With combined vehicle sales of 10 million units in fiscal year 2016 - it will put the alliance among the world's top three automotive groups by volume.

Reuters said Nissan made a 237 billion yen ($2.29 billion) investment into Mitsubishi. As part of the investment, Nissan has nominated four representatives to the Mitsubishi board, including Ghosn.

Earlier this year, Mitsubishi admitted that it falsified fuel economy test data for its cars to make emissions levels look more favorable.


Starbucks has been struggling lately, with shares of the coffee colossus falling 11 percent in 2016, and touching the lowest level in more than a year Tuesday. But the stock's slide has options trader Andrew Keene looking to make a play on the name.

"I think Starbucks has gotten sold off pretty hard, a lot of selling pressure, but it could consolidate and move even higher," Keene, CEO of AlphaShark, said Thursday on CNBC's "Trading Nation."

He points out that even though Starbucks shares have been dropping recently, the 100-week moving average, a smoothing mechanism that tracks the last two years of trading, has been rising rather consistently. Keene believes that Starbucks will follow its own moving average higher.

If Starbucks shares do bounce, how high could they go? Keene sees the coffee kingpin retaking the $57.50 level at which it traded in August. That would represent a 7 percent rally from Thursday's closing price.

Part of that climb could be fueled by coffee chain's continuous effort to also look abroad for opportunities. Starbucks stock actually jumped more than 1 percent on Wednesday after the company appointed the first CEO of its China division, Belinda Wong, following on an announcement made last week that Starbucks would double its number of stores in China by 2021.

The company also has plans to open grandly designed "Reserve Roastery" locations in Tokyo and Shanghai to increase its worldwide reach.

In order to play for his expected move, Keene is buying a "bull call spread" on Starbucks, which in this case entails buying the January 55-strike calls and selling the January 57.5-strike calls for a total of 80 cents per share, or $80 per contract.

If Starbucks in fact closes at or above $57.50 on Jan. 20, this spread will be worth $250, meaning that he will more than triple his money. On the other hand, if Starbucks shares fail to rise, that entire $80 will be lost.

Starbucks is scheduled to report earnings Nov. 3.

Trader takeaway: Andrew Keene is bullish on Starbucks and is buying the bullish January 55/57.50 call spread in an attempt to capitalize on a rally.
Jim Cramer took on random stock questions from callers, and provided his best advice in the Lightning Round:



Exelon Corporation : "I think Exelon has got it together. I was very confused, initially I was worried about ... the other mergers, but a 4 percent yield with some growth? Buy, buy, buy. Exelon is for me."

The Carlyle Group : "That yield may be a bit of a loser. I don't know if they can maintain that, so you have to be careful. It does seem undervalued to me but if you want to own it for yield, you have to be careful because I don't know whether they can back that up and it's a very opaque situation."

Intuitive Surgical : "The stock has come down enough ... The quarter was fine. The guys are pressing it down. It was a good quarter, it's come down enough. I would pull the trigger. I like Intuitive Surgical. I didn't see any inflection to the negative in that conference call."

Scorpio Tankers : "Not recommending any of the crude tankers after the disaster that was Nordic American."

JetBlue Airways Corp : "It's got a lot of competition, it doesn't have the routes that you necessarily want. It's a little bit more expensive, that's why I've liked United Continental and Southwest Air."

Cyprus Semiconductor : "Cypress Semi is inexpensive, but I don't know a catalyst to make it start going up again. That's a little disappointing, but I call it like it is."

Ascena Retail Group : "I can't give up on it at $4, but boy that last quarter was just awful. If it goes up a little bit, maybe, but what can I say? It was just not good."

Ophthotech Corp : "Let me do more work on it. The stock doesn't fall 53 percent for nothing, but let me do more work."
The Humane Educational Society and McKamey Animal Center are partnering with the Humane Society of the United States to take in and care for homeless dogs displaced during Hurricane Matthew.

The shelters will receive 17 dogs in total which will be split between the two organizations.

Additionally, the Humane Educational Society will serve as a hub for other shelters in and around the area to pick up and transport over 25 cats and kittens displaced by the storm.

The Humane Society of the United States will arrive at the Humane Educational Society at 6 p.m. on Friday. Mckamey Animal Center and other receiving shelters will be on site to meet and receive those animals displaced by the storm.

Upon arrival the dogs will be given a medical exam and once cleared will be available for adoption through the Humane Educational Society and McKamey Animal Center.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton managed to sit two seats from each from each other and remain  mostly  civil Thursday night at the white-tie Al Smith Dinner, the traditional break from attacks during every presidential campaign cycle.



The dinner  the major fundraiser for the Catholic charities connected to the Archdiocese of New York  has attracted presidential candidates for years, and this year was no different.



More from NBC News:

Al Smith Dinner Bound to Be Especially Awkward for Clinton, Trump

Pence Echoes Trump on His 'Right to Contest' Election

Does 2000 Florida Recount Support Trump's Debate Response?



Trump and Clinton didn't appear to acknowledge each other as they arrived to take their seats flanking Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

But Trump and Clinton both smiled broadly and laughed at each other's needles. Trump even occasionally laughed at his own jokes.

Much of the joking was nothing out of line with the traditionally barbed remarks the two parties' nominees make every four years  but they took on a dark edge when Trump got serious and and appeared to attack Clinton with serious intent, drawing scattered boos and jeers.
Alkermes stock surged more than 27 percent Friday after its depression drug met its main goal in a final-stage study.

ALKS 5461 proved effective in re-balancing brain function in patients with major depressive disorder that failed to benefit from other treatments, the company reported late Thursday. Alkermes will now meet with the Food and Drug Administration to determine the next steps toward regulatory approval.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S., with an estimated 16 million adults reporting at least one major depressive episode in the past year.

The news followed earlier setbacks with drug. In January, Alkermes shares plummeted after ALKS 5461 failed to meet goals in an earlier Phase III trial.

Even with Friday's big gains, the company's shares remain far below the stock's 52-week high of $80.71. Alkermes shares ended the day at $55.62, gaining $12.11 during the session.
In an apparent move to embarrass the United States over Donald Trump's claims of a "rigged" presidential election, Russia sought to send monitors to U.S. polling stations for the Nov. 8 vote, Russian media revealed Thursday.

The bid was sharply rebuffed by the State Department, and one state election official threatened criminal action if Russian monitors showed up, according to state-controlled Izvestia daily and broadcaster RT.

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner called the Russian effort a "PR stunt" and denied that the United States blocked Russian diplomats from observing the election.

A spokeswoman for Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, who received a request to allow Russian monitors, called it a "propaganda ploy."

"We've allowed observers from overseas in the past from other countries, never from Russia," Meg Casper said. She added that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security also "told us not to do this."

Trump, who is behind in most polls, has complained for weeks about potential election fraud. In Wednesday night's debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton, the Republican nominee refused to say whether he would abide by the results on Election Day.



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On Thursday, he said he will "totally accept the results  if I win."

Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, have become prominent issues in the U.S. campaign and were mentioned during Wednesday's debate for allegedly interfering in the election.

U.S. intelligence officials say Russia is behind a series of computer hacks that leaked embarrassing emails from the Democratic National Committee and top Clinton campaign staffers. Trump was skeptical about Russia's role in the leaks and deflected Clinton's charge that he is an admirer of Putin and overlooks the Russian leader's alleged meddling in the election and other anti-U.S. positions.
There are many reasons why you think you won't succeed.

More precisely, there are about 100, according to behavioral economics professor and business strategist Keld Jensen.

In his book, "Intelligence is Overrated," Jensen explores the 100 most significant ideas holding people back from great careers, based on his own research and experience in corporate consulting.

However compelling they seem, those ideas are often just excuses.

Here are seven of the most common thoughts that are holding you back, as well as how to push past them.

1. 'I don't have the credentials'

"Sometimes lack of credentials is an obstacle," Jensen writes. "Mostly it is not."

By industry standards, Jensen may not have the 'necessary' qualifications to succeed. He does not hold a PhD.

And yet he is an adjunct professor at the highly-ranked Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Management. He guest lectures at several other institutions, and he runs his own business and corporate strategy firm.

Jensen isn't alone in coming into a great career through a side door. Consider Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Oprah Winfrey, all wildly successful college dropouts. "If you lack 'proper' certification, but know you're actually well qualified, stop at nothing to get yourself in the door," Jensen writes, adding, "Of course, if it's important to you, you can also invest the time and money to earn a degree."

2. 'I am not creative enough'

If you're not in touch with your inner Picasso, don't worry. "You don't need to be extremely creative to successful," Jensen writes. What's more important is hard work and resourcefulness. "If you haven't got the creativity for a particular project that requires it, team up with someone who does." Also remember that creativity is often in the eye of the beholder: the animation icon Walt Disney was once fired for lacking creativity. And research featured in the Harvard Business Review shows that positive thinking on the subject can work: people who tell themselves they are creative are more likely to actually be creative.

3. 'I tried before, and I failed'

While you may need to take a different approach this time around, Jensen writes, it's important not to lose your mojo.

"If someone or something has managed to program you into a lack of confidence, reprogram!" Jensen writes. "Start telling yourself every morning that you're great at what you do," Jensen writes. "Do it while you're driving, before you go to sleep at night, and more." Especially if you pair your self-talk with hard work, you'll start to believe you are capable after all.

4. 'I don't like to be led'

Sometimes great thinkers feel stifled by a hierarchical work structure. But in many ways, having a boss can have its benefits.

"So you don't work well under someone else? I don't either," Jensen writes. "Want to know the truth, though? Sometime being led is exactly what you need if you want to advance."

It's all about absorbing information.

"Think about it. Someone who has more experience can show you the way," he says. "You can profit from that experience and save yourself some major troubles, setbacks, and failures."

5. 'I don't want to start something else that I'll never finish'

Try flipping this notion around. "If something is truly worth doing, do it," suggests Jensen. "Commit yourself." And make it easier for you to succeed.

Set frequent milestones you want to reach, he writes, and reward yourself once you get there. That will make each small goal, and the larger overall one, easier to achieve.

6. 'I don't deserve it'

Jensen challenges you to consider the logic underpinning that thought.

"You don't just deserve things because you exist. You aren't just magically provided for," he writes. "You earn what you receive  with your intelligence, your creativity, and your hard work." Whether it's a job promotion or a raise that you're after, allow yourself to want it. Then allow yourself to savor your achievement. "Never be afraid to enjoy the rewards of your success. Be sure you do make time to enjoy them."

7. 'I don't know what my passion truly is'
Vice President Joe Biden didn't hold back during a rally for Hillary Clinton today, taking a jab at Donald Trump for the leaked Access Hollywood tape.

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Biden said it was "a disgusting assertion for Trump to make" in the lewd tape that he could "do things" to women that other people couldn't just because he is "a billionaire." The vice president has called it "a textbook version of sexual assault" and critiqued Trump's abuse of power publicly.



"The press always asks me, don't I wish I were debating him? No, I wish we were in high school, and I could take him behind the gym. That's what I wish," Biden said at Wilkes University in P.A.
Traders in the 10-year bond options pit at the Chicago Board of Trade signal orders.

U.S. government debt prices were mostly higher on Friday as investors digested comments from Federal Reserve speakers.

San Francisco Fed President John Williams renewed his call for gradual rate hikes sooner rather than later, arguing that putting off a hike in the federal funds rate could stifle economic growth.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was lower, near 1.7375 percent, while the yield rose to 0.8316 percent. The the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was lower, to 2.49 percent.
Jonathan Bush, nephew of former President George H.W. Bush, told CNBC on Friday he's not thrilled with Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, and he hopes the election will bring about change in the two-party system.

The athenahealth chairman and CEO said on "Squawk on the Street" he plans to vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson on Nov. 8.

"I've settled on the fact that if you can't stand the 'nut' on the left, and you can't stand the 'nut' on the right, go for the 'Johnson,'" Jonathan Bush joked.

He said a vote for the former New Mexico governor will help "frack apart this tired, broken Democratic Party into two more reasonable groups, and frack apart the Republican Party in the same way."

While expressing disappointment with the two major party candidates, Bush said he's especially mystified by Republican Trump.

"I grew up believing deeply in my Uncle George's Republican Party, really feeling like it was good for people, and when I listen to Bill Weld talk I feel the same way," Bush said, referring to Johnson's running mate Bill Weld, the former Massachusetts governor.



Jonathan Bush also addressed the departure of his brother, Billy, from NBC's "Today."

Billy Bush had come under fire for his involvement in the leaked 2005 "Access Hollywood" video in which Trump bragged about groping women.

"I certainly think any outrage from your folks at NBC has got to be crocodile outrage given that they've built 'The Donald,'" Jonathan Bush said, noting Trump's trademark reality show "The Apprentice" aired on NBC.

"I don't blame NBC," Bush continued, "but please don't be silly, NBC. We've all been a part of this."

NBC said it has no comment on Jonathan Bush's remarks.

Jonathan Bush also said everyone has been faced with  and missed  opportunities to stand up to wrongdoing, and that he's sure his brother Billy will bounce back from the scandal.

Jonathan and Billy Bush are the sons of Josephine and Jonathan Bush, who is the brother of the 41st president. Last month, Politico quoted a Kennedy family member as saying the former president told her he plans to vote of Clinton.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal owns NBC and CNBC.
President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping review the guard of honor as they attend a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, October 20, 2016.

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China and the Philippines could begin exploiting long-untapped energy reserves in the South China Sea, according to reports coming out of this week's meeting between Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte and high-ranking Chinese officials  including a Thursday sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping  in Beijing. How soon that may happen remains unclear, however, as Duterte cautioned reporters that he has not been empowered by his Congress to finalize any energy exploration deal with his Chinese counterparts. Earlier reports by Philippine newspaper the "Inquirer" suggested that Beijing and Duterte were set to enter into an agreement to explore for energy sources in a part of the South China Sea close to the Philippine coastline. China has long sought to exploit what it believes could be more than 100 billion barrels of oil and hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas lurking beneath the South China Sea. However, a litany of overlapping territorial claims in the region by the more than half-dozen nations rimming the South China Sea has rendered broad energy development there a nonstarter. The fact that potential joint development of offshore energy deposits in the region is even being discussed underscores the tectonic shift in regional foreign policy undertaken by Duterte since winning the Filipino presidency in May. The Philippines, long a U.S. ally in the region, has moved away from its bilateral ties and military entanglements with the United States and instead embraced a budding new friendship with China, long a regional rival. A joint energy-exploration deal between China and the Philippines could serve as a way to dodge thorny questions of national sovereignty and begin extracting energy wealth from the South China Sea, potentially setting a precedent for future energy development deals.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the South China Sea region holds reserves of some 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. China National Offshore Oil  the state-owned energy company responsible for offshore energy exploitation  provides a much rosier estimate, predicting the region holds some 125 billion barrels of oil and 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Neither estimate is insignificant for a region woefully dependent on imported oil and natural gas. China is the second-largest consumer of oil after the United States and critically dependent on imports to feed its energy demands. Japan and South Korea are likewise dependent on foreign oil to keep their economies humming. Booming growth in Southeast Asia has pushed the region to emerge as a net oil and gas importer as well. The Philippines, too, faces a looming energy shortage. The nation's main island of Luzon depends heavily on the Malampaya gas field, an energy deposit estimated to hold perhaps another decade's worth of energy before running out. Given that it can take half a decade or longer to bring a major new energy project online, the clock is ticking for the Philippines, which could experience rolling brownouts on Luzon  home to the capital, Manila  if new energy sources are not tapped.

A China-Russia naval joint drill off south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 19, 2016. Xinhua | Zha Chunming | Getty Images

One potential source is the Reed Bank, an underwater mountain off the Philippine coast believed to hold significant oil and gas deposits. The Reed Bank falls exclusively in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, which according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), places it firmly in the Philippines' possession. China, however, doesn't see it that way.

Developing the South China Sea's energy reserves has proved problematic for decades, in part due to China's sweeping territorial claims. China's so-called "nine-dash line" encompasses much of the strategic waterway, conflicting with the various territorial claims of other Asian states, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. Reed Bank, like many other contested areas, falls within the nine-dash line. Under Duterte's predecessor, the Philippines challenged China's claim at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, which ruled in July under UNCLOS that China's claims are invalid. China has refused to accept the decision. These types of conflicting claims and the political risk associated with them have made exploration and development of even nearby uncontested areas difficult, as energy companies and foreign investors seek to steer clear of international entanglements. "I have not seen anyone go into these developments in any meaningful, substantial way," said Clara Gillispie, senior director of trade, economic, and energy affairs at the National Bureau of Asian Research. "There's been a number of starts and stops. But in terms of breakthroughs in collaborative, joint efforts or in terms of pure Chinese development, I think we're still talking about what could happen rather than what is happening."

Territorial disputes

Joint development between the Philippines and China could reverse the trend toward disputes and conflict in at least one corner of the South China Sea, though it will likely take much more than a deal between the two states to open the wider South China Sea for exploitation. "I think the biggest factor impacting exploration activities, or lack thereof, in the South China Sea are the low oil prices that we've seen for the past two years now  that's been big disincentive to do exploration activity there," said Erica Downs, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group. "Plus, nobody knows exactly how much energy is there." At press time, the Brent crude-oil price was $51.37 a barrel, way off its historic peak of $139.05 a barrel in June 2008.

To lure foreign energy companies and their deepwater drilling technology into the region, things will have to change economically, said Michal Meidan, a China analyst at the London offices of consultancy Energy Aspects. "If you had proven reserves and you knew this was a very attractive resource, the story might be different," she said. "But prices would need to go up considerably, which is not likely  we'd need to go back to at least a 100-dollar-a-barrel kind of world." Prices currently hover around half that.

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Saudi Arabia's monster bond offer balloons to $17.5 billion as deal launches Circumstances would have to adjust on the political stage as well. China has floated various other attempts at joint development deals previously, "but those kinds of agreements have been very tenuous in the past," Meidan said, adding that the region would require some kind of internationally agreed-upon code of conduct for joint exploration, something that seems unrealistic at the present time.

A satellite image of Subi Reef, an artificial island being developed by China in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, on September 4, 2016. USGS | Getty Images

Disagreements over who owns what in the South China Sea have long stoked tensions there, exacerbated in recent years by China's building of artificial islands in areas like the contested Spratly Islands, a cluster of 14 islands and more than 100 submerged reefs (and claimed in part by Malaysia, Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Vietnam). These islands, complete with military installations and runways that can accommodate combat aircraft, lie far from China's continental shores. Nonetheless, China has claimed in many cases that these manufactured islands confer rights to 12 nautical miles of territorial waters surrounding each island and in some cases exclusive economic zones extending up to 200 nautical miles away from these disputed island outposts. If honored, these claims would give China de facto territorial control over much of the South China Sea. July's ruling by the court of arbitration at The Hague offers some degree of international backing to those disputing Chinese claims and its nine-dash line. A warming relationship between China and the Philippines  and particularly a successful joint-development deal allowing both countries to begin extraction of the South China Seas energy wealth  could prove a first step in changing the entrenched political reality in the region. It might also help China validate its territorial claims elsewhere in the region.

$5 trillion in global trade
"First-time presidential voters, such as myself, were given the shaft this time around. Out of the roughly 320 million Americans, weve been given Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as options for the presidency."

Bennett, a political science major at the University of Florida, actually switched his party affiliation once Donald Trump secured the nomination (and will vote for Hillary Clinton in November).

Elizabeth, a William & Mary student, is writing in Marco Rubio because she believes Donald Trump's arrogance toward those who disagree with him could "jeopardize our national security and intensify conflicts."



Other conservatives I spoke with noted Trump's divisiveness, his flip-flopping ideologies, and how he isn't presidential.



Catherine, a conservative from the battleground state of Ohio, says she's "embarrassed" to admit she's a Republican during this election.



Out of the three conservative college students supporting Trump, all of them were incredibly hesitant. Michael from the University of Washington is voting for Trump because he's "the lesser of two evils." Jacqueline, a recent graduate at Southeast Missouri State University, is voting for Donald Trump only because she believes "Donald Trump's choice to the Supreme Court will benefit our generation more than Hillary's."



Moreover, nine out of the 14 conservatives I spoke with will be voting for Gary Johnson or Evan McMullin next month.



In an election where attracting new voters is important for conservatives, Donald Trump is seemingly shrinking conservatism to its core by turning off young people. Conservatives have struggled to receive support from youth for countless elections and Donald Trump is only making matters worse.



Hillary Clinton clearly has more support from college students and millennials than Donald Trump, but of the 19 students who planned on voting for Hillary that I spoke to, only seven were enthusiastic about it. Many suggested they were voting for her just to stop Donald Trump.



Additionally, I talked to three Jill Stein supporters, including Tanner from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who won't vote for Hillary because of her "deception and negative reputation." Many of the unenthused Hillary voters also said that "she's just a politician" and described why they "don't trust her." Out of those enthused to vote for Hillary, many of them stressed how she'd be the the first woman president and additionally, "carry Obama's legacy" forward.



The lack of enthusiasm shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on the important issues to college students, including gay marriage. More importantly, students want to vote for someone they trust and many believe she's lied repeatedly about her email scandal.



Donald Trump, on the other hand, shows no tolerance to opposing opinions, has flip-flopped on almost every issue, consistently makes sexist comments, has no detailed plans, and college students disagree with several of his policies, including the proposed Muslim ban and deportation of some immigrants. Additionally, at a time when many students are struggling to pay off college tuition, they don't see Donald Trump as someone who has had to struggle financially. Frankly, students just can't relate to him.



First-time presidential voters, such as myself, were given the shaft this time around. Out of the roughly 320 million Americans, we've been given Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as options for the presidency. To college students, we see the two mainstream candidates as fraudulent, inconsistent, lying, and unethical.



If Trump and Clinton want a strong youth base, they have a lot of work to do.



Commentary by Benji Backer, an 18-year-old conservative activist from Appleton, Wisconsin. He attends the University of Washington-Seattle and writes for RedState.com.Follow him on Twitter @BenjiBacker.



For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.


The Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga invites the Chattanooga community to attend the performance of Orchard Street Productions, in Association with Playhouse Productions, presentation of Old Jews Telling Jokes, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road.

Tickets, $36 general seating, are available by calling 493-0270. Space is limited.

Review for Old Jews Telling Jokes:

This production by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent features a cast of five (two women and three men) from the national touring company will perform in Chattanooga for one evening only. Outrageous one-liners, double-entendres and hysterical routines contains adult language and themes, will surely make you laugh. This comedy production includes classic jokes, comic songs, and tributes to some of the giants of the comedy world. If you've ever had a mother, visited a doctor, or walked into a bar with a priest, a rabbi and a frog, you will enjoy the jokes.

We are fortunate to have this touring production stop in Chattanooga," said Michael Dzik, Federation executive director. "Most of us know the work of Jewish comedians from Adam Sandler to Jerry Seinfeld, from Billy Crystal to Ben Stiller. And, this is only recent history. Think of comedians Carl Reiner, Danny Kaye, Ed Asner, Jackie Mason and Don Rickles, and the list goes on and on.

The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes and exhibits; social services; and a preschoolall rooted in Jewish values. The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibly, foster relationships, and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area. The Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.






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Jaime Zobel de Ayala II, chairman and CEO of Ayala corporation attends a session at the World Economic Forum on East Asia. Ted Aljibe | AFP | Getty Images

Nevertheless, the Philippine business community appears to be taking these developments in its stride, for now. Business leaders in the country are also confident that structural reforms are on the right track despite concerns that predictability in policy-making has diminished under the Duterte administration. "The recent sell-off is probably a reflection of what's happening outside [the Philippines], where there are threats of the U.S. Federal Reserve increasing rates, so that increases volatility," said Hans Sicat, chief executive of the Philippine Stock Exchange, told CNBC during a panel on doing business in the Philippines. He also cited OPEC's oil production cut as another factor roiling global markets. "While we [may] have headline risk  what hasn't changed as far as I can tell are the plans and the direction the economic team is taking," Sicat added. One of those plans involves relaxing restrictions on overseas equity participation to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country. While past attempts to ramp up FDI have met with resistance due to constitutional restrictions, Sicat is confident that change is afoot. "I was actually heartened to hear the new administration come in and file a bill to  reduce the bureaucracy," said Sicat, "That's never happened before as far as I can remember."

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Although Hollande has yet to throw his hat into the ring, opposition parties are starting to pick their candidates. The center-right party, Les Republicains , is putting up five nominees  one of them being the former president Nikolas Sarkozy - and any French citizen can to vote on November 20th and 27th .

On the table, there are many issues: terrorism, high unemployment, rigid labor market laws and the rise of nationalism. Incumbent President Francois Hollande has a lot to be concerned about, mainly when his popularity levels rank the lowest among all serving presidents.

There is another crucial presidential election on the horizon with just as many divisive characters: France. And the primaries for the 2017 election are already kicking off.

The primaries are especially relevant given that its winner will be crucial to sustain support against the far-right National Front party. Polls show that the party led by Marine Le Pen  who wants to quit the EU - will get the most votes in the first ballot to the presidency.

In an attempt to convince French expats to have a say in the center-right party nomination and increase his odds of winning, Francois Fillon, one of the five contestants, spoke at the Royal Institution in London Thursday evening.

"France needs a deep transformation," he told an audience of French expats.

Former prime minister of France, Francois Fillon has a tough battle ahead. He is only placing third in the forecasts for the center-right nomination and votes from French expats could be a significant boost.

His main opponents are Nikolas Sarkozy and Alain Juppe, also a former prime minister, who bookmakers believe is the most favorite to represent Les Republicains.

"France needs to decrease the cost of labour, not only on low qualified jobs, but on all kinds. France sees precisely a decrease in the quality of its economy because of those politics," Fillon said to the London audience.

Fillon wants to make France more investment-friendly.

"[Tax on capital revenue] is 30 percent in Germany, it is 60 percent in France. How can we have French investors with those conditions?," Fillon said.

It is also among his policies to restore trust in the public authorities following the terrorist attacks, to reduce the number of deputies in parliament.
But this was not what set off the ire  and intervention  of senior fund officials.

The paper was unusually blunt in its critique of how the IMF. handled Greece's debt woes. Fund staff members were cowed by their counterparts in Europe, missed early signs of stress and did not do enough to push for a debt restructuring, the review laid out.

This summer, the fund's Independent Evaluation Office, an autonomous unit that has a mandate to judge all aspects of the IMF's conduct and policies, issued an 86-page assessment of the fund's performance during the European debt crisis.

Now, a recent bout of infighting has come to light that raises fresh questions about the institution's culture and its promise to become more transparent.

The International Monetary Fund has over the years been criticized for the byzantine intrigues of its workplace, where domineering department heads zealously guard their turf  to the detriment of the fund's broader mission.

Before the report was published over the summer, fund officials demanded that the watchdog unit tamp down and in some cases remove sections of the report that said the IMF. was not releasing documents that evaluators sought.

The description of this dispute, which was not mentioned in the final paper, was provided by several people who were involved in the process, but who were not authorized to speak publicly.

By charter, the watchdog has a right to ask for any papers it believes will help in its analysis.

In an interview, William Murray, a deputy spokesman at the I.M.F., acknowledged that the fund had some robust discussions with its internal evaluator over the language used to describe how the fund responded to requests for documents.

But he added that the fund had a right to step in and ask for changes based on what he called factual errors.

"Frictions certainly developed over time," Mr. Murray said, referring to the auditor's 16-month quest for relevant documents. "But this was a massive paper chase  there was no concerted effort by the fund to withhold information."

The Independent Evaluation Office declined to comment.

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Infighting within global organizations as large and as political as the IMF. can be expected. But under its managing director, Christine Lagarde, who was re-elected to a second five-year term earlier this year, the fund has sought to become more open to the world and less coldly bureaucratic.

Such efforts were on wide display during the IMF.'s annual fall meetings this month. The week featured numerous panels on income inequality, women's rights and ways to improve civil society, all of which was capped off with a cozy chat featuring Ms. Lagarde and the author Michael Lewis.

In light of that, some traditional supporters of the fund have been taken aback by the I.M.F.'s response to its internal auditor.

"The I.E.O. was set up to have access to all documents at the fund," said Edwin M. Truman, a former United States Treasury official who was part of an outside panel of experts brought in to draw conclusions from the report. "Staff and senior management of the fund had no right to withhold anything from them."

The watchdog unit was set up in 2001 with a mandate to evaluate the fund's decision-making, which had been called into question after the Asian crisis in 1997, especially by austerity-bitten countries in Southeast Asia.

Although the unit was given autonomy, those who worked there were in no way looking to cause trouble. But a report card on the quality of the I.M.F.'s advice during the euro zone crisis was certain to touch on sore spots.

Going back to 2012, when the unit first revealed that it would turn its eye toward the fund's activities in the euro zone, examiners met resistance, not only from staff members but from European board members as well.

Directors from France and Germany were particularly opposed to the inquiry, in some cases using strong language in meetings with the unit's executives in an attempt to get them to drop the project  despite publicly endorsing the watchdog's mission.

When it became clear that the watchdog would proceed, European directors asked whether it would be possible to not release the report to the public, according to the people involved in the process.

Opposition to the investigation was most acutely felt in the powerful European Department, which oversaw bailouts in Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The leader of the European Department, Poul M. Thomsen, who was also the architect of the Greek bailout, distanced himself from the examiners initially, and the report ended up being critical of the fund's work in Greece, although Mr. Thomsen was not mentioned by name in the review.

Mr. Thomsen would end up cooperating, releasing thousands of emails and documents, and agreeing to a three-hour interview with the I.E.O. executive who compiled the report, Shinji Takagi.

In a statement, Mr. Thomsen said that his department "complied fully with the I.E.O.'s requests for information and documents, without exception."

The investigation was focused on two areas in particular. Examiners wanted minutes from informal board meetings during the crisis, where I.M.F. officials explained their actions to directors. It also asked for documents related to a series of secret meetings I.M.F. executives had in 2010 in which they discussed different strategies for handling Greece.

The watchdog did receive reams of information that chronicled in broad terms the I.M.F.'s work in Europe, but evaluators were not getting what they really wanted: paperwork that would shed a light on how and why the fund acted as it did.

The excuses varied.

Finally, 16 months after they first made they first made their requests, evaluators received most of what they had been asking for.

It was then that I.M.F. executives started pressuring the watchdog officials to remove passages in the report that explained how hard it had been to get the needed paperwork.

The auditors made some changes but, because they believed they had not received all the documents, they held firm in keeping their critical passages about how slow the I.M.F. had been to cooperate. In early July, the report and 11 related background papers were made public.

Ms. Lagarde said in her response that the fund's involvement in the euro zone was a "qualified success." She also said that the fund would continue its commitment to "accountability, transparency, and the role of the I.E.O."
After nine hours of talks on Thursday night, Renzi successfully fought against including a reference to new immediate sanctions in the EU's worded summit statement released Friday. He said to reporters in Brussels, "I think that to refer in the text to sanctions makes no sense."

European leaders have ruled out introducing a fresh bout of sanctions against Russia for its role in the Syrian conflict, with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi leading the argument against more economic punishment for the country.

Renzi positioned himself on the opposite side of the debate to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, all of whom want to exert the maximum pressure  including sanctions if necessary - on Russia in a bid to encourage President Vladimir Putin's armed forces to desist from their continued assault on Aleppo.

The besieged Syrian city has suffered from the killing of hundreds of civilians and currently counts around 275,000 people as trapped within its confines, after months of indiscriminate attacks, including on children, aid convoys and hospitals, according to Reuters.

Russia's involvement over the past year has successfully weakened the position of rebel fighters and shored up Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

Despite the omission of sanctions from the EU's latest official statement, President Hollande, emerging from talks in Berlin on Wednesday night with Russia's Putin and Germany's Merkel, insisted the measure was not definitively off the table yet.

"At this stage, there are no sanctions linked to the Russian intervention in Syria," Hollande told reporters.

"If there are new massacres, bombing, we'll need to start by sanctioning the Syrians who are responsible; if it continues bombing, Russia will also expose itself to a response from the EU, but we're not there yet," he added.

In further developments on Friday, the top United Nations human rights official, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, described the ongoing siege and bombing of eastern Aleppo as "crimes of historic proportions," according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Britain's government minister for Africa and the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, pointed the finger more directly, saying, "Russia, you are making the situation worse, not solving it," according to the news agency. This came during a specially convened session of the United Nations Human Rights Council called by London to begin an inquiry into the attacks.
Salesforce decided not to buy Twitter because its shareholders didn't want the deal to happen, CEO Marc Benioff told CNBC on Friday.

"Our stockholders heard that we were involved in a process and they made it very clear that they did not want us to buy that company. So, very specifically, we had to walk away," he said in an interview with "Closing Bell."

"I love the CEO. I love the company. I love the brand. I love everything about Twitter but our stockholders don't and I listen to them. They are an important part of our family and how we do business at Salesforce."

That means that there is no price where a deal would make sense, unless shareholders had a change of heart, Benioff said.

Last week, Salesforce said it was ruling out a bid for the social media company. The news initially sent Salesforce shares higher, and Twitter shares tumbling. On Friday, Salesforce was up almost 2 percent.
Sears responded Friday to reports that Jakks Pacific has suspended shipments to its Kmart stores ahead of the critical holiday season, saying it has "always paid" its vendors for the orders it has placed.

Jakks, the fifth-largest U.S. toy company, told investors on its third-quarter earnings call Thursday that it had halted shipments to a "major U.S. customer," which was presumed by some to be Kmart. A Wall Street Journal report, citing sources familiar with the matter, also linked the companies together.

Without specifically naming Jakks, Sears CFO Jason Hollar said in a statement Friday that "there are occasionally disputes over prices, allocations of product and other terms through the course of negotiations."

"We can tell you that we have had a longstanding relationship with Jakks," he said.

On its call, Jakks told analysts the company decided to stop shipping its "Star Wars," Disney Princess and other products to "one of the largest U.S. retailers."

Jakks said it made this "difficult" decision after conversations with advisors, including large banks. It said this suspension in shipments was one reason its revenue fell 10 percent during the quarter, to $302.8 million.

"We came to the conclusion that at this time based off of what we have seen and what we have read with regards to the retailer that it would be best served for our company to suspend shipments to this retailer to minimize any risk going forward," CEO Stephen Berman said.



The holiday season is crucial for the toy industry, and accounts for roughly half of its annual sales, according to The NPD Group.



A spokeswoman from Jakks Pacific declined to comment further. Jakks products were still available on Kmart's site Friday morning. A source close to Sears said Jakks accounts for only a small percentage of Kmart's overall toy business.

Conversations about Kmart's future were a topic of interest at a recent toy fair in Dallas, BMO Capital Markets analyst Gerrick Johnson told CNBC. At that event, three or four vendors asked the analyst whether they should ship product to the chain.

"It was definitely something they were concerned about," Johnson said.

Though he hasn't spoken with Kmart or Sears about the reported halt in shipments to their stores, Johnson said he couldn't imagine the retailer being anyone else. However, he added, suspended shipments to Kmart wouldn't explain all of Jakks woes, as the retail chain only accounts for some 2 percent of the $19.4 billion toy industry, Johnson said.

Meanwhile, Jakks' competitors are performing well, including a 14 percent lift in revenue at Hasbro . That means even if Hasbro had made a similar decision to halt shipments to a major retailer, the toymaker still would have posted a robust sales increase during the quarter, Johnson said.

Speculation that Kmart is headed for a chainwide closure has been swirling in recent months  chatter that Sears CEO Eddie Lampert has vehemently denied. In September, Moody's downgraded the company's speculative-grade liquidity, saying that it was uncertain about the "viability of the Kmart franchise" given its "meaningful market share erosion."

Also that month, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC that Kmart plans to close 64 stores in mid-December. The chain had 883 locations at the end of the second quarter, down from 963 a year earlier. The retailer has closed more than 400 of its locations since the second quarter of 2011.

In a blog post on the company's website earlier this month, Lampert addressed what he called "frequent false and exaggerated claims surrounding our Kmart business."

"Recent reports have suggested that Kmart will cease its operations," Lampert wrote. "I can tell you that there are no plans and there have never been any plans to close the Kmart format. In fact, we've been working hard to make Kmart a more fun, engaging place to shop, powered by our integrated retail innovations and Shop Your Way. To report or suggest otherwise is irresponsible and is likely intended to do harm to our company to the benefit of those who seek to gain advantage from posting these inaccurate reports."

Kmart's revenue dropped 10 percent, to $2.2 billion in the second quarter. The chain's revenues have been slashed nearly 40 percent over the past five years.
David McNew | Getty Images

The accelerating pace of marijuana legalization in the United States has certainly grabbed headlines around the world in the past few months. Four states (and the District of Columbia) already allow the use of recreational marijuana. And next month five more will vote on similar legalization  California, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts and Arizona. Meanwhile, medical marijuana has been given the green light in half of all U.S. states. Legal cannabis sales in the United States jumped 17 percent, to $5.4 billion, in 2015 and are expected to grow by 25 percent this year, to $6.7 billion, according to Arcview Market Research. By 2020 legal cannabis sales in the United States are projected to hit $21.8 billion. But America's hardly the only place rethinking its stance on cannabis. As states rewrite the rules on the legality of the drug, other parts of the world are making their own changes. Globally, $150 billion was spent last year on marijuana, said Scott L. Greiper, president of Viridian Capital Advisors. Almost all of that was done illegally. But as legalization efforts grow, angel and venture capital investors are getting interested in companies specializing in weed.

Market opportunities offshore

The Arcview Investor Network, for instance, has put $84 million into 130 companies in the cannabis sector since 2013, with most of those investments coming in the past 1.5 years. And a growing number of those investors are looking beyond U.S. borders. There are a number of countries where there are exciting opportunities, say experts in this sector. Of all of those, there's none more intriguing to investors than Canada. The Great White North was the first country to legalize medical marijuana on a federal level in 2001, and it's widely expected to legalize recreational use within the next year. (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made legalization one of the cornerstones of his campaign and has kept up the push for it since being elected.) Canada's stance to limit the number of licenses for growers, distributors, etc., is of special interest to investors. That practice by the state opens up the possibility to create large, robust companies. And venture firms are happy to back those. The three leading Canadian cannabis companies  Aurora Cannabis, Aphria and Canopy Growth  have each raised nearly $30 million from investors, Greiper noted.

"We don't see that size of investment activity anywhere in the world for a single company in the cannabis marketplace," he said. "Canada is the most mature of the legal cannabis marketplaces in the world." Israel is another country that has been on investor radars. Medical marijuana has been legal there since 2007, which has allowed the medical research-and-development community to begin digging deep into the DNA of cannabis to look for pharmaceutical products the plant can yield beyond smoking it or infusing it into edible products. "Israel has been at the forefront of medical cannabis research for years now," said Troy Dayton, CEO and co-founder of The Arcview Group. "They've been creating a fertile environment for medical research."

Canada is the most mature of the legal cannabis marketplaces in the world. Scott L. Greiper president, Viridian Capital Advisors

Australia is a newcomer to the field, having federally legalized marijuana for medical and scientific purposes earlier this year, but the country has quickly become an area of interest. So far, roughly 10 public companies have emerged in the sector, including MMJ PhytoTech and MGC Pharmaceuticals, says Harrison Phillips, an analyst at Viridian. And most have partnered with Canadian firms to spur growth. "Australia has moved to the forefront of medical marijuana by leveraging Canadian expertise," he said. Likewise, Spain is still at the beginning of pot reform, but it's showing a lot of potential. The country hosts Spannabis, Europe's largest cannabis trade show. And though it's still a quasi-legal substance (to legally partake, you must join a private smoking club to purchase it), the country has been called the "New Amsterdam" by enthusiasts (who previously flocked to the Netherlands capital, which has made a tourist industry of legal marijuana since 1976).

Emerging pot markets
Though they still face an uphill battle to win control of the House, Senate Democrats in tight races maintain optimism as GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's support continues to wane and down-ballot Republicans scramble to distance themselves from his campaign.

In the latest polls, Trump continues to lose ground to Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton, following a controversial attack on the U.S. election process itself in Wednesday's third and final debate. Trump claimed the upcoming presidential vote is has been "rigged" against him, and has pointedly declined to say whether he would accept the results if he loses.

On Wednesday, Trump pledged to keep the country "in suspense" in an unprecedented campaign challenge to the legitimacy of the U.S. electoral system.



"I will look at it at the time. I'm not looking at anything now," he said when asked directly if he would accept the results on Election Day, which is less than three weeks away.

The backlash to Trump's remarks only added to widespread fears among Republicans that disillusioned party members could abandon GOP House and Senate candidates further down the ballot. Democrats have grown increasingly confident that they have a shot at regaining control of one or both chambers of Congress.
Career Crunch will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 3-4, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Tennessee National Guard Armory, 1801 S. Holtzclaw Ave. The purpose of Career Crunch is to provide an avenue for eighth grade students in Hamilton County middle schools to explore a breadth of career areas.

This fair brings students together with local professionals to discuss their career interests and gain insight into the relevance of their studies. The primary focus is to showcase a broad spectrum of possible careers and to encourage students to stay in school.

The concepts of careers are usually introduced at the elementary level. Students are exposed to possible career options and workforce needs at an early age so they can begin exploring their professional interests and tailoring their academic routes accordingly. In the middle school years, students start discussing career opportunities in greater depth through career exploration classes and interest inventories. This process culminates with Career Crunch.

Through this program, organizers strive to present students with as much understanding as possible so they can make decisions that benefit both themselves and the community for a lifetime.

To reserve booths and inform students of careers in an organization, call the Chamber to reserve at 763.4321 or email chumble@chattanoogachamber.com.

For private schools and homeschoolers, if planning to participate, call 763-4321 to reserve a time on the schedule.

Career Crunch 2016 is sponsored by: Hamilton County Schools, Chattanooga State Community College, TN Army National Guard and UTC.
The world's second-largest economy is conflicted as far as an OPEC production cut is concerned, one analyst told CNBC.

China is facing a "trade off" between its oil industry and the rest of its economy, Miswin Mahesh, an oil market analyst for Barclays, told CNBC via telephone. Ultimately though, Mahesh asserted that "it is in China's interest that OPEC doesn't cut."

Mahesh explained that on the one hand, the Middle Kingdom's upstream oil industry would benefit from a production cut and subsequent higher prices as its domestic investment is falling. This is due the country's slowing economic growth. But downstream, and for the rest of the economy which relies on imported oil, Mahesh said that a cut might "not be in their interest."

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to tackle the global supply glut last month by cutting production levels by up to 700,000 barrels per day.

In order to shore up supply as domestic production slows, Mahesh said that China has invested in the oil infrastructure of a number of OPEC countries, including Ecuador, Venezuela, Iran and Iraq. When asked about the incentives behind these particular choices, Mahesh said that these partnerships could provide a secure future source for imports.
The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. (IIABNY) has named Lisa Lounsbury interim president and CEO, effective Dec. 1. Photo credit: IABNY website

DeWITT, N.Y.  The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. announced it has named Lisa Lounsbury interim president and CEO, effective Dec. 1.

Lounsbury currently serves as the organizations senior VP.

Lisa has been a key part of IIABNYs success since she first joined the association 17 years ago, Richard Poppa, IIABNYs retiring president and CEO, said in a news release. Our members can expect a smooth transition since Lisa has had day-to-day management of the associations operations since she arrived in 1999.

At the same time, Lounsbury has also served as president of IAAC, the associations service corporation, overseeing its activities and revenue generation, IIABNY added.

IAAC, Inc. is IIABNYs membership-services division, according to its website.

It offers the associations various profit-making services, including insurance products for members to purchase, insurance products for members to sell to their clients, and non-insurance products for members to utilize and/or market to their clients, the website says.

Were extremely fortunate to have someone in Lisa, who is such an innovative and creative leader, to step into the role filled so ably over the past 20 years by Dick Poppa, John H. Smith, Jr., chair of the IIABNY board of directors, said in the release. Her extensive knowledge of the insurance industry and strong familiarity with IIABNY will be huge assets in her new role and to the agents and brokers we serve.

A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Lounsbury graduated with a bachelors degree in finance from Miami University of Ohio.

Besides her work with IIABNY, Lounsbury also serves on the Cazenovia Central School District Board of Education and Onondaga-Madison School Boards Association, according to the release.

Before joining IIABNY in 1999, Lounsbury worked as a product specialist in the specialty division for Great American Insurance in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Described as New Yorks oldest insurance producers group, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. has represented the business interests of independent insurance professionals since 1882.

The DeWittbased nonprofit trade association represents more than 1,750 agencies and their 13,000 plus employees.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN file photo)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has appointed Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud to its Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC).

DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the appointment Thursday, Syracuse University said in a news release.

Johnson administered the oath and swore Syverud into the council during its Thursday meeting in Washington, D.C.

Syverud joins other university leaders in advising Homeland Security on matters related to homeland security, career opportunities for graduates, campus resilience, and academic research.

Besides Syverud, the new council members also include Eric Barron, president, Penn State University; Bruce Benson, president, University of Colorado; Renu Khator, chancellor and president, University of Houston; Carol Leary, president, Bay Path University; David Pershing, president, University of Utah; Robert Scott, president emeritus, Adelphi University; and Michael Young, president, Texas A&M University.

Syverud will serve a three-year term on the council and help support the HSAAC through its subcommittees on campus resilience, cybersecurity, international students, homeland security academic programs, academic research and faculty exchange, and student and recent graduate recruitment.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Shawnee war chief Tecumseh was born in what would become the United States of America, but during the War of 1812 he assisted British colonialists in what is now Canada, so they issued a 25-cent coin in his honor in 2012.

Editor's note: this is the first part of a story by Jeff Starck about Americans on world coins. The story first appeared in the November monthly issue of Coin World.

More than mere money, coins serve as memorials to the flora, fauna and famous people and places that make a nation unique.

Thats why youll find great American leaders like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on coins of the United States of America, or Simon Bolivar on coins from the nations in South America to which he helped bring freedom.

Connect with Coin World:

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But sometimes the pairing of a person with a coin is head-scratchingly puzzling. From the sublime to silly, hundreds of world coins depict famous Americans. Here is just a sampling.

Some obvious connections

In rare instances, world coins depicting Americans makes total sense.

There could be no more suitably American subject for a Canadian coin than the Native American Shawnee war chief Tecumseh, who is honored on a pair of circulating 25-cent coins issued in 2012.

The coins are part of a series related to the War of 1812 anniversary.

In the United States, the stalemate War of 1812 is generally regarded as an afterthought, relevant only for the Star Spangled Banner that resulted from the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

However, in Canada, the war is celebrated as a victory for the nascent British Colonialists and for the region that would become the nation of Canada.

Tecumsehs determination and military knowledge made him a crucial British ally during the war. He collaborated with Maj. Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, leading hundreds of First Nation warriors alongside British troops to secure an American surrender during the historic Battle of Fort Detroit.

Tecumseh is generally believed to have been born in March of 1768, in Ohio. While popular legend holds that he was born in what is today Xenia Township, Greene County, the actual location of his birth remains uncertain. He gained his name, which means Shooting Star or Panther Across The Sky, from a large meteorite that reportedly flashed across the Ohio sky at the time of his birth.

Tecumseh dedicated his life to acquiring an independent homeland for his people. He is remembered for attempting to unify multiple native tribes in their joint opposition to the loss of their traditional lands to the Americans.

He fought in a number of battles against the Americans, including facing William Henry Harrison, the future American president, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in northwest Ohio in 1794, in which Indian forces were defeated.

Tecumseh ultimately died at the Battle of the Thames at Chatham, Ontario, Oct. 5, 1813, without realizing his dream.

Two versions of the coin were issued, one without color and another with red accents.
The Tennessee Aquarium will open the Southeasts only independent freshwater science center next Thursday at 10 a.m.

This new home for the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute will be the base of operations for their research scientists, and a central location for other freshwater scientists to convene.


MON/24 2016 Want to Bid on a Contract? Get the Right Certification

9 a.m. Noon

INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd.

Part of Chattanooga Minority Enterprise Development Week, this event is geared toward businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, service-disabled veterans, and other small business owners.

MON/24 2016 Doing Business with the City

67 p.m.

City Hall, third-floor veranda: 101 E.

Part of Chattanooga Minority Enterprise Development Week.

TUES/25 Social Awesomeness 101

5:308:30 p.m.

BrightBridge Womens Business Center: 535 Chestnut St., Suite 161

Speaker: Linda Murray Bullard, LSMB Business Solutions and BrightBridge Womens Business Center

This session covers social media tools, facts and mistakes, what tactics are most effective, and identifying your target audience.Register at brightbridgewbc.org or call 423-648-9251.

Free

TUES/25 East Brainerd Chamber Council Meeting

11:30 a.m.1 p.m.

Car Barn: 6721 Heritage Business Court

Speaker: Jared Bigham, Chattanooga 2.0

$10

TUES/25 Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber Council Monthly Mixer

57 p.m.

Puleo's Grille: 6108 Artesian Circle

Join the Ooltewah/Collegedale Council for its monthly mixer at Puleo's Grille, held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. There will be complimentary light appetizers and drink specials.

TUES/25 2016 How to Keep the Family Business Going and Growing

67 p.m.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center: 200 E. Martin Luther King Blvd. Part of Chattanooga Minority Enterprise Development Week.

WED/26 2016 Minority Enterprise Development Week Luncheon

11:30 a.m.1 p.m.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center: 200 E. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Speaker: Technology Entrepreneur Albert Woodard

WED/26 Googleize for Holiday Shoppers

12:302:30 p.m.

INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd.

This workshop is presented by Google in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Your TSBDC of Chattanooga teamed up locally with a Google "Trusted Verifier," mynooga.com, to assist with follow-up questions or verification issues from the 10/5/16 seminar. You will learn: how to be found by local customers (Creating your free Google Search and Maps listingsimilar seminar to "Googleize Your Business); be found everywhere (optimize for desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile device shoppers/searchers); and be found with online advertising (promote your products and services with Adwords Express). Register at tsbdc.org.

WED/26 Ribbon Cutting for Inspire Chiropractic

4:305 p.m.

Inspire Chiropractic: 400 E. Main St., #140B

WED/26 Young Innovator Show-And-Tell

5:307:30 p.m.

TechTown: 325 Market St., Ste. 200

This event will recognize students in the running for the Young Innovator Award. Come support your local students and learn more about their innovative ideas.

THURS/27 Enterprise Gateway Chamber Council Meeting

8:159:30 a.m.

Hospice of Chattanooga: 4411 Oakwood Dr.

Speaker: Eric Buchanan

$10

THUR/27 2016 Small Business Contracts-Get Your Ducks in a Row

11:30 a.m.1 p.m.

INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. Part of Chattanooga Minority Enterprise Development Week.

THUR/27 GrowthWheel: Profitable Operations

11:30 a.m.1 p.m.

The Edney: 1100 Market St., fifth floor

All businesses, from pre-venture start-ups to established enterprises, must address four key challenges. They need an attractive business concept, lasting customer relations, profitable operations, and a strong organization. Come participate in a hands-on workshop introducing the GrowthWheel toolkit, and focus on a different challenge each session. Lunch will be provided compliments of City of Chattanooga. Register at tsbdc.org. $25

THURS/27 Small Business Orientation

5:307 p.m.

INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd.

The counselor discusses basic business planning including financial projections and legal entity. You will receive an information packet containing phone numbers and addresses for information about business licenses and taxes, and other start-up materials. Register at tsbdc.org.

FRI/28 Overtime Employee Law Seminar

1011:30 a.m.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel: 605 Chestnut St.

FRI/28 YPAC Luncheon

11:30 a.m.1 p.m.

Waterhouse Pavilion at Miller Plaza: 850 Market St.

Speaker: Marco Perez, LAUNCH
An optimistic outlook, a global mindset, fiscal responsibility and the abilities to listen and adapt were among the qualities the public said they might like to see in a new UM system president.
Eric Greitens' campaign said opponent Chris Koster voted against a bill that would mandate the state pay for 'rape kit' medical exams. But Koster's campaign said there were other provisions in the bill that led to his opposition.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Report details family's care for Santulli

Danny Santulli's family has created a hospital room for him in the living room of their Eden Prairie, Minnesota, home, his dad wrote in a report.
The JumpFund announces it plans to launch a second, larger fund to continue enhancing access to capital for female entrepreneurs. The first fund now nurtures a portfolio of 18 women-led companies.

Managing Partner Kristina Montague said, Its exciting to see that what we intuitively felt was an opportunity has been validated on many fronts since we conceived of The JumpFund in 2013. We now have 18 portfolio companies and have had to turn stellar women with great ideas away since we are at capacity with our first fund. We continue to see untapped investment opportunities of female-led growth ventures in our region which has led us to launch a second fund. We are actively working on raising JumpFund II and are meeting with both original and prospective new investors who share the passion for our mission and embrace the potential to realize solid returns by investing in women.

Representative companies of the first fund include: Feetz, Inc, founded by Lucy Beard, CEO, graduate of the GigTank accelerator in Chattanooga; SuperFanU, co-founded by Kayla Mount, COO, in Louisville, Ky.; NX Prenatal, based in Louisville, Ky.; EMRGY, Rimidi Diabetes, and Partpic based in Atlanta; Stony Creek Colors in Goodlettesville, Tn.; MomSource Network, Knoxville; and Torch and REZLI both based in Chattanooga.

Courtney Jones, founder/CEO of MomSource Network, said, The JumpFund as an investment partner adds tremendous value to any start-up team. More than providing capital, this highly motivated group of women have leveraged their network to provide advice, introductions, encouragement and constructive challenges that continue to propel my company toward high-scale and the national scene. Any female-led venture dramatically increases their chance for success with support from The JumpFund.

The JumpFunds vision is to establish Chattanooga and the Southeast as the nations best place for a woman to invest in or start a business. By engaging an untapped market of angel investors, namely women, and investing in women-led start-ups, which by all measures receive significantly less capital than their male-led counterparts, the JumpFund is helping to change the gender equation in the start-up community, said officials.

The JumpFund is an affiliate of Golden Seeds, a New York-based angel investor network which has invested over $90 million in women-led companies. And over the past three years the JumpFund has grown its national network of like-minded angel groups to include Belle Michigan, Plum Alley, Pipeline Angels, 37 Angels, and Valor Ventures, all organized networks and funds investing in women and gender diverse teams.

To apply for funding from the JumpFund, companies must by women-led with at least one or more women in C level positions with a significant equity stake in their company. The company must also demonstrate its potential to scale upwards of $20 million in revenues and have a clear exit strategy.

The JumpFund II will be led by six general partners -- Kristina Montague (managing partner), Cory Allison, Betsy Blunt Brown, Shelley Prevost, Tiffanie Robinson and Stefanie Crowe.

For more information on the JumpFund visit: www.thejumpfund.com.
Ally Financial Inc., a digital financial-services company, provides various digital financial products and services to consumer, commercial, and corporate customers primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through four segments: Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations. The Automotive Finance Operations segment offers automotive financing services, including providing retail installment sales contracts, loans and operating leases, term loans to dealers, financing dealer floorplans and other lines of credit to dealers, warehouse lines to automotive retailers, and fleet financing. It also provides financing services to companies and municipalities for the purchase or lease of vehicles, and vehicle-remarketing services. The Insurance Operations segment offers consumer finance protection and insurance products through the automotive dealer channel, and commercial insurance products directly to dealers. This segment provides vehicle service and maintenance contract, and guaranteed asset protection products; and underwrites commercial insurance coverages, which primarily insure dealers' vehicle inventory. The Mortgage Finance Operations segment manages consumer mortgage loan portfolio that includes bulk purchases of jumbo and low-to-moderate income mortgage loans originated by third parties, as well as direct-to-consumer mortgage offerings. The Corporate Finance Operations segment provides senior secured leveraged cash flow and asset-based loans to middle market companies; leveraged loans; and commercial real estate product to serve companies in the healthcare industry. The company also offers commercial banking products and services. In addition, it provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services. The company was formerly known as GMAC Inc. and changed its name to Ally Financial Inc. in May 2010. Ally Financial Inc. was founded in 1919 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.
Watch Michelle Obama's Perfectly Graceful Reproach Of Trump's Chicago Comments

By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 20, 2016 9:48PM

First Lady Michelle Obama returned to the campaign trail on Thursday, appearing at a Clinton/Kaine rally in Phoenix. While there, she took a moment during the speech to address Donald Trump's frequent hyper-negative portrayal of black communities, specifically the South Side of Chicago (start the video at 30:11 to listen along).

Heres what Michelle Obama just said about Donald Trump calling Chicagos South Side hell" pic.twitter.com/CrhZU1aP00  Brandon Wall (@Walldo) October 20, 2016

Chicago has been a frequent talking point for Trump throughout the campaign, whether in reference to gun violence (on macro levels and personal levels) or, most recently, at Wednesday's debate, the claim that Democratic officials paid protesters to incite violence at a rally there in March.

Given such a litany, Obama's ring quite generous.

It was her first major campaign appearance since she delivered a moving, memorable rebuke to Donald Trump in the wake of numerous sexual assault allegations.


The word hello means something in the Apple universe. It was the first word on the first Mac, the first word on the iMac, and was part of the companys WWDC invitation, where it announced adoption of the name macOS to replace OS X. Now it is the buzz word on its invitation to the latest news from the company.

Hello to what?

That Apple is saying Hello must be significant, especially with some Mac models having seen no upgrade for almost three years (1,000 days).

We wont know how significant until next week, but with claims it plans to enhance touch in Macs with is new Magic Keyboard and Magic Touchbar and reports claiming the A10 series processor used inside current iPhones is equally as powerful as a low end MacBook (and the A10X easily competes), there are plenty of tongues turning speculation of all types.

There is even renewed speculation about what kind of processor the company wants to adopt and whether it will dump the audio jack from Macs. Star of the show looks set to be a major revamp of the MacBook Pro line-up, with an OLED touch-bar replacing physical function keys, writes 9-5Mac. Also rumored to see a refresh is the 13-inch MacBook Air, says AppleInsider.

ABOVE: Does anyone remember Apple's big iPhone hello in 2007?

Inflection point

Weve reached a critical point. IBM this week told us all that Macs are a much better deal for enterprise deployments than Windows PCs, and while some enterprise users may delay upgrading to Apples superior technology for a while, the move to standards-compliant, platform-agnostic cloud services is mandatory and means the technology lock-ins that once blocked Mac adoption are rapidly disappearing among those enterprises that hope to remain in business in five years time. (Though some resistance will emerge from incumbents in the tech support teams). The time is now and Apple knows it has a huge opportunity and is trying to embrace it.

The impact of mobile on its market is also clear. The move to adopt iOS among enterprise users could become a stalking horse for Mac sales in the sector. What can Apple do to its platforms to entice enterprise purchasers to climb aboard the Mac? One thing that makes a lot of sense is to make it as easy to manage Macs in the enterprise as it is to manage an iPhone, and solutions to achieve this are now available from Jamf.

Coming soon

Apple is not about to give the rest of the PC industry an easy ride. The three-year wait to launch new Macs will turn out not to have been based on any lack of interest in a platform. Think about it: has Apple not updated the OS each year? Has its move to adopt modern languages and to strip the OS (again) of legacy code escaped your notice? Does its determination to adopt a new filing system in the next 12-months mean nothing? Think a little and it seems highly probable the wait has been by design, presumably while the Mac manufacturer developed a range of new technologies  such as the Magic Touchstrip  that it can then safely manufacture in the kind of quantities it takes to bring these to the mass-market.

If this is true (and I think it is) then speculation of all kinds is completely reasonable and some or all of the most way out rumors may turn out top be a little truer than we originally thought. That could mean new processors, new iPad/Mac hybrids and radical redesigns (is it time the Mac Pro became the hideously powerful A10X Cube, for example?) Might Apple choose to retire the hardware completely in favor of macOS support on mobile devices? (No). I'm not expecting changes as big as these -- yet -- but never say never with Cupertino. Whatever the company does it will do in full knowledge that:

The future is now

Following a long break Apple is going to be eager to tell Mac users and the wider PC industry what it sees as the future of the ailing PC market. I do think some of the new Macs it tells us about wont ship until next year. I also expect the critics to continue their sad and lonely existences inside their tiny reality distortion field bubbles, peddling pusillanimous and predictable criticism of whatever it is the company does announce. All the same, I do not expect Apples news will be trivial. The company will webcast its announcement starting at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 27. Ill keep you posted during the event.

Google+? If you use social media and happen to be a Google+ user, why not join AppleHolic's Kool Aid Corner community and join the conversation as we pursue the spirit of the New Model Apple?

Want Apple TV tips? If you want to learn how to get the very best out of your Apple TV, please visit my Apple TV website.

Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when fresh items are published here first on Computerworld.
Graeme Archer is a medical statistician, a former winner of the Orwell Prize for blogging, and recently a speech-writer for a Cabinet Minister.

Killer clowns are on the loose across the UK, in the craze thats sweeping the nation [writes our local news reporter]. But not everyone is amused:

I heard of a woman in Cumbria holding a small child in her arms who was overcome with fear as two of these idiots appeared with no warning in front of her, writes [Bibbledy Bob], in popular freesheet The Guardian.

Take the latest appearance by Sir Bernard Coco-Whatever, self-styled chief of the radical Metropolitan Clowning Service, whose antics throughout the capital and beyond have sometimes veered from comedy to tragedy.

Last week a report into the farce of Sir Bernards Midland operation, which accused innocent men of being child-sex murderers, was produced, but not published.

Sources close to Sir Coco said his refusal to publish the full report was a vindication of his leadership of the Metropolitan Clowns:

Just because we let the media know that entirely blameless men were accused of murdering one, two or  who knows?  a dozen children in a London flat, and lumbered flat-footedly all over the houses of those men, doesnt mean I did anything wrong, intoned Sir Whatever, his gaudy and painted-on smile eerily not matching the stone-dead lifelessness of his cold, cold eyes.

Yes, the wheels may have fallen off the car. But so what? Its all about the kiddies, innit? He ended, threateningly: Youve gotter larf mate. Or Ill do yer! Har har har!

But what of the people your clowning smeared  the lost careers, those who died before their innocence could be

(re-)established?

Look, I have apologised. Credibly, and truly, if privately, and deniably. I regret having to apologise; now lets ave a larf, right?

Meanwhile, the clowning of Operation Midland has been so successful that it is studied with care by the producers of the long-running Whitehall farce No credibility please, were IICSA.

Were more sophisticated than the killer clowns, of course, said a made-up source at IICSA, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. While Sir Hogg-Whatever was content to allow the condign punishment of various famous people on the basis of demonstrably false claims from a neurotic anonymous witness, our inquiry will go much further.

Our inspiration is Mr Casaubon from Middlemarch; but while he drove himself insane with an impossible search for the Key to all Mythologies, our target is the key to all abuse. Wherever it has occurred, by whomever committed, at any point in the past, present or future, our inquiry aims to ensure that We Are All Found Guilty (apart from various protected categories, subject to equalities legislation).

While the killer clowns of Midland were basically Gotcha paedo!, were more theatre of the absurd than custard pie.

For example, were already planning an inquiry into the Independent IICSA inquiry; a meta-inquiry to ensure lessons are learned and fully implemented Here the source tailed off, as though embarrassed by the script he was reading.

(You might call it An enquiry concerning human incomprehension? I suggested.)

The IICSA source outlined some of the absurdities already implemented, starting with The Truth Project: A groundbreaking approach to evidence. Anonymous claims will be gathered [via a website] and treated as the truth. Because its called The Truth Project, you see? It becomes true, because I say its true!

Furthermore, IICSA has dispensed with antiquated notions about authority. Rather than having the inquiry chairperson sat in a position of importance and respect, the presiding chair has been replaced with a ducking stool.

At various points in the proceedings  scheduled to last until Armageddon  our truth-telling witnesses can stand up en masse and scream Youre guilty, too! at the chair. Then we drown the witch, said the source, wiping the latest smear from his lips. Fun for all the family!

It had been rumoured that Franz Kafka applied to chair the inquiry, but was ruled out as (a) his approach to plotting was insufficiently Kafkaesque for IICSAs needs, and (b) he was male.

(All inquiry chairpersons must be female, because lazy assertion that all men are basically rapists, lack empathy etc. Since IICSA seeks to establish the truth, it was felt important to build it up from a foundation of hoary cliches. Theres no smoke without fire, you know!)

However, Mr Kafkas gender, and dead status, notwithstanding  given the current burn through rate in inquiry leadership  another made-up source in the Home Office admitted that hes no longer out of the running, and that his corpse may well be dug from its resting place in Prague, transported to London, and pelted with hysterical eggs before being ceremonially burned.

Thats our back-up plan, anyway, said the civil servant, nervously avoiding eye contact, while preparing to screw on a big, red nose.

The clowns looked at the inquiry, and the inquiry looked back at the clowns. You know how this ends. We are indeed

all guilty: guilty of suffering clowns madly.
'Certain Women' Is Another Gem From One Of Indie Cinema's Best

By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 21, 2016 3:00PM



Michelle Williams in "Certain Women." (Photo by Nicole Rivelli. Courtesy of IFC Films.)

As quiet and unhurried as any of her previous workif not more soKelly Reichardt's Certain Women will test the patience of some viewers while casting a spell over others.

Count me as spellbound. One of the great artists of contemporary American cinema, Reichardt (Meek's Cutoff, Old Joy) finds unvarnished beauty in life's lost moments, dissatisfactions and heartbreaks, and this is one of her very best films.

The three intersecting stories of Certain Women center on Montana women who are not having an easy time of it. Lawyer Laura (Laura Dern) can't get respect from the man she's having an affair with (James Le Gros) or the troubled, ailing client who won't accept her sound legal advice (Jared Harris). When the latter goes off the deep end and takes a hostage, it's less a crisis than a sadly comical reminder of how undervalued Laura is. The police barely give her safety a second thought as they strap a bulletproof vest to her and send her in to do their job.

Meanwhile, Gina (Michelle Williams) tries to go about the business of planning her dream house even as she feels the remoteness of her husband (Le Gros), the teenage disdain of her daughter, and the sexist disregard of an isolated neighbor who may be in the early stages of dementia. Life just doesn't seem to want to cooperate with her.

In a more gentle way, the same is true for ranch hand Jamie (Lily Gladstone). There's not much stress in her life, but not much company either, outside of the cattle she tends and an adorable corgi who chases her as she rides around the ranch. In her tiny town, meeting anyone romantically would be difficult, but especially another woman. But when harried, recent law school grad Beth (Kristen Stewart) comes to town to teach a class, Jamie is smitten. Each week's class becomes an occasion.

Any of these stories could be played for melodramatic effect, but for Reichardt (adapting three short stories by Montana native Maile Meloy), plot takes a backseat to concentrated observations of behavior and environment. The deliberate pacing of her work can take a while to draw you in, and compared to Certain Women, her more suspense-driven previous feature, Night Moves, seems almost like an action film. But here, as in her other films, the patient pace pays off with an emotional honesty and intelligence few filmmakers can equal.

Location is always central to Reichardt's work. Her films mainly take place outdoors (most in the American northwest), but Reichardt doesn't revel in the glories of nature, a la Terrence Malick. She presents the great outdoors in a way that is simultaneously both immersive and somehow oddly distanta familiar yet not-always welcoming terrain for her largely solitary characters.

In Certain Women, those characters are conveyed with great depth of feeling by a first-rate cast. All three of her top-billed actresses (Dern, Williams and Stewart) are terrific, with Williamsnow a veteran of three Reichardt filmsespecially good embodying a silent rage at the ungrateful people around her. And while from the title on down, this movie is very much focused on women, the underrated Jared Harris lends a touch of grace to the walking tragedy of a man giving so much aggravation to Dern's character.

Ever since Williams signed on for Wendy and Lucy, Reichardt has been able to attract well-known actors who are undoubtedly bringing her fiercely independent work to a wider audience (choosing to shoot on 16mm film in this era, Reichardt clearly isn't pursuing the multiplex). But as good as the name talent is here, it's the least known of the "certain women" who steals the show.

I don't know what the future holds for Lily Gladstone, but she makes Jamie the heart and soul of this movie. Certain Women is many things, but perhaps more than anything it is a love letter to the lonely, and Gladstone's gentle, open wound of neediness is that letter's sweetest, saddest line.

Certain Women. Written and directed by Kelly Reichardt. Based on short stories by Maile Meloy. Starring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, James Le Gros and Jared Harris. 108 mins. Rated R.

Now playing at Landmark's Century Centre in Chicago, Cinemark's Century 12/CineArts 6 in Evanston, and Landmark's Renaissance Place in Highland Park.
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

Wednesdays debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump didnt really move things. Trump started well, but then couldnt resist becoming Mr Nasty again, leaving Clinton to wipe the floor with him. For me, she won virtually every single section of the debate, with Trump coming across as a total narcissist, unfit to hold the office of President.

This contest has ended up as who is the lesser of two evils. Clinton is certainly unpopular, and deservedly so, but surely undecided voters will in the end come down in her favour, for fear of what a Trump Presidency would entail. However, there are still two and a half weeks to go and anything could happen.

The one area where I thought Clinton was on dodgy ground was when she again advocated a no-fly zone over Aleppo. That may have been a valid argument a month or two ago, but that ship has well and truly sailed now. It would only work if the Russians agreed to it, and with victory in sight over the rebel forces, why would they do that now?

Clintons refusal to accept the reality of the situation is worrying. You cant just impose a no-fly zone on the Syrians and the Russians, because if you do, you have to be prepared for the consequences. And one inevitable consequence is that as President youd be faced with the awful prospect of ordering a Russian plane to be shot down.

And the consequences of that are too awful to contemplate. Its one thing for Turkey to do it. Its a very different thing for the United States to do it.

         

Ken Loach films are not my cup of tea, you wont be surprised to hear. So when my LBC producer said she had arranged for me to interview the far left film director, my heart slightly sank. It sank even further when she said he had got two tickets for the Premiere of his latest film, I, Daniel Blake, in Leicester Square.

I grumpily accepted that it was probably a good idea to see the film before I interviewed him, so on Tuesday night off we toddled. The place was crammed full of leftiness. I got into a bit of trouble for tweeting that the cinema reeked of leftism. It was a slightly lame attempt at humour which did not go down well with our besandled friends.

The film itself was rather better than I had anticipated, even if it was a tad predictable. The main thing was that it held my attention for an hour and forty minutes, and believe me, in cinemas I have the attention span of a flea. The aim of the film was to show how awful it is to be on benefits and how terrible the DWP systems are, and the terrible psychological effect they have on individuals. And of course that the Tories are evil. Natch.

The main character in the film was a sixtyish Geordie joiner, who had had a heart attack. His doctor had declared him unfit for work yet, according to the ATOS system, he didnt have enough points and therefore was obliged to look for work or he would lose his benefits. In human terms it pulled at the heart strings, as it was no doubt meant to. There was no acknowledgement in the film that there was any problem at all with people who do try to work the system.

Loach had a lot of private information from people who work in the DWP or are members of the PSU union, and he used it to good effect. If the lack of humanity shown by the workers in the job centre scenes bears any relation to reality, its a disgrace.

The second lead character was a cockney single mother of two called Katy, who had been moved up to Newcastle by a London council, because they couldnt house her. The actress who played her was in my opinion the star of the film. She descended into so much debt that she couldnt afford to feed or clothe her two children properly. The most affecting scene was when she visited a food bank, and she was so hungry that she ripped open a tin of beans and started eating them raw. She ended up shoplifting and then being pimped out by the shop security officer who caught her stealing. It was all a bit predictable. As you can imagine, there is no happy ending in a film like this.

As the credits rolled, the cinema rose in acclamation, a woman a few rows in front started ranting loudly about the evil Tories and that c**t Iain Duncan Smith. This woman was wearing a fur coat. As we walked out the woman next to us shouted out We are all Daniel Blake, We are all Daniel Blake. I felt I was existing in a different universe.

I dont think you can use the word enjoy with regard to a film like this. But I didnt not enjoy it. Whatever the political motivation behind it, it did have several valid messages, and one is that there can be terrible consequences if a state system dehumanises people and makes them lose any semblance of self-respect.

The next day I interviewed Loach, live in the studio. Id love to say I took him on and had a right old barny, but it wasnt appropriate. In the end I let him have his say and left it to the audience to judge his views on the evil Tories.

You can watch the interview here.

         

I actually laughed out loud when I read on Guido Fawkes that David Prescott has been hired as Jeremy Corbyns chief speechwriter. The son of John, David couldnt be further from the Corbynista mindset if he tried.

To the outside world it seems like an inspired hire, showing that Team Corbyn is not of one view. But surely a speechwriter has to be able to get inside the head of his boss, and be able to write accordingly.

However, its amazing how the desperation of finding a safe seat can turn ones head isnt it? Still, at least its not a peerage hes after The price for that is rather different.
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Popular pirate manga series 'One Piece' Chapter 843 is being highly anticipated by fans as the said chapter is expected to introduce massive mayhem in a bid to rescue Sanji.

The previous chapter showed the Straw Hats Captain Luffy score a major move against Charlotte Cracker in a battle that raged for at least 11 hours. Luffy unleashed a new form of Gear Fourth technique called Tankman which proved too much for Cracker, according to Gamenguide.Sanji and his family were shown traveling to Big Mom's castle for a pre-wedding meeting as well.

Here are spoilers and speculations for Chapter 843 of 'One Piece.'

As previous chapters of 'One Piece' have indicated, Reiju might come to Sanji's aid and create a distraction to help him escape. However, Puddle's affection towards Sanji might force him to take her with him when he escapes the Whole Cake Island, according to Inquisitr.

In the meantime, while the Straw Hats gang is converging on the Whole Cake Island, rabbit-human hybrid Carrot and Chopper are already in Brulee's Mirror on the island. This means they could soon cross paths with Luffy and Nami, who could reach the wedding venue a lot sooner than others to help Sanji escape, as reported by Vine Report.

It would certainly be an awkward situation if the Straw Hats gang along with Luffy and Nami reached the wedding venue only to find Sanji has already escaped with Pudding. Also, the expected clash between Straw Hats gang with Big Mom would then be for nothing, which will be a bitter pill to swallow for all fans.

Interestingly, there's another theory that suggests that Vinsmoke family might help Sanji escape. Considering they had earlier been threatened by Big Mom that they'd suffer dire consequences if they failed in their mission, the Vinsmoke family are likely to switch sides.Going by their quirky nature, the family just might decide to help Sanji escape the White Cake Island and thwart the marriage to upset Big Mom.

A new spoiler reveals that Big Mom's power is related to weather and she has been compared to the likes of the thunder god Zeus and the sun god Prometheus.

Chapter 843 of 'One Piece' is certainly geared up to create a grand spectacle of actions and emotions.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Photos: Protesters Brilliantly Counter Westboro Baptist Church In Uptown

By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 21, 2016 6:56PM



Mascot of all things retrograde, the Westboro Baptist Church protested on Friday morning in Uptown near Weiss Memorial Hospital. Predictably and brilliantly, they were outnumbered by several dozen counter-protesters of more upstanding mind and funnier signage.

The Kansas-based hate-speech church was in town to picket Weiss due to the hospital's hosting of a Transmale Genital Surgery Cadaver Lab. WBCif you really mustposted about their intentions here.

Counter-protesters outnumbered Westboro picketers by at least 5 to 1, said Megan Groves, Director of Development and Communications at Uptown People's Law Center. Some 50 anti-WBC protesters showed up, compared to 10. Ald. James Cappleman (46th Ward) was also on hand to denounce Westboro.

"One of the things that makes uptown great is its diversity economically, racially, or sexual orientation or gender identity," Groves told Chicagoist. "So it makes sense that Uptown residents would not stand for this hate and bigotry in their neighborhood."

Westboro Baptist Churchwhich is somehow still a thing in 2016, however justly marginalized, and was somehow ever a thingis infamous for its public displays of anti-LGBT, anti-Islamic, etc. rhetoric.
A Chinese calligraphy exhibition was held in Brussels on Wednesday, kicking start a series of events that will be part of the second China Arts Festival in the European Union(EU).

Themed "The Charm of Chinese Characters-Meditation of Ancient Philosophers and Performance of Contemporary Calligraphers", the exhibition has a collection of 30 works from contemporary calligraphers as well as 30 seal-cutting works and 30 rubbings from Chinese artists.

The collection, which is based on works from the most influential ancient Chinese philosophers, aims to help audience explore the core concept of China's universal values, according to a representative from the China Calligraphers Association, one of the event sponsors.

"The key to sound relations between states lies in peoples' affinity, which can be boosted by mutual understanding," said Minister Zhang Lirong of the Chinese Mission to the EU at the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition.

The official believes such an event "helps to establish a strong platform for China-EU cultural exchanges, deepen mutual understanding between the two cultures, promote people-to-people dialogue between China and EU, build up friendship and enhance interactions between Chinese and European civilizations."

Ellis Mathews, Head of China Division from European External Action Service(EEAS), highlighted the increasing collaborative opportunities lay in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage between EU and China. Mathews said cultural heritage was also an important part of the EU culture diplomacy.

The Chinese calligraphy is a unique art form of writing developed more than 5,000 years ago, and has long been recognized as a representative symbol for Chinese culture.

In September 2009, Chinese calligraphy and the art of the seal ingredients were all enlisted as the intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

The calligraphy exhibition will open to the public at the EEAS headquarters until November 7.
One of China's leading classical dancers, Liu Yan, received the Tara award at the annual Life Goes On gala in Vienna on Oct 15. Liu injured her vertebrae severely during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Dancer Liu Yan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The 34-year-old had to bid farewell to the stage and adjust to life in a wheelchair after the injury, which left her paralyzed below the waist. She is the first Chinese to win the Tara award.

The charity gala, which was initiated by Olympic athlete Christian Rijavec in 2008, aims at honoring people "who, dealt with a stroke of fate, nevertheless cope with their lives and even perform extraordinary accomplishments".

In 2014, Liu teamed up with French choreographer Kilina Cremona and took the stage again in The Red Thread (Le Fil Rouge). The musical and choreographic work, featuring Liu, Chinese dancer Chen Maoyuan and French dancer Sophie Jegou, premiered in Beijing during the 2014 Croisements Festival, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.

A dancer who began performing classical Chinese dance at the age of 9, Liu also has published a book, Dance of Hands, about her research on the hand gestures of classical Chinese dance.
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French luxury brand Hermes recently held an exhibition and dance event called The View from Her in Beijing to showcase its autumn/winter 2016 ready-to-wear collection, bags, jewelry and accessories.

Bags, jewelry and accessories at the Beijing show. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum, in Beijing's 798 Art Zone, where the event was held, was split into several spaces to display the items.

In the first room, 10 scarves presented in a blur of neon, pulsating light and looped video. In another room, there were bags, watches and jewelry.

Yet another room had nine ready-to-wear gowns laid flat like sleeping beauties on under-lit white drawers.

After walking through these spaces, guests entered a small "theater" to watch a 20-minute dance called Ensemble for Nine Dresses created by renowned American dancer/choreographer Lucinda Childs.
You are here: Home

Hope Mission, a TV series loosely based on true stories about the Huangpu Military Academy, will air across the country from Oct 24.

A scene from Hope Mission. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Set in the 1930s, the 43-episode tale chronicles the lives of five students at the academy, which produced many commanders who fought in the Civil War and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

In the series, the five students, disappointed by Kuomintang corruption, trek to Yan'an, then a revolutionary hub founded by the Communist Party of China, in search of values and righteousness.

Liu Guotong, the director who has done other war-themed productions, likens Hope Mission to a television version of "road film", a genre popular in the West, which refers to the main characters on a road trip.

The five students traverse an unforgiving route to arrive at Yan'an.

The conflicts and twists which occur on the journey will attract young audiences, Liu said at a recent event to promote the series.

The crew of the series used up to 16 high-quality cameras, six aerial photography vehicles, and two replicas of tanks to shoot a fierce battle in one of the episodes.

A highlight of the series is its young cast members  Mao Zijun, Lin Yuan and Chen Weidong  all in their 20s.

The series will run on Beijing Satellite TV. Four episodes will be broadcast every night.
Renowned Chinese actress Ma Yili has shared her experiences of a visit to Liping County of Guizhou Province to learn about the integrated approaches to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Early Childhood Development (ECD) project for youngsters up to three years of age.

Chinese actress Ma Yili poses for a photo with Karin Hulshof, UNICEF regional director for East Asia and Pacific, Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative to China and Yang Qi, assistant director of the National Centre for Women and Children's Health, at a press conference held in the UNICEF China office, Oct. 20, 2016. [Photo by Zhang Rui / China.org.cn]

Ma made the field trip in September, which was her first after her appointment as UNICEF Ambassador for China.

"I was so impressed by these active young children. They were so engaged, stimulated and thriving," she told a press conference held in the UNICEF China office in Beijing on Thursday. "As a mother, I realize how important it is for parents and communities to learn about ECD. Children need good nutrition, healthcare, stimulation, responsive caring and a safe environment starting from the earliest period of their lives."

Ma visited the local health clinic in Huanggang Village of Liping County, where families with young children have received primary healthcare services including child growth monitoring, development screening, counseling and nutritional intervention.

"In the village, I met a few mothers breastfeeding their babies. I was so happy to see that breastfeeding is a popular practice in rural areas. Some of the babies are more than one or two years of age."

Located in the southeast of Guizhou Province, Liping County is one of the four national-level poverty-stricken counties where UNICEF is working with the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) and the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) to provide a comprehensive package of community-based ECD services including health, nutrition, early stimulation and child protection for youngsters.

Latest global evidence shows that, in the first 1,000 days of life from conception, there is an early window of opportunity to provide nurturing care (nutrition, early learning, responsive care, hygiene, sanitation and security) that children need for their brains to develop fully and to help fulfill their potential.

Ma was also impressed by the outreach and support provided by social workers to the most vulnerable families with young children. "I learned the social worker often makes home visits, talking to parents and learning about the difficult situation of the poor families."

"They help identify the urgent needs of children and support the families to receive critical social assistance through such means as medical insurance or low-income subsidy. I think the role of the social worker is very important here."
Nicolas Goubert has explained the reasoning behind Michelin's tyre allocation for the Australian Grand Prix, and feels the inclusion of an extra soft front wet was brought for exceptional conditions, like those experienced on Friday.

Michelin had warned riders not to complete more than ten laps on the extra soft front - the same compound used by Andrea Iannone in the wet Brno race that showed serious wear -, a "very careful" policy to ensure a similar incident did not reoccur.

Valentino Rossi was one of several riders to use the tyre in cold, wet conditions in FP1 and fell victim to Michelin's warning. The Italian miscalculated the number of laps in his run, and subsequently saw his times from that stint cancelled.

The French tyre firm's decision to include this tyre when it would not be a viable race option in 'normal' temperatures drew criticism from Cal Crutchlow, but Goubert believes Friday's exceptional conditions - that featured temperatures in the single figures - vindicated Michelin's decision.

"[We included it] For a situation like this one. The super soft is more grippy than the normal one. You're likely to get colder weather in the morning like we do with the slicks.

"We bring three or four front slicks. One of them is a soft one. Normally they know that they're not going to use it in the race, for sure. But they can use it at the beginning of the session because it gives you more feeling.

Responding to Crutchlow's comments, that stated there is no value in including a tyre in the allocation that cannot run race distance, he continued, "I don't agree with that.



"It's the same as I said for the slicks. A lot of guys say to us we will use the soft slicks only for the first ten laps on Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning. But we will not use it in the race. After it depends rider to rider. Some of them don't mind using something different. Others, like Cal, do mind."

Goubert went on to explain the extra soft front could complete 30 laps - a view shared by Rossi - if conditions were similar to Friday, a day in which FP2 was cancelled due to incessant, driving rain and near-icy temperatures.

However, due to the tyre's history, and several riders' experiences in the race at Brno, a cautious approach was the best means of working toward a safe race.

"The thing is if the conditions stay as they were this morning for sure you can do 30 laps. But the situation is with the single tyre maker rule and the habits which they take, either you bring tyres which can do a full race distance or a given number of laps and you tell them and put that in the regulation, or you don't do everything."

Should conditions on Saturday and Sunday mirror those of the first day of free practice

"We will see what happens tomorrow. We will look at the tyres. I don't think we'll do it here because of the different tyres. And anyway, it's very difficult to forecast what the weather is going to be.

"This track is not demanding on the front. But now we're being very careful with what happened in Brno. I think we have to [be]!"

The French tyre firm's dry tyre allocation also errs on the side of caution, with low, spring temperatures very much in mind.

The time slot allocated to Sunday's race - 16.00, when track temperatures are known to begin decreasing - has also been considered, with Goubert explaining the February test at the seaside track helping to guide Michelin toward an appropriate front compound.

"I would say that we brought specific tyres for low temperatures and I hope we'll have time to test them properly [laughs]. They're made for a low ground temperature.

"Whether they will work or not, I mean, we're lacking in experience. I hope we'll get some dry time tomorrow. It doesn't look like that. Or in the warm up on Sunday morning. We were lucky enough to have a warning when we came here in February.

"On the last half a day all of a sudden the temperature went down quite drastically. We saw straight away the effect it had on the front. We came with something made for a lot lower temperature."
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Coastal cities and government departments in the southern province of Guangdong are on high alert and preparing for possible disasters caused by Typhoon Haima.

Haima, the 22nd typhoon to hit China this year, is expected to slam into coastal areas between Zhuhai at the mouth of the Pearl River and Shanwei in the eastern part of the province on Friday noon.

Haima, which will be accompanied by raging winds, is expected to wreak havoc in the southern Chinese region on Friday and Saturday.

All fishing boats, ferries and related vessels in the cities and counties that may be hit by Haima are required to return to typhoon shelters before noon on Friday, according to a notice issued by the provincial government on Thursday.

Major construction sites in such cities are also required to cease activity to prevent any casualties, the notice said.

Effective and concrete measures are required to protect coastal dikes and water conservancy projects, and prevent possible landslides and flooding caused by Haima.

Zhang Hongwei, a fisherman in Zhuhai, said most of the fishing boats in the city had returned to shelters by Thursday evening.

"The gales accompanying Haima are so strong that no one will dare to risk their lives to go fishing in the coming two days," Zhang said.

Guangzhou Railway Group canceled part of its train service operating in the eastern part of Guangdong.

The Guangzhou meteorological bureau issued a yellow alert on Friday, indicating that local kindergarten, primary and high school classes will be suspended.

The Shenzhen government has also ordered kindergartens and schools to suspend classes on Friday.

In Hong Kong, the local observatory forecast that the weather will "deteriorate significantly" with frequent squalls and heavy rain, a rare occurrence in late October in Hong Kong.

As seas will be rough with swells, and flooding in low-lying areas is possible, the observatory warned the public to remain vigilant and take precautions as early as possible.

Dragonair, Cathay Pacific Airways and Hong Kong Airlines estimated that flights scheduled from Friday morning to Saturday morning will be affected. The airlines urged passengers to move forward or postpone travel plans according to the situation. Taiwan's China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines had canceled 24 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan as of Thursday.

Ferry services were closed in the Pearl River Delta. Routes from Hong Kong to Guangdong's Jiangmen, Doumen, Zhuhai, Shekou and Lianhuashan were suspended from 3 pm on Thursday until Saturday.

Train services between regional cities will be halted due to bad weather.

In Southeast Asia, Haima weakened and blew out to sea on Thursday after smashing the northern Philippines with ferocious winds and rain overnight. Flooding, landslides and power outages were evident, but large casualties appeared to have been averted after nearly 100,000 people fled to safer ground.

At least seven people were killed in the storm, officials said. But evacuations from high-risk communities helped prevent a larger number of casualties.
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Intelisys To Roll Out Robust Program For Top 50 ScanSource Partners

Michael Novinson

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Intelisys plans to introduce roughly 50 ScanSource partners to carrier and cloud services in January through an intensive program focused on building up their sales capabilities.

The Petaluma, California-based master agent will provide their first 50 ScanSource partners with sufficient "hand holding" to ensure their success so that there's an "avalanche effect" of legacy ScanSource VARs interested in giving cloud and carrier services a try, according to Greg Dixon, chief technology officer of ScanSource.

Intelisys plans to carefully vet its first batch of ScanSource partners around their willingness to dedicate sales resources to building a new practice, either by retraining existing employees or by hiring qualified workers from outside, said Andrew Pryfogle, Intelisys's senior vice president of cloud transformation. ScanSource acquired Intelisys in August for $83.6 million, plus earn-outs.

[RELATED: ScanSource Revamps Sales Organization To Better Support Top Point-Of-Sale Partners]

"We're going to be very, very selective, and make sure we're focusing all of our energies behind ScanSource customers who are willing to make the kind of financial commitment they need to be set up for success," Pryfogle told CRN.

Intelisys has historically been really successful in recruiting VARs, Pryfogle said, but has often struggled to get them selling in volume. Specifically, VARs that add Intelisys's capabilities as another item on their hardware line card aren't going to be successful, Pryfogle said; instead, they must commit and dedicate salespeople to exclusively selling recurring revenue services.

Pryfogle said the first wave of Intelisys's program for ScanSource partners will go really deep in order to prove out the master agent's business model.

"We'll learn a ton together through the process, and we'll find things we can scale to other partners," Pryfogle said. "They're hungry to see what this means for their business."

Intelisys will begin by initially focusing on the highest-quality ScanSource partners, but will gradually bring its program down to much of the rest of ScanSource's channel community, Dixon said.

Intelisys may need a different message as it works its way down the pyramid, Dixon said, and might end up in many cases needing to establish partnerships between ScanSource VARs and Intelisys agents rather than leaning on the VAR to create a full-time carrier and cloud services practice.

"We wouldn't be happy with just those top 50 guys [working with Intelisys]," Dixon said. "We're going to go down into this marketplace, and successful transition these guys."

From the outset, Dixon said both ScanSource and Intelisys will put a huge effort into helping legacy ScanSource partners repurpose some of their existing employees to sell and support cloud and carrier services. Intelisys's program for ScanSource partners is expected to have teeth to it by January, he said.

"If that person fails, then the whole VAR is a lost cause," Dixon said. "They're soured on it."

Intelisys's offering will be a particularly good fit for ScanSource's base of video conferencing and physical security partners, Dixon told CRN. In the video conferencing space, Dixon recommended that partners get into managing the bandwidth to ensure that there's a high-quality connection between the two endpoints.

"The worst thing in the world is a bad video conference, especially because the guys who use it  usually executives  won't put up with it," Dixon said.

And the physical security space has shifted from relying on an on-premise network video recorder with a disk drive to storing security camera footage in the cloud, Dixon said. Therefore, Dixon said physical security VARs must adapt from just selling the endpoints to taking care of the connection between them.

"It's a no-brainer," Dixon said. "We're just scratching the surface here."

Getting into carrier services will be way simpler for ScanSource's legacy point-of-sale and communications partners than getting into managed services, Dixson said. That's because a carrier practice can be brought along incrementally on the side, Dixon said, while managed services requires a more dramatic shift in a partner's business model in order to create an annuity stream.

AmpThink sees a lot of value in the Intelisys acquisition since communications-oriented ScanSource partners will no longer have to go somewhere else to procure carrier services, according to director of operations Adam Sijanksy.

The deal will give legacy ScanSource partners such as Garland, Texas-based AmpThink a lot more choice in the telecom and cloud services space, Sijansky said.

Atlanta-based NuRol Point of Sale plans to look carefully at what Intelisys has to offer, since it is interested in growing its recurring revenue base and capturing a larger share of its existing clients' wallets, according to Gary Levitan, president of NuRol Point of Sale, a ScanSource partner.
Internet of things News

Solution Providers Cheer As Apple Works With Home Builders To Boost HomeKit Adoption

Lindsey O'Donnell

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Apple is aiming to boost its HomeKit home automation platform in the consumer market getting home builders to install its IoT devices in new construction, creating ready-to-go smart homes, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Solution providers like Bacem Moussa, CEO of Boston-based TSP, an Apple partner and solution provider that offers home automation services to high-end homes, cheered the move as a way to bring more business to the building automation space.

"The overall impression is that it's very good news, its a way to make people more aware of home automation and put the control of home automation in the hands of clients," he said. "There's a lot of room in the market for consumer adoption of home automation, [and] there is absolutely tremendous growth in this space for [solution providers] to have an impact."

[Related: 4 Ways Solution Providers Can Find Profit Opportunity In The Internet Of Things]

According to the Bloomberg report, Apple is working with construction companies like Miami, California-based Lennar Corporation, and Canada-based Brookfield Residential Properties.

Apple's home automation framework, HomeKit, released in 2014, serves as Apple's first foray into the Internet of Things through allowing customers to control compatible accessories  including smart locks, lighting, monitoring cameras, and thermostats  from their iOS devices.

HomeKit connects to Home, an app comes standard with iOS, while Apple devices compatible with the Home app are available in its retail shops. HomeKit is part of an increasingly competitive market in the home automation space, which includes the Google Home and Amazon Echo platforms.

Chris Compton, founder of Smart Home HQ, a Newport, Kentucky-based service provider specializing in home automation, said that he is also working with local builders to deploy home automation solutions. Apple's push for HomeKit in more homes could help solution providers like Compton come in and offer support and services, as well as customized future implementations of more connected devices, he said.

"If you can get in with the building companies or with real estate companies, to get homes pre-wired and solutions installed, it will allow customers to experience first hand the benefits of IoT," he said. "This is good for Apple, and its good for companies like me because once these customers already have connected homes we can come in later to customize it."

The home automation market is expected to grow quickly over the next few years. Market research firm Strategy Analytics said that up to $40 billion would be spent on home automation in 2020, up from $24 billion spent in 2016.

It is essential for Apple and other vendors to work with channel partners at the home automation level to provide security, support and maintenance services, stressed Moussa. One important question still remains about Apple's HomeKit and other home automation platforms - what is the strategy for fixing device or security issues customers with home automation systems may have?

"Like with an iPhone or other consumer devices, there's an implicit assumption that the market will take care of support," he said. "I'm skeptical about that approach. Like a phone or a car, home automation is fairly complex, and the solutions are complex. You have the audio-visual, the lighting, and all kinds of other automation making up a complex environment. As the Apples, Googles, and Amazons of the market start improving on the gadgets they're building that will increase demands for our types of services."
Security News

Reports: Cyberattack Spurs Widespread Internet Outage On East Coast

Gina Narcisi

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Internet performance management company Dyn was reportedly hit by a cyberattack, prompting widespread internet outages that reverberated across the East Coast on Friday morning, according to a post on website Hacker News.

Dyn, based in Manchester, N.H., said its server infrastructure was the target of a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS) that specifically impacted its Managed Domain Name Servers (DNS) customers.

In the meantime, a slew of popular websites that rely on Dyn's traffic management and optimization services were either down or were experiencing issues, including Twitter, Spotify and Github.

[Related: Akamai CSO: DDoS Attacks 'Absolutely' Rising ]

Dyn took to Twitter on Friday morning to acknowledge the massive service disruption for users that were able to access the social media site.

On its site, Dyn said: "Starting at 11:10 UTC on October 21th-Friday 2016 we began monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Some customers may experience increased DNS query latency and delayed zone propagation during this time."

The company also informed users via Twitter that its DNS services had been returned to normal operation as of 9:36 am ET. Dyn said it is still investigating the source of the attack.

In addition to the websites that were experiencing downtime, internet service providers on the East Coast also addressed the outage.

Cable company Comcast commented Friday morning that the known DNS issues were resolving, and that its engineers are "closely monitoring this external issue."

After Dyn noted that services had been restored, telecom provider Level 3 tweeted: "Per our global SOC: The Level 3 network is operating normally. Please note, reports of an outage by Downdetector are not accurate."

Friday Morning's DDoS attack on Dyn comes as security pundits express concern that these attacks are growing more powerful and easier to accomplish. Several high-profile hacks, including the cyberattack against investigative journalist and security researcher Brian Krebs, have highlighted the significance of DDoS attacks, said John Pironti, security consultant and president of IP Architects, LLC, a Rowley, Mass.-based risk management and consulting services provider.

The reason why these attacks are becoming easier to pull off is that hackers can use unsecured Internet of Things (IoT) devices to carry out a DDoS attack, rather than buy space from a cloud provider and compromise its servers, Pironti said.

"The barrier of entry for DDoS attacks was getting to be a little expensive, but now, there's been code released into the wild that shows people how to take things like DVRs and cameras to create sources for an attack," he said.

The sustained attack on Krebs that was carried out last month was completed using connected cameras and other smart devices.

"DDoS attacks are Old Faithful attacks -- there's nothing special about them," Pironti said. "It's just that the cost of entry has gotten much lower  now that the code is out there, we are going to see more and more of these attacks, and no one is immune to this because all [hackers] are doing is filling up pipes."
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The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development has sent supervision teams to review local government poverty relief work.

The supervision will expand over 22 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China's middle and west regions, as decreed by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

The supervision campaign will include random inspections, field research, secret inquiries and information from the public will be sought. The campaign will be concluded by the end of October.

China has intensified poverty alleviation efforts to achieve its goal of eliminating poverty by 2020.

On Monday, the government released details of officials' poverty alleviation responsibilities, stating that governments of all levels should have different emphases according to their respective responsibilities.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council will be mainly responsible for policy-making; provincial governments will formulate local plans; while city and county governments will perform the main functions.

Heads of impoverished counties in China will not be promoted or transferred to other posts unless they can prove concrete achievements.

China has entered a crucial stage in its poverty reduction drive, according to the white paper "China's Progress in Poverty Reduction and Human Rights," which was published by the State Council Information Office Monday.

By the end of 2015, China had 55.75 million people living in poverty, more than the population of the continent of Oceania.

China has pledged to lift 10 million people out of poverty every year from 2016 to eradicate poverty by 2020.
The Star Princess called in Nanaimo on Thursday, Oct. 20 on a late season cruise that started in Vancouver and concludes in Los Angeles.

Commented Bernie Dumas, president and CEO of the Nanaimo Port Authority: We know that passengers look for preferred destinations in cruise itineraries. Nanaimo is a gateway to one of the most desirable destinations in the world and once discovered we believe that many passengers will return.

Direct passenger feedback tell us that our Island hospitality rates as one of the best you can find anywhere. The Star Princess arrival in late October is a great boost for Central Vancouver Island communities, a significant benefit from passengers discovering this destination for the first time.

The ship arrived at 7 a.m. and departed at 6 p.m.

Passengers participated in local and regional shore excursions to the Alberni and Cowichan Valleys including the Parksville - Qualicum area.

As passengers arrived in the cruise ship terminal, they were greeted by Tourism Nanaimo Travel Counsellors who pointed the way to photo opportunities with the RCMP in Red Serge, the Big Tub and displays of racing tubs from the Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society. Cannon Firings took place at the historic Bastion. In addition, Nanaimo bar samplings are always part of the ports hospitality.

According to Dumas, passengers were also able take in the harbourside walkway, the Pioneer Waterfront Plaza and various museums. Complimentary shuttles transported passengers from the cruise ship terminal through downtown Nanaimo where they engaged with local volunteers organized by the Downtown Nanaimo BIA. Contact with local culture included the downtown area, galleries, eateries and walking tours which, he said, received positive passenger feedback on a consistent basis.

Dumas continued: We work hard with our city and regional partners to provide a high level of service on a consistent basis, amenities that complement our award winning cruise facility and programs that cruise lines can count on. Passengers tell us that we have an exceptional product and want to see more of Central Vancouver Island.

Video Link: Michele Tuvo, Captain of Princess Cruise Lines "Star Princess" and Moira Jenkins, Chair of the Nanaimo Port Authority having a blast firing the Canon at Bastion Square.

Photos: (1 and 2:) The Star Princess in Nanaimo. (3) Participating in the welcoming ceremonies were (from left) the Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay; Trish Smith, tourism destination specialist; Captain Michele Tuvo of the Star Princess; Moira Jenkins, chair of the Nanaimo Port Authority; and Bernie Dumas, president and CEO of the Port Authority.
Who hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC)?

John McAfee -- in an email exchange and follow up phone call just moments ago -- said sources within the Dark Web suggest it was Iran, and he absolutely agrees. While Russian hackers get more media attention nowadays, Iranian hackers have had their share.

A computer hacker briefly hijacked Twitter.com in 2009, redirecting users to a website and claiming to represent a group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army.

Earlier this year, Iranian hackers were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over cyber attacks.

Why Iran? "The Iranians view Trump as a destabilizing force within America," said McAfee. "They would like nothing more than to have Trump as President."

What about Russia?

"If all evidence points to the Russians, then, with 100% certainty, it is not the Russians," said McAfee. "Anyone who is capable of carrying out a hack of such sophistication is also capable, with far less effort than that involved in the hack, of hiding their tracks or making it appear that the hack came from some other quarter. The forensic tools used to assign culpability in a hack are well known, in the cybersecurity world, to be largely ineffective. They may, sometimes, correctly identify an unsophisticated 15 year old as the source of a hack, such as the teenager who hacked the FBI less than a year ago. But they are completely ineffective against large, sophisticated groups of hackers such as those run by the Russian State."

[ RIGGED ELECTION: See CSO's package of stories challenging the validity of a hacked election ]

When asked for his Dark Web source, McAfee replied "You know better than to ask me for a link to the Underweb. I would spend the rest of my life fighting the best hackers on the planet."

There's no conclusive evidence to point the finger at Iranian or Russian hackers, but McAfee may be on to something.

And the DYN hack?

"The Dark Web is rife with speculation that North Korea is responsible for the DYN hack" said McAfee. He suspects it is Bureau 121, a North Korean cyberwarfare agency with almost 2,000 state sponsored hackers in the group. McAfee said they certainly have the capability and if it's true (that they hacked DYN) then forensic analysis will point to either Russia, China, or some group within the U.S."

There's no conclusive evidence that North Korea is responsible for the DYN hack, but McAfee is wired into a large network of underground sources.

Update: McAfee added "Bureau 121 left trails to an American company that offers services to counter DDoS attacks. The company was not named. When found, I guarantee that the company might have had cause to launch the attack. This is how sophisticated hacks work."

"Backconnect is the name of the company that Bureau 121 is trying to implicate" said McAfee. "Backconnect has a history of spoofing IP addresses so they make a perfect fall guy."

MORE FROM MCAFEE:
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Lin Cunde, former deputy head of the organization department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee was given a life sentence for accepting bribes, on Friday.

According to the Intermediate People's Court in Dongguan City, Lin accepted bribes of over 24 million yuan (3.6 million U.S. dollars).

His personal assets will be confiscated, and his ill-gotten gains will be turned over to the state, said the court verdict.

The court found that Lin took advantage of his position to seek profits for others in job promotions and transfers, project contracts, school enrollment and employment.
As a wave of dining options flood Fairfield County, it can be difficult to know where the best eats are. That's why Hearst Connecticut Media and CTBites got together to figure out the best of the best, resulting in their 2016 "Top 100 Dining & Drinks in Fairfield County" collaboration.

Of the top 100, an impressive 34 were from the Bridgeport area. The best restaurants in and around Bridgeport are in the gallery above.
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Niche has released their annual rankings of colleges around the nation and, perhaps as expected, one Connecticut university was ranked among the top in the county.

Yale University, in New Haven, came in as the best college in Connecticut and third best in the nation. The university was also recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the third best in the nation as well.

Check out the gallery for a look at how Connecticut's colleges ranked in the state and nationally. To read Niche's full report on the best colleges for 2017, click here.

Wesleyan University, in Middletown, was ranked as the second best college in the state, followed by the University of Connecticut, in Storrs.

The report compiles "millions" of surveys from student and alumni over the past year and more than 2,500 schools were ranked across academics, value, professor's, and student satisfactionamong many other factors.

So what makes Yale University the gold standard in Connecticut and the nation? According to one student review on Niche, community plays just as important a role as education.

"I am entering my third year in the fall and couldn't imagine being anywhere else. What drew me to Yale was the close knit community and the welcoming and inclusive social space," a Yale junior wrote. "I have friends from all walks of life and love to interact with people form all different backgrounds. I truly feel that I have grown as an individual as I have become equipped with the vocabulary to express eloquently just who I am and where I stand on certain issues to my peers."

Related: Southwest Connecticut schools among 'best places to teach'

A couple of our region's universities were able to break into the top ten, with Fairfield University ranking seventh in the state and UConn's Stamford campus ranking eighth.

When it came to Fairfield University, one sophomore noted while the campus was great, diversity could be an issue.

"The school can do better in terms of diversity. It can get really clique-y really fast, however I also think it helps build a sense of independence," the student wrote. "It's hard when you come from the inner city than suddenly you are surrounded by rich, upper class people who wear name brands. I am actually enjoying the school, and I was able to break the classicist barrier with SOME people and make amazing friends."

Fairfield University came under fire last March after a "ghetto-themed" party was hosted by campus students at an off-campus location.

Sacred Heart University and University of Bridgeport placed 15th and 19th, respectively. Western Connecticut State University in Danbury ranked 20th.

Even while WCSU ranked toward the bottom of in-state choices, one student said the transition offered between high school and college was appreciated.

"I was a commuting part time student at WCSU last year. I didn't go here because it was my first choice and I loved it, but because I didn't feel I was ready to fully jump into a 4 year college situation," the freshman wrote. "In this way, being part time at WCSU offered me a good transition from high school. I was able to take a few classes and see what college was like while still being comfortable and close to home. I found it easy to meet people and find things to do."

Heading up the bottom of the list in Connecticut were Mitchell College, in New London, University of Saint Joseph, in West Hartford, and Central Connecticut State University, in New Britain.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Since May 2016, the new President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been attracting much attention due to his atypical (some might say undiplomatic) rhetoric and his distinctive, uncommon style.

U.S. President Barack Obama portrayed him as "a colorful guy" during last month's Hangzhou G20 Summit after being informed about some of his personally insulting comments.

Duterte has also received much publicity due to his ongoing war against drugs. Although this was one of his pre-election promises, to fight against crime and corruption, the large number of victims has raised eyebrows as to whether it can be effective.

Now, the Philippines leader comes to the center of attention due to his economic and foreign policy calculations. His decision to visit China and meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Primere Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang should likely lead to improved bilateral ties.

Data provided by the Philippine Statistics Authority demonstrates that China was the country's second largest partner in 2015 following Japan, with the U.S. in third place. Total bilateral trade was worth of $17.646. Chinese exports reached $6.175 billion and imports $11.471 billion.

This harmonious economic collaboration can be further strengthened. The implementation of the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, with its emphasis on infrastructure by Beijing, and new financial instruments such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) offer good opportunities for Manila to explore its active involvement and long-term potential benefits.

Commenting on Duterte's China visit, an editorial in Business Mirror - an influential economic title in the Philippines - foresaw the day when the country's "goods might flow to the rest of Asia and Europe using B&R." In addition, Beijing's investments could nicely complement Manila's infrastructure-spending ambitions.

Apart from economics, Duterte's China visit has acquired a strong political dimension. His steady anti-American rhetoric in parallel with his public vow to step away from the policies of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, vis-a-vis the U.S., and to reconsider the traditionally close military cooperation with Washington, show signs of a critical reorientation of Philippine foreign policy dogma.

More importantly, Duterte seems determined to solve the dispute with the Chinese administration over the South China Sea at the bilateral level, although recent legal arbitration at The Hague favored his country.

The gradual pivot of the new Philippines leader towards China is not welcome in America. That is because it possibly jeopardizes the evolution of Washington's new strategy in Asia, often called a "rebalancing" initiative.

In November 2011 then U.S. Secretary of State and current presidential candidate Hillary Clinton argued that the Philippines - along with Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand - were "the fulcrum" for Washington's approach to the Asia Pacific region.

In her view, these five countries were enhancing their regional leadership at a time of evolving security challenges. In November 2015, meanwhile, President Obama said after a meeting with Aquino at the White House that the U.S. "supports the Philippines' decision to use arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to peacefully and lawfully address differences" [with China].

Now, Time magazine saw the opening of a new chapter in the relationship between China and the Philippines, and especially Duterte's intention to negotiate bilaterally on the South China Sea issue, as "a win for Beijing."

This may well be a correct assessment. Nevertheless, what matters more is not whether current developments signal a diplomatic victory for the Chinese administration, but what they mean for Asian stability.

The preservation of peace is the utmost objective. As long as Duterte serves this need, his policy should be regarded positively. The Manichean logic leads nowhere because a conflict in South China Sea will damage all sides involved.

Last but not least, the visit of the Philippines leader to China raises the question as to whether improvement of bilateral ties has strategic depth or is rather superficial and provisionary. Critics of Duterte believe he is only pretending to bargain, and will not risk losing American military support in the long-term.

His forthcoming visit in Japan, they say, falls within his intentions to keep a balance. No scenario should be excluded in politics and international relations. It should be mentioned, though, that the country having the upper hand in negotiations is China and not the Philippines.

Beijing is therefore able to practically test the sincerity of Duterte and figure him out by employing the "carrot and stick" approach. No blank check for Chinese investments and aid will be given.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
The Wall That Heals, which is a half-scale replica of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., has been set up at Savin Rock Park in West Haven, Conn.

The wall holds the names of 58,307 members of the military, which includes both killed and missing in action.
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Russia announced on Thursday to extend the humanitarian truce in Syria's Aleppo by 24 hours.

The move came as an order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and it was supported by the leadership of Syria, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

Russia and Syria on Monday announced a humanitarian truce from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time (0600 GMT to 1400 GMT) on Thursday in rebel-held areas of Aleppo, but decided on Wednesday to extend it for another three hours.

The truce aims to ensure the safe exit of civilians via humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of the wounded and sick.
We are at a crossroads in Connecticut. Either we are going to invest in clean energy and join the fight against global warming or we are going to make consumers pay billions of dollars for fracked gas pipelines we dont need, we cant afford and that emit more greenhouse gases.

We face this fundamental choice with little public knowledge or debate. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will soon announce the winning bids for a Request for Proposals (RFP) that was issued with little notice and scant opportunity for the public to make its voice heard.

But the RFP faces an unanticipated wrinkle. It was premised on the states applying a pipeline tax on everyones electric bill. Thats right, we would pay for the pipelines and any overruns  not the shareholders.

This unusual financing scheme was recently shot down by the Massachusetts Supreme Court and ruled illegal in New Hampshire, so that means we would pay for these pipelines to ship fracked gas from Pennsylvania to Boston and maybe further for profitable export. So Connecticut consumers get stuck with the bill, not our friends across the border in Massachusetts.

There are three fundamental reasons why these pipelines make no sense:

First, why should consumers fund them? Normally, utilities issue bonds to cover the infrastructure costs, and they take on any financial risks. If these pipelines are such a good investment, why dont the utilities pay for them? Why are we stuck with billions of dollars for pipelines we dont need?

Second, we dont need more fracked gas. One reason that utilities are turning to consumers to fund the pipelines is that there is insufficient demand from the electric companies to pay for the investment. That is what happened to the Kinder Morgan proposal to build a pipeline across Massachusetts. It couldnt get enough electric companies to sign contracts and they ended up pulling the plug on the pipeline.

That is exactly what a research report commissioned by the Massachusetts Attorney General said would happen. That report concluded that even under severe weather conditions, Massachusetts had sufficient electric system reliability through 2030. The regional grid operator, ISO-NE, projects near zero growth in annual energy use throughout New England.

Consider what happened to Connecticuts ambitious $7 billion, 10-year initiative to encourage 280,000 homeowners to convert to gas. That program is way behind its target. Eversource even resorted to offering homeowners a free 40-gallon water heater, but still couldnt meet its goal.

Third, fracked gas is dangerous and dirty. Connecticuts current plan is to switch from one dirty fuel to another - from coal to gas. But many studies actually conclude that the greenhouse emissions from gas are no lower than the emissions from coal and oil. Thats because natural gas is 97 percent methane, which is 86 times as potent as carbon dioxide for greenhouse emissions for a 20-year cycle. The methane leaks out in significant quantities during drilling and from the pipelines. In fact, recent research has found significant more leaks from the Hartford gas pipeline than gas distributors report.

This amounts to using twentieth century solution to fix a twenty-first century challenge. But we do have an opportunity to build awareness of the pipeline proposals and to encourage debate about what is best for our future.

There are real alternatives to relying on new pipelines that offer guaranteed benefits to our state. We need to continue to push for energy efficiency programs to drive down future demand and make household bills come down. And in severe weather emergencies, we can rely on low-priced stored Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or oil if needed. The occasional use of oil to meet peak demand is far less harmful than building pipelines to increase the use of gas year-round. This pathway would avoid further tying our state and our electric bills to the technologies of the past while allowing us to apply those dollars saved to a cheaper and cleaner future.

The State of Connecticut is required to issue a Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES) every three years. The 2013 Strategy included the failed plan to convert more than a quarter million homes to gas and to build 900 miles of pipelines to provide that gas.

Lets not make the same mistake again. The CES process incudes public hearings and a comment period to seek public opinion. Lets make sure this process gets the attention it desperately deserves. Lets work together to make Connecticut a model for energy policy in the future, rather than falling back to old solutions.

State Rep. Chris Rosario, D-Bridgeport, sits on the legislatures Energy and Technology committee. Diane Lentakis is a member of the Connecticut Sierra Club executive committee.
Connecticut has a lot to offer. While I have often seen promotions to tourists  and even residents  to come and enjoy the Connecticut River Valley, our beaches and rolling Litchfield hills, I would love to see a similarly coordinated effort on the subject of higher education.

If anything, the spending trend has been quite the opposite, as millions of dollars are being cut every year from vital programs aimed at attracting and retaining college students, the lifeblood of our states future growth and prosperity.

Connecticuts need-based financial aid program, recently renamed the Roberta Willis Scholarship Program, provides funding for Connecticut students who attend Connecticuts public and private colleges. Of great concern, funding allocated for Connecticut students attending independent colleges has shrunk dramatically over the past five years.

In 2011, there was $23 million allocated for this purpose. This year, the total allocation for this body of students has shrunk to $3.8 million spread among all 15 independent institutions, less than half of what it was just one year prior.

At Sacred Heart University, state need-based aid for attending Connecticut students has been cut 85 percent over the past five years. These deep cuts have severely limited our capacity to enroll low-income Connecticut residents. Because of this reduction we are not able to fulfill all the returning student awards, nor have we been able to award any Roberta Willis Scholarship funds to new students.

Adding to the loss, many of the students we are unable to serve through this program are electing to leave Connecticut. They are enrolling in institutions out of state, and the likelihood of them returning is slim.

One might wonder if the lessons from workers, students and employers leaving our state has hit home yet in Hartford. When General Electric announced earlier this year its intention to relocate its corporate headquarters to the Boston area, some of the reasons cited included the lack of a qualified workforce to meet its evolving needs, or a sound, long-term commitment to business incubation.

That perceived  or real  lack of accessible young talent and adequate investments in developmental programs should have been another wake-up call for our leaders.

The independent colleges play an important role in educating students for our states workforce. We award the majority of the degrees earned in key growth areas such as engineering, computer science, research and the health sciences. Many of our graduates do internships and residencies in-state and often choose to remain in Connecticut after graduating. As these numbers shrink, so will the interest of employers in remaining in or relocating to Connecticut.

It is understa

ndable that funding for need-based students in all of our states institutions of higher learning has shrunk in response to revenue challenges. A lagging economy has far-reaching implications, and programs across the board, from education to social services, economic development, public safety, health care and other areas are suffering.

However, increasing funding for need-based aid for students attending all of our states institutions of higher education must be a priority for this next legislative session. It is a critical tool for both retaining much-needed young talent in Connecticut and for providing access for low-income students. Our states attainment gap, which is the abyss between whites and minorities in attaining a post-secondary credential, is one of the worst in the country.

If we choose to ignore these gaps in achievement and education funding, the long-term results for Connecticut will be disastrous. Students and their parents will continue looking elsewhere for their college education, and current and future employers will follow.

John J. Petillo is president of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
TRUMBULL  The towns police union has issued a no-confidence vote against the Police Commission chairman in the wake of a Bridgeport mans claim that Roger McGovern used his office to pressure him make restitution for damage to McGoverns sport utility vehicle.

McGoverns behavior has shamed the pride, professionalism and reputation of our department, Union President Sgt. Robert Coppola said following Thursday nights vote. The union called from McCovern to resign from his position atop the commission.

Bernardino Nieva, 33, filed a police report in August accusing McGovern of harassment. Nieva alleged that McGovern claiming to be a police officer, which he is not.

Nieva said he was riding his bicycle to work on Aug. 19, when his elbow accidentally hit the side of McGoverns Cadillac Escalade. Nieva told Hearst Connecticut Media that McGovern got out of the SUV, showed him a badge and demanded $2,600. When Nieva refused to pay the money, he said, McGovern came to his work and home demanding it and claiming he was a police officer.

No criminal charges were levied against McGovern, and at First Selectman Timothy Herbsts request the matter was referred to the Trumbull Ethics Commission.

We believe that by abusing the power, Commissioner McGovern has undermined the spirit of cooperation, trust and integrity at the core of our mission, Coppola wrote in a letter to Herbst. While we appreciate the commissioners service to the public, our members believe that he must vacate his position as soon as possible for the betterment of the community we serve.

In the letter, Coppola said the union supports the first selectmans request of McGovern to step down from his position.

McGovern has refused to resign. He did not return phone calls for comment.

I am proud of how Chief (Michael) Lombardo and his officers have conducted this investigation, Herbst said. Our Police Department referred this matter to the states attorneys office and they have declined to charge Mr. McGovern with any criminal violation.

Herbst continued that if the Ethics Commission finds McGovern to have violated the towns Code of Ethics, the panel can vote to recommend his removal from office.

I am hopeful that the Ethics Commission acts promptly, so we may bring closure to this issue and get on with the important business of protecting the people of Trumbull, Herbst added.
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China and the Philippines on Thursday pledged to improve economic ties through cooperation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

During a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China and the Philippines had a sound foundation and great potential to coordinate strategies related to improving the economy and people's living standards.

China is ready to increase cooperation with the Philippines in areas such as connectivity, infrastructure construction, production capacity, agriculture and finance, and further promote trade and investment, Li said.

Speaking highly of China's achievements in social and economic development, Duterte said the Philippines would like to deepen cooperation with China in various fields and learn from China's experience of poverty alleviation and economic development.

In a China-Philippines Trade and Investment Forum at the Great Hall of the People, together with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, Duterte said both countries share similar culture and thinking patterns.

The Philippines appreciates China's sincere assistance and respect of the Philippines and other countries, said Duterte, adding his country has put developing relations with China as one of its foreign policy priorities.

He said he welcomes China to further expand investment in the Philippines and would implement the consensus reached with Chinese leaders during this visit.

Zhang said the economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure construction and production capacity are priorities for the next stage of bilateral cooperation.

China is willing to work closely with the Philippines to implement the consensus, plans and major projects reached between the leaders, Zhang said.

The forum, jointly held by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, was attended by some 700 businessmen from both countries.

During his meeting with Duterte, Li mentioned that the South China Sea issue should not define the Sino-Philippine relationship.

The common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences, he added.

Li expressed China's willingness to develop relations with the Philippines to put ties back on a healthy track.

China has always stood for resolving bilateral issues through dialogue and consultation of those directly concerned, said Li.

Li hoped that the two sides would jointly promote good-neighborly friendship and remain committed to managing their differences through dialogue and consultation, which serves the common interests of the two sides and also contributes to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN and it is also the China-ASEAN year of tourism cooperation, with the Philippines holding the ASEAN's rotating presidency.

Li said China was willing to take this opportunity to enhance communication, coordination and cooperation with the Philippines within the framework of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Later Thursday, top legislator Zhang Dejiang also met with Duterte at the Great Hall of the People.

Duterte arrived in Beijing Tuesday night for a four-day state visit to China, the first country he has visited outside ASEAN since taking office in June.

The visit came amid a backdrop of deteriorating China-Philippines ties, due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case initiated by his predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China.
STORY LINK ECB Decision Leaves GBP EUR Exchange Rate at Weekly High

Pound (GBP) Demand Mixed as Data Fails to Inspire

Euro (EUR) Slumps after Draghi Hints at December Quantitative Easing

GBP/EUR Forecast: Eurozones Preliminary October PMIs Next Week

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The Pound to Euro exchange rate saw mixed movement on Thursday up until the European Central Banks (ECB) meeting. Following the meeting, the Euro weakened as ECB President Draghi indicated a QE extension could be applied in December.GBP/EUR has trended largely flatly since Tuesdays session brought the pair up to 1.12. The pair briefly plummeted to 1.1091 on Thursday afternoon, but quickly recovered and now hovers safely above the key 1.12 level.Sterling has seen mixed sentiment since Tuesdays surge, as the weeks data has done little to inspire movement. The Pound continued to edge higher against the Euro on Thursday and Friday despite underwhelming UK ecostats.Thursday saw the publication of British retail sales scores, which came in below expectations in every print but did not seem to have been affected by the Brexit vote in any way.Friday followed with Septembers UK public sector net borrowing report, which once again came in well above expectations and indicated that Britain was still running regular budget deficits. Despite this, Sterling held its ground against the Euro on Friday morning.The Euro had a busy day on Thursday despite the European Central Bank (ECB) taking a largely familiar stance to the state of the Eurozone blocs monetary policy.As investors widely expected, policymakers decided to leave its monetary policies frozen and indicated as usual that it would continue its easing measures until March 2017, or beyond if necessary.It was ECB President Mario Draghis following press conference that gave markets a little more to think about and a bit more to trade over as investors pored over Draghis every word.Draghi stated that the bank had not discussed extending quantitative easing in its meeting, which briefly caused the Euro to surge.However, the Euro quickly gave up its ground as shortly afterwards Draghi stated that the bank had also not discussed tapering the QE program. Hints that an extension to the QE program could be decided in December left the Euro weaker overall on the day.Its already that time again, next weeks session will see the first Eurozone figures for economic activity in October.Following hot on the heels of the past weeks European Central Bank (ECB) meeting, better economic activity could stave off bets of a December extension to quantitative easing.Septembers Service PMI was highly disappointing due to a big slowing in German services activity, so investors will be hoping for an improvement here. If Composite PMI shows a solid improvement on the month, this could set a good tone for Euro trade next month.Tuesday will see the publication of the IFOs October German business sentiment scores, but Britains economic calendar will be quiet until Thursday  which sees the publication of Britains Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) scores.While these growth figures may give the Pound a slight boost if they beat expectations, it is becoming increasingly evident that Sterlings main movement factors revolve around Brexit news now.As a result, any development in Brexit plans or trade ideas could be the primary cause for Pound movement next week and could help the currency see another week of gains if they impress markets.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

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These real PA creatures could become cryptids if we don't save them
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Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group traded accusations with Saudi Arabia on Friday over breaching a ceasefire mediated by the United Nations, deepening the uncertainty of the peace process in the country.

People shop at a market in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 18, 2016. Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has officially agreed on Monday to a 72-hour ceasefire between the warring parties in the war-torn Arab country proposed by the United Nations. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

The UN-brokered 72-hour ceasefire, meant to last for three days, came into effect on Wednesday midnight.

According to a statement released by Houthi-run media, a Thursday night air strike by the Saudi-led coalition killed three civilians in the northern province of Saada.

The coalition accused the Houthis of firing rockets on the southern Saudi cities of Jazan and Najran, killing two civilians, according to a statement by Saudi official media.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said its troops in the Yemeni central province of Marib shot down three missiles fired by Houthis late on Thursday.

The ceasefire is aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid supplies to the war-stricken cities.

UN officials hoped the truce would be extended to pave the way for resuming stalled peace talks and to end the war.

Previous attempts to cease fire between warring parties in Yemen had hardly been observed, with all sides involved in the conflict trading accusations of violating the truce.

Ceasefires backed by the UN are frequently interrupted.

On March. 23, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, announced that a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen was scheduled to begin in April, and peace talks scheduled to begin in Kuwait.

However, the Houthis accused Saudi-led coalition warplanes of killing seven Houthi followers in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on May 8, which triggered the Houthi and Saleh delegations to walk out of the talks in protest.

A day later, the warring parties came back to the peace table in Kuwait and in June the UN special envoy said that "after extensive discussions with the participants, the main principles that will guide the next phase of Yemeni talks had been established."

Talks continued while Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition accused each other of violating the ceasefires.

On Oct. 17, the UN declared that a 72-hour ceasefire between Houthi fighters and their rival Saudi-backed exiled government forces will take effect at 2359 local time (2059 GMT) on Oct. 19.

However, the ceasefire became fragile after the warring sides traded accusations of breaching it.

The conflict in Yemen began after Arab-spring style 2011 mass protests that eventually forced former President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power.

The Houthis, supported by Saleh, seized the Yemeni capital Sana'a and some other Yemeni cities in September 2014, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The Houthis and their ally forces loyal to Saleh have controlled most of Yemen's northern regions since September 2014, while the Saudi-backed Hadi's government has worked with its tribal allies in the southern provinces they recaptured from Houthi rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 with an air force campaign to restore Hadi to the power and roll back Houthi gains.

The 19-month civil war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians.
Say what you like about this unedifying American presidential campaign, but at least, unlike us, theyre holding an election to choose the next leader of their country.

OK, so theyre having to decide between an inarticulate fairground barker, who never expected to be on the ticket in the first place and probably doesnt want to win, and a borderline criminal and serial liar convinced the White House should be hers by divine right.

If Donald Trump behaves in public like the boastful love-child of Piers Morgan and Philip Green, then Crooked Hillary is a cross between Cherie Blair and Rose West. For better or worse, one of these grotesques will become Leader of the Free World in three weeks time.

Say what you like about this unedifying American presidential campaign, but at least, unlike us, theyre holding an election to choose the next leader of their country

Its easy to sneer at the demeaning state of affairs to which the greatest democracy on earth has been reduced. Indeed, Ive done it myself. The default position of most British journalists covering the presidential campaign is to feign disgust, ridicule the whole rotten process and reassure themselves that back in Blighty we conduct our affairs in a far more sophisticated fashion.

But were kidding ourselves if we try to bask in our moral superiority over our brash American cousins. How can we seriously argue that the way we go about politics is any more legitimate than the system which produced The Donald and Lyin Hillary?

Whichever one of them wins on November 8 will have endured an exhaustive and gruelling selection process, culminating in a nationwide plebiscite, in which more than 150 million people are registered to vote.

Trump is already preparing the ground for defeat  making noises about the election being rigged. The outraged headlines after Wednesday nights final TV debate condemned his refusal to give a guarantee that he will accept the peoples verdict  sending the Clinton camp and their bovine cheerleaders in the mainstream media into a lather of self-righteous indignation over this monstrous affront to democracy.

But we have, of course, been here before. In 2000, Democrat candidate Al Gore conceded defeat to George W. Bush, only to withdraw his concession a couple of hours later after receiving a phone call from the outgoing President  one William Jefferson Clinton  urging him to challenge the result.

That one ended with legions of lawyers poring over disputed ballot papers in Florida and bizarre arguments involving hanging chads. But after a few weeks of haggling, the result stood and Bush was confirmed in office.

Even then, our smug political class looked down their noses at the Americans and insisted this kind of cynical, manipulative behaviour could never happen here.

Well, Im sorry to puncture their self-regarding souffle of sanctimony, but weve got nothing to learn from the U.S. when it comes to subverting democracy.

In case you havent noticed, weve just changed our Government from top to tail without troubling the electorate. The political class used the outcome of the EU referendum to mount a palace coup. No one voted for Theresa May to become Prime Minister and we now have a Cabinet comprised largely of ministers who were on the losing side of the argument.

The U.S. election has been dominated by allegations of sexual impropriety against Trump and the financial chicanery which hangs off Hillary like a cheap suit. Mrs Clinton was recently caught telling Wall Street bankers that what she says in public is not necessarily what she does in private.

Sounds familiar?

By all accounts, behind closed doors Philip Hammond is doing his damndest to promise his friends in the City that he will ensure we stay locked in the sacred single market

Take Philip Hammond, our new Chancellor, who now insists for public consumption that Brexit means Brexit. But by all accounts, behind closed doors he is doing his damndest to promise his friends in the City that he will ensure we stay locked in the sacred single market  subject to all EU rules, contributions and freedom of movement.

During the Brexit debate, an MP called Amber Rudds main contribution was to accuse Boris Johnson of being a sexual predator, as if that had anything to do with the Common Fisheries Policy. Her reward, despite being on the losing side, was to be promoted to Home Secretary.

Look Back In Ambers brother, Roland Rudd, a PR spiv backed by the same kind of mega financial institutions which bankroll the Clintons, is running a guerilla campaign to overturn the referendum result.

Roland Rats partner in crime is our old friend Peter Aloysius Mandelson, one of the most odious men ever to infect the body politic, who has grown rich by sucking up to some of the worlds worst tyrants.

Mandelson, you recall, was twice required to resign from government for dishonesty.

He was rewarded with a peerage and a lucrative sinecure in Brussels, which affords him a handsome pension linked to his undying loyalty.

This gruesome twosome, along with a substantial number of failed and discredited politicians, think they can torpedo the will of the British people. Whats the difference between Trump suggesting he might challenge the outcome of the presidential election and their attempt to reverse the referendum result?

Hillary may be a proven and serial liar, but shes no worse than Mandelsons former boss Tony Blair, who lied through his teeth in order to take Britain to war in Iraq  supported by a dodgy dossier compiled by his thuggish sidekick Alastair Campbell and a pliable security establishment.

In America, Trump is under fire for minimising his federal tax liabilities and failing to publish his tax returns. But at least hes made his own money.

Have we forgotten how many of our own MPs resorted to sophistry and outright falsehood to claim parliamentary allowances and expenses to which they should not have been entitled and flipped the addresses of their main homes to avoid paying capital gains tax? Some of them went to jail.

As for sexual mudslinging, the Americans have nothing to teach Labours Tom Watson, the Nonce Finder General, who has routinely abused parliamentary privilege to falsely accuse his Conservative opponents of a catalogue of historic sex crimes against children and other vulnerable individuals.

Hes now his partys deputy leader.

So by all means poke fun at the U.S. election and feel free to mock The Donald and Crooked Hillary.

But dont forget the old saw about people who live in glass houses. Our political class has no right to feign superiority over the Americans, given their own track record of dishonesty and contempt for democracy.

My favourite story of the week comes from Gloucestershire, where a gang of sexagenarian joyriders managed to start a stampede.

They drove across Minchinhampton Common in a 12-year-old blue Nissan Micra, dangling a bunch of carrots out of the hatchback to entice a herd of cows to follow them.

The common is home to 300 cattle and a donkey called Archie. Eyewitnesses say some of the cows chased the car and ended up on a main road.

My favourite story of the week comes from Gloucestershire, where a gang of sexagenarian joyriders managed to start a stampede

It sounds like a stunt from Top Gear, or an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine.

But police are taking it seriously and are looking for a man and two women, all in their 60s. In recent years, six cows have been killed after straying into the road. And it seems the incident could have had more far reaching consequences if it had taken place in the evening, not mid-afternoon.

Apparently, Minchinhampton Common is a popular spot with the local dogging community.

Think of the carnage which could have been caused if the cattle had stampeded through the bushes where enthusiastic doggers were engaging in a little light open air sex.

Cue Frankie Laine (or The Blues Brothers, if you prefer). Head em up, move em out!

Rollin, rollin, rollin,

Though their loins are swollen,

Keep them doggers rollin,

RAWHIDE!

Here come the Groovy Gang from the jungle

These children reminded me of that classic episode of Only Fools And Horses, in which Del enters one of Rodneys old paintings in a competition and wins a holiday in Majorca

Has no one joined the dots? The arrival in Britain of a procession of dubious child migrants coincided with reports that hundreds of terrorist sleepers who have been smuggled into the EU posing as refugees are about to mount attacks in Europe as Izal is driven out of its strongholds in the Middle East.

Doh! From day one, Ive been pointing out that these so-called refugees are predominantly young men of military age, about whom we know nothing. They have no papers and we wont even give them dental checks to establish their ages.

On a lighter note, these children reminded me of that classic episode of Only Fools And Horses, in which Del enters one of Rodneys old paintings in a competition and wins a holiday in Majorca.

When they get to the resort, Rodney discovers the competition was for under-14s and he has to pose as a teenage boy for the duration  enlisted in the Groovy Gang and accosted by a besotted Bros fan.

Eventually, he snaps at Del: Thanks to your general wally-ness, I am now a 26-year-old man who has just come second in a skateboard race!

Del replies: Second? You were in the lead when I saw you.

If you spot a 34-year-old Syrian skateboarding through Croydon, hes either the latest recruit to the Groovy Gang or on his way to blow up the nearest shopping centre!

As someone who wants a rock-hard, tungsten-tipped Brexit, I can assure Mother Theresa that shes wasting her time trying to negotiate sensibly with 27 member states. The latest EU trade deal with Canada has just been vetoed by the regional assembly in Wallonia, Belgium. The Walloonatics really have taken over the asylum.
It's the age-old debate that has long-since divided women: hairless or au natural?

If advertisements are to be believed, we should all be waxing and shaving our nether regions to oblivion, but according to society bible Tatler, the 'bush' is back in fashion and it's here to stay.

The magazine has declared that fuzz has become a la mode once more thanks to the likes of Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga - rendering hair removal somewhat passe.

Scroll down for video

Tatler has declared that the 'bush' is back in fashion and it's here to stay - after years of being banished thanks to the popularity of excessive shaving and waxing treatments

Tatler slates Brazilian waxes as hailing from 'a more finickity time, when we were obsessed with depilation because we had 'nothing else to worry about' - and cites Cara Delevingne's famous bushy eyebrows as the inspiration.

Writer Layla Cambridge explains that 'resplendent, full, tufty, unkempt bushes' are now making a comeback after years of being banished thanks to the popularity of waxing.

'Girls were having everything taken off (full) or leaving a "landing strip", a sort of narrow Hitler moustache,' the magazine writes.

Yet thanks to celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Scout Willis and Miley Cyrus - not to mention Miss Delevingne's 'thick and fierce' brows - the 'freedom bush' is back again.

Gwyneth Paltrow is just one of a long line of celebrities who have spoken out in favour of the 'bush' in recent years - including Cameron Diaz, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus

'If eyebrows should be thick and fierce shouldn't a bush be too?', they conclude.

Shaving 'down there' has been something of a hot topic in recent months, with A-listers from Cameron Diaz to Gwyneth Paltrow extolling the virtues of going natural - while salons report a rise in women opting for a more 'gentle' wax.

And just last month, Mumsnet users got into a heated discussion about shaving etiquette after user Sisterelephant pondered: 'Apparently I'm in the minority with a full bush.'

But her fears were soon assuaged when other users were quick to announce that they too choose not to groom their nether regions.

Flossietoot said: 'I think there's something weird about wanting to be bald', while CocktailQueen said: 'Au natural here, except for summer when I trim it for swimming cozzies...'

But one user revealed a rather novel way of keeping her pubic hair neat and tidy.
He has worked with the likes of Madonna, Grace Jones and even Her Majesty the Queen, but for his latest project Rankin has focused on something entirely different.

The acclaimed fashion and portrait photographer made this stunning set of portraits of adults with learning disabilities in a bid to raise awareness and ensure they are seen as people rather than 'stereotypes'.

He teamed up with Mencap as part of the charity's 'Here I Am campaign' which aims to change way society views learning disability - and tells FEMAIL it's a cause worth fighting for.

Actress, dancer and model Sarah Gordy, who has Down's Syndrome, said shooting with Rankin was 'like nothing else' and the photo shoot made her feel 'glamorous and beautiful'

'All too often we overlook people with a learning disability,' he said. 'It is so easy to miss the person and see a stereotype instead.

'With these images I want people to see past the learning disability; to catch a glimpse of who each individual is, their personality and identity.'

The photographer has previously taken part in Britain's Missing Top Model, a reality show which followed eight young women with disabilities who competed for a modeling contract.

For his latest project, he shot actress and model Sarah Gordy, who has Down's Syndrome, and has appeared in Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs.

Sarah told how the shoot made her feel 'glamorous and beautiful'

Joe Peciuch, 27, also has Down's Syndrome and hopes his portrait will send out a strong message: 'People with a learning disability should be treated the same'

Rankin also shot Ellen Goodey, 34, an actress, poet, musician, and office worker with Downs Syndrome - who celebrated her birthday on the day of the shoot

'The shots show a complete woman,' she said. 'Having Down's Syndrome is just one part of who I am. People may think Im different, but that's interesting.'

Sarah added that the campaign was a cause close to her heart as it often feels like 'people with learning disabilities are overlooked'.

'I am proud to be who I am, a professional actor who has a learning disability,' she added.

Appearing alongside Sarah is Joe Peciuch, 27, who also has Down's Syndrome and hopes his portrait will send out a strong message: 'People with a learning disability should be treated the same.

Rankin also captured aspiring author Aeren Fitzgerald, 28, who campaigns for people with learning disabilities. She said: 'People just assume disability means you're in a wheelchair'

The youngest participant in the project was Rahima Begum, 19, who described Rankin as 'lovely' and said of the shoot: 'I felt the same, I felt like everybody else. I felt included'

'Yes we sometimes need a little extra help but we are the same as other people. I dont feel different Im just Joe.'

Rankin also shot Vijay Patel, 28, an avid campaigner for people with learning disabilities who admitted to having initial doubts about taking part in the campaign.

'I can get nervous when I leave the house and go out in public,' he said. 'People stare and you never know what theyre thinking.

'Its not because they have bad attitudes, but they dont understand learning disability. I really think [the campaign] can change this and am proud to fight for this change.'

Vijay Patel, 28, an avid campaigner for people with learning disabilities, admitted to having initial doubts about taking part in the campaign and said he often gets 'nervous'

'I felt powerful': Sarah Gordy, who has Down's Syndrome and has appeared in Call The Midwife, says it often feels as though 'people with learning disabilities are overlooked'

Also taking part in the shoot was Ellen Goodey, 34 an actress, poet, musician, and office worker with Downs Syndrome - who celebrated her birthday on the day of the shoot, and insists that 'everybody should be treated the same as everyone else'.

'I want to be included like everybody else,' she added. 'I feel strongly about helping people with disabilities to encourage them to get involved in everything.'

Rankin also shot aspiring author Aeren Fitzgerald, 28, who is a vocal campaigner for people with learning disabilities.

She said: 'I think people just assume disability means you're in a wheelchair but it you might have Aspergers or Tourettes or Downs syndrome.

Rahima goes in for hair and makeup. She said: 'I just want the choice to interact with people more - I want fairness, choice and not to be limited. I am here, and I need more opportunities'

'I hear the "R" word used a lot. People dont understand the meaning of it. It is just as bad as calling someone a bad name for being gay or transsexual or transgender. It should be blacklisted.'

The youngest participant in the project was Rahima Begum, 19, from London, who described Rankin as 'lovely' and said of the shoot: 'I felt the same, I felt like everybody else. I felt included.'

Rahima, who has Cerebral Palsy and a learning disability, added: 'I feel sad that my voice isnt heard and that Im ignored by people who dont know me.

'I just want the choice to interact with people more - I want fairness, choice and not to be limited. I am here, and I need more opportunities, more support to be my best, I need more choice.'

Rahima, who has Cerebral Palsy and a learning disability, added: 'I feel sad that my voice isnt heard and that Im ignored by people who dont know me

Esther Fletcher, from London, posed with her partner Richard Lawrence and admitted she didn't know who Rankin was before taking part in the shoot but said he was a 'nice guy'

Richard and Esther, who have been together for eight years, said they have experienced hate crime multiple times; being targeted due to their learning disability as well as their relationship

Joe Peciuch, who has Down's Syndrome, said: 'Yes we sometimes need a little extra help but we are the same as other people. I dont feel different Im just Joe'

CHALLENGING ATTITUDES Mencap's Here I Am campaign carried out research along with Ipsos which found that just one third of people would feel comfortable sat next to someone with a mild learning disability, or during a show or concert. . Out of more than 2,000 people surveyed, 27 per cent thought that disability was a form of mental illness. . Six per cent said they would feel uncomfortable using the same swimming pool as someone with a more severe learning disability. For more information, visit Mencap.org.uk Advertisement

Esther Fletcher, from London, posed with her partner Richard Lawrence and admitted she didn't know who Rankin was before taking part in the shoot.

'Richard and I have been together for a while now,' she said.

'Sadly weve both been bullied and targeted because of our learning disability.

'I had boiling water poured over me once by some school kids.

'I want [the campaign] to change the way we view learning disabilities, and for people with a learning disability to be proud of who they are.'
First there was the smiley face, then the eggplant, and now the breastfeeding mother emoji is on the cards.

Busy mums could soon have an easy reply at their fingertips as software engineers ponder the next round of emojis set to reach our screens.

The breastfeeding mum is one of the most-requested emojis of the past year and nurses are backing a push to make it official.

Popular: A breastfeeding icon such as the one above could be the next emoji to reach screens

'We rock': Twitter was abuzz with support for the suggested breastfeeding emoji

The Unicode Consortium of software engineers will meet in November to consider, among other things, the choice of new emojis.

Alongside the breastfeeding emoji, other popular choices include a mermaid, a hedgehog and the Aboriginal flag, voting websiteEmojipedia revealed.

Nurse Rachel Lee from University College of London Hospital officially petitioned the consortium to add the breastfeeding emoji.

She told the Huffington Post: 'I just don't think we are exposed to it enough in society and sometimes we forget how important it is developmentally in all areas to mothers and their babies.'

Ms Lee added that the emoji would help to break down negative public perception towards public breastfeeding.

Great...but: While the suggestion proved popular, some poked fun at the absence of a head

Ms Lee continued: 'I am under no delusion that creating a small emoji to exist in this society may not be the real push to normalise breastfeeding in public forums.

'But if it helps just get the message out there by creating discussion and gathering support, then it's all worth it,' she said.

While many were supportive of the breastfeeding emoji, some also made fun of its suggested appearance.

'OK this is great but can the woman have a head please?' a Twitter user wrote.

Another added: 'Yay, but designers please let's not have a headless mom.'

The Unicode Consortium is a non-for-profit organisation that ensures certain software applications - for example emojis - are the same across the world.




It may be hailed as the foodie capital of Australia, but Melbourne didn't get a single look at the top 10 restaurants of 2016, as voted by TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice award winners were determined via an algorithm, which took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants over the past 12 months.

And while Melbourne's Vue de Monde proudly held the top spot in 2015, it fails to appear in the first 10 for 2016.

Winner: Muse Restaurant in the Hunter Valley was named as the top restaurant in Australia for 2016 according to the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards (pictured)

Recipe for success: The winners were determined via an algorithm - this took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants over the past 12 months

Formula: Muse (pictured) prides itself on delivering modern Australian dishes with a locally-sourced, seasonal focus - reviews described it as the 'best dining experience in the Hunter'

Occupying the top spot this year is Muse Restaurant, in Polkobin in the Hunter Valley, which prides itself on delivering modern Australian dishes with a locally-sourced, seasonal focus.

Reviews on the TripAdvisor website describe it as 'the best ever dining experience in the Hunter'.

Filling second place is est Restaurant, run by the Sydney-based chef, Peter Doyle.

WHERE ARE AUSTRALIA'S TOP RESTAURANTS? * SYDNEY, NSW: * est Restaurant (number 2). * THE HUNTER VALLEY, NSW: * Muse Restaurant (number 1) and Restaurant Botanica (number 3). * SUNSHINE COAST, QUEENSLAND: * The Spirit House (number 6) and Spice Bar (number 7). * PORT MACQUARIE, NSW: * The Stunned Mullet (number 8). * CANBERRA, NSW: * Courgette Restaurant (number 9). * PERTH, WA: * Nobu (number 4). * BAROSSA VALLEY, SA: * FermentAsian (number 5). * GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND: * Omeros Bros (number 10). Advertisement

Set within a beautiful heritage dining room, est has won a series of awards in the past, including Best City Wine List and Best Fine Dining restaurant.

Polkobin in the Hunter Valley claimed third place, too, via Restaurant Botanica.

This was thanks to its 'modern Australian menu focusing on freshness and seasonality'.

Real deal: The Spirit House in Yandina, Queensland (pictured) occupied sixth place - it was lauded for its authentic Thai food

Pretty good: Spice Bar in Mooloolaba proved popular, thanks to its delicious menu and gorgeous setting (pictured)

Tasty: Restaurant and Catering Industry Association chief John Hart said the awards 'recognised the value of consumer feedback in determining the best places to eat and dine'

Perth's Nobu Japanese restaurant took fourth place, while FermentAsian in Tanunda, was the only place to be listed in South Australia's Barossa Valley.

Two Queensland restaurants filled sixth and seventh places - The Spirit House at Yandina was lauded for its delicious authentic Thai food, while Mooloolaba's Spice Bar proved popular, thanks to its gorgeous setting and modern Asian fusion food.

Port Macquarie, NSW, was the location for the eighth-place restaurant, thanks to The Stunned Mullet, which also featured as number eight in 2015.

Twice as nice: Port Macquarie, NSW, was the location for the eighth-place restaurant, thanks to The Stunned Mullet (pictured) - this also featured as number eight in 2015

Food porn: Canberra's Courgette Restaurant took ninth place (pictured) - other places that did well were Nobu in Perth (fourth place) and Restaurant Botanica (third place)

Relaxed: The Gold Coast's Omeros Bros seafood restaurant (pictured) rounded out the top 10 in tenth place

With its 'great wine list' according to reviews, and 'relaxed dining experience', it proves that sometimes simplicity is all you need.

Canberra's Courgette Restaurant took ninth place, while the Gold Coast's Omeros Bros seafood restaurant rounded out the top 10.

Restaurant and Catering Industry Association chief John Hart said the awards 'recognised the value of consumer feedback in determining the best places to eat and dine'.
Held in the Berners Tavern private dining room at The London EDITION, specialists from California's premiere wineries; Louis M Martini, Orin Swift , J Vineyards and MacMurray Estate, will guide guests and visitors through a selection of one-of-a-kind wines. The sessions will alternate between two themes: A Taste of California and a Louis M Martini Masterclass. Each session will provide you with insight into the wine making process and the geography in that region of the US. Experts will then be on hand to guide you on a tasting of around five to six wines. Along with some new wine knowledge, you'll also get some keepsakes to take home from the wine producers. The sessions, which run from 6pm to 8pm, are perfect for both novices and the more advanced wine drinkers. Head to the hotel's award-winning restaurant after for yet more elegant tipples and expertly prepared dishes. The next dates are October 25 and November 15.
Prince Andrew is probably hoping he wont be judged by the company he keeps.

His close friend, glamorous fashion designer Goga Ashkenazi, startled guests at a party this week by appearing to arrive without any clothes on.

Thankfully, her dignity remained marginally intact as it was just an optical illusion.

The 36-year-old Kazakh businesswoman, who reportedly helped Prince Andrew broker a controversial deal to sell his Sunningdale mansion for an inflated 15 million in 2007, showed up at an art gallery in Paris wearing a 2,000 Philip Colbert dress featuring a womans intimate parts.

As Dolly Parton once famously said: It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.

Fashion designer Goga Ashkenazi, pictured, startled guests at a party this week with this 2,000 outfit which made it appear she wasn't wearing clothes

The 36-year-old Kazakh businesswoman, right, reportedly helped Prince Andrew, left, broker the 15million sale of his Sunningdale mansion

Girl about town Daisy Lowe has been linked to a string of men since splitting from Doctor Whos Matt Smith.

But the model only had eyes for one man as she left a London theatre premiere this week dressed in thigh-high suede boots, a mini-skirt and leather jacket: hunky Slovenian dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, her professional partner on Strictly Come Dancing.

Aljaz, 26, has said there is a lot of chemistry between him and 27-year-old Daisy, and she called him the best date ever on their night out at the GQ Awards last month.

Daisy Lowe left a London theatre premiere this week dressed in thigh-high suede boots, a mini-skirt and leather jacket, pictured

Ms Lowe, left, was out with her Strictly Come Dancing partner Aljaz Skorjanec, right

Despite Daisys flirtatious thigh-flashing as she hopped into a taxi, Aljaz insists the Strictly curse that sees contestants run off with their dance partners will not strike.

He is engaged to fellow Strictly dancer Janette Manrara, while Lowe is dating male model Bradley Wade.

Rebus star Ken Stott, who once halted a performance of A View From The Bridge because of noisy school children, also targets audience members whose mobile phones ring.

A phone went off and I said: Is it off now? he reveals.

There was no reply. So I said: Switch your phone off and tell me when you have done so.

Rebus star Ken Stott, pictured, has started 'targeting audience members whose phones go off' in the theatre

'This small voice finally mumbled: Ive switched it off.

The 62-year-old Scot now regrets admonishing the children.

The red mist came down and I took it out on them, he admits.

I wish Id apologised for being so angry. Two kids were making the performance hell for everybody, but its their teacher who should be blamed.

With Labour trailing in the polls, the troops ought to be rallying around their dear leader.

Jeremy Corbyns deputy Tom Watson, however, seems to take a relaxed approach to his partys predicament.

The Labour MP was recently seen propping up the bar at the Groucho, the Soho watering hole of the metropolitan elite.

Perhaps he thought it was the only place where Corbyn was guaranteed not to turn up.
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A young mother diagnosed with cancer weeks after birth has released a stunning series of photos celebrating the bravery of those who have battled the disease.

Rachelle Panitz, 35, founded the So Brave organisation to raise awareness among young women that they too can be affected by breast cancer.

The 2017 So Brave calendar profiles a series of 12 body painted cancer survivors who were diagnosed with the disease before they turned 40.

Beautiful: Lana Rhodes became involved in the So Brave calendar project after a double mastectomy at 26

Brave: Founder Rachelle Panitz started the campaign to raise awareness among young women. Pictured is model Rebecca

One of the participants was Lana Rhodes, a 29-year-old who lost both her breasts to a double mastectomy after her cancer diagnosis three years ago.

She said she put herself forward for the project to prove that women could still be beautiful after fighting the disease.

'I'm very cagey about my scars, but this project showed me and all of the other women involved that there can be beauty after it all,' she told The Gladstone Observer.

Stunning: The visually-arresting photos were shot around in iconic locations around the country. Pictured is project founder Rachelle in front of Parliament House in Canberra

Confidence: The calendar features a stunning series of poses from breast cancer survivors under 40. Pictured is model Neda

'I think the loss of my sense of self and a woman epitomised what (cancer) did to me. I would go to bed in a shirt and shorts and I would look at my concave chest and I would feel like I was a man.'

Meeting the other women featured in the calendar had given her an enormous amount of confidence, Ms Rhodes said.

'This project has been a turning point in my life to move forward.

'Still beautiful': The calendar had women bravely displaying their mastectomies. Pictured is model Anj

'Amazing women': The calendar aimed to inspire other young women to embrace their post-surgery bodies. Pictured is model Holly

Ms Panitz, who featured in the calendar herself, was inspired to shoot the calendar after a chance meeting with body paint artist Wendy Fantasia.

They aimed to show that breast cancer was not just a disease that affected older women.

The photos were shot in iconic locations around Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.
She's a 23-year-old multi millionaire whose contacts include Kylie Jenner.

No, that's no misprint, it's the real life story of Iyia Liu, a New Zealand entrepreneur whose 'waist trainers' have hit the big time.

Ms Liu's brand of corsets, Waist Trainer New Zealand Australia, has become the choice of celebrities including Jenner who want an hour-glass look and now promote her products on social media.

Their endorsement sees regular girls flock to her site to get their hands on the must-have accessory which has become so popular she raked in AUD$3.3 million last year, including a $1 million profit - essentially setting her up for life.

The commerce graduate said she noticed the trend online and with just AUD$5650 to her name decided to import some corsets from China - an inspired decision.

Kylie Jenner is among the women who use the 'waist trainer' brand set up by 23-year-old entrepreneur Iyia Liu

Ms Liu paid Jenner $300,000 to endorse her brand on social media to her 77 million followers. A photo of Ms Jenner using the corset received 1.5 million likes and millions more views

'I thought Id just sell a few,' Ms Liu told the New Zealand Herald.

'It just grew exponentially.'

Ms Liu said she had always been an entrepreneur, importing things from China to sell in small ventures outside of school from the age of 13.

In an age where social media is king, Ms Liu decided to use one of its leaders to grow her business.

Paying $300,000 to have Kendall Jenner endorse her product may sound ludicrous.

But when it's liked more than 1.5 million times and exposed to millions more, it's hard to call that a bad business decision.

Ms Liu, a commerce graduate from New Zealand, saw the trend rising online and ordered in stock from China that she could sell through the internet

Her business venture netted her a cool $3.3 million in the first year, including $1 million profit. Ms Liu is now set up for life and spends much of her time travelling to amazing locations including the United States (left) and Bali (right)

However Ms Liu admitted her enormous Kylie Jenner investment didn't pay itself off instantly

However Ms Liu admitted her Jenner investment didn't pay itself off instantly.

'The return was not as fast as I thought it would be,' she said.

But her business venture has ultimately been so successful she now lives a life that in many ways mimics the lavish lifestyles of Jenner and her celebrity pals.

With an enormous bank account for someone in their early-20s, Ms Liu is often now updating her Instagram with her latest vacation shots.

From being beachside in Bali to overlooking the Grand Canyon, her world tour has been paid for by women wanting to look like an hour glass.

She said her success should be a lesson to other young people that achieving your goals at an early age is possible.

'Entrepreneurs need to take risks, so if you have no liabilities, like a mortgage or children, you can make more flexible decisions without worrying so much about the outcome,' Ms Liu said.
Federal deputy Eduardo Cunha was arrested on Wednesday accused of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.

But it wasn't just the powerful former speaker of Brazil's lower house getting people talking.

Indeed, a hipster policeman who accompanied the politician onto a plane quickly became a social media star after footage emerged of him online.

Hipster policeman Lucas Valenca, pictured second from right, caught the eye of the public when he was photographed accompanying Brazilian politician Eduardo Cunha, pictured second from left, onto a plane to face corruption charges

Lucas Valenca, a plainclothes cop who has 182,000 Instagram followers, had Twitter alight thanks to his coiffed beard and man bun.

Rather than donning a standard policeman's outfit, he wore dark blue jeans, a black T-shirt with a logo, black boots, a carefully coiffed beard and the ubiquitous man bun.

His look is the epitome of hipster fashion, which is unexpected from a policeman escorting a politician accused of taking bribes onto a plane.

Brazilian news site O Globo discovered the policeman's identity and it seems he's already built up quite the fanbase on Instagram, with some of his posts receiving more than 21,000 likes.

His photos show him enjoying his time off duty - and there's plenty of topless snaps for his female fans.

Lucas Valenca, a plainclothes cop, has 182,000 Instagram followers and his handsome hipster status has led to many in the public eye paying attention to him

Lucas was accompanying Cunha, 58, onto the plane to be flown to the capital Brasilia to investigate his corruption charges

Lucas' look is the epitome of hipster fashion - which is unexpected from a policeman escorting a politician accused of taking bribes onto a plane.

Lucas seems to enjoy going to the beach, swimming with friends and spending time with dogs

He's very popular on Instagram, with some of his posts receiving more than 21,000 likes

He seems to enjoy going to the beach, swimming with friends and spending time with dogs.

Fans of the cop will be pleased to see that many of his posts feature him posing topless, showing off a chiselled chest and collection of tattoos.

His Instagram followers are certainly very keen on him.

One person wrote: 'I want to commit a crime so you can arrest me please!', whilst another added: 'So thankful that the newspaper reported this beauty!'.

A comment that seemed to sum up everyone's thoughts on the discovery of the hot hipster cop was: 'I do not know how to deal with such perfection'.
Prince Philip risked his life shielding Elizabeth from an elephant in Kenya. The Queen hesitated and stammered while making her wedding vows.

Philip really did push for the Coronation to be televised despite courtiers complaints that it would be vulgar  and King George had a lung removed in a makeshift operating room at Buckingham Palace.

These are just a few of the astonishing scenes youll see in The Crown, the sumptuous new ten-part series telling the inside story of the first decade of the Queens reign. Its full of wonderfully dramatic moments that viewers might suspect have been invented, but they actually happened.

While The Crown does show the familys flaws  Elizabeth doesnt like anyone stealing her limelight, Philip is petulant at having to bow to his wife  the cast say they could really empathise with the people they were playing

Its no wonder then that The Crown, created by the streaming service Netflix and costing 100 million to make, is the most talked-about show of the year, and could well change the way we watch TV. At least thats what Netflix are hoping.

Previously best known for House Of Cards with Kevin Spacey, theyre taking a huge gamble with The Crown (just as Amazon Prime have done with The Grand Tour, their 160 million reboot of Top Gear) hoping the massive outlay will be matched by a significant number of new subscribers.

The whole series will be available to watch immediately if you have Netflix although there will be a box set too in due course.

Created by the British team behind the Oscar-winning 2006 film The Queen starring Helen Mirren, which focused on the monarchys troubles following the death of Princess Diana, the show has been put together through painstaking research into the period and will certainly give us a fresh perspective on the Royal Family.

From left: Vanessa Kirby as Margaret, Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip, Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary and Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother

With The Queen we showed how fascinating things are when you scratch the surface, says executive producer Andy Harries. The remarkable thing about the Royal Family is you could barely invent the extraordinary crises theyve generated over the years, the situations theyve found themselves in. Its such a rich subject we knew we had to do it well, with big ambition.

CROWN JEWEL When Matt Smith was introduced to Prince William, he asked him if he had any advice for playing his grandfather Prince Philip. William said, Just one word: legend! Advertisement

Big ambition indeed, as The Crown intends to tell the story of the Queens reign  so far its been 64 years  over a possible seven series.

The first starts at the beginning when Princess Elizabeth falls in love with dashing naval officer Prince Philip and marries him in 1947. Shes enjoying motherhood with the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne when her life is turned upside down by the premature death of her father King George VI in 1952, leaving Elizabeth as Queen.

Claire Foy, who played a very different queen, Anne Boleyn, in the BBCs Wolf Hall, takes on the role of Elizabeth and says the show will shed fresh light on people we feel we know well, yet dont really know at all.

I think if youre British you just accept that the royals are there and take them for granted on a day-to-day basis  the speech on Christmas Day, going to church at Easter, those sorts of things. Id never really thought about her younger years, how much grief she must have felt for her father and how overwhelming that must have been when she came to the throne.

MARGARET AND A PACT WITH HER LOST LOVE One of the most extraordinary revelations in the show is that Princess Margaret married not for love, but to avoid being humiliated by her former boyfriend Group Captain Peter Townsend. And it was ex-Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken who told writer Peter Morgan the story. Aitken was once on holiday with Margaret and her husband Lord Snowdon at a time when they were arguing ferociously. Aitken and Margaret went for a swim, ending up on a rock, and she opened up to him about her difficult marriage. She confided that when she and Townsend had split up they made a pact with each other not to marry anyone else; yet a few years later Townsend phoned her to say hed met someone else and was about to announce his engagement. One of the most extraordinary revelations in the show is that Princess Margaret married not for love, but to avoid being humiliated by her former boyfriend Group Captain Peter Townsend Margaret said, Will you give me two weeks? because she didnt want to be humiliated by his news breaking first, reveals Morgan. Shed never intended to marry Snowdon, but she did it to avoid humiliation. I had initially thought the end of the affair with Townsend was a more cynical arrangement than it was  I hadnt really thought theyd been happy together. But Jonathans story changed my opinion. So I went back and re-wrote the episode about her affair to make it more tender. She must have been devastated. Nothing epitomises the schism between the Crown and the person who wears it more than this doomed romance Nothing epitomises the schism between the Crown and the person who wears it more than this doomed romance. Margaret (played by Vanessa Kirby, far left) had fallen for Townsend (Ben Miles, right) while he was an equerry for her father George VI. She was still a teenager, he was twice her age and married with two children. The pair began a love affair and Townsend and his wife divorced in 1952 as the princess was struggling to cope with her fathers death. Under the Royal Marriages Act, Margaret needed her sisters approval to marry before she was 25. The Queen, as Defender of the Faith, could not agree to let her sister marry a man who was divorced. Margaret agreed to wait until she was 25, when Parliament would decide whether she could marry, but when she reached that age in 1955, it refused to approve the match. She faced a stark choice: she could either remain a member of the Royal Family, or marry Townsend and renounce her right of succession, in a similar way to when her uncle Edward VIII chose to abdicate in order to marry Wallis Simpson. Advertisement

You suspect the royals just get on with it, that theyve been trained, but she was unprepared and vulnerable and really sad about her father. She and Philip had thought she wouldnt have to take the throne for another 20 years, but their lives changed in an instant. I dont know how anyone could not sympathise with her.

The Crown isnt just about an extraordinary family, however. It also depicts the world around them and their impact on it, from the Great Smog of 1952, which killed thousands in London, to the 1956 Suez Crisis and Britains loss of empire.

The idea for the show was born when writer Peter Morgan was creating his award-winning stage show The Audience, about the Queens weekly meeting with her prime ministers.

Elizabeth and Philip enjoying the sun on his posting to Malta

There was one scene between the young Queen and Winston Churchill where I suddenly thought, What an interesting relationship  this young girl of 25 and a man who could be her grandfather. We only really think of her these days as a woman over 60 but I realised it would be amazing to imagine her as a young woman in love, on the eve of her wedding.

At first Peter planned the project as a two-hour feature film but the more he looked into it, the more material he realised there was. It kept on growing, he says. We had all the stuff about how she was in Kenya on the day her father died; when she woke up the following morning there was an eagle on her balcony.

LOCATIONS WITH ROYAL APPROVAL Its disconcerting to see the famous black gates and imposing front door of Buckingham Palace in what looks like a car park at the back of Elstree studios. It looks remarkably real and illustrates the lengths to which the shows producers have gone to re-create this iconic royal residence. The set is surrounded by special green screens that allow technicians to add on the rest of the palace facade using clever computer graphics. Matt Smith as Philip on The Mall Elizabeths bedroom suite has been created inside Elstree, but when other areas of the palace were needed for particular scenes they used various locations and stately homes. Lancaster House, with its sweeping staircase and sumptuous sitting room, is just a stones throw from the real palace and hosts all the big State Room scenes. Wilton House near Salisbury is used for the smaller palace rooms while Wrotham Park in Barnet stood in for the room where Elizabeth hosts her weekly audience with her prime minister. Lancaster House is part of the Crown Estate and we had to submit a synopsis of the show, says location manager Pat Karam, who also won approval to close The Mall one Sunday morning to show Philip going up and down in his jaunty sports car (a scene Matt Smith describes as his favourite). They did check with the Palace and the response was no objection which is as close to an endorsement as you can get. Because it was still a time of post-war austerity the palace was made to look a little run down. My team painted the sets for both Buckingham Palace and Downing Street  which was even more run down  to make them look like the wallpaper was peeling and there were water marks from damp, says Martin Childs, the production designer. Most scenes depicting the family on overseas tours were filmed in South Africa; the famous Treetops Hotel in Kenya, where Elizabeth was staying when her father died, was re-created at a game reserve near Cape Town. But everything else was filmed in the UK. Each time the production moved venue, between 100 and 400 cast and crew moved with it. Thats why Im frequently asked if I can do Scotland nearer to London, and for the next series see if I can find a Suez Canal near London, says Pat. But theres nowhere near London that looks like the Cairngorms, so we filmed the exteriors of Balmoral at Ardverikie House near Inverness. Advertisement

When she and Philip emerged from the royal residence, Sagana State Lodge, the waiting press photographers laid their cameras down, like soldiers putting down their weapons. They could have had a super photographic scoop but they put their cameras down out of sympathy. This all happened.

Then when she and Philip drove to the airport a group of Masai tribesmen suddenly appeared by the roadside to pay their respects; no one knows how the news could have travelled but its absolutely true they turned up.

John Lithgow as Churchill

So we had all these stories, plus the impact that becoming Queen had on this 25-year-old; on her life, her marriage, her relationship with her sister, with her mother. It was certainly too much material for just the one film.

The first series, which is partly told in flashback, is tinged throughout by one of the monarchys darkest episodes. The ripples are still being felt from King Edward VIIIs abdication in 1936 because of his love for American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

At the time the Church of England  of which Edward was the nominal head  decreed that divorced people could not remarry if their former spouses were still alive. King George VI, Elizabeths nervous, stuttering father played by Jared Harris, is ill-equipped for a job he never expected to have.

The real Coronation crown weighs 5lb and the imitation one made of glass and metal is still a hefty 3.3lb

We see him chain-smoking furiously every time he has to meet his public, a habit that caused the lung cancer from which he died at the age of 56.

The Queen Mother, played by Victoria Hamilton, and the kings mother Queen Mary, played by Eileen Atkins, whos seen inhaling from an oxygen mask between puffs on a cigarette, never forgave Edward for, as they saw it, killing George.

He didnt want to be king at all, says Jared Harris. One of the fascinating things about power is that half the story is about politicians who are desperate to be the person sitting in the chair making the important decisions, and the other half is about people who really dont want to be there at all. George never felt he was suited to the job.

Stephen Daldry, the director and an executive producer who also made the Billy Elliot movie, says his biggest challenge was to make the audience feel like theyre in the room with the Royal Family. Were all used to seeing the royals up on the palace balcony but the show lets us see what it was like behind the scenes for the family following Elizabeths wedding to Prince Philip.

THE DAY NERVES GOT THE BETTER OF HER The relationship between Elizabeth and Prince Philip is the central theme of The Crown. While the Duke of Edinburgh is best known today for being, as writer Peter Morgan says, a grumpy old guy whos really just a stick-in-the-mud, hes very much the rakish hero of the show. The young princess Elizabeth first fell for her third cousin Prince Philip of Greece  theyre both descendants of Victoria and Albert  when she was just 13. As the first episode of the series makes clear, he wasnt an ideal match for the future Queen of England. Some of his four sisters were married to Nazis and he was penniless after the Greek royal family was exiled in 1922; the infant Philip escaped Greece on a British naval vessel in a cot made from an orange crate. The relationship between Elizabeth and Prince Philip is the central theme of The Crown Following their escape his father moved to Monte Carlo where he lived with his mistress, while his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and ended up becoming a nun. The closest he came to a real family was his Anglo-German uncle on his mothers side, the ambitious Louis Dickie Mountbatten, whose name he took from 1947 when he became a British citizen, renouncing his title of Prince of Greece and Denmark, to marry Elizabeth. Hed had quite a difficult family life, says Matt Smith who plays him. His father went off to Monaco with a mistress when he was small, his favourite sister died in a plane crash when she was pregnant, and because his family had been so disparate there was a great sense of him wanting to keep his young family with the princess together. He and Elizabeth married in 1947 at Westminster Abbey and it was a real love match. Like all brides of the time she had to purchase the material for her Norman Hartnell-designed dress with ration coupons. Elizabeth and Philip having fun in the African bush Re-creating the wedding took weeks of planning. We worked really hard to make sure even the tiniest of details were accurate, says director Stephen Daldry. So many things that you think might be dramatic licence actually happened. 'The wedding wasnt filmed but it was recorded for radio, and on the recording you can hear her falter over her vows very clearly, shes very emotional. Claire Foy studied that very carefully and replicated the exact tones and rhythm in the scene, the difference being that you get to see it. Youll also see Philip giving his nervous wife a kindly wink  a little bit of dramatic licence. As Westminster Abbey was unavailable for the production it was filmed at Ely Cathedral. One of the hardest tasks was re-creating the Queens stunning gown. The train alone took six people, working ten-hour shifts, six weeks to do the intricate embroidery and beading. There was another team working on the bodice while the gorgeous full skirt, which is made out of duchess satin like the original, also took several weeks to embroider. The bridesmaids outfits and those of the Queen Mother and Queen Mary are also exact replicas. Advertisement

As we hear the crowds singing God Save The King, George is nervously puffing on a cigarette in the room behind that famous balcony while the ladies are smoothing down their dresses and carping about what some of the people are wearing.

It is about relationships and that is fundamental to everyone, whoever you are, says Stephen. Working on this story of an extraordinary family with their extraordinary dilemmas has been one of the most thrilling jobs Ive ever had.

Even though The Crown makes no claim to be totally accurate, only that it is inspired by real events, there were four full-time researchers and another four assistants poring over archives, history books and biographies looking for fascinating historical nuggets. But, of course, much of the drama happened behind closed doors.

Obviously the dialogue is imagined, says writer Peter Morgan. Nobody was sitting there making notes. But the fact that two people were behind closed doors at that time is something we know for sure. Not all of it is exactly as it happened because sometimes you dont know, but a lot of it is very, very accurate.

Theres bound to be criticism from historians, not least when its implied that Elizabeth came close to asking Churchill to resign because of his lack of action in dealing with the Great Smog tragedy. And in one scene, which has been made up, Margaret bursts in on morticians as theyre embalming her late fathers body.

GORGEOUS OUTFITS FIT FOR A QUEEN Claire Foy needed 60 outfits, ranging from her stunning Coronation dress to her Balmoral uniform of wellies, tweeds and headscarf, for her portrayal of the Queen. If we didnt get the costumes right nobody would believe anything else, says costume designer Michele Clapton. Any footage we could find  newsreels of Elizabeth and Philip arriving for the wedding, the Coronation, Elizabeth arriving home from Kenya after her father died  we tried to replicate the outfits exactly. The dress used for the Coronation ceremony was originally made for the jewellery makers Swarovski and comprising hundreds of crystals. Fortunately it fitted Claire like a glove, says Michele. We added embroidery including the leek of Wales, the Irish shamrock and Commonwealth images and it was extremely heavy. Not as heavy as the crown though; the real Coronation crown weighs 5lb and the imitation one made of glass and metal is still a hefty 3.3lb. Elizabeths clothes mirror her storyline from newlywed to mother and then queen, and also show how she and her sister Margaret grew apart Elizabeths clothes mirror her storyline from newlywed to mother and then queen, and also show how she and her sister Margaret grew apart. At first she was advised by her very strong mother and her style is quite similar to the Queen Mothers  pretty, a bit fussy, says Michele. As a naval wife theres this carefree open look, and then, as Queen, her dresses are devoid of decoration; like a suit of armour she could hide behind. She and Margaret begin with similar styles but as theyre forced apart by events their dress evolves. Elizabeth stayed quite stiff and formal but Margaret loved fashion and was much more experimental. Victoria Hamilton, who plays the Queen Mother, wore a fat suit for most of the shoot. One day we did a flashback scene so she didnt have to wear it, recalls Michele. But most people didnt realise shed been padded up and made to look older and asked, Wow, whats happened to you? You look amazing! Advertisement

Nevertheless, says Peter, I take the responsibility very seriously of telling an accurate story here. A lot of people wont read the history books about this period but they will watch this show which means theyll make up their minds about the second half of the 20th century based on it. I am very aware of that.

So what will the Queen and her family think of it? Major David Rankin-Hunt, an adviser on the series who worked for the Royal Family for 33 years, knows better than most.

I think they will be pleasantly surprised by the show, he says. Its not trying to be critical and theres no hidden agenda; it shows the Queen and the Royal Family in a good light. Claire Foy does such a wonderful job as the Queen that I had to pinch myself that it wasnt the real person. Her look, the way she talks and holds herself, shes just like the Queen.

While The Crown does show the familys flaws  Elizabeth doesnt like anyone stealing her limelight, Philip is petulant at having to bow to his wife  the cast say they could really empathise with the people they were playing.

You get to glimpse these people as real human beings, says Matt Smith. You see them getting ready for bed and their domestic lives. I think we sympathised with them a lot and sort of grew to love them.

HOW YOU CAN WATCH NETFLIX Netflix is a digital service offering a huge library of films and TV shows. You need a broadband connection and a smart TV (an internet-enabled TV; you can turn any TV produced since 2009 into a smart TV because it has an HDMI socket enabling you to connect it to the internet) or a device such as a smartphone, tablet or PC to get it  netflix.com will show you how to sign up. If you have a smart TV, a Netflix-enabled set-top box, phone or tablet, look for the Netflix app, click on it and sign in with your login details. Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, Apple TV, Nexus Player and Roku set-top boxes are Netflix-enabled. Then there are the Amazon Firestick and Google Chromecast (also called dongles)  small wireless devices that slot into a TVs HDMI socket and connect to your wi-fi, turning it into a smart TV. You can also watch on smartphones, tablets or PCs by downloading the app from the devices app store. There are three monthly packages: 5.99 allows viewing on one screen, 7.49 on two simultaneously and 8.99 for four screens in ultra-HD. Subscribe now and get the first month free. For more details go to help.netflix.com/en/node/412 Advertisement
Here he talks about how he thinks it's

Just before the cameras begin rolling live on Autumnwatch on Monday, Chris Packham will start reeling off facts to his fellow presenters Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games.

They might be about the battle of the Alamo, or some fascinating details about an obscure creature. His favourite is to list battles of the Second World War. Strangely, they seem to quell the jitters for his co-hosts before theyre beamed live into millions of homes.

Michaela and Martin are used to Chriss idiosyncrasies, having worked with him for years. But earlier this year, in an astonishingly candid autobiography called Fingers In The Sparkle Jar, Chris came out to the wider world as autistic.

Wildlife presenter Chris Packham, 55, talks about Asperger's Syndrome. He 'came out' to the world as autistic in his autobiography this year

He knew he was different from a young age, when he was bullied, and contemplated suicide several times. It was only later in life that he discovered he has high-functioning Aspergers syndrome, and it was only then he could start to see his condition as more of a blessing than a curse.

There are problems Aspergers presents but its also afforded me enormous opportunity, says Chris, now 55. If youd asked me when I was aged 17 to 26 if I could change it I would have said yes. But after 26 I decided to learn strategies to deal with it, even though I didnt know what I was dealing with.

Now I see it as an advantage. I have a retentive memory, which is a huge asset when you have to talk about the biology of animals on shows like Autumnwatch. If Ive read it, its stored.

While he struggles with humans, animals have always been Chriss best friends. He first became depressed at 14 when a kestrel hed hand-reared died. It was the death of another pet, his poodle called Fish in 2004, that plunged him into depression again shortly after hed split up from a girlfriend.

He only resisted attempting an overdose because he only had 39 pills, and he didnt think they were enough to do the job. It was then that he sought help.

Today, as we talk in a dark basement at the BBCs Broadcasting House, Chris struggles to maintain eye contact  a common trait in the autistic, although its something hes worked hard to correct. He doesnt smile much either and talks in long, convoluted sentences. But as he prepares for this years four-day Autumnwatch, he insists he probably wouldnt be sitting here if it wasnt for his autism.

In this field I meet a significant amount of people with Aspergers, its a mode of mind that suits an interest in wildlife and science, he says. I think if you can overcome what some people call handicaps  I call them tasks  you can get on and achieve great things.

A young Chris with his pet kestrel. While he struggles with humans, animals have always been Chriss best friends. He first became depressed at 14 when a kestrel hed hand-reared died

Chris is well known for being outspoken and has had his knuckles rapped by the BBC for writing controversial statements about emotive subjects such as badger culling. Hes never been one to keep his mouth shut, but insists hed never let his views affect his work.

I dont work for the BBC all the time and there are other platforms where I can make my feelings clear, he says. I dont talk about them on Autumnwatch or Springwatch because I want to protect the BBCs impartiality.

His impartiality will no doubt come under scrutiny during this years Autumnwatch. One report will look at the hugely controversial issue of badgers passing bovine TB to cows, which has resulted in culls.

The show will analyse the results of a fresh study that tracked both badgers and cows and found the two never actually meet. This is brilliant new science and were bringing more information to the table so people can be better informed, says Chris. Were not getting involved in the exterior debates; were just looking at the science.

Autumnwatch has moved to a new home for this series, the RSPB Reserve at Arne in Poole Harbour, Dorset. Its officially the most biodiverse region in the UK. Among the live highlights planned are cameras focused on the herds of sika deer that live in the area and will be in rutting season. The show will be looking at a mysterious seasonal gathering in a disused quarry on the Isle of Purbeck.

Today, as we talk in a dark basement at the BBCs Broadcasting House, Chris struggles to maintain eye contact  a common trait in the autistic, although its something hes worked hard to correct

Every autumn 15 of Britains 17 bat species come together for a few nights there. The motivation for their swarming behaviour is unclear  is it to feed, to breed, or to prepare for hibernation? With a bat detector and state-of-the-art thermal imaging, the Autumnwatch team hope to find out.

A golden eagle chick who became the star of Springwatch earlier this year will also return. Weve got a tag on it and well be following it to find out where it goes, says Chris.

Well also be giving the public the chance to name it. I had the extraordinary opportunity to handle it before we sent it off. I even smelled it. Smelled it? Yes, it smelled really nice  a dry, powdery, musty smell. For me its always interesting to smell things otherwise its a wasted sense.

There are also plans to film moles live for the first time, with tiny molecams in their tunnels. Its a tough ask, says Chris.

Moles are sensitive to vibration. Their sense of smell is profound and theyre repulsed by the smell of anything theyre not familiar with. But if you dont try youll never succeed.

Chief mole watcher will be Martin Hughes-Games  who recently caused a kerfuffle when he tweeted that hed been fired from the show, although the producers denied this. There may be some evolving but hell always be part of our presenting family, they responded cryptically, before Martin then tweeted, Im very happy to say Ill see you in October on Autumnwatch.

And what does Chris have to say about this particular controversy? For once, not a squeak.
His character has broken into the homes of multiple women, strangled them and posed them to look like his ex-girlfriends.

But fans of The Fall are managing to put the horror of serial killer Paul Spector's crimes aside thanks to actor Jamie Dornan's good looks.

The Irish-born hunk has kept fans hooked throughout the third series, which has been widely criticised for being slow-moving and featuring too much whispering.

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Fans of The Fall have taken to Twitter to express how they would like to be drowned and killed by Jamie Dornan's serial killer character Paul Spector

One fan called Sugarfixx rather alarmingly tweeted: 'Paul Spector may choke me in the bath anytime. 'Happy for me to forgo my fear of drowning for this to occur.'

FlavuF expressed similar fantasies, saying: 'I'd like to die killed by Paul Spector. Jamie Dornan, this man never stops to amaze me.'

GabbyChafer said she wished she could be Paul Spector's nurse.

The drama has previously been criticised for galmourising violence against women.

And Annie McLaughlin, the winner of the 2016 Write to End Violence Against Women bursary, has touched on the difficulty of a sex symbol such as Dornan who also plays Christian Grey taking on the Spector character.

'While The Fall can perhaps take credit for reminding viewers that violent, murderous men can also be handsome and charming, its perhaps telling that even Dornan himself has made the link between the two roles, joking that with one job following another, hed had seven months straight of tying up women,' she said.

At least Nourishingjess admitted to being 'a little concerned' over fancying a 'serial sadist brown-haired-woman killer'.

Emz96 expressed similar sentiments, saying: 'I need to stop being so attracted to Paul Spector. WTF is wrong with me? He's mental.'

And Re_beckyy admitted she prefers seeing Dornan in his role as the serial killer as opposed to the suave millionaire in 50 Shades of Grey.

'Forget Christian Grey,' she said. 'Paul Spectre is the only one for me. #loveabadguy.'

This season's action has largely been set in a Belfast hospital where Spector is recovering after being shot.

Detectives are battling him to open up about his crimes, but he claims to be suffering from amnesia and can't remember what he's done.

Meanwhile his pregnant wife Sally Ann, the mother of his two children, is struggling to convince the police that she had no knowledge and appears to be considering killing herself and the children as a way out.

This development had some viewers empathising with Paul, such as EQuetey who tweeted: 'OK he smothered and killed a bunch of women, bathed and posed them to feed his demons. BUT he is a good father to Livia and Liam.'

PatriciaWeller2 revealed she was feeling sorry for him, while Zos4Life added: 'For some reason...right there... I felt bad for Spector.'

BionicBK also admitted that she didn't want to see him in prison.

A scene in which Spector takes a shower had fans hot under the collar after last night's episode

One admirer said she wished she could be serial killer Paul Spector's nurse, despite the fact he's strangled multiple women

Viewers admitted they were feeling sorry for Irish hunk Jamie Dornan's character and don't want to see him jailed for murder

'Why don't I want Paul Spector to go in jail?! I feel sorry for him #suckedin,' she said.

Chloenicole_174 admitted that a scene that sees Spector strip off in the shower had her questioning her 'mental stability'.

'I want him to get away with it,' she said.

Alex Abrahams did his bit to defend the killer, saying: 'Paul Spector honestly seems like an alright kind of fella, you know despite the serial murdering stuff.'

And Dyanlittleblog praised his good looks, saying: 'Despite the obvious character flaws, Paul Spector is an absolute babe.'

However Spector's good looks weren't enough to convince some viewers, who continued to complain about the slow pace.

Fans have previously liked the new series to Casualty because the action is mostly set in hospital and have moaned about 'too much drippy whispering'.

And last night was no exception with T-cosgun tweeting a meme of a kitten falling asleep to illustrate their feelings over the new series.

Yvonneseatree complained that she needed subtitles because of the whispering, while Aidlove said that even when Gillian Anderson is shouting she still can't be heard.
Not since he first started in the business more than 25 years ago has Jude Law starred in a TV series, but the role of Lenny Belardo, the improbably handsome, cunning, chain-smoking pontiff in Sky Atlantics new ten-part series The Young Pope, was simply too good to resist.

Belardo is the fictional modern-day Pope Pius XIII in the controversial new show, which threatens to rip the lid off the secretive power struggles that go on inside the Vatican, and for Law he was everything he wants in a character.

The name of the show is The Young Pope, so everyone thinks hes going to be super-liberal  the young guy in the Vatican changing things in a very modern way, he tells me when we meet in Venice, where the series has just been unveiled to huge acclaim with critics praising its exhilarating mischief and dreamy ambience.

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Jude Law at a photocall for The Young Pope in which he plays Lenny Belardo, the improbably handsome, cunning, chain-smoking pontiff

But the surprise is that this is actually a very God-fearing, dogmatic young man who approaches matters in ways that are completely different from the way anyone would have expected. Lenny is everything that appeals to an actor. Hes complicated, beguiling, three-dimensional, and a lot of light is shed on him as the story progresses.

Directed by renowned film director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth), it begins with the Vaticans College of Cardinals engineering the election of Lenny as pope. The series comes out at the same time as bestselling author Robert Harriss new thriller Conclave; set in the near future, it too is a tale of Vatican intrigue as cardinals gather in incense-filled rooms to elect a new pope.

In Skys show, not only is the pope an American, but at 47 hes unprecedentedly young to take the post, and the College, led by Belardos Machiavellian mentor Cardinal Spencer (James Cromwell), thinks his age will make him easier to manipulate than an older man. But as the series progresses, and Belardo attempts to navigate the power struggles of the Vatican, theyre in for a big surprise.

As a cardinal, Belardo was mild-mannered and conservative, but as pope he immediately comes into conflict with the ecclesiastical hierarchy as he tries to break free of those trying to manipulate him, principally Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando), who hopes to become the power behind the throne.

He demands Cherry Coke Zero at breakfast and reverses a Vatican smoking ban introduced by one of his predecessors, John Paul II  but only for himself  and his decision not to authorise any reproduction of his image angers those trying to market the Vatican to the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics.

Yet although he appears to be a reactionary, Belardo is a fragile man haunted by a deep wound from his past. He was raised in a US orphanage, and has no idea who his parents are or why they abandoned him.

He feels the only person he can trust is the nun who brought him up and instilled his faith in him, Sister Mary (Diane Keaton, another Hollywood star making a rare foray into TV), and as soon as he becomes pope he insists on hiring her as his special assistant when his relationship with the faith  and those around him  becomes ever more turbulent.

Jude stars alongside Diane Keaton in the new series

Hes going through a spiritual crisis, explains Jude. Hes an orphan who believes that eventually through his faith he will understand why his parents left him all those years ago and find out where they are now. He kept to his faith and now he has the top job in the Church and God still hasnt given him the answers. During the series youll see him struggle with the fact that hes still not getting the answers he thinks he deserves to get.

His spirituality begins to unravel as he embarks on ever more un-Christian behaviour. His hiring of Sister Mary irks Cardinal Voiello because it was a role he wanted, but he then rubs salt into the wound by asking her to oversee everything Voiello does. But his cardinal sin, as it were, is to break the sanctity of the confessional by asking the priest whos taken confession to tell him the secrets of others as a way of furthering his own agenda.

One idea Jude had to jettison after taking the part was that of playing the role as a pope rather than a human being. Being British and not knowing much about this system, I thought I needed to do a lot of research and come to understand the Catholic faith more  what it is to be pope, what it is to live and work in the Vatican.

So I started reading the Bible and looking at papal history, learning all the inside stories, but I didnt feel I was getting any closer to stepping convincingly into this mans shoes. So Paolo suggested I stop doing that and concentrate instead on getting a very clear picture of Lenny Belardo. Who is he, whats his history, and how does he conduct himself? So really, it was about creating a real man who happens to be pope.

The Young Pope starts on Thursday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic

No saint himself, over the years Jude Law has become as well-known as a father of five children by three different mothers as for his roles on stage and in films. But one of the elements that helped Law find his way into his character this time was the costume. Wearing a uniform is a big part of my life, he laughs. The funny part of being an actor is you get to work, you take your own clothes off and you spend the day dressed as someone else, and then you get home and your children say, What have you done today, Daddy? And I say, Well, today I dressed up as the Pope!

'But it does make a difference, particularly for this part. It made me understand how it felt to be a real person who puts on these beautiful vestments and then becomes the face of a religion to millions of people. He says it helped that most of the clothes were white. Theres something about wearing all white, all day thats strangely demanding. Even the socks are white  you wear little white stockings and knickerbockers underneath it all. And then a lace undershirt and then the shirt and then the coat and the cloak. All in white. It makes you separate, untouchable.

These are a set of clothes that have evolved over hundreds of years, so every element of the outfit has a story to it. It was quite a long procedure to put it all on, and you need help because it has so many buttons and certain things have to be tied in certain ways. And the act of putting all that on was really helpful to get to the right place in my head to play him.

Paolo Sorrentino, the director, wanted to show his pope as a real person. The clergy in cinema and TV are either saints or infamous,' he said

Playing Sister Mary, the nun who raised him and in many ways remains the voice of his conscience, is an unusually serious role for Diane Keaton. She was nervous about taking this role at first, Jude confides. She kept saying, Im a comedian, and I want to do my schtick, but Paolo doesnt want me to be funny  what am I going to do?

'But I think Paolo made a very smart choice in casting Diane for this because he didnt cast her for her humour, he cast her for her heart. Shes so warm, and she has a kind of inner beauty, a purity to her, that suits the character so much. Shes very mischievous too  sometimes even a little naughty. She teased me from the minute I met her. She never called me Jude, only Your Holiness.

Jude  more accustomed to appearing in movies such as The Talented Mr Ripley and Guy Ritchies Sherlock Holmes series, in which he plays Watson  had been waiting for an opportunity to take a TV role. As he points out, television today is not what it was. It isnt the same as when people had tiny TVs at home with bad sound. Everyone now has huge TVs with great sound and its become the playground for many talented writers, directors and, therefore, actors.

BARRED FROM ST PETER'S Paolo Sorrentino, the director, wanted to show his pope as a real person. The clergy in cinema and TV are either saints or infamous  and I decided it would be interesting to try to look at them for what they are, which is human beings among other human beings. Any priest has a big conflict; on the one side they lead an ordinary life like us, but on the other they feel theyve been chosen to lead the life they lead, that theyre under a sort of divine mandate  that to some extent theyve been deprived of their own free will. Paolo says they tried, unsuccessfully, to get permission to film in the Vatican itself. We would have loved to have shot not only in the Vatican palace, but in one of the many magnificent villas and buildings and gardens that they also have there. 'But we were denied access without even having had the opportunity to introduce the project to them. I dont know why, because if they had even read the project they would see that its not against the Church. 'As for their reaction when they do see the series, I hope they appreciate that its an honest attempt to try to understand the mechanism of the Vatican, and how it works inside. I hope theyre intelligent enough to see were not attacking them. Advertisement

'I was curious to play a character over ten hours as opposed to two, and Paolo and I discussed this  were both wired to film, and it required a new approach, a new rhythm, to unpeel the character over a longer period.

Its rumoured the Vatican is less than thrilled about the series. But Jude, who says he admires the incumbent, Francis I, considerably, says hes prepared for any reaction. Id be surprised if there werent a varied reaction, he shrugs.

This is a very sensitive subject that has a great resonance for many people. I hope everyone knows our intent was always to be curious and respectful, never judgemental or mean, and certainly not scandalous. What were trying to do is to hold a mirror up to the institution, as opposed to pointing a finger at it.

Im a great believer in faith, and my curiosity has led me to Buddhist literature, Catholic literature, Islamic literature, ideas I hope will make sense of who I am and why Im here. I think this series has made me think daily about faith and my relationship with it and how important it is.'
At 51, Mark Billy Billingham might be, as he puts it, the oldest and crustiest instructor on the Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins, but there are flashes of a glamorous life among the grit and gore.

The show, back for a second series, features 25 members of the public going through the sort of selection process normally reserved for our elite Special Forces troops.

Channel 4 might have pulled off their own little coup by getting Billy on board, because its hard to think of someone more suited to a job that basically involves military muscle with a dollop of media savviness.

At 51, Mark Billingham is the instructor on the series SAS: Who Dares Wins. He joined the series after leaving a job as bodyguard for Brangelina's kids

His career in the Army, which started when he joined the Parachute Regiment in 1983, saw him complete the rigorous SAS training for real (480 soldiers started his course, only seven finished). He saw action in Belize, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, and received the Queens Commendation for Bravery.

When he left the military he moved into the world of celebrity protection. Among those he has acted as a bodyguard for are Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, Kate Moss, Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.

Theres one celebrity couple, though, for whom he was more like a member of the family. For 17 months he worked as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolies head of security, given special responsibility for their children.

Id been moonlighting during holidays, helping out a friend who was involved with celebrities, when Angelina got in touch to see if I would look after their kids. He did a few jobs with them, and when he quit the Army in 2006 he went to work for them full-time  an experience that eventually led him to quit, citing burnout. Its an extraordinary admission.

Would he say they were an ordinary family? Ordinary? Well, theyre ordinary in the world they live in which is not quite like ours'

An elite SAS soldier stepping down from a job looking after the Pitt-Jolie children? I was burnt out, he explains. Id done it for 17 months. I needed a change. I very rarely had time off. The job was fantastic but it was too much.

The world he describes is anything but normal. Would he say they were an ordinary family? Ordinary? Well, theyre ordinary in the world they live in which is not quite like ours. Its a world where its normal to have three different nannies, a bunch of security people. But to the kids its normal. This is natural to them.

His job involved being at the childrens side wherever the family were in the world, keeping them safe. I was the closest person to them. They were very reluctant to allow people too close to the kids. Obviously with four children (the twins Knox and Vivienne werent born until 2008), it was a full-on job.

I had support when the kids went to school or at a venue, there was anything from three to four nannies. It was chaotic, but in a fun way. Brad and Angelina always arranged things for the children to do, so maybe Id have to take Maddox, Zahara and Pax to the cinema, or Shiloh and Pax would have a clown come in to entertain them.

Not that Brad and Angelina were distant figures, he says. The thing about them is that they are phenomenal masters of time. I used to watch them work 18 hours a day, on a film set or doing charity stuff, but they always made a point of setting aside time for the children. Its not ideal, but thats the lifestyle. Theyd laugh and play silly games with the kids, like anyone. Id say they were as normal a family as you could be in those circumstances.

He hadnt been in touch with the couple for years when he heard of their split. Im never surprised by what happens in Hollywood. More saddened. They really were in love at the time I was with them, he says.

Speaking about the couple, he said: The thing about them is that they are phenomenal masters of time. I used to watch them work 18 hours a day, on a film set or doing charity stuff, but they always made a point of setting aside time for the children'

Its been alleged Brad was verbally abusive towards one of his children, though this was denied. Did Billy see any evidence of such behaviour? Not at all. I saw a good dad. I was surprised at how great he was. Little Pax was a hard nut, a terror to control, but Brad loved it. He really spent time with him trying to bring him round, discipline him  in a beautiful way. I never saw anything untoward.

Billy isnt the only one on the SAS show to have a fascinating back story. Some of the contestants themselves have had lives that couldnt have been scripted, from the former soldier whose gambling and alcohol addictions landed him in prison to a man whose son was killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan. And for whoever comes out on top over the five gruelling episodes, a career in Hollywood protection may well beckon.
On National Day (Oct 1) at 8 AM, some members and fellow workers of Zezhou CCC&TSPM went to Taiyang Village in Taiyang Town, Zezhou County. Accompanied by the party branch secretary, they visited poverty-stricken families on Yifen Street.

First, they paid a visit to 70-year-old Meng Xiaofu. The three generations of his family are all unable to work. His son has a mental disorder and his granddaughter can't work; then they went to the home of a senior named Li Laiping whose son and daughter both left. His daughter-in-law is bed ridden due to paralysis and has two grandsons living with him. After that, they went to the home of Yang Chougua. The two of the couple are mentally challenged and their child can't go to school normally. Finally, they went to the home of Zhao Baodan. He has been bed ridden due to a car accident for over a decade. They visited 34 poor families in total and sent half a kilo of eggs to each family. The total expenses were 574 CNY.

On Sep 28 Li Jiangxia, leading person of a fellowship in the church, along with three other people sent warmth to 13 poor families in Zezhou county Xiacun town , Chengzhuang Village. The expenses were 230 CNY.

The villagers were very happy when they saw the love from the church. The act produced favorable comments from the villagers.
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A devoted father has transformed his three-year-old daughter into Wonder Woman - with an out-of-this world photo shoot and costume.

Comic book fan and commercial photographer Josh Rossi, 31, celebrated Nellee's third birthday by transforming her into the DC Comics heroine.

Creative Josh made his daughter's dreams come true by editing the photos to make her look like she's fighting in an epic battle scene, complete with a sword and shield.

Comic book fan and commercial photographer Josh Rossi took these incredible photos of his daughter, three, as Wonder Woman for her birthday

During the six-hour photoshoot his wonder girl wore a specially handmade Wonder Woman costume and had her makeup done professionally.

Based in Josh's home town of Salt Lake City, the shoot involved five assistants on set - including Josh's pregnant 29-year-old wife, Roxana.

The group hoisted Nellee above their heads, blew wind into her hair and helped her with props to achieve the special shots.

Now a father-of-two, Josh spent weeks editing his studio shots by layering them over his own incredible backdrops to give the illusion that she's fighting in battle scenes.

Comic book fan and commercial photographer Josh Rossi, 31, celebrated Nellee's third birthday by transforming her into the DC Comics heroine

Speaking about his talent, he said: 'I'm a commercial and advertising photographer so I regularly do really cool and powerful stuff for big companies'

During the six-hour photoshoot his wonder girl wore a specially handmade Wonder Woman costume and had her makeup done professionally before he worked his magic on the shots

He said: 'I love superheros - but I wanted my girl to be more unique than just superwoman or cat woman because she has a really strong personality.

'I remembered the Batman vs Superman movie where at the end Wonder Woman comes out and she destroys the monster that neither of the guys can defeat.

'So she's more powerful than both of them combined and that's the moment that I was certain that's who I wanted my daughter to be - she's a very powerful woman.

'This represents her at the best.'

Josh said that he loves superheros - but wanted his girl to be more unique than just superwoman or cat woman because she has a really strong personality

Nellee would spend hours rehearsing her favourite poses before her big day.

Her father added: 'I say she's the obsessed one, but secretly I'm the obsessed one and I got her into it.

'She had to practice for the role so we had her watch the Wonder Woman trailer over and over again and she absolutely loved it.

'She started acting out everything and making the faces and the poses and everything, she's definitely obsessed with it now!

'She loves acting, she acts out everything and goes to dance classes. So we'll see whether she wants to pursue it.

'As soon as she put the costume on she was in the zone, the poses were great. She wasn't hungry or crying, she was literally so into it.

Nellee would spend hours rehearsing her favourite poses before her big day and took to it like a duck to water

Speaking about her talents, he said: 'As soon as she put the costume on she was in the zone, the poses were great'

'It's like her dream. It's expensive to create the perfect look but it's totally worth it.

'The whole shoot took about six hours. We had to do hair and make up, and then it was three and a half hours for the actual photoshoot.

'I thought I was only going to need two assistants but we ended up using the makeup lady and her husband and my wife - it was five in total for one of the shots.

'My wife was just as involved in this as I was. She was heavily pregnant at the time so obviously she couldn't do too much but she really helped out on the shoot.

'It took me about two and a half weeks to edit the photos. We'd just had a newborn so it was really insane.

'I would just put in 45 minutes, each image takes about 8-12 hours.

'I usually turn the pictures into birthday invitations, but as her birthday has passed we'll probably hang them on the wall!'

He said it took him two and a half weeks to edit the photos and his wife had just given birth at the time so he was a very busy man

He thought he was only going to need two assistants but he ended up using the makeup lady and her husband and my wife - it was five in total for one of the shots.

Josh says he usually turns the pictures into birthday invitations, but as her birthday has passed he is going to hang them on the wall of their family home instead

Josh's wacky shoots happen every year to celebrate Nellee's birthday and last year she stared as Mulan in an epic kung-fu style shoot.

He added: 'Some people thought I was crazy when I said I was going to do a Wonder Woman shoot - until they see the photos.

'We love watching The Flash and lots of Marvel and DC Comics movies, but I'm probably the most obsessed.

'When I was young I used to be obsessed with comic books and I used to be obsessed with comic book art and I always wanted to be a comic book artist.

'I had a cool portfolio when I was younger, but then I dropped it. Now I'm back into photography I have an opportunity to pursue it.

Josh's wacky shoots happen every year to celebrate Nellee's birthday and last year she stared as Mulan in a shoot

Josh shoots the background imagery as well and often captures things he thinks will look 'cool' whilst he's abroad

'I shoot all the background stuff as well, for example if I go abroad I'll always shoot stuff I think will make a cool backdrop to one of my photos.

'The fire behind Nellee comes from a picture I took of a flame blower in Canada. So I shot all that stuff and then just put it back together.

'The one where she's holding the electric whiplash is in a warehouse in New York.

'I have lots of ideas for the future - it's just finding the time to create it.'

Josh has been a photographer for ten years and a commercial photographer for five years, his work can be found on his Instagram channel @joshrossiphoto.
She hit back at the claims saying: 'I am not sure if this was meant to be a joke, but in case there is any ambiguity, this is a complete and total lie'

Ivanka spent Thursday afternoon campaigning for her father Donald in Wisconsin following the presidential

Ivanka Trump kicked off the weekend with a relaxing breakfast with her three children after a long day of campaigning for her father Donald in Wisconsin.

The 34-year-old was in a white bathrobe and holding her six-month-old son Theodore as she sat down at a small children's table with Arabella, five, and Joseph, three, on Friday morning.

In the image posted to Ivanka's Instagram page, the family is enjoying a healthy breakfast of fruit and honey while Theodore happily drinks from his bottle.

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Bon appetit! Ivanka Trump enjoyed breakfast with her children Arabella, five, Joseph, three, and Theodore, six-months, on Friday morning

Campaign trail: The 34-year-old showed off her stylish outfit on the tarmac when she landed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Thursday

'Delicious breakfast courtesy of Arabella!' she captioned the image, which sees them in the children's play room at their Park Avenue apartment.

Arabella, who loves to bake and cook with her mother, is striking a pose in her seat, while Joseph is standing and sweetly resting his head on his mom's shoulder.

Ivanka spent Wednesday evening in Las Vegas to support her father at the third presidential debate, and she took to Instagram early the next morning to share a sweet photo of Theodore modeling some new clothes.

'Cozy in his fall gear,' she captioned the image, which sees the tot sitting in a dining room chair wearing a red shirt with navy and white stripes, navy pants, and a matching Ralph Lauren coat.

'Leaving Las Vegas': Ivanka, who was in Nevada for Wednesday night's final presidential debate, filmed herself flying to Milwaukee and then Eau Claire

The little boy is also sporting a darling pair of navy baby moccasins, even though he presumably wasn't leaving his New York City apartment.

And while the snapshot was shared first thing this morning, it is unclear when the it was taken or who actually took it as Ivanka was still in Las Vegas.

Later that day she documented her flight from Nevada to Wisconsin, announcing that she is 'leaving Las Vegas' in one of the short clips.

The mother-of-three then flew from Milwaukee to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where she showed off her stylish outfit on the tarmac.

Ivanka looked every bit the potential First Daughter in a patriotic navy pencil skirt featuring red and white stripes worn with a taupe mock turtleneck, and paired with a navy coat with gold buttons.

Meet and greet: Ivanka posed for photos with guests while making a campaign stop for her father in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on Thursday

Supporting her dad: Ivanka is pictured greeting a young fan during the campaign stop

Making her voice heard: Ivanka looked relaxed as she addressed her father's supporters

The doting daughter also stopped in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, to campaign for her father, signing posters and greeting supporters along the way. And while Ivanka has had a tough couple of days, you wouldn't know it from her Instagram page.

Just one day after she vehemently denied Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti's claims that she once told him she had 'never seen a mulatto c**k', the mom was back on social media, as if nothing had happened.

After Ivanka spoke about her father's 'offensive' comments towards women at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit on Wednesday, Peretti tweeted that she shared her dad's capacity for lewdness.

'Surprised Ivanka would be shocked by lewd language,' he tweeted today. 'I met her once & she casually said: 'I've never seen a mulatto c**k, but I'd like to!'

Try to clear the air: On Wednesday before the debate, Ivanka vehemently denied Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti's claims that she once told him she had 'never seen a mulatto c**k'

Tweet: After she spoke about her dad's 'offensive' comments towards women at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, Peretti revealed she shares her father's capacity for lewdness

But Ivanka hit back at the claims, calling them a 'total lie.'

'I am not sure if this was meant to be a joke, but in case there is any ambiguity, this is a complete and total lie,' she told the DailyMail.com.

Peretti said he had written the tweet after reading about the businesswoman's statement a t the summit.

Ivanka had been asked about her father's comments in the now infamous 2005 video where Donald Trump was recorded telling Access Hollywood host Billy Bush that stars could do anything they like, even grabbing women 'by the p***y.'

His daughter told interviewers at the event that she had found the r ecording 'jarring' and called her father's remarks 'clearly inappropriate and offensive'.

Bad omen? Ivanka and her family were in Las Vegas on Wednesday night to cheer on Donald at his final presidential debate, where she and her stepmother Melania, 46, wore all black

Bouncing back: Ivanka took to Instagram on Thursday morning to share a photo of her Theodore after denying claims that she once made lewd comments

But Peretti told Buzzfeed he had been surprised by her reaction to the language, after his encounter with Ivanka at a Manhattan dive bar called Tropical 128 about a decade ago.

He said their conversation had taken place in front of five other people including his wife Andrea Harner, who confirmed she had overheard the comments.

The claims are at odds with Ivanka's statement at the summit, where she said she had found her father's lewd comments 'offensive'.

'That's not language consistent with any conversation I've ever had with him, certainly, or any conversation I've overheard. So it was a bit jarring for me to hear.'
Man has had spikes embedded into his head and wants a beak nose

He has had his eyes tattooed vibrant red and blue hues

A man has been dubbed the human parrot after installing horns, getting his eyes and tongue tattooed and even cutting off his ears to look like his favourite bird.

Ted Parrotman Richards, 57, will do just about anything to look like his favourite bird - and left the This Morning audience in shock when he appeared on Friday's show.

Ted, from Bristol, was interviewed by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford about why he's spent his pension on the transformation - and revealed his plans to reshape his nose like a beak.

Ted Parrotman Richards, 57, appeared on This Morning to reveal he has spent his pension money on transforming himself into a human parrot

Ted, who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt emblazoned with his beloved birds and palm tress, discussed how he's had his ears removed, his eyes tattooed vibrant red and blue hues and even had spikes embedded into his head.

The man, who is covered from head-to-toe in 100 colourful tattoos and body piercings, even brought along two of his cherished birds with him, balancing one on his bald head and one on his shoulder.

'Ive come right out of my shell,' he said of his new look. 'Since Ive been doing all this, Ive been talking to a lot more people.

'It would be nice to share everything. Ive met a few people, just other people what Ive been talking to and stuff like that [sic]'.

The man is covered from head-to-toe in 100 colourful tattoos and body piercings and has had spikes embedded into his head

Ted, who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt emblazoned with his beloved birds and palm tress, discussed how he's had his eyes tattooed vibrant red and blue hues

'Ive come right out of my shell,' he said of his new look. 'Since Ive been doing all this, Ive been talking to a lot more people

Viewers took to social media in their droves to comment on his stint on the show.

'Yikes! He had his ears removed, added permanent horns and will have his nose removed. To each his own??,' wrote one shocked user, whilst another added: 'As if a man on this morning wants to look like a parrot.'

One Twitter user wrote: 'Who's a pretty boy then! #ted #parrotman #thismorning,', and another shocked viewer pondered: 'Omg the #parrotman on @thismorning really??? why do people put themselves through it all? #bafflesme.'

Another user threw her support behind Ted, writing: 'I'm finding this interview a bit judgemental... he's not hurting anyone? Let him be a parrot! Each to their own.'

The retired shoe factory worker got his first tattoo in 1976 and has since built up a collection covering almost his entire body.

But the body art and plastic surgery was not enough as Mr Richards, from Hartcliffe, Bristol, has now changed his name by Deed Poll - to Ted Parrotman.

After having his ears removed, he had to return to his plastic surgeon to have synthetic lumps inserted under the skin on the side of his head - because he had overlooked the fact that he wore glasses.

Viewers took to social media in their droves to comment on his stint on the show where he was interviewed by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford
When it comes to fashion, we are all inspired by what we see; whether it be a well dressed celebrity, a blow-your-mind catwalk presentation or even a super stylish every-day passerby.

As fashion editors, we're moved by all of the above, and then some. We're exposed to under the radar labels; we get a first hand look at collections months before they hit stores; we're tapped into brands with chic-yet-cheap offerings and we shop a lot.

To share our knowledge, FEMAIL brings you Style Swoon, an insider's view of the latest, greatest and on the verge. We hope this weekly Friday series will serve as a buying guide and point of inspiration for the clotheshorses and fashion fanatics alike.

KHLOE'S NEW DENIM LINE FOR ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

Style star: Khloe Kardashian, 32, launched her new denim line Good American this week

Denim for all women: Each pair of jeans on the site is modeled by girls of different shapes and sizes. This cropped pair is shown in size 2, (left) 10, (center) and 14 (right). Good Legs Crop, $169,goodamerican.com

This week, Khloe Kardashian, 32, launched her new denim line Good American, along with partner Emma Grede.

The pair's goal was to design a collection of jeans for all shapes and sizes. 'We set out to make a denim line that is sexy and flattering, and made to fit you - not the other way around' said Khloe.

The made in LA brand's sizes range from 0-24 and each pair shown on the website is modeled by girls of varying sizes - to illustrate how the denim fits on different body types.

The collection can be purchased directly from goodamerican.com or select Nordstrom stores and prices range from $159- $215.

Jean-ious: Each pair of jeans on the site is modeled by girls of different shapes and sizes. This cropped pair is shown in size 2, (left) 10, (center) and 14 (right). Good Legs Raw Edge, $189, goodamerican.com

DRYBAR'S NEW HANDY GUIDE

Good read: The Drybar Guide to Good Hair for All, $21.21, amazon.com

Blowout addicts rejoice! Drybar founder Alli Webb just released The Drybar Guide to Good Hair for All  the ultimate handbook for at-home styling.

' Since we dont have a Drybar everywhere (yet), think of this book as the definitive how-to guide to achieving the very best blowouts and hair styles at home,' says Alli.

With 66 Drybars across the country and a curly-haired girl herself, Alli is definitely a pro. 'Im so excited to share everything Ive picked up during my lifelong pursuit of good hair,' she says.

Loaded with style and substance, this easy-to-follow book is chock full of Alli's tried-and-true tips, plus inspirational photos and step-by-step tutorials.

'Beautiful, healthy, blown-out hair makes women feel great because it gives them confidence,' says Alli. Bad hair days begone!

JEWELRY WITH A MESSAGE

California based jewelry brand Dogeared has teamed up with Caged Bird Legacy, LLC, the estate and family of Dr. Maya Angelou, to create a capsule collection that features some of Dr. Angelou's most famous inspirational quotes.

The collection features gold dipped and sterling silver engraved rings, engraved cuffs, tote bags, makeup bags, and these sleek pendant necklaces.

With quotes like 'you alone are enough' and 'nothing can dim the light which shines from within,' you can't help but feel inspired.

Prices range from $24 - $158.

SCARVES TO WRAP UP IN THIS FALL

Wrap up: Left: 'Red Flame' scarf, $22, dosnyc.com. Right: 'Blue North South Lake' scarf, $22, dosnyc.com

Descendants of the Sun or DOS is a line of printed scarves founded in 2013 by two fashion industry friends living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Inspired by their love of art, DOS owners created scarves that are true works of art.

Designed in Brooklyn and produced in Punjab, India at an ethically run mill that has been family run for over 40 years, each piece is a visual travelog of images and observations gathered over the years. They're conversation pieces, to say the least.

Using the softest yarns available, DOS developed their own gauzey viscose fabric made from naturally occurring plant material. The result? A luxuriously soft hand feel that's easy to care for and will get better with time.
In January, Track was arrested and charged with domestic assault after Jordan told authorities that he had punched her in the face

Jordan also registered for a baby boy, due on October 7, at The Bump

Last month Bristol shared a family photo that included Track with his arm around a heavily pregnant woman who appears to be Jordan

The baby boy, whom one commenter referred to as Charlie, is thought to be the son of her older brother Track's girlfriend Jordan Loewe

of Tripp, seven, holding the baby while his half-sister Sailor Graces watches

The 25-year-old took to Instagram on Friday to share a

Bristol Palin is celebrating what appears to be the newest addition to her family.

The 25-year-old mother-of-two took to Instagram on Friday to share a heartwarming photo of her seven-year-old son Tripp holding an unidentified baby boy while his nearly 10-month-old half-sister Sailor Grace watches with delight.

The baby, whom one commenter referred to as Charlie, is thought to be the son of her older brother Track's girlfriend Jordan Loewe.

Celebration: Bristol Palin took to Instagram to share a photo of her kids Tripp and Sailor Grace with a newborn, who is thought to be the son of her brother Track's girlfriend Jordan Loewe

'Walking is close': Bristol's husband Dakota Meyer also took to Instagram on Friday to share a photo of nearly 10-month-old daughter Sailor trying to stand up

'Oh my heart!' Bristol captioned the image, which sees her little ones sitting on a rug in their living room as they admire the baby.

Both Tripp, Bristol's only child with her ex-fiance Levi Johnston, and the little boy are wearing camouflage, which is a popular pattern for the Palin family.

Last month Bristol shared a family photo of her and Dakota posing with their children, her parents, her siblings, and heavily pregnant woman who appears to be Jordan.

In the photo Track has his arm around her and it has been noted online that Jordan had registered for items for a baby boy at The Bump, which stated her due date to be October 7.

All together: Last month Bristol shared a family photo that saw her brother Track with his arm around a heavily pregnant woman who appeared to be his girlfriend Jordan

Difficult time: Track, who is pictured with Jordan, was arrested in January at his parents' house in Wasilla, Alaska, after she reported that he punched her in the face

Sisterly love: Willow Palin (left), 22, celebrated Bristol's birthday on Tuesday by sharing a photo of them with their 15-year-old sister Piper (center)

Daily Mail Online has reached out to his mother Sarah Palin for comment.

Track has kept a low profile since he was arrested in January at his parents' house in Wasilla, Alaska. His girlfriend Jordan had reported at the time that she was afraid he would shoot himself with an AR-15 assault rifle.

She also told authorities that Track punched her in the face.

He was charged with assault, interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime, and possessing a weapon while intoxicated after the incident at the Wasilla home, where he lives.

In July, his attorney said he entered plea agreement at special court for veterans. He pleaded guilty to a weapons misconduct charge and had two misdemeanors, including assault, dropped.

Loving mother: Meanwhile, Bristol's mom Sarah posted this heartwarming collage on her Facebook page

True love: Dakota shared this throwback photo and wrote a touching tribute to his wife, calling her his 'greatest gift ever'

Another year older: Bristol later shared photos of her birthday cards and gifts while admitting that she is having trouble getting used to being 26

Track was told he would have to complete an alcohol-related treatment to have the charge expunged from his record.

And while Tripp and Sailor were getting to know the new baby, Dakota proudly posted a photo of his baby girl with her arms perched on a box, announcing that is going to start walking any day now.

'Walking is close !!! It's crazy how much she changes and grows everyday. #prouddad [sic],' he captioned the sweet image.

Earlier this week he celebrated Bristol's 26th birthday by sharing a photo of them along with a touching tribute to his new wife.

'Happy birthday to my wife, best friend, and the greatest gift ever to me. You're truly amazing @bsmp2 I'm so thankful to have you. I hope you have the best day ever,' he wrote on Tuesday, October 18.

Proud as can be: The mother-of-two often shares photos of her darling children on Instagram

Doting mom: Bristol recently shared this photo of herself holding Sailor while she helped Tripp with his homework

Willow, 22, posted a photo of them with their younger sister Piper, 15, to wish her a Happy Birthday, using the hashtags '#sisterfriends, #lovehate ,and #lottahatelittlelove.'

And her mom Sarah took to Facebook to share a photo collage of her oldest daughter.

'It's a great day! Oct. 18 is "Alaska Day", celebrating America's purchase of Alaska from Russia,' she wrote. 'Even better (for me!) it's the birthday of Tripp and Sailor Grace's mom. Happy, happy birthday Bristol! We love you.'

Despite the well wishes, Bristol admitted she was having a hard time turning a year older.
But now the answer is here: and it's all to do with Walkers' production cycle

The reason why has been plaguing eagle-eyed crisps fans for years

The best before date on packet of crisps is the same day every week

Most people don't wait long enough to notice or care when their packet of crisps needs to be eaten by as they've usually already finished the snack.

So you may not have noticed that the expiry date on every single packet of crisps sold by the UK's most famous crisp brand, Walkers, always falls on a Saturday.

The revelation isn't news to everyone - and there's even an ancient Facebook page dedicated to telling people about the quirk called 'ALL Crisps Go Out Of Date On A Saturday, FACT'.

But now the real reason for why all the Leicester-based maker's crisps seem to go out of date on a Saturday has been revealed - and the explanation is actually quite straight-forward.

Walkers Crisps always have an expiry date on a Saturday - and now the reason why has been revealed

It's nothing to do with the crisps themselves - there's certainly no magical ingredient that only goes out of date on a Saturday.

The answer is actually hiding in plain sight on Walkers' own website in its frequently asked questions section - as it's obviously been troubling more than a few crisp lovers.

And it turns out that it's all to do with the crisp manufacturer's production process.

Their production week starts on a Sunday - which means that every crisp packet produced in that week will have a best before date on a Saturday.

A statement on the crisp maker's website says: 'In the manufacturing sites we work on production weeks which start on a Sunday.

The explanation for why Walkers Crisps always seem to go out of date on a Saturday is finally here - and it's all to do with the crisp maker's production process

Walkers says it's all to do with their production week, which starts on a Sunday. As the cycle ends on a Saturday, the best before date always falls on this day

'All product produced in that week will have the same Best Before date.

'As the week ends on the Saturday, the best before date will always end on a Saturday.'

The question has been troubling crisp fans for a long time.

Earlier this year, Dan Melon asked on Twitter: 'I've been baffled for a while. Why are all you're "best before" dates on you're crisp products always fall on a Saturday?'

And Biggins also spotted the expiry date quirk, tweeting: ' Go to your crisp cupboard, every pack of Walkers you possess will go out of date on a Saturday.'

Sam Rivers asked: 'If anyone finds a Walkers crisp packet that doesn't expire on a Saturday. Do be a darling and send me a photo.'
Regular cannabis users are more than five times more likely to develop a serious mental disorder.

Cannabis creates a greater mental health risk than any other substance, including class A drugs, scientists have found.

Those who abuse the drug  now more potent than ever in the form of super-strength skunk  are 5.2 times as likely to develop schizophrenia as someone who had never smoked it.

Regular cannabis users are more than five times more likely to develop a serious mental disorder

This compares to 1.9 times for hallucinogenic drugs and 1.24 times for amphetamines.

Danish researchers trawled more than 3.1million peoples medical records to ascertain the link between cannabis use and schizophrenia.

In research presented to the International Early Psychosis Association, they suggested the pleasure hormone dopamine, released by the drug, could trigger the disorder in people susceptible to its effects.

The mass medical records study looked at people diagnosed as being cannabis abusers by doctors and those who were schizophrenics.

It follows research last year which showed super-strength types of cannabis caused one in four cases of psychosis.

More than nine million people in England and Wales have smoked cannabis at some point. Pro-cannabis campaigners say the drug cannot be proven to have caused the psychotic disorder.

They claim people may be schizophrenics before they use cannabis and are more likely to take the drug in the early stages of illness to calm themselves.

Cannabis creates a greater mental health risk than any other substance, including class A drugs, scientists have found

But the researchers at Copenhagen University Hospitals Mental Health Centre also found evidence implying that cannabis made the brain schizophrenic.

In a second study they discovered that pregnant women who abused cannabis gave birth to children six times more likely to become schizophrenics. This suggests the physical effects of the drug could be passed on in the womb.

Study leader Dr Carsten Hjorthj said: We know a child in its mothers womb is not doing this by choice.

'For me, that does set upon the idea that cannabis is a causal mechanism.
This is the touching moment little survivor has her first ever cuddle with her father who almost died in a traffic accident weeks earlier.

Tiny Macey Micklethwaite was barely the size of his hand when she was born weighing just 1.2lb.

She arrived at 25 weeks - just seven days over the cut off point for abortion in the UK.

It was the second bit of good fortune for the family as father, Rhys, was involved in a horrific motorbike crash just weeks before.

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Macey Micklethwaite was barely the size of his hand when she was born weighing just 1.2lb

Mother Karen Dawkins, 33, from Worcester, had only discovered she was pregnant at 18 weeks.

Just over a month later, she was forced to have her daughter 15 weeks early and medics warned the couple it was unlikely their new daughter would survive.

'When she was born she was the size of my hand.

'I look back at photos and think how un-baby-like she looks, but at the time I thought ''wow, what a baby''.

'She battled through so much. I feel so lucky to have her.'

Ms Dawkins, a pub assistant manager, discovered that she was pregnant at 18 weeks when she went to the doctors over Christmas.

She said: 'Macey's dad had been in a motorbike accident, and it was in and out of hospital with him.

Now eight-months-old, she weighs 8.5lbs - just over the average weight of a full-term newborn

Her mother Karen Dawkins did not get to see Macey again until she was two days old as doctors worked to stabilise both mother and daughter

'If he had been one second ahead of where he was he would have lost his life. Being pregnant was not in my thoughts at all.

'I went to the doctor and he said I was 18 weeks pregnant. It was delightful news.'

But after routine scans at 20 and 22 weeks showed everything was well, the couple received a terrible shock at next scan three weeks later.

'I went to see the midwife and she said my blood pressure was shockingly high. I had to go to hospital straight away.'

She was referred to Gloucester Royal Hospital but transferred to Saint Michael's Hospital, Bristol, which has a specialist maternity unit, the following day.

Macey was born a week after the legal abortion limit with doctors not expecting her to survive

She spent the first five months of her life in hospital before proud parents Rhys (pictured) and mother Karen were able to take her home

After further tests she was diagnosed with a severe case of pre-eclampsia, a condition in which the placenta stops working effectively and oxygen and nutrient flow to the baby is reduced.

Her blood pressure increased as her body had fought harder and harder to keep Macey alive.

WHAT IS PRE-ECLAMPSIA? Pre-eclampsia is a disorder seen in pregnant woman which leads to red cell breakdown, low blood platelet counts, impaired liver function, kidney dysfunction, fluid in the lungs and visual disturbances

The severe pregnancy related disease increases the risk of problems in pregnancy for both the mother and baby, and if left untreated can result in seizures and death

The only treatment currently available it early labour- as the proteins released by the placenta which cause the disease are no longer produced.

Premature babies have a higher risk of disability and death

First time mothers are more at risk as are mothers pregnant with twins

Risk factors include being a first time mother, Diabetes Mellitus, Kidney disease, chronic hypertension, giving birth after 35, obesity and placental abnormalities. Advertisement

'I remember sitting in hospital with Rhys and I felt fine. I thought they would just send me home.

'I was unaware of the danger until I was transferred to St Michael's. Then I was in disbelief. Tears came as I knew something was wrong.

'They realised that Macey had stopped growing at 23 weeks.'

Doctors initially tried to hold off performing a Caesarean section to increase Macey's chance of survival.

'The consultant told me they were trying to keep her in as every extra day can mean the difference between life and death.

'But eventually they said it was now or never. They had to operate to keep Macey alive.

'The fear was there and I was sad and anxious, and you never expect to be in that position. But you just get on with it.'

The Caesarean was successful and Macey was born on 20 February.

As she was so tiny, and her mother still very ill, she was taken to intensive care.

Ms Dawking was unable to visit her for the first two days and relied on photographs to see her newborn.

In that time Macey's weight dropped to just one pound.

She grew stronger as time went on and is developing well, despite being born 15 weeks early

'She is just a normal baby. She is small but catching others up. Health and development wise she is on track,' said Ms Dawking

'It was my birthday the day after I had her, and the birth was a joyous occasion. I would say it was the best day of my life.

'It was good that she was fine and breathing on her own.

'But I was a lot more ill than I realised. My kidneys were failing. I could not cuddle her for the first two days.'

Slowly both mother and daughter began to get stronger, although Macey suffered setbacks with infections and troubles feeding.

She was five month's old before she was finally allowed to go home.

Now eight-months-old, she weighs 8.5lbs - just over the average weight of a full-term newborn.

'She is just a normal baby. She is small but catching others up. Health and development wise she is on track.

'It's amazing how much she has battled through.'

The family was supported by the charity Cots for Tots, which raises funds for life-saving equipment for premature infants and provides free accommodation to parents and siblings of babies at St Michael's.
A US-based whistle-blower has alleged that BJP lawmaker Varun Gandhi leaked crucial information about defence matters after being 'honey-trapped' and blackmailed by arms dealer Abhishek Verma.

India Today TV has accessed an explosive letter written to the prime ministers office (PMO) by lawyer C Edmonds Allen who had an epic falling-out with his former client, Verma, four years ago.

"This gentleman (Varun Gandhi) participates in immoral activities with prostitutes arranged by Abhishek Verma.

Abhishek Verma is alleged to be an arms dealer although he denies all accusations against him

"He also meets management of defense companies at private partiessolicits business on Abhishek Vermas behest, says the letter.

Gandhi has emphatically denied all the charges and accusations against him.

Allen has alleged that Gandhi, as member of the parliamentary defence committee, had access to information that was shared with Verma to compromise national security."

The seven-page letter goes on to say that the BJP MP was "compromised" because of his pictures with foreign escorts and prostitutes.

Verma has also denied the charges.

A US-based whistle-blower has alleged that BJP lawmaker Varun Gandhi leaked crucial information about defence matters after being 'honey-trapped' and blackmailed by an arms dealer

Allens letter to the PMO dated 16 September 2016 also names top former commanders of the air force and navy for conspiracy in leaking sensitive data.

One of the officers is a co-accused in the Navy War Room Leak scandal of 2005.

Allen was a close aide of Verma before their relationship soured. He has also sent a copy of the letter to defence minister Manohar Parrikar and national security adviser Ajit Doval.

Allen has alleged that Verma had access to defence secrets including the minutes of the meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council till 2011, despite being an accused in the Navy War Room Leak scandal.

Varun Gandhi termed the accusations "baseless and ridiculous".

"I was horrified at the wild allegations made. What I didnt see, however, was a shred or iota of evidence, proof or fact linking me to these insane rumours," he told Mail Today.

Anybody who knows the defence committee knows it has no access to confidential information".

The MP insisted he had not met Verma since 2003.

"I have taken this attempt to tarnish my name very seriously and will file a criminal defamation suit against these people, he said.

An avowed 'witness' and Vermas friend, Vikki Chowdhary, told Mail Today he had seen Varun Gandhis pictures with foreign escorts at the arms dealers parties.

Varun Gandhi termed the accusations 'baseless and ridiculous'

"They are not new pictures. I have seen them. I had gone to his farmhouse and he showed me the pictures. Its like A4-size blown up pictures on glossy paper, he claimed.

Abhishek Verma, however, denied the honey-trap and blackmail charges as a "malicious campaign" by his former legal adviser.

"These are salacious allegations. I have no pictures and neither honey-trapped nor have I blackmailed Varun Gandhi," he told Mail Today.

Varun Gandhi is the son of Sanjay Gandhi and a part of India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty

After their falling out in January 2012 over money, Allen passed on a series of documents to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which led to Verma being investigated and jailed allegedly for leaking sensitive defence-related information to arms dealers and companies.

But in a scathing attack on the central government, senior lawyer and founder member of Swaraj Abhiyan Prashant Bhushan alleged that the prime ministers office was aware of the leak, yet took no action.
Embarrassed by the use of its free W-Fi facility at the Patna Railway station to browse porn, the Railways has now dropped the idea of rolling out the service on premium trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express.

Well placed sources in the Rail Ministry said the gross misuse of internet facility on railway stations has left the officials in a quandary whether to go ahead with similar experiment on trains.

Officials said that when mobile users watch porn on trains, it creates quite an uncomfortable situation for fellow passengers, which could result in a monetary losses for the railways.

Embarrassed by the use of its free W-Fi facility at the Patna Railway station to browse porn, the Railways has now dropped the idea of rolling out the service on premium travel options.

Former porn star Sunny Leone arrives at the PETA's 35th Anniversary Party

Sources said railway ministry was also considering restricting free internet on railway stations temporarily.

A senior Rail Ministry official said it wasn't financially viable to offer internet facilities for free.

"A rough estimate suggests that people are using at least 15 times more data at railway stations that they would use on their cellular networks on a daily basis.

"This is also evident from the misuse of internet on various railway stations. Most of users have been using railway internet for downloading porn clips, Youtube videos and other mobile apps, said the official.

A senior Rail Ministry official said it was financially unviable to offer internet facilities for free

The development comes in wake of the findings that the internet facility at railway stations was mostly being used for searching and downloading porn videos.

Of the 23 stations that provide free Wi-Fi to passengers, Patna figured on top of the list with maximum data consumption.

"More than any other railway station in the country where free Wi-Fi service was launched, Patna railway station is on the top in the country for using internet search, particularly search for porn sites," an official of RailTel, a mini-Ratna public sector undertaking (PSU), said.

The matter is being discussed at the top level. The ministry is exploring viability of internet service on railway stations and trains.

"We may also consider making Wi-Fi available for a charge.

"Passengers who need to use the internet service could buy the certain amount of data on payment of charges," a railway board official said.

Sunny Leone is India's most famous (former) porn star

Sources said there have been cases where people buy platform tickets just to use the free Wi-Fi.

They said some people, mostly students and office goers, use the service daily and come to the station early so that they can finish some work or download videos at good speeds.

Googles free Wi-Fi at the stations is capped at one-hour per user, but there is no cap on volume of data for now.

Since the first station, Mumbai Central, in January 2016, Google has connected 23 stations including Pune, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Ranchi, Patna, Ernakulam Junction and Vishakhapatnam Central.

The plan for the worlds largest public Wi-Fi project will cover 100 railway stations.

Googles free Wi-Fi at the stations is capped at one-hour per user, but there is no cap on volume of data for now

On September 12, 2015, the Indian Railways announced its partnership with the tech giant Google to provide free Wi-Fi services to 400 railway stations across the country.

Users are able to access high speed internet for the first 30 minutes, however, after 30 minutes, the speed drops and becomes slow.

Using the same technology, the railways had decided to roll out the internet facility on 100 premium trains across the country.
Dr.William Campbell went to Taiwan to preach the Gospel for the English Presbyterian Mission. He was born in April 1841 in Glasgow, Scotland and studied at the University of Glasgow. After graduating, he continued to study theology in the Liberal Theological College for 4 years then he joined in the English Presbyterian Mission, going to Taiwan to preach not long afterward.



He arrived at Dagou, Taiwan on 10 December 1871, then went to Tainan. He also visited Parih in the middle of Taiwan and baptized believers in Aoran and Karehut, etc. He then set up a church in the White River in southern Chiayi in 1874, but some tyrants like Wu Zhigao stopped him from building the church as they believed it will damage the geomantic omen. On 29 January 1875, Wu Zhigao led over 40 thugs to burn church and dormitory, robbed money and even killed an innocent old woman. Faced with the dangerous situation of remaining in the area, Dr. William Campbell escaped with a quick invention and hid in the mountains, eventually surviving the threat. This event was called "the White River Event".



Even if faced with a terrible situation and there was a chance of being killed, Dr. William Campell remained to preach the gospel for Jesus. He went around Taiwan Pitou in the south, Freshwater in the North and Lin Qipu and Ga Malan in the east, leaving his beautiful steps and introductions to flourish. It is also worth mentioning that on 6 June 1886, he and Gaochangchuandai reached Hong Kong and started to preach in the Pescadores. Dr. William Campell also became the first priest of Penghu and gospel was planted in this beautiful place. Besides this achievement, he was very kind, especially when it comes to helping blind men. When he came in Taiwan, he found out that there were so many blind men because of gene complications, illnesses or accidents and there were a lot of blind men in Tainan. These blind men became beggers and had poor lives. So he returned England for a holiday and raise funds for these blind men. On October 1891, he rented a room in Hong Gongci of Taiwan (now Qicong Bo Aitang) and turned it as a school which was called Xun Gutang for the blind men for 5 years with a rent of 60 yuan every year.



It was the first school for blind men. When the contract expired, he went to Tokyo personally to persuade the Japanese government to take over the school. In 1900, the Japanese took over it formally and established a public school for blind men in addition, to founding the Tainan Ci Huiyuan blind education section.



Campell also studied the common braille that Taiwanese blind men used and composed Bible and books like "Braille Books for beginners" and the "Gospel of Matthew" for blind men. He often published information about caring for blind men in church magazines and appealed to more brothers and sisters to care these vulnerable members .



Dr William Campbell also worked a lot on learning different languages. He mastered English, Hokkien, Dutch and Japanese etc. and even composed the "Xiamen New Dictionary" with his special skill. The dictionary, which involved about 15000 characters with notes and usages in Vernacular, was published in July 1913. It was also called "Gan Dictionary" and have a high value about studying Hokkien. He alspo took part in the work of writing Taiwanese history. He collected historic records when the Dutch occupied Taiwan and wrote history books like "An Account of Missionary Success in Island of Formosa" and "Formosa under Dutch".



Dr. William Campbell often went to preach in the aboriginal residential area in the middle of Taiwan. On May 16, 1873, he and his co-workers reached the Water Tribe and found a wide and lovely lake, feeling refreshed and at peace. He called it the "Gan Zhishi Lake", which is the first priest's name in Taiwan. The lake is also known as the famous Sun Moon lake. He became the first person who found it.

The missionary served in Taiwan for 46 years and devoted his life to this breathtaking treasure island. When he left Taiwan, he was already 76 years old. In 1921, he rested in peace in England at the age of 80.

Translated by 
The fear of bird flu is spreading thick and fast as eight more birds succumbed to the disease in the national Capital.

The popular Deer Park in New Delhi has now been shut and people have been asked not to touch any dead birds they find.

Meanwhile, the death of 15 painted storks has been reported from the Gwalior Zoo.

The fear of bird flu is spreading thick and fast as eight more birds succumbed to the disease in the national Capital. The popular Deer Park in New Delhi has now been shut.

According to the senior officials, death of two more birds each were reported from Delhi Zoo and Deer Park while three dead birds were spotted in Sundar Nagar near the zoo and one in Tughlakabad in south Delhi, taking total number of deaths of migratory birds in the capital since last week to 18.

Both Delhi Zoo and the Deer Park would remain closed until further orders till normalcy returns.

Alert has been sounded in neighbouring states and locations where migratory birds visit.

"Concern is growing as death of migratory birds is being reported from different locations. Symptoms indicate that the virus was behind the death of 15 migratory birds in Gwalior.

A sweeper cleans a road inside the closed premises of the National Zoological Park in Delhi

Coordinated efforts will be taken to control the situation," said a senior official in the environment ministry.

Such a decision will be taken only after observing the situation for some more days and getting reports from Jalandhar laboratory.

Giving details, Delhis animal husbandry minister Gopal Rai said that nearly 50 samples from the zoo, several bird sanctuaries in the city and poultry markets had been sent to laboratories for analysis.

According to the senior officials, death of two more birds each were reported from Delhi Zoo and Deer Park while three dead birds were spotted in Sundar Nagar near the zoo and one in Tughlakabad in south Delhi, taking total number of deaths of migratory birds in the capital since last week to 18

"We have asked to take precaution at Ghazipur chicken mandi and MCD will ensure proper disposal of the waste," Rai said.

"We are trying to control the situation before it gets bad. For now, citizens need not worry and just be careful and alert, Rai said.

"Reports of dead birds have come from various areas including Sundar Nagar, Tughlakabad and Deer Park.

Deer Park has been closed for as a precautionary measure, Rai said, adding that he will visit the park on Friday at 2 pm.

"I appeal to the citizens not to touch any dead bird and inform the animal husbandry department on the helpline, he added.

The death of 15 painted storks has been reported by Gwalior Zoo

Rai said he would write to ministers of states neighbouring Delhi and urge them to take precautionary steps and coordinate with the Delhi government in order to curb the outbreak.

The Delhi government has set up a 23-member committee to coordinate work among various departments and to probe the reasons behind the death of the birds. It will be headed by development commissioner Sandeep Kumar.
A global regime to manage the use of drones is slowly being put into place.

The US, along with 40 other states, issued a declaration a few days back outlining the principles which in their view should govern the export and use of armed drones to ensure they do not cause instability or help terrorism and organized crime.

This declaration to establish a set of standards for the use and sale of armed and unarmed drones has set the stage for a meeting next year to hammer out details.

US Predator Guardian drones are the most common used in the fight against terror

Consensus

While many of the allies of the US such as such as Britain, Germany and Australia signed the declaration, other states such as France, Russia, Brazil and China did not.

This makes it certain that next years meeting will find it very difficult to achieve a consensus which will be needed to set up a global regime.

The declaration named the "Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike- Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)" recognizes that misuse of armed or strike-enabled drones "could fuel conflict and instability and facilitate terrorism and organized crime," and therefore, the international community must take appropriate transparency measures to ensure responsible export and subsequent use".

But it adds that such concerns shouldnt be seen as undermining a states "legitimate interest" to produce, export or acquire such systems, thereby trying to strike a balance between global good and national interest.

The declaration also underlines that international laws on armed conflict and human rights should apply to the use of armed drones, and exports should be consistent with existing multilateral export control and non-proliferation regimes.

The impact of this declaration is difficult to assess at this point, especially as two of the largest producers and exporters of drones, Israel and China, have not signed on to this declaration.

The declaration comes at a time when it has been assessed that the drone market outside the US is likely to grow, annually, from $1.08 billion in 2015 to $1.98 billion by 2021.

While Washington is claiming that the idea behind the declaration is to ensure that drones are for the first time subject to international law and stressing the need for transparency about exports, it is clear that not everyone agrees with the American approach.

Critics have complained that while the intent behind the declaration might be laudable, it doesnt go far enough as the standards in the joint declaration are lower than those that the United States maintains for its own exports and there is little incentive for countries to strive for higher standards.

The Obama Administration had come to office highly critical of the use of drones in various conflicts but soon found it to be a rather useful tool in fighting wars which the American public was getting disenchanted with.

A Republic of Singapore Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) sits in a hangar at Henry Post Army Airfield

Criticism

Americas drone programme is today central to the countrys war fighting capability and its use is only likely to increase in the future.

Last year, the US State Department formulated an export control policy governing the commercial sale of armed drones.

Yet, the US continues to use drones in a secretive manner and has been blamed for underestimating civilian deaths from the use of drones.

It has been gradually expanding the use of drones by regularly using them to attack the Islamic State group, al-Qaida and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries.

An Indian Navy 'Heron', an Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV,) lands at the Porbandar airfield in Porbandar, some 400 kms from Ahmedabad

There are also reports that the US military is planning to build a $100 million drone base in the southwestern African state of Niger.

Much like other global regimes, Washington has once again set the ball rolling in trying to define the parameters of the new frontier in drone technology.

The US is hoping to set the rules for using this technology and to influence the behaviour of other states.

But these are still early days as the important actors like China, Russia and India are yet to concede to these new rules.

Strategy

At a time when India is giving a serious look to expanding the use of drones in its military strategy and when its negotiations with the US to buy 22 Predator Guardian drones are at an advanced stage, serious thought needs to be given in New Delhi on what role it wants to play in the emerging regime to manage the use and export of drones.

Though India too has not signed the US-led declaration, there is little thinking on how New Delhi wants to proceed with this technology at the global level.

While Indian armed forces are currently operating Israeli-made Searcher Mark I, Searcher Mark II, Heron and Herop UAVs and the Indian-made Nishant UAV, they are likely to procure more than 5,000 UAVs over the next 10 years for about US $3 billion.

An Israeli Air Force drone named the Heron takes off during a military ceremony held at the Palmahim Air Force base

Given the complex security challenges that India faces, the role of UAVs in providing critical intelligence will be a key enabler not only in fighting wars effectively but also to deter cross-border terrorist attacks.

Unlike in the past, as a global regime on drones is put in place, Indias voice should be a determining one, not one that is marginal and out there in wilderness.

New Delhi should be engaging with other like-minded countries to come up with its own principles to guide the emerging global order on drones and their use.

The debate has only just begun and India should be at the front and centre of this discussion so that its own interests do not get marginalised as a new regime on the use of drones is put in place.
Karnataka Lokayukta- a model anti-corruption agency to the rest of the country once-upon-a-time, is gradually fading into oblivion.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), a newly-formed agency by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, has easily overtaken the Lokayukta in terms of limelight, but at the same time has shown that it is nowhere near the Lokayukta when it comes to taking on the corrupt.

The creation of the ACB in March this year had led to unrest in Karnataka particularly among the anti-corruption crusaders and the Opposition leaders, who described the new agency as a tool of the Congress to undermine the efforts and effectiveness of the Lokayukta.

Karnataka Lokayukta- a model anti-corruption agency to the rest of the country once-upon-a-time, the which is now headless, is gradually fading into oblivion

While the Lokayukta is an autonomous body, the officers of the ACB will report to the Karnataka state Chief Secretary.

Incidentally, the Karnataka Lokayukta, which has brought down the high and mighty, including several ministers and CM in Karnataka, is facing an identity crisis these days.

During its heights under Justice Santhosh Hegde, the BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa (May 2008 to July 2011), had to quit along with three of his ministers for their alleged role in the Rs 16,000 plus crore mining scam.

The Karnataka Lokayukta is headless and chief minister M Siddaramaiah is showing no urgency in appointing someone new

But the same Lokayukta is headless for the past few months after Justice Y Bhaskar Rao quit from the post following the alleged involvement of his son in an extortion racket within the anti-corruption agency.

Besides, the government is showing no urgency in appointing a new Lokayukta.

The image of the anti-corruption agency might have taken a hit since the last two years under Justice Raos reign, but that doesnt mean that the Siddaramaiah government can undermine it by creating the ACB.

The government has snatched the investigation powers of the police under an independent organisation and handed over the same to a different organisation, which will be answerable to the government.

What exactly is wrong with the creation of the ACB? How will it make the Lokayukta toothless?

The Karnataka Lokayukta functions under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, and under specific provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 through its Police Wing.

Under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, the Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta can take up cases for inquiry and then hand over them to the judicial officers.

If any government officer is found guilty, then the Lokayukta will write to the Department of Administrative & Personnel Reforms recommending disciplinary action against the officer concerned.

To help investigate corruption cases, the state government has deputed policemen to the Lokayukta.

The Police Wing will investigate cases recommended by the Lokayukta, Upa Lokayukta and on the basis of complaints filed by the general public against specific government servants.

After conducting a preliminary inquiry, the Lokayukta Police Wing will register an FIR and submit the charge-sheet to a Special Court designated to hear cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

However, to prosecute a government servant when found guilty, the Lokayukta police have to seek the permission of the DPAR.

In a majority of the cases, the DPAR grants the permission on the basis of the investigation report.

However, with the new ACB in place, the suo motu investigation powers of the police in the Lokayukta have been snatched away.

Now, if the ACB receives any complaint from anyone against any government servant, it has to first seek the permission of the DPAR even to commence a probe.

In addition to this, a Vigilance Advisory Board, headed by the state chief secretary, will examine the complaint.

Besides, the government has also created Vigilance Cells for each department and they will report to the DPAR.

In all, the Lokayukta police can no more take up suo motu investigation against any government official in case of complaints from the public.

Congress's new socialist headache

Prasad alleged that Congress leaders paid money to become ministers

Former Minister V Srinivasa Prasad, who has been sacked from the Cabinet by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, has become problematic for the ruling party in Karnataka.

On October 17, after tendering his resignation from the membership of the Legislative Assembly in protest against the Congress, Srinivas alleged that several of the 14 ministers recently inducted into the Cabinet fell under the payment quota.

In Karnataka, payment quota is a commonly used term in professional educational institutions.

Students, who cannot secure admission into professional courses, such as engineering and medicine, through competitive exams, end up paying hefty amount to private colleges for a seat.

Every college reserves seats for payment quota, which is used by the rich and the mighty.

By referring to the Cabinet berths in the Karnataka government as payment quota, Prasad has made it amply clear that some of the Congress leaders paid money to become ministers.

But Prasad just stopped short of revealing to whom the Congress leaders paid money to become ministers.

The allegations made by Prasad are likely to be used by the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular), which are wooing Prasad, who is quitting the Congress shortly.

Though no reason was specified for dropping Prasad, a well-known socialist and Dalit leader, from the cabinet said that it has backfired on the Congress.

With tremendous clout in south Karnataka districts as a Dalit leader, Prasad can be an asset for any political party.
The North Sea is in terminal decline, yes? That, at least, is the accepted logic.

Well, the success of an AIM-quoted company in the waters to the west of the Shetland Islands could transform the domestic oil industry.

Earlier this week Hurricane Energy provided a glimpse into the potential of its Lancaster Field as it said the initial well there flowed at a rate of 14,500 barrels a day.

That suggests the company's initial two-well production phase can hit its 17,000 barrel per day target with some ease, analysts said.

Discovery: The success of an AIM-quoted Hurricane Energy in the waters to the west of the Shetland Islands could transform the domestic oil industry

It is not unheard of for a North Sea well to flow at those rates. The interesting thing about this discovery is just where the oil is coming from. It emanates from new, untapped pools of oil called fractured basement reservoirs.

These oil plays are found in Vietnam and Libya, but are totally new to waters around the British Isles. In fact, the establishment considered veteran Robert Trice frankly a little nuts chasing this oily El Dorado.

Yet what he has uncovered is huge  by North Sea standards at least. Lancaster has tapped into an estimated 300-500 million barrels of crude. To put that into context, the average UK discovery these days is around 20 million barrels.

What came after the production update was interesting. Within two days Hurricane had provisionally raised 70million that will allow it to keep Transocean's Spitsbergen rig to drill two follow-up wells nearby.

Success could take Hurricane through the 1 billion barrel mark. Remember, these fractured basement reservoirs arent restricted to the licences bagged by the explorer.

Up and down: Investors are debating whether ASOS shares are too expensive

Investors who backed Hurricane have been rewarded for their faith with the stock up 170 per cent in the last year.

Looking at the wider market for small-cap shares, the AIM All Share index spent most of the week recovering from a poor session on Monday. It ended the week in positive territory, but only just as it posted a 0.4 per cent gain. The FTSE 100 had a similarly lacklustre week.

AIMs biggest company, the online fashion retailer ASOS, had a bit of an up and down week  yet finished flat.

The chatter in the wake of its prelims on Tuesday ignored the fact ASOS actually beat market expectations.

No, it was concerned with whether the shares are just too expensive. Its a debate that had raged on the investing bulletin boards for years now, with little real consensus.

The same applies to the City. The stock trades on 70-times next years normalised earnings  which is an eye-wateringly expensive valuation.

However, as Freddie George, Cantor Fitzgeralds retail analysts, points out: The earnings multiple is largely irrelevant as the company is being valued part on takeover hopes and part on the very long term prospects to the brand.

George rates the shares a buy and his view on ASOSs potential as an investment is indicative of City opinion.

Of the 19 analysts polled by the Broker Forecasts site, 11 have buy recommendations on the stock; there is only one seller, while seven think it is fully valued.

The weeks biggest faller was Empyrean Energy (down over 80 per cent), though you might say it was for the right reason.

The price fell after the oiler returned 17.5million to investors following the sale of its share of the Sugarloaf Project in Texas.

Possibly also sniffing the prospect of a beefy cash return, punters piled into the software firm Vislink (up 88 per cent)

This was after it announced plans to sell its wireless business for 13million. The companys value before the putative deal was announced was 9.5million.

Investors in the conglomerate Cambria Africa were in the money after the company published an encouraging trading update and said it had negotiated a new loan facility.

The shares advanced 88 per cent, though Cambria is still only valued at a micro 2.5million.
A sprawling 'whites-only' settlement dubbed 'Project Eden' is being set up on the edge of the South African desert by 'pioneers' who claim they are the victims of 'apartheid in reverse'.

The controversial community will house up to 30,000 residents and is modelled on the 'Orania' enclave where Afrikaaners live apart from black people and even have their own currency.

Jacqui Gradwell, leader of the chilling new area under construction cites 'the murder of 88,000 white people' since the first free vote of 1994 as evidence of 'a genocide against our people'.

A return to the old way  when whites and non-white South Africans lived apart - 'is the only way to preserve our culture', he insists.

'It is not a racist project, it is based on fact. We have the right to that.'

A sprawling 'whites-only' settlement dubbed 'Project Eden' is being set up in the South African desert by 'pioneers' who claim they are the victims of 'apartheid in reverse'. Pictured: The six children and 13 children of Joey Groenewald , who hope to live at Die Eden Projek

Jacqui Gradwell, leader of the new community, cites 'the murder of 88,000 white people' since the first free vote of 1994 as evidence of 'a genocide against our people'

To date 167 families have already bought 'havens' in the deliberately remote 5,700 acre site on the edge of the unforgiving Karoo desert. Pictured: Purchased plots have yet to be built on

More than 20 years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, Gradwell claims that qualification to be part of Die Eden Projek  the Eden Project in Afrikaans  is based on race. Pictured: Plots of land to be developed

The controversial community will house up to 30,000 residents and is modelled on the 'Orania' enclave where Afrikaaners live apart from black people. Pictured: Joey Groenewald's six children, left to right, Nico, Karin, Natasha, Kobus, Alecia and Andre (front), who are considering the move

The married father-of-six, whose beard is styled on those worn by his early settler ancestors, claims to receive 'multiple' calls every day from white 'pioneers' seeking refuge from South Africa's political volatility, endemic corruption and high rates of violent crime.

He is convinced that the current level of violence will soon bring the 'Rainbow Nation' to the brink of civil war.

In an unnerving example of how deep racial divisions remain in South Africa more than two decades after the end of apartheid, Gradwell is unapologetic that the qualification to be part of Die Eden Projek  the Eden Project in Afrikaans  is based on race.

'They must be white because all the murders and all the violence in this country is perpetrated by black people,' the 55-year-old farmer says firmly without apology.

'They must also be Christians and we intend to stick to that principle, we want to bring safety back to our own people.'

Mr Gradwell left South Africa in 1992 in a lot of anger after the momentous referendum that ended apartheid, but returned ten years later after struggling with visa issues.

By the time I came back to my homeland, everything had changed, he said.

Those who are unhappy about the creation of the new settlement are not able to block the sale of the land, but the authorities have said they will ensure that the usual strict requirements will be met including planning permission and the commissioning of an environmental impact survey.

The Eden leaders insist they will do things by the book.

Joey Groenewald, grandmother-of-13, will visit Eden for the first time this week and will be the first of what she hopes will be many family members to set up home among 'people who share our culture and beliefs'. Pictured: With her fiance, Eberhard Oelmann

Those unhappy about the creation of the new settlement cannot block the sale of the land, but the authorities have said they will ensure that the usual strict requirements will be met. Pictured: The area awaiting development

A total of 370 housing plots, two schools, an administration block and a rugby pitch have been pegged out in the first phase of development (above)

Prospective residents told MailOnline they wanted to live in a whites-only community because they were victims of violence. Pictured: The area earmarked for development

Prospective residents told MailOnline they wanted to live in a whites-only community because they were victims of violence.

Barry Kieser, 56, has been robbed at gunpoint 12 times in the last two years in what he believes is a 'rising tide of hatred against whites' in South Africa.

Fearful for his safety, he is now planning a move to the controversial new community.

Leaving our homes to be with our own people is the only way we can survive the growing tide of hatred against us. Barry Kieser, 56

'The onslaught against whites is coming, no doubt about it,' the railway signalman told MailOnline. 'The time has come when we need to live separately.

'I am spat on all the time by the black passengers when I work next to the track, they throw rubbish at me and shout abuse.

'Leaving our homes to be with our own people is the only way we can survive the growing tide of hatred against us.'

The vision of a new homeland for Afrikaaners  the descendants of the European settlers who landed in South Africa in the 17th century  was also a dream of white supremacist Eugene TerreBlanche, who himself became a murder statistic six years ago.

To date 167 families have already bought 'havens' in the deliberately remote 5,700 acre site on the edge of the unforgiving Karoo desert.

Barry Kieser (left) and his mother Christiana, 89, (right) will be among the first 'white pioneers' to join the project. Mr Kieser said he had been robbed at gunpoint 12 times in the last two years in what he believes is a 'rising tide of hatred against whites' in South Africa

The chief executive of South Africa's Institute for Race Relations said he had no issue with whites wanting to live apart. Pictured: Promotional images from the Eden project video

Mr Gradwell says Eden project residents 'must be white because all the murders and all the violence in this country is perpetrated by black people'. Pictured: The promotional 'Die Eden Projek' video

Many prospective Eden pioneers closely monitor what they believe is the deliberate targeting of the white population, via social media under a #StopWhiteGenocideInSA hashtag. Pictured: A scene from the Die Eden Projek video

Pieter and Naomi van der Westhuizen hope that living miles from the nearest town  and non-white neighbour  will bring them respite from their 'constant fear'.

Mrs van der Westhuizen, 48, is still suffering nightmares after being held up and robbed by gunmen, in her driveway, five years ago.

'She now travels with every weapon imaginable,' her husband said, 'pepper spray, pangas [machetes], a gun. We are both trained in self-defence and go to the firing range regularly to practice our shooting.

The life of a white South African is worth nothing now, we are being killed for a cell phone, our women  even the old and infirm  are being raped. Pieter van der Westhuizen

'But still we live in fear, our house is a fortress. If my wife sees some black guys walking down the street towards her she just starts shaking, she is scared for her life every day.

'The life of a white South African is worth nothing now, we are being killed for a cell phone, our women  even the old and infirm  are being raped. I know there must be some black people who are good, but 99 per cent of them are flipping bad.'

Like many Eden pioneers, the couple closely monitor what they believe is the deliberate targeting of the white population, via a string of social media sites which report violent crimes in graphic detail under a #StopWhiteGenocideInSA hashtag.

This week, grandmother-of-13 Joey Groenewald will also visit Eden for the first time - 370 housing plots, two schools, an administration block and a rugby pitch have been pegged out in the first phase of development.

She will be the first of what she hopes will be many family members to set up home among 'people who share our culture and beliefs'.

Pieter and Naomi van der Westhuizen hope that living miles from the nearest town  and non-white neighbour  will bring them respite from their 'constant fear'. Mr van der Westhuizen said: 'We still we live in fear, our house (above) is a fortress'

Alleged violent crime against white South Africans is reported on social media sites under the hashtag #StopWhiteGenocideInSA and is also used to promote the new whites-only project

The purchase of the 400,000 site is being met by the purchase of shares by interested 'pioneers' in a registered non-profit company. Pictured: One of the images posted under the hashtag #StopWhiteGenocideInSA

News of the Eden development has renewed debate in South Africa about the fragile state of race relations. Pictured: Images promoted by #StopWhiteGenocideInSA

Violent crime against white South Africans is reported online under the hashtag #StopWhiteGenocideInSA and the material is also being used to promote the new project

Speaking from her home in Boksburg, a mining town to the east of Johannesburg, she said, 'Apartheid never ended, it just reversed from what we had before. We cannot rely on the black government to provide for anyone in this country, and certainly not for the whites.

'The black population don't worry about tomorrow, about making plans for food and jobs, they can only think of today - that's their culture.

'Our culture and beliefs are different, and we need now to rely on ourselves. We just need a small piece of land where we can support ourselves.'

Apartheid never ended, it just reversed from what we had before. Joey Groenewald, grandmother of 13

News of the Eden development has renewed debate in South Africa about the fragile state of race relations and how a new 'whites-only' enclave squares with the progressive constitution set up under the country's first democratically-elected president, Nelson Mandela.

Paul Jay is likely to be one of the few at Eden who voted to end apartheid in an epoch-making referendum in 1992.

The fact that he is even considering a move, with his 25-year-old son Marcus, to such a contentious community is a reflection of the parlous state South Africa is now in, he said.

'I have often been criticised by my white friends for being too liberal,' the 53 year-old admitted, 'I have quite a lot of black friends through the church and I visit the townships often in my line of work.

'I always get a warm welcome and have never been a racist or a supremacist, I don't subscribe to those views at all.'

Paul Jay is likely to be one of the few at Eden who voted to end apartheid in an epoch-making referendum in 1992. Criticising President Zuma, he said the breakdown in public services had led to a 'descent into complete lawlessness that now seems unavoidable'

The project will not be the first whites-only community in South Africa - the town of Orania, which was set up after the end of apartheid, has its own currency, flag and a population of 1100. Pictured: An Afrikaans family pictured in the Eden Project video

Denying access to any institution would be breaking the country's laws, but Mr Gradwell insists non-whites would not be welcome to Eden. Pictured: Publicity shot from the Eden Project promotional video

He believes that his country's majority black population have been 'terribly let down' by the government of President Zuma, whose leadership has been dogged by controversy and allegations of corruption.

High levels of youth unemployment, poor standards of education and housing and a lack of access to basic services are factors which 'set the scene for a descent into complete lawlessness that now seems unavoidable,' Mr Jay said.

I foresee things can only get worse and I will only find safety with like-minded people who are capable and are prepared to work together in what I fear will be a fight for survival. Paul Jay

Ongoing violent protests at South Africa's university campuses, which began last year with the high profile movement to remove paraphernalia celebrating colonial-era figures such as Cecil John Rhodes  a protest that spread to, but was quashed at, Oxford University  are a sign of chaos to come, he believes.

'The campuses have been burned and looted by a tiny group of who are bent on destruction and holding the authorities to ransom it seems the police and army can do nothing to stop them.

'Just imagine, if a big crowd took to the streets, they could burn an entire town overnight. I foresee things can only get worse and I will only find safety with like-minded people who are capable and are prepared to work together in what I fear will be a fight for survival.'

The project will not be the first whites-only community in South Africa - the town of Orania, which was set up after the end of apartheid, has its own currency, flag and a population of 1100.

Mr Gradwell (pictured) said white and non-white South Africans living apart 'is the only way to preserve our culture'. 'It is not a racist project, it is based on fact. We have the right to that'

Although no one can legally be prevented from settling at Eden, Mr Gradwell said non-whites would not want to be part of the community. Pictured: An area earmarked for development

The chief executive of South Africa's Institute for Race Relations said he had no issue with whites wanting to live apart.

'If people want to do their own thing and no one else is being harmed, then let them get on with it,' Frans Cronje said.

Although Mr Gradwell insists that non-whites would not be welcome to move to Eden, denying anybody access to any institution would be breaking the country's laws - although it would be hard to imagine that the project would attract anyone but those who share the views of the founding partners.

He said: 'Seventy per cent of black South Africans live exclusively together in their own communities, in townships and so on. They don't want white people to live among them. Why can't we have the same thing?

'It doesn't need to be set in law, although we all have rights of association, they won't want to be part of our community, it will just be that way because that's how we all actually prefer to be.'

The purchase of the 400,000 site is being met by the purchase of shares by interested 'pioneers' in a registered non-profit company. Those who move to Eden will have to construct their own homes, without relying on 'black labour'.

Leading South African commentator R W Johnson said he understood why many Afrikaaners felt a 'strong sense of betrayal' since the end of apartheid.

'There is provision in the constitution for their language and culture, but that has been eroded over time and there has been a certain amount of welching on the original deal, an element of 'ethnic revenge' about it.

'But you cannot just write these Afrikaaners off as fantasists or conspiracy theorists.'
A woman living in a picturesque German ski resort hit by a 'major migrant crime wave' has told how she carries pepper spray for protection because she no longer feels safe.

Barbara Plant said she will not go out alone at night in Garmisch-Partenkirchen amid concerns over 250 migrants being housed in a disused army complex in the town.

Many other women in the Bavarian resort also say they are worried for their safety in what the mayor called 'an explosive situation' after police blamed a record increase in crime on asylum seekers.

'When it gets dark I stay indoors,' said Ms Plant, 59, who showed her can of pepper spray to MailOnline.

'I don't feel safe walking out at night anymore and that is because of the refugees.

'I have not experienced anything, but seeing groups of young men just makes it uncomfortable.'

Barbara Plant, pictured, who lives in a picturesque German ski resort hit by a 'major migrant crime wave' has told how she carries pepper spray for protection as she no longer feels safe

Ms Plant, 59, said she will not go out alone at night in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, pictured, amid concerns over 250 migrants being housed in a disused army complex in the town

Many other women in the Bavarian resort, pictured, say they are worried for their safety in what the mayor called 'an explosive situation' after police blamed a record increase in crime on asylum seekers

Ms Plant, who has lived in the town for over 30 years, is not alone in her fears.

Such were the large number of calls from worried residents to the town's mayor Dr Sigrid Meierhofer she was compelled to write a letter pleading for help to try and calm what she called an 'explosive situation'.

The letter sent to Bavarian politician to Maria Els was leaked to the local press leaving town officials to launch a damage limitation exercise.

In the bombshell note Meierhofer said her town of 27,000 people had 'massive problems' caused by the presence of the migrants.

She was worried about public order and security in the town and in a cry for help added 'this is not to be ignored or tolerated.'

Meierhofer and other regional officials held a crisis meeting this week where it was announced police would step up street patrols in a bid to reassure residents.

The rising fear of crime stems from young male asylum seekers, the majority of whom are from Africa, living in series of disused US army buildings known as the Abrams Complex on the outskirts of the town.

Many have been in the secure camp for over two months surviving on a 120-a-month handout from the German government while they await notification of their asylum status.

Ingrid Keiner, pictured, told MailOnline that she stays indoors - adding: 'I used to go to the ice rink and help out and all the young girls talked about their worries of the refugees.'

There are 250 migrants being housed in a disused army complex in the town and claiming 120-a-month in state handouts. Police there said they had responded to more incidents in and around the refugee camp in the past six weeks, than in the last 12 months

Police said much of the crime was restricted to fights inside the complex but violence has also spread to the streets of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, pictured, with arrests made over the summer for assaults and drunken behaviour

Police said much of the crime was restricted to fights inside the complex but violence has also spread to the streets of Garmisch-Partenkirchen with arrests made over the summer for assaults and drunken behaviour.

In the past six weeks police have responded to more incidents in and around the refugee camp than in the last 12 months.

Ethnic rivalries, frustration and boredom among the asylum seekers has been blamed for the spate of violence.

Thomas Holzer, the town's deputy police chief, said: 'There are brawls, fights and property damage. The migrants occupy the best Wi-Fi places, chose who sleeps in what room'

He said troublemakers have been moved out to other refugee camps in southern Germany but many residents in Garmisch-Partenkirchen fear the situation is only going to get worse if more arrive.

The town, less than 80 miles from Munich, close to the base of Mt Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, is heavily dependent on tourism - with 400,000 holidaymakers arriving to ski and hike.

The spate of violence in the camp has been blamed on ethnic rivalries, frustration and boredom among asylum seekers. Pictured: Mukta Jalloh (right), 23, and Idris Kallon (left), 18, from Sierra Leone, say they are struggling to adapt to life in the town

The Abrams complex where the migrants are being housed, pictured, are made of mostly young men from Africa under the age of 30. Many of the men in the complex have no desire to live in the Bavarian town and are dreading the freezing winter months

Nigerian migrant Hassan Jamiu, pictured, who was born with both arms deformed, said he came to Europe as there were more opportunities for disabled people than in Nigeria. 'I do want to stay here in Germany and make a life,' he said.

Many business owners have now expressed concern that visitors will be put off from staying in the town if it gains a reputation for trouble involving migrants.

Thomas Helmbrecht runs a guesthouse less than half a mile from the Abrams Complex where the asylum seekers are housed.

He said he fears tourism will be hit when people learn about the problems with the refugees.

The 70-year-old is scathing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel for opening the countries border and allowing the mass influx of foreigners.

'We are in a mess. This town now has problems that it did not have before,' he said.

'You hear people talking all the time about how they do not feel safe. I am glad the letter from the Mayor is out in the open as it means it will be discussed. The authorities can no longer keep it quiet.'

Mr Helmbrecht, who rents rooms for 45-a-night, predicted Chancellor Merkel will be ousted from power as a result of her migrant policy at next year's federal election.

Crime or the fear of crime in the pretty Barvarian town led to such a large number of calls from worried residents to the town's mayor Dr Sigrid Meierhofer, pictured, she was compelled to write a letter pleading for help to try and calm what she called an 'explosive situation'

The letter sent to Bavarian politician to Maria Els was leaked to the local press leaving town officials to launch a damage limitation exercise. In the bombshell note Meierhofer said her town of 27,000 people had 'massive problems' caused by the presence of the migrants

It's a view shared by Ingrid Keiner who said she made a point if staying indoors after dark.

'I used to go to the ice rink and help out and all the young girls talked about their worries of the refugees,' she said

'A lot of what is said might just be talk, but no one wants to take any chances.'

Walking her dog near the refugee camp, which was used as a recreational centre for US troops after the end of the Second World War, Barbara Plant said she was only too aware of the trouble inside the complex.

She said: 'There are five or six police cars at the complex three or four times a week.

'All you hear are the sirens as they raced into the complex. The neighbourhood was always very safe, but it has changed.

'People talk about not being safe at night because they don't like to see groups of young men gathered together on the streets.'

The ski resort attracts 400,000 holidaymakers a year - but many business owners have now expressed concern that visitors will be put off from staying in the town if it gains a reputation for trouble involving migrants

Her home is in a street that runs alongside the complex which with its stunning views of the Kramer mountain range must rank among the most picturesque of any refugee camp in Europe.

One resident said her best friend in her 30s, would no longer come into Garmisch-Partenkirchen after dark despite living only two miles away because she no longer felt safe.

'That is down to the problem with the refugees. There are so many stories and rumours about crimes that people start to believe them.

'I have no idea if they are true, but the feeling in the town has changed since the refugees were put here.

'There is an uneasiness, particularly among women. I think a lot of it has to do with other reports of migrants sexually assaulting women like over the New Year in Cologne.'

Another woman in her mid 20s, said she and her friends avoided walking through the town centre at night.

'I don't feel safe anymore I'm sorry to say,' she said. 'When I talk with my friends they all feel the same way. I know we have to live with the asylum seekers but I do have my concerns.'

Police in Garmisch-Partenkirchen said crime figures would be made available.

But when MailOnline contacted the police HQ in Rosenheim a spokesman said they would not give out a breakdown on crimes committed in the town.

Instead the spokesman confirmed there had been a 'record number' reported during September but the numbers were back to their usual level in October.

Guesthouse owner Thomas Helmbrecht, 70, who rents rooms in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, pictured, for 45-a-night is scathing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel for opening the countries border and allowing the mass influx of foreigners. 'We are in a mess. This town now has problems that it did not have before,' he said.

Police said most of the violence episodes took place within and around the refugee complex - but they have imposed a curfew at the local park, pictured, to stop migrants gathering there after dark

While local police said most of the violence episodes took place within and around the refugee complex they had imposed a curfew at the local park to stop migrants from gathering there after dark.

They have not revealed what crimes, if any, the migrants have been involved with.

Much of the fear among the residents stems from clash of cultures and colour.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is predominantly white, with most residents middle aged to elderly and there is little change of any integration.

The refugees are free to come and go from the Abrams complex and many choose to sit in the town centre chatting and making calls on their iPhones.

Last year those housed at the complex were mostly Syrian families.

Now two thirds of the 250 refugees are from Africa and 80 per cent young men under the age of 30.

Refugees living there said there had been violent brawls at their complex with many of the fights over access to the Wi-Fi.

Nigerian Hassan Jamiu, 32, who has been in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the past two months. Like many men in the complex he has no desire to live in the Bavarian town and is dreading the freezing winter months.

'I did not want to come here but was transferred from Munich. The people here don't really want us.'

The town, less than 80 miles from Munich, close to the base of Mt Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, is heavily dependent on tourism. But guesthouse owners have expressed fears that rising crime will hit tourist numbers

Jamiu, who was born with both arms deformed, said he came to Europe as there were more opportunities for disabled people than in Nigeria.

'I do want to stay here in Germany and make a life,' he said.

Nearby were Mukta Jalloh, 23, and his friend Idris Kallon, 18, who were from Sierra Leone.

They admitted they were economic migrants rather then fleeing any oppression or conflict.

Jalloh, who was a taxi driver in his native country, said many of those in the refugee complex were struggling to adapt.

Unable to work and with their asylum applications taking months to process they said many of the young men were bored and unhappy.

'All we can do is sit in the town and talk just to get out of the complex,' he said.

Jalloh said the 120 payment he receives in a state handout does not stretch very far in a town where the average home costs over 500,000 and the shops are packed with designer ski gear.

'Like many of us I want to go to a town where I have a chance of getting work,' he said.

Local business owners said it was reckless of the German Government to open a refugee camp and doubt that any of those currently house there would stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

'What will they do here? There are no jobs for them to do if they cannot speak German,' said the owner of the shop selling tourist items such as traditional Bavarian lederhosen and alpine style hats.

'All the young people have to leave to go the city like Munich to find work. The only industry here is tourism and many of the migrants will not fit in.'

The unease felt by many in the pretty Bavarian town is mirrored across Germany where Chancellor Merkel decision to open Germany's border to almost a million migrants has led to political and social unrest.

The unease felt by many in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, pictured, is mirrored across Germany where Chancellor Merkel decision to open Germany's border to almost a million migrants has led to political and social unrest

A further 300,000 migrants are expected this year with the reduced number due to neighbouring European countries such as Austria and Hungary sealing off their borders for easy passage to Germany.

The country's justice system is already struggling to cope after tens of thousands of court cases involving migrants filing lawsuits to bring their relatives to Germany.

In the first eight months of this year more than 17,000 cases were filed with the majority of those from Syrian refugees.
Her father-in-law Andrea Stival denies involvement in killing and said: 'It's just another lie of that crazy woman.'

Veronica Panarello (pictured), 27, murdered her eight-year-old son Loris. She was sentenced to 30 years' jail in Italy

A grieving father whose wife murdered their eight-year-old son after the boy discovered she was having an affair with his grandfather says: 'I've lost a wife and a son'.

Veronica Panarello, 27, was jailed for 30 years for strangling son Loris with an electrical cable and ditching his body in a ditch.

Panarello initially pretended her son had been abducted. Then she blamed her father-in-law, Loris' grandfather, telling police they were lovers and he had killed the boy when he saw them having sex.

Her husband Davide Stival, 29, is now trying to piece together his broken life.

'He lost his son, his wife and his job. His life is destroyed,' his lawyer Daniele Scrofani told MailOnline.

The father-of-two, a truck driver, is still coming to terms with the breakdown of his marriage to the woman he had previous described as a 'perfect mother', he added.

Mr Scrofani added: 'Davide has mixed emotions about the sentence. On one hand he is glad the murderer of his son is jailed but he is in pain about the fact that the murderer is his wife.'

'She was never violent towards their children. She seemed a perfect mother. So he is deeply shocked.'

Loris' father, truck driver David Stival, 29, pictured with his estranged wife, said his life has been destroyed by his son's killing in 2014. His estranged wife said Loris was killed because he had uncovered her affair with the boy's grandfather, her father-in-law, Andrea Stival

Panarello had claimed that her father-in-law Andrea, left, strangled martial arts fan Loris, eight, right, after he learned they were having an affair. Mr Stival dismissed Panarello's claims. Her version of events were not believed by an Italian court and she was jailed for 30 years

'He trusted her. He was a truck driver and often was away in the north of Italy or abroad for three, four days. If he didn't trust her he wouldn't have left.

'He now fights for his other son, Diego. To be close to him and raise him. he is strong, very strong. He never lost faith in the future.

'He is a fighter. That's admirable. Now we continue with the divorce case and the civil case.'

Mr Stival, from Santa Croce Camerina, Sicily, who has custody of their youngest son Diego, four, is now suing his estranged wife for 2million.

He refuses to believe they were involved in a sexual relationship, added his lawyer.

In an a letter written after his wife was convicted, Mr Stival said: 'It is difficult to express in words how I feel.

'A melancholy feeling of justice for my little angel. Now it's time to turn the page. Today, we start again.

Mr Stival, 29, a truck driver, pictured is still coming to terms with the breakdown of his marriage. The father of two had previously described his estranged wife as a 'perfect mother'

Panarello, pictured, was sentenced to 30 years for strangling Loris to death with an electrical cable. She had told police she dropped him off at school but her story unravelled when detectives scoured CCTV and found no footage of him being taken to school that morning

'I owe it to the little one that no longer exists and another who is waiting for me at home.'

Panarello denied killing martial arts fan Loris. She told police that she had dropped him at school that morning in November 2014 and she reported him missing when she collected him when he wasn't there.

But her tissue of lies began to unravel when police studied CCTV and found no footage of her taking him to school.

Instead she had strangled Loris and was captured on closed circuit television driving her black Volkswagen Polo to dump her son's body. Detectives discovered his body later that afternoon, Cinquantamila reported.

Panarello was charged with murder on December 9. In February last year she was remanded in custody for showing a 'chilling indifference' to the charge in which she recreated his kidnap, ANSA reported.

She told detectives her father-in-law, her husband's father Andrea Stival had killed his own grandson when the boy saw them having sex.

Panarello, pictured, was charged with killing her eldest son on December 9, 2014. In February 2015 she was remanded in custody for showing a 'chilling indifference' to the charge

Now that the trial is over Panarello's husband is trying to rebuild his life and care for their youngest son, Diego, four. Pictured: Police discovering his body in the bushes near the Old Mill on the outskirts of Santa Croce Camerina, Sicily

But he Panarello has denies his daughter-in-law's claim - adding: 'It is just another lie of that crazy woman.

'The accusation is completely out of this world. I went mad for my grandson, my little angel.

'Now theres a need for peace and justice. My stomach turned upside down, downgrading a grandfathers love.'

Panarello was described in court by prosecutors as a 'manipulative' and 'lucid killer' with a 'high criminal capacity' and it was suggested she may kill again. The court heard she had been determined to dispose of his dead body.

Her mother Carmela revealed details on her unstable past when she was bullied at school and tried to kill herself.

Mother of five Carmela said she had a difficult relationship with her daughter, who once told her husband that she had been unfaithful.

Mr Stival's lawyer told MailOnline: 'Davide has mixed emotions about the sentence. On one hand he is glad the murderer of his son is jailed but he is in pain about the fact that the murderer is his wife.' Pictured: Panarello in a police car following her arrest over son's killing

Panarello denied killing her son but CCTV footage captured her black Volkswagen Polo, pictured, around close to where Loris' body was found, and her lies unravelled

In an interview in Italy Carmela revealed: 'In 2003 Veronica attempted suicide by drinking bleach after quarrelling with her school friends.'

The next year, when she was 15, she tried to hang herself in the greenhouse, Carmela claimed.
A sheriff's deputy shot dead in rural northern California was killed by a man listed in state records as a registered sex offender shortly after the deputy arrived at a home to investigate a domestic disturbance, authorities said Thursday.

Deputy Jack Hopkins, 31, died instantly Wednesday morning and the suspect, 47-year-old Jack Lee Breiner, was arrested after a chase and shootout with another officer that left both wounded, the Modoc County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Hopkins was the fourth California law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty over the last two weeks.

Scroll down for video

Deputy Jack Hopkins (left) was shot to death Wednesday, while responding to a disturbance call. Suspect Jack Lee Breiner (right) was arrested after a chase and shootout with another officer that left both wounded, the Modoc County Sheriff's Office said

Local law enforcement are pictured joining in the procession of Modoc County Deputy Jack Hopkins Thursday in Bella Vista, California

Breiner is listed in California's sex offender registry as having committed lewd or lascivious acts with a child ages 14 or 15 and annoying or molesting a child under age 18.

The sheriff's office did not return calls seeking additional comment from the AP about Breiner.

Modoc County District Attorney Jordan Funk told the Redding Record Searchlight that Breiner was still hospitalized Thursday and it was too early to say what charges he would face but that the intentional killing of an on-duty police officer is punishable by the death penalty.

He told the newspaper: 'It's conceivable charges could be filed relatively quickly  I don't know whether it would be the end of this week or not.

'Much of it has to do with the suspect's medical condition and when he can appear in court.'

The killing of Hopkins happened at a property about eight miles south of the town of Alturas, population 3,000, which bills itself as a place 'where the west still lives' near California's border with Oregon.

The sheriff's office statement did not describe where on the property Hopkins was shot but said the deputy had 'entered the property to investigate the call when he confronted the main suspect' and was killed.

It characterized the call Hopkins was responding to as a domestic disturbance but did not provide further details.

The procession for slain Modoc County Deputy Jack Hopkins makes its way down California Street in Redding, California, on Thursday

'The entire law enforcement community of our region and state grieves the irrevocable loss of deputy Hopkins,' the sheriff's office said.

The statement said: 'The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and was intercepted on a nearby road by Sheriff Mike Poindexter, who was also responding to the disturbance call.

'Sheriff Poindexter was fired upon by the suspect, and an exchange of gunfire ensued.

'Sheriff Poindexter was able to wound the suspect, who was later taken into custody.'

According to the sheriff's office, 'Sheriff Poindexter sustained minor wounds during the encounter with the suspect but immediately returned to duty.'

Hopkins joined the sheriff's department last year, after working for the Alturas Police department, the sheriff's office said.

The Modoc County Sheriff's Office said: 'Deputy Hopkins is survived by a large, loving family and his dog, Bandit.

'Deputy Hopkins had five siblings and was raised in the small community of Montague, CA, Siskiyou County.'

He graduated from Yreka High School, the Redding Record Searchlight reported.

His Yreka High business teacher Randall Baker told the newspaper: 'He was a pretty special guy, as far as his congeniality and as far as his talents.'

Modoc County sheriff's officials are pictured being consoled at the Shasta County Coroner's Office on Thursday

'He was a good friend, good law enforcement officer,' Sgt. Mike Main told the Redding Record Searchlight. 'He meant a lot to all of us, and we're all hurting.'

Poindexter said in a statement 'The Modoc County Sheriffs Office and the entire law enforcement community of our region and state grieves the irrevocable loss of Deputy Hopkins.

'I am grateful for the extraordinary allied-agency assistance we have received and we are thankful for the countless expressions of support we have received in the aftermath of Jacks tragic death.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to Deputy Hopkins, his family, his co-workers, his many friends, and to all those impacted by this tragic and senseless loss of a dedicated law enforcement professional and friend.'

The Alturas Municipal Airport Facebook page said in a Wednesday post: 'The police officer transferred from Alturas Police Department to the Sheriff's office just a little bit ago. He was probably the nicest man.

'When he pulled you over for a headlight, or something you did, he always was courteous and had a smile on his face.

'He didn't have a mean bone in his body, just a great guy. He is missed by all of us.'

The Modoc County Sheriff's Office posted this image on Facebook Thursday, writing: 'Procession for fallen Officer Jack Hopkins escorting him to Shasta County. The Modoc County Sheriff's Office is profoundly grateful for the overwhelming amount of support shown for our fallen officer. Thank you all'

The deputy's death comes after two Palm Springs police officers were shot and killed October 8 responding a domestic disturbance call and after a Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant was gunned down October 6 in the high desert town of Lancaster while answering a burglary call.

The killings in California are the latest in a string of fatal attacks on officers that includes ambushes in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Modoc County is nestled between the Nevada and Oregon borders, in California's high desert region.

It spans about 4,000 square miles and its northern part is called the Modoc Plateau  a mile high expanse of lava flows, cinder cones, juniper flats, and pine forests.

Recreational enthusiasts flock to the nearly Modoc National Forest for hunting, hiking and fishing.
An American soldier has died in Iraq after being blown up in his car by a roadside bomb.

The man, who has not been named, was in the town of Bashiqa, northern Iraq, working alongside Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to recapture the ISIS stronghold of Mosul.

He was killed while travelling in a vehicle by a roadside bomb, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The man was an working as an explosive ordnance disposal scientist, dismantling and disposing of bombs in the war torn region.

An American soldier has died while working alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, northern Iraq. Peshmerga soldiers are seen above firing a rocket launcher as they continue in their bloody fight for the region

He was the fourth U.S. combat death in Iraq since the U.S. began military operations against the Islamic State with airstrikes in August 2014.

In October 2015, Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler was killed when he and dozens of other U.S. special operations forces participated in a raid alongside Iraqi Kurdish forces to free ISIS-held prisoners.

Months later, Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin was killed when ISIS fighters attacked a fire base in northern Iraq, and in May, Navy SEAL Charles Keating was killed in a firefight near Tel Askuf, also in the north.

It was not immediately clear whether other U.S. service members were hurt in the bomb attack Thursday.

There are approximately 4,800 U.S. troops in Iraq. Many are assisting in local fighters' efforts in Mosul. Above, Peshmerga fighters gather on Thursday ahead of their attack

Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler (left) was killed in October 2015. Navy SEAL Charles Keating (right) was killed in a firefight near Tel Askuf, also in the region

Roadside bombs and other emplacements of improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the U.S. advisers who are with them.

Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin was killed when ISIS fighters attacked a fire base in northern Iraq

ISIS has occupied Mosul for more than two years and has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are operating with Iraqi units, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases farther from the front lines.

U.S. Central Command announced the death in a brief statement saying the service member was wounded by an 'improvised explosive device.'

The assault on Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, is bringing American forces into their most significant role in Iraq in years.

There are approximately 4,800 U.S. troops in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.
Dontrell Stephens, 23, was arrested on charges that he sold heroin, marijuana and cocaine near a preschool

A man who won a $23million lawsuit against a Florida sheriff's office after he was shot by a deputy and paralyzed has been arrested on charges that he sold heroin, marijuana and cocaine near a preschool.

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of 23-year-old Dontrell Stephens on its Facebook page on Thursday, publishing his mugshot and booking sheet alongside the message, 'If you sell drugs near a DAY CARE CENTER you are going to get #BUSTED .'

Stephens, who is paralyzed from the waist down, won his federal lawsuit against the sheriff's office in February but has not received any money as the verdict remains under appeal.

Under Florida law, any lawsuit payout of more than $200,000 by a local government agency must first be approved by the Legislature.

Stephens' attorney, Jack Scarola, said he found the Facebook announcement of the arrest unusual and said the agency's refusal to pay has driven his client to the 'brink of desperation.'

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office announced the arrest on its Facebook page, publishing his mugshot and booking sheet

'And then the moment he falls off the ledge, if in fact he has fallen off the ledge, the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office is there to catch him,' Scarola said.

He said Stephens lives on a monthly Social Security disability check and the 'generosity and pity of friends.'

'Just as surely as if they had planted drugs on Dontrell Stephens, he has been entrapped,' Scarola said.

'There is no excuse for engaging in illegal drug trade, but any reasonable look at Dontrell's desperate circumstances would show why he may have been led to do things he otherwise would have never done.'

Stephens pictured in February, when he won a $23million lawsuit against a Florida sheriff's office after he was shot by a deputy and paralyzed

Stephens was being held on Thursday evening at the Palm Beach County Jail on $48,000 bail.

Scarola said arrangements were being made to get him released.

Stephens, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot in September 2013 by Deputy Adams Lin.

Lin, who had stopped Stephens for riding his bicycle into traffic, testified at trial that he shot Stephens four times because he reached for his waistband with his left hand and then flashed a dark object he thought was a small handgun.

Stephens testified that he was raising his hands when Lin, who is Asian-American, opened fire for no reason. Video from the dashboard camera in Lin's patrol car showed Stephens' left hand was empty and a cellphone was in his right hand.

He won his federal lawsuit in February but has not received any money as the verdict remains under appeal

Earlier this week, the sheriff's office agreed to pay $1.7million to the family of a mentally ill 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a deputy in 2012.

Michael Camberdella had dropped the hammer and hedge shears he had been holding but began throwing rocks at Deputy William Goldstein, who fired 11 shots and killed him.

Goldstein and Lin were both cleared of criminal wrongdoing and remain with the sheriff's office.

This year, the agency has agreed to pay more than $3million to victims or families of deputy-involved shootings, according to The Palm Beach Post.
The topics Ivanka Trump covered during a town hall meeting Thursday in Eau Claire were refreshing to hear, said Mike Hanke of Chippewa Falls.

Hanke attended the campaign event at The Lismore Hotel for Trumps father and Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump.

Hanke, a former Chippewa Falls City Council member and an unsuccessful candidate for the 67th Assembly seat earlier this year, said Ivanka Trump spoke about how families can spend more for child day care than earn in wages.

It was a nice refreshing message because I dont think either party can argue about the challenges with that, Hanke said.

He said Trump, who was introduced by Rachel Campos-Duffy, wife of 7th District Republican U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, also addressed the wage disparity between men and women and how that is narrowing.

Trump also said her father doesnt do well with the status-quo, and that he is passionate about education, according to Tribune Content Agency.

Democratic state Rep. Dana Wachs of Eau Claire on Thursday issued a statement about Ivanka Trumps campaign stop: No matter who Donald Trump sends to Wisconsin to argue his case, his record speaks for itself. Trump has demeaned and disrespected women this entire campaign, and nothing Ivanka says today can change that.
Dressing gown wearers are being warned to stay away from fire as a loophole in safety laws means they can be made with highly flammable material.

Experts have claimed they risk developing into quickly spreading 'surface flash flames'.

Safety regulations introduced in 1985 imposed strict regulations on flammability standards for children's and some adults' nightwear, but this does not extend to adult bath robes.

It means the garments can be made from flammable fabrics as long as a warning is included in the clothing label stating in red letters 'Keep away from fire'.

Dressing gown wearers are being warned to stay away from fire as a loophole in safety laws means they can be made with highly flammable material. File image

At least five people have been seriously injured or have died from dressing gown-related blazes in the last ten years and hundreds of fires are reported to manufacturers each year.

The current law came in to avoid accidents with children's clothing setting alight when they were close to open flames  before towelling became fashionable.

But safety fears have emerged following a trend towards scented candles at home, with experts now questioning whether the loophole that exists should be closed.

Robert Chantry-Price, a chief officer at the Trading Standards Institute told the Daily Telegraph the Government 'ought to look at' the rules as they had not been updated for more than three decades.

The current law came in to avoid accidents with children's clothing setting alight when they were close to open flames (file picture)

He said he also had concerns about the use of 'onesies', the name for an all-in-one garment often worn by students.

Onesies are subject to the same loophole as dressing gowns as they are often sold as leisure garments rather than as nightwear.

Data released by the Government shows there were 7,807 clothing, upholstery and furnishing related fires in homes between 2014-2015 which led to 2,137 non-fatal injuries and 115 deaths.

Jamey Firth, fire safety tester at Testing for Textiles, said: 'I started working with nightwear in 1989 and I've seen all sorts of incidents.

'Really the onus is on the person wearing it is not to be near naked flames, but these days everybody's got their scented candles out and it causes all sorts of problems.

'They usually try to blame manufacturers but realistically they have done nothing wrong.'

A spokesman for the White Company, which is a popular dressing gown seller, also told the Telegraph: 'There is no industry requirement to treat adult nightwear with flame retardant.
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If 'swim with sharks' is on your bucket list, then you may want to look away now.

This is the terrifying moment a great white shark almost broke into a cage in the same place where two other sharks got trapped inside with divers.

Craig Capeheart, from Indiana, said he was taking part in a shark diving experience near Guadalupe Island, Mexico, back in August when things almost went horribly wrong.

Incredibly, Capeheart claims the near-miss took place in the exact same cage that another shark was filmed breaking into last week.

Craig Capeheart, from Indiana, captured this terrifying footage of the moment a shark almost broke through a safety cage off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico

He said: 'Back in August I was diving with Great White Sharks in the Pacific Ocean at Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico when one got into the cage, struggled, then escaped!

'Neither those of us in the cage nor the shark were injured. It was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me!

'This event happened in the same cage, same boat, same location as the video of a great white shark getting into a cage then escaping out the top.'

Capeheart's footage shows the huge shark circling around two cages full of divers that are submerged just below the surface

But disaster strikes when the shark goes to swim between the cages and gets disoriented, trying to swim between the bars of the one containing Capeheart

The fearsome predator manages to get its entire head through a gap in the cage, snapping its jaws at those inside who stay just out of reach

The video Mr Capeheart is referring to was filmed from the surface as a great white approached a piece of bait being dangled near a cage containing diver Ming Chang.

But as the shark lunges for the bait it hits the cage, managing to wriggle inside, where it is filmed thrashing around for a full 20 seconds.

Mr Chang recounted how he was pushed out through the bottom of the cage by the force of the impact, only to look down and see two more sharks circling below him.

Fortunately workers for dive company Solmar, which was involved in the incident, had opened the top hatch on the cage, allowing the shark to escape.

The shark then tries to free itself but ends up getting stuck for a few moments, thrashing around as it tries to escape before finally getting free

Incredibly Capeheart claims the incident took place on the same boat and in the exact same cage where another diver got trapped with a shark just weeks later

Seeing the cage was empty again, Mr Chang said he swam back into it and up to the surface, where workers pulled him on to the boat.

That incident is now being investigated by regulators, according to Mexico Daily News, over allegations that the bait was thrown incorrectly, putting the people and the shark at unnecessary risk.

Incredibly, another incident in the same waters was also captured in recent days, when a 4.5m great white bit through the air hose leading to a diving cage before lodging itself between the bars.

This is the moment diver Ming Chang got stuck inside a cage with a 3metre great white after it managed to swim through the bars

According to Capeheart this is the same diver operator, Solmar, the same boat and the same cage where he also almost got trapped

Terrifying footage shows four divers trapped beneath the fearsome predator as it tries to break itself free.

Katie Yonker, one of the trapped divers, recalled how one man managed to swim to the surface after having his respirator knocked out of his mouth - before taking a gulp of air and head back down to save the others.

The cage was hauled back to the surface, where the other divers were forced to swim around the trapped shark's tail in order to escape.

The shark, a female, was eventually freed after crew members tied a rope around her tail and managed to pull her out of the bars.

A third film captured the moment four more divers got trapped inside a cage with a shark in the same location off the coast of Mexico
A 50-year-old grandmother who was on her way to get a flu shot when she died in a car crash is believed to be the 11th US victim of defective air bag inflators which prompted the largest product recall in US history.

Delia Robles was killed in the collision in Riverside County, California.

She was driving a 2001 Honda Civic, fitted with the defective air bag, which she had bought last year.

Delia Robles, pictured with her son Jose Contreras, died in a crash in California. Her Honda Civic had a defective Takata Corp air bag

It has emerged that up to five people have been killed by Takata Corp air bags in Malaysia, bringing the number of deaths globally up to 16.

Faults found with the air bags prompted the biggest ever product recall in US history.

Her son, Jose Contreras, said his mother was driving at 25mph when she died.

Riverside police said in a statement that a man making a left turn in a Chevrolet pickup truck was hit head-on by the Civic. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died from her injuries, the statement said.

Honda said the Civic involved in the California crash had been included in multiple recalls since 2008. The company said it mailed more than 20 recall notices to the car's registered owners, but its records indicate the vehicle was never repaired.

Jose says he plans to take legal action following the death of his mother

Heartbroken: Jose Contreras has described his mother as a 'safe driver' and said she was traveling at 25mph when she crashed

'The left turn: that's what caused the collision,' police officer Ryan Railsback told the Riverside Press-Enterprise, adding that police continue to investigate with state and federal help.

'They're still working on whether the air bag system played any role in the death.'

DANGEROUS AIR BAGS WHICH CAN SPEW SHRAPNEL Takata air bags can inflate with too much force, which causes a metal canister to rupture and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. Tokyo-based Takata, unlike other manufacturers, uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged high heat and humidity and can burn faster than designed. That can blow apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion. The problem touched off what is now the largest auto recall in US history. More than 69million inflators have been recalled in the US and more than 100million worldwide. Takata faces billions in costs. Advertisement

Honda said in a statement that its 'thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the driver during this difficult time'.

Roble's son, Jose Contreras, told KCAL-TV: 'My mom was a very safe driver. Seatbelt was on, always.'

He said he is considering taking legal action.

He said: 'It's not like she was sick and she had a terminal illness, and you knew this was coming. This happened from one minute to another.'

Honda spokesman Chris Martin said 'multiple' notices were sent to the victim's address, but he did not know if she received them.

She bought the car at the end of 2015, he said.

In June, NHTSA urged owners of 313,000 older Hondas and Acuras to stop driving them and get them repaired, after new tests found that their Takata inflators are extremely dangerous.

The agency said it had data showing that chances are as high as 50 per cent that the inflators can explode in a crash.

Martin said about 300,000 have not been repaired, and that the owners have been difficult to reach. Just over a million Hondas originally had the risky type of inflators.

More than 100million cars have been recalled worldwide because of the defective air bags, which have been linked to 16 deaths across the globe

NHTSA's urgent advisory covers vehicles that are up to 16 years old including 2001 and 2002 Honda Civics and Accords, the 2002 and 2003 Acura TL, the 2002 Honda Odyssey and CR-V, and the 2003 Acura CL and Honda Pilot, NHTSA said. They were recalled from 2008 to 2011, and about 70 per cent of them already have been repaired, the agency said.

Honda says it has sufficient supplies of replacement air bags for owners who still need them.

The older the inflators are, and the more time they spend in heat and humidity, the more likely they are to malfunction.
Paedophile dance teacher Grant Davies has been jailed for at least 18 years jail after he sexually abused and made child pornography with several former students.

The 41-year-old, who was a director of inner-west dance RG Dance studio in Chiswick, was caught in May 2015, and pleaded guilty to a string of offences on nine victims aged between nine and 15, including sexual intercourse with a child.

In September 2014, a mother of two was jailed for at least 18 months for having her daughters, aged 10 and 13, pose for sexually explicit pictures and videos to send to Davies.

Davies groomed some of his students at the prestigious dance school through persistent texting, forced girls as young as three to wear just crop tops and sometimes kept his young victims awake late into the night with sexually-charged messages, the court heard in June.

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Grant Davies, 41, (pictured with former students) has been jailed for at least 18 years jail after he pleaded guilty to the decade-long abuse

Grant Davies, 41, who was a director of inner-west dance RG Dance studio was caught in May 2015

Young women held hands in the public gallery as the sentence was handed down in the Downing Centre District Court on Friday.

Davies was due to go on trial last September by instead pleaded guilty to 28 charges and had his sentencing hearing moved to October.

The offences were committed at his Abbotsford home and his Chiswick RG Dance Studios as well as other locations in NSW.

A computer belonging to Davies was seized by police in 2007 after complaints that he was sending very young students sexually explicit text messages about masturbation and telling them of his sex fantasies.

The mother who forced her daughters to pose for sexually explicit images told the court in 2014 she was scared of Davies and feared that he would punish her children by kicking them out of starring roles in his company's dance productions or remove them altogether if she did not comply with his request.

She said she felt 'stymied' by her own failed dance career, which began with promise but ended with strip shows and lingerie waitressing.

In March, one of Davies' former dance students, now in her 20s, revealed to the court the revealing uniforms dancers at the studio were required to wear.

Children as young as three wore crop tops and small shorts, which barely covered their private parts, she said.

Girls were banned from wearing bras, and students were told to wear a g-string or no underwear at all.

Another student was sexually abused every Thursday night when he drove her home from class.

He was charged with a string of offences on nine victims aged between nine and 15, including sexual intercourse with a child

Davies (pictured arriving at Burwood Local court in 2014) groomed some of his victims through persistent texting and sometimes kept his young victims awake late into the night with sexually-charged requests

He was also charged with using children to make pornography

During her sentencing, Judge Jennie Girdham said the offending was 'predatory and persistent'.

The court heard he would often text his victims after the assault, telling them he loved them.

One particular victim was abused by Davies from the age of nine and forced to masturbate in front of him.

Davies' ex-wife, using the pseudonym BZB, said she divorced him after he was arrested for the multiple child sex offences.

She told the court in May she took out an AVO against Davies and later applied for a second.

BZB told a Royal commission inquiry she and other members of his family often tried to raise what they saw as 'boundary violations' by him in his dealings with students at RG Dance.

In May, one of Davies' former dance students, now in her 20's, told the court her world 'came crashing down' after the sexual abuse

In May, Davies' ex-wife, using the pseudonym BZB, said she divorced him after he was arrested for the multiple child sex offences

'I ended up feeling that I was being silly and he made me feel like - how could I even begin to understand the kind of relationship he had with students,' she said.

Davies' sister Rebecca, who founded RG Dance with him, made a tearful apology to the victims at the royal commission in March.

The dance teacher admitted she should have reported her brother on numerous occasions over the decade of abuse, but she thought talk from concerned parents was just rumours.

It was not until Davies' ex-wife showed Rebecca evidence 'the penny dropped' and she went to the police and reported her brother.

'I make an apology to the children, many now young adults, who suffered abuse by Grant Davies while at RG Dance,' Ms Davies said.

'I am deeply sorry to those survivors who have lost their precious childhood innocence and continue to suffer and deal with the impacts of that abuse today.'

RG dance trained young dancers who went on to win roles in The Lion King, Billy Elliot and Strictly Ballroom.

Davies was sentenced to a maximum of 24 years and will be eligible for parole in 2034.

Davies' sister Rebecca (both pictured), who founded RG Dance with him, made a tearful apology to the victims at the royal commission in March
Openly-gay senator Dean Smith tried to claim a taxpayer-funded travel allowance so he could party at a nightclub featuring an all-male dancing crew.

The senator and his former Liberal colleague Sean Edwards, a father of four, sought a $377 a night allowance to stay in Melbourne in June 2015.

Witnesses saw the men at St Kilda's Greyhound Hotel as the gay nightclub hosted an 'all male revue' featuring 'a sultry mix of mystery, passion, charisma and muscle'.

Toned men in fluoro vests (pictured) at the Greyhound Hotel on the night senators were there

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, was also seen on the dance floor as the club put on a Pride Night to celebrate the United States legalising same-sex marriage.

The male senators were in Melbourne on Saturday, June 27, 2015 for the Liberal Party Federal Council meeting in the city.

They initially claimed travel allowance for that night and the previous day, Department of Finance records obtained under freedom of information by Daily Mail Australia show.

However, they withdrew their claims for the Saturday on Monday, June 29, last year, the same day the Port Phillip Leader published a story about the coalition senators attending the Greyhound's Pride Night event.

West Australian Liberal senator Dean Smith (pictured) saw Pride Night at Greyhound Hotel

Topless men (pictured) took the stage at the Greyhound Hotel on Pride Night in June 2015

A description of the male dancers (pictured) on a special Pride Night in June 2015

Senator Smith, who opposes his party's proposed plebiscite on gay marriage, said withdrawing the travel claim was the right decision.

'Given that my attendance at the Greyhound had attracted attention, I decided it would be prudent not to claim travel allowance for the evening of Saturday, 27 June, despite the fact that such a claim would have been entirely within entitlement,' he said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'Accordingly, I amended the travel allowance claim form by hand, which is common practice, and submitted it.

'I have never been paid any travel allowance for the evening of Saturday, 27 June 2015.'

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie (pictured left) was camera shy at the Greyhound Hotel

The St Kilda nightclub put up posters about Pride Night celebrating gay marriage in the U.S.

Former Liberal senator Sean Edwards (pictured) made an initial claim for the Saturday night

Neither Senator Smith nor Mr Edwards, who lost his seat at this year's federal election, received any travel allowance for the Saturday night.

Before attending the nightclub, featuring toned muscle men on stage in bright orange fluoro work vests, Senator Smith had been to a Young Liberals event.

He flew back to his home city of Perth on the Sunday and amended the form on the Monday, the first business day since his Melbourne stay.

Mr Edwards, a South Australian, was also contacted for comment.

Last month, Senator McKenzie had an awkward moment on the ABC's Q and A program when her gay brother, Alastair McKenzie, asked her in a video link why she opposed same-sex marriage.

She answered: 'I believe it is a conscience issue and it is that the definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. Polls would suggest Im in the minority.'

Senator Dean Smith's travel claim (pictured) was amended to withdrew Saturday night
A dejected husband's trail of destruction after joyriding and destroying a 150,000 double-decker bus has been captured on camera.

Drunk and jilted Deepak Malhotra, 35, forced his way on board after the driver popped to the toilet and left the engine running.

In a 'spectacularly dangerous piece of driving' he then embarked on a mile-long joyride through Watford in London.

A drunk and jilted Deepak Malhotra, 35, forced his way into a double-decker bus after the driver popped to the toilet and left the keys inside

He smashed into a series of parked cars, sped through a mini-roundabout and hurtled past oncoming traffic.

Finally his wild jaunt was brought to a standstill when the bus collided with a road sign and crashed into a building.

Malhotra abandoned the bus and tried to get 'help' from a lady parked up nearby, but she refused and a passer-by called the police.

Judge Fiona Barry called his journey 'a spectacularly dangerous piece of driving', sentencing him to 21 months in jail at Harrow Crown Court on Wednesday.

His mammoth joyride began at around 10pm by Watford train station on July 7 this year, reports The Sun.

Malhotra, who has 14 previous convictions for 30 offences including drink driving, was banned from driving at the time of the offence.

He was also found by police to be over the drink driving limit.

Returning from his rest break, the driver was stunned to find his bus was missing.

Malhotra, circled, smashed into a series of parked cars, sped through a mini-roundabout and hurtled past oncoming traffic before leaving the bus behind

He had locked the doors of the Arriva double decker, but left the engine running and Malhotra managed to force his way in.

Among the damage wreaked during his wrecking spree was a smashed Audi, broken railings and a business's windows.

In court Malhotra's defence argued he had been devastated by a marriage breakup and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

But prosecutor Will noble said: 'You drove the bus erratically, at speed and through red lights.

'This was an atrocious and highly dangerous piece of driving.

'The nature of which was a double decker bus on which you had no training. You were at the time a disqualified driver.'

'These offences are so serious they merit a custodial sentence.'

The bus, worth 150,000, had to be written off, and the exact costs of all the further damages were unknown.
Despot Kim Jong-un has ordered the public execution of 64 'traitors' so far this year as he intensifies his 'reign or terror', South Korea's spy agency has revealed.

The killings in 2016 have seen the total number of executions double to around 134 since the North Korean leader took power in 2011.

This sharp rise in the execution of officials is thought to have been a result of the despot's increasing paranoia about his personal safety, the National Intelligence Service said.

It even exceeds the bloodshed of his father's early rule, they added.

Despot Kim Jong-un (shown) has ordered the public execution of 64 'traitors' so far this year

Kim had shown restraint in state-sanctioned killings in recent years after reports emerged about his uncle Jang Song Thaek being executed.

But Kim has resumed them after the United Nations imposed more sanctions on the country following its long-range rocket launch and nuclear tests.

In April last year North Korea's defence minister was publicly executed with an anti-aircraft gun for falling asleep during military meetings and answering back to Kim.

Hyon Yong-Chol, 66, who was named head of North Korea's military in 2012, was killed in front of hundreds of bloodthirsty officials at a military camp in the capital Pyongyang.

North Korea's defence minister Hyon Yong-Chol has reportedly been executed by an anti-aircraft gun in Pyongyang

It was not the first time a ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun has been used for executions in North Korea.

The news about the rise in executions came after North Korea suffered its second failed missile test in a week.

An intermediate-range Musudan rocket exploded shortly after take-off at about 6.30am local time, according to South Korean and US military monitors.

It comes after US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed that any use of nuclear arms by the North would be 'met with an effective and overwhelming response'.

The attempted launch also came just hours before the start of the third US presidential debate - a timely reminder of the challenge North Korea's fast-moving nuclear weapons programme will pose to the next occupant of the White House.

North Korea has suffered its second failed missile test in a week as the US warned Pyongyang of an 'overwhelming' response to any use of nukes (file picture)
, to run the Education Department, and Sen. Corey Booker to head up Housing

Some of President Barack Obama's emails have now made their way onto the Wikileaks website.

Five emails associated with an account that Obama used in 2008 before he was elected - bobama@ameritech.net - were published to the site Thursday.

The emails between his transition team head John Podesta, a former chief of staff to Bill Clinton who is now the campaign chairman for Hillary's White House venture, and Obama shed new light on the Democratic politician's transition from U.S. senator to president.

They also reveal that Podesta and Obama considered cabinet and secretary-level appointments in the context of their race and gender - and the names of politicians Obama either passed over for top postings in his administration or asked to serve and was turned down.

Some of President Barack Obama's emails have made their way onto the Wikileaks website

On the 'diversity list': New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was recommended for Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

George W. Bush's former Secretary of State Colin Powell was listed as a possible Education Secretary

It's unclear from the email exchange whether Obama asked that the list be divided that way or Podesta made the groupings on his own.

He set up a list of potential vice presidential nominees for Hillary Clinton based on demographic information a previously released email to the Democratic presidential candidate showed.

A October 6, 2008, email with the subject line 'Diversity' from Michael Froman, Obama's current trade representative, said to the then-Illinois Senator: 'Following up on your conversations with John over the weekend, attached are two documents'.

The first was 'a list of African American, Latino and Asian American candidates, divided between Cabinet/Deputy and Under/Assistant/Deputy Assistant Secretary levels, as well as lists of senior Native Americans, Arab/Muslim Americans and Disabled Americans.

Froman told Obama, 'We have longer lists, but these are candidates whose names have been recommended by a number of sources for senior level jobs in a potential Administration.'

Eric Holder (left) became the head of DOJ, and Susan Rice (right) became the United States' Ambassador to the United Nations

The second attachment was 'a list of women, similarly divided between candidates for Cabinet/Deputy and other senior level positions.

'Please let us know if you have any questions,' he said.

On the 'diversity list': New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who was recommended for Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican considered for the deputy job at the Labor Department, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, ousted two years later from that office, for HUD, and Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president to this day, for HUD.

Massachusetts' Governor Deval Patrick was recommended for Justice, George W. Bush's former Secretary of State Colin Powell was listed as a possible Education Secretary, South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, who Bill Clinton infamously blamed for Hillary's loss in in the state's primary, was up for Agriculture.

Democratic Congressman Artur Davis was also considered for Justice, the document shows.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius may wish she had been passed over for the position she would up taking - Health and Human Services Secretary

The Alabama representative ended up changing his party affiliation and moving to Virginia after losing the Democratic primary for governor in his home state in 2009.

Tammy Duckworth didn't become Veteran's Affairs secretary. She ran for and won elected office in 2013 and is now seeking the Illinois Senate seat that Obama occupied until he won the White House.

Elena Kagen wasn't picked for White House Counsel or Justice, as suggested. She instead became the Solicitor General. Now she's serving on the Supreme Court.

Some candidates did end up in the jobs they were being vetted for.

Eric Holder became the head of DOJ, and Susan Rice became the United States' Ambassador to the United Nations. Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State, and Janet Napolitano went to Homeland Security.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius may wish she had been passed over for the position she would up taking - Health and Human Services Secretary. She oversaw the implementation of Obamacare and resigned in 2014 in the wake of the health marketplace's messy rollout.

One of the leaked emails, dated October 6, 2008, was from Michael Froman, Obama's current trade representative

Tammy Duckworth didn't become Veteran's Affairs secretary. She ran for and won elected office in 2013

If Obama responded to the email, which Podesta appears to have been blind copied on given that the message was stolen from his account, it's not part of the treasure trove of conversations on Wikileaks' website.

He did reply to an email from Podesta a few days before the election about creating an 'emergency national economic council' that Podesta thought Daniel Tarullo should run. Tarullo is now on the Board of Governors for the Federal Reserve.

'That needs resolution today or tomorrow so we can execute on Wednesday,' Podesta wrote.

He also told Obama that he needed to pick an 'interim outside council' and provided a list of suggestions. 'You added Warren Buffett to the potential list. How do you want to proceed? Pick from the list? have further discussion? Let me know,' he wrote.

'I will give you an answer on this tomorrow,' the Democratic presidential nominee wrote back.

Massachusetts' Governor Deval Patrick was recommended for Justice. Eric Holder got the job instead

The night of the 2008 election, before Obama was named the winner of the race, Podesta wrote him about the possibility of the G20 summit coming up in a congratulatory call with the sitting president, Bush.

'I don't want to bug you today, but the memo pasted below concerns a possible invitation to the G-20 meeting on November 15,' Podesta wrote at 7:39 pm. 'On the chance that President Bush would raise this with you tonight, I wanted you to be aware that it is the unanimous recommendation for your advisors that you NOT attend.'

He added, 'As long as you are aware of that, we can review the contents of the memo tomorrow.'

Obama's reply, if there was one, was not on the Wikileaks website, either.
Patients paralysed by strokes are being 'brought back to life' by a revolutionary treatment, experts have reported.

An estimated 10,000 patients a year in Britain could benefit from the operation, which one doctor last night described as the biggest change in stroke treatment 'in medical history'.

The procedure involves carefully removing the devastating clots from deep within the brain, using a 3ft-long wire.

PREGANT MOTHER WHO HAD A STROKE SURVIVES WITH SON Charlotte Smith with six-month-old Harrison Charlotte Smith was eight months pregnant when she suffered a massive stroke. 'One morning I woke up with a really bad headache,' the 27-year-old said. 'I just thought I needed some fresh air so I went out for a walk. 'Suddenly I felt this strange sensation, I lost the feeling in the right side of my body and collapsed in the street.' Miss Smith was rushed to Telford Hospital  but they could not treat her with traditional clot-busting drugs because of the risk to her unborn baby. She was transferred to Stoke Hospital, where the stroke unit was trialling the pioneering mechanical thrombectomy. 'I remember waking up in hospital, and the nurses said I had had a stroke,' Miss Smith said. 'They said I really should not have survived.' After the procedure she was able to move the right side of her body again, and was sent home the next day. Four weeks later she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Harrison, weighing 8lb 11oz, with a normal delivery and no complications. He is now six months old. Advertisement

A stent at the end of the wire envelopes the clot and pulls it out, allowing blood to flow freely to the brain.

The first 24/7 regional unit to use the technique  known as mechanical thrombectomy  has now opened at St George's Hospital in South London.

A 17-year-old girl from Surrey, the first to be treated at the unit, was unable to speak or move the right side of her body when she was brought to the hospital.

Consultant neurologist Dr Bhavini Patel said: 'As soon as the doctors pulled the wire out, that was it. She was speaking again. I went in to see her and she said, 'Oh, I can move my leg. I can move my arm. I can speak.' She went home the next day,' he told the London Evening Standard. Dr Joe Leyon, an interventional neuroradiologist at St George's, added: 'It's devastating for patients to find one moment they're completely paralysed and/or have lost speech.

'It's fair to say they have been brought back to life when they get these functions back in a moment.'

Hospitals in Leeds, Stoke and other major stroke units have also started using the procedure, but its availability is patchy and not available out of hours.

Crucially, it has to be used within four and a half hours of the stroke to be effective. NHS England is currently considering whether to roll the technique out more widely.

Until now doctors have used drugs to dissolve the blood clots that cause strokes  but the chemicals can have severe side effects, and do not work at all in about 15 per cent of patients with the most severe strokes.

St Georges Hospital, London, is one of the places where the revolutionary new treatment is being pioneered

They have been trialling mechanical thrombectomy for about a decade.

At first it involved poking the clot with a wire until it broke up, but this was risky because parts of the clot could float away and cause problems elsewhere. The newer devices use a wire stent, fed through an artery in the groin, to grab the clot and remove it entirely  with far better results.

A study of 1,287 patients with major strokes, published in the Lancet journal in February, showed that 50 per cent of people treated with mechanical thrombectomy had shown neurological recovery within 24 hours, compared to just 21 per cent treated with clot-busting drugs.

They were also far less likely to be left disabled 90 days after their stroke. Dr Tufail Patankar, who has been pioneering the procedure at Leeds General Infirmary, said: 'The equipment is getting better and better.

The new procedure has seen patients 'brought back to life' after deadly clots were removed from their brains

'We have been using it in Leeds for about six years, but we now have evidence that it has significantly better outcomes. This is the biggest change in medical history for the treatment of stroke  and we need it to be rolled out more widely. What they are doing at St George's is fantastic. We need that provision in more places.

'In Leeds, if you come in during the day, you will likely get treated in this way, but if you come in at the weekend, or if you live in Halifax or Bradford, you are not going to get it.' Alexis Wieroniey, deputy director of policy and campaigns at the Stroke Association, said: 'Thrombectomy is a revolutionary stroke treatment because it reduces the chances of someone being severely disabled after a stroke.

'NHS England are deciding if this vital treatment should be available across the country.
As the presidential election becomes more contentious than ever before, it was a quiet moment of unity on a Virgin America flight that warmed the nation's heart.

Bathed in pink neon lights, more than 30,000 feet above the ground, was Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump arguing on almost every screen.

'Democracy,' Caroline Paul tweeted simply with the picture, which she captured while flying from New York to San Francisco on Wednesday night.

Caroline Paul captured this incredible sight of (nearly) everyone on her Virgin America flight from New York to San Francisco watching the third and final presidential debate

The photo was retweeted more than 1,600 times on Twitter, with some thanking Paul, an author, for restoring their 'confidence in mankind'.

About 71.6 million people watched the face-off, making it the third largest audience for any presidential debate in the country's history, according to Variety.

But at least one passenger had decided to skip the Las Vegas showdown and tune in to a very different kind of cat fight.

'A person on 28A is watching Real Housewives,' noticed one observant Twitter user, who then added: 'She's the smartest one on that plane.'

But one observant Twitter user noticed that one passenger had decided to skip the debate and watch The Real Housewives instead

Another user joked that the plane must be full of Americans emigrating to Canada.

'Ha! Actually, San Francisco,' Paul wrote back. 'Same difference.'

The passengers may have been watching in their own separate seats, but Paul told WABC there were many moments where they collectively laughed and gasped together.

'It was a pretty cool experience,' she said, 'To watch and react to the debate with this group.'
She read out the vile messages from angry anti-

A Health Minister has hit back at anti-vaccination campaigners bombarding her with abhorrent social media messages in a video.

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy has been subject to vile messages calling for her execution or to fall ill with cancer since her hard line stance on vaccinations and she has decided to combat the hatred by reading out the messages.

The shocking messages are directed at the minister for her pro-vaccination stance and the State Government's introduction of the 'no jab, no play' law that enforced pre-schoolers to have been vaccinated to attend child care and kindergarten.

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Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy has hit back at social media trolls slamming her for her vaccination stance

The Victorian State Government introduced a 'no jab, no play' law that enforced pre-schoolers to have been vaccinated to attend child care and kindergarten (Stock Image)

Some of the more vile messages from the 'anti-vaxxers' call her an 'evil b***h', a 'DIRTY dog' and one troll said, 'hope you get cancer soon'.

Ms Hennessy even fights fire with fire, hitting back at some of the overzealous trolls and plays down their abuse.

Some of the tweets said:

'Two words. DIRTY dog.'

'Jill Hennessy: vaccine liar, criminal, traitor, idiot, s**g, d******k, poliphile, people like you should be executed you rag! Really dumb f*****g statement to make - you are a liar, and a traitor, f*** you w***e! Nothing but a pack of p*********s.'

The Heath Minister appeared on the Today show on Friday and said there were two reasons why she slammed some of the anti-vaccination campaigners.

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy has been subject to vile messages on social media

'I do think that we've got to put a bit of a light on where the boundaries might be,' she said.

'Second issue and one that is close to my heart is we've been doing a lot of work here in Victoria to try and grow the vaccination rates of our children.

'And the anti-vaccination movement - I wanted to shine a light on their techniques and activities,' Ms Hennessy said.

Ms Hennessy said you have to have thick skin as a politician and The Herald Sun video would show Victorians that the some anti-vaccination campaigners were resorting to abuse to derail the message that immunisation saves lives.

Some of the more vile messages from the 'anti-vaxxers' call her an 'evil b***h', a 'DIRTY dog' and one troll said, 'hope you get cancer soon' (Stock Image)

Ms Hennessy wanted to shine the light on some of the tactics used to discredit the immunisation policies in Victoria (Stock Image)

'Don't take medical advice from people that behave in this kind of way and to really send a message to these people that you won't stop people like me and all of the other wonderful people in our health system that are working so hard to grow vaccinations,' she said.

The message comes one day after the national industry regulator for nurses and midwives said promoting false anti-vaccination information to patients could lead to sanctions.
Stroke victims are having to wait more than four months for physiotherapy after leaving hospital, according to a report.

The delays have a devastating impact on patients recovery and undo previous painstaking hard work, experts say.

Around 152,000 UK adults suffer a stroke each year and some are left paralysed on one side of the body or very weak in their limbs.

Stroke victims are having to wait more than four months to receive vital physiotherapy. The delays are 'devastating' to overall recovery

They have to relearn basic movements through physiotherapy sessions involving repetitive exercises.

Research by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy found 85 per cent of health trusts do not offer stroke victims physiotherapy within two weeks of leaving hospital. A fifth make them wait at least 13 weeks and 4 per cent cannot offer sessions until after 18 weeks.

The societys Catherine Pope said: The results of this audit are a stark reminder that too many patients are being let down once they leave hospital.

Effective rehabilitation gives people back their independence, allowing them to return to work or simply to resume everyday activities.

She added: It is crucial that it is regular and timely in those early days, and then on an ongoing, longer-term basis, it is important that patients can access that expert advice and support to help them manage their condition.

The consequences of missing out on care can be devastating so it is essential that greater attention is paid to ensuring the excellence seen in some areas is available to all.

The consequences of missing out on care to help regain mobility, and sometimes basic functions, can have a disastrous impact on the patient

Dominic Brand, of the Stroke Association, has called the NHS figures 'extremely concerning'

The research involved Freedom of Information requests to all 209 clinical commissioning groups in England, of which 135 replied.

Dominic Brand, a spokesman for the Stroke Association, described the findings as extremely concerning.

Major strides have been made in the way stroke is treated in hospital; however, it is clear that far too many stroke survivors are going without the right support, he said.

Stroke survivors regularly tell us they have had to wait weeks  and in some cases months  for the support and therapy they need to rebuild their lives.
A carjacking victim has been hospitalised after being run over by his own vehicle in a horrendous moment caught on CCTV.

Manolis Mourikis was mowed down by a thief escaping in his silver Volkswagen.

Surveillance footage taken from a nearby club shows the 33-year-old desperately tried to run after his car in Manchester.

Manolis Mourikis tries desperately to get back into his own silver Volkswagen

Stunned bystanders watched on as the robber braked suddenly after Mourikis managed to open the door.

But when he attempted to get back in the driver went into reverse and struck the owner with the open door.

With the car nearly crashing into a red van coming up the rear Mourikis was flung down onto the pavement.

Miraculously he managed to jump to his feet and rushed off to avoid being run over again, reports the Manchester Evening News.

As the thief in his Volkswagen escaped pedestrians cared for him until the ambulance arrived.

Paramedics rushed him to the Manchester Royal Infirmary from the scene, close to Tib Street Tavern in the Northern Quarter.

Stunned bystanders watched on as the robber braked and suddenly reversed after Mourikis managed to open the door

The road was then cordoned off for several hours after the dramatic incident, which occurred around 5pm.

'I was stood by the car talking to a friend and the man jumped in the car,' Mourikis told the M.E.N.

'I ran after him and after about 20 metres I managed to catch him and grab the driver's side door and open it. He then stopped the car and reversed over me.

Miraculously he managed to jump to his feet and rushed off to avoid being run over again

'I don't remember anything after that, the next thing I know I was in hospital.'

He also revealed police have not managed to locate his car, and needs it back for his job delivering pizzas.
The former head of the beleaguered child abuse inquiry is to face MPs over explosive racism claims threatening to derail the 100million probe.

Dame Lowell Goddard has pledged her commitment to assist a Parliamentary committee investigating incendiary misconduct claims, which Theresa May has been accused of covering up.

The judge, who was the third chairman of the crisis-hit inquiry, is now expected to give evidence to MPs via video link from New Zealand, where she lives.

Dame Lowell Goddard faces serious allegations of racism and misconduct and will give evidence to MPs regarding the claims

She is set to face questions about allegations that she made racist remarks about Asian men, abused junior staff and threw tantrums during her tumultuous 16-month tenure. The accusations, which she vehemently denies, threaten to develop into a major political scandal for the Prime Minister and Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who have both admitted knowing about concerns over Dame Lowells conduct before she quit the inquiry in August.

Her evidence before the Home Affairs Select Committee could lead to Mrs May being called to explain what she knew about the fiasco after she conceded on Wednesday that she had heard stories about the former chairman, but did not intervene. Tim Loughton, who was acting chairman of the committee until Yvette Cooper was elected to take over this week, told the Mail: After an exchange of letters with Dame Lowell we now hope that she is going to appear via videolink in front of the committee.

After interviewing her we will take a considered view on whether to call other people like the Prime Minister to come along.

Tim Loughton MP hopes that the New Zealand judge will appear before MPs soon to answer claims of racism and misconduct

Dame Lowell has written to the committee this week pledging her commitment to assist. She revealed that despite the growing furore, no one from the Home Office or the child abuse inquiry has asked her any questions about her conduct.

On Monday she wrote: I have not been contacted by the Home Office, or the inquiry, or your committee, in relation to the matters I raised in my [resignation] report. My resignation was tendered on August 4. All matters were finalised on August 11, and I was informed that I was not required to remain in England.

I was not asked to provide any information, any report, or take any further action following my resignation.
Two young children have been stabbed to death in a suspected murder-suicide attempt as their father remains critically injured under heavy police guard.

Police found the bodies of two young children - a three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl - after forcing entry to a home nestled in a brand new estate in Yanchep, a coastal suburb in Perth's north, at about 10.30pm on Thursday.

The children had reportedly been stabbed to death hours after they were seen playing in the front yard, while police said their father was found alive inside the home on Flight Vista with critical injuries.

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Two young children have been stabbed to death inside their Perth home in a suspected murder-suicide attempt as their father remains critically injured under heavy police guard

Forensic police carrying evidence bags leave a house where two young children were found dead in Yanchep

Police outside a house where the body of a boy, aged 3 and girl aged 5 were found dead in Yanchep, Perth

Police found the bodies of a three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl after forcing entry to their home (pictured) nestled in a brand new estate in Perth's north

The bodies of two people were found inside a house in Perth on Thursday

The man, aged in his 30s, was taken to Joondalup Hospital before being transferred to Royal Perth Hospital where he remains under heavy police guard.

It is believed he may have harmed himself, the West Australian reported.

Acting Detective Inspector Peter Clements said the children's mother had been notified and was extremely upset.

'We're in direct contact with the mother... she's obviously very, very distressed,' he said during a press conference on Friday.

'And also we're assisting the police officers that attended, it's quite distressing circumstances around what has happened.'

Forensic police enter a house where the body of a boy, aged 3 and girl aged 5 were found dead

Forensic investigators have started collecting evidence from the house

The children's bodies were removed from the home at around 8am on Friday morning

Detectives from the Major Crime unit arrived at the scene shortly after the gruesome discovery was made at about 10.30pm on Thursday

Inspector Clements said Major Crime detectives were not looking for 'any third parties' in relation to the double murder, adding the investigation was still in its 'infancy'.

'We are not looking for an unknown offender, if you know what I mean,' he said.

The two young children were seen in the front yard only hours before the shocking knife attack, with neighbours describing them as 'sweet kids'.

'I did not see the dad... I just saw the kids running around on the lawn together for a few minutes,' neighbour Bill Nyssen Jr told the West Australian.

'They were just having fun. Everything seemed normal to me.'

He said the family generally kept to themselves and that he had hardly seen them in the ten weeks he had been living on Flight Vista.

The spokesperson said Major Crime detectives were not looking for 'any third parties' in relation to the double murder

The two young children were seen in the front yard only hours before the shocking knife attack, with neighbours describing them as 'sweet kids'

Another neighbour, Coline Cooper, said the children's mother mother flies in and out of town for work and appeared to be away when the deadly attack occurred.

'The last I heard is that there were a couple of children and they had both died and that his wife or partner works away FIFO,' she told the ABC.

'It's awful. I mean it was bad enough when you think just one person was involved, but now there's children involved it's horrible,' she added.

The family had only recently moved into the new housing estate, Perth Now reported.

Detectives from Major Crime established a crime scene and started collecting evidence on Thursday night.

Detectives from Major Crime established a crime scene and started collecting evidence on Thursday night

A man in his 30s was also found with critical injuries and was rushed to hospital

Neighbours said they saw the young children happily playing in the front yard (pictured) on Thursday

Forensic investigators were still at the property on Friday morning.

The children's bodies were removed at about 8am.

The house is in a brand new golf course estate, with many properties in the street still under construction.
First Lady Michelle Obama blasted Donald Trump on Thursday as a man whose wealth and opulent lifestyle has rendered him insensitive to the average American.

'He just doesn't understand us,' Obama said, taking the Republican nominee to task for his comments about women and minorities.

'Heroes who love this country so much they're willing to die for it He just can't see them,' she said.

Trump has come under fire for saying that Arizona Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he fell captive as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict.

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Michelle Obama gestures during a speech on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday

He also attacked the parents of Humayun Khan, a US Army captain who was killed in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq in 2004.

'Maybe it's easy for him to mock people with disabilities, because he's unable to see their strength and their contributions,' Obama said.

'Maybe that's why he demeans and humiliates women as if we're objects meant solely for pleasure and entertainment rather than human beings worthy of love and respect.

That quote was a reference to the comments about women Trump is heard saying during a filming of an Access Hollywood segment in 2005.

The first lady took aim at Clinton's opponent, Donald Trump, for refusing to say whether he would abide by the results of the election

'Perhaps living life high up in a tower in a world of exclusive clubs, measuring success by wins and losses, the number of zeros in your bank account. Perhaps you just develop a different set of values.'

Obama even alluded to her upbringing in Chicago, a city that Trump has mentioned due to its high murder rate.

Trump has vowed that he would make fighting crime a major plank of his administration.

'Maybe that's why he calls communities like the one where I was raised, "hell",' she said. 'Because he can't see all the decent, hardworking folks like my parents.'

Obama spoke before a crowd of 7,000 supporters at the rally in Arizona, a state that has traditionally voted for Republicans but is now in play during this election campaign

'Maybe with so little exposure to people who are different than you, it becomes easy to take advantage of those who are down on their luck.'

'To him, most of America is "them",' she said.

Obama on Thursday stumped for Hillary Clinton in Arizona, denouncing Trump as a candidate whose vision for our country is completely and utterly lacking in hope.

Obama (above), who is popular with the American people, has emerged as a powerful surrogate for Clinton

Obama, who has emerged as the Democratic candidates most powerful and popular surrogate on the campaign trail, lashed out at Trump as a man who threatens the very idea of America itself.

She spoke the day after Trump said during a presidential debate with Clinton that he would wait to see what the election results were before saying whether he would accept them or not.

Obama told the crowd that Trump's candidacy offers a vision 'completely and utterly lacking hope'

Obama said that the Republican nominee threatens to ignore our voices.

'The voters decide who wins and loses, period, end of story, and when a presidential candidate threatens to ignore our voices and reject the outcome of this election he is threatening the very idea of America itself and we cannot stand for that, she said.

You do not keep American democracy in suspense.

The in suspense quote was a reference to what Trump told debate moderator Chris Wallace in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Obama (seen above greeting supporters following her speech) says that Trump's refusal to accept the outcome of the election 'threatens the idea of America itself'

Trump said that he would keep you in suspense when pressed on whether he would commit to accepting the outcome of the election.

The first lady was dispatched to Arizona by the Clinton campaign in a bid to sway undecided voters, as polls show the Democrat with a reasonable chance to win a state that has traditionally supported Republicans.

Obama slammed Trump as a candidate who tells us that our country is desperate and weak, that our communities are in chaos, that our fellow citizens are a threat, a candidate who calls on us to turn against each other, to build walls, to be afraid.

Obama (seen here embracing a supporter prior to her speech in Phoenix) said that Trump's claims of a 'rigged' election are designed to get voters to stay home on Election Day

Trump and his supporters say that the election is rigged against them by the media and the political establishment, a charge that Obama says is an attempt at voter intimidation.

Voters should 'understand that they are trying to get you to stay home,' she said.

'They are trying to convince you that your vote doesnt matter that the outcome has already been determined and you shouldnt even bother to make your voice heard,' the first lady said.

Obama used her speech in Arizona to appeal to voters idealism.

'Who are we?' Obama asked. 'We are a nation founded as a rebuke to tyranny. ... We are a nation that said give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.'

During her appearance, Obama urged voters not to allow the bitterness of the campaign to alienate them from the political process

She urged Americans not to allow the bitterness of the campaign to alienate them from the political process.

'Do not let yourself get tired or frustrated or disgusted by everything youve seen in this campaign. Please be encouraged.'

She said that while Trump paints a picture of 'hopelessness and despair' and offers a vision 'riven by division and ruled by fear,' Clintons presidency would be one of 'inclusion, equality and equal justice for all.'

'I have traveled the world, and I am telling you we still live in the greatest country on earth. We have every reason to be hopeful. Remember that in difficult times, we dont give up. We dont discard our highest ideals. No. We rise up to meet them. We rise up to perfect our union. That is the power of hope.'
Former Labour Cabinet minister Hilary Benn was chosen to lead the major Commons Brexit committee

Parliament has failed a test by appointing a pro-Remain Labour grandee to lead scrutiny of the Governments Brexit agenda, a senior Tory warned last night.

Former Labour Cabinet minister Hilary Benn was chosen to lead the major Commons Brexit committee on Wednesday, despite having played a leading role in the Remain campaign.

In his first interviews yesterday, he served notice that he will use every device to pin down ministers on details of the Governments negotiating strategy  despite warnings the move would damage Britains national interest.

He also cautioned he will try to force ministers to give MPs a vote on Brexit, saying it was inconceivable that Parliament would not get a decisive say.

His appointment is controversial due to the leading role he played in the Remain campaign, when, as Labours Shadow Foreign Secretary, he said Brexit would be a disaster.

Some MPs also believe it is wrong for a senior frontbench MP to be parachuted in to take charge of a major backbench committee.

Labour and Tory whips agreed a secret deal last month handing Labour chairmanship of the new Brexit committee.

MPs then voted this week to appoint Mr Benn ahead of Eurosceptic Labour rival Kate Hoey by 330 votes to 209.

The Brexit committee is also likely to end up being dominated by pro-EU MPs, despite the decisive public vote in favour of leaving the Brussels club.

It will be comprised of 21 MPs, including ten Tories, five from Labour, three from the SNP and one each from the Lib Dems, Greens and Democratic Unionists.

But with the majority of MPs having campaigned to stay in the EU it is unlikely to end up with a majority in favour of Brexit. Appointments will be agreed by party whips in the coming weeks.

Prominent Tory MP Peter Bone said last night: This was a test for Parliament, and Parliament failed it. It was surprising enough that our whips agreed to hand the chair to Labour. But I think the decision to install such an outspoken Remainer is concerning.

Cabinet ministers also warned Labour against demanding all details of the Governments negotiating position. Chancellor Philip Hammond told MPs this week it would spectacularly undermine chances of securing a good deal for the UK.

MPs then voted this week to appoint Mr Benn ahead of Eurosceptic Labour rival Kate Hoey by 330 votes to 209

Brexit secretary David Davis also warned the Commons: What the Opposition is trying to do is put ours in a disadvantaged position to the EU. That is not in the national interest.

But Mr Benn made clear he is determined to get the maximum possible information in the public domain. We know the Government is making assessments of the economic impact of the different options that might be available in these negotiations, he said.

If they are doing that, it is really important that they share those assessments with Parliament.
The headmaster of a prestigious high school claims a vice-captain's scathing viral speech about how the school 'lost its identity' was over a decision to cancel 'sexist' activities such as an end-of year-strip show.

Outgoing student council leader Ben Qin, 17, slammed Melbourne High School for losing its identity and its grasp on his fellow student's needs during his final year speech on Wednesday.

The student was praised for 'standing up for the cohort' after a video of the ten-minute speech was posted and viewed by thousands online, but headmaster Jeremy Ludowyke claimed the speech had some glaring 'omissions of context'.

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Jeremy Ludowyke (pictured) said a student criticised Melbourne High School because 'sexist' activities that encouraged 'locker room mentality' were removed from their social program

Mr Ludowyke praised Mr Qin for his eloquent delivery but claimed the student's grievances were less about the school asking for donations and more to do with the removal of three troublesome events from the end-of-year social calendar.

He said the events allowed 'uncomfortable attitudes and behaviours' surrounding the treatment of women and their fellow peers to flourish, adding that he would not back from down challenging those ideals.

Mr Ludowyke said all future school socials 'in their current form' were cancelled as students had a history of displaying 'highly problematic conduct' and complaints were made about the 'meat market mentality' surrounding it.

'The Social in its current form was inculcating attitudes and behaviours that were the direct antithesis to those the School stands for,' Mr Ludowyke wrote in a statement.

'Student commentary about the event on social media had increasingly descended into sexist and misogynistic puerility,' he added.

Ben Qin, the outgoing SRC vice-president of Melbourne High, has accused the school of 'demanding donations' from students in his leaving speech

He said an offer had been made for seniors to come up with a new event, but they had no interest.

Mr Ludowyke said another event, known as the 'House Captains' Strip', was cancelled as it had previously caused upset with female staff and guests.

'The cultural tropes of a strip show easily tumble into the same "locker room" culture and this is borne out by the complaints the School has received from female staff members and guests who reported feeling very uncomfortable and offended by it, including feeling compelled to leave the Formal,' he wrote.

Lastly, another event Mr Ludowyke said allowed 'locker room mentality' to flourish was altered after consulting the school's student leaders.

Students in earlier cohorts had participated in a 'Milk Run' where pupils at the exclusive school were expected to chug milk curdled by lemon juice.

'For the past two years, the Year 12 leaders have been charged with cleaning up afterwards and on every occasion it has been left to the staff to undertake the very unpleasant task of cleaning up a substantial amount of vomit.'

'This year, a modified event which maintained the milk but not the lemon juice was suggested and organised by the students,' he said.

Mr Ludowyke said the school was not attempting to stop its students from having fun during their last semester.

Mr Qin, 17, said he felt betrayed by the school (pictured) when it reportedly told Year 12 students their 'legacy' with the school depended on their ability to raise money

He insteaf argued the school wanted its students to challenge 'uncomfortable truths' and social norms that can encourage misogynistic behaviour.

'It was the contention of our passionate Year 12 speaker that the School has not given the Year 12s the necessary space just to be what they are; adolescent boys,' he wrote.

'I do not accept that this is true, but it ignores the fact that the School has a clear responsibility to inspire them to be boys of a certain kind.'

Mr Ludowyke said the school had genuine concerns for the students who have disengaged, but argued each of them had a responsibility to stand up when 'locker room mentality' was allowed to flourish.

'It is the responsibility of all men to redress this uncomfortable truth about our own culture,' he said.

Mr Qin earlier announced to a group of teachers and students that a series of events throughout the year had whittled away any faith he had in the school.

He also slammed the academic school for not understanding its students

'When I was in year 10, year 11 and at the start of this year, I believed in Melbourne High.'

'I believed in every aspect, its culture, its history... and I genuinely thought that our year level was perhaps a bit privileged.

'But standing here after all that's happened this year, I no longer believe in Melbourne High.'

The 17-year-old said he felt betrayed by the school when it told Year 12 students their 'legacy' depended on their ability to raise money for the school through donations.

'A threat about a month ago that our legacy as a year level was contingent on demands of $50 donations ... I hardly think this was ever a good attitude,' he said.

'Don't we give back our intellect and our academic ability? Don't we give back our physical, artistic and musical talents? We thought this was valuable. Don't we, every year, give back in leadership, student representation?'

'Don't our parents pay? Don't they donate yearly to the school? The school raised nearly $4.5 million in donations, fees and other private sources in 2014, the latest MySchool data shows.'
Most of the top 10 in demand skills across the country are tech related

People who spend their days behind computers and deciphering data are more likely to land jobs, according to employment-oriented social networking site LinkedIn.

The top 10 most in demand skills in Australia have been released, and their shared theme is glaringly obvious.

Most of the top 10 skills employers were looking for in a new recruit were technology related.

All 10 of the top skills employers were looking for in a new recruit were technology related (stock)

That means people who are good with computers and clever at statistical analyses are more desirable in the workplace.

'Statistical analysis and data mining' topped the list, a skill a lot of people would find hard to even identify let alone get their head around.

The results released by LinkedIn on Friday boiled down to reveal people with tech skills were more likely to be noticed by a prospective employer than the rest of the job seeking pool.

A LinkedIn spokeswoman said the results showed tech skills appeared to be vital to every industry to stay competitive.

Australian results: the up and down arrows reflect changes in the skill rankings compared to last year's list

LinkedIn spokeswoman said the results showed tech skills appeared to be vital to every industry to stay competitive

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10? 1) Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 2) SEO/SEM Marketing 3) Middleware and Integration Software 4) HR Benefits and Compensation 5) Network and Information Security 6) Mobile Development 7) User Interface Design 8) Web Architecture and Development Framework 9) Algorithm Design 10) Corporate Law and Governance Advertisement

LinkedIn Managing Director of Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia Cliff Rosenberg said the workforce was being flipped on its head due to the ever-growing need for technology.

'The skills landscape is changing rapidly due to technology disruption,' he said.

'Our data strongly suggests that tech stills will continue to be most in demand.'

And while results revealed tech based skills were in greatest demand, he said soft skills could have slipped under the radar because they were more difficult to detect.

He said this may have contributed to the landslide findings.

LinkedIn Managing Director of Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia Cliff Rosenberg (pictured) said the workforce was being flipped on its head due to the ever-growing need for technology.

Global results: the up and down arrows reflect changes in the skill rankings compared to last year's list

'Professionals also need soft skills to succeed as organisations are looking for well-rounded skill sets'.

The overwhelming results were gathered by looking at all of the hiring and recruiting activity that happened on LinkedIn between January and September 2016, collecting billions of 'data points'.

Based on those results, LinkedIn said those people with the top 10 in demand tech skills were ahead of the rest of the pack when it came to being noticed and landing a job.
Colin Maclachlan, 42, is alleged to have misled readers when he recounted a hostage situation and rescue in Iraq in 2003

AN SAS veteran who claimed in a book that his comrades conducted mercy killings on wounded Iraqi soldiers has been accused of lying.

Colin Maclachlan, 42, is alleged to have misled readers when he recounted a hostage situation and rescue in Iraq in 2003, according to his former colleagues who say he has exaggerated his career in the Special Forces.

A source told the Times, That bloke is a Walter Mitty, in a reference to a person who creates a fictional life that is more glamorous than reality.

Mr Maclachlan, from Edinburgh, said that he operated in a unit which killed two or three mortally wounded Iraqi soldiers early into the Iraq war.

Former colleagues of Mr Maclachlan refuted his claims that he had been taken hostage in Basra in 2005 and subjected to mock executions while naked, with a rifle pressed to the back of his head.

Military police are examining the allegations, which have come to light in a draft manuscript Mr Maclachlan was involved with.

In the manuscript Sgt Maclachlan, 42, was quoted as saying the injured Iraqis he killed were screaming in agony and pleading for us to do it.

The book later added: I didn't enjoy killing those soldiers at the checkpoint but I had to put them out of their misery.

When Mr Maclachlan claimed that he was held by Iraqi police in September 2005, he in fact had been captured in a less dramatic incident in 2004.

According to former comrades he had left the SAS in May 2005, several months before the alleged incident that took place in Basra.

He also claimed that he was in a team of SAS soliers who killed dying Iraqis after they struck a convoy of vehicles, with an anti-tank rocket near al-Qaim in western Iraq in March 2003, but in reality he was in the area and did not approach the wreckage.

And while, he said that he had served in the SAS for ten or 12 years, he in fact joined the secretive regiment in 1998 or 1999 and had left the Special Forces by 2005.

The claims have led to former colleagues accusing the television personality of cashing in on his military service.

Flash point: A British soldier escapes his Warrior armoured vehicle after it was petrol-bombed in Iraq in 2005

Colin Maclachlan gained fame on the Channel 4 show Who Dares Wins last year

The serviceman are said to be aggrieved in particular about the mercy killing comments made in the manuscript, which come at a time when the army has faced a witch hunt into thousands of its soldiers over the Iraq war.

Last night, former members of the SAS called for the Ministry of Defence to change its policy regarding the Special Forces and issue a rebuttal of the claims made by Mr Maclachlan.

The former SAS soldier first entered the army as a teenage member of the Royal Scots and gained fame on the Channel 4 programme Who Dares Wins, last year.

A source added to the Times that General Sire Nicholas Carter, the head of the army, Should stand up and say quite clearly this man is fabricating stories and does not represent the values of the SAS.

That is what we would do in the commercial world.

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.'
Students can be disciplined for kissing each other without consent, according to new sexual harassment guidance for universities.

The advice says unwanted kissing could be considered sexual misconduct and result in sanctions if reported to university authorities.

The guidelines were published by Universities UK, which represents vice chancellors, in response to concerns about sexual assaults on campuses.

It said: Different acts arising from the same type of behaviour will need to be treated very differently.

Dr Joanna Williams, an expert on UK higher education, said there is no rape culture in universities and the report is based on panic, not fact

For example, in relation to the unacceptable behaviour of kissing without consent, the act of forcefully kissing another on the lips is likely to be regarded as a serious disciplinary offence whereas the act of lightly kissing another on the back of a hand is likely to be regarded as a less serious disciplinary offence.

In a sample code of conduct, it suggests that kissing without consent could lead to a range of different punishments depending on the level of seriousness.

These could include forcing the student to write an apology or attend an educational workshop, issuing them with a formal warning or even suspension.

The sample code also says students can be disciplined for making unwanted remarks of a sexual nature or touching inappropriately through clothes without consent.

The advice, published today, follows a widespread backlash against so-called consent classes, which have been branded patronising by students.

Yesterday, there were concerns from experts that universities that adopt the guidance could end up punishing normal student behaviour.

Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: It is useful to have some guidance for universities on dealing with violence and harassment, but the report goes too far.

Does attempting to steal a kiss at a disco or paying sexual compliments really constitute sexual misconduct?

These could easily be gauche attempts to begin a relationship.

The report also assumes all the misconduct is against women, but they could just as easily initiate unwelcome following, kissing or touching.

The long list of possible offences diverts attention from the serious issue of rape, and is potentially a weapon for someone intent on making trouble for a disliked fellow student.

Dr Joanna Williams, an expert on higher education, added: The report is based on panic rather than fact - there is no rape culture in UK universities.

The recommendations are unrealistic. Students enjoying a night out do not ask each other May I kiss you now? or Can I please touch you through your clothes?.

Telling students that they should will only inflate reported incidents of sexual harassment as students come to interpret harmless interactions as violence.

Universities should leave students, as young adults, to work out how best to negotiate their sex lives for themselves.

The guidance for dealing with violence against women, harassment and hate crime are the result of a taskforce set up by Universities UK.

No freshers turned up for a compulsory consent workshop at Clare College Cambridge, leaving the Students' Union leaders frustrated

The group, which was made up of university leaders, representatives from the National Union of Students and academic experts, decided a review is needed of guidance on managing situations where a students behaviour may constitute a criminal offence.

They recommended universities take a zero tolerance approach towards sexual violence and develop a proper reporting system.

However, the report stressed that universities need to take a common sense approach to take into account how extreme the offence is.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK and chair of the taskforce, said: The university sector has been clear that there is no place for sexual violence, harassment or hate crime on a university campus, nor anywhere else.

The impact of any such incident on a student is so potentially serious that universities must be ready to respond effectively and proactively engage in prevention initiatives.

The issue of university rape culture has been championed by the NUS, which has set up consent classes to combat sexual harassment on campuses.

However, many students have labelled the classes insulting and some staged a boycott at the University of York this year.
A hospital has issued body-worn cameras to its security staff after a dramatic rise in assaults on front-line NHS workers.

Guards at Guys and St Thomas hospitals will wear the devices in a bid to reduce violent and abusive behaviour from patients.

It comes just days after Scotland Yard announced it was introducing more body video cameras to frontline officers than any other force in the world.

Guy's Hospital, which will introduce body-worn cameras following a dramatic rise in violent assaults

A total of 850 incidents were recorded between April and September by Guys and St Thomas NHS trust in central London  a 27 per cent rise on the same period last year.

Dame Eileen Sills, the trusts chief nurse, told the London Evening Standard: We have seen an increase in both the numbers but also the level of violence. Some of our staff have been harmed. Some have been left with black eyes after they have come to work.

Some have been pinned to the floor. Some have been hit  a level of violence we have not seen in the organisation until recently.

Its getting worse, which is why we are launching the campaign.

Body-worn cameras are digital devices about the size of a cigarette packet which can record hours of footage, which can then be used as evidence in court if an incident occurs.

Metropolitan police officer displays his body camera. The force will issue more of the devices than any other force in the world

Over the past six months, the trust saw 75 arrests on its premises  up from 30 in the same period last year  and 26 patients were excluded, meaning they will only be provided with emergency treatment. Dame Eileen added: We think it will help de-escalate some situations. They give confidence to our security officers.

Also, when someone is wearing one, the individual will not necessarily exhibit the extreme behaviours they have done in the past.

St Thomas' Hospital has seen a sharp rise in violent and abusive behaviour, and it is hoped the devices will help tackle the problem

Superintendent Roy Smith, of Scotland Yard, said: I think it protects staff and patients, because if there is any sort of violence people can see instantly that they are being recorded on body-worn video.

Security officer Charlee Dunn, 23, said the aim was not to behave like police officers in the hospital. We are trying for a more friendly approach. We look after patients here, she said.
Thousands of savers have been wrongly refused compensation by their banks after being mis-sold expensive current accounts, an official report suggests.

More than a third of people who have accused their banks of mis-selling them a packaged account have been unfairly denied compensation or received too little, a City watchdog found.

The Financial Conduct Authority found a staggering 56 per cent of those who complained received an unfair outcome.

Of these, 38 per cent suffered financial detriment by missing out on compensation, while the rest were let down by the way their banks communicated with them.

The findings could open the floodgates for a fresh round of complaints if people decide to challenge their banks refusal to pay out.

Nine million Britons hold the controversial accounts, where customers pay a monthly fee for extras such as travel insurance and mobile phone cover.

But tens of thousands of them have been mis-sold in recent years, with many customers discovering they were not even eligible for the perks which were costing them extra.

In some cases, pensioners found they were not able to claim on travel insurance they paid for because of their age.

Now, a startling report by the FCA has found that banks only followed official complaint procedures in one in five cases.

When they did follow the rules, customers achieved good outcomes in 99 per cent of cases.

Sarah Pennells, of consumer website SavvyWoman, said: I am quite horrified that the FCA has found that only 44 per cent of people received a fair outcome and that 38 per cent missed out financially.

It feels like banks are still treating customers who complain as the problem rather than the banks mis-selling culture.

The banks need to see this as an opportunity to improve their reputation. They have been telling us that they changed since 2008, but this report shows that not a lot has.

Last year, the Ombudsman received 44,244 new complaints about packaged accounts compared with 21,348 new complaints in the previous financial year.

Rachel Springall, at financial comparison site Moneyfacts, said the report could prompt many savers to seek a second opinion and challenge their banks decision.

She said: If consumers are unhappy with their banks decision to not refund any fees or give them compensation for a poor service then they have every right to raise their complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.

Consumers need to regain the power at voicing their complaint.

The FCA said some of those who unfairly lost out on compensation may have already approached the Ombudsman and received compensation, and encouraged anyone unhappy with their banks decision to do the same.

Jonathan Davidson, at the FCA, said: We continue to believe that there is a place in the market for packaged bank accounts, as they can provide good value and convenience for consumers.

But we expect these products to be sold fairly and for customers to have the information they need to make an informed choice. And customers should not have to complain to the Ombudsman to get a fair outcome if things go wrong.

The watchdog looked at a sample of cases in the last quarter of 2014 so they said it could not be fully representative of all complaints.
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Donald Trump tumbled from the good graces of guests at a fundraising dinner on Thursday night when he became the target of boos and jeers as he slated Hillary Clinton in a scathing speech.

The Republican candidate was first to speak at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York and took to the microphone after an icy encounter with his opponent before dinner.

He started well and sent the room into roaring laughter with an unexpectedly self-deprecating sense of humor.

They turned on him when his jokes evolved to insults, accusing Clinton of 'hating Catholics' and 'corruption'.

The dinner, a staple fixture towards the end of recent presidential campaigns, is normally embraced by candidates as an opportunity to showcase self-deprecating humour and land lighthearted jabs at their opponent.

President Obama and Mitt Romney heaped praise on one another in 2012, commending one another for their roles as fathers and husbands.

Diners last night however booed for the first time in years as Trump missed the mark with his bruising put-downs.

Scroll down for video

Unpopular: Donald Trump was booed off the stage at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Thursday night

Don't hold back: The Republican candidate held nothing back as he sprayed insults towards his opponent in the second half of his speech

Confrontation: He addressed Clinton directly and looked her in the eye as he delivered his attack while the event's host, Alfred Smith IV sat between them

Out loud: Clinton was given a more merciful reception by the event. Cardinal Dolan looked on in delight as she delivered her speech

Donald and me: While Clinton won laughs with her own script of jokes, she too used the opportunity to land several blows on her opponent

Pointed: Trump's speech began with a series of well-delivered, self-deprecating jokes. When he turned his focus on his opponent, the atmosphere in the room however changed

Looking at you: Some of Trump's jokes prompted a laugh from his opponent. Clinton made no effort to hide her amusement at some

Good lord: Fellow diners such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (seated front center, second right) looked uncomfortable with some of his chosen attacks. Some crossed their arms, looked away from Trump and even held their head in their hands as he accused Clinton of 'hating Catholics'

Close to the bone: The Republican candidate pushed through their hostility and accuse his opponent of 'corruption' as the race for the White House enters its final couple of weeks

Pleasantries: The dueling pair managed a smile while posing for official photographs with Cardinal Dolan ahead of the event

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was sat between the pair throughout, described his spot as the 'iciest place on the planet'.

FRED TRUMP'S ARREST PROTESTING AL SMITH Fred Trump was arrested at a 1927 Ku Klux Klan organized to protest the Alfred E Smith's bid for president. Smith was born to the children of Irish and Italian immigrants, working his way up from his humble beginnings to become one of the most successful and respected politicians in New York state history. Smith, who was elected four time as the governor of New York, was raised Catholic. He became the first Catholic to run for president in 1928, a move that was met with much resistance. In May 1927, the Klu Klux Klan organized a riot in Queens to protest the fact that Smith, who was governor at the time, might become president. Among those arrested at that rally was 21-year-old Fred Trump, Donald's father. Advertisement

Trump began his speech calmly, taking to the microphone armed with a script of one-liners.

'A special hello to all of you in this room who have known and loved me for many many years.

'Some people think this would be tough for me, but the truth is I'm actually a modest person. Very modest. Many people tell me that modesty is perhaps my best quality, even better than my temperament,' he said.

He quipped that the dinner, with 1,000 guests, was of little significance to his campaign but would provide his opponent her 'biggest crowd of the season'. 'This is corny stuff,' he continued, glowing in his audience's amusement.

After he listened to Clinton 'rattle on and on and on' at the debate, Trump joked that he had a new appreciation for his old foe Rosie O'Donnell.

Trump said the dinner also gave him the opportunity 'to meet the people who are working so hard to get Clinton elected.'

'There they are. The heads of NBC, CNN, CBS, ABC, there's the New York Times right over there, and the Washington Post,' he said, pointing to each one. 'They're working overtime.'

One of the largest laughs came when the Republican candidate turned to his wife Melania, including the usually stern 46-year-old in his comedy.

The joke, his best received by far, made light of her plagiarism of Michelle Obama's speech from the 2008 Democratic Convention.

'The media has been so biased, more than ever,' he said. Gearing up for his punchline, he continued: 'This is going to get me in trouble.

'Michelle Obama made a speech and everyone loves it. It was fantastic.

No ceasefire: Trump watched on amused as Clinton delivered her speech. Cardinal Dolan appeared utterly enthralled by her choice words

Thanks: The Democratic candidate was warmly applauded by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the event's host, Alfred Smith IV

Conciliatory: The pair did manage to shake hands, coming together at the end of the event to bid each other goodnight

Tough words: Both candidates were in high spirits after their speeches and shook the hands of others at the event side by side

Looking down: Trump's expression dropped moments later as his opponent continued to greet well-wishers. He watched her, straight-faced

'MAYBE HE WILL GRAB MY P****': ROSIE O'DONNELL SLAMS TRUMP AFTER HE JOKES HIS OPINION OF HER HAS IMPROVED IN THE WAKE OF CAMPAIGN Rosie O'Donnell tweeted her contempt for Trump when he said his opinion of her had improved after listening to Clinton 'rattle on and on' Comedian Rosie O'Donnell hit back at Trump last night after he mocked their long-running feud. Trump quipped that after listening to Clinton 'rattle on and on' his opinion of the TV show host had improved. He said: 'Last night, I called Hillary a 'nasty woman' - this stuff is all relative. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on, I don't think so badly of Rosie O'Donnell anymore. In fact, I'm actually starting to like Rosie a lot.' Rosie reacted on Twitter and warned 'maybe he will grab my p****' in reference to the Republican's infamous remarks made about women. The row between the pair goes back to at least 2006 when Trump said: 'She's a slob, she talks like a truck driver'. Advertisement

'My wife, Melania, made the exact same speech. And people get on her case. I don't get it.' Speaking over the roaring laughter of other guests, he said: 'Stand up, Melania! It wasn't your fault.'

'She didn't know about that one,' he added, staring at his wife, before turning to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, next to him and saying, 'Cardinal, please speak to her,' as way of contrition.

The atmosphere thickened when Trump delivered the first of several stinging insults towards Clinton, however.

'Here she is in public, pretending not to hate Catholics,' he said to the aghast gasps of the room, made up predominantly of Roman Catholics.

'Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate commission,' he continued to boos. 'How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate commission? Pretty corrupt.'

Proud: Trump's biggest laugh came when he poked fun at his wife Melania's accused plagiarism of Michelle Obama's 2008 DNC speech. He invited the 46-year-old to stand to receive the audience's applause (above)

Showman: At the start of his speech, Trump pointed to Democratic politicians sat behind him, joking that they had once loved him when he shared their views

Adoration: Melania Trump was in high spirits throughout the event which typically serves as lighthearted respite from the animosity of a presidential campaign

Together: Both candidates were tickled by host Alfred Smith IV who mocked them separately as he made his introductions

Well heeled: Smith (far left) joked about the candidates individually but gave Trump a harsher ride with mention of his alleged sexual impropriety

Laughter for a night: Clinton and Trump softened at Smith's jokes, one of which included Trump going into the 'ladies' dressing room'

Hostilities postponed: There were a few tender moments between the pair who exchanged jokes at the dinner table while dessert was served

Bashful: Clinton was sent into giggles by her opponent's joke. Trump leaned over Cardinal Dolan's chair to deliver his punchline

No Bill: Clinton was not joined by her husband at Thursday's event. Melania Trump sat beside her husband

Applause: Clinton watched on wistfully as Cardinal Dolan addressed the room. Trump towered over her one seat away

Eh?! Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani wore a pained expression as he left the event after being slated by Clinton

Walking off: Former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, 93, was also among those present at the white tie event on Thursday evening

MAYBE GLASSES WOULD HELP, DONALD! TRUMP'S SPEECH WRITTEN IN YUUUGE FONT Writ large: Donald Trump with his wife Melania and his speech last night at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner in New York He claims his speeches are made off the cuff but the truth is Donald Trump sometimes needs just as much preparation as any other person going for the most powerful job in the free world. Trump revealed last night that he does plan his stage appearances when photographers caught him with his speech. It was written on plain white A4 in a huge capped-up font leaving critics wondering whether he should just wear glasses. The presidential candidate has claimed that he always goes up on stage without needing a teleprompter so he can speak candidly to supporters. Advertisement

Clinton followed, landing her own sequence of blows against the Republican.

'Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair,' she said in what has been praised in her most successful joke of the night.

She began her speech by congratulating the charity's organizers, who had raised more than $6million.

' This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here,' she began.

'Mortal enemies, bitter foes, I've gotta ask, how did you get the governor and the mayor here together?'

She injected her own self-deprecation, spinning off her widely criticized characterization of Trump supporters as 'deplorables' to name the evening's guest list 'a basket of adorables'.

Later, she poked holes in his relationship with Russia.

'Donald really is as healthy as a horse. You know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around.' She joked that he had sent her a 'hearse' as a gesture before tonight's event, so worried was he with her apparently ailing health.

She reserved no mercy for his supporters either and launched a targeted attack on former mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Remarking that he started his career by prosecuting tax dodgers 'like' Trump, she fumed: 'But as the saying goes: If you can't beat 'em, go up on Fox News and call him a genius.'

Giuliani seethed in his seat, making no attempt to hide his contempt for her.

So tense was the atmosphere between before dinner, host Alfred Smith IV used a sexual assault joke to break the ice.

EVERY JOKE FROM HILLARY CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP'S SPEECHES AT THE AL SMITH MEMORIAL FOUNDATION DINNER Donald Trump: On his temperament: 'Some people think this would be tough for me, but the truth is I'm actually a modest person.Very modest. Many people tell me that modesty is perhaps my best quality, even better than my temperament.' On his hands: 'You know Cardinal Dolan and I have some things in common. For instance, we both run impressive properties on Fifth Avenue. Of course his is much more impressive than mine. Thats because I built mine with my own beautifully formed hands.' On his inherited wealth: 'I know that so many of you in the archdiocese already have a place in your heart for a guy who started out as a carpenter working for his father. I was a carpenter working for mine.' On his huge crowds: 'Its great to be here with a thousand wonderful people, or, as I call it, a small intimate dinner with some friends. Or as Hillary calls it, her largest crowd of the season.' Laugh out loud: Trump was well-received at first and received an enthusiastic laughter from even the subject of his jokes On 'nasty' Hillary and Rosie O'Donnell: 'Last night, I called Hillary a "nasty woman". This stuff is all relative. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on, I don't think so badly of Rosie O'Donnell anymore. In fact, I'm actually starting to like Rosie a lot.' On sending Hillary to jail: 'We have proven that we can actually be civil to each other. In fact, just before taking the dias, Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she, very civilly, said: "Pardon me." 'And I, very politely, said: "Let me talk to you about that after I get into office." On his wife: 'The media is even more biased this year than ever before  ever. You want the proof? 'Michelle Obama made a speech and everyone loves it, it's fantastic. 'My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech. And people get on her case. 'And I don't get it. I don't know why. And it wasn't her fault.' On his relationship with Hillary: 'But the candidates have some light-hearted moments together, which is true. I have no doubt that Hillary is going to laugh quite a bit tonight, sometimes even at appropriate moments.' '[Hillary] said if somehow she gets elected she wants me to be, without question, either her ambassador to Iraq or to Afghanistan. Its my choice.' 'This is the first time ever, ever, that Hillary is sitting down and speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it.' On the media: 'I know Hillary met my campaign manager, and I got the chance to meet the people who are working so hard to get her elected. There they are  the heads of NBC, CNN, ABC  theres the New York Times, right over there, and the Washington Post.' On Hillary's email scandal: 'Id like to address an important religious matter: the issue of going to confession. Or, as Hillary calls it, the Fourth of July weekend with FBI Director Comey.' 'Now, Im told Hillary went to confession before tonights event, but the priest was having a hard time, when he asked about her sins, and she said she couldnt remember 39 times.' 'I wasnt really sure if Hillary was going to be here tonight, because I guess you didnt send her invitation by email. Or, maybe, you did and she just found out about it through the wonder of WikiLeaks. The thing is: Clinton followed her opponent, spoke more calmly but still landed a number of bruising hits against her opponent On Hillary getting debate questions in advance: 'Now some of you havent noticed, Hillary isnt laughing as much as the rest of us. Thats because she knows the jokes. And all of the jokes were given to her in advance of the dinner by Donna Brazile.' Hillary Clinton: On her health: 'This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here.' 'Donald is very worried about my health. He sent a car for me tonight. Actually, it was a hearse'. 'My heart rate is 72 beats per minute, his is the most beats ever, or the least beats ever, whichever sounds best. But Donald really is as healthy as a horse, you know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.' On the divided GOP: 'Every year, this dinner brings together a collection of sensible, committed, mainstream Republicans  or, as we now like to call them  Hillary supporters. 'So tonight, lets embrace the spirit of the evening. Lets come together. Remember what unites us and just rip on Ted Cruz' On her and Wall Street: 'And as youve already heard, its a treat for all of you too, because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this.' 'It is great, also, to see Mayor Bloomberg here. Its a shame hes not speaking tonight. Im curious to hear what a billionaire has to say.' On the debates: 'So as Ive said, weve now had our third and, thankfully, final debate. Sharing a stage with Donald Trump is like, well, nothing really comes to mind. 'And looking back, Ive had to listen to Donald for three full debates. And he says I dont have any stamina.That is four and a half hours. I have now stood next to Donald Trump longer than any of his campaign manager. 'Your Eminence, you were criticized for inviting both Donald and me here tonight, and you responded by saying If I only sat down with those who were saints, Id be taking all my meals alone. 'Now, just to be clear, I think the Cardinal is saying Im not eligible for sainthood. But getting through these three debates with Donald has to count as a miracle. ' 'So I guess Im up against the highest, hardest stained-glass ceiling.' On the Muslim ban: 'And if Donald does win, it will be awkward at the annual Presidents Day photo, when all the former presidents gather at the White House, and not just with Bill.How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban? On the 'basket of deplorables': 'Now, Ive got to say, there are a lot of friendly faces here in this room; people that Ive been privileged to know and to work with. I just want to put you all in a basket of adorables. On her fashion: 'And you look so good in your tuxes; or, as I refer to them, formal pantsuits.' On the 'rigged' election: 'You know, come to think of it, its amazing Im up here after Donald. I didnt think hed be okay with a peaceful transition of power. On Mike Pence: 'And, Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it. On Trump's interruptions 'And, you know, because this is a friendly dinner for such a great cause; Donald, if at any time, you dont like what Im saying feel free to stand up and shout Wrong! while Im talking.' On the attractiveness of the Statue of Liberty: 'People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world. 'Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five if she removes the torch and tablet and changes her hair.' On Rudy Giuliani 'Now, many dont know this, but Rudy actually got his start as a prosecutor going after wealthy New Yorkers who avoided paying taxes. But, as the saying goes, If you cant beat them, go on Fox News and call them a genius.' Working the audience: Clinton warmed the crowd with her own run of jokes, taking a less theatrical approach to her comedy than Trump On Trump's tweets: Others Clinton gags included: 'Regardless of the outcome, this race will be historic. We'll either have the first female president or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher.' On her 'drug use': 'Donald wanted me drug tested before last night's debate. I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. Now actually, I did. It's called preparation.' On her sense of humor: 'Now, Im going to try my best tonight, but I understand I am not known for my sense of humor. Thats why it did take a village to write these jokes.' 'People say  and I hear them, I know  they say Im boring compared to Donald. But Im not boring at all. In fact, Im the life of every party I attend and Ive been to three.' 'And when the parties get out of hand, as occasionally they do, its important to have a responsible chaperone who can get everyone home safely. And that is why I picked Tim Kaine to be my Vice President.' On Trump and Russia 'Now, you notice there is no teleprompter here tonight, which is probably smart, because maybe you saw Donald dismantle his prompter the other day. And I get that. Theyre hard to keep up with, and Im sure its even harder when youre translating from the original Russian.' On her relationship with the press: 'And look at this dais  weve got Charlie Rose, and Maria Bartiromo, and Chris Matthews, and Gayle King, and Nora ODonnell, and Katie Couric  this counts as a press conference, right?' On Kellyanne Conway: 'Now, look, I have deep respect for people like Kellyanne Conway. Shes working day and night for Donald and because shes a contractor, hes probably not even going to pay her. Advertisement

Thirsty work: Trump sucked on a glass of soda while other audience members kept their gaze on the podium where Clinton was speaking

Hey buddy: In a show of his allegiance, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani approached Trump and Melania after dinner

Conversations: Clinton spoke throughout the meal with Cardinal Dolan while Trump stuck to conversation with his wife

Democrats: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio enjoyed an awkward handshake with Governor Andrew Cuomo after Clinton's description of the pair as 'mortal foes'

'I have no doubt that our guests tonight are up to the task. In fact before the dinner started, Donald went up to Hillary and asked her how she was doing.

'She replied: 'I'm fine. Now get out of the ladies' dressing room.'

He continued with the same theme, boldly including Cardinal Dolan in his next punchline. 'Donald, even though there's a man next to you in a robe. This is not a locker room.'

His comment was in reference to the candidate's earlier dismissal of sexually aggressive remarks he made towards women in 2005. Trump described them as merely 'locker room talk' at the second presidential debate.

The brave joke prompted laughter from both candidates who had earlier avoided one another backstage. Smith is the great grandson of Alfred E. Smith, the former governor of New York who the charity was named after.

He continued after dinner by mocking the many well-heeled guests.

'Mayor de Blasio is here tonight. We'd like to apologize, we couldn't grant you your request to sit to the left of everybody,' he said.

Taking aim at the candidates once again, he poked fun at their relative privilege.

The great and the good: Clinton spoke animatedly to Cardinal Dolan, ignoring Trump as he attempted to squeeze his way past her

Prayer: The pair came face to face just 24 hours after their heated debate. The dinner supports Catholic charities

Holding sway: Clinton averted her gaze as her opponent entered the room, dutifully applauding him alongside other guests

National anthem: All participated in the ceremonies at the start of the event on Thursday

Tell me a good one: Trump was in high spirits at the beginning of the evening, smiling with his wife Melania also seeming to enjoy herself

Almost there: The pair maintained a safe distance until Cardinal Dolan took his seat at the event which raises money for charities linked to the Archdiocese of New York

Stern looks: Cardinal Dolan gave Trump a warm pat on the back as he made his way towards his seat. The Donald, meanwhile, cast a less kind expression to his opponent as she looked away

Warm welcome: Clinton greeted Trump's wife Melania warmly as she entered the room, stopping to exchange pleasantries with the 46-year-old

One moment: Her enthusiasm ended as she made her way past Trump's beaming wife before he entered the room

'It just goes to show that if you were born into immense wealth or if your husband was president, you can accomplish anything.'

Introducing Trump, who spoke first, he said: 'I'm happy to report that no matter how the coin was tossed, our next speaker would say it was rigged.'

Continuing his roast of the candidate, he joked that the church was worried he may not show up.

'We thought you might keep us in suspense,' he said, ridiculing the candidate's claim at the second presidential debate he may not accept the outcome of the election.

The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner typically provides respite from the seriousness and unrelenting debate of presidential campaigns.

In the past, candidates have used the opportunity to jokingly trade blows but also congratulate one another.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were both widely praised for their performances in 2012.

Obama lumped himself in with his opponent, mocking the lengthy campaign process as a whole rather than attack him personally.

Daggers: The Democratic candidate was given a cold look from her opponent's wife as she made her way to her seat

In the spotlight: Trump gave his signature thumbs up as he made his way towards his seat, his entrance carefully documented by other guests

'Tomorrow it's back to campaigning. I visit cities and towns across our great country, and I hear the same thing everywhere I go: 'Honestly, we were hoping to see Michelle,'' he said.

And even though we're enjoying ourselves tonight, we're both thinking ahead to our final debate on Monday. I'm hoping that Gov. Romney and I will have a chance to answer the question that is on the minds of millions of Americans watching at home: Is this happening again? Why aren't they putting on 'The Voice?'.

He heaped praise on his opponent, however, commending him for his role as a 'family man and father'.

'Those are two titles that will always matter more than any political ones. So we may have different political perspectives, but I think  in fact, I'm certain  that we share the hope that the next four years will reflect the same decency and the same willingness to come together for a higher purpose that are on display this evening.

'May we all, in the words of Al Smith, do our full duty as citizens,' he said.

Romney returned the compliment. 'It'd be easy to let a healthy competition give way to the personal and the petty but fortunately, we don't carry the burden of disliking one another.

'Our president has had some very fine and gracious moments. Don't tell anyone I said so, but our 44th president has many gifts and a beautiful family that would make any man proud,' he said.
Having more than one child is even more

But a study has shown mothers to be more productive than childless peers

mothers are often said to be stressed and distracted in the office

Working mothers are often said to be stressed and distracted  juggling everything but not quite managing to make it work.

But a new study shows women with children are actually more productive than their childless colleagues.

Those with one child already should even consider having another, as that will make them super-achievers.

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Working mothers have been shown to be more productive than their childless colleagues

The study says the productivity of women does drop off by 15 to 17 per cent when they have young children. However, this changes when their children get older, leaving mothers more productive  and more so if they have more than one child.

The research, by the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis in the US, examined 10,000 academic economists across the world and measured productivity by the work they had published, weighted by the quality of the publication outlet.

In its paper called Parenthood and Productivity of Highly Skilled Labour it suggests that the increase resulting from responsible parents with a stronger commitment to work more than cancels out any decrease in productivity caused by the additional burden of parenthood.

It admits women may have less time when they start a family but adds: On the other hand, they may better use the time that is left.

The research follows a renewed debate over having it all after Ruby McGregor-Smith quit her 2.5million job as chief executive of consultants Mitie because her children told her I want my mum back.

But some women, including US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and the first female head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, have said women can have it all, if they are patient and organised.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), who has five children aged 17 to 22, said being a mother made her better at her work.

Mothers are even more productive when they have more children, although there is an initially drop off in efficiency when the children are very young

Childless workers can be over-taken by their parent colleagues when it comes to productivity, the study has found

The Cambridge law graduate, who took a career break to have children but returned when her youngest was two, said: I learnt skills as a mother that I didnt have before. To bring up a child, educate it, look after its physical and emotional wellbeing  those are huge life lessons and in most cases they serve you extraordinarily well.

I suspect that if you are professional and you decide to have half a dozen kids and keep up your career, you are by definition somebody who is a good multi-tasker. Its not just about effect, its about cause  all the different elements that go towards that productivity.

The EHRC estimates that 54,000 new mothers lose their jobs across Britain every year, but they could be valuable members of the workforce

The EHRC estimates that 54,000 new mothers lose their jobs across Britain every year, and since 2005 that number has nearly doubled.

Mrs Hilsenrath said: We found in some businesses that people felt instinctively that a woman with a baby was going to be very difficult. They just saw the downside in terms of absences and extra burdens.

Mothers who occasionally leave work early are often made to feel as if theyre trading on peoples goodwill  even though the chances are youll go home after the parents evening and work two or three hours to make up for it.

A separate study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies found women lose out on pay for 12 years after they have their first child, through a wage gap and missed promotions.
Queen Elizabeth on a visit to the coal mines in Fife in 1958. The industry's second largest company pledged to make half its employees women in the next 10 years

It's an industry thats been dominated by men for thousands of years.

But this is set to change as the worlds second biggest mining company wants women to make up half of its workforce by 2025.

BHP Billiton, which mines petroleum, copper, iron ore and coal, said women had been disadvantaged for too long in a male-dominated environment.

It has already brought more women into its workforce at a junior level, with 49pc of its graduate trainees now women.

But the new policy is a steep climb from the 17pc of women already in the business, and suggests it would have 50pc of women at board at executive level, as well as workers in its mines across Australia and South America.

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive, said while progress had been made, without new initiatives it would take 30 years just to get 30pc female representation.

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of BHP Billiton, said there should be more done to get a gender balance in the industry

More must, and will be done, he said at the companys annual general meeting in London yesterday. Our 2025 aspirational goal is to achieve gender balance at all levels of the organisation over the next decade.

It is ambitious and challenging and will deliver a major step change for our organisation. We know our people will rise to the challenge.

Together, we will make it happen because inclusion and diversity is key to our success.

BHP has just over 26,000 direct employees, and 38,000 contractors, in which it also hopes to boost the representation of women.

BHP has announced ambitious plans to make half of its workforce women by 2025. Mining is one industry where women are least represented. Pictured: boots outside the last deep coal mine Kellingley Colliery

Its bold statement comes after a troubled year for the company, which is struggling with the after effects of a Brazilian mining disaster which killed 19 people.

The tragedy  known as the Samarco dam collapse  sparked a multi-billion pound lawsuit which could deal a damaging blow to BHPs finances.

Mining remains one of the industries where women are least represented.

A 2015 survey of 500 mining companies found that women made up less than 8pc of boardroom appointments and less than 12pc of executives.

BHPs determination to shift the gender balance in its workforce comes as other sectors are also stepping up efforts to recruit more women.

Some 72 firms have signed up to a new Government Women in Finance Charter aimed at improving gender diversity, with 60 pledging to have at least 30pc of women in senior roles by 2021.
A South Australian schoolboy was rescued with the help of olive oil and a harness on Thursday after he became trapped in a cave 15 metres underground.

The 12-year-old from Adelaide was on a school trip to the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves National Park in the states southeast when he became wedged in a crevice about 3pm, police said.

Police and local State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers were called for assistance about 5.30pm after attempts to rescue the boy, who was on a guided trip when he got into trouble, were unsuccessful.

A schoolboy was rescued using olive oil and a harness after he became stuck in a cave in South Australia on Thursday afternoon

Rescuers applied olive oil and hammered away rock to free the 12-year-old

Rescuers chipped away rock and used olive oil and a harness to free the boy about 8pm.

He received minor grazes and was taken to Naracoorte Hospital for assessment.

The Naracoorte Caves is a world-renowned fossil area which, for half a million years, worked as a pitfall site, where animals would fall and become trapped, according to National Parks South Australia.

The rescue was one of a 120 call-outs for the South Australian SES over the past 24 hours, as the state was battered by strong winds and rain, The ABC reported.

Power was cut to part of the Eyre Peninsula and trees were brought down across the state.

The boy was on a school trip to the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves National Park when he became wedged in a crevice (stock)
Letter has reemerged online after Donald Trump's unprecedented threat to reject the results of the presidential vote during Wednesday's debate

Bush also wished him and his family well and said 'I am rooting for you'

Letter left advice for his successor: 'There will be very tough times. Just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course'

George Bush Snr. left the note in the Oval Office for new President Bill Clinton after losing the election

In the final stretch of a US presidential campaign marked by divisive rhetoric and acrimony, George Bush's outgoing letter to Bill Clinton is a lesson in mutual respect.

After Donald Trump's unprecedented threat to reject the results of the presidential vote during Wednesday's debate, a 1993 letter that George HW Bush sent to Bill Clinton as he passed the Oval Office torch has resurfaced and taken social media by storm.

'Your success is now our country's success,' Bush wrote to Clinton, a few months after conceding electoral defeat. 'I am rooting for you.'

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George Bush's outgoing letter to Bill Clinton reemerges as a lesson in grace during a presidential race marred by personal attacks and divisive rhetoric

The letter from Bush's presidential library quickly went viral on Twitter after a National Public Radio host shared it with the words, 'Read this. Think about this. George HW Bush's gracious hand-off to Bill Clinton.'

'It's beautiful.'

In his letter, Bush also gave his successor some advice: 'There will be very tough times,' he wrote. 'Just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course.'

'I wish you well. I wish your family well.'

In yet another acrimonious debate on Wednesday night, the Republican candidate Trump declined to say if he would accept the election result.

Bush's (right, in 1992, pictured shaking Clinton's hand) left advice for his successor: 'There will be very tough times. Just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course'

The pair shared a handshake during a televised debate between then-incumbent President Republican George H. W. Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton. In comparison, Trump and Hillary Clinton refused to shake hands at Wednesday's debates

He added Thursday that he reserved the right to launch a legal appeal against the electoral results, launching the United States into unprecedented territory and amplifying fears of post-election unrest.

The contrast with the tone of the Bush letter was lost on no one.

'What happened to us in the past 20 years? Stunned. Ashamed,' wrote another Twitter user with an image of the note.

'A grace note from another age,' another wrote.

The letter had also made the internet rounds earlier in the campaign. Hillary Clinton posted an picture of the handwritten letter on White House stationery in June, telling her followers it had brought her to tears.

'It had some good advice about staying focused on what mattered, despite the critics,' she wrote on Instagram alongside the image. 'They had just fought a fierce campaign.'

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced each other on Wednesday for the final debate before the November 8 election

'Bill won, President Bush lost. In a democracy, that's how it goes.'

Presidents writing letters to their successors has become something of an Inauguration Day ritual.

George W. Bush left one for President Obama in 2009. While Ronald Reagan's note to the elder Bush advised him: 'Don't let the turkeys get you down.'

In Bill Clinton's autobiography My Life, he wrote that he had wanted to replicate Bush's graciousness when it came time to write a note to leave for the new president, George W. Bush.

'I wanted to be gracious and encouraging, as George Bush had been to me. Soon George W. Bush would be President of all the people, and I wished him well.
Harold Thomas Martin, 51, is alleged to have taken top secret documents and stashed them in his home and car

Government lawyers on Thursday said they would prosecute a former National Security Agency contractor accused of stealing classified information under an espionage law, a move carrying far more severe penalties than previously announced charges.

Harold Thomas Martin spent over two decades pilfering classified information from multiple government agencies, federal prosecutors said in a new filing made in a US District Court in Baltimore.

They expected to bring charges that included violations of the Espionage Act, the filing said.

The amount of stolen data is estimated to be at least fifty terabytes, enough to fill dozens of hard drives, prosecutors said, adding that the alleged criminal conduct 'is breathtaking in its longevity and scale.'

Some officials have said the trove may amount to the largest heist of classified government information in history.

Martin, 51, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was arrested by the FBI in August after authorities say he admitted to having taken government secrets.

But a defense attorney said Martin did not intend to betray his country.

Among the material allegedly stolen by Martin included a top secret document that contained 'specific operational plans against a known enemy of the United States and its allies,' the prosecutors said.

US officials announced in a criminal complaint earlier this month that Martin, 51, was taken into custody in Maryland in August and charged with felony theft of classified government material.

It did not allege a motive.

The National Security Agency building is seen above in Fort Meade, Maryland. Martin was arrested by the FBI in August after authorities say he admitted to taking government secrets

The FBI is investigating possible links between Martin and the leak online this summer of secret NSA hacking tools used to break into the computers of adversaries such as Russia and China, US officials said.

Martin was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton, the same consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden when he gave documents to journalists that exposed NSA surveillance practices in 2013.

Booz Allen said in a statement earlier in October that the company immediately fired Martin when it learned of the FBI's arrest.

Martin was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton, the same consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden (above)

Martin is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Friday.

Prosecutors will argue he should not be released on bail because he is a flight risk and a threat to national security and the safety of others.

A conviction under the Espionage Act can include prison time of up to 10 years on each count.
Paul Marney, 44, has lost sight in his left eye after his sickening bike crash

The father who crashed head first down a skate ramp without a helmet is on the path to recovery despite suffering neck fractures and losing sight in his left eye only one month ago.

Paul Marney, 44, was left with 70 staples in his head and an uncertain future after he fell off his bike at a skate park in Sydney's Northern beaches while attempting to perform a trick for his two young children.

The sickening crash filmed in September saw the father-of-two thud into the concrete ramp smashing both his cheekbones and eye sockets - causing a loss of sight in his left eye.

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Paul Marney is on the incredible road to recovery only one month after slamming into the concrete ramp and smashing his cheekbones and eye sockets causing him to lose vision to his left eye

The 44-year-old Paul (Left) with his son Caleb (Right) has lost vision in his left eye, but has moved out of intensive care and is on the road to recovery

The father-of-two came off the bike within seconds of attempting to ride down the ramp. He landed on his face and was knocked out

The 44-year-old also suffered a skull injury and neck fractures and a seven hour operation ensued to insert titanium plates.

Paul has injections twice a day into his stomach to prevent seizures - due to the brain injury - and has to adjust with his new line of sight, but he has shown incredible fight to find himself out of intensive care.

Jayne Marney, mother of the two children, spoke to Daily Mail Australia and said his road to recovery over the last month has been nothing short of incredible.

He is doing quite amazingly, considering how extensive the injures were,' she said.

'He is still in the neurological ward, but is not in intensive care, and they are moving him on the weekend to Ryde.'

'The kids have been amazing and my son has been very brave.'

After the incident Mr Marney required 70 stitches and underwent a seven hour operation

She said if losing vision in one eye is the only long-term injury to come out of the horrible accident than he is lucky.

'It is incredible, he is doing really well. If that is all he walks away with he is incredibly lucky,' she said.

'It will take some time to adjust to that [eye injury].'

Ms Marney has been avidly promoting the Ride For Paul bike ride on October 22 to help raise awareness for helmet safety.

Jayne Marney has been promoting The Ride for Paul to help raise awareness for helmet safety

The Ride For Paul will take part on October 22 along Manly beach and will help raise awareness for the importance of wearing a helmet

She said the event - organised by Mark Mayo - will help raise awareness for helmet safety and more than 50 participants, including the mountain police, are expected to attend the ride.

The event - that left the Mona Vale carpenter in surgery - occurred at the park with his two children, Jayne, eight, and Caleb, 12, who watched in horror as he fell over the top of his handle bars after attempting to ride down a steep 10ft ramp.

Jake Dickson was on the scene described the accident in horrific detail and said he thought Paul would die after he hit the concrete.

Paul Marney, 44, (pictured) was in critical condition in hospital after he fell from his bike and onto his head while attempting to ride down a ramp at Mona Vale skate park in Sydney

The father was at the skate park with his two young children who witnessed the terrifying crash

'He doesn't get up we see blood pouring out of his head and run over and he's knocked out cold,' he said.

As Paul's face turned white the spectator feared the worst.

'The first thing I think is I'm watching someone die.'

Another spectator captured the terrifying accident on tape and shared it with Paul's ex-partner, and the mother of his children, Jayne Marney.

'I have recd (sic) footage of Pauls (sic) accident I feel very very sad watching it seeing that and hearing my son scream,' she said.

Paul Marney - with his family - has lost vision in his left eye, but is on the path to recovery

The footage shows the father 'dropping in' on the pipe  and falling off in a matter of seconds, straight on to his unprotected head. Jayne has been keeping her friends and family up to date with Paul's condition over social media.

'Pauls Sight looking bad in his left eye. Pretty much determined no sight. He has 70 Staples in his head still weak on the right side,' Jayne wrote.

'He isn't really stringing sentences together yet.

'He knows he is in hosp but not why. Hoping to get him onto a ward soonish if they can get him swallowing tablets. Super stressed (sic).'

The whole accident was caught on video by someone who was at the skate park

Witnesses said they thought they were watching someone die when they saw the colour drain from Paul's face

'My children witnessed the accident. I have managed to keep them calm since and they don't understand the seriousness yet.'

The mother is now using the accident to promote the importance of helmet safety.

'If Paul had a helmet on he no doubt would be hurt however not to this extent by far. He's very ill. He is a poster boy for wearing a helmet,' she said.

It is not known if or when the father-of-two will be able to return to work, a fundraising page has been set up to help raise money for his future.

He hit the concrete, pictured, and then didn't get up - spectators say there was a lot of blood

Paul's extensive injuries included a depressed fracture in his skull, shattered cheekbones, fractures in his face and loss of vision to his left eye




JIC Dismisses Complaint Against Justice Tom Parker

Contact: Liberty Counsel, 800-671-1776, Media@LC.org, Press Kit



MONTGOMERY, Ala., Oct. 21, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) dismissed the complaint filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) against Justice Tom Parker. The SPLC complained that Justice Parker was interviewed on the American Family Radio talk show regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's marriage opinion, claiming that any comment on any case anywhere in the country violated Canon 3(A)(6) of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics.

Canon 3(A)(6) purports to prohibit Alabama judges from making "any public comment about a pending or impending proceeding in any court," even if such a proceeding is not pending before the judge making the comments, and even if the judge's comments do not have a reasonable likelihood of affecting the outcome or impairing the fairness of that proceeding. The American Bar Association has stated this broad speech restriction violates the First Amendment.

Parker was not charged by the JIC, but, if charged, he would have been suspended pending a hearing. Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit challenging Canon 3 and the automatic removal provision. That lawsuit is still pending.

"We are pleased that the complaint against Justice Tom Parker has been dismissed," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "The speech restrictive Judicial Canon clearly violates the First Amendment. The Canon is so broad that it prevents judges from commenting on any case pending anywhere in the county, even if they are teaching students in law school. Shame on the SPLC for filing this politically-motivated complaint against Justice Parker. I call upon the Alabama Supreme Court and the legislature to change this unconstitutional speech restriction and the automatic removal provision," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
Jordan Grives started his first business aged 15 making $200 a week selling cans of Coke to his classmates out of an ice-lined spare locker.

Twelve years later, the Brisbane entrepreneur who never went to university has sold his telecom company Fonebox to U.S. tech giant J2 Global for about $30 million.

The 27-year-old started the business in 2008 aged just 19 as a 1300 number provider and grew it into a $10 million-a-year call management and analytics firm with clients including Holden, Ford, Jetts Fitness and Volkswagen.

Brisbane entrepreneur Jordan Grives has sold his telecom company Fonebox to U.S. tech giant J2 Global for $30 million

The huge windfall comes after he was named the youngest 2016 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in Australia in August

Far from his days as a schoolboy startup, he now dresses in tailored suits, drives a Lamborghini, and just moved into a luxury apartment overlooking the Brisbane River.

'It's a bit surreal, it hasn't sunk in yet, I'm still pinching myself,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'I've had such a big week it hasn't hit home, but maybe it will next week. I never thought this would happen when I started.

Far from his days as a schoolboy startup, he now dresses in tailored suits and drives a Lamborghini

Mr Grives driving his new Lamborghini around a track in May

He just moved into a luxury apartment overlooking the Brisbane River

'I might have to swap out one of my new toys now, maybe buy something red (as in a car upgrade).'

Mr Grives said he still has his first client, a Tweed Heads real estate firm, who he provided with a 1300 number as a favour nine years ago.

The huge windfall comes after he was named the youngest 2016 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in Australia in August.

Mr Grives has built his business with fanatical work ethic and attention to detail, waking at 5.30am and reading hundreds of emails on his phone before he even gets to the office.

Mr Grives with his best friend Jessica Pinnington on a recent night out

Mr Grives picks up a friend from the airport in the Audi he recently sold to buy his Lamborghini

Mr Grives enjoying Polo in the City with two friends

'There arent any shortcuts to building a successful business, it takes sheer determination, persistence, patience, passion, hard work and ultimately - time,' he said in his sale announcement.

'This result right here is the culmination of all of those things combined.'

Though Mr Grives and his 80 staff will stay on to oversee Australian and New Zealand sales for J2, he said selling his company was 'bittersweet'.

'Anyone that has sold a business will understand its an extremely emotive experience. After all, you dedicate a large part of your life to it and to your team and their families,' he said.

Mr Grives with his younger sister on her 18th birthday earlier this year

Mr Grives on a weekend away with his friend, glamour model Davina Rankin

Mr Grives with his mum on Mother's Day this year

Mr Grives plans to channel much of his big payout into venture capital fund Capital J Investments to invest in and mentor new entrepreneurs

'I never thought Id take a company from a standing start to being acquired by an international tech business at the age of 27.'

Mr Grives plans to channel much of his big payout into venture capital fund Capital J Investments to invest in and mentor new entrepreneurs.

'I see my purpose, as a young Brisbane entrepreneur who has had one of the most successful business exits at the age of 27, to facilitate and help others to do the same,' he said.

The 27-year-old started the business in 2008 aged just 19 as a call centre and grew it into a $10 million-a-year call management and analytics firm (pictured with his longstanding PA in office)

Mr Grives in the U.S. earlier this year before selling the company to a firm based there
Police and AGL have warned people to delete the email immediately

The scam email purports to be an online bill from energy provider AGL

Fake online electricity bills are circulating across Australia, in the latest scam attempting to siphon money from innocent people.

The scam email looks like a standard energy bill but directs people to click on a link which takes them to a malicious website.

If clicked on, the website will install Ransomware onto the unsuspecting victim's computer, a type of malicious software which can block access to the computer system until a sum of money is paid as ransom.

'Scam alert', police issue warning about scam email purporting to be from AGL Energy

'Don't get burnt by scammers trying to steal your hard-earned cash' NSW Police Force said

It also has the potential to access personal information on the computer.

The fake bill notice purports to be from energy provider AGL, but police warned AGL would never send an email asking for personal banking or financial details.

Police told people who saw the email in their inbox to delete it immediately.

'Don't get burnt by scammers trying to steal your hard-earned cash!' the police said.

AGL released examples of the hoax emails (pictured) which are being sent to people online

AGL Energy took to the internet to warn its customers of the vicious scam.

The energy company told its customers to avoid opening the email at any cost.

'Delete it immediately or, if opened, do not click on any links within the email,' it said.

'AGL advises recipients of any suspicious emails to run antivirus software and block the sender by adding to the junk folder list.

'AGL Energy Online is a quick and easy way to view and pay your bills', an example of the hoax email (pictured) reads

Another example of the hoax email (pictured) which directs users to a malicious website

The scam has been taken so seriously it has already been reported to Scamwatch, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and the Australian Federal Police.

Disgruntled victims took to Facebook to share their experience with the scam email.

'I received one yesterday and another a few days ago. Both have different amounts,' one user said.

'We got scammed with this one a few months ago, it wipes everything from your computer,' one user said

'I have had three in my spam, so far sent all to AGL for their fraud department,' one user said

'We got scammed with this one a few months ago, it wipes everything from your computer,' another victim of the scam wrote.

'I have had three in my spam, so far have sent all to AGL for their fraud department,' another said.

'I got one and they wanted over $800, this went into the spam folder and deleted,' another vigilant user said.

'I got one, they wanted over $800.00, this went to the spam folder and deleted,' another Facebook user said

'I received one yesterday and another a few days ago. Both have different amounts,' one person said about the hoax email
A man who lost his wedding ring in a river two months ago was stunned when he was tracked down by the eight-year-old boy who found it and was determined to return it.

Matt Dooyema of St. Cloud, Minnesota, was tubing in the Two Rivers Campground in Royalton in August when his wedding band slipped off his finger.

'My hands got wet and the river that day had quite a fast current and I didnt brace myself and I fell and lost my tube,' he told ABC News. 'I chased after my tube and somewhere in that base area where you get into the river my ring must have flung off and fell amongst rocks.'

Matt Dooyema lost his ring in August and it was returned in October when a sharp-eyed eight-year-old boy found it in the river

The pair, Matt and Emily, were married in September 2014. Before their two year anniversary, he had lost his ring

When Matt Dooyema lost his wedding ring, he and his wife decided to get ring tattoos on their second wedding anniversary in September

Matt Dooyema and wife Emily were crushed when he lost his ring in a river

He said when he reached a sandbar and realized his ring was missing, he began crying.

'I never take it off. I shower with it, sleep with it,' he said.

Dooyema sadly realized he would never find the ring in the river, not with such a strong current.

Matthew Ortloff, above, was so excited to find the ring that he kept checking on it throughout his tube ride down Two Rivers

Matt Dooyema lost his wedding band in the Two Rivers Campground river, above, in Royalton

He and his wife, Emily, decided not to replace it but to instead get their ring fingers tattooed on their two year anniversary. 'They say you can never lose a tattoo,' he joked to ABC.

But on October 17, he was surprised to receive a Facebook message from a woman named Jennifer Ortloff.

'We found a ring that may belong to you,' she said.

Ortloff explained that she and her family, including her eight-year-old son, Matthew, had been vacationing at the Two Rivers Campground and were also tubing, when the little boy saw something that caught his attention.

'We were going on a tube trip down the river and I thought I saw a shiny rock and I picked it up and it was a men's wedding band,' Matthew told ABC News. 'I said, 'I need to get that back to the owner.'

Ortloff said her sensitive son was so concerned about the ring that he checked on it all the way down the river.

While the family found the ring two weeks after Dooyema lost it, it would take them a while to track the owner down.

The engraving on the ring, MCD & ERU 9-20-14, is what made the difference between losing the ring forever and having it returned

They managed to do that because the groom had done something prescient - engraved his and his wife's initials and the date of their wedding in the ring: MCD & ERU 9-20-14.

With that clue, Ortloff began combing through a Minnesota marriage certificate database, and was able to match the names of a couple and the date of the wedding from the registry to the ring.

'Wow. So glad I got that engraved!' Dooyema replied when Ortloff told him the story.

He offered to give the little boy a reward for his trouble, which the mom accepted saying it would be a 'good lesson to teach morals' for the boy.

Dooyema and Ortloff met up a day after exchanging messages so he could get his ring back.

'I was in shock, but also have a general feeling of gratitude and some reinforcement in my belief in people. It is very serendipitous, but it comes back to the fact that people are generally good. There are good people in this world who are willing to go above and beyond whats right,' he told the outlet.

But maybe no one was more thrilled with the outcome than little Matthew.
This is the moment a gang of teens begging for chocolate and beer were busted before being caught running away up the street.

A homeowner in Spearwood, Western Australia, said the boys came to their door on October 14 with one of their group sitting in a wheelchair with a leg cast on.

The resident told WA Today they asked for '$5, chocolate and beer' before starting to ask more personal questions, such as whether there were dogs in the house.

A homeowner in Spearwood, Western Australia, has warned members of the public after they say a gang of teenagers pretending one of their friends was injured tried to scam them

The person, who has not been identified, said: 'They played the sympathy card, saying they were cold, wet and hungry.

'I actually think they wanted to come inside... they were fishing for information.'

The homeowner added that the teen in the wheelchair said he hurt his leg in a skateboarding accident and couldn't move it.

The resident said the boys asked for chocolate or beer, before swapping to more personal questions in what they believed was an attempt to get inside

However, after hearing two dogs they say the group were scared away, before being caught on film running up the road

But they said the teens left after hearing the sound of two dogs from inside the house and were filmed running away up the street moments later.

In that footage the youngsters are all shown standing up and jogging along beside one-another with no apparent difficulty.
But she got a five-year jail sentence with a non-parole period of three years

Samantha Magdaleine Farrer sentenced to at least three years in prison

The former girlfriend of infamous siege gunman Rodney Clavell has been sentenced to at least three years in prison for killing a well-known midwife and mother-of-three during a hit-and-run accident while high on drugs.

Samantha Magdaleine Farrer failed to convince a judge in Adelaide to spare her prison so she could look after her 15-month-old son, the Adelaide Advertiser reports.

Farrer, collided with Kathleen Heraghty, 48, on Fleurieu Peninsula's Inman Valley road, south of Adelaide on December 27, 2013.

Samantha Magdaleine Farrer has been sentenced to at least three years in prison

But after she had been found guilty of an aggravated charge of causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident in May, Farrer requested to be spared jail due to being the mother of a young child.

However Judge Gordon Barrett imposed a five-year jail sentence with a non-parole period of three years, two months and 12 days on her, after refusing to place her on home detention due to the seriousness of her offences.

Farrer, who had pleaded not guilty to causing the death, had not slept for 24 hours and tested positive for methamphetamine after she hit Ms Heraghty. Despite desperate efforts by emergency staff the mother-of-three died at the scene of the accident.

The 40-year-old was reportedly driving to visit her father in a friend's Holden Commodore sedan when she fatally struck Ms Heraghty - who was training for a local triathlon at the time of the accident - before fleeing the scene.

Farrer was found guilty of killing a mother-of-three during a hit-and-run accident while high in drugs

Well-known midwife Kathleen Heraghty (pictured) was training for a triathlon when she was hit by Ms Farrer

Farrer had requested to be spared jail due to being a mother of a 15-month-old son

On Friday Judge Gordon Barrett imposed a five-year jail sentence with a non-parole period of three years, two months and 12 days on Farrer

Ms Farrer is the former girlfriend of Rodney Clavell (pictured), who shot himself during a dramatic siege inside an in June 2014

The court was earlier shown an image of the damage caused to Kathleen Heraghtys bike after she was hit

The court was earlier in the case shown images of the vehicle which had sustained substantial damage, including a dented roof and a shattered front windscreen.

An image of the bicycle was also presented showing the wheel destroyed and the body of the bike dented.

Prosecutor Amelia Cairney accused Ms Farrer of gross negligence resulting from the fact she was driving high on the deadly drug.

'The prosecution case is that the accused's activity of driving... in her failing to see the cyclist and manoeuvre around her, was down to the gross defective outlook on her part, which is explained by her methamphetamine intoxication,' she said.

The court heard Ms Farrer had recorded a drug blood level of 0.43 when she was arrested, which experts say would have seriously affected her driving.

Farrer is the former girlfriend of Rodney Clavell, who shot himself during a dramatic siege inside an Adelaide CBD brothel in June 2014.

Farrer's vehicle, a friend's Holden Commodore sedan, was also damaged in the crash




A teenage schoolgirl has been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition after falling six metres down an embankment while on a school camp.

The 13-year-old girl was on a trip to the Grampians, a mountainous region in Victoria, when she fell at around 4pm on Thursday, suffering serious injuries to her body and head.

Paramedics had to trek to her remote location before they could winch her to a helicopter that took her to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Ambulance Victoria said.

A 13-year-old girl is in a critical condition after being airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne with serious injuries after falling six metres on a school camp to the Grampians, Victoria, on Thursday afternoon

The Year 8 student from Moama Anglican Grammar suffered head injuries in the fall and had to undergo emergency surgery

The girl was among a group of 20 Year 8 students and three adults from Moama Anglican Grammar, New South Wales, on an excursion to the region.

She remains in a critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery overnight.

Her parents travelled to Melbourne to be by her bedside overnight.

'Police and paramedics were in attendance, and she was airlifted to Royal Childrens Hospital where she underwent surgery overnight where she remains in a critical condition,' school spokeswoman Grace Jeffrey said on Friday.

'Our main priority is with the student and her family and we request that their privacy is respected.

'The remaining staff and students are returning today and the school is providing support to all concerned.'
A tiny black kitten has been rescued from a fire at a bikie gang clubhouse.

Firefighters were called to a suspicious factory fire at 4.25pm on England Street, in Dandenong South, in Melbourne's south-west.

The clubhouse was completely destroyed by the fire, 9News reported.

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Emergency officer rescues a tiny black kitten from the burnt out wreckage of a Rebels bikie gang clubhouse in Dandenong South

First constable Tim Parker (pictured) was at the scene, he took care of the kitten, wrapped up in a jacket and put it their van

No one was injured in the fire but firefighters spotted a tiny kitten in the debris.

First constable Tim Parker was at the scene and he took care of the kitten.

He wrapped up the kitten in a jacket and put it their van.

A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the kitten had been either been handed over to council or the RSPCA.

Members of the Echo Taskforce are investigating how the fire started.

Only two days before the fire, four properties in the area were raided, which resulted in four arrests and drugs seized.

The kitten (pictured with Officer Parker) was cleaned up. Facebook users have commented on Victoria Police's post of the rescue and shared name suggestions for the kitten

The bikie clubhouse was completely burnt out. Echo Taskforce is currently investigating how the fire broke out

Four other properties in the area were raided a few days before. Police made four arrests and seized drugs

Since posting the rescue the Victorian police Facebook page, many social media users complemented them on finding the tiny kitten.

Some have shared name suggestions on the post.

One said: 'And his/her name shall be Sooty.'

Another wrote: 'Whoever gets this wee bundle of fluff should call her Arson.'
Meharry was thanked for respecting alleged victims and pleading guilty

A professional BMX rider has pleaded guilty to a staggering 193 charges of rape, child porn and animal porn.

Fabian Roy Meharry, 27, pleaded guilty to all 193 charges when he appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

The high-profile BMX rider allegedly forced young children to perform horrific sex acts on themselves, on animals and their own family members which he filmed as part of sickening pornography movies.

Fabian Roy Meharry, 27, (pictured) pleaded guilty to a staggering 193 charges of rape, child porn and even animal porn

The 27-year-old allegedly forced two girls to perform sex acts on a dog, and young siblings to perform sex acts on each other, according to the charge sheets released by Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Meharry's charge list includes rape, sexually penetrating children younger than 16-years-old, and making child pornography movies.

He's also charged with using a carriage to procure, groom and engage in sexual activity with children, according to The Age.

Meharry (pictured) allegedly forced two girls to perform sex acts on a dog, and young siblings to perform sex acts on each other

Meharry's (pictured) alleged offences were all committed in northern Victorian towns including Echuca, Nathalia and Yielima where he was a keen BMX rider

Meharry's alleged offences were all committed in northern Victorian towns including Echuca, Nathalia and Yielima.

The BMX rider was also a part-time web developer, building a social networking app for BMX riders to swap information about riding.

He also ran another website called Magic BMX Freestyle where he posted a video about working with police to help 'make the skate park a safer place'.

Meharry (pictured) has been a registered sex offender since 2011

Meharry has been a registered sex offender since 2011, due to a number of charges including failing to report that he'd been in contact with children when he wasn't allowed.

While Magistrate Belinda Wallington said 'much of the material is shocking' she commended Meharry for pleading guilty and ensuring his victims would not have to give evidence at a trial.

Meharry was remanded in police custody on Friday and is due to appear at the County Court on December 6.
A Queensland couple have both been given life jail terms for the 'sadistic' and prolonged killing of mother-of-four Tia Landers.

John Edward Harris and Linda Eileen Appleton were sentenced in Brisbane's Supreme Court on Friday, a week after having pleaded guilty, midway through their trial, to murdering Ms Landers in a brutal and bloodied encounter at their Brighton home in June 2014.

Ms Landers was stabbed, stomped on, bashed and shot, with her wounded body found wrapped in a blanket in a shallow grave at the Beerburrum forest more than a fortnight later.

In sentencing Harris and Appleton, Justice Jean Dalton described what they did as sadistic, hideous and disturbing.

Tia Landers (pictured) was carved up with a machete after being brutally tortured and shot in the head in front of two friends

Harris was ordered to serve at least 27 years in jail before being eligible for parole, while Appleton must spent at least 23 years behind bars.

Earlier this month, the court heard the couple inflicted more than 30 injuries on the mother-of-four inside their Brighton home, including lacerations consistent with a machete to the ankle, thigh, shoulder, scalp and two 'incise wounds to her vagina'.

But it was two gunshot wounds to the head that eventually ended Ms Lander's life.

The court heard Appleton boasted to an undercover policewoman that she and her partner had 'carved' the mother-of-four up after her grisly murder.

In his opening remarks to the jury, crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy said an undercover police officer was placed in Appleton's cell soon after her arrest.

The court heard Appleton boasted to an undercover policewoman that she and her partner had 'carved' the mother-of-four (pictured) up after her grisly murder

The friends who witnessed Ms Lander's grisly murder claim she begged for her life before being shot in the head

'She will tell that officer: 'We carved her up, we chopped her up, we chopped her up with a machete,' he said.

Mr McCarthy said Appleton then gestured two gun shots to the head.

He said Harris told a fellow prisoner that he fired the shots that killed her and he had had an affair with Ms Landers while Appleton was previously in jail.

The couple are also accused of forcing Ms Lander's two friends Jake McKenzie, 23, and Ryan Morgan, 20, to watch on in horror as they tortured her.

The couple are believed to have been motivated to carry out the murder after Ms Landers allegedly stole jewellery from them

The two men were allegedly accompanying Ms Landers to the home so she could sell the couple drugs to raise money for her incarcerated brother but were allegedly forced inside by a machete wielding Appleton, a commital hearing earlier heard.

'John and Linda, right, are f***ing demons that killed Tia. Simple. Full stop,' Mr McKenzie earlier told the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

They are yet to testify how Ms Lander's had pleaded for her life before she was shot and they were ordered to clean up the blood at gunpoint before being driven home.

Mr McCarthy told the court the couple had been motivated to carry out the murder after Ms Landers allegedly stole jewellery from them while Ms Appleton was serving time for an unrelated matter.

Ms Appleton was recorded in prison telling Mr Harris she was going to 'smash her f**king face to smithereens' shortly before the mother-of-four's murder, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

'That scum slut probably f***ing stole them,' he alleged Appleton told Harris during a phone call, referring to jewellery she believed Ms Landers had taken.

'I'm going to bust that bitch so f***ing bad, I am going smash her f***ing skull in.'

Ms Appleton was recorded in prison telling Mr Harris she was going to 'smash her f**king face to smithereens' shortly before the mother-of-four (pictured) was murdered

Mr McCarthy told the jury a handgun and silencer found at their home matched bullet fragments in Landers' body, which was seriously decomposed when found.

A piece of chewing gum allegedly containing Mr Harris' DNA was found near the grave, the court heard.

Lander's mother Mary wiped tears from her face as she identified photos of her daughter's jewellery late on Monday.

She said she reported her daughter missing on June 19 after she failed to turn up on June 16 with 'school snacks' for her four children who were staying with Mary.

Appleton and Harris pleaded guilty to interfering with her corpse and two counts each of deprivation of liberty on Monday.

Ms Landers' mother reported her daughter (pictured) missing on June 19 after she failed to turn up on June 16 with 'school snacks' for her four children who were staying with Mary

Harris appeared in the dock with several stitches across the left side of his nose and with a blackened left eye.

He sat two seats away from Appleton - and neither looked at the other during the reading of the charges or during the empanelling of the jury.

Judge Dalton told the jury that Harris' injuries had 'nothing to do with the matter you're hearing'.
rummaging through a home with the family inside

Burglars wearing creepy clown masks have stung four homes in the same street and then fled in a stolen car.

The robbers hit four homes in Adelaide's north on Friday morning with one frightened family waking to find the creepy intruders inside.

The discovery spooked the thieves and they reportedly fled - with a large TV - in a stolen car after they were discovered rummaging through property in the house.

Thieves reportedly wearing creepy clown masks have robbed four homes in Adelaide's north on Friday (Stock Image)

The stolen car was a silver Hyundai Sonata sedan, registration S044ACA, which was reportedly taken from a previous house in the same street.

Neighbours told reporters the thieves were wearing clown masks, but the police have not yet confirmed this, according to The Advertiser.

The intruders were said to have accessed one house through the back door, while two sets of car keys were found in the respective cars in the carport.

One intruder was described at just under 183cm tall and wearing both a grey hoodie and track pants.

Police have urged residents near Lipson Reach Road, Gulfview Heights, to check their homes and report anything out of the ordinary.

No one was injured in the break-ins.
home Tech iPhone 8 release date, news, specs rumors: Apple to unveil 10th anniversary iPhone earlier than September 2017?

The all-new iPhone 7 smartphones were released more than a month ago, and it's quite evident especially in the online community that the hype for Apple's latest handset offering this year is now leveling off. Still, the iPhone 7 is relatively new in the market, and some consumers have just started getting to know the device. Tech enthusiasts can help but wonder at this point about the next look of the iPhone next year, considering that 2017 will mark the tenth anniversary since Apple released the first ever iPhone model.

The iPhone 8, anticipated by many as Apple's most special and most sophisticated handset yet, is expected to be released sometime next year. It is easy to expect the iPhone 8 arriving in September 2017, as the previous iPhones were also released during this time period, Tech Radar reported. However, considering that the iPhone 8 will be a tenth anniversary special from Apple for next year, the Cupertino-based tech giant may decide to move the release date from September to June, according to PC Advisor. The first iPhone was also released in June 2007, but the formal introduction of the handset happened in January. With this, it is possible that the public will see a surprise launching of the tenth anniversary iPhone 8 earlier than September.

Apple is expected to shake things up with the release of the iPhone 8 next year. There is a lot to work on if the special iPhone iteration is to surpass this year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones. The current iPhone model is doing well in the market today, not to mention the good reviews it has been getting since it was first released last month. It might be hard to upstage a device as sophisticated and revolutionary as the iPhone 7, but if the latest rumors are anything to go by, there is a whole lot more to look forward to with the iPhone 8.

According to iTech Post, Apple will be revealing a very different design for the iPhone 8, making the handset unique compared to the previous iterations of the iPhone. Specifically, the iPhone 8 will not follow the iPhone 6 design unlike the iPhone 7. It is expected to sport a new innovative design with the iPhone 8's all-glass body and a display-embedded scanner.

Express UK reported that the iPhone 8 will have an all-glass chassis with an OLED screen display, but it will also be getting rid of the iPhone's bezel casing. The iPhone 8 will be the first to sport a dual curved edge OLED display, made possible by having more space on the screen with the removal of the iPhone's classic Home button. Some of the components usually placed on the iPhone's bezel will now be located beneath the all-glass display, like the fingerprint sensor and the front or selfie.
Theresa May has delivered a withering put-down to Nicola Sturgeon (pictured yesterday) by insisting that she has no mandate to launch another battle to break up Britain

Theresa May has delivered a withering put-down to Nicola Sturgeon by insisting that she has no mandate to launch another battle to break up Britain.

The Prime Ministers spokesman called for Miss Sturgeon to respect the resounding result of the 2014 referendum after the SNP leader published her blueprint for another vote on tearing Scotland out of the UK.

But yesterday senior SNP figures signalled that they could fire the starting gun on another referendum campaign as early as next March  less than three years after a majority of Scots rejected their attempt to destroy the Union in what the SNP billed as a once in a generation opportunity.

The SNPs new draft referendum Bill is completely reliant on securing approval from the UK Government to hold another vote.

But Downing Street last night strengthened its opposition to another damaging battle over Scotlands place in the UK, by saying there is no mandate to hold another separation poll.

Last week, Miss Sturgeon said it would be inconceivable that the UK Government could refuse another independence referendum.

However, a Downing Street spokesman said: The Prime Minister and the Government does not believe that there is a mandate for one.

There was one only two years ago. There was an extremely high turnout and there was a resounding result in favour of Scotland remaining in the UK.

The Prime Ministers spokesman called for Miss Sturgeon to respect the resounding result of the 2014 referendum after the SNP leader published her blueprint for another independence vote

When the 2014 vote was proposed, both sides agreed to abide by that referendum, the spokesman added.

But he failed entirely to rule out granting consent for another poll, by instead insisting that there has not been a call for another referendum from the Scottish Government.

Opponents yesterday united to condemn the SNP for making the draft Bill its first major piece of legislation of the new parliamentary term  and accused Miss Sturgeon of economic vandalism and displaying that separation is her overriding concern.

Brexit Secretary David Davis, who is due to visit Scotland today, told the Scottish Daily Mail that the case for independence is weaker now than it was in 2014  and insisted that the UK is the vital union for Scotland.

The SNPs new draft referendum Bill is completely reliant on securing approval from the UK Government to hold another vote

Ahead of the 2014 separation poll, David Cameron granted the Scottish parliament the power to hold a referendum through a Section 30 order, which transferred the power to manage it from Westminster to Holyrood.

The Scottish Governments new referendum Bill, launched yesterday, said: If the Scottish Government decided to formally introduce this Bill to parliament, it would be expected that a Section 30 order would be sought and agreed, as in 2014.

The new draft referendum Bill, which will go out to public consultation until January 11, contains many of the same rules and regulations as in 2014.

It proposes the same question  Should Scotland be an independent country?  although it says it could propose a variation if there is demand for a change during the consultation phase.

It also confirms that EU nationals will be eligible to vote, unlike in the EU referendum, as well as 16 and 17-year-olds. The formal referendum campaign is proposed to be 16 weeks  which is six weeks longer than the EU referendum campaign.

Anyone intending to spend more than 10,000 on the campaign will need to register as a permitted participant  meaning their spending is scrutinised by the Electoral Commission  while spending limits for political parties and the official campaigns will remain unchanged from 2014.

Yesterdays draft Bill does not provide an estimated cost of the referendum  but officials estimate it will be similar to the 16million spent on the 2014 poll.

Miss Sturgeon said: My priority is clear; we will do everything we can to protect Scotlands interests. The damage to jobs and Scotlands economy that will be caused by Brexit  especially a hard Brexit  is now plain to see.

We will continue to work UK-wide to seek to avert a hard Brexit and we will also bring forward proposals that seek to protect our place in the single market, even if the rest of the UK leaves.

However, if we find that our interests cannot be properly or fully protected within a UK context, then independence must be one of the options open to us  and the Scottish people must have the right to consider it.

But Downing Street last night strengthened its opposition to another damaging battle over Scotlands place in the UK, by saying there is no mandate to hold another separation poll

Yesterday, SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson signalled that a referendum could be called shortly after Mrs May begins Brexit negotiations early next year, because he claims the impact of leaving the UK will become pretty clear pretty soon after Article 50 is triggered.

However, writing in todays Scottish Daily Mail, Brexit Secretary Mr Davis says leaving the European Union will benefit the whole of the UK and insists that those who seek to exploit the Brexit vote as a pretext for another referendum on Scottish independence are so profoundly wrong.

Mr Davis said: If the arguments for Scotland leaving the UK were judged weak by Scottish voters in 2014, they are weaker still today  and that has nothing to do with the decision to leave the EU.

Yesterday, SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson signalled that a referendum could be called shortly after Mrs May begins Brexit negotiations early next year

The question of what currency an independent Scotland would use remains unanswered. The Scottish Governments own figures on the state of the public finances have got worse, not better, since September 2014. Without the strength and certainty that being part of the UK provides, they demonstrate what we argued in 2014  that Scotland would have faced either crippling cuts in public services or devastating tax hikes.

So lets put the divisive debates and arguments of the last few years behind us. Instead, lets focus together on the bright future ahead.

Constitution Secretary Derek Mackay claimed it was inconceivable that the UK Government would block a referendum.

He also outlined that a full referendum Bill, which could be launched any time after the consultation closes on January 11, would take six to nine months to progress through parliament  and insisted that the time-table makes it feasible and plausible that a referendum could be held within the two-year period of Brexit negotiations.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: Nicola Sturgeons draft referendum Bill is irresponsible economic vandalism. Our economy is in trouble following David Camerons reckless Brexit gamble and the very last thing we need is more uncertainty for employers.

This publication confirms that the SNPs top priority is to divide our country. My message to the First Minister is this: we are divided enough  do not divide us again.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: During her programme for government, the First Minister made great play of how she had a number of priorities ahead of independence. The SNP even criticised other parties for making reference to the issue during the debate. Yet today we see that once again it is the SNPs top priority.

This is the first major Bill Nicola Sturgeon has published after being re-elected as First Minister and shows that separation is her overriding concern.

Nicola Sturgeon stated quite clearly she would only hold another referendum if thats what the people of Scotland want. But the voters were clear in 2014 that they didnt want to break up Britain and poll after poll has shown that support for another divisive referendum is tumbling.

No matter what else the SNP claims to be passionate about, be it education, health or justice, todays publication exposes its sole objective is separation  ahead of anything and everything else.
It was a rare opportunity for the candidates to trade lighthearted jabs after months of grueling combat.

And both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump embraced the jovial atmosphere at the annual Al Smith white tie fundraiser in New York on Thursday, even if some of their jokes fell flat.

The pair each won laughs, some reluctant and others more enthusiastic, with their scripts of puns.

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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both spoke at the traditionally lighthearted Alfred Smith dinner in New York on Thursday. They were separated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan (center) and joined by Trump's wife Melania

DONALD TRUMP

Trump spoke first, initially impressing the well-heeled crowd with his patiently delivered punchlines.

He began sarcastically. ' Some people think this would be tough for me, but the truth is I'm actually a modest person.

'Very modest. Many people tell me that modesty is perhaps my best quality, even better than my temperament,' he said, to the audience's amusement.

He went on to poke fun at the size of his hands: 'You know Cardinal Dolan and I have some things in common. For instance, we both run impressive properties on Fifth Avenue. Of course his is much more impressive than mine. Thats because I built mine with my own beautifully formed hands.'

And then managed to jokingly compare himself to Jesus: 'I know that so many of you in the archdiocese already have a place in your heart for a guy who started out as a carpenter working for his father. I was a carpenter working for mine.'

And compared the size of the dinner to his rallies: 'Its great to be here with a thousand wonderful people, or, as I call it, a small intimate dinner with some friends. Or as Hillary calls it, her largest crowd of the season.'

The Republican was even able to spin one of his most widely criticized comments from the previous night's debate.

'Last night, I called Hillary a "nasty woman". This stuff is all relative. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on, I don't think so badly of Rosie O'Donnell anymore. In fact, I'm actually starting to like Rosie a lot.'

'We have proven that we can actually be civil to each other. In fact, just before taking the dias, Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she, very civilly, said: "Pardon me."

Trump spoke first, sending the room into roaring laughter with his scripted jokes

His best punchline came in a joke made at his wife Melania's expense. She stood the audience applauded him for making fun of her RNC speech which was largely copied from Michelle Obama's 2008 DNC performance

Clinton laughed dutifully as Trump made fun of her in a series of jokes before the atmosphere turned

'And I, very politely, said: "Let me talk to you about that after I get into office."

His best received joke came at the expense of his wife Melania.

Mrs Trump faced public humiliation earlier this year when comparisons between her speech at the Republican National Convention and Michelle Obama's speech from the 2008 Democratic National Convention revealed striking similarities.

Making light of the embarrassment on Thursday, Trump led into his most popular punchline of the night by saying: 'The media is even more biased this year than ever before  ever. You want the proof?

'Michelle Obama made a speech and everyone loves it, it's fantastic.

'My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech. And people get on her case.

'And I don't get it. I don't know why. And it wasn't her fault.'

Other Trump gags included: 'But the candidates have some light-hearted moments together, which is true. I have no doubt that Hillary is going to laugh quite a bit tonight, sometimes even at appropriate moments.'

'[Hillary] said if somehow she gets elected she wants me to be, without question, either her ambassador to Iraq or to Afghanistan. Its my choice.'

'This is the first time ever, ever, that Hillary is sitting down and speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it.'

'I know Hillary met my campaign manager, and I got the chance to meet the people who are working so hard to get her elected. There they are  the heads of NBC, CNN, ABC  theres the New York Times, right over there, and the Washington Post.'

'Id like to address an important religious matter: the issue of going to confession. Or, as Hillary calls it, the Fourth of July weekend with FBI Director Comey.'

'Now, Im told Hillary went to confession before tonights event, but the priest was having a hard time, when he asked about her sins, and she said she couldnt remember 39 times.'

'I wasnt really sure if Hillary was going to be here tonight, because I guess you didnt send her invitation by email. Or, maybe, you did and she just found out about it through the wonder of WikiLeaks.

'Now some of you havent noticed, Hillary isnt laughing as much as the rest of us. Thats because she knows the jokes. And all of the jokes were given to her in advance of the dinner by Donna Brazile.'

Clinton was less severe in her approach but still delivered a few scathing blows

HILLARY CLINTON

Clinton was as successful with her one-liners.

' This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here.'

' And as youve already heard, its a treat for all of you too, because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this.'

She also joked about her bitterly-fought debates with Trump and the acrimony between them:

'Your Eminence, you were criticized for inviting both Donald and me here tonight, and you responded by saying If I only sat down with those who were saints, Id be taking all my meals alone.

'Now, just to be clear, I think the Cardinal is saying Im not eligible for sainthood. But getting through these three debates with Donald has to count as a miracle. '

'So I guess Im up against the highest, hardest stained-glass ceiling.'

And she joked about her much-criticized comments calling Trump's supporters a 'basket of deplorables'.

'Now, Ive got to say, there are a lot of friendly faces here in this room; people that Ive been privileged to know and to work with. I just want to put you all in a basket of adorables.

'And you look so good in your tuxes; or, as I refer to them, formal pantsuits.'

And she poked fun about Trump's suggestion he will not accept the result of the presidential election because it's 'rigged'.

'You know, come to think of it, its amazing Im up here after Donald. I didnt think hed be okay with a peaceful transition of power.

'And, Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it.

'And, you know, because this is a friendly dinner for such a great cause; Donald, if at any time, you dont like what Im saying feel free to stand up and shout Wrong! while Im talking.'

Her most celebrated joke of the evening played on her opponent's reputation for judging women based on their appearances.

'People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world.

Both candidates were ridiculed by host Alfred Smith IV (left) as he introduced them

He joked that Trump had entered the 'ladies dressing room' at the start of the night, thawing the otherwise icy atmosphere

'Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five if she removes the torch and tablet and changes her hair.'

She also tore into Trump Surrogate Rudy Giuliania: 'Now, many dont know this, but Rudy actually got his start as a prosecutor going after wealthy New Yorkers who avoided paying taxes. But, as the saying goes, If you cant beat them, go on Fox News and call them a genius.'

Others Clinton gags included: ' Regardless of the outcome, this race will be historic. We'll either have the first female president or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher.'

'Donald is very worried about my health. He sent a car for me tonight. Actually, it was a hearse'.

'Donald wanted me drug tested before last night's debate. I am so flattered that Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. Now actually, I did. It's called preparation.'

'Now, Im going to try my best tonight, but I understand I am not known for my sense of humor. Thats why it did take a village to write these jokes.'

'People say  and I hear them, I know  they say Im boring compared to Donald. But Im not boring at all. In fact, Im the life of every party I attend and Ive been to three.'

'And when the parties get out of hand, as occasionally they do, its important to have a responsible chaperone who can get everyone home safely. And that is why I picked Tim Kaine to be my Vice President.'

'Now, you notice there is no teleprompter here tonight, which is probably smart, because maybe you saw Donald dismantle his prompter the other day. And I get that. Theyre hard to keep up with, and Im sure its even harder when youre translating from the original Russian.'

'Every year, this dinner brings together a collection of sensible, committed, mainstream Republicans  or, as we now like to call them  Hillary supporters.

'And look at this dais  weve got Charlie Rose, and Maria Bartiromo, and Chris Matthews, and Gayle King, and Nora ODonnell, and Katie Couric  this counts as a press conference, right?'

'It is great, also, to see Mayor Bloomberg here. Its a shame hes not speaking tonight. Im curious to hear what a billionaire has to say.'

'So as Ive said, weve now had our third and, thankfully, final debate. Sharing a stage with Donald Trump is like, well, nothing really comes to mind.

'And looking back, Ive had to listen to Donald for three full debates. And he says I dont have any stamina.That is four and a half hours. I have now stood next to Donald Trump longer than any of his campaign manager.

'Now, look, I have deep respect for people like Kellyanne Conway. Shes working day and night for Donald and because shes a contractor, hes probably not even going to pay her.

'And if Donald does win, it will be awkward at the annual Presidents Day photo, when all the former presidents gather at the White House, and not just with Bill.How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?

'My heart rate is 72 beats per minute, his is the most beats ever, or the least beats ever, whichever sounds best. But Donald really is as healthy as a horse, you know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.'

'So tonight, lets embrace the spirit of the evening. Lets come together. Remember what unites us and just rip on Ted Cruz'

ALFRED SMITH

Host Alfred Smith IV also landed his own jokes. The first, a risky move, poked fun at recent allegations of sexual assault leveled against Trump by several women.

'I have no doubt that our guests tonight are up to the task. In fact before the dinner started, Donald went up to Hillary and asked her how she was doing.
It sounds like a Halloween prank but Sacramento police say it was all too real.

Authorities say a homeless woman led them to a decomposed body after she was seen walking down the street with a human skull on a stick.

Police tell KTXL-TV that the woman - who a neighbor called 'Victoria' - was spotted Wednesday on Connie Drive.

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A homeless woman holding a skull on a stick caught the eye of police officers in Sacramento, California on Wednesday

Police stopped her at an abandoned house.

Sgt. Bryce Heinlein says the woman told them she had found the skull and led them to an abandoned homeless camp a couple blocks away. That's where officers found the rest of a decomposing body.

'A call like this is not something that happens every day. We hope we can get down to the bottom of what caused this person to become deceased,' Heinlein said. 'She brought the officers to the area where she located the skull.'

Police stopped the woman - who a neighbor called 'Victoria' - at this abandoned home

The woman then led officers to this abandoned homeless encampment a few blocks away

Police then located a body not far from her possessions in the wooded area. The coroner is now working to identify the remains

The coroner will determine the identity of the remains and the cause of death.

A neighbor who identified himself as Warren lives next to the old encampment and says he had smelled an odor from the area recently, but just thought it was a dead cat.
A hunt is underway for a sickening 'scumbag' who threw a 14-week-old puppy into a creek before running off.

The 'heartless grub' was caught on camera picking up Prada, a French bulldog, and chucking her into a river in Bensville, on the New South Wales Central Coast.

In the distressing footage, the unidentified man - who appears to be a teenager - is seen beckoning Prada and another dog down a path that crosses a river.

A hunt is underway for a sickening 'scumbag' who threw a 14-week-old puppy into a creek before running off

The 'heartless grub' was caught on camera picking up Prada, a French bulldog, and chucking her into a river in Bensville, New South Wales

Do you know this man? The cruel teenager quickly scarpers, leaving Prada's four-legged friend panicking

When he reaches the bridge, the two trusting dogs approach him and the teenager appears to bend down to stroke him.

But in a terrifying twist, he suddenly picks up tiny Prada and lobs her into the water.

The cruel teenager quickly scarpers, leaving Prada's four-legged friend panicking.

The larger dog walks towards the edge of the path, looking for its companion, before eventually running off towards home.

The dog's owner, Michael Byrnes - who owns the security cameras outside his property - got home two-and-a-half hours later to discover that Prada was missing.

After frantically checking the security footage, Mr Byrnes charged out to the bridge and miraculously found Prada was still there and, most importantly, alive.

In the distressing footage, the unidentified man - who appears to be a teenager - is seen beckoning Prada and another dog down a path that crosses a river

The dog's owner, Michael Byrnes got home two-and-a-half hours later to discover that Prada was missing and miraculously found her alive

Mr Byrnes and his girlfriend, Jayde Bennett, are hunting down the 'low-life' who threw Prada into the creek and have asked anyone who knows him to come forward.

'We're trying to find out who this heartless grub is that was snooping around our property at Bensville on the Central Coast for something to steal on Friday just after I left for work,' she wrote on Facebook.

'You will see what he does to our baby Prada and lucky enough for our cameras my partner goes back to find out where she is to save her. This isn't for another two-and-a-half hours later when he comes home for lunch though.'

GET IN TOUCH Do you know the teenager in the video? Email ollie.gillman@dailymail.com Advertisement

She added: 'If anyone recognise this person please let us know!'

The pair installed the cameras after two other dogs - Bam Bam, a three-year-old French bulldog, and Alby, a 12-year-old American Staffordshire terrier - were stolen from their home.

'It's been a nightmare,' Miss Bennett told the Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate. 'These are all our babies and a big part of our lives.

'We were so upset after the other dogs were taken, and now this happens to our new baby. It's been like, "oh god, we can't go through this again".'

Mr Byrnes and his girlfriend, Jayde Bennett (pictured together), are hunting down the 'low-life' who threw Prada into the creek and have asked anyone who knows him to come forward

Miss Bennett said Mr Byrnes 'freaked out' when he saw the CCTV, adding that Prada could have drowned.

'I want the scumbag who did this to be named and shamed. And I want charges brought against him,' she said.

The property manager added that she believed the 'snooping' teenager was looking for something to steal before he threw Prada into a river.

The incident has been reported to the RSPCA.
A towering statue of a naked woman which promotes gender equality in California is the centre of controversy.

Standing at 55-foot high in a technology business park the sight was meant to highlight sexual crimes against women around the world.

The 13,000 pound statue  roughly three times as tall as Michelangelo's David  is made of steel mesh in the form of a graceful dancer, with an arched back and arms stretched overhead.

Written in 10 languages on the statue are the words: 'What would the world be like if women were safe?'

Standing at 55-foot high in a technology business park the sight was meant to highlight sexual crimes against women around the world

The 13,000 pound statue is made of steel mesh in the form of a graceful dancer

The debate is not over its artistic merit but whether it's appropriate in public.

Mother Tonette Watts, 57, stopped and stared at the statue on her way to work. She doesn't want her children to see the work, she said: 'If she's a ballerina, she should have some clothes on. If you've got kids you do not want them seeing that.'

Another parent, Keith Verville, 48, studied the sculpture and then asked: 'Why is it so big? And SO not clothed?'

The statue, named 'Truth is Beauty,' is on private property at the edge of the business in a popular location near San Leandro's rail station.

Many people, including city officials, have welcomed the statue as a reflection of the changing demographics in the city where young millennials now outnumber older residents.

Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter praised the statue, she said: 'This is something I'd never have thought would come to San Leandro. It's edgy and modern, and it makes me proud.'

Many people, including city officials, have welcomed the statue as a reflection of the changing demographics in the city

The statue debuted in 2013 at Burning Man, the annual counterculture celebration in the Nevada desert.

It was then bought by developers of the complex, for a price they haven't disclosed, under a requirement by the city to include public art at the site.

Cutter said some city officials initially weren't thrilled by the choice but ultimately liked the idea of starting a conversation about art. The mayor says the statue sends a powerful message of female strength that's more apparent when seen up close.

The sculptor, Marco Cochrane, says he was marked as a child by the rape of a neighborhood friend and tries through art to bring attention to sexual assault and to the fear of many women, but also to the strength women feel when not afraid.

He said: 'She feels safe and she is loving herself in that moment, and hopefully people can feel that feeling.

'It's a beautiful woman, and part of it is to draw men in. Then they look down and see the message and they go, 'Ohhhh.' I hope that happens thousands of times.'
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As some Syrian civilians safely returned to their villages around Mosul after they were liberated from ISIS control, around 550 families from others have been taken hostage by the terror group.

The UN is fearful that these prisoners will effectively be used as 'human shields', with retreating jihadis having already slaughtered 40 villagers.

It comes on the same day that ISIS launched a series of major attacks on the city of Kirkuk, including an airstrike that killed 15 women.

A mother carries her young child as civilians return to their village after it was liberated from Islamic State militants, south of Mosul

A child carries a bag of her belongings as the villagers return to their homes after ISIS were driven out of their village

ISIS fanatics have opened up a new front in the battle for Iraq after suicide bombers attacked government targets in another city to divert attention from the fight to retake Mosul. An injured Kurdish man walks at a site of an attack by ISIS in Kirkuk

Militants armed with assault rifles and explosive vests attacked a compound in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk and killed 16 at a constructions site further north as the jihadists' grip on Mosul started to slip. A Kurdish security officer takes cover at a site of an attack by ISIS

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 25 miles northwest of Kirkuk

A Kurdish intelligence officer said four suicide bombers attacked the main police headquarters in the city at around 3am while witnesses said dozens of armed jihadists were seen in the streets of Kirkuk

Fanatics armed with assault rifles and explosive suicide vests opened up a new front in the fight for Iraq and launching an assault on government targets.

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 25 miles northwest of Kirkuk. Hours earlier, a commando of suicide bombers armed with rifles attacked multiple locations in Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city 150 miles north of Baghdad, security sources said.

It comes as the UN said it was investigating claims militants had butchered up to 40 civilians in one village near Mosul and seized hundreds of families for use as human shields.

The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said: 'We are gravely worried by reports that (ISIS) is using civilians in and around Mosul as human shields as the Iraqi forces advance, keeping civilians close to their offices or places where fighters are located, which may result in civilian casualties.

'There is a grave danger that (ISIS) fighters will not only use such vulnerable people as human shields but may opt to kill them rather than see them liberated.'

A Kurdish intelligence officer said four suicide bombers this morning attacked the main police headquarters in the city at around 3am while witnesses said dozens of armed jihadists were seen in the streets of Kirkuk.

These assaults were aimed at diverting the authorities' attention from the battle to retake the ISIS-held Mosul.

The country's plight is encapsulated in other incredible photos, which show children doing everyday activities such as riding bikes and playing football, but with huge flames and plumes of smoke rising up in the background after ISIS set oil fields on fire as part of their scorched earth tactics.

A boy pauses on his bike as he passes an oil field that was set on fire by retreating ISIS fighters ahead of the Mosul offensive

Children play football next to an oil field. Several hundred Iraqi families have been made to leave their homes for Mosul by Islamic State fighters as the UN warns they could be used as human shields

Another young child takes a break from herding sheep as huge plumes of smoke rise up behind him in the background

A close-up photo of one of the burning oil fields shows the damage it has done to the natural terrain. The smoke is also bad for the environment and the health of those inhaling it

An Iraqi fighter belonging to a Sunni militia headed by Sheik Nazhan, a prominent tribal leader with 700 men under his command, sits next to the rubble of Nazhan's home

Nazhan's home was destroyed during a battle with ISIS fighters ahead of the Mosul offensive

Iraqi forces, backed by a coalition including Britain and the U.S.A continue their offensive to retake Iraq's second largest city of Mosu

The mayor of Dibis said the attack in his town led to clashes with security forces, who managed to kill one of the bombers before he detonated his vest. The other two blew themselves up once they were surrounded, he said.

Several other targets in the south of the city were attacked by what the officer said were members of ISIS, sparking clashes with security forces that were still ongoing five hours later.

A Kirkuk official told AFP that a total curfew was slapped on the city.

Local Kurdish television channel Rudaw aired footage showing black smoke rising over the city as extended bursts of automatic gunfire rang out. The TV, however, quoted Kirkuk Gov. Najmadin Karim as saying that the militants have not seized any government buildings.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack comes as the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces are making a major push to drive Islamic State militants from Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city that is claimed by both Iraq's central government and the country's Kurdish region. It has long been a flashpoint for tension and has been the scene of multiple attacks by ISIS.

Iraqi troops wait for an attack to begin against the jihadists' last major stronghold in the country

The approaches to Mosul run through clusters of mostly abandoned villages where ISIS militants have planted roadside bombs and other booby traps

A member of the Iraqi government forces takes a position on top of a vehicle as smoke rises on the outskirts of the Qayyarah area, some 35 miles south of Mosul

Smoke fills the air as Iraq's forces continue the massive operation against the jihadists

The Battle for Mosul is going 'faster than planned' according to Iraq's prime minister, as it emerged ISIS is retaliating with suicide car attacks, roadside bombs and snipers. Peshmerga forces fire an anti-aircraft gun towards ISIS

It comes after Iraqi soldiers raised their weapons in celebration yesterday on the outskirts of Mosul as Islamic State's hold on the city continues to crumble.

It comes as Iraq's prime minister said the battle to seize back control of ISIS's last major stronghold in the country was going 'faster than planned'.

Meanwhile, youths in Mosul have plastered leaflets on the homes of jihadists and threatened to rise up against them.

Frustrated teens in the city vowed to avenge the deaths inflicted by the terrorists and covered the homes of ISIS leaders with posters, one of which said: 'Now you will live in fear of us'.

These leaflets, many of which were put up on Wednesday night, demonstrate the rising popular resistance against ISIS in Mosul.

Iraqi special forces charged into battle with a pre-dawn advance on a nearby town held by ISIS today, a key part of a multi-pronged assault on eastern approaches to the besieged city.

A member of Iraq's elite counter terrorism forces poses for pictures ahead of an advance towards the city of Mosul, Iraq

Iraqi special forces charged into battle with a pre-dawn advance on a nearby town held by ISIS today, a key part of a multi-pronged assault on eastern approaches to the besieged city

Displaced children are seen as they have arrived at Al Qayyarah town, secured by Iraqi Army, in Mosul, having fled from ISIS

ISIS captured Mosul during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in 2014, and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque

The addition of the elite troops, also known as counterterrorism forces, marked a significant intensification of the fight for Iraq's second-largest city. As they advanced, attack helicopters fired on the militants and heavy gunfire echoed across the plains.

It comes as prime minister Haider al-Abadi insisted government and Kurdish forces were progressing quicker than expected in their fight to reclaim the ISIS stronghold.

Major General Maan al-Saadi said elite Counterterrorism Forces advanced on the town of Bartella with the aid of US-led coalition airstrikes and heavy artillery on the fourth day of a massive operation to retake Iraq's second-largest city.

'God willing, we will take this town today,' he said.

The militants fought back, unleashing at least four suicide car bombs against the advancing forces, one of which blew up after it was struck by tank fire. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the fighting.

There were reports that fanatics had even rigged a huge sulphur plant to explode and surrounded it with human shields. But separate reports then emerged suggesting that the al-Mishtaq facility had been safely recaptured days ago.

The special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in an urban landscape where ISIS militants are preparing for a climactic battle. The offensive is the largest operation launched by Iraqi forces since the 2003 US-led invasion, and is expected to take weeks, if not months.

The addition of the elite troops, also known as counterterrorism forces, marked a significant intensification of the fight for Iraq's second-largest city

ISIS militants have fought back, unleashing at least four suicide car bombs against the advancing forces, one of which blew up after it was struck by tank fire. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the fighting

Peshmerga forces prepare their anti-tank guided missiles in front of ISIS militants' positions at the town of Naweran near Mosul

Iraqi forces advance through the desert on the banks of the Tigris river, north east of the main staging base of Qayyarah

The Kurdish forces known as peshmerga, who are also taking part in the offensive, announced a 'large-scale operation' to the north and northeast of Mosul on Thursday.

'The operation will be in three fronts,' the peshmerga said in a statement, and follows recent gains by the peshmerga to the east of Mosul and Iraqi security forces to the south.

Peshmerga forces stationed on mountains northeast of Mosul descended from their positions and charged toward the front line.

They used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches and moved armored vehicles into the breach after about an hour of mortar and gunfire at IS positions below in the village of Barima.

Military operations also appeared to be underway in the town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul. Thick smoke could be seen billowing from the town early Thursday.

A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from Kurdish peshmerga positions high above.

Conflict: Smoke rises at Islamic state militants positions outside Naweran near Mosul, Iraq this morning

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter takes position in front of an ISIS stronghold on the outside of the town of Naweran near Mosul

Kurdish Peshmerga forces gather prior to opening up a front against ISIS in Nawaran, some 13 miles northeast of Mosul

The approaches to Mosul run through clusters of mostly abandoned villages where ISIS militants have planted roadside bombs and other booby traps

The approaches to Mosul run through clusters of mostly abandoned villages where ISIS militants have planted roadside bombs and other booby traps. Bartella, a traditionally Christian town which fell to ISIS two years ago, is believed to be empty of civilians.

'Our intelligence tells us the district is full of IEDs,' al-Saadi said, referring to the homemade explosives IS has planted in huge numbers during past campaigns.

By mid-morning the special forces were 17 miles from the Mosul city centre.

'SNIPER OF MOSUL' SHOOTS SEVERAL ISIS JIHADISTS IN ATTACKS INSIDE MOSUL A marksman has shot several ISIS jihadists in four regions of Mosul as uprisings against the group continue. The gunman, dubbed the 'Sniper of Mosul', is said to be hunting down ISIS fanatics while they are on patrol in the city's streets. A number of extremists have been injured by the shooter amid reports the attacks are improving morale among Mosul resistance groups. A marksman has shot several ISIS jihadists in four regions of Mosul as uprisings against the group continue (file picture) According to Iraqi News , there may even be more than one sniper at work. It quotes local media as writing: 'The emergence of the 'Sniper of Mosul', as the residents call him, increased the pace of the popular resistance against the ISIS. 'The presence of the sniper in four neighbourhoods emphasizes that there are many snipers and not only one.' Advertisement

Special forces Deputy Officer Ziyad Katham Humaydi said one of the vehicle bombs on Thursday was an armoured truck filled with explosives. He said the group often uses suicide truck bombers as a first line of defense to hold territory.

'We've even seen them rig a full oil tanker with explosives,' he said.

Amer al-Jabbar, a 30-year-old soldier with the Iraqi special forces, said he was happy to be taking part in the attack and hoped to avenge two brothers killed while fighting for the Iraqi security forces.

'I had one brother who became a martyr in 2007 and another who became a martyr in 2014,' he said. 'I want to avenge them and I'm ready to die.'

Fleeing for their lvies: Displaced civilians are seen as they have arrived at Al Qayyarah town, secured by Iraqi Army, in Mosul

Prepared: Kurdish Peshmerga forces survey the positions of the ISIS fighters as they get ready for battle in Nawaran

Liberation: Mosul is the largest city controlled by the extremist group and its last major urban bastion in Iraq

ISIS captured Mosul during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in 2014, and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. Mosul is the largest city controlled by the extremist group and its last major urban bastion in Iraq.

Iraq's US-trained special forces are seen as far more capable than the mainstream security forces that crumbled as ISIS advanced in 2014.

They have played a central role in liberating several cities and towns over the past year, including Ramadi and Fallujah, in the western Anbar province.

More than 25,000 forces, including the Iraqi army, the peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shiite militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive, which began on Monday after months of preparation. They will be advancing on the city from several directions.

More than 25,000 forces, including the Iraqi army, the peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shiite militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive

The fight began on Monday after months of preparation. They will be advancing on the city from several directions

The special forces advanced in some 150 Humvees decked with Iraqi flags and Shiite religious banners. Ali Saad, a 26-year-old soldier, said the Kurdish forces had asked them to take down the religious banners, but they refused.

'They asked if we were militias. We said we're not militias, we are Iraqi forces, and these are our beliefs,' he told The Associated Press.

Mosul is a Sunni majority town, and many fear the involvement of the Shiite militias in the operation could stoke sectarian tensions. The Shiite militias have said they will not enter the city itself, but will focus on retaking the town of Tel Afar to the west, which had a Shiite majority before it was captured by ISIS.

The US military is carrying out airstrikes and artillery shelling in support of the operation. More than 100 US forces are embedded with the Iraqis, and hundreds more are playing a supporting role in staging bases.
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Border officials today erected a giant 15ft screen to shield young migrants from view as one was exposed as an adult.

Scaffolders working outside the reception centre in Croydon said they were called in to put up the wall by the Home Office 'at the last minute' today with more young refugees on the way.

Some have joked the flimsy barrier, which you could still see arriving refugees through, is the 'Curtain of Croydon' and compared it unfavourably to the 'Great Wall of Calais' Britain is building in France.

Migrants claiming to be children hid their faces under green blankets as they arrived in the UK to claim asylum yesterday, fuelling suspicions that some may be lying about their true age.

It came as one of the young asylum seekers, who has not been named, told British border officials he was under 18 but his fingerprints appear to have proved he was older.

A border source said the man was already on the UK's biometric database, which could mean he has tried to enter Britain before or has a criminal record.

Protection: Border officials today erected a giant 15ft screen to shield young migrants outside the reception centre from view as one was exposed as an adult

Row: The screen runs the length of the street and is up as controversy continues over the possible ages of the child migrants

Scaffold: Construction workers put up a 15ft wall outside the immigration centre in Croydon where young migrants will arrive later

New home: Two young migrants were still able to be pictured as the entered the immigration centre to meet officials

On British soil: Some of the young men had decided to cover their heads with hoods while others were happy to be seen

Pleased to be here: One new arrival waves to the crowds gathered in Croydon to greet him and others today

Row: A migrant entering Britain has been found to be lying about his age - but it is not the so-called 'man in blue', pictured on Wednesday, charities falsely claimed was an adult interpreter

Comparison: Some have compared the wall in Croydon to the Great Wall of Calais that is being erected this month

SCREENS ARE TO PROTECT YOUNG MIGRANTS - NOT TO HIDE IF THEY'RE OVER 18 New arrivals: Child migrants covered their faces with blankets as they arrived in Britain yesterday - raising suspicions about their ages Screens put up outside a refugee reception centre were there to protect the identities of 'child' refugees not hide their age, a charity claimed. As around 20 more Jungle migrants are expected to arrive in Croydon today, James Asfa of Citizens UK said the screens. He denied that they were used to conceal older looking migrants posing as children and added Gary Lineker was just one of many outraged by the way the migrants had been portrayed. Speaking outside Lunar House, the media organiser said: 'In previous days photographers and paparazzi have been photographing the children. 'I think the Home Office have taken the decision that actually it's for the children's best interest that there were screens put up to protect them. 'Yesterday they asked not be photographed and came out with blankets over their faces. Some were only 13 or 14. 'It's not to hide their age or anything like that, it's just for their own extra safety.' James claimed Gary Lineker was one of many who had been 'outraged' by the lack of sympathy for the child refugees. He added 'These children have suffered for so long and have waited to be safe. 'When people come here it's good for them to know they are welcome.' Talking of the process the children go through he said: 'The checks they go through are rigorous. 'Staff and volunteers wait until midnight until local authority checks are carried out and families are found.' Advertisement

The Home Office refused to comment but MailOnline understands his case will still be considered and could still be allowed to stay in Britain.

He is understood not to be 'significantly' older than 18 but is not the Afghan 'man in blue' seen arriving from Calais this week.

Earlier this week former home secretary Jack Straw led demands for age tests on child refugees brought to Britain and warned the row over whether they were really adults risked undermining public confidence in the asylum system.

Last night a source told The Sun: 'This is hugely embarrassing for the Home Office and it's a complete mess.'

Another added: 'If it's only taken a few days for the first case to emerge, how many others will there be? 'It will only increase the clamour for a far more stringent system to be enforced to verify age on arrival.'

With wrinkles around his eyes and stubble on his chin, the unnamed asylum seeker's photograph this week sparked widespread doubts that he was truly a child and two charities assumed that the 'man in blue' was an adult interpreter .

A scaffolding company received a frantic call from the Home Office yesterday morning asking for a 15ft-high barrier to be erected before the refugees arrived.

Five builders put up the screen in three and a half hours. Home Office security guards patrolled outside the centre in Croydon, South London, as the fifth group arrived from the Jungle camp in Calais.

Construction workers have put up 15ft high scaffolding in front of a Home Office building ahead of the latest arrival of 'child refugees' from Calais to London.

White sheeting was also put up to screen any arrivals from waiting photographers after many of the first arrivals appeared to be older than they claimed.

On Thursday, another 14 migrants arrived in Croydon, with half demanding not to be photographed and many covering their faces with blankets.

On Friday, around half a dozen construction workers built the structure with an employee confirming it was a last minute job, organised this morning.

The structure reached around the area where all previous coaches from Calais have stopped outside Lunar House, the Home Office building where migrants are interviewed.

The labourers were employed by the firm Phoenix Scaffolding.

An employee from the firm, who didn't wish to be named, said: 'All I know is that it was a last minute job.

'We were called up quite early this morning. I don't know what it is or who called us.'

Dozens of campaigners gathered to welcome the latest group of refugee children from the Calais Jungle to the UK.

A bus with 21 refugees on board was expected to arrive at the Home Office building in Croydon, south London, on Friday, with crowds of supporters brandishing balloons and banners waiting to greet them.

The Refugees Welcome event was organised by charity Citizens UK.

On Friday morning, plastic screens were erected outside the building where the buses carrying the refugees will arrive.

The move, to prevent photographs being taken of the children, comes after calls for the migrants to have dental checks to prove they are not adults.

After the arrival of refugees on Monday, MP David Davies commented they 'don't look like children' and said dental checks would reassure the public.

A group of more than 40 unaccompanied minors from the Calais Jungle boarded a bus in France this morning to join relatives in the UK.

Sheltering from the driving rain the teenagers from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea had been awake all night in anticipation of starting a new life in Britain.

Taking selfies with the friends they have left behind the youngsters were accompanied by officials from France's Interior Ministry, riot police and welfare charity workers the group  believed to number 41, including one teenage girl  mounted the steps of the white French registered coach.

As the arrivals walked into the immigration centre, more than 100 charity volunteers, local vicars and other well-wishers cheered from behind the plastic screen.

Waving balloons and banners, they chanted: Calais kids are welcome here.

The Home Office declined to comment on the screen, which is understood to have cost taxpayers up to 2,000.

A coach that crossed the Channel drives into the area behind the 'Croydon Curtain' with its windows covered to hide the faces of those inside

Explanation: The company putting up said they were called first thing this morning in a 'last minute' job - as supporters gathered at Lunar House

Some have joked the flimsy barrier, which you could still see arriving refugees and officials through, is the 'Curtain of Croydon'

Excited: Tore, 17, from Afghanistan, says goodbye to his friends from the Calais Jungle by taking a selfie this morning

New start: Unaccompanied migrant minors from the Calais Jungle camp board a bus bound for the UK today

Charity workers privately admitted that the construction of the screen was farcical because many who arrived yesterday had posed for pictures before they left France.

Ironically, the latest batch of more than 20 refugees appeared to be the youngest so far. Ali Otaky, a 13-year-old from Afghanistan, said he was excited about his new life, but admitted that some of the migrants who travelled to the UK earlier in the week looked too old.

Among them was polio-sufferer Fahim, 17, who had fled war-torn Afghanistan whose father had been murdered by the Taliban.

Tore, 17, pictured today, will be reunited with his brother in London and told MailOnline: 'He has been in England for 12 years. I can't wait to see him'

'I am so happy to be going to England,' the bright-faced teenager told MailOnline.

'I could not sleep last night I was so excited about finally going to the England.

'I have difficulty in walking. I have polio.

'But now I am going to England to be with my sister and my nephew.'

Fahim has been living the squalid 'jungle' encampment near Calais for two and a half months since he crossed half of Asia and Europe to reach Britain.

His uncle sold a house in their home town Jalalabad to pay people traffickers the $11,000 fee to ferry Fahim to the shores of the English Channel.

'The journey was very difficult. My uncle sold a house to pay for me.

'I travelled to Turkey by bus and I got a boat in Istanbul to Italy. From Italy I took a train to France.

'But everything will be ok when I get to England and when I am with my sister.

'I will work hard and I will train to be a doctor.'

Fresh-faced 13-year-old Ali from Afghanistan is also over-joyed to be finally on his way to the UK.

Wearing a MacKenzie hoodie and Nike trainers he said: 'I have been in the jungle for six months.

'I can't wait to get to England so I can go to school. I have not been to school for eight months.

'I like biology. I want to be a businessman.'

Another Afghan boy, Tore, 17, will be reunited with his brother in London.

He told MailOnline: 'My brother is in London. He has been in England for 12 years. I can't wait to see him.

'I have been living in the jungle for two months. It is very bad.'

A charity issued a humiliating apology yesterday for making the false claims about him.

TACT, the UK's largest fostering and adoption charity, sparked a frenzy by peddling the untruth about the Afghan 'man in blue'.

The suggestion he was a Home Office translator helping officials at Croydon immigration centre was repeated unchallenged by the BBC and caused a storm on Twitter.

Huge numbers of police guard the minors as they prepare to cross the Channel today

Rabani, 15, and Fahim, 17, both from Afghanistan, wait to board a bus bound to the UK today

Celebrities including Gary Lineker quickly jumped on the bandwagon. But yesterday the Home Office debunked the myth by confirming the man was not a translator.

Microsoft's face-recognition software, which offers an unofficial 'fun' guess at ages, rated the man as 38. But when his picture appeared in newspapers on Wednesday, TACT tweeted: 'This is a picture of an adult interpreter working for @ukhomeoffice'.

Meanwhile, BBC Radio 4's World At One programme announced in its top headline that charity workers believed the photo did not show a migrant.

George Gabriel, of another charity, Citizens UK, went unchallenged when he told the programme: 'We think one of the photos is actually a translator accompanying the children.'

The false suggestion quickly gained attention on Twitter, prompting users to complain about 'lies' in the Press  egged on by BBC pundit Lineker. Feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez wrote: 'That's an interpreter not a refugee.' She later admitted her gaffe saying: 'My bad not checking.'

By contrast the Daily Mail, one of the newspapers to use the photograph, had conducted extensive checks before publishing it.

TACT made claims that the asylum seeker was an interpreter, which was later ruled out by the Home Office yesterday

Conservative MP David Davies, who faced an outpouring of bile after suggesting migrants should have dental checks to verify ages, said: 'These charities have been caught out peddling false claims to suit their purposes, and the BBC should be ashamed of itself for repeating these claims without checking them.

New life: A child refugee arrives in Croydon yesterday as he prepares to be rehomed after leaving Calais

'My fear is that any adult posing as a child will quite possibly be placed in a foster home or classroom with real children.'

Last night a TACT spokesman said: 'Our information was from a credible source. However, if the male is indeed a migrant and not an interpreter, TACT regrets any concern caused. The tweet has now been withdrawn as we do not want to cause any further distress.'

The BBC said it had reported claims as allegations, and had reported Home Office confirmation that the migrant was not an interpreter.

Meanwhile the row over the ages of the migrants rumbles on.

Dental tests are already being used to assess the age of migrants, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The Home Office is under fire for ruling out tooth X-rays for youngsters coming to the UK from The Jungle camp in Calais. Ministers claimed such checks were 'inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical'.

But last night it was revealed that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the Home Office agency responsible for asylum claims, already accepts dental checks as proof of age, if provided by the migrant.

Guidelines said officials should give 'considerable weight' to reports from dental consultants who have assessed arrivals.

The UK has agreed to take around 200 unaccompanied children at the Jungle camp who have family in this country. MPs and immigration lawyers, backed by Labour former home secretary Jack Straw, led calls for dental tests to determine their age after some of those arriving appeared older than 18.

Citing guidance from the British Dental Association, the Home Office claimed dental X-rays were not accurate enough because they carried a margin of error of at least two years.

But UKVI documents entitled Assessing Age For Asylum Applicants showed that officials used such tests to check on some asylum seekers who were trying to prove they were children.

Welcome: Well-wishers stood outside the reception centre holding banners to welcome the new arrivals

Around 200 unaccompanied children with family already in the UK will be brought across the Channel by the end of the week, according to French police.

Children are arriving in the UK for the fourth day today after sometimes spending months in the Jungle camp

Critics said this torpedoed the Home Office's claims that the tests were unethical, although Whitehall officials pointed out that the migrants involved were voluntarily taking the test to prove they were under 18.

Tory MP Philip Davies said: 'It is ludicrous that the Home Office is pooh-poohing the idea of using dental records to establish how old these people are, when its own guidance says the tests are accurate to within a couple of years.'

Mr Davies called for Home Office ministers to be hauled before the Commons to explain the child migrant fiasco.

Charity workers in the Jungle have admitted the majority of young migrants are lying about their age to get to Britain.

A Home Office spokesman admitted that UKVI did recognise dental records as a valid indicator of age in some cases, but insisted it did not seek them proactively. He added: 'If records of this kind are submitted then they can be considered on a case-by-case basis. But the Home Office does not seek dental records itself.'

There were also claims last night that the Home Office was failing to check whether 'child' migrants were telling the truth about having family links to the UK.

David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government Association's asylum, refugee and migration task group, said: 'The Home Office are saying that they have carried out checks that family members exist but in fact local authorities are being asked to check out the relatives when the children arrive.'

The councillor from west London told The Daily Telegraph there were also shortcomings in the way the Home Office checked any relatives in Britain were able to look after a child.

If relatives were unable to do so, the migrants would end up in the care system at the local authority's expense, he added.

Computer analysis of photographs of the 'child' migrants suggests some may be older than they claim.

Face recognition software written by Microsoft estimates some are aged in their 30s.

The global software giant stressed yesterday that its 'How Old Do I Look?' program was a 'fun app' that 'guesses how old you look using machine learning'. A spokesman said: 'It is not intended to be used as a definitive assessment of age.'

Computer analysis of photographs of the 'child migrants' who arrived in London from the Jungle camp this week suggests many could be in their 20s and 30s

Facial recognition software written by Microsoft suggested these two 'child' migrants were aged in their 30s

The global software giant stressed yesterday that its How Old Do I Look? program was a 'fun app' that 'guesses how old you look using machine learning'
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Mortar explosions, tanks rolling into battle and military helicopters circling the skies.

They may look like scenes from a war-torn country, but these images in fact show military drills in rural Australia.

The ADF has wrapped off its 3rd Brigade Live Fire Exercise 'Brolga Run' in Townsville, in far north Queensland, with 2,300 troops taking part in the drills.

Snapshots from the ground show M1A1 Abrams tanks taking up position, soldiers running into trenches and commanders watching mortar explosions battering a hill.

Elsewhere the ground can be seen blanketed in bullet casings in the wake of 50 calibre machine guns live firings during simulated battles, as CH-47 Chinook helicopters fly overhead.

Staged at Townsville Field Training Area, the exercise was designed to bolster Australia's operational land force exercises.

A crew commander of a M113 APC looks out onto the side of a hill as mortar rounds batter the base of a hill

Two M1A1 Abrams tanks are seen taking up positions after completing an assault on a simulated enemy position

Soldiers from 1 RAR jump into a simulated enemy trench position after completing an assault on the position

A CH-47 Chinook helicopter is seen flying over two M1A1 Abrams tanks after they completed an assault on a simulated enemy position

M113 APCs are seen parked just in front of a simulated enemy trench position after completing an assault on the position during the 3rd Brigade Live Fire Exercise 'Brolga Run'

Expended bullet casings are seen laying on the ground after the completion of the live firing of .50 calibre machine guns
For more than two decades Jim Walker was a clean-cut anchor who read the news on Fox, NBC and CBS.

He was nominated for two regional Emmys and became known for his calm and authoritative delivery of the news.

But after 23 years he left that all behind him to embark on a completely different career - reinventing himself as Dallas Steele, a gay porn actor with dozens of blue movies to his name.

Then and now: For 23 years Walker was a news reporter and anchor, but when he left the industry in 2013 he reinvented himself as a gay porn actor

The 44-year-old hit back at trolls, saying he 'feels bad for them', and vowed never to 'go quietly into the night'

The 44-year-old said he turned his back on the news networks because of the immense pressure to get ratings.

He has had implants in his backside, which he said were paid for by an escort client, and says he has no regrets.

In an interview, he said: 'Im much more successful in every measure than I ever was before.'

Walker told a website: 'I left the business in 2013 after my boss in Southwest Florida told me that research had shown "people here just dont like you".

'Add to that, the immense pressure of daily ratings where your job is virtually on the line every single day.'

His role as a news anchor was taking its toll on his health, and he decided it was time for a fresh start.

The actor said in an interview: 'Im much more successful in every measure than I ever was before'

He was a well-known news anchor and reporter for more than 20 years before making the move into gay porn movies

'It was a good thing getting released from my contract,' he said.

The move has, however, made him a target for internet trolls.

He told reporters he 'feels bad' for those who criticize him - and those who branded the change in career a 'midlife crisis' - stating: 'Theyve obviously decided at some point that there are limitations about who you can be and what you can do once you hit 40.

'Im sorry if the haters have decided that gays over 40 are supposed to put on the board shorts, move to the suburbs and settle down to bridge parties once per week. I dont plan to ever go quietly into the night.'
Hexagonal clouds creating terrifying air bombs with winds of 170mph could be behind the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.

Scientists have claimed the stormy blasts can flip ships into the sea and bring planes crashing down into the sea.

The mystifying 500,000km square patch in the North Atlantic Ocean has been blamed for the disappearance of at least 75 planes and hundreds of ships, but the oddly-shaped clouds may hold the secret to the vanishing acts.

Hexagonal clouds creating terrifying air bombs with winds of 170mph could be behind the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle

The mystifying 500,000km square patch in the North Atlantic Ocean has been blamed for the disappearance of at least 75 planes and hundreds of ships, but the oddly-shaped clouds may hold the secret to the vanishing acts

The winds created by the so-called air bombs are so powerful they generate 45ft high winds

The winds created by the so-called air bombs are so powerful they generate 45ft high winds.

Meteorologist Randy Cerveny told the Mirror: 'These types of hexagonal shapes over the ocean are in essence air bombs.

'They are formed by what are called microbursts and they're blasts of air that come down out of the bottom of a cloud and then hit the ocean and then create waves that can sometimes be massive in size as they start to interact with each other.'

Researchers added massive clouds were appearing over the western tip of Bermuda Island  ranging from 20 to 55 miles across - and Dr Steve Miller, satellite meteorologist at Colorado State University told Science Channel's What on Earth said: 'You don't typically see straight edges with clouds.

'Most of the time, clouds are random in their distribution.'

Scientists believe these weather phenomenons are behind the Bermuda Triangle mystery, according to the Mirror.

At least 1,000 lives have been lost in the Triangle in the last 100 years.
home Tech NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 news, specs update: Latest Pascal GPU affordable at $109; less powerful than GTX 1050 Ti

NVIDIA had a very busy year with the successful release of their latest GPUs based on the Pascal architecture, the GeForce GTX 1060 and 1070. These are high-end graphics cards based on Pascal architecture and are proven to be effective in providing high-quality gaming experience for the players. The company was then rivaled by AMD with the release of Radeon RX 470 and 480, which are both based on the latest Polaris architecture. The competition between the two OEMs today may be tight, but NVIDIA is surely enjoying the high profit and positive reviews of their high-tier GPUs. Still, AMD is enjoying its success with its budget-friendly Polaris video cards.

With the recent announcement of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti, AMD's entry-level graphics card will now meet their match. As reported by Engadget, the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti are also based on Pascal architecture, boasting a smooth 60 frames per second in 1080p resolution. These newly released GPU will be enough to perfectly run the video games like "Bioshock Infinite," "Grand Theft Auto V," "Star Wars: Battlefront," and Tom Clancy's "The Division."

There might not be too much of a difference between the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti. However, when comparing the specs of the two, the GTX 1050 Ti will emerge as the slightly more powerful GPU with 768 CUDA cores and 4 GB of GDDR5 RAM. On the other hand, the GTX 1050 has 640 CUDA cores and only 2 GB of GDDR5 RAM. The two GPUs does not support virtual reality (VR) platforms. Another plus point for the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti is their impressive performance even with the absence of an external power connector.

As listed on the GeForce official website, the GTX 1050 will be put on sale on Oct. 25 at $109. The GTX 1050 Ti will be released in the market on Nov. 8 with a slightly higher selling price of $139.

iSports Times reported that the GeForce GTX 1050, the fifth member in the NVIDIA GTX series, might be the last NVIDIA video card based on the Pascal architecture. It is not yet confirmed if NVIDIA will move to the latest GPU technology, or stick to Pascal GPUs by next year.
A former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency has branded Russian hacks on the Democratic party's emails 'honorable state espionage' - and said he could not deny that the NSA had done the same.

Michael Hayden, a retired four-star US Air Force general, who headed the NSA between 2005 and 2006 and the CIA for three years from 2006, said he believed the Russian government is 'trying to mess with our heads'.

His comments come after the Department for Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence condemned Moscow for the attacks.

Michael Hayden said he believes the Russian government carried out the hacks 'to mess with our heads', rather than in an attempt to influence the outcome of the Presidential election

Hayden, pictured alongside former President George W Bush, was director of the CIA between 2006 and 2009

Hayden told an audience at The Heritage Foundation, CNN reports: 'I have to admit my definition of what the Russians did is, unfortunately, honorable state espionage.

'A foreign intelligence service getting the internal emails of a major political party in a major foreign adversary? Game on.

'I would not want to be in an American court of law and be forced to deny that I never did anything like that as director of the NSA.'

He also suggested that the hacks have not been carried out to influence the outcome of the Presidential election.

'I think theyre doing it because (Putin is) convinced we do this to him all the time. We dont,' said Hayden

Campaign chairman John Podesta's Gmail account was hacked by a group of hackers linked to Russia

'I think theyre doing it to mess with our heads, to erode confidence in our political process,' he stated.

'I think theyre doing it because (Russian President Vladimir Putin is) convinced we do this to him all the time. We dont.'

But he did state a belief that Russia had crossed a line by using 'criminal gangs' as a way of keeping some distance between the state and the 'actual actors'.

Emails between Podesta and President Obama have also been shared by WikiLeaks

Yesterday cybersecurity firm Secureworks said it had confirmed that Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's Gmail account had been hacked by a group of hackers linked to Russia.

He had entered his details on a fake Google login page, the company revealed, saying the scam was set up by a group called 'Fancy Bear'.

The practice is known as 'spear phishing', and the emails prompted uncomfortable questions on Clinton's relationship with Wall Street, trade and the Keystone pipeline.

Emails between Podesta and President Obama were also shared, including one advising Obama against attending a meeting alongside George W. Bush - so as not to project an impression of a divided America.

A statement from the Clinton campaign said: 'There is no longer any doubt that Putin is trying to help Donald Trump by weaponizing WikiLeaks.'

WikiLeaks, which has already released 23,000 of Podesta's emails, says it still has 27,000 more.

In a statement earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence condemned Russia.

The Clinton campaign accused Russia of 'weaponizing' WikiLeaks to support Donald Trump, but in Wednesday's debate the Republican candidate said the US has 'no idea' who is behind the hacks

It said: 'These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.

'We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.'

In Wednesday's debate, Republican candidate Donald Trump questioned whether Russia was involved in the hacking, stating: 'She (Clinton) has no idea whether it's Russia, China, or anybody else.'
One of the victims reportedly died before he could get medical treatment

Six men and one woman had hands severed in the Mexican state of Jalisco

Horrific footage of vigilantes severing the hands of seven suspected thieves has emerged.

The video, filmed in the Mexican state of Jalisco, shows two of the terrified men and one woman bound and gagged rolling around on the floor.

Police carrying guns attempt to help the injured group as they clutch plastic-covered stumps where their hands once were.

The shocking footage shows several of the victims (pictured) in agony and clutching the stumps where their hands once were

In the background a person can be heard saying: 'An ambulance is coming, an ambulance is coming, you have to stay here.'

A police officer is also heard asking the men: 'Where are you from?' One of the alleged thieves then replies: 'We haven't eaten anything for four days.'

The man lying on the ground is asked why he was kidnapped, but he makes no reply.

One of the victims reportedly died before he could get medical treatment and the other six were in critical condition in hospital.

The footage was released as two men were arrested in connection with the crime.

Prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer Ramirez from Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, later confirmed that all of those attacked had criminal records for crimes including robbery and drug dealing.

Local media reported that the reason for the attach was 'vigilante justice', and the latest in a string of similar attacks on people accused of being involved in crime.

The alleged thieves (pictured) roll around on the floor with just plastic bags covering their injuries

Some of the injured group allegedly claimed that the punishment was inflicted by drug dealers because they had stolen cash while making sales and were mutilated as a warning to others.

The tortured men were found with the message 'Elite antirratas' pinned to their bodies, which means 'Elite group against rats'.

Journalist Ciro Gomez Leyva posted the video which shows two thieves, one without a shirt, lying on the ground and looking at the plastic wrapped stumps sealed with Sellotape.

The tortured men were found with the message 'Elite antirratas' pinned to their bodies, which means 'Elite group against rats'

Prosecutors say they believe that the attackers belonged to the Cartel of Jalisco Nueva Generacion (Jalisco Cartel New Generation, CJNG), which was the same gang being investigated by Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias- the judge who was shot dead while jogging.

His death has also been linked to El Chapo Guzman as he was one the judges dealing with the drug lord's extradition process.
A court has ordered a brick wall to be built through the middle of a 2 million luxury mansion shared by a feuding Russian couple.

But the structure has left glamorous Margarita Tsvitnenko, 45, unable to get to her bedroom on the second floor because the only staircase was on her husband Sergey's side of the house.

She posted on social media about her housing nightmare after her female friend was trapped upstairs in the home by the hastily erected wall and needed the emergency services to rescue her.

'One day Sergey said he was leaving me,' she said. 'We did have problems earlier because of his affairs,' she claimed.

Margarita Tsvitnenko, 45, has been left unable to get to her bedroom on the second floor of her home after a judge ordered a wall to split her former marital home in half

'I put up with them because I loved him and I thought it would be wrong to split and leave our two children without both parents.

'But then he left me for good and filed for divorce.'

The court verdict was to split the family's wealth 50-50 between the spouses, and their main asset was the mansion in Moscow's elite Rublyovka suburb.

'A court expert came to measure the house and figure how we split the rooms,' she said.

'The staircase to the second floor where we each had rooms was on my ex-husband's side.

'The court said I should build my own staircase upstairs. I appealed and asked for delay until 7 March 2017 as had no money to build it right immediately.'

Ms Tsvitnenko says the wall (pictured) was erected before she had time to get a staircase built on her side of the 2 million home in Moscow

Margarita, who has a 12 year old son and an teenage daughter, claimed the builders had ignored a court ruling giving her longer to build a separate staircase.

'Me and my son were having a breakfast when builders came into the house, dragging in blocks of concrete,' she complained.

'A court official came too, armed with a statement saying that I should have built my staircase by now.

'I showed him the earlier court's decision that gave me more time.'

But he allegedly ignored this and the builders blocked doorways and put a wall through the middle of the house which resulted in her having no access to the luxury home's top two floors.

'The court official just looked blank, saying that my former husband was free to do anything he wanted in his half of the house,' she said.

Ms Tsvitnenko, who has a 12 year old son and an teenage daughter, claimed the builders had ignored a court ruling giving her longer to build a separate staircase. Pictured is the home

The couple are pictured here in happier times. The court verdict was to split the family's wealth 50-50 between the spouses

'It was like some kind of weird farce.

'Me and my son were downstairs when it was happening, but my friend was asleep in one of the bedrooms upstairs.

'So she got blocked, marooned there.

'She couldn't' get down, it was too dangerous because of the height.

'I called police. Police called emergency services and they brought a long ladder.

'So my friend who was stuck there for several hours finally managed to get out.'

She was told she would need a new court order to regain access to the staircase on her husband's side of the divide, but says - despite the family's previous wealth - she has no money to build new access to the upstairs part of her home.

An accountant, she said she and her 52 year old ex-soldier husband, had built up a lucrative business together before their relations deteriorated.
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A state-of-the art destroyer has been dispatched to join Royal Navy ships monitoring Russian warships who are on their way to the Mediterranean.

HMS Dragon was earlier seen leaving Portsmouth Harbour to keep an eye on the Russian vessels sailing down the English Channel.

The Type 45 HMS Dragon and a number of other Royal Navy ships are taking part in the man-marking exercise.

The Russian carrier fleet that passed through the English Channel today deployed heavily-armed guards to deter anyone approaching the warships.

HMS Dragon is the fourth of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 air defence destroyers and was launched in November 2008.

A state-of-the art destroyer has been dispatched to join Royal Navy ships monitoring Russian warships who are on their way to the Mediterranean. Pictured, HMS Dragon leaving its Portsmouth base

The Type 45 HMS Dragon and a number of other Royal Navy ships are taking part in the man-marking exercise. Pictured, HMS Dragon (right) accompanying the Russian destroyer

HMS Dragon was earlier seen leaving Portsmouth Harbour to keep an eye on the Russian vessels sailing down the English Channel

HMS Dragon is the fourth of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 air defence destroyers and was launched in November 2008

The Admiral Kuznetsov, pictured, passed by the White Cliffs of Dover, left, shortly after 11am on its way to the Mediterranean

Guards even manned a pair of heavy calibre machine guns as the Peter the Great navigated the narrow channel

The ship has a range of 7,000 nautical miles and its commanding officer is Captain Craig Wood.

Type 45 destroyers are equipped with a 4.5in MK8 main gun, a Sampson multi-function radar and a phalanx (a radar-controlled Gatling gun which fires 20mm shells, spewing out 3,000 rounds a minute).

The vessels are also fitted with the Sea Viper anti-air missile.

The Navy's Type 45s, also known as the D or Daring class, are an advanced class of six guided missile destroyers built at a cost of around 1bn each.

A number of guards, equipped with AK-74 assault rifles and heavy machine guns were spotted on the flight deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov as it passed by the White Cliffs of Dover.

The powerful fleet was ordered to pass through the Channel, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, in single file.

Vladimir Putin ordered the fleet to travel to the Mediterranean within sight of the English coast as a show of force.

Bemused passengers on board cross-Channel ferries looked on as the grey warships picked their way through the civilian traffic.

After days of mocking the Royal Navy and their allies as weak, Vladimirs Putins forces upped the ante by entering the 22-mile wide stretch of water separating the UK from mainland Europe.

Belching black smoke from its powerful diesel engines, the forces carrier flagship the Admiral Kuznetzov passed Ramsgate at around 9am and was near Folkestone by 11.30pm.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon admitted today's exercise was aimed at testing the capabilities of the Royal Navy and its Nato allies.

The commander of the Admiral Kuznetsov ordered armed guards carrying AK-74 assault rifles to protect the vessel

An armed guard stood by a pair of SU-33 fighters, equipped with air-to-air missiles on the carrier's flight deck

The Admiral Kuznetsov was not allowed to conduct flight operations as it transited through the English Channel today

The HMS Richmond has reported the Russian fleet is heading south towards the Dover strait while several NATO vessels are being deployed to keep the flotilla under surveillance. Meanwhile Vladimir Putin has recalled two corvettes from the Mediterranean to divide the Royal Navy's response to his aircraft carrier provocatively sailing down the British coastline

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'They are all in one line now. They have to be to effectively go through the traffic separation scheme, and they are progressing as expected.

'They haven't slowed or sped up. When they are clear of the Dover traffic separation scheme, they will probably break back out in a formation scheme and be on their way.

'We still don't know where that is and how they are going to get there, but everything so far has been exactly how we would have expected.'

The guided missile cruiser Severomorsk was also part of the Russian Navy's parade through the English Channel

Two seamen onboard the Peter The Great stand beside the ship's 130mm gun turret towards the stern of the vessel

The Kamov KA-27, pictured, sat on the flight deck today as the Russian aircraft were grounded during the Channel transit

A Russian seaman stood watch on the bow of the Peter the Great as the nuclear-powered vessel passed Dover today

Marine researcher Nigel Scutt was on board a 28ft charter boat which went out of Dover Marina to get a closer look.

He told MailOnline: It was a day Ill never forget. We criss-crossed the lane as they came down and we managed to get really close to them.

Its almost impossible to see a fleet of battleships as formidable as that these days, it was astonishing.

I have seen a Russian submarine pass through the Strait before and on that occasion we waved to the crew and they waved back.

But today it was much more business-like from the Russians. We all knew where they were headed and it felt a bit more sinister.

I think its fair to call it a show of strength from them. It was an impressive fleet and theyve obviously decided to go through the English Channel by daylight.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon admitted today's show of force by the Russians was intended to test Nato's capabilities

HMS Duncan Russian, pictured today, was tasked with following the Russian fleet through the English Channel

The Russian fleet was ordered to travel through the English Channel in single file so the ferries could safely pass

The dramatic scene was filmed by Conservative MP Damian Collins as the flotilla passed by his Folkestone constituency.

Putin's flagship was accompanied by the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great and six other surface vessels including the world's biggest ocean going tug, the Nicolay Chiker.

The Kuznetsov never travels far from its home port in Severomorsk, outside Murmansk without the tug in case the vessel's unreliable diesel engines pack up.

The Russian fleet was in constant contact with the coastguard and the Royal Navy as it passed through the English Channel

People gathered around Dover since the early hours of the morning to catch a glimpse of the Russian fleet

Members of the ship's company were spotted on the flight deck as a ITN News helicopter flew off its beam

The fleet steamed overnight from near the Scottish coast, shadowed by the Royal Navy and several Nato allies, passing within a few miles of Dover on the 211th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Vladimir Putin has ordered the Kuznetsov, which is a relic of the Cold War, to deploy to the eastern Mediterranean to bomb opponents of his ally Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Russian defence officials have sent the world's largest ocean going tug, the Nikolay Chiker, to sail with the fleet in case the diesel-powered aircraft carrier breaks down.

HMS Duncan - the world's most advanced air-defence destroyer  joined the HMS Richmond yesterday to intercept the eight-strong Russian fleet.

As well as the Royal Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Finnish Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy have vessels involved in the operation.

The Russian fleet, including the guided missile battle cruiser Peter the Great, which passed by Dover earlier today

Among the Russian fleet which passed in single file was the destroyer the Vice-Admiral Kulakov

A Royal Navy Lynx helicopter circled the Russian fleet as it passed Dover on its way to the Mediterranean earlier today

Despite this response, one Moscow defence expert claimed Vladimir Putin is ready to 'seize control' of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic as he boasted about Russia's sea power while branding the Royal Navy 'tiny'.

Pyotr Klintsevich, first deputy of Russian senate's Defence and Security Committee, confirmed the eight-strong flotilla was armed and ready for combat.

'We understand that such ships are armed, and that they did not just go for a walk with a walking stick,' he said.

'The fact that today the military ships, including a first-class vessel, go forward - it's part of combat training tasks.'

He added: 'The Admiral Kuznetsov and Pyotr Velikiy are able to solve any task anywhere on the planet's waters.'

Crowds of people stood along the shore watching the powerful fleet pass within a couple of miles of the English coast

The Ministry of Defence reported the Russian fleet passed through the English Channel without incident

The Admiral Kuznetsov, pictured this morning, pumped out toxic black smoke from its diesel engines as it passed Dover

Broadcasters have also brazenly claimed that the presence of the Russian fleet has 'scared' the Royal Navy.

A report on TV Zvezda, run by the Vladimir Putin's Defence Ministry, boasted: 'NATO got scared by Russian ships moving towards Syria.'

Vladimir Mukhin, who writes for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, headlined his column: 'Admiral Kuznetsov scared the English'.

Putin's admirals are keen to ramp up the pressure on Britain's warships by calling in extra assets from the Mediterranean in a mission dubbed 'Operation Sea Fist' by the Russian media.

The Admiral Kuznetsov was almost lost in a haze of smoke and haze as it steamed through the English Channel

The Russian battle fleet has been tracked by the Royal Navy, RAF and enthusiastic amateurs since it left its home port

The Stary Oskol Kilo class hunter killer submarine, pictured today, went through the English Channel on the surface

The Russians are trying to divide the Royal Navy's efforts to track their fleet by recalling two corvettes from the Mediterranean, forcing the HMS Dragon to head south from Portsmouth to intercept.

It is understood there is also a Dutch submarine operating south of the English Channel.

Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the Russian decision to deploy the aircraft carrier.

Speaking upon her arrival in Brussels at her first EU summit since becoming Prime Minister, she said: 'We must show that robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression.

'The UK has put Russian actions in Syria on the agenda for this summit - we must continue to work together and it's vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling atrocities, its sickening atrocities in Syria.'

Royal Navy's HMS Duncan (centre) is seen here observing a Russian Kirov Class Battle cruiser (left) and Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

As well as the Royal Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Finnish Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy have vessels in the area

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would monitor the eight-ship force in 'a responsible and measured' way as it headed to the Mediterranean, the latest cat-and-mouse encounter in two years of Cold-War style tensions.

'We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering," Stoltenberg said at North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters in Brussels.

'This group may be used to... increase attacks on Aleppo.'

Smoke on the water: Admiral Kutnesov, pictured here belching toxic fumes as it steamed through the English Channel today

Belgian frigate Leopold I has just joined the tracking operation with the Admiral Kuznetsov belching smoke in the background

The Russian fleet needs to certify its pilots, pictured yesterday flying a pair of SU-33 Flankers, for operating from the Admiral Kuznetsov around the clock before the carrier can begin strike missions against Bashar al-Assad's opponents in Syria

Putin has ordered his fleet to sail south to intensify his bombing campaign against enemies of his ally Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian regime is attempted to force out rebel forces from Aleppo and has been accused of using improvised barrel bombs dropped from helicopters and chemical munitions.

As the Russian task force heads towards the Mediterranean, both Putin and Assad have temporarily halted their bombing campaign to allow humanitarian aid into the eastern besieged neighbourhoods of the city.

The Russians have be flying operations with their Kamov KA-27 helicopters which can be used in anti-submarine warfare

Russian pilots conducted flight operations from the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier, pictured belching smoke, with the nuclear-powered Peter the Great guided missile cruiser shadowing in the background on their way to Dover

But the powerful Russian task force has caused tremendous concern at the Untied Nations, who confirmed planned medical evacuations from Aleppo have not yet happened as civilians do not trust the ceasefire.

Assad's regime has been known to attack emergency workers trying to drag injured victims from collapsed buildings.

UN spokesman Jens Laerke described the situation as 'astronomically difficult'.

The UN said some rebel fighters were blocking the evacuation of casualties because the regime and Russia were stopping the delivery of medical and humanitarian aid.

HMS Dragon, pictured, joined the monitoring operation against the Russian fleet leaving its Portsmouth base this morning

The ships crew manned a general purpose machine gun, top left, and a mini gun, bottom centre as it left the port

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov accused al-Qaeda-linked militants in Aleppo of jeopardising the ceasefire despite 'the gestures of goodwill from Moscow and Damascus.'

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an emergency meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that nearly 500 people have been killed and almost 2,000 injured since the Syrian government launched its offensive in eastern Aleppo on September 23.

It is feared that once the Russian taskforce arrives in the eastern Mediterranean, Putin will order a full-scale bombing campaign on the besieged city.

Russian media crowed abut the strength of their fleet. Military expert Alexander Khrolenko said: 'While the North Atlantic bloc is stalling in the sands of the Middle East, the Russian Navy seizes control over the Atlantic, not to mention the Mediterranean and Black Seas.'

He added: 'They [NATO] have no equal in the Mediterranean.'

The Norwegian Air Force shadowed the Admiral Kuznetsov heading south earlier this week on their way to Syria

IS THE FLAGSHIP OF PUTIN'S FLEET A FLOATING CROCK? AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADING FOR DOVER NEED MAJOR REPAIRS AND CAN'T HIT TOP SPEED Britain is on high alert as Russia's aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov passes Dover in a blatant show of strength by Valdimir Putin. But back in Moscow, the vessel, launched 31 years ago in the Soviet era, is seen as 'the most problematic ship in the Navy'. After this voyage it is set for major repairs because it cannot hit top speed - leading to serious limitation for the aircraft. A recent report on the state of the ship highlighted 'violations of discipline' among a crew that rarely go to sea, but emphasised: 'The main problem of the Kuznetsov remains in its power plant. 'It is kept running only with the help of 'cannibalism' - when the necessary parts are taken from 956 class ships which use similar equipment,' said the report on Lenta.ru. Far from being an icon of Putin's power, Russian observers see the ageing the vessel as a symbol of the lack of naval planning since the end of Soviet times. 'Numerous repairs in 1994-95, 1996-98, 2001-04 and 2008 could not improve the situation, mainly due to lack of financial investment,' one report stated. The aircraft carriers chequered history is highlighted by the fact it has changed names four times. Admiral Kuznetsov, which is leading Russia's fleet, is in desperate need of repairs, pictured previously in the repair dock The vessel, launched 31 years ago in the Soviet era, is seen as 'the most problematic ship in the Navy' Advertisement

Peter Roberts, senior research fellow for sea power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute said the Russians were planning to use international waters when passing the English Channel so cannot be challenged.

He said: ' It's a clear and military signal that Russia is back on the international stage. They are off to conduct a mission. They are off to conduct it off Syria. They are very focused on their mission.'

There have been warnings issued to civilian aircrew, such as helicopter pilots supplying North Sea oil rigs of 'intense naval military flying' off Scotland's east coast.

The Nato Maritime Group One has also been tasked with tracking the Russian fleet as it passes the English Channel

The Kamov KA-27 helicopters can be used for troop transport as well as anti-submarine warfare operations

A Norwegian navy frigate has also been following the Russian flotilla, which is being kept under close watch by a P-3 Orion.

Two further British warships are also currently steaming up the east coast to intercept the Russian fleet after the Kremlin boasted they are 'seizing control' of the Mediterranean.

Type-45 destroyer HMS Duncan  the world's most advanced air-defence destroyer  sailed from Portsmouth last night to join frigate HMS Richmond, which has intercepted the Kuznetsov task group of eight ships.

The HMS Richmond has taken up station a few hundreds yards from the task force. It will remain as an escort while the Russians remain in an area of UK national interest.

It is understood that the Belgian naval frigate Leopold I has also started trailing the flotilla as part of Nato Maritime Group One.

The KA-27s flew close to the NATO vessels monitoring the Russian fleet as it approached the Scottish coast

According to the Ministry of Defence: 'Shadowing ships is regular business for the UK Royal Navy, supported on this occasion by Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft.

'They will continue to escort the Russian Task Group and provide a visible presence south through the North Sea and English Channel as the ships conduct their passage and carries out flying operations.'

It marks a further breakdown of relations between the two countries after after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson became embroiled in a row with the Russian embassy last week.

According to a Nato spokesman the fleet's destination does not 'inspire confidence' that the nation is seeking a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

The official said: 'Russia has the right to operate in international waters. There are plans in place for Nato navies to monitor the Russian ships as they head for the Mediterranean.

'At the same time, the deployment of the carrier group to the eastern Mediterranean does not inspire confidence that Russia is working towards a political solution to the conflict in Syria.'

Type-45 destroyer HMS Duncan  the world's most advanced air-defence destroyer  sailed from Portsmouth last night to join frigate HMS Richmond, which has intercepted the Kuznetsov task group of eight ships

Mr Johnson called on people to demonstrate outside Russia's London embassy last week in protest against Russia's bombing campaign in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

But Moscow responded by branding his call for protests 'shameful' and accused him of 'Russophobic hysteria'.

Britain's mobilisation of the aircraft carrier fleet off the coast of Scotland is the latest in an increasing presence of international naval assets in the area.

After completing training it is understood the aircraft carrier fleet will head to an anchorage on the Moray Firth where it will be refuelled before continuing to the Mediterranean.

Naval assets from Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands are all believed to be on standby.

The Russians have also sent the Stary Oskol Kilo class hunter killer submarine, pictured, to protect the aircraft carrier fleet

Some of the vessels which were part of the Russian flotilla looked less than intimidating as they sailed through the Channel

As well as the Royal Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Finnish Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy have vessels surrounding the North Sea.

Nato aircraft are also patrolling the area, with tanker aircraft on station ready to refuel any fighter jets tasked with observing the Russian fleet.

The United States has sent another of its Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers into the Mediterranean in advance of the Russian fleet's arrival.

The USS Carney was refueled in Spain according to the US Sixth Fleet and will join the Nato forces in the eastern Mediterranean.

The USS Ross is already in the region providing support for the French aircraft carrier the Charles De Gaulle.

In addition the RAF Quick Reaction Alert squadrons in RAF Lossiemouth in north east Scotland and RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire have been ordered to remain on standby in case they need to intercept any Russian jets straying into UK air space.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is protected by a battle cruiser and a pair of large anti-submarine ships.

It is also protected from below the surface by an attack submarine.

The Kuznetsov has undergone an extensive refit since its last deployment to the Mediterranean in 2014 when it had to be followed by several tugs in case its steam turbine engines packed up.

Earlier this week the Norwegian navy followed the heavily-armed fleet as it sailed south from Severomorsk, near Murmansk in the Barents Sea.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Russian fleet is being kept under close observation by the Royal Navy and the RAF.

A source told MailOnline: 'The Admiral Kuznetsov is currently conducting flight operations. The pilots need to be certified for carrier take-offs and landings at day and night before it takes up station in the Mediterranean.'

A Royal Navy spokesman said the size of the Russian naval force was 'unusual' but that the Russian ships were 'behaving very well', including booking areas for flying and calling up coastguard stations.

'The special part of this is definitely the aircraft carrier.

'If you just wanted to keep it safe, you put a destroyer and a frigate with it. If you wanted to show a bit of muscle, you do what they're doing now.'

But he added: 'I wouldn't say this is the full might of their fleet'.

'They are free to do this in international waters, but once they are in the English Channel, the aircraft will be grounded.'

The MOD confirmed the Royal Navy would shadow the carrier and its fleet while it remains in the UK's area of interest.

Also, RAF Typhoons and Tornadoes are on red alert at airbases in Lossiemouth in North East Scotland and Coningsby in Lincolnshire in case any Russian jets stray into UK airspace

The fleet could possibly route around Ireland's west coast to avoid the English Channel, although there is far greater shelter avoiding the Atlantic Ocean.

However, after going through the Bay of Biscay and down the Portuguese coast, the fleet will pass through the nine mile wide Gibraltar straits before reaching its area of operation.

It is understood the fleet will resupply before continuing to the Mediterranean.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is the Russian flagship and the country's only aircraft carrier.

The French already have the Charles De Gaulle operating in the eastern Mediterranean.

Major Elisabeth Eikeland, spokeswoman for the Norwegian Army's National Joint Headquarters said: 'We have been informed that they are en route to the Mediterranean. It's not every day that so many ships sail together off Norway.'

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the aircraft carrier taskforce departed on Saturday to the Mediterranean.

A spokesman said: 'The group consists of the aircraft-carrying heavy cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, the Pyotr Velikiy battlecruiser, large anti-submarine ships Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov and support vessels.'

The Russian MOD claimed: 'Special focus will be made on safeguarding security of maritime traffic and other types of maritime economic activity of Russia and also on responding to the new kinds of modern threats such as piracy and international terrorism.'

The Admiral Kuznetsov had previously operated in the Mediterranean early in 2014.

The Kuznetsov is main attacking threat is the Sukhoi SU-33 Flanker D aircraft. The supersonic jets can carry up to 6.5 tonnes of bombs and missiles on 12 external hardpoints.

However, the lack of a catapult system on the Kuznetsov means the aircraft cannot take off with a full weapons or fuel load and safely make it into the air.

The SU-33 is a specially adapted version of the SU-27 - which is the Russian version of the F-15.

It has been fitted with a specially adapted undercarriage, and aerodynamic package to help it cope with operating off of a flight deck.

Also the aircraft's wings are able to fold, meaning they can store more jets on the aircraft carrier.
A teenager who was snatched by Boko Haram has revealed the horror of being forced to live with the terrorist group.

Aminata*, 17, was taken by the Islamic group from her hometown Borno State in Nigeria two years ago and married off to an insurgent.

She had no choice but to live with the group who made her 'witness terrible things.'

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New start: Aminata is now trying to rebuild her life after spending two years living with Boko Haram soldiers

The following interview was conducted in a safe, protective location by a female UNICEF Nigeria Child Protection Officer on October 14.

This is the story of Aminata

I came in contact with Boko Haram insurgents in my hometown in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria.

They saw me at my uncles house during their first attack on our town. I have lived with my uncle since I was two years old.

My biological father and family live in Cameroon.

Boko Haram invaded the town and convinced my uncle to join them. They also asked if there were any girls in his compound. They offered 1,000 naira for each girl.

I was sitting next to my grandmother when they dragged me to a car. They took me to an unknown location outside my town.

They had taken me and another 14 girls from my neighbourhood. I was held there for two months and then I was forced to marry one of the insurgents.

Before you marry an insurgent, you are a maid. You wash plates and cook for the insurgents. But when you get married, you become a wife and also focus on only him.

The wedding had nothing. There was no clothing, no lotions, no creams, no presents.

Boko Haram is an Islamic extremist group based in northeastern Nigeria, also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon

It was just in my old clothes that I went to the house of my husband, which was just a hut with a room in it. That was where we lived.

And every time he wanted to have sex I refused, and then he would rape me and beat me up. I cannot count the number of times he has beaten me.

I lived there with the armed group for two years. It was a very bad experience. I have witnessed terrible things, including the slaughtering of women in a town by the insurgents.

They killed women who refused to marry them. Once they caught someone who had married another wife without telling them.

They buried him up to his head in the ground. Then they stoned his head until he died. It was a public punishment that we were forced to watch.

In some villages, when they attack, they steal cattle and sell it off before feeding their wives and children.

Female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria and are now known as the Chibok girls

We didnt ever have enough food. And any food we did get, didnt have any condiments.

The insurgents have to steal food from villages or attack villages before we eat. They dont have any food.

My insurgent husband had three wives before me who had become suicide bombers.

But he decided he wanted me to remain as his wife. But two weeks later, he married another wife. I was very scared.

Some chibok girls, pictured above, have been released while others are still being held and it is thought one third are unwilling to leave the militants

My husband told me that if he decides or wants to, he will send me and my co-wife to town as suicide bombers. I was so scared.

Three days after that, I told one of the women that I was going to a nearby village to visit my grandmother. My husband gave me three days for the visit.

I was with my grandmother in that village when the military arrived to fight the insurgents.

After the fighting, the military took me with them to Bama. I was in Bama with the military for a month before I was brought here.

My uncle and his brothers are still with the insurgents, and I have seen them carry out terrible acts, including killing people.

I really miss my family, and I wish I could see them again. We have been separated for too long. They live in Cameroon.

I sincerely hope that everyone who has been taken like me can leave Boko Haram and be reintegrated back into society.

Soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army meet at a cross road in Damboa, Borno State northeast Nigeria on March 25, 2016. The Islamist group Boko Haram wants to institute an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria and is in particular opposed to western-style modern education which they believe lures people away from following Islamic teaching

My co-wife used to tell me to stop thinking about my parents, but she also said, Dont worry, you will find them one day. I hope it is true.

I have been living as an IDP here in this camp for four months. I am pregnant. When I discovered I was pregnant, I was so unhappy, because it was my husband who did it.

The pregnancy is very difficult for me. But people here in the camp have been kind. People ask me how I escaped, and when I tell them, they say Thank God you escaped!

It is good, because although people know I was with the insurgents, so far no one has treated me badly. I live with people from my LGA [local government area] here in the camp, and they understand and treat me well.

On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories at the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, drawing global attention to the Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria

They have been very supportive. I only have a craving for certain foods which I cannot get here, and to see my family.

I hope to get married one day in the future. And to start a business. But, because I have never been in school, I cannot start doing that now, unfortunately.

I also want villagers who had to flee the conflict to remain here for a little while and not rush back to their towns and villages to resettle. We suffered there tremendously.
A taxi driver may permanently lose access to Uber after a passenger claims her and her daughter were left stranded because he spotted they had a guide dog.

This is not the first time Claire Currie, from Mossley Hill, in Liverpool, has been refused a taxi because of her guide dog Purdey.

The mother-of-four, who used to be a teacher, has a genetic condition leaving her with extremely limited vision, which she described is like seeing through a straw.

Her dog Purdey was helping her take her 15-year-old daughter to an appointment at Alder Hay Children's Hospital.

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Claire Currie, from Liverpool, has been left worried about her and her daughter's independence after she believes an Uber taxi driver drove off because they saw her guide dog, Purdey

But the incident has left her feeling shaken and she is worried it has knocked her daughters confidence too, after she is starting to be affected by the same condition.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo Ms Currie said: I have a condition which means my vision is extremely restricted - its the equivalent of looking through two straws - so I like to use the app as its really accessible.

Weve been refused access to taxis before now, but Ive never experienced it with Uber. Usually drivers are really helpful and theyll move the seat back to make space for the dog and make sure that everyone is comfortable.

Ms Currie was trying to take her daughter to Alder Hay Children's Hospital (pictured) and is worried the incident has knocked her confidence as she is also starting to be affected by the condition

In a video with the Liverpool Echo Ms Currie explained how Purdey helps her live her life, but now other obstacles are getting in the way

On this occasion though he just drove off - its really disheartening. The reason you get a guide dog is so that you can get your independence back and get your life back, and situations like this do knock your confidence.

Purdey is my third guide dog, and its down to them that Ive been able to be so independent. They really are life changing so its so upsetting when somebody tries to take that away from you.

Ms Currie explained that although her daughters vision is ok at the moment, it is likely to deteriorate and she wants to show her that life will still be ok and she can be independent, but incidents like this dont help.

She added: My daughters vision is fine at the moment, she struggles in the dark but is mostly fine - but her condition will get worse over time and eventually she will have very limited vision like me.

I try to lead by example and show her that she can be independent but I worry that situations like this will knock her confidence and worry her for the future.

Ms Currie has been refused other taxis in the past and also believes it is because of her guide dog

In the past when Ive been refused from taxis shes been the one to stick up for me, but I worry that she wouldnt stick up for herself in the same way.

According to the popular taxi app, Uber bosses are investigating the report and said if any driver is found to refuse a service animal, they will permanently lose access to the Uber app.

Uber admit they are investigating what happened to Ms Currie and say it is 'totally unacceptable'

An Uber spokesperson told the local paper: Its totally unacceptable for drivers to refuse to take a guide dog and we are investigating this report.

Licensed private-hire drivers must carry service animals in their vehicle and we remind all drivers of this legal obligation before they start using the Uber app. Any driver who is found to have refused to take a service animal will permanently lose access to the Uber app and risks having their private hire licence taken away.

Lynette Proctor, engagement officer for Guide Dogs Liverpool added: It is incredibly disappointing to hear about Claires experience. This is the first access refusal we have had from an Uber driver in our area.

Shockingly, for people living with sight loss being refused access to a taxi or private hire vehicle because they are accompanied by a guide dog happens far too often.

Its not only illegal, it knocks peoples confidence and stops them doing the everyday things that most people take for granted.

At Guide Dogs we want tougher sentences for drivers who turn away assistance dog owners.
family will receive $120,000 from the council

She was killed when a

A New Zealand council has been fined $255,000 over the death of a teenager who was crushed by a rubbish truck while she was at work.

Refuse worker Jane Lee Devonshire, 19, was killed when a rubbish truck she was working in, owned by an Auckland Council contractor, plummeted off a cliff in Birkenhead on the North Shore on New Zealand's North Island.

The truck crushed Ms Devonshire, who was standing on the cab, Stuff reported.

Refuse worker Jane Lee Devonshire, 19, was killed when a rubbish truck she was working in, owned by an Auckland Council contractor, plummeted over a cliff

In a summary of facts Judge Craig Thompson heard the truck's brakes had failed and it was overdue for servicing

The driver of the truck was freed by emergency services and survived the crash.

The case was heard at the North Shore District Court on Friday.

In a summary of facts Judge Craig Thompson heard the truck's brakes had failed and it was overdue for servicing.

The council contracted Onyx Group, now known as Veolia, to collect rubbish bags from the area where the fatal crash occurred.

Prosecutors said Veolia inadequately oversaw their fleet of trucks and did not keep records of truck maintenance, the publication reported.

N P Dobbe Maintenance, which was hired to do maintenance on the trucks, did not complete its duties correctly, police said.

Ms Devonshire's family (pictured) will receive $120,000 and the driver $15,000 for medical costs.

Truck Leasing Ltd did not properly monitor their fleet of trucks.

Auckland Council was responsible as they ordered all the services, police said.

The council was fined $33,000, Veolia was fined $65,000 and N P Dobbe was ordered to pay $22,000.

Ms Devonshire's family will receive $120,000 and the driver $15,000 for medical costs.
A US bomb disposal expert has been killed while assisting Iraqi forces in their push to retake Mosul from Islamic State.

The soldier was killed by a roadside bomb yesterday, marking the first American combat casualty in the campaign to oust the terror group from its last major stronghold in northern Iraq.

US officials said the American was fatally wounded near the town of Bashiqa, north of Mosul.

He was serving as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, supporting Kurdish peshmerga fighters who are part of an effort to recapture Mosul that began Monday.

A U.S. soldier has been killed while assisting Iraqi forces, pictured here charging into battle in a pre-dawn advance, as they fight to regain Mosul

A senior US defense official said the service member was in an armored vehicle traveling with Iraqi special forces northeast of Mosul when the vehicle hit a roadside bomb, possibly rolling over.

The wounded soldier was taken by medevac to the Kurdish regional capital, Irbil, but died from his injuries.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was not aware of any others wounded in the blast.

The soldier's identity is not being released until his family has been notified of his death.

The serviceman is the fourth American to die in combat in Iraq since the US began military operations against ISIS with airstrikes in August 2014.

It was not immediately clear whether other US service members were hurt in the bomb attack yesterday.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the death was a 'reminder that our people who are participating in the counter-ISIL campaign, whether they be flying aircraft or working with the Iraqi security forces and the other forces and enabling their consistent advances of the kind that we see in the region of Mosul today, are in harm's way.'

He added that 'this is necessary work, because it's necessary for us to destroy ISIL in Iraq and Syria.'

He was supporting Kurdish peshmerga fighters, pictured here firing a multiple rocket launcher from a position in Sheikh Ali village near the town of Bashiqa, as part of their effort to recapture Mosul

'Therefore it's necessary for us to enable in this case the Iraqi security forces and the peshmerga in northern Iraq - and it appears that it was in that role that the service member was killed,' Carter added.

Pentagon officials had acknowledged at the outset of the Iraqi-led offensive that US special operations troops advising Iraqi security forces and Kurdish militia fighters could be wounded or killed as they advanced on Mosul.

Roadside bombs and other emplacements of improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the US advisers who are with them. ISIS, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

More than 100 US special operations forces are operating with Iraqi units, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases farther from the front lines.

US Central Command announced the death in a brief statement saying the service member was wounded by an 'improvised explosive device'.

Iraqi army soldiers wait for an attack to begin against Islamic State in Mosul. Supporting Iraqi forces is bringing Americans into their most significant role in the country in years

The assault on Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, is bringing American forces into its most significant role in Iraq in years.

There are more US forces in Iraq now than any time since the 2011 withdrawal, and American forces have been increasingly active on and beyond front-line positions.

Asked earlier this week about the degree of risk facing US special operations forces who are advising Iraqi forces in the Mosul operation, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Iraqis are in the lead but efforts are being made to limit the risk facing US troops.

'There are Americans in harm's way as part of this fight,' Cook said Monday as the Mosul offensive was announced by the Iraqi government.

'We're very aware of that and we're taking steps, as many steps as we can, to reduce the risk to American forces and we'll continue to do that.'
He was high on ice and will now face 20 years in jail

He had locked her in his bedroom in the days previous to the attack

Paul Bazuoni also bit the woman on the cheek in the May 2015 assault

An ice addict is facing 20 years in jail after beating his girlfriend with a shotgun before shooting her in the leg - because he could not operate his new TV.

Paul Bazouni kept his girlfriend locked up in his bedroom and also bit her on the cheek, describing the bite as the 'kiss of death' in the May 2015 attack.

Bazouni faced the County Court of Victoria this week and pleaded not guilty to the shooting.

Victorian ice addict Paul Bazouni is facing 20 years in jail after beating his girlfriend with a shotgun before shooting her in the leg - because he couldn't operate his new TV.

But he was found guilty by a jury of possessing a prohibited weapon and intentionally causing injury.

Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg said the attack had deeply physically and mentally affected the victim and was totally unprovoked.

'The assault was unprovoked, the victim was defenceless on the ground, in a confined space, when she was shot,' he said.

'The injuries have profoundly affected the victim, both physically and psychologically'.

Bazouni, kept his girlfriend locked up in his bedroom and also bit her on the cheek, describing the bite as the 'kiss of death' in the May 2015 attack

The woman suffered severe injuries in the attack and was in hospital for more than two months and had to undergo six operations which she has still not fully recovered.

Bazouni was on bail at the time after threatening to shoot police.
Far-right parties across Europe are predicted to make major gains at a series of forthcoming elections, experts have warned.

Key votes are due to take place in four of the continent's five biggest economies over the next year that will 'almost certainly' see gains for right-wing movements, according to analysts.

Voters are heading to the ballot box in France, Germany, Italy and Holland - all against the back drop of Britain's decision to leave the EU.

Far-right parties across Europe are predicted to make major gains at a series of forthcoming elections, experts have warned. In France, the leader of the National Front, Marine Le Pen (pictured), is tipped to make it to the second-round run-off for the presidency on May 7

In Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has hurt Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in a series of regional elections this year. AfD party members celebrate after elections in Germany earlier this year

One analyst, Bloomberg's Intelligence economist Maxime Sbaihi, feared the 'stars could align for the worst' in a reference to the predicted rise of Italy's populist Five-Star opposition movement.

In Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has hurt Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in a series of regional elections this year.

AfD could win seats for the first time in elections in September with Merkel facing a backlash over her handling of the European refugee crisis, Bloomberg reports.

In France, presidential elections take place in April and May next year with the leader of the National Front, Marine Le Pen, tipped to make it to the second-round run-off for the presidency on May 7.

The FN, which has blamed the EU for much of France's ills and pushed for a 'Frexit' referendum on France's EU membership, reaped the spoils of the Socialists' demise in last year's regional elections, topping the poll with 28 percent.

In the Netherlands, the far-right Freedom Party is riding high in the polls ahead of the March 2017 general election - despite a court having upheld a hate speech charge against its anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders (pictured)

Germany's AfD could win seats for the first time in elections in September with Merkel (pictured) facing a backlash over her handling of the European refugee crisis, Bloomberg reports

Le Pen, boosted by anti-immigrant sentiment following the jihadist attacks and the Europe-wide migrant crisis, styles herself as the 'people's candidate'.

Unopposed on the far right, she enjoys some 30 per cent support - up from her score of 18 percent in 2012.

In the Netherlands, the far-right Freedom Party is riding high in the polls ahead of the March 2017 general election - despite a court having upheld a hate speech charge against its anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi, has threatened to resign if he fails in a December referendum to push through constitutional changes aimed at cutting seats in the parliament's upper chamber and speeding up economic reforms.

The populist Five Star movement is the leading opponent of the proposals.

Commenting on the impact of a possible 'no' vote, Bloomberg Intelligence economist Maxime Sbaihi said: 'You might end up having a political crisis on top of an economic slowdown and a banking mess.'

He added: 'Suddenly, stars could align for the worst.'
home Tech Samsung Gear S3 release date, specs, and rumors: Watch to come in Classic and Frontier versions

Last month, Samsung unveiled the Gear S3 smartwatch at the IFA 2016 in Berlin. Though no official specs and release date were announced at the time, a lot of speculations have been popping up all over the internet about the highly anticipated smartwatch.

Reports are saying that the Gear S3 will be the first device from Samsung that will be able to connect to LTE networks with better speeds. The S3 is also said to be less dependent on smartphones and it will come in three different versions: The Frontier, Frontier LTE, and Classic.

The Gear S3 will sport a ton of features including a Super AMOLED display that will be 1.3 inches wide and will have a 360 x 360 resolution. The smartwatch will also run on Samsung's Exynos 7270 dual 1 GHz processor and will have 768 MB of RAM with 4GB internal storage.

As for the OS, the Gear S3 will run on the Tizen operating system and it will be compatible with Android devices running on Android 4.4 or above. It will also come with swappable 22-millimeter straps, as well as interchangeable watch faces.

It will also come with a built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor, an altimeter, a barometer, an accelerometer, a light sensor, a speedometer and IP68 water resistance certification.

The Classic and the Frontier versions will be very different physically. The Classic will be sleek and clean with its stainless steel body and rotating bezel; it will be the lighter device of the two, weighing only 57 grams. The Frontier, on the other hand, will be rougher and dynamic in its look and it will have a weight of 62 grams.

As for the Frontier LTE, it will provide high-speed wireless internet connectivity.

Pre-order is actually an option for users who want to get their hands on it before anybody else does, and the price tag for the Gear S8, both Classic and Frontier, is $430.

Rumors suggest that the Samsung Gear S3 will be released on Nov. 4.
Arrested as he begged Home Office officials to send him back to Syria

A Syrian plastic surgeon who wanted to flee Britain because he would rather be in war-ravaged Aleppo says he will leave the UK today hours after he was arrested.

Dr Abdulkader Majed Al-Zuebi is leaving the UK less than 24 hours after he was held by six officers and bundled into a police van for an alleged public order offence outside the Home Office headquarters in Croydon.

Today he told friends it was 'my last day in UK - bye bye brothers', adding he was flying from Heathrow later to 'my lovely Damascus. Home sweet home'.

He cannot work because he has claimed asylum in the UK so he has been forced to sell his 3,000 Rolex watch to pay his five-star hotel bills, and called his stay in Cardiff 'miserable'.

After his arrest in Croydon he was released and last night spent his final evening in the UK staying at the three-star Ibis in Leyton, east London.

He is understood to have a British fiancee but it is not clear if she is coming with him to the Syrian capital.

Selfie: Dr Al-Zuebi, who reportedly has a fiancee in the UK, is happy to be leaving Britain and is aiming for Aleppo

Arrest: Syrian plastic surgeon Dr Abdulkader Majed Al-Zuebi, pictured being arrested at an immigration centre today

Dr Al-Zuebi claims to have had to sell his Rolex watch, pictured left, for 3,000 to pay his hotel bills because he is prevented from working in the UK after he apparently applied for asylum. Pictured right, the plastic surgeon tries on an expensive looking white suit in Liverpool in 2013

The doctor moaned he doesn't like the UK and would tell migrants arriving from the Calais Jungle to go back - because 'it's better there'.

He cannot work because he has claimed asylum in the UK so he has been forced to sell his 3,000 Rolex watch to pay his five-star hotel bills.

Dr Al-Zuebi, who claims to earn 6,000-a-month in Syria, said officials have refused to give him his German passport back since he arrived at London Stansted Airport on October 8.

He has pleaded with the Home Office to allow him to fly back to war torn Aleppo as soon as possible because he prefers it to Britain.

An hour before his arrest this afternoon Dr Al-Zuebi, who claims to have a fiancee in Britain, said he would sleep outside the Home Office building until they deported him.

He was issued with a form at London Stansted Airport when he arrived on an EasyJet flight from Germany, reportedly confirming he had applied for asylum in the UK, which prevents him from working.

'I do not have my papers,' he said. 'They were taken when I arrived.

Dr Al-Zuebi, pictured being bundled into a police van, says he wants to fly himself back to Syria because he is used to earning 6,000-a-month and cannot support himself in the UK

Dr Al-Zuebi, pictured on holiday in Egypt, moans that he can't work because he has claimed asylum in the UK so he had to sell his 3,000 Rolex watch to pay his five star hotel bills

Desperate to go home: Earlier the Dr Al-Zuebi, pictured in front of the gates at Buckingham Palace moaned: 'I want to work and support myself and I have told them I want to be deported. I've been turning up here for several days.'

'I have not been able to stay anywhere other than five star hotels and I cannot work without my papers.

'I used to have jobs earning 6,000 a month as a doctor. In hostels the beds are bad and the food is not better than normal.

'The Home Office say it will be six months before I get my passport back. I have had to spend my nights in five star hotels like the Marriott and The Four Seasons.

'I had to sell my Rolex for 3,000 to pay for my rooms. I had membership to these hotels back in Syria so I can stay there without papers.'

The refugee, who claims to have studied medicine at the University of Aleppo, argued he want to be deported and said: 'It's not a better life here.

Hotel stays: The reluctant doctor's Facebook page is littered with suggestions he may be wealthy with pictures of him staying at luxury hotels. Pictured: He apparently relaxes by the pool at the Hilton Hotel in Istanbul

The asylum seeking Syrian doctor moaned: 'The Home Office say it will be six months before I get my passport back. I have had to spend my nights in five star hotels like the Marriott and The Four Seasons.'

An hour after his alleged rant demanding the return of his German passport, Dr Al-Zuebi , pictured in front of a black BMW at another luxury hotel, was dragged from the building by police officers , bent over and restrained by officers

'I want to work and support myself and I have told them I want to be deported. I've been turning up here for several days.

'They say they are not going to send me back to Syria. I will need to buy a British passport and book a private flight to Damascus.

'I used to fight for Assad and I am going to return to do that in Syria. Everyone says you will have a better life in the UK and it's not true.

I want to go back. I would rather be back in Aleppo than stay here. I want to deport myself. 'I would tell those arriving from Calais to go back. It is better there than it is here Dr Abdulkader Majed Al-Zuebi

'It's different for minors because they can't support themselves but I'm a normal man and I can. I am going to camp out here and sleep here until I get my papers.'

His Facebook page is filled with pictures of him staying at five-star hotels in London and Istanbul and a photo of a Rolex watch and pictures of him stood in front of expensive cars.

An hour after his alleged rant, the doctor was dragged from the building, bent over and restrained by officers.

Scotland Yard confirmed: 'At around 3.30pm officers were informed of a disturbance at Lunar House.

'They arrested man on suspicion of a public order offence. He had been remanded in a south London custody suite. Enquiries continue.'

Yesterday Dr Al-Zuebi claimed he left Syria when the war started as he could not 'kill civilians'

He added: 'I was put in jail, then I fled to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, then Greece, then to Germany.'

As he has a German passport he was able to get into the UK legally.

Back home: Despite being at the centre of intense bombing and bloodshed, Dr Al-Zuebi still says he would rather be in Aleppo, pictured, than Britain, adding: 'I would tell those arriving from Calais to go back. It is better there than it is here.'

Dr Al-Zuebi highlighted his case to reporters covering the arrival of child migrants from Calais's 'Jungle' camp.

He said: 'I want to go back. I would rather be back in Aleppo than stay here. I want to deport myself.

'I would tell those arriving from Calais to go back. It is better there than it is here.'
A Polish woman was booed by the Question Time audience last night after saying she no longer feels welcome in the UK after the Brexit vote.

The married mother explained that she had lived in Britain for 23 years and had 'never been discriminated until Brexit came about'.

She told the Question Time panel and audience in Hartlepool: 'I feel I'm no longer wanted by 52 per cent of the voters.'

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The married mother (pictured on Question Time in Hartlepool last night) explained that she had lived in Britain for 23 years and had 'never been discriminated until Brexit came about'

The Question Time audience in Hartlepool last night booed when the Polish audience member explained how she no longer felt welcome in Britain after June's Brexit vote

But she was interrupted by fellow audience members, who began to heckle and boo her, but she hit back, telling them: 'Can I just finish please, you can comment and boo me in a minute.

'Fifty-two per cent of the voters voted against immigration. Polish is the second most popular language in this country and therefore the majority of the people voted against the Poles, who work extremely hard.'

Again she was interrupted, this time by panel member Lisa Duffy, a Ukip councillor and former leadership contender, who told the Polish audience member: 'We don't want to stop immigration, we want to control immigration.'

The alarming incident was condemned by viewers, who branded the Hartlepool audience the 'most witless, mindlessly opinionated self destructive Question Time audience in history'.

Question Time took place in Hartlepool last night, hosted by David Dimbleby and with panel members, from left to right: Former Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, Ukip councillor Lisa Duffy, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner, Tory MP Ken Clarke and cross-bench peer Conrad Black

The Polish woman was interrupted by Question Time panel member Lisa Duffy, a Ukip councillor and former leadership contender, who told her: 'We don't want to stop immigration, we want to control immigration'

The alarming incident was condemned by viewers, who branded the Hartlepool audience the 'most witless, mindlessly opinionated self destructive Question Time audience in history', while Tory MP Nigel Huddleston also expressed his shock

Tory MP Nigel Huddleston said: 'Desperately sad to hear that Polish lady say she doesn't feel welcome and then get booed for saying so.'

Asked by Question Time chair David Dimbleby to explain how she and other Poles felt discriminated against, the Polish woman said: 'Fifty-two per cent of the voters voted against immigration. Polish is the second most popular language in this country and therefore the majority of the people - not all of the people - the majority of the people voted against the Poles, who work extremely hard.

ARE YOU THE WOMAN ON QUESTION TIME OR DO YOU KNOW HER? Call 0203 615 2676 or email richard.spillett@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

'I know people who work for 12 hours, seven days a week, they [Polish workers] work in such conditions that most of the people would not want to work and yet they are the ones that the British population wants to get out.

'I married a British person, I'vegot British children, I love the British society but at the moment I don't feel welcome.'

The incident came days after a Home Office report revealed there was a 'sharp increase' in the number of race or religious hate crimes in the wake of the June 23 Eu referendum vote.

The number of racially and religiously aggravated alleged offences logged by forces in England and Wales in July was 41 per cent higher than in the same month last year.

Ukip councillor Lisa Duffy (middle) appeared alongside Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis (left) and Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner (right)
Shocking footage shows a gang of robbers breaking into a home using a sledgehammer and an assault rifle while a family were sleeping inside.

CCTV footage shows the masked men arriving at the property in Amsterdam before one of them knocks down the front door using the sledgehammer.

The owner of the property was woken up by the noise and headed downstairs to confront the robbers.

CCTV footage shows a robber knocking down the front door of a property in Amsterdam using a sledgehammer while the family slept inside

But he tried to flee back upstairs after hearing bullets being fired and was chased by the men who hit him on the head with the sledgehammer.

The footage shows one of the robbers approaching the property on a Honda motor scooter as the others raid the house for jewellery and cash.

The men then jump onto the back of the scooter before speeding away.

The owner of the house was taken to hospital and treated for a head injury.

One of the men was armed with an assault rifle. Police later confirmed the interior of the house was sprayed with bullet marks

Police investigating the robbery confirmed that the interior of the house was sprayed with bullet marks.

The weapon used by the robbers has been identified as a Zastava M70B1 assault rifle, a Serbian-manufactured weapon similar to a Kalashnikov.

Detectives believe the attackers, who are suspected of being Northern African in origin, may have had insider knowledge.

The owner said the trio had been speaking to one another in a North African dialect.

The masked robbers got away on a Honda motor scooter with jewellery and cash
Two cannibals who had sex with a woman before killing her and eating her dismembered body parts at a party have been jailed for 12 years.

The men, from Novokuznetsk in Siberia, were named as Kirill Nemykin and Sergey Metlyayev.

The victim Nadezhda Avakumova, 31, was 'drunk' when they invited her to a sauna where they took turns to have sexual intercourse with her, according to media reports.

Police told the court that she later threatened to report both men for 'rape'.

She told them 'she did not realise what was happening' when they had sex with her because she was so intoxicated.

Sergey Metlyayev and Kirill Nemykin have been jailed for two years for killing, dismembering and eating a 31-year-old woman

After sobering up, she 'started an argument with them and warned them she would report them for rape to the police'.

The pair then beat her up and locked her in an underground storage cellar at the home of one of the men, a court heard.

Initially the woman was 'quiet' but then started 'banging, screaming and pleading for help'.

'Then Kirill Nemykin got a big knife from the table, opened the store, and when woman's head appeared on the surface, he grabbed her hair and plunged a knife in her throat,' reported a local news website.

'The victim died almost immediately.'

Facial reconstruction images created by the police show the victim Nadezhda Avakumova, 31

Pictured is the squalid kitchen where the men 'cooked' their victim and served up her body parts at a party in Siberia

Next they 'cut her up', and cooked her 'meat', serving it to friends at a macabre party in the Siberian city.

Yana Prodchenko, assistant to the state prosecutor in the Ordzhonikidze district of Novokuznetsk, said: 'Nemykin together with Metlyayev took the body of the woman onto terrace of the house.

'Metlyayev got an axe and started cutting the body into pieces.

'He took her cut off leg and walked around the house showing it to everyone, laughing and smiling.

'Women at the house were shocked despite being drunk.

'Metlyayev started eating the human meat and offering it to everyone to try it.

The pair beat their victim up and locked her in an underground storage cellar at the home of one of the men, a court heard

'Metlyayev (left) got an axe and started cutting the body into pieces. He took her cut off leg and walked around the house showing it to everyone, laughing and smiling,' the court heard

'He was having fun and smiling.'

Later the pair packed the woman's remains in plastic bags and dumped them in bins at the end of the street.

The party continued after this.

The horrific incident in 2014 has taken two years to reach court.

The men were only prosecuted after the partner of one of pair revealed details to police.

Both men - whose ages were not given in Russian reports - pleaded guilty to killing the woman and were sentenced to 12 years in jail.
A homeless conman who dined at luxurious French restaurants without paying a penny has been caught by police.

The 61-year-old racked up four-figure bills in at least four restaurants including two five-star hotels but scarpered without paying the cheque.

His biggest bill is understood to be at the luxury Maison Pic resort, where he left behind a whopping 2,354 bill, and when police eventually caught him, his response to officers was: 'Well, a man's got to eat.'

Homeless man's biggest bill was at Maison Pic resort, in the medieval commune of Valance

His biggest bill is understood to be at the luxury Maison Pic resort (pictured), where he left behind a whopping 2,354 bill, and when police eventually caught him, his response to officers was: 'Well, a man's got to eat.'

A homeless conman who dined at luxurious French restaurants without paying a penny has been caught by police

A police spokesman said: 'A 61-year old man is being held in custody for suspected fraud and is awaiting trial.'

The homeless man's lavish escapade came to an end in Clermont-Ferrand having racked up several four-figure bills, according to La Montagne.

At the Hotel Radio in Chamalieres, near to where he was arrested, he walked out on a 1,358 bill.

He reportedly carried out the same trick in two other restaurants, including Georges-Blanc in Vonnas, in south-east France.

A police spokesman said: 'A 61-year old man is being held in custody for suspected fraud and is awaiting trial.'

As well as Maison Pic (pictured) he reportedly carried out the same trick in two other restaurants, including Georges-Blanc in Vonnas, in south-east France

The 61-year-old racked up four-figure bills in at least four restaurants including two five-star hotels but scarpered without paying the cheque

The bills included nights he'd spent at some of the five-star resorts, like Maison Pic (pictured) and the dine-and-dash culprit even took advantage of the laundry services

At the five-star Maison Pic a room could cost you 1,180 a night and a set menu in the restaurant is 320

The entrees at Hotel Radio will set you back 36

The bills included nights he'd spent at some of the five-star resorts, and the dine-and-dash culprit even took advantage of the laundry services.

He is also suspected to have skimped on his train tickets by producing fake papers to get himself around the country.

The man is currently in custody awaiting a trial.

At the George Blanc, there is hare royale on the menu for a cool 120, pancakes will set you back 18, it's 35 for fromage frais or guests have the option of a 270 set menu.

The entrees at Hotel Radio will set you back 36 and at the five-star Maison Pic a room could cost you 1,180 a night and a set menu in the restaurant is 320.




Theresa May demanded a grown-up attitude from EU leaders last night as she crushed an attempt to hold Brexit negotiations in French.

It came after the Prime Minister was given just five minutes to discuss withdrawal from the EU over a working dinner at her first EU summit.

After two days of sniping from leaders in Brussels, she said they should seek a mature, co-operative relationship with the UK.

The EUs lead Brexit negotiator, former French foreign minister Michel Barnier, wants the divorce negotiations to be conducted in his language, according to a source.

Theresa May gave a press conference after the second day of the EU summit today, urging leaders to work 'constrictively' with her on Brexit

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said the EU must be intransigent in defending its principles in the talks.

But at a post-summit news conference, Mrs May flatly rejected the idea that discussions would not take place in English, saying: We will conduct the negotiations in the way that is going to make sure we get the right deal for the United Kingdom.

She told EU leaders who had given her a frosty reception at the European Council summit: I want a mature, co-operative relationship with our European partners.

I recognise the scale of the challenge ahead. I am sure there will be difficult moments. It will require some give and take.

But I firmly believe that if we approach this in a constructive spirit, as I am, then we can have a smooth departure and build a powerful new relationship that works for both the UK and for the countries of the EU  looking for opportunities, not problems.

She restated her commitment to Britain regaining control of its borders, which EU leaders insist will force it to quit the single market.

The PM and EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, pictured greeting each other today, are having lunch to discuss the Brexit process

German chancellor Angela Merkel has reiterated that the UK would need to accept freedom of movement rules to stay in the single market

The Prime Minister also said the UK will not be deterred from seeking trade deals with other countries while negotiations on leaving the EU take place. Some Eurocrats have insisted they want Britain to sit on its hands until Brexit is complete. Mrs May said: The UK will be a fully independent sovereign country, free to make our own decisions on a whole host of issues, such as how we choose to control immigration, but we still want to trade freely in goods and services with Europe.

THERESA GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER BY EU LEADERS A bleary-eyed Theresa May leaves the summit in the early hours of the morning Theresa May was given just a few minutes to speak about her approach to Brexit at the end of a long dinner with Eu counterparts. The Prime Minister was squeezed into the schedule after 1am, at the end of a meal of pan-fried scallops, lamb with roast fig, and iced vanilla parfait. Following Mrs May's comments that the UK must not be shut out of discussions affecting all 28 members before it leaves, the event apparently broke up with no-one else wanting to speak. Asked about the PM's intervention today, EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker shrugged his shoulders and made a 'pfff' noise. 'We had no special event with Theresa May yesterday,' he said. 'She was explaining what her intentions are. I'll have lunch with her and then we will see what happens.' Advertisement

That is in British interests and it is in the interests of all of our European partners, too. It is about seizing the opportunities of Brexit.

Mrs May was given just five minutes to discuss Brexit at the end of a dinner lasting more than five hours, but insisted she had not been backwards in coming forwards on other subjects such as imposing sanctions on Russia.

Insiders said that after her Brexit presentation, the other leaders sat in stony silence.

She angered some EU figures by saying she expects Britain to be at the centre of European decision-making until Brexit takes place.

Manfred Weber, leader of the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament, said: When somebody wants to leave a club, it is not normal that such a member wants to decide about the future of this club. That is really creating a lot of anger about the behaviour of the British Government.

Mrs May told her fellow leaders there was no prospect of Britain reversing the Brexit vote but European Council president Donald Tusk continued to insist it might.

He said the question of whether the referendum decision is reversible or not is in the British hands, adding: Id be the happiest one if it is reversible.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: It is going to be rough going but what (Mrs May) said is OK. Its a good foundation to work with Great Britain.

French president Francois Hollande said there would be no negotiations with Britain until Article 50 is triggered early next year to begin the withdrawal process.

Mrs May met Mr Juncker yesterday afternoon and told him the UK would need to see controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe as well as a positive outcome for those who wish to trade in goods and services, a No 10 spokesman said.

Behind the scenes, EU officials claimed they had been told to prepare for the possibility of a so-called dirty Brexit without any divorce agreement at the end of the two-year negotiating period.

PFFF! FEISTY EU COMMISSION CHIEF JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER SCOFFS AT QUESTIONS FROM BRITISH REPORTER An irritated Jean-Claude Juncker clashed with a British reporter in Brussels today as he was asked about his face-to-face meeting with Theresa May today. A BBC journalist asked how his dinner with the British Prime Minister had gone last night but the European Commission president scoffed as he replied: 'We had no special event with Theresa May yesterday, she was explaining what her intentions are. 'I will have lunch with her and then we'll see what has to happen.' Pressed on what he had discussed with Mrs May, a visibly irritated Mr Juncker asked: 'Are you the British prime minister?' The feisty exchange reflected the tense atmosphere in Brussels as Mrs May attended her first EU summit as Prime Minister. Advertisement

The summit of EU leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, wrapped up today

Mrs May said she wants a 'mature, co-operative relationship' with the EU after we leave

EU 'INCAPABLE' OF STRIKING TRADE DEALS, SAYS CANADA AFTER BREAKDOWN IN TALKS The EU is 'incapable' of striking international trade deals, the Canadian government said today after talks collapsed over a landmark agreement. Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland delivered the damning assessment after a Belgian region refused to sign up to the Canada-EU trade deal, claiming it threatened farmers and welfare standards. Remarkably, the objection from the Wallonia region in Belgium could jeopardise the entire Ceta deal. A furious Ms Freeland, who walked out of talks today, told Belgian TV:'It seems obvious to me, to Canada, that the European Union is incapable now of having an international agreement, even with a country with such European values as Canada.'

The problems could spell trouble for Britain as some ministers had hoped the UK could piggyback onto the Ceta deal once it leaves the EU. But Theresa May said today that she was 'not looking to adopt a model that another country has' in Brexit negotiations. She said: 'Obviously we have got negotiations ahead... those negotiations will take time, as I say, there will be some difficult moments, it will need some give and take but I'm optimistic that we can achieve a deal that is right for the UK because I actually think the deal that is right for the UK will also be right for the European Union.' Advertisement

Mr Barnier later insisted no decision had been taken on the language for the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the UKs former European commissioner was accused of betraying the country yesterday after he dismissed hard Brexit as stupid Brexit.

Jonathan Hill, who quit the 200,000 job after the referendum, said the Prime Minister should compromise with the EU rather than rock the boat in negotiations.

The Tory peer, who will get a pay-off package worth 275,000, took aim at Cabinet Brexiteers urging Mrs May to prioritise getting back control of migration rather than keeping the status quo on trade.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: If we approach it in a sensible way there is more scope for trying to resolve it intelligently than if we go at it in a way where we all end up shouting at each other.

We have this kind of false choice in the UK often between hard Brexit and soft Brexit. The choice is between stupid Brexit and more intelligent Brexit.

Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman said: This relentless talking down of our strong negotiating position is a betrayal of our countrys interests.

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell wrote on Twitter: Pro EU technocrat opposes actually leaving the EU  SHOCK. The elite really are out to halt Brexit. Trouble coming.

Andrew Bridgen, Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, said: People like Lord Hill obviously dont understand the principles of democracy. The Prime Minister has made it plain the referendum result was clear  and that were leaving.

He added: During the referendum campaign, being in the EU was compared to being in the back seat of a car towards a destination where we dont want to go.

But if we left the EU and stayed in the single market  the soft Brexit option  we wouldnt even be in the car. Wed be tied up in the boot and they could bury us where they wanted.

Mrs May and Mr Juncker seemed to be on cordial terms as they met, but their private talks are expected to be more difficult

NO 10 SLAPS DOWN JUPPE OVER BORDER Downing Street last night slapped down the front-runner to be the next French president after he called for border checks to be pushed out of Calais and back to Kent. Alain Juppe demanded a complete renegotiation of the so-called Le Touquet accord, under which British border officials are based on French soil to stop thousands of would-be illegal migrants sneaking into the UK. The controversial 71-year-old said: We cant tolerate what is going on in Calais, the image is disastrous for our country and there are also extremely serious economic and security consequences for the people of Calais. A Downing Street source said: This is a long-standing bilateral agreement that works for both sides. We would expect to see it continue. Advertisement
A playful bear was spotted washing himself just 'as a human would' while bathing in the Kurile Lake, Russia.

As he sploshed around in the water his mates hunted salmon upstream.

Law graduate Giuseppe D'Amico noticed the mammal who spent a good 10 minutes enjoying his bath.

Stunning photos show the Russian bear tumbling around in the water as he washes

The brown bear has one of the widest distribution of any living ursid. The species lives in northern Eurasia and North America

Giuseppe said: 'I was taking pictures of some bears hunting red salmon up stream when I spotted this bear in the distance.

'He was washing his hair as a human would, it was hilarious.

'He was really intent on it but was so clumsy.'

I'm sexy and I know it: The bear spent around ten minutes attempting to wash his hair

While the brown bear's range has shrunk, it remains listed as a least concern species by the IUCN with a total population of approximately 200,000

While the bear had a bath the photographer spotted others fishing for salmon upstream

In other bear news, a shy rescued bear cub recently met a fawn for the first time in this adorable clip that could have come straight out of a Disney film.

As Boog the bear meets his new housemate at the Point View Farm in West Virginia he is tentative to say the least.

At first the young black bear looks completely baffled and cannot take his eyes off the young deer as he hides behind a stair and clings to the banister.

Scared rescue bear Boog (pictured) hides behind a step at the Point View Farm in West Virginia when he is first introduced to his new housemate

He cannot take his eyes off the fawn but is too scared to come out and meet her. Instead he clings to the banister for comfort

Working up the courage to finally introduce himself, Boog strides out of his hiding place, but soon loses his confidence.

As he gets closer to the fawn he starts to back away before standing on his hind legs in an attempt to make himself appear bigger.

He soon retreats back to his hiding place.

After a little encouragement Boog soon opens up and goes up to meet the fawn.

He even manages to tentatively lick his new friend.

The cute footage was filmed by Joel Rosenthal who has a variety of rescued animals living on his sprawling property.

Working up the courage to finally introduce himself Boog strides out of his hiding place, but soon loses his confidence

He backs away from the young deer before standing on his hind legs in an attempt to make himself appear bigger

He is heard in the background of the clip encouraging Boog to come and meet his new housemate and saying this is his 'first fawn'.

He adds: 'These two just met for the first time'.

Mr Rosenthal often posts videos and photos of raccoons, foxes and eagles visiting his farm house, as well as an American black bear family.

After sharing the clip on Facebook in June, and then again at the end of September, it went viral.

After a little encouragement Boog soon opens up and goes up to meet the fawn (pictured)

One commenter wrote: 'I swear Boog is a boy in a bear suit! He is so adorable.'

Another posted: 'We can almost read Boog's mind by his body language. They both are so adorable. Normally, they would both be with their mothers and take their cue from her how.
US Navy said there was no evidence the attempt had been successful

It came just a day before decision on China's South China Sea expansion

Chinese hackers tried to steal information from a US aircraft carrier patrolling in the South China Sea when the country was under pressure to withdraw its claim over the waters.

USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was on patrol in July when a Chinese-based group launched the cyber-attack.

A communication containing malware was sent to personnel onboard the vessel impersonated an official message on July 11. It was the day before China's expansionist claims over the South China Sea were dismissed at The Hague.

USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was on patrol in July when a Chinese-based group launched the cyber attack

The Enfal malware was intended to infiltrate the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier security systems and steal information on military manoeuvres and policy issues.

FireEye, a US cyber security business, claims the China-based group behind the attack has in the past tried to compromise other US and Vietnamese defence systems.

A US Navy official there was no evidence the cyber attack had been successful.

Although there are fears cyber-attacks have increased in recent months because of the battle for territory in the South China Sea, there is no reason to believe the July 11 attempt is linked with the Chinese government

Bryce Boland, FireEye's Asia-Pacific chief technology officer, told The Financial Times: 'Many governments and militaries in Southeast Asia lack cyber security controls that can effectively match these elevated threats.

Although there are fears cyber attacks have increased in recent months because of the battle for territory in the South China Sea (Woody Island in the South China Sea pictured)

'For example, personal webmail and unmanaged devices aren't unusual, and many organisations lack the technology to detect unique attacks which haven't been seen before.'

The USS Ronald Reagan's patrols in the area were intended to 'maintain the seas open for all to use'.
The aunt of a four-month-old baby who was mauled to death by her dog has said she is still struggling to comprehend what happened.

Archie Joe Darby died after he was bitten by the animal belonging to his aunt Claire Ferdinand, a serving police officer, at a house in Colchester, Essex, on October 13.

Archie was snatched from his mother's arms by the dog and savaged to death, an inquest has heard on Friday.

His distraught aunt has issued a statement saying she would never have risked the lives of her nephews.

Tragedy: Archie Joe Darby (left with older brother Daniel) died after he was mauled by the family dog at a house Colchester, Essex, on October 13

This is believed to be the Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog that killed Archie

Jade Rogers, pictured, and her partner released a heartbreaking statement following the death of her baby son Archie and the terrible injuries suffered by his elder brother Daniel

She said: 'I am making this statement on behalf of my husband and I.

'I am a serving Essex Police officer, but more importantly I am a wife, a sister, a daughter and an auntie.

'We are still struggling to comprehend the circumstances we find ourselves in, having lost our gorgeous Archie Bum and seeing Daniel fighting on.

'We cannot believe this has happened, and would never have risked the lives of our precious nephews. It was our dog that did this, and we will have to carry that burden and learn to cope with it.

'However what is most important now is that we support our family. Please respect our privacy at this time.'

A post-mortem examination revealed he died of severe head injuries consistent with a dog attack, a hearing at Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford heard on Friday.

His 22-month-old brother, Daniel-Jay, suffered life-changing injuries, and the boys' mother suffered minor injuries.

Little Archie, four months, left, died, while his big brother Daniel suffered life-changing injuries

Coroner's officer David Dinnell said: 'Archie Darby was a four-month-old baby being held in his mother's arms when he was taken out of her arms by the family dog and attacked.'

An ambulance was called and CPR was attempted but Archie was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.02pm.

A post-mortem examination was carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London on October 19 and gave the provisional medical cause of death as severe head injuries.

His body has yet to be released.

Essex Police said the dog, believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier-type, was put down with the consent of its owner.

The dog belonged to Archie's aunt, Clare Ferdinand, 31, a serving Essex Police officer.

Police are not treating the incident as a criminal investigation.

Ms Rogers, pictured with her eldest son Daniel, was also injured in Thursday's attack

The baby was snatched from his mother's arms by the family dog and savaged to death, an inquest has heard

The young brothers, pictured, were both attacked by the dog that has now been destroyed

FACT FILE: DOG BITE DEATHS There have been 83 deaths from dog bites in England and Wales in the last 35 years, the most coming in 2009 when there were six, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Between 1982 and 1986 seven people were killed, and another eight between 1987 and 1991, when the Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced. But in the following five years there were six deaths, between 1992 and 1996, and eight more from 1997 to 2001. This preceded a major upturn in the number of dog bite deaths. The number more than doubled between 2002 and 2006, when there were 17, followed by 19 deaths between 2007 to 2011. Including Thursday's tragedy there have been 18 deaths since 2012. Advertisement

Archie's parents paid tribute to their 'beautiful little angel' following the tragedy.

A post mortem was carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital on Wednesday in London where the provisional cause of death was given as 'severe head injuries consistent with a dog attack.'.

There were no signs of natural illnesses.

Senior Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray asked for the court's sympathy to be passed to the family.

She said: 'Please could my condolences be expressed to Archie's family at his very, very dreadful time for them.'

She adjourned the case and set a provisional inquest date for December.

The devastated family were not present for the two-minute hearing this morning.

Archie's older brother Daniel-Jay Darby, aged just 22 months, remains in hospital after suffering serious injuries.

Jade was also taken to hospital with injuries after she desperately tried to pull the dog off her children.

Essex Police confirmed this week they were not treating the incident as a crime and no arrests have been made.

PC Clare Ferdinand, right, who owned the dog, pictured with her husband John, consented for the Staffordshire bull terrier to be destroyed following the attack in Colchester

Police tape sealed off the home where the savage attack took place as an investigation into the violent death started

Archie's devastated parents have released a tribute following the attack which sent shockwaves through the community.

They said: 'Our beautiful sons Archie Joe Darby and Daniel-Jay Darby are so, so loved by us all and were such happy little loveable boys.

'It doesn't seem real that our little Archie Bum has gone to heaven and our little Daniel is in intensive care because of a tragic, tragic incident involving a dog attack.

'We have lost our gorgeous little four -month-old baby and our beautiful 22-month-old boy is currently being treated for his injuries.

'Heaven has gained a beautiful little angel and he will be greatly missed by us all and our other little soldier is still fighting strong.'
Judge Julie M. Lynch said she wished she could put him in jail for the rest of his

Gary Sovie (above) was sentenced to 17 years in prison for raping a toddler

An Ohio man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for raping a toddler.

Gary Sovie, 49, confessed to the crime earlier this year after photos of the assault were found in a tote bag he donated to the Salvation Army by an employee at the thrift store.

He took a deal in the case, with the prosecution recommending the sentence in exchange for his guilty plea on counts of rape and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Judge Julie M. Lynch said at the sentencing that she wished she could have given Sovie more time behind bars.

'I don't think there should be one day that you get any break,' Judge Lynch told Sovie.

She also called what Sovie did to the young girl 'the bottom of the barrel for a human being.'

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Sovie dropped off a tote bag to the Salvation Army back in May, not realizing that there were 32 photos inside showing the naked girl and the toddler being abused.

An employee for the Salvation Army contacted authorities soon after, and due to pay stubs that were also left in the bay police were able to track down Sovie.

Sovie immediately confessed when confronted with the evidence, and said: 'I'm a very sick person.'

He was advised by his legal team not to speak during his sentencing this week, but when Judge Lynch demanded he sat something the newly convicted sex offender said: 'Sorry.'

Shame: Sovie accepted a deal in the case in exchange for pleading guilty to one count of rape and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor

Caught: He confessed to the crime after a Salvation Army (store above) employee found 32 photos of the act inside a tote bag Sovie donated to the store

The mother and father of the young girl, who is now a teenager, spoke about their shock and horror when they learned about the assault this past June in an interview with 10 TV.

'I never suspected this. She has no memory. She has no recollection of this incident,' said the victim's mother.

'I was beside myself. This was my child. This was my whole world.'

She later added: 'People are asking all over social media, where was the parent where was the parent?

'Well I am the parent and I can tell you this: in 18 years - no signs, no symptoms, no inkling, no cluenothing was put out there that made me feel that my child was in danger.'

The young woman's father meanwhile was a bit more blunt, saying: 'I want to kill him.'

In addition to his 17 years behind bars, Sovie will also have to pay a $35,000 fine and register as a sex offender every 90 days after his release.
The Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve line, the collaboration between Drew Estate and Pappy Van Winkle is receiving two new sizes. Today, Drew Estate announced the addition of the new Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented Churchill and the special limited edition Pappy Drew Limitada. These cigars join the current Robusto and Toro offerings and will be sold exclusively at Pappy & Company, the online store of the Van Winkle Family.

According to Drew Estate co-founder Jonathan Drew, I just checked the shipment in the Miami Warehouse yesterday. We really went out of our way to make sure that people could order them, and receive them in time for this years holiday season.

The Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigar is a small batch project made at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigar is 100 percent long filler. It features a barrel-cemented tapa Negra style wrapper over a Mexican San Andres base wrapper. The blend also incorporates aged Nicaraguan fillers that were personally selected by Drew Estate co-founder Jonathan Drew. The cigar itself is designed to complement a Pappy Van Winkle bourbon or rye product.

The new Churchill is a 7 x 48 vitola. It is packaged in ten count boxes priced at $17.00 per cigar or $170.00 per box.

As for the Pappy Drew Limitada, it is a 4 7/8 x 60 barrel head shaped vitola that is similar to the Liga Privada Unico Serie Feral Flying Pig. The Pappy Drew Limitada will be sold in three packs, but will only be available as gift when consumers purchase at least one box each of the Churchill, Toro, and Robusto sizes.

The new sizes are the first line extensions to the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented since it officially launched in April 2015.

Photo Credits: Drew Estate
A man-eating tiger that killed three Indian villagers has been shot dead after hunters used drones, helicopters and even elephants to track down the big cat.

The three-year-old animal had been blamed for attacking six people and killing three since September prompting a massive search operation in the forests of Himalayan Uttarakhand state, northern India.

It was eventually found and shot dead before villagers broke into celebrations and paraded with the dead animal's carcass.

A man-eating tiger (pictured) that killed three Indian villagers has been shot dead after hunters used drones, helicopters and even elephants to track down the big cat

'There was resentment among the villagers, who were gripped with fear and panic after several attacks,' Uttarakhand chief warden of forest and wildlife D V S Khati said.

'Although she was a man eater, our priority was to tranquillise her but we had to fire bullets to kill her after many failed attempts to capture her,' he added.

Hunters and locals villagers jointly conducted the 44-day long operation to locate the tiger after a woman was killed outside Jim Corbett park in early September.

Authorities used drones and helicopters along with elephants and hunting dogs to assist the scores of ground staff to track the evasive animal.

The three-year-old animal had been blamed for attacking six people and killing three since September prompting a massive search operation in the forests of Himalayan Uttarakhand (file picture) state, northern India

Jubilant villagers paraded the carcass of the tiger for nearly three hours, celebrating the death of the predator that inspired fear from villagers and tourists.

A picture published by the BBC shows villagers posing for pictures with the dead animal.

Media reports say 100 tigers have died in India so far in 2016, of which 36 were killed by poachers.
A 19-year-old P-plate driver has walked free from court despite admitting to deliberately running over a man during a road rage row.

Jayden Fife sent his victim flying as he plowed into him during a roadside argument in Gold Coast in April, knocking him unconscious.

Fife, who drove off after the horrifying attack in broad daylight, was seen laughing and joking as he waited outside court before his sentencing on Friday.

P-plate driver Jayden Fife, 19, has walked free from court despite admitting deliberately running over a man during a road rage row

The victim got out of his car to speak with Fife when the teenager suddenly drove straight toward him, sending him somersaulting over the vehicle

Fife's lawyer claimed the teenager had been provoked by his victim before the clash, 9 News reported.

The man had been tailgating Fife, who is a P-plater, had pulled over to let him pass, the defence claimed.

The victim got out of his car to speak with Fife when the teenager suddenly drove straight toward him, sending him somersaulting over the vehicle.

The motorist, who handed himself into the police two hours after the crash, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, assault and leaving the scene of a crash.

Fife, who drove off after the horrifying attack on broad daylight, was seen laughing and joking as he waited outside court before his sentencing on Friday

The teenager refused to comment as he left court and appeared to pretend to be busy texting

Fife could have been jailed for five years, but instead a magistrate handed him a 12-month suspended sentence and a year-long driving ban.

During sentencing, the magistrate said Fife did not cause the attack.
The Tribal Huks gang leader who claims to have driven all meth dealers out of his small New Zealand town has had his car shot up in retaliation.

Images show Jamie Pink's car door riddled with bullet holes after his gang purged 14 meth houses in the Ngaruawahia region, in the country's central North Island.

Mr Pink grabbed headlines the world over after he warned meth dealers they had 24 hours to flee the town 'or else', Stuff reported.

Tribal Huk leader Jamie Pink's car door was left riddled with bullet holes after he declared war on meth dealers

Gun experts said Pink's door showed two large bullet holes from a high-powered firearm, while the rest of the vehicle was riddled with smaller gunshot blasts

Tribal Huk president Jamie Pink, who delivered his ultimatum to Ngaruawahia meth dealers on Thursday

Gun experts said Mr Pink's door showed two large bullet holes from a high-powered firearm, while the rest of the vehicle was riddled with smaller gunshot blasts.

The feared gang leader revealed they never broke into the meth houses but made it very clear who was paying the visit.

'I never went into any of the houses. We don't do that. You bring them out. You might hammer the door, but you don't go inside. That's home invasion, you do it another way,' Mr Pink said.

The gang leader said he was nearly killed during the raids, but that it was worthwhile for the end result.

Mr Pink urged the public not to blame the police for the explosion of meth, or P as it is known in New Zealand.

He warned the purge still stands and had a message for any dealers planning to stay in town.

'Any P dealers that want to move to Ngaruawahia, we've got one-way tickets to the Philippines for them. Let's keep it at that,' he said.

Pink with fellow members of the Tribal Huk gang, which has been operating since at least the 1950s

The gang (pictured are members) gave meth dealers 24 hours to leave the North Island, New Zealand town

Earlier this week a gang source declared the New Zealand town of Ngaruawahia was 'P [methamphetamine] free' after a string of 'meth houses' were purged.

Five or six dealers had packed up and were escorted out, while others were given a 'hand' to leave, the source said.

The claim was made as reports came in from the central North Island town, which has a population of about 5,100, that at least one dealer had been assaulted during the clear-out.

Last Thursday Jamie Pink, the notorious leader of New Zealand's Tribal Huk gang, gave methamphetamine dealers in the town until 6.30pm Friday to leave before they started getting visits.

A grandmother from the town told Stuff she saw the gang give one dealer a 'twack' on Saturday.

A member of the Tribal Huk gang from Ngaruawahia wearing gang colours
British warplanes will begin exercises in the Far East this weekend in a bid to strengthen defence cooperation in the region as North Korea continues to defy UN sanctions by testing its nuclear weapons.

No II (AC) Squadron, based at RAF Lossiemouth, will fly Typhoon fighter jets to Misawa Air Base in Northern Japan before later moving on to South Korea in November.

It is the first time RAF jets have been deployed to take part in joint drills with Japan's Air Self Defence Force.

Wing Cdr Roger Elliott, Officer Commanding II (AC) Sqn, said: 'This is the most ambitious deployment that the Typhoon Force has ever done. I think it's probably the most ambitious deployment that the Air Force has done to the Far East.

RAF Typhoon fighter jets will fly to Misawa Air Base in Northern Japan to take part in training exercises with Japan's Air Self Defence Force (file photo)

Wing Cdr Roger Elliott, Officer Commanding II (AC) Sqn, said: 'This is the most ambitious deployment that the Typhoon Force has ever done'

'So it is a huge honour to be taking part, and it's a huge honour to be the first RAF unit to go and operate with the JASDF on exercise.'

Wing Cdr Roger Elliott said the mission will help them prepare for 'global operations'.

'By going to the Far East, there is no better way to prepare for a global operation. So we'll practice everybody in their roles supporting combat air,' he said.

The move comes amid rising tensions in East Asia, as Japan tackles disputes with North Korea over its nuclear weapons testing.

'This exercise aims to enhance tactical skills of the air forces and strengthen Japan-Britain defense cooperation. We do not have a specific country or region in mind,' Japan's Defense Ministry said, CNN reports.

'Conducting this exercise in Japan will help in strengthening the UK's commitment in the Asia Pacific region and increasing other European countries' interest in the security situation in Japan and the Asia Pacific region,' the ministry added.

The U.S. Air Force are also based at Misawa Air Base (AB) in Japan (file photo)

Japan Air Self Defense Force are pictured here at the Misawa Air Base in 2015 (file photo)

After the exercise ends in Japan on November 6, the RAF planes will travel to South Korea for a joint drill called operation Invincible Shield.

South Korea, the US and the UK will all take part in the exercise.

South Korean activists floated hundreds of thousands of leaflets across the border into North Korea on Friday, protesting Pyongyang's recent missile testing efforts in defiance of UN sanctions.

'We launched the leaflets to protest against these provocative acts,' North Korean defector-turned-activist Park Sang-Hak told AFP.

Wing Cdr Roger Elliott said the Typhoon mission will help them prepare for 'global operations'

A total of 300,000 leaflets -- along with 2,000 one-dollar bills designed to encourage people to pick them up -- were floated over the heavily militarised border in packages attached to large helium balloons.

The balloon launch came a day after the North conducted what appeared to be its second failed test in a week of a powerful medium-range missile that experts warn could be operationally deployed as early as next year.

The missile -- believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan -- exploded shortly after lift-off early Thursday, according to South Korean and US monitors.

Friday's balloon launch was the first this month by Park's group which has carried out nearly 20 similar exercises this year.
Immigration minister Robert Goodwill (pictured in the Commons today) said 'child' refugees required to undergo age checks are treated like a child until the age assessment is completed

Ministers admitted today there is nothing stopping adult refugees who falsely claimed to be children being put in British schools.

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill said 'child' refugees required to undergo age checks are treated like a child until the age assessment is completed.

The alarming admission came in response to demands for UK authorities to deploy tighter checks on the age of child refugee applicants after some of the unaccompanied 'children' arriving in Britain from Calais this week appeared to be over the age of 18.

In an emergency debate in the Commons today, Tory MP Philip Davies said the British public is being 'taken for fools' and Britain's 'generosity is being abused'.

He said ministers risked doing 'irreparable damage to public confidence in the asylum system' unless they do more to verify the ages of child refugees coming to Britain.

Mr Goodwill's comments in response to his question suggests adult refugees could be housed along with other children in care and could be sent to local schools.

The UK has agreed to take around 200 unaccompanied children from the camp but as the first three dozen began to arrive this week, some of them appeared older than 18.

Today one of the 'child' migrants brought to Britain from Calais was exposed as an adult.

Mr Davies told the Government: 'A large number of my constituents have contacted me to say how angry they are that we're being taken for fools, taken for a ride and our generosity is being abused.'

Tory MP Philip Davies (pictured standing up at the back) raised the concerns in the Commons after questions were raised over the age of some of the unaccompanied 'child' refugees arriving in Britain this week from the Calais Jungle

He asked immigration minister Mr Goodwill: 'If somebody claims to be 14, do we just accept it and send them to a local school, with all the obvious safeguarding issues that will be involved if they were actually adults?

'The Government owes the British public  and genuine child refugees  a promise to get a grip on this particular situation.'

The UK has agreed to take around 200 unaccompanied children from the camp but as the first three dozen began to arrive this week, some of them appeared older than 18, such as the so-called 'man in blue (pictured)

Appearing to admit that adult refugees could be placed with other children before their real age is established, Mr Goodwill replied: 'The age issue can arise because of Home Office concerns about the claimed age or because the individual does not accept the initial assessment process.

'Where there is doubt the individual will be referred to a local authority children's services department for a careful case-law compliant age assessment and will be treated like a child while the outcome is awaited.

He explained: 'Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that they safeguard and promote the welfare of children under Section 11 of the Children's Act 2004 regardless of their immigration status or nationality.

'This safeguards the individual who is required to undergo an age assessment and safeguards children already in the care population from the presence of an adult being placed in the same living accommodation.'

The Home Office is coming under increased fire over ruling out tooth X-rays for youngsters coming to the UK from The Jungle camp in Calais after the Daily Mail revealed that dental tests are already being used to assess the age of migrants.

Ministers claimed such checks were 'inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical'.

The UK has agreed to take around 200 unaccompanied children at The Jungle camp who have family in this country. Charity workers in the camp have admitted the majority of young migrants are lying about their age to get to Britain

Tory MP Philip Davies (pictured in the House of Commons this morning) said Britain was being 'taken for fools' after it some of the 200 child refugees it agreed to take in from the Calais Jungle Camp appeared to be over the age of 18

Robert Goodwill (pictured at the Despatch Box in the House of Commons today) said there was nothing stopping adult refugees falsely claiming to be children being put into British schools

But last night it was revealed that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the Home Office agency responsible for asylum claims, already accepts dental checks as proof of age, if provided by the migrant.

Guidelines said officials should give 'considerable weight' to reports from dental consultants who have assessed arrivals.

MPs and immigration lawyers, backed by Labour former home secretary Jack Straw, led calls for dental tests to determine their age after some of those arriving appeared older than 18.

Citing guidance from the British Dental Association, the Home Office claimed dental X-rays were not accurate enough because they carried a margin of error of at least two years.

But UKVI documents titled Assessing Age For Asylum Applicants showed that officials used such tests to check on some asylum seekers who were trying to prove they were children.

Critics said this torpedoed the Home Office's claims that the tests were unethical, although Whitehall officials pointed out that the migrants involved were voluntarily taking the test to prove they were under 18.

Tore, 17, from Afghanistan, says goodbye to his friends from the Calais Jungle by taking a selfie before heading to the UK as part of 200 child refugees given asylum
A young alcoholic shown drinking himself to death on a Louis Theroux documentary has revealed he has been sober for a year.

The plight of Joe Walker, 32, reduced viewers to tears as he was shown walking out of hospital, covered in blood, to buy vodka after being told his alcoholism would kill him.

The former university medical researcher was among several alcoholics followed by Louis Theroux for his BBC film 'Drinking to Oblivion'.

Joe's battle with drink moved many people who watched in horror as he gave up drink only to relapse catastrophically, which left him on the brink of death and out of work.

But a year on he is still off the booze and reunited with his friends and family after his drinking left him alone and close to death.

Happy news: Recovering alcoholic Joe Walker - the star of a poignant Louis Theroux film on drink (right) - has been sober for a year (left)

Friends: Louis and Joe are still friends - pictured here at AA in June as he continued his recovery

Drama: After giving up booze Joe was shown after another relapse outside Kings College Hospital in south London, topless and covered in blood - Mr Theroux and a doctor have to help him up

Mr Walker is still in touch with Louis Theroux and met with him recently, and revealed people who watched his plight on screen still hug him in the street.

He told Buzzfeed: 'It has been an incredible year. I got my family back in my life, friends have been incredible and shown me nothing but love.

'The reaction after the show was incredible. I think it changed my life, because I saw that I wasn't judged. The reaction to the show was so overwhelmingly supportive that it helped me begin to accept myself and what had gone on.

'I've been hugged in the street, people shake my hand, and I've had the most beautiful messages through social media. It's amazing how something can draw such love and humanity out of people. It's incredibly humbling.

He added: 'I feel free, because there are no secrets'.

The prime-time documentary he took part him showed the highs of him giving up drink to the moment doctors told him he was drinking himself to death.

In one emotional scene in A&E, the paralytic 32-year-old shared a tearful hug with Louis Theroux and says: 'I don't want to be a drunk - I am dying as a person'.

Minutes later he then decides to walk out of hospital to buy booze even though he knows it could kill him.

He said: 'I like the sensation of it (vodka) going down my throat and I want to experience that for one last time. That's why I'm leaving'.

At the end of the documentary he meets Mr Theroux in a pier in Brighton where he says he is trying to rebuild his life and is staying off the drink 'for now'.

Joe had described how he turned to drink after problems at work and in his love life. It was also revealed his late mother had struggled with alcoholism.

The former Kings College medical education employee lost everything to alcohol including his job and his girlfriend and spent months drinking two bottles of vodka a day in bed before collapsing in the street.

He said: 'I didn't get the job I wanted and along with a break-up I though s*d it. I think I must have collapsed in the street and somebody obviously thought this guy needs to go to A&E.

'I was drinking myself to death and there was something in me that didn't want to die'.

Emotional: Joe sobbed as he hugged Louis - but moments later he would walk out of A&E looking for vodka and admitting it would probably kill him

Needing help: Mr Walker was drinking himself to death and would sink two bottles of vodka every day after struggling with work and a break-up - shown here being helped into A&E by the documentary maker

Moving on: Joe Walker, 32, left, was the star of Louis Theroux's documentary on alcoholism: 'Drinking to Oblivion'

Days later he was released from hospital and Mr Theroux met him at his London flat, where the curtains are stained with blood from a head wound. He says this is a reminder to him to stay sober.

But weeks later he relapses and is found drunk, topless apart from a coat wearing blood-stained jogging bottoms.

Louis Theroux is shown helping to carry him into King College Hospital in South London, covered in blood, after relapsing.

After telling doctors he wants detox he is warned that this is his last chance before he decides to leave the hospital in tears looking fore alcohol.

He says he wants to down vodka and sleep in the park he was staying in after being thrown out of his flat.

After his final relapse it emerged that he had left London and moved in with his father at his family home in Brighton.
Theresa May has slapped down the EU's lead Brexit negotiator after he signalled all talks should be carried out in French.

Michel Barnier is said to have demanded that his native tongue be the 'working language' during the fraught process.

The extraordinary suggestion risks further inflaming tensions between the UK and the EU.

Michel Barnier is said to be calling for French to be the 'working language' in the looming Brexit talks

Theresa May, seen arriving at the EU summit in Brussels today, has been on the receiving end of tough talk from couterparts

But speaking at a press conference at the close of a fraught EU summit, Mrs May insisted the UK would not be dictated to.

Asked about the report, the PM said: 'We will conduct the negotiations in the way that is going to make sure that we get the right deal for the United Kingdom.'

Mrs May said it was up to the 27 other countries in the EU 'how they are going to conduct' their negotiations.

'But we will continue to play our role as I have done today. I can assure you I haven't been backwards in coming forwards on issues,' she said.

Downing Street sources made clear that the talks will not be held in French.

THERESA GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER BY EU LEADERS A bleary-eyed Theresa May leaves the summit in the early hours of the morning Theresa May was given just a few minutes to speak about her approach to Brexit at the end of a long dinner with Eu counterparts. The Prime Minister was squeezed into the schedule after 1am, at the end of a meal of pan-fried scallops, lamb with roast fig, and iced vanilla parfait. Following Mrs May's comments that the UK must not be shut out of discussions affecting all 28 members before it leaves, the event apparently broke up with no-one else wanting to speak. Asked about the PM's intervention today, EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker shrugged his shoulders and made a 'pfff' noise. 'We had no special event with Theresa May yesterday,' he said. 'She was explaining what her intentions are. I'll have lunch with her and then we will see what happens.' Advertisement

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was no official language for the Brexit talks and 'everybody is allowed to speak their own language'.

Mr Barnier wrote on Twitter: 'Never expressed myself on negotiation language. Work as often in English as French. Linguistic regime to be set at start; to be agreed between negotiators.'

An EU spokeswoman said: 'This will be agreed upon at the beginning of the negotiations - after receiving the Article 50 notification - and in common agreement with the negotiators.'

Mrs May received a cool reception at her first summit in Brussels, with the bloc's leaders queuing up to signal there would be no concessions.

She was given just five minutes in the early hours of the morning at a working dinner to set out her approach to the process.

Asked about the PM's intervention today, EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker shrugged his shoulders and made a 'pfff' noise.

Former EU commissioner Lord Hill warned today that European politicians were 'emotional' about Brexit and could insist on tough terms even if it meant 'self harm'.

Mr Barnier, a French ex-foreign minister, was a controversial choice by EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to run the negotiations.

A source told Reuters: 'Barnier wants French to be the working language in Brexit negotiations with Britain.'

An EU spokeswoman stressed this was not an official line, saying: 'There is no language regime for the negotiations.'

Using French would be a shift away from standard practice among multinational teams in Brussels.

French lost its status to English as the EU's main working language after northern and eastern states joined in the past two decades.

Even officials from the EU's founding powers France and Germany now communicate with each other mainly in English.

Many British diplomats in Brussels are fluent in French but ministers and Whitehall officials share with their fellow Britons the distinction of being among the poorest linguists in Europe.

PFFF! FEISTY EU COMMISSION CHIEF JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER SCOFFS AT QUESTIONS FROM BRITISH REPORTER An irritated Jean-Claude Juncker clashed with a British reporter in Brussels today as he was asked about his face-to-face meeting with Theresa May today. A BBC journalist asked how his dinner with the British Prime Minister had gone last night but the European Commission president scoffed as he replied: 'We had no special event with Theresa May yesterday, she was explaining what her intentions are. 'I will have lunch with her and then we'll see what has to happen.' Pressed on what he had discussed with Mrs May, a visibly irritated Mr Juncker asked: 'Are you the British prime minister?' The feisty exchange reflected the tense atmosphere in Brussels as Mrs May attended her first EU summit as Prime Minister. Advertisement

Theresa May - pictured greeting EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels today - has dismissed the reported demand by Mr Barnier

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pictured today, said there was no official language for the Brexit talks and 'everybody is allowed to speak their own language'

Theresa May slapped down the EU's lead Brexit negotiator after he signalled all talks should be carried out in French

Other officials involved in preparing for Brexit said they were unaware of Mr Barnier proposing to use mainly French.

EU 'INCAPABLE' OF STRIKING TRADE DEALS, SAYS CANADA AFTER BREAKDOWN IN TALKS The EU is 'incapable' of striking international trade deals, the Canadian government said today after talks collapsed over a landmark agreement. Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland delivered the damning assessment after a Belgian region refused to sign up to the Canada-EU trade deal, claiming it threatened farmers and welfare standards. Remarkably, the objection from the Wallonia region in Belgium could jeopardise the entire Ceta deal. A furious Ms Freeland, who walked out of talks today, told Belgian TV:'It seems obvious to me, to Canada, that the European Union is incapable now of having an international agreement, even with a country with such European values as Canada.'

The problems could spell trouble for Britain as some ministers had hoped the UK could piggyback onto the Ceta deal once it leaves the EU. But Theresa May said today that she was 'not looking to adopt a model that another country has' in Brexit negotiations. She said: 'Obviously we have got negotiations ahead... those negotiations will take time, as I say, there will be some difficult moments, it will need some give and take but I'm optimistic that we can achieve a deal that is right for the UK because I actually think the deal that is right for the UK will also be right for the European Union.' Advertisement

But some have said his task force, currently 15 staff and no Britons, has been conversing mainly in French.

The appointment of Mr Barnier, who speaks fluent English, was branded an 'act of war' by some commentators.

As an EU commissioner until 2014, the 65-year-old had a difficult relationship with London, as he sought to tighten regulation of Britain's dominant financial services industry.

Meanwhile the Canadian delivered a damning assessment of the EU today, describing it as 'incapable' of striking international trade deals after talks collapsed over the landmark Ceta trade deal.

The Belgian region of Wallonia refused to sign up to the deal, claiming it threatened farmers and welfare standards and remarkably, its objection could jeopardise the entire Ceta deal.

Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland angrily lashed out at the EU today, telling Belgian TV: 'It seems obvious to me, to Canada, that the European Union is incapable now of having an international agreement, even with a country with such European values as Canada.'



The problems could spell trouble for Britain as some ministers had hoped the UK could piggyback onto the Ceta deal once it leaves the EU.

But Theresa May said today that she was 'not looking to adopt a model that another country has' in Brexit negotiations.

She said: 'Obviously we have got negotiations ahead... those negotiations will take time, as I say, there will be some difficult moments, it will need some give and take but I'm optimistic that we can achieve a deal that is right for the UK because I actually think the deal that is right for the UK will also be right for the European Union.'
A paedophile snared by internet paedophile hunters after he arranged to meet a young girl at a shopping centre for sex - while his partner was at a hen party has been jailed for five years.

Mark McKenna, 38, was filmed by the secret vigilante group The Hunted One in an open-air car park outside the shopping mall in August, a court heard.

McKenna was filmed being confronted about the explicit online conversations he had been having with the fictitious 11-year-old girl called 'Lisa'.

Paedophile Mark McKenna, pictured, was jailed for five years at Maidstone Crown Court after he was caught carrying a packet of condoms on his way to meet an 11-year-old girl in Kent

McKenna told the paedophile hunters who confronted him: 'I thought this might happen'

These included him asking questions about her genital area and whether she had ever seen, touched or kissed 'a willy'.

Prosecutor Dominic Connolly said McKenna also told Lisa how he was aroused and wanted her to touch him intimately.

Of their planned meeting at the Bluewater shopping mall near Dartford, Kent on August 6 this year, he said he wanted to touch, stroke and kiss her intimately but did not want sex 'yet'.

But, just hours before he went to the shopping centre - and while his girlfriend was to be away for the evening in London - McKenna told the girl he had bought condoms.

He also told her of the risk he faced at being arrested for his sordid chats and plan.

Mr Connolly said: 'He messaged Lisa to say he could get into trouble by the police and asked her to promise that she wouldn't tell anyone.'

The court heard that McKenna told the 'girl' about an erotic dream and his plans for her. He also sent her images of a sex act he wished her to perform.

Kent Police arrested McKenna after being dipped off by the anti-paedophile group

Mr Connolly told the court: ' He asked what she would wear in bed and the conversation went on to talk about full sexual intercourse - how they would need to be careful and that he would wear a condom and he promised to be gentle with her. He also sent diagrams of sexual positions.

'The morning they were due to meet up he sent a message to say he would be buying some protection and shortly thereafter he sent a picture of an unopened condom packet with the message "I have them".'

The court heard McKenna had private messaged 'Lisa' after 'liking' her profile set up by the vigilante group on Instagram.

His conversations over three-and-a-half weeks also included him sending photographs of a penis and of himself laying in bed, as well as one of a naked young girl he sourced from the internet.

Maidstone Crown Court in Kent heard McKenna knew from the outset how old the 'girl' was, both from the photographs on her Instagram profile and by asking her directly.

He also told her his age and that she would have to pretend to be his daughter when they met.

McKenna believed he was meeting an 11-year-old girl at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent in August, when he was confronted by The Hunted One and arrested by the police, file photo

McKenna, of High Street, Northfleet, Kent, was confronted by Andy Bradstock from The Hunted One in a car park outside the Marks and Spencer store. Mr Bradstock had already alerted police to what he intended to do and was told by the operator officers would attend.

'When McKenna was approached he said: "I thought this would happen".'

The confrontation was filmed by the paedophile hunters and later shared on social media.

The video lasted several minutes as the members, in full view and hearing of other shoppers at the busy complex in Greenhithe, detailed what he had done and explained they had handed over evidence to police.

They continued to film as two Kent Police officers arrived and eventually arrested McKenna.

McKenna pleaded guilty to one offence of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, namely sexual activity with a child, between July 12 and August 7, 2016.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.
Two women panicked when they found their 94-year-old father dead in his central Florida home and buried him in the yard, investigators say.

Lake County Sheriff's spokesman Fred Jones said Thursday that Melvin Kort's daughters, Sarah and Susan Kort, confessed to burying him.

The two women said their father died four or five years ago from what seems to be a stroke or heart attack, WOOD-TV reported.

Investigators say two women panicked when they found their 94-year-old father dead in his central Florida home and buried him in the yard

Their secret started unraveling in September after deputies received a tip about a body buried near the Parkcrest Drive home.

'They found heavily decomposed remains in a shallow grave,' the Orlando Sentinel wrote.

Authorities were conducting a DNA test to confirm Kort's identity.

An autopsy showed no signs of trauma. Jones says Kort died four to five years ago.

Deputies stopped by the home and the daughters said their father had moved up north. The case has been forwarded to the state attorney's office for possible charges

Kort's brother reported him missing in July and told investigators he hadn't spoken to him in nine years, the Sentinel reported.

Deputies stopped by the home and the daughters said their father had moved up north.
A man has pleaded guilty to punching a stranger 18 times in a vicious attack at a train station that left his victim in a coma.

Paul Ross knocked a man unconscious and continued to strike him in the head during the assault in broad daylight at a bus stop next to Dandenong station in Melbourne.

Shocking CCTV footage shows Ross punching his victim and knocking him to the ground after the two men bumped into each other.

Paul Ross (facing away from the camera) has pleaded guilty to punching a stranger 18 times in a vicious attack at a train station that left his victim in a coma

The brutal attack continues as the victim tries to cover his face and Ross crouches over him to deliver more blows.

An elderly man is seen backing away from the fight as a bus drives past the brawling men.

Ross stops punching the man for a moment as he appears to realise he is unconscious and unable to put up a fight, but continues laying into him as another bus arrives.

A woman steps in to try to stop Ross' attack, with the assailant eventually backing away after angrily shouting at his lifeless victim.

Paul Ross knocked a man unconscious and continued to strike him in the head during the assault in broad daylight

Shocking CCTV footage shows Ross punching his victim and knocking him to the ground after the two men bumped into each other

The man was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition and placed in an induced coma, 9 News reported.

Ross later told police he was a boxer and admitted he did not hold back as he thumped his victim, Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard.

'I wasn't looking for a fight but I never back down from one. It's my temper,' he said.
A drunk woman smeared peanut butter on 30 vehicles outside a Monday night gathering in central Wisconsin that she mistakenly thought was a Donald Trump rally, according to authorities.

Christina Ferguson showed up to the Tomorrow River Conservation Club meeting in Amherst with a jar of peanut butter and began to yell about how she hates Trump, the Stevens Point City Times reported.

Ferguson, 32, departed when asked to leave, but authorities said she then used peanut butter to write offensive symbols and profanity on vehicles outside.

Christina Ferguson showed up to the Tomorrow River Conservation Club meeting in Amherst with a jar of peanut butter and began yelling about how she hates Trump

She drew 'phallic symbols,' according to WSAW.

Club members headed outdoors so they could 'make sure she wasn't doing anything to their vehicles after leaving', a complaint seen by the Stevens Point City Times said.

Ferguson is accused of using a 'family-size jar of low-sodium, creamy natural Jif' like the jar seen in this image

She was spotted spreading the food paste and going to an apartment complex by a man who contacted the sheriff's office, the newspaper reported.

Ferguson said she spent the whole night at the apartment and licked her fingers during a conversation with a deputy, according to the report.

She reportedly later confessed to spreading the peanut butter.

Ferguson said 'Peanut buttering is better than firebombing, and Trump plans on firebombing everybody in other countries,' according to the complaint seen by the news outlet.

Ferguson was informed the meeting hadn't been political and said sorry, the Stevens Point City Times reported.

Chief Deputy Dan Kontos told the newspaper: 'Fortunately it wasn't chunky peanut butter, so vehicles didn't get scratched.'

Authorities charged Ferguson with disorderly conduct and she is free on bond. She blew .218 on a breathalyzer test, the report said.

Amherst is 115 miles north of Madison.
A priest has been arrested on suspicion of molesting women while carrying out exorcisms and spiritual 'healing'.

The priest in Palermo, Sicily, was arrested on sex abuse charges along with an army colonel, local media reported Friday.

Father Salvatore Anello, 59, is suspected of molesting four women and a 12-year-old girl during 'healing prayers,' supposedly intended to help them recover from illness or liberate them from possession by the devil, the AGI news agency reported.

A priest in Palermo, Sicily, was arrested on sex abuse charges along with an army colonel, local media reported Friday (file photo)

Anello's arrest follows a six-month investigation into Salvatore Muratore, 52, an army colonel who was active in the Renewal of the Holy Spirit Catholic community.

Muratore has been accused by alleged victims of similar assaults.

Both men have been detained in custody and the investigation is still ongoing to ascertain if there were more victims, police told AGI.
The next episode of Wikileaks 'Podesta Files' promises to reveal the dirty laundry of interim Democratic Party Chairwoman Donna Brazile and vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine.

Wikileaks hinted Thursday evening on its Twitter account that the pair would be embarrassed somehow by hacked emails it plans to release at an unspecified time.

'We have a suprise in store for @TimKaine and @DonnaBrazile,' a tweet said, misspelling 'surprise.'

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The next episode of Wikileaks 'Podesta Files' promises to reveal the dirty laundry of interim Democratic Party Chairwoman Donna Brazile (right) and vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine (left)

Wikileaks hinted Thursday evening on its Twitter account that the pair would be embarrassed somehow by hacked emails it plans to release at an unspecified time

Brazile on Wednesday suggested that an embarrassing email on the site had been altered to make her look bad after she was confronted about feeding a question to Hillary Clinton ahead of a town hall co-hosted by CNN and TV One.

'I have seen so many doctored emails. I have seen things that come from me at 2 in the morning that I don't even send,' she told Fox News' Megyn Kelly during an interview. 'There are several email addresses that I once used. This has not been verified. This is under investigation.'

Kaine also said the emails may have been falsified.

'I actually read of one example yesterday, but actually I'm reading too many stories and I can't pin down which one it was - somebody saying, "I don't think I ever sent that," ' he told NBC in an interview that Wikileaks shared on its Twitter feed.

The Democratic politician may have been referring to an email chain in which Clinton's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, and a former colleague at the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded, were caught dissing conservatives who practice Catholicism.

Podesta was included on the emails but did not participate.

'Im a Catholic, I dont recognize that email that we saw,' he told reporters last week, implying that it may have been faked.

Brazile says an email purportedly sent from her account to Palmieri's was definitely tampered with.

On March 12, one day before the CNN town hall, Brazile sent an email about the death penalty to Palmieri with the subject: 'From time to time I get the questions in advance,' according to Wikileaks.

The death penalty question was repeated verbatim in an email the forum's co-host Roland Martin sent to CNN producers the next day. And the question was asked using similar wording during the event in Columbus, Ohio, Politico reported.

Kelly confronted Brazile at Wednesday's presidential debate, asking how she got the question in advance. Brazile said she refused to be 'persecuted' before adding: 'I am not going to try to validate falsified information'.

The message was among the emails from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta's account that were hacked by an unknown agent and published by Wikileaks.

Clinton's campaign has refused to verify the hacked emails.

The candidate's answers to debate questions about paid Wall Street speeches, snippets of which were cited in the hacked emails, seemed to confirm their validity, however.

Donna Brazile (right) suggested the hacked emails had been altered after Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly (left) confronted her about feeding a town hall question to Hillary Clinton

One day before a CNN town hall on March 13, Brazile sent an email to Clinton staffer Jennifer Palmieri with the subject: 'From time to time I get the questions in advance' (pictured)

Brazile's message to Palmieri opened with, 'Here's one that worries me about HRC.'

The email then states, '19 states and the District of Columbia have banned the death penalty. 31 states, including Ohio, still have the death penalty. According to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, since 1973, 156 people have been on death row and later set free. Since 1976, 1,414 people have been executed in the U.S. Thats 11% of Americans who were sentenced to die, but later exonerated and freed. Should Ohio and the 30 other states join the current list and abolish the death penalty?'

On the day of the forum, Roland Martin's email to CNN producers contained three questions, the last of which mirrored the one in Brazile's message to Palmieri.

During her Wednesday interview with Kelly, Brazile said: 'I have my documents. I have my files. Thank god I havent had my emails ripped off from me and stolen and given to some criminal to come back altered.'

She also said, 'As a Christian woman I understand persecution but I will not stand here and be persecuted because your information is totally false.

'Podesta's emails were stolen. You're so interested in talking about stolen material, you're like a thief that wants to bring into the night the things that you found that was in the gutter,' she charged.

The death penalty question was repeated verbatim in an email that forum co-host Roland Martin sent to CNN producers the next day, and the question was asked using similar wording during the event in Columbus, Ohio (pictured, Brazile at the third presidential debate)

During the third and last presidential debate on Wednesday (pictured), Clinton's answer to a Wikileaks question suggested the emails were real

When Kelly asked who gave her the information, Brazile said, 'I am not going to try to validate falsified information. I do my homework, I communicate, I talk. CNN has never provided me with questions.'

'A lot of those emails, I would not give them the time of the day,' she said.

Brazile also issued a statement that read: 'As it pertains to the CNN Debates, I never had access to questions and would never have shared them with the candidates if I did.'

Martin asked his social media followers for ideas on what to ask the candidates. But he said, 'As far as consultation [with Brazile], I don't believe I did.'

CNN's Jake Tapper, who was co-hosting the event, slammed Brazile, calling her alleged behavior 'unethical' during a radio interview with WMAL.
Police are still searching for two other suspects that fled the scene

Police don't believe shooting was random and one student was targeted

The two arrested are reportedly the driver and shooter

Another was arrested Thursday in a city 50 miles from shooting

One suspect was reportedly arrested Tuesday night after incident

Four students were shot outside June Jordan School for Equity and City Arts and Technology High School, which share a parking lot, on Tuesday

San Francisco Police Department has arrested two people for the shooting

The San Francisco Police Department arrested two people, who are believed to be the shooter and the driver, in connection with a high school shooting that left four students injured.

'#SFPD has made two arrests in connection to the #JuneJordan High School shooting incident. This is an active & ongoing investigation,' the department tweeted Thursday night.

Four male suspects wearing dark hoodies and jeans were seen running away from the area, police said.

One of the suspects was arrested Thursday in a city 50 miles from where the shooting occurred, according to KGO-TV.

The San Francisco Police Department arrested two people in connection with a high school shooting that left four students injured. The shooting took place on Tuesday in the shared parking lot of June Jordan School for Equity and City Arts and Technology High School (above)

The department tweeted Thursday night that they made the two arrests. One arrest was reportedly made on Tuesday following the incident and the second on Thursday

A 15-year-old female student was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her upper torso. Three other students, including a 16-year-old boy, were also injured when the shooting erupted on Tuesday afternoon

The second suspect was arrested Tuesday night.

A source told the station that the two suspects arrested were allegedly the shooter and driver. The other two are still on the loose.

The shooting took place on Tuesday around 3.15pm in the shared parking lot of San Francisco high schools, June Jordan School for Equity and City Arts and Technology High School, according to ABC News.

A 15-year-old female student was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her upper torso.

Three other students, including a 16-year-old boy, were also injured when the shooting erupted on Tuesday afternoon.

San Francisco Police spokesman Carlos Manfredi said: 'This was not just a random shooting. We believe one of the victims may have been the initial target.'

The shooters seemed to have targeted the female student, said Karwin Sui, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Unified School District.

At the time of the incident the June Jordan School tweeted that the shooting happened 'at dismissal time', adding that 'there were four perpetrators'.

The school district tweeted that a student had been targeted by 'outsiders'.

A female employee told SFGate.com there were 'building tensions outside the classroom' which boiled over, leading to the shooting.

Fernando Rodriguez, 16, described the chaos and fear inside the school.

He said he heard at least six 'pops' and saw students running in all directions.

'It was terrifying. We walk into this school every day, every morning, and to hear gunshots like that, just scary,' he told SFGate.com.

Three of the victims ran inside the school, and police ordered students to stay inside until police searched each room and determined it was not an active shooter situation.

No further details were released about the suspects currently in custody.

San Francisco Police spokesman Carlos Manfredi said: 'This was not just a random shooting.' Officers stand at the scene of the shooting
Religious supporters have won the annual 'nativity war' in secular France so people are safe to light up town halls with scenes of baby Jesus.

The debate over whether it is appropriate to decorate public spaces with nativity displays, in a country where sporting religious symbols is banned, occurs most years.

But this year the country's top administrative court has given the go-ahead after a rapporteur said it was not appropriate to target nativity scenes despite disagreements over secularism.

France's top administrative court says it is not right to target nativity displays in the debates over secularism

The ruling comes as free-thought organisations contested displays claiming it breaches France's 1905 law, called laicite, on the Separation of Church and State.

But when the matter was brought to the Conseil d'Etat, a body of the French national government, a rapporteur suggested nativity in public spaces should be allowed.

The 1905 law is based on three principles: the neutrality of the state, the freedom of religious exercise and public powers related to the church.

Free-thought organisations disputed nativity displays in public spaces when town halls started to set them up for Christmas

There are a few conditions for those who want to create a nativity display, including: scenes must be temporary, religious preaching is not permitted and the displays must be of a cultural nature.

The topic of religious expression in public has been hotly debated for years.

In 2004 an amendment was made to the French Code of Education and it bans: Christian veil and signs, Muslim veil and signs, Sikh turban and signs, Jewish and other religious signs.

Many believe that the law is particularly directed at girls wearing headscarves to school - an obligatory article for Muslims.




Voters think that whoever loses the 2016 election needs to accept the result, a poll showed Friday - even though almost half of those surveyed think that there will be widespread fraud at the polls.

Sixty-eight per cent believe that the candidate who does not win must step aside, the Politico/Morning Consult poll showed. Just 14 per cent thought the loser should challenge the result.

The survey's findings come two days after the final presidential debate, in which Donald Trump would not pledge to accept the outcome of the November 8 election.

After weeks of declaring the process is 'rigged' against him, he said Thursday that he would agree with the result - 'if I win'.

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Sixty-eight per cent believe that the candidate who does not win must step aside, the Politico/Morning Consult poll showed Friday. The survey's findings come two days after the final presidential debate, in which Donald Trump would not pledge to accept the outcome of the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton and Trump temporarily buried the hatchet to shake hands at the Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday - traditionally a light-hearted charity roast but which both candidates seized as an opportunity to direct barbs at their opposition

Clinton labeled his attitude as 'horrifying' and said it could destabilize the need for a peaceful transfer of power in America.

Trump's argument is not winning much support among voters either. Of self-identified conservatives surveyed, 56 per cent want him to accept a potential Clinton victory. A similar amount of self-identified tea party supporters - 53 per cent - think the same.

Just one quarter of the billionaire's supporters want him to challenge the outcome, while a further quarter have yet to make up their minds.

Clinton is leading Trump by 42 per cent to Trump's 36 per cent in a four-way match-up of the main party candidates, the poll showed. Libertarian Gary Johnson has nine per cent and the Green Party's Jill Stein is on four per cent.

The survey respondents also declared the Democrat the winner of Wednesday's debate: 43 per cent of viewers said she bested Trump, against 26 per cent who thought the Republican candidate won.

Still, Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud seem to have gained traction. Almost half the electorate - 46 per cent - say it is very or somewhat likely that there will be widespread fraud.

Forty-seven per cent think that will take the form of intimidation at the ballot box, 41 per cent via people voting in the wrong location, and 37 per cent by voters casting ballots for someone who is dead.

Obama ridiculed the suggestion that the election is rigged at a pro-Clinton rally on Thursday.

'You are much likelier to be struck by lightening than have somebody next to you commit voter fraud,' he said, in reference to a 2014 study. 'You'd win the Powerball.'

He also called Trump's suggestions of rigging were 'dangerous.'

'Because when you try to sow the seeds of doubt in peoples minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy,' he said.
Mr Fuh, now in his 70s, left for China in 2007 and has not returned since

Mr James tried moving into the property using a 'squatters right'

Andrew James gave up his bid to take over an abandoned Sydney terrace

A squatter who took up residence in an abandoned $1 million terrace home has given up his bid to take possession of the home.

Andrew James made a claim on the dilapidated Redfern property, in Sydney's inner-city, in June - nearly a decade after its international owner, Paul Fuh, jetted back to China in 2007.

Under the New South Wales Real Property Act 1900, a person can apply to claim 'adverse possession' of a property after occupying it for 12 years.

But Mr James is no longer a defendant in Supreme Court of NSW proceedings involving the council, Mr Fuh and his neighbour, according to News.com.au.

A squatter who took over this crumbling Redfern property in June has given up his bid to move into the residence

The ceiling appears to have fallen through in this room of the abandoned million dollar Sydney terrace

Andrew James has given up his bid to claim adverse possession of the dilapidated property

Mr James tried moving into the crumbling property using an archaic 'squatters right' law, but outraged neighbours, such as Gerard Knapp, dubbed the move 'legalised theft'.

'I said [to Mr James]: "You may see it as an unoccupied house, but this was my neighbour's home. That's how I see it",' Mr Knapp previous told Daily Mail Australia.

'The best outcome, I think, for the Sydney people and these terraces is for a genuine new owner to buy and rebuild it and become a part of the community.'

Mr Fuh, who paid $143,000 for the terrace back in 1991, is presumed to have relocated to China.

Mr James took over the dilapidated Redfern property in June  nearly a decade after its international owner, Paul Fuh, jetted to China in 2007

The backyard of the abandoned home is more a jungle than a garden after being deserted for a decade

The once-proud floorboards are scarred by falling debris which has accumulated since Mr Fuh vanished

With the yard a virtual forest, the ceiling crumbling and the floorboards covered in debris, it's clear the Mr Fuh he has cast the property aside

Mr Fuh's former neighbour Gerard Knapp

With the yard a virtual forest, the ceiling crumbling and the floorboards covered in debris, it's clear the Mr Fuh he has cast the property aside.

Mr Knapp said he knew Mr Fuh, an 'elderly Asian man who kept to himself'.

He said he respected his neighbour because he saved and bought the house himself.

Mr Knapp said the house could sell for $1 million in the condition it was in now and upwards of $2 million if it was renovated.

But in its current state, Mr Knapp said it was unliveable and needed to be rebuilt.

Mr Knapp said he would not be giving up the fight to make sure things were done right by Mr Fuh and the people of the City of Sydney.

He said he had no problem with people doing up the home but he wanted them to 'just buy it like everybody else does'.

'The best outcome, I think, for the Sydney people and these terraces is for a genuine new owner to buy and rebuild it and become a part of the community,' Mr Knapp said.
Furious parents have hit out at a school after pupils as young as 11 were asked to research and write an essay on abortion.

Parents have criticised teachers at Murray Park School in Mickleover, Derby, for setting the project on the controversial subject.

Year 8 pupils - aged between 11 and 13 - were asked to look into UK laws and Christian beliefs on the matter.

They were then set an essay titled: 'The abortion laws in the UK are wrong and should be changed.

'Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain and justify your opinion.'

Parents have criticised teachers at Murray Park School in Mickleover, Derby (pictured), for setting a research project on the controversial subject of abortion for children as young as 11

The class was given the homework a week ago and told to complete it by the end of the half-term holiday next week.

But some parents have slammed the school for setting the essay on such a sensitive subject at a young age and refused to let their children complete it.

One mother, who didn't want to be named, said her son deliberately left his homework on the window sill so she would find it and ask about it.

She added: 'He didn't want to bring the subject up himself and when I saw what it was about, I understood his reluctance.

'Myself and several other parents are concerned that this subject was not age appropriate and in researching the subject, the youngsters would be exposed to issues surrounding abortion such as rape.

'I am not sure that every child will have been taught sufficient sex education to put abortion into context.

'This seems morality-based rather than informative.'

Parents said they had been in touch with the school but received no response and had checked whether similar projects were set at other schools.

The mother added: 'I do not think other schools asks their pupils to do this kind of project on this subject at the age of 12.'

Father Paul Kennedy, 38, of Derby, added: 'I think it's a disgrace that they are teaching such a controversial subject at such a young age.

'They are barely teenagers and yet they are being exposed to extremely sensitive matters, which I don't think are appropriate at their age.'

Parents have now slammed the school for setting the essay on a sensitive subject such as abortion and refused to let their children complete it (file picture, posed by model)

Other parents took to social media to express their dismay at the decision to set the abortion homework.

Writing on Facebook, Sven Gem said: 'This isn't right yes, especially when 12 year olds shouldn't even be thinking about babies never mind abortions.'

Tania Wilson added: 'My son is 12 in January. He isn't aware of abortions or the consequences/thoughts on this and I don't want him to either.

'I ensure he doesn't experience things that are not age appropriate but understands things like sex ed as we discuss it at his level.

'I agree children need to be aware of how other religions view issues but I feel this is slightly too much for a young age.'

But other parents defended the school and said pupils aged 11 should be mature enough to learn about abortion laws.

Suzey Fletcher wrote: 'My son is in year 8 at this school and he has been set this homework. Initially he said I'm not doing it as no one else in the class is doing it.

'But then we sat down and discussed it so he understood what abortion was and what the UK rules are and how it's viewed in different religions and the reasons why people may choose this option. It was then down to him to pen an informed view of the subject armed with the relevant information.

'I don't see it as a bad thing that kids this age know the facts, I would rather this than subjects that are awkward getting swept under the carpet and becoming a taboo resulting in ill-informed young adults -who god forbid ever find themselves in a situation where abortion is an option and don't even know what it is.'

Michelle Hawley added: 'I don't see a problem with this personally as children now days are having sexual encounters at a young age so surely it's a good thing to teach them consciences and the options available if they did get into that situation.'

The PSHE Association - which provides materials for personal, social and health education in schools - was not involved in this particular project.

But a spokesman said: 'We aren't able to provide information on this particular school and situation.

'But the Department for Education's statutory sex and relationship education guidance from the year 2000 states that 'young people need to be aware of the moral and personal dilemmas involved in abortion and know how to access a relevant agency if necessary'.

I think it's a disgrace that they are teaching such a controversial subject at such a young age. 'They are barely teenagers and yet they are being exposed to extremely sensitive matters Father Paul Kennedy

'Parents have a right to question what goes on in their child's school but we would expect the best way to resolve issues or differences of opinion is for parents to communicate with the school and governing body directly.'

Murray Park School is a mixed secondary school in Derby which caters for boys and girls between 11 and 16.

It had 860 pupils on the school roll when it was rated as 'good' at its last Ofsted inspection in June 2014.

The school previously hit the headlines in 2007 when it became the first in Britain to offer skateboarding on its PE curriculum.

A spokesman said asking Year 8 pupils to research an essay on abortion was 'entirely reasonable'.

They added: 'The delivery of moral and ethical education to young people at the school has been praised by various parties over many years and we are always concerned to reflect on what we do and get this right.

'In this case we have, entirely reasonably, used this topic as part of the KS3 syllabus which requires us to 'explore significant moral and ethical questions and choices' where we feel that groups are ready and able to discuss such matters.

'The task was presented in such a way as to allow students to provide a balanced argument in a response to a statement which is common practice.

'Students were also provided alternative tasks if they chose.

'Whilst we are confident we have acted reasonably and in line with guidelines in this instance, we are keen to ensure that we always work in partnership with parents and will now review the curriculum content in this area across the school.
A Chelsea bun which was posted to a soldier fighting in the Battle of the Somme has been found in mint condition - after lying on a dusty shelf for 100 years.

The uncooked bun was sent to Private Alex Hodges by his sister Lily Poston as he fought on the frontline in the First World War.

But the sticky treat never reached the 19-year-old who was injured by a shell blast on the first day of fighting on July 1, 1916, which saw 20,000 Brit soldiers die.

A Chelsea bun which has survived in mint condition for 100 years after it was sent to Private Alex Hodges (in black and white photo) who was fighting in the Battle of the Somme has been found on a dusty shelf by his 84-year-old daughter Hazel Hodges (left), sat with her brother Tony

He was transferred to hospital in London and the bun - which was from Pte Hodges favourite baker - was returned to sender and posted back to Miss Poston.

She kept the bun as a memento and it remained in its original tin which the family kept on a shelf of the family home in Leominster, Herefordshire.

Alex Hodges in his First World War Uniform, left, and right, Mr Hodges in his later days

Now the bun has been discovered by Private Hodges daughter Hazel Hodges, 84, who inherited her estate following Lilys death in 2000.

Incredibly, she only discovered the tin contained the bun two years ago when she went through all her aunts belongings in more detail.

Ms Hodges, a spinster from Leominster, said: 'Lily knew my father was extremely fond of Chelsea buns from Mrs Pewtresss bakery in the town so she put one in a care parcel and sent it to the front.

Alex Hodges (back row, second from left, not looking at camera) in St Thomas's hospital in London where he returned to after he was injured by a shell blast on the first bloody day of fighting on July 1, 1916, which saw 20,000 Brit soldiers die

Alec Hodges in his later days with his wife. His sister Lily kept the uncooked bun that never reached him and has handed it down to her children

'But my father had moved on by the time it arrived and so it came back to her address in the same little brown box.

'She kept it on the sideboard in her house until her death.

'I inherited the box but never knew what was in it. I only opened it a couple of years ago out of curiosity and found the bun inside.

'It was obviously pretty stale but other than that is was in excellent condition. It brought back all the memories of my father.'

Private Hodges joined the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry with his brother Jim soon after the outbreak of war in 1914.

Hazel Hodges, with the bun, after she found it while going through her Aunt's belongings

He later volunteered for the Machine Gun Corps and survived the horrors of the trenches unharmed until he was severely wounded by shrapnel from a shell blast in the Somme.

He spent two years in St Thomass Hospital in London before being invalided out of the Army in 1918 because he was no longer physically able to serve.

Ms Hodges said the bun 'was obviously pretty stale but other than that is was in excellent condition' and 'brought back memories of her father'

After returning to Leominster, Mr Hodges created several embroideries detailing the Great War. He died at home aged 82 in 1979.

Ms Hodges, a retired dress and hat maker, has donated the bun and tin to Leominster Museum.

Ms Hodges, a retired dress and hat maker, has donated the bun and tin to Leominster Museum (pictured)

She added: 'It is a very ordinary item with quite an extraordinary story and a pyhsical link to the First World War.
Hulk, the biggest pitbull in the world, has fathered eight puppies - one of which could be the next 'ultimate protection dog'.

The huge pitbull's puppies could be worth up to $800,000 if they complete owner Marlon Grennan's training school to become security dogs in New Hampshire.

Marlon, 28, is currently training one of 12-stone Hulk's puppies, eight-month-old Kobe.

The huge dog's puppies could be worth $800,000 if they complete owner's Marlon Grennan's training school to become security dogs

Marlon, 28, is currently training one of Hulk's puppies, eight-month-old Kobe

At the beginning of Kobe's training the powerful puppy was reluctant to bite or tug, leading owner Marlon to push his training further

He said: 'My reputation is built on how I breed and train my dogs. I'm looking for the next Hulk - the star of the future. And this dog is the star of the future.

'Hulk is the most famous dog that I have but I am always looking for the next big thing so I've got to keep marching forward and I think we have something here.

'Kobe is a wonderful dog, his father is the Hulk, he's got great energy, great balance.'

At the beginning of Kobe's training the powerful puppy was reluctant to bite or tug, leading Marlon to push his training further.

He has now been taught to attack and release on command as well as stop would-be assailants.

Marlon's dogs are taught when to attack and when to desist as part of their training

Marlon's Dark Dynasty K9s business supplies protection dogs to high-profile celebrities and billionaires as well as law enforcement around the world.

Owner Marlon said: 'To me Kobe is absolutely priceless, I have no intentions of selling him, I absolutely want to make him the superstar that I know he can be.

'But if I wanted to turn around and sell him tomorrow, I have already been offered $40,000 multiple times for him untrained based upon who he is and where he comes from.
A young woman has been arrested on suspicion of torturing and killing cats and dogs with her friend and then posting the footage online.

One of the photos shows a cute white kitten with a look of terror in its eyes as a knife is held up by its face.

Alina Orlova, 21, was arrested in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok where she was waiting for a connecting flight between her home city of Khabarovsk to St Petersburg in the north-western part of the country.

She and her friend Alena Savchenko, 19, who goes by the name Kristina Hemp on social media and likes to wear horror movie-style makeup and contact lenses, allegedly posted photographs and videos of themselves apparently torturing and killing cats and dogs for 'bloodlust'.

However, Orlova says the pictures are photoshopped and she's being framed.

One of the two girls is allegedly pictured holding a knife in front of this white cat

'I would like to speak in my defence... I do not know who has put this stuff to the Internet - it is not the first time somebody wants to frame me. But I did not kill anyone and do not intend to kill,' the Siberian Times reports Orlova said.

The horrific images purportedly show one dog nailed to a wall as if it had been crucified and another dog hanging by its collar and then shot with an air gun.

Other animals are seen dead in the photos - including one cat which the girls appear to cut open to pull out its internal organs.

Police became involved after animal lovers reacted with outrage to the graphic images that were posed on social media.

Alina Orlova, 21, was arrested as she was waiting for a connecting flight between her home city of Khabarovsk to St Petersburg

One of the girls is allegedly pictured in a bloody apron. Both of the accused claim they have been set up and the pictures are photoshopped

Local residents started a petition calling on the authorities to do something about the alleged teenage torturers.

Both of the accused girls are students and live in the city of Khabarovsk in south-eastern Russia's Khabarovsk Krai region.

They said they had been adopting unwanted animals which they promised to look after.

It's alleged they tortured and killed them, posting photographic evidence online.

Kristina's family are believed to have close ties to the local police force in Khabarovsk, according to local media.

Khabarovsk, the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Chinese border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers.

Another photo shows a dog being shot while hanging from the neck
The youngster, 12, admitted sexual assault and inciting sexual activity with a child at Manchester youth court

A schoolboy has been ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register after repeatedly attacking a seven-year-old girl just days after his 11th birthday.

The youngster, 12, from Droylsden in Greater Manchester, simulated sexual intercourse with his victim after lowering her clothing.

Accompanied by his father as he stood in the dock at Manchester youth court, he admitted sexual assault and inciting sexual activity with a child.

He is one of the youngest people in Britain to sign the Register which monitors the whereabouts of convicted paedophiles and rapists.

The assaults took place between December 1 2014 and January 1 2015 with the victim being the younger sister of one of the boy's friends.

The court was told the boy attacked the girl on up to three separate occasions with prosecutors claiming he 'lowered her clothing, and lowered his own clothing before simulating intercourse'.

It was claimed he also took down his trousers and incited her to perform a sex act on him.

In interview the seven-year-old said the incidents felt 'strange.'

Prosecutor Andrew Haye told the court: 'The defendant, now aged 12, was 11 at the time of the offence. The complainant was seven at the time of the offence.

'No medical evidence was taken. Understandably the complainants mother did not wish her daughter to undergo medical examination. She did not say anything hurt or harmed as a result of the behaviour.

'With both types of offences the complainant did not consent and the defendant clearly knew the complainant did not consent. This is not a case of juvenile sexual experimentation.'

The boy, dressed in a hooded jacket, stood silently with his hands clasped in front of him as he was sentenced to a 12-month referral order on the recommendation of youth workers. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for two and a half years.

He spoke only to confirm his name and personal details and that he understood the sentence. No mitigation was given on his behalf.

District Judge Mark Hadfield told the boy: 'These offences are very serious offences dating back almost two years. You were friends with the two brothers of the complainant. You took the opportunity on three occasions to engage in sexual acts with this young girl.

'The reports say that you knew what you were doing was wrong - yet you still continued doing it and this causes me some concern. A panel will decide on a programme of activities for you to carry out that will prevent you from committing further offences particularly of this nature.

'You are fortunate you are 12 years of age as the sentencing options of the court are somewhat limited. I say that so you realise how serious these offences are and how serious they would continue to be. I hope these three offences are isolated episodes. Take advantage of the support the youth system offers you.'

In 2012 a boy from Bolton, Greater Manchester was locked up for four years after he raped two little girls when he was just 11.
A neo-Nazi who previous covered his white supremacist tattoos with make-up during a previous court appearance will not be able to hide them when he goes on trial for executing a 75-year-old woman.

Bayzle Morgan, 25, is expected to stand trial early next year over the shooting death of Jean Main in May 2013.

It is alleged he broke into the septuagenarian's home and pistol whipped her with such force the trigger guard on his weapon was shattered, before he shot her in the back of the head, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Bayzle Morgan, a neo-Nazi set to face trial for murder, will not be allowed to cover his tattoos (left) in court. He was allowed to conceal them with make-up earlier this year at a robbery trial (right)

The 25-year-old alleged killer hoped to have his white supremacist tattoos covered by make-up when he faced a jury, however District Judge Michelle Leavitt denied the request.

Morgan has a number of facial tattoos, including a swastika within a clover under his left eye, white supremacist designs in place of his shaved eyebrows, and an Iron Cross.

The eyebrow tattoos read, 'Skin Head 88'. The number 88 is used by neo-Nazis as an abbreviated for 'Heil Hitler'. The eighth letter of the alphabet is 'H'.

There are also tattoos above his lip, which appear to read, 'BIP' and 'SET'. 'BIP' is used as an abbreviation in some groups for 'Blood Is Power.' 'Set' is sometimes used as another word for a gang.

He also has 'Most Wanted' emblazoned across his forehead, and 'Baby Nazi' written on his neck.

When announcing the tattoos could not be covered, Judge Leavitt said the jury should be able to look past the offensive ink.

Bayzle Morgan (pictured with his tattoos covered earlier this year) is charged with the murder of 75-year-old Jean Main in May 2013

Morgan's lawyer argued that having his client's tattoos covered would ensure the jury was impartial. Pictured on the left is a make-up artist hiding Morgan's tattoos during a trial in July

District Judge Michelle Leavitt denied the request from Morgan's lawyer to allow his neo-Nazi tattoos to be covered when he stands trial for murder

'They could be impacted; they just have to be fair and impartial, regardless of the fact that they dont like the tattoos or they impact them in a negative way,' she said, according to the Review-Journal.

'They should be able to set it aside. And its just outrageous if a juror cant do that.'

Prosecutors argued Morgan should not be allowed to cover the tattoos because he got them willingly when he was over the age of 18.

Defense lawyer Dayvid Figler had earlier claimed that covering the tattoos with make-up was a 'unique solution' to ensure the jury was not scared of Morgan - which could lead to them not being impartial.

The 25-year-old was granted permission to hide his tattoos when he was on trial for robbery earlier this year.

Morgan (pictured having his tattoos concealed earlier this year) could face the death penalty if he is found guilty of murder

A courtroom cosmetologist was tasked with applying make-up on Morgan's face every day during his robbery trial, before jurors were able to see him.

Despite covering the tattoos, he was still found guilty and sentenced to a maximum of 10 years behind bars.
Angela Whitworth has been jailed for life for murdering her 20-month-old daughter Sarah

A 'wicked and selfish' mother has been jailed for life for murdering her 20-month-old daughter over a bitter custody battle.

Angela Whitworth, 44, used a black bin liner to smother Sarah Dahane at her home in Bicester, Oxfordshire, on May 15, 2013.

Having already booked her ticket before the murder, she then took a flight to Nairobi in Kenya the day before the little girl's body was discovered.

Earlier this year, she was held by police in Uganda and brought back to Britain, where she admitted murder.

Detectives in Uganda later found Whitworth had been using her computer to Google searches for 'Find a rich man to marry' and 'Do men from United Arab Emirates marry black women'.

She was sentenced by Mr Justice Spencer at the Old Bailey to life with a minimum term of 15 years.

Passing sentence Mr Justice Spencer told Whitworth 'She was only 20 months old when you gagged and smothered her to death.

'It would have been close to five minutes for her to lose consciousness. She must have been terrified and bewildered in her last moments of life.'

The judge said Sarah Dahane would have been 'terrified and bewildered' in her final moments

Whitworth fled to Africa after the murder and searched 'find a rich man to marry' online

Whitworth feared she was about to lose custody of her daughter during a bitter family court with her ex-husband, Nabil Dahane.

The judge added: 'It is clear that your approach was if I can't have Sarah, no-one can.

'I can only imagine the desolation and distress Mr Dihane must have felt on discovering his beautiful and precious daughter was dead at the hands of her mother.

'It is clear that she was a delightful little girl with her whole life stretched out in front of her. It was a great betrayal on your responsibility to her as a mother.'

Detailing Whitworth's bitter custodial battle with her ex-husband, prosecutor Sally Howes QC had told the court: 'The defendant wanted to take the child with her and return to the family home in Kenya.

'She was feeling resentful, she felt angry that her husband had put her in a position of having to give up her daughter.

'Officals found her manipulating the system, if Mr Dihane was going to have contact, it would only be on her terms.'

Whitworth feared she would lose custody of her daughter to her ex-husband, Nabil Dahane

Mr Dahane said his daughter was 'beautiful, lovely and lively' and 'loved everyone'

Whitworth, formerly of Bicester, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to murdering her daughter on 15 May 2013.

Speaking after the death of his baby daughter Mr Dahane said: 'My one and only daughter Sarah was so beautiful, lovely and lively. She loved everyone and everyone just loved her back.

'Our time together was really happy and precious. She meant the world to me, still does and will always do regardless.'
A TV reporter has come forward with footage of a man calling him 'black guy', 'slave' and even the N-word on a street in South Carolina.

Steve Crump, a reporter for WBTV in Charlotte, was in Charleston covering Hurricane Matthew when a 21-year-old man sitting on the street started calling him the racial slurs.

Crump had his camerman with him so the aftermath was all caught on video - up until the moment the man was arrested by police.

Abuse: Steve Crump, a reporter for WBTV in Charlotte, was in Charleston covering Hurricane Matthew when a 21-year-old man sitting on the street started calling him racial slurs

'I did - I believe I did call you the N-word,' said the man, Brian Eybers, 21, can be heard saying in a video taken by Crump's cameraman. Crump is pictured, right

Eybers said that the 'Constitution of the United States' gave him the right to freedom of speech

'What did you just call me?' Crump asked as he approached the white man on video.

'You called me the N-word, right?'

The man, later identified by police as 21-year-old Brian Eybers, then spelled out the N-word on camera. He said that the 'Constitution of the United States' gave him the right to freedom of speech, the Charlotte Observer reported.

'I did - I believe I did call you the N-word,' Eybers says in the video.

'N for Nancy, I as in indigo, G as in Grant, another G as in Grant, E as in Edward and R as in Rogers,' he adds.

Eybers blocks the news van so that Crump cannot leave, and then smokes from what appears to be a crack pipe

Crump then responds: 'I'm glad you've found such a wonderful place in this society.'

Eybers then hits back: 'You're a (expletive) idiot. You're ignorant. So you really are a (N-word) then.'

The two continue talking for a little longer, before Crump gets into his van to leave.

However Eybers then steps in front of the van, blocking their path and smoking from a device that appears to be a crack pipe.

Crump is heard in the video calling 911 and asking for someone to come and move Eybers along so that they can leave, adding that he is harassing them.

Taken in: Police arrived at the scene and, after interviewing Crump and Eybers, ended up arresting the young man

Eybers was charged with congregating for an unlawful purpose and possession of drug paraphernalia, after police found him to have a crack pipe

In the final parts of the video, police are seen arriving at the scene and speaking with Eybers, who they then arrested.

Eybers was charged with congregating for an unlawful purpose and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A police incident report states officers found a crack pipe during a search. Police also said Eybers, whose last known address was in Arlington, Virginia, admitted to calling Crump the N-word.
Creepy clowns have had their day in a Mississippi county - where putting on a clown outfit, mask or makeup could cost you $150.

It follows a ruling by the Kemper Board of Supervisors making it unlawful to dress up like a clown.

The extreme measure was passed unanimously, and will expire the day after Halloween.

Outfits like this will land you a $150 fine in Kemper County, after the move was signed into law this week

Banned: If Krusty went to Kemper County in Mississippi, it would cost him $150 as clown outfits have been outlawed

It follows a string of attacks by people dressed as clowns across the US and Britain, in a craze which has angered lawmakers.

Explaining the need for the fine, enforceable by the Kemper County Sheriff's Office, the Kemper County Messenger reports, board attorney Bo Bailey said: 'In order for it to be effective you have to put teeth into it.'

And board president Johnny Whitsett said: 'It has really gotten out of hand.'

He warned that the reaction of someone who saw a clown in their yard 'wouldn't be good'.

The ban was signed into law on Monday, and will remain in place until November 1.

Contraband: A mask like this will land you in trouble with the County Sheriff after the law was passed in Kemper County

Before the meeting Kemper County Sheriff James Moore said the ban - which will apply to children as well as adults - said: 'This is something I feel like we need to address. It's best to say no dressing as clowns across the board.'

But readers on social media have voiced doubts about the law.

Blake Feldman wrote on Twitter: 'This isn't constitutionally "troublesome" lmao. clearly unconstitutional.'
A detailed list of where '250' migrants will be lodging in Lourdes was posted on Facebook by a member of France's National Front in a bitter rant about the use of taxpayers money.

Olivier Monteil, secretary of the Hautes-Pyrenees branch of the National Front, published the street names of refugees' lodgings and the telephone number of the local reception centre for asylum seekers in Lourdes on Facebook.

While the house numbers were blurred out, the street names were a giveaway of the the locations.

Olivier Monteil, secretary of the Hautes-Pyrenees branch of the National Front, says social housing in Lourdes should be reserved for the French

The post was published on October 17 and slammed the 'outrageous camouflage by authorities' over the arrival 'of 250 illegal immigrants in Lourdes who will be housed, fed and cared for, for free or even at the taxpayers expense'.

He also claimed the local police had been advised not to intervene if refugees or asylum seekers were involved in any serious incidents and to make a record of it instead.

The post has now been removed though it was online long enough to attract a series of angry comments in support of his original post, The Local FR reported.

One social media user wrote: 'The Pyrenees does not want Islamist invaders, we will do everything to turn them away. All these wild animals, they disgust me. They are garbage on French soil.'

The incident has sparked outrage among charities including France Terre d'Asile which supports refugees and migrants in France.

The organisation has submitted a formal complaint with the police, saying National Front has put people at risk of abuse.

The company said the political party waged 'an attack on someones private life and divulging information that endangers residents.'

Moving on: Refugees and asylum seekers at the Calais Camp are being relocated to villages and towns in France ahead of the demolition

Meanwhile, authority chiefs in the Hautes Pyrenees department said the figures were incorrect and that there would be 108 places for refugees and asylum seekers not 250.

Defending his post, Monteil told BFM TV: 'I wanted to give the local people of Lourdes information about the migrants that are being hidden in the local population.

'They are paying their taxes, so why should it all be hidden.

'They occupy social lodging that should be reserved for French people.

'There may be terrorists hiding among them.'

Olivier Monteil's Facebook post sparked concern among other residents in Lourdes and attracted a series of anti-asylum seeker and refugee comments

The outburst follows news that refugees currently living in the Calais Camp - which is due to be demolished - will be relocated to towns and villages in France.

France has said it will soon flatted the squalid, ramshackle camp housing up to 10,000 people escaping war or poverty mainly in Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea and Syria.
An Emirates flight from Perth to Dubai was cancelled after a pilot declined to take a drug and alcohol test.

The pilot was only an hour out from captaining the flight on Friday when concerns were raised about his condition by the co-pilot, according to The West Australian.

The flight was cancelled and more than 100 people on board were moved onto a later flight.

An Emirates flight that was due to fly from Perth to Dubai on Friday was cancelled after a pilot refused to take a drug and alcohol test

Emirates released a statement shortly after the cancelled flight but it did not address the allegations against the pilot.

Instead they said the flight had been cancelled due to a medical issue.

'Emirates can confirm that flight EK425 from Perth to Dubai on 9 October 2016 was cancelled due to operational reasons arising from a medical issue involving a crew member,' the statement read.

'Passengers were provided hotel accommodation and rebooked on EK421 with a delay of 16 hours.

'Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused but the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised.'

According to federal aviation rules airline staff are prohibited from drinking eight hours before a shift and pilots cannot have a blood alcohol content over 0.04 or use any drug that adversely affects safety .
, the Department of Human Services was called twice over issues with the family

In the years leading up to Colton's

Colton Clark, 9, went missing in March or April of 2006, and his adoptive parents are believed to have murdered him, though his body was never found

A series of missed opportunities to save a nine-year-old boy who was horrifically abused by his adoptive parents has been revealed.

Social workers were repeatedly warned about the abuse of Colton Clark years before he vanished in 2006, a new report has revealed as his parents prepare to go on trial for his murder.

Colton was first reported missing on April 20, 2006 from his home in Seminole County, Oklahoma.

While his body was never found, his adoptive parents James Rex Clark and Rebecca Faith Clark, both 66, were charged with his murder.

Ahead of the trial, the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth released this week their report on the family's dealings with Department of Human Services workers in the years before and right after the boy's death.

The report shows that Colton was subject to years of horrific abuse, and that social workers had been warned about some of it before he disappeared but failed to act.

The boy's adoptive father James Clark once handcuffed the boy to the bed when he was caught prowling around the house at night with a knife.

The Clarks were also accused of beating Colton and his older brother, and using a cattle prod on the boys' genitals.

The boy's older brother also claimed he was threatened by the Clarks to stick to their timeline of when Colton went missing, even though he says his younger brother was missing from the house much earlier than reported.

Family member say there was enough evidence early on to remove Colton and his brother from the home, which may have prevented the young boy's murder.

Scroll down for video

A new report released this week details the allegations of abuse social workers received about James Rex Clark and Rebecca Faith Clark in the year before their adopted son's death

'Do I think DHS did wrong? Yes. I pretty much think they're at fault for this,' Colton's half-sister Raven Womack told News9.com.

The Clarks are Colton and his brother's aunt and uncle, and they were placed in the home in October 2003. A year later, in November 2004, the couple officially adopted them.

Just seven months later, in June 2005, the DHS received allegations that 'the children were suffering from issues because of their past abuse'.

It took the department two whole months to send a worker out to interview Rebecca Clark, who claimed that 'Colt was involved in self-mutilation and other inappropriate behaviors, such as killing the family's pet bird, starting fires in occupied beds, and prowling around at night with a knife while the other family members slept'.

'It was reported to the OKDHS that the adoptive dad handcuffed him (Colt) to the bed and as a result, everyone got a good night sleep,' the report reads.

Video courtesy of News 9

The Clarks are getting ready to face trial for first-degree murder in their adopted son's 2006 death. Above, the famil's home in Seminole County, Oklahoma

The DHS worker recommended that the family 'continue to access all mental health services' for the children, who had had five counselors in the past five years.

Two months after this meeting, DHS received a new allegation that the brothers were 'in threat of harm by the adoptive parents'.

Despite the seriousness of the allegation, DHS only categorized the investigation as 'Priority II' and it was a month before they made it out to the family's home on April 17, 2006.

When the worker arrived at the home, the found the 'adoptive father's clothes were wet and he explained that he had fallen in the pond when trying to retrieve an "almost dead catfish,"' according tot he report.

The worker also noted that James Clark 'appeared to be on medication, as his speech was slightly slurred'.

James Clark told the worker that Colton was at a relative's home, and the DHS worker left.

Three days later, on April 20, 2006, his adoptive parents reported to the department that Colton had gone messing from the home.

In response, DHS made a 'finding of services recommended as to threat of harm by the adoptive parents' and recommended again that the family seek counseling.

The commission suggests in their report that Colton may have gone missing much earlier than this.

When later questioned by DHS investigators, the older brother said that Colton had actually disappeared on March 23, 2006, and that he didn't say this at first because his adoptive parents had threatened him.

He added that the last time he saw his brother, he was beaten black and blue after their adoptive parents accused him of stealing a turquoise ring.

The commission became involved in the case on May 10, 2006, when they received a complaint about the DHS' handling of the boy's disappearance.

That same month, the commissions started pushing for Colton's older brother to be removed from the home, when they received a report that the boy's adoptive parents had given him half a Valium pill even though he did not have a prescription.

However, the Seminole County district attorney's office rejected three of these requests from DHS because of a lack of evidence.

The boy was finally taken into emergency custody on September 30, 2006, after he ran away from the home.

In their report, the commission criticizes DHS for 'policy violation' and not assigning a higher priority to complaints of possible abuse.
Journalist was then investigated for misconduct before she was sacked

Rodney Lohse, 43, allegedly called her a 'lesbian' on her birthday in March

A female news reporter claims she was fired after complaining a senior male colleague called her a 'lesbian' on her birthday.

Adelaide journalist Amy Taeuber, 27, is suing Channel Seven over claims she was let go because she lodged a complaint against journalist Rodney Lohse, 43.

Her 18-page lawsuit application alleges Lohse engaged in 'sexual harassment' with comments he made in front of sister Sophie and other colleagues, The Advertiser reported.

Ms Taeuber was sacked this year just weeks after filing a sexual harassment complaint

'[He] claimed that one in three women are lesbians, therefore [Amy] must be a lesbian as she is a triplet,' the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit said he persisted despite repeatedly being told by Sophie, a freelancer for Today Tonight, Taeuber was not gay.

Taeuber lodged a formal complaint but weeks later the human resources department cleared the senior male employee of any wrong doing, and instead focused their investigations on the journalist and her sister.

The company found Taeuber had blogged on her other sister's reality TV website about My Kitchen Rules, which brought the company into disrepute.

The channel also accessed Taeuber's work e-mail, finding records of 'online misconduct'.

The lawsuit claims colleagues were later asked to 'dig up dirt' on her in a 'retaliatory' campaign which saw her Facebook hacked and password changed.

Amy and Sophie both worked at Channel Seven in Adelaide but lost their jobs this year

Ms Taeuber tweeted this quote a few weeks ago off her account

She was accused of plotting against a fellow cadet and commenting on his sexuality.

Taeuber was allegedly given the option to resign and sign a confidentiality agreement but she refused, denying any wrong doing.

A few days later Taeuber was sacked and her sister never got another shift at the program either.

Taeuber, who now works in commercial radio, is seeking a year's salary, undisclosed damages and compensation for loss of earnings, other penalties, interest, costs as well as a finding that she was wrongfully sacked.

A few weeks ago, Taeuber tweeted a quote that read: 'Do what is right, not what is easy.'
A new survey in China has found that 61 million children are living in the countryside without their parents.

These parents are migrant workers who flock to the bigger cities for work and slightly higher paying jobs while their own parents often care for the children.

The figures were released on October 20 by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Left behind children carry rice in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province (File photo)

A child of migrant workers leaves the home she shared with her grandmother (File photo)

Children line up to collect donated clothes from a local charity (File photo)

The shocking figure is close to the UK's population which currently stands at 64 million.

Many parents flock to bigger cities including Beijing for work but due to housing problems and registration documents known at the 'Hukou', their children are unable to accompany them.

The Hukou means that if they are not born in the major city then they are unable to access schooling and healthcare.

Most of the children left behind live with their grandparents who sometimes struggle to cope with bringing up hyperactive young children in their years which were set for retirement.

For many of the children, the only time they see their parents if for Chinese New Year.

Migrant children play outside of a rural school in China's Guangxi province (File photo)

Students gather at the school gates in China's Guangxi province (File photo)

In February this year, China's State Council issued a guideline for local authorities to improve the psychological health of the children.

Over the past few decades, the number of Chinese migrant workers has continued to rise.

Last year, the figure hit some 247 million.
A Pakistani police guard was caught slapping a female journalist on camera while she was filming a TV report.

Journalist Saima Kanwal was filming a segment for channel K-21 in Nazimabad in Karachi, Pakistan, when the incident occurred.

She had been rebuking the police guard for interfering with filming and was questioning him on camera when he turned around and slapped her.

A Pakistani police guard was caught slapping journalist Saima Kanwal on camera while she was filming a TV report in Karachi

The Frontier Constabulary guard then fired several shots in the air, according to local media reports.

Ms Kanwal has now reported the guard to police for assaulting her and firing shots.

A police spokesman said: 'Gulbahar police have registered a case against the FC personnel over charges of conducting aerial firing and assaulting modesty of the female reporter of K-21 TV channel by slapping her.

'Police have approached the FC authorities for seeking custody of the guard.'

The channel K-21 reporter had rebuked the guard for interfering with filming

The journalist had been questioning him on camera when he turned around and slapped her

Ms Kanwal had been filming a piece about issues faced by citizens at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

The authority reportedly also filed a case against the television channel for 'hindrances in official work'.

A video of the incident was posted on social media and has since gone viral.
Babin, a Trump supporter, also claimed the Republican hopeful was the winner of Wednesday's debate, even though most polls said otherwise

Clinton supporters rushed to condemn the insulting remark and mocked Trump in countless memes

as she was discussing Social Security, saying of her:' Such a nasty woman'

Alan Colmes Show Thursday that Clinton has done 'some nasty things'

Rep Brian Babin, first-term congressman from Texas, said on

Trump supporter: Rep Brian Babin, of Texas, defended Donald Trump's 'such a nasty' woman remark directed at Hillary Clinton during Wednesday's debate

A Republican congressman from Texas waded into the controversy surrounding the final presidential debate, arguing that Donald Trump was justified in calling Hillary Clinton a nasty woman'.

Trump was roundly condemned by Clinton supporters on social media after he branded her 'such a nasty woman' as the Democratic candidate was answering a question Wednesday night.

The offensive remark quickly became a rallying cry for pro-Clinton Twitter users, spawning countless memes.

On Thursday night, Rep Brian Babin went on The Alan Colmes Show and was asked whether he thought Trump's name-calling was appropriate, reported CNN.

Babin, a staunch Trump supporter, initially tried to deflect the question, saying of Clinton: 'You know, she's saying some nasty things.'

The host of the show pressed Babin for answer, to which the Texas politician replied: 'Well, I'm a genteel Southerner, Alan.'

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Final showdown: Trump fired off the insult as Clinton was answering a question about Social Security and Medicare during the third and final debate

'So that means no?' Colmes inquired.

'No, I think sometimes a lady needs to be told when she's being nasty,' Babin stated.

He then continued: 'My assessment is that Mrs Clinton has got so much baggage... I think she's done some nasty things.'

On Wednesday night, Trump interrupted Clinton as she was answering a nuanced question posed by moderator Chris Wallace about Social Security and Medicare.

Clinton said: 'I am on record as saying that we need to put more money into the Social Security trust fund - that's part of my commitment to raise taxes on the wealthy.

'My Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it,' Clinton added, taking a dig at Trump's record of avoiding paying tax.

Babin said in a Thursday night interview that Clinton, pictured above during the last debate, 'has got so much baggage' and has 'done some nasty things'

Trump interjected and said: 'Such a nasty woman.'

Clinton did not acknowledge the affront, later saying: 'I just didnt pay any attention to that.'

In the course of the interview with Alan Colmes, Babin also declared Trump the absolute winner of the final debate, even though most national polls conducted after the televised showdown proclaimed Clinton the clear winner.

Babin, a dentist by trade who has been representing Texas 36th Congressional District since January 2015, also insisted that Trump's claims that the election is 'rigged' in Clinton's favor are valid, reported Breibart.com.

Steve Bannon, the former chairman of the right-wing Breibart News, is the CEO of Trump's presidential campaign.

There are fraud investigations going on right now in three states: Virginia, Indiana, and Colorado, Babin told Colmes.

Shake on it: Unlike during the debate, Clinton and Trump shook hands when they came face to face at the 71st Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Thursday

The 68-year-old first-term congressman also weighed in on arguably the most provocative statement made by Trump during the debate concerning his unwillingness to promise that he would accept the outcome of the election.

Al Gore refused to concede the race in 2000, Babin noted. They fought it in the Congress. They fought it in the courts. They talked about it for the next eight years.
A U.S. navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Friday, drawing a warning from Chinese warships to leave the area.

The U.S. action was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, U.S. officials said.

The Chinese Defense Ministry called the move 'illegal' and 'provocative,' saying that two Chinese warships had warned the U.S. destroyer to leave.

This US Navy photo shows the USS Decatur as it operates in the South China Sea on October 13. The destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Friday, drawing a warning from Chinese warships to leave the area

The guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur challenged 'excessive maritime claims' near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The latest U.S. patrol is expected to anger Beijing and could further escalate tensions over the South China Sea.

The destroyer sailed within waters claimed by China, close to but not within the 12-nautical-mile territorial limits of the islands, the officials said.

The Pentagon said the Decatur 'conducted this transit in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident'.

One official said the ship, which sailed near Triton and Woody Islands, was shadowed by three Chinese vessels and that all interactions were safe.

The White House confirmed the Reuters report.

'This operation demonstrated that coastal states may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise under international law,' White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing.

It was the fourth challenge that the United States has made to what it considers overreaching maritime claims by China in the South China Sea in the past year, and the first since May.

China, Washington's main strategic rival in Asia, claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $5trillion worth of trade passes each year.

The United States has criticized Beijing's build-up of military facilities in the sea and expressed concerns they could be used to restrict free movement.

China has a runway on Woody Island, the site of the largest Chinese presence on the Paracels, and has placed surface-to-air missiles there, according to U.S. officials.

Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the Paracels.

In the last three U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea within the last year, U.S. warships cruised within 12 nautical miles of islands claimed by Beijing.

The actions drew angry responses from China, which has accused the United States of stirring up trouble there.

The latest operation comes just after the volatile president of the Philippines announced, during a visit to China, his 'separation' from Washington and realignment with Beijing.

The USS Decatur, right, pulls into position on Monday behind the Military Sealift Command USNS Matthew Perry, during a replenishment-at-sea, seen from the bridge of the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance, in the South China Sea

The Philippines has been a key ally of the United States and a territorial rival of Beijing in the South China Sea. Rodrigo Duterte took office as Philippine president in June.

Duterte's announcement on Thursday was a significant turnaround after a tribunal in The Hague ruled that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous Philippine administration and strongly backed by the United States.

But in Washington a person close to the matter said the latest naval operation was not timed for Duterte's China visit this week and that planning for the patrol had long been in the works.

U.S. officials have said they will continue such operations despite objections by Beijing.

'The U.S. Navy will continue to conduct routine and lawful operations around the world, including in the South China Sea, in order to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of sea and airspace guaranteed to all. This will not change,' Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said during a trip to China in July.

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this May 2015 image

Rival claims

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all have rival claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing's is the largest.

It argues it can do what it wants on the islands it claims as they have been Chinese since ancient times.

The last U.S. freedom-of-navigation operation in May went within 12 miles of Fiery Cross reef in the Spratly Islands and China scrambled fighter jets in response.

In January, a U.S. destroyer went within 12 miles of Triton Island, and China called the action 'irresponsible and extremely dangerous'.

U.S. officials have said the operations will continue despite Beijing's protests, but the Obama administration has been criticized in Congress for not conducting them more regularly and robustly.

Greg Poling, a South China Sea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the administration was likely to face further criticism after opting for relatively uncontroversial challenges to China in all of its freedom-of-navigation operations in the past year.

'They will have essentially performed the same FONOP, meaning an objection to China's demand for prior notification, four times in a year,' he said.

'That is not only redundant, but it does nothing to put a spotlight on the other, much more worrying, restrictions China is placing on freedom of navigation.'
German authorities have released a picture of the woman, who has been identified just by the name Franziska S

A man who admitted choking his wife to death and welding her body into a beer barrel, which he carried around with him for 24 years, will not face any action - because the statutory time limit has expired.

German police found the mummified body of the woman, who disappeared in 1992, in a garage in Neumuenster, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The victim, named only as Franziska S, was killed by her husband, who authorities have identified as Joerg L.

Prosecutors say they are powerless to act though, as a 20 year limit has expired.

The killer took the beer barrel with him when he moved 135 miles from Hannover, having told anyone who asked that his wife had moved abroad after the couple had a row.

It was not until 2013 that a missing persons report was filed.

Franziska disappeared from her home on February 10, 1992, at the age of 26.

She had been living since 1985 with her husband, now 52, and they had got married in 1988.

As no missing person report was filed until three years ago, no investigations were carried out.

It is unclear why her family waited so long before reporting her disappearance, but officers interrogated her friends and family when they were made aware that she had vanished.

Last spring they interviewed her then husband and became suspicious when he consistently contradicted himself in each interview.

The killer took the beer barrel with him when he moved 135 miles from Hannover, having told anyone who asked that his wife had moved abroad after the couple had a row

When he was later confronted by them in a new interrogation over the inconsistencies in his stories, he confessed to having choked his wife to death, and welding her body in the barrel.

Police spokesman Holger Hilgenberg said: 'The legal assessment of the Hannover prosecutor has revealed that the crime must be currently assessed as a homicide. Since the homicide has become statute-barred after 20 years and the deed is dated 24 years back, the accused has to be released after the completion of the police measures.'
Authorities cannot arrest a man accused of beating his wife due to the immunity laws standing in their way.

Joachim Haubrichs, 56, is part of Germany's permanent mission to the United Nations. He lives in New York City's Upper East Side with Henna Johnson, 35, his wife of 16 years.

Johnson called the police on Monday night and said Haubrichs had hit her, leaving her with a black eye and bruising at the back of her head. She said he got angry because she was using her phone at 7:30 pm and he requires her to cease communications by that time.

But the NYPD has been left powerless as Haubrichs, who is accused of keeping a tyrannical grip on his wife's life, benefits from diplomatic immunity.

Henna Johnson (pictured), 35, said she was left with a black eye after her husband of 16 years, diplomat Joachim Haubrichs, 56, hit her on Monday evening

'He's very controlling. At 7:30 pm the cell phone should be off. I'm not supposed to talk to anyone. Then 8:30 pm. is bedtime. Whether I like it or not, I have to be in bed,' Johnson told the New York Post Wednesday.

Haubrichs, whose full job title is assistant attache to Germany's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said he didn't remember anything the following morning and was very apologetic, according to Johnson.

The couple met in Pakistan, where Johnson is from, while Haubrichs was working at the country's German embassy.

They don't have any children and have moved around the world several times. Haubrichs and Johnson arrived to the United States a bit more than a year ago.

Haubrichs (pictured with his wife), an assistant attache to Germany's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, has lived in the United States for a little more than a year

Johnson said she was texting a Friend when Haubrichs lashed out on Monday evening.

'He said, 'It's already 7:30.' I said, 'Give me a little time. Give me a minute or two, I'll finish up,' Johnson said.

'But because he's so jealous, he starts screaming. I sat on the couch, he started throwing pillows. That made things worse.'

The couple went into their bedroom. There, Johnson said, her husband hit her 'against the wall' and she hit her head.

But the NYPD is left powerless as Haubrichs (pictured) has diplomatic immunity

But NYPD officers have said they cannot investigate Haubrichs, who as a diplomat benefits from immunity.

In no situation is it acceptable to apprehend someone who, like Haubrichs, as diplomatic immunity, an NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post.

All they could do was offer to take Johnson to a hotel or to get her medical attention. She declined both offers.

Johnson has since been in touch with the NYPD and with Mayor Bill De Blasio's office. She said the mayor's office has urged her to reach out to a shelter for victims of domestic violence - an option she has declined.

Countries of diplomats can lift the diplomats' immunity in certain cases - but it seems unlikely that this would happen in a domestic violence case.

'The waiving of diplomatic immunity typically occurs in cases of serious felony crimes such as murder, rape or certain federal crimes involving terrorism or major financial fraud-related matters,' lawyer Brian Bieber told the New York Post.
A Russian lake turned bright pink overnight as officials investigate whether it was caused by a nearby chemical factory.

Drone footage of the lake in Stavropol, south-west Russia, was posted on social media by concerned environmental activists.

The case was brought to the attention of head of the State Inspection Department, Alexander Vikhodtsev.

Drone footage of the lake in Stavropol, south-west Russia, was posted on social media by concerned environmental activists

The case was brought to the attention of head of the State Inspection Department, Alexander Vikhodtsev

Inspectors were sent to the region and confirmed they were investigating the cause and if the factory was involved.

The chemical factory is regulated to dispose of waste in a special collection plant.

While authorities are determining the exact cause, expert Pavel Malayev tried to alleviate environmental concerns.

He said: 'This factory has been operating since Soviet times. This lake has been artificially created, so there are no fish.

Inspectors were sent to the region and confirmed they were investigating the cause and if the factory was involved (an adjacent clear lake pictured)

While authorities are determining the exact cause, expert Pavel Malayev tried to alleviate environmental concerns

'In addition, this whole area is an industrial zone. There are no people living in or visiting the area. This lake has been artificially made and the water will not enter the natural water reservoirs.'

While some locals stressed that it is 'not okay' for the lake to be coloured this way by pollution, which they argued could still seep underground, others took a lighter approach to the incident and noted that the lake looked 'pretty glamorous'.

Dana Biryukova said: '[The lake] looks pretty scary, but beautiful.'
spoke to each other- it is believed a

needed more help looking after her children

A Sydney couple who were believed to have been gassed to death alongside their two autistic children in a suspected murder suicide were on the cusp of separation.

Friends of Maria Claudia Lutz said the mother-of-two had hardly spoken to her 44-year-old husband, Fernando Manrique, in years as he continued to increase his trips overseas to work, leaving her to care for their two children.

'Maria was doing everything alone. How she found the time to keep the house spotless with everything else she was doing was beyond me,' a friend told The Daily Telegraph.

Maria Claudia Lutz (pictured with her children Elisa and Martin) was barley speaking to her husband and called family services for help 'nine times a day'

The friend also revealed Ms Lutz was calling family services 'nine times a day' as she struggled to cope with looking after 11-year-old Elisa and 10-year-old Martin.

Ms Lutz was only supported by the government about five hours every week.

'Maria was so anxious and depressed that if [the Family of Community and Services] called to change an appointment or cancel [then] it threw her,' the friend said.

'She would ring them sometimes nine times a day to confirm they had cancelled or changed things - or to ask for extra help. She felt completely alone and was a broken woman and depressed.'

Mr Manrique (pictured with his son) is believed to have gassed his family with an elaborate chemical set-up

Ms Lutz also told friends she wanted to move back to Colombia to be closer to her family who could help her look after her children.

Her husband is believed to have gassed his family with an elaborate chemical set-up.

The family's bodies were found in three separate rooms of their Davidson home, in Sydney's Northern Beaches, on Monday.

Ms Lutz was discovered in a room with one of her children, while her other child was found in another.

Mr Manrique was in a different room on his own.

The family members were discovered in three different rooms of the Davidson house on Monday morning

It is believed Mr Manrique gassed his family with carbon monoxide

Maria Lutz, 43, (pictured with her children) reportedly told friends she wanted to leave Sydney's northern beaches to live with her family in Columbia so they could help raise her children after the couple started disagreeing about how to best care for them

Police forced their way into the family's home after Ms Lutz uncharacteristically did not show up for work and school commitments.

Police on Tuesday said 'extensive forensic testing' would be carried out on the bodies during post-mortem examinations, to establish exactly what killed the family of four.

It is understood the Colombian Consulate is making arrangements with relatives to fly to Sydney to identify the bodies and make funeral arrangements.
During his 2014 police confession, Kendel told cops his cousin, Erskin, was the mastermind behind the botched kidnap-for-ransom plot

Their arrest comes just weeks after their cousin, Kendel Felix, 28, was the first person to be convicted in the crime

He was found dead with his body burned, in a dumpster in Long Island

Brothers Erskin Felix, 38, and Kendall Felix, 28, were charged in connection to the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Menachem Stark

Two brothers were arrested and charged Thursday in connection to the kidnapping and murder of an Orthodox Jewish landlord in Brooklyn.

Erskin Felix, 38, and Kendall Felix, 28, were arrested in the shocking killing of 39-year-old Menachem Stark.

Their arrests come just weeks after their cousin, Kendel Felix, 28, was the first person to be convicted in the killing of Stark.

Stark, a married father-of-seven, was kidnapped outside of his Williamsburg office during a snowstorm on January 2, 2014.

The landlord's body was found partially burned in a dumpster near a gas station in Great Neck, Long Island, two days after he went missing.

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Erskin Felix (pictured above on Friday), 38, was arrested in connection to the shocking murder of 39-year-old Menachem Stark in January 2014

His younger brother, Kendall Felix (pictured above on Friday), 28, was also arrested in connection to the crime

The pair's cousin, Kendel Felix (left) was convicted in September of kidnapping and second-degree murder for his role in the January 2014 death of Menachem 'Max' Stark (right)

Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez charged Erskin with first-degree kidnapping and second-degree murder. He faces 25 years up to life in prison if convicted.

His younger brother, Kendall, was also charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Officials say Kendall was arrested in Lower Manhattan Thursday night. His older brother was taken into custody by police when he went to look for him at the 90th Precinct which is located in Brooklyn.

Their cousin, Kendel, who once worked for Stark as a carpenter, is facing 25 years to life in prison after being convicted in the botched kidnap-for-ransom plot.

He is set to be sentenced in Brooklyn Supreme court on November 2.

During a videotaped confession made following his April 2014 arrest, Kendel told authorities that his older cousin Erskin was the mastermind of the entire scheme.

'I'm scared s---less because this wasn't supposed to happen,' Felix told Kenneth Taub, chief of the Brooklyn district attorney's homicide bureau, the New York Daily News reported.

Their cousin told investigators during a confession in 2014 that Erskin (left) was the mastermind behind the scheme. Prosecutors say Kendall (right) helped the two men get rid of Stark's body.

Last month, a jury of 10 women and two men deliberated for two and a half days before convicting Kendel of the most serious charges. He will be sentenced on November 2

Caught on camera: Police found security camera footage of the suspects' car, circled

Stark was dragged into a minivan by the Erskin and Kendel following a struggle on the street the night he was kidnapped, prosecutors say.

The crime was apparently planned as a kidnap for ransom, but Stark died of asphyxiation after one of the two men sat on his chest in the back seat of the van.

They then burned his body and dumped him in a trash bin near a gas station Great Neck, Long Island.

Prosecutors say Kendall helped the two men get rid of Stark's body.

After Stark's death, numerous theories emerged in the months after with most centering on the money the Hasidic landlord owed and his numerous bankruptcies.

Authorities zeroed in on Kendel for the crime that left a community devastated.

Prosecutors said Kendel was caught on camera as the driver of a minivan used in the kidnapping.

Scene: Stark was grabbed from outside his office on Rutledge Street in South Williamsburg, seen in this file photo. After he was abducted, Stark was found dead in a trash bin at a Long Island gas station in January 2014

Prosecutors played Kendel's videotaped confession during his trial, and also showed cell phone records of his whereabouts on the night of the crime, which matched the details given in his confession

Kendel Felix (above) faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on November 2

During the trial, Kendel's lawyer argued the police had manipulated him into making the confession.

'God knows what's right and wrong. But we know for sure that (Kendel) Felix played a very big role in this crime. He was by every place in the crime. He was by the abduction, kidnapping, and burning,' Stark's younger brother, Yitzy Stark, 32, told the Daily News when Kendel was found guilty of the crime.

'We hope now the rest of the killers will be brought to justice.'

Another one of his brothers, Herman Stark, said: 'It was an emotional day for all of us.

'Justice has just begun and it will never be over until we have all the killers sentenced. It's only then that we can move on and find some peace.'
One of the few remaining surgeons in east Aleppo has described the relentless horror of working in a war zone where even hospitals and medical staff are targeted.

Dr Abu Huthaifa said with intensive care units full and medical supplies running out, east Aleppo's seven hospitals cannot cope for much longer.

'Sometimes we are forced to turn off a life support machine for a hopeless patient in order to admit a patient who has a chance of survival. We did not do that before,' he said in a heartbreaking video released by charity Medicine San Frontier.

There are 250,000 people trapped in the rebel-held area and just 35 doctors left to care for the wounded as they are constantly bombarded with airstrikes or gunned down by snipers.

The daily 24/7 rush of patients means Dr Huthaifa barely sleeps.

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Dr Abu Huthaifa is one of 35 remaining doctors left in rebel-held Aleppo, in northern Syria

'When one patient leaves the operating theatre, and as another is brought in, we do things like praying or eating.

'We've been working almost 24/7 and we've been receiving wounded people around the clock. Sometimes we try to sneak a nap between two surgeries  we try to sleep for half an hour to gain the strength to perform another surgery,' he told MSF.

'We have got used to the daily scenes of mass bombing, when the hospitals are so crowded with wounded people that we have to step over them to reach other patients in need,' he explained.

Everyone that is fit enough to help is called in to the emergency room - from caretakers and cleaners, as well as health workers.

One rocket completely destroyed the Al-Quds Hospital in August. This man was injured when four rocket attacks hit the As Sukkari area of Aleppo on August 17

An injured Syrian man receives medical treatment at a field hospital after war crafts belonging to the Russian army carried out air strikes over opposition controlled town of Bustan Al-Qasr in Aleppo on October 18

They are tasked with putting pressure on patients' bleeding wounds, applying basic dressings and moving patients to the operating theatre.

'The general scene is wounded bodies all over the place. I'm not sure if this is normal or not, but we have got used to this scene because it's a frequent one, and we have to deal with these victims and treat them as soon as possible with what we have and with what our hospitals can provide, no matter how modest,' Dr Huthaifa said.

'There's a shortage of medical supplies as well as drugs and intensive care beds.'

Because of the siege in east Aleppo patients can no longer be referred for long-term care outside of the city or even to Turkey.

Among Dr Huthaifa's many concerns are: the lack of fuel to run the generators, no space inside the intensive care unit, a lack of blood because 'most people in east Aleppo have already donated blood ten times over' and the unavailability of formula milk for babies.

On Friday Save the Children reported widespread use of cluster bombs recently in Aleppo.

Many of Aleppo's hospitals have been targeted in airstrikes by the regime and the Russian army

Dr Abu Huthaifa said he and his colleagues 'try to sleep for half an hour to gain the strength to perform another surgery'

'The general scene is wounded bodies all over the place,' Dr Huthaifa said in an interview with MSF

Cluster bombs cause a devastating toll on civilians as they burst open and spill dozens of small sub-munitions.

These tiny bomblets then explode over a wide area and can linger for years after a conflict. Neither Russia nor Syria have signed the many international treaties that ban their use.

The international group said that despite humanitarian pauses in the northern city, there are concerns that there are an increased number of children already injured by cluster bombs who may be too unwell to leave or untreatable in the existing medical facilities.

Save the Children quoted The Violations Documentation Center, a Syrian group that tracks human rights violations, as recording 137 cluster bomb attacks in Aleppo from September 10 to October. 10.

It said the attacks are a 791 percent increase on the average of the previous eight months.

Across Syria, they reported that 130 children have been killed due to cluster bombs in the past year.

A young Syrian boy receives treatment at a hospital after being rescued from the rubble of a building following a reported air strike on the the rebel-held Qaterji neighbourhood of the northern city of Aleppo on October 16

An injured Syrian man receives medical treatment at a field hospital after war crafts belonging to the Russian army carried out air strikes on October 18

Destroyed buildings are seen after Russian air strikes on the town of Bustan Al-Qasr in Aleppo

Russia on Friday accused militants of firing at humanitarian corridors and using the break to prepare for an offensive

The Russian military said on Friday the day-to-dusk 'humanitarian pause' that began Thursday will be extended for another day on President Vladimir Putin's instructions.

The U.N. said it received verbal assurances for the extension of the break until Monday, but the Kremlin didn't confirm that Friday, saying it was possible if militants don't abuse it.

The pause in the fighting in Aleppo is part of a humanitarian cease-fire announced by Russia in the contested city to allow for the evacuation of civilians and fighters. Rebels have rejected the offer to evacuate.

Russia on Friday accused militants of firing at humanitarian corridors and using the break to prepare for an offensive.

However, the U.N. says planned medical evacuations from the Syrian city of Aleppo have not begun as planned because of a lack of security assurances from the warring sides.

OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke declined to specify who was responsible for the breakdown in the plans on Friday. The evacuations were announced a day earlier with great hopes by U.N. officials.

Laerke only noted an 'astronomically difficult situation.' He spoke to reporters in Geneva.

He says that the evacuations couldn't begin 'because the necessary conditions were not in place to ensure safe, secure and voluntary' movement of people.

On Thursday, U.N. humanitarian aid official Jan Egeland said the U.N. had received the 'green lights' for the evacuations from Syria's government, armed opposition groups and Russia.




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The British Army hosted a war games demonstration featuring an imaginary 'Soviet' force with special effects provided by a Hollywood company.

The land combat power demonstration featured different units of the army destroying the imaginary force.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Event Horizon were asked to help with the pyrotechnics for 'health and safety reasons'.

A Hollywood film company was hired to rig pyrotechnic explosions for a mock battle demonstration on Salisbury Plain

The event was designed to showcase the capabilities of the British army including the fearsome Challenger II main battle tank

An imaginary force using ex-Soviet T-54 main battle tanks faced the Mercian Regiment and a pair of Apache gun ships

A MOD source said: 'As you can imagine, the army are very good at making things blow up and for part of the demonstration we use live ammunition, but this is always fired downrange, away from the VIPs and troops.

'We use the company because they are experts in making explosions which look good, but do not fire red-hot pieces of tungsten. Obviously, we don't want anyone to be hurt or killed.'

The annual demonstration featured the Mercian Regiment assisted by units of the RAF and two Army Air Corps Apache helicopters.

According to the MOD, pyrotechnic charges were planted around the battlefield to put on a good display for the guests

Challenger tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles also joined battle against an imaginary foe using ex-Soviet equipment such as the T-54 main battle tank which was developed towards the end of the Second World War.

The source continued: 'This event is a chance for the army to teach civil servants and even elements not involved in front line operations exactly what they do.

'It is a combined arms manoeuvre where a mock battle is played out. Half of it is live and half of it uses blanks. The live rounds are only fired away from the guests.'

Salisbury Plain is dotted with wrecked tank hulls salvaged from warzones and used as targets in live fire exercises.

The Apache AH-64 attack helicopter is a highly effective tank killer and can provide close air support for ground troops

Event Horizon can rig their explosives closer to the guests because the devices do not release shrapnel

Members of the Mercian regiment joined battle with their imaginary foe, pictured here equipped with SA-80 assault rifles

The event allows the army to showcase some of their high-tech equipment such as this Trojan mine clearing vehicle

Here some soldiers fire the Javelin Anti-Tank missile which can destroy enemy armour almost at a range of three miles

The event allows the army to tell invited guests the difference between a tank and an infantry fighting vehicle such as this

This lance corporal in the Mercian regiment is heavily camouflaged with grass as part of the war games exercise

The army demonstrated its Mastiff armoured vehicles, designed to protect the infantry from improvised explosive devices

The Apache gunships demonstrated the terrifying firepower they can unleash against an enemy
A heart wrenching letter from a little girl to her father and younger sister has been left at the scene of a house fire which killed them.

Sara Broadhead, 35, and her daughter Mia, 12, escaped the blaze on Wednesday that claimed the lives of her husband Andrew, 42, and daughter, Kiera, eight.

The pair returned to the house today and these images show their grief as they mourn their loss.

In a poignant and tear-jerking letter, Mia wrote 'I love you to the moon' to her father and sister.

The letter reads: 'For Daddy and Keira.

'To Daddy and sissy Keira. I love you to the moon and back and much more.

'I miss you like there's none of me left.

'Come back. Come back, we need you.'

Devastated: Sara Broadhead, 35, and her daughter Mia, 12, escaped the blaze on Wednesday

Heartbroken: Mia left this note to her father and sister at the scene of the house fire where they lost their lives

Sadness: The pair were distraught as they looked at flowers and read cards for their loved ones

The pair were distraught as they looked at flowers and read cards for their loved ones today - and placed their own letters at the scene in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

They also paid tribute to Mr Broadhead, their brave hero who risked his life to save them both - before perishing in the flames as he tried to save his youngest.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mrs Broadhead said: Andy was a brave hero who managed to save the lives of his wife and eldest daughter.

'Unfortunately he couldnt save our youngest daughter Kiera and gave his own life trying to save hers.

He was a very kind man and Kiera was a vibrant, independent loving girl. Our whole family are absolutely devastated by their loss.

'If Andy and Kiera were here they would be overwhelmed by the kindness and support they have been shown.

Both dead: The fire claimed the lives of Andrew Broadhead, 42, and his daughter, Kiera, eight

Family: Mr and Mrs Broadhead are pictured with their children Mia (left) and Kiera (right)

We just want to thank everyone in the community and everyone who has supported us so far.

Mrs Broadhead and Mia escaped through an upstairs window and had no significant injuries.

Andy was a brave hero who managed to save the lives of his wife and eldest daughter Sara Broadhead

Police launched a murder investigation yesterday after it was discovered that accelerant may have been used in the blaze, which they are treating as suspicious.

Outside the family home, which is still cordoned off, Mrs Broadhead and Mia looked at dozens of bouquets of flowers that had been left in tribute.

Mrs Broadhead, who had her blonde hair tied back and was wearing a long grey cardigan, held onto young Mia, who was wearing a pink hoodie and trainers.

Investigation: Police launched a murder investigation yesterday after it was discovered that accelerant may have been used in the blaze, which they are treating as suspicious

Police probe: The family home in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was still cordoned off today

She kept her head down while she pointed out cards for her daughter. They were supported by a West Yorkshire Police liaison officer during the five-minute walk.

At one point, Mrs Broadhead laughed at a teddy left at the scene and whispered to the officer as she wiped tears from her face with her sleeve.

This is a terrible incident which has robbed a family of a husband and their youngest daughter Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Bryar

The fire broke out at around 4.20am on Wednesday, hours after the family returned from holiday in Spain on Tuesday. It is not known what caused the blaze.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Bryar said: This is a terrible incident which has robbed a family of a husband and their youngest daughter. Following enquiries, we are now treating it as a murder enquiry.

The seat of the fire appears to have been by the front door and we are investigating the possibility that an accelerant was poured through the letter box.
Theresa May admitted today she knew of 'tension' between members of the child abuse inquiry and its chair when she was still Home Secretary but defended her decision not to intervene.

She has come under increasing pressure to explain what and when she new of concerns raised by members of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) over the New Zealander chair Dame Lowell Goddard, who quit in August.

Earlier this week she said she only knew of 'stories around about the inquiry' but said it would have been wrong of the Home Secretary to intervene 'on the basis of suspicion, rumour or hearsay'.

Theresa May (pictured giving a press conference in Brussels today) admitted she knew of 'tension' with the child abuse inquiry chair when she was Home Secretary but defended her decision not to intervene

But pressed on the when she became of the concerns today, she went a step further and said: 'I was aware of tension between the inquiry panel and the chairman, but I was also very clear - and it is clear - that the Home Secretary cannot intervene in a judge-led public inquiry on the basis of suspicion, of rumour or of hearsay.

'When the Home Office was officially made aware of issues, then the Home Office acted on these issues.'

At a press conference after her EU summit in Brussels today, she said: 'Let's just remember why this inquiry was set up and why I set it up, which is that there are people in the United Kingdom who suffered sexual abuse as children who for many years have been searching for justice and who have sadly had the experience that their voice has not been heard and they have not been given justice.

'We owe it to victims and survivors to ensure that they can have that justice.

'For many of them, they have felt over the years that people in positions of power have intervened to stop their voice being heard. And that's why it is absolutely crucial that people in positions of power do not just intervene on the basis of hearsay and rumour.'

The inquiry raised 'concerns' over New Zealander chair Dame Lowell Goddard (pictured) with a Home Office official in April, MPs were told earlier this week

Professor Alexis Jay is the fourth chair of the child sex abuse inquiry, which was launched by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary

Earlier this week the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee heard that concerns about Dame Lowell were raised with a senior Home Office official as April - months before she resigned in August.

But the department's top mandarin, Mark Sedwill insisted he was completely unaware of the worries until the end of July.

Some MPs remain angry that when current Home Secretary Amber Rudd appeared before committee last month she made no mention of the issues that had been raised, saying simply Dame Lowell had resigned because she was homesick.

At yesterday's set-piece evidence session, the new chair of the troubled inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay, hit out at her predecessor Dame Lowell.

She said Dame Lowell had shown little interest in working with the expert panel, and it would have been 'very difficult' if she had not quit.
As if it wasn't enough to share snaps of your latest vacation or meal, thoughts on television shows and cat pictures - now you can officially join the Trump Train or proudly say 'I'm With Her' thanks to the introduction of Facebook's endorse feature.

Gone are the days of having to guess which way your distant relative or former high school friend leans based off their ambiguous, but seemingly political, rants about the state of America.

The new feature was introduced by Facebook this week, with the first few endorsements appearing on Tuesday.

Facebook told DailyMail.com that users from all over the world can get involved and throw their support behind one of the nominees, even if they are unable to cast a real vote on November 8.

People can also endorse more than one candidate at the same time, meaning if you are an undecided voter then there is nothing to worry about.

People can now proudly say 'I'm With Her' on social media, with Facebook introducing a new feature that allows users to endorse their candidate for president

Donald Trump fans can also announce their support on Facebook, after the new feature was rolled out this week

So expect to see hundreds of political pronouncements popping up in your news feed over the next 17 days, as family members, friends, colleagues and acquaintances weigh in on who should win the Oval Office.

Users can choose to simply endorse one of the four candidates, or they can write an accompanying post explaining why that nominee won their vote.

Politics, along with religion, are often two of the most divisive topics on Facebook, meaning millions of arguments are sure to rage online between now and November 8.

The new feature appeared to have been added on October 18, and in the first few days Jill Stein is the only presidential hopeful to have published a single endorsement.

Facebook published a post this week explaining how users can endorse a candidate ahead of the election

Despite their massive followings, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had both failed to share any public endorsements on Friday morning

Stein in currently polling last with just 2.5 per cent, according to RealClearPolitics.

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Gary Johnson had not shared any support they received as of Friday morning.

People can back their candidate of choice in a few easy steps, Facebook explained in a post.

The first step is to visit the nominee's public page and select the 'Endorsements' tab. From there, people can click 'Endorse', and then specify whether they want their choice to be shared publicly or just among their friends.

If users select the 'Public' option for their endorsement, it can then be chosen to appear on that candidate's page.

Jill Stein - who is currently polling at 2.5 per cent - was the only candidate to have any public endorsements on her page

A Facebook official said the social network hopes the new feature will allow people to gain a greater understanding into what other people think.

'Similar to how politicians, newspapers, and organizations endorse candidates for elected office, this feature allows anyone on Facebook to do the same,' Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebooks Product Manager for civic engagement, said.

'People who want to voice their support can visit a candidates Page, click on the endorsements tab, and explain their rationale for choosing that candidate.'

The tool can also be used for down-ballot candidates, meaning users can endorse mayoral and congressional candidates, State legislators, and other people running for office.

Trump is the most popular figure on Facebook, with more than 11.6 million users liking his page.

Gary Johnson, like Trump and Clinton, had not shared any endorsements on his campaign page

Clinton has more than 7.3 million supporters on the network, while Gary Johnson has about 1.7 million.

Stein has about 600,000.

Facebook has played an active role in this campaign, with election officials saying the social network has helped boost voter registration numbers.

Users were met with a reminder to sign up to vote at the top of their news feeds from September 23 to 26.
Repeat offender: Stephen Garcia, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Orange County

A sex offender out on parole has been arrested in California for allegedly exposing himself to women on buses.

Stephen Ponte Garcia, 37, has a long list of prior convictions, including multiple felony indecent exposure incidents.

The high-risk offender was arrested on Tuesday following a three-week investigation with Orange County buses.

The investigation was sparked by a woman who complained that a man had exposed himself to her on the bus.

Police reviewed the surveillance footage and, in trying to identify the man and his travel habits, stumbled upon other instances of indecent exposure.

'The incidents that we observed ... he did not approach anyone (and) he did not try to make contact with anyone on the bus,' Lt. Mike Jensen told KTLA.

'He just simply exposed himself until something caused to be disrupted.'

It was determined that Garcia rode the bus in Anaheim, Santa Ana and Orange.

Investigators followed Garcia at one point and watched him get off the bus and walk to his parole office.

He was arrested and was booked on suspicion of indecent exposure. He did not qualify for bail.

Garcia has a long history of run-ins with the law, going back to 2006.

Most recently, in March 2015, he was sentenced to three years in state prison after pleading guilty in multiple cases, including two felony indecent exposure incidents with prior offenses.

Those crimes occurred in May and November 2014, according to records obtained by KTLA. He also pleaded guilty to petty theft in a July 2014 crime, and disorderly conduct in May 2014.

Two indecent exposure charges against him in April 2014 were dismissed at the time that the three-year sentence was issued last year. Its not clear how much time Garcia served in prison before he was released on parole.

In March 2014, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and petty theft.
Mervyn Conn, 82, has been jailed for 15 years for raping two teenage girls

A wealthy music promoter who worked with the Beatles, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton has been jailed for 15 years for raping two teenage girls.

One of his victims was just 15-years-old when Mervyn Conn, now 82, drove her back to his house in his Rolls Royce before raping her in 1976, Kingston Crown Court was told.

After bragging about the Beatles, Conn offered her a lift home but instead took her to his own house and raped her on his bed next to a photo of him and his wife.

Shocked jurors heard that the girl felt like she had been treated 'like a rag doll.'

Another teenager, aged 16 in 1985, was promised tickets to a country music concert but when she went to pick them up from his office Conn raped her.

Conn was convicted of two rapes and and an indecent assault on the girls.

And it can now be revealed that the serial sex attacker who introduced Johnny Cash to the UK was jailed for two months around the time of the second rape after admitting indecently assaulting his receptionist.

Today he was jailed for a year for indecent assault with a consecutive seven-and-a-half-years and another consecutive six-and-a-half years for each rape.

Mark Milliken-Smith QC, prosecuting, told Kingston Crown Court father-of-four Conn was well-known for promoting star-studded country and western concerts at Wembley Arena and Earl's Court.

But he said: 'He used his position, and the power that came with it, to abuse young girls who should have been able to trust him, but each of whom, in different ways, suffered at his hands.'

The 15-year-old was employed by Conn at one of his festivals when she was subjected to multiple sex attacks in 1976, the court heard.

After working the International Country and Western Festival, the teen would be called into Conn's office in Charing Cross, central London, by telegram at a precise time - where he would perform degrading sex acts on her.

One of his victims was just 15-years-old when Mervyn Conn, now 82, drove her back to his house in his Rolls Royce before raping her in 1976, Kingston Crown Court was told

Mr Milliken-Smith said: 'This was one the most disgusting, humiliating things she can ever recall, and is something that she simply couldn't have invented.'

Conn, dressed in a blue suit, sat in the dock with his eyes shut tightly as the court heard harrowing details of the alleged sexual abuse.

On another occasion where the same girl had gone to Conn's office, he offered her a lift home in his Rolls Royce, but instead took her to his house where he raped her after bragging about the Beatles.

Mr Milliken-Smith said: 'She described feeling like a rag doll, feeling out of her body, "dumb struck" and "holding back tears."'

Nine years later in 1985 Conn, then aged 51, raped a 16-year-old girl at his London office, the court heard.

Conn had met hers in a grocers in Southfields, south-west London, and left his number, promising concert tickets if she gave him a call.

When she went to collect the 'tickets' she was raped without a condom but Conn would still visit her at her Saturday job and tell her to come to his office.

After bragging about the Beatles, Conn offered her a lift home but instead took her to his own house and raped her on his bed next to a photo of him and his wife

Mr Milliken-Smith said: 'She felt she had no choice, that she couldn't say no. He of course was 51, she 16, he a famous and powerful man.

'He had effectively tricked this young 16 year old girl into coming to his office under the guise of obtaining free tickets for a concert.

'He forced himself upon her, fully aware that she was not consenting, utterly unconcerned with her age and the impact which his actions had upon her there and then, nor for any concern for the long term effects his conduct would have.

'He thought only of his own sexual gratification.

'She had made it absolutely plain to him that she did not consent and he knew that full well - he couldn't have cared less.'

When questioned by police, Conn made no comment about the 16 year old, but admitted kissing the 15 year old after she had asked for Johnny Cash tickets.

Conn had hired her to dress as a 'cowgirl' at a Country and Western music festival he promoted at Wembley Arena in the 1970s.

Conn name-dropped The Fab Four and Crystal Gayle to the schoolgirl before forcing himself on her.

Shocked jurors heard that the girl felt like she had been treated 'like a rag doll.' Pictured, Conn in his Rolls Royce

He is accused of flaunting his Rolls Royce and expensive home to show how he 'could control, manipulate and do anything he wanted.'

The victim, now 56, broke down in tears and became extremely distressed as she recalled the abuse by Conn and said she gave her age when he hired so so he knew she was only 15.

She said: 'He was talking about all these people he's promoted like he's the big 'I am.

'He told me stuff about people how he owned the rights to The Beatles songs.. He said a person wasn't alive because of a scratch on his Rolls Royce.'

When she arrived at his house she said: 'I hated it. It was like he was showing off his castle. I remember thinking it looked expensive but not classy - tacky.'

Conn took the teen to his double bedroom where there was a photograph of him and his wife and she said she asked him when he was going to take her home.

But he ordered her lie on his bed in a 'star shape'. and raped her.

On one occasion he offered her a lift home in his Rolls Royce, but instead took her to his house where he raped her after bragging about the Beatles (File photo)

The victim said: 'I didn't do anything to encourage him, I just completely numbed out.

'I felt like I was out of my body, like feeling struck dumb and I couldn't speak. I couldn't accept what was happening to me.'

'He was a dominating person, very egotistical. He had this bouffant hair, smelt like cigars, looked almost like he was in the Mafia.

'He just showed how powerful he was and how he could control and manipulate and do whatever he wanted.

'I had counselling when I was 26 and have had flashbacks and nightmares since.'

Conn was cleared of two counts of indecent assault and one count of assault with intent to commit buggery against three women.

Detective Constable Ashley Lees who led the investigation said: 'I am very pleased with the outcome of the trial.

'I'd like to pay tribute to the victims who have had to recount very traumatic details of offences as part of this case and the strength they have shown during the investigation.

He is accused of flaunting his Rolls Royce and expensive home to show how he 'could control, manipulate and do anything he wanted'

Detective Inspector Andrew Wadey added: 'Conn did his best to thwart investigators but they worked diligently to piece together vital evidence concerning these historical offences.

The judge ruled that the 82-year-old serve a minimum seven years before he can be considered for release.

If he is released he would also have to sign on the sex offenders register.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The offences occurred between 1975 and 1985 in the Westminster and Wimbledon areas.

'Conn was jailed for 15 years; the judge ordered that he serve at least seven years before being eligible for release.

'Conn will be made to sign the sex offenders register on his release.

'Detectives from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command (SOECA) dealt with the man following his arrest at Gatwick Airport on Monday, 14 July.

'The man was released on bail before being charged on Tuesday, 2 February 2016.

'An allegation was initially made to another force in March 2014 and subsequently transferred to the MPS. Following this two other women came forward.'
Kelly, who was Christie's deputy chief of staff until being fired by the Governor, broke down in tears saying she was afraid of Christie

He then screamed at her: 'What do you think I am a f***ing game show host?'

Kelly also described an incident during the week of the lane closures during which Governor Christie allegedly threw a water bottle at her

Bridget Kelly testified in court on Friday that Governor Chris Christie knew about the Bridgegate lane closures weeks before they

Chris Christie's former top aide testified on Friday that the New Jersey governor knew about the Bridgegate traffic study weeks in advance.

Bridget Kelly broke down in tears on the stand as she testified that Governor Christie approved the project on August 13, long before the lane closures in Fort Lee, New Jersey that brought traffic on the George Washington Bridge to a near standstill.

Kelly, Governor Christie's then-deputy chief of staff, was later fired for the incident when it became a scandal. She claims she thought they were doing a legitimate traffic study at the time.

She has been charged with nine counts of conspiracy and fraud for her role in the scandal, having penned the infamous email just before the lane closures which read: '[T]ime for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.'

Kelly also testified that during the week of Bridgegate, an agitated Christie threw a water bottle at her when she asked if he could introduce some people at a meeting and screamed: 'What do you think I am a f***ing game show host?'

She later was brought to tears on the stand when asked if she was afraid of the governor, saying: 'Yes. Yes.'

Her side of the story: Bridget Kelly (above on Friday) testified in court on Friday that Governor Chris Christie knew about the Bridgegate lane closures weeks before they occurred

Assault: Kelly also described an incident during the week of the lane closures during which Governor Christie allegedly threw a water bottle at her (Kelly and Christie together above on the date he allegedly threw the water bottle)

Reason: Kelly is on trial for allegedly launching the bridge closings as revenge against a Democratic mayor who wouldn't endorse the Republican governor (George Washington Bridge above)

The officials are alleged to have colluded to create traffic jams in Fort Lee, breaking federal and state laws and endangering lives.

Local officials, emergency services, and the public were not notified of the lane closures, which Fort Lee declared a threat to public safety and led to gridlocked streets and back-ups in traffic between Monday, September 9, 2013 and Friday, September 13, 2013.

Kelly testified that she first heard about the proposed traffic study from Port Authority official and longtime Christie friend David Wildstein on August 12, 2013.

She said that she informed Governor Christie about the study soon after, and that at the time he asked her about Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.

Kelly testified that at the time she was not familiar or aware of who Mayor Sokolich was, despite the prosecution stating in their case that the lane closures were an act of retaliation against the Democratic mayor because he would not endorse Christie in his run for governor.

BRIDGEGATE TIMELINE Aug. 12: Bridget Kelly testifies she is told about the lane closures. Aug. 13: Kelly testifies that she tells Governor Christie about the closures. Sept. 9: Two of the three local toll lanes for Fort Lee residents on to the George Washington Bridge are closed. Sept. 10: 911 is called for an elderly woman who was unconscious. She later dies of cardiac arrest, with EMTs saying it took twice the time to reach her with the lane closings. Sept. 13: Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, orders the lanes re-opened after a week of traffic problems. Advertisement

Soon after she sent the now infamous email, which she claims she wrote in language mimicking that she had heard from Wildstein.

Mike DuHaime testified earlier in the day that he told Christie ahead of a news conference two months after the September 2013 lane closures that Kelly and campaign manager Bill Stepien knew about the plot.

'He already knew that information. I told him that information in the previous days,' DuHaime testified.

Kelly is on trial along with another former Christie ally whom prosecutors say launched the bridge closings as revenge against a Democratic mayor who wouldn't endorse the Republican governor.

Asked at the December 13, 2013, news conference whether he could say with certainty that no staffers other than former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey appointee Wildstein knew about the plot, Christie said he had no reason to believe that.

Wildstein, who has pleaded guilty in the case, is the prosecution's key witness.

Mike DuHaime (above on Friday) testified that he told Christie ahead of a news conference two months after the September 2013 lane closures that Kelly and campaign manager Bill Stepien knew about the plot

Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, arrives to attend the Bridgegate trial on Friday (above)

Christie said at the news conference that he asked everyone on his senior staff to tell him if they had any knowledge 'and they've all assured me that they don't.' He said that Stepien 'assured me the same thing.'

Christie has denied he had any knowledge about the lane closures, and hasn't been charged. A spokesman didn't immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.

Stepien's attorney has previously said his client did not engage in wrongdoing of any kind.

DuHaime's testimony marked the second time someone has cast doubt that Christie was being truthful at the 2013 news conference.

Christina Renna, then an aide in Christie's office, texted to a colleague that Christie 'flat-out lied' when he said he had no reason to believe anyone on his senior staff had any knowledge of the closures.
Lanza encourages his sons to take as many risks as they desire - but some other parents want more supervision

Other children from the neighborhoods are welcome to come and play too

He and his wife Perla Ni have three sons: Marco, 12, Nico, 8 and Leo, 7

Wants to create play areas that will pry children away from their screens

A Silicon Valley father has turned his backyard into an impressive playground where children can jump from a playhouse onto a trampoline or hang from a zip line - and take whatever risks they desire.

Mike Lanza, 54, wants his property in Menlo Park, California, to be the kind of playing area that will pry children away from their screens and enable them to reclaim play time.

He and his wife Perla Ni live there with their sons Marco, 12, Nico, 8 and Leo, 7. But all of the neighborhood's children are welcome - and encouraged - to run around the backyard.

Children could even climb onto the roof until recently - when some of the neighborhood's parents and Ni herself thought it was safer to shut the access.

Mike Lanza (right), 54, who lives in Menlo Park, California with his wife Perla Ni (pictured) and sons (from left to right Nico, 8, Marco, 12 and Leo, 7) has created a playground on his property

Lanza, a Stanford graduate who has created several software startups, worried his children would not enjoy the same freedom as he did growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

'Children have a very poor quality of life these days. That runs from the poorest children to the rich children,' Lanza told the DailyMail.com on Friday.

Children, he said, are losing out on the chance to play independently - something he believes should be a 'sacred right'.

'More than ever, children have a great deal of things competing for their attention - video games, the internet, Facebook, television,' Lanza said. He believes the outdoors have lost the battle for children's attention and neighborhoods, in turn, have become less interesting.

Lanza responded with the concept of playborhood - a neighborhood centered around free play, in which children would reclaim the outdoors.

The backyard (pictured) includes a large playhouse with a slide and a trampoline. All of the neighborhood's children are welcome to play there

Lanza encourages his three sons to take as many risks as they want on the playground. Pictured, his son Marco is jumping from the playhouse onto the trampoline

Three to four children from the neighborhood come on average every day to play at Lanza and Ni's house. Lanza is pictured chasing a ball with some of them

'We have two parks about a quarter of a mile from my house and they're boring, Lanza said.

'They're dead and to me they're sad. They don't have much going on. Usually you have groups of adults with kids and the kids are not playing with wild abandon like they should be.'

Lanza and Ni began building their playground in 2008, shortly after they moved into their Menlo Park house.

They tried to be as inviting as possible, but getting other families to come inside and bring their children was a challenge.

So they tried to 'entice' other families, Lanza said - for example by placing a low water fountain on the front yard, which in the warmer months becomes 'irresistible' for toddlers and dogs. The fountain, he said, is a way to break the ice.

Now, Lanza and Ni welcome three to four children from the neighborhood every day on average - with a higher proportion of families from former Communist countries. These families, according to Lanza, have an easier time grasping the concept of his open playground.

In Lanza's front yard is a picnic table with cushions, where he and his family have dinner and say hi to their neighbors when they walk by - another way to break the ice.

The 'more attractive' features, Lanza said, are in the backyard and include a large playhouse, a zip line and a trampoline.

Lanza didn't give a figure to indicate how much the playground had cost but admitted it had been 'very expensive' and unaffordable for some families.

The playground, Lanza said, is meant to let his three sons experiment as much as they want to.

'I'm happy for my kids to take physical risks insofar as that is what they want to do,' he told the DailyMail.com.

'What I care about is that kids essentially think about how to get better, improve, grow and think about how to make themselves better.'

The 'playborhood' came to be after Lanza worried children would not have the same freedom as he did growing up. Pictured, some of the neighborhood's girls run across the backyard

Lanza wants children to experience freedom and autonomy on the playground. Pictured, boys and girls explore the playhouse

Enabling children to take risks, he said, is a way to prepare them to the adult world, where they will have to take risks as well.

Other parents are sometimes less enthused. New York Times reporter Melanie Thernstrom told in a story how her two sons had climbed onto the roof of the house without supervision during a play date at Lanza's house.

The access to the roof has since been shut - a move that came from Ni more than Lanza himself.

'I try to be respectful but it's my house and my kids do what my wife and I think is OK,' he said. 'We amend our rules sometimes when we have guests come over.'

Without his wife, Lanza said, the access to the roof might still be open. But he is open to bending some of his rules - or lack thereof - for other parents.

'We're fairly liberal in letting our kids go in front of our house. But other parents who let their kids play here say under no condition can their kids go on the street, so we made accommodations for that,' he said.

There haven't been any major accidents at the house, according to Lanza.

'Maybe there will be - I can't predict that. But I feel pretty good about our safety record here and the happiness and the joy we have created,' he said.

Thernstrom wrote about Lanza's issue with 'mom philosophy' - the idea that overprotective mothers get in the way of their children's development.

He denied having a negative stance on mothers.

'I think the biggest difference between mothers and fathers is how much time they put in. I think mothers are more invested in their kids. Dads often aren't there. I don't like to differentiate on sexes too much,' Lanza said.

In a 2013 blog post, Lanza said his son Leo had struggled to become interested in preschool. Lanza opposed his house, which he called 'boy heaven', and the school, a 'very safe, totally non-competitive' environment.

In the blog post, Lanza pointed out that 'everyone in any position of power there, from the teachers to the most involved parents, is a woman'.

Lanza believes gender does matter in education.

'I believe that boys in general are more competitive than girls. My son in particular is very competitive. I'm not proud of that - I'd like him to be more cooperative but that's who he is,' Lanza said.

'A male teacher would be more likely to understand that and keep some of that competitive culture in schools.

'It's about school and kids' motivation in learning. Women tend to have a perspective that works better for girls and men might work better for boys.'

Both boys and girls come to play at Lanza and Ni's house. They all need free play, according to Lanza.
Juliet Stevenson, Carey Mulligan, refugees and activists will stage a plea for unaccompanied children in the Calais 'Jungle' camp by giving a theatre reading of the Dublin III asylum rules.

A reading of the regulations, which sets out a refugee child's right to claim asylum, will be performed by them at the Young Vic theatre in London to urge the Government to speed up the resettlement process.

Bulldozers are poised to begin the flattening of the sprawling site in northern France, and campaigners are concerned that the children may not be brought safely to the UK in time.

Juliet Stevenson, Joely Richardson and Carey Mulligan (Left to right) will perform a reading of the Dublin III regulation

Truly, Madly, Deeply star Stevenson, a staunch campaigner for vulnerable refugee children, said there was 'great concern' that if they were not relocated soon, they would go missing.

She told the Press Association: 'Many of them are already in a terrible state of panic and fear about what happens when those police come in and demolish it.

'The great concern is how to transfer these most vulnerable children, in both the Dublin and Dubs categories, safely in the next few days so that they don't disappear and panic or get picked up by traffickers.'

Under Dublin III children can have their asylum claim transferred from their arrival point in Europe to another country if they have family members living there.

Additionally, the amendment to the Immigration Act 2016 made by Lord (Alf) Dubs requires the Government to relocate unaccompanied refugee children from Europe.

Truly, Madly, Deeply star Stevenson, a staunch campaigner for vulnerable refugee children, said there was 'great concern' that if they were not relocated soon, they would go missing

A census conducted by Help Refugees on October 15 recorded 865 children living in Calais - many of whom are unaccompanied.

Of the reading, called Last Chance, Stevenson said: 'It is such integral part to understand what this treaty is and why it means these children are allowed to be here.

'If you want to know to more or get a better grasp of it, come and listen and we will read it to you. This is the law, it isn't a conspiracy by a bunch of people who have nothing better to do.

'This is actual legislation - it was born out of an idea to do the right thing by children who have been uprooted and rendered homeless by war or violence.'

With more children starting to arrive in Britain ahead of the camp's closure, photos of the transferral of 14 youngsters to the UK prompted demands from Tory MP David Davies for tests on the teeth of child migrants to verify their age.

Saying the teenagers who arrived on Monday 'don't look like children', he said he hoped 'British hospitality' was not being abused.

Expressing her dismay, Stevenson said she could not believe that as a country the debate was being had over whether the children were the age they claimed.

She said the controversy surrounding the images of the children's arrival was a 'total distraction' from the real humanitarian issue of how to protect them.

'I think it comes from David Davies' desire to skew this argument away from what really matters,' she said.

'Which is, his own government have declined to concern themselves with the well-being of these extremely vulnerable and traumatised children for an entire year now.

'They have begun the process less than a week before the camp is due to be demolished. These promises were made months ago and nothing has been delivered.

'His own government who passed the Immigration Act with the Dubs amendment have done absolutely nothing until a few days before demolition and they have declined to work with the people who have the expertise.'

Stevenson said she could not believe that as a country the debate was being had over whether the children were the age they claimed

Having visited Calais before, Stevenson said it has become a toxic, dangerous and terrible place and is 'always considered to be an immigration problem'.

'All over this country there are people who do welcome these most beleaguered and traumatised children and want to feel that we can give them some space and care until their countries are safe to go back to,' she added.

'Are we ashamed of taking 10,000 Jewish children in during the war? Are we ashamed of that history? No, I think we are very proud of it. What is the difference?'

She added: 'There are hundreds of traumatised and desperate children in that camp who should be here and who are not.'
He pledged to 'drain the swamp' as supporters chanted 'lock her up'

She backed out of Marrakesh event amid a human right storm after Abedin wrote: 'She created this mess and she knows it.'

Abedin revealed: 'The condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation.'

He highlights email from Huma Abedin revealing how Clinton got King of Morocco to underwrite $12m Clinton Foundation summit

Trump goes on offense over 'pay for play' revealed in Wikileaks emails from account of her campaign chair John Podesta

Donald Trump told supporters 'we love Wikileaks' at precisely the time hackers it claims are its supporters were 'taking down the internet'.

He spoke after launching a new attack Friday on Hillary Clinton, castigating her for a 'pay for play' arrangement that saw her attempting to wrangle $12 million from a north African monarch in exchange for a personal appearance at a Clinton Foundation summit.

'Now from WikiLeaks, we just learned she tried to get $12 million from the Kingdom of Morocco for an appearance,' Trump said during a rally in western North Carolina.

'More pay for play!' he boomed as a crowd of thousands booed and yelled, 'Lock her up!'

'That's why I'm proposing a path of ethics reforms to make our government honest again,' the Republican presidential nominee said.

'Boy we love Wikileaks': Trump used an email from the hacked trove to attack Clinton's 'pay-for-play' arrangement with the King of Morocco

Lock her up: The crowd chanted the slogan as Trump said it was time to 'drain the swamp'

$12 million get-together: Bill Clinton was the star turn at the Clinton Foundation's Clinton Global Initiative summit in Marrakesh in May 2015. It was his wife who solicited the cash from the country's king using her own presence as a quid-pro-quo, then did not go herself

Revelation: Huma Abedin's frank email emerged in Wikileaks and shows her disclosing that her boss Hillary Clinton was entirely responsible for the Marrakesh mess

Existing relationship: Hillary Clinton had met King Mohammed VI of Morocco a number of times, including in December 2013. The next year appears to be when she solicited the money from him

'It's time to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C.'

'Boy, we love WikiLeaks!' Trump exclaimed later.

As he spoke, internet users in the U.S. and the U.K. were hit with difficulties accessing services including Twitter, Spotify, Reddit and PayPal.

Hours later Wikileaks tweeted a message to its 'supporters' telling them 'to stop taking down the US internet'.

At the rally, hearing the chants of 'Lock her up,' he said his supporters should hold their fire  for the moment.

'Let's do this,' he said. 'If we win, we have lots of options. But we've got to win. What a waste of time if we don't pull this off!'

Trump rolled out a five-point ethics reform plan this week, including proposals to ban senior White House officials from lobbying for foreign governments for the rest of their lives.

His announcement couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

Hacked emails revealed internal disagreement this week among top Clinton aides about her desire to hold the Clinton Foundation summit in Marrakech, Morocco.

Top confidante Huma Abedin bluntly wrote in a January 2015 email that 'if HRC was not part of it, meeting was a non-starter.'

Then she warned: 'She created this mess and she knows it.'

It was an uncharacteristic remark from Huma, who is known for her abiding loyalty to Clinton over the years.

In her email, Abedin told Podesta and current Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook that the lavish May 2015 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative was based on a $12 million pledge from Moroccan King Mohammed VI to host the event.

'The King has personally committed approx. $12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting,' Abedin wrote.

Clinton Foundation records do not show any direct pledge of funding from the king or government of Morocco to the charity.

Commitments to the charity's 'global initiative' program are agreements to fund the program's international projects.

The hacked email, stolen from an account belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, was among more than 4,000 posted Thursday on the website of the WikiLeaks organization.

In Wednesday's final presidential debate, Trump said he doubted the conclusion by U.S. intelligence officials that the Russian government is behind a string of recent targeted cyberattacks and subsequent leaks to influence the election.

Clinton sharply criticized the Republican nominee for using the stolen emails to attack her, as well as a past statement encouraging hackers to leak thousands of emails she deleted from a now-infamous homebrew server.

Royal audience: The wealthy scion of a powerful dynasty met Princess Lalla Salma, wife of the queen of Morocco at the royal palace in Marrakesh

Venue: The event was held in the Palais des Congres, in Marrakesh and saw a series of Clinton fundraisers turn up as guests

Big donor: King Mohammad VI personally gave $12 million to host the event. The State Department's latest Report on Human Rights Practices says his country imprisons 'persons for political activities or beliefs under the cover of criminal charges'

HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS Morocco's human rights records is not the worst in the Middle East, by far. But the latest State Department Report on Human Rights raises significant concerns - none of which seem to have affected Hillary Clinton when she solicited the country's king. It warns about there are political prisoners, that the government uses laws 'to restrict independent human rights groups and the press and social media' and that journalists have been subject to harassment and intimidation. Days after the CGI, it reported how police 'police forcibly dispersed a May 16 event organized by prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex advocacy organization Aswat'. Corruption, it noted, is a serious problem in the police and judiciary. There is 'widespread disregard for the rule of law by security forces', it said. Advertisement

Podesta has warned that some emails may have been edited or altered by the hackers prior to release, though the Clinton campaign has yet to publicly identify an instance of that happening.

Clinton was no longer serving as secretary of State at the time of the meeting in Marrakech.

Politico has reported that the meeting was partly supported by a pledge of at least $1 million from OCP, a Moroccan phosphate export firm whose directors at the time included several top Moroccan government ministers, including the heads of the nation's foreign affairs and interior ministries.

The internal email exchange between Abedin, Mook and Podesta reveals that there was internal disagreement ahead of time over Clinton's push for the Moroccan meeting.

'Came up on our call with HRC. John flagged the same issues we discussed, Huma. HRC says she's still considering,' Mook wrote.

In her message, Abedin said that Clinton's personal appearance at the planned meeting was a key element in the Moroccan decision to host the event.

'The condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation,' Abedin wrote.

She added that 'CGI also wasn't pushing for a meeting in Morocco and it wasn't their first choice.'

But days after OCP's role in the Marrakech meeting was publicized, Clinton decided not to attend.

Her decision came despite a November 2014 email in which Abedin insisted 'no matter what happens, she will be in Morocco hosting CGI on May 5-7, 2015. Her presence was a condition for the Moroccans to proceed so there is no going back on this.'

A week after the donation from OCP was revealed in April, the Clinton Foundation announced it was tightening its policy on donations from foreign governments, agreeing to allow financial gifts only from six nations that had previously supported the foundation's health, poverty and climate change programs.

Those nations were Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.

In August, former President Bill Clinton said that if his wife is elected, the family's foundation would no longer accept any donations from foreign governments or corporations, or from U.S. companies.
San Diego police are searching for a man who they say tried to kidnap an 11-year-old child. They released this sketch of the man with an eyeball tattooed on his forehead

San Diego Police are searching for a man who they say tried to kidnap an 11-year-old child.

On Thursday, Sheriff's deputies released a sketch of the man, who has a third eye tattooed on his forehead along with a skull on the front of his neck.

Authorities said the child was riding a scooter in Imperial Beach on 13th Street and Fern Avenue when a royal blue Ford pickup truck carrying two men pulled over and stopped, KGTV reported.

Police said the man, who was a passenger in the vehicle, got out of the truck and tried to grab the child, who managed to escape.

The child then ran to a nearby relative's home.

Police said the incident happened on Wednesday around 5pm and the child was not injured.

Authorities have described the man as white, 5-foot-10-inches tall with slicked-back salt and pepper hair and a large mustache.

Early reports indicated the child was a little girl, but some media outlets have said the child was a boy.

There was no description of the driver available.

Authorities said the child was riding a scooter in Imperial Beach on 13th Street and Fern Avenue (pictured) when a royal blue Ford pickup truck carrying two men pulled over and stopped. The man tried to grab the child but the child managed to escape




His mother said Austin's decision to become an organ donor has benefited seven families in the wake of his death

Austin's mother said she returned home to find her son lying in a puddle of blood in the garage

A friend told police he had warned Austin not to play with the loaded gun, but the teen did not listen and pulled the trigger

A Virginia teenager fatally shot himself while playing a Russian Roulette-style game with a loaded gun at his 18th birthday party, as his girlfriend and friends looked on in horror.

Police were called to a home in Sandston, Virginia, on Sunday night and found Austin Balcarcel with a gunshot wound to his head.

Balcarcel was taken to VCU Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injury a day later.

Last birthday: Austin Balcarcel shot and killed himself while playing a Russian Roulette-inspired game with a revolver on his 18th birthday

According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Balcarcels friend told police he and the birthday boy were in the garage on Treva Road, drinking and smoking marijuana, when Balcarcel pulled out a stolen .38-caliber revolver, opened it, closed it, spun the cylinder around once and put it to his temple, pulling the trigger.

The gun clicked, but the teen then pulled the trigger a second time and the gun fired a bullet into Balcarcels head.

The friend said he had warned Balcarcel to stop playing with the gun, but the teen reportedly replied: I know how to handle a gun. Moments later, he collapsed to the floor.

Police and first responders arrived on the scene at 9pm, and Austins stepfather led them to the revolver, which he had hidden in a bag of fertilizer so that no one else would touch it.

Dire warning: A friend reportedly had urged Austin, pictured here with his older sister, not to play with the gun, but he replied that he knows how to handle a gun

The firearm had been reported stolen back in July from a vehicle in Henrico County, along with a portable speaker system and a beer can holder, the court document stated.

A search of the property on Treva Road allegedly yielded a sawed-off shotgun, ammunition and other related accessories, as well as a backpack containing suspected marijuana.

Henrico County police Lt. Chris Garrett said police are still investigating the circumstances of the shooting.

Amber Crampton, the victims girlfriend, was present at the scene of the incident Sunday and told Fox 8 she heard a gunshot and looked back, just in time to see Austin collapse.

Crampton said they were celebrating Austin and his mother Crystal's birthdays and were having a good time.

The teen, pictured above with his sister, collapsed in front of his friends. His mother foubnd him lying in a puddle of blood

'My son may have made a huge mistake,' Crystal Hall wrote in a message to the station WTVR. 'He was far from perfect.'

However, Hall said, because Austin was an organ donor, 'seven families are rejoicing while we are in mourning'.

Hall said she left her home along with her daughter Sunday night to run an errand. She recalled that Austin walked her to her car and said he loved her.

She then saw him make his way towards the detached garage. That was the last time she saw her son alive.

Hall drove a quarter a mile away when she heard a gunshot.

I stopped my car and tried calling Austin, but did not get an answer,' Hall told the news channel.

A moment later, a friend of her son's called the woman crying and screaming that the 18-year-old had shot himself.

Grieving: Austin's heartbroken older sister, Caralena, posted this emotional tribute on Facebook the day he died

Hall raced home, entered the garage and found her eldest son lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, she recalled.

[My youngest son] was screaming, save him, mom, save him. Me and my husband bent down over Austin and tried to apply pressure to his head, but the wound was too big, she said.
The author of the discredited Rolling Stone magazine article about a woman's claim of being gang raped at a fraternity house sought to show jurors Friday why she found the woman so credible, highlighting the emotion and level of detail with which she spoke during their interactions.

Rolling Stone is on trial for Sabrina Rubin Erdely's 2014 story 'A Rape on Campus,' which tells the harrowing story of a woman identified only as 'Jackie,' who claimed she was brutally gang raped by seven men at the University of Virginia.

A police investigation later found no evidence to back up Jackie's claims.

It was also revealed this week that Erdely was working under a $300,000 two-year contract with Rolling Stone. The rape article was the first of seven articles stipulated in the contract, but after the incident the contract was severed.

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Sabrina Rubin Erdely defended her decision to use the story of an alleged rape victim in her since discredited 2014 Rolling Stone article 'A Rape on Campus,' in court on Friday. Erdely pictured outside the Charlottesville courthouse on Monday, October 17

Rolling Stone's attorneys played jurors more than two hours of an audio recording of an interview between Erdely and 'Jackie' in September 2014.

During the interview, Jackie discussed a tattoo she had gotten - that she later showed Erdely - which included the word, 'unbreakable,' to demonstrate resolve in dealing with what she said had happened.

Nicole Eramo, a counselor at the college, claims she was painted as the story's 'chief villain' and is suing the magazine and Erdely for $7.8million

Scott Sexton, an attorney for Rolling Stone, asked Erdely if it ever occurred to her that someone would get a tattoo to commemorate something that never occurred.

'Never,' Erdely said.

In the interview, Jackie sounds bubbly and outgoing and eager to tell her story. She hesitated only when Erdely said she wanted to publish the name of the fraternity where Jackie claimed her assault occurred- Phi Kappa Psi - because Jackie said she's was concerned for her safety.

Jackie and Erdely appear to have quickly developed a close bond, with Erdely sharing in Jackie's excitement over her new boyfriend and trying to convince Jackie to seek treatment over her possible post-traumatic stress disorder.

'I felt as though we really had developed a trusting and caring relationship,' Erdely said.

Erdely, of Philadelphia, noted how Jackie spoke with great detail, like when she recounted the nightmares she had in the wake of the attack and described one of the other women she claimed had been assaulted at the fraternity as having a raspy voice, small nose and serious demeanor.

It seemed impossible to imagine that she was not describing a real person. Sabrina Rubin Erdely

'It seemed impossible to imagine that she was not describing a real person,' Erdely said.

University administrator Nicole Eramo is seeking $7.8 million from the magazine, claiming the article made her its 'chief villain.'

Because the judge ruled Eramo should be considered a public figure, her attorneys have to prove that Rolling Stone knew what they were writing about Eramo was false or at least should have known it wasn't true.

The story, which has since debunked, used the story of an alleged rape victim named Jackie who claimed she had been assaulted by several men in a frat house. Her story has since been discredited

Eramo's attorneys have argued Erdely had doubts about Jackie's credibility but pushed forward anyway and consciously chose not to contact certain sources she believed would blow up the story, including the man who Jackie said orchestrated her attack.

They've also said it was irresponsible for Jackie to rely heavily on a source that possibly had PTSD and was taking antidepressants.

Erdely dismissed that idea on Friday.

'Just because someone is suffering from depression or PTSD, it doesn't make them any less reliable,' she said.

The trial, which started on Monday, is supposed to extend through next week. Eramo's lawsuit is one of three filed against the magazine over the story.
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Angry and frustrated migrants began smashing up the 'Jungle' in Calais as details of the French police operation to clear the sprawling camp by the Channel port emerged.

Some 1,250 riot police and gendarmes will be involved in the mass 'evacuation'  one of the biggest involving refugees in recent history.

Using hammers and wooden stakes, young Afghan men knocked out the windows and bashed down the wall of one of the cafes, and shops, that have characterised this squalid shanty town  home to more than 10,000 trying to reach the UK.

The migrants were warned they face imminent eviction and that the French authorities will 'no longer tolerate' their presence in northern France.

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Angry and frustrated migrants began smashing up the 'Jungle' in Calais as details of the French police operation to clear the sprawling camp by the Channel port emerged

Using hammers and wooden stakes, young Afghan men knocked out the windows and bashed down the wall of one of the cafes, and shops, that have characterised this squalid shanty town  home to more than 10,000 trying to reach the UK

The migrants were warned they face imminent eviction and that the French authorities will 'no longer tolerate' their presence in northern France

A letter entitled Calais Jungle Eviction Information said more than 150 buses would be laid on to transport the migrants to official refugee centres across the country

Letters giving formal notice of their eviction  and details of legal accommodation centres for people claiming asylum in France  will be distributed on Sunday.

And from sunrise on Monday, migrants will be shipped to small 'reception centres' across France where their demand for sanctuary will be processed.

But failure to leave the 'jungle' or cooperate with the authorities will result in arrest and detention, a letter distributed to migrants at the camp by welfare charities on Friday afternoon warned.

It said: 'The government has announced the eviction of the Jungle will start on Monday October 24. They want to finish the eviction in five days but will carry on longer if needed.

'The government has made it clear that they will not tolerate people trying [to reach the UK] in northern France any more. The police are being very strict and arresting dozens of people every single night.

'If you stay in the Jungle, it is very possible that you will be arrested and detained.'

Police fire tear gas into the Calais Jungle camp as migrants attempt to breach the road fencing to the port

Some 1,250 riot police and gendarmes will be involved in the mass 'evacuation'  one of the biggest involving refugees in recent history

The letter entitled Calais Jungle Eviction Information said more than 150 buses would be laid on to transport the migrants to official refugee centres across the country.

Migrants will be required to present themselves at a warehouse close to the shanty town where they will be 'processed' and allowed to make a choice from two regions in France where they will be transferred to.

It stated: 'On Monday, they will bring 60 buses, for 3,000 people. On Tuesday, they will bring 45 buses, for 2,500 people. On Wednesday, they will be 40 buses, for 2,000 people. This will continue as long as needed.'

Migrants will be required to present themselves at a warehouse close to the shanty town where they will be 'processed' and allowed to make a choice from two regions in France where they will be transferred to. Above, riot police and a police water cannon stand on the camp perimeter

French riot police are expected to begin demolishing the Jungle during the registration process. The sprawling and squalid shanty town is expected to be razed to the ground in five days

Unaccompanied minors living in the Jungle will be processed separately and include interviews by British officials. Checks will be carried out to determine their ages to try to prevent fraudulent claims.

The letter states: 'Children will be processed separately by French and UK government. They will be doing age assessments to try to stop older people from entering the children line.'

The charities have urged the migrants to 'avoid violence' and 'stay calm'.

However, it warns that migrants face deportation if they have had their fingerprints taken in another 'safe country'  such as Italy or Greece, under the Dublin Convention rules.

French riot police are expected to begin demolishing the Jungle during this registration process.

The sprawling and squalid shanty town is expected to be razed to the ground in five days.

Dozens of squadrons of French riot police are on stand-by and a control and command centre has been set up close to the warehouse where the registration is expected to take place.

One riot police officer told MailOnline: 'The operation to clear the Jungle is scheduled for Monday. Those are our orders.'

Police concern over anarchists during evacuation

Police are particularly worried that anarchists and other left wingers from the Britain based No Borders group will use the evacuation to cause trouble.

There have been encampments full of migrants in Calais for at least 20 years, but the Jungle is by far the biggest.

It has its own restaurants, shops, and even places of worship, yet it has become notorious for violence and squalor.

A female interpreter working for a French TV channel was raped at knifepoint by three men close to the Jungle last week, and there are regular fights with the police.

Unaccompanied migrant minors from the Jungle camp wait to board a bus bound for the UK

Confirming the destruction of the Jungle, an Interior Ministry spokesman in Calais said it would be carried out according to 'humanitarian standards'.He added that 'will do whatever it takes to prevent a new camp being set up nearby.'

Once police and social workers have cleared areas on Monday, then bulldozes will be permitted to move in with demolition experts.

French charities made an eleventh-hour legal bid to stop the Jungle being torn to the ground, but that failed this week.

There was a similar legal challenge in February before the south side of the Jungle was torn down, but it was also rejected.

Instead there were scenes of intense violence, as migrants from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria tried to defend their tents and huts.

Critics argue that those displaced will simply come straight back to Calais a few days after being kicked out.

Right-wing French parties including the Republicans, who are led by former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy, want to see all UK-bound migrants sent straight to England.
Three Brits have faced down the fearsome Russian warship fleet making its way through the English Channel from their tiny 28ft motorboat.

Nigel Scutt, 49, embarked on the mission to spot the Admiral Kuznetsov earlier this morning on the charter boat Maverick.

The photographer and maritime researcher, from Dover, set sail with friends Chris Webb and Thomas Packman.

Nigel Scutt (pictured), 49, embarked on the mission to spot the Admiral Kuznetsov earlier this morning on the boat Maverick

'We went right up between these huge warships, it really was unique,' he told the Mirror.

He added: 'When you look up and see the planes on the deck you start to think to yourself "maybe we are a bit too close".

'From the Russians it was a real show of strength - they've done that for a very clear reason.'

Mr Scutt, who runs DoverMarina.com, was able to catch some impressive images of the Russian fleet.

The photographer and maritime researcher, from Dover, set sail with friends Chris Webb (right) and Thomas Packman (left)

Mr Scutt, who runs DoverMarina.com, was able to catch some impressive images of the Russian fleet. Pictured, the Maverick charter boat (File photo)

He wrote on social media: 'Being overflown by jet aircraft at low altitude and watching HMS Duncan's helicopter take off, it was a great morning.

'There aren't really any words to describe it, so I won't even bother. Instead, I will leave you to enjoy the images.'

The Royal Navy's HMS Dragon was dispatched from Portsmouth Harbour to keep an eye on the Russian vessels sailing down the English Channel.

HMS Dragon is the fourth of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 air defence destroyers and was launched in November 2008.

Vladimir Putin ordered the fleet to travel to the Mediterranean within sight of the English coast as a show of force. Pictured, an image snapped by the plucky Brits

Vladimir Putin ordered the fleet to travel to the Mediterranean within sight of the English coast as a show of force.

Belching black smoke from its powerful diesel engines, the forces carrier flagship the Admiral Kuznetzov passed Ramsgate at around 9am.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon admitted today's exercise was aimed at testing the capabilities of the Royal Navy and its Nato allies.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said earlier: 'They are all in one line now. They have to be to effectively go through the traffic separation scheme, and they are progressing as expected.'
Justin Ross Harris texted a 16-year-old girl that her breasts were 'yummy' at precisely the time his toddler son was dying in a sweltering SUV, a court heard.

He had met the girl when she posted a message on the app Whisper saying she wanted a sexual relationship like the one in Fifty Shades of Gray, pestered her for pictures of her private parts, and sent her pictures of his penis, a jury was told.

Harris, 35, is on trial for the murder of his son Cooper, who was 22 months old when he died in his father's car on June 18, 2014, and also for sending graphic, sexual text messages and photos of his penis to a girl for a period of several months when she was 16 and 17.

On Friday she testified about their relationship, telling the jury of their 'strictly sexual' relationship - and how he knew she was at school.

The court was shown this image of Cooper Harris sleeping on Thursday, from a text message exchange between Harris and his then-wife Leanna

Harris is in the twelfth day of his trial for the first degree murder of his son. Prosecutors believe he deliberately left Cooper in the car. He is shown slumped against the wall staring at the ceiling

A defense attorney for Harris points to his SUV in the parking lot

'When it started, it was strictly sexual,' the witness, now 19, said of her relationship with Harris. 'Then at times it would be like a normal conversation.'

They never met in person, but Harris knew her age and that she was in high school, the young woman testified.

She sent him one of her prom photos, she said, and would tell him about her efforts to choose a college.

In a transcript of their text messages that the young woman read in court, Harris once asked for a photo of her breasts and she replied: 'I'm at school.'

Authorities say Harris' son died June 18, 2014, after being left in his car seat for about seven hours while Harris was at his job as a web developer for Home Depot. Harris had taken his son to eat breakfast that morning.

His defense attorneys called the death a tragic accident, saying Harris forgot to drop Cooper off at daycare and drove straight to work.

One the day of his son's death, Harris was texting the teenage girl from his workplace, according to transcripts read in court Friday. At about 2 p.m., he asked for a photo of her breasts.

'I'm super sunburned,' the witness read from the transcript, saying she sent a photo regardless.

Harris replied: 'Yummy.'

The texts between the two showed that they had previously discussed sex acts they wanted to perform together, and Harris would send her photos of his penis. A prosecutor showed four photos to the jury.

She said he asked her to send him photos of her genitals 'countless' times, but she never did.

'There wasn't any pressure applied to you to participate in this, is that fair to say?' defense attorney Maddox Kilgore asked the young woman.

'Yes,' she replied.

Prosecutor Chuck Boring noted that Georgia law makes the girl's consent irrelevant because she was a minor.

Prosecutors say Harris, who had moved to metro Atlanta from Alabama in 2012, killed his young son intentionally because he wanted to escape the responsibilities of being a husband and father.

Several women have testified to having sexual relationships with Harris, online and in person, while he was married.

Hours later, after Harris pulled his dead son from his SUV, he was taken to Cobb County police headquarters. Jurors saw video Friday of Harris sobbing as he waited to speak with detectives.

'I'm so sorry, Cooper!' he bawled.

Leanna Harris hugs her husband Justin Ross Harris during time with him in the Cobb Police interrogation room

Jurors were played harrowing footage of Harris clutching his head as he awaited questioning, after he found his son dead in his SUV on a hot summer's day in 2014

The couple embraced in the interrogation room. Harris described to his wife the events that led to their son's death.

Harris appears more composed as he talks with detectives. He calmly debates with them after being told he will be charged with child cruelty, a felony.

'It was completely unintentional,' Harris says. 'I've no history of child abuse. I've no history of domestic violence. ... I'm a great father.'

That evening, police recorded Harris in the same interview room with his wife, Leanna. It's their first meeting since their son died. She tries to comfort Harris as he weeps.

Near the end of the 40-minute video, she asks Harris if he will be willing to have more children.

'I want to have a family,' Harris says, before adding, 'I'm just going to miss him.'

Harris' wife was granted a divorce earlier this year.

Harris' trial was moved from Cobb County in the Atlanta suburbs, to the coastal port city of Brunswick because of pretrial publicity. The judge told jurors Friday she expects the trial, which began on October 3, to last three to four more weeks.

Earlier jurors had seen harrowing footage of Harris meeting with his wife after he found their son dead .

The sound and images of Leanna Harris meeting with her distraught and crumbling husband filled the courtroom, in footage that court observers said could cast this case in a different light.

'Cooper looked so peaceful, his eyes and mouth were closed when I pulled him out of the car,' Justin Ross Harris said as she held his hands in loving support.

'I do not hate you,' Leanna said softly. 'I love you.'

'My life is over. I can't believe I did this. Why me?' he asked.

Harris replayed the events of the day to his wife, from the sausage biscuit Cooper loved at Chick-fil-A until the moment he realized his son was still in car seven hours later.

As he made a turn on the way to the theater he saw Cooper in the car seat from the corner of his eye. 'I knew it. I knew it right then,' he said.

Harris covered his eyes as video recording of his interrogation by police was played for the jury (left). Cobb Police Detective Phil Stoddard, lead investigator on the case, testified on Friday on his interview with Harris following his arrest (right)

Judge Mary Staley Clark quietly bids jurors a good weekend following the emotional video of Harris' police interrogation

Harris told his wife he wanted to trade places with his son.

'I know you're sorry, you don't have to say it,' she replied. 'We'll get through this.'

'You're my life support right now,' he told her as they hugged.

Harris said his lapse was 'a brain fart from routine.'

'They make it sound like I knew he was back there,' he said.

'I knew when he passed that Jesus was right there with him,' he said. 'It was useless to try to save him.

'The worst thing in the world is performing CPR on your son.'

Even if he could bring Cooper back to life, he wouldn't, he said.

'You wouldn't?' Leanna asked.

'No, because he's in Heaven,' Harris answered.

In police questioning on that day, Harris told Cobb Police Detective Phil Stoddard that the father and son breakfasted at a Chick-fil-A restaurant before getting into the family car to drive to his workplace.

'I strapped him in, I gave him a kiss, he gave me a kiss,' Harris said.

'I drove to work as if he wasn't even in the back. I didn't hear him. Cooper falls asleep easily,' he added.

He told police he had lunch with friends from work and had planned to see a movie at 5 p.m that day.

He left work and was headed to the theater when he noticed his son still in the back.

'I turned and I saw Cooper. I lost it,' he said. 'I thought I was seeing things.'

Harris screeched into a nearby shopping center and frantically called for help, Cooper was pulled from the car. Harris said he tried to begin CPR but stopped.

His eyes were partly open and he didn't have a pulse.

'He wasn't breathing. He had that stare in his face and I knew he was gone,' he said.

Prosecutors are arguing that Harris intentionally killed Cooper by leaving him for more than seven hours in the family car.

Meadows, now 21, was just 18 when she met Harris on the Skout dating app in 2013. She did not know his real age at first

A steady stream of women have testified that Harris had relationships of various kinds with them while he was married and a father to his son Cooper. Harris looked stricken and dabbed at his eyes as one of his defense attorneys continued a cross-examination of his text messages

Harris with Cooper, who died aged 22 months after being left in his father's car

The car seat in which Cooper was left on the hot summer's day in June 2014

Jurors watched as Harris told police Cooper woke up at 5:15 that morning but fell asleep again. He normally left home at 8:30 a.m. but was running late so he decided to go to Chick-fil-A, he said.

He told police he had often gone to Chick-fil-A alone before heading to work and might have thought 'it was one of those days.'

'The worst fear for me was to leave my son in a hot car,' he said. It was the first time he had ever forgotten his son in the car, he added.

Detectives advised Harris that he would be charged in Cooper's death.

'The actions you took today led to the death of your child,' one investigator said.

'It was completely unintentional. I'm a great father and I have multiple people that would back that up,' he argued.

Prosecutors have called as witnesses a series of women who said they had relationships with Harris while he was married to his wife Leanna.

State witness Janie Meadows, 21, said Thursday that Harris told her in 2013 that he was prepared to leave his troubled marriage but for his son.

Meadows was just 18 when she met Harris on the Skout dating app in 2013, and did not know his real age at first.

Meadows, a witness for the state, was the latest woman to testify that she had a relationship of some kind with Harris.

Harris broke down in court again on Thursday as one of his defense attorneys continued to cross examine Cobb County Detective Ronson Smith about other text messages he had sent to other women.

Another woman, Robledo said she was 19 when they first started sexting after she posted on Whisper about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie.

Last week Daniela Doerr, a former prostitute, told the court that Harris had sex with her three times in the weeks before his son died.

An indictment filed against Harris in September 2014 listed the following eight charges: malice murder, two counts of felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, cruelty to children in the second degree, criminal attempt to commit a felony of sexual exploitation of children, and two counts of dissemination of harmful material to minors.

He faces life in prison if convicted of murder.




video showing armed suspect marching in with a bandanna across his face

A 20-year-old Ohio man has been arrested and charged with aggravated murder for allegedly killing a teenage sandwich shop worker during a robbery.

The indictment released Friday also charges Daveion Perry with kidnapping, aggravated robbery and felonious assault.

Authorities say Perry walked into a Mr. Hero shop in Cleveland Heights on October 14, fired a fatal shot that struck 15-year-old Sunny Ravi Patel in the back of the head and fled with small change scooped out of the cash drawer.

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Shooting suspect caught: Daveion Perry (left), 20, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of 15-year-old Sunny Patel (right) during a robbery

Chilling footage: The October 14 armed robbery was captured on surveillance video showing a masked suspect, identified by police as Perry, marching into a Mr Hero shop with a gun

Perry also is charged with robbing a Subway shop of $299 the following night and attempting to hold up a discount store Sunday.

The 20-year-old murder suspect was free on bond for a burglary conviction at the time of the shooting and faced sentencing next week.

He was apprehended after being confronted by officers outside the Cleveland Heights Dollar Store wearing the same clothes he wore in the previous robberies, a police report said. On Wednesday, a judge set Perry's bond at $1million.

Perry's attorney, Charles Swanson, previously said Perry was 'upset with what he did', but he wouldnt elaborate.

During his court appearance this week, the suspect was seen smiling as he left the courtroom, reported the station WKYC.

The deadly shooting took place just before 8pm last Friday and was captured on surveillance video.

The deadly shooting took place at 8pm as Sunny Patel was manning the counter

Patel was working behind the counter at his uncle's Mr. Hero eatery on South Taylor Road when a man in dark sunglasses and a bandanna across his face marched in brandishing a gun and shot him once in the head.

The high school sophomore was taken to University Hospitals, where he died three hours later.

The boy had planned to watch a Cleveland Indians playoff game with friends that night but decided instead to help out at his family's shop.

The suspect grabbed a handful of coins from the cash register and fled. Police said three customers and the store's owner who were also present at the time were not injured

The Mayfield City School District posted about the teenager on its Facebook page.

The teen, pictured here with relatives, had planned to watch a playoffs game with friends but instead decided to help out his uncle at his shop

Gunned down: Sunny, a high school sophomore (pictured left and right), was shot once in the back of the head. He died from his wound three hours later

The young boy is pictured above with relatives in this Facebook photo

'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.'

Dark past: The suspect has a lengthy criminal record dating to 2007 when Perry was a juvenile

Records indicate that a dozen criminal cases were filed against Daveion Perry between 2007 and 2012 in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. Some were as minor as jaywalking; others were as serious as robbery, assault and gun-related charges. He was twice found guilty of theft charges as an 11-year-old.

A judge sentenced him in October 2012 as a 16-year-old to an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility until his 21st birthday. He was released in May 2015.

Perry was charged with burglary in May after a 74-year-old woman who lived in the same building reported several break-ins at her apartment, including one instance when she found Perry inside her apartment, a police report said. He pleaded guilty to burglary last month and was free on bond, pending his sentencing next week.
Almost 800 migrants have been rescued from a wooden barge crossing the Mediterranean - including a tiny baby - as 20 boats were stopped by the Irish Navy.

The Irish vessel LE Samuel Beckett rescued 772 migrants during a 'complex search and rescue operation' off the coast of Tripoli, Libya.

The rescue started at 6.30am this morning and all migrants were safely on board the ship by 2.30pm.

Almost 800 migrants have been rescued from a wooden barge crossing the Mediterranean - including a tiny baby - as 20 boats were stopped by the Irish Navy

The Irish vessel LE Samuel Beckett rescued 772 migrants during a 'complex search and rescue operation' off the coast of Tripoli, Libya

The rescue took place after a request from the Italian Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre.

The Irish Naval Service vessel located the migrants about 36 nautical miles northeast of the Libyan capital, according to the Irish Times.

The rescued migrants were given food, water and medical treatment.

In a statement on Friday night, the Defence Forces said the LE Samuel Beckett was bringing some of the migrants to an Italian ship.

The rescue started at 6.30am this morning and all migrants were safely on board the ship by 2.30pm

The operation took place after a request from the Italian Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre

According to the UN, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, the bulk of them on the Libya-Italy route.

Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday.

The Italian interior ministry said Friday that more than 146,500 migrants had landed in Italy so far this year.

The number of arrivals is similar to that of the previous two years but the pressure on the country's reception facilities is mounting as it has become harder for migrants to move on to other EU countries.

In a statement on Friday night, the Defence Forces said the LE Samuel Beckett was bringing some of the migrants to an Italian ship
Donald Trump for the first time directly attacked first lady Michelle Obama on Monday, complaining in North Carolina that she spends more time campaigning for Hillary Clinton than taking care of her family.

Trump was in mid-stride, blasting the Obama administration as ''a bunch of babies running our country, a bunch of losers.'

'We have a president, all he wants to do is campaign. His wife, all she wants to do is campaign,' he said.

'I see how much his wife likes Hillary, but wasn't she the one that started the statement, "If you can't take care of your home, you can't take care of the White House or the country"?'

Donald Trump took the gloves off Friday, criticizing Michelle Obama for campaigning against him instead of caring for her family full-time

The first lady has spoken out this week against Trump's desire to investigate the election for fraud before accepting the results, and for his lewd comments in a decade-old recording

Mrs. Obama used that line repeatedly in 2007 and 2008  as a slap at Hillary Clinton  while campaigning for her husband.

She usually followed it, however, with the observation that she made sure she tucked her daughters Sasha and Malia into bed each night.

'We've adjusted our schedules to make sure that our girls are first, so while he's traveling around, I do day trips,' she said in one such speech.

'They just know that I was at home to tuck them in at night, and it keeps them grounded.'

Trump spoke in rural western North Carolina, underscoring his unwillingness to take any corner of a swing state for granted

Melania Trump (right) has made a point of avoiding the campaign spotlight so she can be a full time mother to the couple's son, 10-year-old Barron

Melania Trump has rarely hit the stump for her husband, telling news media that her biggest responsibility is to be with their 10-year-old son Barron.

At a 64 per cent popularity rating in some polls, Americans think better of the first lady than of her husband or either major party White House candidate this year.
Hillary Clinton is now red-hot favourite to become the first female President of the United States.

Virtually every poll has her with a commanding lead over Donald Trump.

Of course, its not over yet.

Misery: Hillary has held many high powered positions in government over the years but performed none of them particularly well

The polls might be as hopelessly wrong as they were about Trumps chances of winning the Republican nomination.

(The worlds No1 electoral prediction expert Nate Silver gave the tycoon a 2% chance of achieving that target..)

There might well be a large number of people in the bowels of Middle America preparing to vote for him whilst pretending not to when asked.

We saw this phenomenon recently with the EU Referendum in Britain where nobody thought we would actually BREXIT from Europe until we woke up on June 24 and discovered we had.

This has been a highly erratic and unpredictable race and with 18 days left to go, anything could still happen to change the dynamic and result.

As the former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once said when asked what he feared most in politics: Events, dear boy, events.

Damp squib: Despite wanting to occupy the highest office in the land Hillary does not possess the charisma needed

So yes, Trump could still pull off one of the biggest shocks in American political history. He has, after all, spent the past 16 months confounding all logic about US presidential elections.

But lets assume for a moment that Hillary is going to win.

Ive made it clear that whilst Trumps a friend of mine, I wouldnt vote for, or endorse him even if I could, which I cant. I simply dont agree with him about too many issues from guns and Muslim bans to climate change.

However, I wouldnt vote for, or endorse Hillary either.

I think shes a dreadful candidate, a sentiment clearly shared by many others as she has attracted the worst approval ratings of any major-party presidential nominee in history  rivalled only by Trump.

Not out yet: Donald Trump has confounded expectations throughout the campaign and should not be written off

Here are 20 reasons why I think Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a terrible President.

1) I dont trust her. The email scandal just about summed up her complete inability to tell the truth. An expert lawyer who became Secretary of State with multiple BlackBerries but didnt have a clue how emails or servers work or what constitutes classified material? Oh pur-lease, Madam Pinocchio, do you think were all completely stupid?

2) Shes greedy. I mean properly, outrageously, snout-in-the-trough avaricious. A woman who for decades has exploited her political status to fill her boots with tens of millions of dollars, fuelled by $200k-a-pop speeches from her Wall Street chums like Goldman Sachs.

3) Hillarys a rank hypocrite. She bangs on ad nauseam about womens rights but sucks up to and solicits cash for the Clinton Foundation from draconian regimes like Saudi Arabia that stone women to death and refuse to let them even drive cars.

4) Shes a dangerous war-mongerer. The Iraq War was an unmitigated fiasco that led to turmoil throughout the Middle East and spurred the rise of ISIS. It was the biggest foreign policy disaster since Vietnam and Hillary voted for it. She was also heavily responsible for the dismal Libya invasion. When people say they dont trust Trump with his finger on the nuclear trigger, I suggest Hillary the Hawk is far more likely to press it.

5) Shes a flip-flopper extraordinaire. On endless issues from Iraq to gay marriage, Israel to TPP and the Keystone Pipeline, Hillary will say one thing but think nothing of saying the complete opposite later if its politically expedient.

The choice: American voters will decide on November 8 between Trump and Clinton who enjoyed an evening with Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Thursday night at the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner in Manhattan

6) She has a chronic superiority complex. Never was this more vividly exposed than with her disgraceful comment that half of Trumps supporters were a basket of deplorables. Thats tens of millions of fellow Americans she was insulting, many of them honest, hard-working people.

7) Shes an embellisher of stories to make herself look better. We all remember her heroic tale of having to flee sniper fire in Bosnia with her daughter Chelsea in 1996. There was just one problem  she didnt.

8) Shes held lots of jobs but performed none of them particularly well. As Secretary of State she was widely considered inefficient, ineffectual and complacent - sometimes to lethal consequence as we saw with the Benghazi fiasco that cost the lives of Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans. Hillarys undeniably very experienced, but how valuable is all that experience if youve never excelled at anything youve done?

9) Shes oddly charmless. Ive watched her speaking at the debates and various rallies, and indeed at last nights Al Smith dinner, and she exudes the warmth and wit of a sour-faced Pit Bull terrier. As for that perpetual creepy Jack Nicholson Shining smirk she does.. UGH.

Horrifying: Madonna has offered oral sex to Hillary voters

10)Her health remains a major concern. That video of her keeling over after leaving a 9/11 memorial service was deeply troubling. Particularly when we know she had a serious head injury after passing out in 2012. Hillary is 69 next week and doesnt exude good health, fitness or vitality, which are fairly essential components of being a modern day President. Trumps 70 but has extraordinarily impressive energy.

11)She carries with her a dripping sense of entitlement based on her gender that is deeply irritating. Hillary may as well have two tattoos on her forehead proclaiming: Born to be First Female President and Vote for me  Im a woman!

12)She wouldnt inspire me to open a cookie jar, and I normally need no encouragement to do that. Contrast her oratory style with someone like Michelle Obama  whose fire and passion has electrified this race in recent weeks. Hillarys a dull, lifeless, robotic speaker by comparison.

13)Shes not Bill, one of the smartest, most brilliantly charismatic politicians America has ever seen. Theres a sense with Hillary that shes riding on the coattails of her husbands huge popularity. Would she be anywhere near winning the presidency if many Americans werent thinking this was a way of getting Bill back to the White House too? I dont think so.

14)I fear that beneath the constant, smug, apple-cheeked smirk lies a fairly unpleasant piece of work. Former Secret Service agents have painted a picture of a vengeful, mistrustful, abusive, angry, sarcastic, demanding, disorganised, unpunctual boss.

Could it be? Donald Trump offers a stark alternative to Hillary who is known for her hawkish foreign policy

15)She would push for a new cold war with Russia in an effort to prove her toughness with Vladimir Putin. You can tell this by the hateful rhetoric which spews from her mouth every time she mentions his name. This is a very worrying thing for the world.

16)Republicans hate her even more than they hate President Obama. This will be a massive issue if she wins. Obamas woeful inability to do business with the opposition rendered him incapable of even passing a single new gun law after Sandy Hook. What hope for Hillary, with all her Washington enemy-making over the past 40 years, to achieve any meaningful deals?

17)Her baggage is horrendous. From Whitewater to Vince Foster, Hillarys past is scandalously dubious and troublesome. Does this matter? Yes. It goes to the heart of her character. Shes dodgy, period.

18)The way she attacked Bills lovers in the past leaves an unedifying taste in the mouth given all her lofty moral pronouncements about the way Trump treats women. Hillary didnt just stand by her philandering man, she trashed the women he bedded. Very unfortunate for the self-styled Emmeline Pankhurst of US politics.

19)Shes chillingly ambitious to the expense of anything else in her life. It seeps from every pore. This is a career politician who has repeatedly shown she will trample over anyone and anything that gets in her way, and who conveniently overlooks moral and ethical issues if they dont suit her agenda or progression to power.
Airbnb says it will file a lawsuit against the city, claiming the law violates the First

New York state enacted one of the nation's toughest restrictions on Airbnb on Friday with a new law authorizing fines of up to $7,500 for many short-term rentals.

The measure signed into law by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo applies to rentals of less than 30 days when the owner or tenant is not present.

Supporters of the measure say many property owners use sites like Airbnb to offer residential apartments as short-term rentals to visitors, hurting existing hotels while taking residential units off the already expensive housing market in New York City.

Cracking down: Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill to crack down on leasholders using their New York city apartments as 'illegal hotels' on Airbnb. This is a file image

'Today is a great day for tenants, seniors, and anyone who values the safe and quiet enjoyment of their homes and neighborhoods,' said Manhattan Democrat Senator Liz Krueger.

Tough: The law enacted by Governor Andrew Cuomo is considered the toughest in the US

'For too long companies like Airbnb have encouraged illegal activity that takes housing off the market and makes our affordability crisis worse.'

Enforcement will be a key challenge. Thousands of short-term apartment rentals are listed for New York City, despite a 2010 law that prohibits rentals of less than 30 days when the owner or tenant is not present.

The new law won't apply to rentals in single-family homes, row houses or apartment spare rooms if the resident is present.

Airbnb mounted a last-minute campaign to kill the measure and this week proposed alternative regulations that the company argued would address concerns about short-term rentals without onerous fines.

Rally: Supporters of Airbnb stand during a rally before a hearing called Short Term Rentals: Stimulating the Economy or Destabilizing Neighborhoods? at City Hall in New York in January

Cracking down: Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill to crack down on leasholders using their New York city apartments as 'illegal hotels' on Airbnb

Most people who list a rental on Airbnb are looking to make a little money while they're out of town, according to Chris Lehane, head of global policy for San Francisco-based Airbnb.

'It's baffling to us in this time of economic inequality that folks would be looking to impose fines of as much as $7,500 on a middle-class person looking to use the home that they live in to help make ends meet,' Lehane said before the bill was signed.

A spokesman for Cuomo said the administration gave the bill careful consideration.

'Ultimately, these activities are already expressly prohibited by law,' said spokesman Rich Azzopardi.

Supporters say many property owners use Airbnb to offer their apartments as short-term rentals to visitors, hurting existing hotels while taking residential units off the market

An investigation of Airbnb rentals from 2010 to 2014 by the state attorney general's office found that 72 percent of the units in New York City were illegal, with commercial operators constituting 6 percent of the hosts and supplying 36 percent of the rentals.

As of August, Airbnb had 45,000 city listings and another 13,000 across the state.
Professor Carole Mundell had been facing a High Court trial after she exposed claims of recurring sexual assaults against female PhD students by a colleague at Liverpool John Moores University

An Astrophysics professor who blew the whistle on an alleged sexual predator at a top space research centre has seen off a libel case against her.

Professor Carole Mundell had been facing a High Court trial after she exposed claims of recurring sexual assaults against female PhD students by a colleague at Liverpool John Moores University.

The cosmologist accused her former boss at LJMUs Astrophysics Research Institute, Professor Mike Bode, of helping alleged sex pest Dr Chris Simpson to take up a new job elsewhere despite the complaints made against him.

Professor Mundell, who has appeared on BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio 4, has previously spoken publicly about the hostile workplace cultures women face in the science world.

Her actions prompted Professor Bode to launch claims of libel and slander against her.

Professor Bode was said to have written a glowing reference for Dr Simpson, which made no mention of the sexual assault claims that would undoubtedly have resulted in his dismissal.

Dr Simpson was therefore offered a top job at a South African institute, allowing him to leave LJMU and force a premature end to the investigation into his conduct, Professor Mundell believed.

After learning of this, Professor Mundell  now head of astrophysics at the University of Bath  contacted the South African Square Kilometre Array in 2014 and 2015 to alert them to a cover-up she believed to have been engineered by LJMU and Professor Bode.

She wrote: I believe [Dr Simpson] has been given an academic reference from the head of the department [Bode] with no mention of character or conduct.

Simpsons misconduct is becoming known more widely in some circles ... However, it is clear LJMU has worked hard to maintain silence such that even fellow academics within my institute do not know why he has resigned.

The cosmologist accused her former boss at LJMUs Astrophysics Research Institute, Professor Mike Bode (left), of helping alleged sex pest Dr Chris Simpson (right) to take up a new job elsewhere despite the complaints made against him

The High Court also heard allegations that the Institute had been aware of complaints about Dr Simpsons behaviour towards female PhD students from as far back as 2008, but only began to investigate six years later.

Professor Mundell claimed delays to the disciplinary process were engineered possibly with the collusion of our HR and Institute management, who have been keen to cover up their previous cover-ups.

On Thursday Mr Justice Warby threw out Professor Bodes case against her, saying: I see no real prospect that ... the claimant would succeed in establishing that the publication of the alleged libel caused any substantial let alone serious harm to his reputation.

He said her claims had only been seen by eight individuals in South Africa at most and only a handful more in the UK, adding: There is no reason to allow the case to proceed if, as I conclude, it would be bound to fail.

Of the allegations against Dr Simpson, he said there have been no findings about any of these matters, and that this application does not involve making any findings or assumptions about their truth. He also did not make any findings about Professor Mundells allegations of collusion involving the university.

Dr Simpson, who is now working at the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii, said: I am sure my disappointment at Mr Justice Warbys ruling is shared by all members of the Astrophysics Research Institute who had to endure Professor Mundells unpleasant behaviour.

In a statement, solicitors acting for LJMU (pictured) said: LJMU takes the safety and well-being of its staff very seriously'

There is not a shred of evidence to support any of the allegations made against me and I refute them entirely.

'Her malicious and unfounded allegations against Professor Bode and other members of staff were retaliation against her own misconduct allegations.

Professor Bode said he would appeal against the courts decision.

Professor Mundells representative said it would be inappropriate to comment at the present time.

In a statement, solicitors acting for LJMU said: LJMU takes the safety and well-being of its staff very seriously.
Relatives of the young married couple who apparently collapsed and suddenly died inside their Michigan apartment earlier this week say their deaths could have been caused by a 'drug overdose'.

The bodies of Courtney, 20, and Cameron Hulet, 28, were found at their home in Dundee, Michigan, on Tuesday night just as they were about to eat dinner from Taco Bell, police say.

Investigators were not immediately sure what happened to the couple and toxicology tests are expected as part of the autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Dundee police said the couple appeared to have sat down to eat a meal from Taco Bell at their home on Riley St when they suddenly died.

Cheryl Harris, Cameron's mother, told People that their sudden deaths could have been caused by a 'drug overdose'.

Courtney and Cameron Hulet (pictured) apparently collapsed and died at their apartment just as they were about to eat dinner on Tuesday night in Michigan, police said

The bodies of the married couple were found at their home in Dundee, Michigan, on Tuesday. Cameron's mother, Cheryl Harris, said they could have died from a 'drug overdose'

'It could be a drug overdose, but you never know,' Harris said. 'I loved them both.'

She explained that her son and Courtney were not doing well after their boys, a four-month-old and one-year-old, were removed from their home by child services and put in foster care.

'It was devastating to them,' she said. 'They called me bawling their eyes out.'

She shared that she last spoke to her son on Sunday night - two days before he was found dead with his wife.

Harris said that despite her son and his wife being 'extremely depressed,' she said she can't imagine that they would do anything to hurt themselves.

Cameron's brother, Garrett Hulet, agreed that he too doesn't know why they died.

'Two people tragically died, and [police] don't know why,' Cameron's brother Garrett Hulet told People.

'The last thing I know was he was just living life, doing okay.'

Police were called to the apartment by a neighbor, who at first thought the couple were asleep

Harris did not share why the children were removed from the home, and child services would not release the case information.

Police said they found a pound of marijuana on the kitchen table near their bodies.

Dundee police chief Todd said the couple's food was untouched and the marijuana was in the process of being divided up for sale.

Authorities did not find any signs of trauma on either body and there were no signs of forced entry into the apartment.

'It's really a puzzle,' Dundee Village Manger Dave Uhl told the Monroe News.

'There is no indication as to what happened. It's a mystery.'

Police were called to the apartment by a neighbor, who at first thought the couple had fallen asleep.

The neighbor had visited the couple at around 9pm and left because she thought they were asleep.

When she check on them hours later and found them in the same position, she called police.

The couple had only been living in Dundee for the past six weeks.

Cameron Hulet has a criminal history in Monroe County that dates back a decade.
They want his state trial relocated, claiming it would be hard to find impartial jurors who have not seen the shooting video

Slager's attorneys argue he would not have shot Scott if he had proper backup

Scott, 50, was stuck by five of eight bullets fired by Slager as he ran away

Slager, 34, charged with murder for the April 2015 shooting of Walter Scott in Charleston, South Carolina, during a routine traffic stop

Slager's attorneys brought up a new report the showed he had burn marks on his uniform suggesting he was shot with Taser

Lawyers for a white former South Carolina police officer charged with murder for shooting a black man in the back said in court Friday that the cop may have been shot with his own Taser during a struggle with the victim.

Michael Slager's defense team told the court during a pre-trial hearing that the ex-North Charleston officer was left alone to patrol a high-crime area when he pulled over Walter Scott for a broken light in April 2015.

Slagers attorney Andy Savage also said Friday that physical evidence wasn't tested properly, and that there are indications that his client was Tasered with his own stun gun during a fight with Scott.

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Defense strategy: Attorneys representing former police officer Michael Slager, pictured here in September 2015, claim he was shot with his own Taser during a struggle with Walter Scott

Shocking footage: Slager (R) is seen shooting 50-year-old Scott in the back as he runs away, in this still image from video in North Charleston, South Carolina taken April 4, 2015

The court heard from several of Slager's former supervisors, who said from the stand that he was a good officer.

Savage had been trying to throw out the officers' statements, but he withdrew most of his requests after the officers testified.

On April 4, 2015, a cell phone video recorded by a bystander captured Slager firing eight times at Scott, 50, as he ran away from a traffic stop after being pulled over for a broken brake light on his Mercedes-Benz. Five of the bullets struck the victim.

Slager told investigators after the incident that Scott tried to grab his service weapon and Taser.

The officer was arrested on a state murder charge and fired from his job when the video of the shooting emerged three days later, sparking widespread Black Lives Matter protests.

In May, Slager was indicted for federal civil rights abuses, obstruction of justice and unlawful use of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

During Friday's hearing, Andrew Savage suggested that Walter Scott would have been alive if Slager had proper backup.

Slager's attorney also argued that if the officer (left) had proper backup, he would not have shot Scott (right) after stopping him over a broken brake light

The lawyer also pointed to a State Law Enforcement Division report released Thursday showing that based on burn marks found on Slager's uniform, the cop may have been shot with his Taser as he tussled with Scott, reported The Post And Courier.

The former officer's attorneys have filed a motion seeking to move his trial from Charleston, arguing that most people living in the surrounding county have seen the video of the shooting.

According to the defense, the video doesn't show the entire confrontation, and potential jurors who have viewed it might not be able to fairly consider their evidence.

The motion also notes that the trial of suspected white supremacist Dylann Roof, charged with killing nine black churchgoers in what police said was a racially motivated attack, will be taking place in the federal courthouse across the street.

Slager's jurors and witnesses would have to run a gauntlet of reporters, protesters and other attention-seekers, creating 'a media spectacle to rival any ever seen in this or any town,' Slager's lawyers said.

Slager's defense wants his upcoming trial moved to a different location, in part because the federal trial of Dylann Roof (pictured), accused of shooting nine black churchgoers, will be taking place across the street

Slager also wants the trial moved because North Charleston paid a widely publicized $6.5million settlement to Scott's family that potential jurors might improperly consider proof of Slager's guilt, the motion said.

'This is not just excessive publicity - it is excessive, prejudicial, incomplete and misleading publicity that offends Slager's right to a fair trial,' his lawyers wrote.
He is suing CNN for racial and religious discrimination he claims he experienced at the network's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia

A black Christian associate producer who was fired from CNN is suing his former employer, accusing them of racial and religious discrimination.

Omar Butcher, an African American, says he was targeted after complaining about colleagues using 'profane language' such as 'Jesus Christ' and 'God damn'.

He claims he was fired a day after he emailed anchor Ashleigh Banfield, expressing concerns after she asked in an on-air segment whether society had 'lost a generation' due to violence in the African-American community.

He also complained about the promotions of white colleagues.

Butcher has filed a lawsuit against the cable network in Atlanta, Georgia, according to documents submitted Thursday and seen exclusively by DailyMail.com.

Omar Butcher, a former associate producer at CNN, is suing the network accusing them of racial and religious discrimination

Omar Butcher (pictured) says he was targeted after complaining about colleagues using 'profane language'

In the documents he describes himself as an African American and 'a devout Christian.' He worked at CNN from 2010 until he was fired in July last year.

Butcher says he became increasingly troubled by certain members of his team using 'profane language' such as 'Jesus Christ' and 'God damn'.

He writes that he emailed his team asking them not to 'take the Lord's name in vain' in his presence.

But he says his email did not stop the behavior and he believes they increased their use of the language to further harass him.

Things got so bad that during a meeting he walked out because his team wouldn't stop despite his pleas, he claims.

After he walked out, he says the Vice President of Dayside Programming told him if he did it again there would be repercussions.

Butcher also says that in March and April last year he expressed concerns to HR about a colleague's 'obvious and negative sounding comment about the increase in African American voices on our air' and 'the hostile and negative climate' at the company.

In July, he says he was 'extremely troubled' about 'racially insensitive' remarks made by CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield.

'Have we lost a generation?' Banfield asked during an on-air segment regarding violence in the African American community.

Butcher (left) says he was fired in July 2015, a day after emailing CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield (right) expressing concerns about on-air remarks she made during a segment regarding violence in the African American community

She also asked whether 'there is an entire generation out that there cannot be changed, that cannot be reached, they just have to age and die?'

Butcher sent Banfield a private email in which he explained his issues and noted that she did not make similar remarks in a segment about young white males who kill.

Banfield fired back and questioned whether he was suggesting she was 'a racist' and said that she would take it up with their bosses. She copied in senior management on the email.

One day after Butcher emailed Banfield, he was terminated from his job at the network.

CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Butcher claims that he also missed out on promotion opportunities because of his race.

He says he was regularly praised for his work at the company but despite his ability white colleagues were promoted ahead of him.

In 2011 another associate producer, a white male with less experience, was given more access to writing segments and just a few months later was promoted for the position which Butcher applied for.

'Mr. Butcher was not even interviewed for this position,' the documents claim.

In 2012 he joined Inside Pitch, a CNN program where employees pitch, produce and write their own stories. Butcher had his work featured on air and was praised for it, the documents say.

'Despite the obviously high quality of his work, Mr. Butcher applied for three writer/producer jobs in 2012 for which he was qualified and all three positions were awarded to white individuals. Mr. Butcher did not even receive an interview,' they claim.

In yet another example, a writer/producer job Butcher wanted was actually awarded to one of his trainees - a white person 'with no relevant writing experience'.

Butcher says he contacted HR to ask about the process for internal candidate, and requested training on multiple occasions to no avail.

He even came in on his days off 'because he was not given the paid training and opportunities to gain access to paid training his white counterparts received.'

The company 'never adequately addressed Mr. Butcher's concerns about the suspicious hiring and training process,' the filings say.

When a senior employee volunteered to help train Butcher on his days off the Vice President of Dayside Programming, John Antonio, told Butcher to stand down on the matter and to pursue training through proper training protocols.

Butcher says Antonio told him to do this despite Janelle Rodriguez, the VP of programming, encouraging him to set up his own training.

He also claims that he was unfairly targeted for an HR investigation into his time sheets and departure times. He says the VP of Programming told him 'You better watch out,' which he construed as a threat.

Butcher is suing for racial and religious discrimination and for retaliation by CNN after he complained about the hostile work environment.
Navy chief petty officer Jason C. Finan

The Pentagon has identified the American killed in Iraq on Thursday as 34-year-old Navy chief petty officer Jason C. Finan.

The soldier was killed by a roadside bomb yesterday, marking him the first American combat casualty in the campaign to oust the terror group from its last major stronghold in northern Iraq.

Finan, who assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit in Coronado, had been serving in an advisory capacity to the Iraqi coalition force supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq.

He died of wounds sustained in a roadside bomb attack near the town of Bashiqa, north of Mosul.

Finan, of Anaheim, California, is the fourth U.S. combat death in Iraq since U.S. military operations against ISIS began in Iraq in August 2014.

He leaves behind his wife Chariss Finan, 34.

'The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the Sailor we lost,' said Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command/NECC Pacific.

Finan was serving as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, supporting Kurdish peshmerga fighters who are part of an effort to recapture Mosul that began Monday.

Jason Finan has been killed while assisting Iraqi forces, pictured here charging into battle in a pre-dawn advance, as they fight to regain Mosul

A senior US defense official said the service member was in an armored vehicle traveling with Iraqi special forces northeast of Mosul when the vehicle hit a roadside bomb, possibly rolling over.

Finan was taken by medevac to the Kurdish regional capital, Irbil, but died from his injuries.

It was not immediately clear whether other US service members were hurt in the bomb attack yesterday.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the death was a 'reminder that our people who are participating in the counter-ISIL campaign, whether they be flying aircraft or working with the Iraqi security forces and the other forces and enabling their consistent advances of the kind that we see in the region of Mosul today, are in harm's way.'

He added that 'this is necessary work, because it's necessary for us to destroy ISIL in Iraq and Syria.'

He was supporting Kurdish peshmerga fighters, pictured here firing a multiple rocket launcher from a position in Sheikh Ali village near the town of Bashiqa, as part of their effort to recapture Mosul

'Therefore it's necessary for us to enable in this case the Iraqi security forces and the peshmerga in northern Iraq - and it appears that it was in that role that the service member was killed,' Carter added.

Pentagon officials had acknowledged at the outset of the Iraqi-led offensive that US special operations troops advising Iraqi security forces and Kurdish militia fighters could be wounded or killed as they advanced on Mosul.

Roadside bombs and other emplacements of improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the US advisers who are with them. ISIS, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

More than 100 US special operations forces are operating with Iraqi units, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases farther from the front lines.

US Central Command announced the death in a brief statement saying the service member was wounded by an 'improvised explosive device'.

Iraqi army soldiers wait for an attack to begin against Islamic State in Mosul. Supporting Iraqi forces is bringing Americans into their most significant role in the country in years

The assault on Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, is bringing American forces into its most significant role in Iraq in years.

There are more US forces in Iraq now than any time since the 2011 withdrawal, and American forces have been increasingly active on and beyond front-line positions.

Asked earlier this week about the degree of risk facing US special operations forces who are advising Iraqi forces in the Mosul operation, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Iraqis are in the lead but efforts are being made to limit the risk facing US troops.

'There are Americans in harm's way as part of this fight,' Cook said Monday as the Mosul offensive was announced by the Iraqi government.

'We're very aware of that and we're taking steps, as many steps as we can, to reduce the risk to American forces and we'll continue to do that.'
Facebook employees tried to have some posts by US presidential candidate Donald Trump removed from the social network.

Posts such as those calling for a ban on Muslim immigration should be branded as hate speech and removed, some workers said.

According to The Wall Street Journal the decision went all the way to the very top with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg rejecting the request on the grounds it would amount to censoring a political candidate.

Employees at Facebook pushed the company to censor some of Donald Trump's posts as 'hate speech,' which violated the website's regulations.

The dispute reflects Facebooks enormous importance as a distributor of news and opinion and its deep discomfort with making editorial judgments around the content of speech

Facebook has a ban on posts that contain nudity, with some exceptions, such as images of works of art and women breastfeeding, or educational content, however the social network also bans posts inciting violence or hate.

Sources close to the matter told The Journal that there was about to be a mini-mutiny of staffers who would threaten to quit over controversial statements made by Mr Trump's presidential campaign after being told they could not delete the candidate's posts.

Although Facebook has not addressed the specifics of the newspaper's story, it has stressed that on the guidelines used to moderate posts, the 'context' of a quote is considered before posts are removed.

'That context can include the value of political discourse,' the spokeswoman said to The Journal. 'Many people are voicing opinions about this particular content and it has become an important part of the conversation around who the next U.S. president will be.

'For those reasons, we are carefully reviewing each report and surrounding context relating to this content on a case by case basis.'

The decision not to remove the Trump posts was made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, pictured, in the hope that his site would permit the broadest range of political views possible

Zuckerberg's decision not to delete Trump's posts led to complaints from employees around the world.

While a few employees apparently said internally that the posts did indeed violate the policy, content reviewers were ordered to leave the posts up.

In January, a Muslim employee asked Zuckerberg during a town hall meeting how he could excuse Trump's comments.

Zuckerberg apparently responded that while the Republican nominee's remarks did count as hate speech, the ramifications involved in removing them were too big.

Many employees across the company voiced their complaints on Facebook's internal messaging service with some event threatening to leave the company

The internal arguments started after Trump began discussing Muslim immigration last December. Zuckerbergs decision not to delete Trumps posts saw complaints around the world

Some employees found Zuckerberg's justification reasonable, but many others didn't with some even creating internal Facebook groups that objected to it, while others threatened to leave the company.

The dispute reflects the balance Facebook plays both as a distributor of news and opinion but also its discomfort with making editorial judgments around the content of speech.

It has been revealed Facebook board member Peter Thiel had donated more than a $1.25 million dollars to Trump's campaign.

'I want to quickly address the questions and concerns about Peter Thiel as a board member and Trump supporter,' Mr Zuckerberg wrote in an internal message to employees on Wednesday. 'We can't create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then excludes almost half the country because they back a political candidate.

'There are many reasons a person might support Trump that do not involve racism, sexism, xenophobia or accepting sexual assault.'

Facebook stands to make $300 million in political advertising this year alone.

Such huge amounts could fall if the company were seen to be perceived as unwilling to allow posts showcasing conservative or Republican ideas.
No one was injured, including the driver who was treated at the scene

Police say he returned a short time later driving into the

A man has deliberately driven into the emergency

A man has deliberately crashed his car into the emergency entrance of a hospital, narrowly missing a group of patients, because he was refused treatment it is alleged.

The 34-year-old male, from Caroline Springs, drove his car into the entrance of the Sunshine Hospital in St Albans, north west of Melbourne on Friday night.

Senior Sargent Jason Dolman said a male had presented at the hospital asking for treatment and left prior to being treated, in a report by 9News.

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A 34-year-old man has driven his car into the emergency entrance of Sunshine Hospital in St Albans, north west of Melbourne

The man was at the hospital seeking treatment but left before he was attended to

'He's returned a short time later and driven his vehicle into the front of the hospital through the emergency entrance,' officer Dolman said.

The incident happened just before 9pm and no one was injured.

The driver, also uninjured, was taken inside and treated as a precaution.

Police say a short time later he returned driving his vehicle into the glass door entrance of the hospital. No was injured, including the driver

The glass door entrance has been replaced with a makeshift wall.

An engineer is assessing the structural damage to the building.
Donald Trump predicted on Friday afternoon that he will score a mind-blowing election victory on November 8 similar to the June 23 'Brexit' vote that set Great Britain on a course to leave the European Union.

'We will win. We will shock the world,' he pledged in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a decaying steel town of the sort that is tailor-made for Trump's populist, job-saving message.'

'This is going to be Brexit-plus. Brexit-plus,' he said. 'And a lot of people know it.'

During an earlier rally near Asheville, North Carolina, he described it as 'Beyond Brexit.' Later at night he would settle on 'Brexit times five.'

The Republican presidential nominee told an audience estimated at 5,000 in Johnstown that a craven, dishonest mass media is masking the size and intensity of the political movement he has created out of thin air.

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump held a Friday afternoon rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, joking that a rain shower got his hair wet

The Republican presidential nominee predicted a 'Brexit-plus' victory similar to the world-shocking result of June's British vote to leave the European Union

'This is a movement like has never taken place in our country before. And the dishonest media doesn't like talking about our movement. They don't like talking about it,' he lamented, as boos rained down on reporters.

Trump is trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton in a majority of opinion surveys. But his Brexit reference hints at a potential come-from-behind win that would confound pollsters and America's political class.

Oddsmakers in Europe report that nearly three-quarters of the money being bet on the election is staked on Clinton. But Trump-backers are placing a large majority of the bets, albeit in smaller amounts of money.

The same phenomenon was seen before the Brexit vote. The result shocked the world.

The Trump campaign is depending on a groundswell of voters who are invisible to pollsters, either because they recently registered for the first time in their lives or because they are sheepish about telling a live interviewer that they ride the Trump train.

In some parts of America where Democratic voters outstrip Republicans, being outwardly pro-Trump can fall somewhere along the spectrum between unfashionable and a hanging offense.

For that reason, Republicans look hopefully at data showing more Trump supporters when voters answer surveys anonymously instead of talking to another person.

Trump marveled at his treatment by the 'dishonest' press corps including some reporters whom Hillary Clinton's campaign sees as 'friendly and malleable'

It remains to be seen if any such phenomenon might be sufficient to swing enough electoral votes in Trump's direction.

But a similar fluke plagued pollsters before the Brexit vote: Surveys showed voters rejecting the separatist referendum by 18 percentage points.

It didn't turn out that way, and Trump believes he's riding the crest of a similar wave.

The sea of humanity that met Trump in Johnstown, like most of his crowds, laughed along with his jokes and booed the media when he castigated them.

They also chanted 'Drain The Swamp!' before he arrived  the first such appearance of Trump's newest anti-establishment slogan.

After jockeying for position as campaign aides flung hats and fired a ti-shirt cannon into the crowd, they were tuned in to their hero's every word.

Trump at one point cast Clinton as a career politician who operates without a public or private conscience.

'She lied over and over and over and over,' he exclaimed, as the audience joined him on the third 'over.'

Trump said his movement will 'shock the world' on November 8 with an unexpected victory

They picked up the ball and ran with it after Trump stopped, continuing en masse: 'and over and over and over and over and over!'

Trump pitted his devotees against the press in new ways on Friday, promising to keep secret his strategy for defeating the ISIS terror army until he executes it.

'"But Mr Trump," he said, mimicking a journalist in mid-interview. '"The American people demand to know".'

'They don't! he yelled. 'The reporters demand to know! They're the only ones!'

Trump also used a recent WikiLeaks disclosure as a cudgel to beat up a New York Times reporter who has covered both his campaign and Clinton's.

'WikiLeaks also shows in new emails the Clinton campaign boasting about working with  quote  "very friendly and malleable reporters," including a reporter from The New York Times they described as "safe",' he said.

'I have that same reporter. She's not safe! She's brutal on us. I wish my people would say, "She's safe! Oh, she's safe!" meaning she'll do whatever the hell they want her to do.'

'We are in a rigged system,' Trump said, returning to one of his broader themes, 'and a big part of the rigging are these dishonest people in the media. Big part. Big part of it.'

The boo-birds came back with a vengeance as he painted reporters as adversaries to everyone in the arena.

'Isn't it amazing how  you know, they don't even want to look at you, folks! I think they consider you, like Hillary, they consider you deplorable. And irredeemable also!'

'The media, the special interests, Wall Street, the career politicians  the system is rigged,' he said.
A Pennsylvania fire chief is announcing his retirement just ahead of his 95th birthday.

J. Edward Hutchinson - affectionately known as 'Hutch' - has served more than six decades as Greensburg's fire chief but has decided not to run for a 22nd term.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the fire department will now search for another leader for the first time since 1953.

Fire chef J. Edward Hutchinson is about to head for the exit after more than six decades as fire chief in

The man popularly known as 'Hutch' will not run for a 22nd term, leaving the fire department to find another leader for the first time since 1953

Hutchinson has been chief longer than most of his firefighters have been alive and is something of an icon in the small town

Hutchinson says 63 years is 'a long friggin' time' and he now must pass the torch on to someone new so he can enjoy a well-deserved retirement after decades spent constantly on call.

'Fire chief in Greensburg is 24 hours, seven days a week,' Hutchinson said.

He's believed to be the longest-serving active chief in the state.

He joined the department in 1939 and became chief 14 years later.

J. Edward Hutchinson from Greensburg, Pennsylvania is stepping down as Fire Chief after spending more than six decades in the role. Pictured, the fire house in Greensburg

A World War II veteran, Hutchinson comes from a long line of firefighters. He joined the department in 1939 and became chief 14 years later

Though there are no records of fire chiefs' service histories, Hutchinson is believed to be the longest-serving active chief in the state  maybe the country. He is a popular figure in town

HAIL TO THE CHIEF J. Edward Hutchinson's accomplishments  Helped establish one of the first dive teams in the state, which has grown to include a swift-water rescue team active throughout the region and beyond.  Founded a bloodhound team to help in the search for missing people and fugitives.  Worked with local officials to start the Mutual Aid Ambulance Service.  Led fundraising efforts to build The Aerobic Center, Greensburg's state-of-the-art fitness facility and indoor pool.  Helped to build workout facilities at Greensburg Salem High School.  Built pavilions and a soccer field at the city's Mt. Odin Park.  Helped establish the Five Star Trail, an extensive walking and biking path stretching from Greensburg to Youngwood Advertisement

There has been only one interruption in his service to the department: a four-year hiatus when he served during World War II.

He has aided many people over the years, including helping build a playground in Selma, Alabama as well as assisting with rescue efforts after Hurricane Hugo hit South Carolina in 1989.

He also founded one of the state's first dive-rescue teams.

'The city and greater Greensburg community are grateful for his dedicated devoted years of service,' said city Administrator Sue Trout.

Hutchinson knew how to get whatever the department needed, board president Jim Buscaglio said. He could always bend the right ears and get the right grants to keep his department up with state-of-the-art gear.

'It's going to take a person who's going to try to fill his shoes, but I don't think they're going to be able to do it. I think it's going to be very tough,' he said. 'I certainly don't want that position.'

Only one person has applied so far. 300 volunteer members will then vote on a new chief before city council has final say.

Hutchinson says he wants to ride off into the sunset on a horse like John Wayne.
She is 40 years old with a successful acting career. But it seems Anna Friel still relies on her father to fight some battles for her.

Her former next door neighbour Henry Hoppe, 66, has revealed he was threatened by Desmond Friel over a dispute about his daughter's extension to her 1million townhouse in Windsor.

Mr Friel, a former French teacher who lives in Rochdale with his wife Julie, wrote to the frail pensioner accusing him of causing his daughter 'grief' and warning him: 'I will now be watching every step.'

Anna Friel's former next door neighbour Henry Hoppe, 66, has revealed he was threatened by Desmond Friel over a dispute about his daughter's extension to her 1m townhouse in Windsor. (Pictured, the actress with her father)

Mr Hoppe, a retired civil servant, took legal action against Miss Friel after 'two years of misery' arising from the extension to her Grade II-listed Georgian home.

But he was taken aback by the irate email from Mr Friel. The 65-year-old, known as 'Desi', wrote: 'Should you wish to bully someone, try me; I think you will find that I am somewhat harder to deal with than a young lady.

'I will now be watching every step. Every vexatious complaint, every possibly bogus attempt at claiming "compensation", every unwarranted delay; and each time you put a foot wrong, I will serve notice and take you to court.'

He added: 'You might for one moment consider the grief and disappointment she is feeling at present, dreading what you might come up with next.'

Mr Hoppe, a retired civil servant, took legal action against Miss Friel after 'two years of misery' arising from the extension to her Grade II-listed Georgian home (above)

Mr Hoppe has now moved, having sold the property, which he had lived in his whole life, earlier this year.

He said: 'I've had two years of misery. At times I have felt under threat and for somebody of my age with health problems, it's not a good thing. Mr Friel sent me a bullying letter. I suspect he was aware I was an old man on my own.'

Miss Friel, who found fame in Channel 4 soap Brookside, bought her house in 2013 and was given permission to build a single-storey extension.

In February 2014 her builders felled a tree which crushed Mr Hoppe's fence. He asked her to pay for repairs but claims to have received no response.

That August, after work began on Miss Friel's extension, Mr Hoppe complained about water seeping into his house through her chimney stack. He started legal action funded by his home insurance.

In November that year he received the email from Mr Friel, who was handling the dispute on his daughter's behalf. Eventually the chimney stack was repaired, which put an end to the water seeping into Mr Hoppe's home.

Miss Friel's completed extension was later found to have flouted planning rules by using inappropriate materials in a conservation area. She has been given four months to make alterations or the council will rip down the extension.

Miss Friel said last night: 'My father stood up for me as any father would for their child.

'While I had the builders working at my house my previous neighbour, Mr Hoppe, tried to persuade me to do renovations to his home, which I had no obligation to do.
Buildings were damaged and trees uprooted in the NSW town of Parkes

heavy winds of more than 100km/h across the state

Victoria and NSW will be hit with heavy storms on Saturday from cold front

Cox Plate organisers may have regretted the decision to have two Group 1 meetings within 24 hours with fierce storms striking Victoria and NSW.

Racegoers have had to endure one of the coldest Cox Plate days on record on Saturday with temperatures only reaching 12 degrees in Moonee Valley with a chance of thunder and hail.

Moonee Valley residents woke up to sunny skies on Saturday, but a cold front swept the state and racegoers braved the chilly southwesterly wind at a wintry Cox Plate.

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Racegoers had to brave the on and off weather in Melbourne on Saturday at Moonee Valley

The rain caused racegoers at the Cox Plate to duck for cover on Saturday at Moonee Valley

The weather was wet and cold for racegoers at the Cox Plate on Saturday evening

Wind and rain tried to wreak havoc on Saturday in Melbourne as viewers ran for cover

Moonee Valley residents will wake up to sunny skies on Saturday, but a cold front is expected to sweep the state

Storms starting to sweep Melbourne as the Cox Plate is expected to be lashed with heavy rain and possible hail

Horse warming up ahead of the Cox Plate on Saturday, which is expected to be lashed with rain and cold winds

A horse warming up in wintry weather for races on Saturday just outside of Melbourne

The coldest Cox Plate was in 1970 when the mercury tipped 12.9 degrees, meaning Saturday's predicted tops of 12-13 degrees could set an unwelcome new low

The flagship event is the 17th race in two days - and concerns swirled over the event with heavy rain expected to wash over the Race Club at around midday lasting until 7pm.

More than 15mm of rain is expected to fall on Saturday.

Weather experts predict the equal-coldest Cox Plate day on record on Saturday with temperatures only reaching 12 degrees in Moonee Valley with a chance of thunder and hail

Don't be fooled racegoers, the weather at the Cox Plate is expected to be cold and wet

A large cold front is moving north through Victoria blanketing most of the south east coast, with the south of NSW experiencing wet weather and Sydney experiencing morning rain and a top of 21 degrees

The coldest Cox Plate was in 1970 when the mercury tipped 12.9 degrees, meaning Saturday's predicted tops of 12-13 degrees could set an unwelcome new low.

It will be the equal coldest running of the Cox Plate in its history,' senior forecaster Scott Williams told AAP.

Signs were looking ominous on Friday afternoon with up to 18.8 millimetres of rain falling across Melbourne's suburbs, according to The Age.

The view of Manly beach on Saturday with cloud cover and showers hanging around till late afternoon

The view of Sydney Harbour on Saturday with early morning showers and cloud cover

More than 2500 homes were without power and parts of the Great Ocean Road was closed on Friday night due to wild winds. Winds exceeding 100km/h were recorded overnight battering into the state's southwest.

A large cold front is moving north through Victoria blanketing most of the south east coast, with the south of NSW experiencing wet weather and Sydney experiencing morning rain and a top of 21 degrees.

The city will be covered in cloud cover for most of the day with the showers easing in the afternoon.

Buildings were damaged and roads blocked off in the central NSW town of Parkes

Central NSW residents suffered a lashing on Friday with Parkes experiencing severe storms, hail and strong winds

SES, firefighters and local police will be working overtime to clean up the town of Parkes

Central NSW residents suffered a lashing on Friday with Parkes experiencing severe storms, hail and strong winds. Buildings were damaged and roads blocked off as trees were uprooted across the town, according to Sky News.

SES, firefighters and local police will be working overtime to clean up the town.

Up north, Brisbane is expecting late showers, but will experience a warm top of 29 degrees.
Lindsay Lohan (pictured with Egor Tarabasov) is facing bankruptcy after failing to pay rent on her 3.5million London flat

She was once one of the worlds highest-paid actresses, earning 5million a movie.

But a decade on, Lindsay Lohan is facing bankruptcy after failing to pay rent on her 3.5million London flat.

Lawyers for the landlord of the property, which is in the exclusive Knightsbridge area, have issued the 30-year-old American star with papers demanding payment of 77,600, and will petition at court for her bankruptcy on November 8 if she fails to pay up.

Solicitors Child & Child hand-delivered a letter to Miss Lohan seeking the unpaid rent for the six months to August.

In a further blow, Miss Lohans ex-fiance, Russian property tycoon Egor Tarabasov, 23, claims she took up to 24,000 worth of his belongings  including a Rolex Oyster watch, designer clothing and a small gold crucifix. A friend said he has now spoken to police, demanding her arrest for theft.

The Mean Girls actresss financial woes are the latest in a string of personal crises marking the reversal in her fortunes. She has had numerous stays in rehab for alcohol and drug problems, was convicted of drink-driving and shoplifting and has spent time in jail.

Most recently, she and Mr Tarabasov had several fierce rows, one of which saw police called to the flat, while footage emerged of them brawling on a Greek beach.

Last night the friend of Mr Tarabasov said: Lindsay is in an absolute mess. She has blown virtually all her money, and has basically resigned herself to being declared bankrupt... The whole situation is incredibly tragic, and for Lindsay this is an astonishing fall from grace.

Mr Tarabasov sent an inventory to his lawyers of the items he claims went missing from his flat, which featured some extraordinary pieces including a Luc Waring painting, a print of Tracey Emins The Kiss, a diamond-studded ring worth 1,300 and a 5,500 Panerai Luminor Marina watch.

It also included a pink floral Chanel bag, which he said he bought for her as a gift but she had never used.

Lawyers for the landlord of the property, which is in the exclusive Knightsbridge area, have issued the 30-year-old American star with papers demanding payment of 77,600, and will petition at court for her bankruptcy on November 8 if she fails to pay up

Mr Tarabasovs friend said the pair are at loggerheads over the items, adding: The thing he really wants back and which, ironically, is of very little monetary value, is a small gold Russian orthodox cross which was given to him by his dead godfather.

Miss Lohan and Mr Tarabasov were introduced at a party through mutual friends last October and moved into the flat in March this year.

The 12-month tenancy agreement, which had a six-month break clause, was in the actresss name, but it is understood Mr Tarabasov paid a three-month deposit upfront in full.

The couple, who got engaged in April, agreed to split the 3,000-a-week rent, but Mr Tarabasov claims Miss Lohan never paid her share.

Their relationship ended in July following the row at the flat when police were called.

It is believed Miss Lohan is still the legal tenant, and stayed at the property for a few days last month after returning to London to film for Jamie Olivers new cookery show.

Miss Lohan started her career when she was just three as a model for Vogue, before landing her big break at the age of 11 in the film The Parent Trap. She starred in movies including Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and Just My Luck, which grossed a combined fortune of around 410 million. She also enjoyed advertising deals and a record deal.

But as her career began to stall, her behaviour became more erratic. There were numerous of her wild spending habits, including claims she spent 300,000 in a year at the infamous Los Angeles hotel Chateau Marmont.

This is not the first time she has apparently been unable to pay her rent. In 2012 friends claimed she could not meet the 5,000 rent for her Beverly Hills mansion, and was asking to borrow money.
The youngest boy ever convicted of male rape in Britain had searched online for gay pornography, it emerged yesterday.

The 11-year-old  who raped a boy of nine and sexually assaulted two others aged seven and 11  was found to have made computer searches for gay porn and gay rape porn, a court heard.

He was yesterday locked up for four years by a judge who said he was concerned the youngster had been affected by what he had seen on gay porn websites.

The youngest boy ever convicted of male rape in Britain searched online for gay pornography

The case once again highlights fears about the ease with which impressionable young children can access explicit material on the internet and be tempted to copy what they have seen.

Now aged 13, the boy raped the younger boy 15 times and was only caught when the victims mother heard suspicious noises via a baby monitor in her sons bedroom, an earlier hearing was told.

He also sexually assaulted a seven-year-old boy and then twice sexually assaulted an 11-year-old disabled boy while on bail for the rapes.

The defendant, from Blackpool, who was himself previously the victim of sexual abuse, cannot be named for legal reasons.

The teenager pleaded guilty to a charge of raping the same boy 15 times and three charges of sexual touching.

The boy's defence lawyer said there were concerns about events in the boy's upbringing that may have led to his offending (file photo)

A pre-sentence report said the risk of him offending again was high, the court heard.

Virginia Hayton, defending, said there were concerns events in the the boys upbringing were behind his offending.
Sydney socialite Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Buttrose has announced her engagement for the seventh time to boyfriend Zoran Stopar.

The niece of national treasure Ita Buttrose took to Facebook to announce the engagement in October, less than a year after she reportedly ended her relationship with banker Scott Fay.

Buttrose, 46, told friends she met her new fiance through Shari-Lea Hitchcock, the long-time mistress of the late billionaire Richard Pratt.

Buttrose (left) excitedly announced their engagement on Facebook with this photo of the pair

'Zoran is good friends with Dallen, who is my best friend Shari-lea's boyfriend. Dallen introduced us,' Buttrose wrote.

Stopar, a mountain biker and base jumper, appears to be a good influence on the renowned party girl.

He congratulated Buttrose on successfully completing Dry July and staying away from alcohol for 31 days earlier in the year.

Sydney socialite Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Buttrose (left) has announced her engagement for the seventh time to boyfriend Zoran Stopar (right)

'Got engaged to Lizzie Buttrose' Stopar posted to his Facebook profile on October 14

Stopar is reportedly the seventh man Buttrose has been engaged to.

She was once married to Dean Lyman, from whom she tried to have her marriage annulled.

She was later married to printer John Spira, whose business failed in 2001, around the same time the pair's marriage failed, according to the Daily Telegraph.

She was also engaged to multi-millionaire Ashod Nassibian in 2005.

Nassibian was the previous owner of the Beresford Hotel in Sydney's Surry Hills, which he sold for $14.6 million in 2010.

Stopar (right) is reportedly the seventh man Buttrose (left) has been engaged to

The sydney socialite was also in a relationship with banker Scott Fay as recently as March this year.

Police were called to Buttrose's home in the sought after suburb of Vaucluse at 10.50pm in March when she summoned them during an argument with then boyfriend Fay.

Police confirmed they received a duress call from Buttrose, who has a panic button installed in her bedroom.

It was the third time police were called to her home in 18 months.

The engagement was a brief shining moment for the Sydney socialite, in an otherwise turbulent couple of weeks.

Sydney socialite Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Buttrose fronted Waverley Court on Thursday

Buttrose fronted court on Thursday accused of making threats towards her adult son Andrew Spira, 18, who has an apprehended violence order against her.

Buttrose, 47, arrived at Waverley Court, dressed in black pants and a grey jacket, to enter her plea of not guilty to the charge.

She was supported by her new fiance, Zoran Stopar, who arrived moments later.

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The niece of media personality Ita Buttrose was supported by her new fiance Zoran Stopar

Buttrose, 47, is pictured here with her son celebrating his birthday in 2015

On his way into court, Stopar lashed out at a photographer, grabbing the microphone on his camera, before walking inside.

Court documents stated Buttrose 'did threaten injury' to Mr Spira 'on account of a thing done by Andrew Spira as a witness in judicial proceedings'.

Buttrose has pleaded not guilty to threatening Mr Spira. The matter will return to court for a hearing in March 2017.

Earlier this year Spira took an AVO out against Buttrose, which remains in place.

Both the AVO and injury charge were mentioned on Thursday, and adjourned to March next year.

Buttrose, 47, is accused of making threats towards her adult son Andrew Spira, 18, (pictured)

Court documents stated Buttrose 'did threaten injury' to Mr Spira 'on account of a thing done by Andrew Spira as a witness in judicial proceedings'
Forces were trying to find Iraqis who killed six British Red Caps during war

SAS soldiers who tried to find the killers of six British Red Caps in Iraq in 2003 face prosecution after a four-year probe, it can be revealed.

Ministry of Defence police will hand a file to the military's prosecution service next month recommending soldiers should be charged with assaulting Iraqi policemen.

As many as 40 elite troops, including a former SAS commander, could face charges of actual bodily harm or grievous bodily harm. If found guilty, they could be jailed.

Killed: Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, Corporal Russell Aston, Corporal Paul Long, Corporal Simon Miller, Lance-Corporal Benjamin John McGowan Hyde and Lance-Corporal Tom Keys

It will be the first time an investigation involving the SAS in Iraq has been deemed serious enough to be passed to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA).

Meanwhile, not a single Iraqi has been held responsible for the Red Caps massacre. The Iraqi policemen, who soldiers believe knew the killers' names, have already been awarded 800,000 compensation.

Six Royal Military Policemen were executed by ringleaders of a baying mob in Majar al-Kabir, near Basra, southern Iraq, in June 2003, weeks after Saddam Hussein was toppled. Some of their bodies were riddled with bullets while others had marks suggesting they had been dragged, tied up, or beaten with rifles.

The six murdered Red Caps were: Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41; Cpl Russell Aston, 30; Cpl Paul Long, 24; Cpl Simon Miller, 21; L/Cpl Benjamin McGowan Hyde, 23; and L/Cpl Tom Keys, 20.

Six days after they were slaughtered, SAS soldiers were sent to hunt their killers in a top secret mission codenamed Operation Jocal.

The troops, armed with automatic rifles and pistols, visited the police station where the killings took place.

They removed any clothing identifying them as Special Forces, and put on desert camouflage uniforms and berets associated with the Red Caps.

An Iraqi police officer in civilian dress walks past the police station of the Shiite Muslim town of Al-Maja in 2003. Police personnel were allegedly beaten by British troops

A British army patrol drives through the streets near Basra in 2003. Six British military police were shot dead the day before

This tactic was intended to convince the Iraqi policemen that they were friends of the murdered Red Caps.

It was during this operation that Iraqi policemen claimed they were beaten with rifles, punched and had their heads banged against walls.

They said they were hooded and forced into stress positions. Four of the Iraqis, named as Ali Hamid Lazim, Haidar Mohammad, Mohammed Zboon and Mustafa Jbara, claimed they needed hospital treatment after their ordeal.

Nine years later, in 2012, it emerged that the Ministry of Defence police had launched an investigation.

Some 40 troops and a former SAS commanding officer were placed under investigation over the allegations.

Special forces troops who hunted those responsible for the 2003 ambush now face charges. Here one of the ambushed men is brought home with military honours

The following year, nine of the Iraqi police officers who said they were tortured were awarded around 800,000 in compensation by the MoD after law firm Leigh Day took on the case. The secret payout was arranged by the MoD and the solicitors. Last night it emerged MoD police are preparing a file to hand over to the SPA next month, recommending the soldiers for prosecution.

It is the first time the SPA has been handed a case involving Special Forces in Iraq.

A defence source said: 'MoD police are preparing to pass files of evidence to the Service Prosecuting Authority in November.'

Corporal Simon Miller from Tyne and Wear who was one of six soldiers who were killed in an ambush in 2003. Soldiers seeking to avenge the massacre face prosecution

Only the most serious cases with a realistic prospect of prosecution are handed to the SPA, the military version of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Corporal Simon Miller was shot 34 times in the slaughter. His grieving parents have spent the last 13 years fighting for justice.

Last night they said they were 'disgusted' at the treatment of the SAS soldiers.

His father John Miller, 64, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, said: 'We are inconsolable. These SAS soldiers are heroes who tried to find my son's killers. Where is our justice? Where is the justice for my son? This is beyond comprehension. These SAS guys were trying to do their job.
Donald Trump's attorneys asked a U.S. judge to bar accusations about his personal conduct that have arisen during the presidential election campaign, which would include allegations of sexual misconduct, from the upcoming civil trial over Trump University.

Students at Trump University claim they were defrauded by its real estate seminars.

Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has faced allegations from women that he inappropriately touched them. Trump denied those accusations.

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Unfair? Trump's lawyer claims Trump's statements during the election including his attack on the Mexican judge (U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, right) overseeing the Trump University case could prejudice the jury

In a court filing late on Thursday, attorneys for Trump said evidence and statements from the election campaign should be barred from trial because they could unfairly prejudice the jury.

The trial is set to begin on November 28.

Evidence including Trump's campaign speeches, tweets, his tax issues and controversy over his personal charity should not be considered by jurors, the filing said.

All audio and video recordings publicized during the campaign should also be barred, the filing said, along with evidence about Trump's beauty pageants, casinos and corporate bankruptcies.

Trump pictured in 2005 at a news conference announcing the establishment of Trump University. Students at Trump University claim they were defrauded by its real estate seminars

'Before trial begins in this case, prospective members of the jury will have the opportunity to cast their vote for president,' Trump's lawyers wrote.

'It is in the ballot box where they are free to judge Mr. Trump based on all this and more.'

A spokeswoman for the plaintiffs declined to comment.

Trump's lawyers had argued that the lawsuit, filed in 2013 in a San Diego federal court, should be dismissed because the New York real estate mogul, while personally involved in developing the concept and curriculum, relied on others to manage Trump University by the time the plaintiffs purchased seminars.

Trump set off an uproar earlier this year when he accused the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, of being biased against him because of Trump's pledge to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.

Curiel was born in Indiana and is of Mexican descent.

Trump is trailing in the polls to Democrat Hillary Clinton with less than three weeks until Election Day.

Trump's lawyers also asked Curiel to exclude evidence about students' finances from the trial, saying the affordability of Trump University was not relevant to the trial.

Lawyers for the students asked in separate court filings to bar other evidence, including testimonials attesting to the value of the seminars, partly because they are irrelevant to whether Trump University misrepresented the qualifications of its instructors.

Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the School of Law at the University of California, Irvine, said the judge is unlikely to make a blanket ruling on the vast amount of material and will instead consider each statement that the plaintiff wants to use at trial.
Cutting through the English Channel, the looming bulk of the Russian navys flagship passes the White Cliffs of Dover.

Belching black smoke, the ageing aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov sailed menacingly close to Britain yesterday in a provocative manoeuvre.

The Soviet-era vessel, leading a flotilla of eight naval vessels, is on its way to the eastern Mediterranean to bolster the Syrian bombing campaign.

Cutting through the English Channel, the looming bulk of the Russian navys flagship passes the White Cliffs of Dover

Equipped with missiles, anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes, the 55,000-ton carrier was escorted by the Royal Navys Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond as it skirted UK territorial waters.

Vladimir Putin ordered the fleet to travel to the Mediterranean within sight of the English coast as a show of force.

Bemused passengers on board cross-Channel ferries looked on as the grey warships picked their way through the civilian traffic.

After days of mocking the Royal Navy and their allies as weak, Vladimirs Putins forces upped the ante by entering the 22-mile wide stretch of water separating the UK from mainland Europe.

Belching black smoke from its powerful diesel engines, the forces carrier flagship the Admiral Kuznetzov passed Ramsgate at around 9am.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon admitted yesterday's exercise was aimed at testing the capabilities of the Royal Navy and its Nato allies.

In response, the state-of-the art destroyer was dispatched to join Royal Navy ships monitoring Russian warships.

HMS Dragon was earlier seen leaving Portsmouth Harbour to keep an eye on the Russian vessels sailing down the English Channel.

The Type 45 HMS Dragon and a number of other Royal Navy ships are taking part in the man-marking exercise.

HMS Dragon is the fourth of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 air defence destroyers and was launched in November 2008.

A state-of-the art destroyer has been dispatched to join Royal Navy ships monitoring Russian warships who are on their way to the Mediterranean. Pictured, HMS Dragon leaving its Portsmouth base

The Type 45 HMS Dragon and a number of other Royal Navy ships are taking part in the man-marking exercise. Pictured, HMS Dragon (right) accompanying the Russian destroyer

HMS Dragon was earlier seen leaving Portsmouth Harbour to keep an eye on the Russian vessels sailing down the English Channel

HMS Dragon is the fourth of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 air defence destroyers and was launched in November 2008

The ship has a range of 7,000 nautical miles and its commanding officer is Captain Craig Wood.

Type 45 destroyers are equipped with a 4.5in MK8 main gun, a Sampson multi-function radar and a phalanx (a radar-controlled Gatling gun which fires 20mm shells, spewing out 3,000 rounds a minute).

The vessels are also fitted with the Sea Viper anti-air missile.

The Navy's Type 45s, also known as the D or Daring class, are an advanced class of six guided missile destroyers built at a cost of around 1billion each.

A number of guards, equipped with AK-74 assault rifles and heavy machine guns were spotted on the flight deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov as it passed by the White Cliffs of Dover yesterday.

The powerful fleet was ordered to pass through the Channel, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, in single file.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'They are all in one line now. They have to be to effectively go through the traffic separation scheme, and they are progressing as expected.

'They haven't slowed or sped up. When they are clear of the Dover traffic separation scheme, they will probably break back out in a formation scheme and be on their way.

'We still don't know where that is and how they are going to get there, but everything so far has been exactly how we would have expected.'

The Admiral Kuznetsov, pictured, passed by the White Cliffs of Dover, left, shortly after 11am on its way to the Mediterranean

Guards even manned a pair of heavy calibre machine guns as the Peter the Great navigated the narrow channel

The HMS Richmond has reported the Russian fleet is heading south towards the Dover strait while several NATO vessels are being deployed to keep the flotilla under surveillance. Meanwhile Vladimir Putin has recalled two corvettes from the Mediterranean to divide the Royal Navy's response to his aircraft carrier provocatively sailing down the British coastline

The Admiral Kuznetsov was not allowed to conduct flight operations as it transited through the English Channel yesterday

Marine researcher Nigel Scutt was on board a 28ft charter boat which went out of Dover Marina to get a closer look.

He told MailOnline: It was a day Ill never forget. We criss-crossed the lane as they came down and we managed to get really close to them.

Its almost impossible to see a fleet of battleships as formidable as that these days, it was astonishing.

I have seen a Russian submarine pass through the Strait before and on that occasion we waved to the crew and they waved back.

But today it was much more business-like from the Russians. We all knew where they were headed and it felt a bit more sinister.

I think its fair to call it a show of strength from them. It was an impressive fleet and theyve obviously decided to go through the English Channel by daylight.

An armed guard stood by a pair of SU-33 fighters, equipped with air-to-air missiles on the carrier's flight deck

The dramatic scene was filmed by Conservative MP Damian Collins as the flotilla passed by his Folkestone constituency.

Putin's flagship was accompanied by the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great and six other surface vessels including the world's biggest ocean going tug, the Nicolay Chiker.

The Kuznetsov never travels far from its home port in Severomorsk, outside Murmansk without the tug in case the vessel's unreliable diesel engines pack up.

The fleet steamed overnight Thursday through to Friday from near the Scottish coast, shadowed by the Royal Navy and several Nato allies, passing within a few miles of Dover on the 211th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Vladimir Putin has ordered the Kuznetsov, which is a relic of the Cold War, to deploy to the eastern Mediterranean to bomb opponents of his ally Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Russian defence officials have sent the world's largest ocean going tug, the Nikolay Chiker, to sail with the fleet in case the diesel-powered aircraft carrier breaks down.

HMS Duncan - the world's most advanced air-defence destroyer  joined the HMS Richmond yesterday to intercept the eight-strong Russian fleet.

As well as the Royal Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Finnish Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy have vessels involved in the operation.

The guided missile cruiser Severomorsk was also part of the Russian Navy's parade through the English Channel

Two seamen onboard the Peter The Great stand beside the ship's 130mm gun turret towards the stern of the vessel

The Kamov KA-27, pictured, sat on the flight deck today as the Russian aircraft were grounded during the Channel transit

A Russian seaman stood watch on the bow of the Peter the Great as the nuclear-powered vessel passed Dover today

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon admitted yesterday's show of force by the Russians was intended to test Nato's capabilities

HMS Duncan Russian, pictured yesterday, was tasked with following the Russian fleet through the English Channel

Despite this response, one Moscow defence expert claimed Vladimir Putin is ready to 'seize control' of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic as he boasted about Russia's sea power while branding the Royal Navy 'tiny'.

Pyotr Klintsevich, first deputy of Russian senate's Defence and Security Committee, confirmed the eight-strong flotilla was armed and ready for combat.

'We understand that such ships are armed, and that they did not just go for a walk with a walking stick,' he said.

'The fact that today the military ships, including a first-class vessel, go forward - it's part of combat training tasks.'

He added: 'The Admiral Kuznetsov and Pyotr Velikiy are able to solve any task anywhere on the planet's waters.'

The Russian fleet was ordered to travel through the English Channel in single file so the ferries could safely pass

Royal Navy's HMS Duncan (centre) is seen here observing a Russian Kirov Class Battle cruiser (left) and Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

As well as the Royal Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Finnish Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy have vessels in the area

The Ministry of Defence reported the Russian fleet passed through the English Channel without incident

Members of the ship's company were spotted on the flight deck as a ITN News helicopter flew off its beam

The Russian fleet, including the guided missile battle cruiser Peter the Great, which passed by Dover earlier today

The Norwegian Air Force shadowed the Admiral Kuznetsov heading south earlier this week on their way to Syria

Broadcasters have also brazenly claimed that the presence of the Russian fleet has 'scared' the Royal Navy.

A report on TV Zvezda, run by the Vladimir Putin's Defence Ministry, boasted: 'NATO got scared by Russian ships moving towards Syria.'

Vladimir Mukhin, who writes for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, headlined his column: 'Admiral Kuznetsov scared the English'.

Putin's admirals are keen to ramp up the pressure on Britain's warships by calling in extra assets from the Mediterranean in a mission dubbed 'Operation Sea Fist' by the Russian media.

Tensions between the UK and Russia are at breaking point after Theresa May blasted Russian president Vladimir Putin for undermining the Wests efforts to bring peace to Syria.

She has condemned the Kremlins sickening role in the bombardment of rebel-held Aleppo, which has left 2,700 people dead or injured, in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Mrs May has urged EU leaders to impose sanctions on Putins regime, including asset freezes and travel bans, amid fears some countries are dragging their feet. Yesterday she warned that EU leaders had agreed to keep all options open to curb Moscows behaviour.

Obsolete: The ship, launched in 1985, still bears its communist-era name 'Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov'

Tensions between the UK and Russia are at breaking point after Theresa May blasted Russian president Vladimir Putin for undermining the Wests efforts to bring peace to Syria

She said it was vital for the West to keep up pressure to completely halt the assault on Aleppo following Russias announcement of a pause in hostilities to allow people to flee.

Speaking at the European Council summit in Brussels, she said EU leaders had discussed Russian involvement in Syria, adding: We were very clear about the role of Russia, and very clear about the need for the EU to give the strong statement that it has, and to consider  if the atrocities continue  all options.

Last night Downing Street dismissed claims the UK was too weak to see off a Russian threat.

AGEING SOVIET WARSHIP PLAGUED BY BREAKDOWNS Fiercely armed and weighing 55,000 tons, the 31-year-old Kuznetsov may appear formidable, but experts say it is in very poor material condition.

Despite having a range of 8,500 miles, Russias only aircraft carrier has been plagued by years of technical problems and frequently has to return to port for urgent repairs to it steam turbines.

The vessel  which is 1,000ft long and has a top speed of 29 knots  is powered by boilers that are so unreliable it is accompanied by a large ocean-going tug whenever it deploys in case it breaks down.

Embarrassingly for the Kremlin, the ship was in such poor condition during its Mediterranean deployment in 2011 that the US navy kept a close watch on it in case it sank. One sailor was killed when a fire started on board in 2009.

The Kuznetsovs plumbing is so bad that many of its toilets cannot be used.

Flaws in the piping system mean it freezes during winter. To prevent pipes bursting, the water is turned off to most of the cabins  to the annoyance of its 1,690-man crew.

The ship, which will be retired by 2020, spilled hundreds of tons of oil in the Irish Sea during a refuelling accident seven years ago. Advertisement

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the convoy was aimed at testing British capabilities and had been marked every step of the way by the Royal Navy. Nato officials have said the Russian deployment is the largest of its kind since the Cold War and is designed to demonstrate Moscows military might.

But despite its formidable appearance, experts say the Admiral Kuznetsov is in very poor material condition. Russias only aircraft carrier has been blighted by years of technical problems and is always accompanied by a tug because it is so prone to breakdowns.

Commissioned in 1981, it still carries Cold War era markings proclaiming: Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov

A Royal Navy source said: You only have to look at the smoke shes belching out to see not all is well. We have had people on board Russian ships in the last ten years or so and ... the conditions inside are pretty manky.

Equipped with missiles, anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes, the 55,000-ton carrier was escorted by the Royal Navys Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would monitor the eight-ship force in 'a responsible and measured' way as it headed to the Mediterranean, the latest cat-and-mouse encounter in two years of Cold-War style tensions.

'We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering," Stoltenberg said at North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters in Brussels.

'This group may be used to... increase attacks on Aleppo.'

IS THE FLAGSHIP OF PUTIN'S FLEET A FLOATING CROCK? AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADING FOR DOVER NEED MAJOR REPAIRS AND CAN'T HIT TOP SPEED Britain is on high alert as Russia's aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov passes Dover in a blatant show of strength by Valdimir Putin. But back in Moscow, the vessel, launched 31 years ago in the Soviet era, is seen as 'the most problematic ship in the Navy'. After this voyage it is set for major repairs because it cannot hit top speed - leading to serious limitation for the aircraft. A recent report on the state of the ship highlighted 'violations of discipline' among a crew that rarely go to sea, but emphasised: 'The main problem of the Kuznetsov remains in its power plant. 'It is kept running only with the help of 'cannibalism' - when the necessary parts are taken from 956 class ships which use similar equipment,' said the report on Lenta.ru. Far from being an icon of Putin's power, Russian observers see the ageing the vessel as a symbol of the lack of naval planning since the end of Soviet times. 'Numerous repairs in 1994-95, 1996-98, 2001-04 and 2008 could not improve the situation, mainly due to lack of financial investment,' one report stated. The aircraft carriers chequered history is highlighted by the fact it has changed names four times. Admiral Kuznetsov, which is leading Russia's fleet, is in desperate need of repairs, pictured previously in the repair dock The vessel, launched 31 years ago in the Soviet era, is seen as 'the most problematic ship in the Navy' Advertisement

The powerful Russian task force has caused tremendous concern at the Untied Nations, who confirmed planned medical evacuations from Aleppo have not yet happened as civilians do not trust the ceasefire.

Assad's regime has been known to attack emergency workers trying to drag injured victims from collapsed buildings.

UN spokesman Jens Laerke described the situation as 'astronomically difficult'.

The UN said some rebel fighters were blocking the evacuation of casualties because the regime and Russia were stopping the delivery of medical and humanitarian aid.

The Nato Maritime Group One has also been tasked with tracking the Russian fleet as it passes the English Channel

The Kamov KA-27 helicopters can be used for troop transport as well as anti-submarine warfare operations

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov accused al-Qaeda-linked militants in Aleppo of jeopardising the ceasefire despite 'the gestures of goodwill from Moscow and Damascus.'

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an emergency meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that nearly 500 people have been killed and almost 2,000 injured since the Syrian government launched its offensive in eastern Aleppo on September 23.

It is feared that once the Russian taskforce arrives in the eastern Mediterranean, Putin will order a full-scale bombing campaign on the besieged city.

Russian media crowed abut the strength of their fleet. Military expert Alexander Khrolenko said: 'While the North Atlantic bloc is stalling in the sands of the Middle East, the Russian Navy seizes control over the Atlantic, not to mention the Mediterranean and Black Seas.'

He added: 'They [NATO] have no equal in the Mediterranean.'

Russian pilots conducted flight operations from the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier, pictured belching smoke, with the nuclear-powered Peter the Great guided missile cruiser shadowing in the background on their way to Dover

Peter Roberts, senior research fellow for sea power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute said the Russians were planning to use international waters when passing the English Channel so cannot be challenged.

He said: 'It's a clear and military signal that Russia is back on the international stage. They are off to conduct a mission. They are off to conduct it off Syria. They are very focused on their mission.'

There have been warnings issued to civilian aircrew, such as helicopter pilots supplying North Sea oil rigs of 'intense naval military flying' off Scotland's east coast.

A Norwegian navy frigate had also been following the Russian flotilla, which is being kept under close watch by a P-3 Orion.

Two further British warships are also currently steaming up the east coast to intercept the Russian fleet after the Kremlin boasted they are 'seizing control' of the Mediterranean.

Type-45 destroyer HMS Duncan  the world's most advanced air-defence destroyer  sailed from Portsmouth last night to join frigate HMS Richmond, which has intercepted the Kuznetsov task group of eight ships.

The HMS Richmond has taken up station a few hundreds yards from the task force. It will remain as an escort while the Russians remain in an area of UK national interest.

It is understood that the Belgian naval frigate Leopold I has also started trailing the flotilla as part of Nato Maritime Group One.

Type-45 destroyer HMS Duncan  the world's most advanced air-defence destroyer  sailed from Portsmouth last night to join frigate HMS Richmond, which has intercepted the Kuznetsov task group of eight ships

Some of the vessels which were part of the Russian flotilla looked less than intimidating as they sailed through the Channel

According to the Ministry of Defence: 'Shadowing ships is regular business for the UK Royal Navy, supported on this occasion by Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft.

'They will continue to escort the Russian Task Group and provide a visible presence south through the North Sea and English Channel as the ships conduct their passage and carries out flying operations.'

It marks a further breakdown of relations between the two countries after after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson became embroiled in a row with the Russian embassy last week.

According to a Nato spokesman the fleet's destination does not 'inspire confidence' that the nation is seeking a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

The official said: 'Russia has the right to operate in international waters. There are plans in place for Nato navies to monitor the Russian ships as they head for the Mediterranean.

'At the same time, the deployment of the carrier group to the eastern Mediterranean does not inspire confidence that Russia is working towards a political solution to the conflict in Syria.'

Mr Johnson called on people to demonstrate outside Russia's London embassy last week in protest against Russia's bombing campaign in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

But Moscow responded by branding his call for protests 'shameful' and accused him of 'Russophobic hysteria'.

Britain's mobilisation of the aircraft carrier fleet off the coast of Scotland is the latest in an increasing presence of international naval assets in the area.

After completing training it is understood the aircraft carrier fleet will head to an anchorage on the Moray Firth where it will be refuelled before continuing to the Mediterranean.

Naval assets from Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands are all believed to be on standby.

The Russians have also sent the Stary Oskol Kilo class hunter killer submarine, pictured, to protect the aircraft carrier fleet



The Kuznetsov has undergone an extensive refit since its last deployment to the Mediterranean in 2014 when it had to be followed by several tugs in case its steam turbine engines packed up.

Earlier this week the Norwegian navy followed the heavily-armed fleet as it sailed south from Severomorsk, near Murmansk in the Barents Sea.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Russian fleet is being kept under close observation by the Royal Navy and the RAF.

A source told MailOnline: 'The Admiral Kuznetsov is currently conducting flight operations. The pilots need to be certified for carrier take-offs and landings at day and night before it takes up station in the Mediterranean.'

A Royal Navy spokesman said the size of the Russian naval force was 'unusual' but that the Russian ships were 'behaving very well', including booking areas for flying and calling up coastguard stations.

'The special part of this is definitely the aircraft carrier.

'If you just wanted to keep it safe, you put a destroyer and a frigate with it. If you wanted to show a bit of muscle, you do what they're doing now.'

But he added: 'I wouldn't say this is the full might of their fleet'.

'They are free to do this in international waters, but once they are in the English Channel, the aircraft will be grounded.'

The MOD confirmed the Royal Navy would shadow the carrier and its fleet while it remains in the UK's area of interest.

Also, RAF Typhoons and Tornadoes are on red alert at airbases in Lossiemouth in North East Scotland and Coningsby in Lincolnshire in case any Russian jets stray into UK airspace

The fleet could possibly route around Ireland's west coast to avoid the English Channel, although there is far greater shelter avoiding the Atlantic Ocean.

However, after going through the Bay of Biscay and down the Portuguese coast, the fleet will pass through the nine mile wide Gibraltar straits before reaching its area of operation.

It is understood the fleet will resupply before continuing to the Mediterranean.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is the Russian flagship and the country's only aircraft carrier.

The French already have the Charles De Gaulle operating in the eastern Mediterranean.

Major Elisabeth Eikeland, spokeswoman for the Norwegian Army's National Joint Headquarters said: 'We have been informed that they are en route to the Mediterranean. It's not every day that so many ships sail together off Norway.'

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the aircraft carrier taskforce departed on Saturday to the Mediterranean.

A spokesman said: 'The group consists of the aircraft-carrying heavy cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, the Pyotr Velikiy battlecruiser, large anti-submarine ships Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov and support vessels.'

The Russian MOD claimed: 'Special focus will be made on safeguarding security of maritime traffic and other types of maritime economic activity of Russia and also on responding to the new kinds of modern threats such as piracy and international terrorism.'

The Admiral Kuznetsov had previously operated in the Mediterranean early in 2014.

The Kuznetsov is main attacking threat is the Sukhoi SU-33 Flanker D aircraft. The supersonic jets can carry up to 6.5 tonnes of bombs and missiles on 12 external hardpoints.

However, the lack of a catapult system on the Kuznetsov means the aircraft cannot take off with a full weapons or fuel load and safely make it into the air.

The SU-33 is a specially adapted version of the SU-27 - which is the Russian version of the F-15.

It has been fitted with a specially adapted undercarriage, and aerodynamic package to help it cope with operating off of a flight deck.

Also the aircraft's wings are able to fold, meaning they can store more jets on the aircraft carrier.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump may have been the guests of honor at the Al E. Smith foundation dinner, but it was a Fox News anchor who stole the show.

Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo was seated just behind the podium at the televised event on Thursday night, and viewers were more than a little distracted by her red low-cut dress.

While some complimented Bartiromo on her elegant elbow-length gloves, others - including male media personalities - were more than happy to discuss her cleavage.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump may have been the guests of honor at the Al E. Smith foundation dinner, but it was a Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo' red dress that stole the show

Bartiromo was seated just behind the podium at the televised event on Thursday night, and viewers were more than a little distracted by her low-cut ensemble

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limabaugh wasted no time in commenting on Bartiromo's 'rackage', as he called it.

'Everybody looked like they were wearing a corset last night,' he said at first as he discussed the dinner on The Rush Limbaugh Show on Friday.

'Other than Maria Bartiromo,' he added. 'The rackage on display there obviously was not constrained by a corset.'

Philadelphia talk radio personality Chris Stigall posted a screen grab of Clinton speaking at the podium, with Bartiromo's face cut off so just her chest is on display.

Watching the Al Smith dinner tonight. @MariaBartiromo wins,' he tweeted in the caption.

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld was so transfixed with his co-worker that he tweeted about her three times, under the guise that he was so taken by her white gloves.

While some complimented Bartiromo on her elegant elbow-length gloves, others were more than happy to discuss her cleavage

'Best part of #alsmithdinner is @MariaBartiromo 's white gloves,' he first wrote.

'The only thing that can save the #alsmithdinner is @MariaBartiromo 's gloves,' he tweeted again shortly after.

'On November 8, I am not voting for @HillaryClinton or @realDonaldTrump but writing in @MariaBartiromo 's white gloves.'

Gutfeld's fans claimed they were not fooled, with one tweeting back: 'You're not looking at her gloves.'

'I thought I was watching the "Golden Globes" if you know what I mean. #AlSmithDinner,' commented Will Gant.

Radio talk show personalities Rush Limbaugh and Chris Stigall explicitly references Bartiromo's chest, while Fox News host Greg Gutfeld could not stop discussing her 'gloves'

And it wasn't just political personalities who were taken by Bartiromo's appearance.

'Am I supposed to focus on @HillaryClinton or @MariaBartiromo's breasts?' wrote stand-up comedian Judy Gold.

'Maria Bartiromo's boobs are distracting me,' tweeted viewer Erin Kathleen, who then added the hashtag #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.

Viewer Louis Irvin called Bartiromo the 'real winner' at the dinner.

'She was absolutely stunning,' he added. 'Perfect positioning seat wise!'

As for Bartiromo herself, the two-time Emmy Award-winner took the comments all in stride and asked her fans to instead focus on the charity

As for Bartiromo herself, the two-time Emmy Award-winner took the comments all in stride.

The anchor appeared on Fox Business on Friday morning, and said she had a message for all her fans.

'This is to all my Twitter followers out there, who have a lot to say this morning,' she began.

'I'm going to quote Julia Roberts, "They're called boobs, Ed."'

'It's not a big deal,' she then added after quoting Erin Brokovich, before letting the anchors move on to the news of the day.

Bartriomo also took to her Twitter, to remind her fans that charity was the 'real story', noting that the dinner had raised $6million for New York children in need.

The anchor appeared on Fox Business on Friday morning, and said she had a message for all her fans. Quoting the Julia Roberts film Erin Brokovich, she said: 'They're just boobs, Ed'

Trump also made headlines for his appearance at the dinner last night - but it wasn't praise being heaped on him.

The Republican presidential candidate was booed by the crowd at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel when he accused Clinton of 'hating Catholics' and 'corruption'.

Historically, the dinner is embraced by presidential candidates as a chance to showcase self-deprecating humor and light-hearted jabs at their rivals.

President Obama and Mitt Romney heaped praise on one another in 2012, commending one another for their roles as fathers and husbands.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos believes that his experience in building the online retail giant will help him orchestrate the future of space tourism.

Comparing the development of the internet to the commercialisation of space, Jeff Bezos said that his space firm, Blue Origin, is prepared to do the 'heavy lifting'.

The billionaire CEO said that he would bankroll the venture with his 'Amazon winnings'.

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Amazon and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos (pictured) believes that his experience in building the online retail giant will help him orchestrate the future of space tourism

JEFF BEZOS STILL WANTS TO SEND TRUMP TO SPACE This week, Jeff Bezos jokingly reaffirmed his desire to send Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump into space. Following a Twitter spat with the fledgling politician last year, Bezos joked that he would reserve him a seat on the Blue Origin rocket, with the hashtag #SendDonaldToSpace. Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco, Bezos quipped 'I have a rocket company so the capability is there' The Blue Origin boss said that he believes Trump's behavior 'erodes democracy'. Advertisement

'What I want to achieve with Blue Origin is to build the heavy lifting infrastructure that allows for the kind of dynamic, entrepreneurial explosion of thousands of companies in space that I have witnessed over the last 21 years on the internet, said Bezos at an event this week, reports Alan Boyle on GeekWire.

Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco Bezos explained that when he started Amazon, the infrastructure he need - such as payment systems and a postal network were already in place.

What he wants to do is provide a similar network for space entrepreneurs to build on.

One of his key aims is to make launching into space more affordable and accessible for the masses.

'Vehicles have to be reusable, you can't throw them away,' he said.

'Throw away space vehicles every time, you're never going to lower the cost.

'We're trying to lower the price of admission into space so that thousands of entrepreneurs can then do amazing, surprising things'.

Last week, Bezos's Blue Origin confirmed that it is still on schedule to send paying customers into orbit as soon as 2018.

The New Shepard booster that flew to space and then landed vertically in November 2015 is pictured. 'One of the fundamental tenets of Blue Origin is that the safest vehicle is one that is robust and well understood,' said Bezos

BEZOS' NEW ROCKETS Last month, Jeff Bezos unveiled a new rocket that will launch payloads and people into orbit. Called 'New Glenn', this launcher comes in two stages that make it larger than SpaceX's future Heavy rocket. 'New Glenn 3-stage' is 23 feet in diameter and stands 313 feet tall. And 'New Glenn 2-stage' is also 23 feet in diameter, but measures 270 feet tall. Each stage lifts off with 3.85 million pounds of thrust from seven BE-4 engines. A single vacuum-optimized BE-3 engine, burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, will power New Glenn's third stage. However, the booster and the second stage are identical in both variants. Blue Origin plans to fly New Glen by the end of the decade from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Advertisement

The company completed a crucial in-flight escape pod test on its New Shepard rocket the previous week.

'We're still on track for flying people  our test astronauts  by the end of 2017, and then starting commercial flights in 2018,' said Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson, speaking at this week's International Symposium on Commercial and Personal Spaceflight (ISPCS) in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The recent escape test saw the rocket launched and the crew capsule ejected from the booster and falling to the ground slowly with parachutes.

The booster then successfully landed too, meaning the test was even more successful than the crew had hoped.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently unveiled his most ambitious project yet - an 'interplanetary transport system' to take man to Mars in 80 days and build a sustainable human colony of a million people there.

'What I want to achieve is make Mars seem possible, to show that we can do it in our lifetimes, and you could go,' he said at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico.

However, he warned the trip was likely to be dangerous - and said candidates for the first missions 'must be prepared to die'.

He has previously said that he hoped to get astronauts to Mars by 2020.
A small robot was hoping to make history earlier this week by becoming the first European probe to successfully land on the surface of Mars.

But something went wrong during Schiaparelli's final few minutes of descent, making it likely to have crash-landed on the Martian surface - although this is yet to be confirmed.

The lander was part of a much bigger mission, however, and Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University, explains what this means for our search for life on Mars, in an article for The Conversation.

A full-size model of the European ExoMars entry, descent and landing module, Schiaparell during a press conference at the European Space Agency (ESA) Headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany yesterday

WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO SCHIAPARELLI At 15:42 BST on Wednesday, Schiaparelli entered the Martian atmosphere at a speed of 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). A minute later, at 15:43 BST, a heat shield protected the lander during its atmospheric deceleration. At 15:44 BST, the probe deployed its parachute at altitude of about 6.8 miles (11km) having been slowed by the friction on its heat shield down to 1,055 mph (1,700km/h). At 15:46 BST the lander released its parachute about 30 seconds earlier than expected. As it neared the ground, around 15:47 BST, three clusters of retro rockets fired, slowing the craft's speed. But the rockets only fired for three to four seconds, compared to the expected 30 seconds. Around 20 seconds later, about 50 seconds before the anticipated touch down at 15:48, transmission from the lander went silent. This is when Schiaparelli may have hit the ground at a high speed, instead of the planned soft landing. Advertisement

Researchers at the European Space Operations' Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, had another one of those nervous days on Wednesday  waiting to hear first from a probe designed to land on Mars' surface, and then from the probe's orbiting mother ship.

By the end of the day, the flight engineers and mission scientists were half satisfied  just after 16:00 (UT) on 19 October, they received the signal from the Trace Gas Orbiter.

The spacecraft had made it safely into Mars orbit.

Unfortunately, the Schiaparelli lander was less communicative, and no unambiguous landing signal was received.

Loss of the lander is disappointing, because it was a precursor to the system that will be deployed in four years to land a rover designed to search for life below the planet's surface.

The Trace Gas Orbiter had to make a crucial manoeuvre to bring it into orbit under Mars' gravitational influence, a time which is always one of concern for the space flight engineers.

Staff in the control centre celebrated with cheers and joyful hugs when they received the signal that the probe had made it.

The orbiter is only ESA's second mission to Mars  Mars Express in 2003 being the first.

Unfortunately, the orbiter's travelling companion, Schiaparelli, may not be in such a great situation.

In the same way that the lander carried by Mars Express failed to signal safe arrival on the surface, the Trace Gas Orbiter's lander has so far remained silent.

Schiaparelli was transmitting during its descent, and its signal was live until about 50 seconds before the anticipated touch down.

Additional data were received from Schiaparelli by the orbiter, and analysis of diagnostic information in the data package should inform ESA what might have gone wrong.

It is clear from the telemetry data that the parachute deployed, the heat shield was jettisoned and the retro rockets fired briefly.

But it will take a bit longer to determine what happened during the final few seconds of the descent.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Andrea Accomazzo, head of Esa's planetary operations (second from right), said a point came during the six-minute descent when the spacecraft did not behave 'exactly as expected'

At 15:42 BST on Wednesday, Schiaparelli entered the Martian atmosphere at a speed of 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). A minute later, at 15:43 BST, a heat shield protected the lander during its atmospheric deceleration

It is important to find this out because Schiaparelli is not a science-focused lander.

Although it carried a variety of instruments down to the Martian surface, including a camera, its main purpose was to test a new Entry, Descent and Landing Module for the next phase of the mission: ExoMars 2020, which will aim to land a rover on the red planet.

Fortunately, the telemetry data also give information about things including the structure of the atmosphere and wind speeds, so some of the science goals of Schiaparelli will be achieved.

Without Schiaparelli, ExoMars 2020 becomes riskier, because landing a rover on the surface has to be a careful operation.

There is unlikely to be another opportunity to test the landing module prior to it being used to deploy the rover  so finding out what went wrong is crucial, so it can be corrected prior to 2020.

The ExoMars rover will carry a drill that should be able to get through Mars' surface to a depth of two metres, thought to be well below the zone in which UV radiation from the sun is able to destroy organic matter.

The idea is that if there is any life on Mars, it is likely to exist below the surface  and the ExoMars drill hopes to find it.

It's not the first time we have tried to find life on Mars.

About a century and a half ago, Giovanni Schiaparelli published a map of Mars based on extensive telescope observations of the planet as it approached its minimum distance to the Earth in the summer of 1877.

The map, with its detailed labelling of land masses and seas, had a significant influence on Mars research over the following decades  especially after the features that Schiaparelli marked as 'canali' were mistranslated as 'canals', rather than 'channels'.

The noted astronomer and polymath Percival Lowell was captivated by Schiaparelli's findings, and interpreted the features as artificial, produced by intelligent life forms.

By the end of the day on Wednesday, the flight engineers and mission scientists were half satisfied  just after 16:00 (UT), they received the signal (pictured) from the Trace Gas Orbiter. The spacecraft had made it safely into Mars orbit

Artist's impression of the Schiaparelli lander in one piece on the Martian surface. Schiaparelli was transmitting during its descent, and its signal was live until about 50 seconds before the anticipated touch down

The ExoMars 2016 entry, descent, and landing demonstrator module, known as Schiaparelli, landed on Mars in a region known as Meridiani Planum. The landing sites of the seven rovers and landers that have reached the surface of Mars and successfully operated there, shown

TRACE GAS ORBITER - THE INSTRUMENTS ON BOARD THE 'MOTHERSHIP' The Trace Gas Orbiter carries a science payload of four instruments: NOMAD, ACS, FREND and CaSSIS The Trace Gas Orbiter carries a science payload of four instruments: NOMAD  Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery NOMAD combines three spectrometers, two infrared and one ultraviolet, to perform high-sensitivity orbital identification of atmospheric components, including methane and many other species, via both solar occultation and direct reflected-light nadir observations. ACS Atmospheric Chemistry Suite This suite of three infrared instruments will help scientists to investigate the chemistry and structure of the Martian atmosphere. ACS will complement NOMAD by extending the coverage at infrared wavelengths, and by taking images of the Sun to better analyse the solar occultation data. CaSSIS  Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System A high resolution camera (5 metres per pixel) capable of obtaining colour and stereo images over a wide swathe. CaSSIS will provide the geological and dynamical context for sources or sinks of trace gases detected by NOMAD and ACS. FREND  Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector This neutron detector will map hydrogen on the surface down to a metre deep, revealing deposits of water-ice near the surface. FRENDs mapping of shallow subsurface water ice will be up to 10 times better than existing measurements. Source: ESA Advertisement

Jan Woerner, Director of the European Space Agency (ESA) during a press conference at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, Germany. The final part of its landing did not go as expected, the ESA scientists said

After successfully using a heat shield (artist's impression), the landed fired its rockets for too short a time and probably crashed onto Mars' surface

In his 1908 work Mars as the Abode of Life, Lowell states: 'We have carefully considered the circumstantial evidence in the case, and we have found that it points to intelligence acting on that other globe, and is incompatible with anything else.'

Unfortunately for Lowell, subsequent observations with more powerful telescopes revealed that the channels were not real features, but were likely to be artefacts produced as optical illusions caused by dust in the planet's atmosphere.

Notwithstanding the lack of clear evidence that life exists or ever has existed on Mars, the possibility that the planet might be (or has been) an abode for life is one that is still eagerly considered  which is why the arrival of the latest mission has been greeted with enthusiasm by the scientific community.

The Trace Gas Orbiter carrying the Schiaparelli Lander was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in March 2016, and the mission is undertaken in collaboration with the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The orbiter will circle Mars for another year before it reaches the orbit it requires in order to start its three-year mission to map the distribution and concentration of trace gases in Mars' atmosphere  including methane.

Although methane is not a definitive indicator of living organisms, its presence is frequently associated with biological activity.

Even though Percival Lowell was convinced that there was life on Mars, he was not optimistic about our ability to meet with it.

Mars as the Abode of Life concludes with the following sentences: 'We can only hope that measurements made by the the Trace Gas Orbiter over the next few years vindicate Lowell's belief in the presence of Martian life, but contradict his pessimistic view of its survival potential.'

Artist's impression of the Schiaparelli lander detaching from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Schiaparelli separated from its own mothership, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday after a 310 million mile (500 million km) seven-month journey through space
Marine experts have carried out artificial insemination on a zebra shark in a trial which could result in eggs being hatched in the UK for the first time.

The ground-breaking procedure is used to spread the gene pool by introducing the animals to new areas, with some due to reach Britain within months.

The researchers' ultimate objective is to breed threatened species whose numbers have declined alarmingly in the wild.

Marine experts have carried out artificial insemination on a zebra shark in a trial which could result in eggs being hatched in the UK for the first time

The process sees divers turn the female zebra shark upside down to induce a trance-like state called 'tonic immobility', a natural state of paralysis that most sharks can enter, so they can inseminate her with sperm taken from a male.

The method has been used on sharks in an attempt to improve their genetics, as if too many are concentrated in one place then related animals may breed, causing their genetics to degenerate.

While it is expensive and impractical to transport sharks around the world, the prospect of moving eggs is far more achievable.

The eggs, which should lay in a few months, could be transported to the UK and hatched for the very first time.

The process sees divers turn the female zebra shark upside down to induce a trance-like state called 'tonic immobility', a natural state of paralysis that most sharks can enter, so they can inseminate her with sperm taken from a male

Bringing zebra shark eggs to the UK can spread the gene pool. This could prove vital in helping sharks that are struggling in the wild. Pictured is a zebra shark at a Sea Life centre

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION The process sees divers turn the female zebra shark upside down to induce a trance-like state called 'tonic immobility', a natural state of paralysis that most sharks can enter, so they can inseminate her with sperm taken from a male. The method has been adopted among sharks in an attempt to improve their genetics, as if too many are concentrated in one place then related animals may breed, causing their genetics to degenerate. While it is expensive and impractical to transport sharks around the world, the prospect of moving eggs is far more achievable. Advertisement

The procedure, which was carried out in Mooloolaba, Australia, was funded by Sea Life's marine animal welfare centre in Weymouth, Dorset.

Jean-Denis Hibbitt, marine biologist and breeding programme coordinator at Weymouth, says Sea Life centres around the UK could soon take in eggs.

Mr Hibbitt, 35, said: 'By bringing zebra shark eggs to the UK we can spread the gene pool and improve the animal's genetics.

'This could prove vital in helping sharks that are struggling in the wild.

'Artificial insemination has been used for a long time among other animals but it's new for sharks.

'If the artificial insemination in this case is successful we should see eggs produced within a few months.

'If any more than half a dozen are produced then some will be brought to the UK.

'Sea Life have five zebra sharks at centres across the country but with this development that number could increase.

Sea Life centres have five zebra sharks at centres across the country, including one at Loch Lomond Sea Life (pictured), but with this development that number could increase

The ultimate objective for those carrying out the work is to breed threatened species like the sand-tiger shark (pictured left) and bowmouth guitar shark (pictured right), whose numbers have declined alarmingly in the wild but which are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity

'We could see a number of other species from foreign countries make the same move thanks to artificial insemination.'

The Australian trial follows the world's first successful zebra shark artificial insemination in Long Beach, California in 2013, and subsequent birth of two pups six months later.

The ultimate objective for those carrying out the work is to breed threatened species like the sand-tiger shark and bowmouth guitar shark, whose numbers have declined alarmingly in the wild but which are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity.

The procedure, which was carried out in Mooloolaba, Australia, was funded by Sea Life's marine animal welfare centre in Weymouth, Dorset

If the artificial insemination in this case is successful, eggs should be produced within a few months. 'If any more than half a dozen are produced then some will be brought to the UK.




The European Space Agency lost contact with it Mars lander this week - and one man thinks he knows why.

UFO hunter Scott Waring believes that the disappearance is part of a wider conspiracy and holds Nasa responsible.

The unlikely claim was made in a blog post on his UFO Sightings Daily.com site a day after ESA lost contact with the Mars lander on Wednesday.

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Artist's impression of the Schiaparelli lander in one piece on the Martian surface. Scientists are sifting through large amounts of data transmitted by Schiaparelli until the signal was abruptly cut off

WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO SCHIAPARELLI At 15:42 BST on Wednesday, Schiaparelli entered the Martian atmosphere at a speed of 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). A minute later, at 15:43 BST, a heat shield protected the lander during its atmospheric deceleration. At 15:44 BST, the probe deployed its parachute at altitude of about 6.8 miles (11km) having been slowed by the friction on its heat shield down to 1,055 mph (1,700km/h). At 15:46 BST the lander released its parachute about 30 seconds earlier than expected. As it neared the ground, around 15:47 BST, three clusters of retro rockets fired, slowing the craft's speed. But the rockets only fired for three to four seconds, compared to the expected 30 seconds. Around 20 seconds later, about 50 seconds before the anticipated touch down at 15:48, transmission from the lander went silent. This is when Schiaparelli may have hit the ground at a high speed, instead of the planned soft landing. Advertisement

'NASA did it again, but this time they somehow sabotaged our European neighbors, our allies, our friends,' said Mr Waring.

'But when it comes to which country will announce that they found life first and make it into the history books forever...NASA has a choke hold on the world'.

ESA says it still has not received any signal from its experimental Mars lander since shortly before it was meant to reach the red planet's surface.

That means the planned 'soft landing' of the Schiaparelli probe this week is likely to have failed, as the parachute may have 'jettisoned too early' - though there is no confirmation of this yet.

The head of ESA, Jan Woerner, said yesterday the mission should still be considered a success, because the probe sent a vast amount of data back to Earth before falling silent.

Mr Waring believes that the disappearance of the ESA's lander is the latest in a series of deliberate actions by the American space agency.

He also accused Nasa of destroying the Russian Phobos probe in 1989 as well as the Phobos-Grunt lander in 2011.

The keen Ufologist believes that the space agency has now turned its attention to Europe in a bid to stop other nations reaching Mars.

The planned 'soft landing' of the Schiaparelli probe this week is likely to have failed, though there is no confirmation of this yet, as the parachute (artist's impression) 'jettisoned too early'

Artist's impression of the Schiaparelli lander detaching from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Schiaparelli separated from its own mothership, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday after a 310 million mile (500 million km) seven-month journey through space

'Now there is no way Nasa will permit any other country to get the first fibs on discovering life on Mars', he said.

He described these alleged acts of sabotage as a 'crime against humanity' that should be heard by the United Nations.

'There does seem to be a Mars Curse, as two-thirds of missions to this planet have failed,' Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, told MailOnline.

'Even Nasa scientists jokingly call it the great 'Galactic Ghoul'.

'Though this is more due to the difficulty of landing on the Martian surface than alien space activity or sabotage by rival nations'.

'When the Chinese Jade Rabbit rover landed on the Moon in December 2013, conspiracy theorists thought it was either nobbled by aliens or the USA.

'This was to prevent the robot from discovering bases and other secret technology on the surface of the Moon.

'The official story was that the extreme cold froze some of its components, preventing it from travelling more than 20 metres from its landing point'.

Employees sit in the contol centre of the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt Germany. The signal from Mars Express came through at 6.30pm and confirmed exactly the same as the initial signal picked up by the telescope in Pune

Jan Woerner, Director of the European Space Agency (ESA) during a press conference this week at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, Germany
Poems widely regarded as a cornerstone of Scottish history are almost certainly a hoax, according to new research.

Ossian, a legendary Celtic warrior and bard from the third century AD, is the narrator and apparent author of poems translated by the Scottish poet James Macpherson.

But an investigation by scientists concluded Ossian's poems were an ingenious fake, stolen from Ireland.

Ossian, a legendary Celtic warrior and bard from the third century AD, is the narrator and apparent author of poems translated by the Scottish poet James Macpherson. Ossian and Malvina, by Johann Peter Krafft, 1810 is pictured

HOW THE FAKES WERE REVEALED In the paper, published in the journal Advances in Complex Systems, the researchers created 'social networks' for each of the characters in the stories. They plotted the probability of characters having a lot of acquaintances, and compared this with other stories. Ossian's work matched the 12th-century Irish poems almost identically. 'When you put it all together you do get the feeling very strongly that it might have come from the Irish texts,' Professor Kenna said. 'But we're cautious.' Advertisement

The poems by the blind 3rd century Scottish bard, including tales of the great warrior Fingal, were 'rediscovered' in 1760.

Dubbed the 'Homer of the North', Ossian's poems inspired the writings of Scotland's most famous bards, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

Many critics have long suspected Macpherson framed the poems himself, based on Highland folk tales he had collected.

The new research seems to have settled the matter, judging that the works are based on Irish poems from around 800 years after Ossian is supposed to have died.

Statistical physicists at Coventry University, Joseph Yose and Ralph Kenna along with other colleagues at the University of Oxford and the National University of Ireland Galway made the discovery.

In the paper, published in the journal Advances in Complex Systems, the researchers created 'social networks' for each of the characters in the stories.

They plotted the probability of characters having a lot of acquaintances, and compared this with other stories.

Ossian's work matched the 12th-century Irish poems almost identically.

'When you put it all together you do get the feeling very strongly that it might have come from the Irish texts,' Professor Kenna said.

'But we're cautious.

'Our work is ongoing and this is precisely the next thing we're investigating: whether there is a way one could derive one from the other.'

James Macpherson, by George Romney. Many critics have long suspected Macpherson framed the poems himself, based on Highland folk tales he had collected. The new research seems to have settled the matter

While Macpherson was adamant the Scottish poems he translated had nothing to do with Ireland, the resemblance between Ossian (illustration left) and Oisin (illustration right) - a warrior poet in the Irish Fenian cycle - are very similar

While Macpherson was adamant the Scottish poems he translated had nothing to do with Ireland, the resemblance between Ossian and Oisin - a warrior poet in the Irish Fenian cycle - are very similar.

From this it can be determined that in all probability the infamous relics of the Scottish Iron Age are almost certainly from Ireland.

'In the past, people compared characters [in Ossian] to characters [in Irish folklore]  what we're doing is comparing the set of links between them,' Professor Kenna told The Independent.

'Ossian is overlapping very strongly with the Irish stuff and it's not overlapping so well with the Classical stuff.'

Ossian's Cave front door at The Hermitage, Scotland. Napoleon said, 'I like Ossian for the same reason that I like to hear the whisper of the wind and the waves of the sea'. The US president Thomas Jefferson called him 'the greatest poet who ever existed'

Despite the poems apparently originating from Ireland, they could not have emerged at a better time in Scotland during the 18th century.

The country was in the throes of being absorbed into the kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and the Jacobite uprising had just been crushed by British forces in 1746 - with Bonnie Prince Charlie fleeing the country.

It was not only the Scots who drew their strength from the poems, they became an icon for resistance against the British Empire around the world.

The Emperor Napoleon is said to have carried a copy of Ossian.

Napoleon said, 'I like Ossian for the same reason that I like to hear the whisper of the wind and the waves of the sea'.

The US president Thomas Jefferson called him 'the greatest poet who ever existed'.
While the 32GB version of the iPhone 7 is the cheapest, at 599 ($649), it appears it may be significantly slower than its higher-storage counterparts.

Testing by two separate sites has shown that the speed of reading data from the built-in storage in the iPhone 7 32GB is 200Mbps slower than the 128GB version,

The larger version recorded speeds of 856Mbps, while the smaller capacity 32GB handset was limited to just 656Mbps.

Saving data, including photos and apps, to the storage, was found to be eight times slower on the 32GB iPhone, compared with the 128GB version, with speeds of 42Mbps and 341Mbps respectively.

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While the 32GB version of the iPhone 7 is the cheapest, at 599 ($649), it appears it may be significantly slower than its higher-storage counterparts

IPHONE 7 AND 7 PLUS PRICES The iPhone 7 starts at $649 (599) for the 32GB model, rising to $749 (699) and $849 (799) for the 128GB and 256GB respectively. The iPhone 7 Plus costs $749 (719) for 32GB, $849 (819) for 128GB and a whopping $949 (919) for the largest memory model. Advertisement

The findings come as the result of tests performed by GSMArena and Unbox Therapy.

And the inconsistencies don't stop at storage speed.

Testing on different versions of the iPhone 7 Plus have also shown that there are differences in cellular performance, according to Cellular Insights.

It conducted network tests on iPhone 7 Plus models available in the UK and Europe, versus those available in the US.

The results showed that the A1778 and A1784 models  which are found in Europe and the UK - had noticeably worse network connections than the A1660 and A1661 models, which are found in the US.

The difference between these models seems to lie in the modem chip  the device enabling the phone to transmit data via wireless signals.

The European and UK models have an Intel modem chip that connects them to the 4G network, while the US models use a modem supplied by Qualcomm.

A1778 and A1784 models of the iPhone 7 Plus - which are found in Europe and the UK - had noticeably worse network connections than the A1660 and A1661 models, which are found in the US

BATTERY LIFE COMES LAST UK-based consumer group Which? compared the iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and the LG G5 to see which top-tier smartphone offers the best battery-life. The first test was to see how many minutes of 3G call time each phone could provide. The HTC 10 came in first with 1,859 minutes, followed by the LG G5 (1,579), then the Samsung Galaxy S7 (1,492) and finally, the iPhone 7 (712). For 3G internet use, HTC 10 took first with 790 minutes, followed by the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with 677, then the LG G5 with 640 and finally, the iPhone with 615 minutes. Advertisement

Results showed that the phones with an Intel chip had up to 75 per cent worse network performance than the Qualcomm phones.

Milan Milanovic from Cellular Insights told The Guardian: 'In all tests, the iPhone 7 Plus with the Qualcomm modem had a significant performance edge over the iPhone 7 Plus with the Intel modem.

'We are not sure what the main reason was behind Apple's decision to source two different modem suppliers for the newest iPhone.'

The findings suggest that mobile phone operators may not be solely to blame for signal failures or slow data speeds, but instead it may be down to the phone itself.
It seat one person under a canopy that retracts like a

Prototype testing will begin in 2017 and Airbus hopes to have a model for sale on the market by 2020

Aerospace group says passengers will be able to summon self-piloting flying taxi on their smartphone

Airbus is creating flying taxis called CityAirbus, and an autonomous helicopter under Project Vahana

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Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour could soon be a thing of the past.

Airbus is working on a fleet of air taxis with the hopes of relieving urban congestion and the firm has unveiled its first conceptual renderings.

Called Vahana, this sleek self-flying aircraft seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts similar to a motorcycle helmet visor and the vehicle is designed to operate like a helicopter.

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Airbus has been working on a fleet of air taxis with the hopes of relieving urban congestion and the firm has unveiled its first conceptual renderings. Called Vahana, this sleek self-flying aircraft seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts similar to a motorcycle helmet visor and is summoned like an Uber

MEET VAHANA Project Vahana began earlier this year and is one of the first projects at A, the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley. The first conceptual renders have been revealed showing a sleek self-flying aircraft with room for one passenger who sits under a canopy that retracts similar to a motorcycle helmet visor. Its also believed that the air taxis will take off and land vertically, as there are helicopter-like struts, and tilting wings each with four electric motors. The team at Vahana aims to have a full-sized prototype in the air by the end of 2017 and a model on the market for sale by 2020. Advertisement

Project Vahana began earlier this year and is one of the first projects at A, the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley.

At Vahana, we are passionate about personal flight. The aircraft were building doesnt need a runway, is self-piloted, and can automatically detect and avoid obstacles and other aircraft, A chief executive Rodin Lyasoff wrote on the Vahana website.

Designed to carry a single passenger or cargo, were aiming to make it the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot.

The conceptual renders suggest that the air taxis will take off and land vertically, as there are helicopter-like struts, and tilting wings each with four electric motors, reports CNN Money.

And there is space for one passenger, who will sit under a canopy that retracts like a motorcycle helmet visor.

The team at Vahana aims to have a full-sized prototype in the air by the end of 2017 and a model for sale on the market by 2020.

Airbus noted last year that one of Vahana's first projects will be working with Uber to create a new business model for helicopter operators.

The French firm first announced plans for its flying taxis in August, which they said will be CityAirbus and passengers will be able summon these vehicles with their smartphone.

Airbus said that the biggest challenge in creating the CityAirbus taxi, will be making it fly autonomously.

The taxi will first be operated by a pilot, but will become self-driving once national regulations allow it.

'Many of the technologies needed, such as batteries, motors and avionics are most of the way there,' Rodin Lyasoff, the Airbus executive in charge of the project, said.

This is just starting to be introduced in cars, but no examples of it for aircraft currently exist.

Project Vahana began earlier this year and is one of the first projects at A, the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley. There is space for one passenger, who will sit under a canopy that retracts like a motorcycle helmet visor

AIRBUS' PROJECT CITYAIRBUS: SELF-FLYING TAXIS THAT ARE SUMMONED LIKE UBERS Airbus is designing a fleet of self-flying taxis called CityAirbus. The taxis will first be operated by a pilot, but will fly themselves once national regulations allow it. As well as flying taxis, Airbus is also creating an electric, autonomous helicopter in a project called Project Vahana. The idea is that the helicopter can be used for both commercial and personal use. In February, Airbus also announced a new project called 'Skyways' in which they are creating a parcel-delivery system above the University of Singapore campus. Airbus hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017. Advertisement

'That's one of the bigger challenges we aim to resolve as early as possible,' said Lyasoff.

The company thinks one way it could work would be for group vehicles, similar to car-sharing.

'We believe that global demand for this category of aircraft can support fleets of millions of vehicles worldwide,' Lyasoff said.

'In as little as ten years, we could have products on the market that revolutionise urban travel for millions of people.'

The conceptual renders suggest that the air taxis will take off and land vertically, as there are helicopter-like struts, and tilting wings each with four electric motors

The team at Vahana aims to have a full-sized prototype in the air by the end of 2017 and a model for sale on the market by 2020. Airbus noted last year that one of Vahana's first projects will be working with Uber to create a new business model for helicopter operators

Officially underway since February, the projects team of internal and external developers and partners have agreed on a vehicle design and is beginning to build and test vehicle subsystems.

As well as flying taxis, Airbus is also creating an electric, autonomous helicopter in a plan called Project Vahana.

The idea is that the helicopter can be used for both commercial and personal use.

Airbus hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017.

Rodin Lyasoff, Airbus' lead engineer on Project Vahana, said: 'Many of the technologies needed, such as batteries, motors and avionics are most of the way there.'

Traffic during rush-hour can be a nightmare for commuters today, and with 60 per cent of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2030, the problem is only going to grow. The French firm first announced plans for its flying taxis in August, which they said will be CityAirbus and passengers will be able summon these vehicles with their smartphone

While it might currently seem like something out of a science fiction film, Airbus CEO, Tom Enders, said: 'It's not crazy to imagine that one day our big cities will have flying cars making their way along roads in the sky.

'In a not too distant future, we'll use our smartphones to book a fully automated flying taxi that will land outside our front door  without any pilot.'

In February, Airbus also announced a new project called 'Skyways' in which they are creating a drone parcel-delivery system above the University of Singapore campus.

The team hopes by demonstrating the safe operation of Skyways, this could help shape the regulatory framework for unmanned aircraft system operations, and potentially increase acceptance for passenger flight testing.

In February, Airbus also announced a new project called 'Skyways' in which they are creating a parcel-delivery system above the University of Singapore campus. As well as flying taxis, Airbus is also creating an electric, autonomous helicopter in a plan called Project Vahana. The idea is that the helicopter can be used for both commercial and personal use

Bangkok in Thailand is one of many cities which is notorious for huge traffic jams and delays getting from one place to another. However, by 2030, the population of Bangkok is set to hit 11.5 million which will further increase congestion. Airbus hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017
Astronomers could discover the solar systems mystery ninth planet by 2019, scientists have claimed.

Dubbed Planet Nine, the elusive world is believed by many to be responsible for the strange shaped orbits of objects in the outer realms of the solar system, but it is yet to be seen.

But with up to 10 research groups scouring the skies, astronomers believe it wont remain hidden for long and could be discovered in the next 16 months.

Astronomers think an undiscovered ninth planet in the far reaches of the solar system could be discovered in the next 16 months. Planet Nine is believe to be responsible for the strange orbital paths of icy minor planets beyond Neptune (stock image used)

The claims were made by astronomer Mike Brown, one of those who proposed the existence of the mystery world, while speaking at a conference in the US this week.

I'm pretty sure, I think, that by the end of next winter  not this winter, next winter  I think that there'll be enough people looking for it that  somebody's actually going to track this down, said Professor Brown, speaking at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) in Pasadena.

The mystery world was first proposed by Professor Browns team to account for the long elliptical orbit of frigid objects in the extending out beyond the Kuiper belt past Pluto  whose planetary status was in part killed off by Professor Browns team at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) in Pasadena.

But with a number of research groups dedicated to finding evidence of the planet and some of the worlds most advanced telescopes could help pinpoint it in the night sky, potentially before the next DPS conference.

The distant worlds is thought to be roughly four time the size of Earth and ten times the mass, with its gravitational pull dragging small bodies further out towards its huge elliptical orbit (stock image)

The discovery would mark a pretty quick turnaround from hypothetical to confirmed planet, explains Space.coms Mike Wall, who reported the claims.

An increasing number of distant icy rocks have been found past Neptune  the last known official planet of the solar system  including Eris, which was discovered by the CalTech team and was the death blow for Plutos planetary status, due to its larger size.

Among these trans-Neptunian ice worlds are a growing number like Sedna and L91, whose distorted orbits take them far out from the sun, taking thousands of years to make a single pass.

But as more of these objects have been discovered, their elongated paths points to a strong gravitational pull from a large object beyond Neptune  the theoretical Planet Nine.

WHAT IS PLANET NINE? Astronomers believe that the orbits of a number of bodies in the distant reaches of the solar system have been disrupted by the pull of an as yet unidentified planet. First proposed by a group at CalTech in the US, this alien world was theorised to explain the distorted paths seen in distant icy bodies. In order to fit in with the data they have, this alien world - popularly called Planet Nine - would need to be roughly four time the size of Earth and ten times the mass. Some of the most distant known objects in the solar system with orbits exclusively beyond Neptune (magenta) all line up in a single direction. They believe such an orbital alignment can only be maintained by some outside force, potentially an unseen Neptune-sized ninth planet Researchers say a body of this size and mass would explain the clustered paths of a number of icy minor planets beyond Neptune. Its huge orbit would mean it takes between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make a single pass around the sun. The theoretical Planet Nine is based on the gravitational pull it exerts on these bodies, with astronomers confident it will be found in the coming years. Those hoping for theoretical Earth-sized planets proposed by astrologers or science fiction writers - which are 'hiding behind the sun' and linked with Doomsday scenarios - may have to keep searching. Advertisement

Professor Brown and the Caltech team have proposed that in order to exert such a huge gravitational pull on these minor planets, Planet Nine would be around four times the size of Earth, ten times the mass and take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to orbit the sun.

According to Space.com, one of the reasons it has not yet been spotted is that it is currently at its furthest point from the sun on its epic planetary path, called its aphelion.

This could mean Planet Nine is currently 1,000 astronomical units (AU) from the sun  with 1 AU being the distance from Earth to the sun.

But tools such as the Subaru telescope in Hawaii and instruments at Japans National Astronomical Observatory could be up to the task.

Professor Brown told reporters: There are a lot of people looking, and we are trying as hard as we can to tell people where to look. We want it to be found.
Sex with robots might seem like a strange idea, but there are many people who believe it may be the future.

Now, experts in the field at planning to gather in London this year to discuss the technology and see it on display.

With a focus on 'teledildonics' and electronic hardware, the second annual 'International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots' will arrive in December.

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Sex with robots might seem like a strange idea to you, but there are many people who see the benefits of machine loving. Robots such as True Companion Roxxxy (pictured) will likely be featured in the conference

WILL SEXBOTS STOP CRIME? Many people can see a variety of benefits that sexbots have to offer. Behaviour therapist Nicolas Aujula sees them as a mechanism for helping fetishists explore extreme sexual fantasies, which could help fight sex crime. Mr Aujula said: 'Over the next few years, sex bots I believe could commonly provide a safe and discreet solution for exploring fantasies  offering the possibilities of simply having more creative sex, through to satisfying extreme fetish behaviour. Advertisement

The international conference on sex with robots, was once banned by Malaysia because it was deemed too extreme, will be hosted by Goldsmiths University on the 19th and 20th of December.

Sessions will focus on a variety of topics, from humanoid robots and teledildonics, which means cybersex toys, to intelligent electronic sex hardware.

'Within the fields of Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction, the past few years have witnessed a strong upsurge of interest in the more personal aspects of human relationships with these artificial partners,' a statement from Goldsmiths says.

Registration is open for anyone wishing to attend, but it costs 200 ($244) for a full price registration, or 125 ($152) for a student.

The University said the event 'provides an excellent opportunity for academics and industry professionals to present and discuss their innovative work and ideas in an academic symposium.'

Goldsmiths computing lecturer Dr Kate Devlin, who wrote a controversial essay 'In Defence of Sex Robots' which has been read by half a million people worldwide, will be hosting the event.

Goldsmiths computing lecturer Dr Kate Devlin, who wrote a controversial essay 'In Defence of Sex Robots' which has been read by half a million people worldwide, will be hosting the event

'I think robots could become our lovers in the future,' Dr Devlin said. 'Does love have to be reciprocated in order to be valid?'

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY? Neal Slateford, co-owner of online sex toy retailer Lovehoney, sees a future where sexbots are mainstream. 'The technology is developing all the time, and the early robotic toys they have created are still out of the price range of most people - costing around 6,000 ($7777),' he said. 'Prices will inevitably come down, and we envisage selling mass market robotic toys in around three years' time. They could be really brilliant products - and let's face it, it is the safest way to have a threesome with your partner and not end up in the divorce courts.' San Francisco-based RealDoll currently sells realistic sex dolls for around $5,000 (3857) a unit. It recently launched a project harnessing AI to create sexbots that have customisable personalities and can talk to their owners in romantic as well as entraining ways. Advertisement

The event was cancelled in Malaysia last year, because there was 'nothing scientific about having sex with machines,' the BBC reported.

Sex with robots is set to overtake human sex by 205, some have said.

But a robotics expert warned last month that robot sex could become addictive, and will someday even replace human-human sex entirely.

Like many other technologies that have replaced humans, robots could even surpass human technique, to become better lovers, he claims.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Joel Snell, a robotics expert from Kirkwood College in Iowa, said: 'Robotic sex may become addictive.

'Sexbots would always be available and could never say no, so addictions would be easy to feed.

'People will rearrange their lives to accommodate their addictions.'

As well as being available for sex whenever it is wanted, the robots could even become better at sex than humans.

Mr Snell added: 'Because they would be programmable, sexbots would meet each individual user's needs.'

While the idea of robots taking over the bedroom could sound daunting, a sex therapist has suggested that it could be healthy for our sex lives.

Sex with robots is set to overtake human sex by 2050, according to experts this year. But a robotics expert has warned that robot sex could become addictive, and will someday even replace human-human sex entirely (stock image used)

Gurpreet Singh, a sex therapist from Relate, told the Daily Star: 'Who are we to judge people who want to have sex with robots?

'Let people enjoy sex robots  they will work in the same way couples introduce a toy into a sexual relationship. And if both parties are agreed, I see nothing wrong.'

However, Mr Singh warned that it would not be healthy for robots to replace humans entirely.

He added: 'It takes on a whole different meaning if sex robots are used because of a fear of intimacy or because a person wants to be isolated.

'Then the addiction needs to be addressed.'

A recent survey was done by VoucherCodesPro, who asked 2,816 sexually active Brits to describe which activities they would carry out with a cyborg.

Researchers asked those participants who said they would have sex with a robot why they would do it.

Seventy two per cent said they thought the robots 'would be very good at it' while 28 per cent said it would be a new experience.

But sex robots could also lead to changes in the sex industry, replacing prostitutes to help stamp out sexual slavery and trafficking.

Dr John Danaher, a lecturer in business at NUI Galway believes that sex robots could be a good substitute for human prostitutes.

He told the Daily Star: 'The cyborgs can cater for desire for sexual variety, freedom from constraint and complication and fear of lack of sexual success.

'Technology may become better at developing emotional bonds with their clients.

'They won't need to 'fake it' the same way as human prostitutes.'
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient tower thought to have once stood atop Jerusalems fabled Third Wall, which was breached during the Roman emperor Titus siege of the city 2,000 years ago.

The grisly battle ultimately led to the conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple, and researchers have long debated the details of the citys boundaries on the eve of the onslaught in 70 AD.

Not far from the tower, the team also found scores of projectile stones that were catapulted at guards who stood atop the tower, providing new evidence of the ancient battle that could be proof of the walls existence at the site.

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Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient tower thought to have once stood atop Jerusalems fabled Third Wall, breached during the Roman emperor Titus siege of the city 2,000 years ago

According to researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the remains were unearthed during a recent excavation in Jerusalems Russian Compound, where the new campus of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is set to be built.

The team found a segment of wall more than 1.9 meters (6.2 feet) wide, which theyve traced back to the Roman period based on pottery shards also discovered at the site.

Along with this, they discovered over 70 ballista and sling stones in front of the wall.

The researchers say these were fired by the Roman army at the Jewish guards who defended the wall.

Over 70 ballista and sling stones were discovered in front of the wall. The researchers say these were fired by the Roman army at the Jewish guards who defended the wall

The grisly battle ultimately led to the conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple, and researchers have long debated the details of the citys boundaries on the eve of the onslaught in 70 AD. A spearhead found in the excavation is pictured

This is a fascinating testimony of the intensive bombardment by the Roman army, led by Titus, on their way to conquering the city and destroying the Second Temple, said excavation directors Dr Rina Avner and Kfir Arbib of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The bombardment was intended to attack the sentries guarding the wall and provide cover for the Roman forces so they could approach the wall with battering rams and thereby breach the citys defences.

First-hand accounts of the war from the Jewish historian Josephus describe the wall in great detail, stating it was designed to protect the new quarter of the city known as Beit Zeita.

According to researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the remains were unearthed during a recent excavation in Jerusalems Russian Compound, where the new campus of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is set to be built

EMPEROR TITUS' SIEGE OF JERUSALEM The siege of Jerusalem is illustrated above In the year 70, the Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in 66. The siege ended with the sacking of the city and the destruction of its Second Temple. The Arch of Titus, celebrating the Roman sack of Jerusalem and the Temple, still stands in Rome. But researchers have long debated the details of the citys boundaries on the eve of the onslaught. This event, along with the destruction of the first temple, is mourned to this day every year as the Jewish fast Tisha BAv. First-hand accounts of the war from the Jewish historian Josephus describe the war in great detail. First-hand accounts of the war from the Jewish historian Josephus describe the war in great detail. Beit Zeita had developed outside of the city boundaries, north of two existing walls, so a new one began construction under the orders of Agrippa I. This was suspended in efforts to appease Emperor Claudius, and later resumed two decades later by the defenders of Jerusalem to fortify the city in preparation for the Great Revolt against Rome. How the battle was won: Progress of the Roman army during the siege. According to Josephus accounts, the wall began at Hippicus Tower, now Davids Citadel, and contined north to the Psephinus Tower, at the northwestern corner of the city wall. Then, the wall turned east toward the Tomb of Queen Helena. The engines were admirably contrived and the stones were larger, by which they not only repelled the excursions of the Jews, but drove those away that were on the walls also, Avner reads from the historian's writings. Now the stones that were cast were of the weight of a talent, and were carried two furlongs and further. Though the siege was met with resistance, the Romans eventually gained control of the city. Advertisement

Beit Zeita had developed outside of the city boundaries, north of two existing walls, so a new one began construction under the orders of Agrippa I.

This was suspended in efforts to appease Emperor Claudius, and later resumed two decades later by the defenders of Jerusalem to fortify the city in preparation for the Great Revolt against Rome.

According to Josephus accounts, the wall began at Hippicus Tower, now Davids Citadel, and contined north to the Psephinus Tower, at the northwestern corner of the city wall.

Then, the wall turned east toward the Tomb of Queen Helena.

Not far from the tower, the team also found scores of projectile stones that were catapulted at guards who stood atop the tower, providing new evidence of the ancient battle that could be proof of the walls existence at the site

The team found a segment of wall more than 1.9 meters (6.2 feet) wide, which theyve traced back to the Roman period based on pottery sherds also discovered at the site

While researchers have long argued the identity of the Third Wall, the new evidence could confirm its location.

The quantity and density of the ballista stones and their location on a more or less level surface with a difference in elevation of 10 cm, and all of it set in front of the wall remains that we found  they are in fact the evidence of a battle that was fought here during the Roman period as indicated by the sherds, Avner explained.
Shocking footage has emerged of a female airline staff member being assaulted at an airport by two male passengers.

The clip, filmed in Hanoi, shows one man grabbing the woman, then another hitting her in the head while one of her colleagues tries to protect her.

The two passengers have now been banned from flying.

In a video released by Northern Airports Authority, one of the men, identified by CAA as Dao Vinh Thuan, was seen holding on to Ms Anh while her colleague (foreground, in white) was trying to separate them

As the three of them struggled, another man, Tran Duong Tung (foreground), walked over too

The two men were scheduled to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on October 18 according to an official statement released by the Vietnamese Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

They reportedly assaulted the woman, a member of Vietnam Airlines' staff, while she was trying to arrange a later flight for them.

The two men, identified as Tran Duong Tung, 32, and Dao Vinh Thuan, 37, arrived at the boarding gate at 13.59 local time according to the CAA statement.

However, the plane had already taken off at 13.55.

The men, who had already been issued with boarding passes, were required to be at the gate at least 15 minutes before departure to be allowed to board.

Nguyen Le Quynh Anh and her colleague Xie Dejiang were said to be explaining the situation to the two men, when the assault took place.

In a video recorded by the Northern Airports Authority, which later emerged online, one of the men, identified by CAA as Dao Vinh Thuan, was seen to be holding on to Ms Anh while her colleague was trying to separate them.

Tran Duong Tung climbed over the barrier that separated the group and walked behind Ms Anh

Tran Duong Tung (in grey) then used his bag to hit Ms Anh around the back of the head

As the three of them struggled, another man, Tran Duong Tung, walked over and struck Ms Anh across the head with his bag.

He then walked behind them and proceeded to hit Ms Anh on the head with considerable force twice.

Another man, thought to be a passenger, quickly intervened before the airport police arrived to control the situation.

According to Vietnam Breaking News, Tran Dang Hai, chief inspector of Hanoi Transport Department, has confirmed that Dao Vinh Thuan was a member of his inspection team.

Ms Anh suffered from abrasions to her neck as a result of the assault but is believed to be otherwise unharmed.

Shockingly, the man then leaned back and went in for a second attack, with even more force

Ms Anh suffered from abrasions to her neck as a result of the assault but is believed to be otherwise unharmed

The men are currently being investigated by the Noir Bai airport police over public security violations according to the CAA statement.

In the interim, they have been banned from air travel under the aviation security law.

Dao Vinh Thuan was banned for six months while Tran Duong Tung was banned for 12 months.
family were forced to spend their holiday in the hotel room

A couple experienced the 'holiday from hell' after their 15-month-old daughter contracted a highly-contagious disease on a five-star break in Cyprus.

Alarming pictures show the horrific blisters little Elsie Staddon had all over body after she allegedly caught hand, foot and mouth disease at the hotel - ruining the family's 2,500 holiday.

Ally Staddon, 27, and his fiancee Lucy Weedop, 28, were horrified when 15-month-old Elsie caught the virus during their trip to Cyprus earlier this month.

Alarming pictures (left) show the horrific blisters little Elsie Staddon (right - healthy with mother Lucy Weedop) had all over body after she allegedly caught hand, foot and mouth disease at a five-star Cyprus hotel

Dad Ally (pictured with his family) said: 'It was Elsie's first holiday. We wanted it to be a nice family trip... It's caused us a lot of stress. It's heartbreaking knowing she's ill and you can't help her'

The couple later discovered a sign confirming reports of the highly infectious disease at the Sensatori Resort Aphrodite Hills hotel, but claim travel agent Thomson had not informed them about the outbreak.

When the worried parents warned other families of the outbreak, they claim two members of Thomson staff asked them to stop 'scaring people'.

Instead they had to spend most of the holiday in their room as the sun irritated Elsie's blisters and she was not allowed to use the pool.

When little Elsie was deemed unfit to fly, Ally and Lucy said they were left to sort new accommodation and flights on their own, with no help from Thomson.

Ally, from Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire, said: 'It was Elsie's first holiday. We wanted it to be a nice family trip. It's the complete opposite of what we wanted.

'It's completely horrible. It's caused us a lot of stress. It's heartbreaking knowing she's ill and you can't help her.

'Thomson seemed to think a small warning sign on the guest relations desk was sufficient.'

Lucy Weedop said: 'It was a tiny A5 sign that was up and it wasn't until it was too late that we noticed it. You would only go to [the guest relations desk where the sign was] if you had a problem. It isn't sufficient.

'They should have emailed us before we arrived. We were looking forward to the holiday and we might have been disappointed but I wouldn't want her to go through that again.

The worried parents had to spent most of the holiday in their room as the sun irritated Elsie's blisters and she was not allowed to use the pool

Shortly after arriving at the hotel Elsie's temperature was skyrocketed. The next day the tot woke up covered in a rash and blisters prompting the couple to take her to the village medical centre

'We thought it would be an ideal place for our daughter's first holiday abroad but it was an absolute nightmare, it was a holiday from hell.

'They didn't take any responsibility for it. We've had to arrange everything ourselves, to get accommodation and flights. No one actually helped us. We got no help or support, we were left to our own devices.

'We spoke to the Thomson desk out there and they just said there wasn't any other accommodation.

'It's diabolical. I've never received such bad customer service in my life.

'It's not as if it was a cheap holiday destination. It was quite expensive and it was a five star hotel.'

The couple arrived at the hotel on October 5 with Ally's parents Michael and Glynis Staddon but on October 9 Lucy noticed that Elsie's temperature was unusually high and began to worry.

The next day the tot woke up covered in a rash and blisters prompting the couple to take her to the village medical centre.

'Thomson seemed to think a small warning sign on the guest relations desk was sufficient,' Lucy Weedop said. 'It was a tiny A5 sign that was up and it wasn't until it was too late that we noticed it'

As soon as the family arrived they say they were immediately asked if they came from the Sensatori Aphrodite Hills hotel and told she probably has hand, foot and mouth disease as they had already seen several cases of it.

They were then referred to see a paediatrician in the Royal Artemis hospital in Paphos where it was officially confirmed that Elsie had caught the virus.

The family say they then rang Thomson in the UK to ask why they hadn't been informed and claim that they were told the hotel sign was their only obligation and that it was an insurance matter.

The next day the couple began informing other guests who they say were also clueless about the outbreak.

After being told that Elsie may not be well enough to fly home on the original date the family looked into getting extended accommodation and flights.

However, after speaking to the Thomson staff at the hotel on October 11, they were allegedly told there was no other accommodation available and offered no support on finding a new one.

They say the hotel could only offer a presidential suite costing  1,700, which would not be covered by their insurance.

The family decided to take control of the situation and find new accommodation and book different flights home.

The village medical centre referred Elsie to a paediatrician in the Royal Artemis hospital in Paphos, where it was officially confirmed that Elsie (pictured when younger) had caught the virus

Ally said: 'I find it disgusting that a company who have happily taken our money for a holiday have absolutely no interest in supporting us through what is obviously a very worrying time.' Pictured - Elsie on the beach and with her dad in happier times

They were told that Elsie was unfit to fly just two hours before their original flight departure time on October 12.

The family were forced to spend the rest of their holiday until October 18 indoors as Elsie's painful and blistered skin was irritated by the sun.

Ally said: 'I find it disgusting that a company who have happily taken our money for a holiday have absolutely no interest in supporting us through what is obviously a very worrying time.

'I understand that Thomson don't want to lose any money. But they should at least be emailing people before they go abroad, instead of waiting for you to catch the disease.

'We have barely slept. Elsie barely slept through the night she's just not herself. It's ruined our holiday.

'It's not something we would expect from a big company and they just didn't care. I don't think we will be using Thomson again.

'We had to have dinner in the room as we were worried about the spreading of it. The hotel had wonderful restaurants and pools but we just couldn't enjoy it.'

Lucy said: 'Elsie is a lot brighter in herself now, we're just waiting for the blisters to go.

'It's been a really traumatic experience. We were stuck in the room as the sun aggravated her skin. We weren't allowed in the pools, we couldn't even use the toys.

'It ruined the trip, we had a few nice days before going through what we went through, she was just crying she was in pain and there was no comforting her. It was heart-breaking.'

Glynis, 56, said: 'We all went together as a family. We thought this would be ideal for a first family holiday but it all went horribly wrong. It was just shocking.'

A Thomson spokesperson told MailOnline Travel: 'We were made aware of a small number of cases of the Hand, Foot and Mouth virus at Sensatori Resort Aphrodite Hills.

'Our resort team were fully briefed to assist guests and proactively displayed information on how to spot and prevent the spread of the illness.
Ryanair's decision to reduce its free-of-charge check-in time from seven days to four days has sparked a furious backlash.

Customers are angry that they can now no longer check in outbound and inbound flights at the same time for week-long excursions.

The new measure, which comes in to effect on November 1, means that travellers may have to search around for internet connections while abroad to download their boarding pass. Ryanair charges 45 for anyone who turns up to the airport for a flight without one printed out or a pass downloaded to their phone.

Flying low: Ryanair's decision to reduce its free-of-charge check-in time from seven days to four days has sparked a furious backlash

Many feel that the airline is herding them towards paying for a reservation.

Passengers pay between 4 and 15 to pay for a seat of their choice up to 30 days in advance.

One angry commenter wrote on Twitter: 'Ryanair your new four-day check-in is a joke, just making money out of people as you know they may not be able to get internet on their trip.'

Another unenthusiastically added: 'Prepare to find wifi/printer if on a week's hols.'

Twitter user Voodoo Child said: 'If Ryanair keeps reducing the free check-in window, soon you'll have to travel to the future to check in and come back to take the flight.'

Speaking out: Customers are angry that they can now no longer check in outbound and inbound flights at the same time for week-long excursions

Not impressed: The new measure comes in to effect on November 1 and impacts bookings already made

Tongue-in-cheek: The new measure means that travellers may have to search around for internet connections while abroad to download their boarding pass

Money-making antics: Ryanair charges 45 for anyone who turns up to the airport without checking-in beforehand

In response to the backlash, Ryanair's chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs told MailOnline Travel: 'Were continuing to listen to our customers through our "Always Getting Better" programme and this change reflects the customer feedback we have received.

'From 1st November, were offering those customers who wish to reserve seats more time to choose their preferred seat, by reducing the check-in window from seven to four days pre-departure for those customers who prefer a random seat.

'Customers who do not wish to reserve their seat will be able to check-in between four days and two hours ahead of their departure, using both the Ryanair.com website and Ryanair mobile app, and will continue to be randomly allocated a seat, free of charge.'

The new check-times, as reported on Tuesday by the Daily Mail, applies to both new and existing bookings for flights taken after November 1.

Although other airlines have smaller check-in windows - British Airways' is 24 hours and Aer Lingus 30 hours - customers are rarely charged to check-in at the airport and they are also able reserve a desired seat free-of-charge.

The move comes as Ryanair warned this week that its profits for this year will take a hit, blaming the impact of the plunging pound.

The Irish carrier blamed an 18 per cent fall in the value of sterling since the Brexit vote as it cut its annual earnings forecast by five per cent.

Feeling the force: Earlier this year, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary faced shareholder protests over his 2.7million pay package

Ryanairs problem is that many of its sales are booked in the UK in pounds and have to be converted back into euros for its reported earnings.

The airline now anticipates full-year earnings of between 1.30billion (1.17billion) and 1.35billion, down from the previous range of 1.38billion to 1.43billion.

Rival EasyJet revealed a 90million impact from the falling pound earlier this month, on top of at least 125million in lost profit after a combination of terror attacks across Europe, Egypt and Tunisia, as well as air traffic control strikes in France and political turmoil in Turkey.

Ryanair and EasyJet have also been slashing fares to boost demand.

Earlier this year, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary faced shareholder protests over his 2.7million pay package.

The 55-year-old faced a pay revolt for the third year in a row, with 17 per cent of shareholders refusing to back lavish rewards at the firm.
They dominate social media.

So perhaps it's not surprising that Kylie Jenner, Jaden Smith and Chloe Grace Moretz have made Time's 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 list.

Kylie, aged 19, appeared on last year's list as well.

New addition: Actress Chloe Grace Moretz, 19, certainly isn't afraid of voicing her own opinion, which is no doubt how she secured herself a slot on the list after she slammed Kim Kardashian West for her nude selfie (pictured in January 2016)

This year, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was once again featured for her 'willingness to experiment with outsize looks - plumping her lips, dying her hair and using bright makeup in bold combinations.'

Jaden Smith, 18, was also featured on last year's list, mostly for his musical ventures.

The son of actor Will Smith was honoured for something slightly more significant this year, which the publication identified as 'rebelling against mainstream culture.'

Actress Chloe Grace Moretz, 19, certainly isn't afraid of voicing her own opinion, which is no doubt how she secured herself a slot on the list after she slammed Kim Kardashian West for her nude selfie.

At it again: Kylie Jenner (pictured), Jaden Smith and Chloe Grace Moretz have made Time's 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 list

Rebel with a cause: Jaden Smith, 18, was honoured for something slightly more significant this year, which the publication identified as 'rebelling against mainstream culture' (pictured in March 2016)

She said previously: 'Being the most opinionated and loud person in the room is not always the most impactful. Sometimes the smartest way to get into the psyche of people is to... let everyone else bicker and throw their words around and then you come in with the quiet voice and that will be the most impactful.'

Game of Thrones favourite Maisie Williams, 19, also made the list.

Not only was she recognized for her work on the massively popular HBO show, but also because she 'speaks out on a number of social and political issues, including feminism.'

A Stark win: Game of Thrones favourite Maisie Williams, 19, also made the list (pictured in January 2016)

Influential: Not only was she recognized for her work on the massively popular HBO show (pictured), but also because she 'speaks out on a number of social and political issues, including feminism'

'Lush Life' hitmaker Zara Larsson, 18, has made the list for the first time and has been dubbed 'one of the most promising talents in pop music.'

Shawn Mendes, 18, also gets a nod for 'conquering singles charts' across the world.

Elsewhere on the list, Fifth Harmony's Camila Cabello, 19, has been featured for her hit music and her activism, notably when she recently penned an essay about her experience when she arrived to the United States in the 2000s as an immigrant.

In the essay, she wrote: 'This country was built on immigrants. People who were brave enough... to leave behind everything we know in hopes of finding something better. And so next time, when anybody wants to tell you they want to build a 'wall' on our border, remember behind that wall is struggle, determination, hunger. Behind that wall could be the next cure for cancer.'

Full of energy: 'Lush Life' hitmaker Zara Larsson, 18, has made the list for the first time and has been dubbed 'one of the most promising talents in pop music' (pictured August 2016)
Kyle Sandilands has seemingly backed calls to lift bans on the controversial rapid-fire Adler shotgun.

In a discussion on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday, the KIIS FM shock jock appeared to take a pro-gun stance.

'Is it better off that all the criminals have all the weapons and the rest of us are defenceless?' the 45-year-old asked.

Outspoken: Kyle Sandilands appeared to back calls to lift bans on the rapid-fire Adler shotgun during an on-air discussion with co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson and newsreader Brooklyn Ross

'The shotguns are for farmers, they're not going to be running rampant through the suburbs,' he added.

Kyle went on to question openly gay newsreader Brooklyn Ross about his opinions on the subject.

He asked if Brooklyn had anti-gun views because of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, which left 49 people dead.

Jackie O (pictured) and KIIS FM newsreader Brooklyn Ross did not appear to agree with Kyle

Debate: Kyle directly asked if Brooklyn had anti-gun views because of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, which left 49 people dead

'We're never going (to have massacres) here... You don't even know what the laws are,' Kyle continued.

While the radio host made his views clear, neither Jackie or Brooklyn seemed to agree with his stance, but appeared reluctant to challenge him on the matter.

The heated discussion came as calls grow louder for a ban to be lifted on the importation of the Adler shotgun.

Controversial: Calls are growing louder for a ban to be lifted on the importation of the Adler shotgun

Pro-gun: Victorian senator Bridget McKenzie (pictured) believes the rapid-fire gun should be imported

The gun can fire up to eight shots in as many seconds, similar to pump action shotguns and semi-automatic weapons.

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, a renowned gun enthusiast, is one calling for gun control laws to be eased.

'I'd call on states and territories right across the country to actually look at the evidence, take the emotion out of it and seek to classify this gun in an appropriate way,' she told the ABC.

'The shotguns are for farmers': The radio host appeared to call for the importation ban to be lifted

NSW Police Minister and Deputy Premier Troy Grant also told the broadcaster that restrictions on the gun should be unwound.

He said farmers should be able to apply to import the firearm for a specific purpose, like shooting feral pigs.

'Throw the book at criminals and anyone dealing in illegal firearms, but get off the backs of hard-working decent farmers and sport and recreational shooters,' he said.

Tragedy: Sweeping gun control laws were introduced after after Martin Bryant massacred 35 people with semi-automatic weapons at Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has said that the Adler ban is permanent, but he is coming under increasing pressure to allow the gun to be imported.

Tough gun control laws were introduced after Martin Bryant massacred 35 people with semi-automatic weapons at Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996.

Within a year, gun licences had been tightened, a weapons buy-back was enacted and an amnesty was launched for anyone holding illegal arms.

The moves took more than 600,000 guns out of action.

There has not been another mass-shooting in Australia since the laws were passed.
She was au naturel and clad in her workout gear as she paid the nail salon a visit earlier in the day.

And Lucy Mecklenburgh well and truly transformed as she stepped out for the Faberge - Say Yes In Colour launch party in London on Thursday night.

The fitness guru, 25, oozed glamour in a printed dress and matching coat while making a statement with her clutch, as she arrived at the bash supported by Williams Chase Gin.

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Stylish: Lucy Mecklenburgh, 25, made a glamorous statement as she stepped out for the Faberge - Say Yes In Colour launch party in London on Thursday night

The boutique owner proved her sartorial chops with the thigh-skimming garment which boasted lines of printed arrows.

Hues of gold, red, and blue ran supreme on the stylish number which boasted a plunging neckline - teasing her perky front.

In true fashionista form, she expertly balanced the chic matching coat on her shoulders while gripping onto her blush pink clutch which read: 'On The Run'.

Already a statuesque head-turner, she boosted her presence with towering open toe gold heels which flaunted her dark pedicure.

Trendsetter: The fitness guru oozed sophisticated glamour in a printed dress and matching coat while making a statement with her clutch

Fashionista: The boutique owner proved her sartorial chops with the thigh-skimming garment which boasted lines of printed arrows

And never letting any element of glamour go, she worked her stylish brunette bob which was styled in curls against her make-up clad pretty face.

Meanwhile, Lucy was joined by Made in Chelsea's Nicola Hughes and Tiffany Watson.

Nicola looked sexy in a satin bronze slip dress, while her blonde counterpart flashed her perky assets in a see-through floral blouse.

Details: Hues of gold, red, and blue ran supreme on the garment which boasted a plunging neckline - teasing her perky front

Statement style: In true fashionista form, she expertly balanced the chic matching coat on her shoulders while gripping on to her blush pink clutch which read: 'On The Run'

Standing tall: Already a statuesque head-turner, she boosted her presence with towering open toe gold heels which flaunted her dark pedicure

Sizzler: Never letting any element of glamour go, she worked her stylish brunette bob which was styled in curls against her make-up clad pretty face

Meanwhile while Lucy is a lover of heavy-duty glam, she tends to keep it stripped down during the day.

She was in her workout gear earlier on so sensibly left her make-up bag at home as she headed out in Brentwood, Essex.

Looking naturally beautiful, she headed to a nail salon to make sure her hands were in tip-top shape.

Working her angles: Lucy dazzled as she posed for snaps in her colourful ensemble

Put a ring on it! Lucy and Natalie Rushdie showed off her jewels for the camera

Glam guests: Lucy was joined by Made in Chelsea's Nicola Hughes whop wowed in a bronzed satin slip dress and Tiffany Watson who flashed her bra under a sheer top

Game of style: Game of Thrones' Laura Pradelska was another famous face to show up on the evening

Back in black: As was Pips Taylor, who looked chic in a retro-inspired jumpsuit

Lucy showed off her slim figure in cropped leggings which she teamed with a Nineties inspired Ellesse fitness sweatshirt.

She carried a leather bag on her shoulder as she completed her look with a pair of black trainers.

Meanwhile, Lucy, who split from Louis Smith earlier this year, is said to have cleared the air with her ex.

Bare-faced: Lucy showed off her natural beauty when she headed to the nail salon in Brentwood, Essex without a scrap of make-up on earlier on in the day

Talon-ted: Looking naturally beautiful, she headed to a nail salon to make sure her hands were in tip-top shape

Arm candy: She carried a leather bag on her shoulder as she completed her look with a pair of black trainers

According to The Sun they are on speaking terms, eight months after they ended their relationship.

Olympic athlete Louis, who had been with Lucy since 2014, revealed that they had finally put their past behind them and had now moved on as friends.

He said: 'I messaged Lucy the other day, it's nice to be like this  to be friends and be civil.

Loving the look: She chose a dark shade for her perfect manicure on the day

'Ultimately when you're in a relationship and you break up it's never an easy time.'

Meanwhile, Louis caused outrage earlier this month when a video emerged of him drunkenly pretending to pray and shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.

And following his public apology, the Olympic gymnast has been doing his best to make amends for his actions, paying a visit to two London mosques on Tuesday in a bid to meet members of the Muslim community and learn more about the Islam faith.

Louis revealed on his official Facebook page that he had been nervous ahead of the visit, but was overwhelmed by what a positive and enlightening experience it had been.

Shady: She covered her eyes with a pair of designer shades as she made her way down the street
She attended the Australians In Film Gala in Los Angeles on Wednesday, where she was honoured with an award.

But despite the celebrations, Rebel Wilson didn't skip her workout the next morning, as the 36-year-old was spotted leaving the gym on Thursday.

Cutting a casual figure in a bright purple T-shirt and black workout tights, the Sydney-born actress kept a low profile during the outing.

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Working it out! Rebel Wilson was spotted leaving the gym following a workout in Los Angeles on Thursday - the morning after she was honoured at the Australians In Film Gala

The Pitch Perfect star sported a pair of black-and-white trainers for her session and carried a bottle of water.

With her blonde locks tied up into a ponytail, Rebel kept her eyes shielded from the sun in chic cat-eye sunglasses.

Rebel was also seen checking her Apple watch following the gym session.

No rest for the wicked: The 30-year-old had clearly been working up a sweat at the gym, despite having attended a glitzy red carpet awards show the night before

Bright star: The Bridesmaids actress attended the 5th annual Australians In Film Gala in Los Angeles on Wednesday night

Just hours before on Wednesday night, Rebel broke down in tears while collecting the inaugural Annette Kellerman Award, named in honour of the swimmer-turned-actress who was a trailblazer for Australian women in early Hollywood.

The Bridesmaids star paid tribute to her late father as she accepted the prize, and said the trophy was a testament to her hard work in the film industry.

'The last time I saw my father was at the family and friends screening of Pitch Perfect, at the same cinema I used to work,' she said.

Tearing up: The Sydney-born star broke down as she accepted her award for her pioneering role as an Australian woman in Hollywood

'He was really proud, and I know hed be proud of me now.'

For the red carpet function, Rebel wore a sequined red dress that hugged her voluptuous curves.

Opting to forego jewellery, she completed her look with a pair of pointed black pumps.

Paying tribute: The blonde beauty paid tribute to her late father, saying that he'd be 'proud' of her achievements

Her long blonde locks meanwhile, were styled in bouncy waves with a straight blunt fringe.

Another Australian star who was honoured on the night was Jai Courtney, who walked away with the Breakthrough Award.

The Suicide Squad star looked dapper on the red carpet in a black tux as he posed alongside girlfriend Mecki Dent.
They took the world by storm with their 2008 synth pop track Walking on a Dream.

And Empire of the Sun continue their rise stardom, performing at the famed L'Olympia music hall in Paris on Thursday night.

Only lead vocalist and guitarist Luke Steele was present for the spectacular show, which featured a luminous display of ultraviolet lights.

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Spectacle: Australian duo Empire of the Sun performed at the famed L'Olympia music hall in Paris on Thursday night in a spectacular luminous show

The second half of the dynamic duo, Nick Littlemore, is often absent from the stage, reportedly due to his introverted nature.

After finding popularity overseas in Europe and Asia following the 2008 release of Walking on a Dream, the duo have struggled for US exposure.

But earlier this year, eight years after its original release, the song finally gained some popularity on the American music charts, mainly thanks to its placement in a Honda TV commercial.

Flying solo: Only lead vocalist and guitarist Luke Steele was present for the show

The rising popularity of the track landed the Australian duo a gig on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where they performed to a rapturous audience.

The song gained traction in the States, debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 in January.

It later peaked at No. 65, but performed even better on the Alternative Songs chart where it reached No. 3.

'It was amazing. You never think that things like that are really going to happen,' Nick told AAP earlier this year.

Rise to stardom: The duo took the world by storm with their 2008 synth pop track Walking on a Dream

Better late than never! The the duo struggled for US exposure until their 2008 hit song finally gained some popularity on the American music charts earlier this year

He continued: 'It was a very strange feeling to be jumping in a taxi and hearing it on Hot 94 or whatever radio station it was.'

With their third album about to drop, the possibility of further success in the US has now increased thanks to Walking on a Dream's recent rise up the charts .

'Now there's an open channel for us and we actually have a voice in America which is something we'd always dreamed of but you can't chase that, it has to come to you,' Nick said.

The Australian duo are set to release their third studio album, Two Vines, next week.
Amal Clooney stepped back in time Thursday as she paid a visit to husband George on the LA set of his new movie.

The clotheshorse opted for a hippie-inspired look of Alice and Olivia flower-patterned denim flares which she paired with a tan shoulder bag with long fringes.

The British-Lebanese 38-year-old added a long-sleeved mustard sweater that was a little too short and exposed a glimpse of her belly.

Retro: Amal Clooney sported flower power denim flares and a mustard sweater as she paid a visit to husband George on the LA set of his new movie

Amal accessorized with the couple's basset hound Millie who wore a very plain in comparison collar and leash.

George, meanwhile, was dressed in his default ensemble of baggy jeans and eschewed his usual Casamigos tequila-promoting tee for a polo shirt.

The couple, who recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary, showed their affection for each other as they puckered up for a smooch as she arrived.

TLC: The 38-year-old locked lips with her famous husband as she placed a well-manicured hand on his face while he clasped her shoulder bag

Besotted: They lovingly gazed into each other's eyes through their sunglasses

On set home: The pair then retreated to George's trailer for some private time together, along with their basset hound Millie

The 55-year-old is directing Suburbicon from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ethan and Joel Coen brothers and his producing partner Grant Heslov.

It stars Julianne Moore, Matt Damon and Oscar Isaac.

The movie is set in a small town where a home invasion killing threatens to expose a bunch of dark secrets.

Get the pooch would you dear? George, 55, in baggy jeans and a polo shirt, was literally left holding the dog, who needed a helping hand to get up the trailer steps

That 70s look: Amal paired the ensemble with a funky tan shoulder bag with long fringes and platform shoes

While the couple are currently committed to being in LA for George's work, they continue to add to their property portfolio around the world.

Earlier this month, they plunked down $30 million for a four-bedroom, high-rise home in an exclusive mid-town building overlooking Central Park.

It's a stone's throw from the UN headquarters where Amal has made appearances advocating for the world's downtrodden and poor.

They also have a UK home in Sonning, Berkshire, and of course, George's villa at Italy's Lake Como as well as his sprawling mansion in the Studio City suburb of Los Angeles.

Get together: George chatted away on his cell phone as the couple strolled across the parking lot

Fully made-Up: Amal wore heavy red lipstick and large sunglasses with lashings of rouge and some earrings
She's been hitting the Sydney social circuit after emerging as the breakout star of The Bachelor.

And Keira Maguire pulled out all the stops on Thursday, leading the stylish arrivals at Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald's 40th birthday party at Cruise Bar in Sydney.

The 29-year-old put on a leggy display in a skin-tight white jumpsuit that flaunted her pert derriere and slimmed-down figure.

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White on the mark! The Bachelor's breakout star Keira Maguire, 29, put on a leggy display as she led the stylish arrivals at Fitzy's 40th birthday party at Sydney's Cruise Bar on Thursday

Keira stunned in a white jumpsuit, featuring a halterneck design and strategic cut-outs that accentuated her remarkably slim frame.

Upon turning around for the cameras, the skintight design highlighted her pert derriere and long, slender legs.

She also added a glamourous touch to her look with a pair of pointy-toed patent nude heels.

If you've got it! Upon turning for the cameras, the reality TV star offered a glimpse of her toned back and lean legs

Revealing: Keira showed off a bronzed complexion in the jumpsuit's cut-out design

Tressed to perfection: The blonde beauty styled her cropped locks styled sleek and straight

Allowing her slimmed-down figure to be the focus, Keira accessorised simply with several items of delicate gold jewellery.

Keeping her beauty look simple, she opted for a bronzed complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a coat of soft pink lipstick.

She also put on a stylish display upon arrival at the exclusive Nova FM event in a designer brown trench coat.

Letting the body do the talking: The Sydney-based star accessorised simply with a pair of pointy-toed patent nude heels and delicate gold jewellery

Beauty: Keira opted for a neutral make-up palette consisting of defined brows, lashings of mascara and a coat of soft pink lipstick over her plump pout

Finishing off the look, Keira styled her cropped blonde locks sleek and straight.

The TV star mingled with other guests, including fellow Bachelor stars Olena Khamula and Eliza St John, and Fitzy's radio co-host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli.

Make-up artist Olena, 23, looked effortlessly chic in a neutral silk body-hugging frock that featured a daring thigh split.

Effortless style: She also put on a stylish display upon arrival at the exclusive Nova FM event in a designer brown trench coat

In her stride: The avid exerciser was seen making her way up to Sydney's Cruise Bar, which features stunning views of the harbour

Picture perfect: Keira happily posed for snaps as she made her way to the rooftop bar

Sweeping her signature blonde locks behind her shoulders in loose waves, Olena enhanced her striking facial features with a neutral make-up palette.

Eliza, 31, looked fun and flirty in a two-piece blue and white ensemble, that showed off a significant amount of leg.

The event coordinator accessorised simply with a pair of silver drop earrings and a coordinating bangle.

Good pals: Keira happily posed for photos with fellow Bachelor star Olena Khamula, 23

Content: She was then seen wrapping an AFL Sydney Swan's scarf around her neck as she cuddled up to The Bachelor's Eliza St John, 31
When it's nine people's word against yours, you're going to have a hard time proving anything in court.

Azealia Banks no longer plans to press charges against Russell Crowe over Saturday's hotel room incident.

The 28-year-old had claimed the actor had 'called me a n****r, choked me, threw me out and spat at me' during a party at his room in The Beverly Hotel.

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Dropping it: Azealia Banks has revealed she is no longer pressing charges against Russell Crowe over their hotel altercation... but she may still sue (pictured in LA on Tuesday)

But so far, all witness accounts claim the rapper was the aggressor, and was justifiably removed after threatening to slash guests with a broken wine glass.

On Thursday she revealed to Us Weekly that she is no longer pressing charges.

'Realistically, to be honest, I really dont want to. Because I just dont want this in the media,' she said.

'I want my music out. I just want to f*cking put my music out. I just want my music to shine. I dont want to be dealing with another episode, another thing, another whatever.'

So there: Another reason she isn't too worried about her latest feud with Crowe is because 'Ive got youth and beauty, and hes got beer belly and jowls' (pictured Tuesday night)

However the 212 hitmaker hinted she may still sue the Gladiator star if he does not apologise.

'[Russell] feels that he did nothing wrong, so Im just like, OK, if you want to pay a bunch of litigators and a bunch of people to apologize to me, then I guess thats what you want to do,' she told the magazine.

'You could apologize to me for free now and make this all go away.'

Banks insists clearing her name is not that important, since her reputation is 'already f*cked'.

'Even if I were proven to be telling the truth in this situation, people have built their case up against me, and honestly I dont have the care or the time to try and fight millions  like, I cant fight the whole world,' she said.

She is famed for attacking people on social media, such as Iggy Azalea, Zayn Malik, and even Sarah Palin, as well as allegedly attacking bouncers physically.

Not in the clear: However the 212 hitmaker hinted she may still sue the Gladiator star if he does not apologise

'I am tired of defending myself. You know, its just really unfortunate. People are going to think whatever they want to think about me. Yall need to think about this damn music.

Another reason she isn't too worried about her latest feud with Crowe is because 'Ive got youth and beauty, and hes got beer belly and jowls,' she claimed. 'I got music. I got music, and I got youth.'

Banks gave yet another rundown of her version of events, which she admits kicked off when she mocked a young horror filmmaker who was present.

'I dont know, maybe Russell was supposed to be in that movie,' she said.

'But then Russell turns to me, and he was like, "Hey, you havent done anything in your career, and youre so young, and you dont know what youre talking about. You dont know what youre talking about, you havent done anything in your career, blah, blah, blah".

'I was confused, Im just like, "wait, is he joking, is he serious?" But I keep it light, and Im just like, "OK, well, youre not poppin anymore. Your best days are behind you, Russell Crowe. Nobodys checking for Russell Crowe right now".

Insulted: Banks gave yet another rundown of her version of events, which she admits kicked off when she mocked a young horror filmmaker who was present

'Like, I could just see him boiling. And he was just trying to, like, figure out how he was going to get me out of here,' she recalled. 'I even started putting on my shoes at that point.'

Whatever way she exited, exit she did.

'Even if I were being erratic, you should have enough sense to have me escorted out properly, and keep your hands and your spit to yourself,' she insisted.

Earlier that day, RZA - who was the one who brought her to the party - posted a lengthy Facebook statement which corroborated Crowe's version.

'I felt a little embarrassed because she was my guest,' he wrote.

'I'm not trying to protect Russell from anything he is a man of his own Caliber.'

The Wu-Tang Clan rapper even gave his on account of the night's events as he recalled Banks insulting several of the guests while becoming loud and obnoxious.

He claims that things escalated to the point where things got physical as he wrote: 'Azealia threaten to cut a girl in the face with a glass, then actually grabs a glass and physically attacks for no logical reason. Russell blocked the attack and expelled her from the suite.

'Seeing is believing and I saw her behave as an obnoxious erratic individual and in the circles I frequent this was unprecedented.'

He claimed in the days leading up to the party, Azealia had asked him for economic help, for a record deal, for a flight to LA, for a place to stay, and finally for an invite to the party, all of which he complied with.
He's made a successful career by speaking his mind.

And Kyle Sandilands proved he's not afraid to make fun of himself during a candid conversation on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday.

The 45-year-old said he would never visit Wet 'N' Wild for fear of being shamed by fans who would surely recognise him.

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No fun for King Kyle! Kyle Sandilands joked on his radio show on Friday about not being able to go to Wet 'N' Wild due to his size and celebrity status

Telling co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson that he's 'too fat' and 'too famous' to go to such a public attraction, Kyle admitted he would be a spectacle.

The KIIS FM star claimed fans would shout insults like, 'Here comes the whale!' and would film him on their mobile phones.

Jackie, 41, speculated that Kyle wasn't happy with his body, and suggested he buy his own water park so he can enjoy the fun in private.

Feeling shy? The 45-year-old told listeners on-air that he thinks he's 'too fat' and 'too famous' to attend the public water park. Pictured in Ibiza in August 2015

'You need to have your own water park at home!' she said.

Kyle, who is known to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, responded: 'I nearly bought one from northern Queensland.'

The media personality has been seen without his shirt in public before, albeit very rarely.

Fun in the sun: Last year in August, the radio shock jock wasn't shy about stripping off as he enjoyed a swim in the ocean

In July 2015, he was seen enjoying a swim off a luxury boat in Ibiza, Spain during a holiday with girlfriend Imogen Anthony and friends.

Showing off his figure in a pair of black shorts, Kyle was seen zooming around the water on a motorised floating device.

A month later, Kyle stripped off once again, this time live on national TV during an appearance on The Morning Show.

Baring all: Kyle previously took his shirt off during a live TV segment on The Morning Show, putting his rounded figure on display

Joking that host Larry Emdur wasn't 'a real man,' Kyle stood up in the studio and proceeded to take his shirt off.

'This is an Australian man,' he declared.

Rubbing his belly while taking a dig at Larry, who had just appeared on the cover of Men's Health, Kyle said: 'You're not even a real man.'

Putting all jokes aside, Kyle did admit he'd become aware of his need to lose weight.

'I think I am going to have to do something about the weight,' he said.

'I am a mess and would like to live a bit longer,' he added, before stating he will be having 'an operation in December'.

Keeping it real: The Sydneysider told host Larry Emdur that 'this is an Australian man'

Overhaul: Kyle has previously opened up about his weight struggles and acknowledged he needed to 'do something' about his lifestyle

More recently, he was seen chowing down on breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages and a chocolate milkshake.

While waiting for his meal, the shock jock was seen talking on his phone as he rolled a cigarette.

Kyle has previously been vocal about his desire to improve his lifestyle, admitting on-air earlier this year he tipped the scales at 138 kilograms.
She's the busty blonde TV star who has never been shy of flaunting her curves on social media.

And The Bachelor's Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris up to her usual tricks on Friday, flaunting the results of a recent weight-loss program on Instagram.

The 28-year-old drew attention to her slim waist and toned torso in a white crop top and skimpy black shorts.

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So that's her secret! The Bachelor's Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris took to Instagram on Friday to flaunt her slim waist in a busty crop top, as she spruiked the results of a recent weight-loss regime

'Post workout protein pancakes,' Kiki captioned the snap.

'I've been living off these meals for two weeks and noticing the difference already, cutting out dairy and refined sugars... my weight loss target is closer everyday!' she added.

The photo saw Kiki standing in front of a luxury kitchen in revealing activewear, looking stunning despite minimal make-up.

Racy in lace! The reality TV star took to the site just a week prior to flaunt her lean legs and ample chest in a revealing white leotard

The post comes shortly after the Sydney-based star took to Instagram in just a plunging lace leotard that left very little to the imagination.

The high-cut design highlighted her lean legs, while the daringly-low neckline drew attention to her ample chest.

'Early Mornings in this @inbetweentangerine white lace leotard,' Kiki captioned the photo shared with her 76,000 followers.

Curves ahead: Kiki has gained legions of fans since appearing on The Bachelor

Reality star BFFs: Kiki recently confirmed she is living with fellow Bachelor star Noni Janur

Kiki has gained plenty of fans since appearing on The Bachelor earlier this year.

Meanwhile, she recently confirmed she is living with her former co-star Noni Janur in Sydney.

The pair formed a close friendship on the dating show, but both failed to impress Richie Strahan.

They're here to make friends! The pair formed a close friendship on the dating show, but both failed to impress Richie Strahan
Fame game: Shailine Woodley has claimed her arrest is the only reason many know about the Dakota Access Pipeline

She hit the headlines after being arrested for protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

And now actress Shailine Woodley has claimed she is the only reason many people even know about the controversial crude oil transportation system in an essay she penned about her apprehension.

The Divergent star was arrested last week for criminal trespassing in Saint Anthony, North Dakota, and on Wednesday pleaded not guilty one count of misdemeanor criminal trespass and one of misdemeanor engaging in a riot.

She was among around 100 protesters who turned up at a construction site to protest against the pipeline, environmental concerns and unrest it will go through ancient American Indian burial sites.

Writing in Time, the 24-year-old said: 'It took me, a white non-native woman being arrested on Oct 10th in North Dakota, on Indigenous Peoples Day, to bring this cause to many peoples attention. And to the forefront of news publications around the world.

Despite Sheiline's claims, rock icon Neil Young has written a song about the protests, stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Susan Sarandon have voiced opposition and The Episcopal Church is also supporting the protest movement.

Charged: She pleaded not guilty to a count of misdemeanor criminal trespass and one of misdemeanor engaging in a riot on Wednesday

She added: 'The day I was detained, 26 others had to dress in orange as well, as they were booked into the Morton County jail. Did you hear about them?'

The Secret Life Of The American Teenager actress is hoping her arrest could have a positive impact however, saying: 'Simply feeding off the hype of a celebritys arrest aint going to save the world. But, standing together will.'

She has been supporting Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which claims the $3.8 billion pipeline will destroy their land and affect their water supply.

Shailine said: 'I was in North Dakota, standing side by side with Native Americans.You know, those who were here before us.Well, guess what, America? Theyre still here. And they are still fighting the good fight. A fight that serves each and every one of us.

'We are still silencing their dedication to protect us from the planetary consequences that will catastrophically bleed from our ignorance.'

Possible consequences: Divergent star Shailene Woodley could face 60 days in jail for her trespassing charges

She added: 'We are allowing Native American voices to be swallowed by the white noise of distraction. Doesnt this sadden you, America?

The Snowden starlet, who is on the board of progressive political action organization Our Revolution, also complained that her fellow Americans are appropriating the culture of the country's indigenous people.

She said: 'We wear their heritage, their sacred totems, as decoration and in fashion trends, failing to honor their culture.

'Walking around the flea market this weekend, I cant even tell you how many native references I saw being used in a way that feeds our western narrative.'

She also complained that people buy plastic teepees for their children to play in, and what she described as the romanticisation of native culture.

Under arrest: Woodley is seen being put into handcuffs at the demonstration

The project was first announced in July 2014, and in March the last of four state regulators granted a permit for the project to commence.

It will transport crude oil all the way from the Bakken oil fields in Northwest North Dakota across South Dakota and Iowa, and end in south-central Illinois.

Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney defended police activity on the site following the arrests

He said: 'We don't know what's in that crowd. They are not peaceful and prayerful. It's unlawful - that's what's happening here. The courts have spoken and the rule of law governs our land.

'People with an ideology and agenda not from here are bringing it here. What started as a North Dakota issue has gone well beyond that.

'They were intentionally violating the law, a peaceful protest is getting word out. Today was very tense - it was a tense and dangerous situation.'
Leonardo DiCaprio's new environmentalist documentary Before The Flood will start a limited theatrical release on Friday ahead of its October 30th television release.

On Thursday, National Geographic heralded the film's arrival with a screening at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Among the claque of show business and political figures parading down the yellow carpet was Shailene Woodley, who showcased her pencil thin legs in a pair of seemingly airtight dark jeans.

Belle of the ball: On Thursday, Shailene Woodley swung by National Geographic's screening of the documentary Before The Flood, which will begin a limited theatrical release on Friday

The trousers sank into a pair of black boots, and her tucked-in sea green top featured a slender V-neck that fell nearly to her midriff.

Keeping her look casual for the event, she'd flung a denim jacket over the entire ensemble and pulled her hair messily into a bun.

Meanwhile, the Titanic star, who'd served as star and executive producer of the climate change film, wore a perfectly fitted charcoal suit and a tie with diagonal navy and silver stripes.

Swanky locale: The screening was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City

The man of the hour: Leonardo DiCaprio not only starred in the film but served as executive producer

His hair was slicked back severely for the event, revealing its receding line as he shook hands with Secretary Of State John Kerry, who also appears in the film.

The 72-year-old had donned a navy suit and paired it with a gleaming light blue tie, affixing an American flag pin to his lapel.

Though they'd smiled during their handshake, they pulled their best solemn faces when they stood for photos flanked by outgoing United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Before The Flood's director Fisher Stevens.

Chumming about: The Titanic star (right) seemed gleeful when he shook hands with Secretary Of State John Kerry (left)

Co-stars: The 72-year-old also appears in the documentary

Pulling their solemn faces: America's top diplomat (second from left) and the Catch Me If You Can actor (second from right) stood for photographs with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (left) and Before The Flood's director Fisher Stevens (right)

The filmmaker's burgundy tie clashed elegantly against his baby blue dress shirt and black suit.

The UN top brass, who's also a star of the film and who'll relinquish his title to erstwhile Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres in January, wore a salmon tie and pinstriped black suit.

A cavalcade of actors and actresses included a besuited Mark Ruffalo, who'd slicked his hair up and left a couple of shirt buttons open to hint at a slim necklace.

Bridget Moynahan's thin black blouse was streaked with white lightning bolts and sported a neckline that stopped just short of revealing some cleavage.

Spot the checks: Mark Ruffalo left a couple of buttons open to hint at hi slim necklace

Her high-waisted black trousers emphasised her vertiginous legs, and she matched them with black ankle-strap stilettos.

Having slicked her hair back, she accessorised with a charcoal clutch and a black blazer pulled over the top.

Mamie Gummer had tied a sash about her jumpsuit to highlight her tiny waist. A greenish-grey leafy pattern was spattered over the fabric's black field.

Blonde bombshell: Mamie Gummer's jumpsuit featured a greenish-grey leafy pattern over a black field

White splotches dotted her sheer black sleeves, and she complemented her platinum blonde hair with an almost imperceptible gold necklace.

Edward Norton had perched a grey pageboy cap onto his head as a stylish corollary to the grey checked blazer he wore over a slightly unbuttoned white dress shirt.

Black slacks and black trainers rounded out the 47-year-old's aesthetic as he posed beside his wife of four years, Shauna Robertson.

Dapper Dan: Josh Charles cut a dashing figure in a black suit with a tie almost the exact shade of Kerry's

The producer's finely wavy red hair cascaded over a tight black dress that accented her pencil thin figure. Netted black stockings spilled into black boots, and an elaborate orange pattern fringed the black scarf she held against her black purse.

Josh Charles struck a dashing figure in a black suit he wore with a tie the exact shade of Mr Teresa Heinz'. His walnut-coloured shoes gleamed in the light.

Russell Simmons had opted for the relaxed end of the wardrobe spectrum, popping his usual Yankees cap on his head and a blue jumper over a green, blue and yellow checked shirt.

Black and white trainers and grey trousers rounded out the look, and a pendant dangling from his neck bore the Om symbol on a medallion.

Electrifying: Bridget Moynihan's black blouse was streaked with white lightning bolts

Next to him stood Australian model Genevieve Barker, who let a bit of her lacy black bra peek from the sloping neckline of her tight grey top.

High-waisted jeans highlighted her vertiginous legs, an effect amplified by her knee-high stiletto boots, and she'd slung a black blazer over the whole affair.

The 27-year-old has served as the 59-year-old's arm candy at multiple red carpet events, most recently this Wednesday at Keep A Child Alive's 13 annual Black Ball, which had been thrown at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

Woodley's had rather a politically-charged month, pleading not guilty to criminal trespassing and engaging in a riot after getting arrested last week whilst protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

A slight hint: Genevieve Barker (left) let a bit of her bra show as she posed next to Russell Simmons (right)

When you got it: Knee-high stiletto boots and tight jeans amplified the vertiginous look of her legs

On Friday, TIME published a lachrymose essay she wrote about the event, in which she tried to broaden the scope of her publicity to include the Native Americans she felt 'we fail to notice' and 'fail to acknowledge.'

Amid a list of injustices she described as being perpetrated against Native Americans, she included: 'Treaties are broken. Land is stolen. Dams are built. Reservations are flooded. People are displaced.'

As she noted: 'The day I was detained, 26 others had to dress in orange as well, as they were booked into the Morton County jail. Did you hear about them?'

The 24-year-old argued that 'it took me, a white non-native woman being arrested on Oct 10th in North Dakota, on Indigenous People's Day, to bring this cause to many peoples attention. And to the forefront of news publications around the world.'

Cute couple: Edward Norton (right) posed alongside his wife of four years Shauna Robertson (left)
Sarah Paulson stopped the presses on Thursday while attending the premiere of The Front Page in New York City.

The 41-year-old actress donned a black sweater with thick collar and a silky black skirt with sheer lacy trim for the opening night of the Broadway revival.

She completed her ensemble with black ankle boots and covered up with a long grey checkered coat.

Broadway revival: Sarah Paulson stole the show on Thursday at the opening night performance of The Front Page in New York City

The American Horror Story star accessorised with dangling earrings and had her short blonde hair up.

Sarah was supporting her partner Holland Taylor, 73, who also has a featured role in The Front Page.

David Schwimmer, 49, also attended the opening of the Broadway comedy about tabloid reporters and looked dapper in a grey suit with a blue dress shirt sans tie.

He was accompanied by his 31-year-old wife Zoe Buckman.

Lady in black: The American Horror Story star wore an all-black outfit under a grey coat

Zoe rocked a sheer black long-sleeved blouse, black tuxedo-style pants and black heels.

Matthew Broderick, 54, also attended the opening and looked sharp in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie.

Soap star Susan Lucci, 69, belied her age in a short black layered skirt with low-cut sleeveless top.

Husband and wife: David Schwimmer attended the show with wife Zoe Buckman

Eyes only: The couple had eyes only for each other at the official premiere

Theater fan: Matthew Broderick also attended opening night at The Broadhurst Theatre

Mad Men star Jon Hamm, 45, also attended the opening night at The Broadhurst Theatre.

Other attendees included Al Roker, Jason Sudeikis and Phil Donahue with Marlo Thomas.

The Front Page was written by former reporter and prolific Hollywood writer Ben Hecht and former Chicago reporter Charles MacArthur.

Soap star: Susan Lucci rocked a short layered skirt for the play

Showing support: Jon Hamm supported his former Mad Men co-star John Slattery who stars in The Front Page

It premiered on August 14, 1928 at the Times Square Theater in New York City.

The show was restaged three times previously on Broadway.

The latest revival stars Nathan Lane as Walter Burns, John Slattery as Hildy Johnson and John Goodman as Sheriff Hartman.

Show time: Al Roker and Jason Sudeikis also caught opening night

Cute couple: Phil Donahue, 80, and wife Marlo Thomas, 78, caught the show together
Kate Bosworth looked stunning as she attended the Hugo Boss Prize event in New York City on Thursday evening.

The actress and model mesmerized in a beautiful monochrome dress.

The gorgeous detailing of the dress featured little mesh cutouts all over and fell just below the knee.

Beauty: Kate Bosworth looked stunning as she attended the Hugo Boss Prize event in New York City on Thursday evening

She added a pair of black strappy sandals to her look as well as a chic black clutch.

Her dark blonde tresses were sleekly tied into a side part and bun.

The 33-year-old actress went for a smouldering dark rouge colour lipstick and minimal eye make-up as she posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Knockout: The actress and model mesmerized in a beautiful monochrome dress

Simply stunning: The gorgeous detailing of the dress featured little mesh cutouts all over and fell just below the knee

Noticeably absent was her husband Michael Polish, the pair have been married since 2013.

Model Toni Garrn looked lovely in a floaty black dress. The model let her dark blonde locks cascade to one side as she opted for minimal jewelry.

Accessories: She added a pair of black strappy sandals to her look as well as a chic black clutch

Also in attendance was actor and film producer Zachary Quinto who looked dapper in a dark suit with a polo neck sweater underneath.

The raven haired actor swept his locks to one side as he smiled and posed for photos on the carpet.

Model figure: Model Toni Garrn looked lovely in a floaty black dress

Au naturel: Toni showed off her flawless skin as she opted to wear very little make-up

Sean Penn's daughter Dylan Penn looked lovely in a similar number to Bosworth.

The young starlet wore a black and white dress with mesh sleeves and a fitted waist.

She also tied her hair back and off her face as she showed off her flawlessly applied make-up.

The blonde beauty accessorized with black sandals and a black clutch.

Suave: Also in attendance was actor and film producer Zachary Quinto who looked dapper in a dark suit with a polo neck sweater underneath

Poser: The raven haired actor swept his locks to one side as he smiled and posed for photos on the carpet

Meanwhile, Bosworth clearly took time out of her busy schedule to attend the event.

The blonde beauty has two upcoming projects, a mini series and a film.

SS-GB is the TV mini series she will be a part of, which has been described as an action, drama.

Lovely: Dylan Penn looked lovely in a black and white dress with mesh sleeves and a fitted waist

A British homicide detective investigates a murder in German-occupied England during World War II.

Her movie The Domestics has been described as a thriller and a survival love story.

A young husband and wife must fight to return home in a post-apocalyptic mid-western landscape ravaged by gangs.
Her character, CIA agent Carrie Mathison, has spent five seasons battling enemies of the United States in Showtime's Homeland.

But that doesn't mean Claire Danes can't look chic while she does it, which she demonstrated on set for the popular show on Thursday.

The 37-year-old donned a black and grey slate top and bundled up with a heavy black coat with knit collar for the shoot.

Keeping a low profile? Claire Danes, 37, donned a black and grey slate top and bundled up with a heavy black coat with knit collar for a Homeland shoot on Thursday

Black fitted trousers revealed the Stardust star's lithe limbs.

A pair of black leather high-heeled booties and moderately sized black purse rounded out the low-key ensemble.

Her distinctive blonde tresses were parted on the right, and featured a straight cut just beyond the shoulders.

Stylish: Black fitted trousers revealed the Stardust star's lithe limbs

Hair-cut: Her distinctive blonde tresses were parted on the right, and featured a straight cut just beyond the shoulders

Almost monochrome: A pair of black leather high-heeled booties and moderately sized black purse rounded out the low-key ensemble

Other than some light rose lipstick, she appeared to be sporting very natural make-up.

Though she's no doubt happy to be reprising her role once again, Claire spent most of the shoot looking quite anxious.

She also looked quite pained when a 'police officer' in full SWAT paraphernalia had to hold her back from an event off-screen.

Quite fresh-faced: Other than some light rose lipstick, she appeared to be sporting very natural make-up

The next series of Homeland is set to focus on the counter-terrorism efforts in New York nearly two decades after 9/11.

Set in the interval between the presidential election and inauguration, the series will centre around president-elect Elizabeth Keane, who has to deal with threats from home and away.

Claire's character Carrie will be also be drawn back into the counter-intelligence realm in the series set to hit TV screens in January.
She just wrapped up a successful business trip in Poland.

And Eva Longoria looked happy to be home on Thursday as she touched down at the Los Angeles International airport.

The 41-year-old opted to go makeup free for her flight as she wore comfortable workout clothes.

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Bye Poland, hello LA! Eva Longoria looked happy to be home on Thursday as she touched down at the Los Angeles International airport

The gorgeous actress turned producer and director wore a camisole and black leggings teamed with comfortable trainers.

The Desperate Housewives actress was in Poland to present her exclusive clothing line for The Limited at the Posnania Mall in Poznan.

Her collection 'From Work to Wine' is designed to be something women can wear to work, but also feel comfortable going out in.

Groovy: The 41-year-old opted to go makeup free for her flight as she wore comfortable workout clothes

The actress and producer took to Instagram to give her followers a behind-the-scenes look at her preparation process.

'Poland you ain't ready for this! Team Eva in their matching Eva Longoria Collection bombers,' she wrote, as she, along with her beauty team, playfully danced along.

On Wednesday, Deadline reported that Eva is teaming up again with the creators of her NBC show, Telenovela.

The gorgeous actress turned producer and director wore a camisole and black leggings teamed with comfortable trainers

The threesome have switched over to ABC for their new family comedy, 940 Saturdays, which is the number of the weekend day between a child's birth until he/she is 18.
Sarah Hyland was a scene-stealer on Thursday when she swung by Bel Air to be honoured alongside Beth Behrs at the ASPCA (American Society For Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals) Los Angeles Benefit.

Though her orange-gold dress, made from what appeared to be velvet, was striking enough, she stole the show with her largest accessory.

Stood on the red carpet, the Modern Family star cradled Marnie The Dog, whose owner Shirley Braha made an Instagram sensation out of her in 2014.

Buddies: Sarah Hyland swung by ASPCA's Los Angeles Benefit in Bel Air on Thursday and posed with the Instagram sensation Marnie The Dog

The 25-year-old had bundled her hair over her head into a high messy bun, and had spread on an eye-popping bright red shade of lipstick.

Multiple rings glinted on her fingers as she held the 14-year-old Shih Tzu, and she completed her ensemble with Prussian blue stilettos.

The Manhattan native, who was being garlanded with the ASPCA Voice For Animals Award, posed alongside Nina Dobrev, whose strapless dress was cut just low enough to betray a faint trace of cleavage.

Guest of honour: The 25-year-old was being garlanded that evening with the ASPCA Voice For Animals Award

A strip at the top of her dress featured gleaming blue eye shapes over a black field. Below it, baby blue frills flowed into an otherwise entirely baby blue pleated dress that stopped above the knee, flashing the 27-year-old's pencil thin stems.

Meanwhile, the 2 Broke Girls star got to enjoy a moment of her own with Marnie as well. Her cream blazer featured a stylish black section of its collar, right up to the peak lapel.

Black trousers stopped above the ankles, allowing her to give a full view of her elegant ankle-strap high heels. As Marnie extended her tongue, the 30-year-old mugged for the camera by sticking out hers as well.

Fellow TV stars: The Modern Family star (right) posed alongside Nina Dobrev of The Vampire Diaries fame

When you got it: The 27-year-old betrayed the faintest hint of cleavage and showcased her pencil thin legs

As stars trotted across the orange carpet, Behrs - recipient of the ASPCA Compassion Award - also posed alongside her 2 Broke Girls colleague Jennifer Coolidge, who'd affixed a resolute pout to her face.

Wavy dirty blonde curls bounced about across her shoulders, and a section of netting covered what would otherwise have been a bit of bare decolletage.

Her tight black dress stopped at the knee, and she matched it with a jacket the sleeves of which stopped at the elbow.

The other guest of honour: Beth Behrs was gifted the ASPCA Compassion Award on Thursday

Matching: The 2 Broke Girls star mugged for the camera by extending her tongue right as the 14-year-old Shih Tzu did the same

The 55-year-old clashed against her outfit's overall theme by way of a gleaming gold-coloured purse and a pair of glimmering silver strapped shoes.

Greer Grammer let her wavy blonde hair fall free over a casual nude sleeveless jumpsuit with short bottoms cut off at mid-thigh.

A matching nude strap cinched about the 24-year-old's minute waist. Showing off her toned legs, Kelsey Grammer's daughter heightened their precipitous look by way of chestnut stilettos.

Colleagues reunited: The 30-year-old (right) stood for photos alongside her 2 Broke Girls co-star Jennifer Coolidge (left)

Artful contrast: The 55-year-old clashed a gleaming gold-coloured purse against her black knee-length dress

Harley Quinn Smith's burgundy dress looked rather like a nightie, complete with a bit of lace fringe at the neckline and hem, which rested just above the knee.

Inside the event, which according to The Hollywood Reporter had booked a private residence as its venue, Sophia Simmons emphasised her curves in a beige dress.

A small tear in its side revealed a bit of midriff, and the gown fell off one shoulder. A black checked clutch clashed against the and matched her black shoes.

Keeping it casual: Greer Grammer, daughter of Kelsey, had donned a nude sleevless jumpsuit with short bottoms cut off mid-thigh

Ready to kip: Harley Quinn Smith's burgundy dress looked rather like a nightie
They often flaunt their relationship on social media, by sharing loved-up snaps on their respective accounts.

But on Tuesday, Natalie Roser, 25, and her fiance Dan Adair looked to be having a rather tense conversation on a Sydney beach, just days ahead of their now postponed wedding day.

A representative for Natalie and Dan denied any issues in the couple's relationship, and confirmed that their nuptials have been put on hold while they look for a suitable reception venue.

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Trouble in paradise? When spotted in Sydney on Tuesday, Natalie Roser and fiance Dan Adair looked to be having a rather tense conversation

The rep told Daily Mail Australia on Friday: 'Their wedding's been moved not due to a third person in the relationship problem.'

'It was moved because the reception [venue] ended up closing down and they haven't yet found a replacement place to have the reception at.

'That's the only reason why it's been moved. There is no third person and there is nothing wrong with their relationship.'

Claims: An onlooker told Daily Mail Australia that the pair shared a heated exchange, with the 25-year-old model accusing her beau of 'hitting on a girl via text', ahead of their wedding initially schedule to take place on Saturday October 22

Denial: A representative for Natalie told Daily Mail Australia on Friday: 'Their wedding's been moved not due to a third person in the relationship problem'

Serious: Natalie struggled to crack a smile as she walked along the sand

Shady lady: The blonde beauty shielded her eyes with a pair of dark sunglasses

The comments come after an onlooker told Daily Mail Australia that the pair appeared to share a heated exchange ahead of their wedding, initially scheduled to take place on Saturday October 22.

While on the beach, Natalie struggled to crack a smile, shielding her eyes with dark sunglasses as she walked across the sand.

Right next to her was Dan, who is Jesinta Campbell's personal trainer, who was seen using bold hand gestures to get his point across.

Soaking up the sun: Later the couple were seen in their swimwear as they sat on the sand

Casual look: Natalie wore a printed T-shirt teamed with a mini black skirt

Leggy lady: Finishing well above the knees, Natalie's skirt revealed her trim pins

Keeping it casual: Dan was seen wearing a grey coloured T-shirt that revealed his defined biceps

Mix and match: He teamed his T-shirt with a pair of shorts

Natalie was seen wearing a printed white T-shirt and a mini black skirt, which finished well above the knees and showed off her trim pins.

A black bag was slung over her left shoulder, and she clutched onto a towel and a pair of thongs.

Meanwhile Dan showed off his personal trainer physique, sporting a grey T-shirt that clearly revealed his defined biceps.

Accessories: Dan sported a dark cap on his head

On the phone: Natalie was seen chatting away on her mobile phone

Relaxing: While Natalie chatted on her phone, Dan appeared to be observing his surroundings

Pastel perfect: Natalie sported a green bikini top teamed with a pair of purple coloured bottoms

He teamed his top with a pair of shorts, and topped off his look with a Adidas branded black cap.

Natalie revealed last year she would be walking down the aisle on October 22 this year to marry 'the most loving partner and all around best person'.

Dan popped the question in July 2015 during a holiday on Coco Plum Beach in Florida.

Set to wed: Natalie revealed last year she would be walking down the aisle on October 22 this year to marry 'the most loving partner and all around best person' - the wedding has since been postponed

Engaged: Dan popped the question in July 2015 during a holiday on Coco Plum Beach in Florida
As host of Jo & Lehmo on Gold FM, she's used to getting frank with her listeners.

But on Friday, Joanne McFarlane, better known as Jo Stanley, took it up a notch by revealing details of a steamy hook-up she once had with Rove McManus, 42.

'I had a very brief, one-night interlude...with Rove McManus,' the 44-year-old said live on-air on Friday.

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'I had a very brief, one-night interlude...with Rove McManus': Jo Stanley (pictured) 44, revealed live on GOLD FM on Friday, that she hooked up with the comedian back in the nineties

Jo revealed to her co-host Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann, that the tryst occurred back in their days as stand-up comics.

'It was before he was on telly and we were all doing stand-up, back in the heyday.

'When your only worries were if you'd get a laugh that night...and who you might spend the rest of the evening with,' she continued.

Details: Jo revealed to her co-host Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann, that her tryst with Rove McManus (pictured) 42, occurred back in their days as stand-up comics

The actor and writer went on to describe the awkwardness the following day.

'I felt like [it] would be the polite thing to do to exchange numbers, because that's what you do right?' Jo said.

'So I've gone, 'do you wanna exchange numbers?' and he [Rove] says, 'Oh, nup.'

Jo described her relief after the intimate act.

'I was like 'oh, thank god,' she admitted.

Jo is now a mother and married to Darren McFarlane, while Rove is happily married to Tasma Walton, with the couple sharing a young daughter Ruby.

Current love: Jo is now a mother and married to Darren McFarlane (pictured)
She's the Australian actress who is known for her youthful appearance.

And Isla Fisher, 40, looked younger than ever as she arrived at ABC studios in Los Angeles for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday.

The raven-haired beauty put on a very leggy display in a form-fitting number which sat above the knee.

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Thigh's the limit! Isla Fisher put on a very leggy display in a form-fitting number as she arrived at ABC studios in Los Angeles for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday

The former Home and Away star paired the flattering dress with a pair of pitch black high heels, further accentuating her flawless pins.

The chic number was cinched in at the waist to show off her slender physique.

Isla parted her long red tresses at the middle, leaving them to fall into soft curls which cascaded over her slender shoulders.

Flaunting it: The chic number was cinched in at the waist to show off Isla's slender physique

The stylish actress beamed as she was greeted by fans, waving as she flashed a smile for the camera.

Taking to Instagram after her appearance on the hit show, the former soap star showcased her trademark sense of humour.

'I just did Jimmy Kimmel... not literally,' she wrote alongside a photo she shared with her 133,000 followers.

Flawless: Isla parted her long red tresses at the middle, leaving them to fall into soft curls which cascaded over her shoulders

It's been a busy year for the mother-of-three, who recently finished work on two new movies, Nocturnal Animals and Keeping Up With The Joneses.

Nocturnal Animals tells the story of an art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.

While the latter revolves around a suburban couple who become embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly perfect new neighbors are government spies.

Stunner: The stylish actress beamed as she was greeted by fans, waving as she flashed a smile for the camera

Isla is married to English funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen.

The pair first met in 2002 at a party in Sydney and got engaged two years later, before marrying in 2010 in Paris.

The pair appeared on-screen together for the first time in Sacha's latest comedy, Grimsby.

'I just did Jimmy Kimmel... not literally': The mother-of-three took to Instagram after her appearance on the hit show, showcasing her trademark sense of humour
She's no stranger to having all eyes on her as a jet-setting catwalk queen.

But Poppy Delevingne made sure she certainly commanded attention as she hosted a dinner party at West Hollywood's Chateau Marmont on Thursday night to celebrate fellow model Karen Elson as the newest Jo Malone London Girl.

The British beauty, 30 - who was appointed as the brand's official ambassador last year - put on an eye-popping display as she flashed her cleavage in a plunging LBD by Jonathan Saunders for DVF.

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Taking the plunge: Poppy Delevingne made sure she commanded attention as she hosted a dinner party at West Hollywood's Chateau Marmont on Thursday night

Poppy - the sister of supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne - showcased her incredibly slim frame in the little black number, which was belted at the waist.

The hem of the dress grazed the top of her thighs and featured a stylish 90s-style choker, while her towering platform black strappy heels served to accentuate her long legs.

Poppy's platinum blonde hair was styled loose with a centre parting and she accessorized with large gold hoop earrings.

The model completed her dazzling look with low-key make-up to accentuate her striking features.

Hostess with the mostess: Poppy was hosting the event to celebrate fellow model Karen Elson as the newest Jo Malone London Girl

Wow factor: The British beauty, 30 - who was appointed as the brand's official ambassador last year - put on an eye-popping display as she flashed her cleavage in a plunging LBD

The hostess with the mostest welcomed a selection of her British model pals to the promotional event, where dinner was served by candlelight.

Woman of the moment Karen, 37, wore a wraparound scarlet red velvet dress tied at the waist with a long sash and long sleeves.

The beautiful redhead wore her hair up and coloured her cupid bow lips with dark red lipstick.

Coordinated: Redhead Karen, 37, wore a wraparound dark red velvet dress tied at the waist with a long sash and long sleeves

Edgy: Mary Chrteris, 29, opted for a mini dress that featured orange and yellows flowers on a blue background and she added a faded leather jacket and Doc Martens along with pink hair

Lady Mary Charteris, 29, opted for an edgy look, dying strands of her blonde hair pink and wearing a busily-patterned frock.

The mini dress featured orange and yellows flowers on a blue background and she added a faded leather jacket and Doc Martens.

Liberty Ross, 38, bucked the trend by showing up in wet look black trousers and a bodice with a matching jacket.

The brunette, who married record label multi-millionaire Jimmy Iovine earlier this year after divorcing director Rupert Sanders, chose stylish black stilettos and carried a purse on a long chain.

Liberty Ross, 38, bucked the trend by showing up in wet look black pants and bodice with matching jacket.

Getting to know you: The brunette, who married Jimmy Iovone after divorcing director Rupert Sanders, posed with Liz Goldwyn

Monochromatic: Liz, 39, wore a semi-sheer black and gray striped dress that revealed her black underwear and featured a v-neck and puff sleeves

Also on the guest list was Liz Goldwyn, 39, who wore a semi-sheer black and gray striped dress that revealed her black underwear.

Liz added a touch of color by wearing her hair back from her face and setting a bright yellow bow jauntily on one side.

Dita Von Teese, 44, looked elegant as always in a mid-calf black dress with white flowers on green stems with green leaves running from top to toe.

The long-sleeved frock had a round neck and she paired with red lip color and drop earrings.

Also attending the event were Rain Phoenix, Jessica Joffe, Olivia Corwin, Fuschia Sumner and Chloe and Marie-Lou Bartoli.

Mixer: Liz was one of the belles of the ball and cozied up to Dita Von Teese, left, and Karen, right

Style queen: Dita, 44, was a picture of elegance as always in a black dress with a bold design of white flowers with green stems and leaves running from top to bottom

Funky: Jessica Joffe paired a v-neck smock dress with black ankle boots for a boho look

Black and white: Sting's daughter Fuschia Sumner, 34, paired a white dress with leopard print pumps, while Olivia Corwin wore over-the-knee boots with cut-out top and mini skirt

Low-key: Rain Phoenix, 43,kept it casual in a white blouse and black slacks with white sneakers with colorful stripes
Daisy Ridley opted for classic black on Thursday for a screening of The Eagle Huntress in New York City.

The 24-year-old English actress narrates the documentary that follows Aisholpan, 13, as she trains to become the first female in 12 generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter.

Daisy covered up in a long-sleeved black dress with a high collar that draped below her knees for the screening at Landmark Sunshine Cinema.

Documentary screening: Daisy Ridley attended a screening of The Eagle Huntress on Thursday in New York City

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens star completed her outfit with open-toed black heels.

Daisy had her dark brown hair up and accessorised with Noor Fares jewelry including dangling earrings with coloured stones and diamonds, sparkling Noor Fares ear studs and a rhombus ring with diamonds.

She let her natural beaut shine with just a hint of makeup.

Daisy also is an executive producer of the documentary directed by Otto Bell.

Double duty: The English actress narrates the documentary and also is an executive producer

Coming of age: Daisy has been promoting the documentary ahead of its limited release

She teamed up with the documentary's star Aisholpan Nurgaiv and Nurgaiv Rys at the screening hosted by Sony Pictures Classics and The Cinema Society.

The Eagle Huntress made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January and will be in limited release in the US starting on November 2.

Daisy decided to sign onto the film after seeing a clip of the documentary.

'The minute I saw it I knew I wanted to be part of it,' the actress wrote on Instagram.

Female empowerment: The actress is show with documentary's star Aisholpan Nurgaiv and Nurgaiv Rys

'I was deeply moved by Aisholpan's story and wanted to be a part of this beautiful film,' she said in a statement.

Daisy added: 'I feel audiences and young girls around the world will be as inspired by her story as I was, and I am so proud to share her journey with the world.'

Director Otto was impressed by the Star Wars actress's commitment to the film and said: 'Like so many other theatergoers around the world, I was blown away by Daisys recent portrayal of an empowered female protagonist.'

'Im thrilled shell be bringing that same energy to supporting a real-world heroine who is also on an epic journey to win victory in a far away land,' he added.
The first posthumous Prince record has been announced by the late musician's record label.

Warner Brothers Records has announced a 40-track greatest hits collection titled Prince 4Ever as well as a second album to accompany classic LP Purple Rain which will be released next year.

The announcement, made a week after a tribute concert in Prince's native Minnesota organised to offer closure after his sudden death on April 21, comes as his estate steadily moves forward on a business plan for his vast holdings.

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From the vaults; The first posthumous Prince record has been announced by the late musician's record label

Prince 4Ever will include a 12-page book of photographs, and while consisting largely of the funk maestro's best-known hits from early and mid-career, the album will also feature the unreleased 1982 track Moonbeam Levels.

Long known to fans, with Elvis Costello even covering it, Moonbeam Levels was never officially released. It would have appeared on Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic, an unfinished album Prince discarded in the late 1980s.

Potentially more exciting for fans, next year's reissue of Prince's 1984 classic Purple Rain will be accompanied by a second album of previously unreleased material.

Warner, which had agreed with Prince on remastering the Purple Rain recordings before his death, said it would announce more details including a release date later.

Big news: Warner Brothers Records has announced a 40-track greatest hits collection titled Prince 4Ever as well as a second album to accompany classic LP Purple Rain which will be released next year

Smash hit: Purple Rain has sold 22 million copies worldwide

Prince 4Ever will come out internationally on November 25 but go on sale three days earlier in the United States, a marketing move so it is available for US holiday shoppers.

Warner - which is releasing the albums with Prince's imprint NPG Records, which stands for New Power Generation - had a notoriously complicated relationship with the artist.

Prince in the early 1990s changed his name to the unpronounceable 'love symbol' and wrote 'slave' on his cheek to protest contractual terms by Warner.

Prince reconciled with Warner in 2014 but remained a critic of music labels, late in life embracing rap mogul Jay Z's Tidal streaming service as a way to put out music quickly.

Prince was found unresponsive in the elevator following an accidental painkiller overdose at his suburban Paisley Park estate in Minnesota at 9.43am EST, April 21 and was pronounced dead less than 30 minutes later.

He left no will but vaults full of unreleased material at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota.

An administrator put in charge of his estate with his siblings' blessing has said it needs to raise money just to keep up with taxes.

Earlier this month, it opened paid tours of Paisley Park, long a mythic destination for Prince fans who managed to enter
They've been inseparable for the past two weeks, hitting London's top parties together.

And according to a new report Lottie Moss and Made In Chelsea star Alex Mytton are more than just party pals.

The Sun report the 18-year-old half sister of top model Kate shared a tryst with Alex, 25, in the toilets of a top London club on Thursday, amid rumours they're enjoying a steamy new romance.

Getting close: Lottie Moss and Made In Cheslea star Alex Mytton reportedly shared a tryst in the toilets of a top London club on Thursday, amid rumours they're enjoying a romance

Model Lottie and reality star Alex were seen heading to celeb-favourite venue Tape last Thursday after the Dazed + Calvin Klein event.

While Lottie was joined by pals Chloe Green and Sofia Richie, according to The Sun, she and Alex sneaked away for some alone time in the club toilets, only to be caught by staff.

A source has told the paper: 'They were told off by Tape bosses who found them in the toilets.

Party pals: Model Lottie and reality star Alex were seen heading to celeb-favourite venue Tape last Thursday after the Dazed + Calvin Klein event

'They looked thoroughly embarrassed but are at the stage where they can't keep their hands off each other. Lottie isn't afraid to keep their romance secret anymore. They kiss publicly at Alex's DJing gigs.'

Representatives for Alex and Lottie have been contacted by MailOnline.

The pair were spotted partying together for the fifth time in two weeks as they attended PINK London 2016 - a party held for Breast Cancer Awareness month - on Tuesday.

Girls night? While Lottie was joined by pals Chloe Green and Sofia Richie, according to The Sun she and Alex sneaked away for some alone time in the club toilets

They will be separated for a while though as Alex has since jetted to Costa Rica to film new episodes of Made In Chelsea.

Lottie has immersed herself with Alex's Made In Chelsea crowd following a romance with his friend, Sam Prince.

The blonde beauty has been linked to several suitors in the past - having enjoyed lunch in June with pop star Conor Maynard, and flirted with Geordie Shore star Ricci Guarnaccio on Twitter.

Can't keep their hands off each other: A source has told the paper: 'They were told off by Tape bosses who found them in the toilets'

Her last formal relationship was with Josh Goldin, who she was last seen with in July, but hinted their romance ended acrimoniously after she posted an Instagram snap which read:

'What would you do if you got cheated on?'

Alex also has a rocky relationship history, having ended his two high-profile romances with MIC co-stars Binky Felstead and Nicola Hughes after admitting to being unfaithful.
She's a big fan of the little black dress look.

But with a figure to die for, Jessica Lowndes proved she is never afraid to push the limits of the wardrobe staple as she made the most of her enviable curves on Thursday night.

The 27-year-old actress stepped out in a skirt and body top combo to form a sleek one-colour look with an extreme neckline dropped to her waist.

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Extreme V: Jessica Lowndes showed off her fantastic figure on Thursday, as she stepped out in Hollywood wearing a black skirt and body top combo with a neckline dropped to her waist

The 90210 star showed off her slim form with a central black leather belt, which was mirrored by a black velvet choker around her neck.

An A-line flared skirt black skirt fell in waves around her toned thighs, and she finished off her evening look with a no-fuss pair of black leather boots.

The only pop of colour the brunette beauty added was a pillar box red manicure, showed off to perfection against her glossy snakeskin black clutch.

Accessories: The 90210 star showed off her slim form with a central black leather belt, which was mirrored by a black velvet choker around her neck

Nude lips and silver grey smokey eyes ensured she looked fresh faced whilst remaining natural.

After enjoying dinner with her best pal, British producer Jamie Shepherd at Craig's, the pair headed to their car.

The actress is back in California after shooting a new promotional campaign on behalf of the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

She described her Mexican trip as the 'Best. Weekend. Ever' and posted a picture as she relaxed on the white sandy beach with a furry companion.

Pals: An A-line flared skirt black skirt fell in waves around her toned thighs, and she finished off her evening look with a no-fuss pair of black leather boots

Jessica famously hit headlines earlier this year when she pranked the internet by pretending she was engaged to Saturday Night Live's Jon Lovitz, 58.

Back in March, the star repeatedly posted messages claiming she had an older 'Mr Big', who she said was her 'sugar daddy.'

She then claimed to have spent Easter with Lovitz, who revealed that he was her mystery 'lover' by sharing a selfie in a soft top car.

Later the pair revealed it was all an early April Fools' Day prank.
She celebrated her 45th birthday on Thursday.

But Dannii Minogue kept the celebrations to a minimum, sharing a photo of herself celebrating over a glass of champagne with Virgin flight crew before jetting to Adelaide for the Feast Festival.

The pop princess appeared to be focusing all of her energies into her upcoming headline appearance.

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Birthday girl! Pop princess Dannii Minogue barely took any time out to celebrate her 45th birthday on Thursday, except to share a glass of champagne with Virgin Airlines flight crew before jetting off to Adelaide

She will open the festival, now in its 20th year, with a performance at Saturday's street party event.

Despite being clearly more interested in her upcoming gig, the former X Factor judge still took time out for cake.

Dannii shared images of two cakes with her 244,000 Instagram followers throughout the week.

Beats you can eat! The former X Factor judge shared an image of an elaborate record player cake with an actual copy of her Put The Needle On It record placed under the fondant needle

One was an artistic feat, cake shaped into a record player with fondant providing the pink exterior and record needle, which rested over a copy of Dannii's Put The Needle On It record.

The other was a chocolate delight, featuring small chocolate balls and glitter to provide a Minogue twist.

The bubbly brunette was selected to headline the Adelaide festival for both her history as a performer and her work as a gay rights activist.

Disco Dannii! The bubbly brunette also shared what appeared to be a rich chocolate birthday cake, which had been dusted with disco glitter to give it a Minogue twist

'This is our 20th anniversary, and opening night is very much a '90s party with '90s music  Dannii had her first UK number one hit in 1997 with All I Wanna Do,' Feast general manager Cassandra Liebeknecht told The Advertiser last month.

'She's a supporter and advocate of the (LGBTIQ) community and anyone who can champion equality and acceptance in a larger capacity is really important for Feast.'

The festival will run from October 22 to November 6 in the city of Adelaide.
Bachelorette fans were shocked when photos emerged showing a cameraman perched intrusively in front of Georgia Love and Jake Ellis as they enjoyed a kiss.

But viewers weren't the only ones to be taken aback by the bizarre behind-the-scenes snap- former Bachelorette contestant Alex Cameron has also confessed his shock at seeing the photos.

'I saw it and it surprised me, actually,' he told Mamamia during this week's BachChat podcast.

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Not your average date experience, then? Alex Cameron has confessed his shock at seeing photos of a cameraman perched intrusively in front of Georgia Love and Jake Ellis as they enjoyed a kiss on The Bachelorette this season

Speaking of his experiences filming the show, the hunky Englishman explained: 'The camera crews are all very close when you're in the mansion, because naturally it's a bit more restrictive in that space.,'

'But when you do the one-on-one dates, they try to make it a bit more natural and give you more space to actually form a relationship.'

'[The cameras were] maybe 20 or 30 metres away, hiding in the bushes. They got the long lens out!' he said.

Not so romantic after all? 'I saw it and it surprised me, actually,' he told Mamamia during this week's BachChat podcast

'You're having an intimate moment, you're aware that they are somewhere but they weren't right in your face.'

While some of Georgia's kisses appear to have been somewhat performed for the prying camera lens, Jake has assured fans that there are also many off-screen kisses that take place during solo dates and cocktail parties.

'There's lots you don't see', he told OK! magazine this week.

'You're having an intimate moment': Alex revealed that the cameras kept their distance during his dates with Sam Frost on The Bachelorette last season

Jake also revealed that he and Georgia would check in with each other across the series to ensure their chemistry was still there.

The Queensland-native has maintained a strong position in the competition since being the lucky gent to have kissed Georgia this season.

During next week's episodes, remaining contestants Jake, Matty J and Lee will fly to Singapore ahead of the dramatic finale.

Keeping tabs: Jake also revealed that he and Georgia would check in with each other across the series to ensure their chemistry was still there
It is the scandal that rocked the reality world in recent weeks.

And Pete Wicks' betrayal of his girlfriend Megan McKenna sees no sign of calming down after his sexting partner Jacqui Ryland spoke to MailOnline about her shocking experiences since the news surfaced earlier this month.

The 30-year-old fitness fanatic revealed the tattooed hunk had been sending her saucy messages behind his girlfriend's back - leading to a furious influx of death threats from avid fans after which she begged Megan not to return to Pete.

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So sorry: Pete Wicks' betrayal of his girlfriend Megan McKenna sees no sign of calming down after his sexting partner Jacqui Ryland spoke to MailOnline about her shocking experiences since the news surfaced earlier this month

Stunning Jacqui was thrust into the spotlight when she candidly revealed Pete had reached out to her with a bevvy of extremely raunchy messages discussing their sex life from when they dated years ago - including the inner details of their romps.

The brunette beauty is adamant she took no part in the flirting, as she hammered home to the TOWIE star that he had a girlfriend before unveiling the story to The Sun in a bid to let Megan know the truth.

However, despite the well-meaning gesture on Jacqui's part, Megan's legion of loyal fans took badly to the news as they lashed out at the mother-of-three in a brutal fashion on her social media accounts.

She said: ' The Tweets were absolutely horrendous. People were telling me to go die and were bringing my kids into it. To be honest the girls who sent the messages are now liking my pictures and there's still the odd troll now and then and there's some that are Team Megan.

Painful stuff: The 30-year-old fitness fanatic revealed the tattooed hunk had been sending her saucy messages behind his girlfriend's back - leading to a furious influx of death threats from avid fans after which she begged Megan not to return to Pete

Revealing all: Stunning Jacqui was thrust into the spotlight when she candidly revealed Pete had reached out to her with a bevvy of extremely raunchy messages discussing their sex life from when they dated years ago - including the inner details of their romps

'The messages were just savage, there was one girl who kept writing: 'Sl*t, sl*t, sl*t' and she was obviously so angry because each time I was getting a different spelling of the word sl*t. My friends found it difficult to watch. I wasn't allowed to speak because of magazine deals so it was really difficult.

'So I was having stuff thrown at me but I couldn't reply and my friends were saying: "Why aren't you replying to them?" With trolls it's what they want. Ride the wave! People were telling me to die and saying I don't deserve to have kids and I should have my kids taken off me. All that stuff.'

Jacqui insists much of the story was confused, as readers did not acknowledge the longevity of their friendship which eventually culminated into Pete's sexting.

She said: 'The messages sent between me and Pete were sent through the whole year. Me and Pete had never stopped being friends it was never like we had a bad break-up and became enemies, it was never like that.

Meant well: Jacqui insists much of the story was confused, as readers did not acknowledge the longevity of their friendship which eventually culminated into Pete's sexting

'He got me a dog because he was an ambassador for Dogs Trust. His dog died and that's why I got in touch. People said you shouldn't get in touch when he has a girlfriend but it wasn't like that.'

While she was blasted for maintaining their contact, Jacqui maintains it was Pete who took this from friendship to flirtations.

She said: ' Pete made it flirtatious and I kept saying to him: "You've got a girlfriend" and that's when he said she's boring, she's this, she's that. Then Megan came out and said there were 10 other girls.

'People aren't reading the story properly. This one girl sent him a picture with Pete and Megan in the background. Why is he replying to them!? For me I only see my hate but I don't see what he's getting. But it seems it's all coming to me.'

Saddening stuff: 'People aren't reading the story properly. This one girl sent him a picture with Pete and Megan in the background. Why is he replying to them!? For me I only see my hate but I don't see what he's getting. But it seems it's all coming to me.'

Why me!? Pete has remained emotionally drained since the scandal arose

Elaborating on the flirtatious nature of the messages, she revealed Pete swiftly made their chat sexual: ' We were laughing about when we we're together about the sexual things we used to do.

'Pete was quite rough but then I'm always in the gym and I'm Muscle Mary and that scares him. He said: "I wasn't scared (during other acts)." I was like: "Well you've got a girlfriend" and he said: "Well you never know what might happen."

'The way his messages were, made their relationship look made-up. He said I missed the sex. I was so taken back. I was so surprised. He hadn't sent messages like that before so something must have changed. It was when they were in Barcelona. With one girl (the messages were) lasting three months.'

Worried: In the midst of her drama, Jacqui's main concerns have been her children, with a nine-year-old daughter and two sons aged seven and four, after she worried her little girl would find out about her woes - yet insists her daughter is her rock'

Ever since the scandal arose, Jacqui revealed she has not spoken to Pete or Megan: 'I haven't spoken to Pete - I don't think he'd dare contact me. I wouldn't want him to. He's definitely angry at me... Really angry.

'I don't deserve it. He wants to blame someone and he's not gonna blame himself but I think he should do. If I could speak to him I'd say you're an idiot. He's lost the best thing that's happened to him in Megan. A lot of what he did was an act. He does put one on for public. Hopefully this is what he needs to wake him up.

'I think everyone thought he was an absolute angel because everyone has their demons and their past but his public image is ridiculous. I'd urge her to not get back with him. She's got to do what she believes is right. She needs to move on because she's better than that.'

Saddening: Elaborating on the flirtatious nature of the messages, she revealed Pete swiftly made their chat sexual: ' We were laughing about when we we're together about the sexual things we used to do'

In the midst of her drama, Jacqui's main concerns have been her children, with a nine-year-old daughter and two sons aged seven and four, after she worried her little girl would find out about her woes - yet insists her daughter is her rock.

She said: 'She protects me through everything. If I'm upset about men she says it doesn't matter they're no good. She's like an old head on a young shoulders. I guess she's so mature. When she gets to that age I'll sit her down and talk to her about it.

'I check her phone every night, go through her Instagram, her WhatsApp, just to see what she's doing. She's actually just chatting about makeup and things girls talk about.

'People come after me but when it was happening I was thinking God I hope no one comes after (my daughter) as she is on social media. I thought imagine if they sent messages to her. I don't think they could find her on there though.'

Onwards and upwards: Above all, Jacqui revealed she is ultimately disappointed with Pete due to his behaviour and her disbelief in men

Happier times: Megan and Pete are not deciding whether to end their romance

Above all, Jacqui revealed she is ultimately disappointed with Pete due to his behaviour and her disbelief in men: 'I'm disappointed because there's no decent men around. My faith in men is gone and I did think he was a gentleman and not like that. The guys today don't have the same morals as 20 or 30 years ago. He always seemed gentle despite his rough and ready look. The halo's definitely slipped.'

And it seems the brunette beauty is in no rush to contact heartbroken Megan, as she revealed: 'I haven't reached out to Megan. I said if she contacted me I'd talk to her but I can't see it. I know how hard it is for Megan as I know when you love someone you'll do anything to make it work.

'She's got his Twitter and Instagram on her phone... Is that a relationship? You need trust! She's always gonna be looking over her shoulder. She's beautiful and so into him. She deserves more than him, one million percent.'

Representatives for Megan and Pete declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
COLFAX COUNTY  One person was killed and two were injured Thursday morning when two vehicles collided on U.S. Highway 30 between Schuyler and Richland.

The accident was one of three serious crashes that occurred on Colfax County highways within a 14-hour span.

According to the Colfax County Attorney's Office, 81-year-old Leopoldo Alvarado Adame of Columbus was driving a 2002 Ford Explorer east on the highway and attempting to pass another vehicle when, according to witnesses, an apparent mechanical issue caused him to lose control of the SUV. The Explorer crossed the highway median and collided with the driver's side of a westbound Toyota Corolla.

The driver of the Corolla, 42-year-old Clemente Vasquez Carreto of Schuyler, was pronounced dead at the scene and a passenger in that vehicle, 35-year-old Julio Laz Pol of Schuyler, was taken by ambulance to CHI Health Schuyler then transported by medical helicopter to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha with internal and spinal injuries. He is expected to survive.

The men were on their way to work in Columbus when the accident occurred, according to the county attorney's office.

Alvarado Adame was transported by ambulance to Columbus Community Hospital. His condition was unavailable Thursday evening.

The accident, which occurred around 5:40 a.m. just east of Road 6 in Colfax County, caused both vehicles to come to rest in the north ditch.

The Colfax County Sheriff's Office, Schuyler Fire and Rescue, Nebraska State Patrol, Schuyler Police Department and Nebraska Department of Roads assisted at the scene.

The crash occurred about 2 miles from the scene of a Wednesday afternoon accident that injured two people.

Clyde Jenkinson, 82, of Columbus was transported by medical helicopter to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln after the semitrailer he was driving collided with a grain wagon being pulled by a tractor.

According to the Colfax County Attorney's Office, the tractor pulled onto Highway 30 from a private driveway between roads 4 and 5 and was westbound when the wagon filled with corn was struck from behind by the westbound semitrailer.

The collision caused the semitrailer to roll onto the highway median.

Jenkinson had to be extricated from the semi by Schuyler Fire and Rescue before he was flown by medical helicopter to the Lincoln hospital in critical condition.

The driver of the tractor, 62-year-old Daniel Wachal of rural Schuyler, was transported by ambulance to Columbus Community Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Another accident occurred around 12:15 a.m. Thursday on Highway 15 just south of Schuyler.

Samantha Weis, 24, of Schuyler was driving a 2003 Ford Escape when the vehicle left the highway and rolled. She was taken by ambulance to CHI Health Schuyler then transported by medical helicopter to a larger hospital.
Earlier this week she gifted herself a gleaming white $400k Rolls Royce.

And Blac Chyna was still looking pleased as punch on Thursday as she attended Amber Rose's Flirt Cosmetic event in Los Angeles.

Dressed in a satin pink trouser and bomber jacket combo, the mother-to-be was glowing as she posed alongside best friend Amber, who placed a protective hand over her pal's bump.

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Night on the town: Blac Chyna showed off her baby bump in a pink satin tracksuit as she headed to best pal Amber Rose's Flirt Cosmetic event in Los Angeles on Thursday

The expectant 28-year-old went bra-less in a sheer white bodysuit, with her jacket to protect her modesty.

Towering tan heels gave the petite star some height as she posed for the cameras with Amber, who wore a hoodie with the slogan 'May the bridges I burn light the way'.

The event was to promote just one product - an all-in-one fake lash applicator which promises to apply your lashes in one go.

Mum's the word: Chyna was all smiles as she posed alongside pal Amber

Catching up: The best friends chatted outside the party, with the stars no doubt having plenty to catch up on after an eventful week

In the pink: Chyna dressed in a satin pink trouser and bomber jacket combo

Daringly sheer: The expectant 28-year-old went bra-less in a sheer white bodysuit, with her jacket to protect her modesty

Earlier this week, according to a new report Chyna was left furious after a birthday party she had planned for her four year old son, King Cairo, was copied the following day.

After throwing a party for her son, she believes her ex Tyga, King's dad, stole her idea for a Ferrari-themed bash leading to an identical party on an even bigger scale the following day.

TMZ claim the doting mom believes a production staffer on her reality show with fiance Rob Kardashian told Tyga and his girlfriend Kylie Jenner of her plans.

All smiles: Towering tan heels gave the petite star some height as she posed for the cameras with Amber Rose, who wore a hoodie with the slogan 'May the bridges I burn light the way'

All about the eyes: The event was to promote just one product - an all-in-one fake lash applicator which promises to apply your lashes in one go, Tori Hughes also pictured (R)

Doubling up: Tyga and girlfriend Kylie Jenner threw his son King Cairo a lavish Farrari-themed birthday party on Sunday, the day after his mother Blac Chyna held an identical bash

The report alleges that Chyna spent two months planning her party for King, which took place on Saturday.

But she was reportedly livid when she found out her son's father had chosen the same party theme for the next day, with the rapper's bash notably more lavish.

The report says that Chyna was happy her son was spoiled, but the copycat party 'was a slap in the face.'

Snap: TMZ claim the doting mom believes a production staffer on her reality show told Tyga and his girlfriend Kylie Jenner of her plans and they 'stole' her theme

The race is on! Chyna spent two months planning her party but she was reportedlylivid when she found out her son's father had chosen the same party theme for the next day

Tyga and his baby momma are obviously not comfortable enough around each other to consolidate the festivities into a singular Ferrari-themed day.

This is despite the fact that Cairo's mom is about to have a baby for his dad's girlfriend's brother Rob, making Blac Chyna both his mother and his auntie.

The complicated Kardashian entanglement meant there was members of the family - such as Kris Jenner - at both gigs.

Separate: Tyga and his baby momma are obviously not comfortable enough around each other to consolidate the festivities into a singular Ferrari-themed day

It's complicated: This is despite the fact that Cairo's mom is about to have a baby for his dad's girlfriend's brother Rob, making Blac Chyna both his mother and his auntie

Family affairs: The complicated Kardashian entanglement meant there was members of the family - such as Kris Jenner - at both gigs

Nevertheless, the newly-turned-four-year-old was treated to an epic set up on day two, featuring a full-sized Ferris wheel.

There was a balloon Ferrari floating in the pool, an enormous replica Ferrari racing track for remote-controlled cars  Ferraris, obviously.

There were Ferrari inflatable slides, a bungee trampoline, Ferrari horses and of course the birthday cake was Ferrari-themed too.

He'll take it: Nevertheless, the newly-turned-four-year-old was treated to an epic set up on day two, featuring a full-sized Ferris wheel

What else? There was a balloon Ferrari floating in the pool, an enormous replica Ferrari racing track for remote-controlled cars  Ferraris, obviously

Bouncy: Kendall Jenner even tried her hand - or feet - at the bungee trampoline

Logo: A Ferrari horse was also brought in for the day  black, of course

Saddle sore: Anyone who thought Kylie was properly attired for equestrian sports was proved wrong

Advertising: Even Tyga and Kylie's outfits - of which there were a few - bore the unmistakable rearing black stallion on its yellow field

Spinning on a pair of dais above the Ferrari-decorated party tables were two identical children's yellow mini Ferrari's - presumably Tyga's gifts to his son, and presumably doubled so he can race his friends.

Even Tyga and Kylie's outfits - of which there were a few - bore the unmistakable rearing black stallion on its yellow field, to match the classy tattoo on the rapper's forearm.

Kylie as usual documented the day prolifically on Snapchat.

Snap that: Kylie as usual documented the day prolifically on Snapchat

Bird's eye: The view from the Ferris wheel showed the party in all its glory

Impressed: 'He did such a good job,' Kylie captioned one shot of her beau. 'Worlds best dad'

Still going: Little Cairo had a smile on his face throughout the day, proving he was not Ferraried out by his mom's party the day before

Go big or go home: There were Ferrari inflatable slides, and of course the birthday cake was Ferrari-themed too

'He did such a good job,' she captioned one shot of her beau. 'Worlds best dad'.

Little Cairo had a smile on his face throughout the day, proving he was not Ferraried out by his mom's party the day before.

The 28-year-old's celebration was actually Lego Ferrari-themed, but had much of the same features, including a near identical three-tiered cake.

Suprise guest: Caitlyn Jenner opted for Day two

Bood: Kourtney Kardashian was also there with children Mason, Penelope and Reign

Party animal: Kris was the only person to turn up for both days

Close: Kendall joined her baby sis at the shindig

The heavily-pregnant reality star even went so far as to park several real Ferraris in the driveway, just for the sake of decor.

He did get at least one gift that wasn't Ferrari-related, and it was just what every four-year-old boy dreams of: A diamond-encrusted crucifix.

Chyna's mom Tokyo Toni opted for day one, while Kendall Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian and North West were all spotted at day two.

Too young to drive: The heavily-pregnant reality star even went so far as to park several real Ferraris in the driveway, just for the sake of decor
She plays a dowdy housewife in the upcoming comedy Keeping Up With The Joneses.

But Isla Fisher departed from her on-screen persona this Thursday as she attended the film's Los Angeles premiere in a racy lace frock that revealed a glimpse of bra.

Putting on a leggy display in her lace-blue mini dress, the 40-year-old defied her age as she confidently displayed her black undergarment beneath embroidered lace.

Peek-a-boo! Isla Fisher she attended the film's Los Angeles premiere in a racy lace frock that revealed a glimpse of bra on Thursday

Her flirty ensemble was complete with a pair of simple black pumps, a large black cocktail ring and her diamond engagement sparkler.

Keeping her makeup fresh and feminine, Isla highlighted her cheekbones with a soft pink blush while touching up her full pout with a plum-hued gloss.

She also left her trademark fiery mane to fall in loose curls by her shoulders.

Stunning siren: Her flirty ensemble was complete with a pair of simple black pumps, a large black cocktail ring and her diamond engagement sparkler

Isla plays opposite Zach Galifinakis in Keeping Up With The Joneses, which tells the tale of a suburban couple who begin to suspect their new neighbours are spies.

Also starring in the flick is upcoming Wonderwoman star Gal Gadot and Mad Men actor John Hamm.

The film is scheduled to be released on Friday by 20th Century Fox.

Comedy gold: Isla plays opposite Zach Galifinakis in Keeping Up With The Joneses, which tells the tale of a suburban couple who begin to suspect their new neighbours are spies

It's the first time Zach and Isla have starred alongside each other on the big screen.

Appearing in an interview with the Today Show earlier this week, funnyman Zach praised Isla and claimed that her acting abilities have been 'underrated' in Hollywood.

'I think there's a lot of respect that I have for Isla Fisher, for sure. And I think that her acting is very underrated,' he said.

Star-studded: Also starring in the flick is upcoming Wonderwoman star Gal Gadot and Mad Men actor John Hamm
Brad Pitt missed a deadline this week to file a legal response to his ex Angelina Jolie's divorce petition according to a new report.

TMZ claim that the actor was due to file a response on Wednesday but he reportedly will not answer the petition in order to avoid a legal battle with the mother of his six children.

According to the report, Brad fears starting a lengthy legal battle with Angelina over custody rights 'would cause great psychological damage to their kids.'

Split: Brad Pitt missed a deadline to file a legal response to his ex Angelina Jolie's divorce petition this week according to a new report

Sources close to the case have told TMZ that Brad wants joint legal and physical custody of their couple's children while Angelina is seeking sole physical custody.

Now Brad has missed the deadline for his legal response to her petition, Angelina could request default judgment but the report claims the actress is also keen to prioritise the children and avoid what could be a bitter legal battle.

Insiders suggest the divorce case could settle privately. Representatives for the couple have been contacted by MailOnline.

Meanwhile Brad has reportedly reunited with his 15-year-old son Maddox for the first time since the actor's marriage to collapsed.

The 52-year-old met with the teen on Wednesday, reports TMZ.

The meeting is believed to be their first face-to-face since he allegedly attacked Maddox on board a private jet on September 14, a claim he denies.

Moving forward: Brad Pitt has reportedly reunited with his 15-year-old son Maddox for the first time since the actor's marriage to Angelina Jolie spectacularly collapsed

MailOnline has contacted spokesperson for Pitt.

The incident is said to have been the catalyst towards Jolie filing for divorce and moving into a rented home with their six children.

He has already has visitations with his other five children, which have been supervised due to an order from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, which is currently investigating him.

The FBI has confirmed agents are 'gathering facts' and will decide whether the incident warrants a full federal investigation in due course.

The meeting comes amid claims that Pitt and Jolie have had no contact since their shocks split.

Close: He has already has visitations with his other five children, which have been supervised due to an order from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, which is currently investigating him over claims he attacked the teen on a private jet

The two A-listers have instead opted to have their negotiations - especially the custody battle - handled by their respective teams according to a new report from People.

As the former power couple announced their split four weeks ago, a family source told the weekly: 'It's just a sad situation.'

It has previously been reported that Jolie, 41, wants sole physical custody of the their six kids while 52-year-old Pitt is pushing for joint custody.

As Jolie had adopted Maddox in 2002, two years before she had met Pitt, the two share quite a bond as a source close to her told Us Weekly: 'Maddox is very close with Angie.'

Insiders for the publication have denied that Maddox has already made his mind up about custody as California law states that a child older than 14 can decide the parent they would prefer to live with.

Jolie, 41, filed for divorce five days later, ending two years of marriage and 12 years together.

The couple are parents to Maddox, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, ten, and twins Vivienne and Knox, eight.
The star Sydney Swans player and his Channel Nine producer fiancee have been celebrating their recent engagement in Los Angeles.

And Kieren Jack, 29, and Charlotte Goodlet, 24, appear to have enjoyed every minute from the moment they touched down in the star-studded city.

Charlotte couldn't keep her hands off her hunky fiance as the pair strolled through the sunny streets.

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Stretching their legs! Kieren Jack and his fiancee Charlotte Goodlet celebrated their recent engagement with a trip to LA. The couple wasted no time catching up on sleep, and were seen strolling through Hollywood soon after they landed

As they made their way through Hollywood, the blonde was seen grabbing and hugging her beau at every opportunity while also making sure to flash her diamond sparkler.

The couple rented a black convertible Mustang for the romantic getaway, and were seen driving around the city after they landed on Tuesday.

Dressed casually, and both in Converse sneakers for the occasion, the happy couple were seen hugging and laughing on the busy street.

Can't keep her hands to herself! Despite the struggles it would present while walking through a crowded street, Charlotte couldn't let go of her new fiancee

Catching up on sleep? The Channel Nine producer appeared to take a short nap on Kieren's shoulder as the couple waited to cross the road

Telling secrets? Kieren keeps his hands firmly in his pockets as Charlotte appears to whisper in his ear, her arms pulling the athlete in

Lonely city: The couple found a seemingly quiet area in the bustling city, though Charlotte did not appear to need any personal space

If the hand fits! Kieren tried to fit his hand into an imprint on the Walk of Fame as his fiancee photographed the moment from above

Charlotte cut a relaxed figure in a sleeveless dress with fringing detail.

Her white-blonde hair was tied back into a messy ponytail, and the former beauty queen accessorised with sunglasses and a khaki handbag.

The Mornings producer opted not to wear any extra jewellery, allowing her massive diamond ring to speak for itself.

Kieren also looked relaxed as he spent time with his sweetheart, teaming a sea-green t-shirt with a pair of worn denim jeans.

A rip in the knee of his pants gave the otherwise plain look a fashionable feel.

The AFL player posed for a picture with a wax figure of Jonny Depp at Madame Tussauds, casually resting an arm on his shoulder.

Has Kieren found a new fiance? The Sydney Swans player cosied up to a wax version of Jonny Depp at Madame Tussauds

Finally, a sign of affection: The 29-year-old rested a hand on his sweetheart's shoulder, which she greedily reached for

He must have liked it a whole lot: Charlotte wasn't shy about flaunting her huge diamond ring as the pair drove through Hollywood

On Thursday, the loved-up couple visited Disneyland, and looked sun kissed and happy as they posed on a bridge for the camera.

Charlotte looked delighted to be in what is referred to as 'the happiest place on earth', as she paired her striped dress with a pair of Minnie Mouse ears.

It's just one of many things that have left the blonde beauty beaming over the last week.

Charlotte showed off her love for the United States and its open attitude to food as she flaunted a big box of 'sushi nachos' from her hotel bed when the couple first arrived.

Looking happy! The couple also spent time at Disneyland, where Charlotte went incognito in a pair of Minnie Mouse ears

What IS that? Charlotte Goodlet posed with her 'sushi nachos' as she tucked in to the strange food in bed while holidaying in the US with fiance Kieren Jack

Dressed in a robe and sitting on the white sheets, the blonde beauty beamed down at her strange evening cuisine, which appeared to consist of corn chips and raw fish.

'Sushi nachos in bed. God bless America,' she captioned the image.

Later, she used the comment section to tell her colleague, Nine News reporter Airlie Walsh, she had no intention of returning to work.

Flashing the rock! Earlier this week, the Channel Nine producer showed off her big diamond ring as she posed with her fiance and their dog Nelson

'Not coming back. Staying here and eating weird Japanese fusion 4 lyf (sic),' she wrote.

The former beauty queen's delight comes after what appeared to be a very luxurious flight, where the pair enjoyed champagne in first class.

The couple were engaged in Sydney's Centennial Park, and it is believed the couple's bulldog Nelson was involved in the process.

Flying high! The couple jetted off to the United States the next day for what Charlotte jokingly dubbed an 'engagementmoon'

Kieren and Charlotte both shared happy photos from their social media accounts of themselves and Nelson.

The engagement comes in the middle of what is reported to be an ongoing feud between Kieren and his parents over his relationship with the former model.

It is understood the disagreement became public when free accommodation and tickets for Kieren's 200th AFL game were offered to Charlotte's parents instead of his own.

Happy couple: The couple have become engaged during what is believed to be an ongoing feud between Kieren and his parents over the AFL player's relationship with Charlotte




She's never spotted with a hair out of place.

And Cat Deeley oozed her usual effortless glamour as she attended the International Women's Media Foundation 27th annual Courage In Journalism Awards at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

The British presenter, 39, put on an affectionate display with her husband of four years Patrick Kielty, 45.

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Mellow yellow! Cat Deeley oozed her usual effortless glamour as she attended the International Women's Media Foundation 27th annual Courage In Journalism Awards at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday

Showing off a glimpse of her tanned legs, the lemon-coloured frock fell just above the knees.

Featuring a pretty embellished flower-patterned halterneck, she kept the rest of the look simple, accessorising with a pair of diamond stud earrings and a wedding band.

The mother-of-one, who gave birth to her first child with Patrick in January this year, added lashings of mascara to her trademark long lashes, along with a dab of lipgloss and highlighter, accentuating her natural beauty.

The Cat that got the cream! The British presenter, 39, put on an affectionate display with her husband of four years Patrick Kielty, 45

Leggy: Showing off a glimpse of her tanned pins, the lemon-coloured frock fell just above the knees

Having emigrated from the UK to sunny California, she showed off her golden tan.

Irish presenter Patrick looked dapper in a grey fitted suit, crisp white shirt and tie, holding his wife proudly.

Cat also posed alongside Courage in Journalism Award Recipient Janine di Giovanni, who is an author, award-winning foreign correspondent, and current Middle East editor at Newsweek.

The mother-of-one-, who gave birth to her first child with Patrick in January this year, showed off her golden tan having emigrated from London to LA

Talent: Cat also posed alongside Courage in Journalism Award Recipient Janine di Giovanni, who is an author, award-winning foreign correspondent, and current Middle East editor at Newsweek

Earlier in the day blonde beauty Cat was spotted enjoying a spot of shopping in Beverly Hills.

Wearing a loose black T-shirt tucked into monochrome patterned harem trousers and sandals, she nailed relaxed chic.

Adding a pair of aviator shades and balancing her bags of shopping, she enjoyed a sunny day of retail therapy.

Retail therapy: Earlier in the day blonde beauty Cat was spotted enjoying a spot of shopping in Beverly Hills

Laidback: Wearing a loose black T-shirt tucked into monochrome patterned harem trousers and sandals, she nailed relaxed chic

Meanwhile, Cat recently revealed the dilemma she and her husband Patrick Kielty went through to name their son Milo.

The So You Think You Can Dance? host admitted that she and her husband disagreed so much that they didn't have a baby name for a week.

'We weren't talking to each other,' said Cat during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! 'It was awful, it was just horrific. Because everyone says, "Oh, when you see them, you'll know." We didn't know!

'And then my mum came in as the peacemaker  a bit of a Neville Chamberlain  and she [demanded we name the baby by the next day].'

California girl: Adding a pair of aviator shades and balancing her bags of shopping, she enjoyed a sunny day of retail therapy

'We weren't talking to each other!' The So You Think You Can Dance? host admitted that she and her husband disagreed so much that they didn't have a baby name for a week

The couple were friends for 10 years before they married, although Patrick recently insisted there was 'always a spark' between them before their relationship became romantic.

'There was always a little bit of a spark between us but either she was with someone or I was with someone and by the time we were both single she was in America', he explained. 'It was always one of those things that never worked out.'

The pair met when they presented Fame Academy together in 2002 and remained friends for almost a decade before making their debut as a couple in March 2012 and they married six months later.

The blonde hit the big time in the States in 2006 when she began to host the US dance show SYTYCD, while Paddy's work remained in the UK.

Despite their transatlantic romance, the pair say they never spend more than two weeks apart.

The couple tied the knot in a traditional Catholic ceremony in Rome, Italy, in September 2012, which was an intimate affair with just six family and friends each.
With his blonder hair style complete with distinctive side parting, there was no mistaking Matt Smith's alter ego as he returned to film the second season of The Crown.

The ex-Doctor Who star was in London to reprise his role as Prince Philip in the Netflix royal drama.

The 33-year-old actor was smartly dressed in a navy blazer with gold buttons, beige trousers and a striped tie.

Back in a jacket: Matt Smith returned as Prince Phillip at a London townhouse earlier this week as he filmed the next season of The Crown

The dapper appearance continued at Shoreham Airport in Sussex with Matt appearing alongside Claire Foy who plays his wife The Queen.

Sporting a grey suit, Matt was seen thrusting a little girl in the air - possibly his on-screen daughter Princess Anne, while a boy in a school cap perhaps representing his older son Charles stands alongside him.

However, it was his co-star Claire who caught the attention of onlookers thanks to her wardrobe malfunction on set.

A filming assistant was spotted with her hand up the actress' skirt as she readjusted her fake baby bump.

Bumping along: Claire Foy - who plays Queen Elizabeth - had her baby bump adjusted before filming

Quick fix: The actress was having trouble with the padding on her stomach, which kept slipping down

Airborne! Matt thrust a little girl into the air - possibly the actress playing Princess Anne as the group continued filming at Shoreham airport in Sussex

The big arrival: The Queen and her Prince were welcomed back home after their flight in another scene

The big descent: Claire Foy led Matt's Prince down the plane steps

Claire meanwhile, sported a matching beige hat and coat and led her on-screen husband down the plane steps.

At one point, Matt is seen striding towards a waiting vintage car while surrounded by reporters and police.

Although the first season of the drama will not be released on the streaming service until November 4, Matt and co are already preparing for the next instalment.

A reported $100million is being ploughed into the show, which will trace the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her wedding in 1947 to the present day.

Time for a cuddle: Matt is seen carrying the youngster while Claire looks on

Lots of cuddles: Matt's Prince gets close to the children while Foy's Queen laughs along

Matching: Claire sported a matching beige overcoat and hat, with black handbag

And action! The boom microphone is visible seen as Claire leaves the aircraft

Reunited: The cast appeared to be filming a scene where the royal parents were reunited with children Charles and Anne

The Crown will be the most expensive drama ever made by the US streaming company and its first to be made in the UK.

Billed as the 'the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world  Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street,' the series promises a look at the intrigue, love lives and machinations behind the most notable events.

The tagline for the show has a blockbuster ring to it, which promises plenty of excitement, reading: 'Two houses, two courts, one Crown.'

As they were: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip when they announced their engagement back in 1947

A very important man: Matt strides towards a waiting vintage car while surrounded by reporters and police

Pricey: The Crown will be the most expensive drama ever made by the US streaming company and its first to be made in the UK

Behind the scenes: The 'plane' was in reality a fake constructed for the show

Can't get enough: The series intends to run for 60 episodes with ten episodes a season

Meanwhile, a new trailer for the first series released on Thursday, focuses on the Queen's task of leading Britain from the ashes of war.

Set against the backdrop of a Great Britain still recovering from the aftermath of World War II, the 10 part series finds a young Elizabeth facing enormous responsibilities to Crown and country.

But while she addresses the bigger picture, an alarmed husband Prince Philip insists she remains focused on her family.

Getting a touch up: Matt was primped and preened by an on-set hairdresser

Townhouse: Matt and the cast and crew were shooting scenes outside a very smart home

But as she embraces her role, Elizabeth is made aware of the restrictions that come with her elevated position while a bitter Philip continues to be troubled by his wife's new role and its perceived encroachment on their marriage.

The new trailer also casts light on Elizabeth's relationship with her sister, Princess Margaret, and the stark differences between them.

Based on an award winning play, The Crown sees screenwriter Peter Morgan reunite with director Stephen Daldry, whose previous film credits include Billy Elliot and The Hours.

The show will premiere exclusively on Netflix on November 4, 2016.

Start of the show: The first series is set against the backdrop of a Great Britain still recovering from the aftermath of World War II
She kicked off her Over the Love Tour earlier this month.

And on Friday Rumer Willis dropped by Good Day New York Fox 5 to promote the new cabaret show - which she would be putting on that night at The Cutting Room.

The 28-year-old stunned in a one-shoulder dress, as she showed off vintage looks in honor of the time periods that inspire her act.

Vintage vixen: Rumer Willis stunned with a bold cat eye and red lip as she promoted her cabaret show Over the Love on Good Day New York on Friday

Rumer wore a figure-hugging, black and white patterned dress, which featured a long sleeve on her left side.

She coupled the eye-catching look with a pair of strappy, black heels, keeping her accessories simple and only sporting small, dangling earrings.

She wore her long, raven tresses in a side part, and styled in soft curls that cascaded past her shoulders.

Putting her to work! Rumer also performed one of the songs from her tour as she dropped by the show on Friday

Taking the mic: The daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis shared that most of her songs on the cabaret tour are her twist on classic love songs

'If you're heartbroken, you're heartbroken' The raven-haired beauty gushed about the inspiration for her tour's name, sharing: 'Love is such a unifier, and it doesn't have any judgement over what kind of job you have or where you're from...'

The daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis showed off bold make-up, with a red lip and a stylish cat eye.

Rumer sported the dreamy look to chat with Good Day New York, explaining the inspiration behind her show's name, Over The Love.

'Love is such a unifier, and it doesn't have any judgement over what kind of job you have or where you're from...,' Rumer shared, adding: 'If you're heartbroken, you're heartbroken.'

She's a fan! Rumer performed a song by Amy Winehouse on the tour, and gushed to Good Day New York about the artist: 'I think she was one of the first new, contemporary artists that really made it okay for other artists to have jazz and made it more accessible to people'

Just her style: The star loves the 'intimate setting' of her shows, explaining that they allow her to 'have a deeper connection' with the audience

The raven-haired beauty also talked about the intimate setting of her shows, sharing that she likes the smaller venues because you 'can have a deeper connection' with the audience.

Rumer was questioned about her tattoos on the show, with a specific inquiry about a pinup girl inking on her arm.

She explained that growing up her father had pinup girl paintings by Alberto Vargas, and that she always loved them because 'there's just a certain class that they have.'

Inspired: Rumer also chatted about one of her tattoos, which was inspired by her love for the Alberto Vargas pinup girl artwork her father had when she was growing up

Getting in the Halloween spirit: Rumer tried on a witch's hat backstage ahead of her appearance on Friday

On to the next one! Following her performance at The Cutting Room in New York on Friday, Rumer will continue with her tour at StageOne in Connecticut on Sunday

And speaking on that class, Rumer talked about her jazz-inspired cabaret routine, which includes covers of love songs and other hits by beloved artists, such as Amy Winehouse.

'I think she was one of the first new, contemporary artists that really made it okay for other artists to have jazz and made it more accessible to people,' Rumer gushed.
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She sizzled in London at the premiere of Jack Reacher: Never Let Go on Thursday.

And only a day later Cobie Smulders was turning heads on the red carpet once more - this time in Berlin.

The Canadian actress, 34, stunned in a navy plunging tuxedo jacket with sequinned detail and matching trousers as she posed for the cameras with her co-stars.

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Stunner: Cobie Smulders was turning heads on the red carpet once more - this time in Berlin - with co-star Danika Yarosh

Keeping her accessories to a minimum with a couple of rings, she completed her smooth outfit with a pair of black open-toe heels.

The How I Met Your Mother star, who plays Susan Turner in Jack Reacher, accentuated her striking features with a touch of make up including red lipstick.

She let her parted brown locks flow over her shoulders as she smiled for the cameras and waved to the German crowds.

Cobie was accompanied by American actress Danika Yarosh, 18, who stunned in full length figure-hugging black gown as worked the red carpet with co-star Tom Cruise.

Turning heads: The American actress, 34, stunned in a navy plunging jacket with sequinned detail and matching trousers as she posed for the cameras with co-star Danika

Say cheese: Tom Cruise was accompanied by his co-stars who posed for a photo altogether

Having a laugh: Canadian actress Cobie Smulders (L) and US actress Danika Yarosh shared a joke on the red carpet

Is that success I hear? Tom enjoyed the roars of his adoring fans as he posed on the red carpet

Come at me: Tom joked with his fans as the crowds went wild

Letting her long blonde hair hang over one shoulder, she accessorised with some jazzy earrings as she smiled for her adorning fans.

The stunner, who plays Samantha Dayton in the action thriller, let her natural beauty shine through with a touch of make up including red lipstick.

She was accompanied by Tom Cruise, 54, who looked dapper in a blue striped suit and matching tie as he strolled along the red carpet.

All smiles: The actors were on good form in Berlin - despite having done it all the night before in London

Having a blast: Tom was clearly enjoying himself in the company of the beauties

Give us a wave: Cobie acknowledged her fans as Danika flashed a beaming smile and Tom adjusted his lid

Gleaming: The sun reflected off Tom's face as he made his way to the screening in Germany's capital

On Thursday morning Tom spent over an hour signing autographs and taking pictures with fans after the premiere and before his dinner.

Asked at the event if he had any plans to reduce the amount of stunts in future films, he said: 'I'll be running til the very last day.

'In each one (film) I'm just learning a new challenge.

All action: The plot of the second Jack Reacher film revolves around an accusation that former military police major Jack committed a murder 16 years prior

Style icon: Tom Cruise, 54, who looked dapper in a navy suit and matching tie as he strolled along the red carpet

Posing up: Tom was more than happy to smile for his adoring fans who took pictures of their hero

'I like studying, I'm always studying, pushing myself to find new stuff. I kind of find something and make it part of the movie.'

'I just do it, it's who I am and part of my life. I've trained my whole life and I just apply it to movies - I'm always learning a new skill.'

The plot of the second Jack Reacher film revolves around an accusation that former military police major Jack committed a murder 16 years prior.

One the move: Tom's security did some crowd control as she made his way to the screening

From left: Director Edward Zwick and actors Cobie Smulders, Tom Cruise and Danika Yarosh

Having a good time: The team were in fits of laughter as they shared a joke on the red carpet

All star cast: The actors offered some more sincere poses after sharing a joke altogether

On their way: The stars dazzled as they headed to the screening

Ladies' man: Tom seemed to enjoy the company of his co-stars

Beaming from ear to ear: He looked happy and relaxed as smiled to his fans

Suave: Tom looked cool as he took the mic to make a short speech

Having a good time! The stars showed their fans that they were having a delightful evening

Where are you going? Cobie turned away with laughter but Tom grabbed her

Rammed: Fans packed the outside of the red carpet as Tom waved to them

All smiles: Tom was very happy to take photos with his adoring fans

Having a blast: Tom Cruise, US Ambassador to Germany John B. Emmerson and his wife (left)

Chilling out: Cobie shared a joke with her fans as they took selfies

Smoldering: The stars were lighting up the red carpet




In a teaser for this Sunday's Keeping Up With The Kardashian Kris Jenner explodes at Kim Kardashian for spending time with Caitlyn Jenner.

The 60-year-old momager then demands her daughter take sides as she is not interested in 'playing this game anymore.' The momager also breaks down in tears and reveals she has been mistreated.

The day after that clip aired, Caitlyn took to Instagram to wish Kim a happy 36th birthday. 'I love you,' the 66-year-old former athlete wrote.

Reaching out: Caitlyn Jenner wished Kim Kardashian a happy birthday on Friday after a KUWTK clip aired where Kris Jenner got mad at Kim for befriending her ex

In a teaser shared Thursday, Kris Jenner is heard breaking down in tears as she tells Kim she is disappointed in her for spending time with ex Caitlyn.

'Kim, you are a f***ing traitor. That you would have the nerve to go to help Caitlyn to pick a gown  like, what is going on?' she says.

Kim says Caitlyn had a 'fashion emergency.'

The mother to North and Saint also says she thought things were 'all good' between Kris and Caitlyn.

Tough confrontation: In a teaser for Sunday's KUWTK, Kris cries on the phone and calls Kim a 'f****ing traitor'

She was there too: Khloe Kardashian warns Kim that their mother is enraged

Before and after: Kris with Bruce Jenner in 2012, left, and with Caitlyn in 2015, right

'Thats what you dont get! I dont say anything to you until I feel abandoned. And right now, Im feeling abandoned,' says Kris.

'Mom, I would never abandon you. If I even knew that you really thought ' said Kim before being interrupted.

'But you abandoned me! Youve taken somebody else and said: "Okay, her feelings dont matter,"' said Kris. 'I dont want f***ing neutral. Neutral isnt what I signed up for. Thats what you dont get.'

Both Kim and Khloe are surprised by this admission.

Happy birthday! Kim, seen here in Paris earlier this month, has turned 36-years-old on Friday but has no big celebration planned as she is recovering from her harrowing Paris attack that left her bound and gagged on October 3

'I'm trying to be as gracious as I can. I'm trying to be as understanding as I can. Im betrayed. I've been f***ed over on so many levels that your head would spin. Im not going to play this f***ing game anymore. Okay?!'

Keeping Up with the Kardashians returns Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on E!

Meanwhile, Kim has canceled all big birthday plans for turning 36, even a 1920s themed bash thrown by Kanye West and a hosting gig at Hakkasan in Las Vegas

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians beauty is still recovering from a frightening Paris robbery on October 3 that left her begging for her life. As a result, the mother-of-two is reportedly experiencing 'nightmares' and is 'anxious.'

Sweet note: Kris Jenner, 60, was the first to make a post. The momager shares a collage of old photos from Kim's childhood. While some of the images have been seen before, others are more rare

But her family still took to social media on Friday, the actual day of Kim's birthday, to wish her a good one.

Kris was the first to make a post at 6 am.

The momager shared a collage of old photos from Kim's childhood. While some of the images have been seen before (her painted face has been shared by Kim herself in the past), others are more rare.

'Happy Birthday to my precious Kimberly!' began Kris.

Mama: Jenner is seen next to her Rolls-Royce on Thursday in LA

Jenner, who dates Corey Gamble, continued: 'I love and adore you... you have brought so much joy into all of our lives and you are the most wonderful daughter, wife, sister, friend and mom.

'I thank God every day he blessed me with you and I cherish every single moment and memory.' The E! producer finished with: 'My heart is full of gratitude and I love you more than you will ever imagine or know... Mommy xo.'

Kris also wrote a tribute on Kim's site kimkardashianwest.com a she shared video from Kim's second birthday: 'To My Beautiful, Amazing, Precious Daughter Kim, I love you more than words will ever begin to express.'

Creative: Khloe made a video for her big sister, which she shared on khloewithak.com

She added: 'I remember your second birthday like it was yesterday. I remember the smile on your face, the joy in your eyes, and the fun and excitement of everyone who was there.

'I remember what we ate, what we wore and I especially remember your unforgettable laughter. You have been one of the most amazing loves of my life since the day you were born and I am so blessed that God chose me to be your mom.

'Now you have your own two little angels to love and make memories with, and I thank God every day for every moment we spend together. Happy birthday, Jouge! I love you more than you will ever know!'

Kim then Khloe: In it the 32-year-old bombshell pasted her head on some of Kim's sexiest looks. First she shared the red carpet photo of Kim, them next was Khloe's head on the same image

Getting it white: Here Kim is seen in a white top and skirt. Khloe looked great in it too

Daring move! Khloe ended with her face on Kim's nude black bar selfie that caused so much controversy

Khloe made a video for her big sister, which she shared on khloewithak.com. 'A Khlo$ tribute to make my amazing, smart, beautiful sister laugh! Happy birthday Kim!' she wrote. She also tweeted: 'I hope this video puts a smile on your face.'

In it the 32-year-old bombshell pasted her head on some of Kim's sexiest looks. First she shared the red carpet photo of Kim, them next was Khloe's head on the same image. The music was the standard Happy Birthday song only a little techno.

In one snap, Kim wore a plastic dress, in another a white one. There is also a look at Kim in that black see-through number she wore in September. And she also was in that silver dress from the Met Gala in NYC in May. Khloe ended with her face on Kim's nude black bar selfie that caused so much controversy.

Touching: Kylie Jenner, 19, wrote on her website the thekyliejenner.com , 'Happy Birthday to my cool, hot, smart sister - Kim! I love you very much and am so grateful to have you as a role model!'

Her birthday tribute: The teen also wrote about how the two twin,bringing up how she recently wore a T-shirt and corset just like Kim did in August (right)

Funny: And the girlfriend of Tyga also commented they like mirror selfies as she shared this split photo

Bonus shot: Kylie also said that Kim likes to wear revealing bathing suits too

More good cheer: The youngest KUWTK star posted this shot of Kim from her 16th birthday where was gifted a white BMW

Kylie Jenner, 19, wrote on her website the thekyliejenner.com, 'Happy Birthday to my cool, hot, smart sister - Kim! I love you very much and am so grateful to have you as a role model!'

The post was titled The Four Times I Twinned With Birthday Girl Kim.

'Check out my b-day tribute to the ultimate kween! I made a list of some things we have in common - and I hope the list continues to grow!'

Going way back: Kendall wrote on kendallj.com : 'Happy birthday, Kim!! I'm lucky to call you my sister. You're such a smart, talented, driven and kind person.' She also shared this image on Instagram with Kim and Kylie

The first thing she brought up was how they both wore T-shirts with corset. Then she remarked they both wear sexy swimwear. Next was how they like to have coats over jumpsuits with sunglasses. Kylie ended with how they both take mirror selfies in either nude lingerie or nothing at all.

Kendall wrote on kendallj.com: 'Happy birthday, Kim!! I'm lucky to call you my sister. You're such a smart, talented, driven and kind person. You've taught me so much and you'll always be such an inspiration to me. I love you and hope you have the best day!' The model also shared a photo with Kim that appears to be more than 15 years old.

Ryan Seacrest, who produces Keeping Up With The Kardashians, also shared a message. He posted a photo where Kim was taking a selfie of the two of them in a kitchen.

Ryan hearts Kim: Ryan Seacrest, who produces Keeping Up With The Kardashians, posted a message. He shared a photo where Kim was taking a selfie of the two of them in a kitchen

The American Idol host's caption read: 'Happy bday Kim. Thanks for teaching me how to take the perfect selfie. Looking forward to Sunday's KUWTK.'

Kim has not been on social media since the armed heist in France.

The robbers that made off with $11m worth of Kim's jewelry, including that large diamond ring from West have yet to be caught.

On Thursday a video of what appears to be one of the criminals on a bicycle riding away from Kim's hotel surfaced. He is seen holding a bag that likely contains the reality star's belongings.

Meanwhile, the Selfish author continues to be taking time off from the spotlight as she spends quiet days with her children North, aged three, and Saint, aged 10 months, both in her Bel-Air home and her mother's Hidden Hills estate.

Her spouse has been on his Pablo tour.

Also on Thursday Kim's good friend Allison shared a flashback photo of Kim from her 16th birthday where she received a new white BMW from her father, the late attorney Robert Kardashian.
They began dating in 2014 after her marriage to Seal ended.

Now continuing their romantic break away to the city of love, Heidi Klum and Vito Schnabel were spotted hand-in-hand leaving Parisian Brasserie Lipp restaurant on Friday.

The good-looking duo appeared in high spirits as they strolled from the venue with the 43-year-old supermodel looking fashion forward in a plunging velvet top that displayed her impressive assets.

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Look of love: Heidi Klum and Vito Schnabel were spotted hand-in-hand leaving Parisian Brasserie Lipp restaurant on Friday

The statuesque beauty continued her style assault, pairing her textured tee with a jogger inspired pant with a burgundy stripe down the side.

Elongating her pins, Heidi - also known as The Body - slipped into a pair of suede ankle boots as she teetered from the eatery with her love.

Cutting the October chill, the mum-of-four layered her look with a blood red silk tuxedo blazer which she teamed with a long gold necklace and sprinkling of delicate rings.

Heidi added a touch of class to her trendy ensemble, draping a large Chanel quilted bag over her shoulder as she held an eye-catching scarf in her hand.

Chic: The statuesque beauty continued her style assault, pairing her textured tee with a stylish jogger inspired pant with a burgundy stripe down the side

Leggy display: Elongating her pins, Heidi - also known as The Body - slipped into a pair of sued ankle boots as she teetered from the eatery with her toyboy love

Parisian pair: The good-looking duo looked in high spirits as they strolled from the venue with the 43-year-old supermodel looked fashion forward in a plunging velvet top

The German beauty tied half of her golden locks into a slick ponytail as the rest of her tresses cascaded down her back.

Covering her facial features from the elements, Heidi donned a pair of oversized gold reflective aviator shades that hide her flawless complexion.

Joined by her beau, art dealer Vito followed his love's style lead in a pair of navy chino's and light brown wool zip cardigan.

Stylish duo: Joined by her beau, art dealer Vito followed his love's style lead in a pair of navy chino's and light brown wool zip cardigan

The 30-year-old teamed his look with a cosy looking navy trench with furry collar while he strutted his stuff in a pair of white trainers in the picturesque French capital.

The couple have been jet-setting a lot recently, having just been in London and Los Angeles.

Despite her incredible looks, mother of four Heidi took to Instagram to share the news she had spotted her first grey, earlier this month.

Golden girl: The German beauty tied half of her golden locks into a slick ponytail as the rest of her tresses cascaded down her back

In her snap, Heidi parts her hair on top of her head, showing off the offending strand, which she has isolated.

'OMG .....just found my first grey,' she captioned the picture, adding an embarrassed emoticon as punctuation.

She has four children - 11-year-old Leni, whose birth father is Flavio Briatore, who was adopted by Seal, and sons with Seal, Henry, 11, and Johan, 10 and their daughter Lou, seven.

Work it! Covering her facial features from the elements, Heidi donned a pair of oversized gold reflective aviator shades that hide her flawless complexion




EU drops sanctions threat against Russia over Syria

EU leaders backed down on Friday from an explicit threat of sanctions against Russia over the bombing of Aleppo but warned that they would consider "all available options" if atrocities in Syria continue.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded that any mention of possible punitive measures against Moscow over the Syrian carnage should be removed from a statement issued after a summit in Brussels.

The climbdown underscored the deep divisions between the 28 European Union leaders as they tried to thrash out a long-term strategy on their increasingly bellicose eastern neighbour.

Smoke rises from reported opposition fire from buildings in an eastern government-held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on October 20, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP)

The watered-down statement said the EU "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo" and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities."

"The EU is considering all available options, should the current atrocities continue," it added.

An earlier draft had mentioned sanctions.

Russia had upstaged the summit by announcing that it would halt hostilities over Aleppo on the same day, and said Thursday it would extend the truce by 24 hours.

EU President Donald Tusk, who had earlier said that sanctions should be on the table, insisted that the leaders had agreed to "keep the unity of the EU" over Russia.

The leaders brought up Russian "airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, interference in political processes in the Balkans and beyond" and other issues.

"Given these examples it is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU," said Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland, one of the countries that is most hawkish on Russia.

The EU is due to decide at their next summit in December whether to renew sanctions over the Ukraine crisis for another six months.

But the European Union remains split over how best to deal with Russia, with countries such as Italy and Greece favouring selective engagement with a major economic partner and energy supplier.

- 'Inhuman bombardments' -

Renzi, at whose request the EU held the discussion on Russia, said the priority had to be to "make all possible efforts to find a peace deal in Syria."

"I believe there wouldn't have been any sense in inserting a reference to sanctions, while the rest of the statement was what foreign ministers approved on Monday," he told reporters.

The leaders of France and Germany had also called for sanctions to remain on the table after they met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Wednesday night in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit that the EU "cannot accept these inhuman bombardments".

"If this kind of violation continues, of course we will envisage all available measures in order to react to this," she told a press conference.

Merkel added: "I think there was fairly broad agreement concerning the strategic options on Russia".

French President Francois Hollande said earlier that "all options are open for as long as there is not a ceasefire that is respected and for as long as there is an intention to destroy this town, Aleppo, a town of martyrs."

British Prime Minister Theresa May, arriving for her first EU summit since the June Brexit vote, called for a "robust and united" European approach to "sickening atrocities" in Syria.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg joined the chorus of outrage, saying the alliance feared that a Russian aircraft carrier battlegroup heading to Syria could join attacks on Aleppo.

"We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering," Stoltenberg said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Moscow is Assad's strongest ally and came to his rescue last year when rebels appeared to be gaining ground.

Relations with Russia were put on the agenda of the two-day summit in Brussels months ago amid expectations of progress on Ukraine.

Since then, the deepening of the Syrian crisis has poisoned the atmosphere while Berlin talks with Putin on Wednesday produced no real progress.

Italy's Prime minister Matteo Renzi arrives for an European Union leaders summit at the European Council in Brussels, on October 20, 2016 Emmanuel Dunand (AFP)
Outdoor school offers hope for Islamabad's poor

In the corner of a pristine park in an upmarket district of Islamabad, an open-air classroom run by an aging rescue-worker offers a beacon of hope to the city's poorest.

For the past 30 years, "Master" Muhammad Ayub, whose day job includes defusing bombs and putting out fires, has cycled from his office to the makeshift school to teach children from surrounding slums for free.

There are no walls, no roof and no chairs -- and students dutifully rise to move en masse as the sun makes its way across the sky -- it is their only source of lighting so they must follow it.

Muhammad Ayub (R) has a day job that includes defusing bombs and putting out fires and teaches slum children for free Aamir Qureshi (AFP)

In a country where education is underfunded and 24 million children remain out of school, grey-haired Ayub, 58, is hailed as a hero for providing his charges with hope for a better future.

"I was rescued from the darkness of illiteracy by an angel in the shape of Master Ayub when I was nine and collecting firewood," Farhat Abbas, now 20, said.

Abbas now assists Ayub with classes while he studies for a bachelors degree at a local university.

Such testimonies are common among the thousands of children who attended the school, many of whom have taken up jobs in the government and businesses that would have been otherwise been out of reach.

- Humble start -

The story of Master Ayub's school began in 1986 when he moved to the recently-built capital from the sleepy agricultural town of Mandi Bahauddin.

With its wide boulevards arranged in a grid, stunning views of the Margalla hills and impressive monuments, Islamabad was a world away from the young man's hometown.

But, he recalls, "when I arrived, I was puzzled to see small children working in the streets, begging or cleaning cars or selling flowers and I wondered how come they have to do this in a posh capital city".

One day he came across a boy washing cars in at the market place and asked him why he wasn't in school.

"I asked him if wanted to study and he said 'yes'. Right there I gave him a notebook, a book, a pencil and an eraser and started teaching him," said Ayub, a high school graduate himself who left college before finishing his degree.

"The next day the boy brought another with him, and within a week there were 50 children in my class."

He began by teaching them in a corner of the marketplace, but was shooed away by the shopkeepers.

From there he moved to outside a government school but authorities asked him to pack up after influential people living nearby complained they were causing a nuisance.

He finally shifted to his current location in the park, which is adjacent to some of the most expensive houses in the city valued at over $1 million -- but also near a slum where minority Christian families reside.

- Belated recognition -

Founded in 1960, Islamabad was envisaged as a city for the country's political and bureaucratic elite but has been criticised for lacking public housing for the poor, who work in menial jobs and as domestic servants for the wealthy.

As a consequence, numerous slum areas cropped up throughout the city, but because their domiciles are not legally recognised, many find it hard to get their children enrolled in registered schools.

Hina Shahbaz, 17, said she moved with her parents to Islamabad two years ago, "but because of the paperwork needed I couldn't get admitted into a school right away".

She started attending Ayub's classes, while he used his contacts among local officials built over the years to get her enrolled at a formal school.

She continues to come and help out by teaching younger students, while receiving maths tuition from her old teacher. "I like science and I want to become an engineer," she said.

The early years were hard, he says, and even came under the scanner from authorities suspicious as to why he was teaching so many Christians, believing he may be a missionary (Ayub however is a Muslim).

The suspicion and surveillance gave way to belated recognition including awards by the ministry of education in 2012 and a presidential award last year.

Ayub however, says he isn't in it for the accolades.

"I started this work because if these children do not get education, they will fall into wrong hands, become criminals or terrorists. I want them to get education and join police, army, become doctors and engineers."

As he approaches 60, he says the time has come to build a lasting legacy so that his work can be carried forward.

"Now I feel the need for building, because I want to teach computer systems to these children. I have bought some space here and built two rooms... I want to leave a facility behind after my death where these children continue to get the light of education."

Education is underfunded and 24 million children remain out of school in Pakistan Aamir Qureshi (AFP)
Two Americans killed in Afghanistan identified

The Pentagon on Thursday identified the two Americans killed in Afghanistan earlier this week as a US Army sergeant and a civilian employee of the army.

They were Sergeant Douglas Riney, 26, and Michael Sauro, 40.

Riney was with a support squadron in the Fort Hood, Texas-based 1st Cavalry Division, and Sauro was employed by the Defense Ammunition Center in McAlester, Oklahoma.

The Pentagon has identified two Americans killed in Afghanistan earlier this week as a US Army sergeant and a civilian employee of the army Tony Karumba (AFP/File)

They were killed when a gunman opened fire at a military ammunition supply point near Camp Morehead, a base in Afghanistan used for Afghan commando training, a US official said.
Pentagon chief in Turkey as Mosul tensions grow

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Ankara on Friday for talks with the leaders of Turkey, a crucial but sensitive ally in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The Pentagon chief was due to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as Defence Minister Fikri Isik.

Washington is worried by tensions between Turkey and Iraq as the long-awaited battle to retake Iraq's second city Mosul from IS jihadists enters a decisive phase.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, DC, on September 22, 2016 Win McNamee (Getty/AFP/File)

Turkey, which fears the Mosul offensive could boost the influence of anti-Ankara Kurdish militia, says it cannot stay on the sidelines, but Baghdad is firmly against the involvement of Turkish troops.

The US wants Turkey to refrain from military operations in Iraq without the green light from Baghdad, fearing the war of words could jeopardize a fragile pact to keep rival sectarian and ethnic militias out of central Mosul.

Respect for Iraq's sovereignty is an "important principle", Carter told reporters on his plane en route to Turkey.

A senior US defence official said Washington was urging both sides to "tamp down the rhetoric".

"We have been talking behind the scenes to get the Iraqis and the Turks to come to an understanding on how to move forward on Mosul and on Turkish presence in Iraq," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The visit comes as Turkish warplanes carried out deadly strikes on US-backed militias in northern Syria, including Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Turkish army said Thursday the raids killed between 160 and 200 militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group considered a terror group by Ankara but an effective force by Washington in the fight against IS.

Carter declined to comment on Turkish strikes on the YPG.

Turkey in August launched an unprecedented operation in northern Syria, sending tanks and troops to back Syrian rebels who have pushed IS from several key areas including Jarabulus and Dabiq.

Rebel fighters captured Dabiq on Sunday in a symbolic setback to the jihadists, as a Sunni prophecy cites the town as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Carter said the capture of Dabiq was an "important objective" of the campaign.

"The Turks were carrying the burden of the battle here and did spectacularly well," he said.

"We will be working with them to consolidate that border region, long an objective of theirs and ours, and a very important one in the counter-ISIL campaign."

Tensions between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have grown after the failed July coup in Turkey.

Turkish authorities blamed the putsch on a rogue military group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen -- charges he denies -- and they have repeatedly demanded his extradition.

Carter is due to visit the United Arab Emirates before a meeting of defence ministers from the international anti-IS coalition in Paris on Tuesday. On Wednesday he will join a NATO ministerial gathering in Brussels.
Bangladesh says head of group blamed for cafe siege dead

The head of a Bangladeshi Islamist group accused of staging a deadly siege at a cafe and the killing of several foreigners died while trying to evade arrest earlier this month, security officials said Friday.

Abdur Rahman died in hospital on October 8 after jumping from the fifth floor of a building on the outskirts of Dhaka during a raid by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite security unit.

The identity of Rahman, who was leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was later confirmed through his possessions and by his family, who were shown pictures of his body, the RAB said in a statement.

Abdur Rahman, who died in hospital earlier in October, pictured here in 2006 Jalam Rahman (AFP/File)

Several documents, letters and emails that were later retrieved by the RAB "all proved that Abdur Rahman was the emir (head) of the new JMB", the statement added.

Bangladeshi authorities are insistent that the JMB was behind a siege at an upmarket cafe in Dhaka on July 1 in which 20 mostly foreign hostages were killed, even though the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

The RAB said that some of the documents recovered during their raid had been signed by Rahman using the alias Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al Hanif.

While the statement made no mention of IS, the April issue of Dabiq, a magazine affiliated to the organisation, reported that Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif was the jihadists' "emir" in Bangladesh.

A RAB spokesman refused to comment on whether the two were the same men.

RAB, which is tasked with tackling militancy and serious crimes, has listed 19 attacks carried out by the JMB, including the fatal shootings of an Italian aid worker and a Japanese national late last year and a series of murders of religious minorities.

The siege at the cafe in July was by far the deadliest attack and caused widespread alarm about the growth of Islamist extremism in a country where more than 90 percent of the population is Muslim.

- Wave of attacks -

Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of recent attacks with targets including foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

At least 40 JMB followers have been killed in a crackdown against the group since the cafe attack and dozens of raids have been carried out at addresses linked to the outfit.

The JMB, long dormant after their top leaders were executed in March 2007, is believed to have recently regrouped with young and university-educated extremists taking the helm.

In August, Bangladesh police shot dead Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent, in an operation just outside the capital.

The police have said Tamim was a leader of the new JMB and the main mastermind of the cafe attack.

RAB on Friday released some text messages between Tamim and Rahman on the night before the Canadian's death.

"The satans have come here. We're preparing for fight. We're going to Allah," Tamim wrote. The messages showed that Tamim was swearing his allegiance to Rahman.

RAB said Rahman, a former madrassa student who speaks Arabic and Urdu, became the new JMB chief after two successful operations in 2015.

RAB chief Benazir Ahmed told reporters that they have arrested 33 JMB extremists, including two close associates of Rahman but 21 extremists were still on the run.

Critics say Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists. They accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

Many of the attacks have been claimed by IS and the local offshoot of the Al-Qaeda network.

In August, US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Dhaka that evidence existed to link the extremists behind the attacks in Bangladesh to IS.

Bangladeshi soldiers patrol the streets of Dhaka in July 2016
UN rights council sets up probe into Aleppo violence

The UN rights council on Friday called for a special investigation into violence in Aleppo in a resolution fiercely critical of Syria's government.

The text spearheaded by Britain repeatedly condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's offensive to retake east Aleppo from rebel forces, while also admonishing "terrorist acts" by the Islamic State group and other extremists in the Syrian conflict.

Russia, an ally in Syria's east Aleppo campaign, condemned the resolution which was approved in a majority vote.

An estimated 250,000 civilians are trapped in the Syrian city of Aleppo Karam Al-Masri (AFP/File)

Moscow's envoy to the council, Aleksei Goltiaev, also described criticism of Syria and Russia as "pathetic".

The resolution called for the UN's existing Commission of Inquiry for Syria (COI) to "conduct a comprehensive, independent special inquiry into the events in Aleppo", and to identify individuals responsible for the most serious violations.

Assad's government has repeatedly denied COI investigators access to the country, although they have published multiple reports documenting violations.

The resolution demanded that warring parties "in particular the Syrian authorities and their allies", allow unrestricted humanitarian access to desperate civilians and "end immediately all bombardments and military flights over Aleppo city".

It also condemned "the starvation of civilians as a means of combat". East Aleppo, captured by the rebels in 2012, has not received aid since July 7 when regime forces seized the last supply route.

John Fisher of Human Rights Watch said the resolution passed at a special session on Aleppo "sent a clear message that illegal attacks on civilians must end and that those responsible will be held to account".

UN rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein opened the debate by denouncing "crimes of historic proportions" being perpetrated in east Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people have been besieged under the joint offensive by Damascus and Moscow.

A so-called "humanitarian pause", initiated by Russia, has been broadly holding since Thursday in east Aleppo but the UN and Red Cross have not yet gained access to the rebel side of the city.
MTN denies illegal transfer of $14bn from Nigeria

South Africa's MTN has denied allegations it illegally transferred $13.9 billion from Nigeria with the collaboration of top officials, in the latest scandal to hit the telecoms company in its largest market on the continent.

The Johannesburg-based firm is facing a parliamentary probe over accusations it connived with senior Nigerian officials to move the funds out of the country without complying with the law.

A parliamentary source and local media said the funds were allegedly repatriated between 2006 and this year.

MTN is the largest mobile phone operator in Nigeria Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP)

"We would like to reiterate that at no point did MTN Nigeria (MTNN) illegally repatriate funds out of Nigeria or collaborate with Nigerians to loot the external reserves of the country," Ferdinand Moolman, chief executive officer of MTNN, told the Senate hearing in Abuja on Thursday.

"MTNN is a Nigerian company and is proud to be conducting business in Nigeria. It therefore categorically refutes any accusations of money laundering, economic sabotage or tax evasion levied against it," he added.

Moolman said all monies repatriated by the company were in respect of dividend payments and capital divestment originating from legitimate foreign direct investment.

"The dividend payments were made to shareholders who imported foreign capital for investment in MTNN," he said.

Moolman also exonerated Nigeria's Trade and Investment Minister Okechukwu Elenemah from the alleged capital flight.

"We would like to state that Dr Elenemah has never been a director or shareholder of MTNN," he said, adding that the minister had not connived with the company to move funds out of Nigeria.

The parliamentary probe followed a motion last month by Dino Melaye, a senator from central Kogi state, which called for MTN to be investigated over the alleged illegal transfers.

Four local banks were also alleged to have been used to move the funds with the help of the trade minister.

The probe is the latest setback to hit MTN in Nigeria.

The firm was last year slammed with a $3.9 billion fine for failing to cut off 5.1 million unregistered SIM cards, amid fears that some of the affected lines were being used by Boko Haram insurgents.

The conflict sparked by the jihadist group has left at least 20,000 dead and forced more than 2.6 million people from their homes since 2009.

In June, MTN announced that following negotiations with the Nigerian authorities, it had agreed to pay $1.7 billion as a final settlement.

MTN is the largest mobile phone firm in Nigeria, and the country accounts for a third of the group's total revenue.

MTN threatened to pull out during the SIM card row, before the fine was reduced by nearly 70 percent.

Relations between Nigeria and South Africa, the continent's two economic powerhouses, have been strained over recent years on issues including economic rivalry and political friction.
US, Turkey pledge to work closely to deal IS 'lasting defeat'

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter vowed during a visit to Ankara on Friday to ramp up joint efforts with Turkey to deal Islamic State jihadists a "lasting defeat", the Pentagon said.

Carter met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as Defence Minister Fikri Isik on a flying visit to Turkey, a crucial but sensitive NATO ally in the fight against the IS group.

"Both sides agreed to maintain frequent communication on the full range of mutual interests, including close coordination and continued transparency in the coalition effort to deal ISIL a lasting defeat," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement, using another name for the jihadist group.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) shaking hands with US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter before a meeting in Ankara, on October 21, 2016 Kayhan Ozer (Turkish Presidential Press Office/AFP)

Carter reaffirmed his support for the strategic US-Turkey alliance and vowed that Washington would "continue to stand side-by-side with our NATO ally against shared threats".

Washington is alarmed by tensions between Turkey and Iraq as the long-awaited battle to retake Iraq's second city Mosul from IS jihadists enters a decisive phase.

Turkey, which fears the Mosul offensive could boost the influence of anti-Ankara Kurdish militia, says it cannot stay on the sidelines, but Baghdad is firmly against the involvement of Turkish troops.

- Iraq sovereignty 'important' -

Washington wants Ankara to refrain from military operations in Iraq without the green light from Baghdad, fearing the war of words could jeopardise a fragile pact to keep rival sectarian and ethnic militias out of central Mosul.

Respect for Iraq's sovereignty is an "important principle", Carter told reporters on his plane en route to Turkey.

A senior US defence official said Washington was urging both sides to "tamp down the rhetoric".

"We have been talking behind the scenes to get the Iraqis and the Turks to come to an understanding on how to move forward on Mosul and on Turkish presence in Iraq," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The visit comes after Turkish warplanes carried out deadly strikes on US-backed militias in northern Syria, including Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Turkish army said Thursday the raids killed between 160 and 200 militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group considered a terror group by Ankara but an effective force by Washington in the fight against IS.

Carter declined to comment on the issue during his flight to Turkey.

Turkey in August launched an unprecedented operation in northern Syria, sending tanks and troops to back Syrian rebels who have ousted IS from several key areas including Jarabulus and Dabiq.

- 'Burden of battle' -

Rebel fighters captured Dabiq on Sunday in a symbolic setback to the jihadists, as a Sunni prophecy cites the town as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Carter said the capture of Dabiq was an "important objective" of the campaign.

"The Turks were carrying the burden of the battle here and did spectacularly well," he said.

"We will be working with them to consolidate that border region, long an objective of theirs and ours, and a very important one in the counter-ISIL campaign."

Tensions between Ankara and Washington have grown after the failed July coup in Turkey.

Turkish authorities blamed the putsch on a rogue military group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen -- charges he denies -- and they have repeatedly demanded his extradition.

Carter on Friday toured the Turkish parliament that was extensively damaged by air strikes on the coup night.

"(He) expressed his condolences to all those who lost their lives defending Turkey's democratically-elected government," said the Pentagon statement.
Pakistan top court says schizophrenia not a mental illness

Amnesty International Friday protested a "reprehensible" ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court that said schizophrenia is "not a permanent mental disorder", in a decision that paves the way for execution of a mentally ill man.

Lawyers and rights groups say convicted murderer Imdad Ali, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while in prison in 2012, cannot be executed as he cannot understand his crime and punishment.

However in a detailed judgement issued Thursday the Supreme Court said schizophrenia was an "imbalance", exacerbated by stress, that could be treated by drugs.

Pakistan reinstated the death penalty and established military courts after gunmen stormed a school in 2014, leaving 150 dead Aamir Qureshi (AFP/File)

Therefore it was a "recoverable disease" and not a mental disorder, according to the ruling.

As such, it could not be used to delay Ali's death sentence, which now could go ahead as early as next week.

Rights groups slammed the ruling, with Amnesty calling it "a deeply worrying development".

"It is utterly reprehensible if this Supreme Court judgment leads to the execution of Imdad Ali, who has been clearly diagnosed as mentally ill," said Champa Patel, Amnesty's South Asia programme director, in a statement.

International laws regarding mental disability are "important safeguards", she added.

Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, called the ruling "outrageous" and said it flies in the face of accepted medical knowledge -- including in Pakistan.

"It is terrifying to think that a mentally ill man like Imdad Ali could now hang because judges are pretending that schizophrenia is not a serious condition," Foa said, demanding Pakistan's president intervene.

Ali, aged 50, was sentenced to death for the murder of a cleric in 2002.

He had been sentenced to hang last month, but received a last minute stay of execution by the Supreme Court. But with that stay now expired, he could receive a new "black warrant" and face execution as early as Wednesday.

Pakistan reinstated the death penalty and established military courts after suffering its deadliest-ever extremist attack, when gunmen stormed a school in the northwest in 2014 and killed more than 150 people -- mostly children.

Hangings were initially reinstated only for those convicted of terrorism, but later extended to all capital offences, with over 400 people hung from more than 8,000 death row prisoners.

A new report by Justice Project Pakistan and Yale Law School issued in September said Pakistan's criminal legal system is riddled with errors that prevent it from adjudicating capital cases fairly.
UN says DR Congo violence probe 'hampered'

The UN accused DR Congo's government Friday of obstructing its inquiry into violence that erupted at opposition protests in the capital Kinshasa last month, claiming dozens of lives.

Investigators probing the deaths of 49 civilians and four police killed during violence on September 19 and 20 had "been hampered by several restrictions", the United Nations Joint Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) said in a preliminary report.

"Since September 21, 2016, UNJHRO teams have notably been refused access, on the instruction of senior officials, to certain detention centres as well as to the official registers of some morgues and public hospitals," said the report.

Demonstrators gather in front of a burning car during an opposition rally in Kinshasa on September 19, 2016 Eduardo Soteras (AFP/File)

The protests were called to demonstrate against the government of President Joseph Kabila who many in Congo fear is manoeuvering to stay in office indefinitely beyond the end of his term in December.

"The denial of access has considerably impaired the work of the UNJHRO (which has) documented 422 victims of human rights violations by officials."

The UN warned that the total number of victims could ultimately be "considerably higher".

The report accused Congolese officials of "a disproportionate use of force, including lethal force... in response to protests organised by members of the opposition".

Congolese authorities could not be reached for comment Friday.

The government has previously blamed the opposition for the violence while opposition figures accused Kabila and his officials over the bloodshed.

Following the violence, the US Treasury blacklisted two top allies of Kabila who the US accused of violently putting down opposition to Kabila and undermining democratic forces in the country.

A deal was signed Tuesday that would keep Kabila in power until the election in April 2018.

One of Africa's biggest and most resource-rich countries, DR Congo has been ruled by Kabila since 2001, when his father Laurent was assassinated.

He was elected in 2006 to his first five-year term under a constitution that sets a two-term limit for presidents.
Burkina Faso govt says it has thwarted coup plot

Burkina Faso said Friday it thwarted a "vast conspiracy" earlier this month by forces loyal to ousted leader Blaise Compaore, which aimed to seize power in the impoverished Sahel state.

The plot called for attacking the presidential palace and detaining "certain authorities", said Interior Minister Simon Compaore, who is no relation to the ex-leader.

Some 30 troops from the ex-president's security unit also planned to free comrades who were part of a failed September 2015 coup against the transitional government that took power after his fall, the minister said.

Burkina Faso's Interior Minister Simon Compaore says the government has thwarted a coup plot Ahmed Ouoba (AFP/File)

Cases against 10 soldiers have been referred to a military prosecutor and 20 are still being held for questioning.

Blaise Compaore was chased from power in October 2014 following a popular revolt after he tried to change the constitution to extend his 27-year rule.

The attempted 2015 coup was staged by troops from the presidential guard loyal to the ex-leader but was blocked by street protesters and by the army, which attacked the plotters' barracks.

Authorities uncovered the failed plot when on October 8 military police arrested four people during a routine check, two of whom were later killed while trying to take the officers' guns, the minister said.

Further investigation revealed all the men were ex-members of Campaore's presidential guard and three of them were wanted over a January attack on a weapons depot.

The minister said the plotters also had a "Plan B" after their coup failed, which was to steal military weapons and "create chaos" by shooting randomly at garrisons.

Authorities have seized a Kalashnikov and six magazines full of bullets.

News of the reported coup attempt comes days after Burkina Faso authorities announced the release of Colonel Mamadou Bamba, the officer who announced the 2015 abortive coup.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), Colonel Bamba left prison. He has been granted provisional freedom," a high-ranking military magistrate told AFP on Wednesday.

Bamba went on television to announce the coup on September 17, 2015, reading a statement saying the army had seized control from a transitional government which took office after Compaore fled to Ivory Coast.

Bamba was not a member of Compaore's presidential guard which was behind the putsch but was jailed along with coup leader Gilbert Diendere.
Moscow extends Aleppo truce: defence ministry

Russia's defence ministry said Friday that Moscow would extend a "humanitarian pause" in Aleppo until 1600 GMT on Saturday to allow civilians and armed rebels to leave the city.

"At the request of representatives of the UN and other international organisations, a decision by the Russian president extends the humanitarian pause in the Aleppo region by another 24 hours," senior military official Sergei Rudskoi told reporters.

This announcement marks the second time Moscow has extended the truce by 24 hours after declaring an 11-hour truce on Thursday morning.

More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 Youssef Karwashan (AFP/File)

Moscow announced on Tuesday morning that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of the pause in fighting and the halt held into a second day on Wednesday.

The Kremlin hailed the move as a "manifestation of goodwill" as it faced mounting criticism over its bombing of rebel-held eastern Aleppo in support of a brutal regime offensive on the city.

Rudskoi accused jihadist groups of "doing everything to prevent the exit of civilians and members of armed groups from eastern Aleppo."

"The terrorists are using the ceasefire in their interests," he said.

"We are seeing them massing around Aleppo and preparing for another breakthrough into the city's eastern neighbourhoods," he said, adding that there were over 1,200 people, including more than 30 suicide bombers, in their ranks.

Rudskoi added that on the first day of the humanitarian pause eight injured fighters from the influential Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group, as well as seven civilians left the city via humanitarian corridors.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern Friday regarding the refusal of fighters from a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Fateh al-Sham Front, to leave the city.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that whether Russia extends the pause in fighting further "depends on how the process of fighters leaving the city -- which so far is sluggish, unfortunately."

The UN said Friday that security concerns had forced it to delay planned evacuations from Aleppo, despite the truce that was largely holding for a second day in the ravaged city.
Up to 25 feared dead in raid on migrant boat

Up to 25 people were missing, feared drowned, Friday after men on a Libyan coastguard speedboat attacked a packed migrant dinghy during a rescue operation off the north African state.

German NGO Sea-Watch, which is taking part in the multinational search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean, said the tragedy happened after its boat Sea-Watch 2 and a passing oil tanker were sent to help the distressed dinghy in the early hours.

As the rescue operation proceeded just beyond Libyan territorial waters north of the port of Sabrata, a speedboat bearing the Libyan coastguard insignia arrived and tried to steal the dinghy's outboard engine, spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told AFP.

Migrants wait to be rescued in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya on October 4, 2016 Aris Messinis (AFP)

The men, who spoke Arabic, beat some of the migrants with sticks and some clambered onto the dinghy, causing panic which resulted in one side of the boat deflating and most of the passengers ending up in the sea.

After the assailants left, Sea-Watch said it rescued 120 people and recovered four corpses from the water.

Other bodies were seen floating but could not be recovered and it was estimated that between 15 and 25 of the people who had been on the board were unaccounted for.

Sea-Watch said in a statement that its two speedboats had been "hassled in an aggressive way" during the attack, "preventing our crew from providing life vests and medical aid to the people in need."

"All of these deaths could have been avoided but for this intervention," Neugebauer added.

- Over 3,500 deaths -

The spokesman said the NGO had no way of knowing if the attackers had any contact with the Libyan coastguard or had simply hijacked one of their boats.

But he said the incident highlighted the dangers inherent in European plans to train and equip the Libyan coastguard to be able to restrict the flow of migrant boats from the conflict-torn country towards Italy.

"It is hard to know who is doing what in Libya," he said. "It shows once again it is not a good idea to build a whole European policy based on these guys. You never know whose hands the equipment will end up in."

The EU training initiative is due to begin at the end of this month following vetting of around 80 Libyan coastguard staff who are due to take part.

A Libyan coastguard spokesman told AFP Friday they had not been aware of the incident involving Sea-Watch, which will send shockwaves through the humanitarian groups helping to save lives alongside navy and coastguard ships from a number of European countries.

"If confirmed it is very alarming news," said Flavio Di Giacamo of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The Italian coastguard, which had despatched the Sea-Watch as part of its coordination of operations in the area, said around 3,000 people had been rescued in 20 operations and that seven bodies had been recovered.

This brings to around 5,400 the number of people rescued this week.

According to the UN, at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, the bulk of them on the Libya-Italy route.

Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday.

The Italian interior ministry said Friday that more than 146,500 migrants had landed in Italy so far this year.

The number of arrivals is similar to that of the previous two years but the pressure on the country's reception facilities is mounting as it has become harder for migrants to move on to other EU countries.

Meanwhile in Rome, G6 interior ministers said repatriating irregular migrants was a central part of Europe's policy on migrant flows.

"Repatriations are a fundamental element of the strategy, one which complements hosting," Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said after a meeting of his counterparts from Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Poland.

Alfano said migradnts who were not refugees or not fleeing war or persecution had to follow "the rules" for entering Europe.

A member of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms stands near a life boat carrying the bodies of 29 refugees and migrants, who died on a rubber boat north of Libya while crossing the Mediterranean Sea Aris Messinis (AFP)
A US destroyer sailed close to a cluster of islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea on Friday, the Pentagon said, amid continued tensions in the contested waterway.

The USS Decatur passed close to the Paracel Islands and "conducted this transit in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident," Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross said.

"This operation demonstrated that coastal States may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise under international law."

The USS Decatur at the Israeli port of Haifa in 2009 Jack Guez (AFP/File)

The maneuver is the third South China Sea "freedom of navigation" operation conducted this year by the United States, which has repeatedly stressed it will ignore China's "excessive" maritime claims.

Ross said the Decatur did not sail within 12 nautical miles of the islands, but crossed through a broader swath of ocean claimed by China.

Friday's operation was the first since a July ruling by a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which ruled there was no legal basis to China's claims to nearly all of the sea -- a verdict Beijing dismissed vehemently.

China that month held a week of military drills around the Paracels in the northern part of the South China Sea, during which other ships were prohibited from entering the waters.

Several other nations across the region including the Philippines and Vietnam have rival claims to various parts of the South China Sea.

China has been accused of doing massive environmental damage to the sea by building artificial islands, some with airstrips, capable of hosting military facilities.
Trump to make 'closing arguments' of campaign

Donald Trump will lay out plans Saturday for the first 100 days of his presidency, in what his campaign is calling his "closing arguments" in one of the most bitter election campaigns in US history.

The 2016 election cycle pitting the Republican nominee against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has turned increasingly toxic, with Trump fueling wild conspiracy theories about vote "rigging" and Clinton warning that the provocative billionaire was straying into authoritarianism.

Clinton excoriated Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honor results of the upcoming presidential election, as the rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told a rally he could launch a legal challenge if Hillary Clinton won the election Dominick Reuter (AFP)

"We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart," Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8.

"Donald Trump refused to say that he'd respect the results of this election. By doing that, he's threatening our democracy."

Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump's bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognize the election result -- a surprising rejection of political norms.

Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails.

His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a "rigged" election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump drawing condemnation from President Barack Obama.

Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair.

Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump's eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America's first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump's efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state.

Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State Thursday. He is due to head back to the state on Saturday, with running mate Mike Pence.

On Friday, the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

"Eighteen days. You're going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote you've ever cast for anyone at any time," Trump told a crowd in Fletcher, North Carolina.

- 'Win, lose or draw' -

On Saturday, he will make a key speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, one of the most famous speeches in American history, delivered during the Civil War in an effort to help unite the country.

"The Donald Trump campaign is a movement unlike anything we've seen in our country's history. Tomorrow's speech will set the tone for the closing arguments of this election," Trump's national policy director Stephen Miller said in a statement.

"Mr Trump is the change agent our country needs and he will speak to every American tomorrow about his positive vision to restore our economy, give government back to the people and outline the immediate steps he will take in the first 100 days to Make America Great Again."

Trump earlier said he would give the campaign everything he had, "right up until the actual vote."

"Win, lose or draw... I will be happy with myself," he added.

Clinton is narrowly leading in polling in North Carolina, a state Obama won in 2008 but lost to Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.

- Battleground focus -

Trump is trailing badly in the polls, and his debate threat opened him up to a stinging attack from Obama at a Miami rally.

"When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy," Obama said Thursday.

"When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence... That is not a joking matter."

Clinton holds leads in several battleground states, ranging from razor-thin, such as in North Carolina, to moderate in Florida and Pennsylvania and commanding in Virginia.

She is even narrowly ahead in Arizona, the traditionally Republican-leaning state where First Lady Michelle Obama -- who galvanized voters with a searing attack on Trump last week -- campaigned for Clinton Thursday.

If Trump loses Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory, experts have said.

In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Trump supporters streamed into a convention center to hear him speak in their depressed former steel town, where most mill jobs have evaporated.

Trump promised that he would bring many of them back.

"We don't make things anymore," he told the cheering crowd. "When I'm president, we're going to start making things again in America."

Clinton and Trump: word cloud for the third debate Paz PIZARRO, Simon MALFATTO (AFP)

Hillary Clinton holds leads in several battleground states, ranging from razor-thin, in North Carolina, to moderate in Florida and Pennsylvania and commanding in Virginia Robyn Beck (AFP)

In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told supporters he would bring back jobs to the depressed steel town Mandel Ngan (AFP)
Philippines' Duterte says will not sever US ties

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he would not sever his nation's alliance with the United States, as he clarified his announcement that he planned to "separate".

"It's not severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations. I can not do that. Why? It's in the best interests of my country that I don't do that," Duterte told reporters in his hometown of Davao after returning from China.

The firebrand leader signalled on Thursday during his four-day state visit to Beijing that he intended to end the Philippines' 70-year alliance with the United States in favour of China and Russia.

Members of an indigenous group and activists burn a US flag during a protest calling for the immediate pull-out of US troops in the Philippines in Manila on October 21, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP/File)

"I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told a group of Chinese businessmen.

"America has lost. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

Until Duterte took office on June 30, the Philippines had been one of the United States' most important and loyal allies in Asia, and a key to President Barack Obama's "pivot" to the region.

But since becoming president Duterte has done a dramatic foreign policy U-turn that has baffled Washington.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that the United States would seek clarification from the Philippines about the "separation" remark.

"It's not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications," he said.

Duterte on Saturday gave a series of comments to clarify those remarks.

"Sever is to cut. Separate is just to chart another way of doing," he said.

"What I'm really saying was separation of foreign policy, which in the past and until I became president, we always followed what the United States would give the cue."

- Another tirade -

Nevertheless, Duterte launched another tirade against the United States for criticising his war on crime, which has left more than 3,600 people dead and raised fears about extrajudicial killings.

Duterte said a defence pact signed in 2014, known by the acronym of EDCA and which allows for a much greater US military presence in the Philippines, remained in jeopardy.

"It will affect EDCA and the rest of the agreements, maybe, I will have to consult the military, the police and everybody," he said.

Duterte also said he did not care if the United States or the European Union cut their foreign aid to the Philippines, worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year, over concerns about human rights abuses in his war on crime.

"Assistance, USAID, you can go to hell," he said, referring to the US government's overseas economic and development assistance organisation.

Duterte often laces his rhetoric with vulgar language, and has repeatedly referred to US President Barack Obama as a "son of a whore".

On Saturday he let loose again at US and European critics of his war on crime.

"You sons of whores. Your euro, that's a piece of paper. You run out of toilet paper, you wipe up your ass," he said in a rant that at times appeared not to make sense.

"You guys are bullshit. Why am I saying this? It sounds the height of vulgarity. You started it."

Duterte, 71, also repeated criticism of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, saying it was based on a lie and triggered turmoil in the Middle East that cost many lives.

"If there is one thing that America has failed miserably, it is in the province of the human dignity," he said at the end of his critique of US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Duterte said he also endorsed Russian efforts to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power.

"If Assad is out they (the United States) will have destroyed the entire Middle East," he said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he would not sever his nation's alliance with the United States, clarifying his announcement that he plans to "separate". Manman Dejeto (AFP)
Syria's Raqa next in line of anti-IS campaign

The Syrian city of Raqa, the Islamic State group's de facto capital, stands next in line in the battle against jihadists after this week's assault on Mosul in Iraq.

French President Francois Hollande has warned that IS jihadists under attack by Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Mosul are already fleeing across the border to Raqa.

"We can't afford mistakes in the pursuit of the terrorists who are already leaving Mosul for Raqa," he said, pointing to the Syrian city as the next target.

Syrian Democratic forces and an armed man in uniform identified by them as US special operations forces (C) are seen in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa Delil Souleiman (AFP/File)

On Friday, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the international coalition lined up against IS must now set its sights on Raqa.

"We need to do both things, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria," Blinken told radio station RTL in Paris, speaking in French.

"After Mosul, we'll look at Raqa, absolutely. Raqa is the most urgent, that's the town where Daesh (IS) plans its attacks overseas. Raqa is the real capital," he added.

The 7,500-strong US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, as well as providing training, arms and equipment to local forces opposed to the jihadists.

Raqa on the Euphrates River, near the Turkish border and home to more than 200,000 people, in March 2013 became the first provincial capital in Syria to fall into the hands of rebels, at the time Al-Nusra Front, then Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the country.

But tensions soon erupted into clashes between Al-Nusra and fellow jihadists of a precursor of the Islamic State group.

The latter imposed Islamic dress code in schools and attacked churches in Raqa as they imposed a rule of terror marked by kidnappings and public beheadings.

- Scene of worst atrocities -

On January 6, 2014, all-out war broke out between the rival groups before IS's predecessor seized control of the whole city.

Five months later, Mosul fell to the jihadists and IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a June 29 address at a mosque of Iraq's second largest city, proclaimed a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

Raqa remains the scene of IS's worst atrocities, such as the stoning to death of a woman accused of adultery and the killing of homosexuals by throwing them from rooftops.

In February 2015, IS posted an online video of the burning to death in a cage of a Jordanian pilot held in Raqa province, after the jihadists seized the region's riches in wheat, cotton and oil resources as well as the regime's Tabqa air base where 170 soldiers were killed.

In a rigid interpretation of Islamic laws, the jihadists in Raqa have imposed strict bans on cigarettes as well as alcohol, while forcing men not to shave their beards and women to wear the "niqab" face veil.

Shops are also regulated, with only married couples allowed to go shopping together and mannequins in store fronts banned.

The main square in Raqa is the venue for a trade in sex slaves, in particular kidnapped Yazidi girls, and where opponents are tortured to death.

Foreign jihadists have flowed from Turkey into Raqa, 550 kilometres (340 miles) northeast of Damascus, and Western intelligence services say the city has served as the base for planning attacks abroad.
Seven Pakistan troops killed in Kashmir border fire: India

Indian border security forces on Friday said they shot dead seven Pakistani soldiers in retaliation to a ceasefire violation on the disputed Kashmir border, with Pakistan refuting the claims.

India's Border Security Force (BSF) said Pakistan Rangers targeted Indian positions with sniper fire early Friday, following a failed attempt by militants overnight to enter the Indian side in Hira Nagar near the main city of Jammu in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"During intermittent firing of small arms and area weapons one militant and seven Rangers were shot dead," the BSF said in a press statement.

Pakistani Baloch separatists raise guns in an anti-Indian protest in Dera Allah Yar on October 19, 2016 Fida Hussain (AFP/File)

BSF spokesman Shubhendu Bhardwaj told AFP that they had launched an "aggressive offensive" after one of their soldiers was critically injured by sniper fire from across the border.

"There was an infiltration attempt and sniper fire. We retaliated. The bodies are on the other side of the border," said Bhardwaj.

Pakistan army spokesman Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa refuted the claim and accused India of unprovoked firing on the border.

"Indian claim of hitting or killing any Pakistani soldier/Ranger with firing at anytime of today at LOC/ working boundary absolutely false," Bajwa tweeted, referring to the Line of Control, the de facto border in the disputed territory.

A major attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir in September has led to an increase in tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, with both armies reporting daily exchange of fire along the disputed border.

Nineteen Indian army soldiers were killed in last month's attack, which Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militant groups.

India later said it launched what it termed "surgical strikes", across the heavily militarised LoC, on "terrorist" targets several kilometres inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

But Pakistan has refuted those claims.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.
Trump takes a swipe at Michelle Obama

Donald Trump made First Lady Michelle Obama a public target of his anger for the first time Friday in the final weeks of the presidential race, attacking her for comments she once made about Hillary Clinton.

"His wife, all she wants to do is campaign. And I see how much his wife likes Hillary," Trump told a rally in North Carolina as he shifted his attack from President Barack Obama to the first lady.

"But wasn't she the one that originally started the statement: If you can't take care of your home ... You can't take care of the White House or the country," Trump said, paraphrasing a memorably harsh remark that Michelle Obama made of Clinton when she ran for the 2008 Democratic nomination against fellow senator Barack Obama.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, North Carolina on October 21, 2016 Mandel Ngan (AFP)

Michelle Obama earned praise from Clinton last week for delivering a whithering critique of Trump and his "intolerable" attitude toward women.

Trump hit back Friday.

"She's the one that started that," he said of Obama's comments. "I said 'We can't say that, it's too vicious,'" Trump went on.

"Now she said that, but we don't hear about that."

Obama had caused a stir during the 2008 primaries when she addressed a women-for-Obama event in Chicago and criticized Clinton, whose husband, former president Bill Clinton, was accused of sexually harassing and abusing women.

"One of the things, the important aspects of this race, is role-modelling what good families should look like," Michelle Obama said at the time.

"And my view is that, if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House. Can't do it."

Last week the White House warned against Trump potentially firing back at the first lady after her anti-Trump speech.

"I can't think of a bolder way for Donald Trump to lose even more standing than he already has than by engaging the first lady of the United States," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters.
US concerned about South Africa quitting ICC

The United States expressed concern on Friday over South Africa's decision to withdraw its support from the International Criminal Court.

While not itself a member of the court, the United States likes other countries to accept its jurisdiction, seeing it as an arm against the impunity sometimes enjoyed by rogue leaders.

"We're concerned about this decision," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha gives a press briefing in Pretoria on October 21, 2016 regarding South Africa's decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court Gianluigi Guercia (AFP)

"We do think that the ICC has made valuable contributions in the service of accountability in a number of situations and we hope that other governments would share that."

The decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited South Africa, despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

South Africa refused to arrest him, saying that as a head of state attending a summit he enjoyed diplomatic immunity.

"There is a view in Africa that the ICC in choosing who to prosecute has seemingly preferred to target leaders in Africa," South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha told AFP.
New York state tightens rules on Airbnb

New York state tightened rules Friday on home-sharing services like Airbnb, slapping a steep fine on people who rent their entire, unoccupied apartment for fewer than 30 days.

Airbnb immediately fired back, saying it would sue to keep the law from taking effect.

State officials "rewarded a special interest -- the price-gouging hotel industry -- and ignored the voices of tens of thousands of New Yorkers," said Josh Meltzer, Airbnb's head of public policy in New York.

Airbnb operates in more than 190 countries and has been valued at an estimated $30 billion Martin Bureau (AFP/File)

"A majority of New Yorkers have embraced home sharing, and we will continue to fight for a smart policy solution that works for the people, not the powerful," he said. "We are filing a lawsuit in New York this afternoon."

A New York state law on the books since 2010 already prohibits renting an entire apartment for fewer than 30 days if the owner or lessor is not present.

The new law forbids advertising for this kind of short-term rental and imposes a fine up to $7,500.

New York state is one of the most lucrative markets for rental site Airbnb, with some 46,000 people offering lodging online.

In New York City, real-estate and rental prices are so high that three quarters of the Airbnb hosts use the proceeds simply to be able to remain in their apartments, Airbnb argues.

Airbnb is in the crosshairs of many cities around the world, where tourism industries see this increasingly popular type of home sharing, lacking the legal and tax constraints of commercial enterprises, as threatening revenues.

Paris, notably, has quadrupled the amount of penalties for home owners who violate regulations -- from 25,000 euros to 100,000 euros ($27,211 to $108,843).

Last week, officials of nine US cities -- including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles -- sent a joint letter to the Federal Trade Commission accusing Airbnb and other short-term rental (STR) companies of a "lack of reliable, complete data" on the number of rentals and the amount of revenue.

"Unfortunately, the industry has, according to news sources, stymied cities' efforts to access this data by providing misleading data and opposing requirements that STR companies share complete and reliable data with the public," they wrote.

"It is very difficult for cities to develop policies that protect the public interest without an adequate understanding of how this growing industry is impacting our communities," they wrote, calling on the FTC to study whether individuals or firms are acting in a commercial manner.
Venezuelan activist moves to US after release from 'dungeon'

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP)  Francisco Marquez says he constantly heard screams from prisoners being beaten in neighboring cells. He once saw a dozen inmates handcuffed, forced to run naked for hours under the hot sun as punishment for a failed escape attempt.

The 30-year-old dual U.S. citizen spoke of his four-month incarceration in his native Venezuela on Thursday, two days after he was freed and boarded a flight to join his parents in Southern California. He was arrested in June while taking part in a nationwide recall campaign against President Nicolas Maduro and accused of trying to foment violence. He says a judge dismissed charges in late July, leaving the socialist government with no justification to hold him.

Marquez lived in seven cells at four jails. The worst by far was the July 26th prison in central Venezuela, where he spent about two months and shared a cell with six others. He said he was never physically beaten but knew many who were and lived in fear that he might be next.

Francisco Marquez chats with his mother Maria Luz Lara-Marquez at family home in Del Mar, California, Thursday, Oct. 201.2016. The 30-year-old dual U.S. citizen spoke of his four-month incarceration in his native Venezuela, two days after he was freed and boarded a flight to join his parents in Southern California. He was arrested in June while taking part in a nationwide recall campaign against President Nicolas Maduro and accused of trying to foment violence. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)

"I can only describe it as a dungeon," he told The Associated Press in the living room of his parents' home in Del Mar, a coastal suburb north of San Diego. "It was completely dark. No natural lights, full of mosquitoes, darkness, smell of feces, humid, full of just dark cobwebs and dust everywhere. There was only a small light, a small ray of light, sunshine came through."

Marquez said his lawyers told him he was required to leave Venezuela immediately and avoid media exposure until he was gone. He believes diplomatic pressure contributed to his freedom but has no evidence and doesn't know if pressure was applied by the U.S. government, which welcomed his release.

"This is an important gesture by the government of Venezuela, which we appreciate," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "We continue to monitor the cases of other U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela and to provide appropriate consular services, including advocating for treatment consistent with internationally recognized standards and working to ensure that U.S. citizens are afforded due process under local laws and international standards."

Venezuela's Ministry of Information did not immediately respond for a request for comment.

On Thursday, Venezuela's Supreme Court said it was granting house arrest to another imprisoned opposition activist. Former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales has been jailed for a year on corruption charges. He was arrested at the airport in October 2015 after he returned to the country following six years in exile. The court did not say why it was granting Rosales house arrest.

Marquez was born in Caracas and spent all his life in Venezuela, except eight years growing up in the Boston and Columbus, Ohio, areas, and as a student at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, where he graduated in 2012. His Venezuelan mother was born in New York City, allowing him U.S. citizenship.

Marquez campaigned for opposition candidates in 2006 and 2012 against Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013. He was chief of staff to an opposition mayor in the Caracas area when he was arrested.

While driving in western Venezuela on a campaign to collect signatures for Maduro's recall, the National Guard found nearly $3,000 in local currency in his trunk at a highway checkpoint and about 150 pamphlets in the back seat that exposed his political leanings.

"I was very surprised at the moment, the way it was done," Marquez said. Intelligence officers interrogated him throughout the night over his political affiliations and other matters.

Marquez was rarely allowed to meet with family while in prison. About three days before his release from a jail in Caracas, he saw Joshua Holt, a Utah man and high-profile prisoner who was arrested this year on weapons charges.

The two men spoke briefly. Marquez said Holt looked fine physically but couldn't speak to his mental state.

"His eyes lit up a little bit because there was another person that spoke English and I know that meant something," Marquez said. "Even though he speaks Spanish, it's never the same hearing your mother tongue."

On Thursday, Marquez spoke with reporters in Venezuela from a desk in his parents' living room. He said he will continue to advocate for change in Venezuela and for others who he says are imprisoned there for their political beliefs.

"I've always been in politics in Venezuela," he said. "It's my passion, it's where I was born, it's where I've spent most of my life."

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Associated Press writers Hannah Dreier in Caracas, Venezuela, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report
Chinese navy ships to make first port call at Cam Ranh Bay

HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  Three Chinese navy ships will make their first port call this weekend at the Vietnam's strategic Cam Ranh Bay, coming as the countries are locked in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

An official in Khanh Hoa province where the bay is located said the four-day port call at Cam Ranh International Port starting Saturday by the three ships carrying 750 sailors will include exchanges with the Vietnamese navy and meetings with provincial leaders.

The international port, whose first phase with an investment of $80 million was completed earlier this year, offers repairs, maintenance and logistics to foreign naval and commercial ships.

The port is separate from Vietnam's military installations at the bay.

The visit comes weeks after two U.S. Navy ships paid a first visit to Cam Ranh since the countries normalized relations 21 years ago.

Cam Ranh Bay served as a U.S. air and naval base during the Vietnam War. It was taken over by the former Soviet Union in 1979 under a 25-year, rent-free agreement, and was returned to Hanoi in 2002.

The visit comes as Hanoi and Beijing are in dispute over parts of the South China Sea. China claims almost all seas, which occupy one of the world's busiest sea lanes and is potentially rich in natural resources. China's recent building of artificial islands in the Spratly islands and military buildup in the area have alarmed countries in the region and the United States.
PICTURED: Editor selections from Latin America, Caribbean

As Haiti staggered in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, U.S. military personnel helped in the distribution of USAID relief to the people left homeless. Many have taken refuge in local schools and even though they have been asked to leave in order for classes to resume, they say they have nowhere else to go.

In Brazil, mothers of babies affected by the Zika virus posed for portraits with their babies on their first birthday. Elsewhere, former speaker of Brazil's lower house Eduardo Cunha, who spearheaded the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff, was arrested as part of a sprawling graft probe involving state oil giant Petrobras.

In Bolivia, the families of people with disabilities, with the help of the city government, organized a pageant to promote the rights of children and teens with impairments that ranged from physical to sensory to developmental.

In this Sept. 29, 2016 photo made from a negative recovered from instant film, Rosana Alves holds her daughter Luana, who was born with microcephaly, one of many serious medical problems that can be caused by congenital Zika syndrome, as they pose for a photo in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Alves has three daughters and has left work to take care of Luana, who is equipped with specially designed leg braces to help position her feet. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Police in Panama seized more than 2,400 packages of cocaine hidden on the country's Caribbean coast.

Across Latin America, people marched to condemn violence against women after the recent rape and brutal killing of a 16-year-old girl in Argentina.

In Peru, a pygmy anteater, also known as a silky anteater, was presented by the Huachipa Zoo in an event to promote their own pair of silky anteaters, who just turned 11 years old.

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Photo gallery edited by photo editor Tomas Stargardter in Mexico City.

This combo of nine photos taken between Sept. 26 and 29, 2016, shows infants who were born with microcephaly, one of many serious medical problems caused by congenital Zika syndrome, photographed with their mothers or family member, in Pernambuco state, Brazil. Associated Press photographer Felipe Dana has followed these babies from hospitals to their cribs, from brain exams to bath time. Dana used an instant film so they could immediately see and keep the photographs he made of them. Dana gave the mothers the prints but preserved the negatives, later bleaching and scanning them so they mirrored the images they took home. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

In this Oct. 17, 2016 photo, boys play on a makeshift raft in the polluted waters in front of the Philanthrope neighborhood of Les Cayes, Haiti. Many houses in the seaside fishing community lost their roofs and others were completely destroyed. Some of the residents have sought shelter at nearby Philippe Guerrier high school, but they have been told they have to leave so classes can restart.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In this Oct. 14, 2016 photo, town residents gather to watch as U.S. military personnel unload USAID relief supplies from a helicopter in Anse d'Hainault, southwestern Haiti. Two U.S. military helicopters touched down briefly on Friday morning to deliver drinking water and saline to the remote town, which has seen a spike in cholera cases after suffering severe damage from Hurricane Matthew. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In this Oct. 18, 2016 photo, a kitchen cabinet is partially covered by the debris of a destroyed home in Port-a-Piment, a district of Les Cayes, Haiti. It's been two weeks since the Category 4 hurricane hit Haiti, killing hundreds of people and destroying tens of thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

In this Oct. 14, 2016 photo, Mariela Flores, who is visually impaired, is crowned one of two Miss "Jacha Uru", translated from the Aymaran language as Great Day, in La Paz, Bolivia. The families of people with disabilities, with the help of the city government, organized the pageant to promote the rights of children and adolescents with impairments that ranged from physical to sensory to developmental. About 50 contestants demonstrated their skills in singing or dancing, and wrapped up the competition sporting their finest evening wear. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

In this Oct. 20, 2016. photo, Eduardo Cunha, former speaker of Brazil's lower house, is escorted by federal police officers as he arrives to the Legal Medical Institute, in Curitiba, Brazil. Cunha, who spearheaded the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff, was arrested Wednesday as part of a sprawling graft probe involving state oil giant Petrobras. A key ally of new President Michel Temer, Cunha is accused of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion related to an oilfield purchase that Petrobras made in 2011 in the west African nation of Benin, among a series of other charges. (AP Photo/Denis Ferreira)

In this Oct. 17, 2016 photo, packages containing cocaine are displayed on the ground before a press conference at a naval base in Panama City. According to authorities police seized more than 2400 packages of cocaine during the weekend hidden in Panama's Caribbean coast. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

In this Oct. 19, 2016. photo, a woman with the word "Enough!" written on her cheek in Spanish, participates in a demonstration against gender violence in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentines are marching in Buenos Aires to condemn violence against women in a protest that is being followed in other Latin American countries. Wednesday's demonstration comes after the recent rape and brutal killing of a 16-year-old girl. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Oct. 19, 2016. photo, a woman looks from above hundreds of protesters with umbrellas during a massive demonstration against gender violence, at Plaza de Mayo square in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. Argentines marched across the country to condemn violence against women, the latest public outcry after the recent killing of a 16-year-old girl who was slain after she was drugged, raped and tortured. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

In this Oct. 19, 2016 photo, a woman protests against gender violence in Mexico City. Women across Latin America participated in protests in response to the shocking rape and killing of a teenage girl on Oct. 8 in Argentina. The text written of the back of the woman reads in Spanish "Not one less." (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Goodyear christening 2nd airship in fleet replacing blimps

AKRON, Ohio (AP)  Goodyear is officially welcoming the second airship in the fleet replacing its famous blimps.

From the ground, the cigar-shaped replacements look much like their predecessors. Though they still use helium and bear the blue-and-gold Goodyear logo, they aren't technically blimps because they have a fixed structure holding the balloon in place. They also are longer, have a third engine, make less noise and are more maneuverable.

The first of the new models, Wingfoot One, launched in 2014 and is based in Pompano Beach, Florida. Wingfoot Two was finished in March and already was used for some event coverage ahead of Friday's christening in Akron, where Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. is based.

This Oct. 6, 2016 photo shows Goodyear's newest airship, Wingfoot Two, in Mogadore, Ohio. Goodyear is officially welcoming Wingfoot Two, the second airship in the fleet replacing its famous blimps. The first of the new models, Wingfoot One was launched in 2014. From the ground, the cigar-shaped replacements look much like their predecessors. Though they still use helium and bear the blue-and-gold Goodyear logo, they aren't technically blimps because they have a fixed structure holding the balloon in place. (Malcolm Porter/WEWS-TV via AP)

Wingfoot Two eventually will be based in Carson, California, where the last of the previous blimps has been operating, Goodyear airship spokeswoman Emily Cropper said.

Goodyear expects to retire the remaining blimp, the Spirit of Innovation, next year and start building the third vehicle in the new fleet, she said.

The other blimps from the old fleet, the Spirit of Goodyear and the Spirit of America, were previously retired.

Akron native Savannah James, the wife of Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, is the official christener for Wingfoot Two.

This Oct. 6, 2016 photo shows Goodyear's newest airship, Wingfoot Two, in Mogadore, Ohio. Goodyear is officially welcoming Wingfoot Two, the second airship in the fleet replacing its famous blimps. The first of the new models, Wingfoot One was launched in 2014. From the ground, the cigar-shaped replacements look much like their predecessors. Though they still use helium and bear the blue-and-gold Goodyear logo, they aren't technically blimps because they have a fixed structure holding the balloon in place. (Malcolm Porter/WEWS-TV via AP)
Cincinnati Zoo rejoins Twitter following Harambe controversy

CINCINNATI (AP)  The Cincinnati Zoo has rejoined Twitter after a two-month hiatus that was sparked by outrage over the shooting death of Harambe, the zoo's 17-year-old gorilla.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (http://cin.ci/2elf22v ) the zoo deactivated its account on the popular social media platform on Aug. 21 and resumed tweeting @CincinnatiZoo on Tuesday.

Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley says the Twitter account went back up last week. It was abandoned following account hacks that targeted the zoo and director Thane Maynard in the wake of Harambe's death.

FILE - In This May 30, 2016 file photo, zoo visitors look at protestors and mourners from a walk bridge during a vigil for the gorilla Harambe outside the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Zoo has rejoined Twitter after a two-month hiatus that was sparked by outrage over the May shooting death of Harambe, the zoo's 17-year-old gorilla. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the zoo deactivated its account on the popular social media platform on Aug. 21 and resumed tweeting @CincinnatiZoo on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The Western lowland gorilla was killed by employees in May after a boy fell into his enclosure.

Curley says impostors not affiliated with the zoo tried to pass themselves off as the official account during the hiatus.

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This story has been corrected to show that the zoo director's last name is Maynard, not Maynor.

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com
Carter says Turkey should play role in Mosul fight

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  There "is an agreement in principle" for Turkey to play a role in the battle to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday, expressing optimism that friction between the Turks and Iraqis can be worked out.

Speaking to reporters after finishing up meetings with top Turkish leaders, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Carter said he believes Turkey should play a role in the Mosul battle, but that any final decisions would need Iraqi approval.

Questions remain as to whether the Iraqis would allow Turkey to continue to play a military role in Iraq  something Baghdad has opposed.

A group of young Turks stage an anti-US protest outside the Parliament before a visit by US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in Ankara, Turkey, Frday, Oct. 21, 2016. Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top leaders and defense officials in Ankara amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq as allied forces move to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants.( AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici )

"I'm pretty confident  on the basis of all the conversations we've had  that we'll be able to work through those practicalities in a way that takes care of the sensitivities of all of the parties," Carter told reporters traveling with him. He said Turkey has had a historic role in the region and it will "appropriately have a role in the counter-ISIL campaign in both Syria and Iraq."

Carter's comments came amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq, over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq. And the divide has only grown in recent days as the operation to retake Mosul began to take shape.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Erdogan have traded insults, and earlier this week thousands of followers of a Shiite cleric rallied outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, calling for an end to the Turkish "occupation" in northern Iraq.

They were referring to the presence of some 500 Turkish troops at a base north of Mosul who have been training Sunni and Kurdish fighters since last December. Baghdad says the troops are there without permission and has called on them to withdraw. Ankara has refused, and insists it will play a role in liberating the city.

The Turkish troops are training Kurdish forces loyal to Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani.

Carter said he believes there are things that Turkey could do that would be very productive for the war effort. And he said Iraq "understands that Turkey is a member of the counter-ISIL coalition (and) will play a role in counter-ISIL operations in Iraq. And, secondly, that Turkey since it neighbors the region of Mosul has an interest in the ultimate outcome in Mosul."

A senior defense official said the U.S. is hoping to arrange a meeting between the Turks and the Iraqis in the next week, and that Turkey could offer humanitarian assistance, medical aid and other non-military contributions. The official was not authorized to talk about the ongoing discussions publicly, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Carter arrived in Turkey for a short visit on Friday, shuttling quickly to sessions with Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Turkey's Defense Minister Fikri Isik. He also visited the nation's Parliament building that was bombed during the unsuccessful coup earlier this year.

Before the meetings, Carter made it clear that Iraqi sovereignty would be a key topic in the meetings.

"We've long had discussions with everyone about this  about respect for Iraqi sovereignty in the course of the conduct of the counter-ISIL campaign," Carter said. "It's very important for all the members of the counter-ISIL campaign to participate in that integrated way. Will I be talking with the Turks about that? Absolutely."

The key is to "keep everybody focused on the object here which is to defeat ISIL," Carter said, using another acronym for the Islamic State, "because that is a threat to all three of us."

At the same time, the U.S. is also looking into reports that Turkish jets and artillery struck Syrian Kurds in northern Syria on Thursday, killing as many as 200.

Carter said he has few details on the incident, and questions remain about the casualty total and whether or not the Kurdish forces were ones backed by the U.S.

The Syrian Kurdish forces have been a source of tension between NATO allies Turkey and the United States. The U.S. considers the militia group  the People's Protection Units or YPG  to be the most effective force in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey says it's an extension of its own outlawed Kurdish militants who have carried out a series of deadly attacks in Turkey in the past and considers it to be a terrorist organization.

According to one Turkish official, Defense Minister Isiki told Carter that Turkey expects the Syrian Kurdish militia will leave the Syrian town of Manbij and move east of the Euphrates river as promised.

"We cannot trust the words of terror organizations; we cannot know what the (Kurdish militants) will do tomorrow," a Turkish official quoted Isik as telling Carter. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the conversation publicly.

U.S Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, center, speaks to the media after he left flowers near the damaged section of the Turkish parliament bombed during the July 15 failed coup, in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top leaders and defense officials in Ankara amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq as allied forces move to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, center, speaks to his Turkish counterpart Fikri Isik as he visits Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top leaders and defense officials in Ankara amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq as allied forces move to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

A group of young Turks, holding a banner with a representation of US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, of stage an anti-US protest outside the Parliament before a visit by US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in Ankara, Turkey, Frday, Oct. 21, 2016. Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top leaders and defense officials in Ankara amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq as allied forces move to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants.( AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici )

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, right, and U.S Secretary of Defense Ash Carter shake hands before a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Carter met with Yildirim and other top leaders and defense officials in Ankara amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq as allied forces move to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants.(Hakan Goktepe/Prime Ministry Press Service, Pool photo via AP)
California politician shows little remorse, gets prison time

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Former state Sen. Ron Calderon was sentenced Friday to 3 years in federal prison after showing little remorse for a corruption scandal that tarnished his family's Southern California political dynasty.

Calderon made an emotional plea to stay out of prison to a judge who said he had not accepted responsibility or apologized to California's citizens for taking bribes in exchange for his influence in the state capitol.

"My goal was to do the right thing for California," said Calderon who asked Judge Christina Snyder for home confinement. "At no point did I ever intend to break that law."

FILE - In this June 10, 2013 file photo, then-California State Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, discusses the FBI raid on his Capitol office in Sacramento. Federal prosecutors are seeking a five year sentence for Calderon who took bribes in exchange for supporting legislation. Calderon faces sentencing Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, in U.S. District Court for a scandal that rocked the state senate and tarnished his familys political dynasty. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

After he spoke, Snyder said she had contemplated putting him behind bars for four years because his request for leniency was self-serving. But she said the shorter term was significant and would send a message to the longtime lawmaker.

"The evidence was overwhelming. He knew exactly what he was doing," Snyder said, adding that Calderon and his family reaped the benefits of the bribes. "The crime is significant. I think it's a true public corruption case."

Federal prosecutors had asked for a 5-year prison term in a blistering brief that mocked Calderon for making false and misleading claims about bribes he took and distorting his previous admissions in court.

"Defendant asks this court to endorse his view that an elected official who repeatedly and egregiously abuses the trust of the electorate warrants essentially the lowest possible sanction for a federal conviction," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins wrote.

Jenkins added that Calderon's request to serve the sentence at his home in a Los Angeles suburb would "continue to trivialize his corrupt actions, as he does throughout his sentencing position, and continue to evade true accountability."

Calderon was ordered to report to prison Jan. 3, and his sentencing brought an end to an ugly chapter in California politics that saw three state Democratic senators indicted in 2014. It ruined his record of public service and damaged his family's political reputation.

"This is going to be the opening paragraph of his obituary," defense lawyer Mark Geragos said. "This is going to obliterate 30 years of public service."

Calderon, 59, pleaded guilty to a single count of mail fraud in June and admitted to soliciting more than $155,000 in payments or financial benefits in exchange for supporting or blocking legislation.

He took $12,000 worth of trips to Las Vegas from an undercover FBI agent who posed as the owner of a Los Angeles movie studio seeking his support for film tax credits, though the legislation never passed, according to his signed plea agreement.

The agent hired Calderon's daughter for a $3,000 a month no-show job and paid $5,000 toward his son's college tuition.

Calderon also acknowledged helping a hospital owner maintain a massive health care fraud scheme in exchange for hiring his son for $10,000 each summer over three years for no more than 15 days of work a season filing papers.

The defendant's brother, ex-Assemblyman Thomas Calderon, who was a consultant to the hospital, was also caught up in the FBI investigation.

Thomas Calderon, 62, pleaded guilty to laundering some of the bribes and was recently sentenced to 10 months in prison. Half of that term was to be served at home.

The two Montebello Democrats had followed their older brother, Charles Calderon, to Sacramento, where he served in both chambers of the Legislature before they were elected.

After the indictments came down against his brothers, Charles Calderon lost a race for a seat on the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench. His son, Ian Calderon, is a Democrat in the state Assembly.

Calderon's wife and two children were with him in court, but his brothers were not. Calderon said the scandal had ruined his relationship with them.

The legal troubles for the two younger Calderon brothers in 2014 came at an embarrassing time for Senate Democrats. Fellow Sens. Leland Yee and Rod Wright were facing unrelated felony charges.

All three were suspended, though they continued to be paid under rules later reversed by voters to give state lawmakers the ability to suspend colleagues' pay and voting power if accused of wrongdoing in office.

Yee, of San Francisco, was sentenced to five years in federal prison in an organized crime case centered in San Francisco's Chinatown. Wright was convicted of lying about living outside his Los Angeles district and sentenced to three months in jail.

Jaime Regalado, a political science professor at California State University, Los Angeles, said the convictions of the Calderons were symbolically important, but he didn't think they would have a big impact on future corruption.

"The public would like to think the convictions and sentences of Tom and Ron would help clean up Sacramento and the body politic, as well as strike fear in the hearts of legislators who are willing to engage in illegal gambits with the public's money," Regalado said.

"There's a lot of greed that continues to go around," he added, "so this will be a drop in the pan."

Former state Sen. Ron Calderon and his wife Ana arrive for his sentencing on bribery charges at federal court in Los Angeles Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Charged in a corruption scandal that could have sent him to prison for three lifetimes, Calderon dropped his entrapment defense, pleaded guilty and admitted taking bribes in exchange for his influence in Sacramento. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Former state Sen. Ron Calderon and his wife Ana arrive for his sentencing on bribery charges at federal court in Los Angeles Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Charged in a corruption scandal that could have sent him to prison for three lifetimes, Calderon dropped his entrapment defense, pleaded guilty and admitted taking bribes in exchange for his influence in Sacramento. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
AP Explains: Why African states have started leaving the ICC

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Until this week, no country had withdrawn from the International Criminal Court. Now two African states, South Africa and Burundi, have made official decisions to leave. Concerns are high that more African countries now will act on years of threats to pull out amid accusations that the court unfairly focuses on the continent. Here's a look at what it all means.

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SOMEONE TO TAKE ON GENOCIDE

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 file photo, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir speaks after meeting with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. South Africa has decided to withdraw from the International Criminal Court following a dispute over the visit in 2015 by al-Bashir, who is wanted by the tribunal for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. (AP Photo/Ali Ngethi, File)

Many in the international community cheered when the treaty to create the ICC, the Rome Statute, was adopted in 1998 as a way to pursue some of the world's worst atrocities: genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Not all countries signed on, and before this week's decisions by Burundi and South Africa, the treaty had 124 states parties. Notable countries that have not become states parties include the United States, China, Russia and India. Some countries are wary of The Hague, Netherlands-based court's powers, seeing it as potential interference.

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THE TRAVELS OF AL-BASHIR

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has become a symbol of the limitations facing the ICC, which does not have a police force and relies on the cooperation of member states. Al-Bashir has been wanted by the tribunal for alleged genocide and other crimes in Sudan's Darfur region after the U.N. Security Council first referred the case to the ICC in 2005. Since then, however, al-Bashir has visited a number of ICC member states, including Malawi, Kenya, Chad and Congo. His visit to South Africa in June 2015 caused uproar, and he quickly left as a court there ordered his arrest. The ICC has no power to compel countries to arrest people and can only tell them they have a legal obligation to do it.

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AFRICAN FRUSTRATIONS, AND THREATS

Only Africans have been charged in the six ICC cases that are ongoing or about to begin, though preliminary ICC investigations have been opened elsewhere in the world, in places like Colombia and Afghanistan. One case that caused considerable anger among African leaders was the ICC's pursuit of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for his alleged role in the deadly violence that erupted after his country's 2007 presidential election. The case later collapsed amid prosecution claims of interference with witnesses and non-cooperation by Kenyan authorities. The African Union has called for immunity from prosecution for heads of state, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at his inauguration in May  with al-Bashir in attendance  declared the ICC to be "useless."

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HEADING OUT

Burundi kicked off the ICC departures this month when lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to leave the tribunal, just months after the court announced it would investigate recent political violence there. President Pierre Nkurunziza signed the bill on Tuesday. Now South Africa is deciding to leave as well, saying that handing a leader over to the ICC would amount to interference in another country's affairs. It's a dramatic turnaround for a country that was an early supporter of the court's creation in the years after South Africa emerged from white minority rule and near-global isolation. With one of Africa's most developed countries now pulling out, observers are waiting to see whether more states follow.
Younis & Misbah cash in on chances to lead Pakistan to 304-4

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Aging pros Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq cashed in on dropped catches to carry Pakistan to 304-4 against the West Indies on the first day of the second test on Friday.

Pakistan's two most experienced batsmen got reprieves after completing their half-centuries on a typically slow pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. They also led Pakistan's recovery from 129-3.

Younis didn't show any signs of the dengue which sidelined him from the first test, and notched his 33rd test century before he fell off the last ball of the day for 127.

Misbah, who won the toss and opted to bat on the flat pitch, was equally splendid, and unbeaten on 90 off 146 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.

"I wanted to stand a lot more upright, that helped me play the shorter deliveries easier," Younis said of his five-hour knock during which he faced 205 balls, hitting 10 fours and a six.

"Making the crucial moments work is key, and our focus was on taking singles, that increases the trust."

West Indies bowlers struggled with the red ball like they did with the pink ball in the first innings of the day-night test at Dubai, where Pakistan amassed 579-3 declared.

Shannon Gabriel (2-43) had first-test triple century-maker Azhar Ali bowled off an inside edge for zero, and Asad Shafiq (68) also played on to the seamer.

But Misbah and Younis propelled the total with a 175-run stand at nearly four runs an over, and dominated the spinners with their trademark sweeps and reverse sweeps.

"There's not much bounce on this pitch, but it isn't uneven," Younis said.

Devendra Bishoo couldn't replicate his 8-49 performance in the second innings at Dubai before West Indies lost the first test by 56 runs. The legspinner hardly troubled Younis or Misbah, and often pitched too short of the length during his 20 overs.

West Indies had its chances. Younis was on 83 just before tea when Kraigg Brathwaite couldn't hold onto a regulation return catch, Misbah's nick on 54 caught wicketkeeper Shai Hope wrong-footed. Hope was forced to don the gloves after tea because Shane Dowrich was ruled out of the test due to injury.

Younis completed his century off 169 balls when he square cut offspinner Roston Chase for his eighth boundary before he fell to a tired slog sweep off Brathwaite and holed out in the deep.

Nightwatchman Yasir Shah had just walked out to the crease when the umpires called off play due to poor light with six overs still scheduled.

Younis earlier revived Pakistan with an 87-run third-wicket stand with Shafiq after Azhar's early dismissal, and Bishoo knocking back left-hander Sami Aslam's leg stump off a vicious turner.
Defending champion Thomas leads halfway through CIMB Classic

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Justin Thomas had a 6-under 66 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead halfway through the CIMB Classic, staying within striking distance of the tournament record he set in winning the title here last year.

He started the second round in a three-way share of the lead with Keegan Bradley and Derek Fathauer after opening with a 64, and followed up with a bogey-free round containing six birdies to move to 14 under, two shots clear of Asian Tour leader Anirban Lahiri.

Thomas, who won his first PGA Tour title here last year in a tournament record 26-under-par 262, wasn't entirely happy with his iron shots and wedges in the second round but remains hopeful of producing some very low scores on the weekend at the par-72, 7,005-yard TPC Kuala Lumpur.

"The thing about this course, you can go shoot 12- or 13-under in a day," he said, "so hopefully I can get it going a little bit this weekend ... like I did last year."

Lahiri had eight birdies but finished with a 66  after a double-bogey on his final hole for the second consecutive day  leaving him at 12 under.

"Both yesterday and today I've played good  I think I played solid right through," said Lahiri, who was runner-up at the Asian Tour's Macau Open last week. "It's just very disappointing to finish the way I did. Both days I think I left four or five shots out there coming in. I would have liked to be in a better position the way I've played, but it's not over yet."

Scotland's Russell Knox carded nine birdies in a 63 to move into a tie for third place at 11 under along with James Hahn and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who both had 64s.

Ryan Moore, who won the CIMB Classic in 2013 and 2014k, moved into a share of eighth at 8 under with a 65 in the second round, making up for an opening 71.

Fathauer had a 70 and was in a share of sixth place, and Bradley had a 71 in the second round to slip into a tie for eighth.
18-year-old dies after Russian Roulette-style game at party

SANDSTON, Va. (AP)  Authorities in Virginia say a teenager has died after shooting himself while playing a Russian Roulette-style game during his 18th birthday party.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2ezFUrW) court documents show police found Austin Balcarcel with a gunshot wound to his head Sunday at a home in Sandston.

He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Balcarcel's friend told police he and Balcarcel were in the garage when Balcarcel pulled out a revolver, opened it, closed it, spun it around once and put it to his head, pulling the trigger. The gun clicked, but the teen then pulled the trigger a second time and the gun went off.

Henrico County police Lt. Chris Garrett says police are still investigating.

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Russia denies Polish claim Egypt sold it warships for $1

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland's defense minister said he thinks Egypt has sold two French-made Mistral warships to Russia for the symbolic price of $1, a claim Russia on Friday dismissed as "nonsense."

Antoni Macierewicz made the assertion during a parliamentary debate on Thursday. He later told reporters he had the information "from good sources," but did not reveal any other details.

On Friday, Macierewicz added that "if Egypt would now withdraw from this operation, it would be a gain for world peace" and a good lesson for Russia.

France had originally built the two ships for Russia, but the sale was canceled after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. France refunded the 950 million euros ($1 billion) already paid by Russia and sold the ships to Egypt.

Macierewicz's comment comes amid strained ties between Warsaw and Paris due to Poland's cancellation of a $3.5 billion deal to buy French-made military helicopters.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, rejected Macierewicz's claim as "complete nonsense."
NATO officer: cyberattacks complicate threats to alliance

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  A senior NATO officer said Friday the addition of cyber warfare to traditional threats means the military alliance faces a 360-degree threat.

Rear Adm. Peter Gumataotao, the head of NATO Strategic Partnerships, said Friday there was "a complex environment and ambiguity we see today in the operational environment."

NATO leaders confirmed cyberspace as an official "operational domain" for alliance actions at the recent Warsaw summit, along with air, land and sea.

Rear Adm. Peter Gumataotao, the head of NATO Strategic Partnerships, listens during an interview with the Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Oct.21, 2016. Gumataotao said, speaking at a two-day NATO Strategic Military Partners Conference held in the Romanian capital, that the addition of cyber warfare to traditional threats means the military alliance faces a 360-degree threat.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

He said that talks at the summit in July about the different threats showed "the threat base is 360 degrees."

"It is clear all these domains in the 21st centuries are interconnected. Cyber covers all these domains," Gumataotao told The Associated Press.

He was speaking at a two-day NATO Strategic Military Partners Conference held in the Romanian capital.
Burkina Faso says another coup plot foiled by authorities

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Authorities have thwarted another coup plot in Burkina Faso blamed on forces loyal to the former longtime President Blaise Compaore, the country's security minister said Friday.

The 1,300-member presidential guard was officially disbanded last year after members were accused of trying to overthrow the country's transitional government put into place after Compaore left power in a popular uprising.

Security Minister Simon Compaore, who is not related to the ex-leader, said at least 10 people have been arrested, though the top suspect remains on the run.

The latest coup attempt had been planned for Oct. 9, but Compaore said it was foiled when two former guards were killed trying to enter the capital of this West African country.

He said the planned targets had included the presidential palace, the paramilitary headquarters in Ouagadougou and the Ouagadougou military prison where the man accused of planning last year's coup is jailed.

Political turmoil mounted in Burkina Faso after the October 2014 departure of Blaise Compaore, who served as president for nearly three decades.
Unemployment rates rose in 3 of 8 US swing states last month

WASHINGTON (AP)  Unemployment rates rose in three of eight U. S. swing states last month, fell in two and were unchanged in the remaining three.

The Labor Department said Friday employers cut jobs in four swing states and added them in three, with job totals flat in New Hampshire.

The figures reflect broader trends that were evident in the national jobs report issued earlier this month: Hiring has slowed from last year's healthy pace to a still-decent level. And more Americans are searching for work, apparently encouraged by the steady job gains of the past several years. That has pushed up the unemployment rate, as not all immediately find work.

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 19, 2016, file photo, a man fills out a job application at a job fair, in Miami Lakes, Fla. On Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, the Labor Department reports on state unemployment rates for September. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

For example, Michigan added 5,400 jobs in September, though its unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent from 4.5 percent. That's because the number of people working or looking for work increased by about 14,000 last month.

The unemployment rate rose to 4.7 percent last month from 4.6 percent in August in North Carolina, and ticked up to 4.8 percent from 4.7 percent in Ohio. The rate fell sharply to 5.8 percent from 6.3 percent in Nevada, and to 2.9 percent from 3 percent in New Hampshire.

The jobless rate was flat in September in Florida, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

Florida, Michigan and North Carolina added jobs last month, while employers cut back in Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Nevada's rate fell in part because some of the unemployed actually stopped looking for work. The government doesn't count someone out of work as unemployed unless they are actively searching.

Over a longer time horizon, the unemployment rate has fallen in the past year in five of the eight swing states: Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire and North Carolina. It rose in Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Cook County, Illinois, lawyer who posed as judge charged

CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago-area judicial candidate who was once on the fast track to a high-salary, high-status job as a judge now faces charges of impersonating a judge when she was a court staff attorney early this year, prosecutors announced Friday.

Rhonda Crawford, 45, is accused of donning a robe in Cook County traffic court on Aug. 11, months after she won the Democratic primary for a judgeship. She is charged with misdemeanor false impersonation and felony official misconduct, which carries a maximum five-year prison term.

The nurse-turned-lawyer was a shoo-in to win the Nov. 8 until news that she briefly played a judge drew ridicule and condemnation among those who practice law in Cook County, one of the nation's largest judicial districts with its some 400 judges.

In this Sept. 22, 2016 photo, attorney Rhonda Crawford stands alongside her attorney Victor Henderson, as she addresses allegations that she impersonated a judge. Crowford, a judicial candidate, now faces charges for donning a robe and hearing real cases on the bench. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said Friday Oct. 21, 2016 in a statement that Crawford has been indicted on charges of felony official misconduct and misdemeanor false impersonation. (Max Herman/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

In announcing the charges, County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said judges are "at the heart of our criminal justice system."

"(Crawford's) conduct in this case was offensive to the integrity of our system and cannot be excused or ignored as a mere lapse in judgment," Alvarez said in statement from her office.

Crawford, who became an attorney in 2003, handily beat two primary opponents with nearly half of 72,000 votes cast. A statement from her campaign on the charges calls her "a pawn" in a behind-the-scenes play by "Democratic Machine politics" to disenfranchise voters in her district, which encompasses parts of Chicago's South Side.

A judge set a personal recognizance bond of $10,000 for Crawford during a brief initial hearing Friday.

Crawford told reporters last month she had been shadowing judges to observe how they work when Judge Valarie E. Turner asked in a spur-of-the-moment offer if she wanted to sit on the bench. Crawford did for about five minutes and didn't think anyone believed she was a real judge.

"I allowed my respect for the judge and my enthusiasm to learn the procedures of being a judge to become a distraction to others and to my own lifelong ambition of being on the bench," she said. "It is a lesson I will never forget."

Court filings and separate documents from the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission portray her as more calculating. They alleged she failed to correct Judge Turner when she introduced Crawford to a prosecutor before the hearing by saying, "Have you met Judge Crawford?"

The papers also suggest Crawford understood the implications of what she did within hours putting on the robes and hearing several traffic cases, especially after a different judge confronted her in a hallway and said, "Why would you want to risk your career for something like this?"

Crawford, who was a staff attorney assigned to Chief Judge Timothy Evans at the time, was fired from her $57,000-a-year position. Her annual salary as a judge would be more than $180,000.

The oversight commission earlier this month asked the Illinois Supreme Court to suspend Crawford's law license so she couldn't be sworn in as a judge should she win on Election Day, saying she wasn't fit to become a judge after pretending to be one.

During testimony to the oversight body on Sept. 22, Crawford was asked what she would do differently if she could go back to Aug. 11.

"Not do it," she answered. "Not do any of it." She added she understood the incident was an embarrassment for the Cook County court system.

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Calais' "Jungle" dismantling to start next week

PARIS (AP)  French authorities say the closure of the slum-like camp in Calais will start on Monday and will last approximatively a week in what they describe as a "humanitarian" operation.

According to officials at France's Interior ministry, all of the 6,486 migrants they have counted in the camp  where refugees have been living in appalling conditions for years  will be offered relocation, either in reception centers across the country or abroad.

The dismantling of the wretched camp  known as "the jungle"  is a major issue for French President Francois Hollande and his Socialist government ahead of next year's presidential election. Hollande, who is eyeing a re-election bid, is facing harsh criticism from conservative and far-right rivals, who say the camp symbolizes his failure to deal with Europe's migrant crisis.

Interior Ministry officials say more than 7,500 places have been made available for the refugees living in the camp and have promised that they will be sheltered under dignified conditions during the examination of their requests for asylum.

French authorities hope the dismantling will go smoothly and they don't expect opposition from the migrants. They are more worried that activists from the No Borders group, who advocate free movement for all and have previously staged protests in Calais, will disrupt operations.

The prefect heading the local administration in Calais, Fabienne Buccio, said about 200 activists  most of them French and English  have gathered in Calais ahead of the dismantling. She said 1,250 police officers will be deployed during the closure operations.

On Sunday, leaflets written in languages spoken in the camp will be distributed to migrants, who will gather in a 3,000-square-meters (32,000-square-feet) shed adjacent to the camp from Monday morning. Migrants will be divided into four groups depending on their situation and condition: unaccompanied minors, adults, families, and vulnerable people.

Buccio said 60 buses, each one accommodating 50 people, will depart on Monday, meaning 3,000 migrants are planned to leave Calais on the first day of the dismantling. Each migrant will be offered two relocation options in France, and packed lunches will be provided to those setting off on a long road trips.

Volunteers from the aid group France Terre d'Asile will work closely with the 1,291 unaccompanied minors. Most of these teenagers, who claim to have ties in Britain, will remain in Calais until their requests for family reunification are examined by the British Home Office. About 70 minors have legally crossed the English Channel since the start of the year and French authorities say they have received guarantees from their British counterparts that the influx of teenagers will be increased sharply.
Muslims protest in front of Colosseum over mosque closures

ROME (AP)  Hundreds of Muslims have gathered near Rome's Colosseum to pray and protest the closures of mosques and other places of worship.

An imam led the group in chants of "Allah Akbar" which means "God is great," as they kneeled to the ground facing the Colosseum.

The protest was organized by a Bangladeshi group, Dhuumcatu, which has complained that Muslim places of worship in Rome have been branded illegal by authorities for various building violations. The group wants City Hall to intervene.

Muslim men gather for a prayer and demonstration near Rome's ancient Colosseum, seen in the background Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. The Muslim community of Rome gathered by the Colosseum to pray and demonstrate against the alleged shutting down by police of unofficial places of worship in the city. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Police confirmed the closure of some places of prayer. In a statement, police said authorities guarantee freedom of thought, but within a legal framework.

The anti-immigrant Northern League demanded to know why the group was allowed to stage a protest in such a visible and significant location for tourism.

Men hold up signs reading in Italian "To close a place of worship is against faith" during a demonstration near Rome's ancient Colosseum, seen in the background, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. The Muslim community of Rome gathered by the Colosseum to demonstrate against the alleged shutting down by police of unofficial places of worship in the city. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Hard crash-landing may have wrecked Europe's Mars probe

BERLIN (AP)  Scientists say Europe's experimental Mars probe has hit the right spot but may have been destroyed in a fiery ball of rocket fuel because it was traveling too fast.

Pictures taken by a NASA satellite show a black spot where the Schiaparelli lander was meant to touch down Wednesday, the European Space Agency said. The images end days of speculation over the probe's likely fate following unexpected radio silence less than a minute before the planned landing.

The agency said in a statement that the probe dropped from a height of 2 to 4 kilometers (1.4 miles to 2.4 miles) and struck the surface at a speed exceeding 300 kph (186 mph), "therefore impacting at a considerable speed."

FILE - This artist's rendering provided by the European Space Agency shows the separation of the ExoMars 2016 entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, named Schiaparelli, center, from the Trace Gas Orbiter, left, heading for Mars. On Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, the ESA said their experimental Mars probe hit the right spot  but at the wrong speed  and may have ended up in a fiery ball of rocket fuel when it struck the surface. (D. Ducros/ESA via AP)

It said the large disturbance captured in the NASA photographs may have been caused by the probe's steep crash-landing, which would have sprayed matter around like a blast site on Earth.

"It is also possible that the lander exploded on impact, as its thruster propellant tanks were likely still full," the agency said.

Schiaparelli was designed to test technology for a more ambitious European Mars landing in 2020. The European Space Agency said the probe's mother ship was successfully placed into orbit Wednesday and soon will begin analyzing the Martian atmosphere in search for evidence of life.

"In my heart, of course I'm sad that we couldn't land softly on the surface of Mars," agency chief Jan Woerner told The Associated Press. "But the main part of the mission is the science that will be done by the orbiter."

Woerner said engineers received a wealth of data from the lander before the crash that will prove valuable for the next attempt in four years. He described the mission as "a 96 percent success."

Still, the crash-landing was a painful reminder of how hard it is to put a spacecraft on the surface of the red planet.

Its resting place was photographed by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter , which also spotted Europe's last ill-fated mission to the surface of the planet. The Beagle 2 probe landed on Mars in 2003 but failed to deploy its solar panels properly, preventing it from functioning.

There have been only seven successful robotic landings on Mars, all by NASA. The last landing was in 2012, when the Curiosity rover touched down in a crater.

Landing on Mars is notoriously difficult because of the planet's thin, dusty atmosphere. Inbound spacecraft hit the atmosphere at 12,000 mph (19,300 kph) and have only minutes to slow down and land.

With the loss of Schiaparelli, only two spacecraft are currently roaming the Martian surface: Curiosity and Opportunity, which landed in 2004.

The European Space Agency said that, according to what its scientists have been able to piece together so far, Schiaparelli suffered problems during the last 50 seconds of its descent through the harsh atmosphere.

The picture taken by NASA's orbiter shows two features that weren't visible on the surface when the spacecraft photographed the area in May. The first is a bright spot of about 12 meters (39 feet) in diameter. The agency says that's likely to be Schiaparelli's parachute.

The second feature was described as "a fuzzy dark patch roughly 15 by 40 meters in size" north of the parachute. That's likely to be the lander.

"These preliminary interpretations will be refined following further analysis" and a high-resolution picture in the coming days, the agency said.

While Schiaparelli was able to beam back some 600 megabytes of data before the crash, scientists won't get any of the close-up photos the probe took during its descent. Those were meant to be transmitted after the landing.

ESA said the other part of the ExoMars mission  the Trace Gas Orbiter  was "working very well and will take science calibration data during two orbits in November."

The spacecraft then is supposed to descend to an altitude of about 400 kilometers (250 miles) and begin its study of Mars next year. The orbiter will act as a radio relay for the next stage of the ExoMars mission and future attempts to land on the planet.

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AP Science Writer Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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ExoMars mission: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars

This annotated Oct. 20, 2016 image made available by NASA shows a spot, indicated by a rectangular box, that likely appeared in connection with the Oct. 19, 2016 Mars arrival of the European Space Agency's Schiaparelli test lander. On Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, the ESA said their experimental Mars probe hit the right spot  but at the wrong speed  and may have ended up in a fiery ball of rocket fuel when it struck the surface. This view was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (NASA via AP)

A rendering of the Schiaparelli Space Module and of the planet Mars is displayed on a movie screen during an event organized by Italy's Space Agency on the occasion of the insertion of the Trace Gas Orbiter into orbit around Mars, and the landing of Schiaparelli module on the surface of of the planet, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

FILE - This artist impression provided by the European Space Agency shows the Schiaparelli module firing its landing thrusters as it approaches the surface of Mars. On Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, the ESA said their experimental Mars probe hit the right spot  but at the wrong speed  and may have ended up in a fiery ball of rocket fuel when it struck the surface. (M.Thiebaut/ATG-medialab/ESA via AP)

Italian Space Agency President Roberto Battiston holds a pamphlet reading in Italian 'Colonize Mars, Friday, Oct. 19, 2016, in front of a rendering showing the Schiaparelli Space Module and the planet Mars as they follow during an event organized by Italy's Space Agency, the insertion of the Trace Gas Orbiter into orbit around Mars, and the landing of the Schiaparelli module on the surface of the planet. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
DA: Racist graffiti on historic black school no hate crime

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)  The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office says five teenagers have been charged with spray-painting racist graffiti on a 19th century schoolhouse that once served black children in northern Virginia.

The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/2eeFEEx ) reported Friday that the four 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old were charged this week with felony destruction of property, among other offenses, after a review by prosecutors found the case does not qualify as a hate crime.

The graffiti included swastikas and references to "white power."
Retired NYC police officer shoots, wounds robbery suspect

GARFIELD, N.J. (AP)  A retired New York City police detective has shot and wounded a robbery suspect in New Jersey.

Authorities say the retired officer was working in the Tobacco Road store in Garfield on Thursday night with the owner and the owner's wife and son when a man walked in with a handgun and announced it was a robbery.

The retired detective tried to disarm the man and was pushed to the ground. The detective fired one shot and the man fled.

Police located 27-year-old Louis Pizzi, of Hasbrouck Heights, with a gunshot wound to the leg.

Pizzi is held on $500,000 bail, charged with armed robbery and weapons offenses. He is scheduled to make a first appearance in court Monday.
Met Gala, exhibit to honor designer Rei Kawakubo

NEW YORK (AP)  The annual Met Gala, one of the most anticipated events in the fashion world, will honor designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons.

It will be the first time the gala, and the accompanying exhibit of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute, will focus on a single living designer since 1983, when it was Yves Saint Laurent.

The May 1 gala will be chaired by Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams, as well as Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2014 file photo, a model wears a creation by Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo for Comme Des Garcons' Spring/Summer 2015 ready-to-wear fashion collection presented at Fashion Week in Paris. The annual Met Gala, one of the most anticipated events in the fashion world, will honor Kawakubo. The May 1 gala will be chaired by music stars Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams, as well as Vogue editor Anna Wintour. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

"Rei Kawakubo is one of the most important and influential designers of the past 40 years," curator Andrew Bolton said. "By inviting us to rethink fashion as a site of constant creation, recreation, and hybridity, she has defined the aesthetics of our time."
Mexico arrests ex-police chief of city where 43 disappeared

MEXICO CITY (AP)  The former police chief of Iguala, where 43 students went missing in 2014, was detained Friday after two years at large in a development that Mexican authorities and relatives of the disappeared hope could shed new light on the case.

The National Security Commission announced that federal agents arrested 58-year-old Felipe Flores in Iguala, in the southern state of Guerrero, in a raid in which no shots were fired.

Flores was arrested at 6:30 a.m. leaving a house where he had visited his wife, Commissioner Renato Sales said. He said he had not always been in Iguala, but did not elaborate on his movements. He said Flores was unarmed.

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2014 file photo, a university student is reflected in a glass display case showing the photos of 43 missing students from the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa, Mexico, at the Central American University, UCA, in Managua, Nicaragua. Mexican authorities announced they detained on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016 the former police chief of Iguala where the students disappeared on Sept. 26, 2014. The students were taken by police and have not been heard from since. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)

Flores is accused of offenses including organized crime and kidnapping the students. He is alleged to have followed the then-mayor's order to attack the students and then tried to cover up the role of Iguala police in the disappearances.

"The investigations indicate that this person was one of the people responsible for coordinating the operation that turned into the aggression against the students," Sales said at an afternoon news conference.

Attorney General Arely Gomez tweeted that the detention "will allow the collection of key testimony to clarify the facts of Iguala."

The students from the teacher's college at Ayotzinapa were taken by police in Iguala on Sept. 26, 2014, and have not been heard from since.

Prosecutors say they were handed over to a drug gang, killed and incinerated in a massive fire at a trash dump. But independent experts who reviewed evidence in the case have cast into doubt the contention that the students' bodies were burned, and the victims' families continue to vocally demand more answers.

Authorities have now arrested 131 people in connection with the disappearances. Seventy of those, mostly police officers and alleged cartel members, are currently being prosecuted. A number of them have alleged torture by officials and it is unclear how that will affect their cases. But Flores could provide a break or at least a new perspective on how events unfolded that night.

"We hope that the arrest of this person leads to some good news for us," said Felipe de la Cruz, a spokesman for the families. "We hope that what he says takes us definitively toward the truth and to where the youths are, because that's what we've looked for all this time."
Suspect in wrong-way crashes moved from hospital to prison

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. (AP)  The Vermont man charged with driving the wrong way on an interstate and killing five teenagers and injuring several other people in a series of crashes has been moved from a hospital to prison.

The Department of Corrections say 36-year-old Steven Bourgoin was moved Thursday to the state prison in Springfield.

Police say the 36-year-old Bourgoin crashed into the teens' car on Interstate 89 in Williston, then stole a police cruiser and crashed it into at least seven other vehicles Oct. 8. He was critically injured.

He pleaded not guilty to five counts of second-degree murder and other charges.

Four of the victims were Harwood Union High School juniors; the fifth attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire.
$47 billion offer to create world's biggest tobacco company

LONDON (AP)  British American Tobacco has offered to buy out Reynolds American Inc. for $47 billion in an attempt to gain a strong presence in the U.S., a lucrative market where sales of electronic cigarettes are booming as traditional smoking fades.

The takeover would create the world's largest publicly traded tobacco company and combine BAT's presence in developing countries, where anti-smoking campaigns are not as strong as in the U.S. and Europe, with Reynolds' almost exclusive focus on the U.S.

BAT already owns 42 percent of Reynolds and sells Dunhill, Rothmans and Lucky Strike cigarettes. Reynolds controls about a third of the U.S. market with brands like Newport, Camel and Pall Mall.

FILE - In this Friday, July 17, 2015 file photo, Camel and Newport cigarettes, both Reynolds American brands, are on display at a Smoker Friendly shop in Pittsburgh. British American Tobacco offered Friday, Oct. 21 2016 to buy Reynolds American Inc. in a $47 billion cash-and-stock deal that would create the worlds largest publicly traded tobacco company and bring together brands like Camel, Dunhill, and Newport. The logic of the deal, analysts say, is to make up for a decline in the number of smokers in their home markets of the U.S. and Britain as they look to developing markets and new products, such as electronic cigarettes. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

Though smoking in the U.S. is declining, it remains "the largest global profit pool" outside of China, BAT said in a statement Friday. The U.S. is one of the biggest markets for e-cigarettes.

"BAT and Reynolds American have a strong existing relationship, and while cost savings will be relatively modest, the full access this acquisition would give BAT to the U.S.  a lucrative, consolidated market with high barriers to entry  means it makes eminent sense," Shane MacGuill, head of tobacco at Euromonitor International, said by e-mail.

The British company offered Friday to buy the Reynolds shares it doesn't already own for the equivalent of $56.50 each, 20 percent more than Thursday's closing price. Investors would receive $24.13 in cash and 0.5502 of a BAT share for each Reynolds share they own. That values Reynolds, based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, at $93 billion.

Reynolds shares jumped 13.5 percent to $53.50 in in New York, while BAT edged down 0.3 percent to 47.88 pounds in London.

The deal is the latest attempted merger in the industry as tobacco companies face weakening demand in developed markets. Only last year, Reynolds American acquired Lorillard, the maker of Newport, the U.S.'s best-selling menthol cigarette brand.

Reynolds traces its roots to 1875, when Richard Joshua Reynolds started a chewing tobacco company in what was then Winston, North Carolina. The company's links with British American Tobacco date to 2004, when R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. merged with BAT's Brown & Williamson unit, creating Reynolds American. BAT was left with a 42 percent stake in the new company.

The two companies already have a technology-sharing agreement in the development of electronic cigarettes.

The merger "is the logical progression in our relationship and offers all shareholders a stake in a stronger, truly global tobacco and next generation products company," Chief Executive Nicandro Durante said in a statement.

Reynolds said in a statement that it will evaluate the offer.

Tobacco companies are particularly keen to expand in developing countries to make up for weaker sales in Europe and the U.S. The industry has been grappling with widespread anti-smoking campaigns that have forced companies like BAT and Reynolds to diversify into nicotine replacements and e-cigarettes to meet consumer health concerns.

It also comes only months after Britain instituted plain packaging rules for cigarettes. The idea is to ruin the allure of cigarettes created by advertising and prevent a new generation from taking up the habit.

Reynolds warned in a 2016 filing that if its companies "are not able to develop, produce or market new alternative products profitably, the results of operations, cash flows and financial positions ... could be adversely affected."

"The markets in which these firms are the dominant players are declining, and they face ever increasing competition from Asia in seeking to develop new markets," said Nigel Driffield, professor of international business at Warwick Business School in England.

Asian tobacco companies face less public pressure over increasing sales in developing markets, where public health regulation may not be as strict, he said.

But the U.S. remains an important market. Owen Bennett, an equity analyst at Jefferies International, underscored that the United States currently accounts for 45 percent of global sales of e-cigarettes, also known as vapor cigarettes.

"If vapor accelerates as we expect, then the U.S. is the place to be," he said. "The deal would also give BAT the best exposure to global e-vapor development."

BAT employs more than 50,000 people globally while Reynolds employs 5,700, mostly in the U.S.

The planned merger would create a company likely to overtake Philip Morris International Inc. as the world's biggest publicly traded tobacco company. But China's National Tobacco Corp. is bigger than BAT and Reynolds both combined, Euromonitor International data showed.
Giant pages from ancient Quran on display in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON (AP)  Books come in all sizes, but one 15th century Quran was so enormous, it's said that a wheelbarrow was needed to carry it.

Two consecutive pages of this Quran will be on display during the show "The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts," which opens Saturday at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

The sprawling pages, each measuring 5 feet by 7 feet, have rows of calligraphy standing 8 to 9 inches high. They date from about 1400, and have been on long-term loan with the Smithsonian museum.

In this photo taken Oct. 20, 2016, Massumeh Farhad, left, and Simon Rettig, curators of the exhibit "The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts," look at pages from a 5-foot by 7-foot Quran displayed as part of the exhibit at the Sackler Gallery in Washington. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)

The passage on display is from a chapter explaining that "signs of God and evidence of His goodness are all around," according to Simon Rettig, assistant curator of Islamic Art. It also deals with the refutation of materialistic views, the history of some ancient peoples, warnings to those who go astray and encouragements to forgiveness.

"If anyone does a righteous deed, it ensures to the benefit of his own soul; If he does evil, it works against his own soul," one passage reads.

Like many items in the exhibit focused on the Muslim holy book, these pages come with a story  this one involving the feared nomadic conqueror, Timur, who ruled a huge empire based in central Asia.

As the story goes, Timur  also named Tamerlane by Europeans  was unimpressed by the artistry required to create a Quran tiny enough to fit inside a signet ring. So this calligrapher, Omar Aqta', gave it another try, this time going large to show off his "incredible talent."

While the feat of creating a tiny Quran likely required more skill, it is amazing that the calligrapher had the "bravery to attempt something like this," said Massumeh Farhad, chief curator at the Sackler and Freer and curator of Islamic art.

Omar Aqta' returned with a Quran so large, it was carried to the palace in a wheelbarrow, and she said, Timur, "a man who loved big things," was so pleased that he rewarded the calligrapher handsomely.

While it was not unusual for Qurans to be broken up, it's not clear whether the folios of this Quran were ever bound into one volume, Farhad said. There would have been thousands of pages, but most have been lost to history, with only about 10 surviving. The two pages on display were among those found by a British traveler in a mausoleum in eastern Iran in the 19th century.

The show brings together manuscripts and folios from the museum in Istanbul with manuscripts from the collection of the Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art, which together form the Smithsonian's Asian art museum.

Though the Arabic text of the Quran was fixed as early as the late 7th century, the exhibit showcases the variety of styles of calligraphy and illumination employed over the centuries. The works span nearly a millennium, dating from the late 7th or early 8th centuries (not long after the time of Muhammad) to the 17th century.

In this photo taken Oct. 20, 2016, Simon Rettig, left, and Massumeh Farhad, curators of the exhibit "The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts," look at pages from a 5-foot by 7-foot Quran displayed as part of the exhibit at the Sackler Gallery in Washington. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
Chemical cloud over Kansas community dissipates

ATCHISON, Kan. (AP)  A chemical spill at a northeast Kansas distilling plant released a noxious cloud of fumes Friday, forcing temporary evacuations and sending dozens of people to the hospital, including two who were in intensive care, officials said.

Most of the people who went to hospitals had been released by Friday afternoon.

The spill occurred at the MGP Ingredients plant in Atchison, according to Katie Horner, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Emergency Management. She said the spill occurred as two chemicals, sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite, were mistakenly combined at the plant, which produces premium distilled spirits and employs about 300 people.

Trey Cocking, the city manager of Atchison, Kan., addresses the media after a chemical incident occurred at the MPG Ingredients plant on Friday Oct. 21, 2016, in Atchison, Kan. The Kansas Department of Emergency Management said multiple people who suffered respiratory problems because of the noxious cloud that formed were taken to hospitals. (Dougal Brownlie/The St. Joseph News-Press via AP)

When the two chemicals combine they can release chlorine gas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Homes and schools near the plant had been evacuated early Friday, but city officials gave the all clear for residents to return before noon. Atchison has about 11,000 residents and is about 50 miles northwest of Kansas City.

"The threat is really over, and it's safe to be outside," said Becky Berger, assistant city manager. She advised residents to air out homes that smell like a swimming pool.

Sixty-seven people sought medical attention at the Atchison Hospital emergency room, spokeswoman T.C. Roberts said, and one person remained in stable condition in intensive care late Friday afternoon. Most had been released, but two other people were admitted to the hospital.

Mosaic Life Care in nearby St. Joseph, Missouri, also treated about 18 people, including one who remained in ICU Friday afternoon, said Joey Austin, hospital spokeswoman. All the others were released.

The regional EPA office said it was supporting state and local emergency crews and had sent a coordinator to the site to assess the situation.

MGP didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Chris Gitro, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said wind conditions helped the plume break up.

"The one thing we had on our side was that the winds were enough to make it disperse," he said.

Pinpointing the cloud's direction proved to be a guessing game while it was still in Atchison. As one school building's students sought shelter in the gymnasium, students in the other three buildings were shuttled in buses first toward a Wal-Mart before being redirected to the local airport, schools Superintendent Susan Myers said. The buses were eventually directed again to Wal-Mart, she said.

"They were trying to figure out the wind, where this cloud was going. It was a very fluid situation," she said. "I would say it was very anxiety-provoking to have this kind of situation. I'm sure this was an adventuresome day for everyone."

The MGP plant has also had other incidents, including a small explosion in another building in February where no injuries were reported, City Manager Trey Cocking said. The plant was also the site of a 2002 explosion and fire that damaged the plant's distillery and injured a few people.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said that since 2006 the company has faced more than $50,000 in penalties for issues including exceeding its air pollution cap and failing to install emissions devices. The company is currently in full compliance, according to the department.
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Honduran woman sent to prison for Houston sex trafficking

HOUSTON (AP)  Federal prosecutors say a 45-year-old woman from Honduras who was an owner of several Houston-area brothels has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson says Maria E. Gonzales Munoz was arrested after an undercover operation revealed she offered for sex an underage girl who was in the U.S. illegally.

Gonzales in January pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. She was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas to 151 months in prison. Gonzales also must register as a sex offender.

Magidson says Gonzales offered to allow the girl to work at one of her bars that was a front for a brothel, would help her appear older through use of make-up, provide living arrangements and get her phony identification documents.

___
Rocker Vince Neil pleads guilty in Las Vegas battery case

LAS VEGAS (AP)  Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery for a sidewalk scuffle involving a woman outside a Las Vegas Strip resort in April.

Defense lawyer Richard Schonfeld said Friday the plea was submitted in writing Thursday in Las Vegas, and the 55-year-old rocker didn't appear in court.

The judge fined Neil $1,000 and ordered him to undergo impulse control counseling and stay out of trouble for six months.

Schonfeld says Neil is glad to put the case behind him.

The case came to light after bystander video surfaced showing actor Nicolas Cage physically restraining Neil last April 7 outside the Aria casino-hotel.

Cage wasn't charged with a crime.

Neil was accused of grabbing the woman and pulling her to the ground.
Bone fragments found along pipeline path not from human

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  North Dakota's medical examiner says two bone fragments found along the path of the proposed Dakota Access pipeline were not from a human.

The discovery Thursday came several weeks after the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says it has found several sites of "significant cultural and historic value" in the area, where protesters and private security clashed in September over construction.

Dr. William Massello says in a memo obtained by The Associated Press that the bones were from a "horse, cow or deer."

The bone fragments were found Thursday during a tour with government officials and people from Energy Transfer Partners, as well as tribal members.
Iraqi advances give hope to displaced Christians

IRBIL, Iraq (AP)  Raeda Paulos could hardly conceal her joy when the television inside her cramped trailer showed Iraqi forces raising the national flag over a church in her hometown, a day after it was freed from Islamic State rule.

"This is our church, this is where we used to pray!" she exclaimed as she watched the images at a camp for displaced Iraqis in Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital.

It was also where her husband, Adil Mateh, hid when the extremists swept into Bartella, a historically Christian town east of Mosul, in the summer of 2014. He had stayed to volunteer at the church, but by 2 a.m., when the power and water were cut, he decided it was too dangerous and fled into the night, eventually joining his wife and their four children.

Intisar Mateh, second left, washes the dishes as her daughter, Farah Mateh, right, plays with her friends in a camp for displaced Christians in Irbil, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi refugees from areas near Mosul are eagerly following the offensive to drive the Islamic State group from the city and hope to return to their homes, but they also fear what they might find there. (AP Photo/Fay Abuelgasim)

"The church is the safest place. It is God's house. But Daesh isn't afraid of God," Mateh said, using an Arabic acronym for the group. "They aren't afraid of anything."

Paulos and her family are among hundreds of thousands of displaced Iraqis who are closely watching the offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second-largest city. Each battlefield advance brings hope that they can return home, but they also fear what they might find when they get there.

Iraqi special forces pushed into Bartella, nine miles (15 kilometers) from Mosul's outskirts, on Thursday, after fending off a wave of suicide truck attacks.

Homes along the town's main road were charred and riddled with bullet holes. Many were spray-painted with graffiti, including the first letter of a derogatory word in Arabic for Christians that the militants used to mark Christian property. Under the extremists' rule, Christians had to either convert to Islam or pay a special tax.

Inside the church, the walls were sprayed with slogans and the floors were littered with dirt and garbage. As Iraqi soldiers raised the national flag over the building, they rang the church bell to signal its liberation.

"Bartella was liberated yesterday, and today we are inside its church," Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati declared. "I bring the good news to our Christian brothers that the church is liberated."

Intisar Mateh, her husband and their five children, aged 3 to 15 years old, fled the nearby town of Qaraqosh on a summer night in 2014, shortly after IS moved in.

They slept on the floor of a shopping mall in Irbil, before moving to a camp on the edge of the city, where 1,200 white trailers arranged in neat rows shelter some 5,000 people.

Mateh works as a maid, but says it's hard to make ends meet for her family and her mother-in-law, who is ill. The family of eight shares a two-room trailer.

They were also glued to the TV on Friday, watching as Iraqi forces fought their way across the Ninevah plains.

"Hopefully we can go back home, because we are not comfortable here," Mateh said. "We feel stuck here, and there is nothing like being home."

She's worried about the toll the war has taken on her children. She hears them warn each other not to touch anything on the side of the street, even empty plastic bags, for fear they could be roadside bombs.

It's a lesson that may serve them well if they return to their hometown.

IS has heavily mined areas around Mosul to slow the advancing Iraqi troops. The villages where most of the fighting has taken place are largely uninhabited, so the U.S.-led coalition has been able to use airstrikes and heavy artillery to help flush the militants out. But the fighting has destroyed houses, bridges and roads, which could take months or even years to rebuild.

For the Christians of Bartella, at least, the town's church is still standing, a foundation on which a community scattered by war may one day gather again.

"God willing, we can all go back home," Paulos said. "We have suffered enough."

___

Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Bartella, Iraq and Joseph Krauss in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from Islamic State militants. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces celebrate after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from Islamic State militants. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Intisar Mateh watches her child playing in front their caravan in a camp for the displaced in Irbil, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi refugees from areas near Mosul are eagerly following the offensive to drive the Islamic State group from the city and hope to return to their homes, but they also fear what they might find there. (AP Photo/Fay Abuelgasim)

Iraqi special forces hold national flags after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from Islamic State militants. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from Islamic State militants. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from Islamic State militants. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from IS. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from Islamic State militants. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
US top diplomat refers to NKorea as 'illegitimate regime'

WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday described North Korea's government as "an illegal and illegitimate regime."

Kerry used the unusually tough language as he met Kuwait Foreign Minister Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah and credited the Gulf nation for its efforts in countering the North's proliferation activities.

Kerry said Kuwait has "recently taken steps to curb flights and to make sure that revenues from workers are not sustaining an illegal and illegitimate regime in North Korea."

The U.S. routinely condemns North Korea's nuclear and missile tests as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions and is also deeply critical of the North's human rights record.

It is less typical for U.S. officials to question directly the legitimacy of the hereditary regime of leader Kim Jong Un.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said later that Kerry's comments reflected deep U.S. concern over illegal and provocative actions by Kim's government and did not signal a policy change.

"The actions of the North Korean regime are what give the international community such concern, and he was speaking to the fact that those actions, the provocative behavior that the regime continues to display, are absolutely violations of international law," Kirby told reporters.
White supremacist David Duke qualifies for Senate debate

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  White supremacist David Duke has qualified for a televised debate in Louisiana's U.S. Senate race.

Duke's campaign hasn't said whether he plans to attend the debate, which will be held at historically black Dillard University.

Raycom Media commissioned an independent poll to determine which candidates to include in its Nov. 2 debate in New Orleans, which will air live on its TV stations across much of the state.

Any candidate with 5 percent or more in that poll received an invite  and Duke narrowly hit the mark, getting 5.1 percent in the telephone survey done by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.

Five other contenders polled above him and also will be able to participate in the debate.
England face first Test battle after Tamim Iqbal proves their nemesis again

Tamim Iqbal continued his love affair with England to put Bangladesh in a promising position after day two of the first Test in Chittagong.

Tamim went past 50 for the seventh time in nine Test innings against the tourists and although he was unable to convert his fine start into a century, his 78 helped Bangladesh close on 221 for five in response to 293 all out.

On a track that was still offering plenty of assistance to the spinners, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim then built on Tamim's efforts before he was dismissed for 48 shortly before the close.

Tamim Iqbal continued his good record against England with a patient half-century

Mushfiqur arguably would not have been able to bat with the early fluency he displayed had Tamim not laid the groundwork first.

When England last faced Tamim in 2010, he was a top-order dasher, as a sparkling 94-ball hundred at Lord's proved, but he has clearly added nuance to his game - even though the slow pitch was probably as much to blame.

Scoring at any point was particularly troublesome and Tamim only had 12 off his first 47 balls, but his instincts kicked in when a full toss from Adil Rashid came at him, flicking it away for his first boundary.

That allowed him to settle as he went on to make a meaningful contribution before being removed by Gareth Batty, who claimed his first Test wicket in more than 11 years on his return to the side.

Batty's intervention took the total number of wickets to fall to spin to 14 - with 18-year-old Mehedi Hasan claiming six of those and conceding 80 runs in 39.5 overs, the second-best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi on debut.

Mehedi finished England's batsmen off on Friday morning by having Stuart Broad caught behind - overturned on review, the last of a world-record 10 used during the England innings, with seven on-field decisions reversed.

Broad and Rashid had earlier overturned the lbw decisions against them, having been brought together after Chris Woakes departed to the first ball of the morning, caught at short leg off Taijul Islam.

Rashid's wristy whips added some vital runs to England's cause before he departed when he punched Taijul straight to short cover on 26 before Mehedi saw off Broad for 13.

It was a total that looked challenging, and especially for a team that had not played Test cricket in 15 months.

Bangladesh started understandably cautiously against the new ball, which Batty shared after Stuart Broad had opened the bowling.

Moeen Ali's introduction paid immediate dividends as he bowled Imrul Kayes with a beauty that turned to clip his off stump, before finding some turn and bounce to account for Mominul Haque, who popped a catch to Ben Stokes at gully.

If Tamim and Mahmudullah were anxious on the resumption they did not show it and, while Moeen and Rashid exerted some early pressure, a couple of loose deliveries allowed the batsmen to settle.

Mahmudullah looked uncertain early on against Stokes but was more sure-footed against the spinners, although Tamim presented a half-chance on 28, when a diving Rashid spilled a loose cut off Moeen.

The pair continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over, with England trying all manner of bowling combinations to no avail, and Tamim brought up his fifty with a back-foot punch off Moeen for his sixth four.

Tamim was given out after being caught at slip but a review revealed the ball had struck his forearm, as the umpires' woes continued.

Rashid did make the breakthrough with the final ball before the tea interval when Mahmudullah edged a regulation legbreak low to slip on 38, ending a 90-run stand for the third wicket.

Mushfiqur started positively, getting off the mark by using his feet expertly to club Moeen for back-to-back boundaries.

There would be no third century against England for Tamim, however, with the left-hander getting a thin bottom edge through to Jonny Bairstow, much to the delight of Batty on his first England appearance in more than a decade.

Mushfiqur and Shakib Al Hasan built steadily following his dismissal although the former was less confident against the seamers.
Royal Navy monitors Russian warships as they move through English Channel

Royal Navy vessels monitored Russian warships as they began to move through the English Channel en route to a suspected bolstering of the bombing campaign against the besieged Syrian city Aleppo.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the deployment of the Russian convoy was aimed at testing British capabilities and that it would be marked "every inch of the way".

The Russian vessels, including the smoke-belching aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, were shadowed by the Navy as they passed through the Dover Strait - one of the busiest seaways in the world.

The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov passes through the Strait of Dover

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "They are all in one line now. They have to be to effectively go through the traffic separation scheme, and they are progressing as expected.

"They haven't slowed or sped up. They are going to be past Dover in the next few hours. When they are clear of the Dover traffic separation scheme, they will probably break back out in a formation scheme and be on their way.

"We still don't know where that is and how they are going to get there, but everything so far has been exactly how we would have expected."

Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday to "man mark" the Kuznetsov group, and Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond escorted the group from the Norwegian Sea as it moved south.

The Royal Navy's monitoring of the Russian flotilla coincided with Trafalgar Day, the day when Britain triumphed in the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21 1805.

The Russian passage through the Channel came after Theresa May condemned Vladimir Putin's aggression in Syria, accusing Moscow of being behind "sickening atrocities" in support of Bashar Assad's regime.

Syrian forces, backed by Russian air power, have agreed a temporary humanitarian truce in Aleppo but Mrs May urged European leaders to take a firm line against Moscow.

Arriving at her first Brussels summit as PM on Thursday, Mrs May called for a "robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression".

Nato said the prospect of Russia's only aircraft carrier heading to the region does not "inspire confidence" that Moscow is seeking a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said in September that the Admiral Kuznetsov-led Northern Fleet would be joining a taskforce in the Mediterranean.

According to the Russian news agency Tass, he told a defence board meeting that the plan was to bolster the Mediterranean fleet's "combat capabilities".

A statement from the fleet to the agency on October 15 said the group also consisted of the Pyotr Velikiy battlecruiser, the Severomorsk anti-submarine ship, the Vice-Admiral Kulakov destroyer and other support vessels.

Asked whether the Russian deployment was an indication that Moscow regarded Britain as weak, a Downing Street spokesman said: "I would reject suggestions that the Russians feel we are too weak. Clearly, we are not weak at all."
We must close loopholes exploited by foreign fighters, says Interpol chief

Dangerous gaps in screening for terrorists must be addressed as efforts to counter the threat stand at a "critical stage", a crime-fighting chief has warned.

Greater co-ordination is needed in the response to foreign fighters returning from conflict zones, according to Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock.

Increased military pressure on Islamic State - also known as Isil - including the offensive in Mosul, has sparked concern about potential displacement of militants.

Increased military pressure on IS, including the offensive in Mosul, has sparked concern about potential displacement of militants (AP)

Attending a meeting of interior ministers in Rome, Mr Stock said estimates place up to 15,000 fighters still within conflict zones.

He said: "The concern is what these foreign terrorist fighters will do with the skills acquired in battle and the networks which facilitated their recruitment when they leave the conflict zones.

"We are moving away from the original Isil foreign terrorist fighter landscape, with flows now potentially heading towards multiple conflict zones as well as individuals returning to their countries of origin."

He said foreign terrorist fighters of more than 80 nationalities have been reported to the agency.

Mr Stock added: "We stand at a critical stage in our efforts against the terrorist threat.

"International action can and will bring concrete results, but we must be systematic and consistent.

"We must close the loopholes being exploited by terrorists at the national, regional and international levels if we are to succeed."

It was revealed earlier this year that around 850 people linked to the UK and regarded as a security threat are believed to have taken part in the Syrian conflict, with just under half thought to have returned to the country.
Jo Cox's husband welcomes lost deposits of far-right candidates

The husband of former MP Jo Cox has welcomed the fact that far-right candidates lost their deposits in the by-election triggered by her killing.

Former Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin was elected Mrs Cox's successor as Labour MP for Batley and Spen with an overwhelming 86% of the vote, in what she described as a victory for "hope and unity".

Other mainstream parties did not stand in the by-election in the West Yorkshire seat, but Ms Brabin faced a challenge from nine independents and fringe candidates, including the hard-right National Front and British National Party.

Tracy Brabin, newly elected MP for Batley and Spen, and Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour Party, with supporters in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire

Her acceptance speech - which included a warm tribute to Mrs Cox, who died after being shot and stabbed outside her constituency office in June - was greeted by noisy heckling from supporters of some of the defeated candidates, who all lost their 500 deposits after failing to reach 5% of the vote.

Congratulating Ms Brabin on her victory, Brendan Cox tweeted: "G reat to see all the purveyors of hate lose their deposits."

Earlier in the day he had urged the people of the constituency to use their votes to "show the world that hatred has no home in Batley & Spen".

Mr Cox also posted a picture of his late wife at the count on the night she was first elected in May last year, saying: "She was calm, serene and full of grace that night."

Ms Brabin said: "This has been a difficult experience for all of us and tonight is a bitter sweet occasion for me. That this by-election has had to take place at all is a tragedy.

"I hope Jo will be proud tonight of our community. We have shown that we stand together with one voice choosing unity and hope."

The turnout of less than 26% was among the lowest in a by-election since the Second World War.

Liberal Democrat president Baroness Brinton congratulated the Labour victor, adding: "This is an election we wish had never happened and this is why the Liberal Democrats decided not to stand.

"Parliament, public life more widely and a young family were robbed of Jo Cox. She was a strong, brilliant voice for progressive politics, and we are much poorer without her."

Thomas Mair, 53, has been charged with 41-year-old Mrs Cox's murder, possession of a firearm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was "good to see Labour see off the forces of hate and intolerance in Batley and Spen last night."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Our sorely-missed friend and colleague Jo Cox would be proud of Tracy, a wonderful campaigner and now Labour's new MP for Batley and Spen."

During a visit to Heckmondwike in the constituency, Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said Ms Brabin would be an "admirable replacement" for Jo Cox.

He told a rally of supporters: "We are going to miss her, but I know that everyone is proud of you for stepping into her shoes.

"You're going to be a very powerful voice for Batley, but what this result really shows is that the people of Batley have chosen unity over division and they are the people we are most proud of this morning.

"I just want to say how much I appreciate the other main parties standing by and showing respect for what went on in that terrible tragedy.

"She's stepping in to big shoes but, if anyone can do it, she can."

Ms Brabin said she "cannot wait to get to work".

She added: "This was obviously a by-election nobody wanted.

"I have met people who have said 'You are cut from the same cloth as Jo', and I'm a local girl like Jo, I went to the same school as Jo, we come from the same background.

"I am passionate about my community, I'm committed to getting to work."
He is the life of all,

the salvation of all

faithful and unfaithful,

just and unjust,

pious and impious,

healthy and sick,

young and old

just as the diffusion of light,

the sight of the sun,

and the changes of weather

are for all alike;

for there is no respect

of persons with God.

 John Klimakos
Mourinho not concerned about Chelsea fans' reaction

Jose Mourinho does not care what kind of reception he receives from Chelsea fans on Sunday.

The 53-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time as manager of another Premier League club when he takes Manchester United to his former stomping ground.

Mourinho is the most successful manager in Chelsea's history having won three Premier League titles across two spells, the last of which ended in December following a miserable run of form.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday

The Portuguese has said he does not expect a negative reaction from supporters who continued to back him last season despite Chelsea's on-pitch struggles.

But Mourinho, who faced Chelsea while he was in charge of Inter Milan in the Champions League in 2010, will not concern himself with such matters and will try to treat the game the same as any other.

He said: " To say I care is not true. I am more focused on the game. I try to prepare myself for the match, so I cannot say that I care.

"What can I expect? I don't know. They can think about me and remember our great relation and have a good reaction. They can look at me and say for 90 minutes he is Man Utd manager and he is playing against us, so he is not someone we like at this moment.

"I did my job (at Chelsea). They gave me their love and they gave me their support. That is the most important thing. If now I go there as Man Utd manager and they decide to have a different approach, I will always respect them.

"I played there with Inter. I tried to do my job. If you ask me, if my team score a goal, am I going to celebrate like a crazy kid? No. I think I can control the emotion of that situation.

"Am I going to have a negative reaction if the crowd has something negative with me? No. I have the maturity enough to control the emotion.

"I have lots of respect. What Man Utd fans can expect from me is more important. What Man Utd fans can expect from me is to play against Chelsea the same way I play against Fenerbahce, Liverpool, anyone, because that is my job."

Mourinho's second departure from Chelsea was billed as mutual consent but he now admits he was sacked.

There are no hard feelings, though, and Mourinho is looking forward to seeing some of the lifelong friends he made at the club.

Owner Roman Abramovich is not among them, with Mourinho revealing: "He was never my friend. We always had the relationship of owner-manager. Very respectful relationship. We were never friends. We were never close to each other.

"When some managers leave clubs, they like to, I don't know the right saying, but in Portuguese it is 'wash the dirty clothes'. Go back and speak and speak and speak.

"I leave clubs with a very good feeling, the feeling of doing everything to succeed. I gave everything to the club. I don't like to go back and speak specially about the bad things.

"I want to keep the good things - and at Chelsea I had so many good things, in terms of results, friends I have for life, an amazing empathy with the supporters. The supporters didn't change their relationship with me because of last season and a couple of months of bad results."

Champions in 2014-15, Chelsea's start to last season was shocking, the Blues losing nine of their first 16 Premier League games while Mourinho's position was also undermined by an unseemly dispute with former club doctor Eva Carneiro.

Mourinho does not feel it has affected him, saying: " That period came in a part of my career when I was already a grown man. I was not a kid.
Man charged with murder of Pentonville jail inmate

A man has been charged with murder after an inmate was killed in Pentonville prison.

New father Jamal Mahmoud, 21, died after being stabbed at the north London jail during an attack which left two others injured on Tuesday.

Basana Kimbembi, 34, of no fixed abode was charged with his killing on Friday, police said.

An inmate died after an attack at Pentonville Prison

A 26-year-old man who had been arrested in connection with the offence has been released, police said.

The two other victims in the attack have non-life threatening conditions but remain in hospital.

A post-mortem of Mr Mahmoud concluded he had died from a single stab wound.

Kimbembi will appear in court at a later date.

The killing of the young father prompted calls for an inquiry into the state of jails in England and Wales, with his family accusing the prison of "neglecting him".

Cuts to staff and resources by the Government meant the "tragedy" at the north London site was "no massive surprise", t he Prison Governors Association (PGA) said on Wednesday.
New Look seeks fashion edge in China with local designs

By Emma Thomasson and Donny Kwok

BERLIN/HONG KONG, Oct 21 (Reuters) - As Europe's fashion giants brace for what could be the toughest leg of their expansion in China, a South African retail tycoon has launched a bold assault on the world's most populous nation.

Christo Wiese is promising to open 500 of his New Look stores in just three years, catapulting the British brand into the same league in China as the world's top fashion chains - Spain's Inditex and Sweden's H&M.

His plan is to make most of the clothes in China to ensure they cater to local tastes and can get to stores quickly - a strategy similar to the one successfully pursued in Europe by Zara-owner Inditex.

The arrival of New Look - and its local sourcing strategy - poses a new risk for the likes of H&M and Inditex, already suffering from slower growth in China, fierce competition for real estate and the cost of investing in ecommerce.

H&M is opening more stores in China this year than anywhere else in the world and the country is already the second biggest market for Inditex outside Spain.

China is a big draw for retailers who hope to tap the aspirations of a fast-growing middle class, with mid-range names benefiting as consumers trade down from luxury brands since Beijing's clampdown on corruption and conspicuous spending.

But recent history offers plenty of examples of failure. Western brands that have struggled in China include Gap Inc , Abercrombie & Fitch and Marks and Spencer , which decided last year to close five stores in smaller cities to focus on flagship stores in large cities and online.

"Most of the Western fashion labels that are mid-range fail in China. A large part of it is that the styles and the fit are so completely different," said Shaun Rein, founder of market intelligence firm China Market Research.

LOCAL TASTES, LOCAL SOURCING

New Look, a chain founded in 1969 and bought last year by Wiese's investment vehicle Brait SE, does not want to make the same mistake. It now runs 94 stores in China, out of a global total of 852, and hopes to have up to 150 by next March.

"I will definitely give it a try if it is a foreign brand and as long as I like it," said Chen Jie, a 32-year-old businessman from Shenzhen who was carrying an H&M bag in a shopping district in Hong Kong. "Price is not an issue but the design and quality must be good."

While New Look is cashing in on the popularity in China of British style - it is adding the "London" tag to its logo for its Chinese stores and website - it is also catering for local tastes.

Sven Gaede, managing director of New Look's international business, says the firm has an advantage over many European rivals as 85 percent of what it sells in China is sourced locally and more than a third is designed exclusively for China.

That has allowed New Look to tap into the current popularity in Asia of culottes - flared, three-quarter length trousers. Gaede said they account for 12 percent of the firm's sales in China, though they are not popular in its European markets.

"South Korea and Japan drive a lot of the trends that the Chinese customer seeks, so our ability to be able to identify those trends, source them locally and get them into our stores quickly is key," said Gaede.

That helps explain the success of the Uniqlo chain of Japan's Fast Retailing in China, which already has almost 500 stores in the country and is aiming for 1,000 stores in about five years - more than in Japan.

"It's pretty hard for the foreign fast brands to do the localisation that Uniqlo does in China as it was born with the Asian gene," said Violet Shen, a marketing executive in Shanghai.

The "fast fashion" model was pioneered by Inditex, which can bring new styles from the catwalk to stores in Europe within days from factories mostly in Spain and North Africa. However, Inditex does not have the same advantage in China.

Inditex plans to add 60 stores in the next few years to the 582 it already runs in China, but it serves them from its logistics centres in Spain.

"As their proportion of sales increases in the East, it challenges this model. You can't hub out of Spain," said Dominic Jephcott, chief executive of supply chain experts Vendigital.

New Look is not the first Western retailer to try to bring the Inditex model to China.

Denmark's Bestseller, which runs brands like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones, says over 90 percent of its products sold in China are also produced in China and most of the designs for the Chinese market are adjusted to local tastes.

That has helped the family-owned firm to become the clear leader in China, with more than 6,800 stores in over 300 cities, to give it a 2 percent share of the fragmented market, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

Anders Kristiansen ran the China business of Bestseller before taking over as New Look chief executive in 2013. Gaede said Kristiansen's experience in Asia is one of the reasons behind the group's aggressive expansion strategy.

H&M also buys many of its garments in China - the country accounts for about a quarter of its global sourcing.

But the Swedish firm does not make a big point of adjusting its ranges for China, where it has opened 47 stores in the last nine months, taking its total to 400.

"We see that fashion becomes more and more global and that China doesn't differ much from the rest of the world regarding trends and fashion," said investor relations head Nils Vinge.

"There are of course local differences but that is true for every market. H&M has a business model that can adapt to this," Vinge said, declining to elaborate.

Rein of China Market Research says Western brands must strike a delicate balance.

"You have to keep your global brand image and you can't be that creatively different in China than other markets. The Chinese travel around the world," he said. "It is good to localise. But it hard to localise an aspiration."

STORES VS ECOMMERCE

A bigger challenge for New Look may be to secure the right locations, especially as rivals also seek to add hundreds of stores in the coming years.

"To find 500 stores of real estate and roll that out in the right way ... I think it is virtually impossible," said Franklin Yao, managing partner at strategy consultants Smith Street.

But the more established New Look's brand becomes in China, Gaede said, the better the locations and terms it will be offered, adding that the firm was now pushing into smaller cities.

"We are less wedded to the number each year and we are more wedded to getting quality locations," he said.

Meeting soaring Chinese demand for buying clothes online is also tough.

Most international brands initially launch on Chinese ecommerce sites like JD.com and Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao, but are keen to build up their own online operations to protect margins and integrate ecommerce and store services.

New Look is currently available on Tmall and JD.com, but plans its own transactional site in the next 12 to 18 months.

Partnering with Chinese sites and local payment and delivery service providers is essential to reach consumers across such a vast country, said Vendigital's Jephcott.

"It is a hard physical push and a very hard digital push, all premised on a strong relationship with the logistics partner like Taobao," Jephcott said, noting that Taobao has established a delivery network of micro-stores even in small towns.
Activists in Thai opposition heartland say no politics during mourning

By Robert Birsel

KHON KAEN, Thailand, Oct 21 (Reuters) - In villages scattered through the green rice fields of northeast Thailand, a stronghold of support for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his opposition "red shirt" movement, people have put politics on hold to mourn King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thailand was plunged into grief when the 88-year-old king died on Thursday last week, a monarch seen as a father figure for generations of Thais of all political persuasions.

"People are crying, but crying and tears are part of life," said monk Kane Rattanapo, resting in the shade by his temple in a village in Khon Kaen province.

Thaksin, who lives in self-exile offered his condolences upon the death of the king in a Facebook post but made no other comment.

The former telecoms tycoon, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, has sent no messages to his beleaguered supporters in Khon Kaen, former red shirt activists say.

"All the leaders are gone. We hear no news. We're doing nothing," said one.

The activist, like two others Reuters spoke to, declined to be identified fearing tough security laws aimed at curbing political unrest.

The government has declared a year of mourning for the king. And on the streets of Khon Kaen city, everyone is wearing black or white, the colours of mourning in mainly Buddhist Thailand.

ELECTION HOPES

Thaksin's supporters said political activity would cease during the mourning period. They were pinning their hopes on an election the military government has promised at the end of 2017.

"We shouldn't do anything provocative. We have a conscience, we don't want chaos," said a second red-shirt organiser.

Worry about the end of King Bhumibol's seven decades on the throne has clouded a 10-year struggle between Thaksin and the military-led establishment.

Thaksin, who faces a jail term for a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated, is loved in the rural north and northeast for his pro-poor policies but despised by a Bangkok establishment that sees him as a corrupt populist who squandered taxes to buy rural votes.

Thaksin was also accused of disrespecting the monarchy and even harbouring republican leanings, something he and his supporters deny.

Strict lese-majeste laws that forbid criticism of the monarchy have left little room for public discussion of the succession.

"The people hold the king so high, they put him above politics. But the politicians and people close to the king, they're just like us," said a third red-shirt activist, explaining how they differentiate between the king and the royalist establishment.

The government has said Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will succeed his father soon, after an unspecified period of mourning. His formal coronation will take place after the king's cremation, following a year-long mourning period. The 96-year-old president of the royal Privy Council, Prem Tinsulanonda, has been named as regent during the interregnum.

The delay in the prince becoming king has raised speculation among Thailand scholars and analysts that the succession may not be as smooth as the government has said it will be.

'RESIDUAL POCKETS'

Thaksin or his parties have won every election since 2001 only to see governments overthrown, prime ministers dismissed by courts, parties disbanded and supporters shot in protests or arrested.

Thaksin's loyalists brought the capital to a standstill for weeks in 2010, descending from the north and northeast in a fleet of buses and trucks festooned with red flags. They occupied a central Bangkok district in a bid to force a pro-establishment government out and win back power Thaksin thought was rightfully his.

Today the opposition has been cowed by the military.

"They're not in a position to do anything," David Streckfuss, a Thailand-based scholar and expert on the monarchy, said of the red shirts. "They're in residual pockets with no organisational capacity."

Thaksin, based in Dubai, has not been available for comment since the king's death. Amnuay Klangpa, a former member of parliament from Thaksin's party, said security restrictions make it difficult to contact its base.

"We haven't forgotten our supporters but we can't even meet among ourselves," Amnuay said.

Human Rights Watch said hundreds of people expressing dissenting views have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and prosecuted.

"People aren't happy but it's better to keep quiet," said Khon Kaen lawyer Boonyong Kaewfainok, who has defended red shirt activists.

The junta, whose 2014 coup brought down a government led by Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has justified its crackdown by saying order must be maintained and an election held under a new constitution.

While most Thais mourn the only king most have ever known, the red shirt activists said they doubted shared grief could engender reconciliation.
New Zealand cancels meeting with Hong Kong democracy advocates on 'diplomatic' concerns

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Bill English cancelled a meeting with two senior Hong Kong democracy supporters this week on advice from his foreign office, he said on Friday, underscoring a delicate relationship with Communist Party-ruled China.

English said in an emailed statement that he cancelled the meeting with former Hong Kong legislator Martin Lee and former colonial chief secretary Anson Chan on the eve of the appointment after he was advised it was "diplomatically sensitive".

New Zealand has been more careful recently than neighbour Australia not to offend China as both Pacific countries jostle for export opportunities in the Asian giant.

"This is the first time it's happened to me like this, a meeting was cancelled at the last minute," Lee told Reuters.

The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which guarantees it freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.

Street protests calling for full democracy for Hong Kong in 2014 presented Beijing with one of its biggest political challenges in decades. Dozens of pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature on Wednesday to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists, setting the scene for a new constitutional crisis.

Lee has for decades campaigned for democracy for Hong Kong. Chan has said China should trust Hong Kong people to pick their own leader.

China became New Zealand's largest trading partner after a Free Trade Agreement in 2008, making New Zealand the first western country to sign such a deal. Exports to China amounted to NZ$12.1 billion ($8.67 billion) in the year to June, which equates to 17 percent of New Zealand's exports.

English, who advised Lee and Chan of the cancellation by email, said that it was "not uncommon" for the Foreign Affairs Minister to advise on meetings with overseas visitors.

The Foreign Affairs office did not reply to a request for comment on its advice.

In contrast, Chan and Lee last week met with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and testified in front of the Australian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee about protecting Hong Kong's autonomy.

Opposition Labour Party legislator David Shearer, who spoke with Chan and Lee earlier this week, said Chinese officials had approached him expressing "concern" about the meeting.

"It's not in New Zealand's interest not to go through with a meeting because of persuasion of pressure from another country," Shearer said.
Trump supporters tricked into buying beers at Mexico City booze-up

By Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. Republican candidate Donald Trump unwittingly helped pick up the tab for a booze-up in Mexico City on Thursday, after they were duped into buying cleverly concealed anti-Trump t-shirts designed by a local brewery.

Trump, who has labeled Mexicans rapists and drug runners, has caused outrage south of the border with his vow to build a border wall that Mexico will pay for - a pledge that inspired brewer Cerveza Cucapa's ingenious scheme to get Trump supporters to cough up for Mexicans' brews.

"It's amazing that we can have a party paid for by Donald Trump!" said 54-year-old Leticia Villanueva, cradling her free beer at the event which had attracted a few hundred people.

Late last month, Cucapa, an artisanal brewery from the northern border state of Baja California, posted a video in which representatives went to the United States to hawk blue t-shirts with Trump's face that ostensibly say "I support Donald."

However, unbeknown to the buyer, when they put on the t-shirt, their body temperature adds a clown's nose to Trump's face and alters the message to read "Donald: El que lo Lea," a traditional message meaning "Whoever reads this is Donald."

Proceeds from the tongue-in-cheek publicity stunt helped fund the event on Thursday in Mexico City, where a well-heeled crowd of young boozers in bright yellow Trump wigs took cheer from the property mogul's recent collapse in the polls.

"His campaign is garbage, and the only good thing he's ever done is get us drunk," said 21-year-old Ivan Grajeda. "It's great that he's losing ... that's a triumph for Mexico."

Others hoped that their family in the United States would turn out and vote in the Nov. 8 election for Hillary Clinton, who has strengthened her lead against Trump in recent weeks after her Republican rival faced a string of groping allegations.

"I ask my family members over there to vote for Hillary, as it's not in their interests for Trump to win," said Jose Ramon Trevino, 28. " I have family in Chicago and they are hard-working people, who don't go looking for problems or beg for money in the street."

Esteban Pacheco, a 26-year-old Cucapa employee, said the aim of the brewer's campaign was to build bridges between the two countries.
Romania - Factors to watch on Oct. 21

Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Friday.

DEBT TENDER

Romania sold a planned 500 million lei ($121.87 million) worth of March 2021 treasury bonds on Thursday, with the average accepted yield at 2.14 percent, central bank data showed.

Debt managers last sold the paper in September at an average yield of 2.12 percent.

CEE MARKETS

A rise in oil refiner PKN Orlen's shares lifted Warsaw's stock index on Thursday, while other regional markets were mixed as the European Central Bank did not signal any change in its asset purchase programme.

WHEAT TENDER

Egypt's state grain buyer GASC received offers from five suppliers at its international wheat purchasing tender on Thursday, Cairo-based traders said, as some suppliers continued to stay away due to lack of certainty over wheat inspection rules.

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on

For emerging markets economic events, click on

For an index of all diaries, click on
Poland - Factors to Watch Oct. 21

Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Friday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

2016 FISCAL DEFICIT FORECAST

The Eurostat is expected to publish a forecast of the Polish general government deficit at 0900 GMT.

BOND TENDER

The finance ministry will offer floating-rate bonds due January 2021 and November 2022 as well as fixed-rate bonds due April 2022 worth a total of 6.0-10.0 billion zlotys at tender on Friday. Results of the tender are expected at 0930 GMT.

FIAT

Fiat Powertrains Technologies plans to invest over 1 billion zlotys ($252 million) in new engine production line in Bielsko-Biala plant, Rzeczpospolita daily said quoting unnamed sources.

LOTOS

Poland's second biggest refiner Lotos seriously considers a return to dividend payouts, Parkiet daily quoted the company's chief executive officer as saying.

GETIN NOBLE BANK

Poland's financial regulator KNF told Getin Noble Bank it should hold funds to hedge the risk stemming from its foreign currency-denominated mortgage portfolio with the ratio at 1.89 percentage points, down from previously required 2.03 percentage points, the bank said on Thursday.

COAL

Polish troubled state coal miner PGG reported a loss of 364 million zlotys in the first three quarters of 2016, Rzeczpospolita daily said quoting deputy energy minister Grzegorz Tobiszowski.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****
ECB annuls Brussels appointment after complaints of favouritism

By Francesco Canepa

FRANKFURT, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has annulled the appointment of its new Brussels representative after staff complained Stephane Rottier, an advisor to chief economist Peter Praet, had been handpicked for the job, denying other candidates a chance.

The ECB, which defended Rottier's appointment when news broke last summer that an appeal had been filed against it, told staff on Thursday the decision had been annulled, according to an intranet posting seen by Reuters.

The appeal, filed by staff representatives Carlos Bowles and Johannes Priesemann, also made allegations about favouritism at the ECB.

It cited, among other sources, an internal survey where 65 percent of respondents chose "knowing the 'right people'" as one of the typical ways of getting ahead at the ECB, a higher proportion than any other factor.

The Brussels vacancy had never been advertised and the ECB raised the salary band for the job just two weeks before choosing Rottier on June 21 from a list of previously unsuccessful candidates to other roles.

This meant that Rottier's basic annual salary was between 169,000 euros ($185,000) and 213,000 euros ($233,000).

"The Executive Board decided today to annul its decision in June appointing a new head of the ECB's Brussels office by means of direct appointment from a reserve list," the ECB said in the posting.

"This followed a partially successful special appeal to the Executive Board by members of staff in their personal capacity."

It added Rottier would be the acting head of the Brussels office for six months while a recruitment campaign is launched and a vacancy notice published.

An ECB spokesman would not comment further on the reasons for the annulment. Rottier did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment

"It is a very good signal that the ECB decided to annul this appointment, that was not in line with a merit-based-recruitment process," appellant Carlos Bowles said.

"Now the next step would be to change our recruitment process so that personal ties and favouritism are not allowed to play a role in promotions."

One of the points made in the appeal is that staff rules dictate that a selection procedure, rather than direct appointment, must be used to choose candidates for positions that have been 'upgraded'.

The ECB said at the time of Rottier's appointment that the salary for the job had been raised due to the "increasing role played by the ECB during and after the financial crisis and the additional responsibilities attributed to the ECB in the context of the progress towards banking union".

Rottier had unsuccessfully applied for the job of ECB representative in Washington.

His profile on networking site LinkedIn showed on Thursday he had taken over as the head of the Brussels office in September after working for Praet for almost four years.

He had previously served in other roles as a counsellor to the ECB's Executive Board since 2011, after moving from the National Bank of Belgium.
Tamim leads Bangladesh recovery after Moeen strikes for England

Oct 21 (Reuters) - Opener Tamim Iqbal led Bangladesh's fightback with a dogged 78 after the hosts had got off to a wobbly start in reply to England's first innings 293 on the second day of the opening test on Friday.

At stumps the match was delicately poised with Bangladesh on 221 for five, trailing England by 72 runs, with all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (31) and nightwatchman Shafiul Islam (zero) at the crease.

England captain Alastair Cook called on Moeen Ali, who top-scored for his side with 68, to bowl the final over of the morning and it took the bearded 29-year-old just two deliveries to break Bangladesh's opening stand.

The openers had looked untroubled until then but Moeen got the ball to spin past Imrul Kayes' bat to hit the off-stump before number three Mominul Haque edged behind without scoring to leave Bangladesh reeling on 29-2.

The hosts almost went through the second session unscathed after Moeen's threat diminished on a baking afternoon with Tamim and Mahmudullah defending resolutely to keep England at bay at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Bangladesh lost Mahmudullah (38) to leg-spinner Adil Rashid on the stroke of the tea interval but not before he had shared in a vital third-wicket partnership of 90 with Tamim.

The left-handed Tamim was given out caught at slip off Moeen but as on numerous occasions already in the match, he managed to get the umpire's decision overturned on review. Replays showed the ball has missed the edge of his bat.

He was finally out caught behind to off-spinner Gareth Batty who is playing his first test in more than 11 years.

Bangladesh egded towards England's total as captain Mushfiqur Rahim (48) and Shakib dug in but Ben Stokes had Mushfiqur caught behind by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow near the close of play to leave the game evenly balanced.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Oct 21

SOFIA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- The majority owners of Bulgarian lubricant and battery producer Prista Oil Group, Atanas Bobokov and Plamen Bobokov said they have bought back a 30 percent stake in the group from ADM Capital and European Bank with a 50 million euros ($54.54 million)loan from Unicredit Bulbank. (Capital Daily, Trud, 24 Chasa)

-- The two leading candidates in the presidential race this November, Tsetska Tsacheva and Rumen Radev, both said they would work to lift the sanctions on Russia, imposed for Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, in their first public TV debate. (24 Chasa, Trud, Monitior, Sega, Standart)

-- Bulgaria would support eventual new sanctions on Russia over Syria, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said. (Sega, Standart, Trud, 24 Chasa)
South Africa to quit troubled UN war crimes court

By Joe Brock

PRETORIA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - South Africa said on Friday it was quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws, dealing a new blow to the struggling court and angering the political opposition.

Pretoria last year announced its intention to leave after the ICC criticised it for disregarding an ICC order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited South Africa. Bashir has denied the accusations.

The United Nations on Friday confirmed receipt of South Africa's withdrawal from the ICC, which will take effect one year from Oct. 19, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, making it the first country to quit the Rome Statute.

The instrument of withdrawal document, seen by Reuters on Thursday, has been assessed by the United Nations as bona fide and is being processed, Dujarric said.

The announcement puts new pressure on the world's first permanent war crimes court, which has had to fight off allegations of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based.

Burundi's leader this week signed a decree to leave the ICC, and Kenya's parliament is considering following suit.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was "concerned" about the South African decision, but he declined to speculate what Kenya and Burundi would do and said it was too early to speak of a "trend" toward African withdrawal from the court.

Kirby said the United States, while not a member of the court, believed the ICC had made "valuable contributions in the service of accountability ...and we hope that other countries would share that assessment."

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal its adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice.

He said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, which was cited in the decision to ignore the court order to detain Bashir, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity.

The ICC said it had not formally been notified of South Africa's intention to leave the Rome Statute.

A document seen by Reuters at the United Nations on Thursday showed the move would take effect one year after notice was formally received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The document was signed by South African International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated Oct. 19.

"UNCONSTITUTIONAL" WITHDRAWAL

James Selfe, a senior executive at the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said it would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans "on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed".

Former South African judge Richard Goldstone, a respected figure in international justice and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said quitting the ICC was "demeaning" to the country.

"From a moral standpoint, it detracts from the inspiring legacy of the administration of President Nelson Mandela that so strongly supported the ICC," said Goldstone, chairman of the advisory board of the coalition for the ICC, which provides strategic guidance on key issues.

Masutha, the justice minister, said Pretoria would drop its appeal to the Constitutional Court against a ruling that the state had made an error in letting Bashir leave the country.

In June 2015 Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union summit. He was allowed to leave even though the ICC had ordered that he be kept in South Africa until the end of a hearing on whether he should be detained under a global arrest warrant.

The High Court ruled Bashir should have been arrested to face genocide charges at the ICC since, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Pretoria was obliged to implement arrest warrants.

The government lost an appeal at the Supreme Court in March and the appeal to the Constitutional Court was its last chance of overturning the ruling.

The ICC, which sits in The Hague and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

But it has secured only five substantive verdicts in its 14-year history, all of them on African suspects, and several African countries have expressed concern that the continent is being picked on.

In January, the African Union backed a proposal by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta for officials of various member states to "develop a road map" on possible withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The decision was not legally binding as the final decision to leave the ICC would be taken by individual nations.

A high-profile ICC attempt to try Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto over post-election violence failed amid diplomatic lobbying and allegations of witness intimidation.
Portugal preparing "systemic measure" for banks' bad loans -PM

LISBON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Portuguese authorities are preparing a "systemic measure" to tackle the banking sector's huge pile of bad loans, without the use of public funds, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in a television interview.

Speaking to TVI channel, he said the measure will "alleviate banks' balance sheets and allow for prudent management" that will be positive for the economy, removing obstacles to the financing of companies and loans to households.

Costa did not give more details of the planned approach, saying only that "it will not be a bank, nor bad bank."

"We are working with the Bank of Portugal to have a systemic measure soon that can be applied to all of the national banking system ... I cannot commit in terms of timetable," he said.

A rise in non-performing loans following Portugal's debt crisis and recession in 2011-13 has plagued the country's banking system, which is still reeling from two bank rescues by the state in 2014 and 2015.

Costa reiterated that he expected banks to have overcome their more pressing problems by the end of the year with the planned recapitalisation of the state-owned CGD and foreign investors shoring up the largest listed banks Millennium bcp and Banco BPI.

The Bank of Portugal has long advocated a common mechanism that would allow banks to offload bad loans and unprofitable assets, preferably following the Italian model for a bailout fund that acts like a backstop investor in weaker banks.

But the plan faces many European-level restrictions, while the government has argued that such a mechanism, although potentially beneficial, cannot be imposed on banks, which have so far been reluctant to have any "bad bank" solution.
Finland's Solidium says CEO to step down

HELSINKI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The Finnish government's investment holding company Solidium's managing director Kari Jarvinen will leave his position, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Jarvinen will continue as the operative managing director until January 31, 2017. The company said it will start a search for his successor.

Finland founded Solidium in 2008 to manage the state's minority shareholdings in 12 listed firms. Jarvinen held the position of managing director from the beginning of its operations in 2009.

The company said the board and Jarvinen had agreed the change on mutual terms.
Rights groups urge aid access to conflict-hit Myanmar region

By Beh Lih Yi

JAKARTA, Oct 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Rights groups urged Myanmar to allow humanitarian access to a troubled Muslim-majority region following the latest violence that has prevented aid agencies from delivering food and medicines.

Troops have been sweeping northern Rakhine state for more than a week, hunting an estimated 400 fighters who officials believe are members of mostly stateless Rohingya Muslim community acting with the support of Islamists abroad.

The Myanmar military has declared the area an "operation zone" and has tightly controlled the flow of information since insurgents seized dozens of weapons in raids on border posts on Oct. 9, in which nine police officers were killed.

U.N. agencies have said they have no access to the affected areas to assess humanitarian needs after the attacks.

Human rights groups said Myanmar, also known as Burma, must ensure humanitarian aid can reach those in need.

"The Burmese government has a responsibility to search for and arrest those who attacked the border posts," New York-based Human Rights Watch's Asia director Brad Adams said in a statement on Friday.

"But it is required to do so in a manner that respects human rights, ensures that the area's people get the aid they need, and allows journalists and rights monitors into the area."

Amnesty International said the latest violence "aggravated what was already a serious humanitarian situation in the country".

"The Myanmar authorities must immediately lift restrictions preventing the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies from reaching people in need," its Southeast Asia and the Pacific director Rafendi Djamin said.

The U.N. World Food Programme said it remains unable to access 50,000 people in need of food aid in Maungdaw township, which has been at the centre of the violence, but it hopes to regain access to nearby Buthidaung township by next week.

"After several days with no access to these areas, WFP hopes to be able to resume its regular support for some 37,000 people by next week," regional spokeswoman Silke Buhr told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"This includes distributions of cash for vulnerable households and nutrient-dense supplementary food for pregnant women and young children."

At least 30 suspected militants and five military personnel have been killed in clashes since the Oct. 9 raids.

Nearly 120,000 people, mostly Rohingya, were already displaced in Rakhine after an outbreak of communal violence in 2012. Thousands more were believed to have been displaced in the latest violence.
Duterte distances Philippines from ally U.S.

Oct 21 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has grown increasingly hostile towards his country's traditional ally the United States since taking office on June 30, while seeking to court U.S. rivals China and Russia.

Government officials in Manila have tried to play down the president's comments, saying the two countries will continue to cooperate.

Officials in Washington have been largely taken by surprise by Duterte's near-daily barrages, and have sought to avoid provoking him.

The following are key comments that Duterte has made about the bilateral relationship, and U.S. responses:

PIVOT TO CHINA

- On a state visit to China this week, Duterte told a forum of Chinese and Philippine business people he wanted his country to separate from the United States and realign with China.

"I announce my separation from the United States. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also," he said. "America has lost."

U.S. response:

The U.S. State Department said it was "baffled" by Duterte's comments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila this weekend.

- Duterte said in September he would visit Russia and China this year to chart an independent foreign policy and "open alliances" with two powers with historic rivalries with the United States.

U.S. response:

State Department officials said the bilateral relationship remained strong.

"They're a sovereign nation and we're certainly not going to hold them back from pursuing closer relations with either of those countries... It's not a zero-sum game," spokesman Mark Toner said.

MILITARY ALLIANCE

The Philippines has had a long-standing military alliance with the United States. The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, reached under Duterte's predecessor, allows the United States to rotate ships, aircraft, and personnel through five Philippines bases, an arrangement seen as crucial to projecting U.S. military power on China's doorstep.

Duterte has said he will order the pullout of the remaining U.S. special forces stationed in the Philippines' restive south.

Philippine officials have said joint U.S.-Philippines military exercises would cease and that the tropical nation can do without U.S military assistance.

U.S. response:

State Department officials say they have not received any formal request for a tangible change in the security relationship.

"It is all bluster," said one U.S. defence official, adding Duterte's remarks "have not bled over into our world".

WAR ON DRUGS

- The U.S. has raised concerns over possible human rights violations in a war on drugs that Duterte is waging at home, drawing vitriolic rebukes from the former mayor.

He has called U.S. President Barack Obama, the European Union and United Nations "fools", and warned they would end up humiliated and outsmarted if they accepted his invitation to investigate his anti-drugs campaign.

He has also hurled insults at Obama, telling him to "go to hell" and calling him a "son of bitch".

U.S. response:

State Department officials have said the rhetoric is at odds with reality.

Spokesman John Kirby said, "Frankly, it seems at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments, cooperation that has continued under the Duterte government."

- In September Duterte appeared to liken himself to Adolf Hitler in talking about killing millions of drug addicts in the country of 100 million.

Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said, "There are 3 million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to slaughter them.

"If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have ...," he said, pausing and pointing to himself.

U.S. response:
Pageantry and politics mix as Nigeria's Benin City crowns new ruler

BENIN CITY, Nigeria Oct 21 (Reuters) - Crowned with coral beads, flanked by high officials in bright white robes adorned with shining metal plaques, the new Oba of the historic kingdom of Benin greeted his people in a very 21st century corner of southern Nigeria.

Crowds packed Benin City to celebrate the coronation of Oba Ewuare II - carrying on a royal tradition that has endured through a punishing raid by imperial Britain in 1897 and the kingdom's subsequent incorporation into the west African state.

Britain infamously carried away piles of plunder, including hundreds of metal panels - now widely known as the "Benin bronzes" and hanging in museums as far afield as London, New York, Berlin and Christchurch, New Zealand.

Similar regalia was in active use on Thursday in Benin City, the modern day capital of Nigeria's Edo state and separate from the neighbouring Republic of Benin.

"I am happy to witness this because I was young when the last king Erediuwa was crowned. I am now 55 years," said Chief Samson Ekassa, one of a series of dignitaries at the event including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and business tycoon Aliko Dangote, known as Africa's richest man.
Sabic intent on easing reliance on domestic natgas -CEO

By Ludwig Burger

DUESSELDORF, Germany, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Petrochemicals giant Sabic is scouting for more overseas ventures to ease its dependence on domestic Saudi Arabian natural gas as it pushes ahead with its largest foreign investment with U.S. partner Exxon Mobil.

"We do have projects that we evaluate with our existing partners or potential partners... We are a global company, we have the capability to start projects in any regions, and not necessarily with a partnership model," Sabic's Chief Executive Officer Yousef Abdullah al-Benyan told Reuters in an interview.

Sabic, short for Saudi Basic Industries Corp, was also ready to tap the credit market for funding as part of its strategy to diversify away from domestic raw material sources, he added.

Saudi-based petrochemicals businesses have benefited in the past from natural gas feedstock subsidies but the government in December decided to raise feedstock prices to bridge a budget deficit after oil's two-year downturn.

This has forced petchem firms to reconsider their business models, already hit by lower product prices due to the drop in the oil price.

"Sabic has a very strong balance sheet and I think we will be able to finance any projects with the right model in order for us to leverage our balance sheet and the debt market as well," Benyan said, speaking at a plastics industry show in Germany.

While declining to give an investment amount for the petrochemicals complex to be jointly built with Exxon Mobil, Benyan said it would include the largest steam cracker in the world, and would constitute Sabic's largest investment abroad to date. It has production sites in 20 countries.

Steam crackers, which feed on either oil distillates or natural gas, churn out chemical building blocks for anything from plastics, foams and coatings to solvents.

For the chemical complex on the U.S. Gulf cost, the two partners are targeting an output capacity of 1.8 million tonnes of ethylene, the world's most commonly used basic petrochemical.

The largest modern steam crackers typically have an annual ethylene capacity of roughly 1.5 million tonnes. South Africa's Sasol Ltd in August raised the price tag of its U.S. cracker of that size to $11 billion from $8.9 billion.

While reiterating that 2017 would be challenging year overall, the CEO ruled out a drop in revenues:

"I don't think that for Sabic we will have a sales decline... I think there will be challenges on the total demand but I'm confident SABIC has very strong competitive positions."

Restructuring efforts are in full swing at Sabic, which this month started folding its chemicals and polymers businesses into a new unit called petrochemicals, which will scout for takeover targets.

"Our business development group is looking at opportunities in China, looking at opportunities also in the U.S.," the CEO said.

Sabic has also previously unveiled plans to turn its steel firm Hadeed, which is struggling from a global oversupply, into a self-contained entity under SABIC's ownership. Benyan said a team is now look into restructuring measures.
Portugal's bond yields near 6-week low as PM confident on ratings test

By John Geddie

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Portugal's government bond yields fell towards a six-week low on Friday, after its prime minister said he had no doubt that rating agency DBRS would maintain the investment-grade rank the country needs to qualify for the ECB's asset purchase scheme.

The Canadian ratings firm - the only one of the big four agencies that rates Portugal at investment grade - is due to present its review after markets close on Friday.

Analysts said that as regulation dictates that Portugal must be informed of the results a day before, the comments by Antonio Costa were seen as a strong hint that Lisbon would keep the key rating.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi confirmed on Thursday that if Portugal were downgraded it would fall out of the quantitative easing programme.

If Lisbon, as some expect, announces a bond auction for next week on Friday, that would be another strong hint that the country has avoided a cut.

"We're as certain as can be that there won't be a downgrade," said Lyn Graham-Taylor, fixed income strategist at Rabobank. "It may have been intimated to the government already."

Investor angst over the decision has receded in recent weeks anyway, with the promise of budget deficit cuts in 2017 and renewed promises of left-wing support for Portugal's government.

Portugal's 10-year bond yield fell 4 basis points to 3.19 percent on Friday, within sight of a six-week low of 3.16 percent struck on Thursday, according to Tradeweb.

By 15.40 GMT, it was yielding 3.21 percent, still down 1.4 bps on the day.

The German 10-year bond yield - the euro zone benchmark - was flat around the zero percent mark after a brief dip into negative territory earlier in the day.

While there appears to be a broad consensus among analysts and investors that Portugal will dodge a downgrade, a change in its rating outlook from stable to negative is seen as possible.

"We expect the trend to be lowered to negative, which should cap the upside in Portuguese government bonds medium term, and we stick with our cautious strategic stance," Commerzbank strategist David Schnautz said.

If DBRS cuts the outlook it would mean a greater likelihood of a rating cut at the next review in six months' time.

Warnings by DBRS in August of risks to Portuguese creditworthiness, mainly from slowing growth and weakness of the banking sector, coupled with concerns over rising friction between Lisbon and the European Commission over its budget plans, have spooked markets in recent months.

Ten-year yields rose from around 2.70 in August to an eight-month high of 3.61 percent in early October, before edging back to current levels.

Commerzbank said yields should fall back to around 2.8 percent if Lisbon survives the review, while some investors have warned that yields could rise as much as 200 basis points if it is downgraded.

Without access to the programme, many analysts fear Portugal would need a new bailout.
In countdown to demolition, Calais "Jungle" children desperately seek route to UK

By Sally Hayden

CALAIS, France, Oct 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - V olunteers in the "Jungle" migrant camp near the French port of Calais were frantically trying on Friday to identify children with a chance of gaining asylum in Britain as the countdown to the camp's demolition began.

The first busload of lone child migrants arrived in Britain on Monday from the camp as the UK government started to act on its commitment to take in unaccompanied migrant children before the camp is destroyed.

France has said it will soon demolish the squalid, ramshackle camp housing up to 10,000 people escaping war or poverty mainly in Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea and Syria.

Small and shy, Denay, a 12-year-old boy from Eritrea, arrived in the Jungle six weeks ago - one of an estimated 1,000 unaccompanied children living in the camp.

He fled the Horn of Africa country at the start of the year with a group of friends who left to avoid the compulsory military service that can stretch on for decades.

He said in Libya he was kidnapped and held hostage by militias for four months until his family paid a ransom of $5,000 - before ending up in France.

Children in the Jungle have two legal routes into Britain. One is under European Union rules that allow for children to be reunited with relatives already in the UK.

The other is under the so-called Dubs amendment to the Immigration Act which allows the most at-risk child refugees in Italy, Greece and France to be taken to the UK for sanctuary.

Young and vulnerable, Denay could qualify to reach Britain under the Dubs amendment, said campaigners at the camp.

The boy's face is pockmarked - irritated by the pepper spray which he says the French police have used to stop him and others from trying to board a truck to England.

"You never find your chance," Denay said about his nightly attempts to cross the Channel. "I've tried lots of times. It comes down to luck."

"MATTER OF URGENCY"

The legal route which could give Denay refuge in Britain was introduced by Alf Dubs, an opposition politician who came to Britain before the outbreak of World War Two as a Kindertransport child refugee.

His amendment aims to help children most at risk of falling prey to trafficking and exploitation - including young children and girls.

At the camp, around a dozen teenage Eritrean girls were ushered back into the guarded women and children's section on the edge of the Jungle.

"They're safest there," a volunteer helper said.

But on Thursday, five months after the Dubs amendment was passed, British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the government of dragging its feet with regard to 212 children who he said qualified for entry to Britain under the provisions.

"With the imminent closure of the Calais camp, it is imperative that the office of the prime minister intervenes as a matter of urgency to ensure that this process is priority," Corbyn said in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May.

The pressure group Citizens UK, which works in the Jungle, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation not one child had arrived in Britain under the Dubs amendment.

Rosa Curling, a lawyer representing Citizens UK, said the group was ready to launch legal proceedings against the government over the delay, describing it as "outrageous".

The Home Office (interior ministry) has said a team would go to France in the "coming weeks" specifically to "identify and prioritise the children who will be brought to the UK under the terms of the Dubs amendment".

The French government has undertaken to resettle the migrants from the Jungle to small reception centres throughout the country and wants to close the camp by the end of the month.

A survey by the Refugee Rights Data Project - an organisation run by researchers with the aim of providing accurate data on displaced people in Europe - found nearly 60 percent of respondents living in the camp said they will stay in Calais or sleep in the streets if the camp is closed.

Almost 70 percent of children said those were their plans too.

Groups working with migrant children fear they could be trafficked or face other abuse.

Back in the Jungle, Denay says he hates his tent the most, and that if he went to England he would be happy.
Polish fashion retailer LPP looks beyond eastern Europe

By Pawel Goraj

GDANSK, Poland, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Poland's top fashion retailer LPP is pressing ahead with an expansion in western Europe and other new markets, its finance chief said, as analysts say it has reached saturation point in its home market.

Tough competition from much bigger European rivals H&M and Zara-owner Inditex, and unfavourable weather in July and August, forced LPP to introduce discounts that dented its third quarter profits.

Analysts say weak profitability in its home market will make the company's expansion plans harder to fund.

LPP launched a premium men's and women's clothing brand, Tallinder, in February but abandoned it within six months to focus on mass market line Reserved, which generates half of its revenue.

The company's net profit tumbled to 24.2 million zlotys ($6.1 million) in the first half of the year from 99.3 million in the same period a year earlier.

Tallinder "was not perceived well from the beginning", Chief Financial Officer Przemyslaw Lutkiewicz told Reuters, and LPP will stay away from premium brands for now.

He said business had begun to pick up last month and it expects to turn a corner in 2017. The retailer has a strong presence in eastern and central Europe, the Balkans and Russia and will also open its first stores in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Serbia next year, he said.

Establishing a wider presence in western Europe, however, is central to its ambitions to become a global brand and the company said it would have 20 stores in Germany by the middle of next year, up from 15 currently, and open its first store in London.

"We don't want to be just a company from eastern Europe. We want to go to other continents, to other geographies, so from that perspective we need to have a global brand," Lutkiewicz said in an interview at LPP's headquarters in the northern Polish city of Gdansk.

H&M and Inditex "are trend setters and they are global companies. In the long run we would definitely like to be the No. 3, but it's a long way ahead of us," he said.

LPP sees net income little changed in the third quarter because of hefty discounts on its summer collections. But Lutkiewicz said he believed the company's gross margin - revenue minus the cost of sales - would increase next year.
Czech president accused of scrapping Holocaust survivor medal due to Dalai Lama

By Robert Muller

PRAGUE, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman decided against awarding a state medal to a Holocaust survivor after the man's nephew, a Czech government minister, met exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama against the president's wishes, the minister said on Friday.

The Czech Republic has been engulfed in political furor over the Dalai Lama's meetings this week with Culture Minister Daniel Herman against the wishes of the Chinese government - which sees the Dalai Lama as a separatist - and Zeman, who has strongly pushed for a closer economic relationship with China.

The drive to focus on Chinese investments has met opposition from many corners of the EU member country whose post-communist policy set by the late leader Vaclav Havel strongly promoted human rights. Havel was a friend of the Tibetan monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Herman confirmed in a text message to Reuters that the president's office had requested he cancel his meeting with the Tibetan monk or his uncle would not be granted an award.

Herman's uncle George Brady, 88, was supposed to receive the honour for his lifelong campaign for Holocaust remembrance at an annual celebration at Prague Castle, the seat of the president, next Friday on Czech state day.

Brady survived Nazi persecution, including the death camp at Auschwitz, where his sister and parents perished.

"My uncle informed me he had been contacted by the president's office with information that his award was being prepared. Now there is news that this has been postponed for this year," Herman told Reuters.

Asked if he was given an ultimatum not to meet the Dalai Lama in connection with the award, he said: "Yes."

A spokesman for Zeman declined to comment directly on Herman's statement. He said the president had completed the list of nominees "some time ago" and had not subsequently dropped anyone.

The office never releases the names of the recipients of the state medals before the traditional ceremony.

George Brady moved to Canada after the war. In 2000, a suitcase with his sister Hana's name surfaced in a Tokio Holocaust Museum, whose director discovered her relation to George. Hana's suitcase later inspired a book, theatre play and a film.
U.N. chief mulls future in South Korea where he tops presidential polls

By Jean Yoon and Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday he will return to South Korea in January after heading the world body for a decade to consider what role he can play in the future of his country amid a push for him to run for president.

"I understand that there are naturally some expectations from many people in Korea that I should make myself available for a better future of Korea that I am conscious of," Ban, 72, who will step down at the end of 2016, told Reuters in an interview.

Ban said it was the first time he had spoken publicly about his future beyond the United Nations. The U.N. General Assembly last week appointed Ban's successor, former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres, who will start on Jan. 1.

Ban is the only potential candidate for South Korea's presidential election in December 2017 with consistently more than 20 percent support in opinion polls. Ban, who served two five-year terms as U.N. chief, said he plans to return to South Korea in mid-January.

"Then after that I will have to discuss with some of my friends, my senior people who can give me good advice, what kind of role I can play for the future of Korea," he said during his first interview since the appointment of his successor.

If he runs, Ban is expected to join the conservative Saenuri Party of current President Park Geun-hye. He would join a small field of potential candidates who have struggled to gain much public support.

Ban said his "options are still open" and "let me just ponder seriously what will be the best way for me to use my time, my experience as secretary-general."

He said for now he was still focused on his job as U.N. secretary-general and it was "not the right time for me to speculate anything."

Throughout Ban's second term the war in Syria has worsened and prospects for peace anytime soon appear dim. More than 400,000 people have been killed and half the country's 22 million people have been uprooted over nearly six years.

"I deeply regret that the Syrian issue has not been resolved," Ban said. "I am ready to receive all this blame, criticism but sometimes you should know the secretary-general is blamed for what is beyond my own control."

NORTH KOREA 'GREAT CONCERN, WORRY'

A top issue for Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, has been how to deal with increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula following two nuclear tests and a string of ballistic missile launches by North Korea this year in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

"Never in the past have we seen such heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, that is a source of my great concern and worry," Ban told Reuters during the interview in his 38th floor office at the United Nations in New York.

Since North Korea's fifth and largest nuclear test in September, the United States and China, a close ally of Pyongyang, have been negotiating a new draft Security Council resolution. In March, the 15-member council imposed tough new sanctions following its fourth nuclear test in January.

"Sometimes the Security Council has been taking unnecessarily long time in expressing their positions and that kind of sense of lack of unity gives some good excuse for the member states like North Korea not to abide by this resolution," Ban said.

Ban said he had met with senior North Korean authorities in New York and elsewhere, on the margins of international conferences, and advised them to address the issue "through a harmonious and reconciliatory way." He had made attempts to visit Pyongyang but they were canceled by North Korea.

Ban is generally well-regarded in South Korea, often called "the president of the world" in the media there and seen as a role model by students and parents. Stores carry a range of books on Ban's life and U.N. tenure, as well as self-help volumes on how to become a world figure and even how to speak like him.

Upon his return to South Korea, Ban said he planned to tell the people of South Korea about what he has achieved in the past decade, such as a U.N. agenda for the world's 2030 sustainable development and a global agreement to combat climate change, which comes into force next month.

"I'm determined to sprint to the finish line as secretary-general," Ban said. "It's important for me to finish my job as secretary-general until the very last moment of my mandate."
Czech president denies scrapping Holocaust survivor medal

By Robert Muller

PRAGUE, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman has denied that his decision not to award a medal to a Holocaust survivor was because the man's nephew, a Czech government minister, had angered China by meeting the Dalai Lama.

Culture Minister Daniel Herman met the exiled Tibetan leader this week against the wishes of Beijing and Zeman, who has strongly pushed for a closer economic relationship with China.

The drive for Chinese investment has met opposition in a country whose post-communist policies strongly promoted human rights. Once a dissident and then president, the late Vaclav Havel was a friend of the Tibetan Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

President Zeman acknowledged that plans to award a state medal to George Brady, 88, had been dropped, Finance Minister Andrej Babis was quoted as saying on Saturday.

But Zeman denied the change of plan had anything to do with Brady's nephew, Culture Minister Daniel Herman, meeting the Dalai Lama.

"Mr President says it has nothing to do with the Dalai Lama, but he confirms that he had asked Mr.Herman not to meet Mr.Dalai Lama," Babis was quoted by www.idnes.cz news website as saying.

Herman's uncle Brady had been listed to receive the honour for his lifelong campaign for Holocaust remembrance at an annual celebration at Prague Castle, the seat of the president, next Friday on Czech state day.

Brady survived Nazi persecution, including the death camp at Auschwitz in Poland, where his sister and parents perished.

"My uncle informed me he had been contacted by the president's office with information that his award was being prepared. Now there is news that this has been postponed for this year," Herman told Reuters.

Asked if he was given an ultimatum not to meet the Dalai Lama in connection with the award, he said: "Yes."

"The president directly told me that if I meet the Dalai Lama, my uncle will be taken out of the list (for awards), and that is what happened," Herman told Czech public television. He said the conversation took place in front of witnesses at a banquet in Prague.

A spokesman for Zeman said on Friday the president had completed the list of nominees "some time ago", and had not subsequently dropped anyone.

The office never releases the names of the recipients of the state medals before the traditional ceremony.
AFP - A seven-fold hike in visa fees to do business in Saudi Arabia risks deterring the foreign investment needed to transform its oil-dependent economy, diplomats and other sources say.

But a senior Saudi business leader has dismissed such concerns, insisting the countrys most sought-after business partners could easily afford the new charges.



Its incredibly short-sighted, a Riyadh-based diplomat said of the changes which took effect this month.



Theyre obviously bleeding and they want to put the cost on foreigners as much as they can, he said, asking for anonymity. Itll end up costing them a lot more than what they gain in visa payments.



Higher visa fees are one of many moves adopted by the kingdom to cover a loss in oil revenue which has slumped by 68 percent over the past five years, according to official data cited by Bloomberg News.

But the higher cost of entry permits has left people scratching their heads, a second diplomat said.

We are expecting to see business reconsider Saudi as a market, said the Western envoy. Its certainly happening already, though not in a major way.

Starting in October, a six-month business or work-visit visa allowing multiple entries costs 3,000 riyals ($800), compared with 400 riyals before, said Ala Siyam, general manager of Gulf Consulting House.

The consultancy, in Khobar on the Gulf coast, assists clients from more than 40 countries in securing visas to Saudi Arabia, which requires all foreigners to have a local sponsor, whether to visit on holiday or business.

Siyam told AFP the changes do not apply to the European Union or United States, while fees for British nationals have only slightly increased.



Most other countries face the higher charges but also have a new option of applying for one or two-year visas. Those cost 5,000 riyals and 8,000 riyals each.

Single-entry business visas are now priced at 2,000 riyals, several times higher than before.

An oil industry source called the new tariffs crazy and a complete mistake if Saudi Arabia was seeking foreign partnerships.



Since 2014, global oil prices have collapsed by about half, accelerating Saudi efforts to move away from petroleum which still accounts for the bulk of government income.
Two male students attached to the Jaffna University sustained fatal injuries after they were shot at by the police for disobeying orders to stop their motorcycle at a roadblock at the Kulappidi Junction in Kankesanthurai early today.

The two students who were returning after attending a party in one of the students house in Chunnakam around 3.00 am had been ordered to stop by a night police unit stationed at a roadblock at the Kulappidi Junction.

The students who were said to have been under the influence of liquor had defied police orders and sped without stopping, forcing the latter to open fire at them, the sources said.

The rider of the motorcycle who had been shot twice in the head had been reportedly killed on the spot losing control of the motorcycle that rammed into a roadside parapet wall causing serious injuries to the pillion rider too.

The two victims had been rushed to the Jaffna Hospital and one of them was pronounced dead whilst the pillion rider succumbed to his condition shortly after.

The two third-year students attached to the Arts Faculty of the Jaffna University had been identified as 24-year-old Sundiraja Sulakshan of Kandarodai in Chunnakam and Nadarasa Gajan of Kilinochchi.

Sulakshan who took his friend to his house the previous evening for a function was returning on his motorcycle to drop Gajan, who was staying at the university hostel.

Jaffna Magistrate S Satheeshkaran who arrived at the scene yesterday morning conducted the Magisterial Inquiry whilst the postmortem of the two bodies had been carried out at the Jaffna Hospital yesterday afternoon.

Although, unconfirmed reports indicated that the Judicial Medical Officer had found ammunition in the victims body, the report had not been publicized by the time this edition went to press last night.

The police in Jaffna who denied any shooting involving the incident maintained that the deaths were due to an accident.

Meanwhile, the Government Information Department issued a statement yesterday afternoon saying that five policemen had been arrested in connection with the student deaths and were interdicted with immediate effect.

A special team from the Criminal Investigation Department was dispatched from Colombo to commence an investigation into incident and the security in the area had been intensified.

TNA Parliamentarian Mawai Senathirajah had visited the hospital yesterday afternoon whilst Jaffna University students in numbers were seen gathered outside the hospital and the Jaffna Police Station throughout the day.

Numerous attempts made to get through to senior police officers either in Jaffna or Colombo for comments were futile. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana, Romesh Madusanka and Pradeep Kumara in Jaffna)
Sri Lankas pioneering development bank, DFCC Bank, is steadily increasing its market share by providing innovative products and services backed by technology. Gillian Edwards, Senior Vice-President, Retail Assets & Leasing, DFCC Bank, believes that DFCC occupies a unique niche in both development and commercial banking which not only sets it apart in the banking industry, but also enables it to go beyond traditional boundaries.

DFCC Banks latest innovation, the Vardhana Salary Booster, targets the younger generation and new entrants into the workforce. The product offers a permanent overdraft facility catering to that urgent, unexpected financial requirement that one could have. Its an innovative product with a permanent line of credit. Under normal circumstances if one has an urgent need for cash, an application will have to be made for a temporary overdraft. However, in this instance the overdraft is ongoing, thus giving the account holder the convenience of drawing the funds as and when required.

This product also supports the young executive just entering the work force as credit records are not sought. Obtaining a salary booster is a simple process as it only involves an assignment over salary from an employer accepted by the Bank. The minimum salary requirement is LKR 30,000/- with the overdraft extending to as much as 90% of two months salary, based on the applicants repayment capacity.

The Vardhana Salary Booster also offers a bundle of value additions such as a free debit card, eBanking facility, joining fee waiver for credit cards and the Vardhana Virtual Wallet, along with a complementary Vardhana Junior Savings account, which can be opened for a minor of the applicants choice. In addition, the applicant enjoys interest concessions on Personal Financial products, such as a 0.25% per annum reduction on Vardhana Sandella Housing Loans and 0.5% per annum reduction on Vardhana Nenasa Education Loans. Therefore, this product gives customers the financial freedom to further enhance their lifestyle.

Under the Personal Plus umbrella DFCC extends a host of products and services catering to the varying needs of an individual customer. For instance the Vardhana Personal loan offers as much as 20 times the applicants salary to finance ones needs. Vardhana Sandella Housing loans are extended for purchase, construct or renovation. The Bank is also into apartment financing, partnering with a number of development projects.

Apart from the above, DFCC Bank offers vehicle and educational loans, pawning facilities, debit and credit cards as well as a range of deposit products at an attractive rate of interest. Personal Plus products are flexible and can be tailor made to suit each individual requirement.

Gillian Edwards comments, We believe technology will be a key tool in product differentiation in the future. In our bid to target the younger generation who prefer to move away from brick and mortar models and adopt technology-based products, we devised the Virtual Wallet, which enables users to transact while on the move. The Virtual Wallet allows them to conduct banking transactions through internet, mobile or electronic devices, and is a perfect example of the agility of DFCC Bank to adapt to evolving technology by adopting advanced technology platforms. We believe technology will be a key tool in the area of product differentiation in the future.

DFCC Bank is also breaking barriers by reaching out to the most remote areas in the country and we are proud of the fact that the majority of our retail business comes from areas out of Colombo, where a lot of the development is taking place, she adds.

Commenting on the industry, Gillian Edwards says, The banking industry is highly competitive and as a result, profit margins from core banking are under pressure. The challenge is for banks to grow business in more rural areas where there is untapped potential. Technology will no doubt be the driving force, as customers demand more innovation and convenience. We expect to see a lot of development in the industry with alternate channels playing a major role, and focus on customer service and product innovation will determine success. DFCC Bank has over six decades experience in forging long-lasting relationships with customers, which will hold us in good stead. Our belief in partnering customers in times of success as well as hardships has earned us a loyal customer base. DFCC Bank is geared to offer a breadth of seamless banking solutions that give customers unmatched value and unique benefits for their every need.

Gillian Edwards is a professional banker with 30 years of broad and diversified experience in Branch Management, Personal Financial Services, Leasing and Retail Banking. She was instrumental in setting up Personal Financial Services at DFCC Bank. Personal Banking is her forte as she enjoys interacting with people.
Once again David Pieris Motor Company Limited surprisedauto fans, who visited their stall at the Colombo Motor Show 2016 happening at the BMICH from 21st  23rd October, with a very different experience.

The highlight was very clearly the Pulsar Virtual Reality experience that allowed users to experience a ride of a lifetime using immersive virtual reality technology. Using an oculus device, while seated on a Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, visitors were privy to a digital ride into a futuristic environment.

Three wheeler touch screen application allows users to get creative with three wheeler modifications. The idea is to allow users to create their own custom three wheeler and share it on social media.

There is an ongoing selfie competition at the stall where you can get a selfie with a Go Kart, then upload it on your FB wall and stand a chance to win valuable gifts.

The Company also had the latest Bajaj bikes on display including the Avenger Street Cruiser and the Bajaj V premium commuter along with the performance packed Bajaj Pulsar range DPMC invites all vehicle lovers to come and visit their stall and experience the future.
Fisher folk in Puttalam took to the streets to protest against the use of illegal fishing methods. The protest being carried out on the Puttalam main road has caused a heavy traffic in the area with a number of roads blocked by the protesters. Pix by Padma Kumari
Sri Lanka will regain the GSP plus facility by March next year, if the government goes ahead with its economic plans without making changes, said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.

Speaking to journalists after the conclusion of discussions with the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament in Brussels, the Prime Minister said there were positive responses from them with regard to GSP plus.

We have only to resolve some technical issues to regain the status, he said; adding that the European authorities were currently carrying out a technical application assessment.

He said Sri Lanka had been able increase its apparel exports by 87 percent since 2003 while Bangladesh had managed to increase its apparel exports by 406 percent taking advantage of GSP plus. If Sri Lanka was able to increase its apparel exports by 300 percent, the country would not have become indebted to the world, he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and President Maithripala Sirisena would hold discussions with the European Union's member states shortly.

It is high time we stopped talking and united for the sake of the country, he added.


Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) today staged a protest outside the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) against the privatization of free education at IESL. (Pix by Kushan Pathiraja)
Tourism Development Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando said today that he would request President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe not to shut down Mihin Lanka.

Addressing a media briefing at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headquarters yesterday Deputy Minister Fernando said shutting down Mihin Lanka was not a good idea. It is hard to create a brand name like Mihin Lanka in the airline industry and the airline had been operated as a profitable service while serving domestically, he said.

People with expertise in airline services should be appointed to the top posts rather than filling them with unsuitable individuals. Because of these decisions the airline sector in the country could face a severe setback, he claimed.

There were other investors other than SriLankan Airlines that were keen on buying Mihin Lanka. I think the action which was taken regarding Mihin Lanka is wrong, in my opinion. The decision was taken after an unfavourable report was presented by top officials to the President and the PM, he claimed.

Many people in the previous government have to bear the responsibility for dragging SriLankan Airlines down. It became unprofitable only after it was taken back by the government during the time the previous regime was in power. Those who were put to manage the airline ruined the airline. Three Air Buses had been sold and that money was shown as the profits earned by the airline, the minister pointed out. (Chaturanga Pradeep)

Video by Amantha
AFP- Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said yesterday that a decision on further investment at a car plant in Britain would be made next month, amid concerns about Brexits impact.



Ghosn warned in September that Nissan needed guarantees from London over Britains vote to exit the European Union before it could commit to further investment at the factory in the northeastern English city of Sunderland.



As long as I have this guarantee then in a certain way I can look to the future of Sunderland with some kind of ease, Ghosn told a press briefing at Nissans headquarters in Yokohama south of Tokyo.



Nissan would decide by November on its plans for future production of the Qashqai sport utility at the plant, he added in response to questions. At issue is whether Nissan would continue building the next generation of the vehicle after 2019.

What is important for us is what are the consequences of an exit from Europe, Ghosn said. The fact is our Sunderland plant is a European plant based in the UK, 80 percent of the production is exported.



Sunderland is Britains biggest car factory, which has around 7,000 employees, making it the groups largest facility in Europe.

It also makes Nissans Juke and electric Leaf car models, with around 500,000 cars rolling off the production line every year.



Some 80 percent of the plants daily output of 2,000 cars is exported to 130 nations around the world. Nevertheless, the northeast of England voted overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the European Union in Junes referendum, with 61 percent of people in Sunderland siding with the leave camp.



We explained our concerns very clearly (to the British government), Ghosn said. We are not asking for any advantage but we dont want to lose any competitiveness no matter what are the discussions. I think the UK government understands our position and they say they will be extremely cautious in their own discussions to preserve the competitiveness of their industry. He added:



It wont be up to us to compensate for any negative consequences. Ghosn was speaking a day after it was announced he would become chairman at Mitsubishi Motors, as it struggles to navigate a damaging mileage-cheating scandal.



The appointment will make Ghosn the head of three major automakers, including Frances Renault which holds a major stake in Nissan.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to the country a short while ago after a five-day official visit to Belgium.

He left for Brussels on Sunday where he met his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel, Prince Laurent and top officials of the European Commission and the European Union. (T.K.G. Kapila)
That day, I realized that dreams without means were like helium balloons, just flying in the air with no goal, no direction, just straying in empty space. -Footprints in Obscurity

Not many leave the safe comforts of our Island on a perilous journey to discover the mysteries of an alien continent which has been associated with cannibalism, black magic and everything that is not part of a civilized society. Pramudith Rupasinghe who was a fond listener to his fathers free time stories during his childhood grew up being a very passionate enthusiast of the intricacies and quirks of African lifestyle. Being an inquisitive and sharp child for his age he grabs his first two books on the African continent from a second hand shop in Maradana.

There on starts a journey into and out of obscurity as he learns about African countries. Rupasinghe, after the completion of his studies in psychology in France returns to Sri Lanka in 2005 where he assists in the tsunami recovery programme. Little does he know that his childhood dreams are being shaped through his humanitarian work. In 2010 he is offered the position of Staff Counsellor in the United Nations Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo. This facilitates his childhood dream of visiting African countries. Within 5 years of his departure he visits 29 countries in the African continent as a tourist. His book Footprints in Obscurity is a documentation of his experiences and observations. I discovered an unseen Africa. My long stay was an eye opener.

The stereotypes I held on to were questioned, challenged and in some instances fortified as a result. I wrote this book with the intention of stimulating peoples thinking, so that they could look beyond what they hear as outsiders of the continent, said Rupasinghe, speaking to Daily Mirror. For instance through my research and visits I challenged the notion that whites were responsible for the slave trade because there is much evidence to suggest that blacks had been sold by blacks themselves for money and resources, he added. Rupasinghe has interviewed ex-child soldiers of the Sierra Leone conflict, warlords, victims of female gender mutilation, aid workers and Ebola survivors. When asked as to how he was able to gain the confidence of the victims to share their stories with him he said,

I am a psychologist by profession. You need to convince them that you will not breach their confidentiality and with effective responding and listening skills they will reveal their story at their own pace. Some of the victims had never openly spoken of their plight before and yet they revealed their story to me though I was a complete stranger! He added that all the names used in his book were pseudonyms to protect the identities of the victims. Subtitled A Living Story each chapter deals with a particular theme that is central to Africa. Rupasinghe brings to light instances where rape is a weapon of war and instances where the voodoo culture encourages rape. He also highlights the Indian and Chinese trade monopoly which has downplayed and replaced local trade.

He also gives much insight into the history of the region especially the Ashanti kingdom which is today called Ghana. Further he speaks of black magic which has dominated the lives of present day Africans. Instead of seeking medical treatment for diseases like HIV/AIDS people resort to black magic. Rupasinghe aptly narrates the deplorable nature of black magic rituals for they violate human as well as animal rights. Through the discussion of issues such as female gender mutilation he has dismissed the notion that such rituals are religious. He manifests certain traditions unique to Africa but considered taboo in other parts of the world, which have been the cause for the increase in sexually transmitted diseases. Ironically and quite pathetically some such traditions have become attractions to tourists. Rupasinghe had to undergo arduous difficulties to uncover the stories he has reported. Sometimes I had to leave my passport behind when travelling through jungles that stretched for 100km.

At the time I knew nothing about what may and could happen. But I had one intention in mind. That was to pose some questions to the warlords and rebels and see what theyve got to say, he remarked. His blunt and honest narration is poignant and at times witty. His anger at certain injustices is clearly felt. Being a humanitarian himself he questions the role of humanitarians as many natives are exploited by aid workers. He portrays certain ingrained qualities of Africans such as their financial dependency on foreigners which is clearly a deplorable experience to him. He is honest, unbiased and critical of justified injustice. Though factually the book is appealing to anyone interested in anthropology, politics, and international relations the book is not very well edited and certain errors are misleading. My book has been categorized as a reference under ethnic studies and conflict resolution but I would say this is an itinerary where a person finds almost every unseen elements of Africa, said Rupasinghe. Footprints in Obscurity published by Partridge India is available in all Minsara bookstores and could be purchased through International online retailers such as Amazon, e-Bay, Barnes and Noble with free or low cost shipping.200 000 copies have been sold worldwide already and the story has been translated into Spanish and Russian. His upcoming novel Behind The Eclipse which is a true story about an Ebola survivor will be released in November. PICS BY NISAL BADUGE

Photo of world`s largest fetish market in Lome-Togo where everything needed for black magic

is sold in an open market. From animal organsto human organs anything is sold here

Having a discussion with a female fighter in eastern parts of Democratic republic of Congo

Some caves known for last known cannibalistic societies in southern Africa. Having a chat with a

descendent of those who consumed human beings
Fishermen in Kalapitiya engaged in a protest campaign against the use of illegal fishing methods have allegedly set fire to seven fishing boats, three motorcycles and a lorry.

The vehicles belong to other fishermen who allegedly use illegal fishing methods, it is learnt. The fishermen who have been out on the streets since yesterday had severely damaged the boats anchored at the harbor.

A tense situation prevailed in the area this morning, which led to the Puttalam Police calling in the STF to control the situation.

Despite an interim order issued to prevent protestors from inconveniencing the public, the protestors blocked several roads in the area causing heavy traffic. (Padma Kumari)

Video by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
SYNAPSYS, the Information Technology (IT) subsidiary of DFCC Bank won Gold for its MBANX TIPS solution in the e--inclusion and e-community category, at the prestigious National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) held recently. This award qualifies MBANX TIPS to represent Sri Lanka in the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) 2016 in Taipei. MBANX TIPS is consistent with SYNAPSYSs vision of bringing financial access to the unbanked and under-banked communities, providing low-cost efficient payment systems and ultra-convenient financial services to consumers.

The NBQSA Awards, organised by the Sri Lankan chapter of the BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT over the past 17 years, is presented in recognition of software products that are of exceptional quality and built to compete in the international market.

Commenting on the accolade, CEO of SYNAPSYS, Dinesh Fernandopulle said, We are delighted to be awarded the Gold for our MBANX TIPS solution, as this takes us closer to achieving our core vision which is to accelerate financial inclusion in the country. The competition in recent years at the NBSQA Awards has been extremely challenging, as many high quality software products compete on this platform. We are proud to emerge Gold winners from amidst the competition. We have maintained a stringent focus on developing FinTech solutions that empower our customers to experience immediate efficiencies across their enterprises. Together with the tea industry and financial services partners, we have been able to make a significant and pioneering effort to revolutionise the tea industry. SYNAPSYS has exciting plans for its future growth trajectory and these will be rolled out in the near future.

MBANX TIPS serves the tea industry, which is an integral part of the economy and which sustains many livelihoods both directly and indirectly. This solution by the company now enables the tea industry to cater to the unique requirements of its suppliers and farming communities, while providing the scalability for future expansion of operations. Developed by a team of tea industry, supply chain and financial services professionals working in tandem with technology experts, MBANX is a configurable system that adapts to diverse operations and agri-businesses.

Arjun Fernando, Chairman of SYNAPSYS and CEO of DFCC Bank said, We are proud to have Synapsys as the force behind the technology we offer our customers through our IT-backed financial solutions. Customer needs are evolving fast and the high-powered Synapsys team ensures that the Bank remains agile and responsive to meet those changes. DFCC Bank has emerged as a sustainable business partner for offering FinTech solutions and we will work closely with Synapsys to devise solutions which empower our customers and impact their businesses in a dynamic manner.

RFID-tagged Mobile Produce Collection and Real-Time Payments via any banks Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in Sri Lanka has enabled customers to fully digitise the entire Procure-to-Pay process. The system is real-time integrated and does not require the produce suppliers to have a bank account which makes it unique compared to market competitors. Some of the other services of MBANX TIPS include Mobile Supplier Payments, Factory Item Sales, Bill Payments, Merchant Payments, Rewards & Loyalty systems and GPS enabled process tracking. Every farmer is issued an NFC Card for authentication.

MBANX TIPS, which has been implemented by some of the largest tea factories in the world, has enabled its customers within a short time to increase quality and quantity of bought leaf, increase efficiency in the supply chain, provide more visibility and accountability at every step, increase compliance and build mutually beneficial relationships with industry stakeholders. The solution is Cloud-hosted and offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) which reduces upfront and operational cost for customers.

SYNAPSYS, a subsidiary of DFCC Bank PLC, is a dynamic and innovative technology firm with an array of products and services supporting Banks, Capital Markets, Insurance and Retail Payments across Asia and the Pacific. The unparalleled service commitment offered by the employees has enabled SYNAPSYS to continue a track-record of NBQSA award winning platforms, MBANX Mobile Teller a few years ago, METRIX Analytics in 2015 and MBANX TIPS today.
Sparking pre-Diwali panic among consumers, 32 lakh or more debit cards of various banks are believed to have been affected by malware, following a suspected security breach, even as investigations have begun into the reasons behind the security risk, officials say.

In cyber parlance, malware creeping into a banks server with the possibility of the virus finding its way to multiple servers is known as lateral movement and can pose what is known as advanced persistent threat (ABT).

Over the past few years, banks have been fighting cyber strikes such as distributed denial of service (or DDoS) which slow down a banks system to frustrate customers, worms that make ATMs spew out cash, and some that can divert funds to secret destinations.

Initial investigations reveal that hackers attacked Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) ATMs in Pakistan from England.

SCB Pakistan was left stunned after transaction alerts via email and SMS revealed several withdrawals of Rs 50,000 ($500) cash from their customers bank accounts while no such withdrawals were made.

Most Indian banks, including institutions which are listed abroad, keep cyber attacks under wraps and rarely inform the regulator.

The problem has hit mainly debit cards, and several banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI). SBI has already started blocking customers' debit cards and re-issuing fresh ones free of cost.

Most of the hacked cards reportedly belong to SBI Bank, HDFC Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank, as per official sources.

Recently, various SBI debit card holders were left surprised when their cards were blocked despite no apparent misconduct on their part.

Of course, their concern was justified as it was something out of the ordinary. It was later revealed that the blocking was part of the countrys biggest card blocking and reissuing spree conducted by the bank.

This involved re-issuing roughly 0.6 million debit cards, and SBI had blocked such an enormous number of cards after it got wind of a security breach caused by malware in some non-SBI ATM network(s).

The bank did inform other branches regarding blocking of the debit cards and requested they immediately re-issue new cards to customers.

According to chief technology officer at SBI, Shiv Kumar Bhasin, the security breach was not identified in any of SBIs systems. Hence, customers who have used SBI ATMs need not be concerned.

But some ATMs have been affected by malware. When people use their card on infected switches or ATMs, there is a high probability that their data is compromised.

Bhasin stated that banks whose ATMs have been infected must come forward and declare the same. The onus is on them to stop this.

SBI hasnt yet named the banks involved in the security breach. (Photo credit: India Today)

SBI hasnt yet named the banks involved in the security breach but Bhasin believes that until the situation becomes clear and the problem gets resolved, the affected banks will be considered at risk.

A month ago, an official from Axis Bank, India's third largest private sector lender,  received an unexpected telephone call. The caller, an engineer at Kaspersky Lab, the well-known Moscow-headquartered cyber security firm, rattled off the names of several Axis computers which, he claimed, had been breached.

The Kaspersky man said his firm had stumbled on the information in the course of a separate probe. When an Axis team looked into the banks servers, it found there was indeed an unauthorised login by an unnamed, offshore hacker. Last week, the bank filed a preliminary report about the breach to the Reserve Bank of India.

The bank has hired EY, the audit and advisory firm, to carry out an investigation. Till now, there are no reports of fund transfers but the bank and EY are trying to figure out the extent of damage, data loss if any, and most importantly whether the virus is still crawling in the institutions server zone, said a banker who is aware of the breach.

Axis Bank, like many other large financial institutions, often receives security threats from across the globe. The bank has strict security protocols and procedures in place and all its online properties are monitored round the clock by its in house team of security experts, says an official.

The bank also engages the best international and national agencies who regularly identify and neutralise threats and audit the bank's online ecosystem. The official said: We would like to state there has been no monetary loss.

According to ministry sources, the department of financial services has sought information on implications of such data compromise from Indian Bank Association.

We have got information from SBI that the PIN (personal identification number) related to some debit cards has been compromised and the bank is in the process of replacing old cards with new in a secured manner, sources said. The bank has taken measures to ensure safety of data, they added.

Card network companies NPCI, MasterCard and Visa had informed various banks about a potential risk to some cards owing to data breach. Accordingly, we have taken precautionary measures and have blocked cards of certain customers identified by the networks, SBI said in a statement.

While SBI has recalled cards, others like Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Central Bank and Andhra Bank have replaced debit cards as a pre-emptive measure.

Some lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have asked customers to change their ATM pins. HDFC Bank also advised all customers to use its ATMs only for carrying out any transaction. The latest security breach apparently happened through malware in the systems of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves Yes Bank.

In the light of the incident, Yes Bank's managing director and chief executive Rana Kapoor underlined the need for greater vigilance on outsourced work.

There needs to be a lot more vigilance where there are outsourcing partners to make sure they don't endanger the delivery and system risk, and there's a fair amount of policing as far as outsourcing risks are concerned, he told reporters.

According to bankers, the breach took place in such a way that anyone using the said bank's ATMs in the region might stand to get affected.

SBI deputy managing director and chief operating officer Manju Agarwal explained that the data breach took place between May and July, but was discovered only in September and so the bank decided to proactively change the cards.

Despite instructions to customers to change PINs, only 7 per cent did so. At that point we decided to recall cards, she said.

Hitachi Payment Services on Thursday said its system was not compromised, quoting an interim report by an external audit agency appointed by it.

Its managing director Loney Antony said some of the banks to whom the company provides payment services had reported unauthorised transaction towards the end of July. It had then conducted an internal enquiry which did not reveal any security breach.

Post all this, here's what you should do as a debit cardholder:

1) Change debit card PIN, either at the ATM or via net banking.

2) Stick to using your own banks ATM for a while.

3) Don't ignore alerts that say your card has been used for a transaction you didnt do, even if the amount is small.

4) Ask your bank whether you should change your card.

5) Remember, RBI has asked banks to send both SMS and email alerts. So register for these alerts if you haven't.

National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI), the umbrella organization for the nation's retail IT systems, said customers at 19 banks were affected. We're told 641 people have been defrauded - approximately $200,000 has been taken, largely from cloned cards used in Chinese and US ATMs.

Necessary corrective action has already been taken and there is no reason for bank customers to panic, said NPCI CEO Abhaya Hota.

NPCI handles over 25 million transactions daily, including RuPay cards, of which one of the card network companies, MasterCard, said on Thursday that its own systems had not been breached.

We are working on the investigations with regulators, issuers, acquirers, global and local law enforcement agencies and third-party payment networks to assess the current situation, a MasterCard spokesperson said.

It has advised the consumers to review account statements and activity, and if any unusual or fraudulent transactions are suspected, they should contact the bank concerned for more assistance.
A global regime to manage the use of drones is slowly being put into place.

The US, along with 40 other States, issued a declaration a few days back outlining the principles which in their view should govern the export and use of armed drones to ensure they do not cause instability or help terrorism and organised crime.

This declaration to establish a set of standards for the use and sale of armed and unarmed drones has set the stage for a meeting next year to hammer out details.

Consensus

While many of the allies of the US such as such as Britain, Germany and Australia signed the declaration, other states such as France, Russia, Brazil and China did not.

This makes it certain that next year's meeting will find it very difficult to achieve a consensus which will be needed to set up a global regime.

The declaration named the "Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)" recognises that misuse of armed or strike-enabled drones "could fuel conflict and instability and facilitate terrorism and organised crime," and therefore, "the international community must take appropriate transparency measures to ensure responsible export and subsequent use."

But it adds that such concerns shouldn't be seen as undermining a state's "legitimate interest" to produce, export or acquire such systems, thereby trying to strike a balance between global good and national interest.

The declaration also underlines that international laws on armed conflict and human rights should apply to the use of armed drones, and exports should be consistent with existing multilateral export control and non-proliferation regimes.

PM Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama. (Photo credit: Reuters)

The impact of this declaration is difficult to assess at this point, especially as two of the largest producers and exporters of drones, Israel and China, have not signed on to this declaration.

The declaration comes at a time when it has been assessed that the drone market outside the US is likely to grow, annually, from $1.08 billion in 2015 to $1.98 billion by 2021.

While Washington is claiming that the idea behind the declaration is to ensure that drones are for the first time subject to international law and stressing the need for transparency about exports, it is clear that not everyone agrees with the American approach.

Critics have complained that while the intent behind the declaration might be laudable, it doesn't go far enough as the standards in the joint declaration are lower than those that the United States maintains for its own exports and there is little incentive for countries to strive for higher standards.

The Obama administration had come to office highly critical of the use of drones in various conflicts but soon found it to be a rather useful tool in fighting wars which the American public was getting disenchanted with.

Criticism

America's drone programme is today central to the country's war fighting capability and its use is only likely to increase in the future.

Last year, the US state department formulated an export control policy governing the commercial sale of armed drones.

Yet, the US continues to use drones in a secretive manner and has been blamed for underestimating civilian deaths from the use of drones.

It has been gradually expanding the use of drones by regularly using them to attack the Islamic State group, al-Qaeda and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries.

There are also reports that the US military is planning to build a $100 million drone base in the South-Western African state of Niger.

Much like other global regimes, Washington has once again set the ball rolling in trying to define the parameters of the new frontier in drone technology.

The US is hoping to set the rules for using this technology and to influence the behaviour of other states. But these are still early days as the important actors like China, Russia and India are yet to concede to these new rules.

Strategy

At a time when India is giving a serious look to expanding the use of drones in its military strategy and when its negotiations with the US to buy 22 Predator Guardian drones are at an advanced stage, serious thought needs to be given in New Delhi on what role it wants to play in the emerging regime to manage the use and export of drones.

Though India too has not signed the US-led declaration, there is little thinking on how New Delhi wants to proceed with this technology at the global level.

While Indian armed forces are currently operating Israeli-made Searcher Mark I, Searcher Mark II, Heron and Herop UAVs and the Indian-made Nishant UAV, they are likely to procure more than 5,000 UAVs over the next ten years for about US $3 billion.

Given the complex security challenges that India faces, the role of UAVs in providing critical intelligence will be a key enabler not only in fighting wars effectively but also to deter cross-border terrorist attacks.

Unlike in the past, as a global regime on drones is put in place, India's voice should be a determining one, not one that is marginal and out there in wilderness.

New Delhi should be engaging with other like-minded countries to come up with its own principles to guide the emerging global order on drones and their use.

The debate has only just begun and India should be at the front and centre of this discussion so that its own interests do not get marginalised as a new regime on the use of drones is put in place.
On Thursday, October 20, in an explosive press conference, eminent Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and political analyst Yogendra Yadav  both of whom are members of the newly launched Swaraj Abhiyan, brought into public domain disclosures that rock a number of boats floating in the choppy waters of both the current NDA government and the previous UPA regime.

In the press conference, Bhushan and Yadav handed over two letters from one C Edmonds Allen, an American lawyer who was the erstwhile business partner of the notorious arms dealer Abhishek Verma, both written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dated August 25, 2016 and September 16, 2016.

While the letter dated August 25 details alleged roles played by a bunch of naval officers in leaking out the defence secrets pertaining to the 2005 Scorpene submarine deal to Abhishek Verma, who is currently out on bail, the letter dated September 16 traces Vermas close relationship with BJP MP Varun Gandhi, and significantly enough, claims that Gandhi was honeytrapped, compromised into revealing minutes of a top secret government defence meeting.

While the press note and the annexures containing copies of C Edmonds Allens letters put out by Bhushan and Yadav can be accessed on their website, a number of questions arise in the wake of these revelations.

Varun Gandhi was 'honeytrapped, compromised' claims C Edmonds Allen's letter. [Photo: Agencies]

1. Why no action from PMO yet?

If the letters have been in possession with the Prime Ministers Office for about a month for the one dated September 16 and nearing two months for the one dated August 25, what have been the reasons that there was virtually no action taken by the government on any of the alleged accused? Can the PMO and indeed PM Modi clarify if he had initiated any internal inquiry, any proceeding whatsoever in the wake of the revelations by C Edmonds Allen?

Not only that, even Abhishek Verma, who has served jail terms twice in relation to the Navy War Room Leak case as well as the Scorpene submarine bribing scam, is currently out on bail. Moreover, what legal action will be taken against the slew of naval officers, as well as Vermas Romanian wife Anca Neacsu, who were involved in various dubious capacities in brokering the Scorpene deal, getting hefty kickbacks to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore as per this Outlook magazine coverstory and the 2006 PIL by Prashant Bhushan.

Arms dealer Abhishek Verma, the centre-piece of this prolonged tale of murk and corruption in Indian defence sector. [Photo: India Today]

2. Will allegations against Varun Gandhi be investigated and will he resign until the investigation is over?

In the letter dated September 16, C Edmonds Allen mentions as many as seven emails which Abhishek Verma sent out to his associates, all of which either brag about the presence of Varun Gandhi, or indicate his presence in future meetings. While the subject of the letter says arms dealer Abhishek Verma has compromised your national security and the evidence already exists with the CBI, the very first line of the body text reads: a Member of Parliamnet of the Defence Consultative Committee named Varun Gandhi has been honeytrapped and compromised by the notorious arms dealer Abhishek Verma.

The letter also names Anca Neacsu, Ravi Chauhan, Air Marshal H Masand, Israeli Gili Golan and Wing Commander Sam Surve as being involved in the conspiracy to honeytrap and blackmail Varun Gandhi into ferrying out sensitive defence secrets. It goes on to say that photos of Varun with foreign escorts are in possession of various foreign intelligence agencies, including those from Israel, thanks to Abhishek Verma.

Moreover, an email from Verma dated September 8, 2010 boasts of a top-level defence meeting held on September 4, 2010 with Brigadier Fredrik Hillelson from Sweden, which was attended by Varun Gandhi. How did Verma come to know of the meeting unless it was mentioned by Varun Gandhi himself? Allen goes on to enclose several more communications between Verma and his associates that allegedly show that between 2008 and 2012, before Verma was arrested once again, he actively colluded in selling defence secrets to the highest bidder and boasting of brokering mega deals between foreign defence companies and Indian defence sector.

In the light of these disclosures, what action will the Modi government take to get into the heart of the matter? Given that mainstream media is mostly focusing on the sleazy aspect of the case, dropping names like Nicoleta every five minutes, will the crux of the matter be lost in pursuit of TRP-seeking sensationalism?

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. [File photo/PTI]

3. What did defence minister Manohar Parrikar mean when he said there was dalali in 2006 and what does he mean when he says that Rafale deal is the best deal ever?

When, on October 10, defence minister Manohar Parrikar shot back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis khoon ki dalali jibe, he said, We know there was dalali in 2006 when there was deal of submarines. There was dalali also in helicopters deal.

He obviously means the Scorpene submarines and the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deals here. Was Parrikar aware of the letters sent by C E Allen, or was he simply talking what is already public knowledge, particularly after the August 29, 2016 scoop by the newspaper The Australian that said that over 23,000 pages of sensitive data pertaining to the Scorpene submarine design and stealth capabilities have been leaked and its in possession of that tranche, significantly one on Project 75, which was the design and acquisition details of the kilo-class submarines.

Given that another Australian newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald, reported in February this year that the French sub-builder DCNS, awarded the right to build Australias $50 billion submarine fleet [was] embroiled in a multi-million dollar bribery scandal over a submarine contract in Malaysia, and the allegations in Malaysia have engulfed the countrys prime minister and spun out into a sordid tale of bribery, blackmail and murder, is it obvious that DCNS, the company also bagging the Scorpene submarine deal in 2006 in India, was/is an international offender.

Cut to 2016, and on September 23, 2016, about two weeks before Manohar Parrikars previous comment on dalali, the Rafale deal was announced to much fanfare. Only problem was, instead of the original Rs 90,000 crore for 126 Rafale aircraft, of which 18 were to be acquired ready-to-fly and the rest 108 were to be made in India in collaboration with one of the Indian companies, possibly HAL, with technology transfer in the contract, now the deal was spiked to Rs 58,000 crore for mere 36 Rafale fighter jets, and the technology transfer clause was duly dropped. The French company, Dassault, which bagged the Rafale deal, in other words gained almost three times the original price per aircraft. How is this significantly bloated deal the best deal ever?

Can Manokar Parrikar kindly explain?

4. Why was Thales not blacklisted before and why would it not be blacklisted now?

Now we come to this kingdom of murks heart of darkness, the best kept secret that links both the Scorpene deal and the Rafale deal. It goes by the name of Thales.

Now according to Thales Groups website, Thales is DCNSs main shareholder (35 per cent), alongside the French state. When DCNS bagged the contract for renewal of its submarine fleet with the Australian ministry of defence, Thales bragged about it in its website on April 26, 2016. Of course, the Scorpene submarine data leak scoop was published in August 29. As mentioned in point 3 above, it was DCNS, which got the Scorpene submarine contract in 2006, but allegations of bribery and corruption were already out that year.

Whats the connection between Thales and Dassault Aviation, which has bagged the Rafale contract? Dassault is the second largest shareholder in Thales Group, with a stake of 25.9 per cent (the largest shareholder being the French state at 27.1 per cent in Thales).

So effectively, Thales owns a chunk of DCNS shares, while Dassault owns a big slice of Thales. Common to both the deal, one proven shady, the other looking extremely suspicious but inviting little interrogation as of now from the mainstream media, is the French company Thales Group.

On India Todays Newsroom programme on October 20, it was said that the ministry of defence has categorically ruled out any blacklisting of any company as of now. Does it mean that Thales would not invite any questions whatsoever? In fact, in the press note put out by Swaraj Abhiyan, one of the five demands that Yadav and Bhushan make happens to be related to Thales Group. Given that it was Bhushan who led the PIL against Scorpene deal in 2006, which was quashed after a shoddy investigation by the CBI, why would the points raised by them once again be not taken seriously?

5. How is it that tainted and/or untested companies are part of PM Narendra Modis Make in India dream?

Now another interesting detail about Dassault Aviation and Rafale deal. Actually, a two-part detail.

One: In February 2012, when Rafale deal was still being considered by the then UPA government, and Dassault Aviation was in the bidding stage though a clear frontrunner given its significantly low quotes, Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries signed a pact for partnering in the defence and homeland security sector. How much stake does Mukesh Ambanis RIL have in Dassault Aviation? Does giving money to Dassault Aviation means also benefitting Mukesh Ambanis RIL?

Two: Who has got 50 per cent of the offset contract in the Rafale deal? Its Anil Ambanis Reliance Defence, a barely one-year-old company that was touted as Anils great entry into Indias booming defence sector, following big brother Mukeshs footsteps. Not only does Reliance Defence owe Rs 12,600 crore to public sector banks, but Anil Ambani's Reliance Group as a whole owes Rs 1,21,00 crore to PSU banks. Now, its obvious that Anils Reliance Defence was awarded the contract as a shining example of Make in India initiative by PM Modi. However, what benefit or expertise or experience does a one-year-old company with no tested record in defence manufacturing and that's neck-deep in debt can bring to the table that the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with its decades of defence manufacturing experience cannot?

That the Rafale deal involves Thales  a company that has been under the radar for years now, and Reliance Defence  a company that is so new that it baffles the mind why at all it has been considered in a defence deal as sensitive and as strategically important as this, the MMRCAs (Medium MultiRole Combat Aircraft) to be used by the Indian Air Force in highly explosive combat situation, is indeed an intriguing question. Is this how PM Modis Make in India dream going to come true?
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools. The company also provides fragrance products in various forms comprising eau de parfum sprays and colognes, as well as lotions, powders, creams, candles, and soaps; and hair care products that include shampoos, conditioners, styling products, treatment, finishing sprays, and hair color products, as well as sells ancillary products and services. It offers its products under the Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Smashbox, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, GLAMGLOW, Kilian Paris, Too Faced, Dr. Jart+, DECIEM, and The Ordinary brands. The company sells its products through department stores, specialty-multi retailers, upscale perfumeries and pharmacies, and salons and spas; freestanding stores; its own and authorized retailer websites; third-party online malls; stores in airports; and duty-free shops. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Citigroup Inc. is one of the worlds largest financial institutions. It is the 13th largest bank globally by assets and 8th by market cap with operations in consumer and institutional banking. In the US, Citigroup is the 3rd largest bank by assets and one of the Big Four deemed systemically important and too big to fail.

Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York. The bank was run by Samuel Osgood who led the company with success for many years, even throughout the War of 1812. The bank was later renamed the National City Bank of New York in 1865 and by 1895 is the largest bank in the US. In 1913 it was the first contributor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a few years later it began to expand into overseas territories.

The bank became the First National City Bank of New York after another merger in 1955 and then later, the New York part was dropped off as part of the 150th-anniversary celebration. By 1974 the company is known as Citicorp which is still the operational branch of the business and a global banking powerhouse. A merger with Travelers insurance group in 1998 resulted in the name Citigroup but the joint venture did not last. By 2002 Travelers was publicly traded once again but Citigroup retained the new name.

Today, the company is headquartered in New York, New York but boasts more than 200 million customer accounts in 160 countries worldwide. As of mid-2022, it operated 2,649 branches in the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The company reports nearly 725 branches in the US and 1499 in Mexico with the rest scattered throughout its territory. Total annual revenue topped $75 billion in 2022.

Citigroup is a diversified financial services holding company that owns Citicorp among other assets. The companys mission is to serve as a trusted partner providing responsible financial solutions to its clients. Citigroup provides financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The company operates in two segments, Global Consumer Banking (GCB) and Institutional Clients Group (ICG).

The GCB segment offers traditional banking services including deposit and saving accounts, credit cards, personal loans, home loans, and investment services. This segment operates through local branches and digital means. The ICG segment offers wholesale banking products and services to corporate, institutional, public sector, and high-net-worth clients.
Energizer Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes household batteries, specialty batteries, and lighting products worldwide. It offers lithium, alkaline, carbon zinc, nickel metal hydride, zinc air, and silver oxide batteries under the Energizer and Eveready brands, as well as primary, rechargeable, specialty, and hearing aid batteries. The company also provides headlights, lanterns, and children's and area lights, as well as flash lights under the Energizer, Eveready, Rayovac, Hard Case, Dolphin, Varta, and WeatherReady brands. In addition, it licenses the Energizer and Eveready brands to companies developing consumer solutions in gaming, automotive batteries, portable power for critical devices, LED light bulbs, generators, power tools, household light bulbs, and other lighting products. Further, the company designs and markets automotive fragrance and appearance products, including protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products, air fresheners, and washes to clean, shine, refresh, and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces under the brand names of Armor All, Nu Finish, Refresh Your Car!, LEXOL, Eagle One, California Scents, Driven, and Bahama & Co; STP branded fuel and oil additives, functional fluids, and other performance chemical products; and do-it-yourself automotive air conditioning recharge products under the A/C PRO brand name, as well as other refrigerant and recharge kits, sealants, and accessories. It sells its products through direct sales force, distributors, and wholesalers; and through various retail and business-to-business channels, including mass merchandisers, club, electronics, food, home improvement, dollar store, auto, drug, hardware, e-commerce, convenience, sporting goods, hobby/craft, office, industrial, medical, and catalog. Energizer Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand. The company also provides home decor products under the West Elm brand; kids accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand; and an organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture under the Pottery Barn Teen brand. In addition, it offers made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture, and home decors inspired by history under the Rejuvenation brand; and women's and men's accessories, travel, entertaining and bar, home decor, and seasonal items under the Mark and Graham brand, as well as operates a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and decor industry. The company markets its products through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs, and retail stores. It operates 544 stores comprising 502 stores in 41states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 20 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia; 3 stores in the United Kingdom; and 139 franchised stores, as well as e-commerce websites in various countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, and India. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning for a new solar panel installation at Monticello High School, taking the time to announce updates to his energy plan.

In Albemarle County, there are now six public schools, including Monticello High, that will receive a portion of its energy from solar-panel installations on their rooftops as part of a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy for America Program, according to a news release from the USDA. These systems are expected to generate enough electricity to power 125 homes.

The other five schools are Albemarle High, Greer Elementary, Brownsville Elementary, Baker-Butler Elementary and Sutherland Middle schools.

Officials from Albemarle County schools and local government were in attendance for the event, as well as Secure Futures, a Staunton-based solar developer.

During the ribbon-cutting event, Jesse Turner, principal at Monticello High, spoke first and introduced Pam Moran, Albemarle County schools superintendent. She then introduced McAuliffe to the stage.

If you look in front of me, you will see the biggest beneficiaries of this extraordinary program: our students, Turner said during the event.

Before McAuliffe and Moran cut the ribbon, they invited the group of Monticello High students to join them on stage.

The update to McAuliffes energy plan, called Energy in the New Virginia Economy, discussed progress made from earlier initiatives during in McAuliffes time as governor. More information on the governors energy plan update can be found at commerce.virginia.gov/initiatives.
When Hardwood Artisans moved its handcrafted furniture manufacturing shop from Northern Virginia to Culpeper County, it continued to rely mainly on its showrooms in Northern Virginia and Maryland to display the companys merchandise.

Five years later, the company is working to expand its footprint in Central Virginia and, to that end, has redesigned and expanded the showroom at its location in the Culpeper County Industrial Airpark in Elkwood.

Located at 21405 Business Court, the showroom officially opened last month as the company celebrated its 40th anniversary with a gathering for its employees, craftsmen, owners and their friends and family.

Show Room Assistant Tina Rankins said the new display area is more than 13,000 square feet and brings the Culpeper showroom up to the standards of those the company operates in Arlington and Bethesda.

The showroom is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Customers who come in are also invited to tour the companys woodworking shop so they can see how the furniture is crafted on site, Rankin said.

The showroom has been redesigned and newly renovated, Rankins said. Its been increased by several hundred square feet and has more windows and natural light coming in.

Rankin said a wall was also removed to give the showroom more floor space for the company to display examples of its handcrafted hardwood creations.

Most of our customers are establishing their homes, and they are excited about furnishing it with quality pieces, she said.

Company Marketing Director Todd Breeden said Hardwood Artisans makes over 500 different pieces of furniture, cabinets and other wood creations at its shop in the county airpark.

Customers can select from the pieces on display or others from the companys catalogue, which are then individually crafted in the Culpeper shop and delivered, usually within 8 to 12 weeks, Breeden said.

We do handmade furniture using older, traditional woodworking methods, Breeden said. Theres no one else around here doing what we do.

Since the company handcrafts each piece to order, customers have the ability to customize the furniture to meet their specific needs; they can also choose the type of wood they would like.

We try to educate the customers about the different types of wood and how they will age because these are pieces that can be handed down for generations, Breeden said.

Rankins said the materials, durability and craftsmanship involved in building the furniture means it can be more expensive.

We have several craftsmen who have been working for us for over 20 years; we have some who are second generation employees, Rankin said. Our quality and customer service is very important to us. We want to make sure they get exactly what they want.

Rankin added that sustainability is also important to the company, which carefully researches its wood providers before buying materials.

In addition, Rankin said the company collects and repurposes its sawdust and wood scraps left over after the manufacturing process is completed.

And the company does not treat any of its wood with formaldehyde, Rankins said.

We do not use formaldehyde in making our furniture. This was recently a big issue with flooring, but many people are not aware that companies are also using formaldehyde in furniture, even kitchen cabinets, Rankins said.

Breeden said the company has stepped up its online marketing efforts, which has helped Hardwood Artisans expand its customer base in central Virginia and its surrounding areas.

Weve also been working with the county tourism office to get the word out about the shop and the tours, and were working with local businesses downtown to see how we can further develop our marketing locally, Breeden said.

Breeden said customers can check out their catalogue and current discount promotions at their website at hardwoodartisans.com.
A federal judge has sanctioned the Virginia Attorney generals office for improper conduct and ordered it to pay the expensesamounting to $7,674incurred by a Richmond law firm over a wasted trip to a state prison.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson took the action last week after McGuireWoods complained it hired a court reporter and sent a lawyer from Charlottesville to Sussex II State Prison in Waverly to question a corrections officer who the attorney generals office said was involved in the case but who, in fact, was not.

Longtime court observers described the sanction as highly unusual and rare in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, particularly when it involves the Virginia Attorney Generals office.

Anderson ordered that McGuireWoods be compensated for the billable time the lawyer spent traveling to and from the prison, mileage, the cost of the court reporter and the costs incurred by bringing the motion for sanctions. An affidavit filed Thursday indicates the two sides agreed to a payment of $7,674.36.

Bob Lewis, a spokesman for the law firm, said the money would be donated to the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

The officer in question said that prior to her deposition last month, no one from the attorney generals office or the Virginia Department of Corrections had asked her if she was the officer who escorted inmate James H. Raynor, the plaintiff, to a medical clinic in 2013 after Raynor was assaulted by an inmate.

Raynor, represented by McGuireWoods, alleges in his suit that another officer failed to protect him during the assault. McGuireWoods was appointed to represent Raynor by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The clerks office of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, which stretches from Alexandria through Richmond to Hampton Roads, does not keep track of how often lawyers are sanctioned by judges.

Michael Kelly, a spokesman for the attorney general, said, We certainly hold high standards around here and in this case the officer was misidentified and the wrong officer was presented for deposition . . . its certainly an unusual thing.

In its motion for sanctions filed on behalf of Raynor last month, McGuireWoods reported that it attempted to resolve the dispute by asking the attorney generals office to reimburse the firm for the wasted time and costs, but that the attorney generals office was unwilling to do so.

In a written response to McGuireWoods motion for sanctions, the attorney generals office denied any wrongdoing and explained the mistake was made in part by wrongly interpreting the officers signature on a log book as meaning that she was the officer who escorted Raynor to the infirmary.

The attorney generals office reported that it spoke with the officer on the telephone prior to the deposition but only to discussed her availability. The office wrote that McGuireWoods own client was the best person to remember who escorted him to the medical unit and wrote that McGuireWoods had an independent obligation to do some minimal degree of legwork before scheduling a deposition.

According to a transcript of a hearing last Friday, John Michael Parsons, an assistant attorney general, told Anderson that he believed the officer in question was the correct one based on the logbook entry and an email.

Anderson, in rejecting part of the attorney generals offices argument, said, I dont think any lawyer in this court has to go back and ask another lawyer whos made a statement: Have you verified . . . the statement you just made.

I really dont understand that argument in any way whatsoever, and Im surprised that someone in your position would be making that kind of argument before the court, he said. I view this as a failure on your behalfor the defendants behalf to make a reasonable inquiry as to the statement that you made, he said.
Our campaign rhetoric has been sharply hostile to trade, but turning inward would be catastrophic to our nations critical interests. The next president must make it a priority to educate Americans about what is at stake and to help those who feel left behind.

Many Americans seem unaware that global trade is vital to our continued economic prosperity and strategic leadership. Gary Hufbauer, an economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, has calculated that the opening of global markets over the past 70 years has increased Americas gross domestic product by roughly $1 trillion. Trade is an engine of growth for us and it has strengthened the economies of our allies, bringing us closer together on a range of policy issues.

The next president should make clear that opening markets benefits poor nations as well. William Cline, an economist at the Center for Global Development, figures that when a developing nation increases its ratio of trade to total output by just 1 percent, it achieves more than a 1 percent reduction in its poverty, making trade an extremely effective development tool.

He or she will need to point out that the reduction of global poverty is not simply a good deed but also significantly strengthens our security. Our economic engagement across borders builds partnerships, public and private, that are critical to addressing a range of tough challenges, from pandemics to environmental degradation. Failure to enlarge economic opportunities for poor nations condemns segments of their population to unrelieved poverty, making them more susceptive to recruitment by those who would do us harm. When impoverished nations lose the ability to secure their borders, they can become havens for organized crime and terrorism.

While educating the public about the economic, development and security benefits of trade is critical, the president must also launch programs to create jobs for those whom trade has not necessarily brought prosperity, especially those in industries with rapidly changing technology. Our manufacturing sector is producing more goods than ever before, but robots have replaced workers on the factory floorclose to 88 percent of manufacturing job loss can be traced to advances in technology.

Our training programs must be combined with wage assistance, and the president should push to expand the earned income tax credit for low- and moderate-income earners. Current Trade Adjustment Assistance requires establishing a nexus between trade and the lost job, which is complex and does not deal with the overwhelming cause of the problem: technology.

The next president will need to work with Congress to provide stipends to workers whose jobs disappear for whatever reasontechnology or foreign competitionwhile they secure training for jobs that are now available. Training centers could be created in public-private partnerships with companies that are looking for trained workers.

By educating Americans about the gains derived from opening markets and helping them deal with the challenges of our rapidly changing economy, the president can ensure our nations continued leadership both strategically and economically.
Much like the weather is always changing, with a mix of glorious highs and disastrous lows, so was the career of The Four Seasons. The quartet experienced the rise of their success (Summer) and their gloomy demise (Fall), only to be reborn again (Spring), but through it all was a constant chill in the air (Winter). The only name that would be more fitting for the group is Ohio, which is known to experience all four seasons in a week, day, or sometimes an hour. From boys who sung under a streetlight to members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jersey Boys, tells the true harrowing story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The Tony award winning smash-hit musical is at the Schuster Center through October 23.

The show is part rock concert and part theatrical drama, which combined, provides a richly entertaining performance that leaves you saying (or singing) Oh What a Night. The vocals and acting ability from the entire cast are top notch. There is Matthew Dailey, who is somewhat the unheralded star of the show, as Tommy DeVito. DeVito is at the center of much of the activity, including the groups downfall, but is also responsible for bringing the Four Seasons together. Dailey plays DeVito with just enough sleaze to still keep him respectable, my hand to God thats true. The true centerpiece though is Frankie Valli (with an I because all things Italian have to end with a vowelpizza, spaghetti, lasagna) played by Aaron De Jesus (not a real Italian!) De Jesus is excellente, perfectly capturing the uniqueness of Vallis voice, which is as smooth as a freshly rolled cannoli. (Is anyone else getting hungry?) In addition to his tremendous vocals, De Jesus also delivers some strong dramatic scenes, especially in dealing with a tragedy that occurs in Vallis family. Women, and maybe even some men should bring some tissues. If you are male and excited about the return of Gilmore Girls then come prepared.

The creative genius behind the lyrics sung by the Four Seasons was Bob Gaudio (Cory Jeacoma). Bob was the most level headed of the group and was very close to Frankie. Jeacoma is very solid in his performance. Gaudio may be the type who didnt like being in the spotlight, but Jeacoma demands it with his stage presence. An interesting tidbit about Gaudio, he was actually discovered by an eventual Oscar winner, whose identity I wont giveaway but hes a good fella. The remaining member of the group is Nick Massi, played by Keith Hines, a pretty mild-mannered fellow, except for when it comes to hotel room towels. A real shining moment for Hines is his rant about sharing a room with DeVito, in which is humorous fury is unleashed. Massi was soft spoken, but Hines creates a lot of noise with his talented portrayal.

The first act is largely focused on the groups formation and rise to stardom, its also the most music-heavy featuring a collection of hits. Songs like Sherry, Walk like a Man, and Dawn, generated the loudest and most enthusiastic response from the audience that Ive ever heard at the Schuster Center. On the flip side, act two has a much darker tone as relationships crumble due to a rising financial debt placed upon the group. The higher you rise, the bigger the fall, and the audience is carried along on the heart-wrenching plunge. No fear, there is still an assortment of bright spots, and in my opinion, the second act is what makes Jersey Boys worth seeing.

From the ensemble, special mention must be made to Barry Anderson as the flamboyant producer, Bob Crews. Anderson brings lots of energy and humor to the role, whether hes explaining metaphors or using his famous ears. Another standout is David Lamarr who plays more parts than Tyler Perry does in a Madea movie. Lamarr manages to bring a little extra something to each role.

Jersey Boys is a theatrical experience that will leave the songs of the Four Seasons in your head long after and create a memory to never be forgotten. Jersey Boys continues at the Schuster Center through October 23.
Dayton received a perfect score (100 out of 100 points) on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index released today. The score acknowledges Dayton's anti-discrimination ordinance, inclusive employment policies, law enforcement practices, municipal services and other factors.



Dayton was also named an All-Star City for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights by HRC, the nation's largest LGBT advocacy organization.



"I am very proud of Dayton's scoring 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index," said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. "Dayton is one of only 60 cities nation-wide to earn 100 points. This year, Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati are the only Ohio cities to receive this rating, which reflects not only our inclusion of the LGBT community in Dayton's success, but also inclusion of everyone in Dayton's success."



The Municipal Equality Index evaluated 506 cities of varying sizes. This is the third year that Dayton has earned a high equality score despite the lack of statewide inclusion laws and policies supporting equality. Cincinnati and Columbus were also awarded perfect scores.



"The HRC Municipality Equality Index examines issues of importance to LGBTQ people, but it also is a template for a city to use in measuring its inclusivity to all groups of people," said Kery Gray, Director of Commission and the Mayor's Liaison to the LGTBQ community. "Even before the HRC officially included Dayton in its rating process in 2014, Dayton was using those standards as a guide to welcoming everyone in Dayton. Being a welcoming community means welcoming everyone, all ages, all heritages, all backgrounds and making everyone a part of Dayton's future and its successes."
The DBSA was established in 1983 to perform a broad economic development function within the homeland constitutional dispensation that prevailed at the time. In 1994, the new resulted in the transformation of the role and function of the DBSA.

In 1997 the DBSA was reconstituted in terms of the Development Bank of Southern Africa Act, as a development finance institution (DFI). Its primary purpose is to promote economic development and growth, human resource development and institutional capacity building by mobilising financial and other resources from the national and international private and public sectors for sustainable development projects and programmes in South Africa and the wider African continent (the region).

Its regulations provide for a sharp focus on infrastructure development, especially in South Africa, where it is located in a development finance system in which various DFIs have been given specific areas of focus to limit duplication and unnecessary overlaps.

The constitution and conduct of the DBSA Board of Directors are primarily governed by the DBSA Act (No 13 of 1997) and further regulated by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and the principles of the King IV Report.
Honda will soon introduce its latest eco-friendly car  the Accord Hybrid  in the Indian market, and before its launch, the carmaker has expressed its concerns about the support given by the government to eco-friendly vehicles in India. For a fair competition, it has asked for a proper distinction to be made between fully hybrid and mild hybrid technologies.

Honda Cars India president and CEO Yoichiro Ueno told PTI that the subsidies offered to hybrid vehicles under the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles) India scheme are not sufficient in their current form.

"There are different levels of hybrid technologies -- some are mild systems while some full hybrid systems. I think it is necessary to differentiate, otherwise the cost difference is there," he said.

As pointed out by Ueno, both mild and fully hybrid models get similar kind of benefits under the FAME India scheme that was launched last year. Besides, imported CBU models do not come under the ambit of the scheme, making them all the more expensive to own.

Both these factors have played against the Jap carmaker whose Honda Accord has a higher level of hybrid technology than the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Mahindra Scorpio Intelli-Hybrid, and is also is a CBU import.

The Honda India boss also added that initial government support is necessary for hybrid vehicles to succeed in a country. "If I see other countries, hybrid technologies initially needed some government support. In most of the countries government initially supported with some reduced taxes or incentive to the customer," he said.

Source: CarDekho.com
Despite Volvo India contributing only four to five percent of Volvos total global revenue, the company is focusing aggressively on the facility.

Volvos R&D facility located in Bangalore is busy developing a medium duty truck for rolling out globally. The truck is said to be slated in the 10-15 tonne category with major design inputs from the India Team. Volvo has two other R&D facilities located in Sweden and France.

The CV manufacturers R&D facility located in Bangalore has been assigned the job with a deadline ending sometime the next year. The facility, which was initially started with 100 engineers, has the ability to add 200 more. Also, with around 1500 IT professionals, it is now Volvos third largest R&D facility in the world.

Despite Volvo India contributing only four to five percent of Volvos total global revenue, the company is focusing aggressively on the facility. Outlining the importance of the facility, Kamal Bali, Managing Director, Volvo India, said, We design global trucks in India.

A lot of R&D work on truck technology is done here. We are very proud that India is involved in a big way there. Concept to design to execution is done by the Indian team. Of course, they may take some help when it comes to engines. But, they are leading the show. Some of the products this team will do will never be sold in India.

The prestigious CV manufacturer, known for its buses, also has plans for growing India revenue to two billion dollars from one billion dollar in next few years. Confirming the same, Bali explained, We are going to be aggressive. India is looking very bullish and all categories will grow in double digits for us. We want to improve market share and need to grow faster than the industry.

Volvo India has already successfully developed the Pro 8000 heavy duty truck with its JV partner Eicher. The truck was also launched in Indonesia and Thailand.

Source: Trucksdekho.com
New Delhi: Shares of Reliance Industries today fell by 2.5 per cent after the company reported 23 per cent decline in second quarter net profit. The stock, even after a positive opening, failed to hold on to the gains and slipped 2.51 per cent to Rs 1,061.10 on BSE.

At NSE, shares of the company went down by 2.33 per cent to Rs 1,062.15.

Reliance Industries yesterday reported 23 per cent drop in second quarter net profit as compared to last year's figure, which was boosted by income from sale of US shale gas assets.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 7,206 crore in the July-September quarter, lower than Rs 9,345 crore in the same period a year ago.

After excluding the exceptional item, the net profit was up 43.1 per cent.

The owner of world's largest refining complex saw profits from the refining business dip 9.4 per cent as it earned USD 10.1 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel in the second quarter, lower than USD 10.6 per barrel gross refining

margin in the same period of last fiscal.
New Delhi: Sun Pharma today said it has completed buyback of shares worth Rs 675 crore to return surplus funds to its shareholders.

"The company on October 18 completed buyback of 75 lakhs fully paid-up shares of the face value of Rs 1 each (representing about 0.31 per cent of the total outstanding pre-buyback shares of the company) at a price of Rs 900 per

share for an aggregate amount of Rs 675 crore," Sun Pharma said in a BSE filing.

In June this year, the company had announced its decision to buy back shares.

"The buyback is being undertaken by the company to return surplus funds to the equity shareholders, enhancing the overall returns to the shareholders," the company had earlier said.

As per Sebi guidelines, 15 per cent of the buyback offer is reserved for shareholders holding shares having a market value of not more than Rs 2,00,000 as on the record date.

Sun Pharma is the world's fifth-largest specialty generic pharmaceutical company and its products are available in over 150 countries. Its global presence is supported by 47 manufacturing facilities.

Its consolidated revenue for 12 months to March 2016 stood at about USD 4.3 billion, of which the US contributed USD 2.1 billion. The stock was trading at Rs 742, down 0.66 per cent from its previous close, on BSE.
National Capital Goods policy envisages increasing exports to 40 per cent of production from the current 27 per cent.

New Delhi: Government will soon come out with a comprehensive capital goods policy to create an ecosystem for a globally competitive sector leveraging concepts such as smart manufacturing, automation and IoT.

"Our policy for capital goods has a lot of components. We are now including all these components to make a comprehensive capital goods policy, which will encourage manufacturing and capital goods in the country," Additional Secretary in Department of Heavy Industries Anshu Prakash told PTI.

At present, there is already a capital goods policy, which is for the period 2015 to 2025. Besides, it also has a 2-year scheme for enhancing competitiveness of the sector, he said.

Speaking on the sidelines of a CII event here, he added the new policy will incorporate all essential elements such as smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0, which are very important in today's highly dynamic business environment.

Industry 4.0, also called fourth industrial revolution, relates to the growing trend of using automation and data analytics as well as increasing demand of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing in manufacturing technologies.

Prakash said, the government's objective is to create an enabling environment and eco-system so that the vision of 'Make in India' can be achieved much earlier. The new policy will be like an umbrella with all components including

intellectual property rights, cyber security, etc.

Without giving a timeline for the (new) policy, the official said: "It is a priority. We have consulted all stakeholders and the policy is in the final stages."

In February this year, the government had come out with a National Capital Goods Policy which envisages increasing exports to 40 per cent of production from the current 27 per cent, while raising the share of domestic production in India's demand to 80 per cent from 60 per cent.

The policy's objective is to increase capital goods from Rs 2,30,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 7,50,000 crore in 2025 and raising direct and indirect employment from the current 8.4 million to 30 million.

Earlier, speaking at the CII event, Prakash said, smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 are an "economic imperative" and for the manufacturing industry a "survival imperative".

"If we need to survive in today's globalised world, we need to think and compete globally," he advised. Expressing similar views, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant

said, in the long-run India needs to think big and penetrate

global markets to grow.

"Manufacturing is at the cusp of a big transformational change and there are nine technologies that are driving it  IoT, bots, cloud, automation, bid data, analytics, etc. India needs to embrace these to grow big," he added.

Entrepreneurs and the manufacturing sector should not just think about the domestic market, but should also look at the global markets and the technologies that are needed to survive in such environment. Besides, the thrust should also

be on enhancing the skills of the workforce, Kant said.
Mumbai: With over 32 lakh debit cards compromised in India's largest banking security breach, the Cyber Crime Cell of Maharashtra Police has written to several banks seeking information on fraudulent withdrawals, officials said today.

Fraudulent withdrawals have been reported from 19 banks so far. A few banks have complained that their customers' cards were used fraudulently abroad, mainly in China and the US while the customers were in India.

"We have sent mails to the banks seeking information on the fraudulent withdrawals and other details," an official of the Cyber Crime Cell of Maharashtra Police told PTI.

According to the official, the data security breach came to light two months ago, but none of the banks have approached the Mumbai Police yet.

"Let the banks approach us and file a complaint first, then we will investigate the case," the official added. According to the National Payments Corporation of India, as many as 641 customers across 19 banks have been duped of Rs

1.3 crore using stolen debit card data.

Several banks, including state-owned SBI, have recalled a number of cards, while many others blocked the ones suspected to have been compromised and asked their customers to change PIN (personal identification number) before use.

There are around 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously-developed RuPay ones while the rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled.

SBI is said to have recalled around six lakh cards while others like Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Central Bank and Andhra Bank have replaced debit cards of several customers as a pre-emptive measure.

Among private sector players, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have asked customers to change their ATM PINs. HDFC Bank also has advised its customers to use its own ATMs for carrying out any transaction.

The suspected security breach happened through a malware in the systems of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves ATM network of Yes Bank and also some white-label ATMs.

The Centre today assured customers that there is no cause for alarm and prompt action will be taken and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asking RBI and banks to submit a report on the issue.
The finance ministry said there is no need to panic over the feared security breach that affected over 32 lakh cards.

The finance ministry on Thursday said debit cards are completely safe and there is no need to panic over the feared security breach that affected over 32 lakh cards.

Only about 0.5 per cent of the total debit card details were compromised while remaining 99.5 per cent cards are completely safe and bank customers should not panic, department of financial services additional secretary GC Murmu told PTI.

There are around 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously developed RuPay cards while the rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled.

Since the data compromise took place from specific machines within a particular time period, it is just a limited issue and banks have asked their affected customers to replace their card or change their PIN, Murmu said, adding that other cards are not affected at all.

In a message to its customers, Canara Bank said: In view of security reasons...Please change the ATM PIN immediately. In case not adhered to, we will be blocking the existing card on 21-OCT-2016.

Murmu said data of the users who have transacted from Hitachi ATM machines have been compromised during the month of May, June and July. The Hitachi ATMs, he added, deployed by many White Label ATM and Yes Bank were impacted by a malware, but other ATMs were completely safe. The extent of financial loss due to the breach is still being collated.

The genesis of the problem was receipt of complaints from a few banks that their customers cards were used fraudulently, mainly in China and the US when the customers were in India, NPCI said in a statement.

Apprehending that this could be a case of card data compromise, all the ATMs / PoS terminals in India and three card networks  RuPay, Visa and MasterCard worked together in September. It was established a compromise at one of the payment switch providers system had taken place. Based on the findings, NPCI and other schemes identified the period of compromise and the affected cards.

Though there were no complaints from any of the RuPay cardholders, NPCI as a domestic utility for ATM payments has taken the lead role for proactive steps in discussing the matter with various banks and card networks.

The complaints of fraudulent withdrawals are limited to cards of 19 banks and 641 customers, NPCI statement said, adding that the total amount involved is Rs 1.3 crore as reported by various affected banks.

Cards of all these complainants are related to other card schemes and there is no RuPay cardholder who had lodged any complaint for such fraudulent usage, it said.

Murmu said all the affected banks have been alerted by all card networks that a total card base of about 32.14 lakh could have been possibly compromised. Out of this, 6 lakh are RuPay cards.

It was suspected that a compromise was at switch level which is PCI-DSS certified. Hence, subsequently PCI Council (the international body which sets standards on for PCIDSS) was persuaded to conduct a forensic audit of the switch of one bank which is likely to be the point of compromise. The forensic study is in progress and NPCI is in touch with relevant stakeholders, he said.

NPCI is closely working with all stakeholders and once the forensic investigation is over and the root cause is identified, we will issue a further set of recommendations as precautionary measures to member banks, he added.

According to Yes Bank statement, it has proactively undertaken a comprehensive review of its ATMs, and there is no evidence of a breach or compromise on the banks ATMs.

We would like to inform that the possible breach of information of debit cards has taken place in the ATM network of another bank. As a precautionary measure, the PINs of debit cards used at the ATMs of that bank have been changed. This has been done in order to protect our customers from any potential fraudulent transaction, ICICI Bank said.

Even HDFC Bank said the banks systems detected a potential compromise of debit cards arising from usage at a non-home ATM network a few weeks ago.

We immediately notified customers who we knew had used a non-HDFC Bank ATM in the recent past to change (their) ATM PIN. We take this opportunity to stress that all our customers use HDFC Bank ATMs only and also change ATM PINs from time to time to prevent misuse, the bank said in a statement.
New Delhi: An increased investment in irrigation is essential to double farm income and NABARD has a big role to play by disbursing funds and helping farmers increase productivity, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday.

He said NABARD has envisaged providing Rs 80,000 crore for irrigation funding of which about Rs 19,700 crore will come in the current fiscal. "Investment in agriculture is necessary both for social and economic reasons. If we have to double farm income then we have to increase agriculture output and for that irrigation is a necessity as we cannot depend on monsoon alone," Jaitley said.

Of the Rs 19,700 crore to be given by NABARD in the current fiscal, Rs 1,500 crore was today disbursed to National Water Development Agency which is under the administrative control of Ministry of Water Resources.

Jaitley said he expects the money to be utilised on a fast track basis to achieve the target of doubling farm incomes by 2022. "Historically, states in which agriculture sector output has grown 8 per cent annually, the respective governments are re-elected. So it is a necessity that agriculture output is increased," he said.

In his 2016-17 Budget, Jaitley had said that a dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs 20,000 crore. As per the government, implementation of 89 irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) has been languishing.

Fast tracking it will help irrigate 80.6 lakh hectares. These projects require Rs 86,500 crore over five years. "We will ensure that 23 of these projects are completed before March 31, 2017," Jaitley had said in Budget speech.

Speaking on the occasion, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said this is the first time that NABARD is releasing funds for funding irrigation. "We have to ensure that farmers have access to water to boost agriculture," Bharti said, adding that the languishing projects are expected to be completed by December 2018.
Yokohama: Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said Friday that a decision on further investment at a car plant in Britain would be made "next month", amid concerns about Brexit's impact.

Ghosn warned in September that Nissan needed guarantees from London over Britain's vote to exit the European Union before it could commit to further investment at the factory in the northeastern English city of Sunderland.

"As long as I have this guarantee then in a certain way I can look to the future of Sunderland with some kind of ease," Ghosn told a press briefing at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama south of Tokyo.

Nissan would decide by November on its plans for future production of the Qashqai sport utility at the plant, he added in response to questions.

At issue is whether Nissan would continue building the next generation of the vehicle after 2019."What is important for us is what are the consequences of an exit from Europe," Ghosn said.

"The fact is our Sunderland plant is a European plant based in the UK, 80 percent of the production is exported."Sunderland is Britain's biggest car factory, which has around 7,000 employees, making it the group's largest facility in Europe.

It also makes Nissan's Juke and electric Leaf car models, with around 500,000 cars rolling off the production line every year. Some 80 percent of the plant's daily output of 2,000 cars is exported to 130 nations around the world.

Nevertheless, the northeast of England voted overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the European Union in June's referendum, with 61 percent of people in Sunderland siding with the "leave" camp.

"We explained our concerns very clearly (to the British government)," Ghosn said."We are not asking for any advantage but we don't want to lose any competitiveness no matter what are the discussions.

"I think the UK government understands our position and they say they will be extremely cautious in their own discussions to preserve the competitiveness of their industry."

He added: "It won't be up to us to compensate for any negative consequences." Ghosn was speaking a day after it was announced he would become chairman at Mitsubishi Motors, as it struggles to navigate a damaging mileage-cheating scandal. The appointment will make Ghosn the head of three major automakers, including France's Renault which holds a major stake in Nissan.
New Delhi: Embattled Sahara Group today told the Supreme Court it was ready with a roadmap to deposit the remaining amount of Rs 12,000 crore in the SEBI-Sahara account by December 2018 to be refunded to the investors.

The group told a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur that the road map has been shared with market regulator SEBI and amicus curiae and senior advocate Shekhar Naphade.

The bench then continued with the interim bail and other arrangements granted to Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy till November 28. Earlier, the top court had said it had been "taken for a ride" by the Sahara group through its past conduct and had directed it to submit a roadmap to pay the balance amount of Rs 12,000 crore to SEBI, while extending the parole of Roy and others till October 24 on payment of Rs 200 crore.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the group, today told the bench, which also comprised Justices A R Dave and A K Sikri, that they have deposited Rs 200 crore with SEBI in pursuance to an earlier apex court direction.

The bench said Sahara has to deposit another Rs 200 crore by November 28 so that the interim arrangement could continue. Sibal said the group was ready with Rs 15 crore and the remaining amount of Rs 185 crore would be deposited by the next date of hearing.

The court also allowed the group to re-auction certain properties in Ajmer, Firozabad, Vellore, Tiruchirappalli and Ujjain for which the bidding was at a much higher price.

The bidding could not be taken to the logical conclusion at that time due to some legal impediments because of income tax issues.

The group had yesterday told the apex court that it would deposit Rs 200 crore with SEBI in pursuance of the earlier direction and had sought advancement of hearing in the case.The apex court, on September 28, had asked Sahara to deposit another Rs 200 crore by October 24 while extending the interim order releasing Roy and two other directors on parole.

It had said Sahara had not disclosed earlier that out of the list of 60 properties given to SEBI for sale, 47 were provisionally attached by Income Tax department. During the earlier hearing, senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for SEBI, had said that Sahara group was liable to pay Rs 37,000 crore with interest to SEBI, of which the principal amount payable was Rs 24,000 crore.

Sahara has paid Rs 10,918 crore out of Rs 24,029 crore raised from investors, he had said then. While extending the parole of Roy and two directors Ashok Roy Choudhary and Ravi Shankar Dubey till October 24, the bench had directed the group to deposit Rs 200 crore by then, failing which they will be committed to jail.
Mumbai: Superstar Aamir Khan chose to stay mum on the issue of Pakistani films not being screened at the ongoing MAMI festival here and the threats over the release of Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.

During the opening ceremony of the 18th Jio MAMI festival here, Aamir was asked to give his opinion on the opposition to screening of a Pakistani film and the 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' controversy, the actor said, "MAMI se poocho", before walking off.

Following the Uri terror attack, the MNS has threatened not to allow screening of Johar's film which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

Aamir had earlier got embroiled in a controversy over his remarks on intolerance.

The 51-year-old star was present at the MAMI festival with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra, who play Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari in his forthcoming film 'Dangal'.

Aamir plays the role of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta and Babita.

Since the time the film's trailer was launched, there have been reports of similarity between 'Dangal' and 'Sultan'.

When asked about it, Aamir said, "No, not necessary, when you see the film you will realise."

Meanwhile, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who had raised his objection on social media over demands to ban Pakistani artistes and later was criticised for his remarks, stayed silent during the film festival's opening ceremony.

When asked to give his opinion, he looked at the cameras, folded his hands and left.
Mumbai: Ajay Devgn, who openly said that he wouldn't work with Pakistani artiste till the tension between India and it's neighbor Pakistan settles down, has now announced that a part of his upcoming film 'Shivaay's opening collection will be contributed to the Uri attack martyr's fund.

Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association have started a fund raising initiative to help the families of the URI martyrs. The association held a meeting today as they requested people from the industry to be a part of the good cause. In the meeting, they approached Ajay Devgn, who happily agreed to contribute a part of 'Shivaay's opening collection.

"As a part of our tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives defending our country at URI, at the meeting of the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association, Mumbai held today, it was unanimously decided that this Diwali, our members be requested to donate their share of the first show of any film they screen on Friday, 28th October, 2016 to the family of soldiers who lost their lives defending our country at URI. We request all other cinema owners, cinema associations, multiplex owners and all distributors who are releasing their films this Diwali to join in the good work.

We also approached Ajay Devgn as the producer of Shivaay to contribute his share and he has agreed for the same," Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association said in a statement after the meeting was over.

Here's their official letter by Cinema Owners and Exhibitors' Association.

"I whole heartedly support the fund raising for the family of the martyrs who lost their lives at URI defending our country. As the producer of Shivaay, I am pleased to announce that we shall match the contribution made by the members of Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association," Ajay Devgn said.

Earlier, when Ajay Devgn, whose film 'Shivaay' is pitted against Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' on the silver screen, was asked whether he will share screen space with Pakistani actors, he had said, "Not at the moment. I am very clear on this because you are an Indian first. I don't care if my film doesn't release in Pakistan. Their artistes are standing by their nation. They are earning here but are sticking by their nation. We should learn from them."

The actor also said that he isn't worried about his film's release in Pakistan.

His wife Kajol stood by the actor and applauded him for taking a non political stand.
New Delhi: Farhan Akhtar is the latest celebrity to give his opinion about the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, saying that there should be a certain distinction between artistes and others.

Speaking at a promotional event of his new film 'Rock On 2' in Shillong on Friday, Farhan said, "As Indian citizens we will end up following any rule or law that is passed, even if we don't agree with it. You know if it's some kind governance or rule that is passed I guess we have to honor that. Personally I do believe that there is a certain distinction to be made between artists and others."

"Definitely they are ambassadors of their country and they were legally allowed to come here and work, film-makers were legally allowed to hire them and to work in their films. So, it is very unfortunate that when decisions were made, when things were good, when the atmosphere was good, when nobody was complaining about working with each other and it's not only in film there is a lot of import and export that happens between the two country, a lot of export that happens and that is way beyond the film industry could imagine doing," he added.

The 42-year-old actor further said there is a need to weigh the pros and cons before issuing a blanket ban on movies, featuring Pakistani artistes.

"And eventually there are people, there are producers, there are distributors who are Indians, whose reputation, whose money is riding on these films. So we are with these decisions also probably prospectively destroying their potential revenues. So there is a lot to be considered before just saying yes or no for some things," he added.

'Rock On 2' stars Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Prachi Desai, Shahana Goswami, Purab Kohli and Shashank Arora in the lead roles.

The film is all set to release on November 11.
Rumours of Salman and Iulia's relationship, marriage and breakup have been regularly reported by media over the years.

Mumbai: A few months ago, there were reports that Salman Khan and his rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur were planning to tie the knot on his 51st birthday in December this year. The superstar had also joked that he would get married on November 18, just that he wasnt sure in which year.

However, in the last few weeks it is being reported that the couple is going through a rough phase and that they have broken up, with Iulias return to Romania in the meanwhile, adding fuel to the fire.

However, a recent Instagram picture has brought about a turn in what is being perceived about their rumoured relationship. On the occasion of Karwa Chauth, Iulia shared a picture wishing her followers Happy Karwa Chauth with a post talking about the celebration of love, the best gift in the world'.

Moreover, there are reports that Iulia has returned to Mumbai and was present at Salmans house on Karwa Chauth. He might be shooting in Manali for the film Tubelight, but she observed fast for him.

Fans of the superstar and his rumoured love would be pleased to know that their bhabhi loves Indian traditions, and would want to see them married soon.
Mumbai: Director-actor Pooja Bhatt also criticised the demand to stall the movie's release, saying it has nothing to do with nationalism.

"It is neither nationalism nor blackmail. It is schoolyard bullying at its best & worst," Pooja tweeted.

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says he is not in favour of banning Pakistani actors from working in India.

Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, filmmaker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been at the receiving end of MNS' ire.

The party has said it won't allow the release of the film, which is set to arrive in theatres on October 28.

When asked if politics is getting mixed up with cinema, Dibakar told PTI, "It is nothing new. It has always been happening. But I am completely against banning Pakistani actors in India."

The 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' dierctor said it totally depends on the director who is facing the backlash, on how he reacts to the situation.

He was speaking at 'Half Ticket Young Adult Script Writing Workshop' at the ongoing 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival with Star.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.

Johar's multi-starrer film has been at the centre of a controversy since the Uri terror attack last month.

In the aftermath of the terror strike, various sectors demanded a ban on Pakistani artistes from the film industry.

Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka.
New Delhi: Voicing his support for Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) president Pahlaj Nihalani lashed out at two film industry associations for joining hands with a local political party to create ruckus.

He tweeted, "Central & State Govt extended best support to #ADHM. Sad two industry associations shook hands with local political party to create ruckus."

For the unversed, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after imposing a ban on Pakistani artistes working in India has also threatened to vandalize the theaters exhibiting ADHM as the movie stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a cameo.
Ayan has directed Ranbir in 'Wake Up Sid' and 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'.

Mumbai: Director Ayan Mukerji has said that his close friend, actor Ranbir Kapoor is worried about the controversy surrounding the release of his upcoming romantic drama 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.

Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, the movie has drawn ire of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which has threatened to stall its release in theatres, slated to release during Diwali on October 28.

"Ranbir is tensed, everyone is worried about how things are unfolding. He is hoping for the best," Ayan told reporters here at the opening of 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.

'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' has been in the eye of controversy since the Uri attack last month, following which various sectors have been demanding a ban on Pakistani artistes from working in India.

Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka.
After shooting for the first schedule of his next film Tubelight in Ladakh, Salman Khan had reached the scenic town of Manali in early September for the next schedule. Numerous pictures of his arrival where he was welcomed warmly and later from his shoot were regularly shared by his fan club.

The actor was also snapped by going river rafting, playing with nephew Ahil and even while shooting for a song along with the locals. While he returned to Mumbai for the launch of the new season of his reality show, he then returned to Manali for the remainder of the shoot.

The director of the film, Kabir Khan, has also been sharing pictures of Salman while shooting for various scenes for the film, or just sharing candid shots from the sets. And on Friday, he shared another such picture in which Salman is seen sitting alone and observing, but this time, adding that the superstar had completed the Manali schedule of the film and that the crew would stay on for three more days.

Tubelight reportedly sees Salman as a soldier and the film is set against the backdrop of the Indo-China war of 1962. It also stars Sohail Khan and Chinese actor Zhu Zhu.
It was the first story she heard Paul Mathew read out for a little group of theatre artistes somewhere in Chennai. She was there too, back then not the film actor we know today from ABCD or Munnariyippu. Just a girl falling in love with that simple language that had endeared Vaikom Muhammed Basheer to generations of Malayalis. Aparna Gopinath heard Paul, her co-actor, read out Premalekhanam and then Mucheetu Kalikkarante Makal. Director Rajiv Krishnan was weaving a play out of these two stories. It was called Moonshine and Skytoffee. Four years later, Aparna went on stage at the Kozhikode Town Hall and became Saramma  Basheers Saramma from Premalekhanam.

On the front row sat Fabi, his wife, remembering Basheer, and the many times she had read that story. When Aparna met her after the show, Fabi hugged her and told her: Whenever I read the story, I only heard Saramma, now I got to see her. Aparna melted.

Now when she is coming back to Kerala  to Kochi this time  with another Basheer play, she has a heart full of memories, collected over the last 12 years.

It was in 2004 that Paul read us those stories and we had Moonshine and Skytoffee. After that we realised there were so many more stories that needed to be brought on stage. So there came Oru Manushyan, Poovan Pazham, and others, Aparna says. Rajiv also added Neela Velicham, Mathilukal, Shabdangal and Vishwavikhyatamaya Mookku. The second time around, we did a lot more research. We went to Kozhikode as a group, talked to people and tried to make it as local as Beypore  where Basheer lived with his family. From the youngest little girl we met to the oldest man sitting on the Kozhikode beach, everyone had something to say about Basheer.

Still from Under the Mangosteen Tree.

That was also the time they visited Basheers house and Aparna met Fabi and spent hours talking and laughing with her. She is everything you could imagine Basheer had in his life, everything he wrote about, and everything around him, Aparna says.

They first called the play Sangathi Arinja  a phrase that had come out of a lot of Basheer characters. Then they named it Under the Mangosteen Tree. There was one in his house, under which he sat and listened to people telling their stories.

Aparna was too young to have seen the man himself before he passed away but as an actor, she believes she visits him in every single word he has written. He portrays people as they are. Unfortunately I cant read Malayalam. But we have tried to make it in English, as simple as possible, to not lose the essence. We feel the characters, their simplicity. I am lost for words but he is a real celebration.

She should know for the Kochi show would be their 59th performance of the play. It has gone to places, more outside Kerala than within. And everywhere people understood, they connected. Aparnas favourite of all, however, continues to be that first one she heard  Premalekhanam.

But lets go back to that number 59. If she has been travelling so much with the play, how could she act in so many movies  the last one was School Bus, as the mother of two kids, wife of Jayasurya. I manage my time. When I do one, I dont do the other, she says simply.

But she cannot pick one form over the other. There is no theatre-first or movies-first rule. I am an actor. I am glad I have the luxury of choosing which medium I would like to go to. But I have a lot of respect for my work and I will honour whichever I have to honour at the time."

Right now, there is no news on the movie front. There is one coming up but she is not at liberty to talk about it yet. And hopefully she may soon be quite comfortable with Malayalam to dub for herself. Having grown up in Chennai, she is happy to have got in touch with her mother tongue again through the few movies she did. And from the way she keeps alive the stories of one of Malayalams greatest writers, Aparna is as closest to her motherland as she could ever be.

Under the Mangosteen Tree will be staged at JT PAC on Sunday, 7 pm.
Pornstars and adult film actors have been raking in a lot of cash owing to a booming adult film industry, but a university UK wants men and women between ages of 18 to 25 to have sex on video for 400 pounds.

Before you jump the gun, the videos will be a part of Coventry Universitys Chance 2 Change campaign, which is aimed at eliminating a practice that has been seen most in porn movies. The idea is to promote condoms by showing people that condoms do not kill the mood. Most porn movies show performers without condoms, creating a myth among the youth.

The video will only be available to people aged over 18 and will also have clips of people explaining how to put on condom to increase pleasure and couples talking how condoms factor in sex lives, along with videos of people having sex.

The campaign will also come up with a condom providing service, a free product to carry condoms and will also allow people to try out condoms of their choice.
For Tala Raassi, rebellion is a not just an attitude but a way of life. After she was sentenced to 40 lashes for wearing a miniskirt at the age of 16, she moved from her native Iran to the United States where she went on to become a swimwear designer. Raassis line of swimwear, Dar Be Dar, not only sells across the USA but has also sponsored the 2010 Miss Universe pageant.

A photo posted by Tala Raassi (@talaraassi) on Oct 5, 2016 at 2:54pm PDT

Restrictive dress codes in Iran meant that she could only dress as she desired in private settings. But in 1998, Raassi ended up in prison and suffered torture for around five days because she wore a miniskirt to a friends house party, according to Marie Claire. This was because the party had been raided by The Basij  a government-backed extremist group. The traumatic incident led her family to shift to the United States.

A video posted by Tala Raassi (@talaraassi) on Aug 19, 2016 at 3:50pm PDT

Things are now looking up for Rassi who claims to have found true freedom through fashion. She was even featured alongside the likes of Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey as One of the Most Fearless in the World by the Newsweek and has also written a book about her inspiring journey.
New Delhi: The riots in Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar have motivated youths to join terrorism in India, the Delhi Police has told a court here in a charge sheet filed against three alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives.

In the charge sheet filed against three suspected JeM members arrested for allegedly planning an attack in the national capital, the Special Cell of the police said Pakistan-based JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar was the main "inspiration" for the accused and other youths in India to join terrorism.

The charge sheet was filed before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh against the accused -- Mohd Sajid, Shakir and Sameer, who are currently in judicial custody.

"He (Sajid) talked to the youths (in a meeting in his house on December 20, 2015) about persecution of Muslims during Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar riots, apart from talking about the conditions of Muslims in Burma. He had said that they should be ready to face Gujarat-like situations in future.

"To indoctrinate these youths, Sajid had asked them to listen to the 'taqreer' (speeches) of Maulana Masood Azhar," the charge sheet said.

Regarding Sajid's role, it said, "He listened Jihadi speeches of Maulana who spoke about violent Jihad in India in retaliation to the demolition of 'Babri Masjid' and about alleged atrocities on Muslims in India and liberation of Kashmir from India."

"The alleged persecution of Muslims as shown in these videos and emphasised in the speeches of Maulana infused in him the feeling of armed Jihad against India," it said.

The agency also quoted video clippings recovered from Sajid containing the JeM chief's inflammatory speeches inciting terror actions in India.

The charge sheet said over 100 books, videos and graphic images were recovered from the possession of accused, which had "enough content to mould a Muslim youth towards violent Jihad. Sajid used these material to radicalise Muslim youths of his locality," it said.

Based on intercepted calls between Sameer and Sajid, the police also claimed that the accused were conspiring to execute terror action by causing explosion in Delhi and NCR.

Delhi Police had in May this year detained around 10 others suspected to be linked with a terror outfit for planning an attack in the city and allegedly recovered explosives from their possession after a series of overnight raids in the national capital and neighbouring states. However, they were let off later after questioning.

Special Cell teams had conducted raids in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in a joint operation of Delhi Police and a central intelligence agency.

All the three accused were suspected to be members of a sleeper unit of the terror outfit, police alleged.
New Delhi: The World Medical Association (WMA), the top medical-ethics body, on Friday installed an Indian doctor facing corruption charges as its president, despite controversy surrounding his appointment while legal cases are pending.

A statement released by the WMA said Dr Ketan Desai delivered his inaugural speech as president on Friday at the association's annual assembly in Taiwan. He will serve in the position for 2016/17.

Dr Desai has faced conspiracy and corruption allegations since he was first selected in 2009 as a future president of the WMA.

Dr Desai has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the pending cases. He did not respond to questions from Reuters sent via email.

When Reuters asked the WMA this week for an update on Dr Desai's legal situation, spokesman Nigel Duncan said the association had nothing more to say.

"I don't think there's anything we want to add to what we have already said," Duncan said. He did not answer questions about Dr Desai's legal cases or what the ethics body had been told about them in recent months.

In one case filed in New Delhi in 2010, Dr Desai faces charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy to obtain a bribe of rupees 2 crores from a medical college.

In return, investigators allege Dr Desai helped the school get permission from the Medical Council to add more students. When contacted last year, the college, which is not a defendant in the case, declined to comment.

Dr Desai was jailed that year and his inauguration as the WMA president was suspended. He was later released on bail. In 2013, the WMA decided to lift the suspension after receiving assurances from the Indian Medical Association, which he once headed.

The Indian Medical Association did not respond to queries from Reuters this week.

A Reuters investigation published in July last year showed that the Indian Medical Association had incorrectly told the WMA that charges against Dr Desai had been withdrawn. Representatives of major doctors organizations accepted the information as fact. The Indian Medical Association said last year that it never misled the WMA.

The WMA had said it took questions raised in the Reuters article "very seriously" and would look into them. Later, in October 2015, the WMA upheld its decision to appoint Dr Desai as president, without giving reasons.

A source at the Central Bureau of Investigation said this week that the New Delhi case was still active though it was on hold due to a pending appeal in the Supreme Court. The source said Dr Desai still needs to appear before the district court judge during hearings.

A court document dated August 3 shows Dr Desai, a urologist by training, submitted an application to seek an exemption from a personal appearance in court that day due to an illness. The next hearing is scheduled for November 4.

Based in France, the WMA sets ethical standards for physicians worldwide and represents millions of doctors. Known for its pioneering work in ethics, its members include the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association.
Mathura: A married Dalit woman was allegedly raped by three persons under Chatta police station area here, police said on Thursday.



"The woman, who was heading to Baheravali village to meet her sister, took a lift from the accused on Tuesday evening. The accused then took her to a field at Bajhera Kokera road and raped her," SP (rural) Arun Kumar Singh said.



One of the accused has been identified as Vinod Singh Thakur, he said.



An FIR has been registered against the three men following a complaint by the woman, police said.



Efforts are on to arrest the absconding accused, they added.
Mumbai: National-level kabaddi player Rohit Kumar was on Friday arrested in Mumbai while his father surrendered in Delhi in connection with the alleged suicide by his wife Lalita who had accused him and her in-laws of harassment.

Rohit, who is in the navy, was detained by a team of Delhi Police in Mumbai at noon, said Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner of Police (South West) in Delhi

Rohit's father, Vijay Singh, also surrendered around noon at the Nangloi police station in the national capital and was questioned, said a senior police officer.

Vijay was a sub-inspector in Delhi Police and had been dismissed from service, he said. A Delhi court sent Vijay Singh to 14-day judicial custody.

27-year-old Lalita had left behind a two-hour long audio message and a 25-minute long video in which she claimed that her in-laws "harrased" her for minor issues.

"In the video and audio messages she left behind on her phone, she said that her in-laws were quite conservative and would often taunt her for her "modern" outlook and things like 'pallu' falling from her head and other minor things. She also said that while Rohit was away in Mumbai, they kept her in Delhi," a police officer had officer said.

In her suicide note and messages, she alleged that on October 15, Rohit told her that if she "goes away" from his life, he would be very happy. He dropped her halfway to her home and left, she alleged. She said the act of Rohit was traumatic for her, police said.

The kabaddi player will be produced in a Mumbai court where police will seek his transit remand to Delhi for further investigation, he said.

In a video message released on Facebook yesterday, Rohit sobbed and pleaded innocence.

"I have never made any demand for dowry and my father-in-law knows it. I will cooperate with the police in the investigation," he said.

He said that he "loved his wife" and wants the truth to come out.

"I have played for the country and have never harmed anyone. The person, I loved the most, has left me forever... Whatever happens, I want the truth to come out. After that, I will also go my baavri (referring to his deceased wife). I don't want to live," he said in the video.

A case was registered against Rohit and his parents and two Delhi Police teams had been formed to arrest Rohit and his parents.

Rohit's parents had left their home in Kanjhawla and gone into hiding after Lalita committed suicide.
Hyderabad: A GHMC bill collector who amassed assets of more than Rs 6 crore was arrested by the ACB on Friday. Raids were conducted at the houses owned by M. Narsimha Reddy in the city and at his native place in Siddipet district.

Madaka Narsimha Reddy is a bill collector in the taxation section of GHMC Circle IXB office in Abids. The ACB raided his houses in Sathavahana Nagar Kukatpally, Nagunur and Cheryal in Siddipet district. They seized a three storeyed house in HMT Sathavahana nagar, one storied houses in Kalyannagar and Balanagar, a two-storeyed house in Kukatpally, and seven open plots  three in Nizampet, two in Nangunur village and one each in KPHB and Kalyan Nagar.

The ACB also seized documents pertaining to 35 acres of farmland in Nangunur village and one acre of land at Cheryal, two kg gold ornaments worth around Rs 56 lakh, 3.7 kg of silver ware, two bikes, a car, two tractors, Rs 63,000 and insurance policies worth `34 lakh of which `10 lakh has already been paid. The ACB also found a bank balance of `16 lakh. The plot in Kukatpally is registered in Narsimha Reddys mother-in-law D. Venkatammas name and the seven acres of land in Nangunur is registered in the names of his brother-in-law Srinivas Reddy and his wife Rajitha.

Narsimha Reddy hails from Nangunur. He joined service in 1987 and in 2001 he was promoted as a bill collector. His two sons are doing postgraduate studies in USA, one daughter is doing MPharm and the youngest daughter is in Intermediate.

Bribes may be Rs 3-5 lakh a month

The maximum salary of a GHMC bill collector is Rs 30,000, but illegal earnings can go up to Rs 3-5 lakh per month. The job of a bill collector is to assess property value, fix the tax and collect trade license fee.

The ACB authorities say that there were complaints that bill collectors do not assess property as per area, but fix property tax by striking deals with the owner.

In case of commercial properties, the bill collector registers it as residential so that the tax is paid as per residential norms. The illegal earnings depend on division. The Abids bill collector caught by ACB on October 21 earned more from commercial buildings.

ACB DySP V. Ravi Kumar said, "Bill collectors play a crucial role in fixing tax for both commercial and residential structures. The tax varies from division to division. Most complaints say that bill collectors collude with the owner and register buildings as residential property even if it is commercial. Property tax of residential buildings is less and a cut goes into the pocket of the collectors. They also earn money through illegal registration and illegal buildings. Many collect tax but pay less to the department".

The ACB had been receiving complaints against bill collector M. Narsimha Reddy since six months. In August 2016, the TS ACB arrested a GHMC bill collector for accepting bribe. The ACB caught C. Satish, red handed when he was accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a complainant.
According to the police, the miscreants were clad in police uniforms and entered the office around 7.30 pm, while the manager was alone. (Representational image)

BENGALURU: In a major gold heist at Muthoot Mini Finance office at Mariayappanapalya in Kumbalgodu on the city outskirts, a gang of five unidentified men, posing as policemen, kidnapped the branch manager and later returned with him to decamp with gold and cash worth over Rs 90 lakh. The Ramanagar police have formed a special team and intensified the probe based on the complaint registered by the manager, Nagendrappa, who was later released by the kidnappers.

According to the police, the miscreants were clad in police uniforms and entered the office around 7.30 pm, while the manager was alone. The security guard, who believed them to be policemen, did not try to stop them. The gang members told the manager that they were arresting him in connection with a case and handcuffed him.

They took him out and kidnapped him in an SUV. They took him to an unknown place near Machohalli at Nelamangala, where they allegedly assaulted him and got details of the gold jewellery and cash kept in the office. Early morning on Friday, they took him back to the office and made him to open the door with the keys he had. As they entered the office, they destroyed the security camera and the DVR box that had the footage. They then forced him to open the lockers and took away the gold pledged by public and some cash and escaped. Later the manager informed the police about the incident, the police said.

The robbery was well planned and we suspect the role of insiders, as they clearly knew about the time when the employees left. We will question all the staff and former employees, the police added.
Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has ordered a probe by a special task force headed by IG Balram Kumar Upadhyay into the complaints of frauds involving written lotteries in the state.

The modus operandi of the lottery is to ask the people to write on a piece of paper the last three numbers of a lottery ticket. If they matched with the last three numbers of the lottery ticket which wins the prize in the state lottery, they would win a prize.

Replying to a notice for adjournment motion on the illegal lotteries flourishing in the state, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac told the Assembly that to take on the lottery mafia, the state would telecast live the results of the Kerala state lotteries every day. The government would also restructure the prizes to make them more attractive, he said.

The government viewed the matter very seriously. Action would be taken on the basis of the report of the special task force, said Mr Isaac.

It is suspected that an organised group is behind the lottery which operates more in the northern parts of the state, he said. The people become addicted to this kind of betting quickly, he said.Mr V.D. Satheeshan, who moved the motion, said that it was operated online and through SMS messages. The lottery mafia from other states led by Santiago Martin was trying to gain strength in Kerala in a different form as they were pushed out of the state a few years ago, he said. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that a lottery agent with the CPM links was behind the mafia.
ndian Army soldiers take positions during their patrol near the Line of Control in Jammu. (Photo: PTI)

Jammu: BSF on Friday said it had killed 7personnel of Pakistani Rangers and a terrorist while retaliating to a ceasefire violation on the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in which one BSF jawan was injured.

Pakistan Rangers, the border force of Pakistan, resorted to sniper attacks at Indian posts at Hira Nagar in Kathua at around 9.35 am, BSF said.

The Indian border guarding force launched an aggressive offensive against the Pakistani firing, BSF said in a release, adding seven Rangers and a terrorist were shot dead in the retaliatory firing.

Seeking to suggest that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, the BSF said "source input" claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of 5 Rangers.

The strong response by the BSF came after one of Constables Gurnam Singh was injured in a sniper fire attack by Pakistani Rangers this morning in the same area.

Singh, whose condition is considered to be critical, was evacuated with the cover fire to Government Medical College, Jammu.

This firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated and that has claimed the casualties of Pakistani forces, the release said.

Today's exchange of fire came a day after BSF foiled an infiltration bid by 4-6 militants, aided by cover fire by the Pakistani troops, in Bobiyan village of the same Hira Nagar Sector.

At least one militant was injured or killed in that action by BSF during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday as he was seen being dragged by his associates.

Earlier in the day, BSF Inspector General (Jammu) Frontier D K Uphadayaya said the ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers had taken place in two sectors.

There were two ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers in Bobiya in Hira Nagar sector of Kathua district and Pargwal belt of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district today. "We are replying in a befitting manner. We have inflicted heavy losses to them," he said.

He said troops are on alert and mechanism is put in place to foil any attack by Border Action Teams (BATs) of Pakistan. "You cannot take any chances. The guard is up. Troops are alert and vigilant and keeping a close watch. It is because of this alertness that we have foiled the infiltration bid," the IG said.

"Yesterday night fire was expected and they have retaliated and in this, one of our jawans has been injured. But we have also given the befitting reply and effected heavy loses on them," the BSF official said.

"They not only failed to infiltrate into this side but have also lost their lives and I have come to known through sources that one among them has been killed. They came back and befitting reply was given to them," he said.

He said the terrorists are desperate to infiltrate into India and that is why they are trying time and again. "Jammu is their main target to do some damage over here, which we will not allow. The morale of troops is very very high," he said, adding, "For me, IB is always very sensitive. We will have to be in strong position to give them befitting reply the way they want the reply."

However, General Asim Bajwa, the Director General of Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), denied any of the Pakistani border guards being killed in the firing. He tweeted, Indian claim of hitting or killing any Pakistani soldier/ Ranger with firing anytime of today at LoC/Working Boundary absolutely false.

He also wrote, Indians resorted to unprovoked fire/shelling on Working Boundary in Shakargarh sector today. Pak Ranger befittingly responded. No loss on Pakistan side.
CHENNAI: As a virus or malware infection compromised millions of debit cards across the country, cyber experts and affected customers blamed the banking institutions in India of not having formulated a policy to keep a check on cyber attacks. Cyber experts also asked customers not to ignore any message from the bank asking them to visit their branch or nearest ATM to change their debit card pin.

Millions of people got a shocking text message from their banks that said their savings or current accounts could have been compromised and hence they should change the transaction pin. "I have always felt insecure about online transactions and using debit cards. I never understood the process and today what I feared the worst has happened. I was shocked to read a message from my bank asking me to change my ATM pin. What kind of security they have? How do banks claim that our money is safe when they can't ward off a cyber attack?" asked an angry customer, Arunima Singh, who holds a savings account with a leading private bank.

Leading cyber security expert J. Prasanna echoes Ms Singh's fears and alleges technically all banks (in India) are vulnerable to cyber attacks in the absence of a proper policy. "The policymakers don't understand the seriousness of the problem. I, as (cyber security) auditor, have been warning the banks to reframe their security policies. But that has fallen on deaf ears. None of the current procedures of the banks including the RBI, GoI or the MoF can protect the data," added Prasanna.

Holding that the vulnerability still exists in every bank, Mr Prasanna says the institutions close their eyes and when it comes to auditing, they stipulate what should be audited. "It's a pity that the public or bankers think that since the systems are internally linked, they are not susceptible to attacks. But fraudsters are always smart," he said and warned that in the future economy would collapse if the issue was not addressed immediately.

Another expert, who did not want to be named, says the banks and the government should enact policies and ensure that such attacks don't recur. Of the debit cards affected, 2.6 million are on Visa and MasterCard platforms and as a precautionary measure; banks have sent text messages and e-mails to their customers asking them to change their pins. "The banks cannot just get away with this; they need to be made accountable. Many people have their entire savings in the bank," Naveen Kumar, a software professional, who also received a message, says. The suspected security breach happened through a malware in the systems of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves ATM network of several banks.
CHENNAI: Eight years after registering a sedition case against MDMK general secretary Vaiko, the III additional sessions court, Chennai, has acquitted him of the charges. The judge said the prosecution failed to prove the charges against Vaiko. According to prosecution, addressing a public indoor meeting Elangaiyil Nadappathu Enna?, in October 2008 Vaiko spoke against the Central government for aiding Sri Lanka in its efforts to wipe out Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Vaiko spoke allegedly infringing Indian sovereignty and in support of the LTTE, fighting for an independent Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka, during the final stages of the civil war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army. The Q Branch police filed a case of against Vaiko under sedition law. During the trial, earlier, Vaiko had submitted that he addressed the indoor meeting, however, he had only spoken about the plight of Tamils, and their ordeal in Sri Lanka and not against Indian sovereignty.

While prosecution witnesses, mostly policemen stuck to their stand, several others had turned hostile. Vaikos speech copy in a CD form and its transcripts were submitted to the court as an important evidence. A large contingent of policemen was deployed on the court premises. When the matter came up for hearing in the packed court hall in the afternoon, the III additional sessions judge has acquitted Vaiko from the charges.

The judge said, finally, no charges against the accused under Section 124 A of IPC (Sedition) and 13 (1) (b) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (supporting unlawful activity) are proved. Hence, this court acquits the accused. the judge said. Immediately, Vaiko was greeted by his supporters and his lawyers on the acquittal. His supporters also burst firecrackers outside the court premises.
Jammu: Strongly batting for resuming India-Pakistan dialogue, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday visited the Zero Line along LoC and interacted with border dwellers.



"People of J&K cannot live in an atmosphere of animosity and uncertainty anymore. Wars haven't and won't resolve inherently the political issues between India and Pakistan," he said at Gali-Maidan on Zero Line along Line of Control.



The National Conference leader visited Gali Maidan, the most adversely affected region in the recent mortar shelling, against the advice of the security apparatus.



He hoped that better sense would prevail upon New Delhi and Islamabad that "mutual cooperation and peace is imperative for growth and prosperity in the region."



Farooq interacted with border dwellers at Sabjian, Chandak and Sabjian. He expressed solidarity with the people, saying they had been facing the brunt of border skirmishes valiantly.



"Wars will not only cause human loss, it will also shatter the economy of the region and the costs of confrontation will be borne by generations to come," he said, adding that dialogue has no substitute.



He also hit out at the ruling combine of PDP-BJP.



Public anger has been the highest in South Kashmir, where PDP garnered a significant number of seats based on its lies of being opposed to the BJP, he alleged.



"We cannot afford to be bystanders, being the party of masses and with the legacy of sacrifices that we have made," Farooq said and urged the party cadre to meet this challenge with fortitude and dedication.



The NC chief also cautioned the people against the "divisive forces who have miserably failed to govern".



"They will try to sow seeds of hatred and mistrust among various segments of society as a diversionary tactic and the people must be beware of such attempts," he added.
Ahmedabad: The state government on Thursday told the Gujarat High Court that it was planning to prohibit bursting of firecrackers between 10 pm and 6 am during this Diwali.



A division bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Supehia, hearing a contempt of court petition against the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the government, had sought to know the steps taken to prevent accidents caused by firecrackers.



The government lawyer said a draft notification on the guidelines for bursting crackers between October 15 and 31 was ready.



It proposed a ban between 10 pm and 6 am on exploding firecrackers above 125 decibel and also within 500 metres of petrol pumps and LPG bottling plants. The draft guidelines also proposed additional equipment for fire stations during this period, the court was told.



The petition filed by Prakash Nambiar claimed the government had not framed fire safety rules properly and the municipal corporation did not act against those who violated the rules despite a court order in 2011.



The HC asked the government to make its submissions on an affidavit tomorrow.
Srinagar: Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader and prominent Shia cleric Aga Syed Hassan was put under house arrest on Friday, shortly after his return from New Delhi, where he met the Pakistan High Commissioner and discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Syed Hassan was detained at his Budgam residence (in central Kashmir) soon after his return from Delhi," a spokesman of his Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian, a constituent of hardline Hurriyat Conference, said in a statement here.

He said the Hurriyat leader had gone to the national capital for a medical checkup on the advise of his doctors as his continuous detention had badly affected his health.

"The state administration had allowed Aga (Syed Hassan) to go to Delhi where he also met Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Tuesday," the spokesman said.

"Hassan discussed the ongoing resistance (unrest) movement in the Valley and the aggressive revenge adventure for breaking the determination and courage of Kashmiri people," he added.
New Delhi: India may take up the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership issue with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key who will be on a four-day visit to India from October 24-27, along with his wife Bronagh Key and a high level of delegation comprising chairs of foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee.

Addressing the media during a weekly briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, "Prime Minister Key will arrive in Mumbai in the evening of October 24, where he will deliver a keynote address at an event organised by the Bombay Stock Exchange in association with Chambers of Commerce. He will also meet the Governor and Chief Minister of Maharashtra and attend an innovation showcase event to celebrate innovation in New Zealand-India Business partnership."

In Delhi, he said, Prime Minister Key will hold one to one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by an official delegation-level meeting to discuss the growing bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Key will call on President Pranab Mukherjee during the visit and will also be attending a business summit as well.

"On the conclusion of his visit, Prime Minister Key shall depart Delhi on October 27 via Kochi, where Prime Minister Key and his delegation will undertake a short tour of the New Cochin International Terminal and the work undertaken by New Zealand firm Glidepath Group," he said.

"Prime Minister Key will also be accompanied by member of New Zealand Parliament Mark Mitchell chair of foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Member of Parliament Key last visited India in 2011. President Mukherjee visited New Zealand in May - the first ever visit of President of India to New Zealand,"

When asked if India would take up the issue of NSG membership with the visiting Prime Minister as New Zealand did not support to India's membership, Swarup, while contesting the question said, "What we are telling all our partners is what we will tell New Zealand also that why the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group is important for India; why predictability and access are two key issues which are necessary for us to achieve our clean energy goals and to achieve the targets that we have outlined very positively at the INDS, which has now become the national determined contribution as part of the Paris Agreement, which we have ratified."

He further said, "Nuclear energy is going to play a very important role in our energy mix, but international investment would be wary of making big investments unless they have the assurance of predictability and transparency that rules are not changed midway. Our credentials in the field of non-proliferation is very well known. We know that India's record is impeccable and I think on the basis of all this we believe we have all the credentials to be a member of the NSG and we hope that at the end of the day the 48-member grouping will see the logic of India's entry, because it will only strengthen the Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," he added.

When asked whether Prime Minister Modi would raise the NSG issue, Swarup said, "I am not confirming that but I assume that considering this is an important issue and New Zealand is a member of the 48-member grouping and the NSG issue was raised with our other partners as well. I would imagine that it would be raised, but eventually it is raised or not raised, you will come to know only the meeting actually happens."
The Defence Ministry yesterday cleared the file for M777 guns, which would now be sent to the Finance Ministry before being put up before the Cabinet Committee on Security. (Photo: AP/ Representational Image)

New Delhi: India and the US are likely to sign an agreement for the purchase of 145 American Ultra-Light Howitzers, worth about Rs 5,000 crore, this fiscal, the first deal for artillery guns since the Bofors scandal in 1980s.

The Defence Ministry yesterday cleared the file for M777 guns, which would now be sent to the Finance Ministry before being put up before the Cabinet Committee on Security.

Sources said the approval for certain "deviations" were made.

The ministry has already shortened the supply period of the guns, with a strike range of 25 km, though the exact period could not be known.

India had sent a Letter of Request to the US government showing interest in buying the guns which will be deployed in high altitude areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, bordering China.

The US had responded with a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and the ministry had in June looked into the terms and conditions and approved it.

The offsets, under which BAE Systems, manufacturer of the gun, will invest about USD 200 million, will be pursued independently.

While 25 guns will come to India in a fly away condition, the rest will be assembled at the proposed Assembly Integration and Test facility for the weapon system in India in partnership with Mahindra.

The howitzers that can be heli-lifted were first proposed to be bought from BAE about 10 years back. The Defence Ministry also approved buying of over nearly 4,900 radio sets for the Army's Armoured Corps from an Israeli firm.
New Delhi: Retrenched Indian workers of Saudia Arabia's Saad group will start coming back to India beginning Thursday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday night.

She said Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs VK Singh is already in that country to oversee return of the Indian workers, estimated to be in a few thousands.

Thousands of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia had lost their jobs and some of them even struggled to buy food following which the government intervened.

Some of these Indians have already returned to the country.

Mr Singh had made a number of visits to the country in the last few months to help the jobless Indians and ensure return of those who wanted to come back.

Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in the Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by the government.

The Indian government had earlier requested Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC (No-Objection Certificate) from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned.

As per rules, no foreign employee can leave the country without NoC by the employers.
New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhi denied allegations of being linked to an arms dealer and middleman, Abhishek Verma, and leaking defence secrets. Swaraj Abhiyan party leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav without taking his name released letters that accused him of leaking defence secrets when he was members of the Defence Consultative Committee.

Denying the charge, Mr Gandhi said he had last met Verma when he was a post graduate student in London. He said he was 22 then. I am going to turn 37 now. I have never met him since I entered public life in 2004. The only reason why I even know of him is because his parents were MPs. I knew them as many other leaders knew them, he said. Any MP who has been on that panel knows that not even 0.1 per cent of any confidential information is shared with the committee, Mr Varun added.
The hospital was also accused of overlooking a 2013 advisory of the government to improve firefighting apparatus. Photo: PTI)

Bhubaneswar: Under attack over a massive blaze at a private hospital in Bhubaneshwar that killed 22 people, Odisha's Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Friday resigned on moral grounds.

"Mr Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has sent me his letter of resignation on moral grounds. I have accepted it and sent it to the Governor," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters.

Nayak drew flak from different quarters in the aftermath of the devastating fire at SUM Hospital on Monday evening with most opposition parties demanding his resignation.

Attack on Nayak had mounted as serious lapses in fire safety norms and violaton of guidelines were reported at the private hospital, run by Sikshya O Anusandhan Charitable Trust.

Nayak himself for the first time yesterday admitted lapses in the fire safety measures at the hospital.

The hospital was also accused of overlooking a 2013 advisory of the government to improve firefighting apparatus.

Already under attack over a series of incidents involving the health department, the hospital fire compounded Nayak's woes.

Leaders of political parties and others had alleged that violation of fire safety norms at the private medical facility were overlooked as Nayak was "close to" Manoj Ranjan Nayak, founder-President of the charitable trust who was arrested by police yesterday for the tragedy.

Odisha BJP had yesterday lodged a police complaint against the Chief Minister and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, naming them as accused in the SUM Hospital fire mishap.

The BJP demanded Patnaik and Nayak be made co-accused in the case.

The party also demanded resignation of Nayak. Congress leaders including Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra had held both the state government and the hospital responsible for the tragedy.
Jammu: A BSF jawan was on Friday injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the LoC in Rajouri and the International Border in Kathua district, prompting the Indian forces to retaliate strongly.



BSF troops had yesterday foiled a major infiltration bid in the same area by a group of six militants.



"Pakistani soldiers resorted to indiscriminate firing from 1240 hours on the Indian Army posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri sector," a defence spokesman said.



"The Indian Army is responding strongly. The exchange is going on," he said.



A BSF officer said, "Pakistani Rangers resorted small arms firing on a forward border out post (BoP) along IB in Bobiya area of Hiranagar sector of Kathua district from 0945 hours today."



"BSF troops guarding the borderline took positions and retaliated, resulting in the exchange which continued for over 15 minutes," he said, adding one BSF jawan was injured in the firing.



According to unconfirmed reports, a Pakistani ranger was either injured or killed in retaliatory action.



Pakistani troops used small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm mortars bombs to target Indian positions, he said.



With this, the number of ceasefire violations along the IB and the LoC in the state after surgical strikes by the Indian Army in PoK has risen to 31.



Indian and Pakistani forces are exchanging fire for past four days in the sector. Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire five times in past four days.



Pakistani troops had yesterday heavily shelled areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.



Meanwhile, Pakistan Army said Pakistani and Indian troops today exchanged fire across the working boundary.



It said the exchange took place in Shakargarh sector in Punjab province. "No loss of life or property has been reported so far," a Pakistani military statement said.



The exchange of fire started at 9 AM and continued for half an hour, it said.
Hyderabad: Telangana cabinet on Friday passed a resolution requesting that the buildings in Hyderabad which are allocated to Andhra Pradesh be handed over to the new-formed state.

Certain government buildings, including the secretariat, have been allocated to the residual state of Andhra Pradesh as Hyderabad is the common capital of the two states for 10 years as per the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari told reporters after the cabinet meeting that the AP government had already shifted its offices, including Chief Minister's office and offices of secretaries and heads of department to its upcoming capital, Amaravati. The AP government was thus not using the buildings in Hyderabad, he said.

Telangana government had also taken note of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's statement that his government would deliberate on handing over the buildings to Telangana, Srihari said.

The buildings are to be allocated by the Governor who is common to both states, he said.

Telangana government is reportedly considering building a new secretariat because of 'vastu' defects in the current building.

The cabinet today also decided to form separate cabinet sub-committees to study the impact of the decision of Brijesh Kumar tribunal on sharing of Krishna river water, improvement in administration of universities, and other issues.

The government also decided to expeditiously clear the dues under the students' tuition fees reimbursement scheme, farmers' loan waiver and 'Arogya Sri' health scheme.
Thane: Investigators on Thursday told a local court they have identified transactions worth Rs. 25-30 crore in the call centre scam in Mumbai till now and that it will take a long time for them to arrive at the actual figure given the magnitude of the scandal.

Several teams were interrogating the 71 accused arrested so far in connection with the scam, which came to light when police raided call centres in Mira Road and other areas earlier this month, ACP (Crime) Mukund Hatote, the Investigating Officer, told the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) P D Chavan.

He said police have identified transactions worth Rs. 25-30 crore so far and it will take a long time to know the exact amount the victims, all American citizens, had been duped of.

The ACP made the observation while seeking police custody of two accused arrested in the second case related to the scam. The first case was filed with Mira Road police and the second with Naya Nagar police.

Mr Hatote said some of the arrested accused informed the police two accused - Nazir Abdul Sadam Dhori (29) and Arjun Naresh Vasudeo (24)- had played an important role in the entire racket. The police officer made the submissions through Assistant Public Prosecutor Jaishree Tatke. The Court later sent Dhori and Vasudeo to police custody till October 25.

Two other accused - Jagdish Kanani, a businessman who mentored Sagar Thakkar alias Shaggy, the alleged mastermind of the racket, and Hyder Mansuri - were also sent to police custody till October 25 by another court presided over by JMFC A B Katte.

The scam relates to Indian tele-callers forcing US citizens to part with dollars by posing as American tax officials. It operated out of nearly a dozen call centres in Thane.
The men allegedly used syringes that are used for cattle. (Representational Image)

Ghaziabad: Days after four people were brutally injected with petrol in their private parts in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad over allegations of phone theft, a 16-year-old boy, who was one of the victims, told the police about his horrifying ordeal, revealing how they begged their perpetrators for mercy, but their appeals fell on deaf ears.

Two persons had been arrested and another booked for thrashing and injecting petrol in their private parts, on suspicion that they stole a mobile phone.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the victims pleaded with folded hands, claiming innocence, but to no avail.

All of us were sobbing and pleading with folded hands, saying we did not know anything about the missing mobile. But they caught hold of us three and called out to one person to draw out the petrol from his bike, said the victim.

One of the accused, Rizzu, is the brother of a local Samajwadi Party leader and runs a milk dairy under Loni police station area.

On October 14, he lost his mobile phone and suspected Zaheer Baig (17), Gulzar (16) Fimo and Firoz (both 25), all from the same neighbourhood, of stealing the phone.

Later Rizzu called the four to his dairy where he along with his associates, including Akil and Nadeem, thrashed them before injecting petrol with a syringe in their private parts.

The victims were rushed to the primary health centre from where they were referred to the district hospital.

They brought syringes and filled them with petrol before drawing them into our private parts... we almost fainted with pain, the boy said, recalling his terrifying ordeal.

One by one, they penetrated the syringes into our private parts. We shouted for help but no one had mercy... they injected petrol repeatedly three-five times on each one of us... one of the syringes broke off, but they brought another one... this went on for nearly 30 minutes before an elder from their family arrived and rescued us, he added.

The families of the victims are poor but they said they will pursue the case despite their financial standing to get justice.
Two injured nurses Victoria and Shipra Mondal  are being treated at the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata (INK) while the third was treated at the nursing home itself before being released, an official of the medical facility said. (Representational image)

Kolkata: Three nurses of a nursing home in the southern parts of the city were injured when a patient allegedly attacked them with the metal stand used for IV drops suspension and fled the spot.

Subir Saha (27), who hailed from Mangalkot in Burdwan district, was admitted to the ICU of the nursing home late on Wednesday night with low platelet-count, a police officer said.

Yesterday morning, he turned violent for some unknown reasons and attacked the three nurses when they tried to administer an injection to him, the officer said.

"He picked up the saline stand and hit one nurse on the head. When the two other nurses tried to come to the defence of their colleague, the patient attacked them as well as the security guards and the resident medical officer of the healthcare facility," he said.

In the melee, family members of the patient, waiting at the nursing home's reception area, also left the place and could not be traced, police said.

The condition of one of the nurses is stated to be critical, the officer said, adding a complaint was lodged by the All Asia Medical Institute against the accused who is still absconding.

Two injured nurses Victoria and Shipra Mondal  are being treated at the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata (INK) while the third was treated at the nursing home itself before being released, an official of the medical facility said.

Senior officers of Gariahat Police station, where the complaint has been lodged, said they are checking CCTV footages of the nursing home's ICU ward and a team went to the accused's Mangalkot home but nobody was found there, the police officer said.
DGP N. Sambasiva Rao addresses a media conference in Vijayawada on Thursday, Commissioner of police D. Gautam Sawang is also seen. (Photo: DC)

Vijayawada: Police stations across all the cities in Andhra Pradesh, to start with capital region, will be integrated with WiFi to the respective police headquarters in districts and cities in a phased manner.

Director general of police N. Sambasiva Rao said that border police stations will be strengthened. Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, the DGP said that Police Commemoration Day will be held at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) stadium in the city on Friday.

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, police officers and staff would pay tributes to police personnel who sacrificed their lives for the nation, he said. The DGP also said that the state police has successfully addressed the Maoists issue and stood as a model to the other states.

But some areas under the Visakhapatnam Rural and East Godavari have threat from them, he observed. He said entire police department was alert on the Naxalite problem.

The DGP said that the police department has decided that DSP-level officers should go to kin of the police martyrs to extend support to them. All the superintendents of police (SP) have followed this in the state, he added.

About 14 police officers and staff sacrificed their lives in the state of Andhra Pradesh, the DGP said. The department wanted to implement a health scheme to parents of the police personnel also, he said. Mr Sambasiva Rao stated that the government would recruit 5,250 police personnel next year and provide master health checkup to them.

The police chief said that the government was thinking about injured police personnel and who are on the bed now, he said.

The police department would start functioning from January 2017 at Mangalagiri, he said. Major departments like Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), CID and the Intelligence were shifted to Vijayawada and started functioning, he added. Due to operational issues, the complete relocation of the departments like Grey Hounds will take place later, he said and added, however, the Grey Hounds was already on its job at Visakhapatnam.

Mr Sambasiva Rao further said that the police would focus on several agitations being continued in the state, which are being sponsored by some forces. If there is any reason for the agitation, police would discuss with the government to resolve the problem, he said. He also warned that police would put special focus on agitations and dharnas.

DGP Law and Order R.P. Thakur, Vijayawada police commissioner D. Gautam Sawang, additional DGPs N.V. Suren-drababu, Dwarka Tiru-mala Rao and others were present.
New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhi who is caught in a political storm over allegation that he was honey trapped and had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma, said on Thursday that he would quit politics if even if 1% of all this" was true.

The allegations were highlighted at a press conference by Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. They released a letter written by Edmonds Allen, a New York-based lawyer, to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) last month, claiming that the BJP leader was honey trapped and compromised by Verma.

He alleged that Verma "blackmailed" Varun, a member of the Defence Consultative Committee, into sharing sensitive information on crucial arms matters.

Varun however, strongly refuted these charges and asserted that he had not met the said middleman since 2004. He also threatened to file a defamation suit against Bhushan and Yadav over their claims.

"The entire information presented does not contain an iota of proof that either I had access or shared any communication regarding sensitive information to Verma," Varun said.

Allen, who was a partner of Verma, fell out with him in 2012. Verma is facing trial in the 2006 Naval War Room leak case.

Bhushan alleged that despite having all the details, BJP government did not blacklist Thales, the company that sold scam-tainted Scorpene submarines, as Dassault acquired it.

India recently signed a deal with Dassault for 36 Rafale aircraft.

"Any action against Thales may have jeopardised the Rafale deal. Moreover, contrary to previous announcements of getting 126 aircrafts, the government bought 36 aircrafts, paying double the price for individual units. It certainly appears to be the case that something is fishy," Bhushan said.

However, Bhushan and Yadav did not take Varun's name during the press conference and instead asked journalists to refer to the letter. They claimed to have withheld photographic evidences pertaining to the matter.

Allen wrote to the PM, Defence Minister, CBI and the NSA with all the details on August and September this year.

Varun said that he last met Verma when he was a post graduate student in London at the age of 22 years.

"I am going to turn 37 now. I have never met him since I entered public life in 2004. The only reason why I even know of him is because his parents were members of parliament and was a respected family. I knew them as many other leaders knew them," he said.

Asked if he had come across any sensitive information during his tenure on the consultative committee on defence, he said, "Any MP who has been on that committee knows that not even 0.1 percentage of any confidential information is shared with the committee."
SRINAGAR: The Border Security Force (BSF) said on Friday that it killed seven troopers from Pakistan Rangers and a militant in retaliatory fire along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua district.

The stretch of the 198-km long IB (called working boundary by Islamabad) through Hiranagar sector of Kathua district has witnessed active hostilities breaking out at intervals between the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers for the past over one week. Each side has accused the other of initiating firing in violation of the November 2003 ceasefire agreement.

The BSF officials said that the Pakistan Rangers opened small arms, RPG and mortar fire on the Indian posts in the Hiranagar sector on Friday morning, following which it retaliated using the same calibre weapons. One BSF jawan was critically injured in the Pakistani firing, they added.

Pakistani Rangers, sources said, had violated the ceasefire at two different locations on Friday which was retaliated by the BSF and the Army. The first was reported around 9.30 am in Hiranagar sector in which the BSF constable Gurnam Singh was critically injured in a sniper attack while the second violation took place at 12.40 pm in Rajouri region, the sources said. They added that Gurnam Singh has been rushed to a hospital in Jammu suffering severe bullet injuries.

They also said that following sniper attack in Hiranagar sector the Pakistan Rangers used heavy mortar shells while in Rajouri it was more of firing with small automatic weapons. At Hiranagar the BSF too retaliated with heavy firing which resulted in the casualty of 7 Pakistan Rangers and one militant who was planning to infiltrate across the border.

Following the incidents, the Home Ministry has put the BSF and Army on high alert along the IB and Line of Control (LoC), reports emanating from Delhi said. The reports also said that the Pakistan army has mobilised heavy artillery and even tanks on their side of the border.

Earlier during the day on Friday, a spokesman of Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that the facing troops exchanged fire in two separate incidents but said that no loss of life or property has been reported on the Pakistani side.

The spokesman said that the exchanges took place in Punjab's Shakargarh area (facing Kathua) and across the LoC in the Karela sector. He claimed that the Pakistani troops "befittingly" responded to the "unprovoked" firing by the Indians. The ISPR also said that the first incident of cross-border firing in Shakargarh was reported at 9 am and continued for half an hour, whereas the second incident was reported later in the day. A civilian was killed and 12 others injured in alleged Indian firing across the LoC on Wednesday following which Islamabad had summoned Indias Deputy High Commissioner, JP Singh, to lodge a protest.

The BSF officials had on Thursday said that it foiled a major infiltration bid from across the IB after killing one of the six militants in Kathuas Bobiya area (Hiranagar sector). The others were forced to retreat. IG BSF, Jammu Frontiers, DK Upadhyaya, said the infiltrating militants were giving firing cover by the Pakistan Rangers who also used Rocket-Projectile-Guns (RPGs) as is done in the forced infiltration which is also referred to as fire and sneak-in. But the BSF jawans who were on high alert immediately comprehended the infiltrators strategy and gave them befitting response by resorting to a heavy volume of firing, he said.
Visakhapatnam: Assam seems to be going the AP way in providing internet to its citizens. A team from the Assam government comprising senior officials led by its IT minister Kesab Mahanta has been in Vizag since a week to study the functioning of AP FiberNet project.

The team also met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at Vizag on Thursday and discussed the AP FiberNet project and their plans to introduce such a scheme in their state.

Our team has studied the AP FiberNet project and is impressed with it. We want to launch a similar project in Assam using the same technology and kind of infrastructure used in AP. We seek the Andhra Pradesh governments help in this regard, Mr Mahanta.

The AP government intends to provide internet bandwidth of 10 to 15 mbps speed, telephone connection and cable TV access at Rs 149. In the first phase, that costs around Rs 320 crore. The government used electric poles to run the fiber optic cables. Until now, 9,000 km of optic fiber cable has been laid. AP State FiberNet Ltd (APSFL) has plans to run 22,000 km of cable to connect every household in the 13 districts of AP.

The Assam IT minister also requested Naidu to send a team of officials from APFSL to visit their state to explain about the project to their CM. In Vizag, the team from Assam visited a government high school in Krishna Puram which was connected with FiberNet grid, electronic equipment centre at HB Colony and Network operations centre at AU.
Bengaluru: As hundreds of residents of Classic Orchards, a gated community on Bannerghatta Road watched, a team of BBMP officials equipped with a JCB and other machinery removed its gates and demolished its compound wall Friday morning, claiming they were encroaching on a public road.

Shocked at the demolition, the fuming residents pointed out they had been fighting the illegal construction of a swanky apartment opposite their gated community, but the BBMP seemed oblivious to it.

Although a BBMP survey recently concluded that the 14-storey apartment complex was encroaching upon a drain, it had remained untouched, they claimed.

Accusing the BBMP of being selective in its demolitions, the residents strongly objected to being targeted when they were taking care of their garbage and sewage disposal themselves.

We segregate and compost the garbage generated in the layout and also have a sewage treatment plant in the grounds. In fact, we want the BDA to handover over the maintenance of the park here to us as well. Why is the BBMP then upset? demanded one resident.

Justifying their action, however, BBMP officials said Fridays demolitions were neccessary to create a thoroughfare between Kottanur Dinne (near Loyala High School) and the Meenakshi Temple Road and the public could now use the road and park inside the layout. They explained the High Court had on Friday dismissed a three year old case by Classic Orchards asking the BBMP to hand over its maintenance to the community association.

Angry residents, however, pointed out that while the High Court dismissed the case only on Friday, BBMP officials had arrived with the JCB and other machinery at around 10.30 pm Thursday and camped all night at the spot before bringing down the gates in the morning Why was the BBMP in such a hurry to demolish our gates? they demanded.

Meanwhile, asked why no action was taken against the apartment complex opposite Classic Orchards, a BBMP ward engineer said they had received no instructions to bring it down.

The matter is before the town planning department and the Storm Water Drains division. We are aware that the apartment has encroached upon the drain, but we do not have any instructions to take action, he admitted.

Dont demolish 45 houses at Ideal Homes: High Court

A day after the Karnataka High Court passed a stay order in favour of former minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa-owned S.S. Hospital on Friday, it passed a similar order in respect of 45 residents of Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwarinagar, asking the authorities to not to dispossess or demolish the 45 houses till the completion of ongoing process.

They had approached the court challenging the notices issued to them following a report submitted by the tahsildar. The notice stated that the houses were constructed on the kharab land belonging to the government and the residents had to vacate the encroached property.

The authorities had issued notices under the Section 39 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act to all the 69 encroachers at Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwarinagar, including S.S. Hospitals and actor Darshan. Of the 69, around 45 residents  M.C. Balamurali and others  had approached the court challenging the notices issued to them.
Hyderabad: The Karimnagar District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered DTDC Courier and Cargo to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 for not delivering parcel containing a rakhi.

Ms K. Malaiaka, 14, daughter of Mr K. Sampat Reddy, a resident of Kapuwada in Karimnagar, had filed a complaint against the DTDC units in Mukarampura in Karimnagar and Bengaluru and sought Rs 50,000 compensation for mental agony.

On Rakhi Poornima, she had sent a rakhi to her brother K. Akshay Reddy, studying in Jalandhar, Punjab, through DTDC, which had assured that it would reach on the day of the festival. She had paid Rs 50 towards charges. The rakhi didnt reach her brother.

When the complainant approached DTDC Karimnagar, they behaved rudely and due to their attitude the complainants family was put through agony, said a source. DTDC admitted to non-delivery of the consignment at Jalandhar. The company said the reason was incomplete address on the package. It also said the addressee did not answer his phone.

The forum observed, If the cover had an incomplete address, DTDC ought to have returned it at the time of taking the consignment for the correct address. At this stage, the courier company escaping from their liability by stating that the cover contained an incomplete address is unjust.

Due to non-delivery of the cover which contained a rakhi by the opposite party, made the complainant, his son and daughter suffered mentally on the occasion of Rakhi Poornima. Therefore, we are of the considered opinion that the opposite party is liable to compensate for their negligence towards the complainant, the forum said. The forum also granted Rs 1,000 towards costs apart from the compensation of Rs10,000.
Bengaluru: For years, leaders of the state unit of BJP would queue up to seek the blessings of party patriarch L K Advani on his arrival, but none of the senior leaders showed up to receive him at Kempe Gowda International Airport, on Friday.

On arrival, he was received by former ministers B Ramachandra Gowda and Aravind Limbavali. Later, state unit president B S Yeddyurappa and Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda called on him at a private hotel. Mr. Advani arrived in the city to offer condolences to the kin of RSS leader Gopinath. Mr. Gopinath, an old friend of the veteran leader, was imprisoned in the central prison here during emergency, and kept the leaders company till their release.

Mr Yeddyurappa accompanied Mr Advani during his visit to Mr Gopinaths residence. On Saturday, Mr Advani would visit the helicopter division at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
Tushar Mehta conceded that police action was only a momentary step, and there had to be a longer-term solution. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre and Chhattisgarh government to initiate peace talks to end Maoist violence in the state.

A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and A.K. Goel gave this advise to the Additional Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, who represented the central government as well as the state of Chhattisgarh, hearing a petition filed by social activist and JNU, Professor Nandini Sundar.

The Bench reminded the ASG about the message from the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for the resolution of the Colombian governments war with FARC, (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, a guerrilla movement) as well as the Nagaland and Mizoram settlements.

Mr Mehta promised to take up the subject of peace talks with the government at the highest levels. He also conceded that police action was only a momentary step, and there had to be a longer-term solution.

The bench proposed peace talks, when the CBI apprised the bench on Friday about the results of its investigation into the violence perpetrated by the security forces, in the garb of combing operations in March 2011 in Morpalli, Tadmetla and Timpuram villages.
Hyderabad: The State Cabinet on Friday approved a resolution urging Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan to hand over the AP Secretariat blocks and offices allotted to AP in the common capital of Hyderabad to TS.

The Cabinet noted that since the AP government had shifted its entire administration to Amaravati, the offices allotted to it in Hyderabad were lying vacant and the TS government should be allowed to utilise them.

The Cabinet did not take any decision on construction of the new Secretariat and decided to wait till it gets clarity over handing over of the AP Secretariat blocks.

Meanwhile a Cabinet subcommittee headed by irrigation minister T. Harish Rao has been formed to recommend a future course of action on the verdict delivered by the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal on sharing of Krishna waters.

The Cabinet approved 90-day child care leave for working mothers, which they can avail in six spells till the child attains the age of 18. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, lasted over four hours.
Mumbai: After audio tapes containing alleged conversations between Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea were disclosed on Thursday evening, Peter, who is arrested in the Sheena Bora murder case, claimed innocence saying he had helped Rahul transcribe the recordings.

According to reports, Rahul, who was in a relationship with Sheena before her murder in 2012, had recorded the conference calls with his father and Indrani after Sheenas disappearance and shared them with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"I did not know about the recordings when Rahul was recording it. But he is my son, he stays with me. So, during the three months that we had after Indrani got arrested and before I got arrested, he told me about these recordings, Peter, who along with Indrani and her ex-husband are in jail in connection with the murder of Sheena, said.

If I had a guilty mind, I wouldn't have helped him make the transcripts, we did that together, he added.

Meanwhile, Peters lawyer Mihir Gheewala has requested the court that the media be barred from using the audio tapes, which he said were vital evidence and result in prejudice to the witnesses, according to reports.

He also submitted an application to the court seeking a directive to the CBI to avoid the use of potential evidence, documents and witnesses in the media.

The audio clips that have been published by several media houses, suggest that Peter and Indrani tried to "pacify" Rahul after Sheenas sudden "disappearance."
The conference was organised by the Minorities Commission for AP and TS here on Monday.(Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Islamic scholars and educationists from the Muslim community who participated in a roundtable conference on Monday to discuss the Draft National Education Policy 2016, opined that it was anti-minority and will further marginalise the minorities if implemented forcibly. The conference was organised by the Minorities Commission for AP and TS here on Monday.

Commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan, Professor Jahangir of EFLU, educationists Sajid Ali, Dr Faqruddin, Mohammed Mujeebuddin, Ahmadullah and Azharuddin, said that the draft policy was indirectly aimed at promoting Hindutva ideology and it promoted the gurukul system which lacks the salient features of modern education system.

Mr Rasool Khan said the objectives of the draft policy were against the Constitutional values of equality, secularism and pluralism and it seeks to infringe upon the Constitutionally protected rights of minority educational institutions.

The speakers felt that the new policy will alienate and discriminate students from the SC, ST, BC, Minorities communities and even drive away women students from the mainstream.

They said that the teaching of culture should be left to the parents and the Centre has to promote mainstream education. The conference resolved to take their grievances to the Centre besides seeking more time to file objections on the draft policy.
Thiruvananthapuram: The national education policy proposed by the union human resource development ministry has been opposed by the college teachers unions in the state affiliated to the Left parties saying that it was part of an agenda to saffronise the education sector in the country. Mr K. Ramakrishnan, president of the Association of Kerala Government College Teachers Association (AKGCT), told Deccan Chronicle that the draft of the report prepared by former cabinet secretary T.S.R. Subramaniam was earlier submitted to the then HRD minister Smriti Irani. However, the proposals were dumped following the opposition from the Sangh Parivar. Instead, a set of proposals drafted by the Nagpur meet of the RSS was incorporated in the policy, he said.

The main agenda of the proposals was to introduce a common national curriculum which would enable the RSS to have control over the educational system in all states. They have also introduced 33 themes for the policy with 20 themes pertaining to the higher education sector and 13 relating to the general education sector. Most of them are aimed at commercialisation of education, he said. The themes included internationalisation of education. The plan was to allow the top 200 universities to offer courses of their own choice in the country without considering the local needs. Another proposal was the establishment of special educational zones on the lines of the special education zone, Mr Ramakrishnan said.

There was a move to give emphasis on Sanskrit as the basis of all knowledge and focus on traditional knowledge. It was against the very spirit of modern education, he said. Mr K.L. Vivekanandan, general secretary, All-Kerala Private College Teachers Association (AKPCTA), said that nobody was aware of the exact content of the committee report as the HRD ministry had kept it a secret. Some bits and pieces were leaked by Mr Subramaniam himself through websites, he said. Though the government has claimed to have conducted over 2.7 lakh consultations throughout the country, there was lack of clarity on such consultations.

It is planned to phase out regulatory bodies like UGC and replace them with private regulatory and accreditation agencies. The move to go for a national curriculum was also against the federal system in the country, he said. Some scientists have also raised serious concerns about the lack of scientific temperament in the education policy. Mr R.S. Praveen Raj, senior scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), said that the policy in its present form would promote only low-quality research output.

The policy does not lay emphasis on scientific temper. Science in the 21st century is encountering religious paradigms, which is a global phenomenon, though its ramifications are better visible in India, he said.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the facts proved by science were welcomed. Society was willing to accept the scientific finding, though the process was slow, Mr Raj said. However, there is a trend in the 21st century to stop the growth of science. The people are being made slaves of faith and put into a paradigm trap much early in life, before they acquire maturity. This is why science is being attacked. Scientific temper questions everything and everyone, said Mr Raj. While sciences encounter with religious paradigms is an accident, the paradigm traps are not accidental. This is the result of the agenda from religious organisations having unholy nexus with political power centres. Science is being targeted because scientific temper is opposed to religion, he said.

Salient recommendations in national education policy

Establishment of an Indian Education Service (IES) with officers allocated to the state governments with the cadre controlling authority vesting with the human resource development ministry.

The outlay on education has to be fixed at least at 6 percent of GDP

The top 200 foreign universities should be allowed to open campuses in the country and they should award the same degrees that are acceptable in their countries.

Establishment of a credible Academic Performance Index (API) for faculty and making it the criterion for career advancement.

Compulsory licensing or certification for teachers in government and private schools, including a provision for renewal every 10 years based on an independent external testing.

The minimum eligibility condition for admissions to BEd courses should be 50 percent marks at graduate level. Teacher Entrance Tests (TET) should be made compulsory for recruitment of all teachers. The centre and states should jointly lay down norms and standards for TET.

The UGC Act should be allowed to lapse after a separate law is promulgated for the management of higher education system. The role of University Grants Commission should be limited to the disbursal of scholarships and fellowships.

Over the next decade, at least 100 new centres for excellence in the field of higher education both in public and private sector.

A Council for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE) would be established to create policies to foster the establishment of centres of excellence.

The overall process of accreditation shall be governed by a National Accreditation Board (NAB) subsuming NAAC and NBA.
New Delhi: As many as 1,100 retrenched Indians are expected to return to India in the coming weeks with Saudi government issuing exit visas to the Saad group workers, according to External Affairs Ministry.

Minister of State V K Singh, who is currently in Saudi Arabia to ensure return of the jobless workers, also thanked the Saudi government for its cooperation and help in solving the issue of stranded Indians there.

"Saudi govt has begun giving exit visas to Saad group workers. The first lot of four left yesterday. Minister of State met the Saudi Vice Minister for Labour and Social development yesterday. Total of 1100 Indian workers of Saad are expected to return to India in coming weeks," an MEA official said.

Thousands of Indian workers have lost their jobs due to slowdown in Saudi economy, triggered by low oil prices and cut in spending by the government.

MoS Singh had made a number of visits to that country in last few months to help the jobless Indians and ensure return of those who wanted to come back.

The Indian government had earlier requested the Saudi authorities to give the unemployed Indian workers exit visas without NoC (No-Objection Certificate) from employers and also urged it to clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned.

As per rules, no foreign employee can leave the country without NoC by the employers.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed Parsvnath developers to hand over possession of a flat in its Gurgaon project to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in two days.

A bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said "the possession of flat shall be handed over to the respondent in two days" and said Rathore should not pay any more amount to the developer.

The apex court said the issue of compensation to be paid by the realty firm to Rathore for the delayed possession would be dealt with at a later stage of the hearing.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for the builder said the flat was ready and they could handover possession. Rathore had booked a flat in Parsvnath's Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it. The firm was to deliver the flat in 2008-09. In January this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had directed the builder to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.

Earlier, the apex court had rapped real-estate firms for making tall claims to purchasers which remained unfulfilled due to inordinate delay in completing the housing projects.

The court had on October 18 directed the SC registry to disburse Rs 12 crore, deposited by real estate firm Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd, to 70 home buyers on pro-rata basis after proper identification.

It had also directed the firm to deposit Rs 10 crore by December 10 with Supreme Court registry.

The apex court's observation had come after Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd had said it would give the flats to 70 home buyers, who are before the court, by December 17.

The apex court had on September 15 directed the firm to deposit Rs 12 crore within four weeks as interest bearing short term deposit for delaying giving possession of flats to home buyers in its Ghaziabad project.

On August 26, the developer had told the court that they were in "serious financial difficulty" as they had suffered a loss of around Rs 400 crore last year. They had also said they would hand over possession of the flats in its delayed project at Ghaziabad within a year.

The firm was asked by the apex consumer commission in May to refund the principal amount in four weeks with 12 per cent interest, Rs 3 lakh as compensation and Rs 25,000 as litigation cost to 70 buyers who had booked flats in the Parsvnath Exotica project, Ghaziabad.

The court was also informed that 854 flats were to be constructed in the project and 818 buyers had made bookings. Parsvnath Developers Ltd had moved the apex court against the apex consumer commission's order asking it to refund the money to 70 buyers along with interest.
Patna: Bihar deputy Chief Minister and Lalu Prasad Yadavs son, Tejaswi Yadav, who is known as one of the most eligible bachelor in Bihar is receiving marriage proposals on his official WhatsApp number.

A government official said the 25-year-old politician has received 44,000 marriage proposals on his official WhatsApp number.

Sources said that the number, which was circulated for public, has received only 3,000 genuine feedbacks since June, rest all are spam messages from people who mistook it as his personal number.

Such messages show that his popularity is growing among people of Bihar, who likes the way he works, said the government official.

Tejaswi Yadav, who also holds Bihars Road and Construction department portfolio, had released the WhatsApp number for public to send pictures of potholes so that repair work can be done. Officials said that Tejaswi Yadav wanted to use WhatsApp and other social media platforms as a tool to establish direct contact with people.

"Thank God I am still single," Tejaswi Yadav was quoted as saying in a news report, when asked about the marriage proposals.

He joked that such personal messages could have landed him into deep trouble had he been married. He also shared that he prefers an arranged marriage.

Sources said Tejaswi is waiting for his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, Health Minister in Bihar, to get married.

Tejaswi Yadav, who is being seen as a potential face for 2020 Assembly polls in Bihar from RJD, had won his maiden election from high profile Raghopur constituency in November 2015.
Lucknow: BJP on Thursday threatened to move the Election Commission if the Uttar Pradesh government did not remove the photograph of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from the new ration cards.

"People are angry to see Akhilesh Yadav's photograph on the ration cards. It is a cheap election gimmick. If the government does not remove the photograph, we will take up the matter with the Election Commission," BJP state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya told reporters in Lucknow.

He said that it was a populist measure to woo voters ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.

With opposition BJP and Congress fuming over photographs of the CM on the ration cards, Akhilesh has sought to downplay the issue, saying it was important for people to know who was working for them.

"People may question as to why there is a photograph of the Chief Minister on the bag of ration or on the ration card. If we are helping the poor, there should be some publicity of it. It is important for people to know who is working for them," he said on Wednesday.

BJP had said it was a Central government scheme and the food grains were also made available by the Centre.

Under the National Food Security Act, 3.15 crore ration cards have been printed in the state. The Act was implemented in the state on March 1. Under it, those having 'Antyoday' cards will be given 35 kg food grains, while 'Grasthi' card holders will get 5 kg food grains per month.

"The CM should not have put his photo on the ration cards. It has been done in view of the Assembly polls," Congress state unit Vice President Satyadev Tripathi had said hours after the card distribution programme on Wednesday.

Commenting on the ongoing tussle in ruling Samajwadi Party, Mr Maurya said, "Akhilesh has failed to handle his family members as well as his government."
New Delhi: Congress on Friday latched on to biggest debit card breach in India to take pot shot at the Narendra Modi government telling the Prime Minister that it should take credit for this first ever "surgical strike" from hackers in the US and China.

"In China, Russia, Indonesia, the US, there are hackers who have stolen lists of 65 lakh card holders. While these lists were being stolen, the nations 'Chowkidar', Narendra Modi was sleeping," party spokesman Ajoy Kumar told reporters.

Demanding that the government make a full disclosure on the extent of this "theft", he wanted it to inform all those affected by this leak and ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their loss.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. And these lists were stolen on Modiji's watch. This government has a habit of saying that it is the first government to do anything. Well it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," he said suggesting that it should take credit for this 'surgical strike'.

He lamented that instead of the NDA government fulfilling its promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in each citizen's account by bringing back black money stashed abroad, "money is being taken out of the people's account in Modi's India".
Panaji: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked the party leaders in Goa to bury their differences and work as a team to ensure party's victory in the upcoming state assembly polls, a legislator informed.

"Party leaders from Goa today met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, where he heard everyone's views on various issues. There was also discussion on forming alliance with like-minded parties, but there were two different viewspoints on it," a state Congress legislator, who attended the meeting, told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

The Congress delegation, including Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Luizinho Faleiro and State Leader of Opposition Pratapsinh Rane, met Gandhi and held talks with him over the forthcoming Goa polls.

"The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was of the opinion that there should be alliance with like-minded forces, but the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) was opposed to the idea and said it was keen on fighting the polls independently in all the 40 constituencies," the legislator said.

"Since there was no consensus, the issue remained inconclusive, but Mr Gandhi told the party leaders to begin working towards victory of the party. He said the election should help the party to gain its lost glory in the coastal state," he added.

Neither Rane nor Faleiro were available for comments, but sources said Gandhi asked the CLP and PCC to work as a team in the State.
Lucknow: A first time lawmaker believed to be close to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to step down and let his son take his place.

Udayveer Singh, a first time Member of Legislative Council, wrote a 'private letter' to Mulayam Singh Yadav but it has now found its way into the media.

Singh on Thursday said that he was merely airing his personal feelings but which he insisted echoed the views of most party colleagues.

Singh has also accused Mulayam Singh Yadav's second wife Sadhna of harbouring ill feeling towards her stepson Akhilesh Singh Yadav.

He added that Shivpal Singh Yadav, the state party chief and a brother of Mulayam Singh, was jealous of the Chief Minister's popularity.

Accusing Sadhna and Shivpal Yadav of collusion, Udayveer Singh alleged that the Chief Minister was being subject to black magic with a view to harm him.

Demanding that the party revoke the expulsion of young party leaders, he said Akhilesh Yadav was the most credible face of the Samajwadi Party.

Reacting sharply to the letter, party leader Ashu Malik said people writing such letters were not "even worth 500 votes".

He added that the party would not tolerate indiscipline. "Any attempt to humiliate Netaji (Mulayam Singh) will not be tolerated."
Hyderabad: TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday warned Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao against playing with the lives and careers of poor students in the state. He was speaking after launching a signature campaign at Shamshabad, seeking immediate clearance of fee reimbursement dues.

Mr Reddy said it was strange that the CM places Telangana among richest states in the country but hesitates to release just Rs 3,000 crore towards fee reimbursement dues.

He is openly playing with the lives of poor and deserving students. While the poorest of poor parents gave highest education to their children during Congress rule due to universal fee reimbursement policy, the TRS governments anti-student policy is forcing lakhs of students to discontinue their studies. This is criminal negligence and intolerable, he said.

Mr Reddy said that Telangana state became a reality only due to the sacrifices and struggle of students. KCR is suppressing students, he alleged and reminded that that the CM had given a clear assurance in the Assembly in March that all pending fee reimbursement dues would be cleared and payments made monthly from April onwards.

KCR has no value for his own words or any respect for the Assembly. He went back on his promise and did not clear a single rupee towards fee reimbursement dues, the TPCC chief said.

He said managements of private colleges have represented to the Congress that 3,200 colleges in TS are on the verge of closure due to non-clearance of fee dues. He also said that about 2.5 lakh lecturers and other staff of these private colleges have not been paid salaries for the last six months.

The TPCC Chief said that NSUI and Youth Congress activists would collect filled-in application forms from students of all educational institutions across the state which would be forwarded to the CM and Governor seeking immediate clearance of fee reimbursement dues.

Further, these applications would be handed over AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi who will be visiting Hyderabad on December 2. Mr Gandhi would take up the issue with the President of India, Mr Reddy said.
Hyderabad: TRS MP K. Kavitha came down like a house of bricks on Nara Lokesh on Friday, advising the TD general secretary to confine himself to AP politics instead of meddling in Telangana issues.

Speaking at a Meet the Press organised by the Press Club of Hyderabad here, Ms Kavitha ridiculed the declaration of family assets by Mr Lokesh recently and said her family did not amass wealth like his did.

She said that her family has been declaring income and assets to the Income Tax department ever year and was paying taxes promptly and such there was no need for them to declare these before the public every year.

We have not amassed wealth like them. We have been declaring all our sources of income and assets to the I-T department every year. Interested people can obtain details from the I-T department, Ms Kavitha said.

She said their family did not need any advice from anyone on declaring of assets. We are not eager to portray ourselves as Anna Hazare like they are. Everyone knows who is what, she said.

Ms Kavitha also took a dig at Mr Lokesh for criticising smaller districts created in TS. Lokesh says smaller districts create problems. This shows his ignorance.

World over, there is consensus that decentralisation of administration would benefit people. Smaller districts make government services accessible to all besides ensuring good governance. Lokeshs mindset has not changed. They used to oppose creation of smaller Telangana state. Now they are opposing smaller districts, she said.

Now, we are separate states. We have enough to do in our own states. Where is the need to comment on developments in other states? If we start commenting on the affairs of your state, then you would be left red-faced, the MP told Mr Lokesh.

Pakistan actors not welcome: MP Kavitha

TRS MP K. Kavitha on Friday said the Bollywood should reconsider casting Pakistani actors in Indian films. She said that there was no dearth of actors in India and time has come for Bollywood to stand with the country.

Her comments come in the wake of ongoing row over the movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which is facing threats from various organisations for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the film.

When it is time to display patriotism, tokenism wont work, she said, adding that there was no opposition to artistes from other countries like Nepal. Bollywood should understand why political parties are opposing Pakistani artistes, Ms Kavitha said.
Myanmars most powerful leader Aung San Suu Kyi might have chosen China as her first port of call after her party assumed office in March, but her recent four-day visit to India has been historic in the sense that the two neighbours seem to have laid the grounds for a development partnership in the days ahead, besides giving shape to a framework for managing security along their borders. India, as expected, rolled out the red carpet for

Ms Suu Kyi, who may be Myanmars foreign minister and state counsellor, but is actually the countrys iconic leader, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) had swept the national elections. No wonder, before the bilaterals in New Delhi, Ms Suu Kyi sat at the high table in Goa during the Brics-Bimstec Outreach Summit along with the heads of the Brics nations.

There were a lot of symbolisms attached to her visit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling India her second home, referring to her college days in New Delhi in the 1960s, when her mother was Myanmars ambassador to India. But if one is to talk of substance, the visit stands out with India firming up its commitment to help Myanmar in its democratisation process, aiding people-centric development projects, strengthening the rule of law and in reaching Naypyidaws goal of peace and reconciliation. In fact, Prime Minister Modi flagged New Delhis priority areas in Myanmar when he said Indias $1.75 billion development assistance for the country in such areas as capacity-building, connectivity, education, infrastructure and healthcare was centred on people. The PM said he and Ms Suu Kyi have agreed to enhance our engagement in several areas including agriculture, power, and renewable energy.

Ms Suu Kyis expression of concern at rising terrorism during the Brics-Bimstec Outreach Summit, her call to stand united against all forms of violent extremism and her sympathy with the people of India over the terror attack in Uri amounts to one more leader in our neighbourhood siding with New Delhi in the battle against terror. But what cannot be missed is Ms Suu Kyis apparent reservations against trespassing by our armed forces into another country. She had reasons to do some thinking aloud on this in interactions with the media during her visit as a few Indian government leaders had bragged about an Indian military strike against rebels of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) inside Myanmar last year. The Indian Army assault in question was in June 2015 when the troops pressed into Myanmar to target NSCN bases after the rebels ambushed and killed 18 soldiers in Manipur. The Indian Army has, of course, been consistent in maintaining that the strike took place along the border. Ms Suu Kyis predicament at certain Indian responses on the 2015 incident can well be appreciated as Myanmars Constitution clearly states that no foreign troops shall be permitted to be deployed in the territory of the Union.

It is in this backdrop that one must look at portions of the joint statement at the end of the two-hour-long talks between Mr Modi and Ms Suu Kyi where there is mention of both sides underlining their mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Significantly, both sides expressed their mutual respect for the already demarcated boundary between the two countries. In fact, there are no known instances of India and Myanmar talking about things like sovereignty or territorial integrity in the past. That the two sides had to put on record its respect for the already demarcated boundary is also significant. India shares a 1,640-km-long border with Myanmar that includes stretches which are virtually unpoliced on the other side. The moral of the story is that certain things like an Army assault in hot pursuit along heavily wooded international borders may take place, but there is no need to do chest-thumping over such actions.

Another positive, aside from development commitments, has been on security along the border. The joint statement said: Both sides expressed the view that the long-standing commitment not to allow insurgent groups to use their soil for hostile activities against the other side is essential for the prosperity of the people residing along the border. A similar pledge to jointly fight terror and trans-border insurgency was made in August during President U Htin Kyaws visit to India. A coordinated security strategy along the border is necessary as insurgents from Northeast India are known to have several major bases in Myanmarese territory, making the region an insurgency hotspot.

Symbolism and reiteration of commitments are fine, but if New Delhi has to consolidate its ties with Myanmar, a nation where its interests intersect with those of the Chinese, it has to be decisive and act with speed to translate promises to action. After all, Myanmar is actually the key to the success of Indias Act East Policy, being the bridgehead to Southeast Asia. Besides, a stable Myanmar is important to peace and security in the northeastern region. As

Ms Suu Kyi said, Myanmar is lagging behind in various sectors, but expressed confidence by adding: We will be able to make up for lost time with the support and understanding of our friends. This is why the capacity-building programmes that India is envisaging for us will be of tremendous help. For New Delhi, it is time to act. Simply looking on will not do!
He gave me a mile

I took an inch

He exploded a bomb

I felt the pinch,

My measure didnt match

his measure

The formula for his

displeasure

From The Muesli Musings

by Bachchoo

Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. The word literature covers many genres of achievement and is the generic name for many sins. Nevertheless it evokes the connotation of a verbal contribution to civilisation. Novelists, poets, philosophers and essayists have been awarded the prize in the past but this is the first time a writer of songs and their meditative lyrics on themes ranging from politics to the entreaty, and even the venom, of personal relationships has been awarded the honour.

Every award of the Nobel Prize for Literature has brought in its wake derisory comments about the laureates  critical denigration of their work and often opinions about their extra-literary opinions. So it is with Dylan but the critics go further than that. They accuse the Nobel Committee of a populist sellout.

I for one am not only delighted that Zimmermann has been singled out for the award, but have to confess that the Swedish Academy have jolted me into widening my definition of literature. Having studied English, for part of my degree at Cambridge (the real one, not Massachusetts), I fell under the influence of the Leavisite school of criticism. The brilliant though stringent approach of F.R. Leavis, the most influential literary critical voice of his time, was a universe of narrow contention.

A journalist many years later asked me what in one sentence would I say was the most important thing I had taken away from Cambridge. That one poem is better than another, I said. I was preoccupied at the time with the vast expansion of Indian pulp publishing with no critical evaluation of any of it. Without a critical judgment none of it could claim the name of literature.

Novels, stories, memoirs, travel-writing, poetry and other collections of words were prolifically produced but without any evaluative discussion, academic or conversational even, the output seemed one monolithic subjective indulgence. Should one ask if a Shakespeare comedy is of more value than a pantomime and is it more accomplished in any way? Is Dickens a more worthy oeuvre than Mills and Boon? When is cliche an appropriate form of expression? Is Bob Dylan as good as T.S. Eliot?

Bob Dylan sings in puzzling metaphors:

 circled by the circus sands

With all memory and fate

Driven deep beneath the waves,

Let me forget about today

Until tomorrow

The circus sands mean nothing apart from providing a compelling alliteration  and so with the rest of the verse. When I heard it, I danced to it, I drowned in it; it seemed to resonate with meaning in my youthful life. At the time it was a remove from what I had to read, think and critically write about for the university literature course. Id be writing about Milton and listening to Dylan on the record player  each penetrating and appealing to a different part of my mind.

Dylans career began with the appeal of protest  the voice of one generation challenging another. His first hits, The Times They Are a Changin and Blowin in the Wind, were fairly clear in their messages of rebellion and the stance against the war in Vietnam. Then came anti-love songs, vicious messages to partners whom he accused of betrayals, together with love songs such as I Want You and Lay Lady Lay.

The surrealistic phase followed. Who was Dylan addressing as the Tambourine Man and why did he promise to follow him in the jingle-jangle morning? The song has been interpreted as a tribute to a drugged haze, a hymn to LSD. Dreams and surrealist fantasies are by definition undecipherable (sorry, Sigmund!) so a prosaic interpretation of these lyrics, and others on albums to follow, are futile. As Don McLean, the songwriter of the universal hit American Pie, when asked what it meant said: It means Ill never have to work again!

The interpretation of these songs, unlike the works we study in school and university, are necessarily subjective. Each listener can take away an equally valid interpretation or construction from them  as they shouldnt from any verse of Homer, Keats or Auden.

What is intriguing is how the Nobel Committee came to expand the definition of literature to embrace the work of Dylan, a subjectivist. They obviously came to the conclusion that within the milieu of literary music, he had pioneered a new genre which combined words and music to appeal to the mind and emotions not as, say, the sentences and paragraphs of Tolstoy or William Faulkner would, but could yet be called literature because they evoked meaning and emotion in a unique, if fluidly interpreted, way.

Divorced from the music, Dylans lyrics are not the sort of verse Tennyson wrote, but that being said, can any reader honestly say that a vast quantity of the verse of T.S. Eliot or the prose of James Joyce has that necessary literary transparency?

Alfred Nobel did specify that the prize be given to works which were idealistic. The word had a universe of possible interpretations and if the academy was still using this criterion, Dylans early anti-war songs tick the box. His detractors, some of whom have denounced the jumbled universe of his intriguing images, thrown together principally for the assonance created by rhyme and alliteration, seem to utterly reject the Nobel Committees determination to extend the definition of literature.

For me this purist contention is, on reflection, Luddite. If the world, encountering America, can define jazz and the compositions of the likes of Miles Davis as American classical music, or the work of Rothko and Jackson Pollock as inevitable discoveries of modern visual art, then an acceptance of Dylan as literature, complex, accomplished and pushing boundaries, shouldnt be left behind.
The titles of books often reflect the state of world. Thus The Scramble for China and India Conquered relate to the history of China and India. Then there is World Order, that traces the history of ancient civilisations of Bharatvarshs riparian Himalayan system and the thriving Chinese agrarian culture, centred around valleys and basins of twin rivers Hwang Ho and Yang-se-Kiang. And, though unconnected, theres a new book on our western neighbour: Talibanisation of Pakistan. No laughing matter, though!

Going back to China, the narration of a few 19th and mid-20th century situations would reveal from where Beijing has struggled to emerge in the 21st century. He was insistent as his nine-year-old brother, Wuer, had gone missing a week previously... He (Zhang Zhixi) knew  as all China knew  that (Western) foreigners were paying Chinese agents to kidnap children. Why? Zhang would say: They (foreigners) would gouge out his eyes. That is what foreigners did to the Chinese: they gouged out Chinese eyes and used them to make medicine with; (and) used Chinese hearts for the same purpose. They needed Chinese bodies to make medicines, and established orphanages and childrens homes, tricking people into placing children in their care, and in those homes the children were killed. Or they paid kidnappers to seize children from the streets... and they killed them.

Understandably, a Chinese backlash in Tianjin on June 21, 1870 killed 21 Europeans, including French, Russian, Italian, Belgian and Irish nationals. A widespread campaign erupted across China against foreign missionaries as the death rates in Catholic orphanages and foundling homes were notoriously high.

Fast forward to 1931, in the decade between the 20th centurys two World Wars: China was still terrorised by foreigners as it was gripped by chaos, killings and extreme diplomatic humiliation and indifference. Branded as the Sick Man of the Far East, the Chinese had nowhere to go except to curse their fate. They also blamed all foreigners, including the League of Nations (the United Nations predecessor) for not standing up to external terror, which put its existence in peril, like Poland in Europe, that had ceased to exist as a nation state for 124 years, from 1795 to 1919.

The seeds of decay had, however, been sown much earlier, as the 1911 revolution had left China prey to internal dissension. By 1919, Canton seceded to become completely independent of the government in Beijing, which nevertheless had a rather tenuous and shadowy control over the rest of the country. As civil war broke out over the whole of northern and central China in 1922, it was also closely bound up with a number of special privileges for subjects of foreign powers operating across Chinese territory. Also, the swathe of land of leased territories of China to Western powers virtually amounted to it ceding sovereignty to foreigners, at least in those areas.

Given this background, it is hardly surprising that Japan took full advantage of Beijings sorry internal state to conquer Manchuria, the northeastern province. As Japan had acquired the right to maintain a 15,000-strong force since the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese war in 1905 for the protection of the South Manchurian Railway, Chinese action to reclaim their own land, pride and sovereignty were expected. But that is exactly where things went wrong for China and everything went right for Japan.

To make matters worse, the international community too not only failed to take a stand against acts of war and blatant foreign-origin terror on Chinese soil, but gave a miserable demonstration of its collective failure to uphold its lofty principles and laws for which the League of Nations was purportedly created. In reality, the Japanese campaign had been carried through without regard to the embarrassment of the Council of the League of Nations, which had been in almost continuous session during this time.

Although normal procedure was followed to find out facts, fix responsibility and give recommendations, the most significant feature of the report of the League of Nations was the skill with which it avoided any pronouncement which might have entailed the application of sanctions under Article 16 of the Covenant of the League on Japan. It pointedly recited the obligations of the covenant... but abstained from drawing the conclusion that these obligations had been violated by Japan.

Chinese morale was understandably shattered as seen from its delegates pathetic wailing: China cannot be expected to admit that the operation of treaties, covenants and accepted principles of international law stops at the border of Manchuria. This was in 1933.

Since then, 83 years have passed. What is the situation in the 21st century? Quite the opposite. China is the worlds second largest economy, with exchange reserves over $3 trillion, an unprecedented strong military and nationalist government, but its attitude continues to be enigmatic and ambivalent over Pakistans state-sponsored terrorism. In addition to Beijings obduracy in East Asian waters, its benign indifference to Indias emphatic demands to take a tough call on Islamabads role in terror makes things complicated and adversarial. Having itself been a victim of foreign terror on its own soil in the 19th and 20th century doesnt seem to have left any impact on the inscrutable China of the 21st century.

Why? One doesnt know for sure, of course, but a possible reason, though it is speculative, could be Hans elephantine memory of history. Both China and India have been peaceful, though ignorant and indifferent, neighbours for thousands of years. They met scholars, but never saw their soldiers in action. Yet subordinate Indian soldiers were found killing and looting Chinese cities under British commanders in the 19th century. Again, when the whole of China was under opium addiction, the British were the masterminds and Indians the producers and distributors under their London landlords.

That was in the past. What happened in 1962? Why did the Chinese attack India, the unresolved legacy of the border dispute notwithstanding? Why do the Chinese now say let us do business; the border dispute can be resolved later? Why did they not say the same thing in 1962? Again, the plausible answer could be contemporary economics. Few would match the Chinese ability to think fast and do their economic sums. And the Chinese (like their US rivals) realise their economics is through the terrorist geography of Pakistan, the consumer market of India and the violent history of Afghanistan.

Why are the Chinese ignoring Pakistans state-sponsored terrorism? Is it because they know that the terrorist elements constitute an integral part of the Pakistan Army, which is that countrys supreme ruler? Therefore, they cannot afford to antagonise the Pakistani Army. Are they afraid of the Pakistan Armys jihadi links  with which it can act to snap trade, economics, territory, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet) through terror and sleeper cells? Is China resorting to remembering and invoking its own history for self-interest, while preferring not to remember or invoke the same history  serving the security of a foreign power? Can this be called the revenge of Chinese history?
It uses flat car tires rather than curved motorcycle tires, as the wheels themselves dont tilt relative to the pavement. Instead, the entire cabin sits on a cradle mechanism which can tilt to shift the cabin weight up to a whopping 52 degrees on either side in a corner or on a slanted ground.

Earlier cars and motorcycles have proven themselves to be affordable and have provided simple transport options across the globe. But there always have been people who wonder  merging the two platforms to join their strengths and minimize weaknesses.

The answer to this is Narrow Tilting Vehicle with Non-Tilting Wheels (NTVNTW)  a narrow track reverse trike that promises an amazing cornering experience with 52 degrees of lean and three flat tires providing massive grip contact patch and excellent stability.

Cars, while they are comparatively safe, comfortable and totally weatherproof, are much bigger than they need to be sometimes. Motorcycles, while being efficient, leave the rider exposed to the weather, as well as much higher risks of injury as well.

The NTVNTW is the work of inventor Frank Knisley, out of Ridge Manor, Florida. A platform that supports two, three or four wheel configurations, with Knisleys preferred first run being a three wheeler in reverse trike style with two wheels upfront.

It uses flat car tires rather than curved motorcycle tires, as the wheels themselves dont tilt relative to the pavement. Instead, the entire cabin sits on a cradle mechanism which can tilt to shift the cabin weight up to a whopping 52 degrees on either side in a corner or on a slanted ground.

Knisley is now looking out to team up with other businesses and individuals that can help carry the idea forward  people who are adept at CAD design, parts, materials, machining and funding. With all these the prototype will be out soon.

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Samsung is offering customers to replace their Galaxy Note 7 smartphone either with S7 or S7 edge.

Samsung India is considering launching new smartphones with 4G facility to help the tech giant gain market share affected due to recall of Galaxy Note 7.

All the future launches, including entry-level statement will sport 4G facilities, said Samsung India Vice President Manu Sharma. The company also expects to gain its market share on the back of the new launches, he added.

Analysts estimated Samsungs decision to pull the plug on the Galaxy Note 7 device could cost the company up to $17 billion. In India, Samsung is offering customers, who had ordered Note 7 from other countries, to replace the device with either S7 or S7 Edge.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, reacts as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner. (Photo: AP)

Delaware: Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump said Thursday that he would accept a "clear election result" next month, but reserved the right to challenge the outcome if he felt it was "questionable."

Trump stuck firm to his unprecedented defiance of US democratic norms, telling supporters: "I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election -- if I win."

But he went on to say: "I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result."

Trump sailed into a new political tempest after threatening not to recognize the election outcome during his final debate with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner.

With the November 8 elections three weeks away, Trump insists that Clinton's campaign team and the media are attempting to rig the vote against him.

Asked point-blank during Wednesday's debate whether he would accept the results no matter what, he responded: "I'll tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense, OK?"

Clinton declared herself "appalled" by what she said was an attack on American democracy.
Milwaukee: Milwaukee police officer who fatally shot a black man in August, sparking several nights of unrest, has been charged with sexually assaulting a man the night after the shooting, after they watched coverage of the riots on television at a bar, authorities said Thursday.

Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, was arrested Wednesday. The alleged victim, unidentified in a criminal complaint, told police on Aug. 15 that Heaggan-Brown had sexually assaulted him while off duty.

Heaggan-Brown fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith on Aug. 13. Police said he was holding a gun when he was shot after a brief chase.

Police said Heaggan-Brown is suspended and in custody and they have launched an internal investigation. Police Chief Ed Flynn told reporters during a news conference that nothing in Heaggan-Brown's pre-hiring background check suggested he would be likely to engage in wrongdoing.

"It's altogether awful," Flynn said. "This individual has revealed his character in a way that did not come to light in the pre-hiring investigation."

Heaggan-Brown's attorney, Michael Steinle, didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Heaggan-Brown's bail was set at $100,000. He's set to appear at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 27.

According to the criminal complaint, Heaggan-Brown took the victim to a bar late on the night of Aug. 14 where they drank heavily and watched TV as coverage of the protests aired. The victim told investigators that Heaggan-Brown bragged that he was the boss and that there were "no limitations" on how he lived and that he could do whatever he wanted "without repercussions."

The victim told police the day after the alleged assault that he had trouble remembering everything that happened after they left the bar but that he felt drugged. He said he woke up to Heaggan-Brown sexually assaulting him.

The complaint said Heaggan-Brown took the man to St. Joseph's Hospital early on Aug. 15. The officer told a security guard who helped him wheel the man inside that the man had had too much to drink and was "completely out, zonked out of his gourd."

But when nurses began providing aid, the man "flipped out," grabbed a security guard's arm and exclaimed: "He raped me, he raped me," indicating Heaggan-Brown.

Later that morning, Heaggan-Brown texted his mentor, Sgt. Joseph Hall, saying he had messed up "big time."

"Need your help big time. ... But need to handle this the most secret and right way possible," the text read in part. The sergeant told investigators that Heaggan-Brown claimed the sex was consensual. Flynn said Thursday that Hall reported his contact with Heaggan-Brown to command staff but the sergeant is under internal investigation as well. Hall remains on duty.

"We're going to get to the bottom of what that exchange was about," Flynn said.

Using photographs and other data from the officer's cellphone, the complaint said, investigators determined that Heaggan-Brown offered two other people money for sex several times - in December 2015 and in July and August of this year - and that he sexually assaulted another unconscious person in July, and photographed that victim naked without that person's consent.

The charges include two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault, two misdemeanor prostitution counts and one felony count of capturing an intimate representation of a person without consent.

The head of Milwaukee's police union said in a statement that the facts of the case will dictate the outcome.

"The MPA condemns all criminal behavior by any member of society, whether part of this organization or not," the union's president, Mike Crivello, said in the statement.

Heaggan-Brown joined the police department in July 2010 as an aide. Like Smith, the man who was fatally shot, Heaggan-Brown is black. He was assigned to patrol the city's heavily minority north side.

Flynn has said that Smith was fleeing from a traffic stop when he was shot. Heaggan-Brown's body camera showed that Smith was shot after he turned toward an officer with a gun in his hand, according to investigators.

Smith's death sparked two nights of violence in the Sherman Park neighborhood, with several businesses burned. It also ramped up long-festering racial tension in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice investigated Smith's death and has turned the case over to Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm for a charging decision. It's not clear when a decision in that case will be made.

Flynn said Thursday that none of the alleged sexual assault victims are connected to Smith's family.
California: Moments after being convicted in a California courtroom of sexual assaulting a child, a former high school English teacher pulled out a razor blade and slashed his throat.

Jeffrey Scott Jones, 56, of Huntington Beach, slumped on a table in the courtroom and was rushed to a hospital Wednesday with non-life threatening injuries.

"Right after the judge asked if we wanted jurors polled, both attorneys said no, and then he took a razor out of his left pocket and slashed his throat," prosecutor Heather Brown told City News Service. "His head hit the table, and I thought he fainted. But then I saw the blood and the razor on the table."

Defense attorney Ed Welbourn said he was sitting next to his client but did not see him cut his throat but became concerned when Jones' head hit the table they were sitting at.

No one else was injured, the Orange County Superior Court said in a statement.

Jones, who taught Advanced Placement English classes at the Libra Academy in Huntington Park, was accused of molesting and having sex with a teenage relative of his live-in girlfriend in 2012 and 2013.

Prosecutors presented DNA evidence they said implicated Jones but his lawyer argued the DNA evidence was not conclusive and claimed the alleged teen victim lied to cover up her marijuana use.

The jury deliberated about two hours before convicting Jones of continuous sexual abuse and aggravated sexual assault of a child, which carry a potential sentence of 66 years to life in prison.

"It's very unfortunate, the whole thing," Welbourn said. "We respect the jury's decision, but we thought there was reasonable doubt as to what occurred ... It's just terrible. The good news is it looks like he will recover."

Authorities will investigate how Jones, who had been free on bail, got the razor blade through court security, said sheriff's department Lt. Mark Stichter.

Assistance was offered to court employees and jurors to help them cope with their reaction to Jones' slashing his throat in court, the court statement said.
Vietnam, China and Taiwan all claim the Paracel islands, which are occupied by China. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: The Defense Department says a US Navy warship has conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, where China and five other countries have competing territorial claims.

A department spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, said the destroyer ship USS Decatur conducted the transit operation Friday near the Paracel Islands.

He said it was conducted "in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident."

The US Navy has periodically conducted such freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

Ross said the operation "demonstrated that coastal states may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea" that all states are entitled to exercise under international law.

Vietnam, China and Taiwan all claim the Paracel islands, which are occupied by China.
New York: Amid Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump's calls to be vigilant against voter fraud on election day, an expert in the US has warned that "violence is certainly a possibility" at these places if a significant number of his supporters show up and challenge voters.

"The chance for mischief at the polling places, if there are significant numbers of Trump supporters showing up and challenging voters on sight - who knows what could happen? But violence is certainly a possibility," Dean of the Austin Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College David Birdsell said.

"And more likely is the prevention of people voting. Those are not mutually exclusive for obvious reasons. So that's a concern," he said.

He said Trump has been urging his supporters to go to polling sites to "monitor" what is happening and make sure that the votes are not stolen.

"That's his language, and he has used other language as well, but he has used those words in basically taking untrained, common citizens, and asking them to go to polling places and effectively challenge people and say, 'You don't look like you're registered in this area?'," he said at a session organised by the New York Foreign Press Centre last week.

Trump has called on his supporters to be vigilant against widespread voter fraud and a rigged outcome. "Voter fraud is all too common, and then they criticize us for saying that," Trump said at a rally on Tuesday in Colorado Springs.

"But take a look at Philadelphia, what is been going on, take a look at Chicago, take a look at St Louis. Take a look at some of these cities, where you see things happening that are horrendous."

Birdsell said that Trump cannot simply get up and say the election is "illegitimate".

"If everything scans with the polls, if there is no evidence of any impropriety, if the monitors to the extent that they exist - and I'm talking about those who actually come from election boards and other authorities rather than volunteers from campaigns - see no indications of impropriety, it's going to be very hard to present any credible evidence to a court that would invalidate the result of the election," he said.

Birdsell noted that there is an allegation that there will be cyber hacking, perhaps some of it from abroad.

"I have given you the scenario that we could have violence at polling places that would prevent people from voting and change the character of a vote in a precinct that might tip a state. Again, unlikely, but it's possible," he said.

He added that while he is not too worried about a constitutional crisis, he is worried about further diminishment of the basic reputation of the voting process in the US. There might be a "significant minority" of voters rejecting the election result on November 8.
Washington, United States: In the final stretch of a US presidential campaign marked by divisive rhetoric and acrimony, Americans appear to be longing for gentler times.

After Donald Trump's unprecedented threat to reject the results of the presidential vote, a 1993 letter that George HW Bush sent to Bill Clinton as he passed the Oval Office torch has resurfaced and taken social media by storm.

"Your success is now our country's success," Bush wrote to Clinton, a few months after conceding electoral defeat. "I am rooting for you."

The letter from Bush's presidential library quickly went viral on Twitter after a National Public Radio host shared it with the words, "Read this. Think about this. George HW Bush's gracious handoff to Bill Clinton."

"It's beautiful."

In his letter, Bush also gave his successor some advice: "There will be very tough times," he wrote. "Just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course."

"I wish you well. I wish your family well."

In yet another acrimonious debate on Wednesday night, the Republican candidate declined to say if he would accept the election result.

He added Thursday that he reserved the right to launch a legal appeal against the electoral results, launching the United States into unprecedented territory and amplifying fears of post-election unrest.

The contrast with the tone of the Bush letter was lost on no one.

"What happened to us in the past 20 years? Stunned. Ashamed," wrote another Twitter user with an image of the note.

The letter had also made the internet rounds earlier in the campaign. Hillary Clinton posted an picture of the handwritten letter on White House stationery in June, telling her followers it had brought her to tears.

"It had some good advice about staying focused on what mattered, despite the critics," she wrote on Instagram alongside the image. "They had just fought a fierce campaign."

"Bill won, President Bush lost. In a democracy, that's how it goes."

The note sent by George HW Bush to Bill Clinton (Photo: Twitter)
New York: Donald Trump endured boos at a charity event in New York and a biting attack by President Barack Obama as the Republican nominees threat not to concede if he loses next month's elections roiled the race for the White House.

Mr Trump was booed at a white-tie fundraiser for Catholic charities in New York where he and Ms Clinton, fresh off their bruising final debate in Las Vegas, took part in what was supposed to be a friendly roast.

But the bitterness of the campaign was soon on display, with Mr Trump calling Ms Clinton corrupt and jabbing her for disclosures from her campaigns hacked emails.

Here she is in public, pretending not to hate Catholics, he said, as Cardinal Timothy Doland of New York looked on.

I wasnt really sure if Hillary was going to be here tonight because, I guess, you didnt send her invitation by email. Or maybe you did, and she just found out about it through the wonder of WikiLeaks, Mr Trump said, adding Weve learned so much from WikiLeaks. For example, Hillary believes that it is vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private."

The jeers from the audience were unusual for the event. Ive been to that dinner like six, seven, eight times, Christine Quinn, the former speaker of New Yorks city council, told CNN. Ive never heard boos like that. Never.

Ms Clinton, in turn, made a more direct political attack on Mr Trump.

Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4  maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

Mocking a letter from Mr Trumps doctor about his health, the Democratic nominee said: Donald really is as healthy as a horse  you know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.

Meanwhile, President Obama, in a harsh comment aimed at Mr Trumps allegations that the elections are rigged, said: When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in peoples minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy.

When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence, when last night at the debate, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in American history to suggest that he will not concede despite losing.
Washington: The United States has said that it will seek an explanation from Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte over the latter's comments on 'separation' from Washington.

US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a press briefing, "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S. It's not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications, so we're going to be seeking a clarification on that."

Duterte, while on his state visit to China, had announced his military and economic "separation" from the United States, though he did not divulge the details.

Responding to the Philippines President's remarks Kirby said, "Obviously we're aware of this rhetoric, of course, and we still hold that it is inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship that we have with the Filipino people as well as the government there on many different levels - not just from a security perspective."

He said that Assistant Secretary Daniel R. Russel will visit the Philippines, this weekend, however, adding, "This trip was long-scheduled; I don't want to give any impression that it was thrown on as a result of recent comments or activities. It was something he's been planning for months, but it does give us an opportunity in the context of these comments to try to get a better explanation of what was meant by 'separation' and where that's going."

He added that Washington remains rock-solid on its commitment in the mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. That hasn't changed even after Duterte's rhetoric.

Kirby added that the US welcomes the improved relations between China and the Philippines as thought otherwise by President Duterte.

"We don't see that as a threat, we don't see that as unwelcome, we don't see that as counterproductive. Actually quite the opposite; we think that improved relations between him and his neighbors, be that China or other countries, are all to the good, all to the good for stability in the region," said Kirby.
The leaders of France and Germany had also called for sanctions to remain on the table after they met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Wednesday night in Berlin. (Photo: AP)

Brussels: EU leaders backed down Friday from an explicit threat of sanctions against Russia over the bombing of Aleppo but warned that they would consider "all available options" if atrocities in Syria continue.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded that any mention of possible punitive measures against Moscow over the Syrian carnage should be removed from a statement issued after a summit in Brussels.

The climbdown underscored the deep divisions between the 28 European Union leaders as they tried to thrash out a long-term strategy on their increasingly bellicose eastern neighbour.

The watered-down statement said the EU "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo" and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities."

"The EU is considering all available options, should the current atrocities continue," it added. An earlier draft had mentioned sanctions.

Russia had upstaged the summit by announcing that it would halt hostilities over Aleppo on the same day, and said Thursday it would extend the truce by 24 hours.

EU President Donald Tusk, who had earlier said that sanctions should be on the table, insisted that the leaders had agreed to "keep the unity of the EU" over Russia.

The leaders brought up Russian "airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, interference in political processes in the Balkans and beyond" and other issues.

"Given these examples it is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU," said Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland, one of the countries that is most hawkish on Russia.

The EU is due to decide at their next summit in December whether to renew sanctions over the Ukraine crisis for another six months.

But the European Union remains split over how best to deal with Russia, with countries such as Italy and Greece favouring selective engagement with a major economic partner and energy supplier.

'Inhuman Bombardments'

Renzi, at whose request the EU held the discussion on Russia, said the priority had to be to "make all possible efforts to find a peace deal in Syria."

"I believe there wouldn't have been any sense in inserting a reference to sanctions, while the rest of the statement was what foreign ministers approved on Monday," he told reporters.

The leaders of France and Germany had also called for sanctions to remain on the table after they met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Wednesday night in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit that the EU "cannot accept these inhuman bombardments".

"If this kind of violation continues, of course we will envisage all available measures in order to react to this," she told a press conference.

Merkel added: "I think there was fairly broad agreement concerning the strategic options on Russia".

French President Francois Hollande said earlier that "all options are open for as long as there is not a ceasefire that is respected and for as long as there is an intention to destroy this town, Aleppo, a town of martyrs."

British Prime Minister Theresa May, arriving for her first EU summit since the June Brexit vote, called for a "robust and united" European approach to "sickening atrocities" in Syria.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg joined the chorus of outrage, saying the alliance feared that a Russian aircraft carrier battlegroup heading to Syria could join attacks on Aleppo.

"We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering," Stoltenberg said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Moscow is Assad's strongest ally and came to his rescue last year when rebels appeared to be gaining ground.

Relations with Russia were put on the agenda of the two-day summit in Brussels months ago amid expectations of progress on Ukraine.

Since then, the deepening of the Syrian crisis has poisoned the atmosphere while Berlin talks with Putin on Wednesday produced no real progress.
Mazher Mahmood, a British journalist known as the Fake Sheikh, leaves the Central Criminal Court in central London. (Photo: AFP)

London: A judge has sentenced a British journalist who often posed as a Middle Eastern tycoon in sting operations to 15 months in prison, after the tabloid reporter was convicted of perverting the course of justice in an effort to get scoops.

Mazher Mahmood, who is nicknamed the "Fake Sheikh," was found guilty earlier this month of tampering with evidence in the collapsed drug trial of pop star Tulisa Contostavlos. The case against her had been based on interviews Mahmood conducted for the Sun newspaper.

In the sting, Mahmood posed as a film producer and discussed a movie role. Prosecutors say Mahmood gave evidence to police that led to Contostavlos being charged with supplying illicit drugs.

At sentencing Friday, Judge Gerald Gordon said there was no justification for what Mahmood did.
Deepak Malhotra, 35, who had admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified and drink driving at an earlier hearing, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court here on Wednesday. (Photo: AP)

London: An Indian-origin man has been jailed for 21 months by a British court for illegally taking a double-decker bus on a drunken joyride in London, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage by dangerously driving around the streets.

Deepak Malhotra, 35, who had admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified and drink driving at an earlier hearing, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court here on Wednesday.

He stole the bus on the night of July 7 while it was parked at Watford Bus Station in Hertfordshire near here and drove it around, mounting kerbs, hit railings, jumping a red light and causing motorists to brake sharply.

Investigating officer Police Constable Mark Logan said, "Malhotra caused thousands of pounds worth of damage as he dangerously drove around the streets of Watford and it is only pure luck that no-one was injured during his reckless joyride".

"He was both under the influence of alcohol and banned from driving at the time of the offence," Logan said. Malhotra's lawyer argued that his client had expressed genuine remorse and had been on suicide watch as he was devastated by a marriage breakdown and family problems.

He had 14 previous convictions for 30 offences including drink driving and was banned from driving at the time of the incident.

The court was told that Malhotra got onto the bus by forcing open the doors at the bus garage while the driver had gone for a toilet break, having left the key in the ignition.

He eventually came to a halt after his dangerous joyride and ran away from the vehicle but was arrested soon after.

Prosecutor Will Noble told Malhotra in court, "It was a double-decker bus. What followed was a spectacularly dangerous piece of driving and it was a wonder no pedestrian or other road user was hurt".

"You drove the bus erratically, at speed and through red lights. This was an atrocious and highly dangerous piece of driving. The nature of which was a double-decker bus on which you had no training. You were at the time a disqualified driver. These offences are so serious they merit a custodial sentence," Noble said.

The bus, which was worth 150,000 pounds (USD 182,795), had to be written off as a result of the disaster.
Mexico City: A Mexican judge rejected on Thursday drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's bid to block his extradition to the United States, authorities said.

The attorney general's office said in a statement that a court in Mexico City ruled against Guzman, but his lawyer immediately told AFP he would appeal the ruling to a higher court.

The foreign ministry had approved the Sinaloa drug cartel chief's extradition in May, but his lawyers fought the decision in district court.

The tribunal in the capital "decided to reject the protection" sought by Guzman, the attorney general's office said.

The national security chief, Renato Sales, said last week that the government hopes to extradite Guzman by January or February.

One of Guzman's lawyers, Andres Granados, said he would pick up court documents on Tuesday and that from there he would have 10 business days to appeal to a "college" of judges.

He also vowed to seek a Supreme Court hearing.

"We are not defeated," Granados told AFP, adding that he could still take the case to a regional human rights body.

Guzman was recaptured in January, six months after his brazen escape from a maximum-security prison through a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) tunnel that opened into his cell's shower.
Berlin: Parents who are unable to return to work because they failed to obtain a nursery place for their child should be compensated for any resulting loss in wages, Germany's highest court ruled Thursday.

Under a slew of child-friendly policies aimed at pushing up Germany's low birth rate, parents were promised a nursery place for every child from age one from August 2013.

But three mothers from the eastern city of Leipzig took local authorities to court because they were unable to find child-care for their toddlers.

The mothers say that they have lost a combined total of 15,100 euros ($16,400) in wages because of the shortfall in nursery places.

A state court had earlier rejected their case, but the constitutional court has now overturned that ruling.

Thursday's decision said that local authorities will only be off the hook if they can prove that the child-care shortage had arisen despite careful planning on their part.

Financial constraints is not a valid reason, said the court, because under the law, a city is "has the responsibility to provide for a sufficient number of care places".

Although the ruling paves the way for more potential lawsuits, the Federation of German Cities and Towns -- an official body representing local governments, believed that it would be unlikely.

It noted that around 435,000 nursery places had been created in the last decade for under-threes, bringing the total to 720,000.

Nevertheless, with the arrival of around 900,000 asylum seekers to Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is under pressure to open up more child-care spots.

The country is also seeing more newborns, according to official data.

Over the last 35 years, Germany had recorded a steady fall in birth rate, which reached a low of 1.49 child for each woman born in the year 1968, said the Federal Institute for Population Research.

But women born in the subsequent years are having more children, bringing the birth rate to 1.56 for mothers born in 1973.
Ankara: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he would stress the need to respect Iraq's sovereignty during a visit on Friday to Turkey, which has been locked in a dispute with Baghdad over who should participate in the campaign to retake Mosul from ISIS.

Carter, acknowledging it was a delicate issue, declined to explicitly say whether he thought Turkey should be allowed to participate in the operations in Iraq. Washington in the past has deferred that matter to Baghdad.

"Of course we'll talk about that. And yes, of course there are sensitivities there. We conduct ourselves, and the coalition does, respecting Iraqi sovereignty. That's an important principle of ours," Carter said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has been frustrated that NATO member Turkey has not been more involved in the US-backed assault on Mosul and angered by Washington's support for Kurdish militia fighters battling ISIS in Syria.

Asked about Turkish air strikes that pounded a group of Kurdish fighters allied to a US-backed militia in northern Syria, Carter said he was not certain about what precisely transpired.

"I can't clarify that now," he said.

A US defense official said on Thursday the specific groups struck by Turkish jets were not themselves US-backed, but were "close to and friendly with" the fighters Washington is working with.

Ankara has been in a row with Iraq over the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, as well as over who should take part in the offensive in the largely Sunni Muslim city of Mosul, once part of the Ottoman empire and still seen by Turkey as firmly within its sphere of influence.

Erdogan has warned of sectarian bloodshed if the Iraqi army relies on Shi'ite militia fighters.

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged Turkey had legitimate security concerns in Iraq but added that Washington had been clear that "no military should be operating in areas (of Iraq) where they aren't invited expressly."

"We have been working behind the scenes to get the Iraqis and the Turks to come to an understanding about how we're going to move forward on Mosul," the official said.

Carter steered clear of directly commenting on the matter ahead of his talks in Turkey. He acknowledged the United States was partnering with both Iraq and Turkey in the fight against ISIS.

"These are two close friends of ours. In the case of Turkey, it's a NATO ally. And we want to keep everybody focused on the objective here, which is to defeat ISIS, because that is a threat to all three of us," Carter said.
"The siege and bombardment of eastern Aleppo, are not simply tragedies; they also constitute crimes of historic proportions," Zeid said. (Photo: AP)

Geneva: The UN human rights council opened a special session on Syria's devastated city Aleppo on Friday, with rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein demanding action against "crimes of historic proportions."

The session, called by Britain, is seeking a resolution condemning gross abuses especially in Aleppo's rebel-held east where an estimated 250,000 civilians are besieged by a brutal government offensive backed by Russia.

"The siege and bombardment of eastern Aleppo, are not simply tragedies; they also constitute crimes of historic proportions," Zeid said.

Calling Syria's more than five-year civil war "a proxy conflict", he urged parties to the fighting to set aside "global gamesmanship".

The head of the United Nations's commission of inquiry for Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, reiterated a call for the International Criminal Court to probe violations in the war-ravaged country.

While rights council resolutions are non-binding, regime ally Russia is expected to push back against any draft strongly condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The session, also supported by France, Germany and the United States as well as Assad rival Turkey, is aiming to adopt a resolution later Friday.
London: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday called for "give and take" in negotiations with the European Union (EU) on the UK's exit from the 28-nation economic bloc.

During her first EU summit since she became PM following the Brexit vote and on her 100th day in office, May held meetings with her EU colleagues including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"I recognise the scale of the challenge ahead, I am sure there will be difficult moments, it [Brexit] will require some give and take," she told reporters.

"But I firmly believe that if we approach this in a constructive spirit, as I am, then we can deliver a smooth departure and build a powerful new relationship that works both for the UK and for the countries of the EU, looking for opportunities, not problems," she said.

May said she aimed to "cement Britain as a close partner of the EU once we have left", with the country able to control its immigration but trade freely with the EU and would seek a "mature cooperative relationship" with the EU.

"The UK will continue to face similar challenges to our European neighbours, we will continue to share the same values, so I want a mature, cooperative relationship with our European partners," she said.

She had arrived for the two-day summit yesterday, stressing that the UK was leaving the EU but would "continue to play a full role" until then and be a "strong and dependable" partner after that.

She was given a few minutes at the end of a working dinner yesterday to talk about the latest Brexit news, which was reportedly met with silence from other EU leaders.
Iraqi and Kurdish forces have seized territory around Mosul in recent days in preparation for a long-anticipated offensive on the last major stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq. (Photo: AFP)

Ankara: The Turkish Red Crescent is sending trucks of aid to northern Iraq with enough food and humanitarian supplies for 10,000 people displaced by fighting in Mosul, the president of the agency said on Friday.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have seized territory around Mosul in recent days in preparation for a long-anticipated offensive on the last major stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq. Turkey has warned of a potential wave of refugees.

"In the first stage, we are sending this aid to the nearly 30 villages around Mosul that have been liberated. There are 3,000 to 4,000 people on the move from those villages, the trucks aim to reach them," Kerem Kinik, president of the Turkish Red Crescent, told Reuters.

The 20-truck convoy is carrying supplies including dried food, clothing and several hundred tents and beds. It also has enough clothing for as many as 35,000 people.

Kinik said between 150,000-400,000 people could ultimately be displaced from Mosul and that additional camps, on top of more than 40 already in place, were being built by Turkish aid agencies in northern Iraq in preparation.

"In a bad scenario, a new refugee camp, one for 100,000 people, could be built. The current camps are for 20,000 people," Kinik said, adding that the Red Crescent was working in coordination with northern Iraq's regional government and with the United Nations' humanitarian arm, OCHA.
Identified as Grant Davies, the accused was a director at RG dance studio in west London's Chiswick. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

Chiswick, London: A paedophile dance teacher who sexually abused several students and made child pornography has been jailed for 18 years.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the 41-year-old accused was arrested in May 2015 after he pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of nine victims, including raping a child.

Identified as Grant Davies, the accused was a director at RG dance studio in west London's Chiswick.

During his trial at the Downing Centre District Court, prosecutors said that Davies had groomed most of his students at the dance school. He had also forced some girls to wear crop tops during dance sessions.

In their testimony, some of the victims told the court that their dance teacher forced them to wear such short clothes that barely covered their private parts. Some of the girl victims said that they were banned from wearing bras while the boys said that they were ordered to wear a g-string or no underwear at all.

Another girl said that Davies raped her every Thursday night when he drove her home from the dance classes.

He was also accused of forcing his victims to stay awake at night by sending them sexually charged messages.

The court also heard that Davies had forced a mother to send him naked photographs of her minor daughters.

Davies was sentenced to a maximum jail term of 24 years. However, he would currently be jailed for 18 years and will be eligible for a parole in 2034.
Islamabad: Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin has sought Pakistan military's help over Kashmir issue and mocked India's claims of "surgical strikes" in PoK.

"The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions. Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the mujahideen," Dawn newspaper quoted Salahuddin as saying.

Salahuddin, who is also chairman of and United Jihad Council (UJC), also promised to change the map of the region.

"If the mujahideen get military support, not only Kashmir will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change," he said.

Without elaborating the details of military support he asked for, Salahuddin said Indian military power cannot be defeated through diplomacy.

Mocking India's "surgical strikes" claims, he said Indian troops did not have the courage or capability to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to conduct any such operation.

"The propaganda has made India a laughing stock in the comity of nations," he said.
Islamabad: A petition seeking Field Marshal's status for Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was on Friday dismissed by the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.

When judge asked the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose, Dawn reported today.

In his order, Justice Farooq said: "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law." The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed".

Petitioner Sardar Adnan Saleem had sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest.

The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Sharif launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.

It said Sharif had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

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.

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.

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.
Islamabad: Pakistan's top court has ruled that schizophrenia does not fall within its legal definition of mental disorders, clearing the way for the execution of a mentally ill man convicted of murder.

Government doctors in 2012 certified Imdad Ali, 50, as being a paranoid schizophrenic, after he was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2001 murder of a cleric. His lawyers say Ali is unfit to be executed as he is unable to understand his crime and punishment, and that doing so would violate Pakistan's obligations under a United Nations (UN) treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

However, a three-judge bench of Pakistan's Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali, ruled that schizophrenia is "not a permanent mental disorder".

"It is, therefore, a recoverable disease, which, in all the cases, does not fall within the definition of 'mental disorder'," the judges said in Thursday's verdict. The verdict relied on two dictionary definitions of the term 'schizophrenia', as well as a 1988 judgement by the Supreme Court in neighbouring India.

The American Psychological Association defines schizophrenia as: "a serious mental illness characterised by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, and delusions or hallucinations, such as hearing voices".

Dr Tahir Feroze, a government psychiatrist who has treated Ali for the last eight years of his incarceration, says he and two other doctors certified Ali's condition in 2012. Ali suffers from delusions that he controls the world, is persecuted and he hears voices in his head that command him, according to Feroze and Safia Bano, Ali's wife. "He is completely delusional," said Bano .

Ali's lawyer, Sarah Belal, says the government report certifying Ali's condition had never been presented in court before 2016. In its judgment, the court dismissed the medical records and an affidavit from Feroze. The verdict is "outrageous", said the rights group Reprieve, which is based in Britain.

"It is outrageous for Pakistan's Supreme Court to claim that schizophrenia is not a mental illness, and flies in the face of accepted medical knowledge, including Pakistan's own mental health laws," said Maya Foa, Reprieve's director.

Pakistan has executed 425 people since reintroducing the death penalty in 2014, following a massacre at a Peshawar school where Taliban gunmen killed more than 150 people. Ali could now be executed as early as Wednesday.

As a last resort, his wife said she would seek forgiveness for her husband from the heirs of the murder victim, a feature of Islamic law used in Pakistan that might help avert execution. "We have contacted some people who are close to his family," she said. "But they have so far refused to meet us."
The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday stayed the execution of B A Umesh (Umesh Reddy), a former police constable convicted for raping and murdering a woman named Jayashree Maradi Subbaiah in 1998.





A division bench of Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice R B Budihal gave time to the state government to file objection to Reddys petition for commutation of his death sentence. The Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence for the convict on October 3, 2016, prompting the authorities of Hindalga jail, Belagavi, to make preparations for his execution.



Reddy then moved the High Court and sought stay on execution, arguing that there was a delay of two years and three months in the disposal of a mercy petition he had filed before the President. He said that he had been under solitary confinement for the last 10 years, had developed a mental illness and was taking antipsychotics.



The psychiatrist, who diagnosed his mental illness, recommended that he be treated at Nimhans, Bengaluru. The convict further argued that being so ill, he was unable to convey his health position in his mercy petition to the President. This led to the decision to reject his mercy petition. The next hearing has been adjourned for 15 days.


The High Court on Thursday directed the state government, deputy commissioner (Urban) and tahsildar not to take over or demolish SS Hospital belonging to former minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa at Ideal Homes Township in Rajarajeshwarinagar.





Justice S Abdul Nazeer disposed of a petition filed by SS Hospital seeking directions to quash the notice issued by the tahsildar. The tahsildar had issued a notice to the hospital directing it to hand over the property, contending that it was located on kharab/halla land.



However, the petitioner contended that the property belongs to the BDA and the petitioner had taken the site on lease for a period of 30 years, of which 19 years had elapsed. The judge, quashing the notice issued by the tahsildar, disposed of the petition.
A petition seeking Field Marshal's status for Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was today dismissed by the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.





Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.



When judge asked the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose, Dawn reported today.



In his order, Justice Farooq said: "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law."

The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed".

Petitioner Sardar Adnan Saleem had sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest.



The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Sharif launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.



It said Sharif had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.



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.



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.



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.
Over five dozen Tihar inmates, who were transferred to Mandoli Jail on Thursday, will have a busy time with the jail authorities ensuring a fully functional bakery, a carpentry unit, apart from other vocational centres at the new jail.





The inmates, who are convicts from the Tihar jail, were on Thursday transferred to six prisons of Mandoli jail constructed by the Public Works Department four years back.



For now we have transferred convicts from Tihar. We want to use the least transport and since Mandoli is far off, so we will gradually fill the rest of the jails. The undertrials and the accused would be shifted in the coming months, said Sudhir Yadav, Director General (Prisons) told Deccan Herald, adding, the jail would be similar to Tihar in terms of bakery, carpentry unit and other vocational units.



About 200 personnel were deployed in the jail as a security measure.

The jail was not used earlier because of shortage of manpower to maintain the safety and security there. We made necessary arrangements to ensure security following which the transfer was made today, the DG said.



In Tihar Jail, inmates have been making biscuits, cookies, handlooms, paintings which are sold all throughout the year as gifting options at various places, demand of which shoots up during Diwali and other festive season.



We receive special orders during the Diwali season including the government departments, Delhi Transport Corporation etc. These orders include cookies, products from bakeries and handlooms, said Mukesh Prasad, PRO, Tihar Jail.



The products made by the inmates are sold at as many as nine outlets in the city with many more such stores to be started. The products, which have also featured at various exhibitions, have clients like Parliament House, New Delhi, High Court of Delhi, All District Courts of Delhi, Department of Education and Government of Delhi to name a few.



Central Jail, Tihar was set up in 1958 on the land of Tihar Village and has a capacity of as many as 11,000 odd inmates.


Karva Chauth turned tragic for a local BJP leaders wife after her husband was shot dead by an unidentified man at his residence-cum-office in Mubarak Purs Pravesh Nagar area in outer Delhi on Wednesday night.





Police said that the victim, 42-year-old Asha Ram Gautam, was a witness in a murder case of an acquaintance, which took place around Diwali last year, and was scheduled to

testify in court in the coming days.



The police also stated that they are investigating the case from all possible angles.

Asha Ram, a property dealer, was sitting in his office, on the ground floor, around 8.30pm on Wednesday when a tall, fair-skinned youth entered the house and shot him once in the chest with a country-made weapon.



The police said the shooter managed to escape and neighbours rushed the bleeding victim to the nearby Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.



Asha Rams wife Sunita, an eyewitness to the incident, registered a case at Aman Vihar police station around 1.15 am on Thursday.



The neighbours criticised police for rising crime in Aman Vihar area.



They said that they have often written to the authorities and complained about non-working street lights, rising crime rates and inefficiency of beat cops in the area.

Crime rate has increased and the police are doing nothing about it. We dont get to see the beat cops in the area. When we do, they act like demigods, one of the neighbours alleged.



So many crimes have been reported in the area over the last year. But no action has been taken, she accused.



He was our leader. Asharams family has always taken good care of us, said another, adding, The shooter managed to escape due to the non-working street lights. We have often written to authorities about it.



The neighbours also claimed that despite the police station being 20 minutes away  by car  the cops arrived at the crime scene nearly an hour after the incident.



Asha Ram Gautam was district vice president of the BJPs SC/ST cell in Kirari legislative area.



His mother, wife, two sons and a daughter have survived him. He has three brothers, who also live in Pravesh Nagar area.


This year, the organisers of the famed Hasanamba festival in Hassan, seem to be in no mood to bend the rules backwards as they have avoided playing politics leaving the jatra, on its second day, receiving mixed responses from visitors.





While thousands of devotees thronged the Hasanamba temple to have a darshan of the deity on Friday, some VIP visitors including MLA H D Revanna, were left high and dry.



Speaking to media persons later, Revanna said the district administration did not extend formal invitation to the JD(S) legislators and even to former prime minister Deve Gowda.



Revanna, who was upset over the district administration for neglecting the elected representatives, had to stand in a long queue for two hours with the public on Thursday night to offer prayers to the goddess. He also offered a saree to the deity. On Friday morning however, he again paid obeisance to the deity by purchasing a special ticket.



Actor Shiv Rajkumar, along with his wife Geetha, actor Bullet Prakash, Brahmanda Guruji and others also visited the temple on Friday. After offering prayers Shiv Rajkumar said, though he had heard about the deity, he got the opportunity to visit the temple only this year.



Around 30,000 devotees offered prayers on the second day. The devotees were offered avalakki prasad'. Speaking to DH, temple administrative officer H L Nagaraju said with holidays round the corner more number of devotees are expected to visit the temple.



Passes returned



In another incident, MLA H S Prakash on Friday returned the VIP passes issued by the district administration to enter Hasanamba temple. He objected to the pass as it was date specific and rued that he would not be allowed entry on the other days.



Timetable sought



Meanwhile, BJP rural president Agile Yogesh criticised the authorities for not displaying a fixed timetable which would enable devotees to visit the temple in the stipulated hours.



He threatened that if the temple management do not prepare the schedule immediately, the locals would stage a protest in front of the temple wearing black bands.



He stated that since thousands of devotees were visiting the temple from across the state, a fixed timetable would help them get a good darshan of the deity.

DH News Service
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leaders demanded the government to release water into canals to save crops, announce waiver of farm loans and take necessary measures to mitigate drought.





They also threatened to stage protest during the Chief Ministers visit to the city on October 27, if their demands are not met with.



Addressing the reporters at Jaladarshini Guest house here, KRRS general secretary Badagalpura Nagendra lamented that both the Centre and the state government are reluctant to address farmers problems. The government has decided to release water into canals from Kabini reservoir for six days but it will not help the farmers as the water will not reach the tail-end villages.



He demanded the government to release 1,800 cusecs of water per day for 10 days continuously in three phases. Around 30% of crops have already withered due to shortage of water, he said.



Compensation



On the issue of compensation, the KRRS leader alleged that the governments - Centre and the state - are following unscientific methods in fixing the compensation for crop loss. While the farmers have incurred a loss of Rs 46,000 loss per acre of paddy, the government has fixed a compensation of Rs 5,650 per hectare. Karnataka Agriculture Commission has prepared a report on expenses incurred for cultivation and the government must fix the compensation based on the Commissions report, he demanded.



Despite the fact that the price of sugar has doubled in a year or two, sugar cane farmers are not getting their due. Sugar is sold at Rs 40 per kg, while it was Rs 23 two years back year. But, the growers are getting only Rs 2,365 per tonne of sugar cane. He blamed the sugar factory owners for not giving the cane growers their due and demanded the state government to announce an MSP of Rs 3,000 per tonne of sugar cane.



With the sugarcane growers suffering huge losses, area of sugarcane cultivation has been decreased and the farmers are migrating to other places seeking employment.Nagendra demanded waiver of farm loans both by the state and the Centre.



Nagendra said that a large number of farmers from Mandya, Mysuru rural and Chamarajanagar districts are migrating to Bengaluru and Mysuru city in search of jobs.



He said that as many as one lakh people from Mandya district alone has migrated to Bengaluru. Nearly 3,000 farmers come to Mysuru city from Chamarajanagar everyday and work as daily wagers.



Farmer leaders K M Puttaswamy, Lokesh Raje Urs, Sargur Natraj, Hosur Kumar, Bannur Krishnappa, Belagola Subramanya, Prabhakar womens wing president Netravathi were present.




Every four years, pundits race to anoint this or that newfangled tech trend as the next disruptive force to forever alter the mechanics of American democracy. The 2016 campaign has already been called the Snapchat election, the Periscope election, the Meerkat election, the Twitter election, the Facebook election and the meme election. (If there were a vomit emoji, Id insert one here. And then wed have the emoji election.)



Yet, for months, this bizarre campaign has been defined less by cutting-edge technology than by one of the most established: email. Its 2016, and were blessed with an embarrassment of ways to securely and conveniently communicate with one another. But all anyone can talk about is Hillary Clintons damn emails.



This column is not about the real or imagined scandals exposed by caches of Clintons and her campaign staffs messages, which, thanks to the State Department, Russian hackers, Judicial Watch and WikiLeaks, now regularly spill into public view.



Instead, lets examine a more basic mystery buried in the emails: Why were all these people discussing so much over email in the first place? Havent they heard of phone calls? Face-to-face meetings in dimly lit Washington parking garage? Anyplace else where their conversations werent constantly being recorded, archived and rendered searchable for decades to come?



The answer, of course, is that email is as tempting as it is inescapable, for Clinton as well as for the rest of us. More than 50 years after its birth, email exerts an uncanny hold on all of our internal affairs. But everything must meet its maker, and for email, that time is nigh.



The sudden exposure of the Clinton campaign email cache is perhaps the ultimate evidence that weve all overcommitted to email  weve put too much in it, expected too much from it, and now, finally, were seeing the spectacular signs of its impending destruction.



Email is simply not up to the rigours of modern political and business life. It lulls us into a sense of unguarded security that it never delivers. It entices us to spill our darkest secrets, and then makes those secrets available to any halfway decent hacker.



The latest Clinton emails come from the hacked Gmail account of John D Podesta, Clintons campaign chairman. I emailed the campaign to ask about the breach and email security practices, but I got no response (maybe theyve shied away from email?).



The campaign has refused to confirm the authenticity of the messages, which speaks to one of the shortcomings of email: It can easily be forged, so theres no good way for anyone reading those messages to confirm that they really are the Clinton campaigns.



But whats most striking about the Podesta cache is how central email has been to the campaigns operations. In 2016, presidential campaigns, like all large enterprises, are far-flung operations. Lots of people in lots of different places are trying to plan things together. To the extent theres any centrality to the organisation, its in email communication.



You can see why this can be handy. Having a single place to discuss everything makes teams more efficient. In the Clinton campaign, email is used as a way to convey news, to set out tactics and strategy, to theorise, to push back, to gossip. Its used in place of phone calls and face-to-face meetings; its used as an instant messenger, a daily calendar and a collaborative whiteboard.



It suggests that they hadnt had their sense of security punctured yet, said Adam Segal, an expert on cybersecurity at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of The Hacked World Order. Once you have had that breached, you dont go back to that world where you write down sensitive things in email. If you have something sensitive to say, youre going to use the phone or walk down the hallway.



One thread from the spring of 2015 is instructive, suggesting both emails advantages and its enormous flaws. Over the course of three days, a half dozen senior members of the campaign used email to discuss a sensitive topic: Should the campaign allow people who lobby on behalf of foreign governments, known as registered foreign agents, to raise donations on its behalf?



Experts on the issue went over the legal and political ramifications, and various members weighed in on two ideas  take no money from foreign agents, or take some money on a case-by-case basis, depending on the foreign government the agent represented. (Canada would be OK; North Korea would not.)



By the second day of discussions, the thread was getting long and going nowhere, so Robby Mook, the campaign manager, proposed a quick phone call to hash out the idea. He almost apologised for suggesting a call, which he worried was too grown-up, too processy.



The phone call apparently happened. But in the Clinton campaign, even a phone call needed to be documented in email. So after the call, another staff member reported on the decision made during the call: to bar any donations from foreign agents. But it didnt end there. Marc E Elias, the campaigns general counsel, then chimed in to say that he hadnt been on the call but that he opposed the ban on foreign donations, which he said would feel arbitrary.



That set off another round of discussions, sparking annoyance among some people on the thread. Finally, Mook wrote in to say that thanks to Elias, he had changed his mind, and was now leaning toward taking money from foreign agents. Are you guys OK with that? he asked. That prompted the kicker from Jennifer Palmieri, campaigns communications director: Take the money!! she wrote from her iPhone.



Modern communication systems



In the days following WikiLeaks publication, this thread became a campaign issue. Donald Trump even drew attention to Palmieris line at a rally this week. But it didnt have to be so.



A more modern communication system, something like Slack or HipChat, could still be hacked, but would have allowed for a central administrator to set an archiving policy. After a few days or weeks, this sort of conversation would have been erased.



But theres something even more pernicious than weak security here. The deeper problem with email is that it has never quite settled on a social mode. An email can be as formal as a legal letter or as tossed off as drive-by insult. This invites confusion.



For instance, in context, Palmieris Take the money!! doesnt sound so bad  it looks like a quick, half-cheeky way to end an overlong discussion. If it were said on a phone call or an instant message, Take the money would have sounded like an entirely normal way to end the conversation. But email comes with no expectations. Because everything else in the thread sounds serious, Palmieris ending line can easily be coloured as more sinister.



Finally, its worth noting how much time and how many emails  more than a dozen  it took the group to arrive at its decisions. Email sometimes tricks us into feeling efficient, but it rarely is. Because its asynchronous, and because there are no limits on space and time, it often leads to endless, pointless ruminations.



If they had ditched email and held a 15-minute meeting, members of the campaign could have hashed out the foreign-agent decision more quickly in private. In other words, limits often help. Get on the phone, make a decision, ditch your inbox. The world will be better off for it.


A peace symposium organised in the city on Friday addressed some global concerns of violence, conflict and disregard for human rights, that are plaguing our society.



The symposium Universal Respect for Human Dignity: The Great Path to Peace was based on the 2016 Peace Proposal by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) president Daisaku Ikeda who has been formulating a peace proposal every year and submitting it to United Nations.



In his 2016 peace proposal, Ikeda proposed three areas that require prompt and coordinated action from governments and the civil society. His proposals were titled: Humanitarian aid and human rights protection, ecological integrity, and disaster risk reduction. SGI, is a Buddhist association of more than 12 million members spread in 192 countries.



Among the key speakers were Smita Srinivas, Head, School of Economic Development, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Corinne Kumar, Founder, World Courts of Women; and Ramnath Narayanswamy, Professor Economics and Social Sciences, IIMB who shared their insights on the peace proposal, at the programme organised by Soka Gakkai Internationals (SGI) Indian affiliate, Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) .



Smita Srinivas focused on issues in economic development and health as a way to respond to the wider concerns that were raised in the proposal on human dignity. She pointed out that a changing world of multilateralism, away from the nation-state, could offer increased opportunities in professional engagement with overt value propositions.



Ikeda, who was conferred with the Peace award from United Nations in 1983, has been striving to formulate peace proposals that go beyond diagnosing obstacles to peace and instead provide solutions that encompass attitudinal changes.




Knowledge of coding and programming languages has become an essential skill in the 21st century, with children as young as seven years showing their prowess in the field.





Quest Alliance, a non-profit trust, is making sure students in government schools are not left behind. Since June 2015, the organisation has been teaching concepts of coding to Class 9 students in the Government High School in Kadugodi. Using a free visual programming language known as Scratch and with support from Advanced Micro Devises (AMD), they taught 150 students to create short interactive animations using the application. The task of introducing students to programming concepts such as looping, sequencing and parallelism had not been easy.



When I first went to the school, I realised that the children did not even know how to switch on the computer. Though they had systems in their lab, only a few of them had practical lessons. Before getting to Scratch, I had to introduce them to basic things like files and folders, said Anushree K Nilankar, one of the facilitators. Lack of familiarity meant that, initially, most students skipped the class.



Regular school hours were from 11 am to 4 pm and my session was at 9.30 am. I used to wait till 10.30 am sometimes for students to come in but only 5 to 10 of about 40 would turn up. The students, who did attend the sessions, enjoyed them. Word spread and soon curiosity brought all the students to class at 9.30 am sharp.



New concepts were introduced through games and other activities before they practised on the application. The school had eight computers which were supplemented with extra systems so that there were enough for students to work in pairs.



The children loved making animation projects on Scratch and they used the application to tell interactive stories about their school, families and friends. They found it so interesting that if a teacher was absent, they would request the headmistress to take a class. Some would even skip lunch and come to learn, Nilankar added.



At the end of the academic year, students had to make projects and present them to a jury. The winning projects received activity kits. From not knowing how to operate a computer, the students became adept at Scratch and many even expressed interest in pursuing an advanced course in coding.



A similar programme had also been implemented in a school in Hyderabad. After conducting surveys to evaluate the impact of the programme, Quest Alliance is in the process of developing a structured curriculum around Scratch so that more schools can adopt it.



We are creating instructional videos, workbooks, activities and even a facilitators guide so that any school can adopt this method without having to depend on our facilitators, said Abhijeet Mehta, associate director of Quest Alliance. Besides continuing the programme in the Kadugodi school, they intend to introduce it in Class 8 and even take it to other government schools.


Seven Pakistani Rangers were killed on Friday after the BSF launched an aggressive offensive against a ceasefire violation by Pakistan on the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.



A BSF constable, Gurnam Singh, was also injured in the sniper attack launched by Pak Rangers in Hira Nagar sector of Jammu Frontier at 9:35 am, the BSF said in a statement. During intermittent firing of small arms and area weapon, one militant and seven rangers were shot dead, it said.



In what could be a confirmation about the incident from Pak side, the BSF also referred to source input received by the Indian force claiming that a media organisation is running a news item claiming five Pak Rangers death. This is the second time in less than a month that India has officially publicised its acts on Pakistani forces and terror launch pads inside Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). In an unprecedented manner on September 28, India announced that it conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads by crossing the Line of Control (LoC).



Fridays attack came hours after the BSF foiled an audacious infiltration bid in Bobiyan of the Hira Nagar sector. One terrorist was killed in this incident when 4-6 militants tried to cross the border under the cover firing from the Pakistani side.



Officials said the Pak Rangers targeted the BSF domination along the International Boundary in the same area on Friday morning also. Constable Singh received bullet injury in the Pak firing and was evacuated with cover fire to GMC Jammu. Doctors said his condition was critical. Singhs injury was also one of the determining factors in an aggressive retaliation to the Pak firing. The firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated and that has claimed the casualties of Pak Forces.



The BSF is on high alert all along the International Border and ready to foil any infiltration attempt, the statement said. With these incidents, the number of ceasefire violations along the International Border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 31 after the surgical strikes by the Indian Army in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on September 28.



The sniper fire was not the lone ceasefire violation in the past 24 hours. There was another ceasefire violation at Pargwal belt of the Akhnoor sector of Jammu district and along the Line of Control in Rajouri sector.


Former deputy prime minister L K Advani on Friday paid his condolences to the family of his one-time close associate and senior RSS functionary K Gopinath, who passed away earlier this month.





Advani visited the residence of Gopinaths brothers K Narahari and Suryanarayana Rao in Srirampuram on Friday. BJP sources said Gopinath was one of the closest associates of Advani, when he was lodged in Central Jail during Emergency. Gopinath was in charge of message communication to Advani during those days. Both Narahari and Suryanayana Rao are also associated with the RSS. Gopinath served as the state treasurer of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jan Sangh.



Advani will visit the HAL Helicopter Division in Bengaluru on Saturday following an invitation by the defence public sector undertaking. Advani is a member of the parliamentary committee on public undertakings. He will leave for New Delhi in the evening.



MLC Ramachandra Gowda was the sole BJP leader to greet Advani when he arrived in Bengaluru by a special flight at the HAL Airport on Friday.



In was only during the evening that BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and a few BJP legislators, including Suresh Kumar and C T Ravi, called on Advani at the star hotel where he is staying. A majority of the senior party leaders had no prior information about Advanis visit to Bengaluru.
Five days after the murder of RSS activist and BJP worker Rudresh, his children still dont know their father is no more.



Rudresh was hacked to death by two bike-borne assailants on Kamaraj Road near Commercial Street on Sunday when he was returning home after attending an RSS Patha Sanchalana (route march).



Rudreshs son is studying Class I and the daughter is in Upper Kindergarten in a private school. Vidya, Rudreshs wife, told DH: Whenever the children the ask us about their father, we tell them that he is hospitalised with injuries on his neck. They also ask us for the mobile phone to talk to their father. But we divert their attention. It seems they have no idea about what is happening as a number of people are visiting us. We have to first come to terms with the death and then break it to the children.



Rudresh had been to Kemmannugundi and returned only on October 14 and got busy with the RSS Patha Sanchalana work. Recalling the fateful day, Vidya said Rudresh was busy with the family members as they were preparing food for 700 persons, who were taking part in the route march. Rudresh had taken the responsibility of arranging the food. Rudresh could not participate in the march, as he was busy helping us in the cooking. Around 9.15 am, Rudresh, with his friends, took the food to RBANMs grounds. He attended the final prayer and distributed food. His daughter was also with him. Rudresh asked his brother Uday Kumar to drop her home and told him he would come later, added Vidya.



Rudresh said he would come home after distributing the remaining food to an orphanage. While he was on Kamaraj Road, he stopped to speak to his friends when the incident took place, said Uday Kumar.



Rudresh could not fulfil his dream of joining the Army for various reasons, so he wanted his elder son to be part of the Army. Rudreshs father-in-law Yadavan said, He did not face any cases and was friendly with everyone. He is known for his charity work. I am not telling this just because he is my son-in-law, but people can check with any one in the area.



Asked about the police investigation, the family said the police are being fair and have sought time to crack the case.

Cong reward for info on killers



The KPCC Legal Cell on Friday announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone providing information about persons responsible for the murder of RSS worker Rudresh recently in Bengaluru.



The BJP is trying to politicise the murder. The saffron partys charges that law and order has collapsed, are baseless. The BJP leaders are making such charges as they have not been able to digest developmental work being taken up by the Congress government, Dhananjay of the legal cell told reporters.
The state BJP on Friday sought Governor Vajubhai Valas intervention in what the party has termed as a spate of killings and attacks on members of the Sangh Parivar in the state in the last three years.



A delegation, led by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, met Vala at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru and submitted a list of persons affiliated to Sangh Parivar who had been killed or injured during the last three years after the Congress government took over the reins of power.



A memorandum submitted by the delegation to Vala notes that the Governor should impress upon the state government that the cases be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The BJP leaders stated that RSS worker Rudresh, who was murdered in Bengaluru on Sunday, was the latest victim in the spate of attacks.



Derailing probes



The BJP has stated that it suspected that the killings are on account of an unholy nexus between Jihadists and Marxists. The killings also reflected on the collapse of the law and order situation in the state, the party stated.



The government has been systematically diverting and derailing probes attributing the killings to either financial disputes or personal feuds in order to prejudice the investigating agencies, the memorandum stated.



Only the NIA can unearth the motive and expose the perpetrators of the crimes, BJP leaders told the Governor.



Parameshwara briefs governor



Home Minister G Parameshwara also called on Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan and briefed him about the law and order situation in the state.



Parameshwara told reporters after the meeting that he had voluntarily decided to meet the Governor to brief him about the recent developments in the state.



He said the BJP was making false claims that the law and order scene in the state had collapsed.

List of attacks

The following is the list of attacks on and murders of Sangh Parivar members in the last three years, according to the BJP:



* March 2014: N Srinivas, husband of former BJP corporator R Manjula Devi, hacked to death in KR Puram, Bengaluru.



* August 2014: Phanindra, an RSS volunteer, attacked at Vidyaranyapura, Bengaluru.



* April 2016: Raju Kotian hacked to death at Ulla Mogaveerapatna.



* May 2016: Ashwath, vice-president of Attibele Gram Panchayat, hacked to death.



* June 2016: Ramesh V, RSS volunteer, attacked in Upparpet.



* June 2016: BJP ZP member Yogishwar Gaudar stabbed to death in Dharwad.



* Aug 2016: Praveen Poojary murdered in Kushalnagar, Kodagu district, while returning home after participating in Tiranga Yatra.



* October 2016: Dileep, RSS volunteer, assaulted near Muthyalanagar in Bengaluru.



* October 2016: R Rudresh, RSS volunteer, murdered in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru.
Indias first flight under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) may take off in January with a Rs 2,500 fare cap for a 500 km flight.



However, fliers on major routes will have to pay a cess to bankroll the programme. Unveiling UDAN four months after a draft was published, the government on Friday said the scheme would jumpstart the regional aviation market but made it clear that it is unable to agree with the airlines criticism against a very small levy.



The notification on the quantum of levy will be issued in next two days while the executive order is likely to come up by month end.



The decision immediately drew flak from airlines, which demanded that the government fund the programme and not penalise fliers. The unique market-based scheme  Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik or UDAN (Let the common man fly)  has undergone changes from the draft stages as it now covers 150-800 km instead of 250-800 km. It also has enhanced subsidy under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for airlines winning the route in an auction, likely in January.



The limit of RCS airfare will vary from Rs 1,420 to Rs 3,500 for fixed-wing aircraft. For helicopters, a half-an-hour ride under the scheme will cost Rs 2,500 and for over one-hour duration, the cap will be fixed at Rs 5,000.



The scheme will be in operation for 10 years and it envisages providing connectivity to unserved and under served airports through their revival.



We are cautiously optimistic about the scheme. We need economically viable schemes in reasonable time frame and it cannot be devoid of economics, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said at a press conference.



Hawai chappal walein ko bhi hawai jahaaz pe yatra karne ka mouka milna chahiye (Those who wear hawai chappals should also get the opportunity to fly), Minister of State Jayant Sinha said.



With this scheme, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said they hope that the annual sale of tickets reaches 300 million by 2022 from the existing 80 million.


Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the Finance Department has been directed to positively consider the Home Departments recommendation to hike the salaries of constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, inspectors, deputy superintendents of police and superintendents of police (non IPS) by 35%.





He was speaking at the Police Commemoration Day at the Karnataka State Reserve Police grounds in Koramangala after paying tributes to the policemen who had laid down their lives in line of duty.



The Committee to Examine Disparities in Pay and Allowance of Police headed by Additional Director General of Police (Recruitment) Raghavendra H Auradkar has submitted its report to Home Minister G Parameshwara. I dont have differences with the Home Minister on implementing the recommendations. I have directed the Finance Department to consider the Home Departments proposal positively, said Siddaramaiah, who holds the Finance portfolio.



Referring to the recent incidents of suicides by a few policemen, the chief minister said, Policemen should think about their families before committing suicide. The government has decided to appoint counsellors in every district to prevent policemen from committing suicide. I request policemen and farmers not to commit suicide.



As many as 473 policemen across the country, including 22 in the state laid down their lives while serving the country in the last one year. I pay rich tributes to them on behalf of the state and the people, he said.



School for police children



Siddaramaiah referred to the deaths of PSIs Mallikarjun Bande and Jagadish while on the duty and DySP Kallappa Handibags suicide. The government considered the three cases as special and extended financial help to their family members, he said.



Policemen serve round-the-clock and hence have very little time for their families. The state government is planning to open CBSE schools for the children of the policemen. The government is constructing a Rs 15-crore residential complex in Bengaluru for policemen coming to the city for official works. A decision has been taken to open police canteen at every unit, Siddaramaiah said.


The plan to use low-flying drones to identify people who defecate in the open has been grounded in Haryana.



Denials apart, the idea met with resistance from villagers. Many felt that the use of drones would tantamount to shaming people who defecate in the open.



S S Phulia, Deputy Commissioner of Yamunanagar district in Haryana, where the use of drones was planned on a pilot basis, told DH on Friday that the purpose has been achieved through consultation with villagers without the use of drones. In fact, Phulia said his district will be open defecation free by November 1.



Sources said the idea to use drones was also to be replicated in a few other areas where the problem was rampant. Yamunanagar may claim to be headed towards achieving the open defecation-free status, but it remains to be seen if authorities would deploy drones in other areas to identify people who defecate in the open.



Sources said people in many areas continue to use open fields for defecation, despite having functional toilets at home. This tendency needed to be curbed, which is why officials felt drones could come in handy, they said. But cameras on drones clicking pictures or recording people defecating in the open may have proved counter-productive, given that such measures bear an inherent risk of inviting strong criticism from people. The use of drones for this purpose has been adopted in some parts of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Yamunanagar lost the race to be declared an open defecation-free district to two others in the state.



As per the original plan, drones were to fly for four hours in the morning everyday in at least six villages in Yamunanagar, where the problem was severe.
The state government is all set to launch work on the controversial steel flyover here even before the Urban Development Department approves its revised plan.



Initially, the flyover was to begin at Basaveshwara Circle and end near the Hebbal flyover. When the government decided to extend the structure till Esteem Mall, it drew up a revised project report.



BDA Engineer-Member P N Nayak told DH the revised plan would be sent for approval soon. Many citizens are opposing the project, but the government is clearly pushing ahead impatiently.



DH reported on Thursday that the government had used bizarre logic to turn down an RTI request, saying the content was private.



A work order will be issued to L&T, the company executing the project, in two to three days, Nayak said. A provision exists in the tender to accommodate changes and variations, he added, justifying the haste. He maintained the cost of the project would cover the extension.



There is thus no need for external funding, he said. Nayak asserted the BDA had enough funds, and didnt have to explain how it was mobilising resources for the project.



Mahendra Jain, BDA Chairman and Additional Chief Secretary Urban Development Department, told DH approval had been given on the basis of the original plan (from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal flyover).



It is mandatory for the government to send extension and cost escalation details to the department. A departmental source said the approval was a formality as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Bengaluru Development Minister K J George had already announced that the flyover would be extended till Esteem Mall.



When DH called L&T, its spokesperson refused to comment. He said the company was not aware of the plan to extend the flyover. We are yet to get the work order. We can comment only after that, he said.




The soak test is on in Brazil at the moment, which means only a small number of users have Android Nougat on the Moto G4 Plus.

The Moto G4 Plus is set to get the Android Nougat update sometime soon. According to reports, the company has started the soak test for the Android 7.0 update on the smartphone. This would make the Moto G4 Plus one of the first non-Google devices to get the update to the newest version of Android.

The soak test is currently running in Brazil, reports say, and users need to download a 953 MB update. Of course, not everyone will get access to it at the moment. The soak test is like a beta period for the update, sent to a small number of people, for testing. However, it means Motorola is almost ready to send the Nougat update to the Moto G4 Plus, and all users should be getting it soon. Updates are also phased usually, which means that Indian users may still have to wait a month or so to get it.

Motorola had earlier revealed a full list of phones that will get the Android 7.0 Nougat update. These include the Moto G (4th Gen), Moto G4 Plus, Moto G Play, Moto X Pure Edition, Moto X Style, Moto X Play, Moto X Force, Droid Turbo 2, Droid Maxx 2, Moto Z, Moto Z Droid, Moto Z Play, Moto Z Play Droid, and the Nexus 6. Of these, the Nexus, of course, has been getting the update already.
According to the leaks, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 may sport a LG 5.7 inch 2K Super AMOLED display with 3D touch

In yet another leak of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Note 2, images of the device have surfaced on the Chinese social networking website Weibo. The leaked images are purportedly slides from a Xiaomi presentation and reveal the specifications and pricing of the new smartphone. According to the slides, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will have a LG 5.7 inch 2K Super AMOLED display with 3D touch. Separately, another image of the Mi Note 2 has surfaced on Weibo that shows the dual-curved edge screen on the front of the phone.

The leaked slides reveal that there will be two variants of the smartphone; one variant may sport 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage while the other will have 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage. Both variants will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC mated to an Adreno 530 GPU.

The Mi Note 2 is expected to sport a dual camera setup with sensors from Sony; a 23MP IMX318 and a 12MP IMX378. There will also be an 8MP front camera. Mi Note 2 might have an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under glass, similar to the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus, with support for Xiaomi Pay and NFC along with an IRIS scanner, though details about the scanner are missing.

There will also be a 4100 mAh battery supporting Qualcomm quick charge 3.0 and a USB C type port instead of a micro USB port.

According to the slides the Mi Note 2 with 4GB RAM variant will be priced at CNY 2799 (approximately Rs. 27,697) while the 6GB RAM variant will cost CNY 2999 (approximatelyRs. 29,676). This contradicts earlier leaks which suggested that the smartphone will cost CNY 5699 (Rs. 56,395 approx).

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun had earlier stated that the Mi Note 2 would come as a surprise. So we will have to wait for the launch on October 25 for the final word on the new smartphone.
Frontier Developments , an AIM-listed video games developer in Cambridge, has appointed Alex Bevis as chief financial officer starting 1 April 2017.

Bevis takes over the role from Neil Armstrong, who will move into an operational role within the company.

He joins the company from his current position as CFO at Xaar, an inkjet technology company also based in Cambridge. Prior to this, Bevis was vice president of finance at Cambridge fabless semiconductor CSR.

Chief Executive David Braben said: "We are delighted to announce Alex's appointment as Chief Financial Officer. His extensive experience in high growth technology companies means he will play an important role as we increase the value of the business by both furthering the success of our existing Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster franchises, and launching new franchises in due course.

The share price fell 0.9% to 197.20p at 0932 BST on Friday.
AIM listed financial services provider STM Group has completed the acquisition of rival London & Colonial Holdings, ahead of the expected timeline, for about 5.3m in order to enter the self-invested personal pension (SIPP) market.

The acquisition is to be financed from STMs cash resources and a new short term bank credit facility and is expected to be earnings enhancing in FY 2017.

The purchase of London & Colonial, which will continue to operate under its brand name and will be fully integrated, was conditional on the delivery the entire voting share capital and regulatory approval from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, with approval already received from the Financial Conduct Authority.

STM will now be able to accommodate returning British expatriates with a SIPP offering as well as growing the business in the country as both STM and London & Colonial will be able to access each other's networks.

London & Colonials UK SIPP business already has approximately 2,000 members and generates a turnover of about 1m and its Gibraltar life assurance business has about 1,200 policyholders and generates a net turnover of about 2m.

While its Gibraltar qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme business has about 300 pensions under management and is expected to be absorbed into the STM's own overseas pensions administration system.

The company is expected to roll-out an in-house technology platform in London and Colonial in the first quarter of 2017, which was designed to be compatible for the life assurance business, the overseas pensions and SIPP business and structured to lead to significant efficiencies and cost reductions.

Alan Kentish, STM chief executive, said: "We are very pleased to have completed the acquisition of London & Colonial ahead of the expected timeline. This illustrates the enthusiasm from both sides to create an enlarged group with greater strength and a collective focus.

"London & Colonial is a very well respected business and one which can continue to prosper with the additional support from STM. We believe this is a clear case of the aggregate of the two businesses being worth significantly more than the sum of the parts."

STM, with operations in Gibraltar, Malta, Jersey and Spain, has an international pensions division which specialises in qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes and qualifying non-UK pension schemes.

Shares in STM Group were up 1.53% to 47.72p at 0809 BST.
In combination with Time Out's curated content, the app will let allow the company's 137m monthly global audience discover, book and share what the world's cities have to offer.

The acquisition will be payable with 1.16m shares with a value of 1.6m based on a share price of 1.393, to be admitted on AIM on 26 October.

A deferred issue of shares worth up to 800,000 is payable 12 months after completion

When Time Out floated in June, the company said it wanted to invest in technology and products to grow e-commerce and expand its team of engineers, and the acquisition is in line with this strategy.

YPlan has invested in the development of an e-commerce platform and associated software for the events industry as well as in customer acquisition marketing, which resulted in the company generating, in the year to 31 December 2015, a pre-tax loss of 6.2m, with subsequent cost base reductions which have materially reduced losses in the current year.

The company said the transaction is expected to be mildly dilutive to Time Out's earnings in the current financial year and broadly neutral in 2017.

Julio Bruno, Time Out Group chief executive, said: "Developing e-commerce and monetising our audience is an important element of our ambitious growth strategy. We acquired YPlan because its advanced technology will significantly accelerate this strategy. It will enable us to offer our large audience more online booking opportunities, whilst improving the user experience.

We look forward to welcoming the highly skilled YPlan employees to the Time Out team. Together we will be stronger than ever to bring our customers the capabilities to make the most of the city and to make Time Out an even better place to discover, book and share."

The company has also recently set up a market in Lisbon and is also due to open a market in Shoreditch, east London.

Shares in Time Out Group were down 0.71% to 140p at 0941 BST.
Theresa May said there would difficult moments in Brexit negotiations, but maintained that a deal could be reached despite trepidations from the EU in sealing a trading deal with Canada.

In her first EU summit as prime minister in Brussels, May said: "I recognise the scale of the challenge ahead. I am sure there will be difficult moments - it will require some give and take.

"But I firmly believe that if we approach this in a constructive spirit, as I am, then we can deliver a smooth departure and build a powerful new relationship that works both for the UK and for the countries of the EU, looking for opportunities, not problems."

A Belgian region has objected Ceta, an EU trade deal with Canada, putting the pact in doubt.

May said she was not looking to adopt a model that another country had but to have a unique one for Britain.

"Obviously we have got negotiations ahead... those negotiations will take time, as I say, there will be some difficult moments, it will need some give and take but I'm optimistic that we can achieve a deal that is right for the UK because I actually think the deal that is right for the UK will also be right for the European Union."

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats gained ground in the Witney by-election on Thursday, a seat vacated by former prime minister David Cameron.

The seat was untimely retained by the conservative party and won by Robert Courts, but the vote fell from 60% to 45%, compared to general election result in 2015, as the Lib Dems came second place as they increased their vote to 30% on a pro-Europe ticket.

The Labour party and Tracy Brabin held the Batley and Spen seat where Jo Cox was killed in June, as the other major parties agreed not to stand.
Theresa May received a polite but cool welcome on her European summit debut on Thursday, with France and Germany warning of a rough ride for Britain as it makes its break from the EU. At her first Brussels gathering of EU leaders, the British prime minister made a confident first intervention on migration, exchanged some sharp words with the chair and turned her hand at drafting a compromise text on Russia policy. Finally, well after midnight, she made a short presentation on Brexit that ran for little more than five minutes and elicited no response.  Financial Times

MPs have voted to strip Sir Philip Green of his knighthood in a symbolic move that adds to the pressure on the retail tycoon over the BHS scandal. The businessmans reputation was dealt a further blow following a debate in which he was labelled a billionaire spiv who should never have received his honour in the first place.  Guardian

Tax experts warned that HM Revenue & Customs was underestimating the size of Britains tax avoidance problem after the agency claimed that Britains annual tax shortfall was only 36bn  a figure that ignored controversial structures used by multinationals such as Google, Apple and Starbucks. Top HMRC officials will face questions from MPs next week over their refusal to challenge tax avoidance by multinational corporations. Members of the public accounts committee are also expected to further investigate HMRCs claims that its compliance team generated record revenues of 26.6bn by chasing down tax dodgers.  Guardian

Brazilian prosecutors have charged 26 people in connection with the Samarco mine disaster last year which killed 19 people. Of those charged, 21 have been accused of qualified homicide. BHP Billiton, which part-owns the iron ore site where the tailings dam collapsed, has rejected the charges and said it would defend the individuals in question.  Telegraph

Two former traders at Investec in London have lost an appeal in a long-running, 6m legal battle with the Anglo-South African bank over bonuses. Andrew Brogden, who had led the structured equity desk at Investec, and his deputy Robert Reid had claimed that the bank had failed to keep to a verbal agreement regarding bonuses for 2010-11, which they had said was made when they joined the firm in 2007.  Telegraph

Fears that workers savings have been put at risk in unsustainable and potentially fraudulent pension schemes have prompted the government to rush through tougher rules designed to tackle rogue operators. After revelations by The Times, the Pensions Schemes Bill has been introduced to address concerns that the biggest change to workplace pensions in generations could be undermined by a mis-selling scandal.  The Times

Morgan Stanley is to collect $120 million in fees from Monsanto for advising on its takeover by Bayer, in one of the largest known payments of its kind. Monsanto will also pay up to $45 million to Ducera Partners, another of its financial advisers, if the deal goes through.  The Times
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Columbus man convicted of aggravated murder in bar shooting

A Franklin County jury convicted a Columbus man for killing one man and wounding another in a 2020 shooting at a Far East Side pub.
Subscriber content preview

The IRS is in the face of Americans like no other agency, even more so since it was handed the job of enforcing the mandate that people carry health insurance.



By ANDREW TAYLOR

Associated Press

WASHINGTON  THE ISSUE: The Internal Revenue Service touches everyone, not just taxpayers but anyone who receives a government check, drives on roads made possible by tax revenue or sends a child to a school helped by Washington.

It's a touch that can come with a heavy hand, in the eyes of critics who believe the agency's far-reaching powers are abused and the agency needs to be cut down to size.





. . .
The total annihilation of Aleppo, in Syria, and of the mausoleums in Timbuktu, in Mali. The demolition of the Twin Towers in New York and of the Mostar bridge in Bosnia. Dresden bombed to rubble in 1945 and medieval Armenian tombstones, desecrated during the 1915 genocide. Over this past century, war against culture  not recognised even today as a crime against humanity  has led to painful, catastrophic results and has become an invincible weapon in wiping out the identity of a people.

This topic is explored in The Destruction of Memory, an impressive 2015 documentary directed by Tim Slade and presented during the Milano Design Film Festival, a true gem of the event. By covering the most dramatic events in our collective memory, this film, based on Robert Bevans book by the same name, has the great power of remembering stories of destruction but also ones of courage and resistance. There are many original images and documents, with many different people interviewed, from UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda, 15 historians, legal experts, architects like Daniel Libeskind who designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin. The key role, however, is played by ordinary people, especially women, who by risking and, often, losing their lives tried to protect what we were and, consequentially, what well be.

The destruction of memory

The destruction of memory is perpetrated not as collateral damage but caused only and exclusively to remove a piece of civilisation, of memory built over time, responds Andrea Kerbaker, a writer and professor of Cultural Institutions and Policies at the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan who presented the film at the event. Taking it out on cultural heritage is, in fact, a totally new factor. Its true, if were dealing with religion, the destruction of monuments and churches has always been done, but whats alarming is how its evolving. Take, for example, the archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad who, captured by a jihadi group, refused to reveal where some works of art were hidden. The other important consideration, continues professor Kerbaker, is the theme of reconstruction. As soon as the opportunity arises, theres an enormous desire to rebuild a lost identity exactly as it had been. For example, what did Milan fix right before rebuilding the city after the war? The Teatro alla Scala: it was damaged during the war, but even before reconstructing the city, Milan began from its opera house, which is the citys true identity.

The destruction of memory

On the one hand, memory  so abstract and immaterial, perhaps impossible to erase  and on the other, architecture  so solid and tangible, made up of bricks, stones and cement. Its almost a paradox. Architecture has always been the custodian of memory. Luckily, we didnt need destruction to realise this. Since the time of the pyramids, architecture has always born witness to the traces man has left behind over time. Getting rid of these means they never existed at all. Rebuilding them means theyve always been there, Andrea Kerbaker concludes.

The destruction of memory

From this point of view, maybe somethings changing: for the first time, the International Criminal Court sentenced someone for a crime against historical monuments, of a symbolic and religious value, protected by UNESCO. Ahmad Al Mahdi Al Faqi, former head of the Islamic Ansar Dine extremist militia, was convicted of war crimes for having taken part in destroying the mausoleums in Timbuktu in northern Mali in 2012. During trial, the first ever of its kind, he declared himself guilty.
Garda inspectors and sergeants are due to begin industrial action tomorrow that could have a severe impact on the public over the coming weeks if their dispute with the government is not resolved.

Over 50 members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and inspectors (AGSI) in Donegal are to begin industrial action tomorrow which could run over the next five weeks.

Tomorrow's action has been described as a light touch action which will see members refusing to use Pulse, the Garda computer system for logging incidents, between 7am and 7pm.

The following Friday sergeants and inspectors will refuse to use Pulse and will not carry out any administrative duties such as detailing members for duty, processing files or responding to correspondence from management in relation to returns or other matters.

The action will then further escalate to take in the four Fridays in November and will coincide with action by members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) who have also decided to go on strike.

The action by AGSI is over winning back a 16.5 per cent pay cut and getting access to the Labour Court.

Strike action by gardai is illegal but AGSI says the decision to take the action will be an individual choice by members.

Could have severe impact

If the action escalates so that both AGSI and GRA are in action at the same time, it could have a severe impact on the county with only a handful of senior officers left working, helped by probationary members, and trainee members.

The members of the armed Regional Support Unit, which is based in Ballyshannon, are not expected to take part in the action.

AGSI vice president, Donegal-based sergeant Paul Wallace, said the withdrawal of service by members would be an individual decision.

We have nowhere else to go and we are at the end of the road and we have to do something, he said. No one is under pressure to withdraw service, its up to them to determine how they feel about how they are being treated. We have tried to access whatever dialogue that is supposed to be place but that is not working. No one is listening and they dont appear to be interested. It is not good when you have a police force that is not happy in its work. It is not a good sign for the country.

He said the offer on the table from the government is the same offer that was made four years ago. He added that whether the action goes ahead or not is not a matter for AGSI but for the government.

In all of the recent disputes, (Dublin Bus, Luas) they (the government) have had to resolve it, and this one could be resolved without having any impact on the public.

We are not looking for a pay rise. We are looking for the money back they said they would give us and for access to the Labour Court.

Chair of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee, Cllr Gerry McMonagle, said the government needed to resource policing properly and make it attractive. He said the action would be concerning if it goes ahead.

I am hoping that it will not get to that stage, he said. We hope that mediation has been set up between them and that they can try to come to an agreement, but I have to say that if we are to encourage more gardai to apply, then parity and equality in pay should be looked at in a proper way.

I certainly would be concerned if gardai go on strike or work on a go slow that would jeopardise peoples safety.

If that is the case, I hope the government takes the necessary steps to ensure people and property are protected.
Up to a dozen Donegal secondary schools could be affected if the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) strike goes ahead as planned this month.

Five Donegal secondary schools have staff represented by ASTI and seven are dual-union schools, with ASTI and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) members on staff.

Youthreach centres and the 15 Donegal Education and Training Board schools will not be affected by the strike. Most teachers at ETB-managed schools and centres are TUI members.

The TUI executive is to meet on Friday to discuss how they will advise their members in dual-union schools to respond in the event of a strike.

Dual-union schools include Carndonagh Community School, Colaiste Cholmcille in Ballyshannon, Pobalscoil Chloich Cheannfhaola in Falcarragh, Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair, Rosses Community School in Dungloe, St. Columbas Comprehensive School in Glenties and the Royal and Prior in Raphoe.

ASTI represents teachers at Loreto Community School in Milford, Loreto Letterkenny, Scoil Mhuire Secondary School in Buncrana, St. Columbas College in Stranorlar and St. Eunans College, Letterkenny.

ASTI also represents teachers in Sligo town at Mercy College Sligo, Ursuline College and Summerhill College.

ASTI has announced plans for seven days of strike action between Oct. 27th and Dec. 7th. ASTI also voted to withdraw supervision and substitution duties from Nov. 7th. The strike action comes largely over demands for pay equality for newly qualified teachers.

Chris Darby, principal of St. Eunans College in Letterkenny, said, As a principal Id just like to see it sorted. He said a strike would be very disruptive for exam students and lead to uncertainty for parents and students.

Wed prefer if it wasnt happening and prefer if everyone got around the table and sorted it sooner rather than later, he said.

Mr. Darby said he agreed that younger teachers should receive equal pay, saying, I think something has to happen there.

He said, Theres an opportunity now in the next two weeks to get around the table, saying he hoped, they just get down to brass tacks and get some sort of deal sorted.

The ASTI executive met with Department of Education officials yesterday. The union has said it remains available for talks without pre-conditions.

Neil Curran, ASTI representative for Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim, said the government has set a pre-condition of ASTI accepting the Lansdowne Road agreement, which ASTI members rejected in June.

The mood is very militant, Mr. Curran said of union members. Eighty per cent of ASTI members voted in favour of strike action.

ASTI members would like to see this sorted once and for all, he said.
Here is something well worth making the trip across Donegal's county border to Leitrim, writes Susan McKay, director of the Glens Centre.

My Name is Saoirse is a play that comes to the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton on Friday 28th October, garlanded with awards and praise.

It won awards in Dublin, Brighton and Edinburgh and got rave four-star reviews from the critics.

The very good reason is that this is a simply wonderful play by one of Irelands most talented young writers, who just happens also to be one of our most brilliant young actresses. Eva OConnor has created in this one-woman show an unforgettably touching portrait of a young girl coming of age in the Ireland of the 1980s. My Name is Saoirse is also very, very funny. One reviewer described the way the play balances touching and funny as mesmerising.

Ms. OConnor says of the 15-year-old Saoirse that her naivety is the naivety of Ireland. Pregnancy and its many possible outcomes are at the heart of the play.

This play explores with great tenderness and compassion questions about how we equip or fail to equip young Irish people with the emotional skills with which to navigate the transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. It takes a hilarious but also painfully clear-eyed look at the way we douse our sexuality in alcohol and deny what we truly feel in favour of performing stereotyped roles which ultimately make nobody happy, female or male.

"My Name is Saoirse is performed by Eva OConnor at 8.30pm on 28th October at the Glens Centre, Manorhamilton.
Over the past few years Donegal students have proven themselves very successful when it comes to doodling and have always been exceptionally creative with their drawings.

Google is once again calling on young people across te county to get doodling for the ninth annual Doodle 4 Google competition which is now live.

This year, students are being encouraged to celebrate innovation and creativity using the theme If I could create anything it would be to inspire their doodle. In April 2017 the overall winning Doodle will be seen by millions of internet users when it appears on the Google.ie homepage.

Speaking at the launch, Ronan Harris, Head of Google Ireland said Innovation and creativity are the driving forces behind everything we do at Google. Here were surrounded by modern day mathematicians, scientists, inventors and artists whose imaginations are key to Googles success.

What better theme to choose for this years competition that to let the students get their creative juices flowing. Were constantly amazed by the level of originality and talent shown by the entrants and we are sure that this year will be no different. 

Open to both primary and secondary schools a judging panel will help narrow down the thousands of entrants to 75 regional winners.The 75 finalists will then have their doodles showcased on the Doodle 4 Google website where the general public will be able to vote for Doodle in each category when voting opens on 7thFebruary 2017.

The Grand Final will then take place on April 3rd where the overall winner will be announced.

The prizes for this years winning doodle will be a 5,000 scholarship towards the students third-level studies. In addition, the winning students school will receive a 10,000 technology grant. Also, each of the five category winners and their teachers will receive Chromebooks.

The deadline for entries is the 26th of November, 2016 and entries can be submitted online.

For more information on the competition please visit http://doodles.google.ie/d4g/.
The most popular utes in Australia are set to go head-to-head on track as part of a new series managed by the team behind V8 Supercars.

Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8 Utes that have supported the category for years will be phased out in 2017 in favour of dual-cab, turbo diesel SuperUtes that are much more relevant to the new car market.

Supercars Australia hopes that a range of utes such as the Toyota HiLux, Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara and Holden Colorado will join the grid.

The series is aimed at privateer competitors rather than multi-million-dollar factory-backed entries.

Tentative technical regulations for the series say that the utes must use their original turbo diesel engine, with power set to be capped at an unspecified level. Driving only the rear wheels, the models must weigh no less than 1800 kilograms and not feature downforce-generating aerodynamic spoilers.

The cars must be rear-wheel-drive, and equipped with a controlled upgrade kit that includes a Motec engine computer as well as control wheels, tyres and brakes to ensure a level playing field. The total cost for converting a new ute into a racing machine is estimated to be $60,000, though teams will also have to pay licence and entry fees to go racing.

The utes will race for the first time in Townsville in July, before heading to Queensland Raceway, Bathurst, Surfers Paradise and the upcoming Newcastle street circuit.
Police have upgraded the traditional patrol car.

Audi has loaned the Lake Illawarra Local Area Command a brand new $180k S7 Sportback for use in its community and youth engagement programs.

The S7 is powered by the German brand's 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol unit that pumps out an impressive 331kW and 550Nm. It is also capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 4.6 seconds and is limited to a top speed of 250km/h.

The livery for the S7 is an interpretation of a design chosen by almost 800 facebook fans, and the cars aim is increase the relationship between the local police and the community.

"Our use of the S7 Sportback will encourage people of all ages to introduce themselves to local police, using the car itself to help start up a conversation." says Commander of Lake Illawarra LAC, Superintendent Zoran Dzevlan.

This isn't the first example of Audi loaning a high-performance vehicle to the NSW Police Force, it previously had sent a RS4 Avant to the same local area command. While Porsche has also ponied up a Panamera and 911 Coupe for use at community events in NSW over the last few years.

The Victorian Police Force earlier this year were loaned a Mercedes-AMG GLE63 Coupe for use as a highway patrol car and to promote in-car safety.
With over 710 million Internet users and 448 million online shoppers, China has the worlds largest Internet population and also the largest eCommerce market. Moreover, the countrys affluent middle class is growing, as is disposable income, and consumers are looking abroad for premium goods and services. With a presence in Beijing and Sydney, Aussie tech start-up Sinorbis is attuned to the massive opportunity these numbers represent for Australian SMBs.

Co-founded by Nicolas Chu, the companys Sydney-based CEO, and Allen Qu, the Beijing-based digital marketing expert who founded Netconcepts China, Sinorbis connects local businesses to the burgeoning population of digital consumers in China through a range of digital marketing services.

Since launching this year, the company has signed with prominent Australian businesses such as BridgeClimb, the REA Group, the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology, Sydney and the University of Tasmania.

Having recently closed a $1.5m seed round, the co-founders are now focused on the launch, early next year, of an online marketing platform which will provide a one-stop-shop for Western companies to generate qualified Chinese leads.

Chu leads the companys Australian sales and technology operations, leveraging his experience implementing major technology platforms for Expedia and Hotelclub. He spoke to Dynamic Business about opportunities for local SMBs to generate sales in China.

Why do Aussies good and services resonate in China?

As Chinese consumers become more affluent, they are looking for high quality services and premium products that enhance their lifestyles. Increasingly, Australian products in China are in demand as the Australia brand is considered to be premium, of high quality, natural, healthy, authentic, and one that Chinese consumers trust. Travel, education, real estate and products associated with wellbeing such as health foods and supplements are particularly attractive to Chinese consumers.

How can local SMB hope to attract Chinese consumers?

Critical to success in the Chinese online market is understanding that it operates very differently to the online landscape in Australia. Australian businesses wanting to attract Chinese buyers would need to:

Invest in a Chinese website, accessible from China;

Take advantage of mobile phone penetration;

Build a reputation online;

Localise revenue/profit model; and

Have a targeted approach.

What barriers are there to conducting business in China?

Conducting businesses in China can be difficult. China has a completely different and unfamiliar online ecosystem to Australia, the Internet is regulated by what is known as the Great Firewall, and a lack of understanding about Chinese consumers creates difficultly in effectively targeting them.

Ecosystem: Chinese search engines, social media platforms and mobile phone applications vary to Australias. Facebook and Twitter are blocked. Google is not accessible. Australian businesses need to re-learn how to do things online in China.

Regulated Internet: China has numerous regulations and internet restrictions foreign to Australia. For example, to host a website in China, an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license would need to be applied for and approved.

Chinese consumers: Chinas online consumers are young and affluent. They aspire to own more, are brand conscious, and predominately access the Internet from a mobile phone. Reputation and trust is also a key feature of Chinese consumerism and shoppers rank their friends recommendations, both online and offline, as the most important factor in their online buying choices.

See also: Its a digital jungle out there: Dr Matthew Mcdougall; helping businesses overcome culture shock in China
The Australian shopping experience has evolved dramatically over the last decade. Emerging global high street outlets vie for space among newly expanded independent retailers as each offer unique products and services to towns and cities. At the same time, online retail has experienced a boom; widely adopted by business owners and shoppers alike.

Despite the emergence of online shopping, research has found out that nearly all Australians (94%) still think of themselves as in-store shoppers, and 71% say that they shop in-store the same or more than they did three years ago. Demonstrating how clicks and mortar work together in a consumer sense, almost half of the people we surveyed admit to taking a reverse showroom approach to shopping: searching online to survey goods before purchasing them in store.

Its clear neither online nor physical shops are going away, but can they co-exist happily?

Amazon is an interesting example of an online giant that turned its attention to bricks and mortar. It debuted bookstores and pop-up mall kiosks, and is now seeking to target groceries and apparel by opening more stores in the United States. In Australia, we have seen department store giant Myer combine with eBay to create the worlds first virtual reality department store.

We are passionate about working together with all businesses to drive a retail solution that is beneficial for all parties. After the research, Xero worked to create Cloud St  and gave a range of innovative, home-grown online businesses the chance to utilise a brick and mortar set-up, across a variety of cities.

We started in Brisbanes Queen Street Mall, Australias busiest pedestrian mall, where the experience of having a physical store helped diversify the sales strategy of online footwear and accessories brand, Radical Yes. Kerryn Moscicki, the founder of the business, told us how much of an impact being able to sell in person has had for her business.

I love the flexibility and reach having an online retail business enables, but having a physical set up is still something I consider to be really valuable. Its a game changer for me to chat to people to understand more about what it is theyre looking for  insights that are really important in fashion particularly.

Our exciting retail journey with Cloud St continues to Newcastle, Wollongong and Parramatta this November, before finishing in Melbourne on Christmas Eve. As it travels down the coast, Cloud St encourages Australians to mesh the best of both worlds: the range and innovation of online shopping, with the in-store expertise and personal touch that drives you to keep returning.

The Christmas shopping season is fast approaching, and with it, more opportunities for retailers to offer their customers the best possible experience, be it online, physical, or both.

To learn more about Xeros Cloud St please visit: xero.com/cloudst

See also: Retailers must provide an omni-channel experience, forum told

About the author

Trent Innes is the Managing Director of cloud-based accounting software company Xero Australia.
There has been a great deal of discussion in Michigans mammoth 1st Congressional District about whether Republican candidate Jack Youre gonna hafta roll the dice with me Bergman is a long-time resident of the district or if he is, in fact, a resident of Louisiana. Heres what I wrote when I visited this race last month:

Bergman has talked publicly about being a snowbird who visits Michigan only during the warm summer months.

It has also recently come to light that Bergman was actually on a school board in Louisiana and had attended meetings as recently as last spring. He last attended a meeting of the New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy as recently as April and was still listed as a board member in the July minutes. During a debate in Marquette last week, Bergman made a rare appearance (he tends to skip debates rather than answer voters questions) and confirmed that he was, indeed, on a school board in Louisiana (the pertinent section begins at 46:19):

LON JOHNSON: I believe that how you campaign is how you will govern and that openness we have not seen from Jack Bergman. On June 29th, every candidate  Diane had to do it, Jack had to do it, I had to do it, Tom Casperson, Jason Allen  we all had to put out and fill out an ethics disclosure report. And on that report we had to list our assets, our incomes, our debts. And also any previou positions held. And Jack, on June 29th, withheld two important positions. One was a four-year appointment he received from the governor of Louisiana. Didnt list that on June 29th. Another one was a school board membership that he holds in New Orleans that he attended up until April. So, the question is why did he do this? Why didnt he tell the truth on his ethics report? Because he was running against two lifetime residents of the 1st Congressional District. The truth would get in the way of the narrative of him being a straight-talking marine. Thats not straight-talking and thats not even the truth. JACK BERGMAN: Anyone know what an SF278 is?  The point is, the point is I filled out that form. I filled it out. With help. Legal advice. And guess what? We didnt get it right. So, when it was called to my attention, whenever it was, I immediately filed an amended form. Thats why they have the amended process. So, I filled it out. There was no secret. Bottom line, I resigned from the school board after winning the primary because it was going to be a conflict of interest assuming I win the general election so I was gonna have to leave. But the point is, if someone attacks me on education. Or attacks any of you who believe that educating our students is the right thing to do for our country  remember one of the pillars on the front end here? Education? If you believe that we should not all pitch in to make sure our 18 year-olds are as best as possible going the next step then we got a problem. I believe in education and thats why I was on that school board. And, yes, it was, and the school still sits, in Louisiana.

In addition to lying on his ethics disclosure until he was busted for doing so and in addition to his inaccurate characterization of himself as a resident of the 1st Congressional District, Bergman also attempted to use an article printed on Tuesday in The Alpena News about the of stealing yard signs to smear Lon Johnson when, in fact, this childish act was committed by another Democrat. The paper, which neglected to get a statement from Johnson before running the article, printed Johnsons response to the ludicrous allegations on the front page of the newspaper on Wednesday this week.

Theres no question that this is a tight race. However, after trailing Bergman since he entered the race last spring, Johnson now has a narrow 1-point lead according to the latest polls. More importantly, he is now up over Bergman by 16 points with voters 65 years of age or older, a dramatic shift from previous polling and a clear sign that Bergmans plans to privatize Social Security and Medicare are damaging his support. Johnson also outraised Bergman during the last quarter $455,118 to $383,924. $83,000 of Bergmans haul was actually his own money.

For more information on Lon Johnson and make a contribution to support his campaign to flip this seat blue, visit LonJohnson.com.
A letter was recently sent to the Midland Daily News and the Midland and Bay County Democratic Parties (and probably from others) purporting to be from a retired Korean War veteran named William Miller. The letter, titled Open letter to the Midland Democratic Party and the citizens of Bay and Midland Counties and sent by email, contains the link goo.gl/idnIMf which takes you to a 2006 message board posting at Michigan-Sportsman.com titled Fort Lewis Soldier Says Hell Refuse To Go To Iraq. In the comments of the thread, a user named gmalicoat makes some truly repulsive comments about veterans. Mr. Millers letter connects this user to Geoff Malicoat, a Democrat opposing noted bigot, homophobe, and anti-worker extremist Gary Glenn, the Republican legislator from the 98th House District representing the Midland/Bay City area.

Mr. Millers letter finishes by noting that Malicoat had attended the most recent Veterans and Memorial Day ceremonies in Midland and Sanford as the official representative of the Midland County Democratic Party and asks Midland County Democrats not to send Mr. Malicoat or anyone who holds views so disparaging and disrespectful of our military to represent your organization in future veterans memorial ceremonies.

As I said, Mr. Miller sent this letter not only to the Midland County Democratic Party and the Bay County Democratic Party, he also sent it to the media. Thats curious given that his intent appears to be to stop a man who he perceives as anti-veteran from representing the Democratic Party groups in his area.

However, a closer inspection of the email has revealed that the goo.gl link was actually uploaded from a file with with the path file:///C:/Users/jrwar/Documents/Jeremiah/Gary%20Glenn/Malicoat. Heres a screenshot of the email with the mouse hovering over the goo.gl link to reveal the source:



Click image for larger version

So, who is exactly is the user jrwar or Jeremiah revealed in the file path? As it turns out, Rep. Glenn has a college student named Jeremiah Ward as his campaign manager. Thats his Facebook profile picture there on the right. He has been actively promoting events for Gary Glenns reelection campaign and his Facebook timeline has photos of him with Glenn going as far back as January 2015 when Ward was still in high school.

So, it appears that Gary Glenns campaign manager is the actual source of the letter sent to the media, not an 80+ year old Korean War veteran named William Miller. This, of course, explains why it was sent to the media. Glenn is literally exploiting an aged Korean War veteran in an attempt to smear his Democratic opponent Geoff Malicoat by casting him as someone who insults and disparages veterans. The hypocritical irony is nauseating.

Malicoat has written a response to this open letter written by William Miller Jeremiah Ward which you can read HERE. In it, he makes it clear that these comments were NOT written by him (emphasis mine):

Im in receipt of the email that was sent to the Midland and Bay County Democratic offices by a Mr. William Miller regarding comments that were posted under the username GMalicoat on an outdoor website forum. These comments are reprehensible. As someone who has devoted themselves to serving veterans, I was offended to read them myself. Speech which dismisses the service and bravery of our servicemen and servicewomen should rightly be called out as ignorant and cruel. I must acknowledge that the account referenced in this email was created by myself nearly a decade ago. It was then shared with several others, quickly banned, and has remained inactive for years. I did not write these things, nor had I ever seen them until today. I never planned to enter politics, but I was motivated to enter into the field for the same reasons that I was motivated to practice elder law: I wanted to make positive changes for my community. As a VA accredited attorney and volunteer, I frequently assist veterans both within and outside of my practice.

As someone who has written about the foul career of Gary Glenn for many years, this sort of attack is not surprising. He learned sleazy political tactics from his many years at the American Family Association of Michigan, an anti-LGBT group that worked overtime to prevent gays and lesbians from having the same civil rights and access to services (and justice) as everyone else in our state. Glenn is anti-labor and was a leader in the effort to make Michigan, the birthplace of organized labor, a right to work state. In other words, Gary Glenns worldview is the antithesis of our deeply-held Democratic values. So its no surprise that he would exploit an elderly veteran for political gain.

If youd like to support a man who truly values everyone (including veterans), stop by Geoff Malicoats website at MalicoatForHouse.com and drop some shekels on his fundraising page. Youll be doing the entire state a huge favor.

UPDATE: When confronted by MLive about the letter originating from his computer, Ward admitted it was true:

The blog posts were highlighted in an open letter sent Oct. 19 by Ward on behalf of William Miller, a Korean War veteran from Auburn and a former Michigan commander in the American Legion.

What MLive doesnt mention is that the original letter had nothing overt to connect the effort to denigrate Malicoat back to his Republican opponent. The letter, which includes Mr. Millers phone number has no trace of the Glenn campaign on it. It was only after they were busted for it that Ward is admitting it. He also says he doesnt believe Geoff Malicoat about comments on a forum that were posted when Ward himself was just ten years old. Given that there is nothing else in Malicoats career to point to that suggest hes in any way anti-veteran, its far easier to believe him than it is to believe a 19-year-old campaign manager who forged a letter for an elderly veteran in order to damage his bosss political opponent.
Airbnb recently proposed changes to its listing policies for short-term rental property owners in New York City and San Francisco, possibly in response to threats of aggressive action from state and local lawmakers.

With respect to New York operations, Airbnb on Wednesday proposed a set of five changes in a New York Post article penned by Chris Lehane, the companys global head of public policy:

Limit rentals to a single home within New York Citys five boroughs;

Require New York State short-term rental owners to register, and authorize online platforms like Airbnb to register hosts on the states behalf;

Give landlords the opportunity to set clear rules for short-term rentals in their buildings and set aside part of the revenue to support ongoing maintenance;

Require hosts to provide insurance and online platforms to provide a dedicated 247 hotline for neighbor complaints; and

Authorize Airbnb to collect and remit taxes to the state on behalf of hosts.

Airbnb supports a three-strikes policy that would bar landlords from offering short-term rentals if they repeatedly broke the rules.

The company reportedly made a similar proposal to the City of San Francisco.

However, its too little, too late, said San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, one of the leaders in the fight for affordable housing and an outspoken critic of the company.

The proposed exceptions create a loophole you could drive a truck through, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Airbnb alrealdy has banned hosts with multiple listings in New York and San Francisco, according to reports.

The company did not respond to our request to provide further details.

Under the Legal Gun

Lawmakers in New York and San Francisco recently have been squaring off with Airbnb.

Governor Mario Cuomo is poised to sign a bill that would ban Airbnb users from listing some short-term rentals.

In San Francisco, a proposal to limit vacation rentals in private homes to 60 days a year last week was presented to the Board of Supervisors.

However, the 1,650 hosts who have registered with the city in compliance with the law would keep their existing cap of 90 days a year for unhosted rentals of entire houses, and unlimited rentals when a host is present, such as the rental of a room in a home, for example.

There are an estimated 10,000 short-term rental property owners in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Airbnb has filed suit against the City and County of San Francisco in federal court, opposing the requirement that short-term rental hosts register with the city.

Putting Airbnbs Offer in Perspective

Affordable housing advocates in San Francisco arent buying Airbnbs proposal.

The offer is a defensive move, said Peter Cohen, a codirector of the Council of Community Housing Organizations.

Its great to hear them say the right things, but this is a corporation that demonstrated last fall with Prop F how much theyre willing to spend, and how much energy theyre willing to commit to manipulate the publics view of the issue, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Airbnb last year spent a considerable sum to defeat Proposition F, also known as the Airbnb Initiative, a November ballot proposal that sought to restrict short-term private rentals to 75 days a year.

Given [Airbnbs] behavior up to this point, I think we have to see what substantive action theyll take, Cohen said.

The shortage of rental properties in San Francisco is reaching crisis proportions, and has driven up rental prices to the point where the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco offers a housing assistance program for home buyers earning up to US$103,000 to purchase a home within commuting distance of the city.

Still, its not as though Airbnb and short-term rentals are singlehandedly the problem, Cohen noted. Its another manifestation of real estate speculation.

You have to add second homes, blocks of apartments companies rent for staff, and investment properties to short-term rentals, Cohen said. Airbnb is one critical piece of the puzzle.
Red Hat and Ericsson on Wednesday announced an alliance meant to speed adoption of open source solutions in the information and communications technology space.

The alliance will help promote a range of fully open source and production-ready cloud solutions, spanning OpenStack, software defined-networking and software-defined infrastructure, the companies said, to meet the growing demand for products using 5G and the Internet of Things.

Red Hat has a long history of collaborating with Ericsson on platforms including Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat JBoss Middleware. The new alliance represents an extension of the companies prior relationship, according to Radhesh Balakrishnan, general manager of OpenStack at Red Hat.

The telecommunications and communications service provider space is undergoing a tectonic shift, one driven by competitive and economic realities, he told LinuxInsider. Our alliance with Ericsson will help providers in this space fully embrace open source software and commodity hardware-based solutions to be able to address current and emerging challenges effectively.

Increasingly heavy demand for new IoT and 5G services has placed significant pressure on telecom service producers to become more flexible and agile, noted Red Hat spokesperson John Terrill.

Network Functions Virtualization Focus

The new open source collaboration between the companies will focus on network functions virtualization infrastructure, OpenStack, SDN, SDI and containers, giving customers the latest in technological options for the communications industry.

One of the key goals of using NFV is to provide companies in the telecommunications space a more flexible and efficient software-based solution, compared to traditional hardware systems.

The partnership will focus on helping Ericsson come to market with a network function virtualization infrastructure, or NFVi, system as part of the Ericsson Cloud Execution Environment. The companies aim to certify the Ericsson virtual network functions to run on top of that.

As the industry begins to embrace cloud-based infrastructure and data center deployment, large scale collaborations like this will become more prevalent, said telecom analyst Jeff Kagan.

We are seeing many similar alliances between companies as we move further into an IoT, 5G, VR, AI world, he told LinuxInsider.

The alliance will help create customer speed and choice, while allowing customers to embrace open source platforms, noted Jason Hoffman, head of product area cloud infrastructure at Ericsson.

Speed and Flexibility

The two companies also have partnered to offer a certified and seamless experience for Cloud SDN, Ericssons software-defined networking solution, and the Red Hat OpenStack Platform, Red Hats production-ready OpenStack offering.

The companies will work together to certify Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenStack Platform for HDS 8000, Ericssons hyperscale data center solution.

Verizon earlier this year completed what may have been the largest NFV OpenStack cloud deployment in the industry, across five of the companys U.S. data centers.

Verizon worked with Big Switch Networks, Dell and Red Hat on the OpenStack pod-based design, which allowed it to deploy more than 50 racks in five data centers in less than a nine-month period.

The NFV deployment was designed to meet a number of project needs: to be resilient at scale; resist bandwidth bottlenecks; provide network design flexibility; offer reduced operational complexity; be compliant; and secure against cyberintrusion and other threats.

Red Hat previously has worked with other major telecom firms, including Alcatel-Lucent, Telefonica and Nokia Networks.
When the new president takes up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., cybersecurity will be on the shortlist for action. Whats a president to do?

TechNewsWorld asked more than a dozen experts what should be at the top of the new leader of the free worlds cyberagenda. Following are some of their responses.

The president has to set the tone early on cybersecurity  within the first 100 days  and say right off the bat that this matters, said Sam Curry, chief product officer at Cybereason.

The first priority should be protecting government systems, he explained.

New cabinet secretaries have to understand that their mission cant be done without secure systems, said Curry. Far too often, cybersecurity is not even on the list of priorities for initiatives and agencies and staffing.

All government agencies should be required to adopt a formal assumption of breach framework, recommended Jeffrey Carr, CEO of Taia Global.

This means that they acknowledge that they are currently in a state of breach, he explained, and must immediately act to identify and secure their critical assets as well as build in resiliency.

Share the Wealth

Information sharing is another issue that needs executive attention.

Some progress has been made in sharing cyberintelligence between public and private sectors during the current administration, but the next administration should ramp up those efforts, recommended Scott J. White, director of the cybersecurity program at The George Washington University.

The United States has the largest intelligence-gathering apparatus in the world, he pointed out.

Who is it gathering that intelligence for? If its gathering intelligence just for its own internal consumers in government, then were making a mistake, White continued. We have to be able to get real-time, threat-based cyberintelligence to the private sector.

Public-private cooperation is important in organizing the nations cybersecurity efforts, maintained Damien Van Puyvelde, an assistant professor at The University of Texas at El Paso.

This is something that President Obama has been focusing on, and its something Id expect the next president to focus on, he said. If the president wants a strong economy, then the president needs to make efforts to make sure the private sector is protected from cybercrime and cyberthreats.

Do No Harm

The new president should concentrate on initiatives that strengthen cybersecurity and not weaken it, maintained James Scott, a senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology.

Critical infrastructure organizations protect their sensitive data through strict access controls and data encryption, he explained, yet legislation has been introduced in Congress to undermine those protections.

Legislation that would weaken those controls by imposing nonessential access, such as backdoors, or that would weaken consumer protections such as encryption, are demonstratively harmful to the cybersecurity of the nation, Scott said.

Legislators would better spend their time, attention and resources focusing on correcting or mitigating the fundamental root faults in systems and processes that enable attackers to compromise systems, and that prevent public and private sector organizations from mitigating the risk before harm is realized, he added.

New Civil Defense

The new president also should turn up the heat on protecting the nations infrastructure from cyberattack, recommended Scott Borg, CEO of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit.

The creation of a national cyber-recovery plan designed along the lines of the civil defense plans created for response to a nuclear attack is one thing he advocates.

We really havent acknowledged the extent of the damage that could be done by a cyberattack on our infrastructure, Borg said. Industrial control systems could be hijacked and cause massive physical damage. That could be done with a migrating piece of malware with no Internet connection, as was done with Stuxnet.

The Russians and Chinese already may have planted in U.S. industrial systems malware sleepers that can be triggered remotely. However, since its likely the United States has planted similar malware on those countries systems, something similar to the nuclear stalemate during the Cold War exists.

Im not particularly worried about the Russians or Chinese, Borg said. What Im worried about is some completely irresponsible agent without any involvement in the modern economy acquiring these capabilities. [*Correction  Oct. 17, 2016]

Dont Fumble

Above all else, the new administration should not set out to reinvent the wheel.

We should keep making progress where were making progress, said Jeff Greene, director of government affairs for North America at Symantec.

New administrations have a habit of coming in and wanting to start everything anew, he said.

Make improvements, add new policy, but dont do one of these complete fresh looks  that would set us back, Greene cautioned.

The momentum needs to continue and grow, said Cybereason s Curry. The handoff between administrations should not be a fumble.

Breach Diary

Oct. 3. U.S. Surgeon General warns 6,600 medical professionals in his commissioned corps that their personal information is at risk by a breach of the agencys personnel system.

Oct. 3. U.S. District Court Judge Andrea R. Wood dismisses class action lawsuit against Barnes & Noble related to a compromise of its point-of-sale systems in 2012. Plaintiffs failed to show they had suffered any actual damages because of the data breach, she found.

Oct. 3. Internet Insurance Group launches DataBreachCoverage.com to offer cyberliability insurance coverage options to small businesses nationwide.

Oct. 3. SANS Institute releases survey showing more information security professionals are concerned about unauthorized outsiders accessing data stored in a public cloud this year (62 percent) compared with last year (40 percent).

Oct. 4. Yahoo last year built a custom program to search all its customers incoming emails for information provided to it by U.S. intelligence officials, Reuters reports. Yahoo later denies the claims in the report.

Oct. 4. Amazon has alerted some of its customers that their passwords have been reset after discovering their Amazon email address and password corresponded to a login list posted online, The Sunday Express reports.

Oct. 4. Thomas White, aka The Cthulhu, posts to his website as a free download information from more than 68 million Dropbox accounts stolen in a 2012 data breach of the service.

Oct. 4. Personal data of more than 15 million users of websites run by C&Z Tech Limited, which include HaveAFling.mobi, HaveAnAffair.mobi and HookUpDating.mobi, is at risk after a database for the sites was found exposed to the Internet without a password.

Oct. 5. The FBI has arrested Harold T. Martin, a former employee of NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, and is investigating whether he stole and disclosed classified security code developed by the agency to compromise the networks of foreign governments, The New York Times reports.

Oct. 5. UK Information Commissioners Office orders TalkTalk to pay fine of Pounds 400,000 in connection with a 2015 data breach that affected 150,000 customers.

Oct. 5. Fancy Bears, the hackers who published online medical records stolen from the World Anti-Doping Agency, may have doctored some of the data in those records, the BBC reports.

Oct. 5. Australian Public Service Commission removes its annual employee census from public access on the Internet over security concerns about the database, which contains confidential information about the agencys 96,000 workers.

Oct. 6. Verizon wants the US$4.8 billion it agreed to pay for Yahoo reduced by $1 billion due to bad news about the company, including the theft of data in 2014 affecting 500 million accounts, the New York Post reports.

Oct. 6. American 1 Credit Union in Jackson, Michigan announces it will decline all purchases made at Wendys by its payment card holders because it doesnt believe the fast food chain has removed all the malware that infected its point-of-sale systems in more than 1,000 locations in 2015.

Oct. 6. Montana Department of Justice reports 110,000 citizens of the state were victims of data breaches in the last 12 months.

Oct. 6. Central Ohio Urology Group reports to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that 300,000 patients were affected by data breach in August, the eighth largest breach in the U.S. this year.

Oct. 7. U.S. government formally accuses Russia of a campaign of cyberattacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Upcoming Security Events

Oct. 17-19. CSX North America. The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas. Registration: before Aug. 11, ISACA member, $1,550; nonmember, $1,750. Before Oct. 13, member, $1,750; nonmember, $1,950. Onsite, member, $1,950; nonmember, $2,150.

Oct. 18. IT Security and Privacy Governance in the Cloud. 1 p.m. ET. Webinar moderated by Rebecca Herold, The Privacy Profesor. Free with registration.

Oct. 18-19. Edge2016 Security Conference. Crowne Plaza, 401 W. Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee. Registration: before Aug. 15, $250; after Aug. 15, $300; educators and students, $99.

Oct. 18-19. SecureWorld St. Louis. Americas Center Convention Complex, 701 Convention Plaza, St. Louis. Registration: conference pass, $325; SecureWorld Plus, $725; exhibits and open sessions, $30.

Oct. 18-19. Security of Things, A Smart Card Alliance Event. Hilton Rosemont Chicago OHare Hotel, 5550 N. River Rd., Rosemont, Illinois. Registration: members $775 before Oct. 8, $885; nonmembers, $895 before Oct. 8, $1,045.

Oct. 19. Crisis Communication After an Attack. 11 a.m. ET. Webinar by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and FireEye. Free with registration.

Oct. 20. Securing Cloud with Multifactor Authentication. 1 p.m. ET. Webinar by Vanguard Integrity Professionals. Free with registration.

Oct. 20. Los Angeles Cyber Security Summit. Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, California. Registration: $250.

Oct. 20. B-Sides Raleigh. Marbles Kid Museum, 201 E. Hargett St., Raleigh, North Carolina. Registration: $20.

Oct. 22. B-Sides Jacksonville. Sheraton Hotel, 10605 Deerwood Park Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida. Registration: $10.

Oct. 27. SecureWorld Bay Area. San Jose Marriott, 301 S. Market St., San Jose, California. Registration: conference pass, $195; SecureWorld Plus, $625; exhibits and open sessions, $30.

Nov. 1-4. Black Hat Europe. Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, UK. Registration: before Sept. 3, Pounds 1,199 with VAT; before Oct. 29, Pounds 1,559 with VAT; after Oct. 28, Pounds 1,799 with VAT.

Nov. 9-10. SecureWorld Seattle. Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St., Bellevue, Washington. Registration: conference pass, $325; SecureWorld Plus, $725; exhibits and open sessions, $30.

Nov. 12. B-Sides Jackson. Old Capitol Museum, 100 South State St., Jackson, Mississippi. Free.

Nov. 12. B-Sides Atlanta. Atlanta Tech Village, 3423 Piedmont Rd. NE, Atlanta, Georgia. Free.

Nov. 12. B-Sides Boise. Trailhead, 500 S. 8th St., Boise, Idaho. Cost: $10.

Nov. 12. B-Sides Charleston. Beatty Center, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina. Free.

Nov. 28-30. FireEye Cyber Defense Summit 2016. Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. Registration: through Sept. 30, general admission, $495; government and academic, $295;Oct. 1- Nov. 21, $995/$595; Nov. 22-30, $1,500/$1,500.

*ECT News Network editors note  Oct. 17, 2016: Our original published version of this column incorrectly quoted Scott Borg, CEO of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, as saying, Im particularly worried about the Russians or Chinese. He actually said that he was not particularly worried about the Russians or Chinese (italics ours). We regret the error.
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GENEVA - A new United Nations report has slammed the multi-million dollar global corporate social responsibility (CSR) industry has having had no discernible impact on worker rights. The report suggests that while CSR initiatives are great for public relations purposes, yet their voluntary nature means they have, "little measurable impact on promoting assembly and association rights." The report cites the case of the Ali Enterprises garment factory fire which killed nearly 300 workers only days after it had been audited and certified in 2012.
LONDON  A new report has slammed Uniqlo for alleged workers rights abuses at some of its supplier garment factories in China, after a series of undercover investigations found that four garment factories making clothes for Uniqlo allegedly flouted both Chinese labour law and Uniqlos own code of conduct on labour rights. The report also highlights the plight of workers at two on-going factory disputes affecting hundreds of workers in the Zhong Yin factory in Cambodia and the Artigas factory in China, which both supply the Japanese-based apparel retailer. However, Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing says that factory management and representatives of employees have already reached an agreement in at least one of these disputes  a claim denied by the reports publisher.
Few structures are as synonymous with modern civilization as the skyscraper. The grandeur of these tall structures comes at a costbuildings account for close to 40 percent of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions.

While our tallest buildings take a heavy toll on the environment, they also offer opportunities for improvement. Today, green skyscrapers are transforming how cities worldwide address their ecological footprint. In many ways, they show our collective capability to adjust modern life for a more sustainable future. Heres a closer look at what makes a green skyscraper and why that matters in the world today.

What Makes a Skyscraper Green?

Skyscrapers are typically defined as buildings with multiple levels that reach at least 100-150 meters tall (usually with a minimum of 40-50 stories).

At first glance, green and skyscraper seem like an oxymoron. These gargantuan glass-sided buildings require immense amounts of resources for both construction and daily operation. The environmental cost of keeping them comfortable is significant alone, as air conditioning accounts for 14 percent of global energy use.

Green skyscrapers, in contrast, make environmental sustainability a defining priority. Theres no set standard for what makes skyscrapers green, but rather dozens of steps architects and building managers can take to make the structure as resource-efficient as possible.

In this way, green skyscrapers utilize sustainable design, construction, and operation principles to produce a better indoor space for both people and the broader world.

Many generate their own renewable energy through solar panels or wind turbines, while others focus on reducing water usage with ultra-efficient fixtures. Some even transform the buildings exterior into a verdant green space filled with plants that pull in CO2 from the air and convert it into oxygen.

Are Green Skyscrapers Better Than Green Buildings?

Considering how resource-intensive skyscrapers are to begin with, is attempting to make them more eco-friendly a waste of effort? After all, it will always take tremendous amounts of energy to get hot water up 80 stories to a penthouse apartment. Some may argue societys time would be better spent investing in smaller-scale structures instead.

However, comparing a green skyscraper to other forms of green buildings is flawed logic. Living in an environmentally efficient single-family home may be a sustainable choice, but only at the scale of the individual. When it comes to housing millions of people, a city of skyscrapers wins out over smaller dwellings.

Thats because skyscrapers offer some of the most energy-efficient spaces in cities by concentrating people and resources in one place. Not only does this reduce transportation distances and encourage people to walk or take public transit instead of drive, but it slows down suburban sprawl and keeps untouched land out of development.

What are the Benefits of Green Skyscrapers?

Far beyond generating positive press for their architects, green skyscrapers offer real benefits for humans and the natural world. Heres what they offer.

May Increase Greenspace

Skyscrapers typically exist in places with minimal greenspace. An emerging trend is to bring the natural world back to the city by creating vertical forests on the sides of buildings. Today, some structures are home to hundreds of plant species that grow along the exterior, supporting biodiversity by providing homes for birds and insects.

Reduces CO2 Emissions

Buildings generate a disproportionate amount of the worlds greenhouse gasses, and sustainable construction and operation can reduce emissions considerably. The UNEP Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative predicts that the building sector has the potential to more than halve these emissions in skyscrapers by 2050 through greater energy efficiency and the switch to renewable energy.

For example, Australian buildings that achieve Green Star certification produce 62 percent fewer emissions and require 51 percent less potable water than comparable structures. Similarly certified buildings in India, South Africa, and the United States also achieve emissions reductions approaching 25-50 percent by investing in green technologies for skyscrapers.

Lowers Energy Expenditure for Tenants

Living or working in a green skyscraper can reduce your personal energy expenditure. One Chicago-based study found that those living in suburban areas close to commuter rail lines and the subway system used 27 percent more energy per person than those who lived in green architecture high-rise buildings in a walkable downtown environment.

Reduces Need for Heating and Cooling

The EPA states that heating and cooling accounts for over 43 percent of all energy use in America, which makes maintaining comfortable temperatures in indoor spaces a serious cause of climate change.

By utilizing more energy-efficient windows, optimizing cooling systems, and even planting shade plants along the exterior and around windows, green skyscrapers can bring their heating and air conditioning use down to a minimum.

Provides Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Tenants

Living and working in green buildings can have real impacts on your health, thanks to better air quality. Research shows that green buildings reduce asthma, respiratory allergies, stress, and even depression among employees and lead to improvements in productivity.

Further data indicates that better indoor air quality can lead to performance improvements up to eight percent and that workers in well-ventilated apartments received better scores on cognitive tests.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Building a green skyscraper might cost more upfront, but the sustainability measures usually pay for themselves.

LEED-certified buildings tend to achieve 20 percent lower maintenance costs than comparable buildings. These green retrofits usually decrease operating costs by ten percent each year and pay for themselves within seven.

Thats even better news for landlords, as rents in LEED-certified buildings often average 30 percent higher.

Less Use of Natural Resources

Green buildings are efficient by design. This means they use less water, energy, and other resources than comparable buildings.

These savings add up fast, as buildings account for 12 percent of the total water consumed in the United States. Research shows that LEED-certified facilities use 25 percent less energy on average and divert more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills every year.

Are Green Skyscrapers Too Good To Be True?

Despite these benefits, green skyscrapers arent a panacea for our planets environmental crisis. Even the best-designed structures today still have drawbacks.

To start, clusters of tall towers produce enormous shadows that shade out the streets below and trap heat and pollution at ground level. Not only does this reduce the quality of life for those living below the top suites, but it can increase the amount of air conditioning and electric lighting used at lower levels.

Likewise, some reports indicate that green building certifications arent as stellar as they seem. For example, many argue that LEED criteria over-emphasizes construction choices and fails to fully account for how a building is used in the long run. This can reward flashier projects without putting the spotlight on the structures that make more of a difference for the planet on a day-to-day basis.

Even so, the benefits of learning how to make skyscrapers green seem to far outweigh the drawbacks, and they remain a smart solution for building more sustainable cities.

Green Skyscrapers Worldwide

Globally, green skyscrapers are taking off. Heres a closer look at some of the standout sustainable structures around the world today.

Green Skyscrapers in China

In past decades, China wouldnt come to mind as an emblem of sustainability. The country burns close to half the worlds coal supply and is home to some of the most polluted air on the planet. By some estimates, it kills up to 4,000 citizens a day.

Today, the country is transforming this legacy and constructing some of the worlds greenest skyscrapers.

The International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong is one worthy of attention. Constructed in 2010, the 108-story tall structure has LEED gold certification, earning it a place in the top 3 percent of green buildings worldwide.

The building boasts a network of sensors that wirelessly monitor the buildings lighting, elevators, air conditioning units, and more to provide massive amounts of data for optimizing its energy use in real-time. This makes it possible to shut down unused facilities at a moments notice to prevent any unnecessary energy expenditures.

From a construction standpoint, the ICC is oriented to maximize natural light retention while minimizing solar heat gain and lowering noise levels for occupants. By some estimates, the green building tower has conserved 15 million kWh of energy since 2012, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 4,500 three-member households in China.

The Jin Mao Tower of Shanghai is another green skyscraper thats achieved LEED Gold certification. It has committed to reusing or recycling at least 70 percent of all the waste generated over its 88 stories. Likewise, the Kingkey 100 Tower of Shenzhen reclaims its resource use by halving the amount of wastewater it generates and by using 100 percent of its used potable water for landscaping.

Not to be forgotten is the Shanghai Tower, which boasts being both the tallest building in China (the second tallest worldwide) and of achieving LEED Platinum status, the highest green building certification level possible.

Bosco Verticale of Milan

Perhaps no building better emulates the ideal of a green skyscraper than the Bosco Verticale of Milan. Translating to vertical forest in Italian, these twin buildings exteriors are home to more than 800 trees and 14,000 plants growing along their balconies to create a vertical forest.

Not only are these plants beautiful to look at, but they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen in its place while acting as a natural temperature regulator and noise buffer for those within the building. In total, the skyscrapers provide ten times the plant habitat space that would be possible at ground level.

Today, the Bosco Verticale is fast becoming the poster child for green buildings and has inspired numerous imitations worldwide.

Vertical Farming and Green Skyscrapers

Beyond better resource use, some of the most significant potential for sustainable skyscrapers is through food production.

As things stand now, the worlds farmers have over seven billion mouths to feed. The UN estimates that the planets population will approach ten billion by 2050, close to 80 percent of whom will live in urban areas. To keep up with these caloric needs, global food production must increase by an estimated 70 percent.

One way to meet this deficit is by growing food where the people arein the middle of cities. Vertical farming is the practice of growing food indoors in vertically stacked layers, rather than in fields. Most utilize a hydroponic system where plants grow soil-less and within a continuously circulating nutrient-rich water.

These indoor growing systems make it possible to control every variable for plant growth, including temperature, light exposure, moisture level, and more. By optimizing growing conditions, producers can generate large yields with less water, minimal amounts of amendments, and in far less space than traditional growing systems.

The goal is to grow as much food as possible within a small space, ideally keeping it close to the people who will consume it. This eliminates the risk that erratic weather poses for traditional farmers, makes it possible to grow out of season, and can reduce fuel use for transportation.

However, vertical farms are costly to develop and dont account for some agriculture factors like pollination. Likewise, the food they produce requires 24/7 access to technologyan unexpected power outage can spell disaster.

Despite these drawbacks, the vertical farming industry is starting to take off in the United States. Many skyscrapers incorporate these farms into their overall green scheme, as food production pairs well with renewable energy generation and water conservation measures.

Takeaway

In 2009, the world reached a critical milestone. For the first time in history, more people made a city their home than a rural space. This trend towards urbanization shows no sign of slowing down, so its never been more critical to increase the sustainability of our cities. Green skyscrapers are poised to address an important component of this equation.

When set up correctly, they offer one of the lowest per-capita carbon footprints possible for a large population. Looking ahead, theres more reason than ever to invest in sustainable housing and office space within dense urban environments.

By finding ways to make the places we live and work lighter on the environment, we are more likely to maintain a planet worth passing down to future generations.

Lydia Noyes is a freelance writer specializing in health and wellness, food and farming, and environmental topics. When not working against a writing deadline, you can find Lydia outdoors where she attempts to bring order to her 33-acre hobby farm filled with fruit trees, heritage breed pigs, too many chickens to count, and an organic garden that somehow gets bigger every year.
A wildlife ranger tasked with protecting critically endangered Grauers gorillas was killed this month in the Democratic Republic of Congos Kahuzi Biega National Park, Mongabay reported.

Munganga Nzonga Jacques, 26, died Oct. 4 in an area in the Tshivanga region of the park, an area previously believed to be safe for the gorillas, showing the dangers conservationists face in unstable regions, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said.

Jacques is the second ranger to be killed in the park in the last six months. Rebel groups shot and killed park ranger Oscar Byamungu Mianziro back in March.

Park rangers carrying out an anti-poaching patrol in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. A.J.Plumptre / WCS

We are very concerned about these increased threats to the rangers and their families, and to the protection of these animals, Andrew Plumptre, WCS senior conservation scientist for Africa, said in a statement.

Grauers gorillaa subspecies of eastern gorilla, the worlds largest apeare confined to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. They were listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species back in September after their population dropped 77 percent.

In 1998, it was estimated that 17,000 Grauers gorillas lived in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Now, fewer than 3,800 of these gorillas still live in the wild, according to a report from the WCS, Flora and Fauna International and the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature.

The main cause of the decline is hunting for bushmeat and civil unrest, which is taking place around villages and mining camps that have been established by armed groups deep in the forests in eastern DR Congo.

The civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to the wide availability of arms and created a plethora of militia groups who control different territories in the east of the country, Andrew Plumptre, senior conservation scientist for the WCS Africa Program, told PLoS One. This has been terrible for conservation of its wildlife.
Chicago isnt usually known as a farming hub, but did you know that Windy City residents are dining on organic produce such as basil, arugula, kale and microgreens right from their backyard?

FarmedHere, a 90,000-square-foot space in Bedford Park that opened in 2013, is not only the first organically-certified indoor vertical aquaponic farm in Illinois, its also the largest indoor farm in North America.

Our produce is local, its healthy, its organic and our produce is sold 24 hours from harvest date to our retailers, says former FarmedHere CEO and current chairman Mark Thomann in the video above.

FarmedHeres two-story, windowless farming facility currently sits on the site of a formerly abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of Chicago.

A variety of plants grow on racks that are stacked on top of each other in a vertical farming system, as well as an aquaponics system, which combines tilapia (and the fishs waste) and plants (which filter the waste) to grow food.

Want to learn the science behind our #aquaponic process? So simple it only took us a few minutes to map it out! pic.twitter.com/m4Pw0ptEwl  FarmedHere (@FarmedHere) April 21, 2015

FarmedHeres produce is grown in a sustainable environment where 97 percent of fresh water is reused and plants are grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides. The farms LED lighting system mimics outdoor conditions, meaning plants dont need natural sunlight to grow.

According to PSFK, the company boasts up to 15 times as many crop cycles a year compared to traditional farming and supplies its harvest for approximately 80 retailers in Chicago.

The company says that total growing time is about 30 days, which is half the time of traditional farms.

Our vertical growing technology and local distribution methods reduce energy use, travel time and costs tremendously, making this model one of the most sustainable ways to guarantee access to fresh, healthy produce in city centers, in any season, the company, which launched in 2010, advertises on its website.

https://instagram.com/p/2G8dVNiMSz

As EcoWatch has reported, indoor farms could help solve potential global food shortages and food deserts.

The global population is expected to reach a staggering 10 billion by 2056 and there is only so much arable land available. Climate change is only confounding the problem, as extreme weather events such as flooding, hurricanes and drought increase in frequency and intensity, and leave a damaging impact on agriculture.

The beauty of indoor farms, which are sprouting up from Japan to Jackson, Wyoming, is that the plants growing inside are immune to hot, cold or extreme weather.

If all goes according to plan, those of us outside of Illinois might get to enjoy FarmedHeres year-round, fresh-grown produce a lot closer to home.

At the Indoor Ag-Con held earlier this month in New York, newly appointed FarmedHere CEO Matt Matros announced ambitions for 18 new indoor farms spread across the country that could provide local (meaning less than 200 miles) produce for up to 75 percent of the countrys population.

We are not competing with each other, but with Central Valley agriculture Matros said during his keynote speech.

We want to create the Disneyland of vertical farming, he said.

Matros told Chicago Tribune that he hopes to expand to 12 to 15 farms across the U.S. within five years and eventually have farms around the world.

Everything about this business is good, and it solves a really big problem, Matros told the publication. Were going to have nine billion people in the world by 2050. What are we going to feed them?

Matt Matros of @FarmedHere "we want to create the Disneyland of vertical farming" pic.twitter.com/NoCerGZ2VF  Indoor Ag-Con (@indooragcon) October 15, 2015

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Leonardo DiCaprio is using his clout to protect the struggling Leuser Ecosystem, a precious rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia thats under threat from industrial development for palm oil.

[instagram https://instagram.com/p/BDhLEyLKxKm expand=1]

The Oscar winning actor and prominent environmental activist spent the weekend in the forest with fellow actors Adrien Brody and Fisher Stevens. According to The Jakarta Post, the crew toured Mount Leuser National Park on Sunday where they stopped by the parks research facility and met three Sumatran orangutans.

During his visit, DiCaprio also posed for a photo with two conservationists and two endangered elephants. The Revenant star posted the image onto his Instagram page and in the accompanying caption, he warned that the expansion of palm oil plantations are fragmenting the forest and cutting off key elephant migratory corridors, making it more difficult for elephant families to find adequate sources of food and water.

He added that his philanthropic foundation, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, is supporting local partners to establish a mega-fauna sanctuary in the Leuser Ecosystem.

 Together we can save the Leuser Ecosystem. The last place on earth where elephants, tigers, rhinos and orangutan https://t.co/GhNYEUaoip  Adrien Brody (@adrienbrody) March 26, 2016

The iconic Leuser Ecosystem, located in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, consists of 6.5 million acres of tropical lowland rainforests, mountains and peatlands. As DiCaprio noted, the area is the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild. Without protection, these wildlife species are likely to be pushed to extinction.

On his Twitter account, DiCaprio posted the same photo from his trip and tweeted, Stand with @haka_sumatra to #SaveLeuserEcosystem, referring to his support of Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh (HAkA), a Sumatra-based NGO which works to protect and restore the priceless ecosystem.

In January, Aceh citizens filed a class action lawsuit against the Aceh provincial governments Spatial Land Use Plan, which would open Leusers forests up to clearing for logs, mining and oil palm, Mongabay reported.

DiCaprios tweet also included a Change.org petition that urges Indonesian President Joko Widodo to cancel the spatial plan. Plaintiff Dahlan M. Isa wrote in the petition:

This fight has been going for years, and had involved many people and organizations in Aceh. The Governor and Aceh Parliament has been ignoring us. I wish that you could hear our aspiration and take action. What I wish is not a complicated matter, and has a clear legal standing. If you and your officials in The Ministry of Domestic Affairs can implement the Minister of Domestic Affairs Decree No. 650-441/2014, by canceling the Aceh Spatial Plan 2013-2033 that excluding the Leuser Ecosystem in to the National Strategic Area. The cancellation will become an important beginning for developing the spatial plan that inline with our interest, the people of Aceh.

Leuser is not only a biodiversity hotspot, it provides more than 4 million people with water, clean air and disaster mitigation. The ecosystem is also critical in helping to regulate the Earths climate by absorbing and storing carbon in its lowland rainforests and peatlands.

The lawsuit and the movement to protect the Leuser Ecosystem is captured in this video:

DiCaprios support of Leuser coincides with his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, where he announced his foundations $15 million commitment to environmental projects, including one that protects the Leuser Ecosystem from what DiCaprio described as the invasive and destructive practices of the palm oil industry.

DiCaprio also announced his foundations support to organizations working to protect the Leuser Ecosystem, including San Francisco-based Rainforest Action Network.

We are in a race against time to stop the extinction of the Sumatran orangutan, tiger, rhino and elephant, Rainforest Action Networks program director Ginger Cassady said in a statement. Companies like PepsiCo that profit from conflict palm oil connected to the destruction of the Leuser Ecosystem must act immediately to break the link between the products they sell and rainforest destruction, labor abuses and climate pollution.

The organization noted in a press release that PepsiCo consumes more than 427,500 tonnes of palm oil per year and its consumption of this controversial commodity is on the rise.

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According to this new information the Russians have known about alien civilizations for several decades, to many this comes as no surprise,...
UK couple travel to Island for civil partnership



Martin Loat and Claire Beale

A couple from London will travel to the Isle of Man to enter an opposite-sex civil partnership today.

Claire Beale and Martin Loat are set to become the first UK-based heterosexual couple to enter such a partnership.

The partners from Ealing have been together since 1992, and want a formal recognition of their relationship without having to get married.

Last week local couple Kieran Hodgson and Adeline Cosson became the first opposite-sex couple to take advantage of the Island's new laws, which made marriages and civil partnerships available to all couples earlier this year.

The Island is currently the only place in the British Isles offering civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.
OFT issues Dealz wig warning



Examples of the wigs recalled by Dealz

The Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading is warning that a number of wigs sold at Dealz pose a fire risk.

The store, which has a branch on Strand Street in Douglas, has recalled its Fright Nite Halloween wig range and Celebrations dress up wigs because they don't meet Toy Safety flammability standards.

The Halloween wigs have been on sale since August, while the Celebration items have been available since March 2015.

Full details of the items affected can be found on the OFT's website.

Anyone who has bought such a wig can return it to Dealz for a full refund.
Viruses are ubiquitous pathogens in all types of life forms. They cause major public health issues and create serious economic concerns worldwide. These infectious agents replicate inside the living cells of other organisms by selectively capturing in the host cell the right segments of nucleic acids needed for them to self-assemble. The ability of viruses to self-assemble still defies theoretical understanding. There are currently no physical models that can reliably account for the dynamic pathways along which the hundreds of molecular building blocks making up a virus fit into the final structure with pinpoint accuracy.

This is the question that Dr Guillaume Tresset and his team from the Universite Paris Sud are trying to answer this week. They are using time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (TR-SAXS) techniques on the ESRFs ID02 beamline. We want to elucidate the mechanisms of genome packaging and understand how these viruses manage to select their genome efficiently, says Dr Tresset.

The research team will be studying single-stranded (ss) RNA plant viruses. This category of virus also includes hepatitis C and Zika, plus human norovirus, which is responsible for causing severe gastroenteritis.

Most viruses consist of nucleic acids which encode, transmit and express the genetic code. These viral components are protected by a nanometre-scale protein shell called the capsid. For some viruses, the capsid is wrapped in a lipid envelope. During viral replication in the host cell, the capsid proteins and nucleic acids are synthesized and have to self-assemble into a fully infectious viral particle. In particular, viral nucleic acids have to be compacted and packaged into the capsid. This step is crucial for the survival of the virus and must be carried out in a rapid and error-free manner. In particular, the capsid must uptake only the viral genome and not the nucleic acids coming from the host cell, which suggests some selectivity on the part of the capsid proteins.

All set to work through the weekend, the team members take a short break to pose in front of ID02 experimental hutch. From left to right, front row: Johannes Moeller, ESRF post-doc and local contact for the experiment, Maelenn Chevreuil, Doru Constantin (LPS Orsay); middle row: Stephane Bressanelli, Thibault Tubiana (I2BC, Gif sur Yvette), Jingzhi Chen (LPS Orsay); back row: Guillaume Tresset, Mehdi Zeghal (LPS Orsay).

The self-assembly of viral particles can be performed in vitro from purified capsid proteins and ssRNA. The process is multiscale, with events occurring over milliseconds up to several hours and with molecules sized in the nanometre scale (from a few to tens of nanometres). TR-SAXS is an ideal technique of investigation. Because the scattering intensity of molecular species is quite low, only synchrotron sources are able to probe the processes with accuracy. The ESRFs ID02 beamline is capable of achieving a time resolution of a few milliseconds, which is crucial to capture the early events, says Guillaume Tresset.

Single-stranded (ss)RNA viruses often follow a simple architecture with an icosahedral capsid containing the genome in the form of ssRNA.

The team is expecting to answer a long-standing question in the field: do capsid proteins bind first to the genome prior to forming an icosahedral shell or is the icosahedral shell built up simultaneously with the uptake of the genome?

The scientists are from two laboratories in the Paris region, the LPS (Laboratoire de Physique des Solides) in Orsay, and the I2BC (Institut de Biologie Integrative de la Cellule) in Gif sur Yvette.

Text by Kirstin Colvin
California has promulgated a regulation to assure that the mentally ill who have been ordered hospitalized in California have access to assisted suicide if they are dying and deemed able to make medical decisions. From 9 California Code of Regulations  4601 (emphasis added):

(a) A terminally ill patient, as defined by the End of Life Option Act, may petition the superior court for access to participate in activities under the End of Life Option Act by requesting release from the custody of the Department of State Hospitals from the court. If the court orders release from the custody of the Department of State Hospitals, the Department of State Hospitals shall release the patient to the ordered entity or person.

In California, people can be involuntarily hospitalized for psychiatric reasons if they are found by a court, beyond a reasonable doubt, to be a danger to themselves or others.

Thus, if a suicidal patient requests to be released to commit suicide but isnt terminally ill, he will be refused if he is still considered a mortal danger to himself. But if the same patient has terminal cancer, he must be released in order to commit suicide. Thats not only nuts, but the state is abandoning the terminally ill with mental illnesses to their darkest impulses.

And what if a court decides the patient is, say, too dangerous to be let out? The state must facilitate the suicide by either transporting the mentally ill patient to a death site or see the deed done at the state facility:

If a court orders that the patient meets the qualifications under the End of Life Option Act, and that the Department of State Hospitals shall facilitate the patients access to participate in activities under the End of Life Option Act, the Department of State Hospitals will facilitate the patients access to an off-site facility that allows the patient the ability to participate in activities under the End of Life Option Act. 1) If the court orders that the patient meets the qualifications under the End of Life Option Act, and the Department of State Hospitals is unable to find an off-site facility for the patient to participate in activities under the End of Life Option Act, the Department of State Hospitals will facilitate the patients ability to participate in activities under the End of Life Option Act on-site.

Think about that. There will be patients forcibly hospitalized in these institutions because they are suicidal, who will know that other patients are being assisted in suicide. The mind boggles!

But its not unexpected. In Oregon, Michael Freeland was lethally prescribed (two years before dying naturally). Prior to getting around to killing himself, he became psychotic and was forcibly hospitalized. His psychiatrist made sure his guns were taken but also that the poison prescription remained safely at home, even though he would experience periods of delirium, the shrink wrote in Freelands medical records.

Abuses of assisted suicide in Oregon, Wesley? What abuses?

To recap: My state, which may soon do away with the death penalty, specifically will require government participation and facilitation of the suicides of mentally ill people if they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

This so-called death with dignity movement is driving us out of our collective minds.

Photo credit: zebrahaus via Pixabay.

Cross-posted at The Corner.
Thanks to a cocktail of misguided public policies, Seattles downtown core, where we work, is awash with the mentally ill homeless. A sadly familiar figure is the man or woman furiously shouting, cursing, and gesticulating at an unseen conversation partner. There are many such individuals roaming about, crossing paths with the tourists, businesspeople, high-end shoppers, and art museum and symphony patrons. They remind me of a strange feature of the evolution debate.

Just as the mentally ill persons fury is directed at an unknown party, much of scientific and popular publishing about evolution is aimed at an unnamed opponent. As a random example, heres an article from Science Daily that crossed my desk this week, A short jump from single-celled ancestors to animals, reporting a study in the journal Developmental Cell. Without going into detail on the merits of this effort to minimize a glaring difficulty with Darwinism, the article doesnt mention intelligent design. But its surely directed at us. Major evolutionary transitions are an aspect of lifes long history that Darwinian theory cant explain but design can.

Often, when evolutionists argue with an unseen ID proponent, when the context is the Cambrian explosion or lifes mysterious origin, the object of their fury is Stephen Meyer. In other contexts, it might be Douglas Axe and Ann Gauger with their incisive questions on protein evolution. Mathematicians William Dembski and David Berlinski are invisible opponents, and so too is our daily reporting and analysis here at Evolution News.

Very often, though, when it comes to the concept of irreducible complexity  typically unnamed  the opponent they clearly have in mind is biochemist Michael Behe.

The highly effective new 60-minute documentary Revolutionary: Michael Behe and the Mystery of Molecular Machines, on sale now, makes the invisible visible. The film, written and directed by John West, is an introduction to Behes thought timed to the 20th anniversary of his revolutionary book Darwins Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. Im proud to have played a small part in bringing the book before the public. As the literary editor at National Review at the time, I commissioned the (laudatory) review from distinguished NYU chemist Robert Shapiro that is briefly shown in the film.

Among other things, Revolutionary is a vindication of Behe, showing how science has refuted objections by Brown University biologist Kenneth Miller and others to Behes case for design, highlighting molecular machines like the bacterial flagellar motor. Those machines were of course unknown to Darwin, who would be flabbergasted by them. Their exquisite, irreducible complexity is still being investigated and revealed  making the invisible visible in another sense. For more, see the films trailer here.

Of course Behe is not actually invisible on the stage of biology. His presence is strongly felt. As the film shows, he has changed the terms of evolutionary discussions, an honor that also belongs to another Discovery Institute biologist, Michael Denton, whose book Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, we learn, inspired Behes scientific journey.

Oh yes, evolutionists know who theyre shouting at, and to prove it, the phrase irreducible complexity is sometime allowed to pass their otherwise carefully sealed lips. Its just that Darwins defenders strain to avoid tainting themselves by directly confronting the mild-mannered professor at Lehigh University. Revolutionary undoes their discretion by introducing us to Behe (and other ID theorists) in a dramatic and personally and intellectually revealing way. Its a fine and accessible primer on ID that tells the story of what really is a scientific revolution.

We see Behe on the Lehigh campus, at home  just a hundred miles from Dover, Pennsylvania, where he famously clashed with Professor Miller at the 2005 Kitzmiller trial, under the eyes of John E. Jones and his ghostwriters from the ACLU. (That is Judge John E. Jones who, the film amusingly reveals, hoped that Tom Hanks would play him in the movie version of the court battle.) Behe is shown with his family  talking with his kids, and washing post-supper dishes. The humanizing effect is welcome.

As one paleontologist recounts here, after his own mind was opened to the cogency of design arguments, he met ID scientists and scholars and was surprised to find they bore little resemblance to what he expected based on media caricatures. The shy (as he describes himself), self-effacing, yet stubborn Dr. Behe may also come as a revelation to those who dont know him but assume he must be a cartoon creationist.

Revolutionary is unlike other ID films Im familiar with in the way it offers personal stories. One of the most startling concerns University of Idaho microbiologist Scott Minnich, who like Behe, testified at Dover and was censured for it by officials at his university. When contemplating the career perils of coming out for ID and publishing a journal article with Stephen Meyer on the bacterial flagellum, Dr. Minnich happened to be participating as a member of the Iraq Survey Group, assisting the U.S. government in a search for biological and chemical weapons hidden in the country.

He was taking shelter, in fact, in Saddam Husseins Perfume Palace, under approaching mortar fire, as a critical submission deadline loomed. Minnich recalls reflecting that I may not be here tomorrow morning, as he finally hit the button on his computer to send the file. Now thats a kind of story from the scientific world that you dont hear every day.

Behe, Minnich, Meyer, et al. continue to take fire from opponents who, frankly, dont earn a lot of respect from me by failing to give credit to the authors of the theory they seek to surreptitiously assail. Revolutionary pays fitting tribute Professor Behe, who deserves to be called a hero.

Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer.
Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan heavily criticised misleading advertisements on Thursday. Speaking at the Consumer Mela in New Delhi, Paswan took potshots at advertisements that make irrational claims including the ones that promise to cure a receding hairline within a matter of few days. These advertisements are totally false and lack logic, he said.

Paswan stated that celebrity actors often deceive consumers by endorsing things in an exaggerated manner that could have risky health implications. Even celebrities who do endorsements should not make outlandish claims. Publish what exists in reality, he mentioned.

He added that celebrities will be liable for prosecution in case of misleading claims. We want to tell the celebrities to think wisely before endorsing a product. If you make misleading claims willingly then you will be liable for punishment, Paswan asserted.

The minister pointed out that the central government is studying the laws in other countries to find a suitable punishment for such offences. The Consumer Protection Act, which was formulated in 1986, is set to be amended soon. Consumer Protection Bill was framed thirty years ago. The manner in which goods and services are bought and sold has changed. You can buy things from kirana shops as also from e-retailers while sitting at home, he said.

Paswan, who represents Hajipur constituency of Bihar in the Lok Sabha, opined that e-retailing had thrown up a number of challenges. The government is now entrusted with the dual responsibility of monitoring the quality and price of goods and services in both the offline and online world. The minister suggested that the new bill has provisions to take care of such concerns.

Under the draft legislation, the district, state and national consumer courts will deal with cases wherein claims have been made to the tune of Rs 1 crore, 10 crore and above 10 crore, respectively.

Lamenting at the thriving state of adulteration in India, Paswan said, Nowhere in the world do people expect adulteration, especially in food. Nobody in India thinks that anything is available in the market without adulteration. He admitted that medicines were also not free from adulteration.

The consumers biggest weapon is the consumer court. We also have consumer helplines. Earlier, we had fourteen such help lines. Now we have sixty and all of them have the same phone number, said Paswan as he batted for strengthening the existing mechanism of grievance redress.

He urged consumers to come forward and file complaints. Act has been made. It says that the consumers will not be cheated. But the fact is that the consumers are being cheated on a daily basis. What should we do? For that, we will have to apply tact. Consumers will have to become aware. You will have to start filing complaints, he told the gathering.

Paswan thanked industry bodies including FICCI and ASSOCHAM for supporting the consumer awareness programme. India has a population of 127 crore. Everyone is a consumer including the President of India and heads of various companies present here, he said.

Read more news about (ad news, latest advertising news India, internet advertising, ad agencies updates, media advertising India)
Forbes India will release the India Rich list in its latest issue that hits the stands on 22 October 2016. The magazine this time is resorting to innovative packaging and marketing to celebrate its legacy. Minimum cut-off to figure in the 100 Richest Indians list hits record high of $1.25 billion. Last year it was $1.1 billion.

Joy Chakraborthy  CEO, Forbes India & President-Revenue, Network 18 News said, We are delighted to present yet another edition of The Forbes India Rich List - one of the most recognized and awaited lists in India. The Rich List celebrates and chronicles the spirit of entrepreneurial leadership and wealth creation in the Indian economy. Over years this List has become one of the strongest reference brands on India for media across the world. This is also the highest revenue grossing issue for us and we are looking forward to double the numbers on news stand as well.

Speaking on the eve of the release of the collectors edition of the India Rich List, Sourav Majumdar, Editor, Forbes India said, The 2016 Forbes India Rich List is evidence that Indian enterprise is alive and well. The cut-off for entry into this exclusive club has hit a record high of $1.25 billion this year and while we have seen some notable exclusions, new and younger entrepreneurs have also announced their arrival into the list. As fresh ideas and ventures emerge, we hope to see more new names in the future.

The top gainers on the Rich List in percentage terms were KP Singh and Ajay Piramal who added a whopping 84.6 percent and 82.6 percent to their wealth, respectively. Young entrepreneurs like Flipkarts Sachin and Binny Bansal dropped off the list, while newcomers like tech entrepreneurs the Turakhia brothers and Acharya Balkrishna make their debut.



Some of the highlights of the 2016 Forbes India Rich List include:

Serial entrepreneurs and brothers Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia (No. 95, $1.3 billion), make the ranks after selling their ad tech firm Media.net for $900 million to a consortium of Chinese investors in August. They are also the youngest members in the list.



Managing director and primary stakeholder of Patanjali Ayurved, Acharya Balkrishna (Rank 48) leaps directly into the Top 50.

Mukesh Ambani (net worth of $22.7 billion) has been ranked Indias richest person for the 9 th consecutive time



Mukesh Ambani (net worth of $22.7 billion) has been ranked Indias richest person for the 9 consecutive time The oldest members in the list is Alkem Laboratories founder Samprada Singh (90 years).



The biggest wealth gainer on the list in percentage terms is property baron Kushal Pal Singh (ranked 22), whose net worth grew from $2.6 billion in 2015 to $4.8 billion this year, a rise of 84.6 percent.



The biggest wealth losers on the list in percentage terms are brothers Malvinder and Shivinder Singh (Ranked 92), whose net worth dropped from $1.77 billion in 2015 to $1.38 billion this year, a drop of 22 percent.



There are four women in the list: #79. Leena Tiwari $1.63 bn; #65. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw $1.83 bn; # 46. Vinod Gupta $2.52 bn and #19. Savitri Jindal $5.3 bn.

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The growth in sales of asset-based long-term care insurance protection is making national headlines today according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) which advocates for increased long-term care planning.

"Asset-based long-term care insurance includes life insurance and annuity contracts that can provide a long-term care benefit," explains Jesse Slome, director of AALTCI, a national organization headquartered in Los Angeles. "It is vital for consumers to know that there are many viable options to consider and these products are definitely gaining favor nationwide."

Slome shared with leading insurance professionals who market long-term care insurance and Medicare Supplement insurance products that major news outlets across the country were reporting stories today about the growth in asset-based sales.

"All media coverage that heightens awareness about the importance of planning is valuable because there is far too little discussion about the importance of this topic," Slome acknowledged. The long-time advocate said he hoped that Long-Term Care Awareness Month that takes place each November will be a time when more insurance agents focus on the topic.

The news reports refer to the benefits offered by asset-based products citing OneAmerica's regional marketing director, Keith Bercun. "I like Keith's reference to the fact that these products do double duty," Slome shared with the insurance agents. "And good for OneAmerica and their efforts to create more consumer awareness," Slome added.

To learn more about long-term care insurance costs comparing both traditional as well as asset-based benefit policies contact the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance to be connected with a knowledgeable professional for your area. Call 818-597-3227 or visit the organization's website www.aaltci.org.
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Castle Hills resident Sichan Siv, who escaped Cambodias Killing Fields and went on to serve former President George H.W. Bush in the White House, was sentenced in his native country to a year in prison Thursday after he and two business partners were convicted of fraud in connection with a now-defunct San Antonio rice-import company.

The Khmer Times reported that Siv and the two others also were jointly ordered to repay $1 million and also pay $75,000 in damages. The trio were facing up to three years in prison.

Cambodian dentist Dr. Lykuong Eng accused the three of fraud after she lost a $1 million investment in Akra Agriculture Partners Inc. The San Antonio startup business was supposed to set up an agriculture cooperative to develop Cambodian farming and support the export of crops  primarily rice  to the U.S., according to a civil lawsuit Eng filed last week in San Antonio federal court.

Siv, who was Akras chairman before he resigned from the company, did not respond to a message left with his wife.

Also sentenced were Akra CEO Thomas A. Willems, described by the Khmer Times as a San Antonio resident, and Richer San, a Cambodian-American businessman who was vice president of business development. Willems couldnt be located for comment.

A fourth defendant, New York Assemblyman William Nojay, who was the companys secretary and treasurer, fatally shot himself in a Rochester, New York, cemetery on Sept. 8. The charges against him were subsequently dropped. The New York Times reported after Nojays death that his various business dealings, including with Akra, have drawn the attention of federal investigators.

Siv, Willems and San were not present for the trial, the Khmer Times reported. The U.S. doesnt have an extradition treaty with Cambodia that would force them to serve out their sentences.

Criminal lawyers for the three said the company fell on hard times and had to close, the publication reported.

Siv, 68, made a harrowing escape from Cambodia 40 years ago, a tale he recounted in the 2008 memoir Golden Bones: An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America. He survived a machine-gun attack and a fall into a jungle pit of punji sticks, but his family was killed.

He would go on to become a U.S. citizen and later serve in the White House as a deputy assistant. In 2001, he was appointed by Bush as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a post he held until 2006, when he and his wife retired to Castle Hills.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Siv was tapped as Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts replacement at the Republican National Convention in July after the governor suffered burn injuries that prevented him from attending.

Fort Worth lawyer Robert Simon, who represents Eng in the civil lawsuit against the trio and Nojays estate, declined to comment on Thursdays ruling by a municipal court judge in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

Eng, though, told the Khmer Times, I am very pleased the court found truth and justice for me.

In her lawsuit, Eng alleged that before investing in Akra, she was told it already had raised $3 million. Simon said she was either the only investor or the only one to invest a substantial amount.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
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MILAN  The terror threat in Europe, a strong dollar and uncertainty over the U.S. presidential elections have eroded the confidence of the globes big-spenders, holding luxury purchases flat in 2016, according to a study released Thursday.

Spending on luxury apparel, accessories and other personal items is expected to hold steady at 249 billion euros ($273 billion) this year, a study by Bain Consultancy for the Altagamma association of Italian high-end luxury producers. Add in spending on luxury cars, yachts, jets, cruises, hotels, fine art, design and food, and the market tops a stunning 1 trillion euros.

As political events and monetary policy exert greater influence on luxury spending patterns, brands have turned their focus to wooing buyers in their home countries rather than counting on tourist arrivals to buoy sales, said Bain partner Claudia DArpizio.

This is not happening by default, DArpizio. Brands are refocusing on the local customer base and working to develop products that are more affordable and more inclusive to meet their needs.

For the first time, spending by Chinas super consumers shrank, albeit slightly, from 31 percent of the total to 30 percent of the total. Part of the shift was due to an increase in the number of middle-class Chinese travelers, who collectively spend less than higher rollers, she said.

While U.S. presidential elections always put the freeze on consumer spending, DArpizio said this years squeeze was a little tighter due to a strong dollar, which also hurt tourist spending, and higher oil prices.

In Europe, brands are also working to cultivate local buyers as the threat of terrorism has hurt tourism. They are seeing local consumption recover in Italy, Germany, Spain and Britain. But spending remains soft in France, with terror attacks affecting both tourists and locals sentiment, DArpizio said.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Britains decision to exit the European Union so far has proven a boon for luxury spending, with the falling pound encouraging both domestic consumption and travelers to spend.

Currently, London is the cheapest luxury market, DArpizio said.
Tana French has lived in the United States, Italy and Malawi, but her themes of identity, justice and the past are most evocative of her home for the past 26 years: Dublin, Ireland. She studied acting at Trinity College in Dublin and, intriguingly, she populates her Dublin Murder Squad series with an ensemble cast.

Her protagonists are all members of the Murder Squad team of detectives, but the lead investigators change from book to book, with a cast member stepping into the spotlight, then receding to a supporting role for the next book.

This chain-link series has produced five books, critical raves and a spate of awards. The Trespasser, the sixth novel in the series, was just released. She recently discussed her background, books and writing process.

Q: Youre an actress, and youve lived in many different places. How does your background inform your writing?

A: Ive lived in different places, and this is one of the reasons I tend to write about people who are deeply rooted in Ireland. Its what you dont know that is most fascinating. Because I grew up moving around, I was fascinated by people who had deep roots, and Ireland has a heritage that is present in its current way of life.

More Information The Trespasser By Tana French Viking, $27 See More Collapse

Q: You mention writing about the Irish, and Im reminded of Yeats quote: Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. Your characters seem unable to enjoy themselves fully.

A: Characters who are too purely content arent that interesting to read about. My motto as a writer is: When in doubt, mess with your narrators head. And, yes, that kind of cynicism is definitely an Irish trait.

Q: In your last novel, The Secret Place, you tackled the world of teenagers. What prompted you to write about that subject?

A: I was interested in the relationship between secrets and identity. Teenagers are fragile, and they are trying to construct their own identity, even as they have instincts pulling them in different directions and people telling them who they are supposed to be. How do you balance that? Its also a time when your secrets are precious currencies. You want to tell your friends who you are with intimate depth, but you also fear that revelation can damage you. For a mystery writer, secrets are always going to be interesting.

Q: How did you get the teenagers language down?

A: Im exactly the wrong age to write a book about teenagers. Im too old to know teenagers, but Im too young to have teenagers, so I lurked around bus stops when school was letting out, and I listened. One of the things I forgot is that they can all talk at once and still hear each other, and I forgot how intense they get. Interestingly, I dont think I was ever noticed. I was this 30-something woman standing there, and I didnt exist in their world.

Q: J.D. Salinger hung out in soda shops to capture the language he used for The Catcher in the Rye.

A: Well, I am in very good company. I think its easier for a woman. You look a little less sinister.

Q: Speaking of sinister, tell us about The Trespasser.

A: Antoinette Conway is a murder detective. She is good at her job, but she is a poor compromiser, and she doesnt get along well with her colleagues. Shes considering quitting, but a case comes in which, at first glance, seems to be a lovers quarrel that ended in death. But Antoinette has seen the victim (a young woman named Aislinn) before, and evidence keeps coming in that can be read in multiple ways. Its clear that somebody on their squad is pushing hard for them to arrest the boyfriend and close the case. And Conway and her partner, Stephen, need to figure out why.

Q: In all of your books, there is some intradepartmental strife.

A: Yes, each of my books has a core location and, in The Trespasser, its definitely the squad room. It is an elite location where people are incredibly focused and invested in chasing down whatever variant of truth or justice or closure they are looking for.

Q: Tell us about the title, The Trespasser.

A: Who is the trespasser? Is it the person who came into Aislinns home and killed her? Or is it Aislinn herself, who, as we find out, is trespassing on anothers life? Or is Antoinette the trespasser, by being an outsider in her own department? And theres also the religious sense of the word. Who has trespassed in this book? How does one decide? This book is about invasion, about invading peoples lives and spaces in multiple ways.

Q: Spaces take on great importance in your works.

A: Places are practically characters in my novels. Places are one of the first things that I come up with when I am writing a book. I come up with a core place, and if I dont have a core place, I dont really know how to start the book. That place is where the book draws its power from, and I think that might have something to do with having grown up moving around and thinking about roots and what they mean.
An Illinois outlet is reporting a Fort Hood Army soldier. Douglas Riney, was killed in action Wednesday while on tour in Afghanistan.

Riney, from Fairview, Ill., and is married with two young children, WMBD reports.

A family member tells WMBD the situation is still under investigation.

On Wednesday, two Americans, a service member and a civilian, were shot and killed by an Afghan wearing a military uniform at a base near Kabul, according to the U.S. and Afghan officials.

The Pentagon withheld the names of the Americans killed and wounded pending notification of next of kin.

Three other Americans, a service member and two civilians, were wounded, officials said. They were reported hospitalized in stable condition.

It wasn't immediately clear if the so-called "insider attack" involved a Taliban sympathizer, a personal dispute or a cultural misunderstanding.

The shooting comes as the Afghan government in Kabul has come under growing pressure from the Taliban and other armed insurgents despite 15 years of war.

The Pentagon has 9,800 troops deployed in Afghanistan to train and advise Afghan forces, and most rarely participate in direct combat. But as the war has intensified in recent weeks, U.S. special operations forces have fought alongside Afghan units against Taliban militants.

U.S. and Afghan officials said the gunman opened fire on the five Americans as they attempted to inspect an Afghan ammunition supply base near Camp Morehead, where Afghan military units are trained for specialized operations

The Afghan Ministry of Defense said the gunman, who was killed as well, was wearing an Afghan army uniform.

The attack marks the eighth U.S. service member killed this year in Afghanistan. More than 2,200 U.S. military personnel have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
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A Mexican businessman accused of being a financier for the Sinaloa Cartel pleaded guilty Thursday in San Antonio to a money laundering conspiracy charge related to his real estate investments here and a charge that he extorted a business partner in a Hollywood production.

Mauricio Sanchez Garza, a 45-year-old native of Guadalajara, Mexico, faces up to 20 years in prison on each count when hes sentenced in January. Prosecutors had alleged that Sanchez, who moved to San Antonio in 2005, tried to launder money for Mexican drug traffickers through a proposed apartment development on the Northwest Side and at one point owned the rights to a prequel to Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ.

As part of the case against him, the federal government seized a house and an empty lot Sanchez owned in the Dominion as well as a restaurant his brother owned on San Pedro Avenue.

His attorney, David Dilley, said Sanchez chose to plead because of the upward risk of the maximum sentence that goes with these kinds of cases.

And even if we win one, you run the risk of losing the other, Dilley added.

Sanchez and Jorge Vazquez Sanchez, a drug trafficker who pleaded guilty in 2012 to money laundering and extortion charges, bought the rights to Mary, Mother of Christ, penned by the writer of The Passion of the Christ. In 2008, after a dispute with a business partner, Sanchez and Vazquez orchestrated the kidnapping of the investors brother in Mexico to force him to give up his rights to the movie. They eventually sold the screenplay for $1 million.

I believe his participation in extortion was minimal but risky enough not to go to trial, Dilley said.

Prosecutors also accused Sanchez and Vazquez of laundering money through a multifamily housing development on Babcock Road. The 37 acres they hoped to turn into an apartment complex was seized by the feds and sold, leading to a high-profile dispute about the propertys zoning.

The U.S. Treasury Department has accused the Sanchez family of involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel, headed by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. The family used its real estate company in Guadalajara to launder money for one of Guzmans top capos as well as for Rafael Caro Quintero, one of the godfathers of Mexicos drug cartels, investigators said.

Dilley said allegations that Sanchez is connected to high-ranking cartel leaders are way overstated.

Theres no facts to support that," he said, noting his client admitted only to his business dealings with Vazquez. Theres no new charges, or any threatened.

Prosecutor Charlie Strauss said he couldnt confirm Sanchez was involved with the cartel.

Hes a money launderer and thats what he pleaded guilty to, Strauss said. As far as what cartel hes involved with  Im not sure I could say.

Alejandro Sanchez Garza, Mauricios brother, in 2013 admitted to laundering money through the now defunct Barbaresco Tuscan Grill and Enoteca, modeled after a similar restaurant the family operated in Guadalajara, on San Pedro Avenue. He served a 2-year prison sentence.

Mexican police arrested Mauricio Sanchez in January near Guadalajara at the request of the United States. Strauss said that once Sanchez was in custody, he waived his right to an extradition hearing and agreed to come to the U.S. and face the charges here.

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlbuch
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For years, ChildSafe has provided services to victims of child abuse and neglect in Bexar County in a 13,000-square-foot facility on the far Southwest Side, a long way from the central city.

As years passed and the number of young victims grew, the nonprofit became cramped, with some counselors and child welfare workers even having to decamp to different locations.

Within two years, this problem will be resolved, thanks to a major gift by one of the citys most prolific benefactors.

On Thursday, Harvey Najim announced he was giving

$5 million to a capital campaign to build a $33 million, 70,000-square-foot ChildSafe campus on the East Side.

Scheduled to break ground in May and open officially in fall 2018, the new child advocacy center will bring crucial treatment closer to the families who need it, said ChildSafe President and CEO Kim Abernethy, and will be a national model nestled in a wooded, natural area that will promote nurturing and healing.

To be designed and built by the architect and engineering firm Overland Partners, the Harvey E. Najim Children and Family Center will be located on 36 acres along Salado Creek, near Interstate 10 and East Houston Street.

The donation represents the largest single gift Najim has made in his long history of philanthropy in San Antonio, which tends to focus on children.

Announcing the gift at the Overland Partners near-downtown office, Najim told a story about his first visit to ChildSafe seven years ago. He was walking down a hall where specialists conduct interviews to determine if abuse has occurred.

Suddenly, one of the doors opened and a mother and daughter walked out, Najim said. They were both crying. The little girl was about the age of my granddaughter at the time. I was so saddened by what I saw. It left an indelible image in my mind.

When Abernethy and board members approached Najim about a year ago, saying ChildSafe desperately needed to expand to serve more children and families, he was eager to help, in January providing the $250,000 deposit on the property where the new center will be built.

Najim said hes confident the new center offer a network for support and a catalyst for healing.

I make this gift to ensure that our most valuable asset  our children  are protected and safe, he said. My hope is that their fears will turn to cheers and their fear to hope.

Abernethy said Najims gift will be key in getting others to donate.

The gift demonstrates Harveys deep and unwavering commitment to the children of the community, she said. We are extremely grateful for his involvement in the development of this campus, and his ongoing pledge to help the most vulnerable.

Ray Battaglia, the board chairman of ChildSafe, said having the center more centrally located will help especially low-income families that depend on public transportation.

Can you imagine having a traumatized, abused child, and then not having a car to be able to seek help? he asked. Can you imagine having to take several buses just to get to the counselor? Thats really been hard on our clients, especially working parents. This new center is going to make access much easier.

ChildSafe serves more than 3,000 clients a year. This fiscal year, the need for counseling services increased by 33 percent  a reflection of the countys high child abuse and neglect numbers, which often rank among the worst in the state, Abernethy said.

In addition to providing counseling and other services, ChildSafe serves as an on-site hub for other partners in the fight against abuse and neglect  Child Protective Services, the district attorneys office, the Sheriffs Office, the police and juvenile probation. The new facility also will have a 250-seat training center.

A video of the state-of-the-art campus was shown to attendees of the announcement party.

When the new facility opens, the existing one along U.S. 90 will close, Abernethy said.

The rest of the money for the center will come from private donors, foundations and other sources, as well as tax credits, said Randy McGibney, director of programs.

The new center also plans to partner with the Childrens Hospital of San Antonio to provide an on-site wellness clinic for the community. An additional 21 acres of wooded land adjoining the campus will be deeded to the city for a public park, Abernethy said.

Councilman Alan Warrick, in whose district the new center will be situated, said having ChildSafe in the area will be a boon for the entire community. The lot on which the center is to be built has been vacant for 25 years, he said.

We hope that one day the need for such a center will become obsolete, but until then, we are thrilled to have this world class facility on the East Side, he said.

mstoeltje@express-news.net
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Candidates vying for the Texas House District 120 seat squared off in a mostly calm debate Thursday night at the Claude W. Black Community Center on the East Side.

While interim Rep. Laura Thompson, an independent, stayed seated at first when answering questions, speaking softly, Democrat Barbara Gervin-Hawkins stood up every time, addressing the crowd and often looking directly at the audience.

The pair fielded questions from both the moderator and the audience on topics including redistricting, infrastructure, and police and community relations.

The district includes the East and Northeast sides. Thompson currently occupies the seat vacated by Democrat Ruth Jones McClendon.

The first question asked about allegations of fraud and Thompsons eligibility to remain on the ballot Nov. 8.

She avoided efforts from Bexar County Democrats to remove her from the ballot after state election officials first declared that she lacked the 500 signatures needed to compete. A state district judge repealed the decision, allowing her to stay on the ballot.

Thompson, a certified mediator and community outreach consultant, said the judge didnt find her signatures to be fraudulent, and if that was the case, I would not still be on the ballot.

Fraud did occur, fraud did occur, said Gervin-Hawkins, standing up with the microphone. She co-founded George Gervin Youth Center Inc., a charter school, with her brother, Spurs legend George Gervin. But she concluded her remarks saying, For me, its all about what happens at the ballot box on Nov. 8.

The audience of about 60 included some in black-and-white Gervin-Hawkins T-shirts, some holding her signs. Thompsons supporters didnt have labeled campaign items, but some women sat with purple shawls that matched Thompsons purple dress.

Few personal attacks were exchanged. At one time, Thompson said the difference between the two was that her work in the community has been service, and hers has been a business. Gervin-Hawkins replied, No doubt, I mix service and business because we help a number of people.

Gervin-Hawkins was asked about her moves to stymie plans to convert a convent into a halfway house in 2009 when she was a zoning commissioner. She said it wouldnt have been a good business deal and that she was against a facility that would hurt the resale of peoples homes.

When the candidates were asked how they would improve police and community relations, particularly with police whove misused force on black individuals, Thompson said consistent, ongoing training for police officers is necessary, as well as a mandatory conduct education in schools. Gervins-Hawkins said she wanted incentives to encourage police officers to live in the district and to find ways to build relationships.

Regarding gentrification, both saw positives and negatives, and Gervins-Hawkins said redevelopment is only bad when youre not part of it.

Thompson, as an independent, said she wasnt as affected by redistricting and was actually a recipient of it, as her home in Royal Ridge became part of District 120 a few years ago.

Gervin-Hawkins said she would fight redistricting efforts that she said limit having more elected Democrats in the Legislature.

Toward the end of the night, an audience member stood to ask a question. Before that, she thanked both candidates for the engaged discussion.

Ive really enjoyed this, the audience member said. More than the presidential debates.

frahman@express-news.net
Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

The Justice Department has awarded San Antonio a $568,039 grant to combat human trafficking, U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin announced Thursday with city and law enforcement officials at his side.

The money will be used to bolster efforts against traffickers and enhance a partnership of the Alamo Area Rape Crisis Center with the San Antonio Police Department. Together with other agencies, the groups formed a coalition known as STOP, or South Texas Officers and Prosecutors against Human Trafficking.
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Bexar County voter registration numbers continued their record climb Thursday, and new data show a surge in involvement by millenials this presidential election year.

With 12 days of early voting starting Monday, the countys tally of 1,046,578 registered voters was up 140,000 since 2012. More than half of those registered are expected to vote in the Nov. 8 election.

The local increase is part of a statewide phenomenon that has pushed Texas total registrations to more than 15 million, also a record, said Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos. The states chief elections officer visited the Bexar County Elections Department on Wednesday to emphasize the importance of voting and to acquaint the public with changes in photo identification requirements.

If youve been voting with photo ID, nothing changes for you, Cascos said. Those without a photo ID can vote if they supply one of several alternative documents including voter registration certificates, bank statements, utility bills and government documents, Cascos said.

Complete details on voting requirements are available at votetexas.gov or elections.bexar.org.

More Information Bexar County 2016 Voter Registrations Total: 1,046,578, up 140,000 since 2012 Increases by age group 18-20 - 23 percent 21-24 - 11 percent 25-34 - 25 percent 35-44 - 16 percent 45-54 - 12 percent 55-64 - 8 percent 65+ - 6 percent Source: Bexar County Elections Department See More Collapse

Noting that some voters may be frozen with indecision about the presidential race, Cascos encouraged them to vote in other contests.

Dont throw the whole vote out. Theres a lot of down-ballot races that are critical, Cascos said.

Reacting to GOP presidential candidate Donald Trumps persistent claims that the election is rigged, Cascos, a Republican, said thats highly unlikely, very improbable in this state because each of Texas 254 counties has its own voting system, many of them with analog equipment.

I am not concerned about a nationwide vote-rigging epidemic. I certainly dont believe that its going to happen in Texas, Cascos said.

Theres just too many protocols  at local offices where votes get counted. Youd have to be somebody ingenious, a massive conspriacy with a whole bunch of people involved to try to penetrate every single election office, Cascos said.

On the subject of voter fraud, which Trump also asserts is rampant, Cascos said it happens, but hes uncertain how often and how significant it is.

I dont think that anybody has a good handle on it, he said.

County Judge Nelson Wolff said hes confident that fraud and a rigged system are not problems.

We do everything we can to make sure the election is run right. Theres always a few handfuls of issues weve got to deal with, but weve got a huge system of checks and balances, Wolff said.

I want everybody to feel that the election is going to be an honest election, Wolff said.

Bexar County Democratic Chairman Manuel Medina said hes enthused by the rising voter registration numbers, and now energy is being poured into getting out the vote starting next week. He cited several trends that could be helpful to his partys candidates.

More women are engaged than ever before. There are more young people registering to vote. And whats surprising is the overwhelming number of registered voters coming from Democratic party precincts, Medina said.

Forty-four percent of everyone that has registered this year comes from a hard-core Democratic precinct, compared to 34 percent from a hard-core Republican precinct, Medina said.

Based on the still-growing registration numbers  final totals are expected next week  estimates for the total turnout in Bexar County range from 500,000 to 600,000, with 65 percent of the total coming during early voting from Monday-Nov. 4. Hundreds of senior, disabled and military voters already have cast their ballots by mail.

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez

RELATED: When/where can you vote?






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WASHINGTON  Donald Trumps debate pronouncement that he might not accept the results of a rigged election touched off a nationwide debate Thursday about whether his stance represents a threat to American Democracy.

While many of his rank-and-file supporters said they agreed with the sentiment, the Republican Party establishment that has coalesced around his candidacy since he won the GOP nomination remained largely silent.

That includes many Republicans in Texas  along with GOP members of Houstons congressional delegation, who nearly all declined or ignored requests for comment Thursday.

One exception was Houston Republican John Culberson, who released a statement saying I always support our Republican nominees and I always support the will of the voters.

Trumps defenders, including campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, said Trumps remarks were aimed at a corrupt system and compared them to a disputed 2000 presidential election recount in Florida between Al Gore and George W. Bush.

Trump, meanwhile, did little to back away from his assertion, which many historians consider unprecedented. At a rally in Ohio, a critical battleground state where Trump is tied with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the real estate mogul reinforced the impression that it would take a victory for him to respect the results of the Nov. 8 election.

I would like to promise and pledge ... that I will totally accept the results of this great and presidential election if I win, he said.

Later, Trump said he would accept a clear election result, but would reserve his right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.

That did little to mollify Democrats, who were eager to portray Trumps equivocation as a threat to public confidence in the U.S. electoral system. They also sought to spread the damage to down-ballot elections across the nation, portraying the Republicans silence as tacit approval of Trumps remarks.

Silence is complicity, said U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Evasion is unacceptable.

Pelosi specifically called out Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Texas Republican John Cornyn, the U.S. Senate majority whip, was not available for comment Thursday, according to a spokesman.

Democrats trained their fire specifically on vulnerable Republicans in swing districts, including Texas Republican Will Hurd, who represents a border district spreading west from San Antonio. Hurds campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Other Republicans staying out of the fray were Houston area U.S. Reps. Mike McCaul, Ted Poe, Randy Weber, Pete Olson, Brian Babin, and Kevin Brady. The Trump campaign issued a statement from Brady late Wednesday congratulating Trump on his debate victory, and praising the Republican nominee on his tax proposals. But Brady, a committee chairman who helped engineer the GOPs biggest House majority in decades, did not comment on Trumps refusal to say if he would accept the election results.

Trumps campaign minimized the significance of his remarks, saying they are confident about his chances. In a contentious post-debate interview on CNN, Conway said Trump was merely expressing his concerns about media bias and the possibility of widespread voter abuse and irregularities. Absent widespread fraud, she said, Trump will likely win the election and accept the results. Donald Trump will accept the results of the election because hes going to win the election, she said. So it will be easy to accept.

With less than three weeks until Election Day, Trump is significantly behind in most of the polls, including most of the battleground states that will determine the election.

As added evidence of possible fraud, Trump went on Twitter on Thursday to say that even though he won, the debate was rigged. Why didn't Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions  she secretly used them! Crooked Hillary, he tweeted.

Trumps national campaign spokeswoman did not respond to a request for evidence that Clinton was given the questions, which debate sponsors said were known in advance only to Fox News moderator Chris Wallace.

Many debate analysts on both sides of the partisan divide described Trumps statement about the election results as an unforced error that could prove disastrous for his struggling campaign. Many Republicans said his refusal to commit to the election results overshadowed what was otherwise one of his most substantial debate performances. But even as he came under intense criticism  especially from Democrats  some analysts said his remarks left ample room for interpretation.

I will keep you in suspense, Trump said in response to a question from Wallace about pledging to abide by the results.

Like so many things with Donald Trump, the problem is he tends to state things in very broad, imprecise terms, and leaves a lot of ambiguity, said Matthew Wilson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University.

Wilson noted that some voters will take his remarks as an expression of concern about possible voter fraud, while others will take it as a threat to delegitimize the election. What he really meant is a matter of interpretation. One of those is a reasonable thing to say. The other is outrageous.

At a Washington press conference Thursday where he pressed the GOP attack on Clintons private email server, San Antonio Republican Lamar Smith told reporters that he didnt want to guess what (Trump) might be implying. But he defended Trumps concerns about fair elections and media bias. Smith added, however, that he is confident in an honest election.

We all want honest elections, he said. I expect us to have an honest election.

In the Houston area, some Trump supporters said they take the candidates warnings about a rigged election seriously.

What he said last night I think was right, said Cooper Jackson, 30, founder of the Houston Area for Donald Trump Facebook page. Weve got to do everything we can to try to make sure this election is true. Im thinking about taking a day off work on Election Day to do some poll watching.

Trump activist Jeana Blackford, 43, said a vote recount will be absolutely 100 percent necessary if signs of voter fraud emerge during the election, which she expected will happen. I think that theres going to be some kind of fraud, I really honestly do, she said. I do think that youre going to see people questioning the results. I think that you will see people demanding recounts. And I don't believe it will be the Trump campaign doing that, I believe it will actually be the voters.

Visitors to the Texas Capitol on Thursday mostly chuckled at the suggestion that Trumps comments were a threat to democracy.

Its an election. Someone wins, someone loses, said Lanny Lawsen, 38, a registered Democrat from Houston. Who really cares if Donald Trump wants to accept the results? The voters decide.

Spring resident Charles Pickering, a Republican and Trump supporter, echoed that sentiment: This is Trump being Trump. What I heard was he was going to keep us in suspense, not that he was going to hold out if he lost  like that would mean anything at all.

This is a story thats being pushed by the political establishment that hates Donald Trump because hes challenging their corrupt stranglehold on our political system, Pickering added. This is another hyped-up up controversy. It makes no difference.

Kim Reyes, 61, a Dallas Republican, said Trump is within his right not to concede before the election is over. Al Gore didnt accept the results when we elected George Bush, and no one got this upset. So whats the big deal now?

Some political experts dismiss the analogy, distinguishing between post-election recount demands  which are common in tight races  and a pre-emptive repudiation of an election by a candidate who is behind in the polls. But questions about the integrity of U.S. elections are not new, particularly in modern American history. John F. Kennedy faced suspicions that he benefited from some voting skullduggery in 1960, particularly in Texas and Illinois, which could have tipped the race. His opponent, Richard Nixon, chose not to pursue it.

Few expect Trump to follow suit. While most election officials say that widespread voter fraud is a remote possibility, if not impossible, Trump has relied on a 2012 Pew Center study of the states chronicling millions of instances of ineligible or dead voters waiting to be purged from voter rolls. Despite the problems, the Pew study did not conclude that the problems were evidence of actual voter fraud.

Its like with so many things with Donald Trump, Wilson said. Theres a kernel of legitimate concern here that has been blown out of all proportion.
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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested during the final debate with Hillary Clinton on Wednesday that his opponent supported abortion up until days before a womans due date.

Clinton accused Trump of using scare rhetoric, and Dr. Diane Horvath, a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists based in Baltimore, said his comments dont reflect medical reality.

The clash between Clinton and Trump over abortion, during which he promised to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices, was the first time the issue had come up in their debates.

Over time, his stance on abortion has shifted, making some voters and at least one Texas anti-abortion group wary of the candidate.

Debate moderator Chris Wallace asked Clinton why she didnt support a ban on partial-birth abortion when she was a senator. In 2003, Congress passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which prohibits physicians from performing an overt act, other than completion of delivery, that kills the partially delivered living fetus.

The kinds of cases that fall at the end of pregnancy are often the most heartbreaking, painful decisions for families to make, Clinton said. I do not think the United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions.

In response, Trump said that under Clintons view, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive rights legislation nationally, 43 states restrict abortion at or before the point of viability, when medical professionals believe that the fetus could survive outside the womb.

People dont have abortions at 39 weeks, they deliver, Horvath said. When people have abortions later in pregnancy, a lot of times theyre grieving the loss of a wanted pregnancy. This idea that people just kind of cavalierly walk into a clinic and say, at like 32 weeks, I just am done being pregnant, that just doesnt happen.

Texas bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy unless the womans life is in danger or her fetus has a fatal defect. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he wants to make partial-birth abortion a felony in the state. Lawmakers will likely consider the issue when they meet again next year.

Texas two largest anti-abortion groups, Texas Right to Life and Texas Alliance for Life, have not expressed support for Trump, despite a history of endorsing Republican nominees.

We are not issuing an endorsement in the upcoming election for president, said Texas Right to Life spokeswoman Melissa Conway.

She said the organization endorses candidates on the state level, while National Right to Life typically provides endorsements in national races. But on its website, Texas Right to Life has issued supportive statements for past Republican presidential nominees.

The group signaled its support for Sen. John McCain of Arizona in 2008.

Although no candidate is perfect, McCain is clearly the candidate who will move the Pro-Life movement forward, Texas Right to Life wrote at the time.

And in 2012, the group posted: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are the best choice for women and for America.

This year, Texas Right to Life is decidedly less enthused by its options. In July, the group suggested that Trump was not a solidly pro-life nominee but praised his vice presidential pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

Pro-Lifers have, for good reason, been disappointed that the presidential nominees were reduced to anti-Life Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump, whose stance on abortion has at times been unclear, the group posted. However, choosing Mike Pence for VP suggests that perhaps in spite of Trumps personal ambivalence toward the issue, he is committed to upholding the strength of the Republican Platform on Life.

Conway declined to comment on why Texas Right to Life has not expressed support for Trump. The groups biggest donors, fracking billionaire Farris Wilks and his wife, Jo Ann, donated $10 million to a pro-Ted Cruz super PAC during the primary.

Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, said the organization endorsed Romney in 2012 and McCain in 2008 but that its 16-member board has not made a 2016 presidential endorsement.

As of right now, they have not decided to release anything, Pojman said. We do have our online voter guide up for all of the other endorsements weve made, but were not listing anything on that race at this time.

No board member has contributed to Trumps campaign, according to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks federal campaign contributions.

Sherri Greenburg, a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, said its no surprise that Texas anti-abortion groups arent rallying behind Trump.

They look at the totality of Trump and his statements and perhaps dont feel that he shares their conviction, dedication and passion for their movement, she said.

A Gallup poll in May found that 20 percent of registered voters said they would vote only for a candidate who shared their views on abortion. Of Americans who consider themselves pro-life, 63 percent said they were unfamiliar with Trumps stance on abortion.

In a 1999 interview with NBCs Tim Russert, Trump said he was very pro-choice.

I hate the concept of abortion, Trump said at the time. I hate it. I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject. But you still  I just believe in choice.

When asked if he would support a partial-birth abortion ban, Trump said no.

But during the first Republican primary debate, hosted by Fox News in August 2015, Trump said his views had evolved since the 1999 interview.

Then, over the course of three days starting March 30, Trump released five slightly differing positions on abortion. In the first, he told MSNBCs Chris Matthews that if abortion was made illegal in the United States, women who had the procedure should face some form of punishment.

Those on both sides of the aisle were quick to criticize the comment, and within hours, Trump reversed himself. He issued a statement that read, in part, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.

bmartin@express-news.net

Twitter: @beedotmartin
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Rick Galindo doesnt talk like a Texas Republican.

The soft-spoken, freshman lawmaker touts his commitment to public education, brags about working with Democratic colleagues such as Trey Martinez Fischer and Jose Menendez, and gets more than a little uneasy when asked about some of Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks legislative priorities: restricting transgender bathroom rights, creating a private-school voucher program and imposing revenue caps for local governments.

Galindo, 35, is that rare member of the Texas House who cant skate to general-election victory on the strength of a party label. District 117, which extends from the Southwest Side up north of Helotes, is as perfectly split between Democratic and Republican voters as any piece of legislative real estate that our redistricting process could ever carve up.

Its the Legislatures answer to U.S. District 23, flitting back and forth from D to R in each of the past four elections. In the same way that District 23 Congressman Will Hurd faces a rematch with Pete Gallego, the Democrat he unseated two years ago, Galindo must defeat the Democrat he challenged in 2014: Phil Cortez.

Galindo, a Central Catholic High grad who works in risk management, doesnt exactly run from his party affiliation. He just leans away from it as much as he can.

I vote my district, he said during a Wednesday visit with the San Antonio Express-News editorial board.

Translation: I do my best to avoid the kind of polarizing wedge issues on which Patrick and his acolytes built their careers.

Its telling that the proudest achievement of Galindos first term has been the passage of a bill that instantly attracted Democratic support, but took persuasion to bring around the members of Galindos own party.

In response to a tragic 2014 fire at the Wedgwood Senior Apartments  which killed five residents and displaced 250 others  Galindo authored a bill requiring fire-protection sprinkler systems for high-rise senior living centers. His co-authors in the House were all San Antonio Democrats: Martinez Fischer, Ina Minjarez, Diego Bernal and Ruth Jones McClendon. His Senate sponsor was Menendez. On June 19, 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Galindos bill into law.

A lot of people said that we couldnt get it through, because its a Republican-dominated House. So we had bipartisanship, Galindo said. After that was done, the governor was kind of hesitant, I had heard, so I spent another week in Austin talking to his staff and him about how important it was.

Galindo, whose wife is a teacher in the Northside Independent School District, constantly emphasizes his commitment to public education. On the issue of vouchers, as with many other issues that tend to break along party lines, he does a nuanced dance.

He says he supports the concept of school choice, but wont commit to voting for any voucher bill unless hes sure that public schools are sufficiently funded.

Its kind of preliminary to say what will come up, Galindo said. If theres money left over after funding ISDs, sure.

Texans for Education Reform, an Austin-based advocacy group which recently merged with Texas Institute for Education Reform to create Texas Aspires, donated $50,000 to Galindos re-election campaign in September. That single donation accounted for nearly 40 percent of all the money Galindo has raised this year.

Texans for Education Reform has focused on lobbying for charter schools and online education.

Courtney Boswell, the executive director for Texas Aspires, said Galindo has been a great advocate for the 5.5 million Texas schoolchildren during his time on the House Public Education Committee, praising his commitment to improving Texas system of traditional public schools and public charter schools.

The further you stray from Galindos wheelhouse (education, annexation reform and mental health) into deeply partisan territory, the less likely that the state rep will give you definite answers. When asked about transgender bathroom legislation, likely to be pushed next year by Patrick, Galindo will only say, If it comes up, I want to see what the bill looks like. This is all presumptive.

On the question of his partys presidential nominee, the ultra-divisive Donald Trump, he offers no opinion.

Thats life for a moderate Republican in a perpetually purple district.

I represent everybody, Galindo said. I have to.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
WOOSTER, Ohio  A Wayne County farmer died Oct. 20 after falling inside of a concrete silo chute he was climbing.

Rhett Acker, 32, of 6110 Kister Road, was pronounced dead shortly after 11 a.m.  after attempts to rescue him were unsuccessful.

Acker was still conscious and communicating with rescue personnel when they arrived, said Wooster Township Fire Chief Chris Shook.

Rescue attempt

He said Acker told them he had fallen about six feet and became wedged  but during the rescue attempt  he fell even further, and medics were unable to revive him.

Shook said about 24 local fire and rescue personnel were on site, and were trying to lower a harness from above, with the goal of lifting him, and then lowering him out the bottom of the chute.

His injuries kind of overcame him before we were able to get him out, Shook said.

Emergency response

Shook said Metro Life Flight was on scene, along with Wooster Citys Confined Space Rescue Team.

Wayne County Coroner Dr. Amy Jolliff told The Daily Record that the position Acker was in would have made breathing difficult, causing a buildup of carbon dioxide in the body, potentially causing the heart to stop.

Its horrible and our troops are kind of down today, Shook said. Were not accustomed to an unsuccessful rescue attempt.

Rhett was married to his wife, Lisa, in 2015, and is also survived by an infant daughter.

Farm and Dairy is working on a story about his influence in the local ag scene and his involvement with Wayne County agriculture.
Agritourism benefits farmers by diversifying income, advertising, brand recognition, and providing opportunity for retail sales. Farmers enjoy getting to know their customers and teaching them about food production. But agritourism isnt for every farm. Consider the following to determine if agritourism is a good fit for your operation:

1Privacy



Agritourism puts your farm and your family on display. Its important the entire family is on board with the idea of their home as a tourist destination; especially if family members will be workers.

2Location



Eye appeal from a busy road is ideal for an agritourism destination. Nearness to population centers gives customers easy access and encourages customers to return frequently. A metro area within 25 miles of your location can provide you with a steady stream of customers and quick access to supplies.

You dont have to give up your agritourism dream because your farm is off the beaten track, but you do have to make an extra effort to help visitors find you. Make sure your farm address is listed online, in-print, and by GPS. Include a map on your website. Professional, clear road signage is critical.

3Staff



The best agritourism staff love people. Their role at your farm is part entertainer, part educator.

On a recent trip to Stone Barns Center, a working farm in New York, a manager led us on a tour of production fields and livestock operations. He gave us a sneak peek of the farms unique composting system, and a behind the scenes look at sheep shearing. The guide provided us with an education in sustainable production, but also entertained tourists and made us feel like insiders.

This fall, a staff of 3 family members led us on a tour of a local fruit orchard. The son described the current operation, then delivered tourists via hay wagon to his father, who told us the farms history. The tour ended in the country store with the mother sharing retail and value-added activities. Tourists learned a lot, but more important, felt like friends of the family.

4Zoning and permits



Locate your property parcel number on the county auditor website. Consult your county planning agency to ensure your zoning allows agritourism.

Recent legislation made it easier for Ohio farms to conduct agritourism by limiting county and township authority to prohibit agritourism activities. Learn more from Farm and Dairy article, New Ohio agritourism law provides clarity, protection for operators.

Local governments may require an application and business plan to conduct agritourism activities on your farm. Licenses and permits from state and county may apply depending on the nature of your agritourism enterprise.

5Safety and liability



Farming is the 6th most dangerous occupation in the world. The nature of farm work includes heavy equipment, large animals, and structural hazards. Its impossible to ensure 100% safety, but reducing the risk of injury and maintaining a safe environment for visitors must be your first priority.

Recent legislation supporting agritourism in Ohio offers farm operators additional liability protection from civil lawsuits, but farmers are still responsible to carry a level liability insurance appropriate for their agritourism operation.

6Facilities and property



Rest areas, retail stand/store, sanitation stations, parking, storage and waste disposal facilities are applicable to most agritourism destinations. If you hire employees, break area and a place to store personal items should be considered.

On-farm food service is subject to regulation and inspection by state government. A commercial kitchen license is required to prepare food on-site. Mobile food vending and produce sampling may require additional permits. Contact the local health department.

7Advertising



Advertising is the largest operating expense for many agritourism businesses. Many famers underestimate the cost of marketing:

Social media promoted ads average $.60 to $1.35 per click.

An ad in the local advertiser costs $39 a week.

A chamber of commerce email ad to community members and area businesses costs $50.

50 custom yard signs cost $150+ depending print selections.

An ad in a travel guide costs $500+ dollars depending on size.

Plan an advertising budget and strategy to market your agritourism destination for success.

8Biosecurity



Agritourism venues are biosecurity high risks because many visitors have close contact with multiple animals. Swine and avian flus are major concerns. Visitors can unknowingly carry infectious agents to the farm on clothes and shoes. Pathogens spread when visitors pet, feed, and handle animals. For Animal Disease information and control methods visit the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website.

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NFU Cymru Conference is returning as an in-person event for the first time in three years.



This years NFU Cymru Conference, titled Welsh farming: Planning for change, will take place on Thursday 3rd November at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells.



The main themes for this years event will be an overview of the current economic climate, sustainability within the supply chain, nutrition and supporting the next generation of Welsh farmers.



FarmingUK assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this page.

The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis, and should be independently verified before travel.
Farmers are being urged to open their gates for next years Open Farm Sunday on 11th June and 'proudly show the public all that you achieve and the breadth of goods and services you deliver.'

Thats the message to farmers from LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), as registrations for Open Farm Sunday 2017 open on 1st November.

As the sector is working to determine what a post-referendum farming industry is going to look like, farmers are keen to demonstrate the vital role they play in delivering a wide range of public goods, beyond food production.

Open Farm Sunday 2015, Field Farm, Watlington, Oxfordshire

This includes managing the countryside, its wildlife, our natural resources such as water, air and soil, and contributing to a stable climate and resilience to flooding.

Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of LEAF explains: Open Farm Sunday provides the perfect platform for farmers to shine a light on what they deliver and why supporting British farming matters.

Everyone can and should get involved in Open Farm Sunday, regardless of the type or size of farm and help the public discover the world of farming.

'Farming impacts all our lives'

Annabel Shackleton, LEAFs Open Farm Sunday Manager said farming is a sector "which impacts on all our lives, yet so many people know so little about it."

From our research it is clear that Open Farm Sunday is helping to bridge the gap between farming and the public, Miss Shackleton said.

This years visitor feedback highlighted that one in five had never visited a farm before and nearly 90% of them learnt something new about farming and food production during their visit.

All farmers can get involved - whether hosting a farm walk for 20 or more neighbours, or opening for hundreds of visitors, each event is equally important.

LEAFs Open Farm Sunday will have an increasingly important role in the industrys public engagement activities as we face a new, challenging, yet exciting era as we prepare to leave the European Union.
A lack of financial backing for young farmers was highlighted as a major inhibitor for young people wanting to get into farming in the next five years, post-Brexit.

An online consultation by the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) found the results in a survey titled Considerations for a Future British Agricultural Policy.

It gathered views from young people involved in farming following the decision this summer for Britain to leave the European Union.

Topics covered included future farm business culture; employment skills and training; farming regulations; building farm businesses; and farming subsidies.

Many young farmers agree that existing land owners and farmers are a barrier to new entrants who want to establish themselves in business

A desire for parity with the EU on animal welfare legislation and maintenance of effective environmental conditions were key considerations for future farming.

NFYFC office holders will discuss the survey results with Defra so that young peoples views are considered as part of a future British agricultural policy.

Availability of finance was highlighted as one of the most important issues in the next five years of having a farm business career.

Responses included: 39% of respondents stated availability of finance for farm investments; 29% stated availability of farm land or farm buildings; 21% stated availability of working capital and 10% stated the availability of other resources.

Existing farmers are provided with support, but those at the foot of the ladder are not, the survey said

'Getting started in farming has many challenges'

NFYFCs Agricultural and Rural Issues Chairman Sam Dilcock said getting started in farming has "many challenges."

"Weve now got the Land Partnerships Service, to help bring together farmers and land with new entrants and business ideas, which is great," Mr Dilcock said.

"But we need to look at short- and long-term finance too  which are especially big barriers to new entrants."

Feedback showed there was a sense amongst many young farmers that existing land owners and farmers, who have control of the land and an income from subsidy, are a barrier to new entrants who want to establish themselves in business.

While the majority of respondents wanted to see subsidies continue  46% wanted it to continue only for a limited time.

Many of these young farmers do not expect to be given subsidies, but they recognise the unfairness of a system which is loaded against them. Existing farmers are provided with support, but those at the foot of the ladder are not.

The most popular choice for young farmers (35%) was to reduce or remove area-based basic subsidy payments and instead support farmers through grants/loans for farm business investments.

'Inextricably tied to land ownership'

NFYFCs Vice Chairman Lynsey Martin said: If the subsidy system is supposed to help farming become more dynamic, to contribute public goods and benefits, then it might do this better if it were not so inextricably tied to land ownership but instead addressed the business needs of established farmers and new entrants alike.

Finding the right sort of employees in the future was also a concern for Young Farmers as 'future-employers.'

When asked about the skills most important for developing a farm business, young farmers highlighted the need for business administration skills, with nearly a third highlighting technical skills as important.

38% chose business administration skills (e.g. on legal and financial aspects of business operations); 30% chose technical skills (e.g. on using EBVs in livestock breeding decisions, or on the safe use of pesticides); 24% chose operational business skills (e.g. on understanding customers, market research and innovation)

Whilst there is clearly a diversity of skills needs amongst new entrants to farming, the importance of business administration skills stands out, and ties-in with surveys in previous years which have highlighted this as an important area for young farmers in their first years of business.

NFYFCs Vice Chair Ed Ford said: Modern farming equipment requires people with the practical skills as well as the education and understanding to use state-of-the-art machinery.

The aging population of farm workers and the perception of careers and opportunities within the industry are still issues that detract from the sector, Mr Ford concluded.
The performance of the Groceries Code Adjudicator will be examined in a statutory review, with the dairy industry calling for it to be extended to help protect dairy farmers better.

The National Farmers Union has also called for British farmers to have better protection when they trade abroad.

The Groceries Code covers the 10 largest UK supermarkets and is designed to help control practices that have a negative impact on suppliers and stifle supply chain innovation.

The GCA is the independent body that oversees compliance with the code.

Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK

Speaking in response to the launch of the consultation on the GCA, Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK said: With limited resources available, the Groceries Code Adjudicator has shown herself to be effective in improving commercial relationships between suppliers and retailers.

The clearest and most immediate benefit to the dairy sector will come from extending the remit of the adjudicator to large food service companies and to smaller retailers and wholesalers.

These outlets constitute an important and growing part of the market for dairy. They need to be brought under the scope of the Grocery Supply Code of Practice.

'New and challenging environment'

Responding to suggestions that the Adjudicator should oversee the dairy industry voluntary Code of Practice, Dr Bryans added: Brexit means the dairy industry will operate in a new and challenging environment.

If we are to successfully face these new challenges, contractual relations between farmers and purchasers will need to engender trust and collaboration whilst giving the industry the flexibility to respond to a dynamic and volatile market place.

Without this flexibility, the industry will not be able to attract the investment necessary to fulfil its potential.

It is important to recognise that the Code was developed under different circumstances and needs to be adapted to the changing market situation. This is a debate that should be kept within the control of the dairy sector.

Regulating agricultural supply contracts would effectively require the Adjudicator to oversee the commercial relationships between tens of thousands of businesses. This would significantly increase bureaucracy and abandon the idea of a market driven sector.

If our industry is to prosper, we must work together to take on the challenges and opportunities of a global market place and develop our own solutions. Regulation of contracts would detract from this necessity, Dr Bryans concluded.
A woman in her 70s has died following an incident with cattle on a farm in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The incident happened yesterday (October 19) near Garvagh.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) confirmed it is investigating the death and has issued a reminder to farmers to think about safety.

A spokesperson for HSENI said: Our deepest sympathy is with the bereaved family at this sad time.

Given the recent tragic deaths on Northern Ireland farms, HSENI is strongly appealing to the farming community to always prioritise safety and think safe before starting any job on the farm.

The elderly farmer was believed to be in her 70s.
Liver fluke or Fasciola hepatica is a common parasite of livestock, writes Dr Ruth Wonfor from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University.

A liver fluke infection causes ill health, as well as a reduction in growth rates and reproductive performance in affected livestock.

Over recent years it has been acknowledged that the presence of liver fluke in the UK has increased and that the periods of risk for infections have become longer, as well as more difficult to predict.

As fluke thrive in wet and mild climates, the increasing prevalence of the parasite in the UK has been attributed to climate change.

The increased number of wet years recently experienced has improved habitats for the intermediate liver fluke host  the mud snail. Scientific modelling has suggested that Wales will be one of the EU higher risk regions for fasciolosis in the future.

Furthermore, flukicide resistance and confusion over various flukicide activities is leading to poor control.

These facts call for improvements in farm management practices and treatments as well as the development of vaccines or new treatments for the control of fasciolosis.

There is also an urgent need for tried and tested control protocols to be more widely adopted by farmers.

Farm management

The first step in effective control of liver fluke is to establish whether there is infection present on the farm.

This can be completed through feedback from abattoirs and faecal egg counting (FEC), amongst other methods, which should also be general practice in farms with a history of liver fluke.

Use of flukicides and control strategies without a definite confirmation of parasites is both a waste of time and resources.

Quarantine of bought in livestock is an essential process to prevent contamination of parasite free pasture, yet is a method used by few farmers. Strict quarantine and treatment measures of all bought in animals will also prevent the introduction of resistant fluke onto the farm.

Veterinary advice should be sought to develop an effective quarantine procedure. This is especially important if there are snail habitats on all pasture.

At present there are no available vaccines against liver fluke

The liver fluke lifecycle is dependent on a mud snail, Galba truncatula, as an intermediary host. Without the presence of wetland habitats for these snails the lifecycle is halted.

Therefore, pasture management is essential in fasciolosis control. Thus a control measure is to assess all pasture for the presence of these habitats and map areas with the greatest risk of infection.

Subsequently, sources of snail habitats should be removed or livestock separated from risk areas using systems such as fencing or pasture rotation.

If pasture with snail habitats has to be utilised, it is imperative that animals are not allowed to graze here at a stage when they are shedding parasite eggs.

Flukicides

There is growing concern over resistance to flukicide products, especially those containing triclabendazole (TCBZ). Surveys have shown that farms using TCBZ have a higher prevalence of fasciolosis compared to use of other anthelmintics, likely due to resistance to TCBZ.

TCBZ is the only active agent available that is effective on adult and migrating stages of the fluke lifecycle.

This must be considered when utilising alternative active agents such as closantel which are only effective at the adult stage of the lifecycle.

However, many farmers only treat with these agents once a year and may KE Hub - Driving innovation by connecting research to practice not always ensure that the correct treatment is used at the right time of the year.

Therefore, any perceived drug failures should be investigated through a FEC reduction test to ensure that the lack of efficacy was due to drug resistance, rather than younger parasites that survived the initial treatment.

These issues highlight that treatment management practices require more information so that drug activities are understood, improving the efficacy of liver fluke control. Treatment protocols should always be discussed with a vet before beginning.

Another consideration is the withdrawal period required with flukicide usage. Particular consideration is required in dairy cow management to ensure maximum economic gain from the herd, whilst effectively treating the infection.

It must be ensured that withdrawal periods are adhered to for milk production and also livestock destined for meat.

Vaccines

At present there are no available vaccines against liver fluke. Although it is acknowledged that a vaccine will not give 100 % protection against the parasite, it is widely accepted that there is a need for a viable vaccine in the sustainable control of liver fluke.

This will subsequently reduce usage of flukicides and thus a driver for flukicide resistance.

Furthermore, vaccines are considered environmentally friendly as no chemical residues are passed through to pasture. To ensure that a vaccine is effective within a herd, it is predicted that 90 % of the animals need to be successfully protected for a whole season.

Scientific research has identified several liver fluke specific vaccine targets, however when tested in live animal trials results have been inconsistent.

As fluke populations have been shown to be highly genetically diverse, vaccine development requires a greater depth of knowledge about the genetic structure, function and dynamics of the parasite.

Through development of a detailed understanding of the wider parasite population, vaccine development will be further equipped to tackle the global liver fluke problem.

Therefore, although the development of a vaccine looks to have a promising future, there is still a long road of scientific research ahead before large scale on-farm trials can begin.

Long term sustainable management

To sustainably manage liver fluke on a long term basis, the prevalence of the disease on a farm to farm basis should be monitored each year and used to drive effective control measures for the following year.

Regimes need to be tailored to each individual farm, whether that be through treatments or management.

However, in order to do this there is a need for a continuous knowledge exchange between farmers, veterinarians, industry and academia to drive the uptake of practices that work effectively at a farm level.
Rural schools could lose out as a result of the Sustainable Schools Policy launched by the Northern Ireland's government, Ulster Farmers Union has stated.

The primary objective of the policy is to ensure that all children get a first class education in fit for purpose facilities, regardless of background or where they live.

UFU deputy president, Ivor Ferguson, said that while the availability of high quality education across Northern Ireland was crucial, policies needed to reflect the reality of life in rural areas.

The statement does not mention the Executives rural proofing policy or the Rural White Paper.

This concerns us, and we need to be reassured that these policies have been taken account of in drawing up the proposals.

Given the small size of many rural schools, the policy has the potential to disproportionately impact rural communities, said Mr Ferguson.

The UFU says that while it accepts the importance of educational attainment, it is also important that policies take account of the wider well-being of children.

Living in a rural community is very different from life in an urban area. In cities, children can walk to schools and other amenities, but in rural areas they often have to travel long distances for the same opportunities.

Closing schools in rural areas could mean a child will have longer distances to travel, and this will ultimately impact their social, physical and emotional well-being, said Mr Ferguson.

'Develop rural areas and communities'

The union met recently with officials from the Department of Education around this issue and will be feeding in its views to the consultation.

The Rural White Paper sets out a commitment from the Executive to develop rural areas and support rural communities.

We will be urging the Minister and the Executive to ensure this is fully reflected in the sustainable school plans, said the UFU deputy president.

In comments the minister has made it clear that he is prepared to close schools. Instead, the UFU says he should 'exhaust' every other option before closing a school in a rural area.

These schools are a significant part of a rural community. They have potential to enhance rural communities.

This is an opportunity for the minister to display radical thinking by helping to support these schools.

If he does so, they can deliver more for their communities. In turn, this will make them more viable and sustainable, concluded Mr Ferguson.
Sacrewell Mill, the water-powered flour mill near Peterborough that educates children and adults about agriculture and food production, has received the last of the money needed to refurbish its 18th Century bread oven.

The William Scott Abbott Trust which owns the Grade II listed building embarked on a 1.8m conservation project to restore the mill and mill house to working order in 2014.

The project has been funded through charitable donations and a 1.4m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, supported by National Lottery players.

A separate appeal was launched to raise the 5000 needed to restore the bread oven. Roughly 80 per cent of money needed came from hiring the venue to the BBC that which used it as the filming location for its series, Victorian Bakers, that was broadcast in January 2016.

The remaining sum has been donated by farming co-operative Openfield which has also given food grade wheat for the mill to process into flour.

'Proud to support the charity'

Openfield chief executive James Dallas said he was proud to support the charity, which should be applauded for its efforts to increase awareness and understanding of the role of agriculture in supplying safe and wholesome food.

I am delighted to support such a worthy charity which concentrates on educating children in the role of agriculture in supplying safe and healthy food.

The William Scott Abbott Trust has intimately restored the water mill and bakers oven to create an authentic window into the history of flour milling and bread production, so far removed from todays modern processes, said James Dallas.

The more children learn about food production and agriculture and the link with the environment the better their awareness when it comes to making healthy choices.

We are always willing to promote a strong alliance between farming, the environment and education and Sacrewell Mill is the perfect place for kids and adults to get a real sense of where their food comes from, he added.

Learning about flour and food

Each year about 110,000 children and adults visit Sacrewells visitor centre to learn about flour and the foods it is used to produce.

Sacrewell Mill general manager, Debbie Queen said: The mill closed commercially in the 1960s due to lack of man-power and now with the support of Openfield, we have been able to restore and conserve an important part of our agricultural history and bring food production to the forefront of our offer once again.

The Trust was founded in 1964 to provide an agricultural education for people of all ages and highlight the journey of food production from field to fork, but its more vital now than ever.

By restoring the mill and oven were able to show our visitors not only how flour is made, but how it is made into bread. Some have only ever seen it sliced in the supermarket.
Scottish crofters and farmers fear a 'fast removal' of subsidies and an overflow of cheaper imports, according to discussion documents released that consider the future of Scottish farming in a post-Brexit environment.

NFU Scotland published two documents which form part of a series titled 'Beyond Brexit.'

They will focus on trade options and future policy framework for Scottish agriculture following the UK's exit from the European Union.

Allan Bowie, President of NFU Scotland said agriculture has a fundamental role to play in Scotland's future and must be secured by the right policy framework.

'Big fear'

"Whatever agricultural support policy is developed post-2020 will depend upon the trade arrangements that are secured with the EU and the rest of the world, which is why the Union has published these two discussion documents at once.

"A big fear of many farmers and crofters is the combination of fast removal of direct payments, while much if not all of existing regulation remains, combined with limited market access and more exposure to cheaper imports. The very anticipation of this scenario is sufficient justification for government to step in and provide confidence and reassurance to producers.

"However, there are opportunities  to grow exports and promote the fantastic 'brand Scotland' in overseas markets, stronger food labelling, and a support system which properly addresses activity, maximises opportunities for new entrants and delivers a range of public goods.

"The Union will be taking this message to Westminster as we meet MPs next week."
A badger 'test-and-cull' type approach to tackling TB will be considered by the Welsh government but many will be concerned at the implications of splitting Wales into TB zones, according to Farmers' Union of Wales.

The proposals, announced as part of a TB eradication programme consultation launched by Cabinet Secretary Lesley Griffiths on Tuesday include splitting Wales into five regions  one low TB area, two intermediate TB areas and two high TB areas, with differing approaches to eradication in each area.

"The proposal to split Wales into zones based upon TB levels will be welcome by some, and opposed by others, and we will be responding to these once we have consulted our membership," said FUW President Glyn Roberts who was speaking at the Senedd in Cardiff shortly after the Cabinet Secretary's announcement.

"Targeting infected badgers would be a welcome move, but it is disappointing that it has taken so many years to move back towards common sense after the original comprehensive plan to tackle the disease in wildlife was abandoned by the previous Welsh Government."

'Fifteen times higher'

The consultation document, entitled 'A Refreshed TB Eradication Programme', acknowledges the role played by wildlife in transmitting TB, stating that 6.85 percent of badgers found dead since September 2014 tested positive for TB.

According to the latest figures released by DEFRA, the equivalent figure for Welsh cattle is around 0.4 percent.

"This equates to around 1 in every 15 badgers testing positive for the disease, compared with 1 in every 225 cattle, meaning the level of disease in badgers is around 15 times higher than in cattle," added Mr Roberts.

However, Mr Roberts said it was important to acknowledge that the disease was not present in wildlife in all areas of Wales.

"In some areas there will be no infection in wildlife, while in others the level will be high. We therefore need to target all sources of infection appropriately."
Tesco is planning for barn production to replace colony eggs when it goes cage-free, despite the fact other retailers are going straight to free range.

Most other leading retailers are toying with the idea of straight to free range, according to the National Farmers Unions chief poultry adviser, Gary Ford.

All the UKs big supermarkets, and many other retailers and food service companies, have now said that they will stop selling eggs from cages by 2025.

Egg industry leaders have been waiting to see what exactly cage-free would mean.

National Farmers Unions chief poultry adviser, Gary Ford

Gary told those attending an egg producer group meeting that his discussions with retailers suggested that most were considering switching straight to free range. Tesco was the exception.

He described the uncertainty surrounding the move towards cage-free production as very much like the uncertainty currently surrounding Brexit.

And he advised producers involved in colony cage production to talk to their packers to try to understand what their future plans would be.

He said they should find out the cost of conversion and prepare alternative arrangements.

Ending caged production by 2025

Every major UK supermarket has now made a commitment to end the sale of eggs produced by caged hens by 2025.

Animal welfare groups have applauded the move by retailers

Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons and Iceland have set a 2025 deadline to allow a transition to cage-free production.

The look for alternative production systems will force the egg industry into its biggest change since the introduction of the enriched cage system in 2012; a move which then cost farmers in excess of 400m.

NFU poultry board chairman Duncan Priestner warned that the decision to end caged-eggs would not just impact those using enriched cages but would have a knock-on effect on the entire egg sector.

He warned against snap decisions that could leave poultry farmers out of pocket.

'Minimal disruption' to businesses

"This change will impact greatly across all egg production systems so it is absolutely imperative that we and our members have clarity over retailers future plans and have our concerns addressed as soon as possible," said Mr Priestner.

"Although 2025 is nine years away, time is of the essence to allow our producers to make the necessary changes, with minimal disruption to their businesses and to our customers  the British public - a market worth an estimated 895m.

"We have built good relations with the retailers  UK agricultures biggest customer - and will be looking to those relationships to secure much needed clarification and certainty for our members.

"UK retailers have a very good track record on sourcing UK egg and we look to that commitment continuing."

The NFU says producers need more details to be able to effectively plan and make the necessary changes to their businesses in the remaining nine-year timeframe up until 2025.

Stimulating environments

Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA have both applauded the decisions by retailers.

Dr Tracey Jones, Director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming, says: "Of course, whilst the timelines are longer than we would like we at Compassion very much welcome these pledges.

"We have worked to influence and educate food companies on animal welfare for decades, and we will continue to work with these retailers to ensure the production system changes required to go cage-free will offer the hens a good quality of life in rich and stimulating environments."

Mia Fernyhough, a hen welfare specialist for the RSPCA, said: "It is fantastic news that Tesco, Iceland and now Morrisons are all committed to going cage-free.

"We hope they will not only stop selling packs of eggs from caged hens but they will also stop using them as ingredients in own-brand products like cakes, quiches and fresh pasta.

"Sadly around half of the eggs laid in the UK are still from birds kept in cages, provided with little more usable space than an A4 sheet of paper per hen.

"Its time cages were consigned to the history books and we hope that the last few supermarkets still selling eggs from caged hens follow suit."
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The woman who headed a red light camera operator was sentenced Wednesday to 14 months in prison for bribing elected officials in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Karen L. Finley, 57, of Cave Creek, Arizona, pleaded guilty in June 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services wire and mail fraud.

Finley cooperated with the governments investigation and testified against John Raphael, an Ohio lobbyist Redflex hired to help it make illegal political contributions.

Raphael was sentenced in June this year to 15 months in prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Hobbs Act (interstate extortion).

Finley was the CEO of Redflex from late 2005 to 2013.

In return for illegal campaign contributions to officials in Columbus and Cincinnati, Redflex wanted red light camera enforcement contracts.

U.S. District Judge Michael Watson of the Southern District of Ohio ordered Finley assigned to the minimum security federal penitentiary in Phoenix, Arizona.

Prosecutors had asked for a 30-month sentence for Finley.

She still faces sentencing next month in Chicago for another corruption case involving red light cameras.

Finley pleaded guilty in August 2015 in federal court to helping Redflex pay $2 million to Chicago officials.

She made $500,000 a year as Redflexs CEO. She told the court in Ohio shes now broke.

In August this year, Chicago political insider John Bills was sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking bribes from Redflex worth $680,000.

Bills was managing deputy commissioner for transportation in Chicago and oversaw the citys red light camera program.

An investigation by the Chicago Tribune showed that thousands of drivers were ticketed $100 for red light violations they didnt commit.

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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Hell be the keynote speaker at the FCPA Blog NYC Conference 2016.
Kerry Katona is recovering after having a "load of liposuction".

Kerry Katona

The 36-year-old star took to Twitter to explain her absence from the social media site, admitting to have undergone the cosmetic procedure as well as a tummy tuck.

In a series of tweets, she wrote: "Good morning all! Bloody missed you all! Hope your all well... sorry I've not been on.. xxxxxx ...

"Well I've been recovering from having a s**t load of lipo!! #dontjudge!! 5 kids and all!! And a mini tummy tuck! Just a kick up the arse ... Don't wanna be the fat cat in the kittens! can't wait to get back in gym!! (sic)"

And Kerry has likened the procedure to an "eye test", telling one fan who said there was "no shame" in getting some plastic surgery that it was "like going for an eye test these days! How very showbiz (sic)"

However, Kerry - who has Molly, 15, and Lilly-Sue, 13, from her relationship with Brian McFadden, Heidi, nine, and Maxwell, eight, who she has with Mark Croft, and two-year-old daughter Dylan-Jorge with her husband George Kay - would never encourage her children to go for the same procedures.

She tweeted: "'do as I say not as I do!' All of my children are beautiful just the way they are! I have my reasons! & I've put them off if anything! (sic)"

Meanwhile, Kerry previously insisted she never wants her older daughters to end up obsessing over their weight.

She shared: "There's nothing wrong with regular exercise, but I don't want my girls obsessing over dress sizes and calorie counting. It's all about feeling good."
Tom Cruise says the secret to his success is that he works "seven days a week".

Tom Cruise at Jack Reacher: Never Go Back premiere

The 54-year-old actor was in London on Thursday night (20.10.16) to attend the glitzy premiere of his new movie 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back'.

Cruise, as usual, spent an hour meeting fans on the red carpet taking selfies and signing autographs and when explaining what he believes he and the all-action ex-military man Reacher have in common he mused it is their total commitment to their work.

Speaking to BANG Showbiz, Cruise said: "He's a character that travels around a lot and I certainly travel around a lot. I don't know ... I haven't really thought about it that much. I'm always working - I work seven days a week - I'm usually shooting one film while I'm post-production on another and prepping the next one, so, maybe that."

The film is a sequel to 2012 blockbuster 'Jack Reacher' and in the sequel the character makes it his goal to prove that Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is innocent of espionage

But after crossing paths with the law, Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy that involves the deaths of US soldiers.

Talking about his return to the role, Cruise said: "It's a pretty good genre that's able to connect with the audience that watched the first one to see that it's expanded. It's such a funny character you don't know what this guy is going to do next. It's just ... I love playing him.

"I know people want to be Jack Reacher, you know, you kinda feel it in the books when you're reading it, you can't stop turning those pages and that's the fun of it and movies, creating characters that put yourself in his shoes. It's very satisfying, you're getting the bad guy and they're getting justice."

Cruise explained what got him hooked when he sat down to read the books by British author Lee Child.

He said: "I just started reading them and I couldn't put them down and I thought, 'Who is this character Jack Reacher?' He's just ... the stuff he does is just outrageous, some of the things he says and how he approaches life and his viewpoint on life is very unexpected."

Cruise was joined on the red carpet by his co-stars Cobie Smulders

and Danika Yarosh as well as 'Jack Reacher' creator Child.

Other celebrities in attendance included Rebecca Ferguson, Kimberly Garner and Jean Bernard Fernandez-Versini - the ex-husband of Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
Tom Hardy is in talks to play Sir Ernest Shackleton in a new biopic.

Tom Hardy

The 39-year-old actor has opened discussions with StudioCanal to take on the role of the real-life Polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic at the turn of the 20th century.

Shackleton is one of the main figures of 'The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration' and his second exploration to the South Pole was the largest advance to the pole in exploration history and he was knighted by King Edward VII on his return to the UK.

The adventurer's story was previously told in the Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA Award winning two-part TV film 'Shackleton', which starred Sir Kenneth Branagh in the titular role.

StudioCanal's film is expected to tell the story of Shackleton's voyage on the ship Endurance which took him and his team to Antarctica in 1912 on what was known 'The Imperial Trans-Atlantic Expedition' and at one point got trapped by ice floes but the ingenuity and bravery of Shackleton saved him and his crew.

Peter Straughan has been hired to write the script, however, no director has yet to be hired for the adventure.

Hardy will next be seen in Christopher Nolan's upcoming World War II thriller 'Dunkirk' which also stars One Direction's Harry Styles in his first big screen role, Cillian Murphy and Mark Rylance and wit will be released in July 2017.
Duchess of Cambridge has been credited as one of the role models girls are inspired by.

Duchess of Cambridge

New research carried out on 5,000 parents by Disney UK has proved Catherine, Michelle Obama and Olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis-Hill are the most inspirational and empowering females for young females aged six to 12 years old.

According to the study commissioned by the children's broadcasting network, to launch their Princess Principle posters designed by Rose Blake, Kate Moross and Kate Forrester, states the defining characteristics of a princess are caring nature, to love healthily, to not judge others, honesty, trustworthy, loyalty and determination not to give up.

Speaking about the project, a spokesperson for Disney, Anna Hill said: "It is fantastic that thousands of parents have helped us define the principles of a modern day Princess. And the illustrators have done a great job of bringing the Principles to life in the posters, which we hope will end up on bedroom walls across the country and help inspire girls to dream big."

And within the study eight per cent consider the 34-year-old royal - who has three-year-old son Prince George and 17-month-old daughter charlotte with her husband Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge - is ranked the second most popular female role model out of ten notable figures.

However, the First Lady of the United States of America pipped Catherine - who was known as Kate Middleton prior to marrying Charles - to first place.

And the study has shown the British Monarch is ranked the ninth most influential figure after actress Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie, TV presenter Holly Willoughby and author J.K. Rowling.

The Princess Principles posters are available online as a free downloadable print from the Disney Inspired website www.disneyinspired.co.uk. Printed posters will also be available for free in Disney Stores across the UK.
As part of the award-winning ensemble that makes up Orange is the New Black, actress Miriam Morales has been shot into the world of superstardom when it comes to television, but that's not her only talent.

Miriam Morales / Credit: John Guira

We got the opportunity to put some questions to Miriam all about her career, role in OITNB and more! Read on to find out what she had to say

You're perhaps best known for your role in Orange is the New Black - how exciting is it to be part of such a groundbreaking and popular series?

Oh, it's incredibly exciting! It's a feeling that's difficult to put into words. Without a doubt, it's a huge blessing that I'm immensely grateful for.

The show obviously is exclusive to Netflix - do you think the future of television lies in streaming services such as this one?

Definitely. Most of my favourite shows are on streaming services. I think these services take more of a risk in regards to the content they offer than traditional television. Betwee Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu there are much more options, which means new stories, unfamiliar faces, diversity and just really great content.

Where would you like to take your OITNB character in future seasons moving forward?

Right now we're just seeing a sliver of who Pidge is. Moving forward I'd like for more layers to be revealed and for this multi-dimensional, messy, ugly, complicated yet very real person to come more into fruition.

What's it like being part of a show which allows females to take such a centre role?

OITNB is such an amazing show, it's quite revolutionary. It feels absolutely amazing to be on a show where females take such a centre role. And a lot of them too! In all honesty, it makes me want to work harder and accomplish my goals. It's empowering to see other women make things happen and it's important for young girls to witness that as well.

How do you think the world of television currently stands when it comes to roles being available for women?

You know, I've seen this question a lot lately. What that indicates to me is that there is still a lack of roles available to women. And it's even worse when you're in a minority. However, I can say that in recent years, efforts have been made to create roles for women. Television as it currently stands does have more roles available to women than what we've seen in the past. Can there be more? Definitely. The efforts that have been made to change the landscape has been spearheaded by other women, which is great. Women, like Shonda Rhimes and Jenji Kohan, have created highly successful shows with female leads. That proves that women are more than capable of carrying a program.

You've studied and trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and with TVI Actors Studios in Los Angeles - what were those experiences like?

Here's a little story behind studying at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA). In high school my heart was set on attending NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. I mean, I was 'early decision' and everything. So my heart was broken when I didn't get in. I remember visiting my guidance counsellor in tears one day and he was also the person who gave me a pamphlet to the Academy. In my mind, there was no way I was getting in if I was rejected by NYU, but I applied and auditioned anyway. I got in and quickly realised that it was the best place for me. I loved studying at AADA! It was an intense two years; working two jobs, taking private speech and voice lessons on weekends, commuting into the city etc., but focusing on solely the craft was what I needed at the time. Coming from a diverse community at the time, it was an adjustment to be in a predominantly white conservatory. Most of my teachers and classmates assumed I was bi-racial until they learned my last name. After that it was a lot of 'oh, you're Puerto Rican like J-Lo? So then you're from then Bronx.' I laugh about it now but it was annoying back then.

As for TVI Actors Studio, it was a short 2.5 program, which too was intense and jam-packed with classes. I enjoyed it and felt like such an adult, even though I wasn't even 21 yet! But the last few days of the program was extremely difficult because a very close friend of mine passed away while I was there and it really affected me. I was unable to focus and didn't attend the last day of workshops. I haven't been to LA since.

You also manage your own blog, Scripts of Flair - what can you tell us about that?

My blog focuses on styling on a budget, beauty information and living a motivational lifestyle. I like to put together outfits, review products and share personal stories in hopes to inspire others. It's about living life on your own terms, being happy and looking good while doing it. Within your own means of course!

Has writing and blogging always been a passion of yours?

Yes, writing has always been one of my passions. I am able to express myself best through writing. When I was younger I used to write a lot of poems, songs and small scenes. I wrote a play once in college; it was technically a paper in the form of a play about Latin American identity and culture. My blog was created years ago and it was initially to document my acting, but I found myself writing about other things that interested me and soon, it turned into a lifestyle blog.

Can you tell us a little bit about your plans to write a book in the future? What sort of book are you hoping to write?

My friends have always told me that I'm very motivational and that I should get into motivational speaking, which I hope to one day, and that I should write a book. The book would be a motivational-inspirational book of sorts, based on specific moments in my life and the lessons I learned from them. I think it's important for people to know that, despite where you come from and the obstacles thrown your way, you can be successful and accomplish goals. There was a time I wanted to publish my poetry, too. Maybe I will, we'll see.

What tips or advice do you have for those aspiring for a career such as yours?

It is not an easy career to pursue so make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. With that being said, work hard, study, and never stop believing in yourself. That's the key right there; believing in yourself. I can't tell you how many times I was advised to quit, focus on my real job and all that other stuff society tells you. Had I listened to them I wouldn't be where I am today. It isn't easy but I promise you that fulfilling your passions is the most gratifying feeling.

Finally, what else do you have planned for the coming weeks and months?

I'm still working on the show but once that wraps I want to focus more on my writing again. Of course, I still want to continue to audition and pursue other projects. With every day that passes it becomes evident that the signs around me are urging me to write so write, I shall.

Keep up-to-date with Miriam on Twitter @MiriamMMorales.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Will.i.am believes winning a talent show is "pointless".

will.i.am

The former Black Eyed Peas band member, who is set to return to 'The Voice UK' when it switches over to ITV for the next series after judging on every series since the shows debut in 2012, has admitted the new judge, Jennifer Hudson, "debunks" the "whole idea" only the shows champions go on to be a huge success.

Speaking to the Radio Times Online about the 'Spotlight' hitmaker - who came seventh on 'American Idol' in 2004 - and the myth around only winners of musical competitions are successful, he said: "She has this nugget of perspective that kind of debunks the whole premise of the show - of winning. The whole idea of Jennifer Hudson makes the record deal [prize] and winning pointless.

"Here's a person who came seventh and has an awesome career. She's done movies, she's won Grammies, she's won Emmys, she won BAFTAs - she's won a whole bunch of awards and sold a whole bunch of records and sold out a lot of fr**king seats in arenas."

Meanwhile, Emma Willis - who will front the show alone - has revealed the programme is set to get a new brutal twist, which will force the judges to dish out gut-wrenching critical feedback during the red-chair blind auditions, whilst members on the panel who don't put themselves forward as a mentor are banned from swinging round to see the contestants.

Speaking previously, the brunette beauty said: "If you don't push your button for a contestant, you don't get to see them. So only the people who press the button get to see who it is, so if no one turns, no one sees who sung."

However, the 40-year-old presenter thinks the change will be "good" for the show as it'll force the judges - Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer and fellow newcomer Gavin Rossdale - to be less apologetic towards the contestants and a lot more critical.

She explained: "I think it is good ... When they see someone who hasn't turned, it's very apologetic. But if they haven't seen that person and don't have to interact directly, it's a bit more 'that was a little bit off key'."
That evening, I was casually walking in the corridor of my company guest house in Bangalore, when I met her - a lovely Italian woman, who was in India on a business tour. We greeted each other as we walked past and then we met again on our way back. Thus, we struck a conversation.



The first thing she asked me was, "I was watching the television the other day and I saw so many advertisements of fair and lovely and other similar things, where they say that you apply the cream and you become fair. Do you really want fair skin in India?"



I could have conveniently answered a 'no' to save my country from a tiny bit of embarrassment of being progressive economically but regressive individually, but I couldn't say no. How could I and why would I when I, a young 25-year-old woman, had always yearned for a fair skin for as long as I could remember?



To reply to her question, I first smiled and then acted a little cool while adding, "Yes, Indians are obsessed with lighter skin tone and that fair is lovely and beautiful in my country."



She was amused and then she looked at me to ask, "Are you considered fair in India?"



I laughed and replied, "No way! I am dark".



"But you are lovely and you are beautiful", she added before she bid me good night.



If there is one truth that is universal, I would say it is the old adage - beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.



Sadly, the beholders in India, Northern India especially, believe beauty lies in a fair or lighter skin tone.



Pick up any matrimonial site or the typical matrimonial ads that appear in the newspapers every Sunday and you would find that they are rife with words like 'want a beautiful bride', 'fair and tall', 'fair and slim', 'want a fair girl' etc.



These advertisers want an educated and working girl as well, but at the preset they want a fair girl because a fair girl means a fair progeny.



As a young girl, I had to bear with such ridiculous remarks that mainly meant how a girl who is not fair will not have a good life. 'She is not fair so she will not find a good husband and thus she will not have a good life.'



I have grown up hearing such statements that come directly from insensitive people and indirectly from slightly sensible people. But more or less, almost everyone implied it except a few.



These few are the gentle, kind-hearted and unconventional people around me who have kept re-assuring me that beauty is skin deep.



It took me more than a decade to overcome an inferiority complex that I had developed due to my relatively darker complexion. To add to that I had to deal with constant comparisons with my younger sister who is relatively fair.



Thankfully, whether skin is fair or not, life is fair and equal to all.



I also experienced my moments of glory, when I traveled to South India for work. I worked with an MNC where I dealt with people who had traveled widely and who no longer believed in the fair-ity of skin. South Indians are relatively dark-skinned and I was no more an ugly duckling there. I was pretty among the lot.



My confidence found wings and my inner beauty got radiance when I traveled outside India. During my international MBA program in Netherlands, most people (read, European) complimented on my skin tone and loved my long, silky, soft black hair. Unlike my own country men, they loved the dark colour on me - my hair and my skin.



A dear classmate once gave me a warning, "Don't you ever complain about your skin colour. Do you know how beautiful your skin is?"



During a training trip to Mauritius, two young women who were attending my class approached me. They wanted to say something but couldn't and instead kept smiling and asking if they could ask me a question.



"Go ahead, please. Do not feel shy", I told them.



"You know that guy Gary who wears glasses?"



"Yes. What about him?"



"Today, we were talking and he told us that our teacher [i.e. you] has such a soft skin. So he has sent us here to ask you what you apply on your skin. He says our skin is so bad and yours is so good."



I laughed and told them, "Nothing. It is just the Indian colour on my skin."



"But, do you apply something on it?"



"Maybe kindness!" I replied.



It took me a decade of education to become financially independent and thus confident, an experience of more than a couple of years of living in South to learn that skin colour is simply a fetish. And, a trip outside India to finally come out of my cocoon and shine as if I was as white as a pearl.



I am lucky to overcome my inferiority complex and forget about the skin colour totally. In fact, my skin tone has proved to be a blessing for me as it is only due to my complexion that I met men who defied society's stereotypes and came forward to me with their proposals. I finally accepted one such proposal and have found a great man as my husband who believes I am the most beautiful woman in the world because I have a rare, kind yet symmetrical face.



I am dark and I am beautiful. I do not have much to worry about skin cancer. Thanks to the natural pigmentation. I can shine bright because my skin absorbs the scars and the marks. Thanks to its dark shade, I also do not have to deal with sun burns or tanning.



I do not use a fairness cream or any skin whitening lotion. I am happy with the colour I am born with. It is due to this colour that I have a good life!



(By Womanatics)

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Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.

Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.#

During January-September 2016, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 23,848.2 billion yuan, up by 10.4 per cent year-on-year. Of the total, the retail sales of consumer goods of units above designated size was 10,834.4 billion yuan, up 7.8 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.#

The national online retail sales of goods and services during the nine-month period was 3,465.1 billion yuan, up 26.1 per cent year-on-year. Of this, the online retail sales of physical goods was 2,795.0 billion yuan, growing at 25.1 per cent and accounting for 11.7 per cent of the total retail sales of consumer goods. Of the online retail sales of physical goods, clothing sales went up by 16.3 per cent.

Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.#

The Bureau also released its preliminary estimate of the Chinese economy during the first three quarters of 2016. According to the estimate, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China in the first three quarters of this year was 52,997.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.7 per cent at comparable prices.

Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.#

The value added of the primary industry was 4,066.6 billion yuan, up by 3.5 per cent year-on-year; that of the secondary industry was 20,941.5 billion yuan, up by 6.1 per cent; and that of the tertiary industry was 27,989.0 billion yuan, up by 7.6 per cent.

Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.#

In terms of external trade , the total value of imports and exports in the first three quarters of 2016 was 17,531.8 billion yuan, a decrease of 1.9 per cent year-on-year. The total value of exports was 10,058.5 billion yuan, registering a drop of 1.6 per cent. The value of imports was 7,473.3 billion yuan, down by 2.3 per cent. The trade surplus was 2,585.2 billion yuan. (RKS)

Retail sales of garments, footwear, hats and knitwear of Chinese enterprises above designated size increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2016. The total value of retail sales of these goods was 1,002 billion yuan ($148.121 billion). However, the growth rate was lower compared to total retail sales of consumer goods.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  China
For the six months to September 30, 2016, total revenue at luxury goods and premium fashion marketer Burberry was up 5 per cent year on year on a reported basis, but down 4 per cent on an underlying basis at 1,159 million. Of this, retail revenue totalled 859 million, up 2 per cent on underlying basis and an increase of 11 per cent on a reported basis.Comparable sales improved in the second fiscal quarter and were up 2 per cent as against a drop of 3 per cent in the first fiscal quarter, but remained unchanged for the reporting period.

For the six months to September 30, 2016, total revenue at luxury goods and premium fashion marketer Burberry was up 5 per cent year on year on a reported basis, but down 4 per cent on an underlying basis at 1,159 million. Of this, retail revenue totalled 859 million, up 2 per cent on underlying basis and an increase of 11 per cent on a reported basis.#

Excluding Hong Kong and Macau, the whole of Asia Pacific reported positive comparable sales in the first half of fiscal 2017.However, wholesale revenue declined at 14 per cent on underlying basis to touch 287 million, which Burberry said was broadly in line with guidance.Licensing revenue dived to 13 million or 54 per cent year over year in the period under review, driven by planned expiry of Japanese Burberry licenses and also consistent with guidance. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Crealet, developer of electronically controlled warp feed systems for weaving machines and mechanical engineering partner for the high-tech industry, has announced that it has partnered with Comsat, that develops textile machines that meet the highest technical standards, and is now the exclusive representative of Comsat, starting from October 2016.Crealet will be responsible for the whole range of products from Comsat for Switzerland, for Germany and for special cases worldwide. Comsat is the leading company in the textile machinery sector in Spain and is the world's third-largest producer of direct and sectional warpers.

Crealet, developer of electronically controlled warp feed systems for weaving machines and mechanical engineering partner for the high-tech industry, has announced that it has partnered with Comsat, that develops textile machines that meet the highest technical standards, and is now the exclusive representative of Comsat, starting from October 2016.#

The Comsat product range includes direct- and sectional warpers, creel for warp beam production, warpers for selvedge spools, batching motions, and cloth inspection machinery.The latest manufacturing technologies, continuous quality control and intensive research and development ensure optimum product quality. The machines are characterised by their particularly robust design and are therefore particularly suitable for everyday use, even under high loads. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Zurich based European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (Cematex) has appointed Fritz P Mayer as its new president at its recent General Assembly meeting held in Amsterdam. Mayer, who retired from the operational management of Karl Mayer Group in 2013, is also president of the German Textile Machinery Association, VDMA, since January 2016.

Mayer has taken over the presidency from Charles Beauduin, who retired from the position after 4 years at the helm.

A German national, Mayer joined Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik in 1975 after graduating from the University of Darmstadt with a degree in industrial engineering. In 1981 he was appointed managing director of the company and became a member of the management board of Karl Mayer Group, taking over the position of CEO of Karl Mayer Group in 2007.

Zurich based European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (Cematex) has appointed Fritz P Mayer as its new president at its recent General Assembly meeting held in Amsterdam. Mayer, who retired from the operational management of Karl Mayer Group in 2013, is also president of the German Textile Machinery Association, VDMA, since January 2016.#

In 2013 he retired from the operational management of the Group, but still represents the Mayer family on its Supervisory Board.

I am delighted to take over the presidency of CEMATEX. For over 65 years the ITMA shows have provided excellent opportunities for textile machinery manufacturers to highlight their innovations, and I look forward to developing the ITMA and ITMA Asia brands to ensure that they retain their position as the world's leading exhibitions for innovation-driven textile manufacturers, said Mayer.

Cematex comprises national textile machinery associations from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. It is the owner of ITMA and ITMA Asia. Considered the 'Olympics' of textile machinery exhibitions, ITMA has a 65-year history of displaying the latest in machinery and software for every single work process of textile and garment making. It is held every four years in Europe. The ITMA Asia brand was introduced in 2001 and combined ITMA Asia + CITME exhibitions now take place in Shanghai every two years. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Sunflower Kriti

Kriti Sanon always has a glow on her face and she looks very cute most of the time. She's surely like a sweet dream come true!

Happy Happy

Kriti Sanon debuted in Bollywood with the movie Heropanti in 2014 and was paired alongside Tiger Shroff.

Radiant!

Kriti Sanon starred alongside Varun Dhawan in Dilwale which released in 2015. The film also starred Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.

Dilwale

Dilwale made huge money at the box office but sadly people did not really like the movie and felt it was a waste of time and money.

South Indian Movies

Apart from Bollywood, Kriti Sanon has also starred in two South Indian movies. Kriti Sanon has a good market everywhere.

Filmfare Award

Kriti Sanon bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in 2014 for Heropanti. It was a feather in her cap!

Red Alert!

Kriti Sanon is currently shooting for her upcoming movie Raabta and is starring alongside Sushant Singh Rajput.

Raabta

Kriti Sanon and Sushant Singh Rajput's starrer Raabta would also have Deepika Padukone in a special appearance.

Cute

We hope these pictures of Kriti Sanon have made your day! She really looks like a sweetheart doesn't she?

Grand Release

Raabta starring Kriti Sanon and Sushant Singh Rajput is scheduled to be released during the first quarter of 2017.
Director Ayan Mukherjee has said that his close friend Actor Ranbir Kapoor is worried about the controversy surrounding the release of his upcoming romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, the movie has drawn ire of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which has threatened to stall its release in theatres, slated during Diwali on October 28.

"Ranbir is tensed, everyone is worried about how things are unfolding. He is hoping for the best," Ayan told reporters here at the opening of 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival.

Actress Richa Chaddha also voiced her support for the Karan Johar-directed film. "If one film could finish terrorism, we could have banned many other films earlier," she said at the event.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has been in the eye of controversy since the Uri attack last month, following which various sectors have been demanding a ban on Pakistani artistes from working in India. Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka
Santhu Straight Forward, starring the real life pair, Yash and Radhika Pandit is gearing up for grand release on October 28. With less than 10 days for release, movie is yet to be censored.

The team completed the shoot of two songs in Norway, the under supervision of choreographer Shekar, a few weeks ago. Once they returned, the team shot talkie portions in Bangalore, featuring Yash, Radhika, Sham and other artists.

Watch the trailer of Santhu Straight Forward here..

Recently, the title song was shot in a grand set erected at the Kanteerava Studio by Art Director Mohan B Kere. Choreographer Murali is said to have choreographed the song in a new way.

The producer has spent a whopping 1.20 Crores on this song alone. Along with Yash, nine villains who are part of the film will be featuring in the song. Apart from Yash and villains, 120 dancers including a few from Russia were a part of this costly song.

As per the sources, a day or two of shoot is pending and will be completed by end of this week. Once that is completed, movie will be sent for censor certification.

If you're wondering, why everything is being done in hurry, there are two reasons. First one being, the long Deepavali weekend. The makers want to make the most of it in the opening week. With number of holidays in first week itself, bumper collections are guaranteed.

Second reason being, sentiment. Yes, Yash and Producer K Manju's previous movie Raja Huli,eleased in same time (during Kannada Rajyotsava) three years ago, and turned out to be blockbuster. The makers want to repeat the magic by releasing Santhu at the same time.

Also Raja Huli was released by Jayanna Films with Kapali as the main theater. Incidentally, even Santhu is being released by Jayanna Films, with Kapali as the main theater.

With the team working day and night to meet the deadlines, trade is very sure of the movie hitting screens on October 28, as announced. Let's hope the result will also be same as Raja Huli apart from release date.
Mammootty

In fact, he is one such Malayalam actor, who won the hearts of the people from other South Indian states, in the 1990s itself. Over the years, he made his presence felt in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries and the actor is a hugely popular star, especially in Tamil Nadu. In the past, his dubbed versions of films like Oru CBI Diarykutippu, Samrajyam etc., went on to be big hits.

Mohanlal

Mohanlal won the hearts of people from the other states with his Malayalam films itself. He has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films. Recently, two of his Telugu films got released, which simply boosted his popularity in Tollywood. His latest release Pulimurugan is all set to be dubbed in to Telugu and that is a definite sign of his growing fan base.

Dulquer Salmaan

Dulquer Salmaan has acted only in one Tamil movie, so far. The film OK Kanmani was made in Telugu as well. But, with this single film, he made a statement in both the industries. The actor has a huge fan base, especially in Tamil Nadu, with his Malayalam films also performing pretty well in theatres of the state.

Nivin Pauly

Nivin Pauly, the name became much popular in South India, with his film Premam. The movie created waves and the film made him a popular face pan South India. He has a huge fan base in Tamil Nadu and his upcoming Tamil film is one of the most-awaited ones.

Prithviraj

Well, nothing much has to be said about this actor. With his acting skills, good looks and knowledge about films, he has won fans outside Kerala as well. He is hugely popular in Kollywood and Bollywood. The actor is all set with his third film in Bollywood, which has been titled as Naam Shabana.
No matter how intensely the actors are shooting for the scenes in the television shows, behind the scenes, these actors end up having a lot of fun. It is this bonding that makes them strong and the same is reflected on screen.

We are talking about Jana Na Dil Se Door, where Shivani Surve (as Vividha), Vikram Singh Chauhan (as Atharv) and Shashank Vyas (as Ravish) are seen having fun and taking pictures on the sets. It has to be recalled that Shashank was recently introduced on the show. He was welcomed by the cast as well as the audiences. Check Out On The Sets Pictures...





Shivani, Shashank & Vikram Posting the picture snapped with Shivani and Shashank, Vikram wrote, "Just before the transformation from real to reel...good morning! # happy # thankful #behindthescenes." Vividha & Atharv Vikram and Shivani, who play the role of Atharv and Vividha, make a lovely couple on the show. Audiences like their chemistry. Sharing a picture snapped with Shivani, Vikram wrote, "There you go! Shivik selfie..#jndsd." Vikram & Shashank Vikram posted a picture snapped with Shashank and wrote, "With superemly talented and a wonderful coactor #behindthescenes #mensfashion #traditional." Vikram Vikram shared a picture snapped with his on-screen mother and wrote, "And we are back!..sets of #jndsd #happiness." Shashank Shashank, who has already impressed the audiences with his current role Ravish on the show, shared a picture snapped with his Jana Na Dil Se Door family and wrote, "...happy faces #jndsd." Shashank, Shivani & Smita Shashank, who is active on social media, keeps his fans updated. He had posted several pictures before his entry and the one that we liked, is this picture snapped with his on-screen mother Smita Bhansal and Shivani.

Story So Far...

On the show, Vividha's father Kailash gets her married against her wish. He makes a deal with his daughter that he would spare her love Atharv, only if she marries the guy whom he choose.

And, then enters Ravish, who is an army person. He is shown as a simple and innocent person, who is unaware of Vividha's past. He gets married to Vividha as per his parents wish.

Atharv was badly injured by Kailash's men, and Atharv and Sujatha go missing for some time. Uma and Vividha are concerned about Atharv. While Uma believes that Atharv dead, Vividha senses him around at her in-laws place. Vividha also sees Atharv, but Ravish lies to her, and Vividha thinks it to be her imagination.

Ravish will be seen treating Atharv in the secret room of his house. Initially, he is unaware that Atharv is his step brother.

Suman gets to see Sujatha and Ramankanth's picture in her house and is shocked. She also gets to know that her husband has another son - Atharv, who is Vividha's neighbour. The family members are shocked, and wonder as to why Ramakanth chose Sujatha's neighbour for Ravish!

In the previous episode, we saw Vividha getting sweets from her father, as it is her birthday. Suman and the family members wish her. Ravish wishes her and doubts if Atharv was talking about Vividha's birthday, the other day!

Atharv also makes a birthday card for Vividha. Meanwhile, Vividha tries to tell Ravish about her past, but in vain. She waits for the right moment.

It has to be seen if Ravish finds out about Vividha and Atharv, before Vividha tells him!
We had already reported about Ankita Bhargava celebrating Karva Chauth. The actress had also shared a few pictures of Karva Chauth preparations on her social networking account.

Showing off her mehendi, Ankita wrote, "#karwachauth Our 2nd Together  I wanna be ur wife till my last breath babu @karan9198". The actress observed fast for her hubby Karan Patel, who was impressed and look what he promised the actress.



Karan Patel took to social media and shared an adorable message. He shared a picture snapped with Ankita and wrote, "With @ankzbhargava and the owner of our house and life#Mr.Naughty ...!! #KarwaChauth .... u pray for me to live longer and i promise that as long as i live i will make sure that smile on you face never vanishes ...!! Love you baby ..!!"

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actor was quoted by a leading daily as saying, "It's special and it has always been for us. I hope to get off from work early and come back home to my wife. All the ladies of my house are fasting and the puja will be followed by a good dinner."

Karan and Ankita got married last year in May. Their relationship was under scanner, a few months ago. The couple had time and again, come forward to clarify that all is well between them.

It has to be recalled that the duo went on a honeymoon to London, recently. The duo took a break from their respective shows and spent some lovely romantic time with each other.
Colors' popular show Swaragini recently took a leap of 6 months. Currently, on the show, Namish Taneja, who plays the role of Lakshya, is shown missing. The actor was on a break and that's the reason the makers showed him missing on the show! But now, there are speculations that he might exit from the show.

It is said that the actor is upset with his with the way his character is shaping up. The actor had also expressed his displeasure on Twitter. He wrote, "If u don't like whr u r,whr u r not satisfied,whr ur talent,love & care r not utilized properly.MOVE! You're not a tree. #MorningMotivation."



Also, a source associated with the show was quoted by a leading daily as saying, "Namish is not happy with the way his character is shaping up. He feels he is being sidelined. And the missing drama has put the final nail in the coffin. He's now contemplating quitting the show."



Well, if this rumour turns out to be true, then RagLak's (Ragini and Lakshya) fans will be disappointed. Let's just wish the actor doesn't quit the show.



Coming back to the Swaragini story, Sanskar is seen searching for his brother Lakshya. As we reported earlier, Swara blames Sanskar for ruining Ragini's life, and separates from him.



Also, there are two new entries on the show, Gayatri and Nikhil. Gayatri is shown as Uttara's to-be mother-in-law, while Nikhil is the new man in Swara's life. Nikhil will be seen helping Swara and Ragini in the marriage arrangements.

On the other hand, Gayatri doesn't like Swara as she is a Bengali. Also, she warns Sanskar not to re-unite with his Bengali wife - if he does, then she would send Uttara back to the Maheshwari house.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/20/16 -- Simavita Limited ("Simavita" or the "Company") (ASX: SVA) today delivered a progress update to the market. In a few short months the Company has delivered significant change. We have:

-- Substantially increased sales, whilst reducing cost of goods sold, for our existing product range SIM. Details of financial results will be included in the Company's forthcoming Appendix 4C announcement to the ASX. -- Materially reduced operating costs and outward cash flow. -- In record time, our team has delivered a new and exciting incontinence management product AssessPLUS for new markets with significant unmet need. -- Achieved a number of land mark transactions particularly in Australia and Europe.

Background:

Simavita is a world leader in the provision of smart, wearable and disposable sensors in the automated assessment and management of incontinence. Globally, the management of incontinence impacts many millions of people who range from seniors, the disabled and those with significant illness. The market is in the billions of dollars.

In late April 2016, Simavita's major shareholders moved to provide new financing to the Company and to introduce change management, including the formation of a largely new Board of Directors. This strategic change was a significant vote of confidence in the Company's technology platform, its people and its future.

Corporate Strategy:

Fundamental to strategic change at Simavita was the recognition that:

-- The Company could not wait to identify and engage a new Chief Executive Officer. Rather, the Board immediately instituted significant change whilst working closely with Executive Managers located in research and development, sales and marketing in our core territories of Australia, Europe and North America as well as corporate commercial management. A CEO will be appointed in due course. -- All non-essential costs incurred by the Company had to be immediately eliminated and all costs tightly controlled well into the future. -- The Company needed to take a fresh approach to its market and to clearly understand what was required by the market. As a consequence, Simavita committed to the rapid delivery of new product that would break down barriers to market entry and open significant new market opportunity outside institutional aged care. -- Simultaneously, Simavita sought to maximize immediate sales results from its existing Smart Incontinence Management product (SIM) and to maximize our reach within existing institutional aged care markets.

Delivery Milestones:

In line with the Company's mission, we have delivered the following major milestones. These milestones are in addition to the financial results of the Company for the First Quarter which will be reported shortly and include:

Product:

AssessPLUS, Simavita's first totally new product, will deliver simple and cost effective management and assessment of incontinence for new and major markets including Community Care and the disabled living at home. AssessPLUS is in its final stages of pilot customer reviews and acceptance testing. AssessPLUS was identified in May 2016 as part of the change management process, specified, developed and has been delivered on schedule and within budget.

AssessPLUS has been designed to be a cost effective "out of the box" incontinence assessment and management solution for carers operating within the National Disabilities Insurance Scheme and for carers looking after the elderly in their own homes. We envisage that AssessPLUS will deliver an extremely easy to use solution, designed to reduce the cost of incontinence whilst dramatically improving the quality of life for those suffering from incontinence. Our clear experience is that those people using Simavita Incontinence Management solutions regain confidence to socialise, improve hydration and reduce hospital visits through the reduction or elimination of falls, urinary tract infections and skin problems.

Our existing incontinence solution for institutional use, SIM Version 4.12, was delivered in July 2016 to existing users and incorporates improved intuitive reporting, enhanced user interface on the SIM tablet and support for multiple facilities per server. These significant enhancements greatly assist our aged care group customers.

Simavita has developed a clear and ongoing product road map for the rapid delivery of new product to areas of significant and unmet need in the field of smart, wearable and disposable sensors for the health care industry.

European update:

Market expansion in Europe is progressing ahead of schedule:

-- We have strengthened our relationship with Abena and, as a consequence, extended sales in Denmark -- OneMed has been appointed as a distributor for The Netherlands and Sweden and assessments have commenced -- A distributor has been identified to cover the southern region of Germany -- Negotiations are advanced with a Spanish distributor

A land mark multi-centre clinical trial across 2 countries has been agreed with University of Maastricht in The Netherlands and Ghent University in Belgium to start early in the new year.

North American update:

A new Canadian distributor, Medical Mart, was recently appointed to expand sales, marketing and our distribution network in Canada. Sales continue to grow in Canada with a new long-term care facility in Ontario signing a 1 year agreement.

In the United States, we have reviewed our exclusive distribution relationship with Medline with a view to redefining our relationships in this market. The parties are currently working together to finalise a revised distribution agreement. It is our clear intention to engage with active distributors in the region and to rapidly grow this major market.

A number of new relationships have commenced including:

-- Christian Living, a long term care group in Colorado, with 3 Continuing Care Retirement Communities has signed a contract to use Simavita across the group. Continuing Care Retirement Communities include Skilling Nursing, Assisted Living and Independent Living facilities co-located on a single campus. -- A long term care group with 45 facilities has contracted to conduct a pilot at 2 of its Arizona facilities.

Australian update:

The Australian sales team has been refreshed. We're delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Brett Maybery as ANZ Sales Director. Brett has an enviable record in aged care sales and, in particular, has been successfully building significant sales in the field.

We have also set about building a strong sales team with a broad focus on aged care, community care including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as well as hospitals.

The new team has already built a strong pipeline that includes 4 new customers as well as sales of our new AssessPLUS product into existing customers. Furthermore we have determined 3 new and focused distributors for the region. In addition during the period, 4 new aged care facilities have agreed to implement SIM.

We have decided to extend our network into New Zealand and have identified a strong and highly experienced partner to target the aged care and hospital markets.

With the imminent launch of AssessPLUS, the team have been focused on introducing new customers in the home care and disability care markets with highly encouraging early results. A recent trial with disability participants has shown very positive clinical results. Importantly, the trial pointed toward a strong reduction in real costs with a greater than 20% reduction in incontinence pads after implementing the SIM product capacity recommendations. A further 2 trials of disability participants are in the planning stages.

The Company has recently been confirmed as an Approved Provider under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). When fully implemented in 3 years' time the NDIS estimate that they will spend $230 million per annum on incontinence pads. As an organisation we are firmly focused on this opportunity, to work closely with service providers and NDIS participants.

Conclusion:

Simavita has completed the first major step in the restructuring of its activities. Our commitment is to continue to rapidly evolve as we strive toward substantial increases in sales, enhanced by the development of new product and the appointment of new distributors.

About Simavita

Simavita is a company established to deliver innovative continence solutions for our customers, developed in ethical collaboration with healthcare professionals.

Simavita's patented and leading assessment tool is designed to dramatically improve the quality of life for those suffering from incontinence. For operators, hospitals and rehabilitation centres, this enables care providers and other institutions to significantly lower their material costs and reduce the time required to manage incontinence in patients.

Operating in Australia, Europe and North America, conducting assessments is mandatory in these countries and the incontinence assessment creates an influential element of care of each individual.

Forward-Looking Information

This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking information"). This forward-looking information is given as of the date of this document.

Forward-looking information relates to future events or future performance and reflects Simavita management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events. Assumptions upon which such forward-looking information is based include that Simavita will be able to successfully execute on its business plans. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Simavita and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "potential", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or information that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. By its very nature forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Simavita to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to actual results of current business activities; changes in business plans and strategy as plans continue to be refined; other risks of the medical devices and technology industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development activities; as well as those factors detailed from time to time in Simavita's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements. Although Simavita has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Simavita provides no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Contacts:

Simavita Limited

Ms Peta Jurd

Chief Commercial Officer

+61 421 466 653

pjurd@simavita.com

www.simavita.com



Investor Centre:

www.simavita.com/irm/content/investors2.aspx




MUNICH and BADEN-BADEN, Germany and TEL-AVIV, Israel, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Real-time cyber security is key for the connected and automated car. As cyber attacks on vehicles should be mitigated in real-time, cyber security solutions must recognize malicious messages and prevent their propagation over the in-vehicle network. As cyber threats are dynamic in nature, cyber security solutions need to be updated over the air in order to help vehicle fleets stay immune to the latest threats and attack methods.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160721/391784LOGO )



At the VDI Kongress (October 19-20, 2016, Baden-Baden), Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) and Argus will demonstrate an integrated cyber security solution. It is based on an AURIX ' multicore microcontroller of Infineon with the Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) and remote cloud platform from Argus. At the heart of a vehicle's central gateway the cyber security solution protects the vehicle's internal network from remote cyber attacks.

The central gateway is crucial in the automotive security architecture. It interconnects all electronic control units (ECU) of in-vehicle domains, such as those used in the powertrain, driver assistance, chassis, as well as body and convenience control. The central gateway routes and controls the complete data communication between the ECUs. In addition, it is the central access point for software updates over the air (SOTA) and for diagnostics processes and maintenance updates via the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port.

The integrated cyber security solution with AURIX and IDPS

The AURIX microcontrollers will be a key element in the vehicle's central gateway. They control processes and handle monitoring and security tasks. In safety-related systems, AURIX microcontrollers support security protocols as well as the required security functions in hardware. Their built-in Hardware Security Module (HSM) protects in-vehicle software and data communication supporting highest security levels. These include security classifications up to EVITA "high" that is used to protect critical vehicle functions against a wide variety of attack scenarios; via direct cable access to the car network and via radio interface. Thus, AURIX microcontrollers provide effective protection against hackers when trying to infiltrate the on-board systems. They offer up to six cores and best-in-class scalability in memory (up to 16 MB Flash, more than 6 MB on-chip SRAM) in combination with a rich feature set supporting latest connectivity, such as up to 12 CAN-FD channels, eMMC interface, and Ethernet functionality.

"With more connectivity embedded into a vehicle, the protection of critical system functions from cyber threats is paramount," said Thomas Boehm, Senior Director, Chassis & ADAS Microcontrollers at Infineon. "The team-up of AURIX with Argus IDPS provides a major building block of that protection enabling automotive system suppliers to benefit from an enhanced cyber security solution."

Argus developed its Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) to specifically detect anomalous messages and prevent their propagation over the in-vehicle network in real-time. As a high-performance, low latency and small footprint system, the IDPS uses context-aware heuristic and learning algorithms that enable optimal detection rate as a stand-alone solution. Combined with Argus Lifespan Protection, Argus' remote cloud platform, it provides car manufacturers with situational awareness to their fleets' cyber health via a cloud-based intuitive dashboard as well as with the means to analyze attacks and take preventive action. The IDPS supports different communication protocols, operating systems and deployment options.

"Joining forces with Infineon is a natural next-step in ensuring that today's connected cars and the vehicles of the future are protected against cyber threats", said Yoni Heilbronn, Vice President of Marketing at Argus Cyber Security. "Cyber security needs to be integrated into the entire design and manufacturing processes of vehicles. The Argus IDPS constitutes one significant protection layer out of our multi-layered solution suites for the automotive industry."

Further information

Information on AURIX is available at http://www.infineon.com/aurix

About Argus Cyber Security

Argus is the world's largest, independent automotive cyber security company. Argus' comprehensive and proven solution suites protect connected cars and commercial vehicles against cyber attacks. With decades of experience in both cyber security and the automotive industry, Argus offers innovative security methods and proven computer networking know-how with a deep understanding of automotive best practices. Customers include car manufacturers, their Tier 1 suppliers, and aftermarket connectivity providers. Founded in 2013, Argus is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with offices in Michigan, Silicon Valley, Stuttgart and Tokyo. Visit argus-sec.com to learn more.

@ArgusSec | LinkedIn

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG is a world leader in semiconductor solutions that make life easier, safer and greener. Microelectronics from Infineon is the key to a better future. In the 2015 fiscal year (ending September 30), the company reported sales of about Euro 5.8 billion with some 35,400 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).

Further information is available at http://www.infineon.com

This press release is available online at http://www.infineon.com/press

Follow us:

twitter.com/Infineon - facebook.com/Infineon - plus.google.com/+Infineon

Press Contact at Argus

Brandon Weinstock

argus@headline-media.com

+1 914-336-4878


/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

CAMARILLO, California, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BNK Petroleum Inc. (the "Company") (TSX:BKX) is pleased to announce that, in connection with its previously announced short form prospectus offering of common shares of the Company (the "Shares"), on a "commercially reasonable efforts" basis, at a price of C$0.20 per Share (the "Offering"), the Company has agreed with GMP FirstEnergy, as co-lead agent on behalf of a syndicate including Haywood Securities Inc., as co-lead agent, and Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. (collectively, the "Agents"), to increase the amount of the Offering from up to 55,000,000 Shares to up to 70,000,000 Shares for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$14,000,000.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through various affiliates and subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale oil and gas properties and concessions in the United States. Additionally the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release contains forward-looking information including statements regarding the Offering and the use of proceeds therefrom and the timing thereof. The use of any of the words "target", "plans", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information is based on management's expectations and assumptions, including that the Company will obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the other conditions to closing the Offering will be satisfied. Forward-looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: any of the assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company will be unable to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the other conditions to closing the Offering will not be satisfied in a timely manner or at all, and the other risks identified in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form under the "Risk Factors" section, the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and the Company's other public disclosure, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to take into account important factors that could cause actual costs or results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause actual results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking information included in this release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

THIS NEWS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY OF THE SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "U.S. SECURITIES ACT") OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM SUCH REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE.

For further information: Wolf E. Regener, +1 (805) 484-3613, Email: investorrelations@bnkpetroleum.com, Website: www.bnkpetroleum.com
SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwired - October 20, 2016) -IoT Tech Expo North America

News highlights:

Donna Yasay, President of HomeGrid Forum spoke on the 'interoperability as the key to success' panel at IoT Tech Expo North America

Yasay described the underestimated importance of industry certification programs for ensuring interoperability between devices and applications

Donna Yasay, President of HomeGrid Forum, today discussed with a panel of technology peers how certification programs are at the forefront of interoperability, and the answer for vendors looking to keep up with today's growing industry for smart home innovation.

"To ensure multi-vendor interoperability, accredited industry certification programs should be used for every product to provide credibility and quality assurance for retail and carrier based customers looking to add ever increasing numbers of devices to the home network," commented Yasay. "The successful global adoption of the Internet of Things is dependent on a robust and secure home network."

IoT applications typically use simple, low bit-rate devices; the key requirements are in-home coverage, security and auto-configuration. However at the same time there is a growing need for much faster in-home networks. A recent iGR report showed that average monthly broadband usage in US homes is 190 gigabytes per month, with more than 95% of this traffic being video. Additionally, Juniper Research has reported that 4K OTT adoption is set to rise from 2.3 million users globally this year, to 189 million by 2021. This translates to 1 in 500 US residents currently watching 4K online, but by 2021, it will be 1 in 10, a massive increase in access and in-home bandwidth.

The beauty of G.hn is that it can provide a single in-home network that meets the needs of both IoT applications and ultrafast video. G.hn technology can provide seamless wired connectivity or a backbone for multiple wireless access points and IoT devices to greatly improve the wireless coverage within a home.

Yasay commented: "Today's average household has advanced from having one user watching the occasional video on YouTube, to several users watching whole television series independently and simultaneously, using platforms such as Amazon Video and Netflix. G.hn is now widely regarded as the obvious choice for reliably delivering high bandwidth services and applications, and will increasingly be used to help connect IoT devices. This can either be as a backbone for low-speed wireless IoT technologies, or embedding the powerline variant of G.hn in large, fixed, mains-powered devices such as washing machines and refrigerators."

Interoperability is key to both these very different applications. HomeGrid Forum provides G.hn silicon and system certification through a strict compliance and interoperability testing program to ensure the simplest and most secure means for consumers to connect their increasing number of devices and applications using the home network.

The message comes only a month after HomeGrid Forum and Allion Labs, the organization's Accredited Testing House in Taiwan, announced the number of G.hn certified products has more than doubled over the last 12 months. G.hn technology is becoming the industry's number one choice for providing an in-home ultra-broadband experience as products can operate over any available medium, extend Wi-Fi coverage, provide coverage throughout the home, and are easy to install.

HomeGrid Forum has been championing the push for Interoperability, Performance (IOP), and compliance testing based on real market requirements in the consumer technology industry. For more information, visit http://www.homegridforum.org/index.php.

About HomeGrid Forum

HomeGrid Forum (HGF) is an industry alliance that brings together the world's best in technology innovators, silicon vendors, system manufacturers and service providers to promote G.hn, a globally recognized gigabit home networking technology based on ITU-T standards. Over 70 members promote the global adoption of G.hn, a single unified, multi-sourced networking technology -- over coax, copper pairs, powerline, and plastic optical fiber -- while continuing to support HomePNA deployments and their transition to G.hn. HomeGrid Forum provides G.hn silicon and system certification through a strict compliance and interoperability testing program. For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit our website at www.homegridforum.org.

Follow us on @homegrid_forum

For more information, please contact

Sian Borrill

+44 (0) 1636 812152

pr@homegridforum.org


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S Securities and Exchange Commission announced that FMC Technologies, Inc.(FTI) has agreed to pay a $2.5 million penalty to settle charges that it overstated profits in one of its business segments. Two then-executives at the company agreed to settle charges that they caused the violations to meet internal targets.



The SEC's order found that after being pressured to improve the financial performance of the energy infrastructure segment at FMC Technologies, the segment's controller Jeffrey Favret and a business unit controller Steven Croft artificially reduced the value of a liability the company recorded for employee paid time off. The improper adjustments overstated the segment's pre-tax operating profits by $800,000 and enabled an internal target to be met for the first quarter of 2013.



Without informing the company's controller, Favret and Croft also corrected a $730,000 error recorded in 2012 that increased their segment's operating results for first quarter 2013, yet they later signed management representation letters attesting there had been no out-of-period adjustments larger than $250,000 recorded during that period.



The SEC's order also found that Croft failed to comply with internal accounting controls when he directed that his business unit switch to a new accounting system without taking reasonable steps to ensure that errors would not arise as a result. Errors did occur that overstated the segment's results in two quarterly periods in 2014. FMC Technologies also had another business unit that failed to properly account for employee paid time off, and the company improperly accounted for interest income associated with certain large intercompany loans, resulting in an $8 million out-of-period adjustment in 2014.



In addition to the $2.5 million penalty to be paid by FMC Technologies, Favret agreed to pay a $30,000 penalty and Croft agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty. Favret and Croft, who no longer work at FMC Technologies, also agreed to be suspended from appearing or practicing before the SEC as accountants, which includes not participating in the financial reporting or audits of public companies. The order permits them to apply for reinstatement after two years.



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BENTONVILLE (dpa-AFX) - Walmart (WMT) said that it will invest $50 million in New Dada, China's largest local on-demand logistics and grocery O2O ecommerce platform. The investment is an extension of Walmart's broader agreement with JD.com and cooperation with New Dada, which includes using New Dada's network to offer customers two-hour delivery on groceries ordered from Walmart stores through the JD Daojia Dada app. The two-hour delivery service is available to customers within a 3km radius of more than 20 Walmart stores that are currently part of the program. The number of Walmart stores offering two hour delivery is expected to double by the end of the year. New Dada an independent joint venture of JD.com and Dada, boasts more than 25 million registered customers and provides local on-demand delivery capabilities with 2.5M crowd-sourced deliverers across more than 300 cities in China. Walmart has 426 stores in nearly 170 cities. News of the investment comes a day after Walmart and JD.com announced their collaboration on three new services -- exclusive Sam's Club and Global Imports stores on JD.com, and two-hour grocery delivery through New Dada. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/20/16 -- Edgefront Real Estate Investment Trust (the "REIT") (TSX VENTURE: ED.UN) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016 before the opening of the TSX Venture Exchange on Monday November 14, 2016.

Kelly Hanczyk, President and Chief Executive Officer of the REIT, and Robert Chiasson, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Monday November 14, 2016 to review the financial results and operations.

To participate in the conference call, please dial 416-340-2218 or 1-866-225-0198 (toll free in Canada and the US) and ask to join the Edgefront REIT conference call.

A recording of the conference call will be available until November 28, 2016. To access the recording, please dial 905-694-9451 or 1-800-408-3053 (toll free in Canada and the US) and enter passcode 6924927.

The REIT also announced today that it will make a cash distribution in the amount of $0.01333 per unit, representing $0.16 per unit on an annualized basis, payable November 15, 2016 to unitholders of record as of October 31, 2016.

The REIT has adopted a distribution reinvestment plan ("DRIP") whereby residents of Canada may elect to have all or a portion of the cash distributions of the REIT automatically reinvested in additional units of the REIT. Eligible unitholders who so elect will receive a bonus distribution of units equal to 4% of each distribution that was reinvested by them under the DRIP. Full details with respect to the DRIP can be found on the REIT's website at www.edgefrontreit.com.

The REIT also announced today that it has paid outstanding retainer fees payable to independent trustees of the REIT in the amount of $30,068, net of applicable payroll withholding taxes of $4,682, through the issuance of 14,632 units of the REIT ("Trust Units") at an average price of $1.735 per Trust Unit. The Trust Units were issued under the REIT's Non-Executive Trustee Unit Issuance Plan.

The Trust Units are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on February 20, 2017. The transaction constitutes a related party transaction pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The REIT is exempt from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 in reliance on Section 5.5(b) and Section 5.7(a), respectively, of MI 61-101.

About the REIT

Edgefront REIT is a growth oriented real estate investment trust focused on increasing unitholder value through the acquisition, ownership and management of industrial properties located in primary and secondary markets in North America. The REIT currently owns a portfolio of 20 properties comprising approximately 1,180,000 square feet of rentable area.

The REIT has approximately 35,733,686 units issued and outstanding. Additionally, there are 5,962,565 Class B LP units of subsidiary limited partnerships of the REIT issued and outstanding.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Edgefront Real Estate Investment Trust

Kelly C. Hanczyk

President and CEO

(403) 817-9497



Edgefront Real Estate Investment Trust

Rob Chiasson

CFO

(403) 817-9496




CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The New Zealand dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Friday. The NZ dollar fell to a 3-day low of 0.7162 against the U.S. dollar and a 2-day low of 74.56 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.7191 and 74.75, respectively. Against the euro, the kiwi dropped to 1.5224 from yesterday's closing value of 1.5188. The kiwi edged down to 1.0652 against the Australian dollar, from an early near 2-week high of 1.0588. If the kiwi extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 0.70 against the greenback, 73.00 against the yen, 1.54 against the euro and 1.07 against the aussie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
On 20 October 2016, the Board of TEO LT, AB (hereinafter - "Teo" or "the Company") approved unaudited TEO LT, AB Consolidated Interim Financial Statements, prepared according to International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union, for the nine months period ended 30 September 2016.Teo and Omnitel synergy leads to continued revenue growthThird quarter of 2016*: - Total consolidated revenue amounted to EUR 86.8 million, up by 3.6 per cent over the comparable combined revenue of EUR 83.8 million in Q3 2015. This is the best quarterly result of Teo and Omnitel operating together. - Consolidated EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, reached EUR 30.3 million, up by 4.7 per cent over the comparable combined EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, of EUR 29 million in Q3 2015.First nine months of 2016*: - Total consolidated revenue amounted to EUR 253.5 million, up by 3.1 per cent over the comparable combined revenue of EUR 246 million for 9 months of 2015. - Consolidated EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, reached EUR 88.6 million, up by 8.8 per cent over comparable combined EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, of EUR 81.5 million for 9 months of 2015. - Free cash flow amounted to EUR 36.7 million and was 1.7 times higher than a year ago.Management comment: The third quarter of 2016 was marked with accelerating Teo and Omnitel integration, implementation of big IT projects, continued investments into network development and preparation of new offers to customers.Continued intake of new customers has led to two milestones: - number of fixed broadband Internet customers exceeded 400 thousand, - number of post-paid mobile service subscriptions exceeded 1 million.Number of IPTV customers shows a yearly double-digit growth (19.4%) as well as revenue from TV services (20.2%), followed by revenue from IT services (7.8%), mobile services (9.2%) and Internet services (5.5%).Revenue growth combined with lower operating expenses (excl. non-recurring items) resulted in 35% EBITDA margin (excl. non-recurring items) for the first 9 months of 2016.As a next step in the Teo and Omnitel integration, in August a joint retail outlet of a new concept was opened in Kaunas and from September the integration and optimization of customer care retail outlets started.In July, Teo successfully completed consolidation of IT infrastructure of Lietuvos Draudimas and companies belonging to PZU Group in the Baltic States at the two data centers of Teo. During the migration, more than 250 servers were moved from five data centers in Latvia, Estonia and Sweden to Lithuania.The first contract involving Teo and Telia Group companies in Latvia and Estonia for providing pan-Baltic IT system support and telecommunication services was signed with Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Baltic.Omnitel continued expansion of its 4G network and was the first in Lithuania to implement a next-generation voice transmission technology VoLTE (Voice over LTE) in its 4G network. An amount of EUR 9.7 million was allocated to the development of the mobile network, while the total combined investments amounted to EUR 36.6 million during the first 9 months of 2016 (EUR 30.9 million in 2015).Development of fiber-optic access network allowed Teo to offer new Internet payment plans of higher browsing speed to business customers. New plans also have an integrated IT system protection.As a contribution to the development of digital society, Teo together with its partners installed 10 smart classrooms in Kaunas at the start of the new school year. In addition, Teo and Omnitel have provided connectivity for the Internet of things e-health project CARRE implemented by Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Klinikos.Note: * As on 4 January 2016, TEO LT, AB acquired a 100 per cent stake in Omnitel, financial data of Teo Group for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2016 presented herein is the consolidated data of TEO LT, AB and its subsidiaries including Omnitel. Comparable data of financial statements for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2015 is the actual reported data of Teo Group for those periods. In order to present an approximate measure of the performance of the combined group, the comparable combined data of comprehensive income statement, as it is used in the Management Report of Consolidated Financial Statements for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2015, is data combined by simple aggregation after elimination of intragroup transactions as if Omnitel was at the time part of the Teo Group.ENCL.: - TEO LT, AB Consolidated Interim Financial Statements and Consolidated Interim Report for the nine months period ended 30 September 2016. - Presentation of TEO LT, AB Group results for the first 9 months of 2016.Darius Dziaugys, Head of Investor Relations, tel. +370 5 236 7878Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=590563




MESA, Arizona, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --SANHUA Automotive was proud to be a major industry sponsor of this year's Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Thermal Management System Symposium which was held in Mesa, Arizona on October 18th, 19th & 20th.

As experts in thermal management, this sponsorship exhibits SANHUA Automotive's commitment to develop products that offer enhanced fuel economy savings for conventional vehicles and opportunities for increased mileage range in EV and hybrid vehicles. The all-new SANHUA Automotive thermal product portfolio supported the symposium's theme ofhow to handle vehicle heating and cooling in the advent of new vehicle powertrains in hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles. This paramount issue in the mobility industry requires new concepts to provide all-new thermal management systems, including new component designs, to provide heating & cooling of the passenger compartment and EV battery systems.

As an example, SANHUA Automotive has developed a new innovative electronically controlled air conditioning valve.The revolutionary, new Electronic eXpansion Valve (EXV) allows for quicker response to changes in vehicle operating conditions and increased flexibility in a/c refrigerant control.The SANHUAAutomotive EXV enables a number of system control strategies which ultimately lead to improved overall a/c system efficiency, increased fuel economy and EV range.This EXV has enabled SANHUA Automotive to be named as a 2017 Automotive News PACE Award finalist for product innovation.

This year the SAE Thermal Management System Symposium also expanded its programming content to focus on environmental regulatory requirements and the technologies to meet them. Over 250 engineers from the United States, Europe and Asia attended the event and heard global thermal experts present cutting-edge thermal management technologies and regulation compliance strategies.

About SANHUA Automotive

SANHUA Automotive is a leading global solution provider of advanced automotive technology, systems and components for major OEMs, specializing in thermal management systems. As experts in thermal management, SANHUA Automotive continues to develop products that offer enhanced fuel economy savings for conventional vehicles and opportunities for increased mileage range in EV and hybrid vehicles.

About SAE

SAE International is a global association of more than 121,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development.










Regulatory News:

The shareholders of Gecina (the "Company") (Paris:GFC) are invited to attend the Combined General Meeting to be held on:

Wednesday April 26, 2017, from 3 pm

at Pavillon Cambon, 46 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris, France.

A meeting notice containing the agenda, the full text for the proposed resolutions and the main conditions for attending and voting at the Combined General Meeting on April 26, 2017 has been published in the French official gazette (Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires) today (announcement no. 1700515). This meeting notice and the Board of Directors' report on the proposed resolutions can be consulted on Gecina's website at www.gecina.fr.

The meeting notice will be followed by an invitation to attend, which will be published in the French official gazette (BALO) and a French legal announcement journal within the legal and regulatory timeframes.

The Company will be sending out the postal, online and proxy voting forms directly to all shareholders.

The preparatory documents for this General Meeting will be made available to shareholders in accordance with the regulatory conditions and timeframes applicable.

All shareholders may ask the Company to send them these documents with written requests to be sent to the Company's registered office or faxed to +33 (0)1 40 40 64 81 up until the fifth day (inclusive) before the Combined General Meeting on April 26, 2017, i.e. April 21, 2017.

They may also be consulted at the Company's registered office and will be available on the Company's website (www.gecina.fr).

The Board of Directors

French limited company (societe anonyme) with a share capital of 475,759,800 euros

Registered office: 14-16, rue des Capucines, 75002 Paris, France

Paris trade and companies register: 592 014 476

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170310005301/en/

Contacts:

Gecina

Laurent Le Goff, Tel: 33 (0)1 40 40 62 69
It did not disclose the terms of the agreement. Upon completion, the project will annually generate 4 million kWh of electricity, according to an online statement. "(The deal) speaks volumes about the strong support of the local banking industry and government agencies for clean tech companies, especially for distributed-generation (DG) solar projects," said Xiaofeng Peng, chairman and chief executive of SPI Energy. Although DG build-out has long been a government priority, the segment ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Regulatory News:

ASSA ABLOY (STO:ASSAB)

Third quarter

Sales totaled SEK 18,025 M (17,465), with 2% (3) organic growth and 2% (4) acquired growth

Strong growth for Global Technologies and Americas

Good growth for Entrance Systems and growth for EMEA

Negative growth for Asia Pacific due to weak demand in China

Trojan in the UK was acquired, with expected annual sales of SEK 220 M

Operating income (EBIT) was SEK 3,020 M (2,970). The operating margin was 16.8% (17.0)

Net income amounted to SEK 2,122 M (2,069)

Earnings per share amounted to SEK 1.91 (1.86)

Operating cash flow increased by 1% to SEK 2,830 M (2,816)

Sales and income

Third quarter January-September 2015 2016 2015 2016 Sales, SEK M 17,465 18,025 3% 49,799 51,809 4% Of which: Organic growth 471 307 2% 1,807 1,308 3% Acquisitions and divestments 606 429 2% 1,435 1,512 3% Exchange-rate effects 1,661 -176 -1% 5,561 -810 -2% Operating income (EBIT), SEK M 2,970 3,020 2% 8,041 8,340 4% Operating margin (EBIT), 17.0% 16.8% 16.1% 16.1% Income before tax, SEK M 2,796 2,844 2% 7,531 7,782 3% Net income, SEK M 2,069 2,122 3% 5,573 5,786 4% Operating cash flow, SEK M 2,816 2,830 1% 5,327 5,846 10% Earnings per share (EPS), SEK 1.86 1.91 3% 5.02 5.21 4%

Comments by the President and CEO

"The third quarter of the year showed satisfactory growth for ASSA ABLOY generally, with the exception of Asia Pacific," says Johan Molin, President and CEO. "In general the mature markets made good progress while the growth markets continued to show subdued demand, apart from Latin America and India.

"In Global Technologies and Americas there was strong growth during the quarter, driven by successful marketing efforts and the launch of innovative new products. Entrance Systems showed good growth. EMEA showed growth despite some impact from a negative calendar effect. Growth in Asia Pacific remained negative because of the weak demand in China.

"The organic growth was rather weaker this quarter and amounted to 2%. Operating income remained strong and the operating margin was 16.8% (17.0).

"A number of major exhibitions have taken place during the quarter, with gratifying results. The Group's innovations have once again been honored by the award of several prestigious prizes. The launches of The Security Continuum (a platform-independent series of commercial electronic locks) and Accentra (a cloud-based electronic system for multi-family buildings) were especially acclaimed. Another interesting new series of products that was launched was HID Global's virtual authentication and identification solutions, by which, for example, future driver's licenses can be securely stored on an ordinary smartphone.

"The English company Trojan was acquired during the quarter. The company is a typical example of a complementary acquisition providing high synergies, by which the company's specialized door and window products allow us to offer the British market complete lock and fittings solutions with good profitability.

"Operating income for the quarter amounted to SEK 3,020 M, with an operating margin of 16.8%, mainly due to positive organic growth, lower raw-material costs and other significant savings. Operating cash flow remained strong.

"My judgment is that the global economic trend remains weak, but with a positive trend in America and parts of Europe. Elsewhere, many of the emerging markets are stagnating. However, our strategy of expanding on the emerging markets remains unchanged, since in the long term they are expected to achieve very good economic growth. We are also continuing our investments in new products, especially in the growth area of electromechanics."

ASSA ABLOY is holding an analysts' meeting at 10.00 today at Operaterrassen in Stockholm, Sweden. The analysts' meeting can also be followed on the Internet at www.assaabloy.com. It is possible to submit questions by telephone on: +46 8 5055 6476, +44 203 364 5371 or +1 877 679 2993.

This information is information that ASSA ABLOY AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 08.00 CET on 21 October 2016.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161020006773/en/

Contacts:

ASSA ABLOY

Johan Molin, President and CEO

Tel: +46 8 506 485 42

or

Carolina Dybeck Happe, Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +46 8 506 485 72


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British American Tobacco plc (BATS.L, BTI) reported Friday that its nine-month revenue grew 10.2 percent, further enhanced by the relative weakness in Sterling against the company's key trading currencies.



Revenue at constant rates of exchange increased 8.1 percent, while the increase was 6.2 percent on an organic basis.



Cigarette volume from subsidiaries was 497 billion, 2.2 percent higher than last year. Total tobacco volume was up 2 percent to 515 billion.



Higher Cigarette volume in a number of markets, notably in Ukraine, Bangladesh, Russia, Vietnam and Turkey, was partly offset by industry declines in Pakistan, Brazil and Venezuela. Volume in the three months to September was flat, but fell 1.3 percent on an organic basis.



Market share was up 40 bps year-to-date, driven by the Global Drive Brands, which grew market share by 90 bps.



Looking ahead, the company said it is on track to deliver another year of good earnings growth at constant rates of exchange.



Separately, BAT, which owns 42.2 percent of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), has made a proposal to acquire the remaining 57.8 percent stake. The proposed merger values Reynolds at $56.50 per share.



The total consideration for the remaining 57.8% of Reynolds would be $47 billion, of which approximately $20 billion would be in cash and $27 billion in BAT shares.



The company noted that the U.S. securities law required BAT to announce its merger proposal promptly after it was made to the Board of Reynolds. As a result, BAT has been unable to have prior negotiations with Reynolds regarding the proposal.



The proposed price represents a 20 percent premium to the closing share price on October 20. Settlement is proposed to be by a mix of both $24.13 in cash and 0.5502 shares of BAT for each Reynolds share.



The proposal is earnings accretive in the first full year, including modest cost synergies and is expected to result in an accretive dividend per share for shareholders.



According to BAT, the combined company would be the world's largest tobacco and Next Generation Products business by net turnover and operating profit.



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DENHAM (dpa-AFX) - InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG.L, IHG) reported that its third-quarter Global comparable RevPAR increased 1.3 percent at constant exchange rates, with rate up 1.0 percent and occupancy up 0.3 percent pts.



Richard Solomons, Chief Executive of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, said, 'We delivered a solid performance in the third quarter, leveraging our global scale to drive 3.8% net system growth and 1.3% RevPAR growth..... Despite the uncertain environment in some markets, we remain confident in the outlook for the remainder of the year.'



In Americas, RevPAR was up 1.9% in the third-quarter. In the US RevPAR was up 1.4% in third-quarter, and 1.9% in the first 9 months, with occupancy levels of more than 75% driven by continued record levels of industry demand.



In europe, RevPAR was flat in third-quarter,. Germany delivered mid-single digit RevPAR growth in Q3, and Russia/CIS drove 20% growth benefiting from increased domestic travel. 2.5% RevPAR growth in the UK reflects solid trading in the provinces partially offset by flat performance in London, where industry-wide supply increases continue to have an impact. Ongoing challenging trading conditions in France, Turkey and Belgium resulted in significant RevPAR declines in those countries.



In Asia, Middle East & Africa, RevPAR was down 0.1% in third-quarter,. Performance in the region outside the Middle East was strong, with 3.9% RevPAR growth in Q3 overall. India delivered RevPAR growth of 21%, Japan was flat, and Australasia and Southeast Asia were up low to mid-single digits, the latter led by Vietnam and Thailand. In the Middle East, RevPAR was down 7.7% due to the ongoing impact of low oil prices.



In Greater China, evPAR was up 0.9% in the third-quarter. The third-quarter growth of 2.2% in mainland China continued to be led by tier one cities, where RevPAR was up nearly 6%. A low single digit RevPAR decline in Hong Kong reflects some improvement in trading, but Macau continues to be affected by industry-wide challenging conditions with RevPAR down 14%.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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BANGKOK, Oct 21, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - BT Wealth Industries PCL ("BTW", SET:BTW) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chotic Russamitinakornkul discusses the company's strategy and outlook in The Executive Talk (TET) by ShareInvestor.com.TET: Please explain the history of BTW.BTW: We started in 1987 when the first offshore gas pipeline in Thailand was being installed by Unocal, which led to us beginning in the piping industry. As the oil and gas and petroleum industry in Thailand continued to develop in the 1980s and 1990s, the opportunity for BTW to expand into fabrication materialised and finally in the late 2000s modularization became a new industry for us to expand into utilising all the skillsets that BTW has developed in the past three decades.TET: What is BTW's business model?BTW: BTW has three major groups of businesses: modularization, parts fabrication and other services. Our customers are mainly EPC contractors for large-scale engineering projects and project owners in the mining, gas, petroleum and energy industries located in Australia, Asia and South America. Modularization is a production method used for large scale projects and it begins with the preliminary design, engineer, drawing, project planning and finally the fabrication process. This type of production requires high-level engineering standards, as it includes structural works, piping systems, electrical system, safety and tolerance under intensive high pressure conditions and extreme high or low temperature conditions. We are one of the leading providers in the country for piping works and are trusted by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to continuously provide the piping system services for almost all of their power plant projects. As a result of our track record of quality and timeliness, we currently have a backlog of 1.6 billion baht.TET: Where are your facilities located?BTW: We have two facilities which are the Sattahip Workshops and Chachoengsao Workshop. At Sattahip we have 174,454 sqm, and at Chachoengsao Workshop 89,716 sqm, in total we have a total capacity of up to 4,000 tonnes per month. Our main facility at Sattahip is adjacent to the Sattahip commercial deep-sea port. This ensures that we can produce and deliver the module units through the deep-sea port thereby reducing transportation costs when compared to other steel fabricators, and there is no restriction from the road width, which gives us a strong competitive advantage over our peers in Thailand.TET: Why did BTW decide to list on the Stock Exchange of Thailand?BTW: We listed on the SET because we wanted to ensure that we can continue to enhance the value for all of our stakeholders. Because we are listed, we now have the ability to bid for larger projects up to USD 400-500 million contracts from the USD 200 million which was the largest we have done in the past, because our capital base is larger and our credibility as a firm has improved as the financial strength of BTW is more visible to potential customers. In addition to this, we wanted to expand and invest in debottlenecking our manufacturing process to ensure that our efficiency rates are higher and that the schedule is shorter which is positive for our customers. Finally, financially we have been able to decrease our cost of funding substantially and these cost savings can be used to further improve our facilities and team further.TET: What differentiates BTW from its competitors?BTW: The combination of our skillset and location differentiate us from our competitors. Over the past three decades, we have developed a very strong engineering and manufacturing team for this industry, which allows us to meet the necessary technical requirements of our existing and potential customers. Location wise, we benefit from having our facility next to the Sattahip port, as it reduces costs for our customers, as all of the work to complete a project can be done within one location and finally by being located in Thailand, the labour costs are more cost-effective.TET: What are the biggest risks facing your business?BTW: The industry that we operate in is back to basics when compared to an industry such as electronics or IT. In IT there is potential for high growth, high margins, but high risks of becoming obsolete in a relatively short time frame. But people and companies still need power, manufacturing, and thus construction and steel fabrication to build these facilities and utilizes and this is where we operate. Technology in the form of robotics or materials may have an impact in the long term and potentially we may see plastics replacing several components in cars but we do not see this nor 3D printing nor materials replacing steel in structures because there is a need for weight to stabilise a structure to withstand nature, so it's back to basics.TET: Where do you see BTW in five years from now?BTW: We are a very dynamic organisation and we aim to explore new areas whether it be renewables or other industries within the next five years. Our current business is volatile in nature because it is project based and we would like to potentially expand into an industry that has recurring income. We still see that Thailand is one of the best locations in the region due to its utilities, infrastructure for air, roads and sea so we still see the opportunity here.-The Executive Talk is presented by ShareInvestor, Asia's leading financial internet media and technology company, the largest investor relations network in the region.-For more information, email admin.th@shareinvestor.com.-Please visit www.ShareInvestorThailand.com.Source: BT Wealth Industries PCLCopyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.




Golin Jackie Cheung Tel: +852 2501 7901 Email: jcheung@golin.com Max Lau Tel: +852 2501 7905 Email: mlau@golin.com

HONG KONG, Oct 21, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Around 450 business leaders from the investment industry gathered to examine the future of alternative asset management at the Everbright Investment Conference 2016, hosted by China Everbright Limited ("CEL", 165.HK) in Qingdao today. Themed "From Insight to Foresight: A New Era of Alternative Asset Management", the annual event is focused on discussions about new perspectives of alternative asset allocation, as well as CEL's insights into a number of specialised sectors.This year represented the fifth annual investment conference organised by CEL, Mayor of Qingdao ZHANG Xinqi attended the event to send his congratulation, while Deputy Mayor of Qingdao, Mr. WANG Guangzheng, delivered the welcoming speech and introduced the strong relationship between Qingdao and CEL as well as their strategic cooperation in economic, social development, financial innovation, capital operation platform, as well as fund development. Mr. Wang emphasised that Qingdao will continue to support and provide quality service to CEL as well as other enterprises.During his opening speech, CEL's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. CHEN Shuang shared the company's vision on alternative asset management and how to capitalise on opportunities in a complex economic and financial environment. Faced with complex and changing external conditions, CEL has been able to maintain stable growth in 2016. The RMB20 billion Everbright-IDG Industrial Fund was established in the first half of this year, representing a successful collaboration between CEL and IDG Capital Partners. The fund has become the most influential industrial fund in China, having invested in key projects including the Bright Future Film & Television Industry Base in Shanghai.During the conference, Mr. GUAN Tao, Senior Fellow and Member of the Academic Committee of the China Finance 40 Forum and the former Director-General of the Department of Balance of Payments at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange; Mr. Hugo SHONG, Founding General Partner of IDG Capital Partners; and Mr. LIU Jun, Deputy General Manager of China Everbright Group Limited and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of CEL, have analysed the economic and financial development trend from the micro and macro prospective. They pointed out the capital deficit will become the "new normal", industrial integration is accelerating and the difference between virtual economy and real economy is diminishing. They will continue on value investment to support development of Chinese companies as well as industry upgrade. Moreover, Mr. Liu said in the era of industry innovation where life cycle of business has become shorter and evolution has become faster, corporate would also need to change its view on investment. The era of civilian, technology-focused and sector-based investments is on the horizon. Investors should build its production capacity, forming its own ecosystem and co-existing with current economic realities."Following their speeches was a lively panel discussion on "Foresight: Vitality of the 'Industry + Finance' Investment Model in China" among Mr. Thomas DENG, UBS Wealth Management Chief Investment Office's Managing Director, Regional Chief Investment Officer Greater China and Chief China Strategist; Mr. Jason JIANG, Founder & Chairman of Focus Media; Mr. Frank TANG, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner of FountainVest Partners; and Mr. ZHANG Mingao, General Manager of Asset Management Department of China Everbright Bank. The panelists said there are great opportunities for investors while companies in China are in a critical period for upgrading. Additionally, the support from financial industry is also the driving force for the industrial transformation, with merger and acquisition becoming a more prevalent investment strategy in the future.Nine parallel tracks were organised during the conference to cover various sectors including real estate, elderly care, healthcare, internet finance, new energy, infrastructure, high-end manufacturing, hi-tech and more. These sessions provided updates on the latest business developments at CEL and provided opportunities for business leaders and experts around the world to interact with each other and have in-depth discussions on various industries."As the industry leader, CEL adopts a winning approach to accommodate to the changes of the economic cycle. Nowadays, the global economic and financial environment is still challenging. Investors should explore opportunities arising from the market development and keep abreast of global resource allocation. Moreover, the transformation of the economy presents new opportunities and challenges to the investors. On one hand traditional industry has some room for growth; on the other hand how to enter fintech and biotechnology sector is a topic investors would have to consider," Mr. CHEN Shuang said. "We will continue to focus on the globalisation and diversification of assets allocation, take the opportunity of economic transformation and establish quality investment plans through keen insight and accurate judgments. This would not only generate higher returns for investors, but also promote industrial integration."Inaugurated in 2012, the Everbright Investment Conference has become widely recognised and valued by thought leaders across industries and around the world. Previous Conferences have been held in Sanya, Shanghai, Xiamen and Chongqing. This year's Everbright Investment Conference has strengthened CEL's brand image, and reaffirmed CEL's confidence in articulating investment ideas and opportunities amid China's continued economic development. It has also provided the industry with forward-looking reference information and guidance on the development of alternative asset management. For more information on the Everbright Investment Conference, please visit http://www.everbright-conference2016.com/.About China Everbright LimitedChina Everbright Limited ("CEL", 165.HK), established in Hong Kong in 1997, persistently pursues its "Macro Asset Management" strategy with specific focuses on cross-border asset management and investment businesses. CEL manages a portfolio of private equity funds, venture capital funds, sector focus funds, mezzanine funds, hedge funds and principal investment funds, all operated via an international management platform, and provides overseas investors with opportunities to explore and invest in companies with fast growth potential in mainland China. CEL also seeks investment opportunities from overseas and provides diversified financial services for its clients on the mainland. As of 30 June 2016, CEL's total fundraising scale reached over HK$67.8 billion, with a total of 33 funds.China Everbright Limited, a member of China Everbright Group, is the second-largest shareholder of Everbright Securities (601788.SH, 6178.HK), a strategic shareholder of China Everbright Bank (601818.SH, 6818.HK), the single largest shareholder of the Hong Kong-listed China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (1848.HK), the largest shareholder of Shanghai Jiabao Industry & Commerce (Group) Co., Ltd (600622.SH) and the second-largest shareholder of the Singapore-listed Ying Li International Real Estate Limited (5DM.SGX).After the launch of "Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect" on 10 April 2014, CEL became one of the first batch of specific stocks listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong that can be directly traded by Mainland investors.By practising its philosophy of "Making Wealth Simple", CEL leverages its own substantial financial strength as well as the position and influence of China Everbright Group and its affiliated companies in the financial industry in China. As a result, the Group has successfully built huge cross-border social and business networks in Hong Kong and the Mainland, and established a reputable image in the market. For more information about CEL, please visit www.everbright165.com.Source: China Everbright LimitedContact:Copyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Regulatory News:

Skanska's (STO:SKAB) nine month report 2016 will be released on Friday, October 28 at 07:30 am CET.

In conjunction with the release of the report, you are invited to participate in a combined press- and telephone conference, at 10:00 am CET (UK 09:00) at Skanska's head office at Warfvinges vag 25 in Stockholm.

Johan Karlstrom, Skanska's President and CEO, and Peter Wallin, CFO, will present the report and thereafter respond to questions.

The press conference will be webcasted live at www.skanska.com/investors, where it also will be posted shortly afterwards.

To participate in the telephone conference, with the possibility to ask questions, please dial +46 8 505 564 74, or +44 20 3364 5374, or +1 855 753 2230.

After the conference there will be possibilities for individual meetings with Johan Karlstrom. To apply for a meeting please contact per.heinrup@skanska.se no later than October 26.

Welcome!

Andre Lofgren, SVP, Investor Relations

Katarina Gronwall, SVP, Communications

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com/media

The information provided herein is such as Skanska AB is obligated to disclose pursuant to the EU market securities act (EU) no. 596/2014.

Skanska is one of the world's leading construction and project development companies, focused on selected home markets in the Nordic region, other European countries and North America. Supported by global trends in urbanization and demographics, and by being at the forefront in sustainability, Skanska offers competitive solutions for both simple and the most complex assignments, helping to build a sustainable future for customers and communities. The Group currently has 43,100 employees in selected home markets in Europe and North America. Skanska's sales in 2015 totaled SEK 155 billion.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005259/en/

Contacts:

Skanska AB

Andre Lofgren

Senior Vice President Investor Relations

tel +46 (0)10 448 13 63

or

Katarina Gronwall

Senior Vice President Communications

tel +46 (0)10 448 88 77

or

Andreas Joons

Press Officer

tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94

or

Direct line for media

tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99


STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT

For Immediate Release 21 October 2016

PowerShares Global Funds Ireland plc

(THE "COMPANY")

Re: Resignation / Appointment of Directors

The Directors of the Company wish to announce that Douglas Sharp, Non-Executive Director of the Company has resigned from the Board of the Company with effect from 18 October, 2016.

The Board would like to thank Douglas for his invaluable contribution during his service.

Douglas remains an employee of Invesco.

Further to the approval of the Central Bank of Ireland, the Directors of the Company also wish to announce the appointment of Mr. Graeme Proudfoot as a Non-Executive Director of the Company, effective as of 18 October 2016.

Graeme Proudfoot

Graeme Proudfoot is Managing Director - EMEA, responsible for the good governance of Invesco's activities within the EMEA region. He also leads the EMEA region's engagement in the public affairs arena with governments and regulators across Europe. Additionally, he is responsible for Invesco Perpetual Life and the Specialist Funds business. Mr. Proudfoot joined Invesco in 1992 as a legal advisor. He has held various roles within the Invesco Group, including Group Company Secretary of Invesco plc and Company Solicitor of AMVESCAP

plc. Subsequently, he became General Counsel of Invesco Global, with responsibility for legal affairs across jurisdictions in the UK, Europe, Asia and South America. He was later appointed Managing Director of Invesco's Specialist Funds Division. He has also served on the board of a listed investment company and of a US '40 Act fund board. Prior to joining Invesco, Mr. Proudfoot began his career at Wilde Sapte, Solicitors, practicing as a corporate finance lawyer in London and New York.

Mr. Proudfoot has never:

had any unspent convictions in relation to indictable offences; or been a director of any company or partnership which, while he was a director with an executive function or partner at the time of or within the 12 months preceding such events, been declared bankrupt, went into receivership, liquidation, administration or voluntary arrangements; or been subject to any official public incrimination and/or sanctions by statutory or regulatory authorities (including designated professional bodies); or been disqualified by a court from acting as a director of a company or from acting in the management or conduct of affairs of any company.

No information is required to be disclosed pursuant to LR 9.6.13

Enquiries:
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - SunTrust Banks Inc. (STI) released a profit for third quarter that retreated from last year. The company said its bottom line fell to $457 million, or $0.91 per share. This was down from $519 million, or $1.00 per share, in last year's third quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.88 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company said revenue for the quarter rose 8.3% to $2.23 billion. This was up from $2.06 billion last year. SunTrust Banks Inc. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q3): $457 Mln. vs. $519 Mln. last year. -Earnings Decline (Y-o-Y): -11.9% -EPS (Q3): $0.91 vs. $1.00 last year. -EPS Decline (Y-o-Y): -9.0% -Analysts Estimate: $0.88 -Revenue (Q3): $2.23 Bln vs. $2.06 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 8.3% Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The energy-efficient insulations manufacturer Paroc Group has been named the Global Insulation Company of the Year 2016 at the 11th Global Insulation Conference the most important annual event for the insulation industry. Paroc has won the prestigious title for the second time, repeating its success in the 2012 Gala.

This year's conference, held in Hamburg, Germany at the end of September, saw a growing number of participants representing all stages of investment process planners, engineers, contractors, insulation manufacturers, as well as construction researchers. The conference has successfully taken place with around 150 delegates from 27 countries, who debated on the newest market trends, manufacturing advances and innovative insulation technologies.

Paroc Group has been given credit for its highly innovative, yet sustainable approach to the insulation market. Last year saw a number of Paroc innovations which helped to create more value from proven materials. The award received by Paroc was largely based on the company's pioneering role in attention to environmental effects.

Apart from the Insulation Company of the Year title, awards were also given in the following categories: Equipment Supplier, Insulation Plant, Insulation Product, Technical Innovation and Personality of the Year. Nominations were received from participants in the global insulation industry in an online voting process. After input from a panel of judges, a final nominations list in each category was put to a final on-line vote, open to all participants in the global insulation industry.

Up to this date, Paroc has received two Insulation Company of the Year titles (first one in 2012), as well as the Insulation Product of the Year 2015 award for PAROC eXtra general insulation slab.

The 12th Global Insulation Conference, Exhibition and Awards will take place in Krakow, Poland in September 2017.

Paroc is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of energy-efficient insulation solutions for new and renovated buildings, marine and offshore, acoustics and other industrial applications. Throughout its over 75-year history, the Finnish supplier has built a reputation for innovation, product performance, technical expertise and sustainability. Paroc aims to remain an innovative and trusted partner for a sustainable built environment.

Paroc employs around 2,020 people in its production plants in Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland and Russia and in sales offices in 14 European countries.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005335/en/

Contacts:

Paroc

Claudia Beling

Area Marketing Manager Central West Europe

+49-40-88 30 76-117

+49-173-585 77 57

claudia.beling@paroc.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (NYSE: FSM)(TSX: FVI) announces that it will release its financial statements and MD&A for the third quarter after the market closes on Monday, November 7, 2016.

A conference call to discuss the financial and operational results will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern. Hosting the call will be Jorge A. Ganoza, President and CEO, and Luis D. Ganoza, Chief Financial Officer.

Shareholders, analysts, media and interested investors are invited to listen to the live conference call by logging onto the webcast at: http://www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175365 or over the phone by dialing just prior to the starting time.

Conference call details:

Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Time: 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern

Dial in number (Toll Free): +1.866.932.0173

Dial in number (International): +1.785.424.1630

Replay number (Toll Free): +1.877.481.4010

Replay number (International): +1.919.882.2331

Replay Passcode: 10104

Playback of the conference call will be available until November 22, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Playback of the webcast will be available until February 8, 2017. In addition, a transcript of the call will be archived in the company's website:

http://www.fortunasilver.com/s/financial_reports.asp.

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Fortuna is a growth oriented, precious and base metals producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Our primary assets are the Caylloma silver Mine in southern Peru, the San Jose silver-gold Mine in Mexico and the Lindero gold Project in Argentina. The company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit our website at www.fortunasilver.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY

Carlos Baca

Investor Relations Manager

Trading symbols: NYSE: FSM / TSX: FVI

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward looking statements which constitute "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward looking Statements. The Forward looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its mines and mineral properties; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlook; the merit of the Company's mines and mineral properties; mineral resource and reserve estimates; timelines; the future financial or operating performance of the Company; expenditures; approvals and other matters. Often, but not always, these Forward looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "will", "will be" or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; changes in prices for silver and other metals; technological and operational hazards in Fortuna's mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral reserves, mineral resources, and metal recoveries; governmental and other approvals; political unrest or instability in countries where Fortuna is active; labor relations issues; as well as those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward looking Statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to expectations regarding mine production costs; expected trends in mineral prices and currency exchange rates; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral resource and reserve estimates; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no significant disruptions affecting operations and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward looking Statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any Forward looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that Forward looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward looking Statements.

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Carlos Baca

T (Peru): +51.1.616.6060, ext. 0




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Intema Solutions Inc. ("Intema" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: ITM)- With its integration of MatcherAnalytics, eFlyerMaker (http://www.eflyermaker.com/) is now the only email marketing software to offer predictive analytics as a standard feature. Clients can add personalized campaigns to the list of features that have positioned eFlyerMaker as a leading choice for engineering faster, easier and more engaging campaigns.

Predictive analytics allows for personalized campaigns that deliver unique content to every subscriber on a list. In this sense, it's above and beyond segmentation; it's also more advanced than mere behavioral targeting. The predictive analytics technology provided by MatcherAnalytics empowers eFlyerMaker customers to automatically deploy individualized campaigns based on past, present and future actions. In addition, an API is available to users who wish to connect their email marketing to WordPress, Facebook or Magento content management systems.

User friendliness and powerful tools have helped eFlyerMaker cultivate a loyal following. The software includes a drag-and-drop tool to create dynamic, attractive emails in just minutes - no design skills necessary. With the preview tool, users can see exactly what their customers will see and make changes on the fly.

eFlyerMaker has also been designed to significantly increase the deliverability of email blasts. High-volume clients routinely see 25% improvement in this area. Email layouts are fully responsive, so subscribers will always see messages as they were meant to be seen. Detailed reporting and analytics offer actionable insights regarding campaign performance. Finally, live 24/7 phone support is ready to address any technical issues that might arise.

A logical complement to eFlyerMaker's software, MatcherAnalytics is a comprehensive digital marketing platform powered by machine learning and predictive algorithms. The platform assigns unique predictive scores to each product or piece of text content for each subscriber, leveraging proprietary keyword technology to zero in on customer needs and anticipate actions. MatcherAnalytics drives down marketing costs and improves customer relationships, ensuring rapid ROI. The platform empowers unique and personalized digital content for each client across all existing channels, making each customer his or her own segment.

Bringing new customers into the fold has always been the most resource intensive, yet important tasks of any marketing department. MatcherAnalytics has designed its technology to reign in these costs and to maximize retention once a new customer has been acquired.

"We're continuously looking for solution partners that enable us to extend our offerings and simplify email campaign deployment," says Sebastien Plourde, CIO of Intema Solutions. "Partnering provides an excellent opportunity to do that. We will build on this momentum in 2017, leveraging our industry-leading and disruptive email and predictive software model to capitalize on the fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar data marketing sphere."

Looking ahead, Intema plans to further grow the user base across each of its products by launching and promoting cutting-edge tools and features. The company has already put pressure on the world's largest email software providers to be more innovative.

About Intema SOLUTIONS Inc.

Intema has been simplifying and optimizing the online marketing activities of medium and large companies through innovating technologies and cutting edge expertise for over 20 years. A Canadian leader in permission-based email marketing, the company provides a wide range of products and services including predictive marketing, email marketing as well as programming and integration. Intema owns eFlyerMaker and MatcherAnalytics.

Contacts:

Roger Plourde

President

514-861-1881 ex 233

rplourde@intema.com




HARRISBURG  A Bishop McDevitt High School teacher is facing institutional sexual assault charges for allegedly having inappropriate relationships with two students.

Detectives from the Dauphin County District Attorneys Criminal Investigation Division arrested Randi Lynn Zurenko, 33, of Millerstown, Perry County on Thursday.

Zurenko was charged with 13 counts of institutional sexual assault, 153 counts of sexual abuse of children, 33 counts of unlawful contact with minors, 20 counts of dissemination of obscene materials to a minor and 13 counts of corruption of minors.

Authorities allege that Zurenko had inappropriate relationships with two Bishop McDevitt students while she was a teacher at the school.

One victim, who graduated in 2013, had an encounter with Zurenko at Fort Hunter. Zurenko undid the victims bra, according to authorities.

Zurenko is also accused of providing alcohol to the victim multiple times.

Police interviewed the victim on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Zurenko also began a relationship with another student early last year, authorities said. The two engaged in multiple sexual acts.

Detectives seized Zurenkos phone and other electronic devices and found numerous nude photographs of the second victim.

Encounters with the second victim took place at locations in Swatara Township, Fort Hunter, parking lots near Union Deposit and Rutherford roads in Lower Paxton Township, Zurenkos home and in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The most recent sexual encounter between Zurenko and the second victim occurred on Friday, authorities said. The victim was interviewed by police on Tuesday.

Zurenko was also interviewed by detectives on Tuesday and she admitted to providing the victims with alcohol and having inappropriate relationships with them while they were students, which included sexual activity with the second victim.

Officials at Bishop McDevitt High School immediately placed Zurenko on administrative leave.

The school released the following statement:

It is with great sadness that Bishop McDevitt High School has learned that criminal charges have been filed against staff member Mrs. Randi Zurenko, a social studies teacher. School administrators were advised by authorities on Oct. 18, 2016, of the existence of an investigation into an allegation of an improper relationship with a student.

In keeping with Diocesan policy Mrs. Zurenko was immediately placed on administrative leave while civil authorities continued their investigation.

Actions which are criminal in nature or are deemed a risk to student safety will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. This is required by diocesan policy.

Bishop McDevitt High School encourages the reporting of all suspected child abuse to civil authorities via the State Childline at 1-800-932-0313. For assistance in healing we encourage reporting to the Diocesan Victims Assistance Coordinator. That can be done confidentially via telephone at 1-800-626-1608 or email: ReportAbuse@hbgdiocese.org.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Det. John OConnor with the Lower Paxton Township Police Department at 717-780-6432.
PUNE, India, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report"Rodenticides Marketby Type (Non-Anticoagulant, Anticoagulant), End User (Agricultural Fields, Warehouses, Pest Control Companies, Urban Centers, Household Consumers), Mode of Application (Pellets, Sprays, Powders), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", The market is projected to reach a value of USD 1.23 Billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 3.76% from 2016.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 68 market data Tables and 39 Figures spread through 142 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Rodenticides Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/rodenticides-market-189089498.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The market is driven by factors such as avoidance of disease transmission caused by rodents and increase in rodent population. The high growth potential in emerging markets and untapped regions provide new growth opportunities for the market players.

Non-anticoagulant rodenticides projected to be the fastest-growing segment, by type, from 2016 to 2022

The non-anticoagulant rodenticides segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2022. These rodenticides are referred to as acute toxicants. The metabolic poisons include bromethalin, fluoroacetate, and fluoroacetamide that lead to paralysis and convulsions in rodents before death. These are more efficient in controlling the rodent infestation.

Pellets application segment projected to depict high potential for the Rodenticides Market

Anticoagulant rodenticides are available in the form of grain-based pellets and in a variety of other formulations and colors. They are the most common types of rodenticides produced in the pellet form and used in the U.S. Rodenticide pellets are more efficient in controlling rodents, as pellets have direct impact causing suffocation and killing of rodents. The pellets usually aluminum, calcium, or magnesium phosphide for fumigation may also contain other chemicals which consist of ammonia, which helps to reduce the potential for spontaneous combustion or explosion of the phosphine gas.

Make an Inquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=189089498

Asia-Pacific expected to show growth potential in the Rodenticides Market

There is high-growth potential for rodenticide products in the Asia-Pacific region. This region has emerging economies, such as China and India, which have considerable cultivable land to grow crops. Furthermore, China is the second-largest country to hold maximum share in the Rodenticides Market due to the urbanization and technological growth in agriculture. Higher standards of living among consumers has resulted in the rise in demand for rodenticides products.

This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolios of leading companies. These leading companies include BASF SE (Germany), Bayer AG (Germany), Syngenta (Switzerland), Rentokil Initial plc (U.K.), and UPL Limited (India).

Browse related reports:

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http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/pest-control-market-144665518.html

Crop Protection Chemicals Market by Type (Herbicides, Insecticides, and Fungicides), Origin (Synthetic, and Biopesticides), Crop Type (Cereals & Oilseeds, Fruits & Vegetables), Mode of Application, Form, and by Region - Global Forecasts to 2021

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/crop-protection-380.html

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TDC will conduct a conference call for institutional investors and analysts on November 2, 2016 at 14.30 CET to present the Q3 2016 results.Pernille Erenbjerg, Chief Executive Officer, and Stig Pastwa, Chief Financial Officer, will comment on the results and answer questions during the conference call.The investor and analyst conference will be held in English and will also be available as a webcast at https://tdcgroup.com/en/investor-relationsInvestors and financial analysts can register for the telephone conference on the following link:http://event.onlineseminarsolutions.com/r.htm?e=1283351&s=1&k=9AB07B695C 909D6C3A58FA0DC5D6C31CRegistration for this event will enable us to provide you with faster and more efficient service. When you have completed registration, you will receive an online and e-mail confirmation. Your confirmation will include the details for the conference call such as dial-in number, an event passcode and PIN that will ensure your secure access on the day of the event.The conference call will refer to a slide deck that will be available on the link: https://tdcgroup.com/en/investor-relations from November 2, 2016 at approx. 12.00 CET. Participants wishing to derive full benefit from the conference call should obtain these slides in due time before the conference call begins.Please note that there might be a time lag between the webcast and the conference call if you are simultaneously watching and calling in to the conference.TDC A/S Teglholmsgade 1 0900 Copenhagen C DK-Denmark tdc.com

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NORTH VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Aurora Solar Technologies Inc. ("Aurora")("Company") (TSX VENTURE: ACU)(OTCBB: AACTF)(FRANKFURT: A82), a leader in inline measurement and control technology for the photovoltaic manufacturing industry is pleased to announce that it has received a follow-on order from the recognized leader in solar cell technology that previously qualified Aurora's products and is ranked in the top five producers (see http://www.pv-tech.org/editors-blog/top-10-solar-module-manufacturers-in-2015). The order for multiple Decima 3T systems with Veritas Visualization Software is the second purchase for this customer's announced 1.4GW production facility and will be deployed on mono-crystalline production lines located in Asia.

"This customer was an early adopter of Aurora's unique wafer characterization technology and this repeat order sends a strong message to the industry," said Michael Heaven, President & CEO. "If you are producing high-efficiency mono-crystalline solar cells, Aurora's inline measurement and optimization technology is being recognized by this leader as an essential element to maximize cell power and yield," he continued.

The Company also issued an additional 1,825,000 options on October 12, 2016 to directors, employees and consultants of the Company at $0.115/share.

About Aurora:

Aurora Solar Technologies Inc. produces measurement and control solutions which allow solar cell producers to improve manufacturing yield, lower costs, decrease waste and attain higher margins. Headquartered in North Vancouver, Canada, and founded by experienced leaders in process measurement, semiconductor manufacturing and industrial automation, the Company's shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and trade under the symbol "ACU". The Company was formerly "ACT Aurora Control Technologies". For more information, Aurora's website is located at www.aurorasolartech.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Some statements in this news release contain forwardlooking information. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forwardlooking statement.

Contacts:

Aurora Solar Technologies Inc.

Michael Heaven, P.Eng., MBA

President & Chief Executive Officer

+1 (778) 241-5000

info@aurorasolartech.com



Aurora Solar Technologies Inc.

Investor Relations contact

Nina Lafleur

+1 (604) 679-9964

info@aurorasolartech.com




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- WSP Global Inc. (TSX: WSP) ("WSP" or the "Corporation") will announce its 2016 third quarter results on November 8, 2016. A conference call will be held on the same day at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss the results.

To participate in the conference call, dial 1-647-788-4922 or 1-877-223-4471 (toll-free).

A presentation of the 2016 third quarter highlights and results will be available on the same day at www.wsp-pb.com in the Investor section, under Presentations & Events.

A replay of the call will be available until November 18, 2016. The telephone numbers to access the replay of the call are 1-416-621-4642 or 1-800-585-8367 (toll-free), access code 77044178. The replay of the conference call will also be available in the Investor section of the WSP website under Presentations & Events, in the days following the event.

ABOUT WSP

As one of the world's leading professional services firms, WSP provides technical expertise and strategic advice to clients in the Property & Buildings, Transportation & Infrastructure, Environment, Industry, Resources (including Mining and Oil & Gas) and Power & Energy sectors. WSP also offers highly specialised services in project delivery and strategic consulting. Its experts include engineers, advisors, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. With approximately 34,000 people in 500 offices across 40 countries, WSP is well positioned to deliver successful and sustainable projects under its WSP and WSP - Parsons Brinckerhoff brands. www.wsp-pb.com

Contacts:

Isabelle Adjahi

Vice President, Investor Relations

and Corporate Communications

WSP Global Inc.

isabelle.adjahi@wspgroup.com

514-340-0046, ext. 5648










DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --





Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of North America Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.

North America Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in North America. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in North America are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.

Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the North America countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the North America Fuel Oil outlook report.

Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.

The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in North America Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.

Scope

- Annual forecasts of country wise Gasoline consumption and Gasoline production from 2005 to 2025

- All key Gasoline markets across Asia Pacific are analyzed in detail

- Refining, coking, FCC and Hydrocracking capacity outlook for each of the refining markets in Asia Pacific are provided from 2005 to 2020

- Drivers and Challenges of operating and or investing in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- Details of all planned refining projects in each of the Gasoline markets in Asia Pacific

- Details of leading Gasoline suppliers in Asia Pacific markets are provided

- Company profiles of three leading refining companies in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- All largest Gasoline industry developments in Asia Pacific Gasoline

Key Topics Covered:

1 Tables & Figures



2 Executive Summary



3 Canada LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



4 US LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



5 Mexico LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



6 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners



7 Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/94z2wr/the_future_of

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2016) - EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (TSXV: EHT) ("EHT" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a further update on its Advanced Modular Housing Systems including its "Enertec" embedded solar roof product.

The Company shipped two model housing units, based on specifications supplied by the customer, to the Ivory Coast in Africa. These housing units have arrived in Ivory Coast and will be assembled starting next week for the approval of the Government of Ivory Coast's social housing development. Both of the units contain EHT's "Enertec" embedded solar roof system. One of the housing units will be connected to the grid to allow excess power to be returned to the grid while the second unit will be completely off grid. This will give the customer the choice of power depending on specific site requirements. The Government of Ivory Coast has set a target of building 250,000 new social houses over the next 3 years and EHT believes it has the right product to help the government achieve this goal.

Mr. John Gamble, CEO/Director commented, "West Africa is an important area of focus for EHT as the region hosts a population of over 400 million with both housing and power in very short supply." The EHT team will arrive October 22nd in Ivory Coast for the start of assembly. They will complete the installation of the houses and await inspection by government officials in early November. They will then move on to Ghana and complete the Micro-Grid project that was announced in late August.

EHT uses a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger and more energy efficient than traditional wood or steel structures while providing the highest ratings for energy efficiency. EHT works with its partners worldwide to assemble buildings on-site utilizing EHT supervision and employment for local crews. After installation, each structure can be furnished and finished to meet the customer's requirements. The EHT Advanced Modular Housing System is shipped on pallets and can be delivered via rail, truck or water in standard formats.

The Company's innovative "Enertec" Embedded Solar Roof is a breakthrough in the industry. It is offered as part of EHT's Advanced Modular Housing Systems or as a stand alone product in a carport (including hybrid car charging applications), shed roofs or as the roof of a solar powered emergency shelter. By embedding the solar cells into its unique fire proof skin, EHT has replaced the need to install heavy glass panels and aluminium racking, an application-limiting weight load in traditional solar panels resulting in a much lighter and less expensive solar solution. EHT believes that this breakthrough will open up a large market for roof top solar, as many roofs were not designed to carry the weight of traditional solar panels. The lower cost will also drive faster return on investment(ROI) for customers looking for off grid power or a replacement of ever increasing grid power costs. The entire EHT embedded solar roof becomes a massive solar panel capable of producing significantly more energy than the home requires, allowing the home to then become an important source of power for the local micro grid or large battery storage systems.

About EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies

EHT delivers proprietary, turn-key energy solutions which are intelligent, bankable and sustainable. Most energy products and solutions can be implemented immediately wherever they are needed. EHT stands above its competitors by combining a full suite of solar PV, wind and battery storage solutions, which can deliver energy 24 hours per day in both small-scale and large-scale format. In addition to traditional support to established electrical networks, EHT excels where no electrical grid exists. The organization supplies advanced solutions for various industries in combination with energy saving and energy generation solutions. EHT's expertise includes the development of module structures with full integration of smart energy solutions. These are processed through EHT's production technologies into attractive applications: modular homes, cold storage facilities, schools, residential and commercial out buildings and emergency/temporary shelters.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements.Forward-looking information involves risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although EHT believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. EHT disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

John GambleDirector(289) 488-1699jgamble@ehthybrid.cominfo@ehthybrid.comCompany Website: www.ehthybrid.com
AACHEN, Germany and BETHESDA, Maryland, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

antibodies-online GmbH, a leading digital marketing and e-commerce platform for the distribution of life sciences research products, today announced that it has completed a growth capital financing from U.S.-based BroadOak Capital Partners, a life sciences focused merchant bank. Proceeds from the financing will primarily be used to accelerate the business' recent expansion into the genomics market, support continued growth of the company's digital marketing platform, PubGrade, as well as strengthen antibodies-online's sales and marketing capabilities.

"antibodies-online has built a reputation as a leader in the online distribution of antibody, ELISA, and protein products and has established one of the most robust product portfolios available," said Bill Snider, Managing Partner, BroadOak Capital Partners. "This investment reflects our view that antibodies-online has the potential to become a preferred site for scientists. Their ability to offer alternatives for common products and access to others that are hard-to-find is unparalleled."

"At the mark of our company's 10th anniversary we are proud to announce yet the next milestone on the journey to introduce the outstanding benefits of e-commerce into the life sciences", said antibodies-online Managing Director, Andreas Kessell, PhD. "BroadOak's involvement not only provides funds to assure higher levels of customer service and marketing efforts, but will also contribute an exceptional level of expertise of and network within our industry."

Built upon the industry's fastest and most innovative web-search for proteomics reagents, antibodies-online empowers researchers to choose from over 1.5 million products from 170+ top-quality manufacturers all under one roof. With the launch of genomics-online.com, the team at antibodies-online.com set out to expand its successful business model to world of genomics and transcriptomics research. For more information on antibodies-online, please visit https://www.antibodies-online.com or https://www.genomics-online.com

Media Contacts



Patrik von Glasow

PR Manager, antibodies-online GmbH

Email: patrik.vonglasow@antibodies-online.com

Phone: +49 (0)241-95163-153


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Starting today, small businesses looking to lease new or used equipment can now enjoy the same quick approval convenience associated with online lending. Merchant Advance Capital, a leading Canadian online lender today announced its expansion into equipment leasing, a natural progression for one of Canada's largest business loan providers.

This is the first time an alternative lender has offered equipment leasing, and Merchant Advance Capital is applying the same personalized customer care and technology-based model of online applications to expedite approvals for the equipment leasing space.

The new product follows two other launches this year by Merchant Advance Capital, which includes the "Give Yourself Credit" line of credit and the purpose-driven Good Cents Loan, which is offered to Canadian entrepreneurs who are giving back while growing their business. Merchant Advance Capital's rapid expansion of product lines comes as a result of the data science algorithm that powers the company's underwriting.

"Our model looks at more than 300 data points, including personal credit score, to paint a fairer and more complete picture of the businesses we lend or lease to," says David Gens, the CEO and founder of Merchant Advance Capital. "We look at credit reports, revenue, outstanding invoices, social media channels, and even details like time of application, to make a decision."

In addition to being able to lease equipment as easily as taking out a loan, merchants also have the option to refinance equipment they already own, a process similar to taking out a mortgage against a home. This is an effective way for small business owners to continue building their credit. The Merchant Equipment Leasing program is open to Canadian businesses with a physical location that have been in operation for more than six months, as with any other products by Merchant Advance Capital.

For more information on the Merchant Equipment Leasing program, visit www.merchantadvance.com/equipment-lease-financing.

About Merchant Advance Capital

Merchant Advance Capital is one of Canada's leading online lenders on a mission to help small and medium-sized businesses grow. They leverage technology and data science to reduce risk and provide more control, lower fees and flexible repayment schedules. Merchant Advance Capital was founded in 2010 and has now grown to include offices in Toronto and Vancouver and serves clients Canada-wide.

Contacts:

Media Relations Contact

Sandy Wong / Esther Tung

Media Relations Managers

604.558.1656

merchant@yulupr.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or ("the Company") (TSX VENTURE: LEM)(OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce that Swedish government funding has been committed for the Large Area Electronic Platform (LEAP) project, of which Leading Edge Materials is a founding partner. A total of 13 million Swedish Kronor (approximately US$1.5 million) has been committed by KK-Stiftelsen, a fund that supports research and expertise development at Sweden's newer universities.

The LEAP project aims to identify low-cost, large-scale solutions for the production of low carbon energy, with focus on three sub-projects. A "glass-on-paper" sub-project will develop a substrate for printed electronics; a "printed conductor" project will develop methods for the printing of metal and graphene-based conductors; and a "thermoelectric" sub-project will demonstrate a printed thermoelectric generator using materials develop in the other sub-projects. The printed thermoelectric generator will convert waste heat to electrical energy.

Leading Edge Materials shall provide graphite and graphene based-materials for this important Swedish research project.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "We are proud to be partnered with this innovative group of companies and look forward to providing further updates on our contribution to the LEAP project."

The LEAP research project shall contribute key knowledge for the rapidly expanding markets in the harvesting (solar cells and thermoelectric generators) and storage (batteries and supercapacitors) of low carbon energy. Seven industry partners from different positions along the value chain are participating, all of which have the opportunity to seek market applications.

On behalf of the Board,

Blair Way, President & CEO

The qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 for the Woxna project, Blair Way, President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information. Certain information in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "Forward-Looking Statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are Forward-Looking Statements. Forward-Looking Statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may," "will," "can," "should," "could," or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-Looking Statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-Looking Statements are subject to a number of factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the Forward-Looking Statements including, among other things, timing of the research under the LEAP project; the Company has yet to generate a profit from its activities; there can be no guarantee that the estimates of quantities or qualities of minerals disclosed in the Company's public record will be economically recoverable; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; competition with other companies within the mining industry; the success of the Company is largely dependent upon the performance of its directors and officers and the Company's ability to attract and train key personnel; changes in world metal markets and equity markets beyond the Company's control; mineral resources are, in the large part, estimates and no assurance can be given that the anticipated tonnages and grades will be achieved or that the indicated level of recovery will be realized; production rates and capital and other costs may vary significantly from estimates; changes in corporate goals and strategies, unexpected geological conditions; and delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the Forward-Looking Statements, and the assumptions on which such Forward-Looking Statements are made, are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the Forward-Looking Statements are based will occur. Forward-Looking Statements herein are made as at the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by law, the Company does not intend, or assume any obligation, to update these Forward-Looking Statements.

Contacts:

Leading Edge Materials Corp.

+1 604 685 9316

www.leadingedgematerials.com




WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - October 21, 2016) - On behalf of The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), USCM CEO & Executive Director Tom Cochran will participate in a forum on the Presidential Transition: Impact on Local Governments on Monday, October 24 th at George Mason University.

The forum will bring together members of various local government organizations, including city managers, law enforcement officers, and non-profit association leaders to discuss the impacts of the Presidential election on local governments.

The event is being held by the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) in partnership with George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government and its Centers on the Public Service. More information and free registration is available at http://bit.ly/2e1Z5ve

WHAT: The National Academy of Public Administration and George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government forum on the Presidential Transition: Impact on Local Governments

WHEN: Monday, October 24, 2016 | 4:00 - 6:00pm ET

WHERE: George Mason University Founders Hall - first floor 3351 Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22201 Information about parking: https://www.gmu.edu/resources/welcome/ArlingtonMap2016.pdf

WHO: Mark J. Rozell, Dean, Schar School of Policy & Government at George Mason Univ. (opening remarks)

Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director, U.S. Conference of Mayors

Jack Basso, former COO, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Jay Farr, Chief of Police, County of Arlington,

Virginia Lee Feldman, City Manager, City of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Penelope Gross, Mason District Supervisor, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Chris Morrill, City Manager, Roanoke,

Virginia Michelle Sager, Dir., Economic Opp. Division, Center for Best Practices at the Nat. Governors Association

Dan Blair, President and CEO, National Academy of Public Administration (moderator)

MEDIA: Media planning to attend should RSVP to Harrison Redoglia at hredoglia@napawash.org

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

Contact:

Elena Temple

202-286-1100

etemple@usmayors.org



Sara Durr

202-215-1811

sara@durrcommunications.com



Karen Hinton

703-798-3109

Karen@hintoncommunications.com
Domestic violence has not and will not go away, so we need to continue the efforts that were making to fight against it and talk about it, get it out into the open and make sure we can help people change lives.

That was the overall theme of the message Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed delivered to a hall full of those affected in some way by domestic violence.

With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland & Perry Counties hosted a candlelight vigil Thursday at the Camp Hill Borough Building. It included speakers and a candle lighting ceremony to honor and remember victims of domestic violence.

Freed said the issue can be under reported, and if thats occurring, then clearly help cant be administered to someone in need.

Its not the kind of thing that gets reported right away, often, it doesnt get reported at all, Freed said.

He said that in Cumberland County theres likely one incident of domestic violence per day, maybe more.

The resources really are there, and a call to the police for a domestic violence situation wont necessarily result in an arrest, he said. We try to be very sensitive to the situations of the victim, so what it will result in is a referral to domestic violence services or legal services so we can get people connected with wonderful people like this who are committed and here to help.

One little reach out can really make a big, big difference.

Diane Sadler, who lost her daughter Trisha on June 17, 2011, called the night raw, emotional.

You also get a sense of family, and people that understand, and theres compassion and theres unity because everyone here has been through it one way or another, she said.

Since her daughters death, Sadler opted to be proactive in the domestic violence community, sharing her story and that of Trishas, as well as establishing a foundation that awards scholarships to high school students at Cumberland Valley High School and Scott County High School in Kentucky.

She said that to receive the scholarships students must write essays on the subject, and that those essays mean the world to her. She also agreed with Freed that keeping up the dialogue is an important tool in combating domestic violence.

Our family constantly talks about her, she said of Trisha. October is always hard, her birthdays are always hard, anytime theres a family gathering its hard. It just never goes away.

Theres not a day that goes by that I dont think about her.

To conclude the event, candles were lit and the families of 13 family members and friends of people who lost their lives to domestic violence stood beside red cutouts with their relatives or friends name attached. They held a moment of silence, blew out the candles and received symbols of love and growth to help them continue on.
DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of Africa Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.

Africa Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in Africa. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in Africa are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.



Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the Africa countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the Africa Fuel Oil outlook report.



Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.



The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in Africa Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.



Scope



- Annual forecasts of country wise Gasoline consumption and Gasoline production from 2005 to 2025

- All key Gasoline markets across Asia Pacific are analyzed in detail

- Refining, coking, FCC and Hydrocracking capacity outlook for each of the refining markets in Asia Pacific are provided from 2005 to 2020

- Drivers and Challenges of operating and or investing in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- Details of all planned refining projects in each of the Gasoline markets in Asia Pacific

- Details of leading Gasoline suppliers in Asia Pacific markets are provided

- Company profiles of three leading refining companies in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- All largest Gasoline industry developments in Asia Pacific Gasoline



Key Topics Covered:



1. Tables & Figures



2 Executive Summary



3 Algeria LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



4 Angola LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



5 Chad LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



6 Egypt LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



7 Equatorial Guinea LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



7 Equatorial Guinea LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



8 Kenya LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



9 Libya LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



10 Morocco LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



11 Nigeria LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



12 South Africa LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



13 Sudan LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



14 Tanzania LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



15 Tunisia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



16 Sudan LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



17 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners



18 Appendix



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5nhf4d/the_future_of

About Research and Markets

Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716






DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of Europe Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.

Europe Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in Europe. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in Europe are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.

Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the Europe countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the Europe Fuel Oil outlook report.

Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.

The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in Europe Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.

Scope

- Annual forecasts of country wise Gasoline consumption and Gasoline production from 2005 to 2025

- All key Gasoline markets across Asia Pacific are analyzed in detail

- Refining, coking, FCC and Hydrocracking capacity outlook for each of the refining markets in Asia Pacific are provided from 2005 to 2020

- Drivers and Challenges of operating and or investing in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- Details of all planned refining projects in each of the Gasoline markets in Asia Pacific

- Details of leading Gasoline suppliers in Asia Pacific markets are provided

- Company profiles of three leading refining companies in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- All largest Gasoline industry developments in Asia Pacific Gasoline

Key Topics Covered:

1. Tables & Figures



2 Executive Summary



3 Albania LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



4 Austria LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



5 Azerbaijan LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



6 Belarus LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



7 Belgium LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



7 Belgium LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



8 Croatia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



9 Czech Republic LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



10 Denmark LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



11 France LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



12 Germany LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



13 Greece LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



14 Hungary LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



15 Italy LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



16 Netherlands LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



17 Norway LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



18 Poland LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



19 Portugal LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



20 Romania LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



21 Russia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



22 Spain LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



23 Sweden LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



24 Switzerland LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



25 Turkey LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



26 Ukraine LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



27 United Kingdom LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



28 Uzbekistan LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025



29 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners



30 Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/86fx3p/the_future_of

About Research and Markets

Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716








WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Donald Trump announced that he will form a new 'American desk' within the U.S. Department of Commerce that would combine trade-policy functions of the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Commerce Department and other agencies.



The Republican presidential candidate on Thursday told an Ohio audience that under his administration, all trade policymaking will be consolidated in one Office. It will report to an American Desk and it will be located inside the Department of Commerce. The mission of the American Desk will be to protect the economic interests of the American worker, and the national interests of the United States.



Trump said he envisages an American Desk because the US trade policy is currently mismanaged by dozens of competing bureaucracies spread across the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, State and Treasury Department and the U.S. Trade Representative.



'Your jobs will come back under a Trump Administration. Your incomes will go up under a Trump Administration. Your taxes will go way down under a Trump Administration. Your companies won't be leaving Ohio under a Trump Administration,' Trump told the rally.



He said Ohio has lost 1 in 4 manufacturing jobs since NAFTA and China's entrance into the World Trade Organization, and termed it as 'two Bill and Hillary-backed disasters.'



Trump alleged that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton was given the exact questions to a previous debate, word for word, by Donna Brazile, who is now under tremendous pressure to resign.



Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to seek the office of the Presidency, according to the business magnate.



Trump cited a report by PEW that there are 24 million voter registrations in the United States that are either invalid or significantly inaccurate.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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MUMBAI, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The following release was issued today by Vedanta Limited's subsidiary Cairn India Limited.

Financial Highlights

Revenue at Rupee 2,039 crore; up 8% QoQ

EBITDA at Rupee 1,039 crore; up 31% QoQ; highest in the last 5 quarters

Net profit at Rupee 779 crore; up 117% QoQ; highest in the last 6 quarters

Strong free cash flow of Rupee 1,565 crore even at low oil price; solid Cash and Cash Equivalents position of Rupee 24,339 crore

Operational Highlights

Average gross oil and gas production across assets steady at 196 kboepd

Additional production from Mangala EOR up from ~42 kboepd to ~52 kboepd; RJ production marginally up by 0.5% QoQ to 167,699 boepd

RJ water-flood operating cost at 10 quarters low, reduced by 12% QoQ to US$ 3.9/boe; blended operating cost also reduced by 10% QoQ to US$ 5.8/boe

Development / Exploration Highlights

RDG - 8 new wells brought online after completion of the 15-well hydro-frac campaign; Implementation of Phase-1 to increase the gas production to 40-45 mmscfd by mid CY17, Phase-2 to increase it further to upwards of 100 mmscfd and condensate to ~5,000 boepd

Aishwariya EOR - 21% reduction in spend from US$19/bbl to $15/bbl as a result of Opex and Capex optimization; IRR improved from 10% to 20% even with reduced Brent assumption from US$ 45 to US$ 40/bbl

Bhagyam EOR - 17% reduction in spend from US$ 18/bbl to US$ 15/bbl as a result of Opex and Capex optimization; IRR improved from 10% to 15% even with reduced Brent assumption from US$ 45/bbl to US$ 40/bbl

Aishwariya Barmer Hill - >30% reduction in well completion cost to sub US$ 4.5 million per well; 15-20% reduction in capex of US$ 300 million for EUR of 30 mmbbls; Production from stage-1 expected in current fiscal year

Palar-Pennar - The program for drilling the commitment wells is being advanced and drilling is now planned to commence in Q4 FY17

Rajasthan - Focus on identification of new plays, appraisal of new discoveries, and processing of the new 3D seismic data over high priority areas within the RJ block

Corporate and Regulatory Developments

On July 22, 2016, Cairn India Limited and Vedanta Limited revised the terms of the proposed merger between Cairn India Limited and Vedanta Limited which was initially announced on June 14, 2015. As per the revised terms, upon the merger becoming effective, non-controlling i.e. public shareholders of Cairn India willreceive for each equity share held, one equity share in Vedanta Limited of face value Rupee 1 each and four 7.5% Redeemable Preference Shares in Vedanta Limited with a face value of Rupee 10 each. No shares will be issued to Vedanta Limited or any of its subsidiaries for their shareholding in Cairn India Limited.

NSE and BSE have provided their 'No Objection' to the proposed merger and shareholders of Cairn India Limited, Vedanta Limited and Vedanta Resources Plc and the secured and unsecured creditors of Vedanta Limited have approved the Scheme with requisite majority. The Scheme is now subject to the approval of the jurisdictional High Courts and other regulatory approvals and is expected to be effective by the end of this financial year. Vedanta Limited will continue to be listed on the BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited, with American Depositary Shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Redeemable Preference Shares to be issued to the public shareholders of Cairn India Limited will also be listed on the NSE and BSE.

The PSC extension writ is sub judice in the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi.

In respect of crude export writ, the High Court while setting aside the writ, has noted that the parties are at liberty to refer the matter to dispute resolution as per contract.

Mr. Sudhir Mathur, Acting CEO of Cairn India commented:

"I thank our shareholders on approving the planned merger with Vedanta Limited to which the market has responded very positively.

The Cairn India team has delivered a net profit of Rupee 779 crore for the quarter ended September 2016 in a challenging oil price environment. This is the highest quarterly profit for the company over the past six quarters and is reflective of our industry leading technological and operational capabilities.

Our efforts to monetize our world class resource base through improved economics have resulted in the key projects - RDG Gas, Bhagyam and Aishwariya EOR becoming viable by achieving the desired IRR even at Brent at US$ 40 per barrel."

Operational Review

During Q2 FY17, Cairn had a gross production of 18.1 mmboe across all the assets, of which working interest production was 11.6 mmboe. Gross Sales was 17.6 mmboe averaging at 191,579 boepd.

Average Daily Production Units Q2 FY17 Q1 FY17 q-o-q (%) Q2 FY16 y-o-y (%) Total Gross operated* Boepd 206,230 206,455 (0%) 214,247 (4%) Gross operated Boepd 196,399 196,861 (0%) 205,361 (4%) Oil Bopd 189,873 190,305 (0%) 197,685 (4%) Gas Mmscfd 39 39 (0%) 46 (15%) Working Interest Boepd 125,575 125,391 0% 128,021 (2%) /b> Rajasthan (Block RJ-ON-90/1) Total Gross operated* Boepd 176,691 175,760 1% 176,281 0% Gross operated Boepd 167,699 166,943 0% 168,126 (0%) Oil Bopd 164,833 164,547 0% 165,585 (0%) Gas Mmscfd 17 14 20% 15 13% Gross DA 1 Boepd 151,880 150,699 1% 147,443 3% Gross DA 2 Boepd 15,820 16,244 (3%) 20,683 (24%) Gross DA 3 Boepd - - - - - Working Interest Boepd 117,390 116,860 0% 117,688 (0%)

Ravva (Block PKGM-1) Total Gross operated* Boepd 19,889 20,664 (4%) 27,162 (27%) Gross operated Boepd 18,823 19,637 (4%) 26,064 (28%) Oil Bopd 16,736 17,014 (2%) 22,491 (26%) Gas Mmscfd 13 16 (20%) 21 (42%) Working Interest Boepd 4,235 4,418 (4%) 5,864 (28%)

Cambay (Block CB/OS-2) Total Gross operated* Boepd 9,650 10,031 (4%) 10,805 (11%) Gross operated Boepd 9,877 10,281 (4%) 11,172 (12%) Oil Bopd 8,304 8,744 (5%) 9,609 (14%) Gas Mmscfd 9 9 2% 9 1% Working Interest Boepd 3,951 4,113 (4%) 4,469 (12%)

* Includes internal gas consumption

Operations

Rajasthan (Block RJ-ON-90/1)

Gross production from Rajasthan block was marginally up by 0.5% QoQ to an average rate of 167,699 boepd, aided by continued strong volumes from Mangala EOR and inline performance from Bhagyam and Aishwariya. Total production for the quarter was 15.4 mmboe and the cumulative production was at 369 mmboe by the end of the quarter. Encouraging results from Mangala EOR, driven by enhanced well productivity and new wells coming online, increased the additional production from EOR to an average of 52,000 boepd in Q2 FY17 from 42,000 boepd in Q1 FY17. Continued reservoir management including production optimization and maximization of liquid handling capacity helped maintain strong performance from Bhagyam and Aishwariya. Satellite Fields delivered an improved performance as production increased ~10% QoQ to an average of ~3.9 Kbopd in Q2 FY17. Total oil sales for the quarter was 14.9 mn barrels, at an average rate of 162,207 bopd.

Gas production from RDG increased from 28 mmscfd in Q1 FY17 to 33 mmscfd in Q2 FY17, amounting to 3 bcf, helped by superior initial well productivity post conclusion of the hydro-frac campaign. An additional 8 wells were brought online during the quarter after completing the fraccing of 15 wells in Q1 FY17. Total gas sales were 1.6 bcf, at an average rate of 17.2 mmscfd.

The water-flood operating cost in Rajasthan was further reduced to the lowest level in last 10 quarters at US$ 3.9/boe in Q2 FY17 from US$ 4.4/boe in Q1 FY17 through optimization of facility maintenance and work-over activities. Blended operating cost was also reduced significantly to US$ 5.8/boe from US$ 6.4/boe through contracts renegotiation and higher captive power generation while maintaining the injection of polymer at the target level of 400 kblpd.

Maintaining a strong focus on safe operations and asset integrity, the average facility uptime was over 99% in Q2 FY17. Lost Time Incident (LTI) free man-hours for Rajasthan Projects crossed 30.6 million since last LTI.

A routine operational and statutory maintenance shutdown at the Mangala Processing Terminal has been rescheduled in November from the earlier plan of September. The opportunity will be used to create tie-ins for ongoing new facility enhancements, development projects and future growth projects.

Ravva (Block PKGM-1)

Ravva continues to deliver strong performance with a cumulative production of 280 mmbbls of crude and 347 bcf of gas, demonstrating a good reservoir management practices helping achieve ~50% recovery, far in excess of the initial resource estimates. In Q2 FY17, the production from Ravva declined by 4.1% QoQ to an average rate of 18,823 boepd, amounting to 1.7 mmboe.

Incremental opportunities are being targeted to sustain the production rates. Optimization of gas lifted wells, addition of new zones, network optimization to reduce back pressure and water shut-off by zone isolations have helped arrest the natural decline. For Q2 FY17, 1.3 mmbbls of crude and 1.2 bcf of gas were sold, averaging 13,963 bopd of crude oil and 13 mmscfd of gas, respectively.

With a continued emphasis on asset integrity, Ravva recorded an uptime of 99.9% in Q2 FY17. Maintaining its high safety standards, Ravva asset recorded over 5.3 million LTI free man-hours since last LTI.

Cambay (Block CB/OS-2)

Cambay has also maintained an in-line performance having produced ~27 mmbbls of crude and ~228 bcf of gas, with an overall recovery of ~30% since inception in 2002. In Q2 FY17, the production was lower by 3.9% QoQ at an average rate of 9,877 boepd, amounting to 0.9 mmboe. Continued reservoir management practices and production optimization activities helped offset the natural decline impact. During the quarter, 0.8 mmbbls of crude and 0.9 bcf of gas were sold, averaging 8,883 bopd of crude oil and 9.4 mmscfd of gas, respectively.

Facilities recorded an excellent uptime of ~100% in Q2 FY17 and LTI free man-hours of 3.7 million.

Development

With an aim to enhance recovery from the large base of HIIP at 7.8 billion boe across assets and monetize the resources of over one billion boe in Rajasthan, efforts are on to improve economics through productivity enhancement and cost reduction. Following developments were made in this direction in the key projects:

Gas Development at RDG Field

In-line with the focus on improving productivity and enhancing recovery through technology adoption, the expected ultimate gas recovery has increased by 26% compared to the initial estimates. Successful completion of the 15-well hydro-frac campaign with encouraging results for initial well productivity and improved reservoir characterization helped increase recovery estimates till 2030, including condensate, from 74 mmboe to 86 mmboe. Higher recovery potential and cost reduction have improved the rate of return to 25-30% from 20% earlier.

The project is being developed in a phased manner to realize capital efficiency while maintaining production growth and is progressing on track. As part of Phase-1, 8 out of the 15 wells have been brought online and will start adding to the production as per plan. Rest of the wells are also planned to be brought online by December 2016. Contract for low cost augmentation of the existing facility will be awarded in October 2016. Tendering for enhancement of existing pipeline capacity is in advance stage and contract is expected to be awarded during Q3 FY17. Completion of Phase-1 is expected to increase the gas production to 40-45 mmscfd by end of 1H CY17. For Phase-2, tendering activity for new gas processing terminal and drilling rig is ongoing as per plan. Tendering process for gas evacuation pipeline, planned to be built by GSPL Gasnet Limited, is also progressing well with bids expected in October 2016. Completion of Phase-2 will increase the gas production upwards of 100 mmscfd and condensate production to about 5,000 boepd.

Polymer flood in Bhagyam and Aishwariya

With an objective of enhancing recovery from MBA fields in addition to 30-35% estimated from water-flood operations, polymer flood program should provide a further recovery of 10-12%. Initially, the program will provide an incremental oil production of 45 mmbbls from Bhagyam and 15 mmbbls from Aishwariya till 2030 as development is planned in the favourable region to reduce drilling and facility cost. Scope optimization and higher operating efficiency have reduced the cost significantly, helping improve the project economics.

For Aishwariya EOR, the cost optimization efforts brought down the total of development and operating cost further by ~21% to US$ 15/bbl from US$ 19/bbl during the quarter. This has helped improve the return to 20% at US$ 40/bbl of Brent price from 10% at US$ 45/bbl. The field development plan will be submitted in October 2016. Polymer injection is planned to begin in 1H CY18 subject to approval of the plan.

For Bhagyam EOR, the cost optimization efforts brought down the total of development and operating cost further by ~17% to US$ 15/bbl from US$ 18/bbl during the quarter. This has helped improve the return to 15% at US$ 40/bbl of Brent price from 10% at US$ 45/bbl. Significant progress has been made on the multi-well polymer injectivity test to improve injection rate modelling. Based on the test results, a revised field development plan is expected to be submitted to the JV in 1H CY17. First polymer injection is planned in Q1 CY19.

Barmer Hill

Barmer Hill has a significant growth potential with a large HIIP base of 1.4 billion boe and expected ultimate recovery of 8-10%. At present the focus is on developing Barmer Hill formation of Aishwariya and Mangala by utilizing the infrastructure already in place, in-line with return based capital investment approach. Well completion cost for lateral wells was further reduced by over 30% to sub US$ 4.5 million per well through frac optimization and well construction design improvements, surpassing the expectation of US$ 4.5-5 million as indicated earlier. A substantial progress has been made in reducing the surface facility cost by leveraging existing infrastructure.

For Aishwariya Barmer Hill, cost savings from drilling and completion activities, and surface facility will drive 15-20% reduction in the development cost of US$ 300 million for a EUR of about 30 mmbbls till 2030. Development is planned in stages to de-risk the investment. First oil from Stage - 1 is expected during the current fiscal year.

For Mangala Barmer Hill, water-flood pilot has been initiated to increase field pressure and oil recovery. Development plan will be prepared after incorporating the pilot results.

For other tight oil fields including V&V, DP and NL, internal studies and field pilots are being carried out to optimize and finalize the development plan.

Satellite Field

The objective to unlock opportunities in Satellite Field is being pursued through improvement in the economics by bringing down the cost. Options to realize cost efficiency are being evaluated such as building pipeline between NI and Bhagyam fields to reduce trucking cost, utilizing gas to generate electricity instead of flaring it, optimizing well intervention expense through effective use of low cost alternatives. Progress has been made on the preparation of development plans for key satellite fields at a minimal development cost. For Guda, discussion with the JV partner for development of Stage-1 is ongoing.

Exploration

Rajasthan

Exploration activities will continue focussing on seismic data processing and interpretation. In order to enhance the current portfolio, efforts are on integration of all available data and identification of high impact new plays.

In Raageshwari field and adjoining areas, Azimuthal processing of the newly acquired 3D seismic data has helped in the reservoir characterization and fracture delineation. Processing of 3D seismic data has been completed for 'Air Field South' area and is ongoing for DP field. Data interpretation and processing are underway to identify new prospects in these fields that will act to replenish the exploration prospect inventory.

Other India and International Assets

Palar-Pennar (Block PR-OSN-2004/1): The program for drilling the commitment wells is being advanced and drilling is planned to commence in Q4 FY17. The JV is engaging with the MoPNG for proportionate revision of work program commitment from three wells to two wells in view of lack of access to the full block area.

KG Offshore (Block KG-OSN-2009/3): Cairn continues to engage with the MoPNG for an extension contingent upon full lifecycle clearance from Ministry of Defence. Phase-I was up to 8th March 2016. Interpretation of the new seismic volumes has resulted in identification of four prospects and a number of smaller leads over different play types.

KG Onshore (Block KG-ONN-2003/1): ONGC, the development operator, has submitted the Field Development Plan (FDP) to the Management Committee (MC). The FDP is being reviewed by the MC.

South Africa (Block 1): The prospect inventory for the block has been finalised. Assessment of exploration potential of inboard plays is ongoing to provide other drilling options. A decision on the proposed legislative changes to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 2002 and the consequent applicable fiscal regime for progressing into the second exploration license phase is awaited.

Financial Review

Rupee Crore Q2 FY17 Q1 FY17 q-o-q (%) Q2 FY16 y-o-y (%) Net Revenue 2,039 1,885 8% 2,242 (9%) EBITDA 1,039 794 31% 973 7% Margin (%) 51% 42%

43%

Reported PAT 779 360 117% 326 139% Margin (%) 38% 19%

15%

EPS (Rupee) - Diluted 4.14 1.92 115% 1.73 139% Cash EPS (Rupee) 7.86 6.73 17% 7.36 7%

Note: Numbers for Q2 FY16 have been restated as per IndAS requirement

Average Price Realization Units Q2 FY17 Q1 FY17 q-o-q (%) Q2 FY16 y-o-y (%) Cairn India US$/boe 41.8 38.0 10% 43.7 (4%) Oil US$/bbl 41.7 37.9 10% 43.7 (4%) Gas US$/mscf 7.5 7.1 6% 7.0 7%

Revenue for the quarter increased 8% QoQ to Rupee 2,039 crore as discount to Brent for Rajasthan crude declined substantially from US$ 8.2/bbl to US$ 4.3/bbl, implying a reduction in discount from 18% to 9.3%. An improvement in differential between Bonny Light and Brent, and strong refining crack for fuel oil and waxy residue helped reduce the discount. Overall realization was up by 10% QoQ to US$ 41.8/boe as Rajasthan crude realization increased by 11% to US$ 41.6/bbl. Brent price was relatively flat on average basis at US$ 45.8/bbl. Consequent to higher revenue, net profit petroleum increased by 19% to Rupee 771 crore including Rupee 662 crore for Rajasthan block. Net royalty was Rupee 417 crore with Rajasthan share of Rupee 414 crore.

Continued drive for cost optimization has reduced the water-flood operating cost for Rajasthan further by 12% QoQ to US$ 3.9/boe, the lowest in last 10 quarters. Reduction in facility and well maintenance expenses through streamlining the maintenance activities and work-over programs helped lower the operating cost. Blended operating cost for RJ was also reduced by 10% QoQ to US$ 5.8/boe while maintaining the polymer injection in Mangala at target rate of 400 kbpld.

EBITDA margin improved further from 42% in Q1 FY17 to 51% in Q2 FY17 due to higher revenue and reduction in operating cost. EBITDA for the quarter also increased by 31% QoQ to Rupee 1,039 crore. DD&A charges accounted on entitlement interest basis were lower by 4% QoQ to Rupee 782 crore. Other income was stable at Rupee 535 crore. Forex gain was recorded at Rupee 64 crore due to 1.4% appreciation in Rupee versus US Dollar on closing basis.

Net profit after tax was highest in the last six quarter as it increased significantly by 117% QoQ to Rupee 779 crore on account of higher EBITDA, lower depreciation and forex gain. A higher profit resulted into Earnings per share of Rupee 4.1 for Q2 FY17. Cash EPS was also up 17% QoQ to Rupee 7.9 due to higher EBITDA.

Total free cash flow for Q2 FY17 was at Rupee 1,565 crore. Net capital investment was Rupee 45 crore with 86% spent on development work and 14% on exploration activities. Positive free cash generation further strengthened the cash and cash equivalent position to Rupee 24,339 crore (US$ 3.7 billion), of which 68% is invested in rupee funds and 32% in dollar funds.

Health, Safety, Environment, Quality and Sustainability

Cairn India's strong commitment to health, safety, environment, quality and sustainability has helped sustain excellent HSEQS performance over the years. Rajasthan asset won "D.L. Shah Gold Quality Award" at the 11th National Quality Conclave in recognition of effective quality management in Mangala EOR project. Additionally, Mangala Well Pad-18 received the 'Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award' for the year 2016. An intensive 3-month campaign on raising awareness about 'Hazard Identification' was successfully completed.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Maintaining focus on social development, a good progress was made during the quarter. Extension of operations was received for the first set of plants under the safe drinking water project through innovative demand generation and awareness initiatives. Key developments at the Cairn Centre of Excellence (CCoE) included quality job offers for trainees, partnerships with Government agencies and unique working models developed by students. On the occasion of 'World Youth Skills Day', Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation, Government of Rajasthan awarded CCoE with the best training partner award for December 2015. A set of major awards were received in different categories during the quarter such as the '6th Asia Best CSR Practices Awards 2016' in Singapore, the 'National CSR Leadership Award' at the National CSR Leadership Congress organised by World Sustainability Organization for the CCoE and Safe drinking water project, and the 'CSR Impact Award' at India CSR Summit 2016.

FY17 Outlook

With an aim to create long term value to the shareholders, Cairn India will remain focused on monetizing its Rajasthan resource base. A net capital investment of US$ 100 million is estimated for FY17, including 20% for exploration activities and 80% for development of RDG Gas project and completion activities of Mangala EOR. The gross production from Rajasthan for FY17 is expected to be maintained at FY16 level. Efforts are ongoing to further improve the economics of key projects - Bhagyam and Aishwariya EOR, Barmer Hill and Satellite Fields, at low oil prices and the pre-development investment is underway to ensure project readiness for the development with grant of extension of PSC. The company retains the flexibility to raise its capital investment as oil prices improve and aims to generate a healthy cash flow post capex so as to retain the ability to pay dividends.

Contact

Media Relations

Arun Arora, Chief Communication Officer

+91 124 4593039; +91 8826999270; cilmedia@cairnindia.com

Cairn India Limited Fact Sheet

On 9 January, 2007, Cairn India Limited was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. Cairn India is a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited; part of the Vedanta Group, a globally diversified natural resources group.

Cairn India is headquartered in Gurgaon in the National Capital Region. The Company has operational offices in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Cairn India is one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in India. Together with its JV partners, Cairn India accounted for ~27% of India's domestic crude oil production for FY16. Average gross operated production was 203,703 boepd for FY16. The Company sells its oil and gas to major PSU and private buyers in India.

The Company has a world-class resource base, with interest in seven blocks in India and one in South Africa. Cairn India's resource base is located in four strategically focused areas namely one block in Rajasthan, two on the west coast of India, four on the east coast of India and one in South Africa.

The blocks are located in the Barmer Basin, Krishna-Godavari Basin, the Palar-Pennar Basin, the Cambay Basin, the Mumbai Offshore Basin and Orange Basin.

Cairn India's focus on India has resulted in a significant number of oil and gas discoveries. Cairn India made a major oil discovery (Mangala) in Rajasthan in the north west of India at the beginning of 2004. To date, thirty eight discoveries have been made in the Rajasthan block RJ-ON-90/1

In Rajasthan, Cairn India operates Block RJ-ON-90/1 under a PSC signed on 15 May, 1995 comprising of three development areas. The main Development Area (DA-1; 1,859 km2), which includes discoveries namely Mangala, Aishwariya, Raageshwari and Saraswati is shared between Cairn India and ONGC. Further Development Areas (DA-2; 430 km2), including the Bhagyam, NI and NE fields and (DA-3; 822 km2) comprising of the Kaameshwari West Development Area, is shared between Cairn India and ONGC, with Cairn India holding 70% and ONGC having exercised their back in right for 30%.

In Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, Cairn India on behalf of its JV partners operates two processing plants, with a production of over 34,000 boepd for FY16.

The farm-in agreement was signed with PetroSA on 16th August, 2012in the 'Block-1' located in Orange basin, South Africa. The block covers an area of 19,898 sq km. The assignment of 60% interest and operatorship has been granted by the South African regulatory authorities.

For further information on Cairn India Limited, kindly visit www.cairnindia.com

Corporate Glossary



Cairn India Cairn India Limited and/or its subsidiaries as appropriate Company Cairn India Limited Cairn Lanka Refers to Cairn Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cairn India Cash EPS PAT adjusted for DD&A, impact of forex fluctuation, MAT credit and deferred tax CFO Cash Flow from Operations includes PAT (excluding other income and exceptional item) prior to non-cash expenses and exploration costs. CPT Central Processing Terminal CY Calendar Year DoC Declaration of Commerciality E&P Exploration and Production EBITDA Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation includes forex gain/loss earned as part of operations EPS Earnings Per Share FY Financial Year GBA Gas Balancing Agreement GoI Government of India GoR Government of Rajasthan Group The Company and its subsidiaries JV Joint Venture MC Management Committee MoPNG Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas NELP New Exploration Licensing Policy Normalized net profit Net profit before exceptional items NRM National Rural Mission ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited OC Operating Committee PPAC Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell Qoq Quarter on Quarter Vedanta Group Vedanta Resources plc and/or its subsidiaries from time to time Yoy Year on Year

Technical Glossary



2P Proven plus probable 3P Proven plus probable and possible 2D/3D/4D Two dimensional/three dimensional/ time lapse Blpd Barrel(s) of (polymerized) liquid per day Boe Barrel(s) of oil equivalent Boepd Barrels of oil equivalent per day Bopd Barrels of oil per day Bcf Billion standard cubic feet of gas Tcf Trillion standard cubic feet of gas EOR Enhanced Oil Recovery FDP Field Development Plan HIIP Hydrocarbons Initially In Place LTI Lost Time Incident MDT Modular Dynamic Tester Mmboe million barrels of oil equivalent Mmscfd million standard cubic feet of gas per day Mmt Million Metric Tonne PSU Public Sector Utilities SPM Single Point Mooring PSC Production Sharing Contract





Field Glossary

Barmer Hill Formation Lower permeability reservoir which overlies the Fatehgarh Dharvi Dungar Secondary reservoirs in the Guda field and is the reservoir rock encountered in the recent Kaameshwari West discoveries Fatehgarh Name given to the primary reservoir rock of the Northern Rajasthan fields of Mangala, Aishwariya and Bhagyam MBARS Mangala, Bhagyam, Aishwariya, Raageshwari, Saraswati Thumbli Youngest reservoirs encountered in the basin. The Thumbli is the primary reservoir for the Raageshwari field

Disclaimer

This material contains forward-looking statements regarding Cairn India and its affiliates, our corporate plans, future financial condition, future results of operations, future business plans and strategies. All such forward- looking statements are based on our management's assumptions and beliefs in the light of information available to them at this time. These forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to significant risks and uncertainties; and actual results, performance and achievements may be materially different from those expressed in such statements. Factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ from expectations include, but are not limited to, regulatory changes, future levels of industry product supply, demand and pricing, weather and weather related impacts, wars and acts of terrorism, development and use of technology, acts of competitors and other changes to business conditions. Cairn India undertakes no obligation to revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in Cairn India's expectations with regard thereto or any change in circumstances or events after the date hereof. Unless otherwise stated the reserves and resource numbers within this document represent the views of Cairn India and do not represent the views of any other party, including the Government of India, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons or any of Cairn India's joint venture partner

For further information, please contact:

Communications

Roma Balwani

President - Group Communications, Sustainability & CSR

Tel: +91 22 6646 1000

gc@vedanta.co.in

Investor Relations

Ashwin Bajaj

Director - Investor Relations

Tel: +91 22 6646 1531

vedantaltd.ir@vedanta.co.in

Vishesh Pachnanda

Manager - Investor Relations

Sunila Martis

Manager - Investor Relations

About Vedanta Limited (Formerly SesaSterlite Ltd.)

Vedanta Limited is a diversified natural resources company, whose business primarily involves producing oil & gas, zinc - lead - silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium and commercial power. The company has a presence across India, South Africa, Namibia, Australia and Ireland.

Vedanta Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed company. Governance and Sustainable Development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company is conferred with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 'Sustainable Plus Platinum label', ranking among the top 10 most sustainable companies in India. To access the Vedanta Sustainable Development Report 2016, please visit http://sustainabledevelopment.vedantaresources.com/content/dam/vedanta/corporate/documents/Otherdocuments/SDreport2015-16/Vedanta%20SDR%20FY%2015-16.pdf

Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information please visit www.vedantalimited.com

Vedanta Limited

(Formerly known as SesaSterlite Limited)

Vedanta, 75, Nehru Road,

Vile Parle (East), Mumbai - 400 099

www.vedantalimited.com

Registered Office:

SesaGhor, 20 EDC Complex,

Patto, Panaji (Goa) - 403 001

CIN: L13209GA1965PLC000044

Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" - that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "should" or "will." Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different that those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.


Will Trump Tesla Trouble Tension Build for the Next Four Years?With no more Hillary Clinton to attract the majority of their ire, it seems that some Donald Trump supporters have now set their sights on Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and CEO Elon Musk as the new focal points of their wrath.The Trump Tesla feud (as I will be referring to it from here on in) is not so much coming from the president-elect himself, but rather from a mixture of Trump insiders, "alt-right" supporters, the fossil fuel industry, and green tech doubters.The Trump Tesla feud boils down to a number of web sites and individuals bent on seeing Tesla fail through whatever means.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PUNE, India, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report "Phototherapy Equipment Market by Type (Long lamp, CFL, LED, Fiber optic), Application (Skin diseases (psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema), Neonatal Jaundice), End-user, Geography (North America (USA, Canada), Europe, Asia-Pacific) - Global Forecast to 2021" published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market is expected to reach USD 583.4 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2016 to 2021.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 63 market data Tables and 41 Figures spread through 119 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Phototherapy Equipment Market "

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/phototherapy-equipment-market-174360683.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This report analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW), over the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. A number of factors, such as the rising incidence of neonatal jaundice across developed and developing markets, rising number of people suffering from skin diseases, inflow of technologically advanced products, and rising adoption of LED-based phototherapy equipment are driving the growth of this market. On the other hand, significant use of alternative mode of treatments and stringent regulatory policies for the approval of new devices are limiting the growth of this market.

Based on the type of equipment, the global Phototherapy Equipment Market is divided into three segments, namely, conventional phototherapy equipment, LED phototherapy equipment, and fiberoptic phototherapy equipment. Based on the type of lamp installed in conventional phototherapy equipment, they are further segmented into equipment with fluorescent lamps and equipment with compact fluorescent lamps. Conventional phototherapy equipment with fluorescent lamps comes in two different sizes, namely, full body phototherapy equipment and partial body phototherapy equipment.

On the basis of applications, the global Phototherapy Equipment Market is segmented into skin disease treatment and neonatal jaundice treatment. The skin disease treatment segment is further divided into psoriasis treatment, vitiligo treatment, eczema treatment, and other disease treatment. On the basis of end user, the global Phototherapy Equipment Market is segmented into hospitals & clinics and home users.

As of 2016, North America held the largest share of the global Phototherapy Equipment Market, followed by Europe. However, the Asia-Pacific market is expected to register the highest CAGR of 6.1% from 2016 to 2021. Factors such as strategic expansions by key market players in emerging Asian countries; growing adoption of low cost phototherapy equipment in India and China; and rising number of people suffering from skin diseases are responsible for the growth of the Phototherapy Equipment Market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Speak to our research experts:

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=174360683

As of 2015, GE Healthcare (U.K.), Philips Lighting Holding B.V. (Netherlands), Natus Medical Incorporated (U.S.), Phoenix Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. (India), Herbert Waldmann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Atom Medical Corporation (Japan), nice Neotech Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. (India), National Biological Corp. (U.S.), and Solarc Systems Inc. (Canada) are some of the key players operating in the global Phototherapy Equipment Market.

Browse Related Reports:

Fetal (Labor & Delivery) and Neonatal Care Equipment Market - (Ultrasound, Doppler, Monitors (Intrapartum & Antepartum), Warmer, Incubator, Pulse Oximeter, Phototherapy/Jaundice Management Devices, CPAP, Capnograph, & Resuscitator) - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/fetal-neonatal-care-equipment-market-412.html

Dermatology Devices Market by Diagnostic Devices (Dermatoscope, Microscope, Imaging Techniques), Treatment Devices (Liposuction, Microdermabrasion, Lasers) & by Application (Cancer Diagnosis, Acne, Psoriasis, Hair Removal) - Global Forecast to 2019

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Thursday, Hillary for America (HFA) filed its October monthly FEC report covering the month of September. The report shows that HFA began October with more than $59 million in the bank after raising more than $85 million in September thanks to more than 1.5 million contributions from about 900,000 people during the month. The average donation to HFA during September was about $56. Between HFA, the Hillary Victory Fund (HVF) and the Hillary Action Fund (HAF), Democrats began October with more than $152 million in the bank. 'Heading into the final weeks of the election, we are making unprecedented investments in the coordinated campaign to help Democrats win up and down the ballot,' said Hillary for America Campaign Manager Robby Mook. 'Thanks to the more than 2.6 million Americans who have donated to this campaign, we are now working to expand the map into states like Arizona to have even more paths to 270 electoral votes and increase our investments to help win competitive down ballot races across the country,' he added. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LAVAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Savaria Corporation ("Savaria") (TSX: SIS), one of North America's leaders in the accessibility industry, will release its 2016 third quarter results after market hours on November 2nd, 2016.

Savaria Corporation (savaria.com) is one of North America's leaders in the accessibility industry. It provides accessibility solutions for the elderly and physically challenged to increase their mobility and independence. The diversity of its product line is one of the most comprehensive on the market. Savaria designs, manufactures, distributes and installs accessibility equipment, such as stairlifts for straight and curved stairs, vertical and inclined wheelchair lifts, as well as elevators for home and commercial use. In addition, it converts and adapts vehicles to be wheelchair accessible. It also operates a network of franchisees and corporate stores through which new and recycled accessibility equipment is sold, as well as vehicle conversion in certain locations. Savaria operates a plant located in Huizhou (China), which increases its competitive edge. The Corporation records more than 60% of its revenue outside Canada, primarily in the United States. It operates a sales network of some 400 retailers and affiliates in North America and employs some 500 people. Its principal places of business are located in Laval (Quebec), Brampton (Ontario) and Huizhou (China).

www.savaria.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savariabettermobility

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mobilityforlife

Contacts:

Helene Bernier, CPA, CA

Vice-President, Finance

1-800-931-5655, ext. 248

helene.bernier@savaria.com



Marcel Bourassa

President and Chief Executive Officer

1-800-661-5112

marcel.bourassa@savaria.com






TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Regulators have confirmed the eleventh U.S. fatality linked to Takata Corp.'s (TKTDF.PK) defective air bag inflators.



The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA said Thursday that a crash fatality in Riverside County, California, was tied to the rupture of a recalled Takata air bag inflator.



The victim, a 50-year-old woman, died after sustaining injuries in a crash on September 30. NHTSA investigators have inspected the vehicle, in cooperation with local authorities.



The victim was driving a 2001 Honda Civic. However, the NHTSA did not release the woman's name.



According to the agency, while the vehicle was first recalled in 2008, records have shown that the recall repair was never completed. The vehicle is included in a population of Honda and Acura vehicles that has been identified by the NHTSA as holding 'substantially higher risk.'



The air bag inflators in these particular vehicles contain a manufacturing defect which greatly increases the potential for dangerous rupture when a crash causes the air bag to deploy.



Malfunctioning Takata air bag inflators can explode with too much force, sending shrapnel into vehicles. The issue has now been linked to sixteen deaths worldwide, including five in Malaysia, and to more than 100 injuries in the U.S.



Ruptures are far more likely in inflators in vehicles that have spent significant periods of time in areas of high absolute humidity - particularly Florida, Texas, other parts of the Gulf Coast, and Southern California.



Testing of the inflators from these vehicles have shown rupture rates to be as high as 50 percent in a laboratory setting.



The NHTSA, in June, advised owners of about 313,000 recalled Honda and Acura vehicles to replace their Takata-made air bags immediately after testing showed there is as high as a 50 percent chance of rupture in a crash.



Nine of the eleven U.S. deaths caused by Takata air bags - where the inflator breaks apart and sprays metal and plastic shards at vehicle occupants - have now occurred in these models.



Nearly 70 million Takata air bag inflators are or will be under recall by 2019, in the largest and most complex auto safety recall in U.S. history.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Playworld, a leading commercial playground equipment manufacturer committed to saving outdoor unstructured play, will debut Unity Connect at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Annual Meeting and Expo in New Orleans (October 21-24, 2016). A towering, modern and modular play system, Connect encourages older kids to put down technology, get out of the house and engage in face-to-face interactions and physical activity,

Visitors to Playworld's booth (#621) will have the opportunity to experience Connect firsthand. Created for ages 5-12, the system focuses on bringing children together by providing areas for them to meet, move and define their own paths of play. Various play components of this system feature networks of rope, providing children with dynamic movement, unpredictable challenge and open-ended play opportunities. With both traditional and brand new play events, Connect offers kids a wealth of physical, sensory and social benefits.

"Connect showcases the endless play opportunities that emerge from meaningful design," said Michael Laris, vice president, Global Innovation for PlayPower, Playworld's parent company. "The simple yet unique system allows children to create their own experiences while promoting cooperation. Whether it be playing or relaxing, Connect offers everyone a space for face-to-face interaction, and we're excited to watch ASLA attendees experience it for themselves."

Connect is a hub of the larger Unity Collection -- freestanding products that marry exceptional design with unprecedented play value and form a decentralized playground layout, allowing children to move around, explore and discover new ways to play.

Also featured in Playworld's booth are PlayCubes, iconic structures revived through a partnership with architect Richard Dattner. The distinctive, modular design was recreated for even more physical, social and cognitive play value and engagement. The geometric form invites imagination and exploration with undefined paths and varying handholds for climbing. Negative spaces invite kids to play in, on, and through PlayCubes.

About Playworld

Playworld, a division of PlayPower, Inc., believes The World Needs Play. Play is vital to everyone's health and well-being. It's something you are never too young or too old to enjoy. We develop playground environments where creativity is king, belly laughs are welcome and children make the rules. Playworld equipment is designed to unleash the transformational power of play so bodies grow stronger and imagination can take flight. For 45 years, Playworld has created innovative, inclusive and meaningful outdoor play experiences for all ages and abilities. Come play with us. Playworld.com

About PlayPower, Inc.

PlayPower is a global leader in the recreation industry. The company is headquartered in North Carolina, with manufacturing facilities in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, Sweden and the United Kingdom. PlayPower brands include Playworld, Miracle Recreation, Little Tikes Commercial, Soft Play, HAGS, EZ Dock and USA Shade. PlayPower's vision is To Inspire the World to Play through its mission of Creating Outstanding Play Environments for All Ages and Abilities. More information is available at PlayPower.com. PlayPower is a portfolio company of Littlejohn & Company, LLC and is actively seeking add-on acquisitions.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3070820



Media contact:

Jennifer Leckstrom

RoseComm for Playworld

215-681-0770

jleckstrom@rosecomm.com




Time was ticking in the magic hour when life and death were minutes apart.

Dr. Robert Hall knew where to go when the alert came over the PA system.

Everybody ran back to the triage unit, said Hall, 75, a retired radiologist living in North Middleton Township. Casualties could arrive within 10 to 15 minutes of the wound.

The alert meant a helicopter from mainland Vietnam was inbound to the hospital ship USS Repose cruising off the coast between Da Nang and the DMZ. Torn-up bodies of Marines and sailors were about to land on the helipad as the medical staff mobilized in a battle to save lives.

Of all the war memories Hall carries forward, the story he wants to share is the admiration he felt for his colleagues who struggled most everyday with small victories and defeats.

The New Cumberland native wants readers to understand how devotion to duty and a desire to heal came together to make a difference to the men who cycled through the 800-bed floating hospital.

Nurses and corpsmen in particular stand out in his mind as the heroes who made it all happen. All too often, they were the last person seen by a mortally wounded man too far gone to recover from the trauma.

They were the ones who changed the dressings, Hall said. They were the ones who held the hands. They did the dirty jobsthe record-keepingthe double-checking and there were times when they would call you on something.

Hard decisions

Hall was a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve when he served on the Repose from May to June 1969. He was filling in for a fellow officer who went on leave from the hospital ship. Prior to that, Hall was the medical officer for a squadron of patrol ships tasked with intercepting fishing boats suspected of smuggling in weapons and contraband.

Wounded flown to Repose landed on the helipad where they were off-loaded and moved down a ramp to the triage station. There medical staff sorted through and prioritized the cases based on the severity of the trauma.

Minor cases were classified as walking wounded while the critically hurt were sometimes set aside to make way for men more likely to survive with immediate surgery.

had to be made quickly on how best to allocate limited resources.

Though equipped with x-ray equipment, the Repose had none of the diagnostic devices modern hospitals take for granted such as MRIs, CT scanners, ultrasound, angiography and nuclear medicine. Instead, the doctors on board had to resort to more invasive techniques.

If you had a hole in you, somebody is going to have to look inside to see what was damaged, Hall said. That meant cutting the body open to perform exploratory surgery before going in to make repairs.

When not in triage, Hall worked as a first assistant in the department of general surgery holding retractors, tying knots or lending an extra pair of hands to the surgeon.

The goal was to stem the bleeding and stabilize the patient for transfer off the hospital ship and on through the military system of medical evacuation, treatment and recovery. The Repose came into port once every two weeks or so to offload wounded bound for a stopover facility in Japan, Guam or the Philippines before heading stateside.

Some surgery involved removing a core of dead tissue from around a wound before packing the opening with gauze. The goal was to allow the wound to heal from the inside out to prevent an abscess from forming inside the body.

Wounds were called dings after the sound bullet and shrapnel fragments make when hitting the side of a metal surgical tray, Hall said. His last night onboard the Repose included surgery on a young Marine whose back was riddled with about 40 shrapnel wounds.

A Bit Renegade

Dark humor worked its way into the deadly serious business of saving lives. Hall recalled a case where a bullet had gone through the head of a buzzard tattoo. A colleague joked about treating the wound as if it were a facial injury.

Hall remembered another case where a soldier from the 101st Airborne Division was treated for gonorrhea. A pattern soon emerged leading to questions and the shocking discovery that the enemy was using a biological agent on U.S. troops. It turns out an enemy collaborator was taking his infected sister around to different military camps.

The intensity level made downtime precious leading some among the medical staff to resort to creative stress relief. Hall was once invited to the corpsmen quarters where the men had rigged a multi-colored lamp shade to rotate on a turntable.

They would just sit back, relax and watch the colors, Hall said. It was their way to space out without the use or abuse of drugs. We were bit renegade and marched to a different drum.

International law bars combatants from attacking hospital ships. To minimize the risk, the Repose was painted white and clearly marked with the Red Cross. Floodlights were used to illuminate the ship at night.

One doctor used this to his advantage and lowered nets into the water along the ship. The man was fishing the South China Sea for highly poisonous sea snakes that were drawn to the light. He was trying to develop anti-venom, Hall recalled. He would milk the snake of its venom.

Acts of Charity

Hall remembered an act of charity by the ship cardiologist. The Repose had a ward set aside to treat civilians. One day the staff noticed how a Vietnamese girl had blue lips and fingernails. The cardiologist diagnosed her with a congenital heart defect and operated on the girl whose color improved after the procedure.

He did it simply because it was a young girl who needed it, Hall said. He also remembered the case of a boy so disfigured by serious burns that scar tissue had fused the right side of his face to his shoulder, arm and chest. Lucky for the boy, the Repose had a plastic surgeon on staff.

His most tragic memory involved Marine PFC Dean F. Smith Jr. who died at age 20 on June 8, 1969. Smith was wounded through the pelvis and had developed kidney failure. The medical emergency made it necessary for Hall to escort Smith to Da Nang where the young man was airlifted to the Philippines for dialysis.

I told him to call his mom and tell her he is coming homeHis war is over, Hall said. When I flew home, I stopped at Clark Air Force base and went to the ward. I talked to the hospital corpsman.

There he learned the awful truth. PFC Smith died when an abscess had eroded into an artery causing the young Marine to bleed to death alone and in the dark. I never found out if he called his home or not, Hall said.

There was reason to believe in miracles of faith. He recalled the story of one man who was spared from a significant injury by the copy of the New Testament he kept in his left chest pocket.

Hall remembered how another man predicted his own death. The young Marine had a tattoo on his arm pledging his life to God and country. The tattoo depicted a Marine dead from a bullet hole to the head.

Hall served in the Navy until 1971. He later returned to Cumberland County where worked as a radiologist for the old Carlisle Hospital and the Carlisle Regional Medical Center before retiring in 2013.

Married, he has two grown children and two grandchildren.
DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Mobile and Web Event Analytics Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The global mobile and web analytics market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 16.3% during the period 2016-2020.

Commenting on the report, an analyst from the research team said: A key trend which is boosting market growth is growing demand for predictive analytics. Predictive analytics provides actionable insights into data of an organization. Predictive analytics uses various techniques such as data mining, modeling, machine learning, and game theory to provide an estimation of future outcomes. Predictive analytics is used in all major industries such as retail, healthcare, manufacturing, IT, BFSI, and education.



According to the report, a key growth driver is the increased benefits of mobile and web anbalytics. rapid industrialization in China. The integration of mobile and web analytics tools with IT systems of an organization helps in interpersonal and intrapersonal communications with people and other IT systems.

It also aids in recovering previous data stored in the system to arrive at a conclusion if need be, for instance, a mobile and web analytics solution such as IBM Digital Analytics can read millions of text documents in few seconds.



Questions Answered:



What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?

What are the key market trends?

What is driving this market?

What are the challenges to market growth?

Who are the key vendors in this market space?

What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

Companies Mentioned:



Adobe Systems

AT Internet

comScore

Google

IBM

SAS Institute

Webtrends

Clicktale

Clicky

KickFire

Kissmetrics

Woopra

Crazy Egg

Chartbeat

Omniture

Apsalar

Char Software

Mixpanel

Appsee

netbiscuits

Segment.io

Upsight

Report Structure:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Market research methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by end-user



PART 07: Geographical segmentation



PART 08: Market drivers



PART 09: Impact of drivers



PART 10: Market challenges



PART 11: Impact of drivers and challenges



PART 12: Market trends



PART 13: Five forces model



PART 14: Vendor landscape



PART 15: Key vendor analysis



PART 16: Appendix



PART 17: About the Author



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4m2h5x/global_mobile_and

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
It's been a week of broken records and big investments for the global solar industry. The Indian market still looks unstoppable, while Tesla continue to make big moves in the U.S. industry, despite not yet knowing if and when their acquisition of SolarCity will be completed. The Elon Musk founded company signed a non binding letter of intent with Japanese electronics giants Panasonic. The agreement, which is dependent upon completion of SolarCity's acquisition, would see Panasonic produce cells and modules at Tesla's factory in Buffalo, New York. The Panasonic products will likely be bundled with Tesla's range of storage products and leased through solar, giving Mr. Musk a serious stake in the industry. SunEdison project snapped up?Another of fallen solar developer SunEdison's projects has been picked from the bankrupt company's carcass. This time it's the development rights to a 500 MW project in Andhra Pradesh, India. India's Solar Energy Corporation (SECI) received a INR 2 billion (US$30 million) payment. The buyer remained anonymous, but is believed to be Indian clean energy developer Greenko, which also paid $390 million to secure all that SunEdison left behind on the subcontinent. Gold medal for China?After being disappointed to finish third at this summer's Olympic Games, China was proud to achieve a new world record in aperture efficiency for multicrystalline silicon solar modules. Scientists ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Department of Justice Canada

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that our criminal justice system meets the highest standards of equity and fairness, holds offenders to account, shows compassion to victims, and upholds the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.In keeping with this commitment, today the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, introduced legislation to amend the federal victim surcharge provisions in the Criminal Code that unfairly burden the less fortunate.

The federal victim surcharge is a monetary penalty that is automatically imposed on offenders at the time of sentencing, cumulatively for each offence. Money collected from offenders is used by provinces and territories to help fund programs and services for victims of crime.

In 2013, as part of the Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act, judges lost the discretion to waive the federal victim surcharge for offenders who are truly unable to pay. As a result, the surcharge is currently imposed on all offenders, for all offences, regardless of their true capacity to pay or individual circumstances. This has led to multiple Charter challenges.

The proposed changes would return to judges the discretion to waive the federal victim surcharge if an offender is truly not able to pay. However, to ensure that offenders are held to account, the federal victim surcharge would continue to apply to all other offenders, and the surcharge amounts would not change. The funds collected will continue to help support the delivery of services to victims in the province or territory where the offence occurred, as a complement to the federal Victims Fund.

The proposed amendments would uphold the objectives of the surcharge while freeing the courts of Charter challenges, redirecting focus onto holding serious criminals to account, and eliminating the administrative costs associated with collecting money from people who simply do not have the means to pay.

Quote

"These changes directly address the many Charter challenges the victim surcharge has faced because of the way it affects the most marginalized people. With these changes, the surcharge would continue to help support victim services and help hold offenders accountable to victims of crime in a way that takes into consideration the individual circumstances of offenders and that is in keeping with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Quick Facts

-- Money collected from offenders through the victim surcharge would continue to help fund programs and services for victims of crime. -- As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to ensuring that services to victims of crime are properly funded, the federal Victims Fund aims to give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. In 2016-2017, more than $21 million was made available to provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations to increase awareness and knowledge of victim issues, legislation, and services available, as well as to develop and deliver victim programs, services, and assistance to meet gaps in services for victims of crime. -- On August 3, the Government also announced $16.17 million over four years for the creation of Family Information Liaison Units in each province and territory and to increase funding for victims services to provide culturally-appropriate victim services for families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and survivors of violence.

Related Products

-- Backgrounder - Federal Victim Surcharge

Associated Links

Court discretion on federal victim surcharges

Follow Department of Justice Canada on Twitter (@JusticeCanadaEn), join us on Facebook or visit our YouTube channel.

Backgrounder

Federal Victim Surcharge

About the federal victim surcharge

The federal victim surcharge is a monetary penalty that is automatically imposed on offenders at the time of sentencing. Money collected from offenders is intended to help fund programs and services for victims of crime.

Why the current changes are being proposed

Although the existing Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act, which came into force in 2013, sought to increase offenders' accountability to victims of crime, the mandatory application of the federal victim surcharge to all offenders, even those who genuinely lacked the ability to pay, has resulted in a number of Charter challenges.

For instance, in R. v. Shaun Michael, the judge found that the victim surcharge amounted to cruel and unusual punishment for a homeless man struggling with addiction and living on a street allowance of $250 a month. This individual faced a total of $900 in victim surcharges resulting from nine offences the judge described as "nuisance crimes" committed while he was intoxicated one evening.

What the proposed legislation would do

Under the proposed legislation, the amounts of the federal victim surcharge would not change. Moreover, the proposed legislation clarifies that the surcharge is to be automatically applied at sentencing and that it is to be applied to each offence cumulatively.

However, in order to address concerns related to the adverse impacts on marginalized offenders, the proposed legislation provides limited judicial discretion in relation to both the mandatory and the cumulative imposition of the surcharge in certain circumstances:

Exemption

The proposed amendments to the legislation would authorize a sentencing court to exempt payment of the surcharge if an offender applies for a waiver and demonstrates that payment would cause them undue hardship. To avoid reverting to the pre-2013 situation, the proposed legislation would clarify that undue hardship relates to the financial inability to pay for reasons such as unemployment, homelessness, and significant financial obligations to dependants. Incarceration for the offence committed by the offender does not, on its own, constitute undue hardship.

Exception

If an offender had multiple offences related to failures to appear before a court or breaches of certain conditions of a police release or of a court order (such as bail conditions), the court could reduce the number of surcharges for these types of administration-of-justice offences to ensure that the total sum of victim surcharges is not disproportionate under the circumstances. This reduction would not apply to breaches that cause harm to a victim.

The court would be required to provide reasons for any exemption or exception from the mandatory application of the victim surcharge to each offence. The proposed amendments aim to address the underlying concerns raised by Charter challenges without reverting to the earlier situation where the victim surcharge was rarely imposed.

Funding for services to victims of crime

The federal victim surcharge will continue to provide funding to victim services while holding offenders accountable to victims of crime. Provinces and territories administer and manage the collection and use of the revenue. At the same time, the Government of Canada is helping to provide stable funding and support for services to victims and survivors of crime, including via the federal Victims Fund. The Victims Fund provides grants and contributions to the provinces and territories to support projects and activities that increase awareness and knowledge of victim issues, legislation, and available services. It is also used to develop and deliver victim programs, services, and assistance to meet gaps in services for victims of crime. More information about the Victims Fund and how to apply for project funding is available from the Justice Canada website.

Contacts:

Valerie Gervais

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Justice

613-992-4621



Media Relations

Department of Justice

613-957-4207




Oxford and Renowned Glaziers' Company to host Roots of Knowledge installation

OREM, Utah andOXFORD, Englandand LONDON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah Valley University (UVU) and the Glaziers' Livery Company today announced that Christ Church, Oxford University and the Glaziers' Art Fair will include an exhibition of Roots of Knowledge, a significant work of stained glass, prior to its permanent installation in the library at UVU in Orem, Utah.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161012/428225LOGO

Conceived by artist Tom Holdman and UVU President Matthew Holland, Roots of Knowledge combines the work and guidance of 40+ professional artists, 26 UVU scholars and 350+ UVU students. The permanent installation will be unveiled on Nov. 18 to coincide with the university's 75th anniversary.

Roots of Knowledge's 80 stained glass windows, totaling 10 feet by 200 feet and containing 60,000 pieces of glass, depict humanity's quest for knowledge since the dawn of time.

"We are honored to have this major work of art showing at Glaziers' Hall and with the support of the venerable Glaziers'Company, which has played such a prominent role in the history of London's decorative arts," said UVU President Matthew Holland. "Roots of Knowledge combines art and education to chronicle world history and humanity's quest for progress, including Great Britain's manycontributions tosociety- from the Crystal Palace and the Iguanodon sculptures to Shakespeare, Stonehenge and Wolseley Motors."

Six panes from Roots of Knowledge will be displayed at Christ Church in Oxford on Oct. 22 and in the Glaziers' Hall Library on Oct. 25 and 26. For more information on the Glaziers' Art Fair event, visit https://glaziersartfair.com.

About Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University is home to nearly 35,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college, and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah's largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees.

About The Glaziers' Company of the City of London

The Glaziers' Company is one of the City of London's historic medieval Livery Companies, or craft guilds. The history of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass dates back to 1328. It was incorporated by Royal Charter and granted Livery in 1638. The Company, which plays a full part in the civic life of City of London, maintains strong links with those practicing the art and craft as glaziers and painters of glass.




CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Openserve, Africa's largest integrated communications company, and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have jointly announced the successful deployment of a high-speed fibre packet and optical transport network. This will enable Openserve to respond to the exponential growth in demand for data services across South Africa, with trial results indicating a seven-fold increase in the speed of fibre deployment.

The network will support 8Tbps per fibre, with one pair of fibre supporting 400 000 families with 20Mbps bandwidth per family concurrently. It uses a future-oriented Software Defined Networking (SDN) architecture based on IP and optical synergy. The core network deployment started in Gauteng and is currently being rolled out nationally.

Openserve is currently in the process finalisation phase before implementation and is investigating future services which would also use SDN architecture.

"Openserve insisted on this architecture, when we began designing our packet and optical transport network in 2014," said Alphonzo Samuels, CEO of Openserve. "With the quick service provisioning and smart management that SDN brings, we can quickly develop more innovative services to meet various customer requirements, improving our competitive position in South Africa's telecom market. The successful deployment of the packet and optical transport network will be the first step in reconstructing our network architecture in the future. I am proud of my team and look forward to further successes in follow-up cooperation with Huawei."

David Wang, President of Huawei Network Solutions, said "We are honored to provide Openserve with our leading SDN based transport solution, which includes high speed optical system and high capacity routers. With the introduction of an agile SDN controller, a "brain of network" and "machine to machine communication mechanism" instead of existing traditional service operation processes, Huawei's SDN based IP and Optical Synergy solution shortens the end to end service provisioning time from weeks to minutes. It enables Openserve new business models including BOD(Broadband on Demand), Flexible Service Chain, Virtual Data Center etc. Huawei will continue to improve its innovative SDN solutions, helping Openserve achieve greater business success."

Openserve will continue to collaborate in SDN Innovation, from transport network to cloud service, in order to meet the challenges of a digital future.

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huawei's 170,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei

http://www.twitter.com/Huawei

http://www.facebook.com/Huawei

http://www.google.com/+Huawei

http://www.youtube.com/Huawei

Huawei

Miranda Liu

miranda.liu@huawei.com




Washington D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2016) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that John W. Berry has been named Associate Regional Director for Enforcement in the agency's Los Angeles Regional Office.

Mr. Berry succeeds C. Dabney O'Riordan, who became Co-Chief of the Division's Asset Management Unit in June 2016. In his new role, Mr. Berry will oversee the Los Angeles office's enforcement's efforts in southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii along with fellow Associate Regional Director Alka Patel.

Since 2011, Mr. Berry has led the Los Angeles office's litigation program as its regional trial counsel, managing cases pending both in federal courts and administrative proceedings. The trial unit has nine senior trial attorneys.

As regional trial counsel, Mr. Berry has led or played an active role in dozens of litigated enforcement actions, including fraud charges and an asset freeze against a husband and wife charged with misusing two-thirds of the money they raised from EB-5 investors, Cyprus- and Israeli-based companies charged with illegally offering and selling binary options to investors across the U.S., and insider trading charges against the chairman and CEO of a Santa Ana, California-based computer storage device company. Mr. Berry also has been integral to a number of significant favorable rulings in numerous cases including rulings regarding the applicability of the Second Circuit's holding in U.S. v. Newman (SEC v. One or More Unknown Traders in the Securities of Onyx Pharm.) and addressing the scope of SEC receiverships (SEC v. Schooler).

"John is a highly effective leader who is frequently sought out by his colleagues when dealing with difficult issues," said Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. "His judgment is highly valued because he is a pragmatic and critical thinker, and he will be a valued addition to the Enforcement Division's senior ranks."

Michele Wein Layne, Director of the SEC's Los Angeles Regional Office, added, "John is a highly accomplished lawyer whose keen intellect, judgment, work ethic, and leadership are widely respected both inside and outside the agency. I am so pleased to have him as a member of the senior team in Los Angeles."

Mr. Berry said, "I am honored by this appointment, and I look forward to continuing to work with the talented enforcement and examination staff in the Los Angeles office in bringing enforcement actions to protect investors and the markets."

Before joining the SEC staff, Mr. Berry was a partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP's commercial litigation practice based in New York. Before entering the field of law, Mr. Berry was a field engineer for General Electric in Houston. Mr. Berry earned his joint law and business degree from the University of Virginia in 1998 and his bachelor of science in engineering and economics with honors from Duke University in 1992.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Less than three weeks before Election Day, the results of a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll show Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are virtually tied in Georgia. The poll showed Trump with a slim 44 percent to 42 percent lead over Clinton among likely Georgia voters, with the two-point gap well within the margin of error. Libertarian Gary Johnson comes in a distant third at 9 percent, while 4 percent of likely Georgia voters remain undecided. Other recent Georgia polls showed Trump with a more substantial lead, suggesting the real estate tycoon has been hurt by the recording of his lewd comments about women as well as allegations of sexual misconduct. Fifty-eight percent of likely Georgia voters said Trump's treatment of women is a legitimate issue in the presidential election. The poll showed a significant gender gap, as Trump has a 50 percent to 35 percent lead among women and Clinton has a 48 percent to 37 percent advantage among women. Clinton benefits a substantial advantage among black voters, as 89 percent support the former Secretary of State compared to just 3 percent that back Trump. A Democratic presidential candidate has not won Georgia since former President Bill Clinton was first elected in 1992. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of 839 likely Georgia voters was conducted by Abt SRBI from October 17th through 20th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points. (Photo: Michael Vadon) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- The awards ceremony for the Broadband World Forum 2016 was held in London yesterday. Telefonica and Huawei won the 'Best Innovation in Virtualization' award for their IP and Optical SDN network, the first commercial deployment of such a solution in the industry.

Operators' traditional IP backbone and optical backbone bearer networks are independent, lacking linkage in terms of network planning, service provisioning, resource management, and service protection. This causes low efficiency, high maintenance costs, and a slow response to customer requirements on operators' transport networks. To improve architecture efficiency and reduce OPEX on IP and Optical backbone bearer networks, Huawei collaborated with Telefonica to launch the SDN-based IP and Optical innovative project.

Telefonica and Huawei jointly carry out various activities including network and system architecture research, application scenario definition, prototype testing, first office application (FOA) verification, and service verification on live networks. Based on the new solution, Huawei provides service capabilities such as cross-domain traffic visualization, quick cross-domain service creation, service-driven resource collaboration, and cross-domain service protection.

These capabilities greatly improve operators' network operational efficiency and service provisioning flexibility, reduce OPEX, and further improve customer experience and satisfaction.

David Wang, President of Huawei Network Solutions, said, "It is our honor to win the award from Broadband World Forum, which showcases the industry's recognition of the joint innovative work of Huawei and Telefonica.

"The acceleration of digital transformation in the industry impels operators to fully transit to cloudification in the future. Huawei will cooperate with its partners to develop open industrial ecosystems, build more agile and efficient on-demand networks for operators, and help operators to implement business transformation through cloudified architectures and services."

As a leading global network service provider, Huawei has been constantly investing in the SDN field, is devoted to building a healthy and sustainable industrial ecosystem, and works with its partners to create greater value for global customers and build a better connected world.

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huawei's 170,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei

http://www.twitter.com/Huawei

http://www.facebook.com/Huawei

http://www.google.com/+Huawei

http://www.youtube.com/Huawei

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3070446



Huawei

Miranda Liu

miranda.liu@huawei.com




Technavio has announced its top five leading suppliers in the global workplace computing devicesmarket until 2020. These suppliers are selected based on various standards, some of which include technological capabilities, product costs and after-sales services, scalability, product stability and strength, quality standards, and geographical presence.

Competitive market landscape

Post 2011, workplace computing devices have rapidly become powerful and sophisticated in terms of technology and end-user experience. These devices have also evolved in terms of GUI and screen resolution.

As large companies are increasingly looking to procure computing devices that can enhance the efficiency of their working environments, suppliers are focusing on offering both standardized and customized devices that can cater to their specific requirements. Also, suppliers are increasingly involving in mergers and acquisitions to enhance global reach and capabilities. This is also resulting in buyers engaging with specific or preferred suppliers that can cater to all of their requirements.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=53739

Technavio's new market intelligence sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

According to Angad Singh, a procurement intelligence analyst, specializing in research on category spend intelligence, "Buyers prefer to partner with a single supplier or limited number of suppliers for better efficiency, cost savings, and ease of maintenance. They are also constantly looking to upgrade devices on a regular basis to improve device performance and overall productivity."

Top five suppliers of workplace computing devices

Samsung

The Samsung Group is a multinational conglomerate with subsidiaries such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T Corp., Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung SDS, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance Cheil.

In 2016, the company acquired Joyent, a leading public and private cloud services provider, to enhance its cloud-based portfolio

Apple

Apple was established to develop and sell PCs. However, it shifted its focus toward the production of consumer electronics. The company expanded its product portfolio to include magic accessories, software, iCloud, electric vehicles, and energy production.

In 2016, it also introduced the WatchOS 3, which is faster and simpler, and incorporates breakthrough features such as docks, applications, and quick replies.

Lenovo

Lenovo is a multinational technology company based in China. The company designs, develops, and manufactures tablets, smartphones, computers, PCs, electronic storage devices, servers, and workstations.

Lenovo announced its entry into the software-defined storage market in 2016. The same year, it also introduced the world's first tango-enabled smartphone, the Phab2 Pro.

HP

HP is a leading IT MNC that offers hardware, software, and related business services. In 2015, HP bifurcated into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. HP Inc. is a personal systems and printing solutions provider, whereas Hewlett Packard Enterprise offers technology infrastructure, software, and services.

Dell

Dell is the one of the largest technological corporations in the world that offers computer-related products and services. It believes in being socially responsible and attaining environmental sustainability, and this has prompted it to formulate and adopt the Dell 2020 Legacy of Good Plan.

In 2016, the company sold its subsidiary, Perot Systems, to NTT data company of Japan for USD 3.1 billion. Perot Systems was sold as part of the reorganization subsequent to the acquisition of EMC for USD 67 billion in October 2015.

Browse related reports:

Global Hosting Services Procurement Market Intelligence Report 2016

Data center Services Procurement Market Intelligence Report 2016

Global IT Infrastructure Services Procurement Market Intelligence Report 2016

Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you.

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005073/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Gorkana was joined yesterday morning (20 October) by Emma Bower, editor of Haymarket titles GP and Medeconomics. At the packed-out media briefing, she revealed how readers have reacted to GP since the title went digital-only last year, how Medeconomics and GP fit into Haymarket's wider medical portfolioand how PRs can help with content for the titles.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431336 )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431337 )



GP and Medeconomics form part of publisher Haymarket's family of healthcare brands, which also includes MIMS and MIMS Learning.



More than 50 years old, GP is a major UK B2B healthcare title in the UK and aims to be "essential reading for all UK-based family doctors".

Digital-only since July 2015, GP offers its readers the latest news, careers advice, clinical education and opinion via GPonline.com and its GP Weekly app, which provides a round-up of the title's best content every Friday.



Medeconomics is a subscription site that provides GP practices with expert advice to help them run their businesses effectively and improve patient care.



Here are a just a few key top tips that Bower, a former editor of Independent Nurse, revealed at yesterday's briefing:



GP

GPs are incredibly busy people - they're under huge pressure, so going digital-only last year was a good move - "more paper is not the best way to communicate with them", said Bower. There is a daily news alert that goes out at around 11am (the biggest driver of traffic), as well as a series of more specialised weekly bulletins (i.e. Training Update, Practice Briefing and GP Education). The team is about to launch an alert centred around locum GPs.



Medeconomics

Medeconomics focuses on GP practices. Most of readership feedback will come from practice managers. Like GPs, they're extremely overworked, said Bower, so the title aims to provide a practical guide on how to run a practice, whether it's accessing money for development, how finances work or getting legal advice.



The "shop window" of Haymarket's medical content

GPandMedeconomicsaim to distil information into easy-to-understand stories. "We want our readers to feel they can come to us for a balanced view of what's going on. We'll always say to people who write for us think about what your story means for GPs." Stories that tend to do well include anything to do with workforce and GP recruitment issues and changes to the NHS that will affect the way GPs work.



Working with PRs

The team tends to deal more with in-house PR teams and charities, although Bower is open to building up relationships with agencies. Surveys are used a lot, but PRs need to bear in mind that they must have a relevance to GPs and have a positive story to tell. She is less interested in "GP bashing" stories. The team uses a bank of experts, but is happy to be offered more comment from appropriate individuals. Always email if you want to contact the team.

PR and comms professionals from a variety of sectors attended the media briefing, which was chaired by Gorkana's head of news and content, Philip Smith.

Katie Packham, agency marketing manager at Racepoint Global, said: "As always, this morning's Gorkana Media briefing was an informative and interesting event. Targeted to the healthcare sector, it gave us an insight into the target audience, content they respond well to, future topics of discussion and the reasoning behind taking both publications online."

Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today's communication professionals. Offering the industry's most comprehensive PR, IR and social media software, rich analytics, content distribution and influencer outreach, Cision enables clients to engage audiences, enhance campaigns and strengthen data-driven decision making. Cision solutions include PR Newswire, Gorkana, PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact brands.



Headquartered in Chicago, Cision serves over 100,000 customers in 170 countries and 40 languages worldwide, and maintains offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cision.com or follow @Cision on Twitter.

For more information, visit http://www.gorkana.com,http://www.cision.com or follow @gorkana, @Cision on Twitter

For media information please contact:

Philip Smith

Head of News and Content

philip.smith@gorkana.com

Gorkana

+44(0)20-7674-0200


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada / B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education

Students, faculty and staff at Langara College will benefit from a $1.58-million investment that will improve the environmental sustainability of the campus and enhance learning conditions.

This joint federal-provincial funding was announced today by the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and by the Honourable Andrew Wilkinson, B.C. Minister of Advanced Education.

Canada's Innovation Agenda aims to make this country a global centre for innovation-one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment exemplifies that vision in action.

The funding will support the replacement of two 1970-era, energy-intensive ventilation systems that are reaching the end of their useful life. The new fan systems will improve air distribution, reduce operating costs and improve energy consumption at Langara College.

Fans are being replaced in Building A, which houses many classrooms and all lab spaces in the arts, business, humanities and social science programs.

Of the $1.58-million investment, $1 million will come from the federal government and $584,000 will come from the Province of British Columbia. Langara College will contribute an additional $610,000.

Federal funding will be allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which aims to enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.

As a result of these investments, students, professors and researchers will work in state-of-the-art facilities that advance the country's best research. They will collaborate in specially designed spaces that support lifelong learning and skills training. They will work in close proximity with partners to turn discoveries into products or services. In the process, they will train for-and invent-the high-value jobs of the future. And their discoveries will plant the seeds for the next generation of innovators.

That is how the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.

The fan replacement project at Langara College is estimated to be completed in spring 2018. Approximately ten direct and four indirect jobs are expected to be created as a result of the project.

Located in Vancouver, Langara College provides university, career and continuing education to more than 21,000 students annually. With more than 1,700 courses and 130 programs, Langara's expansive academic breadth and depth allow all students, regardless of age, background or life stage, to choose their own educational path. Langara is also known as "house of teachings," a name given to it by the Musqueam people on whose unceded traditional territory the college is located.

Quotes

"Through the Strategic Investment Fund, the Government of Canada is helping to enhance the country's post-secondary infrastructure, including at our technical institutes and colleges. Our investment in this project at Langara College will lead to better energy use and overall environmental sustainability at the college and will help give students state-of-the-art facilities to gain the skills they need to prosper in an increasingly competitive global economy."

- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"Investments like these will support our world-class researchers and position Canada as a global leader in research excellence and innovation. Through the Strategic Investment Fund, we are providing Canada's students with the education and training they need to join a strong, healthy middle class."

- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence

"Our government is investing in students by maintaining and updating post-secondary buildings throughout the province. Students at Langara College can focus on their education and training as they work toward a career in a range of sectors that support our diverse, strong and growing economy."

- The Honourable Andrew Wilkinson, B.C. Minister of Advanced Education

"The new fans will improve comfort, reduce operating costs, and significantly improve energy consumption and reduce emissions. Investment partnerships such as the one with the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia will benefit Langara College's students, faculty and staff."

- Dr. Lane Trotter, President and CEO, Langara College

Quick facts

-- Canada's Innovation Agenda is designed to ensure the country is globally competitive in promoting research, translating ideas into new products and services, accelerating business growth and propelling entrepreneurs from the start-up phase to international success. -- The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally. -- The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada's climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects. -- Nearly one million job openings are expected in B.C. over the next decade, and eight out of ten of these openings will require post- secondary education. In-demand occupations requiring post-secondary education or training range from professional to management to trades. -- The Province of British Columbia is directly investing $904 million in planned capital expenses in the post-secondary sector over the next three years. The Province has invested more than $2.8 billion in capital and infrastructure projects at public post-secondary institutions in B.C. since 2001, with more than 1,650 capital projects throughout the province.

Associated links

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund website

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund backgrounder

Innovation Agenda backgrounder

BCTECH Strategy

B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint

Langara College

Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED

Follow BC Jobs Plan on Twitter: @BCJobsPlan

Contacts:

Philip Proulx

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Innovation,

Science and Economic Development

343-291-2500



Media Relations

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

343-291-1777

ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca



Sarah Newton

Public Affairs Officer

Communications Office, Ministry of Advanced Education

250-213-1703

sarah.newton@gov.bc.ca



Mark Dawson

Manager, Communications and Marketing

Langara College

604-323-5702

mdawson@langara.bc.ca




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has just enough support to qualify for a televised debate in Louisiana's Senate race. A survey by Raycom Media found that Duke met the 5 percent threshold needed to participate in the debate, which will be held at Dillard University, a historically black university in New Orleans. 'Important News! I qualified for the U.S. Senate most important debate in Louisiana on Nov 2. I can't wait to tell truth nobody else dares!' Duke said in a post on twitter. Duke is not expected to be a factor in Louisiana's all-party primary on Election Day, but his participation in the debate will give him an opportunity to express his controversial views to a wider audience. When announcing his run for the Senate, Duke suggested that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and other Americans are embracing his ideas. Trump drew considerable criticism earlier this year for his apparent reluctance to disavow an endorsement from Duke. The Raycom Media poll showed Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy in the lead at 24 percent, followed by Democratic Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell at 19 percent. Democratic attorney Caroline Fayard came in third at 12 percent, with Republican congressmen Charles Boustany, R-La., and John Fleming, R-La., at 11 and 10 percent, respectively. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote on November 8th, the top two vote-getters will go head-to-head in a runoff on December 10th. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
ASKER, NORWAY (21 October 2016) - TGS will release the financial statement for Q3 2016 on 28 October 2016 at approximately 7:00 am CEST.

Kristian Johansen (CEO) and Sven Boerre Larsen (CFO) will present the results at 9:00 am CEST at the Hotel Continental (Teatersalen) in Oslo, Norway. The presentation is open to the public. The presentation can be followed live on the internet at www.tgs.com.

The slides from the presentation will also be available in PDF format on the TGS website.

Kristian Johansen and Sven Boerre Larsen will host a conference call on 28 October 2016 at 3:00 pm CEST (9:00 am New York time). Attendees may want to call 5-10 minutes before 3:00 pm CEST (9:00 am New York time) to ensure registration and access.

Norwegian attendees are invited to call +800 51084 or +47 2100 2610

International attendees are invited to call 0800 358 6377 or +44 (0)203 043 2003

US attendees are invited to call +1 800-274-0251

Participants will need to quote the following confirmation code when dialing into the conference: 1217777

A Q&A session will follow a short introduction, based upon the presentation issued in the morning. To pose a question, please press *1.

A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after. To access replay of the TGS conference call:

dial +47 23 50 00 77 (Norway) or +44 (0)207 660 0134 (International) or +1 719-457-0820 (US)

replay access code 1217777 followed by # (pound-sign)

A replay of the conference call will also be available at www.tgs.com.

Company summary

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) provides multi-client geoscience data to oil and gas Exploration and Production companies worldwide. In addition to extensive global geophysical and geological data libraries that include multi-client seismic data, magnetic and gravity data, digital well logs, production data and directional surveys, TGS also offers advanced processing and imaging services, interpretation products, and data integration solutions.

For more information visit TGS online at www.tgs.com.

Forward-looking statements and contact information

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include TGS' reliance on a cyclical industry and principle customers, TGS' ability to continue to expand markets for licensing of data, and TGS' ability to acquire and process data products at costs commensurate with profitability. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSLO:TGS).

TGS sponsored American Depositary Shares trade on the U.S. over-the-counter market under the symbol "TGSGY".

For additional information about this press release please contact:

Sven Boerre Larsen

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +47 90 94 36 73

Email: sven.larsen@tgs.com (mailto:sven.larsen@tgs.com)

Will Ashby

VP HR & Communication

Tel: +1 713 860 2184

Email: will.ashby@tgs.com (mailto:will.ashby@tgs.com)



This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to 5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act)

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: TGS via Globenewswire


EAGLE, ID--(Marketwired - October 21, 2016) - Mountain America Credit Union proudly welcomes Ryan Burrup as its new branch manager for the Eagle, Idaho branch located at 100 E. Riverside Drive.

Ryan Burrup was born and raised in Idaho. He attended Idaho State University where he earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Marketing. He began working with Mountain America Credit Union in 2012 in Chubbuck and relocated to the Boise area in 2015 to assist in opening the new Meridian branch.

"It's an honor to be part of such a talented team here at the Eagle branch," says Burrup. "I am excited to get to know our neighbors in business and the community as we deliver the best quality service to our members."

The Eagle branch opened March 2015, and is one of 13 branches across southern Idaho.

Mountain America Credit Union has more than $5.7 billion in assets and serves more than 600,000 members, wherever they are, through online and mobile banking, 86 branches in five states and access to more than 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs and 5,000 shared-branching locations nationwide. With roots dating back to the 1930s, Mountain America offers a variety of financial products and services for consumers and businesses, including savings accounts, auto loans, checking accounts, mortgage loans, business checking, student loans, SBA loans and retirement options. Visit www.macu.com for more information.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/21/11G119014/Images/photo_1-abaaedef747fa7bb97f731558cdf58b7.jpg

Media Contact:

Angie Nelson

208-493-0131

Email contact


MONACO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/21/16 -- Dynagas LNG Partners LP (the "Partnership") (NYSE: DLNG), an owner and operator of LNG carriers, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a cash distribution of $0.5625 per unit on its Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Units (the "Series A Preferred Units") (NYSE: DLNG PR A) for the period from August 12, 2016 to November 11, 2016.

The cash distribution is payable on or about November 12, 2016 to all preferred unit holders of record as of November 5, 2016.

Distributions on the Series A Preferred Units will be payable quarterly in arrears on the 12th day of February, May, August and November of each year, when, as and if declared by our Board of Directors. This is the fifth cash distribution on the Series A Preferred Units since they began trading on the NYSE.

The Partnership has 3,000,000 Series A Preferred Units outstanding as of the date of this press release.

About Dynagas LNG Partners LP

Dynagas LNG Partners LP. (NYSE: DLNG) is a growth-oriented master limited partnership formed by Dynagas Holding Ltd., its sponsor, to own and operate liquefied natural gas ("LNG") carriers employed on multi-year charters. The current fleet of Dynagas Partners consists of six LNG carriers, with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 913,980 cubic meters.

Visit the Partnership's website at www.dynagaspartners.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions. Although the Partnership believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Partnership's control, the Partnership cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. In addition, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these risks, uncertainties, and other important factors. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and the Partnership disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Contact Information:

Dynagas LNG Partners LP

23, Rue Basse, 98000 Monaco

Attention: Michael Gregos

Tel. +37799996445

Email: management@dynagaspartners.com



Investor Relations/ Financial Media:

Nicolas Bornozis

President Capital Link, Inc.

230 Park Avenue, Suite 1536

New York, NY 10169

Tel. (212) 661-7566

E-mail: dynagas@capitallink.com




LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The Scots invaded the fashion capital this evening in a fleet of Maserati's as they took over the luxurious Rosewood London to celebrate the 11TH annual Scottish Fashion Awards. Held in association with Maserati the glitzy red carpet gala was all about the new millennials shaping the global fashion landscape.

Glaswegian designer, illustrator and radical creative Charles Jeffrey wascrowned 'Young Designer of the Year', face of Burberry - Scot Jean Campbell took 'Model of the Year', rising star Roslyne McQuillan scooped 'Graduate of the Year' and the 3 young friends who created the global brand 'Tens', took 'Accessory Designer of the Year'. The orchestral musical arrangements cemented the Oscars vibe with sweeping film like graphics, as legendary designer Pam Hogg was hailed as 'Fashion Icon 2016.' A special award 'Fashion Innovator' was presented to Holly Fulton, who was recognised for her contribution to fashion by her innovative creativity.

Nikolas Talonpoika, CEO of Christopher Kane picked up the brand's win for 'Designer Brand of the Year' and Stefano Sutter Regional Director for Prada, collected the 'International Designer of the Year'. Pringle of Scotland won 'Textile Brand of the Year' which was be collected by Massimo Nicosia. Marco Gentile, President of Burberry EMEIA collected the award for 'Luxury Retailer'.

The globally recognised awards provide an invaluable platform to "honour and showcase the best creative, fashion, design and textile talent hailing from Scotland," the event founder Tessa Hartmann CBE explains. Hartmann's opening speech included an impassioned plea to "stop arguing about political borders and instigate a culture of optimism and even risk taking". She encouraged the assembled Scots to "start thinking bigger" and said that "Scottishness is essential to British identity and no more so apparent than that of Scottish fashion".

The ceremony was led by BBC presenter Jean Johansson and also attended by guest of honour the Rt Hon David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland who said, "I'm delighted to co-host the 11th Anniversary Scottish Fashion Awards this year with Dr Tessa Hartmann. These awards illustrate that Scotland punches above its weight in the global fashion market place and that's something that I am thrilled to be a part of."

Other winners of the night were Karen Dacre who received 'Communicator of the Year', contemporary menswear label Kestin Hare 'Retailer of the Year'.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Employees of Facebook, the world's largest social network, reportedly considered to censor hate posts from US Presidential candidate Donald Trump, however, the matter was resolved by CEO Mark Zuckerberg intervention. According to The Wall Street Journal, some Facebook employees accused certain posts of Trump on Facebook, like the call to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S., promoted hate speech, which violated the website's regulations. However, Zuckerberg intervened in to the matter and deemed 'it would be inappropriate to censor the candidate,' the report says. 'When we review reports of content that may violate our policies, we take context into consideration,' a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider. 'That context can include the value of political discourse. Many people are voicing opinions about this particular content and it has become an important part of the conversation around who the next U.S. president will be. For those reasons, we are carefully reviewing each report and surrounding context relating to this content on a case by case basis.' Many employees across the company have voiced their complaints on Facebook's internal messaging service and Zuckerberg for bending the site's rules for Trump, with some event threatening to quit the company. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Tovala, a Chicago, IL-based home cooking startup, raised $1.6M in seed round of funding.

The round was led by Origin Ventures with participation from Twitch and Cruise Automation founder Kyle Vogt, Weebly founders Dan Veltri and Chris Fanini, Seamless Web and RiverPark Ventures founder Andy Appelbaum, New Stack Ventures, GREE, Y Combinator Partner Paul Buchheit and Service Provider Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations.

Led by David Rabie, CEO, and Bryan Wilcox, CTO, Tovala offers a smart oven, a companion app that allows people to control cooking method, time, and temperature, and, each week, delivers to customers homes a cold-packed, fresh and ready to cook menu consisting of 4-6 new meal options, along with a few classics.

FinSMEs

21/10/2016
Monzo (fka Mondo), a London, UK-based mobile bank, raised 4.8m in funding.

The round, which brought the companys valuation to 50m and 12.8m in total funding to date, was led by existing investor Passion Capital.

The company intends to use the capital to advance its beta program.

Led by Tom Blomfield, CEO, Monzo is building a mobile bank for people who dont need for branches and cheque books. It is building a current account and is working with a range of other providers to create a smart platform for customers to manage their entire financial life.

They are currently live with limited-edition Alpha and Beta cards (Monzo MasterCard Prepaid Debit cards), which can be topped up and used at cash machines, in-store, online and at contactless terminals.

The company, which is authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA, will get restrictions lifted in early 2017.

FinSMEs

20/10/2016
Pakistan warns India against breaching Indus Water Treaty

Published: October 21, 2016

Pakistan has warned India that it will take appropriate action if India violates the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) unilaterally.

It also mentioned that it was closely monitoring the situation after India decided to suspend all talks with Pakistan on IWT in the wake of the Uri attack.

Why Indus River is important for Pakistan?

Around 65% of the Pakistans geographical area including entire Pakistans Punjab province is part of Indus basin. The water of Indus River is lifeline of Pakistan and is source of irrigation, hydro power and drinking water for millions of Pakistanis. If the water from rivers is stopped by India it can surely cut lifeline of Pakistan.

What is Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)?

IWT is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan which was brokered by the World Bank (then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

The treaty deals with sharing of water of Indus water system having six rivers  Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum between the two countries.

It was signed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan in Karachi on September 19, 1960.

As per treaty, control over three eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej was given to India. While control over three western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab was given to Pakistan.

It allows India to use only 20% of the water of Indus river, which flows through it first, for irrigation, power generation and transport.

Most disagreements and disputes have been settled via legal procedures, provided for within the framework of the treaty.

Under it Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty. The Commission solves disputes arising over water sharing. Besides, treaty also provides arbitration mechanism to solve disputes amicably.

A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty. The Commission solves disputes arising over water sharing

It is most successful water treaty in world. Even, it has survived India-Pakistan wars of 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil standoff besides Kashmir insurgency since 1990.

For more information: Recent clamour about abrogation of Indus Water Treaty

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2016

Topics: India- Pakistan  Indus Waters Treaty  National

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After receiving direct orders from Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai Police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar is set to show the strength of the Mumbai Police and underline the fact that people can't get away with whatever they want. The orders? Do what it takes to ensure the smooth release of Karan Johar's film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. This is the first instance of the Centre directly intervening in a situation of this manner.

A. At the same time, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has also called an urgent meeting of senior leaders to discuss how to tackle the situation, particularly in light of the fact that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is set to be released in Mumbai, Maharashtra and all over India on 28 October  the very day Diwali festivities begin.

MNS leaders know that the anti-Pakistan stand of the party has a significant amount of support in Mumbai and the state in general. There is a perception that citizens of the state almost unanimously dont want any Pakistani to live or showcase their arts in India. And so, the party chief can't really withdraw his threat to agitate against the film, said a senior leader told on condition of anonymity. On this issue, he added that only Raj will speak but, "Aage dekho hota hai kya (wait and see what happens next)."

"Raj Thackeray is not a coward. He is the first leader to raise the migrant issue and the cause of the Marathi language. So we are not frightened of arrest while following his instructions," he said. In the meeting of senior MNS leaders at Krishna Kunj, Raj's Dadar residence  attended by leaders including Amey Khopkar and Shalini Thackeray  to discuss strategy, it was agreed that the party will not back down. The party also decided to make its stand public in 48 hours, which would end on Sunday. The MNS chief also congratulated the party cadres for steadfastly holding on to their anti-Pakistani stand.

Meanwhile, the city's police commissioner told Firstpost, "It is important that the MNS does not attempt to prevent the release of the film or else there will be very stringent action taken against its office-bearers during the festive season. All security agencies are doing their best to prevent violence from ruining the festive mood. Nobody in the city can break the law. We have already provided security to multiplexes in Mumbai. Also, we are talking with the association like the Indian Motion Pictures Association and assured them of all types of security."

Padsalgikar added, "Whoever wishes to watch the film can watch it. Nobody can stop them. FThe first time around, we booked 12 MNS karyakartas under preventive and detention clauses and the court sentenced them to 14 days of judicial custody. We take this issue very seriously and the chief minister has already issued instructions to us. We have already taken strict action and will do so in the future too."

But the MNS leaders are in no mood to comply. Aside from the speeches delivered by Khopkar and Shalini, the party leader has issued one statement calling for a ban on Pakistani artistes. Party sources told Firstpost that MNS leaders are in no mood to back down from their stand on the film and if it does indeed run smoothly in the city, it will cast major doubts on the party's integrity.

"Many office-bearers are saying that if we do a U-turn on our stand, then Mumbaikars will say that it was a political stunt and that the party has compromised its integrity. Needless to say, it will send out the wrong message. And so party karyakartas want to break the windows of multiplexes that choose to screen the film and incite violence on its premises. We are ready to go behind bars for the party, but we must also be given legal support by the party, " said an MNS office-bearer whose relative is in judicial custody until 4 November.

And the Mumbai Police is equally undeterred. "I am personally monitoring the issue closely and our senior officials are constantly in touch with multiplexes and film associations. If anyone requires help or wants security in this regard, they can get in touch with us," assured Padsalgikar, adding, "I know my duties and I have assured 1.4 crore Mumbaikars that they can freely watch this film without tension."

On Wednesday, the Mumbai Police arrested 12 MNS karyakartas for threatening the owner of Metro Cinema (Dhobi Talao) not to screen the film. Those arrested include Arwind Gawde, Shekhar Gavhane and Nilesh Jadhav.

Diwali festivities kick off next week, but it's the civic elections (to take place before March 2017) that are a motivating factor. And while MNS karyakartas are keen on indulging in such agitations, their parents are opposed. "The MNS is not providing legal support if karyakartas are behind bars after agitating. Who is taking responsibility for them?" asked a mother whose son is in judicial custody at the time of writing.
by Maya Palit

A new web series called #ItsNotThatSimple was released in October. Directed by Danish Aslam and starring Swara Bhaskar, it is a show that examines extramarital affairs in contemporary urban India from the perspective of the female protagonist Meera.

The first episode begins with a stay-at-home mum, in a dud marriage with a possessive male chauvinist pig, getting a bikini wax, waiting for her lover in the lobby of a fancy hotel and spilling her plans to embark on an affair: Saath aath minute mein mera status change hone wala hai. [In about seven minutes my status is going to change]. From committed to complicated. From sati-savitri types to affair-karne-wali types.

From the opening and the multiple descriptions of the show by its creators, you can tell it is meant to be a comic approach to a woman in her thirties exploring her self and sexuality, which ridicules the overtly negative connotations that often accompany stories about infidelity.

If #ItsNotThatSimple had succeeded in doing this, it would have been a refreshing change; although there have been other intriguing departures from the judgmental narrative. Just earlier this year, in fact, Zindagis Aadhe Adhoore was applauded by Shohini Ghosh for being unapologetic in its portrayal of a controversial affair.

However, she pointed out that the writers gave in to the outraged clamouring of viewers (unlike what this survey on infidelity suggests, they did equate her cheating with dishonour) who demanded that the woman get a comeuppance for her actions.

#ItsNotThatSimple provides another disappointing end (or in this case, mid-point, as there are three episodes yet to air), albeit for different reasons. It fizzles out just around the point that you realise that Meera thinks of herself as Betty Cooper, the bland giggly teenager from the Archies comic book series, and the show doesnt recover from this, because the love triangle is just about as stereotyped as it is in the comic and none of the characters are like-able.

And then you meet Archie and Reggie. Played by Akshay Oberoi and Vivian Bhatena, they are two maddeningly posh, hyper-masculine, testosterone-boosted guys who were the studs in Meeras school and whose lifes purpose is to defeat the other in a race for her affection (when the bad guy isnt womanising and riding a Harley around town and the nice guy isnt being a good dad to his triplets or saving lives as a doctor).

As as a viewer, there isnt much that makes you root for either Harley or Honda (the nicknames they are given by their friends), so the chase becomes infinitely boring and doesnt even leave room for cheap thrills. Much of the dialogue between characters is insipid as well: We have grown up Thats true View kitna achha tha (meaningful look), View kitna achha hai (soulful longing look).

Theres a reason this dynamic was left behind in high school, and it leaves you wondering whether it would have been a Herculean effort for the writer of the show to be even marginally more imaginative. It is the sheer predictability of the narrative that traps the protagonist into replicating her persona from school, leaving very little scope for the protagonist to explore and push boundaries.

Although the intention was presumably to imagine an exciting other life for the character, a far cry from the conventional roles of doting mother and compromising wife that were foisted on to her, her Betty Cooper act is so tedious that the portrayal of her unsatisfactory life at home ultimately becomes the most interesting part of the show.

Her arguments with her husband are cliched enough and dont make for immensely powerful scenes but they do capture significant truths about the everyday in miserable dead-end relationships, the resentment over past compromises, the perfunctory sex. Its also the only time there is an apparent effort to add complexity to her personality: she is resigned and stoical about foregoing a career but also brusque and sarcastic and sometimes, guilty and confused in her dealings with her husband.

The show claims to be an exploration of urban India, but it hardly shows anything of Mumbai besides flashy hotels and upmarket flats, so it is hardly surprising that the lives depicted lack any animation.

Unlike some critics, I dont think the problem is that the show has an imbalanced view of relationships because it gives you a one-sided perspective and doesnt delve into the cuckolded husbands inner emotional life. Its the opposite  the description of the show promises many things about self-discovery and emancipating yourself from the tedium of a bad marriage, including that Meera is looking for an affair with herself, we never see this happen.

Having a strong female lead for a web series doesnt cut it anymore, especially as there has been a recent proliferation of those in digital media. How about giving her some interesting events to grapple with as well?

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine.
Snakes on a plane? Thats passe. Monsters in the closet? Done before. Zombies in a train? Now thats something thats fresh, and trust the Korean film industry to execute such an idea to dizzyingly entertaining levels.

Directed by Yeon Sang Ho, Train to Busan is pretty much a checklist of everything a horror film fan needs  a zombie outbreak, interesting characters, hilarious off kilter comedic situations, a ticking time bomb narrative, excellent production values, and realistic gore. Theres really nothing in the film to not like, and you dont even need to read the rest of this review to find out if this film is worth watching.

So whats the story here? Its predictably simple  a virus has found itself infecting unsuspecting citizens of South Korea. Like in other zombie films the person who is bitten by a zombie also turns into a zombie. The story is told from the point of view of a divorced man (Gong Yu) in Seoul who decides to drop off his daughter to his ex wife in Busan.

They board the famous KTX bullet train, and shortly after the train commences its journey an infected person bites into the TC and the virus spreads like wildfire from compartment to compartment, turning the train into a mixer grinder of infected people chasing the non infected ones.

The constricted nature of the environment adds a nice spin to the tired zombie cliches and the forward motion of the train kind of adds to the tension and atmosphere. The train setting also lets the director take some innovative shots of the action sequences, and also forces the characters to make creative decisions in defending themselves.

One such fascinating scene involves a character avoiding a horde of zombies by climbing along the luggage compartment above them. Interestingly, the zombies in this film cant see very well, so every time the train goes into a tunnel it makes for simultaneously hilarious and tense sequences where the zombies become stationary and the survivors try to squeeze through them.

Since Korean films are probably the worst at melodrama (they just dont have the hardcore emo chops of YRF and Dharma) the sentimental aspect in this film is where the film tends to fall off the rails. The fathers character is a stereotypically busy man who didnt have enough time to spend with his daughter, and the predictable climax pumped with saccharine emotional beats makes you roll your eyes.

Ironically at some points earlier in the film that emotional manipulation works in the films favour because you actually care about the people and dont really want them to turn into zombies and die. Theres also a cleverly included villain in the film that is a not so subtle commentary on the dog eat dog work culture in South Korea, and its especially satisfying when the bad guy gets his just desserts.

Train to Busan also makes you credit Danny Boyle for reigniting the zombie outbreak in the film industry. Boyle turned the concept of zombies from slow moving dumb creatures that could be outrun, into fiery raging monsters that you have absolutely no chance to escape from. If you have watched Train to Busan and have not seen Boyles horror masterpiece, you could head home from the theater and make this one a double bill.
In the wake of recent ATM fraud involving around 3.2 million debit cards, with State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and few other banks blocking lakhs of debit cards dust seem to be settling down on yet another ATM heist.

It was only in 2013, when the largest ATM heist of $45 million happened. This heist involved cards issued by National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimahand Bank of Muscat. Money was withdrawn in space of few hours in two separate time periods from across several continents. It was reported that two payment processing companies in India were probably compromised. Lessons, however, dont seem to have been learnt.

Shockingly in the current case there was a prior warning. National Payment Corporation of India in May 2016 had informed the banks about the possible malware induced breach in payment systems operated by Hitachi Payment Services. Nothing much seems to have been done except for Hitachi Payment Services issuing couple of statements indicating their systems as per reports of the auditors have no breach.

The mechanics of operations are fairly simple. ATM operations of banks are mostly outsourced to third parties who provide the machines and the software to run the same. As a person swipes the card, the details from the magnetic stripe on the card are read by the reader on the ATM machine. This provides basic account details and the corresponding bank identifications. After the card is read, PIN is entered to authenticate the transaction.

These third-party companies are provided a link to the bank systems wherein they get details of the bank accounts and PIN details of individual cards and also the limits on each card. These details are processed on the payment settlement system run by these outsourced companies and based on the authenticated details payments are made. Once the payment systems are compromised, card details, PINs, limits etc. all reach hands of scammers.

These details are used to make fake cards. These cards are then handed over to persons who withdraw money from ATMs many a times this operation happens in a coordinated manner across several countries.

As reported, withdrawals from china happened in the current case. While Hitachi Payment Services may maintain that its servers were not breached, as far as a citizen is concerned, he lost his money. Money having gone and software systems possibly facilitating it does appear to be a case of wrongful loss to citizen and wrongful gain by unknown persons. This clearly attracts section of cheating as per Indian Penal Code.

Role of the banks, who hired the services of these payment settlement companies and also those who certified this software to be free of bugs is also not beyond the realms of sections of criminal conspiracy in Indian Penal Code.

Case could be made out that the intermediaries, i.e. the payment settlement companies and the banks were themselves a victim. But negligence in safekeeping of citizens money surely is criminal and needs to be investigated.

Outsourced operations no doubt add to ease of business. They are, however, prone to fraud in absence of proper checks and balances. Cases like these raise concerns on whether there has been a criminal negligence on part of the parties concerned.

Criminal investigations in current case involving banks, software service providers and auditors who certify these systems will not only help prevent future frauds but also help the citizens to safely and securely enjoy hassle-free banking services in future.

The author is Currently Additional Director General Home guards, Mumbai and former Controller, Legal Metrology, Maharashtra.
(Editor's note: After the scare of ATM security breach started to spread on Thursday, the government said only about 0.5 percent of total debit card details were compromised and the remaining 99.5 percent cards are completely safe. The government also advised not to panic. This article was first published on Thursday. This is an updated version.)

Cyber security is an issue that is affecting India as it is being attacked by the cyber army led by Pakistan and China and internally we are vulnerable in sectors of finance, oil, energy, power among other vital areas.

In February 2016, cyber thieves have been bold enough to hack into the central bank of Bangladesh and sent fake payment orders to the US Fed. The Fed was tricked into paying out $101 million. This only enthuses and emboldens hackers to go all out and commit such frauds.

There are a lot many bank frauds that are happening in India but the banks dont want to lodge a police complaint as that would mean their reputation would be at risk and also their customers may lose trust in them. Since they have insurance, they prefer to claim damages rather than come out in the open about the crime.

The future crimes will be largely cyber crimes and people should be careful before using their keyboard and typing out details. More people are taking to cyber capability like fish to water and there are criminals waiting on the banks to eat them up.

The governments flagship financial inclusion program, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has resulted in 25.05 crore accounts (as of 12 October, 2016) being opened across the country but most of the beneficiaries are not cyber literate. When money flows into their accounts from the government, it will be fraught with high risks.

It is very easy to clone a card. All it takes is for someone to read the card as the details are being punched and money can be siphoned away from ones account. People must be aware and cautious of how they manage their accounts, debit/credit cards, password and personal information. Awareness must be created continuously so that customers are alert about the risks involved. Banks need to sweep their computers periodically and look out for Trojans.

In this case of 30 lakh account details being compromised, customers must know that it does not mean money has been siphoned off their accounts. If it was, under RBI rules, the concerned banks would have to pay back their customers.

Accounts being compromised means that the details of the customers, bank card numbers, etc could be hacked into which can be used to take away customer's money. That is why the banks have had to reissue new cards. It is akin to Samsung withdrawing Note 7.

(As told to Sulekha Nair)
       :         , 10     5    
In a boost to Reliance Jio, which is offering life-time free voice calling service, telecom regulator Trai has held that tariff plans of the new player are compliant to existing rules and not discriminatory.

...it is found that the tariff plans filed with TRAI cannot be considered as IUC non-complaint, predatory and discriminatory, at present, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a letter to telecom operators.

Incumbent operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and others approached Trai against free call service being offered by Reliance Jio, calling the tariff plan predatory, discriminatory and non-compliant to present rules.

Telecom operators are required to pay 14 paise per minute for each outgoing call from their network to the operator on whose network the call finally lands.

Mukesh Ambani, Indias richest man, stormed his way into the telecom sector last month announcing a Jio Welcome Offer giving unlimited free calls to subscribers for lifetime.

Reacting to the Trai letter, RJio in a statement said, This (Trais letter) clearly establishes the fact that all the tariffs offered by RJIL are in compliance with the prevailing regulations. A key feature of RJILs tariff packs is free voice calling for Local, STD and National roaming for all times.

Besides this, it is offering unlimited free 4G mobile broadband till December 31.

Rival telecom operators had also contested free data service offered by Jio beyond 90 days but same have been set aside by the regulator.

The revised offer of free services by Reliance Jio has been limited to 90 days i.e. December 3, 2016 and therefore is consistent with the guidelines on promotional offers, Trai said in an order.

Reliance Jio said that the free service, including unlimited mobile data, will be available for its subscribers till December 31.

As per RJIL s filing with the TRAI, the Jio Welcome Offer will be available to all the customers for subscription till December 3, 2016. RJIL wishes to reconfirm that JWO benefits of free unlimited voice and data will continue to be available to all subscribers till December 31, 2016, the company said.

RJIL said that the consumers, who cannot subscribe to the RJIL services till December 3 2016 will continue getting opportunities to avail new offers and tariff plans. RJIL aspires to provide the experience of Jio Digital life to all Indians and to achieve this it will continue coming up with more consumer friendly offers and plans to enhance the consumer experience, the statement said.

(Disclosure: Firstpost is part of Network18, owned by Reliance Industries Limited.)
By Francesco Guarascio

| BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS The European Union's lead Brexit negotiator would like British and EU officials to work in French rather than English during the divorce talks, an EU official familiar with Brussels' Brexit task force told Reuters on Friday.After the report caused waves during British Prime Minister Theresa May's first EU summit in Brussels, Michel Barnier took to Twitter to deny - in English - having expressed such a view. However, he noted that language rules would be agreed by negotiators only once May launches the formal Brexit process next year.The source told Reuters that people working with the former French foreign minister understood he would prefer his native tongue. "Barnier wants French to be the working language in Brexit negotiations with Britain," the EU official said.Barnier, whose nationality and track record as an EU regulator overseeing the City of London financial centre has raised hackles in Britain, said no decision had been made yet."Never expressed myself on negotiation language. Work as often in English as French. Linguistic regime to be set at start; to be agreed between negotiators," he said on Twitter.An EU spokeswoman said: "This will be agreed upon at the beginning of the negotiations - after receiving the Article 50 notification - and in common agreement with the negotiators."Asked about the negotiating language, May told reporters: "We will conduct the negotiations in the way that is going to make sure that we get the right deal for the United Kingdom."

Using French would mark a shift away from standard practice among multinational teams in Brussels, where French lost its status to English as the EU's main working language after northern and eastern states joined in the past two decades. Even officials from the EU's founding powers France and Germany now communicate with each other mainly in English.SIGNAL

It would also send a signal to London that the EU plans to put its own interests first in negotiating divorce talks that the prime minister has promised to launch by the end of March.Barnier's boss, former Luxembourg premier and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who met May over lunch on Friday, has said the EU must be "intransigent" in defending its principles during the talks.Most British diplomats in Brussels are fluent in French but ministers and Whitehall officials largely share with fellow Britons the distinction of being among the poorest linguists in Europe.

Barnier's task force, currently numbering 15 staff and including no Britons, has been conversing mainly in French. But most EU officials are more at ease in English.Asked about the issue, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit: "Each of us is allowed to speak their own language. Since Mr Barnier is a French citizen, it's hardly surprising that he speaks French, just as I speak German."Barnier, who speaks fluent if accented English, was an unpopular choice for some British politicians. Some described it as "an act of war" by Juncker. As a commissioner until 2014, Barnier, 65, had a difficult relationship with Britain, where one newspaper called him the "scourge of the City".Some EU politicians have suggested that English might lose its status as one of three official EU working languages, along with French and German, as a result of Brexit.However, few see a challenge to the global lingua franca's position in Brussels. (Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Noah Barkin and David Stamp)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Emma Thomasson and Donny Kwok

| BERLIN/HONG KONG

BERLIN/HONG KONG As Europe's fashion giants brace for what could be the toughest leg of their expansion in China, a South African retail tycoon has launched a bold assault on the worlds most populous nation.Christo Wiese is promising to open 500 of his New Look stores in just three years, catapulting the British brand into the same league in China as the world's top fashion chains - Spain's Inditex (ITX.MC) and Sweden's H&M (HMb.ST). His plan is to make most of the clothes in China to ensure they cater to local tastes and can get to stores quickly - a strategy similar to the one successfully pursued in Europe by Zara-owner Inditex.The arrival of New Look - and its local sourcing strategy - poses a new risk for the likes of H&M and Inditex, already suffering from slower growth in China, fierce competition for real estate and the cost of investing in ecommerce. H&M is opening more stores in China this year than anywhere else in the world and the country is already the second biggest market for Inditex outside Spain.China is a big draw for retailers who hope to tap the aspirations of a fast-growing middle class, with mid-range names benefiting as consumers trade down from luxury brands since Beijing's clampdown on corruption and conspicuous spending.But recent history offers plenty of examples of failure. Western brands that have struggled in China include Gap Inc (GPS.N), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF.N) and Marks and Spencer (MKS.L), which decided last year to close five stores in smaller cities to focus on flagship stores in large cities and online."Most of the Western fashion labels that are mid-range fail in China. A large part of it is that the styles and the fit are so completely different," said Shaun Rein, founder of market intelligence firm China Market Research.LOCAL TASTES, LOCAL SOURCING

New Look, a chain founded in 1969 and bought last year by Wiese's investment vehicle Brait SE (BATJ.J), does not want to make the same mistake. It now runs 94 stores in China, out of a global total of 852, and hopes to have up to 150 by next March."I will definitely give it a try if it is a foreign brand and as long as I like it," said Chen Jie, a 32-year-old businessman from Shenzhen who was carrying an H&M bag in a shopping district in Hong Kong. "Price is not an issue but the design and quality must be good."While New Look is cashing in on the popularity in China of British style - it is adding the "London" tag to its logo for its Chinese stores and website - it is also catering for local tastes.Sven Gaede, managing director of New Look's international business, says the firm has an advantage over many European rivals as 85 percent of what it sells in China is sourced locally and more than a third is designed exclusively for China.That has allowed New Look to tap into the current popularity in Asia of culottes - flared, three-quarter length trousers. Gaede said they account for 12 percent of the firm's sales in China, though they are not popular in its European markets.

"South Korea and Japan drive a lot of the trends that the Chinese customer seeks, so our ability to be able to identify those trends, source them locally and get them into our stores quickly is key," said Gaede.That helps explain the success of the Uniqlo chain of Japan's Fast Retailing (9983.T) in China, which already has almost 500 stores in the country and is aiming for 1,000 stores in about five years - more than in Japan."It's pretty hard for the foreign fast brands to do the localisation that Uniqlo does in China as it was born with the Asian gene," said Violet Shen, a marketing executive in Shanghai.The "fast fashion" model was pioneered by Inditex, which can bring new styles from the catwalk to stores in Europe within days from factories mostly in Spain and North Africa. However, Inditex does not have the same advantage in China.Inditex plans to add 60 stores in the next few years to the 582 it already runs in China, but it serves them from its logistics centres in Spain."As their proportion of sales increases in the East, it challenges this model. You can't hub out of Spain," said Dominic Jephcott, chief executive of supply chain experts Vendigital.New Look is not the first Western retailer to try to bring the Inditex model to China.

Denmark's Bestseller, which runs brands like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones, says over 90 percent of its products sold in China are also produced in China and most of the designs for the Chinese market are adjusted to local tastes.That has helped the family-owned firm to become the clear leader in China, with more than 6,800 stores in over 300 cities, to give it a 2 percent share of the fragmented market, according to market research firm Euromonitor.Anders Kristiansen ran the China business of Bestseller before taking over as New Look chief executive in 2013. Gaede said Kristiansen's experience in Asia is one of the reasons behind the group's aggressive expansion strategy.H&M also buys many of its garments in China - the country accounts for about a quarter of its global sourcing.But the Swedish firm does not make a big point of adjusting its ranges for China, where it has opened 47 stores in the last nine months, taking its total to 400."We see that fashion becomes more and more global and that China doesn't differ much from the rest of the world regarding trends and fashion," said investor relations head Nils Vinge."There are of course local differences but that is true for every market. H&M has a business model that can adapt to this," Vinge said, declining to elaborate.Rein of China Market Research says Western brands must strike a delicate balance.

"You have to keep your global brand image and you can't be that creatively different in China than other markets. The Chinese travel around the world," he said. "It is good to localise. But it hard to localise an aspiration."STORES VS ECOMMERCE

A bigger challenge for New Look may be to secure the right locations, especially as rivals also seek to add hundreds of stores in the coming years."To find 500 stores of real estate and roll that out in the right way ... I think it is virtually impossible," said Franklin Yao, managing partner at strategy consultants Smith Street.But the more established New Look's brand becomes in China, Gaede said, the better the locations and terms it will be offered, adding that the firm was now pushing into smaller cities."We are less wedded to the number each year and we are more wedded to getting quality locations," he said.Meeting soaring Chinese demand for buying clothes online is also tough.Most international brands initially launch on Chinese ecommerce sites like JD.com (JD.O) and Alibaba's (BABA.N) Tmall and Taobao, but are keen to build up their own online operations to protect margins and integrate ecommerce and store services.New Look is currently available on Tmall and JD.com, but plans its own transactional site in the next 12 to 18 months.Partnering with Chinese sites and local payment and delivery service providers is essential to reach consumers across such a vast country, said Vendigital's Jephcott."It is a hard physical push and a very hard digital push, all premised on a strong relationship with the logistics partner like Taobao," Jephcott said, noting that Taobao has established a delivery network of micro-stores even in small towns. (Additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: CBI has registered a case against NRI arms dealer Vipin Khanna and two companies based abroad in a case of alleged kickbacks worth over USD 5.70 million in connection with three aircraft deals with Embraer signed in 2008.

CBI sources said on Friday that Khanna, whose name had figured earlier also in defence deals probed by the agency, has been booked along with two companies  Brazil-based Embraer and Singapore based Interdev Pte Ltd  in conenction with the deals totalling $208 million.

It is alleged that the kickbacks were allegedly routed from subsidiaries of Embraer to Khanna through Interdev. The sources said the agency had carried out searches at several locations in New Delhi on Thursday. The operation continued till late in the evening.

Khanna had faced CBI probe in a gun deal involving South African company Denel in which the agency had to file a closure report as it could not gather enough evidence from abroad.

He had also faced the agency probe in the Barak missile deal with Israel and sale of arms to Pakistan. Khanna is believed to be a relative of a former Congress leader and his son was an MLA in Punjab till last year.

The sources also said that it is alleged that the commission in Embraer deal was routed through Austria and Switzerland. They said the agency, which had registered a preliminary enquiry in September, has converted it into a regular FIR on October 18 as enough prima facie material has been found by it to proceed in the case.

The deal for the three aircraft which were to be used by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for air-borne radar systems was inked with Embraer in 2008.

A Brazilian newspaper had alleged that that the aviation company had taken the services of middlemen to clinch deals in Saudi Arabia and India.

According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals. Leading Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo had reported that the company allegedly paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the deal with India.

DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customized them for serving as air-borne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AWACS for the Indian Air Force.

The company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised US suspicions, the report said. Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries. After the PE was registered, Embraer had issued a statement saying, "Since 2011, Embraer has publicly reported

that it has been conducting an extensive internal investigation and cooperating with the authorities on investigations regarding alleged violations of the FCPA.

"The company voluntarily expanded the scope of the investigation, systematically reporting the progress of the case to the market." "The company is not party of the legal proceedings in

Brazil. Therefore, it does not have access to the information contained therein," it had said.
Imagine my surprise on Thursday morning when I found my Vice-Chancellor, Professor M Jagadesh Kumar on national TV. He was speaking of the harrowing night that he and the top JNU administrators spent confined inside the administration building, surrounded by a mob of slogan-shouting students. Just a few days back, on 15 October 2016, Najeeb Ahmed, a 27-year-old MSc Biotechnology student, had gone missing after an altercation in the Mahi-Mandavi Hostel. The students blamed the administration for not doing enough to bring him back to JNU. Therefore the gherao.

The actions of the students defy both common sense and logic. It is true that Najeeb was missing, but how can the university administration be held responsible? Moreover, how could illegally imprisoning the Vice-Chancellor and top officials of the university help restore Najeeb? In fact, a case of kidnapping has already been filed in the Vasant Kunj police station at the students mothers behest; moreover, the University authorities had issued directives to the security, the wardens, and all concerned staff to try to find Najeeb. According to this directive, the JNU security were seen stopping incoming and outgoing auto-rickshaws, showing them a picture of Najeeb to ask if they had seen him. On Thursday evening, the Delhi Police also posted a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his recovery, in addition to the SIT formed to look for him.

Events in JNU can better be understood in the light of victory of Left wing SFI-AISA combine, which won all four seats of the JNU Students Union elections held on 10 September 2016. Observers expected a continuous clash with the administration. The first flash point was the sleep-in organised in front of the administration building demanding immediate hostel accommodation for all students. Few universities anywhere in the world promise hostel accommodation along with admission; in Delhi University, Jamia Millia or Ambedkar University, for example, a vast number of the students, both undergraduate and graduate, must make their own arrangements. But in JNU hostel, accommodation is demanded as a right. It is alleged that the administration diverted money allocated to build hostels: anything to make students out to be victims of a callous and villainous administration.

It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the Students Union, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), will use every opportunity to keep the pot boiling in JNU. Targeting the administration, and whenever possible, the Modi sarkar, is to be expected. JNU is being used as a political platform. Najeeb, we must not forget, has been identified as an AISA activist. What is nefarious is how Dalit and Muslim students have been used by the Left and ultra-Left to try to present the present government as anti-Dalit and anti-minority. Najeeb is from Badaun in UP, clearly something that might be used against the BJP in the forthcoming state elections.

But what is the truth behind the Najeeb incident? From eyewitness reports, it is learned that he slapped an ABVP student who had come to his door to campaign for a post on the hostels mess committee. After this, an altercation followed, and an on-the-spot inquiry held in which Najeeb was found guilty of misdemeanour. Even his roommate, also a Muslim, reportedly testified against him. During these proceedings, the warden and the JNUSU President, Mohit Pandey, were present.

Was he brutally assaulted afterwards as alleged? The pamphlets and reports put out by various anti-administration groups led by the Students Union vastly exaggerate facts. That he was brutally beaten till he was bleeding and unconscious is far from the truth. Yes, he was hit a couple of times, but he walked out to the auto-rickshaw on his own, escorted by one of the wardens. He had been asked to leave because of his misconduct. If he had been grievously injured, wouldnt he have needed hospitalisation? What is more, where is the smartphone footage of his lynching?

Does this mean that the attack on him must be denied, ignored or white-washed? Not at all. A proper inquiry must be held and the guilty must be punished. By the same token, he should also be penalised for slapping a fellow-student twice. The university is no place for violence; here, dissent is not only permitted but welcomed. Students with differing views must learn to respect one another. Similarly, a university is not a place where a mob of students hijack the administration building, imprisoning their own faculty. Least of all should JNU be such a place. It is not that such gheraos have never happened in the past, but the university community has usually condemned them.

The anti-administration tactics of the Students Union are deplorable, as is their generally negative approach to everything that doesnt conform to their narrow ideological credo. Much of the propaganda that they dish out, including their pamphlets and posters, are sheer fabrications combined with ideological bilge. On the other side, the ABVP needs also to rein in its cadres, especially in matters of orderly conduct. It helps no one to react violently, whether in word or action, in matters of political conflict, especially at a university.

As a long-standing faculty member of this university of national importance, I am deeply saddened over the recent events. We live in a deeply divided campus, with mutual distrust at an unprecedented high. Today, in varying degrees, both the Students Union and the Teachers Association of the university stand discredited. They have been unable to maintain peace and tranquillity, let alone the academic integrity of the campus. What can the administration, perhaps the most important player in this discordant microcosm, alone do without the cooperation of all sections of the campus community? Perhaps they can send out a clear signal by punishing the guilty, acting firmly and fairly, and, above all, restoring academics as JNUs top priority.

In the meanwhile, we are all concerned: Where is Najeeb and why did he disappear? Both these questions remain unanswered. But how can we rule out that he left of own accord? Or even worse, has gone missing deliberately as a part of a larger political ploy of bringing discredit to the administration? But far worse is the thought voiced by a young student, already so disillusioned by the JNU politics, Campus politics has hit a new low  how do we know that they will not harm Najeeb themselves for political gains? I certainly hope this is not true: good sense needs to prevail. I join JNU colleagues and students in appealing to Najeeb to return so that peace is restored to JNU at the earliest.

(Makarand R Paranjape has been Professor of English at JNU for over fifteen years.)
In Kashmir, normalcy has attained a distressing meaning. As the clock strikes five in the evening, people flock marketplaces in droves. The sight at the city centre Lal Chowk in Srinagar is remarkably confounding and soothing at the same time. Within minutes, the barren roads come alive with a mix of cheerful and anxiety-ridden faces. Traffic snarls are a common occurrence. And for a moment, it seems, all is well.

As the sun sets and the darkness of night begins to take over, the abnormal normalcy returns. With shoppers long gone, dogs take control of the roads, chasing the last of the cars exiting Kashmir's largest marketplace.

No matter how much the state government's propaganda machinery may try to delude itself, normalcy is far from returning to the Valley. Every day, the police tells people of the number of arrests made to bring normalcy to the Valley. The arrest spree may put a lid on the agitation but it doesn't address the underlying anger and alienation.

Two incidents will illustrate the new low touched by the present dispensation in controlling the normalcy narrative. One was a much-publicised protest in Lal Chowk against strikes and shutdown. Then, a group of veiled women marched towards Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's residence who was kind enough to come out and meet them, notwithstanding the fact that she hasn't been able to visit her own constituency in the last three months.

In both cases, "protesters" were carrying placards in their hands, and slogans against the strikes were written on government stationery. It doesn't take a Pythagoras Theorem to calculate who could have been behind these protests. The agenda of alliance has been put on the back burner. Now, the ruling dispensation is fighting hard to reclaim its lost relevance.

Normalcy returns to Kashmir, not because of Mehbooba Mufti, her coterie of advisers, or because police want it to. It returns because an 87-year-old incarcerated man called Syed Ali Shah Geelani wishes so. While the government is supposedly run by the executive, it is a boy with a stone in his hands who is ruling the roost.

Kashmir has seen a remarkable phase of civilian rage since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani in July. This fresh spate of violence has left 94 civilians and two security forces personnel dead, more than 14,000 injured while around 7,000 protesters have been arrested or detained to bring normalcy on the simmering streets.

The politics of normalcy-narrative has even seeped into the press statements issued by the Jammu and Kashmir police. These days, the evening press statement first describes the increasing vehicular traffic plying on the streets followed by the number of miscreants arrested in last 24 hours.

The day witnessed increased vehicular and pedestrian movement across the Srinagar city and most of the towns of the Valley. A constant increase in the number of vendors on the streets of the towns was also noticed, a police release said on Wednesday.

Barring a couple of stray incidents of stone pelting, situation across the Valley remained largely normal. In its drive to curb the activities of the trouble mongers involved in various crimes of disrupting the public order in different parts of the Valley, police has arrested 104 such individuals during the past 24 hours, it added.

Seven thousand Kashmiris are already behind bars. No one knows how many more people are going to be arrested for normalcy to take root. No one, except the police, knows for sure how many people have actually been put behind bars. Unofficially, the figure is more than 13,000. Never before in the history of J&K have so many people been arrested to bring back a lost normalcy.

Meanwhile, a verbal war is going on between the functionaries of the government and the ordinary people on the social media over the annual examinations slated to be held in coming months. While the decision hasn't gone down well in the society, jolted by nearly four months of strikes and shutdowns, the government is adamant on its stand.

Recently, I asked a shopkeeper in Lal Chowk about how many months would he be able to survive without opening his shop. He replied that along with other shopkeepers, he would prefer to open his shop only when something happens" on the Kashmir issue which will bring permanent peace.

When is that something going to happen? No one knows for sure.

For the moment, people are suffering. There is no sign of retreat. Delhi is not interested in any dialogue process. Mehbooba Mufti has realised this. It is making her the Omar Abdullah of 2010. While Abdullah learnt his lessons the hard way, his successor is following suit. These days, whenever Mehbooba speaks, she creates more problems then she resolves.

Kashmir is undergoing a grand transformation on the ground. The shutdown may ultimately die down and protests may ebb away. But any return of normalcy should not be taken as a sign of normalcy, especially since the signs of fatigue are still hard to find. Following the 8 July encounter of Wani, militancy has spiked dangerously, gun-snatching is an everyday occurrence and attacks on forces have increased too. If the question of Kashmir issue is not addressed, next time, the ferocity of the rage will be greater than the current one.
Dogs, wolves, jackals, coyotes all bark usually because of excitement, fear or in frustration. But when Chinas Xinhua says that India generally barks about trade imbalance, it actually amounts to China barking in frustration. Since all media in China is state controlled and state directed, the arrogance and conceit displayed in their media reflects the bigoted stance of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Government. During Prime Minister Modis last visit to China, an oped in Chinas Global Times (CCPs official mouthpiece) stated, "Due to the Indian elite's confidence in their democracy, and the inferiority of its ordinary people, few Indians are able to treat Sino-Indian ties accurately, objectively and rationally."

Notice the idiotic reference to Indians as inferiority of its ordinary people as if the Chinese were fathered by some superlative aliens  which may well be the misconception considering President Xi Jinpings recent statement that the moon has proved to be an inescapable part of China due to an ancient marriage between Chinese Princess Wen Cheng and an ancient ruler based on the moon during the 7th Century, albeit Jinping didnt elaborate which moon considering scientists have discovered 1500 galaxies or whether Wen Cheng betrothed alien kings of all the moons.

But getting back to the bark of Xinhua, the frustration is writ large because the same Indian population referred to as inferiority of its ordinary people has delivered a solid kick to China from totally unexpected quarters  shunning Chinese goods, and this is just the beginning. There is no government directive to not buy Chinese goods but the Indian population is wise enough to understand that by abetting Pakistani terrorism, China herself has become a terrorist state. Indian businessmen see no reason to stock Chinese products even if they are cheaper and one ignores the low grade stuff dumped in India. Signs of shops displaying we dont sell Chinese products are on social media. As per some estimates, sale of Chinese products in last quarter in India have gone down by up to 20 percent. Chinese firecrackers during the festival of Diwali during 2015 were shunned anyway because of their highly toxic emissions, which should be the norm this year too. In fact, the government should consider releasing a white paper giving details of Indian small-scale industries that have been forced to shut down over the years on account of Chinese goods dumped in India.

India has no issue with the Chinese population but why should we buy Chinese products when China is abetting Pakistans proxy war on India and in fact uses Pakistani proxies to hurt India in accordance with her ancient strategy to 'kill with a borrowed knife; the knife being Pakistan. It is not the recent discovery of Chinese and Pakistani flags in Baramula alone but the China-Pakistan sub-conventional nexus dates back to 1960s when Chou-en-Lai advised Ayub Khan that Pakistan should prepare for prolonged conflict with India instead of short-term wars. He advised Pakistan to raise a Militia Force to act behind enemy (Indian) lines. In 1966, when a Pakistani delegation went to Beijing and was met by Chou en Lai, latter while discussing India raised his clenched fist and said, This is capable of delivering a forceful blow, but if you cut off one finger, the fist loses its power, not by one-fifth, but by fifty percent. If you wipe out a couple of hundred thousand of the enemy spread over a long front, its impact is not as great as wiping out an entire battalion or a brigade  the enemys morale is dealt a devastating blow. We know this from practical experience. Witness the shamelessness with which China is protecting JeM chief Azhar Masood at the UN despite his role in numerous terrorist attacks in India. Besides, the United Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) report released in July 2016 has specifically highlighted both JeM and LeT involved in terrorist acts in Afghanistan.

Review recent Pakistan sponsored terror attacks in India and Afghanistan and it can easily be concluded that their intensity and periodicity have gone up with Chinese entry into POK and commencement of development of the CPEC. Intelligence reports have been indicating that China is funding terrorists in J&K. And, why would China not be coordinating terrorist attacks in India and Afghanistan in conjunction Pakistan? Earlier British sources had contended Chinese specialists were training Taliban fighters in the use of infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles, which was supported by a 13 May, 2008 classified US document released by WikiLeaks. Also, Aviation Week of 23 December 2010 reported Chinese military personnel were advising Pakistani Taliban how to fight the NATO led ISAF. The China-Pakistan sub-conventional nexus keeps Kashmir Valley on the boil and advances Pakistans strategic depth in Afghanistan. Pakistani Generals have bartered their countrys sovereignty to China by permitting China develop her Super Strategic Highway to the Indian Ocean under the euphuism of CPEC, the adverse effects of which will be felt by the Pakistani public in years to follow. Already rumblings in Pakistan refer to the CPEC as another East India Company but more is to follow with China bidding to buy 40% stakes in Pakistans stock exchange. It appears the 2012 prophesy by former Pakistani officer and defence analyst Agha H Amin was bang on wherein he said, There is no doubt that Pakistan will be a semi autonomous Chinese province by 2030 or so Pakistani Baluchistan by 2030 would be a completely Chinese run show.

China is the largest economy in terms of PPP, second largest GDP and third largest investor in the world. She has reserves of over $3 trillion and contributes to some 30% plus of world trade. But at the same time Chinas debt in 2015 was 254 percent of her GDP, there was 30% increase in protests by workers across China last year, and unemployment rate amongst graduates in China too is 30%. That is why the efforts of OBOR, CPEC, MST etc for which ready governmental finances are hard to find. Chinas comprehensive national power (CNP) but 54% of her defence budget dedicated to internal threats is part of her infirmities. Ironically, increase in CNP has revived Chinas ancient mindset rooted in her historical Tian Xia (under the Heaven) concept which traditionally views all territories as belonging to the Chinese and due to which, they attach no sense to territory. That is why they have no compunctions about claiming 90,000 sq kms of Arunachal Pradesh on sudden impulse, arbitrarily extend her EEZ with no regard to her neigbours or print new world map showing Hawaii and most Micronesia as Chinese territory.

To bring China to her senses the only way is what the Indian public has begun to do  stop buying Chinese products. The effect is more since China is fully aware that the Indian middle class is heading towards the greatest expansion in the world, with attenuated purchasing power, while the Chinese population grows old. Sure we need about $2 trillion investment to expand our economy and China is welcome to invest, and it will, considering the impediments she will face in OBOR, CPEC, MST because of the geopolitical competition. Indians should desist buying Chinese products with alternative availability of products that are indigenous, Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese etc. Let China change her stance towards India if she wants the Indian population to accept Chinese products. The world could take a cue from the Indian population.

The author is veteran Lt General of the Indian Army.
Odishas Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital mishap appears like a shrill alarm. The countrys comatose health system is in desperate need of a lifeline. The hospital accident should not be considered merely as another case of negligence in the long history of medical tragedies in India. Hospitals cannot be graveyards.

Is Right to Health the answer to all our ills? Will medical disasters end once every citizen enjoys healthcare as a fundamental right?

The NDA government has, in its draft National Health Policy 2015, proposed a "National Health Rights Act, which will ensure health as a fundamental right, whose denial will be justifiable". Undoubtedly, the merits of such a legislation cannot be denied. Countries like Brazil and Thailand got more teeth to implement universal healthcare due to the presence of such laws. We also have the success stories offered by our own Right to Education Act (2010) that has contributed substantially to the increasing literacy rates and making education more accessible and inclusive.

But the road to legislation still appears very long, and may not address all the challenges of the health system. The SUM Hospital tragedy has once again put the spotlight on the governments commitment to healthcare.

India, according to the World Health Organisation, accounts for 21 percent of the worlds global burden of diseases. It witnesses the highest number of maternal, newborn and child deaths in the world. Nearly 36 percent Indians suffer from depression in a nation that has 0.47 psychologists per million people. For an Indian, the probability of dying, between ages 30 and 70, from four major non-communicable diseases (cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes) is close to 26 percent. One World Bank report (2010) even argues that we lose close to six percent of our GDP every year due to premature deaths and preventable illnesses.

The SUM Hospital fire has exposed the fragile health system of our country. Initial investigations have revealed that this super speciality hospital did not have a fire clearance certificate even though it has been operational for almost a decade. Its website claims that it provides "global standard health care services", yet the 750-bed hospital did not have a functional sprinkler system to fight the fire. Its staff too was untrained to handle an emergency of that scale and magnitude.

A large number of hospitals across the country (several private and some government) lack functional sprinkler systems. For decades, we have been struggling with overcrowded, understaffed, poorly maintained and appallingly unhygienic government hospitals. Twin-sharing of beds is today an accepted norm in many government hospitals.

Since the early 1990s, the private sector has been touted as the only alternative to Indias healthcare crisis. But in the absence of a clear regulatory mechanism, the performance of private hospitals has been both terrible and terrifying. In 2011, nearly 90 people died in a huge fire in AMRI Hospital, a Kolkata private hospital. In June 2016, an inter-state kidney racket was busted in Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. In September 2016, a private hospital, along with two orthopaedics, was asked to pay Rs 25 lakh to a patient who had suffered 40 percent disability due to medical negligence.

A healthcare system is not just about accessing hospital care. It is also about identifying strategies to reach certain, definite health goals. These strategies may involve multiple services/activities ranging from prevention of diseases (immunisation campaigns), insecticide spraying against vector-borne diseases, printing horrific pictures on cigarette packets to deter smokers, ensuring safe abortions, keeping a check on drug pricing and to even distributing condoms. A health system has multiple stakeholders  policymakers, medical practitioners, health volunteers, industrialists, researchers, nurses, midwives, alternative medicine practitioners, and most importantly, patients.

In recent years, successive governments have demonstrated their inability to grasp the key challenges of the health sector  how to make healthcare universal, of better quality and thereby reduce inequality.

Since 2000, there is a growing concern about the government's dwindling commitment in providing basic healthcare to its citizens. Take Indias expenditure on health. It is just four percent of GDP and public expenditure is only 1.2 percent of GDP. This implies that between 60-70 percent of the population's medical needs are met by the private sector.

The proposed National Health Policy has made no radical shift in its budgetary allocations. The current government has proposed 2.5 percent of the GDP (WHO recommends 5 percent for a better health system) as a "realistic" figure to achieve health goals. This implies that even after 70 years of independence, tribal regions are likely to be neglected and basic immunisation services will continue to be inadequate for both urban and rural poor.

In its much-debated World Health Report 2000: Health Systems, Improving Performances, WHO ranked India as 112 out of 191 countries in health systems. France and Italy topped the list. A host of smaller countries  Ecuador, Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh  fared better than India.

WHO has not conducted another such study but experts state that the ranking would not be dramatically different today as successive governments have failed in protecting citizens against the financial costs of illnesses. Indians today struggle with a huge "out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures" that does not even guarantee quality care. Even the National Health Policy 2015 admits that this expenditure is "catastrophic", draining family incomes and neutralising the gains in income increases.

Unless the government considers its citizens' health as a critical national asset, the health system will continue to remain unplugged.

The author is a senior journalist and teaches at the Apeejay Stya University, Gurugram, Haryana.
By Sumit Chaturvedi

For all the 22 years of his young life, Ajith (name changed to protect identity) has had to hide his sexual preference for male partners. The management graduate, who works at a hotel in Chennai, comes from Kambam, a small Tamil Nadu village.

Ajiths parents and younger sister are aware of his sexual orientation but he fears the abuse, attacks and ridicule he would have to face in Kambam as an openly gay man. But in Chennai, where he is less secretive about his orientation, he said, he feels much safer thanks to the support of the community organisations (COs) for men with alternate sexual identities.

A recent survey conducted across five Indian states by Swasti Health Resource Centre for 12 such COs has proved him right: gay men who seek peer support were far safer than those living with their parents, most often without outing themselves. The aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the profiles and needs of those who approach the COs for help.

Living with parents, afraid to seek help

More than half of all men who face physical violence (52.4%), sexual abuse (55%) and emotional torture (46.5%) were still living with their parents and mostly in the closet, according to the survey. The attackers, it turned out, are most often strangers, clients (in the case of male sex workers) and goons.

The likely reason for this is that it is tougher for men living with their families to seek peer support from other homosexuals. In contrast, the study found that those living with long/short-term partners or peers face very little violence.

Source: Swasti Health Resource Centre

Harassed, in multiple ways

The study conducted between April and October, 2015, covered Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. It found that of 8,549 respondents, 14% have faced some kind of emotional violence, 8.9% sexual violence and 9% physical violence.

Of those interviewed, 1,762 reported facing 2,795 incidents of violencean average of about 1.6 attacks per person. Most of the violence is perpetrated by clients on male sex workers (39.4%), followed by strangers (24%) and goons (17.5%).

Source: Swasti Health Resource Centre

In many families, there is severe pressure on gay men to marry. The survey found that 8.9% of respondents were married and 42.5% were separated.

How existing laws make matters worse

There are an estimated 3.1 million men who prefer sex with men in India, according to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS Report. HIV prevalence among this group in the country is 14.5%, according to this 2011 working paper by the Global Commission on Law and HIV.

Criminalisation of homosexuality makes it tougher for homosexual men to seek medical help for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Repressive legal contexts and pervasive social stigma can limit access for these men to appropriate services for STIs and HIV, including prevention, treatment and can even be life threatening, the global commissions working paper said. After being decriminalised by the Delhi High Court in 2009, homosexuality was re-criminalised in India by the Supreme Court in 2013.

On October 5, 2016, the union cabinet ratified the 2014 HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The long-awaited bill seeks to prohibit discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS. But, as human rights lawyer Deya Bhattacharya wrote in her piece in Firstpost, the bill does not elucidate on the legal dissonance between its provisions of non-discrimination and other acts and case-law that discriminate against sex-workers, homosexuals and transgenders.

Violence in sex work

For men engaged in sex work, especially those with a high client load, the study found that the danger of violence is multiplied.

Source: Swasti Health Resource Centre

However, low income from sex work results in even higher prevalence of STI symptoms. Similarly, men with lower weekly client load (four or less) reported higher STI prevalence (8.3%) than those who dealt with more clients (4.3%). This could be because the lesser the men earn in totalfrom all work including sex workthe less likely they are to undergo testing for STIs/HIV.

Source: Swasti Health Resource Centre

Source: Swasti Health Resource Centre

How COs help

Men who face violence are most likely (41.3%) to not report if it is physical, less likely (39.8%) if it is sexual and least likely (32.4%) if it is emotional. Ajith said that, in Chennai, it is easier to seek police protection against violence through COs than as an individual.

We can reach out to the network when violence occurs. If I am standing at a bus stop and if cops come to inquire, we can call our CO for help, he said.

The study showed that COs provide a strong support system for respondents engaged in sex work and other professions. A total of 6,482 men or 75% are registered with COs. Most cases reported to COs relate to emotional violence (51%).

Source: Swasti Health Resource Centre

(Chaturvedi is an Independent Media Consultant with Swasti Health Resource Centre, Bangalore and a blogger at OpinionTandoor.in.)
The RSS education wing, on Friday, demanded that the use of English language as the medium of instruction should be eliminated and emphasis instead should be on the mother tongue, from the HRD ministry, ahead of the constitution of the new education policy, as reported by The Indian Express.

The RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN) made a number of suggestions such as that foreign languages be removed completely from the curriculum  even as an alternative; that all research should be connected to "national requirements" and those projects that do not fulfill this criteria should be taken off UGC scholarships, and that references that insult Indian culture and offer incorrect explanations should also be removed, says The Indian Express.

According to India TV, the RSS wing has also recommended that the ministry must attempt to gradually remove English at all levels of education, both in private and government schools, colleges and universities, in a meeting between Atul Kothari, leader of the SSUN and HRD minister Prakash Javadekar. Allegedly the government was asked to "immediately provide facilities to introduce education in Indian languages in English-medium institutions like IIT, IIM and NIT", by the SSUN. An email response by the ministry on 14 October read that his list of recommendations is noted and shall be discussed.

The Deccan Chronicle alleges that the RSS affiliate has even asked for legal action against schools that do not let students speak in their mother tongue, as many schools have existing punishment systems, including remarks and fines, for students speaking in their native tongue. Kothari was reported as saying that many of his suggestions were appreciated.

'Saffronisation of education' has been a popular phrase associated with Dinanath Batra, another RSS veteran of Shiksha Bachao Andolan, and leader of the SSUN. Times Of India reports that Batra and the Shiksha Bachao Andolan have been heading a movement to change UPA era textbooks. According to The Indian Express article, the Haryana government was looking to introduce six of his books in the state syllabus last year, all of which preached moral Indian values and culture.

However, Javadekar had earlier announced the government role must be of a facilitator and not a controller, for which it proposes to give more autonomy to premier institutions of higher learning, based on their performance during a review meeting, that he chaired, with directors of five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research located at Pune, Kolkata, Mohali, Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru in September, accordimg to an IANS report.

A Livemint report claims that the new education policy is aimed at encouraging innovation over rote learning, making education both the emancipator as well as the enabler. The drafting process is open to suggestions by district level and block-level consultation to make the policy more relevant and inclusive. Where gross enrollment was the earlier focus in schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Right to Education and National Literacy Mission, the poor quality of education is the problem tackled by the new policy. Several national-level surveys, third party assessments and consultation is directed to making it a participatory process, to avoid further high-handedness in the education sector.

An article in the Asian Age says that Javadekar hopes to evoke a consensus on a range of issues including the no-detention policy till class 8 and provisional Class 10 Board exams and so on. A detailed discussion is due to take place on 25 October between the HRD minister and the education ministers at the Central Advisory Board of Education.

With inputs from IANS
Eight people, including six women, died of suffocation as result of excess fumes in a firecracker mishap at the fireworks hub of Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district on Thursday afternoon.

The mishap, which occurred when a fire broke out while crackers were being offloaded from a vehicle to a shop, comes days ahead of Diwali festival when fireworks units in the district are abuzz with activity to cater to the countrywide demand for crackers.

"A total of eight people were killed and six of them were women," a senior police official told PTI in Sivakasi.

Virudhunagar District Collector A Sivagnanam said a total of 22 persons were affected, of whom eight died.

"The deaths occurred due to suffocation as result of excess fumes and not because of any blast," he said, adding those affected by smoke inhalation were admitted to a government hospital and a nearby private hospital.

According to this The Times of India report, the deceased have been identified as A Baskar, 42, manager of the scan centre; A Kamatchi, 22 and M Pushpalakshmi, 35, who were nurses at the scan centre; and H Sornakumari, 36, S Devi (three months pregnant), 18, G Valarmathi, 18, Raja, 21 and P Padmalatha, 44 who were patients.

A 40-year-old doctor, K Janakiraman, who is in a critical condition, has been admitted to a private hospital in Madurai. While H Shanmugarajan has been admitted to the ICU of Sivakasi Government Hospital.

Some were also referred to Madurai hospitals for being administered with "breathing facility", Sivagnanam said.

The incident occurred when a fire broke out while crackers were being offloaded from a van to a cracker shop, resulting in its spreading and affecting a nearby scan centre also. It also damaged parked vehicles, including two-wheelers, police said.

They said the fire was caused due to mishandling of the consignment of crackers while being offloaded by the employees and that the fire had been brought under control by Fire and Rescue services.

Describing it as an 'unfortunate accident', Sivagnanam asserted that the administration has been carrying out safety drills in the district, about 500 km from Chennai, to prevent any such mishaps.

According to The Hindu, the license of the shop owners  Anandaraj and Shenbagaraman  have been booked, the police said.

It is not the first time that such an incident has occurred in Sivakasi, a town which is also known as the country's fireworks capital.

In September 2012, 38 people were killed and over 60 were injured after a fire blew up large amounts of firecrackers and raw materials stored at the Om Siva Shakti factory. The police had arrested 11 employees of the factory on charges of culpable homicide and storing explosives illegally. The police had also said the factory was operating illegally after authorities suspended its license for major safety violations.

In October 2009, 32 people, most of them Deepavali shoppers, were killed at a cracker godown fire in Pallipattu in Tiruvallur district.

Sivakasi has over 700 registered factories, which make around 20 billion rupees annually, where chemicals are often mishandled and safety precautions flouted. Also, the factory owners often outsource work to thousands of smaller units which function illegally, highlights this report.

The daily wages of the workers are as little as Rs 150 to 300, and they are mostly uninsured with the factories being stationed far away from proper medical facilities.

As many as 30 people were killed in 2001 and over 60 in 1991 in similar incidents; about 20-25 workers die each year in fire accidents in this industry. By merely announcing compensation for the victims and ordering probe would do no good unless the local governments take concrete measures on safety practices. These recurring fire mishaps only highlight how neither the state government nor the fireworks industry has learnt anything.

Highlighting the issue of persistent safety practices in the fireworks industry, this New York Times article quoted Asha Krishnakumar, who runs a market research firm and has investigated the Sivakasi fireworks industry, as saying that the fireworks industrys safety practices need to be monitored more regularly, by elected officials as well as nongovernmental organisations. When deaths occur the whole world wakes up."
New Delhi: A threat letter was on Thursday received by former JNU students union joint secretary and ABVP member Saurabh Sharma warning him over the missing varsity student.

The letter was delivered to Sharma at his room in Jhelum Boys Hostel of Jawaharlal Nehru University, which threatened him to be "cut into pieces".

"I got the letter today morning, which cited incidents in West Bengal and asked me how dare I touched a Muslim boy. It also said that irrespective of whether Najeeb returns or not, I will be cut into pieces," Sharma said, adding that this is not the first threatening letter he received.

"I have received many such letters post the February 9 incident. But I will keep standing up to my nationalistic beliefs come what may."

The letter was sent by one Shahid Khan through Speed Post, whose address was mentioned on the envelope as that of Jahangir Puri along with a mobile number.

"Saurabh Sharma, Hope this letter finds you at least in a condition where you can read. As our boys are already looking for you to cut into pieces. Looks like you haven't taken any lessons from the recent Bengal attacks where our boys are thrashing people of your community into pieces," the letter said.

"How dare you touch a Muslim boy. Najib Ahmed wapas 'mile na mile' but we will find you and burn down the whole ABVP and JNU. Wait till that time comes!" it added.

Sharma, was the complainant of the controversial 9 February event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
(Editor's Note: This article is based on the author's speech at the Asian Forum on Global Governance 2016, organised by the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. The theme of the session on 21 October, 2016 was: Religion and Democracy  Are They Compatible?)

When I look 20 years back, there was no burqa on India's streets. Now I see many women in burqa standing at my local bus stop. Looking into the next 20 years, I fear that my granddaughter is most likely to wear a burqa. Let me explain in a practical way: In July 2001, the BBC took me to London. Two of my six sisters were then in Class IX and XI in Bihar. For the first time, I had money. So, I told them: you can study as much as you like. Both did MSW  Master of Social Work. One works in the media; the other became a follower of Dr Zakir Naik, the Islamist preacher.

My intellectual concern is for Muslims, not for Islam. My argument is that Islam may not change; the Quran will not change. But the followers of Islam can change. There is possibility of change because democracy is the only agent that introduces multiple turning points in an individual's life. When we speak of democracy, we speak of  in the words of British author Bernard Crick  "some congruence between democracy perceived as a set of values and democracy as a set of institutional arrangements"; democracy can be seen as "a principle or doctrine of government" and as "a set of institutional arrangements or constitutional devices".

Islamist groups used elections to advance Islamism. The Hamas in Gaza, the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, the Ayatollahs of Iran, and the Justice & Development Party of Turkey utilised elections to grab power and impose an Islamist order in which people's liberties became casualties. Under Islamist influence, Pakistan remains a racist democracy for legally prohibiting from becoming the head of the state some Pakistani citizens because they do not believe in Islam. During US-mediated peace talks, even the Taliban in Afghanistan considered referendum and elections to reach power.

But, elections are just one instrument of democracy. The Islamists do not adhere to democracy's other essential principles: free speech and individual liberty, gender equality and equal rights for minorities, man-made law, freedom for political association, and so on. Democratic ideas, rising from Greece and travelling through the European Enlightenment, swelled into the American and French revolutions. "We the people", the opening words of the Indian constitution, are taken from the US constitution. In India, democracy was introduced through the constitution.

Democracies work through institutions. So, it is not surprising that a new generation of Indians are knocking at the Supreme Court's door to demand equality and liberty  for example to end the triple talaq, Halala and polygamy. India is a brand new country, new because 55% of its 1.3 billion people are under 25. This is a new political population which has not seen the Emergency or the Partition. It has grown up in liberty, seeing MPs exercise unlimited free speech in legislatures and on television. This new generation is subjecting itself to arguments on Facebook and Twitter. Muslims are also part of this new generation, and some of them are leaving Islam. This liberty is birthed by the constitution. India's young are the constitutional generation. Even if you dismiss them as Bhakts, they are essentially loyal to the constitution and guard its liberties.

When Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar laid down the foundations of the republic, they wrote an array of liberties into the constitution, the seeds that are birthing a new type of Indians. For thousands of years, Indians knelt before temples. But Narendra Modi kneels down at the footsteps of the Parliament, an institution created not by religion, but by liberty, by constitution, by reason. Nehru was at least intellectually honest, someone who could praise Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the floor of parliament. But India's counterfeit secular Hindus are intellectually dishonest and will not acknowledge that Modi is Nehru II, albeit added with civilisation. If Nehru were alive, he would be happy to see Modi.

So, within this template of democratic ideas, is it possible for an entire new or next generation of Muslims to abandon ideas inherited from parents and Islamic clerics? History offers us positive insights. In Italy and Germany, an entire generation of youth abandoned the ideas of fascism and Nazism inherited from parents. In India, a generation of Hindu youth has largely abandoned their parents' belief in caste, made possible through the spread of democratic values. And although polygamy and Halala are legal for Indian Muslims, Muslims do not practise them, mostly.

When we speak of reform among Muslims, we expect instant reform. But reforms of religious communities occur over centuries. Judaism and Christianity went through internal conflicts. Islam is going through its internal civil war. Not long ago, the Christian clergy ruled the world. Due to the increasing awareness of democratic values, the Bible and the Torah are confined to the religious realm. In India, the Manusmriti was discarded by Hindus. Most Muslims do not practise what the Quran says about jihad or prayers. But Muslims are caught in Islam's institutional arrangements like mosques, clerics and madrassas which are unfortunately funded by the secular Indian state.

India must address the weaknesses of its institutions. In 1952 elections, 67% MPs won with less than 50% votes. In 2004, 76% MPs won with less than 50% votes. In 2009, only 17% MPs got over 50% votes. In 2014, 61% MPs won with less than 50% votes. We are in a situation in which candidates can win elections with just 30% votes, which encourages them to encourage religious politics. To get votes, Mamata Banerjee joins Muslim prayers. BJP kicks up the issue of Love Jihad. Nitish Kumar visits Pakistan to tell Indian Muslims that they are Pakistanis. Sonia Gandhi reaches out to Imam Bukhari of Jama Masjid. Arvind Kejriwal visits Bareilly to meet clerics. K Chandrashekar Rao offers quota for all Muslims, even though the OBCs among them do get quota.

At a recent conference in Pune, I shared platform with Maulana Mahmood Madani of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind who agreed on the need for change but also taunted: "Islam ko badalna chahte hain, to badal lijiye (If you want to change Islam, go ahead)." It is clear that monotheistic religions like Islam which do not believe in pluralism and equality are obstacles to democratic values but these obstacles can be addressed within the framework of Indian democracy's institutional arrangements. The Supreme Court has two tests before it: whether to allow triple talaq in violation of the Article 14 on right to equality; and whether to allow the Indian taxpayer to continue to fund the Aligarh Muslim University, especially its departments of Sunni and Shia Theology.

To ensure that democracy's institutions do not surrender before Islamism, the state governments' funding of madrassas must be challenged before the Supreme Court. As a secular republic, the Indian state cannot fund madrassas, which are centres of excellence for the purposes they are established. Within the Indian democracy's institutional arrangements like the RTE, Muslim children, like all others of 6-14 age, must be in schools during school hours, not in madrassas, which are counter-liberty movements. By funding madrassas, the Indian state led by 'secular' Hindus, feeds orthodoxies among Muslims. In the competition between Islam and democracy, educational reforms are the keys to democratic change. There is a historical template to follow: Lord Macaulay. If Macaulay could do it, the Indian democracy can do it better.

About a century ago, Gandhi supported the Khilafat to bring Muslims into the mainstream. Now, semi-literate Muslim women are going to the Supreme Court with constitution in their hands to assert their fundamental rights available under the constitution. This is a watershed moment in the history of Indian democracy. It is a wake-up call for India's Muslim leaders who are fighting for Islam, not for Indian Muslims. The Indian constitution is a movement of ideas with origins in the Greek philosophy. As the constitution's influences take deeper roots among people, Indian Muslim leaders and Islamic clerics will be rendered irrelevant, buried along with the so-called secular Hindu politicians. I am thrilled to live in these revolutionary times.

(Former BBC journalist Tufail Ahmad is a contributing editor at Firstpost, and executive director of the Open Source Institute, New Delhi. He tweets @tufailelif.)
In an area in which an established man-eater is operating everyone suspects their own shadows, and every sound heard at night is attributed to the man-eater.  Jim Corbett.

With clock ticking at 12 in the daylight of 6 September 2016, Govindi Devi of Talla Gaujini village, wrapped up her daily chores as usual and went into the jungle to collect fodder for the cattle. She has been following this routine since the time she came to this village as a bride. Talla Gaujini is located just on the fringes of the southern boundary of Corbett National Park.

When she did not return home for hours, the family members along with other villagers launched a search in the jungle. The blood trails lead them to the partially eaten body of Govindi. Unfortunately, it was too late.

There were some pugmarks around her body. The news spread like a fire in the neighboring villages. Forest officials and hundreds of villagers rushed to the spot and at first, the pugmarks were assumed to be that of a leopard. However, since the sugarcane harvest season is round the corner and fields are packed of full grown sugarcane, the pugmarks could not be traced for a long distance.

The death of Govindi has resulted in frayed tempers among the villagers.

Initially, the forest department took it as a chance encounter but before the situation could have been analysed, another incident was reported on 12 September 2016 from the adjoining Gorakhpur village. This time the victim was Paramjeet Singh.

This killing was however important from the point of view of the authorities. This incident made it clear that the accused is actually a tigress and not a leopard. Though the tigress was not spotted on the scene, it was only her pugmarks which later became an important evidence for the authorities.

The fear had also embraced the villages neighboring Dhela range of the Corbett National Park. Agitated villagers have started making things difficult for the authorities. They are carrying out protests and agitations in the entire area.

Soon after the second incident, the forest department geared itself for action. Cage and camera traps were installed, a team of forest guards were deployed in the region and members of Rai Sikh community were also included in the operation. They are generally trained in tracing blue bulls and other animals. Trained elephants from Corbett started patrolling the area but the killer remained an enigma, and seemed unruffled by these developments.

To call the tigress a man-eater at that moment would have been nothing, but a claim made in a hurry. Time went by as days turned into weeks but the forest department could only locate her pugmarks. All maneuver to corner her failed. Moreover, the full grown sugarcane fields were making things much more difficult for the authorities.

In the meantime, the tigress made her third move on 26 September. The victim was Suman Negi of Sewalkhaliya village. She was badly injured but fortunately, is still alive.

The entire village plunged into panic right after this. The forest departments inability to tackle the menace made the villagers livid with anger and forced the authorities to issue a death warrant.

On the evening of 27 September, I received a call from a friend and former warden of Corbett National Park Upadhayay. As soon as he informed me about the third victim and the warrant that has been issued, I realised the urgency of the situation and rushed to the spot along with my cameraman Shahnawaz and friend Ankur.

This particular confrontation has turned out to be much of a film sequence where helicopters and drones in the air and elephants and a team of more than 150 forest guards on the ground are trying to corner the man eater. The tigress is smart enough to have fooled all of them. She is posing for the camera traps, enjoying the baits that the forest guards are providing her while making a narrow escape from the guns of the official hunters.

Next morning, while I was patrolling the area along with the search team, she crossed the gypsies with a blink of an eye. Before the hunters could have loaded their guns, she faded into the sugarcane fields. But, there was something else too which stopped the hunters from shooting and that was the mob.

The gathering of onlookers is the biggest challenge for the department. Helicopters and drones are somehow not the means to handle a man-eater.

Upadhyay was waiting at the side of the road at Karanpur, some 5 kilometers from Ramnagar. I immediately moved to study and understand the area. The entire region of its operation is covered by paddy and sugarcane fields. A tigress to be operating in an agriculture field is an unprecedented and a very strange incident indeed.

I stayed back for two days but then I felt disgusted with the way a man-eater was being handled and decided to return to Delhi though I left Shahnawaz there to cover the operation.

On 3o September when I am back in Delhi and attending the meetings Shahnawaz called. I just crossed my fingers while praying that the tigress has been caught but to my dismay, no. The tigress has her own plans. In just four days, she has attacked Bhawani Devi of the same village from where she started her attacks.

With her last attack on Gauri Patwal of Bhawanipur village on 5 October, she went missing. Gauri was injured and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Haldwani. No causalities have been reported after this, nor has she been trapped. All attempts to trap her went in vain. Her last pugmarks were found near Dhanakpur Ghati, a place just a stones throw from Corbett. She is probably moving back from where she had come.

On 19 October, the Rai Sikhs which were included in the patrolling team traced the tigress near Gorakhpur village, where she had made her second kill. This time they decided to keep it confidential and wait for the morning. She was shot dead on 20 October in the morning, just hundred meters away from the house of Paramjeet, the unfortunate second victim.

Though happiness has returned to the villages of the Dhela range but has left many questions unanswered.

Nestled amidst the foothills of the Himalayas is the quaint state of Uttarakhand, embraced by the enchanting beauty of sal and oak, snow clad peaks and lush mountains. The state attracts hundreds and thousands of tourists every year and then there is Corbett National Park, the first to hold the baton of Project Tiger.

This beautiful state has its own set of problems. Besides the jaw dropping sites, there is something rare, something unusual about this beautiful state which many among us are not aware of. Well, the place has a history of producing man-eaters, precisely from the time of Jim Corbett.

Year after year, or rather I say month after month the state makes it to the headlines, and all for the wrong reasons.

You may not believe but according to one of the reports, around 400 people have died in some 14,000 villages that exist in close proximity of the forests between the years 2000 (when the state of Uttarakhand was formed) and 2015. Of these 400 people, around 241 were believed to have been killed by leopards. Further, these man-animal encounters have killed 800 leopards, 90 tigers, and 280 elephants during the same very period.

For us who breathe in the comforts of cities, "man-animal conflict" is nothing more than a phrase which we all have read sometime in some column of a newspaper. But have we ever realized the bitter realities linked to it?

Man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand has reached an alarming proportion. Rapid changes in the forest ecosystem, mainly owing to excessive human intervention and climate change, have been forcing wild animals to stray into human habitations often.

My statement that the state has a history of producing man-eaters might have made you curious and you would probably be looking for the reason behind it. I am sharing just a few of the recent episodes which will justify my statement.

Corbett managed to check-mate a wily leopard, but that was 90 years ago. The region is still not free from the menace of man-eating tigers and leopards, or an occasional elephant deciding to go on a rampage. The man-eating tigress which emerged here in 2014 has unleashed among masses the same primal fear which had gripped Rudraprayag in the days of Corbett.

A man-eating tigress had appeared unannounced in and around Uttar Pradesh's districts of Moradabad and Bijnor. These are the districts on UP-Uttarakhand border. She killed six people in a shockingly short span of 16 days. Her tell-tale pugmarks at the scene of each killing were the only evidence of her presence. The terror which this tigress triggered in Uttar Pradesh is unheard of in recent memory.

In 2013, a leopard attacked four people in the very same region the present tigress is operating. She was shot dead by an official hunter.

A year back in 2015, Devki Devi, a resident of Dhela village near Corbett National park had gone into the jungle never to return. Pugmarks of a tiger were spotted all around her half eaten body.

The bigger question is, whom to blame for this sorry state of affairs? These speechless animals or the people who for their daily needs, such as fodder for cattle, wood to cook food et al get into these jungles?

A bitter truth is, humans are to be blamed. We have ruined jungles to build our homes and with that, we have destroyed their natural homes. We have brought them closer to human lives, and believe me, very close. Till when will these speechless creatures face the consequences for the offenses they have committed just to save them and their homes?

The wildlife authorities, despite their best efforts, have failed to curb the increase in the fatal animal attacks on humans.

Many people in the affected Uttarakhand region have little idea of Indias success in tiger and leopard conservation. And here lies the crowning irony. The same animals which are priceless to the world are but a monster to them. So who is more skewed in this particular instance, one may ask?

A casual visitor to Corbett, or any other national park of India, is generally too busy enjoying and photographing wildlife. It seldom occurs to the visitor that most of our wild preserves have become victim to man-animal conflicts. And, when the situation reaches a flash-point as it did at the Corbett Tiger Reserve, the wildlife is often at the receiving end.
The drooling over the pulchritudinous chaiwala is on the verge of settling down, but an epic debate has risen between men and women.

Men's right activists are crying hoarse over 'reverse sexism' and 'misandry' over the 'sexualisation' of Arshad Khan. Beyond the capricious debate of whether this is a class or a gender issue, I think this incident has raised an important moot point that merits examination. It begs to recognise where the men who can defend women in this instance are? Honestly, I don't see them and this further substantiates my growing realisation that most men choose not to identify themselves as feminists.

The question is, why is it like that? Do these men feel that they do not belong in the narrative? Do they think feminism is anti-men or do they imagine that feminism doesnt require male stakeholders?

Let's begin with the most simplistic explanation, which is the fact that people dont understand what feminism means. Society often thinks of feminism as a movement for women that disenfranchises men from their patriarchal privileges. This is laughable because marginalising one gender for the other is the very notion that feminists are fighting!

Feminism is not male bashing. Feminism is not about women against men. Feminism is about every person against a system of exploitation and domination. Feminism is bringing about a shift in attitude of both men and women. A man lifting his plate and a boy being allowed to play with dolls is also feminism. As Gloria Steinem said, "Its not about biology but consciousness."

Another vociferous argument against men participating in feminism  and I hear this more often than I like  is that women cry wolf and misuse laws, especially those like 498A (dowry harassment). I'll moot this point by arguing that all the laws in our country are misused, from tax evasion to property to criminal. How can we then only focus on laws that involve the private lives of women? Secondly, for every woman who has cried 'wolf', there are a thousand men who have acted like wolves. This argument holds no water.

The other reason why men are purportedly staying out of feminism is that they feel threatened by the emancipation of women. Since Vedic times, gender roles have gone through various stages from ambivalence to definite construct. Today, we are vacillating between those gender prescriptions i.e. what is expected of men and women is no longer tightly construed. Some men are countering this power shift with an aggressive dominance, the most execrable manifestation of this being the increased violence against women that we're seeing (Monika Ghurde and the femicides in Argentina are recent examples). This disturbing trend underscores the urgent need for us to address male behaviour instead of female behaviour, spearheaded with the inclusivity of men in gender equality movements.

Men need to be feminists. Why? Because patriarchy screws men as much as it does women. It works against our 500 million women, as much as it works against our 200 million male adolescents. Patriarchy does a great disservice to boys in how theyre raised. It puts them into gender boxes. It tells them to be 'macho'. It defines their masculinity in a very narrow way. It stifles their humanity. It tells them that boys will be boys. It grants them impunity for the crimes they commit against women, whether it's sexual violence, honour killings, eve teasing, dowry harassment or domestic violence.

Feminists don't create the fault lines between genders, patriarchy does.

Sure, we're fighting patriarchy. Sure, were teaching girls to stand up for themselves. Sure, were raising our daughters to be sons. But why are we not raising our sons like our daughters? Why are we not teaching boys to reject aggressive behaviour? Why are we not 'unpinking' our boys? Why are we not encouraging boys to imagine what its like to be female? Why are we not teaching them that its absolutely fine to be sensitive, to cry, to fail, to be vulnerable, to not be 'macho'?

This is why men need to stand up; not just for women, but also for themselves. They need to say, "Lets stop discrimination against any gender." They need to shift male behaviour, if not at the political, then at least at the personal: Don't diss women drivers, don't let your female colleagues make less money, don't let your wife become a lesser version of herself.

Feminism is not a war between men and women. It is not a contest. Its a dialogue. Its a responsibility for both genders. Its a place where men and women work in conjunction with each other. It is the process of removing gender roles from women and reassigning gender roles to men, creating parity for everyone.

In conclusion, is it not safe to say that the world would be a happier, freer place if all men became feminists? Im sure the chaiwala would agree.

Meghna Pant is a multiple award-winning author, journalist and speaker whose new book 'The Trouble With Women' is now available on Juggernaut. You can follow her on Twitter @MeghnaPant.
Lucknow: Infuriated over senior leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi quitting the party, Youth Congress workers on Thursday burnt her effigy outside the state Assembly building in Lucknow.

Led by secretary UPCC Shailendra Tewari, the youth wing workers raised slogans against Joshi and torched her effigy.

"There is immense anger in the party against Joshi who not only quit the party but also levelled improper allegations against the party leadership," said the youth wing's media cell chairman Anshu Awasthi.

"Congress gave Joshi position and post and yet she decided to switch sides to serve her ulterior motives and this amounts to betrayal," he added.

Earlier in the day, 67-year-old Joshi had joined BJP and attacked Rahul Gandhi over the way he was running the party and his reaction to the army's surgical strikes.
The Indian National Congress seems to be living a scene straight out of Samuel Becketts seminal play, Waiting For Godot, in which the twin characters Vladimir and Estragon wait in vain for someone called Godot. Replace them with party workers who have been swinging between hope and despair during their interminable wait for Priyanka Vadra to enter active politics, and, for Rahul Gandhi to become the leader they want him to be, and the picture is complete. On both counts, they have been oscillating between the two emotions much like the two bedraggled fictional characters who often contemplate suicide as they wait for Godot.

The slogans of "Priyanka lao, Congress /desh bachao" may no longer be as loud as they were after the partys ignoble drubbing in the 2014 Lok Sabha Election when Rahul led the campaign against the BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and won a measly 44 seats, barely ahead of AIADMKs 37 and Trinamool Congresss 34 seats. Traumatised that the Gandhi brand may be failing under him, anguished Congressmen urged Sonia to bring Priyanka to the fore while others slammed the Amethi MPs ineffectual leadership and derided him as a "joker".

More than two years later and more than a year after he took his now-famous 56-day sabbatical to introspect, Rahul remains the punching bag for disgruntled Congresswallahs. The latest salvo came from former UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi who joined the BJP on Thursday overtly because the Gandhi scion accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "khoon ki dalali" (brokering over blood) over the surgical strikes against terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), for not being "responsive" within the party, and for failing to become acceptable to the people. But the daughter of well-known leader HN Bahuguna was said to be unhappy that she had been sidelined in favour of Sheila Dikshit, former Delhi chief minister and a fellow Brahmin (by marriage), as the partys CM candidate in UP. Earlier, a local leader of Madhya Pradesh had urged Sonia to remove Rahul from the party over his khoon ki dalali remarks.

Clearly, the transformation of the Amethi MP into Rahul 2.0 has not impressed his critics in the party even though, after his return, he seemed to adopt at least two of the many mantras missing from his earlier role  he was more visible among the people and more audible on issues both in the parliament and outside. Over the months, he trekked, visited shrines, addressed rallies, and led dharnas, demonstrations and agitations. He spoke on price rise, farmers problems, Dalit atrocities, net neutrality, goods and services tax, and a host of other issues in sharp contrast to his virtual silence during the decade-long Congress-led UPA rule from 2004 to 2014 at the Centre.

Revamped Rahul is still not good enough

In his new avatar, Rahul grabbed the headlines with his jibes of "suit boot ki sarkar" and "arhar Modi"  in a pungent reference to the Prime Ministers monogrammed suit that was eventually auctioned for over Rs 4 crore and the high price of lentils set against the BJPs pre-poll slogan of "har har Modi, ghar ghar Modi".

There is also a vast improvement in Rahuls performance and reaction over his past. For instance, his quick retort that those who labeled the lifting of cots as "looting" during his khaat sabhas with farmers, were content to merely brand "defaulters" as those who fleeced the country and fled.

But questions about his timing and articulation are still around  as seen in his remarks such as how as an opposition leader, he cannot set up an "aalu ki factory" (factory to produce potatoes), or accusing Modi of "khoon ki dalali" when he was being lauded for the surgical strikes. Rahuls allegation whittled some of the goodwill he had earned in his 26-day Deoria to Delhi kisan yatra during which he held 26 khaat sabhas and as many road shows. The charge  akin to Sonias "maut ke saudagar" (merchants of death) comment against Modi in 2007  contrasted sharply with the Gandhis' earlier statements hailing the soldiers for the September 28-29 operation.

While the low rung Congressmen who interact directly with the people could ignore lesser netas like Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, who called the strikes "fake", they found it difficult to deal with Rahuls personalised charge. Congress leader Shailesh Choube even asked Sonia to remove Rahul from the party.

Some more faux pas of these kinds and the semi-dormant demand of Priyanka lao could erupt again, with many Congressmen tired of waiting for Rahul to grow from half a leader into a full one.

The tipping point

Even though Rahul has been far more active, accommodating, and visible in the last 18 months than he was over a decade after becoming an MP in 2004, the future events may bring a tipping point in his career as Congress leader.

One, if the party fares poorly in the 2017 UP Assembly Election the demand for Priyanka could gain decibels. It could become even louder ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, especially when the younger Gandhi, with her easy charm and Indira Gandhi-like looks, is likely to be seen as a more effective communicator, campaigner and vote-catcher for the party than her sibling.

Two, it could surface when an aging and ailing Sonia formally anoints Rahul as the party chief without making any parallel arrangement to pacify those uncomfortable with his style of functioning, or, are unhappy with his inability to evolve into a team leader who can win the confidence of his workers, particularly the old guard which had rallied behind Sonia as she grew from a greenhorn into a leader accepted even by non-Congress, non-BJP formations. Rahul has, of late, tried to mollify the seniors by giving the UP campaign to veterans like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Sheila Dikshit.

Congress leaders believe that since Rahul is here to stay, Sonia should also induct Priyanka to enthuse the cadres and invigorate the organisation to deal with the challenges of toning up and energizing the party, creating a social base for it while winning the confidence of the workers and the people, and at the same time building linkages with other like-minded parties to take on the BJP.

Delayed entry could undermine Priyankas appeal

But the wait for Priyanka to enter active politics  electoral or organisational  is getting long and tiring and could reduce her appeal, and sap the patience of those pitching for her. For a party which is scouring for fragments of hope in the debris of its electoral losses and organisational weaknesses, Priyanka is being seen as the proverbial last straw who could boost the morale of dejected workers and put life back into a decrepit organisation.

But the big question is whether she will be able to generate a similar reaction from the voters.

The call for Priyanka's entry into active politics has been around for more than a decade now. But for every report seeking a greater role for her there have been counter reports that the Congress would like to keep her as its trump card and brahmastra (ultimate weapon) for a more opportune future. She would overshadow her brother when she enters, and that she could become another power centre much like Rahul had become with his set of young advisers against Sonias old guard or like Sanjay Gandhi's coterie during the Indira era.

However, strategist Prashant Kishor  who oversaw BJPs Narendra Modi and JD-Us Nitish Kumar poll campaigns in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and is now trying to improve the Congresss prospects in UP  is keen that Priyanka campaign in Uttar Pradesh where the party has been out of power for more than 25 years, especially since the other forces in the state  Mayawatis BSP, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party (notwithstanding the infighting) and the post-surgical strikes recharged BJP  have hijacked its Brahmin-Muslim-SC social coalition.

Althought recent surveys paint a dark picture for the Congress in UP, thus fuelling speculation whether the party will bring Priyanka out at this point, reports suggest that she may address around 150 rallies to boost her brothers campaign to make the Congress relevant in the post-poll scenario of a hung assembly, and thereby, a hope for its revival in other parts of the country.

Kishors strategy to make the Congress count in the 2017 UP Assembly Election is pegged on Rahuls farmer-oriented campaign with promises like kaarja maaf, bijli bill half (loan waiver and slashing electricity bills by half); Dikshits projection, despite her age and the Commonwealth Games scandal, as CM candidate in order to woo the Brahmin vote and entice other castes; and Priyankas heightened visibility to inject a freshness and aggressiveness into Congress, and to charge women voters, youth and former Congress workers who may shifted loyalty or withdrawn from politics.

The desperation of finding a foothold in UP through a caste-based social engineering couldnt have been more manifest: Dikshit is a Brahmin; Ghulam Nabi Azad, general secretary in charge of UP, is a muslim; and filmstar-cum-politician Raj Babbar is the state unit chief whose surname, for the uninitiated, could mean either a muslim, a kshatriya or an OBC. To this, add Rahuls recent promise to Lodhs and other backward communities of including their demand for a subquota within the 27 percent OBC quota. And then over-arching all this is the Priyanka factor.

But Priyankas entry could renew onslaught on her husband Robert Vadras business deals even though she had taken the BJP head-on over these charges during the 2014 elections. There is also the lurking fear that if she doesn't join active politics soon, she may lose out on whatever that is left of the novelty factor that her entry would have ensured.

Sense of dread if Priyanka fails

But then even the most optimistic Congressmen dread at the thought of what would happen to them and the party if Sonia leaves it to her children to run the show and Priyanka, like Rahul, is unable to pull the party out from the morass it is in. They would then have nothing to fall back on but a desperate hope for failure of other parties to bring them to the fore again.

Now witness the changing reaction to Priyanka over the years: In January 1998 after Sonia announced her arrival on the political scene with a rally at Sriperumbudur where her husband and former PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, the crowd was rapturous when Priyanka got up and urged them to vote for the Congress. Amethi went berserk when she accompanied Rahul to file his nomination in 2004. She was greeted as Priyanka bitiya each time she visited Amethi and her mothers constituency Rae Bareli.

But gradually the magic began to wane.

The Congress had won seven of the 10 assembly seats in Amethi and Rai Bareli, and a total of 22 in 2007. It notched up 22 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2009 Lok Sabha Election because of the farm loan waiver scheme, the Right to Information Act, the Employment Guarantee Act and the support of the poor, women, middle class and the aspirational youth that Sonia-Manmohan Singh-Rahul garnered for the party.

Three years down the line, as the appeal and credibility of the Congress-led UPA government took a hit because of the serial scams, things began to change. In the 2012 UP Assembly Election, the Congress won just two of the 10 assembly seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli even though Priyanka camped there for almost 17 days and promised to deliver all 10. And in 2014, the party could win only the Amethi and Rae Bareli parliamentary seats in UP. The party, which got 44 seats in all, drew a blank in over 15 states and Union Territories. It lost a series of state elections including in Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam. The only glimmer came from Puducherry and Bihar where it was part of the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Yadav grand alliance.

So far Priyanka has openly handled only Amethi and Rae Bareli, and worked behind the scenes in the 2014 general election. Her state-wide and nation-wide appeal remains to be tested, especially in the rapidly changing scenario that has seen the emergence of strong national leaders like BJPs Narendra Modi, region-based and regional leaders raring to go national with their political, administrative and governance record, and a growing number of players trying to become a balancing factor in national politics. The list includes chief ministers like Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh), J Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu), NCPs Sharad Pawar, SPs Mulayam Singh Yadav and Biju Janata Dals Naveen Patnaik.

Can Priyanka  who, unlike Sonia or for that matter even Rahul  does not have any report card to flaunt cut through and rise above the competition?

This will entail another long wait.
Edinburgh: Scotland's government published a draft independence referendum bill on Thursday as a fallback plan if it is not able to keep strong ties with the EU and win more powers from London as part of Brexit talks.

The bill would give non-British EU citizens living in Scotland, who were not allowed to take part in the EU referendum, the right to vote on independence.

Scotland voted by 55 percent to stay part of Britain in 2014, but then voted by 62 percent to remain in the European Union in June, sparking a political crisis after Britain as whole voted to leave.

The bill is broadly the same as the original Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 which enabled a vote the following year.

Its opening paragraph states: "A referendum is to be held in Scotland on a question about the independence of Scotland. The question is --'Should Scotland be an independent country?'."

In her foreword to the consultation, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The UK governments recent statements on its approach to leaving the EU raise serious concerns for the Scottish Government.

"We face unacceptable risks to our democratic, economic and social interests and to the right of the Scottish Parliament to have its say," she said.

She said her government "remains willing to work with the UK Government to negotiate a future relationship with Europe... which works for the United Kingdom as a whole".

But she added: "If it becomes clear that it is only through independence that Scotlands interests can be protected, then the people of Scotland must have the ability to reconsider that question, and to do so before the UK leaves the EU."

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she plans to trigger the formal procedure for leaving the European Union by the end of March, opening up a two-year negotiating window.

The prospect of another referendum is already causing concern among North Sea oil investors.

A report by BMI Research, a subsidiary of global credit rating agency Fitch, said: "A second vote on Scotland sovereignty is the main downside risk to our North Sea production forecast, the chances of which will substantially increase if a 'hard Brexit' is realised."

It said a second independence campaign would "cast a great shadow of uncertainty over the regulatory framework governing the petroleum sector".

"Companies operating in the North Sea could potentially hold off making investments in that time period, waiting instead until Scotland's fate has been determined."
By Sylvain Andzongo

| ESEKA, Cameroon

ESEKA, Cameroon Fourteen people remained trapped on Friday under the wreckage of a packed passenger train that derailed en route between Cameroon's two largest cities, killing at least 55 and injuring 575, the government said in a communique read on state television.The Camrail inter-city train was travelling from the capital, Yaounde, to the port city of Douala when the accident occurred around 11 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) near the train station in the town of Eseka, around 120 km (75 miles) west of the capital."There was a loud noise. I looked back and the wagons behind us left the rails and started rolling over and over. There was a lot of smoke," said a Reuters journalist travelling in a wagon near the front of the train. Before its departure from Yaounde, he said that a railway employee said additional wagons had been added to the train to accommodate extra passengers, though it was unclear if that played a role in the accident.The collapse of a section of the main highway between the capital and Douala had prompted increased numbers of passengers to undertake the journey by rail. The two incidents, which occurred on the same day, have now effectively cut the main transportation axis in the Central African country of over 22 million.

"There are the bodies of women, children. There are many," said one employee of Camrail, which is operated by France's Bollore (BOLL.PA), speaking from the scene of the accident. He said three of his colleagues were among the victims.Joel Bineli, a passenger on the derailed train, told Reuters he saw dismembered bodies on the tracks at the accident site. Social media users posted photos taken at the scene of the accident which showed several wagons overturned on a slope beside the rail line.

"Rescue workers arrived and they are pulling bodies from the wagon. I've already counted around 40 bodies they've removed," said Rachelle Paden, another passenger.Camrail said it had sent teams to the site and the injured were being transported to a local hospital. Others were driven to Douala. It expressed its condolences to victims' families in a post on its official Facebook page.

A Bollore spokesman confirmed that an accident had occurred, but offered no further details.Many rail lines in West and Central Africa have a reputation for poor maintenance and failing to respect safety norms. Derailments are relatively common.Though Bollore is generally viewed as a reliable operator, it experienced another major incident last month when part of a bridge along a line it controls in Ivory Coast collapsed under the weight of a freight train. (Additional reporting by Anne-Mireille Nzouankeu in Yaounde and Mathieu Rosemain in Paris, writing by Joe Bavier; editing by Larry King, G Crosse)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Lisa Jucca and Benjamin Kang Lim

| ROME/HONG KONG/BEIJING

ROME/HONG KONG/BEIJING Representatives from the Vatican and China are expected to meet before the end of the month in Rome in an effort to finalize a deal on the ordination of bishops on the mainland, a move aimed at ending a longstanding dispute, according to Catholic Church sources familiar with the negotiations.The Church sources also told Reuters that China is preparing to ordain at least two new bishops before the end of the year and these appointments would have the blessing of the Vatican. A person with ties to the leadership in Beijing confirmed that these ordinations would go ahead.For more than six decades, China's ruling Communist Party has strongly opposed Rome's right to ordain Chinese bishops in a bitter contest for authority over as many as 10 million Catholics on the mainland. Bishops, priests and lay Catholics loyal to Rome have faced persecution, which has sparked skepticism over the detente in some Catholic quarters.In yet a further sign of progress, the Vatican has reached a decision to recognize at least four Chinese bishops who were appointed by Beijing without the consent of the pope and so are considered illegitimate by the Holy See, according to Catholic Church sources and others briefed on the talks. The decision follows a breakthrough meeting in mid-August in Beijing between the Vatican representatives to talks with China and several of these bishops.For the Vatican, an agreement on the ordination of bishops is important because it would lessen the possibility of a formal split within the Catholic Church in China, which is divided between a community that follows the state-sanctioned Catholic hierarchy and an "underground" community that swears allegiance only to the pope in Rome. A deal on the ordination of bishops would help to unite these two communities, say Catholic Church and Vatican sources.An agreement "would definitely remove the risk of a schism (within the Church in China), which for sixty years has been a potential threat," said Elisa Giunipero, a researcher at the Catholic University of Milan who has studied the history of the Catholic Church in China for 20 years.PRIORITY FOR POPE FRANCIS

The latest developments are part of behind-the-scenes negotiations that have been driven by Pope Francis. A deal on the ordination of bishops would be a major leap forward in efforts to bridge a decades-old rift between the Chinese Communist Party and the Vatican.Since becoming leader of the Catholic Church in March 2013, Francis has made it a priority to chart a new course in the Vatican's contentious relationship with China. Reuters reported in July that Francis had sought to meet President Xi Jinping during a 2014 trip to New York in an effort to smooth the way to talks, and that a joint working group had been set up earlier this year in April to hammer out a deal on the bishops. The issue of full diplomatic relations is not currently on the table. (reut.rs/29LTBpp)

A deputy spokesperson for the Vatican, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, said the Holy See had no comment in response to questions from Reuters. The Chinese foreign ministry didnt respond to questions.Vatican officials would like to see the appointment of the bishops before China's Ninth National Assembly of Catholic Representatives, which is expected to convene in December, according to Catholic sources. The Assembly is the highest authority governing the church in China and appoints the heads of the most important state-backed Catholic institutions on the mainland  the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference.The Assembly last met six years ago when tensions were high between Beijing and the Vatican over Chinas appointment of new bishops without papal consent. The Vatican retaliated by excommunicating three of these bishops in 2011 and 2012.Now, the Vatican is anxious to conclude a deal on the ordination of bishops to head off another showdown with Beijing and to forestall a schism among Chinas Catholics, the Church sources say.POSITIVE GESTURE

The ordination of new bishops in China is also pressing because some 30 of the more than 100 dioceses on the mainland are currently vacant, while a similar number are led by aging bishops who are 75 or older. Three people familiar with the negotiations said the talks about the appointment of the new bishops were focused on the dioceses of Changzhi, in the northern Shanxi province, and Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern Sichuan province. Separately, a person with ties to the leadership in Beijing said that the new bishops would be ordained in Chengdu and the city of Xichang, in Sichuan.It was during the last round of talks in Beijing in August that the Vatican delegates were permitted to meet with several of the bishops whom the pope does not recognize. Catholic sources say they view this as a positive gesture by China, which had previously barred contact between the bishops and Vatican representatives. The meeting, the sources said, paved the way for Vatican recognition of some of these bishops.One of the bishops who met the Vatican delegation was Joseph Ma Yinglin, the bishop of Kunming in Yunnan province, according to Catholic sources. Ma is president of the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference and vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Both institutions answer to the Chinese Communist Party and are not recognized by the Vatican.Along with Ma, the other three bishops whom the Vatican is set to recognize are Guo Jincai, the bishop of Chengde in Hebei province near Beijing; Yue Fusheng, the bishop of Harbin in the northern Heilongjiang province; and Tu Shihua, the bishop of Puqi in Hunan province.In total, there are eight bishops whom the Vatican has refused to recognize. Of the remaining four, two have children or girlfriends and the other two head dioceses where there is already an existing bishop who has been approved by the Vatican, according to Catholic sources.

During the August meeting in Beijing, the sides agreed on the principles that would govern the appointment of new bishops, say people with knowledge of the talks. According to a draft agreement, new Chinese bishops will be chosen by local clergy, with the pope making the final appointment. The pontiff can veto a candidate, for instance on ethical grounds, provided the Vatican presents evidence supporting such a decision to Beijing.OBSTACLES REMAIN

For the Vatican, which is the only Western state that doesn't have diplomatic ties with Beijing, further detente with China following a deal on the bishops could make life easier for Christians on the mainland who have suffered decades of persecution at the hands of the Chinese authorities. For Beijing, better relations with the Holy See could improve its international standing and ultimately pry the Vatican away from the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province.In some quarters of the Catholic Church, including among the underground community in China, there is concern over a deal between the Vatican and Beijing. That's especially the case in Hong Kong, where local missions and clergy maintain ties with foreign and Chinese priests working on the mainland, often underground. Some fear the Vatican may make too many concessions to Beijing and that a deal will not lead to an improvement in the lives of Catholics in China.Despite the progress toward an agreement on the ordination of new bishops, the Vatican and China are still at loggerheads over a range of other issues. In one case, for instance, some Chinese officials are still pushing for the appointment of a bishop without papal approval, according to two Church sources.The matter of Thaddeus Ma Daqin also needs to be settled. Ma, the auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, was placed under house arrest in 2012 when he announced at his ordination as a bishop that he could no longer remain in the state-backed Catholic Patriotic Association. Ma remains under house arrest despite writing in a blog post in June that his move had been "unwise."There is also the issue of some 30 bishops who belong to the underground Catholic community and who, along with local priests, face pressure from the authorities to join the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The Vatican is hoping that China will recognize these bishops once the issue of the eight bishops it considers illegitimate has been resolved, say Catholic officials. (Reporting by Lisa Jucca and Benjamin Kang Lim. Additional reporting by Philip Pullella in Rome. Editing by Peter Hirschberg.)

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By Dan Levine and Mica Rosenberg

If Donald Trump were to challenge the outcome of next month's presidential election, as he has hinted he might, he would face a difficult and expensive fight, according to election attorneys and a review of voting laws in key battleground states.Trump has said he is worried the Nov. 8 election might be rigged in favour of his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and in Wednesday's debate he refused to say he would accept the outcome.But before any court challenge, Trump probably would have to ask for a recount, said Donald Brey, a Republican election lawyer in Ohio. If the campaign did not pursue out-of-court options first, he said, a judge likely would dismiss the case.Recount rules vary from state to state. North Carolina, for example, doesn't allow a presidential candidate to request a recount at all if one candidate has a lead of more than 0.5 percent of the total votes cast.In Wisconsin, the challenging candidate must pay the full expense of a recount if the vote in dispute is more than 0.25 percent, and in Colorado if it is more than 0.5 percent.That can be expensive. Officials in one Wisconsin village put the cost of a local recount, in which about 9,000 votes were cast earlier this year, at nearly $13,000, said Michael Maistelman, a Wisconsin election lawyer who represented the unsuccessful candidate. More than 3 million people voted in the 2012 presidential election in Wisconsin.Deciding where to challenge the election would be complicated. Trump, who trailed Clinton by 7 percentage points nationwide in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week, is fighting tight battles in some key states. In Ohio, for example, an average of major opinion polls reviewed by the RealClearPolitics website found Trump to be leading by less than 1 percentage point. In Iowa, he is leading by nearly 4 percent.In some other battleground states, polls suggest support for Trump has eroded in recent weeks. According to the RealClearPolitics website's poll tally, Clinton has substantial leads in Virginia, Colorado and Wisconsin. She leads Trump by more than 6 percentage points in Pennsylvania, nearly 4 points in Florida and more than two points in North Carolina.To maximize his chances of overturning a Clinton win, Trump might need to challenge the results in several states, said Troy McCurry, a former Republican National Committee lawyer who was part of the party's recount team in 2012.

Trump could try to bring a legal claim without first asking for recount by alleging, for instance, that an abuse of power by an election official, said McCurry, who's law firm represented Ted Cruz in the Republican primary before McCurry joined the practice.But if Trump's lawyers were unable to muster specific facts to support that premise, he said, a judge would dismiss the lawsuit.Any lawsuit that withstood early challenges would face an uncertain future. With the U.S. Supreme Court split 4-to-4 between liberal and conservative justices, state supreme courts or federal appeals courts could well make the final ruling in any election dispute. In Pennsylvania, Colorado and Florida, where a majority of both state and federal appeals court judges have Democratic affiliations, Trump might face a more difficult road.Meanwhile, appeals courts in Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa are more heavily Republican.

Ohio election attorney Brey, who said he dislikes but will vote for Trump, believes a challenge in Ohio would be a last-ditch effort for the candidate."Let's put it this way," he said. "If Ohio is close, Trump's already lost."Trump also might face obstacles from his own party, attorneys said, because it would be reluctant to challenge results in a state where, say, it lost the presidential race but won a close U.S. senate race.Numerous studies have shown U.S. elections, which are decentralized and run by the states, are basically sound.

"Mr. Trump never mentions what criteria would be necessary for him to make a decision about a challenge," said Stephen Zack, an attorney who represented Vice President Al Gore in the case that was brought to the Supreme Court over the election recount in Florida in 2000."Basically it is left as, 'I'll see what it smells like and then I will surprise you,'" Zack said. "There are rule-of-law issues that pertain to elections that separate us from anywhere else in the world." Election officials in several states rejected suggestions the balloting might be rigged. Eric Spencer, election director in Arizona, said that while isolated incidents of voter fraud might occur and should be investigated, election workers come from all political parties and work with integrity. "The notion that the election is rigged is preposterous if not insulting," Spencer said.Some election watchers question how serious Trump is about a challenge."A lot of this is just posturing," McCurry said. "At the end of the day I don't see how this happens." (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Mica Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Sue Horton and Lisa Girion)

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By Laila Kearney

| NEW YORK

NEW YORK T-shirts inspired by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's "such a nasty woman" comment on Democrat Hillary Clinton in Wednesday night's debate were flying off internet retailers' shelves, offering a possible hint on the Nov. 8 election result. Sellers said on Thursday that demand came swiftly and was unrivaled minutes after the final debate ended."I have had nonstop orders since last night," Pennsylvania part-time graphic designer Naheed Snyder said of her T-shirt, designed simply with the words "Nasty women vote," selling on Etsy. "It's unbelievable how well this one has done... there's no comparison." Merchandise retailers typically see a profit boost during election season as voters on both sides seek to wear support for their candidates, particularly around conventions, voting and this year, debates. Traffic to Teespring.com, a website that allows users to create, sell and buy personalized T-shirts, spiked 40 percent during the second presidential debate and 120 percent in the third debate, the company said. Merchandise promoting the Republican candidate was steadily higher earlier in the race, said Maheesh Jain, co-founder of online customizable merchandise retailer CafePress. Some of the most popular items included the slogans "I am a deplorable" and "Hillary for prison."

At a fundraiser in September, Clinton said Trump had given voice to hateful rhetoric through his behaviour as a candidate, and that "you can put half of Trumps supporters into what I call the 'basket of deplorables.'" The following day she said she regretted saying "half" and that she had been "grossly generalistic." In the last two weeks, after the release of Trump's 2005 lewd remarks toward women and an onslaught of women accusing him of sexual harassment or assault, the items have declined in popularity, Jain said. Trump has apologised for the remarks and denied the accusations."Right now, we're definitely seeing a lot more Hillary merchandise selling than Trump merchandise," said Jain.Sales of pro-Clinton merchandise last week were 53.5 percent higher than for Trump, Jain said.

After the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday, Trump's "nasty woman" comment gave life to a new merchandise line aimed at assailing him."If Hillary Clinton is a nasty woman for being most likely our next president, maybe that's not such a bad thing," said Amanda Brinkman, who runs the online feminist-centered accessory shop Google Ghost. "Maybe that's something you should wear as a badge of honour."Brinkman's "Nasty Woman" T-shirt, featuring the phrase with a heart around it, sold more than 6,000 times since she designed and posted it during Wednesday's debate. The second most-popular item in her store's history, a pen, at its peak garnered 25 sales in a single day.

Brinkman, from New Orleans, said she is donating half of the proceeds to reproductive healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, which Trump opposes because it offers abortions."I thought it only made sense to use his own words to sell a product that would then benefit Planned Parenthood," Brinkman said.In past elections, Jain said, her company had seen a direct link between the most merchandise sold and the candidate that won the election."Typically, whoever is winning in the sales column will win the election," Jain said. "Right now, we're seeing Clinton winning the election." (Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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By Michael Georgy

| QAYYARA, Iraq

QAYYARA, Iraq Islamic State launched a major attack on the city of Kirkuk on Friday as Iraqi and Kurdish forces pursued operations to seize territory around Mosul in preparation for an offensive on the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq.Islamic State's assault on Kirkuk, which lies in an oil- producing region, killed 18 members of the security forces and workers at a power station outside the city, including two Iranians, a hospital source said. Crude oil production facilities were not targeted and the power supply continued uninterrupted in the city. Kirkuk is located east of Hawija, a pocket still under control of Islamic State that lies between Baghdad and Mosul.With air and ground support from the U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi government forces captured eight villages south and southeast of Mosul. Kurdish forces attacking from the north and east also captured several villages, according to statements from their respective military commands overnight.The offensive that started on Monday to capture Mosul is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The United Nations says Mosul could require the biggest humanitarian relief operation in the world, with worst-case scenario forecasts of up to a million people being uprooted.About 1.5 million residents are still believed to be inside Mosul. Islamic State has taken 550 families from villages around Mosul and is holding them close to IS locations in the city, probably as human shields, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office said in Geneva.The fighting has forced 5,640 people to flee their homes so far from the vicinity of the city, the International Organization for Migration said late on Thursday.The Turkish Red Crescent said it was sending aid trucks to northern Iraq with food and humanitarian supplies for 10,000 people displaced by fighting around Mosul.EXPLOSIVE DEVICE

A U.S. service member died on Thursday from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast near the city.Roughly 5,000 U.S. forces are in Iraq. More than 100 of them are embedded with Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, advising commanders and helping them ensure coalition air power hits the right targets, officials say.However, the Kurdish military command complained that air support wasn't enough on Thursday."Regrettably a number of Peshmerga have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to deliver today's gains against ISIL. Further, Global Coalition warplane and support were not as decisive as in the past," the Kurdish command said in a statement.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, addressing anti-Islamic State coalition allies meeting in Paris via video link, said the offensive was advancing more quickly than planned.A senior Kurdish military official told Reuters the offensive by the Iraqi and Kurdish forces was moving steadily as they push into villages on the outskirts of Mosul.But he expected the offensive to slow down once they approach the city itself, where Islamic State had built trenches, dug tunnels and might use civilians as human shields."I believe it will be more clear within the coming weeks once we get rid of those villages and we come closer to the city how quickly this war will end. If they (Islamic State) decide to defend the actual city then the process will slow down."Once inside Mosul, Iraqi special forces would have to go from street to street and from neighbourhood to neighbourhood to clear explosives and booby traps, the official said.Islamic State denied that government forces had advanced. Under the headline "The crusade on Nineveh gets a lousy start," the group's weekly online magazine Al-Nabaa said it repelled assaults on all fronts, killing dozens in ambushes and suicide attacks and destroying dozens of vehicles including tanks.In online statements, Islamic State said it launched a series of couter-attacks and four suicide bombings to take back villages that fell on Thursday to the army and the Kurds and that it had blocked all their fresh offensives.

HOLED UP

In Kirkuk, Islamic State attacked several police buildings and a power station in the early hours of Friday and some of the attackers remained holed up in a mosque and an abandoned hotel. The militants also cut the road between the city and the power station 30 km (20 miles) to the north.Several dozen took part in the assault, according to security sources who couldn't confirm a claim by Islamic State that it had taken a Kurdish police officer hostage.The assailants in Kirkuk came from outside the city, said the head of Iraq's Special Forces, Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, speaking on a frontline east of Mosul. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi reacted to the killing of the Iranian citizens in Kirkuk, saying these attacks are "the last breath of terrorists in Iraq".At least eight militants were killed, either by blowing themselves up or in clashes with the security forces, the sources said. Kurdish forces had dislodged the militants from all the police and public buildings they had seized before dawn, they said.

MACHINE GUN

Kurdish NRT TV footage showed machine gun fire hitting a drab two-floor building that used to be a hotel, and cars burning in a nearby street.Islamic State claimed the attacks in online statements, and authorities declared a curfew in the city where Kurdish forces were getting reinforcements.Kurdish Peshmerga fighters took control of Kirkuk in 2014, after the Iraqi army withdrew from the region, fleeing an Islamic State advance through northern and western Iraq. On the frontline south of Mosul, thick black smoke lingered from oil wells that Islamic State torched to evade air surveillance, in the region of Qayyara.The army and the U.S.-led coalition took back this region in August and are using its air base as a hub to support the offensive on Mosul."Long live Iraq, death to Daesh," was painted on a wall near an army checkpoint there, referring to an Arabic acronym of Islamic State. The army Humvees at the checkpoint carried Shi'ite flags, revealing that the soldiers of this unit belonged to Iraq's majority community. Flying Shi'ite flags in the predominantly Sunni region and the participation of the Popular Mobilization Force, a coalition of mostly Iranian-trained militias, in a support role to the army has raised concerns of sectarian violence and revenge killings during or after the battle.The nation's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Friday renewed a call to spare civilians."All those who are participating in the battle have to respect the humanitarian principles and refrain from seeking vengeance," said a sermon delivered in Sistani's name in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala by one of his representatives. (Additional reporting by Michael Georgy near Qayyara, Stephen Kalin east of Mosul and Saif Hameed in Baghdad; editing by Giles Elgood)

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By Robin Emmott and Francesco Guarascio

| BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS European Union leaders condemned Russia on Friday for its bombing of civilians in Syria's besieged city of Aleppo but faced resistance from Italy to impose new sanctions against Moscow over the atrocities.Horrified by Russian air strikes on hospitals and an aid convoy that have killed hundreds of civilians including children, Britain, France and Germany want maximum pressure on Moscow to stop its assault on rebels in eastern Aleppo.Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, whose country has broad trade ties with Russia, said economic sanctions should not be part of that strategy because they would not force Moscow to negotiate a peace settlement."We should do everything possible for a peace deal in Syria but it's difficult to imagine that this should be linked to further sanctions on Russia," Renzi told reporters after a late-night dinner in Brussels where the bloc discussed strategy.With no military role in the Syrian civil war, the European Union is relying on its neutral status to help the United Nations to end the near 5-1/2-year Syrian conflict, anxious to be seen to be active. France has sought to isolate Russia diplomatically, first at the United Nations Security Council in New York with a failed bid to force a ceasefire and then with a formal condemnation by all 28 EU foreign ministers this week of Russia's strikes in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. European leaders followed up with equally strong language in their summit statement in the early hours of Friday. But the final version removed wording seen by Reuters in earlier drafts threatening sanctions on Russian individuals and companies linked to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "ALL OPTIONS"

Russia's intervention in the Syria conflict a year ago has turned the tide of the war in Assad's favour. The recapture of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, is now Moscow's goal, seemingly at any cost, diplomats said.French President Francois Hollande, who held late-night talks on Wednesday in Berlin with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, insisted that sanctions had not been completely ruled out."All the options are open as long as the truce is not respected and as long as there is a will to crush a city," Hollande said of Aleppo, where some 275,000 people are trapped and hundreds of people have been killed since a ceasefire agreed by Moscow and Washington broke down.Russia has told the United Nations it will stop bombing eastern Aleppo for 11 hours a day for four days, an announcement that EU officials speculated was timed to coincide with the EU summit in Brussels and as momentum was building to impose more crippling sanctions on the Kremlin.As the EU leaders discussed their options over dinner, a fleet of Russian warships carrying fighter bombers made its way along Europe's western coast towards Syria. It is a naval operation that NATO believes is likely to intensify the assault on Aleppo, despite the Russian ceasefire pledge.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was seriously concerned about the fleet, saying: "This may be used to increase attacks on Aleppo ... to increase human suffering," Stoltenberg told reporters. Merkel who earlier denounced the air strikes on Aleppo as "completely inhuman" said that she would do all she could to extend the ceasefire. She also said sanctions were still an option. "If the intensity of the bombing that we've seen in recent days continues, then that would be a reason for us to think about what we do next," she told Reuters. UKRAINE TROUBLES

Russia, with a weak rouble and an economy in recession, is feeling the impact of European Union and U.S. sanctions on the country's financial, energy and defence sectors imposed over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in Ukraine.

More sanctions on Russia would be unlikely to have much of an economic hit but could further worsen ties with Moscow.Highlighting those tensions, European Council President Donald Tusk, who chaired the summit, accused Russia of trying to weaken the European Union, saying leaders were worried about Russian hostilities ranging from airspace violations to disinformation campaigns and cyber attacks."Given these examples, it is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU," he said.Adding to the EU's problems in the region, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told leaders at the end of the dinner that he was not optimistic of reaching a deal over a partnership agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which was rejected by Dutch voters in a referendum in April.Western efforts to pull the former Soviet nation out of Moscow's grasp with the free-trade deal have been complicated by the Dutch vote."On the one hand a Dutch 'no' could potentially have an effect on the region, on the other hand I do not want the Dutch voter to feel cheated," Rutte told a press briefing in Brussels.Rutte added he would continue to negotiate behind the scenes to get an agreement in the Dutch parliament, as well as with Ukrainian and European leaders. (Additional reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek, Noah Barkin, Alastair Macdonald, Philip Bleninsop, Jan Strupczewski)

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Kirkuk, Iraq: Gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked government targets in the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and killed 16 at an Iranian-run construction site further north on Friday as troops advanced on jihadist bastion Mosul.

There was no immediate claim for the attacks but nearly all such raids have been carried out by the Islamic State group, which is attempting to defend its last major Iraqi stronghold against a massive military offensive.

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north-west of Kirkuk, the mayor said.

"Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0300 GMT), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians," Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP.

A police lieutenant colonel confirmed the casualty toll.

The mayor said the attack led to clashes with security forces, who managed to kill one of the bombers before he detonated his vest. The other two blew themselves up once they were surrounded, he said.

Hours earlier, a commando of suicide bombers armed with rifles attacked multiple locations in Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources said.

A Kurdish intelligence officer said four suicide bombers attacked the main police headquarters in the city at around 3.00 am (2400 GMT Thursday).

"The security forces managed to shoot one of them dead, the other three blew themselves up," he said.

Several other targets in the south of the city were attacked by what the officer said were members of IS, sparking clashes with security forces that were still ongoing five hours later.

A Kirkuk official told AFP that a total curfew was slapped on the city.

Local Kurdish television channel Rudaw aired footage showing black smoke rising over the city as extended bursts of automatic gunfire rang out. The TV, however, quoted Kirkuk Gov. Najmadin Karim as saying that the militants have not seized any government buildings.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack comes as the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces are making a major push to drive Islamic State militants from Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city some 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad and south-east of Mosul that is claimed by both Iraq's central government and the country's Kurdish region. It has long been a flashpoint for tension and has been the scene of multiple attacks by Islamic State militants.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early on Friday. He said the base is now under control.

He said IS maintains sleeper cells in Kirkuk and the surrounding villages, and that a group of IS fighters tried to attack a power station in Dibis village west of Kirkuk with light arms and a suicide bomber.

IS also claimed an attack on the power station, saying that its fighters had stormed the facility and killed all security forces stationed there.

Kerkuki said he believes the attackers infiltrated Kirkuk posing as displaced civilians. The city has absorbed hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the neighboring provinces since IS first overran wide stretches of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014.

"Many of (the displaced civilians), I'm sure they are working with Islamic State," Kerkuki said, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group. "We arrested one recently and he confessed (he was part of a sleeper cell)."

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by US-led coalition support launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from IS. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday.
By Simon Lewis and Wa Lone

| YANGON

YANGON Muslim residents and rights activists say a military operation in northwestern Myanmar has killed more people than official reports have acknowledged, as a fresh bout of ethnic unrest threatens to undermine the country's fledgling peace process.The government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the army and police in Rakhine State are fighting a group of at least 400 insurgents, drawn from the Rohingya Muslim minority, with links to Islamist militants overseas.While officials say the army has been conducting carefully targeted sweeps against the group behind attacks on police border posts on Oct. 9, residents who spoke to Reuters accused security forces of killing non-combatants and burning homes.With the area around Maungdaw Township, near the border with Bangladesh, under military lockdown it was not possible to independently verify either side's version of events.The violence has destabilised Myanmar's most volatile state, where the relations between the Rohingya and majority Buddhists are at their lowest point since hundreds of people were killed and thousands displaced in ethnic violence in 2012.Delicate efforts to rebuild fragile intercommunal ties since then have been shattered, marking a massive setback for the No.1 goal of Suu Kyi's government - securing a lasting peace and unifying the country.In videos posted online, armed men speaking the Rohingya language have claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks on Oct. 9 that ignited the region, where Rohingya face severe restrictions on their movement and access to basic services.DEADLY CLASHES

State-run media have reported that 30 "attackers" have been killed by security forces since Oct. 9, including two women reported to have been armed with swords.But Reuters interviews with six residents and community leaders in Maungdaw Township - as well as diplomats in Yangon and rights groups - paint a different picture.

"Clearly there are more than 30 killed," said Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, a monitoring group that says it has drawn information from a network of sources throughout Maungdaw Township. "And many of them are civilians, not attackers." Lewa said the army was using "typical counter-insurgency measures against civilians", including "shooting civilians on sight, burning homes, looting property and arbitrary arrests".Ye Naing, a director at the Ministry of Information, said the official reports coming out of Maungdaw could be trusted."The current operation is not blind searching. The military has the information from interrogations, so the target is very clear and the scope of the operation is narrow," he said.The military did not respond to requests for comment.

OPERATION ZONE

Foreign reporters have not been allowed into the area the military has declared an "operation zone", but Reuters was able to contact some residents and community leaders by telephone.The people, who did not want to be identified, contradicted several of the reports in state media, saying that the death toll in the area was higher than reported and that a number of those killed were unarmed.In one of the disputed accounts, the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper said 30 Muslims attacked government forces on Oct. 11 near Kyetyoepyin village, and that 10 Rohingyas were killed in the subsequent fighting. After the clash, the insurgents fled, setting fire to homes, the report said.But several Rohingya residents from the area said they believed at least 19 people, including eight women, were killed by security forces that day. They also say it was the soldiers who set a large part of the village on fire.

The United Nations has said the violence is preventing aid agencies from delivering food and medicines to the region.The conflict underlines the power the army retains in Myanmar, which was ruled for decades by a junta, despite the democratic reforms that brought Suu Kyi to power this year.Suu Kyi has urged the military to use restraint and act in accordance with the law, but day-to-day handling of the crisis is in the hands of the home affairs minister, who, like the heads of two other security ministries, is a general appointed by the military.Though feted abroad as a champion of democracy, Suu Kyi has also faced international criticism for not doing enough to ease the plight of around 1.1 million Rohingya living in Rakhine, most of whom are denied Myanmar citizenship.A commission on solving the Rakhine quagmire led by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan and appointed by Suu Kyi in August was in Myanmar this week, but would not travel to the troubled state, officials said.The government has blamed the violence on a little known Islamist group it says has links to the Pakistani Taliban.But Suu Kyi said during a trip to India this week that the government's initial statement may have been based on unreliable sources, underlining how the sudden upsurge in violence has taken it by surprise.Diplomats believe that the group's outside support is largely limited to the Rohingya diaspora, many of whom live in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, rather than established Islamist militant groups.The initial attacks, in which three border police outposts were overrun by hundreds of people, most only lightly armed, showed a degree of sophistication not seen before in violence involving the Rohingya, but did not suggest the group was especially well-funded or armed, diplomats said. (Additional reporting by Mohammad Nurul Islam in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh; Editing by Alex Richardson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The annual Bismarck Fall Festival is returning from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at a new location  the Bismarck School campus  and will feature a number of new activities and events to help southeast Missourians welcome in the new season.

Bismarck Chamber of Commerce President Matt Jarvis believes theres a lot to be excited about at this weekends fall festival.

We had it out in the park before but decided to move this years festival to the school so that we can have a bigger venue, he said. Weve had a lot of craft and food vendors call, so were expecting a bunch to be out here this weekend. This year were doing a Laser Tag Tournament  thats going to be a big one for us I think. I hope it turns out really well. Sissys Corner Cafe is sponsoring it for us. Were going to try to get a competition going between the junior and senior class and see who can survive the longest.

A popular fall festival activity  Haunted Hayrides  will also be returning this year.

Its something the kids always like, Jarvis said. Well do hayrides throughout the day and haunted hayrides when it starts to get dark.

Other activities for kids of all ages include Power Wheel Racing, a petting zoo, pony rides, games and a mechanical bull.

Musical acts performing live at the festival include Sheriff & The Deputies, South Bound Exit and Roy Whaley and The Ambush Band.

Bismarck High Schools junior class is also sponsoring several activities this year that include a Car Show, Zombie Run, and lots of fun and games for children  a Punkin Chuckin Contest, Seed Spitting Contest, Bubble Gum Blowing Contest, Pumpkin Toss and Sucker Pull.

Car Show registration takes place from 9 a.m. to noon. Winners will be announced in three categories at 2 p.m.: Junior Class Choice, Best Paint and Best Interior.

The 5k Zombie Run has a $5 fee per runner/walker. Awards will be given for first, second and third place in each age group: 14 and under and 15 and up. The best costumed runner will also win a prize.

Crown Valley Winery will be set up and doing wine tastings until noon.

The 2016 fall festival is seeing more interaction between local organizations  and Jarvis thinks its a healthy sign of Bismarcks team spirit.

This is one thing that Im really proud of, he said. This year a lot of our groups, like the senior center and fire department, are wanting to do more. Theyre using us as a platform to build upon. Its a good community thing too. It brings the community together. Saturday is supposed to be a beautiful fall day. Come out, have a good time and show your support for these groups.
By Michelle Nichols

| UNITED NATIONS

UNITED NATIONS United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pushed on Thursday for the 193-member General Assembly to hold a rare emergency special session on Syria since a deadlocked Security Council has failed to take action to end the nearly six-year war.Under a 1950 resolution, an emergency special session can be called for the General Assembly to consider a matter "with a view to making appropriate recommendations to members for collective measures" if the Security Council fails to act."I call on all of you to cooperate and fulfil your collective responsibility to protect," Ban said. "I regret that the Security Council has failed to discharge its responsibilities to uphold peace and security for Syria."Russia, a Syrian ally that has been providing military backing to the Syrian government for the past year, has vetoed five Security Council resolutions on Syria since 2011. China joined Moscow in vetoing the first four resolutions. Ban and U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura informally briefed the General Assembly on Thursday at the request of Canada and more than a third of U.N. states. In its request letter, Canada said one aim of the meeting was to see if there was enough support for an emergency special session.Such a session can be called by an assembly majority or nine members of the 15-member Security Council. Only 10 such sessions have been convened, and the last time the General Assembly met in such a session was in 2009 on Israeli actions in occupied Palestinian territories.

An emergency special session of the General Assembly could adopt a resolution on Syria recommending action. "The General Assembly doesn't want to be mute; it's clear now. The General Assembly wants to express its frustration and to have a strong call for action," Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion told Reuters ahead of the meeting on Thursday. Human Rights Watch executive director Ken Roth said that at a mininum a General Assembly resolution should condemn the targeting of civilians and insist on the lifting of sieges.

"We would like to see one step further which is that it create a prosecutor," he told Reuters. "If you had a prosecutor they could begin to collect the evidence and make ready to go cases."International outrage has grown since Syrian government forces, supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes, announced a major offensive to capture the rebel-held part of Aleppo city in late September that has killed hundreds.Russia told the United Nations on Thursday it would stop bombing Aleppo for 11 hours a day for four days.

"It is not, and must never become, praiseworthy to refrain from committing atrocities. One cannot get credit for an eight- or 11-hour break in months of merciless bombing," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said on Thursday. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin was critical of U.N. officials and states for failing to focus on the fight against terrorism in Syria, where Islamic State militants have taken advantage of the chaos to seize territory. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Paul grew up in St. Charles and proudly served two tours in Korea in the United States Army. After he returned to civilian life he went on a blind date with Lucille Hawkins and proposed that very night. They were married the following June and just celebrated 62 wonderful years together. He began at an early age working for his family business, Benne Building Company, learning the building trade under his father. Later he and his brother branched off and became partners in residential and commercial building. In later years his son Stan joined him in the business. Paul was highly respected and well known as a reputable builder in the area. He was a faithful member of the Park Hills Nazarene Church where he was Sunday School Superintendent and a Sunday School teacher. He enjoyed his farm and tending to his cattle and horses. Buying and selling real estate was a passion of Paul's. Most everyone who knew Paul will cherish the memory of his honesty, integrity, Godly humility and his kind and gentle spirit whose amazing love for family and others was incredible.
Samsung is recently flooding the Indian market with several mid-range 4G smartphones in the J series and On series. The company has now announced that it will only launch 4G smartphone in the India.

The company also launched new My Galaxy app in Kolkata and Lucknow yesterday. The updated app has one-page design, offers seamless video, music and gaming experience and also gives quick access to lifestyle services such as recharges, bill payments, movie ticketing, cab booking, flight & hotel bookings, live chat, hyperlocal deals and more.

The new My Galaxy application has been developed by Indian research and development team at Samsung R&D Institute (SRI) at Bangalore, its largest overseas R&D Centre. My Galaxy appwill be unveiled in Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad soon.

Samsung said that it would invest Rs. 2,000 crore at its Noida plant for increasing smartphone manufacturing capacity and other products.

Commenting the new move, Manu Sharma, VP (mobile business) of Samsung India Electronics, said:

Nearly 80 per cent of the smartphone users have shifted to 4G-enabled handsets. We will launch all our future smartphones in this category across all segments. This shows that Samsung is serious about the Indian market, where it is already enjoying 48.6 per cent market share in value terms in the smarphone segment [According to report, August 2016]. Samsung in India has a portfolio of 25 different smartphones, most of which are 4G-enabled.

Regarding the new My Galaxy app, Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Samsung India Electronics, said:

At Samsung, we continuously strive to create value for our customers by providing differentiated solutions and services coupled with innovative devices. The new My Galaxy has been developed keeping in mind the Indian consumers and their smart phone usage habits. It is a testimony to our passion for innovation and localization.

Source 1, 2
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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Check out the new FoneArena Daily video that gives you a quick roundup of todays technology news.



OnePlus 3T or OnePlus 3 Turbo has surfaced on weibo and it is expected to come with Snapdragon 821 SoC, 6GB LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB (UFS 2.0) storage, 16MP rear camera with LED flash, Sony IMX298 sensor, 8MP front-facing camera and fingerprint sensor.

Razer has announced Blade Pro gaming laptop powerhouse that comes with 17.3-inch G-Sync IGZO display and is powered by Intels latest quad-core i7 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU.

Vodafone India today announced that it will offer free incoming calls while roaming nationally for all its customers starting this Diwali.

Samsung has launched Galaxy On Nxt with 5.5-inch 1080p display, 3GB RAM, fingerprint sensor for Rs. 18490.

Todays Deal  Offer on Sony headphone and earphones
Major ups and downs



Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium



Elevation change (between highest point and lowest point): 102.2m F1s classic rollercoaster venue, Spa features both steep declines and sharp inclines, often in quick succession as at the famous Eau Rouge/Radillon section. The highest point of the circuit is the right hander at Turn 7 (Malmedy) and from there the drivers go downhill all the way to Turn 15 (Curve Paul Frere). The elevation change of 102.2m is more than the height of Londons Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben.

Spielberg, Austria



Elevation change: 63.5m Situated in the Austrian Alps, its perhaps unsurprising that Spielberg should feature significant elevation changes. The lowest point on the entire circuit comes on the start finish straight, yet by the time the drivers reach Turn 2 they have already climbed 63.3m - the same height as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Brazil



Elevation change: 43m Interlagos is F1s second highest track in terms of altitude, and its also one of its most topographically interesting. The highest point of the track is on the rise between the start-finish line and Turn 1, but from there the drivers plunge downhill all the way to Turn 5  the lowest point on the circuit. All in all, the elevation difference between the highest and lowest points on this fabulously undulating circuit is 43m - practically the same height of Paris famous Arc de Triomphe.

Monaco



Elevation change: 42m It may be short, but Monaco squeezes a lot of elevation changes into its 3.3km  not least at the start of the lap where the drivers climb what must feel like the side of a mountain from Ste Devote (Turn 1) all the way to the high point of Casino Square (Turn 4). If they could see over the barriers on their way up, theyd be able to spot the low point, which comes just before La Rascasse (Turn 17). Bizarrely, despite being on the harbour side, the lowest point is still technically 47.5m above sea level because in this instance sea level refers to the average height of the earths oceans.

Suzuka International Racing Course, Japan



Elevation change: 40.4m Elevation changes play a big part in making Suzuka a drivers favourite, and a quick look at the elevation trace above shows that it has considerably more ups and downs than most circuits. As you can see, the drivers are dropping downhill all the way from the final corners to the circuits low point between Turns 1 and 2, making braking particularly tricky. The high point is just out of the challenging Spoon bend (Turn13/14)  a corner that requires a good exit so as not to lose time on the undulating drag to 130R (Turn 15).

Hungaroring, Hungary



Elevation change: 34.7m The Hungaroring was built within a valley, which not only provides spectators with excellent vantage points over much of the circuit, but also provides natural undulation. However, as the elevation trace shows, this circuit is more about a gentle rise and fall than several peaks and troughs, with the drivers dropping downhill until Turn 3 before a steady climb back to the high point on the start-finish straight.

Circuit of The Americas, USA



Elevation change: 30.9m Track architect Hermann Tilke sought inspiration from tracks around the world when designing the Circuit of The Americas, but Turn 1  its signature corner  is an American original. A perfect place for overtaking because the uphill braking zone aids late braking, Turn 1 is reached via a short 30.9m climb from the tracks lowest point, which is situated between Turns 19 and 20.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain



Elevation change: 29.6m Barcelona has long been regarded by engineers as an ideal test venue because it blends fast and slow corners, long- and short-radius bends and multiple elevation and camber changes. The highest point on the track is out of the right-handed Turn 12, and from there the drivers drop nearly 30m to the low point at Turn 1.

Some rise and fall



Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan

Elevation change: 26.8m For the most part, Bakus brand-new city circuit is flat, but there is one section that stands out topographically and thats the area around the old town. Its here - around Turn 8 - that the circuit narrows and takes the drivers uphill, a section which demands pinpoint accuracy and concentration from the drivers. The circuits high point is reached at Turn 13, and from there it drops all the way down towards the sea front - its lowest point, some 24 metres below sea level.

Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia



Elevation change: 22m Malaysias Sepang circuit is regarded as something of a modern classic, and part of the reason for that is the way in which the layout incorporates elevation changes. Theres a 22m difference between Turn 3 and Turn 11 - with several other rises and falls in between.

Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain



Elevation change: 16.9m Built from scratch in just 486 days using over 12,000 tonnes of stone, the Bahrain International Circuit packs more elevation changes than you might expect into its 5.4km. Its highest point is the hairpin at Turn 4, which makes this an especially good overtaking spot because of the uphill braking zone. The rest of the circuit is below sea level, with the start-finish straight some 15m lower - an elevation change equivalent to the height of the famous Hollywood sign.

Monza, Italy



Elevation change: 12.8m Monza is renowned for speed, not for elevation changes, but La Pista Magica does manage to squeeze in 12.8m worth of vertical variation into its 5.7km, with the significant dip coming on the drag between the second Lesmo (Turn 7) and Ascari (Turn 8). As the elevation trace shows, the run to Parabolica is downhill, while the start-finish straight is on a slight incline.

Silverstone, Great Britain



Elevation change: 11.3m You might not expect too many elevation changes at a circuit based around an old aerodrome, but Silverstone has a few ups and downs, most notably out of Stowe (Turn 15) where the track drops down to Vale and Club (Turns 16, 17 and 18).

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi



Elevation change: 10.7m Abu Dhabis spectacular Yas Marina Circuit is largely flat, but it does feature one stand-out peak at the sweeping Turn 3, which provides the circuit with its 10.7m elevation change.

Mostly flat



Shanghai International Circuit, China



Elevation change: 7.4m Shanghai International Circuit was built on marshland and required 40,000 stone pillars to stabilise it before building could commence, so its not surprising that its a fairly flat track with only minor elevation changes. The high point at Turn 2 is just 7.4m higher than the low of the long back straight  about the height of a giraffe.

Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore



Elevation change: 5.3m Marina Bay may be a street circuit like Monaco, but in terms of layout they share little in common aside from Armco barriers  where the Principality circuit rises and falls, Singapores is predominantly flat, with only a few minor elevation changes.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Canada



Elevation change: 5.2m Dont be fooled by the elevation trace: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is situated on Ile Notre-Dame, an artificial island, is almost as flat as the surface of the former Olympic rowing lake alongside it, with just 5.2m between its highest and lowest points.

Hockenheim, Germany



Elevation change: 4.3m Were F1 still racing on the Nurburgrings infamous 22km Nordschleife, Germany would boast the most topographically challenging circuit of them all. Neighbouring Hockenheim, however, is one of the flattest circuits on the calendar with minimal elevation changes, though the slight incline to Turn 6 makes the hairpin an even more inviting overtaking spot.

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico



Elevation change: 2.8m F1s highest altitude circuit is situated over 2000m above sea level, which is over 1,000m higher than the next highest - Interlagos. However, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez itself is extremely flat - well, aside for its notorious bumps

Albert Park, Australia



Elevation change: 2.6m Melbournes picturesque Albert Park is many things, but undulating it is not. There are just 2.6m between the highest point (approaching Turn 13) and the lowest point on the start-finish straight.

Sochi Autodrom, Russia
Goodyear is officially welcoming the second airship in the fleet replacing its famous blimps.

From the ground, the cigar-shaped replacements look much like their predecessors. Though they still use helium and bear the blue-and-gold Goodyear logo, they aren't technically blimps because they have a fixed structure holding the balloon in place. They also are longer, have a third engine, make less noise and are more maneuverable.

The first of the new models, Wingfoot One, launched in 2014 and is based in Pompano Beach, Florida. Wingfoot Two was finished in March and already was used for some event coverage ahead of Friday's christening in Akron, where Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. is based.

Wingfoot Two eventually will be based in Carson, California, where the last of the previous blimps has been operating, Goodyear airship spokeswoman Emily Cropper said.

Goodyear expects to retire the remaining blimp, the Spirit of Innovation, next year and start building the third vehicle in the new fleet, she said.

The other blimps from the old fleet, the Spirit of Goodyear and the Spirit of America, were previously retired.

Akron native Savannah James, the wife of Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, is the official christener for Wingfoot Two.
On this edition of Motley Fool Answers, we go international, looking at the BRIC nations -- Brazil, Russian, India, and China -- which were viewed as having huge potential 10 or 15 years ago. In this segment, Joe Magyer,Chief Investment Officer at Lakehouse Capital and regular contributor to Fool Australia, talks to Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp about the BRICs, and how retail investors should get some BRIC-iness in their portfolios.

A full transcript follows the video.

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This podcast was recorded on Sept. 20, 2016

Alison Southwick:What do you recommend individual investors do?

Joe Magyer:What do they do...

Robert Brokamp:Especially when it comes to international investing. Because when you worked here at the Fool, you were working on services that picked U.S. stocks, and now you've gone to Australia, and you're focusing on that stock market. Do you have a more international viewpoint in terms of your own portfolio now, and where you invest?

Magyer:Yes, I've got less of a home bias. I'd say for normal, everyday people, it's hard to get emerging-market exposure in a good way. Tim Hanson is always fond of talking about how you can get passive investments (you can do an index fund or ETF), but the trouble is you just end up owning what are effectively these massive state-owned banks. Oil companies that are public, but they're controlled by governments. And you're not getting the exposure to the better part of the story, which is the consumer story and a rising middle class.

So it helps to actually try to find the individual consumer companies, but if you're busy and you're a normal person, that doesn't make a lot of sense. So one option could be just looking for funds that scratch that itch and that have really good track records with low and reasonable fees.

Brokamp:And a good one, by the way, is T. Rowe Price. They have a great emerging-markets fund that people should consider if they're looking for this. And I think the whole story behind emerging markets was the foundation for the BRICs. When you look at 10 years ago, or so, people felt the developed world was getting older and a little stodgier.

When you look at the growth rates of a lot of emerging-market countries, I think, to a certain degree, the BRICs got picked out because they were the biggest and the ones that had the highest profiles. But a lot of it was this emerging-market story. If there's a big story like that (that drives up the stocks of those companies in those countries) if you then get into it, to an extent you almost get in too late.

Vanguard did a couple of good reports earlier in this decade (in 2010 and 2013) looking at the correlation between a country's growth and the growth of its stock market. Surprisingly, there's actually not that much of a correlation. It's sort of what I just said. To a certain degree, when you see the GDP growth that drives the stock market up too high, it's become overvalued, and it's become a bubble. And also along the lines of what Joe said in that a nation's stock market isn't necessarily reflective of its true economy. A lot of the growth can be driven by other companies, and it's not reflected in the stock market.

Magyer:That's so super true. That's something I've experienced in Australia, which is a very large, developed economy, but the top half of the market is 10 companies, and it's basically four big banks, a couple of large retailers, and a couple of commodity companies. Then there's another 2,000 that make up the rest of the index that are more representative of everyday life.

The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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With their third and final debate behind them, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were in New York on Thursday poking fun at themselves and each other at a white-tie dinner benefiting Catholic charities.

At the annual dinner, honoring former Governor of New York Al Smith, politicians from across the spectrum are encouraged to set aside their differences and playfully "roast" one another.

Al Smith IV, a relative of the former governor kicked off the evening by reminding the Republican presidential nominee, "even though there's a man sitting next to you in a robe, you're not in the locker room."

Trump acknowledged his own tendency to boast, telling the crowd, "You know they say when you do this kind of bit of it you always start out with a self-deprecating joke. Some people think this would be tough for me but the truth is the truth is I'm actually a modest person, very modest. It's true. In fact many people told me that modesty is perhaps my best quality," Trump said.

He also said that if Clinton wins the election, she has already promised him a role in her administration.

Hillary was very gracious...she wants me to be, without question, either her ambassador to Iraq or to Afghanistan. It's my choice," Trump said.

He drew the largest laughs of the evening when he referenced his wife Melania's speech at the Republican National Convention.

"The media is even more biased this year than ever before ever. You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it, My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case. And I don't get it. I don't know why," Trump said.

Democratic presidential nominee Clinton began her remarks by saying the event was so meaningful, she decided to take a break from her "rigorous nap schedule" to attend.

"It's a treat for all of you too because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this," Clinton added.

She also joked that she wished former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg was speaking that evening.

"I'm curious to hear what a billionaire has to say," Clinton added --- an obvious dig at Trump who has not released his tax returns.

After dodging one another earlier in the evening and not shaking hands at the last two debates, the evening ended with Cardinal Dolan brokering a handshake between the two political rivals.
Cyber attacks targeting the internet infrastructure provider Dyn disrupted service on major sites such as Twitter and Spotify on Friday, mainly affecting users on the U.S. East Coast.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible. Officials told Reuters that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were both investigating.

The disruptions come at a time of unprecedented fears about the cyber threat in the United States, where hackers have breached political organizations and election agencies.

Homeland Security last week issued a warning about a powerful new approach for blocking access to websites - hackers infecting routers, printers, smart TVs and other connected devices with malware that turns them into "bot" armies that overwhelm website servers in distributed denial of service attacks.

Dyn said it had resolved one attack, which disrupted operations for about two hours, but disclosed a second attack a few hours later that was causing further disruptions.

In addition to the social network Twitter and music-streamer Spotify, the discussion site Reddit, hospitality booking service Airbnb and The Verge news site were among companies whose services were disrupted on Friday.

Amazon.com Inc's web services division, one of the world's biggest cloud computing companies, also reported a related outage, which it said was resolved early Friday afternoon.

Dyn is a Manchester, New Hampshire-based provider of services for managing domain name servers (DNS), which act as switchboards connecting internet traffic. Requests to access sites are transmitted through DNS servers that direct them to computers that host websites.

Its customers include some of the world's biggest corporations and Internet firms, such as Pfizer, Visa, Netflix and Twitter, SoundCloud and BT.

Dyn said it was still trying to determine how the attack led to the outage but that its first priority was restoring service.

Attacking a large DNS provider can create massive disruptions because such firms are responsible for forwarding large volumes of internet traffic.

(Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankurt, Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Malathi Nayak in New York, Jeff Mason and Mark Hsenball in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott)
Jim Beam ended a nearly weeklong strike at two bourbon distilleries in Kentucky on Friday, toasting a labor settlement that answers the workers' key demand with a commitment to hire more full-time staff.

Union members picketing since last Saturday approved the company's latest contract offer on a 204-19 vote and will resume producing whiskey Monday, said United Food and Commercial Workers union official Tommy Ballard.

"We can get back to being a family," longtime Beam employee Bill Ball said.

The walkout began after workers at Jim Beam distilleries at Clermont and Boston turned down an earlier offer from the world's top bourbon producer. Their main complaint centered not on money, but time with their families.

The union wants more full-time workers hired, rather than a greater reliance on temporary workers to keep up with booming demand. Even with part-timers helping out, many of the union workers said they have been putting in 60 to 80 hours a week producing the classic American whiskey, whose brand is owned by Suntory Holdings Ltd., a Japanese beverage company.

"This outcome is good news for our people, our customers and fans of Jim Beam everywhere," Beam Suntory executive David Hunter said after workers accepted the offer.

The revised proposal followed rounds of negotiations and a management listening session that allowed workers to voice grievances.

"We developed solutions that include less reliance on temporary workers, better management of overtime and a number of improvements to promote work-life balance," said Hunter, chief supply chain officer for Beam Suntory.

Janelle Mudd, president of the union local 111D, said they had hoped to avoid a strike, but she believes their concerns were heard.

"The final proposal includes many of the key elements that we felt so strongly about, such as equal pay for equal work, a cap on temporary employees and the hiring of more full-time employees," Mudd said in an email after the vote.

Ball, in his 47th year as a Beam employee, said he typically logs 25 to 30 hours of overtime each week. Even with the new contract, he says those long hours won't evaporate immediately.

"We know that it's not going to be reduced for a while," he said. "First of all, they have to hire people, they have to train people."

But he added: "We feel like it's going to be better."

The walkout soured what has been an era of smooth relations between management and labor in Kentucky's whiskey industry, which is enjoying renewed popularity. Kentucky is home to about 95 percent of the world's bourbon production. Both the bourbon and whiskey industries are responding to worldwide sales growth.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged a lawyer serving on the board of directors of Nashville-based bank holding company Pinnacle Financial Partners with insider trading. The SEC alleges he placed his first order to purchase shares in the potential acquisition target while a board meeting to discuss the transaction was still in progress and then placed four more orders within an hour after the meeting ended. Cope purchased a total of 10,179 shares of the common stock of Avenue Financial Holdings, Inc. , another Nashville, Tennessee-based bank holding company over a seven day period in January 2016 while in possession of the material, non-public information that about a potential merger of the two banks, according to the SEC. The SEC alleges that Cope made more than $56,000 in illegal profits for the trades. Cope resigned from the Pinnacle's board in April. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee also filed a parallel criminal case against Cope on Friday.

Copyright  2016 MarketWatch, Inc.
The 42 residents of McCarthy, Alaska, arent too thrilled by the idea of businessman Neil Darishs plan to transform their scenic town into a profitable tourist location. "Edge of Alaska" captures the intense struggle between the small town and Darish.

"...When I first got to McCarthy the thing that floored me was, [this] really needs to be shared,'" Darish told FOX411 ahead of the shows second season premiere. "Its in the center of the largest national park in the country and the most important things to me is that its the last non-native community still inside the national park."

Darish insists his goal is to keep McCarthy as authentic as possible, though he says the way the Discovery Channel show portrays him does not always make that clear.

"I started something that always had tourism but it had a few people a week or a few people a day, nothing like Cape Cod, but its building," he said. "The biggest thing that I feared was how can you keep it authentic? I know this isnt necessarily how the show makes it look, but I really am dedicated to growing it in a way that it can succeed and be sustainable. And what that means is not getting rid of what McCarthy is. The thing we dont want to lose, the thing I am most fearful about is the authenticity of the town."

Darish thinks the upcoming season of the show tells the towns story from all sides.

Its my story and its the towns story and its everybody elses story

Darish said he now truly understands the small Alaskan town.

Ive learned to let go of what I think is right and accept lots of different ways to tell what McCarthy is all about. McCarthy is unique; its beautiful; its heartfelt.

"Edge of Alaska" returns October 23rd on Discovery.
This summer, Zika was among our top worries. As the disease spread rapidly first in Central and South America and then here in the U.S., everyone was stocking up on bug spray and swatting any buzzing insects nearby. Zika was not the first mosquito-borne illness to cause a panic, though, and scientists want us to know it won't be the last.

The Scientific American reports researchers have their eyes on four insect-carried illnesses that they suspect could wreak havoc in the near future just like Zika did this summer. While these are just best guesses and nothing is for sure, scientists are keeping watch on Mayaro, Rift Valley Fever, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, and Usutu as the next insect-borne diseases that could break out on a large scale.

Mayaro is a disease very similar to the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya, causing symptoms that are pretty hard to tell apart. Both diseases cause serious fever, muscle aches and joint pain. Those similarities could be why Mayaro becomes a big issue, according to the Scientific American. Since chikungunya adapted to be carried by urban dwelling mosquitos, Mayaro could too.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Rift Valley Fever is most common among livestock, but it sometimes becomes an issue for humans too. The mosquito-borne illness can cause a quick mild sickness marked by fever, weakness and dizziness, but Rift Valley Fever can develop into something more serious. Occasionally, the disease causes eye disease, hemorrhaging and brain inflammation that lead to death. The reason scientists are worried about this illness, the Scientific American reports, is it can be carried by a whole bunch of different mosquitoes. Other illnesses, like Zika, are confined to specific mosquito species.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever is a serious disease from which up to 40% of people who get it die, according to the World Health Organization. Ticks and livestock are responsible for the majority of human cases, but humans can also transmit the disease to each other. Symptoms include fever, aches, dizziness, neck pain, bleeding almost anywhere in the body and more. According to the Scientific American, the good news about this disease is that it's mostly spread by ticks, and tick borne illnesses are spread more slowly than mosquito borne ones. What could cause a real problem is the rate of death from the disease.

Like Mayaro, Usutu is a copycat of another mosquito borne illness. Cases of Usutu look very similar to West Nile Virus, including headaches, fever and neurological issues, but seemingly more mild. According to the Scientific American most cases of Usutu end without any symptoms at all. The issue here is Usutu, a disease common in birds, is carried by the very common Culex mosquito and has seen a boom in Europe this summer. Because of climate change, scientists worry Usutu could become more common in both birds and humans.

Again, these diseases aren't definitely going to spread like wildfire, but the issue is they could. This is just another reason to be diligent with the bug spray.
A nurse in Australia is speaking out on social media after an acquaintance dismissed her as just a nurse. Caitlin Brassington wrote an emotional post on Instagram and Facebook next to a photo of herself in scrubs in which she says shes heard that comment many, many times in the past 18 years as a nurseand it finally got to her.

I have helped babies into the world, many of whom needed assistance to take their first breath, and yet I am just a nurse," she wrote in a post thats been liked more than 3,600 times on Facebook. "I have held patients' hands and ensured their dignity while they take their last breath, and yet I am just a nurse. I have counseled grieving parents after the loss of a child, and yet I am just a nurse. I have performed CPR on patients and brought them back to life, and yet I am just a nurse."

Brassington also points out that she acts as the eyes, ears, and hands of medical officers, and misses Christmas Days and her childrens birthdays to care for people. I have the experience and knowledge that has saved people's lives, she concluded. So, if I am just a nurse, then I am ridiculously proud to be one!

Commenters applauded her remarks and shared their own stories of nursing. I too used to nurse, one wrote. You have summed up what we do except taking verbal and physical abuse while having to turn the other cheek. Nobody to dry your tears or understand them. As you said, just a nurse. Another said, As nurses we don't do what we do for thanks or praise, but when you get it, it's lovely to be appreciated.

Kathryn A. Boling, M.D., a primary care physician at Baltimores Mercy Medical Center who used to be a nurse, tells SELF that nurses are a vital part of the medical profession. In a hospital setting theyre with you all the timetheres a real intimacy, she says. They may wash your body, sit and talk to you when youre upset about something, and make sure youre OK. Theyre often the first people to notice if a patient is unwell and needs extra care, she points out.

Homayoon Sanati, M.D., a medical oncologist and medical director of the MemorialCare Breast Center at Californias Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, agrees. A medical team is very large and they are part of the puzzle, he tells SELF. They do a lot of the work that is often unrecognized. When patients are admitted to a hospital, nurses often start IV treatments, get vital signs, and stabilize the patient, he says. And, he points out, while nurses get orders from doctors, the actual treatment is often carried out by nurses. Theyre a very, very important part of the care, he says.

Nurses also serve people in many different settings, Sanati notesthey can be inpatient or outpatient, work in ICUs, manage medical floors in a hospital, do end-of-life care, home visits, and see their own patients as nurse practitioners. Really, they are the front-line of our medical care, he says.

Nurse practitioners, who are qualified to treat patients without the direct supervision of a doctor, advocate for individuals and often allow them to get medicine at reduced rate, Patrick Hawkins, a nurse practitioner at Michigan State University College of Nursing, tells SELF. Hawkins has been instrumental in providing care during the Flint water crisis, and says a team of nurses put health services into motion for the community. We brought together non-profit and government agencies and conveyed actionthe importance of doing it now, he said. Nurses advocate, collaborate, and coordinate care.

Boling says it would be terrible if nurses didnt exist. Who would take care of patients in the hospital? she said. Doctors cannot be sitting by every patients bedsite. Without nurses, youd have people dying right and left.

Hawkins agrees. It is not that I am just a nurseI am a nurse and there is a big difference, he says.
From the Benghazi cover up to a clumsy attempt to trade favors with the FBI, a long string of State Department scandals dating all the way back to 1998 has one central figure in common: Patrick Kennedy.

The undersecretary of state for management, Kennedy, has been directly involved, if not at the very center, of the many biggest scandals of Hillary Clintons State Department. He wields considerable power because in the State Department because he oversees every activity, including diplomatic security, information technology, contracting, acquisitions, construction, budget, finance, personnel, assignments, consular affairs and States FOIA office, that is necessary for the departments operation and our embassies abroad.

WHAT THE BENGHAZI ATTACK TAUGHT ME ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON

Kennedy has a reputation as a micromanager who involves himself in the most mundane details. For example, he personally approved every U.S. official who worked in or visited the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, or its mission in Benghazi. To track their movements, he required the embassies to provide daily reports of every U.S. official in the country.

His determination to master the minutiae of the U.S. mission to Libyas operations extended to security. He made the fateful decision that reduced professional American security personnel assigned to Tripoli from 34 to 6, with tragic consequences for Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glenn Doherty and Ty Woods.

He made the fateful decision that reduced professional American security personnel assigned to Tripoli from 34 to 6, with tragic consequences for Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glenn Doherty and Ty Woods.

Kennedy has been involved in fatal security decisions in the past. In 1998, he was acting assistant secretary for diplomatic security when the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi was bombed. Ten Americans, and hundreds of Kenyans lost their lives. Prior to the bombing, U.S. Ambassador Prudence Bushnell sent numerous requests for security upgrades, which were denied. Nevertheless, Kennedy was exonerated from blame for both the Nairobi and Benghazi security failures because he did not know enough about security.

The latest scandal, reported last Saturday by Fox News points to a senior State Department official [Kennedy] who proposed a quid pro quo to convince the FBI to strip the classification on an email from Hillary Clintons server  and repeatedly tried to influence the bureaus decision when his offer was denied, even taking his plea up the chain of command, according to newly released FBI documents.

Documents published Monday morning confirm the account. Notes from an interview with an unnamed FBI official reveal that Kennedy tried to horse-trade with the FBI, offering additional slots for the bureau overseas if they would de-classify a particular email marked SECRET.

According to the documents, an unnamed individual said he was pressured to change the classified email to unclassified.

The quid pro quo scandal that has recently surfaced is not the beginning of Kennedys involvement with Clintons email arrangements. In testimony, Kennedy stated that he corresponded with Clinton frequently via her private email address. Despite being responsible for the State Departments IT security, he never protested Clintons arrangement. Instead, he allowed Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary for diplomatic security and States top IT professional, to protest its danger. Boswell later became one of the State Departments Benghazi scapegoats after the death of Stevens and three others.

In 2013, States office of the inspector general reported that two years earlier, Kennedy halted further investigation of a credible report that a U.S. ambassador abroad had solicited prostitutes in parks near the U.S. embassy. Kennedy handled that matter as a management issue and allowed the ambassador to return to his assignment. Meanwhile, between 2009 and 2011, diplomatic security investigated 13 prostitution-related cases involving lower-ranking officials. State OIG noted that none of these investigations was halted and treated as a management issue.

Documents show that Kennedy was aware of the effort to change Huma Abedins personnel status from fulltime federal employee to contractor. Despite his reputation for micromanagement and his responsibility for personnel and contracting at State, Kennedy does not appear to have intervened in a decision that allowed Abedin to earn nearly $500,000 a year from four different employers, three of which were not the federal government.

These scandals damaged the reputation of the United States and the State Department. They are evidence that a culture of double standards existed in Clintons State Department.

Retired Foreign Service Officer Joan Wadelton has argued that the magnitude of Kennedys job gives him control over virtually every administrative matter at State  including virtually all of the money the department spends. No one person, even someone of excellent judgment and integrity, could manage such a massive portfolio. Nor should one person be allowed to. In her opinion, the only way to create checks and balances within the State Department that will protect the public interest is to eliminate Kennedys position and rearrange the bureaus that currently report to him into four groups, whose leaders would report directly to the deputy secretary. The four groups would be: ersonnel; contracting and acquisition; diplomatic security and finance and budget.

As Congress examines the quid pro quo scandal, I hope it also considers systemic reform of the State Department as part of the solution.
Hillary Clinton will never face the dock, as lawyers are prone to say. But Harold T. Martin III will.

On Thursday, when federal prosecutors announced charges against Martin under the Espionage Act for mishandling classified documents, people wondered, but what about Hillary Clinton?

Fair question.

In principle, both did the same thing. Martin, as a National Security Agency contractor, stored classified documents in his home, which was unauthorized. Clinton, as Secretary of State, stored classified documents on her personal server in her home. Again, unauthorized. On its face, it seems pretty much the same.

Legally, the big difference is this: Martin admitted he knew the documents were classified and admitted that what he did was wrong and illegal. Game over.

He should have lawyered up before opening his mouth. Or consulted Clinton.

Clinton admitted nothing. She insisted she did what she did for convenience, that she did not know she was breaking the law, and did not recognize that the documents as classified.

Many believe she was lying, but it is always difficult to disprove intent. Martin admitted his intent. Bad move.

Comparing the Quantity

The amount of classified materials found at Martins home was astonishing, according to federal prosecutors. And that is a major factor in charging him with violating the Espionage Act.

Martin had 2 decades worth of classified materials in his possession. His digital archive alone may reach 500 million pages. The sheer breadth, volume and length of his alleged crimes influenced the decision to prosecute.

However, the number of documents in Clintons possession were not insignificant. FBI Director James Comey revealed that more than 2,000 of her emails contained classified information and some of them bore markings indicating the presence of classified information.

His finding put a direct lie to Clintons repeated claims that she did not send or receive any information that was marked classified in her personal emails.

Her excuse that she did not recognize them for what they were was especially vacuous since, under the law, markings are irrelevant.

Comparing the Content

Was the content in Martins possession any more damaging to the nations national security than what Clinton had in her emails? Not hardly.

Both possessed top secret documents that could harm America if stolen or otherwise exposed. For example, Martin kept at his home specific operational plans against a known enemy of the U.S., say prosecutors. But so did Clinton.

She kept on her home server the location of planned drone strikes on enemies overseas and several other operational plans that were supposed to be kept top secret.

Her emails contained the location of North Koreas nuclear facilities, transcripts of conversations between foreign intelligence agents, and the names of undercover CIA operatives whose lives could be endangered if revealed.

So both Clinton and Martin are guilty of jeopardizing national security, but only Martin will be prosecuted.

So far, there is no evidence that Martin gave classified documents to anyone who was unauthorized. But Clinton apparently did by delivering national defense information to her pal, Sidney Blumenthal, who did not have security clearance.

Who knows whether Russia, China or other adversaries were accessing his emails.

One can argue that Clintons actions were more egregious and potentially damaging than Martins.

Why Charge Martin, But Not Clinton?

In a phrase, its a mystery. In his news briefing, Director Comey laid out a case of how Clinton was grossly negligent under the Espionage Act in her handling of classified material, then chose to ignore the law. As Fox News has reported, a vast majority of the career FBI agents and attorneys who dedicated themselves to the year-long investigation believed she should have been criminally charged and were stunned when they watched Comeys announcement.

Perhaps there is a double standard when it comes to crimes and interpreting the law.

One for Hillary Clinton and another for everyone else.
Now that we are done with the presidential debates, with just a few weeks until election day, the choice for the country could not be more stark.

Hillary Clinton promises to continue the economic and foreign policy path of Barack Obama, which has weakened our country and emboldened our enemies.

By expanding government spending, forgiving student loan debt, granting amnesty to millions of illegals, raising taxes, continuing with Obamacare, Madam President would massively pile on debt to a nation already leveraged to the hilt.

As for Donald Trump, he will streamline government, cut taxes, incentivize businesses to bring assets back to the U.S., retire Obamacare, renegotiate bad trade deals, shut off illegal immigration, and begin a new more pragmatic approach to foreign affairs. On those factors alone, he should be the obvious choice for anyone who thinks America is heading in the wrong direction.

It seems logical to conclude that by constantly attacking Trump and his supporters, the NeverTrumpers are effectively advancing Mrs. Clinton's abortion regime.

Yet there are still some Republicans--including prominent figures such as Jeb Bush and John Kasich -- who can still not bring themselves to live up to their pledge to support their party's nominee. They cite not only his temperament but his "failure to show any capacity to learn about conservatism."

They should have taken notice, however, that Trump on stage in Las Vegas Wednesday, clearly demonstrated that he has really learned something significant about the issue of abortion. Killing babies especially those in the latter stages of pregnancy -- no matter how Mrs. Clinton tried to justify it -- is evil.

For any Republican or Independent who believes late-term abortion is a moral evil, these are the facts:

1. Either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is going to be the next President of the United States

2. If Hillary Clinton wins, she will support policies and judges that are absolutely horrific from a pro-life perspective

3. The vast majority of Republicans - including pro-life Republicans -- believe that Hillary Clinton must be kept out of office, and therefore they are working together as a coalition to block her and elect Donald Trump instead.

4. A tiny minority of pundits claim to oppose Mrs. Clinton, but devote almost all their time and energy to attacking Donald Trump and his supporters

5. By attacking Trump and his supporters, they make it more likely that Mrs. Clinton will win the White House

6. By making it more likely that Mrs. Clinton will win the White House, they are making it more likely that Mrs. Clinton's abortion regime will become U.S. law

Based on these facts, it seems logical to conclude that by constantly attacking Trump and his supporters, the NeverTrumpers are effectively advancing Mrs. Clinton's abortion regime.

The NeverTrumpers have no coherent response to these facts or the logical conclusion to be drawn from them. Here are their main claims, none of which withstands serious scrutiny:

1. "It's the fault of the Trump supporters for nominating a man who couldn't win." No matter how Trump got the GOP nomination, we are all faced with a choice between Trump and Mrs. Clinton. One of them is going to win. Given that context, any pro-life voter has a moral obligation to do what will prevent the most abortions. Many pro-life voters disagreed with Romney on major issues and thought he was destined to lose - but they supported him anyway.

2. "Trump is just as bad as Hillary on abortion." That's not true. Last night, on national television and with his political future at stake, Trump defended the pro-life position. Mrs. Clinton made it very clear that she is a pro-abortion fanatic.

3. "Trump can't win anyway." This is irrelevant. The issue is not who is going to win, but what is the correct moral choice from a pro-life perspective.

4. "Trump is unfit to be President." If you believe that there are other issues that justify making it easier for a pro-abortion fanatic to become President, you should say so. But then be honest about which issues are more important to you than abortion.

5. "I'm not for Trump or Hillary." But one of them is going to be the next President. If you are discouraging conservative, pro-life voters from supporting Trump, then you are effectively increasing Mrs. Clinton's chances of victory.

6. "Trump is a social liberal who has done all sorts of terrible, liberal things." Once again, he is the only viable alternative to Mrs. Clinton, and he is clearly better than Clinton when it comes to the issue of life. Failing to support him is, therefore, a failure to support the pro-life cause.

7. "The Trump supporters are themselves frauds and liars who knowingly supported a bad man." Even assuming arguendo that this were true, it has no relevance to the decision facing pro-life voters today. Either Trump or Mrs. Clinton is going to be the next President. Any pro-life voter who stays on the sidelines makes things easier for Mrs. Clinton.

8. "Trump is such a bad person that it would violate my conscience to vote for him." Obviously, everyone has to decide the dictates of his or her own conscience. But one should also be honest enough to admit that by not voting for Trump - and by attacking him and his supporters - you are making it more likely that Mrs. Clinton will win. And then your conscience should consider what her Supreme Court will look like.

In light of these facts, it is not surprising that the vast majority of pro-life voters -- including Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum -- are all supporting the Trump campaign. If he wins, pro-lifers will celebrate, and the unborn will have a better chance of survival. If he loses, NARAL and its allies will celebrate, and the abortion industry will thrive. Each of us has to decide how we feel about those outcomes.

It would be nice of history worked out so that every election featured at least one candidate that everyone could enthusiastically endorse. But that's not the fallen world in which we live.

In this world, you have to sometimes choose the lesser of two evils.

In this case, social conservatives certainly have many differences with Trump -- but he has taken up their cause at a time when many other "conservatives" have remained silent. Any pro-life voter should support him, and anyone who doesn't cannot seriously call themselves "pro-life" going forward.
The media is beside itself that Wednesday night, in the final presidential debate, Donald Trump said he would wait until the election actually occurs to judge whether or not it was carried out fairly.

Apparently, some people think that when a Republican says he will watch closely to make theres no corruption of the vote, he is a threat to democracy and even a domestic insurrectionist.

While on the other hand, they think that when a Democrat sends thousands of lawyers and observers to every polling place in the country to monitor voting and watch for irregularities--as Hillary Clinton will undoubtedly do--they are heroic defenders of the American people.

If the media and the left were actually concerned about the corrosion of our democratic institutions, as they self-righteously characterized their complaints, they might be a little more troubled than they appear to be by the presidential candidate who knowingly took tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments that fund ISIS. And they might be a little less worried about the candidate who says he wants to make sure the vote is fair.

But the people complaining about Trumps debate answer arent actually concerned about the democracy. They're concerned about the Democrats.

No Democrat complained in 2000 when Al Gore exercised his legal right to challenge the result. In fact, Democrats have been saying ever since that the election was illegitimate.

The left and the media werent bothered this week by the news that senior State Department officials tried to strike a secret deal with the FBI to change the classification on Hillary Clintons emails and thereby cover up her misconduct.

They didnt complain when one day last week the major network newscasts spent a combined 23 minutes on allegations against Trump, and a combined 57 seconds on Wikileaks damaging revelations about Hillary Clinton.

And they are thrilled that of the money donated to presidential campaigns by people identified as journalists, 96 percent went to Hillary Clinton.

If these so-called journalists and others on the left were actually concerned about our democratic institutions, we might have heard a similar outcry when, in the Republican nominating contest, party elites canceled the Colorado primary so that not a single Republican in Colorado could vote, and then organized to hand the delegates to Trumps opponent.

We might also have heard something when, after Trump got the most primary votes of any Republican in history, a small contingent of party elites tried to deny him the nomination anyway.

And there was certainly no outcry from the media and the left--nonetheless press coverage--when this week a hidden camera video revealed Democratic operatives talking about committing mass voter fraud.

In one video, a Democrat operative describes at length how Democrats might bring people from out-of-state to vote fraudulently in Wisconsin. While busses might make the conspiracy easy to discover, he says, using cars with Wisconsin plates makes the fraud much more difficult to detect.

Another clip features Robert Creamer, a high-level Democratic consultant who visited the White House 342 times during the Obama administration, and who works closely with the operative who outlined the Wisconsin plan. In the video, an undercover journalist describes to Creamer an obvious voter fraud scheme--a means of registering voters who dont actually live in the state. Creamer replies, There are a couple of different organizations, that's their big trick.

In another video, the same pair describe how the Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign funded paid agitators to incite violence at Trump rallies and even staged elaborate confrontations between paid actors.

In light of a Republican establishment that conspired in an attempt to deny Trump the nomination, a Justice Department that is nakedly corrupted on behalf of his opponent, a media elite that Wikileaks revealed to in constant collaboration with the Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign, and new evidence of high-level conspiracies to commit voter fraud, its not dangerous to democracy for Trump to watch for a fair election. Its dangerous for him not to.
On Oct. 18, a rather unusual and unexpected news story materialized on my computer screen, and it came as a pleasant respite from the rest of the headlines.

You might even call it comic relief.

I neednt remind anyone that America is mired in the most outrageously disgusting presidential campaign in history.

The Middle East is aflame on several fronts, threatening to explode into one massive inferno, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.

Russia, armed and dangerous, is elbowing its way into renewed superpower status, and Vladimir Putin has actually been smiling in recent photographs.

The Far East is rumbling with ominous threats, including North Koreas repeated success in testing nuke-capable ballistic missiles.

In the midst of it all, on Oct. 18, we learned that the United Nations has selected its Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.

And the new ambassador is  Wonder Woman!

I have to confess: At first, it was a little difficult to take this announcement seriously.

My own choice might have been Malala Yousafzai, the brave Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani teenager who took a Taliban bullet for the sake of womens education.

Or maybe Aung San Suu Kyi, who courageously endured 15 years of house arrest, only to step into the future as Burmas prime minister.

Or even Theresa May, who emerged from the U.K.s controversial Brexit referendum as a worthy successor to Britains Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

On the other hand, consider the context: While cartoonists are being threatened and even murdered for their artwork, some of todays world figures seem (alarmingly) to resemble cartoon characters.

So maybe, all things considered, the U.N.s choice of a comic book superhero  Wonder Woman  makes perfect sense.

I must confess that I expected more negativity from the feminist universe. After all, it hasnt been so long since certain scholarly types frowned upon women who were smart and strong and savvy if they also happened to be glamorous.

Thankfully, those days seem to have passed. In fact, the U.N. even received some kudos from the feminist quarter. The Mary Sue, a feminist comics site, applauded the choice: Wonder Woman is a great, easily recognizable symbol of what women can become once freed from a patriarchal society.

And, of course, there was the potentially controversial matter of Wonder Womans attire  youll not likely find a hijab or burkini in her closet.

As New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman carefully pointed out, there is an outfit issue:

Wonder Woman does most of her power work, as we all know, in a star-spangled strapless bathing suit and knee-high boots, with a healthy amount of cleavage and leg on display. Her clothes have not, to put it mildly, caught up with her politics  or many other peoples, for that matter  [But]In the end, the United Nations determined that, You have to look beyond the superficial to her actions

I couldnt agree more. We all definitely need to look beyond the superficial.

I, for one, am all for a beautiful, sexy, strong, kind, loving and heroic female, comic or otherwise, serving as a role model for girls and young women all around the world.

But theres another plus to the U.N.s choice. As our Nobel Prize-winning poet Bob Dylan would put it, the new ambassador is forever young.

Until this week, I hadnt realized that Wonder Woman is 75 years old. And shes still rocking the bright red bustier and star-spangled shorts.

If that isnt an empowering inspiration to us all, I dont know what is.
Hillary Clintons latest mishandling of sensitive information may have occurred before an audience of 70 million.

Speaking at the presidential debate Wednesday night, Clinton noted that it takes four minutes from the time the president makes the call to use nuclear weapons to their actual launch. The remark came amid questions about the fitness of Clinton and GOP candidate Donald Trump to hold the nations nuclear codes, but critics, including former intelligence operatives, told Fox News that level of detail about nuclear response times is protected information.

The bottom line on nuclear weapons is that when the president gives the order, it must be followed, Clinton said. Theres about four minutes between the order being given and the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons to do so.

Did Hillary just leak TS information on national TV regarding nuclear response time? #debatenight  The Libertarian Prof (@TLProfessor) October 20, 2016

"Whether the four minutes is accurate or not, anything having to do with response capability is generally classified," Dan Maguire, a former strategic planner with Africom, and with 46 years combined service, told Fox News. "She has a tendency to use previous access and her position as secretary (of state) to give an appearance of knowledge to show she has the answers, rather than protect the information."

The reference to a four-minute timeline between the order and the launch was seen by former intelligence officers and military operatives as a possible violation of operational security, known as OPSEC.

A former Navy SEAL officer said the statement appears to be a "direct violation of US national security protocols and governing law. Our country has no greater secrets than those that protect our strategic nuclear deterrence capability."

Clinton, who was investigated by the FBI for a year for careless handling of sensitive and even top secret emails on her private server, went on to say that 10 people who have had the responsibility of carrying out such a presidential order are backing her.

A senior official in the Clinton campaign rejected claims the former secretary of state revealed any secret information, and provided Fox News with multiple published reports detailing the response time. In one Bloomberg News article, Bruce Blair, a former Minuteman missile-launch officer and research scholar at Princeton Universitys Program on Science and Global Security, spelled out the step-by-step procedure that follows an order from the president. The procedures include conferring with military and civilian advisers in Washington and around the world including the head of all U.S. strategic nuclear forces at Strategic Command in Omaha.

That meeting can be as deliberative and lengthy as the president wants, but if the decision is prompted by the knowledge that a hostile nation has launched nuclear weapons at the U.S., it could last a matter of seconds, according to Blair.

About five minutes may elapse from the presidents decision until intercontinental ballistic missiles blast out of their silos, and about fifteen minutes until submarine missiles shoot out of their tubes, the news article stated. Once fired, the missiles and their warheads cannot be called back.

Intelligence experts, including the former Navy SEAL and a former senior intelligence official told Fox News that the mere fact the response time has been reported in academic documents does not authorize government officials who hold a security clearance, or had previous access to classified information, to discuss it publicly.

Clintons statement "now validates with specificity something of great sensitivity that has long been speculated by our adversaries and others in the national arena, including academics and think tanks, " the former SEAL officer said.

At a Pentagon press conference with South Korean defense minister Han Min-Koo, Defense Secretary Ash Carter avoided the issue when asked about this by CNNs Barbara Starr.

"Im sorry but Im not gonna answer your first part because it is cast in terms of the ongoing presidential campaign," Carter said. "Ive said repeatedly Im not going to not answer questions in that context."

Two senior defense officials reached by Fox News highly doubt Clinton was read into any nuclear response plans as secretary of state and think the four-minute comment was an estimation on her part, not a classified number she revealed.

"While the excuse has been given that there has been previous 'talk' in the media and in academia regarding the 4 minute response time, it was just that  talk  it was informed speculation or assumption  it was not confirmed or stated by any official U.S. government official or stated as policy," Tony Shaffer, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Operations at the London Center for Policy Research, told Fox News.

"There is uncertainty - for a reason  maintained by the Department of Defense- so that adversaries do not know what our capability is or what to expect  that has been blown here by Ms. Clinton," Shaffer added.
Republican nominee Donald Trump was jeered by attendees at a New York white-tie charity dinner Thursday night after his speech crossed from roast-style jokes into attacks on Hillary Clinton -- though the Democratic nominee also took swipes, and both candidates got roasted by the master of ceremonies.

The first outburst from members of the audience at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner came when Trump said that Clinton was "so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission."

WATCH: TRUMP JOKES ABOUT CLINTON 'PARDON'

The jeers continued when Trump referenced the Clinton campaign emails leaked by Wikileaks and claimed that the former secretary of state was "pretending not to hate Catholics," an apparent reference to 2011 emails from a current Clinton campaign spokeswoman that mocked Catholics and evangelical Christians.

CLINTON: IT TOOK A VILLAGE TO WRITE THESE JOKES



Some members of the audience appeared to be shouting at Timothy Cardinal Dolan, who was sitting between the candidates, and asking him to take the microphone from Trump, who quickly pivoted to remembrances of attending the event with his father.

Moments earlier, Trump had gotten one of the biggest cheers of the night when he joked about his wife Melania's speech at the Republican National Convention, which was found to have been partially plagiarized from an address by first lady Michelle Obama.

"Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it," Trump said. "My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case and I don't get it. I don't know why."

As Melania Trump rose to acknowledge the applause, her husband remarked, "I'm in trouble when I go home tonight. She didn't know about that one."

Clinton also was the first one to laugh when Trump joked that she had bumped into him earlier in the night "and she very simply said `Pardon me"' -- an unsubtle reference to the Republican nominee's frequent declarations that his opponent should go to jail.

Clinton, meanwhile, joked that she had taken a break from her "usual nap schedule" to attend and suggested that the audience should be pleased she's not charging her usual fee for speaking in front of potential donors.



But she also got in some digs at Trump, a few of which drew scattered jeers. Clinton said she understood why Trump was leery of teleprompters because they can be difficult to follow and "I'm sure it's even harder when you're translating from the original Russian."

Clinton repeatedly referenced Trump's most controversial moments from the three presidential debates. She joked that if Trump didn't like what she was saying, then he could shout 'wrong."'

She added that she was surprised Trump let her go second because "I didn't think he'd be OK with a peaceful transition of power." And she said Trump "looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a `5' if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

She even took a shot at Trump's running mate, saying that "after listening to your speech, I will also look forward to listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever said it."

The candidates did not greet each other or make eye contact when they entered and took their seats for the event at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, though they did shake hands at the conclusion of the roast.

For his part, Dolan called his seat "the iciest place on the planet," though he later said that he was "very moved" by the candidates' interaction on the dais.

"They were very friendly, very uplifting, very complimentary to one another," he told Fox News outside the event. "The fact that we are together, the fact that they shook hands at the end and said, 'See ya on the campaign trail,' that's not bad."

Clinton and Trump both took some early heat from the night's master of ceremonies, Alfred E. Smith IV, the event namesake's great-grandson. Smith joked that Trump approached Clinton before the event and asked how she was doing, to which Smith responded "I'm fine but now get out of the ladies' dressing room."

Trump laughed at the joke, and again when Smith made another joke about the leaked video which captured Trump using vulgar language, saying while the celebrity businessman was "sitting next to a man in a robe [Cardinal Dolan], but this is not a locker room. Watch your language!"



Smith also teased Clinton, noting that "titans of Wall Street" were in attendance, but told her to restrain herself from seeking donations and to "remember the children."

The Al Smith Dinner, named in honor of the former New York governor and 1928 Democratic presidential nominee, benefits charities supporting needy children in the Archdiocese of New York. Smith IV announced that this year's dinner had raised approximately $6 million.

Fox News' Bryan Llenas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former California state Sen. Ron Calderon was sentenced Friday to 3 years in prison in a corruption scandal in which he acknowledged taking bribes in exchange for his influence in Sacramento.

U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder imposed the sentence in Los Angeles after listening to Calderon emotionally ask to remain under house arrest or "at least get me home to my family sooner."

Federal prosecutors had asked for a 5-year prison term in a blistering brief that mocked Calderon for making false and misleading claims about bribes he accepted and distorting his previous admissions in court.

"Defendant asks this court to endorse his view that an elected official who repeatedly and egregiously abuses the trust of the electorate warrants essentially the lowest possible sanction for a federal conviction," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins wrote. "Defendant's requested sentence would permit (Calderon) to continue to trivialize his corrupt actions, as he does throughout his sentencing position, and continue to evade true accountability."

Calderon was ordered to report to prison Jan. 3.

The sentencing brought an end to an ugly chapter in California politics that saw three state Democratic senators indicted in 2014. It also tarnishes what was a Calderon political dynasty in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

Calderon, 59, pleaded guilty to a single count of mail fraud in June and admitted to soliciting more than $155,000 in payments or financial benefits in exchange for supporting or blocking legislation.

He took $12,000 worth of trips to Las Vegas from an undercover FBI agent who posed as the owner of a Los Angeles movie studio seeking his support for film tax credits, though the legislation never passed, according to his signed plea agreement. The agent hired Calderon's daughter for a $3,000 a month no-show job and paid $5,000 toward his son's college tuition.

Calderon also acknowledged helping a hospital owner maintain a massive health care fraud scheme in exchange for hiring his son for $10,000 over three summers for no more than 15 days of work a season filing papers.

The defendant's brother, ex-Assemblyman Thomas Calderon, was also caught up in the FBI investigation.

Thomas Calderon, 62, a political consultant, pleaded guilty to laundering some of the bribes and was recently sentenced to 10 months in prison. Half of that term was to be served at home.

The two Montebello Democrats had followed their older brother, Charles Calderon, to Sacramento, where he served in both chambers of the Legislature before they were elected.

After the indictments came down against his brothers, Charles Calderon lost a race for a seat on the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench. His son, Ian Calderon, is a Democrat in the state Assembly.

The legal troubles for the two younger Calderon brothers in 2014 came at an embarrassing time for Senate Democrats. Fellow Sens. Leland Yee and Rod Wright were facing unrelated felony charges.

All three were suspended, though they continued to be paid under rules later reversed by voters to give state lawmakers the ability to suspend colleagues' pay and voting power if accused of wrongdoing in office.

Yee, of San Francisco, was sentenced to five years in federal prison in an organized crime case centered in San Francisco's Chinatown. Wright was convicted of lying about living outside his Los Angeles district and sentenced to three months in jail.

Jaime Regalado, a political science professor at California State University, Los Angeles, said the convictions of the Calderons were symbolically important, but he didn't think they would have a big impact on future corruption.

"The public would like to think the convictions and sentences of Tom and Ron would help clean up Sacramento and the body politic, as well as strike fear in the hearts of legislators who are willing to engage in illegal gambits with the public's money," Regalado said. "But the reality is we've seen this time and again. ... There's a lot of greed that continues to go around, so this will be a drop in the pan."
Amid the raucous final phase of the presidential battle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, independent candidate Evan McMullin has quietly crept into contention in the overlooked state of Utah  a development he hopes could lead to an Electoral College deadlock.

The former CIA operative is little-known elsewhere in the country and is only on the ballot in 11 states. But an apparent voter backlash in Mormon-heavy Utah against the two major-party candidates has fueled a surge for McMullin  a Mormon and Utah native  in state polls. A new Emerson College poll released Wednesday even had McMullin in first place, 4 points ahead of Trump, 31-27 percent, with Clinton at 24 percent.

He captured the perfect storm in terms of timing, said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, citing the disgust state voters have toward the two major-party candidates.

One may ask of McMullins efforts  to what end?

The candidate is devoting his time and resources to Utah right now, but has a bigger strategy in mind. His presidential hopes rely on one extremely unlikely and unprecedented scenario: win enough electoral votes to hold Trump and Clinton below the 270 threshold needed to win the presidency outright. An Electoral College deadlock would throw the responsibility of electing a new president to the House of Representatives.

To do that, McMullin would need to not only pick up Utahs six electoral votes but hope Trump wins virtually every key battleground such as Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia  states where, save for Ohio, Clinton leads, according to RealClearPolitics averages.

His strategy relies on a Trump surge (that falls just short of victory) as well as a Utah win for himself. Even the latter would be historic; a McMullin win would mark the first time the state has broken from the Republican nominee since 1964.

McMullin is optimistic his popularity in Utah can also carry over in the final days of the race to other Mountain West states. McMullin says Utah is a state where principle matters over party and is an environment where a conservative alternative to the Republican nominee is viable.

Its not a Republican state. Its a conservative state. Thats true for a lot of the Mountain West and I think our message resonates well there, McMullin told FoxNews.com.

If he somehow were to pull this off  winning enough electoral votes in a close enough race that neither Clinton nor Trump has 270 -- the top three electoral vote-getting candidates would be presented to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation gets one vote. Though third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein may well win a higher share of the popular vote on Election Day, if McMullin is the only one among them to win electoral votes, his name would be sent to Congress along with Clinton and Trump in that scenario.

Perry described McMullins plan as most improbable but highlighted the importance of his performance in Utah.

Neither one of the two presidential candidates have done well, he explained. Hes capturing the anxiety and disgust that a lot of people have in Utah for both Trump and Clinton.

McMullin, former chief policy director for the House Republican Conference, is optimistic about his viability in this scenario.

The formula is not rocket science, McMullin said of the process. I am confident that my campaign would be able to compete in that kind of environment.

In the case of an Electoral College stall, the vice president would be selected by a different process. The Senate would choose the veep from the two running mates with the most electoral votes  almost certainly Tim Kaine and Mike Pence  with each senator casting one vote.

To McMullin, this entire process goes beyond denying Clinton and Trump the presidency. He seeks to make a lasting impact on the conservative movement and make it, in his view, viable for generations to come.

This opportunity is a new conservative movement that will address liberty and equality, attracting all different kinds of races and religions, he said. If we didnt take a stand now, then we wouldnt have the legitimacy to fundamentally change the conservative movement.
Lets say Im wrong about Donald Trump wiping out the other 89 minutes of the debate here in Las Vegas with the one minute that he refused to promise to abide by the election results.

Lets say the corrupt and dishonest media are blowing this up to deflect attention from Trumps strongest performance against Hillary Clinton.

Lets say Joe Scarborough, hardly a Trump fan, has a point in declaring on MSNBC: How many people in Scranton, Pennsylvania care about what he said in that answer, compared to people in newsrooms that are whimpering and whining with their, you know, soy lattes? (Hey Joe, wasnt your show sponsored for years by Starbucks?)

The answer is still inexplicable.

Its inexplicable because the media-savvy billionaire handed his media antagonists a club with which to beat him.

Its inexplicable because Chris Wallace gave him a chance to retreat after his initial, defiant answer.

Its inexplicable because the ultra-obvious question came up in debate prep and that was not what Trumps team wanted him to say. In fact, Kellyanne Conway and Mike Pence, among others, were out on television saying that their guy wasnt talking about the electoral system being rigged, just the incredible unfairness of the media. They stuck to that line even after the boss seemingly contradicted them by tweeting about heavy-duty voter fraud. And Trump surrogates I spoke with made no effort to hide their disappointment at his debate answer.

Trump is a flout-the-rules kinda guy. Hes the outsider who does things his own way, unencumbered by political protocol or what he dubs political correctness. The guy took on the Pope, for heavens sake.

What happened on that stage is reminiscent of the first GOP primary debate in Cleveland, when Trump alone refused, in response to Bret Baiers question, to pledge to support the Republican nominee. (Ironically, some of those who did, including Jeb Bush, wound up breaking the pledge.)

Im told Trump now believes a vast array of forces are arrayed against himthe media, the Democrats, the Republican establishment, Alec Baldwinand may see voter fraud (which exists but not on the scale to tip a not-very-close presidential election) as part of this tidal wave. This may have been his way of saying he isnt surrendering in advance until he sees what the facts areessentially what Trump said yesterday in the inevitable walkback of his response.

The less generous interpretation, which is all over the airwaves, is that hes just setting up an alibi for his inevitable loss and rumored launch of a media network.

I was writing at the University of Nevada that Trump was having a strong night when he uttered the response that makes it far more difficult for him to close the polling gap. (Calling Hillary a nasty woman at the end certainly didnt help.) And Clinton, who had some rough spots in the debate, effectively used mockery against Trump by reciting his previous claims of rigged deals against him, from the Iowa caucuses to his reality show being passed over for an Emmy.

Fairly or unfairly, the media verdict has been nearly unanimous. Just check out this lead from the AP:

Threatening a fundamental pillar of American democracy, Donald Trump refused to say Wednesday night that he will accept the results of next month's election if he loses to Hillary Clinton.

Politico says that Donald Trump made the biggest mistake of his life. Like most gaffes, this one wasnt actually a mistake but an honest statement of suicidal sentiment.

From the left, Slates William Saletan has a crazy diagnosis:

Donald Trump is mentally ill. After 16 months of campaigning and three general election debates, this has become all too clear. Trump sees himself as the victim of a web of conspiracies encompassing House Speaker Paul Ryan, the FBI, the CIA, and the Iraqi military. He sees events in his lifewomen who claim to have met him, violence by supporters at his ralliesas tentacles of these plots. He refuses to accept the outcome of the election, and he demands that his opponent be jailed, not because Trump is cynical but because he is paranoid.

(On the other hand, the Wall Street Journals Peggy Noonan just wrote this: "Look, hes a nut and you know hes a nut. I go to battleground states and talk to anyone, everyone. They all know Donald Trumps a nut. Some will vote for him anyway.)

From the right, National Reviews Jonah Goldberg says Trump wasnt even having such a great debate:

I agree with the already gelled conventional wisdom that Trumps biggest blunder came when he said well just have to wait and see whether he accepts the results of the election. Whatever arguments you want to make in defense of the response are irrelevant (and judging from the ones Ive heard on TV, pretty pathetic). He basically gave the media carte blanche to freak out over his answer for at least a week. Dont get me wrong, I think his answer was awful. But even if I didnt, it was strategically stupid  unless the goal is to further alienate his core supporters from mainstream American politics in order to create a television network for the ranks of the disaffected (as part of Operation Destroy the GOP).

But back to my original premise. Lets say the media are wrong about the fallout for Trump, as they have been so many times since insisting hed never win the nomination.

Hes still down 7 to 9 points in recent polls, trailing in a whole bunch of swing states and merely competitive (up 2 points in Texas?) in some states that are usually a lock for the GOP.

Trump needed to change the dynamic of this race, and having failed to do so in Las Vegas, he is running out of time.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan is taking flak for distancing himself from party presidential nominee Donald Trump but continues to put money into home state Wisconsin that purportedly is available for any GOP candidate on the state ballot in November.

Ryans re-election committee, Ryan for Congress, this week transferred $250,000 to the Wisconsin Republican Party, bringing the total hes given this year to the group to $1 million, a source told Fox News on Thursday.

His primary focus in Wisconsin has been trying to help his party keep the House seat of retiring Rep. Reid Ribble and get GOP Sen. Ron Johnson reelected -- in one of a handful of down-to-the-wire races that will determine whether Republicans keep control of the Senate.

But the money -- intended to help with voter outreach and other ground-game efforts -- is for all GOP candidates running in Wisconsin, which means the Trump campaign will have access. It appears to try to make clear that Ryan, despite an earlier suggestion to the contrary, in fact has not conceded the White House race will go to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Ryan, a Roman Catholic, has had a tenuous political relationship with Trump at least since he became the presumptive nominee this spring.

Paul Ryan is doing a great job in the face of an awful situation, Republican strategist Rob Carter said Thursday. Hes in a tough spot with Trump. But soon this will all be over.

Ryan said in May, Im just not there yet, after Trump had earlier called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants and the mass deportation of illegal immigrants and suggested his opposition to free trade.

Ryan, seeking a 10th House term in November, endorsed Trump several weeks later. But he essentially dropped the first-time candidate and wealthy businessman earlier this month, following the release of a 2005 audiotape in which Trump is heard boasting about kissing and groping women without invitation.

Ryan, who became House speaker in fall 2015, said a day after the tapes Oct. 8 release that he would neither defend Trump nor campaign for him.

Trump expectedly hammered Ryan, the former 2012 GOP vice-presidential nominee, on Twitter, saying hes done zilch as the top Capitol Hill Republican and that he should focus more on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee.

That weekend, Ryan faced a smattering of boos at a GOP unity rally in Wisconsin, from which Trump had been disinvited.

On his Monday morning conference call with rank-and-file House Republicans, some expressed dissatisfaction about Ryan appearing to have thrown in the towel, four weeks before Election Day.

And the fallout has hurt his status as a leader of the Republican Party, according to a Bloomberg Politics poll released last Friday.

Still, Ryan purportedly remains in high demand on campaign trails across the country, as Republicans also try to keep their 30-seat House majority, with other GOP lawmakers also trying to figure out how to deal with Trump.

Already this month, Ryan has attended roughly 65 events across 17 states in support of GOP House incumbents and challengers, with 12 events scheduled next week in California. And he has purportedly raised $50 million so far this year, with more than half going to the National Republican Congressional Committee, the source also said.

On Friday, Ryan will be in Green Bay, Wis., to help Mike Gallagher, a Marine running for Ribble's seat in the states 8th Congressional District.

Mike Gallagher will be part of the next generation of conservative leaders, Ryan said recently. As a proud U.S. Marine, Mike understands precisely what it takes to serve our nation and he knows what is required to uphold and defend our freedoms.
The discovery of an ancient piece of aluminium is being hailed as evidence that aliens visited Earth 250,000 years ago.

The mysterious hunk of metal was found in Romania during the 1970s, when the country was under communist rule.

Now tests at a lab in Lausanne, Switzerland, have revealed that the strange fragment of metal is made up of 90 percent aluminium and is 250,000 years old.

Aluminium was not produced by mankind until about 200 years ago, so the discovery of the large chunk that could be up to 250,000 years old is being held up as a sensational find.

Gheorghe Cohal, the Deputy Director of the Romanian Ufologists Association, told local media: "Lab tests concluded it is an old UFO fragment given that the substances it comprises cannot be combined with technology available on Earth."

Builders working on the shores of the Mures River not far from the central Romanian town of Aiud found the objects about 33 feet under the ground, where it was buried alongside two bones.

It was quickly determined that the two large bones belonged to a large extinct mammal that died between 10,000 and 80,000 years ago, but experts were stunned to find out that the third object was a piece of very lightweight metal and appeared to have been manufactured.

However, local historian Mihai Wittenberger said the object is actually a metal piece from a World War II German aircraft, although this does not explain the age of the artifact.

The metal object has now gone on display in the History Museum of Cluj-Napoca with its full history causing heated speculation after it was noted that museum officials had added a sign saying: "origin still unknown."

This story first appeared in the Sun.
The Galaxy Note 7 has harmed people and caused tens, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to users' property. It burned furniture, floors, cars and even a house. The phone has officially been recalled and discontinued, with Samsung warning all owners that they should power down the device immediately and return it to a local retailer at once. There has never been a more serious problem with a smartphone in the history of the industry, and yet many people refuse to turn in their handsets and insist on putting themselves and those around them at risk.

There is absolutely no question that, battery defect aside, Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 is the most spectacular phablet the world has ever seen. We said as much in our Galaxy Note 7 review this past August. The phone features a stunning design, the best display the world has ever seen, and a camera so good that it's hard to believe it's stuffed into a smartphone. But the phone is unsafe, and has therefore been recalled and cancelled.

Samsung has certainly made a few mistakes along the way -- the company has allegedly been slow to make pay for damages, and one person claims the company tried to bribe him to keep quiet -- but full refunds are available to anyone who returns their Note 7 phones. According to a new report out of South Korea, however, more than a million people are still using the Note 7 despite all the warnings.

Korea JoongAng Daily reports that in South Korea especially, many users have refused to return their Galaxy Note 7s because they like the phone so much. Many more have also said that the return or exchange process is too much of a hassle to deal with.

"The process seemed complicated and with my current workload, I simply didn't have the time to do all that," one man told the news site. "I might buy the Galaxy S8 that is supposed to be released next year. But before then, I don't really want to downgrade."

Another Note 7 owner said he had to wait in line for an hour to exchange his original Note 7 for a "safe" replacement last month, and he refuses to go through the trouble again. "I'm not willing to go through that again," he said. "The phone isn't bad at all in terms of functions, so I just decided to keep it."

More than 1 million people have yet to return their potentially dangerous Galaxy Note 7 phones, according to the site's sources.
Google has made a strong phone debut, according to the first round of reviews. Strong enough to take on the market-leading iPhone.

The 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL are the companys first pure Google-branded smartphones, with the tagline made by Google. To date, Google has released phones under the Nexus brand, which tended to emphasize the phones manufacturer, such as LG and Huawei, not Google.

So, how does it stack up?

Wall Street Journal: The Google Pixel is now the best Android smartphone you can buy, the Journal said in its review. The review points to some iPhone 7-rivaling features such as the display and camera. Calling the display superior to the iPhones, the Journal says the Pixels AMOLED display makes photos look better; even ones taken on an iPhone. Apple still uses liquid crystal displays (LCDs) but is expected to switch to active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays on future iPhones because of the technologys inherent advantages.

The camera also performs better in low-light situations, compared with the excellent cameras in the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7, the review said.

TechRadar: Pixel is an excellent flagship phone and a breath of fresh Google air in a world of Android over-complication, TechRadar said in its review. The tech site also spotlights the Pixel's AMOLED display. Weve been using the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus recently, and moving from Apples latest offerings to the Pixel we noticed the improved depth of color generated by the latter's AMOLED display.

TechRadar calls the camera a very, very good snapper that worked best at dawn and dusk. In other words, in low-light conditions. Overall, the Pixel's camera usually produces images that match the quality of rivals like the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7, but the camera doesnt wow enough to set it apart from those market leaders, according to TechRadar.

Battery life is good but not stellar. If youre careful with your usage youll get a full day out of the phone, TechRadar said.

CNET: CNET Reviews gives it 4.5 stars out of 5, praising the fantastic camera that typically takes amazing shots that rival those of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The review also lauds the Google Assistant, the voice-controlled personal assistant, which takes one of the most natural, human approaches to answering your voice.

Indeed, Google Assistant is one of the most often-cited highlights of the Pixel. Google Assistant goes beyond Google Now (the previous version of its digital assistant), Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana and is genuinely conversational, CNET said. You can use your voice to speak to it in a natural, back-and-forth way, and it has a chat-like interface.

The Pixel phone is also just as fast as rivals because it taps Qualcomms newest chip. With its Snapdragon 821 processor, the Pixel works fast and fluidly, CNET said.

And the battery life? "The Pixel survived a solid work day with medium to heavy usage, but needed a charge at the end of the day," CNET said.

Ars Technica: Not all reviews were overwhelmingly favorable. While tech site Ars Technica also calls the Pixel the best Android phone, the review asks some hard questions.

The site wonders if the new phones are really that different from the previous Nexus products, saying it's hard to see many practical examples of this design shift in the final Pixel products, leading us to wonder exactly what designed by Google means, Ars Technica said, referring to comments from Google executives who say the Pixel is a pure Google design.

Ars Technica also points out that the Pixel is behind the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 on water resistance, an important consumer check-off item.

Google also lags when it comes to water resistance. The iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 can both survive being submerged in waterThe Pixel phoneswill only survive spraying water and only at certain angles.
A cruise ship worker who raped and tried to kill a passenger has been jailed more than 30 years for the violent attack.

Ketut Pujayasa, 31, from Indonesia, pleaded guilty to brutally raping and beating an American female guest and trying to throw her overboard a nude Nieuw Amsterdam cruise-- a Holland America ship-- from Port Everglades, Fla.

Pujayasa, who worked as a room service attendant, confessed to the horrific crime, saying he was punishing the 32-year-old woman because he believed she had insulted him and his mother.

He told police she allegedly said wait a minute, son of a b**** when he knocked on her door with her breakfast. Investigators said Pujayasa entered her cabin with a master key and used a telephone cord and the cord from her curling iron to strangle the woman.

Cruise Worker Sentenced to More Than 30 Years After Brutal Attack on Passenger https://t.co/XkWQnFqT35  John Jack Hickey (@hickeylawfirm) October 20, 2016

During the attack, which lasted up to an hour according to authorities, Pujayasa battered her with various objects inside the room and knocked her unconscious before raping her.

After the assault, he tried to throw her overboard from the balcony but, the woman who previous trained as an acrobat and gym instructor, was able to hold on to the railing and escape.

Pujayasa then left the room by jumping from balcony to balcony and told a colleague what he had done.

The colleague reported him to a superior and was held by security until they reached a U.S. port.

According to the lawsuit: Pujayasa beat her head and face so hard that she experienced shifting of her teeth. All of the trauma to her head produced a traumatic brain injury.

Photographs of the victims injuries were shown to a Miami court which included fractures to her spine, skull and face.

Police reports described the woman, whose name has been withheld, emerging from the room partially naked and painted with blood from head to toe. She also had bites on her hands, swelling, bruising and lacerations to the face, scalp, head, neck, back, front of torso, arms, and legs and abrasions on both arms.

Her teeth were knocked out of place and her face was covered with broken blood vessels from Pujayasas repeated attempts to strangle her.

She now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and cannot be left alone for more than a few minutes.

He has changed the way I live forever, the victim wrote. He took my dreams, he took my independence, he took my self-esteem.

Pujayasa pleaded guilty charges of aggravated sexual assault and attempted murder and was sentenced to 30 years and five months in a Texas federal prison. He is expected to be deported to his native Indonesia after serving his sentence.

This story story originally appeared on TheSun.co.uk.
An Australian man was acquitted Thursday in the murder of a young woman who fell from his balcony two years ago after the two met through the popular dating app Tinder.

What, exactly, caused 26-year-old Warriena Wright to plunge 14 stories is not known, but the encounter between the couple -- much of which was captured on an audio tape -- has prompted the question: Are mobile dating apps safe?

The answer is complicated, according to dating experts and behavioral psychologists.

"These incidents are very rare," said Sameera Sullivan, a relationship expert and psychologist who founded the matchmaking service, Lasting Connections, in 2012.

"Theres always going to be bad people out there," said Sullivan. "When you meet a random person at a bar, you dont know anything about them  you dont have the opportunity to look them up on social media or investigate anything.

"With Tinder and other apps, you have the chance to do a lot of research if you know their last name," she told FoxNews.com. "If done right, theres more pros to Tinder and dating apps than there are cons. But you have to be careful."

Tinder date found NOT GUILTY of killing Warriena Wright after she plunged 14 floors to her death https://t.co/WCKOHWnAT1 pic.twitter.com/2pYz3y898X  The Sun (@TheSun) October 20, 2016

Tinder, which is currently in 196 countries, boasts about matching 26 million people each day. The app sees some 1.4 billion swipes a day and is responsible for a total of 10 billion "matches" to date -- though individuals, like Sullivan, say the marriage success rate on apps is low.

"The people we meet change our lives. A friend, a date, a romance, or even a chance encounter can change someones life forever," Tinder says on its website. "Tinder empowers users around the world to create new connections that otherwise might never have been possible. We build products that bring people together."

The FBI said it does not currently have statistics on U.S. crimes related to dating apps. In the U.K., however, authorities released alarming figures earlier this year showing that crimes linked to dating apps are on the rise -- increasing more than sevenfold in the last two years.

The statistics, released in January, were gathered from reports by at least 30 police forces across England and Wales. The crimes, which include rape and attempted murder, specifically mention apps like Tinder and Grindr -- which caters to gay men.

Gable Tostee, 30, from Queensland, Gold Coast, was charged with the August 8, 2014, murder and manslaughter of Wright, whom he had met on Tinder. Prosecutors said Wright died trying to climb off his 14th-floor balcony in an effort to escape him.

Prosecutor Glen Cash told the jury that Tostee did not throw Wright to her death, but intimidated and threatened her to an extent that she felt the only way to escape was to climb down from his balcony.The court heard an audio recording made on Tostee's phone that captured an altercation between the pair, as well as the fall. Tostee's defense team, however, said Wright -- a New Zealand tourist -- had become increasingly erratic and aggressive toward Tostee after a night of drinking and intimacy.

In England, a 59-year-old police officer was murdered after he arranged to meet another man through Grindr. Stefano Brizzi -- who was obsessed with the American TV drama "Breaking Bad" -- strangled officer PC Gordon Semple inside his London apartment before dismembering his body and dissolving it in an acid bath, authorities said.

In Washington state, a 40-year-old single mother was killed and dismembered inside her suburban Seattle home in April allegedly by a man whom she had met on Tinder. John Robert Charlton, 37, was charged with murdering Ingrid Lyne, who was reported missing from her home after her ex-husband arrived with their children and she wasnt home.

GRISLY DETAILS REVEALED IN KILLING OF SEATTLE-AREA MOM

Charlton reportedly had a criminal history spanning six states and his parents had sought a restraining order against him in 2006, saying he had taken the movie Hannibal  about a serial killer  from a shelf and told his mother she should watch it and beware.

"You never meet someone alone at a home," said Darby Fox, a behavioral psychologist from the New York City area. "Use common sense and meet in a public place."

"Tell someone where you're going and what you're doing," she said. "Its just a basic safety rule."

While some in law enforcement say dating apps are safer than traditional ways of meeting -- because there is a digital record of communication between two people -- others, like Fox, argue they can be just as dangerous.

"Somebody psychologically deranged enough to dismember another person doesnt think about this. They dont care about getting caught," she said. "You have no way of knowing who that person is you're meeting. These apps allow for people to create false personas."

One 30-year-old New York City woman, who asked not to be identified, said the apps have a created a "culture of disposability," in which people can quickly move from one partner to the next or, in some cases, keep multiple partners at once "just by swiping their phones."

"I never fear for my personal safety," she said, "But I always fear for my emotional safety."

"Is the guy married? Is he dating five other women? Is he just looking for sex?" said the woman, who spent six months on Tinder and another dating app known as Bumble before taking herself off.

"Violent crime might be rare but the emotional distress that stems from this app culture is real, widespread and deeply troubling," she said.
The author of a now-retracted Rolling Stone article about a brutal gang rape at the University of Virginia on Thursday acknowledged Thursday that she made mistakes while reporting the story of the woman identified only as "Jackie."

Sabrina Rubin Erdely took the stand in the defamation trial against the magazine over its 2014 story about a woman identified only as "Jackie." University administrator Nicole Eramo is seeking $7.8 million from the magazine for its portrayal of her in the story.

Libby Locke, an attorney for Eramo, quizzed Erdely about her reporting errors, including her decision not contact the Jackie's friends who went to her aid the night of the alleged assault and failure to raise concerns about changes in Jackie's account over time. Erdley said in her earlier deposition that she was aware that Jackie had initially told her roommate she was attacked by five men, but later said it was seven men.

Erdely, of Philadelphia, said Thursday that Jackie's changing story didn't bother her because "it takes trauma victims time to come forward with all the details."

"There's a lot of shame and self-blame involved," Erdely said. "The details had changed over time as she came to terms with the rape."

Locke also criticized Erdely's failure to interview the friends Jackie said were with her just after the alleged assault. Erdely's reporting notes contained the full name of one of those friends, but Erdely said she overlooked it.

"It's embarrassing to say it," she said. "I had this in my notes and I didn't even see it," she said.

Eramo's attorneys tried to show Thursday that Erdely's earlier articles are also rife with errors. They pointed to an article Erdely wrote in college in which Erdely later said "just about everything in the story was wrong."

The judge said that he would not allow the jury to watch a video of Erdely discussing that article because the reporter said she hadn't seen it. It's unclear whether the video could be introduced at a later time.
Authorities in Virginia say a teenager has died after shooting himself while playing a Russian Roulette-style game during his 18th birthday party.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports court documents show police found Austin Balcarcel with a gunshot wound to his head Sunday at a home in Sandston.

He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Balcarcel's friend told police he and Balcarcel were in the garage when Balcarcel pulled out a revolver, opened it, closed it, spun it around once and put it to his head, pulling the trigger. The gun clicked, but the teen then pulled the trigger a second time and the gun went off.

Henrico County police Lt. Chris Garrett says police are still investigating.
Recently, on the way to LAX airport I took an Uber ride that would change my perspective of how I saw employees. There is this "entrepreneur" label that we use every day that suggests you are either an employee or a business owner. If you remove shares from the equation, then we are all technically entrepreneurs.

As I hopped into the car with my driver, Victor, something felt instantly different. By the time we got a few streets away, I had learned that he was a traveling wedding photographer who was forced to sell his Mini Cooper convertible so he could pay his bills. Victor talked me through how he became an UberX driver and went from a gold driver status to a platinum driver status within 12 months. Before meeting Vincent, Id never met a man who was so proud of his accomplishments and of the company that he worked for.

He is a model employee because there is no fluff with him. The focus he had on customer service was almost inhuman like. Never before has an Uber ride given me chills down my spine, especially after an exhausting two weeks in California, and a long flight ahead back to Australia. Meeting this man made me proud to be human and hearing his story was inspiring. Here are the five things you can learn from Vincent:

1. Everyone has a dream.

During my journey with Vincent I heard about his dream. Ive found it easy in the past to believe the lie that everyone has a grandiose dream like winning a gold medal or piloting spaceships, but I forgot how simple it is to forget that not all dreams are so enormous.

Some of us have far less complicated dreams like being a great parent or rising to the top of our company. In Vincents case, he wants to become a Uber Black driver and lease a brand new BMW so he can offer the next level up in service that he believes he can deliver.

Vincent wants to be the most successful Uber driver that has ever set foot on the planet and he will stop at nothing to find new ways to astonish his riders. Imagine all of us thought like this ohh the things we could achieve and the progress the human race could make.

Vincent showed me that no matter your nationality, background, or circumstances, everyone has a dream, and when you deliver 200 percent, you get the results youve always wanted.

Related: 3 Simple but Powerful Tips for Startup Success

2. Customer service is the main differentiator.

Weve all sat in a traditional taxi and heard the driver whinge about how hard business is. What Vincent taught me is that business isnt difficult for those who are willing to work hard and show up every single day with everything theyve got.

Business becomes hard when you show up without a purpose, and you hate what you do. Its easy to build a name for yourself with your business or as an employee: show up with your A-game and demonstrate your passion until it pours out of you. Look your customer in the eye and show them you mean business exactly the way that Vincent did to me.

Before I even got in the car, Vincent had my bag loaded carefully into his boot and ensured that I was comfortable. He then told me that he got out of the car in the first place because hed been sitting for a while and wanted to ensure he had high levels of energy for our trip (who does that wow).

He then proceeded to inspect the traffic conditions to ensure that I would not be late to the airport -- even though I was early -- so I could have plenty of time to relax and get some food before my flight. Everything had been thought of, and no stone had been left unturned. At the end of the trip, I felt like royalty being chauffeured around by this incredible man who told me his entire story and transformed my last day in LA for the better.

Related: The 10 Most Critical Factors That Dictate Startup Success

3. Were all entrepreneurs.

Throughout my conversation with Vincent I picked up on a subtle difference between him and all the other Uber drivers; he didnt see himself as an employee. He wasnt just saying it; he genuinely believed that the business was his and that Uber just provided him with the clients.

This change in perspective can show us all that being a business owner is a reality for everyone whether we know it or not. The fact is that business owners think differently -- they think like Vincent, and thats a good thing.

4. Win-wins are what its all about.

There was one line out of all the lines that Vincent said that stuck with me. It was this: Business is all about you helping me so that the company helps me, and in return, I help both of you. Its one continuous cycle that works like a successful marriage when you understand it at its core.

The description that Vincent presented me was almost like a utopian view of business, and his success is a demonstration that it works really well when all three sides commit to it.

Related: What's the Secret to Startup Success? Timing.

5. Positive attitudes are near impossible to shake.

As we pulled into LAX, I decided to experiment with Vincent and test him to see if all of this was real. The way I did this was by questioning his confidence. I falsely believed that the one thing that would break his positive mindset was technological disruption.

I asked Vincent what he thought of self-driving cars and whether he thought that would jeopardise his Uber dream. Just like the previous 45 minutes, Vincent again showed me his true colors.

He said, Tim there is always going to be new technology, and I welcome that. Its probably five years away and by then, if my time is up with Uber and I am replaced, then there will always be another job for me.

Within five years, he hopes to be able to travel the world and use his creativity to pursue his other dream outside of driving which is photographing weddings in exotic locations. Vincent wants to bring his same customer service focus, to that one special day, and wow a new type of customer.

After my trip with Vincent, I dont ever believe that I will meet another driver as good as him. Just writing this blog post send chills down by spine because of the way that he made me feel. No matter what your focus is in life when you give it 100 perent people notice and they want to go out of their way to support you.

If you are at a stage where you are not achieving your goals, its because you are not giving it your all and your passion is not shining through. Take a page out of Vincents book and dedicate your life to what it is that you do no matter how basic your profession may seem to the rest of the world.
The Oakland Police Department, already reeling from a large-scale sex scandal involving several of its officers, announced Thursday that another officer was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution and obstruction of justice charges in an unrelated case.

Oakland police said they arrested Ryan Walterhouse, 26, Wednesday night when he reported to work. Investigators say Walterhouse was placed under surveillance about three weeks ago after a colleague reported suspicions of Walterhouse to a supervisor.

Court records alleged that Walterhouse befriended a prostitute six to eight months ago and paid to have sex with in a Castro Valley, California, motel on Oct. 1.

He is also charge with warning the prostitute of police stings.

"You may want to call it a night," he allegedly texted her on Oct. 13. "They may or may not being doing something right now."

The next night he warned again.

"I'll let you know when to," he allegedly texted. "Not yet, they still out, probably after 12."

The Alameda County district attorney's office charged Walterhouse with two felony obstruction charges and a misdemeanor count of soliciting a prostitute.

"It is completely outrageous," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said at a news conference announcing the arrest.

Deputy Chief John Lois said Walterhouse joined the department in 2014.

Walterhouse was released from jail early Thursday morning, Alameda County jail records show. It's unclear if he is represented by counsel. Oakland Police Officers Association President Barry Donelan didn't return a phone call or email inquiry.

Lois said Walterhouse's arrest was unrelated to the ongoing sex scandal involving the teenage daughter of a department dispatcher. The teen says she slept with 29 San Francisco Bay Area officers while working as a prostitute

Three police chiefs and four officers have been fired or quit the department since the sex scandal became public in June.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said seven current and retired San Francisco Bay Area officers are being charged criminally for their alleged involvement with the teenager. Two officers have been charged with having underage sex with teenager.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify victims of sexual crimes.
A Cuban zoologist and the U.S. secretary of education are being recognized with honorary Ph.D.s from New York City's American Museum of Natural History.

Gilberto Silva Taboada (tuh-BOH-uh-duh) and Secretary of Education John King Jr. will be honored on Monday during a commencement ceremony at the museum's Richard Gilder Graduate School.

In 2009, the AMNH became the first museum in the nation to grant Ph.D.s.

The 88-year-old Taboada is a world-renown expert on bats who has long collaborated with the museum's scientists. He was part of its 2015 scientific expedition that investigated Humboldt National Park, one of the most remote and biologically important areas in Cuba.

King served as education commissioner of New York state before being tapped by President Barack Obama to lead the U.S. Department of Education.
Police say about $90,000 worth of beer stolen from a Central Texas distributor has been recovered from a farm where two men were arrested on alcohol violations.

Austin police Sgt. Maurice Forshee said Thursday that more arrests are expected in a ring allegedly trying to sell stolen beer online.

An Austin distributor on Sept. 30 reported the alcohol theft. Forshee says an undercover operation led to a site near Dale, 30 miles southeast of Austin, where officers from several agencies carried out a raid Wednesday.

Forshee says officers seized more than $100,000, about 20 firearms and 719 12-packs of beer. Two brothers were arrested on misdemeanor charges of distributing alcohol without a license.

Forshee says most of the beer reported stolen last month was recovered during Wednesday's raid.

The rural Caldwell County town is 50 miles northeast of San Antonio.
Six months after someone shot eight members of an extended family to death in their homes, surviving relatives are still waiting  for an explanation, for an arrest, for a hint of closure.

"I just want to know why?" said Tajianna Mead, of Waverly, whose 44-year-old father, Kenneth Rhoden, was among the victims.

When the slayings were discovered the morning of April 22, rural Pike County in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio was coming to life with the colors of greening hardwoods and the white petals of dogwood trees. Half a year later, colors are changing again as leaves turn to burnt yellow and red across the thickly wooded hills.

Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader told WCPO-TV this week that he now believes the killers were local .

Union Hill Road, where seven of the victims were found on three properties, is open again to traffic. "Private Property: No Trespassing" signs are posted at the end of the homes' driveways. Porches sit stranded in yards, their steps leading nowhere: In May, investigators moved the mobile homes where the killings occurred to a secure location as the investigation continued.

Leonard Manley, who lost his daughter, Dana Rhoden, and three grandchildren, lives on Union Hill Road near all the crime scenes. He spends his days tinkering after retiring two years ago from cutting timber. He doesn't know who committed the crime and questions whether it will be solved in his lifetime.

Manley, 65, has long thought the killers knew the properties intimately, in part because Christopher Rhoden Sr. had a security system, as well as a pit bull and bulldog, that would have been hard for a stranger to get past.

"You wake up at night, and you wonder. I get up of a night, 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. Can't go back to sleep, thinking about things," Manley said.

The victims were Kenneth Rhoden, 44; Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr. and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden; a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden; and Frankie Rhoden's fiancee, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley, whose 6-month-old son with Frankie Rhoden was unharmed.

Two other children, Hanna Rhoden's 4-day-old daughter and Frankie Rhoden's 3-year-old son, also were unharmed. Adding to the family's pain is a legal fight involving three family members seeking custody of the two youngest children. A Pike County judge is shielding public access to those court hearings and records.

Most of the victims were shot multiple times in the head and, in the case of Christopher Rhoden Sr., in his upper body and torso, as well. Some bodies showed signs of bruising, as if they'd been beaten. Kenneth Rhoden's body was found at his trailer a few miles away from the properties on Union Hill Road.

Kendra Rhoden, Tajianna's sister, says her father, Kenneth Rhoden, was a wise man who taught her lessons about dealing with life, heartbreak and all. The 19-year-old is studying to be a licensed practical nurse. Like others, she believes someone in the community knows what happened but is afraid to come forward.

Regardless of the delays and the mystery surrounding the deaths, Kendra Rhoden believes the case will be solved.

"My dad taught me to have hope," Rhoden said.

Early on, authorities disclosed a large-scale illegal marijuana growing operation at one of the crime scenes and said pot was being cultivated at some of the other homes, too, leading to suggestions Mexican cartels might have been involved.

Large marijuana operations are common in southern Ohio. Investigators in 2012 said the seizure of about 1,200 plants in Pike County could be related to a Mexican drug cartel.

Attorney General Mike DeWine, overseeing the investigation along with the sheriff, will say only that the killers had to be familiar with land around the properties, as well as the properties themselves.

Though many residents of the rural county about 80 miles south of Columbus also believe the killers are local, most aren't worried about their safety. They believe the family members were specifically targeted.

"I don't think nobody's going to come forward and say, 'Oh, I know who did this,'" said Dana Lansing, who lives with her husband about 3 miles from the main crime scene and who was a longtime friend of Dana Rhoden. "Because it's too big. They would fear for their own lives if they did."
The pastor of a New York church where two brothers were beaten for hours during what authorities called a counseling session has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault.

Three other members of Word of Life Christian Church admitted to less serious charges Friday for their roles in the beatings that killed 19-year-old Lucas Leonard and injured his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, in New Hartford last October.

Pastor Tiffanie Irwin, her brother, Joseph Irwin, and mother-and-son church members Linda and David Morey are the last of nine people charged to be convicted in the attack that investigators say took place after the brothers discussed leaving the congregation. Joseph Irwin and the Moreys pleaded guilty to assault.

The victims' parents and half-sister and other members of the Irwin family were among those charged.
Women are planning to hold a protest parade in Rhode Island in response to a man who said he disliked yoga pants on adult women.

According to the Providence Journal, women in Barrington plan to have to the parade on Sunday to demonstrate that they can wear what they would like.

Town resident Alan Sorrentino wrote to the Barrington Times expressing his disdain of yoga pants on "mature, adult women."

Sorrentino went on to say yoga pants were stinky, tacky and ridiculous looking.

Sorrentino said yoga pants were more suitable in the yoga studio, finding it disturbing to see women in public wearing them. He suggested women wear a "nice pair of tailored slacks" or jeans instead.

To all yoga pant wearers, I struggle with my own physicality as I age. I don't want to struggle with yours, Sorrentino added in the letter.

In response to Sorrentinos comments, women have called his remarks sexist.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from the Providence Journal.


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Donald Trump has stepped back only slightly from his refusal to say during his debate with Hillary Clinton whether he would concede if he loses on Election Day, failing to stem the criticism that flowed from Republicans and Democrats over an attitude some contended struck at the heart of American democracy.

"I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election," Trump said Thursday while campaigning in Ohio. After letting that vow hang in the air for a few seconds, he added, "if I win."

Putting aside his mocking tone, Trump said he would accept "a clear election result" but reserved his right to "contest or file a legal challenge" if he lost on Nov. 8. He brushed off the likelihood of that happening with a confident prediction that "we're not going to lose."

Among those criticizing Trump was Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race.

"I didn't like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance," McCain said in a statement. "A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility."

While Trump maintained he would win, numerous Republican leaders conceded that he was heading for defeat barring a significant shift in the campaign's closing days. The GOP's top concern was turning to salvaging its majority in the Senate, followed closely by worries over the Republicans' once comfortable grip on the House.

The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a Catholic fundraiser in New York, was by tradition a moment when the Republican and Democratic nominees could turn any campaign vitriol into barbed humor and ultimately a show of national unity. The Thursday night event offered many hearty laughs  and a few awkward ones.

"We have proven we can actually be civil with each other," Trump said about the opponent he has asserted belongs in jail for alleged criminal acts. "In fact, just before taking the dais Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, 'Pardon me.'"

Following Trump at the dinner, Clinton cracked: "I didn't think he'd be OK with a peaceful transition of power."

But Trump drew some boos and jeers in the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom when he referred to Clinton being "so corrupt" and said without apparent humor that she was appearing at the event "pretending not to hate Catholics"  a line delivered during a benefit for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

Clinton's jokes were cutting but delivered in the more accepted fashion of a roast. While several women have accused Trump of being sexually aggressive, Clinton steered clear of that controversy but referenced his public comments about the appearance of women with whom he has feuded: "Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4  maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

During an Ohio rally earlier Thursday, Trump tried to turn the attention to Clinton by accusing her of "cheating" and suggesting she should "resign from the race." He cited a hacked email disclosed publicly by WikiLeaks that showed her campaign was tipped off about a question she'd be asked in a CNN town hall meeting during the Democratic primary.

"Can you imagine if I got the questions? They would call for the re-establishment of the electric chair, do you agree?" Trump said.
Residents in Sacramento received a scare Wednesday right as Halloween lurks right around the corner.

Sacramento police said a homeless woman led them to a decomposed body after she was seen walking down a street carrying a human skull on a stick. Police stopped the woman at an abandoned house.

Sgt. Bryce Heinlein said the woman told them she had found the skull and led them to an abandoned homeless camp a couple blocks away. Thats where the officers discovered the body.

Woman Carrying Skull on Stick Leads Police to Human Remains https://t.co/8o6Srdml8m  FOX40 News (@FOX40) October 21, 2016

According to Fox 40 Sacramento, said authorities were combing the area for almost two days searching for clues.

One man, identified only as Phillip, told the station that he had seen the homeless woman walk by for years and that he knew the location of where the skull and the body were found.

Another neighbor, only identified as Warren, told Fox 40 that he could smell something strange coming from the camp.

I went to walk back there and thought, Damn! What the hell is that smell? It make me sick to my stomach, so I turned my ass around and came back here, he said.

The coroner will determine the identity of the remains and the cause of deaths.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox 40.
The refugees of Christian descent who fled persecution in places like Syria and Northern Iraq are facing different kinds of attacks in Germany.

According to the findings of a new survey from the Christian advocacy group Open Doors USA, religious minorities who seek safe haven in the European nation are finding a general lack of protection. Since February, nearly 800 Christians and Yazidi refugees were attacked by others at the relief centers and camps.

They are starting to see a different kind of persecution, Emily Fuentes, an official with Open Doors USA, told FoxNews.com. We normally monitor and rank countries where these incidents occur and typically Western countries do not make the list.

The survey was conducted between February and September of this year in camps near Berlin, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The findings showed that nearly half of the respondents said they suffered some sort of injury. Nearly 300 said they received death threats against themselves or their families. Others were sexually assaulted, insulted, discriminated against or subjected to psychological pressure.

Perhaps the most surprising findings- was that nearly a third of the respondents said that most of the discrimination and violence came mostly from refugee camp guards of Muslim descent.

Weve really never seen this in the West before, Fuentes said. Many of these refugees experience two kind of persecution that we refer to as smash and squeeze.

Smash is related to the violence against them and squeezed to the cultural exclusion they are experiencing.

Fuentes said that many of these refugees are denied food rations or have them stolen. They are also pushed out of food lines by others in the camp and endure verbal attacks on a daily basis.

Despite the severity of their problems,many of the Christian and Yazidi refugees are not reporting them.

The survey found that many feel that they will endure more trouble if they report the incidents to officials. Only 17 percent of respondents complained to local police officials. The language barrier was a factor, as well, and no action was taken on past incidents, making it less likely for new victims to come forward.

Open Doors said the survey is the most comprehensive of its kind and it brings awareness to a growing issue.

"We hope this puts pressure on the German government to address what is going on within their borders, Fuentes said. We want to ensure that that they are protected. This is actually happening. They need your help.
British police say they have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of a terrorism offense over a suspicious package discovered on a London subway train.

The Metropolitan Police force says officers used a stun gun while detaining the man Friday on a busy city street. He is being held on suspicion of "the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts."

North Greenwich subway station was closed for several hours Thursday after the discovery of what police called a "suspicious item" on a train.

The object was destroyed in a controlled explosion. Police say they await the results of a forensic examination to discover what it contained.

Police say they are not looking for anyone else as part of the investigation and are keeping an open mind about motive.
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Police officers have demonstrated for a fourth straight night over a lack of equipment and rising violence against them.

Hundreds of police officers, some of them wearing ski masks, took to the streets of Paris and several other cities on Thursday night.

Exhausted after months of a national state of emergency linked to deadly jihadi attacks, officers have accused the French government of failing to provide the resources they need to do their jobs.

French President Francois Hollande has scheduled a meeting with unions next week in light of the protests. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has already met with union leaders and has pledged to open consultations from next week with police units over their concerns.
A sneak attack on the Kurdish capital of Kirkuk Friday, believed to have been launched by an ISIS sleeper cell, is stoking fears that more jihadists are lying in wait amid a vast sea of refugees in northern Iraq.

In Fridays attack, jihadists who had been living among some 70,000 refugees in camps surrounding the oil-rich city packed children into six cars and drove through a checkpoint into Kirkuk. Once inside, they rallied an estimated 100 refugee confederates inside the city and opened fire on Kurdish citizens and security forces. At least 30 people were killed, including 10 suspected ISIS fighters, who detonated suicide belts as the security forces closed in.

"We have been facing this kind of disease for four years now, we know how to respond," said Adnan Kocher, senior adviser to Lahur Talabani, head of intelligence and counter-terrorism for Kurdistan.

ISIS RETREAT REVEALS EXTENSIVE TUNNEL SYSTEM

Located about 100 miles southeast of ISIS stronghold of Mosul, Kirkuk is the heart of the semi-autonomous Kurdish territory. Christians, Yazidi and Muslims alike have fled ISIS for the safety afforded by the Kurds, but among the teeming masses are jihadi saboteurs like the ones who struck Friday.

The fighting, which endured for hours in the heart of the city, created a diversion from the ongoing effort by Iraqi national forces, Kurds, Iranians and coalition troops to free Mosul. In Kirkuk, imams shut down all mosques in the city, canceling Friday prayers as the city was turned into an urban battle zone that was livestreamed for much of the day by Kurdish news outlets.

The battle scenes and their soundtrack of automatic gunfire were reminiscent of the Islamic States brazen march across northern Iraq two years ago, when Mosul and other cities were first seized by the group. The assault included multiple suicide attacks on police positions inside the city, and gunmen later took up positions in a mosque, a school, a hotel, and on top of other buildings. The government quickly instituted a curfew, ordering civilians to shelter indoors.

Hours later, the smell of Cordite hung in the air as an endless line of incoming oil trucks, families and news crews were slowed to a trickle at checkpoints set up two miles from the city borders. FoxNews.com entered the city via the secret "smugglers route," a pock-marked backroad that twists through cornfields and Kurdish villages.

The attack had left Kirkuks streets empty, save for a strong military presence bolstered by counter-terror forces and tanks rolling in. Businesses were closed and people were cautioned to stay inside due to active cell and snipers holed up in a hotel in the city.

One patrolling soldier said the terrorists made their last stands in three locations in the city, one of which was the rooftop of a hotel.

At the military base of the Kurdish Peshmerga, several soldiers and intel people were bracing for possible repeats, with some keeping watch on the rooftops, others scanning the streets below and still more passing the tense moments watching news reports.

Kocher said officials received intelligence five days ago from their sources within ISIS about a sleeper cell about to become active but they did not know exactly where or how they would act out. But it gave them some time to be prepared.

The problem extends beyond the hidden threat that lies among the refugees taken in to Kurdish camps around Kirkuk. Arab villages inside Kirkuk include ISIS supporters who helped - and then harbored - the killers. Kocher believes dozens of members of the cell that struck Friday melted into a population that includes thousands of silent supporters.

With most of the Kurdish forces in Mosul, the attack showed the vulnerability of the Kurdish capital. Officials have called for some troops to return.

"We have a good plan, Kocher said, adding that he believes the cell will be hunted down and eliminated over the next three days.
Islamic State militants armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked targets in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early Friday, in an assault that appeared aimed at diverting Iraqi security forces from a massive offensive against the ISIS-held city of Mosul.

At least 13 workers, including four Iranians, were killed when ISIS militants stormed a power plant north of Kirkuk and then blew themselves up. A local TV reporter was killed by a sniper while covering the clashes in Kirkuk city, which were still raging after sundown.

Multiple explosions rocked the city, and gunfire rang out from the area around the provincial headquarters, where the fighting was concentrated. Smoke billowed over the city, and the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers.

ISIS said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters, in a claim carried by its Aamaq news agency.

Three suicide bombers stormed a power plant in the town of Dibis, north of Kirkuk, killing 13 workers, including four Iranian technicians, before blowing themselves up as police arrived, said Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi condemned the Kirkuk assault, which he said killed four Iranians and wounded three others, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

The Turkmeneli TV station, which had earlier shown live footage of smoke rising from outside the provincial headquarters, said in a news bulletin that one of its reporters, Ahmet Haceroglu, was killed by a sniper while covering the fighting.

There was no immediate word on casualties among other civilians or Kurdish forces in Kirkuk city. Police and hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

Kirkuk is some 100 miles from the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have been waging a wide-scale offensive since Monday.

ISIS has in the past resorted to suicide bombings in and around Baghdad in response to battlefield losses elsewhere in the country. But the complex assault in Kirkuk more closely resembled those carried out by the Taliban in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Kirkuk, some 180 miles north of Baghdad, is an oil-rich city claimed by both Iraq's central government and the largely autonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish forces assumed full control of Kirkuk in the summer of 2014, as Iraq's army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by ISIS.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early Friday, but that his forces repelled it.

He said ISIS maintains sleeper cells in Kirkuk and the surrounding villages. "We arrested one recently and he confessed," he said, adding that the attackers may have posed as displaced civilians in order to infiltrate the city. Kirkuk province is home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from ISIS. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Iraqi forces advanced as far as Bartella, a historically Christian town some nine miles from Mosul's outskirts, by Thursday.

An Associated Press reporter traveling with the Iraqi special forces on Friday saw homes along Bartella's main road painted with ISIS graffiti, including the first Arabic letter in a derogatory word for Christians, which is used by the militants to mark Christian property. Under ISIS rule, Christians must convert to Islam or pay a special tax.

ISIS militants had sprayed graffiti on the inside walls of the town's church as well. Iraqi soldiers raised the national flag over the building and rang the church bell, signaling its liberation.

"Bartella was liberated yesterday, and today we are inside its church," Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati said. "I bring the good news to our Christian brothers that the church is liberated."

Elsewhere in Iraq, the country's top Shiite cleric called on forces taking part in the Mosul offensive to protect civilians, and for residents of Mosul, a mainly Sunni city, to cooperate with security forces.

"We stress today upon our beloved fighters, as we have before on many occasions, that they exercise the greatest degree of restraint in dealing with civilians stuck in the areas where there is fighting," the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a Friday sermon read by an aide. "Protect them and prevent any harm to them by all possible means."

Some 3,900 people, or about 650 families, have fled Mosul and the nearby Hamdaniyah district since the operation began this week, according to Adrian Edwards of the U.N. refugee agency.

Ravina Shamdasani, of the U.N. human rights office, said it had "verified information" that IS had forced 550 people to relocate to Mosul from the nearby villages of Samalia and Najafia on Monday, part of an "apparent policy of preventing civilians from escaping to areas controlled by Iraqi security forces."

Shamdasani reiterated concerns IS could use civilians as human shields, and said the office was investigating reports that the group had killed at least 40 civilians for suspected disloyalty. She declined to elaborate on the reports, citing "security reasons."


Kerrville, TX (78028)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
African telecommunications giant MTN is denying allegations in the Nigerian Senate that it illegally exported $14 billion from its biggest market on the continent in the past 10 years.

Ferdi Moolman, CEO of the group's Nigeria operation, says he has Central Bank of Nigeria certificates proving authorization to repatriate the money, based on dividends from capital imported into this West African nation. His statement follows his appearance Thursday before a Senate committee.

Shares of the South Africa-based multinational slumped Friday to a six-year low of 107 rand ($7.64).

Nigeria faces foreign currency shortages caused by slumped oil prices.

In June, MTN Nigeria settled for a much-reduced $1 billion fine for failing to register cellphone SIM cards. It had to cut off some 11 million customers.
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Hundreds of Muslims have gathered near Rome's Colosseum to pray and protest the closures of mosques and other places of worship.

An imam led the group in chants of "Allah Akbar" which means "God is great," as they kneeled to the ground facing the Colosseum.

The protest was organized by a Bangladeshi group, Dhuumcatu, which has complained that Muslim places of worship in Rome have been branded illegal by authorities for various building violations. The group wants City Hall to intervene.

Police confirmed the closure of some places of prayer. In a statement, police said authorities guarantee freedom of thought, but within a legal framework.

The anti-immigrant Northern League demanded to know why the group was allowed to stage a protest in such a visible and significant location for tourism.
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A senior NATO officer says the addition of cyber warfare to traditional threats means the military alliance faces a 360-degree threat.

Rear Adm. Peter Gumataotao, the head of NATO Strategic Partnerships, said Friday there was "a complex environment and ambiguity we see today in the operational environment."

NATO leaders confirmed cyberspace as an official "operational domain" for alliance actions at the recent Warsaw summit, along with air, land and sea.

He said that talks at the summit in July about the different threats showed "the threat base is 360 degrees."

"It is clear all these domains in the 21st centuries are interconnected. Cyber covers all these domains," Gumataotao told The Associated Press.

He was speaking at a two-day NATO Strategic Military Partners Conference held in the Romanian capital.
Poland's defense minister says he believes Egypt has sold two French-made Mistral warships to Russia for the symbolic price of $1.

Antoni Macierewicz made the claim during a parliamentary debate on Thursday and later told reporters he had the information "from good sources" but did not reveal any other details.

On Friday he added that "if Egypt would now withdraw from this operation it would be a gain for world peace" and a good lesson for Russia.

France had originally built the two ships for Russia, but that sale was canceled after Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ships were sold instead to Egypt.

Macierewicz's comment comes amid strained ties between Warsaw and Paris due to Poland's cancellation of a $3.5 billion deal to buy French-made military helicopters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Belgian ambassador to present evidence that Belgian jets were involved in a strike on a Syrian village.

Friday's move was the latest in a dispute between Moscow and Brussels over Tuesday's strike on the village of Hassajek in northern Syria near the border with Turkey, which killed six people and wounded four, according to Russia.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov insisted Friday it had provided "extensive" proof of Belgian involvement in the raid. He described Belgian denials as "futile" and accused the U.S.-led coalition in Syria of dodging responsibility for the strike.

The dispute comes as the U.S. and its allies have voiced outrage over Russian bombing raids in support of the Syrian army offensive on Aleppo.
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Nick Peterson of Peterson & Associates Salutes The Work of the WarriorWearBodyAndSoul.com Website.

( October 14, 2016 ) Orem, UT -- Nick Peterson, of Peterson & Associates CPA, Inc. salutes the motivating work of Provo Utah pastor Oscar Guerrero and specifically his efforts to spread encouragement through his "Warrior Wear Body and Soul" website.

Pastor Guerrero has a compelling story of fitness and weight loss. He has turned his personal journey into a personal ministry to others facing similar circumstances. His story has inspired not only Nick Peterson but also many in the Provo area and increasingly around the country.

From Pastor Oscar Guerrero's website: (source: http://warriorwearbodysoul.com/?page_id=10)

"There I was, 40 years old and 367 lbs. unmotivated, tired, uninspired and frustrated with life and ministry. Knowing that I was one step away from bad diagnosis, diabetes, high blood pressure or a heart attack. "Would I be there to be able to take care of my wife and daughters?" I can recall vividly one thanksgiving, meeting with family; an uncle asked me how much I weighed. I honestly could not tell him since my scale at home only weighed up to 350lbs. He told me, "Lets go on a ride." He was a truck driver. He took me to the local weigh station and asked me to stand on the Semi-truck scale. I was a heavy 385. I guess I was numb to what had just happened. I had gotten good about blocking all sense of emotion regarding my weight. "

Nick Peterson was quoted: "I find Oscar's story profoundly inspiring. His motivation for getting his weight under control is of particular note; first he wanted his personal testimony of faith to be unencumbered by his unhealthy weight. Secondly, Oscar felt his health could fail leaving his family in a difficult place. I cannot imagine better motivations for adopting a healthy life-style."

About Nick Peterson

Nick Peterson currently holds investment, advisory, and insurance licenses in many states across the country.

He currently is the department head for the Strongbrook Financial department. As such, he oversees eight licensed advisors of which include a Graduate-Level Studies Professor, Career Family Councilor, an Entrepreneur Specialist, a Business Consultant, a CPA, and an Estate Attorney. The team holds graduate degrees, securities licenses, life licenses, and many decades of collective investment, tax, and insurance experience in many states.

Nick Peterson also works with Peterson & Associates CPA, Inc as an accounting associate where he oversees the investments of many of the firm's tax clients. Nick Peterson does business consulting, investment advising, insurance planning, and pro-active tax advising for the firm. Nick Peterson also consults with tax-professionals and other financial planning personnel across Utah on best practices in the industry.

Nick Peterson is a registered representative and an investment advisor representative with CoreCap Investments and CoreCap Advisors.

Nick Peterson is a family man and enjoys spending time with loved ones. Professionally, he finds satisfaction in helping others enjoy the blessings of financial independence.

More About Peterson & Associates CPAs

From the firm website: http://petersoncpa.net/

Peterson & Associates CPA, Inc. strives to provide fast and professional accounting services. Whether you are in need of tax consulting or just unsure that you received your full refund from past tax years, we are the best choice. Peterson & Assoc. specializes in everything from tax work to wealth management. We know you will find we have a great reputation and offer a broad range of services you need.

Peterson & Associates CPA, Inc. has a solid history. Although the firm has many roots, it officially opened its doors in the new location during July 2011. Nick Peterson opened and operated NP Accounting Services, a bookkeeping practice, in 2004 and continued to be its Senior Accountant up until July 2011. During that time, the company built strong relationships with many business owners throughout Utah County. Together, both firms united to form a solid practice.

Although based out of Orem, Peterson & Associates CPA, Inc. services clients from all over the United States. We are expert in assessing tax needs for both individuals and business entities with hundreds of clients from all types of industries and entity types. Current bookkeeping clients at the firm range from massive multi-state companies to small medical practices and small sole-proprietors

About Peterson & Associates CPAs:

Peterson & Associates Services Include:

Income & Business

Tax Planning

Income Tax Return

Preparation

Business Consultation

Complete Accounting Services

Financial Statement Preparation

Contact Information:

Peterson & Associates CPA, Inc.

1432 East 840 North, Suite 100

Orem, UT 84097

Phone: (801) 224-7317

Fax: (801) 224-2385

Nick Peterson, Ext. 102

Nick@petersoncpa.net

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More Arrested for Marijuana Than Violent Crimes in 2015, Drug Rehab Newark Responds

( October 18, 2016 ) Newark, NJ -- As reported by the New York Times, in 2015 nearly 69,000 more people were arrested for possession of marijuana than for violent crimes. A study by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch shows that 574,641 arrests were conducted for small quantities of marijuana whereas 505,681 people were arrested for violent crimes including serious assault, rape, and murder. The study also found that, despite white adults being more likely to use illicit substances, black adults are more than four times as likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana and 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for possession of any illegal drug.

Other data included in the study showed a 36 percent decrease in violent crime arrests since 1995 but a 13 percent increase in marijuana arrests. The increased hyperfocus on marijuana arrests, even over those of violent offenders, leaves many demanding answers and an end to the overzealous war on drugs.

As a provider of addiction treatment in Newark, Drug Rehab Newark recognizes the obstacles faced by people within the community due to stigmatization and harsh laws. Because of this and the recent findings of this study, Drug Rehab Newark urges legislators to focus on prison and legal reform.

A representative of Drug Rehab Newark comments,

"It's hard to develop trust between the addiction recovery community and those in need of aid and treatment and law enforcement agencies. With evidence that suggests a focus on severe punishment rather than help, it's time that legislators and local law enforcement authorities work toward legal reformation. We've learned over the past four decades of the War on Drugs that harsh punishments and propaganda not only doesn't work, but only serves to make the substance abuse epidemic worse. Our efforts should be focused on community programs and public resources for rehabilitation in order to enact real and lasting change."

About Drug Rehab Newark 87456:

Drug Rehab Newark is a drug and alcohol rehab in Newark serving clients from across the United States. As a provider of detox and addiction treatment in Newark, Drug Rehab Newark is committed to bringing relief and healing to those in need. Through personalized treatment programs which utilize holistic methods and traditional therapies, Drug Rehab Newark focuses on establishing a foundation of positive coping mechanisms and addressing the underlying causes of addiction. In addition to treatment, clients of Drug Rehab Newark have access to amenities such as a full gym, salon services, spa treatments, and weekly outings.

For more information on the addiction treatment center visit http://drugrehabnewark.org/ or call 855-284-5604.

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Vancouver Perimeter Drainage Prevents Yard & Basement Flooding Service Launched

Vancouver plumbing specialists, Blue Mountain Services, have announced the launch of a perimeter drainage and drain tile cleaning service. It is designed to help local customers deal with the expected rainfall and storms for the upcoming cold winter.

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A Vancouver plumbing expert has launched a new perimeter drainage and drain tile cleaning service ahead of what is expected to be a wet winter with extreme rainfall and winter storms. Blue Mountain Services recommends homeowners to take care of their exterior perimeter drains to prevent yard flooding, basement flooding, and possible foundation problems caused by water pressure when the ground water doesn't drain properly. They have created a specialized perimeter drain tile division for this service "doing business as" Expert Services.

More information can be found on the Vancouver Drainage Expert Services website at: http://vancouverdrainage.expertservices.ca.

Blue Mountain Services offers its customers a 24/7 emergency service with experienced professionals on hand twenty four hours per day to see to any needs that arise due to bad weather or otherwise.

The company explains that when it comes to drainage on personal property, it's important that the slope of the yard assists the perimeter drain tile with good water flow around the structure. This helps ensure the water moves away from the foundation and keeps the property as dry as possible.

They go on to stress the importance of having a clutter free perimeter drainage system to ensure that water flows to the sewer. In bad weather, tree roots can break through the drain tile wall, which can block the flow of water. Blue Mountain Services advises anyone concerned about damage to their drainage system should get in touch with their expert staff to avoid any further damage.

When Blue Mountain Services arrives for a property inspection, their trained technicians will check the building for blockages, before going on to flush the drains to get the best water flow possible. This is important, because water damage doesn't just lower the value of the property, but can also cause health problems for the occupants.

The company's message is to ensure that no one leaves repair work or check ups too late, because if problems are left for too long, excessive water pressure can cause cracks in the foundation that will only get worse over time.

Full repair work and installation services are listed on the company website at the link above, where interested parties can get in touch using the contact form provided.

For more information, please visit http://vancouverdrainage.expertservices.ca/

Contact Info:

Name: Frank Anselmo

Organization: Expert Services

Address: 2749 Eton St

Phone: +1 604-757-2734

Release ID: 139519

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Party Bus Limo Tampa Bay Announces Affordable Limo and Party Bus Rides for Special Occasions

Now enjoy cozy and comfortable Party Bus and limousine rides to Your Weddings, Prom, Corporate parties and other special events.

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Tampa, Florida, 11th October, 2016: Party Bus Limo Tampa Bay, the premier limo and bus transportation service provider has announced affordable rides for special occasions. With this move, the company will now be offering party bus and limo transportation services within the Tampa Bay area at highly affordable rates. Customers can now hire and book Limousines and party buses for their guests and themselves for numerous special events and occasions including weddings, corporate parties, prom nights, bachelor nights, airport transfer among other personal and company events.

Sharing more details about their transportation services, a spokesperson at partybuslimotampabay.com stated, "at party bus limo tampa bay, we're committed to providing our customers in the tampa bay area with the best in class party bus and limousine services. Our party bus and limousine will now be available at highly affordable rates, enabling our clients to book their rides from one destination to another for different occasions, parties and events."

It must be noted that party bus limo tampa bay is a leading party bus and limousine rental company within the tampa bay area that provides comfortable limousine and party bus rides as well as professional chauffeurs. The company offers high class luxury rental vehicles including elegant limousines and decked out party bus at highly affordable prices.

Party bus limo tampa bay is a local luxury vehicle transportation service providing company that offers advanced limo and bus services and attractive seasonal and special discounts. As part of their elite party bus rental service, the company provides spacious party buses that are well equipped with excellent amenities for a comfortable ride. Their elite party buses can easily accommodate twenty four to forty passengers and is perfect for customers planning their bachelorette, wedding or prom parties and events. The elite party buses feature wrap around leather seats, flat screen television sets, surround sound system, crystal bar, fiber optic lighting, large cd player and ipod hookups and disco ball and lighting.

Party bus limo tampa bay also offers affordable wedding transportation services in and around tampa bay area. Customers can hire a wide range of limousines and enjoy red carpet services. The company offers a wide variety of wedding limo packages including arrival, newlywed transportation and venue transportation services.

The company is also renowned of providing limo services for prom nights and parties. Apart from offering an elegant and timely arrival, the company also ensures the safety of children looking forward to attend the prom night. Each of their professional drivers needs to pass a stringent background check and safety course before the company hires them as drivers.

Party Bus Limo Tampa Bay also offers premier corporate car rental services. Corporate companies can easily hire one or more of their luxury vehicles including black limousines, sedans as well as SUVs for their corporate events, parties and fundraising events. As part of their Airport Limo services, the company helps their clients in travelling to and from the airport conveniently. Additionally, customers and travelers can also hire their limousines and party buses for their birthday parties, personal use, concerts, wine tasting trips and night out parties. "Click here" for further details about the company and their services.

For more information, please visit http://www.partybuslimotampabay.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Brian Mac

Organization: Party Bus Limo Tampa Bay

Address: 4522 West Village Dr Suite 638 A Tampa, FL 33624

Phone: 813-906-1230

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/party-bus-limo-tampa-bay-announces-affordable-limo-and-party-bus-rides-for-special-occasions/139882

Release ID: 139882

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Inflatable Flamingo Float Launch - Teddy Shake Hosts Pool Party to Celebrate

Inflatable flamingo pool float manufacturer (Teddy Shake) has announced an official celebratory pool party for their Inflatable Float Launch, which is thus far successful.

--

In an exotic change of pace, pool float and toy online retailer, Teddy Shake, will be celebrating the launch of its 80? inflatable flamingo float by hosting an employee pool party. It is reported that the event will take place this coming Saturday.

In a space where most competitors simply post advertisements for their product and fail to cause much of a stir, Teddy Shake has opted to be a little more exotic with its flamingo float launch by hosting this employee celebration.

Bailey Anderson, spokeswoman at Teddy Shake, says: "We want to do something exciting with our 80" inflatable flamingo float launch because we wanted to make truly memorable experiences that coincide with our theme as pool float company...It should be really worthwhile, and we're hoping the launch will strengthen the commitment employees have to the company already." Anderson continued, joking that the event should go well and as planned unless real flamingos decide to join the party.

Teddy Shake has long thrived on the idea of standing out to the consumer public by making a commotion in the commerce world of summer fun. "It's all part of the excitement, and it's going to show that we really use the products we sell... We care about our customers, which we think is better than businesses who choose to do things the regular way," continued Anderson. This product launch celebration is just one of the many ways Teddy Shake achieves that goal.

When asked about the inflatable flamingo float, Bailey Anderson said: "We think it's going to be a real hit because it's completely unique, and we know our customers have been waiting a long time for this."

About Teddy Shake: "As relaxing as a Bahama breeze; Teddy Shake makes the world's most relaxing, fun, and quirky pool floats for you and your family. With constant R&D and innovative thinkers working to make the most incredibly pool floats and toys possible, we want nothing more than for you to have the time of your life."

For more information, please visit https://goo.gl/lrpGJK

Contact Info:

Name: Bailey Anderson

Email: info@teddyshake.com

Organization: Teddy Shake

Address: 123 S.E. 3rd Ave #427



Release ID: 139831

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From improving soil quality and tackling the effects of drought to managing livestock welfare, trees have a vital role to play in building resilience in UK agriculture.

But how much do farmers really know about the benefits trees can offer? What challenges do they face in managing woodland, and what could encourage them to plant more?

In a survey of more than 1,100 farmers and farm managers, Farmers Weekly and the Woodland Trust asked for farmers thoughts on woodland, and what the main challenges are to future growth and development.

Disease

Almost 70% of farmers said that tree pests and disease were a significant risk to the rural landscape.

And when farmers were asked about trees on their own farms, tree disease came top of their concerns, with 20% saying that tree diseases posed a serious threat to their businesses.

See also: 9 reasons to plant trees on your land

Of the tree diseases present in the UK, ash dieback was identified as the biggest problem, with 52% of farmers saying it was already on their farm  or that they were worried it would reach them in future.

Other diseases such as acute oak decline and phytophthora were identified as problems, with 8% and 2.5% respectively saying they were concerns (see below).

While these are relatively small percentages, Helen Chesshire, Woodland Trust senior farming adviser, says the spread of diseases such as ash dieback and acute oak decline across the UK have the potential radically to alter the shape of the UK countryside.

Farmers are right to be concerned, but this is actually an opportunity for them to evaluate how trees can work in their farming system and get advice on how to turn a potential negative into a positive, she says.

If no one takes action, the countryside could look radically different in 20 years. But by getting advice on the main diseases in their locality and doing some planting now, farmers can combat the potential loss by replacing trees in a way that could benefit their wider business.

Management

Farmers may be confident in managing crops and livestock, but knowing how to manage trees properly was one of the biggest worries for those questioned in the survey.

Some 16% said maintenance and management of trees and woodland was a significant concern to their business. How to deal with deer and squirrel damage and knowing what tree varieties to plant  and where to plant them  were common issues.

One respondent said they knew their woodland needed proper management, but reported that it was simply left to its own devices; others were concerned about fast-growing species that they didnt know how to deal with properly.

Mrs Chesshire says managing woodland does not need to be a complicated task, and taking the time to seek advice and expert services can lead to significant rewards for farm businesses.

We know that there are lots of smaller, unmanaged areas of woodland on farms, but in many cases farmers are missing a trick, she says.

If you have a small copse, shelter belt or hedge, you might not think about the potential benefits they bring in terms of shelter, water infiltration and soil quality. But they will all help to improve the performance of the wider farm and can provide a service to the business.

Building resilient landscapes and businesses

Most farmers recognised the huge array of benefits trees could bring to their land, with many already making use of them in their business, the survey found.

Helping wildlife thrive, providing shelter and shade to livestock, offering a sustainable source of wood fuel and reducing soil erosion were all identified by most farmers as ways trees could help.

More than a quarter of those questioned (27%) said they had already planted trees to provide shelter, while 19% said they had planted trees to encourage wildlife and increase biodiversity.

Improving the appearance of the landscape (17%) and making use of otherwise unusable land (10%) were other commonly cited reasons for planting trees.

While some benefits were well known, the survey revealed that others were not common knowledge among farmers. Just 10% knew that trees could extend growing seasons by increasing soil temperature, while only 11% were aware that trees could improve crop water efficiency.

We are still doing research into all the ways trees can help farms, but the science we have so far shows that trees bring huge benefits, particularly when they are positioned in the right way, says Mrs Chesshire.

They improve crop water efficiency and can act as an insurance policy in times of drought, and by sheltering fields they can help warm the soil  something thats relevant to all farmers, whether they are growing grass or crops, she adds.

Our advisers can help farmers understand how they can make best use of trees to boost their businesses and the landscape by giving advice on what they should plant and where.

By looking at maps and walking the land, they can assess where trees might be appropriate, as well as what the funding options are.

Funding

When asked about the most significant concerns to their farm businesses, 42% of farmers said they were worried about access to grants and funding across the industry  concerns that could have a direct effect on tree planting.

According to the latest figures from the Forestry Commission, only 700ha of woodland was planted in England last year  a huge 86% below the governments target of 5,000ha and the lowest figure for a generation.

Mrs Chesshire says these low figures are likely to be linked to uncertainty around government funding and environmental schemes, especially in light of the UKs decision to leave the EU.

Funding is a significant concern because planting trees is a cost that some farmers cant afford, she says. At the moment we are in flux. The confusion and uncertainty created around Brexit has made it less likely that farmers will follow up on their planting plans.

Financial help is available through the Woodland Trust to help part-fund new planting projects or management of ancient woodland.

Its worth remembering that its not necessary to invest huge sums for trees to start making a marked difference to a businesses and the surrounding landscape, Mrs Chesshire adds.

Having trees doesnt mean taking farmland out of production to create woodland. We are talking about integrating trees, taking out marginal land that should be giving you greater benefits so that the overall productivity of your land could actually be greater, while your resilience improves, too.

What diseases could you see on your farm? Ash dieback More than 130,000ha of ash woodland in the UK is under threat from ash dieback, a fungus usually fatal to ash trees. The fungus causes long, thin, diamond-shaped lesions where the stem or branch joins the trunk, as well as blackened leaves and dieback of twigs. Acute oak decline Acute oak decline is believed to have a number of causes, including drought stress and bacterial infections linked with a bark beetle. Mostly affecting mature oak trees, the disease causes black weeping patches on stems and trunks, splits in the bark and a thinning canopy. Trees can recover, but severely affected ones will die within five years of developing symptoms. Phytophthora Phytophthora are a group of parasitic fungi, which cause brown rot in many species of trees  including larch, alder, juniper bushes and Lawson cypress trees. Symptoms to look out for include wilted and withered shoot tips and sweeping patches on the upper trunks and branches. What can I do? If you spot any of these diseases, you should notify the Forestry Commission and then seek advice about how you might mitigate their impact through regenerative planting strategies.
Tributes have been paid to a hard-working elderly woman who was killed in a farm accident in Northern Ireland.

Breige McKeefry, aged in her 70s, died following a tragic accident on the family farm in County Londonderry.

According to local reports, Mrs McKeefry had been helping her husband move cattle in the farmyard when she was suddenly attacked by at least one of the animals.

See also: Safe cattle handling plea issued during farm safety week

Emergency services were called to the farm, off Carhill Road in Garvagh at about 2.30pm on Wednesday (19 October).

Medics treated Mrs McKeefry at the scene and she was rushed to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine where she died from her injuries later that evening.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician Adrian McQuillan told the BBC: This is very shocking news for the entire close-knit community of Garvagh and the surrounding areas.

The family were well-known in the farming community and I understand the woman in her 70s was killed by cattle on the family farm, this evening.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this deeply distressing time.

This incident serves as a reminder that there are many dangers that surround us on our farms.

Beloved wife and mother-of-six

Mrs McKeefry was the beloved wife of Mickey and devoted mother of six children  Michele, Fiona, Brendan, Olive, Michael and Johnny.

SDLP Causeway Coast and Glens Councillor Roisin Loftus told the Ballymoney Times: To lose a friend and well-known member of the community in these circumstances is an absolute tragedy, she said. The victim was a hard-working farmer all her life.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) NI said: We are investigating a serious incident on a farm in Garvagh, but we are not in a position to make a further comment at this stage.

Mrs McKeefrys death is the third tragedy to affect farms in Northern Ireland in recent weeks.

Young farmer James Irwin, 30, was killed after becoming trapped in farm machinery in Co Tyrone on 11 September. And father-of-five Alastair Sloss died in a slurry accident last Friday (14 October).

Farm fatality figures for the last five years (NI)

2011/12 9 fatalities

2012/13 11 fatalities

2013/14 4 fatalities

2014/15 9 fatalities

2015/16 6 fatalities

2016/17 (to date) 4 fatalities

(Source: HSENI)
Business-minded young farmers from across the UK gathered in Cumbria for an exciting day of talks and workshops at the annual Fertile Minds conference on 14 October.

Organised by Farmers Weekly in association with NFU Mutual, Fertile Minds gave ambitious young farmers the chance to learn from expert speakers, network with each other and take part in workshops to help develop their careers.

The day opened with SuperJam founder Fraser Doherty explaining how he became the youngest ever supplier of a major supermarket after starting his business at 14 years old.

See also: Young farmers buzzing with ideas at Fertile Minds event

Other talks included advice from NFU Mutual on succession planning.

After a networking lunch, the young farmers joined practical workshops on topics such as developing a brand and successful diversification.

We were delighted to sponsor Fertile Minds  a special event run exclusively for young farmers looking to take their agricultural careers to the next level, said an NFU Mutual spokeswoman.

At NFU Mutual we know our customers, understand the farming industry and pride ourselves on the high level of support we offer the countrys next generation of farmers.

Look out for more detailed reports of the day in the 28 October edition of Farmers Weekly and on FWi.

Sponsors message

NFU are delighted to sponsor Fertile Minds  a special event run exclusively for young farmers looking to take their agricultural careers to the next level.

At NFU Mutual we know our customers, understand the farming industry and pride ourselves on the high level of support we offer the countrys next generation of farmers.
Civilization 6 Cheats, Tips & Tricks: How To Conquer the World on Civilization VI With Ease? More Gameplay Details Revealed

As "Civilization 6" hits the shelves on Oct. 21, players will want to know the tips and tricks of the trade to help them conquer the planet. Early reviews of the highly anticipated turn-based, strategy game has already called the latest Civ iteration as equally enormous as its predecessors. Having reimagined several beloved features of the series, "Civilization 6" is poised to take its seat on Steam's most-played list.

Before players get ready to clear the shelves of "Civilization 6," however, here's everything they should expect from the upcoming Firaxis game. From new features like builders that expire after three turns, unstacked cities that are spread across tiles, longstanding fans as well as new initiates to the Civ franchise should be able to figure out the best way to win.

Tips and tricks: Four victory conditions

First tip and trick: players need to understand the ways by which they can conquer the world. In "Civilization 6," there are four core victory conditions, namely: culture, domination, religion and science. As always in every Civilization game, they're pretty self-explanatory. To win in "Civilization 6," domination requires you to conquer every capital; science, to research technologies and establish space innovations; and cultural, to amplify tourism, initiate cultural and artistic finds.

Science victory conditions

"Civilization 6" introduces religion as a core condition, wherein players have to use holy sites and agents to get civilizations to convert to their faiths. Among these conditions in "Civilization 6," culture is always the hardest to do, because it requires players to accumulate more visitors than all other civs combined. The easiest victory to pull off, of course, is science, while religion and domination could be both tricky since they both require robust bases.

The next tip to winning in "Civilization 6" is choosing the science/Russia route. This is because Peter I (Peter the Great) allows players to open up trade routes pretty fast. Other options could be Arabia and Saladin, and Sumeria and Gilgamesh, according to Mashable Asia. Also remember that trade routes are players' best friends in "Civilization 6," because they're key to getting resources and mobility in the "Civilization 6" game.

Establishing your cities

Meanwhile, another tip and trick to winning in "Civilization 6" is to diversify cities by letting them pursue different tracks. This will allow players to be more well prepared and armed regardless of the circumstances, especially when players accidentally draw the ire of neighboring cities and civilizations and get drawn into war.
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Release Date, News & Update: 16MP Primary & Secondary Camera a Treat for Shutterbugs? Impressive Specs & Features

The Korean tech giant is all set to release the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro handset. Chinese online retailer T-Mall has reportedly revealed the specs and features and they seem pretty tempting. Samsung is still under pressure after it had to stop selling Galaxy Note 7.

It has suffered massive losses because of the Note 7 fiasco. Hence, it is perhaps trying to make up for it by reinforcing its budget segments such as the Galaxy A and C series. The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is rumored to have a 6-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.

As per GSMArena, the handset is expected to run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 chipset and an Adreno 510 graphics card. Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro could have an internal storage capacity of 64GB and a 6GB RAM. The phone will be microSD card enabled with memory expandable up to 256GB.

The Samsung Galaxy C9's primary camera of 16MP may have autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone) flash. Other camera features expected are geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama and HDR. The secondary camera could also be of 16MP. Thus, Galaxy C9 Pro guarantees stellar camera performance and superb selfie fun.

A fingerprint scanner may also find a place in the handset. The smartphone is expected to come with fast-charging capabilities. In terms of battery capacity, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro will definitely score high as it will come equipped with a 4,000 mAh battery. The handset may be released in three color variants namely, Dark Gray, Pink Gold and Gold.

The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro may be get a limited release, releasing only in China. The handset could be priced at 3,199 (US$470), writes Mobile & Apps.

However, there is no guarantee that the features revealed are 100 percent accurate. Stay tuned on GameNGuide for more updates on Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro.
A 50 year old woman from California died after a car wreck last month. She is the 11th American victim of defective air bag inflators made by Takata Corporation. The woman's death was confirmed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last Thursday, however her name was not released yet. The agency identified the woman according to coroner's records as Delia Robles from Riverside County, California.

On the other hand, there are up to five people who were killed due to the same reason in Malaysia, which makes the victims as many as 16 globally. The conclusion made after the investigation conducted by the Riverside police is that the main cause of the collision is the left turn of the Chevrolet pickup truck which is maneuvered by a man. The Chevrolet truck was struck head-on by the Honda Civic.

The woman was immediately sent to the nearest hospital however she did not survive after suffering from a serious injury. According to Bloomberg, the police are still investigating whether or not the air bag system has a significant role in the death of the woman.

Honda sent its thoughts and deepest sympathies to the family of the victim. However Jose Contreras, the surviving son of the deceased, said that he is considering on taking a legal action against the persons responsible. He also said that her mom was a very safe driver.

In U.S alone, 69 million Takata airbags are recalled out of the 100 million worldwide and now Takata have to incur billons for its costs. Honda also claimed that there were already multiple notices that are sent to the address of the victim but there are no indications that she has received them. Thus, the vehicle was left unrepaired from the time she bought it at the end of 2015 according to a report in Chicago Tribune. Furthermore, the NHTSA already gave a warning about the extreme danger of Takata inflators that is why owners of older models of Hondas and Acuras are urged to get their vehicles repaired.
The goal of PayPal to become an integral part of how consumers pay is taking another step as it introduced new features for its money transfer platform on Thursday. PayPal integrated a lot of new functions almost a year after it bought Xoom, a money-transfer company.

With a handful of Xoom's functions in PayPal money transfer, it is now easier for more than 87 million US users to transfer and send money and remittances abroad. However, the mobile app for this new update is still "coming soon" according to a report in CNET.

PayPal users from 10 countries including China, Brazil, India and Mexico can now send money overseas. These countries are in addition to the 190 regions and countries that already have money transfers by PayPal. PayPal users can now log in to Xoom using their PayPal login details.

Xoom is a digital money transfer or remittance provider typically used by U.S. immigrants to send money abroad including the Philippines, Mexico, India, Dominican Republic, and Colombia. This company usually competes with MoneyGram and Western Union.

Although these new features may not be considered as huge changes to the company, PayPal still strives to become a crucial part of people's transactions. PayPal has also entered into a partnership with Mastercard and Visa so that it will be easier for credit card holders to use PayPal according to a report in Business Insider,

Aside from that, the deals with these big financial corporations could allow PayPal users to use their accounts in stores. Budgeting tools are also in the works to help customers manage their finances. The growth of PayPal has been incredible due to its money transfer offers which appeal to those who regularly send money abroad. Coinciding with PayPal's announcement is Xoom also revealing its new features using PayPal.
President Obama Weighs In On Exploding Samsung Note 7

President Obama was in Miami on Thursday and one of the subjects of his speech was Obamacare. While making a point about the universal healthcare plan that he has instituted, he compared it to the explosive problem of the tech giant Samsung with its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

President Obama said that if companies release new smartphones and if they found out that there are few bugs in them, what is initially done is to fix them and upgrade them. But if these devices catch fire, then the President claimed that it should be pulled out from the market.

A video by Politico's Dan Diamond that was shared on Twitter was subjected to a big laugh from the crowd. The President further continued his analogy saying that if that is the case, then there is no chance that you go back on using the fired phone. He further added, "You don't say 'Well, we're repealing smartphones. We're just gonna do the dial-up thing.' That's not what you do."

On the other hand, a response from Samsung was not yet obtained. According to CNET, once your product becomes a topic for fun, then you should exert more in order to restore the faith of the users not only in the particular phone, but also in the brand.

Well, Samsung has shown to have taken initiative by offering help to travelers who are about to board a plane at airports. But these phones are not allowed on U.S. flights anymore according to a report in 6abc. The company also demanded users to shut off their Samsung Note 7 smartphones and return them to where they bought the device.

Samsung's exploding battery issue has hurt the tech giant's image as consumers are now shifting to other brands like Apple's iPhone 7. Even replacement units were reported to have exploded, causing injury to some users. This led to Samsung finally discontinuing the Note 7 and stopped all sales.
Rotary got started in Long Beach in 1917 when seven local businessmen met with a New York Rotarian who talked about his club there.
Department of Interior manuals. A Life magazine with a photo from the Vietnam War on its cover. An Oregon flag. An Oregon State University course catalog from the 1966-67 school year. Photos of the Environmental Protection Agencys office in Corvallis when it was new. A Gazette-Times issue from Oct. 24, 1966, that showed Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall on the steps of the new EPA building, with a story about Udall calling for Oregon to take action to improve water quality.

All of these were found in a time capsule opened for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the EPAs Western Ecology Division building on 35th Street in Corvallis. Although the 50th anniversary of the dedication is Monday, staff at the office opened the capsule last week and displayed its contents at a celebratory potluck Thursday.

Coral Tily, an information services specialist working the building, said the plan is to place the capsule back in a cornerstone of the building in the next few weeks, possibly with some new additions.

Alan Thornhill, the director of the about 130 people working out of the building, said over the years hundreds of researchers have worked there and published an estimated 3,000 articles in dozens of disciplines.

The building was initially named the Pacific Northwest Water Laboratory, before the EPA was even established (the building was initially part of the Department of the Interior). According to a history of the building, when the EPA was created in 1970, the facility became part of the EPA and was one of four national research centers.

Thornhill and Tily said through the years researchers at the lab have studied water quality, the ozone, pesticide toxicity, air quality, engineered gene escape and climate change.

Its been a theme that this lab is nimble and adjusted to whatever the agency needed, Thornhill said.

He said the time capsule was interesting because it revealed a snapshot of what the people of the time were concerned about. He said the headline about water quality showed the rising awareness of environmental issues in the 1960s. He referenced smog in New York City killing people as an example of the sort of event that led to the founding of the EPA.

People were fed up and wanted to see things happen, he said.

The lab has some changes planned for its future: A 5,000-square-foot annex is being built adjacent to the main building to replace a leased modular building currently in use. The annex, which has a price tag of around $7 million, was started in March.

Tom Connolly, associate director for program operations at the site, said plans are in the works for a four- to five-year renovation of the main building, starting next fall.
Ward 2 Corvallis Councilor Roen Hogg is seeking his fourth term on the council in the Nov. 8 election. Hogg, a retired project manager with the state of Oregon, is being challenged by Charles Maughan, the community manager at the Julian Hotel.

The race in Ward 2, which covers downtown and the area between downtown and Oregon State University, is one of four contested council seats in Corvallis. The Gazette-Times will be publishing profiles of the candidates in all four contests in the coming days.

Hogg, 54, said: I am running for re-election to protect and enhance our neighborhoods and our city. Hogg, who has been active on issues involving the homeless, parking districts and city-OSU relations, cast the lone no vote when the City Council acted Sept. 19 to approve funding for Corvallis Housing First to operate the mens cold weather shelter on Southwest Fourth Street.

Hogg also expressed disappointment that not much came of it when he pushed four years ago for a council goal of resolving the mens cold weather shelter issue. In addition to the approval of the Housing First funding, councilors also backed an amendment that opposed any future funding at the Fourth Street site.

Maughan, 44, said he got the urge to run for the council after attending the Democratic convention in Philadelphia as a Bernie Sanders backer. He said the city needs to take a proactive approach in resolving the growing number of people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Maughan called for creating additional year-round shelters with access to transportation and said that the city also needs to work on the underlying issues of job training, health care and drug/alcohol rehabilitation.

The city has launched a task force that is looking at possible tax or fee increases to raise somewhere between $4 million and $13 million for infrastructure and other unmet needs. Among the increases being considered are a local sales tax, a local income tax, an increase in the street maintenance fee and the possible renewal of the citys local option property tax levy, which expires June 30, 2019.

The city already has sent to the voters a 3 percent recreational marijuana tax (Measure 2-96), which city finance officials say will raise approximately $95,000 per year.

I heavily favor a local tax on recreational marijuana, Maughan said. I feel that this is a great way for the city to generate the much-needed revenue.

Maughan also said the utility fees and the street maintenance fee also are worth considering.

Hogg said he wanted to let the budget task force do its work before committing to any of the revenue ideas. The councilor also noted that any request to increase revenue should go to the voters for a final decision.

A hot ward-specific topic is the challenge of working with the Hollingsworth & Vose glass fiber plant at the edge of the ward on Southeast Crystal Like Drive. The plant had been mistakenly operating under the wrong class of air pollution permit for nearly 20 years and had been emitting much higher levels of carbon monoxide and fluoride compounds than its permit allowed.

The state Department of Environmental Quality fined the company but allowed it to keep running the plant at current production levels while it applied for the appropriate permits.

The plant is in Ward 2, but the pollution goes to Ward 3, Hogg said. Smoke has a mind of its own.

Hogg said the proper role for the city is to make sure people stay informed and that those with questions should contact him, State Sen. Sara Gelser or State Rep. Dan Rayfield.

This is right next to peoples homes, and we need to stay on top of it, Hogg said.

Maughan said hed like to see (the plant) gone, out of the area. There is a school and a park near there. The solution seems to be letting them keep doing what they are doing until they get a new permit. Thats not an answer.
The battle for the District 16 seat in the Oregon House of Representatives is a four-way race, but only three candidates are actually running.

Democrat Dan Rayfield is the incumbent in District 16, which represents Corvallis and Philomath. The district is heavily Democratic, with 20,323 registered voters compared to 8,014 registered Republicans and smaller numbers spread out among a half-dozen other parties, making Rayfield a heavy favorite to win re-election to a second term.

Nevertheless, three challengers emerged from the primaries to run against him in the general election: Republican Judson McClure, Progressive Sami Al-AbdRabbuh and Libertarian Andrew Freborg.

But only the third party candidates are putting up a fight. While both Freborg and Al-AbdRabbuh have been visible on the campaign trail, participating in public forums and getting their names before voters, the GOP nominee is nowhere to be found.

Although McClure did fill out a Gazette-Times candidate questionnaire (see below), he declined to join the other three candidates in a public forum sponsored by the newspaper.

According to election filings with the Oregon Secretary of States Office, McClure has neither raised nor spent any money on his own campaign. He did not purchase space in the state voters pamphlet and has not even formed a campaign committee.

McClure did not return phone calls from the Gazette-Times seeking comment for this article. Neither did Oregon GOP Chairman Bill Currier or the office staff at the state party headquarters.

Jerry Jackson, the chairman of the Benton County Republican Central Committee and a candidate for county commissioner, said he didnt want to speak for McClure but added that he had no explanation for the party nominees lack of campaigning.

I dont know why hes doing that, Jackson said. But the fact is hes not active.

Rayfield, meanwhile, has raised and spent more than $125,000 in this election cycle. In addition to making public appearances, distributing lawn signs and publishing a voters pamphlet statement, the incumbent has been going door to door speaking with voters while volunteers have been canvassing and phone-banking on his behalf.

In fact, with McClure failing to mount a serious challenge for his District 16 seat, Rayfield has been free to campaign for Democratic candidates in swing districts elsewhere in the state.

He has been out for weeks, said Janet Wolf-Eshe, the Democrats Benton County Central Committee chairwoman. Dan has been working very hard to make sure we have a strong Democratic Legislature.

Here are the responses to the questionnaire from House District 16 candidates:

Al-AbdRabbbuh

Sami Al-AbdRabbbuh

Age: 29

Party affiliation: Progressive

Occupation: Arabic language and culture adviser at INTO OSU, entrepreneur, graduate teaching assistant at Oregon State University

Family: Single

Education: Bachelors degree in control and instrumentation systems engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals; masters in industrial engineering, Oregon State University

Political or volunteer experience: Corvallis School District Budget Committee member, OSU student government

Q: Voters are sick of partisan politics. What would you do to foster cooperation across party lines?

A: Cooperation is essential to my campaign. As a Progressive in a 73 percent Democrat-voting district, its an everyday necessity to connect with those who are outside of my party. Convergence is key for progress. How else would we come up with great ideas? I am committed to caucus with the Dems but will always aim to reach across the aisle, and I have no hate in my heart towards my liberal and conservative colleagues.

Q: If elected, what would be your top three legislative priorities?

A: Allocating Measure 97 revenue properly, increasing vocational training and creating a carbon fee are at the top of my legislative agenda. We need smarter taxes, workplace education and greenhouse gas emissions accountability in our community.

Q: State budgets are always tight. What would you do to save money or raise revenue?

A: We need to grow niche industries within Oregon. I hope to follow North Dakotas nonpartisan model of a public bank in order to drive investments back into Corvallis and Philomath. If we pass the right corporate tax, we have the ability to invest in working families and secondary agriculture products, such as vineyards and breweries. Oregon can grow its economy if it capitalizes on what makes it unique. I challenge skeptics and ask what things we didn't try to boost the economy. The economy will stay tight and there is no way to raise revenue with business as usual.

Candidate statement: When Corvallis became my home, I built bridges, bipartisan connections. People, like the ones in my Corvallis photo-essay blog, help form and inform my policy daily. Lets build better support for our children, with grants and vocational education. Lets build the local economy and reduce unfunded liabilities in PERS. Lets create a state public bank and create reforms that dont meddle with public employee savings. I am the only candidate who is for Measure 97 and takes zero dollars from corporations who are impacted by this measure. We need to come together and converge our resources to build a brighter future.

Freborg

Andrew Freborg

Age: 32

Party affiliation: Libertarian

Occupation: General manager of a medical transport service

Family: I would prefer that their names not be listed.

Education: Bachelors degree in speech communications and political science, Western Oregon University

Political or volunteer experience: Republican precinct committee person, Benton County, 2012-2014

Q: Voters are sick of partisan politics. What would you do to foster cooperation across party lines?

A: Being likely the only minor party candidate in the Legislature, I will owe my allegiance to no one but those whom I represent. I will work with Democrats when they are working to protect your rights, and I will work with Republicans when they are working to protect your rights. I will oppose both when they are working to violate your rights. I will always stand to defend your rights from those who attempt to restrict them regardless of party, even if I stand alone.

Q: If elected, what would be your top three legislative priorities?

A: My top three priorities would be: The protection of your natural rights and civil liberties from ever-increasing government interference. Increased government transparency, including co-sponsoring House Joint Resolution 33 requiring all bills considered under a state of emergency have statements explaining what emergency requires that status and why it differs from normal circumstances, and posting all of my votes on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Freborg4ORRep16/). Finally, I would attempt to return as much control to as local a level as possible, thus increasing the say that my constituents have in matters that are important to them and our community.

Q: State budgets are always tight. What would you do to save money or raise revenue?

A: I would take a long, hard look at what the state is funding and try to figure out what can be better handled at a local level, such as schools. I would look to repealing Measures 5 and 50, which have devastated our school system despite ever-increasing budgets and hamstrung our communities by preventing them from being able to determine for themselves what level of funding is appropriate. I would also look to ending the failed war on drugs and release all nonviolent drug offenders as soon as reasonably possible, freeing what limited resources we have for better utilization.

Candidate statement: Im the only candidate running that will stand up for all of your individual rights, even when I dont agree with you, as long as you arent harming someone else through force or fraud. Im the only candidate running that wants to rein in the dangerous tax-and-spend policies that have brought us a $1.7 billion shortfall next biennium despite a strong economy and threatens, if not corrected, to spend us right into the poorhouse at the next economic downturn. Finally, Im the only candidate running that trusts you to know how best to run your own life.

McClure

Judson McClure

Age: 26

Party affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Analyst

Family: Single

Education: Bachelors degree in economics, Oregon State University; bachelors in political science, University of Georgia

Political or volunteer experience: Corvallis City Council candidate; delegate, Georgia Republican Convention

Q: Voters are sick of partisan politics. What would you do to foster cooperation across party lines?

A: Being a Republican in Oregon requires working across party lines. I have no problem breaking with my own party in order to best serve Oregonians. I welcome all sensible solutions to solving the challenges Oregon faces. I stand with my opponents in supporting the ranked choice measure in Benton County.

Q: If elected, what would be your top three legislative priorities?

A: Promoting job growth in our rural communities, electoral reform (creating more competitive elections) and reforming PERS.

Q: State budgets are always tight. What would you do to save money or raise revenue?

A: Zero-based budgeting, make state programs justify increases in spending. Eliminating programs that have not adapted to Oregons needs and shrinking the state work force.

Candidate statement: I am honored for the opportunity to run for office in Oregon. I believe I offer the moderate pragmatic choice in this four-way race. I look forward to serving the community I love.

Rayfield

Dan Rayfield

Age: 37

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Bachelors degree in geography and economics, Western Oregon University; law degree, Willamette University College of Law

Political and volunteer experience: State representative in House District 16 since 2014; commissioner, Linn-Benton Housing Authority; member, New Roots Housing Board; various boards and commissions

Q: Voters are sick of partisan politics. What would you do to foster cooperation across party lines?

A: Over the past two years, and in my House leadership role, I have worked hard to foster cooperation across party lines by building relationships with members of both parties through listening and refusing to demonize one another. When we take a step back, we realize we all want the same things for Oregonians: good schools, good jobs, a clean and sustainable environment, and affordable health care. The relationships I have been able to build over the past two years have helped pass legislation important to our community in a bipartisan fashion  all while staying true to the values that guide us.

Q: If elected, what would be your top three legislative priorities?

A: As a young family with a 5-year-old, education is one our top priorities. Its the issue that touches our lives every day. Weve made great progress during the past two years, like funding all-day kindergarten, but theres much more to do. We need to decrease our student-to-teacher ratio, fund career and technical education, and boost early childhood education programs. We also must reinvest in higher education to stop saddling young people with crippling student loan debt. Education creates opportunity in life. I am committed to making sure we provide our children and college students with the highest-quality education possible.

Q: State budgets are always tight. What would you do to save money or raise revenue?

A: First and foremost, I would protect funding for education, health care, services to seniors and people with disabilities, and services to the most vulnerable of Oregonians  think employer-related day care and the earned income tax credit. To help stretch our dollar to preserve these vital services, I would first take a critical eye to our tax credits and then look to possibly extend the amortization schedule for PERS from 20 to 30 years. These savings, in addition to using a portion of our ending fund balance, would go a long way to shore up our states budget.

Candidate statement: I am running for re-election because, as a parent, I want to live in an Oregon where our schools provide our children with the highest-quality education possible. As a business owner, I believe in an Oregon where our economy is primed to create good-paying jobs, foster innovation and support small business. And as an outdoor enthusiast, I am committed to an Oregon where our quality of life and environment are protected for future generations. This is the Oregon I want to live in, and with the right values and leadership, this is the Oregon I know we can be.
Steve grew up playing every sport all through school. Steve graduated from Corvallis High School (CHS) and attended Oregon State University (Sigma Nu). He graduated from Portland State University. After a short Army stint he was honorably discharged in 1970. He was also trained to make dental appliances and worked in McMinnville. He worked as a fishing guide in Klawock, Alaska for seven seasons, always serving Beanery coffee to his clients. He retired early due to injuries and was happy in his little house on the Marys River. He had coffee with the "boys" every day at the Philomath cafe. His passions were hunting and fishing, which he did every year.
Vernon Wayne Picking, 91, passed away at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, with his family by his side.

He was born to parents Fred and Bertha Picking in Waubun, Minnesota, on Dec. 31, 1924.

In 1931, when Vern was 7, his family packed up all their belongings in a Model A Ford and moved to Hood River to work in the orchards. Vern attended Odell grade and high school, skipped third grade, and graduated valedictorian of his class in 1941. It was the war years and Vern was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was sent to officer's training at Washington State University where he graduated second among other potential U.S. Air Corps officers. Since both of his older brothers were serving overseas (Boyd in London and Chuck in New Guinea), it was the practice of the time for the youngest brother to remain in the United States, so Vern was sent to do cold weather testing in Fairbanks, Alaska.

At the end of the war, Vern was offered his Army Air Corps lieutenant's bar if he remained in the Air Corps, but he refused because he was missing Hood River and his family. Back home his older brother, Chuck, had been dating Mary Ellen Wirrick. Mary Ellen's best friend was Carol Lippman. Vernon began dating Carol. Upon her graduation from Odell High School in 1946, they became engaged. After Carol graduated from the University of Oregon they were married on Aug. 20, 1950, at the Odell Methodist Church.

Meanwhile, during those four years while Carol was in college, Vern had been working at the mill and had been building their future home on Paasch Road in Pine Grove, where they would continue to live for the next 50 years. His brother, Chuck, and Carol's best friend, Mary Ellen, had gotten married the year before so best friends were now sisters-in-law.

Vern took a night job as a police officer for the city of Hood River in 1952. By 1954 Carol and Vern had three young children. At the urging of his wife, due to safety concerns of the job, Vern borrowed money from his father-in-law to build the Pine Grove Texaco service station on Highway 35. In 1957 their fourth child, Stuart, was born.

In 1954, Vern joined the Pine Grove Fire Department as a volunteer and remained a member for 46 years. Since the Fire Department was right behind the service station, Vern was usually one of the first responders with the fire truck, often asking a customer he knew to watch the gas station while he was out on a fire call.

Vernon retired in 1986 and sold the Pine Grove Texaco service station to Lou Gerhrig. In 2000, he and his wife Carol moved to Corvallis to be near family.

Vern is survived by his daughter, Ginny (Rick) Taylor of Corvallis, son Steve (Liz) Picking of Albany; daughter Jeanne (Dan) Hodges of Roseburg; four grandchildren, Christi (Vince) Pontier, Ryan Hodges, Caitlin Taylor and Rand Taylor; sister-in-law Mary Ellen Picking; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Carol; son Stuart; brothers Boyd and Chuck Picking; sister Maude Baskins; sisters-in-law Virginia Cunningham and Betty Jo Picking, and brothers-in-law Leland Baskins and Charles Cunningham.

Vern will always be known for his love of fishing and hunting, but most of all for his love of family and friends.

A celebration of life will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Anderson Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River.

Donations in Vern's name can be made to the Pine Grove Volunteer Fire Department.

Arrangements are pending and under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
 ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.

 RASPBERRY (razbere) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.

We hereby deliver:

 ROSES to those of you who have written letters to the editor about the election. But you have forced us to do a little math: We have about 75 letters in the queue and a handful of letters we still need to find the time to type up. We're clearing out space in the Saturday and Sunday newspaper to run additional letters, so that means (assuming that not all of you have gone right up to the 250-word limit) that we should have the room to print about 100 letters in the two weeks before the election.

This means that you have still have time to write that election-themed letter, but the window is closing fast. Our estimate is that we should be able to print all of election-themed letters we receive by the end of the day on Monday. After that, we'll give it a shot, but we can't promise anything. And every letter we receive after the deadline will be posted online.

Thanks for writing, by the way; we can't recall an election that has prompted so many letters on so many different races for such a sustained period of time.

 ROSES to the Kiwanis Club of Corvallis, which recently celebrated the installation of its 4,000th grab bar during a service program that's been active now for 18 years.

These grab bars can make all the difference in preventing falls by senior citizens and patients recovering from surgery or other medical treatments. The bars offer vital support for people getting in and out of the bathtub or shower, for lowering onto or getting off the toilet or for providing balance while getting dressed.

The idea originated with Kiwanis Club member Brian Egan, the owner of Corvallis Custom Kitchen and Baths, who trains and advises the club members who install the bars. (In addition, his office staff processes all the calls requesting the installation of the grab bars.)

The service is free, although donations to cover the costs of the program are encouraged.

For more information about the program, go to the club's website at kiwaniscorvallis.org or call 541-758-6141.

Just one grab bar in the right place can make a huge difference in someone's life. Now, multiply that by 4,000, and you'll have an idea of the impact this service program has made in Corvallis over the last two decades.

 ROSES to Linn-Benton Community College's Advanced Transportation Technology Center in Lebanon, which held a grand opening Thursday for its newly completed building. The center has become a textbook example of how career and technical education can mesh with the real-world job market.

The center's new 37,000-square-foot building provides a home for the center's Heavy Equipment Diesel Program at the Technology Center, part of LBCC's Lebanon branch. It houses classrooms, lab space, storage and shop floors for both LBCC's diesel program and for the Innovation Center, a place for industry partners looking for a space to check equipment or train employees.

That idea to forge a partnership between the school and industry has been paying dividends to everyone involved since 2013, when the Technology Center's first building opened in the old PACE manufacturing site.

But you know who really has benefited? The students in the program, who have a terrific chance to land a good-paying job.

It can be a tricky bit of business, predicting exactly the spots where job openings will be in the future. But in this case, industry leaders knew they were facing a dramatic shortage of trained mechanics in the future as veteran workers retired.

Health care offers another good bet for future job growth, and it's worth noting that work continues in Lebanon on LBCC's Health Occupations Center, a project that will bring all of the college's health care training programs under one roof. The center is scheduled to be completed next year.

The expansion of the Advanced Transportation Technology Center and the new Health Occupations Center were paid for in part by a $34 million bond measure that voters approved in 2014.

The next time you wonder whether higher education really makes a difference in the mid-valley's economy  whether the investments taxpayers are making in two-year and four-year colleges are paying off  these two centers offer vivid proof.

Or, better yet: Ask one of the graduates from these programs whether it's made a difference in their lives.

 ROSES to Charlie Fautin, the deputy director of the Benton County Health Department, who recently received the Jane Moore Place Matters Award at an Oregon Health Authority conference in Portland.

Fautin has been a tireless ambassador for public health throughout the career. Maybe just as important, he also has helped to drive a major change locally in the way we think about public health. That's reflected in some of his key responsibilities at the Health Department, where he has oversight of chronic disease prevention and healthy community promotion. We have a clearer understanding now of the ways in which healthy communities intersect with healthy people, and Fautin has helped immeasurably with that understanding. We were delighted to hear the news about his award.

Correction

An editorial that appeared in Thursday's Gazette-Times listed incorrect dates for the last two executions in Oregon; they both occurred during the 1990s.
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To the Editor: It Is 5 Minutes To 12. The coming mid-term election on November 8th is of utmost importance and may change our country make-up for ever. Thus, you...
HEIDERHOF An IBIS request to launch a secondary program is still under consideration by NRW Ministry of Education authorities.

There is still hope for Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) to implement their expansion request into secondary education. General Anzeiger made an inquiry with the North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) Ministry of Education and they responded that when it comes to matters of educational facilities, it is generally their Ministry which has authority to give approval.

As reported, the Bonn School Committee had rejected the idea of the current IBIS Primary School establishing a secondary program. However, parallel to the application to Bonn school authorities, IBIS had also submitted their request to the Ministry of Education in Dusseldorf. Because this case is still being reviewed by those authorities, the press office said they could not make further comments about it. In the Education Act, however, under Section 118, there is a passage which states the Ministry educational authorities at state level must consider the assessment of the city.
Bonn city : Whats new on the shopping scene?

Bonn New businesses are popping up in Bonn city center, especially on Sternstrae. Heres a wrap of whats moving where.

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Celebrating its opening only a few days ago, the crockery shop Le Creuset on Sternstrae will become a must for all gourmets. Its known traditionally for heavy pots in warm reds and oranges but has much more on offer these days.

A few doors down in a former clothing store is now a French gift retailer. It is the cult brand Pylones which enjoys increasing popularity in Germany. The store offers a colorful assortment of products for bathroom, kitchen, kids rooms and the whole house.

Not new on Sternstrae but moved into a bigger space is the cosmetic chain Rituals. And the space where the clothing boutique Biba used to be is still empty but neighboring businesses report that a brand of luxury lingerie will be moving there in the foreseeable future.

Diagonally opposite that area, there is a sign that says a Reformhaus (store with health food and other items) is coming soon. Where a locksmith used to be, a hat store called Hut de will move in.

Unclear is what will happen with the Reformhaus Horsch at Sternstrae/Vivatsgasse. The shelves are still full but the door is locked and a sign on the door says it is going out of business. Karina Krober, a member of the City Marketing Board says Unfortunately, nobody knows why its been closed for so long.

On the corner of Bonngasse and Markt used to be a hat store called Hut Weber. Workers have been busily renovating but the owner of the building, a businessman from Bad Godesberg did not want to say what was planned for the space. General Anzeiger has learned from well-informed sources, however, that the cosmetic chain MAC will be opening its doors there.

Also not officially known is what will come to the empty building where the giant Carthaus stationary store used to be at Remigiusstrae. According to GA information, the optician Fielmann will probably move in there but this information could not be confirmed with Carthaus on Thursday.

Plans are coming along well for a new Postbank branch at Bonngasse/Friedrichstrasse where Butlers used to be. Customers will be able to drop off packages and letters in the store, and the post office at Munsterplatz will also remain in operation. An opening date for the new Post branch is not yet known.

Vodaphone will be opening a three-level store at Munsterplatz and the final stages of construction are underway. The building used to house Dresdner Bank and then Commerzbank.

Krober says, We are obviously very pleased with this development in the center of Bonn. The opening of stores like Le Creuset and Birkenstock, which already opened some weeks ago, brings a fresh breath of air to the city and increase the attractiveness. On November 6 from 1 - 6 p.m., City Marketing will have a special program called Bonn Leuchtet (Bonn shines) in conjunction with stores being open for business on that Sunday.
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Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
Google's Head of Search Amit Singhal Joins Paytm's Board News oi -GizBot Bureau

India's largest mobile payment and commerce company Paytm, today announced that Amit Singhal, the former Head of Search at Google Inc., is set to join Paytm's board of directors.

Amit has been instrumental in shaping Google Search to seamlessly work across desktop, mobile and other devices. A Google Fellow, and former head of the core ranking team, he served for over fifteen years in the company.

SEE ALSO: LG Diwali Offers: Buy Smartphones and Get Up To Rs. 25,000 off on Clothing, Accessories

Speaking on the announcement, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO - Paytm said, "Amit is a pioneer in the technology industry and we are incredibly excited to welcome him to Paytm's board. We believe his strong expertise in Artificial Intelligence and experience in building large deeply technical teams will be extremely valuable to Paytm as we continue to grow rapidly."

"I have always admired Paytm for its innovative payment products and vision for financial inclusion. I'm delighted to be joining their board," said Amit. "I have a lot of respect for Vijay and his team, and look forward to working with them."

SEE ALSO: Here is the Reason Why Samsung Decided to Launch Only 4G VoLTE Supported Smartphones in India

Amit, 48, joined Google in 2000 as employee number 176. One of the earliest team members, he rewrote the path-breaking search algorithms written by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Amit graduated from IIT Roorkee and has a doctorate in Computer Science from Cornell University.

While at Google, Amit spent his time building its core Search, and led it for 15 years, building a product known for both its quality of results and built-in features like spell check. In recent years, Amit spearheaded the transition of Google Search into the mobile era.

Since retiring from Google, Amit has focused on his philanthropic efforts through the Singhal Foundation. Amit is also an active investor and advisor to various companies.

Paytm is leveraging the positive network effect of its various online and offline use-cases to create India's largest cashless payment ecosystem. The company is dominating the country's offline commerce with its seamless online-to-offline (O2O) payment solutions.

SEE ALSO: Good News: 5 Easy Steps to Make Google Pixel and Pixel XL Compatible With Reliance Jio

The platform allows users to do online recharges and bill payments, book movie tickets, pay education fees, do travel bookings and shop for products online. Paytm's aim is to bring half a billion consumers to the mainstream economy, and the company is working towards its goal by onboarding consumers and merchants from every nook and corner of the country.

-Press Release

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Xiaomi Reportedly Working on Bendable Display Concept [Leaked] Features oi -Vigneshwar Following the footsteps of Samsung and LG, the Chinese handset maker Xiaomi is reportedly working on Bendable display concept for commercial purpose. Get to know everything about it here!

Following the footpath of LG and Samsung, the Chinese handset maker Xiaomi is reportedly working on a bendable touchscreen smartphone.

Previously, the company is known for its home appliances as well including Mi Air Purifier, Mi Box, Mi Drone and much more, besides smartphones. In an attempt to confirm this, a couple of photos and a video has been leaked on the Internet.

SEE ALSO: 8 Things to Know About LeEco's Le Pro3 and Le S3

As per the latest video leak, the user is allegedly holding a bent smartphone in his palm that seems to be running on Xiaomi's MIUI skin.

The 35 seconds video apparently shows the display performing different functions from swiping top to bottom to playing games as well. This display can be bent backward/forward and left/right.

SEE ALSO: Reliance Jio Effect: Vodafone Now Offers 1GB of 3G/4G Data at Just Rs. 55!

At present, the manufacturing cost of bendable display's is too costly, when compared to the flat display. Meanwhile, there are other options to consider including breakage, the life span of the display and much more. Another reason, on why it is not commercially available is due to the lack of bendable battery.

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Further, Lei Jun's company Xiaomi is also working on Mi Note 2 that is expected to come with the bezel-less display as well. If the information circulating around the Internet is true, then the Mi Note 2 will come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC, 6GB RAM under the board.

Moreover, the so-called Mi Note 2 is expected to come in three variants -- 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB inbuilt storage as well.

Also, the alleged Mi Note 2 is expected to carry dual camera setup with 16MP each, 5MP front snapper, Android 7.0 Nougat on top of MIUI 9. On the connectivity front, it could come with dual-SIM card slots, 4G with VoLTE HD voice calling support, USB Type-C for charging and data transfer, Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac.

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However, contrary to the company's tradition, this smartphone is expected to carry a hefty price tag around 4000 Yuan (approx Rs. 40,000).

Source

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Grab a Jio 4G SIM Card Before December 3

In the latest announcement, Reliance Jio said that users whoever acquires a Reliance Jio 4G SIM card on or before December 3 will be entitled to the welcome offer.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

No 'Welcome Offer' for SIM Cards Taken After December 3

Also, the company stated that customers who avail a Jio SIM card after December 3 won't be entitled to the welcome offer. Instead, they will be charged the normal plans which Jio introduced at the time of its launch.

The New Move Doesn't Affect Existing Users

Here's what hasn't changed. Reliance Jio Infocomm said that they will be offering the free services until December 31 for existing users and for customers who enroll in the service before December 3 and they can enjoy free 4G data, SMS, and voice calls.

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Why this Move?

This move came especially because of the incumbent operators expressing concerns over the free services. So, TRAI ( Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) urged RJIL to reduce the offer and they accepted the same to appease the rivals.

Relief for Rivals!

With this Jio's latest move, rivals such as Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, etc can cheer to some extent. However, the new entrant's offering is much better than the other operator's offerings.

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Airmen provide mobility expertise in Alaska

By Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford, 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs / Published October 20, 2016

FORT GREELY, Alaska (AFNS) -- Over the course of 12 days in October, with temperatures dropping below freezing in the "Last Frontier," Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing provided rapid global mobility expertise during Red Flag-Alaska 17-1.

The 621st CRW Airmen worked three different locations throughout Alaska assuring paratroopers with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division and their cargo smoothly transitioned between airfields.

"The (621st) CRW's role in the exercise is twofold," said Maj. Dave Sustello, the 621st Contingency Response Support Squadron assistant operations officer. "We are setting up an intermediate staging base at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to push cargo out the door and also have an 18-member team traveling to Allen Army Airfield and Donnelly Landing Zone to receive that cargo. This is all in support of the 4/25 IBCT as they conduct a forced entry into the (landing zone) as part of the exercise."

Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S. forces. It provides joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support, and large force employment training in a simulated combat environment.

Similar exercises provide contingency response Airmen the opportunity to work with Soldiers and strengthens the wing's interservice partnerships.

"It gives us another opportunity to work with the Army and do things like the Haiti support (Joint Task Force Matthew) we are taking part in right now," Sustello said. "This is yet another arena, (it's) just (U.S.) Pacific Command as opposed to (U.S.) Northern Command or (U.S.) Southern Command. They all have slightly different rules and challenges with interoperability that you learn to work through. Through this exercise, we are paving the way for future support to PACOM operations."

Throughout Red Flag-Alaska, 621st CRW Airmen worked with aircrew and aircraft from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, as well as international aircrews and aircraft from the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the South Korean air force.

"The challenge with working with the Army, or any mission partner, is not having clear expectations of what each partner is bringing to the endeavor," said Master Sgt. Brian Beaty, a 921st CRS contingency response team ramp coordinator. "In spite of this, one of the benefits is the opportunity to clearly articulate what our capabilities are and coming to an agreement on what is being asked of us to help complete the mission."

The 621st CRW is a bicoastal wing with units stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and at Travis Air Force Base, California. Red Flag-Alaska allowed 621st CRW Airmen who are usually geographically separated to work together and build upon their already established relationships.

"We don't usually have the opportunity to take part in inter-wing exercises, so we are really getting to build on relationships that we already have and solidify them from a wing-level standpoint," Sustello said.

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Counter-ISIL Strikes Target Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 20, 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, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike engaged three ISIL supply routes.

-- Near Raqqah, two strikes engaged two ISIL supply routes and destroyed two oil wellheads.

-- Near Ayn Isa, a strike engaged two ISIL staging areas.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed two ISIL oil wellheads.

-- Near Washiyah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted eight strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL checkpoint.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and two staging areas, destroying four vehicles, four ISIL-held buildings, four fighting positions, three containers, two mortar systems, a tunnel entrance, a bunker, an artillery system, a front-end loader, a weapons cache, a heavy machine gun and a tanker trailer. A vehicle bomb was damaged and three mortar positions and a fighting position were suppressed.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, destroying two heavy machine guns and a vehicle bomb. Mortar fire was suppressed.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three weapons caches.

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 one 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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

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Carter Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Security on Korean Peninsula

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2016  The United States remains concerned about North Korean provocations, and is committed to defending its allies with the "full spectrum of American military might," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today in a news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Han Min-koo.

Carter hosted the senior South Korean official at the Pentagon for the 48th U.S.-Republic of Korea Security Consultative Meeting. Discussions included further strengthening and expanding bilateral ties and ensuring deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, Carter said.

Carter hailed the strong U.S.-South Korean relationship that spans more than six decades and is built on common values, shared interests and mutual trust.

The discussions at the Pentagon, the secretary said, will help ensure the alliance remains the "linchpin of regional security and stability."

North Korean Actions Threaten Regional Stability

North Korea's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, including a failed one last night, threaten the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the broader region, Carter said.

"As with previous tests, we strongly condemn last night's attempt, which even in failing violated several U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said.

The latest provocation, he added, only strengthens the resolve of the U.S. to work with South Korea to maintain stability on the peninsula. "Indeed, the United States remains committed to defending our allies against any threat with the full spectrum of American military might," he said.

U.S. Prepared to Deliver 'Overwhelming and Effective Response'

In response to the threat from North Korea, the United States is adapting its force posture on the Korean Peninsula, Carter said.

That includes, he explained, the agreement for the U.S. to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile battery to U.S. Forces Korea.

Carter noted the United States and South Korea agreed yesterday in talks at the State Department to establish the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group to work closely on policy issues related to extended deterrence.

"Make no mistake, any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response," he said.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter; Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Han Min Koo October 20, 2016

Remarks by Secretary Carter and Minister Han in a Press Conference in the Pentagon Briefing Room

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: Good morning, everyone.

Thank you for being here.

It's been my privilege to host Korean Minister of National Defense Han Min Koo here for what is the 48th U.S.-Republic of Korea security consultative meeting. These meetings are valuable opportunities for our nations to come together to address shared security challenges.

And I want to thank Minister Han for his continued leadership. This is the sixth time that we've met. I want to thank him for his friendship. I admire him for his steadiness as he and I have planned our response together during some difficult moments of North Korean provocation. And while we sometimes need to be on the phone together in the middle of the night formulating our strong responses to North Korean provocations, it's a pleasure to see him in person for a longer and deeper discussion.

Always good to see you.

Today's productive discussions will help ensure the U.S.-Korea alliance remains the linchpin of regional security and stability. For over 60 years, we've built this strategic alliance based on common values, shared interests, and mutual trust. And we've stood together to ensure peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.

But as that consequential and dynamic region changes and as threats evolve, so too does our alliance. So this week, we discussed how we can better address three issues: ensuring deterrence on the Korean Peninsula; opening new frontiers of cooperation in our alliance; and expanding the global role of our alliance.

First, we discussed the continued threat from North Korea. Indeed, North Korea's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, like the one that failed last evening, threaten the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the broader Asia-Pacific region. As with previous tests, we strongly condemn last night's attempt, which even in failing, violated several U.N. Security Council resolutions, and affirm that this latest provocation only strengthens our resolve to work together with our Republic of Korea allies to maintain stability on the peninsula.

Indeed, the United States remains committed to defending our allies against any threat with the full spectrum of American military might. That's why we're adapting our force structure on the peninsula, most recently by agreeing as allies to deploy THAAD to defend against North Korean missile threats. And that's why we're ensuring we remain ready to, as we say, "fight tonight." And we're working together to achieve a conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control.

And that's why the United States is reaffirming its ironclad commitment to defend South Korea with our extended deterrence capabilities. We agreed yesterday to establish the Extended Deterrent Strategy and Consultation Group through which we will discuss further steps we can take.

Make no mistake, any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response.

Second, just as we've recommitted ourselves to ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the region, we're also capitalizing on new opportunities for cooperation at sea and in new domains like cyberspace. We're examining ways that our two navies can better cooperate on maritime security. We're also pleased that the U.S.-ROK Cyber Cooperation Working Group is helping to synchronize and enhance cyber efforts within our alliance.

And, as I described at the Shangri-La dialogue this spring and affirmed in San Diego last month, we're working together with our allies and partners across the Asia-Pacific to continue to build a principled and inclusive security network and to undergird that network with a new phase of the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific.

Minister Han and the Republic of Korea are leading the way, especially with the growing trilateral defense cooperation between the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States. Just last week, Chairman Dunford hosted his counterpart to discuss the North Korean threat, and I'm certain our trilateral cooperation will grow in the years ahead.

And third, beyond the Asia-Pacific, we discussed how our alliance can make a better world. I commend Korea's active contributions to global security, including its financial assistance to Afghanistan, its support for peace keeping in South Sudan and its contributions to the coalition to deliver ISIL a certain and lasting defeat.

Time and again, the Republic of Korea has proven to be a reliable and capable provider of global security. And we'll continue to work together in more ways and in more places around the world.

As we look to the future, we'll continue to count on this remarkable alliance. We've fought together, we've rebuilt together. And today we confront the North Korean threat together. While we've been tested many times, we've adapted to every challenge. And as we've done so, we've ensured security and prosperity for our nations, the region and the wider world.

Many of you know the slogan of our alliance is Katchi Kapshida, which means we go together. As we continue to partner together on defense, we'll also go further together into new domains on new missions in the region and around the world.

Minister Han, it's been my pleasure to reaffirm our bond this week and discuss our great alliance's future because we go together today and always. Thank you. Please.

MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE HAN MIN KOO (through translator): First I'd like to thank Secretary Carter for his interest and attention towards the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the progress of the ROK-U.S. alliance. This year's SCM was hosted under grave security circumstances; one highlighted by an advancement of North Korea's nuclear missile capabilities and continued threats from the DPRK. In this year's SCM, we have reviewed the accomplishments made by the United States Department of Defense and the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense within our bilateral relations and within our combined defense posture. It was also a precious opportunity in which we identified the direction of future improvements.

At this SCM, Secretary Carter and I shared an understanding on the internal and external circumstances that North Korea is facing and also shared and understanding on North Korea's prospects. We have agreed to maintain a close cooperation posture with the United Nations and international community while strengthening the momentum of applying pressure and sanctions to lead North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, we have assessed the stability of Kim Jong Un's regime and North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities as continuously advancing and North Korea's conventional forces. We have agreed to strengthen our stalwart combined defense posture so that we may respond to any North Korean provocation.

In this year alone, North Korean has conducted two nuclear tests and blatantly threatens the (inaudible) of the United States and the international community by stating it will weaponize its nuclear capacity and conduct ICBM engine test to strike the continental United States.

Under such great circumstances, the United States commitment towards the Republic of Korean ensures that any North Korean attack will be met with failure and that the United States will respond effectively and overwhelmingly to any North Korean usage of nuclear weapons has offered firm deterrence against North Korea and strengthen to Korean peoples' trust towards the United States extended deterrence.

Secretary Carter and I, in order to respond to escalating North Korean nuclear WMD, ballistic missile threats, has discussed various measures to promote effective execution capabilities of extended deterrence measures on the Korean Peninsula. Regarding specific measures, additional review will be conducted.

We have also agreed to further develop bilateral naval cooperation to respond to maritime threats posed by North Korea, highlighted by its ICBM test launches. To this end, we will establish an integrated research team which includes representatives from the Ministry and National Defense, JCS, and the Navy early next year to seek specific areas for cooperation.

The DOD and the MND have agreed to further strengthen defense cyber cooperation to effectively respond to North Korea cyber attacks and threats. To this end, we will operate a bilateral cyber working group task force from October to reach specific measures for bilateral cyber cooperation.

During this year in which North Korean nuclear missile threats have continued, we assess the significant progress in trilateral cooperation between Korea, United States, and Japan. We will continue to develop trilateral cooperation in 2017.

To this end, we will continue to conduct a missile warning exercise, a search-and-rescue exercise, maritime extradition exercise that was hosted as part of this year's RIMPAC exercise in the coming year while also promoting a trilateral intelligence sharing. By reaffirming the United State's firm commitment towards the defense of the Republic of Korean and towards extended deterrence (and) while reviewing the alliances will and its response capabilities based on a solid ROK-U.S. combined defense posture, I assess that this year's SCM, which was hosted under great security circumstances, served as an opportunity to showcase the value of the alliance to the Korean people while building the trust the Korean people have towards our alliance. It has also sent a stern message to those in North Korea and highlighted the ironclad nature of the ROK-U.S. alliance to the international community.

I'd like to extend my gratitude once again to Secretary Carter for the course he has offered, and the United States government, and to the American people. I also thank Secretary Carter and the DOD for their cooperation and support for the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and to the development of ROK-U.S. alliance.

Q: (off-mic.) yesterday (inaudible) Secretary Carter has called a failed attempt. What does that tell you about the state of the Musudan program at this point? And do you have the -- can you say whether Kim Jung Un was actually present for this launch?

And may I also ask a question, Secretary Carter, on Turkey? The Turkish government says that its planes and artillery attacked more than a dozen YPG positions in Northern Syria. Given that you're going to be visiting Turkey soon, I'm wondering if you can say whether you're concerned that the partnership with Turkey is unraveling in any sense as they escalate their actions against the U.S.-aligned Kurdish forces in Syria? Thank you.

Q: (untranslated)

MIN. HAN (through translator): I'll answer that question first.

Regarding North Korea's failed Musudan launch yesterday, Musudan launches occurred since 2007 and they've operationally deployed this asset without conducting sufficient tests before as such. In other words, it has been deployed without going through the necessary test phases.

And in one occasion they failed five times consecutively and succeeded on the sixth time. So, for political purposes, they're conducting these Musudan launches and through these failed tests, they've shown their limits. I personally assessed that Musudan launches will continue in the future. Although it has not been confirmed, we assessed that there was a high possibility that Kim Jong Un was at the site when the launch occurred.

SEC. CARTER: Thank you, and if I could add something as a general matter, we work very hard to anticipate and stay ahead of any possible developments in the North Korea missile threat. That's the reason for our deployments of missile defenses and taking other steps to protect the Korean Peninsula in the case of THAAD, the United States in the case of our other missile defenses.

So, our missile defense and other efforts are intended to stay ahead of whatever might happen in the various North Korean missile programs. With respect to Turkey, our partnership is very strong in the counter ISIL campaign. We're working with the Turks now very successfully to help them secure their border area. And we work with them in a number of ways on the counter-ISIL campaign. They're strong partners in that.

I will have an opportunity to discuss that with our continuing counter-ISIL efforts and all the other things we do with Turkey, as a strong and longstanding NATO ally, when I see Minister Isik, which I expect -- I expect to do a couple of times over the next week or so.

So our counter-ISIL efforts together are very strong. And I can't -- we're still gathering facts about this report to which you refer, so I can't comment on that or confirm that. But our partnership in general is very strong. We work through issues as they arise. We've managed to do that successfully, and I expect that that will continue. And that will be one of the purposes of my meeting with my counterpart over the next week.

(CROSSTALK)

Q: A quick follow-up, sir?

PRESS SECRETARY PETER COOK: A quick follow-up.

Q: Isn't it also a problem that the Turks in Iraq, though, with their forces, which the Iraqi government doesn't want to be present -- isn't that a problem for the coalition?

SEC. CARTER: Well, anybody who operates in Iraq needs to do so with respect to Iraqi sovereignty. We do that. And we don't conduct any operations that are not cleared through the government of Prime Minister Abadi. So that's a principle for us in every way.

At the same time, Turkey is a member of the counter-ISIL coalition. And so we'll be discussing with our Turkish counterparts and our Iraqi counterparts, and all the other parties to ongoing operations, which are very encouraging in terms of their -- the way in which the planned envelopment of Mosul step-by-step is proceeding.

And we continue to work with everyone who has a stake in the outcome of that, which are all the members of the counter-ISIL coalition, and a number of different parties within Iraq. This is a complicated situation. One of our roles as a leader of the counter-ISIL coalition is to keep everybody focused on the central threat, which is ISIL.

MR. COOK: Our next question is from -- (inaudible).

Q: (through translator): Two questions.

For Mr. Han. You just mentioned extended deterrence measures that were discussed in the meeting. Can you tell us specifically what measures were discussed?

For Mr. Secretary, concerning the fifth nuclear test, what is your assessment on the level of nuclear technology that North Korea has reached after its fifth nuclear test?

And I know there are discussions of preemptive strike on North Korea in some factions. What is your take on such arguments and statements?

MIN. HAN (through translator): Regarding special measures on extended deterrence, I know there have been many measures that were mentioned across the press, such as the deployment of strategic assets permanently on the Korean Peninsula on a rotational basis. I know many measures were discussed in the press, but I'll give you a further answer in a different time.

SEC. CARTER: Thank you and if I can just repeat what the minister said with respect to your first question, we discussed a number of ways that extended deterrents can be further strengthened recognizing -- and no one should have any doubt about this -- we have today the capabilities for extended deterrents. We've had them for a long time and I emphasized that in my statement. The full weight of our alliance capabilities, including all U.S. capabilities and they're very strong, very robust, very ready.

We are, however, talking about a number of measures, and you named one, to further enhance deterrents. That's why we set up the working group that we set up. And with respect to the conduct of the fifth nuclear test, I can't comment on intelligence matters and the assessment of that. So, I can't add anything to your information on that. I'll just say that it has led once again to the further isolation and increasing pressure, including through international sanctions, on North Korea, and I think that that is very significant. At the same time, it redoubles our resolve as an alliance to continue to strengthen deterrence. Not just extended deterrence, but our deterrence, I mentioned OPCON transfer and other things that we discussed today. This is an alliance that grows stronger and continues to spread out in terms of the domains of warfare in which it exercises deterrents.

MR. COOK: Barbara Starr, CNN?

Q: Mr. Secretary, Mr. Minister, for both of you. Because you -- Mr. Secretary, you've just spoken a couple of times about the full weight of U.S. strategic deterrents to defend South Korea and because of your own expertise in nuclear matters, I want to ask you questions of policy not politics. Nonetheless, it was said last night that -- and I want to quote -- and let me just finish the question, sir, if I might. That there are about four minutes between the order being given and people responsible for launching nuclear weapons to do so.

I want to ask you not about that. I do want to ask you, is it classified to discuss nuclear launch timeframes? It's either classified or it's not.

And my second question to both of you is CIA Director John Brennan has now openly, publicly talked on camera about his concerns that North Korea could try some destabilizing move during the transition in power in the United States irrespective of who wins. Secretary Brennan says it's something that the new team and the current team is looking at very closely and will need to be able to address.

For both of you, what are your concerns that North Korea may attempt a destabilizing action during the U.S. transfer of power?

SEC. CARTER: Well, if I can take that second part first and I'm sorry but I'm not going to answer your first part because it is cast in terms of the ongoing presidential campaign and I said repeatedly I'm not going to answer questions in that context. So, not going to answer on that one.

With respect to provocations from North Korea, I'll say it and then let Minister Han say we remain concerned about that as an alliance, irrespective of where the United States is in its election cycle. Kim Jong Un is unpredictable. He is prone to provocations. And one of the things we talked about today is our counter-provocation planning, our counter-provocation consultation. Every time that occurs, Barbara, Mr. Han and I are on the phone. As necessary, our two presidents are on the phone to coordinate our response.

And I'll just close by saying that this -- I mentioned that this was the 48th SCM. This is an alliance that's been going on for six decades. And I expect it to go on for decades to come, unless North Korea fundamentally changes its behavior and the circumstance on the Korean Peninsula changes.

You don't see any sign of that now, and that's why the United States and South Korea are redoubling their efforts.

Q: Well do you, Sir, with respect, have concern? Do you agree with the CIA director that there are concerns, irrespective of who wins the election -- that's not the issue -- that just simply during a transition of power in the United States, during this timeframe, North Korea may attempt a destabilizing action?

SEC. CARTER: Well, that may be, but the point I was making was even broader than that. I think irrespective of where the United States is in its election cycle, we're very concerned about the possibility of North Korean provocations. They've conducted them in the past. We're constantly assessing the disposition of their forces. And Minister Han and I constantly, and in the last two days of meeting together, discussed both our plans for that kind of circumstance and our close consultative mechanism, which we've had to exercise a number of times in recent years. So, this is an abiding concern of the alliance, these provocations.

Minister?

MIN. HAN (through translator): I think Secretary Carter should answer most of the questions. But regarding the question regarding North Korea, I'll give you a little -- the position of our ministry.

North Korea, as you well know, is an unstable regime. And its leadership acts upon suspicious situations. Concerning North Korea's nuclear missile threats, we believe we need to change the calculus of North Korea to respond to such aforementioned threats.

As an extension of applying pressure and sanctions through psychological operations, we intend to expose North Korea to the realities of the outside world.

MR. COOK: And our final question is from KBS. Mr. Kim.

Q:(through translator): Secretary Carter and Minister Han, I know you've got a very busy meeting. I'll have one question for each of you.

I know naval cooperation was a key point in your discussion. I'd like to know the background on which naval cooperation in particular, of all the service branches, was emphasized.

Although it's not confirmed, there are reports that North Korea has a submarine that could load multiple SLBMs. And I just wanted to know if such developments have been reflected in emphasizing naval cooperation in this SCM.

And for you, Secretary Carter, on the issue of naval cooperation, General Brooks in particular has emphasized the need for maritime-based interception capabilities in Korea. There is speculation as to whether Korea will introduce SM3.

Now, THAAD deployment in Korea was very much a controversy domestically. I foresee that SM3 might enjoy the same controversy domestically. What are your thoughts on this issue?

MIN. HAN (through translator): For your first question, naval cooperation, and the emphasis on naval cooperation. As you've pointed out, it's a response to North Korea's SLBM threats. And this has raised the need for cooperation between our two navies, and has addressed the need that this cooperation must be enhanced and advanced further more in the future.

And such background is the important reason on which naval cooperation is a key talking point in this SCM.

In regards to trilateral cooperation, we believe this, too, must be strengthened in the future.

Concerning a new submarine that you mentioned, it has not been confirmed. But we're not ruling out the possibility. And we're making preparations for any potential circumstance that we may face.

SEC. CARTER: Well, I would just concur with what Minister Han just said on the naval front. And I can add also that there are a number of ways in which naval cooperation can strengthen the alliance in general and the ability to respond to provocations and to conflict.

So naval cooperation is very important, even as we have great cooperation already in our navies and in the air and on land, and as I mentioned, expanding into cyberspace.

With respect to missile defense and THAAD, the purpose there is very simple. Everyone can see that North Korea is determined to try to expand its missile threat to the peninsula, to the region, and to the United States. And our missile defenses are necessary to protect our people. That's the purpose of THAAD and any other missile defenses that we develop or deploy together.

This is a threat we need to stay a step ahead of. And that's why we're making the deployments we are doing as an alliance. And that's why the alliance has taken the decision to deploy THAAD.

MR. COOK: Thank you, everybody.

SEC. CARTER: Thanks, everybody.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/981065/

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Iran rejects allegations on possible role in missile attack on US warships

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 20, IRNA -- Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi has strongly refused any possible role of Iran in attacking the US warships in the Red Sea.

Qasemi made the remarks in response to the unfounded allegations by a US army general who said Iran may have played a role in recent missile attacks against the US warships in the Red Sea.

Qasemi described the US officials' remarks as an unreal, suspicious and baseless piece of story that manifest their confusion.

He further advised the US government to be much more careful about the measures being taken by those who have sunk themselves in the cruel war against the Yemenis and try to fan the flames of tension and expand the war in order to rescue themselves.

The US military forces, who are directly and indirectly helping the anti-Yemen coalition to commit crimes in Yemen and kill the oppressed and defenseless Yemenis, had better to halt the massacre underway by the US allies in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia with the help of nine other Arab countries except Oman has been mounting massive attacks on Yemen since March 26, 2015, to give power back to the resigned Yemeni president and prevent the Yemeni revolutionary forces from taking power.

Since then, thousands of Yemenis have been killed.

1483**1424

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US, UK, Japan Navies Commit to Increase Cooperation

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS161020-09

Release Date: 10/20/2016 1:12:00 PM

From Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson met with First Sea Lord, United Kingdom Royal Navy, Adm. Phillip Jones and Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, Adm. Tomohisa Takei, Oct. 20, in the Pentagon.

This is the first time the three chiefs have held such an event. Given the increase in maritime traffic worldwide and current events, the symbolism of this engagement can't be overstated.

The result of the half-day session was the signing of an agreement affirming their commitment to increased collaboration and cooperation. The agreement states "As Chiefs of three highly capable and like-minded Services, we share a common vision of enhancing the operational effectiveness of our maritime forces through increased cooperation."

The U.S., Japan and U.K. navies have regularly operated together off East Africa, around Europe and in the Western Pacific, however they agree there is room for more. The three chiefs of navy agreed to deeper cooperation in exercises and an increase in combined patrols, with specific activities to be worked out in follow-on discussions.

Each navy is committed to an open and free maritime system that allows for the flow of commerce and trade through the global commons. Continued trilateral engagement and cooperation is in the interest of each individual country and the overall maritime community.

Link to text of 2016 Trilateral agreement.



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USS Mount Whitney Conducts PASSEX with Romania in Black Sea

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS161020-08

Release Date: 10/20/2016 10:04:00 AM

By Seaman Ford Williams, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) Public Affairs

BLACK SEA (NNS) -- U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) participated in a bilateral passing exercise (PASSEX) with a ship from the Romanian navy in the Black Sea, Oct. 20.

The PASSEX was conducted in order improve maritime capabilities between the U.S. and Romania, and included a series of at-sea training evolutions.

Quote:

"The USS Mount Whitney, as the Commander, U.S. Navy 6th Fleet flagship, continues to operate freely in the Black Sea engaging in at-sea naval presence and training opportunities with our partners and allies in the region. Our strong relationship with the Romanian fleet was bolstered today though exercises conducted in the Black Sea to demonstrate our resolve to maintain peace and stability in this region. USS Mount Whitney continues forward, engaged, and ready." - Capt. Carlos A. Sardiello, commanding officer, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)

Quick Facts:

Mount Whitney participated in a minesweeping exercise with Romanian navy corvette Admiral Eustaiu Sebastian (F-264), as well as a maneuvering exercise.

Mount Whitney is currently operating in the Black Sea, working with allies and regional partners to help develop and improve maritime forces, maintain regional security, and work towards mutual goals in order to advance security and stability in Europe.

Mount Whitney, forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe.

The U.S. Navy, on a normal and routine basis, operates ships in the Black Sea consistent with the Montreux Convention and International Law.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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Saudi Arabia joins US in imposing sanctions on Lebanese Hezbollah

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:56PM

Saudi Arabia has joined the US in imposing sanctions on a number of Lebanese nationals and a company over their alleged financial support for Hezbollah resistance movement.

On Thursday, the Saudi regime slapped sanctions on two individuals -- Muhammad al-Mukhtar Kallas and Hasan Jamal-al-Din -- and one firm, accusing them of funneling money to Hezbollah.

Riyadh ordered the asset freeze of the individuals, prohibiting any commercial licenses to be issued to them in the kingdom.

The measure came after the US Treasury on Thursday announced that it had imposed sanctions on four Lebanese men and a firm, accusing them of financing Hezbollah.

The US Treasury claimed that the men -- Muhammad al-Mukhtar Kallas, Hasan Jamal-al-Din, Yosef Ayad and Muhammad Ghaleb Hamdar -- had raised and generated funds to help Hezbollah.

Adam Szubin, US Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the US designations were imposed under an executive order issued by former president, George W. Bush. The executive order, announced Thursday by the US Treasury Department, had been a joint action with Saudi regime aimed at "disrupting Hezbollah's worldwide commercial and financial infrastructure."

The Treasury has vowed in a statement to aggressively target Hezbollah and those supporting its activities. It has also blacklisted the Tabaja-controlled company, Global Cleaners, which it said had won sanitation services contracts in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Last year, the White House approved a bill which imposed sanctions against banks that do business with Hezbollah.

Washington falsely claims that the resistance movement condones terrorism despite the fact that Hezbollah has been involved in fierce fighting against Daesh terrorists in Syria.

Hezbollah was founded in the 1980s following the Israeli invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon. The movement waged a long resistance campaign against Zionist troops and pushed them out of southern Lebanon in May 2000. Since then, the group has grown into a powerful military force and has successfully defeated the Zionist regime several times.

Hezbollah has also supported the Syrian army in its fight against the foreign-sponsored terrorists, who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since March 2011.

Since its inception in 1985, the Islamic resistance movement has been a thorn in the side of Israel and its foreign backers, such as the United States.

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UN warns of worsening displacement crisis in Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 5:17PM

The United Nations has warned that escalated fighting across Afghanistan could displace many more people, lamenting that international support is not enough to handle the unfolding crisis.

United Nations special rapporteur Chaloka Beyani said on Thursday that UN agencies had registered more than 323,000 Afghans as internally displaced people (IDPs) since the start of this year, in a continuation of an upward trend over the past four years.

"Warnings by humanitarian partners suggest that many more IDPs could be displaced by the end of the year, yet attention and resources allocated to their needs seem to be waning rather than increasing," Beyani said during a briefing in Kabul, adding, "The displacement picture in Afghanistan is changing as the conflict evolves and intensifies."

The UN official said more and more Afghans have been forced not to return to their homes as the Taliban-led insurgency continues to further undermine the country's fragile security.

He said children have paid a heavy price as they have no access to proper education in displacement camps.

"It is no exaggeration to speak of a lost generation of displaced Afghan children deprived of education since children constitute about 56 per cent of the displaced population," Beyani said, adding, "Displacement is becoming more protracted for more people as the security situation has led many to make the difficult decision not to return to their homes."

Afghanistan has been grappling with the issue of IDPs for decades.

The country has been beset by a fresh wave of Taliban attacks from north to the south, which has left many uprooted from their homes.

Aid groups warn that the situation may escalate in the short time remaining to winter, when fighting normally subsides.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Beyani reiterated previous calls on governments and donors to step up their support, saying aid agencies will need at least 150 million dollars to meet urgent needs, including winter assistance packages.

"I urge the donor community to respond generously and rapidly to that call," he said.

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South Sudanese refugees in Congo nearly doubled in September: UN

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 3:15PM

The number of South Sudanese refugees registered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo doubled in September, reaching 54,000, the UN says.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said in a report on Thursday that the number of registered refugees from South Sudan increased from 27,250 at the end of August to 53,974 at the end of September.

A UNHCR spokesman said it was unclear how much of the increase was accounted for by new arrivals.

This comes as heavy fighting continues to ravage South Sudan, the world's youngest nation.

South Sudan has now surpassed Burundi to become the third-largest source of refugees in Congo, after Rwanda and the Central African Republic.

On September 16, the UN refugee agency said in a statement that fighting in South Sudan had forced more than one million people to flee the war-stricken country, adding that another 1.61 million people had been displaced inside the country.

The UN has appealed for more global aid to help address South Sudan's refugee crisis.

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, but descended into war in December 2013, after President Salva Kiir accused the former vice president, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup to usurp power.

Numerous international attempts to reach a truce between the warring sides have failed.

South Sudan has experienced a new wave of conflict since July 8, when gunfire erupted near the state house in the capital, Juba, as Kiir and Machar were holding a meeting. More than 300 people were killed in the clashes.

On September 25, Machar called for war against the Juba government, saying he would "wage a popular armed resistance against the authoritarian and fascist regime of President Salva Kiir in order to bring peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law in the country."

Meanwhile, the exiled rebel leader said on Thursday that he could return to the country as early as next month, adding that a new political process is needed to revive a peace deal that has collapsed.

Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal on August 26, 2015 in order to put an end to violence in the country. The deal, however, collapsed less than a year after its conclusion in the wake of renewed fighting.

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Filipino, Chinese presidents meet in sign of further thaw

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:23AM

The Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte has met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a potential step toward the improvement of ties, which have recently been soured by a territorial dispute.

Duterte and Xi met at the Chinese capital, Beijing, on Thursday, with the official Xinhua news agency reporting that the two leaders were to hold official talks and sign a "series of cooperation documents" between their governments.

During the meeting, Duterte said the roots of the two countries' bonds were deep and could not be easily harmed.

Cozying up to the dragon

The Chinese president also hailed Duterte's visit as a step toward mending the damaged relations following years of tensions between the two countries.

"I hope we can follow the wishes of the people and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on a friendly footing and fully improve things," Xi said.

Prior to the visit, the Filipino president had stressed his country's pursuit of a shift away from Washington, a former long-standing ally, and toward Beijing, blasting the US's policies and declaring an end to joint military exercises with the American military.

"So it's about time to say good-bye, my friend. Your stay in my country was for you own benefit," said Duterte, who has also called for the removal of US troops from a group of southern islands in the Philippines. "No more American interference. No more American exercises," he added.

However, the Philippines became entangled in a bitter dispute with regional powerhouse China when it filed a complaint with an international tribunal over Chinese claims to territory in the South China Sea. The verdict by the international court, which was issued some three months ago and which favored the Philippines, angered China and provided ammo for Washington, which routinely pops in regional disputes unrelated to it.

The tribunal accused Beijing of violating the Philippines' economic and sovereign rights. China, however, rejected the ruling, saying the court had no jurisdiction over the issue.

China did say, however, that it was ready to engage in dialog with the Philippines if Manila ignored the court ruling.

China's territorial claims to the South China Sea overlap in parts with those of Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei  besides the Philippines.

Briefing reporters on the Thursday meeting between Duterte and Xi, a senior Chinese diplomat said the two had agreed to resume bilateral dialog on their territorial dispute.

"Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters.

Liu said the leaders briefly touched on the issue during their talks and agreed to return to the approach used five years ago of seeking a settlement through bilateral dialog.

Duterte and the US: A Separation

Later during the day, President Duterte made his strongest non-vulgar assertion against the US, yet.

Speaking at a business forum in the presence of Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Thursday, he said he was announcing his "separation" from Washington.

Duterte has previously used a series of obscenities to describe US President Barack Obama and other world officials.

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Yemen truce begins amid pressure on Saudis

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:0AM

A fresh ceasefire has gone into effect in Yemen, which started a minute before midnight on Wednesday, and will continue for 72 hours.

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said all parties to the conflict have agreed that the initial time period is subject to renewal and could be extended to last longer.

The ceasefire, which was brokered by the UN, followed days of fierce clashes between Saudi-led invasion forces and Yemeni troops under the command of the Supreme Political Council.

On Tuesday, the UN special envoy for Yemen was in Moscow reviewing recent developments with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov.

The two diplomats reportedly discussed the chances of resolving the Yemen conflict through diplomatic channels and the role of the UN and the Security Council in supporting peace efforts.

Cheikh Ahmed met US Secretary of State John Kerry and UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson earlier in London, where the Western diplomats emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen as well.

Saudi ally and former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also announced their agreement with a ceasefire.

The Houthi-run Supreme Political Council, the top governing body, welcomed the ceasefire but demanded the Saudi invaders halt military attacks. It said Yemen needed an immediate, lasting and comprehensive truce without conditions.

Fighting in Yemen re-escalated after earlier peace talks, also mediated by the UN and held in Kuwait, collapsed in August.

Houthis had declared that they were ready for disarmament and withdrawal of their forces from areas under their control if a comprehensive political agreement is reached in which Hadi would have no role.

However, gunmen loyal to Hadi backed by Saudi forces have been fighting against the Houthi Ansarullah and allied army forces to restore the fugitive ex-president.

Riyadh is currently under increasing pressure from the international community as well as its allies in the West in the wake of a recent airstrike which killed more than 140 people in Sana'a.

On Wednesday, British minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, said the early October attack on a funeral was a "deliberate error" and had been ordered by Saudi rulers.

Saudi Arabia initially denied responsibility for the fatal attack but on Saturday it finally admitted that the attack was launched by one of it warplanes, which "wrongly targeted" the funeral gathering.

The Saudi-led military campaign to restore Hadi, which started in March 2015, has killed at least 10,000 people.

The kingdom is also under pressure at home where a sense of being stuck in a quagmire is growing more than ever as Yemen's retaliatory attacks are becoming more exact and lethal and the cost of the war is taking a crippling toll on the Saudi economy.

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Italian Military Unveils New Tank as Parliament Ponders Funding

Sputnik News

22:15 20.10.2016(updated 00:10 21.10.2016)

On Wednesday, Italian defense officials and industry representatives gathered at a military base on the outskirts of Rome to view a demonstration of Rome's newest tank, the Centauro II.

The exhibition took place on October 19 at the Cecchignola Army range. Parliament is still deliberating on whether to approve the $520 million for the combat vehicle, as Mauro Moretti, CEO of aerospace technology company Leonardo, and Deputy Defence Staff Chief Lt. Gen. Danilo Errico watched the prototype traverse ditches and steep hills.

The Centauro II is more powerful than the original, with a 720-horsepower engine, a digital-communication display and a 120 mm cannon. It was built through a joint venture between Leonardo and Italian vehicle manufacturer Iveco, and if funding is approved, the Italian army will acquire 150 of the tanks.

Defense News quoted Lt. Gen. Francesco Castrataro speaking at the exhibition saying, "The new Centauro is a tank destroyer which protects troops, rather than a tank, which would be weigh[ed] in at double the maximum 30 ton weight of a Centauro. It is essential to combine the new Centauro with the Freccia, which is a troop transporter. It is agile, flexible and can do more than 100 [kilometers per hour] on a road."

It was noted that the Centauro II "is cheaper, lighter and more flexible than a tank, with the same destructive power as a tank."

The general also pointed out that the eight wheels extending from the hull can serve as a buffer from mines the tank may run over, and addressed funding concerns, saying that the Italian Defense Ministry can recoup its investment from royalties if enough of the vehicles are sold outside of the country.

 Sputnik

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US Service Member Killed North of Mosul

By Carla Babb October 20, 2016

A U.S. service member was killed by a bomb blast north of Mosul, a military official tells VOA.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the service member was assisting members of the Kurdish peshmerga as part of the U.S. advise-and-assist mission to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters.

Another U.S. military official told VOA the service member was killed "loosely in the vicinity of Mosul," without elaborating.

Defense and military officials say he was in a vehicle when an improvised explosive device blew up. The troop was evacuated from the area and died of wounds sustained in the blast.

U.S. Central Command, which overseas American operations in the Middle East, announced the death in a statement Thursday.

"On October 20, 2016, a U.S. service member died from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq," it read.

The announcement of the death comes a day after Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, the U.S. ground commander in Iraq, said U.S. advisers accompanying Iraqi Security Forces, Iraqi Counterterrorism commandos and Kurdish peshmerga were operating behind the forward line of troops. A U.S. military official told VOA the service member was "back from the forward line of contact" when the bomb went off.

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S. Sudan President Threatens to Personally Run Military if Road Attacks Continue

By Tito Justin October 20, 2016

President Salva Kiir has threatened to personally lead military operations against armed groups in central South Sudan if gunmen continue to attack civilians along a key road.

Kiir said Thursday that he would go to Yei River state to plan military operations if the gunmen do not stop shooting at civilians traveling on the Juba-Yei road.

He made the remarks while speaking to members of his party during an event in the capital, Juba.

Kiir said he is running out of patience with groups trying to topple his government. If his opponents do not pull gunmen off the road, he said, "I will relocate to go and stay in Yei, and all the operations that will go out will go under my directives and my supervision."

Kiir's remarks come on the heels of fresh fighting between government and opposition forces in parts of Yei River state.

Last week, government and U.N. officials condemned killings believed to be ethnically motivated along the Juba-Yei road, as well as other attacks on the Juba-Torit and Juba-Nimule roads.

Kiir acknowledged that the South Sudan army is dominated by his own ethnic group.

"The new slogan which people are now singing is that this army has become a tribal army," he said. "Why is it composed of Dinka? But where will I get people from if the people of Equatoria [region] have refused to join the army and Riek Machar has rebelled with his Nuer people? So where will I get other nationalities from?"

Despite the road attacks and the fighting between South Sudanese government and opposition forces in parts of the country, the president says he is still committed to restoring peace in South Sudan.

Festus Mogae, the head of the Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission, which oversees implementation of the 2015 peace agreement, condemned the fighting between government and opposition forces while conducting the first meeting of JMEC in Juba since deadly fighting broke out in July.

Mogae warned that unless the peace agreement is implemented, violence could escalate.

"We have said that the agreement is alive because we are not giving up on the peace, because there is no option anyway," Mogae said Wednesday.

Mogae urged the Transitional Government of National Unity to include all political groups as it implements the peace agreement.

Government spokesman Michael Makuei said it is wrong for people to think there will be no peace in the country without former First Vice President Machar and his allies Lam Akol and Pagan Amum. No single leader or group, he said, has control over the agreement.

"There is no question of us negotiating a new agreement with anybody who has taken up arms," Makuei said. "We are here to negotiate to bring everybody into this agreement so that we move together in its implementation."

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Philippine President's Pivot to China Just Words - So Far

By Steve Herman October 20, 2016

American officials say they have gotten no formal notice from Manila following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement of a "separation" from the United States.

"We have not received any official requests from Filipino officials to alter any of our many issues where we bilaterally cooperate," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters .

"It is inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship that we have with the Filipino people, as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S."

The State Department said Assistant Secretary Daniel Russel would visit Manila from Saturday through Tuesday. Kirby called the trip a a "long-scheduled, long-planned" visit.

Following high-level talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing, the Philippine leader  earlier in the day at a business forum  announced "my separation from the United States, both in military, not maybe social, but economics also."

The remark to the crowd of business people and Chinese officials triggered a roaring round of applause.

"America has lost now. I have realigned myself in your ideological flow, and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia," Duterte added. "It is the only way."

The radical foreign policy shift by the leader of a longtime U.S. ally in the Pacific will not throw off course America's pivot to Asia, Kirby insisted, but he noted "many nations in the region are concerned and baffled."

China a preferred option

Duterte, who took office at the end of June, said he prefers China because it does not go around insulting people, while Americans are "discourteous people."

"We Orientals are a very courteous race," the Philippine president also told his Chinese audience Thursday. Chuckling as he spoke, Duterte said that now he would be dependent on China for a long time.

After watching a video of the remarks, international law professor Julian Ku at Hofstra University tweeted that "Duterte looks like a supplicant."

To another audience Thursday  a group of Filipinos living in China  Duterte said it was "time to say goodbye" to the United States, adding, "I will not go to America anymore. I will just be insulted there."

"The real losers here, assuming he is serious, would be the Philippine people," Robert "Skipp" Orr Jr., former U.S. ambassador to the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, told VOA.

Orr's predecessor as ambassador to the ADB, Curtis Chin, said the United States "can take heart that President Duterte announced a separation and not a divorce."

Chin told VOA he remained optimistic about U.S.-Philippine relations in the long term, but he predicted the next president and secretary of state in Washington would "see some stormy times ahead" in their dealings with Manila.

Most Filipinos have positive views of America. There are deep economic ties. A 70-year-old treaty ensures the defense of the Philippines, which has a poorly trained and equipped military.

China and the Philippines are to sign $13.5 billion in deals before the visit concludes Friday, according to Philippine Treasury Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars of investment money has flowed out of the Philippines since Duterte's election.

Foreign investment has been put on hold amid these "rather startling kinds of developments," the outgoing U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg, said in an interview in Manila on Thursday with the Rappler social news network.

"We've never heard language and that kind of rhetoric from a friend and ally," noted Goldberg, who, along with President Barack Obama, has been the target of personal insults hurled by Duterte.

China is willing to actively take part in the building of Philippine railways, city rail transport, highways, ports and other infrastructure, which will benefit the local people, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters Thursday. "The two should strengthen law enforcement and defense cooperation."

China's support

China has pledged support for Duterte's controversial and deadly war against drugs that has left more than 2,300 dead.

The enhanced cooperation with Beijing and Duterte's "separation" with Washington hand Chinese President Xi Jinping "a significant international

victory, and now the question is whether it can be sustained and what is the follow-through," said Nicholas Thomas, a professor at the City University of Hong Kong.

Xi and Duterte on Thursday agreed to a resumption of direct talks on disputes in the South China Sea, following years of rising tension. China, in 2012, seized Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground that has become a key source of contention between the two countries.

"Filipinos want better lives and a safer and more prosperous nation. Duterte seems to be saying that China today, not the nation's longtime U.S. ally, is positioned to deliver on it," said Chin, also an Asia Fellow at the Milkin Institute. "The Philippines president, however, is playing with fire if he is seen in any way by Filipinos as ceding sovereignty to China in the South China Sea, known locally as the West Philippines Sea."

The Philippines was granted independence by the United States in 1946.

The island nation was a colony of Spain from the 16th century to the end of the 19th century, when it was taken by the United States at the end of the Spanish-American War. Japan occupied the Philippines from 1942 until its defeat in World War II three years later.

VOA correspondent William Ide contributed reporting from Beijing.

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'Not If, But When': NSA Official Discusses Importance of Cyber Vigilance

By Amaani Lyle DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2016  In the wake of major intrusions into U.S. government computer networks over the last 24 months, the National Security Agency's deputy national manager for national security systems outlined his agency's role in developing cyber defense mitigations, and its critical response to public- and private-sector cyber incidents.

During his remarks Oct. 18 at the American Enterprise Institute, Curt Dukes offered an inside look at NSA's incident-response work, and described the agency's way ahead in improving government cyber defense in the aftermath of intrusions at the Office of Personnel Management, State Department, DoD's Joint Staff and two commercial companies that conducted background checks for the U.S. government.

"The adversary took advantage of poorly secured, poorly patched systems," Dukes said. "Once they had that initial foothold, they elevated privileges and then moved to mission objective, which was exfiltration of personally identifiable information, exfiltration of intelligence, or in some cases, the actual destruction of the host."

Raising Costs to Adversaries

With so much at stake, Dukes said U.S. vigilance of computer networks is vital, and ultimately needs to stack the odds against cyber attackers.

"[An adversary] could easily attack us [and] achieve mission objective  so I want to raise the cost to the adversary," he said. "By the time we actually respond to an intrusion -- it takes hours to days -- by then, in cyber time, an adversary has already met their objective."

Dukes explained typical cyberattack life cycles and various mitigations that he said will force adversaries to alter their intrusion methods, while helping industry to better prepare the U.S. government and military for those types of attacks at each step of the cycle.

As networks become increasingly interconnected, Dukes said, adversaries will find proportionately more exploitation opportunities. He maintains that it pays to invest in network defense.

"Look at what we currently spend in remediation for the [Office of Personnel Management] breach  if we had put just put one-tenth of that into good security at the very beginning, we'd have been much better prepared for any type of attack in that regard," Dukes said of the 2015 intrusions that cost the government millions to address and impacted millions of current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors. "There's an imbalance right now in what we spend on offense capabilities, and what we spend on defense."

Cyberattack Lifecycles

The cycle, Dukes explained, begins with an initial exploitation of open-source literature or the defense industrial base. When a vendor wins a contract, that information becomes publicly available and adversaries use a phishing attack, such as crafting emails that appear to come from a senior official.

"They want you to either click on that link or open that attachment," he said, "and this creates a classic spear-phishing avenue that they're going to continue to use until we actually remove that as a capability for them."

Dukes also described "watering holes," in which adversaries lead unsuspecting users to a site they've already corrupted. "From that point," he said, "they can then put the initial install onto your device, and get access through a classic thumb drive or some type of media."

And, while these vulnerabilities help cyber attackers gain access to very basic network levels, their next move is to establish persistence, Dukes explained.

"It gives them the ability to have multiple ingress and egress points," once they establish a virus and assesses to a network and its connectivity, Dukes said. "So they've maybe found that host, but they've already moved to other hosts and to multiple ways in and out of the network."

But entry points, he noted, are only part of the problem.

"Once they understand your system, if you're not particularly well-patched or configured, then, they're going to [seek] privileged escalation [and] they can then download tools  or hide inside normal traffic," he added.

And that "normal traffic," Dukes said, can include secure websites or encrypted web mail, which appears innocuous -- until it isn't.

"Defense tools will not be able to protect you," he said. "They basically 'own' you at that point in time."

Dukes recounted the OPM intrusion had multiple ingress and egress points. "They had the initial attack," he said, "then they moved laterally across it, and it became very difficult for network defenders to actually find them and eradicate them from that network."

As a result, he said, NSA network defenders mapped an objective attack life cycle, consisting of phases including intelligence collection, intellectual property collection, and destructive programs such as ransomware.

"It doesn't matter whether it's a foreign nation such as Russia, China [or] Iran" Dukes said. "It could even be a terrorist organization. It could be a criminal network. They tend to follow the exact same life cycle in that regard."

Life Cycle Mitigation Techniques

To mitigate the attacker's life cycle, he said, NSA implemented anti-exploitation features in a Windows environment, which, along with a secure host baseline, is now core to the Windows 10 operating system. NSA also developed an application whitelist of known and trusted websites that can be refined over time, Dukes said.

Additionally, the Defense Department implements a host-based security or intrusion prevention system, for daily antivirus protection through assessing an adversary's ability to attack, he said.

About five years ago, Dukes said, the antivirus industry changed technology by moving host reputation services to a cloud-based presence, allowing network defenders the ability to globally detect malware.

"Adversaries like to hide and fake who they actually are, so with reputation service, you can check what websites and [internet protocol] addresses map back to," he said. "It's a pretty impactful tool."

Aside from antivirus protection, Dukes praised controlled administrative privileges.

"You want to limit the number of folks that actually have admin privileges on your network," he said. "By doing that, you reduce the ability for an adversary to find that one weak host to take advantage of."

Not If, But When

Dukes asserts that it's not a matter of if an adversary will attack, but when, so he emphasized the value of network segregation and offline backup.

"By only allowing certain folks certain access to certain parts of the network, you limit the damage that the adversary can do on your network, and you limit their ability for them to achieve their mission in that regard," Dukes said. "If something happens, have a backup copy of files whether daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly -- you have to be ready to reinstall should some unforeseen event occur."

Overall, Dukes said, NSA has supported the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies through requests for technical services to examine life cycles and host mitigation techniques that secure national security systems, and the same guidance applies to both commercial industry and home users.

"As a nation we have to rethink how we're actually organized when we do cyber defense to protect the whole of the nation -- not only government, but also our key industry sectors," Dukes said."

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State Department Terrorist Designation

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 20, 2016



The Department of State has designated Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i also known as Abu 'Ali Al-Tabataba'i, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a serious risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. As a result of this designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i has any interest is blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i.

Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i aka Abu 'Ali Al-Tabataba'i is a Hizballah commander from Beirut, Lebanon who has commanded Hizballah's special forces, has operated in Syria, and has been reported to be in Yemen. Tabataba'i's actions in Syria and Yemen are part of a larger Hizballah effort to provide training, materiel, and personnel in support of its destabilizing regional activities. In addition to the sanctions issued against Tabataba'i, today the Treasury Department designated four individuals and one entity working on behalf of or supporting Hizballah.

The imposition of sanctions by the United States against terrorists is a powerful tool. Today's actions by the U.S. government notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i and the individuals and entities designated by Treasury are actively engaged in terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and other governments.

A list of State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and SDGTs is available here: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/index.htm.

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Mexican Judge Denies Appeal by 'El Chapo' Against Extradition to US

By VOA News October 20, 2016

A Mexican federal judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman against his extradition to the United States.

The Mexican foreign ministry approved the extradition request in May, but Guzman's lawyers have been fighting the decision in a district court.

One of Guzman's lawyers, Andres Granados, vowed to seek a Supreme Court hearing.

"We are not defeated," Granados said, adding that he could still take the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The head of the Sinaloa drug cartel was recaptured in January after escaping for a second time from a maximum-security prison. He is currently imprisoned in the northern border state of Chihuahua.

Mexico has said it expects to extradite Guzman by February.

Guzman is facing two extradition bids, one in California for drug distribution and another in Texas on charges that include murder and money laundering.

His extradition would set up a major trial in the United States for the head of a cartel accused of providing tons of drugs to addicts in the United States while fueling violence in Mexico.

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Leaked Clinton Email Suggests Gulf Allies' Support for IS

By Nike Ching October 20, 2016

Foreign policy experts and analysts say they are perplexed by a hacked email in which Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears to accuse the Saudi and Qatari governments of providing logistical and financial support to Islamic State extremists.

The accusation is one among thousands of messages that were stolen from the personal email of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and released on the Wikileaks website.

The lengthy message is dated Aug. 17, 2014, and comes from the email address "hrod17@clintonemail.com." It begins with a note saying "Sources include Western intelligence, US intelligence and sources in the region" and comprises a broad policy discussion of how to deal with Middle East terrorism.

It says in part, "We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region." ISIL is an acronym used by the U.S. government for Islamic State.

Clinton's presidential campaign did not respond to several attempts and requests by VOA to verify the authenticity of the emails released by WikiLeaks.

More specificity

While Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies, or individuals close to their governments, have long been suspected of financing extremist groups in the region, this accusation is more specific than anything uttered publicly by the Obama administration. It also is bewildering to terrorism experts, however, including some in the U.S. intelligence community, who say they never have seen evidence of direct Saudi or Qatari support for IS.

"I have myself [during my term] never seen intelligence from the United States government that says the Saudi government, the government, is giving any help of any kind, any material assistance, any financial assistance, to a terrorist group," former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told VOA on Wednesday.

Ford added, "However, there is a lot of information about Saudi private individuals, including charities, and particular business people, as well as others in the Gulf, private citizens, who have provided help."

He said that he was not convinced the leaked emails were "genuine," and that he could not "speculate" on the motivation behind the leak.

Washington has viewed the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar as strong partners in the Gulf area for regional security and counterterrorism efforts, and it has argued that terrorist financing comes from wealthy individuals, rather than governments.

"I think we've seen over the past 10 years a huge shift in the Saudis' approach to terrorist financing. And I really do regard them as our number one partner in the Gulf in our efforts against terrorist financing," Daniel Glaser, assistant treasury secretary for terrorist financing, said last Thursday in a webcast from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

In a statement to VOA on Wednesday, the Saudi Embassy said "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not comment on leaked documents. However, any claims that the Saudi government funds Daesh [IS] are preposterous and simply defy logic."

The statement used an alternative name for Islamic State terrorist group.

According to the State Department's annual Country Reports on Terrorism, issued this June, both the Saudi and Qatari governments are members of a regional financial action task force that combats terrorist financing.

'Appropriate' to review

A former senior congressional staff member, though, who wished not to be named, argued that a policy review on the Gulf allies would be "appropriate."

One of the tools that could be used to accomplish this, the former staffer said, is that Congress could authorize the president through legislation to designate a country as a "Jurisdiction of Terrorism Financing Concern." That designation triggers a menu of penalties and provides the president with additional leverage to pressure foreign governments that are failing to shut down terrorist financiers and facilitators.

"The Saudis and Qataris know very well the suspicion of their intentions and their actions exists in the U.S.," Middle East Institute scholar Daniel Serwer told VOA, adding that Washington has yet to "reach any definitive conclusion" about how to stabilize the situation and reduce the level of violence, given a policy that "has not been stupendously successful" in the Middle East.

While expressing concerns about Wikileaks, the State Department declined to comment on the veracity of the leaked documents.

"What I can tell you is that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are members of the counter-ISIL coalition and have been contributing members of that coalition pretty much since its founding," said spokesman John Kirby in a recent briefing.

Kirby added, "We rely a great deal on their efforts to help us counter terrorism in the region," particularly the Islamic State militants.

In October 2014, Vice President Joe Biden once apologized to regional allies after bluntly expressing concerns about their role in the rise of the Islamic State militant group in a speech at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

"The Saudis, the Emirates, et cetera," said Biden, "what were they doing? They were so determined to take down [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad, and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war, what did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad  except that the people who were being supplied, [they] were al-Nusra, and al-Qaida, and the extremist elements of jihadis who were coming from other parts of the world."

These policies ended up helping militants linked to al-Qaida and ultimately IS, according to Biden.

Bilateral tension

Glaser's praise for Saudi Arabia as the number one U.S. partner in combating terrorist financing came at a time of serious strain between Washington and Riyadh over other issues.

The U.S. is reviewing its support for the monarchy after the Saudi bombing of civilians at a funeral in Yemen.

Moreover, the U.S. Congress has voted to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that would allow lawsuits against Saudi Arabia for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"While 9/11 victims and their families may finally have their day in court," said David Weinberg, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the U.S. government seems to "downplay key differences with Riyadh" and tries instead to "build up the immunity of sovereign states."

In a recent article published by The Huffington Post, Weinberg argued that Washington could be "more inclined to grant the Arab Gulf monarchies major concessions to shore up alliance ties."

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US to deploy THAAD system to S Korea 'as soon as possible'

Iran Press TV

Wed Oct 19, 2016 8:51PM

The United States is set to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to South Korea in the wake of the North's missile tests, deemed menacing by Seoul and Washington

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement at a joint press conference along with their South Korean counterparts, Han Min-goo and Yun Byung-se in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

Kerry attacked Pyongyang for its missile tests, saying the THAAD system would be deployed "as soon as possible."

"Now more than ever, the actions and the policies of North Korea are at the forefront of all of our concerns. The DPRK's latest nuclear test and its repeated ballistic missile tests are a threat to regional stability, and yet another blatant example of a violation of multiple US Security Council resolutions," Kerry said. "There should be no doubt that the United States will do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves and to honor the security commitments that we have made to allies including the Republic of Korea."

Any other countries cooperating with Pyongyang should be ready to face the consequences, the US top diplomat warned.

"Every country has a responsibility to cooperate in rigorously enforcing sanctions that have been imposed by the UN Security Council, and we need to ensure, working together, that the DPRK pays a price for its dangerous actions, even-and I want to emphasize this-even as we work for the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

Carted also described the US support for Seoul as "unwavering," asserting, "This includes our commitment to provide extended deterrence guaranteed by the full spectrum of US defense capabilities. Make no mistake, any attack on America or our allies our allies will not only be defeated but also any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response."

According to the South Korean foreign minister (pictured above), Seoul currently faces "the gravest nuclear and missile threat ever since the armistice."

"Despite our countless endeavors to resolve the North Korean nuclear problem over the past two decades, Pyongyang has never relented in its pursuit of a nuclear program."

North Korea has conducted a series of military technology tests this year, including a fourth nuclear test in January, to counter what it describes as joint US and South Korean "provocations" in the region.

The US is a close ally of South Korea and the two countries hold joint annual military exercises every year.

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Another North Korean missile fails to launch: US, South Korea

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:3AM

The United States and South Korea claim they have detected an unsuccessful missile test conducted by North Korea, the second such failed test in the past week.

According to a statement released by the US Strategic Command late on Wednesday, the projectile, believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, exploded soon after launch from the western city of Kusong at about 6:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday) in Pyongyang.

The US "strongly condemns" the missile launch, considering it a provocation, said Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, in the statement, adding that Washington would raise its "concerns" at the United Nations in a bid to bolster international resolve in holding Pyongyang accountable for "these measures."

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff also, in a statement, "strongly condemned" Pyongyang's constant "illegal acts of provocation," shortly after it claimed that it detected the attempted missile launch.

The Musudan ballistic missile, according to Washington and Seoul, has a range of 3,000 kilometers and can be launched from road mobile launchers.

Last Sunday, both Washington and Seoul's militaries announced that the reclusive country had carried out an unsuccessful missile launch, believed to be a Musudan, from the same region at 0333 GMT a day earlier.

On Wednesday, hours before the latest launch, the US and South Korea held a round of talks in Washington and agreed to boost a high-level Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group in an attempt to exert the full capacity of "national power  including diplomacy, information, military coordination, and economic elements" in the face of perceived North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

North Korea has been testing different types of missiles at an unprecedented rate this year, and the capability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile is especially worrying for its neighbors South Korea and Japan, as well as the United States.

Pyongyang says it will not abandon its nuclear military program unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward North Korea and dissolves the US-led command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

The UN has adopted five rounds of crippling sanctions on Pyongyang since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.

The costly missile and nuclear tests come at a time of worsening famine in North Korea.

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North Korea Pledges to Launch More 'Satellites' Into Space - Embassy

Sputnik News

20:32 20.10.2016(updated 20:33 20.10.2016)

Pyongyang will increase the number of satellite launches under the state space program despite international criticism, the North Korean Embassy in Russia vowed on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  This comes after the Pentagon said North Korea's early Thursday missile launch had only strengthened its resolve to work together with Japan and South Korea to counter the threat from the North.

"Whatever efforts US-led puppets make, the DPRK will increase the rate of Juche satellite launches and will ramp up its space exploration activities in line with the five-year plan," the embassy's statement read.

The UN Security Council has banned North Korea from researching nuclear and ballistic missile technologies, but world powers fear that Pyongyang uses the satellite program as a cover-up to test its ballistic missiles and make them nuclear capable.

North Korea has conducted two missile launches in less than a week. The US military said that the launch of a supposedly Musudan intermediate ballistic missile from a site near the northwestern city of Kusong earlier today had failed.

 Sputnik

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US Defense Secretary 'Strongly Condemns' Failed N. Korean Missile Launch

By Steve Herman October 20, 2016

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Thursday "strongly condemned" the failed ballistic missile launch that occurred in North Korea earlier in the day.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said North Korea had most likely launched a Musudan intermediate-range missile near the northwestern city of Kusong. U.S. and South Korean monitors said the missile exploded shortly after takeoff and thus posed no threat.

Speaking with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo at a joint news conference at the Pentagon, Carter said he and Han had discussed options for extended deterrence against the North Korean nuclear threat.

The U.S. Strategic Command and South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea's latest launch attempt seemed to replicate a failed test that occurred Saturday, in that it involved the same type of missile and the same location.

South Korea and Japan immediately condemned Thursday's test.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said Tokyo, "through diplomatic routes via the embassy in Beijing, has officially protested this and condemns this launch." He also said Japan expected more missiles out of North Korea as the country expands its development program.

Earlier this week, the U.N. Security Council issued a strong condemnation of Saturday's launch attempt by the North, saying it was "a clear violation" of UNSC resolutions and an "illegal act of provocation."

The Kim Jong Un government has responded defiantly to tough U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea in March by conducting numerous missile launches and a second nuclear test in one year.

North Korea has launched eight Musudan missiles in all this year. One, launched June 22, flew 400 kilometers into the Sea of Japan and reached an altitude of more than 1,400 kilometers. The others exploded shortly after takeoff. Analysts say, however, that each test is helping North Korea advance its capabilities and reach its goal of developing a credible nuclear ballistic missile arsenal that could potentially strike the U.S. mainland.

Extended deterrence

The U.S., at its bases in South Korea, is considering the permanent deployment of B-1B and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, F-22 stealth fighter jets and nuclear-powered submarines to try to deter the North Korean nuclear threat, according to defense and diplomatic sources.

Wednesday's establishment of a high-level Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group was accompanied by unusually blunt public comments from the U.S. secretaries of defense and state about the possibility of nuclear war initiated by Pyongyang on the Korean Peninsula.

"Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response," Carter said ahead of 2+2 security talks with the South Korean defense and foreign ministers.

South Korea's security is guaranteed by the "full spectrum of U.S. defense capabilities," Carter said in a reference to the American nuclear defense shield protecting the U.S. ally.

'Dagger against our throats'

Hours later, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, at a news conference standing alongside Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se, repeated the same stark rhetoric and predicted "North Korea will never attain its goals through threats and intimidation."

Yun, at the start of the talks, said Pyongyang is nearing the "final stage of nuclear weaponization," compelling the United States and South Korea to utilize "all tools in the tool kit" to defend themselves and make the North Koreans "feel the panic under their skins."

Han said North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles were akin to "a dagger against our throats."

THAAD deployment

While continuing to work for denuclearization, "we need to ensure working together that the DPRK pays a price for its dangerous actions," said Kerry.

Amid what he termed a "pivotal moment" on the Korean Peninsula, Kerry added that the United States would deploy to South Korea "as soon as possible" a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.

China and some in South Korea oppose the deployment of the anti-ballistic missile system, contending it unnecessarily exacerbates tensions in the region.

Kerry maintained that the military option to stop North Korea's ongoing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs was "a last resort."

Analysts' reactions

Wednesday's tougher language from top U.S. officials caught some by surprise, but was most likely welcomed by hawks who argue that diplomacy and economic sanctions have failed to deter Pyongyang.

"I don't think this stronger rhetoric is going to deter them from taking the next step, whatever their next is," said CSIS-Pacific Forum adjunct fellow Tara O, the author of "The Collapse of North Korea: Challenges, Planning and Geopolitics of Unification."

Other analysts question the potential basing of U.S. Air Force bombers to American bases in South Korea.

"I don't see why you need B-52s and B-1s on the peninsula. That puts them within DPRK short-range missiles, and therefore more vulnerable than if they remain at Andersen [Air Force Base on Guam].

"They can fly to Korea in a few hours," said Troy University international relations professor Daniel Pinkston, author of "The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program."

Basing such aircraft and THAAD on the Korean Peninsula, he said, would cause China "to be in an uproar" and officials in Pyongyang and Beijing to assert that such forward-deployed assets are really intended to deter the Chinese.

Carter's stark reference Wednesday to nuclear retaliation will raise questions about "are we seriously going to use" the nuclear option, said the retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who did three tours of duty on the Korean Peninsula and also specialized in regional security matters at the Pentagon.

"Someone has to make a decision on what will be an acceptable cost if we are to carry out anything beyond rhetoric," Pinkston told VOA.

The two Koreas have no diplomatic ties and have technically remained at war since a devastating three-year conflict in the early 1950s ended in stalemate. The Korean War drew in Chinese forces supporting the North, while a U.S.-led U.N. coalition countered the North's invasion of the South.

VOA correspondents Carla Babb in Washington and Brian Padden in Seoul contributed to this report.

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Purchase of Russian S-400 System Top Priority for Cash-Strapped India

Sputnik News

20:16 20.10.2016(updated 20:18 20.10.2016)

India has signed many defense deals with Russia despite a strong financial crunch. Out of its deals it has accorded top priority to the purchase of the S-400 which it expects to be signed by the beginning of the next financial year.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Government sources told Sputnik that the crucial parts of the S-400 deal are in their final draft and the deal is expected to be signed by the first month of the next financial year in April 2017. India signed an agreement for the purchase of $4.5 billion worth of S-400 Triumph air defense systems during the annual meeting between India and Russia in Goa.

Sources say that India's funding crunch may be the reason for the delay in the signing of final deal this year. A recent report by domestic brokerage ICICI Securities indicated the financial problems of the Indian government.

"The amount earmarked for new purchases is so low that it has been exhausted in just one purchase alone, the Rafale fighter, whose 15% signing advance amounts to $ 1.3 billion. Additional allocations are now required for fresh acquisitions over the remaining half of financial year 2016-17," the report read.

Amit Cowshish, Former financial advisor to the Ministry of Defense, said, "While, I don't know if sufficient funds are not available, I wonder why India would have gone ahead and finalized the deal if that is true and there is no money to pay."

ICICI securities stated that 90% of the budgeted defense spending goes towards payments for already announced projects. Last week, Manohar Parrikar, Indian Minister of Defense, indicated that country would sign defense deals worth close to $9 billion in next six months. Parrikar stated that during the past 23 months, India had signed contracts worth $ 34 billion.

 Sputnik

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Iraqi forces retake key town amid push to liberate Mosul

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:11PM

A senior Iraqi military commander says the country's special forces have managed to liberate a key town near Mosul as they press ahead with their offensive to liberate the northern Daesh-held city.

Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati said on Thursday that the liberation of the town of Bartella, located some 15 kilometers from the edge of Mosul, is "important" for the ongoing Mosul operation.

On Monday, the Iraqi army, volunteer Shia and Sunni fighters as well as Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a long-awaited operation to wrest control of Mosul, the last stronghold of Daesh in the Arab country.

Many believe that the recapture of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province which fell to Daesh in 2014, would signal the terror outfit's total defeat in Iraq.

Arrest warrant issued for ex-Mosul governor

In another development on Thursday, an Iraqi court issued a warrant for the arrest of Atheel al-Nujaifi, a former governor of Nineveh province, on charges of passing intelligence to neighboring Turkey.

Iraq's Judiciary spokesman, Abdelsattar Bayraqdar, said in the statement that two witnesses were heard on Wednesday, completing a 10-month investigation, which was launched following a complaint by three parliamentarians against Nujaifi.

The lawsuit was lodged last December when a diplomatic crisis broke out over a Turkish troop deployment to Iraq.

Last December, Turkey deployed some 150 soldiers, equipped with heavy weapons and backed by 20 to 25 tanks, to the outskirts of Mosul. Ankara claimed the deployment was part of a mission to train and equip Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against Daesh, but Baghdad denounced the unauthorized move as a violation of Iraq's national sovereignty.

"The plaintiffs stated in their testimony that the defendant facilitated the entry of Turkish troops and helped them establish a base in Zilkan," near Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, Bayraqdar said.

Nujaifi is widely perceived as corrupt and his running of Nineveh province is seen by some as a factor that allowed militants to take over the city with relative ease.

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Iran to stand by Iraqi nation in anti-terror battle: Velayati

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:4PM

A senior Iranian official has reiterated the Islamic Republic's support for neighboring Iraq in its anti-terror battle as the Arab country starts a large-scale operation to drive Daesh terrorists out of the northern city of Mosul.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, made the comments in a Thursday joint presser with Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar Hakim in Baghdad.

Velayati is in Iraq to attend the 9th session of the Supreme Council of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening, which is slated to be held in Baghdad on Saturday and Sunday.

The Iranian official, who is also the secretary general of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening, further hailed the establishment of full democracy in Iraq following its liberation from the US occupation, referring to the 2003 US-led invasion of the Arab country.

Iraq has managed to deal with its domestic problems on its own, said Velayati, adding that Iran stands by the violence-stricken nation in its counterterrorism efforts.

Touching on the upcoming forum in Baghdad, Velayati said the event, which focuses on efforts to uproot the Takfiri ideology, is a show of unity between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Hakim, for his part, described Daesh as a threat not only to Iraq, but to the entire world.

The Iraqi official said the Baghdad gathering comes at a critical juncture when Iraq is seeking to cleanse Mosul of Daesh terrorists.

Prior to the press conference, the two sides held a meeting in which they exchanged views on the latest developments regarding the Mosul battle, which got underway four days ago.

Earlier in the day, Velayati sat down for talks with Iraqi President Fuad Masum on ways to further bolster bilateral Tehran-Baghdad relations in various fields.

During the meeting, Masum praised Iran for giving his country a helping hand in its decisive battle against Daesh.

The Islamic Republic, he added, was among the first countries that rushed to Iraq's help when Daesh unleashed its campaign of death and destruction in the Arab state's northern and western parts in 2014.

For his part, Velayati vowed Iran's full support for Iraq, saying Tehran is making serious efforts to forge closer ties with Baghdad in all areas.

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Iraqi troops launch fresh Mosul push, retake town

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:28AM

Iraqi troops launch a fresh push against areas held by Daesh terrorists around Mosul as special forces join the offensive to retake the Takfiri group's last major stronghold in Iraq.

Government troops advanced on the town of Bartallah, located less than 20 kilometers east of Mosul, on Thursday after capturing a string of villages nearby.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraqi forces were pushing towards Mosul more quickly "than we thought and more quickly than planned."

Abadi made the remarks in a video conference address to an international meeting held in Paris on Thursday.

The prime minister noted that Daesh is a destructive ideology and a threat to the region and the rest of the world.

"Our war today in Mosul is an Iraqi war conducted by Iraqis for Iraqis and for the defense of Iraq's territory," he said. "Full Iraqi unity is shining through and more than ever showing the unity to vanquish terrorism."

Abadi also said he would not tolerate any human rights violations on the battlefield and that local officials were prepared to protect and help the displaced people.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command said troops had established control over the villages of Bajwaniyah, Bajwaniyah al-Thalatha, Daraj, Bakr al-Oula, Bakr al-Thani, al-Mankoubah and al-Raflah and raised the national flag over buildings.

At dawn Thursday, militias assisting the Iraqi army closed in on villages near Bashiqa where the presence of Turkish troops has sparked a bitter dispute between the two countries.

Field commanders said the "large-scale operation," launched at 6:00 am (0300 GMT) north and northeast of Mosul, was aimed at clearing nearby villages and securing control of strategic areas to further restrict Daesh movements.

US-made Daesh drone downed

Two drones flown by Daesh above the battlefield were brought down. The French news agency AFP said its reporter identified one of the downed drones as the Raven RQ-11B developed for the US military.

The US has deployed special forces to the theater as part of a 5,000-strong contingent in Iraq, saying they were assisting in the effort to dislodge Daesh from Mosul.

On Tuesday, the Syrian government accused the United States of allowing Takfiri terrorists to flee Mosul to Syria.

Iraqi forces launched their much-awaited offensive against Mosul on Monday, seeking to recapture the northern metropolis which has been held by Daesh since June 2014.

A high-ranking Iraqi general called upon Daesh terrorists to admit defeat and renounce violence amid reports that the Takfiri group was arbitrarily executing Mosul residents on suspicion of collaboration with the government.

Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, commander of Iraq's Joint Operations Command, said the plan to retake the city "was going beyond expectations."

"Our forces are advancing and have surrounded the city. The liberation of Mosul will be swift," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"From this place, I appeal to all terrorists of Daesh to lay down weapons in order not to risk their lives so they can return to their families and cities," he added. Shaghati said as many as 6,000 Daesh terrorists were inside the city.

Daesh leaders, their wives flee Mosul

Iraq's Arabic-language al-Sumaria television said Daesh has evacuated scores of the wives of senior commanders of the group from Mosul to militant-held cities in Syria, including Raqqah.

The report said they had been evacuated on the order of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to avoid capture by security forces or rebellious residents in Mosul.

Speculation about the whereabouts of Baghdadi is also rife, with former Iraqi foreign ministry Hoshiyar Zebari saying he was still in Mosul.

Commander of Federal Police Forces, Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat, said Iraqi security forces have cleansed 352 square kilometers of Daesh terrorists ever since the Mosul operation began on October 17.

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Preparing For Mosul's Humanitarian Crisis

Golnaz Esfandiari October 20, 2016

As military strategists laid plans to retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants, aid agencies began quietly preparing for the grave humanitarian crisis they expect the northern Iraqi city's liberation to reveal.

"There's no question that, in the worst case, Mosul will represent the single largest, most complex humanitarian crisis in the world in 2016," United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande said on October 18, hours after an Iraqi-led coalition launched its offensive.

There is no telling exactly what the joint force of Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga troops will encounter in their effort to reclaim IS's last stronghold in Iraq, an operation that is expected to take weeks or even months. But aid groups, working in cooperation with Baghdad and Kurdish regional government authorities, have prepared for the worst.

Uncertainty

For UN and relief agencies, not knowing is one of the most difficult things to deal with.

"One of the challenges about this is that you can only count on the best information you have at the time so a map is drawn up with a particular scenario and then the next day you have to tear it up and start again," says Chris Weeks, communications director for the relief organization World Vision International.

Mosul, a city that once had a population of 2.5 million, is estimated to house as many as 1.5 million civilians today.

All are expected to be affected by the military operation, with as many as many as 200,000 in the first few weeks, according to the UN. But it is difficult to predict when, where, and how quickly residents could flee once troops move in, says Andreas Needham, a Baghdad-based communications officer with the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Security

Once people start to leave, they will be first vetted and screened to prevent IS fighters from escaping with them, says Kurdistan regional government Foreign Minister Falah Mustafa. The security of civilians, he notes, is among the top priorities.

After the screening process, people will be directed to numerous camps and shelters that have been set up by aid groups outside Mosul.

World Vision International's Weeks voices concerns that the process, which could mean that males as young as 14 may be temporarily separated from their families, will cause further strain on civilians.

"Men are going to be separated from their families and that means the remaining families are quite vulnerable, a woman with several children moving to a new area that they don't know can be quite a threatening environment," he says.

Basic Necessities

Supplies are believed to be in short supply after two years of IS occupation, winter is on the horizon, and there are serious concerns over the mental and physical condition of residents.

And as International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokeswoman Sara al-Zawqari notes, "When people flee, they flee with nothing except their clothes."

To address such problems, the humanitarian community has been collecting contributions and requesting funding for months, and are prepared to provide displaced persons with basic necessities.

Zawqari says the ICRC will provide civilians with emergency relief, including food, bottled water, blankets, health kits, kitchen utensils, and other basic items.

She says her organization is currently ready to provide emergency aid to 300,000 people.

Other aid groups will also be involved in providing emergency help to those escaping Mosul, including the Catholic Relief Service, which according to its country representative Hadi al-Mahdi has recruited about 120 volunteers to deliver emergency aid and even cash.

The World Food Program (WFP) has said that it has prepared more than 14,000 tons of family food rations -- enough to feed 1 million people for one month -- in warehouses near Mosul. In addition, the WFP has also prepared ready-to-eat food rations for 240,000 people.

Some 240 tons of medicine will be available at distribution points and medical assistance will be provided by mobile units.

Zawqari says the only local hospital in operation, located about 40 kilometers away from Mosul, has been prepped to perform surgeries and treat the wounded among the displaced.

Shelter

For now, Needham says, the UNHCR has set up five camps for up to 45,000 people. He says the UNHCR hopes to soon have a total of 11 camps set up. The camps are expected to have the combined capacity to shelter up to 120,000 people.

However, Mahdi says, many of the displaced are expected to prefer to stay in non-camp areas and within communities. To account for this reality his group has devised a new transitional shelter model made from locally available materials.

The UN says material for shelter construction will be provided to the displaced to support families who flee Mosul but opt against staying in camps.

Psychological Help

After two years of harsh IS rule and the stress of their escape, many Mosul residents are expected to require psychological help.

Weeks says children are particularly vulnerable.

"We believe half of the people who flee might be children. We're talking possibly about half a million, possibly 600,000," he said. "They're going to have incredible emotional and psychological needs."

He added that specialized staff have been trained to recognize signs of distress in children, and safe, calming, places have been established at the camps.

Worst-Case Scenarios

Of all the bad scenarios, the worst consider the possibility that Mosul residents could be subjected to even greater danger as troops move in. This could mean the mass expulsion of 100,000 people by IS, the extremist group's use of civilians as human shields to stave off advancing liberators, or, worst of all, a chemical attack, according to Grande.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq says the World Health Organization has first responders ready in case IS uses chemical weapons.

"More than 100 people have now received specialized training and that's a hugely important step in preparing for a worst-case [scenario]," she says.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-mosul- liberation-humanitarian-crisis- aid-agencies/28065600.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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Iraqi Troops Kill Some 200 Daesh Fighters While Liberating Town of Bartella

Sputnik News

20:10 20.10.2016

The Iraqi Armed Forces killed about 200 militants during a military operation aimed at liberation of the northern country's of Bartella from Daesh, media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The CNN broadcaster reported citing Iraqi Maj. Gen. Maan Saadi that the government forces killed some 200 terrorists in the operation to retake Bartella.

The city, which was captured by the militants in August 2014, was freed as part of the large-scale offensive to liberate Daesh stronghold of Mosul, located some 8 miles from Bartella.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of the military operation to retake Mosul from the IS, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States. According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed by air strikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.

 Sputnik

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Iraqi Prime Minister Says Foreign Ground Forces Not Involved in Mosul Operation

Sputnik News

15:01 20.10.2016

The ground forces participating in the operation to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul comprise only nationals of the country, foreign troops exclusively provide air cover, training and logistical support, Haider Abadi, Iraq's prime minister, said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Abadi added that the Mosul offensive had shown the unity of the Iraqi people in all its factions, with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting alongside with the Iraqy army.

"All forces fighting on the ground in Mosul are exclusive Iraqi forces, and any friendly foreign forces on the ground are non fighting forces, they just provide training, logistical support and air cover for the Iraqi forces," Abadi said in a video conference call from Baghdad addressing participants of the meeting in Paris where diplomats from several Western and Middle Eastern countries gathered to discuss post-Islamic State relief for those affected by the operation.

On Monday, Abadi announced the start of the military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States. According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed by air strikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.

 Sputnik

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Iraqi Forces Close In on IS In Mosul, But Tough Urban Battles Lie Ahead

By Henry Ridgwell October 20, 2016

Iraqi government and Kurdish Peshmerga forces say they are within 25 kilometers of the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, three days into an operation seen as crucial in defeating the terror group. The closer the Iraqi and coalition forces get to the city, the more difficult the fighting is likely to become, and the more dangerous for the millions of civilians trapped in the city.

Islamic State released a propaganda video Wednesday purporting to show its fighters defiantly patrolling the streets of Mosul. An unidentified militant addresses the camera, warning that the United States will be defeated in Iraq.

Despite the rhetoric, Islamic State fighters are rapidly losing ground.

Backed by coalition artillery and airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces say they are ahead of schedule in their mission to retake Mosul. Iraqi Army spokesman Brigadier Yahia Rassoul said there have been more than 20 suicide cars trying to target army vehicles during the advance, but they were all destroyed.

More than 100 U.S. troops are embedded with Iraqi and Peshmerga forces behind the front lines.

International coalition jets are targeting Islamic State positions in Mosul. Local residents have told of reports of fighters forcing civilians into buildings they believe are likely to be targeted.

Visiting fellow Afzal Ashraf of the University of Nottingham Center for Conflict, Security and Terrorism says the population faces grave danger.

"There is always the very strong possibility that this terror group Daesh (Islamic State) will use them physically as human shields. So there are, I am afraid, some very difficult days ahead for the population," said Ashraf.

As the battle approaches the center of Mosul, Ashraf said, the fighting is likely to get much more difficult.

"We will get into the urban warfare type of environment, which again involves suicide bombers, but here in narrow streets it is very difficult for the coalition forces to avoid them. Right now there will be a great deal of surveillance to detect any possible areas where bombs have been planted," said Ashraf.

One-and-a-half million civilians are thought to be living in Mosul. Many are expected to flee, presenting an opportunity for Islamic State fighters to escape, said Ashraf.

"Daesh will use the human exodus. They will use other means of disguising themselves. And I believe they have already begun to leave the city," said Ashraf.

That could allow Islamic State fighters in Mosul to regroup in Syria, neighboring countries or Europe.

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Russia holds drills involving ballistic missiles near western border

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:3PM

Russia has conducted military drills involving modern ballistic missiles near its western border, amid tensions between Moscow and the West over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that Iskander-M missiles were deployed and preparations were made for their firing during the drills near the city of Luga, located about 100 kilometers east of the border with Estonia.

Iskander is a high-precision missile which has a range of up to 500 kilometers and can be fitted with a conventional or a nuclear warhead.

In another drill, the Russian military's Strategic Missile Forces fired a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile over a river in western Russia to practice the mobility of the missile.

The NATO military alliance has on several occasions criticized Moscow's deployment of long-range missiles near member countries neighboring Russia.

Earlier this month, Moscow deployed Iskander missiles to the westernmost Kaliningrad region, near its border with the Baltic countries, saying the move was part of regular military trainings.

Russian drills have increased both in number and scale since relations between the country and the West began to sour over the crisis in eastern Ukraine. The West accuses Russia of having a hand in the conflict. Russia rejects the allegations of direct involvement but says it will support the ethnic Russian population in the east against the suppression by the Ukrainian government.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has complained strongly against the deployment of NATO's forces near its borders, vowing that the move will not go unanswered.

Tensions between Moscow and the West have also escalated since earlier this month, when the United States and its allies alleged that Russia's bombings over Syria's militant-held city of Aleppo amounted to war crimes.

Moscow, which has been carrying out attacks against terrorists in Syria at the request of Damascus for nearly a year, has dismissed the allegation and defended the ongoing push to fully liberate Aleppo from terror groups. It saying its aerial campaign against terrorists has been "highly effective."

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NATO Chief Concerned Russian Navy Task Force Will Join Attacks On Aleppo

RFE/RL October 20, 2016

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he is "concerned" that a Russian aircraft carrier and its task force that is heading to the eastern Mediterranean Sea will join Russian attacks on the Syrian city of Aleppo and "increase human suffering."

Stoltenberg said on October 20 that navies from NATO member states would monitor the movements of the Russian task force in a "responsible and measured way."

The Russian Navy deployment would increase its firepower in Syria, where it has been carrying out air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad's army for more than a year.

The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, can carry dozens of fighter bombers.

It is accompanied by a nuclear-powered battle cruiser, two antisubmarine warships, and four support vessels.

The deployment comes amid an offensive by Assad's troops on rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo, backed by Russian warplanes, that has caused international outrage.

It also comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO, which has accused Russia of provocative military maneuvers.

The British Navy was shadowing the Admiral Kuznetsov and seven other Russian warships on their journey from the Norwegian Sea to the North Sea and through the English Channel as they head toward Syria.

Admiral Vyacheslav Popov, the former commander of Russia's Northern Fleet, says the task force could cover the distance from the English Channel to the eastern Mediterranean in "less than a week" at top speed.

He said that at "medium speed, it can take up to two weeks."

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on October 19: "When these ships near our waters, we will man-mark them every step of the way" and will be watching them "as part of our steadfast commitment to keep Britain safe."

British Prime Minister Theresa May has urged the European Union to unite in condemning Russia's role in Syria and bring an end to what she called Moscow's "sickening atrocities" there.

Meanwhile, the EU on October 20 was considering sanctions against supporters of Assad's regime -- including Russia -- if they fail to stop atrocities in Syria.

A draft statement obtained by RFE/RL ahead of an EU summit in Brussels on October 20 said the bloc was "considering all options, including further restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities supporting the [Syrian] regime, should the current atrocities continue."

The threat mentioned Russia, saying the EU "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo."

Russia announced a break in fighting in Aleppo on October 20, and the Syrian military, using loudspeakers, called on residents to evacuate.

But there was no sign of such a move on October 20 by the estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the besieged eastern side of the city.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, BBC, and The Telegraph

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia -britain-sends-warships-to-escort- naval-task-force/28064717.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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NATO Concerned Russia May Use Carrier Group in Mediterranean for Syria Actions

Sputnik News

20:38 20.10.2016

NATO is concerned that the Russian carrier group in the Mediterranean may be used to strengthen its military actions in Syria and in particular in Aleppo, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The naval group of Russia's only aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov set sail last Saturday for the eastern Mediterranean from the Northern Fleet's home base of Severomorsk in northwestern Russia. Its expected passage through the English Channel put the Royal Navy on alert.

"Russia of course has the right to operate in international waters, and this is not the first time we've seen this carrier group being deployed in the Mediterranean  But what creates concern now is that this carrier group may be used to contribute to military operations over Syria and be used to increase attacks on Aleppo," Stoltenberg told a press conference.

Stoltenberg also added that the bloc was ready to hold another meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in the near future and will raise the issue of Ukraine.

"We are ready to have a new meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in the near future, there is no date that has been fixed or decided but we are ready to convene a new meeting and we are in dialogue with Russia on the agenda and modalities  Therefore, we have maintained the NATO-Russia council as a platform  for political engagement with Russia. We have also made it very clear that we will raise the question of Ukraine," Stoltenberg told a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

 Sputnik

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Russian Army to Be Equipped With Modern Communication Satellites Soon

Sputnik News

20:06 20.10.2016(updated 20:25 20.10.2016)

The Russian army will soon be equipped with communication satellites of new generation, Maj. Gen. Khalil Arslanov, chief of the Main Communications Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to him, the new devices were created on the basis of advanced hardware and software platform that would significantly improve the speed of information transfer and provide a more efficient anti-jam facility for satellite communications aimed at better operation of troops and weapons.

"As regards to development of satellite communication, military communication system has a great potential. In the near future we plan to launch satellite vehicles of new generation both on geostationary and highly elliptical orbit, that would replace the existing ones," Arslanov, who is also Deputy Chief of the General Staff, said.

Arslanov also noted that currently Russia had more than 3,000 stations of satellite communication to ensure country's defense capabilities.

 Sputnik

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Russia to Test Unique SR-10 Forward-Swept Wing Jet Trainer Within Three Years

Sputnik News

17:11 20.10.2016(updated 17:22 20.10.2016)

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to test the new SR-10 dual-pilot forward-swept wing aerobatic trainer aircraft within next three years, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Thursday.

RYBINSK (Sputnik)  Earlier in October, Russian private design bureau Modern Aviation Technologies (KB SAT) said that first SR-10 jet trainers for the Defense Ministry's need will be produced by the end of 2017. According to the manufacturer, about 20 jet trainers will be submitted to the state testing by 2020. Russia's Saturn aircraft engine manufacturer proposes to use its AL-55 turbofan engine in the new aircraft.

"This aircraft and the engine as a component are included in the plan for the next three years," Borisov told reporters, adding that the ministry will impose "very strict requirements over acceptance of the aircraft into service..," as lives of unexperienced pilots would depend on its reliability.

SR-10 is a subsonic, single engine, all-composite dual-pilot aerobatic trainer aircraft with a moderate forward-swept wing scheme. Its reported maximum takeoff weight is about three metric tons and maximum speed is nearly 500 miles per hour.

 Sputnik

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Russia prolongs ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 3:0PM

Russia says it has extended by 24 hours a humanitarian pause, which was scheduled to last a few hours in Syria's embattled city of Aleppo.

On the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "a decision was made to extend the humanitarian pause by 24 hours," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a statement released on Thursday.

The initial 11-hour pause took effect at 0500 GMT on Thursday in a bid to allow civilians and foreign-sponsored militants to quit the areas they are controlling in Aleppo.

Shoigu did not elaborate on when the extended cessation of hostilities would end in Aleppo, but the United Nations said it had received a pledge from Moscow to extend it until the weekend.

"They (the Russians) have said 11 hours per day and four days from today, Thursday. We hope it can be four days from tomorrow Friday. They are considering that additional day," said the UN Syria humanitarian advisor, Jan Egeland.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Egeland expressed hope that the first sick and wounded would be transferred out of the eastern parts on Friday to government-held western Aleppo or militant-held Idlib, according to their choice.

"We believe we now have all of the green lights that we need both from the Russians and the government and from the armed opposition groups" to begin evacuations, Egeland said.

He further noted that the operation would be organized by the UN, the World Health Organization, Red Cross, and Red Crescent through help from non-governmental organizations.

Reports say that UN aid convoys are ready to move from western Aleppo and from Turkey.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that there are perhaps 6,000-7,000 militants and 275,000 civilians in eastern Aleppo.

Terrorists attack Aleppo neighborhood

In another development on Thursday, AFP reported gunfire and artillery exchanges around a crossing point near the militant-controlled Bustan al-Qasr district of Aleppo shortly after the pause began.

Syria's SANA news agency said terrorist groups had targeted the area with rockets, machine gun and sniper fire "in an attempt to hinder the humanitarian pause."

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, remains divided between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.

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EU weighing sanctions on supporters of Syrian government

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 1:47PM

The European Union has threatened to impose bans against supporters of the Syrian government, particularly Russia, which has been on an anti-terrorism mission in the Arab country for more than a year.

"The EU is considering all options, including further restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities supporting" the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if the current situation continues in Syria, said a draft statement obtained by AFP before the EU summit in Brussels that opens later on Thursday.

The text claims that the Syrian government and its allies, "notably Russia," are targeting civilians in their anti-terror campaign in the battered northwestern city of Aleppo. Damascus and Moscow have repeatedly denied the allegation.

It further urges "unhindered humanitarian access to Aleppo" and to other parts of Syria and calls "for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for resumption of a credible political process under UN auspices."

Aleppo has been the frontline of Syria's fight against different Takfiri militant groups occupying the city's eastern flanks. Backed by Russia airpower, Syrian armed forces and allied popular defense groups have in recent months dealt heavy blows to the militant groups operating in eastern Aleppo.

The draft also warns that "those responsible for breaches of international humanitarian law  must be held accountable."

EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and the European Commission, the EU's executive body, should continue pursuing medical evacuations in cooperation with the United Nations, according to the text.

It further asks Mogherini to push for what it calls a political transition in Syria by working with the region's main players.

Following a meeting in Luxembourg earlier this week, the EU's 28 ministers vowed to impose further restrictive measures against Syrian individuals and entities backing the government of President Assad.

The latest development could further deepen tensions between Moscow and the West, which are already entangled in another dispute over the conflict in Ukraine. The Westerners have slapped a series of sanctions against Moscow over its alleged role in the Ukraine crisis.

Germans in disarray over Russia

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that sanctions on Russia could not be ruled out, but efforts should be focused on easing the suffering of Syrians.

"I think we cannot deny ourselves the option but  the main focus must now be on helping the people and doing all we can to help," Merkel told reporters in Berlin after discussing the conflict in Syria with Russian and French presidents, Vladimir Putin and Francois Hollande, respectively.

However, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed that new sanctions against Russia will not help settle the crisis in Aleppo.

"Bombastic declarations for the press and threats to introduce sanctions will help no one  in Aleppo, who need food and medical assistance," Steinmeier said an interview with the Rheinische Post daily.

Since March 2011, Syria has been hit by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.

Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Damascus government's request since last September.

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Militants shell 'humanitarian' Syria corridor as truce begins

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:29AM

Clashes have broken out in Aleppo shortly after a unilateral Syrian ceasefire went into effect on Thursday to allow civilians and foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants to leave the eastern part of the city.

Artillery shells were fired at "humanitarian corridors" which the army opened in two designated areas in the Bustan al-Qasr quarter and near the Castello road in northern Aleppo city, reports said.

Syria's official news agency SANA blamed "terrorist groups" which have accused the government of emptying militant-held areas of civilians so it can take over the whole city.

State-owned Ikhbariyah television said terrorists had fired a barrage of mortars near where ambulances had been heading to take patients from the besieged parts of the city for treatment in government-held areas.

The humanitarian pause took effect at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Thursday and will expire at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT). The Syrian army has said the pause in its military offensive will last three days.

Russian military officials said six corridors had been opened for civilians and humanitarian aid deliveries, while two others have been meant for militants.

One of the corridors is in the direction of the Turkey-Syria border which terrorists use for shipment of arms and militants, while the other leads to the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib southwest of Aleppo.

Russian and Syrian aircraft stopped bombing militant-held neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo on Tuesday, two days ahead of the truce. Russia said the jets have been deployed to an area at least 10 kilometers away from Aleppo.

The United Nations, however, has argued that the temporary truce was not long enough to provide any relief supplies.

Russia ready to extend truce

In Berlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted at the possibility of extending the humanitarian truce in Aleppo, stating that Moscow was ready to take such a step.

"We have made clear our intention to extend as far as possible, depending on the current situation on the ground, the halt in our airstrikes," he said on Wednesday.

"We are ready to do this for as long as there are no clashes with rebel formations entrenched in Aleppo," he said following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The militants, however, say they are preparing a large-scale offensive to break the siege of Aleppo and that the Russian air force has failed.

"The coming battle is not going to be like others. We are waiting for the signal of the start of a decisive battle which will surprise the regime and its militias," said Abu Obeida al-Ansari, a commander from al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front.

The group has been rebranded as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, with Russian and Syrian officials saying the US is supporting the group and refusing to separate its members from what Washington regards as "moderate" militants.

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EU Considers Sanctions Against Assad Regime Supporters

RFE/RL October 20, 2016

The European Union is weighing sanctions against supporters of President Bashar al-Assad if they fail to stop atrocities in Syria.

That's according to a draft statement obtained by RFE/RL before a summit of EU leaders opens in Brussels later on October 20.

The text says the bloc is "considering all options, including further restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities supporting the [Syrian] regime, should the current atrocities continue."

The threat appears to target Russia, which Western leaders have criticized for its support of a military offensive by Syrian government forces on the northern city of Aleppo.

The draft statement "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo."

After talks with the German and Russian leaders in Berlin, French President Francois Hollande said, "What is happening in Aleppo is a war crime."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the bombardment of Syria's largest city as "inhumane."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the accusations as "rhetoric" that do not take into account the realities in Syria.

Ahead of the Brussels summit, British Prime Minister Theresa May called on the EU to "continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling atrocities, its sickening atrocities in Syria."

"The EU should keep all options open, including sanctions [against Russia], if the crimes continue," European Council President Donald Tusk said.

With reporting by AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/eu-mulls-sanction- syria-assad-supporters/28065008.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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Syrian Army Threatens Retaliation for Turkish Airstrikes

Sputnik News

22:48 20.10.2016(updated 22:53 20.10.2016)

The Syrian army said on Thursday that it will shoot down any Turkish warplanes violating the Syrian airspace.

ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The Syrian army said on Thursday that it will shoot down any Turkish warplanes violating the Syrian airspace in response to recent Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish villages in northern Syria that allegedly killed 150 civilians.

"The Syrian army warns that it is ready to shoot down Turkish warplanes by any means available if they attempt to once again violate the Syrian airspace," the army general command said in a statement.

According to the statement, the Turkish authorities are responsible for the deaths of some 150 civilians in Turkish airstrikes on the villages of Hassajek, Vardia and Hasia on Wednesday night.

 Sputnik

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Belgian PM Says Air Force Not Involved in Strikes on Syrian Village Near Aleppo

Sputnik News

19:04 20.10.2016(updated 19:06 20.10.2016)

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel confirmed Thursday that the country's Air Force was not involved in the airstrike on a Syrian village of Hassajek near Aleppo.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik)  The Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said Tuesday it had received local reports of an airstrike by Belgian F-16 fighter jets on Kurdish positions in the village of Hassajek. Neither Russian, nor Syrian aircraft were in the area, while the Belgian defense minister dismissed claims of responsibility.

"I confirm the recent words by the minister of foreign affairs. According to the information provided by the Defense Ministry, we are not involved in this incident. Of course, the parliament will have an opportunity to receive the information in the coming hours and days about the role, which the Defense Ministry plays in this region," Michel told reporters.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry released detailed information about the airstrike on Hassajek, which had resulted in destruction of two houses and deaths of six people. According to Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the aircraft that took off from Al-Azraq airbase in Jordan have been immediately identified to be F-16 of the Belgian Air Force.

 Sputnik

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Kinmen clamps down on illegal Chinese boats

ROC Central News Agency

2016/10/20 23:36:28

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Coast Guard officers from Taiwan's outlying island group Kinmen have conducted raids on Chinese boats crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait in waters between Kinmen and mainland China, seizing 10 Chinese ships since October.

The Coast Guard Administration said it began the crackdown after it checked sea and radar data and found that Chinese ships have been sailing near the median line frequently in recent days.

In one incident, they found a Chinese fishing boat operating at 0.2 nautical miles off Fuhsing islet Wednesday night and sent cutters to seize the boat and took four crewmen aboard the vessel back to Kinmen. The captain of the ship is surnamed Guo and is a 26-year-old man from Fujian province.

The coast guard said that they will rigorously clamp down on Chinese fishing ships crossing the median line and impose steep fines to protect the fishery resources of Kinmen.

The raids this month have nabbed 34 crewmen aboard nine fishing boats and six people aboard a sand-dredging vessel.

(By Amy Huang and Lilian Wu)

Enditem/cs

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Turkish jets kill scores of Syrian Kurdish militants

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:28PM

Turkey says its warplanes have carried out more than two dozen airstrikes against Kurdish positions in northern Syria, killing scores of militants.

Jets carried out 26 airstrikes against YPG targets, killing 160 to 200 militants, the Turkish army said in a statement on Thursday.

The army said its jets hit militant targets in the villages of al-Hasiya, Um al-Qura and Um Hosh and destroyed nine buildings, one armored vehicle and four other vehicles that belonged to the Kurdish militia.

YPG forces had recently captured the areas from Daesh militants. Attacks on YPG positions have been an ongoing source of contention between the United States and Turkey.

The US says it supports YPG and considers the militia group to be an effective force against Daesh Takfiris in Syria. Ankara says the YPG is an extension of its own outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which it considers a terrorist organization.

Ankara won't "wait for terrorists to come and attack" Turkey, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the airstrikes.

In August, Turkey sent troops and tanks into northern Syria without Damascus' consent purportedly to help drive out Daesh and Kurdish militants from the border area.

Ankara, which is an open backer of militants fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, is helping the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants take territory near the border.

The FSA and its affiliated groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam, as well as more than a dozen other militant groups are fighting the government in Damascus since 2011.

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Turkish Airstrikes Kill Up to 200 Kurdish Fighters in Syria - General Staff

Sputnik News

09:05 20.10.2016(updated 09:06 20.10.2016)

Turkish airstrikes killed up to 200 Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, according to Ankara's General Staff.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  An estimated 160-200 Kurdish self-defense forces have been killed in Turkish airstrikes in northern Syria, Turkey's General Staff said Thursday.

"Our Air Force as part of the Euphrates Shield operation carried out 26 strikes on 18 targets of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces  the Kurdistan Workers' Party, killing 160-200 militants," the General Staff said.

Nine buildings controlled by the Kurdish formations, five vehicles and arms depots have been destroyed in the strikes, it added.

On August 24, Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarablus and the surrounding area of Daesh, outlawed in Russia and many other countries. As Jarablus was retaken, the joint forces of Ankara, the coalition and Syrian rebels continued the offensive southwest. The intervention prompted accusations of invasion from Damascus and Syrian Kurds.

 Sputnik

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Turkey Bombs US Kurdish Allies in Northern Syria

By Dorian Jones October 20, 2016

Turkey claimed Thursday to have killed dozens Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters in airstrikes. The YPG is backed by the United States, but viewed as a terrorist group by Ankara. The news of the attacks comes ahead of a planned visit to Ankara by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

The Turkish military says its air force launched 26 strikes on 18 targets, killing as many as 200 Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest attack on the YPG by Turkish forces, although the militia claims only 10 of its fighters were killed.

The United States sees the YPG as a key ally in the war against Islamic State terrorism.

Ankara accuses the Syrian Kurds of being a terrorist organization linked to the Turkish Kurd PKK, which is fighting the Turkish state.

Turkish political columnist Semih Idiz of the Al Monitor website says the airstrikes carry a powerful message.

"I think it is a message, which indicates Turkey will do what it will do regardless of what others feel, and that may include America. They (Washington) will not be too happy about seeing one of their prime allies on the ground being bombed in this way by Turkey. So it will create waves, I personally think, and perhaps that is what is meant to do," Idiz said.

Defense Secretary Carter is due in Ankara for talks Friday. He is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Syria and the ongoing offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State.

Erdogan on offensive

On Wednesday, Erdogan underlined a new, more robust foreign policy. He said from now on, Turkey will not wait for problems to come knocking, will not wait "until the blade is against our bone and skin, will not wait for terrorist organizations to attack."

Erdogan warned Turkish forces that entered Syria in August to target Islamic State will increasingly target the YPG. Turkey accuses the YPG of seeking to create an independent state, which it fears would stir secessionist demands from its own restive Kurdish minority.

Thursday's airstrikes are believed to be an attempt to stop YPG advances to capture the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, which Turkish forces are also targeting.

During his Ankara visit, Carter is expected to seek to avoid a full-scale confrontation between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces.

But columnist Idiz says Erdogan's likely priority is to secure U.S. support to overcome Baghdad's objections to Turkish forces participation in the battle to recapture the city of Mosul from IS.

"Turks will be looking to him to make some kind of statement about Turkish participation in this operation, and how it will be very vital, and how it will be very important. But Pentagon officials are saying no such agreement has been reached yet."

Idiz warns while Turkey is a NATO member, relations with Washington are at one of their lowest ebbs. But observers say Carter is aware Turkey, with its large military airbases, remains a key ally in the war on Islamic State.

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Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

20 Oct. 2016

President Poroshenko, Dear Petro, it's good to have you back at NATO headquarters. It's great to see you again.

We just met in New York in connection with the UN General Assembly in September. And then we met in Warsaw Summit in July.

And I think that the high frequency of our meetings reflects the very close cooperation and partnership between NATO and Ukraine. So it's great to see you again and I really appreciate this opportunity to once again to address the very important issues of the situation in Ukraine and how NATO can continue to provide support to Ukraine.

And the Ukraine crisis continues to be a black mark on the map of Europe.

We know that thousands of people have been killed and many, many injured.

NATO's support for Ukraine is unwavering. We will continue to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

And we do not  and we will not  recognise Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

And we are very much concerned about Russia's continued destabilisation of eastern Ukraine.

For months the full implementation of the peace deal has stalled.

That is why I welcome that you had a meeting yesterday in the "Normandy Format" in Berlin. And I thank you for updating me on the outcome of that meeting and the discussions you just had. Including the plan to create a new road map for implementing the Minsk Agreement.

And it is essential to implement the Minsk Agreement, because the Minsk Agreement is the only viable way to a lasting, peaceful solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

All parties must fully implement the Minsk Agreement. Ukraine has responsibilities to implement its commitments, but Russia has a significant responsibility in this regard, because it continues to support the separatists.

And we know that the OSCE monitors must have safe access to the whole territory to be able to implement the agreement and we have seen that they have been hindered in doing that several times.

We have also seen that threats against the monitors and the jamming of the UAVs are undermining the implementation of the Minsk Agreement. And these actions are unacceptable because they are in total violation of the Minsk Agreement.

Ceasefire violations must end and we cannot allow these ceasefire violations to become 'the new normal' in Ukraine.

NATO and NATO Allies will continue to support Ukraine. We will provide practical support and we will provide political support.

We will provide support through our different trust funds. Helping you build security institutions. And we will work on areas for instance such as cyber-defence and the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. And in other areas to help and support Ukraine in different practical ways.

Ukraine, for its part, has to continue to implement reforms, fight corruption and I welcome your personal engagement in pursuing the path of reforms in Ukraine.

So once again it has been a great pleasure to meet with you. But let me also add that in addition to the situation in Ukraine, we also discussed the very serious situation in Syria.

Because also in Syria we see a Russian presence and we have seen a substantial military build-up of Russia in Syria.

I welcome the temporary ceasefire in Aleppo but this does not go nearly far enough.

Following weeks of Syrian and Russian strikes against civilian infrastructure including hospitals  the humanitarian situation in Aleppo is appalling.

We need a real solution on the ground in Aleppo. Not a short-lived ceasefire.

But one that addresses the desperate humanitarian crisis. And which will lead to a credible cessation of hostilities.

And therefore I join the international community in its calls on Russia to help end the bloodshed in Aleppo. And to play a constructive role in finding a negotiated solution to the crisis.

So once again Petro, it's always a great pleasure to have you here and good to have you back at NATO headquarters, so welcome.

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Russian leader backs armed OSCE mission in east Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:47PM

The Russian president has voiced support for the deployment of an armed monitoring mission to monitor the truce in the conflict-torn areas of eastern Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin "agreed to the deployment of such a mission," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

Peskov's remarks follow Wednesday's four-way talks on the Ukraine conflict between the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine in the German capital, Berlin.

During the Berlin talks, the four leaders agreed to draw up a roadmap by the end of next month with a plan on how to implement the peace deal signed between Kiev and pro-Russia forces in Minsk, Belarus, last year.

The Minsk agreement calls for a cessation of hostilities, but violence has frequently flared up in the mainly Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine.

At the end of the Berlin talks, the leaders agreed to give a bigger role to a peacekeeping mission from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the situation along a demarcation line and record possible truce violations.

"There is an understanding on the positive nature of the deployment of such a mission, but it needs to be worked out in the framework of the OSCE," Peskov said.

However, the pro-Russian forces in the self-proclaimed people's republics of Lugansk and Donetsk are against an armed OSCE mission.

Currently, the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission has 580 unarmed staff based in eastern Ukraine. The mission's mandate has been extended until the end of March 2017.

One of the Donetsk leaders, Denis Pushilin, said that his self-proclaimed republic was against the measure, adding that such a provision was not included in the peace deal.

"The fact that we are against an armed OSCE mission is not only the personal position of the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic," said Pushilin, adding it "has been confirmed at rallies with several thousand people that took place on our territories."

In June, more than 5,000 people took to the streets of Donetsk to protest against the presence of OSCE monitors in the war-torn region, one of many rallies against the monitoring group.

The Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine demand greater autonomy from the central government in Kiev.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine that has left more than 9,500 people dead and over 21,000 others injured, according to the United Nations.

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Crises talks between Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany wrap up in Berlin

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:2AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is prepared to extend a humanitarian ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo.

"We have made clear our intention to extend as far as possible, depending on the current situation on the ground, the halt in our airstrikes," said Putin following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday.

"We are ready to do this for as long as there are no clashes with rebel formations entrenched in Aleppo," he added.

The humanitarian pause took effect at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Thursday and will expire at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT). The Syrian army has said the pause in its military offensive will last three days.

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, remains divided between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.

Russia, which has been conducting an aerial military campaign against extremist militants in Syria, has repeatedly voiced its readiness for a ceasefire. Russia has been insisting, however, that any such lull in fighting should be accompanied with a meticulous separation of terrorists from less extremist militants fighting against the Syrian government.

Putin called for speeding up the adoption of a new constitution in Syria to facilitate future elections in the Arab country.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. Moscow has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Damascus government's request since last September.

'Minsk accord to solve Ukraine crisis'

Putin also noted that the Minsk accord should be used as the basis for resolving the Ukraine crisis.

Back in February 2015, a peace deal was brokered by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to end the conflict that has left more than 9,500 people dead and over 21,000 others injured, according to the United Nations.

"All the participants of today's meeting have confirmed that resolution of the conflict in Ukraine's east should be based on the Minsk agreements. And everyone confirmed their commitment to these agreements," he added.

He also noted that during the meeting it was agreed that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors would "broaden their mission" in the conflict zones in eastern Ukraine.

Following the four-way talks, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told reporters that all parties had agreed on drawing up a roadmap in November on the manner of the Minsk deal implementation.

"This roadmap should have the sequence of the implementation of the Minsk agreements and guarantee their implementation," he added.

The Minsk deal reduced the violence in the restive region but failed to put an end to the conflict.

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Four Malaysian mobile operators say they have agreed to use the governments state-owned 5G network, paving the way for an increased rollout in the country.
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Shannon Jones, the Corvallis used-car dealer facing federal charges in a $1.3 million fraud case, has cut a deal with prosecutors that could result in a reduced prison sentence but still leaves him on the hook for restitution and possible fines.

The maximum penalty for the charges against Jones is 20 years in prison, but prosecutors are recommending a term in the range of 30 to 37 months at the low-security federal prison in Sheridan in exchange for a guilty plea and restitution.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 7 before U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene.

Jones was charged Sept. 13 in U.S. District Court with one count of wire fraud alleging that he systematically defrauded customers, vendors and business associates of Jones 5 Auto Sales, the used-car lot he operated at 1475 N.W. Ninth St. The business shut down on Nov. 18 as police investigators swarmed over the premises and creditors hauled away the dealerships inventory on transport trailers.

In a six-page agreement with federal prosecutors signed Oct. 12, Jones agrees to plead guilty to a single count of wire fraud in connection with the sale of a van to a customer in New Mexico who paid Jones $23,450 for a van that he never received.

Jones admits the bogus van sale was part of a larger scheme dating back to early 2012 that included accepting payment for other vehicles that were never delivered, selling vehicles on consignment and pocketing the proceeds, obtaining loans by falsely claiming to hold title on vehicles he didnt own, and misrepresenting the financial health of his business to lenders and associates.

He also agrees to pay at least $1.3 million in restitution to the victims in the case, including more than $800,000 in fraudulently obtained loans and $500,000 in illicit proceeds from vehicle sales.

Jones could also face up to $2.6 million in fines (twice the amount he admits obtaining through fraudulent means), but Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Potter said its unlikely that her office will ask the court to impose them in this case.

The priority always remains restitution, Potter said in an interview on Friday. Restitution would be the first thing to be paid.

In the aftermath of the Jones 5 Auto Sales collapse last year, dozens of people found themselves scrambling to reclaim cars placed on consignment, track down titles to vehicles they had purchased and call in outstanding loans to the business or its owner. Investigators from the Corvallis Police Department and the FBI have spent the last 11 months trying to sort out sometimes conflicting ownership claims and determine exactly how much money is owed, and to whom.

In fact, theres still no precise tally of how many people were caught up in Jones fraudulent schemes.

We are still figuring out exactly who the victims are, and especially who the victims are who are still owed money, Potter said.

Jones himself has not spoken publicly about the case, and his attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment for this story.

One of the biggest victims in the case appears to be Next Gear Capital, an Indiana company that provides so-called flooring loans to car dealers across the country to finance operating expenses. The loans are typically secured by titles to vehicles on a dealerships showroom floor, but in this case Jones allegedly used forged title documents as collateral.

Potential victims who have not yet spoken with investigators are encouraged to call the Corvallis Police Department at 541-766-6924 or the Eugene office of the FBI at 541-685-6260.
Altavista will be one of five communities statewide to receive Community Business Launch funding for 2017, garnering a $60,000 grant to fund the continuation of the Pop-Up Altavista business entrepreneurship program.

Part of Altavista On Track, the towns downtown revitalization program, Pop-Up is a nine-week course begun last year that helps residents start their own businesses or expand a current one. Participants in the program go through a business basics course covering topics like creating a business plan, marketing and balancing the books.

This is really going to help our small town, said Emelyn Gwynn, Altavista Main Street coordinator. It goes toward revitalization efforts with more storefronts being bought, jobs being created and taxes being returned to the town.

Participants present their business plans at the end of the nine-week course and compete for funding provided by the Community Business Launch (CBL) grant. There is no set award for successful pitches; instead, businesses ask specifically for what they need to launch successfully. The money also will go toward funding a third cohort of Pop-Up in the future, Gwynn said.

Small business is the heart of our community, Jamie Glass, president of the Altavista On Track board of directors said. It allows us to offer goods and services and improve the quality of life in the community. It allows people [who] have this dream of starting their own business the opportunity to go for that, when they might not otherwise.

The first round of Pop-Up last year resulted in two new successful businesses opening and one expanding in Altavista. A total of $25,000 was awarded to the three winners, funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

While funding at the end of the program helps to start businesses, Glass emphasized the educational benefits of having a program continue to train people in the area.

The funding is wonderful, but the program is nine weeks of courses on how to start a business, she said. This money allows us to continue to offer those programs, not just give out funding but give them training for how to start a business when they might not know where to start.

The curriculum for the course was adapted from the business counseling program, Growth Wheel, which is centered around a series of interactive worksheets to help businesses of all sizes looking to grow and expand. The Small Business Development Center at Central Virginia Community College purchased the license for the program and adapted its contents for the course, beginning with the ongoing cohort.

Alongside Altavista, the town of South Boston and cities of Bristol, Franklin and Waynesboro were each awarded $60,000 to fund their own entrepreneurial start up programs. Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the awards on Tuesday.

Pop-Up Altavista currently has 17 participants in the course that began in early September. This class will wrap up Nov. 10. Awards for successful pitches will be announced the following week.
Vancouver, October 21, 2016 - Great Bear Resources Ltd. (the "Company" or "Great Bear", TSX-V: GBR) today announced it has amended its Joint Venture Agreement (the "Agreement") with Mountain Boy Minerals Ltd. (TSX-V: MTB, "Mountain Boy") to streamline exploration activities at the BA and Surprise Creek properties in the Golden Triangle area of British Columbia.The following changes have been implemented:- Separate Joint Venture agreements have now been signed for the BA and Surprise Creek properties giving Great Bear operational control and casting vote on exploration decisions at BA and Mountain Boy the same at Surprise Creek, and;- Annual minimum work programs of $250,000 are required at each project to ensure ongoing exploration activity.Great Bear and Mountain Boy each hold a 50% ownership interest in both properties at the date of signing. All other provisions of the original Agreement remain in effect. The Company believes that advancing each property under a separate agreement with clear operatorship and budgeting provisions and will allow for more efficient and focused exploration to be carried out on both projects.BA Exploration UpdateThe Company also announces completion of its 2016 field investigation program at BA. Work included over 150 metres of channel sampling, targeting both recently deglaciated and previously mapped VMS-mineralized stratigraphy, and a comprehensive relogging, resampling, and review of drill core from the 15,000 metre, 82 hole drill program completed in 2010 by the Company.

Assays results from the zinc-silver-lead and gold-copper mineralized zones channel sampled by Great Bear are expected to be received over the coming weeks.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo, Director and VP Exploration for Great Bear, is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the accuracy of technical information contained in this news release.

For further information please contact Mr. Chris Taylor, P.Geo, President and CEO at 778-327-5799 or Mr. Knox Henderson at 604-551-2360.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Chris Taylor"

Chris Taylor, President and CEO

Inquiries:

Tel: 778-327-5799

Fax: 778-327-6675

info@greatbearresources.ca

www.greatbearresources.ca

About the BA and Surprise Creek Properties

The BA project consists of 24 claims totalling 9778 Ha straddling paved highway 37A, the primary access route to Stewart, B.C. The property is underlain by stratigraphy that regionally hosts the Eskay Creek deposit, and contains VMS associated mineralization in several locations. In 2010, Great Bear completed a 82 hole, 15,000 metre drill program targeting a 1,200 metre by 800 metre zone of zinc-silver-lead mineralized stratigraphy beginning 2.5 kilometres from the highway.

The Surprise Creek project consists of 19 claims totalling 7,472 Ha located immediately north of highway 37A. The project is underlain by much of the same stratigraphy as BA. Among other targets, Surprise Creek hosts semi-massive to massive zinc-silver-lead mineralization at the "Ataman Zone", which is currently being explored by Mountain Boy.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



This new release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

We seek safe harbor

Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct. 21, 2016) - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or ("the Company") (TSX VENTURE:LEM)(OTCQB:LEMIF) is pleased to announce that Swedish government funding has been committed for the Large Area Electronic Platform (LEAP) project, of which Leading Edge Materials is a founding partner. A total of 13 million Swedish Kronor (approximately US$1.5 million) has been committed by KK-Stiftelsen, a fund that supports research and expertise development at Sweden's newer universities.

The LEAP project aims to identify low-cost, large-scale solutions for the production of low carbon energy, with focus on three sub-projects. A "glass-on-paper" sub-project will develop a substrate for printed electronics; a "printed conductor" project will develop methods for the printing of metal and graphene-based conductors; and a "thermoelectric" sub-project will demonstrate a printed thermoelectric generator using materials develop in the other sub-projects. The printed thermoelectric generator will convert waste heat to electrical energy.

Leading Edge Materials shall provide graphite and graphene based-materials for this important Swedish research project.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "We are proud to be partnered with this innovative group of companies and look forward to providing further updates on our contribution to the LEAP project."

The LEAP research project shall contribute key knowledge for the rapidly expanding markets in the harvesting (solar cells and thermoelectric generators) and storage (batteries and supercapacitors) of low carbon energy. Seven industry partners from different positions along the value chain are participating, all of which have the opportunity to seek market applications.

On behalf of the Board,

Blair Way, President & CEO

The qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 for the Woxna project, Blair Way, President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information. Certain information in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "Forward-Looking Statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are Forward-Looking Statements. Forward-Looking Statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may," "will," "can," "should," "could," or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-Looking Statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-Looking Statements are subject to a number of factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the Forward-Looking Statements including, among other things, timing of the research under the LEAP project; the Company has yet to generate a profit from its activities; there can be no guarantee that the estimates of quantities or qualities of minerals disclosed in the Company's public record will be economically recoverable; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; competition with other companies within the mining industry; the success of the Company is largely dependent upon the performance of its directors and officers and the Company's ability to attract and train key personnel; changes in world metal markets and equity markets beyond the Company's control; mineral resources are, in the large part, estimates and no assurance can be given that the anticipated tonnages and grades will be achieved or that the indicated level of recovery will be realized; production rates and capital and other costs may vary significantly from estimates; changes in corporate goals and strategies, unexpected geological conditions; and delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the Forward-Looking Statements, and the assumptions on which such Forward-Looking Statements are made, are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the Forward-Looking Statements are based will occur. Forward-Looking Statements herein are made as at the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by law, the Company does not intend, or assume any obligation, to update these Forward-Looking Statements.
CARSON CITY, Oct. 21, 2016 - Del Toro Silver Corp. (OTCPink:DTOR) (Del Toro or the Company), Californias next high-grade gold miner, is providing this update on the Mt. Vernon gold mine. The Company signed an option agreement effective October 4, 2016 to acquire 100% of the Mt. Vernon Gold Mine. This past-producing mine is located near Downieville, in one of the richest districts in Californias Mother Lode Belt. Situated on the east edge of the Melones Fault, Mt. Vernon is on trend, adjacent to, and upstream from numerous historical high-grade gold mines.Del Toro is pleased to announce that a Plan of Operations (POO) for the mine has been approved by the United States Forest Service and a reclamation bond posted. River Resources LLC originally submitted the POO application in October 2015 and, with the guidance of Del Toro, has been overseeing the permitting process for the mine over the last year. The POO permits underground rehabilitation and bulk sampling, including an on-site processing facility, to assess the feasibility of production mining at the site. River Resources has also been installed as the Operator for the project. As part of the October 4, 2016 option agreement Del Toro has the right to purchase the operating company which will include the POO.Commenting on the POO approval and planned acquisition of the Mt. Vernon Gold Mine, Patrick Fagen, CFO, said, We are pleased to receive news of the approval of the Plan of Operations on the Mt. Vernon during the option period. This is a major step in advancing the property and completes our due diligence. The Company has been providing our expertise in permitting in California, working closely with Lazarus Mining LLC and River Resources to achieve this important milestone. We are committed to the Company vision of becoming Californias mining leader. Del Toro Silver Corp. (OTCPink:DTOR) is an exploration and development company focused on high-grade, past producing gold mines in the Western US. The Companys leadership team has experience acquiring and permitting projects in California and Nevada. Near term opportunities and priorities include advancing the Discovery Day and Mt. Vernon gold mines, two high-grade past producers located in Northern California. The Company also holds a royalty on the Natchez Pass Gold Property located in Imlay, NV.For further information, please contact Patrick Fagen at 530-416-0266.This news release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, Californias next high-grade gold miner, planned acquisition, feasibility of production mining, becoming Californias mining leader and advancing the property or properties. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration. We are not in control of metals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SHARE Gamez

By Ngan Ho of the San Angelo Standard-Times

A judge declined to reduce bail for a 27-year-old man accused in a double homicide near Central High School.

Justin Gamez appeared before Judge Brock Jones on Thursday in a packed courtroom at the Tom Green County Courthouse. Among the crowd were Gamez's relatives and family members of the two men killed.

Officials with the San Angelo Police Department and Sheriff's Office as well as civilians were called to the stand to testify. Some people in the courtroom cried quietly throughout the testimonies, which lasted about two hours.

Gamez, Ricky Ray Ortegon Zuniga, 25, and Krystal Nicole Lerma, aka Krystal Nicole Sanchez, 27, were arrested last month and charged with capital murder of multiple people in the Sept. 12 shooting deaths of Jimmy Andrew Gonzales and Anthony Martinez, both 28. Capital murder is punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Gamez's bail remains at $500,000. Zuniga's is bail is set at $100,000 and Lerma's is $500,000. All remain in Tom Green County Jail.

The three suspects identified Raymond Alvarado, 27, as an accomplice, and authorities are seeking Alvarado.

Police were dispatched to a residence in the 1000 block of Rio Grande Street about 10:30 p.m. Sept. 12 for a report of a shooting victim.

A witness told investigators he saw three men and a woman enter the home before he "heard fighting, and eventually heard gunshots," according to an affidavit.

The witness said he took cover inside his home until the shooting stopped and then called police.

Officers found Gonzales and Martinez inside the home, both suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at Shannon Medical Center.
Letter to the editor: We must not allow subjugation of women citizens
LEBANON  Republic Services wanted a trained mechanic. Adan Torres was looking for a way to pay for college.

Both got their wish when Linn-Benton Community College expanded its Advanced Transportation Technology Center this year, moving its Heavy Equipment Diesel program to a new Lebanon building and doubling the first year of the two-year program.

Torres is in his second year with LBCC. The 24-year-old Independence resident is now an intern for Republic Services, taking classes during the day and working for the waste disposal company at night and during school breaks.

Torres said he could have completed school on his own. However, "It would have been a lot harder," he said. The internship allows "more focus on studies, where before it was focusing on working enough to make it through school."

Likewise, Republic Services might have found a mechanic elsewhere, but most LBCC students are snapped up by companies almost as soon as they enroll, said Matt Whitfield, business unit maintenance manager.

The doubled size of the community college's diesel classes gave the company an opportunity to start a new intern program it hadn't had before, he said. "Our thought is to partner with the college."

Both Torres and Republic representatives were on hand Thursday to help the community college dedicate its new $5.7 million ATTC building. The expanded program is meant to make it easier to form connections just like this, said Bryan Schiedler, department chairman of Transportation Technology.

"It's great making those partnerships," he said.

An estimated 250 people turned out Thursday to tour the ATTC expansion. The 37,000-square-foot building, completed shortly after classes began this fall, houses classrooms, lab space, storage and shop floors for both the diesel program and the new Innovation Center: a place for industry partners to use when they want to check equipment, work with students or train employees.

Thursday's visitors included several officials with the college and multiple representatives from regional, state, county and city government offices. Just before the dedication, members of the Rollin' Oldies car club presented the college with a $2,000 check for the Linn Benton Scholarship Foundation.

LBCC Board of Education Chairman Jim Merryman was master of ceremonies for the dedication. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio both took turns at the microphone, as did LBCC President Greg Hamann, Lebanon City Manager Gary Marks, a representative from Gov. Kate Brown's office and a representative from Daimler Trucks North America.

Following prepared remarks, Hamann cut the ceremonial ribbon to formally open the center.

People are always going to want to get from Point A to Point B, Wyden told the crowd, but the technology of how to accomplish that transit and the types of fuel used to power it are undergoing rapid changes.

'I don't think anybody else has put together the whole package the way Linn-Benton has," he said.

DeFazio echoed his praise, saying he's "proud to represent this world-class facility."

"We're struggling with a lot of things in Washington, D.C.," he went on, adding that one of the struggles continues to be how to help young people afford higher education and find a living-wage job.

"This is an answer," he said. "These students are not going to have a problem finding a job."
Six candidates are vying for three positions on the Millersburg City Council in the November general election  and one of them could become mayor in January.

In Millersburg, the five councilors choose one of their own to be mayor during the first meeting in January in odd-numbered years.

Longtime Mayor Clayton Wood isnt seeking re-election to the council and is retiring from public office after 40 years.

Two incumbents, Darrin Lane and Lisa Metz-Dittmer, are trying to retain their seats this election.

Local business owner Dave Harms is running for office for the first time.

And then theres a group of three candidates, Craig Ziegenhagel, Scott McPhee and Don Miller, who have banded together to try and remove the good ol boys from City Hall.

The trio claim that current councilors are disconnected from the community, play favorites and enforce the law unequally and have taken missteps, such as supporting an effort to create a municipal electric utility, which voters rejected last November.

I believe that some members of the current council forgot who they work for  the people, Ziegenhagel said, in an email.

He added that the municipal electric utility effort is still considered a fiasco by many residents. Because of his opposition to the 2015 measure with Millersburg Residents for a Responsible Government, locals came to him to complain about other problems in the city.

Ziegenhagel said that Millersburg both hoards and wastes money at the same time. Some of these incumbents have had no new ideas, visions or self-initiated projects or improvements for our city, he added.

Lane responded that the premise of the trios campaign was false.

Its real easy to sit there and criticize whats happening when youre not the one having to make the decisions, he said.

He added that the municipal electric utility was a response to ATI, the largest employer in the city, and the largest taxpayer, complaining about its power bill and seeking to lower its costs.

In the end, it went down to defeat when it was voted on, and then we moved on, Lane said.

The city council was receptive to issues brought forth by residents, Lane said, but it also had to look at the big picture. And he worried about taking a heavy-handed approach to problems that might be solved by communication.
Voters in two financially-struggling states have struck down proposed tax increases that would have given more much-needed funding to education.Public education was one of the biggest casualties of the Great Recession. Nearly a decade since it started, nearly half of states are still providing less general funding for schools than they were the year the economy tanked. But the rejections on election night reflect a feeling among taxpayers that governments are punting on a problem by passing on costs to them, rather than making their own difficult decisions.In Oregon, which is facing a $1.3 billion deficit, voters shot down a proposal to impose a tax hike on corporations with more than $25 million in annual sales in the state. Opponents, largely corporations, called it a sales tax in disguise because they warned businesses would pass on the costs to consumers.Pat McCormick, a spokesman for the campaign to defeat the tax, told the that Measure 97 "fell of its own weight when people understood what it would do."Polling in recent weeks showed voters were split on the measure, which would have raised an expected $3 billion a year. It called for (but didn't require) some of the new revenue to go toward public schools.A proposal in Oklahoma, on the other hand, appeared ready to cruise to victory in the weeks before Election Day. The ballot measure proposed raising the state sales tax a percentage point to 5.5 percent. The state has imposed the biggest per-pupil funding cuts in the country and is facing a teacher shortage.The new revenue, expected to be about $600 million a year, would have gone straight into a new education fund with more than half of it paying for teachers' raises. About one-fifth was slotted for higher education and another fifth would have help fund early education. The measure was championed by University of Oklahoma President and former U.S. Sen. David Boren.But in an election with no shortage of surprises, Oklahoma provided another one Tuesday when voters decidedly struck down the proposal, 59 percent to 41 percent.Opponents of the tax hike agreed that Oklahoma was facing an education funding crisis but argued that other steps should be taken to addresss it. They called the defeat a "bittersweet victory."Meanwhile, David Blatt, executive director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, warned the state's lawmakers were in for a tough session in 2017 as pressure will increase on education funding and the state has been facing revenue shortfalls thanks to drops in oil revenue."It's clear that there continues to be a crisis in education funding in Oklahoma," said Blatt. "And all the opponents who said they agreed teachers need a raise but need another way to do it, will have to propose something very, very quickly."Oklahoma has had the nation's highest drop in per-pupil funding since 2008, and its had devastating results for public school students. Nearly one-third of the states more than 500 school districts have opted for four-day school weeks; educators havent had a raise in nearly a decade; and the state is awarding emergency credentials to help fill teacher vacancies.Policy experts said Oklahoma's sales take hike is frustrating because not only would it have imposed a greater burden on lower income families but the state has cut corporate and income taxes over the past decade.Equity was a concern in Oregon as well even as the campaign broke Oregon's spending record for ballot initiatives and was mainly a bitter fight between big corporations and the state's largest public employee unions. Small business owners even rallied to join teachers and community organizations in supporting the measure.But voters ultimately believed opponents' argument that companies would simply pass on the cost of the corporate tax hike to them."I am disappointed to see Oregonians value large corporate interests over that of their children's educational future and that of our seniors, people with economic insecurity and our small businesses that contribute to our local economy," said Amber Tamayo, a clothing store owner and member of the Main Street Alliance of Oregon.
After a five-year drought, chocolate and strawberry milk are making their way back into public school lunchrooms in Los Angeles.With a vote of 6 to 1, the Los Angeles Unified School District Tuesday loosened a district-wide ban on sugary, flavored milk that took effect in 2011. The board approved a pilot program to study the effects of reintroducing flavored milk in a small group of schools, all of which must volunteer to take part in the experiment.It is not that board members believe children aren't consuming enough sugar. Rather, the decision to re-examine milk offerings stemmed from concern that the district is throwing out an obscene amount of food -- 600 tons of organic waste each day, according to a 2015 district study.Much of what's being taken to the landfill is the plain milk that schools are encouraged by federal law to offer, but that students aren't enthusiastically drinking."Right now we are ... taking garbage bags filled with milk to landfills, and that just doesn't make any sense to me," said board member Monica Ratliff, who introduced the idea of the flavored milk experiment. "We can't continue to ignore this issue."What Ratliff proposed, and the board endorsed, is a four-part study in 21 schools that would treat school cafeterias as behavioral science laboratories. Will L.A. Unified school children drink more plain milk if they are also offered the sugary variety, as one study suggests? How might they respond if plain milk is offered to them in an appealing display case, or if they are shown an information campaign about how milk is good for them?Her proposal references a 2014 Cornell University study, which found that when Oregon elementary schools banned flavored milk, students' caloric and sugar intake dropped, but they also rejected plain milk in increasing numbers. The health benefits of that milk went down the drain, as students threw their half-empty cartons into the trash.Parents and health advocates had lobbied successfully for the flavored milk ban, arguing that the drinks had unnecessary added sugar and contributed to childhood obesity. When the board approved a five-year, $100-million dairy contract, there wasn't a drop of chocolate milk allowed.Brent Walmsley, founder of the advocacy group SugarWatch, said the board made the right call in 2011 and shouldn't retreat from its position in the name of reducing food waste."I can't think of anywhere else we would do this. We wouldn't serve caramel apples to increase apple consumption. We wouldn't glaze carrots with sugar to get increased carrot consumption," Walmsley said. "Milk is getting this odd pass here."But among school board members, tastes, and minds, have changed."At every school I go to, the request is for flavored milk. There's not one school that I've gone to where they say they don't want flavored milk," said board member Scott Schmerelson.The lone no vote came from board member Monica Garcia, who said she would rather leave it to L.A. Unified staff to propose food waste solutions.Board members were unanimous on one point -- their desire to change the U.S. Department of Agriculture's school meal regulations, which require schools to offer milk with meals in order to receive reimbursement. But their decision Tuesday may have a more immediate effect on flavored milk than on the federal government. The school district's milk supplier has said it's willing to lower the amount of added sugar in order to find an equilibrium palatable to both students and parents.Student board member Karen Calderon said that when she met with a focus group of 14 L.A. Unified students, 13 of them endorsed the idea of dismantling the district's flavored milk ban."This is something I've been passionate about for years now, so thank you," Calderon said.
Given the chance to express concern about the influence of money in politics, voters in several states decided to do what they could to limit it."It's become an issue of increasing concern," said Brent Ferguson, who works on campaign finance issues at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "Part of the reason is the increase in spending since Citizens United," he said, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision that essentially let corporations, unions and nonprofits make unlimited donations.Outside groups, such as super PACs, have already spent more than $1 billion this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, compared with $338 million back in 2008 -- the last presidential election year prior to Citizens United.Ballot measures in California, Missouri, South Dakota and Washington state variously sought the repeal of Citizens United, limits on campaign contributions and the creation of publicly financed campaigns.All but one of the measures passed."This issue is resonating more with voters," said Catie Kelley of the Campaign Legal Center, which favors regulation of money in politics.While previous election cycles might have seen maybe one measure related to campaign finance restrictions, there were a total of five this year. Both Ferguson and Kelley said voters are frustrated with the lack of lawmakers' action on this issue."The common theme we've heard is that 'we'd be happy to do this through the legislative process,'" said Kelley. "There's a real sense of frustration that [ballot measures] are the only way to get these reforms passed."Currently, 13 states offer some form of public financing for candidates who agree to curtail other fundraising actitivies. Last year, Maine voters approved a ballot measure that increased funding for the state's "clean election" law. But in Maine and other states, public financing and other efforts haven't stemmed the tide of large donations in the most competitive races. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in McCutcheon vs. FEC that while states or Congress can limit how much an individual or group contributes to a single campaign, they cannot limit how much donors give to all campaigns during an election cycle.In South Dakota, the campaign finance measure was one of several on the state's ballot meant to overhaul the political process. Its passage means voters will be able to direct up to $12 million of state money to the candidates of their choice, in the form of $50 vouchers (sometimes called "democracy credits"). Candidates accepting the vouchers would then have to forego most traditional fundraising.The measure also imposes new $2,000 limits on contributionsthat can be made to parties and political action committees in a single election cycle. Currently, South Dakota puts no such limits on contributions. Under the new law, once someone gives more than $500 to a campaign, those donations would have to be disclosed.In addition, the measure will force more disclosure from independent groups, restrict lobbying by former state officials and create an appointed ethics commission to oversee and enforce these provisions.Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a conservative group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, led the opposition to South Dakota's measure. AFP's state director, Ben Lee, believes that it's wrong to use government dollars for campaign purposes. He also said that the disclosure requirements could hamper the privacy of donors.Don Frankenfeld, Republican co-chair of the measure's campaign committee, said he had grown nervous that money would lead to the measure's defeat. But that proved not to be the case.Washington state voters, however, rejected a campaign finance measure that is similar to South Dakota's. It would have imposed a cooling-off period before state officials could lobby, while limiting campaign contributions to $100 from lobbyists and government contractors, down from the current $1,000 limit. It would have also let voters devote three $50 vouchers to campaigns.In contrast to South Dakota, backers of the campaign finance measure in Washington enjoyed more generous funding. Executives from Microsoft, as well as inventor Jonathan Soros -- the son of major liberal donor George Soros -- have written five- and six-figure checks in support.As in South Dakota, the measure's opponents have complained about money being diverted from other government programs, such as education, to fund political campaigns. Because the vouchers in Washington would be paid for by ending a sales tax credit for Oregonians shopping in the state, tourism and sales could have been hurt in border counties, warned former state Attorney General Rod McKenna.In Missouri, voters agreed to reimpose limits on campaign contributions, which had been abolished in 2008."Missouri is the only state in the union without any limits on campaign donations in state elections," said Marvin Overby, a political scientist at the University of Missouri. "If this measure passes, it would bring us much more in line with practices in other states."Campaign finance has become a perennial issue in the state, with individual donors such as retired financier Rex Sinquefield and building products company owner David Humphreys each funneling millions of dollars to GOP candidates.The new law will limit donations to candidates for state office to $2,600. It will also limit donations to political parties to $25,000 while blocking some transfers of funds between political committees.It was backed by Fred Sauer, a former investment firm executive who ran for governor as a Republican in 2012. He's devoted more than $1 million to the campaign. The measure faced no organized opposition."Any attempt to put a reasonable lid on campaign spending is sensible," said Ken Warren, a St. Louis University political scientist, "but I am not sure it will survive court challenges."Meanwhile, voters in California and Washington state each weighed in on the Citizens United ruling.Washington's measure, which faced no organized opposition, requires members of the state's congressional delegation to introduce a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.Similarly, California's measure calls on state officials to work to overturn Citizens United and other judicial decisions that have opened the campaign finance floodgates. But it's just an advisory question, so state officials wouldn't be required to take any action.Republican legislators mostly oppose the measure, but there was no organized opposition against it. Still, it only narrowly passed.Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown allowed the referendum to appear on the ballot without his signature."I, too, believe that Citizens United was wrongly decided and grossly underestimated the corrupting influence of unchecked money on our democratic institutions," Brown wrote in response to an earlier version of the proposal in 2014. "But we should not make it a habit to clutter our ballots with nonbinding measures as citizens rightfully assume that their votes are meant to have legal effect."
The political ramifications of Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's arrest Thursday on federal corruption charges could start with next month's competitive State Senate elections and stretch into next year's races for nearly all county and Oyster Bay town offices.Whether or not Mangano, a Republican, decides to step aside as he fights the charges, the fraud and bribery indictments against him, his wife, Linda, and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto has roiled the well-oiled Nassau GOP "machine" that has controlled the town for two decades and the county for all but eight years of the last 50."This is a real hit, there's no doubt about it," said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who, before his election to Congress in 1992, served as county comptroller and a Hempstead Town councilman. "All officials, and certainly people in the Republican Party, have to re-examine everything they've been doing and whether or not they've gotten too careless or reckless."Mangano, who was elected in 2009, and Venditto, elected in 1997, resisted immediate calls for their resignation, following allegations from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District that they received bribes and kickbacks from a local restaurateur, including a "no-show" job for Linda Mangano, in exchange for county contracts and town loan guarantees.Both Mangano and Venditto would face re-election next year. But most immediately, the case against the men could further imperil Republicans' attempts next month to maintain control of the State Senate, because some of the most competitive races statewide are in Nassau.Though Democrats have a 32-31 advantage in the chamber, the GOP has kept the majority via an agreement with six breakaway Democrats.The case also could impact county legislative, comptroller and town board races next year, as Democrats said Thursday they will seek to tar all Republican candidates as part of a "corrupt" system."I think this damages the Nassau Republican brand significantly," said Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs. "This is the result of a longstanding culture among these Republicans, who have always looked at government as their candy store."Nassau GOP chairman Joseph Mondello declined comment Thursday on the indictments and their potential political impacts.But some of Nassau's State Senate Republican incumbents and challengers -- including State Sen. Jack Martins, who is running for Congress in the 3rd District -- responded quickly. Even before federal prosecutors announced the specific case against Mangano and Venditto, the candidates asked for the officials to resign."When something like this happens it's incumbent upon leadership to stand up and to move quickly to transition to new leadership," said Martins (R-Old Westbury).Asked whether he thought the cases against Mangano and Venditto would affect his race, Martins said: "They are specific charges dealing with specific incidents."Democrats, already confident that the presidential race and associated turnout will bode well for their State Senate candidates, said they believe local voters will use the Mangano and Venditto case as one extra mark against all Republicans.But Michael Dawdiziak, a Bohemia political consult who works largely with Republicans, disagrees. He said voters are "numb" as a result of recent high-profile corruption cases, including against the former Democratic state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the former Republican State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos."I think they will look at things on a case-to-case basis," he said. "There's been a lot of political corruption to go around, and it touches Republicans and Democrats."Jacobs said he believes Democrats' chances in 2017 to reclaim control of the county executive's office and legislature -- for the first time since 2009 -- would be aided without having a well-funded incumbent such as Mangano at the top of the ticket."This changes the calculus," Jacobs said of potential Democratic candidates for various races, including county executive, comptroller, legislator and town supervisor and town board.King said he believes the Nassau GOP, no matter who it runs next year, needs to work on persuading voters that it is taking the allegations seriously."It's incumbent on Republicans to show what measures are going to be taken to make sure this can't happen again," King said.
It is understandable that some S.C. voters might be considering casting a write-in vote for president this year -- whether for Nikki Haley, Bernie Sanders, Mickey Mouse or their mom.Americans are uniquely unhappy with their presidential options. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have the highest unfavorable ratings of any major party nominees in recent history.The problem?In South Carolina, voters can't write in a candidate for president.While the state provides a write-in option for every other office on the Nov. 8 ballot, S.C. law doesn't allow for write-in votes for president and vice president.In 1982, S.C. lawmakers approved a change to state election law to bar write-in votes for president, becoming one of only nine states to deny a write-in option, according to Ballotpedia.Counting write-in votes for other offices is straightforward.But election officials are faced with a challenge in the presidential race because write-in candidates don't have a slate of electors that could vote for them in the Electoral College -- which is what a citizen's vote for president really is deciding."Electors have to file with the secretary of state, so you can actually vote for a slate" of electors, said Chris Whtimire, spokesman for the S.C. Election Commission. "I've seen some older ballots that have the electors listed on them. ... You have Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew and then the names of the electors voting for them."The early 1980s debate over barring write-in votes for president centered on the difficulties of offering a write-in option as the state was adopting more high-tech voting machines, recalls Rick Whisonant, a political science professor at York Technical College."It was said to be too labor-intensive as you get into a more electronic age of voting methods," Whisonant said.Still, this year, the lack of a write-in option is sure to leave some voters dissatisfied, even with five other options for president besides Clinton and Trump on the ballot.Gibbs Knotts, political science chair at the College of Charleston, says some local officeholders -- like Gov. Haley, or U.S. Sens. Tim Scott or Lindsey Graham -- may be missing out on a chance to have their constituents vote for them for president."Of all the years when you might get a write-in vote, it would certainly be this one," Knotts said.
A federal judge has blocked a Mississippi law that banned the state's Medicaid program from spending money with any health care provider that offers abortions.U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III ruled Thursday in a lawsuit filed in mid-June by two Planned Parenthood affiliates. The law took effect July 1.Jordan said every court to consider similar laws has found they violate the "free-choice-of-provider" provision of federal law. Medicaid is paid by federal and state dollars.Jordan pointed to a Sept. 14 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld an injunction against a similar Louisiana law. The circuit handles appeals from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, praised Jordan's ruling."Yet another court has said it is unacceptable for politicians to dictate where women can go for their health care," Richards said in a statement Thursday.Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said he was "obviously disappointed with the ruling" and he still believes he was right to sign the law. He has said repeatedly that he wants to end abortion in the state.
Description

GIS - 21 October, 2016: Enterprise Mauritius is leading a delegation of 38 local participants at the 2016 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo. It will be the countrys first participation at the expo which will be held from 27 to 30 October 2016 at Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Centre, Dongguan City in China. Enterprise Mauritius is leading a delegation of 38 local participants at the

Key stakeholders such as the Board of Investment, the Financial Services Promotion Agency, Air Mauritius, the Bank of China (Mauritius), the Mauritius Film Development Corporation, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (Mauritius) will also be present at the expo.

Mauritian participants will converge under a National Pavilion to showcase the Mauritian savoir-faire. The inauguration of the National Pavilion will be made in the presence of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Consumer Protection, Mr Ashit Kumar Gungah.

According to the CEO of Enterprise Mauritius, Mr Radhakrishna, the expo is the ideal platform for Mauritius to benefit from maximum visibility as a strategic partner for trade, investment and tourism. The aim behind our participation is also to establish fruitful business contacts with over 60 participating countries. In addition, the strategic position of Mauritius presents the island as the springboard to propel China in Africa, he stated.

To further exploit the opportunities and increase trade relations between the two countries, high level meetings are also planned. As at date, 30% of trade between Mauritius and China goes through Guangdong. It is noteworthy that the Guangdong Province recorded the highest export figures and import in China. Guangdong is also the largest importer of spirits in China hence a potential market for Mauritian spirits, underlines the CEO of Enterprise Mauritius.

According to Statistics Mauritius, Mauritius has attained remarkable export growth to China, from Rs 86 million in 2011 to Rs 271 million in 2015. The main export products are from the agro and apparel sectors.

China - Huge market potential

China, known to be the second largest economy and the giant manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of products is also a major

importer of goods. With a population of 1.3 billion, China today has huge market potential. Indeed, Hong Kong and China now have high-end shops selling the latest trends and quality products from all around the world.

Following the launch of the Asia Africa Air Corridor, the Chinese One Belt One Road initiative and in line with its market diversification

strategy, Enterprise Mauritius led a Contact Promotion Programme in Hong Kong on 20 and 21 June 2016, followed by a Buyer Seller

Meeting on 23 and 24 June 2016 in Shanghai.

Mauritius-China cooperation has strengthened over the years: Mauritius now has a bilateral visa waive agreement; a branch of Bank of China is operational in Mauritius; and a number of infrastructure development and investment projects have been launched in

partnership with China.
1. Robotics

2. Gene Therapy

3. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

4. Artificial intelligence

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  Covering technology trends for more than 30 years can leave you a bit jaded about what might be considered new, cool and transformative. Too often, what is considered innovative can be a solution that ends up benefiting only small portion of the population that can afford it, while its actual impact might best be described as superficial.But the Emtech Conference on Oct. 18-19 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Media Lab was a refreshing reminder that technology can both dazzle and impress, and be used to help solve modern problems, such as inclusion, climate change and health care. More importantly, the takeaway from the conference is that technology, when conceived and applied in a meaningful way, can improve the lives of many people, some of whom are far removed from our modern digital society.Thats important, because if technology is going to avoid the kind of negative feedback that can slow its adoption (e.g., robotics and artificial intelligence are job-killing technologies), it needs to benefit a broad segment of the worlds population. Fortunately, some brilliant men and women, young and old, are looking at developing and applying different types of technology in fundamentally new ways. Here are four highlights from Emtech:Imagine a robotic device assisting a disabled or elderly person by handing them a glass of water so they can take their medication or bringing them utensils so they can eat their meal. It could happen soon, but first scientists have to figure out the problem of manipulation: identifying an object and then picking it up, said Stefanie Tellex of Brown University, who is working on robots that can help people.The problem right now," she said, "is that most robots cant pick up most objects most of the time."Thats because human environments are tremendously complex. The solution is to develop computer vision so that robots can both recall what an object is and then pick it up with precision. To do that, Tellex is crowdsourcing more than 400 robots, known as Baxters , currently used in research, to practice picking up a variety of objects. The visual information that is captured during the learning process will allow other robots to learn more rapidly what an object is (a ruler? a fork? a glass?) and pick it up correctly.Robotics could also be a tremendous help to first responders, entering structures too unsafe for humans. Sangbae Kim, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, showed a clip of the interior of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant shortly after the earthquake hit in 2011. Because of the high levels of radiation, workers couldnt get inside and stem the radiation leaks and mitigate the damage. But the right kind of robot could have worked its way through the rubble and get to the source of the leaks.The robot that Kim has in mind is based on bio-mimicry and has the ability to traverse uneven terrain under its own propulsion. In other words, a robot that can mimic human- or animal -like motions, able to walk or even run.It will be a robot that can go where humans cannot or should not go," he said, "surpassing the capabilities of humans in dangerous locations."While Kim has developed some prototypes that can walk, jump and even run, building an autonomous robot that can precisely mimic human action is still a way off.The human body has 6.4 billion genetic codes. A change in one can create a disease. So far, medical science has identified about 5,000 diseases based on genetic defects that afflict millions of people. The question more scientists are asking these days is, why cant we edit the genetic code to fix the disease? said Nessan Bermingham, chief executive officer and founder of Intellia Therapeutics.The answer to why is beginning to turn into how  and more recently when as new breakthroughs make it possible for scientists to edit certain genes at the cellular level and to slow down, stop and possibly reverse some genetic illnesses, according to Bermingham. Already, scientists have figured out how to edit a gene by insertion, deletion or repair, by taking certain cells out of the body, changing them and then returning them to the body.Gene editing is cutting edge, but its also still experimental. While scientists can change a single gene, the next goal is to tackle more complex changes in the genome of the human body. Clinical trials involving humans could start in 2018.Another form of gene therapy involves special kinds of cells, known as T Cells, that can attack and kill unhealthy cancer cells, according to Marcela Maus, director of Cellular Immunotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. By combining computer technology with immunotherapy, Maus and others have figured out how to enhance T cells so they can attack and reverse the effects of certain cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.Will cancer eventually be cured? Some cancers might be cured, said Maus, but its hard to say all cancers will be cured. We need to continue working at combining gene editing and immunotheraphy.Hard to believe, but nearly 4 billion people on the globe do not have access to the Internet. The barriers are threefold: lack of infrastructure, lack of affordability and lack of necessity. Facebook, which already has 1.7 billion monthly active users, wants to bring down at least two of those barriers, according to Yael Maguire, who works at the Facebook Connectivity Lab.It starts by mapping where the unconnected (and those who are connected at very low speeds) live. Facebook is using machine learning tools to create maps with good resolution to identify the location of unconnected communities and how many live there. So far, the company has identified at least 1.6 billion people who live outside the range of mobile networks.Now the company is in the process of constructing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to bring digital infrastructure to some of the most remote parts of the world. The company wants its Aquila drone to become the next communications network in the stratosphere. Aquila is a solar-powered UAV, which Maguire referred to as a high-altitude platform that will eventually fly for months at a time, providing Internet connectivity to rural locations at low cost. Facebook must first figure out, however, how to keep such a large drone up in the air for long periods where the atmosphere is extremely thin. Getting Aquila into full production is years out, Maguire conceded.The company is also working on ways to bring low-cost connectivity to urban environments in developing countries. The project known as Terragraph will fill a city with small nodes capable of providing high-volume connectivity at low cost.The secret to Terragraphs potential is its use of the so-called V-band, an unlicensed radio spectrum that has been ignored by most carriers up to now because of interference from oxygen and water. By saturating an area with numerous nodes, Facebook believes it can overcome the limitations of the V-band and open it up to use in urban locations where fiber or cable connectivity is too expensive and existing mobile networks are too limited.Can a computer describe what it sees? Thanks to deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence, computers are beginning to learn how to define whats in an image. Russ Salakhutdinov, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, provided examples of where a computer not only recognized a cat in a photograph, but was able to add more information, such as the box the cat was in and the color of the pet.For humans, such recognition might seem simple; for computers, this kind of image understanding, called multimodal learning is a breakthrough, according to Salakhutdinov. The goal is to have computers extract knowledge from just a small number of images and learn how to tell different stories based on the image. For example, Salakhutdinov showed a photo of a duck swimming on water, with a reflection of the duck on the water. But the computer saw two ducks. Trying to teach computers a task such as image recognition in a way that can be done accurately and fast is incredibly difficult.But Silicon Valley sees deep learning as the future for AI; companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on AI labs and are in a bit of recruiting arms race for the best minds  like Salakhutdinov. When he was introduced to the audience at Emtech, the moderator announced that the scientist had just taken a job at Apple to help with their deep learning projects. Salakhutdinov would not say what those projects involved, but according to a recent tweet , he will serve as Apple's director of AI research.
Moving Toward Computing at the Speed of Thought
(TNS) -- The Cleveland County Library System is officially partnering with Google, Inc. for the Get Your Business Online project.Working with county government, the Cleveland County Chamber and the Small Business Center at Cleveland Community College, the library will provide step-by-step training to local businesses of all sizes wishing to claim their free, verified business listing through Google.com Statistics show four out of five people use search engines to find information on local businesses, which makes it important for a company to be quickly and easily found online. Google is the worlds largest, most used search engine for both mobile and home devices.Library clerk Ensley Guffey said the program will have benefits for business owners like making it easier to find information on their business and providing them with metrics on how people find their business.Google is definitely getting data out of (the program), and theyre doing this to maintain their positions as the number one search engine but businesses are getting things out of this as well, Guffey said.With a free, verified Google business listing, local businesses are search engine optimized. That means those businesses will appear at the top of the search results when people search for a general type of business or for a specific business name.Verified businesses are also listed in Google search results with information including hours of operations, phone number and directions via Google Maps. With a Google verified business listing, potential customers can call, get directions or visit a companys website with a single tap on their smartphones.Here at the library, we looked at roughly 800 local businesses in Cleveland County," Guffey said. "Of those, only 37 percent had claimed their free Google business listing."He said unverified businesses will no longer show up on Google Maps next year. As the non-profit partner for the project, the Cleveland County Library System wants to make sure more businesses take advantage of the free listing.Claiming a verified business listing is completely free, as are training and set up through Cleveland County Library System. The library will be hosting workshops at various times to be announced later, and trained library staff members will also be travelling by appointment throughout the county to help local businesses claim their Google verified listings.
(TNS) -- COLUMBUS  Columbus Public Schools is looking to go underground while getting district facilities connected to a new fiber optic cable network that could become operational next year.The CPS school board approved an interlocal agreement Monday to join the city in sharing the costs of building and operating an underground cable network that would connect dozens of school and city facilities.Columbus City Council is expected to consider the agreement to share development of the network at a meeting next month.The first step after the city OKs the interlocal agreement would be the selection of an engineering firm to design the communications system, said Leonard Kwapnioski, executive director of technology and operations at CPS.Once the network design and specifications are drawn up, hopefully before the end of this year, the proposed system would go out for bids from contractors, Kwapnioski said.The contractor selected would install the underground system during 2017 and provide continuing maintenance.The interlocal agreement didnt include any preliminary cost estimate for the proposed cable network.The proposed partnership between the city and CPS is modeled on a network set up by Fremont Public Schools, the city of Fremont and a third-party vendor, Great Plains Communications of Blair.Any entities that join the network later would be equal partners in sharing costs.The CPS technology chief said a new system buried in a trench would replace the school districts current aerial fiber optic network mounted on power poles, providing better redundancy and greater reliability.The existing system is subject to weather-related hazards, such as ice storms, heavy rain and extreme heat.The network applications for CPS schools and other facilities would include all internet, phone services, security and data storage. The city has identified about 20 of its facilities that could be connected to the network.Kwapnioski said the network would resemble a wheel, with spokes (school buildings, administrative offices, maintenance shop, warehouse) all connected to multiple hub sites.CPS and the city are getting the ball rolling on the new fiber optic system, but the planned network could have a far greater reach for local government and schools. Networks are often overbuilt initially to allow for the sharing of costs as more entities come on board.Platte County, with the courthouse downtown and jail and probation offices on the city's east side, and the communitys Catholic and Lutheran schools have shown interest in participating in the network.The possibilities are endless, Kwapnioski said.In other business, the CPS board recognized Stephen Mancuso for receiving the Award of Excellence from the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists.In June, Mancuso represented Columbus High and the state of Nebraska at the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Boston, Massachusetts.The CHS junior is the son of Steven and Beth Mancuso.
(TNS) -- When John Browns internet company in Albuquerque learned that one of his competitors was digging a trench to install cable downtown, he asked to share the cost.Browns CityLink Telecommunications is planning a 20-mile fiber-optic loop from downtown to Mesa del Sol, a new development west of the Albuquerque International Sunport. He thought the cost-sharing would benefit his company, his competitor and the city of Albuquerque, which wants to expand internet service to residents.The other company rejected his request. That lack of cooperation was one example of problems cited to state lawmakers Thursday who serve on the Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee and are faced with the challenge of extending broadband internet service in New Mexico.In a rural state with multiple governments and tribal jurisdictions, right-of-way issues remain the biggest obstacles when data providers want to lay cable and extend services in New Mexico, many told lawmakers.Municipalities in New Mexico can impose franchise fees on utilities to cross into their jurisdictions. County governments and tribes can require right-of-way fees, and it can take months to gain approvals.As this day goes on and on, I realize how complicated this problem is, said Rep. Carl Trujillo, a Santa Fe Democrat whose district includes tribal governments. We can have all the technology available. The impediments to anyone getting broadband are the rights of way. Many people suffer because they cant get broadband.The testimony was part of a daylong hearing in front of an interim committee looking at broadband access in New Mexico, especially hard-to-reach areas with low-density populations.Broadband is a general term for high-speed internet. Unlike data that moves through a telephone line, heavier and more intense images, videos and music require thicker and more advanced fiber-optic connections. And connecting communities still requires expensive investments.The data links are no longer provided by just telephone companies. Many entities in New Mexico provide broadband, from cooperatives to large phone companies such as CenturyLink to Comcast Cable, a national company that started as a television provider but now offers broadband as well as residential telephone service. Comcast is not regulated by the state.Many smaller communities and tribal lands are being served, but obstacles remain.Brown said he has installed broadband in other countries and rural parts of the United States. His company is dedicated to providing direct links into homes and businesses along the Rio Grande corridor. He said higher speeds and better internet are available in places more remote than New Mexico through a combination of cable and wireless technology.With regard to the right-of-way issues, he suggested the state create a one-stop agency that could handle all the approvals for state roads, local governments and tribal entities, if possible.Right of way is the biggest cost for broadband, added Katherine Martinez of CenturyLink, a company that has 38 individual franchise agreements with cities, as well as separate agreements with counties and tribal governments.Brown also said the state could do more to clarify the rules for attaching equipment to public poles and other buildings, and make it easier for routers and other internet-programmed devices to pair with each other, when necessary, so connections can find the shortest route between two points.Rep. John Zimmerman, R-Las Cruces, noted that there is no effort by the state Department of Transportation to notify data companies about roadwork so that, if they want to install a cable or a trench, cooperation could be an option.The lack of coordination in New Mexico was echoed by Terry Brunner, the state rural development director for the U.S. Agriculture Department.We have lots of cooks in the kitchen, but we have no cookbook to tell us how to get these services out there, he told lawmakers.Brunner said his agency funded several broadband projects with federal stimulus money in 2009 and 2010, but it has not seen any coordinated applications from New Mexico since.The state needs a plan to tap into federal money, he said. Ive seen Colorados blueprint for a new economy, Ive seen Nevadas and Utahs. We are lacking those blueprints, he said.Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, a member of the legislative Jobs Council and chairman of Thursdays hearing, said better coordination was the primary purpose of the testimony. He plans to have draft legislation ready by next month.You want to have your projects ready to go, should there be more stimulus money available, Brunner added.
(TNS) -- A governor-appointed council revealed Thursday that it has $1.47 million to spend on expanding high-speed internet in West Virginia.Lawmakers passed a bill to establish the Broadband Enhancement Council last year, but provided no funding. The council will pick up funds leftover from the now-defunct Broadband Deployment Council, which disbanded in 2014. The $1.47 million had been sequestered in a Department of Commerce account.It looks like we do have some available funds this year, broadband council Chairman Robin Hinton announced at a meeting Thursday at the state Capitol Complex. We dont have to spend those funds all in this year. We can carry those over, if we dont have things we can spend money on.The council has no definitive plans on how it will spend the $1.47 million, but a proposed strategic plan unveiled Thursday gives some clues.The plan suggests hiring a consultant who would develop a broadband RoadMap for the state. The consultant would take an inventory of broadband fiber-cable across West Virginia.Theres got to be a consulting group somewhere in this world that can be able to look at our state, look at the infrastructure, look at what we have and take the areas that are unserved and underserved and make a recommendation on solutions, Hinton said.The consultant would be expected to categorize the states broadband options by cost  from most expensive to least expensive. The Broadband Enhancement Council, which didnt get up and running until last month, would use those suggestions and propose legislation to lawmakers.Out of that work product is a menu of solutions, Hinton said. Obviously, we could have the Chevy Cavalier or the Chevy Corvette.The previous broadband council that folded 18 months ago paid nearly $2 million, or 40 percent of its total funds, to a Pennslvania-based consultant, L.R. Kimball. The firm managed the councils grant program. The Legislature had allocated $5 million to the old council.The new Broadband Enhancement Council also plans to spend funds to buy data that shows internet speeds for residential and business customers across the state, according to the strategic plan. The data costs $29,000.The strategic plan also calls for the council to consider hiring a public relations firm to help the panel develop a marketing strategy.Council members suggested Thursday that the panel support pilot projects to expand access to broadband in rural areas, such as Pocahontas County. In 2014, the Broadband Deployment Council awarded $700,000 to Citynet to upgrade high-speed internet at Snowshoe Resort.Hinton said she supports a staggered approach to broadband expansion in West Virginia.Im sure were going to make some mistakes, but Id rather make a mistake over a four-county area than trying to tackle the state as a whole, Hinton said.Also at Thursdays meeting, internet providers argued over the best way to increase broadband availability in rural parts of the state.Frontier Communications and cable companies like Suddenlink want the council to help with last-mile projects, which bring internet directly to homes and businesses, while Citynet wants the panel to support building middle-mile networks, which link communities and spur competition.The challenge right now is getting through those mountains and out to that community, to pay for that build to get there, Citynet CEO Jim Martin told council members. Our problem is in rural areas. We need to figure out how to get competition out there.Martin acknowledged that Frontier owns middle-mile fiber networks, but he alleged that Frontier overcharges firms like Citynet that want to piggyback on those networks.Frontier executives said Martins company is the only competitor that complains about Frontiers prices to lease its fiber.There are 40 carriers we have interconnect agreements with, and we do business with each other all the time, said Kevin Wallick, general manager of Frontiers operations in West Virginia. There is only one carrier that feels that pricing is unfair.The challenge isnt that middle-mile to connect to the world. The challenge is how you connect to that last customer.Martin said Frontier doesnt compete in rural markets with any of the other internet providers it has lease agreements with.When Citynet wants to move into Frontiers rural markets where broadband is deplorable, Frontier exorbitantly increases is prices to Citynet to prevent Citynet from being able to compete, Martin said. We intend to hold Frontiers feet to the fire about their statement and will ask them to provide public pricing for backbone services into several markets to prove their anti-competitive practices.
(TNS) -- Claims from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that voting is rigged to help Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8 have served to dredge up Chicago's controversial history of vote stuffing, ballot boxes floating in the river and dead people voting.But state and city elections officials contend the massive voting fraud of the past is history, citing new technology and changes in voting laws have made the potential for fraud a fraction of what existed in the past. They say the concern now is voter intimidation techniques."We don't claim perfection. We know we're trying to live down the history of this agency from our parents' and our grandparents' generations," said Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.That notion has been one Trump's campaign pushed ahead of Wednesday night's final presidential debate. Appearing on Tuesday in western Colorado, Trump raised the issue, responding to recent media reports that voter fraud is not as rampant of a problem as he has said."Take a look at St. Louis. Take a look at Philadelphia. Take a look at Chicago," Trump said. "... Look, look, if nothing else, people are going to be watching on Nov. 8. Watch Philadelphia. Watch St. Louis. Watch Chicago, watch Chicago. Watch so many other places."Those remarks came after prominent Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, fanned the fraud flames earlier this week."There are a few places, not many in the swing states, there are a few places where they've been notorious for stealing votes: Pennsylvania, Chicago. There have been places where a lot of cheating has gone on over the years," Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, told CNN."If you want me to tell me that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair, I would have to be a moron to say that. I mean, I would have to dislearn everything I learned in 40 years of being a prosecutor," he said.Giuliani cited the 1982 Illinois general election contest that pitted Republican Gov. James R. Thompson seeking re-election against former Democratic U.S. Sen. Adlai E. Stevenson III  a race Thompson won by 5,074 votes, the slimmest vote total in statewide history.A federal grand jury investigation, prompted in part by Chicago Tribune reporting, led to 62 indictments and 58 convictions, many involving precinct captains and election officials. The grand jury concluded that 100,000 fraudulent votes had been cast in the city and that the city's patronage system was a driving force in spurring the illegality.Authorities found massive fraud involving vote buying and ballots cast by others in the names of registered voters. In one case, a ballot punched for the Democratic slate had been tabulated 198 times.In 1987, a canvass of voter records by the Chicago elections board projected up to 52,000 people improperly cast ballots in then-Mayor Harold Washington's Democratic primary win over former Mayor Jane Byrne. A citizens' group said it had evidence of thousands of additional illegal votes using similar methods.Decades before that, stories of election fraud were predominant about then-Mayor Richard J. Daley and the Chicago vote in the presidential election of Democrat John F. Kennedy in 1960.More recently, critics contended then-Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's Neighborhood Recovery Initiative that dashed out money to anti-violence programs was a disguised political slush fund to try to influence South Side and south suburban voters ahead of the 2010 election. Quinn ended the initiative under criticism, and the state auditor general found it was hastily put together and lacked proper checks and balances."I can't sit here and tell you that they don't cheat," Giuliani said of Democrats on CNN. "And I know because they control the polling places in these areas. There are no Republicans. That is very hard to get people there who will challenge votes. 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."But Allen, the Chicago elections spokesman, said much has changed when it comes to actual voter fraud."To give some context, in the last 10 years we've had 10 referrals of suspicious activity to the state's attorney's office and at the same time we've had 9 million ballots cast," Allen said. One referral led to the convictions of two men on misdemeanor charges of manipulating absentee ballots in a 50th Ward aldermanic contest in 2007.Allen said the city board's use of electronic poll books at polling places blocks "the prospect of double voting," and the electronic connections between early voting sites make it "impossible" to vote more than once.In addition, Allen cites the work of the Illinois voter registration system and database with the State Board of Elections that tracks each of the state's 109 election authorities seeking duplicate registrations and checking on death records."The assumption that just because there may be some outdated voter records on the rolls is immediately followed by voter impersonation fraud  there's no evidence of it happening in the United States on any kind of significant measure," Allen said.Ken Menzel, general counsel for the state elections board, said the state database of registered voters is frequently refreshed with new and updated registrations as well as death records so "that dead voting in Chicago (is) kind of malarkey."Menzel also said the decentralized nature of balloting in Illinois, coupled with different voting systems in use by local election officials and no centralized internet connection among election authorities, makes wholesale election fraud to be considered "far-fetched" by election experts."We have a system with a lot of different observers and a lot of checks and balances and we're confident we'll have a solid and reliable result for our election," he said.Allen said voters are encouraged to call the city elections board for investigation or contact county, state or federal prosecutors if they have an allegation of something that looks unusual. But, he said, the largest complaints involve electioneering, where campaigning takes place too close to a polling place.Trump has called for more vigilance from his supporters at local polling places. Allen said concern exists "that there's talk of vigilantism in questioning voters at the door" of polling sites."We strongly encourage any voter that encounters that anywhere in the United States to contact their local police department and/or election authority but also contact the U.S. Justice Department. Voter intimidation is a violation of federal law," Allen said.Even Giuliani acknowledged that cheating isn't a concern of the Trump campaign in Illinois, with its traditional Democratic leanings in presidential contests and Clinton having been born in Chicago and raised in suburban Park Ridge."Look, if she wins Illinois by 8 percent or he wins Illinois by 8 percent, then that cheating isn't going to make any difference," Giuliani said."But we do cheat. We have people who cheat in elections. 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," he said.Chicago aldermen got into the act Tuesday, alluding to the city's notorious history of deceased voters casting ballots while poking fun at the voter fraud claims.Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, mentioned during the budget hearing for the city Board of Election Commissioners that there had been reports of "some seriously concerning things going on in Chicago.""So I would just like to know if we can have an update on what are the (voter) registration numbers at both Graceland and Rosehill cemeteries as of right now," Lopez asked election commissioners."Does the Oak Woods Cemetery have seven registered voters?" called out Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th. "If you can add that to the mix, I'd appreciate it.""If we could add Oak Woods as well just to see what our registration numbers are there," Lopez continued as election officials laughed along. "As well as, supposedly, not only the budgets for bribes for votes, which was reported as well, our cemetery registrations, our absentee ballot round-ups, as well as any other miscellaneous voter fraud funds that you have available to you, we'd like to have all that information."
Gov. Kate Brown offered elaboration this week regarding her position on capital punishment, saying that she would continue a moratorium on the death penalty through her two-year term if she's elected in November.

To her credit, Brown made these comments before the Nov. 8 election; it's an extra piece of information voters can use as they weigh the gubernatorial race.

When she assumed office last year after the resignation of John Kitzhaber, Brown said she was personally against the death penalty and planned to continue the moratorium Kitzhaber had put in place. But she also said she planned to study the issue in more detail.

Well, apparently that study is over, according to a story this week in The Oregonian. A spokesman for Brown, Bryan Hockaday, told the newspaper in an email that "Gov. Brown will continue the death penalty moratorium, because after thoroughly researching the issues, serious concerns remain about the constitutionality and workability of Oregon's capital punishment law."

Hockaday said that reasons for Brown's decision include the "uncertainty of Oregon's ability to acquire the necessary execution drugs required by statute." (Hockaday declined to immediately release to the newspaper any of the studies or other information the governor relied upon to make her decision, but she should take pains to do that now and not wait for the inevitable records request.)

Hockaday added this note: "Looking nationally, America is on the verge of a sea change both by legislation and, more profoundly, through court decisions. The past few years have already seen a major shift in the landscape on capital punishment law, and Gov. Brown expects more changes are on the horizon."

That's probably a fair assessment. But it leaves work undone in Oregon, and if Brown is serious about this issue, she could help to lead that sea change.

The fact remains that the death penalty still is part of Oregon law. (Brown's opponent, Bud Pierce, has said he would follow the law and presumably would allow executions to go forward.)

Oregon voters haven't weighed in on the issue since 1984, when they approved the death penalty. Brown is right that a lot has changed in the three decades since then. It's possible that the state's voters might have a different view of the issue now. But we won't know for sure until we ask them.

Kitzhaber, for whatever reason, was reluctant to use any of his political capital to pursue the issue. But Brown should, assuming she wins on Election Day (and recent polls show her with a comfortable lead): She could push the 2017 Legislature to refer the issue to voters. Failing that, she could help drive an effort to use the initiative process to place the issue on a future ballot.

This is a good time to pursue the issue: Even though Oregon still has 34 prisoners on death row, it's conducted only two executions in the last 50 years, and both of those occurred in the 1990s. (In both of those cases, defendants essentially waived all their potential appeals.) No executions appear to be imminent in the state. So we have a window that could allow a robust (and overdue) debate in Oregon on the death penalty.

But someone would need to take leadership of the issue. Brown can either choose to do that now  or she can continue to hope that an occasion won't arise during the next two years in which she has to explain to Oregon citizens why their governor is unwilling to enforce what remains the law of the state. (mm)
Sebastian Vettel has brushed aside talk about his future at Ferrari.

With sections of the Italian press saying the German as well as the Maranello team are in 'crisis', speculation Vettel may leave Ferrari after 2017 had arisen.

So when asked if any contract talks had taken place, Vettel said in Austin: "I think we are all fairly busy at this time focusing on the four races that are left and in particular preparing for next year.

"I don't think it's that important to look into details such as my contract, because it's all fine for next year," he insisted.

In truth, there are plenty of rumours flying around about Ferrari, including the future of team boss Maurizio Arrivabene and criticism of president Sergio Marchionne's approach.

Marchionne's predecessor Luca di Montezemolo is among those critics.

In a new interview with the German broadcaster RTL, he said: "In formula one, you need the humility to know that you do not win from today to tomorrow.

"If you are not certain you are able, you should not announce you are going to win.

"You have to be patient," Montezemolo added, "helping the people to make the situation better. You have to have confident in the staff, and provide for them the best conditions so they can achieve."

Montezemolo does, however, support Vettel.

"From the first meeting you could see that he has Ferrari in his heart," said the Italian. "It is important for the Scuderia today to have a driver who is so positive in the difficult moments."

(GMM)
The first production solution combines an efficient, water-cooled induction motor with an integrated inverter. The electric motor transmits power via a belt drive directly to the crankshaft of the combustion enginean arrangement referred to as P0 topology. Further production ramp-ups are soon to be set in motion on the basis of a modular system for 48-volt drives.

From the end of 2016, diesel variants of the Renault Scenic and Grand Scenic models will be equipped with Continentals 48-volt hybrid drivethe first application of the 48V Hybrid Assist in production vehicles.

The efficiency of a 48-volt system is largely dependent on the amount of drive and recovery output available in continuous operation. As a result, Continental has chosen to employ the water-cooled induction motor that can be connected directly to the engines cooling circuit. This makes it possible to assemble a machine that, depending on the version, can continuously provide an output of 6 kW and torque of 60 Nm, all in the installation space of a conventional starter alternator. Using a belt drive means that up to 150 Nm can be transmitted to the crankshaft.

Within the modular system, only the length of the motor changes the power. The inverter, based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), is integrated in the housing lid, which saves space. The modular system from Continental also includes a DC/DC converter, which enables the 48-volt system to be connected to the vehicles on-board power supply. This makes it possible to use some of the energy stored in the lithium-ion battery to stabilize the on-board power supply as well.

The technology is a particularly cost-efficient solution to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.



Belt driven starter generator (48-volt electric drive) from Continental. Click to enlarge.

Simple adaptation to existing powertrain designs is a major benefit of the P0 concept that Continental has pursued. It enables the load point of the combustion engine to be shifted. The fuel savings demonstrated in test vehicles are considerable, with a figure of 13% in the New European Driving Cycle. In real-world useespecially in citiesthe savings are even higher thanks to the greater share of driving spent in energy recuperation phases, and can reach up to 21%, according to Continental.

This is helped by the fact that the combustion engine can be switched off when the vehicle approaches traffic lights, starting at speeds below 20 km/h (12.4 mph). The combustion engine is always started with the 48-volt drive within just 0.2 secondsa conventional starter needs roughly twice as much time.

When the 48-volt drive is combined with a diesel engine as in its first production application, there is an additional effect: the nitrogen oxide emissions produced during acceleration from low engine speeds fall by up to 10%, as some of the necessary torque is generated via the electric motor.

With the mild-hybrid system, Renault is aiming for combined fuel consumption of 3.5 liters of diesel per 100 km (67 mpg US). They are also aiming to reduce the new Scenics CO 2 emissions to 92 grams per kilometera new CO 2 benchmark in this vehicle class.

The 48-volt solution from Continental is relatively easy to combine with preexisting internal combustion engines, as it does not require any more room than a conventional starter generator. This is due to the high power to size ratio of the electric motor, which does not contain rare earth materials. This is achieved by water cooling of the stator and the high efficiency of the induction motor.

To save space, the inverter, which is needed to convert direct current stored in the battery into alternating current required for operation, is integrated in the housing lid of the motor. The ready-to-install 48-volt drive is manufactured at the Continental plant in Nuremberg, which already specializes in complex electronic modules, such as those used for automatic transmissions.

Since 2013, Continental engineers have been working together with Renault on a hybrid drive, which is so cost-efficient to produce that it becomes an appealing option for mid-size vehicles. To achieve this, the development partners have used low-voltage hybrid technology, which operates at 48 volts. This is in contrast with the considerably more expensive high-voltage technology, which operates at between 300 and 400 volts and is usually used in hybrid vehicles.

We are proud that we were able to secure Renault as the first customer for our innovative 48-volt drive. Other production launches for both diesel and gasoline vehicles are in the pipeline for Europe and other markets including China and North America. Jose Avila, Continental Executive Board Member responsible for the Powertrain Division

According to Continental, the market for 48-volt drives will experience significant growth in the coming years. Rudolf Stark, Head of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Business Unit, says that in 2025, approximately one in five new vehicles across the world will be equipped with a 48-volt drive.

Even after the start of production, Continental will continue to develop the 48-volt technology. As well as optimizing all components for the P0 arrangement, the focus will be on another system configurationa P2 arrangement, with the electric motor located between the engine and the transmission. It can therefore be operated entirely independently of the combustion engine, which means that electric driving at speeds of temporarily up to 50 km/h (31 mph) is possible with a 48-volt drive as well.

Such a solution, which enables fuel savings of up to 25% in concert with additional efficiency-boosting measures, was presented for the first time by Continental and Schaeffler at the 2016 Vienna Motor Symposium.
The technology uses inductive coupling, similar to the technology being developed for WPT for electric vehicles. To demonstrate their approach, the Imperial College London researchers bought an off-the-shelf quadcopter dronearound 12 cm (4.7 inches) in diameterand altered its electronics and removed its battery. They made a copper foil ring receiving antennae that encircles the drones casing. On the ground, a transmitter device made out of a circuit board was connected to electronics and a power source, creating a magnetic field.

Scientists at Imperial College London have demonstrated a highly efficient inductive method for wirelessly transferring power to a drone while it is flying. Theoretically, this wireless power transfer (WPT) technology could allow flying drones to stay airborne indefinitely by simply hovering over a ground support vehicle to recharge. The team estimates it is one year away from a commercially available product.

The drones electronics are tuned or calibrated at the frequency of the magnetic field. When it flies into the magnetic field, an alternating current (AC) voltage is induced in the receiving antenna and the drones electronics convert it efficiently into a direct current (DC) voltage to power itself.

The technology is still in its experimental stage. The prototype WPT drone can currently fly only 10 cm (3.9 inches) above the magnetic field transmission source.

The use of small drones for commercial purposes, in surveillance, for reconnaissance missions, and search and rescue operations are rapidly growing. However, the distance that a drone can travel and the duration it can stay in the air is limited by the availability of power and re-charging requirements. Wireless power transfer technology may solve this, the team suggests.

There are a number of scenarios where wirelessly transferring power could improve drone technology. One option could see a ground support vehicle being used as a mobile charging station, where drones could hover over it and recharge, never having to leave the air. Dr Samer Aldhaher, a researcher from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London

Wirelessly transferring power could have also applications in other areas such as sensors, healthcare devices and further afield, on interplanetary missions, with the drone wirelessly transmitting power to other devices.

Imagine using a drone to wirelessly transmit power to sensors on things such as bridges to monitor their structural integrity. This would cut out humans having to reach these difficult to access places to re-charge them. Another application could include implantable miniature diagnostic medical devices, wirelessly powered from a source external to the body. This could enable new types of medical implants to be safely recharged, and reduce the battery size to make these implants less invasive.

In the future, we may also be able to use drones to re-charge science equipment on Mars, increasing the lifetime of these billion dollar missions. We have already made valuable progress with this technology and now we are looking to take it to the next level. Professor Paul Mitcheson, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, ICL

The next stage will see team exploring collaborations with potential industrial partners.
Toyota plans to introduce more than 100 FC buses mainly in the Tokyo area, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In view of this, the FC buses will be sold for the first time in Japan in early 2017, so as to help increase the level of understanding by the general public of the utilization of FC buses as a form of public transportation.

Toyota Motor Corporation will begin to sell fuel cell buses (FC buses) under the Toyota brand from early 2017. After repeated field tests of the hydrogen-powered buses for practical use, the Bureau of Transportation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to utilize two of the Toyota FC Buses as fixed-route buses.

Moreover, in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the number of FC buses being introduced will increase steadily going forward. Together with this, Toyota aims to engage continuously in the development targeted at the expansion of the introduction of the new FC buses from 2018.

The Toyota FC Bus was developed by Toyota, based on the company's experience in developing FC buses together with Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino). The Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS)which was developed for the Mirai fuel cell vehicle (FCV)has been adopted to provide better energy efficiency in comparison with internal combustion engines, as well as to deliver superior environmental performance with no CO 2 emissions or substances of concern (SOCs) when driving.

The bus also can function as a high-capacity external power supply system. With a power supply capable of a 9 kW maximum output, and a large capacity of electricity supply at 235 kWh, the FC bus can be used as a power source in the event of disasters, such as at evacuation sites such as in school gymnasiums or for home electric appliance use.
The average NO x emission from the test cars of 0.36 g km -1 equates to 4.5 times the type approval limit; this rose to 5.4 times for urban driving. They attributed the increase in urban cycle NO x emissions in part to more frequent acceleration events. (Urban driving emissions could be reduced by more effective management of traffic flows (e.g., earlier post ), easing of congestion and promotion of eco-driving, though further work is required to confirm this, they suggested.)

A new study by researchers from Imperial College London(ICL) of 39 new Euro 6 diesel passenger cars has found huge variability in the on-road NO x emissions of Euro 6 diesel passenger cars, with results ranging from 1 to 22 times the type approval limit. All but 2 exhibited higher NO x than the limit.

The Imperial College London team examined nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and nitric oxide (NO) emissions, collectively known as NO x , because of their direct link to health problems such as childhood asthma. The UKs air pollution is thought to contribute to 40,000 premature deaths each year, and NO x (particularly NO 2 ) plays a large part in this. Air pollution in general contributes to strokes, asthma, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and lung infections. Across the EU, it is thought to reduce life expectancy by nine months.

Unfortunately the EURO-6 diesel cars seem to be following the pattern of EURO-4 and 5 by far exceeding type approval in real world driving. These results are concerning, particularly for people living in urban areas, as NO 2 is linked to childhood asthma among other health issues.

Higher levels of NO 2 are particularly problematic in urban areas, and we found that many of the diesel cars emitted large proportions of NO 2 , directly enhancing concentrations of this toxic component at road-side locations. Lead author Rosalind ODriscoll, Centre for Environmental Policy, ICL

The UK and several other European member states consistently breach the EU air quality limit value for ambient concentrations of NO 2 . This has resulted in the current court battle between the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the environmental law NGO ClientEarth.

Using portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) attached to vehicle exhausts, the researchers collaborated with Emissions Analytics to measure the amount of NO x produced by the 39 Euro 6 diesel cars.

The researchers compared their results to estimates of vehicle emissions using COPERT (Computer Program to Calculate Emissions from Road Transport), an air quality emissions model developed by the European Environment Agency. The average NO 2 emission in the new study was 2.5 times the COPERT model estimate, rising to 2.8 for urban driving.



Comparison of urban and motorway trip average NO x emissions (note: y axis varies). Vehicle ID at top of each plot. ODriscoll et al. Click to enlarge.

The researchers also found no clear best between the after-treatment technologies. Both SCR and LNT were able to meet the Euro 6 standard and NTE limit while EGR alone was not.

Since Euro 6 vehicles are already in use, the researchers argue that it is important to identify the worst performing cars and ban them, rather than just relying on generic EURO-6 standards for regulation. This would enhance the effectiveness of schemes like Clean Air Zones and allow for consumers to make informed decisions when purchasing a new car. The researchers found that removing the five most polluting vehicles reduced average emissions considerably.

At present, manufacturers must adhere to emissions limits tested only in a lab setting, but next year, type approval testing will include real-world driving environments to tackle real-world emissions levels. The authors also suggest that rather than using generic guidelines for all cars, each car model should be tested on its own merit with regard to emissions.

Resources
SAE International will host a three-day symposium during which the technologies, regulations, testing and applications of automated driving technologies will be discussed, in-depth. The SAE 2016 From ADAS to Automated Driving Symposium will be held 29 Nov to 1 Dec at the Hilton Munich City in Munich, Germany.

As industry advances towards the goal of automated vehicles to reach the goal of zero automotive fatalities, the driver-controlled to system-only vehicle narrative becomes more and more critical. Industry still faces many challenges, but it is seeing enormous growth in the development of ADAS and Automated Vehicle technology.

As part of this dialogue, SAE 2016 ADAS to Automated Driving Symposium discusses technology, regulation, testing and application of these systems being developed for the next 20 years. Specifically, it focuses on discussion around what are the barriers to consumer acceptance, what are the technology barriers, what is governments role in developing and implementing a safety strategy, and what will industry need to do in order to reach a fully automated vehicle.

This event has been broken into ADAS and Automated Driving Technologies. The first two days of this symposium focus on case-studies of SAE Level 3-4 automation technologies and testing protocols to assist the driver for the next 3-7 years. The last day focuses solely on discussions that address Level 5, Automated Driving Technology.
I'm very sorry to see this attack ad aimed at N.C. Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds.

Mark Binker at WRAL provides the details.

It's indeed true that Edmunds wrote the court's decision in 2014 upholding the General Assembly's 2011 congressional redistricting plan ... and that a federal court in February ruled that improper racial gerrymandering was used in the crafting of two districts.

But this ad runs roughshod over the legal complexities to make an ugly insinuation that Edmunds was a participant in a racist, partisan power grab. It's lower than a snake's belly.

The ad makes use of the 12th congressional district, which it calls "the snake" because it slithers up I-85 from Charlotte to Greensboro.

What it doesn't say is that the 12th was crafted in that form, more or less, back in 1991  long before Edmunds joined the court. At that time, it was drawn by Democrats for the purpose of electing a black Democrat to Congress for the first time in 90 years in North Carolina. It worked.

That was then. Legal interpretations, and partisan political strategies, have changed. Republicans figured out they could pack black, Democratic voters into "majority-minority" districts to make adjoining districts more Republican.

The Supreme Court tolerated that, viewing the gerrymandering as motivated by partisanship rather than race.

Recently, federal courts have begun to take a deeper look, discerning that race and partisanship are pretty much the same.

When Edmunds wrote the court's decision in Dickson v. Rucho, that wasn't so clear. Would he and the court update its view now? Unknown. The state court will certainly have to follow the U.S. Supreme Court's guidance if the eight justices decide the North Carolina case one way or the other, possibly next year.

But there's an election between now and then. The Democratic groups behind this independent attack ad don't care about complexities. They want to get Edmunds off the court, replaced by Michael Morgan, who they probably assume would be more favorable to Democratic issues.

Morgan, a Superior Court judge in Wake County, is a registered Democrat, but he deserves the presumption of impartiality.

I hate the partisanship injected into this election, and I especially hate irresponsible attack ads put up by outside, special-interest groups.

We've seen it before. The last time was in 2014, when a right-wing group tried to take out Justice Robin Hudson with a misleading attack ad. The effort failed.

Judicial elections should not be decided by this kind of campaigning.
GREENSBORO  The citys Swift Water Rescue Teams, which have spent the last few weeks going door-to-door in eastern counties after flooding from Hurricane Matthew, have come home with a lot of compassion for the people they helped.

We know they have a lot of work ahead, firefighter Michael Stichter said.

He and fellow responders came together Thursday to talk about one of the worst natural disasters in the states recent history.

Nearly three dozen members of the Greensboro Fire Departments water rescue and communications units, along with a coordinator, were deployed to a stretch of counties with historic flooding. The Greensboro teams evacuated more than 70 people from their homes, including the rescue of five people trapped in a car surrounded by rising water.

Some areas had seen lots of rain before Matthew, which brought another 12 to 15 inches of rain as it wreaked havoc along the East Coast, leaving 25 dead and an estimated $1.5 billion in property damage.

The storms greatest impact came after it was long gone, as water swelled rivers and creeks to flood levels. Whole towns became engulfed.

Firefighter Peter McRae recalled coming across homes that he had passed on the way to the beach.

The top of signs were touching the water, McRae said.

By day, the rescue teams made their way around in boats and through rushing waters, communicating with a command center to know where they were needed. Sometimes they worked alongside other state agencies.

They were grateful and they were surprised to see a Greensboro team, firefighter Jonathon Moore recalled.

As the rescue teams steered their boats over washed out roads in neighborhoods, common household items and even clusters of fire ants held together by their own coordination  some the size of volleyballs  often floated by them. The water  musty smelling  sometimes carried the odor of fuel.

Every night they had to decontaminate their gear, which had to be used again the next day.

They want to be the first ones out the door ... to put that training to work, Fire Chief Bobby Nugent said.
The increasing unaffordability of New York City housing continues to push people to Fairfield County, but that isnt translating to more sales in a luxury home market thats struggling nationally, according to Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants.

Miller prepared the analysis of Douglas Elliman Real Estates third quarter sales report for Fairfield County and Greenwich released Thursday. It reinforced what many real estate experts already knew  the market is steady generally, but theres less activity at the high end.

Homes in Greenwichs back country and mid country are being sold at a significantly slower pace when compared to last year, the report shows.

Miller attributed this partially to luxury-home sellers who are pricing them with the assumption that the flurry of real estate activity in the city translates to the Greenwich market.

Greenwich didnt participate in the housing boom we saw in the city and other markets, Miller said.

The other element is that theres a significant shift in demand to live closer to the center of town, and most of the big homes are 20 minutes or more away, he said.

The median sales price for a Greenwich single-family home in the third quarter was $1,720,500, a bit less than sales prices for 2015s third quarter. This compares to a $407,500 median sales price for the county, which is only a hair off last years number.

Typically, the third quarter competes with the previous quarter for the most residential real estate activity, according to Miller, so this quarter should have been slightly better than last.

The third quarter report showed that to be true for Greenwich with 190 sales closed for single-family homes, a 12 percent increase from the second quarter and 4 percent more than third quarter last year.

This year-over-year analysis paints a more accurate picture of the market, Miller said.

Total closings in Fairfield County came in at 3,300, which is fewer than last quarter and 2015.

Sales prices for single-family homes told a slightly different story.

Average and median prices slipped in Greenwich while they made modest gains county-wide since the second quarter of 2016. Like Greenwich, average and median prices across the county dropped year over year.

Broken down by market areas that include Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, Riverside and Greenwich, the only market with single-family homes that increased in average sales prices year over year was Riverside. All markets were down in median sales price, but with its 32 closings in the third quarter Riverside increased its average sales price by about half a million.

Yet, more important than pricing is the amount of activity on the market, Miller said, and there was more activity in the Greenwich market this year.

Im much more of a believer in sales leading pricing, he said.

Overall, this report sends a mixed message, Miller said. The optics through which people view Greenwich is the very high end. With that market being weak for the time being, many think that somehow means the whole market is weak  that is not the case. In many ways, Greenwich is no different than other housing markets in the region other than the numbers are bigger.

MBennett@hearstmediact.com, 203-625-4411; Twitter @Macaela_
STAMFORD  State officials remained mum Thursday on why the deal to replace Stamfords crumbling train station garage with a $500 million office, housing, retail and hotel complex went sour.

Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redecker did not respond to a request for details about why negotiations with private partner Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures fell apart after languishing for three years.

One of the SMDV partners, L.P. Ciminelli Construction of Buffalo, N.Y., was named recently in a federal indictment in New York involving state contracts, kickbacks and extortion. Connecticut officials did not cite the Ciminelli indictment as a reason for the breakdown in negotiations. One of the original partners, Gilbane Development, backed out in 2013.

During an event in Bloomfield Thursday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Redeker and others did their due diligence with the developers, but could not finalize a deal.

I think that people are acting in accordance with the best interests of the state, Malloy said.

SMDV was headed by longtime Malloy contributer John McClutchy, a Darien millionaire and head of JHM Group developers. McClutchys other partners were Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. of Buffalo and ECCO III Enterprises of Yonkers.

Passenger criticisms

Train riders in Stamford have long chastised the project, saying it was designed to earn revenue for the state, not to improve parking at the train station, which is the livelihood lifeline for workers coming into Stamford or headed to jobs in New York City.

The train station is one of the most critical assets in our community, Stamford Mayor David Martin said Thursday. So I applaud the state for making the decision to rethink the project.

When the DOT announced Wednesday that the deal was dead, Martin said he had been given no details about the agencys plans.

The DOT has said it could not disclose details about the SMDV project because the partners are private developers and their plans are considered proprietary. So commuters were left out of most of the planning.

On Thursday, though, a DOT spokesman revealed the site of the 1,000-space garage it plans to construct in place of the old garage, which has been falling down for years.

The new $53 million garage is to be built on South State Street, near the intersection with Washington Boulevard, now the site of a small surface lot, DOT spokesman Judd Everhart said. A pedestrian bridge is planned to go over Washington Boulevard and connect the garage to the train platforms.

The old garage is on Station Place, right across the street from the platforms. It will remain open until the new one is finished in 2021, according to the DOT.

As with the original project  a Transit-Oriented Development designed to tie new construction to transportation hubs  the DOT so far has not been forthcoming about its latest plans.

The state will retain control of the Station Place site once the old garage is torn down, Everhart said, and right now the DOT has no plans for another Transit-Oriented Development there.

Traffic congestion

There are other questions.

Commuter advocates said Wednesday they are concerned about traffic flow around the train station, choked by taxis, motorists picking up and dropping off train riders, and about 400 daily trips by corporate shuttle buses. A draft of a soon-to-be-released study for the DOT shows that Stamford has more employee shuttle bus trips per day than any other train station in the United States.

Everhart said Thursday that the DOT is working on the taxi and shuttle issues. Martins office and the citys economic development director and traffic director have been involved.

Questions have lingered about how many parking spaces the city needs at the train station. Estimates have fluctuated significantly. Everhart said Thursday there are about 180 names on a waiting list of commuters who want to buy a $70 monthly parking permit.

Once on the list, the wait is typically about eight months, Everhart said in an email. Each month, we call about 40 people on the waiting list to see if theyre still interested. If not, they are culled from the list.

The dead deal is a blow to McClutchy, who has had ties to Malloy since Malloy was Stamford mayor from 1995 to 2009.

In 2013, days before the DOT announced the selection of McClutchys partnership for the Stamford train station deal, McClutchy and his wife and son gave $30,000 to state Democrats, Malloys party. Right after that, McClutchy was invited to a special closed-door meeting of the governors Stamford Advisory Committee to discuss the train station project.
GREENWICH  In what has become a customary, festive celebration of cultures and nationalities, 330 students representing 62 countries donned native outfits and proudly marched outside Julian Curtiss School Thursday afternoon.

It was the 26 annual United Nations Parade of Nations ceremony at the school. Countries like Ireland, China, the Dominican Republic, Romania, Canada, Italy, Colombia, Trinidad, Japan and, of course, the United States of America, were represented as kids came dressed up and carried the flags of their native countries while all shouting out hellos to the crowd that gathered outside the school.

The parade is a beloved tradition at Julian Curtiss School to mark United Nations Day, one that Principal Trish McGuire says holds true to the schools values.

Our message includes acceptance of each other, celebration of diversity and hope for peace, McGuire said.

The students performed several musical selections before and after the parade and the United Nations flag was raised alongside the American flag. Additionally, several speakers were featured. Fifth grade students Shion Shinomiya and Yabdiel Pascual Igaravidez both spoke as did parent Basmah Jassem.

Jassem, the mother of Julian Curtiss students Yasmin Harrim and Zacharia Harrim, urged the kids to be proud of their backgrounds and celebrate their diversity. A Muslim woman, Jassem noted how she was proudly wearing her hijab and talked of growing up in Cyprus as the child of a Syrian mother and Iraqi father before moving to Jordan and the United Kingdom, embracing her background as she told everyone to do the same.

Citing her own experiences moving as a youth and the decision she and her husband made to come to America, she talked to the others in the crowd who shared that experience by noting how difficult it was at first adjusting to a new country but saying they were committed to making the United States their home even as they left behind their families, friends and homes full of memories.

You find yourself having to adapt to a new language, new norms, new people, new settings and a new mix of cultures, even the food, Jassem said. But slowly you gain confidence and find yourself not only fitting in but you begin to realize that you have so much to offer and contribute to the community. Slowly at first but more quickly later on you begin to feel accepted and let me tell you there is nothing more gratifying than the feeling of being welcome.

Jassem called Julian Curtiss a microcosm of the world we want our children to live in rich in diverse races, ethnicities, genders, cultures, religions and socio economic and geographic backgrounds. She said that microcosm taught children tolerance, acceptance and openness to differences.

One day we wont need to ask if were diverse enough, Jassem said. It will become the norm. We were not meant to be the same. Isnt it amazing how many shades human skin comes in? Isnt it phenomenal how many colors and textures our hair can be? Isnt it even crazier how many different places weve all lived in and how many different faiths we practice? Our individuality is what makes us unique and together we share a great love of America and a great gratitude for America.

The parade was witnessed by local dignitaries like Interim Superintendent of Schools Sal Corda, Board of Education Chairman Laura Erickson, Vice Chairman Barbara ONeill and member Peter Bernstein, Selectmen Drew Marzullo and John Toner, State Sen. L. Scott Frantz and State Reps. Michael Bocchino and Fred Camillo.

There were also hundreds of parents lined up outside the school to watch the parade and cheer on their children. Christine Los was there to see her six-year-old son Josiah march to represent Germany as he wore vestments for a Lutheran pastor, something his father, uncle and grandfather all are.

This is such an exciting event, Los, who was enjoying the parade for the first time, said. Hes very excited to do this and it was so much fun getting ready for it. We cant wait to see it.

Nadya Podolsky was eager to see her daughter, six-year-old Eva Jayawera, wear a homemade outfit they made for her to show off her Ukranian heritage.

She has a gorgeous costume and were so proud of it, Podolsky said. Its amazing that she can do this. Shes born and raised here so its amazing to be able to share her story. She speaks the language too and were very proud.

The ceremony featured a letter from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, which was read by parent, and Julian Curtiss graduate Dana Cosby Lopez. But her reading the letter was a sad reminder at the ceremony as the letters had typically been read in the past by Ambassador Joseph Vernrer Reed, a major supporter of the school and of the United Nations, who died on Sept. 29.

At Julian Curtiss, he was a true friend, supporter and an inspiration to our young students, McGuire said.

Reed, who served as under secretary general at the UN for decades, was a beloved figure at the annual parade, coming to them for 23 years. McGuire formally dedicated a plaque at the schools mile marker. Located in the center of the grassy area outside the schools front door, the marker points the way to several different countries all over the globe. It now contains a plaque in Reeds memory reading, Your message of peace will be with us always.

Ambassador Reed was dedicated to our little United Nations School in Greenwich because he knew peace would begin with the youngest of citizens, McGuire said. Julian Curtiss has always been a school with an international flavor. As racial, cultural and linguistic diversity increases, so does the importance of our role in teaching children to live and work together respectfully.

The letter from Ki-moon noted how after every parade, Reed would send press clippings about it to his United Nations colleagues.

Make no doubt, we draw strength from your support, the letter assured the students.

kborsuk@scni.com
Transcription

1 Ireland in Rebellion, Course Description This is a free 14- week online course about the making of modern Ireland. In 2016 Ireland will commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising, the failed rebellion which none the less inspired the national movement for Irish independence. The 1916 Rising is seen as one of the critical moments in Irish history, and there are many debates about how it should be commemorated (or celebrated) and whether the Irish state which was created afterwards has lived up to the ideals of the founding fathers of This course explores those debates, but also situates them within the wider context of the development of Irish republicanism, going back to the ideals of Theobald Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen in the 1790s. It also examines the development of the constitutional nationalist tradition which was often in conflict with the forces of radicalism and violence. The course explores the making of modern Ireland, and the forces which led to the creation of the independent Irish state. This period witnessed the birth of the modern Ireland as both a parliamentary tradition and a revolutionary tradition, were developed, intersected, and ultimately clashed. It explores the difficult and often violent relationship between Ireland and Britain, in a period when ideas of nationalism and republicanism were being debated around the world. It also explores the tension between the supporters of the constitutional nationalist tradition in Ireland, and those who argue Irish independence would never have been achieved without the use of violence. Course Lecturer Professor Patrick Geoghegan has taught in Trinity College Dublin since A winner of the Provost s award for teaching excellence in 2009, he employs innovative methods to develop the critical and independent thinking skills, and also the communication skills, which are a key part of the Trinity Education. An expert on the Anglo- Irish relationship in the late- eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as on the competing themes of 1

2 constitutional nationalism and radical republicanism, his books include: The Irish Act of Union: A Study in High Politics, (1999); Lord Castlereagh (2002); Robert Emmet: A Life (2003); King Dan: The Rise of Daniel O'Connell, (2008); and Liberator: The Life and Death of Daniel O'Connell, (2010). Committed to all aspects of outreach and engagement with society, he presents the award- winning weekly history programme, Talking History, on Newstalk radio, podcasts for which are available to download on itunes. Overview The course runs for 14 weeks. Each week usually involves five pieces of video, each approximately 15 minutes long. Combined they form a coherent theme for the week. There will usually be four mini lectures, and one interview with a leading expert. The entire course is 17 hours long. Weekly Overview 1. The Challenge of the 1916 Rising: Irish History from the American War of Independence to the First World War. This introductory week explores the Proclamation of the 1916 Rising, the founding document of the modern Irish state. It also provides an overview of the major themes of the course, using the career of the great eighteenth century political theorist Edmund Burke as a prism through which the competing tensions of physical force and constitutional nationalism can be explored. Guest interviews: Dr. Patrick Prendergast, Provost and President of Trinity College Dublin. Professor Micheal O Siochru, Department of History. 2. The Age of Revolution, : Ireland and the Atlantic World. This week looks at the winning of Irish legislative independence in 1782 and the influence of the American and French Revolutions on Ireland. In the 1790s the ideal of an independent 2

3 Irish republic convinced some people that separation from Britain was necessary, and this led to the failed French invasion at Bantry Bay in Cork in Guest interview: Dr. Lisa- Marie Griffith. 3. Ireland in Flames: the 1798 Rebellion. This week looks at one of the bloodiest conflicts on Irish soil, when 30,000 people were killed in the summer of 1798, and the Irish, British, and French armies clashed in a struggle for supremacy. It explores how the high ideals of the rebellion were compromised, and how it gave way to brutal, sectarian carnage. The defeat of the Irish revolutionaries helped shape Irish history for the next century. Guest interview: Dr. Lisa- Marie Griffith. 4. The Irish Act of Union, 1800 The immediate legacy of the 1798 Rebellion was the decision of the British government to abolish the Irish parliament and rule directly from London. The Irish Act of Union was passed through bribery and corruption, and the illegal methods and the loss of Irish national pride, became a focal point for constitutional nationalists. Guest interview: Dr. Sean O Reilly, Trinity College Dublin. 5. Robert Emmet and the Rebellion of 1803 In 1803 a young, idealistic Irish revolutionary, Robert Emmet, led a doomed rebellion against British rule in Ireland. It failed, and he paid for that failure on the scaffold. Before he died he delivered a speech from the dock that has gone down in history as one of the greatest courtroom orations in history. It was memorised in its entirety by a young Abraham Lincoln, who later referenced it during the American Civil War. These classes will explore the speech and the reasons for the failure of the rebellion and how Emmet, a naive twenty- five year old, became the symbol of Irish nationalism and inspired the

4 leaders. The key document which will be discussed and re- enacted in class is Robert Emmet s speech from the dock. Guest interview: Mr. Justice Adrian Hardiman of the Supreme Court of Ireland. 6. Daniel O Connell and the Winning of Catholic Emancipation, Daniel O Connell, praised by President Barack Obama when he visited Ireland in 2011, is hailed as The Liberator, the man who raised a country that was on its knees and won it its religious freedom. This week focus on the greatest constitutional nationalist in Irish history, and how he mobilised the world s first mass peaceful democratic movement. The tension with revolutionary nationalism is also explored. Guest interview: Mr. Justice Adrian Hardiman of the Supreme Court of Ireland. 7. The Struggle for Repeal, Following the winning of Catholic emancipation in 1829 Daniel O Connell turned his attention to the winning of Irish parliamentary independence. His campaign also attacked slavery in the United States, winning him the support of Frederick Douglass, John Quincy Adams, and other leading abolitionists. This week explores the rise, fall, and resurrection of the parliamentary struggle. 8. The Famine, Young Ireland, and the Fenians. During the Great Irish Famine one million people died, and another million were forced to emigrate. This catastrophe devastated Irish society and created a legacy of resentment and bitterness, not just in Ireland but in Irish- America and around the world. This week explores how the Famine changed the nature of Irish politics forever. It also explores two further attempts to create an independent Irish republic, with the revolutionary activity of the Young Ireland movement and later the Fenians. Drawing on supporters in the United States (who carried out raids on Canada), and in Britain, the rebellions ultimately ended in failure. 4

5 This week will explore what went wrong, and how the revolutionary activity moved from open conflict to secret assassinations, sabotage, and terrorism. Guest interview: Professor Ciaran O Neill, Department of History. 9. The Rise and Fall of the Uncrowned King of Ireland. Charles Stewart Parnell became the great Irish constitutional leader of the second half of the nineteenth century. His campaign in the British parliament almost succeeded in winning Home Rule for Ireland, and restoring the Irish parliament. It failed, and that failure damaged the peaceful movement and created an irresistible momentum for war. Land was the focal point for much of the tensions on the island, and this week will also explore how it occasionally erupted into violence, and how the political responses created a whole new land settlement in Ireland. Guest interview: Professor Ciaran Brady, Chair of Early Modern History and Historiography, Trinity College Dublin. 10. Unionism versus Nationalism: Ireland in Crisis, This week looks at two crucial figures in Irish nationalism and unionism Roger Casement and Edward Carson. One wanted an independent Irish republic, the other that Ireland would remain an integral part of the British empire. Both were prepared to go to war to achieve these aims. Their competing visions set Ireland on an inexorable path towards war. Guest interview: Dr. Tomas Irish, University of Swansea (and formerly of Trinity College Dublin) 11. From Lockout to War, The partition of Ireland began much sooner than it was recognised by law. This week look at how Ireland was spilt on religious and political lines, and how the country almost erupted 5

6 into open civil war in It also examines the major industrial dispute, the 1913 Lockout, and Irish involvement in the first world war. Guest interview: Professor David Fitzpatrick, Chair of Modern History, Trinity College Dublin. 12. The 1916 Rising. The 1916 Rising is believed to represent the birth of the Irish state. Although it ended in failure, with the leaders executed and the rebellion crushed, it inspired a wave of activity that culminated in the winning of Irish independence in This week will explore the iconic 1916 Proclamation, the leaders of the rebellion, and the reasons for the failure, and how the failure was transformed into success. Guest interview: Mr. Justice Adrian Hardiman of the Supreme Court of Ireland. 13. The Winning of Irish Independence: The penultimate class explores what happened after 1916, as the war of independence broke out in 1919 and eventually forced the negotiation of the Anglo- Irish Treaty and the creation of the Irish Free State. The partition of Ireland, and the Civil War of provided a bloody epilogue to the events of the course. Guest interview: Professor Eunan O Halpin, Chair of Contemporary Irish History, Trinity College Dublin. 14. Commemorating Ireland: Challenges and Opportunities. Ireland is preparing to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising in 2016 as well as the events of the period But there is a serious debate about whether these events should be celebrated, or just remembered, and what form these commemorations should take. This final week explores some of the challenges of commemoration, from the way the 1798 and 1803 rebellions have been commemorated. It will explore the nature of 6

7 commemoration, the nature of public history, and how the events of the period can and should be remembered. Guest interview: Professor Anne Dolan, Department of History. Professor Micheal O Siochru, Department of History. 7
Transcription

1 Vermont Secretary of State Montpelier VT Kara Shangraw Licensing Board Specialist (802) ELECTROLOGIST APPLICATION FOR ELECTROLOGIST INSTRUCTION TO APPLICANTS A. LICENSE BY EXAMINATION: Applicants must submit the following: 1. Complete Application 2. Application Fee of $ (n-refundable Processing Fee) 3. Verification of Education Form. Complete a course of study of at least 600 hours at a school of electrolysis approved by the director which meets or exceeds the standards set by the American Electrology Association. This form needs to be submitted directly from your school to the Office of Professional Regulation. 4. Once your application is approved the office will notify you of a date and time for you to take the IBEC exam. B. LICENSE BY ENDORSEMENT: Applicants must submit the following: 1. Complete Application 2. Application Fee of $ (n-refundable Processing Fee) 3. Verification of Licensure in other jurisdictions, and In-Good Standing. Current license in good standing in another jurisdiction having requirements substantially equivalent to those in the State of Vermont. This form needs to be submitted directly from the state(s) and sent to the Office of Professional Regulation. THE PRACTICE OF ELECTROLOGY SHALL BE PERMITTED ONLY IN LICENSED ELECTROLOGY OFFICES. LICENSEES MUST NOTIFY THE OFFICE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF ANY CHANGE OF NAME OR ADDRESS.

2 Vermont Secretary of State Montpelier VT Kara Shangraw Licensing Board Specialist (802) Electrologist Application for Licensure Applying on the basis of: Examination Licensed in another state (Endorsement) (Use Ink or Typewritten only) First Name (Legal name; no nicknames) MI Last Name Previous Name(s) (Maiden) Social Security Number: / / ** (Providing your social security number (SSN) is mandatory, and requested under the authority granted by 42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C). It will be used by the Departments of Taxes, Child Support, and the Department of Labor in the administration of Vermont law, to identify individuals affected by such laws. Your SSN is not disclosed as part of a public records request); OR Passport Number: *** (If you do not have a social security number you must provide a passport number as evidence that there is no attempt to procure a license fraudulently (3 V.S.A. 129a) P.O. Box Mailing Address: Street/Apt # Country Box Street/Apt # 911 Address: (if different than mailing) Suite/Department/Floor Phone: ( ) - Cell Phone: ( ) - Fax: ( ) - Date of Birth Gender: (Circle One) Female Male List below every state in which you now hold, or have ever held, a license/certification to practice STATE LICENSE # DATE ISSUED DATE EXPIRES(D)

3 Electrology Office Name Office License Number P.O. Box Mailing Address: Street/Apt # Country Home Phone: Work Phone: ( ) - ( ) - Cell Phone: ( ) - Education: Name of Electrology School where you obtained your training: Number of hours earned Date Graduated (mm/dd/yyyy)

4 Section B: Vermont Mandatory Good Standing Declarations CHILD SUPPORT: Child Support Orders, 15 V.S.A. 795(b): Good standing for child support is defined by 15 V.S.A. 795(d). You must check the appropriate box. As of the date of this application: I am not subject to a child support order. I am subject to a child support order and I am in good standing or in full compliance with a plan to pay any and all child support. I am subject to a child support order and I am NOT in good standing or in full compliance with a plan to pay any and all child support. Please contact the Office of Child Support at (802) OCS must report your compliance to this office before you may be issued a license. TAXES: Taxes Due to the State of Vermont, 32 V.S.A. 3113(b): Good Standing for taxes due is defined by 32 V.S.A. 3113(g). You must check the appropriate box. As of the date of this application: I am in good standing with respect to, or in full compliance with a plan to pay any and all taxes due to the Vermont Department of Taxes. I am NOT in good standing * with respect to or in full compliance with a plan to pay any and all taxes due to the Vermont Department of Taxes. Please contact the Vermont Department of Taxes at (802) for more information. The Tax Department must report your compliance to this office before you may be issued a license. DISTRICT COURT FINES/JUDICIAL BUREAU: Court judgments for fines or penalties, 4 V.S.A. 1110(b): Good standing for court judgments is defined by 4 V.S.A. 1110(c). You must check the appropriate box. As of the date of this application: I have no unpaid judgments issued by the judicial bureau or criminal division of the superior court for fines or penalties for a violation or criminal offense. I am in good standing with respect to any unpaid judgment issued by the judicial bureau or criminal division of the superior court for fines or penalties for a violation or criminal offense. I am NOT in good standing with respect to any unpaid judgment issued by the judicial bureau or criminal division of the superior court for fines or penalties for a violation or criminal offense. You must provide this office documentation of compliance before you may be issued a license. RESTITUTION ORDERS: Unpaid Judgments, 13 V.S.A. 7043a: Good standing for restitution orders is defined by 13 V.S.A. 7043a(c). You must check the appropriate box. As of the date of this application: I have no restitution order. I am in good standing with respect to any restitution order. I am NOT in good standing with respect to any restitution order. You must provide this office documentation of compliance before you may be issued a license.

5 Section C: Vermont Mandatory Credential and Fitness Questions Circle or for each of these questions. If the answer is, follow the instructions provided. Has Vermont or any other state, federal authority, or other jurisdiction (US or elsewhere) denied an application by you for a license, certificate, or registration to practice a profession or occupation? If, you must attach a copy of the order or official notification of the action(s). Has Vermont or any other state, federal authority, or other jurisdiction (US or elsewhere) taken any disciplinary action (restricted, suspended, revocation or conditioned) against a license, certificate, or registration that you hold or held in any profession or occupation? If, you must provide a copy of the order or official notification of the action. Have you ever surrendered a license, certificate or registration to a licensing authority in Vermont or any other state, federal authority or other jurisdiction (US or elsewhere)? If, you must provide a detailed written explanation and copies of any applicable documentation. Are you currently under investigation by a licensing authority in Vermont or any other state, federal authority or other jurisdiction (US or elsewhere)? If, you must provide a detailed written explanation and a copy of any available information from the licensing authority. Have you EVER been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation? (Driving While Intoxicated and Driving Under the Influence are not minor traffic violations. ) If, you must provide a detailed written explanation and attach the official court documents (i.e., affidavit of probable cause, the information and/or the docket report.) Do you have any criminal charges pending against you in any jurisdiction (US or elsewhere)? If, you must provide a detailed written explanation and attach a copy of the charging documents. te: Vermont law requires that you report to the a felony conviction or any conviction of a crime related to the practice of your profession within 30 days. 3 V.S.A. 129a(a)(11). The answers to the following questions are not subject to public disclosure: Do you have a physical or mental condition or disorder which in any way impairs or limits your ability to practice this profession with reasonable skill and safety? If, you must have your health care provider submit a detailed statement explaining how you are able to practice safely. Does your use of alcohol, substances, or prescription medications impair or limit your ability to practice this profession with reasonable skill and safety? If, you must provide a detailed written explanation. Are you currently addicted to or in any way dependent on alcohol or habit forming drugs? If, you must provide a detailed written explanation.

6 Statement of Applicant I certify, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that all information I have provided in this application is true and accurate. I understand that furnishing false information may constitute unprofessional conduct and result in the denial of my application or further disciplinary action. The maximum penalty for perjury is fifteen years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. (13 V.S.A. 2901) Signature of Applicant Date

7 Vermont Secretary of State Montpelier VT Kara Shangraw Licensing Board Specialist (802) VERIFICATION OF ELECTROLOGY EDUCATION Complete the applicant section of this form and forward it to the school where you received your education. First Name (Legal name no nicknames) MI Last Name & Title (Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.) Circle One: Mr. Mrs. Ms. Dr. Previous Name(s) (Maiden) P.O. Box Mailing Address: Street/Apt # Country Date of Birth Date Graduated I hereby authorize the Electrology School to furnish to the Vermont the information requested below. Applicant Signature: Date: Name of Electrology School Location (City/State) Was the course of study at least 600 hours? YES NO Does this course of study meet or exceed the standards set by the American Electrology Association? YES NO Date this applicant graduated from this program? (OFFICIAL SEAL) Signature of Authorized Officer Completing Form Date

8 Vermont Secretary of State Montpelier VT Kara Shangraw Licensing Board Specialist (802) VERIFICATION OF LICENSURE Complete the applicant section of this form and have every state in which you now hold or have ever held a license/certification to practice complete this page. Licensed as: Date of Birth: Applicant: First Name MI Last Name & Title (Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.) Former/Maiden P.O. Box Mailing Address: Street/Apt # Country I hereby authorize the License Agency to furnish to the Vermont the information requested below. Signature Date: Information Below To Be Completed by the Licensing Agency: License # Date Issued: Date Expired: Licensed By: Examination/Education Endorsement/Reciprocity License Status Has this license ever been encumbered in anyway (revoked, suspended, limited, surrendered, restricted, placed on probation)? If yes, attach a copy of the decision Active Inactive/Lapsed YES NO Signature of person completing form: Date: State Completing this form: City/State: Telephone: STATE LICENSING AUTHORITY: Mail to Vermont Secretary of State Montpelier, VT (OFFICIAL SEAL)
Amazons Echo has been a great success, and it took a while for Google to finally catch up to the online retailer giant when it finally introduced its own home assistant, Google Home. The Amazon Echo is now smaller and more affordable than ever before. You can get one for $50 starting today from Amazon US, and available for 50 in the UK where the original Amazon Echo only launched last month.

This is the second generation of the Echo Dot which took the original home speaker and left the smart listening mics that are found at the top. The only caveat was that you needed to use your own speaker. The new Echo Dot has its own speakers, gets rid of the rotary-style volume control at the top, and trims some of the fat as its even smaller than the original Echo Dot.

The new Echo Dot is the most affordable way to buy into the smart/connected home ecosystem. If you already plan on getting a Philips bridge or smart thermostat, Amazon is offering bundles that can help you save, as well as a 6-pack bundle (buy-five, get-one-free for $250 or 250) if you want to have Alexa in every room of your house. Use the code: DOT6PACK during checkout.



Amazon Echo Dot Gen 2 in Black or White

The bundles can save you anywhere from $10 to $50:

(US)Echo Dot + Bose SoundLink Mini II (Carbon or Pearl)  $214 (Save $35)

(US)Echo Dot + Philips Hue Starter Kit - $100 (Save $20)

(US)Echo Dot + TP-Link Smart Plug - $70 (Save $10)

(US)Echo Dot + ecobee3 Smart Thermostat - $250 (Save $50)

(UK)Echo Dot + Netatmo Thermostat - 149 (Save 41)

Bundles with savings of $50 basically mean a free Amazon Echo Dot.

Source (US) (UK)
We can understand why Google is now cracking down on Android Pay. As Google releases its Pixel devices, it doesnt want people tinkering too much with an Android Pay enabled device. So the rules are simple: If your device is rooted, no Android Pay, if your devices bootloader is unlocked, no Android Pay either, even if you havent modified the system at all.

A Nexus 6P owner discovered that his Android Pay was no longer working because his bootloader was unlocked. Although the phone is not rooted, this is no longer enough for Android Pay to run, the device must have a locked bootloader, and cannot be rooted either.

Well this is cool... Updated to the #android 7.1.1 Beta on my Nexus 6P & I can no longer use Android Pay with my unlocked bootloader. Proof pic.twitter.com/spGsqYNTxb  Joey Riz (@jerflash) October 21, 2016

As Google devices are getting into the hands of not just Android enthusiasts, but also the general public, Google is more concerned about Android Pays security.

Allowing Android Pay to work on a rooted device or a device with an unlocked bootloader would be a serious security flaw, as any tinkerer can figure out how the system ticks and potentially steal credit card info, if this happened, it would put a scar on the payment service's reputation.

Disabling Android Pay for modified devices is the only way Google can ensure everyones sensitive credit card information is safe. Bummer for those who like to flash ROMs and use Android Pay, as the two can no longer occur in unison.
If you recall, a photo leak last week revealed a new Blue Coral variant of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, and that it's headed to Verizon in the US. Now, the South Korean company has officially confirmed the new Galaxy S7 edge color.

Specifically, the confirmation came from Samsung's Singapore subsidiary which announced the retail availability for the handset on its official website.

The image that leaked last week

"Samsung today also announced the retail availability of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge 4G+ in Blue Coral, adding a stunning colour variant to this sleek and stylish device," the company said in a press release.

"Currently available in Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Pink Gold, the new colour variant of the Galaxy S7 edge 4G+ features a refined design coupled with powerful functionality while encased in a cool blue hue."

As for availability, the subsidiary said the phone (32GB variant) will go on sale in the Asian country starting November 5. It will carry a price tag of SGD 1,098 ($787).

Source
Google's new Pixel phones are now available for purchase

Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are now available for purchase. In the United States, the devices can either be purchased directly from Google or through Verizon and Best Buy.

Google Store has both 32GB and 128GB models listed - color options include black and silver. Shipments, however, won't begin until next month.

Verizon, on the other hand, has the devices in stock. Blue color option is available as well, but it only comes with 32GB storage for both handsets - the blue Pixel XL, however, will ship November 18 onwards.

Best Buy also has a few Verizon-branded Pixel models listed on its website, although only in 32GB storage. For more details, head to the Source links below.

Source 1 2 3
Now, where have we seen this before? Oh yeah, a car caught fire to a Florida mans Jeep where the main culprit was the Samsung Galaxy Note7.

In any case, similar to what happened with the Note7 phones. It appears that these phones are catching fire within the first week or two since activation. But now that the iPhone 7 has already had more than a couple of cases oh fires, perhaps a few more reports of fires and Apple could be facing a similar fate that Samsung did with the Note7, requiring a worldwide recall.

What is left of car's center console: 7 News AU

Mat Jones left his phone under a bunch of clothes in his car while he went to take a surfing lesson. When he returned, he found his car filled with smoke, 7 News reports. The heated phone ignited and smoked the interior to a crisp.

Charred remains of the iPhone 7: 7 News AU

Ash was just coming from inside the pants which then, once you unwrapped the pants, the phone was just melting inside of it, Jones told 7 News. The Surf instructor is now left with no phone, or car, which was badly damaged during the fire.

7 News says that Apple is aware of the incident and will investigate the events that led to the phones ignition. The investigation would also determine whether or not the incident was caused by a defective iPhone.

The iPhone 7 was sitting under clothes, and in a car parked at the beach, it is totally possible that the heat building up in the car began to warm the phone up, speeding up the ignition process, and with plenty of fuel to burn, the poor surfers clothes.

If you have any phone, regardless of what it is, dont let it overheat, and definitely do NOT charge it on your bed near a pillow, phones can get really hot if they are charging and end up under a pillow.

Thanks, Renato!

Source | Via
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1 Proline Nal. 22(2): Vulnerability of Largemouth Bass to Angling in Two Small South Dakota Impoundments JOHN P. LINDGREN and DAVID W. WILLIS Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. South Dakota State Univ. Brookings. SD '. ABSTRACT - Population estimates were made for largemouth bass (,UicropunlJ wmoljn) longer than 200 mm in two small South Dakota impoundments. Fish were marked after capture by angling and recaptured by nighuime demofishing. Murdo Lake. an 18.2-ha public impoundment. had an estimated largemouth bass density of 84 fish/ha and a biomass of 33.6 kg/ha. Knox Pond. a 1.3 ha private pond. had an estimated density of 887 ftsh/ha and a biomass of kg/ha. Twelve anglers fished for IWO days (218 tow houts) at Murdo Lake. and caught II % of the estimated largemouth bass population in the impoundment. Four anglets fished during one afternoon (20 tolal hours) at Knox Pond. and caught 33% of the latgemouth bass populalion in the pond. These data demonstrate the vulnerability of latgemouth bass 10 angling in small South Dakota impoundments. Largemouth bass (Microplerus sl1lmoides) in small impoundments have proven vulnerable to overharvest by anglers (Graham Hickman and Congdon 1974). For example. the adult largemouth bass population in 12.5-haJo Shelby Lake. Missouri. sustained a 69% harvest during the first four days of angling (Hickman and Congdon 1974). In a study to determine the effects of variable harvest rates of largemouth bass on largemouth bass and bluegill (Lepomis ml1chrochirus) population dynamics. Graham (1974) determined that a 40% harvest provided the most desirable largemouth bass population in terms of growth and recruitment. Beyond this level of exploitation. few catchable-size largemouth bass remained in the population. and bluegills typically overpopulated after the predator (bass) population was reduced. Thus. largemouth bass populations are commonly managed using harvest regulations (Redmond 1986). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential for largemouth bass overharvest in small South Dakota impoundments. METHODS Murdo Lake is an 18.2-ha municipal water storage reservoir located 3 km nonh of Murdo. SO. The lake is open to fishing. and has two public boat launching sites and various shoreline access roads. which provide the means for potentially heavy fishing pressure. Knox Pond is a 1.3-ha private impoundment located 24 km nonh of Murdo. SO. and is rarely fished. Water levels on both impoundments were below normal because of drought conditions in Surface areas were approximated based on the high water mark at spillway elevation. Physiochemical characteristics of the impoundments are summarized in Table

2 Table 1. Physiochemical characteristics of Knox Pond and Murdo Lake. South Dakota. Characteristic Knox Pond Murdo lake Surface area (ha) at time of study Estimated normal surface area (ha) % surface area covered by aquatic vegetation Conductivity (us I cm) Other fish species BBH BLG. BlC. YEP present' NOP. BBH 'BlG:::; Bluegill (LepomiJ macrochiruj). Ble:::; Black crappie (PomoxiJ nigromllcultziui). YEP:::; Yellow perch (Pe1'&11 jkmcenj). NOP = Nonhern pike (Esox lucius). and BBH = Black bullhe2d (/&llliunjj melal) As pan of a length-limit evaluation. Peterson (single census) mark-andrecapture population estimates (Ricker 1975) were conducted on both impoundments during the spring of Estimates were made with angling as the marking technique and nighttime elecrrofishing as the recapture technique. We used paper punches to mark largemouth bass in the soft dorsal fin. being cenain that a fin ray was cut. Anificiallures were used to reduce hooking mortality (Pelzman 1978). while lure size was varied to capture various sizes of largemouth bass. We caught largemouth bass less than 200 rom long. but did not estimate their number. Marked fish were released at the location of their capture. Largemouth bass were recaptured at night with 220-V electfofishing boats. Given the small size of Knox Pond. largemouth bass were recaptured the same day as being marked. Because Murdo Lake is larger. largemouth bass were allowed three days to redistribute before the four-day recapture effon. Recaptures were marked in the anal fin to facilitate recognition in successive samples. A minimum of five largemouth bass per centimeter length group were weighed and measured (total length) at each impoundment. Biomass estimates were calculated by multiplying the percentage of fish in each centimeter length group from elecrrofishing length frequencies times the population estimate. Mean weight per centimeter length group was then multiplied by the number of fish in the corresponding length group. Total weights for each centimeter length group were summed to obtain the biomass. Only stock-length and longer (~ 200 mm) fish were included in the estimates. as both electcofishing (Reynolds : and Simpson 1978) and angling (Gabelhouse and Willis 1986) are inefficient means for capturing sub-stock largemouth bass. We calculated proponional stock density (PSD) for both largemouth bass populations. PSD is the percentage of stock-length fish that are also of quality length (Anderson and Gutceuter 1983). Minimum quality length for largemouth bass is 300 mm. 108

3 Murdo Lake RESULTS During the two-day marking effon, 12 anglers fished for 218 hours (12.0 hours/ha). We captured and marked 168 stock length and longer largemouth bass. for an angling catch rate of O. 77 fish/hour. Sample size for the recapture effon was of which were marked. The population estimate was with a 95 % confidence interval of  649 (Table 2). This corresponds to a density of 84 fish/ha and a biomass of 33.6 kg/ha. The PSD for the largemouth bass population in Murdo Lake was 23. Thus. during the two-day marking effort. 12 anglers caught 11 % of the estimated number of stock-length largemouth bass in the impoundment. Table 2. Population estimates. density. and biomass of largemouth bass 200 mm and longer in Knox Pond and Murdo Lake. South Dakota. The 95% confidence intervals for each parameter are included in parentheses. Impoundment Population estimate Density (number/ha) Biomass (kg/ha) Murdo Lake Knox Pond 1530 ( 649) 1153 ( 214) 84 ( 35) 887 ( 165) 33.6 ( 14.2) ( 20.8) Knox Pond Four anglers fished for a total of 20 hours (15.4 hours/ ha) at Knox Pond. Three hundred and eighty-six stock-length largemouth bass were captured and marked. yielding an angler catch rate of 19.3 fish/hour. Recapture sample size was of which were marked. The population estimate was with a 95% confidence interval of  214 (Table 2). The density was calculated to be 887 fish/hat with a biomass of kg/ha. The PSD for this population was 0; we did not collect a 300-mm or longer largemouth bass by angling or electfofishing. The 386 stock-length fish caught by four anglers fishing for one afternoon amounted to 33 % of the population estimate. DISCUSSION These data emphasize the potential for overharvest of largemouth bass in South Dakota and the potential differences in their vulnerability to angling in public and private waters. Although Graham (1974) showed that harvest rates of 40% produced the most desirable largemouth bass populations. the optimum harvest rate for lakes at nonhern latitudes may be lower. Modde and Scalet (1985) 109

4 showed that largemouth bass at northern latitudes grew slower and attained smaller maximum sizes than their counterparts at southern latitudes. This reduced growth potential could cause the largemouth bass and bluegill predator-prey balance to be disrupted at harvest rates below 40%. Anderson and Heman (1969) demonstrated that naive largemouth bass (those not previously exposed to angling) were more vulnerable to angling than experienced fish (those in an exploited population). Our data reinforce these results. The largemouth bass in the public impoundment (Murdo Lake) were caught at a lower rate than the naive fish in the private pond. Although this paper does not document an actual overharvest case history. our data indicate the potential impact of anglers on largemouth bass populations. At Murdo Lake. 12 anglers fishing for one weekend were able to catch 11 % of the estimated catchable size largemouth bass in a public impoundment. At the 40% maximum allowable exploitation level suggested by Graham (1974). the 12 anglers that fished Murdo Lake could conceivably have removed the maximum allowable harvest in four weekends. The Knox Pond case history is more extreme. Four anglers fished for one afternoon and caught 33 % of the estimated number of catchable size largemouth bass in the pond. Biomass estimates for 200-mm and longer largemouth bass were 33.6 kg/ha for Murdo Lake and kg/ha for Knox Pond. Hackney (1978) reported that largemouth bass biomass in 38 small impoundments in the midwest (Illinois. Indiana. Iowa. Kansas. Kentucky. Missouri. and Ohio) ranged from 3 to 112 kg/ha. These estimates are for all sizes of largemouth bass. not JUSt those 200 mm or longer as in this study. Thus. Murdo Lake apparently has a moderate largemouth bass biomass while the biomass in Knox Pond is high. The PSD values of 23 and 0 for Murdo Lake and Knox Pond. respectively. support our biomass estimates for these impoundments. It is possible that the drought of 1989 resulted in artificially-high biomass estimates for these impoundments. At estimated normal pool (Table 1). the surface area of Knox Pond would be 1.8 ha. If we use this area. the biomass estimate would still be 80.9 kg/ha which is substantially higher than the average reported by Hackney (1978). Certainly our data indicate the vulnerability of largemouth bass to angling in public and private waters. We are currently evaluating length limits as tools for managing largemouth bass populations in public waters. Length limits are intended to control the density and protect the quality of a population. Catch rates at Murdo Lake indicate a potential for overharvest and need for control of largemouth bass harvest rates. For private waters. it is imporrant to provide pond owners with information describing proper management techniques. Most pond management booklets warn that largemouth bass harvest must be controlled or insufficient largemouth bass will remain to control the density of panfish such as bluegills (Gabelhouse et al Willis et al. In press). If Knox Pond contained bluegills. and if those four anglers had fished for two days instead of one. the harvest of largemouth bass could have potentially disrupted the predator-prey balance. Thus. this study has important implications for management of both public impoundments and private ponds. 110

5 --.. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Field assistance was provided by Greg Hoffman. Craig Milewski. Patrick Saf fel. David Simon. Gerald Wickstrom. and the Murdo Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) club. We would especially like to thank Chris Knox for allowing access to his pond and Dennis Mann for logistical suppon. Manuscript review was provided by Charles Scalet and Christopher Guy. Panial funding for this project was provided by the South Dakota Department of Game. Fish and Parks through Dingell Johnson Project F-15-R South Dakota State University. and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. This paper was ap proved for publication by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Series No LITERA TURE CITED Anderson. R. 0.. and M. L. Heman Angling as a factor influencing catch ability of largemouth bass. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 98: Anderson. R. 0.. and S. J. Gutreuter Length. weight. and associated structural indices. Pp in Fisheries techniques (L. A. Nielsen and D. L. Johnson. eds.). American Fisheries Society. Bethesda. MD. Gabelhouse. D. W.. Jr.. R. L. Hager, and H. E. Klaasen Producing fish and wildlife from Kansas ponds. Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Pratt. Gabelhouse. D. W., Jr., and D. W. Willis Biases and utility of angler catch data for assessing size structure and density of largemouth bass. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 6: Graham, L. K Effects of four harvest rates on pond fish populations. Pp in Symposium on overharvest and management oflargemouth bass in small impoundments O. L. Funk, ed.). N. Cent. Div. Am. Fish. Soc.. Spec. Pub!. No.3. Hackney, P. A Fish community biomass relationships. Pp in New approaches to the management of small impoundments (G. D. Novinger and J. G. Dillard, eds.). N. Cent. Div. Am. Fish. Soc., Spec. Pub!. No.5. Hickman. G. D.. and J. C. Congdon Effects of length limits on fish populations. Pp in Symposium on overharvest and management of largemouth bass in small impoundments O. L. Funk. ed.). N. Cent. Div. Am. Fish. Soc.. Spec. Pub!. No.3. Modde. T.. and C. G. Scalet Latirudinal growth effects on predator.prey interactions between largemouth bass and bluegills in ponds. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 5 : Pelzman. R. J Hooking monaliry of juvenile largemouth bass. Microplenu sa/moides. Calif. Fish Game 64: Redmond. L. C The history and development of warm water fish harvest regulations. Pp in Reservoir fisheries management: strategies for the 80's (G. E. Hall and M. J. Van Den Avyle. eds.). Southern Division American Fisheries Society. Bethesda. MD. III

6 Reynolds. J. B. and D. E. Simpson Evaluation of fish sampling methods and rotenone census. Pp in New appraoches to the management of small impoundments (G. D. Novinger and J. G. Dillard. eds.). N. Cent. Div. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Pub!. No.5. Ricker. W. E Computation and interpretation of biological statistics of fish populations. Fish. Res. Board Can. Bull. No Willis. D. W. M. D. Seem. and R. L. Hanten. In press. Managing South Dakota ponds for fish and wildlife. South Dakota Depanment of Game. Fish and Parks. Pierre. Received 8 December Accepted 2 April
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Haiti - Politic : Call for emergency funds, the international community timid





Thursday, 10 days after the launch by the United Nations in Geneva (Monday 10 October) of a flash appeal for humanitarian funds of nearly $120 million to help Haiti after the devastating passage of Hurricane Matthew https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18897-haiti-flash-un-launches-a-$120m-flash-appeal-for-haiti.html the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, during a meeting with the General Assembly, asked once again to donors to respond to the call for emergency funds, which is currently funded at only 22%.



Let's recall that last Saturday, Ban had expressed disappointment at the lack of response from the international community which after 6 days had contributed only 15.6 million dollars (13%) "I am disappointed by the response of the international community [...] I urge the major donors to lend their helpful hand," had stated the Secretary General to the airport Toussaint Louverture during his visit to Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18947-haiti-politic-ban-ki-moon-on-site-discovers-the-extent-of-destruction.html while acknowledging "some fatigue on the part of some countries" to contrinute https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18965-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html



"I thank the donors for their initial support. But I have to remind the General Assembly that this call is only funded at 22% (26.4 million). We urgently need more resources," declared Ban Ki-moon.



See also

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18965-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18947-haiti-politic-ban-ki-moon-on-site-discovers-the-extent-of-destruction.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18897-haiti-flash-un-launches-a-$120m-flash-appeal-for-haiti.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Matthew : The government is stepping up efforts to assist victims





The Government is stepping up efforts to support and assist the victims of the 7 departments struck by the devastating Hurricane Matthew.



Over 51.1 million gourdes (+/- 775,000 US dollars) has been disbursed from the emergency fund and transferred tocommunities. The government conveyed by land, particularly towards the departments of Great South and Northwest, more than 120 tons of non-food products and more than 468 tons of foodstuffs (including 165 tons of rice and 130,000 liters of water).



Moreover, according to new distribution strategies of humanitarian assistance of the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18993-haiti-politic-new-distribution-strategies-of-humanitarian-aid.html , more than 200 tons of aid are being sent by sea and air to the Great South coasts and inland, with the support of local and international partners.



Also, the boat "Pelican" which left Port au Prince Tuesday has already supplied the communes of Dame-Marie and Abricots and continues its path towards Anse d'Hainault, the Irois and Tiburon to be supplied this Friday 21 October. A second ship, "Holland", has left the harbor of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday evening in the direction of Petit-Trou de Nippes, Grand Boucan and Corail in the Grand Anse.



Staff of the Directorate of Civil Protection and representatives of departmental Associations of Casec, are also on board these ships to ensure a proximity distribution impartially and in an orderly manner.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18993-haiti-politic-new-distribution-strategies-of-humanitarian-aid.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Lavalas calls for mobilization against the CEP

Wednesday at a conference Fanmi Lavalas officially asked the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to respect the Constitution of 7 February for the installation of an elected President. Maryse Narcisse, the presidential candidate under the banner of the Party, called on supporters to mobilize in order to requiere of the CEP the respect for the Constitution of 7 February, describing that calendar as a electoral coup. "Fanmi Lavalas will not obey this new calendar. We will mobilize to force the CEP to choose another date, while respecting the constitutional deadline," declared the candidate.



The Presidency minimizes the Court of Cassation

The Presidency Spokesman Eddy Jackson Alexis, said that in their statement https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18977-haiti-justice-the-3rd-power-believes-that-the-governance-is-illegal-and-illegitimate.html and resolution https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18983-haiti-flash-the-court-of-cassation-request-the-replacement-of-jocelerme-privert.html , the judges of the Court of Cassation requesting the replacement of the de facto President Privert only express their personal opinions.



Recall that six seats are vacant at the Court of Cassation but the President de facto Privert yet generous in its appointments https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18975-haiti-flash-privert-has-already-made-more-than-90-nominations-and-he-continues.html , is in no hurry to make appointments to these positions and make the Court of Cassation functional...



No delay for the opening of Parliament

Wednesday, at a press conference of the Provisional Electoral Council assured that the Parliament resumes of second Monday of January 2017 will take place because it says the results for the second round of legislative elections will have time to be published on January 3...



Candidates block the NR2

On Thursday, a group of candidates blocked the National Road #2 at Brache, in order to put pressure on the authorities for the rehabilitation of the bridge over the Momance.



Privert met of humanitarian actors

hursday at the National Palace, the de facto President Jocelerme Privert, had a fruitful meeting with various actors involved in the management and distribution of humanitarian aid to help victims of Hurricane Matthew.



US Ambassador reacts

Reacting to the open letter and the resolution of 6 judges of the Court of Cassation, US Ambassador to Haiti, Peter F. Mulrean declared "We find that there is enough of instability in that country and that no one has to add to this instability," ensuring that the United States had taken a position on this matter.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/10/20 | Source

Korean movies opening today 2016/10/20 in Korea: "Queen of Walking" and "The Rule of Violence"

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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
Transcription

1 Veterinary Parasitology 186 (2012) Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology jo u rn al hom epa ge : Short communication Fatal infection in two Icelandic stallions caused by Halicephalobus gingivalis (Nematoda: Rhabditida) Matthias Eydal a,, Slavko H. Bambir a, Sigurdur Sigurdarson b, Eggert Gunnarsson a, Vilhjamur Svansson a, Stefan Fridriksson c, Ellert Thor Benediktsson d, Olof G. Sigurdardottir a a Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur, Vesturlandsvegur, 112 Reykjavik, Iceland b Agricultural Authority of Iceland, Austurvegur 64, 800 Selfoss, Iceland c Artun 9, 550 Saudarkrokur, Iceland d Dyralknamidstodin ehf, Veterinary Clinic, Dynskalum 30, 850 Hella, Iceland a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 1 March 2011 Received in revised form 28 October 2011 Accepted 7 November 2011 Keywords: Halicephalobus gingivalis Infection Horses Iceland a b s t r a c t Opportunistic infections with the free living nematode Halicephalobus gingivalis are infrequently reported in horses but the cases are widespread geographically. The nematodes are believed to penetrate wounds and subsequently reproduce within the host tissues. This paper reports two cases of a fatal disease in stallions of the Icelandic breed in Iceland. Case 1: a stallion, which sustained injuries to the mouth after an accident, developed severe neurological signs and had to be euthanatized. Histological examination revealed mild inflammation and malacia in the cerebellum associated with the presence of numerous H. gingivalis nematodes. Case 2: a stallion that started swerving to one side and lost balance was euthanatized due to lack of response to therapy and rapid deterioration. Histological examination revealed numerous H. gingivalis nematodes in the cerebellum, brain stem, cervical spinal cord and in the meninges, with minimal reactive changes. In case 1 the infection presumably was acquired by nematodes from soil penetrating through wounds in the mouth. The mode of the H. gingivalis infection in case 2 is uncertain. These are the first cases of H. gingivalis infection reported from Iceland and the second report from the Nordic countries Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The nematode Halicephalobus gingivalis (Stefanski, 1954), synonym Halicephalobus deletrix and Micronema deletrix, belongs to the order Rhabditida, which commonly inhabit soil, manure and decaying humus. Opportunistic infections with this free living nematode are infrequently reported but the cases are widespread geographically. There are only about 50 published cases in horses worldwide (Anon., 2005; Boswinkel et al., 2006; Blunden et al., Corresponding author. Tel.: ; fax: address: (M. Eydal). 1987; Bryant et al., 2006; Muller et al., 2008; Nadler et al., 2003; Takai et al., 2005; Vasconcelos et al., 2007), one in Grevy s zebra (Isada et al., 2000) and four cases in humans (Sarah et al., 2010). H. gingivalis like nematodes have been reported from the brain of a cow (Montgomery and O toole, 2006) and according to Muller et al. (2008) this nematode has been associated with encephalitis in a big horn sheep. The pathogenesis, life cycle and route of infection of this nematode are not well known. The nematodes are believed to penetrate through contamination of oral, nasal or skin wounds and subsequently reproduce within the host tissues. Once in the host, these parthenogenetic nematodes seem to proliferate rapidly. Pathological effects in horses commonly include granulomatous inflammation /$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi: /j.vetpar

2 524 M. Eydal et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 186 (2012) and destruction of infected tissues (Nadler et al., 2003). The most commonly affected organs include oral or nasal cavities, brain, spinal cord, kidneys, lymph nodes and adrenal glands (Spalding et al., 1990). The disease always appears to be fatal when the central nervous system becomes infected. Since infection is generally only diagnosed postmortem in horses that have exhibited neurological signs, it is not known how commonly nonfatal infections occur. This paper reports two cases of a fatal disease in stallions of the Icelandic breed in Iceland. 2. Case presentations 2.1. Case 1 An eleven year-old stallion of the Icelandic breed developed a fatal infection following an accident. In the autumn of the year 2005 it was discovered that the horse apparently had been kicked by another horse and sustained injuries to the mouth. At this time the horse was on pasture at a farm in Gullbringu- and Kjosarsysla, SW Iceland. Inspection showed that all six front teeth in the upper jaw were broken and/or loose with infected and inflamed wounds in the gingiva and hard palate. The teeth were removed by a veterinary surgeon and disinfectant tampons were put into the holes left from the teeth. Antibiotics (penicillin) were given for 10 days and the affected area treated with a disinfectant twice a day for several days. On the 6th of February 2006, when the horse was in training at a farm in North-Hunavatnssysla, North Iceland, a veterinary surgeon was called to inspect the stallion. The stallion displayed hypermetria and was treated with antibiotics (penicillin) as listeriosis was suspected. Over the next five days the stallion developed more severe neurological signs. He started to lose balance and to fall. In the end he was unable to rise again, lying with his head down but swerving to one side. The temperature during these five days ranged from 38.2 to 39.5 C, but the stallion retained his appetite throughout the period. The stallion was treated with glucocorticoids (dexamethasone) the first two days, then with NSAIDS (flunixin meglumin). He received antibiotics (penicillin) and fluids throughout but was euthanatized on day 6 (February 11th) as he showed no signs of recovering. Blood samples taken on the 3rd day of illness (February 8th) showed no abnormalities in haemoglobin or hematocrit levels, or in the number of white blood cells. Blood chemistry revealed normal levels of alkaline phosphates and urea but increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase (1083 U/l). When the stallion had been euthanatized, he was transported to The Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur to be autopsied. The stallion was in good bodily condition. There were superficial wounds on the head over the left eye. The front teeth in the upper jaw were missing and there was a healed linear wound between the gingiva and the hard palate. There was a fibrous thickening in the affected area. A mild oedema and haemorrhage was in the cerebellum. There were subcutaneous haemorrhages over the left abdomen and in the muscles of the left thigh. Other than congestion in the internal organs due to euthanasia, organs were Fig. 1. Case 1 cerebellum. Extensive malacia and perivascular cuffing (white arrows), with infiltration mainly of macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells. Numerous nematodes (black arrows) in the surroundings of a blood vessel giemsa. Bar = 100 m. without specific lesions. Samples from the brain, liver, heart and kidneys were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin wax and sectioned at 5 m according to routine histological protocols. The sections were stained with haematoxylin eosin and giemsa and examined for histopathological changes. Microscopic examination of histological sections of the cerebellum revealed severe multifocal malacia, with numerous intralesional nematodes. Mature nematodes, larvae and free nematode eggs were present in the perivascular space. There was a moderate, mononuclear perivascular cuffing and infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells in the meninges (Fig. 1). Inflammation in association with the worms was usually mild or absent. The nematode was confirmed as being the species H. gingivalis based on its morphological features (Anderson et al., 1998; Anderson and Bemerick, 1965; Stefanski, 1954). In the cases where nematodes were found sectioned in a longitudinal plane, seemingly through the whole body length, mature worms measured m in length and 15 m wide and larvae were m long and m wide. In most cases only fragments of nematodes were seen. Sections from the anterior part of the larger nematodes revealed the characteristic rhabditiform oesophagus (total length m), which includes the corpus (length m), isthmus (length m) and the posterior bulb (length m) (Fig. 2). Sections through the reproductive organs of the parthenogenic H. gingivalis females revealed the typical dorsoflexed ovary, the uterus and a fully developed uninucleated egg (50 m 15 m) (Fig. 3). Intact free egg measured 43 m 18 m Case 2 The second case was in an eight year-old stallion of the Icelandic breed with a history of swerving to the right. The horse was at a farm in Rangarvallasysla, southern Iceland. On clinical examination on July 29th 2010 the only finding was hyperesthesia of the horse to touch of the right

3 M. Eydal et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 186 (2012) Fig. 2. Case 1 section of the cerebellum. Anterior part of Halicephalobus gingivalis. Oesophagus (a), corpus (b), isthmus (c) and posterior bulb (d) giemsa. Bar = 10 m. ear. The stallion was treated with antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin) and NSAID (flunixin meglumin). The horse also received calcium and glucose i.v. On the following day he was dull and had a slight fever with temperature of 38.6 C. During the next two days the horse s condition deteriorated rapidly. The stallion swerved increasingly to the right, had bouts of sweating and developed high fever (40 41 C). NSAID injections caused only slight and brief lowering of the body temperature, down to 39 C for 2 3 h. The horse lost its balance, had to lean against walls, and uncontrollably would start running around in circles until he fell or was able to stop himself in corners. Mucous membranes became swollen and hyperaemic, the lower right eyelid started to droop and the tongue lost its tonus. The horse did not respond to any treatment and was therefore euthanatized 5 days after the first clinical examination. Blood samples taken before euthanasia revealed increased number of white blood cells ( /l), primarily due to neutrophilia ( /l), and increase in several enzymes, including creatine kinase (1057 U/l), alkaline phosphatase (288 U/l) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (645 U/l). Glucose (7.47 mmol/l) and albumin (52 g/l) levels were increased but total protein (36 g/l) Fig. 4. Case 2 brain stem. Two nematode structures and a mild inflammation around a vessel in brain stem. Inset: higher magnification of the nematodes and the mononuclear inflammatory cells haemotoxylin and eosin. Bars = 100 m. Fig. 5. Case 2 brain stem. Mild infiltration of lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages around a vessel and a longitudinal section of a nematode haemotoxylin and eosin. Bar = 100 m. Fig. 3. Case 1 section of the cerebellum. Reproductive organs of Halicephalobus gingivalis female. Ovary (a), developing eggs in uterus (b), fully developed egg (c) and a prominent nucleus (d) giemsa. Bar = 10 m. Fig. 6. Case 2 meninges, cervical spinal cord. Mixed mononuclear cell inflammation and several nematode structures haemotoxylin and eosin. Bar = 100 m.

4 526 M. Eydal et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 186 (2012) Fig. 7. Case 2 Halicephalobus gingivalis nematodes recovered from digested brain tissue. (A) Adult female (length 360 m) having one large fully developed egg (dark stained) in the uterus. (B) Larva (length 230 m). Iodine stained. levels were decreased. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (14.2 mmol/l), uric acid (145 mol/l), glucose (7.47 mmol/l) and total bilirubin (179 mol/l) were elevated. The horse was sent to The Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur, to be autopsied. Gross pathological findings were few. There was a hairless area above the left eye, with subcutaneous oedema on the left side of the head and chest, and subcutaneous haemorrhage around the left ear. The lungs were oedematous, the trachea filled with frothy fluid, and petecchia were in the pharyngeal mucosa and along the coronary arteries. Extensive haemorrhage was in the great mesentery and the bladder was severely distended with urine. The meninges were congested and there was oedema in the brain. Samples from all the major organs, together with samples from the spinal cord and one half of the brain were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin wax and sectioned at 5 m according to routine histological protocols. The sections were stained with haematoxylin eosin and examined for histopathological changes. The other half of the brain was frozen. The main histopathological findings were located in the brain, primarily in the brain stem and cerebellum, and in the cervical spinal cord (Figs. 4 6). Small nematodes were seen in the brain tissue and in the meninges, chiefly in association with blood vessels. Reactive changes were very mild, with a few mononuclear inflammatory cells in the meninges and occasional glial nodules in the brain tissue. In the granular layer of the cerebellum there were areas of malacia associated with the nematodes. Small pieces of frozen tissue from the brain stem and cerebellum were minced in a mixer. The mince was then placed in a digestion fluid (1.25 g pepsin, 2 ml 25% HCl in 250 ml water) for 50 min at 37 C and simultaneously stirred with a magnetic stirrer and then left to sediment in a Baerman funnel. Numerous female nematodes and nematode larvae were found in the sediment by microscopy (Fig. 7). The nematode fragments seen in histological sections and whole worms recovered from brain tissue were confirmed as being the species H. gingivalis. Length of intact adult female worms measured m and width m. Corpus length was m, isthmus length m and length/width of posterior bulb was 16 20/13 14 m. Eggs measured m 14 m. Larval stages measured m in length and m in width. 3. Concluding remarks The horse in case 1 presumably acquired H. gingivalis infection by nematodes from soil penetrating through wounds in the mouth of the stallion. As a consequence, the nematodes invaded internal organs, finally leading to a fatal disease with severe lesions in the cerebellum. No nematodes were detected histologically in sections of the liver or kidneys. However, haemorrhages in the liver around the central veins and widespread haemorrhages in the kidneys with degenerative changes in the renal tubules are lesions possibly associated with nematode infection. The mode of the H. gingivalis infection in case 2 is uncertain. The stallion did have a wound on the forehead 3 4 weeks prior to becoming ill, but this is probably an unlikely point of entry for the nematode, although it cannot be ruled out. No other injuries were observed. Attempts to treat H. gingivalis infections with anthelmintics have rarely been reported. As reviewed by Ferguson et al. (2008), successful treatment of H. gingivalis infections has been reported in three horses, none of which had the involvement of the CNS. Two reports describe anthelmintic treatments which were considered as unsuccessful because in the former case the horse had be euthanatized in the end (Trostle et al., 1993) and in the second case the horse died soon after treatment (Ferguson et al., 2008). In all these cases the infection was verified by biopsy samples taken prior to treatment. The H. gingivalis infections described in two horses in the present paper are the first reported cases from Iceland. The only other reported cases of H. gingivalis infections in the Nordic countries were four horses in Norway (Aleksandersen et al., 2000). References Aleksandersen, M., Gjerde, B., Srby, R., Ropstade, E., Teige, J., Ihler, C.F., Thomassen, R., Kjstad, H.P., Brink, P., Fatal infection with Halicephalobus gingivalis (syn. H. gingivalis) in four horses in Norway. Norsk Veterinrtidsskrift. 112, Anderson, R.C., Linder, K.E., Peregrine, A.S., Halicephalobus gingivalis (Stefanski, 1954) from a fatal infection in a horse in Ontario, Canada

5 M. Eydal et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 186 (2012) with comments on the validity of H. deletrix and a review of the genus. Parasite 5, Anderson, R.V., Bemerick, W.J., Micronema deletrix n. sp., a saprophagous nematode inhabiting a nasal tumor of a horse. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 32, Anon., The armed forces institute of pathology. Department of veterinary pathology. In: Wednesday Slide Conference. Conference 1, 7 September 2005 (Conference moderator Dr. Dale Dunn), Available from: (accessed ). Blunden, A.S., Khalil, L.F., Webbon, P.M., Halicephalobus gingivalis infection in a horse. Equine Vet. J. 19, Boswinkel, M., Neyens, I.J.S., Sloet van Oldruitenborgh, M.M., Halicephalobus gingivalis infection in a 5-year-old Tinker gelding. Tijdschr. Diergeneesk. 131, Bryant, U.K., Lyons, E.T., Bain, F.T., Hong, C.B., Halicephalobus gingivalis-associated meningoencephalitis in a thoroughbred foal. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 18, Ferguson, R., van Dreumel, T., Keystone, J.S., Manning, A., Malatestinic, A., Caswell, J.L., Peregrine, A.S., Unsuccessful treatment of a horse with mandibular granulomatous osteomyelitis due to Halicephalobus gingivalis. Can. Vet. J. 49, Isada, R., Schiller, C.A., Stover, J., Smith, P.J., Greiner, E.C., Halicephalobus gingivalis (Nematoda) infection in a Grevy s zebra (Equus grevyi). J. Zoo Wildlife Med. 31, Montgomery, D., O toole, D., April Neurological Disease in a Cow in Big Horn Basin due to a Free-living Nematode. Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory Newsletter, pp Muller, S., Grzybowski, M., Sager, H., Bornand, V., Brehm, W., A nodular granulomatous posthitis cased by Halicephalobus sp. in a horse. Vet. Dermatol. 19, Nadler, S.A., Carreno, R.A., Adams, B.J., Kinde, H., Baldwin, J.G., Mundo- Ocampo, M., Molecular phylogenetics and diagnosis of soil and clinical isolates of Halicephalobus gingivalis (Nematoda: Cephalobina: Panagrolaimoidea), an opportunistic pathogen of horses. Int. J. Parasitol. 33, Sarah, L., Ondrejka, D.O., Gary, W., Procop, M.D., Keith, K., Lai, M.D., Richard, A., Prayson, M.D., Fatal parasitic meningoencephalomyelitis caused by Halicephalobus deletrix. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 134, Spalding, M.G., Greiner, E.C., Green, S.L., Halicephalobus (Micronema) deletrix infection in two half-sibling foals. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 196, Stefanski, W., Rhabditis gingivalis sp. n. Parasite trouve dans un granulome de la gencive chez un cheval. Acta Parasitol. Pol. 1, Takai, H., Shibaharta, T., Murakami, T., Hayashi, M., Kadota, K., Repeat occurrence of equine Halicephalobus infection at an equestrian club. J. Jpn. Vet. Med. Assoc. 58, Trostle, S.S., Wilson, D.G., Steinberg, H., Dzata, G., Dubielzig, R.R., Antemortem diagnosis and attempted treatment of (Halicephalobus) Micronema deletrix infection in a horse. Can. Vet. J. 34, Vasconcelos, R.deO., Lemos, K.R., de Morales, J.R.E., Borges, V.P., Halicephalobus gingivalis (H. deletrix) in the brain of a horse. Ciencia Rural, Santa Maria 37,
-- David Bromwich, in the new (Nov. 10) NYRB

Step aside Paul Ryan, Hannity has announced your replacement as Speaker: Rep. Louie Gohmert



Fox News host Sean Hannity is all out auditioning to be chief correspondent of the loons once the new Trump-bart debuts. And first on the chopping block after Trump is roundly defeated by overwhelming majorities at the polls: Paul Ryan, whom Hannity called a "saboteur" of Trump's campaign. Allegra Kirkland writes:

Speaking to the Washington Post in the spin room after the final presidential debate, the devoted Donald Trump ally hinted that the intra-party war between far-right conservatives and their more moderate counterparts would continue regardless of who wins the presidential race on November 8.



Hannity told the Post that Ryan, who has offered only tepid support for the Republican nominee during the 2016 race, needed to be called out and replaced. Nice! Ryan, who hasn't even had the guts to disavow Trump, is now responsible for the miserable failure of a campaign Trump has run. Sorry, Paul.



Hannity also had a lot of good ideas about members of the House Crazy Caucus who could unite the party (ahem) upon Ryans ouster: Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (chair of the Crazy Caucus), North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows (who devised the wildly popular 2013 government shutdown), and Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert! LOL. Gohmert! The wackiest of the wack jobs, who has called Hillary Clinton "mentally impaired." Speaker Gohmert! ROFLOL.

From the first debates of 2015, Donald Trump stood out because he wasnt one of the usual suspects. He was the to-hell-with-it candidate. If you dislike politics generally, dont study or understand them but are sure the country has declined and that the future looks worse than the past, Trump is your man. He doesnt know politics any better than you do, but he says (reassuringly) that it is a mugs game, and he ought to know. He comes from money, lives for money, and before he entered the race he was in the business of buying favors from the mugs.



Who better to avow that the system is rigged? Everyone admits that the Clinton Foundation has done good works. But anyone with a nose can tell that it uneasily mixes philanthropy and aggrandizement. Trump took his cue and blew it up andsince Hillary Clinton is known to have met with donors while she was secretary of statehe called the foundation itself a pay-to-play scheme. Trump the insider has the best and biggest nose for such things; and in the mood of perpetual disquiet these last two years in America, the undeniable blots on his character have made people strangely trust him more.



Comparisons with Reagan are misleading. Reagan was intimate with politics and political interests as far back as his presidency of the Screen Actors Guild. He tricked his opponents into underrating him, right up to the election of 1980, but the reason wasnt the lack of a consistent ideology or a coherent personality. Reagan was undeviating in his overall views: the people who supported him knew what they were getting. With Trump, they prefer not to know, and he panders to wishful ignorance by saying that whatever he does in his first days as president, hell do it good and do it fast. The vagueness, bloat, and feckless reiteration of the promises (the height of the wall with Mexico, the total ban on Muslim immigration, the vow to bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding) go against the grain of a representative government based on checks and self-restraint.



Trump the post-political billionaire can seem refreshingly heterodox only if one performs a drastic curtailment of common judgment. The right-wing anti-imperialist Pat Buchanan thinks that Trump has the mind-set and stamina to extricate the US from our half-dozen wars in the Greater Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia). On the evidence, one would guess that Trump indeed has a less hearty appetite for wars than Hillary Clinton, but his solutions often sound like Bomb them back to the Stone Age rather than the reasoned noninterventionism this branch of apologists are looking for.

[H]er stated positions and political history leave her unequipped to repel [Trump's] charges against immigration, the American jobs lost through trade deals, and the scenes of disorder in American cities that followed the killing of black men by police and the killing of police by black men. Hillary Clinton is the reverse of a popular politicianshe is more like an ideally dutiful chair of a committeeand it has been an odd feature of the campaign to advertise her as the most qualified person ever to run for president.

The domestic state of the nation is so unpropitious in October 2016 that one may pity the winner of this election as much as the loser. We are living in a country under recurrent siege by the actions of crowds. There is the Tea Party crowd with their belief that global climate disruption is a scientific hoax; there is the Black Lives Matter crowd with their ambiguous slogan No Justice, No Peace; and there are more ominous developments, such as the acts of serial defiance of the federal government by the Bundy family in Nevada and Oregon. Whoever comes next will have the task of restoring respect for the law and a common adherence to the Constitutionthe heaviest of burdens, even for a candidate prepared by training and disposition to carry it.

#

I mean, here we are watching the far-right-wing crazies defending -- as only far-right-wing crazies can, viciously and with a strong whiff of impending violence -- their boy the Billion-Dollar Loser, who isn't even a conservative. Unless you count where he sort-of-plays one for totally cynically selfish reasons on the, you know, campaign trail.Here's Kerry Eleveld at DailyKos I mean,PAUL RYAN??? Wouldn't you think that if there's one thing Speaker Paul doesn't have to answer for, it's being? Has anyone in our public life done more to drag us back to the 16th century? And I include Sean Hannity, who's all mouth, whereas Speaker Paul is the, er, "brains" of the Far Right politicos, providing a steady stream of actual legislative proposals to do the deed.In fairness to Shifty Sean, what he lacks in brains -- which sure seems to be quite a lot -- he more than makes up for in savagery, uninhibitedness, dishonesty, and naked self-promotingness. Still, to plug some of the evident gap in ideological awareness, here's some of what David Bromwich has to say in a compendium of ten frequent contributors' thoughts "On the Election" running through the new (Nov. 10) issue of theFor the record, the other NYRB "On the Election" contributors are: Russell Baker, G.W. Bowersock, Mark Danner, Andrew Delbanco, Elizabeth Drew, Benjamin M. Friedman, Diane Johnson, Nicholas Lemann, Jessica T. Mathews, Darryl Pinckney, Marilynne Robinson, Garry Wills. (Yes, they're presented alphabetcially!) And to be clear, David Bromwich continues with a powerful takedown of Hillary Clinton, including this:Which is decidedly mournful:

Labels: 2016 presidential race, Constitution of the U.S., Hillary Clinton, Kerry Eleveld, Louie Gohmert, NYRB, Paul Ryan, Trump
University of Hawaii professor assisted in the harassment of a pro-GMO professor



by Stephan Neidenbach, WeLoveGV.com, October 15, 2016

Hector Valenzuela has long been critical of biotechnology. A proponent of organic agriculture, Valenzuela has been performing research on it at the University of Hawaii since the early 1990s. His criticism has certainly made him some rivals at his university, but academic feuds are definitely nothing new.

Valenzuela, unfortunately, appears to want to take his disagreements outside of the confines of his university. Last year, in an interview for PR Web, he claimed that funding from the biotechnology industry was causing his university to silence him and he called out several fellow professors critical of his own viewpoints.

Professor Valenzuela told the authors of the piece, Paul Koberstein and Eliza Murphy, I am not an anti-GMO person, and I have never served as a spokesman for any anti-GMO group. Yet he took part in a protest against GMOs organized by Occupy Monsanto, and even spoke to the crowd. Valenzuela also appears to be actively engaged with Babes Against Biotech, plastering their posters on his office door.

Andrew G. Hashimoto, the dean of the College of Tropical Agriculture told PR Web, His claims of retaliation are also unfounded as the actions he cited were the result of non-performance. He spends most of his time making presentations about the problems with biotechnology, which he has the academic freedom to do, but not at the expense of his assigned responsibilities.

If these allegations of harassment were accurate, Valenzuela appears not to have done much about it. I asked Robert Paull, one of the professors Valenzuela claims is harassing him about it. This was what he had to say, Dr. Valenzuela has repeatedly raised allegations against myself and others at my college claiming harassment. He has been told to file a grievance on numerous occasions with our Union (UHPA) but has never done so in more than 12 years. This was important information that the PR Watch authors failed to mention. Paull later clarified that he was aware of one discussion with the union, but no grievance was actually signed.

PR Watchs Paul Koberstein is sticking with his claim that Valenzuela is not involved with any anti-GMO group:

I dont know where you get your information about Prof. Valenzuelas very clear involvement with GMOs. As he told me, and I reported, he is raising questions about biotechnology. That is what he is required to do to perform his job as a professor at the University of Hawaii. As far as I know, he is not involved with any group other than as a source of factual information.

Contrary to the title of the piece, which claims Valenzuela is being silenced, the last paragraph admits They both continue to speak out.

Pattern that may be continuing according to emails released under the Freedom of Information Act

The University of Hawaii released the second in a series of emails from Valenzuelas university account, around 1,000 pages worth. The majority of emails were extremely easy to read, except for approximately ten pages that had text shrunken down. Caitlin Russel who scanned the emails for Muckrock.com (a non-profit dedicated to government transparency) took note of it having something to do with Professor Kevin Folta of the University of Florida, Russel explained:

As best as we could figure, the emails had something to do with Kevin Folta, the director of the biotechnology communication program at the University of Florida, and the fallout from the public records reveal that he had received a $25,000 grant from Monsanto.

Professor Folta has long been an outspoken proponent of genetically engineered crops, and critics of the technology used his acceptance of the grant to insinuate that his opinion was shaped because of it. When the story broke, Diana Reeves of GMO Free USA sent an email through the listserv GMOList (which Valenzuela is a part of) requesting that people make anonymous complaints to Foltas university and also requested for ammunition people could use in their complaints.

When the university released a legible copy of the shrunken email, it turned out to be a 32-page dossier on Folta created by Valenzuela. Much of the information was cherry-picked from comments made by Folta on social media and blog posts going back several years. GMO Free USA appears to have used a lot of Valenzuelas information to create memes encouraging its followers to harass Folta. Quite often notes appear to have been taken verbatim from Valenzuelas dossier and posted to GMO Free USA without disclosure. I emailed Professor Valenzuela and asked if he could confirm or deny his direct involvement in the creation of these memes, calls to action for Foltas firing, or an explanation of why the original email released was shrunk down. So far he has failed to respond.

They even went so far as to call on Foltas university to fire him, because a page unrelated to Folta made a joke about water.

And call the university, they did. According to Fusion.com, the university was so inundated with requests to fire Folta that it changed his office number and asked the FBIs Domestic Terrorism Task Force to remain on alert.

The harassment did not stop at just complaints to his university. The blog Skeptical Raptor described how ruthless some of these people were. In one email that Folta received, the writer described the location of where the Professors wife liked to bike, terrorizing her enough to become afraid of staying home alone. They even went to Craigslist:

One of the most vile personal attacks was from some cowardly and anonymous Craigslist poster who invoked Dr. Foltas deceased mother to attack Foltas reputation. And used childish and ridiculous language like calling him a Monsanto whore.

Professor Folta wasnt surprised to learn of Valenzuelas involvement:

He cant take on science in the spirit of acceptable scholarship, so he gets in line with vile activists to defame legitimate scientists. I heard him on the radio on Kauai. I could not believe I was hearing someone claiming to represent a Land Grant University and a science-based perspective. He was pushing claims we know are not supported by evidence.

While free speech unfortunately often protects cyberbullying, that does not necessarily extend to public university professors using university resources. This 32 page dossier created by Valenzuela was sent to his work email from his Evernote account. The technology policy set out by the University of Hawaii prohibits use of email to harass others, it reads:

The same legal and policy standards that define intimidation, harassment or invasion of privacy apply to the electronic environment. For example, persistence in sending unwanted email constitutes harassment and is unacceptable if not illegal.University resources are intended to be used for institutional purposes and may not be used for private gainThe University provides information technology resources at great expense for the purpose of supporting its mission (learning, teaching, research, and public service). It is expected that usage will be primarily educational in nature in support of this mission.

The first amendment gives rights to public university employees to speak out on matters of public concern. Those rights do not extend to using university resources to do so, nor does it allow those resources to be used in the harassment of people they might disagree with. Professor Folta was harassed and intimidated to the point of fearing for his family and nearly quitting his job. No one should have to suffer that over a disagreement about biotechnology. Especially when federal and state tax dollars are being used to support it.

---30---



This article originally appeared on We Love GMOs and Vaccines as University of Hawaii professor assisted in the harassment of a pro-GMO professor and was reposted with permission of the author.

Stephan Neidenbach is a middle school teacher in living in Annapolis, MD. He holds a BS in business administration from Salisbury University and an MS in Instructional Technology from University of Maryland University College. He runs the Facebook group We Love GMOs and Vaccines, follow him on twitter @welovegv.
Theres a new way to enjoy Halloween in town, and its promising a spooky experience like youve never seen before!

The Hickory Ridge Museum at Horn in the West will host its inaugural event, The Haunting of Hickory Ridge, on Saturday night, Oct. 29, putting an interesting new twist on your typical Halloween festivities.

The Haunting is one of the first public programs offered at the newly re-imagined museum.

Previously, it had only been used to augment the show, and now were opening the museum April through November and doing it like a traditional living history museum, said Carson Sailor, the museums executive director. Now, instead of just programming that goes along with Horn in the West, were doing programming that is designed to educate people.

Dave Davis, the director, has been wanting to relaunch it and do it like this for sometime. We just put our heads together to figure out the logistics and make it happen. The board has been super supportive and the museum is going great.

In accordance with the recent re-launch, the museum team was eager to establish an event for the community that will be exciting, interesting, informative and, this time of year, a little eerie.

All of us love the holiday, so we wanted to do a Halloween event that was fun, but didnt stray away from our mission statement, Sailor said. Youre going to have fun, you might get spooked a little bit from the stories and all that stuff, but youre also going to learn a lot about the history and no ones going to run at you with a chainsaw or anything like that.

Its going to be a really neat event to learn about the history of Halloween. Why do we believe these stories? Why do these stories keep carrying on? Its almost a little bit of a folklore event, as well.

The hour-long tour will take you around the museum grounds and show the place in a new light.

You will be led around by a costumed interpreter and it will be like youre going through Halloween in the 18th century  some of their stories, some of the parties and traditions they would have  and then also learning about how our Halloween was formed by these early colonists, particularly the Scotch-Irish.

Theres going to be a Daniel Boone character on the hill talking about some of the eerie stuff that he ran into during his time out in the wilderness. Were going to talk about witchcraft, because witchcraft was certainly a big part of everywhere in the South, but also the mountains, in particular.

The highlight of the program will feature the Granite Falls Paranormal Investigators and the research they have been conducting on the museum grounds.

They have been doing a three month long study of our cabins and theyre going to show all of the information about why they are haunted, said Sailor. A little bit of a spoiler alert, they are haunted! We do have the evidence, were just not showing all of it until you come to the event.

Guests on the tour will see and hear about the research thats been conducted at various sites, some of which Sailor and the museum team have experienced first hand.

The Tatum cabin has seen quite a bit of activity  both male and female apparitions. The Coffey cabin has not seen apparitions, but it has been the most talkative on the voice box. I take my dog Cooper to work with me every day and he does not like to go into one of the cabins, said Sailor. The voice box is this little thing that looks like an iPhone, but basically it picks up voices that you dont hear. We put the voice box in that cabin and it said, Cooper scared. That was enough to give me chill bumps!

Our blacksmith shop has had a few apparitions and a couple of them have been what we believe to be the ghosts of former slaves that were in the cabin. Also, apparently, it spent some time as someones garage who liked to fix up motorcycles, so we also have some evidence of some guys who were working on motorcycles there. Then, on the hillside, we have a lot of evidence of Native American indigenous ghosts. Theres been Cherokee chanting heard on the background of the audio and there has been Cherokee language picked up on some of the video. That really does make sense, because not a lot of people lived around here in the 18th century but it was a hunting ground for long hunters as well as the Cherokee Indians moving through the area.

This event may not be appropriate for children under 16, although museum staff are ready to help parents make the right decision about whether or not its appropriate for their children.

It is going to be a little bit scary, but also its a little bit more of a mature topic. No one is going to scare you, its not going to be bloody, its not going to be a ridiculous Halloween horror nights event, but there are some mature topics talking about people who have died and the information we have come across, Sailor said. Its really up to parents to figure out, but we like to give that as kind of a guiding statement. We are more than happy to talk to parents if they want to call and get more information about what exactly is going to be there to make that decision.

Hour-long tours will depart every half hour beginning at 7 p.m. with the last tour leaving at midnight. Admission is $10 per person and each tour will include about 20 guests at a time.

Call the museum at 828-264-2120 to make a reservation and pay for your admission at the gate.

Visit hickoryridgemuseum.com for more information.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners in Vietnam told to give up their phones

Around 4,600 phones are still out there, putting many people at risk, a government agency says.

The Vietnam Competition Authority, a government agency responsible for protecting consumer rights, has once again urged users of the fire-prone Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to return their devices immediately.

The agency, run by the industry and trade ministry, said that around 8,000 Note 7 phones have been sent back to the manufacturer as part of a global recall, but local consumers are still holding on to an estimated 4,600 devices.

These users are putting themselves and others around them at risk, said the agency.

Previoulsy, the South Korean company announced that it would spend VND240 billion, or more than $10 million, on refunds for Vietnamese owners of the phone

Samsung launched the flagship product in early August with more than 2.5 million units sold worldwide.

The manufacturer has discontinued the products after multiple reports of the devices overheating or catching fires.

Many airlines around the world including the national carrier Vietnam Airlines have banned the phones.

Related news:

> Vietnam Airlines bans Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on all flights

> Vietnam tells consumers to stop using Samsung Galaxy Note 7 immediately

> Samsung to refund Galaxy Note 7 owners in Vietnam
Payroll services exec convicted of defrauding clients

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An Arden man pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that he stole $2 million from clients in a scheme that channeled the money into exhorbitant salaries for the payroll services company executives.

Frank Alton Moody II, 56, of Arden, pleaded guilty to the federal charges after co-conspirators, Jerry Wayne Overcash, 67, of Charlotte, and John Bernard Thigpen, 60, of Rock Hill, S.C., previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy, Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced Friday.

According to documents filed with the court, Moody, chair of the company, formed CenterCede Services Inc., a payroll services company with clients in Charlotte and elsewhere, with Overcash to assume business operations of The Resource Solutions Group (TRSG). The IRS shut down TRSG in August 2010 for failing to pay more than $9 million in federal payroll taxes it had collected from clients. Moody also served as chair of TRSG.

Court documents show that from November 2010 to November 2011, CenterCede purportedly provided payroll preparation and processing services to its clients. As such, CenterCede collected funds from its clients to pay the client companies federal tax obligations, gross payroll for the clients employees, workers compensation, and unemployment insurance, among others, as well as fees due to CenterCede. Contrary to their representations to clients, the conspirators did not pay the clients federal taxes in appropriate amounts and by the applicable deadlines.

Instead, Moody and his co-conspirators agreed, with the intent to defraud the companys clients and the IRS, not to remit to the IRS the full tax liabilities of CenterCedes clients. Client funds were then diverted to pay the salaries of Moody, Overcash and others, and to cover CenterCedes growing liabilities.

To keep the scheme afloat, the conspirators paid only those obligations necessary to keep their ongoing cash flow crisis a secret from clients. As reflected in court documents, the conspirators favored what they called priority clients, attempted to keep those priority clients from learning about monthly cash shortfalls and frequently paid those clients obligations ahead of other non-priority clients. Priority clients generally had large payrolls with deposits necessary to fund CenterCedes short-term cash needs and keep the scheme afloat.

Court records show that when clients inquired about failures to pay obligations, the conspirators took steps to conceal the fraud by providing false excuses and misleading explanations. According to the indictment to which Moody pleaded guilty, when a client company asked why its tax payments had not been paid, Moody wrote John [Thigpen] has told me it was a over site [sic] in the Tax department and all is fixed. No problems with [victim client company]. In truth and fact, that clients taxes had been intentionally unpaid in favor of the payment of priority client obligations.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Moody has agreed to pay restitution to his victims, the amount of which will be determined by the Court.




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Decades after the war, most of rural Vietnam still sits on ticking bombs

A new study has found that many rural areas are contaminated with unexploded bombs.

A new mapping project has discovered that a majority of rural communities in Vietnam are still living on land contaminated with unexploded bombs and landmines.

As many as 82 percent of rural districts and towns across the country face this problem, Colonel Nguyen Van Xuong told a conference in Hanoi on Thursday, where officials and experts disccussed measures to clear post-war unexploded ordnance.

Xuong said the national map, a project of the military's Technology Center for Bomb and Mine Disposal, can visually reveal where the remnants of war are.

The center has surveyed the countrys almost entire landmass and found that more than 9,000 out of 11,000 rural communities still have unexploded ordnance. In acreage terms, the contaminated areas total 6.1 million hectares.

These include towns and districts in the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, where the most intensive battles took place during the Vietnam War.

Xuong said more affected communities will be identified when inspectors move to the next phase of their investigation.

Deputy Minister of the Vietnam Peoples Army Colonel General Nguyen Chi Vinh said scattered throughout the country, landmines and explosive remnants of war have claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people and injured 60,000 others, adding that most of the victims are either main income earners or children.

Vietnam is receiving international support for its national mine action program over the next five years. The U.S. alone has pledged $12 million for mine clearance in Vietnam.

Related news:

> Cleaning up after war: Vietnam's de-miners at work

> Vietnam's never-ending war: into the trenches with the bomb disposal squad
The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has launched a major probe into Ireland's most prolific car-theft gang, which is suspected of stealing five high- powered vehicles every week.

Sources have revealed that up to nine members of the gang are being "profiled" as gardai attempt to find out exactly what the outfit does with the proceeds of the spate of crime it has been involved in for years.

Cartel

The mob is based in the Crumlin area and has links to the Kinahan cartel as well as many other major crime groupings in the city.

"In terms of organised crime, this crew is in the middle of everything," a senior source said.

"It provides stolen cars that are used in everything from burglaries to gangland hits.

"Like all investigations involving CAB it will be painstaking and methodical, but gardai are determined to know exactly what they are doing with the money they have gained."

Virtually none of the high-end Mercedes and BMW cars that the gang is suspected of stealing have been recovered.

They are suspected of being sent abroad or else taken to illegal "chop-shop" garages here, where they are dismantled.

The gang is led by a 29-year-old criminal who has survived at least three attempts on his life in the past two years.

Detectives have established that he works closely with two other criminals.

The three are among the top targets for the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Stolen Motor Vehicle Unit.

They have also been investigated as part of Operation Creeper, which targeted burglary gangs.

The mobster who is the perceived leader of the gang is considered a main player in "fishing" burglary gangs, which have been using fishing rods and other implements to snatch car keys through letterboxes and then stealing vehicles.

However, it is believed he has become a gangland target because of his involvement in drugs rather than his main business of car theft.

During the summer, gardai arrested a gunman in the Crumlin area who it is believed was on his way to murder the 29-year-old at his apartment.

Heroin

It has also emerged that gardai are investigating the same criminal's "business relationship" with a 35-year-old convicted heroin dealer, who has close links to gangster 'Fat' Freddie Thompson.

News of CAB's investigation into the mob comes after the crime agency was involved in a major operation against a west Dublin drugs mob this week, which led to the seizure of 46 vehicles worth an estimated 1.1m as well as almost 100,000 of cash and watches.
A prisoner is alleged to have stabbed a fellow inmate in the kitchen of Cork Prison after an argument over switching television channels, a murder trial has heard.

Brian Veale (31) of Dominic Street, Cork has pleaded not guilty to murdering Graham Johnson on May 16, 2015.

Opening the prosecution case at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Mr Tim O'Leary SC said that both men were inmates at Cork Prison and knew each other.

Counsel told the jury that the men were working in the kitchen when there was "some type of verbal altercation" at around 3pm on May 16.

Mr O'Leary said it would be alleged that an altercation arose between the two men "over a switching of a TV channel".

Counsel told the jury they would hear that the altercation took place and finished but sometime after 5pm Mr Veale "came across a part of the kitchen with a knife" and stabbed the deceased in the chest.

He said the jury would hear from State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy about "the nature of the damage" that was done to the deceased and how Mr Johnson died from a single stab wound to the front of the chest.

Wound

The court heard that the tract wound "was downwards into the body" and consistent "with a single downward thrust through the chest wall".

Counsel said the jury would hear that Mr Johnson's death occurred quickly and that some people in the kitchen did not see exactly what had happened.

"You will hear Mr Johnson falls down in the kitchen area after they (both men) are seen together. You will hear the relative calm of Mr Veale after the event. You will hear other evidence in relation to the kitchen staff," he said.

The court heard that inmates who worked in the kitchen had access to knives for cutting up vegetables.

"They (kitchen staff) would have white tops and trousers and you will hear that there was blood found on Mr Veale's top and bottom. You will hear from forensics that this blood matched Mr Johnson's blood," counsel said.

There would be witnesses to give evidence of Mr Veale's demeanour from before and after the events, the court heard.

Intent

"You have to prove that the accused intended to kill or cause serious harm to Mr Johnson. He was killed by a stab wound to the chest," he said.

In conclusion, Mr O'Leary told the court that the prosecution's case was that it was Mr Veale who walked across the kitchen to Mr Johnson "two hours later" and stabbed him.

"After hearing the evidence you should have no doubt that Mr Veale is guilty as accused of the crime of murder," he said.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and a jury of seven men and five women.

It is expected to last five days.
Ho Chi Minh City customs officers seize around 500kg of ivory hidden in two timber containers imported from Africa on Friday. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang

Ho Chi Minh City customs officials seize nearly $1 million worth of ivory, the third major ivory seizure in Vietnam this month.

Customs officials at Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City seized around 500kg of ivory hidden in two timber containers imported from Africa on Friday.

The ivory found in the two containers, which are owned by the HCMC-based Dao Gia Company, is worth more than VND20 billion ($881,700).

The elephant tusks were covered in glue and stuck to the center of timber blocks, which were then laid randomly with normal blocks in the containers.

Authorities decided to search the suspected containers by hand after scanners failed to detect the smuggled ivory.

A number of pangolin scales were also found in the two containers.

This latest case has raised the number of major ivory seizures in Vietnam to three in just a month.

On October 6, customs officials in Ho Chi Minh City also seized around two tons of ivory hidden in another timber shipment in two crates from Mozambique.

That seizure followed October 1's discovery of 300kg of elephant ivory at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, where officials found tusks from Nigeria falsely labeled as glass.

Vietnam outlawed the ivory trade in 1992, but shops still sell ivory dating from before the ban and weak law enforcement has allowed its illegal trade to persist.

Although the ivory trade is banned in Vietnam, the country remains a top market for ivory products prized locally for decorative and medicinal purposes, according to conservation groups. The country is also a busy thoroughfare for tusks trafficked from Africa destined for other parts of Asia, conservationists say.

Vietnam has brushed off such allegations.

Related news:

> 309 kilos of suspected ivory seized in Hanoi
Housing Minister Simon Coveney will send a letter to local authorities to provide "clarity" on planning requirements for properties used as Airbnbs.

It comes after An Bord Pleanala (ABP) ruled that an apartment in Temple Bar underwent a material change of use and was not exempt from planning regulations, when it began to advertise as an Airbnb.

Problem

Airbnb is a website that allows property owners to rent their properties for short periods of time, such as while on holiday, to make extra money.

The use of a Temple Bar property as a short-term lodging, without planning permission, was challenged by local residents.

The council found in their favour, while ABP subsequently upheld the council's decision this week.

"The planning judgement of Dublin City Council, which was backed up by An Bord Pleanala yesterday, was the right judgement," Mr Coveney said.

"I think we also, as a department responsible for policy and guidelines around planning, need to provide some guidelines and clarity for chief executives across all local authorities," he said.

"We'll work on that in the coming days and we'll issue a letter to chief executives, in particular in local authorities in urban areas," he added.

Speaking about the case in Temple Bar, Mr Coveney said as far as he could see the property was being used like a B&B whereby there was regular turnover every couple of days.

"We need to provide planning guidelines for that type of operation," he said.

The minister also said that Airbnb had a role to play in the broader property market.

He highlighted the difference between someone who rented a room out occasionally and those who do it long-term.

"I think it's a different thing if it's for sale and being advertised as having an 80,000 turnover a year from Airbnb," he said.

Welcome

Temple Bar Residents chairman Frank McDonald welcomed the decision of ABP.

He said Mr Coveney must "wake up and smell the coffee" and bring in more stringent regulations for Airbnb and similar letting agencies because the sector is "entirely unregulated".

"He needs to realise this is a serious problem," he said.

Along with disruptions for residents, he said that Airbnb lettings were taking over the private residential rental market during the worst housing crisis in Irish history.
Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan has been further criticised for her decision to fly to California while members of the force are preparing to withdraw their labour.

The garda chief flew back to Dublin yesterday after addressing delegates in San Diego. She travelled with a garda delegation that included her husband, Chief Supt Jim McGowan.

Records

Ms O'Sullivan will today meet her deputy and assistant commissioners in Garda Headquarters as members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) withdraw from Pulse duties for 12 hours.

Pulse is the Garda computer system.

While most records are entered by rank-and-file gardai, sergeants and inspectors review them - which they will not do from today.

Fine Gael TD Michael D'Arcy accused Ms O'Sullivan of embarking on a "junket" after it emerged that she spent several days this week in California.

There is growing unease within Fianna Fail over the commissioner's handling of the industrial unrest among AGSI members and the Garda Representative Association (GRA) .

The party's finance spokesperson, TD Michael McGrath, said he felt Ms O'Sullivan's absence from the country this week was an error of judgment.

A spokesman for Justice Minister and Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald said decisions as to the commissioner's fulfilment of any "international obligations" are entirely a matter for her.

Business

"In the circumstances, it would not be appropriate to comment on any instances of particular business abroad undertaken by her," the spokesman told the Herald.

"There has, of course, been no question of any absence by the commissioner abroad impinging in any way on the performance of the full range of her functions, both domestic and international.

"There are long-established procedures in place for notification to the department of proposed absences on official duty."
He has gone from garda killer to Nordic royalty, but Darren Cahill said he wasn't nervous before he auditioned for the biggest role of his career.

The actor (25) is best known for his role as murderer Davey Webb on TV3's Red Rock.

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Fans of the series saw the troublemaker show up at the grave of Supt James McKay and arouse suspicions when he was caught on CCTV furiously kicking the flowers left in honour of the fallen officer.

With his character behind bars, Darren departed the series and was snatched up by Vikings to play a prince.

"Vikings is going great, I'm really enjoying it. We've been filming for a few months now in Wicklow," he said.

"I play a prince, but that's all I can say. It's very hush-hush. It's completely different to Red Rock. I've gone from a murderer to a prince.

"The audition was fine. Like any audition, they're hard. I don't really get nervous, I stay calm. This is definitely my biggest role to date."

Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Ragnar Lothbrok, a legendary Norse hero and notorious as the scourge of England and France.

Raids

The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame thanks to successful raids into England and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king.

The series, a joint Irish-Canadian production, films in Co Wicklow and was first broadcast in 2013.

Cahill is set to star alongside fellow Irishman Moe Dunford, who plays Aethelwulf on the show.

Vikings has proved to be a hit with viewers worldwide, drawing millions of viewers in the US and Australia.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is also set to star in the upcoming fifth season of the show, but the details of his character are being kept under wraps.

While earlier seasons had only 10 episodes, season five is set to be super-sized, with 20 episodes airing next year.
The number of rough sleepers in Dublin is edging back towards record highs because of the lack of emergency accommodation.

The Dublin Simon Community last month reported a record of an average 168 rough sleepers each night on the streets of the capital.

According to the latest figures from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, the average number of rough sleepers now stands at around 140 a night.

The lack of available emergency accommodation and "increased demand for access to all forms of emergency acc- ommodation" is driving the numbers back up towards last month's all-time record.

As a result, Dublin City Council (DCC) hopes to add 210 bed spaces as soon as possible as part of its winter strategy to prevent rough sleeping, the council said last night.

Anthony Flynn, director of Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH), said he was anxious to see proper beds provided within as short a time frame as possible to cope with increasing demand for services as the colder winter nights close in.

The group said it is handing out more than 4,000 sleeping bags every month.

Homeless campaigners have also raised serious concerns over the increase in homeless women sleeping rough on Dublin's streets, with at least three pregnant women recorded in the past month.

Former Lord Mayor Christy Burke, who works with ICHH, said the number of women sleeping rough has increased significantly over the past month.

"I'm sick of the Government and local authorities saying they'll debate the issue, or put a plan in place. We need action now, because it's desperate," he said.

Pensioners

Meanwhile, the council is providing emergency accommodation at hotels to more than 1,000 families with dependent children.

Nearly 3,000 adults (2,988) and 2,065 children were living in Dublin hotels last month, representing a higher number of homeless than even during the depths of the recession in 2008 or the 5,000 people across Ireland who were without shelter in 2010.

Forty of the homeless adults are old age pensioners.

The city council has freed up 332 social housing units so far this year as part of its Social Housing Strategy to make 3,347 units available by 2017. An additional 565 came on stream last year.
The entire social welfare system is riddled with anomalies, is overly bureaucratic and should be scrapped and started again from scratch, Fianna Fail Social Protection spokesman Willie O'Dea has said.

He was speaking after a Dublin grandmother, who was stabbed and left for dead outside her flat, told how she cannot access the winter fuel allowance while on illness benefit as she cannot work because of her injuries.

Rose Kenny (51) has appealed to Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar to re-evaluate the social welfare system.

She has been told that if she went on Jobseeker's Allowance she would be entitled to the payment.

Simplified

Mr O'Dea has backed Ms Kenny's appeal and said the entire system needs to be simplified.

"The current system is riddled with anomalies and is hugely bureaucratic. It urgently needs to be simplified and re-cast," he said.

"It is full of traps and rules that discourage people from working, and this case is another obvious one that shows up its shortcomings.

"Rose seems to be entitled to illness benefit because she had been working in the past and paying social insurance stamps, but this does not entitle her to a fuel allowance.

"If she hadn't been working in the past, paid no stamps and claimed disability allowance, she would get the same amount as she would on illness benefit, plus the fuel allowance as well.

"She is being punished for working in the past. Sometimes a government tries to solve anomalies by making changes here and there, but that often creates anomalies elsewhere.

"It's like adding extensions and corridors to an old house to such an extent that it becomes a maze, when the right thing to do would be to knock the lot down and build something modern and fit for purpose."

Ms Kenny cannot work because of the injuries she received in the brutal stabbing at the hands of her former partner, Denis Leahy.

He was handed a 14-year prison sentence in July after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder as Ms Kenny left the School Street Flats near Thomas Street on September 23, 2014.

She was stabbed 22 times and suffered injuries to her throat and neck that left her fighting for her life.

She spent seven weeks in St James's Hospital and now struggles to talk because of the damage that was done.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Social Protection said that where a person is receiving a short-term payment such as illness benefit and their circumstances are such that they need assistance with heating costs, they should contact their local social welfare Intreo office.

"Depending on the individual circumstances, they may receive assistance under the department's supplementary welfare allowance scheme," the spokeswoman added.

Ms Kenny used to work in the creche at her local family resource centre.

Breath

"I loved my job, but when you're looking after children you often have to talk loudly and you're answering the intercom to the parents of 50 children coming to collect them in the afternoon," she said.

"I did go back for a while after I was physically recovered, but it got to the stage that at the end of the day I'd be fighting for my breath. I have to fight for every word I speak. I just couldn't do it any more."

Apart from the horrendous physical injuries she suffered in the attack, she also lives daily with the psychological damage that she fears will never go away.

"I hate going outside. I'm always looking for danger. I have to psych myself up to leave the flat and when I'm out all I want to do is get home as quick as I can," she said.
The Taoiseach has visited a city centre garda station along with senior gardai ahead of the proposed reopening of the building. Enda Kenny was joined by Chief Superintendent Pat Leahy of the DMR North Central Division during an inspection of Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station, which has been closed since 2011.

Currently it holds the Divisional Burglary Response Unit (BRU), and it is hoped that a phased reopening can begin by the end of this year.

Local Independent councillor Nial Ring said last Friday's visit by the Taoiseach was "promising" for the area and that the Fine Gael party leader has been coming to the area on a regular basis.

"The focus on community policing by the Chief Supt in the area has also been very welcome and it's been greatly received by people in the local community," said Mr Ring.

Concerns

It comes as a report sent to the North East Inner City Task Force chairman Kieran Mulvey will be considered ahead of the final report in November.

A number of concerns were raised and recommendations made surrounding key issues on health, education and crime.

The area has seen four gangland murders this year as part of the ongoing Hutch-Kinahan feud.

The North Inner City Community Coalition highlighted key concerns from the community around criminality, with open drug dealing and "grooming of youths" by gangs in the area among key problems.

"It is reasonable to suggest that the north inner city of Dublin has seen an unprecedented rise over the last 15 years in the nature of crimes committed and on-street criminal activities," the report said.

"The nature of these criminal activities include the ongoing and increasing setup and grooming of criminal [youth] gangs, open drug dealing and intimidation."
The cat-like carnivores are used in Vietnam to produce a quirky type of coffee.

A shipment of thirty-five live common palm civets en route to Vietnam was seized in Cambodia's southeastern province of Kandal yesterday, according to The Phnom Penh Post.

The local newspaper quoted Moung Dara, customs chief at the Chrey Thom border-checkpoint, as saying that the small cat-like carnivores were being kept in cartage [ready] for crossing to Vietnam, and the person [carrying them] escaped. The civets have been then handed over to the NGO Wildlife Alliance, which plans to release the animals back into the wild.

Civets are commonly hunted for their meat, but are also raised and held in captivity in Vietnam to produce ca phe chon  or coffee that is passed through the civets digestive tract before being brewed. Every kilogram of natural civet coffee can command a price of VND36 million ($1600), while farmed civet coffee sells for VND9 million ($400) per kilo.

The International Union for the Conservation of Natures Red List lists the common palm civet as being of least concern, noting that it has a wide population distribution, despite downward population trends and a continuing decline of mature individuals.

Last month, a large-spotted civet, a species that was believed to be extinct in Vietnam, was spotted in the Phong Dien Nature Reserve in the central province of Thua Thien  Hue. Another rare civet, the Owstons civet, was also seen during the survey.

Both of the species were recategorized on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species from "Vulnerable" to "Endangered" in June 2016.

"Endangered" is the second-highest category of threat on the Red List, and of the approximately 170 species of small carnivores worldwide, only 10 others are ranked as "Endangered" or in the higher category of "Critically Endangered", according to J. W. Duckworth, a senior expert at the IUCN.

Related news:

> Vietnams nascent network of animal rescue volunteers seeks coalition

> Endangered civets spotted in central Vietnam
Hoang Khac Suu says the HIV misdiagnosis has caused him and his wife a lot of difficulties finding jobs. Photo by VnExpress/Hai Binh

He had sued for $35,000, but accepted the lower amount as he was too tired to keep up the fight.

Health authorities in the central province of Nghe An have paid a man VND50 million ($2,200) for misdiagnosing him with HIV for over a decade.

The amount is just one fifteenth of what Hoang Khac Suu, 43, was claiming from the provinces Preventive Health Department.

Suu withdrew the lawsuit against the department after receiving the money on Friday.

In April, he sued the department for compensation worth nearly $35,000 after being wrongfully diagnosed with HIV while serving a jail term in 2003.

He was released in 2013, and given his healthy appearance, some health officials suggested a fresh test.

A test in September 2014 at the Nghe An HIV/AIDS Prevention Center proved negative, as did another at a local hospital.

The health department then took his name off the list of people with HIV in the province.

The department offered to pay him VND2.2 million ($100) to cover the two tests and transportation to the medical centers, but Suu rejected it saying the mental agony caused by the mistake had been severe.

The HIV positive test result caused me a lot of discrimination.

Suu said he has become very tired trying to clear his name. He and his wife both have freelance jobs with unstable incomes.

Related news:

> U.S. provides $26 million to help Vietnam fight HIV/AIDS

> Who will pay for HIV/AIDS treatment in Vietnam?
Here are five things not to miss at this week's Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest publishing event.

Page the (book) doctor

Feeling stressed? Heartbroken? Step into the book doctor's surgery and let an author prescribe the perfect book to cure you.

Think you know of a book that's just what the doctor ordered? Put on the white coat, take a seat behind the desk and tell the fair which tale has best helped you in the past.

A 'new' Rembrandt

It's a new work by Rembrandt but the Dutch master had nothing to do with it. A Dutch team used artificial intelligence and a 3D printer to create the portrait, based on a computer algorithm that worked out the average features of a typical 17th-century Rembrandt subject.

While art critics have balked at "The Next Rembrandt", the creators say they believe the painter, an innovator himself, would have "laughed himself silly".

Virtual reality

With this year's special focus on art and technology, there's also no escaping virtual reality at the fair. At Taiwan's stand, visitors can immerse themselves in the world of author Jimmy Liao's latest picture book by slipping on a headset that lets them interact with a little girl who has lost her dog, and help water her plant or play catch with her to cheer her up.

Social reading

They say book lovers never go to bed alone, but increasingly they don't read alone either. Millions of readers are connecting on websites like Goodreads, discussing books and posting reviews. On the popular Wattpad forum, authors and readers can even collaborate on stories.

At the fair this weekend, fans of Harlequin books and similar bodice-ripping tales who usually share their love of romance novels in online communities will bring it back to the real world, with a reading session and a meet-and-greet with authors -- which will of course be live streamed.

A book to sink your teeth into

With Flanders as this year's co-guests of honour, chocolate had to be on the menu. Visitors can marvel at a two-by-one metre book, made from 950 kilos (2,0000 pounds) of dark and white chocolate.

It's completely edible and may look good enough to eat, but the quality is not quite up to Belgian standards, organisers from Visit Flanders say. Instead, admire the book while you try one of the pralines made on the spot by a chocolatier.

Related news:

> Hanoi to open 1st book street

> Publisher recalls history book containing doctored Vietnam War photo

> Priceless books waiting to be found at Hanoi book fair
Veteran Chinese democracy advocate Martin Lee and student leader Joshua Wong pose together in New York September 22, 2015. Photo by Reuters/Daniel Bases

New Zealand has been more careful recently to not offend China for export opportunities in the Asian giant.

New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Bill English cancelled a meeting with two senior Hong Kong democracy supporters this week on advice from his foreign office, he said on Friday, underscoring a delicate relationship with China.

English said in an emailed statement that he cancelled the meeting with former Hong Kong legislator Martin Lee and former colonial chief secretary Anson Chan on the eve of the appointment after he was advised it was "diplomatically sensitive".

New Zealand has been more careful recently than neighbour Australia not to offend China as both Pacific countries jostle for export opportunities in the Asian giant.

"This is the first time it's happened to me like this, a meeting was cancelled at the last minute," Lee told Reuters.

The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which guarantees it freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.

Street protests calling for full democracy for Hong Kong in 2014 presented Beijing with one of its biggest political challenges in decades. Dozens of pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature on Wednesday to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists, setting the scene for a new constitutional crisis.

Lee has for decades campaigned for democracy for Hong Kong. Chan has said China should trust Hong Kong people to pick their own leader.

China became New Zealand's largest trading partner after a Free Trade Agreement in 2008, making New Zealand the first western country to sign such a deal. Exports to China amounted to NZ$12.1 billion ($8.67 billion) in the year to June, which equates to 17 percent of New Zealand's exports.

English, who advised Lee and Chan of the cancellation by email, said that it was "not uncommon" for the Foreign Affairs Minister to advise on meetings with overseas visitors.

The Foreign Affairs office did not reply to a request for comment on its advice.

In contrast, Chan and Lee last week met with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and testified in front of the Australian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee about protecting Hong Kong's autonomy.

Opposition Labour Party legislator David Shearer, who spoke with Chan and Lee earlier this week, said Chinese officials had approached him expressing "concern" about the meeting.

"It's not in New Zealand's interest not to go through with a meeting because of persuasion of pressure from another country," Shearer said.

There were strains in the two countries' relationship earlier this month when China rebuked New Zealand's defence minister at the opening of a high-profile security forum in Beijing, criticising his stance on tension in the disputed South China Sea.
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One killed in National Pike crash; road to be closed for hours

Authorities Monday night responded to National Pike near Beaver Creek Road for a fatal vehicle crash. U.S. 40 was expected to be closed for hours.


Russia and Syrias recent announcement of an 8 hour halt to their bombardment of eastern Aleppo was greeted with too little, too late by State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner. The United Nations has said that an eight-hour pause is not long enough to allow effective humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city of approximately 275,000 civilians that has been targeted by unprecedented numbers of airstrikes for months, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

But that does not mean that the United States has given up on trying to reduce the violence throughout Syria and establish the grounds for a political solution to the conflict there.

Secretary of State John Kerry met recently in Lausanne, Switzerland with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and seven foreign ministers from the region where they talked over the possibility of implementing a real cessation of hostilities in Aleppo.

We had a very frank discussion with the Russians and Iranians about exactly how we could get thereWere going to continue to work at this because no one has a right to just walk away and allow Aleppo to continue to be bombed without making every effort possible in order to stop it.

What is happening in Aleppo, said Secretary Kerry is a horrendous step back in time to a kind of barbarianism, a use of force that is of insult to all of the values that the United Nations and most countries believe should guide our actions.

Secretary Kerry pointed out that contrary to Russias claim that it is fighting terrorists in Syria, 80-85 percent of their bombing has been done against the opposition, the moderate opposition:

And they do that in order to support Assad under the guise of fighting terror. But they would be hard-pressed to show the number of times they have actually gone after Daesh.

Secretary Kerry said No one is fooled by what Russia is doing. But the issue is whether or not we can find a way forward to be able to try to achieve a ceasefire and actually get to the table to talk about the political solution that [the Russians] say is the only way to settle the fight in Syria. If it is the only way to settle it, then they should show by their actions that this is in fact what they are choosing to do.
Carry Ulreich, right, and her older sister, Rachel, in a photograph taken during their time in hiding in Rotterdam during the Nazi occupation.

AMSTERDAM (JTA)-A Holocaust survivor dubbed "Rotterdam's Anne Frank" in her native Netherlands published her wartime diary, which she wrote while hiding in the bombed-out city.

"At Night I Dream of Peace," the Dutch-language diary of 89-year-old Carry Ulreich, hit bookstores in the Netherlands last week. The book generated strong interest from the national media, which likened and contrasted Ulreich's story with that of Frank, the murdered Jewish teenager from Amsterdam whose diaries in hiding were made into one of the world's best-read books about the Holocaust.

Ulreich, who immigrated to Israel in the years after World War II, was 2 1/2 years older than Frank when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940 and sent many of the country's 140,000 Jews into hiding. Unlike Frank, whose writings have been described as offering a universalist worldview, Ulreich displays a distinctly Jewish one, describing her deep emotional connection to Jewish prayer and traditions.

Whereas Frank and many of her relatives were among the 104,000 Dutch Jews murdered in the genocide, Ulreich survived to have three children, 20 grandchildren and over 60 great-grandchildren. She took her wartime diary, spread over several yellowing notebooks, to Israel but reread it only two years ago, deciding to publish. In an interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw, she described her story as "like Anne Frank's, but with a happy end."

The book, in which Ulreich documented her family's battle to survive as the world around them became increasingly dangerous, is among a handful of detailed testimonies of life in hiding in Rotterdam, which unlike most Dutch cities was largely destroyed in massive aerial bombardments both by the Germans and later the Allied forces.

It affords a rare account of the sometimes awkward encounter between the Ulreichs, a Zionistic and traditionalist family from Eastern Europe whose members were proud of their Jewish heritage, and their deeply religious Catholic saviors, the Zijlmans family.

Whereas the Franks, a family of secular and cosmopolitan Jews from Germany, lived apart from the people who hid them, the Ulreichs lived with the Zijlmans in conditions that required considerable sacrifice on the part of the hosts and led to some friction as the two households interacted.

The Zijlmans couple, who were recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations in 1977 for risking their lives to save the Ulreichs, gave their bedroom to the Ulreichs and moved into a small room where potatoes were stored. They also severed their social contacts to avoid detection as their guests lived in fear.

"We are simply terrified that they will report us to the Waffen-SS for neighborhood disturbance," Ulreich wrote of the neighbors. "Then they will come with their truck, and we'll have to go to Westerbork and then to Poland and after that... death?"

Westerbork was a Nazi transit camp in Holland's northeast.

Ulreich also recalls hearing a chazan, or cantor, offer a prayer for Holocaust victims on a British radio transmission, which she said made the Jews cry and feel "connected with him by heart." But she complains over the airing of the prayer on Shabbat, when Jews are not supposed to turn on the radio.

"The Christians try to support us, but they simply don't understand these things," she wrote.

"Carry shows, next to the enormous gratitude for the hospitality, the discomfort of two different families who suddenly have to live together," wrote Bart Wallet, the editor of the diary and expert on Dutch Jewry with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. "The tension and complete dependence are almost tangible for the reader."

The diary also describes theological discussions between the families.

"This book reveals a lot of information about a, until now, highly undiscussed topic: the religious life in hiding," Wallet wrote. "It shows how the Jews struggled to eat kosher and how they still tried to celebrate their holy days."
The grave of Marlene Schulman, who died in Baltimore on Aug. 3 and was buried two days later. The date on the marker is incorrect.

The "Seeking Kin" column aims to help reunite long-lost friends and relatives.

BALTIMORE (JTA)-The 30 or so people assembled at a shaded gravesite on a cloudy, early Friday morning probably didn't know how much they would be moved.

Alongside an open grave, nine men stood to the right of Rabbi Yisrael Motzen, the funeral's officiant. They had responded to Motzen's appeal late the previous afternoon on the Facebook page of his synagogue, Ner Tamid.

"Help needed! True mitzvah opportunity! An elderly woman with no family or friends passed away and will be buried tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Baltimore Hebrew's cemetery on Belair Rd.," he wrote. "We are looking for nine men for a minyan and help with the burial. Please PM me ASAP if you are able to join us. Thank you very much!"

And so, we came.

Across from Motzen, 20 others had gathered, lined up nearly shoulder to shoulder. With great care, 15 of them had wheeled, gripped and otherwise escorted five elderly people, each of them frail, from the two special vans that had dropped them off 50 feet away.

The 20 were the staff members and residents of group homes for developmentally disabled adults who came to bid farewell to Marlene Schulman, who had lived there, too.

Motzen had erred-these people were her family and friends.

In the early 1940s, at age 4 or 5, Schulman was stricken with encephalitis, which caused permanent brain damage, according to a source at Chimes Maryland, the nonprofit organization in whose group home Schulman lived. Schulman's parents, Herman and Irene, institutionalized her in Vineland, New Jersey. When Herman became ill and could no longer pay for the private care, he and Irene moved Marlene back to Maryland in 1981 to live as a ward of the state.

Obituary notices placed in Baltimore's Sun newspaper for Irene in 2005 and Wilma, the older sister of Marlene by five years, in 2011 make no mention of Marlene. An obituary could not be found for Herman, who died in 1981. The trio is buried together at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation's other cemetery, in suburban Reisterstown.

On Sept. 2, "Seeking Kin" located Mark Schuster, Wilma's son. Schuster said he had been told decades earlier that Marlene, his aunt, had died. Many years before that, Irene had reluctantly confirmed his suspicion of her having another daughter. More recently, his online search for Marlene came up blank.

Had he known of his aunt's existence all these years, Schuster said, "I could have gone and visited." He plans to contact Chimes to learn about her and the life she led.

What was she like?

Miriam Goliger, a Chimes employee who attended the funeral, said in a subsequent interview that Schulman "always smiled and asked how you were," projecting warmth even though "she had what to be upset in her life about." At the same time, she was "feisty" and spoke up for herself, Goliger said.

At the funeral, Motzen posited that we cannot grasp what Schulman's role on Earth might have been, but that the incoming month of Av being celebrated that very day offered a lesson: Perhaps, like the new moon, Schulman lived for the positive purpose of reflecting others' light rather than projecting her own.

The medical director of the organization, likewise, confessed to not knowing Schulman. He read a poem and prompted the mourners to pronounce "Marlene" at the end of each pithy line about witnessing sunlight and seasons and leaves on the ground and other natural marvels. Another employee spoke.

One resident of the group home chuckled loudly, as he did at several other points in the service. No one shot him a nasty look or hushed him.

The rabbi explained to the Chimes contingent, most of them not Jewish, that their escorting Schulman to her final resting place was a "chesed shel emet," the ultimate kindness, because the beneficiary could never reciprocate. The mitzvah, he continued, included partaking in the burial.

Motzen grasped the handle of a wooden shovel angling out from the dirt mound and dug in, heaving several loads onto the lowered casket. He rammed the shovel back into the mound. One of his recruits took it and repeated the act, and then another and the others until the grave seemed full.

Turning to his right, Motzen took a hand spade and gently invited Schulman's caregivers and friends to participate. An elderly man shuffled ahead, supported by Goliger and another aide. He took the spade, which the two women also held. They guided his hand toward the dirt, scooped some and overturned the spade onto the grave.

"Good job, Walter," one of the women said as they strolled back.

A hush prevailed after the Mourner's Kaddish was recited. Motzen noted later on Facebook that it may be the only time the prayer would be said for Schulman.

"I'm glad that our community was able to provide a certain level of dignity and a proper funeral," said one attendee, Harry Burstyn.

A few of Motzen's other recruits approached Goliger. They had noticed some of the women, Schulman's housemates, crying at the graveside. They asked if they could volunteer at the homes or visit the residents.

"That's really incredible, because [the women] don't have anybody, either," Goliger said. "With chesed shel emet, you usually don't see the aftermath. For just a second, we got an eagle-eye view of this playing out."

In this instance, at least, Schulman radiated her own light.

Please email Hillel Kuttler at seekingkin@jta.org if you would like "Seeking Kin" to write about your search for long-lost relatives and friends. Please include the principal facts and your contact information in a brief email. "Seeking Kin" is sponsored by Bryna Shuchat and Joshua Landes and family in loving memory of their mother and grandmother, Miriam Shuchat, a lifelong uniter of the Jewish people.


There is an opportunity to put in place a lasting ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, said U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer.

Both sides took initial steps to implement the September 21 Framework Decision on Disengagement of Forces and Hardware withdrawing their forces from the contact line at Petrivske and Zolote. But as Ambassador Baer has stated, the agreement must be implemented in full to have a lasting impact.

Time is running out. That's why the United States calls for the following steps to be taken immediately: First, combined Russian-separatist forces must halt all attacks on Ukrainian military positions. Second, Russian officers assigned to the Joint Center for Command and Control have the responsibility to guarantee the security of OSCE monitors so they can verify progress toward disengagement. They need to fulfill this responsibility, said Ambassador Baer.

Combined Russian-separatist forces must stop blocking the movements of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. "Threats and other hostile acts," said Ambassador Baer, "are completely unacceptable." Without full disengagement of forces and a comprehensive ceasefire, each day brings yet more suffering in the conflict area. According to the United Nations, fighting between May and August killed twice as many civilians as were lost in the first four months of the year. That number has fallen since the start of the September 1 ceasefire, but civilians will bear the costs if disengagement fails.

In Crimea, Russia continues to persecute the Tatar community. Indeed, there have been ten documented, unsolved disappearances of Tatars since the occupation began. The United States is troubled by the recent news that occupation authorities are pressuring the young children of imprisoned Crimean Tatar activist Emir Hussein Kuku to make statements against their father that could be used to strip him of his parental rights. In addition, there have been disturbing reports that the Russian FSB has been conducting mass interrogations of Mejlis members.

Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia ends its occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea and returns it to Ukrainian control. The United States also joins the European Union in restating that sanctions against Russia for its aggression in eastern Ukraine will remain until Russia fully implements its Minsk commitments.
JERUSALEMA newly approved plan to build 98 homes in the Shiloh Valley in northern Samaria has renewed longstanding tensions between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue of West Bank settlement construction.

Both the U.S. State Department and the White House have issued statements strongly condemning the plancontinuing a pattern of condemnations whenever Israel announces plans to build homes in territories captured from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War. These territories lie at the center of a 50-year land dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Israeli government intends to build the new northern Samaria homes as replacements for residences on the nearby hilltop of Amona, a few miles south of the Shiloh valley. Some 40 Amona homes are slated by Israels Supreme Court for demolition before the end of the year.

From Israels perspective, the Netanyahu government is trying to resolve a problem that it is under pressure to dismantle what, according to Israeli law, is an illegal settlement, and it is trying to find a solution for those people in another settlement, said Professor Jonathan Rynhold, a senior lecturer at Israels Bar-Ilan University and senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.

Many within Israels ruling coalition are against the demolition in Amonathe site of a violent clash between police and protesters during a previous demolition of nine homes on the site in 2006.

The Netanyahu government is stuck between the White House and his right-wing coalition partners, Rynhold told JNS.org.

U.S. and Israeli officials fire barbs

State Department spokesman Mark Toner was the first to condemn the building Wednesday, saying the plan, contradicts previous public statements by the government of Israel that it had no intention of creating new settlements. And this settlements location deep in the West Bank, far closer to Jordan than Israel, would link a string of outposts that effectively divide the West Bank and make the possibility of a viable Palestinian state more remote.

Following that, White House Spokesman Josh Earnest then called into question the health of the friendship between the two strategic allies. We had public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this new announcementso when you talk about how friends treat each otherthis is also a source of concern, Earnest said.

Israels Foreign Ministry shot back Wednesday with a statement claiming, The 98 housing units approved in Shiloh do not constitute a new settlement. This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shiloh and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint.

The statement continued, The real obstacle to peace is not the settlementsa final status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the partiesbut the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries.

The spat between Israel and the U.S. on settlements, according to Rynhold, reflects the longstanding disagreement between the Israeli right and the United States all the way back to 1967.

On Thursday, Israels Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan confirmed on Israels Kol Chai radio that Netanyahu told Obama that no new settlements would be established throughout the duration of a newly-signed $38 billion military aid package to Israel, but claimed that the buildings would not constitute a new settlement.

In a strongly worded rebuttal to the White House and the State Department, Ben-Dahan said, the pledge does not make Israel a hostage of the United States.

Who has legal and moral claims to the West Bank?

According to Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy of the Council of Judea and Samaria (YESHA), there should be no contention about building within the municipal boundaries of the existing community of Shiloh. The Jewish connection to ancient Shiloh goes back thousands of years. It was the first capital of the ancient Jewish Kingdom of Israel and site of the Holy Tabernacle for 369 years.

No other nation has more of a legal, biblical or historical right to Shiloh, Revivi told JNS.org.

Yet the White House, as well as members of Israels opposition disagree. Left-wing Israeli governments had offered the land to the Palestinians during previous negotiation attempts.

Gilad Grossman, a spokesman for the nongovernmental organization Yesh Din, which filed the legal claim in Israels Supreme Court against the houses in Amona, insisted that houses would constitute a new settlement.

Our position is that all settlements and outposts are illegal, Grossman told JNS.org. Building new ones is against international law. Yet, Grossman noted, the plans need to go through additional approvals before being built.

There are many steps that the plan needs to go through before it is fully approved, he explained. We have to see now if the new plans abide by existing Israeli laws.

Meanwhile, the debate on the legitimacy of settlements rages on both within Israel, as well as between Israel and the U.S. Tensions between the strategic allies are likely to continue through the remaining months of the Obama presidency.

According to Revivi, the longtime mayor of Efrat, one of Israels largest settlements, Our communities were built on strong moral and legal ground, and the law isnt as simple as suggested by the State Department.
Through the Life Transitions program, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando once again offers its evening Grief Support Series in cooperation with Congregation Beth Am and Hospice of the Comforter.

All are welcome to attend the meetings on Thursdays from 7 p.m.8 p.m., beginning Oct. 27 and continuing Nov. 3, 10, 17 and Dec. 1 and 8.

The group will meet at Congregation Beth Am, located at 3899 Sand Lake Road, Longwood.

For registration or questions, please call Jeanette Brownstein, JFS Orlando director of Programs, at 407-644-7593, ext. 232. A 45 per session contribution is suggested.
Imagine a speaker with a fresh take on life. Imagine a speaker who makes you laugh at your foibles and inspires you to confront your challenges with exuberance and a plan. That's Iris Ruth Pastor, a coping guru who advocates for us all.

Orlando Hadassah invites the community to lunch with nationally heralded Huffington Post columnist, author, and motivational speaker, Iris Pastor on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Ohev Shalom at 11:30 a.m.

This 5'2' dynamo has mesmerized audiences from coast to coast with her insight, understanding and knowledge. Her core mission and message foster connections, encourages coping, cultivates greatness and preserves her followers' bloom (aka "being the best you can be"). She hates speaking on the same subject twice and custom designs programs for each group she appears before.

Ask most people about the "3 Rs" and their response will most likely be reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. But when it comes to author, blogger, speaker and podcaster Pastor-a self-admitted "book collector, coffee lover, and sunshine seeker"-those three cornerstones are real, relevant and relatable.

Drawn to writing as a child when she first scribbled stories in her journal, Pastor continued to hone her craft while at college. Shortly after receiving a bachelor's degree in mass communications and sociology from the University of South Florida, she started a family, and writing continued to provide her with a much-needed creative outlet as the mother of five active boys. But it wasn't until she began writing "Incidentally, Iris"-a weekly column in Cincinnati Kids, a parenting magazine that she founded in the mid-1980s-that she was able to share her reflections on everyday life with a much larger audience.

Written in an authentic and approachable style, Pastor's slice-of-life newspaper column shared her daily musings as a busy wife and mother. Her thoughts, challenges and victories resonated profoundly with young mothers, bringing up topics that they had thought about themselves and discussing them in a warm, relatable and transparent manner.

Pastor's unique ability to engage and connect with her readers caused "Incidentally, Iris" to be picked up by The American Israelite and the Jewish Press (both of which continue to run her columns) as well as other newspapers across the country. In 1996, she published a book of her early columns, "Slices, Bites and Other Facts of Life," and launched a motivational speaking career.

In 2013, Pastor founded Ladies, Ink, utilizing her writing, public speaking and podcasting to empower mid-life women to be their very best selves by "Preserving Their Bloom." Two years later, Pastor decided to share her musings in an interactive format that lent itself ideally to her easy, breezy style: a weekly blog. The self-professed "aging Baby Boomer" gained entree into Huffington Post's much-coveted stable of writers, and six months after her first story aired was recognized as one of their "Must-Read Bloggers of 2015." She also publishes a weekly newsletter that encourages her readers to take control of their lives, with empathy.

To "Preserve Your Bloom," make a reservation today. RSVP to Nancyg357@yahoo.com or call 407-333-0204. Couvert is $12.
JERUSALEM (AP)Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, Oct. 14, a day after the U.N. cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.

UNESCOs draft resolution, titled Occupied Palestine and sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, which includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray.

Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.

The draft resolution, seen by The Associated Press, diminished the links to Judaism of two important holy sites in Jerusalems Old City.

The text refers to the site known by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount only by its Muslim name. The draft resolution refers to the Muslim site of Al-Buraq Plaza without quotations, but puts the sites Jewish name, the Western Wall Plaza, in inverted commas.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO of Israels decision on Friday.

Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization, Bennett said.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was outraged by the resolution. Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca? The UNESCO vote claims that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. In fact, it is the UNESCO vote that has no connection to reality.

UNESCO chief Irina Bokova expressed dismay with the draft resolution, which came from member states, saying that different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount.

The spat is the latest in Israels rocky relations with UNESCO.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the resolution absurd after it was announced and on Friday tweeted: Whats next? A UNESCO decision denying the connection between peanut butter and jelly? Batman and Robin? Rock and roll?

See the Weekly roundup (page 13A) for more on this.
The artificiality of a Palestinian identity is reflected in the attitudes and actions of neighboring Arab nations who never established a Palestinian state themselves.

Arabs in neighboring states, who control 99.9 percent of the Middle East land, have never recognized a Palestinian entity.

The Arabs never established a Palestinian state when the UN in 1947 recommended to partition Palestine, and to establish an Arab and a Jewish state (not a Palestinian state, it should be noted).

Nor did the Arabs recognize or establish a Palestinian state during the two decades prior to the Six-Day War when the West Bank was under Jordanian control and the Gaza Strip was under Egyptian control.

Nor did the Palestinian Arabs clamor for autonomy or independence during those years under Jordanian and Egyptian rule.

And as for Jerusalem: Only twice in the citys history has it served as a national capital. First as the capital of the two Jewish Commonwealths during the First and Second Temple periods, as described in the Bible, reinforced by archaeological evidence and numerous ancient documents. And again in modern times as the capital of the State of Israel.

It has never served as an Arab capital for the simple reason that there has never been a Palestinian Arab state.

Eli E. Hertz is president of Myths and Facts.
Israeli police officer Yosef Kirme, 29, who was killed in a shoot terror attack on Sunday in Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM-A police officer and a civilian were killed and six were wounded during a drive-by shooting in Jerusalem this weekend, raising concerns about the possible resumption of the wave of lone wolf terror attacks that convulsed Israel earlier this year.

Yosef "Yosi" Kirme, 29, and Levanah Malichi, 60, were killed in the attack, which occurred at the Ammunition Hill light rail station on Sunday when a Palestinian man drove past spraying bullets from a car. Malichi, who was waiting for the train, was killed at the station, while Kirme, a police officer, was shot while pursuing the assailant.

Kirme was buried on Sunday evening at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl cemetery alongside fellow fallen IDF officers. Last December, he was recognized for stopping a terror attack.

Malichi retired in 2010 from working 30 years in the Knesset. She was the mother of three and grandmother of six.

The terrorist, identified as Musbah Abu Sbeih, 39, was reported to have been due to begin a four month jail term for incitement on Sunday. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced shortly after the attack the suspect had a blue Israeli identification card on him, meaning he was either a citizen or legal resident of eastern Jerusalem. Erdan also stated that there had been no prior warning that such an attack was imminent.

Abu Sbeih was killed by security forces during a gun battle in the capital.

In the wake of the weekend's attack, security precautions were ramped up, particularly in east Jerusalem, police spokesmen said, especially given the upcoming Yom Kippur and Sukkot holidays.

The attacks sparked celebrations among Palestinians with residents of the Gaza Strip photographed handing out candy in the street.

Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas' spokesman in Gaza said, "This heroic act bears witness to our determination and shows the Jerusalem intifada is not over," Israel Hayom reported.

More than 40 Israelis have been killed in attacks over the course of the last year in what's known as the "stabbing intifada" that began in September 2015, where terrorists used improvised weapons such as scissors and kitchen knives. Some 240 Palestinians, many of them assailants or participants in violent riots, were also killed during the same period.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party also lauded the attack. Its Jerusalem branch representatives declared a general strike in solidarity with the terrorist. Businesses across east Jerusalem closed as praise for the terrorist echoed through the streets.

In video footage uploaded to social media on Sunday, Jerusalem Arabs recording the incident could be heard screaming "Allahu akbar," (God is great) as the sounds of shots reverberated across the city.

Israeli security forces detained tens of Palestinians in the wake of the attack, including following clashes that erupted when more than 30 Arabs attempted to publicly memorialize Abu Sbeih.

According to media reports, Abu Sbeih's house had been festooned with Hamas flags while onlookers chanted his praises in Arabic.

As security forces attempted to measure his house in preparation for its demolition in response to the attack, a pipe bomb was thrown, lightly injuring one IDF serviceman.

In a video apparently posted on social media shortly before the attack, Abu Sbeih is shown urging terrorist attacks "to protect Al-Aqsa." It is unknown when he filmed the video, but his Facebook page was rife with hatred for Israel and incitement to violence. The page has since been suspended.

The United States issued a statement condemning the attack "in the strongest possible terms."

Also on Sunday, a firebomb was thrown at a car in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, lightly injuring a woman.
(JNS.org)The United Nations Security Council is expected to convene next week in an informal session, spearheaded by the Palestinians, to discuss Israeli settlements as an obstacle to peace in an eventual push for a formal Security Council resolution against Israel.

The existence and expansion of the settlements on Palestinians lands, which were occupied in 1967, endanger a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution, according to the position paper distributed to participants of the meeting, obtained by Yedioth Ahronoth.

The position paper goes on to blame Israeli security forces for overlooking violent acts of the settlers against Palestinians and not giving them the protection to which they are entitled under international law.

The meeting likely will focus on Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem as well as the expansion of Jewish communities in the West Bank.

While the special meeting was initiated by the Palestinians, the official request was submitted by Malaysia, Venezuela, Senegal, Egypt and Angola, countries that are currently temporary members of the Security Council.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon slammed the Palestinians for the move, saying they are using the international community to harm the state of Israel instead of stopping incitement and sitting at the negotiation table.

Danon added, It is the international communitys responsibility to strongly reject these attempts. Only an absolute stop to Palestinian incitement and the halting of terror against Israeli citizens will facilitate a dialogue.
UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova on Friday came out against the agency's executive board for adopting a resolution that disregards the connection between Judaism and Temple Mount and casts doubt over the link between the religion and the Western Wall.

"The Al Aqsa Mosque [or] Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit-or Temple Mount-whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism," Bokova said in a statement.

The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization voted to adopt an anti-Israel resolution on Thursday.

"Jerusalem is the sacred city of the three monotheistic religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam," Bokova said in Friday's statement. "It is in recognition of this exceptional diversity, and this cultural and religious coexistence, that it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list."

"...The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site."

Bokova noted that Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy texts offer testimony as to their presence in Jerusalem.

"In the Torah, Jerusalem is the capital of King David, where Solomon built the Temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant," she said. "In the Bible, Jerusalem is the city of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the [Koran], Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, where Muhammad arrived after his night journey from Al Haram Mosq (Mecca) to Al-Aqsa.

"Different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names," she said. "The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount."

UNESCO's director-general further asserted that the agency's role is to promote dialogue and co-existence, not confrontation.

"We have to bridge the divisions that harm the multi-faith character of the Old City," Bokova said. "When these divisions carry over into UNESCO, they prevent us from carrying out our mission. UNESCO's responsibility is to foster this spirit of tolerance and respect for history."

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Bokova's statement "is insufficient."

"The tailwind UNESCO gives to terrorism will only stop once the organization annuls the scandalous resolution from yesterday-a motion that denies history to please Israel's haters," he said. "Words are important, but they are not a substitute for actions taken by the organization she heads."

Bokova has no official control over resolutions, which are sponsored and voted on by member states.
Israel suspending ties with UNESCO following vote that denies Jewish connection to Jerusalem

(JTA)Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel would suspend its cooperation with UNESCO because of the U.N. agencys decision to ignore Jewish ties to holy sites in Jerusalem.

Bennetts statement on Friday followed passionate condemnations by Israel as well as international Jewish groups and communities of a vote the previous day in Paris by the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Through a majority of 24 to 6 votes, the board passed a preliminary version of a resolution that calls several sites holy to Judaism only by their Islamic names without mentioning its Jewish names in Hebrew or English. The sites include the Temple Mount, referred to as Al-aram Al-Sharif.

Israeli officials will neither meet UNESCO representatives nor engage in cooperation in international conferences or professional cooperation with the organization, Bennett said in a statement that followed the outpouring of condemnationsincluding by a U.S. official who called the vote one-sided and unhelpful.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called the move by UNESCO a one-sided attempt to ignore Israels 3,000-year bond to its capital city and further evidence of the enormous anti-Israel bias at the United Nations.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons foreign policy adviser, Laura Rosenberer, condemned the resolution.

Its outrageous that UNESCO would deny the deep, historic connection between Judaism and the Temple Mount, she said.

Bennett in his statement said of the UNESCO countries, Your decision denies history and encourages terror. Those who give prizes to the supporters of Jihad in Jerusalem the same week that two Jews are murdered in the city could God forbid encourage more victims.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Estonia voted against the resolution and 26 countries abstained. Israels ambassador to UNESCO called the voting an improvement to previous votes by the U.N. agency, saying Western countries had supported previous measures with similar language on Jerusalem. Russia and China were among those that backed the resolution.

This vote was certainly unpleasant, but Im very pleased with the result, Ambassador Carmel Shama-Hacohen told Army Radio Friday morning. Our goal was to bring back France and our friends in Europe to not support the Palestinian resolution.

He noted that Sweden, whose government is a harsh critic of Israel and the only EU Cabinet member that recognizes the Palestinian Authority as a state, also sat out the vote, as did India, which historically has supported anti-Israel resolutions in U.N. forums.

France and Sweden both abstained from Thursdays vote after supporting a UNESCO resolution in April that also ignored the sites Jewish ties. The April vote saw 33 votes in favor, 6 against and 17 abstentions.

Classified as pertaining to Occupied Palestine, the UNESCO resolution passed Thursday was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan. While it affirms the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions, it contains two references to Judaism: One in describing holy sites in Hebron and the other in decrying the enforced creation of a new Jewish prayer platform south of the Mughrabi Ascent in Al-Buraq Plaza.

The so-called al-Buraq Plaza is better known as the Western Wall Plazapossibly Judaisms holiest site. The use of the Arabic-language name is a recent development lifted from Hamas literature, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Terrorist attacks in Israel drop to lowest tally in over a year

(JTA)The number of terrorist attacks perpetrated in Israel dropped in August to 93the lowest monthly tally on record since March 2015 and the first dip since then below the 100-incident mark.

In Jerusalem, the number of incidents in August dropped by nearly half, to 13 from the 24 in July, the Shin Bet security agency said in its latest monthly report, which was published this week. Overall, the number of terrorist attacks dropped in August by 8 percent from the 101 incidents recorded in July.

Seven Israelis were injured in the August attacksthree of them were stabbed. Another two were wounded by firebombs. The remaining victims were injured by an explosive charge and the hurling of stones. Three of the terrorist incidents were mortar round launchings from the Gaza Strip, which did not result in injury.

August saw no fatalities from terrorist attacks.

In July, Rabbi Michael Mark was murdered in a terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Otniel that also injured three others.

In Israel, the West Bank and Gaza attacks began increasing in August 2015, when 171 were documented, and rose sharply in September and October of that year, with 223 and 620 attacks recorded in those months, respectively. The overall number of attacks decreased to 326 in November, 246 in December, 169 in January, 155 in February and 123 in March.

On Oct. 9, two people were killed and at least six injured when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a light rail stop in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian child was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in an incident that a Palestinian medical source blamed on Israeli troops, but which Israel said was not the action of any of its forces.

Abdullah Nasser Atwa Abu Mdeif was shot in the back by a bullet on Tuesday evening in the al-Qarrara area east of Khan Yunis, Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told the Maan news agency, adding his death was from Israel Defense Forces fire.

Yoav Mordechai, the IDF coordinator of government activities in the territories, wrote in a statement that the boy likely had died from a stray bullet shot during a wedding in the area.

Hundreds of Palestinians have died in clashes with security forces following the escalation in terrorist attacks last year. Many of them were killed while perpetrating terrorist attacks. At least 30 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks in border clashes with Israeli troops or in retaliatory strikes for the launching of projectiles into Israel, Maan reported.

Israeli chief rabbi: Syria is suffering a small holocaust

(JTA)Israels Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said a small holocaust was taking place in Syria.

At an interreligious meeting with Palestinian Muslim clerics hosted by President Reuven Rivlin, Yosef said the world must not be silent in the face of the atrocities taking place in the country that has been consumed by civil war since 2011, The Times of Israel reported.

Every day not far from here, as we sit here, men, women and children are murdered in Syria, and particularly in Aleppo, Yosef said at the meeting. Millions of refugees are homeless, hundreds of thousands of others are starved, under siege. They are not our friends, but they are human beings who are suffering a small holocaust.

Yosef said that particularly Jews, who endured the Holocaust and the murder of 6 million people as the world looked on and remained silent, must not do so now. In describing the civil war in Syria, Yosef used the Hebrew-language word for the Holocaust, shoah. Depending on how it is used in a sentence, the word can mean the Jewish genocide perpetrated by the Nazis or an unspecified calamity or major catastrophe.

As Jews we must not stay silent, the chief rabbi said. The call must be heard from here: A genocide will not be allowed to go by quietlynot in Syria and not anywhere else, and not against any people.

At the meeting Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders issued a call against religiously inspired violence.

Donald Trump accused of harassing, mocking deaf Jewish actress Marlee Matlin

(JTA)Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who is attempting damage control following his misogynistic statements, is accused of mocking the deaf Jewish actress Marlee Matlin over her disability.

Trump ridiculed Matlin, a 1986 Academy Award winner, during filming in 2011 of his reality television show Celebrity Apprentice, The Daily Beast reported Thursday, allegedly calling the contestant retarded.

Trump would often equate that she was mentally retarded, an unnamed source told the news site, which based its reporting on interviews with three longtime staffers who worked on Matlins season of Celebrity Apprentice. They spoke anonymously, citing fear of legal retribution for violating their contractual non-disclosure clause.

They said Trump would regularly disrespect the actress and would treat her as if she were mentally disabled, sometimes behind her back but at other times to her face.

Trump would make fun of her voice. It actually sounded a lot like what he did [to] the New York Times guy, one source told The Daily Beast, referring to the candidates impression of Serge Kovaleski, a disabled journalist. Like, to make it seem like she was mentally not there? Sounded like he got a real kick out of it. It was really upsetting, the source added.

The allegation comes on the heels of a rash of sexual harassment and assault accusations against Trump, as well as other allegations from a former Apprentice contestant, Richard Hatch, who claimed Trump also made lewd remarks to Matlin during taping.

Watching him in the boardroom, the shows main set, making sexual comments to Marlee Matlin, to all of the women on The Apprentice, it was obvious that thats just a part of who he is, Hatch told People magazine this week. It was obvious and it was grotesque. It was blatant and it was frequent. He did it with Lisa Rinna; he did it with Marlee Matlin. He did it with whomever happened to be there at the time.

Matlin declined to comment on her time on the show, according to The Daily Beast.

Last year, she praised Trump in an interview with the New York Post.

He treated me with respect and humor and was always looking after me, she said.

Asked at the time if she was ready for a President Trump, she deflected, saying that anyone can run for president.

Last week, Trump distanced himself from lewd comments about women he made a decade ago, and which were published by The Washington Post. In the recording, which Trump said was of locker room banter that does not reflect his personality, Trump recounts to the television personality Billy Bush of Access Hollywood how he once pursued a married woman and moved on her like a bitch, but I couldnt get there, expressing regret that they did not have sex.

He brags of a special status with women: Because he was a star, he said, he could grab them by the pussy whenever he wanted.

Trump, Clinton campaigns slam UNESCO Jerusalem resolution

(JTA)The Trump and Clinton campaigns slammed a UNESCO resolution that upholds Muslim claims on holy sites in Jerusalem while mostly erasing Jewish claims, and Donald Trump said he would recognize the city as Israels capital.

The United Nations attempt to disconnect the State of Israel from Jerusalem is a one-sided attempt to ignore Israels 3,000-year bond to its capital city, and is further evidence of the enormous anti-Israel bias of the U.N., said the statement released Thursday evening by Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, referring to the preliminary vote that day by the board of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural and educational affiliate.

Laura Rosenberger, a senior foreign policy adviser to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, told JTA that its outrageous that UNESCO would deny the deep, historic connection between Judaism and the Temple Mount.

While the UNESCO resolution affirms the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions, it refers to the Temple Mount several times only as Al-aram Al-Sharif, the Islamic term for the Temple Mount, without mentioning its Jewish names in Hebrew or English. It also uses the term Buraq Plaza, placing Western Wall Plaza in quotes, appearing to erase a Jewish connection to the site, where the Jewish Temple stood until the middle of the first century C.E. and whose retaining walls are made of distinct stones associated with the Jewish king Herod.

U.S. lawmakers have slammed the vote across the political spectrum. Israel and American Jewish leaders also have ripped the vote.

Israel has cut off ties with UNESCO as long as the resolution, which may go to the full body, stands. The executive board on Thursday backed the Palestinian-backed resolution with 24 votes in favor and 6 against, with 26 countries abstaining.

Trump also said he would recognize Israels capital as Jerusalem.

I have said on numerous occasions that in a Trump Administration, the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the one true capital of Israel, he said.

Last December, Trump refused to commit to recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital while speaking to a Republican Jewish Coalition forum, but changed his tune by the time he addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in March.

Jerusalem is the enduring capital of the Jewish people and the overwhelming majority of Congress has voted to recognize Jerusalem as just that, Trump told the AIPAC assembly.

The Clinton campaigns Israel page does not mention Jerusalem. While Congress has recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital, successive U.S. presidents, Republican and Democratic, have said its status should be left up to negotiations.

Rosenberger in her email cited Clintons record as secretary of state in President Barack Obamas first term to uphold her pro-Israel credentials.

As secretary of state, Hillary fought to defend Israel against biased resolutions like these at the United Nations and other international organizations and would proudly do so again as president, she said.

Trump blamed the Obama administration for contributing to the erosion in Israels claim to the city. He referred to a corrected version of Obamas eulogy at the funeral earlier this month of former Israeli President Shimon Peres. The original White House transcript was datelined Jerusalem, Israel, and the corrected version deleted Israel, conforming with U.S. policy.

The decision by the Obama Administration to strike the word Israel after the word Jerusalem in the Presidents prepared text was a capitulation to Israels enemies, and a posthumous embarrassment to Shimon Peres, whose memory the President was attempting to honor, Trumps statement said. In a Trump Administration, Israel will have a true, loyal and lasting friend in the United States of America.

Dutch chief rabbi decries planned euthanasia laws for healthy people

AMSTERDAM (JTA)Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs urged his countrys government to drop plans to legalize assisted suicide for healthy individuals.

Jacobs was reacting to a statement made earlier this week in the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch lower house, by the countrys health minister announcing planned legislation designed to broaden existing laws on assisted suicide to include healthy people who no longer wish to live. The current law limits euthanasia to the terminally or chronically ill.

Jacobs opposition to euthanasia is based on religious laws on the sanctity of human life, which prohibit any intervention to end it, he said. Notwithstanding, he added Jewish law in some cases justifies avoiding interference to preserve lifeespecially in cases where such action only prolongs suffering with no plausible healing effect.

The proposed measure, he said, not only contradicts religious views on death but also risks causing unnecessary deaths of depressed elderly people whose death wish is only temporary.

In the course of my work, I have seen not one, not two, but many elderly people who genuinely wished to die following the death of their spouses but then, within several years, were able to enjoy life for many years longer, said Jacobs, the chairman of the ethics committee of Amsterdams Sinai Center, Europes only Jewish psychiatric hospital.

One case involved a woman who refused to eat or take medications following an infection.

Then she was given antidepressants and within several weeks her pneumonia was gone, she recovered, and her depression, which hit while she was sick, was also gone, the rabbi recalled. I am the last person to downplay the pain felt by people who no longer wish to live, but we are morally forbidden from interfering and should do our utmost to help them and comfort them.

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for patients who were suffering unbearable pain and had no prospects of a cure.

But the proposal to include healthy, elderly individuals in the laws on assisted suicide outraged several faith communities in the liberal country, including Roman Catholics.

The website Katholiek Gezin, or Catholic Family, published a scathing op-ed on Friday accusing the government of creating a reality in which many elderly citizens no longer wish to live and of trying to benefit financially from that reality.

After many years in which the health system endured cutbacks that generated increasingly tragic situations of lacking assistance for our elderly, the Cabinet now comes up with a solution: Professional assistance to suicide for people who have completed their lives, the op-ed read. It called the proposed legislation a slippery slope that risks allowing financial considerations cheapen the value of human life in a graying society.

But Edith Schippers, the Dutch health minister, said that assisted suicide also for healthy individuals is meant to address the needs of older people who do not have the possibility to continue life in a meaningful way, who are struggling with the loss of independence and reduced mobility, and who have a sense of loneliness, partly because of the loss of loved ones, and who are burdened by general fatigue, deterioration and loss of personal dignity.

Hit man says slain law professor Dan Markels ex-wife was part of contract killing

(JTA)A hit man who confessed to killing Jewish law professor Dan Markel implicated Markels ex-wife in the crime, adding that she supervised his work a day before the killing.

The allegation against Wendi Adelson came in an Oct. 4 police interview released this week by the Tallahassee Democrat, the Forward reported Thursday. The hit man, Luis Rivera, said that his longtime friend Sigfredo Garcia shot Markel. Rivera, who said he drove the getaway car, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

In the course of the two-hour interview, Rivera told police that Garcia said he had been hired to kill Markel in 2014 because the lady wants her two kids back.

Markel and Adelson, who divorced in 2013, were locked in a bitter custody dispute at the time of the murder. Adelson and her family have denied any involvement in Markels slaying.

Rivera said that he and Garcia saw Adelson walking near Markels house the day before the murder. Rivera said he thought Adelson was scoping the place ahead of the killing. Katherine Magbanua, a suspected accomplice who allegedly knew both the killers and Adelson, said Adelson was there to make sure he wasnt lying, that she wasnt just paying him for nothing.

Prosecutors told the Tallahassee Democrat on Oct. 11 that the alleged encounter between the hit men and Adelson could, if proven, connect Adelson with Markels murder.

I think if its true, it implicates her, but I havent been able to confirm or deny that, Chief Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappelman told the newspaper.

Adelsons attorney, John Lauro, told the Tallahassee Democrat on Oct. 12 that Riveras testimony is unreliable.

All of his alleged information is second or third hand and none of it has been corroborated during the investigation, Lauro said.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Rivera will serve an additional seven years on top of the 12 years he is currently serving on unrelated federal charges.

Garcia, charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killing, has pled not guilty.

Speaking with his hands shackled throughout his lengthy interview with police, Rivera wove a detailed account of two separate trips to Tallahassee with Garcia, the second of which ended in Markels brutal killing.

Last month, Tallahassee Police Department investigators said that the brother of Markels ex-wife, Charlie Adelson, and her mother, Donna Adelson, should be considered prime suspects in his slaying. However, Floridas state attorney dismissed as speculation affidavits from Tallahassee police.

Paris regional council vows to strip funding from BDS promoters

(JTA)A regional council in France that includes Paris passed a precedent-setting amendment that excludes funding from promoters of boycotts against Israel.

The council of the Ile-de-France region, where right-wing parties have a majority, adopted the amendment Thursday, the Le Monde Juif website reported the following day.

The report said the councils president, Valerie Pecresse of the UMP party of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, led the vote in keeping with her campaign promises to pursue vigorous measures against the BDS movementan acronym for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.

In accordance with the law, I will not tolerate any form of boycotts against Israel in the Ile-de-France region, she said while campaigning for the top executive political position of the region, which is home to most of Frances 500,000 Jews.

Robert Ejnes, deputy president of the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities, in a Twitter post congratulated the council for its amendment, whose final text was not yet published. Ariel Goldmann, another CRIF vice president, wrote on Twitter about the measure: Thank you and bravo.

In France, several dozen promoters of a boycott against Israel have been convicted of inciting hate or discrimination. Some activists have been convicted based on the 2003 Lellouche law, which extends anti-racism laws to the targeting of specific nations for discriminatory treatment.

The judiciary in neighboring Spain has cracked down in recent years on BDS initiatives, declaring them unconstitutional. Last month, the high court of the Asturias region there joined other Spanish high tribunals in upholding rulings by lower instances declaring BDS discriminatory.

Britains ruling party is formulating legislation against BDS, officials said earlier this year.
On Election Day back in 1940, in front of PS 97 in Brooklyn, I carried a poster for FDR. I was 7 years old and a fervent Jewish-Umbilical-Cord-Democrat. How could I not be? My parents, uncles, cousins and friends knew nothing else but Roosevelt, Socialism and The Party. As I matured I got the message that our Supreme Leader whose picture adorned our living room wall was a Jew hater. From then on it was the candidate and not The Party that got my vote and support. And my major considerations when casting my vote became Israel and the survival of world Jewry. We Jews had been suckered enough by political blindness. Never again for me!

For that reason, this years election is a major one for Jews. Donald Trump has no political background in dealing with foreign affairs. Hes been a successful businessman all his life. But he has spoken out before and during his campaign in support of Israel. In an interview with CBN he stated, referring to the Iran nuclear deal: Its one of the worst deals Ive ever seen under any circumstances. I think its a tremendous liability to Israel. He has sworn to follow Congress lead to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. He has vowed: If Israel were attacked, 100 percent Id come to their defense, 100 percent! And he gets it and is vocal about the savagery of the Palestinians: Every single day you have rampant incitement and children being taught to hate the Jews. It has to stop! Their heroes are the people who kill the Jews.

His words and actions in being one of the largest non-Jewish dollar contributors to Israeli causes speak volumes. His daughter, Ivanka, who converted to Orthodox Judaism before her marriage to her Jewish husband, introduced her dad to an Algemeiner dinner honoring him, thusly: He has used his voice often and loudly in support of Israel, in support of developments within Israel, in support of security for Israel and in support of the idea of Israeli democracy.

Trump has had no official, governmental relationship with Israel, but his history as an American businessman speaking out and acting for Israels support is rock solid.

Now let us focus on Hillary and her Democrat Party. For the sake of brevity Ill just list her overt and obvious hostile actions and behavior toward Israel:

 In 1982, as chair of the New World Foundation, she contributed $15,000 to Yasser Arafat and his terrorist group, the PLO.

 In 1991, as first lady, she was the first politician to advocate for a Palestinian state.

 In 1999, in Ramallah, she kissed and hugged Suha Arafat, displaying her support after hearing the terrorists wife claim that Israel murdered Palestinian women and children by poisoning their water supply.

 After the last war against Israel by Hamas, Clinton, as secretary of state, oversaw our governments NGOs handing over $900 million to the terrorists who run and control Gaza for rebuilding.

 Can we forget Hillarys 43-minute phone call tongue lashing of Netanyahu over Israels building construction on what she considers Arab land? And after that scene, her proud claim that, I was often the designated yeller!

 Hillarys recent e-mail scandals have revealed a constant stream of hate Israel messages from the likes of her anti-Israel advisers such as George Soros, Sid and Max Blumenthal, Thomas Pickering, all urging her continued harsh anti-Israel stance.

 Lets also consider her top aide, Huma Abedin, who together with her whole family are devout Muslim Brotherhood operatives.

Google the above to discover the likes of those on whom she relies for counsel.

Florida and its 600,000 plus Jews are likely to be key in the election of our next president. If Israel and the future of American Jewry are of concern to you, please consider not voting for The (usual) Party and Hillary but for Republican candidates together with Donald Trump, who will extend his support for Israel from the White House.

Bergstein is a retired NYC school principal and an outspoken advocate for Jewish/Israel causes.
CARSON CITY  The Nevada State Contractors Board has revoked the license of Alternative Drilling Company LLC, based out of Spring Creek, and fined the company $6,000 plus investigative costs.

Violations listed by the board include abandonment of a construction project, diversion of funds, failure to comply with a notice to correct, failure to respond to a request from the Board, failure to include Residential Recovery Fund information on a contract, and failure to establish financial responsibility.

The companys officers are David Hersh of Lamoille and Reese Johnson of Spring Creek, according to the Nevada Secretary of States office. Its license was placed on probation in September, and had been suspended in July 2015.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas suffered chest pains last week and was rushed to a hospital in Ramallah. The episode was an important reminder of the dangers and risks Israel will face if it heeds demands for the quick creation of a Palestinian state.

In recent weeks, the S. Daniel Abraham Center has been sponsoring full-page ads in The New York Times calling for a Palestinian state. The Obama administration this week issued an overheated condemnation of Israel for approving the construction of a handful of houses for Jews, because that construction might interfere with the emergence of a Palestinian state. And there have been reports that the United Nations, perhaps with the support of President Obama, will soon issue some new Palestinian statehood resolution.

Abbas is 81-years-old. His recent heart episode illustrated the fragility of his health. And, at his age, if its not his heart, it will soon be something else. One of these days, and it wont be long, he will no longer be physically able to govern the Palestinian Authority (PA).

So, lets imagine for a moment if Israel were to listen to Obama, the U.N. and S. Daniel Abraham and permit the creation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state. And then imagine if, shortly after signing a statehood agreement with Israel, Abbas is incapacitated. What would follow? There are, I think, two possibilities.

The most likely scenario is that the terror group Hamas would take over. It has the troops and weapons needed for a coup. They already defeated Abbass Fatah forces and took over Gaza nine years ago. And Hamas has widespread support among ordinary Palestinians judging from the results of the few elections that Abbas had permitted over the years.

So Hamas, which openly advocates the annihilation of Israel and the genocide of Israels 6.4 million Jews, would be in control of a full-fledged state with borders straddling Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The new Hamas regime could bring in tanks and planes, not to mention missiles from North Korea and volunteers from Iran. A lone Hamas terrorist with a shoulder-fired rocket would be within striking distance of planes taking off from Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport. Perhaps after he brought down a plane or two, the U.N. would pass a resolution expressing concern about the escalation of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The other scenario would involve some non-Hamas official from the PA succeeding Abbas. Now, if Abbas had spent the past 23 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords educating the Palestinian public to embrace peace, perhaps there would be a chance of a peace-minded leader emerging to succeed him.

But instead, PA schools became anti-Israel indoctrinating centers, PA summer camps were used for teenage military training, and the official PA news media saturated Palestinian society with glorification of terrorists as heroes and martyrs. PA cartoonists drew images of Jews that rivaled those of the worst anti-Semites through the ages. Then-Senator Hillary Clinton called the PAs anti-Jewish education child abuse.

Considering the ideas and values that the Abbas regime has propagated for 23 years, which is more likely; that his successor will be moderate, reasonable, and devoted to coexistence with Israel, or that his successor will be extreme, violent, and dedicated to destruction of the Jewish state?

One can understand why the Obama administration, the S. Daniel Abraham Center, and J Street have in effect adopted Quick, give him a state! as their motto. If Abbas doesnt get a state right away, he may not be around to get it at all. And then Israelis (and American Jews) would see, once and for all, how foolhardy it would be to put Israels fate in the hands of unstable Palestinian dictators.

Stephen M. Flatow, an attorney in New Jersey, is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.
Dear Editor:

I was quite taken aback by the full-page ad in last weeks Heritage taken out by the organization Jews For Progress. This was a good example of the old adage that If you cant convince them with facts, baffle them with Bullst. The quote, Trump pledges to be neutral guy in Israel-Palestinian negotiations is totally taken out of context. In reality, he said at the 2016 AIPAC Conference, Each side must give up something it values in exchange for something it requires. A deal that imposes conditions on Israel and the Palestinian Authority will do nothing to bring peace. It will only further delegitimize Israel and reward terrorism.

For this organization to insinuate that Donald Trump is an anti-Semite is ludicrous. Again at the 2016 AIPAC Conference he is quoted as saying, I speak to you today as a lifelong supporter and a true friend of Israel. I am a newcomer to politics, but not to backing the Jewish state.

As a former Grand Marshall of the 40th Salute to Israel Parade in New York City, it is implausible that they would choose an anti-Semite. His stance and support for Israel is real.

This is unlike Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton has surrounded herself with people who are well known to be anti-Israel. Her main adviser when she was secretary of state was and still is Huma Abedin, a supporter and advocate for the Muslim Brotherhood. Other close advisers are the anti-Israel, anti-Semite Sydney Blumenthal and his son, the pro-Palestinian author, Max Blumenthal. With advisers such as these, I question what her position will be when it comes to Jewish-Arab, Israel-Palestinian talks. Remember also the fact that she was very sympathetic toward the wife of the late Yasser Arafat who claimed the Israelis were poisoning Palestinian children. One must also question her choice of her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine. Appointing a Muslim Brotherhood front leader who supports Hamas to the states Immigration Commission. In September 2011, Kaine spoke at a Candidates Night dinner organized by the New Dominion PAC that presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for Jamal Barzinji, who the Global Muslim Brotherhood Watch describes as a founding father of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. He had been at four previous events. Now he was thanking them for their financial assistance in previous elections.

Clintons choice of Kaine is widely seen as a way of strengthening her campaigns national security credentials. How can you trust a candidate on national security who appoints a Hamas supporter to their immigration commission and speaks at a dinner honoring a Muslim Brotherhood terror suspect? And how can you trust a candidate who picks such a person as their strong on national security running mate? Be careful for what you wish for.

Aryeh ben Avrum

Tel. 039118797

Biblicaltrees@gmail.com

Avihail, Israel
It cant be truethe American Jewish community has forgotten, or more accurately no longer chooses to remember, the existential threat to Israel, America, and Western civilization posed by Iran and the Iran Deal.

Only last year virtually every mainstream Jewish leader boldly denounced the deal as dangerous, and existentially so. Did our concern dissipate after the Iran deal passed because the ambitions of Iran, the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism, have been tamed in any way? Of course not. Every week there is another statement about destroying Israel and actions taken to show they mean it.

Every week Iran thumbs its nose at the United States despite our governments best efforts to appease it with vast sums of money and to pretend away its continuous acts of defiance and aggression. The picture of the U.S. sailors with their hands up, humiliated by the Iranians, can not be easily ignored... or can it? In fact, Iran is clearly seeking to become the dominant force in the Middle East, bullying and bombing its neighbors into submission, abetted by the fundsour taxpayer dollarsthat this administration sent them.

So what happened to the awareness of the Jewish community about the imminent danger? This moment in history will cause our children and grandchildren to ask us what were we thinking or were we even thinking when we ignored and denied the dangers facing us. Why did we abandon our sense of obligation to our way of life as Americans and to our brethren in Israel, who are first in line to face the threat of annihilation?

Why in this presidential campaign have Jewish leaders been silent about issues of utmost importance to the Jewish community, foremost among them, the danger from Iran and the Iran deal? Is it because the presidential candidates take such divergent positions on the Iran dealHillary is praising and touting the Iran deal and Trump says it was the worst dealthat expressing concern about Iran might lead naturally to the conclusion that we should vote for Trump? Are American Jewish leaders once again going to deny reality, hope for the best, engage in altruistic surrender and denial, and feel good and superior for caring first about others rather than the future of our children?

This is pitiful and incredibly dangerous. Maybe a psychologist could figure out why our history has crippled our instinct for survival, but shame on us anyway.

We dont need leaders to tell us the truth about Iran; we are smart and can think for ourselves. So lets say it loud and clear: Iran grows more dangerous by the day and we, at least, refuse to be silent! Listen to the candidates. Make this concern with Iran the overarching consideration when choosing the right candidate. It is actually an easy choice. We dont even need to scrutinize destroyed emails and hidden speeches. Hillary is for the Iran Deal. She is proud of it and expresses support for Obamas handling of Iran. Trump trashes the Iran Deal and vows to end it. This is reason enough for us as American Jews to choose Trump.
I have begun re-reading Menachem Begins book The RevoltThe Story of the Irgun. It still makes fascinating reading some 60 to 70 years after its original publication. The book opens with Begin having a spirited discussion with his Soviet interrogator. Begin was imprisoned in Russia having been captured as a member of the Polish Army at the beginning of WWII.

The interrogator insists that Zionism is a fraud perpetrated by the British to have an excuse to remain in the Middle East. Begin, in what even then was a professorial manner, explains that no, Zionism is the desire of the Jews to return to their land after some 2,000 years of foreign occupation.

In these most interesting discussions, Begin offers the vision of the Fighting Jew as opposed to those who were being led to the killing chambers at Treblinka. Yes, as early as 1941there were those who knew.

The Fighting Jew. Not since the time of Bar Kochba had such an idea become a reality. But in the forests of Poland, Czechoslovakia and elsewhere, Jewish partisans did indeed take up arms and fight against the Nazis.

Of course, The Fighting Jew still exists. He exists out of necessity. As we say at Passover, in each generation they have tried to destroy us. Well, we are in Israel. It is the Third Jewish Commonwealth there in the land of our forefathers. Were there people there in the early 1900s when the JNF began to buy land in what was then Palestine? Of course. Much of the land was unclaimed desert inhabited by Bedouin nomads who neither knew nor cared about nation.

Much of the developed land was owned by absentee landlords, mostly in Turkey. Lawyers from the JNF went to Turkey, dug through thousands of deeds, land claims and other paper work to find the real owners of land in Eretz Israel. When they found the owners they negotiated to buy the land. No, the land was not attacked by an army as the United States was transplanted by Europeans taking land from the Native occupants. It was purchased, acre by acre.

Now of course, the Turkish landowners did not bother to inform their tenants in Palestine of the land transfers. So, when Jewish settlers came to claim land they had purchased, these tenants, some of whom had been on the land for generations, were not a welcoming group.

So, yes, in many cases, Jews had to fight for their land. First as designated Watchmen known as Shomrimearly Fighting Jews. As more Jews came, especially after Britain finally gave up what Churchill called This dirty little war against the Jew, it was time to declare the Third Jewish Commonwealth as a reality.

So now, as a nation, Israeli lawyers still go to court to bring their case for ownership to be litigated. Sometimes they win, sometimes they losebut if the Israeli argument loses, they lose. Not a shot is fired.

Do Arabs still have the right to own land in greater Eretz Israel and to live there in peace? Of course. Is it a crime for fanatic settlers to simply charge in to land legally owned by Arabs and build homes there without the owners permission? Of course.

But of course, the Fighting Jew was still needed. The Arabs for the most part will still not accept this nation in the midst of their millions of acres of land; amidst all that oil, all that desert, this puny one percent of the Middle East is an abomination to them. So the Fighting Jew has had to take them on. First to win independence, then to prevent all the Arab Nations from destroying the dream.

This is not what the Fighting Jew was meant to do. The Fighting Jew has always lived by law and respect for his fellow human beings. A Two State Solution? For Two States you need two partners who agree that both have rights and are entitled to peace and prosperity. The Fighting Jew is necessary as long as Israels neighbors refuse to accept his existence.

But the Fighting Jew is not necessarily the IDF, Mossad or the Tel Aviv Police Force. The Fighting Jew is here in America. This Fighting Jew fights against anti-Semitism, takes action in word and deed against the cancer of BDSin all its forms. This Fighting Jew does not carry arms. This fighting Jew does not, thank God, have to worry about Arab neighborhood teenagers sneaking into the house to kill children.

But, this Fighting Jew, this American Jew must fight against any type of tyranny. Any hint that people will be kept from these United States because of their religion - we know all about that. The Fighting Jew, here, in Paris or Safat or anywhere is a Shomer for his people or they should not be able to call themselves Jews.
Dear Editor:

I am responding to the advertisement in Heritage associating presidential candidate Donald Trump with anti-Semitism.

This is done purely in the hope that the casual reader will accept those remarks as truth. The goal of the opposition is to smear Donald Trump with untruths. Before I support a candidate, I do my research and that is what all voters should do. For the opposition, truth is not the goal.

Here is the real Donald Trump:

Some years ago he purchased Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach and turned it into a country club. At that time in Palm Beach, African Americans and Jews were not welcome in Palm Beach country clubs. Trump went to court and changed how minorities were treated in Palm Beach.

He surrounds himself with Jewish lawyers, executives and accountants.

Trump advisers worked with legislators to write the Republican Party Platform. They resisted pressure from those who sought more evenhandedness toward the Arabs. They insisted on recognizing and protecting the historic and legal rights of Israel.

Trump chose as his vice president Mike Pence, an ardent supporter of Israel who supports traditional Jewish values and has a strong pro-Israel record.

My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran, said Donald Trump (from his speech at the AIPAC Conference, March 2016)

He has donated generously to the Jewish National Fund and United Jewish Appeal.

He will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu on becoming president.

He will veto any attempt by the UN to impose its will on Israel.

His daughter converted to Orthodox Judaism; his children are married to or are dating Jews, and he has two Jewish grandchildren.

This man does not and will not support anti-Semitism. He is the best candidate for the president of the United States of America and for safeguarding the security of the State of Israel.

Eva London Ritt

Winter Park
WELLS  The possibility of bringing $900,000 into the community to help combat obesity and having volunteers willing to write a grant convinced the County commissioners to apply for federal rural health funds.

The commissioners voted 3-1 to apply for the grant Wednesday during their regular meeting in Wells. The lone no vote came from Commissioner Rex Steninger. Commissioner Glen Guttry did not attend the meeting.

The Rural Health Network Development Program grant would be used to develop a program to address obesity and related health issues in Elko County. If awarded the grant would be up to $300,000 per year for three years and no matching funds are required.

Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi brought the grant to the boards attention. He attends several health care related meetings including one for Medicare recipients.

The deadline to submit the grant is very short, so I dont even know if we can pull it off, but Id sure like to try with your blessing, he told the other commissioners.

The deadline for the grant application is Nov. 28.

He said the grant requires different entities working together. The key stakeholders he thought could use the grant included the Elko County School Districts school nursing program, Nevada Health Centers, Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital and the Elko County Board of Health.

There are a lot of chronic diseases out there, he said. A lot of them are directly attributed to obesity. The idea here is to try to generate a pilot program, a grant program that we could institute an obesity campaign and for all of Elko County to reduce the secondary effects of obesity.

The other commissioners were hesitant about applying for the grant.

They wanted to know what exactly the grant would be used for, and Andreozzi said the different agencies, including the County, would set up how the money would be used.

Andreozzi said this was just the first step to see if the board had an appetite to apply.

What is the intent of this grant? Commissioner Cliff Eklund asked. Basically to get kids to quit eating? Is that the deal?

Andreozzi said he envisioned a basic program on nutrition education, exercise and awareness.

Ive suffered from obesity my whole life, he said. So, I think first of all you have to recognize the fact that you could be obese.  The way I see it, its really focusing around those three things: nutrition, exercise and awareness or education.

Commissioner Demar Dahl said the board runs into this situation all the time that if Elko County doesnt apply for the money, another community will receive the funds. He wanted to know who would dictate how the money is used and who would write the grant.

Andreozzi said the County and the other local entities would develop the program the grant could fund.

Im trying to get the healthcare community around a project, Andreozzi said. Thats what my goal is, so that theyre all working together and trying to improve the overall health of our citizens in the county.

Dahl was concerned with spending taxpayer money to write the grant application, but Andreozzi said he has people who volunteered to write the grant.

If people were willing to volunteer their time to write the grant, then Dahl said he could support it.

Steninger said he didnt like that the county was applying for money for a program that wasnt developed.

It seems to me weve come across a possibility to get (about) a million dollars of federal money and now were trying to scramble around and trying to think of a way to spend it, he said. I think that is a pretty poor way to proceed.
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Last month when the Namaste India festival was launched I was in Paris in a French museum  at the Musee Guimet devoted to Asian culture. I joined a queue of people into the auditorium to find an intense discussion on new wave Indian cinema. The panellists and audience, all French, exhibited an deep interest in Indian cinema, an advantage we ought to have exploited long ago by creating a pool of film commentators to discuss the socio-political environment on which parallel Indian cinema is based.

Cultural diplomacy is accepted as a powerful instrument of soft power whose outreach is often underestimated. It has been found to be the most effective way of influencing foreign audiences. Other countries reach out to the youth, non-elite and other audiences outside the traditional embassy circuit because this form of diplomacy derives its credibility when it is seen as being independent of government institutions. Instead, our official cultural institutions are directly marketing culture in a way that is often hackneyed, stale and superficial  cardboard cut-outs of the real thing.

Read | UK bars export of ancient tapestry with Indian influence

People are tired of the same old stuff and all the Indian stereotypes that have been done to death. Instead of a fresh approach to contemporary realities there is a bureaucratisation of culture and far from seeking inputs from artistes, intellectuals and professionals, government organisations and officials decide what to showcase and how. Sadly patronage often has its role in all this, resulting in the resurrection of individuals who have been around for decades. Repackaged content, which we have showcased for decades, no longer attracts audiences who can easily access the best productions at the touch of a button.

Professor Alain Supiot of the College de France and the founder of the Institute of Advanced Studies at Nantes in France feels that there is a need for the intellectual horizons of culture to go beyond western ways of thinking to establish a dialogue between cultures. The focus of cultural exchange should embrace culture in its broadest sense of the term, by being attentive to the diversity of civilisations.

Read | Exhibition to mark 250th anniversary of Heer Waris Shah begins at PU

For this to happen, there must be an understanding of what French people want. Discussions with Indian authors are big attractions but not two years after a book is released. Textiles are another. French people are enthralled by Indian textiles and the art of embroidery, weaving and block printing from so many regions commented an avid admirer of India and who has long been a leading light of the Parisian couture industry. Another comment I heard was why do you not introduce veg/ non-veg express thalis as a diversion from those sempiternelle (French for eternal) pizzas? Or run a shopping arcade of Indian groceries next to Gare du Nord railway terminus?

And that brings one to ask whatever happened to the Indian cultural centre in Paris? What is the story behind why premises purchased years ago are still lying unused even as Namaste India is launched with so much fanfare? The property bought by the embassy is beautifully located within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, the Qui de Bramley, and a host of cultural centres representing foreign countries. Possibly a critical CAG paragraph, lack of funds or simple apathy prevents the Centre from starting to function.

Read | No war: India wants to lower tensions with Pak, grow economy, boost diplomacy

What is needed is an effort to refurbish our efforts at cultural diplomacy to demonstrate to a foreign audience that we have the ability to collect and interpret ourselves in a way that responds imaginatively to what people want. We need at the helm of affairs persons who have an understanding of local attitudes that transient embassy employees cannot possess. We also need some way of ensuring that the people who decide how to represent India abroad have the necessary gravitas and the intellectual bandwidth to do so.

Shailaja Chandra is former chief secretary, Delhi

The views expressed are personal
Rita Bahuguna Joshis decision to switch over to the BJP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections will make little difference to the Congress electoral fortunes nor to those of her new party.

Her exit is more in terms of perception  a senior leader deserting the party in the home state of Nehru-Gandhi family.

The 67-year-old Joshis departure comes at a time when the Congress has managed to create some buzz around its campaign, with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi spending nearly a month in the bellwether state, where the party was ousted from power in 1989.

As the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief from 2007 to 2012, Joshi failed to arrest the partys decline that started with the emergence of the Mandal-Mandir politics in late 1980s.

Read: For the Bahugunas blood is thicker than party ties

When Joshi, a Brahmin, took over from Salman Khurshid in 2007 the party had hoped for consolidation of upper caste votes but that didnt happen.

In the 2012 assembly elections fought under Joshi, the Congress managed only 28 of the 403 seats. The dismal show came despite Gandhis high-voltage campaign during which he addressed 211 public meetings in 48 days.

Congress leaders say the party recovered some of the lost ground in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections but it was due to Gandhis efforts and not Joshis. The 2014 national elections were again a disaster.

Joshi felt increasingly sidelined after Nirmal Khatri replaced her as state chief in 2012. The partys decision to bring Sheila Dikshit from Delhi and name her the CM candidate didnt go down well with her. She made her displeasure known by skipping meetings called to discuss poll strategy.

Read: Rita Bahuguna Joshi a betrayer, Shah amassing army of traitors: Cong

Her exit from the Congress hardly comes as a surprise. She simply followed her brother Vijay Bahugana, who dumped the Congress for the BJP in the neighbouring Uttarakhand in May.

Congress general secretary in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad has a different take on Joshis exit. She was feeling the poll heat as Samajwadi Party had decided to field party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadavs younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav from Joshis Lucknow cantonment seat. The search for a safe seat made her knock on the doors of SP and BSP before finally joining the BJP, Azad said.

Read: Congress needs to learn from its MLAs exits and rework strategy to succeed in UP

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What an irony! The incessant feud in the Yadav family is jeopardising the Samajwadi Party just when it turns 25 years old.

Speculation is rife about a possible split in the party formed on Ram Manohar Lohias principle that dissuaded dynastic politics. Ironically, the founder president of the party, who is also the family patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav is so deeply caught in the family mess that he is willing to sacrifice the party that he raised with his sweat and blood since October 1992. So much so that a party that was seen till the other day as one of the front runners in 2017 assembly polls is now gasping to stay in the race.

The pertinent question is: Will Akhilesh split the party founded by his father. If yes, when? Already many names and party symbols are in discussion, the most popular being Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party with motorcycle as the party symbol.

However, before taking the extreme step, he will first try to reason out with his father, who will have to wade through family wrangles to support him. While Mulayam is stuck on realpolitik  putting together caste and muscle power in different regions  Akhilesh wants to sail on the single slogan of development.

Read | As Samajwadi rift widens, Akhilesh to skip party silver jubilee celebration

Akhilesh also wants a major say in ticket distribution.

Perhaps, it was easier for Mulayam to make him chief minister than hand him over the party legacy, to which his younger brother Shivpal has also staked claim. In support, Shivpal has Amar Singh and some members of Mulayams second family.

However, Akhilesh is not in a hurry to be on his own. He will assess the public mood during his Vikas to Vijay yatra starting from November 3.

Political experts feel Akhilesh is a popular face in the state and he also has public sympathy since Mulayam started favouring his brother Shivpal. Though many seniors have preferred to remain out of the ongoing family dispute, Kiranmoy Nanda and Azam Khan have already supported him as CM candidate. Azam as Ram Gopal Yadav, the partys national general secretary, have even described Akhilesh as the best CM in the country.

While the young turks are ready to take the risky plunge, seniors are wary. Reoti Raman Singh, one of the founder-members of the party, agreed that Akhilesh should be the CM face and also have say in ticket distribution.

Read | Yadav divide out in open at Lohia anniversary

But he cant win election merely on development slogan without the support of the organisation, he said.

Singh has a point. Split in the party will vertically divide their precious vote bank of Yadavs and Muslims.

Allahabad-based socialist leader Vinod Dubey is of the view that the young, cutting across caste lines, would support Akhilesh. If the party remained united, much of the damage caused by family dispute would be salvaged.

What are the options before Akhilesh in case he decides to split the party? First, he can lead the grand alliance of JD(U), Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Congress. No questions would be raised on his CM claim. This could also form the basis for a future national alliance.

Second, the BJP would also want to ally with his group in case of a hung assembly. However, even though he has toned down his partys pro-minority image, he would not have any truck with the BJP. His every speech starts with socialism and secularism.
Imagine you have spent months planning to role-play as your favourite fictional character. After all the sleepless nights, overload of caffeine and spending all your savings to make a flawless costume, its natural that you expect everything to be perfect on D-day. But what if your costume has a break-down? What if Spider-Man gets trapped in his own web or Hulks bulk starts melting in the heat? At a Mumbai Comic Con, help is at hand.

Rohan Jain, 27-year-old cosplayer from Mumbai is Comic Cons official medic, ready to help with costume emergencies. My kit includes nine kinds of tape  electrical, medical, double sided and magic, which is so transparent, so it doesnt show on a costume, he says. I also carry a hot glue gun, Fevicol and industrial strength superglue.

Other items in his kit include contact lens solution in case your anime or fantasy eyes cause discomfort, pain-killers, muscle sprays, Band-Aids and make-up removal products for those who need a touchup or have had a skin reaction. When costumes are often larger than life, sometimes the disasters can escalate too. Jain has used Velcro, elastic bands and a humble pair of scissors to restore the magic. If there is anything else a specific character might need, they let me know, he says.

Jain has been the saviour for cosplayers for almost a year, as the events official medic, he travels to all the cities where the Indian Comic Con is held. Once, I had a group of Avengers, surprisingly with Spider-Man and Superman too, who had broken all their props just before their stage appearance. Captain America was in two pieces. I pulled out my glue gun and set to work. They were happy and so was I, he says.

The idea of being a cosplay medic struck Jain when he visited the Sydney Comic Con last year. He was playing Subzero from the Mortal Kombat video game, and his costume malfunctioned at the last minute. Subzero has a belt which runs on either side on his chest like a vest. Each side has a circle-like bolt in the centre, which I had fitted with electrical lights, so they turned blue when switched on, but the battery ran out and bulbs didnt glow, he says. A man with instruments hanging out from all bags he carried gave him a replacement battery and my costume was complete again, Jain recalls. I wanted to do something like that for the Mumbai Comic Con, so I requested the organisers to let me do this, he says.

Jain says he is glad he does not regret giving up cosplaying. I like seeing fans dressed in their favourite characters and I am happy to help them in whatever way I can. Sometimes, it is difficult for me to run around to attend all the players, but there are always other non-participating players to help me, he says. His contact details are available on the Comic Con site, for cosplayers to contact him before the event.
We are inside the stony ramparts of Purana Qila, staring at the steeply-cut steps visible inside the short, squat tower of Sher Mandal. It is here, while climbing down this very flight of stairs of his library, that Mughal emperor Humayun fell to his death.

That fateful winter evening in 1556 gave the Mughal empire its new king: thirteen-year-old Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar, who was crowned in Kalanaur.

Its a story that we have heard before. But standing at the site and hearing it from Shazi Zaman, the author of a soon-to-be released Hindi novel on Akbar, is to make corporeal the ghosts of history books.

Zaman is a born story-teller. They slip off his tongue with ease -- historical details, little-known facts and, what draws you in, actively imagining what went on in the heads of people dead and gone more than 400 years ago.

Sher Mandal, Purana Qila complex: On January 27, 1556, Mughal emperor Humayun was climbing down the stairs of his library when he heard the azaan, the call to prayer. As was his custom, he sat down in respect. When he got up, his feet got entangled in the folds of his jama, a long, loose garment worn over the clothes. As one historian puts it, Humayun tumbled through life and tumbled out of it. After days of secrecy surrounding Humayuns death, 13-year-old Akbar was crowned the king. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

Though Akbar is more closely associated with Fatehpur Sikri, the capital he founded in Agra, there are places in Delhi where parts of his story still live.

Delhi was too powerful for Akbar to ignore it and Akbar was too powerful for Delhi to ignore him, says Zaman.

A veteran journalist and a history student, Zaman has lived with the character of Akbar for the last 20 years, researching, reading primary sources, culling incidents and anecdotes.

Did you know that Akbar was an accomplished Braj bhasha poet? asks Zaman. He had a flair for languages. He loved to coin new words. For example, he came up with the word Shishshobha for the headgear worn by kings.

Khairul Manazil mosque: In 1564, Akbar was returning from a hunt and stopped to pray at the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. As he was passing by Khairal Manazil, an arrow was shot at him from the first floor of the mosque. Akbar survived with minor injuries, but there are many conspiracy theories about who was behind the plot. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

If Zamans fascination for his subject is an indicator, the novel, published by Raj Kamal Prakshan and to be released later this month, promises to be a worthy read. In the eight years he spent writing the novel, Zaman consciously stayed away from all fiction related to the Mughal emperor  including the 2008 film, Jodha Akbar. When I finally submitted the manuscript, I felt such an emptiness, like I had nothing to do, he laughs.

Just across from the Purana Qila is the Khairal Manazil mosque. Very few people know that an assassination attempt was made on Akbars life from the first floor of this mosque in 1564, recounts Zaman.

Ataga Khans tomb, Nizamuddin: Shamsud-Din Muhammad Khan Atgah Khan was a wakil, or a high-ranked minister, in Akbars court and the husband of one of his wet nurses, Jiji Anga. In 1562, he was murdered by Adham Khan, the son of Maham Anga, another one of Akbars wet nurses and a power centre within the court. Akbar commissioned Atgah Khans sandstone and marble tomb as a mark of respect. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

A miniature in Akbarnama, Abul Fazls chronicle of Akbars reign, captures the scene: The king on horseback, clutching the arrow; his retainers in hot pursuit of the would-be assassin, killing him.

The bazaar of the miniature is now a straight road. We cross it, open the padlock of the mosque and walk in. This mosque, and a madrassa attached to it, was built by Akbars wet nurse Maham Anga who wielded considerable power in the court. A few devotees still offer namaz here, drawing water from the well for their wuzu. Its a picture of flinty calm, with no hint of the ancient intrigue.

The history of two of the other Delhi monuments associated with Akbar is also clouded by murder and revenge  the tombs of Atagah Khan, Akbars general and Adham Khan, Maham Angas son and the man behind Atagahs murder.

But more than the political conspiracies and Machiavellian power plays, what fascinates Zaman were the kings spiritual battles.

I was very keen to explore Akbars deep spiritual anxiety, his religious curiosity and his desire to bring multiple streams of faith together, says Zaman.

Akbars abiding love for Sufi orders, his mysticism, his preoccupation with faith are all well-documented. Kings over the course of history have appropriated divinity, but the embattled Akbar stands out, racked by spiritual dilemmas, obsessed with the idea of a perfect faith.

He thought of himself as a spiritual guide of the people, not merely a worldly emperor, says Zaman.

An episode from 1578 forms the crux of Zamans novel. The king was camped on the banks of Jhelum in Punjab when he experienced what many say was a mystical vision. Zaman chanced upon a Rajasthani account of a courtier who was beside the king when the vision occurred. This was a turning point in Akbars personal history, from where his grappling with religion took a decisive turn.

Adham Khans tomb, Mehrauli Archaeological complex: Maham Angas son Adham Khan was a general in Akbars army. After he murdered Ataga Khan, Akbar had him defenestrated off the ramparts of Agra fort. Akbar broke the news to Maham Anga. After his body was sent to Delhi, Akbar had a mausoleum built for him. Maham Anga, who passed away 40 days after her sons death, is also buried in Mehrauli. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT PHOTO)

This kingly quest towards spiritual awakening culminated in Akbars founding of Din-e-Ilahi, a new order which combined aspects of Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Jainism among others.

But he never forced any one to follow Din-e-Ilahi, says Zaman. Those who did, laid down their head gear on the emperors feet as a mark of submission. Those who didnt, such as Man Singh, an important courtier and related to Akbar by marriage, continued to enjoy the kings patronage.

Tansen wrote about the emperor, Dillipati tum nabi ji ke naib ati sundar sultan, says Zaman. As our walk winds up, it is this Akbar that hovers over our morning.

What: IHC walk on Akbars Delhi, led by author and journalist Shazi Zaman

Where: Register at IHC programme desk. Call 24682002

When: 8 am, October 23

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Madhya Pradesh leader of opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Satyadev Katare passed away at a Mumbai hospital on Thursday after prolonged illness.

The 61-year-old Congress leader, who was also the partys general secretary in the state, was suffering from lung cancer. He was receiving treatment at Mumbais Hiranandani Hospital since April. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

According to Congress leaders, Katare started his political life from a remote village called Manepura near Bhind district. Katare was appointed as general secretary of the state Youth Congress in 1985.

Impressed by his work for the party, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gave him an assembly election ticket from Ater assembly segment in Bhind which he won for the very first time in 1985. He was elected to the state assembly again in 1993, 2003 and 2013.

After the news of his death, condolence messages started pouring in from across the state, cutting across party lines.

CM, Governor express grief

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the demise of Katare, terming him as an endeavouring person. Chouhan said Katare was always linked to the people and was active on social issues. The chief minister said Katare had deep knowledge on parliamentary traditions and processes and the state had lost the leader who had a positive approach.

Governor Om Prakash Kohli said Katares death was an irreparable loss to the state and Katares contribution towards works carried out for tribals and backward classes cannot be forgotten.

Congress party chief whip in the Lok Sabha and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said with Katares passing away, he had lost his friend and advisor. He said whenever he required some advice on any issue, he would think of Katare. Scindia said Katare had worked closely with his father for decades and stood with the Scindia family through thick and thin.

He said not only the Gwalior-Chambal region but the whole state had lost a legal luminary, orator, a man with thorough knowledge of parliamentary traditions and a great leader.

Today all Congress workers should take a pledge to continue the work which Katare was doing for the people of the state, he added.

A LAWMAKER OF REPUTE

Born on February 15, 1955

1985  1990: General secretary of MP Youth Congress.

1993  1995: Minister of state for home, MP government.

Awarded the best minister in 1995.

1995  1998: Minister of food and civil supplies, MP government.

2003  2007: General secretary of state Congress committee.

2003  2008: MLA from Ater (Bhind).

2004  2006: Chairman of public accounts committee, MP Vidhan Sabha.

Awarded the best MLA in 2008.
Amid criticism of the MP government by the Opposition on Global Investors Summit (GIS), the new industry minister, Rajendra Shukla, faces a major challenge to pursue prospective investors to invest in Madhya Pradesh and walk the talk. A minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet for years, Shukla got this portfolio four months ago.

The minister exuded confidence that the perception was fast changing about the state and the ensuing GIS would strengthen the brand Madhya Pradesh. Excerpts of interview:

How different will be GIS in Indore this time?

This time we are going to focus on nine sectors which include agribusiness and food processing, automobile and engineering, defense, IT, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, textile, tourism and urban development. This happens to be a new theme. Again we are not going to focus on MoUs, but intent to invest.

Why should an industrialist invest in Madhya Pradesh when there are several states which are better placed?

Madhya Pradesh has investor-friendly policies and political stability. We have a huge land, availability of labourers, good law and order situation. MP stands on the fifth position in ease of doing business. We will strive hard to make the state number 1 in the coming time.

Dont you think the summits have been loud on talks but low on actual investments?

I dont think so. A number of investments have taken place. We are going to present a report too during the meet on the actual investments made after the 2014 global investors meet. We have got such a conducive atmosphere that once an industrialist comes to Madhya Pradesh, he doesnt leave the state and expands his business. Vardhman and Eicher Motors are the best examples. Improving the industrial scenario has led to the perception among investors that MP is the fastest growing state and the best investment destination.

Single-window system turned out to be a multi-window system which has invited criticism from many. What do you say?

We will fine-tune the system so that the MP Trade and Investment Facilitation Corporation (TRIFAC) can monitor the process. There will be time bound disposal of applications. A software will be installed to monitor movement of files. Nobody will retain any file with him without any genuine reason beyond the days specified for specific works.

Want of good air connectivity is said to be a major hurdle in the way of investment to the state. How are you going to resolve the issue?

This is true that we need good air connectivity. But we are vigorously working in the direction. We already had a private firm-operated intra-state air service which was discontinued about two years ago due to some reasons. But again we are going to put in place an intra-state air service. Tenders have been floated and most probably we will have the service after a month or so.

What do you think is the major challenge before you as far as the investment to the state is concerned?

The major challenge is how to contact and pursue industrialists after the meet. We have to convince them that if they invest here, they will get better facilities than other states. Electricity is a major factor in running of any industry. We have surplus power to such an extent that even if we dont generate an additional single unit of power, we will have power for the next 25 to 30 years. We have signed an MoU for skill development.

Existing industrial centres are facing several problems. How can you convince investors in such a situation?

We have earmarked a budget for the same. For instance, industries came to Peethampur in large numbers and it resulted in plummeting of water levels. We are trying to resolve the issue. In Dewas too we are trying to address the issues.

There is a perception among experts and industrialists that bureaucracys attitude and red-tapism is one of the biggest hurdles. What is your take?

Bureaucracy is working under the control of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and it is doing well.
ELKO  Approximately 26 witnesses testified in the Eduardo Estrada-Puentes trial, which came to a pause Friday as both the State and the defense rested their cases.

Estrada-Puentes, 34, is being tried on an open murder charge in the 2011 death of his estranged wife Stephanie Gonzalez.

The prosecution  represented by Chief District Attorney Chad Thompson and Deputy District Attorney David Buchler  and the defense  comprised of David Lockie and Sherburne Macfarlan  will meet with Elko District Judge Al Kacin to solidify the jury instructions.

Closing arguments on both sides are to be completed over the weekend and presented to the jury Tuesday, when a verdict is expected to be handed down.

Thompson asked for a verdict of first-degree murder. This brings forth the idea of premeditation as it takes approximately four minutes for strangulation to occur.

Macfarlan said the defense is not disputing Estrada-Puentes committed the act, but it was voluntary manslaughter.

Certain facts have not been disputed by either side. Estrada-Puentes brought their children  Dsrey, Kiawna and Andres  back on June 24, 2011 to Elko from a trip to Tucson, Arizona.

Several witnesses, including Gonzalezs mother Lidia Cortes and her cousin Michelle Quintero, acknowledged divorce papers had been taken out.

Gonzalez, and her then 10-year-old Dsrey, went to the Garcia Lane residence to pick up her uniform and contact lenses. She forgot her uniform, ultimately leading her to return early the next morning.

After that time, Gonzalez was never seen or heard from again. The initial investigation included a search for her body, which had been hidden between the bed and the wall in the childrens bedroom, and the location of Gonzalezs SUV and a borrowed Chevrolet Malibu.

Both were located at local apartment complexes.

Kiawna  who entered the courtroom carrying a teddy bear with tears in her eyes; members of the gallery were also crying  and Andres were in the residence when Gonzalez was killed. Kiawna testified to hearing her mother yell Eduardo and her father calling Gonzalez a bitch three times. She did not remember Estrada-Puentes saying Youre dead, but she remembers having to leave.

The child described her mothers voice to the prosecution as scared and shrieky. The yelling continued for approximately four to five minutes, before everything went silent.

She said she knew her mother was in the childrens bedroom because the door was shut.

Other testimony included that of Cortes stating Kiawna heard Estrada-Puentes say, Youre freaking dead.

Dsrey later told the court she knew her parents were getting divorced. The 15-year-old discussed that she knew something was wrong five years ago, when she couldnt contact either parent when on a family trip to Wild Horse Reservoir. Soon the family packed up and went in search of her mother.

It was stated her mother continuously spoke to her. She told the defense her mother was protective. However, not reaching Estrada-Puentes was also worrisome as he would call Dsrey to say good morning.

The manager Gonzalez had worked with at the Scoreboard Casino also thought it was off she did not hear from the victim, who was described as punctual and always ready to work.

Following Gonzalezs death, Kiawna spoke with her aunt Shania Cortes, who made a recording of what the child said happened. This included comments concerning her father dragging her mother, but she didnt see that.

Pamela Sheets, a social worker for the Division of Child and Family Services, interviewed the child in July of that year. Kiawna was avoidant but alert, said Sheets, explaining the conversation included the child saying she thought her father did it with his hands.

Quintero and her husband Jaime were the ones to find Gonzalezs cellphone and purse, which were tucked behind the bed.

Three witnesses rounded out the evidentiary portion of the trial Friday morning. They included a detective with the Elko Police Department who helped transport Estrada-Puentes to the Elko County Jail after the defendants extradition, and an FBI special agent, who extradites fugitives from foreign countries for state and local officials.

Detective Michael Marshowsky interviewed Estrada-Puentes along with Lt. Ty Trouten upon his return to the United States last year.

Trouten asked the majority of the questions, which included how long the defendant planned to kill his estranged wife and if he intended for the children to be present.

Estrada-Puentes responded with questions such as if that was what his children were being told, as well as, Did you see me do it?




Farhan Akhtar is the latest celebrity to give his opinion about the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, saying that there should be a certain distinction between artists and others.

Speaking at a promotional event of his new film Rock On 2 in Shillong on Friday, Farhan said, As Indian citizens we will end up following any rule or law that is passed, even if we dont agree with it. You know if its some kind of governance or rule that is passed, I guess we have to honour that. Personally I do believe that there is a certain distinction to be made between artists and others.

Definitely they are ambassadors of their country and they were legally allowed to come here and work, film-makers were legally allowed to hire them and to work in their films. So, it is very unfortunate that when decisions were made, things were good, the atmosphere was good, nobody was complaining about working with each other. Its not only in film, there is a lot of import and export that happens between the two country, a lot of export that happens is way beyond the film industry could imagine doing, he added.

The 42-year-old actor further said there is a need to weigh the pros and cons before issuing a blanket ban on movies, featuring Pakistani artistes.

And eventually there are people, there are producers, there are distributors who are Indians, whose reputation, whose money is riding on these films. So we are with these decisions also probably prospectively destroying their potential revenues. So there is a lot to be considered before just saying yes or no for some things, he added.

Rock On 2 stars Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Prachi Desai, Shahana Goswami, Purab Kohli and Shashank Arora in the lead roles.

The film is all set to release on November 11.
While some celebs refrain to be on social media, considering the public scrutiny that they are subjected to, some are sporting enough to take the trolling head on. Actor Celina Jaitly, who has been a recipient of trolls on social media, says that although it is not a pleasant situation, she takes it in her stride. I have had some recent very bad trolling incidents, but you got to take it in your stride.But when you are going through it, its not a pleasant scene.I use social media for all the work that I do with United Nations. I have been a spokesperson with the UN for the past six years now. Its an amazing platform. Although it can go wrong, if you use it wrongly. I use it to encourage people,says Jaitly who was in Gurgaon recently to launch her chain of gyms.

And with festive season underway in India, the actor confesses to be an Indian at heart who fasts on Karva Chauth. I always keep the fast. I am an Indian at heart. The only time I didnt keep the fast was when I was pregnant. Although my husband feels that I shouldnt be fasting without water and food.

Popularly known for her roles in No Entry(2005), Golmaal Returns(2008), the actor, who took a sabbatical after the birth of her twins in Dubai, is currently busy with an international production. I love cinema, I am cinema. Its in my blood. I am doing an international project called Scarlet Poppy. And then there is the home production, which we just launched. You are going to see me in a lot of comedies. There is so much misery in the world, I want to make people laugh. When you do a comedy film, you work in a very positive environment. There are lots more movies to come, and I am looking forward to that.

Celina, who hails from an army background, says health comes before wealth and fitness has always played an integral part in her life. Earlier fitness was all about being a beauty queen. I belong to an army background. As a result, fitness was an integral part of our upbringing. I know the value it adds to your life. Once you become a parent, fitness becomes important.

Although the actor took a sabbatical after the birth of her twins, Viraaj Haag and Winston Haag, in Dubai, she says her heart truly belongs to India. I have been in Dubai since the time I had my twins, about six years. Its more of temporary home. I am always ten days in Dubai and ten days in Mumbai. I took a sabbatical for two years, as that is the time I wanted to keep my kids away from the limelight. They speak Hindi and German as good as any other Indian or Austrian and are a perfect combination of Indo-Austrian kids.

Ask her if she is keeping tab on the films that have been going around in Bollywood, and pat comes the reply, Ive been totally over dosing on Pink (2016). Its such a fabulous movie, a revolutionary film.

Also sharing insights on her humble beginnings, Celina shares, I have faced a lot of struggle in life. I remember when I had participated in my first national level beauty pageant, I only had Rs 500 in my bank account. Never give up on yourself. People always look for someone else to help them and take them out of situations in life. Nobody can do that task for you. There is only one helping hand, and that is at the end of your shoulder. Use your own hand, help yourself, be among those who add positive things in your life.

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Some 3.2 million debit cards issued by Indias biggest banks have been exposed to a malware-induced security breakdown, but the actual number could be much more.

Most of these cards belong to State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank.

Of the 3.2 million, 2.6 million are said to be on the Visa and MasterCard platform, and 600,000 on the RuPay platform.

Top officials of the National Payments Corp of India (NPCI) said the investigation into the malware attack on Hitachi Payment Services is in its initial stages, so the extent of the danger is yet to be ascertained.

According to reports, the breach is said to have originated in malware introduced in Hitachi Payment Services system. This leads to data being compromised, which poses the danger of theft. Hitachi provides ATM, point of sale (PoS) and other services.

Malware is defined as a software specifically designed to intrude into computer systems. The basic nature of malware is that it spreads after the first attack, explains Vidit Baxi, director of technology at Lucideus, a cyber security company. It is too early to understand what-all data this malware was designed to steal, he added.

Some 3.2 million cards have been suspected to be compromised. As a precautionary measure, all banks have blocked the cards and have asked customers to change the PIN or hotlist the card and re-apply at the branch, an NPCI official said.

He did not rule out the malware spreading to other payment networks as well.

This happened a month ago and a couple of private banks have informed us of the security breach, said Loney Antony, MD, Hitachi Payment Services.

We conducted the audit last month and have found no breach. We have informed banks and they have taken action. Another report will be out in November, he added.

While Mastercard denied any breach and is working on investigations, Visa said it has been informed that some of these accounts have been fraudulently used for overseas transactions.
The move to cut bad loans that have been impacting profitability of Indias top banks has pushed many debt-ridden companies to sell assets over the past three years.

But this has not led to any significant reduction in the overall borrowings as the proceeds from asset sales have been used to meet interest dues keeping the principal mostly intact.

According to bankers and distressed sale experts, this is due to the conventional banking norm of recovering the interest portion of a loan first. This was negotiated between banks and companies when they redrew payment structures for infrastructure, textile and steel companies due to the downturn.

Asset sales have been common this year, primarily with debt-heavy companies. Reliance Infra sold its cement unit to Birla Corp for 4,800 crore and Jindal Steel and Power sold its power plant to JSW Energy for 6,500 crore.

Sell offs by three companies  Essar and Reliance Group apart from JPA  alone this year are likely to help banks reduce their debt by around 70,000 crore. But the same may not help the companies such as JPA as much.

Its a big issueof banks not taking a haircut and of companies finding most of their sale funds for interest only. It is likely that firms such as Jaiprakash (Associates) and others may not see much reduction in their overall debt, said a veteran banking expert, who was involved in advancing loans to large corporates.

Delhi-based infrastructure major Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL), is currently grappling with a consolidated debt of about 58,250 crore as of March 31, 2016, which is more than what the group can service, prompting the company to sell assets to lighten the load.

Since September 2013, Jaiprakash has sold about 33,380 crore worth of cement and power plants. While the company declined to talk on the issue officially, a senior executive said: Banks have to take a pragmatic view for companies who have created assets for the country and have shown proactive approach for de-leveraging.

But relaxation looks difficult. Given the condition in which some debt-heavy Indian companies find themselves, they have limited options, but to sell assets. In some cases, there could be a meaningful reduction of the principal amount if the assets are profitable, such as Essar Oils refinery. It would be difficult to say how many, who do not have strong cash flows, would see significant reduction in their overall debt, said Sanjeev Prasad, senior executive director and co-head at Kotak Institutional Equities.

Then there is the threat of lost ability to service debts as most assets have been sold. Nirmal Gangwal, founder of Brescon Corporate Advisors, which looks at turnaround of stressed companies, said, Most of the debt in India is in steel, infrastructure and power, and not much of it is saleable unless there is a revival.
As reports of data breaches at the countrys leading banks surfaced on Thursday leading to fears that million of credit card information have been compromised, the finance ministry quickly sprung into action and asked all public sector lenders to take steps to ensure it does not turn into a full-blown crisis.

According to government sources, top officials in the finance ministry are in constant touch with SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, and have asked the Indian Banks Association to direct lenders to replace debit cards wherever needed.

As a precautionary measure, most banks are likely to ask customers to change their personal identification numbers, sources added.

The Reserve Bank of India has already roped in other investigative agencies to get to the bottom of the issue.

Sources said that until now, SBI has reported a loss of R12.5 lakh due to the security breach. The amount is expected to go up further in the next few days.

We are in constant touch with the SBI chairman, she has taken all steps to protect the banks customers... the banks has decided to replace the debit cards for many of its customers totally free of cost, a senior official of the finance ministry, who did not wish to be identified, told HT.

Between April 2011 and September 2014 (the latest for which data is available), banks have reported a total of 27,614 credit-card related frauds and another 3,835 debit-card related deceptions.

If need be, the IBA has been asked to direct other banks to undertake similar exercise, said the official quoted above.

While SBI sent out an advisory to customers to change the PINthe secret number used while transacting through cardsonly 7% took note of it, according to sources.

While no other public sector bank has until now complained of any discrepancy, the issue is being thoroughly examined. We cannot rule out this kind of a situation in other banks though the issue has not been brought up formally, the official added.

Meanwhile, the complaints of fraudulent withdrawal are limited to cards of 19 banks and 64 customers with the total amount involved being Rs 1.3 crore, NPCI said. Necessary corrective actions already have been taken and hence there is no reason for bank customers to panic. Advisory issued by NPCI to banks for re-cardification is more as a preventive exercise. NPCI CEO, AP Hota said.

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Friday recommended that the countrys top three network operators be fined a combined Rs 30.5 billion (Rs 3050 crore) after it found they were denying new entrant Reliance Jio sufficient interconnection points.

Jio is part of Reliance Industries Ltd, controlled by Indias wealthiest man, Mukesh Ambani. It began offering 4G services in September, triggering a war over network points that connect Jio customers with Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Plcs India subsidiary and Idea Cellular Ltd.

Read: Not discriminatory: Reliance Jios free call offer gets clean chit from Trai

Responding to Jios complaints over the denial of points of interconnection (POI), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended a fine of Rs 500 million (Rs 50 crore) per telecom zone for each of the three operators.

Airtel and Vodafone India were fined for 21 zones each while Idea was fined for 19 zones in a country with a total of 22 telecoms zones or circles.

The denial of POI to Jio appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti-consumer, Trai said in a statement.

Reliance Jio did not respond to an email seeking comment while Vodafone and Idea declined comment.

We are continuously augmenting the POIs provided to Reliance Jio and the pace of augmentation has been the fastest ever done by us, a spokesperson for Airtel said.

Further, we are in full compliance of the requirements of Grade of Service set by Trai.

The federal governments Department of Telecom is expected to take up the issue of fines with the three telcos, and if a mutual arrangement is not arrived at the companies can seek legal recourse, a source said.

Read: Telcos offer more data for same price in race to grab new customers

Read: 13 years later, Reliance set to disrupt Indias telecom market again
As the countdown to the civic elections in Maharashtra begins, both the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party have, literally, opened shop. It is clear that these are the two main contenders for the polls and there is a virtual exodus from other political parties towards the saffron allies. But it is also becoming increasingly obvious that they will not be allying with each other  while the Shiv Sena has thrown open the doors of Matoshree, Uddhav Thackerays residence, to all and sundry, the BJP has not been far behind by holding Join BJP events at its party offices across the state. On the last count, the Sena had scored more than the BJP with the Congress and the NCP watching from the sidelines in dismay as many of their party workers and office bearers choose to quit and seek greener pastures  which led senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar to rake up a controversy this week. He said that political office bearers are routinely bought and sold by various dispensations. He was probably speaking out of experience for even the NCP might have indulged in horse trading in rhe past, though this time round it might be just the tickets that the defectors are after.

Of the four major civic bodies going to the polls between now and February 2017, the Congress perhaps stands a fighting chance of winning a decent number of seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, though displacing the Sena might still be an uphill task. The BJP and the Sena who were allies until the last election in 2012, it is clear, are now bitter rivals in the bid to win Mumbai. BJP functionaries have described the Sena and its party leader as rakshasas who need to be destroyed like Ravana was. Party MP Kirit Somaiyya even described those who control the BMC (read Sena) as mafia. The Sena retaliated by holding a morcha against the BJPs perceived failures in government  quite ironic that it shares power and is an equal partner in that failure.

Read: BMC polls: Shiv Sena prepares ground to contest without BJP

The situation is much the same in Pune, where the NCP might stand a fair chance at the polls and Nagpur where the BJP and the Congress are the main contenders. But it is the Nashik Municipal Corporation that has actually heated up the competition between the two saffron allies. In 2012, Raj Thackerays Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had posted a surprising victory, though still short of a majority, and then teamed up with the BJP to seize power in the civic body. Later it broke with the BJP to form a mahagatbandhan (mega-alliance) with the Congress and the NCP. Now, however, its stables are virtually empty with most of its horses having bolted. A majority of its corporators have joined the Shiv Sena, some have made tracks towards the BJP and it is unlikely that the party will even be able to save its face during the polls  that is if it finds enough candidates to contest on its ticket, in the first place.

The MNS has been reduced to a political cipher  and not just in Nashik. A few months ago, when Raj Thackeray raged against the award of new auto-rickshaw licences to non-Maharashtrians and called for the burning of such auto-rickshaws, he found there were no takers. He had to call off that agitation within a couple of days as not a single party worker was willing to risk life, limb or career by indulging in loot and arson. But the signs of slipping support were apparent much before. The MNS had been unable to put up candidates for elections from the teachers and graduates constituencies to the Maharashtra Legislative Council as there were not enough voters from these two faculties who wished to associate with the party. It straddled two horses during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when the Sena and the BJP were allies, putting up candidates against his cousin Uddhavs party to help the Congress but avowing support to Narendra Modi at the same time. Voters rejected the MNS soundly even during the subsequent assembly polls where his party strength was reduced from 13 to just one MLA.

Says senior journalist Kumar Ketkar, Unfortunately, Raj has not learned his lessons. You cannot build a party through threats and blackmail. You need solid grassroots programmes and support. Of which the MNS has none.

Raj is unable to move beyond political blackmail  and the softest target in this regard is Bollywood. When he threatened to burn auto-rickshaws if the government licensed non-Marathi speakers, both the government and the auto-rickshaw manufacturers had his measure and knew how best to tackle him. With no political prospects in the future, the handful of MNS workers still loyal to Raj have been reduced to threatening and blackmailing  the latest being the refusal to allow the release of Karan Johars Ai Dil Hai Mushkil despite his apology and promise not to include Pakistani artistes in his movies in the future. Because that is not what the MNS is looking for  they have no use for contrition and apologies. Johar must take some lessons from Rahul Bajaj who knew how to stop the burning of his auto-rickshaws and defeated the MNS in a day.

Threat and fear, however, is the only way the MNS can now keep itself in the news. It is now not worth even the tickets it might want to hand to whoever is willing to contest the civic polls on its behalf. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena and the BJP are having the last laugh - but only for the moment. They have admitted too many defectors into their parties, all of who are demanding their pound of flesh and causing much heartburn among old time workers who had been hoping for tickets to the civic polls. Once it becomes clear which way the pendulum swings during ticket distributions, resentments are likely to rise to the fore and upset the Sena-BJP applecart. It is anybodys guess then who runs away with the cheese.

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Donald Trump remains very unlikely to be elected president of the United States. But Hillary Clinton inspires neither adulation nor trust, and a Trump victory on November 8 now looks increasingly distant. But it is worth considering the sorts of risks that a Trump presidency would create  for Americans and for the world. The biggest problems do not involve US relations with Russia or Iran  or even China, its primary geopolitical competitor. Instead, there are four other areas where Trump is likely to create significant trouble.

First, there is the unexpected crisis. US presidential candidates spend 18 months trying to persuade voters that their plans are best. Yet, history shows that events far beyond a presidents direct control create crises that must be faced. Barack Obama inherited a global financial meltdown. George W Bush was blindsided by the September 11 terrorist attacks. Crucial to any presidents legacy is effective management of entirely unexpected challenges.

Read | #Trumpbookreports: Twitter turns literary references into Trump comments

Trumps inexperience  he would be the first US president never to have served in either government or the military  his erratic temperament, and his thin skin suggest hes less equipped than any presidential candidate in recent memory to handle a surprise emergency. In fact, his tendency to overreact to any perceived personal insult suggests he might even make bad situations much worse. In particular, his assertion that US sailors should respond to rude hand gestures from Iranians by blowing them out of the water tells a story we should take seriously.

Second, Trump would badly damage US relations with key allies. Public antipathy toward him inside allied countries will make it harder for election-conscious leaders to support US actions. In particular, Trumps charge that Nato partners arent paying their fair share of Natos costs will damage ties with European governments and voters. Threats to impose tariffs on Mexico and Japan will antagonise those countries, and a promise to eject 11 million undocumented workers from the US and build a border wall will antagonise millions of Latin Americans, even if he doesnt follow through.

Read | Day after last debate, Trump-Clinton trade caustic barbs at roast

His suggestion that Muslims from countries with a history of terrorism should be banned from entering the US will provoke Muslims everywhere and their governments. And Trumps refusal to make clear which traditional commitments hell honour and which he wont will strip allied governments of the domestic support they need if they are to accept more of the costs and risks that come with greater responsibility for their own security.

Third, all politicians divide the world into friends and enemies. Trump is an extreme case, and we shouldnt be surprised if he goes further than most elected leaders to reward the former and punish the latter. This applies not just to foreign governments and leaders but to companies, journalists, NGOs, and even private citizens. Thats the sort of action we might expect from Vladimir Putin, Recip Erdogan, a Central Asian dictator, or Richard Nixon.

Read | If I win: Donald Trump ready to accept US poll results, but theres a rider

Finally, a President Trump would make US citizens, symbols of US power, and the United States itself the single most attractive target for al-Qaeda, Islamic State, and other Islamicist militant groups. There is obviously nothing new about terrorist attacks, and would-be attacks, on American targets. The Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations have all had to respond to terrorism.

Yet, Trumps uniquely intense anti-Muslim rhetoric will encourage many more militants to look beyond easier, more accessible targets in West Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia toward the big score, a deadly attack on Trumps America. Trumps rhetoric will also make it easier for militant organisations to recruit and raise money. A more aggressive intervention in West Asias various conflicts would amplify that effect.

Read | The third US presidential debate was more a clash of ideas than personalities

The greatest source of worry over a Trump presidency and foreign policy comes from the uncertainty they would create. Theres a saying in Washington that personnel is policy. In other words, to predict how a president might act, look not to what he says but to the people he appoints to key positions. Much of the US foreign policy establishment, including many in the Republican Party that Trump will represent, have warned publicly against his candidacy. True to his temperament, Trump has dismissed them as embittered losers. He promises to bring many new people into positions of power.

Combine Trumps willingness to overturn assumptions about the use of American power with a relatively unknown cast of supporting characters and its easy to see why much of the world will be holding its breath for the next few weeks.

Ian Bremmer is president, Eurasia Group and author of Superpower: Three Choices for Americas Role in the World

The views expressed are personal

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Reports of three cases of avian flu in Delhi are expected to result in a crash in chicken prices as people have started abstaining from buying chicken leading to stock pile-up.

Traders say this is just the beginning and if the bird flu threat remains for a week the prices may fall by more than 50%.

Wholesalers at Ghazipur chicken mandi, one of Asias largest livestock market which gets around three lakh chicken daily, said that the market has started to see a dip in chicken supply.

A wholesaler at the market, Imam Murtaza, said, I generally sell around 700kg chicken but on Friday I could not sell more than 550kg.

Salim Ilahi, owner of Alsha enterprises, a wholesale shop at Ghazipur market, said, Bird flu scare has hit the market and the prices of (live) chicken are falling from Rs 80 per kg to Rs 74 per kg. The situation is still under control as we can stock the chicken in cold storage but if the scare persists for some more weeks, you will start seeing offers like One kg chicken free with one kg as traders will not even have the option to store it, he added.

The Delhi government on Wednesday put poultry farms, wholesale markets and avian hot spots under watch after the death of 10 migratory birds at the capitals zoo sparked fears of bird flu outbreak in Delhi. The Delhi zoo has been closed for three days as a precautionary measure.

Read: Bird flu alert in Delhi: Is the chicken we eat safe or not?

Retail shopkeepers too said that they have started facing the problems of stocks being piled up.

The average demand from my shop during this time of the year is around 100 kg chickens which was reduced to less than 60 kg yesterday (Thursday), Imran Qureshi, a poultry shop owner in Lajpat Nagar. I, therefore, did not place any order today, he added.

The prices have not fallen yet but we wont be able to control it for too long, he added. The current prices of Chicken is around Rs 220 per kg and mutton around Rs 440/kg.

Muhammad Farooq, a chicken and mutton seller at Lado Sarai said, I didnt purchase chicken today as I could not clear my old stocks. On an average I sell around 70kg chicken but yesterday, I could not sell more than 40 kg.

People have become skeptical for no reason. Even the restaurants have cut down on their order for chickens, he added.

Traders say that if the bird flu scare remains in the city for even a couple of more days, the prices will see a steep fall.

Teams from the animal husbandry department visited the Ghazipur wholesale market on Wednesday and Thursday to collect samples. The poultry here is being thoroughly checked before sale. Our doctors also examine the chickens before they come to the market. Samples that dont meet the standards are sent back, said Haji Salahuddin Qureshi, president of the poultry association at Ghazipur.

the prices of Chicken has started to decrease with Delhis Gazipur market slashing the price by Rs 6 on Friday.

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An interstate extortion racket being run by international car smuggler Alex Joseph was busted by the special cell of the Delhi Police on Friday.

Ten members of the gang, including Alex, were arrested in connection with coercing big businessmen to pay money by sending them fake summons by the Enforcement Directorate(ED), police said.

Alex was earlier arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the ED, and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly smuggling luxury cars from other countries and evading import duty worth over 200 crore.

He was involved in illegal import of high-end SUVs and cars such as Rolls-Royce, Mini Cooper, Mercedes, Land Cruiser, BMW, Prado, Range Rover and Hummer. He imported around 500 cars from Dubai as second hand vehicles.

Alexs previous criminal records show that he had gifted such luxury cars to Bollywood actors, politicians, bureaucrats and several business tycoons in the country. Indias most notorious con man, Romesh Sharma, was among the recipients, said a senior police officer. He added that the relatives of a former Tamil Nadu CM too, received luxury cars from Alex. Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (special cell), said Alex and his accomplices were arrested following investigation into an extortion case registered at the Tughlaq Road police station in September.

Kolkata based businessmen Sanjay Surekha and Mahavir Aggarwal had received summon from ED asking them to join investigation in alleged money laundering complaints against their companies. But, as they approached ED office they found no such summons were issued by the directorate, said Yadav.
Despite his obvious and overwhelming win in the third and final debate between Donald Trump and Crooked Hillary, the mainstream media opted to ignore the victory and instead focus on Trumps refusal to say, in advance, if hed accept the election outcome if he loses.

Demonstrating once again for the gazillionth time that the deck is stacked against the GOP nominee. You might even say rigged.

Its so bad and so blatant that the media should be required to declare their support for Madame Hillary as an in-kind donation to her campaign.

Now heres the question everyone SHOULD be asking: Why should Donald Trump declare that he will support the results of the election BEFORE he knows whether or not the election was stolen from him?

Indeed, has everyone already forgotten that Al Gore and Joe Lieberman refused to accept the election results back in 2000, earning them the nickname Sore Loserman? It was only after Gores court challenges were rejected that he finally conceded the race a month later.

And for anyone who doesnt think an election can be rigged, hearken back to the 1960 race between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Even David Greenberg, writing for the liberal publication Slate back in 2000, acknowledged the election was very possibly stolen from Nixon.

Even before Election Day, Greenberg wrote, rumors circulated about fraud, especially in Chicago, where Mayor Richard Daleys machine was known for delivering whopping Democratic tallies by fair means and foul.

(S)ome fraud clearly occurred in Cook County, Greenberg continued. At least three people were sent to jail for election-related crimes, and 677 others were indicted before being acquitted by Judge John M. Karns, a Daley crony. Many of the allegations involved practices that wouldnt be detected by a recount, leading the conservative Chicago Tribune, among others, to conclude that once an election has been stolen in Cook County, it stays stolen.

And what about the 2008 U.S. Senate race between Al Franken and then-Sen. Norm Coleman. Franken won by the razor-thin margin of 312 votes. However, a post-election investigation, as reported by Ed Barnes of FOX News, found that at least 341 convicted felons in largely Democratic Minneapolis-St. Paul voted illegally.

Sadly, though, this is nothing new.

Accusations of rigged and stolen elections have been a commonplace of U.S. history, Stephen L. Carter wrote this week in Bloomberg News. In the hotly contested race of 1800, supporters of Aaron Burr insisted that Thomas Jefferson had cheated him out of the presidency. Allegations of fraud similarly plagued the 1824 contest between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams.

So get off Trumps back about not conceding this race before the votes are tallied. His concerns are legitimate. Unfortunately, the same cant be said for how the mainstream press has covered this race.
The Delhi High Court has quashed an FIR lodged against Delhi food and supplies minister Imran Hussain and four others accused of trying to extort Rs 30 lakh from a man and threatening to kill him and demolish his under-construction building.

Justices Vipin Sanghi issued the order after the AAP legislator and others claimed that they had arrived at a settlement with the complainant.

The parties have arrived at a settlement on August 26, 2016, which has been placed on record. The complainant states that he has not been subjected to any pressure or coercion and that he has entered the settlement out of his own free will, the court noted in its order.

Besides the AAP MLA, his alleged associates -- Mohsin Ahmed, Furkan Hussain, Irfan Hussain and Hammad -- had moved the high court seeking quashing of the FIR lodged at the Jafrabad Police Station here early this year.

Read: Delhi minister denied anticipatory bail

On October 6, the trial court had refused to grant them the protection from arrest, considering that the issue was serious and the offence was not compoundable.

The police had alleged the minister had sent co-accused Mohsin at the residence of the complainant, stopped the construction work and asked him to meet Imran in Jafrabad.

It had claimed the minister demanded Rs 30 lakh to allow the construction work to go on or get the building demolished. When the complainant requested that the amount was too high, they abused him and threatened him and his brother, police had alleged.
Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is set to get possession of his new flat in Gurgaon after a wait of seven years and a court battle.

The Supreme Court ordered Parsvnath builders on Friday to hand over the flats possession to Rathore in two days, and said the minister will not pay any more amount to the developer. A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said Rathore was also entitled to compensation, the amount of which will be decided at a later stage.

The minister is just one among thousands of homebuyers who have been left in the lurch as a cash-strapped real estate sector struggles to stick to project delivery deadlines in a depressed market. The ministers travails only underline the challenge ordinary citizens face in getting possession of their new homes.

Rathore had booked a flat in Parsvnaths Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it. After the company failed to complete the flats construction by 2009, Rathore moved the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission that asked the developer to refund the principal amount with interest. The minister was also compensated for delayed possession.

Real estate firms have come under strict judicial scrutiny with the top court asking them to refund money to the consumers for not completing their housing projects within the promised deadline.

The top court had on October 18 directed its registry to disburse Rs 22 crore to 70 home buyers who had booked flats in Parsvnaths Exotica project in Ghaziabad. The firm has already deposited Rs 12 crore and has been given time till December 10 to pay the balance amount.

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Delhi Police on Friday detained a group of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who tried to protest in front of Union home minister Rajnath Singhs house over the fate of Najeeb Ahmad, a JNU student who has been missing since October 15.

Police said around 80 protesters were taken to the Parliament Police station and detained for a few hours. R Satiyasundaram, additional deputy commissioner of police(New Delhi) added: All the protesters were released after a brief detention.

Biotechnology student Ahmad disappeared on October 15 after an alleged altercation with members of the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

JNU students Union (JNUSU) members later submitted a memorandum to home ministry officials demanding a speedy investigation into the case.

An FIR has been filed by JNUSU against several students who were involved in the public beating and communally motivated abuse of Najeeb prior to his disappearance. We demand that your office intervene to ensure that immediate and strict action is taken, the memorandum said.

Read: JNU students divided over ending stir against V-C for missing mate

On Thursday, home minister Rajnath Singh had asked Delhi Police to set up a special team to look for the missing student, after which the students had called off a 20-hour long blockade of vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other JNU officials over alleged inaction in finding Ahmad.

JNUSU decided to change the mode of their protest after attracting criticism from teachers, sources said.

The move to call off the blockade was also not taken well by a section of JNUSU. The union, later, had vowed to keep protesting till the missing student is found.

On Friday, security was beefed up near North Block in anticipation of the protest. Vehicular movement was stopped on Raisina Road and police and paramilitary forces deployed in and around the area after police received information that the university students would arrive there to stage a protest.

Najeebs family, which has been camping inside the JNU campus for five days, also joined the protesters on Friday.
Amid slogans and protests, the mother of the missing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student sits in a corner praying that her son comes back to the campus so that she can take him back home for good.

Fatima Nafees, a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, rushed to Delhi on Saturday after receiving a late night call from her son, Najeeb Ahmed, who said something bad had happened to him.

A student of MSc Biotechnology, Najeeb allegedly went missing on Saturday after an altercation with students.

Six days later all she wants is to see her son. She says that she doesnt want her son to stay in JNU anymore.

Read: JNU tense, Rajnath asks Delhi cops to set up team to find missing student

I wont let him study here in JNU. I will take him home. He is intelligent enough to take tuitions and run his life, said Nafees, who is accompanied by her younger son and nieces. Her husbands health condition does not allow him to travel. Thats why he could not come, she said.

Recalling the horror of having to visit a mortuary to identify a dead body, Najeebs cousin sister Sadaf Musharraf said they got a call from the police asking them to come to the police station. Fortunately, it was not him, but it was scary to go through the process, she said.

JNU students union has alleged that students belonging to RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had beaten him up while other students have alleged that Najeeb had slapped a student. Najeeb had joined the Mahi-Mandvi hostel 10 days back.

I just want him back. Get me my son and I will leave this city. I dont want any action against anyone if my son comes back, she said.

Nafees alleged the administration has been insensitive and did not even inform them about her son. I had to file an FIR. The VC did not even call us to meet. We forced our way into his office where he just said that he was trying his best. He has been so insensitive towards us, she said.

Read: V-C says doing everything to locate missing youth

A classmate of Najeeb said he is a friendly person and never gets angry. He had joined the JNU recently to pursue MSc in Biotechnology. But many students at the School of Biotechnology said they dont know him personally.

He is a quiet and friendly person. He never showed anger or got upset over small things. It came as a shock when we got to know that he had apparently slapped a person because he doesnt even seem a person who would kill a mosquito, a student said.
NOIDA

The Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway authorities, in their board meetings on Friday, approved a project settlement policy aimed at addressing realty sector issues, including delayed and sick projects.

Under the policy, a builder will be able to exit from a housing or commercial project if he has not started construction on a plot of land.

The three authorities have come up with this new policy, citing a slowdown in the realty sector, resulting in the builders inability to complete their projects, thereby affecting thousands of homebuyers.

Earlier in May 2016, the three authorities had approved an exit policy to allow builders to exit from sick projects. But the Uttar Pradesh government rejected it on the grounds that this policy is unable to address multiple issues that the realty sector is facing.

Following the UP government orders, three authorities formed a 13-member committee that framed project settlement policy. It covers all issues pertaining to the ongoing crisis in realty sector. Now we will send it to the UP government for final approval so that we can implement it on ground, said Deepak Aggarwal, chief executive officer of the Greater Noida authority.

There are 95 ongoing realty projects in Greater Noida. Out of these 95 projects, around one lakh buyers who have invested in 80 projects have been affected by the policy.

In Noida too, the investment of around 1 lakh buyers is struck because around 50 projects are delayed. In the Yamuna Expressway authority area, twenty builders have failed to complete their projects due to a dip in the sales of flats. The investments of around 20,000 homebuyers is at stake.

In some cases, builders have completed civil work of a residential building, but are unable to finish it and obtain an occupancy certificate to offer possession. In other cases, buyers have invested in a project but the builder has not started construction on the site. Some of the builders have even stopped construction midway, affecting buyers.

In some cases, buyers are living in a complex, but are unable to execute its registry.

With the help of escrow account we can help builder raise funds from buyers and finish a project of which civil work is completed. If a builder is yet to begin construction on land then he can exit and we will make sure buyers get refund. In third case, where a builder is halted construction midway, we will involve an interested co-developer to bail out a project thereby benefiting buyers. In fourth case we have decided to execute a registry per flat in proportion to the land cost deposited, said Aggarwal.

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The lack of textbooks has not stopped students from the eight government primary and upper primary schools in Uttar Pradeshs Amethi district from getting through their lessons.

At their schools in Gauriganj block, children get to learn mathematics, a little bit of geography, agriculture and science off their classroom walls, ceilings, doors and even the outer walls.

The ceiling explains the planetary movement and how the moon acts as the satellite of our planet. The walls help them learn mathematics and floors teach them the most difficult part - various angles.

So at the upper primary school in Annibaijal, children just need to open the door to their classroom to see the door panel mapping the angles - 15/45/75 and 90 degree - painted on the floor just as a protractor does.

On the walls, python and rabbits help them learn addition, subtraction and division. If a rabbit has to save its life it needs to jump across the python and here is the secret that helps them calculate.

Read more | Delhis government schools lack even basic amenities

Students have received their books just this week but their classes are on since April. And they have not missed a thing because of the creative way they are being taught.

Delay in arrival of the books often delayed studies. Now, this wont happen, Jitendra Chaturvedi, chief of NGO DEHAT that works in the education sector, said.

The ceiling of the school explains the planetary movement and how the moon acts as the satellite of our planet. (Handout image)

There are six villages under Gauriganj block on the Amethi-Varanasi road and the initiative has covered 1,035 students in eight schools including primary, upper primary and residential schools.

Mohd Wasim, a teacher at the Annibaijal school who contributed in making the unique syllabus, said it has changed the way lessons are taught.

Children learn faster and are able to explain better with big diagrams. We do have old books with some students but they learn while having fun through the walls and ceilings, Wasim, who has been teaching at the for the past 7 years, said.

The initiative has also ensured that the absence of a teacher does not affect the learning process.

Even without the books classes can run and if a teacher is absent someone else can give classwork, Triloki, who has been associated with the project, said.

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Resveratrol, a polyphenol which occurs naturally in red wine, grapes, nuts and chocolate, could correct a hormonal imbalance in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a condition which can cause infertility in women of childbearing age.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have demonstrated that a polyphenol called resveratrol, which is found in red wine, peanuts, blackberries and chocolate, was able to correct hormone levels in 30 patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

PCOS is a common condition among women of childbearing age. Symptoms can begin with the first period or in young adult women.

In these patients, the ovaries produce high amounts of male sex hormones (known as androgens) such as testosterone. The consequences include weight gain, missed periods, acne, and excess hair on the face and body. Diabetes and infertility can also occur in the most severe cases.

Based on the hormonal blood levels recorded at the beginning and the end of the study, the researchers noted a 23.1% reduction in testosterone levels among women who took the resveratrol supplement for 3 months. Conversely, the patients who took a placebo saw their testosterone levels increase by 2.9%.

The study also revealed that the resveratrol brought about a 22.2% reduction in the level of DHEAS (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate), another hormone that the body converts into testosterone. The placebo group experienced a 10.5% increase in DHEAS levels.

Once these tests had been completed, the researchers realized that resveratrol also played a protective role against diabetes. Over the three-month trial, the women who took resveratrol became more responsive to insulin.

These findings suggest that resveratrol can improve the bodys ability to use insulin and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The researchers say that a resveratrol supplement could help to lower the risk of metabolic problems experienced by women with PCOS.

This study was published in the Endocrine Societys Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The Gwalior zoo was closed after 15 of its 28 painted storks died in the past three days of avian influenza caused by the H5N8 virus, which has set off a health alarm after similar bird deaths in New Delhi.

The high security animal disease laboratory in Bhopal, where samples from the dead birds were sent, confirmed the disease as cause of death, Gwalior collector Sanjay Goyal said on Friday evening.

Two samples tested positive for H5N8, he said.

The collector convened an emergency meeting of senior officials to implement the bird flu protocol in the district.

The remaining 12 painted storks at the zoo have to be culled and safely disposed of, while poultry farms within 3km of the zoo have to keep their birds under surveillance.

The Gwalior administration has sought 100 protective kits from Bhopal for workers who will handle the birds and disinfect the area.

The state animal husbandry department has already sounded an alert across the state as human contact with sick birds could transmit the virus.

The Gwalior zoo has around 300 birds of different species, but this is the first time so many of a single species died in such a short time.

Samples were also sent to a veterinary lab in Jabalpur, Gwalior zoo official Dr Pradeep Srivastava said.

Painted storks, whose scientific name is Mycteria leucocephala, are generally found in wetlands across India. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name.

Read: Bird flu scare hits chicken supply at Delhis Ghazipur market

Wildlife experts said these storks are not migratory and have a limited territorial range.

Animal husbandry director RK Rokde said earlier in the day that confirmation of bird flu will attract additional measures such as culling of poultry.

Rokde, who is also state veterinary councils president, said officials were asked to monitor bird populations, especially poultry, and immediately report any death.

Though the virus is destroyed during the cooking process, there are chances of people getting infected during handling of infected poultry, he explained.

More than 9,000 birds were culled in Madhya Pradesh during an outbreak in March 2006.

In case of an outbreak in regions outside Madhya Pradesh, the administration might have its task cut out to stop infected poultry entering or passing through in trucks and trains as most of the major highways and railway lines crisscross this centrally-located state.

Besides, the state hosts a sizeable number of migratory birds every winter.

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For all the 22 years of his young life, Ajith (name changed to protect identity) has had to hide his sexual preference for male partners. The management graduate, who works at a hotel in Chennai, comes from Kambam, a small Tamil Nadu village.

Ajiths parents and younger sister are aware of his sexual orientation but he fears the abuse, attacks and ridicule he would have to face in Kambam as an openly gay man. But in Chennai, where he is less secretive about his orientation, he said, he feels much safer thanks to the support of the community organisations (COs) for men with alternate sexual identities.

A recent survey conducted across five Indian states by Swasti Health Resource Centre for 12 such COs has proved him right: gay men who seek peer support were far safer than those living with their parents, most often without outing themselves. The aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the profiles and needs of those who approach the COs for help.

Living with parents, afraid to seek help

More than half of all men who face physical violence (52.4%), sexual abuse (55%) and emotional torture (46.5%) were still living with their parents and mostly in the closet, according to the survey. The attackers, it turned out, are most often strangers, clients (in the case of male sex workers) and goons.

The likely reason for this is that it is tougher for men living with their families to seek peer support from other homosexuals. In contrast, the study found that those living with long/short-term partners or peers face very little violence.

Harassed, in multiple ways

The study conducted between April and October, 2015, covered Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. It found that of 8,549 respondents, 14% have faced some kind of emotional violence, 8.9% sexual violence and 9% physical violence.

Of those interviewed, 1,762 reported facing 2,795 incidents of violencean average of about 1.6 attacks per person. Most of the violence is perpetrated by clients on male sex workers (39.4%), followed by strangers (24%) and goons (17.5%).

Read: How gay right is about every Indians right: A prince explains

In many families, there is severe pressure on gay men to marry. The survey found that 8.9% of respondents were married and 42.5% were separated.

How existing laws make matters worse

There are an estimated 3.1 million men who prefer sex with men in India, according to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS Report. HIV prevalence among this group in the country is 14.5%, according to this 2011 working paper by the Global Commission on Law and HIV.

Criminalisation of homosexuality makes it tougher for homosexual men to seek medical help for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Repressive legal contexts and pervasive social stigma can limit access for these men to appropriate services for STIs and HIV, including prevention, treatment and can even be life threatening, the global commissions working paper said. After being decriminalised by the Delhi High Court in 2009, homosexuality was re-criminalised in India by the Supreme Court in 2013.

On October 5, 2016, the union cabinet ratified the 2014 HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The long-awaited bill seeks to prohibit discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS. But, as human rights lawyer Deya Bhattacharya wrote in her piece in Firstpost, the bill does not elucidate on the legal dissonance between its provisions of non-discrimination and other acts and case-law that discriminate against sex-workers, homosexuals and transgenders.

Violence in sex work

For men engaged in sex work, especially those with a high client load, the study found that the danger of violence is multiplied.

However, low income from sex work results in even higher prevalence of STI symptoms. Similarly, men with lower weekly client load (four or less) reported higher STI prevalence (8.3%) than those who dealt with more clients (4.3%). This could be because the lesser the men earn in totalfrom all work including sex workthe less likely they are to undergo testing for STIs/HIV.

How COs help

Men who face violence are most likely (41.3%) to not report if it is physical, less likely (39.8%) if it is sexual and least likely (32.4%) if it is emotional. Ajith said that, in Chennai, it is easier to seek police protection against violence through COs than as an individual.

We can reach out to the network when violence occurs. If I am standing at a bus stop and if cops come to inquire, we can call our CO for help, he said.

The study showed that COs provide a strong support system for respondents engaged in sex work and other professions. A total of 6,482 men or 75% are registered with COs. Most cases reported to COs relate to emotional violence (51%).

(This story was first published in IndiaSpend)
Till as recent as 2010, University of Allahabad (AU) figured among the countrys educational institutions that had its students clearing civil services examination in a big way. So much so, the varsity was touted as a factory producing IAS officers.

In fact, AU  as it is called informally after Allahabad University  routinely had two dozen of its students annually getting into the corridors of Indian bureaucracy for decades till the early 1990s. Even in 2008, the varsity registered 26 selections to secure the 4th rank nationwide among 152 institutions. A year later, 25 of its students made the final cut, with AU securing the fifth rank among 170 institutions. In 2010, the varsity stood on eighth position among 171 institutions with 21 selections.

The situation deteriorated in 2011 when AU could manage only seven selections (37th rank) followed by six in 2012 (41st rank). In 2013, it witnessed a washout.

So, how did the decline to single digits happen from 2011 for AU, which is a central university for the past 11 years? And that, with a 13 decade history lit up with a long line-up of renowned IAS officers who entered the coveted profession in the second half of last century?

Observers attribute multiple reasons that have led to the slide for 1887-established AU, once called the Oxford of the East. One has been the dissociation of a prestigious institute from the varsity; the other has been a recent alteration in the IAS examination pattern. More crucially experts say  the trouble has come from a 2011 introduction of an aptitude test that made English an important component of the examination, given that AU had alienated that language from its campus.

LOSING A LEGACY?

There were decades not long ago when students used to flock to AU to study political science, economics, history, and other subjects. Those days, the university consistently produced bureaucrats who went on to rise up the ranks. Such as AN Haksar (principal secretary to PM Indira Gandhi), Nripendra Misra (principal secretary to PM Narendra Modi), NC Saxena (former Planning Commission member) and Vikas Swarup (external affairs ministry spokesperson).

In fact, till 2010, AU maintained a dominant position in the field.

Eight years before that, the varsity saw Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) dissociating from it  and becoming independent. The 1961-founded institute had been contributing to AUs civil-services credit in a big way, and managed to keep its position intact among top 50 academic institutions producing IAS officers.

The latest annual report of UPSC on various aspects of civil services examination till 2014-15 shows a total of 16 MNNIT students having qualified for the interview round of civil services examination in 2013, while 10 managed to make the final cut. As a result, the institute stood 31st in the list of 57 higher-education institutions whose students cleared the civil services.

In 2012, as many as 19 MNNIT students made it to the interview round and 10 of them cleared. A whopping 76 MNNIT students faced the interview board in 2011, when 11 emerged successful.

MNNIT secured the 23rd rank among the countrys top 50 higher educational institutions in 2012, while in 2011 it climbed up to 16th rank.

According to UPSC report, technical institutes in Allahabad are not only making their place in top 50 institutions, but are also continuously beating AU.

In 2013, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, saw five out of nine students tasting success.

The civil services examination-2013 had students of 210 higher education institutions making it to the interview round and those of 57 making the final cut.

ENGLISH TO BLAME?

AU lost its edge in 2011 with the introduction of civil services aptitude test (CSAT). Experts and aspirants blame CSAT for the slide, as English became an important component of the examination. That made the task difficult for AU students.

Former civil servants say sidelining English fuelled the slide.

Ex-bureaucrat Badal Chatterjee winds back to note that English was, till 1968, a compulsory subject in BA, and all AU students had to clear the paper to get a degree. In 1966, a violent anti-English movement began on the campus. Students set fire to a petrol tanker and a power sub-station on November 5 that year, he says.

In 1968, varsity authorities removed English from the list of compulsory papers. With their focus away from English, AU students started stumbling in civil services examination, says Chatterjee, a 1980-batch PCS officer who retired as an IAS officer in February 2015. He completed MA (1975) and LLB (1999) from AU.

Prof Yogeshwar Tiwari of AU says the students failed to adapt to the changed pattern of civil services examination. In civil services (preliminary) examination of 2010, UPSC changed the nature of questions from fact-based to analytical.

Even the question papers of humanities were made analytical, points out Tiwari, who teaches medieval and modern history. This led to a drop in the number of students taking the examination in Hindi medium from 42.2% to 35.4%.

Since the proportion of candidates passing the preliminary examination for different subjects was by and large maintained, it did not become a bone of contention, he adds.

In 2011, the number of candidates writing the examination in Hindi medium dropped drastically, points out Tiwari. Since 2011, CSAT has also been evolving in the form of changing ratios of questions from different test areas. AU students have failed to grasp this. They are concentrating on traditional subjects like general studies in which they are scoring well, but are losing out in CSAT.

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After serving in Nevada politics for a remarkable 48 years, Harry Reid is on his way out.

While many rural Nevadans do not consider him one of the most popular figures in our political history, this corner of the state owes him a great debt for his dedication to the mining industry.

Reids political career and the growth of modern gold mining in Nevada span roughly the same period of time. The son of a miner, Reid rose to the highest level in the U.S. Senate, eventually becoming majority leader. His senior status enabled him to defend Nevadas hard-rock mining industry from overzealous efforts to modernize the nations mining law.

When he leaves office in January the industry will lose one of its greatest allies. Yet, his support has been an anomaly among Democratic politicians.

Reid has been campaigning vigorously for former attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto, who is locked in a tight race with U.S. Rep Joe Heck for one of the few Senate seats that could change from Democrat to Republican control.

While there are many issues for voters to consider, the one of greatest significance for northeastern Nevadas economy is support for the mining industry as part of a broader public lands policy that maintains agriculture and other uses. Its a politically divisive issue, yet when our Senate candidates faced off in their one and apparently only debate on Friday there was no mention of it.

Instead, the candidates spent the greatest portion of time haggling over the presidential candidates. Cortez Masto criticized Heck for supporting Trump, then withdrawing his support for Trump. Heck countered that Cortez Masto backed Hillary Clinton even when FBI Director James Comey said she lied about maintaining a personal email server.

Neither Senate candidate can claim the moral high ground when it comes to their position on Americas presidential candidates. We were disappointed to see their campaigns focus on this rather than whats important to Nevada, particularly those of us outside the vortex of Las Vegas.

Both candidates claim to be a friend of mining.

Im a supporter of the mines, Cortez Masto said during an Elko visit in July. I also know there is a balance we can find. I think we want to keep jobs here and support our mines.

Cortez Masto said Nevadas mines have been supportive of her in the past and she hopes to continue to work with them in the future. We know little of her public lands perspective beyond that, except for the statement on her website that says I will also work to preserve and protect Nevadas incredible public lands  a unique, valuable resource in Nevada that creates thousands of jobs and brings in millions of dollars into our states economy every year. We must safeguard our natural resources and stop Big Oil from receiving unnecessary tax subsidies.

Hecks position sounds much different:

The state of Nevada is blessed with an abundance of land and natural resources. Individuals across our state should have the opportunity to utilize those resources to help grow our economy through mining, agriculture, ranching, and energy development while ensuring we maintain the proper balance between economic development, recreational enjoyment, and environmental conservation, he says on his website.

Heck supports greater state control over the millions of acres of public land inside Nevadas borders. He also opposes unilateral designation of national monuments, and as a congressman fought to stop the listing of sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

When it comes to public land issues vital to northeastern Nevadas mining-oriented economy, Heck clearly takes a stronger position for utilizing natural resources. Rural Nevada voters should keep that in mind when they head to the polls beginning tomorrow.

Nevadas Senate race is arguably the most important race on the local ballot when it comes to maintaining a balanced public lands policy in the West. We think this should be a higher concern for Nevada voters than what the two primary candidates think about Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday urged the police to try if youngsters who have left home to join militancy can be brought back as she promised justice in the deaths of three civilians in the ongoing Kashmir unrest.

At the Police Commemoration Day event in Srinagar, Mehbooba spoke at length on how teenagers were used as shields in the ongoing agitation, adding that she wants to ban the much criticised pellet gun and at some point in the future revoke the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

I request the police to try to bring them (the youth) back to their homes. Instead of their being killed in encounters, if it is possible to bring them back, make them a part of the mainstream, give them bats, balls and good education, instead of guns, she said.

Mehbooba mentioned three cases where it has been alleged that security forces fired even when there were no protests. Earlier this month, Junaid Ahmed (13) of Srinagar died of pellet injuries and his family had alleged that forces fired on him even when protests in the area had subsided.

Read | Address the rage Kashmirs youth are expressing

Mehbooba said: Junaid had gone back after pelting stones. I have taken up his case with the home minister and want that there should be an inquiry into those involved (in his death). Mehbooba has already demanded a time-bound probe into the death of the minor.

Mehbooba also reiterated that many Kashmiri children are manipulated to be protesters and being used as shields by big people. A 12-year-old child goes out and pelt stones. Does he know why he is doing that? There are some people behind them, some of whom we have identified and others too we will identify.

She said the police and security forces in Kashmir have to perform parenting along with their regular policing duty.

On banning pellet guns, a weapon responsible for killing, blinding and maiming Kashmiri youth since 2010, Mehbooba said: I want to ban pellet guns. But its only possible when you cooperate for that with us.

She urged the police that they should tolerate and refrain from using weapons as the protests will not continue forever.

If there is an injury on you, let it be. But if by taking an injury on ourselves we can save a youths eyes or arms from pellet guns, then I think it will be your biggest sacrifice, she said.

Read | Our collective mistakes have pushed Kashmir youth to violence: Omar Abdullah

Similarly, she said that AFSPA can be revoked when there is peace in the region. ...But at some time we need to create such an atmosphere, by ending militancy and infiltration and creating a peaceful situation in J-K, that we can start repealing AFSPA gradually from here, she said.

Mehbooba pitched for good bilateral relation between India and Pakistan. She added that Pakistan, if it wishes well for Kashmir, must understand that whenever there are tensions between the two countries, Jammu-Kashmir suffers the worst.

Also read | Kashmirs disturbing new reality

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India said on Friday it has gunned down seven Pakistani border guards in retaliation to unprovoked firing by the neighbouring country in the Jammu sector where the government started shifting villagers to safer places in bulletproof vehicles.

Pakistans army refuted the claim, with a military spokesperson saying there was no loss (of life) on their side of the border.

BSFs Jammu Frontier inspector general DK Upadhyaya said another Pakistani soldier is suspected to have died when troops retaliated to heavy mortar shelling and sniper fire from across the border that left one Indian jawan seriously injured.

We are awaiting confirmation and then the number will go up to eight, said Updhyaya. Pakistan Rangers is the equivalent of Indias BSF.

One suspected militant trying to infiltrate was killed in a separate incident during the day-long skirmishes at Hiranagar and Pargwal in Akhnoor and Samba sectors of Jammu region.

On Indian soldier was also injured while repulsing an infiltration bid along the line of control in Poonch.

The escalation of hostilities along the International Border in Jammu came nearly three weeks after the Indian government announced that its solders had crossed the de-facto border and destroyed several terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The cross-border surgical strikes, denied by Pakistan, has dipped relations between New Delhi and Islamabad to its worst in many years, with hawks in both countries calling for an all-out war.

India blames the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) for the recent militant attack at an army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir and also for an earlier terror strike at an air force base in Pathankot. The Uri attack left 19 Indian soldiers dead.

Pakistans military spokesperson, general Asim Bajwa, described as absolutely false the BSFs claims.

Indians resorted to unprovoked fire/shelling on working bdry in Shakargarh sec today. Pak Rangers befittingly responded. No loss on Pak side (sic), he tweeted.

Indian claim of hitting or killing any Pakistani soldier/Ranger with firing at anytime of today at LOC/ working bdry absolutely false-2/2  Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) October 21, 2016

The BSF suggested that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, saying source input claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of 5 Rangers.

Dharmender Pareekh, BSFs deputy inspector general of the Jammu Frontier, said heavy cross-border firing by Pakistani troops took place throughout Friday.

(Pakistani) Rangers also used heavy 82 mm mortars in Hiranagar and we retaliated in equal measure. (The) firing stopped at 5 pm, he said.

Constable Gurnam Singh, who was injured in a sniper attack in Bobiya, was shifted to a government hospital in Jammu, around 80 kms from Kathua.

As the situation remained tense, the Jammu administration said it was shifting villagers living close to the 198-km-long border.

Bulletproof vehicles were being used as a precautionary measure, Kathua deputy commissioner Ramesh Kumar said.

Kumar informed that the administration has set up five relief camps to house the villagers.

An advisory has been issued asking villagers in forward areas to stay indoors under hard roof and not to sleep in the open, Jammu deputy commissioner Simrandeep Singh said.

Around 10pm, Pakistani Rangers opened fire on Indian posts in Suchetgarh area of RS Pura sector of Jammu district.

Small arms bursts being fired by Pak rangers at BoP Abdullian in Suchetgarh sector. No mortar fire involved so far, the Jammu DC said.

(With agency inputs)

Read | Indian Army giving befitting reply to ceasefire violations: Parrikar

UN observers in touch with India, Pakistan on ceasefire violations

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Police ordered the arrest of the Muzzaffarpur Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) principal, Rajeev Ranjan, on Thursday for the attack on a Dalit student by his classmates, a video of which recently went viral on social media.

Based on an inquiry by investigating officer Babban Baitha, Muzzaffarpur Police found Ranjan guilty of trying to suppress the matter, even tampering with the evidence. City superintendent of police, Anand Kumar, ordered Ranjans arrest under the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) act.

Ranjan was suspended from his position by the KV Sangathan (KVS) on October 19 for inept handling of the victims complaint. Also, 22 of the 120 teachers had been transferred.

However, the action sparked a massive student protest, with children boycotting their classes. Students contended that the transfer will affect their performance in the upcoming half-yearly examination as it would take time to adjust to new teachers. They also alleged that the principal is being made a scape goat in the matter despite him taking prompt action.

Ranjan had constituted a five-member disciplinary action committee, which handed out a 10-day suspension to two of the accused.

Read | Two KV students booked for thrashing classmate in Bihar, probe ordered

Among the group of student perpetrators are two siblings, one of who is the victims classmates, who were sentenced to a correction home for 14 days on October 17 by the Juvenile Justice Board.

Four other students, who were also accused, are likely to be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board too.

The 16-year-old victims maternal grandfather had lodged a complaint with the SC/ST police station in Muzzaffarpur on October 16, based on which the accused were slapped with charges under the information technology act for posting the video online.

The video shows a group of boys thrashing the teenager. The student, in an open letter, claimed he was targeted because of his good grades. While the victim claimed the assault took place in September, the FIR has listed the date as August 25.

Meanwhile, KVS has set up a three-member inquiry committee headed by their assistant commissioner-cum-regional complaint commissioner, Patna region, Mani Lal Mishra.

Also, 15 of the 22 school teachers who were transferred on October 19, were relieved on Thursday evening.

City SP Kumar has also asked the investigating officer to look into the role of some teachers, including members of the disciplinary action committee, in the whole matter.
Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin has sought Pakistan militarys help over Kashmir issue and mocked Indias claims of surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the mujahideen, Dawn newspaper quoted Salahuddin as saying.

When the world is paying no heed to us, the only option left with us is the armed struggle, added Salahuddin, who has been living in Pakistan for many years.

Originally a resident of Budgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, Salahuddin unsuccessfully contested assembly elections in the state in 1987 and later went over to Pakistan.

Salahuddin, who is also chairman of and United Jihad Council (UJC), also promised to change the map of the region.

If the mujahideen get military support, not only Kashmir will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change, he said.

Without elaborating the details of military support he asked for, Salahuddin said Indian military power cannot be defeated through diplomacy.

Mocking Indias surgical strikes claims, he said Indian troops did not have the courage or capability to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to conduct any such operation.

The propaganda has made India a laughing stock in the comity of nations, he said.
The chill in India-Pakistan ties is likely to throw a wrench in another regional meet, the Heart of Asia ministerial on Afghanistan, scheduled for December.

To be held in Amritsar on December 3 and 4, the conference will discuss terrorism and connectivity and other issues.

Coinciding with it, India plans to host a meeting of Islamic Sufi scholars from neighbouring countries to showcase the common religious thread running through the region.

Sources said there is no intimation from Pakistan yet on the level of its participation at the meeting, which will be attended by Afghanistan president, Ashraf Ghani.

The last two Heart of Asia meets -- December 2015 in Islamabad and April 2016 in New Delhi -- had foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of both India and Pakistan holding discussions on the sidelines.

Read | Will talk to Pak but time, place to be of Indias choice: Foreign secy

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistan counterpart Sartaj Aziz had agreed on a road-map for talks this December. But a terrorist attack on the airbase in Pathankot in January 2016 led to the postponement of the talks between the two foreign secretaries.

However, the foreign secretaries did meet during the April 2016 conference, at least keeping channels of communication open.

But yet another attack on an Uri army camp in September intensified hostilities, with India blaming Pakistan for sheltering the militants who carried out the offensive. New Delhi embarked on a mission to isolate Pakistan diplomatically, efforts which led to the SAARC summit being indefinitely held off. Islamabad was to host the 19th summit in November.

Read | India used BRICS Summit to outmanoeuvre Pakistan: Chinese media

We dont know who is representing Pakistan. India had sent its foreign minister to the ministerial in Islamabad last December. We will be focusing on the issues of security, connectivity and greater regional integration at the meet, an Indian official said.

India will talk about how terrorism comes in the way of regional integration as the Heart of Asia grouping seeks cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, as well as a secure and prosperous region.

The countries in the grouping include Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, Turkey and Central Asian neighbours of Afghanistan.

The issue of connectivity and Afghanistan getting access to regional markets will be a key area for discussion. The India-Pakistan tussle ensured Afghanistan doesnt get transit through Pakistan to send its goods to India.

The Sufi scholars meet will further be an opportunity for India to showcase the common Islamic influence in the region, which promotes peace and prosperity.

Also read | Indias Afghanistan policy is on the right track

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Pakistan rejected on Friday Indias claims of killing one militant and seven Pakistani Rangers along the Jammu border. Terming Indias version of casualties along the Line of Control (LoC) false, the militarys media wing said no loss was reported from the Pakistani side of the border.

ISPR chief General Asim Bajwa tweeted that the Indian side resorted to unprovoked fire/shelling on working boundary in Shakargarh sector. He said the Rangers befittingly responded, adding no loss was reported on the Pakistan side.

ISPR, in a statement, said the BSF resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling on the working boundary in Shakargarh sector north of Chak Amoo village. Exchange of firing continued from 9 to 9.30am.

The ISPR later added that Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing at Karela sector in the LOC at 2055 hours as well. Firing continued till late at night.
Jats held demonstrations in various parts of Haryana, including Kaithal, Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani, on Thursday to protest against slapping of attempt to murder charges on the five accused in the recent ink attack on BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini.

Saini is known for his strong stance against the Jat quota and has often generated controversy by his alleged remarks against the community.

Also read | Attack on BJP MP: Accused booked for attempt to murder

Kaithal town witnessed two different protests over the issue on Thursday by the Jats and other communities. A third demonstration was organised by a local BJP leader to protest over Rohtak MP Deepender Hoodas alleged derogatory remark against chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Members of Jat community, including the students of local Jat college, took out a protest march at Pehowa chowk.

The protesters, led by Jat leader Dharampal Chhot, demanded withdrawal of Section 307 (attempt to muder) of IPC against the accused in the ink attack on Saini in Kurukshetra on Sunday.

On the other hand, members of other communities, led by former MLA and Sainis close associate Roshan Lal Arya, also held a protest in Kaithal.

They alleged that the members of a particular community were trying to suppress the others, but they would not allow them to do so.

Arya alleged that the Jats were opposing Saini as he raised the voice of the backwards.

Meawhile, members of 35 communities took out a protest march against Deepender Hoodas remark against Khattar. In a video clip that went viral on the social media recently, Hooda was seen speaking against Khattar and his culture. The protesters alleged that the MP wanted to disturb the social fabric of the state for political gains.

Led by local BJP leader Surender Singh, the protesters alleged that the elected representatives should not hit out at members of other communities, as they are elected by voters of all communities.

Meanwhile, residents of Kaithal had great inconvenience as there were traffic jams in the city due to three protests on a single day.

In Hisar, students of Jat college led a protest march to the office of the deputy commissioner (DC) and demanded removal of Section 307 from the FIR against the accused in the ink attack. Students raised slogans against Saini and the BJP government in the state. Police stopped the protesters near the main gate of the mini-secretariat and allowed five students to meet DC Nikhil Gajraj. They submitted a memorandum to the DC.

Heavy police force was deployed to maintain law and order in the city.

Protesters said the police had thrashed the youths who threw ink on Saini and they later registered an attempt to murder case against the youths which is was totally wrong.

Khap leaders on hunger strike

Meanwhile, leaders of 12 khaps on Thursday started hunger strike in Narnaund town of Hisar district. The khap representatives also demanded that police should cancel the attempt to murder case against the youths.

In Jind, Kandela khap held a meeting to condemn Saini for calling the mere ink spilling an attack on his life and labelling youths as criminals.

Throwing its weight behind the accused, the group led a demonstration at the local government college and raised slogans against Saini.

In Bhiwani, Jat leader Hawa Singh Sangwan condemned both the ink attack and the thrashing of the accsued by Saini;s supporters and the policve perosnnel. It is wrong to hurl ink at someone. But what happened after it was terrible. They (Saini supporters) should not have been allowed to take law in their hands and brutally thrash the youths, he said.

The BJP MP has been under fire from opposition parties for his anti-Jat comments. They have now described the act of booking the accused in the ink attack under attempt to murder charges a misuse of power by the government.
A Pakistani ranger was killed and Border Security Force (BSF) jawan injured when a gun battle broke out in Bobiya, Hiranagar sub-sector in Kathua district, on Friday morning.

Confirming the incident, BSF Jammu Frontier inspector general, DK Upadhyaya, told Hindustan Times, This morning around 9.35 am, Pakistani rangers opened unprovoked fire in Bobiyan area and injured a BSF personnel compelling us to give them a stinging retaliation... In retaliatory fire we have killed one Pak Ranger.

The Pakistani ranger was killed opposite the BSFs Khura border outpost in the same area.

Constable Gurnam Singh, a BSF jawan who received head injuries in the crossfire, was evacuated to a hospital.

The firing is still on, the IG said.

Small arms and automatic weapons fire is being exchanged.

According to a senior BSF officer, the firing from Pakistans side appears to be a targeted attack.

Yesterday (Thursday) we had taken up the matter of infiltration bids with the Rangers but they plainly refused. This morning they tried to kill our boy with a sort of sniper fire. Though they used AK-47, it was more of a sniping attack, the officer said.

He further cited sources from across the international border, and said one militant was killed and another was injured after BSF opened fire on a group of six militants, who tried to infiltrate into Indian territory at around 11.55 pm on October 19. Sources claimed these militants were backed by the Pakistani rangers.

The militants used automatic weapons and lobbed two mortar bombs at a BSF patrol van.

The Pakistan army also opened unprovoked fire on Indian posts along the LoC in Rajouri Sector at 12.40 pm.

They are using small arms and automatic weapons. We are responding to them in equal measure, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Mehta said.

The 198-km border runs from Paharpur in Kathua to Chickens neck area in Akhnoor sub division of Jammu district.

Since the army announced carrying out surgical strikes across the Line of Control, in response to a militant attack on an army camp in Uri in September that killed 19, there has been an increased frequency in infiltrations bids across the border.

On September 23, the BSF said it foiled one such attempt in Akhnoor sector and nabbed one key Lashkar-e-Taiba operative namely Abdul Qayum.

India has blamed Pakistan for sheltering militants outfits who have planned attacks in India, including the Jaish-e-Mohammed which India believes carried out the recent Uri attack.

Also read | Jammu: BSF foils intrusion bid in Kathua, one Pak ultra killed

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Security forces launched a house-to-house search operation on Friday in north Kashmirs Baramulla district, days after 44 people were arrested for their alleged involvement in terror-related activities from the area.

The police control room (PCR) in Baramulla said that joint teams of the Indian Army and state police cordoned off Drangbal and Fakirwani areas of Old-Town Baramulla early in the morning.

A police official said that the operation was on as forces were conducting house to house searches but he did not clarify whether they were looking for militants or stone-pelters.

On Monday 17, an extensive search operation, locally called crackdown reminiscent of the 1990s when militancy erupted in the valley, was conducted in the town.

The joint teams of the army, police, Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) conducted deliberate search operations in ten sensitive localities which the army said were reportedly being used as safe havens by the terrorists.

The security forces sanitised the area searching over 700 houses in a span of 12 hours on 17 Oct 2016, an army spokesperson said adding that 44 people were apprehended.

Read: After Baramulla attack, what options does India have

The army said it recovered petrol bombs, Chinese & Pakistan flags, LeT & JeM letter-head pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material during the raids.

Such crackdowns were routinely carried during the peak of militancy in the state. Civilians, mostly men, with their hands raised on their heads were asked to come out of their houses while security forces conducted door to door searches.

The state police have launched a massive crackdown on youth across the valley to contain the unrest that crossed 105 days on Friday.

According to figures based on daily press releases issued by the police in Srinagar, 1,700 people were arrested between September 16 and October 19 to curb the activities of trouble mongers involved in various crimes of disrupting the public order.

News reports, however, peg the number of those arrested and detained between 5,000 and 9,000 after pro-freedom protests erupted across the valley.

Human rights organisations say over 450 among the arrested have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and sent to jails without trials. PSA authorises officials to send a person to jail for 624 months without a court hearing.

Meanwhile, a body of a man was found in south Kashmirs Kulgam district.

While some reports said that the body was riddled with bullets, police have not provided any details yet. The PCR in Kulgam said that the man was a resident of nearby Anantnag district.
The Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a massive crackdown on youth across the Valley to contain the unrest that crossed 104 days on Thursday.

According to figures based on daily press releases issued by the police in Srinagar, 1,700 people were arrested between September 16 and October 19 to curb the activities of trouble mongers involved in various crimes of disrupting the public order.

News reports, however, peg the number of those arrested and detained to be between 5,000 and 9,000 after pro-freedom protests erupted across the Valley.

Human rights organisations say over 450 among the arrested have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and sent to jails without trials. PSA authorises the officials to send a person to jail for 624 months without a hearing in front of a court.

Read | Its yesterday again: Kashmirs old wounds need political healing

Director general of prisons, SK Mishra, said many of those in jails were students. There may be around 250 students in the jails. Most of them have been booked under PSA, Mishra said. He said the average age of the students was 18-20 years though no study was conducted to record their ages.

Mishra said police were providing students with study material in jails to prepare for the coming exams. Others who have been booked under PSA are separatist leaders, activists and human rights defenders.

Security forces, besides arresting the alleged stone-pelters every day, have also started launching crackdowns in neighbourhoods  reminiscent of the 1990s when militancy erupted in the Valley.

On October 18, an army spokesman said an extensive search operation was launched in north Kashmirs Baramulla during the wee hours of October 17. Joint teams of army, police, BSF and CRPF conducted deliberate search operations in ten sensitive localities which army said were reportedly being used as safe havens by the terrorists.

Minister of state for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, Ajay Nanda, said the arrests had led to an improvement in the situation in the Valley.

However, people expressed shock over the way the government was filling the police stations and jails with youth.

Read | Kashmir unrest: When will PM wake up to the crisis, asks Omar Abdullah
Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa is interacting and progressing gradually, Apollo Hospitals said on Friday.

According to a press release by the hospital, the CM continued to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and passive physiotherapy.

Senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader and former finance minister C Ponnaian and spokesperson CR Saraswathi told media persons that Jayalalithaa was talking to people and had even sat up.

Jayalalithaa, 68, was admitted to the Apollo hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration.

A specialist from London and a three-member team of doctors from Delhis AIIMS had examined Jayalalithaa.

Read: Jayalalithaa is completely well, will return home soon, says AIADMK

A team of experts of the critical care group, senior cardiologists, senior respiratory physicians, senior consultants of the infectious diseases department, senior endocrinologist and dialectologist of the Apollo Hospital are giving care and treatment to the chief minister, the medical bulletin said.

Fridays health bulletin came after a gap of 11 days. The last bulletin was issued on October 10, and the silence since was being viewed with concern in some circles.

The chief ministers party, AIADMK, said on Thursday that she is completely well and will return home soon.

Amma (Jayalalithaa) has progressed very well under the daily monitoring of Apollo Hospital doctors and specialists and soon she will return home, AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathy told reporters.

Read: The health of Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa is a matter of public concern
According to the Constitution, religion and the state are not meant to go hand in hand. But in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, both the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) are exploiting the entire government apparatus to officially sponsor and promote religious festivals to appease voters.

On October 9, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), on behalf of his cabinet presented the Bhadrakali temple in Warangal with an 11,700 kg golden crown worth Rs 3.65 crore. In 2015, he pledged Rs 5.59 crore worth of jewellery to the Balaji temple in Tirupati and other deities. Both donations were made out of the newly-formed state governments Common Good Fund.

The nine-day Brahmotsavam festival at Tirumala which concluded on October 11 was sponsored by the Andhra government and is now one of the most expensive festivals in the country. Nearly 5,000 policemen, 3,500 volunteers, 21,000 TTD employees toiled for several months to make it a success, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) executive officer and IAS officer Dr D Sambasiva Rao said.

The TTD, which is run by a band of hand-picked Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers, has a budget of Rs 2,670 crore this year. In June this year, the AP government announced a scheme to provide free pilgrimages , largely to Hindu members of the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Backward communities.

Both the TDP in Andhra and the TRS in Telangana have captured power on the planks of regionalism and religion. If the mythological charisma of TDP founder NT Rama Rao, a film star who played various gods in films, destroyed the Congress bastion in united AP in the early 1980s, it was the open display of belief in supernatural powers and daily rituals of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) that was an added advantage as the TRS overturned the Congress and TDP in Telangana in 2014.

So much so that KCR appointed his family astrologer as the Vaastu exponent to the Telangana government on a fat salary to ensure that all government buildings were Vaastu compliant. He also performed a Mahachandi yagya at his farmhouse in December 2015 and even invited President Pranab Mukherji, whose visit was cancelled at the last minute due to a technical hiccup.

During the 2014 general election, the Election Commission set a new record and confiscated around Rs 155 crore in combined AP, which accounted for almost 50% of the cash seizures in the country that year. But that is only a small slice of huge election funds spent by each political party, as the major amount was in funding religious events, institutions and pilgrimages, election analyst K Ravi said.

Ruling parties in AP and Telangana have become smarter than the Election Commission. Rather than dole out freebies during polls, they use religious events as opportunities for voter appeasement and official patronage. Be it Christmas, Ramzan, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Bathukamma, Bonalu or Gangamma Panduga, successive governments have opened their coffers for organising festivals or sponsoring pilgrims. Now, its on a larger scale than ever.

Festivals and politics

While in combined AP, Ganesh Chaturthi was the only religious festival celebrations sponsored by the government, now both the Telangana and AP governments are doling out grants for multiple festivals, including Christmas and Ramzan.

At this years Brahmotsavam festival at Tirumala, lakhs were fed every day, cultural events were organised with bhajan mandalis and Padma Shri awardees like saxophone maestro Kadiri Gopalnath performing at Tirumala and Tirupati for the benefit of pilgrims. While Brahmotsavam is an annual event, the ruling TDP made a special effort this year. The AP government has also announced that the TTDs mega kitchen will now be used to provide free food to pushkaram pilgrims as well .

The AP government has started giving a gift hamper called Chandrannakanuka, containing essential commodities worth Rs 1,000, to BPL families through the government PDS, as it did on Ramzan, Christmas, Sankranti, Ugadi, and most recently, Dussehra. Some enthusiastic AP ministers also gave gift hampers this year for the Varamahalakshmi festival in Anantapur, Krishna and West Godavari districts. Some Vijayawada TDP leaders handed out similar hampers on the eve of chief minister Chandrababu Naidus 65th birthday celebrations on April 20 this year.

Both governments organised the massive Krishna Pushkaram in 2016 - the AP government granted Rs 1,250 crore, and Telangana gave Rs 200 crore - and Godavari Pushkaram in 2015 for which the AP and Telangana governments granted Rs 1,600 crore and Rs 700 crore respectively, setting up bathing ghats, free food and other facilities in Kumbh Mela style. The Naidu government extensively utilised the TTDs mega kitchen infrastructure and its cultural wing (Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad) to give free food to lakhs of pilgrims and keep them entertained with bhakti music and discourses at both Godavari and Krishna Pushkarams.

It is a once in 12-year occurrence and a holy event for 80% of the population, Naidu told reporters at the time. So what is wrong in facilitating with security, hygiene, transport and food? he asked.

Telanganas largesse

Where AP goes, Telangana cannot be far behind. In 2014 and 2015, the TRS government allocated around Rs 1 crore to each district for celebrating the Bonalu and Bathukamma festivals. This year each district will get Rs 15 lakh more . KCR is also promoting the hitherto neglected temple town of Yadagirigutta (renamed Yadadri), with its historic Narasimhaswamy temple, as the Tirupati of Telangana with a corpus of Rs 100 crore. A new district has been carved out in its name as well.

The Telangana governments publicity machinery went into overdrive to promote KCRs daughter and Nizamabad MP Kavita leading the Bathukamma celebrations, parading the flower-decked Bathukamma pot on her head during the event.

In 2015, during Ramzan and Christmas, gift hampers worth Rs 1,000 were distributed for the first time by the Telangana government, including new clothes and food. Massive Christmas dinners, langars and shahi daawat or royal feasts were organised in all districts and attended by elected legislators. The CM personally attended and invited Muslim leaders from the Middle East for shahi daawats held as part of iftar during Ramzan. His ministers also attended the Christmas dinners in prominent churches of Hyderabad and Medak.

What is wrong in celebrating festivals of all religions when we go seeking their votes community-wise? Telangana home minister and Musheerabad MLA Nayini Narasimha Reddy asked. In the past, spending on Muslims was limited to Haj, where each pilgrim received Rs 8,000 (Telangana has a large Muslim population  around 15% of its people). Now, Ramzan is observed on a much larger scale , and the Haj allowance has gone up to Rs 12,000.

The flip side

Naidu has decreed that the model temple of Tirumala shrine should be replicated at all pilgrim centres during festivals to showcase TTDs dharmic activities, which include temple-building and bhajan-promotion in all districts. Thus the Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad, headed by Naidus handpicked retired revenue official N Mukteswara Rao, is all set to become the front office of the TDP to promote artists and followers of the party to participate in cultural events at Tirumala.

All the assets of TTD, including nearly 1,200 marriage halls spread over Telangana and AP, will be used for both party and administrative needs to host seminars and other such events. We suggest that the TTD and Tirumala assets, which are huge and contributed by devotees from across the globe (not just from AP or Telangana) be turned into national assets and put to national services, Major (retd) Venugopala Nair, a staunch Venkateswara devotee, who says he is vexed with political abuse of Tirumala, said.

After the bifurcation of the state, the AP government has promoted several national educational institutions  IIT and IISER, for instance  at Tirupati to utilise the base infrastructure provided there  hospitals, universities, and accommodation, in addition to the rail, road and air connectivity. TTD has already promoted six universities at Tirupati besides the latest SV Vedic University on a 200-acre campus. While we appreciate the TTD as a harbinger of higher education, it also means the ruling party or government would have a vice-like grip on them, Tirupati-based social activist Muniratnam Naidu s aid.

Appealing to voters religious side is not a new strategy for the two states carved out of the older Andhra Pradesh. But they certainly are outdoing each other to blur the lines between government and religion.

(Published in arrangement with GRIST Media)
Odisha health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak resigned on Friday in the wake of a fire at Bhubaneswars SUM hospital that has claimed 25 lives.

Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak sent me his resignation on moral grounds and I have accepted it. I have forwarded it to the governor, chief minister Naveen Patnaik was quoted as saying by a local daily.

Read: Odisha hospital didnt have fire clearance, says Nadda

While two persons died from their injuries on Thursday night, two others died on Friday, taking the toll to 25.

Nineteen patients died on Monday when the fire broke out in the hospital. As many as 106 patients were shifted to different hospitals following the major fire that started in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the dialysis ward at SUM Hospitals on Monday evening.

The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police arrested four hospital officials on Tuesday, and the owner, Manoj Nayak, on Thursday and secured his two-day remand.

Nayak was to be grilled over the renewal of registration and the lack of fire safety measures in his hospital, the police said.

Exemplary action would be taken against those whoever found guilty, CM Patnaik had said.

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Poachers struck in Assams Kaziranga National Park after a brief pause to kill the 15th one-horned rhino this year. In all, 18 rhinos have been killed in the state.

Forest guards retrieved the carcass of the rhino from the Balipukhuri forest of the 430 sq km parks Agratoli range on Friday. The animals horn had been sawed off after it was shot on Wednesday night.

Park officials said a search had been launched after gunshots were heard Wednesday night.

State forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma, who rushed to Kaziranga on Friday, said: It is unfortunate that poachers managed to kill a rhino despite a series of measures undertaken.

Police say a section of the poachers is from Nagaland. Rhino horns, sold as aphrodisiac for at least Rs 10 million each, are believed to be smuggled out to Southeast Asian countries through Nagaland.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang had met at Kaziranga on Monday to discuss poaching among other cross-border issues.

Since 2001, poachers have killed more than 250 rhinos in Assam.
The Supreme Court extended on Friday Sahara chief Subrata Roys parole till November 28 after being informed that he had deposited Rs 200 crore with market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in accordance with the court order.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur, however, asked Roy to pay Rs 185 crore before the end of his paroles deadline. It also allowed Sahara to re-auction five properties in India that were earlier auctioned by SEBI. The permission was given after companys counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, said Sahara had received higher offers than what SEBI got through acution.

Sibal assured the court that Sahara will repay the entire amount to investors, as per SCs 2014 order, by December 2018. The company has to submit a roadmap for repayment. The bench told Sibal that it wont tolerate defiant and obstructionist behavior by anyone.

According to Sahara, the company has repaid at least Rs 19,000 crore to SEBI of the Rs 27,000 crore it owed. The regulator, however, disputes the amount and says the company has to repay Rs 47,000 crore.

Roy was granted parole in May this year, two years after he went to Tihar in March 2014 for failing to deliver on promises to return the money two Sahara firms collected from depositors. SEBI had declared the schemes illegal, a decision upheld by SC. Roys two associates Ashok Roy Choudhary and Ravi S too were given parole.

While sending Roy to jail, the top court had said the Sahara boss can come out of jail if he pays Rs 10,000 crore  half in case and half as bank guarantee  as his bail amount.

SEBI has requested the court to appoint a receiver to dispose Saharas domestic and offshore properties and raise the money. As of now, both Sahara and SEBI are authorized to sell the properties.
The Supreme Court expressed concern on Friday over mounting piles of trash that were possibly causing a spike in vector-borne diseases in the city, including recent reports of bird flu.

The top court asked the Delhi government to submit a garbage disposal plan and said it will convene a meeting of all stakeholders, including the BJP-controlled civic bodies.

What are your plans to clean up? You have to plan for the future, you dont have to react to a situation, the court asked the city government, as quoted by ANI.

45 metres of garbage in places is alarming.

The apex courts comments come amid a bird flu scare in the Capital following a spate of avian deaths in various parts of the city. The Aam Aadmi Party administration has said it is in control of the situation but panic has spread across the city following dead bird in south Delhis Hauz Khas, Sundar Nagar and Tughlaqabad  apart from the zoo, which is described as ground zero of the bird-flu outbreak.

Read | Delhi civic agencies deploy teams to check bird flu

We are trying our level best to control the situation and wont let it go (to) bad We are taking all precautionary measures. For now, citizens dont need to worry, Delhis development minister Gopal Rai said. The zoo and the park both attract a large number of migratory birds, the primary carriers of the H5N1 virus.

Read | Fears of bird flu in Delhi after H5N1 virus confirmed in dead migratory birds

There are no known cases of human deaths in India though several states have tackled outbreaks of avian influenza outbreaks over the years. Rai said the citys chicken wholesale markets and poultry farms have been asked to inform if they found dead birds and also keep their area clean.

Delhi also battled its biggest outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases, chikungunya and dengue, this year, with several deaths and hospital wards overflowing with thousands of patients.

Also read | Bird flu alert in Delhi: Is the chicken we eat safe or not?

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The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to examine rising cow vigilantism across states following a string of recent cases of violence, especially against Dalits and Muslims, by members of bovine-protection groups.

The court was hearing a petition by Congress leader Tehseen Poonawalla that demanded a ban on gau rakshaks, who are active in several states -- especially those ruled by the BJP that have strict cow protection laws, ANI reported.

The court asked the Centre and six states to respond by November 7, the next date of hearing, Poonawalla tweeted.

The case is likely to add to a raging debate on cow vigilantes who many say misuse government patronage to target minority groups in the name of religious sentiments. Such cases of violence have also acquired a political flavor with opposition parties saying

Thousands of Dalits across India rose in protest last August after a viral video showing alleged cow protectors thrashing four scheduled caste men in Gujarats Una. The incident shook the state government and sparked widespread condemnation of cow vigilantes.

But such incidents are not rare. Last year, a Muslim man  Mohammad Ikhlaq -- was lynched in Uttar Pradesh by a mob over suspicions of cow slaughter. Since then, several such incidents of thrashing  or even murder  of people suspected of carrying bovine flesh have been reported from mainly BJP-ruled states.

The cow is a revered animal in Hinduism and many of the BJPs core support base consider it holy, demanding a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. Several states, such as Rajasthan and Haryana, have brought in strict cow protection laws.

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At a time when any sign of a Pakistani trawler near Indian waters is enough to raise a nationwide alarm, it is common to see abandoned boats dotting the creeks of Gujarats Kutch that shares its border with Pakistan.

These Pakistani trawlers were seized by Indian marine border security agencies over the last 10-15 years for trespassing. Those seized five to 10 years before the 1999 cyclone washed away with waves.

Gujarat has a porous 1,660-km-long coastal area considered sensitive because of its proximity to Pakistan. Indian marine agencies have intercepted several Pakistani boats, mostly fishing vessels, from Sir Creek.

While their crew members were arrested and investigated, these boats have been gathering dust on the marshy shores where Pakistani fishermen continue to land in search of a lucrative fish catch.

Many of these boats have been seized in the last couple of months, especially after Pakistans national security adviser Naseer Khan Janjuas purported alert to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in March about 10 terrorists entering India through the Gujarat border using such trawlers.

The latest seizure with nine Pakistani fishermen came last week amid heightened patrolling along the borders even as tension between India and Pakistan has been rising over the surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September.

Every single arrest made headlines. But the boats in the custody of the customs department lie in neglect at various creeks including Sir Creek, Harami Nala, Narayan Sarovar and Koteshwar as well as at Porbandar and Okha harbours.

There are around 100 Pakistani trawlers in the custody of customs department in Kutch, an officer said.

The department has preserved every item, right from a match box to fishing nets and GPS found on board.

You never know. If they (Pakistani fishermen) win the case, the department is supposed to return every single item, the customs officer added.

As court cases drag through the years, clearance of these boats mostly through auctions is nowhere in the sight. Also, most of them are no longer in a shape to go back to the sea. Even after the cases do get over, most of the trawlers continue to remain ashore because of their poor condition and a long-drawn auction process.

Clearance of seized Pakistani boats mostly through auctions is nowhere in the sight (Nayan Joshi/HT Photo)

We need clearance from the central government to initiate an auction, an officer said.

Fishermen say by the time these trawlers come under the hammer, most of their parts, including engines, are no longer in a working condition.

During the last auction, I had bought a trawler for Rs 60,000. I spent almost an equal amount to make it work but still it didnt last long. Now, not many fishermen are interested in buying Pakistani boats because of their poor condition, Hasam Bhadala, president of Narayan Sarovar Fishermen Association, said.

Only three boats were auctioned then. And the deal for one of the boats, which was impounded for drug smuggling, was later cancelled.

The problem is that nobody is looking after these trawlers, even from the security point of view. Once the interrogation is over and chargesheets are filed, the boats are dumped here, Bhadala added.

On the other hand, Pakistan that has apprehended over 900 Indian trawlers over the last two decades does not wait for the court cases to get over.

Many Indian trawlers have been auctioned and are now being used by Pakistani fishermen. Others are also being used by its security agencies for various purposes, Velji Masani, secretary of National Fishworkers Forum, said.

Masani was part of an Indian delegation that visited Pakistan twice in 2014 to take stock of Indian trawlers after Pakistan agreed to return them.

It is common to see abandoned boats dotting the creeks of Gujarats Kutch that shares its border with Pakistan. (Nayan Joshi/HT Photo)

But in two years, only 57 boats have been returned by Pakistan, he said.
The Indian prisoner is typically from a weaker caste or tribe, male and poorly educated.

Two out of every three prisoners in the country is a scheduled caste, tribe or backward caste person, or someone whose education was terminated before Class 10, a government survey released on Friday showed.

More than 95% of all prisoners were male. Uttar Pradesh had the largest number of female inmates, 3,533  compared to 85,214 male inmates.

Prisons data by the National Crime Records Bureau for 2015 also showed massive overcrowding in Indian jails  Delhi was the third most crowded with a jail occupancy rate of 226%. Dadra and Nagar Haveli was the most crowded, followed by Chhattisgarh.

More than 67% of the countrys 4,19623 prisoners are undertrials  reflecting the problem of lengthy trials that often last years and crowd an already stretched jail system.

Among big states, Bihar had the highest proportion of undertrials in the prisoner population  82.4%  while Uttarakhand had the lowest  52.7%. The national average was 67.2%.

Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of inmates, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Lakshadweep had the lowest.

The northern state also accounted for the highest number of scheduled castes behind bars.

Almost a fifth of all prisoners were were Muslims while 70% of them were reported to be Hindus.

The data was released ahead of crucial assembly elections in five states where the election campaign has often focused on caste and religious lines.

Dalits across India have also often complained that the police and legal system is skewed against them, owing to centuries of caste discrimination.

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A 16-year-old boy who is among three people who were thrashed and petrol injected in their anus on suspicions of theft last week told Ghaziabad Police that they pleaded with their aggressors for mercy but to no avail.

All of us were sobbing and pleading with folded hands, saying we did not know anything about the missing mobile. But they caught hold of us three and called out to one person to draw out the petrol from his bike, said the 16-year-old boy, one of the victims of the brutal incident of torture on October 12 at Loni in Ghaziabad.

They brought syringes and filled them with petrol before drawing them into our private parts... we almost fainted with pain.

The boy, along with another 17-year-old and a 24-year-old, were allegedly picked up by Rizwan Qureshi, Nadeem and Akil, on the suspicion that the trio had stolen Rizwans mobile phone. Rizwan is the younger brother of former Samajwadi Party city president Ehsan Qureshi.

The families of the victims say they are poor but arent scared to push for the prosecution of the powerful suspects. Rizwan and Akil were arrested by Ghaziabad Police, while the third accused Nadeem surrendered before a local court on October 18.

I earn Rs 300-500 per day, depending on passengers I get in my auto. Rizwan is from a big family and influential. If we spend one rupee, they can spend one lakh on court cases. This is a difference, said Akram, the brother of the 17-year-old.

I will contest the case... If I had any intention of compromise i would not have lodged a police complaint. Let us see what future holds for us.

Rizwan and his aides allegedly injected petrol into the private parts of the boys, with syringes used to inject medicines in cattle.

One by one, they penetrated the syringes into our private parts. We shouted for help but no one had mercy... they injected petrol repeatedly three-five times on each one of us... one of the syringes broke off, but they brought another one... this went on for nearly 30 minutes before an elder from their family arrived and rescued us, the boy said.

The 16-year-old was finally operated upon at GTB Hospital on Wednesday, and now has an alternate opening for passing stool, on the left side of his abdomen, since his anus has been damaged.

The second minor who was tortured, will soon undergo the same surgery. Doctors said the alternate opening will be in place for six weeks, before a review is done.

The 16-year-old is one of seven siblings, including three married sisters. His brother Tayyab is one of the two bread earners of his family. His 47-year-old mother earns Rs 3,000 a month.

I earn Rs 6,000 per month driving a tractor in the fields. The job is on a daily basis. Now, my owner has a new driver, since I am away, attending to my brother at the hospital. The tractor owner paid me Rs 5,000 for help with the treatment, Tayyab said.

My mother is a daily wage earner and she fainted when she came here to see her son. She had to be admitted to a hospital after her pressure dropped.

The second minor, a 17-year-old, has a similar story to tell. His brother is an auto driver who earns a meagre wage per day. Akrams younger brother Seemu was also picked up by Rizwan and his men, but he was only beaten up.

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More than two years after laying the foundation stone, construction of the 33.5-kilometre Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro corridor began at multiple places across the city on Friday. This would be Mumbais first underground Metro rail corridor.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the state governments undertaking that is implementing the project, started the construction works mainly near six of the proposed Metro stations  Cuffe Parade, Azad Maidan, Science Museum Road, Vidya Nagari (Mumbai University), Sahar Road and MIDC station.

Commenting on the development, an MMRC official said, We have started works at the sites where the underground Metro stations are proposed to be constructed by the cut-and-cover method. He added, The stations that are to be constructed by tunneling will be taken up later as it will take at least eight months for the contractors to make the customised tunnel boring machines.

Under the cut and cover method, a trench is excavated and roofed over, while the tunnel boring method is preferred for extremely congested places.

At other locations, the contractors have started piling for Metro stations as well as preparing the ground for the tunnel boring machine launching shaft, the MMRC official added.

The MMRC aims to complete the Metro corridor by 2020, and extend it till Colaba by 2021.

The project, cited as one of the citys most expensive infrastructure works, is estimated to cost Rs 23,136 crore as per the initial estimates.

Sena minister meets CM to discuss new Metro line

Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde on Friday met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with a proposal to build a Metro railway line connecting Taloja, Dombivli and Kalyan. Accepting the proposal in-principle, the chief minister has directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which Fadnavis heads, to prepare a detailed project report on it, said Shrikant Shinde, who represents the Kalyan constituency. This will be a 24-kilometre line connecting Taloja, Shilphata, Dombivli and Kalyan. The MMRDA has planned a Metro line till Thane, but beyond that, connectivity to areas like Diva, Mumbra, Ambernath, Dombivli and Kalyan is extremely poor. With the proposed Metro line, residents can travel to Thane as well as Navi Mumbai easily, Shinde said.
The central government has mooted an idea of installing high-resolution cameras on high rises in the countrys western coastal belt. High-rises in Mumbai will also be identified for coastal surveillance. State police have been asked to prepare a plan for the implementation.

Following the suggestion by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the idea was discussed in a meeting of the Western Zonal Council chaired by Union home minister Rajnath Singh at Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai on Friday. The council reviewed the progess of implementation of about 22 projects related to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Diu & Daman and Dadara & Nagar Haveli. Although the scheme will be applicable for all the states with a coastline, the high-rises along Mumbais coast will play a major role.

Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs said modalities are yet to be finalised by the government, although the state governments have been asked to play a major role to get approval from private structures. Officials claimed these security measures will be in addition to the existing watch towers with hi-tech surveillance systems put up by various security agencies.

Singh emphasised on better Centre-state coordination to ensure foolproof coastal security . He observed that the western states of India, while being among the most developed economically, were also vulnerable to terrorist strikes. In light of the prevailing security environment, it is the Centres priority to bolster coastal security through a series of measures, including modernisation of police forces, better surveillance and acquisition of modern equipment and assets, he said.

Singh said the zonal council meetings are an important instrument of cooperative federalism.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated the demand for an independent marine force for coastal security. Naini Jayaseelan, secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, said the proposal by Fadnavis during the last meeting held in June was being considered and it will help governments bridge the gaps in security. Jayaseelan said states have made remarkable progress in the implementation of measures towards coastal security  Maharashtra has strengthened its geo -mapping system, while Gujarat has set up A National Marine Police Academy at Dwarka.

Vijay Rupani, chief minister of Gujarat, Fracis Dsouza, deputy chief minister of Goa and officials from various central ministries and two union territories participated in the meeting. The council discussed 22 issues related to coastal security, issuance of biometric cards to fishermen, formulation of the plans to counter terrorism, modernisation of the police force, among others.

The Gujarat government raised the issue of the rescue of the 400-odd fishermen lodged in various Pakistan jails for crossing the marine border. Jayaseelan said the process of identifying 252 fishermen with the help of the consul general has been completed and the ministry of external affairs will push for their release.

eom/spg
The youngest Member of Parliament from Maharashtra, Dr Heena Gavit, might have cleared her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital amidst state elections in 2014. But she hasnt served her mandatory bond service in a rural medical centre, and neither has she payed the Rs50 lakh penalty for skipping it.

This was revealed in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query by authorities from Dr Gavits alma mater JJ Hospital, which stated they handed over her original documents despite the fact that she did not adher to the norms of medical education after completing her postgraduation.

According to rules, every medical, dental graduate, post graduate and super specialty student has to serve at an assigned health care centre governed by the state for one year after finishing the final exam. Students who dishonour the bond service have to pay Rs15 lakh, Rs50 lakh and Rs2.5 crore respectively. A government resolution to this effect was passed in May 2010.

Ironically, it was Dr Gavits father, Dr Vijaykumar, who had introduced the mandatory bond service during his tenure as state health minister with an aim to improve the health sector in rural areas . The Bombay high court in 2013 also directed the state medical education department to ensure that all doctors serve in rural hospitals for one year after clearing their exams .

Dr Swapnil Meshram, president, Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, said students who violate the bond service cannot avail their original documents or degree certificate until they pay the default amount.

All of us sign on affidavits to complete the bond. The Directorate of Medical Education and Research has the right to pull us up in court if we default on the compensation. Only postgraduate students intending to pursue a super specialty course are are allowed to postpone the bond service, which can be completed after clearing the exams, said Meshram.

The notification assigning government bonded services for postgraduation candidates, which was passed in 2014, states that Gavit, who secured 477 marks, didnt apply for the online process.

A state health official, on the condition of anonymity, said Gavit is one of the 354 students across MBBS and MD courses to opt out of the bond service during the academic year 2011-2015. Of 645 students, almost 50% opted out of the bond during these four years, despite clear notifications the hospital has collected only Rs 71lakh from the defaulters, said the official.

Gavit did not comment on her inability to complete the bond or pay the amount. I am attending an event right now, so wouldnt be able comment on the issue. I will get back to you, Gavit told HT. She didnt respond to calls or text messages.

Chetan Kothari, the RTI activist who filed the query, said rules are always bent when it comes to high-profile politicians. JJ Hospital and Grant Medical College are among the best in the country. At the same time, the state government, which spends Rs5 lakh of taxpayers money on every medical student, has the right to ask them to serve in rural areas. Why should the rules be different for politicians, Kothari said.

Medha Gadgil, additional chief secretary with the medical education and drugs department, said she was unaware about the case, but the bond services norm is rigorously followed in all medical colleges for graduate and postgraduate students. This is a specific case and Ill have to check with the officials concerned to get an update, said Gadgil.

Dr Tatyarao Lahane, dean, Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital, said there is a government resolution that allows MP, MLA and MLCs to evade bond services. Elected representatives of state of municipal elections are exempted from the bond services process. The arrangement is made public through a GR, said Lahane.

However, when HT checked, no such GR was found in the directory of the government of Maharashtras official website. Girish Mahajan, minister for medical education, was unavailable for a comment as his phone remained switched off at the time of going to press.

Fact box:

Dr Heena Gavit, Bharatiya Janata Party MP, from Maharashtra

Gavit, 28, is the daughter of former health minister Dr Vijaykumar Gavit

At 26, she became the youngest MP of Maharashtra from the Nandurbar constituency
A 17-year-old student from Delhi collapsed and died at The Great India Place Mall on Friday, police said.

Deepta, a student of a private school at Dwarka, was at the mall with her schoolmates.

At about 3 pm, we received a call about the incident. A team from the local police post immediately rushed the victim to the Kailash Hospital. At 3.15 pm, the doctors declared her dead, said Sector 39 police station house officer, BR Zaidi.

Deeptas friends told police that she was a heart patient and had recently undergone open-heart surgery.

The body was sent for postmortem, reports of which are awaited to ascertain the cause of death, said Zaidi.

Kailash Hospital spokesperson, VB Joshi, said, The girl was brought with no pulse. She was declared dead after multiple attempts to revive her pulse turned futile. She had no external injury marks on her body.

Police informed Deeptas parents, who came to the hospital late in the evening.

The body will be handed over to the parents once the autopsy is done. No complaint has been filed with the police so far, said Zaidi.
A central team will visit Bihar in November to assess the extent of damage caused by the recent floods and consider the state governments demand of Rs 4,111 crore as compensation to meet the loss, a senior official said on Friday.

It would visit the severely affected districts and hold discussions with top officials of the Bihar government during its two-day stay starting November 10, joint secretary in the state disaster management department Anirudh Kumar said.

The team will comprise officials from the Union ministries of home, agriculture and food and public distribution.

The Bihar government assessed the damages following the devastation caused by the rivers and submitted a memorandum to the Centre last month. Kumar said at least 88 lakh people in 31 districts across the state were affected and 254 were killed, adding that 3.65 lakh hectares of land were submerged, causing extensive damage to crops.

The loss due to floods is temporary, but the loss of land because of river bank erosion is permanent and it has a long-term impact on the economy, Kumar said.

Out of the 31 flood-affected districts, 12 districts - including Patna, Begusarai and Bhagalpur - felt the maximum impact of the furious Ganga. The Ganga, which rose to a record level of 50.50 metres at Patna, overtopped its banks at many points.

Floods hit Bihar in three phases: four districts of Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnia were hit first when the Mahananda was in spate and then Ganga riparian districts were inundated in the second phase. The last phase inundated districts in south Bihar.

The state had demanded Rs 14,846 crore when the Kosi embankment at Kusaha in Nepal had breached in 2008, causing untold miseries in all north Bihar districts and killing over 350 people. The then UPA government at the Centre had conceded a grant of Rs 1,000 crore, Kumar said.

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From traditional Punjabi dhaba food to Italian pizzas  the food court at regional Saras fair seems to have turned Bathinda residents into big-time foodies.

While the traditional regional dances catch the nerve of people, the spices from several states, including Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan and Delhi, filled the aroma. The dishes from Bihar, including litti chokha and sattu, Gujarats bhel poori and pau bhaji; and Rajasthans rich cuisine remained the favourites. The peanut ladoos and Haryavani desi ghee jalebis, get the taste buds rolling.

However, Delhis famous Chandni Chowks gali wale pronthe too found a large number of customers. The people could be seen enjoying the taste of special the south Indian thali, which includes fresh vegetables, korama, rasam and masala papads.

We have come all the way from interiors of Bihar to present the traditional dishes, rich in carbohydrates and protein. Though, the locals here like spicy food, but they were still coming in numbers to taste our dishes, said Ram Nath Parshad, a stall owner.

Harkanwal Singh, 44, a local resident, said though these dishes were available in local eatery joints, yet the dishes available in the fair gave taste of traditional spices of the respective states.

Another resident Apoorvi Gupta, 25, said one doesnt need to go to these states to taste their food only, when these dishes were available in Bathinda.

Moreover, the stall owners present the dish in its original form. The owners gave details of stuffing and spices used before serving them, she said.

Additional deputy commissioner Shena Aggarwal, who is nodal officer of the mela, said the basic aim of the fair was to bring food culture, craftsmen, handiworks and traditions of different states at one place.

The enthusiasm among the locals could be gauged from the fact that more than one lakh people have visited the mela in the past one week, she said.

Aggarwal added that stalls had done a business of over `75 lakh so far. Meanwhile, the Kashmiris, Gujarati and Sikkim works dominated the linens sections, while the artificial flower stalls were solely led by Nagaland. The jewellery section is shared by Rajasthani and Uttar Pradesh craftsmen and the carpenters from Saharanpur lead furniture section.

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Patiala mayor Amarinder Singh Bajaj has announced to sign sister-city agreement with the United States cities of Milwaukee and Stockton.

After spending nearly 10 days in the US, the mayor said that his team will table a report in the coming session of the House of the municipal corporation about his visit and the reforms to be carried out.

During our visit, we visited San Francisco, Stockton and Milwaukee, to study the solid waste management, waste water disposal, rainwater harvesting, and other civic amenities. A detailed report would be tabled in the MC House, to reach a consensus to start work in these directions, said Bajaj. He said that his first priority would be waste management project, as with this project, 70% of the cleanliness issue would be resolved.

He said Milwaukee and Stockton representatives have shown interest in signing an MoU with Patiala, which is a heritage city. Under this sister-city project, there would be transfer of technological knowhow, while citizens would also get chance to visit these respective cities. A team of Stockton officials is expected in December, while Milwaukee city mayor will be in Patiala in January, said the mayor.

He said that during the visit, councillors were apprised of various technologies used for garbage collection and solid waste management.

In the US, solid waste disposal work is totally mechanised and it has given us a broad idea how we can improvise this for the Patiala model, said the mayor.

He said that the MC has already floated a tender of the solid waste management and five companies have shown interest in it. The tenders would be opened by mid-November to study technical bids, while the financial bids would be opened later on, he said.

He said that he has decided to enforce the rainwater harvesting system in every house, to tap the rainwater for recharging. In the US, they tap rainwater and reuse it for irrigation and other daily purposes, he said.
Punjab had surpassed all records of development during the Congress regime from 2002 to 2007. This was stated by former Punjab chief minister and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh while talking to HT on Wednesday evening after his arrival here for the Kissan Yatra.

Capt said, During my stint as Punjab chief minister, the deteriorating economy of the state was re-put on the track, transparent and corruption-free recruitment for government jobs was facilitated, real estate business touched new heights, the historical Punjab water repatriation Act was approved, and hassle-free procurement of crops was ensured. Good governance resulted in better facilitation of all public services, be it education, medical or any other.

He added, We dedicated our five years of rule to public interests, but most ministers in the present Akali-BJP government, led by Parkash Singh Badal, are filling their on own pockets, by patronising land, sand, cable network and drug mafias.

Sangat darshans are an old concept, as in ancient times, then emperors used to do hold them, but in the present era, they are a sheer wastage of public money, he alleged.

When the Akalis are ready to offer their so-called surplus power to other states at a rate of Rs 3.4 per unit, then why dont they provide it to the industry in the state at the same rate, he questioned.He said people living within the radius of 30km along the Indo-Pakistan border must be given subsidies and incentives on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir.

We will provide a medical insurance cover of up to Rs 3 lakh to every Punjabi after coming to power, he said.

BJP has deserted sinking Akali ship

Terming the growing rift between the BJP and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as the proverbial last nail in the Badal regimes coffin, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said even the BJP has realised the futility of standing by the Akalis in the run-up to the state assembly elections due early nexy year.

Also read | Even BJP has deserted sinking Akali ship: Amarinder

Amarinder said the BJPs alienation of the SAD was evident in Prime Minister Narendra Modi shunning chief minister Parkash Singh Badals pleas for central support to the state during his Ludhiana visit on Tuesday.

The SAD is nothing more than a sinking ship, which the BJP has clearly decided to desert, Amarinder said.

He further said that the BJP did not want to drown with the Akalis in the forthcoming assembly polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party seemed to have realised that it would be politically suicidal for it to continue to hold Akalis hands, said the Punjab Congress chief, adding that in any case, the alliance between the two parties was never based on principles but was an opportunistic partnership entered for political gains.
With the arrest of two youths, police on Thursday claimed to have solved the case involving the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Gurdev Singh (70) at Bhama Kalan village on October 5.

Those arrested have been identified as Sukhmeet Singh (25) of Barwala village and Sarbjit Singh alias Soni (26) of Natt village in Sahnewal. While Sukhmeet Singh is pursuing MA from Arya College, Ludhiana, Sarbjit Singh is a lower-division clerk with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

One of their accomplices, Varinder Singh, a student, is at large, the police said. The three are local kabaddi players. The police said a quarrel took place between Gurdev, a resident of Panjeta village, and the accused who were drunk at the time of the incident. Inspector Harpal Singh, in-charge, CIA staff-1, said the police arrested the accused from the Sahnewal area following a tip-off. The accused told the police that they went to Gurdev Singhs shop at the Dera branch at Bhama Kalan and asked a grocery items. Gurdev objected to their coming to his shop in an inebriated condition.

An argument ensued between them and the accused stabbed Gurdev and fled, the police said. Gurdev was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.
The annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a white-tie gala in New York that is often the last time the two presidential nominees share a stage before Election Day, is traditionally a time when campaign hostilities are set aside.

Not this year.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded sharp barbs and brutal takedowns Thursday, the night after their final debate, with many in the well-heeled crowd turning on the Republican nominee midway through his remarks and showering him with jeers.

Trump, who had drawn big laughs earlier in the speech, appeared to lose the room as he repeatedly dug in with caustic swipes at Clinton, drawing rare boos at a charity event meant to raise money for impoverished children throughout New York.

Read | Hillary Clinton lands telling blows and easily wins third debate with Trump

He appeared to straddle the line when he talked about how listening to Hillary rattle on and rattle on has made him better appreciate his long-time nemesis Rosie ODonnell. But he then seemed to cross it when he referred to her as corrupt during a lengthy riff on the FBIs investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt, he said to loud boos and at least one call demanding he get off the stage.

He then almost appeared to segue into the standard attack lines of his rally speeches, setting aside jokes to bring up material contained in hacked Clinton campaign emails.

Hillary believes that its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private, he said to growing jeers. Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.

Clinton also veered into personal digs, making one joke in which she said the Statue of Liberty, for most Americans, represents a symbol of hope for immigrants.

Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4, Clinton joked. Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

Bobblehead dolls of US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton are seen for sale in a gift shop at Philadelphia International Airport. (AFP Photo)

Trump and Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New Yorks Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer. And when they entered and took their seats, they did not greet each other or make eye contact, though they did shake hands at the conclusion of the roast.

Dolan later called his seat the iciest place on the planet.

Most eyes were on Trump, who infamously glowered through Obamas jokes at his expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and is not known for being self-deprecating.

Some of his jokes landed well, drawing laughs from both the crowd and Clinton.

Read | Trump, Clinton spending furiously as Election Day nears

His biggest laughs came as he talked about Michelle Obama getting rave reviews for a recent speech. They think shes absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case, he said to whoops and laughs.

And some of his attack lines flashed a sense of humour that has been mostly absent from the gruelling campaign. Clinton was the first one to laugh when Trump joked that she had bumped into him earlier in the night and she very simply said Pardon me  an unsubtle reference to the Republican nominees frequent declarations that his opponent should go to jail.

Clinton, meanwhile, was more self-deprecating than Trump, joking that shes taken a break from her usual nap schedule to attend and suggesting that the audience should be pleased shes not charging her usual fee for speaking in front of potential donors.

But she also got in some digs at Trump, a few of which drew scattered jeers. Clinton said she understood why Trump was leery of teleprompters because they can be difficult to follow and Im sure its even harder when youre translating from the original Russian.

Democratic US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton looks at Donald Trump during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner. (Reuters Photo)

The dinner is named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928. And fittingly for an event named after a man nicknamed The Happy Warrior, the occasion has produced dozens of memorable presidential jokes  and sincere moments of goodwill that have remained largely absent from the 2016 campaign.

I cant wish my opponent luck, John McCain said in 2008, turning toward Obama, but I do wish him well.
Protesters in Barcelona have knocked over a statue of former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, which served as the centerpiece for a highly controversial exhibition in the Catalan city examining his legacy.

The statue, an equestrian likeness of the military leader, has been the target of constant attacks since it appeared as part of the Franco, Victory, Republic and Impunity in Urban Spaces show, which opened on Monday at Barcelonas Born Center for Culture and Memory (BCCM).

The statue was pelted with eggs and decorated with a pigs-head and a blow-up doll

Over the previous few days, people angry at the exhibition had pelted the statue, which had been positioned on the street in front of the BCCM, with eggs and rotting fruit. On one occasion it was crowned with a pigs head, while others placed a blow-up doll atop it.

On Thursday evening, however, the statue was knocked to the ground by three youths who jumped the half-meter high fence protecting the sculpture and yanked at it until it collapsed to the ground.

Two municipal garbage trucks were needed to collect the pieces of the sculpture, which was only removed from Barcelonas Montjuic Castle in 2001. It was later vandalized and its head knocked off.

The first truck carried off what remained of the body of Franco, who ruled the country for nearly 40 years. Several onlookers applauded when the figure was suspended in the air above a garbage truck, while one group of young people even popped the cork on a bottle of cava.

Remains of the horse were placed in a second truck and by 2am on Friday no traces remained of the sculpture.

Three people topple #Franco

One of the youths responsible was later detained after security staff at the BCCM contacted police. He was later released, while police continue to investigate the incident using CCTV footage provided by the gallery.

You could see it coming. What did they expect? said the people who gathered in Born minutes after the incident, which came on a day during which opposition politicians in Barcelona had heavily criticized city Mayor Ada Colau and her team, who back the exhibition in Born.

It is not known whether the statue can be repaired so that it can retake its position outside the BCCM.

The removal of the statue is the latest chapter in the story of one of the most highly anticipated exhibitions in Barcelona in many years.

Just minutes after the statue was installed, it was pelted with eggs by 48-year-old Ernest Sant, an activist campaigning for independence for the northeastern region of Spain. He was not charged by police and later boasted that four of the eggs he threw had hit their mark. Later the equestrian likeness was attacked with rotting fruit and splattered with red and white paint, but authorities decided not to clean the statue.

The exhibition highlights the persistence of Franco-era symbols decades after his death

The opening of the exhibition, which is taking place at a venue once considered the ground zero of Catalonias independence movement, was marred by protests and even a fist fight while politicians with the pro-independence Republic Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Convergence and Union (CiU) parties boycotted the event.

The exhibition, which seems to have been misunderstood by many, includes press clippings, documents and photographs from different periods showing the persistence of symbols of the Franco era in Spain decades after the countrys return to democracy. It examines the impunity those symbols have enjoyed.

It is part of a larger dialogue in Spain about how the country should deal with its difficult past. Most statues of Franco were taken down a long time ago but controversy still rages over streets and buildings that retain names linked to the dictatorship. Forty years after the death of the dictator, there are still streets named after generals who led the military uprising.

In 2007, the Socialist government of former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero passed the Historical Memory Law, granting subsidies to projects such as the opening of mass graves from the Civil War.

It also took into account the removal of statues and the changing of place names connected to the Franco regime. But funding was slashed when the conservative Popular Party (PP) arrived in power in 2011, halting such projects throughout Spain.

The last statue of Franco in mainland Spain, in the northern city of Santander, was not removed until 2008.

English version by George Mills.
Donald Trump tends to leave a mark on whatever he does, even when all he is supposed to do is tell jokes. The US Republican candidate was booed at a New York charity event at which presidential nominees usually leave behind the bitterness of the campaign trail, poke fun at each other and, as is the tradition, themselves. No one has ever been booed at this event. Trump was.

Speaking first, Trump kicked off with a few mildly self-deprecating riffs, joking that he was a modest person and that no one expected him to make fun of himself. He got laughs for his best joke of the night when he spoke about his wife Melania Trumps speech at the Republican convention.

Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it, and then Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case, he said. Parts of Melanias convention speech were lifted from a speech the First Lady gave in 2008.

But Trump, or his joke writers, were clearly not in the mood to go soft or have fun. She got kicked off the Watergate commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate commission? Pretty corrupt, he said, getting a frosty response from the well-heeled guests at the white-tie event.

And then he ploughed on. Hillary believes it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy. And a totally different policy in private. That's okay, he said, to boos from the crowd. I don't know who they're angry at, Hillary, you or I?

For example, here she is tonight in public, pretending not to hate Catholics, he said to more boos. This was a reference to remarks exchanged by members of the Clinton campaign in one of John Podestas hacked email released by WikiLeaks.

The annual charity event is held in the memory of Alfred E Smith who in 1928 became the first Catholic to run for the White House. But the first Catholic elected was John F Kennedy.

Clinton, when her turn came, was cutting as well, but she was nowhere near as harsh as her Republican rival. She poked Trump on his tendency to rate women on a scale of 10. People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants, a beacon of hope for people around the world, she said. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four. Maybe a five  if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

And she couldnt not remind him, and the audience, of his admiration for the Russian president. Referring to the back and forth between herself and Trump on health, she said, Donald really is as healthy as a horse. You know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.

At the third and final debate on Wednesday, Clinton had called Trump a puppet of Putin.

Clinton had some good ones for herself  talking about herself being boring and humourless and also charging heavily for speaking at events like the charity.

There was speculation if the two would acknowledge each other or shake hands, which they didnt in their previous two appearances on the same stage  the debates. They did.
Pankaj Johars documentary, Cecilia, screens on Friday evening at the Mumbai Film Festival. The movie paints the horrific picture of child trafficking in the countrys capital, and Johar tells us the story of Cecilia, a maid in his home in New Delhi, and her traumatic experience after losing her 14-year-old daughter, Mati. She was, like many girls and boys, lured from the countryside by a criminal gang. It promised her good money and a good life, and sold to a seedy agency - which, in turn, placed her with a rich family in New Delhi. A couple of months later, Mati, unable to bear the separation from her family of a father, mother and three siblings, committed suicide.

Johar and his lawyer wife, Sunaina, stumbled upon Matis tragic story after they had hired Cecilia, also from a placement agency in New Delhi. Cecilia became a part of the Johar family, and would even accompany the newly married couple on holidays. Everything seemed hunky dory till the news of Matis death came through the telephone. Though Cecilia was in the same city as Mati, the mother and daughter never met. In fact, Cecilia did not even know that her daughter had left their village.

Cecilia alongwith Pankaj Johar and his wife,Sunaina.

A very personal account, the documentary talks about the evils of child trafficking and how young children are taken away from their home and familiar surroundings to distant cities, where they become domestic slaves. Of course, child traffickers pay money to the families of the young boys and girls with an assurance that they would have a better life. Which they may not. Admittedly, the boys and girls are not always sexually abused, but are invariably made to do backbreaking work for measly salaries.

Johars work tells us how Cecilia, a Santhal from a tribal belt in West Bengal, tries with the help of Pankaj and Sunaina to bring to book the child traffickers. But half way through, her husbands reluctance, and pressure from her village force her to abandon her battle. She returns home and falls prey to alcoholism.

In an email interview, Johar has fascinating things to tell us.

What is your background?

I have studied finance and was working as a consultant before I decided to shock my parents and take the plunge at the age of 24. I worked as a news producer for six years with different news channels and then quit to form a film production company with my close friend Hemant Gaba, who too quit his job as a software developer in New York. Our first project, which we would like to describe as our film school, was an independent feature called Shuttlecock Boys. We shot it on Super 16 and everything that could go wrong went wrong with it. Time delays, budget issues and, worse, our negatives were destroyed. It was very raw and edgy.

Have you made other documentaries?

I have made a 48-minute documentary on my father before Cecilia, but this is my first full-length documentary. My father was shot in the spine when I was six, and this resulted in him losing all his sensation below his neck. He used a wheelchair for a while, but then became depressed and suicidal and stopped using it. Five years later, he decided to give life a chance, and now for the past 25 years, he has been helping people with disabilities. He has only left his room a dozen times in the past three decades, but has raised money to make a rehabilitation centre in Delhi.

Do you see documentaries as stepping stones to fiction features?

I know documentaries are given step-brotherly treatment in our country. There is not a single organisation in India that you can approach to fund your documentary. There are two very small government bodies, but they offer peanuts and take away all the rights. So, yes, many directors see theatre and documentaries as some sort of stepping stone to narrative features. But narrative cinema and documentaries require completely different set of skills. Not everyone can be Werner Herzog and be a master of both the mediums. I think documentaries are the best tool to bring immediate attention to important social issues. The general impression here is that documentaries are boring. But during the year that I have been travelling with my movie, I have seen documentaries that are as engaging and thought provoking as any good narrative film.

What prompted you to take up the case of Cecilia?

I think what we did was not very different from what anyone else with even a slightest of humanity would have done. I never, of course, thought that I would make a movie out of this. It was only when we saw the huge struggle that Cecilia was being forced to go through by the authorities that I decided to document everything.

But the police in your documentary seem all nice? Was it because your wife, Sunaina, is a lawyer?

Yes, Sunaina is a lawyer, but she does not go to court to fight cases. She works with a multinational consultancy group as part of their legal team. Just like there are all kinds of people in the world, there are bad policemen and there are good policemen. The cops we encountered in the beginning when Cecilia wanted to lodge a police case after her daughter had died were totally rotten. They had already shown the 14-year-old girl as an 18-year-old, so that the strict laws of trafficking a minor would not apply. They kept urging Cecilia to take money and not to file the case. On the other hand, the police commissioner under whose jurisdiction Cecilias village fell was very understanding, since he knew how serious a problem this was in the area. On the whole, I found that senior police officers were very sensitive about the issue, but those lower down the line were totally ignorant.

Cecilia at her daughter Matis grave.

Do you plan to follow up on child trafficking?

We have an elaborate outreach campaign planned around the documentary, and are planning several community screenings and workshops in tribal areas as well as in educational institutes and universities to create awareness about the issue. I am also making a short documentary for the Films Division on the child rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi.

Sad that Cecilia had to lose the battle and die.

It indeed is. But that is the sad reality in our country. Victims of trafficking hardly ever get justice. The legal battles are so long that sometimes victims become hostile. Sometimes, they find it better to withdraw the cases and seek monetary compensation through out-of-court settlements. Traffickers hardly ever face jail term. And even when they do, it is easy for them to tweak the system and walk out.

After the Mumbai Film Festival, what next?

Immediately after this I am flying to Georgia for the premier there. Later in November we are going to Iran, Calgary, Finland and Germany.

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Two students of the Jaffna University were on Friday gunned down by police in Sri Lankas Tamil-dominated Northern Province, prompting authorities to arrest five police officials.

The two students were shot dead at a police checkpoint at Kokuvil, Kulappidy junction in Jaffna in the early hours of Friday. The five arrested policemen were manning the check point.

Though police initially denied the shooting, a post-mortem report later revealed found bullets in one of the bodies.

Tamil National Alliance has sought an independent investigation into the incident.
Tens of thousands of Argentines marched in the capital of Buenos Aires on Wednesday to condemn violence against women, the latest public outcry following the brutal killing of a 16-year-old girl who was drugged, raped and tortured.

Lucia Perez was killed in the coastal city of Mar del Plata earlier this month. Authorities say she was forced to consume cocaine, and was later raped and impaled by two men who have been arrested. The prosecutor investigating the crime called the attack an act of inhuman sexual aggression.

The demonstrators, including schoolchildren and women with children in strollers, braved the heavy rain to gather at the iconic Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires. Chanting slogans and carrying banners and flags, they marched to the pink presidential palace at the Plaza de Mayo square.

Im here to demand justice for my grandchildren, said Helga Scumlitz, 74, who was moved to join the march after she heard about the gruesome killing of Lucia Perez in the news. Whats happening is horrible. And its happening every day.

Activists at a protest in San Salvador. (REUTERS)

The demonstration, which is being echoed across Argentina and in other Latin American countries, was organized on social media by womens groups under the slogans NiUnaMenos, meaning Not one less and Black Wednesday.

I heard about this girl who was raped to death. Its so unfair and it should never happen again, said Malena Resino, a 14-year-old student who joined the march with her classmates after school. Im very proud that so many people joined because together we can achieve something.

There were 275 gender-based killings of Argentine women in the past year, according to Casa del Encuentro, a womens rights group and shelter. In 40 of those cases, women had reported attacks by men, and some even had restraining orders.

How many more like Lucia are out there and nothing has been done? Marta Montero, the mother of Lucia Perez asked during an interview with local radio Vorterix.

Women take part in a march in La Paz. (AFP)

Demonstrators, who dressed in black to mourn Perez and other victims, also staged a brief work stoppage earlier in the day as a sign of protest.

Its important that not only women but also men join this movement. Our husbands are here wearing black and are supporting the protest, said Monica Pavicich, 59, who demonstrated with her work colleagues in downtown Buenos Aires.

Similar marches against gender-based violence also took place in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

A large banner carried by protesters in one of the main avenues of the Chilean capital read: Furious and in mourning.

More than 25,000 people were estimated to have demonstrated in Santiago and more than 20 other cities throughout the country.

Hundreds of people gathered at Mexico Citys Angel of Independence monument. Many of them had purple and black handprints painted on their bodies to protest gender violence.

Diana Echeverria, a 23-year-old student, said she was forced to flee her home state of San Luis Potosi after she was sexually abused a year ago.

The authorities refused to help me, she said. They told me that this is what life is like.
The head of a Bangladeshi Islamist group accused of staging a deadly siege at a cafe and the killing of several foreigners died while trying to evade arrest earlier this month, security officials said Friday.

Abdur Rahman died in hospital on October 8 after jumping from the fifth floor of a building on the outskirts of Dhaka during a raid by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite security unit.

The identity of Rahman, who was leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was later confirmed through his possessions and by his family, who were shown pictures of his body, the RAB said in a statement.

Several documents, letters and emails that were later retrieved by the RAB all proved that Abdur Rahman was the emir (head) of the new JMB, the statement added.

Bangladeshi authorities are insistent that the JMB was behind a siege at an upmarket cafe in Dhaka on July 1 in which 20 mostly foreign hostages were killed, even though the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

The RAB said that some of the documents recovered during their raid had been signed by Rahman using the alias Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al Hanif.

While the statement made no mention of IS, the April issue of Dabiq, a magazine affiliated to the organisation, reported that Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif was the jihadis emir in Bangladesh.

A RAB spokesman refused to comment on whether the two were the same men.

RAB, which is tasked with tackling militancy and serious crimes, has listed 19 attacks carried out by the JMB, including the fatal shootings of an Italian aid worker and a Japanese national late last year and a series of murders of religious minorities.

The siege at the cafe in July was by far the deadliest attack and caused widespread alarm about the growth of Islamist extremism in a country where more than 90% of the population is Muslim.

Wave of attacks

Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of recent attacks with targets including foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities.

At least 40 JMB followers have been killed in a crackdown against the group since the cafe attack and dozens of raids have been carried out at addresses linked to the outfit.

The JMB, long dormant after their top leaders were executed in March 2007, is believed to have recently regrouped with young and university-educated extremists taking the helm.

In August, Bangladesh police shot dead Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent, in an operation just outside the capital.

The police have said Tamim was a leader of the new JMB and the main mastermind of the cafe attack.

RAB on Friday released some text messages between Tamim and Rahman on the night before the Canadians death.

The satans have come here. Were preparing for fight. Were going to Allah, Tamim wrote. The messages showed that Tamim was swearing his allegiance to Rahman.

RAB said Rahman, a former madrassa student who speaks Arabic and Urdu, became the new JMB chief after two successful operations in 2015.

RAB chief Benazir Ahmed told reporters that they have arrested 33 JMB extremists, including two close associates of Rahman but 21 extremists were still on the run.

Critics say Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists. They accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

Many of the attacks have been claimed by IS and the local offshoot of the Al-Qaeda network.

In August, US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Dhaka that evidence existed to link the extremists behind the attacks in Bangladesh to IS.
British prime minister Theresa Mays ruling Conservative Party held the parliamentary constituency vacated by David Cameron but saw its majority cut significantly as thousands of voters flocked to a pro-European Union opposition party.

Just weeks after Britons backed Brexit, former prime minister Cameron said he would resign as a lawmaker from the southern English seat of Witney, which bucked the national trend by voting to remain in the European Union.

On Friday, the Conservatives retained the constituency, garnering 17,313 votes, but saw their share of their vote fall from 60 percent to 45 percent compared to the General election result last year.

The second-placed Liberal Democrats, Britains most consistently pro-European party, won 11,611 votes, significantly increasing their vote share to 30 percent, according to official results. The opposition Labour Party slipped into third place.

In the West Oxfordshire area which contains Witney, 54 percent of voters backed remaining in the European Union, whilst nationally 52 percent of Britons supported leaving the bloc in the June 23 referendum.

The pro-EU Liberal Democrats campaigned heavily in the seat hoping to cause an upset by winning over centrist Conservative voters disillusioned by Mays push for a hard Brexit, which would see Britain outside of the European single market.

Larry Sanders, the brother of U.S Senator Bernie Sanders, stood for the Green Party and came fourth in the poll.

In a separate election, Britains main opposition Labour Party retained a northern English seat in a vote caused by the killing of lawmaker Jo Cox, just a week before the June 23 referendum on EU membership.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday he was not severing ties with his countrys long-time ally the United States, but merely pursuing a more independent foreign policy by strengthening relations with China.

A day after he provoked fresh diplomatic alarm by announcing his separation from Washington, Duterte struck a more conciliatory tone as he arrived back in the Philippines after a four-day visit to Beijing.

It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that, the Philippine leader told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao.

Its in the best interest of my countrymen to maintain that relationship.

On Thursday, Duterte had told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in Beijings Great Hall of the People that America had lost now, as he sought what he calls a new commercial alliance with China. I announce my separation from the United States, he had said, to sustained applause, adding he would also seek closer ties with Russia.

Clarifying his comments on Friday, he said that what he meant was that Manilas foreign policy need not always dovetail with Washington. As in separation, what I was really saying was separation of foreign policy, he said. In the past, and until I became president, we always follow what the United States would give the cue.

The White House, which had responded to the separation speech by saying there had been too many troubling statements from Duterte recently, was quick to welcome the apparent shift in tone.

Based on his extensive, colourful previous comments, there is greater clarity that we would like to get about the intent of President Duterte and his government, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing.

And the frequency of that rhetoric has added an element of unnecessary uncertainty into our relationship that doesnt advance the interests of either country.

But based on what youve read me that seems to be a change in tone that is more consistent with the seven decade-long alliance between the United States and the Philippines.

Duterte has made too many troubling statements recently that lend uncertainty over its ties with the United States and are at odds with their alliance, the White House said on Thursday.

What the president meant...

Earlier officials in Manila were left scrambling to explain the latest comments from Duterte, whose broadsides against the United States have grown increasingly frequent.

In terms of economic (ties), we are not stopping trade, investment with America, trade minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines. He said the Philippines was breaking being too much dependent on one side.

Dutertes spokesperson, Ernesto Abella, said the president had been making a restatement of his bid to chart an independent foreign policy.

Duterte wanted to separate the nation from dependence on the U.S. and the West, and rebalance economic and military relations with Asian neighbours like China, Japan and South Korea, Abella said in statement.

Underscoring that, the Chinese and Philippines defence ministers met in Beijing on the sidelines of Dutertes visit, and pledged to restore security ties, Chinas defence ministry said.

Anti-US protest

Dutertes efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, mark a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

It has also been in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States after being infuriated by US criticism of his bloody war on drugs.

He has called US President Barack Obama a son of a bitch and told him to go to hell. On Wednesday, about 1,000 anti-US protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Manila calling for the removal of US troops from a southern Philippine island.

Hundreds of left-wing demonstrators burned a replica of the US flag at a rally in Manila on Friday as they called for an end to US military agreements.

The United States, a former colonial power, has seen Manila as an important ally in its rebalance to Asia in the face of a rising China. The US embassy press attache in Manila, Molly Koscina, said Dutertes statements were creating uncertainty.

US defense secretary Ash Carter said Washington intended to keep to its alliance commitments to the Philippines.

Obviously any relationship is one of mutuality and we will continue to discuss that with our Philippine counterparts, he told reporters on a flight to Turkey.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, asked in Beijing about Dutertes comments, said countries should not resort to win-lose mentalities. We should not have Cold War thinking; its either you or me, you win I lose, that kind of zero-sum game, she told a regular press briefing.

Wrangling over territory in the South China Sea, where Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, has consumed China-Philippines relations in recent years.

China claims most of the waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and in 2012 it seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds.

Arriving home, Duterte said he had discussed Scarborough Shoal with the Chinese, but did not elaborate.
Images taken by a Nasa Mars orbiter indicate that a missing European space probe was destroyed on impact after plummeting to the surface of the Red Planet from a height of 2-4 km (1.2 to 2.5 miles), the European Space Agency said on Friday.

The disc-shaped, 577-kg (1,272 lb) Schiaparelli probe, part of the Russian-European ExoMars programme to search for evidence of life on Mars, descended on Wednesday to test technologies for a rover that scientists hope to send to the surface of the planet in 2020.

But contact with the vehicle was lost around 50 seconds before the expected landing time, leaving its fate uncertain until the Nasa images were received.

Schiaparelli reached the ground with a velocity that was much higher than it should have been, several hundred kilometres per hour, and was then unfortunately destroyed by the impact, ExoMars Flight director Michel Denis told Reuters TV.

It was only the second European attempt to land a craft on Mars, after a failed mission by the British landing craft Beagle 2 in 2003.

The US space agencys Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been circling the planet for about 10 years, took low-resolution pictures that show a bright spot that ESA believes is the 12-metre parachute that Schiaparelli used to slow down.

They also show a fuzzy dark patch, around 15 by 40 metres in size, about 1 km north of the parachute, which scientists interpret as having been created by the impact of the lander following a longer-than-planned free fall.

ESA said it was possible that Schiaparellis landing was accompanied by an explosion, as its thrusters fuel tanks were probably still full.

The primary part of the ExoMars mission has, however, been a success so far, as the Schiaparelli landers mothership has been brought into orbit around Mars, from where it will try to sniff out methane and other gases that might indicate the presence of life. It will also act as a data relay station for the rover, which is due to follow in 2020.

An illustration released by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the Schiaparelli EDM lander. (Reuters)

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

Landing on Mars, Earths neighbour and at its closest some 35 million miles (56 million km) away, is a notoriously difficult task that has thwarted most Russian efforts and given Nasa trouble as well.

That has not diminished its allure, with US President Barack Obama recently highlighting his pledge to send people to the surface by the 2030s.

Entrepreneur Elon Musks SpaceX is developing a massive rocket and capsule to transport large numbers of people and cargo to Mars with the ultimate goal of colonising the planet.

ESA scientists have been poring over data that the Schiaparelli lander transmitted before its signal was lost, to look for clues as to what happened. They found that a heat shield and parachute intended to slow the craft down from a speed of 21,000 km per hour deployed as expected.

But somehow the parachute was released a bit too early, and after that the engine functioned, but only for a few seconds, which was too little, ESAs Denis said.

The space agency said that Nasas orbiter would take pictures with its highest-resolution camera next week, which may provide further clues.

ESA director general Jan Woerner said earlier that the ExoMars mission had been 96 percent successful so far, despite problems with the lander, as the orbiter was functioning well and the experience with Schiaparelli would still provide valuable lessons for future attempts to land on Mars.
A Georgia man swapped sexual text messages with a teenage girl while his toddler son sat forgotten and dying in the back seat of the fathers sweltering SUV, his young texting partner testified in court Friday.

Justin Ross Harris, 34, is charged with murder in the death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. Hes also charged with sending graphic, sexual text messages and photos of his penis to a girl for a period of several months when she was 16 and 17.

That young woman, now 19, told the jury on Friday she met Harris online in the fall of 2013 when he responded to a comment she posted on the app Whisper stating she wanted a sexual relationship like the one depicted in the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

When it started, it was strictly sexual, the witness said of her relationship with Harris. Then at times it would be like a normal conversation.

They never met in person, but Harris knew her age and that she was in high school, the young woman testified. She sent him one of her prom photos, she said, and would tell him about her efforts to choose a college.

According to a transcript of their text messages that the young woman read in court, one time Harris asked for a photo of her breasts and she replied: Im at school.

They also discussed sex acts they wanted to perform with each other, and Harris would send the girl photos of his penis. A prosecutor showed four photos to the jury in court. She said he asked her to send him photos of her genitals countless times, but she never did.

There wasnt any pressure applied to you to participate in this, is that fair to say, defence attorney Maddox Kilgore asked the young woman.

Yes, she replied.

Prosecutor Chuck Boring noted that under Georgia law, the girls consent was irrelevant because she was a minor.

The Associated Press does not identify victims of sex crimes and is not identifying the young woman, who was underage when the explicit messages were sent. The judge also has barred news organisations from broadcasting her voice and likeness to protect her identity.

Prosecutors say Harris, who had moved to metro Atlanta from Alabama in 2012, killed his young son intentionally because he wanted to escape from the responsibilities of being a husband and father. The teenager wasnt the only person he swapped sexual images and banter with online. Several women have testified to having sexual relationships with Harris, both online and in person, while he was married.

Authorities say Harris son died after being left strapped in his car seat for about seven hours while Harris was working at home depots headquarters in metro Atlanta. Harris had taken his son with him to eat breakfast that morning. His defence attorneys say the death was a tragic accident  that Harris forgot to drop the boy off at daycare and went straight to work.

The day young Cooper died on June 18, 2014, his father was texting the teenage girl from his workplace, according to transcripts read in court Friday.

At about 2pm that day, he asked for a photo of her breasts.

Im super sunburned, the witness read from the transcript in court, saying she sent a photo regardless.

Harris reply: Yummy.

Harris trial was moved from Cobb County in the Atlanta suburbs, to the coastal port city of Brunswick because of pretrial publicity. The judge told jurors Friday she expects the trial, which began October 3, to last three to four more weeks.

The young woman said Harris would sometimes send her photographs of himself that werent sexual. At least twice, he also showed her photos that included Cooper. She said he would sometimes brag about his son and how smart the boy was.

He would never do anything to hurt his baby? Kilgore asked.

No, definitely not, the young woman replied.

Read | US woman left infant in hot car for her strip club audition
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is considering a cabinet reshuffle to reverse a slump in popularity by sidelining ministers he sees as obstacles to winning debt relief from international lenders, government sources say.

Tsipras wants reforms to achieve debt restructuring and to get Greece into the European Central Banks quantitative easing programme. Doing so may appease austerity-jaded Greeks by persuading them that years of financial sacrifice are paying off.

Energy Minister Panos Skourletis, who opposes some key privatisations demanded by lenders, including selling a stake in Greeces PPC power company, was among the ministers who could be replaced, one source said. Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos was expected to keep his post, the officials said.

Asked to comment on a possible reshuffle, government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassili told Skai TV only that the governments aim was the flexible, fast, effective management of the country.

A reshuffle would be testament to Tsiprass delicate balancing act between implementing painful bailout reforms and boosting his leftist Syriza partys popularity ratings which have been sagging for months. Syriza is trailing the conservatives.

He was first elected 21 months ago promising to end years of austerity for Greece, imposed by international creditors. But he was forced to reverse course by the prospect of the country being kicked out of the euro zone and pursue deeper reforms under a third international bailout. He was re-elected in September last year.

If he (Tsipras) needs a cabinet which can conclude the review as swiftly as possible then a reshuffle would indeed ease the points of contention, said one of the sources, adding that it could happen as early as this month.

A second official said Tsipras has been mulling the move for some time but has not made any final decision, while a third official said a reshuffle was not expected to be broad but would affect the structure of ministries.

Another bailout review, which includes unpopular labour reforms, fiscal issues and privatisations, started in Athens on Friday. Tsipras had scheduled meetings with his European counterparts in Brussels to discuss the review.

CROSSING SWORDS

Under its third aid programme of up to 86 billion euros agreed in 2015, Greece pledged to press ahead with state asset sales to raise 14 billion euros by 2022 to cut public debt.

Athens is already off schedule in privatising PPC. The state, which now owns 51 percent of PPC with a market value of 684 million euros, was expected to hire advisers in September to sell 17 percent of it. This has been pushed back for November, a privatisation agency source said.

As recently as last Tuesday, Skourletis said the utility would not be sold under his watch. It would be a disaster, he told Antenna TV. That wont happen.

In an effort to boost popularity, Tsipras has taken on the countrys broadcasting oligarchs - which the left wing widely views as corrupt and part of an establishment responsible for Greeces malaise - but the move has so far failed to lift its poll ratings.

In a poll conducted by Alco polling agency for newsit.gr last week, Syriza garnered 15.1 percent of support versus 21.5 percent for the conservative New Democracy party.

The attempt to reduce Greeces number of TV stations could also backfire.

One of the countrys highest administrative courts, the Council of State, is expected to rule next week whether an auction on TV licenses launched in September is legal.

This may determine if Tsiprass closest aide and adviser, State Minister Nikos Pappas, who has been overseeing the auction would move to another ministry, one of the sources said.

The licences project could turn into a disaster instead of a success story, another source said.

(Additional reporting by Angeliki Koutantou Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
Rita Barbera is politically isolated after being forced to resign from the PP. JAIME VILLANUEVA

Spains Supreme Court has fixed a date for a hearing that will see Rita Barbera, the former Popular Party (PP) mayor of Valencia, questioned as an official suspect in a corruption case.

Judge Candido Conde Pumpido said in a statement on Thursday that Barbera  one of the PPs longest-serving officials, and who ran Spains third-largest city between 1991 and 2015  has been called to appear on November 21.

This autumn will see several corruption-related trials involving the Popular Party

Barbera, who resigned from the conservative PP in September under pressure from the leadership and is now an independent senator, is being investigated as a result of Operation Taula, launched at the beginning of this year to look into the activities of local governments in the provinces of Valencia, Alicante and Castellon as well as the Diputacion de Valencia  the provincial authority. The operation is focusing heavily on Valencia province, however.

Operation Taula has produced around 50 arrests of PP officials believed to have participated in a corrupt network that charged commissions in exchange for granting public contracts. Sources said investigators are also contemplating the possibility that part of the money was used for illegal party financing on the part of the Valencia branch of the PP.

The suspects may have committed embezzlement offenses, bribed public officials and laundered money, among other crimes. The scope of the illegal activities, which date back several years, was described by one source as enormous.

The judge overseeing Operation Taula is investigating donations of 1,000 from elected PP officials and party advisors, including Barbera, supposedly used to launder money of allegedly illegal origin that funded election campaigns in 2003, 2011 and 2015. In exchange for their donations, the officials were allegedly given two 500 banknotes in return.

Barbera resigned from the conservative PP in September and is now an independent senator

It is essential to continue looking into the facts of the case and what role Rita Barbera played in them, the Supreme Court statement said. Rita Barbera was one of the people who seen to have made the 1,000 donation. It makes no sense to call others who made donations to testify and to not do the same with the Senator, it said, referring to Barbera.

The politician will appear in court on a voluntary basis, after which the court will decide whether to ask the Senate to pass an act that would enable her to be tried by a lower court.

Senators, lawmakers, magistrates and other public officials are granted a legal privilege known in Spanish as aforamiento, which prevents them from being tried by any tribunal lower than the Supreme Court.

The ruling PP has been hit by several scandals in the past few years, with high- and mid-level officials accused of illegal financing, possessing offshore bank accounts, accepting kickbacks and rigging public tenders, among many other alleged crimes relating to abuse of public office.

This autumn will see a number of corruption-related trials involving the PP, the first of which, relating to the kickbacks-for-contracts network Operation Gurtel, is currently underway.

English version by Nick Lyne.
A decorated US soldier from Illinois and an army civilian employee from Oklahoma who both had been deployed multiple times to support military operations in Afghanistan were killed in an attack this week in Kabul, the US defense department said.

Army Sgt. Douglas J Riney, 26, of Fairview, Illinois, and Michael G Sauro, 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma, died of wounds received when they encountered hostile enemy forces in Afghanistans capital, the military said in a statement on Thursday.

Mike was the type of person who no matter what you asked of him, he was always willing to lend a helping hand to everybody, said Deborah Schreiner, chief of HAZMAT Training at the Defense Ammunition Center, Oklahoma, where Sauro was assigned. He was such a joy to work with and always so upbeat.

The defense department statement said the men died Thursday. NATO and an Afghan official earlier said a man wearing an Afghan army uniform had killed a US service member and an American civilian Wednesday in Kabul. Nato said another US service member and two US civilians were wounded in the attack.

The Associated Press sent emails to military officials early Friday seeking to confirm whether Riney and Sauro were the ones who died in that attack.

Riney entered active-duty service in July 2012 as a petroleum supply specialist, the military said. He had been assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, since December 2012.

Riney earlier was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from July 2014 to February 2015 and deployed in June of this year in support of Operation Freedoms Sentinel. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.

Sauro was assigned to the Defense Ammunition Center, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester, klahoma, the defense department said. He traveled to Afghanistan last month for his third deployment and was scheduled to return to the US in March.

He previously deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February to May 2009 and in support of peration Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from October 2012 to January 2013.

The two U.S. civilians injured also were from the Defense Ammunition Center. Richard Rick Alford was in stable condition and Rodney Henderson suffered minor injuries, the center said, adding that they will both return to the US.

Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry, earlier this week said the attack took place inside a military base in Kabul. NATO said the attacker was later killed. The victims were conducting duties as part of the larger NATO mission to train and advise the Afghan security services.
Islamic State (IS) militants armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked targets in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early on Friday, in an assault that appeared aimed at diverting Iraqi security forces from a massive offensive against the IS-held city of Mosul.

At least 13 workers, including four Iranians, were killed when IS militants stormed a power plant north of Kirkuk and then blew themselves up.

Multiple explosions meanwhile rocked the city and gun battles were ongoing, said witnesses in Kirkuk, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were concerned for their safety. Much of the fighting was centered on a government compound in the city. They said the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers.

IS said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters. The claim was carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency and could not immediately be verified.

Read | Suicide bombers in deadly twin raids in northern Iraq

Local Kurdish television channel Rudaw aired footage showing black smoke rising over the city as extended bursts of automatic gunfire rang out. It quoted Kirkuk governorate Najmadin Karim as saying that the militants had not seized any government buildings.

In the power plant attack, which took place in Dibis, a town north of Kirkuk, three IS suicide bombers entered the facility and took 13 workers hostage, said major Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

The attackers asked to be taken to the Iranians who worked at the plant, and one of the workers took them to the Iranians before escaping. The militants then killed the Iranians and the other workers, and detonated their explosive vests when police arrived, Ali said.

Map locating Kirkuk and Dibis in northern Iraq, under attack by jihadist gunmen on Friday. (AFP Graphic)

Irans foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi condemned the Kirkuk assault, which he said killed four Iranians and wounded three others, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

Kirkuk is some 170 kilometers from the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have been waging a wide-scale offensive since Monday.

Read | Iraqi forces launch offensive to retake IS stronghold Mosul

The oil-rich city is some 290 kilometers north of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul. It is claimed by both Iraqs central government and the countrys Kurdish region. Kurdish forces assumed full control of Kirkuk in the summer of 2014, as Iraqs army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by IS.

Later Friday, Rudaw TV said all IS militants who took part in the Kirkuk attack had been killed except for two who were holed up in a newly built hotel, which was damaged in the attack and from where they were battling Kurdish forces.

Kirkuk police commander brigadier general Khattab Omer said clashes were still underway, without providing further details. There was no immediate word on casualties among civilians or Kurdish forces in Kirkuk, and the TV report could not immediately be confirmed.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early Friday, but that the base was now under control.

He said IS maintains sleeper cells in Kirkuk and the surrounding villages. We arrested one recently and he confessed, he said, adding that the attackers may have posed as displaced civilians in order to infiltrate the city.

Kirkuk province has absorbed hundreds of thousands of displaced people from neighbouring provinces since IS first overran wide stretches of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014, capturing Mosul, the countrys second largest city.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a US-led coalition launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from IS. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Read | Iraqi forces retake town east of Mosul from IS: Commander

Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosuls outskirts, by Thursday.

Lieutenant general Talib Shaghati of Iraqs elite forces held a press conference on Friday a kilometer away from the town and insisted the special forces had full control. He said special forces were clearing explosives and contending with some snipers who remained in the town. Gunfire could be heard in the distance.

IS, which still controls a swath of territory stretching across Syria and Iraq, has a history of launching diversionary attacks on distant fronts when it comes under pressure. In April 2015, Iraqi forces announced the liberation of the central city of Tikrit. The following month, IS militants captured the western Iraqi city of Ramadi and the eastern Syrian city of Palmyra. Both cities have since been retaken by Iraqi and Syrian forces.

Elsewhere in Iraq, the countrys top Shiite cleric called on forces taking part in the Mosul offensive to protect civilians, and for residents of Mosul, a mainly Sunni city, to cooperate with security forces.

We stress today upon our beloved fighters, as we have before on many occasions, that they exercise the greatest degree of restraint in dealing with civilians stuck in the areas where there is fighting, the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a Friday sermon read by an aide. Protect them and prevent any harm to them by all possible means.

Also read | World diplomats seek post-battle plan for Islamic State bastion Mosul


For Ecuador, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has become the worst kind of guest: he makes messes he doesnt clean up, he spills secrets, he meddles, and theres no telling when he will leave.

Four years after Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, the tension between host and guest is plain to see.

Ecuador said on Tuesday it has cut Assanges internet access because of leaks by his anti-secrecy website impacting on the US election -- a reference to the release of a damaging trove of hacked emails from Hillary Clintons campaign.

The leaks have put Ecuadorian President Rafael Correas government in an awkward position.

Back in June 2012, offering Assange refuge was a waggish way for Correa, a radical economist, to thumb his nose at the United States, the domineering neighbour that the Latin American left has long loved to hate.

WikiLeaks had infuriated Washington by leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables and secret files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In granting Assange asylum, Ecuador backed his argument that the criminal investigation he was fleeing -- for accusations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden -- was a smokescreen to extradite him to the United States.

But Assange appears to have gone too far by letting WikiLeaks wade into the US election with hacks that have embarrassed Clinton and effectively helped her Republican rival, Donald Trump.

Clintons team blames the Russian government for hacking Democratic Party emails and the Gmail account of campaign chairman John Podesta -- a view shared by the US government.

With polls showing Clinton likely to beat the volatile billionaire on November 8, and recession-hit Ecuador needing to make nice with the superpower to the north, Assange may now be wearing out his welcome.

Of course Correas government is uncomfortable, said Mauricio Gandara, who is in a position to know, as Ecuadors former ambassador in London.

The government is scared because it understands Clinton is probably going to win and could make them pay, he told AFP.

Ecuador plays nice

Correa has repeatedly voiced his support for Clinton in the election.

WikiLeaks on Monday accused Ecuador of severing Assanges communications at the behest of Clintons successor as secretary of state, John Kerry.

Thats just not true, State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said Tuesday.

Ecuador also implicitly denied the claim, saying it does not yield to pressure from other states.

But Ecuador is keener to pursue good neighbourly relations with the United States than it was in 2012.

Then, the South American country was in the midst of a commodities-fueled economic boom. Now, it is stuck in a long recession.

The fact that Ecuador is currently negotiating loans from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank -- two institutions where Washington wields outsize influence -- may be an additional factor in the decision to cut Assanges internet, said Santiago Basabe, an Ecuadorian political scientist.

The Ecuadorian national flag flies outside their London embassy. (AP Photo)

Correas government is trapped between the pressure Assange exerts with the relevant information in his possession, and pressure from the United States to stop embarrassing information from being published, he said.

Assange lifeline severed

Losing his internet connection is a particularly low blow for Assange, whose computer had been his link to the outside world.

It is unclear how long Assange will remain in the Ecuadorian embassy.

He denies the accusations against him, but refuses to travel to Sweden over fears he would be handed over to the United States.

Prosecutors dropped their sexual assault case against him last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired.

But the limit on the rape allegation will not run out until at least 2020.

Sweden and Ecuador have agreed to a deal for him to be interrogated by Ecuadorian prosecutors, with questions posed by their Swedish counterparts.

The session was recently postponed until November 14.

Cooped up in a small apartment in the embassy -- a redbrick Victorian building in a chic district of London -- the 45-year-old Australian reportedly has a sparse existence.

He has a treadmill, a microwave and a sunlamp, and had until now spent the overwhelming majority of his time on the web.

Its not worse than a prison cell, a friend and supporter, Vaughan Smith, told AFP after visiting Assange in August 2012.

The primary reason that its not worse is that he can use a computer and the internet. He can work, and that is his prime concern.
Congos security forces shot, burned, stabbed and beat to death at least 48 people during opposition protests in September against a delay in elections that would keep President Joseph Kabila in power beyond his mandate, a UN human rights report said Friday.

Two days of violence saw at least 140 people injured, 299 arrested and 53 people killed, the UN report said. The dead included four police officers, and protesters were responsible for killing at least three of them, the report said.

The government did not immediately comment on the report.

Opposition parties had called for the Sept. 19 demonstrations to protest the election delay, calling it an effort by Kabila to hold onto power. The constitutional court earlier had ruled that Kabila could remain in office beyond his mandate, which ends in December, until elections could be held.

The UN special representative of the secretary-general for Congo, Maman Sidikou, urged Congolese authorities to conduct independent, credible investigations and bring perpetrators to justice.

This is particularly crucial in this volatile pre-electoral context, Sidikou said.

A 5-year-old child was among the vast majority of victims who were shot by security forces, including the national police, republican guard soldiers and army, the new report said. Local and international journalists were harassed, detained and arbitrarily arrested.

Many people worry such violence will worsen as elections, once scheduled for Nov. 27, are now expected in early 2018.

Government, some opposition parties and other negotiators signed an agreement Tuesday calling for the vote to be held in April 2018. But the biggest opposition party, which boycotted the talks, rejected the deal.

The agreement came a day after Congos constitutional court approved a request by the electoral commission to postpone the vote.
Pakistans Supreme Court cited a judgement by its Indian counterpart while upholding the death sentence given to a mentally ill man suffering from schizophrenia, prompting an outcry from civil society activists.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali issued the order in the case of Imdad Ali, aged around 50 years, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a religious teacher in 2002. His sentence was upheld by all superior courts, including the Supreme Court, and the president rejected his mercy petition.

In an order issued on Thursday, the Supreme Court cited the judgment of Indias Supreme Court in the 1976 case of Amrit Bhushan Gupta vs the Union of India, which was similar to Alis case. The Indian convicts mother filed a petition in the Delhi high court, which said her sons execution should be withheld because he was of unsound mind and suffering from schizophrenia.

The Delhi high court and Indias Supreme Court dismissed the mothers plea, arguing the convict did not suffer from legal insanity during his trial or at the time the offence was committed.

Pakistans Supreme Court said a psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia does not subjugate a death sentence. It observed in its 11-page judgment: In our opinion, rules relating to mental sickness are not subjugative to delay the execution of death sentence which has been awarded to the convict.

Government doctors certified Ali as being a paranoid schizophrenic in 2012 but the Supreme Court ruled the illness did not fall within its legal definition of mental disorders.

The top court noted that subordinate courts had discarded Alis plea of mental illness. Schizophrenia is not a permanent mental disorder; rather it is an imbalance which can increase or decrease depending on the level of stress, it added.

The court further said, In recent years, the prognosis has been improved with drugs, by vigorous psychological and social managements, and rehabilitation. It is, therefore, a recoverable disease, which in all the cases, does not fall with the definition of mental disorder as defined in the Mental Health Ordinance, 2001.

Alis wife Safia Bano had approached the Supreme Court, claiming her husband was insane and his death sentence should be delayed till he received treatment so that he could write his will.

The judgment was criticised by civil society activists, who said it went against all international norms of justice.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) protested against the judgement. A spokesperson said mental illness and insanity were reasons for a court to not declare a person guilty of a crime. This decision will have far reaching implications, HRCP said.

Earlier, the watchdog Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) too filed an appeal against the Lahore high courts order dismissing pleas that Ali could not be executed because of his mental illness. JPP argued the court should look into Alis medical condition and extenuating circumstances that had aggravated his mental illness during his lengthy time on death row.

Ali hails from Burewala district of Punjab province. After warrants were issued for his execution on July 26, his wife filed a writ petition in the Lahore high court, which rejected her plea on August 23. She then approached the Supreme Court with the same plea but the three-judge bench upheld the death sentence.
A Pakistani woman journalist was slapped by a paramilitary trooper while she was filming a report on alleged wrongdoings at a government office in Karachi, with a video of the incident going viral.

Saima Kanwal, a reporter with K21 news channel, went to an office in Nazimabad area where people apply for national identity cards to expose alleged wrongdoings and inefficiency.

Kanwal pursued one of the guards from the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary, whom she accused of misbehaving with members of the public.

As Kanwal asked her cameraman to film her efforts to question the guard, the guard retaliated by slapping her.

Soon after, the cameraman loses his balance and there are the sounds of shots being fired. Witnesses said that the guard resorted to firing in the air to clear the office soon after he slapped the reporter.

Police officials confirmed a case had been registered against the guard for conducting aerial firing and assaulting the reporter after the video went viral.
The Philippines will maintain trade and economic ties with the United States, trade minister Ramon Lopez said on Friday, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his separation from Washington.

Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he was paving the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with long-time ally Washington deteriorate.

With that, in this venue, your honours, in this venue, I announce my separation from the US, Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business leaders to applause at a forum in the Great Hall of the People. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also.

Dutertes efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

Lopez sought to explain Dutertes comments. Let me clarify. The president did not talk about separation, Lopez told CNN Philippines in Beijing.

In terms of economic (ties), we are not stopping trade, investment with America. The president specifically mentioned his desire to strengthen further the ties with China and the ASEAN region which we have been trading with for centuries.

He said the Philippines was breaking being too much dependent on one side.

But we definitely wont stop the trade and investment activities with the West, specifically the US.

Anti-US protest

Dutertes tone towards China is in stark contrast to the language he has used against the US, after being infuriated by US criticism of his bloody war on drugs.

He has called US President Barack Obama a son of a bitch and told him to go to hell. On Wednesday, about 1,000 anti-US protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Manila and called for the removal of american troops from the southern island of Mindanao.

The US, a former colonial power, has seen Manila as an important ally in its rebalance of resources to Asia in the face of a rising China. The US embassy press attache in Manila, Molly Koscina, said Dutertes statements were creating uncertainty.

Weve seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently which is inexplicably at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments, she told Reuters in an email.

We have yet to hear from the Philippine government what Dutertes remarks on separation might mean, but it is creating unnecessary uncertainty.

She also said the US would honour alliance commitments and treaty obligations with the Philippines. And, of course, we expect the Philippines to do the same.

US defence secretary Ash Carter said Washington intended to keep to its alliance commitments to the Philippines. Obviously any relationship is one of mutuality and we will continue to discuss that with our Philippine counterparts, he told reporters before landing in Turkey.

Thats not new today, but thats our alliance relationship with the Philippines.

No rush to interpret

Marie Banaag, assistant secretary at the Philippine presidential communications office, urged the public to wait for guidelines before interpreting Dutertes announcement.

There is no rush for us to interpret the speech of the president as we have to wait for guidelines that would be coming from him, from the department of foreign affairs, as soon as they come back, she said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked in Beijing about Dutertes comments, said countries should not resort to win-lose mentalities.

As far as China is concerned, we think that at present in international relations we should not have Cold War thinking, its either you or me, you win I lose, that kind of zero-sum game, she told a regular press briefing.

We have always developed relations with other countries in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, mutually win-win, not aimed at, not excluding and not affecting other countries developing normal relations with each other.

Duterte said in Beijing that he had realigned (himself) in your ideological flow and America has lost now.

Maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world  China, Philippines and Russia, he said. Its the only way.

Wrangling over territory in the South China Sea, where neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, has consumed China-Philippines relations in recent years.

China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and in 2012 it seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds.

In a joint statement issued by Chinas official Xinhua news agency, China and the Philippines said it was important to address differences in the South China Sea without resorting to the threat or use of force.
Russia on Friday said it was concerned over the refusal of fighters from a former al Qaeda affiliate, the Fateh al-Sham Front, to leave Aleppo as Russian and Syrian forces have halted fighting.

The combatants, formerly known as al Nusra, and the some 250,000 civilians in rebel-held areas, have largely avoided the eight escape corridors announced this week by Russia and Syrias regime.

We are highly concerned at the fact that, despite the goodwill gestures of Moscow and Damascus with the aim of normalising the situation in Aleppo, we see that al Nusra fighters are refusing to leave the city, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists Friday that whether Russia extends the pause in fighting further depends on how the process of fighters leaving the city -- which so far is sluggish, unfortunately.

Asked whether the decision on extending the pause would be taken daily, he said it would be made on the basis of the current situation, since the situation is changing quite quickly, it could change for the worse.

At a briefing in Moscow, Lavrov accused fighters from the Fateh al-Sham Front and influential Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group of sabotaging the efforts of the United Nations -- with our support, with support of the Syrian government -- to get humanitarian aid supplies into east Aleppo.

He said the fighters with threats, blackmail and brute force, are obstructing the departure of peaceful civilians from east Aleppo, as well as that of combatants who are prepared to leave.

Russia is ready to extend this humanitarian pause as long as there are not provocations by Al-Nusra and allied groups, Lavrov said, adding that this position was confirmed in our contacts with the United States.

Lavrov also said Russia is very concerned at Turkish strikes on US-backed militias in northern Syria, including Syrian Kurdish fighters.

He said Russia expected the United States, leading a coalition that includes Turkey, to stay within the framework of the declared aim of fighting Islamic State jihadists and the Fateh al-Sham Front.
South Africa has decided to withdraw from the International Criminal Court following a dispute last year over a visit by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the tribunal for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

A copy of the Instrument of Withdrawal, dated Wednesday and signed by foreign minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, was obtained on Thursday by The Associated Press.

It states that South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court of obligations contained in the Rome Statute which established the court.

Under the Rome Statute, South Africa as a party to the ICC has an obligation to arrest anyone sought by the tribunal.

The charges against al-Bashir stem from the bloodshed in Sudans western Darfur region which began in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination and neglect. The United Nations says 300,000 people have died in the conflict and 2.7 million have fled their homes.

In June 2015, Al-Bashir went to South Africa to attend an African Union summit but the government didnt arrest him. A provincial court ordered him to remain in the country while judges deliberated on whether he should be arrested on the ICC warrants, but al-Bashir left for Sudan before the court ruled that he should indeed be arrested. The Supreme Court of Appeal later described the governments failure to arrest al-Bashir as disgraceful conduct.

The government said in a statement in late June 2015 that it would consider withdrawing from the International Criminal Court as a last resort following the dispute over al-Bashir.

It cited contradictions in the statute and said South Africa would have found it difficult to arrest al-Bashir because of treaty obligations to the African Union.

The African Union has asked the International Criminal Court to stop proceedings against sitting presidents and has said it will not compel any member states to arrest a leader on behalf of the ICC.

South Africas decision to quit the court follows Tuesdays announcement that Burundis President Pierre Nkurunziza signed legislation to make his country the first to withdraw from the ICC, which had said it would investigate recent political violence there.

No country has ever withdrawn from the ICC, which was established to prosecute cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
South Africa announced Friday that it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, dealing a major blow to a troubled institution set up to try the worlds worst crimes.

South Africas decision followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told reporters in Pretoria that the court was inhibiting South Africas ability to honour its obligations relating to the granting of diplomatic immunity.

The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of targeting African leaders and has also struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States which has signed the courts treaty but never ratified it.

South Africa would be the first country to leave the court.

The withdrawal shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Its important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africas hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored.

Post-colonial bias

South Africas failure as an ICC signatory to arrest Bashir last year led to a wave of condemnation, which was met with an early threat from the government to withdraw from The Hague-based court.

Bashir has evaded arrest since his ICC indictment in 2009 for alleged war crimes in Sudans Darfur conflict in which 300,000 people were killed and two million forced to flee their homes.

Several African governments say the ICC has shown a post-colonial bias against the continents leaders, and opposition to the court has grown in recent years.

Earlier this month Burundi said it would withdraw, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

South Africa, which delivered a letter to the United Nations on Wednesday to activate its formal withdrawal, is likely to complete the process in one year.

The Democratic Alliance, the countrys main opposition party, immediately launched a legal appeal, describing withdrawal as unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed.

The decision... shows the depth of impunity and disregard for the rule of law within the ANC (ruling party), it said.

Clearly (Foreign Minister Maite) Nkoana-Mashabane has taken her lead from President Jacob Zuma.

Disgraceful conduct

In March, South Africas Supreme Court of Appeal accused Zumas government of disgraceful conduct over Bashirs visit and ruled that the failure to arrest Bashir was unlawful.

The government was taking the case to the Constitutional Court next month, but said Fridays decision meant the legal battle would be dropped.

Bashir was not arrested while attending the African Union summit in Johannesburg because South Africa claimed he had immunity as the head of a member state.

During the summit, an emergency order was obtained from the High Court ordering Bashirs arrest, but government lawyers admitted he had quickly flown out of the country just before the order was issued.

South Africa remains committed to the fight against impunity and to hold those who have committed crimes against humanity and other serious crimes accountable, Justice Minister Masutha said.

This month, the ICC found former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba and four aides guilty of bribing witnesses.

The case at the court in The Hague was the first such corruption trial in its history.

Its chief prosecutor also recently sent a team to the Democratic Republic of Congo to urge restraint after weeks of deadly unrest.
The Mexican army does not typically complain out loud. But the national defense secretary, Division General Salvador Cienfuegos, has decided to speak out about the feeling of burnout within the nations armed forces. Mired for a decade in an never-ending war against the drug cartels , Mexican troops are worn out, said Cienfuegos, who asked for more manpower and a legal framework to regulate the militarys presence on the streets.

Tanks on parade to celebrate Mexican independence. Notimex

More information Malestar en el Ejercito mexicano despues de 10 anos de guerra contra el narco

There is a drain [on the army], and its obvious why: we are working all over the country, at all times, in the mountains and in the cities, said the high-ranking official at a seminar on national defense.

Cienfuegos is a general at war who faces a vicious enemy. Some 50,000 soldiers have been deployed to fight this battle, and there is constant confrontation, particularly in states such as Tamaulipas or Guerrero.

The military are performing 1,500 actions a day, and there is nobody to replace them. How could they not be worn out? says Javier Oliva, a lecturer and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Proportionately to our territory and population, we are the smallest army in the world

Division General Salvador Cienfuegos

The situation is not new. Ever since former President Vicente Fox decided to use military force as part of his counter-narcotics strategy, back in 2005, more than 100,000 lives have been lost.

President Enrique Pena Nieto reduced the military presence, but did not eliminate it altogether. And the army remained on the front lines, year after year, death after death.

Every president has said that the military presence is temporary, but none of them has initiated any exit plan, notes Ernesto Lopez Portillo, president of the Security and Democracy Institute.

Military deployment has been dogged by allegations of abuse and excess. International organizations report that torture is routinely employed. And the terrible incidents of Tlataya, where 22 people including unarmed civilians were reportedly killed by soldiers, and Ayotzinapa, where 43 teacher trainees were abducted while soldiers allegedly looked the other way, have only increased the lack of trust.

National Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos.

The crisis of violence in Mexico has deepened, and there is no civilian authority able to respond, either through prevention or persecution. That is why they resort to the armed forces, explains Lopez Portillo. But that is a mistake, because they are neither a police force nor a justice agency. And they are permanently interacting with organized crime.

Despite the criticism, opinion polls show that the armed forces are among the highest-valued institutions in Mexico, and the government is their most stalwart defender.

But 10 years on, there is no victory on the horizon. Although the army insists that there are fewer battle fronts and that the main drug lords have been captured, surveys show that there is a widespread feeling of insecurity.

And there seems to be a spike in the violence. There were over 2,000 homicides in July of this year and again in August, making them the bloodiest in Pena Nietos entire administration.

There is no easy way out. Citizens demand more security, the police force has been corrupted by drug traffickers and cannot be relied on, and the military admit that they are overwhelmed. General Cienfuegos noted that he leads a small army of 230,000 troops, and that the new reality requires more personnel.

Every president has said that the military presence is temporary, but none of them has initiated any exit plan

Ernesto Lopez Portillo, Security and Democracy Institute

We have many tasks, and if we want to do more, we need more people, he says. Proportionately to our territory and population, we are the smallest army in the world.

Besides fighting the cartels, the military is also performing other tasks not typically assigned to soldiers.

There are soldiers watching over schools in Acapulco, planting trees in reforestation programs and doing the jobs of local police officers, says UNAM researcher Javier Oliva.

In the meantime, no legislation has been passed in these 10 years regulating the militarys street presence. This lack of political support adds to the armys discontent.

Like Navy Secretary Vidal Francisco Soberon said at the seminar: In the end, the military are treated like ranch dogs: they let us loose to defend them, and then put us away during celebrations.

English version by Susana Urra.
Gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked government targets in the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and killed 16 at an Iranian-run construction site further north on Friday as troops advanced on jihadist bastion Mosul.

There was no immediate claim for the attacks but nearly all such raids have been carried out by the Islamic State group, which is attempting to defend its last major Iraqi tronghold against a massive military offensive.

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Kirkuk, the mayor said.

Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0300 GMT), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians, Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP.

A police lieutenant colonel confirmed the casualty toll.

The mayor said the attack led to clashes with security forces, who managed to kill one of the bombers before he detonated his vest. The other two blew themselves up once they were surrounded, he said.

Hours earlier, a commando of suicide bombers armed with rifles attacked multiple locations in Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources said.

A Kurdish intelligence officer said four suicide bombers attacked the main police headquarters in the city at around 3:00 am (2400 GMT Thursday).

The security forces managed to shoot one of them dead, the other three blew themselves up, he said.

Several other targets in the south of the city were attacked by what the officer said were members of IS, sparking clashes with security forces that were still ongoing five hours later.
The ruling Conservative Party saw a major fall in support but managed to hold on to former premier David Camerons seat in Oxfordshire, while Labour won overwhelming support in the seat held by former MP Jo Cox, who was killed during the EU referendum campaign.

The two by-elections on Thursday were significant in the post-Brexit situation, and reflected new support for the Liberal Democrats, whose candidate finished second in Cameron's constituency of Witney, Oxfordshire, pushing Labour to third spot.

Conservative candidate Robert Courts polled 20,000 less votes than Cameron did in 2015, but won by 5,702 votes. The vote share of the Liberal Democrats in Witney rose from 7% to 30%, invigorating the party that was in the ruling coalition from 2010 to 2015.

Green candidate Larry Sanders - the brother of former Democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders - came fourth with 3.5% of the vote.

Cameron stepped down as prime minister after Britons voted in the June 23 referendum to exit the European Union, and later resigned as the MP from Witney.

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron said the partys resurgence signalled that it was "back in the political big time" and represented a return to three-party politics in Britain. This was the 10th safest Tory seat in the country with a massive 25,000 majority, yet the Conservatives were seriously rattled," he said.

In Coxs constituency of Batley and Spen, former Coronation Street star Tracy Brabin received 85% of the vote share after the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party and the Green party did not put up candidates.

Brabin was one of 10 candidates in Batley and Spen, including some independents. The other nine candidates lost their 500 deposits because they did not receive a big enough share of the vote.

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Turkey and Iraq have reached an agreement in principle that could eventually allow a Turkish role in the campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday after talks with President Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has previously voiced frustration that NATO member Turkey has not been more involved in the US-backed assault on the Iraqi city, once part of the Ottoman empire and still seen by Turkey as firmly within its sphere of influence.

Iraq, meanwhile, views Turkish military moves on its territory with apprehension, and any agreement on Mosul would defuse a major source of tension between the neighbours.

Carter made clear that details on Turkeys potential role in the unfolding Mosul campaign still needed to be hammered out and a senior U.S. defence official noted non-military assistance was also a possibility.

That will have to obviously be something that the Iraqi government will need to agree to and I think theres agreement there in principle, Carter told reporters travelling with him in Turkey, voicing his own conditional support for some type of Turkish role in Iraq.

But now were down to the practicalities of that ... and thats what were working through.

Turkey has been locked in a row with Iraqs central government over the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, where it has trained thousands of forces.

Erdogan has warned of sectarian bloodshed if the Iraqi army relies on Shiite militia fighters to retake the largely Sunni city of Mosul.

Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik, who met Carter, also said there was agreement in principle on Turkish involvement in determining the future of Mosul and that he had agreed with his U.S. counterpart on the need for the three countries to work together to reduce tensions between Ankara and Baghdad.

We will work jointly on Turkeys participation in the Mosul campaign and on Turkey being at the table in the process after that, Fikri said in an interview on state broadcaster TRT.

LEGITIMATE CONCERNS

Carter also met Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who said earlier this week that Turkish jets would be deployed at some point in the offensive to retake Mosul, the last big stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq.

The push to capture it is expected to become the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Mosul is around five times the size of any other city Islamic State has held.

The senior U.S. defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States recognised that Turkey had legitimate security concerns over the outcome of the Mosul campaign and expressed hope that Turkish and Iraq officials could meet next week.

The United States was also raising the issue of a Turkish role in Mosul in its regular talks with Iraqi leadership.

We will talk about, in an aspirational way, some of the things that the Turks could do, the U.S. official told reporters travelling with Carter, noting the possibility of non-military support, including medical and humanitarian assistance.

Even once questions about Mosul are resolved, the United States and Turkey still have major hurdles to overcome in their joint approach to battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Turkey has been angered by Washingtons support for Kurdish militia fighters battling Islamic State in Syria.

The United States sees the Syrian Kurdish YPG as a useful ally in the fight against the jihadists. But Turkey views them as a hostile force, an extension of Kurdish militants who have waged a three-decade insurgency on its own soil.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, son of a bus driver from Pakistan, is the most influential Asian in the UK, according to a list featuring Britains 101 prominent Asians, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the Hinduja brothers, Laxmi Mittal and musician Zayn Malik.

According to GG2 Power List brought out by the leading bi-lingual weekly Garavi Gujarat, 46-year-old Khan smashed one of the biggest glass ceilings in the country by becoming the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital.

Launched by Indian Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik at the GG2 Leadership Awards at Park Plaza hotel yesterday, the list ranks Sajid Javid - business, innovation and skills minister in the former prime minister David Camerons government, at second place followed by new international development minister and Indian-origin Priti Patel.

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is the fourth most powerful Asian in the country while Hinduja family led by S P Hinduja is ranked sixth on the list.

The UK has the best relations with the Commonwealth countries. So I am sure that the UK will negotiate and try to work more with Commonwealth countries where they have an edge on the EU. With India, the UK has a long historical and trade relations, Gopi Hinduja, said Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group.

The list compiled by the Asian Media and Marketing Group (AMG) also includes NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal at seventh position while Pakistani-origin activist and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai features tenth on the list.

Sir Rabinder Singh, one of Britains most celebrated high court judges, presiding in the south eastern circuit since 2013 is rated 12th on the list.

Lord Navnit Dholakia, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords is rated 41st followed by NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul at 42nd spot.

Malik, who signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records last year after his departure from the popular boy band One Direction, is ranked 17th on the list.

The one Prime Minister who has truly recognised the value of Non-Resident Indians after Mrs Gandhi is Narendra Modi. I think he has been a great prime minister. He is the first one who has been able to deliver respectability to NRIs, Paul said.

This is what the NRIs deserve. Mrs Gandhi tried (to do the same) but unfortunately at that time she didnt have the kind of majority (Modi has) and her own ministers in government also let her down, he was quoted as saying in the publication.

Paul said that Modis policy of engaging with the Indian diaspora has been beneficial both to NRIs and the Indian government.

I am very optimist of India. I think Modi and his cabinet members whom Ive met are all very committed. I think his greatest achievement is you dont hear of corruption at the top, he said.
The US Postal Service (USPS) has rejected reports will discontinue the forever Diwali stamp if there arent enough sales.

The Postal Service is excited about celebrating the festival of Diwali on a Forever stamp and has no plans to remove them from sale, Mark Saunders of the corporate communications division of USPS headquarters, told Indian American Times.

Some Indian American organizations, in mass emails addressed to the community, had claimed the stamp, issued earlier this month, would be discontinued.

Saunders reiterated the record-breaking popularity of the stamp, saying, Due to the popularity of the stamp some Post Offices may have temporarily sold out. The easiest way to purchase the stamps is online at usps.com and then click the buy stamps icon and scroll down to the Diwali stamp.

Indian American organizations and individuals, including Maryland-based social activist Mayur Mody, had urged members of the community to order the stamp and use it to send Diwali and New Year cards. They had claimed that the stamp would be discontinued if it does not sell enough.

On October 5, the USPS commemorated Diwali by issuing the stamp and holding a first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony at the Indian consulate in New York. This was the first stamp to also commemorate Hinduism.

The stamp bears a picture of a diya or Diwali lamp. The diya was photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce, the stamp was designed by Greg Breeding, and William J Gicker of the postal service was the projects art director.

Ranju Batra, an Indian American, spearheaded the Diwali Stamp Project for years.

USPS vice president of mail entry and payment technology Pritha Mehra had said, We hope these stamps will light up millions of cards and letters as they make their journey through the mailstream.

Indian Americans first began working for a Diwali stamp 16 years ago, according to MR Rangaswami, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who has been involved in the project.
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter on Thursday again threatened an overwhelming response if North Korea uses a nuclear weapon, reflecting heightened tensions after Pyongyang conducted another missile test.

Earlier in the day, North Korea had conducted a failed test -- its second in a week -- of a powerful medium-range missile that experts warn could be deployed as early as next year.

South Korean and US military monitors said the missile -- believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan -- exploded shortly after take-off at around 6:30 am Pyongyang time (2200 GMT Wednesday).

The attempted launch came just hours before the start of the third US presidential debate -- a timely reminder of the challenge North Koreas fast-moving nuclear weapons program will pose to the next occupant of the White House.

We strongly condemn last nights attempt, which even in failing, violated several UN Security Council resolutions, Carter said at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart, Han Min-Koo.

Carter went on to repeat a pledge he made alongside Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday, ahead of the most recent missile test.

Make no mistake: Any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response.

The launches highlight the shortcomings of the Musudan, Han suggested, noting there was a high possibility North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was at the site of the most recent launch.

For political purposes, theyre conducting these Musudan launches and through these failed tests, theyve shown their limits, Han said according to translated remarks.

It was the second failed launch in less than a week of the Musudan, which has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometers (1,500 and 2,500 miles).

The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam.
Sitting on a broken chair at a school where hundreds of families who fled Islamic State are seeking refuge south of Mosul, Younis Ali describes how he lost his four brothers and five sisters.

I have learned that they tried to take one brother as a human shield, he said, speaking of Islamic State, who ruled his village until last week.

When he resisted they shot him dead. But another brother was also killed when he tried to prevent his death, said Ali, 20, who was told of this tragedy by his mother.

And then another brother tried to hug the one who was shot and the same thing happened and they were all shot dead.

The jihadists didnt stop there. They also kidnapped his five sisters.

This happened near Mosul, the last city stronghold of Islamic State that Iraqi forces want to take back with air and ground support from a US-led coalition.

Ali says he is a member of a tribal force that is supporting the government offensive on Mosul. His account confirms that Islamic State is resorting to the tactic dreaded most by the population, the attacking forces and humanitarian organizations: human shields.

Read | Islamic State leaders abandon Mosul as Iraq forces close in

Iraqi special forces soldiers search a building located inside a church compound in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq October 21, 2016. (REUTERS)

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad al Hussein, on Friday said Islamic State militants had taken 550 families from villages around Mosul and were holding them near Islamic State locations in the city, probably as human shields.

Ali isnt spending much time these days thinking about whether the Mosul offensive would rid the country of Islamic State and eventually create unity among Iraqis split along sectarian lines, mainly Sunni and Shiites.

All I want to do is find people from Daesh and behead them, he said, using the Arabic acronym of Islamic State.

As he spoke, several veiled women told similar stories. Thaiban Sulaiman Ali recalled how her two brothers and two uncles and a total of ten people in her immediate family were taken hostage by Islamic State.

Sixteen members of my extended family have been taken as human shields or hostages by Daesh, she said.

And they also blew up some of our homes.

Read | Iraqi forces retake town east of Mosul from IS: Commander

Hundreds of people who have gathered at the school in Qayyara, a town under government control 60 km (40 miles) from Mosul, were being vetted by Iraqi security officials in case some were Islamic State fighters posing as non-combatants.

An Iraqi special forces soldiers waves an Iraqi flag from top of a church damaged by Islamic States fighters in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq, October 21. 2016. (REUTERS)

Suspects

Four such suspects were crouching down facing a wall with hands tied in plastic handcuffs behind their backs.

Others stood in the dirt and gravel trying to make sense of the chaos that has engulfed their lives.

Those who are cleared are taken to a camp for displaced persons about 20 minutes away by car.

Nearby is a sprawling abandoned building that local officials say was used as bomb factory by the militants who were in control of the region until August.

Look around you at how many buildings they have blown up, said local official Sameer Mohammed.

Read | Retaking Mosul: Iraqs most complex anti-Islamic State operation

Iraqi officials say the battle for Mosul could make or break Iraq depending on how the countrys leaders manage sectarian tensions.

There are concerns the defeat of Islamic State, an ultra-hardline Sunni group, would cause new sectarian and ethnic violence, fuelled by a desire to avenge atrocities inflicted on minority groups.

An Iraqi army soldier stands guard over suspected Islamic State militants at a processing centre for displaced people in Qayyara, south of Mosul, Iraq October 21, 2016. (REUTERS)

Nineveh is a mosaic of ethnic and religious groups - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shiites - with Sunni Arabs the overwhelming majority.

Amra Ali is an example of how Islamic State engaged in hostage taking and kidnapping even before the Mosul battle began on Monday.

The 30-year-old housewife was detained by Islamic State four months ago because her husband is a member of a Shiite militia that has led the fight against the group.

They told me when I was jailed in a house that was converted to a prison that they would hold me until my husband gives himself up, said Ali who spent 40 days behind bars.

When he didnt surrender they took me to one of their Islamic courts and they declared us divorced.

Kawthar Abdellatif, another housewife in her thirties, said even though Islamic State had left her village, al-Hudd, she does not want to return and will stay at the displaced persons camp.

They can come back at any time and there are many bombs there, she said. I hope our lives will be better after Mosul is captured.
WikiLeaks has revealed US President Barack Obamas private e-mail address by publishing hacked e-mails, in another potentially embarrassing document dump targeting the Democrats, a media report said.

WikiLeaks reveals first batch of US President Barack Obama e-mails sent via secret address, WikiLeaks, the Julian Assange-founded open secrets site, tweeted on Thursday -- implying that even more of Obamas private communications would be released.

WikiLeaks reveals first batch of US president Barack Obama emails sent via secret address bobama@ameritech.com https://t.co/Ni95WAl8a6  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 20, 2016

According to the New York Post, the site published seven messages involving an e-mail address purported to be that of the commander-in-chief: bobama@ameritech.net.

One exchange was dated the evening of November 4, 2008 -- Election Day. John Podesta, co-chair of Obamas transition team, urges Obama not to accept an invitation to a G-20 meeting in November 15 on the global financial crisis should outgoing President George W. Bush invite him that night after Obama is officially elected.

Podesta attached a memo the transition team prepared weighing the pros and cons of going to the summit.

On the chance that President Bush would raise this with you tonight, I wanted you to be aware that it is the unanimous recommendation for your advisors that you NOT attend, Podesta said.

When the G-20 convened in Washington, Obama was absent.

An e-mail message sent on Thursday to Obamas alleged address didnt bounce back immediately -- signalling it could still be a working account.

The White House declined to comment. The US intelligence authorities believe Russia orchestrated the widespread cyber attacks into Democratic Party-related e-mails.

The Obama messages were among some 23,000 e-mails stolen from Podesta, who now serves as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, the New York Post reported.

The alleged Obama e-mails were from 2008 when the young Illinois senator was about to win his historic White House bid and was assembling a transition team. The e-mails largely address staffing a transition economic team and adding diversity to a future Obama administration.
source: MPR

Adding yet another memorable moment to his impressive 2016 journey, billboard charting recording artist K'Coneil will perform Friday October 21st on WTNH , CT Style Morning show.The popular show hosted by Ryan Kristafer and Teresa Dufour airs weekdays 9am on Channel 8 (CT) and streamed live at WTNH.com . "I am thankful to Ryan and Teresa for the chance to introduce myself to CT Style audience, and excited to perform for their viewers."K'Coneil recently released his debut " Love/Lust " EP with a peak position of 25 on Billboard and top 10 on the iTunes reggae charts. The EP seeks to establish his brand of masterfully blending the genres to create a masterpiece of sonic perfection. Rooted in the foundations of Reggae from his birth country Jamaica, K'Coneil expertly taps into the grit and grime of his homeland of New York City to tell stories of "Love and Lust." With romantic punctuation's of bedroom trysts, K'coneil seeps in a raw accented Caribbean dialect anchored in simple RnB melodies to visually provide glimpses of his current state of mind. With contributing production from Billboard charting, Seanizzle and New York Radio DJ Cali B, "Love/Lust's" songs, subject matters, and inspirations, is truly a masterpiece of genre fluidity."He's potentially Jamaica's next international breakout artist" - Winford Williams Music journalist/TV host"This guy has it together, not only does he look good, I love his writing skills but most of all I love his performing skills, and i love how he sings. His voice has a sweet tone and a lot of clarity and he has a signature sound. Im very impressed" - ZJ Sparks Producer/Radio personality"KConeil makes music that reflects this blend of cultures organically without feeling forced or contrived. He has carved out his own lane within the music space, with a genre fluid style thats sure to catch the ear of the wide world" - Rob Kenner Music Journalist/Complex, Boomshots,Mass Appeal" Feel So Right is a smooth record to vibe out to. I love the way he did his own take on the classic Groove Theory record "Tell me" on one part of the song. Overall this is a great record." - Mister Vince Full Throttle Radio syndicated / 30 US markets"You can't go wrong with this record, it got that flow, it has the IT" - DJ Norie Radio Personality NY POWER 105 FM"This record is gone, it's gone, listen to me it's bad, K'Coneil everyone watch out for him"- Bobby Konders NY HOT 97 FM"As a blend of Sean Paul and Usher, I see KConeil as the promissory voice of the future. His dancehall flavor mixed with the pop yet edgy appeal is one that makes you want to dig a little deep and hear more" - Billboard recording producer Seanizzle"Arriving as the boundaries between dancehall and pop are blurring more than ever before, K'Coneil brings a fresh new voice to the scene that's right on time with the current moment." - LargeUp.com
The Birth of a Nation, Fox Searchlight Photos, 120 minutes, 2016

Slavery seems to be making a comeback, in Hollywood at least. On the big screen and on television, a real American horror story is now being portrayed from the viewpoint of those it affected most, African Americans. But the avalanche of prerelease publicity that accompanied The Birth of a Nationthe most recent entrant in this categorymakes it hard to separate the film from the environment into which it was released. Perhaps that is as it should be. The issues being cinematically explored, such as personal freedom, racial stereotypes, equality before the law and sovereignty over ones body, are still being challenged today.

It is also difficult to evaluate the cinematic merits, or lack thereof, of Nate Parkers film without getting caught up in the personal firestorm engulfing the director. Nevertheless, Parker, a first-time director and novice actor, has brought forth an importantthough not flawlessmotion picture, releasing it into a world of combustible politics and divisive cultural paradigms much like those depicted in the movie.

The events portrayed took place more than 180 years ago in Southampton County, Va. The facts surrounding Nat Turner and the 48-hour revolt he led are few, and all of the surviving documents and newspaper accounts were written by unnerved whites. A contemporary account also was written about the event, The Confessions of Nat Turner, penned by Thomas Ruffin Gray, who interviewed Turner while he was in jail awaiting his inevitable death. What we know for sure is that in a rampage of personal revenge and messianic racial liberation that began on August 21, 1831, Turner and a small band of free and enslaved blacks cut a bloody swath through area plantations, collecting arms and horses and killing some 60 men, women and children as they went.

Retribution by whites was swift and even more brutal. More than 200 blacks were killed by frenzied mobs and militia units before Turner, who eluded his pursuers until October, was captured and brought to trial. Most of the murdered blacks had nothing to do with the uprising.

Although not depicted in the film, history records that 45 slaves, including Turner, were tried for insurrection and other crimes. Of the 30 convicted, 18including Turnerwere hanged and 12 were sold out of state. Fifteen of the accused blacks were acquitted.

This dearth of data give co-screenwriters Parker and Jean McGianni Celestin wide latitude in how to depict Turners early life and events leading up to the revolt. These stories take up most of the film. Parker chooses a conventional biopic approach focusing almost exclusively on Turner. The film begins with scenes of an African baby supposedly marked for greatness. In America, he becomes a favored house slave taught to read by his mistress. To make extra money for his master, Turner becomes an itinerant preacher advocating slave submission. In his final iteration, Turner becomes a visionary revolutionary and insurrection leader.

In his journey from naivete to wisdom, Turner experiences a series of epiphanies that infuse him with attributes of Jesus, Moses, John Brown and Malcolm X. Parker uses religious symbolism throughout the film as a motivator for Turner and as a prop to propel the plot. As an actor, Parkers expressive eyes reveal each step of Turners transformation.

For any viewer still ascribing to the moonlight and magnolias school of the antebellum South, Parker dispels these fairy tales in two visually graphic episodes. One takes place during one of Turners ministerial trips with his unusually kind owner who was a former childhood playmate, played rather stiffly by Armie Hammer. Turner and his master arrive at a hardscrabble plantation where the slaves are malnourished and brutally treated. Reluctantly Turner fulfills his mission, but he now knows that his sheltered existence is a myth.

Later, his wife is savagely raped and beaten by a slave catcher, played with a sinister sincerity by Jackie Earle Haley, and his posse. The wife of his best friend is ordered by Turners now-malevolent master to sleep with an overnight guest in the hopes of cementing a business arrangement. Powerless to protect his family or stop the degradation of a friend by asserting his manhood, Turner, like John Brown, comes to realize that only blood will purge the sin of slavery from the land, a land in which he is trapped by the color of his skin.

Now fully radicalized, Turner gathers a small band of followers to spearhead what he promises will be revolutionary slave uprising. Like Moses, Turner has been marked from birth to lead his people to freedom and he must fulfill his destiny. But, like Jesus, he is betrayed by someone he trusted. This allows the forces of the old order to be ready and waiting when Turners loyalists arrive in the town of Jerusalem (now called Courtland) to seize the armory there. In a bit of unintentional foreshadowing, John Browns insurrection also ended in an armory in Harpers Ferry, Va., 28 years later.

Believing it is better to die on ones feet than to live on ones knees, Turner leads his followers on a courageous, but obviously suicidal, charge into the maw of what Malcolm X would call white devils who have defined every aspect of his existence. Parker uses the carnage in the armory yard to represent all of the slaves who died in service of the brutal, dehumanizing, system that Turner tried to end.

Unfortunately, the important role women played in servile society is largely ignored by Parker. As Turners wife, Cherry, Aja Naomi King tries to give her role some gravitas, but Parker uses her mainly to propel Turners evolution. Penelope Ann Miller is Elizabeth Turner, the dowager mistress of the plantation. She sensed that Nat is special and taught him to read. But when he needed her most, she could only look bewildered and remained mute when her son ordered his overseer to give Turner a lengthy lashing for perceived insubordination. Rather than crassly exploit the gruesome dismemberment and beheading of Turner after he was hung, Parker confines this information to words written in white on an otherwise blank black screen.

Parkers major achievement in The Birth of a Nation may be that he got it made at all and then had it purchased by a major studio for distribution. Perhaps in the current social and political environment, the film will generate a conversation about the many hurtful truths that litter our historical past.

And in a twist of irony that only history can provide, Nat Turners skull has recently been returned to his living descendants by Richard Gordon Hatcher, former mayor of Gary, Ind. He acquired the skull about 10 years ago after it had passed through several private hands over the years. The skull is now with the Smithsonian Institution for DNA testing. If the results are positive, it will be buried next to his descendants in Virginia and the unquiet soul of Nat Turner may finally be at rest.

This review was originally published in the March/April 2017 issue of Americas Civil War magazine. Subscribe here.
Joaquin Guzman Loera at the Altiplano prison. AFP

More information Un juez niega cinco amparos que buscaban frenar la extradicion de El Chapo

The defense may choose to challenge the ruling  before the very same court. El Chapos attorneys may also file an appeal with a circuit court to review the decision, a process that could take several months. The case may even reach Mexicos Supreme Court, says Jose Refugio Rodriguez, el Chapos chief lawyer.

In May, the Mexican government agreed to extradite the Sinaloan drug boss to the United States so that he could appear before two federal district courts. The State of California has charged him with criminal conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, while Texas is accusing him of conspiracy, public health and organized crime offenses, arms possession, money laundering and murder.

Drug traffickers who have gone to trial in the past were dealt severe penalties

It is worth noting that the US government gave enough guarantees that it would not ask for the death penalty for Guzman Loera, if he is extradited and tried in that country, Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

El Chapos attorneys took the news badly. Refugio Rodriguez said his client will plead guilty and ask to make a deal with the prosecution in exchange for a lesser sentence if he is extradited. Guzman Loera, the lawyer said, will not seek to stand trial because drug traffickers who have chosen that path in the past were dealt severe penalties.

It is a fact that if they extradite him he will plead guilty to the charges against him there because, if not, he would have to face a trial where his culpability would be questioned and experience tells us that all those who have been in his situation who have gone to trial fared very badly, Refugio Rodriguez said.

Though both appeals filed to halt extradition have been denied this week, El Chapos attorney said that it does not mean the battle is over  or that his client will be immediately transferred to the United States. The extradition process could take up to three years, he added. We will keep fighting because Joaquin has not been defeated on national territory, he said.

We will keep fighting because Joaquin has not been defeated on national territory El Chapos lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez

The future looks bleak for El Chapo. A war has broken out between his cartel and the Beltran Leyva brothers. The battle has even reached Guzman Loeras home turf of Badiraguato, where his mother Consuelo lives. And, one or two of his children  Mexican authorities never released all of the details  were kidnapped from a restaurant by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Though the young men were freed days later, the act itself represented a bold strike against the Sinaloa Cartel.

El Chapos organization is also in the militarys sights. Members of the criminal group ambushed the army in Sinaloa in late September. As the band tried to rescue a hitman who was being held in custody, four soldiers were killed and eight others injured, according to local media. A military commander accused El Chapos sons of ordering the attack but they have denied it.

English version by Dyane Jean Francois.
Surface Pro 5 vs iPad Pro 2. Microsoft and Apple goes head-to-head again, this time in the battle for the best tablet to be considered as laptop and PC substitute.

Undeniably, Microsoft has already proven that its Surface Pro has everything a 2-in-1 PC Tablet should have. With more improved features, the new Surface Pro 5 can easily win any Hybrid device battle. Now, Apple is currently claiming that its iPad Pro is also a perfect PC and laptop substitute.

There may be violent reactions from Microsoft but given the power and upgraded Apple Pencil support of the new iPad Pro 2, the Surface Pro 5 vs iPad Pro 2 battle may be closer than initially thought of.

Intel Kaby Lake vs A10X

In Surface Pro 5 vs iPad Pro 2, it all boils down to power. Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is just waiting for the Intel Kaby Lake processor. Intel's newest seventh generation chipset is the fastest one made by Intel, yet.

Apple iPad Pro 2 is said to be powered by the very powerful A10X chipset. This processor makes the iPad Pro 80% more powerful than any laptop/PC.

Surface Pen vs Apple Pencil

The Surface Pen in the Surface Pro 5 will be upgraded with a rechargeable battery. Users can even remotely charge the battery while connected to the tablet.

On the other hand, the Apple Pencil in the new iPad Pro 2 can be used in drawing, writing and even messaging, email and browsing. In short, it will no longer be limited to a few applications and uses.

RedStone OS vs iOS 10

The Surface Pro 5 is speculated to run in RedStone OS, which is Microsoft's newest Operating System. Microsoft is said to eliminate the Windows brand in favor of the RedStone OS. The iPad Pro 2 will most likely run on the latest iOS 10.

Other Features

The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 specs include a 2K and 4K display screens and 16 GB of RAM. Surface Pro 5 will also have 16 MP rear camera and 8 MP front camera with USB Type-C Port.

The Apple iPad Pro 2 specs include 12 MP True Tone Flash rear camera, 5 MP front camera and 4K video recording.

Price and Release Date

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 and Apple iPad Pro 2 are expected to cost around $1000 upon release in March 2017.

In Surface Pro 5 vs iPad Pro 2, Microsoft's 2-in-1 PC Tablet seem to be winning by a hairline.
As guaranteed by the organization, Motorola is on track to release the Android Nougat update to Moto G4 series this month. Like earlier years, the organization has started the soak test in select locales.

Android Nougat is the latest version of Android. It came out with Google's very own Pixel. However, the Pixel will feature a few exclusive highlights like the Google Assistant - a well learned AI that would be an enhanced version of Google Now, a revamped camera app, and more. Read this post to know more about what is exclusive to Google Pixel.

Starting now, the enlisted Moto G4 Plus proprietors in Brazil have begun accepting Android Nougat update, which is around 940MB in size.

The size of the update comes not as a surprise as Nougat comes with a lot of features which were not seen in the earlier versions of Android.

The soak test is directed to guarantee that there is no bug in the product. Once the company is persuaded that there is no glitch, it will be releasing the update altogether.

If past release example is taken as a sign, Motorola is required to initiate the take-off process for Moto G4 Plus between the most recent week of October and mid-November. After Moto G4 series, Moto Z series is in line to get the Android Nougat update.

The new Nougat programming brings night mode, packaged notification, upgraded security update, enhanced battery streamlining, multi-window choices and various other esteem added elements to improve the user experience.

Other Motorola smartphones that are affirmed to get Android Nougat include Moto G (fourth Gen), Moto G Play (fourth Gen), Moto X Pure Edition (third Gen), Moto X Style, Moto X Play, Moto X Force, Droid Turbo 2, Droid Maxx 2, Moto Z, Moto Z Droid, Moto Z Force Droid, Moto Z Play and Moto Z Play Droid.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hit by an ATM security breach, a few open and private division banks have reviewed or hindered more than 32 debit cards to protect their clients from any monetary extortion.

Bankers said the reviewed cards are those that have been doubted of breaching the security measures. More clients have been asked to mandatorily change their PIN and other security numbers to resume utilizing the blocked cards.

While there were few reports about specific cards influenced by security breach, bankers blamed the fault on an installment service supplier that oversees ATM system of a private segment bank.

State-run SBI is said to have recalled around 6 lakh cards, while others like Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Central Bank and Andhra Bank have likewise supplanted debit cards of few clients as a security measure.

Among the private part players include ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and Yes Bank have requested that clients change their ATM PINs. HDFC Bank additionally exhorted its clients to utilize its own particular ATMs for doing any exchange.

The security breach happened through a malware in the frameworks of Hitachi Payments Services, which serves ATM system of Yes Bank.

Hitachi Payment Services, however, said its system's security was not traded off. As per bankers, the breach occurred in a manner that anybody using the said bank's ATMs as a part of the locale may stand to get influenced.

Worried over the issue, the Finance Ministry has looked for points of interest from banks as likewise the extra strides that should be taken to turn away such occurrences.

As per the Ministry sources, the Department of Financial Services has looked for data about ramifications of such information trade off from Indian Banks Association.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he would only accept the result of the U.S. elections if he wins the presidency.

The announcement came after Trump expressed his doubts on the legitimacy of the U.S. election process ahead of the final presidential debate on Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lagging behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in various polls, Trump claimed that he was being forced to waive his right to contest election results.

I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win, said Trump at a rally in Delaware, Ohio.

During the final debate, the Republican bet refused to give definite answer when asked if he would concede the elections if he lose on Nov. 8.

Amid being the underdog, Trump claimed that he could lose the presidential race through election rigging following his claims of conspiracies to undermine his candidacy.

Trump has continued to slide down on various polls after a video of him and Billy Bush surfaced having lewd conversation about women.

Using his Twitter account, Trump posted supposed post-debate polls showing he was way ahead against Hillary Clinton. Among those are as follows:

Thank you America! #MAGA



Rasmussen National Poll

Donald Trump 43%

Hillary Clinton 40% pic.twitter.com/n4eZ3qpcjg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016

Just landed in Ohio. Thank you America- I am honored to win the final debate for our MOVEMENT. It is time to #DrainTheSwamp & #MAGA! pic.twitter.com/NjCm5W9o0x  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
How can you escape from Hydrogen bomb attacks, or global nuclear conflicts between the US and Russia - If, and hopefully Not When - it strikes?

First of all, will there be a war? The Arms Control Association says: "The United States and Russia still deploy more than 1,500 strategic warheads on several hundred bombers and missiles - far more than necessary to deter nuclear attack - and they are modernizing their nuclear delivery systems."

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus warned that the conflict in Syria might unleash a nuclear war between the Big Two: "If this proxy war continued, after this, let me be clear, America and Russia will come to a point of war," Anadolu warns.

Preparations to avert disaster are already under way. Some are creating apocalypse-proof underground bunkers, which is accessible only to the super-rich. The demand for bomb-proof bunkers in the market has shot up by 700% compared to 2014.

"Owners hope that bunkers - kitted out with Li-Ion power cells and food which lasts 25 years - will enable them to be the new Adam and Eve, once the fallout dust settles," says metro.

If you are not among the super-rich, you can head towards safer countries. Participants in Quora say that the best country to duck for cover is New Zealand.

It is far away and geographically isolated. Top Quora writer Peter Baskerville says: "It is probably the nearest habitable place that is as far removed from the 'action' as possible and is a land currently blessed with fertile soils, pure water and a decent group of people to survive with."

The second to follow the list is Perth in Australia, which is one of the remotest cities on Earth. It is also "non-nuclear" among all the nations in the world.

The third on the list is French Polynesia, advises Ted Thed: "The chain of islands (400+) sits in a vortex of both wind and ocean currents that originate from the Antarctic area. While the entire southern hemisphere is largely target-free, Antarctica is the only continent you can guarantee won't be targeted in some future conflict."

The list includes Brazil due to its bountiful natural resources and Argentina and Chile due to their location in the southern hemisphere and the clean environment.

In case of that terrifying World War III, the worst places you could choose to live in would be western countries and the northern hemisphere. With hydrogen bombs demolishing civilian buildings within a 10-mile radius, experts from Physics and Nuclear Arms Today calculate that a 20-megaton weapon might explode 3.3 miles above the ground.

The best bet would be to prepare for not keeping yourself safe during a nuclear war, but avoiding a war from breaking out, in the first place.

Ads: Make $3,532 per month taking surveys online (click)

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Market in Valencia specializes in craft beer.

Until just a few years ago, craft beer in Spain was in demand by just a handful of select epicureans.

Most of us were happy if the cana was cold, well poured and our favorite brand  although even this latter requirement was not an absolute necessity.

But like a silent tide coming in from other latitudes, craft-beer fever has spread across Spain, where bars, supermarkets and delis now stock entire shelves with bottles bearing attention-grabbing labels and offering a variety of flavors and styles that we could scarcely have imagined were possible.

Created with the same kind of passionate devotion that the best chefs display, the craft beer movement has conquered the Mediterranean city of Valencia as well. The following four establishments prove the assertion.

Beers & Travels

Carrer dels Serrans, 19

A beer tasting at Beers & Travels.

The tour must begin with Beers & Travels, the pioneers in the city. This place began as a travel agency specializing in beer-themed tours, and is now the epicenter of craft beer in Valencia. The best local brands are available for consumption on site or to take home. Asked to recommend one, the owner, Ana, goes back to the origins: the Belgian beer Tripel Karmeliet.

The Market

Carrer de les danses, 5

The counter at The Market, in Valencia.

Going to Germany on an Erasmus exchange program has its risks  like dropping your university studies to devote yourself fully to the world of craft beer. This is what happened to Gonzalo, a Spaniard who made one visit too many to a nearby brewery during his time in Mainz. In 2014, back in Valencia, he opened The Market, an Irish-looking venue were the locally-made Tyris beer prevails, although there are other brands available as well. Concerts and product presentations keep its faithful clients coming back again and again. Gonzalos personal choice of beer: Amor amargo, an Indian Pale Ale by Tyris.

Ruzanuvol

C/ Luis Santangel, 3

Tables inside Ruzanuvol, in Valencia.

Personal reinvention can also catch you in India, where it is also possible to fall in love with craft beer. It happened to Giovanni, who lived there for 10 years before returning to his native Italy and discovering that his friends had taken up homemade brewing. A born nomad, he brought the products to Valencia, where he has been serving the demands of a large and growing client base of good beer lovers since 2010. The beer on offer at Ruzanuvol changes, although Giovannis beloved Birrificio Lambrate and Birricio Italiano are always on the list. The menu features Italian food with imported ingredients. Giovannis recommendation is a beer he tasted in India: Gaina, an Indian Pale Ale.

Olhops

C/ Sueca, 21

A lively atmosphere at Olhops, in the Ruzafa area.

Olhops is the result of the dreams of three young people who fell in love with Belgian beer during an Erasmus exchange program. At first it was an online store with a groundbreaking design, but by late 2014 it had morphed into a bricks-and-mortar establishment with 10 taps and barrels that change every week. Olhops looks like a Scandinavian cabin with a sidewalk terrace and a cozy atmosphere. There is something going on here almost every day, from beer tastings to concerts, talks by beermakers and the informal series Birra y ciencia, where an expert shares pints and scientific trivia with anyone who wants to sign up. Pablo, one of the partners, recommends KBS by Founders. Bottoms up!

English version by Susana Urra.
* Editor's note: This story has been revised since its original publication.

The sun rose slowly above the city of Beirut sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea and the rugged Lebanese mountain ranges. A light breeze drifted over the city, cooling it to a pleasant 65 degrees.

Marines from the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Battalion Landing Team were relaxing -- sleeping in their racks, or writing letters home.

No one could have prepared for the terror that was about to strike.

At 6:22 a.m. a truck loaded with 12,000 pounds of explosives barraged the front of the Marine Headquarters barracks, turning the four-story building to rubble.

The FBI called it the largest non-nuclear bomb in history.

Six thousand miles away, then-1st Lt. David Budak woke up to prepare for formation.

As part of a battalion on air-alert status, Budak and his Marines of Camp LeJeune, N.C. were always prepared to deploy.

That morning, Budak was getting ready when he received a phone call from his father urging him to flip on the news. Thats when Budak saw the obliterated building -- levels already collapsed, and smoke bellowing from the 39-by 29-foot wide crater.

He returned from Beirut a few months before, where he served as a platoon commander in support of peacekeeping operations.

I grabbed my stuff, and I knew I wasnt coming home at that point, said Budak. Thirty-six hours after the blast, we landed at Beirut International.

Budak and his Marines immediately joined the recovery efforts. This was a job well-understood, as they had responded to the U.S. Embassy bombing only six months prior.

On the 18th of April in 1983 was when the U.S. embassy was bombed, said Budak, now the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy base civil engineer. When the embassy blew, I was dispatched from the battalion landing team to be part of the initial response force. When we arrived, there was quite a bit of chaos. The bomber had come to the front of the building and blew it up, causing levels to collapse and over 50 people to be killed.

However, on that deployment, the posture was different.

The people of Beirut longed for stability and embraced the Marines with open arms while condemning the terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy.

When we went ashore, initially, our role was to help bring stability back to the region, said Budak. That area had been in civil war for seven years prior. I can tell you, the people were thrilled to attempt to get back to some sort of normality.

During those first few months, Budak commanded daily patrols throughout the city and along the perimeter of the airfield.

Six months later, when he returned in response to the barracks bombing, the posture had done a complete 180-degree turn.

There was a significant change in the environment from when we left Beirut, said Budak. There was a lot of hope, and many people were pleased that we were there. But, that imposed on some of the guys there  some we are still fighting.

For one week after the attack, Budak and his Marines were involved in recovery efforts, and provided security around the perimeter of the headquarters building.

Two hundred forty-one members were killed that day in the most deadly bombing on U.S. forces in over 30 years. However, for Budak, recovering bodies was not the most difficult part of that mission.

You pick up a boot with a foot in it, and thats one thing, said the 30-year Marine veteran. There were obvious bodies and portions of bodies that had to be recovered. That wasnt the hardest part. Blown out of the building and laying on the ground were pictures from home. You knew, when you were picking up those things, how personal it was to those people you were looking at in the pictures. It still brings a lot of emotion, to this day. But, Marines just have to man-up, do their mission and take care of business.
T his extraordinary 17th-century royal house is considered one of the most important architectural buildings in Britain.

But Glen Smith, senior conservator at the Queens House, says: If youd visited the kings presence chamber 18 months ago, youd have found a totally lifeless interior of pale blue walls and the gilding done in gold paint.

Now that room blazes a deep, sultry smalt blue, smothered in pure-gold carving on the ceiling, round the cornices, and on four full-height pilasters.

The house came about by accident. In 1614, while Queen Anne was out hunting, she inadvertently killed the favourite dog of her husband, James I.

Painstaking work: award-winning gilders, carvers and painters restored the Queens House at Greenwich over 14 months / National Maritime Museum

Not surprisingly the king swore at her. To apologise for swearing, he told Anne to build herself a place for entertaining, and in 1616, she commissioned Inigo Jones, famous for designing elaborate court masques, to design a villa between Greenwich Palace and the park.

Just back from a grand tour, Jones ditched the red-brick, multiple chimney style of the nearby palace and went for a new, plain, classical Palladian style, Englands first such building. The queen died in 1619 when only the first floor was built. It was thatched over  the 17th-century equivalent of tarpaulin.

Work began again in 1629 under Henrietta Maria and Charles I and was completed in 1638. Rammed full of art, according to its curator, Christine Riding, it was used for glamorous parties and fun. From the start it was known as a house of delight.

The tulip stair: a delicate spiral in stone, the first in Britain to be built without any central support / National Maritime Museum

At the buildings heart is the great hall, a perfect cube, 40ft x 40ft x 40ft, with an elaborate geometric black-and-white marble floor based on concentric rings. A gallery runs round it supported on hefty timbers decorated with trompe-loeil carving. The magnificent oak-beamed ceiling that held nine paintings by Orazio Gentileschi now holds a gold-leaf extravaganza by Turner Prize winner Richard Wright.

The kings and queens presence chambers were blue and red respectively, the queens with a coffered ceiling painted in the grotesque theatrical style that was all the rage.

As a grand finale, Jones added an astonishingly delicate spiral stone stair down which snakes a wrought-iron decorative handrail. It was the first stair in Britain without any central support. The tulip motif was added later in the 17th century during tulip mania when the bulbs were traded for vast sums, giving the name the tulip stair.

The kings presence chamber: restoration involved expert gilding and smalt blue paintwork / National Maritime Museum

Paint specialist Patrick Baty has selected colours to revive the houses splendour. He chose emulsion from Little Greene, which has a very high pigment content. In the great hall and on the staircase walls he used Portland Stone to replace the old, glaring white. Its a pleasing colour that changes with the light.

The blue in the kings chamber is called Smalt. True smalt dates from 200BC, when it was made from ground-up cobalt dust brushed with a feather on to a sticky ground. Now its paint, mixed in a factory. It is also on the handrail of the tulip stair, while the queens chamber walls are in an oxblood colour called Bronze Red.

All 196 separate carved gold parts of the kings chamber roof were taken down, then cleaned and oil-gilded in pure gold by gilders from the company of Carvers & Gilders, which has also worked at Hampton Court. Once done the glistening pieces were carefully fixed up again. The effect is dazzling.

Elaborate: the black-and-white marble geometric floor of the great hall at the heart of the building / Philippa Stockley

In both the kings and queens chambers, which hold some of the 300 paintings on show throughout the house, there are tub chairs by Made.com covered in figured velvets from Designers Guild. This beautiful fabric is in a knot pattern designed in association with Royal Palaces: blue in the kings room, red in the queens.

Many floors have been freshly laid with wide, peg-jointed oak boards by award-winning floor specialist Michael Gunton, who has worked at Windsor Castle. He also designed a black-and-white marble roundel at the bottom of the tulip stair, based on the floor of the great hall.

Everything is finished off with softly glowing globe lamps by Michael Anastassiades which the curator says may remind you of the pearls worn by Queens Elizabeth I and Henrietta Maria  but they may also remind you of a Pelican crossing.

Get the Queen's House look

Paint colours chosen by historical paint consultant Patrick Baty at patrickbaty.co.uk

Smalt, Bronze Red and Portland Stone emulsion from Little Greene at littlegreene.com

Floors laid by David Gunton, who does all sorts of wood floors, at wideboards.com

Carving and gilding by Royal Warrant holder Carvers & Gilders, who also do modern designs, at carversandgilders.com

Gold art installation titled no title by Turner-prize winner Richard Wright

Lighting by michaelanastassiades.com

Fabrics from The Royal Collection by Designers Guild, 120-130 a metre, at designersguild.com

Uphostery done by London Upholsters at londonupholsterers.com

Tub chairs by made.com

The Queens House, Romney Road, Greenwich SE10, is free to visit seven days a week.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
Guest guitarist Lily Afshar will perform at Hope College on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the John and Dede Howard Recital Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.

Public Radio International has acclaimed Afshar as one of the worlds foremost classical guitarists, and The Washington Post has described her onstage performance as remarkable, impeccable.

In 1989, Afshar became the first woman in the world to be awarded a Doctor of Music degree in guitar performance. Born in Tehran, Iran, Afshar began taking guitar lessons at age 10, and her love for music led her to The Boston Conservatory, where she earned a bachelors degree in music. She received her Master of Music degree at The New England Conservatory, and studied with Bruce Holzman at Florida State University to receive her Doctor of Music degree.

In 2000, she received the Eminent Faculty Award at the University of Memphis and the Orville H. Gibson Award for Best Female Classical Guitarist. She is a three-time winner of the Annual Premier Guitarist awards given by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and she was chosen as an Artistic Ambassador to Africa for the United States Information Agency. She was also presented the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Boston Conservatory in 2011.

Afshar is now not only a tenured professor and head of the guitar program at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, but also the only classical guitarist in the world that blends formal training in the United States and Europe with the rich cultural heritage of Persia. She regularly conducts guitar master classes in conjunction with her touring and during summers in Iran. She has arranged for guitar and published Five Popular Persian Ballads with Mel Bay Publications, which also produced a DVD in 2008 titled Virtuoso Guitar.

Performing at venues in the United States, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Denmark, Jordan, Iran, Australia, New Zealand, and countries in South America and Africa has enabled Afshar to learn to bridge gaps of culture and distance through her music and performances. International composers with whom she has collaborated include Carlo Domeniconi, Reza Vali and John Baur.

Comparing her performances to the richness of a Persian tapestry, Afshar gives audiences a fresh approach to the standard classical guitar repertoire with music that is new and different. Embracing her Persian heritage, Afshar has not only performed her arrangements of Persian and Azerbaijani pieces, but also fascinated concert goers with occasional live performance on the seh-tar, a traditional Persian instrument which evolved over many centuries into the guitar.

Individual tickets for the concert are $10 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and $5 for students 18 and under. Tickets are available online at hope.edu/tickets as well as at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.

The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.
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Total Revenue for 3Q16 reached Ps. 308.5 million, 28.6% higher compared to 3Q15, driven by the following increases: 30.6% in Room Revenue, 24.6% in Food and Beverages, 15.6% in Other Hotel Revenue and 49.9% in management fees related to third-party owned hotels.

Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:HOTEL) (HOTEL or the Company), announced today its consolidated results for the third quarter period (3Q16) ended September 30, 2016. Figures are expressed in Mexican Pesos, are unaudited and are in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards IFRS).

3Q16 Highlights

Total Revenue for 3Q16 reached Ps. 308.5 million, 28.6% higher compared to 3Q15, driven by the following increases: 30.6% in Room Revenue, 24.6% in Food and Beverages, 15.6% in Other Hotel Revenue and 49.9% in management fees related to third-party owned hotels.

As a result of the revenue growth and efficiencies from operating leverage achieved in 3Q16, EBITDA 1 reached Ps. 108.3 million, 39.5% higher compared to the figure reported in 3Q15. EBITDA margin rose by 2.8 percentage points compared to 3Q15, to reach 35.1% in 3Q16.

reached Ps. 108.3 million, 39.5% higher compared to the figure reported in 3Q15. EBITDA margin rose by 2.8 percentage points compared to 3Q15, to reach 35.1% in 3Q16. Net Income for 3Q16 reached Ps. 64.4 million, equal to a net income margin of 20.9%, mainly as a result of lower net financing costs, as the Company increased its U.S. dollar position to hedge all of its U.S. dollar-denominated financial liabilities.

Net operating cash flow for 3Q16 was Ps. 99.4 million, an increase of 20.3% compared to the Ps. 82.6 million reported in 3Q15. This increase was mainly due to EBITDA growth and variations in working capital.

Net Debt/EBITDA (LTM) ratio was -1.8xat the end of 3Q16. Operating cash flow in dollars represented 48.9% of total operating cash flow, thereby maintaining a natural hedge of the dollarized financial debt.

HOTELs total portfolio at the conclusion of 3Q16 reached 4,472 rooms in operation, a 14.7% increase compared to the 3,898 rooms at end of 3Q15. The 574-room increase was the result the following: 73% from new contracts for third-party owned hotels managed by the Company, 24% from the inclusion of Company-owned hotels to the portfolio and 2% from the remodeling and/or expansion of third-party owned hotels that were already managed by the Company.

RevPAR2 for the Company-owned hotels rose by 21.4% in 3Q16 compared to 3Q15, driven by an increase of 9.3% in ADR2 and 6.9 percentage points in occupancy.

Chief Executive Officer Mr. Francisco Zinser, stated:

Results continue to follow a very positive trend, as was evident in the quarterly figures. Additionally, the tourism industry continues to experience very solid fundamentals. As such, the tourism boom that is being felt throughout the country will allow the various annual sector indicators to reach very strong growth at the close of 2016, in line with the projections of the National Tourism Board (Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turistico) and Anahuac Universitys Tourism and Gastronomy Faculty (Facultad de Turismo y Gastronomia). According to the latest report drafted by both institutions, entitled Mexican Panorama, for 2016, the arrival of international tourists is expected to increase by 10%, to reach 35.3 million. This will give the country the opportunity to climb up the ranking of the most visited destinations in the world, where Mexico is currently in ninth place.

Once again, this quarter has been extraordinary. In the Company-owned hotels, we reached balanced growth both in terms of occupancy as well as ADR that drove 21.4% RevPAR growth with almost half of the growth coming from the ADR increase. Revenues of Ps. 308.4 million and EBITDA of Ps. 108.3 million rose by 29% and 40%, respectively, versus the previous year. In the nine-month results, we can see EBITDA growth of 38.9% reaching Ps. 319.1 million. It is important to mention that EBITDA for the accumulated nine months was 35.4%, a new record for the Company.

As part of our expansion plan, we continue working on the 2 projects located on Insurgentes in Mexico City; these are in line with the formerly-announced plan. Additionally, the Company is working on the 100-room suite expansion at the Krystal Grand Punta Cancun.

I wish to highlight that we reached 51% growth in Operating Revenue, compared to 3Q15, which was mostly derived from the solid performance of our hotel portfolio, the inclusion of the Krystal Urban Guadalajara as a Company-owned hotel, as well as three third party-owned hotels managed by the Company, which were not in the portfolio during 3Q15.. It is important to mention that this last segment continues to contribute significantly to our results. During 3Q16, the Krystal Monterrey was added to this portfolio; this 207-room hotel is located in the central part of the city of Monterrey. With this inclusion, we have three hotels in this city, which represents 9.7% of the total portfolio.

Lastly, I want to mention that none of these achievements would have been possible without the support of our great management team, our dedicated employees who work alongside us, as well as the confidence placed in us by you, our investors.

About Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe

HOTEL is one of the leading companies in the Mexican hotel industry and is focused on acquiring, developing and operating hotels. The Company has a unique business model characterized by its flexibility and adaptability as HOTELs experience allows it to operate under different brands, local and foreign, in different segments.

The Company maintains a focus on the strengthening and positioning of its Krystal brand, which has considerable recognition in the Mexican market. This strategy allows HOTEL to offer different experiences adapted to the specific demand in each market and to maximize the profitability of its investments.

The Companys operating model is characterized by the multi-functionality and efficiency of its personnel, as well as a strict cost control that allows a rapid adaptation and anticipation to the changing necessities of the industry. HOTEL has the capacity to add new hotels to its existing portfolio through acquisition, development and conversion of properties or through the celebration of operating contracts with third parties. The Company considers that its diversified portfolio and its management capacities focused on profitability, in addition to the property of a brand with high recognition in the market, all together help HOTEL to obtain new operating contracts for hotels owned by third parties.

Our shares are listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV: HOTEL).

1EBITDA is calculated by adding Operating Income, Depreciation and Total Non-recurring expenses.

2Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) and Average Daily Rate (ADR).
Everybody Looking was an almost perfectly-executed comeback album. Everything about it, from its quick turnaround, to Mike Will Made Its elephantine stomp, to the clear changes in Gucci Manes voice and rhymes, to his triumphant posture on the cover, painted it as a triumphant return of mythological proportions. But once Odysseus returned home to Ithaca and slaughtered all of his wifes suitors, once Jason slayed the dragon and acquired the golden fleece, where did they go from there? For GuWop, the only choice was returning to the basics. Hes reclaimed his throne, but now he has to remind people why it was his in the first place.

Gucci didnt earn his legacy on the backs of big-budget albums like Everybody Looking, although The State Vs. Radric Davis remains an important touchstone. He did it with relentless mixtapes, light in concept and high-profile collaborations, but heavy on personality. Woptober sees him returning to his most successful formula with a reinvigorated sense of purpose, and winding up with something just as impressive as Everybody Looking, if for an entirely different set of reasons.

He opens Woptober similarly to how Everybody Looking began with a fuck you but its more in-your-face this time. Unlike the call for pathos of I cant even sleep I got so much to say/Fuck the feds, fuck the police, fuck the DEA, we get I still dont give a fuck how a fuckboy feel, a direct shot at lames rather than the powers that be. This time, Guccis main targets are the snitches and haters, not cops and imitators, and for them hes reserved the type of rage thats unfit for courtrooms and radio airwaves: Fuck your Jam of the Week, I put grams in the street; I dont give a fuck bout a record, I got a criminal record. Everybody Looking was a public-facing triumph something record execs and pop listeners both could be okay with but now that they, as well as the casual-listening public, have moved their focus to the next big narrative, Wops slunk back into the shadows and made a street-level sequel.

Gone is the benevolent ruler who spoke in a faux-British accent, only gently chided his children, and made his biggest fuck you (At Least A M) sound like a lullaby. As Gucci tweeted at the time of its release, Woptober is one aggressive ass muthafuckin album. Instead of the flamboyant voices of Drake, Kanye West, and Young Thug, we get the bullish presences of Rick Ross and Young Dolph, who barrel through their verses without so much as a single change in pitch. Mike Wills more radio-ready pomp is replaced by Metro Boomin and London On Da Tracks iciest beats to date, as well as reunions with two guys instrumental in shaping Guccis original sound, Will-A-Fool and Drumma Boy. Zaytovens still on hand for four tracks, but even his exuberant pianos and organs are downright wintry. In terms of its downcast, austere sound, Woptober is like a trap version of If Youre Reading This Its Too Late, its hi-hats sounding like pebbles skittering across ice, its bass sounding like far-off avalanches.

True to Guccis earlier career though, even the hardest tracks and sentiments are tempered with moments of sheer lyrical glee. He toned down his cartoonish impulses for Everybody Looking, but in keeping with this albums back-to-basics approach, he lets loose a few of those classic Gucci bars for old times sake. Listen to the way his voice bounds around the incredible second verse on Hi-Five, or how it slips back into old flows on the line Right wrist glarin, but my left wrist glowin' (every time I hear this I expect it to be followed by a line from Pillz, Im ridin in my drop, but I dont know where Im goin'). Although Woptobers lyrical content isnt as sunny on paper as Everybody Lookings, this is the stuff Guccis excelled at for years, and he sounds like he has a lot more fun playing the menacing-yet-hilarious street titan than the repentant, honorable ruler. His last album was one he had to make, both for personal and career reasons; this one feels more natural.

Everybody Looking was rife with real-world clarity, moments that anyone even remotely familiar with Guccis story could hear and link to what was actually going on in his life at the time. Woptober is lighter on those, opting for more standard generalizing, but in Guccis continued focus on his personal story and current well-being, its clear that this is a post-prison, 2016 Gucci tape, rather than an 08 or 09 project. Theres cheeky nods to rumors like Think Im a clone but if they cut me then sauce gon ooze out, but beyond that, the last two tracks form a sobering end to an otherwise ecstatic ride. Out The Zoo still portrays Gucci as savagely as the rest of the tape, but in a different, more derogatory light. The downside of calling yourself a savage is being called a savage by those who mean it as an insult; the downside of bragging about cheap bricks is the jail time that often follows; the downside of rap bringing you wealth, he says, is that wealth destroying your health. Out The Zoo and Addicted are the type of self-aware, soberly mature moments we never saw in Guccis early days, and although they instantly kill the buzz of the preceding eleven tracks, theyre powerful and necessary.

Woptober resoundingly answers the Whats next? question many had after Everybody Looking. Of course Guccis time in the national spotlight would be short-lived, of course he couldnt keep making each album more grandiose and big-budget than the last, so he needed to find a way forward that was as fertile as his old formula, but didnt feel like a soulless retread. Hes accomplished that with an album that makes up for lower stakes with sheer aggression, and keeps him acting his age with its weighty conclusion. Id be totally content with five more of these by the end of 2017.
Reebok is turning back the clock to the 90s with their new Reebok Classic Vector Collection a limited edition line of apparel which will be available only at Urban Outfitters.

To commemorate this important period in streetwear, the 90s-inspired sport collection is driven by the iconic Reebok logo, with the vector branding the focal point across 5 classic pieces.

The Vector Collection includes a polo shirt, a track jacket, a wind pant, a long-sleeve jersey tee, and a crew neck sweatshirt, all of which feature a red, white, and blue color palette, utilizing authentic throwback detailing like the taping, color blocking and 90s oversized silhouettes.

All of the apparel in this throwback collection launches Monday, October 24th and will be available at www.urbanoutfitters.com and in select Urban Outfitters doors.

RBK Vector Collection
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This final trailer is briefer than the last one.

Arrival screened to audiences and critics at the Venice Film Festival to widespread acclaim on 1 September. The rest of us not fortunate enough to be in Venice on that day don't have to wait too much longer, with a US release of 11 November, and an Irish release expected soon after.

The film is a hard science fiction tale of humanity's first encounter with aliens, with language and communication important themes for the story. The film star Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.
The things I do for this column! In my never-ending quest to explore the outer reaches of sexual pleasure, I recently managed to get my hands on some Foria cannabis lube. Im not partial to the devils weed as a general rule  mostly because of the cotton mouth  but I was curious to see if the lube lived up to the hype. The short answer is yes.

I was prompted to do this intensive research by curiosity  but also because of a recent study comparing the sexual behaviour of people while drunk or stoned.

Just for openers, always remember: having sex with a drunk person is wrong. Too much alcohol makes consent impossible. The reality, however, is that many  if not most  of us have had sex while intoxicated. Drunk sex is not a wise idea, but of course (a) there are degrees; and (b) it is common. This is one of the reasons why it is worth studying.
Wrapping up the week, we take a look at the music charts, where James Arthur's "Say You Won't Let Go," is at number 1. The X-Factor winner debuted the track on his new album Back from the Edge. It's been a controversial song as of late, as Irish band The Script has pointed out similarities between the song and their track from 2008, "The Man Who Can't be Moved." The Script is reported to be preparing to sue Arthur over the song, but that hasn't stopped it from rising up in the charts.

Joining Arthur in the high rankings are again the Chainsmokers, collaborating with Halsey for their song "Closer," which has stayed strong on the charts for the past 12 weeks and today is listed as number 2. Following the Chainsmokers is Sia, working with Kendrick Lamar on her song "The Greatest." Calvin Harris and Niall Horan also earned spots in the top ten, and the new Little Mix single, "Shout Out to My Ex," has reached number 6 in its first week. Listen to the top single, "Say You Won't Let Go," below.

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A showcase of voices from around the world: October 21 - 23

Ready to launch its third year, the Lingo: A Spoken Word Festival gears up for a weekend of poetry and passionate wordsmiths. The events take place in six different venues across Dublin City, including Whelan's, the Workman's' Club, and Cobalt Cafe.

Among the talented performers is Irish comedian, writer, and actress Tara Flynn. In the same weekend, you can catch spoken word artist, Clara Rose Thornton. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Thornton often focuses on social justice. Sorcha Fox, Raven, and 5th Element are also among the artists lined up to take the stage. But of course, there will be plenty of opportunity for other people to brave the lights and share their own words.

Festival highlights include a free evening of Lingo Poetry Bingo: Open Mic on Saturday October 22. For those wishing to get on stage themselves, there will be a Lingo Poetry Slam at the Workman's Club tonight, October 21.

For a full listing of events, times, and prices:

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http://www.lingofestival.com/

Listen below to the poetry of Clara Rose Thornton!
In this edition we take a look at Irelands underground labels and what they have coming out over the coming months. Matador launched his Rukus imprint in 2016 with a four track EP featuring Chicagos Felix Da Housecat on vocals. Since then, he has released his album Ructions on the imprint, and followed that up with a series of remix EPs by some of the worlds leading house and techno artists, including Paco Osuna, Hot Since 82 and Julian Jeweil.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Kielys Strictly Deep imprint is putting together a various artist compilation to celebrate their fifth release. Just in time for the Amsterdam Dance Event, it will feature tracks from Jamie Roy & Makanan, Dene Antony, Colman Buckley (Dog Days), Paul Hosey, and Hoodrat & Richard James & Krissky.

Moving on to Appian Sounds, they will mark their 10th release with a deviation from their usual various artist format. Instead, they are offering Irish producer o.utlier an extended platform for his first full artist EP. The London-based groove technician has crafted tracks for the release, which are reminiscent of early Basic Channel/Maurizio recordings. After appearances on Efdemins Naif and Fred Ps Soul People Music, o.utliers EP makes for a remarkable full debut.
Have we mentioned that being the Queen isn't easy?

Netflix's big new show is about the life of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, from the time of her coronation to modern times. You know her as the royal figurehead, but her life was tightrope act where personal feelings and desires were suppressed for the sake of queenly duty.

Forget being a fairy tale princess. Being a monarch isn't all royal balls and happily ever after. It's work, especially if you're the head of state.

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The Crown will broadcast over six seasons, with this first season covering the early years of Elizabeth's regency. Watch the first season in its entirety on 4 November.
FMC Technologies has agreed to pay a $2.5 million penalty for overstating its profits during parts of 2013 and 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday.

The SEC alleged that the Houston equipment maker pressured its energy infrastructure segment to improve its financial performance. The business segment's controller, Jeffrey Favret, and an employee who reported to him, Steve Croft, reduced the company's costs for employee time off by $800,000, according to the SEC.
WASHINGTON - Airlines would be required to refund fees when checked bags are "substantially delayed" under a proposal released Tuesday by the Transportation Department, one of a series of steps the Obama administration says it's taking to boost consumer protections for passengers.

The government already requires airlines to refund fees for bags that are lost, but the proposal would go a step further by including delayed bags. Transportation officials said they haven't yet defined what constitutes a substantial delay.
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Oscar Munoz began his tenure as CEO of United Airlines last year with an apology for the company's lackluster performance. One year later, the airline boasts new labor contracts, record on-time performance and a recently created leadership position focused on customer service.

"I've had an interesting year, and all I can sort of hashtag it is #blessed," Munoz said. "It's just this personal level of engagement that we've been able to bring to the workforce that has created an energy and a momentum."

Munoz visited the Chronicle Thursday to reflect on his year as CEO and discuss the future.

Key to his turnaround was reaching out to employees, an effort that didn't always succeed with the airline's past leaders.

"We had clearly lost the engagement of our employees," Munoz said.

Much of that stems from the 2010 merger of Chicago-based United Airlines and Houston-based Continental Airlines. Munoz wanted to eradicate the divide between former United and former Continental workers.

Before flight attendants of both airlines ratified a joint contract in August, they were unable to work side-by-side in the merged company under their pre-merger contracts. And if the mechanics ratify their contract, all United work groups will have contracts in place for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Munoz, who had a heart transplant in January, said he's spent time with frontline employees and considers them professionals and experts in their work. This ultimately contributed to a boost in on-time performance, a metric United has struggled with since its merger.

In July, United's on-time performance was 62.3 percent, up from 56.9 percent in July 2015. On-time performance in August was 61.9 percent, up from 61 percent, and September was 70.9 percent, up from 67.7 percent. Flights are considered on time if they depart from or arrive to the gate less than 15 minutes after schedule.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that 77.52 percent of United's arrivals were on time during the first eight months of this year. United ranked sixth for its on-time performance, after Delta Air Lines, 79.91 percent, and Southwest Airlines, 79.85 percent. But its performance was ahead of American Airlines, 71.87 percent.

Houston-based airline consultant Pete Garcia credits this boost in performance results to leadership changes. Munoz was appointed to the position in September 2015 after former CEO Jeff Smisek left in the wake of alleged corruption involving the airline's dealings with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Not only is Munoz encouraging frontline employees, but Garcia said he's pushing that message down the chain of command. And he's getting executives to cooperate, too.

"There's a lot more working together," Garcia said.

For all the improvements, United's performance still isn't impressive, said Michael Boyd, president of aviation consulting firm Boyd Group International. Regardless of where United and other airlines fall among the competition, a rather significant percentage of planes in the industry is more than 15 minutes late.

"That's still not very good," he said.

Stephanie Buchanan, vice president of United's Houston hub, said the airline's recent improvements also stem from employees who have figured out the best ways to work within new systems and procedures. The airline has invested in new technology, too, such as more modern scanners used to track bags.

Customer service is another area where the airline has faltered and is looking for improvement. Customers are particularly critical in Houston, comparing United to the heydays of Continental. Some travelers insist they can identify pre-United and pre-Continental flight attendants by their demeanor.

United announced Wednesday that Kate Gebo will be senior vice president of customer service delivery. She will oversee all of United's customer-facing teams from booking to landing. Munoz said this will solve some of the fragmentation - "the left hand doesn't know quite what the right hand is doing" - and Buchanan said it should speed up resolution and problem solving.

"Bureaucracy, corporate organizational structures are dangerous to themselves," Munoz said. "Gone. One person has got all of this."

Houston is also challenging the airline's lucrative corporate travel. Low oil prices means fewer energy corporate fliers, and United reported a 14 percent drop in such travel during its third-quarter earnings call.

United officials, who moved some planes from Houston as demand softened for corporate travel, are keeping a close eye on the energy sector. Munoz doesn't know when United will move those aircraft back to Houston but insisted it will eventually happen.

"We will be back in this market very quickly when that jumps up," he said. "It's a huge market for us."
STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

Google Ad

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Google Ad

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh

USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens
The state of the energy sector's recovery is a tale of land versus sea. The shale oil fields are slowly returning to life while the offshore sector, including the Gulf of Mexico's deepwater drillers, remains in decline for the foreseeable future.

That divergence was underscored Thursday when the world's largest oil field services company, Schlumberger, reported a modest profit in the third quarter and an end to mass layoffs, while FMC Technologies, a Houston equipment maker focused on the offshore market, said it slashed another 1,000 jobs, including 175 in Houston, and plans to cut more before the end of the year.

The different outlooks were also a reminder that while oil prices have recovered in recent months, they remain relatively low and continue to pressure the industry.

Crude settled Thursday in New York at $50.63 a barrel. At those levels, efficient drillers in U.S. shale plays, particularly the productive Permian Basin in West Texas, can make money, analysts said. Not so for offshore fields, which require years and billions of dollars to develop,

"Land is the first to recover," said Rob Desai, an energy analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis. "Offshore is the complete opposite."

Oil prices have recovered from a low of $26 a barrel in February, and U.S. drillers have returned to the oil patch, bringing more than a 100 rigs back into operation since May, according to the Houston oil field services company Baker Hughes. Schlumberger, which reported a third quarter profit of $176 million, followed its main rival, Halliburton of Houston, which on Wednesday also reported a small profit for the third quarter. Both attributed their turnarounds from multi-billion dollar losses in the previous quarter to a pick up in their North American onshore businesses.

The companies, which sell drilling and other services to oil and gas production firms, are considered by analysts as bellwethers of the broader energy industry.

Their improved performance indicates the onshore U.S. market "has bottomed and rounded the corner," said Byron Pope, an energy analyst at Houston investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

Schlumberger Chairman and Chief Executive Paal Kibsgaard agreed."After calling the bottom of the cycle in the second quarter of this year, our business stabilized in the third quarter," he said in a statement.

But there is also a long way to go. While Schlumberger maintained its global workforce at about 100,000 employees, it axed about 50,000 jobs in 18 months, more than any other any other company in the world. Its $176 million profit was down significantly from $989 million profit during the same period last year, while revenues declined to about $7 billion from $7.2 billion in the second quarter.

Kibsgaard conceded that a long, hard slog was still ahead. "We maintain that a broad-based V-shaped recovery is unlikely given the fragile financial state of the industry," he said.

Schlumberger reported earnings after U.S. markets closed. Its shares fell 45 cents Thursday to $82.99 a share.

The energy services giant has its principal offices in Paris, Houston, London and The Hague. Schlumberger in April finalized its purchase of Houston-based Cameron International, which added close to 20,000 jobs worldwide, including about 4,000 in the Houston area.

FMC Technologies is in the process of combining with Paris-based Technip in a $13 billion merger, expected to be finalized early next year.

FMC attributed another round of deep job cuts as a key contributor to the surprising $32 million third quarter profit reported Wednesday after stock markets closed. FMC has cut close to 5,200 workers - more than 25 percent of its workforce - over the past two years, and now counts about 14,500 employees, 1,000 fewer than three months ago.

"With headcount, we've been very aggressive [in reducing it] and, as you've seen, we've got more to go," said Maryann Seaman. FMC's chief financial officer.

The company's CEO, Doug Pferdehirt, said he expected the offshore sector to struggle well into 2017, and possibly beyond. He will become the CEO of the merged TechnipFMC, which will maintain headquarters in Houston, Paris and London.

Pferdehirt said that as the offshore industry finds ways to reduce expenses, such as by standardizing equipment so it can be manufactured at lower costs, some offshore projects will move forward next year. Big projects that were delayed and retooled to reduce costs could get the green light, he said.

FMC's stock climbed more than 4 percent, or $1.37, to close Thursday at $32.86 a share.
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Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other global oil giants have taken a keen interest in Mexico's untapped offshore stores of crude, three years after the country opened its state-run oil industry to outsiders.

Despite low oil prices, these major producers have paid the government more than $120 million combined for a close look at the 10 deep-water blocks Mexican officials plan to auction Dec. 5. The industry's deep curiosity suggests drillers will shell out hefty sums in rival bids to explore fields that could hold hundreds of millions of barrels of oil.

"This looks exciting," Juan Carlos Zepeda, president of the Mexican National Hydrocarbons Commission, told the Houston Chronicle this week. "We know oil prices are still not as high as we would like. But we see a lot of interest, and there's quite an expectation for this bidding."

A commercially viable discovery in Mexico could entice oil companies to bulk up their work forces in Mexico and in U.S. energy centers like Houston, and start buying equipment and services they need to build expensive offshore facilities over several years. Economists consider the development positive for Houston's energy hub, where most of the companies bidding on the offshore blocks have a sizable foothold.

"There's a momentum shift coming in Mexico," Paal Kibsgaard, chief executive of the world's No. 1 oilfield-service company Schlumberger, told investors this week. Kibsgaard said he expects drilling to begin to rise in Mexico next year after the first deep-water bidding round and other auctions next year, though the increase may not be dramatic at first.

A few years ago, after it became clear that cash-strapped Pemex couldn't reverse the decade-long decline in Mexico's oil production, the Mexican government passed constitutional amendments opening its energy industry to foreign investors, allowing international oil companies to plow cash and drill into Mexico's untapped resources for the first time in seven decades.

Mexico's reforms could offer large U.S. and European oil companies a chance to strike a big pocket of oil and natural gas, which would help make up for years of decline that forced producers to push drilling technology perilously deeper into difficult ocean depths, even in the remote Arctic, as they ventured farther from the easily exploitable oil patches locked in Middle Eastern monopolies.

In the throes of the downturn last year, Exxon Mobil replaced two out of every three barrels it extracted from the earth by finding or buying new proven reserves, marking the first time in more than two decades the company hasn't refilled its store of oil. BP and Royal Dutch Shell also failed to fully replenish their oil reserves last year.

"The long-term survival of all these companies depends on continuing to acquire or develop new assets," said Karr Ingham, a Texas economist who studies the state's oil activity. "They're playing the long game. Most of these guys aren't looking at next week, but five years from now. It's these sorts of things that can propel them into the future."

Mexico estimates the 10 deep-water fields, around 750 square miles on average, hold between 260 million and 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent in so-called probable reserves, industry shorthand for oil that engineering data suggests is buried in underground deposits. In a separate auction the same day, state-run Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, will offer its first joint venture to develop the Trion deep-water field near the U.S. border.

That and four other offshore blocks up for auction are in the so-called Perdido fold belt. Oil companies have already thoroughly excavated the Perdido region on the U.S. side of the Gulf of Mexico, making those blocks far less risky investments than the other six farther south, in the Salina Basin near the Yucatan peninsula.

Zepeda said the list of energy companies set to bid on 10 deep-water Mexican oil fields includes Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Hess Corp., Murphy Corp., Noble Energy, BP, France's Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Spain's Repsol, Italy's Eni, Malaysia's Petronas, and Australia's BHP Billiton.

Anadarko and Noble are based in the Houston area. Hess is headquartered in New York, and Murphy is based in Arkansas.

The $120 million these companies paid Mexico for geological data from the fields is much larger than what firms paid for access to Mexico's three previous auctions of shallow-water fields and smaller oil patches, building hope that it will bring in larger investment commitments from the industry, Zepeda said.

"This is the auction that really matters for American companies," said Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Still, the many unknown variables that come with partnering with financially troubled Pemex or investing in a country with scant energy infrastructure have given some companies pause.

Over the past decade, the energy industry has learned hard lessons about investing in Latin America after Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil moved to seize oil company assets. But Mexico, in part because of its ties to the U.S. through the North American Free Trade Agreement, is likely to prove an exception to the rule, Monaldi said.

"It'd be a bad signal if Mexico acted like its neighbors to the south," he said.

Mexican officials have taken steps to sweeten the deep-water auction and other deals for international companies, including restructuring contracts and agreeing to more flexible terms in partnering with Pemex in the Trion field.

"We feel that we've finally got it," Zepeda said. "We're ready to go."

On Thursday, Zepeda and other Mexican officials will speak at the Hyatt Regency in Houston's Galleria area about other auctions set for next year.
For value-conscious travelers, flying business- or first-class is increasingly within the realm of possibility. Prices for these seats are lower than in the past, said George Hobica, the founder of the air travel advice site airfarewatchdog.com.

"Airlines used to upgrade passengers to first or business class for free," he said, "but they've stopped doing that and are instead making these tickets more affordable and attainable." Here, he shares his tips on how to snag a seat in these premium cabins without paying premium prices.

Buy direct.

The airlines, themselves, as opposed to third-party airfare ticket sites such as Expedia.com, usually have the best prices for their business- and first-class tickets, Hobica said. The lowest rates in these classes tend to be nonrefundable. So when searching for fares on an airline's site, find the cheapest options by searching for a nonrefundable first- or business-class seat.

Also, know that carriers often have fare sales for these cabins in the summer and over the December holiday season, when fewer business travelers are flying. Find out about these sales by signing up for an airline's e-newsletter. One example for this year: British Airways has Thanksgiving and Christmas specials where passengers can buy tickets in first class or Club World, the carrier's business-class equivalent, to London from some cities in the United States starting at $2,038.

For international travel, use a consolidator.

Airline ticket consolidators buy in bulk from airlines and sell them to consumers for a discount. It is even possible to find these fares for last-minute travel. Hobica said he frequently buys tickets through consolidators to fly to Europe during the peak summer season for prices equivalent to or within a few hundred dollars of an economy ticket on the same flight. However, be aware that you might not earn frequent flier miles through a consolidator ticket, and the ticket may be nonchangeable. PlanetAmex.com and InternationalTravelSystems.com are both reputable consolidators.

Try a local travel agent.

That brick-and-mortar travel agency in your town could have access to consolidator fares, Hobica said. Though many travel agencies can no longer get you discounted airfare, there are some who can, he said, and it's always worth calling or stopping in to find out.

Upgrade with miles.

Airlines sometimes offer to upgrade your economy ticket for a nominal fee combined with frequent flier miles (usually with 15,000 to 20,000 miles each way for travel within the United States and at least 40,000 miles one way for international travel). For an additional $75 and 15,000 frequent flier miles, Hobica said, he was able upgrade a $133 economy ticket to Boston from Los Angeles on American Airlines to first-class.
Today we're looking at the final edition of the Oct. 22, 1962, Houston Chronicle. This issue, published in the afternoon, had 60 pages at 10 cents, about the price of a comic book back then.

* Scary times, folks. Under a ominous, seven-column headline, Houstonians learned of a crisis involving the top levels of government.

What was that crisis? Who knows? Certainly not anyone reading the newspaper that afternoon.

Of course, this was all part of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 13-day showdown between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over the placement of ballistic missiles in Cuba. It was probably the closest the world came to all-out nuclear conflict.

Without providing any reason as to why top Congressional officials in the federal government had to return to Washington, D.C., the United Press International article in the Chronicle guessed the crisis could have been over Cuba, Berlin or India, which was involved in a border conflict with China.

Through a feature film, and numerous books and documentaries, you know how this whole thing played out from the very beginning. With limited sources of news back then Americans were pretty much in the dark until President John F. Kennedy's evening address to the nation, which you can see below.

* Three died in a horrific car wreck on Woodway Drive inside Memorial Park. The three men were westbound on Woodway -- going 70 mph -- when they missed the curve before the overpass at Memorial and went down an embankment.

From the article:

Henry Ismonde, investigator for the medical examiner's office, called the car's destruction the worst he had ever seen.

The top was torn off and the battery, authorities said, was embedded 6 inches into the ground.

* City officials were taking to the skies to make sure all properties get on the tax roll.

Using an aerial camera, the city's tax department was trying to get a better look at properties appraisers had previously been unable to reach, reporter Mel Young noted.

These days, they would probably just use a drone.

* Page One filler item of the day: Aminta Paredes de Garcia was duped at the altar when she found out the man she married in Venezuela was the twin brother of her boyfriend.

When her fiance, Rafael Garcia, went out of town, his brother Norberto Garcia proposed to her and sought a quick wedding.

No word if she found out the error before or after the wedding night.
The Texas Supreme Court told more than 600 school districts in May that the states current funding system is constitutional, despite legal challenges from school districts arguing otherwise.

State Supreme Court Justice Don Willett wrote that despite the imperfections of the states system of education funding, imperfection, does not mean imperfectible, leaving the door open for the legislature to make changes.

Now, in a controversial ballot measure gamble, the states largest school district is hoping to add some pressure for the legislature to do just that.

Voters in the Houston Independent School District are being asked on the November ballot whether they approve of a plan to send $162 million in local property tax revenues back to the state for redistribution.

Part of the states recapture or Robin Hood plan, the redistribution of local tax revenues is meant to level the playing field between property-wealthy districts and property-poor districts. But for the first time this year, Houston is considered a property-wealthy district, triggering the recapture payment that the district says will cause a $95 million deficit in the 2016-2017 school year.

The trouble is, the districts students are overwhelmingly economically-disadvantaged. So even as property values are rising locally, roughly 76 percent of the student body qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to the Texas Education Agency. HISD paying recapture is proof that the system is broken, said school board member Mike Lunceford, testifying before a joint meeting of the House of Representatives public education and appropriations committees.

Houston joined nearly two-thirds of the states districts in the recent lawsuit against the state, challenging its funding system as inadequate and unconstitutional after the legislature cut more than $5 billion in funding in 2011. The plaintiffs also argued that, despite a ban against a statewide property tax, chronic underfunding from the state forces many districts to set local property taxes at or near the limit  essentially creating a de facto state property tax. Advocates have also pushed for greater funding for economically disadvantaged and English Language Learner students, among other changes.

Lunceford and others are hoping to see reforms to the Robin Hood system. But Houston voters arent actually being asked to weigh in on any of those proposals.

Instead, when they head to the polls in November, theyll have a choice. With a yes vote, theyll send $162 million in HISD property tax revenue to state coffers in the spring. With a no vote, they would allow roughly $18 billion-worth of the districts wealthiest commercial properties to be reassigned and taxed in another school district through a process called detachment.

Either way, the district will lose out on some tax revenue but its a gamble several school board members, the Houston Federation of Teachers and the citys education czar, Juliet Stipeche, support. The hope is that by detaching some of those wealthy commercial properties  which will likely pay higher taxes in another district  the businesses may push for school funding reforms. Such a move would be unprecedented, and advocates hope it would garner attention from the legislature.

This is our line in the sand, school board president Manuel Rodriguez Jr. said in an interview with Urban Edge. Were hoping that business will get behind this and force the legislature to do something.

A Houston Chronicle editorial also urged Houstonians to vote no. It called the ballot language misleading (technically, the language is about paying for attendance credits, not recapture or detachment, even though those issues are the crux of the debate).

If the provision worked like a true Robin Hood, it would rob from the rich and give to the poor, the newspaper wrote. But in reality, the system robs from the poor and gives to legislators so that they dont have to raise state taxes. Theres no guarantee that poor schools will receive a single extra dime if HISD pays up. The newspaper argues that the recaptured money keeps the state from having to spend general fund revenue on schools.

But not everyone thinks the gamble is worth it.

The legislature is just as likely to either put more money into the system, or not to, regardless of whether HISD is sending money or instead having property detached, said Scott Hochberg, an education finance expert and former state representative.

Every district that has had the same choice as HISD has opted for recapture  swallowing a bitter pill and making the payments  rather than picking the fight over detachment.

But Hochberg said the risk of sending the property to another district is that the district loses it forever  even if the legislature makes reforms that might benefit HISD in the future.

Detaching could also mean higher taxes for homeowners to pay for future bond measures, since its tax base would be reduced  something Dale Craymer, president of the Austin-based Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, warned about in a statement about the vote.

Hochberg shared his concerns. Once the property is gone, it no longer is part of the base for future bond issues, meaning we all pay a higher tax rate on any future bond issues, he said.

It may be voters only chance to weigh in on the issue. If they approve recapture, said Lauren Callahan, information specialist with the Texas Education Agency, The district would still be able to choose another option to achieve wealth equalization in the future including detaching property  but they would not need to have voter authorization to do so and would probably not put the question to voters again.

Historically, the legislature had worked to tweak funding enough to make sure Houston and Dallas stayed out of the recapture program. This is this first time that hasnt been the case, according to Ashlea Graves, HISDs government relations director. And Dallas may soon find itself in recapture as well.

Either way is painful, wrote state representative Jimmie Don Aycock for the Texas Tribune of the decision facing Houston voters. Quite simply, the system doesnt function unless some form of redistribution occurs. Austin, Spring Branch and other districts have had to make recapture payments, he continued. Houston cannot be treated differently.

Last session, Aycock introduced a bill that would have combined multiple districts into a smaller number of taxing districts, to reduce wealth variation between them. The concept would still redistribute taxable wealth but would do so within a group of districts with a common interest and common tax rate, he wrote.

Though Aycock is on his way out, Rodriguez, the HISD board president, says he believes legislators, specifically Houston-area representatives, are committed to reforming the system. For the most part, I believe everybody is on the same page, Rodriguez said. Were hoping the legislature can see whats happening finally and find a resolution. Early bill filing for the next legislative session begins in November.

Leah Binkovitz (@leahbink), formerly of the Houston Chronicle, is now a staff writer for Rice University's Kinder Institute. This story first appeared in the institute's "Urban Edge" blog.

Bookmark Gray Matters. Imperfection does not mean imperfectible.


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Within five years, the virtual assistants on smartphones - such as Siri or Cortana - should be able to talk to a refrigerator, a car or anything else that can be connected to the internet.

A virtual assistant could ask a car to check its own oil and tell the owner if it's time for an oil change. It could figure out how to fix a broken dishwasher by contacting the virtual assistant for that dishwasher's manufacturer. It could tell the coffee pot to brew a morning cup of joe.

That's the vision Andrea Sahli, senior implementation manager at noHold, presented Thursday during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

"When you go to a company website, when you see a little virtual assistant that says, 'How can I help you today?' that might be us," said Sahli, whose company implements virtual assistants that provide tech support.

She's working toward a goal of having virtual assistants talk to each other and having a given virtual assistant available from any device, at any time, as long as there's an internet connection.

"We have to be able to talk to each individual device right now instead of just having one virtual assistant that comes with us wherever we are," Sahli said. "So that will be the big change in the future."

Sahli's work with virtual assistants was just one of the presentations on artificial intelligence offered Thursday at the Grace Hopper event.

At an afternoon panel, representatives at Airbnb, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Salesforce explained the role of artificial intelligence on their sites.

At Pinterest, it is used to sift through data to recommend new pins for users, said Frances Haugen, a data project manager at Pinterest.

Finding happiness

"We're dealing with these really abstract recommendation problems, like, what makes someone happy?" Haugen said. "Why would they like this living room pin versus this living room pin? Why would they like this recipe versus that recipe?"

As machine learning improves, so will Pinterest's ability to get the right recommendations to its users, Haugen said.

Natalie Parde, a Grace Hopper attendee and fourth-year Ph.D. student at the University of North Texas, is studying natural language processing, the verbal interaction between a person and a computer.

Her work is entwined in artificial intelligence.

"Artificial intelligence will enable a lot of people's lives to be easier in a lot of ways," Parde said.

Over a hundred student and early-career engineers lined up Wednesday outside the lecture halls that hosted speakers about artificial intelligence.

Attendees were there well before the start of Sahli's 9:20 a.m. talk, but rooms filled up before many could nab spots.

Over 600 attended the panel during which Haugen spoke.

The Grace Hopper conference - the 16th in 22 years - drew more than 15,000 technology industry professionals, academics and students to events at the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Toyota Center.

Attendees - the vast majority of whom were women - were there in part for inspiration and in part for networking. Women are still underrepresented in technical roles. They hold just 21.7 percent of technical roles at 60 companies employing more than 1.4 million U.S. employees, according to a report released Wednesday by the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Anita Borg Institute, which co-presented the event with the Association for Computing Machinery.

Hot topic

Artificial intelligence was a hot topic from day one, beginning with the keynote address of IBM CEO Ginni Rometty.

Machines can learn and draw conclusions, informed by much more data than humans are able to sort through or remember, she said Wednesday.

"This is going to be an era of systems that understand," Rometty said. "They reason and they learn. You can build learning into everything that you do here. And I have a very firm view that this will impact every decision that we make in the next five years."
Toward the conclusion of "El Paso," Winston Groom's sprawling, new 477-page novel set in northern Mexico and the American Southwest, a sadistic general in Pancho Villa's rebel army saunters across the international bridge connecting Juarez and El Paso. Rodolfo "The Butcher" Fiero makes his way to a gun shop, hoping to purchase one of the new American Springfield rifles the U.S. Army is using, a bolt-action repeater rumored to have an accurate killing range of 500 yards or better. "Fiero liked nothing more than to shoot men at a great distance," Groom writes.

A young American military officer, hoping to take the measure of the noxious rebel general, follows him into the shop. As Fiero stands at the counter examining the rifle, the shop owner watching, the American soldier has a question for the customer from across the river. "Are you expecting this man to sell you this rifle so you can use it to kill American soldiers?" Lt. George S. Patton asks.

"No," Fiero tells him. "I want to kill jaguars in canyons. For killing American soldiers, I use a stick."

Fiero was, indeed, Villa's general; he drowned in a stream at the Battle of Agua Prieta when his horse got caught in quicksand. And the young Patton, a quarter century before he became a major figure in the world war to come, was with Gen. John J. Pershing during his punitive expedition into Mexico after Villa attacked Columbus, N.M. It's highly unlikely, though, that the two men encountered each other in an El Paso gun shop.

"Students of the period will notice that I have occasionally tampered with the evidence," Groom writes in an afterword, noting that "this is a novel, not a history, and not even a 'historical novel' in any conventional sense."

In this, his 21st book, Groom throws together Villa and Pershing, the writer and aphorist Ambrose Bierce (who disappeared in Mexico), the movie cowboy Tom Mix (who may or may not have been there), the Socialist journalist John Reed, the West Point grad and Buffalo Soldier Henry Flipper, among other historical figures, and has them interact with a host of colorful characters of his own creation. The result is a combination of Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses" and "Blood Meridian" (minus the literary elan), director Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" and maybe a little bit of Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" if Woodrow and Gus had headed south instead of north. Groom may be a little thin when it comes to character development, but he knows how to tell a rollicking tale. He also comes up with some of the goriest and most ingenious ways of killing people I've read since perusing parts of the Old Testament. Characters succumb to hot cooking grease, a grizzly bear, a maimed rattlesnake, a fighting bull and poisonous moisture from a frog's back. A youngster in the book almost succumbs to an enraged gila monster whose venomous bite doesn't kill you but makes you wish you were dead.

Morgan family cattle ranch

Groom has done a little historical tampering before. In a novel published three decades ago, his made-up protagonist interacts with actual people at crucial moments in recent American history. Movie director Robert Zemeckis and his star, Tom Hanks, turned Groom's "Forrest Gump" into a movie that won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and remains a cultural touchstone. The novel has sold 1.7 million copies worldwide.

Groom, author of several military histories since "Forrest Gump," told me by phone this week from his home in Alabama that Hollywood's interested in "El Paso" as well. "The problem is, it would have to be a costume drama with a cast of thousands, and it would be very expensive to make," he said.

A hundred years ago this year, El Pasoans were watching the fighting in Juarez from the rooftop of the El Paso del Norte Hotel. Home to the largest ethnic Mexican population in the U.S. at the time, El Paso was at the core of plots, intrigues and political maneuverings as the Revolution raged just across the Rio Grande.

That's not the tale Groom is telling, despite the title of the book.

"El Paso" owes its origins to stories he used to hear from a New York friend named Eddie Morgan, great-grandson of J.P. Morgan himself, about the Morgan family's million-acre cattle ranch in the state of Chihuahua. The fact that Morgan and other wealthy Americans held so much Mexican land, while Mexican peasants lived lives of grinding poverty, gnawed at Villa. As Groom's friend told the story over drinks at the Knickerbocker Club, the rebel general attacked the Morgan ranch in 1916, had his men dangle the ranch manager by the wrists from a courtyard gate and while he was still alive had his cavalrymen use him as saber practice. Villa also kidnapped Morgan family members, and J.P. traveled to Mexico via private railroad car - pausing in Nashville to buy a dancing bear - to negotiate their release.

"Twenty-something years ago, I remember telling myself there's a novel here, and I'd love to write it, but I couldn't quite get it the way I wanted it," Groom said. "I would never have attempted it if I'd been sane."

Three years ago, he took a year off from writing history to see if he could finally find the key to the sprawling, shapeless story; it would be his first novel in nearly 20 years. "I didn't want to waste the time and croak or something without ever trying," he said.

The story finally began coming together - after much cutting - when, in Groom's words, "I realized you had to get as far removed from the real characters as you can. Otherwise, they won't do what you want them to do."

Assembling a motley crew

In Groom's fictionalized version of his friend's family tales, Boston railroad tycoon Col. John Shaughnessy, his adopted son Arthur and their families visit the colonel's huge Chihuahua cattle ranch - Arthur flies down in his candy-apple red Luft-Verkehrs biplane - despite bloody battles erupting across northern Mexico. Villa and his men attack the ranch, kidnap Shaughnessy's two grandchildren and hold them for ransom. When President Woodrow Wilson refuses to intervene, the brash, old colonel and his reluctant son lead a motley crew of cowboys and ne'er-do-wells they assemble in El Paso, along with a Mexican bullfighter and a Samoan bodyguard named Bomba, on a rescue mission across the harsh deserts and through the High Sierras. Hardships are endured, much blood is shed.

Now that the novel is done, Groom can get back to a book he's calling "The Victors," intertwining the stories of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. At 73, he may write another novel, maybe something set along the Natchez Trace. There's no urgency. "It has to be something I feel," he said.

Living with his family in Point Clear, Ala., on Mobile Bay, he says he's contented, even if the Trace never grabs him. Thanks to "a box of chocolates" he opened up 30 years ago, he doesn't have to do much of anything he doesn't want to. J.P. Morgan, maybe even Pancho Villa, would approve.
As one Houston school board member sees it, the district's November ballot measure regarding the state-mandated forfeiture of local tax dollars offers no good choice for voters.

"Do you want to be shot in the head or stabbed in the back? Both are not pleasant," trustee Mike Lunceford said of the options.

The Houston Independent School District has been deemed so property wealthy that for the first time it must forfeit local property tax revenue - an estimated $162 million next year - to the state to help fund poorer districts. By Texas law, however, the district first needs voter approval to send away the money. The Houston district's estimated recapture payment is expected to increase to $257 million in 2018 and to top $1 billion over four years.

The idea of willingly giving local property tax dollars to the state, especially when three-quarters of HISD students come from low-income families, is unacceptable to Mayor Sylvester Turner and other leaders who are urging voters to oppose the Nov. 8 ballot measure. The opposition strategy is an admitted gamble that lawmakers will be persuaded to revamp the state's school-funding system in the 2017 legislative session.

"The Legislature moves when its back is up against the wall, especially on big issues," Turner, a former legislator, said this week.

The bet, of course, may not pay off. For one, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican from Houston, does not support the opposition's approach.

"If the HISD board doesn't like the current school-finance system, they should come to Austin to work constructively to change it," Allen Blakemore, a spokesman for Patrick, said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. "Instead they lead their voters to make a political statement at a significant cost to the taxpayer."

Even if the ballot measure fails, the state still would be entitled to the Houston school district's money, but would have to obtain it another way: the education commissioner would assign the priciest commercial property in the district to property-poor school systems for taxing purposes.

Under that detachment option, the Houston school district would take a bigger financial hit - an estimated $30 million more next year, on top of the $162 million. The extra loss would stem from the district not being able to tax the detached property for the purpose of paying down debt - a scenario that likely would lead to a small tax rate hike for homeowners and the remaining commercial owners.

The state's so-called Robin Hood or "recapture" system, in place since 1993, was designed to even out funding across public school districts statewide with varied levels of property wealth. At the outset, fewer than three dozen districts were deemed property wealthy, and they paid a total of $131 million to the state.

Last school year, of more than 1,000 districts, 230 paid nearly $1.6 billion. The Houston-area districts that paid include Barbers Hill, Deer Park, Galveston, La Porte, Sheldon, Spring Branch and Texas City.

The recapture program has ballooned as local property values have increased and the state has relied more and more on that money, instead of other revenue such as sales tax, to pay for public education.

Former state Rep. Scott Hochberg, widely considered an expert on school funding, said lawmakers never intended for so many districts to have to pay through the recapture system. Although he thinks more cash should be injected into the public schools, Hochberg said he disagrees with lobbying for the Houston ballot measure to fail.

"Districts with far more political influence than HISD have been paying recapture for years, and that hasn't forced a major change," Hochberg wrote in an opinion piece for the Chronicle.

House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, cited Houston's new recapture status as part of his charge in June asking his colleagues to study school financing. However, getting lawmakers to agree to changes to education funding is typically an uphill battle. The state budget is expected to be tight this year, and Patrick has been focused on voucher-like programs that would help finance private school or homeschool education.

Lessening the pressure, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in May that the school-finance system was constitutional, though flawed. Some 600 districts, including Houston, had sued the state in 2011.

Bob Stein, a Rice University political science professor, said the recapture ballot measure is so confusing he gave up on trying to poll Houston voters on whether they supported or opposed it.

As a general rule, Stein said, people are more likely to vote against propositions if they're not sure which option to pick. Yet, he estimates between 15 percent and 25 percent of voters will skip the Houston measure because it's far down on the ballot.

Called Proposition 1, the ballot item asks whether voters authorize the Houston school board "to purchase attendance credits from the state with local tax revenues." The language is mandated by state law.

A vote "for" the measure authorizes the Houston school district to send the $162 million recapture payment to the state next year. It also authorizes future payments.

The district should be able to cover part of the recapture payments thanks to annual growth in local property values, but more budget cuts are expected, HISD budget manager Glenn Reed said.

This school year, with the $162 million recapture payment looming, the district's budget shortfall was $95 million. To close the hole, the school board approved numerous cuts, including a $40 million decrease to campuses.

Turner has criticized the ballot language as misleading and suggested it could be challenged in court, just as the city was sued in 2015 over its measure concerning term limits. He added that "any half-way decent attorney" could sue on behalf of commercial property owners if their property was sent to another school district. Campaign advertising urging opposition to the ballot measure states that the proposition "is about shutting down neighborhood schools."

The Houston district has not released how much money it would have to cut from the budget in future years because of recapture.

"We have to make the natural assumption that some of the schools are going to close, some of the programs are going to go away," said Jeri Brooks, spokeswoman for the vote "against" campaign.

The state never has had to resort to property detachment for taxing purposes. Galveston voters rejected that district's recapture proposition several years ago, then approved it in a future election.

The Houston school district could hold another election in May - five months into the legislative session - if necessary.
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More than 4,200 criminal cases involving 15,000 pieces of evidence are being reviewed after a sprinkler malfunctioned in the Houston Police Department's property room, according to Houston's criminal defense bar.

Tyler Flood, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said Thursday that defense lawyers in the organization have been given unofficial estimates by prosecutors overseeing some of the cases that may be affected.

"It could really affect a lot of cases," Flood said. "It's an administrative nightmare for the DA's office."

The cases join more than 1,000 others under review at the Harris County District Attorney's Office caused by evidence problems, including what is believed to have been the improper destruction of 21,000 pieces of evidence by the Precinct 4 constable's office.

The evidence destruction, which began with deputies trying to clean out a stuffed property room, prompted District Attorney Devon Anderson to call for a centralized evidence room depository to house evidence from the multitude of law enforcement agencies across Harris County.

In the latest snafu, officials would not estimate how much evidence could have been damaged by the sprinkler but said it is likely to be far less than the 15,000 pieces of evidence affected - if any.

Most of the evidence was kept in sealed plastic bags that had been stored in cardboard boxes, officials said.

"The sprinkler system damaged only a portion of the first row," acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo said Thursday, as she explained the layout of the room. "It's not going to be 15,000."

The entire facility on Washington Street holds about 500,000 pieces of evidence in secured rooms and walk-in freezers, she said.

In this case, one sprinkler head went off about 12:15 p.m. Tuesday in a corner of a walk-in freezer. The entire freezer holds about 15,000 articles of evidence, like blood samples and clothes or weapons with DNA, on rows of shelves in the room.

She said initial reports are that no rape kits were on the shelves.

Just blocks away in the Harris County Criminal Courthouse on Thursday, prosecutors were alerting defendants and their lawyers their cases may be affected, but the district attorney's office administration was saying little about the possible scope of the problem.

"At this time, we have no comment other than we have made the defense bar and the public defender's office aware of the situation," said Jeff McShan, spokesman for the district attorney's office.

Because of the way evidence is typically stored, it could be days before an accurate tally emerges.

The police chief painted a picture of a piece of evidence with DNA on it, like an article of clothing, sealed in a plastic bag, then put in a sturdy manila envelope and finally boxed up with other similar pieces.

One box could contain dozens of pieces of evidence, and none of the actual evidence might be affected.

Those different layers of wrapping are generally sealed with tape bearing the initials of crime scene investigators or lab workers that stays on until it is unwrapped in court for a jury to examine.

Montalvo said property room technicians are being aided by lab workers with the Houston Forensic Science Center to ensure evidence is handled properly and to repackage everything that was affected.

"Until all affected items are opened and inspected, there is no determination if any evidence has or has not been compromised," Montalvo said.

The Houston Forensic Science Center, which was created in the wake of widespread problems with HPD's crime lab, is an independent crime lab.

Ramit Plushnick-Masti, a spokeswoman for the agency, said lab workers were invited in to help clean up and ensure that evidence is not cross-contaminated.

Evidence in criminal cases has to adhere to a strict chain of custody to be admissible in court, and the lab workers are qualified to maintain that chain.

In the Precinct 4 constable's office, more than 20,000 pieces of evidence were destroyed, forcing the district attorney's office to dismiss more than 150 pending criminal cases and potentially endangering more than 1,000 others.

Evidence control and cataloguing problems also have been uncovered in Precincts 3, 6 and 7, according to interviews and audits obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
Citizens should receive education, villagers should be engaged in farming - lawmaker (video)

Addressing his fellow colleagues in the Friday special sitting of the Armenian parliament, Republican lawmaker Hakob Hakobyan first thanked Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan for not forcing lawmakers to read the 500-page government program, but only a 30-page summary of it. If you want to have a healthy society and not spend money on medicine, you should lead a healthy lifestyle. If you do not want war, you should spend money on armament. If you want to eliminate the evil of the society called poverty, you should create workplaces. Imagine a state that has two left hands. You need to put them in their right places for them to be able to function correctly, the lawmaker said. Someone living in a village should be engaged in farming, citizens should receive education and be engage with small and medium sized businesses. The primary task is to provide people with employment opportunities. No one has a magic wand, but unity for the sake of our purpose and for the sake of our citizens will serve the political purpose which is called a magic wand," Mr. Hakobyan added. Mr. Hakobyan, do not believe in magic wands, they exist in fairy tales. Only hard work, hope and faith win in real life, said Eduard Sharmazanov, Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly.
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WASHINGTON - Donald Trump's debate pronouncement that he might not accept the results of a "rigged" election touched off a nationwide debate Thursday about whether his stance represents a threat to American Democracy.

While many of his rank-and-file supporters said they agreed with the sentiment, the Republican Party establishment that has coalesced around his candidacy since he won the GOP nomination remained largely silent.

That includes many Republicans in Texas - along with GOP members of Houston's congressional delegation, who nearly all declined or ignored the Houston Chronicle's requests for comment Thursday.

One exception was Houston Republican John Culberson, who released a statement saying "I always support our Republican nominees and I always support the will of the voters."

Trump's defenders, including campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, said Trump's remarks were aimed at a "corrupt system" and compared them to disputed 2000 presidential election recount in Florida between Al Gore and George W. Bush.

Trump meanwhile, did little to back away from his assertion, which many historians consider unprecedented. At a rally in Ohio, a critical battleground state where Trump is tied with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the real estate mogul reinforced the impression that it would take a victory for him to respect the results of the Nov. 8 election.

"I would like to promise and pledge that I will totally accept the results of this great and presidential election - if I win," he said.

Later, Trump said he would accept "a clear election result," but would reserve his right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of "a questionable result."

'Silence is complicity'

That did little to mollify Democrats, who were eager to portray Trump's equivocation as a threat to public confidence in the U.S. electoral system. They also sought to spread the damage to down-ballot elections across the nation, portraying the Republicans' silence as tacit approval of Trump's remarks.

"Silence is complicity," U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Evasion is unacceptable."

Pelosi specifically called out Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Texas Republican John Cornyn, the U.S. Senate majority whip, was not available for comment Thursday, according to a spokesman.

Democrats trained their fire specifically on vulnerable Republicans in swing districts, including Texas Republican Will Hurd, who represents a border district spreading west from San Antonio. Hurd's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Other Republicans staying out of the fray were Houston area U.S. Reps. Mike McCaul, Ted Poe, Randy Weber, Pete Olson, Brian Babin, and Kevin Brady. The Trump campaign issued a statement from Brady late Wednesday congratulating Trump on his debate "victory," and praising the GOP nominee on his tax proposals.

But Brady, a committee chairman who helped engineer the GOP's biggest House majority in decades, did not comment on Trump's refusal to say if he would accept the election results.

Trump's campaign minimized his remarks, saying they are confident about his chances. In a contentious post-debate interview on CNN, Conway said Trump was merely expressing his concerns about media bias and the possibility of widespread voter irregularities. Absent widespread fraud, she said, Trump will likely win the election and accept the results.

"Donald Trump will accept the results of the election because he's going to win the election," she said. "So it will be easy to accept."

With less than three weeks until Election Day, Trump is significantly behind in most of the polls, including most of the battleground states that will determine the election.

As added evidence of possible fraud, Trump went on Twitter to say that even though he won, the debate was rigged. "Why didn't Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions - she secretly used them! Crooked Hillary," he tweeted.

Trump's national campaign spokeswoman did not respond to a request for evidence that Clinton was given the questions, which debate sponsors said were known in advance only to Fox News moderator Chris Wallace.

Many debate analysts on both sides of the partisan divide described Trump's statement about the election results as an unforced error that could prove disastrous for his struggling campaign. Many Republicans said his refusal to commit to the election results overshadowed what was otherwise one of his most substantial debate performances. But even as he came under intense criticism  especially from Democrats  some analysts said his remarks left ample room for interpretation.

"I will keep you in suspense," Trump said in response to a question from Wallace about pledging to abide by the results.

"Like so many things with Donald Trump, the problem is he tends to state things in very broad, imprecise terms, and leaves a lot of ambiguity," said Matthew Wilson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University.

Wilson noted that some voters will take his remarks as an expression of concern about possible voter fraud, while others will take it as a threat to delegitimize the election. "What he really meant is a matter of interpretation."

He was just joking

In the Houston area, some Trump supporters said they take the candidate's warnings about rigged election seriously.

"What he said last night I think was right," said Cooper Jackson, 30, founder of the Houston Area for Donald Trump Facebook page. "We've got to do everything we can to try to make sure this election is true. I'm thinking about taking a day off work on Election Day to do some poll watching."

Trump activist Jeana Blackford, 43, said a vote recount will be "absolutely 100 percent" necessary if signs of voter fraud emerge during the election, which she expected will happen.

Visitors to the Texas Capitol on Thursday mostly chuckled at the suggestion that Trump's comments were a threat to democracy.

"It's an election. Someone wins, someone loses," said Lanny Lawsen, 38, a registered Democrat from Houston. "Who really cares if Donald Trump wants to accept the results? The voters decide."

Kim Reyes, 61, a Dallas Republican, said Trump is within his right "not to concede before the election is over. Al Gore didn't accept the results when we elected George Bush, and no one got this upset. So what's the big deal now?"

Some political experts dismiss the analogy, distinguishing between post-election recount demands - which are common in tight races - and a pre-emptive repudiation of an election by a candidate who is behind in the polls. But questions about the integrity of U.S. elections are not new, particularly in modern American history. John F. Kennedy faced suspicions that he benefitted from some voting skullduggery in 1960, particularly in Texas and Illinois, which could have tipped the race. His opponent, Richard Nixon, chose not to pursue it.

Few expect Trump to follow suit. While most election officials say that widespread voter fraud is a remote possibility, if not impossible, Trump has relied on a 2012 Pew Center study of the states chronicling millions of instances of ineligible or dead voters waiting to be purged from voter rolls. Despite the problems, the Pew study did not conclude that the problems were evidence of actual voter fraud.

"It's like with so many things with Donald Trump," Wilson said. "There's a kernel of legitimate concern here that has been blown out of all proportion."
A new survey released Thursday by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs shows Democratic challengers for county wide office rising sharply against Republican incumbents.

It also showed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with a seven-point lead over Republican Donald Trump, which Hobby research associate and poll author Bob Stein called "the biggest lead I've ever seen a Democratic presidential candidate have in the 37 years I've been polling in Houston."

Barack Obama beat Republicans John McCain by 1.6 percent in 2008, and Mitt Romney by less than 1 percent in 2012.

"The big takeaway here is the Democratic surge," Stein said.

The poll, a telephone survey of 400 registered Harris County voters, showed Democratic challenger Kim Ogg ahead of incumbent Republican Devon Anderson by seven points, 40 percent to 33 percent. A similar survey released by UH in September showed Ogg and Anderson in a virtual tie, 29 to 30 percent.

The new poll has a margin of error of plus- or minus 4.5 percent.

The poll also showed Ed Gonzalez, the Democratic candidate for Harris County sheriff, in a virtual tie with Republican incumbent Ron Hickman. The UH poll last month showed Hickman six points ahead.

Stein, who also teaches political science at Rice University, cautioned that the wording on the two polls was not identical, making direct comparisons difficult.

He said the new poll suggests an aging cohort of mostly Anglo voters is dying off. Behind them, a more diverse, particularly Hispanic cohort was reaching the age when people settle down, pay more attention to civic issues and become more expected to vote.

Census figures published this year named Houston the nation's second fastest growing city, with Hispanics, who have outnumbered Anglos since 2007, the fastest growing demographic block. Figures from the Harris County clerk show that registered voters with Spanish surnames increased 22 percent between 2012 and 2016, while voters with non-Hispanic surnames increased 10 percent. The Texas demographer's office expects Hispanics to outnumber non-Hispanic whites statewide by about 2020.

Stein also said the Democratic surge suggests Republicans unhappy with their presidential candidate will stay home on election day.

The poll found Clinton held a 12-point lead among voters who considered themselves certain to vote, which Stein called unusual.

"Usually the Republicans are more motivated, more likely to show up, and the Democrats are a little less enthused," he said. "If you're a Democrat, this is a hopeful sign."
We've all watched those prime-time crime dramas showing clever forensic scientists in designer clothing solving mysteries and bringing murderers to justice. But, of course, what has happened in real crime labs is quite different, especially here in Houston.

On a rainy Wednesday afternoon in 2003, a young man named Josiah Sutton walked out of the Harris County Jail and was greeted by a throng of ecstatic relatives and a phalanx of cameras witnessing a pivotal moment in local criminal justice history.

Investigative reporters had exposed that shockingly shoddy interpretation of DNA tests conducted by the Houston Police Department's crime laboratory had sent an innocent teenager to prison for a rape he didn't commit. Disturbing stories about problems within HPD's crime lab had circulated for years, but the image of Sutton going free after wrongly spending more than four years in prison put a face on a scandal that reverberates to this day.

A series of mayors and police chiefs have since grappled with internal scandals and ongoing problems involving how investigators handle evidence gathered at crime scenes. Ultimately, city officials decided the best way to restore faith and confidence in the lab was to sever it from the police department. So they created the Houston Forensic Science Center, a civilian-managed organization independent of HPD that has conducted crime-scene investigations for the last two years.

The new leadership, in a meeting with the editorial board, touted much improved scientific results. But it also said that all is not smooth with the transition. Uniformed HPD crime-scene specialists who once worked directly under the command of colleagues in the Homicide Division now find themselves working for civilians. And for a time, detectives who used to directly phone forensic investigators for help were funneled through a call center that once notoriously put a cop on hold for more than an hour.

A highly critical audit ordered by the new center's leadership concluded some crime-scene technicians lack basic skills to do their jobs. At crime scenes, those investigators have been treated like "garbage collectors available for any menial task," the report implied. The audit also concluded that access to police shooting scenes was granted to too many people, including attorneys for the police union, before forensic specialists could finish their jobs. (We can only guess what would happen if a lawyer for a man shot by a police officer tried to stroll past the crime scene tape.)

Now Houston's interim police chief and the head of the city's largest police union want control of the Crime Scene Unit taken away from the Houston Forensic Science Center and returned to the police department. The union's leader has told reporters the old system worked just fine back when detectives simply used their cell phones to directly call individual crime scene investigators who worked out of the homicide division.

Maybe that's the easiest way to do the job, but that's contrary to the whole principle behind an independent crime lab. We agree with former HPD Chief Charles McClelland, who told the Chronicle's Lise Olsen that putting the Crime Scene Unit back under the command of HPD is a bad idea.

"I don't think it would build confidence in the public's mind - absolutely not," McClelland said. "To solve the issue is to have extremely well-trained evidence technicians that are independent of HPD."

And in order to accomplish that goal, the Houston Forensic Science Center needs the resources to fulfill its role in our criminal justice system. Right now, Houston's crime lab facilities are spread around 11 floors in four different buildings. Many of its personnel are still inside the HPD headquarters on Travis Street, which is not exactly the best place for a crime lab that's supposed to be independent of the police department. A piece of new equipment that forensic scientists would like to use to test samples of Kush hasn't even been purchased because there's no room for it in the old building. Even if there was a place for it, they say they're afraid of plugging it into a wall outlet for fear it would bring down the whole building's electrical system.

Small wonder Mayor Sylvester Turner, grappling with severe budget constraints, has contemplated merging the city's crime lab with Harris County's facility. His predecessor rejected that idea because the county facility answers to commissioners court rather than an independent civilian body.

We're all in favor of cooperation between city and county government, but we think this proposed merger is the wrong way to go. Financial considerations shouldn't trump the necessity of processing crime scene evidence under an organizational structure that's clearly independent of law enforcement.

Josiah Sutton ultimately received $118,750 in compensation for his wrongful imprisonment, but we still owe something to him and every other wrongly convicted citizen. We need to do everything we can to ensure the integrity of criminal investigations. And as a key part of that guarantee of integrity, we believe the Houston Forensic Science Center should remain independent.
No empathy zone

Regarding "911 operator's tale reminds us to make some time for empathy" (Page A3, Wednesday), Lisa Falkenberg once again nails it when she laments the apparent lack of empathy for those finding themselves on the wrong end of the stick these days. Combine that with today's utter disregard for the truth, which she had also written about, and you pretty much sum up the crux of the problem in today's society.

I experienced this first hand while discussing the current spate of voting laws. My argument that no massive voter fraud necessitating the need for restrictive laws has ever been documented, in fact the opposite, was ignored. Instead my counterpart questioned the difficulty of obtaining photo IDs by exclaiming "You have to have a photo ID to get or use a credit card!"

He showed no empathy at all for those targeted by these laws while at the same time ignoring the fact that those same people are the least likely to qualify or possess credit cards!

David Kelly, Spring

Crafting a third party

Regarding "Vexed voters seek a sign," (Page A3, Wednesday), I hope and pray that out of the ashes of this year's presidential election a new third party will emerge. The party would be focused on moderate Americans from both parties and independents. The new party would encourage extremists in both Democratic and Republican parties to remain in their respective party.

The first order of business of the new party would be to negate the Supreme Court's ruling of Citizens United, which created the unlimited funding of political campaigns by corporations, unions and multi-millionaires.

The second action of the new party would be to bring back our troops from Afghanistan and Iraq and stop funding their corrupted governments. The Japanese taught us about "continuous Improvement" programs in making cars which resulted in their leading the world in quality. I would hope the new party would use the same concept in our politicking and laws by taking the best ideas from both parties and use that in conjunction with facts, data, analysis, history and track record to improve existing laws rather than trying to kill them.

This process would be used to improve our education, national health care, tax reform, banking and a host of other national priorities. All we need is a leader who can get this party off the ground.

Curt Anderson, The Woodlands
Mental health concerns too often get swept under the rug and ignored.

Yet 44 million Americans, and half a million in Harris County, have experienced some sort of mental illness such as depression or an anxiety disorder in any given year. (And those are the ones we know about.) The Houston area has an alarmingly higher rate than the national average of people experiencing Serious Psychological Distress (SPD). A small fraction of folks actually get treatment.

It's not that Houston, with the largest medical center in the world, doesn't have the right treatment options. We do. The problem is a lack of resources to get people the care they need. The severe shortage of behavioral health professionals, for instance, is dire, with 185 of Texas' 254 counties not having a psychiatrist. Wait lists for children, students at Texas universities, veterans, and the underserved are a mile long.

But perhaps more than these resource factors is a larger challenge: Our collective mindset is - still, after many years of ringing this bell - off the mark. The way we as a city and as a nation typically think about behavioral health - somewhat negatively, laden with stigma - makes it difficult to treat, even if we had all the money and psychiatrists in the world.

For patients, 9 of out 10 Texans say it's harder for them to talk about a mental health condition than a physical one, according to the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. We don't need Freud to tell us that when you don't talk about something, it only gets worse. Or often goes unnoticed and untreated. For physicians, it is imperative they throw out the old model learned in medical school that considered mental health less urgent than physical health. The mind must be given the same attention as the body. Depression and anxiety are just as important to treat as diabetes or any chronic disease.

One promising approach is Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH), which combines physical and mental health services instead of the standard separation between them. What began as a two-year pilot program in IBH at Legacy Community Health's Baytown clinic will now be permanent, and replicated at our flagship Montrose location. Bringing a behavioral health consultant into primary care patient visits in real time allows us to better identify, de-stigmatize, and treat conditions like depression and anxiety. Many, if not most, of the 80 percent of patients we screened under the pilot would have gone untreated.

While there's a long way to go for full integration at Legacy, we wanted to start somewhere and hope other providers in Houston to follow suit. One estimate shows a savings of $26 billion-$48 billion annually through successful integration of physical and behavioral health.

Policymakers also have a leadership role, one that can be bipartisan, constructive, and deliver immediate benefit to millions of Texans. Mental health is expected to be a priority when the Texas Legislature convenes in January, and we're hopeful telemedicine, strengthening the state's Medicaid program in some fashion so patients can better afford treatment, and, yes, more funding are considered. Even in a tight budget year, the Legislature should continue to increase funding as it has done in the two previous sessions. Let's not take our foot off the gas now.

We get a lot thrown at us with work, school, family, finances, social media ("Facebook depression") and even by a presidential election. A recent poll by the American Psychological Association shows more than half of the country, almost equally divided between Republicans and Democrats, is stressed out over the campaign. All of this is to say the day-to-day stresses of life affect our mental condition, sometimes more than physical ailments. It's time our medical and political priorities reflect that reality.

Dr. Lemaire is medical director of behavioral health at Legacy Community Health.
Think of the Harris County Department of Education as a membership-only warehouse store for Houston-area schools. Sure, the average homeowner pays about $12 each year in membership, but it saves millions in the long run because it allows more than 20 school districts in Harris County to buy in bulk.

It isn't just pens or notebooks that they're purchasing. The HCDE helps out with Head Start pre-K programs, specialty schools and counseling services. It also draws down federal grants that otherwise would go somewhere else.

However, the HCDE has been the longtime target of anti-government advocates who want to shut down the entity without considering the consequences. It is admittedly a bizarre entity that lives off a long-eliminated statute in state law. But at a time when HISD is facing state recapture of its already limited funds, our schools need all the help they can get.

Although candidates for the volunteer trustee positions are required to have a R or D next to their names, this election should be viewed as nonpartisan school board elections. We encourage voters to look for candidates who will take their job seriously and understand the role that HCDE plays in our neighborhood schools.

County School Trustee, Position 1, Precinct 2: Sherrie L. Matula

We emphatically endorse Sherrie L. Matula in this race to replace Marvin Morris, a respected trustee who lost in the Republican primary. Matula, 65, has the resume of an education expert, working for decades as a school teacher in Clear Creek Independent School District and Pasadena Independent School District. She also served two terms on the CCISD Board of Trustees, on the board of the Texas State Teachers Association and as president of the Galveston County Education District.

Meeting with the Houston Chronicle editorial board, Matula exhibited an encyclopedic knowledge of specific problems at individual schools in Harris County. She emphasized the need to ensure that students are on the right path at an early age. HCDE contributes to this goal by providing teacher training, getting experts into classrooms and running specialty schools.

The Republican candidate, George Moore, did not meet with the editorial board.

County School Trustee, Position 2, Precinct 4: Marilyn Burgess

In this race to replace Board President Angie Chesnut, our strong choice is Marilyn Burgess, a certified public accountant. As the former director of the Texas Parent Teacher Association, Burgess, 62, would bring a valuable educational perspective to this board as well as financial expertise. If elected, Burgess, a Democrat, promises to make sure the county gets the most out of every dollar spent and to increase the classes available for high school dropouts to complete their diplomas, as she says these classes fill up the day that they open.

Eric Dick, a Republican perennial candidate, did not articulate a coherent view of his goals for the department or the means by which he would reach these goals. He doesn't display the collaborative temperament necessary to serve on a board and improve it. His lack of consistency is also troubling. During the primary, he favored consolidating the department into the local independent school districts. At the most recent screening, his priority was abolishing Houston Independent School District. Burgess would be part of making the department better. Dick would  well, no one knows.
Prime Minister's appointment was in violation of constitutional norms - Levon Zurabyan (video)

During the debates on the newly-formed cabinets plan of actions in the Armenian National Assembly, Levon Zurabyan, Head of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction, said the government creates an opportunity to speak about the appointment of new cabinet members and give assessments to their work. The Prime Minister's appointment was made in violation of constitutional norms. Serzh Sargsyan was to have consulted with parliamentary factions, Zurabyan said. He did not deny that Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has done a good thing by dismissing governors and cabinet members who have robbed the country. Only the lazy have not written about it. This has aroused hopes among people. But this might be a pre-election trick by Serzh Sargsyan whose sole purpose is to mitigate public hatred and ensure reproduction of his regime after which they will put aside their masks and devour people again, the HAK lawmaker said. He thinks the new government was to have stopped the new Tax Code and then submit a plan of actions to the National Assembly. We would like to mention that imports have exceeded exports three times. The program you have presented does not contain the diagnostic assessments that we are giving. It only urges to diagnose the government system in the shortest possible period of time. You do not say your vision; you do not present the drawbacks of the existing system; you do not say which economic model you want to create, you only present the tools. This program frees you from political responsibility before the voters. The government spoke positively about Levon Ter-Petrosyans proposals but we have not seen definite steps so far. Either you have not read the government program or you have been given wrong information. There are short and long-term phases for the program implementation, both are very ambitious. The Republicans do not need salvation, there are no saviours here, Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov said in reply.
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As a human resources executive, you are at the heart of any organization. After all, it is you and your position that are, in large part, responsible for the success or failure of that organization. And, the way your position interacts and works with many other positions inside and outside of the enterprise will mean the difference between long-term success or failure. Unfortunately for many HR executives, their success can largely be determined by the actions (or inactions) of others around them in their own business, and understanding how to navigate that and adroitly traverse the internal mine field is critical. Human resources is at the center of attracting and retaining talent, communicating internally to all members of any successful organization regarding policies and programs, as well as training, planning events and a host of additional responsibilities. The challenge is that many of these core responsibilities also fall into other camps and internal disciplines, such as marketing, public relations, community relations, operations and legal. After all, if your brand has a bad reputation, attracting talent is going to be that much more challenging. If you dont have a strong, well-communicated corporate culture, its difficult to retain talent who may lack understanding of the direction of the boat. If operational policies are unclear, and office politics tend to rule the day, confusion and consternation lead to that ever...
A precursor to fostering a global mindset and cohesive organizational culture Business leaders who recognize the increasingly globalized marketplace in which we operate are spending more time and resources than ever before to capitalize on consumption in emerging markets- expected to hit a staggering $30 trillion by 2025. In fact, according to a recent study by strategy+business magazine, 71 percent of business leaders currently plan to grow their companies in markets where English is not predominantly spoken. Consequently, senior management must take care to work with their HR and Learning & Development partners to ensure employees are equipped with the resources and support needed to thrive in their roles amidst this changing global dynamic. Language proficiency gapscant be ignored. If they are, businesses will inevitably suffer. Establishing an intentional language strategy is necessary to closing language gaps in a coordinated, strategic manner, and itsa precursor to fostering a global mindset and cohesive organizational culture.More and more businesses are taking the first step in recognizing a lack of language proficiency within their workforce and how it may be impacting their organizations productivity, especially those with a diverse workforce or those that operate on a global scale. A thoughtful language strategy looks at language as a mechanism for building and maintaining trust w...
National Assembly gives 'green light' to new government program (video)

Armenian National Assembly voted 85 to 7 to pass in a special session the program presented by the newly-formed cabinet. Six lawmakers abstained from voting. The parliamentary group of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) did not participate in the vote while the Rule of Law Party (OEK) abstained from voting. Before the vote, lawmaker Alexander Arzumanyan said he had neither made a speech nor addressed questions because life has shown that nothing changes after them. I do not want to go to extremes. Many spoke about fairy tales here but people cannot be deprived of their hopes. Your appointment has aroused hopes in people. We do not doubt the level of dignity of the ministers you have appointed, therefore, I shall abstain from voting, the lawmaker said. Levon Zurabyan, Head of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction, added that they cannot support any government appointed by the ruling party, and we are expressing our non-confidence by voting against the program. In his closing speech, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan noted that some speeches were acceptable for him, while others were illogical. Then he referred to speeches of each faction. Addressing the HAK faction, the prime minister said he was ready to discuss with them definite proposals. Karen Karapetyan made a slip of the tongue, when he addressed the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). As for the proposals of the Prosperous-Republican Party Sorry, I did not do it on purpose, he said. The audience burst into laughter. Mr. Karapetyan then thanked the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) for the support. If we adhere to the political stance, we shall achieve success, he said in conclusion.
Teams can only be effective when each person on the team is operating to his or her full capability. Take Team USAs womens 4x100 medley relay team for example. Each swimmer showed up physically and mentally prepared to give a top performance in her designated stroke, whether it be backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, or freestyle. That team didnt win gold with a cookie-cutter approach with each swimmer preparing to swim the same stroke. Each team member prepared on an individual level and then came together to finish first and take home the gold. Employees dont all perform the same roles, and even when they have similar job descriptions, individuals have different strengths (and weaknesses) they bring to the table. Similar to the relay race, enterprises can help teams perform better by putting more emphasis on the individual. Here are three areas where they can do that: Personalized technology Setting your individual employees up for success means arming them with the technology they need to work on their own as well as with their teams. A recent study by Forrester shined light on the fact that employees do not have the right information to make important decisions at work, inhibiting their full potential. Why? Because there is too much data and too many systems to work through. The study highlighted that employees are seeking tools that deliver them personalization, in the form of personalized data se...
Taiwan has joined the growing global momentum to end cosmetics cruelty today with passage of legislation to end cosmetics animal testing. The bill, proposed by Legislators Wang YuMin and Zhuang Rui Xiong, amends Taiwans Control for Cosmetic Hygiene Act and bans cosmetic animal testing for both finished products and cosmetic ingredients. The legislation will go into effect in 2019.

The #BeCrueltyFree Taiwan campaign, led by the Taiwan SPCA and Humane Society International, has been instrumental in achieving this animal welfare milestone. During the two year campaign, #BeCrueltyFree worked closely with Legislator Wang YuMin and gathered support from well-known Taiwanese celebrities and animal lovers Aya, Junior and Lisa Wang. Recent opinion polling commissioned by the Taiwan SPCA shows that 69.2 percent of Taiwanese consumers back the ban with 76.5 percent believing animals shouldnt suffer in name of beauty.

Claire Mansfield, HSIs global #BeCrueltyFree campaigns director, said: This is a moment to celebrate as Taiwan joins the growing international movement away from animal testing of cosmetics and takes the lead on ending cosmetics cruelty in Southeast Asia, becoming the first in the region to ban animal testing for cosmetics. Its truly a victory for both animal welfare and compassionate consumers; and yet another achievement for the #BeCrueltyFree campaign. Unfortunately, Taiwanese consumers can still buy cosmetics cruelly tested on animals if the product is imported, so our sights are now set on campaigning for an end to the import and sale of newly animal tested cosmetics.

Taiwan SPCA and #BeCrueltyFree Taiwan campaign coordinator Joy Liou said: We are thrilled that Taiwan has taken this positive step and voted to end cosmetics animal testing. Testing cosmetics on animals causes them pain and suffering for test results that have never been proven reliable to assure human safety and dont represent modern science. Today we celebrate this important victory, and tomorrow we look ahead to campaigning for a sales ban for products newly tested on animals outside of Taiwan, so that cosmetics cruelty can fully be eliminated from the Taiwanese market.

Passage of the legislation brings Taiwan in line with more than 30 countrieshome to more than 1.7 billion consumersthat have already joined the #BeCrueltyFree movement. The worlds largest cosmetics market, the European Union, together with Norway, Israel, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey and several states in Brazil, have enacted full or partial bans on animal testing for cosmetic products and ingredients. Similar legislation is currently pending in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Argentina and elsewhere under the leadership of #BeCrueltyFree campaign teams in these countries

Consumers can continue to show their support for further legislation to end the import and sale of newly animal tested cosmetics and bring a complete end to cosmetics cruelty in Taiwan by signing the petition at: http://goo.gl/ftNM7N

Note: Nation-wide poll conducted by Trend Survey and Research Co. in April 2015, with 1073 samples and a confidence level of 95 percent (margin of error +  3 percent).

Media contacts:

HSI: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, 240-620-3263

Taiwan SPCA: joy.liou@spca.org.tw, +886 2 2738-2130
Well, this is whale-y neat.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released drone footage of rare bowhead whales out for a nice swim off the coast of Nunavut.

They're one of the biggest animals you'll find in Canadian waters, and they're notoriously hard to spot.

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The whales spend their winters chowing down on zooplankton in Cumberland Sound. When the weather warms up, they head south to Hudson's Strait.

They can also live up to 200 years, making them the longest-living mammals on earth.

Drones are used to study the mammals without bothering them. Usually, scientists would have to rely on shakier footage shot from airplanes.

It was amazing," said Brandon Laforest of the WWF. "You can watch them rolling, flipper slapping, tail breaching, [and] socializing.

Researchers are hoping to get a more accurate look at the whales' size, population, reproduction, and feeding habits, according to a release from WWF-Canada.

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The videos are also just really cool to watch. Check out the video above.

Footage courtesy LGL Limited, the University of British Columbia, VDOS Global, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and WWF-Canada.

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A Bloc Quebecois MP has criticized the federal government after two Liberals wore head coverings to greet a holy Ahmadiyya Muslim leader outside Parliament earlier this week.

In Quebec, the separation of the state and church is a consensus. But not here, Marilene Gill said in question period on Friday.

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She made a reference to Liberal MPs Deb Schulte and Judy Sgros welcome of Ahmadiyya Muslim community leader Caliph Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad in Ottawa on Monday.

Greeting His Holiness on the steps of Parliament with many Ahmadiyya community leaders and supporters in attendance. pic.twitter.com/IwdMymlrYY  Deb Schulte MP (@_DebSchulte) October 17, 2016

The Caliph Ahmad came in and the non-Muslim Liberals wore the veil, Gill said. She brought up how there was also an Islamic call to prayer in Centre Block that day.

The Manicouagan MP pressed the government to affirm once and for all secularism in institutions, including the Canadian Parliament.

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In Quebec, it is a secular place, not here, she repeated.

The Caliph is the religious leader to approximately 10 million Ahmadiyya Muslims around the world.

Randy Boissonnault, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Canadian heritage, responded to Gills charge, saying its the governments intention to defend tenets in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

We respect the rights of people. The rights to their faith, he said, without making specific mention to Schulte and Sgro. And we support multiculturalism in in our country.

Discussed vibrant presence of #Ahmadiyya in Canada, #humanrights & work of OHRFI with Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad  PS Goldsmith-Jones pic.twitter.com/uKXteARnF8  Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) October 17, 2016

Sgro did not wear the covering over her head when she presented the Caliph with a framed copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at an evening reception.

Tremendous event with @AhmadiyyaCanada and with Members of the #LPC and others. Nice to hear such a positive message #CaliphInCanadapic.twitter.com/3AznQaylHT  Judy Sgro (@JudySgroMP) October 18, 2016

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Schulte and Sgros officed did not respond to The Huffington Posts requests for comment before publication.

Durocher: They were not in a mosque!

Scrutiny over the two Liberals head coverings surfaced Wednesday after Le Journal de Montreal published contributor Sophie Durochers blistering critique.

Why did you wear a veil in Parliament ? You were not in a mosque ! https://t.co/RIaSsPsCW5https://t.co/ZeCdyM0o3M  sophie durocher (@sophiedurocher) October 19, 2016

The veteran journalist asked why the two women chose to where the coverings on Parliament Hill where religion has no place.

Durocher continued, writing, They were not in a mosque! They were not visiting a foreign country where the law forces them to hide! She ended her blog by asking if they were forced to do so.

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According to a statement Sgros spokesman Greg McClinchey sent to the newspaper, the Caliphs delegation did not request women wear head coverings at the welcome ceremony.

Ms. Sgro opted to wear the said head-covering as a voluntary sign of respect during the formative portions of the day. As you will know, many Muslims believe that covering the head engenders a certain spiritual state of receptivity and centeredness. For Ahmadiyya Muslims in particular, this custom is observed by both men and women and it is in this context that Ms. Sgro made the voluntary decision to demonstrate an understand and respect for the customs of our guests.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Caliph said he predicted the Liberals election win as early as four years ago when the pair were first introduced.

When I first met you in 2012 I prayed for you and said that I believed that one day you will be prime minister, he said.

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Regarded as the Khalifa of Islam, he stressed the importance of religious freedom during their meeting.

All people should be granted true religious freedom and all people should have the right to peacefully practice their faiths and beliefs. Governments should not seek to interfere or legislate against peacefully held religious beliefs.

After the meeting, he delivered a keynote address that covered topics including radicalization, climate change and the lack of peace and increasing resentment between nations.

It is the Caliphs fourth time visiting Canada. His arrival this week kicked off a six-week tour that will bring him to Muslim communities across the country.

CORRECTION: An earlier version misidentified Durocher with an actress of the same name. This version has been updated.

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"Star Wars" has found its new Lando Calrissian, and the franchise could not have picked anyone better.

Donald Glover will play the role originated by Billy Dee Williams in an as-yet-untitled Han Solo origin movie.

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"We're so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us," directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said in a statement.

"These are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger cape, and this one fits him perfectly, which will save us money on alterations. Also, we'd like to publicly apologize to Donald for ruining Comic-Con for him forever."

Glover first came to the public's attention in the NBC comedy "Community." He also built a prominent musical career under the stage name Childish Gambino.

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He later starred in films including "The To Do List" and "Magic Mike XXL," and gained further prominence for a standout performance as brilliant scientist Rich Purnell in Ridley Scott's "The Martian."

More recently, he created and starred in the highly-acclaimed FX series "Atlanta," about young rappers making their way through the city's music scene.

The Han Solo movie will show Calrissian's life as a "scoundrel on the rise in the galaxy's underworld," a news release said.

It pits Glover opposite Alden Ehrenreich as Solo, the roguish pilot of the Millennium Falcon who would later help the rebels defeat the Galactic Empire in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

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Calrissian was the original owner of the Falcon before he lost it to Solo in a game of sabacc.

The pair encountered each other in Cloud City in "The Empire Strikes Back" when he handed him over to bounty hunter Boba Fett, before Solo was frozen in carbonite and delivered to Jabba the Hutt.

Calrissian later joined Solo and the rebels against the Empire.

The Han Solo movie will be released in 2018.

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Conservatives are accusing the Liberal government of trying to forget about terror attacks on Canadian soil that claimed the lives of two soldiers.

Tory MP Peter Van Loan rose in question period Friday to note that Saturday will mark two years since the shooting on Parliament Hill, when a jihadist terrorist struck at the heart of our freedom and democracy. Minutes before that attack, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, 24, was gunned down at the National War Memorial.

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The thickness of a door and brave actions of our Hill security staff saved members here a similar fate, Van Loan said.

Just two days before the chaos in Ottawa, another avowed jihadist ran down Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, 53, in his car in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Though thousands of Canadians attended a ceremony in Ottawa last October to honour both Cirillo and Vincent, Liberals have not planned something similar this year.

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The Liberals want Canadians to forget. There will be no memorial," Van Loan said. Why are the Liberals dishonouring these fallen men and trying to pretend these jihadist attacks never happened?

Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr said all Canadians remember the tragic events of October 2014.

"Why are the Liberals dishonouring these fallen men and trying to pretend these jihadist attacks never happened?"

Vincent and Cirillo will be honoured at events in Ottawa and across the country on Remembrance Day next month, Hehr said, when Canadians think of soldiers who paid the ultimate price in war time and at peace, at home and abroad.

Hehr appeared to shoot Van Loan a stare after answering.

Tory MP John Brassard, his partys critic for veterans affairs, also rose just before question period to call Liberals out on the matter.

Brassard noted that a ceremony last year at the National War Memorial included a speech from the Governor General, a military march, a fly-pass of CF-18 fighter jets and the unveiling of a plaque for Cirillo at the site.

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In one memorable moment, then-prime minister Stephen Harper and prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau came together to lay a wreath, mere days after a hard-fought election campaign came to an end.

This year, theres no commemoration, no event, and no honour is being paid to these fallen heroes by this government, Brassard said.

Veterans are deeply saddened by this lack of remembrance, he added.

Ottawa Liberal MP David McGuinty also delivered a members statement paying tribute to Cirillo, calling him a beautiful example of what the Armed Forces can represent.

McGuinty lauded soldiers who choose to watch over us in the pursuit of a world free of injustice and oppression.

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At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them, he said.

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Its been more than 30 years since Rick Hansen pushed his wheelchair around the world for his Man in Motion world tour. The world-renowned former paralympian and accessibility advocate says theres a lot to celebrate since that time, and there are real signs of progress.

But he is not satisfied yet.

Hansen, 59, was in Toronto for the inaugural WE Day Family event at the Air Canada Centre on last Wednesday. He visited HuffPost Canada Studios to talk about his future plans to keep those gains, well, in motion.

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Subjectively I can say, yeah, I think weve come a long way. So theres a lot to celebrate coming up to Canadas 150th birthday, he noted, in the video above. You start to see more curb cuts, you start to see some integrated more tactile markers for people who are blind, you start to hear audible crosswalks.

Hansen is launching a new program aimed at increasing accessibility in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour and Canadas 150th birthday. Access4All is a program being run by the Rick Hansen Foundation will grant $1.7-million to schools and community groups to fund barrier buster infrastructure projects across the country.

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Owners will be limited to ride-sharing on companys own network

Youre killing people, CEO tells critics of self-driving tech

Electric car maker Tesla Motors announced this week that all of its cars are now equipped to be self-driving vehicles, though the software to operate it isn't ready yet.

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And in the fine print on a page describing options for new cars, Tesla made it clear it plans to ban car owners from using their self-driving vehicles for ride services, except on its own network, as it looks to set up its own ride-sharing service.

Using a self-driving Tesla for car sharing and ride-hailing for friends and family is fine, but doing so for revenue purposes will only be permissible on the Tesla Network, details of which will be released next year, the disclaimer says.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced this summer that the company is planning to jump into the ride-hailing business.

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Tesla is charging US$8,000 for the full self-driving capability feature, though the software to operate it is yet to come, and the company notes that when and where it will be available depends on regulatory approval.

A promotional video from Tesla demonstrating full self-driving capability:

'You're killing people'

The technology promises a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver, Tesla says.

And Musk is adamant that the public see driverless technology as being safe. He criticized the media on Wednesday for covering driverless car crashes while ignoring the 1.2 million people who are killed in car accidents worldwide every year.

If, in writing some article that's negative, you effectively dissuade people from using autonomous vehicles, you're killing people,'' said Musk, who expects his self-driving technology to be at least twice as safe as cars driven by humans.

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In May, an Ohio man using Autopilot  a partial self-driving technology that Tesla has offered since last year  died when his Model S failed to spot a tractor-trailer crossing a divided highway.

Neither the car nor the driver braked, and the Model S crashed into the side of the trailer. Federal investigators are looking into Autopilot's role in the crash.

There is evidence, however, that one day Musk could be proven to be right. While currently there is little data showing that fully autonomous cars would reduce deaths, there are studies that show computer controls can cut fatalities.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said it determined from 2016 police data that forward collision warning alone reduced front-into-rear crashes by 27 per cent. Automatic braking cut the rear crashes in half and reduced injuries by almost 60 per cent.

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Some analysts doubt the wisdom of Teslas move into ride-sharing, where it will compete against more established players like Uber and Lyft.

While we think ride-sharing/hailing is the future of mass-market mobility, we have some financial concerns with the idea of a [carmaker]-owned fleet, said Barclays analyst Brian Johnson, as quoted at Reuters.

Johnson said a Tesla service could excite the market but launching such a service is expensive.

With files from The Associated Press

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Hero Images via Getty Images

Ask an American to name an entrepreneur and odds are names like Mark Zuckerberg, Mike Dell and Larry Page will roll off their tongue.

While U.S. entrepreneurs are household names, a recent DMZ survey conducted by Ipsos revealed that many Canadians have trouble naming entrepreneurs from their own country. When asked to name up to five high-profile entrepreneurs, a third of Canadians could not name a single one.

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This is worrisome and needs to change if we as a country plan to build and increase the number of global powerhouse companies that are made-in-Canada, global in presence, enormously successful, all with Canadian minds behind them. We have some of the most exciting crops of companies anyone's ever seen and they're being built here as proudly Canadian. We have all the necessary ingredients: our companies are well financed, run by intelligent, diverse people and are tapped into the trends on where technology and innovation is heading.

The U.S. has bred a culture of entrepreneurs as heroes, something that our country has been slower to grasp. We're failing to celebrate our entrepreneurs the way our U.S. neighbours do. It's time to change, time to celebrate entrepreneurship, publicly recognize innovation and compel our younger generations to consider entrepreneurship as a career path.

To help build that confidence, we need to show that there is access to peer support, resources, funding and expert guidance.

This means introducing primary and high school students to the concept of being an entrepreneur and STEM education, it means introducing courses in university that are more hands-on, or gearing co-ops and internships toward innovation hubs. When there's a success story, we need to publicize it and celebrate the entrepreneur(s) behind it.

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The survey also showed our lack of confidence in becoming an entrepreneur, with more than half of Canadians (55 per cent) revealing they don't have the confidence in themselves to start a new business.

Finding confidence is a key ingredient and huge factor for any entrepreneur deciding to start their own business. Although most Canadians aren't confident in becoming entrepreneurs, the same survey revealed we have a strong appreciation for the benefits of becoming one: Canadians are more likely to see starting their own business as the winning formula for career happiness and success than many other established professions.

Then why is it that so many qualified Canadians aren't taking the leap to start their own companies? Fear of failure. Lack of resources. No experience. Weak network. No funding. Overall, they aren't confident they'll succeed. I've heard these words repeatedly.

Players in our rich innovation ecosystem and Canadian talent pool must be part of the change and pave the way for entrepreneurs to believe they're on track to be global, high-growth companies that can grow and scale to hundreds of employees in multiple locations. To help build that confidence, we need to show that there is access to peer support, resources, funding and expert guidance.

Incubators and serial entrepreneurs play a crucial role in advancing our entrepreneurial environment and success stories. Whether it be through investment, mentorship or access to their network, incubators and serial entrepreneurs provide the means to turn business ideas into a reality and are crucial for startup success.

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It's time to adapt our culture to celebrate entrepreneurship, put a face to innovation and compel a new generation to consider a startup in their future. To make this happen, these startups need support. Incubators like the DMZ at Ryerson University -- which is in the midst of launching a new, high-profile Advisory Council to help startsups succeed (or fail) in their first six months -- exist to help build the Canadian ecosystem so that it's recognized as best in class because of our strength in talent, education, diversity and community, resulting overall in Canadian success stories.

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"And though she be but little, she is fierce" ~ William Shakespeare

My mother-in-law Sharyn Mandel was a fierce and fiery force in this world. A passionate educator, her life's purpose was teaching. She had a particular interest in developing the minds of young girls, and fostering their independent spirits.

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Upon her passing, we discovered that she intended for us to make her often-talked-about dream of founding a school in a developing country a reality. And two years ago, we did just that. Before we partnered with imagine1day, Gobele -- a remote village of 2,000 that doesn't show up on maps -- had a one-room stick schoolhouse with 159 boys and only 60 girls. With no desks and no chairs, the students huddled on dirt floors, using their laps to take notes with penmanship that would make Western educators cringe.

When we attended the inauguration of the new Gobele Sharyn Primary School in October 2014, it boasted an administrative office, classrooms, a playground, and latrines. The latter is key to ensuring the continued education of young girls. Most rural schools in Ethiopia do not have latrines, which means that girls' education often ceases with the onset of menstruation.

The 450-student school we came to think of as ours reached capacity shortly following its inauguration. So, in 2015, we focused our efforts on fundraising for an expansion. Enter another fiery, independent woman -- the late Jalynn Bennett. The mother of our dear friend Sam, Jalynn was a powerhouse Canadian businesswoman, a breaker of glass ceilings, a passionate philanthropist, and something of a teacher herself. During his leadership run for the federal Progressive Conservative Party in 1983, she gave David Crombie tutorials on finance and the economy. He described her as a teacher who "wore her intellect and quality lightly and with grace. Her style was to engage you and listen to what you had to say."

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When Jalynn passed away suddenly in January 2015 at 71, she passed the torch of her philanthropic endeavours to her three children. Sam generously donated half of the funds we needed to increase the capacity of Gobele Sharyn Primary School from 450 to 700 students. Of course, our school needed more than bricks and mortar. We learned that school supplies are often in short supply in Gobele.

Enter Sophia Scott, daughter of our tribe sister Hope, my husband Gabe's goddaughter, and the granddaughter of Sharyn's heart. Sophia was inspired by her mother's photos of our last journey to Ethiopia, and Hope decided it was something seven-year-old Sophia should experience for herself. Sophia wanted to do her part to support our school, so she sold fresh lemonade and organic dog biscuits that she'd baked herself with love. A rare spirit with a big heart and a winning smile, few could resist Sophia's magnetic pull. She raised more than $350 and proudly lugged her hard-earned school supplies with her all the way to Ethiopia from Toronto.

When she shyly presented the elders of the community with the supplies, they marvelled at her moxie, her ingenuity, and her drive to give those who have less the same opportunities to learn that she enjoys. Touched and inspired, they bestowed upon her an Ethiopian name -- Gomachieftu, "the happy one."

In two short years, so much has changed for girls and women in the small village of Gobele. Girls enrolment has increased from 60 to 182, closing the gender gap (boys enrolment sits at 302). 101 adult students attend literacy classes, 91 of them women. The community has shown a significant attitudinal change towards the value of education, and the adults are now encouraging their children to attend school. Gobele has also become a hotbed for women's rights, with signs around the grounds boldly making the community's stance on several issues known.

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With Gabe and Sam as the lone males of our small travel tribe of eight, the females among us - myself, Hope, Sophia, Sam's wife Jennifer, and Gabe's cousins Kristine and Gillian - felt something that our two feminist men could only sense. It was the unspoken pull of sisterhood, a rumbling from deep within the core of Mother Earth herself. That low hum of power coursed within and between us. It made me want to roar. It made me, in the words of Walt Whitman, want to "sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world."

Our benefactors, Sharyn and Jalynn, would be proud of the work that's been done in their names in Gobele. We, their hands on the ground, were proud to have known and loved these two fierce women who have blazed a trail all the way to Ethiopia so more women can light their candles in their fire.

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All photos by Kristine Cofsky Photography

This post originally appeared on https://misadventurista.wordpress.com

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altrendo images via Getty Images Empty stage with spotlight

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

When we heard about Wexford Collegiate School in Scarborough receiving a cease-and-desist letter for their unlicensed production of Hamilton, we got to wondering. First, about heartless intellectual property lawyers. Second: why would a group of Canadian students risk a takedown notice to perform an American history musical?

What about Canada's own history?

Don't get us wrong -- we dig Hamilton.The hip-hop musical recounts the American Revolutionary War with a diverse cast playing America's founding fathers as they deliver rapid-fire verses about politics, love, war and social justice. The show won a Grammy and eleven Tony awards this year, and is constantly sold out (unless you're willing to sell a kidney to pay for resale tickets). Craig found this out during an unsuccessful attempt to secure seats on his last trip to New York.

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We also discovered that kids can't get enough of Hamilton. They connect with the language of rap and hip-hop. They see themselves in the diverse cast. A new generation is finding themselves hooked on American history that also reflects the present.

Canada may have beaten America to the stage in releasing a smash-hit history musical. Billy Bishop Goes to War, released in 1978, recounts the life of World War I pilot Billy Bishop, and is one of Canada's most widely-produced pieces of theatre.

But there are a few elements in Hamilton that Billy Bishop is missing.

"Hamilton goes beyond American history," says Albert Shulz, creative director of Toronto-based theatre company Soulpepper. "It's a cultural revolution of new voices on the Broadway stage, which has been so dominated by mainstream white culture."

Shulz, like many Canadians, wants to see diversity on the Canadian stage and screen. Soulpepper just helped CBC launch Kim's Convenience, the first Canadian sitcom led by Asian actors. The show, which premiered October 11, is based on a play Soulpepper first ran in 2012.

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"We have to make sure that the faces on our stage represent the faces in our community," says Shulz.

Diversity could be the key to helping more Canadians see themselves in their own history.

Maybe it's time we took a page from the Hamilton playbill and tried retelling our stories in a way that represents our country today, with new casts, and music that resonates with young people. These are our future leaders, and they have the most to learn from our past.

The next big musical might come from an Aboriginal artist, portraying the resurgence of Aboriginal culture in the aftermath of residential schools, suggests Shulz.

Canada has so many stories worth telling. Imagine a hip-hop remix of the coded gospel songs used to plan escapes and share directions on the Underground Railroad to Canada. Or a memoir musical

(memoirsical?) about Nellie McClung and the Famous Five updated with Adele-style power ballads about the rights -- and voices -- of women.

Imagine an actor belting this out to the tune of "Rolling in the Deep."

Stoke the embers burning in this land

Rise up like wildfire, in all daughters command

Finally we see what must be done

No more waiting, the revolution's come

We probably shouldn't be the ones to write it, but you get the idea.

And let's not be afraid to show the darker moments in our history. The racism endured by former slaves in Canada. The internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. The exploitation of Indigenous Canadians.

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Gord Downie's haunting new multimedia project, Secret Path, about the death of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack during his escape from a residential school could inspire other adaptations. They would help keep Wenjack's legacy alive. Downie performed a song from Secret Path at WE Day, one of the most moving moments we've had on the stage.

This is our history, and it's our duty to learn from and re-tell it. Let's re-imagine these narratives to show all the diversity and creativity of Canada today. Because these stories belong to all of us, and every one of us has a part in telling them.
Escape from court: Police officers did not perform their duties properly

As a result of investigative and judicial actions carried out during the preliminary investigation of a criminal case investigated in RA Special Investigation Service it was grounded that RA Police officers Armen Khachatryan and Sargis Vardanyan didnt properly performed their service duties and consequently the person under arrest managed to escape from the court hall. In particular, during the preliminary investigation of a criminal case investigated concerning official negligence by the police officers of RA Police carrying out a special state service it was grounded that Spartak Danielyan, the defendant on the criminal case examined in general jurisdiction court of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts, was under arrest in Nubarashen penitentiary of RA Ministry of Justice and on 5 April 2016 at about 17:30 after the another court trial, when RA Police officers A. Khachatryan and S. Vardanyan, without the allowance of the head, left the cell provided to keep the detainees and deviated the execution of service, thus S. Danielyan opened the closed door of the cell and without any obstacles left the cell provided for convicts and detainees and left from the back door of the courts administrative building through jumping over the enclosure, thus escaped and have illegally stayed in freedom for 24 days. As a result of operative-reconnaissance measures performed by the officers of general department of criminal reconnaissance of RA police, S. Danielyan, accused of having committed a grave crime, was founded on 29 April 2016 and arrested. A charge was brought against officers of RA Police Armen Khachatryan and Sargis Vardanyan under part 1 of Article 315 of RA Criminal Code. The preliminary investigation of a criminal case is over in RA Special Investigation Service. The case coupled with the indictment was submitted to the prosecutor conducting judicial control to confirm and send it to court.
John Moore via Getty Images EGG HARBOR, NJ - AUGUST 28: Low-income residents select fresh bread and produce at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey on August 28, 2015 in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. The food bank has seen an 11 percent increase in food distribution in Atlantic County since four of Atlantic City's major casinos closed in 2014, laying of 8,000 people. The closures brought Atlantic City's unemployment rate to more than 11 percent, double the national average. The mass unemployment has produced the highest foreclosure rate of any metropolitan U.S. area, with 1 out of 113 homes now in foreclosure in Atlantic County. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

People often talk or read about the poor without having a clear picture of them in mind. Who are they? Is the stereotype of a chronically homeless and jobless person correct? As the U.S. Bureau reports, 5.1 million American families are poor despite having at least one member working.

Things are not improving and having a more concrete idea and a clear definition of who is poor can help us understand our society and politics better. The opposing campaign strategies of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in approaching the poor and tackling poverty give us a deeper insight to their agenda.

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The most common way to define the poor is by measuring income poverty. Even though this method is problematic, since it excludes non-economic factors such as medical and living conditions, it is the most straightforward. The Census Bureau determines who is poor through official poverty estimates that use a set of dollar-value thresholds, or minimum income needed to meet basic needs. The official poverty line for 2015 is $12,082 for a single person and $24,257 for a household of four, which brings 43.1 million Americans below poverty line.

If you add their families, the working poor become a large percentage of the electorate -- and they are up for grabs in this election.

So, in contrast to the stereotype, many of the poor actually work but make less than $1,000 per month. The working poor may be involved in precarious and low-wage work, or forced to remain part-time. That puts them in a distinct category of workers -- the outsiders.

According to the insider-outsider theory of employment, workers are divided into insiders and outsiders, two groups with often opposing interests. Insiders are those who have a secure job and enjoy work benefits -- union members are the best example. Outsiders are those who work in precarious jobs and often need welfare protection while temporarily unemployed or earning below the poverty line.

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If you add their families, the working poor become a large percentage of the electorate -- and they are up for grabs in this election. The candidates have adopted different approaches: Clinton has a pro-poor plan, even though she has mostly focused her campaign on the insiders, while Trump, who has proposed largely pro-business policies, has tailored his rhetoric to attract a certain segment of outsiders.

During the second presidential debate, Trump quoted Bernie Sanders a few times. One reason could be that Sanders was particularly focused on the poor and Trump has been trying to appeal to these voters. Trump has repeatedly said that "poverty is beyond belief" and, in an (largely unsuccessful and misguided) attempt to gain support from minorities such as the black community, Trump often brings up the lack of opportunity in inner cities and unemployment rates.

His performance in the primaries shows that appealing to the poor actually made a difference: Trump succeeded in counties with unemployment rates higher than the national average of five per cent. Specifically, an analysis of county-level primary voting data shows that Trump won about three-fourths of 1,400 counties with higher-than-average unemployment rates.

In his plan to revive the economy, Trump suggests that "reform policies with a pro-growth tax plan" will boost the economy. Despite his anti-establishment rhetoric, his plan would mostly benefit employers, not the employees. His vague claims that the repatriation of American companies will help the poor are non-pragmatic and misleading, as trickle-down economics have proven to be dysfunctional.

Clinton, on the other hand, has proposed a targeted anti-poverty agenda in her plan for helping America's poor. Her strategy, based on Congressman Clyburn's 10-20-30 plan, directs 10 per cent of federal investments to communities where 20 per cent of the population has been living below the poverty line for 30 years.

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In terms of campaign strategy, however, Clinton has mostly focused on one of the traditional Democratic supporters -- the insiders. She has promised to be the "partner in the White House" for the National Education Association, one of the largest American unions. She has told Americans that "When unions are strong, America is strong."

So Clinton got a lot of the insiders, who are her expected base, and is planning to help the outsider poor by promising targeted investments within an anti-poverty agenda. Trump, through focusing on the disenfranchised, has managed the unexpected -- to expand the Republican base to the poor. Clinton could take some of the outsiders back by better explaining her anti-poverty plan and more explicitly exposing Trump's pro-business agenda. The next president needs to have a specific and targeted plan for the poor because, remember, these are not just voters.

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Lane Oatey / Blue Jean Images via Getty Images Beijing,China

Global business travel has grown dramatically at the same time technology has advanced in the last decade.

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) predicts U.S. business travel will rise in 2016 by 2.1 percent to 508.6 million trips along with spending increasing 1.9 percent to to $295.7 billion.

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Corporate security and travel professionals are expected to continuously learn, adapt to new technologies and find best practices that safeguard the security and privacy of employee travellers.

The following four best practices can will help a company protect their travelling personnel from security and privacy breaches.

Companies can follow five best practices to effectively keep monitor, assist and protect personnel and their data while travelling.

1. Train Employees to be Tech Savvy

The best line of defence for a company is a tech-savvy and security conscious employee. Educating employees on how to use communications apps like Skype, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and other custom apps is essential.

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On April 8, 2008, UC Berkeley graduate student, James Karl Buck and his translator were arrested by local police while taking photos of a noisy demonstration in Mahalla El-Kobra, Egypt. On his way to the police station, Buck, who had been using Twitter for one week, sent a message on the micro-blogging platform. His message had one one word: "Arrested."

Buck's Twitter followers were mostly friends and called UC Berkeley, the U.S. Embassy in Egypt and the media. Buck continued to send updates every few hours that he was being detained. Bloggers at UC-Berkeley wrote regular updates and continued to spread the word.

Buck, in an interview with TechNewsWorld explained his reasons for using Twitter:

"The most important thing on my mind was to let someone know where we were so that there would be some record of it ... so we couldn't [disappear]. As long as someone knew where we were, I felt like they couldn't do their worst [to us] because someone, at some point, would be checking in on them."

Rob Gunnison, director of school affairs at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism contacted the university's risk management office. They contacted the university president, which then contacted the university's insurance carrier. The insurance firm had relationships with attorneys around the world. They contacted a lawyer and interpreter in Egypt. Within 24 hours, a security firm escorted Buck to the airport to board a plane to the US.

2. Track travelling employees and assist in times of need

Advances in technology allow companies to accurately track travelling employees' locations with management tools, smartphone apps and GPS-enabled tracking beacons. In a travel emergency, security and travel professionals need to be able to quickly locate and assist an employee. Responses must be appropriate to incident, whether a natural disaster, a terrorist event or smaller events like an auto accident or an injury.

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Travelling employees in an emergency or crisis need be able to receive help from a security or travel professional immediately, with an effective travel risk management program in place. For instance, an employee must be setup to receive current country briefs, real-time alerts and be registered on communications platforms that have been tested before departure.

3. Disable third-party tracking apps

Employees need guidance from security and travel personnel about which GPS tracking apps to enable and disable.

Today, the ability to track a person's location can be found in everything from handheld and mobile devices to automobiles to laptops and to household gadgets.

Travellers renting newer cars, often use Bluetooth features like voice activated commands for GPS about directions, where to eat and hands-free calls. While these features are convenience, there are privacy and security concerns.

For example, when a traveller connects and syncs to a rental car's Bluetooth, the car is able to store phone numbers and call logs. The consequence is that the call history and logs are available to the next customer using the vehicle. The options to increase a traveller's privacy is to disable bluetooth or delete all their user data and user history after using the Bluetooth syncing feature. Most travellers either don't know how to perform these tasks or are in a rush after returning the rental car. Take a few extra minutes and ask staff for assistance to delete your history.

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4. Take precautions using public WiFi

Most airports, cafes, restaurants and bars offer free public WiFi, which has many risks for travellers. Hackers know travellers are more careless with exposing phones and tablets, compared to laptops.

According to Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate at Norton by Symantec, there are two main risks when using free Wifi. The first is when someone monitors your online activity via the network while you are logged in and the second is to trick you into using a free fake public Wifi signal that mimics a legitimate establishment. The hacker may be able to view your passwords, emails, social networks, bank accounts and documents. To keep your data safe, it is recommended you follow one or more of these tips.

Turn WiFi off when not using it

Ask an employee for the legitimate WiFi network

Avoid websites that require you to enter user and password information on public WiFi

Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). By purchasing VPN software, you can your own private network on a phone, tablet and computer.

Use SSL Connections to encrypt transmitted data. You can do this by enabling the "Always use HTTPS" option on websites that require a username and password

Use online security software, which offers anti-phishing technology, Wi-Fi security alerts, webcam protection, secure shopping and banking and malware detection.

Uncertainty is the norm today, due to geopolitical events and natural disasters. Security and privacy concerns of business travellers will remain a top priority for companies. For companies to be ahead of the curve, a well informed employee on best practices to maximize security and privacy is their best defence.

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Topher Seguin / Reuters A crew member mops the inside of a grocery store after clearing all the expired food off the shelves as thousands of evacuees who fled a massive wildfire begin to trickle back to their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada June 2, 2016. REUTERS/Topher Seguin

Ellen Thrasher from the U.S. Small Business Administration said it best: "A small business is part of the heartbeat of the larger community." That heartbeat becomes thunderous when a community is faced with crisis.

During Small Business Week, it seems an appropriate time to praise small businesses across the country and to share lessons learned from a community's experience as we recover from the largest insured disaster in Canadian history.

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Small businesses create jobs, employ our friends and neighbours and provide the services and supports that help us through our daily lives. The impact of these businesses at the local level is profound.

I know this to be true right at home in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in northeast Alberta. Our 10 communities -- including Fort McMurray -- have a long history of entrepreneurship and innovation dating back to the fur trade in the late 1700s. Not long after the Hudson Bay Company established Fort McMurray as a fur trading post in 1870, word began to spread about the potential oil reserves that might exist in the region, which led to a few attempts to make the oilsands commercially viable. It wasn't until the late 1960s that oilsands development would truly begin.

Along with development came the small businesses that really gave us life -- the drug store, a print shop, restaurants, grocery and clothing stores, maintenance companies, builders, and the trades, to name a few. Over time we grew from a small town of 2,000 to a major Alberta city of nearly 90,000 -- and a national economic force. Along the way small business ensured our major industries were supported and that the goods and services our community needed to thrive were available.

While the oilsands has a major economic impact in the region, it's our local businesses that truly make it home.

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And it was small businesses that didn't miss a beat in our emergency response supply chain from the moment we evacuated on May 3 -- addressing critical needs such as food and fuel to shelter and debris removal. This continues to this day in our ongoing recovery efforts.

Still, we are ever mindful that local businesses need support from our citizens to ensure their stability and longevity. In Wood Buffalo, we have always taken pride in our resiliency, which partly comes from our cyclical economic history.

Our small business story is one of many across the country.

When the price of oil dropped last year to lows not seen in 20 years, the impact was felt throughout the region. Businesses scaled back, jobs were lost and people had a hard time getting by. And when wildfires tore through the region in May, our small business community took another major hit. The fire forced the evacuation of our 90,000 residents and destroyed more than 2,400 homes and buildings. It would be weeks before many businesses could assess the damage and losses to their operations after being forced to leave.

There are 3,900 small businesses operating in Wood Buffalo and 97 per cent of them said the fire affected their businesses.* Many are dealing with employees who didn't return to Fort McMurray because they lost homes, and in some cases the business owners lost their homes too.

Partners such as the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Red Cross and the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce -- just to name a few -- however recognize the value of small business to a community's heartbeat and have been instrumental in helping sustain them.

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To that end, we have also created a Business and Economic Recovery Plan to accelerate business and economic recovery in the region.

Our small business story is one of many across the country. This Small Business Week, whether you find yourself in Gander, Newfoundland or in a suburb of Toronto, consider how the small businesses in your community contribute to make it home.

More importantly, from buying your coffee to booking a local contractor, let the thunderous heartbeat of the small business community in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo resonate with you every day of the year.

*According to the 2016 Business Hotline Survey conducted by Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo's Business Recovery Hotline

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Stepan Popov via Getty Images Young boy holds ADHD text written on sheet of paper. ADHD is Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Close up.

Long wait times for therapy for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are leaving many parents, including myself, wondering about the effectiveness of Ontario's current strategy.

"We're seeing some successes in some jurisdictions," says Minister of Child and Youth Services, Michael Coteau. "If you're telling me that your daughter has been waiting for a year, to me, that's too long."

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Science has shown therapy to be crucial in the treatment of ADHD. In some cases, therapy has been shown to reduce medication and get rid of it altogether. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends preschool aged children (4-5 years) try therapy first before medication. But due to long wait lists, children with ADHD aren't able to access therapy quick enough in Ontario.

While the Moving on Mental Health initiative in Ontario began with the intention of lowering wait times for therapy for children with mental health conditions, four years on, children with ADHD are still waiting months and in many cases, years for therapy.

Children like Lauren Sydney's son who waited a whopping five years to receive occupational therapy.

"It took until grade three to get assessed," says Lauren. "He finally got it halfway through grade five."

Children like Barb McCarthy's son, who waited two years for an assessment before being put back on another waiting list for therapy.

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"There were a lot of challenges during that time," says Barb. "There were constant ongoing delays at school for assessments and access to services."

Children, like my daughter, first diagnosed at age five. Right off the bat, we were given three types of medication to try and were never told about therapy until I inquired. She's now seven and still on a waiting list to see a therapist.

As part of Moving on Mental Health, lead agencies were identified across 33 service areas in Ontario to help reduce wait times for therapy.

One of those lead agencies is New Path Youth and Family Counselling Services of Simcoe County, where my daughter is currently on a wait list.

"There are a limited number of child and adolescent psychiatrists in Barrie and Simcoe County," New Path Manager, Lisa Hickling Miller explains. "Our intake department is always busy."

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Last year, New Path completed over 1200 intake interviews for new clients.

Theories as to why wait lists continue to grow include the increasing demand on the system as more children are diagnosed with a mental health condition in combination with a shortage of psychiatrists in Ontario.

"People are able to obtain non-medical services without a waiting list," says Doron Almagor, chair of the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance, "but need to pay unless they have a good private insurance plan for psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists or the others that provide these services."

Frustrated with waiting, parents with the means take matters into their own hands.

Amanda Osmond of Barrie pays $160 weekly for therapy from a psychologist for her seven year old son with ADHD.

"Our pediatrician has been zero help besides providing meds so we decided to see a behavioral psychologist and pay out of pocket," says Amanda. "It would be wonderful if it was covered."

A psychologist can be around $200 an hour. Private clinics have programs sometimes, but they can charge $600+ per person.

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"It's a two-tiered system," says Heidi Bernhardt, director of CADDAC. "You can often get in to see a psychologist very quickly, but the cost is out of pocket."

To help parents navigate the system and learn more about ADHD, CADDAC offers a two-day program called the Parental Readiness Education Program (ADHD PREP) that examines treatment options, parenting strategies and advocacy skills.

"I developed it because of the great needs and lack of resources," says Heidi. "Physicians don't have time to do this or may not have the training to do this."

Dr. Sylvain Roy, a neuropsychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is hoping to increase access to psychologists in primary care settings to help with the long waitlists.

"We were told by the ministry of health that adding psychologists under OHIP would never happen," says Dr. Roy. "Psychologists and neuropsychologists routinely diagnose and provide psychotherapeutic services including cognitive rehabilitation to those with ADHD. Very few of us work in family health teams or community health centres which would be most effective."

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I don't pretend to know the best way to reduce wait times in Ontario and I appreciate the effort being put forth, but being a parent of a child with ADHD and speaking with other parents like me currently navigating the system, I think what might help would be allowing psychologists to start delivering much-needed therapy, since it's already being done privately.

If assessments, diagnoses and therapy administered by a private psychologist is accepted by school boards, why can't it be covered under OHIP?

"I don't know what the actual answer is," says Minister Coteau. "I know that we still have a lot more work to do."
BSIP/UIG via Getty Images Cervical Cancer Vaccine

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Written by Dr. Sharon Domb, a family physician and member of Sunnybrook's Academic Family Health Team.

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Question: My son is in Grade 7 (in Ontario) and I learned the HPV vaccine program starts in this year and boys can get it now too. Why do pre-teens get this vaccine? (Isn't it something to do with sex?)

Answer: To answer this question, I'll need to give you a bit of quick background.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses in North America. There are about 100 strains of the virus, and several high-risk strains are known to cause cervical cancer and other gynaecological cancers in women as well as other types of cancers that affect men and women (like oral and anal cancer).

Most people can clear the virus from their system, and actually don't even have any symptoms. Some strains cause warts on the genital, vaginal or anal areas (or very rarely in the mouth) a few weeks or months after infection. The warts aren't cancer.

But, some types of HPV can cause cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer in women, penis cancer in men (rare), or anal / mouth cancer in both men and women. Each year in Ontario, there are 1,090 new cases of cancer and 14,666 new cases of genital warts attributable to HPV.

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Yes, HPV is a sexually transmitted disease -- but we don't give pre-teens the vaccination because we think they are sexually active. In fact, the vaccine is most effective if you haven't already been exposed to the virus and that's why Ontario's program works with students in Grade 7. Evidence actually shows that most pre-teens aren't yet sexually active.

Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends vaccination in Grade 7 or 8 because receiving the vaccine at this age (12 going on 13, typically) maximizes the benefits of the vaccine. Studies also show the HPV vaccine produces a higher immune response in pre-teens than it does in older teens and young women.

Since 2007, girls in Grade 8 in Ontario have been offered the HPV vaccine for free. The HPV consists of two doses, given six months apart, through schools now to Grade 7 students. Three doses are required if first dose is on or after their 14th birthday.

You are correct in that the vaccine is now offered to boys as well. This change occurred in April 2016. The vaccine helps prevent boys from getting HPV, which can lead to cancer of the penis, throat and mouth, and also helps prevent them from spreading the virus to their sexual partners.

Again -- this is not because we think your seventh grader is having sex. This helps prevent him from getting the virus and spreading the virus when he does become sexually active, whatever age he may be at that time.

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The HPV vaccine covers many, but not all, strains of HPV. The vaccine currently provided by Public Health covers four major strains (responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer). A newer vaccine, not currently provided by Public Health, covers nine strains (responsible for about 90% of cervical cancer).

Both vaccines prevent about 90% of genital warts. Speak to your physician to find out more information about the newer vaccine, which can be obtained through your physician's office; however, you will need a prescription, and the cost is approximately $175 per dose.

Even after getting the vaccine, it's important to take measures to practice safe sex. Speak to your pre-teen or teen about this. Male condoms worn properly during sex can help prevent spread of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. Vaccinated women should get screened for cervical cancer through regular PAP tests after age 21.

If you need more information on HPV or the vaccine, here are some great resources: Toronto Public Health and Health Canada.

Or make an appointment with your son's family doctor to discuss the vaccine. While the vaccine is offered through the school-based system through Public Health Units in Ontario - this varies by province - you can also speak to your doctor or a Public Health nurse at a clinic near you wherever you live.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS From left, Lisa Peng, holding a photo of her father Peng Ming, Grace Ge Geng, holding photo of her father Gao Zhisheng, Ti-Anna Wang, holding photo of her father Wang Bingzhang, Bridgette Chen holding photo of her father Liu Xianbing, and Danielle Wang, holding photo of her father Wang Zhiwen, are introduced prior to testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled,

Having lived through the Chinese Communist Party's Cultural Revolution and other political campaigns and purges, my father became smitten by the values of democracy he experienced in Canada as a PhD student. He gave up his medical career and instead devoted his life to what he believed were basic freedoms long overdue to the Chinese people. Exiled from his homeland, he spent 20 years travelling the world and working towards the democratic transformation of his China.

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In 2002, while in Vietnam, my father was abducted into China and arrested by Chinese police. Six months later, he had a sham trial, found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison. Today, he continues to serve his sentence in solitary confinement, where his despair and isolation have sent both his physical and mental health into devastating decline.

In a country without meaningful rule of law, my family has no means appeal my father's conviction, despite having secured exonerating evidence for the charges against him. The lawyers we've retained on his behalf are routinely intimidated by authorities, obstructed from visiting him and threatened with disbarment. Because of my outspokenness, the Chinese government repeatedly refuses my visa applications. Consequently I have been unable to visit him for the past seven years.

My campaign started as a fairly lonely venture. But recently, I have been joined by an increasing number of other young women whose fathers are also imprisoned in China: political refugees who only recently settled in North America. Together, we support each other's efforts to reunite our families.

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Unlike our fathers, who went into their activism willingly, our burdens are largely inherited and not of our own choosing.

Bridgette, fled China three years ago to seek asylum in the United States. Her father, Liu Xianbin, has been in and out of prison for most of Bridgette's life, for writing about social injustice. Grace's dad, Gao Zhisheng, is a renowned human rights lawyer who was severely tortured during years of arbitrary detention. And Angela's father, Gui Minhai, a Hong Kong-based bookseller, disappeared a year ago and is suspected to be in Chinese custody for selling politically-sensitive books.

Despite our collective efforts, the past few years have been marked largely by a sense of defeat. My father remains in solitary confinement. Grace's dad, though released, is in dire health and the true state of his freedom remains ambiguous. Meanwhile, the human rights situation in China worsens, as the government continues to escalate the crackdown on outspoken democracy activists and human rights defenders. Our little group of second generation "dissident daughters" is growing, with more activists are being thrown into prison with each passing week.

They often wonder what is the purpose of organizing the endless and seemingly fruitless press conferences, interviews and meetings? What do we have to show for our years of work? Frustrated with the futility of their campaigns, it is easy for my sisters in arms to be overcome with fatigue, and wonder if their efforts to raise awareness for their fathers' cases were ultimately in vain.

Unlike our fathers, who went into their activism willingly, our burdens are largely inherited and not of our own choosing. Yet, somewhat ironically, our efforts in trying to win our fathers' freedom has given us firsthand experience to the anti-democratic, anti-human-rights practices they fought against and has thus instilled in all of us a genuine conviction that China must change. But we often lack our fathers' courage and brazenness and, as young women just trying to make our way in the world, find it difficult to share their all-consuming commitment to political reform. And so, despite our constant campaigning, our fathers continue to languish in prison, causing us to doubt our work.

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But I know it is a privilege to be given this mission, to take part in such a noble cause. Honouring our fathers' sacrifices doesn't mean we must all become extraordinary democracy and human rights activists ourselves. But it gives us a chance to stand on the right side of history, and to make our own small contribution to human progress. By speaking out for them, we are made better, our lives are made richer, and our perspectives are broadened. And for that we can be thankful.

Second, I remind myself is that we are not alone. Confronting the ever more powerful Chinese government can feel isolating and lonely. But seeing students in Hong Kong, persevering in their struggle for the right to choose their own leaders and our friends from Tibet working patiently and against tremendous odds to win a measure of freedom, we remember that our fathers' imprisonment is part of a much larger struggle for basic rights. And given that these allies are often facing challenges considerably more daunting than our own, we need only look to them for wisdom, inspiration, and support.

Finally, I take comfort in the fact that history tells us that no sacrifice for just causes is wasted and that progress is a cumulative effort. So while not all of our endeavors will have dramatic results, I believe they all move us in the right direction -- perhaps only slightly, perhaps even imperceptibly. But the important thing is that we keep moving. At the very least, every day that we choose to fight on, instead of giving up, contributes to keeping hope alive.

Part of our jobs as daughters of Chinese political prisoners, then -- the most important part -- is to stoke these embers of hope, by telling and retelling our fathers' stories, which are gradually becoming our own.

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There once was a time when eco-friendly companies were hard to come by, but thankfully, we've seen an increase in ethical clothing options that are beneficial to the environment and the workers who make them! Here are 11 brands making waves in the realm of high-end, ethical fashion, that prove you don't have to compromise your morals for your love of style.

A photo posted by Apolis (@apolis) on Oct 5, 2016 at 5:41pm PDT

Established in 2004 by brothers Raan and Shea Parton, Apolis believes in inspiring social change while empowering communities, which really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise since the name itself translates to "Global Citizen." Their approach to worldwide change starts with the people, where local manufacturing of their goods and safe practice are of the highest priorities.

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A photo posted by Zady (@zady) on Oct 3, 2016 at 8:59am PDT

In the three short years they've been active, Zady has made a name for itself as the "Whole Foods" of fashion. Design duo, Soraya Darabi and Maxine Bedat started Zady out of New York with a shared desire to inspire change within the fashion industry. Zady is all about supply chain transparency, showcasing its emphasis on ethical consumerism. By working directly with the workers at the helm of each production stage -- farmers, sewers and all those in between -- Zady is able to ensure the highest quality and care of each garment. They are constantly looking to improve each stage of the supply chain from pesticide use and dye composition, to energy efficiency.

A photo posted by agjeans (@agjeans) on Sep 2, 2016 at 8:07am PDT

AG Jeans believe social responsibility is important at all levels. They enforce ethical labour and aim to reduce their environmental impact, without compromising the quality of their clothing. In order to maintain complete control over the production process, AG Jeans built their own vertically integrated facilities -- and know their product from the ground up! As for reducing their carbon footprint, they prioritize water consumption and utilize Ozone Technology, which reduces their water consumption by half, saving millions of gallons of water. They also use eco-friendly materials and reuse excess scraps from their garments to keep waste to a minimum. The company provides their supply chain employees and management staff with training on human trafficking and slavery, which ensures they're equipped with the knowledge to ethically source their materials.

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A photo posted by Nau Clothing (@nauclothing) on Oct 15, 2016 at 9:32am PDT

Nau takes a modern approach to design while seeking to leave minimal imprints on the environment. Founded in 2007, Nau partners with organizations they believe fit the same ideals, taking careful consideration into how they source and develop their line and, in doing so, have created partnerships all over the globe, including Canada, China, Thailand, Turkey and more. While Nau recognizes that every part of the production is vitally important for creating a cleaner Earth, they also believe that sustainable means more than just creating a product that lasts; it's about the people making and wearing them, too. Nau donates 2 per cent of its sales to partners worldwide bringing environmental and economic change to communities, as well as improving human health. Some of their partners include The Conservation Alliance, Ecotrust and MercyCorps.



A photo posted by MATT & NAT (@matt_and_nat) on Oct 14, 2016 at 9:10am PDT

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Matt & Nat is a Montreal-based brand inspired by nature. This vegan-friendly line does not use leather or any other animal-based materials, and they only work with factories that qualify for the SA800 standard certification, which is the social standard for decent workplaces set by Social Accountability International. In 2007, Matt & Nat switched to using only linens made from 100 per cent recyclable plastic, and they are always experimenting with other green materials in an effort to improve and innovate.

A photo posted by Osborn Shoes (@osborn_studio) on Oct 5, 2016 at 10:23am PDT

This Brooklyn-based shoe company is the brainchild of artists, Carla Venticinque-Osborn and Aaron Osborn. Artisan inspired, Osborn Shoes began as a community development project in 2009. Their humble beginnings started in Guatemala with only one cobbler and two sewers, but quickly grew to boast 30 employees composing custom weaves designed by expert weavers. Their closely-monitored production line sources American thrift stores and eco-Latin American materials to create their unique shoes, while empowering the communities in which they're manufactured, by ensuring each pair is made with fair-trade standards in mind. Osborn Shoes regularly strives to be leading innovators in their field by designing small batches each year to steadily grow their collection, without compromising their ethics.

A photo posted by Spratters & Jayne (@sprattersandjayne) on Jul 28, 2016 at 5:17pm PDT

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Spratters & Jayne is a New York-based knit accessories line for men and women. Founded in 2009, this human rights-focused brand creates hand crafted scarves, hats, gloves and more out of wool, alpaca and acrylic blends. Spratters & Jayne is committed to supporting the rights of women, encouraging education and reducing energy consumption and waste, both in the U.S. and abroad. Founder Rachel Warner is driven by her desire to instill positive change in the world, all while designing beautiful and ethically-sourced pieces.

A photo posted by East Fourth Street (@east_fourth_street) on Apr 10, 2016 at 9:34am PDT

This eco-jewelry collection is the brainchild of Susan Crow, a woman with a passion for sustainable jewels for the conscientious person. East Fourth Street sources Fairmined gold and silver as licensed by the Alliance For Responsible Mining, and creates all of her products in a modest, environmentally-friendly Minnesota studio. The company hopes to help advance the importance of the global impacts of mining, as well as the production in the jewelry industry as a whole. Crowis a recognized leader in sustainable design and is currently a member of the Ethical Fashion Forum, The Fellowship 500, Ethical Metalsmiths and Fair Action Jewelry.

A photo posted by behno (@behno_official) on Oct 7, 2016 at 7:56am PDT

Behno calls itself an advanced contemporary womenswear line that is designed in New York City, but manufactured exclusively in India. Behno aims to bring awareness to the craft and character of "made in India," and sets a new standard for Indian factory manufacturing that improves the quality of life and safety of women working in the trade. It has partnered with Muni Seva Ashram (MSA), a veteran in the nonprofit industry, and together, they built an ethical garment factory called, MSA Ethos. With this new partnership, Behno is able to implement the Behno standard, which encompasses health, garment worker mobility, family planning, women's rights, worker satisfaction and benefits, and eco-consciousness.

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A video posted by Stella McCartney (@stellamccartney) on Oct 5, 2016 at 7:12am PDT

Stella McCartney will be the first woman to tell you she designs her clothes to be sustainable and eco-friendly, as the last thing she wants is for any of her garments to end up in a landfill polluting our earth. A vegetarian since the age of four, McCartney grew up on an organic farm, and as a result of her upbringing, does not use any leather or fur in her collections. To take things a step further, all of McCartney's U.K. offices, stores and studios are powered by wind energy, and 45 per cent of her stores abroad use 100 per cent renewable energy. McCartney is wholly transparent about her business practices, and between her clothing line and work with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), she aims to change perceptions of eco-fashion, while creating a greener earth.

A photo posted by EDUN (@edun) on Sep 23, 2016 at 2:55pm PDT

Edun is a fashion brand based in New York City that was founded in 2005 by Ali Hewson and her husband (you may have heard of him, U2's Bono). Edun began as a company designed not only to create sustainable fashion showcasing the artisan works of the people of Africa, but also to promote trade within the continent. All of Edun's production happens in the continent. In 2009, Edun partnered with the Invisible Children Society to form Conservation Cotton Initiative Uganda (CCIO), which aims to support the thousands of farmers that were displaced by the civil war in Uganda.
The five things you need to know on Friday, October 21

1) BRUSSELS OUTS

This is Theresa Mays first ever EU summit as British PM. But its also the first summit when the reality of Brexit kicked home: we are now as truly marginal to proceedings as the 52% wanted us to be.

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With Russia (in Syria and Ukraine) top of their agenda, and worries about closing a cherished trade deal with Canada, EU leaders made sure Brexit and May looked like irritating afterthoughts at the working dinner. It wasnt until 1am that the PM made her five-minute speech (Brexit means Brexit is not hard to simultaneously translate into several different languages, though I paraphrase). No EU leader spoke in response. The tumbleweed rolled. At this working dinner, we werent so much the pudding or cheese course as the rotten post-prandial cigar with a nasty aftertaste.

Francois Hollande, who is fighting his own general election next year dont forget, warned yesterday that if Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit, then talks will be hard too. He may be showing a poor grasp of the English vernacular of hard/soft Brexit there, (surely he meant that if she wants to keep trade but dump free movement, shell find it difficult?). Angela Merkel was more on the money, warning of the pitfalls to the UK of cutting off its trade nose to spite its migration face: In practice, that will be a tough road.

German MEP Manfred Weber told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's not really normal that such a member who wants to leave a club like the EU also wants to decide the future of this club. That's really creating a lot of anger; the behaviour of the British government."

As for Brexit Secretary David Davis, its a good job he is a robust individual, given the criticism of him and his department overnight. Sir Brian Unwin, a former Treasury mandarin who helped deliver Thatchers famous EU rebate, says DD is living in cloud cuckloo land for thinking the negotiating odds were unbelievably, heavily stacked in our favour.

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Ex-Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis told BBC1s Question Time that Brexit terms were being decided behind closed doors by this Pythonesque department of exit, staffed by several people of very low IQ. To cap that, former EU Commissioner and Cameron helper Jonathan Hill just told Today that the choice was between 'stupid Brexit' and 'intelligent Brexit'. I'm not sure calling your opponents idiots is the right strategy. It didn't really work in the EU referendum.

It's her 100th day in office. Lets see if May has anything enlightening, stupid or intelligent to say at her first ever post-summit press conference later.

2) KICKING THE CAM DOWN THE ROAD

So, we have two new MPs this morning: Tory Robert Courts in Witney and Labours Tracy Brabin in Batley and Spen. Given the Labour seat was uncontested after the murder of Jo Cox, the real politics of last night were in David Camerons Oxfordshire seat.

And politics there were plenty. The Lib Dems, who piled everything into this by-election in a way that recalled their formidable operations of old (Romsey, Christchurch, Winchester), slashed the Conservative majority from 25,000 to 5,700. That 19.7% swing is the biggest Con-Lib switch since 1997. It echoes similarly ominous messages from council by-elections in recent months and its no wonder Tim Farron (who visted the seat five times) is delighted.

The Lib Dems say the vote was a verdict on hard Brexit, and given the seat voted 54% to Remain in the EU, you can see why. But claiming you know why the voters voted is perhaps as risky as claiming you know why exactly the public voted for Brexit itself.

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But Labours performance undermines the theory that Jeremy Corbyns undoubted revival of the party in the south in terms of membership will somehow translate into a revival at the ballot box. The party was pushed into third. And when you make by-elections (at Parliamentary and council level) a measure of your electoral health, as JC has done, thats not easy reading.

Cameron wont be too chuffed by the result, not least as his own local party failed to select as their candidate the woman who had worked closely with him for years. In fact, its not been a great week for the Cameron legacy in general. This week alone, his no ifs, no buts pledge on Heathrow looked dead. And other Cameron-era policies like no resits for Year Sevens and pension annuity freedoms were quietly dumped too.

3) CUMMINGS AND GOINGS

Early in his new role, Vote Leave director Dom Cummings said its essential task was to persuade voters Brexit would not be bad for the economy and living standards. That tack was changed dramatically - and very effectively - in the EU referendum campaign when his old boss Michael Gove in April put controlling our borders at the heart of the Leave message.

As former Cameron aide Daniel Korski revealed in his Politico piece yesterday, No.10 and the Remain camp couldnt counter the incoming about incomers - even though they could not find any hard evidence that EU migration was putting public services under strain. At one point we even asked the help of Andrew Green at MigrationWatchBut all he could provide was an article in the Daily Telegraph about a hospital maternity ward in Corby.

Of course, migration and how to curb freedom of movement is at the heart of the soft/hard Brexit debate right now. Which is perhaps why No.10 got in a pickle yesterday when asked about Philip Hammonds barbed remarks about perhaps getting students out of the net migration target. At first Downing Street said student migration would be very closely looked at, but by the afternoon this had change into a slapdown for the Chancellor: We are categorically not reviewing whether or not students are included.

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Over in France, as expected, centre-right Presidential favourite Alain Juppe has warned he wants to put the border controls back to Dover, not Calais after Brexit. Gary Lineker is facing online abuse for defending migrants. The Guardian and Indy report that 2,800 Britons applied for citizenship in 18 European countries in the first eight months of 2016 - a 250% rise on 2015. That purple passport is more useful than some think.

BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

Watch a Polish migrant say on Question Time that she has been discriminated against since Brexit - and get booed for saying it

4) SANDERSON SHELTER

Theres a long-established convention that we political hacks dont name special advisers, or individual Government or party spokespeople. But sometimes when the spinner becomes the story (Alastair Campbell, Tom Baldwin, Craig Oliver, Andy Coulson), its unavoidable. And today Liz Sanderson, who was Theresa Mays adviser at the Home Office, is in the spotlight after Labours Lisa Nandy tells the Sun the PM has to answer more questions about the child sex abuse inquiry chaos.

Nandy is urging Yvette Cooper, the new Home Affairs Committee chair, to summon May and Sanderson to give evidence on precisely what they knew and when about tensions between the panel and ex-chair Dame Lowell Goddard. Sanderson in particular should be grilled over reports in the Times that she was aware about serious failings not just weeks ago but months ago. John OBrien, the Secretary of the Inquiry, has questions to answer too.

No.10 is very protective of the PM, insisting she has been tightly constrained by strict laws barring ministerial interference with independent inquiries. Yet Nandy is right to press on the bruise, not least as May told Nick Robinson on Today that righting the injustice of child sex abuse was one of the main reaons she was in politics. What makes me angry? Child sexual abuse. Modern slavery. When we see the powerful abusing their position.

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Given that anger, surely it would have been wiser for the PMs team to sit down and think through a proper strategy for revealing publicly, in one full statement, exactly what she knew and when - rather than having it dragged out through the drip-feed of Commons Urgent Questions, PMQs, Lobby briefings and so on?

5) CONCENTRIX CIRCLED

Concentrix, the private firm accused of stopping tax credits to thousands of vulnerable people based on flimsy evidence, is to have its contract ended six months early. The Indy says staff have been told of the move by HMRC, although employees will transfer in-house and not lose their jobs.

Maria Eagle slammed the firm in PMQs and a Parliamentary debate this week saw a string of MPs tell of how their constituents were forced to pawn their late parents jewellery and how food in their freezer spoiled after their electricity was cut off suddenly. PCS union general Secretary Mark Serwotka says the fiasco is further evidence it is a false economy to hive off important public services.

But just as interesting was the Nudge Unit report yesterday that theres a wider failure to protect benefit claimants from sanctions and conditionality. No frontbencher has commented yet on its warning that forcing the unemployed to attend job centres is counter-productive.

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On the 13 July Theresa May strode though the door of Number 10 Downing Street at the start of one of the most tumultuous summers in politics we have ever seen. She spoke of combating burning injustice, helping those who were just managing, struggling to get by. They were strong words and an assured performance from someone who claimed a reputation of delivery following years in the Home Office.

However the actions that have followed have been anything but assured. Theresa May's first 100 days have been characterised by U-turns, dithering, delaying and ducking the big issues when they have confronted the Government. When faced with the biggest issues facing the country - from Brexit, to infrastructure, our economy and the future of our young people, Theresa May has shown she has no answers to the big issues - and it is already defining her time in office.

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Not content with the instability caused by the Brexit vote, Theresa May added fuel to the fire by appointing three separate people with responsibility for redefining our relationship with Europe and the rest of the world. No sooner had David Davis and disgraced Minister, Liam Fox, been appointed they were being admonished by Number 10 for offering answers on Brexit that they didn't like. However it's hard to know what to believe when Theresa May has been so unclear on how we will leave the European Union.

We still don't know if we will remain a member of the single market or whether our companies will retain tariff free access to our largest export market. The confusion has sent sterling into a nosedive and it's the British people who will lose out for this indecision as price rises begin to bite.

When it comes to some of the biggest infrastructure decisions for the country - namely our airport expansion - Theresa May would rather give into backbench pressure and delay instead of showing real leadership and move forward with an issue that has hung over the country for years. Is it any wonder that the Chief Executive of Amsterdam Schiphol airport sends Heathrow executives a cake every time the decision gets delayed - they've profited for years from Government indecision and it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. Whatever the view on airport capacity, we need a decision soon. Uncertainty helps no one.

When it comes to the future of our education system and the life chances of our young people, the Prime Minister would rather divert our attention with a backward looking policy in grammar schools than face up to the reality that our schools are struggling to recruit and retain enough teachers for the future.

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And as our NHS faces an unprecedented financial crisis; with our A&E departments under huge pressure and millions of people stuck on NHS waiting lists, her priority has been to tell foreign doctors and nurses that they will no longer be welcome in a future NHS. When asked to offer guarantees that we will not face another winter crisis this year she could offer no reassurance to the British people or NHS bosses.

As Theresa May completes her first 100 days as Prime Minister, she has set the tone for the rest of her term. Unable to take the big decisions or offer reassurance on the big issues she has left the country in a state of confusion over Brexit with our currency plummeting in value and our NHS in crisis. She would rather return to failed education system from a bygone day than address our teacher recruitment crisis. And instead of signalling that Britain is open for business by resolving our airport capacity issues in the South once and for all she's caved into pressure from her own party. Rather than show leadership she threatens to be defined by her weakness - she offers no answers to the issues we face as a country and it is the British people who stand to lose out.
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The country voted to leave the European Union on 23rd June, exposing deep divisions. But in spite of the multifaceted nature of the result, the Prime Minister has extrapolated one message. In her Conservative Party conference speech she juxtaposed the 17million who voted to leave against a liberal elite who wanted to remain. In so doing she dismissed 16million of our citizens who voted to remain.

This isn't leadership we are seeing from Theresa May, it is opportunism, pure and simple and it is deeply disappointing. Instead of seeking to unite a divided country, she has sought to ride the wave.

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Whilst the result gives the Government a mandate to withdraw the UK from the European Union, it has no mandate regarding the terms of our leaving. It is not acceptable for the Government to seek to take the decisions that will arise during that process without parliamentary scrutiny. Those who campaigned to leave claimed their primary concern was to ensure Parliament is sovereign - it is hypocritical for them to deny Parliament.

The most contentious part of any deal will be our future relationship with the EU Single Market and the free movement of people. I am clear: we should demand the goal be Single Market membership and a different arrangement on EU immigration.

We know that many people, particularly in Labour constituencies, voted to leave because of concern around free movement. Far from validating the arguments of many Leave campaigners that all the country's ills can be laid at the door of immigration, we must address these concerns in order to sustain continued support for managed migration and to defeat the forces of hate.

Free movement of people has brought many benefits. British citizens can freely holiday, work and live in other EU countries. Tens of thousands of EU citizens help power our public services, in particular our NHS. When Jeremy Hunt talked about foreign doctors working in the NHS, he didn't mention that you are more likely to have an EU citizen treating you than to meet them in the queue.

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But whilst free movement has brought many benefits it has posed challenges to local labour markets and community cohesion. To acknowledge this is not to fuel anti-immigration sentiment but it is a simple statement of fact.

If we cannot see the benefits and acknowledge the challenges which free movement has posed, then I do not think we have any hope of forging a national consensus for managed migration in the future.

There are obvious things we can do domestically to mitigate these challenges such as reinstituting the Migration Impact Fund which we introduced in 2010 and was abolished by the Coalition government.

But clearly there is a desire to end free movement as we know it and replace it. So let me attempt to start to spell out an alternative.

This would involve moving away from the notion of "free movement" to "fair movement." The public has been led to believe free movement allows some free for all with no control of our borders. So we need something new which can clearly illustrate we have control, meets the needs of our economy, and which can command widespread support.

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One way would be to allow travel as we have at present for short stays and holidays only but, in so far as settling and working are concerned, restrict free movement to the movement of labour and offers of employment. This is in line with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Another option would be to restrict low wage immigration, with a more relaxed approach to high skilled immigration from the EU according to the needs of the economy.

In addition to this, within the terms of EEA agreements, countries have been allowed to take unilateral 'safeguard measures' to address 'economic, societal or environmental difficulties' caused by being in the EEA. So, Liechtenstein has an agreed number of residence permits for EU citizens. Switzerland's free movement deal allowed for an emergency brake for up to a year. We should push for something similar.

Some argue that we simply will not be able to obtain such an arrangement and membership of the Single Market.

Membership of the Single Market is important. It not only removes tariffs, customs duties and quotas on all goods traded within the EU; it provides employment protections, sets minimum consumer and environmental standards and more. If we leave the Single Market and go for a hard Brexit, it could mean trading with the EU under WTO rules which would lead to tariffs in the order of 12% on exports of British meat, 10% on exports of British cars and so on leading to much higher costs for consumers here and challenges for our companies seeking to export into the EU Single Market.

But would we be able to secure this trading arrangement - preferably Single Market membership - and fair movement? One cannot say what can be achieved with certainty given the negotiations have not started yet and our EU partners do not have fixed positions. It is not for us to make the arguments as to why they should refuse to give us what we want. The challenge for us is to put a big offer on the table - that goes beyond immigration and the economy - from which they would benefit, to secure the bespoke deal we seek. We must be realistic but also ambitious.

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Our politics is caught between two stools. A populism which refuses to acknowledge the challenges free movement can pose; and a populism that wants to pull up the drawbridge altogether, and places the blame for all the country's problems at the feet of immigrants. Rejecting both positions may not be fashionable but is the right thing to do. The alternative that I have set out today is I believe a sensible position, true to our values, around which the country can unite.
On July 1st 2015, at the age of 39, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. This came after a frightening year of dealing with some pretty awful symptoms. Bowel cancer disproportionately affects the elderly, and men more than women. Given that general practitioners are told to not even consider bowel cancer in patients under the age of 40, I was repeatedly misdiagnosed. I had to push back again, and again to been seen and get tested, and finally was scheduled for a colonoscopy, which is the gold standard for finding bowel cancer. As much as most people are probably very squeamish about colonoscopies, they're no big deal at all. And I finally felt vindicated.

When the tumour was found I was immediately assigned a cancer nurse. She explained what was known, the next few steps, and was there for comfort and support. I didn't cry, not then - --I'd already felt that it was going to be cancer--but I was glad my nurse would be there for me. My treatment plan at the time was to remove the tumour and see how far the cancer had progressed.

A few years back, my mother had lymphoma, and her diagnosis came with months and months of chemo (she is now cancer free). She was able to take early retirement, but I was decades away from that option.

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My company's standard sick policy allows up to one month of paid sick leave in any rolling twelve-month period. The surgery alone required two months of sick leave. The potential loss of income over six months or a year would have been catastrophic. And I couldn't even fathom looking for a new job while undergoing treatment.

I could not keep my diagnosis a secret from my employer. The next day. I told my line manager, our chief technology officer, and then the head of HR, who told me to take some time off, starting that day so that I could better process what was happening. I did. Meanwhile, the news was shared with our CEO (this was not a secret), who was happy to accommodate two months' sick leave. The policy was written to protect the company from people overusing sick leave, but there was no way they were going to be ogres about something serious. They would also try to accommodate additional sick leave if I needed it. Everyone I talked to was entirely compassionate and wanted to fight for me.

It goes without saying that we've all known somebody who has gone through cancer and seen the toll it can take.

I wrote this because it's important to get symptoms checked out as early as possible. Many cancers are curable--if they are detected early. Be your own advocate; keep pushing for answers until you have them. Men in particular are more likely to ignore symptoms and put off going to the doctor. Don't! If something isn't right, go to the doctor

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If you are of working age and are seriously ill, of course keeping your job is going to be a massive concern. You can't avoid telling your employer, and you definitely shouldn't avoid going to your doctor because you're too scared to talk to your employer. There are unfortunately employers out there that will discard their employees over an illness (the infamous SportsDirect comes to mind), but most should be willing to work with you and sort out a plan of how to keep you in your position while you get treatment. Your employer should not be a barrier to diagnosis or treatment.

At the end of that July, I had my tumour removed. A few weeks into my recovery I learned the tumour was at Duke's B (the bowel cancer equivalent of stage 2). It hadn't yet spread, and I wouldn't need further treatment. I was effectively cured.
Photo credit: petapixel.com

So how does this impact psychologically on how women around the world define beauty? (Continued from first post)

Not surprisingly, a global beauty report by pharmaceutical company Allergan, showed that women aged 18-44yrs felt beauty was mostly based upon outer appearance, whereas women aged 55-65yrs thought it was dependent upon inner positive characteristics such as kindness. The age group 45-54yrs thought it involved a balance of both inner and outer characteristics. Perhaps this age group signifies a transition point when women feel less pressurised by society? When assessed at a country level, nations such as Italy, Spain, France, Brazil and Turkey defined beauty as outer appearance. Contrastingly, the UK, US, Australia and Canada believed it was inner characteristics. China, Thailand and Japan believed it was a mixture of both.

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Social media compounds these pressures in an unprecedented fashion. I speak to so many ladies in my practice that describe their declining confidence due to selfies and photos that do not represent externally how they feel internally. Our everyday lives are now shared more widely than ever before and so women are turning to make-up methods, photography filters and now Aesthetic Medicine to control their images and how others perceive them. Men and women now want to have an influence over their image rather than being dictated to by medical dogma and it has never been more important to understand the goals of our patients within our ethical practise.

Cultural differences with regards to beauty goals and anatomical attractiveness can be specific and highly complex. As doctors, we need to closely understand these so that we can communicate with our patients more effectively, rather than treating everyone in a homogenized sense. Much like the critical differences between a male and a female, the anatomical differences between ethnicities must be respected in order to create authentic attractiveness.

Photo credit: tarateng.com

In a broad sense, European, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and East Indian ethnic descendants may actually share similar characteristics: vertically thin upper and lower lips, wider lateral border of the face and longer vertical chin height. African, Polynesian and Micronesian may share: lower lip 18 wider from the corner of the mouth and extending inferiorly to the chin fold, upper lip 18 wider from the corner of the mouth and extending to the philtrum, slightly narrower lateral border of the face and nose flare extending outwards such that the outer aspect of the nose is on the nasolabial fold. Heterozygotic patients can display extraordinary mixtures of the above anatomical measurements.

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As doctors, it is our responsibility to assess these anatomical factors. But country specific cultural norms have a profound impact on beauty attitudes and ideals.

French women are accustomed to working with their beauty, they turn to Aesthetic Medicine for prevention, rather than trying to re-capture beauty once they have lost it. In Canada, women seek treatments to directly help them feel more confident and empowered. In Australia women want to look healthy, happy and natural, consistent with their healthy lifestyles.
Part 2

My last blog was about how I noticed my behaviour changing over time. This blog is more about how the abusers behaviour changed, which at the time seemed a bit more sudden and unexpected. However as I have been looking at this in more detail, there were many warning signs, small changes, 'out of character' moments that built up to me seeing him as a completely different person.

As in my previous blogs, I explained how the first time I saw a significant change was when I first got a job after university. As soon as I told him I got the job, I was excited naturally, his mood immediately changed. Looking back on this now, part of me knew this would happen. I got off the phone with my new employer and somehow I just knew the reaction would not be what you'd generally expect from a someone whose partner just got a new job. How did I know? Again at the time it just provoked feelings of confusion. Why isn't he happy for me? What did I do wrong? Now I realise those feelings came from the little things he'd say or do, little things that became more frequent, more damaging and a lot more threatening over the course of the relationship.

The relationship started out like any other would, spending a lot of time together, going on dates, the usual couple stuff. The usual way to start a relationship, and the usual way to build someone up in preparation to knock them down in the most devastating way imaginable. If his aim was to end up with a shell of a person, hollow inside, no soul, no individuality and no fight, then he got it. Mission accomplished.

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The first time I noticed he was anything but the ultimate boyfriend, was when we were visiting his family. I had mentioned previously that I would be going back home to see a friend, as she wasn't in town for long, I reminded him of this as we were lay on his bed one afternoon. His mood switched in a split second. A bottle flew from his hand and hit the wall. I sat bolt upright and stared at the wall, in complete shock at what had just happened. This was definitely the first time I'd seen such a change, and the first real sign of his anger. We both sat in silence for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity. He eventually broke the silence, 'Sorry, I didn't mean to do that.' I couldn't move, let alone form a response. He put his hand on my arm and apologised again. I turned to him and asked him what just happened. He replied 'I don't know I'm sorry.' He pulled me close and I just lay there thinking 'this is the start of something.' I had no idea what at that time, but I knew that was a bad sign.

I ended up staying with him as the next day he had food poisoning. Hardly life threatening, but he didn't exactly try and stop me from staying and encourage me to go and see my friend. Maybe this was the first time he can remember feeling some control over me.

After that I don't remember any specific events that made me question his behaviour or future of our relationship. Although I'm sure the signs were there, especially as I didn't go out as much, or see my friends. Something subliminal must have been happening, something I wasn't quite aware of, to get me to the stage when he really did change and get angry, and I couldn't leave.

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There were several times when his mood switched in a split second, moments that I will never forget. Moments that are the 'classic signs of abuse'. However I have come to realise that what are just as significant are the 'good times'. During an abusive relationship these moments are the beacon of light, something to hold on to, those little things that spark the hope inside you that says 'maybe he's not so bad', usually followed by 'maybe it's just me'. My 'good times' were things like going out for a meal, going to the cinema, going on holiday, having a BBQ in the summer. All these things were few and far between, I imagine if this was a 'normal' relationship one of us would be complaining that we didn't do enough together. These 'good times' are put in place to keep up the notion that everything is ok, so they have something to fall back on, maybe even to justify to themselves that they are a good person. It was nowhere near enough to counteract anything he would ever say or do, but these rare good times are the little rays of hope that victims of abuse hold onto. We will defend them and hide their dark secret, all the while knowing that it's wrong, but maybe that time he said he loved me he meant it?

The beginning of the 'bad times' was when I started my new job. At the start I was stronger, not much and it didn't take him long to break me, but strong enough to actually make it out on my own with my colleagues for a night out. During the time I was getting ready he was moping around the flat like someone had died, shooting me the odd glare. I was almost ready to go when he flung himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I could see him in the reflection in the mirror, breathing heavily, looking distraught. A complete over reaction considering I was going out for Chinese food and cocktails. He used the last few minutes before I left to pollute my mind with abusive manipulation, 'how can you leave me like this', 'how can you go when you know I'm feeling like this'. He claimed to not know why he felt the way he did, but me going out 'obviously wouldn't help'. I left and got into the taxi, with an overwhelming sense of relief to be out of there, which was met with an equal level of confusion.

I spent half of the night messaging him and talking to him on the phone. The end result was me going home early. In my mind this was a triumph for me, I'd managed to go out. However for him, it was also a triumph, a much bigger, much more overpowering triumph. Mine dwarfed in comparison. He knew he'd won.

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The risk of cyberattacks is a growing concern for UK businesses. The recent Cyber Security Breaches Survey commissioned by the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media & Sport found that 90% of large businesses in the UK consider cybersecurity a "high priority". The study also revealed that 65% of major British companies have experienced at least one cyber security breach or attack in the past year. A quarter of these firms experience such incidents on at least a monthly basis.

While traditional security measures such as firewalls, access logs, zoned areas and good security architecture all contribute to good cyber security practice, there may be another, often overlooked, danger lurking within your network: unlicensed software.

Seizing Opportunity Through License Compliance, the Global Software Survey from BSA | The Software Alliance and IDC, shows that many CIOs simply don't know how much software employees are installing on company networks. CIOs estimate that as many as 15% of their employees have done so. However, the truth is much more troubling, as almost double that number of employees say that they are loading software onto company networks without permission.

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BSA's study with IDC also found a strong correlation between unlicensed software and malware, which is the equivalent of giving criminals a set of keys to your company network.

This is a mistake companies can't afford to make. Cyberattacks cost businesses more than $400 billion in 2015. In addition to the potentially devastating financial impact and loss of customer data, enterprises can suffer damage to their reputation and declining customer confidence. Even just one successful cyberattack "can do serious harm to a company's reputation and credibility," notes the 2016 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report.

The rate of unlicensed software use in the UK for 2015 was 22 percent, a two percentage point drop since the last survey in 2013. While such a drop is encouraging, it is still too high when you consider the link with cyberattacks.

At a global level, although trends have improved marginally, 39 percent of software installed on computers globally last year was not properly licensed. This represents only a modest decrease from 43 percent in BSA's previous study in 2013.

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In short, unlicensed software remains a major issue.

The good news is that companies can mitigate the cybersecurity risks associated with unlicensed software by purchasing it from legitimate sources, and establishing a stringent software asset management (SAM) program.

SAM programs are essential for companies to properly manage their software and ensure ongoing compliance. Organisations that effectively deploy SAM have an inventory of what's operating on their network, leading to better policies and practices for purchasing, deploying, updating, and retiring software. This helps minimise risk and maximise cost-savings, as businesses may find they have a surplus of licenses.

An effective SAM program has four key steps:

Step 1 is for organisations to ascertain what software is deployed on their networks, and how much of that software is legitimate and properly licensed

Step 2 is for organisations to align current and future business needs with the right software and the right licensing models

Step 3 is to establish policies and procedures that ensure that SAM is part of the IT lifecycle of a business

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Step 4 is to integrate SAM into the organisation's business processes
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Bill Clinton famously called himself the "Comeback Kid" in 1992 after his second place in a cold, snowy New Hampshire. Last night the Liberal Democrats achieved the same, but this time in the lovely villages of West Oxfordshire.

At the General Election, we came a distant fourth with just 6.8% of the vote. In the recent by-election we dominated the campaign with a positive and upbeat message. A lot of praise should go to our brilliant candidate Liz Leffman. I am immensely proud of her and the hundreds of activists who campaigned day after day.

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By-elections are usually stand-alone events, but their effects ripple out throughout the country and you can draw informative conclusions from some of the results. If the huge swing to the Liberal Democrats of 19.3% was repeated across the country, it would wipe out Theresa May's majority and hand 26 seats from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats. The swing rivals those of many that were seen in our famous by-election wins under the leadership of Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy.

The result not only signals that the Liberal Democrats are back in the political big time and the return to third party politics, but also a clear rejection of the Conservative Brexit government's plan to take Britain out of the Single Market.

Don't underestimate what we have achieved. We started here in fourth place but have blown Labour and UKIP out of the water. Voters rejected Labour because it has no economic credibility and is unfit for government.

This was the tenth safest Tory seat in the country with a massive 25,000 majority, yet the Conservatives were seriously rattled. They are riding high in the polls, but my sense is that has largely been because people did not feel there was a credible opposition. Witney proves there is now a credible opposition - and that opposition is the Liberal Democrats.

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Real election results are proving that this party is revitalised, with amazing campaigning strength. Since May we had gained 21 council seats, and in Witney we proved that the Liberal Democrats are the real opposition to the Conservative Brexit government.

Added to those 21 seats were the ones we won in May, when we gained more seats in the local elections than any of the other main parties. This is a trend I intend to continue.

Voters who used to support David Cameron are now starting to worry about a Conservative Party that is divisive, uncaring and extreme. The pressure on Theresa May will now be intense to abandon plans for a Hard Brexit, and instead to give parliament a vote on the terms of our negotiations.
October marks Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and for the first time ever last week, this subject was emotionally debated in the UK House of Commons. It was exceptionally moving and for once the MP's behaved like human beings and regardless of their political party, they were united in grief as they debated how best to support the estimated 200,000 UK mothers who go through this life changing and heartbreaking experience every year.

This is big subject to tackle, as there are so many factors to consider in what can go wrong from implantation of an embryo right through to delivery, and in looking at those factors what measures can be taken to avoid more people going through this each year?

I was driving when the UK commons debate aired on the radio, and had to pull over as I couldn't see through the tears that were streaming down my face. The incredibly brave Vicky Foxcroft, Labour MP for Lewisham, delivered the hardest speech of her life when she described losing her baby daughter Veronica at only 5 days old. It was real, it was genuine and it was so very hard to hear the pain in her voice as she relived the experience to convey the importance of the debate.

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If you didn't hear it, then you can watch it again here.

Other MP's followed describing their own personal experience of both pregnancy loss and infant loss, this subject was not just a female problem as the male MP's also had stories to share, which were heartbreaking.

The MP debate probably caught the most media attention, but I have been moved and surprised by how many of my personal friends are also sharing their stories on social media this month. For some they have never told anyone about their loss before, and only now as it is very much in the public eye do they feel comfortable enough to share the names of these loved and lost little angels along with cherished photo's. Something else that really struck a chord with me was the there is currently a 6 month waiting list for bereavement counselling, surely this should and must happen straight away.

I've also seen some really good blogs on the subject, as these brave women share the biggest heartache they will ever endure. Something I hear about all too often is miscarriage and most importantly recurrent miscarriage. For my friends in the UK, the support after this heartache is non existent. Despite going through this trauma it would seem that no investigations are carried out to find out why they are not carrying a baby to term, and the period that they are able to carry for gets shorter each time, until eventually they are not conceiving at all. They then have to go down the painful road of IVF, and again if they are successful in achieving a pregnancy they again suffer a miscarriage.

I think this blog best sums up not only pregnancy loss but having hope for the future. This lady left the UK and went to Barbados Fertility Centre for Reproductive Immunology to check the level of her antibodies, which were too high, this caused her body to reject the embryo. After successful treatment she is now weeks away from having her baby. Sadly for Vicky Foxcroft MP, she could not risk the heartache of losing another child and never had anymore children.

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Moaddamiyeh has been an early hotspot for anti-Assad demonstrations and the following government oppression. The town has endured the siege of the Assad regime since the end of 2012, and it is one of the towns hit by chemical weapons in August 2013. Despite all the violence, these activists believe in the principle of peaceful. And after five years of the Syrian revolution, their stories and experiences must be heard, their words reflect their struggles and hopes. Ten stories will be told through their voices.

Abdulrahamn when he was volunteering in the Syrian refugees camps in Lebanon 2014. Photo: Private

Like any normal young guy in Syria, Abdulrahman had his dreams and ambitions. He was only 19 when the Syrian revolution started. Abdulrahman was very shocked while watching the news about the demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt. At the time he thought that things are really hard in many other Arab countries, but in Syria this would be impossible. When he heard about the first demonstration in Moaddamiyeh, he didn't believe it, so he went there to check out himself.

"I was standing there and looking at them. I was in a complete shock, but the demonstration didn't last for a long time until the intelligence forces came to throw gas bombs and to hit and arrest the demonstrators. I saw my friend who fell to the ground after he got severely affected by the gas, I refused to stand on the side and rushed to hold him and helped him to leave before they could get him and arrest him. And at that moment I knew I wanted to be part of this and support my fellows and friends against the oppression."

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Abdulrahman went back home thinking about why such a simple demonstration needed such an aggressive response and why things are much harder in Syria and he planned not to tell his parents that he was in the revolution scene. He felt that they would freak out like any other Syrian parents who raised their children with a long not-to-do list. Starting with politics and ending with even complaining about the traffic jam in public.

"I had good experience with designing programs besides being a first year law student and my university was in Beirut. I was on holiday at that period of time but then decided not to go back to my university until the situation was stable again in Syria and I thought that maximum we will demonstrate for two months and then we will overthrow the regime."

People at the beginning were optimistic about the Assad's leaving soon, but things turned to be much more complicated in the Syrian situation. Abdulrahman later on participated in less demonstration due to the pressure from by his parents, so he needed to work in another supporting role, helping with graphic design for internet posters and banners to be printed.

"My first design was making Assad photos looks like Hitler because they are both the same! I was publishing my art works online using a fake name. Later, in one of the demonstrations the regime forces shot three demonstrators and dozens got injured. I saw the blood spots on the street and I was traumatised. Ten minutes ago, these guys were full of life and we were chanting together and now they were killed and they will not be here anymore. On that day, the demonstration was huge and it was very peaceful and friendly. I went back home after helping out with rescuing the injured people. My T-shirt was bloodstained and my mom started to cry hysterically when she saw me entering the house. She was trying to reach me on the phone when she was heard the shooting but I never picked up her calls. I didn't cry or talk and I locked myself in my room for couple of days and later I produced a design of Syria's flag leaking blood."

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The anti regime demonstrations were growing in all of Syria. So, Abdulrahman was expanding his connections and worked with designers and activists from different areas. He also supported other activists in Moaddamiyeh with information encryption and safe internet surfing.

In 2012, Moaddamiyeh witnessed two brutal massacres, which were committed by Assad's forces. Abdulrahman and his family saw the first massacres and during the second one they left their house to go to their relatives' home. They returned after the regime's forces left, only to see that their house was totally damaged. All the furniture, the doors and everything had been damaged. That led them to take their decision to leave Syria and flee to Lebanon. After days of arguing and struggling, Abdulrahman accepted his family pressure and they left Syria. Abdulrahman thought he will go with them to Lebanon and then go back to Syria without their permission, but unfortunately his plan didn't work out because the crossings were closed later to Moaddamiyeh and the siege started at the end of 2012.

In Lebanon Abdulrahman and his family lived in a village close to the Lebanese-Syrian borders and he didn't stop supporting his fellows back in Moaddamiyeh online or in any other way in which he was able to help. He was designing posters according to the events in Syria and supporting advocacy campaigns by publishing them on social networks and producing graphic materials. He also was a co-founder for a campaign dedicated to the memory of the martyrs that were killed in Moaddamiyeh. Designing posters with their photos and producing short video reports about them. Abdulrahman was required by the Lebanese authorities to renew his residency by departing the country and then checking back in at the borders, which was something he wasn't able to do for two reasons, the first one that he ran the risk of being arrested for his activism and the second one that he is wanted for military service in Syria. He therefore didn't have any choice but to stay at home trying to hide from the Lebanese police, because he would otherwise immediately be deported to Syria if he was caught in the street without a legal residency.

Abdulrahman was trying and trying to find a way to return to Moaddamiyeh because he found the living conditions in Lebanon impossible to bear. Finally, after one year and five months Abdulrahman was able to go back to his hometown after the crossing was open for a brief period of time.

"It was really dangerous to take the risk and go back to but really I had nothing to lose. At least, I feel I'll be living here with dignity and if I died, I will also die with my dignity in tact. But, in Lebanon I had three choices, which were living with humiliation, being arrested with humiliation or dying with humiliation."

When Abdulrahman first came back to Moaddamiyeh, it was a little bit hard to cope with the situation and to live without the basic life resources such as electricity and internet. But, he developed some ways to get through the situation.

"There isn't a straightforward solution to dealing with the problems we are facing under the siege, but we are trying to do our best to deal with the daily struggles, make it a little bit easier."

He is now volunteering with a local charity to support the families and early childhood education under the siege. When I asked him about the news outside Moaddamiyeh he said:

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"I guess we are the news so we don't care about watching the news because we are witnessing it live. Sometimes one of us might have a poor connection to the internet and he might catch a few scraps of news, so he will come over to the volunteers' office and tell us about it. Despite everything, I'm really happy to be here, living in my family's house and helping people and whenever I'm tired I just need to remember the smiles on the faces of the kids I'm working with to get all my strength back again."

Abdulrahman hopes now that he could find ways that might help him to provide all the different kinds of support needed for all the families who are living under siege. Recently he got a notebook with a locker and he started to write his diary under the siege and he hope that one day his stories will be published somewhere so people in other parts of the world will be able to know one day -hopefully- the truth of what is going in Syria.

"Writing the siege diary is making me feel better when I'm upset. There is a saying which says Powerful people write history. So, I'm trying to write it! Maybe one day we can prevent Assad's family from faking the history of Syria, which we are living currently. Everybody living in Syria should write their story. It doesn't cost anything but a pen and diary book. We are making history and we should write history."
Image: The Kremlin. Pixabay.com

Everybody knows that Russia has mounted a wide-ranging disinformation campaign against the West, using propaganda vehicles such as the RT television network, the Sputnik news agency and cyber-trolls who attack the West on the Internet while promoting the Vladimir-Putin-loving Donald Trump.

The object is to sow doubts among those living in Europe, the United States and elsewhere about Western democracy, rule of law and other institutions.

And some in the West are taking the bait. Every day you see Westerners posting "articles" about alleged Western atrocities -- and when you check the source, it's RT, Sputnik or another Russian propaganda agency.

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I don't know whether the posters are stupid enough to believe that these propaganda agencies are telling the truth, or whether they know they are posting Russian lies but are so fed up with their own societies' perceived shortcomings that they're posting the lies anyway.

But my guess is that some actually believe what they're posting -- and that is ironic, given that Russians' trust in their media has plummeted since the start of the Ukraine War and the country's economic travail.

Three polls this year have shown that Russians' trust in their own media -- the same media that is being used in the disinformation campaign against the West -- has fallen precipitously.

The latest poll this month indicates that a little more than a quarter of Russians -- 27 percent -- believe the news reports their media is giving them.

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That is down from about a third of the population -- 34 percent -- in 2015.

The Levada Center, a respected, non-government-linked organization, conducted the poll.

A survey that a government-connected pollster conducted in October of this year also showed a decline in Russians' trust in their media, although its figures were rosier than the Levada figures.

The Public Opinion organization's poll found that 49 percent of Russians trust their media, down from 59 percent in 2015.

The poll results were significant, even though the figures painted a much brighter picture than the Levada figures, because they showed that more Russians distrusted their media than trusted it.

A Levada Center poll in February of this year showed a similar drop in trust in the media.

It dealt specifically with television, from which eight out of 10 Russians get their news, rather than media over-all.

It showed that 41 percent of Russians trusted television news -- about half the 79 percent recorded in 2008.

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A key reason for the flagging trust was Russians' belief that the news media has been lying about the dismal state of the economy.

Forty-six percent of the population believes the economy is worse than what the media is portraying, according to the Public Opinion survey.

Russia's economy has been reeling since late 2014 from a drop in the global oil price, Western sanctions over Moscow's seizure of Crimea and aid to eastern Ukrainian separatists, and a plunge in the value of the ruble.

In a particularly gloomy sign, the Public Opinion poll indicated that 70 percent of Russians avoid reading about the economy these days, versus 58 percent in 2015.

If you think Russians have become cynical about their economy, what about those living in other countries in the region, such as Armenia, which is one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union and whose corruption rivals Russia's.

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Lev Gudkov, the director of the Levada Center, said in an analysis of the February 2016 poll about trust in television news that the first source of news for more and more Russians has become family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances rather than media.

He called it a "return to the forms of late-Soviet interpersonal informal communication."

Those were days when many Russians distrusted their controlled government media so much that they turned to Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty to learn what was happening in the world.

Those caught listening to Western news outlets could be arrested, of course, but the hunger for truth outweighed the risk for many in the Soviet Union.

Russia and other countries in the region experienced a surge in freedom of expression after the Soviet Union collapsed.

But slowly and surely leaders of post-Soviet countries slapped the same restrictions on the press that Soviet leaders imposed.

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As the clamps became tighter, and government news media's lies more pervasive, it was no wonder that the percentage of Russians who distrust the media grew.

The irony is that as Russia engages in a massive disinformation campaign outside its borders, it is unable to fool its own people.

That is a sign that bodes well for the prospects of democracy in the region some day.
Sun is setting beetwen Saguaros, in Sonoran Desert.

My issue with John McCain is not that he's been in office too long. It's that he's not listened to Arizonans for many of those 33 years.

Arizona is the home of The Farley-Kluger Initiative, now known as The Sarah Grace-Farley-Kluger Act which adds loss of a child to the Family Medical Leave Act. It was named after my daughter Erica who died in a car accident in Scottsdale in 2001. The bills sit in committee in both the House and Senate. (HR2260 and S1302)

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Congress is on its third attempt to pass legislation that would offer unpaid leave to parents who have lost children, which began in 2011. In the House, Congressman Paul Gosar has led the bill for the Republicans, with amazing bi-partisan support from within the Arizona delegation, including Reps. Martha McSally, Raul Grijalva, Kyrsten Sinema and Sen. McCain's November opponent, Anne Kirkpatrick. More than 47 representatives have signed, from all over the country, from all parties.

Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain vowed to look at the Family Medical Leave Act relating to the loss of a child, but that was back in 2014. And the silence from Arizona U.S. Reps. Trent Franks and David Schweikert is deafening. I don't even know if any of these politicians have responded to their constituents who are among the more than nearly 120,000 petitions sent to Congress. Arizona ranks second among the 50 states.

These sponsoring elected officials, from both sides of the aisle, put aside differences and have supported an effort that recognizes death does not only visit Democrats or Republicans or Independents, but people of all culture, race and income.

My party affiliation is not the issue here. I have supported candidates from other parties if I felt they displayed common sense, compassion and have been in touch with the people of this state, not out of touch.

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I plan to vote in November for Ann Kirkpatrick. While I don't agree with her on all her views, she stepped up for Arizonans when we needed it most with these bills. And I'm hopeful she'll continue that support in the Senate when our bill will be introduced in 2017, should gridlock prevent it from being heard this session.

When we lost children, when we found our jobs eliminated, when we were given only three to five days to mourn a loss that some never get over, Kirkpatrick voted to join the fight. And I have given the same support for Rep. Gosar who spearheaded the Republican effort.

Do we want Sen. McCain to sign on to the Senate bill, becoming the first Republican to do so? Sure, but the time to have gotten behind this would have been between 2010-2016 when it was NOT an election year, where death never took a holiday.

Age is irrelevant to me. Sharp minds usually stay sharp. It's the ears that stop listening or don't listen at all that bothers me and, I'm sure, that all the grieving parents in Arizona want is to get the same unpaid time off as someone who has a child, or cares for a sick family member, or service member. It's not about business, it's about compassion.

On November 8th, I'll vote for Ann who heard our cries, witnessed our grief and elected to join those suffering this tragedy. I urge all Arizonans to do the same.


Screen grab of final presidential debate on Oct. 19, 2016. Photo credit: Bill B. via Flickr Creative Commons

'Nasty woman' is my generation's new clarion cry

By Angela Pupino



There is a new clarion call for women across America: "Nasty woman."

When Donald Trump referred to Hillary Clinton as a "nasty woman" during the last presidential debate, it was the sexist cherry on top of a series of presidential debates that were increasingly difficult to watch.



During the first debate, my greatest concern was about the subtle sexism that Clinton would be facing on the debate stage. As a former speech and debate competitor, I knew the challenges she faced well: Would her physical appearance or policy proposals generate more discussion? Would she appear 'screechy' or 'shrill', 'emotional' or 'irrational'? Would she not be emotional enough? Would her body language be confident and strong? Would she smile enough? My fears turned out to be unfounded.

Clinton performing flawlessly against the irrational, emotional man on stage.



By the second debate, I was considering more serious issues as video of Trump talking about his sexual assaults on women became national headlines. I am a survivor of sexual assault as are many of my college friends. And we struggled to watch the news without encountering trivialization of our experiences. When Anderson Cooper asked Donald Trump in the second debate about being caught on video describing assaulting women, my worst fears were realized. Trump reiterated his "locker room talk" non-excuse, and then immediately tried to change the subject by regurgitating his talking points on ISIS.



It got worse. He said, "We should get on to much more important things and much bigger things." What could be more important than the safety of an entire segment of our population? One of my friends left the room, visibly upset. I felt I couldn't say much to make her feel better. I was having trouble making myself feel better.



Needless to say, I did not have high hopes for the last debate.

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But the final debate held triumphant moments for me to witness as a young woman. Clinton's crystal clear and powerful answer on a woman's right to decide what to do with her own body comes to mind. But it was followed almost immediately by Trump's absurd lies about ripping babies out of the womb during late term abortion. (Some of my friends, watching with me, wondered aloud if he was confusing C-sections with abortion.) Trump maintained that his sexual assault accusers were lying. When Trump referred to Clinton as a "nasty woman," several of the college men at my watch party laughed. I couldn't tell if they were shocked, uncomfortable or agreed.

But if Clinton - a woman at the top of her field who engages with knowledge, passion and confidence - is a "nasty woman," then so am I, as are thousands of others who do not apologize for being women with something to say.

Unfortunately, the debates gave us front row seats to the sexism we still grapple with as a nation. We see how women are judged by their body language and choice of clothes. We see how sexual assault is trivialized and puts victims on trial. We see the delight some share when first female presidential nominee from a major party is called "nasty" on national television.

Yet watching as Hillary Clinton rises above all the sleaze that Trump and his ilk are slinging has made me feel more confident and more proud to be a woman. And if that makes me "a nasty woman" too, I can live with that.

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Angela Pupino is a fall writing fellow for the Center for Community Change Action.



Photo credit: Mike Licht via Flickr Creative Commons



Trump just doesn't get 'The African Americans'

By Fredrick McKissack, Jr.



Las Vegas was a fitting end to the presidential debate debasement. It's a city where the tinny spillage of coins from slot machines masks an inducement to spend money in search of a big payoff that won't come.



It's a perfect metaphor for Donald Trump's sell to the black community.



Donald Trump's mouth spills some truths about the plight of urban life.



"Our inner cities are a disaster," Trump said last night. "You get shot walking to the store. They have no education. They have no jobs. I will do more for African-Americans and Latinos that she can do for ten lifetimes."



Sounds good, right? But his plan to do "ten times more" for African Americans and Latinos struggling to get by has been and continues to be nebulous.



Sitting with the Washington Post's editorial board last March, Trump acknowledged that despair was killing communities. He proposed economic zones and incentives for companies to move to the urban core.



Then it got weird-ish.



"I actually think I'd be a great cheerleader," he said.



Huh?



Sorry, but poor black folks don't need a cheerleader. We need bulldozers to knock down walls and good-paying jobs to thrive and rebuild communities.

We don't need a racist politician with a penchant for calling us "THE" African Americans in a way that sets us up as the "other" to be condescended to, feared and dismissed.



Chicago is an example of how such racist biases choke us.



Last January, a University of Illinois Chicago report unveiled a horrific stat: 41 percent of young black men and women from ages 20 to 24 were out school and unemployed in 2014. That affects every aspect of our lives, from financial stability to stability at home.



And yet jobs are hard to come by. Consider how difficult it is for black people to get work in construction. Construction trades have always held an antipathy toward blacks, DeAngelo Bester, a local community organizer, told me last January. The unions blame contractors, and contractors blame unions for not hiring more black workers.



But even the city's besieged mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, admits the racist history of construction trade jobs.



These are the realities that Trump doesn't dig into when he talks about how he'd help "the African Americans."



We are not hearing how he'd actually create the kinds of programs that overcome racial biases and help all Americans thrive. Until then, we don't need any more tinny spillage.

Fredrick McKissack, Jr. is a writing fellow for the Center for Community Change Action.





Rally for immigration reform. Photo credit: Progress Ohio via Flickr Creative Commons



Instead of 'bad hombre' clickbait, let's try real immigration discussion

By Thomas Kennedy

This election has been a traumatic one for undocumented folks living in the United States. Immigrants have been the scapegoat in Donald Trump's rise to power, as he seeks out to further divide communities in this country for his own political gain.

Throughout the election we have seen two very different platforms regarding immigration policy, Trump claims that he will set up a deportation task force to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants and build a border wall which Mexico will pay for. Hillary Clinton on the other side promises to introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship within the first 100 days of her presidency.

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The first two debates did not mention immigration. When immigration was finally discussed during the third debate, it seemed as if the moderator and candidates were merely going through the motions. Trump doubled down on his past stances on building the wall and mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, while Clinton doubled down on her promise of comprehensive immigration reform.

The highlight for me was when Trump claimed that one of the first acts of his administration would be to get the "bad hombres" out of this country. Bad pronunciation and terrible use of Spanglish aside, the moment was bizarre in its sheer incoherency. Trump fear mongered about drugs, drug lords and bad people pouring through the border in what has become a stale regurgitation of nativist talking points designed to rile up his ever diminishing base of supporters.

For much of my life, I was an undocumented immigrant with undocumented parents who worked hard, built mom-and-pop businesses, paid taxes and showed me the value of giving back to our community.

I guess that makes me a "bad hombre."

What's sadder is the news media treatment of all this. The focus of the night in multiple news articles was the #BadHombres hashtag that quickly started trending on Twitter. Yes, it's hilarious because of its absurdity, but articles such as a CNN piece titled "Who won the third presidential debate? #BadHombres" didn't do much to further a much-needed and real discussion about immigration.

Instead of further analyzing what has become the flagship issue used by Trump to divide the country, the news media largely chose to give us clickbait articles about hashtags and mocking the GOP candidate. While Donald Trump is absurd and he deserves our ridicule, the American public also deserves an informed and intelligent debate regarding immigration policy.

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Judith Shulevitz, who writes regularly for The New York Times, penned an essay last weekend entitled, "Is it time to desegregate the sexes?" From the title alone, one would be forgiven if she believed that this essay would be perceived as very supportive by the trans community. Alas, that wasn't the case.

Shulevitz quickly shifts from the bathroom wars, exemplified by the passage to North Carolina's notorious HB2 legislation which has engendered a federal lawsuit and a multi-business boycott of the state, to the more controversial question of locker rooms. Bathrooms all have stalls, and men's rooms have codes of conduct for the urinals that preclude any serious problems arising. Trans use of the appropriate bathroom, therefore, should never have been problematic politically. Once marriage equality passed, however, and the reactionary Christianist political community needed a new target, they naturally gravitated to the bathroom, the locus of all American civil rights movement backlashes.

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Unfortunately for them, they awakened a previously ignorant public which, for the most part, can't believe the fear and paranoia swirling around the bathroom issue, and taking it national has backfired. We will see what the Supreme Court will do, if anything, but so far the federal courts have been very supportive, with very few lower level exceptions. Just this week a court in Illinois wrote, in the words of U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert, that high school students "do not have a constitutional right not to share restrooms or locker rooms with transgender students whose sex assigned at birth is different than theirs."

Nudity and semi-nudity are often an issue in locker rooms. It was this issue of public exposure that has always been behind the bathroom panic, as long ago as the ENDA War of 2007, but until recently bathrooms still symbolically represented the crux of the issue. It's fair to say that there's been enough education that that is no longer the case, and, hence, Shulevitz's focus on locker rooms.

She posits the problem this way:

Locker rooms are open, at least in older schools built on the assumption that students of the same sex would un-self-consciously disrobe. In these spaces, bodies stand revealed to other bodies.

Of course, it's always been a myth that students of the same sex would un-self-consciously disrobe in public. That was the case long before gay issues came to the fore, when one could at least begin to consider the presence of sexual tension in single-sex locker rooms. Having spent decades in both, and having once been an adolescent, I remember very few boys or girls who were comfortable getting naked, and most tried to minimize their exposure.

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Shulevitz poses the question of a cis and a trans girl in a locker room, and asks:

The standoff will end only when one retreats to a stall to change in private. Which one will it be?

Therein lies the solution, already in place around the country, to which I will return later.

She then gets distracted by delving into the currently accepted but incorrect understanding of "sex," resorting to euphemisms for penis and vagina and accepting without challenge that a penis is part of one's anatomy while the brain isn't. Just as we've learned that categorizing a host of brain disorders as "mental illnesses" leads to unwanted stigma, we need to apply that growing understanding to human sex as well. Being trans is not about how you feel, as if feelings are minor inconveniences which can be easily changed. Being trans is intrinsic to your being because your brain makes it so.

She describes both sides of the debate now playing out in multiple federal courts, and states: "We have to ask whether physical modesty is tantamount to racism or has a more legitimate basis."

That description of the dilemma caused several trans advocates to go ballistic and call her transphobic. I found the response overblown and counterproductive, for if you can't listen to both sides, however odious one side's beliefs may be, and engage them, you will not only not win in court, you won't change the opinions of the public where progress is steadily being made. More needs to be done, but if we try to win by means of belligerent assertion we will be doing ourselves no favors.

Shulevitz continued by describing the current Title IX protections available to students and the backlash being generated by the religious right. She quoted Professor Jeannie Suk of Harvard whom I've discussed previously as saying, regarding a conflict between the cisgender and transgender girl:

"The federal government is putting schools in a position where they may be sued whichever route they choose." And so they have been.

One of the cases she discussed is the Palatine case I mentioned above. She went on to say, further infuriating some trans activists, that:

Religious pluralism requires accommodation of the demure as well as the less inhibited.

Finally, she discusses the lawsuit of the Women's Liberation Front, a group of trans exclusionary lesbian feminists who've wanted to eradicated trans women for the past 40 years. They, like their religious counterparts, bring up the red herring of sexually predatory boys, and Shulevitz quotes their lawyers in a relatively unflattering manner.

After discussing the fact that the federal government is now promoting the medical consensus that trans women are women and trans men are men, she presents two solutions:

1) To removing sex segregation in general as many colleges and universities are already doing, and which seems to be the organic path to a solution, or

2) Redesign our communal facilities with lockable changing rooms.

She then states that: "Perhaps we should trust our educators to exercise their own judgment."

Unfortunately, she then goes on to quote an amicus where a group of educators demand not to be told by the feds how to do their business. The fact is that the Department of Education was asked to produce guidance for several school districts, and did so, based on the evolving legal understanding. They weren't imposing anything. The local authorities are free to craft a solution within the bounds of the law.

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Where she makes a major mistake, beyond presenting the opposition's positions without providing background to show the reader the hate and fear that underlie those positions, is when she concludes with:

A revolution of this magnitude should go through the democratic process of lawmaking, which would force legislators to entertain multiple perspectives. In the late stages of the Obama administration, however, some federal agencies have been sidestepping Congress by quietly redefining existing law. That's similar to what the O.C.R. did, too. That was a mistake. At the very least, the agencies should have admitted that they were introducing a new rule, not a mere clarification, which would have led to a procedure for inviting public comment.



The federal government is just doing its job, and, for the past six years, as we all know, Congress has not. Civil rights should not be put to a vote, and there is no reason to ignore the overwhelming medical and now legal consensus on what sex is.

She ends by saying:

But democracy is slow. It is also inclusive, and more likely to produce the kinds of compromises that might forestall a backlash.

Here are the facts -- compromises have been worked out for the past several decades. Trans women and men have been using the appropriate locker and bath rooms for many years. The changes in policy have often by spurred by a single trans individual, leading HR to craft new policies which have been inserted in their HR manuals. I've been teaching them how to do that for years, as have many others. This is no revolution.

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The answer, for all our students, hinges on two fundamental points. The first is that, as Magistrate Judge Gilbert said, there is no constitutional right to having your feelings imposed on others. If your feelings are hurt by being in the presence of a trans girl with a penis, then seek accommodation. It will be made available. Feelings don't trump civil rights, and your right to privacy can be easily accommodated. Religious pluralism does not require accommodation of the demure. For example, Muslim women may cover their heads, but may not demand the same of others, or the right not to be exposed to others' bodies.

Secondly, the solution which is increasingly being used is to provide additional privacy to all students, cis as well as trans. Children and adolescents want more privacy, not less, and if it costs more to redesign communal facilities, so be it. It will create jobs, too.

The backlash Shulevitz mentions is purely a political one, generated to support various Republican candidates during the primaries, and which has, surprisingly, not be heard from during the general election campaign. The compromises occur daily on the most local of levels; let's get the national politicians out of it.

There's nothing transphobic in presenting a reasoned discussion of a controversial public issue. We've wanted such debates for a long time, but now that we're getting them we're lashing out in rage. I'm glad The Times published Burkett last year, because it led to much discussion and she and I even appeared together to civilly discuss the issue. We both learned from the experience.

I'll go so far as to say that a person who respectfully disagrees with me on this is not, by definition, transphobic. I can attempt to persuade the rational person with reason. I think we should all take that opportunity, and not catastrophize, repeating (and exaggerating) the suicide rate and the decades-long endemic violence against African American women of color, believing that's going to convince people to side with us.

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I do agree with the critics that The New York Times, in addition to their wonderful series on trans persons, the promotion of the trans military documentary, improved reporting and wonderfully supportive editorializing, should engage some long-form essays from trans persons on this important issue. If your writers aren't going to present both sides equally, then the other side should be given equal time and space. You can do better in spite of your recent support.

Finally, Shulevitz quotes Professor Adler of Case Western in her closing, saying that all this will probably turn out to be moot because the millennial generation will make it moot.
Who would have thought that returning to Greece meant returning to sanity? But then again, who could have imagined two people more despised by the voting public running for the highest office in the US. According to the Huffington Post, the likely winner, Hillary Clinton is disliked by 53% of Americans. Of course, The Donald has a disapproval rating of 63%, which interestingly is higher than Obama's highest disapproval rating ever (according to Gallup).

By contrast, Syriza and New Democracy seem downright normal. Last month, Prime Minister Tsipras described the country as "an oasis of stability in an unstable region." Now while the notion that Greece is, "an oasis of stability," is a bit far-fetched, he may have a point. Greece is a unique place and while I only consider myself an interested observer, I have two observations for your consideration.

First, Greece has a small immigrant population. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Greece did not try and colonize the world. When you conquer a nation the "flip side" of that action is that the people you conquer want to emigrate to the mother country. Does the UK think by leaving the EU it will stem the flow of immigrants? Perhaps they should have thought about that before they conquered half the world.

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The second observation has to do with hate. Hate seems to permeate our everyday lives. It is hard not to draw parallels between this extreme nationalism and the rise of fascism prior to WWII. Contrast the current calls for the "extreme vetting" of Muslims in the US to registering Jews in Germany. And the rise of hate is not just a US phenomenon, you see it in Europe. Strangely, the place where it seems to be under control is Greece. Yes, Greece has the Golden Dawn, but it has never really caught on. Contrast that to Denmark, Switzerland, Hungary and Austria where the far right received over 20% of the vote in their last elections. You would think that with 25% unemployment and Greece being the weigh station for immigrants going to Germany and France that Greece would be more radicalized, but it is not. Maybe 3,000 years of civilization counts for something in a world concerned about the next tweet. In any case, there is a civility that exists in Greece that others might benefit from observing. Of course, this is not to say that Greeks don't argue. I have seen some of the most amazing screaming matches in Greece, but all problems seem to solved over a coffee.

Now for the insanity ...

We are on to the next round of negotiations between Greece and the EU. Greece is running out of money ... again, and again, Tsipras is pushing for reparations from Germany for World War II and forgiveness of debt (the magic "haircut" of Greece's financial obligations). According to the Greek newspaper, Ekathimerni, "In a speech opening a SYRIZA party conference eight days ago, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras repeated calls for debt relief, saying that his government has implemented reforms demanded by international creditors and that it is their turn to keep their promises." Tsipras went on to say, ""The Greek people have suffered for so many years and deserve to be compensated."

The last time I looked Greece had a laundry list of unfulfilled promises starting with non-performing loans, privatizations, pension reform, etc., etc. As for being compensated, I cannot fathom the rationale for a "raise."

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The current headline grabber in Greece has to do with the auction of the television network licenses. The auction by the government was literally conducted in the darkness of night. Not only does this refer to the time, but mysteriously the broadcast feed of the proceedings is unavailable to the public or the bidders.

It is too complicated to explain all of the machinations, but today there are two national channels with a license, two national channels without a license and two license holders without a channel. If you are confused, you are not alone.

Before we conclude that Syriza is crazy, look at the current state of affairs. The old TV stations are still on the air and the government has collected 250 million from the new license holders, who now have licenses, but not necessarily the TV stations themselves. One could conclude that this might be just the situation the government wants ... no clear winners, but 250 million in the coffers.

The licensing issue now subject to interpretation by the Supreme Court of Greece. The Supreme Court can uphold the government's decision to sell the licenses, they could reverse the government's decision or they could simply send the issue to Parliament for to have the existing law modified. If nothing else, this will be an interesting test of Tsipras's influence over the judicial branch of the government.

The speculators outside of Greece point to all of this, and predict new elections this year. That is not going to happen. No matter what the polls say, Tsipras is going nowhere.

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I will skip my usual discussion of the non-preforming loans, except to say that the longer the NPL situation drags on, the more likely another bank bailout will be required and the next bailout could result in the nationalization of the banks or the seizing of money directly from depositors.

Now for just the truly bizarre. Athens has "Lohan fever." Yes, just what Greece needs is Lindsay Lohan setting up shop in Athens and opening a nightclub called ... Lohan. She also has a new marketing deal with an energy drink called, Mintanine, which she plans to give out during her trips to refugee camps; just what beleaguered refugees' needs is an energy drink (that story was courtesy of the NY Post).

And it appears President Obama will visit Greece on November 15 and 16. He might want to skip Greece's annual "I hate America Day" on November 17. November 17 is the anniversary of the uprising in Athens that ultimately led to the overthrow of the military junta (which the Greeks blame the CIA for installing in Greece in 1967). It is a day where most Americans are advised to keep a low profile. The Greeks are pro-American on 364 days per year, but not November 17.

Tsipras will attempt to use Obama's visit as support of Greece's position in the ongoing debt crisis. It strikes me as a little odd that the U.S. would choose to insert itself into the EU's problems on behalf of Greece now that Greece is the least of the EU's concerns. The Brexit and the coming collapse of the Italian banking system would seem to take priority.
A new Amazon special called Melody 1963: Love Has To Win reminds us that with issues as all-important as human dignity, a simple morality play still has a valuable place.

Melody 1963, which begins streaming Friday on Amazon Prime, tells the story of a 10-year-old Detroit girl who has just been slapped with the ugly truth that a hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation, much of America still didn't want to give black folks equal opportunity.

The year is 1963 and Melody (Marsai Martin) (above) is smart and cheerful. She loves the music of Motown, particularly Mary Wells, and she'd like to grow up to be a Vandella.

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Her mother Frances (Idara Victor) (above) has raised Melody to believe she can be anything she wants to be, even though Frances had to shelve her own dream of becoming a concert pianist because orchestras didn't hire black piano players.

Instead Frances has a low-level cleaning job where she has to act like grateful household help so she doesn't anger her snappish boss. Victory is assuring Melody that after just a few more paychecks, they can afford to buy a television set.

Frances and Melody live with their father/grandfather Frank (Frankie Faison) (above), who thinks it's past time that Melody learned how the world really works - that her options are severely limited and she needs to start developing a hard shell just to get through day-to-day life.

Frank's point is already taking root with Melody when they hear about the Birmingham church bombing in which four young girls were killed by a white supremacist.

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Melody is also just starting a new school year in a mostly white school where her mother thinks she will have better opportunities to learn. Their neighborhood school, it seems, doesn't even have enough books or desks.

Early in the semester, Melody challenges her teacher Miss Abbot (Frances Fisher) (above) on whether the Pledge of Allegiance is a lie because its promise of equality is hollow. Melody gets insistent enough that Miss Abbot sends her to the principal, who suspends her for several days.

On top of this, Melody also realizes how isolated she is from the white students around her. A small gang of boy bullies tries to intimidate her, telling her she's not wanted, while other pupils just ignore her. The one girl who reaches out is rebuked by her white friends.

Fortunately, the special ends on an upturn, with a glimmer of enlightenment in this dark tunnel. It's not a declaration of victory, more a suggestion of what could be possible.

In the end, Melody 1963 paints a compressed picture of race relations, using its characters to represent stereotypes both good and bad.

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It should also be noted that the special was produced in conjunction with American Girl dolls. The doll presence in the show is subtle, referenced in one scene where Melody walks around a store and silently realizes that in 1963, none of the dolls looked like her.

Over the last couple of decades, we've had a lot of rich, nuanced stories of 1960s civil rights battles.

Melody 1963 isn't one of those, nor does it aspire to be. It's more like a clear and direct introductory-level course on why the civil rights movement was necessary in the first place - because of all the good, decent, ordinary people like Frank, Frances and Melody who were degraded and denied simply because of their skin color.
After all the passion that has swirled around immigration in this year's election campaign, a curious thing happened in all three presidential debates: Latino-focused issues were hardly mentioned.

When it came to real discussion, suggests Maria Hinojosa, it's as if Donald Trump's wall had already gone up.

Hinojosa (above), the founder and CEO of the Futuro Media Group, is a former CBS and CNN reporter who hosts the long-running weekly Latino USA show on National Public Radio. She also hosted this fall's PBS election special on demographics, America by the Numbers.

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Now, she says, she's frustrated - first that there was so little discussion of Latino concerns from Republican Trump and his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, and second that none of the three debate included a Latino or Latina moderator who could have pressed for such a discussion.

"Last night they finally spoke about immigration," said Hinojosa Thursday. "For about two minutes. It was not a substantive conversation.

"Hillary stated a position that was familiar. She didn't make any new or different proposals such as stopping deportations - even though the overwhelming majority of people involved have no criminal record.

"What she did finally do was paint a picture of the fears and the consequences" of current deportation policies, by citing a Nevada woman who is a citizen and fears her immigrant parents could be deported.

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From Trump, she said, "There was not a lot of substance. . . . If you listen to Trump, you would think we all live in ghettos in the inner city."

In fact, Hinojosa noted, the Latino community is the fastest growing in America, and it has spread through much of America with commensurate diversity.

"What you might know, for instance," she said, "is that one in six Latinos and Latinas is an evangelical. And you would also be surprised how they split, politically.

"You'd think they would be Republicans, because they are anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage. But they're also very much in favor of a path to citizenship and a higher minimum wage and government programs. So they're split almost evenly between political parties."

That's the kind of nuance that hasn't been addressed in this campaign, said Hinojosa, "and that's bad not just for Latinos, but for everyone, because the issues we care about affect everyone."

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She noted education, housing, language, economic policies, social programs and diplomatic relations, just for starters.

"These are tough, complicated human issues," she said, "that have international geopolitical implications."

Non-Latinos shouldn't think, she said, that these are matters for someone else.

"One in four children entering U.S. kindergartens this year was Latino or Latina," she noted. "That will affect the future of all our children."

The presidential candidates would more likely have been steered to such issues in the debates, she said, had there been a Latino or Latina moderator.

"I have the utmost respect for my colleagues who moderated the debates," Hinojosa stressed. "I know how hard the job is. But they couldn't be expected to bring the passion to these issues that someone from my background would have brought."

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Hinojosa was born in Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in her 20s. She has spent much of her reporting life covering immigration and cultural issues, and she said she finds it frustrating to have had those issues largely ignored in the debates, the main forum where the press gets to choose the topics.

In several ways, she suggested, the candidates themselves may have been just as happy to skirt Latino/Latina issues.

"Hillary Clinton has some good ideas," Hinojosa said, "but her problem is that they come off as policy without heart. So there could be land mines for her."

As for Trump, he's his own land mine, like when in the third debate he finished a call for heavily vetting immigrants by saying, "There are some bad hombres out there."

"The use of the word 'hombres' was horrible," said Hinojosa. "I couldn't understand why he'd say it. It's going back to the day when all Mexican men were just 'Hombre.' Nobody thinks that way any more."

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Like many journalists, Hinojosa finds it ironic that Trump has declared war on the media: "Suddenly his enemy number one is the group that gave him all that space and coverage in the first place, for everything he did."

Still, she said, journalists don't have the luxury of feuds with people they cover.

"I'm now four things this candidate has stated he does not like," she said. "I'm Mexican. I'm an immigrant. I'm a journalist. I'm a woman.

"As a journalist I would still treat him with respect. I would just be as hard on him as I would be on any other politician."

As Latinos and Latinas inexorably become a more potent force in American politics, said Hinojosa, she doesn't want to see them either taken for granted or written off.

That's why, she said, a debate moderator who would have pressed for discussion on Latino issues would have served all viewers and voters well.

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Most of the discussion on the value of a college degree is based on its economic value. The popular media emphasizes that a college graduate earns hundreds of thousands of dollars more during a lifetime than a high school graduate. And according to the U.S. Department of Labor, college graduates earn an average of 61 percent more than non-college graduates. But what about the human value of a college education, its impact on personal and intellectual development, and its value to society through civic engagement? What happened to the notion that college is about the pursuit of knowledge; and that learning is the key to understanding?

Being brought up in the classical British tradition, when I am confronted with questions like this, my first reaction is to check the musings of ancient scholars. My favorites as a boy were Shakespeare and Cicero. I still remember the phrase from The Taming of the Shrew: "O this learning, what a thing it is!" And since I had to learn Latin and Ancient Greek, I remember a classic phrase from Cicero: "A room without books is like a body without a soul."

I agree with the ancients. The reason students value college is not because it is a means to an end: a job or a big salary. It is about continuing to learn about oneself, the world and the highs and lows of life. Shakespeare is global and timeless because the strengths and frailties of his characters still resonate within us. ECampus News recently quoted a "Value of College" study by Barnes & Noble Education that concluded that "bigger paychecks and school reputation score lower with students than a meaningful college experience." This Value of College survey looked at responses from more than 3,000 current college students, their parents, and parents of graduates. It also made the point that the quality of academics definitely matters, as do student/faculty collaboration and social fit.

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So what is the quality of academics? At Woodbury University, we teach our students to be creative, think critically and be entrepreneurial. There is also an underlying ethical component that is all too rare in higher education. To paraphrase Cicero again, how can one be a good citizen without studying ethics and moral philosophy? At Woodbury, we focus on personal and civic responsibility. Students develop an understanding of the importance of responsible citizenship and acquire knowledge needed to analyze conditions and create opportunities to offer solutions to real world challenges, in both human and non-human connections, on both personal and global levels.

According to a study conducted by two members of the American Counseling Association, the reason that certain students excel in college while others flounder might relate back to their motivations for attending in the first place. Doug Guiffrida and Martin Lynch, professors at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, used the concept of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to reveal that a student's motivation for attending college is directly related to his or her level of academic success. According to Lynch, SDT is "a theory of motivation, personality and development that proposes that intrinsic motivation, or motivation derived purely from the satisfaction inherent in the activity itself," and is more advantageous to learning than extrinsic motivation, or "motivation to achieve an external reward or to avoid a punishment."

This is heady stuff. So going back to the Value of College study and the value of critical thinking and connections: "chasing financial success is less important than preparing for a fulfilling career, gaining exposure to new ideas and developing critical thinking skills; today's students are more interested in fulfillment and connections than generations of the past." Today's students are also very conscious of cost. The survey also found that "nearly two-thirds of students said they eliminated certain schools from consideration due to cost, while only half of parents said cost was a determining factor. The study findings also indicate that less expensive schools deliver as much or more perceived value and benefits for both parents and students than more expensive schools."

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I've never been much for self-help books.

As a general rule, I don't read a lot of non-fiction. And for a long time I think I was a bit of a snob where self-help books were concerned, thinking they were somehow low brow.

I was wrong. In the past few months, I've had occasion to read a couple of self-help books that have had a profound impact on how I want to move forward with my life. And in reflecting back, I realize that there have been a few others along the way that also left their mark.

So today I'm going to share five self help books that changed my life - organized by theme - in the hope that one of these might motivate you to change some aspect of your life that you're not entirely satisfied with either.

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Before I begin, If I can offer one piece of (self-help) of on my own, it would be that you not "dabble" in these books. While it's fine to start and stop and/or to read them alongside something else, be sure that you read each one start to finish, because each one has its own internal logic which builds, chapter by chapter.

Above all: do the exercises. They are there to force you to confront tough questions about yourself and you won't progress if you don't use these tools to identify your strengths - as well as whatever it is that's holding you back.

Finally, be patient: some of these books are deceptively short. You might spend an entire month on one page before moving on to the next chapter. That's just fine.

To wit, five self-help books that changed my life:

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2. Career Change. I'm a huge fan of one of the most well-known guides to career change ever written: What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles. This book is so famous it has almost become a cliche. But when I left academia to go into journalism, I locked myself in a cafe several hours a day for several months and did nothing but follow this book's script. The book's basic premise is that to make a meaningful career change, you need to zero in on two variables: what you like and what you're good at, and where these overlap (harder than it sounds). Six months later, I had a great job as a producer with Chicago Public Radio. I still recommend this book every time someone asks me if I have any advice on how to change careers without spending more than $15.

3. Creativity. I'm shouting to anyone who will listen about Elle Luna's amazing The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion. Like "Parachute," this book is also partly about how to finding meaningful work and/or embark upon a career change. But it's so much more. It's about going to the very core of who you are and figuring out how to be authentic to that self - what Luna calls our "must." It isn't an easy or comfortable journey. (Try the "write your own obituary" exercise and you may well end up in tears.) But the book is utterly inspiring because Luna believes so firmly that each of us really does have an amazing gift inside. We just need to figure out how to unlock that creativity and release it into the world. Bonus: because the author is a visual artist, the layout and design of this book are worth the shelf price in and of themselves.

4. Decluttering. Yeah, yeah I know. The whole decluttering thing is soooo...now. But Marie Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever is another deceptively short and simple book that's loaded with so much more. Kondo's essential message is that most of us are living with untold amounts of clutter in our lives that simply doesn't "spark joy." Sure, as one of the friends I recommended this book to put it: "Your socks need to 'relax'? Has it crossed your mind that this lady might be a teensy bit OCD?" (If you google her video on how to fold the perfect underwear drawer, you might find yourself agreeing...) But by the last chapter you will forgive her everything because what she's really trying to do is to use tidying as a vehicle for achieving clarity in our lives (e.g., change careers/get a divorce/take up windsurfing/etc.) If we can get rid of all our excess stuff, and pare down to the things that we really love, we'll not only see our lives more clearly, we'll be happier and more relaxed.

5. Platforms. This one is for all you aspiring writers out there who think you have a book in you. I'm currently reading Christina Katz' Get Known Before The Book Deal. It's the second time I've read this book and I'm finding it much more useful this time around, possibly because I have a much clearer idea for a non-fiction book proposal now than I did when I picked this up several years ago and was vaguely thinking about writing a novel. This book is written for all those aspiring non-fiction writers who want to be an "expert" in something but haven't yet created their platform. It shows you how to do this, step by step. I found the chapters on identifying your target audience to be particularly useful.
Looking to its legacy, the Obama administration may declare no first use of nuclear weapons. Some Asia specialists concerned about North Korea argue against making such a pledge. That's another reason it might be better for Washington to encourage its ally South Korea to go nuclear.

Washington has possessed nuclear weapons for more than 70 years. No one doubts that the U.S. would use nukes in its own defense. After all, America became the first nation to use the atomic bomb--against Japan in World War II.

However, since then Washington has extended a so-called "nuclear umbrella" over many of its allies which lack nuclear weapons. Exactly who is so protected and under what circumstances? No one really knows, especially with the Obama administration moving to narrow the circumstances for use of nuclear weapons.

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Early in the Cold War the U.S. threatened "massive retaliation" in Europe to offset Soviet conventional superiority. Once Moscow acquired an equivalent nuclear arsenal that approach lost appeal. Nevertheless, Washington still promised to use nuclear weapons in its NATO allies' defense, though the precise circumstances under which the U.S. would act were not clear.

The U.S. also holds, probably, a nuclear umbrella over its Mideast allies. With perhaps 200 of its own nukes, Israel doesn't need American protection, though no election-minded U.S. politicians would admit as much. The U.S. could use nuclear weapons on behalf of Saudi Arabia and perhaps other friendly states, though that is far from clear. Certainly Washington is expected to prevent adversaries, such as Iran, from developing nukes. If Tehran moved ahead, some observers believe that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey would respond with their own programs.

Northeast Asia is the region where nuclear threats seem greatest. Japan and South Korea are thought to be snuggled beneath America's nuclear umbrella, which has discouraged both from acquiring their own weapons. Other possible claimants include Taiwan and Australia, though, again, no one quite knows what Washington would do when. Presumably the guarantee runs against Russia (and before it, the Soviet Union), People's Republic of China, and Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The "umbrella" obviously is defensive, that is, to protect American allies against the first use of nukes. However, Washington also could--and, it appears, would, if necessary, whatever that might mean--use nuclear weapons first to stop a conventional attack. While Moscow and Beijing might not be particularly friendly with America these days, they aren't likely to attack the Republic of Korea or Japan. More plausible is a North Korean invasion of the ROK.

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Extended nuclear deterrence always has been risky for the U.S. It means being willing to fight a nuclear war on behalf of others, that is, Americans would risk Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles to, say, defend Berlin and Tokyo. At least bilateral deterrence among great powers tends to be reasonably stable, though credibility issues remain. Is Washington really willing to risk nuclear war over an issue of limited importance? The Chinese already have queried whether Americans believe saving Taipei is worth losing Los Angeles. It isn't, or at least it shouldn't be.

Dealing with North Korea is potentially more dangerous. Some analysts estimate that it could have 50 or more nuclear weapons in just a few more years. While Kim Jong-un, like his father and grandfather, wants his virgins in this world rather than the next, his judgment and stability are problematic. He might start a war inadvertently. Yet the DPRK eventually may gain the ability to strike the U.S. by developing long-range missiles as well as nuclear weapons. The North isn't likely to attack first, but it still could lay waste to a major U.S. city.

Which would be very bad indeed. Yet advocates of extended deterrence are criticizing proposals for an American pledge of no first use of nuclear weapons. Writing for NK News analyst Robert E. McCoy argued that the U.S. should not announce the conditions under which it would use nukes given Kim's threats to use them: "It is imperative that Kim Jong-un is made to understand that he faces the destructive power of our entire weapons arsenal at all times when it comes to threatening the U.S. or its allies."

Yet that is precisely the problem. It is one thing for Washington to use nuclear weapons, including preemptively, to protect America. It is quite different to do so for allies. Alliances are a means, not an end, that is, a mechanism to help defend the U.S. A North Korean attack on the ROK would be awful, a humanitarian tragedy. But American security would not be directly threatened. Certainly there is no threat warranting the risk of nuclear retaliation on the U.S.

Of course, those being defended have configured their security policy and force structure in response. The Brookings' Jonathan D. Pollack and Richard C. Bush note: "Non-nuclear states living in the shadow of nuclear-armed adversaries have long relied on U.S. security guarantees, specifically the declared commitment to employ nuclear weapons should our allies be subject to aggression with conventional forces." But future policy should not be held captive to the past.

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Pollack and Bush warn against putting allies' security at risk. However, Washington's chief responsibility should be America's security. Backers of the status quo act like there is no alternative to leaving the ROK (and Japan, which faces a real, though less direct, threat from the DPRK) vulnerable to attack. However, Seoul is well able to deter and defeat the North. The ROK possesses around 40 times the GDP and twice the population of North Korea, as well as a vast technological lead and an extensive international support network. Japan, which long possessed the world's second largest economy, also could do far more.

The South is capable of developing nuclear weapons. Indeed, a half century ago the current president's father, President Park Chung-hee, dropped the ROK's program under intense U.S. pressure. But interest in a South Korean bomb never entirely died, with polls showing public support for such an option today.

Opposition to nuclear weapons is stronger in Japan, but an ROK weapon would put enormous pressure on Tokyo to conform. The U.S. should not press either nation to choose the nuclear option. But Washington should indicate that it no longer plans to put its cities on the line for anything other than truly vital interests involving America, which are not at stake here.

Obviously, there are plenty of good reasons to oppose proliferation, even among friends. The more nuclear powers, the greater the potential for instability, proliferation, and use. However, the alternative in this case is not stability, nonproliferation, and nonuse. Rather, it is entangling Washington in the middle of other nations' potential conflicts involving all of Asia's threatening powers, China, Russia, and North Korea. The result is to make America less secure.

Pollack and Bush write about "Northeast Asia's inescapable realities." However, precisely such realities suggest withdrawing the U.S. from that region's nuclear imbroglio. Then America's allies could engage in containment and deterrence, just as America did for them for so many years.
The 2016 New Orleans Film Festival kicked off its 27th year by opening with the U.S. premiere of Rob Reiner's new film LBJ. That genius bit of programming was due to the high quality of the presidential bio film and the fact that it was shot in New Orleans. LBJ started the fest that ran from Oct. 12 to Oct. 20, closing with the re-release of the classic indie art film Daughters of the Dust. In between these two stellar movies, NOFF screened 238 films from 42 countries.



(Photo courtesy of New Orleans Film Festival)

Woody Harrelson stars in the bio-film LBJ.

Highlights of the 2016 New Orleans Film Festival.

LBJ (***1/2) Capturing the essence of the 36th POTUS, who lived in JFK's shadow, is not an easy task. Surprisingly, director Rob Reiner, screenwriter Joey Hartstone and actor Woody Harrelson are up to the challenge and capture the tone and tenor of the man perfectly. Their Lyndon Baines Johnson is a dealmaker, lawmaker and social services pioneer (Medicaid, Medicare, Head Start Program) who few lauded. LBJ: "Kennedy is a show horse. But when you need your field plowed, you need a work horse."

Harrelson, with incredible makeup from Steve Koch (sculptor R-E-N), gets inside the tall, burly, crass Texan who found a way to pass the Civil Rights Act when the South wasn't ready for it. Jennifer Jason Leigh makes the perfect Lady Bird Johnson. Hartstone's witty and bawdy dialogue is consistently profane. Reiner makes this history lesson enjoyable.

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72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story? (**1/2) A Love Jones relationship is filled with give and take, push and pull, breakups and reunions in this very cinema verite look at a street-smart Brooklyn 16-year-old on the verge of attending college. Caesar (Melvin Mogoli) is supposed to enter school in 72 hours. But he is emotionally and psychologically anchored to downtown Brooklyn, his moody girlfriend Kaya (Andrea-Rachel Parker) and his best friends. Will he or won't he?

In his first feature writer/director Raafi Rivero exhibits some young Spike Lee mojo. He's great at setting up characters, conflict and presenting realistic dialogue. A little more work with dramatic structure and ending each act with flourishes and he will have a bright future. Excellent musical score.

Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table (****) Brennan restaurants have been a New Orleans tradition since 1946. And for many of those years the matriarch of the Brennan family has been the effervescent Ella Brennan who has guided her family's restaurant dynasty into stardom, particularly by winning the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant for Commander's Palace, which launched the career of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse.

Director Leslie Iwerks chronicles the life and times of Ella, "The Berry Gordy of the cuisine world," as she walks her restaurants, befriends customers and shepherds her staff. What's on view is the liveliest bio of a restaurateur that has ever been made. Audiences also get a close-up view of the thriving restaurant scene and vibrant citizenry in New Orleans--before and after Hurricane Katrina. A highly entertaining and well-made documentary.

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Jean of the Joneses (***) A very silly, but largely well-written comedy about three generations of a Brooklyn-Jamaican family becomes a guilty pleasure in its first five minutes. The central character is a novelist named Jean (Taylour Paige), a twentysomething on the outs with her white boyfriend (Francois Arnaud) and forced to couch-surf at her sister and mom's house until she gets her life together.

The soap opera-ish drama never stops: Estranged granddad shows up at family dinner and dies on the doorstep. Grandma (Michelle Hurst, Orange is the New Black) is having an affair. Auntie (Gloria Reuben) is separating from her husband and her unmarried sis (Erica Ash) is pregnant with a doctor's baby. Witty, funny and ought to be a web, cable or TV series. Torontonian writer/director Stella Meghie shows her best talent when the scenes are short and rapid-fire. Very sardonic and urban.

One Note at a Time (***) New Orleans gives musicians a safe haven, and in return those thankful artists ply their trade on street corners, in parks, at bars, concert venues and fancy restaurants. When Katrina hit, the performers dispersed around the country, returning later with a set of very specific health, psychological and career issues.

On view, thanks to the insightful director Renee Edwards, is the work being done by the New Orleans Musician's Clinic, which helps and monitors hundreds of musicians as they get medical attention, counseling and guidance along a career path that has gypsy-like work schedules, inconsistent paydays and a final calling to that big stage in the sky. As legendary New Orleans musician Dr. John delicately puts it: "You want to keel over after the last song in the set. Band gets paid and then you don't have to do an encore." A heartwarming non-fiction film.

Sicily Jass: The World's First Man In Jazz (**1/2) Italian documentarian Michele Cinque takes the very risky step of making a film about trumpeter Nick LaRocca who made one of the first jazz/Dixieland musical recordings back in 1917. LaRocca, years later, grew impatient with his place in the history of the art form, insisting that he created it. His son carries that torch in this controversial film.

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Tape recordings of Nick LaRocca claiming that African Americans, who played jazz at the time, came after the fact will not endear him to many. Still, his story is provocatively told with photos, footage and very ethereally shot new footage of musicians/actors playing LaRocca's music in the streets the Italian town where his parents used to live. Film's title needs a question mark at the end. Provocative. A decently thought out thesis that doesn't hold water.

Two Trains Runnin' (***1/2) During the Freedom Summer of 1964, three civil rights workers lost their lives in Mississippi. At the same time, two separate carloads of white twentysomethings had set out to find bluesmen they'd admired who had seemingly disappeared. This very nostalgic doc works on several levels. It catalogs one of the most pivotal years of the civil rights movement while showing how music brings disparate people together in ways one can't imagine.

The journey of these optimistic and naive youths through Ku Klux Klan territory is all the more mesmerizing thanks to the personal recollections of the participants, now senior citizens, who recall their gutsy sojourns. Precious archival footage of blues legends like Son House and Skip James are on view. As are glimpses of civil rights demonstrations, segregationists' rants and police brutality. Narrated by Common with performances by Gary Clark, Jr., Lucinda Williams and Buddy Guy.

Daughters of the Dust (***1/2) Back in 1991, DOTD was the first full-length film by an African-American woman to receive a general theatrical release in the United States. It's a crown filmmaker Julie Dash has worn since the premiere of this gorgeously crafted art film about a family dealing with the past and the future on a sea island off the coast of South Carolina. Set in 1902, the clan has close ties to its African past and is struggling with an intended migration to the north.

Dash's perceptive script examines old and new mores through the eyes of matriarchs, strong Gullah women. Arthur Jafa's (Crooklyn) cinematography looks more like a series of exquisite paintings than simple footage. Skillfully written with time-appropriate dialogue, this classic still defines the term "independent art film."

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Prize Winners

Jackson, a stirring documentary by filmmaker Maisie Crow about an abortion clinic's fight for survival in Jackson, Mississippi, won the Best Documentary Feature Jury Prize.

Five Awake won Jury Prize for Louisiana Feature, thanks to directors Donna Dees and Susan Willis who brought needed attention to domestic violence.

The Other Kids, which won the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature is a mix of fiction and non-fiction helmed by director Chris Brown who got teens to talk about their personal stories. (Click here for a complete list of winners.)

Highly praised films that have been on the festival circuit (Moonlight, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, I Am Not Your Negro, etc.) were also an integral part of the exceptional programming that gave audiences previews of movies that will come to theaters later this year and into the next one.



The 2016 New Orleans Film Festival was big gumbo of noteworthy movies that gave NOLA audiences lots to savor.
Home of 'Out of Town News' and one of the most iconic structures of Cambridge, the Harvard Square Kiosk is in peril. The 500-square-foot Kiosk that has served as a hub for academics, residents and students alike, may soon be unrecognizable as a result of the 'Harvard Square Placemaking' project, which brings forth major redesign and reconstruction to the Harvard Square.

Why the Kiosk Matters

The project has generated uproars from concerned individuals for several reasons. Firstly, it calls for the complete overhaul of a historic landmark of high architectural significance. The proposed redesign will strip the iconic structure of its century-old copper and brick and insert glass and LED lighting, shedding it of its historic essence.

Secondly, the project also comes with a hefty price-tag - $4.6 million that will come out of the pockets of taxpayers. Although the City of Cambridge has insisted on a transparent design process that allows public input, there are allegations of misinformation, corporate nepotism and restricted meetings where key decisions have been made. Lastly, the redesign of the Kiosk is one of many initiatives that are transforming the beloved Harvard Square, diminishing its heritage, altering its personality and stifling local businesses.

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Image Credit: The Galante Architecture Studio

A proposed render of the re-design of Harvard Square makes drastic changes to the historic structure.



OurHarvardSQ



Lending a voice to those who are concerned and troubled about the loss of a significant symbol of the Square, a grassroots local group by the name of 'OurHarvardSQ' has taken on the initiative to establish a collaborative design process in the hope of preserving the distinctive personality of Harvard Square. A crucial goal of their efforts is the preservation of the beloved Kiosk. With the Kiosk currently having limited protection under the Harvard Square Conservation District, whose conflicting goals often put preservation at a disadvantage, OurHarvardSQ is striving to have the Kiosk designated a City of Cambridge Protected Landmark. The efforts have resulted in a formal petition as well as an online petition that is addressed to the Cambridge Historical Commission, calling on City Council members and demanding an enhanced level of protection.



Image Credit: OurHarvardSQ

To raise awareness of the Harvard Square re-design process and the imperative to seek public input, OurHarvardSQ conducted a campaign to collect ideas from the public on what they "Dream the Kiosk to Be."



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Clarence H. Blackall: Architect of the Kiosk

With Clarence H. Blackall of the renowned Boston architectural firm Blackall, Clapp and Whittemore leading the design process, the Kiosk was constructed in 1928. Built as the entrance to Harvard Square's new subway, the Kiosk became home to the celebrated 'Out of Town News' in the early 1980s, selling every major newspaper and journal from around the world. With the internet now revolutionizing the way we receive world news, Out of Town News is a stark reminder of a business that once had a noble concept. Safe guarding the integrity and character of this historic structure will help preserve it for future generations to come.

A native of Illinois, Clarence H. Blackall took up residence in Boston after training at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Blackall and his firm are responsible for the design of over 300 theaters, including Boston's spectacular Wang Theatre and the Gaiety Theatre. The design of the elegant Copley Plaza Hotel and Boston's first steel skyscraper, the Winthrop Building, are also credited to Blackall. The Kiosk shares certain architectural features, such as alternating brick and limestone courses as well as a theatrical copper roof, with the Winthrop Building. An architectural icon, the Winthrop Building is now under Landmark review in Boston.

Blackall was pivotal in helping to establish the Boston Architectural Club (now the renowned Boston Architecture College or BAC). At the time of its establishment, the BAC sought to launch accessible architecture education. As a result, immigrants who came to Boston in the early decades of the twentieth century could learn architecture while pursuing employment. To present day, the BAC continues to provide the world with much needed skilled architectural workers.

Petition for Landmark status

OuHarvardSQ's online petition to seek Landmark status for the Kiosk currently has over 700 supporters, with others being compiled locally. In September 2016, a formal petition was submitted to the Cambridge Historical Commission. On November 3rd, a hearing by the commission will make the crucial decision as to whether or not a Landmark Study will be initiated to have the Kiosk be added to the list of other 37 Protected Landmarks that are currently in Cambridge.

The threat to the Kiosk is not the only one, although it is the most notable. Three nearby historic buildings, one of which houses the 'only Curious George store in the world' have been purchased by out-of-state developers who are planning to replace the current characteristic design with a slick, glass-enveloped design. Hyper-modern structures will then loom over the Harvard Square Kiosk and other key parts of the Square, eroding the square of its distinctive architecture and personality.

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Those who are fighting for the preservation of the Harvard Square Kiosk describe it as the 'canary in the coal mine', singing out a cautionary tale of its own demise, all the while stressing the importance of making preservation an imperative part of architectural innovations. OurHarvardSQ warns that if government process and incongruous development remain unchecked, beloved icons like the Harvard Square Kiosk will be an incredible loss to us all.

Find OurHarvardSQ's online petition here.
This year's best management books explore the importance of management trust and ethics through a lens of leadership, technology and change

Trust and ethics, diversity and productivity are key themes running through this year's 25 best management and leadership books short listed for the 2017 Management Book of the Year.

Announced by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and The British Library - and supported by Henley Business School - 2017 Management Book of the Year features titles that are breathing new life into management and leadership thinking.

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More than 150 books were entered this year into the competition's five categories: Management Futures; Innovation and Entrepreneurship;

Practical Manager; the Commuter's Read; and Management and Leadership Textbook.

Among those shortlisted is John Blakey's The Trusted Executive, which looks at trust-building strategies, and Richard and Daniel Susskind's The Future of the Professions, which examines how emerging technologies will bring fundamental changes to the way we work.

Trust and uncertainty have been timely themes with the ongoing scrutiny of top executives' pay and aftermath of the EU Referendum result. Books such as Big Change, Best Path by Warren Parry look at how best to manage and embrace change, while Cecile Bingham's Employment Relations examines organisational justice and recommends how to build diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Petra Wilton, CMI's director of strategy, commented: "Thousands of books on how to become a better manager and leader are published every year.

Our shortlist directs everyone from first-time managers to senior business leaders to those books that will make a definite difference to how they think and act as management and leadership professionals. For those passionate about their career, the progressive and practical lessons within these books are essential reads."

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The five category winners and an overall winner will be announced at an awards evening at the British Library on 6 February 2017 - with the winning author taking home a 5,000 prize. Last year's overall winner was Frugal Innovation by Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu, published by Profile.

Navi and Jaideep said: "Winning the 2016 Management Book of the Year award was a huge achievement and we were delighted to see our work recognised in making such a difference to managers. The volatile economy created uncertainty for many so we were glad to offer practical advice to managers and leaders to drive business forward."

Phil Spence, Chief Operating Officer at the British Library and a Companion of the CMI, said:

"The British Library is honoured and thrilled to be hosting the CMI Management Book of the Year awards again. Not only are we the UK's national research Library with a world-class collection of management studies resource, but also we have a long and successful relationship with CMI and are delighted to be supporting them in their mission to develop management and leadership."

For the full shortlist online, please visit: yearbook.managers.org.uk

Shortlist at a glance:

Management Futures

Data-driven organization design: sustaining the competitive edge through organizational analyticsRupert Morrison, Kogan Page

Big change, best path: successfully managing organizational change with wisdom, analytics and insight Warren Parry. Kogan Page

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Superforecasting: the art and science of prediction

Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner. Penguin Random House

Connected leadership: how to build a more agile, customer-driven business

Simon Hayward, Pearson

The future of the professions: how technology will transform the work of human experts.Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind. Oxford University Press

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Play bigger: how rebels and innovators create new categories and dominate markets

Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lockhead and Kevin Maney, Little, Brown Book Group

Originals: how non-conformists change the world

Adam Grant. Ebury Publishing

The innovation workout: the 10 steps that will build your creativity and innovation skills.

Lucy Gower. Pearson

Building a culture of innovation: a practical framework for placing innovation at the core of your business.Cris Beswick, Derek Bishop and Jo Geraghty. Kogan Page

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From science to startup: the inside track of technology entrepreneurship.

Anil Sethi.Springer.

Practical Manager

How to manage: the definitive guide to effective management.

Jo Owen. Pearson

Inclusive talent management: how business can thrive in an age of diversity.

Stephen Frost and Danny Kalman. Kogan Page

FAST: 4 principles every business needs to achieve success and drive results

Gordon Tredgold. Next Century Publishing

The negotiation book: your definitive guide to successful negotiating

Steve Gates. Wiley

What you really need to lead: the power of thinking and acting like an owner.

Robert Steven Kaplan. Harvard Business Review Press

The Commuter's Read

Great answers to tough questions at work

Michael Dodd. Wiley

It takes more than casual Fridays and free coffee: building a business culture that works for everyone.Diane K AdamsPalsgrave. Macmillan

We have a deal: how to negotiate with intelligence, flexibility and power.

Natalie Reynolds. Icon Books

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The trusted executive: nine leadership habits that inspire results, relationships and reputation.John Blakey. Kogan Page

How to be REALLY productive: achieving clarity and getting results in a world where work never ends. Grace Marshall. Pearson

Management and Leadership Textbook

Leadership paradoxes: rethinking leadership for an uncertain world.

Richard Bolden, Morgen Witzel and Nigel Linacre (eds) .Taylor & Francis

A guide to professional doctorates in business and management

Lisa Anderson, Jeff Gold, Jim Stewart and Richard Thorpe. SAGE Publications

Employability: making the most of your career development

John Neugebauer and Jane Evans-Brain. SAGE Publications

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The origins of ethical failures: lessons for leaders.

Dennis Gentilin. Rutledge

Employment relations: fairness and trust in the workplace.

Cecilie Bingham. SAGE Publications

About the competition

The Management Book of the Year competition, which is now in its seventh year, was created to uncover the best books on management and leadership, and help raise the profile of the great management writing published in the UK.

The winners of the five categories and the overall winner - who will scoop a 5,000 prize - will be announced at an awards evening at the British Library on 7 February 2017.

A full listing of the shortlisted books and more details on the expert judging panel are available via the competition website yearbook.managers.org.uk. Follow the hashtag #managementgold on Twitter to get tips, advice and information on the books in this year's competition.

Last year's overall winner was Frugal Innovation by Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu, published by Profile (Economist Books). Previous overall and category winners include Steven D'Souza, Diana Renner, Richard Newton, Christopher Bones, Henry Mintzberg, Clayton M. Christensen and Philip Kotler.

CMI

CMI - the Chartered Management Institute - is the only chartered professional body for management and leadership, dedicated to improving managers' skills and growing the number of qualified managers.

Our professional management qualifications span GCSE to PhD equivalent levels, including the unique Chartered Manager award which increases earnings potential and improves workplace performance.

We provide employers and individual managers with access to the latest management thinking and with practical online support which helps them embrace change, create high performing teams and keep ahead of the curve.

With a member community of 136,000 managers and leaders, we promote high standards of ethical practice through our Professional Code of Conduct, and help managers build their expertise through online networks, regional events and mentoring opportunities.

Visit

for more information.

British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation and includes books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, photographs, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Up to 10 million people visit the British Library website every year where they can view up to 4 million digitised collection items and over 40 million pages.

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Henley Business School
Serzh Sargsyan, Herbert Zalber discuss meetings meetings in Vienna and Saint Petersburg

Serzh Sargsyan received today the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Herbert Zalber. Noting that all previous meetings with the EU Special Representative were conducted in an open and frank atmosphere, the President expressed hope that this meeting too will be of the same nature. Serzh Sargsyan highly praised the EU commitment to establish the atmosphere of confidence between the parties of the NK conflict in order to reach a peaceful resolution of the issue. President Sargsyan and Herbert Zalber exchanged views on the recent developments in the NK peace process after the meetings in Vienna and Saint Petersburg and on the current situation. Serzh Sargsyan presented Armenias efforts made with the mediation of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and reiterated that the Armenian side is ready to continue to make constructive steps for the benefit of peace and security in the region. The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Herbert Zalber noted that in the framework of his visit to Armenia, he is having meeting with the representatives of the civil society, including the residents of the border regions of Armenia. At the meeting, the parties also exchanged views on the regional developments.
Smart City is an an urban development mission and concept we hear increasingly as a range of thinkers, technologists, architects, engineers, designers, artists and environmentalists come together to plan smart ways of building cities for citizens. Technology and populations sizes are growing rapidly so regular research, monitoring and design thinking is required to deal with a range of complex interconnected factors.

On 13 October just before I left Hungary Mindspace launched their new Urban pop-up space in Budapest that will host a range of discussions and workshops to bring different thinkers and doers to the table over the next three years as part of the Shared Cities Creative Momentum* programme. 6 European countries are involved to share knowledge and expertise with a range of projects and events taking place.

I arrived in Budapest 6 weeks prior to this on a programme funded by Climate KIC, Europe's largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate change, consisting of dynamic companies, the best academic institutions and the public sector.

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For 6 weeks I researched and explored the city, its people, places, creative organisations and its sociological challenges. My project brief was to explore how Mindspace, my host organization, can use arts and culture within its programme of activity to connect people and places in urban areas of the city. My research project included exploring the power of the arts to create change, educate and empower communities about sustainability, climate change and green issues as well as providing examples of good practice from around the world. Mindspace are a not for profit based in the heart of Budapest focusing on social innovation, smart city and knowledge management. They are a dedicated team of five founders and a number of volunteers juggling a range of projects and roles, so my recommendations needed to be realistic, and of course smart.

Budapest is a thriving European capital with millions of tourists visiting the city to explore its beautiful buildings, steam baths, the Danube river and nightlife. But a few more weeks and you start to delve into the political, historical and sociological landscape of a country that I think is critical to appreciate when creating arts activities or indeed any programmes as one size does not fit all. Budapest is only a 2.5 hour flight from London but in some aspects worlds apart in how the creative industries are developing and a part of every day public life, and how they fit alongside other sectors. We have much to learn from each other and expertise to share. Resources and support from government are declining across Europe for creative ventures but still there are differences across the continent that cannot be ignored, so it is great that projects like Shared Cities exist to address some of these.

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One thing that is cleared shared across the continent is the challenged of involving citizens in cultural projects and planning. Cultural leaders and organisations with a democratic outlook want to engage citizens and include their ideas, as well as gain their participation in projects, but engagement can be a huge issue, and this is still a huge problem for the climate change sector. In Budapest I attended an event about Smart Cities at the new Impact Hub, I went to the International Art Market where I saw some works exploring global warming, but of course the audiences here were niche and already 'converted' or knowledgeable about the issues. We often communicate within our bubbles and projects managers struggle to reach out to new audiences even in this era of social media and digital technology. I visited the city park and met a number of activists protesting against the new building plans for a museum quarter that would see the end of trees and green space that is regularly used by the community.
We took a lot of risks with the pieces we are showing at TEFAF New York. It's our first show in the U.S. and we wanted to have things that you can't see anywhere else. We are artisans and our production is small. The New York clientele is very sophisticated and we want to surprise them.

The world of high-end jewelry is relatively small, and many of the buyers that can afford these pieces buy them just for the pleasure of owning them or for pure aesthetic considerations, but others consider them an investment. I asked Reza what elements should be taken into consideration when buying his pieces as pure investments.



According to Reza, to achieve a standard of being an investment, a work ideally needs to follow three criteria: "First, the use of natural stones of excellent quality. A single gemstone suffice for a jewel to be an investment, but even in works including multiple smaller stones and a complex design, the final work transcends the stones."



"Second, an extraordinary design that surprises you and causes an emotion. The stronger the emotion the more likely the piece will be timeless. This approach is shared when buying any works of art," continues Reza, explaining that while gemstones themselves carry a certain investment value, design and aesthetic combination of different gems provides as well an artistic and emotional value.



"Third, the piece needs to represent the mastering of the jeweler and embellish the person wearing it. Manufacture and functionality can't be ignored. People want to wear the pieces and as a jeweler you want them to wear it."
The three UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board Members during the impromptu event.

Nearly 30 minutes into the scheduled side event on climate change in cities at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), a handful of participants were sitting in conference room R9, dazed and confused, wondering why the event had not yet started. My Canadian colleague from the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board, Olivia Labonte, and I peeked inside the room out of curiosity and were told by a volunteer that the event had been postponed.

As we were walking away in disappointment, I turned to Olivia and jokingly commented, "You know, we could just take that room and make a presentation about the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board and probably no one would do anything." To my surprise, Olivia enthusiastically responded, "That is such a great idea--let's do it." That was when I knew that we were about to do something spectacular. Olivia is not one to say something without taking action, and, surely enough, we marched right back into that room half-committed to the idea of claiming this space.

While we were walking back, we ran into our German colleague from the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board, Jonas Freist-Held, which subsequently turned us into the Three Musketeers. We entered this space, just when a volunteer was about to officially announce the postponement of the scheduled event and asked everyone to leave. Surely enough, Olivia took the initiative to tell--not ask--this individual that the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board would be taking the room to talk about our work. This innocent volunteer, unaware of our mischievousness, spoke to everyone in Spanish and asked them to stay for a special session.

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Sitting on the panel, Olivia began to talk about the Board, with Jonas, our miraculous polyglot who speaks German, English, French and Spanish, as our translator. After briefly sharing about us and our work, we opened it up to the floor and asked people to share their own ideas, struggles, and thoughts on urbanization and the New Urban Agenda, the upcoming outcome document of Habitat III. In midst of this discussion, more and more people kept piling into the room until, to our astonishment, all the seats were taken. But the participants in the room were quite homogeneous in mixture: they were all Latin American youth, with only three or so participants able to speak English.

An entire room filled with youth at a pop-up event during Habitat III.

When we opened the floor to these youth, they embraced the opportunity and immediately sought to speak. The first youth, from Lima, Peru, commented on the lack of public space in her city. And before we know it, all these young people began to comment on the lack of public space. They spoke throughout the 20 or so minutes that we had, until an organizer realized what had been going on and turned off the lights. Even then, the room suddenly began to radiate with the glimmer of all these youths' camera lights from their cellphones. What happened later amazed us even more: all these young people began to rush up to us to continue the conversation, with their phones to light up the space. Many of these youth stayed 20 minutes passed the event, until we were eventually kicked out by the next panel.

Youth still speaking with UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board Members even when the lights were off; flash had to be used to take this photo.

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Jane Jacobs / The Jane Jacobs Estate

"There is no way of overcoming the visual boredom of big plans. It is built right into them because of the fact that big plans are the product of too few minds. If those minds are artful and caring, they can mitigate the visual boredom a bit; but at the best, only a bit. Genuine, rich diversity of the built environment is always the product of many, many different minds, and at its richest is also the product of different periods of time with their different aims and fashions. Diversity is a small scale phenomenon. It requires the collection of little plans" -- Jane Jacobs, Can Big Plans Solve the Problem of Urban Renewal?, 1981.

In Vital Little Plans, a new collection of the short writings and speeches of Jane Jacobs, one of the most influential thinkers on the built environment, editors Samuel Zipp and Nathan Storring have done readers a great service. They've brought together the best of this brilliant autodidact's compelling arguments for why planners and designers must never forget the importance of small-scale diversity given it results in interesting cities created, first and foremost, for people.

In essays and speeches that range from the 1940s -- years before she became famous for The Death and Life of Great American Cities in 1961 -- to 2004, just two years before her death, we learn how her thinking evolved and grew more ambitious, but was always rooted in what she learned from watching people interacting on the streets.

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In 1958, a few years before she published Death and Life, she writes a thoughtful piece for Fortune magazine, contrasting her experience walking through the liveliest parts of cities with the deadening urban renewal projects to come, the projects she saw as killing organic, small-scale diversity through a homogenized, imported model. Early on, she identified the faults of those vast Modernist urban design projects: "They will be spacious, park-like, and uncrowded. They will feature long green vistas. They will be stable and symmetrical and monumental. They will have all the attributes of a well-kept, dignified cemetery. And each project will very much look like the next one."

To fight these projects, she then called for urban citizens to empower themselves by thinking critically about cities and then making their thoughts heard and influence felt. "Planners and architects have a vital contribution to make, but the citizen has a more vital one. It is his city after all." Citizens must go out and really study their city. "What is needed is an observant eye, curiosity about people, and a willingness to walk."

For Jacobs, walking, and later biking, were central to experiencing that attractive diversity of city life. As such, any transportation plans that undermined walkability, that downgraded the status of the pedestrian on the street in favor of cars, were anathema to her, as we would later see in her committed advocacy to stop New York City planner Robert Moses' effort to put an expressway through her beloved Greenwich Village. Her writings in the 60s also made the case for architectural preservation, which she viewed as central to the aesthetic diversity that makes cities a visual adventure. For Jacobs, diversity in the built environment was not only an indicator of a vibrant, social place, but also economic vitality.

After leading the assault against urban renewal for multiple decades, beginning in the 1980s, she began to write more ambitious, theoretical essays that explore the "ecology of cities." For her, this was less about urban ecosystems, but the intricate dance of systems that drive innovation, that make cities the place to be not only for social and cultural life, but also make them critical economic drivers. "A natural ecosystem is defined as 'composed of physical-chemical-biological processes active within a space-time unit of any magnitude.' A city ecosystem is composed of physical-economic-ethnic processes active at a given time within a city and its close dependencies." She again relates the importance of diversity: "Both types of ecosystems -- assuming they are not barren -- require much diversity to sustain themselves. In both cases, the diversity develops organically over time, and the varied components are interdependent in complex ways. The more niches for diversity of life and livelihood in either kind of ecosystems, the greater its capacity for life."

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Her speech in 1984 on the need to enhance diversity through specific policies that support multiculturalism, which in turn supports innovation, is just as important today. Analyzing her adopted city -- Toronto, Ontario, which she moved to in the early 70s -- she says: "The Canadian ideal is expressed metaphorically as the mosaic, the idea being that each piece of the mosaic helps compose the overall picture, but each piece nevertheless has an identity of its own. As a city, Toronto, has worked hard and ingeniously to give substance to this concept."

In the last years of her life, she became increasingly concerned about the future of urban development, about whether diversity, enabled by the many, many "vital small plans," would win out or be trampled by the forces of gentrification, homogenization, and governmental centralization. In the Vincent Scully Prize lecture at the National Building Museum in 2000, she identified future threats to that diversity. For example, she saw that immigrant communities could no longer afford to take root in downtowns, thereby enriching cities from within, but often landed farther out in sprawled-out suburbs that limit their positive cultural and economic impacts.

She was also fearful of the World Bank and other international development agencies, along with national and metropolitan governments, that intervene in the intricate economic life of developing world cities by investing in major infrastructure projects that can wipe out diversity on the ground. She seems to equate the "comprehensive planning efforts" of the World Bank with Robert Moses. In a talk at the World Bank in 2002, she tells their leadership that it's best to do no harm -- and not invest at all -- rather than inadvertently upset the dynamics of a balanced urban ecology. "The minute you begin to prescribe for cities' infrastructure or programs comprehensively, you try to make one size fit all."
Coffman: "As long as they haven't violated criminal laws to give them a legalized status that would allow them to work here without fear of deportation.

Clark: "Not citizenship but legal status?"

Coffman: "Legal status."

Clark: "Any path to citizenship for those people?"

Coffman: "No. No."
Every day, when Tadeusz (Tad) Sudol, Ph.D. makes the crossing from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island -- the "small town" of 14,000 in New York's East River -- he is reminded of another crossing he made, 28 years ago. In 1988, Peter Marcuse, a professor of urban planning at Columbia University, met him in Poznan, Poland, and invited him to teach in New York the following year. So Tad made the trip, taught at Columbia, and was offered a job at a prestigious New York architecture firm. Despite frequent journeys home, he has remained in New York ever since. "I've always been connected to two worlds," Tad says.



Tadeusz Sudol: Connected to Two Worlds - New York and Old Europe.

Photo: Courtesy Tad Sudol.

I first met Tad 16 years ago on Roosevelt Island. I was immediately impressed by his vision, passion and integrity, and when he was forming the Roosevelt Island Visual Arts Association (RIVAA), I was delighted to lend my support. Tad went on to serve as RIVAA's president for 12 exciting years.

Tad grew up in Tarnow, studied in Krakow, and moved to Poznan to teach. (He also did a year of graduate school in Florida, a reward for academic excellence.) In the 1980s, he was one of the youngest professors at the Poznan Polytechnic Institute, where he specialized in architecture and town planning. He also had a thriving private practice by the time professor Peter Marcuse, making a tour of Polish architecture schools, "discovered" him.

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At Columbia, he and Peter (son of the renowned philosopher Herbert Marcuse) shared their complementary visions of city planning. Marcuse is known for analyzing the political and financial forces that influence urban design. Tad's focus is on historical context and spatial composition.



Manhattan property powerhouse Vornado Realty Trust president

Steven Roth with Tadeusz Sudol. Photo: Courtesy Tad Sudol.

Columbia's then dean of architecture, Bernard Tschumi, introduced him to Thierry Despont, a French-born architect with a spectacularly successful New York practice. Despont specializes in designing elaborate homes for wealthy clients (many of them internationally known). The houses are in a wide variety of styles, with the common element being Thierry's exquisite taste and attention to detail. Among the clients whose jobs Tad managed were Bill and Melinda Gates.

"For years, I was in Seattle two or three days a week, coordinating the work of dozens of consultants," Tad remembers. Back on the east coast, his jobs included houses for such stellar clients as Steve Roth, the president of Vornado Realty Trust, the Manhattan property powerhouse. Steve is an expert in design and construction. But that didn't intimidate Tad. He says his experiences with clients like Steve taught him to present designs calmly but confidently, creating consensus on the strength of his ideas. And he says, the projects he worked on always came in "on time and on budget."

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Architect Tadeusz Sudol, Ph.D. -- "Tad" to his friends.

Photo: Courtesy Tad Sudol.

The office of Thierry Despont was a kind of haven. Having left the old world, Tad found himself working with old world craftsmen on projects that reflected old world ambitions. In the meantime, he maintained ties to Poland, lecturing and writing articles for architecture magazines. He is an active member of the Polish Architect's Association.

The other thing he recreated in the new world was the sense of community he lost when he moved (with his wife and two children) from Poznan, with its famous Renaissance town center.

He did that by settling on Roosevelt Island, whose residents share one main street. "There are always familiar faces on the subway or tram," he says. And Tad is especially well known among his neighbors, given his 25 years of efforts to bring art to the island.

Lady Blanka Rosenstiel of the American Institute of Polish Culture with Tad Sudol

at a black-tie gala in the Waldorf Astoria. Photo: Courtesy Tad Sudol.

One of his first initiatives was creating a non-profit gallery, the Roosevelt Island Visual Arts Association (RIVAA), which mounts a dozen shows a year of paintings, photography and sculpture. It is a focal point of island life, and I was happy to endorse it 15 years ago. But Tad didn't stop with a single venue for art. In 2006, after the Octagon Tower (a former hospital building) was renovated, as part of a condo development, he created a second gallery there.

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And he persuaded the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to open a third gallery in the glass atrium of the island's Motorgate parking garage. That space is public, open 24/7, and corporation executives were resistant to the idea of installing art. Tad persuaded them to give art a try, starting with an annual Fall for Arts Festival. Residents create murals on large plywood panels and display them on a lawn facing Manhattan. The best murals are then shown in the Motorgate Gallery. Says Tad, "Suddenly this brutalist building is filled with color. Everybody loves it."

The arts initiatives are making Roosevelt Island more like the "arts island" Tad long envisioned.



Tadeusz Sudol: thought leader and global citizen.

Photo courtesy of Objekt Magazine/Hans Fonk.

He has also been an important force when it comes to architecture. Cornell University is building a tech campus on the southern half of the island, and Tad has been active in discussions of how that enclave and the existing "town" will come together. He sees the tech campus as a good thing for the island, because it will bring an influx of young families.

These days, Roosevelt Island is also known for the Four Freedoms Park, a memorial to Franklin Roosevelt that was designed by the great architect Louis Kahn in the 1970s but only recently built. Tad's involvement began in 2004, when he saw a show of Kahn's plans for the memorial at Manhattan's Cooper Union. Given that the memorial was specifically designed for the southern tip of Roosevelt Island, Tad worked to have the show transferred to the RIVAA gallery. Nearly half of the island's residents visited the show during its two-month run, and they began speaking for and against construction. Tad, a strong advocate of Kahn's design, found himself engaging in frequent conversations with residents about how the monument would benefit Roosevelt Island. He persuaded more than a few of his neighbors to support the project.



The Blue Dragon at the gateway of Four Freedoms Park. Photo: Tad Sudol.

The memorial was completed in 2012 and has been a hit with critics and the public. Beyond that, it's just one of many examples of how Sudol has harnessed the drive, and love of the arts, he brought with him from Poland to New York.

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Illustration of John Brown leading a group of slaves and other followers in a a revolt against slaveowners the Doyle family, Pottawamie Creek, Kansas, October 16, 1859. (Kean Collection/Getty Images)

When writing the book "April 1865," author Jay Winik said the bitterest of fighting didn't take place in Dixie or along the eastern border. It was in Missouri and places out west, where guerilla fighting ravaged the civilian population. Long after Grant and Lee shook hands, the killings continued, with scalping, foot-burning, and rape being common tactics in the war against one's neighbor. The book "What's the Matter with Kansas?" documents the rise of extremism in our nation's heartland, instead of the modern South, in the 1990s.

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Former LaGrange College Vice-President Will Jones got a first-hand experience in what those Kansans suffered through during the Civil War. Not long after he arrived as Bethany College's newest president, he demonstrated the power of service leadership, washing the feet of some students, including those of a black student. He and his wife are the proud parents of two adopted biracial kids. For some locals, those factors made Jones a legitimate target.

On September 3, Jones found himself in the crosshairs in a story that would make national news. Across campus came the hate messages. "Make Lindsborg white again," read one large chalk sign. Another showed the chalk-drawn outline of a dead body, with a "Rest in Peace my friend" note next to it. Phone messages threatened to close the college, as well as explain that the messages and images were targeting Jones and his family.

Investigations showed that the actions weren't perpetrated by college students, but by a local group from Lindsborg, according to the Washington Post. The town did pass a resolution condemning those actions, and students seem pretty supportive of their new president. They should be, as he's a good college leader.

Members of my Sunday School at First United Methodist Church, where Will and Amy Jones were members and their kids attended church lessons, immediately began to pray for this new president, targeted by hate crimes. Support from LaGrange College followed.

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It got me thinking about this West Georgia community, our home for 15 years. Throughout this region, our church group always had members that pitched in to help the Jones family as his biracial adopted son struggles with a life-threatening kidney disease. He was one of the most popular figures at the college and church. Instead of being condemned for being progressive, Jones was commended at LaGrange's Rotary Club, earning a Paul Harris Fellowship. In fact, at church, I just learned that some of the members closest to the Jones family are flying out to Kansas to be with them in their time of crisis and need. Georgia comes to the rescue again.

Surely every community can be improved. But while the national mantra targets the South as the bastion of intolerance, maybe we're forgetting to look elsewhere for the truly bitter actions of hate. And maybe what we need to realize is that other parts of America can look at places in the South and learn a little something about how a community can be a little more Christ-like.
On September 19, 2016, widespread protests took place across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Congolese population sent a clear message to President Joseph Kabila that he had only 90 days left to vacate the presidency because his last of two presidential terms expires on December 19, 2016. The Congolese security forces violently and brutally repressed the demonstrators. According to the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations, "at least 53 people, including four police officers and 49 civilians, were killed during clashes in Kinshasa by gunshot, burns and machete." 127 civilians were injured allegedly at the hands of Congolese security forces. The demonstrations took place in the midst of a dialogue initiated by the Kabila regime with the support of the African Union, the United Nations and other partners in the international community. The major opposition parties boycotted the dialogue because the Kabila regime did not meet certain conditions - chief among them, the release of political prisoners and the resignation of the facilitator, Edem Kodjo because he is seen as acting on behalf of president Kabila. The dialogue is at a standstill; meanwhile, civil society representatives and the Catholic Church have temporarily suspended their participation. The protests were a result of months of grassroots organizing by the Congolese population, particularly the youth, and key opposition political parties. University students and recent university graduates were a part of these organizing efforts. They believe that their future is at stake in the current political crisis and see the failures of the current government as an obstacle to the Congolese people fulfilling their aspirations. As the youth responded to the call for demonstrations across the country, no one expected that their participation would result in the loss of life. Whenever the Congolese youth protest in the streets, they put their lives on the line to make a change in the leadership of the country. Given their commitment for change in the Congo, these youth who are the "bright lights" of future leadership are being repressed, jailed, exiled or killed. Among those who lost their lives on September 19th was Papy Tshiswaka. He was a former student of the technical university "Institut des batiments et des travaux publics" (IBTP). He was the Student Government president for the Class of 2008-2009. While among the protesters in the neighborhood of Bandal, the police fired live bullets into the crowd killing Papy. Other youth like Bouquin Bukasa Kazadi also perished. He died while serving as a part of a security team at a political party headquarters that was set ablaze by the regime's security forces. The backlash and repression is not only targeting opposition figures or those who would be future leaders and healthy competition in a genuine democracy, but it is also using violence to spread fear throughout the population. A young Congolese child was victim of this widespread violence. On September 20, an 11 year-old girl by the name of Thethe Tshibola lost her limbs and subsequently died as an explosive detonated in her family compound where she was playing with her siblings. Since the January 19 and 20 demonstrations, the Congolese republican guards have been rounding up young people in key neighborhoods throughout the city and taking them to unknown locations. There have also been reports of Congolese soldiers who were disarmed in Camp Lufungula and Camp Mobutu. These tactics are viewed by the population in these areas as a form of intimidation of the Congolese people whose protests paralyzed the city for several days. The root of the crisis that plagues the Congo in this moment is a president who wants to remain in power against the will of the people and the dictates of the country's constitution. President Joseph Kabila has made it clear to the Congolese people that he is bent on holding onto power by any means necessary even if it means gunning down dozens of unarmed protesters in the streets of Kinshasa. This is not the first time the Kabila regime has responded to demonstrations in a heavy-handed manner. In January 2015, the regime killed at least 42 Congolese when people rallied to prevent him from changing the electoral law to extend his stay in power. The Kabila regime has a well-established history and pattern of killing demonstrators. The international community should condemn the latest acts of violence by the Congolese government in the strongest terms. The killings should be investigated and the chain of command of the Congolese security forces should stand trial for the premeditated killing of Congolese citizens. An independent international investigation is warranted. Pressure should be exercised on US lobby firms hired on behalf of the Congolese government, namely the BGR Group who recently signed a $875,000 agreement with the DRC. They are providing the Kabila regime the incentive and strength to stay in power beyond the constitutional term limit while unchecked corruption continues. They too must be held accountable for their support of a repressive regime in Africa. People of goodwill throughout the globe should call on the United States and Congolese officials to demand that Kabila cease the attacks against the people and respect the Congolese constitution. The world has watched the Kabila regime jail innocent youth, drive others into exile, violently repress dissent and undertake a military build up to go to war against the unarmed population, youth in particular. It is time to stop watching and start acting. Congolese, other Africans, and people of conscience throughout the globe must act to end the bludgeoning of a beleaguered people who seek peace, justice and human dignity.
Forbes Under 30 Summit, City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA.

Impact is where the heart of this summit is. - Caroline Howard, Executive Digital Editor, Forbes Media

Held from October 16th-19th in Boston, Massachusetts, the tone of the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit matched the host city's revolutionary spirit. Instead of ignoring the current tumultuous political environment, the summit embraced this polarization head-on. Over a fast-paced four days, an eclectic mix of entrepreneurs, musicians, celebrities, and athletes, publicly slammed Donald Trump for his blatant bigotry. Numerous influencers urged the over 5,000 young entrepreneurs and game-changers who had converged on Boston "to change the world" to engage in politics, vote in the upcoming election, and ultimately, change the narrative.

This year's Under 30 Summit possessed a distinct sense of urgency. As Katie Meyler, Founder of More Than Me and TIME Magazine's 2014 "Person of the Year," summed up:

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We are not enemies. We are not different political parties. We are humanity.



Katie Meyler, Founder of More Than Me, "Life and Death and Ebola."

The 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit was more than just inspiring - it was impactful. The summit's agenda not only highlighted the value of social impact in for-profit business but also sought to expose mainstream audiences to some of today's most pressing social justice issues. Presentations and discussion topics included:

Accurate Representation of Muslim-Americans

As Trump continues to advance destructive rhetoric targeting Muslim-Americans, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Muslim Girl, provided much-needed visibility for the real Muslim-Americans. Speaking candidly about her own adolescence as a Muslim-American woman, Al-Khatahtbeh recounted how she was once ashamed of her religion - something that she is now rightly proud of.

And I hid. I could not claim my religion. I was overcome by a feeling of shame. I had to compromise who I was out of fear.

Al-Khatahtbeh's experience not only speaks to the persisting reality for far too many Muslim-Americans but also points to the shared experiences of minority groups. For instance, Al-Khatahtbeh's words echo the struggle of "coming out" that continues for so many LGBTQ Americans. Her story serves as a potent reminder that we are more similar than we are different. We are all human beings who should be able to live authentically without fear of retribution or shaming. As Trump tries to pull us apart, we need to remember humanizing words like those of Al-Khatahtbeh to help keep us together.

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Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Muslim Girl, "Muslim Like U.S."

LGBTQ Rights: Accurate Representation of Transgender People & Non-Heteronormative Families

My favorite part of this year's summit was the screening of the short documentary Where We Are Now, the powerful story of a non-heteronormative family. This documentary continued the summit's theme of separating fact from fiction. Where We Are Now provides a raw, concise, and most of all, truthful account of one non-heteronormative family's journey through their transgender parent's transition. In selecting this documentary, Forbes Media proves its capability and willingness to bring authentic, minority narratives to mainstream audiences.

I've not changed. I can see to the outside world it's a big change. All that has happened is that I get to show the world who I really am. - Transgender parent in Where We Are Now

As Raymond Braun, Founder of RWB Media and Television Correspondent, summed up:

If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu.

Accurate and proportional representation is crucial for attaining meaningful social change. Where We Are Now is a definite step in the right direction.

Refugee Rights: Spotlight on North Korea

The summit also featured a powerful talk by Hyeonseo Lee, North Korean Defector, Activist and Author of The Girl With Seven Names. Lee, a champion of refugee rights, talked pointedly about her escape from North Korea and the enduring struggle of the North Korean people.

I paid the highest price for freedom. I lost my friends, relatives, family for 14 years. Freedom isn't free.

Hyeonseo Lee, North Korean Defector, Activist and Author of The Girl With Seven Names, interviewed by Moira Forbes, Publisher ForbesWoman and Executive Vice President, Forbes Media, in "The Face of Freedom."

Lee's courageous story helped to shed much-needed light on the catastrophe in North Korea. Lee took full advantage of the opportunity to address the most influential gathering of millennials in the world.

Please pay attention. This is a modern day tragedy that is happening in North Korea. I ask that you care about these issues and share this story with the people around you.

Lee's words seamlessly fit into the summit's pervasive sense of urgency: today's injustice needs to be dealt with now. Basic human rights are still not guaranteed in many places, and these issues cannot wait.

Racial Injustice: Highlighting the Black Lives Matter Movement

The summit also featured an enlightening conversation between DeRay McKesson, prominent Black Lives Matter activist, and Adam Foss, founder of Prosecutor Integrity. McKesson and Foss helped to focus the summit's attention on crucial issues of racial injustice. Specifically, they emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing police brutality and mass incarceration. Like many of their fellow speakers, McKesson and Foss urged attendees to take action and to not shy away from making their own tangible impact.

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DeRay McKesson, prominent Black Lives Matter activist, interviewed by Adam Foss, founder of Prosecutor Integrity, in "A Movement That Matters."

McKesson and Foss stressed action: everyone can and should actively engage in the Black Lives Matter movement. This is not a time for blind hate, prejudice or complacency. This is not a time for Trump. This is a time to actively engage in activism, social justice, and the advancement of equality.

The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship

Just three years ago, I was wholly unfamiliar with the term "social entrepreneurship." Today, I am a nonprofit social entrepreneur and I am hardly alone. The rise of social entrepreneurship, both for-profit and nonprofit, has been both swift and significant. Particularly, this elevation of social impact has dramatically transformed for-profit entrepreneurship. Companies like Warby Parker and TOMS have clearly demonstrated the economic incentive of incorporating social impact into for-profit business. Specifically, social enterprises appeal to the new millennial "socially conscious" consumer. According to The Social Times:

Millennials make up approximately 30 percent of the population and wield an estimated spending power of 200 billion per year.

At least 70 percent of millennials have purchased a product that supports a cause.

90 percent of millennials are likely to switch from one brand to another -- even when price and quality are equal -- if the second supports a cause.

68 percent of millennials state a company's social/environmental commitment as either being important or extremely important when deciding which products to buy.

66 percent will recommend products or services if a company is socially responsibly.

Shiza Shahid, Founder of New Ventures and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund, urges entrepreneurs to recognize that the greatest business problems are also the greatest social challenges. They are overlapping - not mutually exclusive.

Mission driven companies are the future.

And it is up to each one of us to activate this future. In keeping with the summit's revolutionary spirit and emphasis on active participation, Jasmine Lau, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Philanthropy in Motion (PIM), reminded attendees that young people do not have to wait to be successful or financially secure to engage in philanthropy. Instead, this misguided thinking can actually stunt or even prevent innovation. "You can start now," commented Lau. She recommends pooling together resources and seeking out pro bono mentorship as great places to start.

Companies have to change but also individuals really have to voice out their preferences.

We have to make an impact now. And we cannot make an impact without action. It is up to all of us to act: to vote, to speak out against social injustice, to demand accurate and proportional representation for minority groups, and to reward those entrepreneurs and companies who elevate social impact.

As the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit indicated, social impact is key to both nonprofit and for-profit entrepreneurship.

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Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump listens as Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (not pictured) speaks during their presidential town hall debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Poor Donald Trump is, in Barack Obama's words, "whining" about a big conspiracy out to get him--and the allegedly pro-Clinton mainstream media, of course, is at the center of the plot. Wild talk from wild man Donald? Nope. It's S.O.P. for the GOP.

At last night's debate, Trump made sure to play his version of the Republican golden oldie that the MSM is "so corrupt" and it "poisons the minds of voters." The party's mantra is that the "biased liberal media" are Hillary Clinton's lapdogs in the presidential election.

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Hatred of the news media is practically a plank in the Republic platform. Even before Trump used the press pen as pinatas at his rallies, reporters who attended Republican events often ran into nasty remarks and curses from attendees. (And I say this as a moderate who has voted for both parties.)

During the Republican convention in Cleveland, vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence told the crowd that Hillary Clinton will "have the press doing half her work for her." Newt Gingrich took the podium to decry the "lies of the news media." And at Trump rallies, the crowds chant at the press corps: "Tell the truth, tell the truth." Which is whatever Trump says it is.

Trouble is, their complaints have as much validity as Trump's assertion that he saw thousands of Muslims in Jersey City celebrating on 9/11, which Politifact found to be baseless.

Are the media supposed to ignore the outrageous and patently false things Trump says--whoppers that even many Republicans dispute?

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Journalists would not be doing their jobs if they let Trump get away with this stuff. But when they do call him on yet another fable or air his latest female accuser's charges, some Republicans are sure to wail that the lefty media are showing their pro-Hillary sentiments and their loathing of conservatives.

Suppose you are doing 95 mph in the 35 mph zone, and a traffic cop pulls you over. Does the cop make the stop because he hates you? Or because he is doing his duty?

What's clear is that media bashing brings two benefits to Republicans: 1) It is a sure-fire way to fire up the party's base, creating a straw man to portray as a common enemy, and 2) it provides cover for when a GOP candidate lands in trouble--simply deflect attention from his misadventures by complaining about media bias.

On the right, references of liberal bias are often tossed off with glib certainty, on the order of water is wet. Take this aside from Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberly Strassel, in a June 10 piece about Trump and Clinton: "The mainstream media are in the tank for her, and their airtime will be devoted to skewering him."

While I think very highly of Strassel, this struck me as all-too-typical. Journalists usually shrug off this stuff, but I decided to ask her how she knew this to be true. When I emailed her about her characterization of the Clinton-media relationship, Strassel wrote back citing this passage from a June 7 New York Times story about Clinton's clinching the Democratic nomination: "And Mrs. Clinton's very durability -- her tenacity, grit and capacity for enduring and overcoming adversity -- could be exactly what is required to defeat Donald J. Trump."

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OK, so the Times reporter who wrote the June 7 piece, Amy Chozick, cited three positive qualities about Clinton. Trouble is, Chozick also listed the candidate's negatives: Clinton lacks President Obama's oratorical skills and her own husband's campaigning prowess, plus all the money she took in speaking fees from Wall Street and her status as an insider running in an outsider's year.

Ignoring inconvenient facts is standard behavior for media bashers. I also noted in my response to Strassel that it was the Times that broke the story about Clinton's private server in March 2015. If the paper is the Democratic candidate's ally, then why did it do that? And why did Clinton refuse to hold a press conference in more than half a year if she is so beloved by journalists?

A piece on the website of the anti-journalism group, Media Research Center, tries to show there is a chumminess between reporters and Democratic politicians. Using emails unearthed by WikiLeaks, it succeeds only in showing that their dealings are often polite. Guess what? So are the dealings between the media and Republican pols.

Then, as further evidence of supposed media-Dem coziness, the article goes on to recount how NBC gave a job to Chelsea Clinton. Tellingly, it omits the fact that the network also hired Georges W.'s daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, for an on-air job.
I hate checkups at the doctor's office. It's the kind of tedious thing that drives me nuts. Then I complain to the nurse about doing tests and she says "Are you seriously going to complain about this?".

And then I feel foolish.

Sometimes we procrastinate (or complain loudly) about the mundane things that are important to us. Of course, my health is important. I should just suck it up and act like a big girl.

It's the same thing with your choice of eCommerce systems. Maybe you set up your eStore last year and never looked back. Maybe you're making steady sales and believe you're all set.

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Or maybe you're letting profits slip through your fingers every single day.

To make sure your eStore is performing at peak condition, here're five simple questions to help you start this year's eCommerce checkup:

Am I Using an Abandoned Cart Strategy?

Every single eStore, regardless of size, needs an abandoned cart strategy. This is a no-brainer. According to the Baymard Institute, an estimated 70% of online consumers leave filled shopping carts. That never means you've lost 70% of your sales. It just means that you have to work a little longer to recapture these lost sales.

A lot of eCommerce providers have some sort of abandoned cart option that lets you send gentle reminders or special offers. GreaterGood's Animal Rescue site sent me the following email the day after I left something in their shopping cart: Still Thinking? Let Us Sweeten The Deal! and offered me free shipping.

And I bought the item that day. Who can pass up free shipping?

Am I Paying Too Much?

Not all eCommerce providers are the same. Never assume they charge the same price. Plus, there are many eCommerce options including sales widgets that are free but charge a standard fee per sale. Or you may have your own stand-alone eStore or be part of a larger marketplace (like Etsy, Ruby Lane or eBay). There are many choices in the eCommerce universe.

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The fee for each PayPal transaction is 2.9% plus $0.30 USD of the amount you receive. Etsy charges a listing fee of $0.20 USD plus a transaction fee of 3.5% of the displayed price (there may be additional shipping costs depending on your location). Shopify's Basic Plan is $29 per month plus 2.9% and 30 per transaction.

There're a lot of variables. Look at how much you are spending each month and if there are any cheaper options you could use instead.

Where Can I Add New Sales Options?

The world of eCommerce is always evolving. New technology comes out and creates entirely new profit streams. Or some formerly popular choices seem antiquated. That's why it's essential to see where you could add a sales options and what gives you the best chance for sales. Knowing this helps you determine where you should spend the majority of your time, effort, and marketing budget.

Many eCommerce providers now have the ability to add a sales option directly into YouTube videos.

Here's an example from Selz:

Or maybe you want a Facebook store or an Instagram store (Facebook owns Instagram so you can easily make an Instagram store using a business Facebook page). There are many, many places to sell online. Make sure you're focusing on the right options for your business.

Am I Making the Right Tax Choices?

First, I know you're thinking "No! Don't make me think about taxes!"

But understanding taxes can be a huge issue for online businesses that sell in the European Union. The EU has a value added tax (VAT) that applies to any business in the world, regardless of whether or not your business is based in the EU. It's been a nightmare for many online realtors both inside and outside of the EU.

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"For companies based outside the EU, there are a number of import taxes such as VAT and duty to consider - how much is due is calculated on the value of the goods. The EU valuations rules need to be understood. However, the fundamental issue is 'who is the Importer of Record' and therefore responsible for the payment of all import taxes - you, the supplier, or your customer?"

Do not worry if this stuff gives you headaches. Remember Brexit? It's stuff like this that drove the UK out of the EU in the first place. But you don't have to worry about figuring out VAT if you have the right eCommerce provider as many take care of this tax situation for you (some for free and some as a paid service).

Ask your eCommerce company about the EU VAT. Let them handle this ridiculous issue for you or find an eCommerce service that offers VAT management as a benefit.

What's My Checkout Process Like?

Shoppers don't want to wait. They don't want a lengthy checkout process. We live in an instant gratification world. Shoppers simply want to press a button and get their stuff.

Blame Amazon with their incredibly useful buy now button.

Make sure your checkout process isn't difficult, frustrating or challenging. If your eCommerce provider doesn't have some type of "buy now" button, give consumers a clearly marked and direct route to the "confirm order" button.

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Go through the entire process yourself. Compare it to your competitor's checkout process. Do everything in your power to streamline this incredibly important aspect of any online business.

Can I Add an Upsell Option?

Have you ever bought movie theater popcorn and not been offered a larger size for just a little more? Movie theaters understand the power of upselling. Who can resist an extra large for a $1 more?

Adding an upselling offer is a simple and powerful way to increase sales. Just remember it's not another step in the sales process, as upselling needs it's own strategy.

Keep it simple, straightforward, and logical. Don't forget it's very easy for customers to click away from your site at any point. Create a system that flows and makes sense to your customer. See what types of upselling or even cross-selling options your eCommerce provider offers and take advantage of these opportunities to increase your profitability.

eCommerce is Connected to Everything

Don't put off performing your yearly eCommerce checkup. The time you spend analyzing, testing and evaluating your eCommerce system can save money and increase profits. Never be satisfied with a system. And never assume your system is the best and can't be improved.

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Maybe the thought of an eCommerce checkup isn't the sexiest thing you could do with your day. Maybe you'd rather spend your time focused on creating new products or connecting with customers. Just remember that everything in your business is connected. The bottom line is you can't make a sale unless your eCommerce system works.
In this picture taken Saturday, June 25, 2016, internally displaced woman and her daughter from Fallujah, who fled their homes during fighting between Iraqi security forces and the Islamic State group, at a camp at Amariyat Fallujah, Iraq. Tens of thousands of Iraqis who survived a harrowing flight from Fallujah now find themselves in sprawling desert camps with little food, water or shelter. The growing humanitarian crisis less than an houras drive from Baghdad has reinforced the regionas deep-seated distrust of the government, and could undermine recent gains against the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

The battle for Mosul has started, after months of warnings, and it's predicted to displace over a million people. Humanitarian catastrophes like this don't always come with advance notice, allowing policymakers and aid workers time to ramp up their operations. So it's especially galling that Iraq's government has tied the hands of their most valuable crisis responders: local women's organizations.



Iraqi policy across much of the country effectively forbids these local organizations from providing shelter. Those who defy this policy, by running safe houses for women escaping violence or shelters for families displaced by war, operate under government harassment and police raids. Few people are willing to endure these risks, and so the need for shelter remains chronically unmet.



This anti-shelter policy ignores reality. It disregards that local groups are often best positioned to meet humanitarian needs in areas inaccessible to international agencies. This is especially true when the risk to international aid workers is too high or when war frontlines cut off displaced communities. Local groups often have the expertise, community trust and connections to overcome these barriers.



By contrast, inadequate budgets, geographic and security barriers prevent many larger international relief agencies from meeting the overwhelming demand for shelter.



To be clear, technically, nothing in Iraqi law explicitly bars local organizations from providing shelter. For instance, since the passage of a 2011 anti-domestic violence law in the quasi-autonomous Kurdistan, women's groups and the regional government collaborate effectively, and local groups there are allowed to run shelters.



The trouble lies elsewhere and in the interpretation of Iraqi law. In central Iraq, there are laws that do stipulate the government's responsibility to provide for women's shelters. Unfortunately, government officials in central Iraq have often interpreted these policies to mean that only the government can run shelters. Meanwhile, the government has yet to open adequate shelters, and the very few that do exist remain empty and unstaffed.



Thanks to this de facto policy prohibition, the few Iraqi women's organizations able to step up to meet the need must do so covertly. Operating a shelter in a war-torn country is a deeply challenging venture; operating one clandestinely is even more so.

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With limited resources, these shelters can offer only meager accommodations in few scattered places, making it difficult for survivors of violence to find them.

Local organizations must routinely relocate their shelters to protect survivors from being found. These women may have escaped attempted honor killings, domestic violence or forced marriage, and they may still be on the run from their families.

When police raids occur, officers insist that residents let their families know where they are, putting these survivors at grave risk.

Without policy protections, those who run shelters are also vulnerable to imprisonment by police and death threats by militias opposed to their work.



The list of threats goes on. But where does this opposition to shelters spring from? According to Yanar Mohammed, founder of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), "shelters are thought of as encouraging women to disobey their husbands and daughters to disobey their parents. This leads to the presumption that a shelter is a place where a group of immoral women reside without a male guardian."

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The Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Women and Family in the Parliament, Haifa El-Hilfi, echoed this sentiment stating, "there is a fear that if these shelters are opened, many women will use them to leave their families." This, she described, would be a "real risk that would threaten many Iraqi families."



This attitude, stemming from stigma against domestic violence shelters, has effectively curtailed local organizations from providing other much-needed shelter, including for those now fleeing Mosul.

Many government officials publicly oppose shelters run by local groups, but their position is becoming untenable. Faced with an influx of displaced people and a lack of relief aid, some local officials in impacted towns have entered into temporary agreements with local organizations to provide much-needed shelter and other direct service provisions. For example, in the war-torn city of Samarra, where it has been too risky for international relief workers to enter, OWFI has been permitted to work to meet the needs of families escaping ISIS-controlled areas.

Now, local activists have launched an advocacy campaign, calling on the Iraqi government to implement a policy change that would make way for much-needed shelters.
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2015/09/29: Activists hold Planned Parenthood banner in Foley Square. Activists and directors of Planned Parenthood, NYC, gathered in Foley Square along NYC first lady Chirlane McCray and elected representatives to demonstrate support for the organization. (Photo by Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Stephanie, a college student without health insurance, visited her local Planned Parenthood for a check-up she could afford. Imagine her surprise and fright when told her Pap test results were abnormal. With empathy and compassion Planned Parenthood staff guided Stephanie through a biopsy and a screening that proved her to be cancer-free.



Rachel's mom and grandmother were both teen mothers. Wanting a different life, Rachel turned to her local Planned Parenthood clinic for help to avoid an early pregnancy. Nurse practitioners provided her with counseling, information, and contraception. Now a graduate of Florida International University, Rachel is pursuing a career as a health educator.

This month, as we honor Planned Parenthood's 100th anniversary, we think of Stephanie, Rachel and the millions of grateful patients who have relied on its services over the years.

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In fact, at some point in her lifetime, one in five American women will turn to Planned Parenthood for care. With more than half of its facilities in rural and under-served areas, millions of people rely on Planned Parenthood as their best source for healthcare. Each year Planned Parenthood performs 270,000 Pap tests, 360,000 breast exams, and 4.2 million STD tests. It detects early cancer in thousands of women, and prevents approximately 579,000 unintended pregnancies.



Planned Parenthood perseveres as a powerful health care advocate for both women and men. May the next century bring more progress for the wellness of all people.





Over the last century, Planned Parenthood along with other women's health leaders has led massive changes in women's health and civil rights, including the legalization of birth control, improved sex education, and access to safe and legal abortion.

With all that said, the organization has become a political pawn for the opponents of legal abortion and women's access to full health. Many Republicans in Congress have repeatedly threatened to shut down the government unless federal funds are withheld. Recently, some tried to prohibit Planned Parenthood from providing high quality health care to individuals impacted by the Zika virus. As if that weren't enough, House Republicans created a special panel to attack Planned Parenthood and intimidate scientists who are involved in life-saving research. After complete cooperation and providing thousands of documents to the Committee, no wrongdoing has been found, yet this partisan witch hunt goes on.

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This week, the results were released for BSR's and GlobeScan's 8th annual survey of global businesses. Three hundred business leaders from 152 companies answered, telling us about the corporate sustainability issues that mattered most to them. And for the fifth year in a row, they told us that human rights was their number-one priority.

This is not an isolated finding: Surveys conducted by many other organizations, such as the United Nations (in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce and International Organization of Employers), The Economist Intelligence Unit, and the UN Global Compact, have also found increasing attention on and interest in human rights by the business community.

So why are business leaders focusing on human rights?

I've spent the last six months on a human rights listening tour to find out. Earlier this year, I gathered BSR member companies in London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo to find out which issues were the most urgent to address and where companies needed the most help. Here's what they told me.

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1. Human rights touches every aspect of a company's operations

Human rights can't be cordoned off in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) department. All company functions, from human resources to procurement to legal compliance, interact with human rights every day, whether they realize it or not. Purchasing land? The resettlement of local populations has profound human rights implications. Hiring security guards? Their physical safety, as well as that of the populations they engage, are human rights issues. Collecting user data? Factor in consumers' right to privacy. Opening a new factory? Competition with the local community for water and other basic resources implicates human rights. Defining work contracts? Wages, working hours, rest breaks, and a multitude of other issues are human rights. Negotiating with suppliers? Their working conditions and environment impacts may expose you to human rights reputational and legal liability. True sustainability requires every department and function of the company to understand and manage their human rights impacts.

2. Human rights is the language of the people

A few years ago, I was visiting a mining town. Community members had surrounded the worksite, demanding that their rights be respected. Meanwhile, the company thought it could address their concerns by referring to its CSR policy and restating its commitment to sustainability.

The people were speaking in human rights, while the company was speaking in CSR. I've seen this disconnect dozens of times in my career. The companies that bridge it, I've found, are the ones that learn to answer in the language in which they're being addressed. Whether you're a mining company or a software firm or a retail store, human rights allows you to hear the concerns of your employees, customers, and communities--and, more importantly, answer them.

3. Human rights is the essence of sustainability

Think for a moment about what "human rights" really means--go beyond all the technical stuff, the political baggage, the complicated conventions. Human rights protects every dimension of a person: from basic security (e.g. freedom from torture and slavery), to bodily needs (e.g. access to food and housing), to society and government (e.g. freedom of expression, privacy, and education).

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Simply put, a sustainable world must be built upon this blueprint of basic human dignity. That's why you see human rights language and principles in every effort to build a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world, from 1920's League of Nations to 1945's UN Charter to 2015's Sustainable Development Goals. Human rights is the cornerstone of sustainability, and companies serious about pursuing sustainability recognize that it's impossible without starting from these fundamental principles.

4. Human rights are universal

Multinational companies have a particular organizational challenge: They operate across borders, employ different nationalities, and interact with a huge range of cultures. From country to country, they have to contend with different legal systems, cultures, and ways of operating.

And yet, across the vast diversity of these political and legal systems, human rights enjoy unanimous support. Every country in the world has stood behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for almost 70 years. For the private sector, the UN Human Rights Council, as well as organizations ranging from The Coca-Cola Company to Amnesty International, have universally agreed to the principle that companies should respect human rights throughout their operations.

This broad consensus means that companies do not have to argue for human rights. They are already accepted and understood. As opposed to other frameworks for social performance, CSR, sustainability, or corporate citizenship, human rights are comprehensive and non-negotiable everywhere they are applied.

5. Human rights have both legal clarity and ethical imperative

The human rights field was designed to be broad--a universal recognition of the inherent dignity of every human life on our planet. Then the lawyers got ahold of it. The broad values of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been boiled down to specifics, defined in more than 80 different international instruments and conventions, subjected to monitoring of special rapporteurs and UN treaty bodies, and made into reporting and periodic review systems. The gray zones have been adjudicated in hundreds of court rulings. We now have clear international jurisprudence and practice covering almost every area of human rights. The field, in a little less than 70 years, has gone from an inspiring art to the legal science of compliance.

And that's not a bad thing. Companies are big organizations, and sometimes it's difficult to operationalize broad, inspiring values--whereas it's quick and straightforward to operationalize compliance and requirements of practice. But after 70 years of legal maturity, balance is the ultimate offering of the human rights field. Human rights still retain the values upon which they were first founded. Far from becoming a compliance exercise, human rights challenge companies to refine their practices by engaging with the people who are affected by their operations. These components--art and science--mean that companies have clear definitions of best practices, as well as ways to tailor their approach to their own operations and aspirations for contributing to the wider world.
For downstate Republicans, the subjects of voting for and supporting Donald Trump are a minefield.

They know that their districts gave Trump heavy support in the primary and the voters they need may be Trump loyalists. If they say they're not voting for Trump or that they don't support him as their party's nominee, they risk being branded as turncoats or "establishment" Republicans.

But Trump throughout the presidential race has issued ever more controversial statements that have turned many moderate Republicans against him. Republicans who too vociferously support Trump risk alienating these voters and, worse, risk becoming the subject of attack ads that link them directly to Trump's most outrageous episodes. It's already happened to Gov. Bruce Rauner, who never has endorsed Trump by name.

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U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, had signed on to be Trump's agricultural adviser in August, but withdrew his support for Trump after video emerged of Trump speaking in crude and offensive terms about women. Davis announced his disavowal of Trump in a Facebook post, then incurred the wrath of hundreds of commenters who accused him of being a traitor and worse.

At a candidate forum hosted by The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Republican state Reps. Avery Bourne and Sara Wojcicki Jiminez both gave careful answers when asked if they would vote for Trump. Bourne said she would but did not mention Trump by name. Jiminez gave a very tactful answer that ended with her statement that she would decide Nov. 8.
Askinosie itty Bars to the rescue!

This story originally appeared on my site Chocolate Noise. Subscribe to my newsletter to get choco-riffic stories delivered straight to your inbox!

My friend's house gets stampeded on Halloween. The entire neighborhood turns into an extended haunted house, and after spending weeks putting up elaborate fake cemeteries and brainstorming how to dress up as a crazy ghost with a chainsaw, my friend spends the evening handing out hundreds of pieces of candy to kids. Seriously, like 300 pieces of candy.

The thing is, my friend is also an incredibly conscientious person. She's not the kind of jerk who hands out raisins or floss on Halloween, but she also doesn't want to perpetuate the status quo of cheap, unethical candy. There's a reason those chocolates are so cheap, and it's because farmers are paid pennies for their hard work (think 80 cents per pound of cocoa beans), which means you'll find extreme poverty and sometimes even child slave labor behind those sweets.

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But when my friend asked me earlier today where to buy ethical Halloween candy that won't break the bank, I was stumped. Well, for a minute.

Here are seven solutions I found for her that I thought you, as an awesomely conscientious person, might want to hand out too. Each is reasonably priced and kid-friendly, and the pieces come individually wrapped, perfect for handing out on Halloween.

See's Candies uses Guittard chocolate in all of its confections, which means you can be confident that it's ethically sourced and high quality. Guittard has been around for over 100 years, and fourth-generation owner Gary Guittard spends much of his time and energy working with initiatives like the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund and is committed to the craft chocolate movement as well as ethical chocolate. These individually wrapped chocolate balls are the perfect-size treat for Halloween. $15.99 for 8 ounces (about 30 balls).

Honestly I don't know that much about this company, but what I do know impresses me. The chocolate is not bean to bar, but it is fair trade and comes from a worker-owned co-op. Try these minis with a hint of hazelnut, reminiscent of Nutella. $60 for 150 pieces.

These lil' minis taste as cute as they look: Think an assortment of all of bean-to-bar maker TCHO's dark chocolate bars, with flavor notes like "nutty," "fruity," "chocolatey," and "citrus" describing each one rather than names of origins, for the discerning trick or treater. The Berkeley-based company practices direct trade, buying cocoa beans directly from farmers and investing time, money, and energy into improving their living conditions. $63.61 for 120 count.

Owner Shawn Askinosie is hands down the most ethical person I know. He devotes almost all of his time to sourcing cocoa beans directly from farmers, working to improve living conditions in Tanzania and the Philippines, in particular. Think building schools, buying textbooks and computers, and so many other initiatives that I can't even keep track. The bean-to-bar chocolate is also as high quality and delicious as it gets. $127.50 for 150 count.

Vermont-based company Lake Champlain is committed to high quality and sustainable ingredients. They even launched a bean-to-bar branch of their company recently called Blue Bandana that sources cocoa beans directly from farmers. These leaves aren't made with bean-to-bar chocolate, but they are filled with peanut butter. $89 for 85 pieces.

These little beauties are handmade on a goat farm in Vermont and come in a variety of flavors: sea salt and vanilla, chai, maple cream, and cocoa latte (made with Askinosie Chocolate!). $75 for 100 pieces.

Long heralded as an ethical, organic company, Green & Black's offers these mini dark bars with inclusions like hazelnut, cherry, and ginger. $13.75 for 12 bars.

Know of a great chocolate that I left out? Tell me and I'll add it to the list! Get in touch at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

*Pssst, I'm trying out a new blog format here, with some affiliated links in it.

Read More Stories!

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Today's announcement by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the joint statement of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on "media use and young minds" is a timely response to a hot debate in parenting and early childhood circles: When and how often should young children use screens?

For years, the health and child development establishment has advised against exposing toddlers, and babies in particular, to screen media. But daily life has intervened: America's preschoolers spend between 3-4 hours a day consuming media, ranging from television (still No. 1) to YouTube, and mobile apps. Start with the explosion of touchscreen tablets and apps, add a healthy dose of new 'i-tot' products now marketed to parents with young kids, and presto -- the new media ball game has parents and educators in a tizzy. We have referred to this phenomenon as the dawn of the Digital Wild West.

The AAP and joint executive agency statements rely heavily on a framework that our colleague Lisa Guernsey at New America has put forth--the importance of the 3 C's (the Content, Context, and the Child) to move the conversation forward. It is no longer the case that all screen time is created equal. There is a huge difference between parking a child, unsupervised, in front of a tablet for two hours and engaging in the "serve-and-return" interactions that might accompany a family Facetime session, or a field trip to the park, where a camera records each tantalizing flower, bird, or butterfly.

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The AAP and the Obama administration now recognize that media use for toddlers, such as video chat with grandparents, may in fact be beneficial and that well designed media such as Sesame Street and PBS offerings have enduring benefits. Most parents and educators have already concluded the same--but this validation may help those who have been wrestling with guilt to settle their nerves. At the same time, what the statement does not do by itself is to create significant new momentum in pushing the field forward--we need to push both industry and policymaker leaders to have a "new think" about these issues. There are tens of millions of dollars being spent on apps and educational media every year, for example, but very little progress in improving the reading and math performance of America's fourth graders.
Students are pouring hundreds of tons of plain milk into the garbage in Los Angeles schools each week. Maybe that's because more than 88 percent of Los Angeles Unified School District students are predisposed to suffer from lactose intolerance. But instead of providing a healthful nondairy beverage that students might drink, LAUSD is compelling students to drink more milk by offering chocolate milk, which it had stopped serving in 2011.

Plain or chocolate, high-fat or low-fat, all milk can cause digestive symptoms, among other health dangers. And Latinos, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans who, according to the National Institutes of Health, are most likely to suffer from lactose intolerance comprise the majority of LAUSD's student body: 74 percent, 8.4 percent, and 6 percent, respectively.

But LAUSD--which has designed four pilot programs to increase milk consumption--isn't wholly responsible for pushing milk. The National School Lunch Program requires that schools offer milk with each meal--even though it's clear that students are done with dairy.

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They're not alone. As the sales of almond milk and other plant-based milks have surged, sales of dairy milk have continued to plummet: Since the beginning of 2016, U.S. farmers have dumped 43 million gallons of milk.

Digestive issues aren't the only reason students and other consumers are ditching dairy. Milk consumption is linked to bone fractures, heart disease, cancer, and even early death. But plant-based milks can provide all the calcium, vitamin D, and potassium without these health risks.
Last week I watched Ava DuVernay's powerful documentary on the history of racial inequality in the United States, titled 13th after the Constitutional Amendment that, in a seeming paradox, abolished slavery and entrenched racial hierarchy at the same time. How?

The film pulls viewers through a popular history of former President Richard Nixon's infamous Southern Strategy, and its relation to the history of crime policy in America. Much of this had been previously detailed by Michelle Alexander, (who is featured in the film) in her book The New Jim Crow. Importantly Alexander described how even as the blatant racism of the KKK fell out of favor with mainstream politicians over time (the current campaign of Donald Trump notwithstanding) politicians developed coded language that allowed them to play off the racialized fears of voters without using obviously racist language.

In the film, DuVernay cites former Nixon aide John Ehrlichman, who told Harper's:

The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.

DuVernay also plays tape of Ronald Reagan operative Lee Atwater explaining the next phase of dog-whistling.

Omitted from the film, but solidly positioned within this historical trajectory of the committed synergy between law enforcement and political motivation forged through the operationalization of mythologies of black criminality, is Broken Windows Policing.

Broken Windows Policing, of course, was introduced to a specific demographic of the public in a famous 1982 article by George Kelling and James Wilson in The Atlantic. However the theory really came of age, in a practical sense, a decade later when Bill Bratton, at the helm of Rudy Giuliani's New York Police Department, made it a household name. This was the latter-half of the "tough on crime" era during which Democrats like Bill Clinton veered from traditional party talking points to try to match "tough on crime" Republicans step for punitive step, as DuVernay details in the film.

During the early 1990s, violent crime had peaked in New York City, but New Yorkers were also aggravated by obvious signals of poverty: the squeegee-men, homeless people asking for loose change and sleeping in the parks. At the same time the Mollen Commission was publishing damning reports that reflected the public's declining confidence in the police.

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"New York City Police Department [has] failed at every level to uproot corruption and had instead tolerated a culture that fostered misconduct and concealed lawlessness by police officers," wrote Selwyn Raab in the lede of a New York Times story on a Mollen report in 1993.

While solving murders was difficult, especially with corrupt cops, the police could make quick work out of the impoverished people out front in the public's eye -- burnishing the credibility of both politicians and the NYPD at the same time.

Bratton, nothing if not politically astute, engaged in a dual-pronged strategy to link people who were perceived to be disorderly as potential perpetrators of violent crime and to change the laws to give police more opportunities for interactions with the public, and arrests. What followed was a radical mass-arrest experiment that targeted almost exclusively people of color and others otherwise marginalized by a variety of public policies.

"For the cops [this was] a bonanza," Bratton said, as cited by Bernard Harcourt, one of the first academics to explicitly push back against Broken Windows policing. "Every arrest was like opening a box of Cracker Jack. What kind of toy am I going to get? Got a gun? Got a knife? Got a warrant? Do we have a murderer here? Each cop wanted to be the one who came up with the big collar. It was exhilarating for the cops and demoralizing for the crooks."

Of course we later learned that this "bonanza" was mostly false. Less than 1 percent of the nearly 700,000 people stopped in 2011 through stop and frisk (that we know of) were carrying a weapon, and less than 10 percent were doing anything that the police could eventually charge as criminal (barely any of these resulted in criminal convictions). "A lot of criminals are bad drivers," George Kelling said in 2013 advocating for the utility of more traffic stops as a deterrent to violent crime -- of course out of the nearly 1 million traffic stops in NYC each year, only a small handful lead to criminal allegations of any kind.

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Since Bratton first unveiled this new policy, more than 8 million New Yorkers -- the entire population of the city -- have been arrested by the NYPD, the large majority of them for petty, low-level crimes, and violations -- behaviors that do not even rise to the level of a crime. The vast majority people of color.

And yet, due to the cultural work linking general disorder to violent crime, which had been previously racialized through Southern Strategy politics, there was little resistance from anyone in a position of power or authority. A decade later Kelling would crow: "This is not just smart policing; it's smart politics."

As described in DuVernay's film, we cannot understand American society without considering race at the center. It's impossible to imagine any policing practice in the U.S. today that will not have a disparate impact on people of color, because the police are operating in a society in which racial hierarchy is fundamental. Broken Windows, by opening up the greatest possible number of people to police interactions necessarily resulted in tremendous racial disparities.

Using coded language about disorder, and linking those deemed to be disorderly as likely to commit violent crime -- a dubious link to begin with and one that has been debunked in study after study since -- Bratton and Giuliani were able to push through regressive policies that would not have been possible absent the subconscious triggers about violent crime and mythologies of black criminality.

(We saw Bratton do the same more recently with gang indictments in New York -- fully demonizing large groups through the media, prior to mass arrests that otherwise might have been questioned by civil libertarians and perhaps liberal politicians if the subject groups had not been thoroughly "criminalized." This is classic moral panic work.)

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Following in the Democratic trend started by Clinton, Broken Windows policing has been supported by a wide swath of liberal politicians, as an anecdote for abusive policing and even mass incarceration; yet, at the same time the policy reinforces many of the structural systems that makes abusive policing and racial profiling so prevalent. The social repercussions of arrests, even for the most minor of crimes can be devastating and long-lasting; when entire communities are targeted, the burden expands.

DuVernay, in 13th, and Michelle Alexander in The New Jim Crow, show how racism, operating through the criminal legal system, adapts over time to cultural norms while consistently producing the same outcomes. Chattel slavery, convict leasing, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, broken windows, predictive policing and the surveillance state.
If you've started a tech company to make a lot of money, chances are you're bad at math--or simply delusional. Statistically speaking, your odds of a big-time payday are somewhere between zero and almost zero.

Why do some companies scale to millions of users while others wallow in obscurity? What explains the runaway success of a company like Facebook while a startup like Viddy, a mobile app for video, attracted millions of users and millions of dollars in financing, only to lose both?

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When it comes to startup success, there's never a magic bullet. Yet as the British statistician George Box once wrote, "All models are wrong, but some are useful."

Perhaps the hardest part about running a new business is knowing what to prioritize. There are hundreds of decisions to make, and keeping sight of what's important and what's not is a constant challenge. But when it comes to helping teams stay focused, I have found one model to be extremely useful: it's called the GEM framework. The origin story of the framework is uncertain but I've heard a similar model was first used during the early days of LinkedIn.

A company's job is to find a sustainable way to deliver value to customers, employees, and shareholders. To do this, the company must never lose sight of its GEM: its growth, engagement, and monetization.

Growth

Growth is all about how a company finds new users or customers. Fundamentally, it's about getting the right message in front of people who need what you have. I call these messages "external triggers." External triggers are delivered through various channels, including television commercials, salespeople, emails, or word of mouth.

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Some external triggers, like one satisfied customer telling another about your product, cost you nothing. Others, like running ads on Google or buying billboards along the highway, can cost big bucks.

There's nothing inherently better or worse about one external trigger versus another. What matters is whether the trigger fits your business. Viral growth is wonderful but difficult to engineer and sustain. Meanwhile, buying media can produce a steady stream of customer interest but can be expensive. The growth question to answer is: "Are we getting better at drawing the attention of people who need our product?" And quantifying the answer to that question means tracking the number of new users or customers over time as well as the cost of earning their attention.

It's important to recognize that growth is a process and a practice, not an end state. Companies satisfied with their growth strategy are at risk of losing customers to their competitors. The Growth Hackers I know manically look for new channels and relentlessly test how many potential customers can be found and for what cost.

Growth question: "Are we getting better at drawing the attention of people who need our product?"

Growth metric: Number of new users or customers, and the cost of finding them.

Engagement

With some products and services, customer engagement is naturally infrequent--think of the way people buy real estate or book vacation travel. Other businesses require constant, habitual engagement to survive. Apps like Facebook, Slack, Salesforce, and Snapchat need to become a habit, or else they go out of business. If the service isn't used often, these products become less useful, and eventually customers never return.

Retaining customers means keeping them engaged, whether they're checking in on an app or checking out of a purchase. Some businesses depend on repeat customer engagement more than others. But most critical for investors, founders, and employees is to understand what brings people back.

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To track engagement, companies should calculate the percentage of people using their product or service frequently enough to be classified as "retained." For some products it's once a year, for others it's once an hour. The question "Are we getting better at engaging people who need our product?" is answered by calculating the growth in the percentage of retained customers.

Engagement question: "Are we getting better at engaging people who need our product?"

Engagement metric: Percentage of retained users or customers.

Monetization

Finally, companies need to turn some of the value they create into cash or they go out of business. There are many ways to capture value. Companies can charge a subscription fee, sell a one-time purchase, or create marketplaces where they take a share of the transaction between buyers and sellers.

When it comes to monetization, the most crucial question is: "Are we getting better at capturing the value we create?" The metric here is profits. But it's essential not only to ask how the company is doing today, but also to understand how much untapped demand exists for the product. This is the only way to predict whether a company will be sustainable in the near term and to make bets on how big the company can get in the future.

This is where people get "lucky" with startups. While skill, diligence, and process drive user growth and product engagement, predicting future markets is notoriously tough--so much so that being smart can actually be a disadvantage.

Smart people tend to try to predict future markets by reading industry reports, designing models, and running numbers. However, with access to similar information, people tend to come to similar conclusions. That's why being right isn't enough. Paradoxically, if you are right and everyone agrees with you, competitors will see the opportunity too, enter the market, and eat away at your profits.

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Therefore, when it comes to monetization over the long term, there's only one way to achieve it: you've go to see a future market others don't. Next, if you can spot the big untapped market on the horizon, you've got to, as Warren Buffett advises, protect it with "unbreachable 'moats.'" There are only five ways to defend your market from competitors: economies of scale, network effects, regulatory protection, brand, and habit.

Without a big unseen market and a way to hold on to it, future profits are no sure thing.

Monetization question: "Are we getting better at capturing the value we create?"

Monetization metric: Profit.

A Necessary Trinity

Growth, engagement, and monetization are interlinked, and each is insufficient on its own.

The most highly engaging, habit-forming product will fail if it's used only by a small number of people who pay too little for the service. The overwhelming majority of apps in the App Store are never found by a critical mass because the companies behind them have failed to find a way to profitably draw users' attention.

Similarly, an amazing growth strategy using the latest viral hacks is pointless without a way to retain and profit from the growth. Viddy, the video-sharing service and Snapchat predecessor, shocked Silicon Valley in the spring of 2012 by acquiring nearly three million users in a month. But shortly after investors ploughed $30 million into the company, it became clear the app was a leaky bucket that could not retain its users.

Finally, huge market potential is useless without a way to profitably reach and engage customers. For example, music-streaming services like Spotify and Pandora are a daily habit for millions of people, but if song owners manage to extract all the value by imposing stricter copyright terms, they have the power to destroy the streaming services.

Of course, businesses have to worry about all sorts of other things (see Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas for a more detailed analysis). But thinking through the GEM framework is extremely effective for keeping teams on track.

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As Tomasz Tunguz, a partner at Redpoint Ventures, told me, these three criteria "help make sure the team is allocating resources correctly." When it comes to monitoring and regularly communicating what matters, the GEM framework is precious.

Nir's Note: Thanks to Jules Maltz and Julie Li for reading previous versions of this article.

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Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (L) and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (R) look to Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at Waldorf Astoria October 20, 2016 in New York, New York / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)



Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Thursday night, flanked by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Trump's wife Melania. Clinton has vastly outraised Trump, but President Obama posted much bigger numbers in both of his elections. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

By: Jack Noland

September's fundraising and spending by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump outpaced the numbers the candidates posted in any month so far. No surprise there.

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But the candidates' activity was still pretty punk compared to the previous two presidential races.

Clinton compounded her well-documented fundraising dominance as the race turned down the home stretch. In September, the Democrat collected more than $73.8 million in total contributions, exceeding Trump's haul of $54.7 million - a sum that included more than $2 million of the Republican's own money, bringing his self-funding to about $56.1 million, or a quarter of his total haul for the race.

Throughout the summer, both Clinton and Trump steadily increased their receipts and expenditures as they wrapped up their respective party nominations and prepared for the general election. August saw previous highs in fundraising - $59.5 million for Clinton, $41.75 million for Trump - and expenditures.

Four years before that, Obama collected a whopping $153 million in September, more than twice as much as he'd raised the month before. With $135.5 million left in the bank, the then-senator was able to cruise to victory.

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At this point in the race, spending may be more important than fundraising, as candidates buy ads and shore up support in key states. Both candidates spent more in September than they raised. Clinton scattered more than $82 million last month around the country. Trump really boosted his spending, laying out $70.2 million -- $40 million more than in August.



Trump's expenditures have increased in recent months, closing the gap with the Clinton campaign.

At the beginning of October, Trump had $34.7 million in cash on hand, down from the more than $50 million he had at the end of August after his spending surge last month. Still, with the end of the contest looming, the Republican has less left in his campaign account at this point in the cycle either of his predecessors in the last two elections. Romney was sitting on more than $63.1 million at the end of September.

For her part, Clinton trails in cash-on-hand totals, too: She had more than $59.6 million in her coffers going into October, but Obama had almost $99.3 million to play with at the start of the same month in 2012.

Where the candidates are spending matters as much as how much they have raised. In mid-October, Trump's campaign chose to pull its resources out of Virginia, choosing to focus, as NBC News reported, on swing states where the Republican is closer in the polls. Clinton, on the other hand, will be spending $2 million on ads to try to win Arizona, a state that has only voted for one Democratic presidential nominee since 1948: Bill Clinton.

None of these numbers take account of the sums being raised and spent by the pro-Clinton and pro-Trump super PACs. But there, too, the forces backing Clinton have packed much more of a punch than those behind her rival.

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Clinton's lead in the polls has increased in the past months. In a four-way race with Trump, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green nominee Jill Stein, RealClearPolitics found Clinton leading the field by an average of 6 percentage points nationally. At time of writing, FiveThirtyEight had Clinton in front in every swing state, including Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, and found the Democrat to be ahead in traditionally-red Arizona.
LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 19: Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the third U.S. presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tonight is the final debate ahead of Election Day on November 8. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Without taking her eye off the ball, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) should immediately start campaigning against gridlock. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should nationalize the race for Congress on this issue. Same for Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The American people hate gridlock. They hate that Congress does not do anything. And, worse, they hate that they get fat paychecks to achieve that nothing.

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Senator John McCain (R-AZ) just handed the Democrats the issue of gridlock on a silver platter. He pledged that no nominees of President Clinton would be approved for the Supreme Court. None. Zero.

And, this pledge has a name: Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Republicans had already shown their hand. McCain just reinforced it.

While on matters of policy--budget, spending, taxes, environment, and so forth--each side can accuse the other of being the roadblock, that is not true of presidential nominees. The President nominates, the Senate is supposed to act. Republicans have pledged not to act, and they are showing that they mean it.

It takes no work to vote "no". Merrick Garland has not even had a hearing.

And, if Republicans are pledging their base that they will say "no" to everything a President Hillary Clinton proposes, then they are telling voters that they will collect $174,000 per year of taxpayers' money for the privilege to do absolutely nothing.

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Talk about welfare queens!

Of course, it takes work to forge compromises to fix peoples' problems. If, on the other hand, they say they will work with President Clinton, challenge them to name the issue. Are they going to work with President Clinton to fix the problems in the Affordable Care Act? Because, it ain't goin' away, that option is off the table.

They will not say that. The Heritage Foundation has already stated that any Republican member who works to fix Obamacare will be a marked man or woman.

Same is true on all the major issues--raising the minimum wage; paycheck equity for women; major public works projects funded by increasing taxes on the wealthy. Republicans are in lock-step on all of these: "no", "no", "no", "no"---and, by the way, while I am voting all this noes, please hand me $174,000 for doing nothing.

One other suggestion. In states where Hillary is running ahead, such as New Hampshire, signs with Clinton, Kaine, and Hassan, with one name under the other, and ads to "Get on the Clinton, Kaine, Hassan" team are very effective. They penetrate the subliminal when people go to vote.

They might as well use the same strategy in other contested races such as Iowa, Nevada, Florida. And, now, of course, Arizona, to put McCain out to pasture. If the national campaign is against gridlock, let the Republicans in these states where Hillary is doing well have to explain to their base that they will work with her, or extol the virtues of gridlock.

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Beverly Buchanan

Ruins and Rituals

Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art

Brooklyn Museum

October 21, 2016-March 5, 2017

For the past 26 years, Beverly Buchanan's Hasting's House (1989) has stood on a shelf in my loft; nearby, the legend that Beverly wrote for the art work:

Hastings' House

Brunson Earthly Hastings lived by the rules of hard work, no liquor, and one woman. His 10 sons were smart, hardworking farm boys but Anna, the only girl, was his heart. He was blind when she graduated but smiled proudly when he heard them call out DR. HASTINGS, to her.

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Illuminated every night by a vintage lamp and protected from the elements by the centennial building's pressed metal ceiling, the wooden sculpture of a shack with its tin roof (19  x 9 x7 inches) is a powerful visual reminder of my visit with Beverly in Athens, Georgia in 1994. Beverly was quite ill when we stayed in her home (she had difficulty breathing and there was some sort of oxygen machine in her home) but that did not stop her from driving me and my husband, Shael Shapiro around in her pickup truck, on the hilly back roads of rural Georgia, to see the folk art of her friend, Reuben Miller. I vividly remember pulling into Miller's driveway, a sea of his metal whirligigs turning in the wind. We bought several of Miller's pieces, a red devil cut out of tin and a bicycle wheel whirligig with fins and a dinosaur cut out of sheet metal, resembling a weather vane, which, ever since has spun ferociously on my windy SoHo roof.

At the time, I was there to interview Beverly for a catalog essay that was to accompany an upcoming exhibit at the Steinbaum-Krauss Gallery in SoHo. The group show was entitled, Memories of Childhood and my piece on Beverly Buchanan focused on words and images: "Crossing Over: The Artists as Writer-- Which Comes First: Words or Images?" Beverly was clearly a story-teller and I was curious: Were her tales about the inhabitants of the shacks she created, entirely fictional? What experiences had she drawn on to create this work?

The visit to Athens was full of surprises. First, there was her biography, not the one I expected from a female artist who made shacks. Beverly was raised by adoptive parents, her great aunt and uncle Marion and Walter Buchanan, in South Carolina where Walter Buchanan was the Dean of the School of Agriculture at South Carolina State College at Orangeburg, then the state's only public college for African Americans. It turned out that Beverly most certainly did not grow up in a shack, living instead on campus in a very comfortable home which had two bedrooms, a separate kitchen and dining room, and a long porch that Beverly told me was the place where she used to roller skate.

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Her exposure to shacks came through Walter Buchanan who often visited farms in his role as an educator. This was where Beverly saw how farm families actually lived and it made a lasting impression. While she had an indoor toilet in her own home, she was struck by being able to see the sky in between the boards of an outhouse. With her father, she often spent the night in the farmer's modest dwelling.

Although Buchanan sketched and made things all her life, using leftover stuff as she called it, she was at first bent on a career in the sciences. She earned a BS in medical technology from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina and then successive Masters Degrees from Columbia University in 1968 and 1969 in Parasitology and Public Health. After that she worked as a Medical Technologist for the Veterans Administration in the Bronx and as a health educator for the East Orange, NJ Health Department. During this period, she thought that she would become a doctor and she applied to and was wooed by several medical schools.

I thought about Beverly's aborted medical career when I re-read the legend for Hastings' House. Was Anna Hastings' story a foil to Beverly's? Beverly who never did go to medical school and ANNA, the "only girl, Brunson Earthly Hastings' heart," who graduated as DR. HASTINGS. Anna's title in my legend is in all caps, an indication, undoubtedly, of the prestige of her becoming a professional, a reminder that a shack dweller can become a future doctor, professional, artist, or entrepreneur. If a shack somehow reflected the personality of the shack dweller, then, perhaps my shack reflected Beverly's life, too.

What changed the direction of her life was enrolling in The Art Students League in New York where she studied with the painter Norman Lewis. By 1977, Buchanan quit her job in East Orange and declared herself a full-time artist. Three years later, in 1980, she received a Guggenheim fellowship and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in Sculpture.

Over time, Beverly shifted locations to Macon and Atlanta -spending more of her life closer to her southern roots. She rekindled her love of vernacular architecture, the outbuildings, farm houses, and shacks that she had seen as a child. When I visited her in the 1990s, she was living in a big old house in Athens, not far from the University of Georgia, with her friend Patti Phagan, a curator of prints and drawings at the Georgia Museum of Art.

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Owning Hastings' House has had a strange effect on me. I've spent years imagining the lives of the Hastings family, the story spinning out of control beyond Beverly Buchanan's legend. Hard work, no liquor and one woman, yes, but it was Anna's mother, who was the real hero in my tale. She stood in the doorway, her apron fluttering in the breeze. She taught herself to read and she saved pennies to send Anna to school, convincing her husband that a girl needed an education more than a boy.

Wonder what Beverly would have thought of this version?

Hastings' House 1989

I Have Moved--Note from Beverly with drawing

Beverly Buchanan holding Hastings' House New York Times January 18, 1990

"The Shack as Art and Social Comment," Suzanne Slesin, Photo by Jack Manning

ROAD 23 NORTH, 1991, OIL PASTEL ON PAPER
A shakier foundation cannot ensure the long-term durability of a two-storey walkup. Expecting it to support a towering skyscraper would be akin to living in a state of extreme delusion.The battle for Mosul -- touted as one of the final death blows to ISIL -- has begun on a shaky foundation. So shaky, in fact, that the building of enduring Iraqi peace can't be constructed on it. The Mosul offensive has the trappings of Amerli, Fallujah, Kirkuk and Tikrit combined into one -- and with a much greater human toll. ISIL will undoubtedly be wiped out from Mosul in a few months, if not weeks. The problem lies in the post-ISIL Mosul. A massive refugee crisis, rampant war crimes perpetuated by the Iran-backed militias; and a total collapse of the civic infrastructure are some of the likeliest outcomes.

On paper, the blueprint for the recapturing of Mosul looks perfect. The Kurdish Peshmerga forces would enter from the east; the Iraqi army will advance from the west; and the US will carry out the air strikes. The Shiite militias, a key part of the campaign, are assigned to take positions at the periphery of the city with only the regular Iraqi army entering the city center. The plan would ideally ensure the fall of Mosul in a few weeks. This has happened before. American military advisers and US military equipment played a key role in the retaking of Amerli, Fallujah and Kirkuk. Before that, Americans mounted a successful offensive against the extremists in Fallujah in 2006. It was the aftermath that paved ground for the ultimate rise of ISIL.

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The Plan A doesn't take into account the "day after" impact of the offensive. It overlooks the human toll, both in terms of lives lost and mass uprooting of civilians from their ancestral homes. It also favors quick results over enduring success. Fallujah in 2006 is the prime example of this approach. After enabling the locals to rise against Al-Qaeda, Americans left them at the mercy of a deeply sectarian Iraqi government. Years of neglect, abuses and state brutalities ultimately gave rise to ISIL. Only then the Americans woke up and dust up the old plans for re-implementation.

The operations against ISIL reflect this harrowing trend. US practically turned a blind eye to mass executions and grave violations of human rights by Shiite militias and the Iraqi army. The abuses, which bordered on war crimes, were pervasive and systematic, as reported by the Amnesty International. The trigger-happy militias were often joined by the regular Iraqi army in inflicting some of the worst torture on hapless civilians. In Fallujah alone, over 900 men and boys were abducted and are still missing -- presumably dead.

These blood-thirsty militias are now ready to pounce upon the Mosulawis (residents of Mosul). They have already started terrorizing the civilians on their way to the second largest city of Iraq. The regular forces could also use torture and summary executions, fears the Amnesty International. If past precdents are taken into account, both the militias and the regular forces may kill thousands of civilians in Mosul. The U.S. has no plans in place to check on this carnage and might as well become an accessory to the murder. Thus the Mosulawis will transition from being under one tyrant i.e. ISIL to an even greater one i.e. the militias and vengeful Iraqi forces.

This will trigger the refugee crisis. United Nations can only handle up to 250,000 refugees in the coming months. With a population of over one million -- and many wanting to flee -- the refugees could number upwards of 750,000. This could create another uptick in the refugee population in Europe. Although US is actively participating in the offensive, it will most likely not share the burden, as was evident during the Syrian refugee crisis. Has the coalition taken steps to mitigate the crisis? Or is it solely interested in quickly eliminating the ISIL and letting the partisan Iraqi government pick up the pieces?

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There has to be a Plan B for the Mosul offensive to be successful. This should essentially exclude the murderous Shiite militias and rely solely on the Kurds, Sunni allies and the regular Iraqi army. More importantly, the US should work with local partners to enforce a safe zone outside the city of Mosul. With humanitarian corridors ensuring safe exits and provision of basic amenities in the safe zone, the flow of refugees can be stemmed.

In an ideal scenario, the refugee crisis should only be a transient situation with everyone returning to their homes. U.S. has not shown the commitment in the past to achieve this end. The existing Iraqi political structure has been designed in a way to deny equal participation to the Sunnis. ISIL owes its very existence to this harsh reality. There is no guarantee a new extremist group won't emerge if ISIL is somehow eliminated. The Plan B should strive to reboot the Iraqi political structure to ensure fair treatment and equal participation of all. Only then can the prospects of enduring peace can be ensured in the region.
"I always thought art had to be a certain way, had to look a certain way, and had to fit in a certain category. As I got older, I learned how to appreciate art in my own way."

An artist unabashed by color, audacious when it comes to the shifting of material and space, Margalit Romano is a passionate painter and mixed media artist who reshaped a therapeutic hobby into a career of commercial and interior commissions. Romano is a New Jersey based mother of three whose love for vibrant hues and primary colors is also a key component to her signature style. If you've spent some time on the East Coast recently, or the teen's ward of the Jersey Shore Medical Center (wishing you the best of health), there's a chance you've seen her work. With pieces like the ones from her Flora series- where broad ribbons of acrylic paint reminiscent of frosting roses, cover the surface of a wooden board like an unnaturally dense field, or her Blocks, which at first make you feel like you've shrunken into a Lilliputian and crawled into a child's playroom, but then it's easy to view these blocks as unique works of "functional art" - it's no wonder why Romano's work has been popping up as little bits of joy in familiar establishments.

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The roses in Flora are also meant to break a faux pas commonly associated with fine art. She created the series completely aware of what may come from them- the urge to touch the stiff petals. While many collectors most likely do not want strangers rubbing their painting, Romano encourages this playful feature to many pieces of her work.

"One reason I generally love texture in artwork is because you are able to gain the ability to really see the artist's hand at work. I wanted to create a piece that was dense with texture, and I wanted it to be unified while also beautiful. With that in mind, I mixed acrylic medium with paint and laid out sturdy wooden panels. Usually people are not welcome to touch art, but I made it durable enough where viewers can explore that curiosity, feel the texture and have their own unique interaction. My mediums dry hard enough to last ages so there is no risk to cracking or damage. I guess you could say that this is also easily inspired by having children."

Flora, those tiny relief-like sculptures, is just one series of Romano's. As commission pieces and clientele shift, so does the type of work she produces, so much so that each series is drastically different than each other. Blocks serve as functional art and can be found throughout Jersey Shore Medical Center, where she helped create a lounge for teens ("There is always a room for babies and young kids to play," she comments. "But there is never a space for teenagers. I worked with the Ezra Abraham To Life Foundation and changed that."), as well as Offsite Chicago, a coworking space. Her Striation series, crafted with wood, acrylic and epoxy resin for a strong polish, are large paintings of straight, vertical, brightly colored stripes, which also served as inspiration for the commissioned walls of Urban Pops in New Jersey. Romano also has installations, paintings and murals in The Juice Theory, DSN Community Center, Town and Country jewelers, amongst many many private residential commissions. She has also been part of group shows including one in the Brooklyn Community Center and this past September, the Rotterdam National Art Fair.

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"When I do commissions, I work with the space itself, pulling inspiration from the environment. I like to find out what their fears are, what they want out of their space, how exactly they would like their customers to feel, and so on. No one comes to me if they are afraid of color, I can be certain of that. I'm grateful this has become a part of my everyday. A day that I'm not painting is a day that I'm not myself."


Since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, Western policymakers have worked earnestly to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from instigating new military campaigns in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet region. Even though Western containment efforts have reduced the likelihood of Russian military aggression against NATO member states, US policymakers have made a critical mistake by paying little attention to Russia's destabilizing conduct in the South Caucasus.

Russia's frequent border adjustments in Georgia, strengthened hegemony over Armenia and diplomatic overtures towards Azerbaijan underscore the importance of the South Caucasus as a theater of power projection for Moscow. The United States' neutrality in the protracted conflict over the Armenia-Azerbaijan border region of Nagorno-Karabakh has further entrenched Russia's hegemony over the Caucasus. The absence of a permanent American presence in the South Caucasus has helped Putin emerge as the leading power broker in the region and has allowed Moscow to willfully inflame hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh to advance its hegemonic aspirations.

To reduce Russia's influence in the South Caucasus, the United States should significantly increase its economic and military assistance provisions to Armenia. A strong pivot towards Yerevan will allow the United States to gain a geopolitical foothold in the South Caucasus. A strengthened US-Armenia alliance will also undercut Russian hegemony over the South Caucasus and CIS region in four important ways.

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First, a stronger US-Armenia security partnership would give Washington a reliable ally in the South Caucasus that will defy the Kremlin when necessary. The realistic prospect of a US-Armenia alliance differs markedly from conventional wisdom. As Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) security bloc, US policymakers have viewed Armenia as a staunch Russian ally that has little interest in a strategic partnership with Washington.

The recent wave of anti-Russian protests in Armenia suggests that this assumption is no longer accurate. Some Armenian government officials have expressed strong opposition to Russia's growing arms sales to Azerbaijan. Many Armenians also believe that Moscow tacitly supported Azerbaijan's April 2-5 military incursions in Nagorno-Karabakh. These anti-Russian sentiments contrast markedly with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's 2013 argument that EEU membership would make Armenia more secure from Azerbaijani aggression.

The prevailing notion in Washington that Armenia is less receptive than Azerbaijan to a US alliance offer is also erroneous. During the 1990s, the US government provided extensive financial assistance to civil society movements in Armenia. These investments are still bearing fruit, as Armenia has a disproportionately large number of US-backed NGOs for its population size.

Even though many US policymakers have emphasized the strength of the Washington-Baku alliance, Areg Galstyan recently noted that the US government gave $23 million in military assistance to Armenia and only $11 million to Azerbaijan. This is unsurprising to those in the know. Numerous policy experts in Washington have argued that Armenia has historically been a more reliable US strategic partner than Azerbaijan. To substantiate these claims, pro-Armenia lobbyists have highlighted Armenia's participation in the US war in Afghanistan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's links to Russia.

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The strong foundations for a US-Armenia partnership that are already in place and rising anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia make Sargsyan more likely to accept a credible US economic and military assistance offer. If Sargsyan accepts US assistance, he can appease discontented young Armenians who supported Armenia's EU association agreement offer in 2013 and participated in the July 2015 Electric Yerevan protests. A decline in youth protests in Armenia would considerably boost the country's long-term political stability. A stable Armenian government will also more effectively resist Russia's meddling in Yerevan's internal affairs.

Second, the development of a US-Armenia strategic partnership could mark the end of Russian hegemony over the South Caucasus. Barring a massive change in the region's geopolitical alignments, Russia will struggle to find a new ally in the South Caucasus that is as reliable as Armenia. Even though Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili is less stridently anti-Kremlin than his predecessor Mikheil Saakashsvili, the Georgian government maintains a pro-Western foreign policy outlook and disdains Russia's arbitrary military incursions into Georgian territory.

Expanded economic and security cooperation between Moscow and Baku is also unlikely to transform Azerbaijan into an Armenian-style client of Russia. Azerbaijan's opposition to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, and long history of counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States underscore Baku's desire to be independent from the Russian sphere of influence. If Russia offers Azerbaijan EEU membership to offset its deteriorating relationship with Armenia, Ilham Aliyev's rhetoric suggests that he will reject Russia's offer on national sovereignty grounds.

The creation of a bipolar South Caucasus characterized by a power struggle between Russia and the United States will have reverberations across the globe. Expanding American influence in the South Caucasus could cause China to change its long-standing view that Moscow is too dominant in the Caucasus for Beijing to gain genuine leverage. If China wants to expand its geopolitical influence in the South Caucasus, it has a strong foundation to build on. China's annual trade links with the region currently total over $2 billion.

If China builds on its increasingly pervasive presence in the petrochemical, automobile and banking industries of Caucasus countries, Russia's economic hegemony over the Caucasus will rapidly diminish. Therefore, by strengthening its relationship with Armenia, the United States could transform the South Caucasus into a multipolar arena of geopolitical competition and undercut Russia's great power status aspirations.

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Third, a more robust US-Armenia partnership would severely weaken the CSTO security bloc's coherence. Even though Russia's trade partnership with Azerbaijan is more economically lucrative than its alliance with Armenia, Moscow has continued to sell arms to Armenia to demonstrate the reliability of the CSTO's security guarantees.

Russia's economic crisis has changed Putin's strategic calculus, however. Kremlin policymakers have allowed revenues generated from Moscow's Azerbaijan partnership to take precedence over Russia's security obligations to Armenia. Putin's belief that Armenia is dependent on Russia has caused him to conclude that his arms sales to Baku will not result in Armenia's defection from the Russian sphere.

Therefore, if the United States selling large quantities of arms to Armenia, Putin's balancing strategy in the Caucasus could become unstuck. Russia's looming budget crisis will make it difficult for Putin to justify a massive increase in military spending to counter a US-Armenia alliance. Russian attempts to incorporate Azerbaijan in the CSTO are also likely to fail. Azerbaijan is unlikely to join the CSTO unless Russia expels Armenia from the security bloc.

As an Armenian pivot to the United States would unequivocally demonstrate that Yerevan has lost confidence in Russia's security guarantees, a radical shift in Armenia's foreign policy could adversely affect Russia's relationships with other CIS countries. If Armenia's loss of confidence in Russia causes Kazakhstan's confidence in the CSTO to decline, President Nursultan Nazarbayev could strengthen Astana's burgeoning security partnership with China. Belarus could also step up its efforts to normalize relations with the European Union (EU). If Belarus and Kazakhstan scale back their security partnerships with Russia, the CSTO could deteriorate into little more than a symbolic alliance bloc. Therefore, a US embrace of Armenia could compromise Moscow's ambitions of converting the CSTO into a Russian-led security bloc that can genuinely compete with NATO and the SCO.

Fourth, US military assistance provisions to Armenia will reduce Russia's leverage over the dynamics of the frozen conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. By selling arms to both Armenia and Azerbaijan during periods of tension, Russia has been able to unilaterally alter the balance of capabilities between the two warring parties. This leverage has allowed Putin to exploit the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to further Moscow's strategic interests. During the early April hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia spearheaded the ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan that ended the conflict. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's diplomatic resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict bolstered Russia's international status by highlighting Moscow's success as peacekeeper and conflict arbiter to the international community.

If the United States intervenes in the South Caucasus on Armenia's behalf, Russia's leverage over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will diminish greatly. If this scenario unfolds, Putin might sell more Russian arms to Azerbaijan in order to retaliate against US support for Armenia. If Azerbaijan can gain an overwhelming military advantage over Armenia, Russia will likely try to encourage Baku to instigate a war against Armenia to recapture complete control over Nagorno-Karabakh. An Azerbaijani victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Russian support would entrench an alliance between Russia and Azerbaijan, and humiliatingly derail the United States' bid to strengthen Armenia.

Putin is unlikely to achieve this outcome, however. Regardless of how much military assistance Russia ultimately provides to Baku, Putin will find it very difficult to convince Ilham Aliyev to launch a campaign of unilateral aggression against Armenia. In recent years, Azerbaijani policymakers have concluded that small-scale aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh is preferable to instigating a major war. This preference can be explained by domestic politics. Aliyev's regime security is benefited most by swift military campaigns that result in symbolically significant territorial gains and limited casualties. Azerbaijan's April 2 escalation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh rallied anti-Armenian nationalists around Aliyev's government and provided a distraction from Azerbaijan's worsening economic malaise. If the United States provides Armenia with military technology that is more sophisticated than the Soviet-style weaponry that Russia has exported to Armenia, Azerbaijan will almost certainly refrain from escalating the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict into a full-scale war. Azerbaijani policymakers have vivid memories of the 1988-1994 war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. That war resulted in almost 30,000 Azerbaijani deaths. During a period of economic turmoil and heightened public unrest, Ilham Aliyev cannot afford to risk a repeat of the 1990s bloodshed.

Since the mid-1990s, Russia has consolidated its hegemony over the South Caucasus with little resistance from the United States. However, the US government now has an opportunity to reverse this trajectory, by significantly increasing its outlays of economic and military assistance to Armenia. By forging an alliance with Armenia, the United States can play an instrumental role in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and leave Russia without a reliable ally in the South Caucasus. Despite these benefits, pro-Azerbaijan sentiments in Washington and US policymakers' indifference to political developments in the South Caucasus will likely prevent a US-Armenia alliance from emerging in the foreseeable future.
"Most of the women I see in my practice identify with a religion, often Christianity, and quite a few of my clients are over 50. I find that, often, sexual shame is a major factor.

"One prime example is Bonnie, a 53-year-old high school teacher, who was experiencing low libido and booked an appointment because her husband was frustrated. After speaking with her for a few minutes, we came to the conclusion that because of shame, she didn't value her own pleasure enough to feel that she was worthy of great sex.

"Sexual shame and feelings of unworthiness can often be traced back to a barrage of messages from childhood and the young adult years. Many of us were told things like, 'Don't touch yourself. That's dirty.' 'Nobody will want you if you have sex before you are married. You will be used goods. 'Don't dress like that--it sends the wrong message.'

"The purity culture that is especially pervasive in the Christian community can leave a woman feeling like her sexual purpose is to fulfill her duty as a wife and that any pleasure she feels is a privilege, not a right.

"So, how do we change our belief system surrounding sex to create the most fulfilling and connective sex life ever? Here are four steps to challenging your sexual belief systems and moving toward sexual authenticity and pleasure:

Awareness

One exercise that I have every woman do on her first visit is a sexual awareness exercise. They get a paper that says, "Sex is..." on which they quickly list all the adjectives, nouns, colors, feelings, and phrases, both positive and negative, that describe their feelings toward sex. Next comes a paper with, "My dream sexual experience is..." written on it, and they follow the same process. We then compare the two lists and work on discovering how their current view of sex keeps them from reaching an enjoyable sexual experience.

Deconstruction

Deconstruction involves exploring the history of your ideas about sex. How and from whom did you first learn about sex? Was sex explained as something that was only for marriage? Did you ever hide your sexual interest or activity out of shame? Did your mother tell you not to touch your clitoris because it was wrong or dirty? These messages have a lasting effect and can hold you back (even decades later) from moving forward in your sex life. Confronting these messages as false is vitally important in moving forward toward sexual fulfillment.

Vulnerability

Everyone follows a sexual script that includes cues for your partner that show you are ready for sex. For many people, this script begins with massage or sensual kissing, while for others it simply begins with, "Hey baby, I brushed my teeth!" Regardless, becoming vulnerable involves deviating from this script in a way that is new and emotionally stretching, but not incredibly uncomfortable. For example, some couples may try engaging in foreplay with handcuffs and floggers while another couple may find that simply keeping the lights on during sex is enough of a stretch. However you want to make yourself vulnerable, be sure to communicate well with your partner and keep things fun and light.

Confidence

The more vulnerable you become in your sex life, the more confidence and forward momentum you will find in developing your own unique, fulfilling sexuality. If you can work on strengthening your sexual confidence in the most vulnerable space--your bedroom--those same strategies and healthy communication techniques will help you with the rest of your relationships.
"But whoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 10:33 (ASV)

Growing up in the Evangelical tradition, I was scared to death of denying Jesus. Countless times, I heard sermons preached on the end of the world. I grew up in the days of the Left Behind series, which was like our own personal Christian horror story. I was talking about the series with a friend recently, who said, "I feel like that series would make the perfect Christian drinking game."

I was six when a book was published with 88 reasons Jesus was coming back in 1988. It didn't happen, but I still heard the End of Time sermons around it. For at least the first twenty years of my life, I fully expected the trumpet to sound at any time and Jesus to come bursting through the clouds on a white horse, somewhere above Atlanta. That was about as far east as I could fathom.

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I imagined The Great Tribulation would look something like a combination of the Holocaust and The Walking Dead. I knew "the dead in Christ" would rise, but what about all the others, the ones who weren't in Christ? Would they be roaming the streets, looking for bones?

These days, that image sounds crazy. It seems to me that the most effective way to deny Christ is not by saying you aren't a Christian, but by continuing to segregate God's children from the rest of the world. By refusing cups of cold water to entire people groups, this is when we are actually denying Jesus Himself.

In the words of Pete Rollins:

I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.

By constantly pushing aside the marginalized, we are denying Jesus more effectively than I ever imaged back when I feared the Tribulation. As our churches continue to demonize those who don't fit our religious mold, we refuse hope, joy, freedom, peace, grace, and unconditional love to the people who most need it.

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And this is about more than just our LGBTQ friends. The fact that Donald Trump has a chance to be the next President of the United States is very telling of the state of our nation. Fear is tearing our country apart. Instead of embracing those in desperate need of help and hope, we are talking about building physical walls that only mirror the ones our culture has long-since accepted.

Jesus told us specifically to go to the orphans and the widows. It's my assumption that He was including immigrants, refugees, and those who are far less-fortunate than anyone reading this blog. But because we fear difference, because change scares the hell out of us, we cling to an egomaniac like Donald Trump, who promises to take us back in time, in terms of equality and respect for all people.

I grew up hearing the Scripture, "I require mercy, not sacrifice." It was misquoted and ill-used most of my life. I keep thinking about conversations with dear friends who have said things like "Jesus would rather we be obedient to His call to love dramatically and His example to go to the broken and outcast." And it's true. Jesus said, "You'll know me by your love for one another."

Here's the truth, friends: the only way we'll ever make America or her church great again is by fully embracing those in need of help and love around the world.
Queen Elizabeth and Monaco's Prince Albert own them. So does Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg who bought Malcolm Forbes's clutch in 2004 for $100 million. Nothing symbolizes the romance, excess, and tragedy of Russia's last Romanov tsars like Faberge's bejeweled imperial Easter eggs. Surprisingly, five of the 52 imperial eggs created by Faberge reside in Richmond at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, part of the largest public collection outside of Russia.



Five Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt, Photo: Katherine Wetzel  VMFA

Opening October 22, "Faberge and Russian Decorative Arts" features an extraordinary collection of some 280 objects. Four of the five new galleries feature European style Faberge and other Russian decorative arts in gold and silver, jewelry, enamels, and hardstones. The fifth gallery displays objects inspired by Russian history and design. The highlights -- the imperial Easter eggs -- enjoy their own circular, deep-blue gallery, designed for visitors to enjoy each jewel from all angles.

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"I hope visitors will appreciate the quality, excellence, and sheer beauty of these many objects," says Barry Shifman, VMFA curator of decorative arts. "I also hope they will better understand the opulence of the Romanov court and Karl Faberge's accomplishment as the head of one of the greatest firms of jewelry and silversmiths in late 19th century Europe."



VMFA Faberge and Russian Decorative Arts, Imperial Easter Eggs Gallery, Photo: Travis Fullerton,  Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The treasure trove came to Richmond as a bequest in 1947 from Lillian Thomas Pratt of Fredericksburg, Virginia. According to Shifman, Pratt was among a handful of American women collectors including Marjorie Merriweather Post, India Early Marshall, and Matilda Geddings Gray who were swept up by the romance of Faberge in the 1930s and 1940s. Pratt's infatuation began in 1933 at Lord & Taylor's in New York City where tycoon Armand Hammer organized a Russian Imperial Exhibit with art treasures sold by the cash-starved Soviet Union.

Over the next 12 years, Pratt assembled a highly personal collection of nearly 170 Faberge objects -- from diamond-studded brooches, pictures frames and parasol handles to champagne flutes, flowers and songbirds. In the guest book of New York art dealer Alexander Schaffer (today's A La Vieille Russie), Pratt's name appears between those of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and explorer Lincoln Ellsworth. Pratt's most prized acquisitions were her five imperial Easter eggs.

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The annual tradition started in 1885, when Russian tsar Alexander III commissioned St. Petersburg jeweler Karl Faberge to create the Hen Egg as an Easter gift for his wife, Maria Fedorovna. Combining the artistry of European goldsmiths with a popular Russian Easter custom, Faberge's eggs so delighted his mother, Nicholas II continued to give them to the dowager empress and his wife Alexandra until his abdication in 1917. For the lavish presents, Faberge assembled a team of designers, gem cutters and setters, engravers, enamellers, and polishers. The decoration was a closely guarded secret; the only requirement was that each egg contain a miniature "surprise" inside.



Peter the Great Egg, Surprise, Faberge, 1903, gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, sapphire, enamel, rock crystal, watercolor on ivory, height 4.25 in. Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt, VMFA

In 1903, Nicholas presented Alexandra with the Peter the Great Egg to commemorate the bicentennial of his predecessor's founding of St. Petersburg. Faberge jewelers decorated the multi-colored gold shell with watercolor portrait miniatures of Peter and Nicholas and their residences along with diamond arabesques, ruby studded bulrushes, and enamel roses. Inside is a miniature replica of Peter's famous equestrian statue commissioned by his ambitious granddaughter-in-law Catherine the Great. It took Lillian Pratt nearly three years to pay off the $16,500 egg -- a brilliant investment. Last year, the missing Third Imperial Egg by Faberge resurfaced and sold in London for $33 million.

Another of Pratt's imperial eggs, the 1897 Pelican Egg, is topped by a diamond-winged pelican feeding her young. The red-gold egg unfolds to reveal eight oval frames, rimmed with pearls, each holding a miniature painting of orphanages and schools patronized by the dowager empress. One of Alexandra's favorite gifts was the 1912 lapis lazuli Tsarevich Egg in honor of her son Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. Diamonds accent the rococo-styled gold work, including two double-headed eagles symbolizing the Romanovs. Inside, a platinum-and-diamond-studded picture frame holds a watercolor portrait of the seven-year-old tsarevich in a sailor suit.

In addition to Russia's last two tsars, Faberge's clientele included European royals, wealthy aristocrats, and business tycoons. In its heyday, the company employed some 500 people with branches in Moscow, Odessa, London and Kiev. Before the Russian Revolution put an end to the firm nearly a century ago, Faberge produced some 150,000 luxurious objects.

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Bratina, Faberge, Julius Rappoport (workmaster), ca. 1900, silver-gilt, enamel, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, garnets ,blue topaz (?), pearls 5" h x 6" dia., Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt, VMFA

Among Faberge's most popular items were enamel objects created with a variety of techniques and a stunning palette of 144 hues -- including a pearlescent "oyster" white and a warm pink "salmon" color. One of the standouts is a beautiful, rare bratina or punch bowl. Inspired by artisans in Moscow, Julius Rappoport designed the bowl with green guilloche enamel overlaid with scroll designs embellished in cloisonne and champleve with rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

Faberge also worked magic with hardstones -- a Russian carving tradition dating back to Peter the Great's reign when the rich mineral deposits were discovered in the Urals. Using nephrite, rock crystal, jasper and agate, Faberge craftsmen produced cane handles, boxes, and frames often mounted with gold and gilded silver.



Globeflowers, Faberge, gold, enamel, nephrite, rock crystal, 5 in. Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt, VMFA

Lillian Pratt's charming menagerie of hardstone miniature animals are on view, along with vases of hardstone flowers modeled after 18th century jeweled bouquets from the Russian imperial treasury. Among the flowers are Globeflowers or buttercups, with three gold buds and nephrite leaves, and Pansy, with a blossom of four cabochon sapphires and petal of yellow guilloche enamel studded with rose-cut diamonds.

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Thanks to interactives, visitors can design their own eggs and watch as videos reveal the construction of the imperial eggs and their surprises. To complement the new "Faberge at VMFA" mobile app, archives of the collection are available at http://faberge.vmfa.museum/



For more information, visit http://vmfa.museum/exhibitions/faberge-and-russian-decorative-arts/
Syria is in the grip of the greatest humanitarian disaster of our time. It is relentless, atrocious and responsible for mass casualties both inside and outside of its borders. Inside the country 13.5 people million are in need of assistance. Four million are in hard to reach or besieged areas and 6.6 million are internally displaced. Outside the immediate borders nearly five million more Syrians are living as refugees.

Yet, if you ask any Syrian, they do not want to leave their country. The perception that they are risking their lives for economic gain is false. It is because they cannot bear the daily sentence of bombs, death and destruction.Imagine, walking down a street and not knowing if you will make it home because you risked going out to get an extortionately priced flatbread to feed your whole family.

As Syria's second city, Aleppo is the one we hear about often in the media. Yet in thousands of other areas, Syrians are also trapped and not receiving aid. Let's not turn our backs on them.

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In Syria, an estimated 46,500 women will suffer gender based violence, including rape, as a result of the ongoing conflict. More than 75% of Syrian refugees who've fled are women and children. Young girls are particularly vulnerable, with families making the decision to marry them as the only way to keep them safe. Other girls are at risk of rape and domestic violence, living in cramp conditions or being trafficked or being forced into trading sex for food or supplies. Specialized front line services are needed to offer them support and protection.

The Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA) has a "safe spaces" approach. Girls are helped by having a checkup and are referred to a specialist counsellor if they've been affected by violence. There they can share their experiences with other women. In some cases, women attend because it's the first time they have ever been left. They have no one left to talk to and are dealing with extreme trauma alone. Services take a life cycle approach. And even with conflict continuing, the assistance extends to teaching vocational skills so that girls at risk can take care of themselves for the future.

Layla* is one of them. Her family's home had been destroyed, and her mother could no longer afford to keep her fed or safe and began trying to persuade her to marry at 15. She knew she wanted a different future and knew about the vocational training courses offered by SFPA . She joined so she wouldn't have to get married. Since then, she has been trained as a seamstress, and when she finished her course she got a place on a microfinance project.

We know aid workers are under attack every day. Their efforts are tireless and selfless and they are on the frontline. Organisations like SFPA - a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation - are there permanently and its staff often have to adapt to very difficult circumstances. They cannot always use other donor funds they may have available because of the conflict's rapidly changing circumstances or the because of the conditions donors have placed on how they spend it. Any government that gives money always has restrictions as part of accountability remits but there is a point when this becomes disabling.

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Syrians don't want to leave. Nor do they want charity. What they want is the chance to help themselves. For this to happen, local organizations in humanitarian crises need flexible and smart funding. If aid is allowed to be flexible and agile, it will allow those who are committed on the ground to be so. It is the only way we can focus on building lives and futures for the people in Syria. The UK has been doing this through it's aid budget with great success. All Governments have a critical role to play to protect and assist those affected by the atrocities and hardships in Syria.

This is a war like no other and it requires a tailored and united effort that spans civilian, political and humanitarian support in every way.

If the right investment is made for localized solutions and services, it will give Syrians a chance to have an equal stake in the solution. This is the only way we can help the people of Syria feel secure and positive enough to visualize a life beyond war.
Peshmerga forces advance in the east of Mosul. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters

Jean-Paul Sartre famously wrote that if a victory is told in detail, it becomes hard to distinguish it from a defeat. This is certainly true of the current narrative about the recapture of the Iraqi city of Mosul, held by Islamic State since June 2014.

With embedded reporters dramatically reporting minute-by-minute advances, an obvious fact is left unspoken: that Iraq's second largest city, a community of close to two million residents, has been in the hands of a non-state armed group for two and a half years.

However formidable a military force Islamic State is, such an entity simply should not be in control of a city of that magnitude.

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Beyond the expected difficulty of retaking Mosul, two facts indicate that the upcoming victory will be outweighed by the larger historical issues raised by Islamic State. The ongoing, decade-old militarised insurgency throughout Iraq will continue. And the elasticity of Islamic State's positioning across the region will mean it can find new territory.

The long battle for Mosul

The "Battle for Mosul" narrative has been going on for so long that it is now in its third edition.

In August 2014, as the Iraqi army was still dealing with its shock eviction from Mosul by Islamic State (around 30,000 soldiers reportedly fled the region in the face of 1,500 militants), Iraq's military (with US aerial support) initiated engagements with the group around the city.

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There is really no way out of Mosul for those civilians who want to escape unless they take a huge risk and flee through the battlefield pic.twitter.com/IPPvksbELA  Fazel Hawramy (@FazelHawramy) October 17, 2016

Islamic State forces in Mosul are also encircled further north by a newly active Turkish military and, on the Syrian side, by the other coalition fighting the group: namely Russia, Syria and Hezbollah. This closes the corridor to the group's de facto capital in Raqqa.

The sum total of all these forces should have long ago spelled defeat for a non-state actor, never mind one sitting within a hostile population.

Reverting to type

Above and beyond the micro-narrative of the Mosul affair, what is being overlooked is the deeper meaning of Islamic State - and that it was already threat before its capture of Mosul.

From late 2011, when it began to formally emerge, to mid-2013 when it regionalised - changing from the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria/Shaam/Levant (ISIS/L) - the group had already gained great stature. Since then, it has only built on that stature; more than 20 groups have pledged allegiance to it around the world.

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In leading a series of attacks across Iraq, in expanding to Syria and in dislodging Al Qaeda internationally, Islamic State had already become the leading radical Islamist group. If Mosul falls, it can simply revert to type.

One tactic the group may adopt next is to accelerate and increase classic hit-and-run urban terrorist operations throughout Iraq. Now further militarised and sometimes drone-weaponised, this type of operation was tested lethally over the summer in several neighbourhoods of Baghdad.

The second possible pattern - also previewed last year - is redoubled investment in ungoverned spaces and regions in transition where the state is enfeebled. Priority destinations will be Libya and possibly the Sinai. These are two areas where active groups have already pledged allegiance to Islamic State and which are officially considered to be its "regions" (wilayas).

Although the battle in Libya is still ongoing, the absence of formal unity amongst the various actors there and the ambient chaos, would play in favour of the group, which has previously staged operations and shot execution videos there.

The future of Islamic State

Ultimately, was Mosul that important for Islamic State? Is Raqqa? Isn't it the case that the capture of those regional urban centres is the consequence of the historical contingencies and perfect storms of deteriorating conflicts?

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In Syria, Bashar al Assad's cautious focus on the "useful" territory he wanted to protect in the Syrian civil war led to adventurism further north in rebel-held lands such as Raqqa.

Territory comes and goes in fragmenting Levantine lands these days, and Islamic State still has a capital, or two, to claim.

Indeed, for the transnational group that Islamic State was before it captured Mosul (as result of its Al Qaeda DNA), territory itself is a malleable commodity.

If the territorial approach fails, the online space, which the group has capitalised on, and the postmodern incarnations of its brand of terrorism, provide equal opportunities for Islamic State to evolve, and to keep fighting.

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By Lee van der Voo



INTRODUCTION





THIS BOOK IS THE PRODUCT of a lost bet. That's the truth. In winter 2011, I had just written a story for a regional magazine about salmon fishing. And I was in a bar in Portland, Oregon, a wood-paneled place downtown called Cassidy's, loudly proclaiming that I was never going to do it again. Fish stories are boring, I said. Nobody reads them. There's nothing in them but a bunch of fishermen haggling over who gets to catch what.

I was with a small group of writers, most of whom agreed by glazing over. See what I mean? I thought. But there was one exception. A colleague had just taken a job with the nonprofit group Ecotrust and bet me on the spot that he could get me to write another fish story. Then he started telling me that the United States was privatizing its oceans through a policy called "catch shares." And that, while the work was dovetailing with a lot of foodie-centric and eco-conscious buzzwords, it was also creating class warfare on the seas, upending fishing families and unmooring fishing towns all over the nation. His was one of a handful of groups brewing antidotes to the fallout. The more he talked, the more I knew I'd lose the bet.

I was doing a lot of food and sustainability writing at the time, so the idea of goofy policy hiding behind eco-friendly jargon wasn't exactly new. To a journalist, greenwashing was the consumer plague of the millennium, amping up while organic food shifted from back-to-the-land hippies to the mainstream. By then, organics were a $25 billion industry in the United States, one in which fair-trade and environmentally conscious brands were garnering a premium from people dining on a do-no-harm ethos. Consumers who didn't want their eggs laid by caged chickens or their beef culled from penned cows were easy marks. I was already covering an enormous number of bunk-but-presumably-green-leaning food and product schemes. And given that the seafood counter was the place inside the grocery store where people looked the most lost, it seemed like a reasonable venue for a hoodwinking.

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I was lucky the wager was only beer. A few months later I was on a plane to Alaska with loose orders from an editor to go sniff around. In between, I'd managed to get a handle on what catch shares were. The quick way to describe them is to say they're like cap-and-trade for fish; they deploy caps on the amount of fish that can be caught, then dole out the rights to fish them among qualifying entities. Those who qualify can be fishermen, boats, corporationsthe design varies. It takes some history in the industry to get a piece. But once those rights are awarded by the government, whoever holds that slice of the pie holds exclusive access to a corresponding percentage of fish. Those rights are privately controlled after that. By law, the government can take them back at any time. But it hasn't. Every catch share in America has remained steadily in private hands since 1992. Now the rights to catch fish are private market assets that trade hotter in places like Alaska than brick-and-mortar real estate.

Promoters of catch shares are always quick to say that they're not privatizing the fish in the ocean, just the rights to catch them. It's a small distinction that translates, in practice, to the same thing. But the delicate public relations dance that attends that particular point has been whirling for the better part of a decade in America. For good reason, I've surmised. There is a strange marriage at the heart of this policy: one between the environmental lobby and privatization interests. And the effort, though well intentioned by many within organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund, has been substantially funded by conservatives and property-rights promoters, chiefly the founders of Walmart, facts that would give anybody with enviro cred pause if they were better known.

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Before I went to Alaska, I spent two days in Oregon's Rogue Valley with a man named John Enge, a fisheries expert who ran a seafood-politics blog called Alaska Cafe. He was a saint of a person who is no longer with us. He sat me at his kitchen table and patiently brain-dumped at me until I understood three things: First, the private property rights attending catch shares had locked many fishermen and even whole communities out of the oceans. Second, catch shares had created powerful landlords on water. And third, as those landlords grew more powerful, catch shares were converting fishermen from proud family-business sorts into sharecroppers who were leasing their access to the sea from wealthy and increasingly corporate power brokers.

That was in 2012. What I'd envisioned was a quick jaunt to Alaska and a handful of stories. Instead, my trip turned into a four-year reporting odyssey that ended, back in Alaska, in the bunks of a fishing boat with a couple of twenty-something dudes. In between, I learned that I do indeed get seasick. And that a careful regimen of non-drowsy Dramamine, vanilla yogurt, and green-yellow Gatorade keeps it to a no-fuss affair. I also traveled to every catch share in America to walk the docks and talk to fishermen about how catch shares had changed their world. Some were kind enough to take me fishing and show me how that world worked. For context, I spent countless days in the fluorescent-lit meetings of US fishery management councils, the regulatory bodies that control commercial fishing in America. And I talked to chefs and fishermen, seafood buyers and suppliers, conservation groups, lobbyists, and political sorts, many of whom believed very deeply in catch shares. I learned there is a decent business case for privatizing the oceans. And that, while it can conflict with the social-equity ideas that many eco-conscious eaters go in for, it may be one that consumers find quite valid.

After years of staring at it, I've come to think of this as a David-and-Goliath kind of tale. It's about the fight between seafarersthose who held out against privatizationand powerful conservationists who were willing to trade privatization for both environmental gain and the most sustainable, traceable seafood in the world. It is a story full of grizzled, off-beat characters; action and adventure on the vast oceans off America's shores; good food; and big, big money. It caused me to see fishermen as just a particularly colorful brand of organic farmer. And catch-share holdouts as the only resisters to the denationalization of a natural resource most Americans believe they still own.

But Americans don't own the fish in their oceans anymore, not really.

This book is the straight-ahead telling of why that is true and how we got here. It is framed within the tale of a single seafood brandGulf Wildas its creators try to trace each individual fish from the sea to the dinner plate. Interwoven within their adventure are the fates of those left behind: small-boat fishermen, crews, and whole communities.

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This story matters. Wild fish, unlike beef and chicken, will never have an easy path to the dinner plate. And managing that journey is one of the most complex tasks any policymaker can undertake. It is also phenomenally difficult for the marketplace to finagle. And it's something conservationists have rightly tried to clean up. That's why consumers ought to know, when they pay a premium for sustainable wild seafood, what it is they are really buying.
A loud noise startles me. I turn around to the face of Janet, the elderly woman whose home we would be working on. She yells at an old truck screeching by and it comes to a rickety stop. Janet's anger resembles my grandmother's temperament if I touched something that was forbidden.

Fortunately, her lioness voice wasn't directed at me. She was yelling at Gus, her husband who was driving the truck. The interaction was so comical and heartwarming that I could barely contain myself. I came to Mexico, Maine for one week to renovate Gus and Janet's house. The construction project became a mirror into my past, cementing the connections of humanity. I was in an impoverished town of Maine and knew no one but my 20 fellow Parish volunteers. In this strange place, familiar moments rushed through my mind.

Most people I saw were poor. They were also white, like my mother, but they would never have guessed this considering my brown skin, a shade lighter than my fathers'. I never thought anything of my parents being different races-until one day when I was 8. Joel, a classmate, pointed out that all the other black kids had black moms. "Georgia," he yelled across the schoolyard, "your mom, she's white! I think you're adopted." This shook me to the core. I began to notice people who stared when I was with Mom in the park or the grocery store. For the first time I felt alone, like I didn't belong.

I have grown beyond that inner unrest of having a biracial family. However, the stares in Maine carry me back to that time. Here, they are staring at the rare sight of a black person. There were so many opportunities for my mind to wander while working on the house. Break, pull, scrape, breathe repeat. Each movement was a small part of a deliberate pattern, break the drywall, pull down the pieces, scrape the excess from the wood, take a breath and repeat. The attic was a cloud of dust, particles and pieces of wood, drywall, and insulation. I wore a mask to protect myself from the toxins, but I often would opt for a breath of fresh air after finishing a wall. Sticking my head out of the open window, I inhale the fresh, crisp Maine air, hinted with the smell of the meadow behind the home.

I saw the mountains in the distance, the tops speckled with the little bit of snow that survived the hot summer temperatures, the pine trees and finally Janet and her husband. Each time I took a breath, I would witness a different scene in the play of their lives: arguments, laughter, Gus's kind attempts to help us work and their eventual retreat to sit on their little blue bench which overlooked the meadow.

Yet another flashback: Dad prepares to leave the family for 31 days for a business trip to India. On departure day, his eyes grow with expectation, trust and vulnerability. I had never seen that look on his face before. I grew anxious. When he finally spoke, a wave of noxiousness crashed over me. "Okay George this is it, game time. I need you to look after the family when I'm away, your mom, your sister, even the dog. I don't need anything bad happening when I'm away, because I won't be able to get to you. I know you can handle this."

At that moment I realized that I was the successor, but its role carried much more weight than just its title. I had assumed the role of caretaker, leader, and relief giver and once again strove to take on this role while working in Maine. Gus and Janet opened their home to us and I was moved to do everything in my power to provide them with relief just as I would for my own family.

Georgia Bell, a freshman at Howard University, is a graduate of Milton High School.
My name is Mohammed, I am from Yemen and, as part of the YaLa Academy's Aileen Getty School of Citizen Journalism, I interviewed on June 7, 2016 another participant in the program - an awesome young woman from Syria. I got the impression she is suffering from a lot of pain given her difficult situation and her personal struggle to achieve her future goals. She is a brave girl and I am positive that this world is full of women just like her. I have really learned a lot from interviewing her and it was immense pleasure.

Her name is Khisal and she is a gap year student. I started by asking her about her life as a Syrian refugee and how she left her country.

Khisal replied: "Well...it started when we were in Syria. My dad was a civil engineer but since 2011 he had stopped receiving any income. We were renting a house and things became very hard. Everything became 10 times more expensive. In 2013, my dad sent both of my older sisters out of the country, one of them started working in Egypt and the other one started working in Turkey. I graduated from high school in 2014 and my family and I decided we were no longer able to live inside Syria. Everything was choking us. My dad broke the lease and we left for Turkey. We tried to move on with our lives there, but unfortunately it was impossible with low salaries and very hard working conditions. University was impossible for me unless I knew Turkish and it was very expensive to learn it. I applied for a scholarship to the AUC, the American University in Cairo, was accepted and it was the best thing ever happened to me. But unfortunately I could not get a visa to Egypt because I was a Syrian. So the scholarship was gone and so was my dream. With this no longer being an option, I decided to go to Europe. It took me a tough month to make it, but I got here eventually. The sad thing was that my parents had to go through that too, but thank God, they got here within 7 days, so it was much easier."

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Then I asked her: "Were you accepted in any university in Europe?"

Khisal replied: "I can't go to university yet. I'm an asylum seeker, so I need to have the residency papers before I go to university. It takes a while."

Me: "I don't know what to say. But do you know what? I believe that you are such a brave girl and I'm sure that you will not give up on your dream easily. And I am positive that you will get better opportunities in the future because Allah doesn't forget someone who always seeks future goals without giving up. And just be aware that this is life."

Khisal: "Thank you so much . I appreciate the support."

Me: I thought first that Yemeni students who always suffer so much. But it seems that we aren't the only ones.

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Khisal: "Hahahaha, we share the pain."

After that, I asked her about her dreams.

She replied: "Okay... so since I was 12 years old I've wanted to study political science. People told me I was going to change my mind a lot. But I never did . My goal is to make my family and my people proud. And maybe after I die, people are going to remember me for my good deeds for Syria and the region. I want to work more on the humanitarian side of politics.
The fates of Hosni Mubarak and General El-Shazly collided in Tahrir, with one honoured in death and the other disgraced.Veteran Egyptian war correspondent Yehia Ghanem recalls the day in February 2011 when it seemed as if the Egyptian people had finally broken free from the cage of dictatorship. Read the rest of his series, Caged, here.

On the morning of February 10, as the revolution was at its peak, I received a call from a former Egyptian diplomat, Ambassador Mohamed el-Shazly. He was calling to break the news of his uncle's death. Saad el-Shazly had been a legendary Egyptian military leader. Known as the Golden General, he had led the reconstruction of the Egyptian army after it had been shattered during the 1967 Six-Day War against Israel.

The timing of his death seemed symbolic.

As chief of staff, el-Shazly had led the army during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the most successful in modern Egyptian history.

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After the unprecedented success of the first 10 days of that war, the tide began to turn as a large Israeli force led by General Ariel Sharon broke through between the Egyptian 2nd army, which was positioned on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal in the Sinai Peninsula, and the Egyptian 3rd army, which was on its western bank.

El-Shazly wanted to respond by redeploying two brigades and a battalion from the 2nd army in order to besiege the Israelis. But Sadat refused. He feared this would look like a withdrawal and that military morale would be damaged. The military consequences of ignoring his chief of staff were grave.

After the war ended, the bitterness between the two men continued. Wanting to remove el-Shazly from the army, Sadat made him ambassador to the United Kingdom, and later to Portugal. It was during this time that Sadat undertook his historic visit to Israel in November 1977.

El-Shazly publicly opposed the Camp David Accords, signed between Egypt and Israel in 1978, and resigned from his post. He was forced into exile in Algeria, from where he wrote a book that gave his account of the 1973 war. For this, he was court-martialed in absentia, accused of writing the book without approval and of divulging military secrets within it. He strongly denied the latter charge. But el-Shazly was sentenced in absentia to three years of hard labour, while all of his Egyptian assets were confiscated.

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When Sadat was assassinated in 1981, the bitterness towards el-Shazly was passed on to his successor, Hosni Mubarak, who as the commander of the air force during the 1973 war, had been one of el-Shazly's subordinates.

When, in 1992, el-Shazly returned to Egypt after years in exile, he was arrested at the airport. Mubarak insisted upon executing his sentence, despite appeals for clemency or, at least, a retrial. The new president, it seemed, wanted to erase General el-Sazly's name from Egyptian military history.

Now his nephew was calling me, asking if I would publish his obituary in Al-Ahram newspaper. But I had another idea.

"Would you mind moving the general's body to Tahrir Square so that the hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered there can observe a funeral prayer for him?" I asked.

The ambassador was stunned.

It would be an opportunity to pay a long-overdue tribute to a much-maligned national hero, I explained.

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"Could the demonstrators ensure the safety of the body?" he asked me.

"I'm sure they could," I replied.

I called some of the protesters and proposed the idea to them. They welcomed the gesture and began to make preparations to receive the body. But moving it from Heliopolis, a suburb eight miles from Tahrir Square, proved too difficult in the circumstances and the plan had to be aborted.

But on the following day, Friday, February 11, after Friday prayers, almost a million protesters in Tahrir Square and the surrounding streets observed the funeral prayer for General Saad El-Shazly.

The symbolism was not lost on those who prayed for his soul. Here was a great military leader, who had been tarnished and punished by both Sadat and Mubarak, being honoured on the very day that Mubarak was eventually forced to step down in disgrace.

On that day, millions of Egyptians celebrated. It was time for us to break free from the cage of dictatorship, it seemed.

But, in just two years, we would learn that what we had thought was the end of dictatorship was, in fact, just a hoax.
Two Hutchinson teams headed to playoffs

Central Christian and the Hutchinson Salthawks in Class 5A will represent Reno County in the second round of the Kansas state high school playoffs.
Hes not alone. Over the past few years, the streaming platforms have been poaching music industry execs left and right. Dozens of names have gone from the labels to the streaming platforms in recent years and increasing numbers. A recent Music Business Worldwide article lists 57 names, saying its just a taster menu from the long list of music industry execs to make the switch to tech.

At first glance, this may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Streaming platforms are no longer the newcomers to the music industry. They are the power players.

THE DAYS OF TWO GATEKEEPERS

The shift is easier to understand by taking a look back at how the music industry used to work. Before the internet generated the likes of eMusic and Napster, there were two kinds of gatekeepers- consumer gatekeepers and artist gatekeepers.

The artist gatekeepers were the labels and publishers, the ones with the infrastructure in place to record, press, and distribute music. If you couldnt get signed, youd be hard pressed to get your music out there to a large audience. On the other hand, you had the consumer gatekeepers- radio, newspapers, TV, etc.- who controlled which music reached the ears of consumers. If you couldnt get airplay or coverage, then nobody would hear about you.

Ultimately, if you, your music, or your management couldnt find a way to get both gatekeepers on board, you were unlikely to break big as a musician.

THE DAYS OF MANY GATEKEEPERS

Then came the internet, making it a lot easier to become a gatekeeper.

Control over what music consumers listen to generally shifts to wherever consumers go. And in the 90s and 00s, they went to the internet. Radio has always had a huge grasp over consumer listening habits. But throughout the 80s and 90s, newspapers, magazines, and MTV also had a huge say in what music became popular. But as the internet erupted, so did traditional media's grasp of control. The digital revolution gave way to music blogs, YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and even subReddits that would make names for themselves as new gatekeepers. And with so many gatekeepers, covering everything from jazz to psytrance and hip-hop to deep acid house, everyone had a place to find the music they loved.

All you needed to become a gatekeeper was to roll up your sleeves, find your niche market, and keep churning out content.
The fight against insurance fraud continues with a significant judgment in Texas.Rosemary Phelan, owner of Roses Houston Healthcare Clinic, pleaded guilty to insurance fraud related charges and has received seven years deferred adjudication and ordered to pay $88,000 in restitution.The issue arose when Texas Mutual Insurance Company was contacted by a physician who reported that he had stopped working for Houston Healthcare Clinic in June 2012  even though pharmacy records indicated that an injured worker received prescriptions the physician allegedly wrote at Houston Healthcare Clinic through October 2012.The insurance company decided to carry out an investigation and quickly discovered that despite having no licensed medical providers on its staff, the clinic was still taking dozens of patients, including many from the workers compensation system. Phelan was then filing fraudulent claims in order to cash in from insurers.Texas Mutuals investigation findings alleged that Phelans medical staff was made up primarily of foreign medical graduates who were not authorized to practice medicine in the United States. The foreign medical graduates were acting as physicians, treating patients, and providing pain management services. Phelan was then billing for services by using the credentials of former part-time physicians who no longer worked for Houston Healthcare Clinic. Texas Mutual reported its findings to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Texas Department of Insurances Fraud Unit.Court documents revealed that in addition to providing unauthorized medical services, Phelan also unlawfully operated a pain management clinic.Its important for employers and employees to realize the consequences of workers compensation fraud as it affects employers and injured workers, said Tim Riley, vice president for special investigations at Texas Mutual Insurance Company.Fraudulent behavior not only harms the individual company, but also places an unnecessary financial burden on all participants in the workers compensation system. If we remain vigilant in identifying this type of crime, we can greatly reduce its effect on the system.
IBA Business and Human Rights

Business clients are increasingly going to expect their lawyers to understand what human rights risks they might face and how they manage them. Business and human rights issues are not new, but may, in the past, have been framed differently (i.e. as health and safety or labour compliance issues).

In-house lawyers are usually the first port of call for advice relating to business practices and principles, including global soft law standards, such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). In-house lawyers also have an important role in managing the companys strategic and reputational risks, including human rights risks. A significant knowledge gap has been identified in the legal profession regarding business and human rights.

Objectives of the Legal Policy and Research Unit (LPRU)s Project:

Increase lawyers ability to advise businesses to prevent and protect against any adverse impacts on human rights, both domestically and internationally;

Educate lawyers on the possible negative impacts on human rights of businesses;

Demonstrate thought leadership and provide educational and practical tools to allow businesses to respect human rights whilst maintaining the profitability of the Business; and

Engage with external partners (including, international organisations, governments and civil society organisations) to develop and consolidate a global network through which it can achieve positive change.

IBA training initiative for Italian lawyers in business and human rights

These roundtable sessions were hosted in Italian and followed a training session for Italian lawyers. Read more about the training sessions here and about the roundtable sessions here.

Publications and recent initiatives

Guidance Documents

The LPRUs work on Business and Human Rights has developed the following three guidance documents and two training tools to bridge the knowledge gap and build the capacity of lawyers to advice business in this field. The Practical Guide is intended to assist internal and external lawyers, who are involved in advising businesses globally, to understand: the core content of the UNGPs based on its framework of three core pillars:

the state duty to protect human rights;

the corporate responsibility to respect human rights; and

the role of both states and companies to enable greater access to effective remedy , judicial and non-judicial, for victims of business-related abuses

the state duty to human rights; the corporate responsibility to respect human rights; and the role of both states and companies to enable greater access to effective , judicial and non-judicial, for victims of business-related abuses the relevance of the UNGPs to the advice provided to clients by individual lawyers subject to their unique professional standards and rules (whether they are in-house or external counsel acting in their individual capacity or as members of a law firm); and

the potential implications of the UNGPs for law firms as business entities with a responsibility also to respect human rights.

The Bar Association Guidance aims to inform bar associations on how they may promote, launch and develop business and human rights initiatives that are relevant to practitioners in their jurisdictions.

The Reference Annex intends to be consistent with the general principles of the Practical Guide and consists of: an in-depth review of the UNGPs;

the Interpretive Guide on the Responsibility to Respect prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights; and

the extensive literature, ongoing practices and policies of governments, multi-stakeholder institutions, bar associations and companies. Download Download Download The IBA appreciates the contribution from John F Sherman III, Chair of the Working Group and the key drafter of the Bar Guidance, the Practical Guide and the Reference Annex.

Training Tools

Handbook The Handbook is a unique self-learning tool comprised of a collection of educational resources, practical exercises and multimedia to enable lawyers to develop their ability to identify and manage human rights risks. Training programme for lawyers on business and human rights The Training Programme is a course for bar associations, law firms and other legal institutions. Online material combined with a bespoke face-to-face training session will provide legal practitioners with the necessary knowledge to incorporate human rights management into their client-facing work and within their own businesses. The IBA LPRU would like to thank the following experts in the area of B&HR, who have provided advice to the consultant and to IBA LPRU on the development of the Training Tools: Elodie Aba, Nicole Bigby, Christine Chow, Daniel DAmbrosio, Dr Mihir Kanade, Sternford Moyo, Andrea Saldarriaga, Abigail McGregor, Paul Redmond and Vanessa Zimmerman.

Training Programmes on Business and Human Rights

In October 2019, the LPRU, in partnership with the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI) and the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota hosted a second training programme for lawyers on Business and Human Rights, followed by a roundtable discussion. The LPRU, in collaboration with The Law Council of Australia, conducted a training programme for lawyers. Two sessions were held in Melbourne and Sydney in May 2018. Please see below some videos of the attendees, providing feedback on the training programme. The IBA would like to thank The Law Council of Australia (LCA) for its partnership in developing and implementing this training programme.

Contact
Students Connor Thurston and Michael Losardo hope that others have the same educational opportunity that they had at St. Joseph Central High School. PreviousNext

St Joe Strong: The Crusaders Won't Go Down Without A Fight



Dozens of parents, alumni, and students rallied at Park Square on Thursday. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Unless Pope Francis himself says nothing can be done, the crusaders will be strong.

In the wake of the Diocese of Springfield announcing last week the closure of the 120-year St. Joseph Central High School, parents, students, and alumni have joined together to appeal the closing of the county's only Catholic high school.

The "St. Joe Strong" effort kicked off in earnest Thursday night when dozens of people rallied at Park Square as the fight to keep the school open began.

"I think it is important enough for us to fight this. If Pope Francis himself wants to say to me, it is not worth it to have a high school there, then I will say OK," said Kristina Kisiel, a parent of a St. Joe freshman and one of the organizers of the St. Joe Strong movement.

The decision came down last Thursday that the school would close in June from Sister Andrea Ciszewski, Springfield diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools. It came as a shock to St. Joe families.

"There was no indication that there would be any closing. It is a real big insult to the families of St. Joe to hear today and yesterday that we should have seen the writing on the wall when they were saying exactly the opposite," said Lara Sohl.

Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said in a statement that school leaders had hoped to turn around a decline in enrollment to eradicate a financial burden but the efforts were unattainable.

"It was with great sadness that this decision had to be made, but not before many years of valiant efforts by the very dedicated board, faculty, and staff of St. Joseph's," Rozanski wrote in a statement. "We had hoped to turn around the enrollment decline and financial deficit, but despite the very best and exemplary efforts of so many, the task proved unattainable. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who grieve the end of this great school."

But for parents, that was a change in message. Last year when the diocese opted to close St. Mark's K-8 school, Sohl said parents were told the closure would help keep St. Joe sustainable for "10 years or more."

Just six months ago, Rozanski said, "I want to reaffirm the commitment of the Diocese of Springfield in partnership with the local Berkshire community to continue support of St. Joseph Central High School and its academic mission ... While there are great challenges, the need for Catholic secondary education in Berkshire County remains strong" after the high school was accredited for another 10 years by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

"We as parents of freshmen who are just coming into this school made the choice to come here based on all of the assurances that St. Joe was going to be around for at least until they graduated," Kisiel said.

Kisiel said parents were not involved in the decision to close whatsoever. She said she received a phone call on Wednesday of last week informing her that the students would have a half day on Thursday. The next day she received another phone call telling here there was an important meeting for parents and students just a few short hours later. And that's when the news was delivered.

"It wasn't as if this was a process that involved all of the stakeholders. This was a process that came down from the diocese and just said we are closing this school. And that was it," she said.

She added that no one in the administration had known about the closure ahead of time and only one member of the Board of Trustees had knowledge of the decision.

St. Joe senior Connor Thurston said the school has given him not only a great education but one that instilled strong moral beliefs and good decision making through a Catholic education. But with the closure, his sister won't be able to have that.

"I'm very scared and concerned because I have a sister who is a freshman. I want her to get the same quality Catholic education that I received. Knowing that she is not going to receive that, I'm scared and sad for her," Thurston said.

Junior Michael Losardo has no idea what he is going to do for education next year. He believed not only he was going to graduate from the Catholic school but that it would be around for generations.

"I'm really disappointed because this was a shock. The school really raised my confidence level and I'm doing math I never thought I'd do. I want this to be around for the next generation of kids," Losardo said.

St. Joe Strong hopes to make that happen. Just days after the closure was announced about a dozen parents gathered to discuss the news.

"We decided we weren't ready for a swan song. We were ready for a fight song. And, St. Joe Strong just came out of that," Sohl said.

The group created a Facebook page and has organized fundraisers, starting with a beer and wine tasting at the Lichtenstein at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and they are selling wristbands. The group looks to host other fundraisers as well. And with those funds, the group will be hiring an attorney who specializes in canon law to appeal the closure all the way to the Vatican if needed.

"It has already impacted my faith, the reaction we've gotten from Bishop Rozanski and from his office. I'm left wondering is this really my church? My kids are left wondering that. I have a junior who is supposed to be making his confirmation this year and he is saying, I'm not feeling like it anymore. It does impact our faith and how we will be filling the parish pews. This isn't how it is supposed to be," Sohl said.



St. Joseph's is the only Catholic high school left in Berkshire County. Eleanor Bercury is one of three generations in her family to graduate from St. Joseph  her mother, her, and her daughters. For 17 years he volunteered with the three Catholic schools in the city  St. Joe, St. Marks, and Sacred Heart  when she could have been working. She was shocked by the announcement as well.

"I just can't believe this could happen so suddenly," she said. "It means everything to me  three generations. My kids are devastated. But, I don't know what can be done at this point."

On Thursday, she was just one of the dozens who took to Park Square holding out hope that the diocese will instead keep the school open.

"We are not giving up hope. We believe in miracles," Bercury said.

School nurse Lois Bessette said the St. Joe experience cannot be replaced. The 80-year-old had hoped to end her nursing career at the school because it was such a "wonderful experience" for her to be there.

"When you work with them and you see the comradery, the family atmosphere, I think it is absolutely wonderful. I love being there, I really do," Bessette said.

Meanwhile, Kisiel voiced concern about what the closure would mean to all Catholic education in the county. St. Stanislaus School in Adams, St. Agnes' Academy in Dalton and St. Mary's School in Lee, all elementary schools, are the last of what had been a thriving Catholic school system in the Berkshires. Kisiel said parents may not be willing to invest in a Catholic education just up until 8th grade, and then send their children to public schools.

From young to old, the Crusaders aren't willing to just accept the school's fate.

"We need to say that we're not going to go down without a fight. But also to show the people of Pittsfield that St. Joe needs to remain open," Thurston said.
Brian Laroche of owner's project manager Potomac Capital Advisors, explains the time line for the project up to the town vote on funding. The committee voted to ask the School Committee for more funds and decided that water and fuel sources will drive the direction of the project. PreviousNext

Clarksburg Building Committee Seeking More Funds for Study

CLARKSBURG, Mass.  Funds set aside for a feasibility study of Clarksburg School are coming up short.



The School Building Committee voted on Wednesday to kick a request for another $45,000 to the School Committee. The study is the first step in determining construction options for the 50-year-old school.



The town a year ago approved expending $250,000 for the study, with $100,000 from the school's stabilization fund (set aside specifically for this use) and $150,000 from the town stabilization fund with the expectation that money would be reimbursed. The entire project is estimated at $8 million to $10 million.



"I feel that we don't know where we'll end up ... I don't want to go back to a special town meeting to approve a higher cost for a feasibility study," said Superintendent Jonathan Lev. "I believe that would be very difficult at this point in the process."



A solution, he felt, could be to utilize school-choice funds, money that follows students who attend Clarksburg from out of the district, should the School Committee approve.



Margo Jones of Jones Whitsett Architects, the selected designer, presented a proposal of $220,000 for initial design and engineering, more than the $175,000 budgeted. Another $75,000 of the feasibility money is for Potomac Capital Advisors, the owner's project manager.



"If we reject this proposal, we will have to go to second on the list of the MSBA approval," said Potomac's project director Brian Laroche. He reminded the committee that it had not felt that designer was appropriate for the district, but that it would have to go by the Massachusetts School Building Authority's ranking.



The good news was that 62 percent of the $45,000 was reimbursable by the MSBA, meaning that the district would only pay out about $17,000 in the end.



Lev expected to have an answer by next week. In the meantime, the committee accepted Jones' proposal pending School Committee giving the OK for the funding overage.



The proposal from Jones Whitsett includes base fees for architectural and engineering services of $80,000 for the study and of $95,000 for the schematic design. The additional $45,000 is for smaller items such as site and building survey updates, water supply testing and wetlands updates.



"We have cut our base fee dramatically and anticipate the MSBA process to be slightly more flexible for this very unique project," Jones wrote in the proposal. "In talking to the MSBA, and in our previous experience, the Base Fee is typically twice this number. More importantly, Reimbursable Services are usually approximately $100,000."



Further reimbursable services may be necessary, but Jones said the company would do its best to put those off until after schematic design.



"I think it being a small job doesn't mean we're going to do a leaner, meaner process, but we can try," Jones told the committee, adding they had "squeezed the reimbursables as much as we could."



Laroche said more accurate prices will emerge as the project moves forward but for now the $45,000 is something of a placeholder.



Jones Whitsett will begin work off a study it had done in 2006 that included issues with the school's water system.



A rendering of the school property from a past study.

The two options for the current site are to drill a new well or run a line from the North Adams water system from the top of North Eagle Street.



However, the 2006 report states, "it is unlikely that a stand alone bedrock well or municipal water connection will be able to supply the pressure and volume for a fire protection system." The costs for either system ranged from $700,000 to $800,000 a decade ago.



Committee member Charlie Moran said North Adams officials had concurred recently that the conditions hadn't changed.



"They didn't think it was sufficient supply to get up here even with a pumping station," he said. "And if you had to run into extra bathrooms and stuff ... ."



Laroche said either well or water line would probably require storage tanks and pumps.



"The fear is it could eat up a good chunk of our budget, it would be a big hit," he said. "The worst case our estimate would run $700,000 but without an engineer we won't know for sure."



Moran said he had also contacted Berkshire Gas about running a natural gas line as a fuel source and got an estimate of $45,000 to $50,000.



There was some discussion of where else the school might be located to have better access to water or fuel, which is what the designers will also look at.



"The first things we have to look at are the vital things  the water and the fuel  and see if that's possible to do something with it here," said committee member Mary Giron. "If it is, then we can rule out the other [options]."



"I agree with Mary that those two priorities have to be addressed," said fellow member Edward Denault.



Laroche also shot down hopes that the town could go to a vote by late spring. Jones' timetable puts the vote nearly a year away because it has to accommodate the MSBA schedule. Jones pointed out that preferred options will have to be submitted in March just to make the May meeting.



"What we wanted was to have our town meeting during the school year, in the summer we feel a lot of people are gone and it would be harder to build up the support we need and do everything we would like to do," Lev said.



Laroche said the vote could be done in late September, which will give time to meet with the community leading up it.



"We have to respect the process and there's not much we can do change the date," he said.
Williams Physics Professor Wins Undergraduate Research Prize

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Protik "Tiku" Majumder, professor of physics and director of the Williams Science Center, has been awarded the 2017 American Physical Society (APS) Prize for a Faculty Member for Research at an Undergraduate Institution.



The prize honors a physicist whose research in an undergraduate setting has achieved wide recognition and contributed significantly to the professional development of physics students. Majumder is being recognized for the contributions of his research and for his "sustained, inspirational mentorship of undergraduate researchers."



"I am honored to receive this award, and I thank my department for nominating me," Majumder said. "The success of my research program at Williams owes a lot to this institutionwhich values and supports ambitious research goalsas well as to the many colleagues who set such high standards as teacher/scholars and, perhaps most of all, to the amazing undergraduates who have been my partners in the lab."



In his laboratory, Majumder and his students pursue precise measurements of atomic structure in Group IIIA atoms. Majumder's lab has produced two student winners of the APS LeRoy Apker Award, the nations top prize for undergraduate research in physics.



"We are all thrilled to see Tiku receive this well-deserved recognition," said David Tucker-Smith, professor and chair of the physics department. "On top of being an accomplished experimental atomic physicist, highly regarded in his field, Tiku continues to be an outstanding mentor of research students. His record of impacting the many Williams students who have worked with him in significant and long-lasting ways really is remarkable."
We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
Israelis You Should Know: Benjamin Netanyahu

The Fellowship | October 21, 2016 Israelis You Should Know: Benjamin Netanyahu

Born: October 21, 1949, in Tel Aviv

Current role: Prime Minister of Israel

Other offices held: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Religious Services, Minister of Justice, Minister of Housing and Construction, Minister of Finance, Minster of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Economic Strategy, Minister of Pensioner Affairs, Minister of Health

Family: Wife Sara, and three children  Noa, Yair, and Avner

Why you should know him: Raised in Jerusalem until his family moved to the Pennsylvania area in the late 1950s and then again in the mid 1960s, Netanyahu returned to Israel when he graduated from high school so he could enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

During his time in the IDF he became the leader of an elite special forces unit, fought in the War of Attrition and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and was wounded by friendly fire during the rescue of a hijacked flight in 1972. After his military stint, Netanyahu returned to the States to attend MIT and Harvard.

In 1976, Netanyahu lost his brother in Operation Entebbe, and in 1978 he returned to Israel to work for an NGO studying terrorism. From 1984 to 1988 he served as the Israeli ambassador to the U.N. In 1988, Netanyahu was elected to the Knesset and was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He held various posts in the Knesset until he was elected prime minister in 1996. During his first term, he was known for fighting terror and advancing the peace process.

After a few years in the private sector, Netanyahu returned to politics in 2002, when he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, then Minister of Finance in 2003. In 2009 he was again elected Prime Minister, the post he still holds today.

Books: Self Portrait of a Hero: From the Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu 1963-1976, International Terrorism: Challenge and Response, Terrorism: How the West Can Win, A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations, and Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorism.

Also interesting: When Netanyahu worked at the Boston Consulting Group in the late 1970s, he was a colleague of Mitt Romney. Netanyahu became a grandfather in 2009. And he is a friend of Rabbi Eckstein and The Fellowship.

In his own words: Our policy is very simple. The Jewish state was set up to defend Jewish lives, and we always reserve the right to defend ourselves.
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CPI employees interact with pediatric cancer patients at the UP-PGH Cancer Institute during the art therapy session on Day 4 of Chevrons Week of Caring.

From a Makati public school to a beach in Batangas, from pediatric cancer patients to special students; children received extra attention during the recently held 2016 Week of Caring (WOC), the annual corporate volunteer program of Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI). For five days from September 19 to 23, 2016, about 500 CPI employees engaged in various volunteer activities that addressed childrens needs in education, safety, health and the environment.

CPI employees donated a total of 880 hours of charity work doing school renovations, teaching road-safety, creating artwork and cleaning a coastline. In all these activities, the volunteers were joined by children who will benefit from the projects.

Together, employees and kids painted walls, shelves, armchairs, and gates. They learned how to color murals and create greeting cards. They discovered why road-safety is important especially in Makati where the students and employees are neighbors. Even hauling trash from the beach in San Pascual, Batangas to clear the way for endangered Olive-Ridley sea turtles was completed with employees, students and other volunteers working alongside each other.

The beneficiaries of the 9th edition of the annual WOC from day 1 to 5, respectively, were pupils of Bay Central Elementary School (BCES) in Los Banos, special kids of the SPED Learning Center (SLC) in Calamba, students of Makati Elementary School, patients of the pediatric cancer ward of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the community of San Pascual, Batangas for the coastal cleanup.

With the four schools and PGH, about 4,000 children will benefit from the CPI volunteers labor of love. The figure doesnt not include the residents who will benefit from the collection of 2.5 tons of trash from their coastline during the coastal cleanup.

Focusing on environmentalism, health, education and safety, we were able to log in volunteer work that filled a week of truly caring for the community. It gets better and better every year, as we strive to reach out to more communities. The more the employees give a hand, the more inspired and motivated they become about valuing their work and their contribution to society, said Peter Morris, country chairman of CPI.

With diversity as one of the corporate values of the company, Chevron believes that active involvement in a variety of community services makes for well-rounded and high-performing employees. Aside from Week of Caring, CPI is involved in various other social investment projects.

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Imperial Valley News Center

USDA Announces $7.6 Million in Grants to Create Jobs and Grow Economic Opportunity in Rural America

Washington, DC - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding $7.6 million in grants to support projects that will grow opportunity in rural America through job training and economic development. The grants will support communities in at least 24 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with several projects spanning communities in multiple states. This investment marks the latest effort at USDA to support the rural economy, which the latest Census data shows is rebounding.

"Data show that rural America is beginning to make a strong comeback after the worst recession in history, with rural unemployment currently at the lowest level since 2007, and rural incomes growing by 3.4 percent last year. This growth has been achieved in large part thanks to the work of cooperative and community-based economic development organizations like the ones receiving grants today, who are able to implement federal programs where they are most needed," Vilsack said. "These awards will help bolster local and regional food systems, tap into the tourism potential that proximity to America's beautiful natural resources provides, and help individuals learn new job skills. All of these efforts are part of USDA's strategy for a strong rural economy and will help to sustain the recovery that we have begun to see in our smallest towns."

USDA is awarding the funding through the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) and Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) programs.

RCDI grants help community-based development organizations, federally-recognized Indian tribes and other groups promote economic development in low-income, rural communities. The grants are awarded to public or nonprofit entities that are skilled in economic development and rural job creation. Recipients are required to provide matching funds for this program.

Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. is receiving a $210,335 RCDI grant to provide technical assistance for economic development strategies in 12 communities in rural Missouri. The assistance will focus on business retention, microenterprise recruitment and community sustainability.

The Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant program provides technical assistance to cooperatives and other organizations that help socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Examples of technical assistance include leadership training, conducting feasibility studies and developing business and strategic plans.

One of today's awardees, the Tri-County Agricultural Cooperative in Charleston, Miss., is receiving a $175,000 SDGG grant to help 200 African-American farmers diversify their farms, improve their business plans and adopt improved production and management strategies.

The Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant program is already making substantial improvements in the lives of farmers. In 2015, the Latino Economic Development Center received a $175,000 grant to help Hmong farmers in Minnesota implement more efficient production methods. While the Hmong farmers had traditionally sold their products at local farmers' markets, they were unable to access additional markets and receive a premium price for their products. The Center's technical assistance is helping the farmers to secure higher-paying customers and is creating a source of income outside of the relatively brief Minnesota farmers' market season.

Since 2009, USDA Rural Development (@USDARD ) has invested nearly $13 billion to start or expand nearly 112,000 rural businesses; helped 1.1 million rural residents buy homes; funded nearly 9,200 community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. USDA also has invested $31.3 billion in 963 electric projects that have financed more than 185,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving 4.6 million rural residents.
US, UK, Japan Navies Commit to Increase Cooperation

Washington, DC - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson met with First Sea Lord, United Kingdom Royal Navy, Adm. Phillip Jones and Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, Adm. Tomohisa Takei, today, in the Pentagon.

This is the first time the three chiefs have held such an event. Given the increase in maritime traffic worldwide and current events, the symbolism of this engagement can't be overstated.



The result of the half-day session was the signing of an agreement affirming their commitment to increased collaboration and cooperation. The agreement states "As Chiefs of three highly capable and like-minded Services, we share a common vision of enhancing the operational effectiveness of our maritime forces through increased cooperation."



The U.S., Japan and U.K. navies have regularly operated together off East Africa, around Europe and in the Western Pacific, however they agree there is room for more. The three chiefs of navy agreed to deeper cooperation in exercises and an increase in combined patrols, with specific activities to be worked out in follow-on discussions.



Each navy is committed to an open and free maritime system that allows for the flow of commerce and trade through the global commons. Continued trilateral engagement and cooperation is in the interest of each individual country and the overall maritime community.
Assistant Secretary Russel To Travel to the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia

Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel R. Russel will travel to the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia, October 2128.

Assistant Secretary Russel will travel to Manila, the Philippines, October 2225, to meet with government officials and have lunch with Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) participants.

In Bangkok, Thailand, October 2526, the Assistant Secretary will convey his condolences on the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and meet with Thai officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, October 27, he will meet with government and opposition party officials, civil society organizations, and address a group of YSEALI members.
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It has been described as the greatest-ever literary hoax, taking in world leaders from Napoleon to Thomas Jefferson and inspiring the likes of Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron to create the Romantic movement of the late 18th century.

For decades, high society couldnt get enough of the epic poetry of the blind 3rd century Scottish bard, Ossian, dubbed the Homer of the North, and his tales of the great warrior Fingal after it was discovered by his translator James Macpherson in the mid1700s.

But doubts soon emerged. Could it be that Macpherson, also a poet, had adapted Irish folklore to create Scottish legends that would be taken seriously by a British elite obsessed by Classical Greece and Rome? Literary giant Samuel Johnson certainly thought so, condemning the forgeries and the mountebank behind them.

Now scientists have used mathematical techniques to compare patterns in the social networks of characters in Ossian with those in two key Irish stories  and discovered they are almost a perfect match, virtually ending any remaining debate.

Professor Ralph Kenna, of the Applied Mathematics Research Centre at Coventry University, said their results strongly suggested it was indeed a hoax and there was no such person as Ossian.

I doubt it very much on a personal level. I wouldnt think so, he said.

My personal opinion is certainly not. I would be on the side of Samuel Johnson, saying that it is very unlikely.

If you take it [their study] together with everything else, it sounds more convincing that it was lifted from the Irish [stories].

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. 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The researchers created social networks for each of the characters based on others they knew in the stories, according to a paper in the journal Advances in Complex Systems.

They then plotted the probability of a character having a lot of acquaintances against the number of people in an individuals social network on a graph.

When Ossian was compared to two Irish stories, Acallam na Senorach and Lady Gregorys text, the lines on the graph were virtually identical.

This means while some of the names may have been changed, the social networks of many of the characters were the same  something that was unlikely to occur by chance.

The 15 best opening lines in literature Show all 15 1 /15 The 15 best opening lines in literature The 15 best opening lines in literature Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. chipkidd.com The 15 best opening lines in literature Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy All happy families are alike but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion. npr.org The 15 best opening lines in literature A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. The 15 best opening lines in literature Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte I have just returned from a visit to my landlord  the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with", which pitches you straight into the story. Penguin Books The 15 best opening lines in literature Middlemarch, by George Eliot Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress. Penguin Books The 15 best opening lines in literature Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." AP The 15 best opening lines in literature The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that Ive been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticising any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had. cracked.com The 15 best opening lines in literature Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie "All children, except one, grow up." read.gov The 15 best opening lines in literature One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey Theyre out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it mopped up before I can catch them. listed.com The 15 best opening lines in literature Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day." rarebookschool.org The 15 best opening lines in literature One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. Harper Collins The 15 best opening lines in literature The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. minabach.com The 15 best opening lines in literature The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain You dont know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that aint no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. Penguin Books The 15 best opening lines in literature The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. npr.org The 15 best opening lines in literature Catch 22, by Joseph Heller "It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him." gonereading.com

When plotted against Homers Odyssey and Iliad, chosen because of the link made by Macpherson and his supporters to serve as a control, there were clear differences.

In the past, people compared characters [in Ossian] to characters [in Irish folklore]  what were doing is comparing the set of links between them, Professor Kenna said.

Ossian is overlapping very strongly with the Irish stuff and its not overlapping so well with the Classical stuff.

But despite the apparent hoax, in recent decades some have praised Macpherson for the quality of the work.

They are saying he did good things. Before that people didnt really value their past, their ancient heritage. His work really did inspire people to go looking at their national heritage, Professor Kenna said.

Theres no doubt its evocative and very beautiful and all that.

I suppose he is the real Ossian. If hed said heres a work of fiction, that would have been absolutely fine.

But even he was not quite prepared to say definitively that Ossian was a definitely hoax and they plan to carry out further analysis.

We are saying there are very strong similarities  we leave it a little bit tantalising there at the end, so youre interested in part two, Professor Kenna said.

To modern ears, Ossian perhaps sounds a little melodramatic and wordy.

In one passage, the hero Fingal says: Raise, ye bards, the song; raise the wars of the streamy Carun! Caracul has fled from our arms along the field of his pride. He sets far distant like a meteor, that encloses a spirit of night, when the winds drive it over the heath, and the dark woods are gleaming around. I heard a voice, or was it the breeze of my hills? Is it the huntress of Ardven, the white-handed daughter of Sarno? Look from the rocks, my love; let me hear the voice of Comala!

When it was published, Scotland had just emerged from the Jacobite Rebellion, when Gaelic and Highland culture was suppressed.

But the astonishing international popularity of Ossian  despite the doubters  helped spark a revival that turned the Highlands into a romantic holiday destination and led the royal family to dress in tartan, which had been banned.

It has been described as the Harry Potter of the 18th century, but this was no childrens book and it attracted the attention of some of the worlds greatest names.

According to Jeffersons Literary Commonplace Book, the second US President even wanted to learn Gaelic so he could read the work in its original language.

The tender and the sublime emotions of the mind were never before so finely wrought up by human hand, Jefferson wrote.

I am not ashamed to own that I think this rude bard of the North the greatest Poet that has ever existed.

Merely for the pleasure of reading his works I am become desirous of learning the language in which he sung and of possessing his songs in their original form.

And in 1797, Jean-Pierre-Louis de Fontanes wrote in a gushing letter to Napoleon Bonaparte: It is said that you always have a copy of Ossian in your pocket  even in the midst of battles.

James Boswell, Johnsons diarist, raised money to help Macpherson carry out further research to discover more of Ossians work.

But Boswells close friend Johnson smelled a rat, calling Macpherson a mountebank, a liar, and a fraud and the poems forgeries.
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Donald Glover just landed the role of Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo Star Wars film starring Alden Ehrenreich, Lucasfilm confirmed on Friday.

Over the past few months, Glover was considered the favorite for the role but directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller continued their search to instill confidence in the decision. OShea Jackson, Jason Mitchell, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen were among the actors tested for the role.

Were so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us, Lord and Miller said in a statement.

These are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger cape, and this one fits him perfectly, which will save us money on alterations. Also, wed like to publicly apologize to Donald for ruining Comic-Con for him forever.

It's been a busy year for Glover, and initially, there was concern that shooting would interfere with his hit television show, Atlanta, given hes the creator of the series and heads the writer's room. The FX network announced in September that it renewed the series for its second, 10-episode season.

Glover also recently wrapped up production for the Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures film Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Earlier this year, the 33-year-old actor addressed rumors connecting him to playing Calrissian, who was originally portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

I mean, I grew up on [Star Wars]. My dad was a big fan. I had all the toys when I was little, he told TIME in August. I had a Darth Vader with the lightsaber he has. It was cool. Its a dynasty. Its like the bible. I love that franchise.

Production is scheduled to begin in January and the still-untitled film hits theaters on May 25, 2018.
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Cincinnati Zoo has finally re-joined Twitter, after receiving an onslaught of abuse that forced it to delete its account for two months. And it is already getting more of it.

The zoo was the home of Harambe, the gorilla, who was shot earlier this year after a child fell into his enclosure.

And it was that event that eventually forced it off Twitter and Facebook. While it attempted to use its account to highlight other parts of the zoo, all of its post ended up being filled with replies making reference to Harambe and holding the zoo responsible.

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Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

The zoo had initially asked people politely to stop sending the messages about the dead gorilla.

Recommended Read more Harambe zoo deletes Facebook and Twitter accounts

We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe. zoo director Thayne Maynard told the Associated Press in August. Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honouring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us.

But that statement only provoked people into sending even more images and updates to the account. Soon after the request was made public, the zoo shut down its accounts to avoid the torrent of abuse.

The zoo and its staff were also hit by cyber attacks that saw the official account as well as personal accounts of people working there hit by hacks.

During that time, it was incredibly hard to speak to the zoo even through more direct channels. Phone calls and emails from the press went unanswered as the zoo appeared to be cutting itself off entirely.

 Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla Harambe plays as a baby

But the zoo has now returned to Twitter, apparently having allowed the controversy to blow over. It doesn't seem to have done so, however, because every tweet the account sends out is greeted by a rush of messages about Harambe, some of which are aggressive and abusive.

It picked up from where it left off on 21 August, when its last tweet before the break was sent. None of the tweets posted this week made reference to Harambe or the fact that the zoo had left the site, and it instead simply returned to posting updates about the animals.

Zoo spokesperson Michelle Curley said that people had been attempting to pass themselves off as the official account during the time it was offline.
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WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are the most secure chat platforms, according to Amnesty International. But that decision has already met with scepticism from people in the technology community, some of whom have warned that it might not be safe to use the apps at all.

Amnesty gave Facebook and WhatsApp a score of 73 out of 100  its highest  to the two apps, which it didnt distinguish between. But it particularly picked out WhatsApp, which it said was the only app where users are explicitly warned when end-to-end encryption is not applied to a particular chat.

It did have some criticism for Facebook, which doesnt apply strong encryption by default and doesnt warn users that theyre not using the most secure technology. Facebook does that in part because Messenger conversations are valuable information for the company to read and use for advertising.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

WhatsApp has been repeatedly praised for its decision to integrate end-to-end encryption into its apps. That technology makes sure that messages can only be read by the person sending and receiving it, and has got WhatsApp into problems in the past  the app was shut down in Brazil because authorities wanted to be able to read the conversations being had on it.

Recommended Read more WhatsApp update brings huge new iOS changes

But it has come into criticism from other technology groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation. That organisation has even warned people that they should be careful before using WhatsApp for sensitive conversations,for fear that they might be read.

Most recently, WhatsApps privacy policies were criticised when it announced that it would start sharing user data with Facebook. That would see it give up information  though not the contents of chats  to its parent company, which would then use those to better target ads.

And the EFF also pointed to a range of other problems with the privacy tools on WhatsApp, despite Amnestys encouragement.

It pointed out, for instance, that the app uses unencrypted backups. Those are useful for restoring a phone if it is lost, stolen or a user buys a new one - but it also means that messages are sent to the cloud without any protection, meaning that it would be possible for someone to break into that backup and read whichever messages they like.

Even if a user tells the app that they dont want conversations backing up, that might not keep them from being stored in the cloud. If the person a user is talking to is using the backup feature, then the messages will be stored without encryption anyway.

The EFF also took issue with the way that WhatsApp integrates encryption into its user experience, and the fact that the web app that can be used to send messages from a computer could also be vulnerable to attack.

The group did praise the fact that WhatsApp makes use of the Signal protocol  a very well-regarded encryption standard that keeps messages secure. But it said the various other problems with it made security and privacy a concern when using WhatsApp.

 WhatsApp encryption in 60 seconds

The Electronic Frontier Foundation makes two main recommendations to Facebook and WhatsApp to make themselves more secure.

The first is that the app makes it far easier to enable strong privacy while using it. A slider that would switch on all of the protective optionssuch as disabling backups, enabling key change notifications, and opting out of aspects of data sharingwould make it far easier for users to take control of their security, the group wrote.

The other is that WhatsApp make it far more clear what is being shared with Facebook. It should lay out specifically which bits of information it will be sharing with the site, it wrote, and so show that some information wont be shared with its parent company.

The group urges that people take extra caution when deciding whether and when to communicate using WhatsApp, until such changes are made.

The group also recommends that people use Signal if they want to keep messages more secure. It is expected to publish its own version of Amnestys scorecard in the near future.
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A mother whose toddler was rejected from a modelling shoot because he has Downs Syndrome has been flooded with thousands of messages of support online, and has sparked a debate about beauty standards.

Megean Nash, from the US state of Georgia, sent a photo of her 15-month-old son Asher to a local advertising agency which was casting for childrens clothing brand OshKosh BGosh.

When she asked the agency why they had not responded to her, they said that the clothing brand hadnt asked for a baby with special needs, NBC News affiliate KGW.com reported.

Ms Nash hit back: Did they say they were not casting a baby with special needs?. She added that Asher met all of the requirements for the casting, including size, eye colour and hair colour.

The agency admitted that the brand hadnt, and apologised. It has since pledged to be more inclusive.

Down's Upside: Capturing the positives Show all 10 1 /10 Down's Upside: Capturing the positives Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545341.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545381.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545387.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545385.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545384.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545383.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545382.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545363.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545361.bin Eva Snoijink Down's Upside: Capturing the positives 545321.bin Eva Snoijink

Spurred on by the incident and the work of the Changing the Face of Beauty campaign pushing for brands to accept models who arent able-bodied, Ms Nash shared Ashers image on the Kids with Downs Syndrome Facebook page.

The images, taken by photographer Crystal Barbee, show Asher posing in a denim shirt and a stripy bow-tie, and playing with sky-blue paint.

The post has been shared over 110,000 times, and liked by over 92,000 users.

Beneath the image, people argued that agencies should be open to casting people with Downs Syndrome in campaigns.

We are working with Changing the Face of Beauty organization and trying to get Oshkosh to use him in their advertisements, Ms Nash wrote beneath the image, stressing that the agency rather than OshKosh BGosh had rejected her son.

Ms Nash is set to meet with Osh Kosh's parent company Carter on 25 October.

Asher's rejection comes as people with Down's syndrome fight to change beauty perceptions. In 2011, photographer Eva Snoijink launched the Down's Upside photography project where she interviewed and photographed over 100 children with the condition.

Earlier this year, Madeline Stuart, the first professional adult model with Down's syndrome, walked her third season at New York Fashion week. She has previously been featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Paper, Elle and Marie Claire.
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Public finances deteriorated markedly in September, as an increase in Government spending outstripped disappointingly weak growth in tax revenues.

Public sector borrowing in the month came in at 10.6bn, up from 9.3bn in the same month last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. City of London analysts had expected borrowing to decline to 8.5bn.

Some analysts said the weakness was likely to reflect the adverse economic effect of the European Union referendum result.

"While the economy has shown overall resilience following Junes Brexit vote, there clearly has been some slowdown in activity which is impacting on tax receipts," said Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight. "This is perhaps the first sign that the Brexit vote is already starting to have an impact on the public finances," said Paul Hollingsworth of Capital Economics.

The reports leaves the Government even further adrift from meeting the 2016/17 deficit reduction target sketched out by the Office for Budget Responsibility in the March Budget and analysts warn a slowdown in the economy in the wake of the referendum vote was likely to cause an additional deterioration.

"Borrowing will total 72.4bn this fiscal year, overshooting the OBRs forecast by nearly 17bn, if the trend in the first half of this year persists," said Samuel Tombs of Pantheon,

ONS

Tax receipts were up 2.6 per cent in September year on year, while spending rose by 3.5 per cent.

Tax receipts for the fiscal year to date are up 3.6 per cent on 2015/16. In March the OBR had projected 6.1 per cent growth, indicating that the economy is growing more weakly than expected. In the financial year to date the Government has already borrowed 45.8bn, versus 50.1bn at this stage in 2015/16. In March the OBR projected full year borrowing of 55.5bn, giving around 10bn of leeway with six months to go.

The ONS highlighted weak growth in corporation tax revenues in September, which came in at just 2.3bn, versus 2.5bn in the same month a year earlier. VAT receipts also disappointed, rising by just 1.4 per cent year on year versus the OBR's March forecast of a 3.3 per cent full year increase.

 Phillip Hammond announces new government measures designed to protect the economy pre-brexit

Responding to the figures the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, said: We have already made significant progress in bringing the public finances under control, reducing the deficit by almost two thirds since 2010, but our debt and deficit remain too high. We remain committed to fiscal discipline and will return the budget to balance over a sensible period of time, in a way that allows us the space to support the economy as needed."

Mr Hammond will unveil the OBR's updated public borrowing forecasts in the Autumn Statement on 23 November, where he is also expected to announce a discretionary increase in public infrastructure spending to help stabilise the economy in the wake of the Brexit vote.

The Chancellor has already announced that the Government will no longer target an absolute budget surplus by 2019/20, which was the central goal of his predecessor George Osborne.
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Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton tore into each other at a charity dinner hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, a dinner that has provided comic relief in the past but one that instead solicited boos and ahhs, highlighting the tense mood this election cycle.

The dinner, which is named after the New York governor who in 1928 became the first Catholic nominee for president, raised more than $6m for charity, a record. A charitable foundation was launched in 1946 and has hosted opposing candidates to gather to trade jokes during intense campaigns.

Al Smith IV teased both of the candidates, joking about how Donald Trump asked how Hillary Clinton was feeling before dinner. She said, Im fine, Smith said, imitating Clinton, now get out of the ladies dressing room.

Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Show all 15 1 /15 Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Who are famous people voting for in the US election? George Clooney HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Leonardo DiCaprio HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Mike Tyson DONALD TRUMP Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Beyonce HILLARY CLINTON Rex Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Chloe Grace Moretz HILLARY CLINTON Vivien Killilea/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Sarah Jessica Parker HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Jon Voight DONALD TRUMP Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Katy Perry HILLARY CLINTON Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Jennifer Lopez HILLARY CLINTON Angela Weiss/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Denis Rodman DONALD TRUMP TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Salma Hayek HILLARY CLINTON Getty Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Le Bron James HILLARY CLINTON Justin Carissimo Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Hulk Hogan DONALD TRUMP Reuters Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Kid Rock DONALD TRUMP Theo Wargo/Getty Images Who are famous people voting for in the US election? Stacey Dash DONALD TRUMP Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Here are some of the most memorable lines from the candidates:

From Donald Trump:

I recognise I come into this event with a little bit of an advantage. I know so many of you in the archdiocese already have a place in your heart for a guy who started out as a carpenter working for his father. I was a carpenter working for my father. True.

We have proven that we can actually be civil to each other. In fact, Hillary  accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, Pardon me, Trump said to laughter. And I very politely replied, let me talk to you about that after I get into office.

Last night, I called Hillary a nasty woman. But this stuff is all relative. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on and on, I dont think so badly of Rosie ODonnell any more. In fact, Im actually starting to like Rosie a lot.

He joked about his wifes speech at the Republican National Convention that lifted lines from Michelle Obamas 2008 convention speech. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case, and I dont get it! I dont know why. And it wasnt her fault, he said, to much laughter. He then had her stand. Oh Im in trouble when I go home tonight. She didnt know about that one. Am I okay? Is it okay? Cardinal, please speak to her.

Id like to address an important religious matter. The issue of going to confession. Or as Hillary Clinton calls it, the Fourth of July weekend with FBI Director Comey. Now Im told Hillary went to confession before tonights event, but the priest was having a hard time when he asked her about her sins, and she said she couldnt remember 39 times.

Recommended Read more Donald Trump uses his own wife for material

Hillary is so corrupt, Trump said, as the crowd began booing loudly, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission?

Trump hinted at emails that were leaked where a campaign staffer appears to be joking about Catholics. Weve learned so much from WikiLeaks. For example, Hillary believes that its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private  For example, here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.

Trump ended by saying he had great memories of coming to the Al Smith dinner with his father. We can also agree on the need to stand up to anti-Catholic bias, to defend religious liberty, and to create a culture that celebrates life.

Hillary Clinton:

You were criticised for inviting both Donald and me here tonight. You responded by saying, If I only sat down with those who were saints, Id be taking all my meals alone. Just to be clear, I think the cardinal is saying Im not eligible for sainthood. But getting through these first three debates with Donald has to count as a miracle. So I guess Im up against the highest, hardest stained-glass ceiling.

Ive gotta say, there are lot of friendly faces in this room I just want to put you all in a basket of adorables.

Its amazing Im up here after Donald. I didnt think hed be okay with a peaceful transition of power.

Recommended Read more Trump and Clinton are actually about to roast each other

People look at the Statute of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history of immigrants Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair. Come to think of it, you know what would be a good number for a woman  45.

Donald wanted me drug tested before last nights debate. Look I got to tell you, I am so flattered Donald thought I used some sort of performance enhancer. I did. Its called preparation.

If Donald does win, itll be awkward at the annual presidents day photo when all the presidents gather at the White House, and not just with Bill. How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?

Clinton referenced their health records. Donald really is as healthy as a horse. You know, the one Putin rides around on.

Lets come together, remember what unites us and just rip on Ted Cruz.

Recommended Read more Trump booed at charity dinner for saying Clinton hates Catholics

During the more serious portion of her address, Clinton talked about the similarities between the Catholic and her Methodist faith, referencing the Golden Rule to love our neighbour as ourself. I believe how we treat others is the highest expression of faith and service.

One of the things that we share is the belief that in order to achieve our salvation, we need both faith and good works, she said.

She praised Pope Francis and noted her running mate Tim Kaines Jesuit education.

Concluding the dinner, Cardinal Dolan, who had sat between the two candidates, said he had been sitting in probably the iciest place on the planet. Wheres global warming when you need it?

Copyright: Washington Post
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Pierce Brosnan has accused the Indian brand Pan Bahar of deceptively using his image to promote a controversial product which many in the country associate with an addictive form of tobacco.

Earlier this month, the former James Bond actor was criticised in India for featuring in an advert for Pan Bahar mouth freshener. In the advert, he uses the freshener and says: Pan Bahar, class never goes out of style.

Many have linked Pan Bahar with pan masala and gutka, a strong mixture of tobacco, crushed betel nut, clove, lime and other ingredients which can be addictive. It is chewed by millions of South Asians and spat out in bright red streams. It has been linked with cancer and the products have been banned in several Indian states. The television advert featuring Brosnan has now been banned in India, according to The Indian Express.

People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.

The 63-year-old said he is deeply shocked and saddened in response and has demanded the company remove all materials relating to the use of my image and the false endorsement of their product line. Brosnan said he has the greatest love and affection for India and its people.

As a man who has spent decades championing womens healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahars unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products, he said in a statement. I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to ones health.

Brosnan also drew on the fact he lost both his first wife Cassandra Harris and his 42-year-old daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer.

Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting womens healthcare and research programmes that improve human health and alleviate suffering, he said.

He accused Pan Bahar of grossly manipulating media outlets to present him as brand ambassador for all their products which he claims violated his contract. He also claims his contract was to advertise a breath freshener/tooth whitener which would not include an ingredient that turns saliva red, saying the product was presented to him as all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient.

I shall endeavour to rectify this matter, Brosnan said. In the meantime, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to all whom I have offended.

Pan Bahar, whose website is now marked as under maintenance, previously told the BBC there was no tobacco or nicotine in their product and blamed a public misconception for the furore.

The Independent has attempted to contact Pan Bahar for comment.
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Leading figures in fashion have led tributes to the acclaimed designer Richard Nicoll, who was found dead in his apartment aged 39.

Nicoll, a former designer for Topshop and most recently the creative director for Jack Wills, was found in his home in Syndey, Australia. Local police said they were called to a property at 11am on Friday and an investigation into his death is now under way.

His death is believed to be the result of a suspected heart attack.

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

The Australian-born designer grew up in Perth but studied in London, graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2002 with an MA in Womenswear. He had been due to take up a creative director role at Adidas in Germany in January 2017.

Nicoll suspended his eponymous clothing line in 2015 and returned to Australia.

News of his death prompted an outpouring of eulogies from his friends within the industry and those he had dressed, with many noting his warmth and kindness.

Lily Allen said she was privileged to have known Nicoll and worn many of his designs.

A New South Wales Police Force spokesman said: NSW Police are preparing a report for the information of the Coroner after a man was found deceased in a unit in Darlinghurst, Sydney this morning.
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A Muslim convert who was jailed for life over a failed terror attempt has been found dead at HMP Manchester.

Nicky Reilly, also known as Mohamed Rashid Saeed-Alim, was found dead at the prison, also known as Strangeways, on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for HM Prison Service confirmed.

He had been ordered to serve a minimum term of 18 years in prison in 2009 after pleading guilty to attempted murder and preparing an act of terrorism following his failed attempt to carry out a suicide attack on a restaurant in Exeter.

Reilly, who was described as the least cunning person ever to have been charged with terrorism, accidentally set off a homemade nail bomb early in a toilet cubicle in Giraffe in May 2008.

He had intended to detonate the device attached to his stomach in the packed dining area.

The bomb was made up of three bottles filled with caustic soda, kerosene and nails attached to a detonator.

Reilly got stuck in a toilet cubicle while preparing for the blast and one of the bottles accidentally detonated  causing restaurant customers to flee in panic as he stumbled out with serious facial injuries  but no one else was hurt.

The 30-year-old, who had Aspergers syndrome and learning difficulties, decided to carry out the attack after being encouraged by people on the internet but insisted he had not been brainwashed or indoctrinated.

He had converted to Islam between 2002 and 2003 and was soon telling others that he wanted to commit jihad  saying it was his dream to become a martyr by killing himself and others.

In 2004 Reilly, who was originally from Plymouth in Devon, had begun downloading videos on bomb making and martyrdom.

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

He considered bombing Plymouth's Charles Cross police station and Drake Circus shopping centre as well as Devonport dockyard.

In a rambling suicide note written in red ink and left in his bedroom, Reilly described how he was motivated by the "disgusting" behaviour of people in Britain as well as the "war on Islam".

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "HMP Manchester prisoner Mohamed Saeed-Alim died in custody on Wednesday October 19.

"As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman."

Additional reporting by PA
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Fear of sexuality-related hate crime among university students has risen by 95 per cent in the past year, according to research.

A YouGov survey published today reveals more than a third (37 per cent) of LGBT students say they are worried about hate crime as a result of their sexual orientation  an increase on last years figure of 19 per cent.

The survey, commissioned by Emerald Life, an insurance provider to the UK's LGBT community, also found that LGBT students are more likely to fear discrimination in the workplace than any other LGBT group in the country.

According to the research nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of LGBT students worry about being subjected to hate crime at work due to their sexual orientation, a figure that has doubled since last year when it stood at 11 per cent.

Cai Wilshaw, Founder of LGBT Leaders, said the findings were not entirely surprising, but that employers and university leaders had a responsibility to take action in supporting the LGBT community.

Mr Wilshaw told The Independent: These statistics, while shocking, are wholly unsurprising. This year has been a challenging one for the LGBT community - the shooting in Orlando struck in a place where LGBT youth felt safe to be themselves, and political rhetoric during the US election campaign as well as the EU Referendum has many minority groups increasingly fearful for their safety.

"Employers who are committed to an inclusive workplace should reiterate their commitment, standing by initiatives such as LGBT Leaders and others that help LGBT graduates be themselves at work.

"On campus, students need universities and student unions to take a firm no-tolerance stance on hate crime of any form, and a commitment to increasing vital student support services and funding for LGBT societies who do so much valuable welfare work."

In light of the findings, the LGBT officers for the National Union of Students, Noorulann Shahid and Melantha Chittenden, said in a statement: The concerns of LGBT+ students around hate crimes are completely legitimate, especially considering recent data produced by Galop, showing a 147 per cent increase in homophobic hate crime post-Brexit.

As a campaign, were committed to tackling hate crime by making campuses and wider society safer for LGBT+ people. For support, students can either go to their students union or get in touch with Galop who can provide support and assist in reporting hate crimes.

People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Show all 10 1 /10 People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Caitlyn Jenner People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Miley Cyrus Getty People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Kristen Stewart People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Cara Delevingne People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Keegan Hirst People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Ruby Rose People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights St Vincent (who's in a relationship with Cara Delevingne) People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Annie Lennox People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Ellen Page People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Justice Anthony Kennedy

Earlier this month, research by Galop, an LGBT anti-violence charity, revealed homophobic attacks had risen by 147 per cent in the three months following the Brexit vote.

In August a YouGov survey found that LGBT students had a higher likelihood of developing mental health issues than their non-LGBT counterparts, with 45 per cent of the LGBT student community reporting they face challenges compared with 22 per cent of straight students.

Meanwhile in February the NUS expressed deep concern after a new report found there was widespread bullying and harassment of LGBT students and staff across UK universities, with 60 per cent of students having witnessed bullying based on sexual orientation.
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The decision to sail a fleet of Russian warships through the English Channel could be a distraction to divert the worlds attention from military operations elsewhere, an analyst has warned.

The passage of the Russian navys flagship Admiral Kuznetzov aircraft carrier and six other ships has been the subject of intense media coverage in Russia, the UK and Europe as they journey towards Syria.

Royal Navy ships were tracking the vessels through international waters in the English Channel after they entered the narrow passage near Ramsgate on Friday morning.

People watch as the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov passes through the Strait of Dover on 21 October 2016 (PA)

The Admiral Kuznetzov is loaded with fighter jets, reconnaissance and combat helicopters and cruise missiles to be used to bolster Russias bombing campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

But Keir Giles, an expert in Russian security issues, told The Independent that bolstering the countrys firepower in the Syrian conflict was not the deployments only objective.

The biggest thing that worries me is that while there is all of this intense media focus not just in the UK but in Europe on this one action in one place, what are they [Russia] doing somewhere else? he asked.

They have achieved two of their primary objectives already even without doing anything irresponsible while they are in transit to the eastern Mediterranean.

First, they have got the worlds attention once again on Russian military capability, which is one of the key aims in terms of deterring Western military or other action.

Secondly, they have achieved complete media and public opinion focus on one bright, shiny object that is being held up to potentially distract from more important things happening elsewhere.

There were claims a high-profile Russian 'aid convoy' in 2014 was intended to distract from military deployments in Ukraine (AP)

Mr Giles, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, said similar techniques had been used to disguise deployments in Ukraine but that Western authorities tended to discover Russias intentions a bit too late.

It could be in any one of half a dozen places, he added. It could be in Ukraine, Syria, or anywhere else that Russia feels its interests and those and the West are in competition. And thats a lot of places.

In 2014, huge media attention was directed to a humanitarian convoy crossing from Russia into eastern Ukraine, with news correspondents and news agencies tracking the lorries.

But Anders Fogh Rasmussen, then the Nato Secretary-General, was among those suggesting the operation was a smokescreen for the use of Russian forces to stop a Ukrainian government offensive against separatist rebels. The Kremlin has continued to deny direct involvement in the conflict.

Mr Giles said that if Russias sole aim was to transfer weapons to Syria with its latest deployment, sailing seven ships from the Arctic Circle, down the Northern Sea, through the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and along the Mediterranean Sea would not be the most efficient method.

The ships, including the Admiral Kuznetsov, Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) battlecruiser, the Vice Admiral Kulakov destroyer, Severomorsk destroyers and several supply vessels, had to travel in a column as part of a traffic separation scheme in the Dover Strait.

HMS Richmond (right) escorts Russian aircraft carrier vessel Admiral Kuznetsov (left) (Ministry of Defence)

The English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world so the Admiral Kuznetsov can very easily cause a problem simply by being there without necessarily doing anything hostile, Mr Giles said.

There are all sorts of things they can do to cause their surroundings a headache but theres no reason to think they would because theyre already achieved their objectives.

The aircraft carrier previously caused disruption in 2008, when it operated jets and aircraft near Norwegian oil platforms.

Its latest pass through northern Europe comes after a series of military encounters between Russia forces and Nato members in the region.

Russian planes have neared sovereign airspace, causing fighter jets to be scrambled on numerous occasions, as well as approaching foreign military and civilian aircraft in near misses that have caused international alarm.

The incidents come amid increasing tensions over Vladimir Putins intervention in Syria, the Ukraine conflict and tit-for-tat sanctions with the EU.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Mr Giles said the Russian government was attempting to project an image of military power and readiness to deter opponents from opposing its foreign policy.

It fits very neatly into the notion that a war with the West is coming and Russia is ready for it, he added.

Basically theyre already in a state of conflict with the one exception that theres no direct military clash, because thats where it starts going wrong for Russia.

Theresa May condemned Mr Putin's policy in Syria as the ships continued their journey on Friday, accusing Moscow of being behind sickening atrocities in support of President Assads regime.

The Prime Minister called for a robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression.

Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said naval deployment was aimed at testing British capabilities and that it would be marked by British destroyers and frigates every inch of the way.

The Russian ships left the English Channel late on Friday afternoon to continue their journey south.
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A fleet of Russian warships heading to Syria have entered the English Channel, shadowed by the Royal Navy.

Soviet-era aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which can carry more than 50 planes, crossed international waters in the North Sea with seven other vessels in the largest Russian military deployment since the Cold War.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told The Independent the ships were not expected to stop in the Channel.

It looks like they will be going via Dover and passing through into the afternoon, she added.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is loaded with fighter jets, reconnaissance and combat helicopters and cruise missiles to be used to bolster Russias bombing campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

A Russian Naval vessel passes a ferry in the English channel (Getty)

The MoD said it had dispatched Royal Navy ships to escort the vessels and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon suggested the taskforce was designed to test the British naval response.

It's being marked every step of the way by the Royal Navy and ships and planes of other Nato members as well, he said.

It's clearly designed [] to test our response, and any weaknesses in the alliance, and we must make sure we respond in due measure.

British warship HMS Richmond escorted the group from the Norwegian Sea as it steamed south and Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday to man-mark the Kuznetsov group.

We will be watching as part of our steadfast commitment to keep Britain safe, said Sir Fallon in a statement.

The fleet set off from Russia on 15 October to reinforce the attack on the besieged city of Aleppo in Syria, where a three-day humanitarian truce is underway.

Recommended Read more Syria accuses EU of supporting terrorism

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said in September that the Admiral Kuznetsov-led fleet would be joining a taskforce in the Mediterranean.

According to the Russian news agency Tass, he told a defence board meeting that the plan was to bolster the existing Mediterranean fleet's combat capabilities.

A senior Nato diplomat said Russia is deploying all of the Northern fleet and much of the Baltic fleet in the largest surface deployment since the end of the Cold War.

This is not a friendly port call. In two weeks, we will see a crescendo of air attacks on Aleppo as part of Russia's strategy to declare victory there, the diplomat added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Plans for a humanitarian ceasefire to evacuate the wounded and allow rebels and civilians the ability to leave Aleppo was criticised by the UN, who said it could not carry out aid work unless security guarantees were met.

Yesterday, just hours before the warships were due to pass through British water, Theresa May launched a scathing attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister accused the Russian military of sickening atrocities in Aleppo and highlighted the appalling acts which have occurred during a sustained Russian bombing campaign in the northern Syrian city.

Syrian forces, backed by Russian air power, have agreed a temporary humanitarian truce in Aleppo but Ms May urged European leaders to take a firm line against Moscow.

Arriving at her first Brussels summit as Prime Minister, Ms May called for a robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression.

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

She said: It is vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop these appalling atrocities, these sickening atrocities, in Syria.

A Nato official said Russia had the right to operate in international waters, and there were plans for Nato navies to monitor the ships as they head for the Mediterranean.

The deployment of the carrier group to the eastern Mediterranean does not inspire confidence that Russia is working towards a political solution to the conflict in Syria, they said.
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Theresa May has been warned she faces tougher Brexit negotiations after insisting Britain will play a central role in European decision-making until it formally leaves the EU.

The Prime Minister, who attended her first European Council meeting on Thursday, told leaders in Brussels that the UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and well be a strong and dependable partner after we have left.

But Manfred Weber, leader of the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament, was angered by the Prime Ministers comments. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: When somebody wants to leave the club, its not normally that such a member who wants to leave a club wants to decide about the future of this club. That is really creating a lot of anger, the behaviour of the British Government.

Its about the long-term project of the European Union, and the Brits decided not to stay in.

I think its totally understandable if we, as Germans, as French, as Italians, think about our  not your  long-term project, please don't stop it, dont block it, because that will have a lot of impact on the Brexit negotiations if you do so.

Its a question of behaviour, it's a question of respect. You want to go away from the centre of the European debate.

Mr Weber repeated his call for Boris Johnson to stand down as Foreign Secretary after the draft pro-EU article he wrote, but did not publish, emerged. The leader of the Christian Democrats also pointed to splits in the Cabinet between Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, and other Brexit ministers, saying he had no idea what the British Government wants to do.

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

If you want to leave, that's absolutely fair, please do so, but don't accuse, and don't decide for the rest of the European Union.

I have to say for the rest of the European Union, its extremely positive for the future because of the development in Great Britain, the pound sterling, the economic damage for Britain, and the debate about the future of Scotland.

So, I met the prime minister of Scotland and the message was very clear  you have a lot of internal battles to fight on, and people all over Europe see this.

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

However, Lord John Hill, the UKs former EU commissioner disputed Mr Webers claim. I think Manfred is wrong about that, he told the Today programme. It is important that we do continue to play an active part. Not a part that is going to frustrate things that people want to do, but to show that we want to continue to have a relationship.

It is so important that over the months and years ahead we have as many bridges as possible and try and work through this in a way that secures what is in our mutual best interest. The danger that I can see is that we end up doing something this is mutually self-harming.
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A call for Brexit negotiations to be carried out in French has pitched Theresa May into a fresh battle with other EU leaders.

The row blew up after the European Union's chief negotiator suggested that English be dropped as the official language to be used by British and EU officials during the divorce talks.

Asked whether the idea was further proof of growing iciness towards Britain, the Prime Minister at first refused to be drawn on which language should be used in the talks.

Later, Downing Street sources told journalists that Ms May would not allow the talks to be held in French.

But Michel Barnier, the former French foreign minister running the talks for the European Commission, later suggested he would not be backing down.

He denied he had personally backed the use of French  but made clear which language had been chosen had yet to be agreed.

Mr Barnier tweeted: Never expressed myself on negotiation language. Work as often in EN as FR. Linguistic regime to be set at start - to be agreed btw negotiators.

The prospect of French being used sparked jokes that Brexit Secretary David Davis would have to be replaced by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a fluent French speaker.

French lost its status to English as the EU's main working language after more northern and eastern European states joined, over the past two decades.

Therefore, the apparent proposal to bring it back was seen as a further signal that that the EU will play hardball in the two-year Article 50 talks, to be launched by March.

EU sources said that Mr Barniers 15-strong taskforce - which includes no Britons - has already been working mainly in French.

And his appointment, by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, was criticised in London because of his record of fighting Britain's dominant financial services industry.

At her press conference at the close of the two-day EU summit in Brussels, Ms May was asked if she considered the idea of conducting talks in French as "a gesture of good intent.

Ducking the question, she replied simply: We will conduct the negotiations in the way that is going to make sure that we get the right deal for the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was no official language for the Brexit talks and that we are all entitled to speak in our native tongue.

The press conference came after Ms May was made to wait until 1am this morning to deliver a five-minute message about Britains broad aims for Brexit and determination to carry it through.

The Prime Minister said she had made clear that Britain will carry on talking to non-EU countries about new trade talks before the two-year Article 50 process is completed.

She said: This will not undermine the EUs trade agenda it is not even in competition with it.

And she denied that was resentment at Britains determination to play a full role in EU decision-making, insisting: That has been welcomed  and I think this is the right spirit and approach to take

Ms May added: I can assure you that I havent been backwards in coming forwards on issues.

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: Given the haphazard way May is dealing with Brexit in her own cabinet, its not surprising she is struggling to convince other European leaders that this will be anything like the smooth withdrawal her office is briefing.
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A close ally of David Cameron has warned a hard Brexit will be a stupid Brexit, in an apparent attack on Cabinet hardliners Liam Fox and David Davis.

Lord Hill, a former EU Commissioner under the previous Prime Minister, said the Government had to approach the exit talks in a sensible way, with a willingness to make deals.

He also said Britain and the EU would fail to deliver a successful divorce if they end up shouting at each other.

The comments came after Theresa May was apparently snubbed in Brussels by being made to wait until 1am to deliver a five-minute speech on her Brexit aims.

Meanwhile, German MEP Manfred Weber, who heads the centre-right European Peoples Party, warned of an impact on the Brexit talks if Britain insists on playing a central role in the EU until the moment it leaves.

Lord Hill, who quit his role as senior representative in Brussels following the Brexit vote, also warned of the danger of mutually self-harming acts, if relations between Britain and the EU deteriorate.

And he suggested that many EU leaders still believed Britain was too smart to go through with quitting the EU.

Lord Hill told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think there is a surprisingly widely-held view that Britain might still decide to stay in.

I think they also believe, when people start to look at the practical consequences of disentangling ourselves from this very complicated relationship, then maybe we will think again.

Hard Brexit would see a clean break with the EUs single market in trade of goods, in order to end free movement of citizens and impose strict controls on immigrants.

Brexit Secretary David Davis and Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, appear prepared to put the UK on hefty World Trade Organisation tariffs, if no new trade deal can be struck.

But Lord Hill said: I think we have this kind of false choice in the UK often between hard Brexit and soft Brexit.

I think the choice is between stupid Brexit and more intelligent Brexit and that is what we need to go for.

My whole approach to this would be that if we approach it in a sensible way, because the European system is a deal-based system.

There is more scope for trying to resolve it intelligently than if we go at it in a way where we all end up shouting at each other.

He also attacked the idea of hardline Brexiteers that the EU will offer Britain favourable trade terms because it needs the UK to keep buying products such as German cars and French cheese and wine.

People here, I think, forget that for the Europeans the project, its an emotional project, its a political project and actually its quite a romantic project, Lord Hill said.

He added: If we think in the UK that ultimately economic rationalism will win out in terms of negotiation, that is to misread how the Europeans will approach the negotiation.
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The Conservatives have kept hold of David Camerons constituency seat in a by-election to replace the outgoing former prime minister.

The partys Robert Courts, a barrister and local councillor, saw off 13 other candidates to win with 45 per cent of the vote.

Although Mr Courts secured a strong majority, the results are something of a departure from Mr Camerons success at the 2015 general election in which he was returned to his seat with 60 per cent of the vote.

The Liberal Democrats succeeded in knocking Labour into third place, representing a considerable improvement from their fourth place in 2015.

The Green Party candidate, US politician Bernie Sanders brother Larry received 3.5 per cent of the vote

Turnout in the Oxfordshire constituency was just 47 per cent, down 26 per cent from the general election turnout last year.

Mr Cameron quit the Oxfordshire seat last month, saying he did not want to become a distraction to Theresa Mays new government.

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. 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He was seen in the constituency canvassing support for Mr Courts.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was also in the constituency to back his partys candidate, Duncan Enright, who lost out to Mr Cameron by more than 25,000 votes in 2015.

Additional reporting by PA
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Far-right groups booed and jeered a newly elected MP as she paid tribute to murdered colleague Jo Cox.

Former Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin won the Batley and Spen by-election against candidates from independent and fringe parties.

The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Ukip and Greens all decided not to contest the seat out of respect for Ms Cox, who was killed days before the EU referendum.

Contenders in the election included representatives from far-right groups such as the National Front and the British National Party.

And some of Ms Brabin's opponents opted to heckle her as she gave her acceptance speech, with one shouting "she's a racist".

Ms Brabin, who took almost 82 per cent of the vote, honoured Ms Cox and said winning was "bittersweet".

"This has been a difficult experience for all of us and tonight is a bittersweet occasion for me. That this by-election has had to take place at all is a tragedy," she said.

"I hope Jo will be proud tonight of our community. We have shown that we stand together with one voice choosing unity and hope."

Turnout for the vote was just 25 per cent: one of the lowest for a by-election since the Second World War.

Following her acceptance speech, Ms Brabin told Sky News the heckling "just shows who they are".

"The people of Batley and Spen have given me a mandate but they've [the other parties] lost their deposits.

"I get to work and feel very supported. I feel the people of Batley and Spen behind me."

Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Floral tributes and candles are placed by a picture of slain Labour MP Jo Cox at a vigil in Parliament square in London AFP Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Tributes to Labour Party MP Jo Cox are placed on her houseboat in Wapping in London REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures The Union flag at half-mast on top of Portcullis House in London after Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2R) and deputy leader Tom Watson (L) light candles as they attend a vigil to slain Labour MP Jo Cox in Parliament square in London AFP/Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and deputy leader Tom Watson (rear) arrive to leave tributes at Parliament Square PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People leave St Peter's Church after a vigil in memory of Jo Cox REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Flowers left at Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminste, following the death of Labour MP Jo Cox PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People react as they look at tributes left for Labour Member of Parliament Jo Cox in Parliament Square, London REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A man writes a message at Parliament Square PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People stop to look at tributes left at Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminster PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A woman arrives to lay flowers at a statue to Joseph Priestly in Birstall near to the scene where Labour MP Jo Cox was shot AFP/Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Tributes at Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminster PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A woman places candles in tribute to Labour Party MP Jo Cox REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A member of the public signs a memorial for British MP Jo Cox in Parliament Square, London EPA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People sign messages of condolence for MP Jo Cox during a vigil in Parliament Square in London Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Flags at half mast outside Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, after Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death in the street outside her constituency advice surgery in Birstall PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People arrive in Market Square with floral tributes after the death of Jo Co Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Floral tributes are placed in Market Square next to the statue of Joseph Priestley following the death of Jo Cox Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Floral tributes are brought to the scene after the death of Jo Cox Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A police officer carries bunches of flowers at the scene of the shooting of Labour MP Jo Cox in Birstall REUTERS

Asked about the turnout she said: "Well, it's a wet Thursday in October. But I think 85 per cent, or whatever it is, is very good.

"And I feel that the community have said what was for us a tragedy has turned into an opportunity to show hatred and they didn't buy it."

Mrs Cox's widower, Brendan Cox, congratulated Ms Brabin on her victory on Twitter. He also tweeted a picture of he and his wife during the 2015 general election.

He said: "This was Jo at the general election count last year as I briefed her on the numbers. She was calm, serene and full of grace that night."

Meanwhile, another by-election in the safe Conservative seat of Witney in Oxfordshire elected a replacement for David Cameron, who gave up his seat last month.
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A leading cabinet minister has warned the House of Lords that its future is at risk if it tries to block Brexit.

The senior figure said the government may have to "do a Lloyd George" and flood the upper House with friendly peers if those already there undermine the drive to implement the EU referendum result.

Recommended Read more May faces Tory backlash after signalling move toward hard Brexit

Some Tories in the Lords, where Conservatives are in a minority, have demanded Theresa May let Parliament vote on her preferred Brexit deal before talks with the EU begin. If she refuses, they have threatened to stymie other pieces of legislation the government needs to pass through the Lords to make Brexit happen.

But the cabinet minister told The Independent: "Unelected peers should think very carefully about defying a decision taken by the public in a referendum.

"We might have to do a Lloyd George and create a thousand peers."

As a Liberal Chancellor, George threatened to flood the Lords with new peers who would pass his "People's Budget" of 1909, when the existing Torydominated House refused.

It included a land-tax designed to pay for wide-ranging social reforms and naval expansion. A version of the reforming budget only passed after the 1911 Parliament Act clipped the wings of the upper House  ending its veto on legislation and replacing it with a right to delay.

 UK: Theresa May lays out post-Brexit plan at party conference

In 1980, left-winger Tony Benn also said that if Labour won an election, it would abolish the Lords by creating a thousand new peers to vote it out of existence.

The issue has arisen again as Ms May prepares to implement the historic decision reached in the referendum to leave the European Union.

She has promised a role for Parliament and the government admits both Houses may need to ratify any deal at the end of negotiations.

MPs and peers will also get to vote on the Great Repeal Bill, promised by the Prime Minister at Tory conference.

But when it comes to a vote at the start of the talks process, either on Ms Mays negotiating position or on the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the government has refused a vote.

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

Tory peer Patience Wheatcroft has accused Theresa May of "using the royal prerogative" to decide on her own what Brexit will look like, without giving anyone else a say.

She has demanded Parliament have a say on exactly what kind of Brexit the government is pursuing.

Lords Speaker Norman Fowler has also suggested peers could vote down legislation that comes from the Commons.

One Tory peer has told The Independent: "There are people who are worried that if the Lords pushes back on this, it could be the end of the Lords.

"But the Lords has to be reformed anyway, it has to happen. There are far too many of us. So some of us don't see that as an impediment."
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The House of Commons has voted down a motion to protect the rights of EU nationals to live and work in the UK after Brexit.

MPs voted 293 to 250 against the non-binding early day motion put forward by the Scottish National Party (SNP) Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson Joanna Cherry.

Ms Cherry's motion read as follows: "That this House recognises the contribution that nationals from other countries in the EU have made to the UK; and calls on the Government to ensure that all nationals from other countries in the EU who have made the UK their home retain their current rights, including the rights to live and work in the UK, should the UK exit the EU."

 Theresa May hints that Brexit negotiations will go past 2019

Ms Cherry told the Commons: "It is nearly four months since the EU referendum, and the long-term status of non-UK EU nationals living in the United Kingdom is still unclear, just as the Government are still without a plan or a negotiating strategy for the Brexit that they accidentally delivered.

"The status of millions of our fellow workers, friends and neighbours is uncertain. That is simply not good enough.

"In the meantime, in England and Wales hate crime has soared and xenophobic rhetoric is common in the mainstream media and, sadly, sometimes in the mouths of Ministers."

Minister for Immigration Robert Goodwill responded to the SNP spokeswoman by stating the government aspires to protect the interests of EU citizens living in the UK.

He told the House: "My job this afternoon is to reassure the House of our aspirations to protect the interests of EU citizens living in the UK and to counter some of the scaremongering that we have just heard."

Mr Goodwill criticised Ms Cherry's motion for stating "should the UK exit the EU" instead of "when the UK exit the UK". He reiterated the Prime Minister's pledge "that Brexit means Brexit".

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

Following the Brexit vote, there was a surge in UK citizens seeking applying for citizenship in EU member states such as Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland.

Here is the list of MPs who voted against the motion:

Adams, Nigel

Afriyie, Adam

Aldous, Peter

Allan, Lucy

Allen, Heidi

Amess, Sir David

Andrew, Stuart

Ansell, Caroline

Argar, Edward

Atkins, Victoria

Baker, Steve

Baldwin, Harriett

Barclay, Stephen

Baron, John

Barwell, Gavin

Bebb, Guto

Bellingham, Sir Henry

Benyon, Richard

Beresford, Sir Paul

Berry, Jake

Berry, James

Bingham, Andrew

Blackman, Bob

Blackwood, Nicola

Boles, Nick

Bone, Peter

Borwick, Victoria

Bottomley, Sir Peter

Bradley, Karen

Brady, Graham

Brazier, Julian

Bridgen, Andrew

Brine, Steve

Brokenshire, James

Bruce, Fiona

Buckland, Robert

Burns, Conor

Burns, Sir Simon

Burrowes, Mr David

Carmichael, Neil

Cartlidge, James

Cash, Sir William

Caulfield, Maria

Chalk, Alex

Chishti, Rehman

Chope, Christopher

Churchill, Jo

Cleverly, James

Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey

Coffey, Dr Therese

Collins, Damian

Colvile, Oliver

Cox, Geoffrey

Crabb, Stephen

Crouch, Tracey

Davies, Chris

Davies, David T. C.

Davies, Glyn

Davies, Dr James

Davies, Mims

Davies, Philip

Davis, David

Dinenage, Caroline

Djanogly, Jonathan

Donaldson, Sir Jeffrey

Donelan, Michelle

Double, Steve

Dowden, Oliver

Doyle-Price, Jackie

Drax, Richard

Drummond, Flick

Duddridge, James

Duncan Smith, Iain

Dunne, Philip

Ellis, Michael

Ellison, Jane

Ellwood, Tobias

Elphicke, Charlie

Evans, Graham

Evans, Nigel

Evennett, David

Fabricant, Michael

Fallon, Sir Michael

Fernandes, Suella

Field, Mark

Foster, Kevin

Fox, Dr Liam

Francois, Mark

Frazer, Lucy

Freeman, George

Freer, Mike

Fuller, Richard

Fysh, Marcus

Gale, Sir Roger

Garnier, Sir Edward

Garnier, Mark

Gauke, David

Ghani, Nusrat

Gibb, Nick

Gillan, Cheryl

Glen, John

Goodwill, Robert

Gove, Michael

Graham, Richard

Grant, Helen

Grayling, Chris

Green, Chris

Green, Damian

Grieve, Dominic

Griffiths, Andrew

Gummer, Ben

Gyimah, Sam

Halfon, Robert

Hall, Luke

Hammond, Philip

Hammond, Stephen

Hancock, Matt

Hands, Greg

Harper, Mark

Harris, Rebecca

Hart, Simon

Haselhurst, Sir Alan

Heald, Sir Oliver

Heappey, James

Heaton-Jones, Peter

Henderson, Gordon

Herbert, Nick

Hoare, Simon

Hollingbery, George

Hollinrake, Kevin

Hollobone, Philip

Hopkins, Kris

Howarth, Sir Gerald

Howell, John

Howlett, Ben

Huddleston, Nigel

Hunt, Jeremy

Jackson, Stewart

James, Margot

Javid, Sajid

Jayawardena, Ranil

Jenkin, Bernard

Jenkyns, Andrea

Jenrick, Robert

Johnson, Boris

Johnson, Gareth

Johnson, Joseph

Jones, Andrew

Jones, David

Jones, Marcus

Kennedy, Seema

Kirby, Simon

Knight, Sir Greg

Knight, Julian

Kwarteng, Kwasi

Lancaster, Mark

Latham, Pauline

Leadsom, Andrea

Lee, Dr Phillip

Lefroy, Jeremy

Leigh, Sir Edward

Leslie, Charlotte

Letwin, Sir Oliver

Lewis, Brandon

Lewis, Dr Julian

Lidington, David

Lilley, Peter

Lopresti, Jack

Lord, Jonathan

Loughton, Tim

Mackinlay, Craig

Mackintosh, David

Mak, Alan

Mann, Scott

May, Theresa

Maynard, Paul

McCartney, Karl

McLoughlin, Sir Patrick

McPartland, Stephen

Menzies, Mark

Mercer, Johnny

Merriman, Huw

Metcalfe, Stephen

Miller, Maria

Milling, Amanda

Mills, Nigel

Milton, Anne

Mitchell, Andrew

Mordaunt, Penny

Morris, Anne Marie

Morris, David

Morris, James

Morton, Wendy

Mowat, David

Mundell, David

Murray, Sheryll

Murrison, Dr Andrew

Neill, Robert

Newton, Sarah

Nokes, Caroline

Norman, Jesse

Nuttall, David

Offord, Dr Matthew

Opperman, Guy

Paisley, Ian

Parish, Neil

Paterson, Owen

Pawsey, Mark

Penning, Mike

Penrose, John

Percy, Andrew

Perry, Claire

Philp, Chris

Pickles, Sir Eric

Poulter, Dr Daniel

Pow, Rebecca

Prentis, Victoria

Prisk, Mark

Pritchard, Mark

Pursglove, Tom

Quin, Jeremy

Quince, Will

Redwood, John

Rees-Mogg, Jacob

Robertson, Laurence

Robinson, Gavin

Robinson, Mary

Rosindell, Andrew

Rudd, Amber

Rutley, David

Sandbach, Antoinette

Scully, Paul

Selous, Andrew

Shannon, Jim

Shapps, Grant

Sharma, Alok

Shelbrooke, Alec

Simpson, Keith

Skidmore, Chris

Smith, Henry

Smith, Julian

Soames, Sir Nicholas

Solloway, Amanda

Spelman, Dame Caroline

Spencer, Mark

Stephenson, Andrew

Stevenson, John

Stewart, Bob

Stewart, Iain

Stewart, Rory

Streeter, Mr Gary

Stride, Mel

Stuart, Graham

Sturdy, Julian

Sunak, Rishi

Swayne, Sir Desmond

Swire, Sir Hugo

Syms, Robert

Thomas, Derek

Throup, Maggie

Timpson, Edward

Tolhurst, Kelly

Tomlinson, Justin

Tomlinson, Michael

Tracey, Craig

Tredinnick, David

Trevelyan, Anne-Marie

Truss, Elizabeth

Turner, Andrew

Tyrie, Andrew

Vaizey, Edward

Vara, Shailesh

Vickers, Martin

Villiers, Theresa

Walker, Charles

Walker, Robin

Wallace, Ben

Warburton, David

Warman, Matt

Wharton, James

Whately, Helen

Wheeler, Heather

White, Chris

Whittaker, Craig

Whittingdale, John

Wiggin, Bill

Williams, Craig

Williamson, Gavin

Wilson, Rob

Wilson, Sammy

Wood, Mike

Wragg, William

Wright, Jeremy
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A Polish woman who said she no longer felt welcome in Britain following Brexit on the BBC's Question Time was booed by a significant portion of the audience.

The woman, who has lived in the UK for 23 years, said she hadnt felt any discrimination until after the referendum and received jeers from those around her after making the comment during the debate in Hartlepool.

She also said that Polish people work extremely hard and often accept conditions that most workers would not.

I feel I am no longer wanted by 52 per cent of the voters... Can I just finish please? You can comment in a minute and boo me in a minute, she said.

52 per cent of the voters voted against immigration. Polish is the second most popular language in this country and therefore majority of the people voted against the Poles.

The woman was interrupted by Lisa Duffy, the runner-up in Ukips leadership election in September, who responded to the comments by describing them as ridiculous.

We dont want to stop immigration, we want to control immigration, Ms Duffy said.

There was nothing in the referendum asking if we were voting against the Polish or not.

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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

Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister, was also on the panel and described those heading up the Government's "Pythonesque" Brexit department as having a low IQ.

I do not want to see [the future of Brexit] decided behind closed doors by this Pythonesque department of exit - whatever it is that you call it - staffed by several people of very low IQ, Mr Varoufakis said.

He declined to name the ministers he was referring to but said presenter David Dimbleby knew who he was talking about.
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EU leaders made Theresa May wait until 1am to deliver her message that Britain will not change its mind about Brexit  and gave her just five minutes to speak, before ignoring her speech at a European Council dinner in Brussels.

The Prime Minister was made to wait until long after the waiters were waiting to clear the dishes away, one observer said.

No other leader spoke in response to Ms Mays brief speech  a united front reflecting the EUs refusal to start exit negotiations until the formal Article 50 notice is invoked, early next year.

 Theresa May slams Moscow's 'sickening atrocities'

Donald Tusk, the European Council President, had urged all the other leaders to stay silent, because formal talks must not begin until that two-year process is underway.

The stance also reflected the reality that the rest of the EU is currently more focused on Russian aggression in Syria and a faltering trade deal with Canada.

In her speech, Ms May told her counterparts face-to-face that Britain would definitely be leaving, after suggestions in Europe that the referendum result may not be final.

And she said Britain expects to be part of EU decision-making until Brexit is completed, rather than be snubbed at any summits and negotiations when key matters are discussed.

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

Number 10 sources denied the issue had provoked a row, although some senior EU figures are known to be angry that a country wanting to leave still expects a say on the blocs future.

The triggering of Article 50  by the end of March  would see Britain leave the EU in the Spring of 2019  although Ms May has hinted the two-year timeline for talks could be extended.

In Brussels, both the French president and German chancellor warned that if Ms May pursued a hard Brexit, talks would be hard too.

The dinner saw EU leaders enjoy pan-fried scallops, crown of lamb with roast fig and iced vanilla parfait.

On arrival, Ms May said: The UK is leaving the EU, but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we will be a strong and dependable partner after we have left.

Its in the interests of both the UK and the EU that we continue to work closely together, including at this summit.

Meanwhile, Mr Tusk said he would be the happiest one if the UK reversed the decision to quit and stuck with EU membership for years to come.

He told reporters: Its not our choice and if you ask me I would prefer 28 members not only for the next month, but also for the next years and decades.

After the decision in the UK we have to respect the decision of the referendum. If it is reversible or not, this is in the British hands.

 Brexit negotiators are 'in cloud cuckoo land', says man who negotiated Britain's EU rebate

I would be the happiest one if it was reversible but we now we have to start our formal works.

Leaders will discuss trade rules when the European Council continues on Friday, including anti-dumping measures.

Ms May will then hold talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, which No 10 sources said would be an opportunity to establish a relationship and talk about how we see the process ahead.
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A 69-year-old artist has broken her silence to tell how her romance with a Nigerian con-artist blossomed into a warm relationship with Africa.

Maria Grette fell in love with a 24-year-old 419 internet scammer who tricked her out of thousands by faking an elaborate tragedy.

But after he confessed, she travelled to meet him and has since flown to-and-fro as part of a working relationship with dozens of Africans.

Recommended Read more Seven most commonly used lines by dating app frauds

"Johnny (not his real name) has given me more than he took," said Ms Grette, in a BBC article by award-winning Nigerian writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.

"Without him, I would not have met Africa.

As a 62-year-old, Ms Grette, who divorced a few years earlier, got talking to a 58-year-old Danish man online after her friends created a dating profile for her as a joke.

Ms Grette parted with 'several thousands of euros' Rex (Rex)

After three months he said he was coming to visit her native Sweden, but said he and his son had to travel via Nigeria for a job interview.

He then called her to claim they had been mugged and his son shot in the head.

After a series of manipulative and emotional pleas for cash, Ms Grette transferred several thousands of euros but eventually came to her senses and stopped messaging.

Grette travelled to Nigerian capital Abuja, pictured here where family members celebrate the return of Boko Haram's kidnapped girls, to meet Johnny AP (AP)

He then got in touch three weeks later to confess to being one of Nigerias notorious 419 scammers and said he was a devil and she a lovely woman.

In October 2009, she flew to Africa for the first time and spent two weeks in the country meeting Johnny and his scammer friends.

For the past six years, Ms Grette has flown various Africans to Europe for art exhibitions, workshops, conferences and competitions.

With her financial assistance, Johnny has gone on to study in America and now works in the oil sector.

He is very dear to me, said Ms Grette, who now lives in Norway and still speaks to Johnny.

He has asked me so many times to forgive him and I told him that the most important thing is to forgive himself.
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More than 20 refugees are feared to have died after armed men attacked an overcrowded dinghy during a rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sea-Watch, a German charity, said its rescue ship was deployed to help the vessel by the Italian coastguard after it was spotted 14 nautical miles off the Libyan coast on Friday.

They arrived to find a rubber dinghy packed with 150 migrants and asylum seekers, sending speedboats to give those on board life jackets and help them to safety.

But as the operation continued, a vessel that appeared to be marked with the insignia of Libyas national coastguard approached, with armed men boarding the migrant boat and attempting to detach its motor.

A spokesperson for Sea-Watch says the men attacked the refugees, hitting them with clubs, while preventing the groups two speedboats from intervening.

The violent intervention caused a situation of mass panic on board the rubber boatone tube of the rubber boat collapsed, causing the majority of the 150 people to slip into the water.

Our crew immediately tried to rescue as many as possible but a number of people could not be saved.

At least four bodies have been discovered so far, with another four people receiving urgent medical treatment after being pulled from the water unconscious. More than 20 other passengers were missing and feared to have drowned.

 Italian coastguard rescues thousands of refugees off coast of Libya

This latest incident of alleged Libyan official units endangered not only the crew of rescue volunteers but moreover caused the death of many migrants, Sea-Watch said in a statement.

It is unclear why [what appeared to be the] Libyan Coast Guard engaged the way it did. Sea-Watch calls for an immediate and detailed investigation of this violation of humanitarian law.

Sea-Watchs rescue ship remained in operation on Friday and continued to respond to vessels in distress at the direction of Italian authorities.

Britain is among the countries supporting the EUs anti-smuggling Operation Sofia mission and is training Libyan coastguards and naval personnel in an attempt to stem the number of boats being launched from the countrys shores.

It was not immediately possible to verify whether the attackers were members of Libyas coastguard or using a stolen vessel, but the incident followed previous accounts of the force intercepting refugees at sea.

Amnesty International said asylum seekers recounted being beaten with wooden clubs and rubber hoses, as well as being shot and tortured at official detention centres back on dry land.

Fridays assault came after another rescue vessel was attacked by armed men in August.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said no refugees were on board its ship, the Bourbon Argos, when gunmen opened fire from a speedboat off the coast of Libya.

Rescue workers hid in a designated safe area while the attackers boarded and searched the empty ship for almost an hour on 17 August, with no one harmed.

MSF said it could not identify the group or their motivation, but described them as professional and well-trained.

Isis is among a number of armed groups operating in Libya, where a fragile new government is attempting to end a bloody competition for territory between rival militias.

The countrys north-western coast has become the main launching point for migrant boats after instability and lawlessness in the wake of its civil war enabled smuggling gangs to set up a ruthless and profitable trade.

A succession of disasters in waters between Libya and Italy has made the Central Mediterranean the deadliest sea crossing in the world, with several naval and humanitarian ships patrolling the zone in an attempt to prevent sinkings.

More than 3,100 migrants have died on the route this year  drowning or suffocating in overcrowded holds  putting 2016 on course to be the deadliest ever year for refugees trying to reach Europe.

The Independent has attempted to contact the Libyan Embassy and Foreign and Commonwealth Office for comment.
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South Africa is quitting the International Criminal Court (ICC) because membership conflicted with diplomatic immunity laws, dealing a new blow to the struggling court and angering the political opposition.

Pretoria signalled its intention to leave after the ICC criticised it for ignoring a court order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of war crimes, when he visited. Mr Bashir has denied the accusations.

The ICC was not immediately available for comment, but the announcement puts new pressure on the world's first permanent war crimes court, which has had to fight off allegations of pursuing a neo-colonial agenda in Africa, where all but one of its 10 investigations have been based.

The announcement followed a similar decision by Burundi this week and was criticised by human rights groups that see the ICC as the best means of pursuing perpetrators of the world's worst atrocities. The treaty creating the court entered into force in 2002 after years of efforts by South Africa's post-apartheid government and others. Kenya's parliament is considering leaving the ICC.

No country has ever withdrawn from the ICC. Now, the debate over a mass African withdrawal is expected to be a hot issue at an African Union summit in January 2017, said Oryem Okello, deputy foreign minister of Uganda, a critic of the court.

We think the matter is best decided as a bloc, Mr Okello 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

South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha said in Pretoria that the government would draft a bill to repeal South Africa's adoption of the ICC's Rome Statute in order to preserve its ability to conduct active diplomatic relations, and had given formal notice.

Parliament is likely to pass the bill. The ruling African National Congress party holds a majority of seats, and its parliament office welcomed the decision, saying the ICC has allowed non-member states to dictate and interfere with its work to suit their own imperialist agendas.

Mr Masutha said the statute conflicted with South Africa's Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, but that the government remained committed to the fight against impunity.

The United Nations confirmed on Friday receipt of South Africa's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, which will take effect one year from 19 October, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The instrument of withdrawal document has been assessed by the United Nations as bona fide and is being processed, Mr Dujarric said.

James Selfe, a senior executive in South Africa's main opposition Democratic Alliance, said the party would file a court application on Friday to set aside the plans on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, irrational and procedurally flawed.

Former South African judge Richard Goldstone, a respected figure in international justice and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said quitting the ICC was demeaning to the country.

From a moral standpoint, it detracts from the inspiring legacy of the administration of President Nelson Mandela that so strongly supported the ICC, said Goldstone, chairman of the advisory board of the coalition for the ICC, which provides strategic guidance on key issues.

The court, which sits in The Hague and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

But it has secured only five substantive verdicts in its 14-year history, all of them on African suspects, and several African countries have expressed concern that the continent is being picked on.

ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said international support in Africa and beyond is necessary for the court to fulfil its independent and impartial mandate to prosecute perpetrators of genocide and other crimes.

In January, the African Union backed a proposal by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta for officials of various member states to develop a road map on possible withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The decision was not legally binding as the final decision to leave the ICC would be taken by individual nations.

Adan Duale, leader of the majority in the Kenyan parliament, said impetus was building there to pass a bill on quitting the ICC that has been slowly making its way through the assembly.

Burundi's parliament voted last week to leave the court, although the United Nations has not yet been officially notified.

Mr Masutha said Pretoria would now drop its appeal to the Constitutional Court against a ruling that the state had made an error in letting Mr Bashir leave the country.

In June 2015, Mr Bashir, who was in Johannesburg for an African Union summit, was allowed to leave even though a court had ordered that he be kept in South Africa until the end of a hearing on whether he should be detained under a global arrest warrant.

The High Court ruled that he should have been arrested to face genocide charges at the ICC because, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Pretoria was obliged to implement arrest warrants.

The government lost an appeal at the Supreme Court in March and the appeal to the Constitutional Court was its last chance of overturning the ruling.

Reuters and Associated Press
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The father of a Gold Star solider slain in the Iraq War features in a new campaign advert for Hillary Clinton, questioning Donald Trumps stance on American Muslims.

The one-minute video shows Khizr Khan in his house, telling the story of his son Humayun Khan, who died in 2004, holding his former military cap and the American flag that wrapped his son's coffin when he was transported home from Iraq.

"He saw a suicide bomber approaching his camp. My son moved forward to stop the bomber when the bomb exploded.

"He saved everyone in his unit. Only one American soldier died. My son was Captain Humayan Kahn.

"He was 27 years old, and he was a Muslim American.

"I want to ask Mr Trump, would my son have a place in your America?"

His comments come shortly after the second presidential debate, where the Republican nominee said Mr Khan's son would be alive if Mr Trump had been president as he said he opposed the Iraq War.

The statement prompted Ms Clinton's adviser, Jesse Lehrich, to tell Mr Trump on twitter to "go f*** yourself". He later apologised for his language.

Mr Khan made a big impact when he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention, condemning Mr Trump for "smearing" American Muslims.

He waved a copy of the US constitution and challenged Mr Trump as to whether he had read it.

Mr Trump responded that Captain Khan was a "hero", but that his father, Mr Khan had been "nasty" to him.

He also asked whether his wife, Ghazala Khan, had been "allowed" to say anything at the convention as she stood beside her husband on the stage.

After the convention, Ms Khan explained to reporters that she stayed silent "because without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain".
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A video has shown the dramatic few minutes endured by two parents while their three-year-old boy had stopped breathing.

Bethany Hoover and John Geis of Granbury, Texas, can be seen pacing up and down, their face in their hands, as a police officer works to resuscitate their child.

Three-year-old Brayden had stopped breathing after a family trip to Kentucky Fried Chicken. He had a cold, which turned too quickly into a fever and caused a febrile seizure.

Recommended Read more Professional base jumper saves life of beginner

His father called 911 and officer Chase Miller was on the scene within one minute.

He took the limp child in his arms and laid him on the ground, attempting chest compressions.

He showed Mr Geis how to carry on with the compressions while the officer rushed to get a breathing mask from his car.

Within two minutes, Mr Miller had revived the boy. Brayden was treated at the local medical centre.

The child is now doing fine and is recovering with his family, police said in a news release.

Mr Miller was given the Life Saving Award for saving Brayden on 12 October.

The parents thanked the officer. Ms Hoover told ABC News: Our son is the world to us. Thats our world. That's our life.
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Jim Murphy, Donald Trumps national political director, is taking a step back from the campaign for personal reasons.

"I have not resigned but for personal reasons have had to take a step back from the campaign," Mr Murphy told Politico on Thursday without elaborating.

The development could mean trouble for the campaign as the election is just 19 days away and Mr Trumps popularity has taken a hit in recent weeks.

Mr Murphy has played a key role in establishing field programs in battleground states. According to Politico, theres widespread concern amongst Republicans that the partys nominee is far behind the Clinton campaign when it comes to swing state infrastructure.

Mr Murphy is a close ally of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of the Trump campaign. Mr Manafort resigned in August amid growing concerns over his ties to Ukraine politics.

It remains unclear who will replace Mr Murphys role in the Trump campaign.
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When asked if he would accept the result of the upcoming presidential election if he lost, Republican nominee Donald Trump told the audience in Las Vegas and the millions watching at home: I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense."

This brief comment became the biggest headline news to come out of the third debate, as many saw it as Mr Trump threatening to shatter a 240-year-old electoral tradition, one of the cornerstones of US democracy: the losing candidate must always concede defeat, regardless of the result.

Presidential rival Hillary Clinton called his stance horrifying, saying it was not the way our democracy works.

Barack Obama labelled Trump's comments as "dangerous", and damaging to democracy.

It was a moment that stirred a question in the minds of voters: what if Mr Trump decided to interfere with the result and mount a legal challenge, egged on by his discontented supporters?

The Independent spoke to Professor Iwan Morgan, director of the American Presidency Centre at University College London, and Thomas Donnelly, the National Constitution Centers Senior Fellow for Constitutional Studies, to see if it was a realistic prospect.

What would happen if Donald Trump launched a challenge?

Based on his recent unfounded accusations that this will be a rigged election, Mr Trump could decide to launch a legal challenge in the event the result came down to a small number of votes in a few key states.

Suppose Clinton wins with less than 50 per cent of the vote, which is quite possible with third-party candidates taking votes away from the two leading candidates, Professor Morgan said.

Trump would argue shes not the true president of the people and assemble lawyers for a challenge in the Supreme Court.

It would be a completely new issue for the American political system to tackle, and would effectively tear up the electoral rulebook.

Mr Trump would, in effect, be setting himself up as an alternative leader for his own supporters, who may then refuse to recognise the authority of their new president, and potentially create public unrest.

Mr Donnelly said a challenge could undermine the power of the president, presenting a difficult obstacle to the US political institution.

Constitutionally-speaking, the free speech tradition we have in the United States allows candidates to criticise and challenge the result, as long as it doesnt incite violence, he said.

But the peaceful transfer of power is a very important thing in American politics, dating back to our founding fathers.

Even when there was litigation following the George Bush-Al Gore election [in 2001], shortly after we saw a very humble concession speech from Mr Gore, which ruled out any further difficulties. Its just the way it happens.

What are the legal requirements for a challenge?

Mr Trump would need significant evidence that voting fraud had been committed on a large scale on election day for his challenge to be successful, Professor Morgan told the Independent.

Otherwise, his attempt to dispute the result would have no legal grounding and would be swiftly quashed in the Supreme Court.

Mr Donnelly said this is backed up by US federal law: They would have to challenge the voting results state-by-state, asking for recounts on close ties.

Any challenger would have to allege violations of state and federal law in great detail, which could take some time. Very strong legal arguments would be required for a challenge to carry any weight.

At present, there is no evidence for any illegal behaviour in the US electoral system. A study by the Loyola Law School found only 31 credible cases of voter fraud among more than one billion votes cast in elections from 2000 to 2014.

This despite Mr Trump claiming during a recent rally in Wisconsin that voter fraud is very, very common, and arguing voting booths could be rigged easily by people wishing to sabotage his campaign.

Has it happened before?

There is no modern precedent for challenging the result of a US presidential election, because the outcome has only been formally disputed twice in history, both times during the 19th century.

In 1824, the result was determined by the House of Representatives after neither candidate was able to secure enough votes. Critics of new president John Quincy Adams said he had secured his position through a corrupt bargain.

The 1876 election was one of the most contentious and controversial presidential elections in American history, with major disputes regarding vote counts in four southern states. An informal deal was struck to remove Republican troops from the south, in return for Rutherford Hayes becoming president.

What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Show all 9 1 /9 What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump denying claims from a number of women that he sexually assaulted them This is all fiction, all fictionalised, probably or possibly started by her and her very sleazy campaign. I didn't even apologise to my wife who is sitting right here because I didn't even do anything Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump claiming the Russian leader had no respect for Mrs Clinton She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her every step of the way. He has no respect for her. He has no respect for our President." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump interrupting Mrs Clinton with one of his most scathing personal attacks yet as she explained her policy on social security Such a nasty woman Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump claiming Mrs Clinton shouldn't have been allowed to run for presidency and that the election is rigged She should never have been allowed to run. Shes guilty of a very very serious crime. She should not be allowed to run. And just in that respect, I say its rigged. Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump voicing his pro-life stance during the abortion debate Based on what she's saying ... you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day, and that's unacceptable Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton suggesting this is not the first time Mr Trump has claimed results against him have been rigged There was even a time when Trump didn't get an Emmy for his TV programme three years in a row and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton responding to Mr Trump's lewd comments about women Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity and self-worth Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton implying Mr Trump is a puppet of Russian president Vladimir Putin He'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton comparing her political experience to Mr Trump's former television role On the day I was in the situation room monitoring the raid that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice he was hosting the Celebrity Apprentice Getty

The closest we have come in modern times is when Eisenhower encouraged Richard Nixon to dispute the result of the 1960 election against Kennedy, because of the votes in Texas and Illinois were disputed, Professor Morgan added.

Nixon declined to challenge the result, because he was worried it might leave America without a president during a crucial period in the Cold War. So there are no modern examples we can look to for guidance.

Could Hillary stop a potential challenge?

As mentioned before, there are no legal precedents to prevent Mr Trump from criticising and refusing to accept the result - so Mrs Clinton would have to deal with any challenges as they came.

The only way to make the result completely indisputable, and to stamp out any challenge, is for Clinton to win big, by a landslide, Professor Morgan continued. But the odds are currently against that.



The last time a presidential election was won by a landslide was in 1984, when the incumbent Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale to remain in power, with the approval of 49 states.

However, Mrs Clinton would not need the blessing of her opponent take power, and the process of her becoming president could go ahead as usual without Mr Trump's concession - even while a challenge was being discussed in the Supreme Court.

How long can Trump dispute the result?

Professor Morgan believes Mr Trump is likely to dispute the result for months if Mrs Clinton wins the election by a narrow margin, with awful implications for US electoral democracy.

Trump will probably dispute the result well into 2017 if he loses. Once the US electoral college validates the result, thats final, he said .

But it wont do much to stop any public unrest which could result from Trump losing, given the quantity of Trump supporters who already think the vote for this election will be rigged.

Mr Trump might even choose to launch another campaign in 2020 if he is unhappy with the result, Professor Morgan suggested.
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Politicians in Kyrgyzstan have lost the countrys constitution.

It emerged during a debate over planned changes to the law that nobody in the central Asian country knew where the original document was.

The most recent version of the constitution was approved by referendum in June 2010, when changes were made to give more authority to parliament and diminish the power of the president.

On 19 October members of the Kyrgyz parliament queried the exact location of the original copy of the document during a debate on whether to allow another referendum to take place in December, which could result in the consistution being amended again.

Some commentators have suggested the mystery of the missing document is a ruse to distract the population from concerns over planned changes to basic law in the country, which has a turbulent recent political past. In spring 2010, parliament was ransacked in a revolution which overthrew president Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Justice Minister Jyldyz Mambetalieva said her office had a copy of the 2010 constitution, but that the original is held by the presidential administration.

 Why thousands of young Kyrgyz women are kidnapped, forced to marry

Moldakun Abdyldayev, the presidential administrations liaison to parliament, contradicted her.

He said: We assumed that it was with the Justice Ministry. Now the minister is confirming that there is no original. That raises the question: where is the original?

Mr Abdyldasev added he had seen an archived decree on the constitution and a draft of the document that was later adopted by referendum, but never an actual signed version of the constitution itself.

Farid Niyazov, head of President Almazbek Atambayevs administration, told the 24.kg news agency a master copy might not even exist: although the law was approved by referendum, he said he believed it was never actually signed.

In any other country, of course, after the announcement of a public vote, the head of state should endorse the approved text, he said. But it so happens that this text has no signature.

Omurbek Tekebayev, a leading member of the 2010 interim government and a critic of the proposed amendments, told local media the whereabouts of the original hard copy of the document was a technicality and of little consequence since the text published in official newspapers and put to the referendum should be considered the definitive reference.

Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? Show all 20 1 /20 Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 311724.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 311725.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312264.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312265.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312266.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312267.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312268.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312269.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312270.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312271.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312273.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312274.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312276.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312278.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312281.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312277.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312272.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312301.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312283.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF Kyrgyzstan: Where have all the men gone? 312282.bin MALIK ALYMKULOFF

The proposed amendments to the constitution would see the prime minister given more power, at the expense of parliament. This has raised suspicion the incumbent president, who is limited constitutionally to one presidential term ending in 2017, could be preparing for his immediate entourage to retain their grip on power.

Critics are also concerned about a clause concerning supreme state values which could erode individual human rights.

Despite confusion over the location or even formal existence of the 2010 constitution, MPs on 19 October overwhelming approved the second reading of a bill to hold a referendum in December, which means the vote is extremely likely to go ahead.
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North Korea test-fired a missile that failed immediately after launch early on Thursday, the US and South Korean militaries said, hours after the two countries agreed to step up efforts to counter the North's nuclear and missile threats.

The missile, believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan, was launched from the western city of Kusong, from where the isolated state had attempted and failed to launch the same type of missile on Saturday, the US Strategic Command and South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The launch comes after the United States and South Korea agreed in Washington on Wednesday to bolster military and diplomatic efforts to counter the North's nuclear and missile programs, which it is pursuing in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

After a meeting with South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said such launches threatened the stability of the Korean peninsula and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

"We strongly condemn last night's attempt, that even in failing, violated several U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said at a news conference.

"This latest provocation only strengthens our resolve to work together with our (South Korean) allies to maintain stability on the peninsula."

The failed missile launch was the eighth attempt in seven months by the North to launch a weapon with a design range of 3,000 km (1,800 miles) that can be fired from road mobile launchers, the U.S. and South Korean militaries said.

Han said North Korea was conducting its missile launches for "political purposes" and was showing its limitations through the failures.

News of the North's latest ballistic missile launch came during the third and final U.S. presidential debate, in which Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, exchanged sharply contrasting views on US alliances in Asia.

Trump said US defence treaties around the world, including with South Korea, had to be renegotiated because "we're being ripped off by everybody in the world."

Clinton said Trump wanted to tear up alliances that keep nuclear proliferation in check, relationships that she believed make the world and the United States safer.

Japan condemned the North Korean launch and said it would make a formal protest through its embassy in Beijing.

North Korea has been pursuing its nuclear and missile programs at an unprecedented pace this year.

In June, it launched a Musudan missile that flew about 400 km (250 miles), more than half the distance to Japan, a flight that was considered a success by officials and experts in South Korea and the United States.

North Korea said on Thursday that it would continue to launch satellites despite its rival South's objections, in a statement by its space agency carried by official media.

Pyongyang says it has a sovereign right to pursue a space program by launching rockets carrying satellites, most recently in February, although Washington and Seoul worry that such launches are long-range missile tests in disguise.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking before the failed missile launch, said the United States would do "whatever is necessary" to defend itself, South Korea and other allies against North Korea.

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

Kerry and Carter reaffirmed that any attack by North Korea would be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons "met with an effective and overwhelming response," a joint statement said.

As part of the military effort, Kerry said the United States would deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence anti-missile system to South Korea "as soon as possible."

China strongly opposes deployment of the US system, saying it would impinge on its own strategic deterrence.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, also speaking in Washington on Wednesday, said North Korea was nearing the "final stage of nuclear weaponisation" and the allies would mobilize "all tools in the toolkit" to defend themselves.

A US aerospace expert, John Schilling, said this week in a report on the 38 North project that despite the missile launch failures, the pace of testing could enable the North to put the Musudan missile into operational service sometime next year.

Reuters
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Russias ambassador to the Philippines has said Moscow is ready to discuss an all-encompassing partnership with president Rodrigo Duterte, after he announced his country was separating from the United States.

Igor Khovaev confirmed the Russian government was willing to provide diplomatic assistance to the Philippines in any area, any field of possible cooperation, adding that the two countries deserve to know each other much, much better.

Formulate your wish list, Mr Khovaev told Mr Duterte, according to the GMA news agency. Think of what kind of assistance you expect from Russia and we will be ready to sit down with you and discuss what can and should be done.

Mr Khovaev added that Moscow would not interfere with the domestic affairs of a sovereign state and merely wanted to offer support.

During recent visit to China, Mr Duterte announced he believed America has lost and said he would go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia.

The US government said it would seek clarity on the presidents comments, while it was reported the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had had productive discussions with Mr Duterte during a visit to Laos in September.

The Philippines trade minister, Ramon Lopez, meanwhile said the talk of separation from the US had been misinterpreted.

The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, Kill me  AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life I was separated from my wife. Im not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA

In terms of economic [ties], we are not stopping trade, investment with America, he told CNN. The president specifically mentioned his desire to strengthen further the ties with China and the ASEAN region, which we have been trading with for centuries.

In early October, Mr Duterte effectively severed 65 years of military ties between the US and the Philippines by ordering US troops out of the country.

The president, who has been in power since June, has attracted condemnation from the US and EU for encouraging a violent and protracted war on drugs, in which 3,600 have been killed  prompting Mr Duterte to issue expletive-filled dismissals of all who opposed his policies.
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A powerful earthquake with a suspected magnitude of 6.6 has shaken western Japan, injuring seven people - one seriously.

The Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred Friday at 2:10 p.m. (0510 GMT) in Japan's western prefecture of Tottori, about 700 kilometers (430 miles) west of Tokyo, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) underground.

The epicentre of the quake was at a relatively shallow depth of 11km (7 miles) below the surface. Shallow quakes potentially cause more damage but most of Friday's damage appears to be minor or localised.

The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the inland temblor.

At least two houses collapsed, and television footage showed roof tiles knocked loose, wall fragments from a sake brewery fallen to the ground, and wine bottles and food items scattered on a store floor. Japan's public broadcaster NHK said a woman cooking in a restaurant was taken to a hospital after she was splashed with oil.

"It shook quite violently and file cabinets fell down, but luckily nobody was injured in this office," Koji Nakahara, a town hall official in coastal Hokuei, told NHK by telephone.

Suminori Sakinada, a local government official, told Agence France Presse: "We felt fairly strong jolts, which I think were the biggest in years, but we have not seen any damage or things falling".

A handout showing where the earthquake struck in Misasa, Tottori Prefecture (EPA)

Bullet train services have been suspended in the area and nearly 40,000 homes were believed to be temporarily left without power as the quake knocked out power lines.

NHK said switched-off nuclear reactors in the region were not affected.

 Cliffs collapse during New Zealand quake

Japan sits on the edge of four tectonic plates so earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are fairly commonplace but strict building regulations mean strong tremors rarely do damage to modern buildings.

But the quake comes five and a half years since a 9.0 undersea earthquake cause a tsunami, a meltdown at the Fukushima power plant and resulted in the deaths of over 18,000 people.

In pictures: Japan earthquakes Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures: Japan earthquakes In pictures: Japan earthquakes In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescuers check the damage area caused by earthquakes in Minamiaso, Kumamoto prefecture AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes Policemen search for survivors at a landslide site after earthquakes in Minami-Aso, Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes A search operation for missing persons is conducted around an area of mountain lodges which were buried in a landslide caused by earthquakes in Minamiaso, Kumamoto prefecture AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes Villagers gather in an evacuation center following a series of earthquakes in Minami Aso EPA In pictures: Japan earthquakes A scarred mountainside following a major landslide caused by a series of earthquakes in Minami Aso EPA In pictures: Japan earthquakes Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct search and rescue operations at an apartment which collapsed following an earthquake in Minamiaso town Reuters In pictures: Japan earthquakes A resident walks past collapsed houses in Mashiki AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes A landslide is seen after the earthquake in Minamiaso AP In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescue workers from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force dig a vehicle out from mud at a landslide site in Minamiaso EPA In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescuers guide dogs to search for victims buried in a landslide due to the recent earthquakes in the village of Minami-Aso in Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes A local resident rests with a pet dog at an evacuation center after an earthquake in Mashiki town Reuters In pictures: Japan earthquakes Collapsed houses caused by an earthquake are seen in Mashiki town Reuters In pictures: Japan earthquakes A shop clerk cleans broken wine bottles following an earthquake in Kumamoto city Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes A woman cleans up in front of her collapsed house in the town of Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Resident Nobuyuki Morita (R) and his wife look around a room in their house in the town of Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Policemen search for missing people in a damaged neighbourhood following twin earthquakes in Mashiki Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Local residents evacuate from the town centre in Kumamoto Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes Rescue team saved a man from his house buried alive Getty Images In pictures: Japan earthquakes An eight-month-old baby is carried away by rescue workers after being rescued from her collapsed home caused by an earthquake in Mashiki town Reuters

The then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the crisis the country "most difficult in the 65 years since the end of the Second World War".

Similarly a 1995 earthquake which struck Kobe in the south of the country killed over 6,000 people and made a further 200,000 homeless as many older buildings were destroyed and a freeway toppled over.
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Prosecutors in Italy are investigating the death of a 32-year-old woman who was allegedly refused an abortion which could have saved her life.

Valentina Milluzzos family claims the doctor treating her did not terminate her pregnancy when she began suffering severe complications because he was a conscientious objector to abortion. She died following a miscarriage.

The hospital involved has categorically rejected the allegation.

Ms Milluzzo was pregnant with twins when she went into premature labour at 19 weeks.

She was admitted to Cannizzaro hospital in Catania on the Italian island of Sicily on 29 September, the BBC reported.

Ms Milluzzo, who worked at a global banking and financial services company, was in a stable condition in hospital for more than a fortnight, but on 15 October her blood pressure and temperature dropped and her condition worsened.

According to a lawyer acting on behalf of the family, one of the foetuses was struggling to breathe.

The lawyer has alleged Ms Milluzzos gynaecologist refused to abort the foetuses to save the mother and said: As long as its alive, I will not intervene.

No action was taken while the foetus was still alive. Hours later both foetuses had died, the lawyer said.

Ms Milluzzo's condition deteriorated rapidly overnight and she contracted an infection. On 16 October she was transferred to intensive care, where she died.

Angelo Pellicano, the head of the Cannizzaro hospital, said the lawyer was wrong.

There was no conscientious objection on behalf of the doctor that intervened in this case because there was no voluntary termination of the pregnancy, but [the miscarriage] was forced by the grave circumstances, he told the Ansa news agency.

I rule out that a doctor could have told the family what they say he told them.

Sources reportedly told Ansa the doctor had not been registered as a conscientious objector.

Ms Milluzzos burial has been postponed while a post-mortem investigation is carried out and there are unconfirmed reports some of the hospitals medical staff may be investigated.

A senior doctor at the hospital, Paolo Scollo, told the Corriere website all the doctors in his department were objectors, and external doctors were called in when necessary. However, in this case were talking about a spontaneous miscarriage, no external help was needed. So we do not think the doctor was negligent, he said.

In 2013, 70 per cent of Italian gynaecologists refused to carry out abortions, according to Italian government figures.

In southern Italy the proportion was even higher and in Sicily it was 87.6 per cent.

The countries with anti-women laws Show all 5 1 /5 The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws

Despite being a Catholic country, Italy legalised abortion in 1978, as long as it is during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

After 12 weeks it is allowed only if the life of the mother is at risk or there is a problem with a foetus.

If there is a chance the foetus can survive outside the womb, termination is lawful only if pregnancy or delivery is a serious risk to the womans health.
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The European Union's lead Brexit negotiator wants British and EU officials to work in French rather than English during the divorce talks, an EU official familiar with Brussels' Brexit task force said on Friday.

Michel Barnier, the former French foreign minister running the complex separation with London, is keen that his native tongue be used in meetings and documents, the source told Reuters during a EU summit at which Theresa May was making her first appearance as prime minister at the European Council.

"Barnier wants French to be the working language in Brexit negotiations with Britain," the source said.

 Brexit negotiators are 'in cloud cuckoo land', says man who negotiated Britain's EU rebate

An EU spokeswoman stressed this was not an official line: "There is no language regime for the negotiations," she said.

A spokeswoman for May declined comment. "We will not comment until we receive a formal request," she said.

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

Using French marks a shift away from standard practice among multinational teams in Brussels, where French lost its status to English as the EU's main working language after northern and eastern states joined in the past two decades. Even officials from the EU's founding powers France and Germany now communicate with each other mainly in English.

It also sends a signal to May and her ministers that the EU plans to put its own interests first in negotiating divorce talks that the prime minister has promised to launch by March.

Barnier's boss, former Luxembourg premier and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was to meet May over lunch on Friday, has said the Union must be "intransigent" in defending its principles during the talks.

Many British diplomats in Brussels are fluent in French but ministers and Whitehall officials share with their fellow Britons the distinction of being among the poorest linguists in Europe.

Other officials involved in preparing for Brexit said they were unaware of Barnier proposing to use mainly French. But some have said that his task force, currently numbering 15 staff and including no Britons, has been conversing mainly in French.

Barnier, who speaks fluent if accented English, was an unpopular choice for some British politicians when Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appointed him. Some commentators described it as "an act of war".

As an EU commissioner until 2014, Barnier, 65, had a difficult relationship with London, as he sought to tighten regulation of Britain's dominant financial services industry. One British newspaper called him the "scourge of the City".

Some EU politicians have suggested that English might lose its status as one of three official working languages, along with French and German, as a result of Brexit. However, few see a realistic challenge to the global lingua franca even when Britons are no longer present in the European Union.

Reuters
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A 33-year-old Danish man has confessed to running an online paedophile ring, according to prosecutors.

The defendant said on his first day in court that he was the driving force behind the website, where members had to communicate only in Scandinavian languages, prosecutor Pernille Munch said.

Danish police said they had extracted 56,594 images of child pornography and 3,174 videos from the man's computers and hard drives so far, but added the total amount of pornographic material contained on the devices could be much greater.

As well as operating the Scandinavian site, the man, from the eastern island of Bornholm, was allegedly an administrator of The Love Zone, a global paedophile network run by Australian Shannon McCoole, which was used by more than 1,000 paedophiles around the world.

Members of the site had to submit new pornographic posts every week to maintain their membership, The Local reported, and could rise higher in the site hierarchy if they submitted more images, and gain more access to material submitted by other people.

Both sites were hidden in the dark net, and could only be accessed through the Tor network, which hides users' IP addresses.

Danish police raided the mans house in February this year, seizing a desktop computer and hard drives containing several terabytes of encrypted data.

Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales Show all 10 1 /10 Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253562.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253563.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253564.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253566.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253567.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253568.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253569.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253570.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253571.bin Getty Images Ten biggest crime spots in England and Wales 253574.bin Getty Images

According to Mr Munch, some of the material shared portrays serious sexual acts on children.

Last year, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK uncovered another Scandinavian-only paedophile site called Scandiland, which was also hidden deep in the "dark net".
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An anti-government Reichsburger has attacked police in Germany just a day after an officer was shot dead by another extremist from the group.

The man punched officers and called them Nazis after refusing to leave council offices in the town of Salzwedel on Thursday.

Police in Saxony-Anhalt said the suspect was a member of the Reichsburger movement, which claims the current German state is illegitimate and refuses its authority.

Civil servants called the police when he and his wife refused to leave their office but when officers arrived, the pair launched a verbal and physical attack.

When officers announced they would be able to [remove the couple from the building], the man suddenly launched an attack, a police statement said.

He struck out at officers and insulted them as Nazis. When they tried to restrain him, his wife attacked one of the officers.

A police officer was taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries, alongside the 43-year-old suspect, who was subdued and arrested.

Ministers have called on a crackdown on the Reichsburger movement after a follower opened fire on police attempting to confiscate his arsenal of hunting weapons in Bavaria on Wednesday.

Police officers gather in front of a house where a man opened fire on police in Georgensgmuend, Germany, 19 October 2016. (EPA)

Four officers were seriously injured in the raid in Georgensgmund, with one later dying of gunshot wounds in hospital.

The attack sparked calls from the Bavarian interior minister to increase surveillance of the Reichsburgerbewegung (Reich Citziens Movement), which has already been under intensive observation by state intelligence services because of some members far-right aims.

To be part of the Reichsburger movement is to be a right-wing extremist, Joachim Herrmann added.

Reichsburgers adhere to their own self-declared government, known as the KRR, which issues its own version of official documents such as driving licences, while followers frequently spurn federal taxes or fines.

They are mainly known for aggravating German authorities by pursuing obscure legal claims rather than violence, but a member was wounded during a gun battle as he was evicted from his home in August.

A recent report by Berlin's state intelligence service describes the Reichsburgers as an extremely diverse range of small groups and individuals who believe in an ideological mixture of conspiracy theories, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic views, and who have been behaving increasingly aggressively for some time.

Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP

The Georgensgmund shooter, who is unemployed and previously operated a martial arts school, had reportedly written scurrilous letters on the movement after joining in the summer. He remains in police custody.

The German interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, called for new measures to be taken to protect police officers after condemning the police officers horrific death.

Police officers are giving everything for the safety of our country, he added. The increasing number of attacks by extremists is unbearable and unacceptable.

Mr de Maiziere said the status of the Reichsburger movement would be re-evaluated by the government as it examines the possibility of further surveillance and security measures.

Germany remains on a state of high alert following a series of terror attacks by Isis supporters, including a suicide bombing in Ansbach and axe attack on a train.

But there is also growing concern over far-right movements, which have been gathering increasing support during tensions over the refugee crisis and sexual assaults in Cologne.

Centres for asylum seekers have been the target of arson attacks and racist graffiti, while police uncovered a neo-Nazi plot to attack refugee accommodation with explosives last year.
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People who become obsessed with pursuing comfort and cosiness as part of a hygge lifestyle could suffer severe health issues in the future, respiratory experts have warned.

Hygge, the Danish word for cosiness and pronounced hoo-gah, has been used to refer to a new wellbeing trend from Denmark that has become popular across the world this year.

It has been interpreted as being a state where all psychological needs are in balance to make people more happy, according to happiness expert Meik Wiking, and involves cosying up with lots of candles, low lighting, soft music and indulgent winter foods.

Several books, including Mr Wikings own Little Book of Hygge have recently been published proclaiming the psychological and emotional benefits of the practice, but now health experts have warned hygge could be more physically damaging than previously thought.

Jrn Toftum, associate professor at the Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy at the Technical University of Denmark, explained that using candles to excess could give dedicated hygge-junkies respiratory problems.

Candles give off a large amount of particles when they burn, and those particles enter the lungs, he told Danish broadcaster TV2.

Recommended Read more 7 reasons Denmark is the happiest country in the world

Some of the particles are so tiny that they completely exit the deepest lung tissue and enter our bloodstream, which could potentially cause problems.

Professor Ian Adcock from the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London confirmed to The Independent that the dangers should be recognised.

Jrn Toftum is correct - the production of particles from candles can have marked detrimental effects on the lungs leading to conditions similar to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and can exacerbate asthma, he said.

There is a large amount of information regarding indoor pollution from studies in the developing world where cooking over wood fires and the burning of wicks for light in enclosed spaces produces very high levels of particulates, which can be much higher than those seen with diesel traffic pollution, for example.

It is the long term exposure to these particles in enclosed spaces that causes problems.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

A study by the University of York published in January this year found certain scented candles may give off dangerous levels of the toxic chemical formaldehyde and may cause cancer if overused in the home.

Lars Gunnarsson, a professor at the Danish Building Research Institute, said the recent obsession with hygge could create issues experts were not yet aware of.

In Denmark we are amongst the worlds highest consumers of candles. It is quite extreme in an international context that we use so many, he said.

I can see this 'hygge-junkie' conduct is very widely spread, judging by what I see among the people around me, and theres no doubt that the particles given off by candles can be very, very powerful.

In March, Denmark regained the number one spot in the list of happiest countries, the annual World Happiness Report - with some attributing the general atmosphere of contentment to the pursuit of hygge.
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Norways integration minister has been widely mocked and asked to "reconsider her position" after telling the countrys Muslims to adapt to the country's culture.

Sylvi Listhaug, from the anti-immigrant Progress Party, caused fury and confusion on Monday when she posted on Facebook on the eve of a national integration conference. I think those who come to Norway need to adapt to our society, read the post.

Ms Listhaug has since clarified the comment, which was liked more than 20,000 times, claiming she was misunderstood.

Sylvi Listhaug, the Norwegian immigration minister, was 'rescued' from the Aegean Sea off Lesbos on 19 April 2016 Facebook (Facebook)

Here we eat pork, drink alcohol and show our face. You must abide by the values, laws and regulations that are in Norway when you come here.

The countrys coalition government, which includes Ms Listhaugs party and the centre-right Conservative party, has been playing tough with the countrys Muslims over the past week.

Ms Listhaug also echoed Prime Minister Erna Solberg who said in an interview that she would not personally employ someone wearing the Islamic niqab face veil.

Ms Listhaugs post however still drew criticism.

Its a general civil right to choose what you want to eat in this country and in other countries, said user Bente Bull.

Listhaug is creating problems.

Elisabeth Rnnild wrote: The stupidest thing Ive ever read.

Norwegian criminologist Omar Gilani Syed, who has worked on refugee integration, asked via the Aftenposten newspaper whether Ms Listhaug should reconsider her position.

If she does not understand the complexity and does not have the expertise to deal with these social issues in a good way, it's time to ask: should Listhaug reconsider her position? he said.

Norway Labour party politician Zaineb Al-Samarai wrote in an article for Dagbladet newspaper: If you are to be integration minister, you must begin to integrate. Do not frighten and separate people.

Ms Listhaug has clarified her position on social media, making it clear she never told anyone what they should be eating. She wrote on Tuesday: You misunderstand me, but thats the way it is. Not for the first time. I mean, of course they should not be forced to drink alcohol or eat pork.

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What I said is that I expect when you come to Norway, to align yourself with the Norwegian labour market. Its about how one must endure serving pork if you will be working in a restaurant, or serve alcohol if you work at a piano bar. And in the same way, you dont turn up in sweatpants and caps on a job interview, you have to think about how to dress to get a job.

A total 31,150 people, 10,448 of them from Syria, sought asylum in Norway in 2015, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

That influx has dropped by a staggering 95 per cent after a wave of strict border checks and financial incentives were brought in to dissuade refugees. There were only 1,200 asylum applicants in the first third of 2016.

A 660ft-long and 11ft-high steel border fence being built on the Norway-Russia border is due to be completed before the winter frosts.
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The Danish royal family has been accused of making the country look callous and out of touch for posing in animal furs on a commemorative stamp.

Crown Prince Frederik, his wife Princess Mary and their four children were all photographed in seal fur-lined boots for a new stamp to commemorate the couples wedding anniversary.

In Denmark, couples traditionally mark 12-and-a-half years of marriage  known as their copper anniversary.

The family were photographed in seal fur from Greenland where it is traditionally used for clothing.

But animal rights group Peta condemned their choice of footwear saying: Its hard to think of a less appropriate way to commemorate in the skins of animals whose families were slaughtered to make them."

The charitys European spokeswoman, Sascha Camilli, told The Local: Times have changed, and unless Danes wish to be viewed as callous and out of touch, they should start creating new traditions that celebrate compassion and replace those tired, cruelly produced furs with new eco-friendly and humane fabrics.

The Danish Royal Family has not commented on the controversy but this is not the first they have provoked the outrage of the outspoken animal rights group.

During a trip to Greenland in September, Princess Mary, who is originally from Australia, angered her home countrys branch of Peta by wearing a designer coat lined with seal fur.

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

The group told the Daily Mail at the time: Despite being made aware of all the cruelties of the fur industry, it still hasn't clicked for Princess Mary that wearing animals makes her look cold-hearted and totally out of touch.

The majority of Australian people shun fur, and it's time that the princess gave animals a fair go by going fur-free.

In 2013, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) upheld a ban on Canadian and Norwegian seal fur imports by the EU.

The WTO ruled that the ban addressed public moral concerns about the production and sale of the fur which Peta claims involved the clubbing to death of three-month old seals.
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A deadly pink pill bearing the Superman logo and being sold as ecstasy has prompted a 'red alert', amid fears it could be making its way to the UK.

The Trimbos Institute, a Dutch non-profit and publicly-funded mental health and addiction research centre, issued the warning after the tablet appeared on the market in the Netherlands.

It came as the Amsterdam Dance Event got underway, a five-day electronic music festival that claims to be the world's biggest of its kind.

"The risk of a fatal dosage here is much higher than normal," Sander Rigter, a drug and monitoring policy researcher at Trimbos, told The Independent.

"It's a dangerous tablet."

The red-alert warning, which are issued as rarely as once a year in the Netherlands, said the pill can lead to fatal overheating, as well as heart, liver and kidney failure".

Mr Rigter said a "recreational" drug user, who bought the pill, handed it to Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) test centre last week for research.

The pill was found to contain a high dose of PMMA (para-methoxy-n-methylamphetamine), which is a toxic psychedelic substance, when "99 times out of 100" the pill would contain the less risky - but still potentially dangerous - MDMA.

Experts say the tablet gives the illusion of a low-dose similar to the effects of MDMA, but that physical side-effects kick in an hour after of digestion.

Do not use this pill, a statement issued by the institute said.

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Users of these pills are urged to anonymously offer them up for DIMS analysis. See www.drugs-test.nl for addresses.

Use of ecstasy is never without risk. If you do not want to run any risk, do not use.

In recent years, at home and abroad, several people deceased after using drugs with PMMA.

British Police also issued similar statements earlier this week when 16-year-old Shellie Callaghan died after taking the "purple ninja turtle" pill at a house party.

Mr Rigter added: "There is always a chance this pill could enter the UK.

"The situation is basically the same as in 2014, when a pink superman tablet emerged in Holland and then several batches emerged in other countries, Belgium, UK and Sweden from the top of my head, where people also deceased.

"It is a sinister and dark tablet. It's quite common, that in 99 out of 100 times, these pills contain MDMA, but all of a sudden it contains PMMA, with the same logo as two years ago. So, that is remarkable."
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Syrias government says it has opened a new humanitarian corridor for those who wish to leave east Aleppo during the citys temporary ceasefire, but residents inside the siege barricades say they are being prevented from leaving by rebels.

Friday was the second day of a three-day ceasefire during daylight hours announced by the Russian and Syrian governments in a bombing campaign which has killed approximately 500 people in the last month.

Russia announced that the pause would allow medical evacuations, and let both civilians and rebels leave for neighbouring rebel-held Idlib province under a promised amnesty.

The rebel coalition Free Syrian Army put out a statement rejecting the deal. Nonetheless, thousands of leaflets dropped on east Aleppo by helicopters urged the 250,000 strong population to leave the rebel neighbourhood - and promised fighters death if they did not lay down their arms.

At least two major corridors and six more safe exits were set up by Syrian troops, while state television broadcast footage of green buses waiting on the government-held side of the city - but only a small number were evacuated on Thursday, state media said.

Several residents inside east Aleppo reported that people trying to cross into the West were shot at by mortar fire. ITV news crews reporting from West Aleppo said they saw rebel mortar rockets targeting checkpoints scatter people as they fled for their lives.

Rebel sources and activists from the Aleppo Media Centre said reports of the opposition stopping evacuations were fabricated.

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The UN did not say assign blame, but the agencys humanitarian wing said that plans to evacuate people in need of medical attention had broken down on Friday, citing a lack of security assurances from both sides. The necessary conditions were not in place to ensure safe, secure and voluntary movement of people, spokesperson Jens Laerke said in Geneva.

Syria's ambassador to the UN in Geneva accused the international body of quoting the demands of terrorists inside Aleppo to justify their failure to evacuate.

The evacuation of wounded should be done unconditionally, Hussam Aala added.

The UN has asked for the ceasefire to be extended. East Aleppo - under siege by regime forces since July - is running critically low of medical supplies, fuel and food.

A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city Show all 6 1 /6 A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city aleppo-woman.jpg REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city aleppo-gun.jpg REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city aleppo-truck.jpg REUTERS/Abdel Razzak al-Halabi A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city aleppo-body.jpg REUTERS/Abdel Razzak al-Halabi A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city aleppo-wounded.jpg REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city ALEPPO-WRECKAGE.jpg REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Inside the siege barricades, protesters gathered in the neighbourhood of Shaar on Thursday night with banners reading Revolutionaries dont give up, No to displacement, and No to Putin to demand a permanent end to the shelling, rather than just a ceasefire.

Similar reports emerged during last months US- and Russian-brokered ceasefire, when UN aid was prevented from reaching civilians inside the siege barricades both by the Syrian government, who claimed the trucks did not have permission permits from Damascus, and by protesters who gathered to block roads, demanding the siege be lifted.

Analysts expect the Syrian operation to retake the entire city to intensify after the current truce ends. The intense bombing campaign - followed up by a slow but steady ground troop assault - to retake the city would mark a significant victory for President Bashar al-Assad, ending rebel control of Syrias major urban centres.

A massive deployment of Russian warships and an aircraft carrier containing fighter jets left Murmansk on Wednesday, headed for the Syrian coast, Nato officials said.
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Isis has attacked the Iraqi city of KIrkuk in an effort to draw attention away from the US-backed coalition force's new attempt to free Mosul from the group's control.

Assault rifles and explosives were used in the surprise offensive in the early hours of Friday when fighters stormed a power plant north of the city, shooting 10 people and detonating two suicide bombs when police arrived.

In Kirkuk itself, local Kurdish television broadcast live footage in which multiple explosions and heavy gunfire could be heard in what is believed to be an attack on a government compound in the city centre.

There are conflicting reports as to whether fighters managed to take control of any buildings. Head of police Sarhad Quadir said that Isis fighters gained control of a disused police station for a few hours after detonating three car bombs, but were driven out by an elite Iraqi counter terrorism unit.

Later on Friday, local Rudaw News said that all but two militants had been killed, and were engaged in a shootout with Kurdish peshmerga forces. Rudaw also published photos which it says showed armed civilians who had joined the hunt for remaining fighters.

There has been no confirmation of either civilian or Kurdish troop fatalities in the Kirkuk assault. A senior peshmerga commander said that he believed that Isis maintains sleeper cells in the town and surrounding villages, and posed as people displaced by the fighting in Mosul in order to carry out Fridays attack.

Many of [the displaced civilians], I'm sure they are working with Isis, Kerkuki said. We arrested one recently and he confessed [he was part of a sleeper cell].

Kirkuk's governor Najmaldin Karim also said that fighters had managed to infiltrate the city among the waves of people from the countryside who have fled to the urban area. "It was expected that Isis sleeper cells would make a move one day in Kirkuk, now that the Mosul offensive has started and they want to boost their own morale this way, he said.

 Dramatic footage shows Elite Iraq forces battle on road to Bartella in fight for Mosul

Kirkuk is 100 miles away from Mosul and 180 miles north of Baghdad. The town has been attacked by Isis on several occasions since the group overran up to a third of Iraq in a blitz across the country in 2014.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that a long-anticipated offensive to retake Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, had begun on Monday.

Fighting has been intense, with allied Iraqi army, Kurdish peshmerga forces and Iraqs elite Counter Terrorism Service making gains, retaking villages in the Nineveh plain to the north, east and south of the city. On Thursday, the US-backed forces retook the town of Bartella to the east, just nine miles away from the city itself.

Residents in the city reported on Thursday that Isis was confiscating mobile phones and SIM cards and food prices were rocketing, as the civilian population and around 4,000 fighters tense for battle.

The UN and aid agencies are also braced for what is likely to be a huge humanitarian crisis when hostilities approach more built-up areas. Around 6,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting so far, the UN said, but up to 700,000 people could flee for fear of being caught in crossfire.
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Isis has abducted at least 550 families from villages around Mosul to use them as human shields as Iraqi and Kurdish forces continue their advance on the city.

The United Nations said it was gravely worried for civilians who have been forced to leave their homes and enter Mosul, which is surrounded from three sides and under bombardment from the US-led coalition.

Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Isis fighters were keeping families close to their headquarters or bases, putting them at risk from air strikes and advancing troops.

 Mosul battle: Civilians flee ahead of fighting

He said there was particular concern for men, women and children minority groups, adding: There is a grave danger that Isil (Isis) fighters will not only use such vulnerable people as human shields but may opt to kill them rather than see them liberated.

On Monday, militants forced about 200 families to leave the village of Samalia to walk towards Mosul, while on the same day another 350 families were moved from Najafia village.

The UN is also attempting to verify reports that at least 40 civilians were shot dead by Isis in one of the villages for attempting to rise up against the extremists or being suspected of disloyalty.

Mr al-Hussein said the terrorist group was attempting to prevent people escaping to areas controlled by enemy forces.

The killings and abuses committed by Isil fighters when they captured Mosul in 2014, and the horrors they have subjected its inhabitants to ever since, should leave us in no doubt as to the risk civilians face as the fighting for control of Mosul and surrounding areas continues, he added.

We know Isil has no regard for human life, which is why it is incumbent upon the Iraqi government to do its utmost to protect civilians.

We are also concerned at reports that some civilians have no choice but to flee west  that is further into Isil-controlled territory  where Shia militia are also believed to be operating.

In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty

There have been concerns over the treatment of civilians by Iraqi troops and militias following allegations of abuse as Isis was driven out of Fallujah, where Amnesty International said hundreds of Sunni Arab civilians were detained, tortured and killed while trying to flee.

The International Rescue Committee said all men and boys over the age of 14 displaced by the Mosul offensive were to undergo security screening monitored by charities.

Shia militia leaders have attempted to calm fears of sectarian tensions by announcing they would focus on Tal Afar, a town to the west of Mosul, rather than on the predominantly Sunni Muslim city itself.

Mr al-Hussein called on all parties in the conflict to abide by international law and observe the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to minimise damage and casualties.

Isil fighters who have been be captured or have surrendered should be held accountable in accordance with the law for any crimes they have committed, he added.

We are urging the Iraqi authorities to take all possible steps to prevent armed groups operating alongside the Iraqi security forces from any form of revenge attack on civilians fleeing Isil.

A flag belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) along a street in the city of Mosul (Reuters)

The Commissioner said child soldiers who had been indoctrinated and exploited to carry out attacks by Isis must be treated as children, rather than combatants.

About 1.5 million residents are still believed to be inside Mosul, with more than 5,600 displaced from their homes outside the city by the offensive so far, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

Humanitarian organisations have raised concern over inadequate provision for civilians displaced by the operation, which is expected to become the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shia militias captured several villages as they continued their advance overnight on Thursday, with Isis killing 18 people in a terror attack on a power station in Kirkuk as retaliation.

A member of the American military also died on Thursday from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast near Mosul.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, addressing anti-Isis coalition allies meeting in Paris via video link, said the offensive was advancing more quickly than planned but there were warnings progress could slow as troops hit networks of defensive trenches, tunnels and booby traps.
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Saudi blogger Raif Badawi is facing a new round of lashes, according to his supporters.

A Canadian foundation campaigning for his release said a reliable source in Saudi Arabia told them he faces a renewed threat of flogging.

The 32-year-old was handed 1,000 lashes and a ten-year jail term in 2014 for insulting Islam online.

Mr Badawi received his first 50 lashes in public in January 2015, prompting international condemnation. Arrangements for his continued flogging have been postponed amid concerns for his health.

Ms Abitol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with the bloggers wife told Reuters: Unfortunately, it could happen at any time, if it happens.

A statement released by the foundation said: As of today, we received from a private source the sad news concerning the fact that the Saudi government will resume the lashing punishment against Raif Badawi.

Our source is the same that informed us about the first 50 lashes Raif Badawi received in a public place on January 9 2015.

Our understanding of the information is that another series of lashes punishment will take place this time inside the prison.

The claims could not be independently confirmed.

Recommended Read more Saudi Arabia cannot throw every decent person who speaks out into jail

The foundation has renewed its call on countries with ties to the Saudi government to intervene on the bloggers behalf.

One such country is Canada, where Mr Badawis wife Ensaf Haidar and their three children have been granted political asylum.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who gave Mr Badawi the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2015, said the punishment was inhuman and he was saddened.

Ms Haidar, told Deutsche Welle: "I was totally shocked by the news. I'm worried and scared that they'll carrying on whipping him.

"I'm concerned about Raif's health, which is not good  either mentally or physically.

In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Helvetiaplatz, Berne, Switzerland In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in London, UK In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Ensaf Haider speaks during a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Ottawa, Canada In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Warsaw, Poland In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests A poster depicting Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, asking for his immediate release, hangs on a gate of a building in Italy In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Paris, France In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Brussels, Belgium In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi AFP In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Ensaf Haidar, centre, wife of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, holds a vigil in Montreal, Quebec, urging Saudi Arabia to free her husband Getty In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Participant of the Amnesty International protest holds a banner which reads: 'Je suis Raif!' in front of the Saudi Embassy, The Hague, The Netherlands In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, in front of the Saudi Embassy in The Hague In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests A participant attends the Amnesty International protest demanding the immediate release of Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, in front of the Saudi Embassy, The Hague, The Netherlands In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Amnesty International stages a protest demanding the immediate release of Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, in front of the Saudi Embassy, The Hague, The Netherlands In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Protesters simulate a flogging in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, during a demonstration against the 10-year prison sentence and 1,000 lashes of Saudi activist Raef Badawi for 'insulting Islam' in a blogpost In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Protesters simulate a flogging in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, during a demonstration against the 10-year prison sentence and 1,000 lashes of Saudi activist Raef Badawi for 'insulting Islam' in a blogpost

"I really hope that Saudi Arabia will not go ahead and implement the sentence. I would hope that the Saudi authorities strip Raif of his citizenship and then deport him to Canada to be with us."

Mr Badawi founded the now-closed Liberal Saudi Network, an online forum that facilitated religious and political debate.

He was arrested in 2012 and charged with insulting Islam through electronic channels and going beyond the realm of obedience.

Later, after the blogger refused to repent to God a judge recommended he be tried for apostasy  a crime that carries the death penalty in the country.

Instead Mr Badawi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 public lashes  a punishment that was increased in 2014 to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.
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The Syrian government has accused Turkey of escalating the complex war in Syria by carrying out air strikes near Aleppo, warning that further Turkish planes in Syrian airspace will be brought down by all means available.

The Turkish air force struck 18 different Kurdish targets in Maarraat Umm Hawsh near Aleppo on Thursday, killing up to 200 soldiers. Ankara has significantly escalated its military presence in the Syrian civil war since August, successfully driving out Isis from the border region and attempting to curb Kurdish efforts at territorial expansion, which it sees as a threat to Turkish sovereignty.

The Syrian Defence Ministry released a statement on Thursday accusing Turkey of flagrant aggression, which targeted innocent citizens, warning Turkeys incursions deeper into Syria are a dangerous development that could escalate the situation.

Any attempt to once again breach Syrian airspace by Turkish war planes will be dealt with and they will be brought down by all means available, the statement said.

Turkish-backed Syrian Sunni rebel groups and Kurdish militias have been fighting for control of areas their combined strength has managed to recently retake from Isis.

The situation is also likely to further inflame Turkeys relations with the US since the Nato allies disagree over the role of Kurdish forces in the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts.

 Syrias war: Foreign fighters deepen sectarian divide

The US State Department distanced itself from from Ankaras actions on Thursday. Contrary to some reports, US was not involved in Turkey airstrikes last night, spokesperson John Kirby said, adding that uncoordinated movements only benefit Isis.

Syria shot down a Turkish military jet in 2012, which it said flew just one kilometre away from the Syrian coast. Turkey later said that the plane had entered Syrian airspace by mistake, but had been shot down while flying over international waters.
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As obscure American airport codes go, you might think ORD takes the inflight biscuit. The city is Chicago, the airport OHare. Neither of those explains the three-letter identifier, which is derived from ORcharD Field  the name of the original airstrip, long obliterated by the eight runways of one of the busiest airports in the world. Yet theres a more confusing code: you could soon be flying from LHR to MSY, the latest route announced by British Airways.

These three-letter codes were created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) soon after it was founded in 1945, to try to make the airline business more efficient. Today IATA describes them as fundamental to the smooth running of hundreds of electronic applications which have been built around these coding systems for passenger and cargo traffic purposes. And it even applies them to some important railway stations; London Paddington, one end of the Heathrow Express, is QQP, while even York nowhere near an airport  gets QQY.

LHR is familiar enough as the abbreviation for London Heathrow. But why would Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport choose to be known by an apparently random series of letters such as MSY?

All codes beginning with N have been requisitioned by the US navy and are not available for civilian use. (Which, incidentally, explains why Newark Liberty international airport is EWR.) So the New Orleans airport authorities opted for the acronym for Moisant Stock Yards, the agricultural facility once adjacent to the airstrip.

Whatever you call it, New Orleans is worth the journey. No other US city distils so much intrigue into so small an area as the French Quarter (now wouldnt FRQ be a better code?). It feels like a spruced-up version of Havana, complete with delicious food at still-affordable prices. Try Johnnys Po Boys, the only restaurant I know that has a street address involving a fraction (number 511-and-a-half on St Louis Street). A Po Boy is a baguette filled with anything from shrimp to bacon and eggs, and Johnny applies the catchy slogan, Even my failures are edible.

New Orleans also provides a gateway to the implausibly lush and languid state of Louisiana, as well as Mississippi and Alabama.

Yet as I wrote after BAs announcement of the New Orleans route, the US still has vast swathes of territory off the airlines radar. I picked out five: the two great Tennessee music cities of Nashville and Memphis; New Mexicos major metropolis, Albuquerque; Jacksonville in Florida; and Honolulu, the state capital of Hawaii.

The response on Twitter was swift. Definitely flights to Hawaii! said Linda Kemp. Thatll be HoNoLulu, then. Linda Murfitt said: Nashville is an incredible place! Nashville airports code, by the way, is BNA; since it cant begin with an N, they added B for Berry Field at the front.

But can any more flights be justified? As Jock McTavish tweeted, Just what the airline industry needs, more transatlantic capacity. Well, the US airlines firmly believe in the hub-and-spoke model, which offers a multiplicity of possible connections and fills up planes. Yet direct flights, especially on modern planes such as the Boeing 787, are more efficient as well as more appealing to the traveller. So if there were more non-stop options, we might not need a couple of dozen flights a day from LHR to JFK  for the benefit of passengers and the planet.

Click here to view the latest travel offers, with Independent Holidays.
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While not as protectionist in her instincts as Donald Trump  it was her husband Bill, after all, who signed into law the historic North America Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico  Hillary Clinton has struck some notably hostile noises about the current pattern of US trade deals.

She has unequivocally stated that she would block the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, which seeks to build a new closer economic relationship between the US and China, principally, as well as other Pacific Rim nations, some of them fast-growing (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam). Quite apart from its trade and prosperity boosting results, it would help strengthen some strained relations with friends and allies across the oceans, notably the Philippines, once an American colony, then a puppet, now a wayward acquaintance led by a man who makes Donald Trump look liberal, President Rodrigo Duterte, and who is openly flirting with Russia. The Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia need America to counter a more assertive and expansionist China in the South China Sea. Remote from Britain, true, but we all know what instability and an East Asian currency crisis can do to the world economy (and if not, look up the 1998 fracas).

 Trump and Clinton trade barbs at 'good-natured' gala

Given all that, a trade agreement with the EU, (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) or the UK for that matter would also be treated sceptically by a Clinton White House, let alone Congress, which has to ratify all US treaties. As a former Secretary of State she would express herself diplomatically, and observe the niceties of summits and talks, but dont expect that much on trade from her, either bilaterally or via some great leap forwards in the World Trade Organisation regime (which would be Britains default position if Brexit meant hard Brexit).

If Clinton 2.0 represents a broad continuation of the policies of the Obama administration, then it doesnt look that encouraging for post-EU Britain. Clinton has made no secret of her views on Brexit  she doesnt much like it, and she is likely to follow the line set by President Obama in his famous intervention, that Britain will be at the back of the queue for a trade deal. This would be particularly disturbing if it meant any worsening in the Citys position in international finance. Observers have noted how New York is probably the bigger rival to Londons pre-eminence, rather than Frankfurt or Paris; and London is also heavily dependent on the large US-based investment banks for its critical mass, and they are making threatening noises about Brexit. Clinton, with her background as a New York senator, may understand their mind-set better than most.

As with Donald Trump, or any other inhabitant of the White House, she will have to cope with a Congress packed with sectional and industrial interest groups whichever party the members nominally belong to. That is always a difficulty. The UKs problem is that a President Hillary Clinton wouldnt pick a fight with the Congress over this particular issue, and has little incentive to move Britain up the list of things to sort out in the early part of her term of office. Under her husband and under President Obama, the Democrats have had an uneasy relationship with British Conservatives, who sent advisers to try and defeat the Bill Clinton campaign in 1992. Barack Obama, a former Chicago community activist, meanwhile, never seemed to quite hit it off with the Eton-educated David Cameron (though he and the Queen obviously have a mutual admiration). So though 2017 could see women leaders in the Bundeskanzleramt, the White House and Number 10, their gender is about all they share.

What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Show all 9 1 /9 What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump denying claims from a number of women that he sexually assaulted them This is all fiction, all fictionalised, probably or possibly started by her and her very sleazy campaign. I didn't even apologise to my wife who is sitting right here because I didn't even do anything Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump claiming the Russian leader had no respect for Mrs Clinton She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her every step of the way. He has no respect for her. He has no respect for our President." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump interrupting Mrs Clinton with one of his most scathing personal attacks yet as she explained her policy on social security Such a nasty woman Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump claiming Mrs Clinton shouldn't have been allowed to run for presidency and that the election is rigged She should never have been allowed to run. Shes guilty of a very very serious crime. She should not be allowed to run. And just in that respect, I say its rigged. Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mr Trump voicing his pro-life stance during the abortion debate Based on what she's saying ... you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day, and that's unacceptable Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton suggesting this is not the first time Mr Trump has claimed results against him have been rigged There was even a time when Trump didn't get an Emmy for his TV programme three years in a row and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton responding to Mr Trump's lewd comments about women Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity and self-worth Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton implying Mr Trump is a puppet of Russian president Vladimir Putin He'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States Getty What did Donald Trump say during the third presidential debate? Mrs Clinton comparing her political experience to Mr Trump's former television role On the day I was in the situation room monitoring the raid that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice he was hosting the Celebrity Apprentice Getty

Clinton is far more cautious on tax cuts and balancing the budget (or rather reducing the deficit) than Donald Trump, and she has lots of creative ideas on boosting womens engagement in the economy and helping small business, but she is a little short on the big picture of where she wants the numbers to go. She certainly wants to make the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of tax. This would, in the short term at least, help reduce Americas deficit and build a more equal society. Longer term it might hurt incentives, depress investment and stifle entrepreneurship, and thus depress tax revenues and widen the budget deficit  an old debate in American economics. It all depends on the impact a 30 per cent tax rate on incomes in excess of $1m would have  an unknowable proposition. If the tax revenues are used to boost long term productivity by investing in infrastructure, that is something that would help the US and the world economy longer term. She might also take a softer line on migration  again usually counted as a positive for the economy (whatever the politics of it may be). Certainly the Trump Wall with Mexico wouldnt boost the US economy by much, though the concrete firms would enjoy the bumper order books.

Still, if markets and business prefer stability to radical change, then Clinton is the one who would be more likely to reassure them, and ease the US economy gradually onto a more stable footing. In that case this large market for UK exports  more than 30bn a year  would be more secure than otherwise; but by the same token it might not grow so fast as it might with a more radical Trumponomics approach.
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A story in the World news in brief section in our app edition on Thursday was headlined, Murdered teachers family sues town, school system and cleaners over her death. It was, as reader John Schluter noted, a fairly detailed and informative report, except that it did not say which town and where in the world it is.

Americans might recognise Danvers High School and know that Danvers is a town in the greater Boston area in Massachusetts. A British reader might, like Mr Schluter, guess the US state from a reference to The Salem News, but this was a news story not a quiz.

It turns out that the report was taken from agency copy datelined Lawrence, Mass., a not particularly helpful piece of information for a non-American audience that was in any case dropped to fit our format. It just needed someone to insert Danvers, Massachusetts at some point in the first paragraph.

Bitter whine: A comment article on Tuesday on Donald Trumps unwillingness to say that he would accept the result of the US presidential election said: What proportion of Trump supporters is crazy enough to interpret sour grapes of the kind as a call to arms ... is unknowable.

This is a common misuse of the story in Aesops fables of the fox who decided, as he could not reach the grapes, that they must be unripe and that he didnt want them after all. Trumps suggestion that he might be cheated of the presidency in a rigged election is the opposite: if he loses, we can be sure that he is not preparing to say, I was running for election only to gain publicity for my businesses; I never wanted to be president anyway.

Recommended Read more Top 10 accidental etymologies

Otioseness: We wrote about the ubiquitousness of smartphones on Tuesday. The usual, and I think more elegant, word is ubiquity.

Commonality: The spread of the word community to mean any group of people who share a characteristic went too far a long time ago, so I will protest about an arbitrary recent example. After Wednesdays US presidential debate we carried a  very good  fact-checking article from the Associated Press. But it did say that Trumps view of Russia is at odds with the prevailing position of the US intelligence community.

Why not just say the US intelligence services?
Britain's exit from the EU must change the Border arrangements in Ireland between the North and the Republic, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has said.

Mr Hogan also said Ireland will not have a designated nominee on the EU-UK negotiating team. "Nobody from any member state will participate in that. That was never envisaged," he said.

The Commissioner, who spent three hours answering TDs' and Senators' questions at Leinster House yesterday, said there will be a back-up 'advisory group' to the negotiators, and this group will have Irish membership.

Mr Hogan said the view among EU leaders in Brussels was that Britain "cannot have its cake and eat it" - remaining half-in and half-out of the EU.

"The UK's choice is between hard Brexit and no Brexit. And it's only no Brexit that can give us the Border we have now," he added.

The Commissioner said the EU and the other member states were now well aware of Ireland's concerns about the north-south relations, and the strong Ireland-UK relationship, including the common travel area. He said he had discussed these matters with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, and he believed Irish politicians and diplomats were busy informing other member states.

"I predict that conversations between Dublin and Brussels will be almost as significant as those between London and Brussels," he said.

Mr Hogan said the UK Leave campaign had canvassed on "half-truths and outright lies." The upcoming exit negotiations to frame a new EU-UK relationship, due to begin in March, would be very tough.

"Any deal, by its nature, will be inferior to the deal that the UK currently enjoys due to its membership of the EU. The UK is going to learn a hard lesson, it's not going to have its cake and eat it. The posturing and fancy talk of Brexit is already beginning to collide with reality," Mr Hogan told the Oireachtas EU affairs committee.

Mr Hogan also said that the EU had its problems and shortcomings but ultimately these were also problems and failings for member governments and the citizens of every member state.

Read More: No 'cohesive' plan for capitalising on Brexit

"It's high time we stopped blaming the union for everything that goes wrong while taking credit nationally for everything that goes right," the Commissioner said.

Replying to Fine Gael Senator Paul Coghlan, he said the UK's departure would cut the EU budget by 11bn per year. That would have implications for EU farm spending, which accounts for 38pc of the yearly budget, and for other member states' contributions to Brussels.

Earlier, he told agriculture committee chairman Pat Deering that there is no question of any return to milk quotas. The Commissioner agreed that efforts earlier this year by farmers to voluntarily cut back milk production had helped the market and such voluntary schemes could be used again.

He also defended the Agriculture Department's record on paying out EU grants, saying it was better than in other countries.
The president of the European Council has said he still wants Britain to remain part of the EU, minutes after Theresa May told him there was no going back on Brexit.

Donald Tusk said he would be the "happiest one" if the UK reversed the decision to quit and stuck with the bloc for years to come.

His admission came at an early-hours press conference on Friday, following a dinner with all EU leaders where Prime Minister Mrs May insisted there would be no second referendum.

She told her counterparts directly that Britain would be leaving after suggestions in Europe that the referendum result could be revisited.

But at the end of the summit dinner, Mr Tusk told reporters: "It's not our choice and if you ask me I would prefer 28 members not only for the next month, but also for the next years and decades.

"After the decision in the UK we have to respect the decision of the referendum. If it is reversible or not, this is in the British hands.

"I would be the happiest one if it reversible but we now we have to start our formal works."

At the European Council Mrs May was told Britain would not be given an easy ride as it severs ties with Brussels.

Expand Close Taoiseach Enda Kenny greets Donald Tusk , the President of the European Council, on his arrival for a working lunch at Government Buildings. Pic Tom Burke / Facebook

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French president Francois Hollande warned the UK would face "hard" negotiations if it wanted to make a clean break with the bloc and European Parliament president Martin Schulz urged European leaders to "stand firm" in negotiations with Britain.

Leaders will discuss trade rules when the European Council continues on Friday, including anti-dumping measures.

Mrs May will then hold talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, which No 10 sources said would be an "opportunity to establish a relationship" and talk about "how we see the process ahead".

European People's Party leader Manfred Weber expressed anger that the UK was blocking some long-term EU defence measures.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "When somebody wants to leave a club, it's not really normal that such a member who wants to leave a club wants to decide about the future of this club. That is really creating a lot of anger, the behaviour of the British Government.

"It's about the long-term project of the European Union, and the Brits decided not to stay in.

"I think it's totally understandable if we, as Germans, as French, as Italians, think about our - not your - long-term project, please don't stop it, don't block it, because that will have a lot of impact on the Brexit negotiations if you do so.

"It's a question of behaviour, it's a question of respect. You want to go away from the centre of the European debate."

Mr Weber repeated his call for Boris Johnson to stand down as Foreign Secretary after the draft pro-EU article he wrote, but did not publish, emerged.
The head of the Irish Stock Exchange has warned she has not seen any "cohesive or coordinated" plan to capitalise on the Brexit vote in the financial services sector.

Deirdre Somers said the country was in danger of blowing a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to attract further investment in the area following the UK's decision.

Dublin has been tipped as a contender to attract operations either based in London, or thinking twice about setting up in the UK.

But Ms Somers told a seminar in Dublin she has not seen any strategy to turn Brexit to Ireland's advantage.

"Maybe there is a plan somewhere and I'm just not party to it, but certainly I am unaware of a coordinated, cohesive approach to what is a career-defining disruptive event for financial services," Ms Somers said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Ireland."

Meanwhile, a former PSNI senior officer has warned Brexit could lead to "civil unrest" in Northern Ireland. Former assistant chief constable Peter Sheridan said protests could become more dangerous if people felt their identity was being compromised.
First-time buyers who benefit from the new Help-to-Buy tax rebate will have to repay some of the money if they move home within five years.

Revenue will be given the power to chase down buyers who leave their newly built home after one year for the full amount of their grant.

Somebody who vacates within two years must repay 80pc of their State aid, with a tapered drop each year until year five when the repayment rate would be 20pc.

It comes as changes to the qualification process made in the Finance Bill mean the 50m set aside on Budget Day for the scheme may not now be enough.

And both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are digging their heels in on the thresholds at which a person would no longer be able to access the tax rebate. The row could create weeks of uncertainty.

Housing Minister Simon Coveney said yesterday that he still wants first-time buyers spending up to 600,000 to qualify for the grant.

However, Fianna Fail's Barry Cowen said he will "continue to fight" for the qualifying threshold to be capped at 400,000.

He told the Irish Independent: "They need to come up with meaningful examples of why it needs to be that high. There is absolutely no fact-based evidence for why it needs to be 600,000."

Under the scheme, a first-time buyer can get a tax rebate worth 5pc of a new home up to a maximum State payment of 20,000.

Mr Coveney has rejected claims that giving support to a first-time buyer spending 600,000 amounts to a 'mansion grant'.

Read More: Central Bank not fulfilling consumer protection role, says FF's McGrath

"At the moment the threshold is there for good reason to make sure that people who buy a property above 400,000 but within reason don't fall off a cliff and get nothing as regards first-time buyer support," he said.

The minister said there would no "major changes" to the detail published in the Finance Bill.

But Mr Cowen said Fianna Fail will be placing an amendment to the Bill when it reaches committee stage in the Dail in the coming weeks.

"If he accepts our amendment it'll be all the quicker and easier to resolve this. Basically we want to ensure the 50m for this scheme goes to the right people."

Mr Coveney also confirmed yesterday that changes to the scheme at the request of the Central Bank will open it up to more people.

Central Bank officials advised Finance Minister Michael Noonan to change qualification rules relating to how much a buyer must borrow.

On Budget Day, Mr Noonan said those buying a house would need to get a mortgage worth 80pc of the value of the house.

However, the Central Bank informed the Department of Finance that the average first-time buyer takes out a mortgage with a loan to value (LTV) ratio of 78.7pc.

This means the majority of house hunters would have been excluded from the plan.

The threshold has now been lowered to an LTV ratio of 70pc.

"That will bring more people into the opportunity of availing of the grant and it'll ensure that people aren't effectively over-borrowing in respect of their own capacity to borrow in order to try to qualify by getting to 80pc of the value," Mr Coveney said.

The Department of Finance was unable to say last night what additional cost would be created by the change.

Mr Coveney also denied Opposition claims that the change shows the Central Bank was not on board with the detail of the scheme as had been claimed by Mr Noonan on Budget Day.

But Mr Cowen said: "It's more proof of the fact that they weren't prepared with fact-based evidence."
The Dale Farm cheese factory will source much of its energy requirements from the new solar farm

Northern Ireland dairy processor Dale Farm will fuel much of its energy requirements from solar power as part of a new deal wtih CES Energy.

Irish firm CES Energy announced that its first solar energy venture in Northern Ireland will be a solar farm in Co Tyrone, which will see dairy producer Dale Farm switch to solar power for much of the energy requirements at its cheese processing facility in Dunmanbridge.

Construction is due to start mid 2017 on the 37 acre site which will be made up of more than 18,000 solar modules, making it the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland and thought to be one of the largest in the dairy sector worldwide.

The 5MW solar farm will be connected directly to the private network of the business and it is estimated Dale Farm will switch to solar power for as much as a 20% of the companys on-site power needs at its cheese processing facility.

Tom Marren, Chief Executive at CES Energy, said the new solar farm is an important milestone for CES Energy which demonstrates the opportunities that solar energy presents for the island of Ireland.

According to Marren, the new scheme will guarantee over 20 years of low cost, green power at Dale Farms cheese processing site and enable significant savings for Dale Farm.

Dale Farm Chief Executive Nick Whelan said the venture would allow Dale Farm lower its carbon footprint and reduce its operating costs.
Yesterday saw the largest shipment of live cattle from the Ireland in years, as over 3,500 head of cattle leave Waterford Port for Turkey.

This the second shipment of cattle to Turkey this year after a boat load of 1,900 cattle were exported in late September.

Demand for Irish cattle in Turkey appears strong at the moment and some commentators are suggesting that as many as 25,000 weanlings could be exported to the market before Christmas.

According to exporter Pat Flaherty of Livestock.ie, who is involved in the sourcing of cattle for the Turkish contract, the assembling of the stock has gone smoothly so far.

The shipment leaving Ireland this week consists of Charolais, Limousin, Simmental, Angus and Hereford cattle under 12 months of age and less than 350kg.

According to Flaherty, the stock is most likely destined for feedlots in Turkey for further finishing.

Flaherty also said that he expects similar scale shipments to take place right up to Christmas.

The next load is set to be even bigger, he said and said it might take as much as three days just to load the boat.

Flaherty said there were no issues in sourcing the cattle, with ample supplies both privately and in cattle marts around the country. He said that the price being paid for stock by exporters varied hugely, depending on the quality of cattle.

IFA National Livestock Chairman Angus Woods has described the shipments as a very positive development for livestock farmers.

It is very positive to see ships moving and the benefits being returned to cattle farmers in marts all across the country.

The IFA Livestock leader said the live export trade is essential for competition in the livestock sector and was never needed more at this time of low beef prices and rising cattle numbers.

Woods said Turkey is a major live export market and a great opportunity for the Irish livestock sector. Turkey has an import requirement for 400,000 head of live cattle annually.

In 2015, Turkey imported 380,000 head of cattle from Europe and South America. Turkey is a high volume destination, capable of paying good prices.

He said IFA is lobbying hard for additional ships to be cleared to add to the capacity of the trade and this is expected to happen.
A woman has been killed after she was attacked by cattle on a family farm in Co Derry.

The pensioner, who has been named locally as Brigid McKeefry and is aged in her 70s, was rushed to the Causeway Hospital for treatment.

However she later died from her injuries and a post-mortem is taking place.

The tragic incident happened on the family farm off Carhill Road in Garvagh at about 2.30pm when the woman was attacked by cattle.

It is understood Mrs McKeefry had been working with livestock at the time.

DUP east Londonderry MLA Adrian McQuillan expressed his sympathies to the elderly woman's family.

Mr McQuillan said late last night: "This news is very shocking to the entire close-knit community of Garvagh and the surrounding areas.

"The family were well-known in the farming community and I understand the woman in her 70s was killed by cattle on the family farm, this evening.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this deeply distressing time.

"The HSENI (Health and Safety Executive) will be carrying out investigations.

"Yesterday evening's incident serves as a reminder that there are many dangers that surround us on our farms.

"It is important that those working on farms take caution and follow all safety procedures."

A spokesman from the Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) said: "The HSENI can confirm it is currently investigating a serious incident on a farm in the Garvagh area, but is not in a position to make any further comment at this stage."

The Ambulance Service said that emergency services were called to the scene at around 2.30pm.

"A patient was taken from the scene to Causeway Hospital," a spokesman added.

It's the third farm tragedy to hit Northern Ireland in the last few weeks.

Yesterday's tragedy comes after the deaths of 30-year-old Co Tyrone farmer James Irwin -who was killed after becoming trapped in farm machinery - and Alastair Sloss, who died in a slurry accident last Friday.

And it comes just a month after another woman suffered horrific injuries after she was attacked by a cow in Co Fermanagh. Caroline Somerville from south Belfast had been visiting Devenish Island when she was attacked by the farm animal.

Her dog was also injured and later died.
The New Generation Homes chief made the move after what a source described as a period of intense negotiations

New Generation Homes chief Greg Kavanagh has secured a massive payment in a deal understood to be valued in excess of 150m from his company's financial backers, London-based M&G Investments.

The deal will see him leave the business.

The Irish Independent understands Mr Kavanagh reached the agreement with M&G and New Generation's current ceo Pat Crean on Wednesday afternoon following what a source described as a "a period of intense negotiations".

Under the terms of the transaction, Mr Kavanagh has agreed to sell his stake in the residential and commercial property assets held by the business.

The management of the property assets backed by international asset manager M&G Investments will now transfer to a new company, of which M&G Investments will be the sole financial backer.

While Mr Kavanagh will retain the New Generation Homes brand, Pat Crean is to head up the new company with the backing of M&G Investments.

It is understood that Mr Kavanagh is already considering fresh opportunities in the property sector in London and possibly in New York.

The 31-year-old Wicklow native is also said to be keen to progress plans for a number of development sites in Dublin that he acquired in a personal capacity, which have not been captured as part of M&G's buyout of the New Generation portfolio.

In a statement released to the Irish Independent, a spokesman acting on behalf of New Geneeration's two founding principals, Greg Kavanagh and Pat Crean, said: "Having established and developed the exceptional business that is New Generation Homes, its two principals, Pat Crean and Greg Kavanagh, are each embarking on separate business ventures".

The spokesman said both men were "excited about their new ventures and wish each other well".

Greg Kavanagh for his part, said: "We have built a property business of extraordinary scale in the past few years and I believe now is the time for me to move onto my next opportunity."

Commenting on his intentions for the massive land portfolio assembled by New Generation during the recession, Pat Crean said: "I am looking forward to developing this high quality portfolio of property investment through the new company, and in the process helping alleviate the shortage of both quality housing and commercial property." A relative unknown in the property scene up until 2012, Greg Kavanagh entered the sector at speed as the country began to inch its way out of what had become known as the 'great recession'. He started making money, while still in school, as a day trader.

Armed with around 2m in cash by his mid-20s he rolled the dice on Irish property at a time while the market was still on its knees and the country's financial management was being directed by the EU/IMF/ECB troika.

Mr Kavanagh's company, New Generation Homes, spent about 300m snapping up land in Dublin and its commuter hinterland, securing finance entirely from private equity rather than loans. In the course of his brief career in property, Mr Kavanagh's backers have included e-learning tycoon Pat McDonagh, Starwood Capital, British investor John Beckwith and most recently M&G, the investment fund owned by insurance giant Prudential.

While the company recently moved to take advantage of the shortage of Dublin development sites through the disposal of a range of New Generation's sites, the process - dubbed 'Project Firefly' - failed to secure a buyer willing to stump up the 250m being sought.

The portfolio is understood to have included sites in Foxrock, Cabinteely, Blackrock, Dundrum, Killiney, Rathmichael, Harold's Cross, Cabra, Saggart, Howth, Baldoyle, Coolock and Finglas.

Included in those believed to have considered the Project Firefly portfolio are Richard Barrett's Bartra Capital, Lone Star, and the developer, Michael O'Flynn.
Intel could see a record 1.1bn fine for alleged anti-competitive behaviour reversed after one of the EU Court of Justice's own lawyers said no rivals might have been harmed by the company's actions.

The world's biggest chipmaker was slapped with the fine in 2009 after the European Commission accused it of squeezing out competition from a smaller rival, Advanced Micro Devices.

The Commission had found that Intel gave hidden rebates to computer makers including Dell and Hewlett-Packard on condition that they bought all, or almost all, of their main processors from Intel.

Intel also made direct payments to Europe's largest PC retailer - Media Saturn Holdings - on condition that it stocked only computers with Intel processors.

The chipmaker, which employs about 4,500 people in Ireland, also made payments to some computer makers to stop or delay the launch of products containing a rival's processors.

But yesterday, an Advocate General for the European Court of Justice - Nils Wahl - said that the General Court failed to establish that the rebates and payments offered by Intel were anti-competitive and that certain deals between the firm and PC maker Lenovo harmed European consumers. These were key elements of the Commission's 2009 decision.

The opinion from Mr Wahl - who has said a judicial review of the EC decision is needed - isn't binding, but the advice of Advocate Generals is typically adopted by the court.

His opinion is a setback for the European Commission, which has prided itself on taking on giant corporations.

The opinion delivered yesterday comes as Ireland prepares to launch its appeal against the European Commission's ruling this year that tech giant Apple must pay Ireland 13bn in back taxes for allegedly benefiting from a sweetheart deal here.

The Government and Apple have denied that such a deal ever existed. In 2014, Intel's first appeal in its case was rejected by the Court of Justice.

The Commission said that decision it justified its pursuit of Intel's anti-competitive conduct.

In its latest appeal, Intel argued that the Commission had failed to analyse "all relevant circumstances" to determine if the rebates did in fact result in rivals being squeezed out.

Mr Wahl's opinion is a good omen for companies seeking guidance on what kind of rebates should be considered harmful, said Ian Giles, a partner at London-based Norton Rose Fulbright.

US chipmaker Qualcomm is fighting EU charges of using anti-competitive methods, including giving rebates. (Additional reporting Reuters)
The hotel would be situated in the car park of the Radisson Blu

Dublin Airport is to get its third hotel, with the owners of the Radisson Blu there planning the multi-million euro construction of a new seven-storey, standalone venue on the site.

CG Hotels wants permission for the 144-bedroom hotel, as well as restaurant and other facilities. It will be located in the car park of the existing Radisson Blu hotel.

CG Hotels is owned by investors including hotelier Patrick Coyle, founder and chief executive of Windward Management, which manages the Gresham Hotel.

Windward took a tilt at buying the iconic Dublin property this year, in a bid that was backed by Boston's Pyramid Hotel Group. Spain's Riu Hotels eventually clinched the deal to buy the Gresham for 90m.

CG Hotels had previously secured planning permission for a 59m extension to the existing Radisson Blu at Dublin Airport.

That would have seen it add 314 bedrooms to the existing property, which already has 229 rooms and employs 150 people. It also had permission to add conference facilities.

CG Hotels acquired the existing four-star property - formerly a Great Southern Hotel - when it was sold off by DAA's predecessor, Aer Rianta, in 2006.

CG Hotels told the Central Bank last year that the planned extension at its Dublin Airport property was on hold because of the "insecurity and uncertainty surrounding the hotel following the sale of our loan to an unregulated entity". It added that the hotel had been trading profitably since its acquisition.

Ireland's largest hotel group, Dalata, operates the only other hotel located on the Dublin Airport campus, the Clayton.

Dalata secured a 10-year agreement in 2013 to operate that hotel, after it was bought by the DAA when it was put up for sale by NAMA.

Dalata also owns the former Bewley's Hotel close to Dublin Airport, which has 467 bedrooms. It operates under Dalata's Maldron brand. Dalata is pursuing a planned extension of that property that would add 140 bedrooms.

In June, Windward Management completed the 12m acquisition of the Hilton Dublin Airport Hotel, which is located a few kilometres from the airport.

That was bought in conjunction with London-based Emerald Investment Partners from PJ Walls Holdings. The consortium intends to embark on a significant refurbishment of the 166-bedroom property.

Emerald is owned by Scottish accountant Alan McIntosh, who is also a major shareholder in CG Hotels, and also a founding executive of Irish listed building firm Cairn Homes.
SR Technics was once one of the largest aviation employers in Ireland, but it pulled its operation here following a strategic review in 2009

Aircraft maintenance and repair firm SR Technics has announced an agreement to extend its existing contracts with Ryanair rival EasyJet.

The new agreement will see SR Technics service EasyJet aircraft at Gatwick Airport and in Switzerland. The contracts are set to run for three years.

Jeremy Remacha, SR Technics' interim ceo, said: "Our teams are committed to continue delivering safety, quality and reliability in line with the EasyJet's expectations, enabling the airline to focus on its core business."

SR Technics, with over 3,000 staff, provides maintenance to around 1,000 Boeing and Airbus planes across the globe.

It was announced last July that HNA was to acquire 80pc of SR Technics from Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi government investment vehicle, which will retain a 20pc stake.

SR Technics was once one of the largest aviation employers in Ireland, but it pulled its operation here following a strategic review in 2009. The decision saw 1,100 Irish staff lose their jobs.

The company services planes through a network of stations in Europe as well as logistics centres in London Heathrow, Zurich, Geneva, Malta, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur.

Ian Davies, EasyJet's head of engineering and maintenance, said: "We are pleased to be signing these agreements which extend our partnership at the key bases in our network.

Earlier this week, SR Technics struck a deal with Spanish carrier Volotia to provide maintainence services to the company's fleet of CFM56-5B aircraft.

SR Technics also recently revealed an agreement with Aviation Cosmetics Malta.
Newstalk Editor in Chief Garrett Harte is set to pursue new media interests as he announces he is leaving the national radio station.

Garrett Harte joined Newstalk 15 years ago and, according to a statement released by the station today, has decided to leave to pursue other interests.

Harte joined Newstalk when it launched in 2001 and has helped steer it from a local Dublin station to the success that it is today with over 700,000 people listening every week, the statement read.

He will remain with the company until the beginning of 2017.

Mr Harte leaves the company on good terms, with management at the station paying tribute to Mr Harte and wishing him well in his future endeavours.

Commenting on Mr Hartes decision, the Chairwoman of Communicorp, Lucy Gaffney said: I would like to thank Garrett for his immense contribution to the station for the last 15 years.

"He has been a phenomenal editor for our station and was instrumental in building the station from a start-up radio station to the success that it is today.

"On a personal level I would like to thank Garrett and wish him all the best in his future career.

Commenting on the announcement Garrett Harte said: After 15 years with Newstalk I have made a decision to leave the company to concentrate on other media projects.

"I am very proud to have contributed to the development of Newstalk from its launch in 2001 to its development into a significant and influential media outlet. I would like to thank Denis OBrien, Lucy Gaffney, Gervaise Slowey, and the members of the Newstalk board for their support over the years.

"I have worked with some of the most passionate and ambitious people at Newstalk and I would like to wish them, Tim Collins and the station every success for the future.

Tim Collins, Chief Executive of Newstalk, has commenced a process to identify a replacement for Mr Harte who will commence employment early next year.

It is expected that Harte will stay on for a period of several months to ensure a smooth handover with his chosen successor.
Hackers unleashed a complex attack on the internet through common devices like webcams and digital recorders and cut access to some of the world's best known websites on Friday, a stunning breach of global internet stability.

The attacks struck Twitter, Paypal, Spotify and other customers of an infrastructure company in New Hampshire called Dyn, which acts as a switchboard for internet traffic.

The attackers used hundreds of thousands of internet-connected devices that had previously been infected with a malicious code that allowed them to cause outages that began in the Eastern United States and then spread to other parts of the country and Europe.

"The complexity of the attacks is what's making it very challenging for us," said Dyn's chief strategy officer, Kyle York. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said they were investigating.

The disruptions come at a time of unprecedented fears about the cyber threat in the United States, where hackers have breached political organizations and election agencies.

Friday's outages were intermittent and varied by geography. Users complained they could not reach dozens of internet destinations including Mashable, CNN, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Yelp and some businesses hosted by Amazon.com Inc.

Dyn said attacks were coming from millions of internet addresses, making it one of the largest attacks ever seen. Security experts said it was an especially potent type of distributed denial-of-service attack, or DDoS, in which attackers flood the targets with so much junk traffic that they freeze up.

VULNERABILITIES EXPLOITED

Dyn said that at least some of the malicious traffic was coming from connected devices, including webcams and digital video recorders, that had been infected with control software named Mirai. Security researchers have previously raised concerns that such connected devices, sometimes referred to as the Internet of Things, lack proper security.

The Mirai code was dumped on the internet about a month ago, and criminal groups are now charging to employ it in cyber attacks, said Allison Nixon, director of security research at Flashpoint, which was helping Dyn analyze the attack.

Dale Drew, chief security officer at communications provider Level 3, said that other networks of compromised machines were also used in Friday's attack, suggesting that the perpetrator had rented access to several so-called botnets.

The attackers took advantage of traffic-routing services such as those offered by Alphabet Inc's Google and Cisco Systems Inc's OpenDNS to make it difficult for Dyn to root out bad traffic without also interfering with legitimate inquiries, Drew said.

"Dyn can't simply block the (Internet Protocol) addresses they are seeing, because that would be blocking Google or OpenDNS," said Matthew Prince, CEO of security and content delivery firm CloudFlare. "These are nasty attacks, some of the hardest to protect against."

GOVERNMENT WARNED OF ATTACKS

Drew and Nixon both said that the makers of connected devices needed to do far more to make sure that the gadgets can be updated after security flaws are discovered.

Big businesses should also have multiple vendors for core services like routing internet traffic, and security experts said those Dyn customers with backup domain name service providers would have stayed reachable.

The Department of Homeland Security last week issued a warning about attacks from the Internet of Things, following the release of the code for Mirai.

Attacking a large domain name service provider like Dyn can create massive disruptions because such firms are responsible for forwarding large volumes of internet traffic.

Dyn said it had resolved one morning attack, which disrupted operations for about two hours, but disclosed a second a few hours later that was causing further disruptions. By Friday evening it was fighting a third.

Amazon's web services division, one of the world's biggest cloud computing companies, reported that the issue temporarily affected users in Western Europe. Twitter and some news sites could not be accessed by some users in London late on Friday evening.

PayPal Holdings Inc said that the outage prevented some customers in "certain regions" from making payments. It apologized for the inconvenience and said that its networks had not been hacked.

A month ago, security guru Bruce Schneier wrote that someone, probably a country, had been testing increasing levels of denial-of-service attacks against unnamed core internet infrastructure providers in what seemed like a test of capability.

Nixon said there was no reason to think a national government was behind Friday's assaults, but attacks carried out on a for-hire basis are famously difficult to attribute.

Dublin Info Sec 2016 - Ireland's cyber security conference - takes place on November 15th in the RDS. Click here for details.
Three former senior executives of Tesco accused of fraud and false accounting at Britain's biggest retailer are to face trial next September.

Three former senior executives of Tesco accused of fraud and false accounting at Britain's biggest retailer are to face trial next September.

Christopher Bush (50) who was managing director of Tesco UK, Carl Rogberg (49) who was UK finance director, and John Scouler (48) who was UK food commercial director, were charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) last month with one count of fraud by abuse of position and one count of false accounting.

Previously, at a brief appearance at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court lawyers for the men said their clients would plead not guilty.

At yesterday's hearing, at Southwark Crown Court in London, the trio spoke only to confirm their names. After hearing legal argument, Judge McCreath said their trial will start on September 4, 2017, though they will appear for another pre-trial hearing on May 30.

The SFO said the alleged crimes occurred between February 1 and September 23, 2014.

Tesco issued a statement to the Stock Exchange on September 22, 2014, saying that during its final preparations for a results announcement it had identified a 250m overstatement of first-half profit, mainly due to booking commercial deals with suppliers too early.

The discovery led to the suspension of eight senior members of staff including Mr Bush, Mr Rogberg and Mr Scouler, sent Tesco's shares tumbling and plunged the company into the worst crisis since Jack Cohen founded the business nearly 100 years ago.

The profit overstatement, identified three weeks after Dave Lewis took over as chief executive from the sacked Philip Clarke, was later raised to 263m.

The SFO investigation into Tesco is continuing. When the three were charged, Tesco said there had been an "extensive programme of change" at the company over the past two years. It declined to comment further. (Reuters)
Grocery giant Musgraves and supplier Unilever remained locked in negotiations over planned price increases last night, the Irish Independent has learned.

The Irish company behind the SuperValu and Centra chains is resisting price rises. Talks have now been ongoing for more than a week, after Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever sought to hike prices, by as much as 19pc in some cases, on its massive portfolio of branded foods and household consumer goods.

Musgraves stopped taking deliveries from Unilever a week ago. It is expected to begin running out of some products within weeks. Unilever supplies as many as 800 supermarket products including Lyons Tea, Hellmann's Mayonnaise and Pot Noodles.

It has claimed price hikes in Ireland won't be felt by consumers because of the strength of the euro versus sterling.

The Unilever rows with Tesco and SuperValu have served to overshadow a broader global slowdown in the consumer-goods sector that is not expected to end soon. A handful of companies account for swathes of the grocery market.

Yesterday. Nestle cut its full-year sales forecast as emerging markets and the US slowed, while shipments of confectionery - threatened by sugar taxes and other moves toward healthier eating - fell for the first time in over two years.

Earlier, Danone said baby food, its longtime growth driver, had decelerated in the third quarter because of higher taxes in China.

Reckitt Benckiser Group - maker of products ranging from Dettol and Durex, is facing boycotts in South Korea after products it once sold were linked to deaths. "It's tough out there for the consumer-goods sector and there's no sign of any corner turned," said Martin Deboo, an analyst at Jefferies. (Additional reporting Bloomberg)
McKay (played by Richard Flood) delivers news to Davey Webb (played by Darren Cahill) that the CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Sources) have turned down his request to have Davey as a confidential informant in Red Rock

Red Rock's Davey Webb (played by Darren Cahill) has joined the cast of Vikings

Red Rock's Davey Webb (played by Darren Cahill) has joined the cast of Vikings

He has gone from garda killer to Nordic royalty, but Darren Cahill said he wasn't nervous before he auditioned for the biggest role of his career.

The actor (25) is best known for his role as murderer Davey Webb on TV3's Red Rock.

Fans of the series saw the troublemaker show up at the grave of Supt James McKay and arouse suspicions when he was caught on CCTV furiously kicking the flowers left in honour of the fallen officer.

With his character behind bars, Darren departed the series and was snatched up by Vikings to play a prince.

Expand Close McKay (played by Richard Flood) delivers news to Davey Webb (played by Darren Cahill) that the CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Sources) have turned down his request to have Davey as a confidential informant in Red Rock / Facebook

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Whatsapp McKay (played by Richard Flood) delivers news to Davey Webb (played by Darren Cahill) that the CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Sources) have turned down his request to have Davey as a confidential informant in Red Rock

"Vikings is going great, I'm really enjoying it. We've been filming for a few months now in Wicklow," he said.

"I play a prince, but that's all I can say. It's very hush-hush. It's completely different to Red Rock. I've gone from a murderer to a prince.

"The audition was fine. Like any audition, they're hard. I don't really get nervous, I stay calm. This is definitely my biggest role to date."

Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Ragnar Lothbrok, a legendary Norse hero and notorious as the scourge of England and France.

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The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame thanks to successful raids into England and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king.

The series, a joint Irish-Canadian production, films in Co Wicklow and was first broadcast in 2013.

Cahill is set to star alongside fellow Irishman Moe Dunford, who plays Aethelwulf on the show.

Vikings has proved to be a hit with viewers worldwide, drawing millions of viewers in the US and Australia.

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers is also set to star in the upcoming fifth season of the show, but the details of his character are being kept under wraps.

While earlier seasons had only 10 episodes, season five is set to be super-sized, with 20 episodes airing next year.
TV persoanlities Kelly Dodd, Vicki Gunvalson, Meghan King Edmonds, Shannon Beador and Heather Dubrow attend the premiere party for Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" 10 year celebration at Boulevard3 on June 16, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The Real Housewives of Orange County recently made a trip to Ireland and, frankly, it was a disaster.

The five women who star in the reality show came to Ireland in the hope of finding their ancestors and having the full tourist experience, but what actually happened was quite different.

Firstly, four of the women visited Baileys Farm, where Baileys Irish cream is made. As well as doing a tour of the farm, they were required to work on it and milk the cows. While many would consider it an unpleasant task, the women went so far as to wear hazmat suits while doing it. A bit dramatic, no?

Next, they headed to Greystone's because Meghan's genealogist told her she could be related to someone there. "Could be" being the key words. However, Meghan didn't seem to care about the odds of her actually meeting someone she's related to, and went around the town tapping people on the shoulder asking if their surname was O'Toole.

Expand Close TV persoanlities Kelly Dodd, Vicki Gunvalson, Meghan King Edmonds, Shannon Beador and Heather Dubrow attend the premiere party for Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" 10 year celebration at Boulevard3 on June 16, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp TV persoanlities Kelly Dodd, Vicki Gunvalson, Meghan King Edmonds, Shannon Beador and Heather Dubrow attend the premiere party for Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" 10 year celebration at Boulevard3 on June 16, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Furthermore, on their return to Shannon airport, the group got into a huge argument, leaving a 54-year-old Irish man named Brendan, who was driving the van, undoubtedly scarred for life.

However, they were staying in the five-star Powerscourt Hotel, Co. Wicklow, so the trip couldn't have been all that bad.
Nicola Kenny was killed in motorway crash just one day after giving birth

The mother of a young woman who was a mum for just one day before being killed in a car crash, said her baby granddaughter is keeping her going.

Nicola Kenny (26) was killed on September 6 last after a truck crashed into the car she was travelling in when it stopped on the hard shoulder of the M8 motorway in south Tipperary.

Nicola, from Thurles, was travelling with her mother, Ann and aunt Irene. They had pulled in to take a call from a hospital concerning the health of her baby daughter, Lily-Rose.

Speaking for the first time since the accident, Ann told the Herald: Were still grieving but Lily occupies our days and that is a blessing.

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Nicola was sitting in the back of the car and relayed the news to her mother and aunt that her day-old daughter was in good health in Temple Street hospital and could be transferred back to Clonmel.

Read More: 'Nicola is gone... but her baby Lily Rose will not want for love'

At that moment a truck smashed into the back of their car. Nicola was killed and

both Ann and Irene were badly injured.

Lily-Rose is now six weeks old and from the family home near Semple Stadium, Ann (52) has told how she is the light of their lives.

She was in Clonmel hospital until two weeks ago, more so that I could recover from my injuries than anything else, but now we have her home and Im able to feed her, Ann said.

Expand Close Nicolas father Patrick Kenny and friends and relatives follow her coffin from the Cathedral of the Assumption in Thurles. Photo: Colin ORiordan / Facebook

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Whatsapp Nicolas father Patrick Kenny and friends and relatives follow her coffin from the Cathedral of the Assumption in Thurles. Photo: Colin ORiordan

The grandmother suffered a broken collarbone and facial injuries in the crash and will start physiotherapy next week.

My arm is numb and I have to rest it on the edge of the couch to feed Lily but shes growing stronger and doing well and thats what matters, she added.

In her arms, Lily sucked happily on a warm bottle, her eyes opening and closing as she half-dozed in the warmth and comfort of the crook of Anns arm.

Shes like a daughter rather than a granddaughter in many ways and shes very like Nicola, said Ann.

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Life has been difficult for the Kenny family since the crash and both Ann and her husband Patrick have had to give up their jobs to take care of Lily.

Read More: 'You must be Nicola's arms to hold Lily-Rose - and her mouth to praise and lift her up'

But everyone has been great. Tesco, where Nicola worked, have been fantastic and there is a neighbour who works in Boots, they have been brilliant too, said Ann.

We have great help from Pats sisters, neighbours and Nicolas friends. There is no shortage of offers of babysitters and help if we need to get some sleep.

While not able to talk yet about the crash that claimed Nicolas life, Ann said she and her family received a tremendous and overwhelming response from people all over the country after it happened.

People we dont know and never met have been sending us cards and letters.

Pat goes through them but I havent had the strength to read them yet. They are all in a box and I will go through them one day, she said.

We also have a box of memories of Nicola to give to Lily when she is older. Nicola was so looking forward to being a mammy, she loved children, Ann added.

Still cradling Lily after she fell asleep in her arms, Ann said Christmas will be a very difficult time.

I wont do Christmas. Its just too soon and we are still grieving but I will do presents and things for the grandkids because it is a time for them.

Nicola loved Christmas too and she would have been excited about it this year with Lily. Id say shell be spoiled by Santa this year, said Ann, stroking Lilys cheek softly with her finger.

After the crash, local Tesco store manager Robert Foley said the news of Nicolas death had been met with disbelief.

Nicola was a beautiful, bubbly, friendly young lady. She had been working here since 2008 so everybody knew her and she knew all the customers. We were like a second family to her I suppose.

The one thing I remember is just how friendly she was, with a constant smile.

She was always in here in Tesco, even on her days off she would be in chatting with her friends and helping customers out.

The truck driver was arrested and questioned in relation to the incident, before being released without charge.

A file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Embattled Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan will today meet with senior Garda management for the first time since she decided to spend several days at a US conference as strike action loomed.

Commissioner O'Sullivan has been widely criticised after she travelled to San Diego for a policing conference despite the upcoming industrial action.

It is understood the delegation stayed at the four-star Omni San Diego Hotel.

The Commissioner flew back to Dublin yesterday along with a Garda delegation which included her husband, Chief Superintendent Jim McGowan.

She will today meet her deputy and assistant commissioners at Garda headquarters as members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) withdraw from Pulse duties for 12 hours. Pulse is the Garda computer system.

While most records are input by rank-and-file gardai, sergeants and inspectors review the records - an action they will refrain from today.

The discussion is likely to touch on the serious concern over the failure to devise contingency plans in the event of strike action and concerns that Garda management should have arranged a meeting with the AGSI leadership much sooner.

AGSI president Antoinette Cunningham yesterday said that her union has had no contact with Garda HQ since announcing its industrial action, the first phase of which begins at 7am today.

Read More: Analysis: Whichever way you spin it, this looks bad for O'Sullivan

It's understood Commissioner O'Sullivan's crisis meeting with her inner circle was originally due to be held in Galway, but was relocated to Dublin.

Fine Gael TD for Wexford Michael D'Arcy accused her of "sunning herself in San Diego" and embarking on a "junket" after it emerged she spent several days in the Californian city this week.

There is also growing unease within Fianna Fail over the Commissioner's handling of the industrial unrest among AGSI members and the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents rank-and-file gardai.

Fianna Fail's finance spokesperson Michael McGrath said he believed Ms O'Sullivan's absence from the country this week was an error of judgment.

Speaking privately, one senior Fianna Fail figure said the move showed that the Commissioner was "completely out of touch".

The source also noted that if the outcome of the review into allegations of a smear campaign against Garda whistleblowers criticises the Commissioner or other senior members of the force, there may have to be a "sacrificial head".

Unease

The news comes as Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald once again backed her embattled Commissioner.

A spokesman for Ms Fitzgerald said decisions as to the Commissioner's fulfilment of any "international obligations" were entirely a matter for her.

"In the circumstances it would not be appropriate to comment on any instances of particular business abroad undertaken by her. There has, of course, been no question of any absence by the Commissioner abroad impinging in any way on the performance of the full range of her functions, both domestic and international," the spokesman added.

"There are long-established procedures in place for notification to the Department of proposed absences on official duty."

Sources close to the force voiced deep unease over the Commissioner's absence.

Several of those sources told the Irish Independent that the Commissioner should have sent an assistant or deputy commissioner to San Diego due to the looming strike.

The conference involved senior police officers and FBI agents giving presentations on issues ranging from drugs to gun crime. Commissioner O'Sullivan addressed the delegates.

She was accompanied by, head of the Garda Inspectorate Robert Olson, Chief Supt Michael O'Sullivan and her husband Chief Supt McGowan.

The entire delegation travelled in a professional capacity.
A MOTORCYCLIST has secured almost 154,000 damages for injuries suffered in a road accident after the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's dismissal of his action.

Bill Nolan, an alarm fitter, of Millview House, Graiguecullen, Co Carlow, had sued Danny Mitchell and Patrick O'Neill, driver and owner respectively of a car involved in the accident on the night of November 17, 2005.

The accident happened at Tollerton on the Kileeshin to Castecomer road, Co Carlow. when Mr Mitchell, accompanied by Mr O'Neill as front seat passenger, was preparing to exit from Mr O'Neill's driveway onto the road.

The High Court found Mr Nolan was on his correct side of the road in the moments prior to impact, had been driving at very excessive speed close to 90mph in advance of the collision and failed to stop or slow his bike when dazzled by the lights of the car.

The judge also found Mr Mitchell failed to yield rights of way to the motorbike and failed to keep a proper lookout.

Mr Nolan suffered significant injuries including foot and hand fractures and it was agreed he would have some permanent disability as a result of injuries to his left knee and left little finger.

The High Court ruled the appropriate total damages in the case was 192,440 and said Mr Mitchell was principally responsible for the accident but Mr Nolan was also 40 per cent liable.

No damages were awarded after the High Court granted a defence application to dismiss Mr Nolan's action.

It found he exaggerated his claim about the effect of his injuries on his future earning ability and gave misleading evidence about involvement in the sport of "car drifting" post accident. Car drifting is driving a car on a racetrack through over steering as the vehicle drifts sideways.

Granting Mr Nolan's appeal, Ms Justice Mary Irvine said the defence had not laid the evidence for their "fundamentally unfair" application to dismiss.

While Mr Nolan's P60 indicated he earned a net 365 weekly before the accident, he was not challenged on his evidence he got 500 weekly "into his hand" while other evidence he could potentially earn up between 800-900 weekly had he not been injured was not contested.

There was no evidence from which the trial judge could reasonably have inferred Mr Nolan had knowingly advanced a false and misleading claim over future loss of earnings, she ruled.

The High Court also erred in dismissing the claim on foot of its finding Mr Nolan gave misleading evidence about his involvement post-accident in car drifting.

Mr Nolan had not advanced a claim for general or special damages based on inability to compete in that sport and it was difficult to see how a dispute over what he said to an expert about that could justify his claim being dismissed, she said.

She also described as "grossly disproportionate" the finding of 40 per cent contributory negligence by Mr Nolan in relation to the accident, ruling that should be 20 per cent.

The only evidence on his speed was of another motorist overtaken by him earlier who estimated his speed then at about 90mph and it was difficult to see how he could reasonably have been criticised for inability to stop or slow down when suddenly faced by the lights of a car turned into his path of travel, she said.

The appropriate award for Mr Nolan after a 20 per cent reduction for contributory negligence was 153,952, she ruled.
A Dublin youth has walked free from court with a conditional discharge despite being found guilty of the false imprisonment of Joan Burton during the Jobstown protest.

The 17-year-old boy denied falsely imprisoning the former Tanaiste and her advisor Karen O'Connell in two garda cars for three hours during the demonstration at the Fortunestown Road in Jobstown in Tallaght, on November 15, 2014.

He went on trial at the Dublin Children's Court and faced the possibility of custodial sentence of up to two years.

The Dublin west TD and former Minister for Social Protection had been at a graduation ceremony at An Cosan adult education centre when a water protest took place outside. She and her advisor told the court earlier that they were too frightened to get out of Garda cars surrounded by people shouting abuse, throwing missiles and banging on windows. One protester shouted they hoped Burton would die, the trial was told.

The boy's legal team had asked Judge John King to dismiss the charges. His barrister Giollaoisa O Lideadha SC argued that it his was a right to protest case. He had also contended that the prosecution was unprecedented and a recipe for totalitarianism and that there was an agreement with gardai that protesters would march ahead of a car carrying the two women.

Following the four days of hearing evidence and legal arguments, the boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was found guilty on Friday by Judge King who held it was indisputable that the former Labour leader and her advisor were detained against their will, and he said the boy was present throughout.

He said that all the elements of common design were laid out and he was satisfied that the offence as charged had been proven beyond reasonable doubt and he was entitled to convict.

The first thing I would say is that this was an atrocious series of events; it is a terrible offence, however, it is noted that the accused was not acting in isolation and was in the presence of many adults who should have known better and he may have been influenced to some extent by those adults, Judge King said.

He also said the teenager was an active participant in blockades around garda cars carrying Burton and her advisor.

The youth appeared shocked at the verdict and the judge allowed a break before proceeding to finalise the case. Det Garda Paul Smith told the court that neither Joan Burton or Ms O'Connell wanted to provide victim impact statements. Det Smith agreed Joan Burton has said she, did not have any desire for any young person to go to jail in respect of the charges before the court.

The trial judge was furnished with a booklet of testimonials about the boy who has no prior criminal convictions and who was accompanied to court by his parents. He also noted the teenager has recently had a series of medical problems which remain undiagnosed and they may have been related to the stress he was under.

Judge King complemented the teenager on his realisation of the necessity for social justice and he noted the youth's previous good record as well as work he has done in his community and for charities  including helping the homeless, for which he has received awards.

He said he was imposing the conditional discharge sparing him a possible sentence and leaving him with a clean record.

About a hundred of his supporters were outside the courthouse cheering Jobstown Innocent, Labour guilty, which intensified as word got out that the judge was satisfied the boy was guilty.

After the teenager was released by the court, his solicitor Michael Finucane told reporters: It is important to emphasise that this is a young man placed at the centre of a very high profile and stressful case that went on for a number of days. My client has asked me to say he is extremely relieved the proceedings have ended and the stress on him and his family, to some degree, has been lifted for the time being but he is disappointed by the outcome.

He added that the defence team was considering options but I can confirm that an appeal of some sort will be taken in due course. The teen was also thankful of all the support he had received.

The teen's father told reporters his son was not guilty and he blasted the verdict saying, there is no justice in this country and he added that there would be an appeal.

Videos obtained from Youtube, RTE as well as Ms Burton Ms O'Connell's phone was shown during the lengthy hearing and the court heard evidence from the two complainants and garda witnesses.

Delivering his verdict on day-five of the non-jury trial, Judge King said Joan Burton and her advisor were surrounded by protesters when they left An Cosan and they had to be protected by gardai. He said their progress to St Thomas's Church for the conclusion of the graduation ceremony was obstructed and gardai had to force their way through but were helmed in against a fence.

He noted Joan Burton was hit on her head with a balloon while Karen O'Connell was struck on the back and they had to push through the crowd. He said their personal liberty was restricted by the action of the crowd and in his view both were victims of an assault.

He said that at the church the crowd remained at gate. It was decided Burton and Karen O'Connell would leave in an unmarked garda car at the side of church. As they exited they were seen by a protester who advised the teenage defendant who ran to get the protesters.

He said the crowd ran around to the unmarked garda car surrounded it, shook it, banged on the roof. He noted evidence that they put placards against windows and shouted abuse while someone damaged the wing mirror and another threw a water meter at the car. He noted that protesters sat at the rear and it could not safely reverse.

He noted missiles were thrown including an open tin of beans which struck one garda.

He noted Joan Burton stated she was anxious to get out and she wanted to leave as soon as possible but was not able to do that. He noted she felt extreme hostility and she was apprehensive about Where would they run to? if they go the car doors were opened by the crowd. He noted that Karen O'Connell said she was frightened and that she was not in a position to leave and safe.

He said the evidence was that gardai then formed a cordon to a Garda jeep at the church entrance and gardai acted as a screen.

The crowd was pushing on top of her surging and aggressive and at one stage she felt she was about to fall and began to lose her shoe.

He said she was unable to move freely and gardai were trying to protect her. He noted that Karen O'Connell said gardai had to encircle them in a cocoon and the movement was like a scrum. He noted her evidence of hearing profanities and she was crying began hyperventilating.

He noted someone grabbed Ms O'Connell's collar and a garda had to break their hold. He said their liberty was again restricted during their passage between the two vehicles. While in the jeep, he said, protesters sat in front to prevent it moving and one of them smashed the front windscreen.

He said the crowd got bigger and Joan Burton and Ms O'Connell could only leave at the protesters' whim. One protester told gardai that said if their public order unit was removed they would slow march the jeep out of the area.

He noted the protesters slow marched in front of the jeep and at the N81 gardai had a chance to move them to another car. Burton was told by gardai she would have to go as fast as possible to the other car and as she ran people were coming toward her whom she felt were menacing.

In relation to the charges against the boy, he noted from the evidence that he was first seen as Joan Burton walking to St Thomas's Church holding a phone to her while saying talk to us Joan.

He said the teenager was an active participant in the blockade of the unmarked car.

He said the boy had a loud hailer and video evidence showed him shouting shame, shame, shame on you when he was at the back of the car. He noted footage at various stages showed him in confrontation or at least animated conversation with gardai

He said the most damning evidence came from Gda Sergeant Michael Phelan who said that at the church, a female shouted and the boy ran to the protesters and they surrounded the unmarked garda car.

Judge King said the next mention of the teenager was in the vicinity of the jeep when he had a megaphone and was telling others to sit down. He was also chanting no way we won't pay and the jeep was blocked. The judge also said the teenager was gesturing to the crowd in manner to suggest the he was trying to co-ordinate them. He said the boy also handed the megaphone to another person who asked the crowd if they should let Karen O'Connell and Joan Burton go.

In fairness, he also said he noted the teenager handed the megaphone to a female protester who asked crowd to stop throwing objects.

He also noted Gda Inspector Derek Maguire gave evidence that the teenager was orchestrating the crowd.

Prosecution barrister argued Tony McGillicuddy that the prosecution case was that the former Tanaiste and her advisor were detained by the actions of the teenage defendant in conjunction with the actions of others.

The defence cited the right to protest and freedom of expression under the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, Judge King held that these protections were not unqualified rights and were subject to conditions and penalties as necessary for public safety and disorder, crime prevention and protection of the rights of others.

Mr McGillicuddy also said the court had a number of options including detention as well as supervision orders as well as the power to give a conditional discharge.

The defence pleaded with the court to leave the youth without a criminal conviction. Mr O Lideadha asked the court to note the youth did well in his Leaving Cert and has been offered a job which will also pay for him to do go to college.

He also said that during interviews the youth was made aware of the distress caused to the two people involved and he expressed his apologies.

I am making the case he is very deeply involved in community service as it is already. A separate community service order is not necessary, the defence barrister submitted.

Judge King noted the teenager had until this had lived a blameless life and never came to Garda attention before and that he wanted the case to be finalised. He said the court confirms it was satisfied of the guilt of accused in respect of both charge but he decided to order a conditional discharge.

The teenager was warned that this was on condition he does not re-offend in the next nine months.

Protesters condemning the prosecution waited outside the courthouse in Smithfield every day of the trial while messages of support online poured in from all round the world including people in Seattle, Berlin, Stockholm, Brussels, Edinburgh and other locations.

Meanwhile Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy and 17 other people are to face trial next year on various charges, including false imprisonment, in connection with the protest.
Gareth Jones, 22, from Mellows Park in Finglas, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Paul McCormack at Tolka Valley Road in Finglas. Pic Collins Courts

An unaccompanied learner driver who was speeding when he hit and killed a teenager has been jailed for nine months.

Gareth Jones (22) swerved to avoid three of the boy's friends as they crossed the road but hit Paul McCormack (16) who had changed direction to try and get back to the path.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard there was a fault with the ABS braking system in his Toyota Avensis but that there was no indication Jones was aware of this. The car had a valid NCT at the time.

On Friday Michael Bowman SC, defending, told the court that the victim's mother, Valerie Hyland had presented Jones with a letter prior to the hearing. He said the letter communicated an extraordinary degree of understanding and forgiveness.

Expand Close Victims family and friends pictured leaving court after Gareth Jones, 22, from Mellows Park in Finglas, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Paul McCormack at Tolka Valley Road in Finglas. Pic: Collins Courts / Facebook

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Whatsapp Victims family and friends pictured leaving court after Gareth Jones, 22, from Mellows Park in Finglas, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Paul McCormack at Tolka Valley Road in Finglas. Pic: Collins Courts

Mr Bowman said the letter displayed magnanimity and humanity in wishing Jones well with his life and that she would include Jones in her prayers.

He said the moment had been considerably emotional and said there was no enmity between the families. He said the events had been a tragedy for all concerned.

Jones, of Mellowes Park, Finglas, Dublin pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Paul McCormack at Tolka Valley Road, Finglas on June 26, 2015. He has two minor previous convictions.

The court heard Jones told gardai he was doing 70 to 80 kmph in the area which had a speed limit of 50kmph. After the collision Jones remained at the scene, accepted responsibility and called an ambulance.

The maximum term of imprisonment for this offence is two years.

Judge Melanie Greally said she had come to a very difficult decision given Jones youth and the state of relations between him and Paul's family. She said the court had wider considerations but noted Paul's mother's magnanimity and understanding.

Judge Greally said Jones had been driving in excess of the speed limit and had been undeterred by speed ramps. She said he failed to moderate his speed when he became aware of the group crossing the road and only applied emergency braking at the last minute. She said he displayed a catastrophic lack of judgement.

She said as Jones swerved to the right to avoid the group, Paul had moved into the path of the car and suffered fatal head injuries when his head hit the windscreen. She said Jones' driving had been careless in the extreme.

Judge Greally noted he held a learner's licence and said the requirement to be accompanied by a fully qualified driver was there for a purpose and if he had been accompanied the outcome may have been different.

She noted that Jones had remained at the scene, called an ambulance and made admissions to gardai. She said he had shown concern for the injured party and shown remorse.

She said the victim impact statement from the McCormack family had been deeply moving and expressed the pain of living without their son. She noted Paul's life had been full of fun, vitality and promise.

She noted Jones came from a decent, supportive and pro social family and that he had been deeply affected in the aftermath of the offence. A probation report put him at low risk of re-offending.

Judge Greally said she had to take into account the general deterrent factor of the sentence imposed and did not think a community based sanction would have the necessary deterrent effect.

She imposed a nine month sentence and disqualified Jones from driving for five years. She expressed her condolences to the McCormack family.
A student has been found guilty of false imprisonment of Joan Burton during the Jobstown protest.

The youth (17) denied falsely imprisoning the former Tanaiste and her advisor Karen O'Connell who were allegedly trapped in two garda cars for three hours during the demonstration at the Fortunestown Road in Jobstown in Tallaght, on Nov. 15, 2014.

He was aged 15 at the time of the protest.

His trial at the Dublin Children's Court resumed on Friday morning for Judge John King decide if he was going to throw out the case.

The 17-year-old's legal team contended that it is not accordance with Irish or European human rights laws and that the State has not made out a case to answer.

The Dublin west TD had been at a graduation ceremony at An Cosan education centre when a water protest took place outside. She told the court earlier that she was frightened and did not think she had the alternative of being able to get out of Garda cars surrounded by people shouting abuse and banging on windows.

The teenager had also walked in front of her holding a phone filming her and blocked her while saying talk to us Joan, she said.

Last month, the State has closed it's case and on Tuesday, the boy's legal team asked Judge John King to dismiss the charges. The boy's barrister Giollaoisa O Lideadha SC told Judge King that the the case is unprecedented and is a recipe for totalitarianism.

However, Judge King held that the liberty of the then Tanaiste and her advisor were restricted at numerous stages and the teenager was guilty based on the evidence given to the court.
An Offaly veterinarian who glassed an accountant in a city centre cocktail bar, leaving him with lifelong scarring, has been confronted by his victim in court.

Mark Relihan had just finished reading out an emotional victim impact statement in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when he turned to his attacker, held up a picture of his extensive facial injuries and said: This is what you've done to me. You see this? This is what you ran away from.

His attacker Stephen McGrath (25) showed no reaction. He was in Dublin while on a trip home from Wales where he works in a veterinary practice treating farm animals.

Judge Petria McDonnell adjourned the case until December 16, 2016 for a probation report and asked that the possibility of community service be examined. She had originally suggested sentencing him on December 21 but McGrath, through his counsel, said this caused him work difficulties.

McGrath of Carmarthen in Wales, but originally from Tullamore, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm on September 6, 2015 in No Name Bar on Fade Street, Dublin.

Mr Relihan told the court his life had been impacted forever by the unprovoked, cruel, inhumane act. He has already had some plastic surgery and said he would likely require more. He said he may have to have fat extracted from his torso to fill in a cavity in his face which was caused by the attack.

Judge McDonnell told the victim the cavity looks more like a dimple but said she understands the effect it had on him.

The victim, who works in an accountancy firm, said his professional reputation was left in tatters following the attack due to his facial scarring. He said he was a different person mentally and physically and sometimes had to leave social situations due to anxiety.

I need to see he pays a price for his actions so I can move on, Mr Relihan said. I wonder how many people have to end up injured and even dead for this to be taken seriously.

Garda Barry Keegan told prosecuting counsel, Monika Leech BL, that McGrath was in the bar with a large group of trainee and newly-qualified vets.

McGrath confronted Mr Relihan in a row over whether there was enough space on a bench they were both sitting on. McGrath said he would give Mr Relihan ten seconds to move and began counting down.

Mr Relihan looked at his friends and said Is this guy for real? before McGrath smashed a glass into his face. Fragments from the glass also hit another man, Shane O'Riordan, who was standing nearby.

Mr Relihan was taken to hospital where he required 17 stitches to his face. Mr O'Riordan suffered minor cuts and was treated at the scene.

McGrath left the area but was identified by Gda Keegan. When the garda contacted him that weekend, McGrath said he was in Tullamore watching a hurling match. The garda went to Tullamore only to discover McGrath was still in Dublin.

He was arrested and interviewed during which he admitted the attack and said he was sorry.

Defence counsel, Justin McQuade BL, said his client had 10,000 for Mr Relihan as a token of his remorse. Mr Relihan does not want the money and is planning on taking a civil case, the court heard.

Counsel said the attack was the stuff of nightmares and he had been instructed to publicly apologise to the victim. He called evidence from McGrath's sister, who said he lost his mother at a very young age in a traffic accident.

Mr McQuade appealed for leniency and said McGrath could be kicked out of the veterinarian's professional body because of the case.
Boarding schools may have to send pupils home if secondary teachers withdraw from supervision and substitution work from November 7.

Residential schools face bigger headaches than others in trying to make alternative arrangements to ensure the health and safety of pupils are not at risk if teachers stop doing this work.

Boarding schools are in the voluntary secondary sector where most, if not all, teachers are members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI). As a result, these schools are most vulnerable to closure arising from ASTI action.

The ASTI is threatening two separate campaigns of industrial action in its row over pay, which may cause up to 520 schools to close, either for one day at a time, or indefinitely.

The union has announced seven one-day stoppages - the first next Thursday, October 27 - in pursuit of pay equality for newly-qualified teachers, who were worst affected by austerity-era cuts.

One-day strikes will close the 380 voluntary secondary schools - generally, those under the control of the religious orders - amounting to more than half the country's 730 second-level schools.

They will also cause serious difficulties for well over 100 dual-union schools, where both the ASTI and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) have members. Efforts are under way to clarify exactly what TUI members, and staff, such as special-needs assistants, will have to do to meet their employment obligations, while also avoiding a souring of relations with ASTI colleagues.

Non-ASTI staff would be required to report for work in order to get paid - even if a school is forced to close.

But among the issues arising is whether a staff member could send an email saying they were available for work, rather than having to cross a picket line.

The withdrawal from supervision and substitution work is, potentially, more serious than the one-day strikes because it is likely to result in most schools, particularly the 380 in the voluntary secondary sector, remaining closed indefinitely after mid-term.

Short notice and a ban on ASTI principals getting involved in helping with contingency arrangements has made any hope of recruiting external supervisors a futile effort for many schools.

A total of 112 schools have advertised for supervisors on the Department of Education website. Schools not on the list may be trying to make arrangements locally, or may feel it's a pointless exercise. None of the 380 voluntary secondary schools is on the list.

The dispute has forced Education Minister Richard Bruton to cut short a trip to China. He is due home today.
A man has said that his request for a refund on the grounds of serious illness was refused by Ryanair after he was hospitalised with a bleeding oesophagus.

David Black was admitted to hospital in September with a bleeding oesophagus and was advised that he should not travel because there was a risk that he could bleed out on the plane.

David sent letters to Ryanair from his GP and the hospital to explain that he had been admitted and should not travel. He asked for a refund on his 230 October trip to Croatia for himself and his girlfriend, which would be his first holiday in ten years.

The Ryanair website states that In the event of death or serious illness making it impossible for a customer to travel, the reservations of the affected customer and anyone travelling on the same booking reference may, at our discretion, be refunded.

David received a letter back from Ryanair on October 4 which said: We regret to inform you that Ryanair tickets are non- refundable. This is clearly stated in our Terms and Conditions, agreed to at the time of purchase. We sympathise with your circumstances, but we are afraid that we cannot accede to your request for a refund in this case.

I thought I was going to die when I was rushed to hospital. This is the last thing I needed on top of all that, David told independent.ie.

Any company with moral decency would give a refund. Ive been in business for 35 years and this is not how you treat people.

I havent been able to get in touch with the head office; the public cant get that number. I had some response from the press office, but they arent answering my calls now. If necessary, I will take this to court, he continued.

In a statement to Independent.ie, a Ryanair spokesperson said: While we regret any inconvenience caused, all Ryanair tickets are non-refundable, as stated in our terms and conditions agreed to at the time of booking."

A further statement said: The policy is discretionary and applied on a case by case basis.
DUBLIN Fire Bridge are tonight battling a blaze at large abandoned house in Garristown, in rural north county Dublin.

It is understood the fire started before 8.30pm. Officers were called to the scene, where they brought the situation under control.

The fire brigade said one pump would remain at the house to prevent any rekindling of the fire.

While the incident is still at an early stage, there were no initial reports of any injuries. The cause of the blaze is not yet known.
AN Irish poet has shared a poem on YouTube that challenges the people who abused her online after she shared the story of her rape earlier this year.

Alvy Carragher, a Galway poet who represented Ireland at an international poetry event in New York this summer, said she received a torrent of online abuse after reciting a poem about a sexual assault she was subjected to at the age of 24.

It took me nearly three years to write about the rape, which happened on New Years Eve when I had just turned 24. I recited it in public at a venue in Dublin in the early summer this year and that is when my troubles with the trolls really started, Carragher told The Guardian.

It was so shocking when I read them on my phone because they were quite creepy. They objected to my poem Numb, which was to do with the rape, although I wrote it in an ambiguous way, pointing out to my attacker that there was no consent, that this was a sexual assault.

They ranged from You are just making this rape up to This wasnt actually rape. There were even comments questioning whether I was rapeable or not! There were even some women questioning whether I was telling the truth about the rape.

Carragher decided to use the words of one abuser, who sent her several thousand words word of abuse in an email, to hit back at them with a powerful poem, which she has now shared on YouTube.

I decided to turn his very own words against him, she said. I wasnt particularly bothered by the email but rather the fact that other young women, especially female writers, were being turned against in exactly the same way. So I was conscious to use all his words against him instead of labelling him as anything.

Using that one individuals words is my way of taking back power from him.

Noeline Blackwell, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre CEO, told The Guardian: When you think of how hard many people find it to reveal a sexual assault, including rape, to anyone  friend, authority figure, family member  then those who speak out publicly about those assaults show huge courage, a great sense of justice and a recognition that such assault is harmful, criminal and not the fault of the victim.

When people speak out publicly, they can be met by a wide range of reactions from people not wanting to know and turning away, through solid support to yes, outright abuse. However, that virulent abuse does not seem to be the most common reaction.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can get in touch with the Rape Crisis Centres 24-hour hotline at 1800 77 88 88.
A teenage girl was left fighting for her life after being knocked down by a car on her way to school.

The 14-year-old pupil was crossing the Oscar Traynor Road in Coolock, Dublin, when she was knocked down.

The teenager was rushed to Temple Street Hospital where she was being treated for head injuries last night.

Her condition is understood to be "critical but stable".

A Garda spokesperson said: "Gardai at Santry are investigating a collision that occurred on the Oscar Traynor Road at approximately 7.45am."

Gardai sealed off the scene for a large period of the morning as Forensic Collision Investigators carried out a technical examination of the scene.

Injured

A black Volkswagen Passat, understood to have been involved in the incident, was also examined.

The vehicle's wing mirror was broken, but it is not yet known if this was as a result of the incident.

Officers from Santry Garda station are investigating the incident and are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.

The roadway would have been busy with commuters as well as schoolchildren using vehicles and buses on their morning commute.

No arrests have been made in relation to the incident and the driver of the car was not believed to have been injured in the collision.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Santry Garda station on 01 6664000, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda station.
Human bones which may date as far back as Ireland's Great Famine have been discovered at a property in Cork city.

Builders made the discovery of the remains - believed to be over 150 years old - just outside the city centre on Tuesday afternoon.

The bones were uncovered as the house, located on Stephen's Street, was undergoing renovations at the time.

Gardai were alerted to the discovery and they reached the scene, just off Tower Street, at around 4pm.

The site was then sealed off to facilitate a forensic examination of the area.

Gardai handed the bones over to the local coroner for investigation and initial indications are that the bones could be up to 200 years old.

Carbon dating is required to more accurately establish the age of the remains.

As the bones are not considered part of a criminal investigation, the discovery falls under the remit of the State's archaeological bodies.

UCC's Dr Barra O'Donnabhain, a lecturer in archaeology, said that the bones are currently in the hands of the Cork university.

"The remains were brought in here on Wednesday and we had a look at them," he told independent.ie.

"I checked out the ordnance survey map of the city at the time - the oldest being around 1830 - and there were two hospitals on the map, St Stephens and Royal Hospital. This is located right between where those two once stood."

Dr Barra O'Donnabhain believes that the houses on St Stephen's Street were buit on an old graveyard as when a trench was dug for sewerage pipes, "a couple of individuals were disturbed".

"The remains of a number of individuals were disturbed from the knees down. The trench is not terribly deep but shallow graves were the norm at that time."

The director of the National Museum will have the final say on what will happen to the bones and where they will be relocated to.
This is the moment a member of the Irish Defence Forces rescued a tiny baby from an overcrowded wooden barge off the coast of Tripoli.

The LE Samuel Beckett located and rescued 772 migrants following a request from the Italian Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre.

The naval vessel located the migrants on a large wooden barge during a complex search and rescue operation 36 Nautical Miles North East of Tripoli.

In a statement the Defence Forces said the The LE Samuel Beckett also acted as on scene co-ordinator for four other ships that rescued migrants from approximately 20 small craft within the search area.

Expand Close LE Samuel Beckett Rescues 772* Migrants During a Complex Search & Rescue Operation. Picture: Irish Defence Sources / Facebook

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Whatsapp LE Samuel Beckett Rescues 772* Migrants During a Complex Search & Rescue Operation. Picture: Irish Defence Sources

The rescue operation began at 6.30am and all migrants were taken on board LE Samuel Beckett by 2.30pm.

They are are now receiving food, water and medical treatment where required.

LE Samuel Beckett will transfer some migrants to an Italian ship before transferring the remaining migrants to a Port of Safety.

Figures for today's operation are provisional until confirmed by the Italian authorities.
Shaye Collins being held by his mother Veronica

A premature baby who suffers from a rare and life-threatening blood condition has defied all the medical odds.

There is no recorded case of a premature baby surviving with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in the UK or Ireland, so baby Shaye Collins has confounded medical experts.

Little Shaye, from Killaloe, Co Clare, was born by emergency C-section at Holles Street Hospital, Dublin, on September 6 at 30 weeks and six days.

He weighed over four pounds, but when excess fluid was drained his weight dropped to just over three pounds.

Three days later, doctors diagnosed Shaye with the rare blood condition HLH in which the body makes too many activated immune cells.

Shaye was transferred to Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin and was then airlifted to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital on Tuesday, October 11.

People with HLH usually develop symptoms within the first months or years of life. These include fever, enlarged liver or spleen, lower-than-normal number of blood cells, and neurological abnormalities. HLH may be inherited or can be acquired.

Parents Eoin and Veronica Collins have been "blown away" by the support from family, relatives and friends.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Shaye Collins with his father Eoin Shaye Collins being held by his mother Veronica / Facebook

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Whatsapp Shaye Collins with his father Eoin

Shaye's father Eoin recalled how a doctor, on the helicopter that transported Shaye to London, looked at his chart and couldn't believe it.

"The doctor said the word 'fighter' is thrown around a lot, but felt Shaye's case is unbelievable," he said.

"He said it is a 'miracle' that Shaye is alive as there is no recorded case of a premature baby surviving with HLH in the UK or Ireland.

"What makes Shaye's case unique is the fact he got HLH as a foetus, was born with it and survived.

"Doctors have said there is a considerable battle ahead of him. They haven't minced their words - there is no guarantee that treatment will work."

Eoin and Veronica have described the assistance from people as "tremendous".

"We don't know how long his treatment will take or how long he will be in Ormond Street," they said.

A series of fundraising events have been organised to help cover the costs of the family travelling to Great Ormond Street Hospital and Veronica's living expenses in London.

The main headline event is the Lip Sync battle in aid of Baby Shaye, which will be held in the Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe, on December 2 at 8pm.

Donations can be made on the Lip Sync Battle in aid of Baby Shaye Facebook page.
This week, the residents at Spencer Dock apartment complex were issued with a blanket ban of short-term rents (Stock picture)

A clampdown on Airbnb is imminent with specific guidelines for when a house or apartment ceases to be a residence and becomes a commercial premises.

Local authorities around the country are to be issued with new rules that could affect the status of thousands of Airbnb hosts.

It comes after Housing Minister Simon Coveney backed a judgment by An Bord Pleanala which found an apartment in Dublin's Temple Bar was rented out so often using the website that it constituted a business.

His officials are now to draw up guidelines that will stop property owners from operating hostel or B&B-style accommodation under the guise of Airbnb.

Department sources told the Irish Independent they do not want to curtail the "normal" use of Airbnb, which allows homeowners to rent out rooms to holidaymakers for short stays.

However, officials will look at the split of time between a property being used as a home and for short-term letting.

"The department intends to have specific objective measures/thresholds to guide local authority decisions," the source said.

Speaking as he launched a consultation process on the rental crisis yesterday, Mr Coveney said Airbnb has "a role to play in the broader property market but there needs to be clarity around what the role is".

There was significant debate about the online service last year when Revenue Commissioners said they would be seeking to pursue tax arrears and interest from Airbnb hosts who had failed to pay tax on their earnings.

The latest controversy arises out of a case where a two-bed property in Temple Bar was advertised for sale with a footnote that it was yielding almost 80,000 per year for one owner.

Earlier this week An Bord Pleanala upheld a Dublin City Council decision that the property had undergone a material change of use due to the level of Airbnb activity and was therefore not exempt from planning regulations.

"Effectively as far as I can see this was a property that was being used like a B&B whereby there was regular turnover every couple of days," Mr Coveney said. "We need to provide planning guidelines for that type of operation.

"When does a rental property become a commercial property? When does a residential property become a commercial property? We'll work on that ... and we'll issue a letter to chief executives, in particular in local authorities in urban areas."

Mr Coveney said that local authorities should be in a position to make consistent decisions on the issue and that homeowners should "know where they stand".

This week, the residents at Spencer Dock apartment complex were issued with a blanket ban of short-term rents.

Meanwhile, Mr Coveney has committed to bringing forward an action plan aimed at reducing the pressure on the rental sector by the end of the year.

"It will contain a range of actions focused on the four key areas of security, supply, standards and services."

He said greater certainty of tenure will be delivered for landlords and tenants.
Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein are at loggerheads over TDs' pay.

Sinn Fein's public expenditure spokesperson David Cullinane yesterday launched a motion calling for all pay restoration for TDs to be blocked.

He said Sinn Fein TDs will waive any increase they are due to receive when they come into force in April.

But last night, Fianna Fail's Housing spokesperson Barry Cowen said he will propose an amendment to the motion in a bid to force the party to reimburse the State by all amounts received above the average industrial wage.

The party says its policy is for its TDs to draw down the full Dail salary of 87,500 but to take home the average industrial wage.

The remainder, Sinn Fein says, is used for constituency purposes.

Mr Cowen hit out at Sinn Fein, claiming they are not being totally honest in their crusade to cut wages.

"I'm going propose an amendment to their motion looking for Sinn Fein to reimburse the State with any monies over the average industrial wage since that is what they say they take.

"I'm going to bring that suggestion to my parliamentary party and I hope they back it," he told the Irish Independent.

The row comes as Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald squared off in the Dail over TDs' pay.

Ms McDonald said there is no "public tolerance" for pay increases at a time when the pension was increased by 5 and the dole to under 25s increased by 2.70.

The Dublin Central TD said the public are sick of what she described as the "political brass neck" being displayed by Government.

Mr Varadkar hit back and insisted that ministers will forego all pay restoration. He added that the Government believes strongly that TDs' pay should remain linked to the principal officer's grade in the civil service.

"We don't want to go back to what you want to do which is politicians deciding what they are paid," the Dublin West TD said.

Mr Varadkar raised Sinn Fein's record in the North. And he called on the party to spell out what it does with the money paid to its TDs given its policy is for them to take the average industrial wage.
TWO Independent Ministers in Government have hired a former political adviser to the Green Party to be their most senior adviser.

Donall Geoghegan, who was Programme Manager for the Green Party in government from 2007-2011, is to start work next month for Childrens Minister, Katherine Zappone, and Communications Minister, Denis Naughten.

Before working for the Green Party in government, Mr Geoghegan was that partys general secretary from 2007-2011. He is currently communications and policy director for the organisation, Early Childhood Ireland, and previously had a number of jobs with various community and voluntary groups.

The appointment was made after public advertisement of the post and a selection process. The move is part of an ongoing effort to improve communications and coordination within the Fine Gael-led minority coalition which has suffered some turbulence since taking office on May 6 last.

Ministers Naughten and Zappone have largely avoided public clashes with government colleagues since their appointment. But their counterparts in the Independent Alliance, which has a total of four ministers on the government team, has been the focus of four high-profile rows over water charges, abortion, appealing the Apple tax fine, and Waterford University Hospital.

Mr Geoghegans appointment is one of a number aimed at avoiding and defusing tensions within government. Former political correspondent for The Irish Daily Star, Catherine Halloran, has been appointed deputy government press secretary tasked with coordinating communications for all the Independents in government.

Last month the Independent Alliance announced the appointment of the libel lawyer, Tony Williams, as their political coordinator. Mr Williams is a former Progressive Democrat member and activist.

Both Mr Geoghegan and Mr Williams will act as go-between with Fine Gael and Taoiseach Enda Kenny's officials. They will focus on issues which are not part of the ministers direct responsibilities.
Local authorities around the country are to be issued with new rules that could affect the status of thousands of Airbnb hosts. Here's the top five questions you might be asking about the new rules.

1. Why is a clampdown on Airbnb being proposed?

The rules around Airbnb in terms of tax liability and planning have always been a bit sketchy. When it first came to Ireland many people saw it as an easy way to make a few euro by renting out a room or even their home for a few days at a time. Last year Revenue said they would be seeking to pursue tax arrears and interest from people who didnt declare Airbnb income. Now the Department of Housing wants to clarify the planning situation.

2. Does this mean that Ill have to get planning permission to use Airbnb?

Probably not. Sources in the Department of Housing have told Independent.ie that they do not intend to stop normal use of Airbnb. The problem is that they have to define what is normal. The current focus on the online service is a result of rulings by Dublin City Council and An Bord Pleanala that an apartment in Temple Bar should have applied for planning permission to operate as a commercial premises because the owners were collecting up to 80,000 a year in income through Airbnb. The website released figures last year that shows the typical Airbnb host earns 2,600 a year by sharing their space for 40 nights a year.

3. Has this issue arisen in other countries?

The Airbnb phenomenon has grown so quickly that its not surprising some policy issues have arisen. The company says they worked with authorities in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Milan and Lisbon to provide clear rules and look forward to doing the same in Ireland.

4. So what changes does the Department of Housing intend to make?

This is still under discussion. Officials will look at the split of time between a property being used as a home and for short-term letting. "The department intends to have specific objective measures/thresholds to guide local authority decisions," a source said. In the meantime Housing Minister Simon Coveney is going to write to the chief executives of every local authority in the country alerting them to the Temple Bar judgement which he agrees with.

Effectively as far as I can see this was a property that was being used like a B&B whereby there was regular turnover every couple of days," Mr Coveney said. "We need to provide planning guidelines for that type of operation.

5. Is Airbnb not just adding to the difficulties already in the housing sector?

There is an argument that a small number of rooms that could be rented out to long-term tenants are actually being held back for short-term letting on Airbnb. However, the Government has a view that if properly regulated Airbnb serves a purpose, particularly in providing accommodation for tourists.

I think Airbnb has a role to play in the broader property market but there needs to be clarity around what the role is and I dont think at the moment there is, says Mr Coveney.

I think if you own a property and youre living there and you rent a room or rent it out for a few weeks or a few months of the year through Airbnb, its quite successful .
The third and final debate was the best behaved. It was beautifully moderated by Fox's Chris Wallace (you see, they can do fair and balanced).

The focus was on policy, and that handed Donald Trump a chance to prove that he's a credible conservative alternative to Hillary Clinton. There were glimmers of credibility. Alas, they were hidden behind the dark clouds of his personality.

For anyone right of centre, this election is not as simple as everyone else thinks it is. Yes, Trump is a dreadful man. "Disgusting" to use his words. But Clinton has an alarming agenda. We heard her promise the largest jobs programme since World War II - why? What about 2016 is analogous to total war in the 1940s?

She also wants to chip away at gun rights and rebalance the Supreme Court in favour of progressive activism.

That means abortion on demand financed by the taxpayer.

For conservatives, and many moderates, she is both a frightening and a dubious option. She would stand on the side of the individual against the great companies, she says - all the while giving speeches to executives for hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is an irritating, recycled quality to her jargon.

To hear Trump speak powerfully about the reality of partial birth abortion - "rip the baby right out of the womb, just prior to the birth" - suggests a man who has recently discovered what really goes on in those clinics and has a sound instinctual reaction.

All Clinton can offer is bland, emotionless soundbites.

The problem is that beyond policy, the Trump candidacy is dead on arrival. Dead before he declared.

In his past is buried a rotting corpse of scandal, gossip and innuendo that simply disqualifies him from the presidency. Clinton did an excellent job of teasing it out, joking that he was judging 'Celebrity Apprentice' while she was helping Barack Obama fight terrorism. At moments like that he loses his temper, leans into the mic and breathes: "WRONG".

Out comes the deflections, denials, rants and rambling explanations that sound like digging deeper. Followed by his strange commentary on how the election's going. He's going to win. Oh yes, definitely going to win. But the whole thing's rigged - and that's why he might lose.

When asked if he would accept the result come what may, he replied that he would "keep you in suspense".

This often happens in US elections, by the way - people question the results all the time. Trump's crime is to question the voting before it's even happened. Normally one waits until one has actually lost to do that.

A concession that he is in fact going to lose? Obviously. The regrettable thing is that Trump has provided a necessary challenge to some mainstream talking points. Clinton attacked him for saying that America should talk to Russia, accusing him of being a "puppet" of Vladimir Putin.

Yet only four years before, Obama had laughed at Mitt Romney for even suggesting Russia was a primary strategic threat - a reminder that it is American withdrawal from world leadership since that election that has allowed Putin to project Russian power. Is it really so wrong to want to find an accord with the Kremlin? Is it wrong, either, to question the wisdom of America's constant interventions in the Middle East?

Trump was quite correct when he said that the US had provided assistance to Syrian rebels, a project that proved to be a total disaster.

Clinton is the neoconservative candidate in this election.

Liberals are voting for the more right-wing person on foreign policy when they vote for her.

But when the subject comes back to Trump himself  his candidacy folds like a bad hand in a Las Vegas casino.

It was all bluff. The debates have revealed it. He has probably done enough to hold conservatives to the ticket - abortions and guns might keep Utah, Arizona and Texas in his column.

But every reminder of his joking about grabbing women tears away women voters, while his remarks about Muslims and refugees lose him minority support.

All the media will talk about for the next few days is his refusal to commit to accepting the election result.

A stupid, stupid own goal.

You want a measure of Trump's candidacy?

Look at who he took to the debate. In the audience sat Scott Baio, who played Chachi in 'Happy Days', Sarah Palin and Malik Obama - the president's half-brother, who is backing the Republican ticket.

Mr Obama opposes gay marriage. Yet he is personally polygamous, claim some journalists, and is thought to have anything between three and 12 wives.

This election is a crime scene. It needs to be roped off and the public told there's no longer anything to see. ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Approximately 1.2bn of goods and services are traded each week between the two countries. An estimated 400,000 jobs rely on this critical bilateral trade relationship. There can be no excuse for a failure to plan (Stock picture)

Since the Brexit vote, we have heard solemn talk from the Government about its ramifications. The Budget even included a proposal for an "aspirational" rainy day fund of 1bn a year.

So at this juncture, the Government should not exactly need prodding with a Taser to stimulate it into action on Brexit. There are growing worries about the lack of a "war room" to prepare for the fallout.

Irish Stock Exchange chief Deirdre Somers may not have used a stun gun but she was nonetheless commendably forthright in her criticism at the hitherto lackadaisical approach being taken. She said that there is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to be seized upon, but there is also the fear that it could be squandered.

Ms Somers revealed that she was unaware of an "integrated, joined-up approach to capitalising on the consequences of the June 23 vote. Maybe there is a plan somewhere and I'm just not party to it, or I haven't seen it" How can this be, given the scale of the Brexit threat?

Ms Somers's comments are nothing short of alarming. On top of the risk of changes to the Border, it must be remembered that of all EU member states, Ireland is the country most economically exposed to Britain's departure. Some 16pc of our exports go to Britain, by far the highest percentage of any European country.

In all, approximately 1.2bn of goods and services are traded each week between the two countries. An estimated 400,000 jobs rely on this critical bilateral trade relationship. There can be no excuse for a failure to plan. The race for new export markets won't wait.

We know there will be a bumpy period ahead - a plummeting pound has already given us a foretaste of what could happen. In times of uncertainty, the only shock worse than the totally unexpected is that of the expected for which one is blissfully unprepared.

History shows how opportunity is indeed a haughty goddess who wastes no time on those who dither.

Last thing US needs is a weak president

Donald Trump promised to revive the American dream and make his country great again; but you would have to have slept through this campaign to still believe him. Las Vegas is used to seeing heavyweight pugilists batter each other to a pulp, but its only in the political ring that cheap shots below the belt are permitted.

And they came in a flurry in the final showdown between Hillary Clinton and Mr Trump. Both corners will have been embarrassed by the low level of the contest. Kindergarten tantrums have had more substance and dignity.

Both participants were diminished rather than elevated in the tit-for-tat exchanges. Mr Trumps refusal to confirm that he will accept the result of the election was the most unsettling aspect of a squalid encounter.

By common consent, the race to select the 45th occupant of the White House has been the dirtiest and most puerile in recent history. The sooner it is decided, the better.

But there was something unnerving in Mr Trumps refusal to signal that he would abide by the democratic will of the people. His claims that the contest is rigged have been roundly ridiculed; but his seeming reluctance to respect the outcome nonetheless brings a sinister edge to his shtick.

With Russia dispatching its Northern Fleet to reinforce the attack on Aleppo, and Vladimir Putin close to becoming the ringmaster of the Middle East, the last thing the US needs is any undermining of the office of the presidency.
Kids just wanna have fun but the pursuit of reckless abandon comes at a price - virginity, childhood innocence, morality - in Andrea Arnold's mesmerising, naturalistic portrait of disenfranchised youth.

Semi-improvised like her previous films Red Road and Fish Tank, American Honey is a bravura study of loneliness, abandonment and sexual awakening, illuminated by director of photography Robbie Ryan's documentary-style camerawork that remains uncomfortably close to characters as their emotional states unravel.

This voyeuristic intimacy heightens in the explicit though dramatically necessary sex scenes, which leave nothing to the imagination and are awkwardly fuelled by adrenaline.

We know every inch of the actors' bodies by the time the end credits roll.

Admittedly, it is a test of endurance to reach that point and Arnold and her editor Joe Bini could have happily trimmed at least 20 minutes.

In this instance, you can have far too much of a good thing.

Once again, director Arnold has unearthed a dazzling raw talent in lead actress Sasha Lane, who was spotted sunbathing on a beach and was cast without previous experience in front of the camera.

This gamble pays off handsomely - Lane burns brightly in every scene, bristling with defiance and vulnerability as her free-spirited character barrels towards the cusp of womanhood at frightening speed.

Eighteen-year-old Star (Lane) has been left to care for two young siblings, while her mother implodes on drugs.

The children scour dumpsters for discarded food still fit for consumption and at night, Star endures the groping hands of her abusive stepfather.

During a sortie to a supermarket, Star encounters a group of fun-loving teenagers led by Jake (Shia LaBeouf), who claims to be the manager of a door-to-door magazine subscription business.

'You can make 300 dollars a day if you're good,' Jake assures Star.

Initially, she isn't convinced by his bluster and haphazard attire, which he jokingly describes as 'a little Donald Trumpish'.

Determined to escape the degradation of home, Star hits the road with Jake and the other kids, including misfit Pagan (Arielle Holmes) and blonde prankster Corey (McCaul Lombardi).

As they arrive at a motel, Star encounters the business' iron-fisted boss, Krystal (Riley Keough), who only retains youngsters that sell subscriptions by peddling fake sob stories.

Failure won't be tolerated.

Aside from a bloated running time, American Honey is a technical tour de force that also resonates on a deep emotional level.

We feel every sucker punch to Star's destiny and Arnold underscores these pivotal moments with pop and rock hits by the likes of Calvin Harris and Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Antebellum.

Newcomer Lane delivers a performance of unvarnished, painful honesty that holds our attention, even during the few moments when Star seems to be heading for disaster and we silently consider averting our gaze.
There has been good news on the funding front with the recent announcement by the Heritage Council, of the GLAS Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme for 2017.

The scheme is designed to provide assistance to those GLAS farmers involved in conserving and securing Ireland's traditional farm buildings, and grants ranging between 4,000 and 25,000 will be awarded for approved conservation works to the exterior of farm outbuildings as well as associated structures such as historic yard surfaces, walls, and gates.

Speaking about the scheme, Ms Anna Meenan, Project Manager with the Heritage Council said, "The scheme offers a rare and positive opportunity to safeguard our rural built and natural heritage, to protect the special qualities of the traditional farmstead while also allowing it to continue in active use. Since 2009 the scheme has invested in the conservation of over 200 traditional farm buildings making a significant contribution to the enhancement of the Irish countryside". Application forms and the terms and conditions are available on the Heritage Council website www.heritagecouncil.ie and the closing date is 5.00 p.m., Friday 18th November 2016.

While still on the subject of funding, 'Budget 2017' has resulted in a 19% increase in funding for the Heritage Council next year. This has been warmly welcomed by the Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, Michael Starrett, noting that the extra resources would be devoted to expanding the Council's regeneration programmes for rural towns and villages, as well as their programme for upland area partnerships throughout the country. Mr. Starrett added "As well as beginning to re-invest in existing heritage networks, these additional resources will enable us to invest further in our Rural Towns and Villages programme to rejuvenate more of Ireland's local communities. Our approach is to work with local communities and to empower them through funding, training and guidance". This past year in the County of Cork, 38,400 has been awarded by the Heritage Council to a number of local community groups in respect of a range of different projects including one relating to the old church and graveyard in Inchigeela. This was part of the Heritage Council's National Heritage Grant Scheme and it is hoped that this scheme will operate again in 2017, particularly with the increase in funding.

In relation to upcoming events, there are plenty to take note of over the coming week. On Friday 21st October there will be a commemorative concert for 1916 in Saint Multose Church, Kinsale, commencing at 20:00. This event will feature the Kinsale Amateur Orchestral Society, Tenor, Dan Twomey and the Parish Clergy. The Kinsale History Society will also tell the story of Kinsale in 1916.

One of the main events over the weekend is a first of a kind - After Dark Tours on Spike Island, taking place on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd. These first ever 'After-Dark' tours on Spike are at a reduced rate of 15 pp and tickets are strictly limited to 180, 60 visitors per night. "This amazing 104 acre island has accommodated a monastery, fortress and prison in the last 1300 years, and the 24 acre star shaped Fortress Spike became the largest convict depot in the world in the 1850's with more than 2300 inmates. The island hold many memories and our torch lit guided tours give visitors a chance to walk abandoned prisons, sit in solitary cells and follow in the footsteps of famous Irish and international prisoners. Many have been, many remain, but will you escape from Fortress Spike?". For further information on the event visit www.spikeislandafterdark.eventbrite.ie.

On Saturday 22nd October, for those that will be in the City and for those with an interest in the Irish Language, there will be a wonderful afternoon in the City Hall, where those in attendance will get a change to speak Irish with one another. The event has been organised by Ciorcal na gCiorcal and all are welcome to attend. On the following day, Sunday, 23rd, there will be a big afternoon of centenary commemorations in Ballinadee. An official memorial plaque to commemorate the Ballinadee Volunteer Company of 1916-1921 will be unveiled at 15:00 that afternoon and the event will see contributions from historians and will involve today's descendents of the Ballinadee Company and Local School Children. A social gathering will follow in the Community Hall to discuss and celebrate the community's heritage and its place in a national '1916' context. All welcome.

Many of those who have scratched the surface of Cork's past will be aware of the amazing number of high profile Corkonians that throughout history have made significant headway around the world. Most recently in U.C.C. the connection with Cork, namely Macroom and Shangarry, of William Penn (founder of Philadelphia in the USA), has been examined and now, this coming Tuesday, 25th October, there will be a wonderful talk looking at Antarctic Explorer Edward Bransfield (1785 - 1852) who was the person to make the first definite sighting of Antarctica. The talk will commence at 20:00 in the Midleton Park Hotel, Midleton, and will be given by Michael Smith, renowned Polar Author. There is a campaign starting to get a memorial to Bransfield erected in Ballinacurra in 2020 to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of his sighting and this campaign will be launched on the same night by Eugene Furlong and Jim Wilson. Admission to cover costs is 5, which includes light refreshments and all are welcome to attend.

The following day, Wednesday 26th, will see the last in a 4-part series of lectures pertaining to Ireland 1916, entitled "U.C.C. Reconsidering the Rising - Autumn 2016 Public Lectures". This week's talk is titled "Remembering Past Futures - Commemoration and the Roads Undertaken" and will be given by Dr. Heather Laird commencing at 18:00. The talk takes place in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre of the Geology and Geography Building, U.C.C. and all are welcome to attend.
Ballyhoura Development Ltd staff will be leaving the comfort of their homes on Friday night, October 21 to sleep rough in order to raise much needed funds for Focus Ireland, a charity dedicated to supporting the homeless in Ireland.

Statistics have shown that there are over 5000 people homeless in Ireland and that of this 5000, one in three is a child. Focus Ireland helps prevent families, young people and individuals from having to first experience homelessness if possible.

For those currently experiencing homelessness, they identify the best available supports and options to aid them on their journey out of homelessness. Another key aspect of their work is supporting those at risk of homelessness again in the future, to minimise the risk, by providing excellent tenancy supports.

The 13 Ballyhoura staff members will sleep outside their Kilfinane premises on cardboard in Ireland's bitter cold wet weather with just a sleeping bag and a cup of soup so that they can play a role in raising awareness and funds for the homeless of our country.

You can show your support by making a donation directly to Focus Ireland on their website 'focusireland.ie' or by contacting Yvonne Connery in Ballyhoura on 063 91300 / yconnery@ballyhoura.org. "Please play your part too and sponsor this extremely worthy cause. Every donation makes a difference," said a spokesperson.
The pupils and staff of Charleville C.B.S. Primary School celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Brothers School in Charleville last Friday.

The day began with a special Mass of Thanksgiving at Holy Cross Church celebrated by Very Rev. Donal Canon O'Mahony, P.P., assisted by Canon Michael Harrington, PE, Rev. Dr. Sean Corkery, Diocesan Catechetical Advisor and Fr. T. Naughton, C.C.

The school's pupils and staff members fully participated in the readings and in the offertory procession bringing symbols to the altar. School Principal Michael O'Sullivan commented on these as they were brought to the altar.

The pupils, led by a lone piper, paraded to the former C.B.S. at Main Street, where they were met by Charleville Brass and Reed Band under musical director Jim Foley and Cllr. Ian Doyle who gave an address tracing the history of the coming of the Christian Brothers to Charleville in 1866.

They then proceeded to the present Primary School at Baker's Road, where they were joined by Most Rev. Dr. William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne who blessed the new car park and set down area as well as a statue of the sacred heart, which was formerly situated in the yard of the old school.

The Primary School shares the campus with the C.B.S. Secondary School and Principal Maurice Keohane said he was delighted to be present to be part of the occasion and to share the campus with the Primary School.

The attendance of parents, staff and pupils and guests was addressed at a reception in the Primary School Hall by the Principal Michael O'Sullivan, who welcomed those present and outlined the setting up of the Christian Brothers by Edmund Ignatius Rice in 1802.

"The Brothers came to Charleville in 1866 on the invitation of Rev. Thomas Croke, P.P. Two hundred boys were registered in the school on the first day and the primary school was located down-stairs and the secondary school was up-stairs, while the brothers lived in the attic of the building.

"The present school was opened in 1970 along with a new secondary school in September of that year and the old school was handed back to the parish. This building, which has fallen into disrepair is now for sale," said Mr. O'Sullivan.

The pupils of the school told the story of Edmund Rice in words and pictures and Bishop Crean blessed the school and the attendance. Music was provided by local musician Billy O'Brien at the reception which followed the formalities.
The business community in Fermoy has been urged to lend it support to fundraising drive aimed at 'helping the town to sparkle' this festive season.

With the countdown to Christmas already in full swing, the committee in charge of the town's festive lights display is already hard at work trying to improve the town's 2015 offering.

Committee member Mary Lonergan said that a council grant of 12,000 and a 27,000 donation from the Fermoy Credit Union to buy new lights made last year's Christmas lights display "one of the best to date."

She said the Credit Union is this year donating a further 5,000 toward the cost of new more new lights, with the same amount pledged for the following two years.

"Unfortunately, due to the change in the town council system to the County Council, the authority has reduced its grant to just 3,500 this year," said Ms Lonergan.

She said the estimated cost of erecting and maintaining the lights this year would be around 17,000, with the reduction in the council funding resulting in a major cash shortfall.

"The drop in funding means that in order to match the superb festive atmosphere created in the town last year, money will need to be raised by other means," she said.

To that end the committee is sending out letters to all businesses in the town seeking contributions to help make up the shortfall.

"All money contributed will help make our town a pleasant, cheerful and uplifting place to visit and do business in this Christmas," said Ms Lonergan.

"All support will be gratefully appreciated," she added.

For more details on the Fermoy Christmas Lights visit the dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages.
A third candidate has emerged in the race to take up the Fianna Fail seat on Cork County Council's Kanturk/Mallow committee vacated following the resignation of Daniel Fitzgerald.

Last week The Corkman revealed that former county councillor Bart Donegan and Kanturk based solicitor Gearoid Murphy had declared their interest in being co-opted onto the council.

The latest name to be linked with the seat is that of Mallow native Rosarie Flaherty, who has penned a letter to delegates expressing her interest in joining party colleague Bernard Moynihan on the committee.

Ms Flaherty, a dispensary management technician at the CUH, is no stranger to the world of politics having joined Fianna Fail five years ago when, as she put it, "the party was not on the upwards trajectory that it is nowadays."

Having canvassed with Kevin O'Keeffe TD and the late Cllr Dan Joe Fitzgerald Ms Flaherty, who is the chair of the Thomas Davis Cumann, has the backing of Daniel Fitzgerald to keep up the work of his late father.

Ms Flaherty said that as a married mother of three she was in touch with the many issues facing young families such as negative equity, commuting and childcare.

"My parents are business people in the town so I also have a knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced by the local business community," she said.

Ms Flaherty insisted that a strong Mallow could "only be good" for its hinterland and the entire Kanturk/Mallow district.

"Towns have always been the focal points of communities, serving not only their own residents but also the wider rural hinterland. They serve their rural areas by providing a range of facilities and services, ranging from the educational to the cultural to the social," she said.

"If co-opted onto the council I will have a presence in the town on a full-time basis in order to properly fulfil the role," she pledged.

Ms Flaherty was keen to stress that she would also be a voice for the rural community addressing issues such commerce in smaller towns and villages, employment and rural isolation.

"I am passionate about Mallow town, its people and the surrounding hinterland and believe I can bring an enthusiastic, empathetic and youthful view to the role," she said.

"I believe I can build on the fantastic legacy that Dan Joe has left us with and be an advocate for Mallow and the municipal district, a place where people want to work, live and raise a family.

A place that people are proud to call home."
Fourth year students in one of the new classrooms

At the official opening of the Aras Kerrigan extension at St Mary's CBS Enniscorthy in memory of Brother Ned Kerrigan were Brendan Howlin TD, Bishop Denis Brennan, Carmel Considine, who officially opened the extension; school principal John Ryan and Fr Billy Swan

There were great celebrations in St Mary's CBS in Enniscorthy on Friday at the official opening of Arus Kerrigan.

Arus Kerrigan is a seven room extension to the school and comprises five classrooms and two resource rooms.

Named after Brother Ned (Senan) Kerrigan a past pupil of the school the extension was officially opened by Carmel Considine, a sister of the late Brother Kerrigan.

A native of Olyegate Brother Kerrigan grew up in St John's Villa. He was a member of the class of 1954 in the CBS and went on to become a brother serving much of his time in England.

In later years he ministered in Sierra Leone in West Africa. In April 1995 he along with a number of others were travelling in the area when they were ambushed and Brother Kerrigan was shot and died.

St Mary's CBS strengthened links with the late Brother Kerrigan and Sierra Leone in 2007 when the school became involved in the Third World Immersion Project. Principal John Ryan said that someone had suggested that the school link in with Sierra Leone because of Brother Kerrigan's links to the country and the school. 'We thought it was an excellent idea and it has worked really well', he said.

Carmel who still lives locally was joined on the day by her children, Tom and Imelda.

Student Odhran Stynes read out an account of Brother Kerrigan's life at the opening and Bishop Denis Brennan performed a blessing helped by school chaplain Fr Billy Swan.

The project which cost 550,000 has been in use since the beginning of the school year.
A new website which outlines a range of services available in Wexford for children, young people and families, was launched by the Wexford Children and Young People's Services Committee (CYPSC) last Friday.

The site, www.wexfordcypsc.ie, includes information on: mental health support for children and young people; health services for children, young people and families; education and training opportunities; and help and support for families.

It also features an interactive map of services to help users find out how and where they can access the help and support they need.

Speaking at the launch in The Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, social worker and psychotherapist Dr John Sharry said that parents and young people who are dealing with challenges often don't know how to access support and often cannot find a service suitable for them in their local area. 'This new Wexford website is a great local resource to point families in the direction of quality services and supports in Wexford,' he said.

The launch was attended by professionals who work with children, young people and families as well as representatives from organisations involved in Wexford CYPSC.

The website was launched by Colma Nic Lughadha, national co-ordinator for CYPSC, who said it was a welcome resource.

'The overall purpose of CYPSC is to ensure better outcomes for children and young people around the country through enhanced co-ordination of local services and organisations,' she said. 'This new website is an example of this co-ordination in action and is an important step towards improving service provision for the benefit of children, young people and families in County Wexford.'
A young Campile woman is making a big impact on the business and volunteering world.

Olivia MacDonald from Ballykerogue has just returned from Ottawa, Canada, where she represented Chartered Accountants Ireland at the One Young World Conference having won the Chartered Accountants' Institute Young Chartered Star competition in July.

One Young World was founded in 2009. The competition gathers together the brightest young leaders between ages 18 to 30 from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change.

Olivia was educated in Horeswood NS, St Mary's Secondary School and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). In 2015 she was chosen to represent WIT at the Washington Ireland program in Washington while studying accountancy in Waterford. Originally called The Young Leaders Program, The Washington-Ireland Program for Service and Leadership (WIP), is a six-month program of personal and professional development that brings outstanding university students from Ireland to Washington DC for summer work placements and leadership training. The program begins and ends with practical service in Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Olivia is actively involved in the community, both inside and outside of work. She was appointed as the vice chair of the Chartered Accountants Student Society South East, bringing chartered accountant students from all firms together to support them during their professional examinations.

She is chairperson of Junior Chamber Ireland South East which gives young people an opportunity to hone their leadership skills and she was recently profiled in The Irish Times and combines all this with an accountancy career at PWC in Waterford.

Olivia has a great interest in social justice and is a committed volunteer in the area of homelessness and deprivation. Meeting US Vice President Joe Biden at the ambassador's residence, President Higgins at the Aras, local business leaders, maths classes for slow learners or sleeping out to support the homeless is all part of Olivia's day.
Sophie Hunter (L) and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend The Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios "Doctor Strange in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 20th, 2016. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter attends the premiere of Disney and Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange" at the El Capitan Theatre on October 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter attend the Burberry Prorsum show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016/17 on September 21, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch with his wife Sophie Hunter after receiving the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts and to charity during an Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on November 10, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Devlin - WPA Pool / Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Actor Benedict Cumberbatch (R) and Sophie Hunter attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter arriving at The EE British Academy Film Awards 2015, at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter attend the Burberry Prorsum show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016/17 on September 21, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch (R) and director Sophie Hunter attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter attends the premiere of Disney and Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange" at the El Capitan Theatre on October 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Sophie Hunter and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend the premiere of Disney And Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange' on October 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Sophie Hunter and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend the premiere of Disney And Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange' on October 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Sophie Hunter (L) and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend The Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios "Doctor Strange in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 20th, 2016. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Sophie Hunter and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend the premiere of Disney And Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange' on October 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Benedict Cumberbatch's wife is said to be expecting her second child.

The 40-year-old actor was joined by his spouse Sophie Hunter as he attended the premiere of his new movie Doctor Strange in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

At the event, Benedict shared with journalists that he and Sophie are expecting another baby, Just Jared reports. This comes after E! News reported earlier in the evening that the couple are set to become parents for the second time.

Benedict and Sophie are already parents to 16-month-old son Christopher.

Expand Close Sophie Hunter (L) and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend The Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios "Doctor Strange in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 20th, 2016. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sophie Hunter (L) and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend The Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios "Doctor Strange in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 20th, 2016. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Announcing the arrival of the tot in June, 2015, the pair said in a statement: "Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter are delighted to announce the arrival of their beautiful son. We would kindly ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during these next few precious weeks."

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British actor Benedict looked dapper in a dark velvet suit and tie for Thursday night's premiere, while Sophie concealed her figure in a strapless, draped dress.

The pregnancy news comes after Benedict opened up about wanting more children during an interview on U.K. television programme The Graham Norton Show last year.

"I've become a father and a husband, and in the right order  just! I might go for a Cumber-batch of boys!" he said, before adding of parenthood: "It's everything. I have a new life form that needs his father's help in the world and his mother needs a little help once in a while.

Expand Close HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Actor Benedict Cumberbatch (R) and Sophie Hunter attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Actor Benedict Cumberbatch (R) and Sophie Hunter attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

"It's what being a parent is about so it's not an excuse to get away from what I am doing, it's what I ought to be doing and after three and half hours of Hamlet I think that's okay."
Models Gigi Hadid (L) and Kendall Jenner pose wearing Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2016 during New York Fashion Week on February 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner pose backstage at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 fashion show during New York Fashion Week. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs)

Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner attend the Balmain Aftershow Dinner as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on March 5, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images For Balmain)

This picture of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid might just have be the worst Photoshop fail we've seen.

Top models Kendall and Gigi appear on the cover of W magazine's 10th anniversary issue, but they're both missing one very important thing - their knees.

The Art Issue sees both models edited to have animal-like qualities throughout the spread, named Placebo Pets, however we can't help but wonder whether the lack of knees was intentional.

Another image from the shoot sees Gigi's arm stretched and thinned, while she also has no elbow.

The blunders didn't go unnoticed once the photos were revealed, and fans of the pair have been taking to the internet to point out several other mistakes, including a lack of gaps in Kendall's teeth.

A spokesperson for W magazine was contacted by Buzzfeed, and said the distortions were intentional, although we're not convinced.

The images of Kendall and Gigi are part of a project by artists Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin, who are known for their deliberate use of digital technology, combining distortions with makeup and prosthetics.
'People say, "Why aren't black celebrities speaking out more?" But look what happened to Kanye when he spoke out' - Minaj, right, with, from left, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the BET Awards in LA, California, in July 2012

Recording artists Kanye West and Jay-Z attend Roc Nation and Three Six Zero Pre-GRAMMY Brunch 2015 at Private Residence on February 7, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For Roc Nation)

Before the beef - (L-R) Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, and daughter North attend the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for adidas)

(L-R) Beyonce, Kim Kardashian with daughter North and Anna Wintour attend the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for adidas)

(L-R) Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, and Anna Wintour attend the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for adidas)

Kanye West (L) and JAY Z onstage at the Tidal launch event #TIDALforALL at Skylight at Moynihan Station on March 30, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation)

In friendlier times... (L-R) Singer Beyonce, rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West and television personality Kim Kardashian attend the 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images For BET)

Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Deadmau5 and Kanye West at the launch in New York yesterday of the new high-fidelity music-streaming service Tidal

Recording artists Kanye West (L) and Jay-Z accept the award for Video of the Year onstage during the 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images For BET)

Kanye West has taken aim at his mentor Jay Z for failing to personally visit him and wife Kim Kardashian following her terrifying armed robbery ordeal.

The Stronger hitmaker got his start as a producer for Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella Records before embarking on his own rap career, but relations between the longtime pals have been particularly strained in recent years after Jay and his wife Beyonce decided against attending Kanye's Florence wedding to the reality star n 2014.

Kanye aired his latest grievances while onstage in Seattle, Washington on Wednesday night, accusing Jay of being a bad friend as he called to check in on West and Kardashian after Kim was robbed at gunpoint in Paris earlier this month.

"Don't call me after the robbery and say, 'How you feelin'?'" he began. "You wanna know how I'm feelin'? Come by the house. Bring the kids by the house like we're brothers. Let's sit down."

Expand Close In friendlier times... (L-R) Singer Beyonce, rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West and television personality Kim Kardashian attend the 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images For BET) / Facebook

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Whatsapp In friendlier times... (L-R) Singer Beyonce, rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West and television personality Kim Kardashian attend the 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images For BET)

"Our kids aint never even played together."

In fan video footage of the onstage rant, an emotional Kanye went on to reveal their children have never even had a play date, despite the fact their daughters are close in age.

He continued, "I can't take this s**t bro (sic). Our kids have never even played together."

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Kanye, 38, also ruled out any plans for a follow-up to their hit joint album, 2011's Watch the Throne, declaring, "There will never be a Watch The Throne 2!"

Expand Close Recording artists Kanye West and Jay-Z attend Roc Nation and Three Six Zero Pre-GRAMMY Brunch 2015 at Private Residence on February 7, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For Roc Nation) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Recording artists Kanye West and Jay-Z attend Roc Nation and Three Six Zero Pre-GRAMMY Brunch 2015 at Private Residence on February 7, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For Roc Nation)

His angry outburst came after he cut short a performance of Drake's Pop Style, which both Kanye and Jay had initially featured on.

Kanye claimed their verses were axed from the album version of the song due to an ongoing rivalry between Jay's streaming service Tidal and Apple Music, for which the Canadian hip-hop star is a spokesperson. Ironically, Kanye is among the co-owners of Tidal.

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"I wasn't on this song because of Hov (Jay Z's nickname)," he complained to fans. "You didn't get what you were supposed to get because of some TIDAL-Apple bulls**t."

He then alleged Jay Z backtracked over his contribution to the tune due to Drake's ongoing feud with Meek Mill, who is dating another Tidal investor, Nicki Minaj: "Then Jay thought of (sic) it and out of respect for Meek Mill, he didn't want to be on the track."

Expand Close (L-R) Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, and Anna Wintour attend the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for adidas) / Facebook

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Whatsapp (L-R) Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, and Anna Wintour attend the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for adidas)

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Sources close to both parties have conflicting reports about what's really going on behind the scenes.

Insiders in West's camp told Page Six: "It didnt seem like Kanye was dissing Jay at all. They are brothers, closer than friends. Jay appreciates Kanyes genius, understands his passions and eccentricities and is accepting of it all."

But those close to Jay-Z said their friendship as it was is effectively over.

Jay cant stand him. He looks at him as this crazy, eccentric motherf**ker he can tolerate in small doses."

"The reality is that Jay doesnt want that much to do with him. He likes his own space and is private. Theyre very much not the same person. Jays immediate circle is very insular, and Kanye is just a guy who always wants something in the spotlight," the source said.
Flaunting: Kim Kardashian had millions of dollars worth of jewellery stolen from her when she was held at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week last week Photo: Ian West/PA Wire

(L-R) Kim Kardashian West and Kourtney Kardashian arrive at the 'Alaia' showroom on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images)

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West with North West and Saint West are spotted in the Upper East Side on August 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Alo Ceballos/GC Images)

Kim Kardashian and North West are seen walking in Soho on October 6, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

Kim Kardashian West attending the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York. Kardashian was held at gunpoint in a Paris hotel on October 3, 2016 but was unharmed. CREDIT: ANGELA WEISS/AFP

Television personality Kim Kardashian West attends the third anniversary celebration of Hakkasan Las Vegas Nightclub at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on April 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Kim Kardashian West attends Buro 24/7 Fashion Forward Initiative as part of Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 at Hotel Ritz on September 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Buro 24/7)

Kim Kardashian has threatened a Huffington Post contributor with legal action after she alleged the reality star's Paris robbery was a "stunt".

In a letter obtained by website TMZ, the reality TV star demands Sharika Soal, a contributor to The Huffington Post, issue a retraction and an apology for her self-published post on 8 October which included a quote, alleged to be from Kim saying her ordeal was a "publicity stunt gone horribly wrong."

Kim's representative points out that the quote used by Soal, a social media specialist and publicist, is a fabrication, which originated from a satirical website.

Soal has posted a number of features via Huffington Posts Contributor platform, where contributors control their own work and post freely - without any editorial interference - to the site.

Expand Close Kim Kardashian West attending the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York. Kardashian was held at gunpoint in a Paris hotel on October 3, 2016 but was unharmed. CREDIT: ANGELA WEISS/AFP / Facebook

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Whatsapp Kim Kardashian West attending the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York. Kardashian was held at gunpoint in a Paris hotel on October 3, 2016 but was unharmed. CREDIT: ANGELA WEISS/AFP

The post she wrote about Kim, which was shared widely on social media, is no longer running on the site, and representatives for the news outlet told TMZ they pulled the story when editors realised it violated the platform's terms.

An excerpt from the letter confirms what happened on the night of the robbery, and the 35-year-old's representative stresses Kim "was a victim of a horrifying crime", and that the mother-of-two, after "being bound by the arms and legs" with duct-tape on her mouth..., believed she might be killed at any moment."

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"The robbery was not a hoax nor publicity stunt. For you to attempt to twist these horrible and traumatic events of the Paris robbery into a narrative concerning a publicity stunt and purported felony conduct by my client is not only perverse and highly offensive to my client (and to any reasonable person) but actionable," the representative continued in the letter.

Soal has reportedly explained to Kim that she cannot publish a retraction, because she has been blocked from her blogger account on the news outlet's website.

Expand Close Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in Paris / Facebook

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Meanwhile, the reality tv star is said to be "withdrawn" since the robbery and has "zero desire to resume her old life".

"She has zero desire to resume her old life," an insider told People.

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"Kim is still figuring out what she wants to do. She has no plans for any public appearances.

The insider added that the media mogul has become "withdrawn" since the incident and will no longer leave her home without a bodyguard.

Expand Close (L-R) Kim Kardashian West and Kourtney Kardashian arrive at the 'Alaia' showroom on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp (L-R) Kim Kardashian West and Kourtney Kardashian arrive at the 'Alaia' showroom on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images)

"She just wants to be with her kids and out of public. No one is pressuring her either. She has the best support from her family."

Kim recently cancelled an upcoming personal appearance at Hakkasan nighctlub in Vegas to celebrate her 36th birthday, a makeup event in Dubai and on Tuesday, her assistant Stephanie Sheppard explained that Kim is "taking some time off" from updating her app and social media.
Some have criticised the casting of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Dr Strange - the Marvel character was a Tibetian man

Tilda Swinton arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Doctor Strange at the TCL Chinese Theatre (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

The writer of Doctor Strange has defended the film from accusations of "whitewashing" over the casting of Tilda Swinton as a traditionally Tibetan character.

The British actress plays The Ancient One in the new superhero movie - a role depicted as an elderly Tibetan man in the 1960s Marvel comics.

Writer Jon Spaihts said the film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, had to address some of the "dated" stereotypes from the original stories.

Speaking at the film's world premiere in Los Angeles, Spaihts also denied concerns about upsetting the Chinese market had resulted in Swinton's casting - a suggestion previously made by fellow screenwriter C Robert Cargill.

Spaihts to ld the Press Association: "We were wrestling with the fact that some of the core characters of the Doctor Strange mythos were created in the early 60s and they are dated.

"They represent, to some extent, stereotypes which we had to find ways to freshen up.

"The Ancient One we've reinvented as a woman, a woman of Western extraction in this film.

"I will say there's almost a Tilda Swinton exemption because I think she could play any role she wants. I think she's sublime in this film. One of the best actors living."

Star Trek actor George Takei was among the critics of Swinton's casting as The Ancient One after her role was revealed earlier this year.

He wrote on Facebook in April: " They cast Tilda because they believe white audiences want to see white faces."

One of the stars of Doctor Strange said he believed the film "rights the wrongs" of the stereotypes depicted in the original stories.

British actor Benedict Wong said his character, Master Wong, was originally portrayed as a "tea-making manservant" in the comic books.

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"We're really changing it for a Wong for our times," he said.

"I feel and I hope the audiences will see that it's a refreshing take."

Doctor Strange is released in UK cinemas on Tuesday.
Pluto used to be regarded as the ninth planet but was downgraded in 2006 to a dwarf-planet or 'plutoid' and is now known unceremoniously as 'asteroid number 134340' (Nasa/JHUAPL/SwRI/PA)

The hypothesised 'Planet Nine', which is believed to exist beyond Pluto, may have tilted the entire solar system, astronomers believe.

Earlier this year, scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announced that a planet 10 times the mass of Earth probably exists around 30 billion kilometres away.

It was shown to exert such a huge influence on its region of space that it was dubbed 'the most planety of all planets'.

Now the same team believes Planet Nine is also responsible for one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy - why the solar system lies on a strange tilt.

All of the planets, including Earth, orbit in a flat plane with respect to the Sun.

But that plane rotates on a six-degree angle with respect to the Sun's equator, a misalignment that has left astronomers scratching their heads for decades.

"It's such a deep-rooted mystery and so difficult to explain that people just don't talk about it," said Prof Mike Brown who made the original discovery about Planet Nine.

The huge planet appears to orbit at about 30 degrees off from the orbital plane of the other planets, which is likely to add a 'wobble' to the solar system.

"Because Planet Nine is so massive and has an orbit tilted compared to the other planets, the solar system has no choice but to slowly twist out of alignment," said Elizabeth Bailey, a graduate student at Caltech and lead author of the study.

Not only does the finding clear up the mystery of the solar system's tilt, it also provides greater evidence that Planet Nine actually exists.

"It continues to amaze us," said Dr Konstantin Batygin, an assistant professor of planetary science at Caltech.

Prof Brown and Dr Batygin discovered Planet Nine after noticing that 13 objects in the Kuiper Belt - an area beyond Pluto - were all moving together as if being 'lassoed' by the gravity of a huge object.

Scientists thought that objects in the belt - a vast region of dwarf planets and icy rocks - were influenced only by the gravitational pull of Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.

But they found some objects were clearly being pulled by another body - Planet Nine.

Pluto used to be regarded as the ninth planet but was downgraded in 2006 to a dwarf-planet or 'plutoid' and is now known unceremoniously as 'asteroid number 134340'. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has had an uneasy relationship with the US since taking office (AP)

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he was visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with long-time ally Washington deteriorate.

"In this venue, your honours, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli.

Duterte's efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5bn (12.3bn)in deals would be signed during the China trip.

"I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," Duterte told his Beijing audience.

A few hours after Duterte's speech, his top economic policymakers said that, while Asian economic integration was "long overdue", that did not mean the Philippines was turning its back on the West.

"We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbours," finance secretary Carlos Dominguez and economic planning secretary Ernesto Pernia said in a joint statement.

"We share the culture and a better understanding with our region. The Philippines is integrating with ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea."

China has pulled out all the stops to welcome Duterte, including a marching band complete with baton-twirling band master at his official greeting ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People, which is not extended to most leaders.

President Xi Jinping told Duterte that China and the Philippines were brothers and they could "appropriately handle disputes", though he did not mention the South China Sea in front of reporters.

"I hope we can follow the wishes of the people and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on a friendly footing and fully improve things," Xi said.

Following their meeting, during which Duterte said relations with China had entered a new "springtime", Chinese vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin said the South China Sea issue was not the sum total of relations.

"The two sides agreed that they will do what they agreed five years ago, that is to pursue bilateral dialogue and consultation in seeking a proper settlement of the South China Sea issue," Liu said.

China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5trn (4.57trn) in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

In 2012, China seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Australia is to allow gun owners to hand in illegal firearms without penalty next year as concerns grow over crimes involving such weapons, a federal minister has said.

Police and justice ministers agreed at a meeting to start a nationwide gun amnesty from the middle of 2017, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said.

"Australia is world-renowned for the strength of our firearm laws, but illegal firearms do remain a deadly weapon of choice for organised criminals," he told reporters.

It will be the first Australia-wide amnesty since a gun buy-back programme in 1996 that followed a lone gunman killing 35 people in Tasmania state, Sydney University gun policy analyst Philip Alpers said.

That tragedy galvanised the government to legislate tough restrictions on rapid-fire weapons and to buy back almost 700,000 newly outlawed guns.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the nation has since imported almost 1.2 million legal guns, although none of them are military-style semi-automatic assault rifles which are now banned from public ownership.

An Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission report released on Friday estimated there could be as many as 600,000 unregistered guns in Australia. There are 2.89 million registered guns among 24 million Australians, an increase of 9.3% in the past five years, the report said.

Most illegal guns in Australia were legally owned before 1996 when guns did not have to be registered. They were not handed in during the buy-back and there are no records that they even exist, the report said.

The market for illegal guns is partly driven by Middle Eastern crime gangs, outlaw motorbike clubs and other groups that traffic illegal commodities such as drugs, the report said.

It said guns can be bought easily in the United States and sent to "countries such as Australia with relative anonymity, especially where transactions are made using emerging technologies and business practices, such as the dark net and freight-forwarding services".

Mr Alpers said overseas experience suggested that the Australian amnesty would collect only "rubbish guns" which were not valued by either legitimate gun owners or criminals.

The government plans to crack down on illegal guns by introducing a mandatory five-year minimum prison term for gun traffickers, as well as boosting screening of international mail, air and sea cargo.
Khizr Khan, with his wife, who features in a TV ad targeting Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton ramped up her pressure on Donald Trump in the election's most competitive states on Friday with an emotional TV ad targeting his criticism of a Muslim-American family.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, vowed to go all-out in the final three weeks so he'll have no regrets - even if he loses.

The nominees retrenched behind familiar arguments a day after appearing together at a charity event that veered into cutting personal attacks.

Mrs Clinton's new ad features Khizr Khan, whom Mr Trump assailed after Mr Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

In the minute-long ad, which Mrs Clinton's campaign said was airing in seven battleground states, MrKhan retells how his son, Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq seeking to protect his US military unit from a suicide bomber.

"Mr Trump, would my son have a place in your America?" the father asks, welling up as the ad fades to black.

Mrs Clinton has sought to use Mr Trump's widely panned attacks on the father and his wife as evidence supporting her case that the Republican bullies minorities, especially those who disagree with him.

In person, she was promoting early voting in Ohio and planned a meeting with two activists for Black Lives Matter.

Mr Trump has settled on a new target: Michelle Obama, who has emerged as one of the most effective voices for Mrs Clinton.

One of the country's most popular Democrats, the first lady for years has been loathe to devote significant time to campaigning, but has done so in recent days with searing indictments of Mr Trump's treatment of women.

"All she wants to do is campaign," Mr Trump said as he rallied supporters in North Carolina. He cited comments Mrs Obama made during her husband's 2008 campaign in which she said someone who can't run their own house can't run the White House. "She's the one that started that," Trump said.

Mr Trump was unusually candid about the possibility of losing the election, a prospect that's grown in likelihood as Mr Clinton solidifies her lead in battleground states that will decide the election.

He said he is packing his schedule with campaign events through to Election Day so he will know he spared no effort even if ultimately unsuccessful.

"I will be happy with myself," he said.

The two candidates were still sharply at odds over Mr Trump's unprecedented assertion in the final debate on Wednesday that he may not concede if he loses.

Mrs Clinton has called that "horrifying," while Mr Trump has said he's merely reserving the right to contest the results if the outcome is unclear or questionable.

Underpinning his threat is his contention - presented with no evidence - that the election is "rigged" against him and may be soiled by widespread voter fraud. He's urged supporters to "monitor" polling places for potential shenanigans.

Fanning those flames, Russia's government has asked Oklahoma and two other states to allow Russian officials to be present at polling stations on Election Day, to study the "US experience in organisation of voting process".

Allegations by the US government that Russia is trying to influence the election by hacking Democratic groups has fed a Clinton camp claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is siding with Mr Trump.

The Oklahoma secretary of state's office said it had denied the Russian request, in line with state law. At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest said it was unclear what Moscow was trying to do.

"It's appropriate that people might be suspicious of their motives," Mr Earnest said.

Early voting is under way in more than 30 states.

AP
Smoke rises in Mosul as Iraq's elite counter-terrorism forces advance towards the city (AP)

Islamic State (IS) militants have killed at least 14 people after launching a wave of pre-dawn attacks in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday.

The assault appeared aimed at diverting attention from the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul and raised fears the extremists could lash out in unpredictable ways as they defend the largest city under their control and their last urban bastion in Iraq.

Multiple explosions rocked Kirkuk and gunfire rang out around the provincial headquarters where the fighting was concentrated.

Smoke billowed over the city and the streets were largely deserted out of fear of militant snipers.

IS said its fighters targeted the provincial headquarters in a claim carried by its Aamaq news agency.

North of the city, three suicide bombers stormed a power plant in the town of Dibis, killing 13 workers, including four Iranian technicians, before blowing themselves up as police arrived, said Major Ahmed Kader Ali, the Dibis police chief.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi condemned the assault, which he said also wounded three Iranian workers, according to the official IRNA news agency. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

The Turkmeneli TV station, which had earlier shown live footage of smoke rising from outside the provincial headquarters, said in a news bulletin one of its reporters, Ahmet Haceroglu, was killed by a sniper while covering the fighting.

There was no immediate word on casualties among other civilians or the Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. Police and hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

Kirkuk is some 100 miles from the IS-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale offensive on Monday.

IS has in the past resorted to suicide bombings in and around Baghdad in response to battlefield losses elsewhere in the country.

Kurdish forces assumed full control of Kirkuk in the summer of 2014 as Iraq's army and police crumbled in the face of a lightning advance by IS.

Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the town where his base is located outside the city also came under attack early on Friday, but that his forces repelled the assault.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a US-led coalition launched the multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas - the largest operation undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Elsewhere in Iraq, the country's top Shiite cleric called on forces taking part in the Mosul offensive to protect civilians, and for residents of Mosul, a mainly Sunni city, to co-operate with security forces.

"We stress today upon our beloved fighters, as we have before on many occasions, that they exercise the greatest degree of restraint in dealing with civilians stuck in the areas where there is fighting," the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a Friday sermon read by an aide.

"Protect them and prevent any harm to them by all possible means."

AP
Canada says the EU is not capable of striking an international deal on trade

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on the second day of the EU summit (AP)

Canada has walked out of talks meant to save a trade deal with the European Union, unable to break a deadlock with a small Belgian region that was blocking next week's official signature.

The departure of Canada's international trade minister was a stunning setback and leaves it unclear whether the rest of the EU will be able to persuade the region of Wallonia to sign up to the agreement.

Canadian international trade minister Chrystia Freeland said it had been impossible to overcome the differences with Wallonia, a region of 3.5 million people.

The agreement needed unanimity within the EU, and Belgium in turn needs unanimity among its regions.

"It seems that for me, and for Canada, that the EU is not capable now to have an international deal, even with a nation with such European values like Canada," Ms Freeland said as she left.

Close to tears, she added: "Canada is disappointed ... but I think it is impossible."

The deal was supposed to be signed next week in Brussels by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The disagreement has pitted Wallonia against the entire EU and Canada, with populations of over 500 million and 35 million.

An official at the European Commission, which has been steering the pact through negotiations, said it "doesn't consider that this is the end of the process".

It is unclear how the EU will keep negotiating with Wallonia in coming days to solve the impasse.

Wallonia wants more guarantees to protect its farmers and Europe's high labour, environmental and consumer standards. It also fears the agreement will allow huge multinationals - first from Canada, and later from the US, if a similar deal with Washington follows - to crush small Walloon enterprises and their way of life.

Proponents say the deal would yield billions in added trade through tariff cuts and other measures to lower barriers to commerce. At the same time, the EU says it will keep in place the region's strong safeguards on social, environmental and labour issues.

Paul Magnette, the president of Wallonia, spent hours talking with EU officials and Ms Freeland to find a compromise by the end of a two-day summit in Brussels.

He had already pleaded that, "in an amicable way, we jointly postpone the EU-Canada summit and that we give ourselves time".

EU leaders warned that failure to clinch the deal with Canada could ruin the 28-nation bloc's credibility as a trade partner and make it more difficult to strike agreements with other global allies like the US and Japan.

As the leaders wrapped up the summit in Brussels, negotiations fell apart between officials from the EU Commission, regional leaders and Ms Freeland in Wallonia's capital, Namur, 40 miles away.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is the EU's single biggest economy, said at the time that she was optimistic a deal would emerge from the talks.

Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP Christian Democrats, the biggest group in the European Parliament, was less enthusiastic about local politics holding up such a significant international agreement.

"Europe cannot be held hostage because of internal political games in the Walloon region," he said.

A similar free trade agreement between the EU and the US is also being negotiated, but has met with far more opposition than the Canada pact. Progress on the US deal is highly unlikely any time before next month's presidential election.

EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said after the EU summit that he hoped a deal would be reached "within the next few days".

Belgian prime minister Charles Michel said he had worked through the night in an effort to broker a deal.

AP
A 'Breaking Bad'-obsessed sado-masochist strangled a police officer, then copied a plot from the hit American drama by dissolving his body in an acid bath, a court has heard.

PC Gordon Semple (59) was on duty when he arranged to meet his alleged killer, Stefano Brizzi, via Grindr for "hot, dirty, sleazy" sex on the afternoon of April 1.

The 50-year-old Italian was allegedly in the middle of throttling him when he turned away another man who had arrived for a drug-fuelled sex party.

Over the next few days, neighbours on the Peabody Estate in south London noticed a "revolting smell" coming from Brizzi's flat.

When one complained, Brizzi put it down to cooking for a friend, jurors at the Old Bailey were told.

After PC Semple's partner failed to get hold of him on his mobile phone, he reported him missing.

By April 7, a resident alerted police, who visited the flat and found Brizzi wearing only sunglasses and underpants.

They also found a bath full of acid with "globules of flesh" floating in it, the court heard.

Brizzi allegedly told an officer: "I've tried to dissolve the body ... I've killed a police officer. I killed him last week. I met him on Grindr and I killed him. Satan told me to."

However, jurors were told that the defendant was not claiming a psychiatric defence and said Pc Semple died accidentally during a "sex game gone wrong".

Opening the trial, prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told jurors the case called for "broad minds and strong stomachs".

PC Semple had been in a relationship but was "sexually promiscuous" and used Grindr for "extreme" encounters of "domination, bondage and much else besides", he said.

The court heard that Brizzi had been a user of crystal meth - referred to as Nutella - which had cost him his job at financial giant Morgan Stanley.

He allegedly told a support group that he believed in the Devil, and liked "satanic rituals" which involved having sex over the sign of the pentagon.

Brizzi denies murder but has admitted obstructing a coroner by dismembering and disposing of the body.

The trial continues.
A seven-year-old boy who was "living life entirely as a girl" has been removed from his mother's care following a ruling by a High Court judge.

Mr Justice Hayden said the woman had caused her son "significant emotional harm".

The judge said the woman had been "absolutely convinced" that the youngster "perceived himself as a girl" and was determined that he should be a girl.

Detail of the case emerged on Friday in a ruling by the judge following a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Mr Justice Hayden said no-one involved in the case could be identified.

The judge said the boy was now living with his father, who is separated from the mother.

Mr Justice Hayden said he had analysed evidence from the boy's parents, local authority social workers and a psychologist.

He indicated that the boy's parents had separated some years ago.

The boy had stayed with his mother.

Family court litigation had started about three years ago after the father raised concerns about not having contact with his son.

A lower-ranking judge had authorised a "wide-ranging" inquiry and local authority social services staff had begun investigations.

"(His mother) told me that (he) was 'living in stealth' by which was meant, she explained, that he was living life entirely as a girl," said Mr Justice Hayden in the written ruling.

"He dressed, at all times, like a girl and, it transpired, had been registered at a new general practitioner's as a girl."

The judge added: "I was also left in no doubt that (the mother) was absolutely convinced that (the boy) perceived himself as a girl."

Mr Justice Hayden said his "overwhelming impression" was that the woman "believes herself to be to fighting for (her son's) right to express himself as a girl".

He said the woman had told him how the boy "expressed disdain for his penis".

The judge added: "I consider that (the mother) has caused significant emotional harm to (her son) in her active determination that he should be a girl."
An e-fit of a man suspected of pulling down a woman's hijab in a racially motivated attack Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire

Detectives have released an e-fit of a man suspected of pulling down a woman's hijab in a racially motivated attack.

The victim, in her 20s, was not injured but was left shocked and distressed, Scotland Yard said.

She was walking in north London with a woman friend at around 7.30pm on Wednesday September 28 when they were approached from behind by two men.

As they crossed High Road by the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, one of the men pulled down the hijab she was wearing before both made off towards Pelham Road.

The first suspect, pictured in the e-fit, is described as white, in his late 20s or early 30s, with blond or ginger shaved hair and stubble.

Police said he was about 5ft 6in and wearing a burgundy-coloured hooded top and carrying a Tesco bag in his right hand.

The second suspect was of Mediterranean appearance, in his late 20s or early 30s and clean-shaven, with spiky hair. He wore a grey hooded top.

Detective Constable Ben Cousin, of Haringey Community Safety Unit, said: "This was a shocking attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street.

"The victim has given us a good description of the two suspects and from this we have been able to generate an e-fit of one of the suspects. I would appeal to anyone who recognises the man or anyone who witnessed the incident to please come forward and speak to us."

Police are treating the attack as a hate crime, which came shortly before a similar attack in London's Oxford Street on October 4, when a man attempted to pull the headscarf from a Muslim woman in her 40s.
Syrian doctor has said he would rather go back to Aleppo than stay in Britain after living at a hostel in south London and a "miserable place" in Cardiff since arriving less than two weeks ago.

Abdul Kader al-Zuebi, 28, who has three British relatives and a British fiance, said his time in the country so far had been made unhappy by Home Office delays which he claims have made it difficult for him to find a home or gain employment.

Dr al-Zuebi, who once worked as a Syrian army medical officer, said he has a German passport but applied for asylum in Britain and has now been barred from working.

He claims officials have refused to return his passport since he arrived at Stansted airport 12 days ago.

"I am living in hotels for the last 11 days, I can't go anywhere," he said. "The Home Office are refusing to let me leave. They don't know where my passport is."

He added: "They (Home Office) took me from the airport, to a hostel in Dulwich, after four days they took me to a miserable place in Cardiff."

He said he once earned 6,000 a month as a doctor but now in the UK had been subjected to "bad" beds in hostels and food that is "not better than normal", so had decided to stay in hotels.

"I have had to spend my nights in five star hotels like the Marriott and The Four Seasons," he said.

"I had to sell my Rolex for 3,000 to pay for my rooms."

He added: "I want to work and support myself and I have told them I want to be deported. I've been turning up here for several days.

"They say they are not going to send me back to Syria."

He pledged to sleep outside the Home Office building in Croydon until he was deported, but shortly afterwards he was arrested for a public order offence.

He was seen being dragged from the building, bent over in a restraining position by six officers on Thursday afternoon.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "At around 3.30pm officers were informed of a disturbance at Lunar House.

"They arrested a man on suspicion of a public order offence.

"He had been remanded in a south London custody suite. Enquiries continue."

The Home Office said it would not comment on individual cases.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
UK Prime Minister Theresa May greets Enda Kenny as Lithuanias President Dalia Grybauskaite looks on as they pose for a family photo at the EU leaders summit in Brussels. Photo: Reuters

EU leaders are still struggling to push through a beleaguered trade deal with Canada and forge a consensus on Russia sanctions.

At a summit in Brussels yesterday, they also held a first round of talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who said it was in both the EU's and UK's interest to work together, particularly on Russia.

"The UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave, and we'll be a strong and dependable partner after we've left," Ms May said yesterday.

At the start of the summit, Ms May was said to have expressed unhappiness about a September meeting of the EU's 27 other leaders in Bratislava.

While there, leaders agreed on a timetable for migration, security and economic measures, and sources said that while Ms May recognised their right to meet without her, she said decisions that affected all 28 EU members should be made when all 28 were present.

European Council president Donald Tusk described the group as a "nest of doves" rather than "a lion's den".

But French President Francois Hollande struck a less conciliatory note.

"Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit? She'll get hard negotiations," he said.

But the issue that was to keep leaders talking late into the night was Russia's role in the bombardment of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

EU foreign ministers said this week the offensive by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, may amount to war crimes. But they held off on imposing sanctions.

"Yes there should. There are two sanctions there already and there'll be quite a deal of focus on this," Taoiseach Enda Kenny said, when asked whether there should be sanctions on Russia.

EU leaders will today turn to a free trade deal with Canada that was agreed two years ago but which has been bogged down in legal wrangling.
Russia has begun its biggest surface deployment since the end of the Cold War as it aims to effectively end the war in Syria on the eve of the US election, Nato officials warned last night.

The Kremlin is sending the full might of its Northern Fleet and part of the Baltic Fleet to reinforce a final assault on the city of Aleppo in a fortnight, according to Western intelligence.

The final bombardment is designed to shore up the Assad regime by wiping out rebels - paving the way for a Russian exit from the civil war.

The assault on the city will also serve to highlight US inaction in the run-up to election day and may aid Donald Trump.

British Royal Navy warships are due to escort a group of eight Russian warships, including the country's only aircraft carrier, as they sail past the UK on their way to the Mediterranean.

A senior Nato diplomat said the deployment from the Northern Fleet's base near Murmansk would herald a renewed attack in Aleppo. "They are deploying all of the Northern Fleet and much of the Baltic Fleet in the largest surface deployment since the end of the Cold War," the diplomat said.

"This is not a friendly port call. In two weeks, we will see a crescendo of air attacks on Aleppo as part of Russia's strategy to declare victory."

The additional military firepower is designed to drive out or destroy the 8,000 rebels in Aleppo, the only large city still in opposition hands, and to allow Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to start a withdrawal.

An intensified air campaign in eastern Aleppo, where 275,000 people are trapped, would further worsen ties between Moscow and the West, which said the Kremlin may be responsible for war crimes.

Mr Trump has consistently praised Mr Putin as a strong leader and has promised a closer relationship with Russia if he wins the November 8 US election. He has suggested that, if elected, he would meet the Russian president before the inauguration in January.

Mr Putin has returned the compliment, calling the Republican nominee "outstanding and talented" - one of his closest political allies, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, urged Americans to vote for Mr Trump, calling him a "gift to humanity".

Barack Obama said earlier this week that Mr Trump's admiration of Mr Putin was "unprecedented". Mr Obama said: "Mr Trump's continued flattery of Mr Putin and the degree to which he appears to model many of his policies and approaches to politics on Mr Putin...is out of step with not just what Democrats think but out of step with what up until the last few months, almost every Republican thought."

Meanwhile, a Norwegian newspaper quoted the head of the Norwegian military intelligence service as having said the ships involved in the push on Syria "will probably play a role in the deciding battle for Aleppo".

Moscow and Damascus have both reiterated that bombing will only target the around 8,000 US-backed rebel fighters and 900 former or current members of al-Nusra thought to be inside east Aleppo's siege barricades.

A three-day-long humanitarian ceasefire due yesterday to evacuate the wounded and allow rebels and civilians the ability to leave for neighbouring rebel-held Idlib province was criticised by the UN, who said it could not carry out aid work unless security guarantees were met.

Retaking the entire city would be a significant victory for President Bashar al-Assad, effectively relegating rebels to the far north and south of Syria.

"With this assault, it should be enough to allow a Russian exit strategy if Moscow believes Assad is now stable enough to survive," the diplomat said.

Russia began providing military support to the Syrian regime in September 2015, after parliament voted to assist Mr Assad in defeating Isil.

An October IHS Conflict Monitor report found that Russian air strikes on Isil territory have decreased from 26pc of total strikes at the beginning of 2016 to 17pc in the third quarter, suggesting that Moscow's real intention is to "transform the Syrian civil war from a multi-party conflict into a binary one between the Syrian government and jihadist groups like [Isil]; thereby undermining the case for providing international support to the opposition." ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Legislation allowing spying on fellow EU member states is part of a range of measures meant to improve oversight of espionage

German policymakers have approved a bill that allows the country's foreign intelligence agency to spy on European Union institutions and fellow EU member states.

The legislation is part of a range of measures meant to improve oversight of espionage after the revelations by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

A panel of independent judges will have to be informed when the BND spy agency eavesdrops on Germany's allies. Judges will also have the right to make spot checks of the agency's work.

Parliament's intelligence oversight powers will also be increased and intelligence chiefs will have to attend a public hearing every year.

Critics say that instead of clamping down on questionable BND activities the law will merely legalise them.
Data compiled by the Associated Press shows Hillary Clinton may be building an early vote advantage (AP)

Hillary Clinton appears to be displaying strength in the crucial battleground states of North Carolina and Florida among voters casting ballots before Election Day, and may also be building an early vote advantage in Arizona and Colorado.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, appears to be holding ground in Ohio, Iowa and Georgia, according to data compiled by The Associated Press. Those are important states for Mr Trump, but not sufficient for him to win the presidency if he loses states like Florida or North Carolina.

"The Trump campaign should be concerned," said Scott Tranter, co-founder of Optimus, a Republican data analytics firm. His firm's analysis suggests a "strong final showing for the Clinton campaign" in early voting.

Early voting - by mail or at polling stations - is off to a fast start. More than 4.4 million votes have been cast already, far outpacing the rate for this period in 2012. Balloting is under way in 34 out of 37 early-voting states.

In all, more than 45 million people are expected to vote before Election Day - or as much as 40% of all votes cast.

Both parties are encouraging their supporters to vote early. The outcome of those ballots won't be known until counting begins after polls close on November 8, but some clues are available. Some states report the party affiliations of early voters, as well as breakdowns by race and gender.

The data that is available represents a small sample of the more than 120 million people who will cast ballots in the presidential election, but a notable one.

A look at early voting trends:

:: CLINTON: FLORIDA, NORTH CAROLINA, MAINE

The Clinton campaign is looking to build an insurmountable lead in Florida and North Carolina during early voting. If she wins either of those states, she'll probably be the next president.

Using 2012 as a guidepost, she appears to be in a strong position in early voting.

While Democrats tend to do better in early voting, Republicans usually post an initial lead with mail-in ballots before Democrats surpass them during in-person early voting in mid to late October.

Democrats so far have kept it close with mail-in ballots, giving Mrs Clinton a chance to run up the score with in-person early voting. To do that, she'll need non-whites and young people to turn out near the high levels they did in 2012 for Barack Obama.

In North Carolina, Democrats have moved ahead of Republicans in early voting. Republicans had held a modest lead based on mail-in ballots returned, but that was at a much narrower margin than in 2012, when Mitt Romney narrowly won the state. After in-person voting began on Thursday, Democrats overtook Republicans in overall votes cast.

In Florida, a record 3.1 million people have requested ballots, more than one-third of the total voters in 2012. Democrats have requested almost as many ballots as Republicans: 39% vs. 40%.

By comparison, in 2008, Republicans held a lead of 49% to 32% in requests, according to an analysis for AP by Catalist, a Democratic analytical firm. Obama won in Florida in 2008 and 2012.

Democrats are also showing momentum in the 2nd congressional district of both Maine and Nebraska. The two states allocate electoral votes by congressional district.

:: SIGNS OF EARLY EDGE FOR CLINTON OUT WEST

Early voting is surging in Arizona, another state Mr Trump can't afford to lose. Arizona has long been reliably Republican, but Mrs Clinton is targeting it.

More than 1.9 million ballots have been requested and 36,000 returned. That's more than triple the 10,800 ballots returned during a similar period in 2012.

Democrats have a 44% to 31% lead over Republicans in ballots returned. Another 25% were independent or unknown. At this point in 2012, Democrats had a narrower 38% to 35% lead, according to Catalist.

In Colorado, which began voting by mail on Monday, Democrats led 43% to 30% among the 15,280 ballots returned by late Thursday. In 2012, the party had trailed Republicans early. Registered Democrats have since surpassed Republicans in the state.

And in Nevada, which also began absentee voting this week, overall ballot requests and returns were down. There were sharper declines among older whites, who tend to vote Republican.

:: GOOD SIGNS FOR TRUMP: OHIO, IOWA AND GEORGIA

Early vote data for now points to potential Trump strength in Ohio, Iowa and Georgia.

In Ohio, data compiled by Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who runs the US Elections Project, continue to show big declines in ballot requests in the heavily Democratic counties of Cuyahoga and Franklin.

The state does not break down ballots by party affiliation. By race, voter modeling by Catalist found the white share of Ohio ballot requests was up, to 9% from 88%. The black share declined from 10% to 7%.

In Georgia, which also does not report party affiliation, both ballot requests and returns from black voters also trailed 2012 levels.

And in Iowa, Democrats lead early requests, 43% to 36%. But that level is down significantly from 2012. Obama won the state that year based on a strong early vote in his favour.

In a statement, the Republican National Committee said it was focused on boosting turnout in 11 battleground states and predicted a strong Election Day performance.

"Democrats are not turning out new voters, just turning out people who would have voted on Election Day," it said.

AP
The risky crossing from Libya has been the main route used by migrants in recent months

At least four people have died off the coast of Libya and more are missing after a rubber boat full of dozens of migrants was attacked by a group aboard a speedboat apparently belonging to the Libyan coastguard, a German aid group said.

Dozens of people were tipped into the water in the panic that followed the attack, and there were fears that the death toll could rise into double digits.

The Sea-Watch group said it had been called by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre to the site nine miles from the Libyan coast.

As its crew was handing out life vests, the speedboat approached and its occupants started hitting migrants with sticks, causing panic, spokesman Ruben Neugebauer said.

One tube of the rubber boat collapsed, and most of the estimated 150 people on board ended up in the water.

Sea-Watch, which said the assailants prevented its crew from handing out more life vests and medical aid, said 120 people were taken aboard one of its boats.

Four bodies were recovered, but Mr Neugebauer said there were more corpses that could not be retrieved.

He said the coastguard ship "had several people on board" and had been seen in the area repeatedly.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, more than 3,600 people have died or gone missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year.

The risky crossing from North Africa, Libya in particular, has been the main route used by migrants in recent months.

AP

In Libya, a coastguard spokesman said investigators were looking into the report.

Brigadier-General Ayoub Gasem said coastguard officials assured him they were not involved in the incident.

AP
An Ohio woman accused of suffocating her three young sons over a 13-month period has said in a police interview that she smothered each boy with a blanket.

Brittany Pilkington said she killed her children because she didn't want to see them suffering.

It was reported that Ms Pilkington also said she was depressed and worried her sons would eventually become abusive towards women.

A Logan County judge has been reviewing her statements while considering a request to exclude her confession in the potential death penalty case.

Her lawyers argued it was obtained unconstitutionally.

Interview

Prosecutors said the 24-year-old Bellefontaine woman knowingly agreed to be interviewed without a lawyer.

Authorities alleged she killed the toddler and two infants out of jealousy at the attention her husband gave them.

She has pleaded not guilty.
CCTV footage caught the shocking theft of $13,000 (11,965) worth of goods from the Apple Store in Natick, Massachusetts.

According to Metro West Daily News, a group of seven young men and women stole 19 iPhones from the Apple Store at Natick Mall.

The thieves walked into the store together and ran out less than a minute later having ripped the display iPhones from their security cords.

Police say the group could be connected to a similar incident in Hingham last week.

Police spokesperson Lt. Cara Rossi told Metro West Daily News: Weve been hearing about this. Theyre traveling in packs. They brazenly walk in together and steal.

None of the thieves have yet been identified.
A damaged bridge linking the summer capital of Baguio city in northern Philippines to Manila (AP)

Typhoon Haima has barrelled into southern China after hammering the northern Philippines, where it triggered flooding, landslides and power outages and killed at least 13 people.

Chinese meteorological services said the typhoon made landfall shortly after noon in the city of Shanwei in Guangdong province, packing winds of up to 103mph before weakening to a tropical storm.

No major damage was immediately reported, although reports said some villages had experienced power outages and officials were on alert for heavy flooding and landslides.

China has suspended dozens of flights and rail services in several southern provinces. In the city of Shenzhen, authorities ordered schools, markets and factories to close, halted public transportation and evacuated some areas.

Hong Kong hunkered down as Haima lashed the financial hub with rain and wind gusts of up to 68mph.

Schools and offices were shut, trading on the stock market suspended and commuter ferry services halted after the third most serious storm signal was raised, leaving an eerie calm in the streets of the normally bustling city.

More than 740 flights to and from the city's international airport were cancelled or delayed.

In the Philippines, Haima's blinding winds and rain on Thursday rekindled fears of the catastrophe wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which left 7,300 dead, but there has been no report of any major damage.

Large-scale casualties appeared to have been averted after more than 100,000 people fled to safer ground. Several villages were cut off by fallen trees, landslides and floods, impeding communications and aid.

At least 13 people were killed, mostly in landslides and floods, officials said, but the evacuations from high-risk communities helped prevent a larger number of casualties and thousands were still in emergency shelters.

The extent of damage in Cagayan, about 300 miles north of Manila, where the typhoon made landfall, was evident in overturned vans, toppled or leaning electricity poles and debris blocking roads.

Most stores, their window panes shattered and canopies shredded by the wind, were closed.

AP
Three Islamic State militants have stormed a power plant north of the city of Kirkuk, killing 11 workers, before blowing themselves up, Iraqi police have said.

Major Ahmed Kader Ali said the suicide bombers entered the facility early on Friday, took 10 workers hostage, and asked to be taken to the Iranians who worked there.

One of the workers took them to the Iranians before escaping. The militants then killed the Iranians and the other workers, and detonated their explosive vests when police arrived.

The attack took place in the town of Dibis, to the north of Kirkuk city, where another militant assault was under way.

Kirkuk is some 100 miles from the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have been waging a wide-scale offensive since Monday.

The attack happened as an American bomb disposal expert became the country's first combat fatality in the fight to retake Mosul. US officials said the service member died from wounds sustained in a roadside bomb explosion north of the besieged Iraqi city.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Iraqi displaced people, whose villages was liberated recently, return with their furniture, outside Mosul, Iraq (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed) Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati, center, speaks to journalists in Khazer, Iraq (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed) Iraqi displaced people, whose villages was liberated recently, return with their furniture and belongings, outside Mosul, Iraq (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Iraqi displaced people, whose villages was liberated recently, return with their furniture, outside Mosul, Iraq (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

More than 100 US special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases.

The American had been operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga.

Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the US advisers who are with them. The Islamic State group, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defences in and around the city.

Meanwhile, as they charged toward the town of Bartella, nine miles from Mosul's outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favoured weapon in the IS arsenal: armoured trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers.

The weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists' biggest urban bastion.

The pre-dawn assault on Bartella was part of a multi-pronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire.

The US-trained special forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraq's most professional and least sectarian fighters and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against IS. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

IS militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armoured Humvee, Lt Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari said.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded.

"After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble," said Maj Gen Fadhil Barwari. He said IS had few defences in the town, which was almost empty of civilians. "They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs," he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains north east of Mosul descending from their positions and charging towards the front line.

Under cover of mortar and gunfire, the Kurdish troops used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches dug by the militants as part of their defence of the IS-held village of Barima, then advanced with their armoured vehicles toward the extremists' positions.

Military operations also appeared to be under way in the town of Bashiqa, north east of Mosul, where thick smoke could be seen billowing. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by air strikes and mortar fire from peshmerga positions high above.

Lt Gen Talib Shaghati said the special forces had succeeded in retaking Bartella, but Iraqi forces were still facing stiff resistance inside the town shortly before he spoke, and past advances against IS elsewhere in Iraq have often proved fleeting.

After Bartella, Iraqi forces advancing towards Mosul will begin to hit villages and suburbs where civilians still live, a factor that will further complicate military operations that rely heavily on artillery and air strikes to clear territory.

Mosul is home to more than a million people, and rights groups fear a potential humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, prime minister Haider Al-Abadi said Mosul may fall sooner than expected. The campaign to retake the city, which began on Monday, had been expected to last weeks, if not months.

Speaking by video transmission to a conference in Paris focused on post-liberation planning for Mosul, he said the Iraqi "forces are currently pushing forward ... more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign".

The Islamic State group captured Mosul and the surrounding area during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque.

Iraqi forces crumbled that summer, beating a humiliating retreat and leaving weapons and vehicles behind. But the special forces held together and fought back, and since then they have played a central role in retaking cities and towns from the extremist group.
A team of law enforcement agencies arrested a man when he attempted to flee after an undercover drug bust.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, detectives with the Rowan County Sheriffs Office, Salisbury Police Department and the N.C. Highway Patrol (Air Wing) conducted an undercover narcotics buy and subsequent arrest of Ronald Lee Bowman.

Investigators said they knew from research hat Bowman had been an absconder from North Carolina Probation for the last two years and had a history of fleeing and obstructing law enforcement.

Bowman met with undercover detectives and sold them a trafficking amount of heroin and opiates, according to law enforcement. Once the transaction was complete, officers moved in and attempted to stop Bowman.

Bowman fled in a white Chrysler passenger car, law enforcement said. Officers attempted to block Bowman on Church Street, at which time Bowman struck a Rowan County Sheriffs Office vehicle and continued to flee.

Within minutes, Bowman was apprehended at the intersection of West Thomas and South Jackson streets, law enforcement said.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Police in Charlotte are investigating the shooting death of a man that happened just before someone forced his way into the victim's home.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a statement that there were called shortly before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and found a man dead from a gunshot wound. The victim was 48-year-old Ralph Anthony Johnson.

Police said shots were fired into the home and then the suspect forced his way into the home. Another person in the home was not hurt.

No arrests have been made.
The Concord Friends of the Library host Elizabeth Hudson, editor-in-chief of Our State magazine, as the guest speaker at the groups annual Deana Irvin Authors Symposium and luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 11:30 a.m. at the Cabarrus Country Club, 3247 Weddington Road in Concord.

Tickets for the luncheon buffet are $25. Purchase and register in advance by Monday, Oct. 24, at any of the Cabarrus County Public Library branches

Hudson, a North Carolina native, spent her undergraduate years at The University of North Carolina-Greensboro pursuing an English degree. She joined Our State magazine in 1997, where she progressed from answering phones in the circulation department to the editorial department, ultimately becoming editor-in-chief in 2009.

Under Hudsons leadership, the magazine has produced content that has garnered national attention, including two consecutive Gold Eddie Awards for Best Issue of a regional magazine.

The Concord Friends of the Librarys mission is to work together to stimulate a greater interest and use of the library and to acquaint the community with the functions, resources, facilities and needs of the library.

For more information on the Deana Irvin Authors Symposium with editor-in-chief of Our State magazine, call 704-920-2050.
In September, the Rowan County Sheriffs Office began investigating a heroin trafficking operation headed by a convicted felon with a long criminal history.

This individual, Jarvis Lamont Pate, aka Star, age 35, resided at 130 Vista Drive in Salisbury with a North Carolina Department of Corrections official. On Sept. 16, 21 and 28, and Oct. 7, investigators, utilizing cooperating witnesses, purchased quantities of heroin from Pate in the parking lots of businesses in Rowan County, according to law enforcement. On Oct. 1, and 18, investigators, utilizing cooperating witnesses, purchased quantities of heroin from Kimberly Michelle Guske, age 37, a resident of 5110 Old Concord Road in Salisbury, according to law enforcement.

Officers said they learned during the investigation that Guske was obtaining heroin from Pate. Investigators also observed Pate going to and from Guskes residence.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, the sheriffs officeassisted by the Salisbury Police Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigationsestablished surveillance around 5110 Old Concord Road and observed Pate going to and from the residence in a black 1998 Honda Accord.

The sheriffs office obtained search warrants for both residences as well as multiple vehicles, including the Honda Accord. The Accord was stopped on Webb Road by surveillance officers, where Pate was arrested.

A subsequent search resulted in approximately 12 grams of China White heroin found concealed in Pates underwear, according to law enforcement. After the traffic stop, the two search warrants were executed by tactical teams with the Rowan County Sheriffs Office and other personnel.

At the residence at 5110 Old Concord Road, investigators discovered three grams of methamphetamine ice, suspected heroin, scales and other drug paraphernalia, to include used and unused needles consistent with intravenous drug use, according to law enforcement. Kimberly Guske was arrested inside the residence.

In the driveway, officers encountered another individual, James Arthur Smith, age 45, a resident of 359 South Fisherman Lane in Salisbury. Around one gram of suspected heroin was found on Smiths person along with needles consistent with intravenous drug use, officers said. Additionally, in the trunk of Smiths vehicle was approximately 33 grams of methamphetamine ice. Smith was also arrested.

During the search of 130 Vista Drive, investigators discovered approximately one gram of suspected heroin on the master bedroom floor, according to law enforcement. A burnt marijuana blunt was found on top of a refrigerator in the master bedroom. Around 21 grams of dab (marijuana) was in the master bedroom refrigerator. In the master bedroom closet was a safe that contained two handguns, one loaded, loose ammunition and $5,700 in United States currency, officers said.

In the same closet was another loaded handgun and an electronic scale, according to law enforcement. The key to the safe had been found earlier in the possession of Pate.

Pate was charged with three counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver heroin; one count of possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana; two counts of trafficking heroin by possession; one count of trafficking heroin by transportation; one count of keeping and maintaining a dwelling that was used for keeping and selling controlled substances; and one count of possession of firearm by felon. Pate was placed under a $1 million secured bond. Additional charges are pending.

Guske was charged with two counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver heroin. Guske was placed under a $10,000 secured bond. Additional charges are pending.

Smith was charged with one count of possession of heroin and one count of trafficking methamphetamine. Smith was placed under a $10,000 secured bond.

Smith has an extensive criminal history and was convicted on Sept. 30, 2013, in Rowan County Superior Court (docket #13CRS51036) of possession of firearm by felon. Smith received a term of 36 months supervised probation. On April 17, 2009, Smith was convicted in Rowan County Superior Court (docket #08CRS54589) of possession of cocaine. Smith received a term of 24 months of supervised probation.

On Nov. 17, 1995, in Davidson County Superior Court (docket #94CRS7743), Smith was convicted of breaking and or entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and felony larceny. Smith received a sentence of five years supervised probation. Smith has numerous other convictions for assault on female, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and driving offenses, among others.

Pate has a massive criminal history and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Scotland County Superior Court (docket #08CRS51284) on Feb. 1, 2010, and received a sentence of 77-122 months. On Oct. 8, 2004, Pate was convicted in Scotland County Superior Court (docket #s 04CRS52880, 04CRS52881, and 04CRS52882) of three counts of selling or delivering cocaine and received three consecutive 12-15 month sentences.

On May 2, 2003, in Scotland County Superior Court (docket #02CRS4841), Pate was convicted of felonious restraint and received 36 months of supervised probation. On Oct. 13, 1998, Pate was convicted in Scotland County Superior Court (docket #98CRS3402) of possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine and received 36 months probation. Pate has numerous arrests for drugs, driving, possession of firearm by felon, assault on a female, resisting public officers, probation violations, carrying concealed guns and possessing stolen goods, among others.

Pates possession of firearms will be referred to the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the United States Attorneys Office-Middle District of North Carolina for possible federal prosecution.

Charges against any other persons will be reviewed with state prosecutors.
KANNAPOLIS  You may have not been able to score a ticket to see The Avett Brothers or the Carolina Chocolate Drops get inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, but youll soon get a chance to see the ceremony on UNC-TV.

UNC-TV taped the event Thursday and will air the induction ceremony at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 and then at 2 a.m. and 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 4.

Among this years inductees is David Holt, who lives near Asheville, and has ties to the UNC-TV/PBS system. Holt hosts Riverwalk, a jazz program on public radio and the TV programs, Great Scenic Railway Journeys and North Carolina Treasures on North Carolina public television.

I love the fact that they are willing to tape the show, because its going to be a really great concert, Holt said during a reception at Kannapolis City Hall for the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday. A lot of people I really admire are going to be playing.

Among the performances Thursday were this years inductees, The Avett Brothers, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Band of Oz, David Holt and past inductees, the Chairmen of the Board.

Rhiannon Giddens, of Carolina Chocolate Drops fame,  and an inductee Thursday  is actually featured on one of David Holts other projects, David Holts State of Music, which airs nationally on PBS and will feature new episodes in the spring.

Giddens and Holt were both inducted Thursday with the ceremony held at the Kannapolis Performing Arts Center.

Holt said his induction into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis is an honor.

When you play folk music for a living you dont really expect to really be recognized, Holt said. You are not doing it for money, you are not doing for fame, but when you get some recognition, its really a nice feeling.

Holt has won four Grammys for his recordings of traditional American music and southern folktales. Its a career that Holt has developed over the years after first graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara with degrees in biology and art. He also has an advanced degree in education.

But Holts interest in traditional music and storytelling in the southeastern mountains led to his move to western North Carolina.

I fell in love with the sound of the banjo back in the 60s, the old time claw hammer banjo, Holt said.

Holt actually got to meet Ralph Stanley who was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his brother Carter as part of The Stanley Brothers, and most often as the leader of his band, The Clinch Mountain Boys.

When Holt met Stanley around 1968, Holt asked him about traditional American music and where he should go to learn more about the music. Stanley told him the Asheville or Mount Airy area would be good places to learn about the music, sending Holt to move into the Asheville area.

Asheville is very important to me and Asheville has given me so much, Holt said. When I first went there in 1969 it was a city all boarded up and it was really kind of falling apart, but now Asheville is in a beautiful renaissance, musically and every other way.

The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and then from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 600 Dale Earnhardt Blvd., Kannapolis. It is free to attend the hall of fame, but donations are welcome.

Visit http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/ for more information on the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
By Pritesh Samuel

In a sign that the government wants to get serious about overhauling labor laws, India plans to introduce a proposed Wage Code bill that will guarantee minimum wages across the country in the winter session of parliament. The draft bill will also streamline the definition of wages by combining four wage related laws  the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; the Payment of Wages Act, 1936; the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965; and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. This is in line with the governments plan of improving Indias ranking in the World Banks annual ease of doing business assessment.

Altogether, the government aims to combine 44 labor related Acts into four codes, which will cover wages, industrial relations, social security, and working conditions. In the existing set-up, aside from a myriad number of labor laws, India does not have a national minimum wage law. Rather, each state decides its own minimum wage law, making it difficult for businesses to ascertain their exact costs. In addition, those in the unorganized sector do not get any social security or health benefits, and implementation of any wage law is lax.

In the above figure, we see the gap between regular workers (employed in the formal organized sector) and employees in the informal sector.

Draft National Policy for Domestic Workers

The labor ministry is also working on a draft national policy for domestic workers. Among the benefits proposed will be a minimum salary of US$ 135 (Rs 9,000) per month for full time household help, along with other benefits including social security coverage and mandatory leave. The draft also sets provisions against sexual harassment and bonded labor, and suggests compulsory paid leave of 15 days a year as well as maternity leave.

The policy allows domestic workers to be given a right to pursue education, a safe working environment, and a grievance redressal system. Its in line with standards from the International Labour Organization (ILO), which India has adopted. The draft also recommends minimum monthly wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and high skilled categories of domestic workers. In addition, there is an attempt to curb abuse by placement agencies. Such agencies will only be allowed to charge a one-time 15 day salary payment from employees and will have to provide social security coverage, including medical and health insurance.

Studies show that India has a total of 30 million domestic workers in the organized and unorganized sectors. If implemented, the proposed policy will benefit them significantly. Out of the countrys total workforce of 400 million, estimates show that less than 10 percent work in the formal or organized sector. Most of Indias workers are therefore employed in the informal sector, which deprives them of minimum wages, leave, or any other social benefits for them or their families.

States Leading the Way Forward

Paving the way for the rest of the country, the western state of Rajasthan recently implemented its own minimum wage policy. The state government fixed a minimum wage of US$ 85 (Rs 5,642) for domestic workers per month, which came into effect in January 2016. For any overtime, employers will have to pay double the minimum wage fixed per hour for each hour beyond the normal eight hours. Violators will face prosecution and the worker will be eligible for compensation as high as ten times the difference between the minimum wage and the amount they received. Following Rajasthan, in September the state of Assam proposed a minimum wage for its domestic workers. In the draft law, the proposed wage is set at US$ 0.4 (Rs 30) per hour for part time employment and US$ 108 (Rs 7,200) per month for full time. In addition, workers will be entitled to Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), which is typically available to public sector employees. The VDA takes into consideration the increase or decrease of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) every six months.

Equipping the Labor Force

The Indian workforce is expected to reach 900 million by 2020. However, the government will need to train the workforce effectively and build infrastructure to make use of the countrys demographic dividend. Some studies show that around 80 percent of engineers in India are unemployable. Domestic and foreign companies therefore have to train fresh graduates for almost a year before they can start working. Tata  a large multinational conglomerate based in India  does this, as does Boeing. In order to address Indias skills deficit, the government has launched two skill development programs of around US$ 3.29 billion to help train its workforce by 2020. Analysts estimate that India will need around 90,000 aerospace and defense factory workers in the coming decade. In addition, recruitment agencies have stated that India will require but face a talent shortage for IT personnel, accounting & finance staff, project and sales managers, customer service representatives, technicians, quality controllers, and buying & selling procurement staff, among others.

RELATED: Employing Women in the Indian Workplace

Observations

India has to reform its British colonial era labor laws and invest in quality education and vocational institutions, while improving on other workman initiatives like apprenticeship programs. While the aforementioned draft laws are headed in the right direction, informal workers represent a significant amount of the Indian workforce and the government will need to prioritize equipping such workers with the right skills while ensuring that they receive due benefits. This will remain a challenge. Informal workers will have to acquire skills with strong labor market links. If the Indian government can do this successfully, it will transform the country into the manufacturing and economic powerhouse it intends to become.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email india@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2016

Doing Business in India 2016 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

Pre-Investment Due Diligence in India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we examine issues related to pre-investment due diligence in India. We highlight the different regulatory, tax, and socio-economic issues that a company should be aware of before entering the Indian market. We also detail some of the topics related to entry structures while investing in the Indian market, as well as cultural and HR due diligence, which may differ from state to state.

Strategies for Repatriating Funds from India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we look at issues related to repatriating funds from India. We highlight the unique regulations for sending funds back from India, examine the various strategies companies can make use of while repatriating, and look at remittance procedures for different types of Indian entities. Finally, we give some tips on how expats can remit their Indian money to their home countries.
Aamir Khan, who is a Unicef Regional Goodwill Ambassador, took time out from his schedule to meet children affected by malnutrition here and to witness how the organisation is working to address stunting across the country.

"While Bhutan has made amazing progress in areas of health and nutrition, there's still work to be done and every child is yet to be reached," Aamir said in a statement.

Aamir, during his visit to Bhutan on Monday and Tuesday, met Namgay Zam, 26, in the Drukgyel Basic Health Unit in Paro, who had given birth to her baby just 20 days ago. He also interacted with other women and their children at the health unit.

The Royal Government of Bhutan, Unicef and partners are working together to improve under-nutrition and micro-nutrient deficiency among children by working with families to improve sanitation practices in households and communities, and improve nutrition of young children and women before and during pregnancy.

"It is incredible to meet young mothers in Bhutan and to understand how they have made simple, effective changes to their lives to help keep their children healthy," said Aamir, whose film 'Dangal' trailer released of late.

Rudolf Schwenk, Unicef Bhutan Representative, also said: "We are delighted that Aamir Khan is here in Bhutan to help us shine a light on the impact of under-nutrition and to show how by working together we can reduce stunting in children across the country."

Stunting, caused by chronic malnutrition, is endemic in South Asia with an estimated 38 per cent - 64 million - of children under five years of age affected by stunted growth, inhibiting children's cognitive and physical development and damaging growth in the region. In Bhutan, despite recent progress, one in five children remains stunted, according to Unicef.
A day that was all green Indian equity markets ended the day strongly in green today. Nifty 50 ended the day, up by 225.4 points. Sensex ended the day, up by 786.74 points. Top Gainers today were Ultratech Cement, Eich... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 4:12 pm

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Vedanta shares tanks ~4% on subdued numbers in Q2FY23 Vedanta Limited shares fell as much as 4% to Rs274 in intraday trade on Monday after the company reported a 60.8% yoy drop in consolidated net profit at Rs1,808 crore for the quarter ended... October 31, 2022 | 31-10-2022 1:54 pm
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians recently demolished the building that housed its council chambers and health department with plans to develop something new on the site. Photo by PBCI



The Poarch Band of Creek Indians can't be sued for allegedly firing an older employee and replacing her with a younger one, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

Christine J. Williams worked for the Alabama tribe's health department for 21 years before she was terminated in 2014. She alleges she was replaced by an "under-qualified" 28-year-old in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act

But the law does include tribes in its definition of "employer," the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals noted. That means Congress did not abrogate the tribe's sovereignty immunity, Judge C. Lynwood Smith, Jr., wrote for the majority.

And since tribe hasn't waived its sovereign immunity, Williams can't proceed with the lawsuit, even if her allegations are true.

"Thus, even though the ADEA is a statute of general applicability, and the Poarch Band might be generally subject to its terms, the doctrine of tribal sovereign immunity protects the Poarch Band from suits under the statute," Smith wrote.

The 11th Circuit's decision follows similar ones from other federal appeals courts. The Second Circuit , the Eighth Circuit and the Tenth Circuit all have determined that Congress did not waive tribal immunity through the law.

The agreement among the various circuits means Williams might have a hard time convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her case if she decides to appeal.

Turtle Talk has posted documents from the case, Williams v. Poarch Band of Creek Indians

11th Circuit Court of Appeals Decision: Williams v. Poarch Band of Creek Indians (October 18, 2016)

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They say variety is the spice of life and what better than implementing that thought in your drinks? If you're tired of your regular dose of vodkas or martinis and want to give them a twist, here are 14 desi cocktails that will get you talli in no time. The upside? They're so easy to make, they can even be tried at home!

1. Curry Leaf Mojito

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As interesting as the name is, so is the taste. This drink encompasses the flavours of the South, courtesy curry leaves. Prepared by mixing Bacardi white rum, mint, and lime, curry leaves are then added with soda and Sprite. The end result is a one-of-a-kind cocktail. Savvya Rassa in Pune credits itself with the birth of this unusual drink.

2. Sugarcane Mojito

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This healthy concoction has great benefits and is the perfect way to cool off in the summer. It is made by mixing good old ganne ka juice with vodka. You could add some chaat masala and cumin powder for a greater depth of flavor as well. Top it off with strips of sugarcane soaked in vodka and mint leaves to lend your palate a refreshing taste. Don't forget to chew on the sugarcane sticks once you are done sipping this great cocktail.

3. Guava Mary

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If you love peru then you are in luck because this spiked guava juice is the perfect cooler. Add a dash of vodka to guava juice, a slice of lemon and Tobasco. Blend the ingredients together and pour the mixture into a chilled glass rimmed with chilli powder. The spicy red chilli powder and the cloying sweetness of the guava juice toned down by vodka is sure to elevate the flavour of this elegant cocktail. So go ahead and sip along!

4. Rasam tini

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If you are a sucker for rasam then you have a drink to celebrate! To take your love for this South Indian preparation a notch higher, we bring you a drink that will label you a hard core South Indie foodie! Yes, we are talking of the rasamtini. The rasamtini is a vodka-based martini made adding rasam along with nutmeg powder, gun powder and cumin powder to vodka. The sweet, spicy and tangy flavours of rasamtini are going to run riot in your mouth. For those not sure of where you can grab this libation, head to Savya Rassa in Pune!

5. Vodka jaljeera

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This is another popular drink that is found in Indian households. This drink not only aids digestion but also drives dehydration away. Prepare jaljeera and add 30 ml vodka in each glass of the drink. If you want to take your celebrations a notch higher, you could even add 60 ml vodka to it. A hit among friends.

6. Filter coffee martini

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The filter coffee martini is another vodka-based drink that smells exactly like a cup of steaming hot coffee. The only difference being that this cocktail is served chilled. This is prepared by adding vodka to cold coffee and then topping the mixture with ice. This desi cocktail evokes memories of Baileys Irish Cream and is sure to turn every coffee teetotaler into a cocktail lover.

7. Sharabi Mango Lassi

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This one is straight from the Punjab hinterland. The sharabi mango lassi is a great break from your regular lassi. Add a little drama to this drink by making your own mango lassi intoxicated with Malibu and Bailey's Irish Cream! To make your own mango-flavored lassi at home, add equal parts of mango pulp, curd and sugar and mix using a blender. Add 45 ml Malibu and 25ml Bailey's Irish Cream to the mango lassi. Transfer the contents into a glass and garnish with a mango slice and mint!

8. Pani puri cocktail

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Add some fun to your get-togethers with friends by adding a shot of vodka or tequila to your regular pani-puri. Talli pani puris are way better than your regular fare.

9. Jamuntini

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This bright coloured desi cocktail is the perfect way to celebrate. Not only is it good to look at, it is also easy to make. This is prepared by de-seeding jamuns and mixing them in a cocktail shaker. Top it with gin, lime juice and sugar syrup and strain the mixture in a chilled glass rimmed with red chilly powder.

10. Vodka Aam panna

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This cocktail is a hit throughout the year, but particularly during the summer months when raw mangoes are available. It is prepared using raw mangoes and steaming them until they become soft. Scoop the mango into a bowl, add sugar and vodka to it. 30 ml vodka can be added to each glass of aam panna to ensure the drink is potent enough. Drizzle some cumin powder on top and see how the flavours elevate.

11. Cucumber cooler

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If you do not like your cocktails too sweet, then the cucumber cooler is the perfect drink for you. Just the right amount of sweetness, this drink is prepared by adding mint leaves to gin. In tall glasses filled with ice, combine the gin, cucumber soda and cucumber slices. Squeeze a wedge of lime into each glass and stir. This will be the perfect summer cooler and big on taste. We bet you're gonna love it!

12. Tamarind Mojito

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Give your good old Mojito a makeover by adding tamarind paste to tequila. Shake tamarind paste with tequila and triple sec and then add the remaining ingredients. Shake well and pour into a salt-rimmed glass over ice. Your cocktail nights will never be the same again.

13. Vodka shikanji

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Turn that run-off-the-mill shikanji into something more interesting. Add a dash of vodka to the drink and see how it makes you boozy. Prepare by adding 60 ml vodka to 30 ml lime juice with 8-10 mint leaves. Then pour the mixture into a glass and top it up with water.

14. Khus cooler

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This drink is not only a great cocktail but will cool you off by a few degrees. The khus in the drink will also rid you of dehydration. To prepare, add 45ml of dry gin, 15 ml of khus syrup and 15 m of lime juice. Add a pinch of salt and top it off with Sprite.
If you want to try your luck, then casinos are the place to be at. With wild nightlife and flamboyant game floors, casinos around the world are raking in money and are making people try their luck harder. Here are 11 casinos around the world where you must roll the dice.

1. Wynn, Macau

Image Credit: mayfaircasinos

Apart from gambling, you can also let your hair down at a comforting spa where the signature treatment is a light massage with silk gloves and a cashmere-infused body wrap. This Macau casino can give a Las Vegas club tough competition. The casino has two Michelin-starred restaurants and also hosts a water-dancing show that looks stunning.

2. Deltin Royale, Goa

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Since Goa is a place to chill, somebody had to get a casino there. Deltin Royale is touted to be Goas newest and largest luxury floating casino.Stretched over 40,000 square feet, the casino has the countrys only dedicated poker room, as well as an exclusive room for Teen Patti.

3. Bellagio, Las Vegas

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Bets here go so high that gamblers are willing to bet their entire life earnings here. It is the same casino where the wolf pack from The Hangover won a big hand in the film. The casino was also a location for popular films like Oceans 11 and 21.

4. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

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Marina Bay Sands is the most expensive standalone casino property in the world. Said to be standing on $8 billion, this casino has a roof deck thats home to the highest (and largest) infinity pool in the world.

5. Casino de Monte Carlo, Monaco

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Did you know that the citizens of Monaco are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms of this casino? Well, before entering youve got to submit all your legal documents. The entire casino is Monacos primary source of income.

6. Grand Lisboa, Macau

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The casino has 58 floors and is Macaus tallest building. It holds 800 gaming tables and 1,000 slot machines. It was the first casino in Macau to hold Texas Hold Em ring games. Owned by the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau, the Grand Lisboa is a must-visit tourist destination when in Macau.

7. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, New Jersey

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Known as a celebrity spot, Borgata is a location preferred by P.Diddy, Ben Affleck, and J. Lo. In fact, J.Los mom infamously won a $2.4 million jackpot on a $1 slot machine here in 2004! Borgata also has its own jet that flies in guests from 18 cities.

8. The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas

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This list would be an incomplete one without mentioning the Cosmopolitan. Not only can you have a fun night at the casino, but you can also gorge on some delectable food by world famous chefs who are hired by the casino. Cosmopolitan boasts of having 3,000 rooms with outdoor balconies for each room. Consequently, it provides some spectacular views of the Las Vegas skyline.

9. Sun City Casino Resort, South Africa

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Once an apartheid governments designated area, now a casino, Sun City in South Africa underwent a major revamp. Today, with four hotels and over 850 slot machines, the resort also offers the service of private game tables.

10. Ibiza Gran Hotel Casino, Spain

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This Spanish casino is named after the worlds party destination. Ibiza Gran Hotel offers a great stay for tired souls. With their top-notch service, its a great place for a weekend getaway. And for those who want to try their hand at winning a few quick bucks.

11. The Kurhaus of Baden-Baden, Germany

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Known as one of the oldest German casinos, Kurhaus in Baden-Baden is famous for its grandiose architecture. It doesnt get too crowded, which is why you get to experience the casino at a luxurious level.
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While many exploited their right of freedom of speech and expression, Abhay Deol's comments look like the best possible closure to the whole controversy. He said, "Ban the business dealings, the import, the export because when you do half a job no one will take you seriously. I don't take the government seriously because they are only banning us from collaborating with artistes. They are not banning businessmen from making business. So, if you really mean what you say, then go the distance. Then I will take you seriously. "

2. Following the controversies around the Pan Masala ad, Pierce Brosnan said that his contract was to endorse a product that was "all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient."

"As a man who has spent decades championing womens healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahars unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products."

3. Even though the controversies are at their highest peak for ADHM, the gang will be seen promoting the film on The Kapil Sharma show in style.

While there are days left for the episode to be aired, all thanks to the internet for giving us a glimpse of the fun-filled episode!



4. Aamir Khan chose to maintain silence over the debate around ban of Pakistani Artists.

Jio Mami Festival They're so lovely #aamirkhan #kiranrao #fatimasanashaikh #sanyamalhotra #jiomamifilmfestival A photo posted by Aamir Khan (@_aamirkhan_) on Oct 21, 2016 at 6:00am PDT

All he had to say was, "MAMI se poocho" and walked off.

5. Akshay Kumar comes out in support of his old producer friend, extends monetary help for his ailment.

Reports claim that the aged producer is suffering from kidney failure and was in need of a transplant. When Akshay was in his struggling days, Shrivastava was the first producer to offer him a film - Dwarpaal.
A day after the Delhi zoo and the Deer Parks were shut down after suspected avian influenza - commonly known as bird flu - cases surfaced from there, new reports have emerged from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.

BCCL

According to reports, at least 15 bird died at the city zoo in the past 48 hours.

Following the report the bird enclosure has been closed and the samples have been sent for forensic examination to identify weather the deaths were caused by bird flu.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has confirmed that at least ten bird deaths were reported from the city, even though unofficial figures claim it is more than twenty, mostly migratory birds.

BCCL

According to the Delhi government five deaths each were reported from the National Zoological Park and the Deer Park. Both the places have been since shut for visitors.

Delhi Rural Development Minister Gopal Rai said the government is monitoring the situation "All water bodies, park and forest areas in the Capital will be closely monitored."

BCCL

He added that the situation is still under control and there was no need to panic.

"We are trying our level best to control the situation before it gets bad. For now, citizens need not worry and just be careful and alert."

BCCL

The government has opened a helpline for public to report suspected cases- (011-23890318).

He also added that as of now there was no real threat to human beings from the outbreak.
In yet another case of ceasefire violation, Pakistan open fired at the BSF jawans along the border at Hiranagar district in Jammu. This morning around 9.35 am, Pakistani rangers opened unprovoked fire in Bobiyan area and injured a BSF personnel compelling us to give them a stinging retaliation... In retaliatory fire we have killed one Pak Ranger, DK Upadhyay, IG, BSF said.

According to reports, a Pakistani ranger was killed in the crossfire.

The IG has also added that the firing is still on. Head constable Gurnam Singh has sustained injuries and has been evacuated for medical attention.

AP

According to a senior BSF officer, the firing from Pakistans side appears to be a targeted attack.

Yesterday (Thursday) we had taken up the matter of infiltration bids with the Rangers but they plainly refused. This morning they tried to kill our boy with a sort of sniper fire. Though they used AK-47, it was more of a sniping attack, the officer said.

PTI
A 22-year-old youth, who failed a breathalyzer test at Kolkata, fled with the device and managed to sleep peacefully at home for a few hours before the law caught up with him.

He is now behind bars... though it's certainly not the kind of bar he would have perhaps liked to be behind.

shutterstock/Representative Image

According to police, Around 10.25 pm on Tuesday, Vedant Agarwal, a resident of Girish Park in north Kolkata, was stopped by a team of officers from the Nabadiganta traffic guard at a police check-post at SDF crossing near Nicco Park. Vedant was driving his father's car, a Hyundai Eon.

"The youth looked intoxicated and was driving at high speed. We asked him to take the breathalyzer test. He was unwilling, but we forced him to exhale through the breathalyzer," said an officer of the traffic guard.

Vedant was sitting inside the car with the engine switched on as a constable held the breathalyzer at his mouth. As the device showed a reading beyond the permissible limit of 0.03%, the constable reportedly turned towards a senior officer to inform him that Vedant had tested positive, when he stepped on the accelerator and sped away , the device clutched between his teeth, said a cop.

The constable who was administering the test ran behind the car as it sped towards Chingrihata, but in vain. Vedant managed to drive 10km -first with the breathalyzer in his mouth, and later on the car floor -to his home. He parked the car and promptly went off to sleep in his room.

thenypost/Representative Image

He, however, did not have a good night's sleep. The cops, who had noted the car's registration number, knocked on his door a few hours later and arrested him.

"We had the registration number, and it was easy to track down the owner's address. When we raided his house, we found the car parked outside and the youth asleep in his room. We arrested him and recovered the breathalyzer from the car," said an officer of the Electronic Complex police station.

Along with drink driving, Vedant has been charged with snatching police property. He was produced in court, which sent him to three days' police custody . He is currently cooling his heels at the Electronic Complex police station in Sector V.

PTI/Representative Image

Cops booked Vedant separately under Section 392 IPC (snatching and robbery) and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (drink driving). If found guilty , the IPC section can get him imprisoned for a maximum of 10 years.

If convicted for drink driving, he could be imprisoned for up to six months or asked to pay a fine of Rs 2,000. Second and subsequent offences can lead to imprisonment for two years or a fine of Rs 3,000.
India has progressed to the final stage of acquiring the long awaited 145 number of Ultra Light Howitzer artillery guns- to be deployed opposite Pakistan and China- from the US, with a major roadblock being cleared today.

Reuters

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) led by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today cleared all the variations present in Indias demands regarding the artillery gun made to the US and what the US in turn offered. In todays DAC meeting, all these aberrations between Indias Letters of Request and the USs Letters of Acceptance were cleared, said Defence Ministry sources.

"And now we can formulate the contract after sanction of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Then start the procurement of the guns between India and the US," said the sources. All defence proposals beyond Rs 1000 crore have to be approved by the CCS. The 145 Ultra Light Howitzers are worth Rs 5070 crore, according to sources.

Reuters

In the past, the army had approached the DAC to purchase the guns. Earlier this year, the DAC approved the purchase of the guns. But then the problems emerged. India had sent a Letter of Request (LOR) to the US, explaining the demand to procure the guns. The US responded with a Letter of Acceptance (LOA).

Read: The big guns of the Indian Army

"There was a large variance in what they offered to us and what we had asked for. The LOA had certain variations as compared to the proposal approved by the DAC. Again the DAC had to be approached and requested for a decision to accept the USs offer. Several LORs and LOAs were exchanged before todays meeting, which cleared all this. It is a positive step," said sources.

Reuters

The procurement of the Ultra Light Howitzers will greatly boost Indias artillery capabilities, as the only other equally good artillery gun with India is the Bofors. The howitzer will be deployed on the mountainous regions opposite Pakistan and China. These areas include Jammu and Kashmir, Leh and Arunachal Pradesh.

The DAC today also sanctioned another case of purchasing 4900 Tadiran radio sets for T-90 and T-72 tanks, said sources. These tanks are located along the border with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Reuters

"The existing deficiency of these sets in the army is being made up by going for this repeat order. A special sanction was given by the DAC for this order," said sources, adding that these radio sets will be acquired faster, as they are a repeat order.
Two teenagers and two older men were thrashed and petrol injected into their genitals after they were accused of stealing a mobile phone in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh last Friday.

Among the two people arrested for this "unnatural offence" is the brother of a local Samajwadi Party leader.

NDTV

The accused, identified as Rizwan, alleged that victims - who live in his neighbourhood - had stolen his phone and called for them to his shop.

The four victims - Zaheer Baig, 17, Gulzar, 16, Fimo and Firoz, both 25 - were beaten by Rizwan and two of his friends, stated a senior police official.

The three accused, including Rizwan, filled syringes with petrol from one of their bikes and injected the four men. Rizwan and his friend Akil have been arrested by the police but the third accused has escaped.

The teenagers are in critical state and doctors are trying to get them to overcome the effect of the petrol in their blood.
Whether it's CIA, Mossad, R&AW, KGB, MI6 or ISI - the tussle between world's premier spy agencies over top kept secrets has its own charm, far more intriguing then the actual war.

Spies working for these agencies always remain at war so clandestine that even their neighbours and sometimes their own family members don't know anything about. Ian Fleming cashed on this superhuman business and filled his coffers with success of James Bond series.

Mossad-Israel's premier agency is among the best in the business and has always bailed out its tiny country against the combined strengths of Arabs in last three wars even before actual war started. It's success rate is better than any other Arab agency because it kept dual agents who were Arabs themselves on their payrolls.

One such story is a Ashraf Marwan, Egyptian spy who worked for Israel and handed over many top secrets including the war plans which helped Israel to beat Arabs despite being numerically and resourcefully dwarf to their foes.

How Marwan saved Israel in Yom Kippur war in 1973

The joint forces of Egypt and Syria planned to launch a third and decisive assault on Israel-a tiny Jew state in the heart of the Arab world who had defeated the Arabs in previous two war fought in 1948 and 1965.

AP

Israeli author Uri Bar-Joseph in his book, 'The Angel' provides details on one of the most intriguing spy cases in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict which resulted in yet another Arab defeat at the hand of Israel.

Marwan, code named "Angel", only alerted the Mossad 24 hours before the Arab armies' surprise attack began, his previous information on the Egyptian military's war planning and leadership deliberations made Egypt "transparent" to Israel at the time of war.

Though he informed Israel's Mossad just 24 hours before the attack and it was evident that at such a short notice it was hard for Israel to device a strategy. But Israel was swift enough to mobilize their forces and managed to thwart attack and also attacked key military of Egypt and Syria even before they actually employed those resources for attack.

Marwan's heads up prevented Arabs from being third time lucky.

Marwan was an Egyptian, why did he do that?

Some call him traitor. Indeed he was one. But Ashraf Marwan was an unlikely spy. He was a young man in his 20s, married to then Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's daughter, and worked at the president's office.

BarJoseph-times-of-Israel

On the surface, he had no apparent reason to sell his country's secrets to its sworn enemy, Israel. But beneath the rosy picture lied the real reason. According to the book, Marwan's father-in-law, President Gamal Abdel Nasser didn't like his son-in-law at all and never trusted him.

This is was one of the reasons why he sold top secrets his country to its arch enemy. Another reason was of course money.

What he got from Israel?

According to the book, the Angel, Israel's Mossad used to pay him $50,000-$100,000 every time he supplied his information, once or twice a month, in addition to bonuses and gifts. Back then in 1970s, this amount was big and probably that's why he was able live his retired in London where he was found dead in 2007.

When did he start working for Israel and how he got this information?

Marwan started his career as an Israeli spy in 1970 when he called the Israeli embassy in London offering his services to sell Egypt's top secrets.

Jewish-book-council

The book says that initially Mossad was skeptical about him but once the information given by him proved handy and reliable, it began to trust him. He worked as an Israeli spy for more than 30 years until 1998 and till then, Egypt never came to know about his treachery and disservice he had been doing to his nation.

Bar-Joseph further tells in his book that Marwan found out about the attack purely by chance - deducing it from information he gleaned while abroad in London. Only then did Marwan make frantic calls to the Mossad demanding to meet its chief personally, as he had done before, to warn him about the upcoming war.

Marwan got reward from Israel

Reuters

After the Yom-Kippur war Israel rewarded Marwan with $100,000-cash bonus in appreciation for the advance warning of the impending strike which ultimately saved many Israeli lives, but resulted in the death to many of his own countrymen.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday asked Delhi police commissioner, Alok Verma, to constitute a special team to trace a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who has been missing following an alleged campus brawl.

Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes

Singh's intervention came amid an ongoing protest by JNU students over alleged inaction of the university administration in finding whereabouts of the student.

On Thursday, the students, who have been agitating for six days, allowed the JNU vice-chancellor and some other top officials to leave their offices after restraining them there for over 20 hours .

In order to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, Singh called up the city police commissioner and asked him to expedite efforts to trace Najeeb Ahmad.

Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes

The Delhi police later said they have constituted the special team. The SIT would comprise an ACP and two senior inspectors. Police, however, admit that they have not yet come across any concrete clues to pin point a location.

Commenting on the issue, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said, "It is wrong to confine VC and other officials. Some students have come in JNU to do politics and not study. All activities should be done within the law."

Tarique Anwar/Indiatimes

An FIR for kidnapping and wrongfully confining a person was lodged at Vasant Kunj North police station after the police received a complaint from the student's guardians.

Police teams have been sent to some villages around Ahmad's home town to look for clues that they have received and the possible locations provided by the missing boy's family and friends. Police say that Ahmad is suspected to have left his room between 12 noon and 1 pm on October 15.

Police officers say that they would register a case of assault against the students with whom Ahmad had a scuffle if they receive a complaint from the university.
A massive door-to-door anti-terror crackdown is underway in Kashmir's Baramulla, just days after 44 people were arrested for suspected militancy links.

The second operation on Friday was launched after receiving specific inputs, an official said.

AFP/ Representative Image

Joint teams of army and police were conducting search operations at several places in Baramulla in view of inputs about movement of militants there during the intervening night."

Even though there has been no confirmation on any arrests so far, local media say at least three youths have been detained in the raid.

AFP/ Representative Image

Earlier, on Monday over 700 houses were searched in a span of 12 hours in an extensive search operation in old town in Baramulla during which 44 persons allegedly involved with terror related activities were apprehended.

BCCL

For the first time in Kashmir, security forces had recovered Chinese flags along with other incriminating material like petrol bombs, Pakistani flags, Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) letter head pads, unauthorized mobile phones and seditious anti-national publicity material.
A 20-year-old Kerala youth will soon be the face of the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad's drive against misguided youngsters joining Islamic State (IS), the international terror outfit.

Taha Shaikh (name changed), an engineering student from a central Mumbai college, has been roped in for a documentary to counsel youths falling under the sway of the IS through the group's internet propaganda.

Reuters

Shaikh, who hails from an affluent family in Kerala and stays with his uncle in the city, himself exemplifies the manner in which IS lures potential recruits using the internet.

He had begun posting comments against world leaders for condemning the multiple attacks in Paris after he saw videos on killings in Yemen and Syria; he believed the death of Muslims in other countries was not drawing similar outrage and condemnation.

"I was surfing on YouTube when I started getting pop-ups of videos showing atrocities on Muslims. I became curious and kept surfing for more. A week later, I began chatting with strangers who lured me into taking up the cause of ISIS."

In September, through technical surveillance, the ATS learnt that Taha was chatting with IS sympathizers.

"We also found out that he had begun growing a beard, wearing jeans above the ankle, visiting a mosque of a particular sect in south Mumbai. That's when we called in a 'maulana' and made him understand the meaning of Islam."

He had also fallen for a Canadian who ATS believe was a IS sympathiser.

AFP

"She had asked him to travel to Syria and promised to join him there," they said.

Eight police officers, two psychiatrists, his mother, a doctor, a maulana and five of his friends spent three weeks counselling him before Shaikh finally returned to his studies.

Later ATS officials stepped in and joined the counselling.

"They showed him videos of how youngsters were lured into IS and exploited in the name of religion," said Shaikh's uncle.

Since Shaikh had nearly crossed over before he was counselled against joining the terror outfit, ATS plans to make a documentary on de-radicalisation using him as a central character.

ATS wants him and his parents to share their experiences and spread the message among other youth. A senior ATS officer said, "We gave him examples of continuing violence in Pakistan, and of interfaith harmony in India, of non Muslims visiting Haji Ali and Mahim Dargah. Statements of some of those who regretted joining IS were also shown to him.''

BCCL

ATS in the past year has radicalised 17 youths from Maharashtra found to have links with the Islamic State terror group.

Shaikh said, "I am thankful to all the people, particularly the officers of the ATS who have transformed me into a good human being. I want to send a strong message to the youngsters not to spoil their career by watching or following these misleading videos and reading articles on atrocities on Muslims. There is no truth in this. We Muslims should think of our country and contribute to the community's welfare."
Concerned over the use of cyberspace and social media for radicalization and recruitment of Indian youth by terrorist outfits like the Islamic State, the home ministry has appointed former IPS officer Ashok Prasad as adviser on cyber and social media.

shutterstock

Prasad had retired as secretary (internal security) in the home ministry this January. Earlier, he had a long stint in the Intelligence Bureau.

Sources said Prasad will help the home ministry adopt a strategy to track and counter radicalization on the social media in real time as well as monitor and fight cyber threats.

ALSO READ: Twitter Suspends 360,000 Accounts For Promoting Violence And Terrorism On Social Media

social/Representative Image

The home ministry has been worried over the spreading influence of global jihadi outfits like Islamic State among net-savvy Indians . Of the nearly five dozen IS-influenced youths arrested across the country, all were found to have been radicalized by "head-hunters", believed to be based in Iraq and Syria but active on social media sites and applications.

Such youth were constantly directed by their "handlers" via closed Facebook groups and Telegram etc, to pledge allegiance to Islamic State and encouraged to either travel to IS territory to be part of its war to create a 'Caliphate' or take up lone-wolf attacks in India.

ALSO READ: Nudity And Fake Names Are The Top Reasons Social Platforms Take Down Your Posts

AFP/Representative image

The intelligence agencies have been actively tracking jihadi activity and conversations on the social media. The agencies, in coordination with state police and NIA, intervene as and when the youths under surveillance are found to be planning a terror attack or gathering resources including explosives and weapons for the same.

All the modules busted so far were on the verge of taking their terror plans to the execution stage when the intelligence agencies alerted the state police and NIA to raid their hideouts and arrest them.

Intelligence agencies have said that the IS has lately been instructing its cadres based in India to hack their targets with machetes.
In order to fund the regional connectivity scheme, the central government has capped one hour flights on major routes at Rs 2,500. The government expects the first flight under this scheme to take off in January.

Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN), first of its kind scheme across globe, will be based on market mechanism as well as bidding for a minimum of 9 seats and a maximum of 40 seats in a fixed wing aircraft. Read more

1. After Delhi Zoo And Deer Park, Bird Flu Now Reaches Gwalior; 15 Birds Die Of Suspected Infection

A day after the Delhi zoo and the Deer Parks were shut down after suspected avian influenza - commonly known as bird flu - cases surfaced from there, new reports have emerged from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.

According to reports, at least 15 bird died at the city zoo in the past 48 hours. Following the report the bird enclosure has been closed and the samples have been sent for forensic examination to identify weather the deaths were caused by bird flu. Read more

2. Amid Fears Of Massive Data Breach, Finance Ministry Says 99.5% Debit Cards Are Safe

The finance ministry had said debit cards are completely safe and there is no need to panic over the feared security breach that affected over 32 lakh cards. Only about 0.5% of the total debit card details were compromised while remaining 99.5% cards are completely safe and bank customers should not panic.

There are around 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenous-developed RuPay cards while the rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled. Read more

3. Home Ministry Asks Police To Set Up SIT As Protest Continues Over Missing JNU Student

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday asked Delhi police commissioner, Alok Verma, to constitute a special team to trace a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who has been missing following an alleged campus brawl. Singh's intervention came amid an ongoing protest by JNU students over alleged inaction of the university administration in finding whereabouts of the student.

On Thursday, the students, who have been agitating for six days, allowed the JNU vice-chancellor and some other top officials to leave their offices after restraining them there for over 20 hours . Read more

4. Massive Search Operation Underway In Baramulla For Terrorists, The Second Time This Week

A massive door-to-door anti-terror crackdown is underway in Kashmir's Baramulla, just days after 44 people were arrested for suspected militancy links. The second operation on Friday was launched after receiving specific inputs, an official said.

Even though there has been no confirmation on any arrests so far, local media say at least three youths have been detained in the raid. Read more
With a total population of 332,000, tourists in Iceland will soon outnumber the people that are living in the country.

A recent research shows that Iceland has entertained 325,522 American tourists so far this year up to the end of September, and is expecting more in the coming two months.

The country is overwhelmed with the number of Americans flying in every now and then and is seeing that somehow it is constantly staggering.

Iceland has been aggressively advertising itself to increase the tourism, but it clearly did not expect such overwhelming response. Iceland recently introduced their free-stopover program, with which a lot of people are enjoying the long halts.

Furthermore, due to the increased popularity of Game Of Thrones, Americans are visiting the country more than ever.

winteriscoming

The dramatic increase in the tourism is, however, worrying the citizens and the ministry. People are now vandalising their properties, flocking around the most picturesque locations, leaving debris here and there and are slightly responsible for the high rise in cost of basic amenities.

guidetoiceland

Its like the city is not my city anymore, Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic politician, poet and activist told The Telegraph.

They are now planning to run a program wherein they will educate visitors on how to respect and maintain the countrys natural sites.

By the end of this year, Iceland is expecting to host as many as 1.5 million tourists.
Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com.

A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets.

Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials.

If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details.
French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary (Photo: VGP)

According to Ambassador Bertrand Lortholary, during French President Francois Hollandes recent visit to Vietnam, some economic contracts were signed with impressive figures, especially Airbus contracts with Vietnamese aviation companies such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific.

France has diverse technological companies that can satisfy Vietnams demand for development in urbanization, infrastructure, climate change and healthcare. Besides, France hopes to receive more and more Vietnamese enterprises to do business in France, so that the France - Vietnam relationship is the two-way partnership.

The second priority that the French Ambassador to Vietnam mentioned was climate change. Accordingly, France can share experience with Vietnam and French enterprises have world leading technologies in addressing climate change. Airparif, an organization specializing in inspecting air quality in France, is willing to provide services in inspection of air quality and put forth suggestions for Vietnamese leaders to improve air quality.

Ambassador Bertrand Lortholary added that the French Development Agency (AFD) had carried out 17 projects in this area with a total capital of EUR520 million. Among projects to be carried out in Vietnam are projects against sea rise and river bank landslides, in Ninh Binh and Ha Tinh provinces and Can Tho city.

In defence cooperation, the two countries mainly work in military healthcare and the training of high-ranking military officers. France and Vietnam will cooperate in peacekeeping, and France desires to go along with the Vietnamese army in modernizing equipment and devices.

During the press conference, the French Ambassador noted his wish to help France get closer to the Vietnamese young generation to foster seeds for the Vietnam - France bilateral relationship in the future./.
Some policemen attached to the Police Mobile Force 24, State House, are not happy over their alleged exclusion from the payment of the outstanding allowance to security men attached to the Presidential Villa, Abuja recently, The PUNCH has learnt.

The PUNCH had reported exclusively that President Muhammadu Buhari had cleared the backlog of allowance of security agents, thereby dousing the tension that was brewing among the operatives.

It was reported that the President, through the Office of the National Security Adviser, also effected over 50 per cent increase in the security agents allowance popularly referred to as the Risk Cautious Allowance.

Multiple sources among the policemen told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Thursday that about 288 personnel were exempted from the payment of the allowance.

The sources claimed that those who were exempted from the payment were allegedly tagged Peoples Democratic Party policemen.

One of them claimed that the only problem authorities had with them was because they worked in the Presidential Villa under the last administration.

He said the discriminatory payment was already causing disaffection among the policemen who were supposed to be working in unity.

He said, We are calling on the NSA to come to our aid and ensure that this injustice is redressed.

We all suffered together and we are supposed to smile together. The discrimination is not necessary.

If our services are no longer needed, we should be paid our entitlement and then they can transfer us.

Why will some people be smiling, while others are not? We deserve to be treated better.

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, denied the allegation.

Shehu said as far as the government was concerned, everyone entitled to the allowance had been paid.

He noted that there were some officers who were used to free money and would do anything to inflate the list of beneficiaries.

There is no free money anywhere. Those who are entitled to the payment have been paid. Only security men around the President are entitled to it. Government wont allow officers who will inflate the list for their selfish purposes, the presidential spokesman said.

Source: Punch
President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated 46 people as ambassadors.

The president sent the names of 46 nominees to the Senate as ambassadors on Thursday.

Some of the names were mentioned by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on the senate floor.

The nominees include: Pauline Tallen, former Plateau State deputy governor; Olorunibe Mamora, a former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and a former member of the Senate; Musa Ibeto, a former Niger State deputy governor who had his ministerial nomination withdrawn in 2015.

Below is a full list of the ambassadorial nominees:

1. Nurudeen Mohammed (Kwara)

2. Jamila Ahmadu-Suka (Sokoto)

3. Suleiman Hassan (Gombe)

4. Yusuf Tugar (Bauchi)

5. Usman Bugaje (Katsina)

6. Uzoma Emenike (Abia)

7. Clifford Zirra (Adamawa)

8. Godwin Umo (Akwa Ibom)

9. Christopher Okeke (Anambra)

10. Baba Madugu (Bauchi)

11. Stanley Diriyai (Bayelsa)

12. Enyantu Ifenne (Benue)

13. Mohammed Hayatuddeen (Borno)

14. Etuborn Asuquo (Cross River)

15. Francis Efeduma (Delta)

16. Jonah Odo (Ebonyi)

17. Uyagwe Igbe (Edo)

18. Ayodele Ayodeji (Ekiti)

19. Chris Eze (Enugu)

20. Muhammad Dalhatu (Jigawa)

21. Mohammad Yaro (Kaduna)

22. Deborah Iliya (Kaduna)

23. D. Abdulkadir (Kano)

24. Haruna Ungogo (Kano)

25. Isa Dodo (Katsina)

26. Tijani Bande (Kebbi)

27. Y. O. Aliu (Kogi)

28. Mohammed Yisa (Kwara)

29. Modupe Irele (Lagos)

30. Musa Mohammad (Nasarawa)

31. Ade Asekun (Ogun)

32. Sola Iki (Ondo)

33. Adegboyega Ogunwusi (Osun).

34. Ashimiyu Olaniyi (Oyo)

35. Haruna Bawa Abdullahi (Plateau)

36. Orji Ngofa (Rivers)

37. Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor (Rivers)

38. Kabiru Umar (Sokoto)

39. Mustapha Jaji (Taraba)

40. Zanna Bura (Yobe)

41. Garba Gajam (Zamfara)

42. Abdullahi Garbasi (Zamfara)

43. Pauline Tallen (Plateau)

44. Olorunibe Mamora (Lagos)

45. Musa Ibeto (Niger)

46. George Oguntade (Lagos)

From this, it can be deduced that Lagos State tops the number of nominated ambassadors (3).

Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Kwara, Bauchi, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Zamfara states were next with two nominees each on the list.

Imo State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had no nominees.

The non-inclusion of any nominee for FCT prompted a point of order by Senator Philip Aduda, who protested against the omission.

Rising under the point of order, Aduda referred the Senate to Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution. He quoted the constitution saying, FCT shall be treated as if it is one of the states in Nigeria and that the President is the Governor of the Territory with the executive ministers of the federation serving as commissioners of the FCT while the National Assembly shall serve as the state House of Assembly for FCT.

Saraki, who noted the concerns raised by Aduda, promised to communicate the issue back to the executive for correction.

In the case of Imo however, there was no challenge from any Imo senators.
Burkina Fasos government has reportedly quashed yet another coup attempt just a year after a foiled coup attempt by members of the Presidential guard on September 30, 2015.

In September 2015, members of the elite Presidential guard installed Compaores former Chief of staff, General Gilbert Diendere as Head of state before the coup was crushed.

The countrys Interior Minister, Simon Compaore disclosed that the plotters attempted to free the September 2015 coupists and also planned an attack on the Presidential Palace.

The attempted coup was to be carried out on October 8 by forces still loyal to former President, Blaise Compaore and two of the plotters were killed as they tried to gain entrance to the capital.

10 other people have also been arrested in the aftermath of the coup.
US Presidential nominees, Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton of the Republican and Democratic party respectively, traded jabs at a charity event held in New York on Thursday.

The event was the annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a charity event meant to raise money for impoverished children throughout New York. It is a white-tie gala that is often the last time the two presidential nominees share a stage before Election Day. It is traditionally a time when campaign hostilities are set aside. But this didnt seem to be the case as both Trump and Hilary exchanged insults.

A particular highlight of the event was when Trump got booed by the crowd over a comment he made regarding his opponent. He claimed Clinton hates Catholics.

Trump had drawn big laughs earlier in the speech, but later appeared to lose the audience as he repeatedly took swipes at Clinton.

Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt, he said to loud boos and at least one call demanding he get off the stage.

Hillary believes that its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private, he again said to growing jeers. Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.

Clinton herself also changed direction into personal digs, making one joke in which she said the Statue of Liberty, for most Americans, represents a symbol of hope for immigrants.

Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4, She joked. Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

Trump and Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New Yorks Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer.

They did not greet each other or make eye contact when they entered and took their seats, though they did shake hands at the conclusion of the roast.

You can watch the video of the event below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGq4EtbvD6g
Armed robbers on Thursday shot and killed DSP Idowu Oyewole, the Chief Security Officer to the Governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko at his residence along the Akure/Owo express road.

According to reports, the 45-year-old police officer tried to rescue his neighbour whose home was being invaded by three gunmen.

One of his sons, Dare, said: Daddy was eating around 7.30 pm on Wednesday when our neighbours son called that there are robbers in their house.

He took his service pistol and followed the boy to their apartment to dislodge the bandits.

When they heard my dads footsteps, they started shooting and my father was injured.

It was further gathered that one of Oyewoles sons, who was held hostage by the robbers, was terribly injured as he sustained several machete cuts.

Police Public Relations Officer Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed the killing of the officer attached to the Mobile Unit, said the police had begun investigation.

Joseph described the late Oyewole as a disciplined and hard working officer, whose death he said was a irreparable loss.
MTV Base has announced that South African Media Personality Bonang Matheba will replace comedian Trevor Noah as host of the 2016 MAMAs after The Daily Show host canceled his appearance due to Respiratory and ear infection.

Trevor tweeted the news this morning saying:

Due to the infection and strain on my vocal chords the doctor has ordered me to rest. I desperately wish I could dismiss the doctor but the added risk of flying means the decision would be highly irresponsible and may cause further damage.

Bonang Matheba also took to twitter to announced her readiness to host the awards.
Controversial hip hop artist and record producer, Kanye West has lashed out on his longtime partner Jay Z and his wife Beyonce.

The 39-year-old went on a rant about Jay Z while performing in Seattle. Kanye said Jay Z hadnt called over to see how he and his wife, Kim Kardashian, were after the Paris robbery and also because of his company Tidal.

While Kanye was on stage, he said, Dont call me, after the robbery, and say how you feeling? You wanna know how Im feeling? Come by the house. Bring the kids by the house. Like were brothers. Lets sit down.

"Don't call me, after the robbery, and say 'how you feelin?' You wanna know how I'm feelin? Come by the house,"  Kanye #SaintPabloTour pic.twitter.com/G6wkIzbY0n  McKenna (@MoeMunyMoeProbs) October 20, 2016

Kanye continued to admit the two rappers children had never played together.

I cant take this sh*t bro. Our kids have never even played together, he told the audience.

He then went on to speak about how he wouldnt collaborate with Jay Z again on Watch The Throne 2 due to issues with Tidal and Apple Music.

He said, Let me tell yall something. There will never be a Watch the Throne 2. You know why? Thats the reason I wasnt on the song. I wasnt on this song cause of Hov. Because of this Tidal/Apple bulls**t.

https://twitter.com/IkerLopez27/status/788998534880043009
During the trip, the Deputy Secretary visited several project sites to see US-Vietnam health collaboration in action.

She joint project of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NIHE on October 20th to enhance detection and response capacities corresponding to global health threats. The NIHE EOC will coordinate public health emergency response operations for the 28 Northern localities of Vietnam.

US Acting Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Mary Wakefield (Photo: US Embassy Hanoi)

While reiterating US commitment to health collaboration, Ms Wakefield also visited Hanoi Medical University (HMU) to speak with nursing students about the important role of health care practitioners in society. Here, Wakefield met with administrators and staff of HMUs Faculty of Medical Technology to discuss ongoing collaboration in revising and updating undergraduate training curriculum and improving teaching methodologies for lecturers.

On October 21st, the US high-ranking official travelled to Thuong Tin district-based Ha Vy poultry market, where CDCs 5-year cooperative agreement with the Department of Animal Health supports active surveillance for influenza in poultry in the country. This cooperation strengthens capacity in detection, preparedness and response to outbreaks from novel influenza viruses.

Highlighting the US global effort to combat HIV/AIDS, Ms Wakefield visited the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases (NHTD) which specializes in the examination, treatment, prevention and control of, and training, supervision and scientific research on infectious and emerging diseases.

With the establishment of the first HIV outpatient clinic in Vietnam, CDC-NHTD collaboration began in 2003 to provide HIV care and treatment services for adult outpatients, and since 2005 the provision of anti-retroviral treatment funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR and CDC also provide technical assistance to NHTD in implementing an e-mentoring program for HIV care and treatment clinicians nationwide.

Besides, the US Acting Deputy Secretary landed the Long Bien Methadone Maintenance Treatment Clinic which was established in 2010 as one of the first methadone clinics in Hanoi as a result of PEPFAR assistance.

Methadone medication and technical assistance have been provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services through PEPFAR, CDC, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The Clinic is part of the Long Bien district Health Center, a component of the Vietnam preventive medicine system responsible for primary health care needs./.
An outbreak of malaria has claimed no fewer than 48 lives in Gandu area, Sokoto North Local Government of Sokoto State in the last one month.

The Officer in Charge of Kofar Kade Clinic, Mrs Rabi Ahmed-Gandi, disclosed this in Sokoto on Friday when she received the second consignment of free anti-malarial drugs from the State Government.

She said: These deaths were recorded out of the 382 patients who were hospitalized in the hospital during the period under review.

The problem had hitherto reached an epidemic level, although it had subsided now. She attributed the problem to the contamination of the environment sequel to the prevalence of toxic refuse heaps.

Ahmed commended the state government for its swift intervention, saying that it has helped to stabilize the ugly situation.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Balarabe Kakale, said that the state government had provided essential drugs and medicament to the area.

Kakale further said that health personnel have also been dispatched to the affected area to augment the staffers at the clinic.

He said: The Ministry has also commenced a fumigation exercise against mosquitoes.

In the same vein, sanitary inspectors have been deployed to the affected areas to help in the clean up.

They are also conducting social mobilization campaigns on the need for the residents to ensure environmental and personal hygiene.

We are also partnering the Ministry of Environment and the State Environmental Protection Agency, to team up and evacuate the killer-heaps of refuse.
A Septuagenarian, Adewale Murtala, on Friday appeared before an Osogbo Magistrates Court for allegedly duping the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Osun province 1 of N1.6 million.

Murtala, 71, is facing a two-count of fraud and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Inspector Taiwo Adegoke, told the court that septuagenarian committed the offence sometime in February 2012 at about 12.45 p.m at Temidire Estate, Osogbo.

Adegoke said the accused fraudulently obtained N1.6 million from Pastor Alade Samuel of the church in an attempt to sell a piece of land to him, knowing it to be fake.

He said the plot of land belonged to another person before the pastor was duped, with N1.6 million collected from him.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 419 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code cap 34 vol.11 laws of Osun, 2003.

Murtala pleaded not guilt to the charge, and his counsel, Mrs. Oketade Olufunke, prayed the court to grant her client bail in the most liberal terms.

The Magistrate, Mrs. Halimatu Bashiru, granted bail to the septuagenarian in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties in like sum.

Bashiru said the sureties must reside within the courts jurisdiction, attach an affidavit of means and evidence of tax payment.

She said the sureties must also produce two passport sized photographs, and adjourned the case till December 21 for hearing.
A prosecutor in Cairo, Egypt has ordered the release of a man who was arrested for possessing an amount of subsidised sugar that exceeded the amounts reasonable for personal use.

The man was released on Sunday on a bail of EGP 1,000.

The man, who works is a waiter at a cafe, was arrested by police in Heliopolis as he walked on the street carrying 10 kg of sugar, it was reported.

According to Ahramonline, prosecutors accused the waiter of stockpiling subsidised sugar with the intent of profiteering by selling it to a grocery store at a price higher than the market price.

It was argued however by the accuseds lawyer, Mohamed Naeem, that he was carrying the sugar for use at his uncles cafe, not to sell it at a grocery as claimed by police.

Prosecutors released the man on bail pending further investigation, and confiscated the 10 kilos of sugar as evidence.

Egyptian law prohibits the use of subsidised goods and commodities for commercial purposes.

Egypts supply ministry said last Saturday that it will set the commercial price of subsidised sugar at EGP 6 per kg (compared to EGP 10 for unsubsidised sugar) to be available at the ministrys 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.

There is also a widespread police operation targeting dealers of sugar on the black market. A hotline has even been set up on for citizens to report incidents of stockpiling of sugar and rice.
Nigerian newspaper headlines october 21.

Leadership

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday opened its case against a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (rtd.), and 10 others being tried for an alleged fraud of N22.8billion before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Guardian

President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded the names of 46 nominees as non-career ambassadors from 35 states to the Senate for confirmation. A letter addressed to the Senate President Bukola Saraki, which was read on the floor of the upper chamber yesterday revealed that former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olorunimbe Mamora, former Plateau State Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen and erstwhile Deputy Governor Mohammed Ibeto of Niger State are among the nominees.

Premium Times

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Thursday inaugurated the Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals, to enforce a new law prohibiting open grazing by cattle in the state.

Punch

South Africa will withdraw from the Hague-based International Criminal Court, media reports in Johannesburg said Friday, sparking rapid criticism from rights bodies.

Vanguard

Head, Investigation and Crime Desk-Abuja. There are indications that the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abba Kyari is under investigation by the Special Investigation Panel of the Nigerian Police Force over bribery allegations.

Thisday

As the indicted judges who were recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) attempt to exonerate themselves of the corruption allegations against them by blaming chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the DSS, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which at the outset of their arrest condemned the DSS, changed its position yesterday, when it asked the affected judges to recuse themselves from further judicial functions or proceed on compulsory leave, until their innocence is fully and completely established.

The Nation

Automobile, Boatyards, Transport Equipment & Allied Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (AUTOBATE) has cautioned the Federal Government over its plan to float a car purchase loan scheme to help Nigerians acquire new made-in-Nigeria cars.

The Sun

The House of Representatives yesterday resolved to investigate the status and sale of non-core assets of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) transferred to the Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company(NELMCO) prior to the liquidation of PHCN.
The police have arraigned 60-year-old Bankole Lawal before an Ifo Magistrate Court, Ogun State, for allegedly raping a 24-year-old woman, Temitope, in the Ifo area of the state.

Our correspondent had reported that Lawal, a trailer driver, approached Temitope at her home and gave her N200 for food when her husband was not around.

He was alleged to have returned shortly after and raped her.

Our correspondent was told that Temitopes husband, Abdullahi Muhammed, caught the defendant in the act, which led to a fight before the intervention of residents.

The matter was later referred to the police, leading to the arrest of the suspect.

He was arraigned in court on two counts of unlawful sex and action likely to cause breach of the peace.

The charges read in part, That you, Bankole Lawal, on October 11, 2016, at about 8.30am, at Truck Yard, Iya Ibadan area, Ifo, in the Ifo Magisterial District, did unlawfully have carnal knowledge of one Temitope, wife of one Abdullahi, in order to offend him, knowing that the woman is married, thereby committing an offence.

The police prosecutor, Lyda Omotara, said the offences were punishable under sections 231 (2) and 249 (d) of the Criminal Code (Revised Law)of Ogun State, Nigeria, 2006.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge and elected summary trial.

The complainant was represented by two counsel  Taiwo Durowoju and Kunle Jegede  while the accused was represented by Adewale Molade.

The magistrate admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum, adding that the sureties must be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment for one year.

The case was adjourned till November 23, 2016.

Source: Punch
A Chinese couple who were tourists in Japan have returned a stolen toilet seat to a hotel, explaining that they didnt realise it belonged to the facility.

The couple with their 5-year-old child, from Taizhou, a city in eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province, were part of a tour group visiting Japan. They found the spare seat under their bed and decided to add it to their luggage.

The Japanese hotel in Nagoya contacted a travel agency after a toilet seat was reported missing from a room where two tourists stayed on Monday.

The agency said the toilet seat was sent back to the hotel after the couple and their travel group arrived at Mount Fuji.

The travel company released a statement on behalf of the couple, who said they found the spare toilet seat under the bed and thought it was property left behind by previous hotel guests.

I offer my sincere apology and regrets, the statement said. I hope the hotel and the local travel agency can treat this with leniency. I promise this improper behaviour wont happen again.

According to news Chinese media The Paper, the hotel has decided not to take any action against the couple.

The couple said they plan to apologise to the hotels parent company during their upcoming scheduled stay at another facility owned by the chain.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), on Friday donated 4.5 million bed nets worth 18 million dollars to the Oyo State Governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi. The equipment was handed over to the governor in Ibadan by the USAID Mission Director Representative, Dr Rick Niska, a statement from the Information Unit if U.S. Embassy, Abuja said.

According to the statement, the agency also provided additional 4.5 million dollars to support the logistics for the states anti-malaria campaign. Niska stated that the bed nets valued at 13.5 million dollars would be distributed through a mass campaign scheduled to take place on Saturday within the 33 local government areas of the state.

U.S. also provided an additional 4.5 million dollars to support the logistics of the campaign, including transportation of the bed nets, community mobilization, training, and household mobilisation. These nets and the support for distribution are a gift from the people of the U.S. to the people of Oyo State. We congratulate you on the ambition, initiative, and dedication it takes to plan, coordinate, and launch a statewide mass distribution of bed nets, Niska stated.

He explained that malaria was one of the leading killers of children and a leading cause of illness in Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season when the mosquito population increases. The envoy stated that nightly use of an insecticide-treated bed net is the best way to prevent malaria.

Bed nets put a vital barrier between people and the mosquitoes that carry malaria, particularly during the hours from dusk to dawn. Use of insecticide-treated bed nets prevents infections, which in turn prevents the spread of malaria. Bed nets help to interrupt that cycle. A bed net not only protects an individual when bed nets are used by everyone, particularly those who are already sick with malaria  bed nets also prevent others from becoming infected, he said.

According him the U.S. has provided $419 million to control malaria in Nigeria. He said that more than 50 per cent of U.S. funding for malaria had gone into procuring and distributing insecticide-treated bed nets, malaria diagnostic kits and malaria medicines.  U.S. also supports advocacy and community mobilization to sleep under the bed nets every night, training of health workers, and test for malaria before treatment, he said.

A cross-section of traditional rulers, and Federal and State government officials attended the event, showing their support for overcoming malaria in Oyo State.

Source: Vanguard
If local police showed up at your door requesting fingerprints and DNA samples, would you passively and unquestioningly comply? Or would you ask what crime you're suspected of committing and demand probable cause for making the request or proof of a search warrant?

The fact is, there's a 50 percent chance your photo is already part of a biometric database. And law enforcement agencies across the country are using facial recognition software to regularly search this "virtual lineup" with little to no regulation or limits, according to an eye-opening 150-page report, "The Perpetual Line-Up: Unregulated Police Face Recognition in America," published this week by the Georgetown Center on Privacy & Technology.

"Unless you've been arrested, the chances are you're not in a criminal fingerprint database or a criminal DNA database either. Yet by standing for a driver's license photo, at least 117 million adults have been enrolled in a face recognition network searched by the police or the FBI," said Alvaro Bedoya, the center's executive director and co-author of the report.

According to "The Perpetual Line-Up," only 8 percent of the photos that appear in the FBI's facial recognition system are of known criminals. This is an unprecedented privacy violation, Bedoya said. It's "a national biometric database that is populated primarily by law-abiding people."

With great power comes  no accountability?

Georgetown researchers sent 106 public records requests to police agencies and found that of the 52 agencies that acknowledged using facial recognition, only one had obtained legislative approval before doing so.

No state in the country has passed laws that define how facial recognition can be used in police investigations. Police departments don't need a warrant to search facial recognition databases, nor do they limit use of the technology to investigating serious crimes, the report said.

Only a handful of departments have imposed voluntary limits on their searches -- for instance, to require reasonable suspicion. And only one agency -- the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation -- explicitly prohibited "using face recognition to track individuals engaging in political, religious, or other protected free speech."

Most police departments don't even audit their facial recognition systems for accuracy or teach their staff how to visually confirm facial matches. (That skill may seem like it would be innate but actually requires specialized training.)

"With only a few exceptions, there are no laws governing police use of the technology, no standards ensuring its accuracy, and no systems checking for bias," said Clare Garvie, a co-author of the report "It's a Wild West."

The fallibility of technology

Law enforcement agencies like the FBI argue that using biometric tools reduces the likelihood of racial policing because an algorithm is not biased. But the report also disputes that claim, stating research shows facial recognition is significantly less accurate when identifying African Americans, women, and young people. TV tropes about magical Enhance buttons aside, the reality is the facial recognition software used to search photo databases is far from perfect.

"The algorithms make mistakes," Garvie told PCWorld by email. "These mistakes happen at a higher rate when the systems are used to try and identify people in lower-quality images," including surveillance camera images, smartphone photos, and social media pictures. In addition, search systems are set up to return results, "regardless of whether the suspect being searched for is in the database," she added. "This means that a system may return a list of 10 or 40 completely innocent people."

Think that doesn't have real-world consequences? Read The Intercept's chilling story of how one man's life was ruined by a facial recognition mismatch, and see whether you still think that unrestricted, unaudited use of facial recognition by law enforcement is a good idea.

Big Brother is watching

"Perhaps the most dystopian aspect of the report is its findings that real-time facial recognition -- identifying people in public as they pass a live-feed video camera -- is increasing in popularity among police departments," Wired writes.

The report says at least five major police departments have "run real-time face recognition off of street cameras, bought technology that can do so, or expressed a written interest in buying it." That's counting only the departments that responded to the study. The New York Police Department is known to have a facial recognition program, but it denied Georgetown's records request -- as did the Los Angeles Police Department, which also claims to use real-time facial recognition.

This kind of surveillance tracking has serious privacy implications. "This is the ability to conduct a real-time digital manhunt on the street by putting people on a watch list. Now suddenly everyone is a suspect," said Bedoya. "It turns the premise of the Fourth Amendment on its head."

It also could fly in the face of last year's Supreme Court decision on privacy, in which the justices unanimously agreed that "putting a GPS tracker on you, your car, or any of your personal effects counts as a search" and is therefore protected by the Fourth Amendment. People have a reasonable expectation to the privacy of their location data, the court concluded.

Facial recognition is "an extraordinarily powerful tool," said Bedoya. "It doesn't just track our phones or computers. It tracks our flesh and our bones. This is a tracking technology unlike anything our society has ever seen."

Who's watching the watchers?

It may be too late to keep your face out of a biometric database, but privacy advocates hope to limit the ways in which the system can be abused. A coalition of civil liberties groups is calling for the Department of Justice to investigate police facial recognition databases, starting with police departments that are already under investigation for biased policing.

The aim is not to ban the use of facial recognition software, but to pass strict legislation on its use. "Face recognition can and should be used to respond to serious crimes and public emergencies. It should not be used to scan the face of any person, at any time, for any crime," the report argues.

The report proposes that states pass laws to protect civil liberties -- including requiring a "reasonable suspicion" of criminal conduct before searching databases -- limiting the amount and types of data stored, and requiring independent oversight with regular audits of performance.

"As technology advances," The Verge writes, "drawing a line between policing and invasive surveillance will be an unavoidable part of the debate over facial recognition." But Bedoya points out that state legislatures have already passed laws that limit not only geolocation trackers but automatic license plate readers, drones, wiretaps, and other surveillance tools.

"It's not about protecting criminals. It's about protecting our values."
How will Black Sea Situation Play Out Long Term? Banghart Properties - 2 minutes ago How high or low will the grain markets go from the Black Sea Situation?

Cotton Settles Red on Monday Barchart - Mon Oct 31, 4:45PM CDT A wide ranged session from +133 points to -168 points ultimately settled with Dec cotton 11 points in the red at 72 c/lb flat. The other front months traded similarly, but closed weaker with losses of... CTZ22 : 72.20 (+0.28%) CTH23 : 71.97 (+0.46%) CTK23 : 72.30 (+0.63%)

Cattle Close Weaker on Monday Barchart - Mon Oct 31, 4:45PM CDT October fat cattle futures dropped $3.60 on Monday to expire at $146.77. The other front months closed firmer with losses limited to 52 cents. Feeder cattle closed Monday down by 25 cents to $1 in the... LEV22 : 146.775s (-2.39%) LEZ22 : 152.475s (-0.34%) LEG23 : 155.825s (-0.32%) GFX22 : 177.625s (-0.14%) GFF23 : 179.450s (-0.51%)

Mixed Monday for Hog Market Barchart - Mon Oct 31, 4:45PM CDT Lean hog futures ended the Monday round of trading with a 40 cent loss in Feb and a $1.17 loss for December. The other front months closed with $0.85 to $1.02 gains. That widened Aprils premium to Dec... HEZ22 : 84.925s (-1.36%) HEJ23 : 93.600s (+0.97%) KMZ22 : 95.475s (-0.68%)

Double Digit Gains for Corn Barchart - Mon Oct 31, 4:45PM CDT Corn futures worked lower off their initial strength out of the weekend to close the gaps. July futures met their objective but the nearby contracts left just a little room on their daily charts. The afternoon... ZCZ22 : 689-6 (-0.25%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.8247 (+1.57%) ZCH23 : 694-4 (-0.32%) ZCK23 : 694-0 (-0.25%)

Soy Futures Gain on Monday Barchart - Mon Oct 31, 4:45PM CDT Beans closed the first trade day of the week with double digit gains of at least 1% in the front months. November got above its $14/bu mark for the closing bell on a 1.39% gain. Meal futures faded back... ZSX22 : 1414-2 (+0.52%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.7181 (+1.75%) ZSF23 : 1426-0 (+0.46%) ZSH23 : 1433-6 (+0.44%)

Livestock Report Walsh Trading - Mon Oct 31, 4:15PM CDT Hogs retreat
USAID's Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Gloria Steele announced the USAID Green Annamites project during a meeting with leaders of the Peoples Committee of Quang Nam province. This project, which runs from 2016 until 2020, will invest approximately USD24 million in Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.



Ms Gloria Steele (first line, second from left) posed with Vietnamese partners



Climate change work is an important part of our strategy in Vietnam. This project is designed to improve peoples incomes by promoting investment in climate smart agriculture while at the same time conserving Vietnams natural forests and biodiversity. Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue provinces are demonstrating how sustainable development can contribute to Vietnams efforts to achieve low emission and resilient economic growth, said Ms Steele.

Forests play a critical role in Vietnam by protecting watersheds, preventing soil erosion, mitigating climate change, and providing for resilient communities. They are also home to rare and endemic species only found in these areas. However, Vietnams forests, and the people and species that depend on them, are under increased pressure from unsustainable development.

The project, working in tandem with provincial authorities, will engage small-holder farmers and their families to improve livelihoods and increase investment in climate-smart agriculture while conserving the natural biodiversity of the two provinces.

Climate change is a priority issue that directly threatens achieving Vietnams sustainable development goals. To accelerate Vietnams transition to low-emission development, USAID supports nations response to climate change through adaptation, sustainable landscapes, and clean energy programs./.
Family offices and RIAs are turning to investment outsourcing to help grow their business and boost returns, but OCIOs arent for everyone.

Doug De Groote has carved out a pretty sweet life in California. The Founder of De Groote Financial Group, a five-employee registered investment adviser in Westlake Village, near Los Angeles, works from a terra-cotta-roofed villa shaded by palm trees. A few miles south is Malibu, the beachside town favored by Hollywood stars and sun-baked surfers.

That picturesque West Coast setting isnt the only reason De Groote counts himself lucky. Since late 2013 his $240 million RIA firm has been using an outsourced chief investment officer, or OCIO, to help serve its clients, most of whom are entrepreneurs and senior executives.

De Groote had been considering such a move for several years. I just realized that I couldnt be all things to all people, he recalls. Research and due diligence on investments consumed much of his time, leaving less energy and resources to counsel existing clients and bring in new business.

So De Groote enlisted Dynasty Financial Partners, a New Yorkbased wealth manager that today does third-party investment management for about 30 firms with combined assets of more than $20 billion. I realized that the services they provided gave further insight into various asset classes than what I had time for, he says.

Dynasty handles research, offers access to high-quality investment products and keeps De Groote Financial Group on top of new regulations. Depending on the amount of assets under management, Dynasty charges fees ranging from 30 to 50 basis points.

For De Groote, whose typical client portfolio is about $1.2 million, its money well spent. Since he hired Dynasty, his firm has seen a 30 percent growth in assets. Over the years our partnership with Dynasty has really become a symbiotic one, he says.

De Grootes firm is one of many private wealth managers that have turned to OCIOs over the past decade. Long popular among institutional investors such as endowments and pension funds, the model is gaining traction with RIAs and family offices. OCIOs can help RIAs grow by letting them spend more time with clients and exposing them to a wider variety of investments. Family offices, for their part, dont always have the expertise or time to select and monitor managers across a broad swath of investments. But outsourcing isnt for everyone. Using an OCIO might undercut a firms brand, and it may not provide enough flexibility in portfolio management.

RIAs have plenty of motivation for seeking help from an OCIO. For starters, managers at these firms are as much diplomats and therapists as they are investors. At one client meeting an RIA might have to referee an intergenerational squabble over family philanthropic pursuits; the next might involve counseling an entrepreneur in her 20s whose skills are more high-tech than financial.

The typical RIA has less than $320 million in assets, nine staff and between 26 and 100 clients, according to the Washington-based Investment Adviser Association. Clients varying circumstances and goals call for a range of strategies that may require research into unfamiliar asset classes, from hedge funds to emerging-markets equities. The need to find new and better sources of return has grown even more acute in a low-interest-rate world.

For a firm with a handful of employees, something has to give. Rather than spend days poring through prospectuses, why not engage an OCIO that understands such products  and is willing to shoulder the risk?

Like RIAs, wealthy families may find themselves juggling a bewildering set of investments from multiple providers. That problem prompted David Savir to co-found Element Pointe Advisors, a Miami-based OCIO specializing in private wealth clients, in March of this year. We recognized that a lot of ultrahigh-net-worth families were working with several institutions at once, and there are a lot of challenges to doing that, says CEO Savir, who launched $123.6 million Element Pointe with fellow J.P. Morgan alumnus Carlos Dominguez. It can be hard to control the overall portfolio, he adds. Another is that youre not benefiting from economies of scale.

OCIOs offer other potential advantages. An outsourced solution can also iron out family squabbles, says Philip Walton, president and head of the private client practice at investment consulting firm Cambridge Associates in Boston. If a third-party manager rather than a designated family member is handling the wealth, relatives may feel freer to veto a portfolio decision, Walton explains.

Along the same lines, hiring a neutral party in a different location can make intergenerational wealth transfer less messy. When there is a question of who in the next generation is going to oversee the investments, an outsourced solution can work well, Walton says.

The use of OCIOs by RIAs and family offices is part of a broader outsourcing trend. In a poll of financial advisers released last month by Chicago-based Northern Trust Asset Management, about 40 percent of the 680 respondents said they used external managers. RIAs, which made up 36 percent of survey participants, cited freeing up time in their practice, generation of above-market returns and access to investment strategies as their top three reasons for outsourcing.

Of respondents who had turned to outside asset management, 96 percent were happy with the arrangement. That number rose to 100 percent for firms with more than $3 billion in assets.

Besides revealing that most RIAs still manage their own money, the Northern Trust survey found that firms keeping investment management in-house were most likely to do so because it was central to their value proposition. For many RIAs, being small is a selling point; it means fewer clients and ostensibly more-personalized service. Clients who have built a decades-long relationship with an adviser may feel uneasy about entrusting their wealth to a faceless third party. And they might wonder why theyre investing with a firm that pays someone else to manage the house.

Outsourcing lets wealth managers pass the buck for bad investments, critics charge. According to one financial adviser who works mostly with family offices, the main advantage of an OCIO is that it gives clients the option of saying: I didnt buy that crappy hedge fund. Someone from asset manager X did.

Whats more, detractors argue, paying an outsourced manager may not be any cheaper than hiring an in-house CIO. Once fees, usually a percentage of assets under management, are taken into account, an RIA or family office may be better off paying someone a salary and having them just down the hall. Respondents to the Northern Trust survey who opted not to use an outsourced investment manager cited fees as one of the top five reasons.

Still, demand for OCIOs appears to be strong. Since 2013 the number of U.S. providers has grown by about 25 percent, says Jeffrey Stakel, a principal with Casey Quirk by Deloitte, a Darien, Connecticutbased asset management consulting firm. In just the past year, the total has jumped from 50 firms to more than 70, he estimates.

I think Im seeing a lot more outsourcing because private investors are seeking institutional-quality concepts and wealth advisers want to step in to offer holistic solutions, Stakel says. Demand for more-sophisticated products means that firms and clients need more help, he adds. The spate of outsourcing means at least two big trends: The OCIO market is maturing, and much attention will be paid to how to evaluate and select an outsourcing provider.

Jonathan hirtle thinks the term OCIO has become a buzzword. Its the latest thing, he notes. Everybody wants to say they do it.

Hirtle, whom industry colleagues call the Oracle of Outsourcing, was early to the party. During the 1970s and much of the 80s, he worked at Goldman Sachs Group in Philadelphia as an adviser to families and institutional investors. Hirtle noticed that $100 million family portfolios werent getting the same returns as their $1 billion-plus institutional counterparts. Economies of scale might have had something to do with it, he thought, seeing an opportunity to level the playing field. Hirtle also figured that CIOs at the big firms would have access to the most talented managers.

In 1988, with Goldman colleague Donald Callaghan, he founded Hirtle Callaghan & Co., a West Conshohocken, Pennsylvaniabased firm that focuses solely on outsourced CIO services. Hirtle Callaghan asserts it was the first to label such an offering.

Today the roughly 100-employee manager runs portfolios for more than 150 families  typically with between $5 million and $500 million in assets  as well as endowments, pension funds, captive insurers and health care institutions. Private wealth accounts for about half of Hirtle Callaghans $23 billion in assets.

Our investors are astute, says executive chairman Hirtle, who stepped down as CEO in August in favor of Ranji Nagaswami (page 46). They take advantage of our multibillion-dollar purchasing power to get a specialist to identify superior specialist managers.

The firm doesnt handle outsourcing from RIAs, and if Hirtle has any say, thats how things will remain. He cites quality control as a big factor. Were idealistic, he says. We want our clients to have an optimal experience, and that is more difficult when delivered via an adviser we dont necessarily know very well.

Hirtle Callaghan offers discretionary advice and gives clients a greater choice of asset classes than they would enjoy on their own, Hirtle says, often for less than theyd otherwise pay. The firm charges a flat fee that varies by assets under management; the minimum is 20 basis points, and a client with $100 million in assets would pay 35. Its really taking the advantage that the very large institutions have and delivering it to smaller institutions, Hirtle explains.

A true OCIO takes responsibility for its clients investments and keeps them informed, he adds: We want to be able to talk directly to clients and make sure that they are getting our input both on risk and return, what are reasonable expectations and so forth.

By the time Hirtle Callaghan launched, OCIOs already existed, if not by that name. So-called open architecture firms, which combined products from several financial firms into a discretionary portfolio, were counseling in-house investment advisers at pension funds and endowments during the stock market and stagflation travails of the 1970s.

A well-known OCIO that got its start that decade is Wilton, Connecticutbased Commonfund, whose clients include educational institutions and other nonprofits. By the late 70s, Northern Trust and asset manager Russell Investments had launched dedicated fiduciary management services. Today other major OCIO players include BlackRock, Northern Trust Corp., State Street Corp. and human resources consulting firms Aon Hewitt and Mercer.

It wasnt until this century, though, that the OCIO model for private wealth started hitting its stride. The technology bust of the early 2000s, followed by the 200809 financial crisis, made managers wary of going it alone. In a 2009 survey of single-family offices conducted by the Family Wealth Alliance, a Wheaton, Illinoisbased firm that researches and consults on private wealth, four out of ten respondents had recruited outsourced CIOs for wealth management. For smaller family offices, defined as having $500 million or less in assets, the proportion swelled to two thirds.

Pension funds, endowments and foundations still account for the bulk of the outsourcing market. Between 2007 and 2015, outsourced assets under management for U.S.-based firms surged by 860 percent, according to San Franciscobased executive search firm Charles Skorina & Co.; as of this March they stood at $1.3 trillion.

Private wealth managers interested in working with an OCIO need to find one whose approach meshes with theirs  otherwise a firm risks watering down its brand. Those pondering whether to outsource should ask themselves two questions, says Jeffrey Levi, a principal at Casey Quirk: What is required, and where is the family going?

Using that as a starting point, the firm can figure out what asset classes or strategies might be a good fit for a client, even if it doesnt have the means to handle them. If necessary, the wealth manager can then consult with an OCIO to build a customized investment package for the client. Such an approach gives the OCIO the chance to develop something that could be a really distinctive service, Levi says.

Some OCIOs might offer a fund thats otherwise out of reach for a smaller RIA; they could also give guidance on asset allocation. Generally, though, its alternatives that get RIAs and family offices into the OCIO orbit. A five-person shop lacks the time and staff to do thorough due diligence on private equity deals or parse a hedge fund strategy. By contrast, OCIOs are more likely to have the research capacity and the assets to put a new investment idea into action.

Fees are another key consideration given that clients pay a certain amount to retain a wealth manager in the first place. Hiring an OCIO can cost as much as 100 basis points  though the rate is usually 30 to 80 basis points. Getting access to asset classes such as alternatives can be more expensive.

Some in the industry think that money would be better used elsewhere. Compensation should be recognition of risk taken by the manager, says one New Yorkbased adviser to family offices.  When you have straight-up advice with fees expressed as an amount of assets under management, thats not worthwhile.

Depending on the size of the family office or investment adviser, the solution is fixed-fee compensation, the adviser says. For one thing, its cheaper to pay $500,000 in an annual salary for an in-house investment manager than upward of $1 million to an outsourced CIO. Given their relative obscurity, however, a family office or investment adviser might have a tougher time attracting star investment talent than a buy-side asset manager would.

An OCIO can help a small manager to deal with circumstances in which governance rights and responsibilities may not be readily apparent, says Cambridge Associates Walton. These situations include offshore holdings and blind trusts; public officials use the latter to manage their business interests so they can avoid conflicts of interest.

Wealth managers have a duty to stay abreast of changing rules that affect their clients. By using an OCIO, family offices can comply with a sometimes problematic regulation. The DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 did away with an exemption that let so-called small advisers  those with fewer than 15 clients, a category that includes most family offices  avoid registering as investment advisers, but it gave the Securities and Exchange Commission the power to determine what constitutes a family office.

To make the grade, the office must be run and controlled by family clients and not position itself as a full-fledged adviser. How spouses and their in-laws  as well as any ex-spouses  fit into this definition is more ambiguous. If they are counted among the family offices clients, they may obligate the business to register with the SEC. An OCIO  which presumably already has its SEC bona fides  offers a ready work-around.

When it comes to investing, outsourced managers take a variety of approaches. Does an OCIO do its own portfolio outsourcing? There is no single answer, consultant Levi says. For passive strategies an OCIO might opt for a third-party, low-fee product. If the strategy is large enough, however, an OCIO might run it in-house using exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The same goes for outsourcing an active strategy, Levi observes. Some OCIOs have the scale to manage it themselves, but others tap external providers. As the OCIO space continues to grow, the portfolios they offer will vary even more, Levi says.

Another factor that influences how a portfolio gets managed is the amount of outsourced assets. The bigger the pool, the more opportunities there are for customization and hands-on fiduciary management by the client.

Starting at about $1 billion in assets, RIAs can tap into outsourced multiasset, multimanager offerings in which the wealth manager has a say in the strategies and asset allocation. The smallest firms may be limited to turnkey asset management programs (TAMPs), which are essentially OCIOs in a box. A firm can buy a TAMP to handle its entire asset management function, as well as back-office duties. On the flip side, TAMPs give users little or no say in asset allocation and manager selection.

Not being able to control the portfolio, especially with off-the-shelf packages like TAMPs, may dissuade some RIAs and family offices from considering outsourced services. Smaller players whose clients request specialized products such as environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance (ESG) investing, for example, may have a harder time finding a package that works.

And firms of all levels may get pushback from clients on the extra fees assessed for outsourcing of services. Individuals using an RIA are already paying for that personal connection  how much more are they willing to fork out?

Scott Welch, chief investment officer of OCIO Dynasty Financial Partners, has his own take on why RIAs use OCIOs. Maybe tax or estate planning is an advisers wheelhouse, Welch reckons, or perhaps they need to spend more time consoling clients who might not be financially savvy.

Some clients see a market hiccup on the S&P 500 on their office elevator screen and go running to their adviser, he says. They wonder, Why do I have all of this other stuff, such as alternatives? When a firm is more focused on the why than on the how, Welch explains, they come to Dynasty for help. He sees his role as keeping asset management running so his clients can keep their customers happy.

We have clients who take pride in their traditional equities and fixed-income portfolios, Welch says. When they want to diversify into, say, liquid alternatives, though, they know thats not an area of expertise. Even RIAs that do all portfolio construction in-house might turn to his firm to outsource portfolio management, thereby taking credit for the strategy. Dynasty also works as an external consultant with RIAs that prefer to manage everything in-house, stepping in when needed to provide guidance or a second opinion on compliance and regulatory matters. Near the top of that checklist right now, Welch says, is the U.S. Department of Labors new fiduciary rule, set to take effect next April: I havent been to an investment conference in the past six months where that wasnt an issue.

The fiduciary rule might prompt even the most skeptical of wealth managers to consider working with an OCIO. The DoL regulation requires any firm or individual operating as a financial adviser to offer products that are in their clients best interest. The OCIO model, whose 1970s roots owe much to the need for discretionary advice, dovetails with this new obligation.

Its too early to tell how much in assets is flowing to OCIOs because of the fiduciary rule, but private wealth managers appear to be waking up to the idea that they need help. Forty-seven percent of respondents to the recent Northern Trust survey on external asset management said they would be open to third-party support on how the fiduciary rule stands to affect their advisory business. About 40 percent expressed an interest in receiving training on the regulations best-interest contract exemption, which allows brokers and advisers to offer commission-based products as long as they disclose the details of those offerings and their associated fees in writing.

One OCIO product that could prove useful with the advent of the fiduciary rule is the TAMP. For a fee that often comes out to a couple of dozen basis points, TAMPs offer not just an off-the-shelf OCIO service but also the opportunity to modernize a firms financial technology platform. The top three providers, according to U.S. financial information company BrightScope: $162.3 billion SEI of Oaks, Pennsylvania; Chicago-based Envestnet, with $82.1 billion; and Concord, Californiabased AssetMark, with $20 billion.

The history of TAMPs has some regulatory parallels with the present. ERISA, the U.S. governments landmark 1974 pension legislation, brought the idea of fiduciary duty into the general investment consciousness; that change led to the rise of fee-only accounts such as TAMPs as an alternative to broker-dealers pushing their own products.

By 1986, TAMPs had hit a critical mass of $1 billion in assets under management and administration. Between 2011 and last year, the total climbed from less than $147 billion to $1.75 trillion, according to Tiburon Strategic Advisors, a financial services consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

TAMPs are growing for the same reasons as the broader OCIO market: Besides allowing small investment firms to buy into institutional-quality products, they offer due diligence and risk controls, and handle back-office functions such as trade rebalancing. A wealth adviser could buy one of these packages, hang out a shingle and open for business.

Unlike OCIOs such as Hirtle Callaghan, TAMPs give clients the option to white-label their product. For a small firm whose calling card is personalized service, that can help with branding and marketing. Advisers have reported winning larger accounts after white-labeling, and Tiburon estimates that about 25 percent of wealth advisers are farming out at least some functions to TAMPs.

Not all firms are sold, though. TAMPs are really where we see a split on advisers, says Marie Dzanis, head of intermediary distribution at Northern Trust. Many of the ultrahigh-net-worth clients served by RIAs are likely to want a product that at least appears more sophisticated than the suite of ETFs that make up many U.S. employer-sponsored 401(k)s.

Whether or not wealth managers like TAMPs, these products offer clues as to how they might scale their businesses tomorrow. Dzanis points out that for firms large and small, the 9-to-5 workday is gone. Demand for round-the-clock access to portfolio performance will only grow stronger: Rather than make a weekday appointment, clients prefer quickly checking in on their wealth manager between other tasks. Meanwhile, some clients, especially Millennials and younger Generation Xers, conduct all but the most formal conversations online.

Robo-advisers, many of which are essentially TAMPs, may offer RIAs a way to outsource the technical side of the business while putting younger clients at ease. I like to call it investment privacy with a glass of wine, Dzanis says.

But one obstacle for robo-advisers  and for OCIOs in general  is that the wealth management industry still thrives on human interaction. As former CEO of Wealthcare Capital Management, which has nearly $2 billion in managed assets on its proprietary Financeware platform, Michael Ashker was charged with recruiting RIA clients and integrating their practices with Wealthcares software. Richmond, Virginiabased Wealthcares software product serves as an outsourced CIO, offering services such as customized portfolio management and due diligence.

Although Ashker concedes that wealth advisers must be familiar with technology, hes not sure that robo-advisers are the answer. Whether your approach to investing is adviser-driven or if youre a delegating type  an RIA firm looking to outsource, for example  at the end of the day, its about being an adviser, he says. That means giving advice.

Like RIAs, traditional OCIOs face the question of how to handle client volume, Casey Quirks Stakel says. By their nature, these firms are very difficult to scale, he adds. The level of customization needed to advise clients  especially a group as diverse as high-net-worth individuals and families  means that a large OCIO cant cater to everyone. Thats where smaller firms come in.

Still, as clients crave new asset classes and investment strategies, more OCIOs are opening their doors to meet the subsequent demand for third-party consulting. Stakel expects a reckoning soon. I see consolidation in the market, he says. I dont know when well see the saturation point, though its coming.

For his part, wealth manager De Groote has no regrets about hitching his firms wagon to an OCIO. Dynasty has become part of who we are around here, he says. Theyre another set of eyes for us.
Taxpayers in South Australia could be set to foot a $5.6 million insurance bill following the collapse of Senator Bob Days Home Australia business.The Advertiser reports that the state government underwrites all building indemnity insurance in South Australia with the $5.6 million bill based on a maximum $80,000 claim available to each affected household.The Government could face a higher exposure as homeowners can lodge a claim for defective work up to five years from the date building work was completed with the Government paying out an average of $360,000 annually on defect claims on new homes, the report said.In South Australia, the Government has underwritten building indemnity insurance since 2013, when QBE pulled out of the market citing increasing building insolvencies.Chris Short, from the Association of Building Consultants, told The Advertiser that the South Australian housing market made it unprofitable for insurers.The State Government has not been able to attract private insurance agencies back in to fund this mandatory scheme; as a consequence you and I are paying for these Homestead clients to finish these houses, Short said.Sadly, the collapse of Homestead will make insurance companies less inclined to come back into SA.Homstead Homes went into liquidation with debts to suppliers, contractors and subcontractors of at least $12.5 million, the publication reported.
Venbrook Group nailed down $42 million in new financing from Madison Capital Funding, a subsidiary of New York Life, and some of the money has already helped back an acquisition that expands its scope in the U.S. Northeast.

Venbrook, an independent property/casualty brokerage firm, said it used an unnamed amount of the debt capital raised to snatch up Brooks Insurance Group, a Manalapan, N.J.-based wholesaler.

Jason Turner, Venbrooks president and CEO, noted in prepared remarks that the acquisition of Brooks gives it a top-tier team of seasoned insurance professionals with deep and longstanding relationships in the core northeastern market.

Turner told Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management, that financing from Madison came about because the firm really liked our steady and consistent growth over the past 20 years.

They could see our vision for further acquisitions and other investments, that our P/C business is exploding, that the company has strong cash flow, high margins and low debt, Turner said by email.

Venbrook, based in Woodland Hills, Calif., caters mostly to middle-market commercial clients in the U.S. Its products and services include retail and wholesale brokerage, program management, and risk management.

Source: Venbrook

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions New Jersey Funding
USI Insurance Services (USI), an insurance brokerage and consulting firm headquartered in Valhalla, New York, has hired Brian D. Bark as president of the employee benefits practice in its Woburn, Mass., office.

In this role, Bark will play a significant role on USIs New England executive leadership team, working closely on business strategy and operations.

Prior to USI, Bark was a partner in the CHRO practice of an international executive leadership consulting and search firm. He also spent more than 13 years as a senior partner with a global professional services firm, serving in a number of leadership roles during his tenure.

Source: USI Insurance Services

Topics Massachusetts
Henderson Brothers Inc., an independent insurance broker headquartered in Pittsburgh, Penn., has hired Eric Brown as a consultative associate.

As a member of the consultative department, Brown will provide compliance training and assistance and help to manage Henderson Brothers online resources.

Founded in 1893, Henderson Brothers continues to be a leader in the insurance, employee benefits and financial services industries. With a team of more than 140 experts, Henderson Brothers is the largest independent broker in the greater Pittsburgh region and serves a diverse client base.

Source: Henderson Brothers Inc.

Topics Pennsylvania
Western insurers are slowly reaching deals with Iran as they seek to re-enter a multi-billion dollar market although the pace of business is hampered by banking restrictions 10 months on from the lifting of international sanctions.

Shut out of international financial markets for years, Iran is still trying to reap the benefits of last years nuclear deal with world powers.

Despite the removal of international banking restrictions in January, Tehran has secured ties with only a limited number of smaller banks as U.S. sanctions remain in force.

By contrast, Iran is in more active talks with insurers to provide cover in a market valued at $9 billion overall last year and potentially double that in the next decade.

Western companies need insurance in order to resume business with Iran. Shipping and trade credit insurance, which remove the risk of non-payment for goods, are the first types of insurance being offered.

There is generally a lower degree of fear and apprehension and that is because you have not had the big fines on the insurers that the banks have faced, said leading London sanctions lawyer Nigel Kushner.

We are going to see greater and quicker movement there than on the banking side, at least in London and the UK, said Kushner, who is also a director of the British Iranian Chamber of Commerce.

As Iran has aimed to ramp up oil exports, securing marine insurance has been crucial. Top tier Western ship insurers have started offering services in recent months.

Irans deputy oil minister, Amir Hossein Zamaninia, has said European insurers now have no problems insuring Iranian oil tankers, according to the oil ministrys news agency SHANA.

Protection and Indemnity (P&I) clubs  marine insurers owned by shipping firms  have started to provide cover for Irans shipping fleet, including its oil tankers.

Jonathan Andrews, director and head of eastern underwriting with Britains Steamship Mutual, said it was insuring ships for Iranian tanker operator NITC and also for Iranian cargo ship operator IRISL.

We have a long history of insuring Iranian ship owners, Andrews told Reuters. We are happy to be insuring our former members again.

Norwegian ship insurer Skuld said it was in discussions with IRISL, while it was already insuring NITC ships.

Others such as the UKs Standard Club said they were covering vessels trading to and from Iran, but did not say whether this related to Iranian shipping firms.

Ship insurers say there are still constraints on payments, given a freeze on using the U.S. financial system.

Problems remain however in relation to the channeling of payments through the banking systems, both in relation to collection of premium and settlement of claims, said Andrew Bardot, executive officer with the International Group, which represents ship insurers.

This was due to the reluctance of many banks and financial institutions to process such payments, and was now the main concern for insurers and reinsurers, he said.

Solutions are being found, but it is a difficult process and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Dollar Restrictions

U.S. banks are forbidden to do business with Iran under domestic sanctions still in force. European banks also face problems, since transactions with Iran in dollars cannot be processed through the U.S. financial system.

Banks remain nervous after some heavy U.S. penalties, including a $9 billion fine on Frances BNP Paribas in 2014, largely for violating U.S. financial sanctions.

Despite this, European export credit agencies are guaranteeing trade finance for Western companies doing business with Iran.

Germanys state run export credit group Hermes has concluded trade finance deals covering goods worth several million euros.

About a dozen transactions have been approved so far, a Hermes spokesman said.

The demand is there from the exporters side but they need a lot of information. There is a continuous and rising flow of applications (for export credit guarantees).

Italian export credit agency SACE has also undertaken its first small transactions with Iran.

The lingering risks should not be underestimated, however, as they might create problems  legal, documentary, operational, for companies interested in building or restoring commercial or financial relationships with local counterparties, a SACE spokesman said.

Frances Coface has signed an agreement with Iran to guarantee trade finance on behalf of the French government. Nevertheless, major transactions were yet to be concluded due to the banking issues.

Aviation and energy are two sectors in focus, industry executives say, along with political risk cover, even if there have been few deals so far.

Christian Bieri, EMEA reinsurance head at insurance group MS Amlin, said Iran was very much under discussion.

Its very high up the agenda, Bieri said. Its going to be something for 2017.

Other large insurers and reinsurers such as Hannover Re are looking closely at Iran, but say concerns about payments still prevent them from doing business there.

Swiss Re chief executive Christian Mumenthaler told Reuters: We have big business in the U.S. and so our chief legal officer is basically regulating every micro-step we do in that direction.

Lloyds of London had historically been active in Iran and chairman John Nelson said it was a market we would like to get back into.

We have to just be clear, the U.S. sanctions are still very restrictive, Nelson told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Gould in Frankfurt, Maya Nikolaeva in Paris and Oleg Vukmanovic in Milan; editing by Giles Elgood)

Topics Carriers USA Europe Energy Oil Gas London New Markets
Typhoon Haima made landfall in China after it brushed past Hong Kong, forcing the citys stock exchange to cancel trading for the day and airlines to suspend flights.

The Hong Kong Observatory said it will consider lowering Storm Signal No. 8, its third-highest warning, to No. 3 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. The weather service warned of widespread heavy rain in a few hours for the financial center. As of 4 p.m., Typhoon Haima was centered about 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Hong Kong, after making landfall in the vicinity of Shanwei of the Guangdong province.

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. scrapped trading as signal No. 8 was in force after noon. Authorities shut schools, and most of the citys ferry and bus services have been suspended. Trains continue to operate with an adjusted schedule, MTR Corp. said.

Its the second time this year the Hong Kong markets have closed because of weather disruption. Business was halted on Aug. 2 when Typhoon Nida hit the city. Some brokerages have contingency plans to ensure they can trade other Asia Pacific markets from Hong Kong, working from home or staying in hotels close to their offices. Some headed to the office by trains and taxis on Friday.

We are all in the office and business as usual trading all regional market, said Rafi Mohideen, the Hong Kong-based head of Asian trading at Instinet Pacific Services Ltd, a unit of Nomura Holdings Inc. We are a regionalized trading desk, but if it gets worse we have other regional offices that can help.

Fallen Trees

Typhoon Haima has done limited damage in Hong Kong so far as the tropical cyclone weakened overnight before edging toward the coast of Guangdong. It earlier killed at least eight people in Philippines, with more than 90,000 evacuated, as the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year.

Hong Kong government received 156 reports of fallen trees and no flooding or landslide reports. One fallen tree partially blocked a highway in Causeway Bay, and another fell onto a passenger car in Sai Kung, according to Hong Kong Cable Television. Scaffolding was seen hanging from a side of a building in Tsuen Wan. A few were swimming at a beach in the morning despite the Observatorys call to stay away from the sea.

About 170 people took refuge at the 22 government-run temporary shelters. Twelve people have sought medical treatment at public hospitals, the Hospital Authority said.

The Hong Kong Airport Authority said a total of 742 passenger flights have been canceled or delayed as of 2 p.m. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and its Dragonair unit said flights from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. would be significantly disrupted. Hong Kong Airlines suspended all flights before 10 p.m.

With assistance from Belinda Cao, Suzy Waite, Brendan Scott and Jasmine Wang.

****

[Editors note: While the Philippines has had to deal with the effects of Typhoon Haimas Category 4-equivalent landfall, southeastern China and Hong Kong have had to prepare for Haimas second landfall as a weaker Category 1 equivalent storm on Oct. 21, 2016, local time, according to Boston-based catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide.

In coastal regions of southeastern China, houses are typically of confined masonry or reinforced concrete construction with clay tile roofs, which perform reasonably well in the face of Category 1-equivalent winds, said AIR Worldwide.

By contrast, urban apartment buildings tend to be mid- or high-rise structures of confined masonry and reinforced concrete construction, respectively, many of which have commercial establishments on the ground floor. AIR Worldwide said that such better-engineered apartment buildings are common and tend to fare well in Category 1 winds, although minor nonstructural damage  especially to roofs and wall claddings  is possible.

Generally, commercial and industrial buildings are more resistant to wind and water damage than residential buildings, AIR said.

With high population density along the southeast coast of China, many homes and businesses are at risk from flooding, the AIR statement continued.

While Hong Kong is home to more than 7 million people, its mountainous coastline and strongly enforced building codes lessen wind vulnerability, when compared to other coastal areas in the South China Sea, AIR Worldwide said.

Its heavy investment in a flood defense system keeps inland flood risk within the city relatively low, although flooding is common in the surrounding areas and particularly in the mountainous regions. The reclamation of land is increasing storm surge vulnerability in the region due to exposure proximity to sea level and the narrowing of Victoria Harbour.

According to AIR, most of the single-family houses in Hong Kong are made of reinforced masonry or concrete. Condominiums, commercial, and industrial buildings  often mid- or high-rise structures  are mainly of reinforced concrete or steel construction, reducing wind vulnerability. However, many high-rise buildings have basements where service equipment is located; such equipment is expensive and vulnerable to water.

Residential insurance take-up rates in China are low, while commercial take-up rates vary by province, AIR said, noting that insurance take-up rates in Hong Kong are high for both residential and commercial buildings. Take-up rates for building contents are higher for commercial and lower for residential lines, the modeling company continued.

According to AIR, weak-wind typhoons that affect vast areas and generate significant rainfall have often contributed more to insured typhoon losses in China than landfalling storms with high winds.]

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Flood Windstorm Aviation China
Mitsui & Co., Japans second-biggest trading house, agreed to purchase a 15 percent stake in New Ocean Capital, the asset manager that was founded by XL Group Ltd. and Stone Point Capital to make insurance-related bets.

Mitsui also committed $100 million of investment capital to the private fund platform, Bermuda-based New Ocean said Friday in a statement.

XL, the seller of commercial insurance and reinsurance, has been expanding in so-called alternative risk-transfer deals after hiring Craig Wenzel from Deutsche Bank AG in 2012 for a push into capital markets transactions. The next year, XL joined with Stone Point, the private equity firm led by former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executives Stephen Friedman and Charles Davis, to form New Ocean. Wenzel is counting on increased appetite from Wall Street investors for insurance-linked securities, or ILS, which can include bonds where returns are tied to the weather.

Its gratifying to see such a high-caliber corporate investor join, Wenzel said in the statement. New Ocean is a cornerstone to XLs long-term commitment to alternative capital, which will increasingly become more relevant in our business.

More Appealing

Mitsui has invested with New Ocean since 2014 and will seek to source additional capital, beyond the latest $100 million commitment, by 2020, according to the statement. A representative of the trading house will join the board of New Ocean, and XL will remain the majority shareholder.

We believe ILS reinsurance will become more appealing to institutional investors in Japan, and across the globe, Takashi Nakai, general manager of Mitsuis insurance business department, said in the statement. The bets offer firms an investing opportunity for returns that arent correlated with fluctuations in stock and credit markets.

Stone Point is known for its role in insurance ventures in the Bermuda market and beyond. The firm was an investor in 2006 in the first capital raise by Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange, which takes on risks for wealthy clients and won backing last year from XL.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions
Serious Social Media, developer of the automated social media marketing service, InsuranceSocial.Media, and a 2016 graduate of the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) program, announced it has secured a second round of funding led by Iowa-based Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co. (Grinnell Mutual).

Grinnell Mutual was also one of the founding investors in the GIA, which as a group acquires an initial financial stake in startups going through its program. This latest investment in Serious Social Media is independent of the GIA.

These early-stage investments confirm our product meets an urgent need in the insurance industry, said David Beall, Serious Social Media CEO, in the companys announcement.

InsuranceSocial.Media is the flagship product of Serious Social Media, which has locations in Des Moines, Iowa, and Anaheim, Calif. Serious Social Media was selected as part of the GIAs second cohort, which ran from January through May 2016.

Launched in July, InsuranceSocial.Media is software developed for insurance agents and carriers. It not only provides personalized, relevant and engaging content, but also posts that content  along with carrier content  automatically to agents social media platforms. The solutions tiered subscription plan makes it easy for agents and brokers to match the level of service to their marketing needs.

Many of our independent agents are eager to market through social media, but do not have the staffing or resources to keep an active social media presence, said Kurt Eaves, Grinnell Mutuals vice president of underwriting and production and a GIA mentor.

The $700,000 round also includes funding from the IMT Group, another original investor in the GIA.

The GIA is a business accelerator focused on developing and growing innovative insurance-centric startups. Now in its third year, the GIA is backed by insurer investors from across the U.S., but is based in Des Moines, which is home to more than 80 insurance companies and tens of thousands of insurance professionals.

Serious Social Media is the second GIA graduate to receive additional funding from insurers involved in the GIA program. In March, Drive Spotter secured funds from a group of investors, including Grinnell Mutual.

Source: Serious Social Media, Global Insurance Accelerator

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies
University of Iowa is citing a copyright law to block the use of the universitys footage of a 2008 flood for an upcoming documentary.

Doug Krejci, who is trying to gather materials for a documentary about eastern Iowa during the flood, filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board against the university in August, according to the Des Moines Register.

The university had told him that federal copyright law protects the creative works of its staff, overriding the states public records law that gives the legal right to publish public records. The board hasnt taken final action on Krejcis matter.

Critics warn that if the universitys argument is successful, it could become illegal to reproduce any Iowa government record without explicit permission.

Its just bizarre, said Adam Marshall, an attorney for a First Amendment advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. It cant be the case that copyright law enables every state entity to withhold every single record they generate. That would totally eviscerate the public records laws.

Copyright law attorney Tim Zarley said how the material is used could influence whether copyright overrides the public records law.

Youre talking about public disclosure versus the actual copying of material, Zarley said.

Krejci said he does not plan to profit from the film project.

This is a documentary that is not looking to editorialize the flood, Krejci said. Im simply trying to gather material to make a well-rounded comprehensive, but concise, view of June 2008 in eastern Iowa.

Kathleen Richardson, the dean of Drake Universitys journalism program, said the increase in governments claiming copyright protection might be due to new technology that can collect large amounts of data. Krejci mentioned that most of the flood footage is already published online.

The school and the Iowa Board of Regents have declined to comment on the issue.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Education Iowa Universities
Construction scaffolding fell to the street from a downtown Miami high-rise Wednesday afternoon, causing one death and five injuries, authorities said.

A man in his 50s had a fatal cardiac episode while running from falling debris near the approximately 50-story Echo Brickell condominium building, Miami Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Joseph Zahralban told the Miami Herald .

A woman inside a car hit by debris was hospitalized with injuries that werent life threatening, as were two construction workers, Zahralban said. Two other people were treated at the scene.

Jenny Rivero, who works on a top floor of an adjacent building, said she and her colleagues heard the scaffolding crashing down.

We just saw some debris flying across the window, she said.

She said wood planks and metal bars were scattered on the street below. A photo she posted on Twitter showed emergency personnel and vehicles crowding the street. She was evacuated as a precaution.

The buildings developer, Property Markets Group, released a statement saying it is investigating the situation.

The construction accident led to a temporary road closure in the heavily congested Miami neighborhood.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Conservationists and regulators are at odds over how much coal ash was swept away by flooding during Hurricane Matthew  state inspectors say it would fit in the bed of a pickup truck while a watchdog group argues its a much larger spill.

Waterkeeper Alliance said it took boats down the Neuse River earlier this week, collected samples and photographed thick gray muck in the water near the H.F. Lee plant near Goldsboro, as well as trees coated in rings of a chalky substance. They said it appears to be fly ash and is evidence of a large coal ash spill.

Duke Energy acknowledged that the material is a coal-burning byproduct carried off by the floodwaters that flowed over three inactive coal ash basins, but said its a safe form of the residue.

Duke and the state Department of Environmental Quality said the discovery doesnt change the conclusions of state inspectors who visited the site.

Its unfortunate that a political group masquerading as environmentalists is deliberately trying to mislead the public, Tom Reeder, assistant secretary of the environmental department, said in an email.

Since a 2014 coal ash spill at a different plant along the Dan River, North Carolina has begun pursuing stronger regulations and enforcement of coal ash. Legislators required the company to clean up unlined coal ash pits by 2029.

Duke Energy said Friday that floodwater from the Neuse River had covered the three basins at the plant after Matthew inundated part of the state with more than a foot of rain, but the basins were planted with grass, shrubs and trees. They said at the time that some coal ash was carried away by the flooding.

The Department of Environmental Quality issued a statement on Wednesday saying its inspectors returned to the site on Monday and identified the material as cenospheres, adding that the substances are inert and non-toxic. Duke said the substance is largely made of silica and alumina.

Duke said it was working with the state to determine if cleanup is necessary.

For its part, Waterkeeper Alliance accused Duke Energy of downplaying what it called a large spill from one or more basins holding millions of tons of coal ash.

When a raging river floods over 1 million tons of coal ash, youre obviously going to get more than a pickup trucks worth of ash polluting the river, said Waterkeeper Alliance staff attorney Pete Harrison.

The group asked Lonnie Leithold, a professor at N.C. State University who studies sediments, to examine a sample of the material it gathered.

We looked at it under a microscope; we also took some photographs of it. Its clearly not natural sediment, said Leithold, adding that she had no prior connection to the environmental group. Its clearly fly ash. Very pure. They gathered it floating on the water, and showed me photos of it up the trees.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Pollution North Carolina
The Arizona Court of Appeals is set to consider reviving a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by five Arizona child welfare workers fired in 2014 amid an agency scandal.

The ex-Child Protective Services employees argue they were fired in April 2014 to provide political cover to then-Gov. Jan Brewer and her Department of Economic Security director.

The state argued that the women could be fired at any time without reason.

A Maricopa County judge dismissed the suit last year, saying state law allowed their firings even if they were scapegoats.

The states child welfare agency was rocked by the November 2013 discovery that thousands of hotline calls were not investigated.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Arizona
If youre looking for Kathleen Reardon, CEO of Bermuda-based Hamilton Re, you probably wont find her in an office  because she doesnt have one.

While the company does have a conference rooms, everybody usually sits together in an open-floor settingchief executive included.

It gets rid of any hierarchy, Reardon says. Were all in this together. Your voice as a young professional just entering the business is heard. Im happy to listen to you and hear your opinion.

Reardon, a member of the companys founding management team, says her goals are to be approachable and inclusive.

Im constantly thinking of ways to challenge the employees. she said, Somebody was always looking after me to reach my full potential, whether it had been an advocate, a mentor, or a boss, and I want to make sure people have enough opportunity to show theirs.

To that end, Reardon has created several think tanks at Hamilton Re to tackle issues like innovation and emerging risk. The company is also a proponent of Insurance Careers Month, a cross-industry recruitment initiative.

I take a personal interest in my employees career development, she says. It takes a lot of effort, but I believe its that important.

Reardon, who grew up in Philadelphia, was introduced to actuarial science in high school and pursued it through her university education. She went to work for Cignas P&C unit until 1999, when ACE bought the group and she relocated to Bermuda. Reardon moved to the reinsurance side of the business after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

From 2005 to 2012, she was chief underwriting officer and senior vice president for Ace Tempest Re Ltd.s Bermuda international property catastrophe reinsurance business.

In April 2014, Reardon was hired as CEO of Hamilton Re, a nascent reinsurance company formed only the year before by former Marsh and McLennan CEO Brian Duperreault. Under her leadership, she has doubled the shareholder equity in Hamilton Re to $1.6 billion.

Its interesting to come into a market with a blank piece of paper and have a chance to start from scratch with no legacy, no culture that might hold you back, she says.

Simultaneously, however, she is working to build a new insurance company at a time when the industry is being reshaped by technology and data science, Reardon also notes that insurance is in the midst of a talent crisis that sees experienced people leaving the industry faster than young professionals can replace them. Over her career, Reardon has seen more senior women in the industry, and believes that women bring unique perspectives to the executive table. That creates a unique opportunity, she says.

Maybe were at a tipping point, she said, but if you look at any of the research, you will still see that women are underrepresented at the senior executive level. It is, however, being acknowledged as an issue.

Reardon co-founded Women in Reinsurance about 10 years ago, a group she now chairs. And, Lloyds CEO Inga Beale chose her to lead the global expansion of her Dive In Festival of Diversity Inclusion in Bermuda. Reardon said the program stresses the need for the industry to acknowledge the differences among us and, ultimately, the consumer.

We dont want to miss out on potential talent because of some selection process that the resume went through before they even reached the door, she says.

This includes being honest with yourself as a recruiter, Reardon said, and seeing if theres anything youre doing unknowingly thats causing homogeneity in the hiring process.

Just challenging yourself and challenging your team to think a little bit further on that could go a long way, she says.
E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei.

Sky: Rafforzata leadership

Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018.

Sfida Serie A

Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia.
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
What Is Racketeering?

The term racketeering broadly refers to criminal acts, typically those involving extortion, that involve a "racket". A racket, being some sort of scheme organized to extract illegal profits. It is usually used in reference to patterns of illegal activity specified in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This is a U.S. federal law that makes it illegal to acquire or control a business through certain crimes or income from those crimes. It is also illegal to participate, even indirectly, in certain crimes committed by a business or to conspire to do any of the above under the act.

The list of federal crimes specified in RICO includes bribery, fraud, gambling offenses, money laundering, financial and economic crimes, obstructing justice or a criminal investigation, and murder for hire. At the state level, racketeering can include crimes such as murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in obscene matter, and drug crimes, as long as they align with the "generic definition of the state offense referenced at the time RICO was enacted."

Key Takeaways Racketeering is the act of acquiring a business through illegal activity, operating a business with illegally-derived income, or using a business to commit illegal acts.

The U.S. government introduced the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in October 1970 to contain racketeering.

Racketeering can be prosecuted at the state or federal level.

Federal crimes of racketeering include bribery, gambling offenses, money laundering, obstructing justice or a criminal investigation, and murder for hire.

At the state level, racketeering includes crimes such as murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in obscene matters, and drug crimes.

Understanding Racketeering

Organized groups may operate illegal businesses, known as rackets. An organized group may also divert funds from a legal business to use for illegal activities. Rackets primarily functioned in obviously illegal industries, such as prostitution, human trafficking, drug trafficking, illegal weapons trade, or counterfeiting.

Racketeering can take many forms including:

Cyber extortion: This occurs when a hacker pushes malware onto someone's computer, blocking all computer and data access. The hacker then demands money to restore access to the user.

This occurs when a hacker pushes malware onto someone's computer, blocking all computer and data access. The hacker then demands money to restore access to the user. Protection rackets: A criminal entity threatens to cause harm to a business or individual unless they are paid a protection fee.

A criminal entity threatens to cause harm to a business or individual unless they are paid a protection fee. Kidnapping: This is considered racketeering when an individual is illegally detained and their captors agree to set the kidnapped individual free once a ransom is paid.

This is considered racketeering when an individual is illegally detained and their captors agree to set the kidnapped individual free once a ransom is paid. Fencing racket: Individuals act as intermediaries to buy stolen goods from thieves at low rates. They resell them for a profit to unsuspecting buyers.

Individuals act as intermediaries to buy stolen goods from thieves at low rates. They resell them for a profit to unsuspecting buyers. Drug trafficking : illegal drugs are produced, smuggled, and sold to the public.

: illegal drugs are produced, smuggled, and sold to the public. Illegal gambling activities: such as underground casinos, sports books, or card rooms where the "house" takes a profit.

Labor unions have also been a frequent target of racketeering allegations. Organized crime groups generally use one or more labor unions to extort money from a company or contractor(s). In other cases, groups use unions to control workers. The Italian-American mafia criminal society, La Cosa Nostra, was famous for its control over labor unions. La Cosa Nostra gained such a strong foothold that both company management and the labor union had to rely on the gangsters for protection.

To contain illegal collusion and profiteering through racketeering, the U.S. government introduced the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in October 1970. The law permits enforcement agencies to charge individuals or groups involved in various acts of racketeering. Individuals guilty of committing RICO crimes may be prosecuted and, if found guilty, can face a 20-year prison sentence or more for serious crimes. Fines and other penalties may also apply.

Special Considerations

Corporations may also engage in racketeering. For instance, a drug manufacturer may bribe doctors to overprescribe a medicine, thus committing fraud in order to boost their profits. Predatory lending may also be deemed a form of racketeering. This happens when a lender tricks a borrower into taking a loan that deliberately ignores or actively hinders their ability to repay it.

An official personal loan is always safer than anything a loan shark may offer you even if you have bad credit.

For instance, automobile insurer State Farm was accused of illegally funding Judge Lloyd Karmeiers 2004 election campaign by channeling money through advocacy groups that didnt disclose donors. The case relates to long-running litigation by State Farm customers who alleged that they were given generic, substandard car parts instead of original equipment for more than a decade.

The plaintiffs sought damages worth $1 billion, plus $1.8 billion in interest, in addition to the damages that could have been tripled under the federal RICO Act. The total damages sought neared $8.5 billion. In September 2018, State Farm agreed to pay $250 million to settle the racketeering case just before opening statements were set to begin.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act

The Department of Justice (DOJ) provides an expansive view on RICO charges. According to the DOJ, in order to be found guilty of violating the RICO statute, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that:

An enterprise existed. The enterprise affected commerce across state lines. The individual was associated with or employed by a criminal enterprise. The defendant engaged in racketeering activity. The individual took part in racketeering through the commission of at least two acts of racketeering activity.

Government prosecutors primarily used the Act to target organized crime and criminal organizations when it was enacted. Before the law was in place, prosecutors were forced to try mob-related racketeering crimes individually, even though a large number of individuals may have been involved in the commission of a crime.

RICO allows law enforcement officials to file cases against an entire racket. The law allows prosecutors to seize the assets of an indicted party, thereby preventing the transfer of funds and property through shell companies.

Providing more tools to law enforcement agencies to combat racketeering, the law allows prosecutors to charge organizations or individuals for up to 20 years of ongoing criminal activity for each count of racketeering. The law also allows prosecutors to charge organization leaders for crimes that they ordered others to commit. Federal and state prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt the extent of any crimes committed and the involvement of those involved in order to apply them to the RICO Act when charges are filed.

RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, a law that was passed by the United States government in October 1970.

How Federal vs. State Racketeering Offenses Differ

Prosecutors can charge someone through RICO if they commit at least two acts of racketeering activity, one of which occurred after RICO became law and the last of which occurred within 10 years after the prior act.

Federal crimes lead to prosecution at both the federal and the state levels. Investigation of federal crimes involves national agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Secret Service. In some cases, international law enforcement may also participate.

State crimes violate the laws of a particular state and are investigated by local, state, or county police. Kidnapping, robbery, and assault are considered state crimes, provided they occur within the boundaries of a particular state.



Sentences for federal crimes are generally longer and harsher than those imposed for state crimes.

Examples of Racketeering

The Department of Justice reported an indictment against 40 people in the largest federal racketeering case in South Carolina in December 2020. According to a press release, charges were filed against gang members who took part in a criminal enterprise. South Carolina Department of Corrections inmates used cell phones obtained as contraband to plan murders, kidnappings, the distribution of firearms, and a global drug ring.

In June 2018, counties in Kansas and Missouri filed federal racketeering cases against more than a dozen opioid painkiller manufacturers. They were accused of misleading marketing and distributing painkillers under deceptive pretenses. The prosecution alleged that the companies misrepresented addiction dangers for the benefit of their own profits.

Officials and corporate executives from FIFA were indicted in 2015 for racketeering conspiracy and corruption charges that involved bribes and kickbacks paid to secure profitable media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments.

In November 2013, Los Angeles gang leader Kevin Eleby was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in a RICO case. The gang used violence and intimidation to control a housing project in South Los Angeles. The RICO trial determined that the enterprise engaged in drug dealing, firearms trafficking, murder, witness intimidation, and armed robbery to control and terrorize the housing projects.

Two former Baltimore police officers pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges in July 2017. Along with several other members of Baltimore's Gun Trace Task Force, they were accused of scheming to steal money, property, and narcotics by way of detaining individuals, entering residences, conducting traffic stops, and swearing out false search warrant affidavits.

In June 2018, Cornel Dawson, the leader of a violent street gang called Black Souls, received multiple life sentences in a racketeering case. Five more gang members received similar sentences. The gang was found guilty of illegally controlling a six-block section of Chicago. The racketeering conviction included four murders committed and involvement in drug deals.

Is Racketeering a Felony? Racketeering activity covers a range of crimes that involve committing, attempting to commit, conspiring to commit, or intentionally aiding, soliciting, coercing, or intimidating another person to commit a specified list of crimes. Among these, felonies include gambling activities, extortion, drug offenses, weapons offenses, murder, assault, prostitution, hazardous waste violations, securities violations, coercion, money laundering, arson, bribery, and forgery.

Is Racketeering the Same as Money Laundering? Money laundering involves cleaning "dirty" money so that it appears as if it were earned legitimately when it was not. Money laundering can fall under the umbrella of racketeering if it is part of an organized scheme.

For How Long Can You Go to Jail for Racketeering? Anyone convicted for RICO crimes receives a prison sentence of 20 years or more if they commit more serious crimes. Fines and penalties may also apply.
Top News - Investor Idea

REE Stock News - Defense Metals (TSX-V: DEFN.V) (OTCQB: DFMTF) Drills 113 metres of 2.50% Total Rare Earth Oxide at Wicheeda

Vancouver, British Columbia - October 26, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mining / Metals / Green Energy Stock News - Defense Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DEFN / OTCQB: DFMTF/ FSE:35D) is pleased to announce high-grade Rare Earth Element ("REE") assay results from one additional core hole, totalling 383 metres (m), collared within the northern area of Defense Metals' 100% owned Wicheeda REE Deposit.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking EV Stock News: Overwhelmingly Positive Reactions Pour in From First Leg of Mullen Automotive's (NASDAQ: MULN) 'Strikingly Different' FIVE EV Crossover Tour

BREA, Calif. - October 31, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today that the Mullen FIVE has received overwhelmingly positive reactions from members of the public, reservation holders and Mullen investors who were able to ride in the vehicle for the very first time on the "Strikingly Different" tour which kicked off last week in Pasadena, California.

Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea

Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures Third Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA Worth Approximately $1.5M in Revenue for First two Fiscal Quarters of 2023

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - October 27, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-derived, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured three key significant orders for its newly acquired, non-nicotine plant-based vape product, HYLA.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses

NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore.

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The F1 teams have been told pre-season testing will take place in Barcelona despite a push from Pirelli to hold it in Bahrain.

Pirelli has been keen to get warm and consistent conditions during pre-season in order to ensure it has made the right compound choices for the opening four races of 2017. Next year will see new tyre regulations introduced, with wider tyres set to increase cornering speeds in conjunction with increased downforce from new aerodynamic rules.

The request had seen a split in the teams, with the majority wanting to stick to the original plan of carrying out the two pre-season tests at the traditional Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya venue. However, with Mercedes backing the Pirelli request, the past few weeks had seen disagreement over how to proceed.

Team principals met with Bernie Ecclestone in the Austin paddock on Friday and were also told by FIA race director Charlie Whiting that testing should take place in Europe. It is understood the FIA felt Pirelli will have had ample track testing time - following 25 days of testing with mule cars this year - to ensure it has a safe and reliable product by the time of the first race.

A compromise solution has provisionally been agreed which will see a two-day in-season test take place after the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is currently scheduled to be the third race on the 2017 calendar.

Silbermann says ... Taylor should take over F1

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PREVIEW: 2016 United States Grand Prix

TECHNICAL - Turbulent Jet Ignition: In the antechamber of F1 power

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Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
The wait is finally over! The elite and royalare back for season two which premieres on Bravo on Tuesday, November 29 at 10pm/9c! Returning are Caroline Fleming, Caroline Stanbury, Julie Montagu, Juliet Angus, Marissa Hermer and Sophie Stanbury.Sophie Stanbury appeared last season in a reduced role however this season she's taking center stage and joining the show as a full time cast member. Adela King will join the ladies as an official "friend of the ladies." Check out the official trailer below!Bravo Media crosses the pond for a new season of Ladies of London premiering Tuesday, November 29 at 10pm ET/PT. This season features royal raucousness with returning cast members Juliet Angus, Caroline Fleming, Marissa Hermer, Julie Montagu and Caroline Stanbury with Sophie Stanbury joining fulltime, as well as Adela King who joins the ladies as a friend. From high tea hostility to black tie bad behavior, these ladies may need to read up on their etiquette books. For a sneak peek visit: http://www.bravotv.com/ladies-of-london/season-3/videos/on-season-3-of-ladies-of-london London calls to the women in season three as they work through heartbreak, family drama and exciting, new adventures. The ladies also welcome soon-to-be ex sister in law of Caroline Stanbury, Sophie Stanbury into the group. With her pending divorce, Sophie is ready to mix things up and step out of the shadow of her former life. Julie Montagu comes into her own as she fully embraces the responsibilities as the future Countess of Sandwich overseeing the 400 year old Mapperton Estate while simultaneously vying for the top spot among the women. Marissa Hermer struggles with the pregnancy and birth of her daughter, Sadie. Meanwhile, the life-threatening illness of her father forces Caroline Fleming to come face-to-face with years of family turmoil and the legacy of preserving her childhood Denmark estate, Valdemars Slot. Juliet Angus works to turn her fashion blog into a major business and continues her steadfast loyalty to Caroline Stanbury. Battling a tough decision to move her family to Dubai, Caroline Stanbury faces numerous challenges including rumors of legal issues that begin to surface regarding her business. She also struggles with longtime friend Adela King, who, despite their history, is not interested in having Caroline reign among the group. With a season full of lavish travel, surprising betrayals and cheeky confrontations, the stakes are higher than ever as the ladies rival it out in an epic season three.Meet the new Lady:After finishing school at a traditional Convent in England, Sophie worked successfully at one of the world's largest hedge funds before deciding to change direction to work at London's forty plus year old exclusive members club, Annabel's. It was during this time that she became firmly planted on the London social scene. Sophie has been long time friends with Caroline Stanbury and was previously married to her brother, Alex. Sophie is currently living in Putney with her two beautiful sons, Harry and Finn. Today, she owns her own design company, whilst juggling motherhood and Londons limelight.Friend of the Ladies:, an international jetsetter, was born in Costa Rica and lived in Florida, Singapore and Hong Kong before finally moving to England to attend Heathfield boarding school. Upon graduating, she was catapulted into the London social scene where she met her first husband Chester King, with whom she had two beautiful children. As mainstays in the London eye, she met longtime friend Caroline Stanbury. Adela has struggled with addiction on and off for the past 20 years, but has taken charge of her life and has currently been sober for two years. Adela previously ran the hugely successful maternity business 9 London bringing stylish and trendy maternity wear to Londons elite. These days she stays busy managing her namesake womenswear brand and representing various facial clinics, fitness, health and lifestyle brands as an ambassador. She currently lives in Chelsea with her third child, an 8-year-old Teacup Yorkshire Terrier, Disco.Ladies of London is produced by Adjacent Productions with Bill Fritz and Omid Kahangi serving as Executive Producers.Season 3 premieres on Tuesday, November 29 at 10pm/9c only on Bravo!Photo/Video Credit: Bravo
A papal visit to Ireland could be on the cards after Taoiseach Enda Kenny confirmed he has been invited to attend the World Meeting of Families, writes Elaine Loughlin in Brussels.

Speaking after the EU Leader's Summit in Brussels today, Mr Kenny said he had met with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who confirmed the invite and added that Government would do everything to welcome Pope Francis to Ireland.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay an official visit to Ireland next weekend.

Secretary Kerry will visit Tipperary to collect the International Peace Award he won last year for his efforts in trying to end conflict in a number of countries.
Update 9pm: Police investigating the suspected chemical incident which led to the evacuation of London City Airport have discovered what is "believed to be a CS gas spray", a spokesman said.

The find came after police and firefighters scoured the airport following the alert, which saw dozens of passengers treated for breathing difficulties.

The airport spokesman said it was unclear what had caused the chemical incident, but officers were "investigating whether it was the result of an accidental discharge of the spray".

Earlier: Dozens of passengers were treated for breathing difficulties after a suspected chemical incident at London City Airport.

Two casualties were taken to hospital and 24 were treated at the scene, London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was called to the airport at 4.11pm to "reports of a chemical incident".

No "elevated readings" were found and the terminal building was ventilated and searched.

The incident was "declared safe" by the brigade at around 7pm.

An LFB spokesman said: "Two complete sweeps of the airport building were carried out jointly by firefighters and police officers both wearing protective equipment."

LAS medics specially trained to treat people in hazardous situations also attended the scene.

Around 500 members of the public and airport staff were evacuated.

The closure of the airport led to travel chaos as all flights were suspended.

Several incoming planes from destinations such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Belfast City and Paris were diverted to other airports.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has outlined her Brexit intentions to European leaders, writes Elaine Loughlin, Political Editor Irish Examiner.

At a meeting of EU leaders Ms May reiterated that Britain would trigger Article 50 before the end of March.

Speaking after the meeting which ended in the early hours of the morning European Council President Donald Tusk said: "It's not our decision, it's not our choice. If you ask me I would prefer 28 member states not only for the next few months but also for the next year's and decades.

It comes as European leaders have "strongly condemned" the bombings in Syria and have called for an immediate end to the attacks.

Meeting in Brussels tonight EU head's of State expressed outrage at the strikes carried out by Russia.

However it appears that no additional sanctions will be imposed at the moment as Mr Tusk said leaders had agreed to "stay the course".

He said: "It is clear that Russia strategy is to weaken the EU.

But Mr Tusk added: "Increasing tensions with Russia is not our aim."
The Finance Bill published yesterday contained plans to tax vulture funds following an outcry over ways overseas investors used loopholes in Irish real estate funds and Section 110 of the 1997 Taxes Consolidation Act to avoid paying any tax on profits made from the sale of assets.

The 25% rate will specifically apply to special purpose vehicles (SPVs) using Section 110 loopholes. A withholding tax of 20% will apply to investors designated as Irish real estate funds.

In changes to the taxation of Irish real estate funds, which comprise funds holding 25% of their assets in Irish property, the bill seeks to ensure that the Irish tax base is protected where Irish property transactions are taking place within collective investment vehicles.

These funds must deduct a 20% withholding tax involving non-resident investors.

Recent Central Bank figures showed there were 822 tax-efficient SPVs based in Ireland, at the end of 2015, involving a total of 324bn in assets.

In last weeks budget, the Government said it expected to yield 50m in the first year of the Section 110 restrictions.

John OLeary, tax partner at PwC, said that despite exemptions many overseas funds which bought since the crash would be affected. The Finance Bill also outlined a series of other measures.

These include anti-avoidance measure implementing what the bill refers to a bona-fide test to prevent people avoiding capital gains tax by using non-resident trusts.

The amendment comes after the EU Commission voiced its concerns over the effects on the free movement of capital.

The capital gains tax  CGT  relief to help fishermen decommission vessels has been extended, as part of a drive to encourage more owners to use the scheme.

The bill also enacts the obligation on Revenue to share certain types of information with other EU states.

The Revenue will also make some changes to its regular publication on tax defaulters list, including measures to distinguish people who pay up and showing when people have made partial disclosures of defaults.

Revenue also plans to improve its PAYE online service.

On excise duties, operators of some kinds of heat and power plants will be fully exempted from carbon tax and permission will be granted to start using natural gas for transport.

The National Concert hall will be exempt from stamp duty in any land deals following a change in its company status.

The Finance Bill measures were as advertised, said Peter Vale, tax partner at Grant Thornton.
The Paris-headquartered group  second only to Guinness owner Diageo in global scale  yesterday reported first-quarter sales (for the three months to the end of September) of just under 2.25bn. This marked like-for-like growth of 4% for the quarter, thus beating analyst targets of 2.9%.

The positive first-quarter showing was driven by 8% sales growth in the Americas  boosted by continued strength in the US  and solid growth of 6% in Europe.

Strategic brand sales were up 3% and were seen as a key driver of overall growth. That was a result, management said, of the continued strong momentum on Jameson, good growth on Ballantines and improvement on Absolut and Martell.

We have had a good start to the financial year, consistent with our full-year guidance. Therefore, we confirm our fiscal year 2017 guidance of organic growth in profit from recurring operations of between 2% and 4%, said group chairman and chief executive Alexandre Ricard.

We will continue to implement our long-term growth strategy, focusing investments behind our priority brands, markets and innovations and remaining disciplined on pricing and costs, he added.

Pernod Ricards Irish arm, Irish Distillers, recently attacked Irelands high excise rates, saying they pose challenges for domestic sales.

Meanwhile, the Irish Whiskey Association yesterday launched a new mentoring programme aimed at making the market more accessible to new entrants.

The programme will see industry experts and leading players share knowledge concerning areas like licensing requirements, branding, route-to-market and production with potential new entrants.

This is a unique programme which will see industry leaders support new market entrants and showcases the collegiality amongst industry and members of the Irish Whiskey Association. The mentor companies will share information, expertise and knowledge with new entrants enabling them to plan and succeed in the Irish whiskey business, said Irish Whiskey Association chief Miriam Mooney.

The advice and support of industry experts is invaluable in helping companies navigate difficult issues, added IWA chairman Bernard Walsh.
Revenue will gain about 3.5% on an organic basis in 2016, the Swiss company has said, abandoning a goal for an increase of about 4.2%.

Growth in the consumer-goods industry is relatively fragile, CFO Francois-Xavier Roger said.
The statistics, revealed in the Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2016 released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), do not give details of any of these childrens backgrounds. However, if their babies were conceived in this country, under Irish law, the mothers are victims of rape or statutory rape, as the age of consent here is 17 years.

This was also a significant increase on the 23 babies born to girls aged 15 or younger in 2014 and on the 27 and 28 such births in 2012 and 2013 respectively
Sinn Fein have now lodged a Dail motion to block pay restoration for TDs, which is linked to rises for senior civil servants due under the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar yesterday explained that ordinary TD pay will continue to be linked to civil service restoration rates. Ministers and members of government, including the Taoiseach and Tanaiste, have decided not to take increases due to them.

Nobody wanted to return to a situation where TDs decided their own pay levels, added Mr Varadkar.

The link between the pay of Deputies and principal officers will remain and if pay is restored for other public and civil servants in line with the Lansdowne Road agreement or any agreement that may replace it, it will apply accordingly, he told the Dail.

Under the LRA terms, TD pay will increase by 2,700 next April and will rise again over the following year.

A number of ordinary TDs have already turned down the pay rise. Fine Gaels Noel Rock has said: My personal position is that it is not necessary for me to take the TD wage increase.

Independent TD for Roscommon Michael Fitzmaurice has asked the Oireachtas not to hike his wages.

Independent TD for Roscommon Michael Fitzmaurice

Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats have also said the rises should not be paid to their TDs.

Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald objected yesterday to the outrageous proposed increases in politicians pay.

The TD said the matter was about fairness when the Government was telling pensioners and others they were only getting an extra 5 a week in the budget.

Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald

But Fianna Fail housing spokesman Barry Cowen defended his decision to take the pay rise.

Speaking to RTE, he confirmed he would keep his increases.

He said TDs pay is assessed by an independent authority and he was happy to be led by this assessment.

Fianna Fail last night also formally said as a party that this would remain the case for its TDs.

Junior doctors may strike over restoration of allowance

Junior doctors could take strike action, depending on the outcome of an upcoming High Court case over the restoration of a 3,000 annual living-out allowance. If the HSE continues to break its contractual agreement the organisation will consider all measures including strike action, the IMO says.

The IMO is conducting regional meetings with its members. An executive council will meet on November 7, before deciding if the organisation will ballot members. Nurses could be set to strike over overcrowding and staffing levels as well as for pay restoration.

Meanwhile, there is no current plan to ballot members of the National Ambulance Service Representative Association, a spokesman says. Its members are looking for pay restoration within the context of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the association says. However, it will be monitoring the outcomes of the planned strikes with other organisations signed up to the agreement.

Meanwhile, Bus Eireann members, represented by the National Bus and Rail Workers Union (NBRU), are balloting over managements plans to restructure the Expressway service. The results of this ballot will be known by the end of next week, says a representative.

Labour Court talks are planned for December 6 regarding a pay rise of 15% and a further 6% the members say was promised by management in 2008. NBRU and Siptu will also engage in talks in the Labour Court on December 13, on behalf of Irish Rail members. Train drivers are seeking a reduction in their weekly hours. There is no proposed strike action for either group.

Some 1,300 staff at ESB were set to ballot for industrial action in September, over cuts to sick leave and terms and conditions for new entrants. The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union for the staff was unable to advise on this at time of going to press.
The bones, believed to be the remains of at least two individuals, have now been sent to experts in Queens University in Belfast for carbon dating to establish their exact age.

The builders made the startling discovery as they were digging foundations for an extension to a house off Barracks St in the city, on Monday afternoon.

They alerted gardai who arrived shortly after 4pm and sealed off the site pending a forensic examination of the area.

Dr Margot Bolster, the assistant state pathologist, conducted a preliminary examination of the bones at the scene and confirmed they were human skeletal remains.

The coroners office was notified before the bones were removed to the city morgue for a more detailed inspection.

Dr Bolster was able to confirm that the bones were the remains of at least two individuals, and were more than 70 years old.

The case then became an archaeological mystery.

Gardai consulted with UCC archaeologists, Barra ODonnabhain and Mara Tesorieri  both experts in ancient human bones  who examined the remains and determined that they could be between 150 and 200 years old.

However, they said carbon dating will be required to establish their exact age, and the bones have now been sent to Queens.

Using that timeframe, gardai consulted historical maps for the city.

The 1852 Moores National Exhibition map of Cork City shows that there were two hospitals  the Royal and St Stephens  as well as a burial ground in that area in the middle of the 19th century.

Gardai believe it is most likely that the house in which the builders were working on Monday was built on a portion of the vast old burial site.

Infectious and contagious diseases were endemic in 19th century Cork, particularly in the inner city where the housing conditions in its warren of lanes, particularly off Barrack St and Shandon St, were abysmal and overcrowded.

Sanitation was primitive and access to clean drinking water was limited.

Thousands of people died after the Famine, with typhus, dysentery, and yellow fever endemic.
The Swedish company, which is the largest furniture retailer in the world, is actively seeking to build a store in the Cork region.

Now officials from the Fermoy municipal district council have contacted the company suggesting that the former Fitzgerald Camp in the town, which closed in 1998, would be an ideal location.

The site was subsequently taken over by the IDA and is fully serviced. But for many years the IDA has been unable to secure tenants for it.

Members of the local municipal authority supported the move after it was suggested by Cllrs Deirdre OBrien and Noel McCarthy.

Cllr OBrien said Ikea would be a great asset to the region, providing much-needed employment and said it wouldnt clash with similar local retailers because it would only be an order and collection point.

Council officials also agreed to write to the IDA pointing out the potential opportunity to finally find a tenant for the site.

Cllr OBrien said the town is serviced by the M8 and people can get to it very easily: Fermoy is becoming more attractive with a growing population and jobs follow people.

Cllr Noel McCarthy said each of the three towns in the municipal district  Fermoy, Mitchelstown and Charleville  have qualities that would suit an Ikea store, namely geographical location, transport, available sites and a skilled local workforce.

Weve been criticised in Fermoy in the past for not bringing businesses in. Im in business myself, the more businesses that come into town the better, its up to the other businesses to feed off them and I think if Ikea did come they would bring more footfall to Fermoy, he said.
Judge Marie Keane said the State would have to sort out the difficulties as soon as possible.

The issue arose during the case against a Lithuanian national who has been remanded in custody for several weeks on a charge of having around 1,000 worth of heroin for sale or supply in the Glanmire area of Cork in August.

Eddie Burke said the accused wanted to plead guilty and be sentenced, but this had not been possible because of delays in the prosecution getting directions from the DPP. I have taken the unusual step of putting it in writing to the State that he would sign a plea of guilty in this case, Mr Burke said.

Insp John Deasy told Judge Keane the prosecution difficulty was the delay in the forensic analysis of the drugs. I would be very hopeful we would have that by November 10, he said.

Mr Burke said if the case was going forward by indictment, then the sessions for that court would be commencing on Monday and the defendant did not want to have his case delayed to the point that he would miss out on the October/November sessions of Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Keane said: The situation regarding analysis is absolutely ridiculous. The State has to get these matters sorted out as soon as possible. She adjourned the case to November 10 and remanded the accused in continuing custody.

Ramunas Gineitis, aged 34, of no fixed address, is charged with having Diamorphine, or heroin, for sale or supply on August 11 at John OCallaghan Park, Riverstown, Glanmire, Co Cork. It was previously alleged the street value was around 1,000.
The intervention comes after Bord Pleanala upheld a Dublin City Council decision that the owner of an apartment in Temple Bar in Dublin needs to apply for planning permission if they wish to continue to rent it out as an Airbnb short-term let.

Housing minister Simon Coveney said his department will contact local authorities individually outlining the Governments position on Airbnb properties to give them clarity.

He said that, while he agrees with the decision, there is a need for his department to provide guidelines for chief executives of local authorities. Mr Coveney said there is a lack of clarity around the role AirBnB plays in the property market and this needs to be addressed. He said the best way to do this is through the planning system.

The housing minister said there is a difference between renting a room or a house out for a few weeks and those advertised as having a five-figure income derived from Airbnb with guests coming and going every few days.

He said this is effectively no different to hostel or band B-type accommodation: Airbnb has a role to play in the broader property market but I think there needs to be clarity around what that role is, and at the moment I dont think there is.

Airbnb has some 3,300 properties listed in Dublin alone. It has more than 800,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries.

Deputy planning officer at Dublin City Council Mary Conway, said the ruling does not set a precedent and that any future cases will be site- specific: One ruling does not necessarily apply across the board. In any other case that seems very similar or identical  that is where somebody has an apartment and is now letting it out on a continual basis as a holiday let and where they are not resident, then based on this ruling we will consider that would be a material change of use and therefore if permission has not been granted then that person then may be liable to enforcement proceedings.

If youre doing it full-time on a continuous basis  in this case it was happening for upwards of a year  then we would consider that to be a material change of use, she told RTE radio.

Ms Conway also confirmed Dublin City Council has received similar complaints and is assessing them: Even before this decision was made, we in the planning department were preparing a submission to the department to ask them to update the planning legislation to allow for a much clearer differentiation between use as a residential apartment and use as a short-term holiday let.

We obviously have planning legislation at the moment but it doesnt really clearly differentiate between an apartment and somebody using an apartment as a holiday let.

"That means when we take action and we have to go to the courts and we have to prove this were in a very weak position, she said.

Lecturer in Housing and Urban Economics at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Lorcan Sirr, said the council needs a formal policy on the use of Airbnb usage in the city.

Last time I looked during the summer, there were over 3,300 apartments in the middle of the city that were available on Airbnb. In the middle of a housing crisis thats a significant number and arguably a driver of rents, he told RTE.
Steven Colvert was given a two-year ban by a Sport Ireland tribunal in July 2015 after he was deemed to have tested positive for synthetic EPO, a hormone that stimulates production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

The two-time Irish 200m champion has always denied doping, but until recently had received almost no media attention outside Ireland or scientific support.

That changed earlier this month, when four Norwegian researchers wrote an article in the Lab Times that accused the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Cologne of making a subjective initial analysis and then ignoring a contradictory follow-up finding.

One of the authors, Dr Tore Skotland, said: The different results obtained with the two methods show there is something wrong with the work performed by the laboratory.

It should be obvious to all scientists that something is wrong when results that are so different are obtained from two methods to analyse the same sample.

The article was picked up by anti-doping commentators including ProfRoss Tucker of South Africas University of the Free State. He was less concerned about the subjective reading of the first screen , a SAR-PAGE test, but damning in his assessment of what happened with the follow-up IEF test: That second test should at the very least support the first, it didnt. That alone should be grounds to go back and start again.

There was no reply from the lab.

Sport Ireland said it is comfortable that the science implemented is aligned with internationally recognised WADA standards.
Michael OBrien, aged 53, of Bulgaden, Kilmallock, Co Limerick, is fighting to keep 123 acres worth over 1m, the majority of which has been in his family for 300 years.

However, AIB, through its defence, is seeking for him to sell a portion of it to repay debts in the region of 171,000 after advancing him a loan to pursue a business in selling horses abroad.

A private investigator had been hired by the plaintiffs to determine other legal entitlements over the land, specifically those of his siblings, and the local parish priest was also contacted to identify whether some of his relatives were deceased.

Mr OBrien said that he has no liquid cash to repay his debts, but is willing to sell a portion of land if a binding, rock solid legal document is produced by the bank. Specifically, Mr OBrien objects to the term strictly without prejudice on legal documents, as he is afraid it could afford the bank lee-way to claim more land from him.

Never will a square inch of it be sold [without my consent]. I wont walk out of here [his house] without an awful battle. Im prepared to go all the way. I will go on hunger strike or be crucified before my land is taken. Its great land; there isnt a bad acre here. If its sold without my consent it will be over my dead body, he said.

The bachelor has fired his legal representation.

The civil dispute, due back in court next month, dates back over a decade when Mr OBrien sought a loan to pursue a venture in the horse transportation business with associates in Spain.

However, he said he was lucky to come out of it with my land and the shirt on my back, after he ran into the wrong people.

Mr OBrien no longer farms his land, but uses it for a number of horses for his own use. His two-storey period property is not being sought by the bank.

Affidavits presented in court show Mr OBrien deposited the title documents relating to 58 acres of his land in April 1999, by way of equitable mortgage to be held as continuing and collateral security. Then in April 2002, he deposited the title documents relating to a further 64 acres of land.

An order in October 2007 declared that the defendant was indebted to AIB to the sum of 128,335.19, with interest accruing.

Appearing before Judge Gerald Keys in Limerick Circuit Civil Court last month, Mr OBrien said he wished to represent himself in court and

wants a binding deal with AIB, particularly a written rather than a verbal agreement.

The banks arent the best for doing deals with as you know, replied the judge.

Objecting to another adjournment of the case, AIBs defence argued the case has now gone on for in excess of 10 years. I dont care how old they [the civil bills] are. The banks have had their way for long enough, said the judge.

The case was adjourned to November 8.
Fears have been expressed that the British shadowing of a Russian fleet, led by the 55,000-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, could lead to a repeat of an incident last year when Russian bombers strayed into Irish-controlled airspace, cloaking their presence to commercial jets.

The Tu-95 bear bombers criss-crossed in and out of Irish-controlled airspace in an effort to evade shadowing British fighter jets. Its believed they were using the opportunity to test Britains western air defences.

This forced the Irish Aviation Authority to ground and divert passenger jets to avoid mid-air collisions.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has been told to make it clear that intrusions into Irish-controlled airspace by military aircraft with their transponders turned off will not be tolerated.

Fianna Fail spokeswoman on defence, Lisa Chambers, said she would be calling on Mr Flanagan to immediately make his views known to both sides.

The Russian fleet, which includes the battlecruiser Peter the Great and anti-submarine destroyers, has already departed its base near Murmansk and is expected to traverse the English Channel in a show of strength on its way to the Syria coast.

Fears over British shadowing of Russian fleet en route to Syria.

A Nato naval source told the Daily Telegraph it was possible the Russian navy could split up in the North Sea, with some going down the Irish Sea or the West coast of Ireland to cause more trouble.

That may be a reference to the incident on February 18, 2015 when the bombers turned their transponders off entering Irish-controlled airspace.

The Russians are expected to launch MIG fighter jet exercises from the aircraft carrier.

Ms Chambers said Mr Flanagan must warn both sides about cloaked intrusions into Irish-controlled airspace, and be particularly vocal with the Russians as he had recently criticised them for their role in Syria.
The news comes as the line minister in charge, Finian McGrath, is coming under increasing fire for delaying the formal establishment of a commission of inquiry into the allegations.

Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Irish Examiner show Conor Dignam was forced to miss several deadlines for producing his report to Government because of HSE delays.

In correspondence in August, Mr Dignam told Mr McGrath that he was forced to seek an extension because the HSE discovered new documents which had not been previously furnished to him. Im sure you can imagine when I was informed that these documents were to be provided at this very late stage, he wrote.

Mr Dignam previously wrote to Mr McGrath on June 20 saying he was concerned after a phone call he had with the HSE head of legal services that he may not have received all relevant documents. I understood that I was being provided with all relevant documentation, he said, adding that such a move would further delay him in producing a report to government.

On April 25, Mr Dignam wrote to then acting minister Kathleen Lynch informing her that he would not be able to present her with a finalised report by the end of the month.

The HSE provided almost 12,000 pages of documents. During my detailed consideration, it became clear that there were pages missing from my copy documents and that some documents which I would have expected had not been included.

Meanwhile, Mr McGrath is under fire from Government TD John Deasy over the protracted delays to the commission being established. Should there be any delays, then the time has come for the responsibility for this be taken away from Minister McGrath, he told the Irish Examiner.

In response, Mr McGrath said the Dignam report required two legal procedural matters to be addressed in sequence before it could be brought to Government.

Coincidentally, the first of these matters was concluded on Wednesday as Mr Deasy raised the issue in the Dail.

Steps to resolve the remaining matter are being put in train. As soon as this final legal procedural matter has been addressed the minister will bring the report to government with a view to its early publication, Mr McGraths spokesman said.

The minister and his officials have studied Mr Dignams report and preparatory work on drafting terms of reference for the commission has begun, pending publication of the report.
That is according to William Binchy, former Regius Professor of Laws at Trinity College Dublin, who addressed the second national FOI conference in Kilkenny yesterday.

Prof Binchy said some producers of medical devices have a very sharp or stern policy regarding retention and disposing of records such that they will dispose of records very shortly after theyve been made, certainly on the electronic side.

The argument used to justify this is tidy management of your electronic intray but, Prof Binchy said, that argument could be challenged or at least criticised on the basis that producers of medical products who face the possibility of being sued at some stage by an injured consumer are effectively wiping the slate clean.

Prof Binchy said that, just as citizens have access to the workings of the government under FOI legislation, there may be a case for consumers of healthcare to also be given broader access to something looking like FOI entitlement.

He said producers of products can introduce cynically short periods for retention of records... anticipating not necessarily a particular claim but rather the prospect of claims as an almost inevitable aspect of the production process.

Is that fair to those victims whose access to information is destroyed? he asked. Even if an order of discovery is granted in those circumstances, they wont be able to have access to the information because its been destroyed.

Prof Binchy also expressed concerns about public bodies use of an oral system instead of written records for fear something would come back to haunt them under FOI, saying this has repercussions for the States historical memory.

His concerns were echoed by Catherine Pierse, head of legal at the Policing Authority. Ms Pierse asked if reverting to an oral system is an inevitable outcome of FOI  if it means people are reluctant to write dissenting opinions down.

She asked Evelyn OConnor, principal officer in the Government Reform Unit of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform if this is an unintended consequence of FOI. Ms OConnor, who has played a lead role in reforming FOI legislation, said similar concerns have been aired previously but there is no evidence to support this fear.

Management consultant Pat McLoughlin, who chaired the conference hosted by AllOne Corporate Solutions, said what happened on the night of the bank guarantee highlights the need for keeping records  records were not kept on and conflicting accounts were subsequently given by different banks.

On the other hand, those who made protected disclosures during the banking inquiry had kept records and were able to protect themselves as a result, Mr McLoughlin said.

Conference organiser and AllOne director Sinead Byrne said she previously worked for the health board and, back in the day when recording minutes of health board meetings, she learned very quickly how certain people wanted certain things recorded.
Talks between the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors and Department of Justice officials lasted for almost three hours yesterday and continue today.

In what was seen as a confidence-building measure, AGSI leaders agreed to tweak their action today and allow a number of custody sergeants in stations to use the Garda Pulse system to process prisoners being brought in for questioning or being taken to court.

Sources yesterday described the meeting as constructive and said negotiations were continuing but declined to indicate whether any real progress was being made.

Meanwhile, talks between the Garda Representative Association and the department also continue today after discussions on Tuesday.

Sources agreed the talks over the coming days were critical in averting the unprecedented strike action on November 4, 11, 18, and 25 involving up to 12,500 members. Sources speculated that the talks could continue over the weekend.

Speaking after the meeting yesterday, AGSI president Antoinette Cunningham said they continued to outline their position to department officials: In the spirit of the negotiations it would be unfair to comment too deeply at this time. What I can say is that we are coming back tomorrow for further discussion.

AGSI president Antoinette Cunningham

She said they agreed to tweak their action today: One issue of concern was raised in there in relation to prisoners tomorrow, and in the spirit of negotiations, we will allow a small number of custody sergeants to manage prisoners through the Pulse system tomorrow.

Asked was any progress being made on the substantive issues, Ms Cunningham said: Were in negotiations. When you are negotiating you are talking and beyond that it would be wrong to speculate.

She said they were still in the very early stages of negotiation, but did not agree that time was running out.

I suppose we are back here tomorrow and we see what emerges tomorrow to see whether it can bring us on to the next day or not. But at least we are in the position where we are meeting.

Sources have described the coming days as crucial: The next few days could be critical and we could have talks continuing over the weekend, said one source.

On Wednesday, Department of Justice sources said they were open to exploring options with the staff associations and said nothing was ruled in, or out.

However, the sources repeatedly said any proposals cannot offend or do damage to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

Department sources said they wanted to see more detail from both associations about their positions, so they could examine them and respond.

Ms Cunningham said their action today would affect the internal workings of the force: The use of Pulse is the IT system that all garda administration and functional duties is recorded through. I think its more of an internal rather than an external impact possibly.

Other sources said sergeants and inspectors would not be reviewing existing investigations on Pulse.

If a garda comes back from an incident, he inputs it onto the system. The sergeant can open the file up and check with the garda, did you take statements, did you get CCTV, did you do door-to-door, etc and the garda would follow up.

But it will delay this for 24 hours and he would do it the next day. He might alternatively tell the garda this verbally instead.

In addition, sergeants and inspectors will not be able to access their emails.

Meanwhile, Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan, returned to Ireland yesterday after attending a four-day international police conference in San Diego.
The court heard Noel Fitzgerald, aged 48, was a well-respected member of his inner city community and this offence was wildly out of character.

Fitzgerald, of St Michans House, Greek Street, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of benzocaine in circumstances which gave rise to the reasonable inference that it was for a purpose connected to a drug trafficking offence on April 22, 2015.

Judge Melanie Greally said the amount of benzocaine seized was very significant and was clearly intended to be used as a cutting agent for the cocaine business.

She said he was performing a necessary function in fetching and carrying to keep the whole drug structure going.

She noted he was a contributing member of the community active in projects which help keep young people away from the drug trade. She said he had not come to any further garda attention and did not appear to be materially gaining from the offence.

She said she was going to take into account the exceptional personal circumstances in the years proceeding this event and noted a family member had said he had became detached from them around this time.

Judge Greally imposed a three-year sentence which she suspended in full for five years but warned Fitzgerald if he came before the court again with any hint of involvement with unsavoury elements with in the community he would serve the entire sentence.

Detective Jerome Toomey agreed with Pieter le Vert BL, defending, that Fitzgerald had owned up to his own role but did not answer questions about who else was involved.

Mr Le Vert said Fitzgeralds life had been marred by unfathomable tragedy including the death of some of his children. His son and wife also suffered ill health.

He said Fitzgerald had a number of health issues and around the time of the offence everything hit him at once and he began to abuse sleeping tablets.
Ms OSullivan and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald attended official events abroad this week, as talks continue to address garda demands for increased pay.

Ms OSullivan was accused of having ill-judgement yesterday and being out of touch in deciding to attend the chief of police conference in San Diego this week. One TD even went as far as claiming the garda chief was sunning herself on a junket-but later withdrew this claim.

Strike action by the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors will see potentially more than 13,000 members of the force at different times withdraw services over four days next month.

The Department of Justice maintains no contingency plans are in place for the strikes and that Ms Fitzgerald has not yet discussed these with Ms OSullivan.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald

However, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, whose department ultimately decides pay matters, said earlier this week contingency measures are being looked at.

Wexford TD Michael DArcy was one of the first yesterday to question why Ms OSullivan was out of the country when every effort was being made to avoid a strike. Its coming at a time when in a number of weeks the nation is facing the biggest strike in the history of the State.

The AGSI will begin their action today. Mr DArcy said that it is not appropriate the garda commissioner was away the day before the action. He said there is a difference in the Justice Minister going to France on a trade trip for two days and the garda chief travelling half way around the world.

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe

It seems that there are no contingency plans as of now. I think the commissioner should have given it [the conference] a skip or sent one of her senior members of staff. The optics for this are terrible. The commissioner is off with three or four other people on a junket in San Diego and she should be here. It shows the error of judgement that she has made of this.. He admitted it was a bit unfair that he had earlier claimed she was sunning herself there.

Carlow-Kilkenny TD Pat Deering said that there is a need for contingency plans.

Fianna Fails finance spokesman Michael McGrath said: I think her sole focus really should have been in Ireland, dealing with that scenario, preparing contingencies, and I think she should have been here. I think it was a poor judgement call to go.

The Department of Justice last night said: There has, of course, been no question of any absence by the commissioner abroad impinging in any way on the performance of the full range of her functions, both domestic and international.
James Jimmy Lammon aged 44, of Cardington Way, Athy, Co Kildare has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 22-year-old Jason Doogue in the Green Hills area of Athy on August 21, 2015.

The court has previously heard that Mr Doogue died after being shot three times by a masked and hooded gunman on a bicycle.

Detective Garda Shane Curran, a ballistics expert with the Garda Technical Bureau, told prosecuting counsel Kerida Naidoo that he examined a Makarov 9mm pistol found buried in Shaws Wood by a garda search team.

Det Gda Curran fired the pistol and compared the bullet with two that had been taken from Mr Doogues body.

He said he was satisfied that the bullets in Mr Doogues body had been fired by that same pistol.

He explained to the jury that when a bullet travels through the barrel of a gun grooves on the barrel leave marks on the bullet that are unique to that gun.

Yesterday Garda Mairead Lacey told Mr Naidoo that she found the gun, along with a silver silencer and ammunition, after following a foot-worn trail leading from the back of Mr Lammons home to Shaws Wood.

Inside the wood she discovered a small round hole in the ground and dug down with her hands.

Det Gda Curran said the gun, which is of Russian origin, was in good condition. Its serial number had been removed.

The magazine found with it contained three live rounds and the muzzle of the gun was threaded to allow the silencer to be attached.

Inspector Seamus Rothwell of Athy Garda Station told defending counsel Mary Rose Gearty SC that during searches of Mr Lammons home and the surrounding areas gardai discovered a number of items, including latex gloves, clothes, runners, bullet proof vests and fireworks.

A black top was retrieved from the River Barrow that flows near Mr Lammons property.

Mr Naidoo explained that the prosecution had no further witnesses available yesterday and Justice Paul Butler asked the jury to return today.
Ms Justice Caroline Costello granted the extension last June over very grave breaches by the developer of the bankruptcy laws, including hiding his interest in 12 apartments in Dublin.

Her decision means Mr McFeely, set to exit bankruptcy at the end of July 2015, will not, unless he wins his appeal, do so until May 2020.

Yesterday, his counsel Vincent P Martin, told the president of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Sean Ryan, he was seeking a priority hearing.

Mr McFeely is now almost 14 months beyond the period he should have exited bankruptcy and, if he wins his appeal will never get that time back, counsel said. The case involved important points concerning the new bankruptcy regime, he added.

Mr Justice Ryan agreed the appeal is urgent and raises important issues concerning the bankruptcy laws.

He fixed dates for exchange of the necessary legal documents between the sides and adjourned the matter for mention to next month when it is expected a hearing date will be fixed.

Last June, Ms Justice Costello noted five years is the maximum period by which a bankruptcy may be extended but said Mr McFeelys deliberate and continuing non-cooperation warranted an extension of almost that period.

He had failed to disclose to bankruptcy trustee Chris Lehane his interest in seven apartments at the Aras na Cluain development, Clondalkin, and in five units at Old Saw Mills Industrial Estate, Lower Ballymount Road, she held.

Documents obtained by Mr Lehane during a raid on a Coalport premises indicated the five Old Sawmills units, with an estimated value of up to 1m, were at one point co-owned by Mr McFeely and developer Larry OMahony, the judge said.

Mr McFeely alleged his brother was benefically entitled to those units and he himself only had a 20% interest in them which was vested in Mr Lehane, she noted.

While a warrant obtained by Mr Lehane did not authorise the search of the premises leased to Coalport, no constitutional right of Mr McFeely was breached.
While work to recruit temporary supervisors has begun, a body representing school boards said that the simple task of inducting them and explaining the layout of schools or rules on behaviour will be hampered by the lack of cooperation by members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI).

Dozens of principals, deputy principals and board chairpersons of community and comprehensive schools attended information meetings in Limerick and Mullingar yesterday, with another meeting in Sligo today.

But Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS) general secretary Eileen Salmon said, even with plans in place to organise regional training for supervisors hired for numerous schools, there will be difficulty when the temporary staff are to be inducted on issues specific to each school because the ASTI will not allow members who are principals or in other management roles cooperate with the contingency plans.

She said it was very hard to envisage how schools that need replacement staff can have them in place for the week after the mid-term break, with ASTIs industrial action due to begin on Monday, November 7.

The first of seven one-day strikes by ASTI is to be held next Thursday unless resumed talks with the Department of Education next Monday bring about any breakthrough or temporary postponement of the two-pronged industrial action by the unions 18,000 members.

Ms Salmon said these actions would add to existing disruption by ASTI members not taking part in junior cycle reform, school planning or work associated with vacant middle-management posts.

All these issues are really bleeding schools and they have to be sorted out sooner rather than later, without resort to strikes or teachers withdrawing from supervision and substitution, because all they are doing will be causing chaos in schools.

More than 70 out of almost 100 community and comprehensive schools have advertised they will need temporary staff to supervise students during breaks and other times when ASTI members would ordinarily be rostered to do so.

Ms Salmon said some schools will not need to hire new supervisors, either due to most staff being Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) members, or being able to cover the work with trainee or non-unionised teachers.

More than 370 other schools, whose teaching staff are all ASTI members, are certain to close at least until staff can be recruited and Garda-vetted.

More than 40 community colleges run by education and training boards are also seeking applicants for supervision work through the Department of Education website, but all of these may have the same difficulty as those in the community and comprehensive sector when it comes to in-school induction.

The TUI executive will today consider how to advise members on the question of passing ASTI strike pickets at dual-union schools.
Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy said she has considerable sympathy for officials of Mayo County Council who have had to deal with Thomas McCormack, aged in his sixties, and who made all reasonable efforts to accommodate him.

Mr McCormack seems to be a man extremely exercised by his entitlements but appears to have scant regard for his responsibilities, she said.
It published the Bovaird review in full on its website yesterday just days after the Irish Examiner revealed how it had identified several flaws in the Cork Local Government Review Groups (CLGR) 2015 merger report.

The UCC-commissioned Bovaird review said the CLGRs minority report  authored by two UCC academics and which called for a significant extension of the city boundary  was much better substantiated by its arguments and the evidence.

In its first public comment on the review, UCC president Dr Michael Murphy said the document stands on its own merits and represents the views solely of the author.

The Bovaird report sets out the merits of the process of the CLGR report, and goes on to add insightful analysis of the economic impacts and opportunities of the two solutions proposed, it said.

Dr Murphy said following publication of the CLGR report in September 2015, he received approaches from several directions to comment on the majority report and the minority report.

The statement said he considered that since there had been no international representative on the CLGR group  in contrast to the usual review processes at UCC on matters of less public interest  it would be appropriate to seek international advice from an acknowledged expert on local authority governance.

Mr Murphy then sought advice from Professor Tony Bovaird at the University of Birmingham, the director of Governance International Institute, and invited his opinion of the CLGR process, its outcomes, and recommendations, and any professional guidance. UCC said the Bovaird report was received and acknowledged by the University Management Team earlier this year.

It is now considered timely to circulate the report publicly, as the matter of configuration of Corks local authorities has been revisited by the media, it said.

UCC published the Bovaird report as the head of the new expert advisory group, established by Local Government Minister Simon Coveney to review the CLGR process, arrived in Cork.

Former chief planner to the Scottish government, Jim Mackinnon, met senior city officials on Wednesday, and is to meet senior county council officials today. Mr Coveney has asked Mr Mackinnon to lead his group in a complete trawl of the CLGR process and documents in a bid to break the impasse over the future of Corks local government structures. It is understood that Mr Mackinnon has been furnished with a copy of the Bovaird report.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein TD Donnchadh O Laoghaire said the merger proposal is now becoming less and less credible. The Bovaird Report simply takes apart the Smiddy report, it undermines in a detailed way its conclusions and recommendations, he said.

The Mackinnon group is due to issue a progress report before the end of the year, and make recommendations early next year.
At the European Council Summit in Brussels yesterday Mr Kenny agreed that Russia should face sanctions and said the countrys bombing of Aleppo would be the subject of detailed discussion at the meeting.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk said that the EU cannot rule out sanctions against Russia as it continues to bomb Syria.

Mr Tusk said European leaders would be discussing future relations with Russia but said its really difficult, even impossible to talk about this and not refer to the current attacks on civilians and hospitals in Aleppo.

I want to underline that the EU should keep all options open including sanctions, he said.

Attending her first summit as British prime minister, Theresa May called on her fellow leaders to stop the appalling, sickening actions taken by Russia.

We must continue that robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression. Its vital we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling atrocities, its sickening atrocities, in Syria, she said.

Although EU Parliament president Martin Schulz said there are still differing views in Europe on increasing sanctions, there is agreement that the current sanctions should not be eased.

The Dail also discussed the atrocities in Syria with Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan describing the Russian bombing campaign as terrorism.

He said Russia has claimed it is attacking terrorists in Aleppo but said the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, said there may only be 800 to 900 fighters in eastern Aleppo out of an estimated total population of 275,000.

Fianna Fails Brendan Griffin said Ireland has a proud record of punching well above our weight on the international scene and we need to continue that.

Sinn Feins Sean Crowe said Ireland should be a leader in its response to the refugee situation.
Engineers, mathematicians and doctors from Ireland and India worked together on the scientific breakthrough that has the potential to automate breast image screening and improve the detection rate.

The new technique developed by the multidisciplinary team can be used to analyse high-grade breast cancer cells.

It was previously used to detect damaged surface areas on underwater marine structures, such as bridge piers, offshore wind-turbine platforms and pipelines.

A report on the new technique that identifies cancerous nuclei in breast cell images has been published in the leading journal, Plos One.

Current breast cancer clinical practice and treatment relies mainly on the evaluation of the diseases prognosis using the Bloom-Richardson grading system.

The evaluation system is based on a pathologists visual examination of a tissue biopsy specimen under a microscope, but different pathologists may assign different grades to the same samples.

The development of digital pathology and fast digital- slide scanners opened the possibility of automating the prognosis by applying image-processing methods.

However, image-processing methods have struggled to analyse high-grade breast cancer cells that are often clustered together and have vague boundaries.

Assistant professor of civil engineering at Trinity College, Bidisha Ghosh, said the research group was able to draw on a broad and deep knowledge base to develop the new screening technique.

Experts in numerical methods and image-processing liaised with medical pathologists who were able to offer expert insight and could tell us precisely what information was of value to them, said Prof Ghosh.

It is an excellent example of how multidisciplinary research collaborations can address important societal issues, she said.

The head of the department of transfusion medicine and immunohematology from the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, Prof Joy John Mammen, described their work as a first step towards automating the breast imaging process.

The technique was developed in conjunction with mathematicians in Madras Christian College, India, led by Maqlin Paramanandam.

The potential for this technology is very exciting, and we are delighted this international and inter-disciplinary team has worked so well at tackling a real bottle-neck in automating the diagnosis of breast cancer using histopathology images, said Dr Paramanandam.

Meanwhile, the Irish Cancer Society is urging people to support the Paint it Pink breast cancer campaign by holding a pink event to raise funds for cancer research.

In 1976, fewer than half of women diagnosed with breast cancer survived the disease whereas now 85% of women survive breast cancer over five years. n www.paintitpink.ie.
May attended her first Leaders Summit as prime minister yesterday and began by voicing her dissatisfaction about being left out of a meeting of European heads of State in Bratislava last month.

Arriving at the meeting in Brussels Ms May remained adamant that the UK would continue to play a fill role until we leave and well be a strong and dependable partner after weve left.

It is in the interest of both the UK and the EU that we continue to work closely together including at this summit, she said.

Although there will be no discussion or debate on Brexit during the Summit which continues today, European Council president Donald Tusk had asked Ms May to update European leaders on the UKs plan in relation to Brexit last night.

She was also asked to clarify remarks she made to the Conservative party conference during which she signalled a hard Brexit.

However, at the beginning of the meeting it is understood the British leader criticised the other 27 member State for not inviting her to Bratislava in September.

She insisted while Britain remains part of the EU it should be involved in talks.

Enda Kenny spoke briefly to May at the beginning of the meeting.

Minister of State for European Affairs Dara Murphy said there would be instances when heads of State would have to meet without the UK.

Of course there has to be meetings of the 27 - when you are talking about divorce which is a term that has been used by the UK as well - there will have to be meetings without the UK. And when decisions have to be made at EU level with the 28, then the 28 will be involved.

Welcoming May to her first Summit meeting, Mr Tusk said there would be no discussions on Brexit negotiations until Article 50 is triggered.

Some media described her meeting in the European Council as entering the Lions den, its not true. Its more like a nest of doves,

You can be sure she will be absolutely safe with us. I he that she will also realize that the EU is still the best company in the world.

Asked if leaders would talk before the triggering of Article 50 he said: Absolutely not we will not discuss about our future negotiations today.

While French President Francois Hollande said: She wants a hard Brexit? She will get hard negotiations.
The university recently demolished some of the old Crows Nest pub, which fronts the site it bought at Victoria Cross this year for around 2.5m, with planning permission already in place for student accommodation.

The college had approval from Cork City Council for the demolition, due to concerns about the stability of some buildings on the site near Cork County Hall.

But no decision has yet been made whether to develop the scheme for which planning permission already exists, or to submit a revised planning application.

Planning permission was granted in 2009, and extended last year to 2020 by the council, for a large commercial and student accommodation.

The plan as originally submitted by previous applicants was for more than 350 bedrooms in 64 student apartments.

However, due to the removal of several of the proposed floors in two main blocks, in conditions attached to Cork City Councils grant of permission, the existing approval is for a complex that would accommodate around 200 students.

The permitted scheme would also include a bar/ restaurant and shops on the ground floor but it may be open to UCC to remove or revise that element of the approved building through a change-of-use planning application.

It will be some time early next year before any decision on what way to proceed is reached, following advice from a design team being recruited to assist on the project, according to Mark Poland, UCCs director of buildings and estates.

Any additional bed spaces will be of strategic importance as the college seeks to offer places in dedicated student accommodation centres for first-years and all international students.

UCC president Michael Murphy told staff last week that significant additional student accommodation is needed.

The university hopes to complete the acquisition of the Victoria Mills complex soon, adjoining the colleges Western Gateway Building and quite near the Crows Nest site.

While the majority of those renting rooms in sites like Victoria Mills may be UCC students, owning the development would better allow international students to be guaranteed living space near the campus.

The 200-plus student bed spaces in the Crows Nest development would be among nearly 3,000 in various developments in planning or already under construction by all seven universities in the next few years.

However, even with another 6,000-plus bed spaces in student complexes planned by private developers, completion of those developments would leave a shortfall of over 12,000 in the number of spaces in dedicated student accommodation beds, based on estimates last year by the Higher Education Authority.
Despite denials of assault by Samantha Murphy of Carrigbeg apartments, Sundays Well, Road, Cork, she was convicted of assaulting Leona Hayes at her home at Ardcullen, Hollyhill, Cork, on June 8, 2015. The case had been adjourned to yesterday for a report on Murphy.

Judge Con OLeary warned Murphy when he convicted her of assaulting Ms Hayes that a jail sentence was probable. Yesterday he imposed the three-month term.

Murphys partner, Anthony Crowley, also of Carrigbeg, was given a six-month sentence for his part in assaulting Ms Hayes but his sentence was suspended on condition that he stay away from Ms Hayes for a year. The judge said Crowley only went there and got involved in the violent assault because Murphy wanted to have it out with Ms Hayes.

Ms Hayes said she was at home that day when she heard a loud bang and she went out to find Samantha Murphy looking very angry and asking, What the fuck is going on? All parties are aged around 30.

Ms Hayes said, She punched me in the nose, there was blood everywhere. She came into the hallway at the bottom of my stairs and grabbed me by the hair. Anthony Crowley came in and punched me. I fell against the stairs.

Both of them were kicking me and punching me. I had a morning coat on me. I tried to put it up around me to protect my face, Ms Hayes said.

Murphy picked up a flower pot from outside the door and threw it into the hall damaging a radiator cover.

Samantha Murphy said there were messages on Facebook blaming her for the break-up of Leona Hayess relationship of 10 years with Anthony Crowleys brother.

Murphy said her hope was that they would, have it out over a cup of tea to find out what was going on. Both Murphy and Crowley were convicted of assault. Murphy was also convicted of causing criminal damage.
In Black Mirror, the cult dystopian drama coming to Netflix this week, writer Charlie Brooker whisks the viewer off to a nightmarish Neverland. A place where technology corrodes the soul, social media mires us in crippling psychological anxiety and politicians are dangerous rabble-rousers surging to power on a toxic tide of populism. Does he ever suspect the real world is trying to put him out of job?

After the pig thing with David Cameron all bets were off, he laughs. I thought, f**k me that was weird. People asked if I thought I was living in a Black Mirror episode.

The pig thing was a 2015 claim  quickly dismissed as an outrageous fabrication  that former British prime minster David Cameron had committed a lewd act upon a disembodied pigs head as part of an initiation rite at Oxford. Four years previously, a Black Mirror episode has posited a chillingly similar scenario, in which the PM is, for reasons of national security, is required to become physically intimate with a swine live on TV.

I genuinely thought reality was a simulation I had created, says Brooker. Obviously that isnt a healthy thing to think.

With the UK economy is in the midst of a post-Brexit referendum meltdown and Donald Trumps presidential campaign still gaining infamy, he acknowledges the end of days atmosphere is a challenge to Black Mirror. The show arrives on Netflix for a much anticipated new six-part series, having gained an international cult following across two seasons on Channel 4.

You really cant predict what is going to happen. Who would have predicted Brexit this time last year? No one thought that was going to happen. A referendum where a lots of people dont bother voting and you find out half the country doesnt think the way you do. Are we living through a Black Mirror episode at the moment? Well see. I alternate between being a worrier and an optimist. Maybe were a warning to the rest of the world at the moment.

SEARING CRITIC

Brooker (45) is a lowly journalist turned conjurer of zeitgeist-defining drama. As a critic he was searing to the point of scatalogical and his television is in much the same vein. Ten years ago, Nathan Barley (co-written with comedy subversive Chris Morris) predicted the rise of the hipster hordes currently besieging our cities with their beards, black jumpers and fixed-gear bikes.

Then came Screenwipe and Newswipe, commentaries on television news that didnt take a pick-axe to British TV as much as get stuck in with a jackhammer.

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But Black Mirror is his biggest and strangest success. He conceived of the show as a means of addressing what he felt was an absence from the schedules of thought-provokingly weird television. Growing up, hed adored the Twilight Zone, Roald Dahls Tales of the Unexpected and all those creepy one-off BBC tele-plays that the sent you to bed with a head full of nightmares. Television has in the interim become safe, sanitised and formulaic. Black Mirror seeks to restore some of the otherworldliness.

Its quite a popcorn show, says the father of two whos married to TV presenter Konnie Huq. Youre coming up with these what if scenarios, trying to get a strong reaction. We take it to 11. The Twilight Zone was concerned with the worries of the day  the Cold War, the Space Race. We are dealing with contemporary subjects contemporary worries, though hopefully with humour.

Brooker and co-producer Annabel Jones suspect theyve hit a sweet spot when an idea strikes them as simultaneously amusing and horrifying. I know when weve got an idea  I find it hilarious and [Jones] finds it upsetting. Then its a very Black Mirror idea  it straddles that fence of funny and upsetting.

Black Mirror is unconventional in other ways too. Its an anthology, with each episode featuring a different story, cast and setting. A 2014 Christmas special starred Mad Mens Jon Hamm; the new series sees appearances by Bryce Dallas Howard and Michael Kelly from House of Cards.

Among the topics addressed across its first two seasons were cloning, 21st century surveillance culture and the perniciousness of reality television. If Brooker and Jones feel the subject is worth delving into, theyll put it on the table.

One of the stories in the new series is set in the present day, says Jones. It has no sci-fi element whatsoever. Black Mirror isnt really a sci-fi show or a technology show. Its about people.

CONTROVERSIAL MOVE

With Netflix as sugardaddy, Black Mirrors scope has widened even further with series three. Several episodes are set in the United States, some in the UK and one in Scandinavia.

However, the move from Channel 4 to Netflix has not been without controversy, with Brooker contentiously taking his creation to the streaming giant after a $40 million bidding war.

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This provoked disgruntlement at Channel 4 which feels it made a star out of Brooker.

For his part, Brooker has expressed unhappiness that Channel 4 wanted to retain exclusive UK rights while, by his telling, expecting him and his team to sort out distribution in the United States.

Black Mirror makes perfect sense on Netflix because its an anthology show, he says today. The genre has in the past struggled to build an audience. You may have loved Tales of the Unexpected  but youre not necessarily burning to watch the next episode.

With streaming, you get a lot of word of mouth. Its perfect for something like this.

Theres a perception that Black Mirror represents one endless tirade against technology and how it has eroded our humanity. Brooker feels such an interpretation is far too simplistic.

I used to be a video games journalist, he says. We all find technology very seductive. For me, [the show] is really a means of allowing the protagonist mess up their lives. Black Mirror isnt science fiction in the sense of having aliens with weird foreheads standing around in robes. I cant relate to that.

These are paranoid nightmares  the series is exploring nostalgia, romance, the future of military technology, waves of populist anger. We are standing back, looking at all of these things and thinking oh God, what if this or that happens?

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Black Mirror is available on Netflix from today
LITTLE Casey Connors lives a nightmare. Just four years old, shes covered from the neck down in open wounds, and bandaged from head to toe.

She is unable to cycle a bike or run and play like other children her age, because if she fell, or if someone bumped into her, her skin could tear, causing more wounds.

Alternatively pieces of her skin could shred and fall off.

Sometimes when her bandages are being changed  which happens every second day and takes hours  the dressings stick and pieces of Caseys skin come away.

In constant pain as the result of the horrific disease she has endured from birth, little Casey takes three painkillers a day and is transported from place to place in a buggy.

Some days she and children like her can wake up to sheets covered in blood because, tormented by an extreme itch, they have scratched their skin through the bandages all night.

Casey can only eat soft or blended food because her throat is covered in blisters. She cannot go with her family on a sun holiday because strong sunlight causes blisters to form inside her eyeballs. Her fingers and toes are starting to fuse.

And thats not all  theres no cure for the disease, and children who survive it face the frightening reality that they could develop a very aggressive form of skin cancer. Caseys life is so cruel that her six-year-old brother Jayden recently asked their mother Rachel: Why did God make Casey this way?

Casey has a form of Epidermolysis Bullosa, a severe, rare genetic skin-blistering condition, for which there is no cure, and which was once described by a medical expert as the worst thing you can live with.

Casey has Recessive Dystrophic EB, which is also characterised by a contraction of the joints, resulting in a fusion of the fingers and toes. According to Debra Ireland, the group which supports families struggling to deal with the condition, EB is the worst disease youve never heard of.

Casey would probably agree  she recently inquired whether her special skin would get better as she became older, but her 26-year-old mother could not bring herself to answer, she says. Thats because the answer is never. In playschool, Casey is accompanied at all times by a special Needs Assistant to ensure that she doesnt fall or bump into other children.

Every second day, she undergoes the often-excruciating ordeal of having her dressings changed  first she has to soak in a bath to soften the bandages before they are gently removed.

Bandage-changing is carried out at the familys Clondalkin home by her mother and her grandmother Eileen, who must also ensure that Caseys fresh bandages are carefully cut so that they are perfectly shaped to her tiny body. Otherwise they will damage her ultra-fragile skin  so fragile that the skin of children with EB is also called butterfly skin.

When were doing the bandages it takes two to three hours, says Granny Eileen. You have to cut the bandages to size  they cannot be too small or too big because if they dont fit properly theyll take her skin off.

Bedtime is no childhood sanctuary for little Casey: She can feel very itchy. Sometimes the itch medicine doesnt work well and Casey will scratch through her bandages and cause more wounds, says Rachel.

Judith Gilsenan of Debra Ireland puts is succinctly: When severe itching can kick in at night and the child scratches through the bandages, in the morning you can wake up to blood-soaked sheets.

Its very hard on Rachel sometimes and when Casey gets bigger it will be more difficult, says Eileen. Already her toes are starting to join together. The skin tightens as they get bigger. It happens to their hands as well.

Because its a genetic condition, EB is not contagious. An estimated one in every 18,000 babies in Ireland are affected by EB, which causes a breakdown in the natural proteins that hold the skin together. The slightest touch can cause severe pain, blistering and sores.

Its estimated that about 300 people here have some form of the disease, which is said to affect more than 500,000 people worldwide.

For children with the condition, all normal childhood activities  bedtime, bath-time, birthday parties, even walking in the school playground, are all either hugely problematic or impossible.

EB is the master, and it is a vicious monster of a master, says Gilsenan matter-of-factly.

The only part of the body that EB does not affect is the brain. There is nothing it does not attack, she says, adding that at the moment, the only treatments for the condition are wound care and pain management.

Liz Scanlons 12-year-old daughter Claudia has the same condition as Casey.

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Scanlon (48) explains that like Casey, Claudia, who must now be peg-fed, was born with no collagen layer in her skin.

The collagen is like adhesive sticking the dermis and epidermis layers of skin, Liz explains.

This means that she is affected internally and externally  after all, the skin is the biggest organ in the body so everything from her ability to swallow to her ability to go to the loo is affected.

She has open wounds all over her body. Her nutrition is very poor. The skin on her throat blisters which causes narrowing of the throat and makes swallowing difficult, says Liz. As a result Claudia must be peg-fed (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy  a PEG tube is passed into a patients stomach through the abdominal wall).

She has wounds over 80% of her body that are similar to third degree burns and her hands have contracted. Her fingers and toes have fused so that her hands are like mittens and her feet are like stumps.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Claudia, who is now in first year of secondary school and on three strong painkillers a day, must step into a bath of warm water, Milton and salt  to ensure no infection takes place  and go through the ordeal of having her bandages changed.

Bandage cutting is like a military operation, says Liz, because, just as with Casey, the bandages must fit Claudias body perfectly or they will cause more tearing.

Like Casey, Claudia has heart-breaking questions about her future. She has asked her mother whether she will ever have a boyfriend. She is aware that her puberty has been delayed because of her unavoidably poor nutrition.

Her devoted parents make the most of what they can do for her  birthdays, for example, are very special occasions. The family also moved into a bungalow in Terenure five years ago so as to be able to facilitate Claudias need of a wheelchair.

She just wants to be treated the same as everyone else and accepted as who she is, says Liz.

She is wonderful. She is amazing.

For more information on EB: visit https://debraireland.org/

Phone: 01-412-6924

Email : info@debraireland.org

October 24-29 is National EB Awareness Week and the public is asked to show their support for EB patients by picking up a Debra Ireland butterfly tattoo at any Applegreen and texting BUTTERFLY to 50300 to make a 4 donation.
THE horse bolted a long time ago. Dont kid yourself: the Government will capitulate to public wage demands. Its just a question of the quantum.

In modernising Ireland and in making the private sector fit for purpose, by deregulating its protected elements under EU competition law, insiders such as taxis, air routes, grocers, pharmacists, hospital consultants, lawyers, dentists etc, set their faces against change, pleading that their special case  their grievance, their agreements and their undertakings  served the common good and was in the national interest.

Public sector wage demands for piecemeal reforms are no different, except that EU laws do not apply to them.

None of the professions opted willingly for deregulation and modernisation, because it affected their most powerful insiders hardest.

The measure of any protected sectors success is the premium it extracts from the public over and above what is a fair exchange for its value  think of Dublin taxis in the old days, or flights from Dublin to London, to understand the extremes to which such premiums can go.

Now look at Irelands most powerful trade unions  not at what they say, but what they do. Distilled, they are in the business of delivering benefits to subscription-paying members, benefits to which their own rates of remuneration are linked.

They operate least within the most vulnerable parts of the private sector  where, traditionally, unions fought against employer excesses  and most behind closed doors in the public sector, where they are least needed.

These organisations have been fantastic: They steered their subscribers through an economic depression, ensured that its worst impacts (joblessness and emigration) were privatised, and that they emerged with a large premium over private sector wages, after sanctifying a thousand allowances as core pay en route, all the while maintaining the illusion that an unfunded pension debt of 100bn is sustainable on a pay-as-you-go model for a fast-aging population. That is not just success; it is raw power.

Listen closely to the news agenda set by the State broadcaster, RTE  where payroll costs equal licence-fee revenue  and you dont hear these facts.

The workers that get namechecked most are GTNs, (garda, teachers ,and nurses).

Those funding them are rarely humanised to the same extent.

You are not told that the total income tax take from the public sector payroll just about matches the current yearly pension pay out, but do the maths.

The ratio of earners to retirees is now about three to one.

The deficit in the social insurance fund is over three times higher.

Both combine to exceed twice the national debt. Neither is sustainable and each is treated like a secret of Fatima.

The inconvenient truth is that Ireland has designed a lopsided, unequal, and socially unjust remuneration model.

The less well-paid, who have the riskiest jobs, fund the higher pay, security, and lifelong income of those least at risk.

Point this out and suggest remedies to deal with the economic realities of longer lives and you can expect to be branded as some class of an anti-public sector, neo-liberal, fighting monk to be demonised, denigrated, and diminished.

Anything to distract from the substance of the problem, which is that Irish people are living much longer, taxed too much at low wages, and served badly by major public services.

Much is made about how Irelands progressive tax laws, principally through social protection benefits, place it among the most effective at income redistribution in the OECD.

Still, even those ideologically in favour of increasing taxes further dare not speak about security of tenure, that a job and premature pension for life are the single most valuable assets one can have, especially if its paid for by your neighbour under sanction of the courts and not some fickle multi-national on a European tax jolly.

Theres never a word about benefit-in-kind tax on security of tenure for well-paid public sector contracts as a means of addressing inequality.

Yet, coupled to capping pensions and introducing a properly funded universal pension scheme, it is the obvious way out of the trap.

At the root of Irelands inability to modernise its health system and deal with the chronic morale problems across vital professions such as gardai and nurses is our dysfunctional political system, which punishes long-term thinking in favour of short-term benefits for whatever baby is screaming loudest.

This is the reason why we dont have public services that lift staff morale, remunerate merit, and have the agility to deal with modern technology and the pace of change.

It is why the legacy of the last government was blowing the opportunity of real modernisation in favour of minimalist productivity gains.

It is why the expectation of restoration was never challenged economically or socially, and it is why we now face strikes.

It is hard to blame public sector workers demanding a priority pass to scarce resources, even if more money wont fix the underlying problem.

Dont expect bravery. The truth is that politicians are scared of public sector power.

Its why the Government will cave in, why opposition politicians wont intervene, and why blunt talkers or binary thinkers are unlikely to make the shortlist for the Public Sector Pay Commission.
All week, Republican US presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has been warning his supporters to expect rampant voter fraud.

He doubled down on this during the third presidential debate, on Wednesday night, citing the millions of names added to the bloated voter rolls as one reason he might not be able to accept the election results.

I will tell you at the time, he said, essentially suggesting that voter fraud could delegitimise the November 8 outcome.

Trump has often tweeted about the impending election being rigged or stolen, influencing one supporter to believe that homeless people in Chicago would be paid to vote for Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Poll monitoring

Trump has also offered an answer for this fake-voter problem: His supporters should monitor the polls and look for suspicious behaviour, singling out cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and St Louis. All have large African-American communities.

Both the voting problems, and Trumps solution, reach back to Americas darker past. He is warning against a specific strain of voter fraud, rooted in urban political machines across the Northeast and Midwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His remedy is a different type of historic voter fraud, rooted in the Jim Crow South.

Reforms of the past four decades have rendered the power of corrupt urban machines  one often-quoted adage was Vote early and often  legend rather than reality.

Yet, dead voting Democrats and fears of rigged elections are now key Trump talking points. He manipulates history to justify a return to a sorrowful period in the South that was defined by racial violence and systematic violation of voting rights.

The history of American elections is one of violence, fraud, corruption, bribery, and dirty tricks. Yet it is also a history of robust reform  a narrative Trump ignores. Despite Republican-controlled state legislatures recent attempts to pass voter-ID laws that disenfranchise minority voters, US voting history is one of ever-increasing democratisation and transparency.

During the gilded age, manipulated elections abounded, though they took on very different regional shapes.

In the Northeast and Midwest, voter corruption played out largely in cities. Precinct leaders of urban political machines, like Tammany Hall in New York, or Frank Hagues in Jersey City, New Jersey, encouraged a range of new immigrants and workers to come to the polls, then strong-armed how they pulled the lever.

Role of patronage

The machines used patronage jobs to command favour. On election day, they would offer saloon patrons rounds of drinks for voting a particular ticket. Most important, they had a say in tallying the votes  and, yes, they notoriously stuffed ballot boxes, or had voters cast their ballots multiple times.

Public service in this era was often about getting rich: Local precinct leaders, like George Washington Plunkitt, in New York, celebrated their ability to make a profit off government service, in what Plunkitt called an honest graft.

But, using the newly harnessed power of public opinion, muckraking journalists, like Lincoln Steffens, aligned with the settlement-house movement to shed light on cities overrun by corrupt politicians and police. The reform impulse gradually took hold.

The early 20th century ushered in systematic changes, such as the 17th amendment (1913), which allowed voters to elect their senators directly, secret ballots, primary campaigns, and referendums.

Slow pace of reform

But these changes, with the exception of the 17th amendment, could not be implemented nationally, because states control the voting rules and procedures. So, reforms were slow to take effect.

Meanwhile, a different form of vote manipulation had flowered in the South. Rather than bulking up the number of people who turned out to vote, this tactic was about keeping people away from the polls. With Jim Crow politics, white supremacists formed White Government Leagues and used violence, intimidation, and even public lynchings to prevent black voters from participating in American civic life.

In Wilmington, North Carolina, for example, as the local, black middle-class made economic and political gains, white supremacists mobilised in 1898. White men and women formed Red Shirt armies to regain control of local politics through force. They disseminated fear, through newspapers stories about what black men would do to white women if they were not monitored. Before election day, the Red Shirts launched a reign of terror on the black community, including house-to-house searches, public harassment, beatings, and even murder.

The result: Days of racial violence that led to 14 African-American deaths and the establishment of legal and extralegal traditions that kept African Americans disenfranchised in North Carolina for more than a half a century.

In states like Illinois, though, it was powerful urban machines that blocked reforms and retained control of municipal politics. By mid-century, Illinois still had an unsavoury reputation for vote fraud, which Trumps two leading surrogates, former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, and former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, now regularly cite.

Illinois corruption was bipartisan. Republicans dominated suburban and rural areas, stuffing ballot boxes down state; Democratic mayor, Richard J. Daley, who ran Chicago, had precinct captains resurrect the dead to vote for Senator John F. Kennedy, in 1960.

Era of transformation

The 1960 presidential election, however, was essentially the last gasp of power for political bosses like Daley. During the decade that followed, the Democratic Party dramatically transformed in content and structure.

The party re-aligned, with African Americans emerging as a vital constituency, and civil rights as an explicit goal. The civil rights movement confronted Southern sheriffs and white supremacist groups and advocated voting laws that would bolster African-American participation. President Lyndon B. Johnson played a major role, orchestrating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Disaffected white Southerners moved to the Republican Party, which has advanced racially coded messages to support states rights over the past 40 years.

Kennedys win over then vice-president, Richard M. Nixon, was also the beginning of the end of dead Democrats voting.

JFK had launched an innovative, media-driven campaign that allowed him to circumvent the party establishment. He used the primary elections, and a Hollywood-style publicity campaign, to win the nomination over a powerful party insider, Johnson, the Senate majority leader. Winning the presidency proved the effectiveness of Kennedys new approach.

Eight years later, the lingering conflict between the old machine bosses and the new reformers erupted violently during the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago. Daley took on the younger liberals eager to move party politics from smoke-filled rooms to a transparent nomination process.

The riots in Lincoln Park, where young activists faced off against Daleys Chicago police might have contributed to Nixons victory that year. But they also led to major reforms in the Democratic Party. It changed to an open-primary system, which its architect, George McGovern, called the end to the day of the boss.

These twinned histories of vote manipulation in the US now shape Trumps narrative about rigged elections in potentially dangerous ways. The story of dead voting Democrats is a chapter of history that is over. Scholars and judges have repeatedly found modern cases of voter fraud extraordinarily rare.

But Trump has capitalised on this myth to embolden a potentially violent revival of the post-Reconstruction Red Shirt leagues.

A 21st century version of Jim Crow voter manipulation could threaten all the decades of reform that have created a more tolerant  and more democratic  America.

Kathryn Cramer Brownell, assistant professor of history at Purdue University, is the author of Showbiz Politics: Hollywood in American Political Life
Mr Trump has left his stunned allies struggling to defend his refusal at the final presidential debate to say if he would honour the results of the November election should he lose, sparking condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats.

His comments came as a tenth woman came forward claiming the Republican nominee had groped her.

Mr Trump kicked off a rally in Delaware, Ohio, by saying that he would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election.

But he added: If I win.

He went on to say: I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.

Mr Trump continues to raise concerns about the integrity of the election, despite a lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud in the country.

With the elections less than three weeks away, Mr Trump insists Democratic rival Hillary Clintons campaign team and the media are attempting to rig the vote against him.

Asked point-blank during Wednesdays debate whether he would accept the results no matter what, he said: Ill tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense, OK?

Ms Clinton said she was appalled by what she called as an attack on US democracy.

Republican senator John McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential election to Barack Obama, said he had conceded defeat without reluctance, even though he did not like the outcome.

Mr McCain said he did not know who would win this presidential election, but added that the loser has always congratulated the winner and called him my president.

Thats not just the Republican way or the Democratic way, said Mr McCain said: Its the American way. This election must not be any different.

Mr Trumps comments came just hours after his running mate, Indiana governor Mike Pence, said: Well certainly accept the outcome of this election.

And Mr Trumps daughter Ivanka, arguably his most influential adviser, said on Wednesday that her father would do the right thing when she was asked if he would concede after a defeat in November.

The debate answer left his own team scrambling in the aftermath. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway at first responded to questions about the comment by saying he would accept the result, because hell win the election.

So, you know, absent widespread fraud and irregularities, then, well see, Ms Conway said.

What hes saying is we have to see what happens.

.@KellyannePolls: Donald Trump is saying that until knows the certified and verified election results he would not concede pic.twitter.com/KkqCrfRj3M  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) October 20, 2016

Meanwhile, another woman came forward yesterday accusing Mr Trump of inappropriate sexual conduct in a press conference called by womens rights attorney Gloria Allred.

Ms Allred introduced Karena Virginia, a yoga teacher and inspirational speaker, at the London Hotel in Manhattan  within walking distance of the famed Trump Tower.

After Donald Trump was caught on tape bragging about groping women, a number of women came forward to share their experiences, said Ms Virginia.

I am here today to add my voice to that of the other Trump accusers. I am here to stand up to Mr Trump for myself, my family, particularly my daughter, and for all the women who deserve to be respected and not subjected by sexual abuse or groped by powerful men who believe that women can be groped, grabbed, or kissed at their pleasure.

Karena Virginia during her news conference in New York today.

Ms Virginia said she came forward to support the other women who were courageous enough to share their stories. She also said no one had asked her to come forward and that many people advised her to keep quiet, saying Mr Trump would likely deny the claims and brand her a liar, as he has done with others who made claims against him.

She said she met Mr Trump by chance while waiting for a lift in Flushing, Queens, outside the US Open in 1998. She was 27 at the time. Mr Trump was 52.

He then walked up to me and reached his right arm and grabbed my right arm, she said. Then his hand touched the right inside of my breast. I was in shock. I flinched. Dont you know who I am? Thats what he said to me. I felt intimidated and I felt powerless.

Then my car pulled up and I got in. After I closed the door, my shock turned to shame. I felt ashamed that I was wearing a short dress and high heels. That feeling of shame stayed with me for a while, and it made me disinclined to wear short dresses or high heels.

For a number of years afterwards, I struggled with what to wear so as to not attract unwanted attention.

WATCH: Karena Virginia says she was groped by Donald Trump at a U.S. Open event in 1998. https://t.co/O6ArMav0n4 https://t.co/wGJxsyQGp1  Reuters (@Reuters) October 20, 2016

Ms Virginias claim comes a day after the third and final presidential debate between Mr Trump and Ms Clinton.

Todays victim is also noteworthy in that her allegation demonstrates how Mr Trump selects his victims at random, said Ms Allred. Some of the women, including the woman who is here today, had an encounter with Mr Trump that appeared to be strictly by chance.

Ms Allred said Mr Trump can no longer claim that he respects women.

Petulance undermines debate performance

-Bette Browne

The final US presidential debate was Donald Trumps last chance to make his case for winning the White House, but instead he gave the finger to democracy by refusing to say that he would accept the choice of the American people on election day.

When asked the first time by moderator Chris Wallace if he would respect the result, Mr Trump replied: I will look at it at the time. When pressed again, he replied: What Im saying is Ill tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense, OK?

His Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, called his response horrifying.

At last night's debate, Trump showed again and again that he doesn't have a clue about what makes America great. https://t.co/r5oDWYARU6  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 20, 2016

Last night, Mr Trump said he would accept a clear election result, but stated he would also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.

Certainly, his remarks are an unprecedented rejection of the very cornerstone of democracy.

It was far more serious than any of the many incendiary remarks he has made during his campaign about immigrants, women, the disabled, and minorities because, for the first time on a public stage at a US presidential debate, a line was crossed and the whole process that underpins democracy was casually jettisoned.

Some in the Trump camp later defended the Republican nominee by asserting that Democrat Al Gore did the same thing by not immediately conceding the 2000 election to George W Bush.

However, Mr Gore held out because that election was too close to call due to a dispute over the Florida count but he did concede when the Supreme Court stepped in and stopped the Florida recount, making Mr Bush the winner.

In a way, Mr Trumps refusal to say he would accept the result was merely an extension of his repeated assertions during the debate and earlier that the election was being rigged and voter fraud could be expected.

Yet a recent study by Justin Levitt, an expert in constitutional law and democracy at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, found that, out of more than 1bn votes cast between 2000 and 2014, there were just 31 instances of voter fraud.An earlier study by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School also found fraud to be extraordinarily rare and said the rate of substantiated instances of such fraud ranged between 0.00004% and 0.0009%.

It remains to be seen whether Mr Trumps continued assertions about vote rigging, coupled with his refusal to say he would accept the election outcome, will doom his already lagging presidential chances but it will likely dominate discussions about his candidacy in the days ahead.

This was certainly not the message he needed coming out of the debate because, ironically, this was probably his best performance to date.He looked and sounded calmer, more disciplined, and better prepared than in the two previous debates, especially during the first 40 minutes, scoring a number of points against Clinton.

He made the case for change and punched home some good points on trade and the economy. He also forced Ms Clinton to dodge and dive as she sought to defend perceived conflicts of interest involving the Clinton Foundation and its acceptance of donations from countries such as Saudi Arabia.

He said it was a criminal enterprise, which she denied, and as a result she should not have been allowed to seek the presidency.

The candidates also had a spirited exchange on abortion, gun control, and immigration. He delivered standard conservative responses on the Supreme Court and the kind of judges he would appoint if elected, though he did not explicitly say he wanted to see the landmark Roe v Wade ruling on abortion rights overturned.

If he had continued in this vein he would likely have won himself more support from Republicans outside his base, whom he now desperately needs,as he falls further behind Clinton in national polls though the race is tighter in some battleground states.B but it did not last and he probably did not help his case when his remarks in a 2005 video about being free to grope women because he was a star resurfaced.

While he again said the sex assault allegations against him were totally false, he went on to say the women were just seeking fame or were orchestrated by the Clinton campaign.

As in the previous two debates, he interrupted Ms Clinton repeatedly and, while she was discussing social security, he interjected: Such a nasty woman.

A CNN/ORC poll at the end of the debate declared Ms Clinton the winner  52% to 39%.

Nevertheless, Mr Trump has succeeded in cutting her margin of victory in the two debates this month compared with the first one in September.

Hillary Clinton won the third presidential debate, according to a CNN/ORC poll of viewers https://t.co/Vcvg8WKWs1 #DebateNight pic.twitter.com/eLSzEeD5NY  CNN (@CNN) October 20, 2016

But any points he scored against Clinton will soon be forgotten and what this debate will be most remembered for is his failure to endorse the voting process that he would be sworn to defend if elected to lead the most powerful democracy in the world.

Clinton proves cool, competent, and in control

-Bette Browne

This wasnt a spectacular presidential debate for Hillary Clinton but she did what she had to do  she was calm, competent, and in control in pressing her case for the White House against Donald Trump.

But by maintaining a cautious, lawyer-like approach, she may have lost a key opportunity to broaden her voter base further with an inspiring message around her candidacy in the last weeks of her campaign.

She went into this final debate with a strong wind at her back in the polls, so she could have afforded to take more chances.

It is not enough for her to simply seek refuge in polls that show voters increasingly perceive her as a safer choice for the White House than Trump. She needs to project fresh enthusiasm and make a final compelling pitch to voters.

If Clinton does take the White House, she will need to win by the kind of margin that would make a mandate unquestionable and serve to mute menacing talk among some opponents about de-legitimatising a victory.

To do that she needs to show she has a warm heart as well as a safe pair of hands. But at the end of the final debate, she essentially left her heart out of it, except for one exchange about womens rights and abortion rights in which she showed rare depths of passion.

Discussing her support of the 1973 Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights, which a Trump court would seek to overturn, she said the following: I strongly support Roe v Wade, which guarantees a constitutional right to a woman to make the most intimate, most difficult in many cases, decisions about her health care that one can imagine.

And in this case its not only about Roe v Wade. It is about whats happening right now in America. So many states are putting very stringent regulations on women that block them from exercising that choice to the extent that they are defunding Planned Parenthood, which, of course, provides all kinds of cancer screenings and other benefits for women.

Donald has said hes in favour of defunding Planned Parenthood. He even supported shutting the government down to defund Planned Parenthood. I will defend Planned Parenthood. I will defend Roe v Wade, and I will defend womens rights to make their own health care decisions.

She also managed to deflect or sidestep issues dogging her campaign involving WikiLeaks revelations, focusing on emails from her campaign chairman John Podesta, which were leaked after what US intelligence agencies believe was a Russian government hack.

If she felt vulnerable, she didnt show it and instead turned the Wikileaks controversy into an attack on Trump, suggesting he was a puppet of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Indeed, after a more passive performance in the second debate, she reverted this time to her first debate strategy of needling Trump as much as possible.

She rattled off his insults directed at immigrants and others and again raised his treatment of women, saying: Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I dont think theres a woman anywhere who doesnt know what that feels like.

Another effective punch was her response to Trump saying shed been around politics long enough to have already done much of what hes pledging to do now. She contrasted his achievements with hers, which could have come across as arrogant but instead managed to hit the right tone.

But, of course, Clinton has been lucky throughout in her opponent  he keeps straying off message and digging himself into self-made controversies, the most recent of which was his refusal to say he would support the outcome of the election.

At this point, he either trails her or is running neck-and- neck in every key battleground state.

He is also being seriously outplayed by the Clinton campaign when it comes to get-out-the-vote efforts. He has 207 field offices nationwide, compared to 489 for Clinton. She and her allies have roughly twice as much cash as does Trump.

So she clearly has the cash and the ground game well in hand as she heads to the finish line. Her debate performance, too, may now put a sprint in her step the CNN/ORC polls immediately after each of the three debates made it a hat trick for her.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on the margins of the European People's Party summit in the Maastricht town (the Netherlands) has discussed the issues of bilateral cooperation in economic, energy and humanitarian spheres with new Prime Minister of Croatia Andrey Plenkovich.

"Poroshenko said that Ukraine is still interested in joining the Adriatic-Baltic-Black Sea Initiative, which is actively promoted by Croatia," the press service of the Ukrainian head of state said on Thursday.

It was also agreed on the visit of Croatias prime minister to Ukraine in the near future.
At this moment in time, it is difficult to see anyone other than Leo Varadkar being the next leader of Fine Gael. Post-budget last week, as he did the rounds of the broadcast studios, it was hard not to be struck, yet again, by what a gifted communicator he is; how ably he gets his message across. And yet.

The last few days also brought a reminder relating to the other man seen as likely contender for that top job  Simon Coveney.

This newspapers political editor, Daniel McConnell, and fellow author John Lee have a new book out: Hell at the Gates.

In it, former taoiseach Brian Cowen speaks about that infamous Morning Ireland interview he did, and the subsequent tweet sent by Mr Coveney saying the then Fianna Fail leader sounded somewhere between drunk and hungover.

Remembering that tweet made me think what an out-of-character act that was for Mr Coveney. Its probably the most interesting thing hes ever done or said politically, I found myself thinking, and maybe ever will do.

That immediately felt like an unkind thought. But it sums up the issue really  Leo may not get the job for being too interesting and Simon may not get it for not being interesting enough.

And that is where Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald may come in. Could she end up being the Theresa May figure in this scenario? It should be said, though, in fairness to the two men, that they bear no comparison to those delinquents, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.

There is a feeling abroad at present, and it may simply be wishful thinking, that Taoiseach Enda Kenny will make his way to Washington as usual in March for the handing over of the bowl of shamrock, and that, upon his return, he will announce his intention to step down at a date in the not too distant future.

There are a number of assumptions within that, the chief one being that Enda actually intends to step down. Anyway, whether he intends to or not, patience will be well running out at that stage; that honourable Fine Gael approach of letting him go in his own time will have begun to wear really thin within the parliamentary party.

As Brexit begins to look increasingly messy for all involved, there is talk doing the rounds of what a wonderful Brexit ambassador Enda would make.

The budget last week also gave Leo great overall political exposure. In truth, he has Fianna Fail to thank for that. During the summer, that partys social protection spokesman, Will ODea, said that 5 a week should be give to pensioners in the budget.

This immediately upped the ante to Fine Gael. It gave leave to Leo to hit back on behalf of his own party, thereby hitting the headlines.

His riposte was that while pensioners were certainly worthy of an increase, a number of other vulnerable groups could not be forgotten. FF continued to concentrate on the Social Protection Minister in the run-up to budget day, giving him a wonderful boost.

What it also did, and somewhat significantly, I thought, was to give licence to some of Leos main supporters in the parliamentary party for the leadership, such as Dublin TD Noel Rock, to come out and publicly support him. This was done under the guise of accusing Fianna Fail of using the budget to undermine Leo as a potential party leader.

As Mr Rock said at the time, the FFers were looking at the same polling as they were and that Leo is liked by voters from all sides, an important factor in any future general election.

The polls are certainly on Leos side when it comes to who would be the next best FG leader. Its seen in FG as his rock star appeal, that certain something that transcends party politics and makes him instantly recognisable, even to those who are not traditional FG supporters

. After an exceptionally bruising general election campaign, it is Leos potential to pull in votes from all over that has them trying not to drool.

Leo would not be the most popular minister around the Cabinet table, with many colleagues feeling that, in a business where egos are a necessity, the Dublin TD triumphs at looking after Number 1.

While the public may see him as a straight talker, some of them see him as utterly strategic in terms of what he says and how he says it, always with an eye to his own future.

As things stand, there is no official leadership campaign but Leo is well out of the blocks.

He is 24/7 schmoozing in a way that surprises some who would have questioned his commitment in the past.

While he has been dubbed the show pony, it is Simon Coveney, the workhorse, who gets the real respect of his colleagues and who is seen as more collegiate.

However they are unsure of the Corkmans intellectual capacity (unfortunately for him in a way similar to how they are unsure, to this day, of Enda Kennys) and his star power.

Hes the Steady Eddie of the operation, slogging away; first at the seemingly interminable government formation talks, and now trying to solve the national accommodation crisis. They admire his dedication, but also wonder if he will ever succeed.

There has been a sense that Ms Fitzgerald has not been in this race, although she has repositioned herself in recent weeks. Every political contest takes on its own dynamic once the starting whistle is blown. If events are to move quickly, and you could never rule that out, that could be said to favour the Justice Minister. She could be seen as a vote for stability, a caretaker in the role, and her gender an added bonus in terms of seeming modern.

She has a major industrial relations issue on her desk with the threatened action by An Garda Siochana, which could be potentially very damaging.

She put a shot across the bows of the two men last week with a speech she gave at a London School of Economics Irish alumni event. It could certainly be classed as a political speech in which she sets out her vision.

She spoke of how she began her career as a social worker at St Ultans Childrens Hospital in Dublin. It was a place where a lot of people subject to terrible disadvantage brought their children, gave birth to them, and sometimes abandoned them. She said it exposed her to real disadvantage for the first time.

And it made me angry. My belief that disadvantage and barriers to opportunity are the greatest causes of inequality began to galvanise. Opportunity had been the defining theme of my life, and my familys lives. It still is, she said.

Increasingly, she said, she wanted to do something about it, to channel it somewhere: The anger over disadvantage and the belief in equality of opportunity drove me forward into this political world. Those same things guide everything I do in politics to this day.

She also spoke of alienation and people feeling left behind and of her long-term strong feminism. Interestingly, the speech received very little coverage. If Leo had done something similar, his bon mots would have made the front pages. So the question remains  show pony, workhorse, or somewhere in between?
News 72-Year-Old Man Shot by Burma Army in Kachin State

Kachin locals stage a demonstration demanding an end to Burma Army offensives in Kachin State in early October. / Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy

A 72-year-old man is in hospital after being hit by two bullets in gunfire from a military camp in Kachin States Waingmaw Township on Wednesday afternoon.

U Hlkawng Bawk was at his home in Shwe Nyaung Bin village when gunfire from locally-based Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion 321grazed his head and throat.

Soldiers rushed the man to the military hospital of Northern Command in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

We heard gunshots and were hiding in the house, Ma Seng Hkawng, granddaughter of the victim, told The Irrawaddy. There was continuous gunfire and bullets whistled past his head. We dont know the reason for the gunfire.

She said that her grandfather had now gained consciousness and that no gunshots were heard on Thursday.

Despite the shooting, there were no clashes reported near Shwe Nyaung Bin village on Wednesday, U San Aung from the Kachin Peace Talk Creation Group told The Irrawaddy.

I still dont know the details yet. He is at the military hospital, said U San Aung.

The Irrawaddy were unable to reach the Burma Army press officer for comment.

Waingmaw Township police station confirmed the case. Yes, it is right that an old man was shot, he is now at the 300-bed military hospital in Myitkyina, the police officer told The Irrawaddy.

But the police officer refused to comment on the reason behind the shooting.
News Burma Army Obstructs Media Access in Northern Arakan State

Border Guard Police base by the checkpoint in Kyikanpyin village where the Burma Army blocked journalists from travelling further north in Maungdaw Township. (Photo: / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy

While attempting to cover the manhunt and security clampdown in northern Arakan State, independent journalists have faced movement restrictions imposed unilaterally by the Burma Army, following attacks by purported Islamic militants on border guard posts on Oct. 9.

With most of the estimated 250 attackers still on the run, the situation on the ground as the police and Burma Army conduct joint operations in the Muslim-majority villages of Maungdaw Township has been difficult to assess, given continued blocks on media accessjustified on the grounds of safetywhich were seen not to apply to local civilians.

On Monday, reporters and photographers from The Irrawaddy, Myanmar Times, 7 Day Daily, The Voice, Democratic Voice of Burma, Kumudra and Narinjara were stopped from traveling further north of the Kyikanpyin Border Guard Police headquarters on to the site of current security operations.

The journalists traveled to Kyikanpyinwhere five police officers were killed and 51 firearms seized on Oct. 9with Border Guard Police officers, and were permitted to spend 20 minutes documenting the scene, with the broken doorways and dried pools of blood.

They were discovered by Burma Army soldiers, who were surprised to see members of the media present. As the journalists were about to leave, an army officer demanded that they stay until he conferred with a senior officer. He then ordered the journalists to delete their photographs, which they refused to do, before driving off.

The journalists, attempting to drive further north, were stopped at a nearby army checkpoint. The captain present also ordered that they delete any photographs taken so far; again they refused. The journalists were not allowed to pass, for their own safety, in line with higher-level army orders issued on Sunday.

Fighting could break out at any time, said the captain, who refused to give his name or that of his senior officer.

The journalists protested that they had received the permission of the Home Ministry to travel to areas subject to security operations, and the argument lasted over two hours. The captain tried to take down their names, but the journalists refused to give them. Meanwhile, locals were seen traveling freely past the checkpoint. The journalists turned back.

These restrictions were a new development: a reporter and photographer from 7 Day Daily, and a photographer from The Voice, were able to access villages further north in Maungdaw Township on Friday of last week, Oct. 14, where, that evening, they saw the smoldering ruins of some 20 burned-down houses in Wonbait village along the highway, as well as smoke rising from two other nearby villages, the Voice photographer told The Irrawaddy.

There are sharply conflicting reports over who was responsible for burning the houses.

A Muslim community leader in Maungdaw town, Hla Maung, provided The Irrawaddy with what he claimed were lists of houses burned down by the Burma Army in Muslim villages, where the majority self-identity as Rohingya. He claimed that markets and mosques had also been burned down, and that Rohingya civilians had been killed.

Presidents Office spokesman U Zaw Htay firmly denied that the Burma Army was burning down houses. Rather, he claimed that the Ministry of Information had photographswhich have not been seen by The Irrawaddyshowing Burma Army soldiers putting out fires in villages that were started by others.

U Zaw Htay said that doctored photos purporting to show Burma Army soldiers setting fire to houses were being circulated on social media, and should be dismissed as fake.

Continued restrictions to media access in northern Arakan State, such as experienced by The Irrawaddy, made it difficult to independently verify these competing claims.

Meanwhile, Buddhist Arakanese civilians continue to flee rural areas of Maungdaw Township, finding shelter in Maungdaw town, in neighboring Buthidaung Township, and in the state capital Sittwe further south. The government has been providing food relief, and facilitating some evacuations.

This aid has not been extended to Muslim Rohingya, who form some 90 percent of the population in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, and according to Hla Maung, have reportedly also been fleeing their homes. Muslims from rural areas have been restricted from entering Maungdaw town, where fleeing Buddhist Arakanese have found shelter in Buddhist monasteries.

Muslim community leader Hla Maung told The Irrawaddy that Rohingya communities were hiding in jungle areas, fearful of being caught up in the security operations.

Our displaced people have not gotten any help from the government, he said. They also have problems finding food.
News Government to Accelerate Political Dialogue

Ex-President Thein Sein (front row, 4th R), government officials, ethnic armed group representatives and international witnesses pose for a picture after the signing ceremony of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in Naypyidaw, on October 15, 2015. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

RANGOON  Amid fighting on the ground in Kachin and Shan states, the Burmese governments peace negotiation body is planning to hold a national-level political dialogue with or without all ethnic armed organizations in November.

According to regulations within the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), only the eight ethnic armed organizations who are signatories, alongside the Burma Army, are eligible to attend the political dialogue. Those who didnt sign the NCA, including the seven-member United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), are not qualified to participate.

Hla Maung Shwe, a spokesperson for the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), said that the Burmese government will move forward with the plan, and hinted that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could be open to including UNFC members.

The State Counselor even said that we were late in holding the [peace] conference, Hla Maung Shwe said, in reference to the 21st century Panglong event held at the end of August. While opening one door, we will continue what we need to do.

During meetings in Rangoon this week, the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN), a committee that represents the UNFC, agreed to hold another meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi early November. If they reach an agreement with the State Counselor, it has been speculated that the UNFC would sign the NCA and join the national-level political dialogue.

Representatives of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) and leaders of ethnic armed groupsboth signatories and non-signatories to the 2015 nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA)held meetings this week in Rangoon where they reviewed the political framework in preparation for the dialogue to be held in all of the countrys seven states and seven divisions in late November.

Dates for the political dialogue will be announced by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyiwho also serves as chairperson of the Union Peace and Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC)on October 28, when a meeting with government peace negotiators is planned in Naypyidaw.

Khun Okkar, an advisor for the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), said, It is neither accelerating nor slowing. We are going according to the NCA process. In the NCA, we are supposed to hold national-level political dialogue.

We cant take time to reach an agreement to build a federal union. There will be conflicts. It is not possible to wait until the end of the conflict to build a federal nation. We accept that there are conflicts, but, we cant wait. So we move in accordance with the plan, said Khun Okkar.

He added that it is expected that conflicts will be ongoing during a political transition, and that he feels the political dialogue will lead the country toward an official end to the civil war.

Leading members of the UNFC, such as the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) pointed that they are not ready to sign the NCA as there is ongoing fighting in Kachin and Shan states, according to sources at the recent meeting.

On the one year anniversary of the NCA signing on October 15, Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said that ethnic armed organizations who did not sign the agreement should not be able to participate in the national-level political dialogue, as it would be against the NCA regulations.

If the UNFC again opts out of signing the NCA, only eight NCA signatories including Karen National Union (KNU) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) will be eligible to participate in the political dialogue.

According to the observers and sources at the meeting, the UNFC attempted to access the political dialogue without signing the NCA, but failed. The government peace delegation told them that they could participate in the political dialogue only after they sign the NCA.
News Govt to Crack Down on Begging Gangs

A mother begs as she cradles her child at a traffic intersection in Yangon in 2001. / Jason Reed / Reuters

RANGOON The government has announced a crackdown on gangs that profit from children and the elderly begging on the streets of Rangoon and Mandalay.

An action plan to arrest and charge those forcing vulnerable people to beg was drafted last month according to U Soe Kyi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

He said that the ministry will first implement the plan in six areas in two of Burmas biggest cities, Rangoon and Mandalay, where the practice takes place.

Yangon Central Railway Station, Pansodan, Dala Township, Danyingone market, Aung Mingalar Highway bus station and Thiri Mingalar market in Rangoon are on the ministrys list.

In Mandalay, Chanmyathazi, Pyigyitagon, Chanayethazan, Maha Aung Myay, Aungmyaythazan and Amarapura townships have been selected.

U Soe Kyi said mobile teams of staff from the ministry, the city authorities, the police and medical staff will be formed in each area.

We are now starting an education program about forced begging, he said.

After that, in collaboration with ward administrators of the selected areas and the mobile teams, we will expose the gangs and take action, he added.

He said that they will also help to reunite families, provide healthcare, provide schooling and vocational training for homeless children, and organize accommodation for the elderly.

Daw Win Pa Pa Than is a protection manager at World Vision Myanmara non-governmental organization working for child protectionand said vulnerable children and poor families are exploited by being made to work on the streets.

We have seen people begging while carrying sleeping children the whole day, she said, it is widely assumed of they are using sleeping pills to drug the children.

There are also instances of parents who force their children to ask money from passers-by while they wait in another place.

Im happy to hear the governments plan to take action against those who use vulnerable children for profit, she added.

Daw Win Pa Pa Than said that rule of law and cooperation from communities will be important in the plan as residents will need to be alert and cooperate with the authorities to expose those who exploit children and old people.

It will be hard to trace the ringleaders by asking parents and children as they are afraid of the gangs. Authorities will need to monitor the groups carefully, advised Daw Win Pa Pa Than.

U Soe Kyi from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, admitted that it would be difficult to eradicate begging completely but that they aim to reduce the numbers.

This this initial plan will take immediate action against the gangs, he added.

Under Section 66(c) of Burmas 1993 Child Law, sentences of two years in prison or a fine of 10,000 kyats can be handed to anyone who: employs a child to beg for their personal benefit; fails to prevent a child under their guardianship from begging; makes use of a child in any manner in his livelihood of begging.
Guest Column The Specter of Sectarian Violence Looms Large in Arakan State

Burmese Border Guard Police patrol the fence along the border with Bangladesh in Maungdaw Township of northern Arakan State on Wednesday. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy

Videos of fundamentalist Muslims appearing to urge Rohingya and other Muslims in Arakan State to become jihadists and to save their family and home have recently gone viral. Unsurprisingly, emotions ranging from fear to anger have flared across Burma, especially within the government and among intelligence agencies. Indeed, many see these tensions as thick with the potential to turn Arakan State into a theater of sectarian violence once more.

Something surely needs to be done, and quickly. But the question we ought to be asking is this: are the right steps being taken to stem current hostilities? Since fresh violence erupted in northern Arakan State on Oct. 9, creating a tinderbox of anxieties, the answer seems to be no. State securitys reactions have been knee-jerk at best, and lacking any sort of foresight.

For instance, Police Chief Maj-Gen Zaw Win has merely stated that security measures along the 271-kilometer riverine and land border with Bangladesh are weak. His assurances of deploying forces and using helicopters would likely add little to the Burma Armys security capabilities.

We dont have to look far to see how these situations can play out. The social unrest, communal strikes, and cross-border terrorism in neighboring Indiaparticularly in the countrys northeastern states and in the Kashmir regionare sterling examples of the complexities and long-simmering challenges of containing such issues. States such as Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and several others have struggled with large inflows of migrants from nearby Bangladesh: smoldering resentment of Bangladeshi migrants metastasized to communal unrest before eventually transforming into insurgency and violence hinged on fundamentalism.

The Sept. 18 attack by Pakistan-based terror groups on an Indian army campwhich occurred near the de facto border and military Line of Control in the Uri area near Kashmirkilled 18 Indian army soldiers, and it perhaps bears the most resemblance to what happened at border guard outposts in northern Arakan States Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships.

If the Uri attack, which was carried out with immaculate precision, is anything to go by, then it is anyones guess as to how the story might unfold if the attackers in northern Arakan State have grander plans in mind. While the videos showing the armed men calling for jihad in Burma have not been traced to a specific terrorist organization, there is the possibility that these groups were influenced by or have links to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a jihadist group active in Kashmir that allegedly masterminded the Uri attack, or even to larger groups such as the Islamic State.

The attack on police in Maungdaw Townships Pyaungpit Village by hundreds of people wielding pistols and swords is certainly not how a terrorist group would choose to operate. Moreover, the violence in the nearby village of Taung Paing Nyar, where the dead bodies of seven men who had been killed with rudimentary weapons were found, is perhaps also a dark indication of the communal animosities that continue to pervade areas of Arakan State.

These incidents have given rise to a different form of apprehension among residents of Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, and other cities. We fear a repeat of 2012when communal strife between local Buddhist Arakanese and Muslim Rohingya came to a headbut we also feel that itd be more devastating [if violence continued] with terror groups trying to get a foothold here, is how Tin Aung, a resident of Sittwe, reacted when asked to reflect on the current situation.

On the other hand, one of the viral videos shows a cleric asserting that Burmas new government has made promises to protect Muslims but that the states so far empty words have forced Muslims to ensure their own safetyto pick up the gun and save [themselves].

So would a military-led offensive against an unidentified terrorist group work? Lets not forget that Arakan State is already heavily militarized, a reality felt most acutely by residents in the northern part of the state. Deploying more armed forces there would likely only make an already precarious situation even worse. While the recent incidents in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships and the curfew that has followed share similarities to what has been happening along Indias northern borders, government actionsor inactionsdont have to be the same.

Following the Uri terror attack India responded with a surgical strike across the Line of Control on Sept. 29. These strikes have evoked mixed responses. Critics in India have questioned whether it would further escalate the conflict in Kashmir, but theres been strong support from Indian civil society, and foreign governments have defended Indias position on stemming cross-border terrorism. But violence in Kashmir is multifarious, and Indian efforts to fight terror across its borders are doing everything possible to turn the Kashmir movement into a jihad.

Burma could take a cautionary lesson from India in deciding whats good for Arakan State. Theres a need to de-escalate conflict in northern Arakan. Securing the borders is one possible way, the other surely is to take the peoplethat includes the Rohingya and other Muslimsinto confidence and provide them with a sense of security. This perhaps is a better way forward than allowing the armed forces to stoke the embers.

For now, perhaps we ought to be content with what U Kyaw Tin, deputy minister of foreign affairs, recently said: that an investigation is underway to see if the assailants had links to Bangladesh and that, if necessary, the Bangladeshi ambassador to Burma would be summoned. And he reiterated State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis suggestion: respond within the law.

Burmas State Counselor is perhaps confident that the advisory committee she has instituted under former UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan will get to the crux of the conflict in Arakan State and ultimately discover a lasting solution. That will be easier said than done. But looking ahead, we should give her the benefit of the doubt, and distill key lessons from Kashmir and other areas in the region as Burma seeks to bring peace to Arakan State once and for all.

Bidhayak Das is a political analyst and an independent journalist. His research focuses on peace and conflict. The views expressed above are his. He can be reached at [email protected].
Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) during a search of a bank safe deposit box belonging to an associate of MP Oleksandr Onyschenko found and seized $600,000. The decision is to be made to put the funds under arrest.

The press service of NABU said on Thursday Onyschenko's associate is nominal owner of a nonresident company actually belonging to Onyschenko. The company holds shares in the charter capital of Karpatnadrainvest LLC and Nadra Geocenter LLC, operators under joint operation agreements with public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia.

The search was conducted on October 19 as part of an investigation into the criminal case over abuse of office when selling natural gas produced under joint production agreements with Ukrgazvydobuvannia (the so-called "Onyschenko case."), the press service of NABU said.

Onyschenko is suspected of organizing a scheme to steal money from the natural gas production and sale projects with Ukrgazvydobuvannia, resulting in around UAH 3 billion in losses to the state.

The Ukrainian parliament has authorized his arrest and prosecution. However, Onyschenko, using his parliamentary status, fled Ukraine.

On August 8, he was placed on the national wanted list.

On October 19 NABU said that Interpol within 30 days would decide whether or not to declare Onyschenko international fugitive from justice.
Major: Communication

Hometown: Brazil, IN

Student Media Involvement: Syc Creations

Favorite Food: Burgers with everything but mustard

Fun Fact: He really loves superhero movies, and wants to make his own someday
Enterprise Mobility Management Myth Busters: Users vs. IT Reality

It usually doesnt make sense to spend much time discussing rumored deals, since they more often than not fall apart. Once in a while, however, there is an exception. The rumored acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T is one worth taking note of early.

The deal would be startling because of its size, of course. The other surprising element would be the marriage of firms from the telephone and cable sectors. These companies, of course, have been fighting tooth and nail for decades.

The conversations between the two companies were reported late in the week by Bloomberg. In any case, the talks are at a very early stage:

The talks, which at this stage are informal, have focused on building relations between the companies rather than establishing the terms of a specific transaction, the people said, asking not to be identified as the deliberations are private. Neither side has yet to hire a financial adviser, the people said.

AT&T to Offer Roaming in Cuba

Some of the great beneficiaries of the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba are American companies. This is especially true of telecommunications firms, which can cash in on linking families split between the two countries and service the growing commerce and tourism businesses.

This week, AT&T took a step by offering direct mobile roaming between the nations. Subscribers will have access at the rates of $3 per minute to talk, $50 for SMS text, $1.30 per MMS text, and $2.05 per megabyte of data.

In August, AT&T entered a roaming agreement with Empresa de Telecomicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA) for roaming.

T-Mobile, FCC Agree on Penalty

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and T-Mobile have reached agreement on a $48 million penalty related to the carriers failure to disclose restrictions on its unlimited data plans, according to WirelessWeek.

The FCCs investigation revealed that there were efforts to slow data speeds when T-Mobile or MetroPCS customers exceeded a data threshold, though the plans were billed as unlimited in advertisements and other materials. That misdirection may have created the impression that subscribers were getting better service than they thought.

The breakdown of the penalty is $7.5 million in fines and $35.5 million in consumer benefits to subscribers with the suspect plans. The company also will donate at least $5 million in service and equipment to schools, the story says.

Verizon/Yahoo! Deal Still on Hold and Uncertain

The initial reaction of Verizon to the stunning breach of security that led 500 million user accounts to be compromised was that it would look at restructuring or cancelling its acquisition of the company.

That distancing remains. Light Reading reports that there are still questions about the way forward. CFO Fran Shammo, the story says, told analysts during its third-quarter conference call this week that evaluation has just begun and that it may put the deal on hold:

Verizon has been expecting to close the deal in the first quarter of next year, subject to approval by its shareholders and regulators. Its not yet clear whether that timing may now change because of the data breach investigation and potential new negotiations.

Vote Hacking Unlikely

The presidential election is almost here. There has been a tremendous amount of talk about the possibility of hacking the vote. The reality, however, is that such an occurrence is a long shot.

Dark Reading says that hacking machines is extremely costly, high-risk and incredibly complicated. Machines can be physically hacked by replacing a chip, but the sheer number makes it impractical. Electronic hacking doesnt offer much better odds. Only Louisiana uses direct recording electronic (DRE) systems without paper backups, according to the story.

Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at [email protected] and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.

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Finding the Right Employer: 6 Interview Questions

Earlier this year I wrote about my interview with Tigran Sloyan, founder and CEO of CodeFights, a coding competition platform in San Francisco that challenges programmers to coding duels with bots trained by high-profile companies that are looking for programming talent. If you beat the bot, your foots in the door with a company whose attention you likely wouldnt have otherwise attracted. Last week, I spoke with someone who did just that.

James Johnston is a native Tennessean whos now working at Thumbtack, a San Francisco tech company that links people with experienced professionals to accomplish personal projects. With a four-year university degree in computer science and plenty of work experience in Tennessee under his belt, Johnston certainly didnt need CodeFights to find a job. In fact, he only went to the CodeFights site on a whim.

They were advertising on Facebook, and it looked like a fun little thing to try, he said. I didnt necessarily think it would go anywhere, but I thought I would try it. It reminded me of programming competitions back when I was in college, so that got my adrenaline going a little bit.

Johnston ended up challenging the bots from Asana, GoDaddy and Dropbox.

Basically the way this works is, youre given some kind of problem statement, and with the company bots its actually kind of cool, because the questions are applicable to the company you are trying to beat, he said. If you compete against the Dropbox Dropbot, one of the questions it asked had to do with calculating estimated time remaining for downloading a set of files, with some additional complexities added in there. GoDaddy asked a question related to solving a DNS-related problem.

Johnston said CodeFights supports several programming languages, and you can compete using whichever language youre most comfortable with. He opted for C++.

So theyll give you a problem statement, and you have to write a function that solves the problem, he said. One of the nice things I like about their platform, vs., say, HackerRank, is that they dont make you waste time doing mundane crap thats annoying. On HackerRank, you have to parse standard input, and write your formatted output. CodeFights doesnt do that  they provide all the boilerplate code for you.

Johnston ended up beating all three bots he challenged. He must have beaten them fairly handily. A few days after knocking out the Asana and GoDaddy bots, he was contacted by Sloyan himself, Johnston said, to find out what I might be looking for so he would know what companies to circulate my information to.

Johnston said he got as far as onsite interviews with Asana, but never heard a peep from GoDaddy or Dropbox. He ended up at Thumbtack without ever challenging the Thumbtack bot.

My impression is they use [the competition] as a filter to see who knows something about programming, he said. Once thats proven, theres no reason Thumbtack should avoid me, just because I didnt beat the Thumbtack bot. That would be stupid. I beat three other bots  I proved that I can program.

Johnston said that while he didnt need CodeFights to get a job, landing a cool job in San Francisco would have been tough for a guy in Chattanooga without that lead.

In terms of coming out to somewhere like the Bay Area, where Im at right now, I knew almost nobody, he said. So it would have been more of a challenge to get myself seen and noticed out here, without that personal connection.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
We all have our phobias; we are scared of something bigger than us. Once we encounter our fears, our so-called weaknesses, we act restless and strange. Celebrities are not an exemption to that. They also fear exactly our fears. Just like us, they have their own limitations too.

Here are some of the celebrities' phobia, that you may laugh off or you could relate to:

1. Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson, the lead actor of the Twilight series, has Equinophobia - fear of horses. He actually admitted it during his shoot for the Film of Water For Elephants, according to International Business Times.

The fear started when the actor told that a horse tried to knocked him down. A stallion scared him that created a phobia inside him.

2. David Beckham

David Beckham fears unorganized things, and wants everything to fall in its proper place. He has Ataxophobia - fear of clutters around him. This is similar to a psychological disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a disease that can't handle untidy things.

Beckham stated:

"I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs. I'll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's one too many then I'll put it in another cupboard somewhere. I'll go into a hotel room and before I can relax I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer,"

3. Nicole Kidman

Seeing butterflies would give a smiling face to everyone who would see it especially to kid. But with Nicole Kidman, it is different. She suffers from panic and anxiety attacks once she saw a butterfly. On the other hand, she is doing her best to overcome this fear.

Her condition is Lepidopterophobia, an anxiety in relation to fear of Mottephobia.

4. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey's phobia is the strangest of all. She has fear of chewing gum, Chichlephobia, ever since. It was reported that Winfrey banned chewing gum in her building in Chicago.

As she said:

"My grandmother used to save it (chewing-gum) in little rows in the cabinet. I'd be scared to touch it because it was so gross, so I have a thing about gum,"

Winfrey even told one instance where guest went to her delighful abode. The guest put some gum coming from her mouth and put it on the plate. Opray freaked out and threw the plate right after the guest left.

5. Scarlett Johansson

Black Widow in real life is scared of birds - Ornithophobia. Johansson, as she adds, is also scared of cockroaches, as it is the most common fear of all.

In an interview, Johansson told:

Something about wings and beaks and the flapping... I'm terrified of them. That still hasn't gone away... I was terrified of the peacocks on set (of her new film We Bought a Zoo). Like, 'Ahh, don't get too close.' They're like, mean,"

Webcenters gave out a list of celebrities' fear that is same with us. Here are some:

Jennifer Aniston and Michael Jackson have fear of flying.

Pamela Anderson has fear of mirrors.

Orlando Bloom is scared of pigs.

Madonna is terrified with thunders.

Justin Timberlake is frightened of spiders and sharks.

See? You are just the same as them.
One of the most awaited features of the new MacBook Pro is its OLED touchpad panel that can be found on the top part of the keyboard. A report said it will be called as the "Magic Toolbar."

According to the information from The Next Web and the branding expert Brian Conroy of Remnick Solicitors, the new MacBook Pro OLED panel will be called as Apple's Magic Toolbar. Apple has never made laptops with touch screens, but this long touch screen panel will feature shortcuts and can change depending on what happening on the monitor and the application you are using.

Conroy also discovered, through the international Magic Toolbar filings, that the same lawyers who filed for Apple's ownership of AirPods are behind its new trademark. As reported by the Apple Insider, the company is believed to have filed for the Magic Toolbar trademark under "Presto Apps America LLC," a mobile service engine company.

It was also reported that the transaction of the two big companies happened in the U.S. back in January. This feature will definitely strike out other companies trademark because Apple planned the perfect branding for it. Why is it unbeatable? On the basis, the name Magic Toolbar is similar to their existing trademarks such as the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Slate and Magic Trackpad, according to Business Insider.

Aside from the featured Magic Toolbar, it is also expected that Apple would introduce new 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops that also feature the OLED function row, as well as a thinner body frame sporting reversible USB-C ports and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. It is also expected that Apple would introduce a new version of the 13-inch MacBook Air.

All new specifications and designs are expected to be revealed next week, when Apple holds a media event at its company's campus at Cupertino, California, on Oct. 27.
Kanye West and Jay-Z are one of the premiere rappers today. They are two of the few artists who have the confidence, skill, and brilliance when it comes to rapping and seeing them collaborating in one performance would be a a majestic event. But West revealed that is could never happen because of Tidal during his previous concert.

According to Rolling Stone, there were videos spreading around the online community showing Kanye releasing his disappointment over the streaming wars. It happened during his performance of "Pop Style". Jay Z and Kanye was removed from the "Pop Style" when the song was released on an Apple Music Exclusive called Views.

The famous rapper further reiterated that the possibility of releasing the second installment for 2011 hit "Watch the Throne" would be prevented. This Is due to Jay Z's ownership of Tidal, who eventually has some issues with Apple Music, according to Business Insider.

West stated:

"There will never be a Watch the Throne 2. You know why? Because that's the reason why I wasn't on the song - I wasn't on the song because of Hov, because of some Tidal/Apple bullshit ... So y'all didn't get, what y'all was supposed to get with me and Drake on this song because of some Tidal/Apple bullsh-t."

Last July, it was revealed that the rapper persuaded Apple CEO Tim Cook to purchase Jay Z's Tidal. He even told Cook to stop acting like Steve Jobs. However, the well-known company firmly denies the speculation that they would acquire the streaming service, Tidal.

On the other hand, West revealed that we would be working with Drake in September for a collaborative album. It was known that Drake is one of the carriers of the Views.

Kanye West strongly believes that they should stop wars in this field and just continue to produce state of the art music.
The Disney story "Frozen" has been a huge success and would always be a favorite movie of kids and kids at heart. With this, fans are excited with what's ahead regarding Elsa and Anna. But unfortunately, its creator remained silent about this in the past.

Movie News Guide believed that Frozen 2 would concentrate on spring. The creators of the hit movie are really careful with the details and the storyline of the sequel. They believed that Elsa and Anna, its lead characters, were the ones that kids look up to. Thus, the character's situation should be realistic and relatable to what's going on right now with little girls.

Christian Today reiterated that Kristen Bell, the one who played the role of Anna, confirmed the much-detailed work of the creators behind Frozen.

"They take a lot of time over there to just perfect it. It has to go through a lot of development to make sure it's exactly the story that needs to be told,"

It was also Bell who revealed previously that the sequel has already been written are in the process of tweaking here and there just to make it perfect and unusual.

Certain rumors regarding the storyline of the sequel spread around the online world. They believed that there will be an argument between the two sisters as to who will reign in Arendelle.

Meanwhile, Prince Hans, who was later discovered a villain and is greedy of the king's position, was speculated to be a magic mirror in the sequel.

Rumors also spread that Idina Menzel, who was the voice behind Queen Elsa, would not form part of the sequel and would be replaced by either performers Rihanna or Taylor Swift.

The producers and creators of the show did not confirm or deny the spreading rumors, as well as the release date for the sequel.

To relive the grandeur of Frozen and celebrate what is yet to come, here's the hit song from the movie:
Samsung is now being criticized by the owners of Galaxy Note 7. They claim that Samsung is not giving them the proper compensation to overcome the damage caused by their flagship smartphone.

According to a report from The Guardian, at least three individuals who suffered property damage when their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploded is resisting for paying compensation.

John Barwick from Marion, Illinois,a Galaxy Note 7 owner, said that his wife's Note 7 exploded on Sept 8. He was awoken in the middle of the night by the flames of the smartphone on his nightstand. He says that the resulting damaged by the fire, including the furniture, bed, carpet and curtains, in repair bills is around $9,000.

After 45 minutes after the incident, Barwick called the company to report what happened. Samsung said that they'd call back after 24 hours. When they failed to do so, he called them again and also emailed pictures of the burnt Galaxy Note 7.

Eventually, he received a call from Samsung's Insurance Company, Fire and Marine. They told Barwick that they will not pay replacement costs of any damaged items. Instead, Samsung offered to pay a depreciated value of the items.

"It seemed that Samsung's priority was retrieving that phone. I told them I'd be more than happy to allow them to inspect it to ensure the claim was authentic but I wasn't going to give over custody until everything was made good," Barwick said.

Wesley Hartzog, from South California, a firefighter who left his Galaxy Note 7 plugged into an outlet in his garage, found his house burning especially the area where the smartphone is. He blamed his Galaxy Note 7 for damaging his garage and other things such as the water heater and electrical wiring, and for making his motorcycle, lawnmower and bicycles damaged as well.

A Samsung official reportedly promised him to move him into a hotel and bear the expenses for his meals.

"But the next day Samsung Fire & Marine insurance called me and said it wasn't going to happen. I feel that was really unprofessional," he said.

Hartzog said Samsung was now paying him for a temporary condo for his family.

Shawn Minter from Richmond, Virginia, said his Galaxy Note 7 was alone and unplugged on the nightstand. After a while it emitted a red flash and started to burn, sizzle, melt, and smoke. He said the company promised to inspect the device, but no action from Samsung at all.

"They were only interested in retrieving the phone. Once I told them I was giving the phone to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they went dark," Minter said. He gave his smartphone to the CPSC, after which Samsung referred him to its insurance company.

Meanwhile, CPSC is independently investigating the incident reported regarding the Galaxy Note 7. "That is putting their own safety at risk and just as importantly they are putting the safety of others at risk. This is a serious hazard and they should take it seriously," Scott Wolfson, a CPSC spokesman, said.
Turkish aviation authorities could impose retaliatory measures against Dniproavia (Dnipro) on the Ivano-Frankivsk-Istanbul route without permitting the company to fly on the direction after Turkish Airlines failed to get permit from Ivano-Frankivsk airport for flights there.

"The Turkish side during the talks in Ankara informed the Ukrainian delegation about the intention to apply similar measures against Ukrainian air carriers that fly to Istanbul from the airports of Ivano-Frankivsk and Dnipro. The dialogue on the issues related to the resumption of flights between the aviation authorities of both countries is continuing," the press service of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine.

Dniproavia on October 20 announced the cancellation of flights from Dnipro to Istanbul during winter navigation because the Turkish side had not provided permits for the flights. Information about flights from Ivano-Frankivsk has not been received.

Earlier mass media reported Turkish Airlines could not fly to Ivano-Frankivsk and Dnipro because of the technical condition of runways at the airports of these cities, which caused certain restrictions on performing flights.
Tech company Yahoo has called on the U.S government to explain why the spy agencies compelled the internet giant to scan millions of its users' email accounts. This message was sent in a letter on Wednesday, following the surveillance system that Yahoo apparently had to build in order to check all incoming emails for specific users.

Yahoo Wants U.S. To Declassify Surveillance Order

Separately, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a motion the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, requesting the release of the specific NBC, Yahoo requested the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to declassify the surveillance order the company received.

"Yahoo was mentioned specifically in these reports and we find ourselves unable to respond in detail. We urge your office to consider the following actions to provide clarity on the matter: (i) confirm whether an order, as described in media reports, was issued; (ii) declassify in whole or in part the order, if it exists; and (iii) make a sufficiently detailed public and contextual comment to clarify the alleged facts and circumstances." Yahoo's general counsel, Ron Bell wrote in the letter to Clapper.

ACLU Doesn't Understand Governments Claimed Authority

According to the International Business Times, the Office of Director of National Intelligence confirmed the letter arrival and explained that it will be responded to Yahoo. By its part, ACLU said through a blog post that courts have approved bulk collection of warrantless surveillance of Americans, financial records and widespread government hacking and compel notices against technology firms to reveal source code and identify weakness.

"We are seeking these opinions now because - as the new Yahoo revelations underscore - it simply isn't possible to understand the government's claimed authority to conduct surveillance without these judicial rulings. Congress recognised the importance of transparency in the USA Freedom Act when it required that FISC opinions be made public, but the government has refused to accept that the need for transparency extends to the many foundational FISC opinions that predate the law and remain hidden," staff attorney at the ACLU National Security Project Patrick Toomey said.
The Honda Step WGN has been roaming the streets of Japan since its release in 1996. Being able to accommodate up to 8 persons, which is 1 more passenger in addition to what the Odyssey can fit, has been a choice for Japanese families since the 90s. Now the Step WGN joins the ranks of Honda's modified cars with the Modulo X badge.

A sportier and more aggressive look is now introduced in the WGN. The minivan is now packed with functional aero kits that include a new front bumper and a rear diffuser. A new set of hood, grille and headlights are also added to the new version.

The minivan is also fitted with a unique set of alloys and has been dropped by half an inch more than its non-Modulo version. Leather controls, a redone interior with special upholstery, and a nine-inch navigation screen can be found inside.

The WGN features a Waku Waku gate at the back that either opens up or to the side, making it easier to get in and out or to load and unload the cargo. The spacious passenger space also features three versatile modes, namely, Luggage mode, Access mode, or relax mode, that the occupants can freely choose depending on their traveling needs.

Traveling in minivans has always been a drag for almost everyone. Not anymore, as the WGN Modulo X hides a 1.5-liter VTEC turbo engine under the hood. The driver will surely enjoy cruising the highways and expressways as the van changes the perception of a slow minivan, to a fast powerful machine.

Partnered with Hondas continuously variable transmission, trips will definitely be smooth and comfortable for all occupants. The Honda Step WGN Modulo, equipped with functional aero and a turbo VTEC engine, will definitely change how road users look at minivans.
Mercedes-Benz is living up to a 2015 promise to enter the mid-size pickup segment by 2020. Finally, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that it would show the world its their new concept for their 2020 GLT Mercedes-Benz on October 25, 2016. Though the Germany company has not yet named the car, all leaks of information points out that it will be likely called the "GLT".

According to Auto Industriya, the German company plans to hold the global debut at the art gallery Artipelag in Stockholm, Sweden on October 25, 2016 at 1630 (GMT). There, they will present their pickup concept that will give an outlook on the design and explain their global product strategy in detail. The article further states that Mercedes-Benz has not yet revealed its official moniker for the upcoming pickup truck described as "A new kind of tough".

Top Speed presents more elaborate details of what the 2020 GLT Mercedes-Benz might look like. Thanks to the new batch of spy photos, Mercedes-Benz is believed to be co-developing the truck with Nissan in a move to cut down development costs while maximizing engineering thoroughness.

There are several pictures of the test mule pickups that may look a Nissan Navara truck that is believed to be the base model of for the 2020 GLT Mercedes-Benz. It is also strongly believed that there are several telltale signs that that it is not a new model for the Nissan Navara truck despite the heavy camouflage and similarities.

Reports further suspect that the 2020 GLT Mercedez-Benz will copy the styling designs from the GL-Class SUV. It is also believed that it will borrow powertrain options from the GL-Class to give it access to several options that include four- and six-cylinder engines running gasoline and diesel. A six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic are the two expected transmission choices as well.

Here is a rough estimate on what to expect for the 2020 GLT Mercedes-Benz:

Engine - inline-4 (Est.)

Transmission - 7-speed automatic (Est.)

Horsepower @ RPM - 208 (Est.)

Torque @ RPM - 258 (Est.)

Displacement- 2.0 L (Est.)

0-60 time - 9.5 sec. (Est.)

Top Speed - 125 mph

Layout - Front Engine; 2WD, 4WD (Est.)
Over time, all living things have evolved in some way. The process still continues today. Even though there are species that have disappeared, new ones are being discovered since many plants and animals have different ways of adapting. One adaptation that scientists are now looking at is how animals, and especially humans, have come to have jaws.

Jaws, just like much of our other body parts, have been the result of adaptation through the ages. Scientists might have an answer as to how such an adaptation happened with an ancient fish that has been found. The fish is a 423 million-year-old species from China, according to Science News. The fish has been given the scientific name Qiinyu rostrata.

The new fish species belong to a group known as placoderms. For a long time, scientists have thought that these fishes were strange since their jaws were not like that of most animals living today.

"They look like sheer metal cutters," said Per Ahleberg, a paleontologist from the Uppsala University in Sweden. "They're these horrible bony blades that slice together."

The interesting feature of the new fish found is that it has the body of a placoderm, but also has the jaw like that of a modern-day fish, as noted by Science Daily. It had the three-part jaw that modern living beings, including fishes, have yet still had the body of a placoderm. The new fish is connected to a placoderm found earlier, Entelognathus primordialis in that both have a three-part jaw.

With the discovery of two types of placoderms with the same type of jaws, the two can be seen as an intermediate step between the earlier placoderms and the bony fishes of today. The Qiinyu fish is also rather small, as it has been compared to the size of a box of tissues. Placoderms then aren't an evolutionary dead-end as some see, but now are more an evolutionary step from an ancient form to a more evolved one, at least as far as animal jaws are concerned.

Also recently an ancient ancestor of the bison has been found in cave paintings.
The origin as to how dinosaurs managed to make the long trek from South America to Australia remains moot among scientists. And with the new discovery of a new species in Down Under, the debate will undoubtedly ignite again.

The species belongs to one of the most iconic dinosaur groups to ever grazed film. Known as sauropods, the species include the brontosaurus, the gentle plant-eating giants that have a long neck and four enormous thick legs.

Decades Of Work Led To One Of The Most Complete Sauropod Skeleton Uncovered

The new dinosaur is named "Savannasaurus elliottorum" after the landscape it was found in, and David Elliot, a paleontologist who uncovered the find. Elliot stumbled upon the bones when he was herding sheep near his home by the Winton geological formation in 2005, said The Guardian.

Decades after the day they discovered the sauropod - nicknamed Wade - and years of working hard on removing hard siltstones from loads of rock-encrusted bones, Elliot, his wife, scientists, and volunteers revealed one of the most complete sauropod skeletons to ever dug up in the country. The collected bones amounted to 17 pallets' worth of fossil fragment making up 20 percent of the creature's structure.

The size of it reached about 12 to 15 meters long and is reported to date back 95 million years ago. The find could help scientists in further detailing the evolutionary tree of related dinosaurs, as well as track their movement as to how the sauropods managed to make the long trek.

"The more anatomical information you can derive from a specimen, the more accurately you can place it on the dinosaur family tree," said Stephen Poropat, a paleontologist who works with the Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum.

At first, Elliot thought the bones belonged to a meat-eating therapod. Only when-when his wife Judith, also a scientist, smacked two pieces of bones together did he realized that it was a complete toe-bone from a leaf-eating sauropod.

Warming Event Could've Made The Long Trek Possible For Wade And Matilda

Around the same time that they found Wade, Elliot also uncovered another dinosaur though it's a previously described species. "Diamantinasaurus matildae," nicknamed Matilda, is also presumed to be unique in Australia, according to the Telegraph.

Both species are thought to have traveled south from Asia. Increasing evidence regarding the matter reveals otherwise.

"It's now emerging that most of our dinosaurs have a South American affinity," John Long, an Australian paleontologist. Wade and Matilda, along with other dinosaurs, is theorized to have traveled from South America to Africa, and finally to Australia, with the regions - including Antarctica - thought to have been part of a megacontinent known as Gondwana.

During Cretaceous period, both species wouldn't have survived the trek because of the frigid temperature back then. However, past research suggests that a window opened around 105 million years ago that warmed the region allowing the southern passage possible for the dinosaurs.
According to some spoilers, Kensi Blye, one of the main characters in "NCIS: Los Angeles" Season 8, is not showing any signs of recovery. It is even suggested by some reports that she may die as a result. Her future as a character in the show is still uncertain. Now, the question is: if she dies, who is going to replace her?

The Cause Is A Helicopter Crash

The first episode of "NCIS: Los Angeles" Season 8 showed the helicopter Blye was riding was hit by terrorists and crashed. The NCIS team was on a special mission in Syria. Luckily, she survived the crash but when they took her out of the wreckage, she was unconscious. She was immediately shipped back to the U.S. Because of this incident, many viewers thought that she had died.

LL Cool J's recent pronouncements even sparked the rumors that Blye's character has to go. "Somebody's got to die.....changes you need to watch," he said. He plays Sam Hanna, a member of the NCIS team. Coming from one of the main characters of the TV series, his statements can be relied upon somehow.

Ruah's Actual Condtion May Be The Reason

In reality, Daniela Ruah who plays the role of Blye in "NCIS: Los Angeles" Season 8 is pregnant. There were reports that said she may still be pregnant while this current season is being filmed. Does this indicate a strong possibility that her character will not die? The writer of the story, Scott Gemmill, also made some statements at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con in this regard. He said there will be a romantic proposal by Deeks to Kensi.

But Another Report Says Otherwise

But there is another report that seems to say that Kensi Blye will be replaced. This report says Neil Jones may officially replace Blye on the set of "NCIS: Los Angeles" Season 8. The reason for her replacement is her current condition of being pregnant. Meanwhile, Bar Paly will return in "Ghost Gun" episode 5.
Studio Ghibli has signed an agreement with Amazon to air the children's animated TV series, Ronia The Robbers Daughter, which will be English-dubbed, through an online streaming platform.

Studio Ghibli has created many of the classical and beloved Japanese animated films people have grown fond of such as Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howls Moving Castle, and Ponyo to name a few. In 2014, they created and produced their first Japanese animated series titled Sanzoku no Musume Ronya. They partnered up with Polygon Pictures for the CGI animation of the said series. The childrens animated series was received well and even won two television awards in 2015 and 2016.

Then just recently, they have announced that Sanzoku no Musume Ronya also known as Ronia The Robbers Daughter will be released on Amazon Prime despite its average reception especially from Studio Ghibli fans as they have commented that the series was mediocre compared to the previous titles the said studio has delivered. The said series will air on Amazon Prime English-dubbed and will be narrated by Gillian Anderson. It will be available to those who has access to Amazon Prime. Along with that, Serious Lunch, a UK-based distributor, has also acquired the rights for worldwide distribution except in Japan and Scandinavia.

Directed by Goro Miyazaki, he said 'Ronia The Robbers Daughter' is a story not just about a girl who grows into adulthood, but it is also a story about the love and growth between a parent and a child, and a story about the bonds between friends. My goal is to create a work that everyone, from children to adults, will be able to enjoy.

Ronia The Robbers Daughter, somehow interchangeably referred to as Ronja The Robbers Daughter, is based on the children fantasy book of the same title written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren and was first published in 1981. The childrens animated television series adaptation, on the other hand, made its TV debut on Oct. 11,2014 on Japanese channel, NHK BS Premium. Ronia The Robbers Daughter series had 26 episodes and aired until March 28, 2015.
"The Seven Deadly Sins" fans will not have to wait for a long time for the confirmation of the next season of their beloved anime series. It looks like A-1 Pictures, the animation studio responsible for the anime series, is currently working on the next "The Seven Deadly Sins" season. The studio is rumored to have approached Japanese animator Kinji Yoshimoto to work with them.

After a successful run during the first season and an even more successful four-episode OVA, A-1 Pictures with Kinji Yoshimoto on board are more than excited to release "The Seven Deadly Sins" season 2. Kinji Yoshimoto made the OVA for the series and has been around the industry for a while. Some of his highly acclaimed works are "Megazone 23," "Plastic Little," "Unbreakable Machine-Doll," and "I Couldn't Become a Hero, so I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job."

Fans are surely excited about this recent development, however, no confirmation was released regarding the actual air date of the second season.

"The Seven Deadly Sins" Chapter 197 Spoilers

On the other hand, "The Seven Deadly Sins" chapter 197 will show how Meliodas will get taken over by the Demon King. It is rumored that Meliodas will be driven to insanity due to this and the Demon King will be able to fully control his body.

However, some fans think that Meliodas will finally find the Ten Commandments just in time before he loses his mind entirely. In some of the previous chapters, Meliodas seems to have started losing his mind. There were moments wherein he was seen talking to himself. One time Meliodas was saying something about plotting his revenge on Fraudin.

Fans are interested to see Meliodas transformation to insanity while other fans are expecting to see the relationship between Meliodas and Elizabeth grow deeper. Could Meliodas also fight and Escanor in the next chapter?
20 years ago, before a civil war erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the eastern lowland gorilla numbered around 17,00. But with the recent estimate, their population has fallen to a staggering 3,000 with their number still descending.

Experts warn that if appropriate measures aren't put in place, the majestic creatures could disappear in just five years. Even those who are familiar with the problem were taken by surprise when the tally was completed.

Experts 'Shock' At The Population Decline Of The Eastern Lowland Gorilla

"'Back of the envelope' calculations had predicted a 30 to 50 percent decrease," said Andrew Plumptre of the Wildlife Conservation Society and lead research of the gorilla count. "However, we received a major shock upon pulling together all the regional survey data: none of were prepared for such a large decrease."

Plumptre said that the main reason for the decline is attributed to artisanal mining sites run by armed militias operating in the forest, according to the Telegraph. These militias fund their illegal activities by mining DRC's rich minerals like gold and coltan, an essential component in manufacturing mobile phones.

As the region doesn't have enough bush meat to offer, the miners often prey on these endangered beasts as they are easy to kill. A single bullet could provide plenty of meat, said Plumptre.

Scientists are calling the DRC's government to take action upon this group whom they accused of feeding off the gorillas. The eastern lowland gorilla, also known as Grauer's gorilla, is the largest ape in the world weighing up to 300 kilograms and have longer limbs and hair compare to the western gorilla residing in the DRC, Gabon, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

Due to this recent finding, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature moved the eastern lowland gorilla from endangered to critically endangered, reported the Daily Mail. Experts also said that consumers have the responsibility of lobbying companies producing mobile phones, tablets and laptops to ensure that the minerals they're using are from a conflict-free area.

Armed Militias Forming After The Area Was Inundated By Refugees

DRC have seen the eastern gorilla's decline when the region was inundated with refugees fleeing Rwanda's genocide in the mid-'90s. This resulted in the area's security to be destabilized, as well as the start of armed groups forming and fighting over the region's rich natural resources. These armed groups were eventually involved in poaching activities and large-scale deforestation.

As of now, there's still no indication that a major effort is being done by the DRC's government as it's currently undergoing a constitutional crisis due to President Joseph Kabila wanting to run for a third term. While there are areas where foreign funding is being given to conservation parks, little attention has been shown down south which culminated in the disastrous decline of the eastern lowland gorilla's population.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. purchased 34 percent of controlling stake in Mitsubishi Motors Corp. The plan, which was announced back in May, was finalized on Thursday.

Nissan, Japan's second-largest automaker, invested $2.29 billion or 237 billion yen on a company that is still suffering from a cheating scandal. Mitsubishi Motors, the sixth largest car manufacturer in Japan, admitted to manipulating data regarding the fuel economy of their vehicles for over a quarter of a century. Mitsubishi has been using the "coast-down" test to alter results for almost 25 years. This method is unapproved by the industry.

The company first confirmed that four of their market vehicles belonging to the kei car segment were involved in the fuel-economy scandal. However, after an investigation by the Japanese Transport Ministry, it was discovered that eight other vehicles had manipulated data. The popular Outlander SUV is one of the eight vehicles that were marketed to have 10 percent lower mileage than what actual tests recorded.

According to a report, Osamu Masuko will remain as the President and CEO of Mitsubishi. Nissan, however, will place its own chief operating officer. This comes after calls for Masuko to resign his post. Carlos Ghosn, CEO, and chairman of Nissan and Renault will lead the board of Mitsubishi.

Nissan and French automaker Renault have indicated that they plan to "turn things around" by improving the company's management system. Nissan itself was in the doldrums before Renault came and salvaged the company. The company plans to save $230 million by 2017 through cost cutting, a move that the Renault did when they acquired Nissan.

The cost-cutting plans of the Alliance involve grouping resources together to lessen redundancy within the company. This method allowed Nissan to save $577 million during the second year after the Renault acquisition and they believe the same course of action will work for Mitsubishi.

The move by Nissan and Renault allows Mitsubishi to be part of their Alliance.
U.S. ambassador to Ukraine supports NBU head efforts to clean up banking sector

U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch in Ukraine after the meeting with Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeriya Gontareva has expressed strong support for the NBU head's actions aimed at cleansing the country's banking sector, the embassy's press service reported.

"Amb Yovanovitch: Terrific meeting with Governor Hontareva today. Strongly support her efforts to clean up the Ukrainian banking sector," the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine wrote on Twitter.

No other details of the meeting have been disclosed so far.
The AMG E63, fitted with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, has been around since it was unveiled in 2009 at the New York International Auto Show. For over a decade, AMG has been manufacturing different versions of the vehicle, and the carmaker is now almost ready to make another impression with the latest 2017 Mercedes-AMG E63.

Although the E63 does not have some kind of breathtaking design, it is definitely miles away from the classic AMG vehicle. With an engine that big, this E-class will surely need a lot of cooling, thus the three-dimensional side skirts and spoilers and functional aero design.

Rumors say that this behemoth will be packing more than 600-hp for the E63 S model, which will only come in all-wheel drive configuration. If that power is too crazy for you, then a regular E63 will also be available. And by that, we mean AMG-regular, which will still supply more than 500 horses to the wheels.

Besides its massive amounts of power, the 2017 E63 will also focus on an updated chassis, a new engine, and a revised interior. This muscle car will also be lighter, more rigid and quicker than before. And, let us not forget, that despite all the power and design, this is still a luxury car worthy of being an E-Class.

This V8 bad boy is expected to be shown at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show in January. Until then, muscle car fans need to wait to find out if the new 2017 Mercedes-AMG E63 will be able to fend off whatever Cadillac or Audi will toss its direction.
"Shopping King Louie" episodes next week will be filled with a roller coaster of emotions. Bok Shil (Nam Ji Hyun) found out the truth about her brother and decided to leave Louie (Seo In Guk). She will go back to the countryside without telling him and it seems like Louie is getting into another car accident.

This week was filled with happiness as Bok Shil and Louie went further into their relationship, but it turns out to be the calm before the storm. The premonition from the scene where Louie gifted Bok Shil with shoes came true. During episode 8, Louie went to Gold Line and told Bok Shil's co-workers he was more than her boyfriend, but now they are breaking up.

In "Shopping King Louie" episode 9, Louie finally found out his family thanks to Detective Joo Hyuk. He came just in time before his grandmother's shares were transferred to Director Baek Sun Goo (Kim Kyu Chul), and now his grandmother wants to give half of the shares to Louie. However, Louie still hasn't regained his memory yet. It was very funny when Butler Kim (Um Hyo Sup) teased him that he actually is 40 years old and already has a wife and three sons, making Louie very worried about his age gap with Bok Shil.

Their impending breakup, however, isn't because Louie is rich or because his grandmother objected their relationship like in other dramas. Butler Kim especially was very happy to see his master find true love and even helped set up a surprise for her. However, in the last scenes of the episode, Detective Joo Hyuk told Bok Shil that his brother died in Louie's stead on the day of Louie's accident and she was very shocked.

Spoilers for "Shopping King Louie" episode 10 hinted Bok Shil will resign from Gold Line and go back to her hometown without telling Louie. Cha Jong Won (Yoon Sang Hyun) will find her first and Louie will see him patting Bok Shil's head and will be jealous.

Bok Shil will run away from Louie again. Jong Won will vaguely tell him that Bok Shil will feel pain if she is with her, but of course, he wouldn't understand. There is also a scene of Louie getting into another car accident, though it seems minor this time. And to add to his problems it looks like Director Baek is not too happy to get only half of the shares.

Meanwhile, after surpassing 10 percent viewer rating last week, "Shopping King Louie" is headed to a steady growth. Episode 9 recorded 11.5 percent nationwide rating and 13.1 percent in Seoul. "Shopping King Louie" airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m. KST on MBC.
Leading chip-making company Intel Corporation is enforcing its trademark rights against the controversial entrepreneur and cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee, after the latter used his name in a way that the company believes could confuse or deceive consumers or dilute the brand. Intel explained that he can use his personal name in connection with his business, but not as a trademark.

Intel Doesn't Want Anyone To Be Confused

According to PC World, the problem began when McAfee teamed with MGTM Capital Investments, who announced that it is in the process of buying an important portfolio of cybersecurity technologies. The company wanted to take advantage of his famous name and they made another announcement, in which they explained the plan to change theirs to "John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc", and put the maverick entrepreneur in charge.

Given this situation, Intel is arguing that another company using John McAfees name for any kind of cybersecurity product, could lead the public to assume the come from the Intels famous MCAFEE brand. Also, the chip leading maker company sent a letter to MGT telling that it would take legal actions if its name is changed "to one that includes the MCAFEE trademark or otherwise use the MCAFEE name as a trademark."

John McAfee Stands Firm

Far from not doing anything, both MGT and the cybersecurity pioneer filed a suit in the New York court looked for a judgment declaring that the use of McAfee name didn't infringe Intels trademark rights. In the filing, the controversial character claimed that he had entered in 1991 into an agreement with McAfee Associates to transfer some assets to it in exchange for stock and a promissory note, but he never assigned anything that restricts his right to establish any business using his name.

Without knowing it, both companies have entered into a very interest legal brawl that doesn't appear to end in the near future. According to the Bench Mark Monitor, Intel traded $25.65 million shares on its last trading day, and was closed at $35.43 per share. Its stock monthly performance is recorded as -5-39 percent, while its performance in the last week is -4.17 percent.
Head of the Ukrainian State Petro Poroshenko has said that in 2017 the national annual program of cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will focus on reforms to achieve NATO standards, the press service of the Ukrainian president has said.

"From 2017 all assistance from NATOs side will be fully associated with the task of reforming. The time frame remains the same: through to 2020," the report says.

Poroshenko and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the possibilities of deepening cooperation between NATO and Ukraine.

"I am very grateful for the support of NATO and the development of our defense capabilities, as well as for reforming, advisory and technical assistance in the development of our security and defense sector. It is very important for us and we are satisfied with the state of our cooperation," the president said.
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The awards, run by the British Safety Council, honour organisations with good safety practices and a commitment to health and safety. Last year they attracted a record level of interest and more than 1,000 companies received awards.

All applicants must set out their safety practices and the qualifications of their safety officers and provide details of two significant advances in health and safety during the year.
The discussion on the introduction of an armed component of the mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Donbas will continue at the platform in Vienna, where the headquarters of the organization is situated, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"We talked about the possibility of the introduction of an armed component of the OSCE. Views are quite different here [Normandy format members], but as a result of consistent pressure, it was agreed to continue the discussion at the Vienna platform," Klimkin said during an hour questions to the government at the plenary meeting in Kyiv on Friday.

The minister also said that "without performing a number of key security arrangements, including a complete cease-fire, and the most important - control by the OSCE, the full OSCE access to the territory of the occupied Donbas, the uncontrolled area border monitoring, without withdrawal of regular Russian troops and, of course, Russian mercenaries and Russian arms it is impossible to move ahead to other issues."
The positions of Ukraine, Germany and France drastically differ from Russia's stance as regards the sequence of implementing the Minsk agreements and provision of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers with access to the Ukrainian-Russian border sector not controlled by Kyiv and Donbas territory, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"Today our positions, I mean our joint position with Germany and France, and Russia's position drastically differ both in terms of the sequence of measures and in terms of guarantees of their implementation, OSCE access to the territory of occupied Donbas and OSCE access to the uncontrolled sector of the Ukrainian-Russian border," the minister said during a government Q&A session in the Ukrainian parliament on Friday.

Ukraine's position was consistent with regard to the need to fulfill security conditions in Donbas in the first place and then switch to the political part of the agreements, he said.
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Malnutrition and hunger are global problems that may seem overwhelming, but every effort makes a difference to someone.

This year, its easier than ever to make a difference. Kids Against Hunger, a community meal-packing event, takes place Saturday, Oct. 22, at Verde Valley Fairgrounds, with packing sessions from 8 to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m.



The Kids Against Hunger packages contain nutritious meals for starving and malnourished families in developing countries and the U.S. Each meal is a base mix for meal preparation, containing ingredients that keep for three years and only require boiling in water to prepare. According to the organization, despite the simplicity of the foods content, it is a nutritionally complex and well balanced meal.

Local Kids Against Hunger Director Karen Freeman, the effort began in 2010 after an earthquake devastated populations in Haiti but has since expanded into Arizonas only satellite program of the larger Kids Against Hunger organization.

As a nonprofit, entirely volunteer-driven group, we must first raise funds and solicit donations to purchase the bulk food products and packing supplies that we need and pay shipping costs to get them here from headquarters, Freeman said. We then organize events where people of all ages, 8 years old and up, come together and in an assembly line fashion pack our dry food product for the hungry.

What we really do, however, is provide a hands-on opportunity for people to come together and be a part of something bigger than themselves . It satisfies the hunger we all have within, to make a difference.

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According to Freeman, Verde Valleys Kids Against Hunger is one of the few satellites who follow the food delivered by the United States National Guard of Phoenix to Haiti yearly, overseeing its distribution and assessing local community needs. On Friday, Nov. 4, Freeman is taking a small team to the country to evaluate the programs impact and help alleviate the devastation of Hurricane Matthew.

We also realized several years ago that there are hunger needs here at home in Yavapai County, Freeman added. To that end, we are now also packaging a local Latin rice-and-beans product, which is being distributed to over 40 emergency food providers, schools, seniors and vets throughout Yavapai County by our collaborative partner, Yavapai Food Council.

Regarding the Oct. 22 event, Freeman reported that, With over 670 packing volunteers and 150 working volunteers, we plan to pack 300,000 meals. We will be packing two types of meals, our local Latin rice and beans, and our international rice-meal packet. At the cost of 25 cents per meal, each meal bag packed feeds six for $1.50 per bag. Over 50 percent of the meals we pack stay here in Yavapai County.

Freeman said that the packing sessions are now registered full, but that walk-ins are welcome to show up.

Walk-ins must be willing to be flexible, wait until we see if we have open spots and we could possibly fit them in. It would be best to call (928) 649-5772 to be put on our waiting list. We also invite folks to just stop by and see what we are all about also.
Prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on Friday handed the indictment act to the military prosecutor of the antiterrorist operation (ATO) Kostiantyn Kulik, who is accused of unlawful enrichment.

According to the NABU press service, the indictment act will be submitted to the court as soon as possible for probe into the case.

The NABU said that if the ATO military prosecutor is found guilty by the court he will be imprisoned for the term from two up to 5 years with the deprivation right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years with confiscation of property.

As reported, on December 25, 2015, the criminal case against the ATO military prosecutor Kulik was opened, as signs of crime described in Part 2 of Article 368-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unlawful enrichment).

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko said that he wouldnt take up the cudgels for Kulik if the anti-corruption authorities prove his guilt.

On October 7 the NABU detectives finished the pre-trial investigation of the case. Kulik's defense lawyer was provided access to the materials of the pre-trial investigation.
No Ukrainian soldier has been killed, but one was injured in hostile shelling in the special operation zone in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko has said.

"Over the past day as a result of active hostilities no one of our military men died, but one was wounded in Avdiyivka. This happened as a result of enemy attacks," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

Lysenko said the enemy had used mortars and light weapons to open fire on Ukrainian positions in the Stanytsia Luhanska area on the Luhansk track. Additionally, military provocations were registered in Triokhizbenka and Novozvanivka. A total of nine attacks on Ukrainian positions were registered on the Luhansk track, including one from heavy weapons.

Lysenko said the enemy continues opening fire on the Avdiyivka industrial zone area on the Donetsk track, using mortars and 152 mm howitzers.

Attacks were also registered in Luhanske and Novhorodske. A total of six attacks were registered on the Donetsk track, including four using heavy weapons.

On the Mariupol track, attacks continue on the front section Krasnohorivka-Maryinka, and also in Taramchuk and Shyrokyne.

A chain of military provocations by the enemy was registered virtually on the entire frontline, Lysenko said. A total of 26 attacks on Ukrainian positions, including 13 using heavy weapons, were registered on the Mariupol track.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Donald J. Trumps campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, went on MSNBC touting the Republican candidates 5-point plan to defeat Islam. She later clarified that she meant radical Islamic terrorism. But in fact her candidate has often spoken as Islam in general as his target, as when he said Islam hates us.

Kellyanne Conway on Trumps plan to defeat Islam

It is a little mysterious what Trumps 5-point plan to defeat Islam might be. Here are some things hes suggested, though, and many of these steps do concern all Muslims in a blanket fashion, not just radicals.

1. Ban Muslims from coming to the United States

2. Put mosques under surveillance

3. Put all Muslims in a Federal database

4. Torture Muslims suspects; I mean, not just waterboarding, but really really torturing them.

5. Take Muslim family members hostage to ensure good conduct.

These policies are unconstitutional. The First Amendment forbids the Federal government from establishing a state religion (despite the continued yearning of some Evangelicals for such an enforced theocracy). Discriminating against one religion is therefore illegal. Spying on Muslims not proven to have done something wrong is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Torture is a violation of the 8th amendment and of the 5th amendment promise of due process. Kidnapping and threatening innocents isnt just unconstitutional, it is a Federal crime.

Islamophobes in the US often hide behind weasel words like radical Islamic terrorism when they actually intend to target all Muslims. Besides, that phrase is clearly just propaganda, since it is redundant and hyperbolic. Could there be moderate terrorism? If not, then radical is superfluous. And the problem is Muslim terrorism, not Islamic terrorism, since Islam forbids terrorism. And if the problem is terrorism done by Muslims (defined as targeting civilians for violence in order to coerce public policy), then why is that so much worse than terrorism done by Christians, Jews, Buddhists or Hindus, or just by white supremacists (the main terrorism threat inside the United States)?

Conways slip was probably more revealing than she would have wanted it to be.

Since Americans are often insular and poorly informed by their ramshackle school system and shoddy mass media (and you have to wonder if the corporations like it that way), they may not realize that there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world out of 7.4 billion human beings, i.e. about 1 in every 5 persons is Muslim. Only one in every 24 is an American. While the US is a rich and powerful country, it isnt richer and more powerful than a fifth of humankind, and if those are the terms of struggle, then the US will lose.

But of course those arent the terms. Despite what many Republican politicians say, Muslims are mostly allies of the United States. Turkey is a NATO ally. Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Pakistan and others are designated non-NATO allies.

But if people like Trump keep targeting ordinary Muslims as opposed to al-Qaeda and ISIL, then those alliances could easily shift way from the US.

As for Muslim radicalism, we didnt hear much about it decades ago. You have to ask where it came from. Reagan stirred it up in Afghanistan to bother Moscow. And then Bush illegally invaded and occupied a major Arab Muslim nation, destabilizing it for the long term.

The best five point plan to defeat Muslim radicalism would be to stop using Muslim radicals (as the US is still doing in Syria) and to stop screwing Muslims over.

But those steps wouldnt be the Trump Way.
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David Faris | (Informed Comment) |  

In weighted opinion polls, Hillary Clinton crushed Donald J. Trump in Wednesday nights debate, with a 10 to 13 percent spread.

On Wednesday night, an accomplished, intelligent woman with painstakingly constructed plans for the future of American society and a wonks grasp on policy once again spent 90 minutes on stage debating a serial sex assaulter who spent the evening unfurling a long banner of unrepentant lies, outrageous distortions, racial hysteria and delusional flat-Earthism across the stage. Once again the Republican nominee and his crack team of Molotov Cocktail-hurlers turned the proceedings into daytime television by inviting the Ghosts of Clinton Past and a squadron of grieving mothers in front of the cameras in a pitiful and desperate bid to rattle the worlds most unshakeable woman. And once again, the whole deplorable spectacle failed miserably for him.

This is not new. Clinton soundly defeated Trump in the first two debates, and it has shifted public opinion accordingly, reversing the mid-September tightening of the race and making Republicans nervous about a full-scale election night wave. It did not help that Trump spent the three weeks following the first debate having a long, painful and very public emotional meltdown topped off by a series of revelations that he enjoys sexually assaulting women.

Yet in the third and final debate, Clinton didnt just defeat Trump. She methodically dismantled him, first cornering him on policy and then getting so far under his skin that the sniveling, unmoored character from the first debate returned and promised not to accept the results of the election. That Trump was coming unglued should have been obvious from the very first moments of the debate, when he used his opening remarks to complain about how Ruth Bader Ginsburg was mean to him and said that after a Clinton presidency we would have a very, very small replica of the second amendment. What it would mean for the country to be left with a hobbyists miniature of a constitutional amendment was thankfully left unsaid. Imagine the tiny militias! And it was in those opening remarks too that he made his first outrageous claim of the night, and one that will probably be lost amid the kerfuffle over his craziest behavior  the idea that Supreme Court justices shouldnt get to choose the cases they hear. This is, how shall we say, not how it works.

Still, you might initially have mistaken this for a normal debate. The outline of the first few exchanges was an almost comforting rehash of the past back-and-forths between Republicans and Democrats on guns and abortion that we didnt even realize we were wistful about, like when you go home to visit your parents and you fall back into old adolescent rhythms and start crying when you pour yourself a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats (which you never even eat anymore!). For a hot minute or so, you might even have thought this was a draw, when Clinton started talking somewhat strangely about how too many toddlers are dying of gun violence and Trump name-checked Chicago as his stand-in for the kind of urban hellholes in which he will never again be able to successfully operate a business after this election. But even in these seemingly mundane early minutes, Trump was starting to do some weird things. The sniffing was back. He talked about late-term abortion as a process wherein someone tries to rip a baby out of the womb, a needlessly graphic and cringe-inducing and of course completely inaccurate phrase that will still be ringing painfully in the ears of the tens of millions of women he needs to win over to have a chance next month. He slipped directly from this unforced error into his jaw-dropping comment that bad hombres are pouring across the southern border to menace the good people of New Hampshire with opiates. It was at this point that everyone at RNC headquarters began shaking their damn heads.

It was here also that Clinton began to diverge from her earlier performances. Even in the first third of the contest, it was clear she had decided to stop playing nice and to dig her knife into the hollow cavity where most people host their policy knowledge or their hearts and where Trump probably keeps a little black book of notes on his sexual conquests. There were fewer moments where she stared off into space, silently stifling her screams and taking the high road while he man-ranted incoherently. And by pushing back forcefully, Clinton managed to stand her ground as the high road candidate while simultaneously firing off a series of sick burns. She calmly gutted Trump by noting that he used undocumented labor in his businesses. This ploy caused Trump to veer off-script and talk about how many millions of people Obama has deported. He refused to distance himself from the Wikileaks espionage, which in addition to being a problematic policy position, makes no campaign sense either. The Wikileaks Podesta dumps could be compiled into the worlds dullest ebook tomorrow morning. No one cares and its not for lack of trying. Earlier this week CNN breathlessly did a segment about the revelation that Nancy Pelosi was reluctant to endorse Clinton. Im sure there was total bedlam at Clinton Headquarters about this huge scoop.

It was when Clinton, again calmly, noted that Vladimir Putin wants a puppet as the American president that things really deteriorated for Trump. He churlishly shouted Youre the puppet! Youre the puppet! at Clinton while she was still talking. He started calling her Hillary. The sniffing accelerated, as if he was wearing Kramers wool sweater from Seinfeld. Clinton killed America with competence for several minutes about jobs, and Trump pivoted, completely bizarrely, back to demanding extortion money from NATO countries like Tony Soprano in a terrible suit. He repeatedly used the menacing phrase pay up to describe our expectations of other sovereign countries. It does not help that he has mobster hair. He ranted strangely about how we will have more free trade than we have now, but that it will somehow be more fair. Clinton spiked the volleyball by noting that Trump had used Chinese steel (the horror!) to build his hotel in Vegas.

He walked right into another trap by repeating his odd claim that Clinton has achieved nothing in 30 years and allowing her to basically read her long and amazing resume to the American people. He responded to Wallaces question about accusations of sexual assault by saying that they had been largely debunked and then moving on, implicitly admitting of course that some of the accusations were true and reminding America that he didnt even apologize to Melania and now lets change the subject please. When Clinton observed that Trump basically said he only rapes pretty girls, Trump added interrupting to the sniffing to complete his transformation back into the unhinged weirdo from the first debate that we can now be confident is who this guy actually is. And happily, Clinton made the case about why Trumps behavior is wrong more comprehensively and eloquently than in the second debate. She said, Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I dont think there is a woman anywhere that doesnt know what that feels like. The whole exchange about sexual assault ended with Trump absurdly saying that nobody has more respect for woman than I do, the audience breaking out into shocked laughter and Trump launching into a diatribe about Clintons emails.

After goading Trump some more by noting the six-foot portrait of himself that he bought with Trump Foundation money, Clinton had set Trump up perfectly for the only moment from this evening that anyone will truly remember. Wallace asked Trump point blank whether he would accept the legitimacy of an election that he is now poised to lose by double digits, and Trump said, I will look at it at the time. This stunning refusal to abide by even basic norms of democratic decency will dominate headlines for the next ten days. It forced Chris Wallace to explain to this boorish imbecile what a peaceful transfer of power looks like in democratic countries. Trumps final reply? Ill keep you in suspense. At this point, he was so out of his mind that when Clinton needled him about Tweeting that the Emmys were rigged against him, he leaned into the microphone and said Shouldve gotten it. For serious, Brian Fallon and Robbie Mook could have written the transcript of this debate themselves, and it could not possibly have gone any better for her.

At this point, the debate was comprehensively over. It was Trumps last chance to prove to America that he is a remotely sensible and competent person who can at least pretend to be an adult on national television for 90 consecutive minutes. He failed this minimal test in a hundred ways. This is a man who is more gullible than my 5-year-old nephew. You could walk into his office in Trump Tower and tell him theyve decided to cancel Christmas this year, and his eyes would go wide with shock and hed immediately send out 13 Tweets about the War on Christmas. The man is a Snopes article with a ragged pulse.

Who knew that of all people, it would be Foxs Chris Wallace who brought some semblance of order to these proceedings. Since the Commission released the details about the debate moderators, Democrats have worried that Wallace would try to throw the final debate to Trump before the election. And indeed, as many have noted, his questions were almost always posed with a right-wing narrative frame. This is a problem that needs to be addressed by the Commission, because this wasnt the only debate where that was true. But otherwise he was the only moderator who both stayed largely on substantive issues and kept Trump in line. His predecessors in the role either embarrassed themselves by getting talked over (Lester Holt in the first tilt and Elaine Quijano in the Vice Presidential Debate) or impersonating a Politico reporter by fixating on campaign arcana (Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper). He even tried to shut the crowd up. Four stars out of five.

I can only imagine the panic in Republican campaign offices across the country. At the debate, Trump locked himself into the cockpit of GOP Flight 2016 and aimed the plane directly for the nearest mountain, while Reince Preibus and Paul Ryan still sat calmly in first class sipping champagne instead of banging desperately on the door. The conclusion most people drew, finally, last night was this: The Republican Party has nominated a complete asshole to be the President of the United States and we dont want that. The GOP is now headed for the electoral massacre that they have so richly deserved for the past six years.

And we deserve it too. This obscene election has now been going on for more than 14 months, since the 16-member red-shirted Republican Away Team beamed into Cleveland to debate Donald Trump on August 6th, 2015. In defiance of all punditry and political science wisdom, Trump dispatched these challengers one by one, ritually humiliating them before forcing nearly all of them to disavow their attacks on him and come crawling back, their dignity in tatters, in the hopes that there might be a place for them in a Trump Justice Department that will never exist. In the endless, torturous, psychological damaging months that have followed, we have run out of ways to be offended, of nightmares to be haunted by, of things to conclude about Trump and Trumpism. After a thousand think pieces about Trump voters, the pens have largely run out of ink. The Dream Palace of the Trumpians is utterly impenetrable. Mostly we just want to go to sleep.

Before we rest, though, the message sent to Trump and his supporters on November 8th must be unequivocal: there is no place for this kind of ugliness in our politics. If Trump loses by 4 or 5 points, Republican elites might come to a different conclusion. They might surmise that attached to a candidate who can avoid rage-Tweeting from a Golden Toilet at 3 a.m., these positions  mercantilism, ethnic cleansing, nativism, the sexual domination of women  might be electoral winners. A 10 or 12-point loss in a country that is close to evenly divided politically, on the other hand, sends a signal that even Mitch McConnell cant misinterpret. It says that we can have sharp disagreements about economic and social issues. We can have a conversation about the boundaries of our political community, and to whom we should extend membership. We can struggle bitterly over the direction of health care policy and the Supreme Court. We dont even have to like each other while were doing this.

But we cannot have one party whipping up its followers into a frothing racial mob. We cannot have one party delegitimizing the instruments of democracy, calling for the assassination or jailing of opponents. This kind of cynicism and hatefulness is corrosive to the piping of democracy. It must be repudiated in large enough numbers to leave no doubt whatsoever about what has transpired. It looks increasingly like this will happen. But if and when the Democrats do win this election, it will not feel particularly good.

It will feel like we all survived a plane crash.

David Faris is chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. His books Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age: Social Media, Blogging and Activism in Egypt (2013) (Here) and Social Media in Iran: Politics and Society After 2009 (Here) (with Babak Rahimi) focus on the use of digital media by social movements.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Nate Silver Explains Just How Bad Donald Trumps Night Actually Was
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By James Miller | ( RFE/RL ) |  

We may be witnessing the end of the extremist group, the [so-called] Islamic State [group] (IS), as we know it.

Over the weekend, the coalition of Turkish military soldiers and Syrian rebel groups, backed by a small number of U.S. Special Operations Forces and air support, captured the Syrian city of Dabiq from IS. In and of itself, this would be an important battle. The Turkish-led coalition is now set to advance toward Al-Bab, ISs westernmost stronghold in northern Syria, a position that lies on the most important road that runs between Aleppo city and Turkey.

Perhaps even more importantly, ISs propaganda states that Dabiq is the city from which the apocalypse will start. The city is so important to the extremist group that its English-language magazine, one of ISs most important recruiting tools beyond the physical borders of its "state," shares the citys name.

And yet, there was no epic battle for Dabiq. The last 100 IS militants withdrew without a fight. There will be no apocalypse, it seems.

But that wasnt even the main headline. On the morning of October 17, the world awoke to find that a full-throated effort to dislodge IS from its most important stronghold in Iraq, Mosul, had been launched by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi military, bolstered by U.S. air strikes and Special Operations Forces.

An animation made by LiveUAMap shows how ISs easternmost flank began crumbling in just a few hours. Iraqi Kurdish leader Masud Barzani told Al-Jazeera that the operation had captured over 200 square kilometers of territory from IS on Day 1. Al-Jazeera also reported that this included nine villages outside the main city. Progress on Day Two was slower, but still steady.

Simply put, the "dawla," the state controlled by IS, is collapsing. To be sure, the fight for Mosul will be very tough. Videos taken by international media organizations like CNN show IS fighters dug in. One fighter is seen jumping out of a hole and shooting Peshmerga fighters in an ambush before blowing himself up in an unsuccessful suicide attack. IS also launched several waves of car-bomb attacks against the Peshmerga front lines. Despite the hopes of many in the anti-IS coalition, it seems the extremists are going to fight for the villages outside Mosul, and everyone seems to fear that the fighting inside the city will be even worse.

But Mosul will fall. The crumbling of the dawla is now inevitable.

Turkish forces are rolling across ISs territory in Syria in the west, the battle rages in Mosul in the east, and at ISs center, Kurdish forces, backed by the United States, are within 50 kilometers from the extremist groups headquarters, Raqqa.

A World War II Land Grab

This situation has a historic parallel. In 1944 and 1945, the defeat of the Axis powers was already nearly guaranteed. In Europe in particular, what transpired then was a race between competing interests to capture as much territory as they could before the war came to a close. The Soviet Union stormed into German-occupied territory from the east, the allied powers of the United States, United Kingdom, and a coalition of fighters from across the world pushed from the Atlantic Ocean in the west. After the war was over, the United States sought to shape the territory it controlled through the Marshall Plan, a bid to rebuild and unify Western Europe in order to prevent future conflicts there and stop the spread of communism. The Soviets in the east were less subtle, opting to directly control the territory they had captured in the hopes of advancing their own imperial goals. The result of the final days of the war with Germany thus shaped the entire future of geopolitical and regional power dynamics, which resonate to this day.

With such grand consequences, its easy to forget that all of this was determined inch by inch, foxhole by foxhole, region by town by neighborhood, by the actions and reactions of individual soldiers and commanders on both sides.

In the Middle East, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq are all competing for power, but so, too, are various sectarian groups  Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds. What may appear like a united front to end IS is really a fractured coalition of powers, each with competing interests.

Inside Iraq, the Kurdish Peshmerga are clearly making a power play, asserting its military might while wrangling for political  and perhaps physical  territory. Iraqs Kurds have wanted greater autonomy or independence from Baghdad for a very long time, and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq granted them that opportunity. IS poses an existential threat to that autonomy, but it also presents a great asset. By the end of this campaign, the Kurds will have played a major role in the reestablishing of order in the country, and they will have proven their military effectiveness.

Against this backdrop, the besieged government of Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi is struggling to win the narrative. Abadi has been locked in a prolonged battle with those who oppose his reform agenda, including his predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki, who has undermined him at nearly every opportunity. But Abadi has also had to placate Shiite militiamen, many loyal to the infamous Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who are frustrated at the lack of reforms and Abadis desire to free Iraq from sectarian politics, which hard-line sectarians like Sadr blame for the growing influence of the Kurds and the previously unchecked power of IS: Sunni militants. Abadi has attempted to stress the involvement of Iraqs military in the victories over IS. In reality, Shiite militias played a major role in the victory over IS in Fallujah and are likely to be heavily involved in the Mosul campaign, as well. While the extent of the ties between the various Shiite militia groups and Iran is a complicated issue, clearly Iran is also seeking to increase or at least maintain its own level of influence in Iraq through Shiite dominance.

Further complicating the picture: the involvement of Turkey in both the Syrian and Iraqi fronts. In August, just one month after a failed coup attempt aimed to topple the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish forces crossed the border into Syria to launch their own offensive against IS. At the time, however, I wrote that Turkeys primary motive was obviously not the fight against IS. After all, Turkey has shared a border with IS for two years. Instead, Turkey was reacting to U.S.-backed Kurdish groups that were rapidly advancing deep into IS territory, occupying space that was once controlled by moderate Syrian rebel groups that Turkey has supported for years.

Not only was Turkey watching its proxies lose territory to IS and the coalition that supports the Syrian government, Erdogan was also watching one of his principal rivals  Kurdish groups with ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)  fill that vacuum.

In the short term, Erdogans gamble in Syria has produced exactly the results he had hoped. IS is retreating, almost without a fight. The Kurdish groups have withdrawn from some of the territory right on Turkeys border.

About one month ago, I sat down with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek on the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy meeting in Kyiv. He was enthusiastically bragging about Turkeys intervention in Syria and broke the news to me that U.S. special operations forces were assisting the mission, dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield. But in comments made during a panel earlier that day, Simsek stressed that the Erdogan government is beset by enemies on all sides  IS and Kurdish extremists had both ramped up terrorist attacks in the months preceding the coup, and then there was the coup itself. Simsek stressed the narrative that followers of Fethullah Gulen had infiltrated all levels of the Turkish government and the crackdown on dissenters and the purge of suspected Gulenists that many in the West claimed was authoritarian was really the reestablishment of democratic values.

Journalists and experts present for Simseks comments were rightfully skeptical. Still, the exchange was a clear illustration of the central issue in Turkish politics: Many aspects of Turkish society  from the economy to the security situation to Turkeys regional standing  have been challenged in recent years. Turkeys intervention in Syria, and the Turkish governments purge of suspected Gulenists, are Erdogans attempt to reestablish some element of control, at least over the narrative, if nothing else.

RFE/RL spoke with Ilhan Tanir, a Turkish analyst and journalist based in Washington, D.C., who stressed that Erdogan is busy creating a narrative.

"The economy is doing terribly," Tanir said. In order to distract from Turkeys problems, Erdogan, much like Putin, has created external crises for him to fight, whether that be Gulenists and the Kurdish PKK at home, or IS and the Kurdish groups affiliated with the PKK beyond Turkeys borders. One consequence of the coup, Tanir explained, is that the Turkish media have either been targeted by the postcoup purge or are now echoing the Turkish governments party line.

"There is no critical media left in Turkey, and so whatever Erdogan says right now goes straight to the public," he said.

Erdogan, however, will soon face another problem with this narrative: His intervention in Syria is literally running out of room. With Dabiq having been liberated from IS, Turkey will set its sights on Al-Bab, a large and strategic town on a key road that runs from Aleppo city to the Turkish border. However, once Al-Bab is in Turkish control, Erdogan will have a new problem: In order to advance to ISs next stronghold, Raqqa, Turkey may have to move through territory currently controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish groups or by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At the moment, neither of those options is attractive to Turkey as they could broaden the conflict and alienate either Russia or the United States  or both. There may be nowhere to go.

In other words, if Erdogan is dependent on external crises to serve his political needs, he may run out of crises. It is for this reason that Erdogan wants the Turkish military to get involved in the fight for Mosul.

On October 18, Erdogan said that Turkey has a "historical responsibility" in Mosul and Kirkuk, as they were both historically Turkish land, therefore, "If we say we want to be both at the table and in the field, there is a reason."

He also warned Iraqs Shiite militias, which have been accused of anti-Sunni atrocities, to not get involved in the fight. As of right now, however, the government in Baghdad has rejected Turkeys request to join the fight in Mosul, and on October 18 thousands protested outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad against a Turkish military presence in Iraq. Two of Turkeys best-known media organizations, Daily Sabah and Anadolu, said that the protests were "dangerous" and had been organized by Muqtada al-Sadr.

If Turkey is not allowed to intervene in Mosul, will it try to anyway? Will Turkey attack Kurdish forces in Syria, even if it angers the United States?

"Whats going on in Iraq and Syria is a land grab," Tanir told RFE/RL. Various factions  the Kurds, the Turks, the Shia  are all using the fight against IS to advance their own causes. And just like how the 1945 land grab in Europe and Asia set the stage for the Cold War, so, too, will the events in the Middle East impact the power struggle in the region for years to come.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL

Via RFE/RL



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Los Angeles Times: Battle for Mosul: One the front line near Nawaran, Iraq
The Gujarat High Court [official website] on Thursday acquitted [judgment, PDF] 14 of the 31 individuals convicted of burning more than 30 people to death in the 2002 post-Godhra Sardarpura massacre, while maintaining the sentences of the rest. The High Court Justices Harsha Devani and Biren Vaishnav ruled that there was insufficient evidence to maintain the convictions of those acquitted because under Gujarat law [HinduStanTime report] more than one witness must testify against an individual before a conviction of riot violence will be upheld.

The violence stemming from the 2002 Gujarat riots between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Gujarat, killed an estimated 1,000 people. In 2011 the Supreme Court of India [official website] established a special court and sentenced 11 Muslims to death [JURIST report] in connection with the Godhra train burning that killed 59 Hindu nationalists. In May 2009 the Supreme Court of India ordered the formation [JURIST report] of five of these special courts to hear cases stemming from the riots. The court did not move the cases outside of Gujarat as the National Human Rights Commission [advocacy website] had requested, instead ordering that the courts be set up in the Ahmedabad, Anand, Sabarkanta, Gulbarga and Mehsana districts. In 2003 12 Hindus were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for connection with murders occurring during the religious riots.
[JURIST] The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye [official profile] said Thursday that governments are wielding the tools of censorship and cautioned [press release] that the freedom of expression is under the widespread assault. He discussed how countries throughout the world are passing laws that not only abridge free speech but punish journalists for reporting, are vague allowing subjectivity to substitute for actual wrongdoing, punish people for social media posts, and essentially treat speech as a weapon under the narrative of counter-terrorism or other national security narratives. Kaye ended his remarks saying that [g]overnments must not only reverse course, but also take the lead in ensuring its protection.

Bills limiting freedom of expression and punishing religious dissension have been widespread across the world and have led to international concern. In August Maldives President Yameen Abdul Gayoom signed [JURIST report] into law a controversial bill criminalizing defamation with fines and jail terms despite widespread criticism. Earlier this year a sharia high court in Nigeria sentenced cleric Abdulaziz Dauda and nine others to death [JURIST report] by hanging for committing blasphemy against the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. In January UN human rights experts called for a review of the UKs draft Investigatory Powers bill fearing that the present draft of the bill could threaten freedom of expression and association [JURIST report]. In February a Pakistani man was executed for his part in murdering a politician [JURIST report] who supported a Christian who had been convicted of blasphemy. Later that month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Indonesian Parliament to reject proposed amendments to its law on the eradication of terrorism [Law No. 15/2003]. HRW asserts that the proposed amendments are too vague [JURIST report] and would limit the exercise of free expression and directly conflict with Indonesias obligations to international human rights, leading to fundamental rights violations. And in 2010 HRW urged the repeal of all such laws [JURIST report].
[JURIST] The UN Independent Expert on minority issues, Rita Izsak-Ndiaye [official profile], on Thursday urged [press release] the Sri Lankan government to better protect minorities following the civil war. Izsak-Ndiaye advised that for true change to take place a concerted effort must be put into creating a comprehensive, well-planned and well-coordinated truth as well as measures to improve accountability. She also suggested that part of this effort must be present in education urging that educational curriculums be developed to teach about diversity within the nation in order to foster deeper understanding. Finally, she called for a independent minority rights group to ensure that their needs were being heard and met as well as to form a bridge between minority communities and the state.

The global community has been calling on the Sri Lankan government to create more accountability, most recently since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war. The UN released a report last year finding that war crimes may have been committed [JURIST report] during the war. Later that year the President of Sri Lanka rejected [JURIST report] a UN recommendation for international involvement in its domestic investigation of the war crimes. The UN report came amid mounting pressure on the Sri Lankan government from human rights groups and the international community to investigate and prosecute abuses during the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In 2014 then-US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Stephen Rapp called on Sri Lanka to investigate rights abuses [JURIST report] by security forces during the civil war. In 2013 UK Prime Minister David Cameron demanded [JURIST report] that the Sri Lankan government conduct its own investigation into war crime allegations. Earlier that year, then-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on [JURIST report] Sri Lanka to improve its human rights record.
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Gluten-free has a well-established presence in the markets of western Europe, notably Italy, Germany and the UK, but the sector is rapidly gaining traction in eastern European countries. In just-foods series of market spotlights on the next five countries manufacturers should target, John Shepherd looks at the Czech Republic.

Increasing awareness and diagnosis of coeliac disease in the Czech Republic has led to a rise in the take-up of gluten free products in the country and placed the market among ones to watch for manufacturers.

Industry watchers point out that, as elsewhere in central and eastern Europe, Czechs have lagged behind their western European neighbours in embracing new consumer trends. But that is changing.

Retail sales of gluten-free products in the Czech Republic remain small but have been growing steadily over the past five years. Sales in the sector increased from a total of US$1.6m in 2010 to $2m in 2013 and $2.3m last year  a year-on-year increase for 2014-2015 of 8.3%, according to data from Euromonitor. The figures are small when compared with the size of the gluten-free market in neighbouring Poland but analysts expect sales to increase further.

Chris Brockman, Mintels research manager for food and drink in the Europe, Middle East and Africa, says: The Czech Republic, in common with Central and European countries, is generally a few years behind western Europe in adopting new trends, but this region is now starting to see the gluten-free category develop strongly.

Research from Mintel shows the number of gluten-free food and drink products launched in the Czech Republic has risen by almost a quarter in the last two years up to last month. Over the last 12 months, 16% of total food and drink launches in the country have been gluten-free, up from 12% a year earlier.

Brockman said the Czech Republic is more westernised than other eastern European nations, such as Poland but said the recent jump in the number of gluten-free products being launched as surprising given the small size of the country. The launches are of course imported gluten-free products, but the overall share figure surprised me quite a lot, given the size of Poland, which is a sizeable food and drink market, yet the increase in gluten-free product launches there for the period was 6%, Brockman said.

According to Brockman, growth in the Czech gluten-free sector has been largely driven by snacks, pasta, pizza and prepared meals, in addition to bakery goods. The growth of gluten-free in the Czech Republic has been driven by a combination of factors  the number one factor being the greater awareness of coeliac disease and of wider gluten intolerance. More cases of coeliac disease are being diagnosed, while more people turning to gluten-free as a trendy lifestyle approach, Brockman says.

Euromonitor international analyst David Hedin said the research firm is more positive in terms of the future domestic manufacturing and development of gluten-free in the country than in Poland. However, Hedin notes Poland is well ahead in the sector with Polish brands that are already rather big, such as Bez Gluten and Amarello, with products that are also being exported for sale in other markets in the region.

In the Czech Republic, domestic manufacturers of gluten-free products include Prague-based Lifefood, founded ten years ago by Tereza Havrlandova. Lifefoods portfolio takes in other categories  including organic and vegan  but the company manufactures a range of gluten-free products among its range of free-from foods. It has since expanded into 15 other countries. Lifefood sells 90 separate products across the countries in which it has a presence, including crackers, bread, biscuits and chocolate. A spokesperson says Lifefood has a turnover of EUR8m ($8.8m) in 2015  around 25% of which was linked to the Czech market.

The spokesperson says all of Lifefoods products are gluten free, with the widest assortment of what we sell available in the Czech Republic, adding: Our products are sold mainly in health food stores and fitness chains, but we are also starting to sell our products through some of the more conventional retailers. Lifefood is also developing new gluten-free products that will be launched at the international Biofach organic trade fair next February in Germany.

Havrlandova, who was named among Forbes entrepreneurs of the year in 2015, said recently Lifefood is now set to enter the Canadian market and further down the road the US.

Czech mainstream food manufacturers have also moved into gluten-free. Emco, a family-owned company based in Prague, started manufacturing gluten-free products in 2011. Its cereals range includes gluten-free Emco Granola, which targets what it calls the healthy lifestyle trend. Emco declined to comment in detail on its business. However, the company said its cereal products, including gluten free, have a share of around 50% of the markets in both the Czech Republic and neighbouring Slovakia.

Italy-based pasta manufacturer Zini is among exporters to the Czech Republic with products including a range of gluten-free.

Zini export area manager Riccardo Mazzoli tells just-food the companys pasta products have been sold to the Czech Republic for around seven years under its own and private-label brands. The private-label pasta is sold through retail stores while Zinis own products, including gluten-free, is destined for the countrys foodservice sector. Mazzoli declined to give sales figures for the Czech Republic but said demand for gluten-free was increasing steadily.

Retailers in the country are gradually responding to the demand for gluten-free. The Czech Coeliac Society says the availability and choice of gluten-free products are steadily improving, adding: There is no chain of health food shops (like Reformhaus in Germany and some other countries) but the German pharmaceuticals chain DM has recently started to sell basic gluten-free foods, such as bread, pasta and biscuits.

The society, which updates Czech coeliacs and tourists on the availability of gluten-free foods, says other European supermarkets operating in the Czech Republic that are increasing shelf space available for gluten-free country include Ahold Delhaizes Albert, two Rewe chains in Billa and Penny Market, then Globus, Interspar (selling its own line of bread, pasta and biscuits), Schwarz Groups Kaufland and Tesco.
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(Xinhua) 20:50, October 20, 2016

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China and Germanywill discuss foreign exchange, mutual investment and other issues on China-European Union(EU) economic exchanges at the seventh Hamburg Summit, according to the Hamburg Liaison Office China.

The summit is scheduled for Nov. 23 and 24 this year in the northern German city of Hamburg. Senior officials, entrepreneurs and leading scholars from China and the EU will attend the summit, said Lars Anke, chief representative of the Hamburg Liaison Office China, at a news briefing on Thursday.

Discussions, keynote speeches and panel meetings will focus on various topics, including the fallout from Brexit, China's economic transition, the Belt and Road Initiative and boosting efficiency in industrial manufacturing, Anke said.

Initiated by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in 2004, the biennial summit will be titled "China meets Europe" this year and serve as an important platform for discussing China-EU economic cooperation.
File photo: National Civil Servant Exam

Over 500,000 people registered to take Chinas national civil-service examinations only six days since registration began. As of 4:00 pm October 20, the registration system has already verified 521,120 candidates to participate in the exam, 87,471 more than the figure at the same time last year. The average number of applicants per position reaches 19.25:1.

At present, the position with the largest number of applicants is an opening under the Central Committee of the China Democratic League. A total of 2,162 applicants are competing over this one job. Additionally, the number of applicants amounts to over 10,000 for provincial tax administration bureaus in 13 provinces.

Conversely, 920 positions received not even a single applicant. The majority of these positions are arduous, base level jobs stationed in relatively rural areas. For example, the Hohhot Railway Public Security Bureau is looking to hire six people. However, not one person has yet to register for those positions.
Beijing, Manila agree to handle maritime disputes properly, in what expert calls a 'welcome U-turn'

President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony to greet Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing on Thursday. Xie Huanchi / Xinhua

China and the Philippines agreed on Thursday to properly handle their maritime disputes and restore the bilateral ties soured by the South China Sea dispute.

The development is a "welcome U-turn" in the bilateral ties, said Jia Duqiang, a senior researcher of Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Rodrigo Duterte's first visit to China as Philippine president also saw the two countries sign 13 deals, worth more than $13.5 billion, on finance, anti-drug efforts, production cooperation and tourism, said Ramon Lopez, the Philippine trade and industry secretary.

President Xi Jinping, after a grandiose welcoming ceremony for his counterpart, described his handshake with Duterte as "warm and firm", even though the bilateral ties recently underwent some "winds and rains".

China is the first country outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region that Duterte has visited since he took office in June.

The visit took place amid a backdrop of bilateral ties that had suffered due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case against China by Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.

Xi called on the two countries to handle disputes properly on the South China Sea issue, to set aside the disagreements, and to focus more on cooperation. China and the Philippines have a history of generations of friendship, and there are no excuses for hostility and confrontation, he said.

Xi, who called the visit a milestone for bilateral ties, said the two countries remain friendly neighbors.

Duterte expressed gratitude for China's support for the economic development of the Philippines.

"This is the springtime of our relationship," he told Xi, adding that the two countries should enhance cooperation in areas including trade, investment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism, as well as in efforts to combat drugs and terrorism.

Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the visit means a new page has been turned in the relationship between the two countries in addressing the South China Sea issue through bilateral consultations.

China will provide financial support for infrastructure construction in the Philippines, Liu said, and will take part in the construction.

According to Liu, Xi has announced that China will lift the travel advisories issued two years ago for Chinese people traveling to the Philippines, adding that this will encourage more Chinese to visit the Southeast Asian country.

China has also resumed permits to 27 Philippine companies that export tropical fruit, including mangoes, to the country, he added.

Jia Duqiang, the researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Duterte's visit is a "turning point" for China-Philippines ties.

"Unlike his predecessor Benigno Aquino III, who relied much on the United States, Duterte has taken an independent approach in diplomatic policies," he said.

Jia expressed cautious optimism regarding China-Philippines ties because "setting aside the arbitration case temporarily does not mean the resolution of disputes for good".

Song Junying, a researcher of Asia and Pacific studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that as a pragmatic political figure, Duterte aims to speed up the country's economic development to bring real benefits for his people.

Aid from China will be crucial for Duterte to improve the country's infrastructure, he said.

Zhang Yaozhong contributed to this story.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Oct. 20 -- China and the Philippines on Thursday pledged to improve economic ties through cooperation.

During a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China and the Philippines had a sound foundation and great potential to coordinate strategies related to improving the economy and people's living standards.

China is ready to increase cooperation with the Philippines in areas such as connectivity, infrastructure construction, production capacity, agriculture and finance, and further promote trade and investment, Li said.

Speaking highly of China's achievements in social and economic development, Duterte said the Philippines would like to deepen cooperation with China in various fields and learn from China's experience of poverty alleviation and economic development.

In a China-Philippines Trade and Investment Forum at the Great Hall of the People, together with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, Duterte said both countries share similar culture and thinking patterns.

The Philippines appreciates China's sincere assistance and respect of the Philippines and other countries, said Duterte, adding his country has put developing relations with China as one of its foreign policy priorities.

He said he welcomes China to further expand investment in the Philippines and would implement the consensus reached with Chinese leaders during this visit.

Zhang said the economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure construction and production capacity are priorities for the next stage of bilateral cooperation.

China is willing to work closely with the Philippines to implement the consensus, plans and major projects reached between the leaders, Zhang said.

The forum, jointly held by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, was attended by some 700 businessmen from both countries.

During his meeting with Duterte, Li mentioned that the South China Sea issue should not define the Sino-Philippine relationship.

The common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences, he added.

Li expressed China's willingness to develop relations with the Philippines to put ties back on a healthy track.

China has always stood for resolving bilateral issues through dialogue and consultation of those directly concerned, said Li.

Li hoped that the two sides would jointly promote good-neighborly friendship and remain committed to managing their differences through dialogue and consultation, which serves the common interests of the two sides and also contributes to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN and it is also the China-ASEAN year of tourism cooperation, with the Philippines holding the ASEAN's rotating presidency.

Li said China was willing to take this opportunity to enhance communication, coordination and cooperation with the Philippines within the framework of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Later Thursday, top legislator Zhang Dejiang also met with Duterte at the Great Hall of the People.

Duterte arrived in Beijing Tuesday night for a four-day state visit to China, the first country he has visited outside ASEAN since taking office in June.

The visit came amid a backdrop of deteriorating China-Philippines ties, due to the unilateral filing of the South China Sea arbitration case initiated by his predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China.
The file photo shows the scene of the Strait of Malacca in Malaysia. [Photo: cntingshu.net]

Three Chinese companies have been selected to help build a new deep-water port in the Strait of Malacca in Malaysia.

The project is part of the Chinese government's broader "belt and road" initiative.

PowerChina International, Shenzhen's Yantian Port Group and Rizhao Port Group have been selected to help a Malaysian company build the 1.9-billion US dollar port.

The project itself is part of the larger Melaka Gateway Project that China and Malaysia signed last month, which also includes real estate projects in Malaysia.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai says the new port is being built on a critical waterway.

"On an annual basis, over nearly 100,000 vessels ply the Straits of Malacca as its strategic location is part of the east-west maritime gateway. So clearly, there is a significant opportunity and potential for growth."

The main tender for the port project is Malaysian firm KAJ Development.

Once completed, the company says the port will also contain a liquid cargo terminal which will be able to hold fuel, chemical products and vegetable oil.

At the same time, as part of the Melaka Gateway Project, a number of Malaysian companies and the Provincial government in Guangdong are planning on developing the island of Pulau Melaka into a maritime activities center.

It will include a bulk container terminal, ship repair services and a maritime industrial park.

China's ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Huikang, says the joint project will be a major hub on the "Belt and Road."

"Melaka Gateway and Melaka Maritime Industrial Park could serve as a model for cooperation between China and Malaysia, and for all countries interested in taking part in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative."

The development of the Melaka Gateway Project is slated to be complete by 2025.

The port is due to be operational 6-years earlier, in 2019.
Following the end of the Cultural Revolution, millions of persecuted cadres had their names cleared during the nationwide reversal efforts. But a large number of ordinary people were ignored and they have to rely on themselves to prove their innocence.

A man in a Red guard costume jumps in front of Cultural Revolution paintings. Photo: CFP

Wang Jiafang, a woman living in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has been counting down the days she has left since cancer attacked her in 2010.

The 57-year-old says she only takes traditional Chinese medicine and barely has any strength, and openly acknowledges that she is at death's door.

More than death itself, she fears dying without resolving the injustices she was forced to be part of during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Forty one years ago, Wang was a primary school student in Leibo county, Sichuan Province. She was forced to testify that she was raped by her teacher Chen Jiaqian. Chen was forced to "confess" after days of physical and psychological torture.

Chen, a head-teacher with good prospects at that time, spent nine years in jail as a result. Despite appealing his sentence for years, he hasn't been able to clear his name. Wang has faced a lifetime of gossip and pity even though she left Leibo and moved far away.

In 2013, Chen got in touch with Wang, and the latter eventually summoned up the courage to try to reverse the verdict this January and submitted their case in July. Now the two are waiting to hear whether the local procuratorate has accepted the case.

"They said we would wait for two months or so. Now three months have passed. They may delay the case till after we die," said the 74-year-old man, who is also in ill health.

Forced confession

Chen remembers clearly how his fate suddenly changed one night in July 1975 when Wang paid him a visit. "If she had not come that night, I would have at least remained an ordinary teacher with a salary," Chen told the Global Times.

Wang, then 16, knocked on the door of Chen's office and dormitory around 9 pm (after finishing the day's farm work) to ask about her chances of getting into middle school. At that time, a student needed a school's recommendation to move forward with their education.

Wang said she did not even sit down and the two had just talked for a few minutes when the head of the village committee rushed into Chen's room with three militiamen and tied up the pair. They were then handed over to the township government and interrogated.

Their interrogators demanded they "admit" that they had sexual relationship. As Chen recollected, he would be beaten whenever he refused. He and Wang requested several times that their accusers check her body for evidence of sexual activity, but these pleas were ignored. To save his life, he wrote a confession saying that the accusations were true, in the hope that he might not be punished too harshly.

Wang was told by her female interrogator that Chen had already confessed and that if she did not also admit to having sex, she would be paraded through the streets. Believing that she would never be let go unless she said what they wanted, Wang falsely confessed too.

In March the next year, Chen was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a public trial for "raping a young woman" and other crimes.

Chen's life was ruined. Before that night, he was the headmaster of a primary school and a key talent to be cultivated by the district-level education system, and the only potential Communist Party of China member in the village.

He spent six years in jail instead. His two daughters, who were very young when he was jailed, eventually dropped out of high school because they were too busy helping their mother survive to study. His daughters have lived in poverty their whole lives and his wife suffers from mental health problems.

"She cannot understand me even now. 'Why would they arrest you if you didn't do it,' she says," Chen revealed to the Global Times.

When she got married at 20, Wang brought her then husband to a hospital for mandatory medical check and the results showed she was still a virgin. "But no written document proving this was provided," Wang recalled.

Chen says he suspected he was set up because he had offended then Party secretary of the village committee Teng Xinfu. After 1971, as headmaster of the school, Chen requested several times that the classrooms be repaired but was rejected by Teng. Chen later reported Teng to the township education department and the two became enemies.

As Chen recalled, Teng publicly said he would "fix" Chen. He had also heard Teng asking anyone who saw a female student enter Chen's room to tell him.

Hard to reverse

In 1979, when the whole country was trying to right the wrongs of the Cultural Revolution, Chen appealed to the local court, and in 1981 his imprisonment was decreased to six years after it was decided that many of the accusations leveled against him were baseless. But the rape charge remained.

After getting out of prison in 1981, Chen tracked down Wang who had gotten married in a faraway place to escape the gossip which surrounded her following the case. Feeling guilty after learning of the inhuman torture Chen had suffered in jail, Wang dictated what really happened that night and signed it with her fingerprint.

But his hope of clearing his name was broken in 1983 when Wang again said he raped her after being threatened by Leibo court officers, who also said that Chen had forced Wang to lie about the rape and told Wang that she would go to jail if she didn't recant her testimony.

He was arrested again in 1983, as part of a nationwide movement to "strike hard on crimes," for "forging" evidence, and spent another three years in jail.

Chen never gave up though. Failing to find a lawyer, he taught himself about the law throughout the years. But again and again, his appeal was rejected by the authorities, who maintained that the punishment enforced at that time was reasonable given "sufficient testimony."

It was 30 years later when he next got in touch with Wang. But he did not ask her to help him, after hearing that she was suffering from cancer.

But burdened with guilt, Wang eventually made up her mind to help her teacher early this year, inspired by the case of Chen Man, a man who was convicted of murder in 1992 but eventually had his name cleared in 2016.

She found the woman who interrogated her in 1975 and asked her to admit what really happened. "Against that historical background, [I] forced Wang to admit that she had an unspeakable relationship with Chen without any evidence. There was no alternative," the woman wrote this June.

"I'm not afraid of getting jailed any more. It is the greatest shame of my life. I hope I can die honest and clean," said Wang. "Do you think it is possible?" she asked.

A historical phenomenon

Chen said he does not hate Wang. "She was left with no choice either," Chen said, "It is useless to hate her."

Chen expressed disgust over the period he calls "a time without law."

"There were so many wrong cases involving so many important figures at that time. I'm just too small to complain," he said.

As reported, during the Cultural Revolution, millions of "confessions" were extracted via torture without evidence. But this number only refers to the about 2 million cadres that were investigated during that period.

No statistics, even rough ones, about small cases like Chen's are available yet. But according to Chen, such cases of injustice were very common at that time.

Starting from 1978, the country began to right significant injustices that occurred during the Cultural Revolution and many important figures like former Chairman Liu Shaoqi were rehabilitated. According to statistics, from the end of Cultural Revolution to the 1980s, about 4.18 million injustices across the country were acknowledged.

But many cases, particularly those involving ordinary people, have never been corrected. It is not rare to see people ask online how to get their verdict from the Cultural Revolution reversed.

It is a tough path, as many similar cases have proven.

Fu Fushan, a teacher in Hainan Province, was accused of rape by three female students in 1973 as a part of a struggle between two political sects.

Fu has been petitioning all levels of government over the past 40 years, but he hasn't got the truth he wants, even though the involved students admitted their accusations were false in 2006.

In response to an online post about false accusations during the Cultural Revolution, a lawyer named Fang Yang wrote that as so many years have passed, "the materials and files might have been lost or vanished, so you need to be prepared that this case will not be reversed."

As Chen understands, in addition to the long time span, the difficulty of his case lies in the fact that judicial organs will not admit that they were wrong, because they are unwilling to pay him compensation. "People who were involved in this case are dying one by one. It's getting more and more difficult," he said.

But Chen is resolved to persist. "I am not afraid of getting jailed any more, and I believe in China's law," said he, adding that he just worries he may not live to see his name cleared.

But a lawyer who is not willing to reveal his name told the Global Times bluntly that Chen should spend the time he has left on more important and meaningful things in life.

"They both admitted the rape at that time, which means there was sufficient evidence. The chance of the verdict being reversed is very little," the lawyer said.
Local media reported that some expired processed food items, which were dumped by various retail outlets at a wasteyard in Wuhan, were then collected and resold by local citizens. Authorities are now looking into the case.

The initial investigation indicated that only a small amount of expired food had been abandoned at the dumpster, and that only a few people had picked food out of the dumpster before it was cleaned. China's Food and Drug Administration also conducted a thorough inspection of the market to search for expired food. At the time of publication, no expired food had been found.

There is one enclosed landfill in use in Wuhan, and four more like it under construction. In the mean time, garbage collection vehicles are being sent to food retailers around the city to collect expired food. The expired food is destroyed before being disposed of at landfills.

Authorities ask citizens not to salvage or purchase expired food, and to report any food safety violations to the relevant department.
For shoppers, what will a combined Bass Pro Shops-Cabelas look like?

So far its not clear, though retail watchers say both brands could stay around  at least for now. Bass Pro announced earlier this month its plan to take over longtime competitor Cabelas.

Bass Pro Chief Executive Johnny Morris has said his firm plans to keep and even expand the Cabelas brand. He told Cabelas employees one idea in an address last week: The Cabelas nameplate could be added to Bass Pro Shops. He also said he expected to add Bass Pro merchandise to Cabelas stores and Cabelas camping and hunting gear to some Bass Pro stores.

On the exterior of the store, we would put up the Cabelas name and really get after it, Morris told employees in a recording of the address last week that was obtained by The World-Herald.

A Bass Pro spokesman said that idea is just one of many. Bass Pro declined to comment further.

[Also read: Will either the La Vista Cabelas or Council Bluffs Bass Pro Shop have to go after purchase?]

For marketing purposes, it isnt a bad idea, said Ken Perkins, president of the RetailMetrics consulting firm in Boston.

Still, when one retailer swallows up another, stores tend to eventually end up under the acquirers brand, he said.

Itll be interesting to see long term if they continue to keep the two names, Perkins said. Usually these things end up getting rolled in to one nameplate.

Department store Macys, for example, eventually changed nearly all of its acquisitions of regional department store chains over to the Macys nameplate.

A store-within-a-store could be another approach for the tied-up outdoors retailers  Bass Pro stores would include a section specific to hunting, camping and Cabelas-branded apparel.

J.C. Penney has taken that approach, partnering with Sephora cosmetics, and Macys has done so with Lush cosmetics, Apple stores and Finish Line.

Whatever Bass Pro decides to do with the approximately 80 Cabelas stores around the country, its unlikely that those changes will happen overnight once the deal closes, said Matt Powell, outdoors industry analyst with research firm NPD Group.

Changing stores over to one nameplate immediately can be expensive. New shopping bags, employee uniforms, signage and even printing new price tags add up, Powell said. The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.

Bass Pro probably will take a hard look at each of the chains overlaps and decide what makes the most sense in each retail category. Cabelas sells more national brands  think Columbia, North Face and Yeti coolers  whereas Bass has focused more on its own private-label brands, Powell said.

Putting a Cabelas nameplate on a Bass Pro store and vice versa could be a good step toward the transition to one brand.

Will they ultimately operate them separately? Perhaps. There certainly is synergy to operate them together, Powell said.
It is with great confidence that I wish to endorse Kathy Gifford for the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education. Kathy is a retired family and consumer science teacher after more than 40 years in the classroom. She was highly respected by students, parents, colleagues, administrators and community members.

She spent the last 20 years of her professional service at Kearney High School. Kathy served as co-chair of the committee that researched and implemented the concept of Small Learning Communities for our new KHS.

I first met Kathy when she was a student at Kearney State College. I had her in two methods classes and supervised her student teaching experience. She also did work study for me and helped a few hours each week in my home. She was always top notch in all she did. Hard work, reliability, integrity, cooperation, leadership and commitment to students, her family and the community were all built into her value system.

Kathy instilled in her students leadership, critical thinking and decision-making skills as she practiced those habits herself. She revived a mediocre FCCLA Chapter at KHS and started the HOSA: Future Health Professionals youth group. Both student organizations earned numerous state and national awards. Kathy also wrote several vocational education grants which provided financial support for materials and equipment for all the vocational classes.

Twice Kathy was named the Teacher of the Year for FCSTN at the state level and she was also recognized by the Nebraska Vocational Teachers Association. Since retiring three years ago, Kathy can often be seen volunteering at concession stands, ball games and other activities for KPS. Just last year Kathy served as NAFCS state president.

I cannot think of anyone better qualified to serve as a member of the Board of Education for KPS and our community. Please consider supporting Kathy Gifford as you vote on Nov. 8.

Lucille Stone, Kearney
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An unresolved case was solved once and for all on Oct. 18 in Zhunyi, Guizhou province, with eight suspects arrested. The defendants confessed that their motive in the murders was "to promote bravery."

Police officer Gong Yongheng described one victim of the murders, a young man who was found naked and murdered in a park on Nov. 25, 2005. The only physical evidence was cigarette butts left behind at the scene of the crime.

The case remained unsolved until September 2016, when police found a new lead by reviewing archives and physical evidence. A suspect who had inflicted deliberate, fatal injuries at an Internet cafe 10 years ago caught the attention of the investigating officers.

The suspect confessed and told the police that seven other people involved in the crimes were still in Zunyi. Once all the suspects had been arrested, they explained that they were middle school students at the time of the murders, and they had committed their crimes to "promote bravery through murder."

The eight suspects said they now regret their actions.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Gregory Taylor is pictured during a press conference in Ottawa on October 20, 2014. Canada's top doctor has released a report on family violence across the country - and he says the statistics are staggering. Chief medical health officer Dr. Gregory Taylor says family violence is not just about physical abuse, but includes sexual, emotional and financial abuse, as well as neglect. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The bow of the Leviathan II, a whale-watching boat owned by Jamie's Whaling Station carrying 24 passengers and three crew members that capsized on Sunday, is seen near Vargas Island as it waits to be towed into Tofino, B.C., Tuesday, October 27, 2015 for inspection. Entire communities have been honoured, individuals cited for heroism and boats blessed, but one year after the sinking of a whale-watching vessel off British Columbia that tossed 27 people into the churning Pacific, the wounds have barely started to heal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
(Photo/Sina Weibo)

A Chinese publishing house has apologized for mistakenly printing a portrait of George Marshall, a renowned military leader during World War II, rather than one of General Joseph Stilwell, on the cover of a newly released book.

The mistake went viral after Harbin Publishing House launched its new book, titled Diary of Stilwell: Stories Between Me and Chiang Kai-shek, in July.

The book's cover features the black sketch of of a military man against a white background, but the sketch is not of glasses-wearing Vinegar Joe General Stilwell. Instead, it portrays the U.S. chief of staff during World War II, George Marshall.

(File photo of General Joseph Stilwell)

Through Weibo, we discovered that there were errors on the cover of the book Diary of Stilwell. We hereby apologize to our readers. We accept absolute responsibility no matter what caused the errors, and we will make a timely rectification, stated Harbin Publishing House on its official Weibo on Oct. 19.

(File photo of the Collection Essays of Kang Youwei)

Another similar error occurred in 2009 with the publication of The Collected Essays of Kang Youwei by Thread-Binding Books Publishing House. A supposed portrait of Kang actually featured Liang Qichao  Kangs student, who did not even resemble his mentor. The book remains on sale and is priced at 30 RMB. The publishing house has not made any official comment in response to the error.

(File photo of Kang Youwei)

Printing mistakes are hard to avoid entirely in the publishing industry, but some Chinese publishing houses display a lack of professionalism when they use incorrect pictures, or even photoshopped images.

The Post & Telecom Press also apologized after one of its publications, an illustrated handbook, was found to be using the head of an elephant photoshopped onto what looked like a dolphin's body in an illustration for a walrus.

(File photo)
(Xinhua) 16:50, October 21, 2016

NANJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A museum dedicated to the 1937 massacre of Chinese citizens in Nanjing by Japanese invaders has sent historical photos and evidence to Francefor an exhibition.

The exhibition will open Saturday at the Caen Normandy Memorial Center for History and Peace and is titled "Common Witness: The Rape of Nanking or Nanjing Massacre."

It is the first overseas exhibition to display China's collection on the massacre since the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Nanjing Massacre to its Memory of the World Register last year.

The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre in east China's Jiangsu Province selected 270 photos as well as evidence and video records for the exhibition in France.

As inscribed in the Memory of the World Program, the collection documents the history of the massacre, which lasted from Dec. 13, 1937 to Jan. 1938, when more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed by Japanese invaders after the city fell into the hands of the Japanese army.

The Nanjing museum's exhibition planner said that the materials selected for the show in France will highlight humanitarian acts by foreigners during the massacre. Witnesses of the massacre included professors, missionaries, doctors, journalists and diplomats from America and Europe.

Among them, there were photos taken by American clergyman John Magee, as well as photos showing Dr. Robert O. Wilson treating a Chinese boy, who was stabbed in his right leg by the bayonet of a Japanese soldier.

Wilson was the only surgeon during the massacre. He saved thousands of Chinese people.

Next year will coincide with the massacre's 80th anniversary. The Caen Normandy Memorial Center for History and Peace plans to host an international forum in 2017 on World War II, which will include topics on the role of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Customs in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, recently inspected and retained a young man who tried to smuggle 14 diamonds, weighing a total of 7.1 karats, in his wallet.

This isnt the first case of attempted diamond smuggling. Previously, the local customs department uncovered 133 diamonds hidden in one man's underwear. Officials have also found 14 diamonds next to people's zippers, 13 in socks and 22 in cigarette packs.

The cases can largely be divided into two categories. In the first category are people who smuggle the diamonds to earn a commission; in the second category are jewelry merchants who smuggle the goods themselves in order to process and sell them.

Customs officials warn travelers that any valuable goods must be reported. Failure to do so will be judged as a violation of the law.
A Red Cross rescue team in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province recently set up a volunteer group consisting of 10 people to serve a local tourist site. The volunteers clean garbage left by tourists on the cliffs of the tourist attraction. Volunteers usually descend the cliffs via a safety rope.

The captain of the team, Sheng Lijiang, said that even though the volunteers are professionally trained, it is still usually their first time going down a cliff from such a high point. Therefore, Sheng does everything possible to guarantee the safety of the team, including a comprehensive check of all rescue equipment before operations begin.

Tied to the ropes, the volunteers go up and down the cliffs all day, according to Pan Qingqin, party branch secretary of the Red Cross rescue team.

Noting that the beautiful scenery is a gift from nature, several of the volunteers said that visitors really should not litter as they enjoy the views.
Chris Wallace

While most Americans tuned into the final U.S. presidential debate on the night of Oct. 19 (U.S. time) to see whether Trump or Clinton would emerge victorious, many Chinese viewers were focused on something else entirely: the moderator.

Chris Wallace is a Fox News anchor and host of the weekly Fox News Sunday program. While Fox News as a whole is known for being politically conservative, Wallace is generally recognized as a fair and effective journalist. Indeed, many debate watchers praised Wallace for successfully steering the third debate toward discussions of substantive policy issues, which some felt the first two debates lacked.

Chinese citizens, too, complimented Wallaces performance, but many of their comments included a comparison  or at least a reference to  Wallaces father, Mike Wallace, also a respected journalist.

In 2000, Mike Wallace was granted an interview with Chinas then-President Jiang Zemin. In the interview, President Jiang and the elder Wallace enjoyed a comfortable rapport, with Jiang even breaking into song at one point, and reciting part of the Gettysburg Address from memory.

In a 2015 interview with the Wall Street Journal, the producer of the segment, Bob Anderson, recalled, [What] was really unusual was that [Jiang] gave us a ton of time. He gave us a whole afternoon and then we had dinner with him. And in the middle of that dinner, Jiang and Mike broke into a chorus of O sole mio. It was just loose and friendly.

The experience left a positive impression on Jiang, too. Later that year, during a conflict with a group of Hong Kong reporters, he volleyed a now-famous insult that Americas Wallace is way above all of you.

Given the status that the late elder Wallace continues to enjoy in China, it comes as no surprise that Chinese viewers of the debate watched Chris Wallaces performance through the lens of his fathers reputation. One commenter stated that Wallace was pretty good, though that should come as no surprise given his fathers success during the famous interview. Another Internet user cheekily captioned a photo of Wallace tonights real winner.

Naturally, not everyone thought the younger Wallace measured up to this father. One user, referencing Jiangs famous retort to the Hong Kong journalists, wrote, Looks like Little Wallace is way below his father!
A local school is giving back to those currently battling cancer.

In order to raise money for breast cancer awareness, the PTC organization with United Middle School sold pink socks to the entire student body.

After raising all month, the group decided to donate 40 percent of their profits to Washington Middle School student Jaylen Garcia - who is currently battling cancer.

On Friday, students from United Middle, along with the principal, presented a $600 check to the 13-year-old.
Ending homelessness in Laredo might sound like an ambitious goal, but one group of local, state and federal representatives say it's within reach.

Homelessness affects nearly 1,500 people in Laredo.

On Thursday morning, several different agencies who help this population gathered at the Laredo Community College for a discussion.

Congressman Henry Cuellar organized this meeting between them and a panel of legislators and other government officials.

They were able to talk about federal resources and strategies to synchronize the efforts to end homelessness.
A man wanted for allegedly pulling out a knife in an attempted burglary is arrested.

Police say Rogelio Reyes was behind the incident that happened last July, in the 400 block of Riverhill Loop.

Police say Reyes allegedly broke into a vehicle, and when the owner confronted him, he pulled out a knife on him.

The car owner was able to avoid the attack.

Reyes was charged with Aggravated Robbery with a Knife.
There was a standing ovation at a seminar last Friday for a man who eloquently spoke of his personal experience of homelessness in the city.

The raw honesty and emotion was palpable in the room as the speaker brought us on his journey. His story illustrated how easy one can fall on hard times and how difficult it can be to get off the streets.

The man spoke of his life now - a meaningful relationship, a home, a job and food in the fridge.

I was walking down this morning and kicking the leaves in the sunshine and I thought - it doesn't get much better than this, he said.

Being homeless made a man out of me, I don't worry about silly things anymore. He publicly thanked Fergus Keane and the staff at The Good Shepherd and said that without their support he would not be here today.

His talk was part of an event which took place to mark World Homeless Day and to raise awareness. It was organised by The Good Shepherd Centre in conjunction with the Kilkenny Homeless Action Team.

The key speakers for the day were Professor in Social Policy at Trinity College, Dublin, Eoin O'Sullivan. Professor O'Sullivan is the author of many publications on the topic and is Lead Editor of the European Journal of Homelessness since 2009.

Professor O'Sullivan said that at present there are nearly 300 people in emergency accommodation in the Southeast and that there is a significant growth in family homelessness. Recent statistics also show that there are 147 people in the Southeast for more than six months.

Social justice campaignerFather Peter McVerry has been working with vulnerable young people in Dublin for the past forty years. He is the founder of the Peter McVerry Trust - a charity organisation that has progressed from one flat in Ballymun in 1983 to 11 homeless hostels with over 100 apartments, a residential drug detox centre nd two drug stabilisations services.

Fr McVerry said that there are five basic fundamental rights and added that if one is absent then it is almost impossible to live well. The five fundamental rights are: food, healthcare, education, work and housing, which he stressed is the most fundamental.

During the Celtic Tiger the government abdicated their responsibility regarding social housing. The solution (to homelessness) is social housing. Without radical reregulation of the private rented sector it is a cul de sac that the government are going down.

Homelessness is now accompanied by hopelessness. People are in hotel accommodation for up to two years, he said.

He cited three main reasons for the soaring levels of homelessness - namely high rents, evictions (because landlords are selling) and repossessions.

There are more homeless people in the country today than in famine times. It is the same reasons that people are being evicted and that is they cannot afford to pay the rent.

At this moment we have a Housing First model without the housing. It is an Irish solution to an Irish problem, he concluded.
Mr Antony Roberts, Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy New South Wales delivers a speech.

SYDNEY, Oct. 21 (Peoples Daily Online)  2016 Australia Precious Metals Investment Conference was held in Sydney a few days ago. More than 500 guests from the Australian government, business and financial sectors, and precious metals industry attended, including Mr Antony Roberts, Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy New South Wales.

AusGold Mining Group and Perth Mint attended the conference as industry representatives and exchanged views on the prospect of the precious metals industry.

Mr Roberts concluded the development of the precious metals industry in Australia over the past years and expressed warm welcome to the Shanghai Gold Exchange which provided excellent exchange platform for Australian gold producers and refiners.

Ms Sally Zou, Chairman of AusGold Mining Group also presented awards for some businesses and individuals for their contributions to the sector. (Chuyi Sheng)
TOKYO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Friday the central bank may slow its government bond purchases if bond yields fall well below its target.

"If 10-year government bond yields fall well below our target of around zero percent, we may slow our bond purchases," Kuroda told parliament.

"But we don't see an immediate possibility of our bond buying falling sharply from the current pace of 80 trillion yen per year," he said.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara)
HANOI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official market and indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi at 0049 GMT.

Oct 21 Oct 20 USD/VND mid-point 22,019 22,005

USD/VND interbank 22,306/22,308 22,306/22,307 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.48/35.73 35.52/35.77

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank quotes are indicative bid/ask prices.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co, the gold manufacturer.

Interbank offered rates are indicative, quoted from market sources.

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
BANGKOK, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Thailand's economy is recovering gradually but is stronger than that of many countries, the central bank governor said on Friday, amid concerns that a year of mourning for revered King Bhumibol Adulaydej could affect tourism and consumption.

"Although the Thai economy today is recovering gradually, it is more stable than other industrialised and emerging countries because it has good buffers," Bank of Thailand Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob told an economic seminar.

Thai growth has been slow for years, due to weak exports and domestic demand. Tourism has been a rare bright spot.

The central bank has forecast Southeast Asia's second-largest economy will grow 3.2 percent this year and again in 2017. Last year's growth was 2.8 percent.

King Bhumibol died on Oct. 13 at age 88. He was the world's longest reigning monarch.

(Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Richard Borsuk)
Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX: CG) has completed the previously announced acquisition of Thompson Creek Metals Co. (TSX: TCM), the companies report. Centerra thus gains Thompson Creeks Mount Milligan Mine in British Columbia. "With the completion of the acquisition of Thompson Creek, we have created a geographically diversified gold producer with a high-quality producing platform and a strong growth pipeline, says Scott Perry, chief executive officer of Centerra. The transaction diversifies Centerra's operating platform and adds low-risk production and cash flow from a very high-quality, long-lived asset in Mount Milligan and creates a leading low cost mid-tier gold producer. Jacques Perron, president and chief executive of Thompson Creek, is now a member of the Centerra board of directors.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

George Ogilvie Agrees To Become CEO Of Rubicon

Rubicon Minerals Corp. (TSX: RMX) reports that George Ogilvie has agreed to become president and chief executive officer, subject to the completion of a refinancing and recapitalization transaction. A restructuring transaction will involve a new equity raise of C$40 million and reduction of the companys outstanding obligations. The company says the restructuring transaction is supported by the principal creditors, CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. and RGLD Gold AG, who have entered into support agreements. A ruling by the Ontario Supreme Court allows the company to proceed with its plan, Rubicon says. The restructuring transaction is the best available transaction for the company and its stakeholders and follows an exhaustive review of strategic alternatives, says Julian Kemp, interim president and CEO of Rubicon. The restructuring transaction has been made possible with George Ogilvies commitment to become the president and CEO. George has an extensive background in high-grade, narrow-vein underground mining and a track record of improving mining operations and the profitability of similar mining companies. Ogilvie is former CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Marc Leduc Appointed Chief Operating Officer Of Newcastle

Marc Leduc has been named chief operating officer of NewCastle Gold Ltd. (TSXV: NCA), the company reports. He is a mining engineer and geologist with nearly 30 years of experience involving all aspects of the development, operation, planning and evaluation of mining projects, with particular expertise in designing, constructing and operating large heap-leach mines, including Barrick's Pierina mine and New Gold's Cerro Pedro mine.His extensive experience in the design and construction of heap-leach projects will prove invaluable in overseeing the prefeasibility study on Castle Mountain, which we expect to launch this fall," says Gerald Panneton, president and chief executive officer. The company also announces 1.45 million stock options have been granted to officers and employees exercisable at a price of $1.03 for a period of five years.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
(Kitco News) - Morgan Stanley has become a new member of the London Bullion Market Associations Silver Price, operators CME Group and Thomson Reuters report.

Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm, will be the seventh participant, joining China Construction Bank, HSBC Bank USA NA, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto Dominion Bank and UBS AG. Morgan Stanley will first participate in the silver price auction on Tuesday.

"The addition of another member brings greater depth and diversity to the market and underlines the ongoing globalization of the Silver Price as a leading, liquid precious-metals benchmark," said William Knottenbelt, senior managing director, international, CME Group.

Added Ruth Crowell, chief executive of the LBMA: "They add depth and liquidity to the auction, and I look forward to other market participants joining in the future."

CME Benchmark Europe Limited and Thomson Reuters have operated the LBMA Silver Price since August 2014, when they took over responsibility from the London Silver Market Fixing Limited. CME Group provides the electronic price platform, while Thomson Reuters administers the auction.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Follow @KitcoNewsNOW
OSLO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The average price of Norwegian farmed salmon is expected to rise for the fifth consecutive week to around 65 crowns per kilo next week as supply is likely to fall, industry sources told Reuters on Friday.

In the current week, prices stood at 63-64 crowns after rising by 1-2 crowns per kilo.

"There's a wait-and-see attitude at these high price levels. Prices for medium sizes, three to six kilos, are rising while bigger fish are dropping. On average we anticipate around 65 crowns in Oslo," said a producer who declined to be named.

A fish exporter also expected prices to rise to around 65 crowns per kilo.

The increase could be driven by a drop in available volumes from fish farms, both industry insiders said.

Marine Harvest , the world's largest fish farmer, on Monday sharply cut its fourth-quarter output forecast. Prices have been volatile so far in 2016 and hit a record in July above 80 crowns per kilo as supply fell while demand rose. Prices then proceeded to fall to a level just above 50 crowns before rising again.

Production costs in Norway have risen sharply in recent years to around 30-31 crowns per kilo on average.

Norway is the world's top salmon exporter, with leading producers including Marine Harvest, Salmar , Leroy Seafood , Grieg Seafood and Norway Royal Salmon .

Companies and analysts have predicted that the global supply of salmon will fall by 6-7 percent in 2016 due to declining production in Norway as well as in Chile, the world's second largest producer.

(Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord, editing by Terje Solsvik)
Portugal finance ministry welcomes DBRS rating decision



LISBON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Portugal's finance ministry welcomed rating agency DBRS' decision on Friday to maintain the country's only investment grade credit rating, saying it showed the "correctness" of the government's policies to promote economic recovery. "Today's decision increases our own and the markets' confidence in the policies chosen for the country," the finance ministry said in a statement.

(Reporting By Axel Bugge)

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.

kitco news
HANOI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0411 GMT.

Oct 21 Oct 20 USD/VND mid-point 22,019 22,005 USD/VND interbank 22,310/22,312 22,306/22,307 USD/VND unofficial 22,340/22,355 22,330/22,345 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.44/35.68 35.52/35.77

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.3-0.9 0.3-0.9

1 week 0.3-0.9 0.35-0.9

1 month 1.3-2.2 1.3-2.2

3 months 3.2-4.2 3.2-4.2

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
(Adds details, quotes)

By Karin Strohecker

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Nigeria expects to sell a Eurobond worth around $1 billion before the end of the year and is in the process of appointing managers for the sale, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said on Friday.

The Eurobond is part of Nigeria's plans to borrow a total of 1.8 trillion naira ($5.8 billion) from abroad and at home to fund an expected budget deficit of 2.2 trillion naira this year.

"We are appointing parties this week, we are hoping to come before the end of the year," Adeosun told Reuters at the sidelines of an investment conference at the London Stock Exchange. She gave no details.

"We have headroom and we are very fortunate in that regard, we have very low debt to GDP ratio," she later told the conference.

Africa's biggest economy has slipped into recession for the first time in 25 years, brought on by low oil prices that have cut government revenues and weakened the OPEC member's currency. Crude oil sales make up 70 percent of national income.

The African Development Bank has said it will help Nigeria to overcome its recession. The lender's board is expected to grant a $1 billion loan at a rate of around 1.2 percent, which Nigeria could use to help plug its deficit. The finance minister said she hoped oil prices would stabalise around $42 and $50 per barrel. Oil edged higher on Friday, with Brent crude futures 12 cents higher at $51.50.

Adeosun also said the government had spent 770 billion naira on capital expenditures since President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2016 budget in May.

(Writing by Ulf Laessing and Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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By Barbara McMichael

Through a Green Lens  Robert Michael Pyle

OSU Press  264 pp.  $22.95

This past week I've been steeping myself in the consistently beguiling writings of Grays River naturalist Robert Michael Pyle.

Oregon State University Press has just published "Through a Green Lens," a collection of five decades' worth of essays by Pyle, who has championed many environmental causes through the years, from habitat restoration along Lake Washington's Union Bay, to advocacy against roadside spraying, to founding of the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit that works for protection of butterflies and other invertebrate species.

The majority of these pieces were previously published in magazines and journals. This type of work has been part of the intricate scaffolding by which Pyle has built a challenging but lauded career of reading, research trips, field seminars, and more writing.

Pyle's writing suggests a personality that is generous, genius, opinionated and self-deprecating.

The latter quality developed in due time. "Through a Green Lens" is arranged chronologically, and Pyle composed the first essay in this anthology when he was still a teen. "Reflections from Silver Plume," never published before now, certainly gives a sense of the direction this young man's life would take  already he was displaying a passion for entwining natural history with aesthetic appreciation, and a predilection for delicious vocabulary. Never mind that the piece is shellacked with a varnish of self-importance  all of us who have survived our own callow youths will wince with recognition. In his introductory note, Pyle adjudges that this early effort is "mannered, overrich in adverbs," and perhaps too emulative of the writers he admired. But deciding to include it reflects the frankness of the person he has become.

Succeeding pieces demonstrate that Pyle has settled comfortably into his own mode, which is big-hearted, lyrical and not infrequently seasoned with wry humor. In "The Bramble Patch Trap," for instance, he tells a rollicking story of mishaps and blunders, even when the laughs come at his own expense.

Reading on, you'll find wonder and beauty in some pages, but grief and alarm in others. For decades, Pyle has been railing against disruptions, despoilments and even extinctions around the globe. He also reports on solutions and positive interventions, but too often these happen at a slow pace, if at all.

Occasionally you'll find that anecdotes or even quotations from other authors are reiterated in different essays. This shouldn't be surprising, given that these works derive from a 50-year span and the pieces were written for various audiences. What may catch you off-guard in the early pages is that whenever Pyle mentions his wife in an essay, she always seems to have a different name. (Pyle, it turns out, has been married three times  but startled readers are left to ignore the apparent discrepancy and move on, or to figure this out for themselves.)

"Through a Green Lens" is a riveting blend of polemic, elegy, reverie and science. The rainy days are upon us, and I can think of no better way to while away the hours than with this book in hand.
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By Kitsap Sun Staff

PORT ORCHARD  Police are investigating allegations of racial harassment from a Port Orchard woman who reported Wednesday receiving an envelope in the mail containing a headless doll.

The woman told officers that the harassment had been going on for a couple of weeks after she hung a Hawaiian flag at her house, according to the Port Orchard Police Department. The woman posted to social media photos of notes she said had been left at her house on the 4300 block of Chatterton Avenue SW that contained threats and a racial slur.

The envelope also contained ashes and a prayer card with a burn hole in it, according to a police report.
Steve Zugschwerdt | Kitsap Sun A group of classmates and friends of Shaun Olson gathered Tuesday night at the scene of the accident that killed the 17-year-old South Kitsap High School junior on Glenwood Road.

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By Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun

SOUTH KITSAP

In a recent geometry class at South Kitsap High School, teacher Wendy Flansaas told her student Shaun Olson that he couldn't lay his head down on the table.

So the 17-year-old "proceeded to lay down under the table and ask if it was OK to sleep there," Flansaas recalled. "I had a good chuckle and he started doing his work again."

Olson, whose life was cut tragically short in a car crash Sunday night on Glenwood Road, is remembered by those kinds of moments, say those who knew him  a young man with an ability to bring smiles to the faces of those around him.

The son of Randy and Maggie Olson, Shaun was a junior at South Kitsap High School, was involved in the youth group at his church and worked in Gig Harbor at McDonald's.

"Shaun was a very impressive young man," said South Kitsap High Principal Jerry Holsten. "I enjoyed my conversations with him."

News of the accident traveled quickly throughout South Kitsap High School thanks in large part to text messaging, the principal said. School officials have been trying to manage rumors.

"Throughout yesterday and today, we've provided our staff and students factual information and statements as we know it to be at that time," Holsten said.

Additional counselors are on hand at the high school to help students cope with his tragic passing.

"This is a difficult time for all staff and students, and we're trying to provide as much support for our students and staff as we can throughout the situation."

Whether at school, at work, or at church, Olson was a big part of the lives of those who knew him  and sometimes even those who didn't.

South Kitsap resident Amy Mahan-Fox said she'd met Olson only once, but that the 17-year-old had made a profound impact on the life of her son, Mac, 15.

Mahan-Fox explained that about two years ago, her husband left their family. Her son Mac joined the "Flipside" youth group at the Adventure of Faith Church soon after Olson, about two years older, "took him under his wing," she said.

"He helped my son through one of the most painful periods of his life," Olson said. "He just reached out and became a friend."

Mac recalled how reliable and friendly Olson was, and how he "pretty much never said a mean word about anyone."

"He was always there if you needed something," Mac said. "It wasn't like he was overly profound, he was just solid. You just felt a whole lot better after talking with him."

Mahan-Fox said her son and some other friends from the youth group went last night to Tacoma General Hospital simply, "to be there."

"They were his friends and he was their friend," she said.

Taylor Herbstritt met Olson his sophomore year at South Kitsap, and eventually worked with him at the McDonald's in Gig Harbor.

"Anyone that knew Shaun knew how nice of a kid he was," Herbstritt said in an e-mail. "He was loved by so many."

Herbstritt recalled when he found out Olson was getting a job at the Gig Harbor restaurant.

"I was ecstatic," he said.

He remembers Olson as someone his friends called "Shauny boy," who had a "big heart," and who was devoted to his girlfriend.

"Literally this is a great loss to our community," he said.
By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun

To read the Kitsap Sun's look at other claims about the fast ferry service, click here.

BREMERTON  Kitsap Transit has touted Seattle as the No. 1 employment center for Kitsap County residents in materials explaining the agency's fast ferry ballot measure, a claim that was based on incomplete data and is not true, a Kitsap Sun analysis found.

The transit agency included the talking point in posters displayed this summer at community meetings, in online graphics and in a mailer distributed this month.

"More Kitsap County residents (non-military) are employed in Seattle than any other city  one in six," one bullet point in the mailer read.

Kitsap Transit used a U.S. Census Bureau web application called OnTheMap to research where Kitsap county residents work. According to OnTheMap, about 14,088 Kitsap residents worked in Seattle in 2014, while 10,576 worked in Bremerton.

But data displayed by OnTheMap do not appear to reflect federal civilian employment at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton  the county's single largest employer. The shipyard employed 10,898 civilian workers at the start of 2014, according to the Navy. OnTheMap displayed 218 total jobs in the area of the shipyard.

According to the Navy, roughly 82 percent of Bremerton shipyard workers live in Kitsap County. If shipyard employment was added to the Census job numbers, Bremerton would exceed Seattle as the top employment destination for Kitsap workers.

Kitsap Transit spokesman Sanjay Bhatt said the agency relied on Census data to research where most Kitsap residents work and noted Puget Sound Regional Council uses OnTheMap to research regional economic trends.

"We were also told by the Census Bureau that our interpretation of the OnTheMap data was absolutely correct," Bhatt said in an email.

After being alerted to the data discrepancy last week, Kitsap Transit removed materials referencing Seattle as the No. 1 employment center for Kitsap workers from its website and the website for its fast ferries project. Bhatt said mailers that included the statement were prepared for distribution weeks before the discrepancy was uncovered.

Documentation for OnTheMap notes certain job types, including uniformed military, are not included in data displayed by the application, but indicates federal civilian jobs are included. Census representatives were unable to confirm whether Bremerton shipyard jobs were correctly displayed by OnTheMap during conversations over the past two weeks.

POPCORN & ISSUES: FAST FERRIES AND OUR FUTURE

What: The Kitsap Sun hosts a discussion on the role of fast ferries in Kitsap County's mass transit strategy.

Who: Experts in transportation policy, fast ferry operation, demographics, economics and regional planning discuss the peninsula's growth and mass transit.

When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Where: SEEfilm Bremerton Cinema, 655 Fourth St.

RSVP: pugetsoundblogs.com/brews-and-issues/#fastferries
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Frances Jean Roby

of Richmond, CA

Oct. 21, 1946

to Sept. 23, 2016

On Friday morning, September 23rd, my friend and older sister Fran passed away at Harrison Hospital - Bremerton. In the company of me, Lois Ireland, my husband, Ron Ireland, and our brother, Jack James, Fran graciously slipped away from us at age 69. 2016 was not a good health year for Fran. I know of no stronger woman than Fran, who fought a number of catastrophic health issues, one after another.

Born in Richmond, California, on Oct. 21, 1946, Fran spent her school years in southern California. Working in the telecommunications field, Fran lived in Washington, Colorado, Virginia, returning to retire in Washington.

As her younger sister, I will remember Fran's quick wit and her limitless support to me in childhood and adulthood.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Azersun Holding and other big Azerbaijani companies will participate in the first International Fruit and Vegetable Fair in Tashkent, to be held November 8-10, Jahangir Aminov, adviser to the Uzbek ambassador to Azerbaijan, said.

Aminov made remarks at a press conference in Baku October 21.

He added that the contracts for the supply of fruits and vegetables from Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan are planned to be signed following the visit.

The fair is expected to be a platform for establishing the mutually beneficial relations between producers and consumers of Uzbek fruits and vegetables.

Round tables and bilateral negotiations are planned to be held between exporters and consumers of Uzbek fruits and vegetables during the fair.

The investment opportunities in the agricultural and food industries of Uzbekistan are also planned to be presented during the event.

Participation in the exhibition is free. Online registration of participants will be available until November 5 at http://www.agrofair.uz/en/ and http://uzagroexport.uz/en/.

Additional information is available at the abovementioned websites, by e-mail ([email protected] and [email protected]) and by phone: + 998 71 246 13 51.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Local farms offer lots of fun Fall activities

OCTOBER 20, 2016 at 7:36 p.m.





Corn mazes, pumpkin picking, wagon rides, playground, petting zoos!





Image courtesy of www.kykerfarmscornmaze.com.

If you think a trip to the farm means pumpkin picking, crisp weather, wagon rides, corn mazes, imaginative playgrounds and farm animal petting zoos, youd be right. However, thats just the tip of the cornstalk in Tennessee.



Agritourism farms across the state are a prime destination for all sorts of special events and outdoor adventures not traditionally associated with farms. Farmers look for ways to keep visitors coming back to their operations year after year. As agritourism matures in Tennessee, options at farms keep expanding.



Admission to pumpkin patches, farm retail shops and playgrounds are usually covered with a single fee, but for an extra fee, visitors may be able to experience all sorts of outdoor recreation. That may include riding a zipline, racing a pedal car around a track, taking on a climbing wall or ropes course, or mining for gemstones. Weekend special events like dog agility demonstrations, music festivals and antique car shows have become regular daytime fare for Tennessee fun farms. Many farms offer concessions so visitors can enjoy an entire day.



Some farms offer outdoor movie nights and fireworks displays, but night time is still fright time for most places with corn mazes, woods, or even orchards. Haunted hayrides, zombie paintball games, and terror-themed trails of all kinds have become part of Tennessees Halloween traditions. When Halloween is over, leftover pumpkins become ammunition for outlandish punkin chunkin cannons and catapults at some end-of-season celebrations.



Savvy farmers also make it easy for potential visitors to find a deal. Many offer discounted admissions prices for different days or events, for military families, group visits, and even Groupon coupons.



To find one of the 700 agritourism farms near you, visit the Pick Tennessee website at www.PickTNProducts.org or use the free Pick Tennessee mobile app.



Now in its 30th year, Pick Tennessee Products is the Tennessee Department of Agricultures program to connect consumers to farms, farmers and farm products. Published October 20, 2016














Three Florida men arrested in Tennessee theft scheme

OCTOBER 21, 2016 at 5:50 p.m.







Gopalbhai Patel. Image by TBI.



Riptesh Patel

Ashokkumar Raval

NASHVILLE  An investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and multiple law enforcement partners in Florida has resulted in the arrest of three men charged with theft from Tennessee residents.



At the initial request of 22nd District Attorney General Brent Cooper, TBI Special Agents began investigating information that Gopalbhai Shivramdas Patel, Riptesh Hasmukhlal Patel and Ashokkumar Prabhakar Raval, all from Florida, were involved in a fraud investigation that had ties in Tennessee. The investigation revealed that the three were involved in receiving and laundering money obtained through a scam, in which victims were contacted by phone and threatened with arrest if they didnt deposit U.S. currency into a named bank account. Information obtained during the investigation showed that over a three-month period between 2014-2015, the three men received over $900,000 from the scheme and subsequently funneled money into overseas accounts. As the investigation progressed, information was developed that the fraudulent bank accounts in question were initially opened in Williamson County, at which point 21st District Attorney General Kim Helper also got involved.



On October 19th, TBI Special Agents obtained arrest warrants out of Williamson County for the three Florida men. On Friday, Gopalbhai Patel (below left), 59, and Riptesh Patel (below middle), 35, were arrested in Orlando. Raval (below right), 63, was arrested in Tampa. The three men are each charged with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Theft over $250,000 and one count of Money Laundering, and are being held without bond on the charges from Tennessee.



Multiple law enforcement partner agencies assisted with the investigation and subsequent arrests, including The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Tampa Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service. Published October 21, 2016
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Milan Stech, chairman of the Czech Senate, and Katerina Valachova, the Czech education minister, will visit Azerbaijan in the first half of 2017, Vitezslav Pivonka, Czech ambassador to Azerbaijan, said at a press conference in Baku October 21.

He didnt reveal the exact dates of the visits.

Stech is expected to meet with the Azerbaijani leadership and discuss a wide range of bilateral issues as part of his visit.

Valachova will hold meetings in the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education and Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The ambassador added that the Czech Republic is the largest importer of Azerbaijani products among the EU countries and ranks ninth among those countries in terms of exports to Azerbaijan.

Pivonka also said Azerbaijan ensures one-third of the Czech Republic's oil needs - around 2.4 million tons per year.

The ambassador added that Azerbaijan plays an important role in the diversification of sources of oil supplies to the Czech Republic and ensuring its energy security.

He said that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic was $1.2 billion in 2015, which is 30 percent less than in 2014.

Trade turnover decreased due to falling oil prices, he added. Product mix in the mutual trade expanded in 2015.

Pivonka also stressed that the Czech Republic is one of the major investors in the Azerbaijani economy.

The amount of the Czech investments has exceeded $2 billion in the last six years, he said.

The diplomat added that the Azerbaijani investors have not been actively investing in the Czech economy yet, although the economic situation in the Czech Republic is favorable.

The Czech Republics GDP growth amounted to 4.3 percent, which is the highest rate among the EU countries, he said.
Binggrae's ice cream shop, Soft Lab, at a Lotte Department Store in southern Seoul



By Lee Hyo-sik

Orion, Binggrae, Maeil and other food firms are rushing to enter new areas of business to find new cash cows amid the continued consumption slump.

Korea's confectionary and dairy markets have reached saturation point as a result of intensifying competition and slow population growth, forcing food companies to venture into new businesses.

Orion, one of Korea's major confectionary firms, has set up a joint venture, K-Food, with Nonghyup, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, as part of efforts to diversify its portfolio. The new entity is building a plant in Milyang, South Gyeongsang Province, to produce a variety of processed food items using rice and other grains.

"To become a comprehensive food company, we decided to cooperate with Nonghyup to make processed grain products to capitalize on the increasing wellbeing trend," a company official said.

Among others, Orion is widely known for its chocolate-coated biscuit brand Choco Pie, which has gained huge popularity around the world.

"We are also weighing a number of options for our next project to become an entity covering a range of areas," he said.

Another major confectionary firm Binggrae, famous for its best-selling Banana Milk, has also been more active in diversifying its portfolio.

In cooperation with CJ Olive Young, CJ Group's beauty store chain, the company plans to introduce body lotions and other cosmetics products. It also recently opened its first ice cream store, Soft Lab, at a Lotte Department Store.

"To make the best use of our know-how and expertise in producing premium ice cream for years, we decided to open an ice cream shop," a company spokesman said. "Using our state-of-the-art production process, we will also make cosmetics and other consumer products that require high hygiene standards."

In addition, Maeil Dairies, Namyang Dairies and other dairy firms have been eager to make inroads into other businesses to cope with falling milk consumption.

Maeil launched coffee chain Paul Bassett and introduced a variety of ready-to-drink coffee products. It also opened a leisure-oriented dairy farm in North Jeolla Province and started selling children's clothes.

Namyang has been diversifying its portfolio by producing instant coffee products and ready-to-eat meals for a growing number of single-person households. Seoul Milk also tries to promote its desert products and instant mixed coffee.

Yakult Korea has launched ready-to-drink coffee "Cold Brew," as well as offering a range of cheese products. It also acquired medical equipment maker Curexo and bid to take over Bobath Hospital to establish a foothold in the healthcare business.

SPC, which operates Paris Baguette and other bakery brands, has been trying to go beyond the bakery business to emerge as a global food company.
By Park Jae-hyuk

Hyundai Group, which was the country's leading chaebol in the late 1980s, has been excluded from the large conglomerate group, according to the antitrust watchdog, Friday.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said that it approved the separation of Hyundai Merchant Marine from Hyundai Group because the group has been unable to wield any practical influence on its debt-ridden shipping unit.

Hyundai Group's share of Hyundai Merchant Marine shrunk from 23.1 percent to 1 percent after a capital reduction earlier this year.

The creditors, on the other hand, have secured 39.9 percent of the shipper's stocks  holding a bigger share than the group's owner family  through a debt-for-equity swap.

Hyundai Group had 21 subsidiaries and 12.8 trillion won ($11 billion) of total assets as of April, but now has 12 subsidiaries and 2.5 trillion won of assets.

From now, the Seoul-based group will not be regulated under antitrust guidelines on large conglomerates because the watchdog only checks groups that have more than 10 trillion won in total assets.

The FTC unveils the list of large conglomerates every April, but can exclude any entity at any time if the firm's assets decrease to less than 7 trillion won.

Over the past few decades, Hyundai Group has severed connections with its affiliates, including Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hyundai Department Store and Hyundai Development Company. The companies are now owned by family members of Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung.

Hyundai Group has been restructuring since late 2013 to avoid a liquidity crisis, selling assets and subsidiaries including Hyundai Securities and Hyundai Logistics. Toward that end, Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun contributed 30 billion won but the effort has failed to bear fruit.

Hyundai Group is expected to focus on its main affiliates, Hyundai Elevator and Hyundai Asan, in seeking to recover its previous glory.
By Yoon Ja-young



The government has neither effective tools nor the willingness to curb soaring home prices in southern Seoul, according to analysts.



The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday that it will not take steps to surgically target home prices in Gangnam or southern Seoul, the epicenter of soaring home prices in and around the capital.



"We will consider gradual, selective market stabilization steps, if need be. But we have no plan to target specific areas," the ministry said in a statement Friday.



This comes as calls are growing for measures to tackle steep rises in apartment prices in the affluent region. Prices in Gangnam-gu have risen 9.17 percent this year, with apartment prices hitting a record 40 million won ($35,200) per 3.3 square meters.



Analysts say that the government cannot aggressively take steps to stabilize home prices as it will "throw cold water" on the economy.



Lee Hong-il, a researcher at the Construction and Economy Research Institute of Korea (CERIK), said that while construction investment increased in the booming real estate market, the contribution of other sectors to the economy has fallen considerably.



"Manufacturing, which has traditionally led economic growth, has been sluggish. Its contribution to economic growth has fallen to the lowest level in 15 years. In the second quarter of 2015, manufacturing contributed to only 4.6 percent of economic growth, though it recovered to 18.5 percent in the second quarter this year. That was the lowest level since 2001," he said.



Facility investment also contracted by 4.5 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, and continued to dip 2.7 percent in the second quarter. Exports, once the sustaining pillar of the economy, have also been faltering.



"Without a boom in construction investment, the economy, which has already fallen into the risk of continual low-growth, would have been in deeper trouble," Lee said.



"For economic policymakers, it is the optimal scenario for real estate to continue a stable rise. The market should not be overheated but the collapse of the market will also lead to utter chaos. The real estate market is not an easy task," a ranking official at the finance ministry said.



Ju Won, an economist at the Hyundai Research Institute, said that the government should be cautious in handing the household debt problem. "As it is very closely related with the real estate market, blocking capital flow into real estate entails the risk of damaging the real economy. There should be a thorough analysis and cautious judgment before taking any measures," he said.



Amid increasing warning of an overheated real estate market, the government is facing criticism that it is only confusing the market with an ambiguous stance.



Market watchers point out that as real estate has come to sustain the economy after the faltering of manufacturing and exports, the government is left without choices.



Strategy and Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho recently said that the government will consider all measures including restrictions on mortgages, but this was soon negated by the Financial Services Commission Chairman Yim Jong-yong who said that the government isn't taking it into account. Related ministries are also continuing to confuse the market by changing their statements or suggesting conflicting policies.



Economists point out that the government won't be able to take bold measures as it has no other means to sustain the economy if the real estate market cools down.



According to CERIK, construction investment contributed to 51.5 percent of economic growth in the second quarter of this year. In the first quarter, 42.9 percent of economic growth was due to construction investment. This means the country's economic growth would be as low as slightly over 1 percent without investment in construction.



Between 2000 and 2014, construction investment contributed to only around 5 percent of economic growth, but the government has been increasingly resorting to real estate since former Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan was in control of economic policy. Comparing real estate regulations to "wearing winter coats in summer," Choi led deregulation which included easing of the loan-to-value ratio and debt-to-income ratio for mortgage seekers.




Artists and residents based in Hongdae walk in a protest, Wednesday, against Mapo-gu Office which plans to designate the area a "special tourist zone." The banner says "Skyrocketing monthly rent, collapsing art culture. This is Not Hongdae!" / Korea Times photo by Choi Ha-young



Row rises over tourist zone designation



By Choi Ha-young



The area around Hongik University, better known as Hongdae, is the birthplace of Korean indie music and youth culture. But it is now facing a transition, as the district office plans to designate the area a "special tourist zone" despite opposition from residents and artists there who claim the designation will damage the unique atmosphere.



In an attempt to attract more foreign tourists, Mapo-gu Office is working to have the area designated as a special zone similar to Itaewon and Myeong-dong. It plans to build tourist hotels with casinos through deregulation. Following further study on the issue through November, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will decide whether to pursue the designation possibly within this year.



The plan, however, has faced strong opposition from residents, tenants and artists there, who say the Hongdae area, the "hipsters' holy ground," has already been spoiled by capitalism.



"Franchised cosmetic shops, restaurants advertising bottom prices and bars advertising pickups are dominating Hongdae," Jung Jin-se, a playwright, said in a discussion at underground club Rolling Hall, Wednesday. "If the office pushes ahead with this plan, skyscrapers, tourist hotels with casinos and duty free shops will push out the remaining value like narrow alleys and sky seen between low buildings."



The area has raised numerous legendary bands such as No Brain and Crying Nut. "To become a band performing in a large stadium, they have to step up from small to bigger stages. Our club is a small one where performers and their audiences can breathe together," said a musician surnamed Choi, 38. "Such places are disappearing due to soaring monthly rent."



The participants agreed that Hongdae's unique environment has already been degraded, saying it is already a shopping district, not much different from Myeong-dong. "The creation of a special tourist zone will deepen this change," Choi said.



"It may be an opportunity for large businesses and landlords but independent artists and small shop owners will face a harsher environment," said Kim Young-deung, owner of Club Bbang, who has operated there since 2004.



The participants said that like Myeong-dong or Gangnam, tour groups are becomming a common sight in Hongdae, urging the local authority to recover the unique atmosphere of the area. "The district office should study Hongdae's historic value and composition of the visitors before launching such a plan," said Woo Seung-in, an official from the Green Party Korea, who spent her 20s in Hongdae when fringe culture flourished here.



Still, many people including foreigners head to Hongdae to enjoy the culture. "I can see dancers, street guitarists, and unique shops that I can only find in Hongdae," said Natasha, 24, a Russian tourist. Of the development plan, she immediately said, "It will spoil everything."



Artists highlighted Hongdae culture's autonomous power, saying the artists and visitors created their own culture there without government support. Kim Sang-cheol from the Labor Party said Hongdae attracts more than 6.5 million visitors a year, adding, "It's not the government but artists who achieved this record. The government and landlords should not hijack this achievement."



For street vendors, the plan's benefit is unclear. "I hope more foreign visitors means more money. But if casinos are set up, rich gamblers won't eat street food," said Jang, who has sold hotteok (sweet pancakes) here for six years.



Officials at Mapo-gu Office said they are aware of the concerns about the plan and will do their best to protect the local culture.



Seoul currently has six special tourist zones: Itaewon, Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun, Jongno, Jamsil and Gangnam.
The Korean pastor allegedly sexually abused eight girls over the past six years and gave their families money, rice and motorcycles. / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

A Korean pastor has been arrested in Cambodia for the alleged sexual abuse of eight girls from poor families who lived at his church in Siem Reap over the past six years, according to news reports.

The suspect was a 62-year-old Korean national surnamed Park, who represented a Christian church in Chung Kaosu village, local media reported, citing provincial police officers.

Police said the pastor had a long-term sexual relationship with the girls in return for providing their families with motorbikes and other items. Park was caught after provincial anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection police raided his church on Thursday morning, according to the Khmer Times, a local English-language daily.

"He was the pastor and ran a church in Siem Reap," Col. Duong Thavry, chief of the provincial anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection unit, was quoted as saying in a report. "He allowed about 20 poor girls and their families to live with him and he supported them. But he sexually abused them and had sex with them on multiple occasions and bought motorbikes and other valuable things for them."

The victims' ages vary from 11 to 16, the investigator said. They were moved to a safe place, according to Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), an NGO that hunts pedophiles and tipped off police to this case.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.21



By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:



The meeting of the energy subcommittee between Azerbaijan and the EU will be held Dec.14, a diplomatic source told Trend Oct.21.



The meeting will focus on cooperation in energy, transportation, as well as a number of regional transportation projects.



Earlier, Malena Mard, head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan, told reporters in Baku that she is confident of achieving concrete results in various fields and the meeting of the energy subcommittee.



Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (1996), which came into force in 1999.



The new agreement envisages bringing Azerbaijan's legislation and procedures closer to the most important international and trade standards of the EU. This process is meant to improve the access of Azerbaijani products to the EU markets.
By Jun Ji-hye

The United States has fallen short of accepting South Korea's request for the deployment of strategic weapons such as nuclear-capable bombers on the Korean Peninsula.

During the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the Pentagon, Friday, the two sides agreed to "conduct a review" of whether to deploy strategic military assets to the South on a rotational basis.

This is against expectations here that the two countries would actually announce a decision on the deployment following the meeting.

Such expectations were prevalent as a high-level official from South Korea's defense ministry strongly suggested in the lead-up to the SCM that the allies would agree on the deployment as a means to strengthen the U.S. "extended deterrence" protection of South Korea against nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

"This could be a disappointing result for South Korea. However, the U.S. commitment to discussing the deployment of strategic weapons in the South is meaningful," a source said.

Observers say there might have been an opinion gap between the two sides about the issue, and the deployment was just Seoul's hope, though the two nations have agreed that the North's threats have reached a serious level.

"We discussed a lot of options, including permanently deploying U.S. strategic assets on a rotational basis," Minister Han said during a joint news conference with Carter, at the Pentagon. "We'll conduct a review (of options) going forward, including those ones."

Han also told reporters that from the U.S. point of view, it was strategically improper to talk about a certain military option during the SCM.

Sources said Washington might have decided that it would be more effective to ambiguously operate its strategic assets rather than permanently deploying them to the peninsula.












By Yi Whan-woo





Rep. Lee Chan-yeol

A lawmaker at the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) (formerly the Minjoo Party of Korea) bolted from the party, Friday, after Sohn Hak-kyu, a now former high-profile member of the DPK, announced his return to the politics and also withdrew from the party, Thursday, following a two-year hiatus.

Rep. Lee Chan-yeol, who is seen as a Sohn loyalist, said he decided to leave the DPK to help Sohn expand his influence, adding "This is my right and duty."

Lee, a three-term lawmaker, won a parliamentary seat in the 2009 by-elections with support from Sohn.

His withdrawal is fueling speculation that other DPK members who are believed to be Sohn loyalists will also quit the party and join Sohn.

Some of the Sohn loyalists at the DPK include Reps. Kim Byung-wook and Park Chan-dae.

Sohn's return is expected to affect the DPK's step to woo support from the liberal-minded voters ahead of the 2017 presidential election.

Some political sources said Sohn may join forces with Ahn Cheol-soo, a former co-chairman of the minor opposition People's Party.

Ahn is viewed as a presidential hopeful for next year's election.

DPK Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae said Friday that she is willing to accept Lee again as a member, saying "There will be room available for him at any time."

The MPK changed its name to the DPK, Wednesday.


By Jun Ji-hye

Eyes are now on which U.S. strategic military assets could be allocated to South Korea after defense chiefs from the two countries agreed to conduct a review of the weapons' deployment on a rotational basis.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter reached the agreement during the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington D.C. Defense officials said Friday that the two sides shared the need for the deployment, though they did not make any decision during the talks.

The U.S. strategic weapons include B-52, B-1B and B-2 strategic bombers, F-22 stealth fighter jets, nuclear-powered attack submarines and aircraft carriers, and Aegis destroyers.

A military source said the F-22 Raptor could be deployed to the Korean Peninsula, noting that it requires less manpower and costs to be operated compared to bombers.

"It would be comparatively easier for Washington to deploy the Raptor," he said.

The source cited the possibility that some F-22s stationed in Kadena Air Base, Japan, could be moved to South Korea.












Seong Byeong-dae, center, who killed a policeman with a homemade gun in a recent gunfight, is moved to a prison van that took him to the Seoul Northern District Court for an arrest warrant review, Friday. / Yonhap



Suspect admits to planning to attack real estate broker



By Chung Hyun-chae

An ex-convict, who had grudge against a real estate broker, was arrested Friday on charges of shooting a police officer to death in northern Seoul.

A district court issued an arrest warrant for Seong Byeong-dae, 46, for killing Officer Kim Chang-ho, 54, who tried to apprehend the suspect as he was running away after attacking the broker in Beon-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Wednesday evening.

Seong, who had been convicted seven times for various criminal acts, including raping a teenager, faces charges of murder, attempted homicide, disturbing law enforcement officials in the performance of their duties and removing an electronic ankle monitor he was supposed to wear as a sex offender.

Seong was quoted as confessing that he hit the real estate broker surnamed Lee, a 68-year-old neighbor, with a hammer according to a carefully thought-out plan to kill him. Investigators said he had homemade guns to prepare for a showdown with Lee as well as police.

Asked by reporters if his act was premeditated, Seong said "yes," while heading to the court for a review of his arrest warrant sought by prosecutors.

He spoke incoherently about how he had planned to vent his anger against the broker who allegedly arranged a house rental contract for his older sister that he lives together with, believing that "somebody would cause a gas explosion to kill him in the house."

An investigator said such a belief indicates that the suspect might be a sociopath or paranoid.

However, Seong tried to deny that he killed the officer. He raised questions about the cause of the death of the officer.

He even told reporters that someone could have poisoned Kim in the hospital to frame the murder on him.

Investigators said Seong cut off the electronic monitor Wednesday, which alerted police, before getting into a fight with Lee. Expecting a gunfight with police, Seong was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Officer Kim was dispatched to the scene following an emergency call from a resident. When he and other officers arrived at the scene, Seong was running away toward Mt. Opae Tunnel.

As the policemen chased him, Seong started firing at the policemen. Kim was shot and fell to the ground at around 6:30 p.m. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead during surgery one hour later.

When he was apprehended, Seong was carrying six homemade guns. Police later found 17 more guns, which he made based on information available online, in his bag.

Seong was released from prison in 2012 after serving a prison term for raping the teenage girl and was ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor until January 2017.

He had displayed his hatred toward the police by posting messages on his Facebook page.

On Oct. 11, he said, "I will come into conflict with the police in the next couple of days. I want to kill as many police officers as possible."

Crime experts provided different opinions about the motive behind what Seong did.

Some said that he resembled a terrorist as he also made bombs that could cause massive destruction; others considered his actions to be a hate crime.

"This type of crime is usually caused by a sociopath who has hallucinations and harbors a grudge against a specific group of people. In Seong' case, the target of hatred was the real estate broker and the police," Lee Yoon-ho, a criminal psychology professor at Dongguk University, told The Korea Times.
The United States said Thursday any military attacks on South Korea will be defeated with an "effective and overwhelming" force amid ever-growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.



In the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held in Washington, Defense Secretary Ash Carter reaffirmed the extended deterrence protection by the U.S. of its key Asian ally, as the North continues to ramp up its provocative acts.



The defense chief warned any attack will be crushed and the use of nuclear weapons will meet an overwhelming response.



"Extended deterrence" refers to the commitment to use nuclear weapons, if the need arises, to deter attacks on allies. The U.S. has provided extended deterrence and the "nuclear umbrella" to South Korea after withdrawing nuclear warheads from the country in the early 1990s.



It is the first time that Washington has officially included the strongest-ever terms to highlight its commitment to respond in the case of an attack by the North in the Joint Statement adopted by Carter and his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo.



A Seoul defense ministry official said the U.S. does not usually cite the names of its allies when it elaborates on its extended deterrence commitments, but South Korea is definitely one of them.



In the "two plus two" alliance talks that brought together South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Defense Minister Han with their U.S. counterparts Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter a day earlier, Washington's defense chief made similar remarks stressing that there should be no mistaking the intent to guard South Korea from its northern neighbor.



What he said was interpreted as a serious warning against Pyongyang that launched two missiles, both believed to be intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), in the past week on the occasion of the allies' security and military talks being held this week.



The rare use of hawkish words by the U.S. could be seen as a response to growing calls among South Koreans that Seoul should develop its own nuclear weapons or demand the return of tactical U.S. nuclear weapons, experts said.



They also said moves by the U.S. to assuage security concerns reflect the growing realization that the world can no longer ignore the North's evolving nuclear and missile development programs. Pyongyang has conducted five nuclear tests in the past decades and launched multiple missiles to achieve its stated goal of developing a nuclear-armed, long-range missile that could reach the U.S. mainland.



Though the North has failed in seven out of its eight tests this year of its Musudan IRBMs, some experts warned these missiles could become fully operational as early as next year. A Musudan launched in June flew 400 kilometers into the East Sea, and it was hailed by the communist state as proof of its ability to hit U.S. bases across "the Pacific operation theater."



If North Korea is equipped with nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, the U.S. may not provide extended deterrence to South Korea due to local opposition about huge casualties and other losses resulting from the North's retaliatory attacks on the U.S. mainland, according to observers.



In other efforts to counter the North's threats, Seoul and Washington at the latest SCM have agreed to increase naval cooperation to respond to the North's maritime provocations, as the communist country claimed the successful launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in August.



Moreover, the two close allies said they could explore options like permanently deploying U.S. "strategic assets" to South Korea, such as the B-2 stealth and B-52 bombers and nuclear attack submarines, which would serve as a strong warning against the rogue regime.



Permanently deploying U.S. strategic assets on a rotational basis means keeping at least one such asset either in, over or near South Korea at any given time. Such deployment would not only reassure South Koreans of the U.S. defense commitment, but send an unequivocal signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.



The U.S. has temporarily sent such strategic assets to the South as a show of force in the wake of the North's multiple missile launches and two nuclear tests in January and September, but South Koreans have been urging more powerful countermeasures in the face of unprecedented threats from the North.



Besides such measures, top policymakers agreed at the latest talks to speed up the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea. Originally the two countries agreed to have the anti-missile defense system in operation by late 2017.



The two Koreas are technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a ceasefire, not in a peace treaty. North Korea has been hit by five sets of U.N. sanctions since it first detonated a nuclear device in 2006. (Yonhap)




American forces have now beefed up their presence in Somalia, where the United States has been involved since 1992, in an attempt finally to gain victory over a Somali force called al-Shabab, "the Youth," on behalf of a coalition with Somali and African Union forces.



Among the six wars in the region that the administration of President Barack Obama has kept the United States involved in  Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen  it is perhaps hardest to find a rationale for America's long and expensive involvement in Somalia.



It is an almost entirely desert country in northeast Africa with a population of 11 million and virtually no wealth. Before its last coherent government collapsed in January 1991, its only exports were bananas and camels, sold to Arab countries for meat and to race. America's first military involvement there post-Cold War was in 1992 when fighting among its tribal clans was preventing humanitarian assistance to its then-starving population.



Portrayal of the misery on American television prompted outgoing U.S. president George H.W. Bush in late 1992 to dispatch American troops there to try to make possible the delivery of relief supplies. That intervention ended when the famous "Black Hawk Down" episode that killed 18 American servicemen prompted President Bill Clinton to withdraw virtually all American forces from Somalia.



From then until now, America has directly and indirectly, through support of United Nations and African Union forces there, including the Ethiopians, hated by the Somalis, tried to reintroduce organized government to the troubled country.



The Somalis themselves see these efforts as largely money-making propositions. The Americans and other international parties organize conferences in expensive hotels outside the country, the Somalis "deliberate" and come up with some sort of unelected "government," and the war continues.



Now, the United States is apparently trying again.



It has hundreds of Special Forces and private contractors in Somalia. It has a military base, its only large one in Africa, in neighboring Djibouti, the former French Somaliland, packed with military aircraft, thousands of troops and drones. It has trained and equipped a Somali national army, as it has in Afghanistan and Iraq, and among Syrian rebel groups.



It is now going to go after al-Shabab, which has a loose affiliation with what is left of al-Qaida, and try to eliminate it. In the face of that effort, al-Shabab will undoubtedly simply filter away into Somalia's ample wastelands, to live and fight another day.



No one in the Obama administration has yet been able to explain cogently to Americans just why the United States is doing this, why the American taxpayer is paying for the now 24-year-long adventure in an empty land.



This editorial appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Is former governor a has-been or change maker?



Former Gyeonggi Province Governor and presidential hopeful Sohn Hak-kyu came out of his 25-month seclusion in South Jeolla Province and announced his political comeback Thursday.



It is uncertain how much the public will agree with his pledge to become an agent of sweeping change in politics. Contrary to the inflated view he seems to have of himself, many believe that Sohn is a has-been who has come out of a self-imposed exile for one last shot at the presidency. He failed in 2007 and 2012 after losing in the primaries.



After losing in the 2014 by-election for a parliamentary seat, Sohn has kept himself out of the public view. But few believed that he had left politics altogether. So it is not surprising that he has announced a return. A politician reversing his retirement pledge is something we have seen before, as in the precedence of the late President Kim Dae-jung who left politics in 1992 after being defeated by Kim Young-sam in the presidential race but then came back in 1998.



As Korea heads into a presidential election season, he undoubtedly has his sights set on Cheong Wa Dae even though he said Thursday that becoming a president under the current system has no meaning for him.



The decision to reverse his pledge to retire from politics should be founded on reasons that resonate with the people. During his comeback announcement, he stressed the need to introduce a new governing system through a constitutional amendment, saying that there is no life in the current system established by the 1987 Constitution. Supporters of a constitutional revision are seeking to change the current single five-year presidential term to a four-year one and allow an incumbent to run for a second term in office.



His focus on a constitutional revision suggests that he is out of touch with what the people are looking for in the next president.



The next presidential election will be about the people's judgment of the failures of the incumbent who has failed to improve the people's livelihoods and build a stronger economy. During the Park Geun-hye presidency, young people have lost hope for a future in this country as shown by the prevalent use of the term "hell Joseon." One in 10 young adults is out of a job, and many shun marriage and childbirth because of rising living costs. Koreans have one of the highest suicide rates and are working longer hours than their peers in other advanced countries.



The current pool of presidential hopefuls is devoid of a true leader with inspiring vision to take the nation forward and make people happier during these difficult times. If Sohn has any hope of becoming the president, his primary focus should be on ways to improve the quality of the people's lives and restore their hope and faith in the nation. Constitutional revision is surely an important pledge, but is not enough to capture the hearts of voters who want real change from the status quo.








By Kim Ji-myung

A professor at the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) suddenly realized one day that twelve mural-sized oil paintings had always been hanging on the walls of the auditorium, library and other school buildings in AKS, but were totally ignored by people.

Portrayed in the paintings were significant moments and themes of Korean history, from pre-historic to the contemporary period. For example, one depicts people in a primitive ancient society inscribing shapes of whales, fish and tigers on rock walls along a river near what is now Pohang. Another painting presents the meeting of independence fighters during the colonial rule in the early 20th century.

He took photos of these paintings one by one and, together with his students, conducted a survey which found that there were in fact over 100 such paintings in existence around the country, held in institutions like the War Memorial Museum, Independence Hall, Saemaul Movement Association and Hyeonchungsa Shrine for Admiral Yi Su-sin.

Officially classified as national documentary paintings (minjokgirokwa), these historical paintings, mostly done in a socialist realism style, were produced as a government project between 1967 and 1979, during the later period of former President Park Chung-hee.

They were created to "emphasize the value of the people of the nation and also to awaken people to the importance of modernization." They were produced reportedly for both political and socio-economic reasons: to document the achievements of the regime and also to help artists via high-paying public projects when the average income for intellectuals and artists was relatively low.

All the paintings featured an astonishing dimension of imagination and skill of expression by some 50 master artists of that period. Each piece carried an enormous amount of information on historical events, figures, policies, the natural environment and stories.

The information related to these paintings has become the backdrop for a digital humanities project at AKS, led by Prof. Kim Hyeon, in which not only are the paintings themselves to be digitized, but all the information related to them is to be turned into over 1,000 nodes of information, linked together in a knowledge network, and supplemented with extensive multimedia resources.

This national documentary paintings project will bring all the pieces of art, currently scattered across the nation, into one virtual space _ not only in the form of painting, but accompanied by related knowledge and information including timelines and historical maps showing the locations of events. Architecture, figures, heritage sites and the environment connected to the themes of the paintings will be identified, defined, narrated and presented in text, visuals, videos and locations on real-time maps.

Recording a nation's historical moments or significant ideas and stories in paintings has been practiced throughout history in all parts of the world. The Royal Academy of London and the influential French Academy of Fine Arts place history painting as the arch genre of five painting categories including portrait, genre, landscape and still life. Because paintings with religious, historical and allegorical works with a moral message ranked top on the hierarchy of genres in the academic art tradition, many paintings we see at museums, palaces, churches in Europe and in art textbooks belong to this category.

In 1435, an Italian artist identified istoria with the representation of the exemplary deeds and struggles of moral figures _ such as saints or other Biblical figures, pagan divinities and mythological heroes as well as those of historical events.

South Korea's national documentary paintings are close to the socialist realism, led by Russian history painters such as Ilya Repin. His astonishing mastery in realistic technique and daunting thematic expression impressed the Korean audience when an exhibition was held in Seoul.

While the socialist realism style has been forgotten in the south, North Korea has continued to focus on the unique genre which they call chosonhwa (Paintings of Joseon or North Korean-style Paintings). It is interesting that the socialist realism style of old historical painting survives most actively in places like North Korea, Laos and Vietnam. The production of such historical paintings not only survives in Nhe north, but is prospering as a source of foreign cash.

According to the website of the North Korea's Mansudae Art Studio (http://www.mansudaeartstudio.com/), there are some 1,000 artists, supported by a 3,000-strong support staff, who create paintings, bronze sculptures, ceramics, woodcuts, embroidery, jewel paintings, posters and charcoal paintings.

It is surprising that an exhibition "Contemporary North Korean Art: The Evolution of Socialist Realism" was held in Washington D.C. with some 50 paintings. An article on this show was headlined "North Korea's Artists are Breaking Out of 70 Years of Isolation."

Creating artwork to document legends, history, religious stories and mythological narratives have been common in human history. However, in the case of Korea, a project carried out during the Park regime, is bluntly defined as a "dictatorship" project, and is denied a proper evaluation. In this regard, the past controls the present.

I wonder if Prof. Kim and his students' project will bring fresh attention to those documentary paintings, and shed new light on the by-gone days' genre.

I also wonder if a cyber or virtual gallery can feature South and North Korean artists side by side without any borders, as in reality painters from both sides can hold shows in the States.

The writer is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage). Her email address is heritagekorea21@gmail.com.
Choi Chung-sik, the first person to buy an iPhone 7 through LG Uplus, the nation's third-largest mobile carrier, speaks with a company official at the firm's retail store in southern Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung

Apple's latest smartphones  the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus  have hit shelves in Korea, heating up the intense competition against Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics to take a bigger slice in the local premium handset market.

The nation's three mobile carriers  SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus  started to sell the new Apple flagship handsets here Friday, offering a series of promotional activities to steal more customers from its rivals.

Even though the new iPhones came with no surprises, the Apple handsets are known to have doubled in pre-orders in the Korean market, compared with its predecessor  the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, according to the mobile carriers. Specific sales figures have yet to be unveiled.

But it still remains to be seen whether the explosive initial response will continue and pose any serious threat to its Korean handset rivals, Samsung and LG, which dominate the smartphone market here. Samsung has a more than 70 percent share compared to Apple's 20 percent.

Upon its launch, the local telecom operators held massive media and customer events in a bid to fill the sales void of the recently-scrapped Galaxy Note 7 from Samsung.

SK Telecom, the nation's largest mobile carrier, offered an overseas travel ticket worth 2 million won ($1,760) for the first person to purchase the iPhone 7 through its network service.

"We offered a series of special gifts for buyers of the new iPhone including Blutooth headphones, smart beam projectors or mobile data coupons to attract young customers as most iPhone fans are in their 20s and 30s," an SK Telecom spokesman said.

KT also held its own promotional event, offering an iPad Pro and Apple Watch Series 2 and a contract to use KT's mobile service for free for a year.

As part of its efforts to build a loyal customer base, the company also unveiled its "iPhone Change-up" program in which its iPhone users can upgrade to a new model next year without paying off the remaining charges once they return their device to KT.

With Samsung Electronics suffering the aftermath of a global recall of the Note 7 over reported battery fires, Apple is also facing setbacks over a series of reports that the device is also catching fire for unconfirmed reasons in China and Australia.

In particular, Apple Australia is investigating a recent case in which an iPhone 7 user claimed that his car was full of smoke after putting his phone under clothes in the vehicle, according to a recent report by the local newspaper, The Australian.
Absence of Note 7 boosts S7 sales

By Lee Min-hyung





Samsung Galaxy S7

Samsung Electronics' flagship handset Galaxy S7 is regaining popularity as the nation's best-selling smartphone, filling the tech giant's void in sales left by its ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

According to market consultancy Atlas Research, the S7 was the No. 1 in handset sales here between Oct. 6 and 12. The nation's three mobile carriers  SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus  estimate that they combined to sell some 15,000 S7s each day on average, after Samsung Electronics officially terminated sales and production of the Note 7 devices, Oct. 11, amid growing safety concerns after fires were reported.

Given that mobile carriers consider a daily sales record of 10,000 as a big hit, expectations are that most original or replacement Note 7 users have opted for the S7 handset.

"Local handset customers still remain loyal to Samsung products, as the S7 is selling well even six months after its launch in March," said a telecom industry source, asking for anonymity.

The withdrawal of the Note 7 by Samsung was feared to undermine the firm's brand image to some extent, but the robust sales of S7s reflect that it is recovering from the debacle, according to the source.

"Earlier expectations were that disappointed Note 7 users were likely to migrate to other premium handsets, such as iPhone 7 or LG's V20," he said. "It is true that the unprecedented recall has been and will drive sales of its competitors  Apple and LG  more or less. But at least in the Korean market, Samsung has enough room for a rebound even before its new models debut as amply demonstrated by the renewed popularity of the S7."

In a bid to minimize damages from the recall, Samsung previously announced a series of compensation options for Note 7 users  including offering mobile gift certificates

On Thursday, the company hinted of another follow-up measure, helping buyers of Note 7s to receive benefits when buying Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone, which will debut early next year.

"We are going to make enough efforts for our customers to continue to use our new model to be unveiled next year," Kim Jin-hae, senior vice president at Samsung Electronics, said on a visit to a retail store in southern Seoul, Thursday.

Science, ICT and Future Planning Minister Choi Yang-hee also urged Samsung to come up with further compensation measures as a way to minimize customers' inconvenience.

"The issue should be resolved to reduce damages to customers and retail stores," said the minister.

Given that safety problems have been at the center of the controversy, the company should make more of an active effort to offer additional compensation to complete its refund and exchange package as soon as possible, he added.

Samsung is expected to announce detailed plans over the program soon.

Meanwhile, Australian technology news site Ausdroid covered a story Thursday about a group of fishermen who would have been dead without the S7's waterproof function.

According to the report, a 29-year-old man and his three friends were able to stay in contact with emergency services through his S7 handset when their boat was inundated in the wake of stormy offshore weather near Melbourne.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The information spread by Armenia, claiming that units of the Azerbaijani army carried out a reconnaissance and sabotage operation and suffered losses in the evening of Oct. 20, does not correspond to reality, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 21.

The ministry said this information by Armenia is once again aimed at aggravating the situation on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

Azerbaijani units have not carried out a reconnaissance and sabotage operation and have not suffered losses. The operational situation on the frontline is completely controlled by us. The retaliatory steps from our side to prevent any act of enemy sabotage will be tough and decisive, the ministry said.

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.
Barack Obama, Rodrigo Duterte / Courtesy of Twitter



By Park Si-soo



Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said his country is "separating from the United States," in a surprising declaration he made before attending a Beijing economic forum on Thursday.

The remark came after Duterte and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed to resume talks on their South China Sea territorial dispute following months of acrimony.

"Your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States ... both in military and economics also," Duterte said. His remarks were met with applause, but Duterte was not more specific, according to reports.

The rapprochement between the two Asian nations could widen a political rift between the United States and the Philippines, whose recently elected leader has made no secret of its antipathy for America and who ordered an end to joint maneuvers between their militaries, according to experts.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Duterte's remarks were "inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship we have with the Filipino people, as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective."

Following talks in Beijing between Duterte and Xi, a senior Chinese diplomat said the two leaders had agreed to restore the full range of contacts.

"Both sides agreed that the South China Sea issue is not the sum total of the bilateral relationship," Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters.

This was followed by Philippines Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez's announcement at a bilateral economic forum that his country and China will sign $13.5 billion of deals this week.

Separately, the Philippines Presidential Communications Office said Xi committed more than $9 billion in low-interest loans to the country, with about a third coming from private banks. About $15 million in loans will go to drug rehabilitation programs.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Anakhanum Hidayatova  Trend:

The US is committed to work with Azerbaijan and Armenia in order to help for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta told reporters Oct. 21 in Baku.

Ambassador James Warlicks visit to Azerbaijan, together with other co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, is a part of the ongoing efforts to find a solution to the issue, said Cekuta.

The ambassador positively assessed the current level of the US-Azerbaijan relations.

There is still work to do, but we made a lot of progress, he added.

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.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
Recently, Azerbaijan celebrated the anniversary of its independence; on October 18th 1991 Azerbaijan's Supreme Council adopted the Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the USSR. Vestnik Kavkaza spoke with a political analyst and deputy director of Trend Agency, Arzu Nagiyev, about the life of Azerbaijan in these 25 years.

- In your estimation, what kind of country and what state did Azerbaijan become over the 25 years of independence?

- I think that in these 25 years, which passed, the country achieved a lot. It is suffice to compare the year of 1991 with the present days: there were wars and disasters, and other serious challenges. Azerbaijan came out of all situations with credit, due to a great role played by Heydar Aliyev: if he hadnt come to power in the country, Azerbaijan would have been divided on various nation states under the influence of the foreign intelligence services. During Heydar Alievs presidency Azerbaijan was established as a state and regional player, including in the oil sector, and as a part of the international community. After signing the Contract of the Century in 1994, the whole world drew attention to Azerbaijan, and today it is well-known due to its significant success in the humanitarian, social, and the economic spheres. A resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is a priority of the Azerbaijani political line; the diplomatic and other methods are applied to resolve it. I think the international community will support us practically over time, and we can achieve the sovereignty of our state in its entirety, by liberating the occupied lands. The Independence Day of Azerbaijan is a great holiday for the country, because a possession of our own territory is a real achievement, and many ethnic groups, who do not have their statehood, would like to become such a country as Azerbaijan.

- How has Azerbaijan's foreign policy influenced its relations with Russia? And what are the results of the Russian-Azerbaijani relations today?

- Whatever foreign policy is carried out in Baku, we will always know that we are linked to Moscow by the major historical events, and Russia always remains our great northern neighbor. We have always been and will be partners in the military sphere, and in many others as well. In the ethnic terms, Azerbaijanis have no problems in Russia, as Russians have no problems in Azerbaijan. Today, there is a very noticeable positive trend in the relations between our leaders : they are constantly exchanging information. A good example is a visit of President Vladimir Putin to Baku, where he met with our president Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Another example is Vladimir Putins congratulations for Ilham Aliyev on the Independence Day. I think there are no problems both between our leaders and our countries, because we have a common border and common interests in the region.

- How has the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict affected the development of Azerbaijan?

- At the beginning of the conflict we did not have a strong army, as we have now, the other countries, even the United Nations Security Councils members did not fully understand us, and highlighted not the principle of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, but the principle of a self-determination of nations. Over the passed years we have succeed in conveying a message, that a focus on a self-determination of nations leads to separatism, and the shifts can be observed in the positions of many foreign countries on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Both Russia and all other countries support unequivocally the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

- In your estimation, who has made the greatest contribution to the current state of Azerbaijan?

- The greatest contribution, of course, was made by Heydar Aliyev. When he managed to organize a signing of the Contract of the Century, none believed that the Azerbaijani oil could get into the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and from there to the whole world. It was unbelievable - but he believed and did it. After that Azerbaijan became one of the leading countries in the region.

- In your estimation, what are the prospects for the development and life of Azerbaijan in the future?

- We should develop good relations with our neighbors, with the East and the West. We are one of the countries that, in spite of being a part of the Islamic world, has the independent foreign economic, foreign policy and domestic policy course. I think that Azerbaijan will continue to adhere to the principle of preserving its sovereignty and building good relations with neighbors. Of course, we will continue to strive for the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. At the same time there are no other global problems in the Republic today: the non-oil sector is developing rapidly, and our economy has quite positive prospects, especially in a cooperation with our neighbors, including Russia.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

Croatia is interested in strengthening economic cooperation with Azerbaijan, as well as the cooperation in other areas of common interest, including the vital area of energy, said Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in her interview with the Caspian Energy journal.

Croatia is very satisfied with the decision of the Shah Deniz consortium on the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor and an optimal option for gas supply of South East Europe, she noted. This project (TAP) was recognized by the European Union (EU) as one of the Projects of Common Interest and is crucial for improving the security of gas supply.

For a number of years, Azerbaijan has been achieving excellent economic growth and has been good at directing its efforts towards diversifying its economy, said the Croatian president adding that Azerbaijan is a Euro-Asian transport hub.

As such, Azerbaijan has undertaken significant reforms in order to improve its business and investment climate and has great potential for the development of the IT sector and tourism, added Grabar-Kitarovic.

In this context, the EU can play a significant role in the continuation of the modernization process in Azerbaijan, she said.

Economic cooperation with Croatia can develop in several areas: growth in commodity exchange through joint bodies that promote economic cooperation (Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation); opening up space for investments, particularly in the sector of energy and tourism; and increasing the number of tourists, she noted.

Grabar-Kitarovic said also that the energy supply from the Caspian region is of significant interest to the EU and that, consequently, relations with Azerbaijan are especially important to the EU.

I am deeply aware of the importance of achieving strategic partnership with Azerbaijan and I believe that, along these lines, we can further observe mutual benefits, both for the countries participating in the Initiative and for Azerbaijan and the Caspian region, noted the Croatian president.

For Croatia, the priority is to increase its profile and visibility in Azerbaijan, she added.

The main factors that we rely on in this effort are our export products of high added value and quality, such as ships and vessels, electrical assemblies and components, medicines and medical aids, machines for humanitarian demining and software solutions, said Grabar-Kitarovic.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan Oct. 24.
A man from Stockton is charged with interfering with a law enforcement chase on Missouri 13 last summer. St. Clair County deputies were trying to stop two speeding motorcycles on July 16 when they say Jeremy Schies, 31, got in their way and then tried to cause a crash.

The chase started in Osceola when an officer tried to pull over two motorcyclists who were speeding north on Missouri 13. The bikers kept going seven miles to Lowry City and then turned back south. Several deputies joined the chase by that time. When the motorcyclists passed back through Osceola, deputies say, they were going about 135 miles per hour.

North of Collins, the St. Clair County Sheriffs Department says, the motorcycles passed a truck driven by Schies, who was pulling a trailer. Deputies said the truck switched lanes in front of a deputy to prevent the deputy from chasing the bikers.

One deputy tried to stop Schies to ticket him for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle but he wouldnt pull over for several miles, the sheriffs department said. Between Collins and Humansville, he slammed on his brakes and stopped in the middle of a lane. The deputy avoided an accident and arrested Schies, who wasnt charged until Oct. 13, three months after the chase.

If hes convicted, Schies could get a prison sentence up to seven years for assaulting a law enforcement officer and up to four years for interfering with an arrest. Hes free on a $25,000 bond.

The chase continued all the way to Bolivar, when one of the bikers pulled over and was arrested. Hes Eric Woods, 21, of Springfield. The other biker kept going but was charged a month later. Hes Austin Turner, 21, of Springfield.

Woods is free on a $25,000 bond. Turner is free on a $5,000 bond. Both are charged with resisting arrest by fleeing, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, speeding, careless and imprudent driving, not having a license to drive a motorcycle. Turner also is charged with driving with a revoked license.

St. Clair County Prosecuting Attorney Josh Jones on Friday asked a judge to revoke Turner's bond because he says Turner and Turner's father have threatened to kill Woods and another witness in his case for giving his name to law enforcement officers and for testifying against him. Jones said Woods and the other witness have both obtained legal orders of protection against the Turners because of the threats and harassment.

Jones' motion also says he wants Turner's father, Richard Turner, charged with witness tampering, but the charge may have to be made in Greene County, where the Turners, Woods, and the other witness all live. No hearing is scheduled on the prosecutor's motion to revoke bond.

In Jones' motion, he said Turner bragged about being in an outlaw motorcycle club called Galloping Goose.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

Belarus will use Azerbaijans experience in holding the European Games, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

He made the remarks Oct. 21 during his meeting with Vice President of Azerbaijans National Olympic Committee Chingiz Huseynzade, BelTA agency reported.

Your experience is very important for us, noted the Belarusian president adding that no other country can surpass Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev set such a high standard, added Lukashenko.

He said that Belarus has almost all the necessary infrastructure for the European Games.

The Belarusian president went on to add that holding such major international sports events gives an additional impetus to the development of the country both in sports and in terms of attracting tourists, economic development.

Chingiz Huseynzade, for his part, congratulated the Belarusian side on the decision on holding the European Games.

Huseynzade also presented the Olympic Order to Alexander Lukashenko.

The First European Games were held in Azerbaijans capital, Baku, in 2015.
Another Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, has accused the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, of asking him to help to influence the apex courts decisions in some election cases.

Ngwuta, who is one of the seven judges arrested recently by the operatives of the Department of State Services, said his current ordeal was connected to his refusal to accede to the requests made by the ministers.

He made the allegation in his letter dated October 18, 2016, and addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed.



Maintaining his innocence, the judicial officer said he was a victim of his resolve never to violate his sacred oath of office.

Ngwutas letter which came 48 hours after that of his colleague, Justice John Okoro, who was also arrested by the DSS operatives, accused Amaechi, a former Rivers State Governor, of asking him (Okoro) to influence the apex courts decision on poll judgment in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states.

Okoros letter, dated October 17, 2016, also addressed to the CJN, had stated, I strongly believe that my travail is not unconnected with the verbal report I made to you on February 1, 2016, about the visit to my official residence by H/E Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, and now Minister of Transportation.

In that report, I told you my Lord that Mr. Amaechi said the President of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress mandated him to inform me that they must win their election appeals in Rivers State, Akwa Ibom and Abia states at all costs.

In his own letter, which was leaked to the media on Thursday, Justice Ngwuta alleged that Amaechi wanted to use him to influence the Supreme Court judgment with respect to election cases on the Rivers State governorship election and the Ekiti State governorship election.

He claimed that Onu contacted him to help sway the Court of Appeals decision on Ebonyi State governorship election matter.

Ngwuta alleged that Amaehi had sought his help to make the Supreme Court to set aside the election of the incumbent governor, Ayodele Fayose, in order to pave the way for another election to enable his friend, Mr. Kayode Fayemi (now Minister of Solid Mineral and Steel Development), to contest the poll again.

Similar to the allegation by Okoro, Justice Ngwuta added that Amaechi had impressed it upon him that the President was interested in the judgment of the Supreme Court going in favour of the APC.

He said further that on the day the panel heard the Rivers State election case, and after members of the panel took a break, Amaechi called him on telephone while he was in his chambers, stressing that he switched off his mobile before the conversation went far.

Justice Ngwuta stated, He (Amaechi) begged me to ensure that Fayoses election was set aside and another election ordered for his friend, Fayemi, to contest. I told him I would not help him and that even if I am on the panel, I have only my one vote.

After the Rivers State Governorship election was determined by the Court of Appeal, he called to tell me his ears were full and he would like to tell me what he heard. I told him I was out of Abuja at the time.

On my return, he came in the evening and even before he sat down he barked, You have seen Wike!

I asked him whether that was a question or a statement. Then he made a call and asked me to speak with someone. The man he called said he was a DSS man. We exchanged greetings and I handed the telephone to him. Next, he said Oga is not happy. I asked him who is the unhappy Oga and he answered Buhari.

I retorted go and talk to his wife. He got very angry and left, remarking we shall see several times.

Your Lordship may recall one morning when I pleaded not be on the panel for Rivers Appeal.

Your Lordship said I was already on the panel and asked me to explain why I made the request to be excluded. When I explained what transpired the previous night, Your Lordship told me Amaechi had also attempted to influence other Justices.

How Onu invited me over Ebonyi poll appeal

In a related development, Justice Ngwuta said Onu invited him and he honoured the invitation during which the Minister of Science and Technology sought his help to influence the decision of the Court of Appeal on the Ebonyi State governorship election case last year.

He stated, The incident I will narrate below may or may not bear on this case. When the governorship election appeal from my state, Ebonyi, came to the Court of Appeal, one Mr. Igwenyi, a senior staff member of the Federal Judicial Service Commission came to my chambers and told me that the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, had pleaded with him to convince me to see him, Onu.

I asked him to call Dr. Onu; he did and I wanted to know why he wanted to see me. He said it was confidential. I asked when he wanted to see me and he said he would like me to come in the evening.

I told Igwenyi that he would have to take me to Dr. Onu in his car and bring me back. I had wanted him to listen to what Dr. Onu had to say but when we arrived, Dr Onu put him in a different room.

He asked me whether I know the Hon. President of the Court of Appeal and I told him that His Lordship was my Presiding Justice in the Court of Appeal, Benin Division. He asked of my relationship with the PJA and I said it was cordial. He nodded his head several times in apparent satisfaction.

He told me the candidate of the Labour Party was ready to switch over to APC if he could help him win the appeal in the Court of Appeal and that in appreciation of the undertaking to come over to his party, he had obtained the services of three Justices of the Court of Appeal to ensure victory for the Labour Party.

He said he needed one to convince the PJA to include his three Justices of the Court of Appeal in the five-man panel to hear the appeal. I told him I would not help him and that I could not, in good conscience, convey such request even to a Customary Court Judge.

He was disappointed and asked me whether I knew the husband of the PJA. I told him I did not know the man. I bid him good night and left.

Igwenyi joined me in the passage and when he drove me back to my home, I told him what Dr. Onu wanted. Igwenyi apologised to me and assured me that he would not have bothered me if he had known what Dr. Onu wanted me to do.

The Justice of the apex court also alleged that the operatives of the DSS planted some amounts of money in his house during the raid on his home to incriminate him.

He said apart from the $25,000, 10 and a brown envelope containing the sum of N710,000 which was a monthly allowance paid to him for September 2016 and another N300,000 and some loose change contained in the bag he usually took to the office, he had no explanation for the large sum of money allegedly recovered from his house.

But he said he signed a document said to be containing the list of items recovered from his house under a life-threatening situation.

He said, One of them came to where I was lying down and ordered me to sit up. One of the gunmen, who stood a few feet from me, came and stood next to me with his gun drawn.

I was ordered to sign a paper which they said contained a list of what they were taking away.

Confronted with the life-threatening situation, I made an instant mental decision that it was better for me to comply with their orders and stay alive to tell my story rather than get shot and killed on the pretext that I attacked them or that I tried to escape.

I signed the paper and wrote my name as ordered. No one told me what offence I was alleged to have committed. No one told me of any petition or allegation against me.

I do not know how they came about the huge sums of money I saw for the first time in my parlour on the early hours of Saturday, October 8, 2016.

The various sums of money alleged to have been recovered from me were said to be in the social media in the early hours of Saturday, October 8, 2016, when the invaders were yet to complete their search.

He added, My Noble Lord, I am a victim of my own resolve never to violate my sacred oath of office as a judicial officer. Politicians and their collaborators have been hunting me on that account.

It started in Ebonyi State where I was falsely accused before a panel, set up by the NJC in August 2000. It was replicated in 2009 when I was pulled from my Division, Calabar, to preside over a motion filed by Senator Andy Uba, seeking to be a Governor without going through the process of election. In each case, I was exonerated.

Source

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Former BBC correspondent Chris Simpson has died unexpectedly in Senegal at the age of 53.

A much-respected journalist, he worked for the BBC in Angola during the civil war in the 1990s, in Rwanda in the aftermath of the genocide and was also posted to Senegal and the Central African Republic (CAR) in the 2000s.

Chris had also worked for the United Nations news service, Irin, in Ivory Coast  and travelled widely in Africa as a freelancer and trainer.

His wit, intelligence and creativity has been lost, his sister Bridget Taylor told the BBC.



He still had so much to offer and he was planning to write a book about his experiences.

He was truly an international guy who could get on with anyone  and he had friends across Africa.

He was found dead in his apartment in Dakar  the cause of death is unclear.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Nigerian pilot Ademilola Odujinrin, who works for Air Djibouti, has started on the second leg of his journey to fly solo around the world.

He is now on his way to Malta from the UK and will then head to Djibouti in a light single-propeller aircraft, the airline said in a statement yesterday.

It added: From there, Odujinrin will continue around the rest of the world, through India and Australia, and intends to set a further aviation milestone with the fastest US coast-to-coast flight in a single-propeller aircraft.

Mr Odujinrin, who has already completed a transatlantic crossing from Washington DC, said:

Fewer than 115 people have completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe by air, and its been my dream since my youth to join them.



Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

A personal exhibition of works of young and very successful Lithuanian artist Marius Kavolis was opened on Oct. 21 at the Art Gallery of the Center of Contemporary Art in Baku.

The creations of the young artist are expressive, captivating abstractions, which are fixing the moments of energy and good mood, according to the author.

The event was attended by the Lithuanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Valdas Lastauskas, famous figures of culture and art, representatives of creative youth.

The Elysium gallery (Vilnius) is the initiator of Marius Kavolis exhibition.

The authors works were exhibited in many countries, according to the gallerys representative.

For the exhibition in Baku, we have especially selected pictures, because you have a very beautiful, bright city, open, hospitable people, and we would like to present impressive, emotional paintings that reflect those feelings, said the representative. Marius was very happy when he learnt that his solo exhibition will be organized in Baku.

Unfortunately, he couldnt come, but we are planning to organize another exhibition next year and hope that he will be sure to visit the capital of Azerbaijan, added the representative. Baku is a beautiful city, which is sure to inspire him to create new pictures.

The representative also expressed gratitude to the Lithuanian embassy in Azerbaijan for its support to the event.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone devices were banned from Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) both in hand luggage and checked baggage, press service of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC reported.

The decision was made following a similar ban made by the US aviation authorities, as well as other passenger carriers worldwide.

In case of revealing the phone in the hand luggage, a passenger may be denied boarding until the phone is given to any person seeing the passenger off as AZAL does not provide storage services at the airport.

If the device was carried on board unintentionally, it must be immediately turned off and kept in such a state until the end of the flight.

If the phone will be found in luggage, it will not be carried on board and will be delivered to the Lost & Found office at the airport until the passenger claims it.

AZAL recognizes that banning these phones on board may cause inconvenience to some passengers, but first and foremost, the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take the companys priority.
An easier-than-expected first mammogram experience HUNTERSVILLE  Scheduling a cancer screening probably ranks somewhere on your to-do list between "clean out the garage" and "donate those clothes that don't fit." Sure, you'll get to it at...

Chamber retreat helps discover strengths in communication The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce has proved that networking can come in many ways. It doesnt have to come at a luncheon or happy hour or Christmas party, but...
Ceremony on signing of Cooperation Agreement between Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) and Maire Tecnimont Group, Italy, took place at BHOS. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Gianni Bardazzi, Senior Vice President Group Special Initiatives and Regions Coordination, Maire Tecnimont Group; Niccolo Heilpern, Head of Baku branch office of Kinetics Technology (KT), process engineering contractor of Maire Tecnimont; representatives of the company in Azerbaijan; BHOS professors and students. Italian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mr. Giampaolo Cutillo also participated in the ceremony.

Welcoming the guests, BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov stressed out that signing the cooperation agreement aims at providing technical, scientific and methodological support for education and training of highly qualified specialists at BHOS. He emphasized that within the cooperation with Maire Tecnimont BHOS students would be able to participate in the internship programs offered by the company. He also noted that the agreement would envisage creation of specialized laboratories at BHOS new campus.

Gianni Bardazzi, Senior Vice President, Maire Tecnimont Group, and Niccolo Heilpern, Head of Baku branch office of Kinetics Technology made detailed presentation about their companies and operations with particular emphasis on the opportunities of the companies cooperation with BHOS in various fields.

Then the cooperation agreement between Maire Tecnimont Group and Baku Higher Oil School was signed.

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A is a leading provider of engineering and construction services, technology and licensing, energy business development and ventures worldwide, with a specific focus on the oil and gas, petrochemicals and fertilizers industries. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, Maire Tecnimont is a multinational and multicultural Group with about 4,900 employees presented in 30 countries with 45 operating companies and rooted in well-recognized Italian historical engineering brands. The company supplies its major clients with special technologies in construction of various profile refineries. Maire Tecnimont Group also supplies major international clients with detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up services for industrial plants in the oil and gas, petrochemical and fertilizer industries.

On 5 February 2016, Maire Tecnimont announced that, as a result of an international tender, its subsidiaries Tecnimont S.p.A. and Kinetics Technology S.p.A signed a contract with SOCAR POLYMER for engineering and procurement cervices and construction of a polyethylene plant. This award followed the contract signed in April 2015 for the realization of the Sumgayit polypropylene plant. Maire Tecnimont Group of companies is functioning in Azerbaijan via KT company. The company offeres its services in engineering, equipment and construction with high expertise in the hydrocarbon processing industry. It has a grand experience in sulphur recovery, gas processing, hydrogen and synthetic gas production, refinery process units and the supply of process fired heaters.
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

Read more
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

The Czech Republic is interested in tourist flow from Azerbaijan, said Petr Vagner, counselor of the Czech embassy in Azerbaijan, deputy head of mission, at a press conference in Baku Oct. 21.

Vagner noted that Prague and Karlovy Vary are the most popular places for tourists from Azerbaijan.

However, there is an intention to promote new tourist destinations of the Czech Republic. The countrys southern regions can be interesting to visit, he said.

Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Vitezslav Pivonka said that in 2015, the embassys consular department issued more than 8,500 visas.

In 2016, the number of issued visas decreased due to the global crisis, but the reduction is not significant, noted Consul of the Czech Republic in Azerbaijan Josef Bohac.

As of late September, the embassy issued about 6,000 visas and it is expected that this figure will rise to 7,000 until late 2016.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
This article appears in the October 21, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

THE FOUR NEW LAWS TO SAVE THE U.S.A. NOW!

No t a n Optio n: A n Immediat e Necessity

by Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.

[Print version of this article]

We reprint this article as it first appeared in Executive Intelligence Review in the June 13, 2014 issue.

June 10, 2014

The following statement is for immediate action by all associates in all regions of the National Caucus of Labor Committees and its associated practice. The priority is assigned to all means and measures of public action, nationally and internationally, without reservation. That priority is existential for the policies of our republic, and for the general information of, and by all relevant circles world-wide, beginning this date of June 8, 2014.

1. The Fact of the Matter

The economy of the United States of America, and also that of the trans-Atlantic political-economic regions of the planet: are, now, under the immediate, mortal danger of a general, physical-economic, chain-reaction breakdown-crisis of that region of this planet as a whole. The name for that direct breakdown-crisis throughout those indicated regions of the planet, is the presently ongoing introduction of a general Bail-in action under the several, or more governments of that region: the effect on those regions, will be comparable to the physical-economic collapse of the post-World War I general collapse of the economy of the German Weimar Republic: but, this time, hitting, first, the entirety of the nation-state economies of the trans-Atlantic region, rather than some defeated economies within Europe. A chain-reaction collapse, to this effect, is already accelerating with an effect on the money-systems of the nations of that region. The present acceleration of a Bail-in policy throughout the trans-Atlantic region, as underway now, means mass-death suddenly hitting the populations of all nations within that trans-Atlantic region: whether directly, or by overflow.

The effects of this already prepared action by the monetarist interests of that so-designated region, will, unless stopped virtually now, will produce, in effect, an accelerating rate of genocide throughout that indicated portion of the planet immediately, but, also, with catastrophic side effects of comparable significance in the Eurasian regions.

The Available Remedies

The only location for the immediately necessary action which could prevent such an immediate genocide throughout the trans-Atlantic sector of the planet, requires the U.S. Governments now immediate decision to institute four specific, cardinal measures: measures which must be fully consistent with the specific intent of the original U.S. Federal Constitution, as had been specified by U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton while he remained in office: (1) immediate re-enactment of the Glass-Steagall law instituted by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, without modification, as to principle of action. (2) A return to a system of top-down, and thoroughly defined as National Banking.

The actually tested, successful model to be authorized is that which had been instituted, under the direction of the policies of national banking which had been actually, successfully installed under President Abraham Lincolns superseding authority of a currency created by the Presidency of the United States (e.g. Greenbacks), as conducted as a national banking-and-credit-system placed under the supervision of the Office of the Treasury Secretary of the United States.

For the present circumstances, all other banking and currency policies, are to be superseded, or, simply, discontinued: as follows. Banks qualifying for operations under this provision, shall be assessed for their proven competence to operate as under the national authority for creating and composing the elements of this essential practice, which had been assigned, as by tradition, to the original office of Secretary of the U.S. Treasury under Alexander Hamilton. This means that the individual states of the United States are under national standards of practice, and, not any among the separate states of our nation.

(3) The purpose of the use of a Federal Credit-system, is to generate high-productivity trends in improvements of employment, with the accompanying intention, to increase the physical-economic productivity, and the standard of living of the persons and households of the United States. The creation of credit for the now urgently needed increase of the relative quality and quantity of productive employment, must be assured, this time, once more, as was done successfully under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, or by like standards of Federal practice used to create a general economic recovery of the nation, per capita, and for rate of net effects in productivity, and by reliance on the essential human principle, which distinguishes the human personality from the systemic characteristics of the lower forms of life: the net rate of increase of the energy-flux density of effective practice. This means intrinsically, a thoroughly scientific, rather than a merely mathematical one, and by the related increase of the effective energy-flux density per capita, and for the human population when considered as each and all as a whole. The ceaseless increase of the physical-productivity of employment, accompanied by its benefits for the general welfare, are a principle of Federal law which must be a paramount standard of achievement of the nation and the individual.

(4) Adopt a Fusion-Driver Crash Program.  The essential distinction of man from all lower forms of life, hence, in practice, is that it presents the means for the perfection of the specifically affirmative aims and needs of human individual and social life. Therefore: the subject of man in the process of creation, as an affirmative identification of an affirmative statement of an absolute state of nature, is a permitted form of expression. Principles of nature are either only affirmation, or they could not be affirmatively stated among civilized human minds.

Given the circumstances of the United States, in particular, since the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, and his brother, Robert, the rapid increase required for even any recovery of the U.S. economy, since that time, requires nothing less than measures taken and executed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his actual term in office. The victims of the evil brought upon the United States and its population since the strange death of President Harding, under Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover (like the terrible effects of the Bush-Cheney and Barack Obama administrations, presently) require remedies comparable to those of President Franklin Roosevelt while he were in office.

This means emergency relief measures, including sensible temporary recovery measures, required to stem the tide of death left by the Coolidge-Hoover regimes: measures required to preserve the dignity of what were otherwise the unemployed, while building up the most powerful economic and warfare capabilities assembled under the President Franklin Roosevelt Presidency for as long as he remained alive in office. This meant the mustering of the power of nuclear power, then, and means thermonuclear fusion now. Without that intent and its accomplishment, the population of the United States in particular, faces, now, immediately, the most monstrous disaster in its history to date. In principle, without a Presidency suited to remove and dump the worst effects felt presently, those created presently by the Bush-Cheney and Obama Presidencies, the United States were soon finished, beginning with the mass-death of the U.S. population under the Obama Administrations recent and now accelerated policies of practice.

There are certain policies which are most notably required, on that account, now, as follows:

Vernadsky on Man & Creation

V.I. Vernadskys systemic principle of human nature, is a universal principle, which is uniquely specific to the crucial factor of the existence of the human species. For example: time and space do not actually exist as a set of metrical principles of the Solar system; their only admissible employment is for purposes of communication is essentially nominal presumption. Since competent science for today can be expressed only in terms of the unique characteristic of the human species role within the known aspects of the universe, the human principle is the only true principle known to us for practice: the notions of space and time are merely useful imageries:

Rather:

The essential characteristic of the human species, is its distinction from all other species of living processes: that, as a matter of principle, which is, rooted scientifically, for all competent modern science, on the foundations of the principles set forth by Filippo Brunelleschi (the discoverer of the ontological minimum), Nicholas of Cusa (the discovery of the ontological maximum), and the positive discovery by mankind, by Johannes Kepler, of a principle coincident with the perfected Classical human singing scale adopted by Kepler, and the elementary measure of the Solar System within the still larger universe of the Galaxy, and higher orders in the universe.

Or, similarly, later, the modern physical-scientific standard implicit in the argument of Bernhard Riemann, the actual minimum (echoing the principle of Brunelleschi), of Max Planck, the actual maximum of the present maximum, that of Albert Einstein; and, the relatively latest, consequent implications of the definition of human life by Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky. These values are, each relative absolutes of measurement of mans role within the knowledge of the universe.

This set of facts pertains to the inherent fraud of the merely mathematicians and the modernist musical performers since the standard of the relevant paragon for music, Johannes Brahms (prior to the degenerates, such as the merely mathematicians, such as David Hilbert and the true model for every modern Satan, such as Bertrand Russell, or Tony Blair).

The knowable measure, in principle, of the difference between man and all among the lower forms of life, is found in what has been usefully regarded as the naturally upward evolution of the human species, in contrast to all other known categories of living species. The standard of measurement of these compared relationships, is that mankind is enabled to evolve upward, and that categorically, by those voluntarily noetic powers of the human individual will.

Except when mankind appears in a morally and physically degenerate state of behavior, such as within the cultures of the tyrants Zeus, the Roman Empire, and the British empire, presently: all actually sane cultures of mankind, have appeared, this far, in a certain fact of evolutionary progress from the quality of an inferior, to a superior species. This, when considered in terms of efficient effects, corresponds, within the domain of a living human practice of chemistry, to a form of systemic advances, even now leaps, in the chemical energy-flux density of societys increase of the effective energy-flux-density of scientific and comparable expressions of leaps in progress of the species itself: in short, a universal physical principle of human progress.

The healthy human culture, such as that of Christianity, if they warrant this affirmation of such a devotion, for example, represents a society which is increasing the powers of its productive abilities for progress, to an ever higher level of per-capita existence. The contrary cases, the so-called zero-growth scourges, such as the current British empire are, systemically, a true model consistent with the tyrannies of a Zeus, or, a Roman Empire, or a British (better said) brutish empire, such as the types, for us in the United States, of the Bush-Cheney and Obama administrations, whose characteristic has been, concordant with that of such frankly Satanic models as that of Rome and the British empire presently, a shrinking human population of the planet, a population being degraded presently in respect to its intellectual and physical productivity, as under those U.S. Presidencies, most recently.

Chemistry: The Yardstick of History

We call it chemistry. Mankinds progress, as measured rather simply as a species, is expressed typically in the rising power of the principle of human life, over the abilities of animal life generally, and relatively absolute superiority over the powers of non-living processes to achieve within mankinds willful intervention to that intended effect. Progress exists so only under a continuing, progressive increase of the productive and related powers of the human species. That progress defines the absolute distinction of the human species from all others presently known to us. A government of people based on a policy of zero-population growth and per capita standard of human life is a moral, and practical abomination.

Man is mankinds only true measure of the history of our Solar system, and what reposes within it. That is the same thing, as the most honored meaning and endless achievement of the human species, now within nearby Solar space, heading upward to mastery over the Sun and its Solar system, the one discovered (uniquely, as a matter of fact), by Johannes Kepler.

A Fusion economy, is the presently urgent next step, and standard, for mans gains of power within the Solar system, and, later, beyond.
This article appears in the October 21, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

The Fact Is, Barack Obama

Must Be Impeached!

by Dennis Speed, Oct. 18, 2016

[Print version of this article]

Now what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, Sir!

Charles Dickens,

Hard Times

The central formal problem of contemporary knowledge is that the fact, which naive opinion takes for the elementary or simple basis of human knowledge, proves upon critical examination to be a highly suspect authority. The concept of a fact, we discover through reflection, is the result of a process of judgement and therefore by no means as simple or self-evident as naive opinion assumes. In the process of judgement the experiential continuum is apparently arbitrarily bounded to form a notion of particularity from what is actually a continuous process; upon that constructed, artificed particularity of objective reference a mental construct as such is imposed. It is that mental construct which represents the best of ordinary opinions hard facts. Lyndon LaRouche,

The Production of Consciousness

LPACTV

Barack Obama, Thermonuclear Nero

Until September 28, it was a universally accepted fact that it was impossible to deploy the United States Congress to successfully act against Barack Obama in the interest of the American people and Republic. When the dust cleared after the vote to override Obamas veto of the Justice Against the Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), however, the Congress, particularly the entire United States Senate minus one, had joined hands in its greatest show of unity in this century to humiliate Obamathe real Barack Obama. They had been inspired by the families of 9/11 victims, by former senators, by their oath of office, and by an unseen, unacknowledged cultural shift in the United States, centered in Manhattan, to do what most of the Congress had secretly wished to do all along. Now, with the world placed the edge of a recklessly provoked global thermonuclear showdown, Obama should be overridden out of the Presidency, deploying the power of the United States Constitution to use his latest provocation against Russias Vladimir Putin, as the occasion to suggest that fully justified recourse.

That such an action does not appear likely or probable, though it may be absolutely necessary for the continued foreseeable survival of the planet in the short term, means that the accepted world of facts must yield to a higher platform of judgement and action. The electoral process be damned, since it has already been, once the two nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties were chosen.

When a Russian head of state, through various diplomatic channels, makes it clear that his government views threats, such as that made by vice-President Joe Biden on Sundays October 16th edition of Meet The Press, toward Russia, to be unlike those of any period other than that of the October, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the first thing to realize is that the post-November 1989 period of history has been officially declared to be over. The post-Soviet unipolar world fantasized by the neo-conservatives of Project for a New American Century fame has withered away. A new period of history, either far more dangerous, or more hopeful, has begun. That apparently sudden and fundamental world-shift will not tolerate an Obama (or Clinton or Trump) at the helm of the worlds most powerful but rapidly declining superpower.

But isnt it a fact that one of these people is going to be President of the United States for, or in the foreseeable future? Actually, it is possible that Alexander Hamilton, the designer of the American Federal system and its first Treasury Secretary, could at last become President of the United States. Hamiltons policies, as captured in Lyndon LaRouches Four Laws, could become, almost overnight, the dominant discussion among crucially influential portions of the citizens and the electorate of the United States. The means to make such a process occur exist.

Why should LaRouche and Hamilton be read, in depth, and their ideas be mastered, as if overnight? The impending, momentary descent into the maelstrom of a terminal planet-wide monetary collapse of the trans-Atlantic financial system could itself, also, be the catalyst for an Obama-provoked thermonuclear war confrontationespecially because Russia, China and other states have taken steps to avert that very economic fate, and Obamas controllers are not amused. Their old, mad, blind, despised and dying world view asserts that if this is indeed Gotterdammerung

the twilight of the monetary gods  then there should rather be a planet-wide thermonuclear extinction war, than that their system should be collapsed and a just community of sovereign but cooperating and prosperous nation states supersede it. Is Barack Nero Obama the thermonuclear pyromaniac selected for the job?

But who would be insane enough to blow up the whole world, since that would destroy them as well? Ask yourself: would the persons that drove the planes into the World Trade Center not have preferred to have hijacked American military planes equipped with nuclear weapons? Would they have been stopped by the consideration that using such thermonuclear weapons in a terrorist attack might start thermonuclear World War Three? Clearly, there are forces and individuals that are criminally insane enough to do so. Could that happen, has that happened, in the case of the U.S. Presidency? Was for example, the Kennedy Presidency pressured to that same effect, that is, to use nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union in October of 1962?

Fortunately for the world, Vladimir Putin is a brilliant leader of Russia. Fortunately, also, China has for over two decades, in various ways, perfected a design presented to China and the world by Lyndon LaRouchethe New Silk Road/

World Land-Bridgefor the creation of a new, unique world physical-economic platform. This is to be accomplished by way of development corridors through the interiors of continentsa completely revolutionary approach to economic growth, including the technological development of Earths atmosphere, near-Earth space, and the exploration and mining of the Moon as the extended neighborhood of that new industrial platform. LaRouches collaborators in Russia, particularly from the 1990s when LaRouche was made an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences even as he sat in a Minnesota prisona position not unfamiliar to the best of Russian intellectuals in their own timehad early recognized his unique contribution to physical economy and science more generally. That fact was registered throughout the entirety of post-1989 Russia, on top of the fact of LaRouche being the chief interlocutor for and designer of the 1983 beam-weapons policy that was termed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) by the Reagan Administration. LaRouche, upon his release from his unlawful imprisonment in 1994, renewed his work in Russia. Professors Taras Muranivsky, Pobisk Kuznetsov, and Stanislav Menshikov, among others, were his collaborators. Todays Strategic Defense of the Earth (SDE) initiative on the part of Russia is a descendant of the earlier 1990s and 1980s work.

EIRNS

These facts are not actually unknown in the United States: they are simply denied. But the facts are not denied in Russia, and Vladimir Putin, among others, is well aware of LaRouches true capabilities in the field of physical economy. Therefore, when LaRouche announces that he has formulated the core of Hamiltons four Reports, written by Hamilton in 1790-91 as Secretary of the Treasury of the United States to then-President Washingtondealing with manufactures, public credit, the national bank and mint, and his opinion on the constitutionality of the national bankinto what LaRouche terms the Four Laws, China and Russia listen. Something that, despite or perhaps because of the size of his ears, Barack Obama would find impossible to do.

The American people must have the courage to listen to LaRouches Four Laws, to supplant the President, supersede the pornographic Presidential mule-race, and open up and read Hamiltons Reports immediatelypartially, even, as a thermonuclear war-avoidance measure. Sometimes the high-profile evidence of a public commitment to vigorously change course on the part of a powerful nations citizens, is the most effective sign one can use to change a potentially deadly adversary into a close friend. Thousands of Americans, rather than worrying about voting, should elect themselves to become true citizens of the United States by reading Hamiltons founding documents.

The solution to our present crisis, is, in fact, that search by the American people itself, for signs of intelligent life in the United States, including in the Congress. That must start with insisting that Hamiltons measures be implemented by the government on an emergency basis, which means that Congress must return at once to Washington and start by overriding Obamas certain veto of the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act, and the other measures that would be immediately required. (The fact that both the Republican and Democratic Party platforms support Glass-Steagalls reinstatement provides the stage to re-enact the JASTA legislative victory, over Obamas certain, Governor Andros -like imperial veto.)

The hard fact is that unless the U.S. population at large is quickly perceived to be truly deeply involved in a crash self-education course in the American Constitutional System, there is a high probability, at least according to members of the Russian government, that the October Surprise that might happen in 2016 is that neither Trump, nor Hillary, nor Obama will be President, because very possibly, no one will be.

Barack Obama: Ritual Murder in the Name of War

While many Americans, myself included, were all hypnotized by the bizarre spectacle of the Republican nominee for president, a US navy destroyer fired a barrage of cruise missiles at three radar sites controlled by the rebel Houthi movement in Yemen. . . . this particular military engagement has the potential to drag the US straight into a protracted and escalating conflict. . . . Author Moustafa Bayoumi reports this in a London Guardian op-ed on October 15.

The U.S. strike was widely reported as retaliation for missiles that were fired at an American destroyer which failed to even reach their targets and did no damage.

But we would also find that immediately prior to those incidents, on Saturday 8 October, a 500lb laser-guided US-made bomb was dropped on a funeral procession by the US-sponsored Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels who, the Saudis say, are backed by Iran. This bomb killed more than 140 people, mostly civilians, and wounded more than 525 people.

Since then, the Saudis have admitted that the on the ground intelligence was inaccurate. The Saudis regularly kill people indiscriminately in market-places, in funeral processions, and in wedding partiesin fact, in any social formation that is pre-judged to be suspicious. (The Saudis spend the third largest proportion of money on their military in the worldmore than Russia. The Saudis spend about 8% of their GDP on military affairs compared to Russias 3.5-4%.) Their war has been vicious, without merit, a series of war crimes from beginning to end. There are reports from Yemenis on the ground to EIR, that several persons working for the perspective of peace through development of the New Silk Road may have been killed in the latest attack.

In a blog entitled Obama Could End The Slaughter In Yemen Within Hours, the Black Blue Dog Website states: Using U.S. support, [the] Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen has been responsible for the majority of the 10,000 deaths there since the conflict began 18 months ago, and a brutal attack on Saturday that has reportedly killed hundreds. It has left more than 28 million people on the brink of famine. And it has allowed militant Islamistsnotably Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is focused on targeting the U.S.to seize more influence and room to operate than they have had in years.

Yemen Post Newspaper

But, as the Russians know first hand, its not just Yemen, or Libya, or Syria where Obamas mass-murder in the name of war abides. It has been true since Obama first took office, increasing year by year. Nicholas Davies reported in 2012 that Obama has overseen the largest military budget since WWII; an eight-fold increase in drone strikes; special forces operations in at least 134 countries, twice as many as under Bush; and a massive increase in the special forces night raids. . .which increased from 20 in Afghanistan in May 2009 to 1,000 per month by April 2011, killing the wrong people most of the time, according to senior officers.

It hasnt gotten better. Benjamin Powers reported in an article in May of this year, Obamas Kill List Is Here To Stay, that in March of 2016, drones and other warplanes bombed an al-Shabab training camp in Somalia and killed about 150 alleged militants who were gathered at a graduation ceremony. Yet U.S. officials privately acknowledged that they didnt know the identities of those they killed.

Powers also wrote that the program has little-to-no transparency in its decision making apparatus, and has even been called an extra-judicial assassination program, given the lack of due process provided to the targets, who in the past have included U.S. citizens.

Joseph de Maistre

On The Executioner Who is this inexplicable being, who, when there are so many agreeable, lucrative, honest and even honorable professions to choose among, in which a man can exercise his skill or his powers, has chosen that of torturing or killing his own kind? Is there not something in them that is peculiar, and alien to our nature? Myself, I have no doubt about this. He is made like us externally. He is born like all of us. But he is an extraordinary being, and it needs a special decree to bring him into existence as a member of the human familya fiat of the creative power. He is created like a law unto himself. Consider what he is in the opinion of mankind, and try to conceive, if you can, how he can manage to ignore or defy this opinion. Hardly has he been assigned to his proper dwelling-place, hardly has he taken possession of it, when others remove their homes elsewhere whence they can no longer see him. In the midst of this desolation, in this sort of vacuum formed round him, he lives alone with his mate and his young, who acquaint him with the sound of the human voice: without them he would hear nothing but groans. . . . The gloomy signal is given; an abject servitor of justice knocks on his door to tell him that he is wanted; he goes; he arrives at a public square covered by a dense, trembling mob. A poisoner, a parricide, a man who has committed sacrilege is tossed to him: he seizes him, stretches him, ties him to a horizontal cross, he raises his arm; there is a horrible silence; there is no sound but that of bones cracking under the bars, and the shrieks of the victim. He unties him. He puts him on the wheel; the shattered limbs are entangled in the spokes; the head hangs down; the hair stands up, and the mouth gaping open like a furnace from time to time emits only a few bloodstained words to beg for death. His heart is beating, but it is with joy: he congratulates himself, he says in his heart, Nobody quarters as well as I. He steps down. He holds out his bloodstained hand, the justice throws himfrom a distancea few pieces of gold, which he catches through a double row of human beings standing back in horror. He sits down to table, and he eats. Then he goes to bed and sleeps. And on the next day, when he wakes, he thinks of something totally different from what he did the day before. Is he a man? Yes. God receives him in his shrines, and allows him to pray. He is not a criminal. Nevertheless no tongue dares declare that he is virtuous, that he is an honest man, that he is estimable. No moral praise seems appropriate to him, for everyone else is assumed to have relations with human beings; he has none. And yet all greatness, all power, all subordination rest on the executioner. He is the terror and the bond of human association. Remove this mysterious agent from the world, and in an instant order yields to chaos: thrones fall, society disappears. God, who has created sovereignty, has also made punishment; he has fixed the earth upon these two poles: for Jehovah is master of the twin poles and upon them he maketh turn the world. . . .

(I Samuel 2:8). [From St. Petersburg Dialogues, quoted in Isaiah Berlin, Crooked Timber, pp. 116-117.]

Barack Obama: Joseph de Maistres Executioner Redux

The Obama White Houses approach to law, war, and life, bears closer resemblance to the French Terror under Robespierre, or the Spanish Inquisition under Torquemada, than to the American Revolutionary and later Constitutional governmental forms invented by Franklin, Washington, Hamilton and their associates. The Tuesday kill-in is the distillation of the very nature of colonial rule, but with the quasi-religious notion of a higher causethe war on terror.

It is the moral opposite, in every respect, of the March 4, 1933 Inaugural address of Franklin Roosevelt (the only thing we have to fear is fear itselfnameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror.) and of the Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln (With malice toward none, with charity for all.). There is no sign whatsoever, there is no reason to believe, the the Obama Administration does not continue every Tuesday to carry out killings, including mass killing worldwide, as well as killings of American citizens. There is also no reason to believe that the kill list is to be discontinued when he leaves office. The institutionalization of the kill list is now the most enduring, efficient, self-reinforcing feature of the present legacy of the Obama Administration. Can you, in all conscience, sayespecially when you hear what you have heard as reactions from the governments of thermonuclear powers China and Russia

that you can morally or physically afford one more day of Barack Obama, or what he represents, remaining in the office of the Presidency because of the lack of lawful, nonviolent action to induce the Congress of the United States to remove him?

The fact of that lawless killing being done under the pretext of defense of the homeland, despite its being unacknowledged, has also had a great destructive effect on the psychology of U.S. domestic law enforcement, many of whom are former military personnel. Take for example the problem of the shootings and violence, as well as police violence, in American cities. To what degree has the resonance of eight years of drone killings, mass executions, murderous depositions of heads of state as in Libya, special forces operations, extraordinary renditions, and collusion with terrorist organizations we claim to oppose, seeped into the very fabric of American society itself? How much of the military suicide, mass shootings, and violence, permanently seared into the mind of the combat veteran or the veterans family, including the children, is reflected in what we are seeing play out, in infinite variation, in the playgrounds and elementary schools, and on the street corners of America today?

If you issue kill orders each Tuesday under the pretext of fighting a war that you know is not a war, since you are regularly executing people that are not only not fighting you, but dont even know that they are about to die; a war where you yourself fund, equip, logistically support and even place and maintain in power your own enemy, including the people who have mass-killed Americans on American soil; a war where the intellectual and cultural heritage of centuries and millennia is permanently destroyed by laser-guided bombs that you have sold to people who have sworn to eradicate the very memory of the ancient civilizations of Africa and Asia, and whose victims on the ground you regularly, indiscriminately kill in funeral processions; if this be your behavior, can it be said that any human life matters to you at all? Can the real lives of the citizens of your nation, U.S. citizens that you have already been proven to have killed without due process with drones overseas, drones that you believe you have the authorization to use in a universal , imperial war on terror which includes the United Statescan the lives of those citizens actually mean anything to you at all?

President George Washingtons military was of a contrasting morality. He established the reputation of the American military as morally superior to that of the British on precisely the difference in the two armies treatment of prisoners, and his general conduct of the war. Alexander Hamilton, Washingtons aide, in his advocacy and participation in the establishment of the formation and deployment of African-American troop units during the Revolutionary War, and his fight for the abolition of slavery on the basis of the conduct of those men as combatants in that war, understood, unlike Barack Obama, what just war is, and what the conduct of lawful war entails.

But who does the executioner Barack Obama do his terror work for, if not for the defense and safety of the American people?

Barack Obama: British Functionary

Since its founding in 1782, British intelligence has worked to undermine the American Presidential system, even before it was created. Todays London, the center of world terrorism, financial crime, scientific fraud and Babylonian god-building (today called celebrity), continues in the footsteps of the East India Company of 1763 to target the United States as its mortal enemy. The revolution in 1776 America was intended to end all that. The Americans invented a new nation and a new economic policyHamiltons policywhich is still yet to be implemented today. Those first Americans recognized that the Mother Country, exemplified by British Royalty, was actually the Whore of Babylon.

Post-Revolutionary America, however, has had few great Presidents. Washington, John Quincy Adams, Lincoln, and FDR were the standouts. Hamilton was also a President without portfolio. Others, such as the patriot Ulysses Grant, William McKinley, or John Kennedy, were fully justified in their proud opposition to Britain, although they were defeated in the execution of their intentions. When FDR died, the United States Presidential system, through co-option, assassination, blackmail and misleadership, was and has been captured by these British interests more or less continuously since November 22, 1963.

The Bush family was the worstthat is, until their protege, Obama, became President. Without the events of September 11 and the subsequent eight years of Cheney-Bush, Barack Obama would never have been possible. It is the kind of inside joke of which British intelligence insiders are particularly fond.

Copyright Washington Star collection/Washington Post/

Reprinted by permission of D.C. Public Library

The Bush familyespecially the Nazis American banker, Prescott Bush, with his personal relationship to the Dulles Brothers and Averell Harriman, husband of Pamela Churchillis the center of British intelligences managerial control of the American Presidency, especially from the time of the near-assassination of Ronald Reagan in March of 1981. Economist Lyndon LaRouche, author of the Reagan Administrations 1983 beam-weapons policy, ran a 1980 campaign for the Democratic nomination of President, during which he spoke at some length to the future President. LaRouches campaign was central to the defeat of Bushs drive for the Republican Presidential nomination in the February 1980, New Hampshire primary. Bush was not happy with the outcome.

LaRouche was nearly assassinated on October 6, 1986, though actions of the same secret government apparatus thatthrough the 1980s Bush 41 Vice-Presidency, the 1988-92 Bush Presidency and Cheney Defense Department, and the Cheney/Bush 43 Presidency of 2000-2008seized control of the Executive Branch from the American people. When that assassination setup failed, a series of pseudo-legal actions was initiated, and LaRouche was indicted in Boston in June of 1987. The case ended in a mistrial after several undisclosed documents showed the involvement of Bush 41 in direct operations against LaRouche. A second railroad was then begun against LaRouche in Alexandria, Virginia.

The American people were thwarted of the opportunity to elect LaRouche President after his 1987-88 judicial railroading by the Bush League. Former U.S.

Attorney General Ramsey Clark, in a letter to then Attorney General Janet Reno on April 4, 1995, said of the LaRouche trial: I bring this matter to you directly, because I believe it involves a broader range of deliberate and systematic misconduct and abuse of power over a longer period of time in an effort to destroy a political movement and leader, than any other federal prosecution in my time or to my knowledge.

LaRouche was tried in Boston, Mass., retried in Alexandria Virginia, convicted, and incarcerated from January 27, 1989 until January 27, 1994. That legal travesty was never corrected, and LaRouche became factually impossible to elect as President throughout the 1990s and afterwards. In 2000, the American people were adapted to the toleration of virtual reality Presidents by the Cheney-Bush September 11 Reichstag Fire two-term Presidency. Obamas two terms were the perfecting of the Satanic nature of that British Sir George Bush Presidential intention.

That can all now come to an end, if Americans simply choose to read, study and understand the works of Alexander Hamilton, and the LaRouche Four Laws restatement of the Hamiltonian principle of economy, in time to avert the financial and military catastrophe that Obama slouches toward Moscow to give birth to.

Hamiltons works are imbued what poet Heinrich Heine called der Liebe Geistthe Spirit of Love that was the soul of Hamiltons fight against slavery, poverty, and injusticeagainst, in other words, everything British imperialist. It was that same der Liebe Geist that Abraham Lincoln spoke about as with Charity for all.

Hier sind nun die Lieder, die einst so wild,

Wie ein Lavastrom, der dem Atna entquillt,

Hervorgesturtzt aus dem tiefsten Gemut, Und rings viel blitzende Funken verspruht!

Nun liegen sie stumm und totengleich,

Nun starren sie kalt und nebelbleich,

Doch aufs neu die alte Glut sie belebt, Wenn der Liebe Geist einst uber sie schwebt.

Und es wird mir im Herzen viel Ahnung laut:

Der Liebe Geist einst uber sie taut;

Einst kommt dies Buch in deine Hand,

Du susses Lieb im fernen Land.

Heine, Mit Myrten und Rosen (Here now are the songs which, once so wild,

Like a stream of lava that flows from Etna,

Burst from the depths of my heart, And spray glittering sparks everywhere!

Now they lie mute and death-like,

Now they stare coldly, pale as mist,

But the old glow will revive them afresh, When the spirit of love someday floats above them.

And in my heart the thought grows loud:

The spirit of love will someday thaw them;

Someday this book will arrive in your hands,

You, my sweet love in a distant land.)

The world awaits the United States that would return to that distant land from which Alexander Hamilton and Lyndon LaRouches words have emanatedthe real America. No more Howdy Doody, Bart Simpson or Freddie Kruger Presidents. Simply remove them; you have not only the right, but the duty to do so, according to your Declaration of Independence. The ingenious, scientifically progressive, hard-working, generous, innovative, optimistic intention that was America, is only as distant from this moment as is the hand of the citizen, not from the voting lever, but from the pages of Hamiltons Four Reports. Tolle Lege!Take Up, And Read!
PRESS RELEASE

Cohen: Russia Regards Bidens Cyberwar Threat as Virtual Declaration of War

Oct. 20, 2016 (EIRNS)New York University professor Stephen F. Cohen told radio host John Batchelor on Oct. 18 that Vice President Joe Bidens threat of cyberwar against Russia, during a weekend TV appearance, "stunned" Moscow. According to a summary published in The Nation, the Kremlin spokesman and commentators in Moscow denounced Bidens challenge as a virtual "American declaration of war on Russia" and as the first ever in history. Bidens statement, which clearly had been planned by the White House, could scarcely have been more dangerous or reckless, especially considering that there is no actual evidence or logic for the two allegations against Russia that seem to have prompted it, including alleged hacking, reports a summary of Cohens radio interview published in The Nation.

Cohen, reports the summary, points out that, in fact, no actual evidence for this allegation has been produced, only suppositions or, as Glenn Greenwald has argued, "unproven assertions." MIT professor Theodore Postol has written that there is

"no technical way that the U.S. intelligence community could know who did the hacking if it was done by sophisticated nation-state actors."

Instead, Cohen suggests,

"the charges, leveled daily by the Clinton campaign as part of its McCarthyite Kremlin-baiting of Donald Trump, are mostly political, and he laments the way U.S. intelligence officials have permitted themselves to be used for this unprofessional purpose."

An intelligence expert pointed out to EIR that the use of the word "confident" by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, in their Oct. 7 statement accusing Russia of hacking into U.S. election systems and email accounts, indicates that, in fact, there is about a 55-45 split within the intelligence community on that conclusion, showing that there is widespread disagreement about who was actually responsible for the hacks.
PRESS RELEASE

Duterte in ChinaA Revolutionary Transformation

Oct. 20, 2016 (EIRNS)Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has completed a dramatic revolution in his nations role in the world during his current visit to China. In very clear language, he has renounced the Philippines previous subservience to Washington, established a new relationship with China and Xi Jinpings Silk Road process, and put in place extensive cooperation with China, and potentially also Russia, in both economic and strategic matters.

Speaking at the Philippines-China Trade and Investment Forum in the Great Hall of the people in Beijing, Duterte said:

"America has lost now. Ive realigned myself in your ideological flow, and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world China, Philippines, and Russia. Its the only way. "With that, in this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States. Not only military, not in social, but in economics also.... I have separated from them. So I will be dependent on you for a long time. But do not worry. We will also help as you help us."

Speaking to a Filipino audience in Beijing (there are over 300,000 Filipinos working in China), Duterte said about the United States:

"Good-bye, my friend. Your stay in my country was for your benefit. We were fed with lies about China. We grew up with the Red Scare. We kept a distance from China. They characterized communism as an oppression of their people. Now I said, this has to stop because you have been abusing the courtesy of my country."

"I will not go to America anymore," he said. "I will just be insulted there." He noted that Americans "enter the Philippines visa-free," while Filipinos have great difficulty getting a visa to the United States. "Why dont we make it even? Well, there will always be a time for reckoning," he added.

On the war on drugs, Duterte said of Obamas attacks on the people being killed in the process:
PRESS RELEASE

Fifth Eurasian Forum Opened in Verona, Italy

Oct. 20, 2016 (EIRNS)The fifth Eurasian Forum opened today in Verona, Italy. This is the main forum for Italian-Eurasian relations, founded by Moscow-based banker Antonio Fallico and associated with the St. Petersburg Forum. More than 60 high-level speakers from Italy, Russia and Eurasia (including China) will give presentations.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi are expected to appear at the Forum tomorrow. In his opening speech, Chairman Fallico exposed the efforts by some forces to set back the clock of history by re-creating the Cold War, and called for building an "economic and geopolitical space from Lisbon to Shanghai." He stressed that participants at the Forum are there to promote a new dialogue and a new approach, shifting from the "made in" to the "made with."

In the first panel, dedicated to "The Changing Geopolitical Map of Eurasia," Chinese author Song Hongbing (Currency Wars) was asked whether conflicts, such as the ones in Southwest Asia or even the one in Ukraine, are created in order to prevent China from building the New Silk Road.

Song said that China has traditionally kept out of conflicts outside of China, and this not just with the current government but along generations in history. However, the war in Syria has forced them to change their mind. China cannot stay away from conflicts any longer, and must state what their interests are.

So, our interest, he said, is that we do not want the region to disintegrate. Our interest is that Syria and Iraq not split into six or seven states. If we want to build the New Silk Road, across Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, we want those countries to keep peace."

In the same panel, Russian expert Edward Lozansky addressed "The Elephant In the Room," being the United States. We are in Italy, here is the Vatican, and sometimes miracles occur, he said. But if we have no miracles, Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the U.S.A., and she has already announced a policy that leads to war with Russia. Lozansky complained that there is no courageous leader in Europe now.

Lozansky then advised the Eurasian Economic Union to open an office in the United States, as a move that could help improve relations.

In the afternoon, EIR envoy Flavio Tabanelli intervened in the question-and-answer period in a panel on "Economy, Finance and Global Crisis." He addressed his question to Massimo Mucchetti, chairman of the Italian Senate Finance Committee. Since you have in the past endorsed a Glass-Steagall solution, Tabanelli asked, what do you think about a solution for the "ticking bomb" represented by Deutsche Bank, i.e., a government bailout conditioned on a return to a pro-industrial policy as under Herrhausen?

Mucchetti gave a long answer, recalling that DB has long ceased to be a commercial bank and instead is a full investment bank, "based on Wall Street and not in Germany." "Now the rot has come out." He recalled how in spring 2011, he was the one who revealed that DB had sold Italian sovereign bonds en masse "in an act of overt hostility" against the Italian government, and wished that the DB crisis would induce the EU to change bank resolution rules.

Russian representatives approached by EIR are worried about the threat of war and of European lack of action. An independent journalist said she hoped that in 2017 elections Merkel would be voted out.
PRESS RELEASE

Nuclear Ash Carter Has Dramatically Expanded Obamas Nuclear War Threat in Asia

Oct. 20, 2016 (EIRNS)In a "2+2" meeting of U.S. and South Korean Defense and Foreign Ministers yesterday in Washington, the Obama Administration announced a major escalation in the nuclear war threat against China and Russia in Asia, under the cover of enormous over-kill preparations against North Korea. According to Voice of America yesterday, quoting defense and diplomatic sources, the two nations announced the launch of talks on "extended deterrence" against North Korea.

"The U.S. is considering the permanent deployment at its bases in South Korea of B-1B and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, F-22 stealth fighter jets, and nuclear-powered submarines,"

VOA said.

The meeting established a high-level "Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group," accompanied by

"unusually blunt public comments from the U.S. secretaries of defense and state about the possibility of nuclear war initiated by Pyongyang on the Korean peninsula,"

said VOA.

This must be read as a transparent excuse for tightening the nuclear ring around China and the Russian Far East, since an overwhelming response to a North Korean attack would not require such deployments, just as the THAAD deployment is aimed not at North Korea, but at China and Russia.

"Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response," blustered Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, adding that South Koreas security is guaranteed by the "full spectrum of U.S. defense capabilities," meaning nuclear weapons.

South Korea was represented at the meeting by Defense Minister Han Min-koo and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Yun said Pyongyang is nearing the "final stage of nuclear weaponization," compelling the United States and South Korea to utilize "all tools in the toolkit" to defend themselves and make the North Koreans "feel the panic under their skins." Han then said that North Koreas nuclear weapons and missiles are akin to "a dagger against our throats."

Left out of the discussions was the fact, acknowledged by nearly everyone, that Obamas Korea policy, known as "strategic patience," has entirely failed to end the North Korean nuclear programwhich was, in fact, the intention. By allowing their development of nuclear weapons, through a refusal to talk to the North, Obama now has his excuse for preparing for war with China.

Sources in Seoul told EIR that the country was rife with rumors, based on the current intense round of discussions about a U.S. military build-up in the region, that Obama wants to "decapitate" North Korea before the end of his term.

VOA notes that some analysts recognize that the nuclear delivery systems being deployed in the South make no sense in regard to North Korea.

"I dont see why you need B-52s and B-1s on the peninsula. That puts them within D.P.R.K. short-range missiles, and therefore more vulnerable than if they remain at [Guam]. They can fly to Korea in a few hours,"

said Troy University international relations professor Daniel Pinkston, author of "The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program." Basing such aircraft and THAAD on the Korean peninsula would cause China "to be in an uproar" and officials in Pyongyang and Beijing to assert that such forward-deployed assets are intended to deter the Chinese, Pinkston told VOA.

Carters stark reference to nuclear retaliation is expected to raise serious questions about the nuclear option, said Tara O of CSIS, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. "Someone has to make a decision on what will be an acceptable cost if we are to carry out anything beyond rhetoric," O told VOA.
PRESS RELEASE

Russian Officials Blast Obama and British for Fanning the Flames of War Worldwide

Oct. 20, 2016 (EIRNS)Russias ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, responded with a sharp counterattack, yesterday, to accusations that Russia was responsible for hampering humanitarian aid getting in to Aleppo, mouthed by U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN David Pressman.

"Thats not true," Churkin stated.

"Why did the U.S. military refuse to stand along Castello Road together with the Russian military to ensure the non-stop operation of this vital artery? What is it? Cowardice, or a desire to inflame passions around Aleppo at whatever cost?"

Churkin charged that the flames of conflict are being

"artificially fanned from the outside. There is an answer to a question asked today, who bears responsibility, and it is known to the whole world: the United States of America and the United Kingdom, which carried out an invasion of Iraq and launched, together with some other activists, an adventurist campaign to seek a regime change in Syria. To achieve that goal, they do not shun the support of openly terrorist groups."

Also speaking yesterday before the Russian Duma, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov made it clear that the Putin government would not be cowed or threatened into capitulation.

"If the U.S. opts to further toughen sanctions [against Russia] in defiance of common sense and in disregard of its experience that has already been quite painful for them, then we will find measures in our toolbox that will have a painful impact, particularly in terms of Americas positioning in the world."

Ryabkov said that the United States continues to issue threats against Russia "on a daily basis," while it

"continues its efforts aimed at bringing its military infrastructure nearer to Russian borders and forming anti-Russian alliances with its European allies."

He added that Russias response so far has been "strictly proportionate and adequate," and "not guided by emotions," but that it could always shift to "asymmetrical" measures if needed.

Ryabkov then slammed the Obama administration for provoking war:
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Restoration of relations between Ankara and Moscow will have a positive impact on the Turkish economy only by mid-2017, Ilhan Ege, an expert in economic issues, told Trend Oct. 21.

Time is needed for economic relations of the two countries to reach the pre-crisis level, he said.

Russia is an important market for the export of Turkish fruit, added the expert. Tourist flow from Russia to Turkey is expected in the summer of 2017.

In mid-term prospects, the Turkish Stream and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant are important projects that will strengthen economic relations between the two countries, said Ege.

The relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated sharply in late 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board. In June 2016, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter of condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the death of a Su-24 pilot and expressed regret over the incident. After that, the two countries relations began to improve.

Regarding the restoration of relations between Turkey and Israel, Ege noted that this will strengthen Turkey's foreign trade.

He also said that Israel, which is an important country for Turkish construction companies, can help the country in the development of such areas as defense industry, agriculture, innovative technologies and software.

Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one flying Turkey's flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board.

The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, with eight Turkish citizens being killed as a result.

Turkey signed an agreement with Israel on repairing the relations June 28. The Israeli government paid a compensation of $20 million to Turkey for the Freedom Flotilla incident Sept. 30.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
In 1981, when Marina Abramovic and her lover and collaborator Ulay first decided to walk the Great Wall of China, they planned to marry in the middle. They believed no one had ever walked the wall in its entirety, though before they did it a Chinese railway clerk officially became the first. Abramovic would start from the east, Ulay from the west. It would take three months and they would call the piece The Lovers. But by the time they negotiated terms with the Chinese government and raised the funds  Chinese officials demanded an extra $80,000 for security and soft drinks at the last minute  it was 1988 and the artists 12-year romance had crumbled. They changed the plan: they would meet harried and exhausted in the middle, shake hands and each travel on alone. It is, without doubt, art historys most epic breakup.

Abramovic tells the story of the Great Wall performance halfway through her new memoir, Walk Through Walls, and it marks a turning point in her narrative. Before, she had lived nomadically with Ulay, sometimes in a truck or in an Amsterdam warehouse with a shower fashioned from a hose. Ulay handled the funds. The two visited monks and embedded with Aborigine tribes in Australia. As soon as they parted, Abramovic used what money she had to buy a large house in Amsterdam, albeit one inhabited by squatting drug addicts who threw knives at doors. She also took up with a narcissistic Spaniard 12 years her junior, sold sculptures to the Pompidou and began to buy designer clothes that offset the feelings of ugliness with which her split with Ulay left her.

By 2014, the year she appeared on Times Most Influential People list, Abramovic had collaborated with James Franco, Lady Gaga and Willem Dafoe. Her MoMA retrospective and concurrent performance, The Artist Is Present, for which she sat silently in a chair for 750 hours staring into the eyes of one visitor after another, had given her mainstream fame.

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But her apparently effortless transition to stardom baffled some of her longtime fans: How to reconcile the image of the daring artist who, in 1975, cut a five-point star into her naked stomach then whipped herself before laying on a cross of ice with that of the artist who appeared in a blatantly materialistic Jay-Z video? Abramovics memoir doesnt reconcile these seemingly different versions of her, but it gives insight into why they cant be reconciled.

The book is undeniably self-absorbed  a 1980 letter Abramovic wrote to her mother about feeling she and Ulay were the first people on the planet sums it up pretty well. She is not too attuned to the experiences of others. (An advance copy of the book contained passages  edited out of the final, after an Internet controversy saying that Aborigine people look terrible to Westerners, like dinosaurs with stick-like legs.) Yet the memoir is frank and frequently endearing, Abramovics humor keeping her romanticism in check.

I come from a dark place is the very first sentence. She was born in Belgrade in 1946 to committed communists who saved one another from death during World War II. She never entirely separates the political turmoil in her home country  she grew up under a communist dictatorship in Yugoslavia  from her complicated relationship with her parents. Danica, Abramovics fierce, germophobic mother, used to slap her daughter so hard she bled. Yet, with the exception of a few art-inspired sojourns to other countries, Abramovic remained under her mothers roof until she met Ulay at age 29. Why do girls from good families go to bed at five p.m.? she jokes about that time. To be home by 10 p.m. Once, after learning photographs of her daughters nude performance were at the Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art, Danica threw a glass ashtray at her daughters head.

Abramovic, who began painting in childhood, did the first of her intrepid Rhythm performances in 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She based it on a Yugoslav drinking game, stabbing 10 knives down between her fingers 10 times, groaning when she cut herself. As the paper beneath her hands filled with blood, the room grew silent and electric. I became a Marina whom I didnt know yet, she writes, giving no rationale for why she chose to do the performance in the first place. Two years later, she stood passively for six hours in a Naples gallery, next to a table with 72 objects: a gun, scissors, ax, perfume and Polaroid camera, among others. By evening, audience members had cut off her clothing, cut her neck and placed the loaded gun in her hand. She writes that she was staging fears for the audience: using their energy to push my body as far as possible. In the process, I liberated myself from my fears.

She says relatively little else about the meaning behind these actions, nor does she reflect on her work in relation to other daring performance art happening in the 1970s. She recalls Joseph Beuys, the revered German artist, advising her to be careful (advice she disregards). She mentions a one-night stand with Vito Acconci, who famously spent days masturbating under the floorboards of New Yorks Sonnabend Gallery, saying he wasnt good-looking but had the sexiest voice in the world. German artist Rebecca Horn, a friend, gave Abramovic relationship advice, but there is no reference to Horns own feminist performances in eccentric wearable sculptures. For those familiar with her works history, this lack of context might frustrate. This book is written for people interested in Abramovic alone, not performance art more generally.

Near the end, her chronicle of projects becomes almost exhausting, for her and the reader. She begins an opera about her own life, founds an institute, does a 512-hour performance in London, works on a Givenchy show, gets recognized in coffee shops. I began to be heavily criticized in the media for being a star, and for hanging around with stars, she writes. The perception is that they make you and then you have to pay for it, that an artist has to suffer. Ive suffered enough.... She says this then moves on, suggesting she does not want to dwell on conflict or how her star quality might have changed her. Still, her grind physically drains her. She suffers heart palpitations and contracts shingles.

In early 2016, she goes on a silent 30-day retreat in Kerala, India. She returns, is kissed  by whom she doesnt say  and again feels electrically alive. It appears the artist who pulled her audience into her own vulnerability and expanded other artists sense of possibility mostly wanted to feel loved. This seems too simple, but its not necessary for the artist to be as profound and complicated as her art. Her early work especially, where she manipulated her femininity and pushed herself and viewers to aggressive, sometimes violent extremes, remains remarkably subversive. Thats something that revealing herself to be a self-involved woman with familiar, typical desires does not change.

Wagley writes about the arts and visual culture in Los Angeles.

Walk Through Walls: A Memoir

Marina Abramovic

Crown Archetype: 384 pp., $28
The Petersen Automotive Museum will host a new Art of Bugatti exhibit, beginning Oct. 23 and running through October 2017.

The multidiscipline exhibit will feature automobiles, paintings, furniture, sculpture and silver work from three generations of the Italian-French family.

The bulk of the exhibit will be examples of the automotive art from which the family drew their fame, and the bulk of those belong to local automobile collector  and Petersen board chairman  Peter Mullin.

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They include a vintage Type 55 and Type 41 Royale, a modern EB110 and Chiron, and a Type 57 Atlantic  believed by many auto enthusiasts to represent the pinnacle of French Art Deco automotive design.

Alongside the cars, most designed by Ettore Bugatti, will be furniture designed by his father, Carlo Bugatti, sculptures by his brother Rembrandt Bugatti, and paintings by his daughter Lidia Bugatti.

The Chiron is on loan from Volkswagen, which since 1998 has owned the classic brand.

But most of the other vehicles, and many of the artworks in the display, ordinarily reside in the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard. Some of the art is also being loaned to the Petersen by the Sladmore Gallery in London.

We hoped to have selected the best of the best, Mullin said.

The celebrated, multigenerational design family was also multinational.

Ettore was born in Milan to a family that had already seen two generations of artistic expression. (His grandfather was an architect.) As a young man, he took a design job in Germany, in a town that later became part of France. He went on to establish a car company in his own name, and to design winning race cars, as well as airplanes and even locomotives.

Bugattis son Jean followed him into the family business, and is credited with designing the famed Atlantic, but was killed in 1939 at the age of 30 while testing a race car. Ettore died in 1947. Another son, Roland, later helped produce the Bugatti Type 101.

Mullin said his fascination with Bugatti automobiles began with an interest in a rival French Art Deco brand  a Chapron-bodied Delahaye 135 MS that he fell in love with more than 35 years ago. (I myself confess to a terrible weakness for the 1939 Delahaye Type 165, one of which Mullin has in his collection.)

Mullins first Art Deco purchase was a 1948 Talbot-Lago Record, which was later a prize winner at the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance. From there, he began to acquire other vehicles from the same period, eventually assembling a 200-vehicle collection of cars designed or built by Bugatti, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, Hispano-Suiza, Voisin and Delage.

In the collection, leaving its spot at the Petersen to make room for the incoming Bugattis, is the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C Goutte dEau (or Tear Drop) that in August won the inaugural Peninsula Classics Best of the Best award.

The award honored the judges favorite car among those that had won top prize at the preceding years top auto shows  the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance, the Quail Motorsports Gathering, the Amelia Island Concours dElegance, Italys Cavallino Classic and Englands Concours of Elegance.

To Bugatti head of design Achim Anscheidt, there is a clear line between classics and the Chiron.

The Type 57 Atlantic is the most important stylistic inspiration of the marques history, Anscheidt said. As we often say, In order to look forward, you must first look back. The five riveted crease lines of the Atlantic find a new interpretation with the Chirons defining fender shapes and the defining roofline across the center of the car.

Charles.Fleming@latimes.com

Twitter: @misterfleming

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While the tenor of the presidential campaign has not a few Americans pondering the fascist threads in our recent political history, infused as it is with xenophobia, chauvinism and disdain for dissent, word arrives of a successful stage adaptation of Sinclair Lewis prescient 1935 anti-fascist novel It Cant Happen Here. The Berkeley Repertorys version will run through Nov. 6, the Sunday before election day.

And that in turn evokes the moment when the New Deals Federal Theatre, already under conservative attack as an ostensibly subversive organization, defiantly produced its own staging of It Cant Happen Here as a nationwide event, opening the play simultaneously in 21 theaters in 17 states on the night of Oct. 27, 1936.

The story is told in my book The New Deal: A Modern History, but its worth telling again, for this most audacious theatrical effort in American history stirred and unified the country far beyond the expectations of the Federal Theatres brilliant director, Hallie Flanagan.

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Here was a play by one of our most distinguished American authors, based on a burning belief in American democracy.  Hallie Flanagan, Arena

As Flanagan recounted the reactions in her memoir, Arena: There were news stories for and against, from one end of the country to the other. Some people thought the play was designed to re-elect Mr. Roosevelt; others thought it was planned in order to defeat him. Some thought it proved Federal Theatre was communistic; others that it was New Deal; others that it was subconsciously fascist. The Hollywood Citizen-News fretted that the play would antagonize sympathizers of the Hitler and Mussolini regimes, while Hearsts Los Angeles Examiner slammed it as PROPAGANDAnaked and unconcealed.

In short, It Cant Happen Here was provocative, as all great theater should be.

The Federal Theatre often is remembered today as a launchpad for the career of Orson Welles. He had been brought on initially to run the troupes Negro Theatre Project, for which he produced a Macbeth set in Haiti. Dubbed the Voodoo Macbeth, the play was at once a pioneering theatrical production and a Harlem community event.

Welles would go on to make theatrical history with a play that failed to open. It was The Cradle Will Rock, an opera about a steel strike written by the gifted and openly Marxist composer  Marc Blitzstein.

The 1937 production was ordered postponed because of a budget crunch, but Welles and his co-producer John Houseman chose to frame the order as an attempt at political suppression. He was right and not right: The budget crunch was an expression of right-wing discontent with the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Theatres parent; but The Cradle Will Rock was not the particular target. Anyway, on June 15, Welles and Houseman rented a theater on their own and staged a public dress rehearsal of the opera, Blitzstein at the piano, as an act of defiance. The event would feed the legend of Orson Welles, audacious wunderkind.

By then the Federal Theatre had experienced its most important success with It Cant Happen Here. Sinclair Lewis had based his central figure, the dictator Buzz Windrip, on Louisianas Huey Long, but his broader target was fascism in all its manifestations. In the book, Windrip defeats FDR for the Democratic nomination for president and takes over the government, creating a band of paramilitary shock troops called the Minute Men, seducing the public by railing against foreign influences and promising prosperity, and throwing dissenters into concentration camps.

A large audience... breathed in unison a sigh of thanksgiving that it was fantasy and not actual fact.  San Francisco Chronicle

Under his regime most Americans would learn in school that God had supplanted the Jews as chosen people by the Americans, and this time done the job much better, so that we were the richest, kindest, and cleverest nation living; that depressions were but passing headaches and that labor unions must not concern themselves with anything except higher wages and shorter hours and, above all, must not set up an ugly class struggle by combining politically; that, though foreigners tried to make a bogus mystery of them, politics were really so simple that any village attorney or any clerk in the office of a metropolitan sheriff was quite adequately trained for them.

Windrips counterbalance is the initially complacent Vermont newspaper editor Doremus Jessup, who counsels his readers, the hysteria cant last; be patient, and wait and see.It was not that he was afraid of the authorities. He simply did not believe that this comic tyranny could endure. In the course of the book, Jessup defects to the resistance.

Flanagan depicted the decision to mount a stage version of the novel, to be co-scripted by Lewis himself, as a chance to test the professional expertness of Federal Theatre in both its national and its regional aspect. She tried to downplay the political flavor of the work. Her office advised producers of the regional stagings to avoid all controversial issues  political angles of any degree since Federal Theatre is interested only in presenting good theatre. Overt references to any foreign power or personalities were barred.

But the political import of the work was inescapable; a film version already had been killed by MGMs Louis B. Mayer out of solicitude for the Nazi regimes sensitivities. Flanagan treated the Federal Theatre production almost as an act of patriotism: Here was a play by one of our most distinguished American authors, based on a burning belief in American democracy.

Each of the 21 stagings had its local flavor. In Seattle the play was produced by the citys black theater unit and reimagined as a herald of the dangers posed to minorities by dictatorship; in Birmingham, Ala., it was staged as a political convention, with bunting on the set and a brass band stationed in the boxes. One production canceled in advance was in New Orleans, Flanagan recalled, because local officials felt it inadvisable to produce a play against dictatorship in a city where many people still revered the memory of Huey Long, who had been assassinated the year before.

On the whole the effort was an astounding nationwide success. Flanagan wrote: In an amazing variety of methods, in English, Yiddish, and Spanish, in cities, towns, and villages, before audiences of every conceivable type It Cant Happen Here played, under Federal Theatre, 260 weeks, or the equivalent of five years. The political and ideological nature of the play wasnt lost on audiences, she recalled, quoting a San Francisco newspaper review observing that as the curtain came down on the play, a large audience breathed in unison a sigh of thanksgiving that it was fantasy and not actual fact.

Yet Sinclair Lewis hadnt crafted his book as a fantasy, but a warning. When one of his characters muses that it might be a good thing to have a strong man in the saddle, but  it just cant happen here in America, he is answered silently by another, whose lips frame the words, The hell it cant!

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.
Demand for international flights is on the rise in Southern California but neighbors of the Long Beach Airport are fighting a plan to bring flights from Mexico and Latin America to the regional airfield.

For nearly two hours, critics of the plan told an airport advisory panel Thursday night that they feared the addition of international flights would lead to more traffic, air pollution, a drop in property values and pressure to lift the citys restrictive noise limits.

There is no guarantee that this wont expand unbelievably, said Mike Rodsater, a 30-year resident of Long Beach, at a meeting attended by about 70 residents.

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The opponents spoke at the first public hearing held on a feasibility study to build a facility to screen international travelers and their luggage.

The demand for international flights in Southern California has grown by 30% from 2010 to 2015, according to the feasibility study by Pasadena-based Jacobs Engineering.

The demand is strong enough to convert up to eight domestic flights from Long Beach Airport to international flights within five years, the study said.

If the city of Long Beach agrees to add international flights, it will join Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario International Airport, John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana and San Diego International Airport in offering flights abroad.

Seth Kaplan, managing partner for the trade publication Airline Weekly, said Long Beach Airport can even try to market itself as a hassle-free alternative to Los Angeles International Airport for international flights.

There is plenty of demand from the L.A. Basin down to Mexico, and Long Beach has a great facility, he said.

Long Beach Airport currently flies only to domestic destinations. It operates under a noise ordinance that allows about 50 commercial flights per day, and takeoffs and landings can happen only from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Violators of the limits face stiff fines from the city.

The airports biggest carrier, JetBlue Airways, requested the study on the feasibility of adding international flights. The New York-based carrier is interested in flying to vacation spots in Mexico and other Latin America destinations.

The $347,000 feasibility study found that the noise ordinance does not impose restrictions on the origin or destination of flights to the airport and that serving international destinations would create 1,400 new jobs and generate $186 million in spending in the city each year.

The Jacobs study said the screening facility, projected to cost $17 million to $21 million, could be paid for by JetBlue and other airlines that use it, along with passenger fees collected from international travelers.

But neighbors of the airport blasted the report, saying it didnt address the additional traffic generated by the foreign tourists. They also worried that the new facility would prompt airlines to file a lawsuit to challenge the citys noise ordinance so they could add more flights.

Once this starts, whos to say when the growth would end, Long Beach resident Nancy Lopez told the appointed panel.

Assistant City Attorney Mike Mais told the gathering that adding the international flights and building the new screening facility does not increase or decrease the likelihood of an airline filing a lawsuit to challenge the citys noise restrictions.

In the crowded suburbs of Los Angeles, most airport expansion or improvement projects draw strong opposition.

Even a plan to replace an existing terminal at Long Beach Airport in 2012 drew strong opposition, including a petition signed by hundreds of opponents.

At Hollywood Burbank Airport, a plan to replace its 1930s-era terminal has been the subject of strong debate for decades in the San Fernando Valley city.

Another longtime Long Beach resident, Terri Pfost, said airport travelers have been parking on her street and getting an Uber ride to the airport.

I dont think our neighborhood should be remote airport parking, she said.

The only supporters of the proposal at the meeting were two JetBlue pilots who live in Long Beach.

Pilot Raghib Tauqir said jobs created by the airport help support Long Beach businesses such as grocery stores, auto mechanics and movie theaters. He added that Long Beach residents could also take international flights from the airport to visit family abroad.

Its for friends and family, he said. Its not just tourists.

The proposal to add international flights will be discussed next at the citys Economic Development Commission on Oct. 25 before it is presented to the Long Beach City Council on Nov. 15.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating a massive cyberattack that stopped or slowed access to Twitter, Spotify, Amazon and other sites Friday by targeting a firm responsible for routing Internet traffic their way.

Dyn, a New Hampshire Internet services company, reported around 4 a.m. PDT that a large-scale attack temporarily overwhelmed its servers. By 6:30 a.m., the company said, service was back to normal, but around 9 a.m., Dyn again said it was under attack. Just before 11 a.m., Dyn said it was investigating several attacks, which were resolved around 3 p.m. Pacific time.

Dyn links Web addresses to specific numeric codes, called IP addresses, that computers use to communicate with each other. Because so many companies rely on Dyn as a go-between, the effect was widespread.

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Users reported outages and slowdowns at sites including PayPal, Github, Netflix, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and Vox Media, among others.

Obama administration officials have determined the outages were the result of a malicious attack, according to a federal law enforcement official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal assessments. Investigators have come to a preliminary conclusion as to who carried them out, but are not planning to make that public for now, the official said.

In this case, hackers used a method known as distributed denial of service, or DDoS. Its a tactic thats on the rise, said Vince Berk, chief executive of FlowTraq, a network security company that specializes in detecting and defeating DDoS attacks.

As security experts get better at keeping threats at bay, hackers are increasingly turning to DDoS attacks, which he described as the crudest form of an attack you can perpetrate.

A DDoS attack blocks users by overloading the site with traffic. Imagine, for instance, that a thousand people showed up at a post office at once to buy stamps. The glut of traffic would prevent other customers who wanted to mail packages from getting service. That is similar to how a DDoS attack works, Berk said.

To attack a company as large as Dyn, a hacker needs to commandeer a large number of computers or Internet-connected devices and program them to all start sending traffic to Dyn at the same time. By doing this, the hacker will clog up the site with so much junk traffic that they cannot serve actual customers, according to a blog post from security expert Brian Krebs, whose own site was the target of a DDoS attack in September.

Companies like such as Dyn are a prime target, Berk said, because so many sites and services rely on them. By attacking a company like Dyn, hackers can take down a vast number of websites at once.

The exact magnitude of the attack remains unclear, Berk said. But Joe Touch, director of the Postel Center at USCs Information Sciences Institute, said it ranked among the attacks that have impacted the largest number of consumers.

Twitter and all these other sites, taking those down, thats big, he said.

The attack comes at a time of increased concern about cybersecurity.

This month, private emails of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons campaign chairman appeared on WikiLeaks. This summer, the FBI said it was investigating a hack into the Democratic National Committees computers. Both attacks have been blamed on Russian hackers.

Yahoo Inc. also recently announced that it suffered a data breach in 2014 that affected at least 500 million user accounts, an action the company believes was taken by a state-sponsored actor.

Hacking an email server or stealing user account information from a network is more targeted than a DDoS attack, which aims to cause widespread disruption, said Justin Cappos, an professor in the computer science and engineering department at NYU.

Many DDoS attacks are performed by individuals who threaten to unleash a flood of traffic unless a victim pays a bribe. Some are performed by hackers intent on gaining notoriety or causing a headache for the sites they take down. Recently, some DDoS attacks have been perpetrated by state-sponsored groups probing Internet infrastructure, Cappos said.

But he warned it will take time to identify the culprit.

To avoid the same kind of widespread outages, Touch of USC said companies should use several providers for Internet routing services rather than just one.

The more you rely on a single company, regardless of how competent that company is, the less you are protected, he said.

Firms generally avoid speaking about their infrastructure during sensitive periods for fear of becoming a bigger target, but several, including Twitter, Box and Netflix said Friday afternoon that they had restored service.

The Internet security world has been on edge since the attack on Krebs site  believed to be one of the largest DDoS attacks ever.

Krebs and others attribute its scale to compromised Internet-connected devices, such as security cameras and digital videorecorders. Their rapid spread and lax security standards could open a new front in cyber warfare.

On Friday, Krebs reported that researchers from security firm Flashpoint saw indications that Internet-connected devices were involved in the attack on Dyn.

In an interview, he said he wasnt surprised Fridays attack garnered attention from the general public.

Any time you have such a broad range of popular sites go offline because of an attack on one infrastructure provider  it tends to be a pretty impactful attack, he said.

Times staff writer Brian Bennett contributed to this report.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

3:40 p.m.: This article has been updated to include comments from a federal law enforcement official and Joe Touch, director of the Postel Center at USCs Information Sciences Institute.

1:20 p.m.: This article has been updated to include an interview with security expert Brian Krebs.

11:45 a.m.: This article has been updated to include comments from a computer science expert and a report that the Department of Homeland Security is now investigating the cause of the cyberattack.

9:30 a.m.: This article has been updated with a report taht Dyn is investigating a DDoS attack.

This article was originally published at 8:40 a.m.
Attorneys for Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and Trump University are seeking to block Los Angeles Times consumer columnist David Lazarus from testifying in a class-action fraud case brought by former Trump University students.

In a motion filed Thursday in federal court in San Diego, Trumps attorneys argued that the court should not hear testimony from Lazarus or allow three of his columns about the now-defunct Trump University  as well as a letter from Trump about Lazarus  to be entered into evidence. The filing came after attorneys reviewed a list of potential witnesses.

Daniel Petrocelli, a partner at Century City law firm OMelveny & Myers who is representing Trump and Trump University, argued in the filing that Lazarus columns and potential testimony have no bearing on any fact of consequence in this case.

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Rather, Petrocelli argues that attorneys for the former Trump University students seek to poison the jury by introducing as evidence the negative opinions of a business columnist.

Times spokeswoman Hillary Manning said the newspaper had no comment.

Lazarus in 2007 attended a free seminar put on by Trump University at a hotel in Pasadena. He wrote a column describing the seminar as a sales pitch for a Trump University seminar that cost nearly $1,500.

Lazarus also wrote that, despite promises of priceless information, the seminar provided little useful information and encouraged risky investments.

Trump wrote a letter to Times Editor Davan Maharaj, calling Lazarus a wise-guy and describing Trump University as very successful. After the letter was published, Lazarus spoke with Trump and reported that Trump had threatened to sue him.

Trump attorney Petrocelli argued that the former Trump University students lawsuit does not focus on the type of free event that Lazarus attended.

The former students, who sued Trump University in 2010, allege that the program made deceptive claims about what kind of profits they could make.

A trial is set to begin Nov. 28.

james.koren@latimes.com

Follow me: @jrkoren

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Tucked behind a green privacy gate and tall hedges of bougainvillea, this 1920s bungalow offers a charming balance of old and new.

The renovated kitchen and bathrooms are in keeping with the homes original character and feature classic elements such as white subway tile, period-inspired cabinetry and antique fixtures. A rooftop deck with a bar tops a multi-level addition to the home.

Address: 532 Rialto Ave., Venice, 90291

Price: $1.995 million

Built: 1923

Lot size: 2,552 square feet

House size: 1,134 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

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Features: Gated front yard; renovated kitchen with subway tile, black cabinetry, farmhouse sink; hardwood floors; French doors open to patio; bathroom with clawfoot tub; high ceilings; built-in cabinetry; skylights; office; rooftop deck with bar area, pergola

About the area: The median sale price for single-family homes in the 90291 ZIP Code in August was $1.7 million, based on 20 sales, according to CoreLogic. That was a 4.7% increase in median price compared with the same time last year.

Agents: Stormie Leoni and Tamra Pardee, Halton Pardee + Partners, (310) 907-6517

To submit a candidate for Home of the Day, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to neal.leitereg@latimes.com.

Follow Bonnie McCarthy on Twitter @ThsAmericanHome

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If theres one part of the San Fernando Valley that most expressed the go-go spirit of Space Age America, its Canoga Park.

The neighborhood is where aerospace giant Rocketdyne designed the massive rockets that would take us to the moon and back, and where each sprawling new ranch home contained a nuclear family in which at least one parent was a bona fide pocket protector-sporting rocket scientist.

The national craze for all things aerospace extended even to the finned cars thronging Sherman Way, cruising through the warm Valley nights under a wall of neon signs. At a certain time in the last century, it must have seemed to the Tang-swilling citizens of Canoga Park that a Jetsons-like future was just around the corner.

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Less than 50 years before the U.S. and USSR began lobbing men into space, Canoga Park had been a treeless, windswept corner of the Valley where sheep far outnumbered people.

That didnt stop the Los Angeles Suburban Home Co. from marketing the area as a desirable locale to put down roots. In one of the boldest bits of chicanery in Valley real estate history, the syndicate named the town Owensmouth, implying it was near the new mouth of the Owens River (a.k.a. the terminus of the Los Angeles Aqueduct)  never mind that it was 15 miles distant and still a year away from completion.

Owensmouth grew fitfully at first, but the aqueducts water  and new connections to Los Angeles via a Pacific Electric Railway line that ran down the center of Sherman Way  kept the little town alive long enough for residents to jettison the name in favor of Canoga Park.

It wasnt until the end of World War II, when the Valley became the red-hot center of SoCals suburban boom, that Canoga Park and the future would finally meet in the clean rooms and laboratories of Rocketdyne, TRW, Boeing and other aerospace companies that flocked to the area.

Unfortunately, the future is fickle. Waves of industry consolidation, the end of the space shuttle program and the general exodus of much of the Valleys aerospace industry to other parts of the country hit Canoga Park hard. Now, only Aerojet Rocketdyne remains, and Canoga Park has transitioned into a bedroom community better known for Sherman Ways antique stores than for cutting-edge space flight technology.

Neighborhood highlights

Suburban living thats (relatively) affordable: Unlike closer-in Valley nabes like Sherman Oaks and Studio City, Canoga Park prices rarely range into the seven figures, with many homes available right around the $500K mark.

A touch of the past: The remnants of Owensmouth can still be seen along Sherman Way, in Canoga Parks Antique Row. These brick buildings from the 1920s and 1930s took a beating in the Northridge quake but lived to tell the tale.

Indoors / Outdoors: If nature is your thing, there are plenty of state parks and open spaces a short drive away; shoppers and mall walkers will appreciate the proximity to Warner Centers retail offerings.

Neighborhood challenges

A long road to recovery: The loss of the aerospace industry is a blow that Canoga Park has yet to fully bounce back from, with weed shops and payday loan outlets lining many formerly thriving business corridors.

Expert insight

Ashish Trivedi, licensed partner and president of Engel & Volkers, a Valley real estate firm, said theres been a push to revitalize Canoga Park. Single-family homes that neighbor mall behemoth Westfield Topanga in particular have seen increases in value and demand, he said.

Canoga Park is a little more community-based than other parts of Los Angeles, he said. The price affordability factor is also huge.

Market snapshot

Portions of the 91303, 91304, and 91307 ZIP Codes overlap the Canoga Park area.

In the 91303 ZIP, the median price for single-family homes in August was $571,000, based on six sales, according to CoreLogic. The median price in the 91304 ZIP, based on 28 sales, was $578,000, and in the 91307 ZIP, 36 sales produced a median price of $641,000.

Report card

Canoga Park schools include N.E.W. Academy Canoga Park, which scored 812 out of 1,000 in the 2013 Academic Performance Index. Canoga Park Elementary had a score of 750 and Hart Street Elementary scored 703. Christopher Columbus Middle and Canoga Park Senior High scored 698 and 693, respectively.

hotproperty@latimes.com
I don't think I've ever spent half an hour in my life doing research, said playwright Tom Stoppard when asked about the impressive erudition behind his intellectually dazzling comedies.

I've spent many, many days of my life reading for pleasure in order to inform myself about something, he explained, underscoring the point that theater for him is primarily a recreation and not a schoolhouse activity.

Storytelling is Stoppards trade, and the challenge of ordering material to keep an audience rapt is the heart and soul of his artistic enterprise. Naturally, he formulated the thought more elegantly: To unfold and fulfill an entertaining narrative about something for which you might have to stretch your mind just a little bit.

Stoppard was in San Francisco to check in on rehearsals of his latest play, The Hard Problem, which has its official opening here at the American Conservatory Theater on Oct. 26 under the direction of Carey Perloff, the theaters artistic director, who has staged a good many of Stoppards plays, including Arcadia and Indian Ink twice.

Sir Tom appeared jet-lagged when we talked this month. The Czech-born British dramatist and Oscar-winning screenwriter (Shakespeare in Love) whom some consider to be the heir to Oscar Wilde had enough energy to deliver his signature bon mots. But they were served underhand, making it easy for an interviewer to underestimate them before realizing he had just been aced.

In his lush cashmere sweater, the handsomely weather-beaten 79-year-old looked like a professorial Mick Jagger who had recently entered his emeritus years. He confessed while having a quick smoke on the terrace before getting his picture taken that his mind was still partly back in London, where a revival of his play Travesties was about to open at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

He neednt have been worried about the reviews, which have already generated talk of a Broadway transfer. An enduring, life-enhancing play that brims with intellectual gaiety, wrote the Guardians Michael Billington of Stoppards 1974 play inspired by the discovery that Lenin, James Joyce and the Dadist Tristan Tzara all happened to be living in Zurich during World War I.

Not many playwrights would have thought to turn this confluence of epochal sensibilities into a farce, but Stoppard has a gift for finding humor in the most rarefied scenarios. The Hard Problem, the first new play hes written in nearly a decade, turns a neuroscience institute into a natural setting for comedy.

The profound question being debated here  is consciousness no more than brain tissue and, if so, is altruism merely the product of evolutionary biology?  has brought Stoppard into public colloquies with scientists and philosophers investigating this quintessential 21st century conundrum.

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A couple of hours after our interview, Stoppard was on a panel at A.C.T.s Geary Theater with UC Berkeley psychology professor Linda Wilbrecht, whose research focuses on behavioral neuroscience and cognition. Stoppard, always up for intellectual badminton, posed the kind of questions that drive his plays protagonist, Hilary, a research psychologist, to challenge the orthodoxy of her hard-science peers.

How does gray matter, stuff inside your skull, get from being matter to  lets say Ode to a Nightingale? the playwright asked, deciding to go with the Keats poem after mother-love seemed all too biologically explicable. How does matter account for our inner lives, for the movie that is going on inside our minds at every waking moment? How does stuff engender nonstuff?

With subject matter this engrossing, a play can easily be eclipsed by the discussion it sets in motion. The London reviews of The Hard Problem were mixed. Stoppard said he was open to tinkering with the play while in San Francisco (a play is never finished when Im in rehearsal) but that hes satisfied with the work and pleased with the enthusiastic response of London audiences.

When I'm close to a production, it's nice to make myself available in some role other than curator of the script, he said, luxuriously rolling his Rs like a country squire. In that sense, the script of The Hard Problem is still shimmering with potential, but at the same time I dont think of this period as being promoted into the text for the next people who do it. Its just for us.

The interview was conducted in Perloffs office, with Perloff picking up conversational threads and Stoppard making even banal replies sound like ripostes through the soothing purr of his voice. At one point the talk became two-way traffic between the playwright and the director, who seemed to be working out their positions on the prospect of script changes.

[Scene: An interviewer momentarily finds himself in a tense standoff between a famous playwright and his strong-willed director.]

Perloff: We just did Indian Ink again last year and you rewrote the end, and you actually solved the play. I think when you publish it again, that should be the play.

Stoppard: I know.

Perloff: It's much better.

Stoppard: I think it was an interesting alternative. For some reason, I didn't think that I should now call the publisher and say, "Can you pulp those because I've got a new ending."

[Interviewer gently tries to direct the conversation to another topic.]

Stoppard: Carey thinks The Hard Problem is a little underwritten. All my life I have had coming at me, Your play is a little overwritten. It's the first time I've been with somebody who's saying, No, it's a bit underwritten. That's happening because I sat down to write it briskly. As a theatergoer, I became envious of the people who didn't have an intermission.

Perloff: It's such a thing now  it has to be 90 minutes with no intermission.

Stoppard: Well, it's 100 minutes. The thing is that I realized that the intermission was my least favorite part of the entire process. The intermission with that awful sentence, How do you think it's going? I mean, what a downer. Do you really want to think about that moment?

[General laughter]

Stoppard cont.: Anyway, I did want to write a play without an intermission and at the same time, I didn't feel so arrogant about it that I would say to an audience, "Well, you're not going to have the intermission but I'm going to write as much as I want and if it means that you're sitting there for two and a half hours, good luck."

The unguarded nature of their dialogue, with two devices recording their every word, was a testament to Perloff and Stoppards closeness. That evening, Stoppard publicly thanked Perloff for bringing him back so regularly and quipped that he enjoys what the English call a special relationship with A.C.T.

His history at the theater dates back to the 1968-69 season, when A.C.T. founder William Ball directed the play that launched Stoppards international career, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It was a congenial match between a sophisticated, sneakily subversive playwright and a bright, bohemian city.

Tom Stoppard (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Stoppards early plays, which include Jumpers and Travesties, are acrobatic comedies of ideas in which the debate is moderated by a Beckettian sensibility that takes mischievous delight in knowing that no side can ultimately prevail. An early criticism was that Stoppards playwriting lacked sufficient warmth and that the relentless cleverness could be fatiguing.

The conventional wisdom is that Stoppard discovered emotion in his 1982 play The Real Thing. A decade later, beginning with Arcadia in 1993, he supposedly had another breakthrough involving intimations of mortality, which are particularly pronounced in The Invention of Love (1997) and, in what some consider to be his most personal play, Rock n Roll (2006).

Perloff has no patience for this line of thinking: Its such a cliche, it drives me nuts. When we did The Real Thing, everybody, and I read all the original London reviews, said, Oh Tom Stoppard has a heart. I'm like, Really? You didn't see that before?

Stoppard, however, conceded that there was some truth to the generalization: I completely understand how it's arisen. I can see that Rosencrantz and Jumpers and Travesties were manipulations of language and situation.

Asked if his characters are assuming more prominence in the design of his later works, he said matter-of-factly, I don't think of myself as a writer of character studies. I feel that I enlist people to serve another purpose and I hope that they bear strong resemblance to human beings.

But what about the role of emotion in his plays? Surely that has changed. In The Hard Problem, Hilarys quest to answer the question that Stoppard said is central to the play  Whos the you outside your brain?  forces her to factor into her research the reality of love.

Stoppard bristled ever so slightly at the suggestion that The Hard Problem might have something to say about the emotional arc of his playwriting career. There is a very different sort of play to be written, with the same plot, he said. And it's one in which tears are being shed and people are hugging each other or biting their lips and the audience is in tears and apparently, well, I'd love to write that play but I'm afraid I didn't, you know.

But thats not emotion  thats sentimentality.

I allowed the lid to be on things in this play, he answered. I know that you'd quite like to lift the lid and let some steam out of it, I dont know, he trailed off in a meek voice, tired of fighting an old fight though not really dealing with the question.

Stoppard doesnt mine his autobiography for stories, though he certainly has enough material. His family fled Czechoslovakia to escape the Nazi occupation and his father, a physician who brought the family to Singapore, died during World War II. His mother married a British army major, Kenneth Stoppard, and the family settled in England after the war.

Stoppard opted not to go to university and stumbled into the theater while working as a reporter and a drama critic. He learned as much from seeing plays as he did from fraternizing with the personnel who brought them to life.

In the 50s when the theater became the center of interest in British culture, everyone wanted to be a writer and people of my generation mostly wanted to write plays, he told the audience at A.C.T. I was writing to be part of that world and Ive never veered from that. (Stoppard explained that, though he has written a novel and has done some high-profile film and television work, he considers these activities ancillary to his playwriting.)

A prolific dramatist, he said he was horrified by the long gap between Rock n Roll and The Hard Problem. He blamed it in part on the time he spent adapting Ford Madox Fords Parades End for the small screen: Those five hours of television somehow occupied about three years of my life. I was glad I did it, because I liked the result, but I really wouldn't do it again. I'm too old now to invest three years into a TV series, which isn't my original thing.

Stoppard said that hes not inhibited in any way by having to live up to his reputation, though finding the right topic can be a challenge: Theres so much of great importance which begs for attention in this wicked world that I'm fearful of getting into a play which is comparatively trivial, however, accomplished or funny.

With its interdisciplinary sexiness, The Hard Problem might be a hard act to follow. Still casting about for the subject of his next play, Stoppard said that hed love to come upon a great idea that required no reading whatsoever.

If my plays make people think, all the better, he said. I believe firmly that people enjoy being introduced to all kinds of information and argument, but this is by no means necessary to great theater. Its not necessary to The Importance of Being Earnest, which is a gem.

Later, as though arriving a little nearer to the provisional truth of what he believes about playwriting, he said, The strongest, the most certain thing I think I know about the process is there is really, really good news if you end up feeling lucky rather than clever.

charles.mcnulty@latimes.com

Follow me @charlesmcnulty

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A new play from a renowned writer of screen and stage. The hidden history of L.A.s Wrigley Field. (Sorry Chicago, we had one first.) And a choreographer receives his due. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer with the Los Angeles Times and these are the weeks most intriguing arts stories:

Tom Stoppards first play in a decade

Tom Stoppards latest play, The Hard Problem, opens in San Francisco this month. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times )

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Its been a while since the dramatist and screenwriter Tom Stoppard produced a new play. But California is in luck: His new work, The Hard Problem, a comedy set in a neuroscience institute, will have its official opening at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco next week under the direction of Carey Perloff. For the occasion, Times theater critic Charles McNulty caught up with Stoppard, who says that with his work he aims to stretch your mind just a little bit. Los Angeles Times

McNulty has been super busy with this week, also catching a production of Molieres The Imaginary Invalid at A Noise Within. The play is uneven, he notes, but lead actor Apollo Dukakis subtle performance as Argan, is a standout. Los Angeles Times

McNulty also checked out Donald Margulies The Model Apartment, the Obie Award-winning play from 1988 that is being staged at the Geffen Playhouse. The story, about the ways in which trauma is passed down from one generation to the next retains its power, he writes, but this revival doesnt venture all that far below the surface. Los Angeles Times

L.A.s Wrigley Field

Kids play at the original Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, during the days it was being dismantled in March 1969. (Cal Montney / Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA )

As the Dodgers and the Cubs prepare to meet for Game 6 in Chicago on Saturday (GO DOYERS!), Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne looks at the little-known history of L.A.s own Wrigley Field, a stadium built in 1925 by William K. Wrigley Jr., the Cubs owner, after hed acquired a Pacific League team. Built in a largely Spanish style with a 150-foot-high clock tower marking its front entrance, L.A.s Wrigley Field was grand by the standards of minor-league parks then or now, writes Hawthorne. Reporters called it Wrigleys Million-Dollar Palace. Los Angeles Times

A secular chapel of abstract art

A beguiling new installation by artist Polly Apfelbaum has taken over the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design. And while it is inspired by a 12th century Italian church and employs symbols of faith (ceramic spheres that evoke prayer beads, for example), its bold, abstracted forms also nod to Color Field painting. It is an enchanting place of eccentric celebration, writes Times art critic Christopher Knight, where the stereotype of the artist mired in his own spiritual misery unravels. Los Angeles Times

A play inspired by Joseph Beuys

The German conceptualist artist Joseph Beuys has influenced generations of artists by promoting the idea that every person could be an artist and that art could instigate social change. Now, reports The Times Jeffrey Fleishman, he has inspired an avant-garde play: Every Hare an Artist: A Beuys Fable, by Tom Patchett (known for being the co-creator of the TV series Alf) which is set to debut in Berlin. He is a passion, an example to me, says Patchett of Beuys. He helped to heal what he called the German wound and get past an era of silence. Los Angeles Times

A composers spirit lives on

Times classical music critic Mark Swed traveled to Japan to take in a concert marking the 20th anniversary of the passing of influential composer Toru Takemitsu, known for creating works that fused East and West for both stage and screen. The performance, set in the concert hall named for the artist, featured the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra  which over the course of the show, reports Swed, became like an enchanted body able to set the entire building in audible vibration. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Swed catches up with Gustavo Dudamels Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, which is about to head out on its first tour, beginning with a stop at the Valley Performing Arts Center on Sunday. Los Angeles Times

And he checked out the new opera The Source inspired by Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks, a work that makes vivid the confusing yet crucial bigger picture of how we handle, and how free we are to handle, information  a subject our leaders do their best to avoid. Los Angeles Times

Gustavo Dudamel, leading Mahlers Ninth, in what critic Mark Swed calls the conductors most impressive performance yet with the L.A. Phil. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )

But the must-see music event of the week is the Mahler Ninth by the L.A. Phil  what Swed calls Gustavo Dudamels most impressive performance yet. The orchestra was ... robust, alive to everything, chance-taking, bursting with color, taking expression to the outer limits, living for Mahler, Swed writes. Try to hear this if you possibly can. There are two more performances Saturday and one on Sunday. Los Angeles Times

Turning dance on its head

The Music Center begins its 2016-17 season with a tribute to groundbreaking American ballet dancer and choreographer William Forsythe. Its part of an unprecedented series of performance tributes to the artist (who is also a professor of dance at USC) taking place in cities around the United States. Forsythe spoke with The Times Deborah Vankin about the shows. Together, these performances, he explains, represent a logical trajectory of his work. Los Angeles Times

A visit to the Blacksonian

The Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times )

Its been roughly a month since the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Culture writers Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham have put together a moving, emotional podcast on the museum they dub the Blacksonian, its power and how it presents American history. They are joined by Smithsonian curator Joanne Hyppolite in the second half. Rilly rilly rilly good. New York Times

The election will be memed

Donald Trump displaying his hands and Hillary Clinton checking email  popular material for memes. (From left: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images and Kevin Lamarque / Pool via AP)

The memorable art that has come out of this presidential election is not a bold graphic poster that says Hope or We Like Ike. It consists of the countless, anonymously created memes that have circulated all over the Internet  from Donald Trump making faces to the Hillary Clinton shimmy. I consider the meme in the context of other art-making practices, from World War I political art to the early collages of Pablo Picasso to the appropriations of the Pictures Generation. Naturally, Grumpy Cat and Pepe the Frog are name-checked. Los Angeles Times

Plus: From a naked Trump to an image of Clinton smoking a joint, a group of USC journalism students  Hannah Deitch, Stefanie De Leon Tzic, Brian Marks and Ethan Varian  have a related story on the political art that has made headlines this season. Los Angeles Times

IN OTHER NEWS

Tony Hale, left, Seth Rogen and Jordan Peele are among the actors who performed short plays written by fifth-graders. (From left: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times; Christina House / For The Times; Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

 Seth Rogen, Jordan Peele and Tony Hale teamed up to perform short plays written by fifth-graders. Los Angeles Times

 David Antin, the UC San Diego professor known for his talk poems, has died at age 84. Los Angeles Times

 A new gift by collector Patricia Phelps de Cisneros will transform the Latin American holdings at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art. The Economist

 At a gallery in West Hollywood, Andy Warhols Rain Machine comes back to life. Los Angeles Times

 Artist Mark Bradford has created a bold new logo for the Santa Monica Museum of Art as it is reborn as the Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times

 Artist Yayoi Kusama gets a wax statue courtesy of Madame Tussauds in Hong Kong. The Art Newspaper

 That anti-density initiative supported by Leonardo DiCaprio? Turns out its not supported by Leonardo DiCaprio. Curbed

 Since were on topic of DiCaprio, it turns out his fundraising for LACMA has come under scrutiny as part of the Malaysian embezzling probe being led by the Department of Justice. The Hollywood Reporter

 The Mexican architecture firm Estudio 3.14 has imagined a border wall inspired by legendary Mexican architect Luis Barragan in the designers signature pink. Wondering if we could get the 10 Freeway to look like this, a wall of sorts. Dezeen

 Related: Writer Alexis Madrigal meditates on the large-scale human intervention that is our current border wall. Fusion

 A new documentary looks at the history of black ballerinas. Philadelphia Inquirer

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Kendall Jenner does performance art. Like totes hilar omigod. Huffington Post

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Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Financial Monitoring Service under Azerbaijans Financial Market Supervisory Body has reduced the list of legal and physical persons, who are subject to international sanctions for their support of terrorism, said the report of Financial Monitoring Service posted on its website.

Citizen of Yemen Nasir al-Wuhayshi, citizen of Libya Hassan Qayed and citizen of the Saudi Arabia Mohamed Abul-Khair have been removed from the list.

These changes were made in accordance with the updated international list of the Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council against ISIL (Daesh) and 'Al Qaeda'.

The list is updated in accordance with the UN Security Council's decisions and the information received from regional organizations.

According to an order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan, the international list is approved and updated by the Financial Monitoring body on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The service also makes the approved list available for the monitoring and supervisory bodies. In the case of detection of properties and money belonging to legal entities and individuals specified on the list, these subjects of monitoring and supervisory bodies must inform the Financial Monitoring Service, without performing any operations with these properties and funds.

Financial Monitoring Service was established February 23, 2009.

The monitoring of the service covers activities of credit, insurance and reinsurance organizations, professional participants of the securities market, pawn shops, investment funds, transactions with precious metals and stones and purchase products from them, activities of non-governmental and religious organizations, organizers of lotteries, people providing services of the real estate sales, as well as lawyers, accountants, real estate transactions, client money, securities and property, client bank and deposit accounts.
Wow, remind us not to talk trash about RZA.

The rapper and music producer washed his hands of Azealia Banks on Thursday, rejecting her version of what went down Saturday night between her and Russell Crowe and announcing that despite her recent claim to the contrary, no record deal had been signed.

Seeing is believing and I saw her behave as an obnoxious erratic individual and in the circles I frequent this was unprecedented, said RZA, real name Robert Diggs, in a scathing post on Facebook.

On Saturday night, Banks had accused Crowe, 52, of choking her, spitting on her and calling her by a racial slur as he ejected her from a small dinner party in his suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she was RZAs guest.

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Banks, 25, filed an incident report Sunday with the Beverly Hills Police Department, and in a subsequent interview with TMZ said she was only joking around during the party  witnesses told the website shed threatened to stab them with a broken glass  and that men with bruised egos had been trying to put her in her place. RZA just stood there like a chump when she was being tossed out of the room, she said.

Before the night is over Azealia is insulting half the room. ... There was nothing funny about her behavior.  RZA, talking about Azealia Banks behavior in Russell Crowes hotel suite

Azealias recent slander of me and self victimization reflects the personality of the person that was in that room that night, RZA wrote online Thursday after saying he wished only the best for her and any struggling artist in this complex industry.

He explained that despite her reputation preceding her, hed had a smooth professional experience with her while filming Coco and recently had gotten a friend to offer her a record deal after she hit him up for some help. The only clause my buddy gave, he wrote, was I be the filter because the word is she is volatile. He said he flew her to L.A. to work and put her up in a hotel, at her request.

On Saturday, RZA said he and Banks were having a meeting at the hotels Polo Lounge and he invited her to spend time with him and his friend Crowe, with Crowes permission.

Before the night is over Azealia is insulting half the room she becomes loud and obnoxious. There was nothing funny about her behavior. I felt a little embarrassed because she was my guest, RZA wrote.

Still verbal abuse can be tolerated but when it goes physical Azealia threaten to cut a girl in the face with a glass, then actually grabs a glass and physically attacks for no logical reason, he continued. Russell blocked the attack and expelled her from the suite.

He said the incident had nothing to do with gender or race and that he did not hear the Oscar winner call Banks the N-word, as she had alleged.

I have a wife, daughters, sisters and females on my staff so I protect women everyday, RZA concluded. I pray none of them ever behave the way I witnessed Azealia Banks behaved that night.

On her end, Banks spoke out to her fans via Instagram on Tuesday, asking them to tweet about her with the hashtag #makeazealiagreatagain and vowing to focus only on her music moving forward.

These past few days have been rough ..., she wrote. Although this situation was beyond my control, I promise you all that This is the LAST time I will be in the news for anything negative.  Somewhere along the way the I got sucked into this neverending war with the media that I quite honestly dont have the energy, patience, or care to keep fighting. I GIVE UP! And I Give In.

Follow Christie DZurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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When Wedding Crashers came out in 2005 it was immediately clear that Isla Fisher was a comedic force. The British-Australian actress, who is married to fellow actor Sasha Baron Cohen, has a vivacious, good-spirited energy onscreen that has carried through all her films.

Character-wise Im always after somebody who I can find the humanity in easily, Fisher says. I know its fun to play an unlikeable character who may make different choices morally than you would, but I still have to find empathy and something within that person I want to explore within myself.

Fishers latest project is comedy flick Keeping Up With The Joneses, which just opened and she will also appear in next months Tom Ford-directed drama Nocturnal Animals. She was particularly excited to finally appear in a project with Amy Adams, an actress with whom Fisher is often confused. It was like Finally, we can put the rumors that were the same person to rest! Fisher laughs.

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 Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm and Zach Galifianakis star in Keeping Up with the Joneses.

Fisher, who now also selects her projects on whether the shooting location is good for her family, feels shes grown a lot since those early days of Wedding Crashers. I used to be so hard on myself back then and overthink every scene, the actress says. Id always want to beg the director for another take and another take and another take. Now I suppose Im better at it. I just feel more confident.

Here, Fisher discusses some of her most notable projects, from I Heart Huckabees to Keeping Up With The Joneses.

Keeping Up With the Joneses, Karen Gaffney ( 2016)

What I really loved about this movie is that I think theres a part of all of us that judges other people for how they look and how inaccurate that often is. How we often make assumptions about one another that often stops us from connecting. Karen is exactly that kind of person. And I loved working with Zach Galifianakis. Whats great about Zach is that he doesnt use the movie as a comedy vehicle for himself like a lot of big comedy stars do. Hes deeply collaborative and he laughs at other peoples material.

The Brothers Grimsby, Jodie Figgis (2016)

I did work with my husband for the first time on this. I really enjoyed that experience. Hes so funny and hes so great at improvising. I really loved the movie and I hoped it would reach a bigger audience. Its one of my favorite characters that he does.

Now You See Me, Henley Reeves (2013)

I hadnt worked in a while and I was having that panicked feeling like, Am I unemployable? You never know when youve done your last movie and everybodys sick of you. So I was a bit down in the dumps and I got the phone call that this was an offer. I read the material and the plot seemed quite anarchic and wild and my character was this ebullient lion tamer with all these men. It just really appealed to the kid in me because Ive always loved magic.

The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson (2013)

To play Myrtle, whos such an integral part of the story and works on so many levels and represents a whole underclass of people, was a huge responsibility. Everyone has preconceived notions of who she is based on their experience reading it. It was a little nerve-wracking, but it was amazing and Baz Luhrmann is the ultimate gentleman. Hes endless imaginative and patient. Some of the things he attempted were so ambitious. He has a saying for his company: A life lived in fear is a life half-lived, and that sums up Baz Luhrmann.

Confessions of a Shopaholic, Rebecca Bloomwood (2009)

That was the first time I was the lead of a big studio movie. And Rebecca Bloomwood is the ideal character because shes an overconfident clown. When I began to become interested in film I began with Goldie Hawn. I loved Goldie Hawn movies. That kind of clueless, ditzy but enchanting and smart deep down female character that she does so effortlessly  this felt like a throwback to that. I had just had my first baby so there was a lot of making costumes boob-friendly in order to access the feeding supply for my infant.

Its not every day you get offered the role of a bipolar nymphomaniac.  Isla Fisher

Wedding Crashers, Gloria Cleary (2005)

That was my breakthrough performance. That was so much fun. I actually got an MTV Movie Award for that. Its not every day you get offered the role of a bipolar nymphomaniac. And its obviously had amazing ramifications, just on a personal level. Ill go to the grocery store and someone will say, Ill find you! That catchphrase gets quoted back to me so often. Every time Im traveling, a TSA officer or an immigration officer will say, Ill find you! Clearly Im still more recognized for that performance than anything else.

I Heart Huckabees, Heather (2004)

I really love David O. Russell. Hes so brilliant. It was only a few days. David had Naomi [Watts] and I do this whole improvised scene. He kept saying to me, Tell Naomi youre better looking and younger than her. It was all improvised. It was to provoke a reaction from her or to provoke a reaction from me. It was so funny. I made very good friends with Naomi from that movie so Ill always treasure the experience.

Scooby-Doo, Mary Jane (2002)

It was my first ever film role. I was doing off-West End theater. I had trained to be a clown. I didnt get any kind of break. I was totally unemployed. Scooby-Doo was such a wonderful experience. And I had a paycheck! I had a paycheck every week. I remember I went out to restaurants. People were teasing me for being in a movie with an animated dog and I was like, Are you crazy? I had a Thai meal for dinner.
Lucas Jade Zumann can be a focused, idealistic teenager. So when director Mike Mills called  after months of waiting and not much hope  to tell the 14-year-old hed booked the male lead in Mills new movie 20th Century Women, Zumann didnt break stride.

He was building a greenhouse outside when he took the call, Zumanns mother, Jennifer, recalled of the moment at the familys Chicago-area home. He opened the window to say he got the part. My husband and I screamed. Lucas didnt scream. He said. Can we go to Home Depot? I need a board.

The young man has a simple explanation for his muted reaction. I was in the zone.

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In this fall film season characterized by reliable talents at the top of their game  Women itself is generating Oscar talk for star Annette Bening  Zumann offers the other side of the equation: the joy of discovery.

The teenager, who previously had a small part in Sinister 2, has the kind of composure both on- and off-screen likely to make you feel heartened about the future of screen acting  and wondering if some young people just bypass the kid stage.

Set in Santa Barbara circa 1979, Women features Bening as a 55-year-old single mother, Dorothea Fields, attempting to raise a teenage boy despite a significant generational remove. Mores and music are changing rapidly, and Dorothea tries to square what she believes about child-raising with a world she fears may be passing her by.

Zumann plays her son, Jamie, in the film, which comes out in December after its New York Film Festival premiere earlier this month. If Bening must radiate confusion about forces outside her control, Zumann must hold up a different end of the bargain: figuring out who you are in a time of great tumult.

The young actor steers the character between two cliched poles: the sullen, inaccessible teen and the precocious indie-film child smarter than his parents. Watching him, one is tempted to recount the director Tom McCarthys credo for how to portray adolescence accurately: Teenagers know everything thats going on. They just dont let you know they know whats going on.

Making it trickier is the fact that the film is based on Mills own relationship with his mother. For Zumann, that meant he was portraying the director as a young man  his character model, basically, was also his boss.

When we were filming I would always ask Mike the story behind a specific scene, and he always gave me a detailed story, Zumann, now 15, said. I was trying to make it seem like I was just bantering with him but in my head I was taking notes a million miles a second trying to study him.

Taking stealth mental notes is the least of Zumanns adult qualities.

The teenager, who is being home-schooled, is the oldest of four brothers. As far back as anyone can remember, he was always the kind of kid who would transcend his age.

His father, Matt, said when Lucas was barely in grade school he would act as the unofficial greeter for the family Pilates business, welcoming strangers and clients at the door.

Zumann also had a preternatural interest in filmmaking, and began asking for camera equipment for holidays and birthdays from a young age. He began shooting invented stories wherever he happened to be; one family vacation he decided to make a ghost story.

It was like he walked into where we were staying and thought this house needs a movie, Matt Zumann recalled. That movie has been accidentally deleted, Matt and Jennifer noted ruefully, though they perked up when hearing about all the director greats who had made early films now lost to history.

(The Zumann family is waiting for Women to roll out before booking Lucas next gigs. Demonstrating he already has a knack for Hollywood diplomacy, the younger Zumann said of his veteran acting counterpart, I think as both surrogate mother and co-actor-actress Annette and I were really great. We had a much better relationship than Jamie and Dorothea. Bening, incidentally, also gave advice to the family, telling Jennifer and Matt that time off between gigs was important so both career and childhood didnt become a kind of psychological treadmill.)

On the set of Women, Zumann rarely went back to his trailer, sidling up instead to various members of the crew and asking them what they did and how a given machine worked. It was like a free film school, he said.

He added that hed like to work behind the camera. Or, more accurately, he added that hed already been working behind the camera.

Im currently writing some stuff and have a film company with my friends. We did a short film about sustainable transportation. Sustainability is very important to me, he said.

Zumann speaks with a quiet manner and extreme poise; talking to him, adults might wonder if theyd accidentally stepped into the world of Big. Mills, who combed through hundreds of kids to find the right fresh-faced actor, said he remained confounded by Zumann.

I dont get him. Like, I literally dont know where someone like that comes from, Mills said.

The director described an on-set fascination with Rastafarian culture, but apparently thats over now. It was a phase, Zumann said sheepishly, then moved on to talking about environmental concerns.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

On Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT
I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself, Francois Truffaut, director of the coming-of-age classic The 400 Blows, once declared.

That preference applies nicely to the genre Truffaut helped inaugurate. Since the French New Wave pioneers story of a boy adrift debuted in 1959, movies have been channeling youth with sometimes even greater power than childhood itself, often for audiences whove long left it behind.

The coming-of-age film is timeless for a reason: Its the one experience directors can be assured every moviegoer has gone through.

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It also has become a cliche for a very similar reason: Since every filmgoer has lived it  and seemingly every third filmmaker has by now tried telling of it  the number of original stories has inevitably dwindled.

Yet the last few years have brought a surprising rejuvenation. Beginning, more or less, with Boyhood in 2014, the coming-of-age movie has become vital again, focusing on either explaining a new generation or telling fresh truths about an older one.

I think we should find a way to tell all the stories of children weve been too afraid to tell.  J.A. Bayona, A Monster Calls director

This fall-movie season is seeing that trend intensify  peak coming-of-age, in the vernacular of those no longer young (or next-level, among those who are). In fact, Id argue that the coming-of-age cinema moment were experiencing isnt just a revival of a classic genre but a new form taking shape before our eyes  depicting kids weve never seen, conveying stories weve never heard, arranging it all in shapes and structures weve never contemplated.

Between now and Christmas, this new group of movies will hit theaters, after successful debuts at various festivals. All find new melodies about the pain of growing up.

Theres the gentle allusion and unusual chapter structure of Moonlight, or a boy at the nexus of cultural and parenting crosscurrents in 20th Century Women. A subversively philosophical character in the modern high-school of The Edge of Seventeen, and the road-trip dissolutions of American Honey. Or even the genre metaphors of A Monster Calls, in which director J.A. Bayona uses a mystical talking tree to help a young British boy cope with his mothers illness

Not to mention the people doing the growing up, many from rarely seen backgrounds--a gay black teenager in Barry Jenkins Moonlight, or a distinctly 21st-century surrogate family of vagabonds in Andrea Arnolds Honey."

 Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf star in the trailer for American Honey.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

Even documentaries are getting in on the act  a new movie called Best and Most Beautiful Things takes a quirky, legally blind 20-year-old and, with tenderness and a lack of easy pity, tracks her attempts to find herself. Childhood may remain fundamentally the same. But the ways were representing it are vastly different.

I looked around and thought, We are too overprotective of our kids. Theres a loneliness they live through, but as adults we hide from that idea, like our kids arent going through it, Bayona explained. But why? Kids arent hiding from it. Why should we? I think we should find a way to tell all the stories of children weve been too afraid to tell.

Midcentury trend

The modern coming-of-age movie goes back to the 1950s. That period of postwar sorting  a time, in a sense, when America and Europe were themselves coming of age  saw not just 400 Blows but seminal entries like Rebel Without a Cause and The Red Balloon, not to mention the publication of the genres ur-text, The Catcher in the Rye.

Until then, the idea of making a young person the center of a film was relatively novel  -outside The Wizard of Oz and a few others, kids on screen had been little more than walking props. These new works both assumed and gave access to rich inner lives.

Since that time, the genre has ebbed and flowed. It would be hard to argue with the idea of the 1980s and very beginning of the 1990s as a fertile coming-of-age period, what with Stand by Me and The Goonies and Say Anything and all those John Hughes and Steven Spielberg films, along with Spike Lee and John Singleton and voices outside the white mainstream.

And even though Twihards would disagree, it would be equally hard to claim a halcyon period that followed. Sure, there was the occasional Clueless or Kids later in the 1990s, or Mean Girls in the early 2000s. But great films about young people soon became harder to find. (Not least among the issues was the ascent of irony, which if not the fatal enemy of the coming-of-age film can certainly provide a toxic blow.)

The aughts were particularly fallow. Films about kids proved flimsy as transformation narrative, becoming, really, romances or pulp that just happened to involve young people. Outside of the Harry Potter series it was slim pickings (indeed, the most trenchant coming-of-age piece was arguably a TV series, Daria, which ended its run in 2002.) Ditto for more recent melodramas. Works like The Fault in Our Stars and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl took the tear-jerker and simply grafted it on to teenagers. It was the same familiar melodrama, just in younger bodies.

But Boyhood changed all that. It was one of the first contemporary movies that reacted to, or at least stood apart from, the trend toward irony and metaphor over realism. It explicitly drew from an actual child  followed him from early grade school to the cusp of college  which lended it newfound depth. And because it attempted to encompass the entirety of youth, it contained a scope the genre had almost never seen.

That same aesthetic fills Moonlight. In the movie, which arrives this weekend, Jenkins chronicles a laconic but sweet young man in a rough part of Miami. The film, based on a stage piece by Tarell Alvin McCraney, begins in preadolescence, continues to high school and ends in the characters 20s.

Yet unlike Boyhood, it does away with the yearly check-in, favoring a bold, snapshot approach.

I wanted to make it less gradual and more stark, said Jenkins. You can really understand someone growing up by zeroing in on those moments. You can feel their maturation that way.

If that film succeeds outside the bounds of a typical coming-of-age structure or setting, The Edge of Seventeen flourishes within it.

Written and directed by first-timer Kelly Fremon Craig and godfathered by Oscar winner James L. Brooks, Seventeen falls distinctly into a familiar genre: an offbeat teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) in a suburban high school. But the way it unfolds is highly original.

The teacher character (Woody Harrelson), for instance, is not wise but reticent, at times even unsympathetic. And the arc does not follow a student who falls prey to the obvious foibles. When Steinfelds Nadine accidentally sends a bawdy message of seduction to a classmate, her actions are not broadcast to the school for maximum embarrassment as in so many other accounts. Instead she gets what she wants  and then realizes she doesnt want it. Far from neat lessons, Seventeen delivers insightful, at times painful realizations.

The film was always about how to capture this girl and this moment in her life in a real way, said Fremon Craig. To do that you just have to listen really closely. The director, uncommonly, conducted research at many schools to achieve authenticity, the indie filmmaker as journalist.

Meanwhile, Andrea Arnolds American Honey (about a group of hard-living and -partying traveling sales kids), Mike Mills 20th Century Women (a semi-autobiographical story of a teenage boy in Santa Barbara circa 1979 being raised by a complicated mother), last years The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Marielle Hellers look at a young persons sexual awakening) and even Garrett Zevgetis Beautiful Things (about the young blind woman) were all able to achieve levels of realism because of their own research and desire for authenticity. Unlike so many top-down approaches, the movies are interested in depicting the point-of-view of the kids themselves  confused, free-spirited, raw, vulnerable.

In a shattering moment from Beautiful Things, lead character Michelle Smith gives voice to her resentments, in the process offering a potential slogan for this new breed of coming-of-age movie.

I know that people are going to think its weird. But its who I am, she said. Other peoples ignorance should not be my burden to bear. I should be able to be myself.

Asked about the moment in an interview, the ebullient Smith laughs and gives a shrug. I dont know how I came up with that. But that was pretty good, right?

Smiths real-life persona is much like that seen in the film People think Im a character, but Im just me, she said, adding, I love that so many movies and TV shows now tell stories about how kids really are. We need more of those.

Noted Ariana Garfinkel, the films producer: I think the goal should be to let the young persons point-of-view speak for itself. You dont want to adultsplain it for them.

Cultural movement

Its a unique time to make a coming-of-age movie. Rarely have adults tried so tightly to hang on to youth, from Instagramming mothers to Botox clinics to the famous Pew Research Center study of millennials earlier this year that found that, for the first time in the modern era, living with ones parents was the most common arrangement for 18- to 34-year-olds

Of course, the coming-of-age storyline is predicated on the idea of progress, the character who moves beyond youthful folly to discover something about the world or themselves. That can be, almost directly, the opposite of this cultural movement, in which people seek to return to a time before those lessons were learned. In a sense, as a society were trying to un-come of age.

Every time I would think about what Id want from a scene Id think of the ferocious honesty of a Say Anything or a Breakfast Club.  Kelly Fremon Craig, The Edge of Seventeen writer and director

Paradoxically, though, that may explain why were so interested in it: The directors are essentially trying to process their own youth. Said Seventeens Brooks. A lot of these filmmakers remember high school just enough.

Coming-of-age movies tend to move in very particular cycles, with a dramatic class slowly replaced by a new, often lighter group.

The serious films of the 50s were followed by the beach-party movies of the 60s, and the more humanist works of the 80s eventually gave way to the comedic flicks of the 90s, culminating in the fin-de-siecle ribaldry of American Pie.

Whats interesting now, however, is you seem to have a different cycle going on, said Julian Cornell, a film professor at NYU and Queens College who specializes in childrens and coming-of-age movies. We had this whole wave of dark fantasy like The Hunger Games and other dystopian teen movies, and now theyre being replaced by these serious and more intimate films.

He said one explanation for the changeapart from the fact that the former may have run its Big Hollywood courseis the shift in society toward more stability. I think when you had these post-/911 anxieties everyone was making these dystopian movies--coming of age movies of course generally reflect concerns about a societys future--to express these larger global fears. And now maybe that theres been a little more stability, youre seeing the concerns get more intimate and personal again.

New classes of coming-of-age movies also tend to happen when the next generation graduates to filmmaker age and in effect tries to make movies about the generation behind it--the teenagers that they dont (or are trying to) understand. The films of Hughes arose at a time when Boomers were struggling to decode emergent Gen-Xers, and now Gen-Xers are paying it forward to Millennials. Theres a plausible argument that the best time for coming-of-age movies is when the disconnect between generations is highest.

It also helps that by now a new generation of filmmakers has some significant forebears to look up to. Every time I would think about what Id want from a scene Id think of the ferocious honesty of a Say Anything or a Breakfast Club,  said Fremon Craig, who at 36 grew up with those films.

Maybe the most potent factor is the recognition that, in a world where children are in such a hurry to grow up and adults so eager to be kids again, the coming-of-age movie doesnt have to be about its usual subjects.

I do think my movie is a coming-of-age story, 20th Centurys Mills said. Except its the mother whos coming of age.

On Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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Theo Padnos, a freelance journalist from Vermont, was captured in Syria by Al Qaeda in 2012. A new documentary by director David Schisgall brings Padnos back to the region to recount his ordeal of beatings, solitary confinements, threats of execution (a noose was put around his neck) and traveling with a jihadist commander and his fighters across the desert.

Theo Who Lived is an absorbing tale of how Padnos survived nearly two years as an Al Qaeda hostage by relying on the disarming power of language to bring enemies closer by touching on the humanity, fears, desires, songs and prayers that echo through enmity and war.

Through his fluency in Arabic, a gift most Western journalists do not possess, Padnos, who is guileless to boot, ingratiated himself to men who had vowed to kill him. Bonds formed and allegiances were examined. They spoke of mothers, families, politics, the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the treatment of Native Americans. But violence often erupted like unexpected storms; captors once poured water over him while pummeling him with cables and yelling, Guantanamo, Guantanamo.

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Such rage was interspersed with moments of eerie tenderness that breached cultures and pushed antipathy away. Padnos started writing a novel on paper given to him by friendly guards. They asked him to read the story, especially the romantic parts. One day, a militant with a shattered, bleeding leg was brought into Padnos cell. He pleaded with Padnos to rub his leg and sing the Eagles song Desperado.

I would sing to him and at those moments he was not a crazy suicidal jihadist, said Padnos. He was just a normal guy who loved attention and loved being treated affectionately.

Padnos, who has a gripping screen presence, is not naive. He has scars and memories that will never fade. He watched on TV in captivity the beheading of journalist James Foley by the Islamic State. But after almost two years of war and death, he concluded that dangerous ideologies are defeated not by guns but by those things that connect us. After he was freed, he put his Arabic to use by soothing Syrian refugees washing up on Greek shores.

I came here to volunteer and to welcome them and to give them tea, he said, standing next to a boat of the dispossessed. Thats what Im doing. It makes me happy.

See the most-read stories this hour 

Twitter: @JeffreyLAT

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com
When Paul Feig attended USC film school in the 1980s, the future director of Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters didnt quite fit in with his fellow students.

I was looked at as the oddball who was just trying to make goofy little comedy films while everybody else wanted to be the next Godard, he recalled.

The last laugh, so to speak, belong to Feig  and not only because hes become one of Hollywoods go-to comedy directors. On Oct. 28 Feig will return to his alma mater to receive the Jack Oakie & Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Award in a ceremony that kicks off the three-day USC Comedy Festival.

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I always like to see comedy legitimized as much as possible.  Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters

The festival began in 2011 as a way to introduce USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts, the first university program in the country to focus on comedy. Its nice to see such change happen in the last, god, 30-plus years, said Feig. I always like to see comedy legitimized as much as possible.

Comedy has long been underrated in academia, and in Hollywood for that matter  funny films are always in short supply during awards season. Part of that is the persistent notion that comedy cant be taught.

It doesnt make any sense, contends Barnet Kellman, USC professor and one of the programs founders. What you cannot teach is talent in anything  in music, in painting  but nobody shies away from sharing expertise. (Hes sharing plenty, having directed hundreds of hours of television, from classics like Murphy Brown to the current hit The Middle.)

Alumna Meenakshi Ramamurthy was an early beneficiary of the comedy studies. I used to think of writing and directing as pure artistry, she noted. But comedy often comes from studying the reality of a situation and the motivations of characters.

This is the third festival since 2011 and the first to have a subtitle, The Changing Face of Comedy, because, as Kellman explains, so much has changed since 2011 that we felt we needed to note that and focus on it.

I cant tell you how bleak the landscape was, as a young writer of color coming out of film school circa 2010  Tracy Oliver, co-writer of Barbershop: The Next Cut

USC alum Tracy Oliver will be speaking on the United Colors of Comedy panel, which looks at racial inclusion in comedy. When she started working on the web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl as a writer, producer and actress, no comedy shows starred women of color on TV.

I cant tell you how bleak the landscape was, as a young writer of color coming out of film school circa 2010, said Oliver, who co-wrote the movie Barbershop: The Next Cut. I look at the panel as a sign of progress. Five years ago there wouldnt be enough people to make up a diversity panel.

Ramamurthy is looking forward to attending that panel, although she could speak on it as well. In her last year at USC, with support from the comedy program, she created the web series The FOB and I, about the clashes and bonds between an Indian American woman and her fresh off the boat cousin from India. Shell talk about her series at the New Platforms panel.

One of the panels, The Changing Face of Politics  Its All Comedy is likely to provide fireworks. As a director (Recount, Game Change, the Austin Powers series), panelist Jay Roach has experience in the comedy and political areas.

He noted that he would have attended the panel as an audience member just to hear fellow panelists Norman Lear, Diane English and Frank Rich discuss whether the world is going crazy or was it always this way. Roachs take? Probably both.

Our political system is democratic, its incredibly messy, said Roach. But he noted that recent tumultuous political events have unfolded with such regularity that they arent even shocking anymore. Its ludicrous, its insane, its inconceivable  you cant look at it without a sense of dismay and astonishment.

For years Roach was watching most of his news through The Daily Show With Jon Stewart because the regular news was too infuriating. Kellman noted that most students watched The Daily Show and The Colbert Report for the same reason. It seems like only the medium of comedy is delivering intelligent political discourse anymore, he said. Our political conversation has become so unruly and in a way so painful that only the healing balm of laughter allows you to discuss whats become radioactive material.

The festival panels arent the beginning or end of the alumnis involvement. They regularly come to campus for classes and workshops, a great benefit of the schools proximity to Hollywood.

Oliver feels strongly about being a mentor to students, because she didnt have one herself. I really needed a me to help out, she said, so I think its really important to make yourself available whenever possible.

Roach and Feig have been back to speak to classes. Im always leery of giving anybody rules in showbiz, because somebody comes along and breaks all of them, Feig said. All I like to do is says heres my experience, heres what Ive done, and heres some stuff you can expect.

Hes happy for the students who get to attend the program, even if he didnt have that chance when he was a young oddball. As he said wryly, I made do.

USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 3: The Changing Face of Comedy

Oct. 28-30

The Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre, SCA 112; The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108; and the Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex

Admission is free. Reservations required. RSVP at cinema.usc.edu/comedyfestival/
First it was a fraught relationship with color cosmetics, then a more solid relationship with hair care and now Kourtney Kardashian has her fingers in honey-fueled skin care. Manuka Doctor has turned to the reality TV princess to generate buzz for its treatment products, and she did her part Wednesday evening by headlining a party for the brand.

Like many familiar with Manuka Doctor, Kardashian discovered the brand through honey offerings that predate its launch into skin care five years ago with a collection of topical products for U.K. health retailer Holland & Barrett. Speaking to WWD prior to the event at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, she recounted members of the production crew on Keeping Up With the Kardashians initially introduced her to the honey.

They would be taking spoonfuls since we are all around each other every day. I asked, Why are you guys all eating this honey? They told me how great it is when you are getting sick, recounted Kardashian. Once I had Mason [her son], I started getting really more into natural things, and I loved learning about more natural stuff. I really dont take medicine.

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Kardashian mentioned Manuka Doctors honey on her app, prompting the brand to reach out to her about the possibility of being a global ambassador for its skin-care assortment spanning 46 products priced mostly from $20 to $40. I really liked the ingredients, and I love that the products are available at a lower price point. All around, I felt that it fit in with my lifestyle. Thats really what drew me to the brand, Kardashian said. I love to use as natural skin-care products as I can. When I use harsh products, my skin breaks out. Its [Manuka Doctor] really something I can feel good about believing in and using.

Kardashian incorporates Manuka Doctor products into a simple skin-care routine. Every morning, I only use face wash and sunscreen. The sunscreen that I like is from Elta. There is one for hyperpigmentation, acne skin. At night, I use the face wash, the toner and, once in a while, I will need cream, but I normally dont. I use the cream probably once every two weeks. I use one of the oils. I go between the Brightening and the Replenishing Oil, and I put them on my eyelids and under my eyes, and I rub them on my hands and under my neck, she detailed.

Through a publicist, Kardashian declined to discuss the robbery in Paris of her sister Kim Kardashian, but told the Australian television program Today Extra, I have personally been taking time to just digest everything and, you know, Im still shaken up. Asked whether the incident and the Kardashians subsequent social-media slowdown affected business at Manuka Doctor, brand owner Matthew Pringle said, I dont know how that really has any relevance to retail. Thats a Kardashian family issue. I dont really want to be drawn into it.

Based in New Zealand, Manuka Doctors skin-care products have amassed a distribution of 3,000 doors in the U.K. at retailers such as Holland & Barrett, Superdrug and Boots, but its been a challenge for the brand to find its sweet spot at stores in the U.S. skin-care segment. In the last two years, the skin-care products have bounced in and out of Sephora and CVS, where Pringle suggested Manuka Doctor was handled by a several buyers with varying levels of commitment to its success on beauty shelves. Its honey has had better luck in the U.S. and has rolled out to roughly 12,000 doors in the country.

What we found in the U.S. [skin-care] market with the broker, buyer and importer model, it is incredibly difficult to get face-to-face with a buyer. In other markets, you have greater access to retail because you have easier channels of communication to make contact with a buyer. The U.S. market has so many different layers of buyers and connectors that it becomes depressing, Pringle said. You know you have a great product, but it is so hard to get to the right channels.

Manuka Doctor has decided to give Amazons U.S. prestige beauty site a go. The brands skin-care items are already available on Amazons platform in the U.K. We can control the business better. At a lot of the retailers here, you pay for every service under the sun, and it doesnt really generate sales. This is a model where we can have more influence, reasoned Pringle. The [American] retail market works well for the honey side, but the skin care is a whole different beast.

Six months after announcing Kardashian as ambassador for its skin care, Pringle described Manuka Doctor as gaining traction. He hasnt bet on the reality stars role with the brand spurring immediate profits. Pringle elaborated, We went for a two-year contract rather than just a flash in the pan couple of months. [When it comes to] return on investment, I dont believe you can see that within the first year. Obviously, with the number of retailers we have and online, it takes a long time to get presence, and it doesnt happen overnight. You have to expect to take a hit on your bottom line for the first year, but you have to have a longer-term focus.

Kardashian seems to have a long-term mind-set as well. Shes looking to possibly evolve her responsibilities with the brand as her contract matures. It would be cool to create some products, she said. I have a list that I always keep on my phone of things that I think are missing out in the universe.
The next time you visit Delicious Food Corner, try not to forget your phone. I know that its OK to leave your phone in your car most of the time, a chance to talk to your kids over breakfast rather than check the Clippers score on ESPN, but the lines in the morning are long, and by the time you have passed the 25-minute mark of staring at Chinese soap operas on the restaurants flat-screen and flipped through the untranslated tabloids in the news racks, you may come to the conclusion that excellent Wi-Fi is more or less the point of the place  even the toddlers seem to be staring at Dora the Explorer on their iPads. You would like to share this thought with your son, but the Neil deGrasse Tyson podcast blaring from his earbuds makes speech impossible, and at any rate the number scrawled on the tiny Post-it stuck to your palm has just been called.

Delicious Food Corner is a breakfast place down on Garfield just north of the Pomona Freeway in a corner of Monterey Park that feels more like Montebello. The ancient grill-your-own-steaks bar called the Venice Room is across the street and the old-school J&S, known for its bean-and-cheese burritos, is down the street. The Neapolitan pizzas at Ravello Osteria, successor to the legendary Bollinis, is a few steps away. The Hawaiian plate lunches at Shakas are up the block. But I have called Delicious Food Corner the most Hong Kong place in the San Gabriel Valley, and even after its expansion it still feels like that. Dim sum is for tourists, but congee, homely rice porridge, means home.

Pineapple bun at Delicious Food Corner. (Mariah Tauger / For The Times)

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It is difficult to conceive a morning at the restaurant without a Hong Kong-style bun, a sugar-crusted roll sometimes called a pineapple bun for its bumpy, golden appearance. The bun comes to the table sliced nearly in two, with a fat pat of salted butter stuffed between the halves  it is simultaneously too much and not quite enough, because by the time you finish one, you mysteriously want another. There are fresh, hot youtiao, unsweetened Chinese crullers, either plain or wrapped in sticky rice noodles. You see Spam and egg sandwiches at most of the tables, and thick toast smeared with condensed milk, and mountains of rice surrounded by moats of minced pork and crowned with runny fried eggs. If you are watching your carbs, Delicious Food Corner may not be your jam.

But you are going to want congee with your youtiao and buns. And Delicious Food Corners congee isnt the elegant, expensive porridge you find bathing lobster and live scallops at the posh Hong Kong places  its the rough and tasty kind: semi-fluid, nicely seasoned, scattered with chopped green onions and crispy snips of fried dough. I like the congee with meatballs, which are small and bouncy, nicely emulsified, with a slight but definite smack of offal stink. There is congee with beautifully loose fishcake and wilted greens, one with bone-in chicken that for some reason tastes better than the bland boneless chicken, and one with a handful of velvet-soft beef. If you get the congee with fish, the raw fillets cook in the hot porridge.

Youre probably going to dose the porridge with white pepper, which isnt the delicate stuff you see in fine French restaurants but a funky, extra-fermented pepper that might give a chef like Joel Robuchon fits  I like it a lot. If you forget to shake a little on, the people sitting next to you at one of the shared tables might tell you so.

And if you manage to get a seat before the 11:30 cutoff, the congee comes with a smallish plate of fried noodles  not beef noodles or shrimp noodles but plain fried Chinese egg vermicelli, leavened with a bean sprout or two but basically unadorned, and smelling of hot, clean oil. Or you can get steamed rice-flour noodles instead, rolled up and stacked into a heap, either plain or scattered with a few tiny dried shrimps, and moistened with sweet bean sauce. Its kind of fun to supplement all the starch with a plate of crisp chicken wings, fried with garlic, minced chiles and spiced salt in the Chiu Chow style, or fish balls in tasty if generic Hong Kong curry sauce, or what the menu accurately describes as Japanese-style cheesy instant noodle with pork chop.

Starch and starch with a side of Hong Kong milk tea. Youre ready to face the rest of the day.

::

Delicious Food Corner

Hong Kong-style breakfast food in Monterey Park

LOCATION

2329 Garfield Ave., Monterey Park, (323) 726-0788, www.deliciousfoodcorner.com.

PRICES

Congee special (including noodles) $6.75-$10.75; $3.95-$9.25 a la carte after 11:30 a.m. Breakfast side orders $3-$8.95. Noodle soup $7.50-$8.50; house entrees $9.50-$14.95; grilled meat and seafood $9.50-$14.95.

DETAILS

8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon.; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wed.-Sun. No alcohol. Lot parking. Cash only; ATM on premises.

RECOMMENDED DISHES

H.K.-style bun with butter; Chinese doughnut; fish paste and lettuce congee; fried chicken wings with spicy salt.
Who doesnt love a pizza? Thats why Oaxacas tlayuda may have even more appeal than its famous moles. Restaurants often call the tlayuda a Oaxacan pizza to help customers daunted by the unfamiliar name  like a pizza, its a round flatbread with savory toppings  but thats where the similarities end.

The base is a large, thin corn tortilla toasted on a comal until dry and firm. The base is spread with asiento, the brown drippings from rendered pork skin. Next comes a layer of mashed black beans, the preferred bean in Oaxaca. (Its common to cook the beans with the anise-scented leaves of the aguacate criollo, the native Mexican avocado tree.) Then on go shredded cabbage or lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, Oaxacan cheeses and Oaxacan meats. The big three meats are tasajo, which is thin-sliced beef; cecina, which is spiced pork; and Oaxacan chorizo. Some restaurants also offer carne asada and chicken.

A good tlayuda will be artfully arranged with generous amounts of quality ingredients; some restaurants offer more variety in the toppings. A basic tlayuda will have cheese and maybe one kind of meat along with the vegetables, and you can usually add more if you ask. So where to get a very good tlayuda? Try one of these eight L.A. restaurants.

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Antequera de Oaxaca

Located near Larchmont Boulevard, Antequera makes a basic tlayuda, marked V for vegetarian, which comes with beans, cabbage and cheese. Theres a charge for adding avocado and tomato and another charge for meats. Unless the tlayuda is vegetarian, its spread with asiento. The beans are cooked with avocado leaf. A nice touch is placing a fried serrano chile and a grilled Mexican green onion on top.

A vegetarian Tlayuda with avocado, tomato, beans, cabbage and cheese - topped with a fried serrano chile and a grilled Mexican green onion, is arranged for a photograph at Antequera de Oaxaca. (Patrick T. Fallon/ For The Los Angeles Times )

Antequera is the old name of the city of Oaxaca. Green and white tablecloths are from the town of Mitla in Oaxaca state, but other decorations arent Oaxacan. The east wall outside is dominated by a mammoth mural of Frida Kahlo amid sprays of jagged paint, making the restaurant a neighborhood landmark. 5200 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 466-1101

Cocina Condesa

Theres nothing Oaxacan about this restaurant; executive chef Eddie Garcia was born in Los Angeles. His shaven head is decorated with folkloric tattoos and makes him look like an Aztec warrior, which comes in handy when hes pursuing one of his passions: Aztec dancing. His other passion is getting creative with regional Mexican food, and at the moment hes fixated on the tlayuda.

Tlayuda de Cauliflower y Pasillas, with Arbol white beans, guajillo roasted cauliflower, charred pasilla peppers and melted oaxacan cheese, by chef Eddie Garcia at Cocina Condesa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

In September, Garcias first tlayuda appeared as a special, worked out with a Oaxacan prep cook. Garcia replaced the thin Oaxacan base with a thicker circle of corn masa, which he says holds the beans better. Instead of black beans, he used Great Northern white beans, seasoned with chiles de arbol. Then he topped the tlayuda with a mix of smoked gouda and Oaxacan cheeses, then house-made chorizo. Next: crisp chapulines (grasshoppers) and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. The tlayudas come to the table on a banana leaf on a wooden board.

Garcia will come up with a new version each month. For October, hes using a blue corn masa base and the same beans. The toppings are guajillo-roasted cauliflower, charred pasilla chiles and Oaxacan cheese. Most tlayudas are huge: Garcias are a manageable 8 inches. 11616 Ventura Blvd, Studio City. (818) 579-4264, www.cocinacondesa.com

Guelaguetza

Tlayuda Vegetariana, layered with black bean paste, topped with queso fresco, cabbage, mushrooms, cactus, avocado and tomatoes. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

Los Angeles best-known Oaxacan restaurant excels with the tlayuda, providing a greater variety than any other restaurant. There are seven on the menu: three without asiento and four without beans. The bean-less tlayudas allow toppings such as Guelaguetzas black mole to shine. The most unusual is the tlayuda epazote, brushed with asiento, covered with cheeses and sprinkled with fresh epazote leaves. Wider in appeal is one topped with crumbled chorizo and cheese; the other bean-less option is a black mole tlayuda with scrambled eggs.

The big splurge here is the tlayuda Guelaguetza with the works: three kinds of meat and quesillo, as well as queso fresco. The more modest tlayuda tradicional adds to the basics a choice of one meat or quesillo.

The vegetarian tlayuda comes with black bean paste, lettuce instead of cabbage, queso fresco, tomato and avocado; mushrooms and nopales make up for the lack of meat.

One hazard in eating tlayudas at Guelaguetza is that orders come with tortilla chips sprinkled with coloradito mole and cheese. These are so delectable that its easy to fill up on them, meaning that all or part of the tlayuda may wind up in their special tlayuda takeout box. 3014 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 427-0608, www.ilovemole.com

La Mayordomia

Tlayuda at La Mayordomia. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times )

Yes, there is a genuine Oaxacan pizza. Its made here with a corn tortilla base instead of a crisp tlayuda and asiento is omitted; otherwise, the components are the same.

La Mayordomia is a market, panaderia and tortilleria as well as a restaurant. The front window is lined with breads. The meat and cheese department offers Oaxacan quesillo and cecina prepared with beef and chicken as well as pork. Mangoes, mameys, pineapples, squash flowers and fresh avocado leaves cluster in the produce section. There are also fresh corn tortillas, including the large white blanditas that are favored in Oaxaca. Oaxacan posters and checked tablecloths decorate the restaurant area. Order a basic tlayuda or La Quebradita (the broken one). This tlayuda is folded, then cut into thirds. Try it with carne asada. The plate comes with a cup of red salsa and a cabbage salad with tomato.

Like Guelaguetza, La Mayordomia sends out a plate of tortilla chips with coloradito mole as a starter. Or snack on chapulines prepared with garlic, a la Mexicana, grilled or spicy (a la diabla) while waiting for the tlayuda. 5892 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, (323) 232-1541, www.lamayordomia.com. Sister restaurant Expresion Oaxaquena has the same menu. 3301 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 766-0575

Monte Alban restaurant

A vegetarian tlauda is on the menu at Monte Alban, a Oaxacan restaurant in West Los Angeles. Ingredients are cabbage, black bean paste, tomato, avocado, and string cheese. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

This Westside restaurant provides plenty of Oaxacan atmosphere to go with the tlayudas. A mural shows a horse drawing the huge stone that grinds maguey hearts for mezcal. A flowered, lace-trimmed dress from Tehuantepec hangs at the back. The heavy wood chairs are carved with what looks like a motif from the archeological site Monte Alban near Oaxaca city, and a display case holds Oaxacan breads for sale.

The tlayudas are standard but quite well done. The basic tlayuda tops the beans with tomato, avocado, salsa, cabbage, cheese and one meat. The tlayuda mix adds one more meat and string cheese (quesillo). The meat choices are tasajo and cecina, called beef and pork on the menu for those unfamiliar with Oaxacan food. These are the only two tlayudas. Theyre made with asiento but can be adapted for vegetarians. 11929 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 444-7736, montealbanlosangeles.com.

Oaxaca on Wheels

A 13 inch tlayuda is on the menu at Oaxaca on Wheels. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

Getting a tlayuda on the run means tracking down this truck, which wanders from Inglewood to Whittier to outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as well as other places. (Its website lists locations.)

The 13-inch tlayuda includes bits of the three main Oaxacan meats, shredded cabbage, avocado, cheese and, if they have it, tomato. The base is smeared with asiento, lard, the guy on the truck calls it  and then with black beans.

Its an adequate tlayuda but not exceptional, and if ordered to go, theres no box to hold it. The option is to fold it, which spoils the effect. The price is high, considering a fairly long wait standing while its assembled, and the awkwardness of eating on the street. For the same amount or less, a comfortable restaurant will provide a tlayuda that is as good or better, along with chips, drinks and other amenities. But that would mean giving up the cool food truck experience. (424) 200-3126, oaxacaonwheels.com

Sabores Oaxaquenos

Tlayuda Mixta, layered with asiento, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, oaxacan string cheese and three meats, at Sabores Oaxaquenos. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

This restaurant close to downtown is as atmospheric as Monte Alban. Its decked out with brickwork, folkloric art, a tile floor and papel picado (cut paper) overhead. Old-time Mexican music plays in the background.

The two tlayuda options are tlayudas with asiento and cheese, or one meat and tlayuda mixta, with three meats. What sets this one apart is the quality of the meat, which is cut and prepared in the kitchen, not by an outside butcher.

A thin slice of grilled chicken breast on a tlayuda was tender and well seasoned; the cecina was just as succulent. The restaurant uses quesillo from Oaxaca, which is more flavorful than domestic brands.

A Oaxacan drink is a must here. Deep golden tepache is made with fermented corn, not pineapple shells, which is more common. Tejate, a pre-Hispanic concoction of corn, cacao, mamey seeds and other ingredients, is available only in temporada de calor, the menu says. (This means hot weather.) Horchata with pink cactus-fruit syrup and nuts is a pretty drink and is served all year. 3337 W. 8th St., Los Angeles. (213) 427-3508, www.missaboresoaxaquenos.com

Tlayuda LA

The top of the line classic supreme tlayuda smothered with tasajo, cecina, and strands of quesillo, which is Oaxacan string cheese, along with lettuce, tomato, onion and sliced avocado. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Los Angeles Times )

Open a little more than a year, this small, bright space introduces the tlayuda to Hollywood types. The menu shows the question they would probably ask, Whats a tlayuda? followed by an explanation.

The owners arent Oaxacan, The blue and gold walls are hung with local art rather than Oaxacan mementos. And theres no asiento on the tlayudas  to keep the fat down, the server explained, which Hollywood types appreciate. Theres a vegetarian tlayuda for them and also gluten-free and vegan menu options.

The tlayudas are fine, not altered for newbies. The corn bases come from a Oaxacan market. A Oaxacan butcher prepares the meats. The black beans that line the base are not refried but pureed with a dash of fragrant Oaxacan avocado leaves. The top of the line classic supreme tlayuda is smothered with tasajo, cecina, chorizo and strands of quesillo, which is Oaxacan string cheese, along with lettuce, tomato, onion and sliced avocado. The vegetarian tlayuda has sauteed bell peppers, mushrooms and onions.

The restaurant uses the crunchy tlayuda bases in chilaquiles as well, puts the tlayuda meats into tacos and offers Oaxacan black mole. Trendy accompaniments are water in a Kerr canning jar and BruChata  housemade horchata combined with cold-brew coffee from the Bicycle Coffee Co. across the street. 5450 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 261-4667, tlayudala.com

If youd rather get your tlayudas to-go, or make them at home, heres a Oaxacan market that has a particularly good version, plus a couple others with all the ingredients youll need to make your own:

Aqui es Oaxaca

The Tlayuda dish at Aqui es Oaxaca off Venice Blvd in Los Angeles ready to serve. (Stuart Palley / For The Times )

This Westside market not only stocks tlayuda bases, meats, cheeses, black beans and asiento but makes a three-meat tlayuda to eat there or take out. 11614 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 313-4813.

El Buen Gusto Oaxaqueno

Located inside the Rinconcito Oaxaqueno Market, this meat counter displays tlayuda bases made from three colors of Oaxacan corn. Tasajo, cecina and chorizo are prepared on the premises. Chicken chorizo is available as well as pork. Other products include dried Oaxacan avocado leaves, Oaxacan chiles, chocolate and moles. 2596 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 830-3306

La Mayordomia

This panaderia, tortilleria and meat market replaces the small deli that was inside Expresion Oaxaquena nearby. (La Mayordomia market and La Mayodomia restaurant, as well as Expresion Oaxaqueno, are owned by Severino Garcia.) Tlayuda bases are made in Oaxaca, and broken tlayudas are sold for chilaquiles. Tlayuda meats and cheeses are in the meat counter. Butchers slice beef for tasajo by hand, then cure it with salt and oil. Pork for cecina is sliced the same way. The market carries asiento, avocado leaves and makes its own chocolate once a week. Oaxacan breads include pan de la sierra, pan amarillo, hojaldra, cazuela and pan de yema. 3315 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 766-7404.
The military-trained driver who led Los Angeles police on a dramatic chase that included doughnuts on a freeway overpass and an almost Hollywood-scripted near collision with a TMZ tour bus was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday, prosecutors said.

Herschel Reynolds, 20, was sentenced after pleading no-contest to charges of burglary and fleeing from police while driving recklessly, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Reynolds passenger, Isaiah Dewayne Young, 19, pleaded guilty to the same charges and received the same sentence, according to the statement.

Reynolds and Young were charged with breaking into a home in Cerritos on April 7, before leading police on a two-hour chase that seemed bent on completing a bingo card filled with quintessentially  and in some cases, stereotypically  L.A. things and places. The pair sped across the city in a rented convertible, top down, weaving down the Walk of Fame and performing doughnuts on Hollywood Boulevard.

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At one point, the vehicle was cut off by a TMZ tour bus, and one of the suspects appeared to hurl a sandwich at it before speeding off.

The chase came to a peaceful end that was captured by television cameras in South L.A., as Reynolds and Washington drove to a home and received a heros welcome. They celebrated their exploits for several minutes before surrendering to arriving sheriffs deputies.

Reynolds has been a trained tactical driver for the U.S. Marines before he was prematurely discharged in January.

The character of his service was incongruent with Marine Corps expectations and standards, the Pentagon said earlier this year.

Reynolds was also booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in May, after UCLA police said he struck a man with a motorcycle and tried to steal his cellphone in Westwood.

Reynolds pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor hit-and-run offense last month, and will be sentenced in that case next week, according to court records.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

UPDATES:

4:20 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information about separate criminals charges against Reynolds.

This story first published at 3:30 p.m.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) paid compensations worth around 527.26 million manats to depositors of Dekabank, Kredobank, Zaminbank, Parabank, Caucasus Development Bank, AtraBank, Bank of Azerbaijan, Ganjabank, Texnikabank and Bank Standard, ADIF said in a message Oct. 21.

Below is the list of closed banks and the volume of obtained compensations as of morning Oct. 21:

Banks Paid compensations (million manats) Insured deposits (million manats) Bank Standard 261.62 460 Zaminbank 50.98 60 Dekabank 2.85 5.59 Kredobank 18.07 30.21 Caucasus Development Bank 1.88 2 Atrabank 14 14.55 Bank of Azerbaijan 24.09 24.2 Ganjabank 0.97 1 Texnikabank 119.98 122.6 Parabank 32.82 43.79

Acceptance of applications from insured depositors of DekaBank, KredoBank, Zaminbank and Parabank began Aug. 1, 2016 and the payment of compensations has been carried out since that day.

Compensations to the insured depositors of Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank are being paid starting from Aug. 23. Clients of Atrabank can receive compensations in the branches the deposits were placed in. However, those who concluded the contract in the Khazar branch must approach to the banks main office.

Depositors of Caucasus Development Bank receive compensations at the banks main office.

Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan has been carried out since Jan. 29, 2016 at branches of Muganbank and Rabitabank, and since Sept. 8 at ADIFs office.

Clients of Ganjabank receive compensations since Feb. 4 at the branches of Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank.

Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank Standard started Oct. 11, 2016 at the banks main office and its branches in the regions of Azerbaijan and will continue for one year.

Depositors of Texnikabank can receive compensations since Feb. 12 at ADIFs office.

The licenses of all the ten banks were cancelled during 2016 as the aggregate capital of these banks didnt meet the minimum requirements [50 million manats]. In general, they havent fulfilled the regulators instructions.
Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocics interest in taking some extra time off has resulted in the UFC placing a rematch of Cain Velasquez-Fabricio Werdum onto the Dec. 30 UFC 207 card.

The organization announced Thursday that top-ranked heavyweight Velasquez, who appeared to have a title shot clinched when he defeated Travis Browne at UFC 200 in July, will instead again meet Brazils Orange County trained Werdum.

Last year, Werdum took advantage of Velasquezs conditioning problems in the high altitude of Mexico City and claimed the heavyweight title by third-round submission.

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After losing his belt to Miocic earlier this year, Werdum rallied with a triumph over Browne on the undercard of Miocics win over Alistair Overeem in Cleveland in September.

Before his first title defense, Miocic (16-2) said he was hopeful the UFC would give him the rest of the year off after his third fight of the year.

UFC 207 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will be headlined by Ronda Rouseys return after a 13-month absence to fight womens bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, and mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani wrote Thursday that a mens bantamweight title fight between San Diegos champion Dominick Cruz and contender Cody Garbrandt could also land on the card.
As soon as I began paying attention to marijuana last year, I started bumping into the guy in the white robes and the flowing beard.

There he was last fall, chatting up people at the New West cannabis conference in San Francisco. Here he was at the annual Sonoma County cannabis confab known as the Emerald Cup.

In Ft. Bragg, I spotted him on the sidewalk outside a Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting.

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A few weeks ago, I saw him again at a State of Marijuana conference aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where he delivered a stirring defense of imbibing pot the old-fashioned way, by smoking a joint.

Thats when I decided to introduce myself. Turns out, he is a charming, erudite 73-year-old Mendocino County cannabis grower. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan University who was raised Unitarian, he left the East Coast for San Francisco during the Summer of Love. His name was William Allen Winans.

Nikki Lastreto, in background, with a distinctive Swami Select label in foreground (Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times )

Then, in 1998, on the banks of the Ganges River, he underwent a Hindu religious initiation. Leaving his old identity behind, he became Swami Chaitanya, which is how he is known in cannabis circles up and down the state, and beyond.

In 2003, he and his 61-year-old wife, Nikki Lastreto, a former newspaper and TV journalist, bought 190 acres off the beaten path in northern Mendocino County, about a four-hour drive north of San Francisco. Here, in Bell Springs, they grow pure, organic cannabis that is sought after by Bay Area medical marijuana patients.

Unlike many of their small farmer colleagues who fear that legalization will depress prices or drive them out of business altogether, Chaitanya and Lastreto are full-throated supporters of Proposition 64, which will not only usher in an era of regulations and licensing, but also will give existing small growers a five-year head start before licenses for larger grows are granted.

The big-business argument is totally phony, Chaitanya said. In Humboldt County, there are some five- and six-acre grows already. And instead of people getting wiped out, the small guys are making a pretty decent living.

Chaitanya and Lastreto know the key to survival is the very thing that has been anathema to so many who have worked for so long in the legal shadows: branding.

::

If you want to survive, youve got to be growing something close to the quality of the best cigars. We have to become the Cuban cigars of pot.  Mendocino County cannabis grower Swami Chaitanya

Mendocino growers wholeheartedly believe their pot is the best in the world. Im sure this is true for growers in Humboldt and Trinity counties, part of the famous Emerald Triangle.

But Mendo really does have a claim to fame. As Chaitanya noted, each year Mendocino County growers account for about a quarter of the 400 or so buds entered into blind competition at the Emerald Cup, and walk away with three-quarters of the awards. (He and Lastreto dont compete; they are judges.)

Mass market pot is going to come from greenhouses in places like Fresno, said Chaitanya. That stuff will supply the vape pens. But if you want to survive in Mendocino County, youve got to be growing something close to the quality of the best cigars. We have to become the Cuban cigars of pot.

While many growers sell their wares in bags to dispensaries, which package the buds, Chaitanya and Lastreto have begun packing their organic, hand-trimmed buds in distinctive jars of violet colored UV-resistant glass. Their label has a drawing of Chaitanyas instantly recognizable face, long beard and red forehead dot. The brand name? Swami Select.

They sell to Harborside, one of the largest and most well-known dispensaries in the state, and to Flow Kana, a distributor that specializes in sun-grown cannabis from a handful of organic family farms.

The jars sell out like crazy, Lastreto said.

Swami Select also has a robust digital presence, with a website, an Instagram account, a You Tube series called Smokin with Swami and of course, his highly visible presence at cannabis industry events.

One thing weve thought about with the branding, Chaitanya said, is that you have to repeat your message across many platforms.

::

Driving the bumpy dirt road to their remote Turtle Creek Ranch proved a jaw-rattling experience. But what a reward, I thought, when the road suddenly gave way to a flat, grassy meadow ringed by immense trees. A sprawling home was tucked against a stand of immense Douglas firs.

Chaitanya and Lastreto welcomed me into their living room, where we talked for a while, before Chaitanya invited me outside to see his harvest.

We navigated our rain-soaked way to the barn, where dozens of plants, pulled whole from the earth, hung upside-down in pitch blackness. This protects the buds from potentially damaging light exposure as they slowly dry. In the corner sat a small Hindu shrine.

Chaitanya fiddled with an expensive dehumidifier hed just purchased. It had been pouring for two days; moisture, which brings mold and mildew, is the enemy. When the sun came out again, he said, he would spend time among his 25 unharvested plants with a leaf blower, keeping the buds dry.

Swami Chaitanya, in his barn, with his just-harvested organic cannabis plants. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times )

Regulations signed into law last year by Gov. Jerry Brown will eventually require that medical cannabis undergo mandatory testing for contaminants like molds and pesticides. Proposition 64, which legalizes pot for recreational use by adults, imposes the same requirement.

If voters approve the measure in November, Lastreto envisions many consumers who will be inspired to try cannabis for the first time (or for the first time since college), and who will want to be reassured that the product they are buying is pure, and that it bears the characteristics of its region.

In the same way consumers like to know about the wine they are buying, she and Chaitanya hope, they also will want to know about the provenance of their pot.

To that end, they are part of the Mendocino Appellations Project, a consortium of growers, which hopes to finalize its proposal for 11 distinct growing zones next year.

Nobody thinks about the farmer, Lastreto said. Most people want to get high, or they want to get their medicine. When you go to the grocery store for peas and carrots, you are not thinking about the farmer who grew them, right? We are trying to change that.

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

ALSO

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Editorial: The perils of pots cash economy
The California bullet train authority has told its design engineers that the future system would have shorter trains and smaller station platforms, reducing the capacity of individual trains by roughly 50% and potentially the capacity of the entire Los Angeles-to-San Francisco route.

It is the second time that operating parameters have been reduced this year.

In May, the authoritys managers decided to cut the maximum operating speed of trains inside tunnels from 220 mph to 200 mph, a result of building tunnels with smaller cross-sections. The authority also cut in half the speed of trains as they merge from station tracks onto the systems main line, a move that would reduce the very long lengths of transition tracks in and around major cities.

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As the $64-billion program has evolved, the state has had to make political compromises that added to the cost of the system and alternatively adopted cutbacks that reduced the overall cost.

William Ibbs, a UC Berkeley civil engineering professor who has consulted on high-speed rail systems around the world, said that trade-offs on cost, schedule and design always occur on such complex projects. High-speed rail in particular, he said, forces governments to make difficult estimates on how much capacity it might need two or three decades in the future.

It is an inherently risky aspect of high-speed rail, Ibbs said. The fundamental trade-offs dont change whether you are building a system in Tokyo or the Central Valley of California.

The original plan by high-speed rail designers would have had trains operating at 220 mph over nearly the entire distance from Union Station in Los Angeles to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. But the speeds have been reduced in urban areas, inside mountain tunnels and potentially on sharp downhill sections of mountain passages.

The switch to shorter trains was disclosed in a Sept. 7 memo that outlined reductions in the size of future passenger platforms, based on a decision that the high-speed rail system would operate trains of only 10 cars. The previous plan was to operate a double train set, which could have up to 20 cars.

The changes are an efficient use of public funds while still meeting our operational goals and legal requirements, including meeting our projected ridership numbers, rail authority spokeswoman Lisa Marie Alley said in a statement.

Alley said the change would not affect the system capacity, at least as it applies from Los Angeles to San Jose. On that section of the system, the rail authority could operate up to 12 trains an hour, spaced five minutes apart.

But such frequent service is not possible on the tracks from San Jose to San Francisco, which are shared with a commuter rail service. Capacity there could be limited to about four bullet trains an hour at peak times, when business travelers are willing to pay premium fares and trains are likely to be more heavily occupied.

Despite that limitation, the rail authoritys long-range passenger projections are not affected by the new changes, Alley said.

Ibbs said the decision to have shorter platforms would constrict future capacity, if the system were to become highly popular in two or three decades. Ibbs noted that the BART system in San Francisco is struggling to find ways to add capacity at peak travel times, when transit cars are jammed.

The rail authoritys design is based on using single-level trains, though some European systems use double-deck trains. Those trains are not operated at 220 mph, though they might be in the future, according to some experts.

Under the newest rail authority plan, the station platforms would be reduced from 1,410 feet to 800 feet. Shorter trains also require shorter sections of so-called refuge tracks, on which a train can pull out of the way in the case of a mechanical malfunction or for scheduling reasons. The refuge tracks would also be reduced by an additional 600 feet, meaning a station in a citys downtown could be 1,200 feet shorter than under the previous plan.

That large a reduction in needed urban real estate could have a significant effect on finding available land for a station and the property acquisition cost.

The decision on smaller trains was announced in an Aug. 29 email from Frank Vacca, the chief program manager, to Robert Ball, technical director at the rail consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff. The change is not known to have been publicly discussed or approved by the rail authority board.

The final decision has been made regarding running double train lengths, Vacca said in the email, which the authority provided to The Times. We need to get a design change directive out this week that establishes minimum 800 feet as the new requirement for platform lengths, and that the authority will design and operate only single-length trains.

ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @rvartabedian
As often happens in the annals of California innovation, the story of how one of the states last grizzly bears came to be a global fashion icon begins in an 8-by-8 foot garage.

In the early 1980s, three young surfers  Kevin Greenwood, Mark Travis and Andrew Batty  set up shop in the Central Coast beach town of Cayucos, seeking to join forces in the T-shirt trade. They named their enterprise Dolphin Shirt. Co., decorating their apparel with images of orcas, sea lions and, yes, dolphins.

It was tough going at first: To purchase supplies, the partners often pooled their pocket change. In time, though, Dolphin Shirt expanded, first into a barn, and then to a small shop here near the railroad station.

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Enter the bear.

I noticed that animals were selling, recalled Don Pimentel, a self-employed architect dabbling in T-shirt design. I said, Wow, I can do that.

In 1985 Pimentel painted a bear, working off an outline of the grizzly that marches across the California flag. He presented it to Dolphin and then headed to Hawaii.

While Pimentel was away, the partners expanded on his design. His rendition of the bear, with his signature found just below its rear, right paw, remained. But now a red star hovered over the bears snout and a bar ran across the bottom, underscoring the legend California Republic.

It was such an iconic, great design.  Chris Provensen, who helped sell the first bear flag T-shirts

Willie Travis makes T-shirts at The Dolphin Shirt Company. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

In short, the shirt makers had more or less replicated the California state flag, whose design is rooted in the banner of the so-called Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. They sold eight dozen shirts right off the bat.

It just started going, Greenwood said, and going and going. And its still going.

Thirty years later, the no longer quite-so-young surfers  Greenwood gives his age as 59 and a half and three quarters  find themselves riding a fresh wave of global enthusiasm for all things California. The trend goes far beyond bear-flag themed T-shirts and related knick-knacks and spin-offs.

California as a brand is incredibly valuable overseas, said economist Kevin Klowden, who directs the Milken Institutes California Center in Santa Monica. It probably does better outside the state than inside.

He sees it in the explosion of Chinese direct investment in California, which, according to a California Center study released earlier this year, grew from $100 million in 2005 to $9 billion in 2015.

He sees it in all manner of foreign investors seeking to secure a piece of California real estate, or agriculture, or Silicon Valley innovation.

California as a brand is incredibly valuable overseas.  Kevin Klowden, director of the Milken Instituteas California Center

While beaches, movie stars and beautiful mountains dont hurt, this does not seem to be about the realities of California  see gridlock, gang crime, sprawl, gaping income disparities, soaring rent, overtaxed water supplies  but rather about the idea of California.

Economic and design experts note that the phrase designed in California now trumps the notion of made in California. They point to the message Apple inserts into boxes that carry its phones to consumers worldwide: Designed by Apple in California.

Simon Sadler, a UC Davis professor of architecture and urban history, described the phenomenon a few years back in Bolt, the UC Press e-magazine: Even when California design offers little more than an ersatz commonwealth through consumption, it arrives in the market accompanied by the hope of something more than another consumer fetish.

California design, he continued, promises to do something, to enable its subjects to attain a better and more replete future. Over-wrought though that might seem, the beautiful (Apple) boxes shipping from California contain this covenant, illusory or real.

As do products brandishing variations on the California bear flag motif.

::

That the flag of the short-lived California Republic would become shorthand for cool contains a double dip of irony. While the 1846 uprising by American settlers in what was then a part of Mexico has its defenders, it more often is mocked in the history books.

Some historians have presented it as political intrigue, a plot meant to deliver Alta California into American rule. Others paint it as the work of a mob.

In any event, on June 14, 1846, about three dozen men, usually described as a mix of settlers, trappers and adventurers, entered Sonoma, which historian Bernard DeVoto described as a tiny little cluster of adobe houses (that) could have been captured by Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

This chance crowd of marauders, as the philosopher Josiah Royce called them, sent their leaders into the home of Gen. Mariano Vallejo, a prominent Alta Californian who happened to favor independence from Mexico.

Mystified as to why these conquerors were demanding to negotiate Mexicos surrender with him, Vallejo offered them his liquor.

When successive negotiators failed to emerge, the anxious band outside sent in one more replacement.

He found most of the conferees too far gone for business, wrote historian Robert Glass Cleland. Vallejos wine and aguardiente, taken on empty stomachs, had proved almost too much for the American commissioners.

Eventually, terms were drafted and the band escorted Vallejo and two companions to Sutters Fort.

The bear flag is not selling you popcorn. It is just the bear. It is just the mystique of California.  Don Pimentel, bear flag t-shirt designer

Kevin Greenwood, Willie Travis and his parents Martie and Mark Travis, left to right, all manage The Dolphin Shirt Company. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

The invading party took to writing lofty proclamations about God and freedom and creating a proper flag.

William Todd, nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln, took up the latter project with, as DeVoto noted, womens patriotism assisting him. The wife of one revolutionist sacrificed a chemise and the wife of another one a petticoat, and Todd made a flag.

It included a crude rendering of what Todd called a grizzly bear, but which at least one in the conquering party mistook for a hog.

The womens underthings were cut into a red star and a stripe, over which Todd wrote in ink and berry juice California Republic.

The flag would fly over Sonoma for less than a month. When word reached the Bear Flaggers, as they were called, that the United States had gone to war with Mexico they replaced the banner with the Stars and Stripes. And so ended the California Republic.

Enter another bear.

In 1889, William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, aka Monarch of the Dailies, assigned a reporter to determine if there were any wild grizzlies left in California. After much effort, and with the help of many hirelings, the reporter finally captured a grizzly outside Ojai.

At first a public sensation, the poor bear spent the next 20 years caged in San Francisco zoos, growing old and mangy before dwindling audiences. It died in 1912, and its pelt was stuffed and put on display.

Forty years later the bear, dubbed Monarch, received a rebirth: The bear flag had been named the official state flag in 1911, but there were many variations, based loosely on Todds original, which was lost in San Franciscos 1906 earthquake and fire.

In 1953, under Gov. Earl Warren, the design of the flag was codified. An artist used the stuffed Monarch as a model in drawing the grizzly that now prowls, defiant and free, across the California state flag  and countless T-shirts, caps, coffee mugs, clutch bags, socks and door mats.

Unlike the Confederate flag, which still stirs controversy given its national context, the California flag has become all but untethered from its history. Only rarely do critics arise to voice complaints about its origins.

It has become, said Stuart Kendall, associate professor of design at the California College of the Arts, a free-floating signifier.

What it signifies is not an awkward affair from Californias past, but rather all that California has come to represent: counter-culture, surfers, a nation-state, movies, Silicon Valley, fine wine (conquerors imbibe wisely), second chances, personal renewal and all the rest wrapped up in that ball of glittering wax known as the California Dream.

::

Of course, state history and free-floating signifiers werent exactly front of mind among the Dolphin partners when they first contemplated putting the California flag on T-shirts. They werent even sure if it was legal.

This was 30 years ago and we were kids, recalled Pimentel, reached by telephone on his Oregon ranch. Now we would know who to call, but back then these guys were surfers doing silk screen on the side. Back then, it was more like, and here he began to mimic the slow cadence of a teen slacker:

Hey, what do you think, man?

I dont know, dude. Lets go for it.

Chris Provensen, now 67, was freshly arrived from Idaho when he spotted one of the bear flag shirts hanging in the Dolphin shop. I can sell those, he announced. So he hit the road, visiting surf shops up and down the coast, sleeping in his vintage Volvo.

I hardly had any money, he recalled. I just got out there. It was such an iconic, great design. And we were virtually the only guys out there then.

He ventured to Sacramento and opened an account with a Capitol shop. State officials would buy the shirts as gifts for visiting dignitaries. The Dolphin partners figured they need not worry about and trademark restrictions.

In fact, in most cases, state names and flags are in the public domain. Still, said UCLA law professor Kal Raustiala, there isnt an easy yes-or-no answer to the question of whether you can trademark the bear or something like that.

In the end, given the fashion trades knock-off culture, and the difficulties inherent in chasing down and litigating against copycats, especially when they are overseas, the trademark question in some cases can become all but moot.

Yeah, it is frustrating, said Willie Travis. A second-generation participant in the family business, he helped launch the companys website a couple of years ago.

Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter 

He has seen new products copied and offered for sale by other firms in a single day. A design that splits and vertically stacks the word Cali/For/Nia is an especially frequent target of international knock-off artists.

But in the end, he said, looking for the bright side, all the knock-offs do is contribute to brand awareness.

The company, which now operates a small plant near the San Luis Obispo airport and a single retail outlet in Morro Bay, has scaled back from the 1990s, when its sea creature line was at its hottest. The decline in tourism after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the Great Recession of 2008, and the closure of textile mills in the southeastern United States all took a toll.

The focus is now more firmly on the California line.

I cant tell you when or why it happened, Martie Travis, wife of one of the co-founders and now a company manager, said of the upsurge of demand for California bear flag-related product. But I dont think its going to go away.

Pimentel, who receives a 50-cent royalty on each sale of a shirt bearing his original, double from what he made in the early days, has his own theory about the appeal of the California bear flag.

One thing about the bear flag, he said, is that it is not trying to sell you anything. It is not selling you beer or sandals or running shoes. The bear flag is not selling you popcorn. It is just the bear. It is just the mystique of California.

And to those who would suggest that the mystique it is selling might be a mirage, a myth: Well, what could be more Californian than that?

Exit the bear, winking.

peter.king@latimes.com

@peterhking

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Erin Olivera waited weeks for doctors to tell her why her youngest son was paralyzed.

Ten-month-old Lucian had started crawling oddly  his left leg dragging behind his right  and soon was unable to lift his head, following Erin only with his eyes.

She took him to a hospital in Los Angeles, but doctors there didnt know how to treat what they saw.

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Lucians legs felt soft as jelly and he couldnt move them. His breathing became rapid. The left side of his smile drooped as his muscles weakened.

Physicians ran test after test, and Erin began spending her nights on a hospital room couch. After Lucian fell asleep, during her only minutes alone between working and visiting her three other kids, she cried.

A terrifying reality was taking hold: Doctors wouldnt be able to give her a diagnosis for her paralyzed child.

How can I make a decision for him when I dont even know whats wrong?  Erin Olivera

Lucian Olivera, center, touches the face of his brother, Nikolas, with his cold hand, a result of holding a bag of ice, while inside the kitchen of their home in Moorpark. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

How can I make a decision for him when I dont even know whats wrong? she said. What can I do to help him?

So one morning in July of 2012, Erin lifted Lucian out of his hospital bed, his body limp and heavy. She rested his cheek on her shoulder, the way he liked to be held since hed become weak.

Erin returned home to Ventura County with a child she thought might never learn to walk.

In the years since, hundreds of children across the country have shown up at hospitals unable to move their arms or legs. Dozens of kids have become paralyzed in the past few months alone.

They suffer from a mysterious illness that continues to alarm and puzzle scientists. This kind of sudden and devastating paralysis hasnt been widespread since the days of polio. Lucian, one of the diseases earliest victims, set off a hunt among doctors to discover its cause.

::

Before Lucian got sick, he liked to sit on the floor in the kitchen of his home in Moorpark, his small hands pressed against the glass door to the backyard as he tried to stand. Hed roll around, babbling at the dogs outside.

The child Erin brought home from the hospital didnt have enough strength to crawl and couldnt always sit up on his own.

On his first birthday, three weeks after he came home, Erin and her husband Israel propped Lucian up with pillows in a high chair. He giggled as he smeared red frosting on his bare chest and in his blonde hair.

After the kids went to bed in the evenings, Erin and Israel would whisper about Lou-Lou, as they called him. When Erin was pregnant, the couple had decided Lucian would be their last child. They wanted to save money, perhaps take a family vacation. Erin would focus on graduating from nursing school.

Now the future felt upended by questions about their youngest son  whether hed ever be able to drive a car, get married, have kids.

They took him to more doctors, but that failed to bring a diagnosis, let alone a treatment.

Lucian Olivera, left, and his brother Nikolas play on a trampoline at their home in Moorpark. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

Through months of physical therapy, Lucian eventually regained strength in most of his limbs, but still couldnt move his left leg at all. When he crawled, it dragged behind.

Desperate, Erin resorted to endless Internet searches looking for clues about her sons condition.

Then one day, she came across an article online about a dozen paralyzed kids. She immediately thought of Lucian.

The article mentioned Dr. Keith Van Haren, a Stanford University child neurologist who had diagnosed many of the other cases.

She called him.

::

Around the time Lucian first got sick in 2012, Van Haren was flummoxed by a young girl whod just shown up at his clinic at Stanford.

The 3-year-old had been at home recovering from a bad cold when she suddenly couldnt move her arm. Weeks later, it still hung from her body like dead weight, flopping wildly when she walked.

The paralysis struck Van Haren as unusual.

Doctors had been treating her for an autoimmune disease, as if her body were wrongly attacking its own cells. But if that were the case, her arm wouldnt be so limp nor would the paralysis be so limited to one spot; Van Haren would expect other parts of her body also to be somewhat weak.

This, Van Haren thought, looked more like the most infamous cause of paralysis: polio. But it was eradicated so long ago in the United States that most doctors here have never seen a case.

We know about it through history books, said Van Haren, then just two years out of training.

The girl had been vaccinated against polio. Van Haren didnt know what to tell her parents.

When he contacted Californias health department about the odd case, he learned that scientists there had already developed a hunch.

A handful of physicians had seen patients with similar symptoms and asked Dr. Carol Glaser to test them for polio.

I thought, Well thats crazy. We dont have polio here, said Glaser, then head of the encephalitis and special investigations section at the California Department of Public Health.

Glaser quickly determined the patients werent suffering from polio. She also tested for pathogens that can sometimes cause such paralysis, including West Nile virus. All negative.

Then she decided to check for other viruses in the same family as poliovirus, known as enterovirus. And in some of the paralyzed patients, she found a possible culprit: enterovirus D-68.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj 

Enterovirus D-68 was incredibly rare, almost never seen after it was first discovered in 1962 in four California children who had pneumonia. Though a cousin of poliovirus, it was only supposed to cause a runny nose and cough.

Van Haren had never heard of it.

Glaser asked Van Haren to consult for the health department, and together they watched for more paralysis cases. Their findings were preliminary, but what if they were accurate? What if there were an outbreak?

::

In the middle of the night, Erin sped past crop fields and cattle ranches on the 5 Freeway, headed north to Stanford. Israel sat next to her in the passenger seat, Lucian asleep in the back.

Erin had found some peace from visiting a polio survivors group at a senior center. The survivors, who reminded her of Lucian, told her theyd lived full, happy lives. Dont limit us, theyd said.

Still, Erin showed up for a 10 a.m. appointment with Van Haren hoping for a chance of full recovery.

What happened to your forehead? asked Lucian, as Van Haren entered the exam room.

Van Haren explained to Lucian, now 2-years-old, that he had a birthmark.

Does it cause you pain? Lucian asked.

Van Haren said it didnt, and told Erin and Israel that the question bothered him. Erin thought her son had insulted the doctor.

But Van Haren explained that he was sorry that that was Lucians first question. That meant, he said, that Lucian knew pain.

Van Haren began to examine Lucians leg.

It was 2014, two years since Van Haren first treated the young girl with the paralyzed arm.

By now Van Haren, who himself had small children, had grown accustomed to identifying the unique paralysis and relaying the tragic verdict.

One, two, three or four limbs paralyzed. Sudden onset. No cognitive changes.

Lucian fit the bill.

Within minutes, Van Haren delivered the diagnosis: polio-like paralysis likely caused by enterovirus D-68.

Erins nose turned red like it does when she tears up.

Van Haren told her there were other children like Lucian, and that doctors were learning more about the disease every day.

He said Lucian should continue physical therapy, but there was no cure. Chances were Lucian would never move his left leg.

As they headed back home, Erin, who was driving, waited for Lucian to fall asleep in the backseat. Then she started to cry.

::

After Erin and Israel returned home with Lucians diagnosis, the mystery paralysis began to spread.

In late summer of 2014, enterovirus D-68 started sending kids struggling to breathe to emergency rooms around the country. News reports called it a rare, cold-causing virus, a danger to children with asthma.

But then an 11-year-old boy in Texas with a seemingly normal fever lost the ability to walk and move his right arm.

A 17-year-old girl in Santa Barbara experienced severe neck pain at her birthday party and ended up in the hospital, paralyzed from the neck down.

In Oregon, a 13-year-old boys diaphragm stopped working, so he needed a ventilator to breathe. He was completely paralyzed, able only to wiggle his toes and his right hand.

Whatever was happening to these children was pretty much, literally, exactly, what polio did, said Dr. Jean-Baptiste Le Pichon, a child neurologist who treated four such patients in 2014 at Childrens Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.

Glaser watched from California as the numbers of paralyzed kids grew. She became horrified that her theory about enterovirus D-68 might be correct.

That October, Van Haren spoke at a national meeting of child neurologists. He asked 300 specialists how many of them had seen these kinds of paralysis cases in the past few months.

More than half the hands in the room went up, he recalled.

Doctors coined a name for the phenomenon: acute flaccid myelitis. Acute flaccid for the sudden and total paralysis and myelitis for an injury to part of the spinal cord involved in muscle movement, called the gray matter.

Between August 2014 and January 2015, 120 children in 34 states were diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, according to federal health officials. The median patient age was 7.

Physicians are still baffled that no one had noticed the possible risk of paralysis before.

Physical trainer Kelsey Stewart reacts with Lucian Olivera as he successfully knocks over a fake brick with a ball during a session at the Simi Valley Hospital Child Development Center. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

Erin hoped the new cases would lead to a cure for her son.

But doctors say that though the disabled children can regain strength in some limbs, theres usually also some paralysis that cannot be reversed  just like with polio.

Scientists think a virus travels to the spinal cord and damages motor function there, irreversibly.

::

Holding the red handles of his walker, Lucian, 5, jumped up and down and told his brother Nikolas to put on his shoes faster. Kids shout, skee balls thump, arcade games cha-ching.

The boys stood on either side of Erin, pulling at her skirt as she talked to the cashier at Chuck E. Cheeses. We need tokens! We need tokens! they chanted.

A year apart in age, Nikolas and Lucian share the same round, bright eyes and blondish hair. Sometimes they try to pass for twins.

Four years after being hospitalized, Lucian wears braces on both legs  the one on his left leg decorated with Spider-Man designs, the right with skulls. When he uses his wheeled walker, he steps with his right leg, pulling his left behind him. His left leg is still completely paralyzed.

Israel stopped working so he could take care of Lucian. Erin often works 64 hours a week as a hospital psychiatric nurse so the couple can pay their bills.

Erin and Israel abandoned their 10-year plan, as well as dreams of buying their oldest son a car when he turned 16, or a vacation home. Their priorities have instead become much more short-term.

Over the summer, the biggest one was kindergarten.

They knew Lucian would do fine academically, he often seemed precociously intuitive and observant.

But would he use a walker or a wheelchair? Would he be in special needs classes? Would they be able to potty-train him on time? Would he need an aide in the classroom? And the most agonizing: would he fit in?

Erin had seen Lucian sitting alone at playgrounds, watching other kids run around. Erin and Israel stayed up at night worrying about how to deal with bullies, joking about whos going to bail which one of us out of jail first, she said.

Lucian is too young to fully grasp his disability. He knows he cant run or walk on his own, and that makes him unlike other kids. And when he meets new people, he squints his eyes as if hes trying to read their face, to understand them  how theyll react to him.

But if you ask Lucian why he uses a walker, hell blame his older sister, who fell on and fractured his leg two years ago. His parents have repeatedly told him that isnt why hes paralyzed, but he doesnt seem to hear.

That half-understanding sometimes protects Lucian from the pain of his injurys permanence. But it also means each day could bring a new reckoning of his lifes limitations.

A few months ago, Lucian asked his parents for an injection. Itll fix my leg and itll be like Nikos, he said, using his pet name for Nikolas.

Erin told Lucian what she had many times before: his disability is permanent, theres no miracle treatment. His leg would get stronger over time, with exercise, but it would never be like his brothers.

Lucian angrily pursed his lips and his eyebrows tensed. He went silent.

::

Between June and August this year, another 30 children nationwide became paralyzed, and scientists still dont know why.

Dr. Manisha Patel, who heads the acute flaccid myelitis team for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency is concerned by the increase and its resemblance to 2014. Experts think case numbers for September and October will be even higher.

But theres not much public health officials can do, because the paralysis officially remains a medical mystery.

Many suspect that enterovirus D-68  which gave hundreds of people a severe cold in 2014  also caused the paralysis outbreak that year. Some of the paralyzed children had enterovirus D-68 in their system, and researchers have found that injecting mice with enterovirus D-68 paralyzes them.

But to confirm the link, doctors need to find enterovirus D-68 in the paralyzed childrens cerebrospinal fluid, to show that the virus traveled to the spinal cord and created the injury there  which they havent yet.

And physicians are still baffled that no one had noticed the possible risk of paralysis before.

Some think there hadnt ever been enough cases of enterovirus D-68 to unmask the horrifying side effect; only 26 people tested positive for the virus in 36 years. Another possibility is that enterovirus D-68 recently mutated to become more likely to paralyze those infected.

For now, experts say that enterovirus D-68 isnt enough of a threat to make a vaccine and that many people now have immunity to the virus from the 2014 outbreak. Plus, it will probably mutate again, rendering a vaccine that protects against the current strain useless.

You kind of hold your breath and hope it doesnt get worse, Van Haren said.

::

Lucian had been too excited about his first day of kindergarten to eat his Cheerios in the morning, instead unzipping his backpack and removing folders and papers.

Lucian Olivera, left, and his brother Nikolas attend Peach Hill Academy Elementary School in Moorpark on the first day of school. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

But walking from the minivan to the school  a taxing process of pulling his left leg with the right, today with the added weight of his bag and lunchbox  had tired him by 8 a.m.

In his new classroom, Lucian sat cross-legged at the edge of a colorful rug, his walker to his left. When his teacher took attendance, he turned around to grin at Israel, sitting in the back.

Israel got permission from the school to stay with Lucian on his first day, unsure if the boy would be able to manage on his own. When Erin left an hour prior, Lucian called after her, his eyes wide with panic.

Lucians teacher Taylor Severn began to teach the class a game: the kids dance to music and freeze when she shakes a tambourine.

Im going to stand up with my walker, Lucian announced to the class.

The song started and Lucian gripped the handles of his walker, happily shaking his body and kicking his legs. He froze. He danced.

When Severn turned off the music, the students plopped to the floor.

Lucian pushed his walker back. He bent over and put his palms on the rug to slowly lower himself. He pulled his left leg over the right so he was sitting cross-legged. He clasped his hands together and fixed his eyes on his teacher.

At 10 a.m. recess, Israel decided to go home earlier than hed planned, since Lucian seemed to be doing OK.

He watched his son pull a toy out of a bin on the yard, extending his arm as he tried to land a tethered ball into a cup. Kids around him hula-hooped and took turns on tricycles.

A boy asked Lucian about his walker, and he pointed to his left leg and sheepishly explained that his sister fell on it when they were playing.

Israel walked over to Lucian, who was now at a lunch table eating a Rice Krispie treat.

He kissed his son and headed to his car.

Lucian, talking to the girl across from him, didnt turn around to watch him leave.

soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

Twitter: @skarlamangla

To read the article in Spanish, click here

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U.S. and Mexican authorities on Thursday confirmed the existence of a clandestine cross-border tunnel between Tijuana and San Diego.

The tunnels entrance was found near Tijuanas A.L. Rodriguez International Airport, said a source with Baja Californias Public Safety Secretariat.

The source said that the tunnel had been in operation, and that an anonymous tip had led Mexican soldiers and members of the state police to its opening at an ice-making business some 300 yards from the U.S. border fence.

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Mexican authorities since Thursday morning blocked off access to the business, La Hielera del Aeropuerto, located southwest of the airport on Boulevard Cuauhtemoc. It was unclear where the U.S. exit is located.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations released a statement Thursday afternoon confirming the discovery of a tunnel in the San Diego/Tijuana area, but did not disclose its location.

In order to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation, HSI San Diego is not providing additional details at this time, the statement said.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

Dibble writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune
The operators of the classified ad website Backpage.com have asked a Sacramento County judge to dismiss criminal charges filed by state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who accused them of conspiring to profit off the prostitution and trafficking of women and girls.

In a motion filed Wednesday, attorneys for Backpage Chief Executive Carl Ferrer and the sites two former owners, James Larkin and Michael Lacey, contend that federal law and the 1st Amendment shield the publisher from prosecution over the content of ads posted by customers.

The lawyers accused Harris of abusing her office by pursuing a case that tramples on free speech and unfairly demonizes a lawful international business.

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The A.G.s complaint and theory of prosecution are frankly outrageous, wrote James C. Grant, an attorney from Seattle who is representing the three men.

The charges the state asserts amount to a brazen effort to intimidate or shut down an online publisher by using all the criminal sanctions at the A.G.s disposal, despite that she has no authority whatsoever to do so.

The Internet ad giant  which originated in the classified section in the back of alternative newspapers  lists apartments, cars and jobs. But state prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint filed Sept. 26 in Sacramento County Superior Court that the site earned more than 90% of its revenue from the adult section.

In that category, prosecutors contend that some of the paid ads offer thinly veiled prostitution of women and minors, with nearly nude photos and a menu of sex in coded language.

During the states three-year inquiry, undercover agents responded to ads and met women and girls who described how they purchased ads on the website to sell sexual intercourse.

Lacey, 68, and Larkin, 67, founded Backpage and received earnings from the site, including a $10-million bonus that was paid in 2014 shortly before they sold their ownership interest, according to court papers.

Ferrer, 55, oversaw the sites operations, including screening, and is the sole named partner of Backpages parent company, according to prosecutors. He faces charges of pimping and pimping minors.

All three men face charges of conspiracy to commit pimping.

But their attorneys argue that Harris has scant evidence or legal authority to proceed with the case.

The lawyers point to the federal Communications Decency Act, which frees online publishers from liability over user postings and has been repeatedly interpreted to trump state criminal laws.

Harris, they said, is aware of the protections afforded by that act. They cite a July 2013 letter she signed with other state attorneys general that unsuccessfully lobbied for an amendment to the law that would allow for state-level criminal prosecutions.

They also contend Harris did not marshal evidence showing that the men knew about or were involved in any of the nine ads listed in the charging documents.

Lacey and Larkin  who had high-profile careers shepherding alternative weekly papers including the Village Voice and Phoenix New Times  also issued a joint statement Wednesday that blasted Harris for flouting legal norms to extract publicity so close to the election.

If the polls are any indication, Harris will be warmly ensconced in the United States Senate by the time her blatant violations of the 1st Amendment and federal law are finally adjudicated, the two men said. She wont pay. The taxpayers of California will.

Kristin Ford, a spokeswoman for Harris, said the issues raised by the defendants will be litigated in court. She pointed to an earlier statement from the attorney general.

Raking in millions of dollars from the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable victims is outrageous, despicable and illegal, Harris said shortly after the prosecution was announced.

All three men have been released on bail. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Nov. 16.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.

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Driver and student pedestrians injured in two-car crash outside Chino Hills high school
A fiery two-car crash Thursday in Chino Hills injured a driver as well as two students who were in front of a high school, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. on Peyton Drive in front of Ruben S. Ayala High School, according to the Chino Valley Fire District.

One of the cars appeared to have struck a pole and caught fire. Aerial footage from KTLA-TV Channel 5 showed the charred wreckage of a sedan in the street.

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A male driver suffered r serious injuries and was taken via ambulance to the hospital. His age and identity were not released.

One of the vehicles slammed into two students, fire officials said. One male student suffered serious injuries and was taken via helicopter to the hospital.

A female student sustained minor injuries and her parents took her home, fire officials said.

The driver of the second vehicle was not injured.

As investigators examine the scene, the northbound lanes of Peyton Drive from Eucalyptus Avenue to Boys Republic Drive was expected to remain closed for several hours.

The high school, part of the Chino Valley Unified School District, has about 2,600 students. The school posted a statement to its website and said classes were expected to resume Friday on a normal schedule.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.
Firefighters were searching through the smoldering ashes of a Mt. Washington mansion Friday morning, looking for the possible remains of its owner, who was last seen running toward his bedroom when the fire erupted.

We will continue to stabilize the building and search the premises to determine if he is inside, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Fire officials said there were a dozen people living at the home, including the 84-year-old owner. Neighbors described a rotating residency there, Humphrey said.

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The fire was reported about 8:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of North Sea View Avenue at 9,100 square-foot home on a steep hillside.

Flames overtook the three-story home, and about 9:15 p.m., an explosion was reported. Aerial footage from KCBS-TV Channel 2 showed blue-colored flames shooting from the structure.

1 / 10 Firefighters continue housing down smoldering ruins after a fire tore through a large hillside home Thursday night in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 10 Fire destroyed a large hillside home Thursday night in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 10 Neighbors watch as firefighters extinguish the remnants of a fire that tore through a large hillside home Thursday night in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 10 Firefighters use a ladder to access a large hillside home that burned Thursday night in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 10 Members of a Los Angeles Fire Department search and rescue team walk around house struck by fire Thursday night in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 10 Tenants of the Mt. Washington home gather outside as firefighters battle the flames. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 10 Tenants of the three-story home that burned down talk to a firefighter as other firefighters battle the blaze. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 10 Firefighters battle the blaze that engulfed a Mount Washington home. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 10 Tenants of the Mt. Washington home embrace as firefighters battle the blaze. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 10 The fire was reported in a home in the 4000 block of North Sea View Avenue in the Mt. Washington neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

At least one person was injured: A 74-year-old woman who suffered from smoke inhalation. Humphrey said she was in fair condition.

It took almost three hours for 143 firefighters to knock down the blaze, which Humphrey said was a very difficult firefight with cactus surrounding the steep hillside home.

At one point three helicopters circled, surveying the property and monitoring whether embers ignited nearby brush.

Daniel Nateras of Oxnard said he was one of the homes tenants. A roommate alerted Nateras to the fire, saying that it had started in a lower floor, he recalled.

After learning of the fire, the 84-year-old landlord ran toward his bedroom and did not come out, Nateras said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The home was largely destroyed and Humphrey said fire crews must be careful the remaining structure doesnt collapse as they search the scene.

The Department of Building and Safety was called to the scene to help stabilize the structure and determine whether nearby homes were in any danger.

On the narrow, winding street  characteristic of Mt. Washington, a neighborhood northeast of downtown Los Angeles  tenants cried and embraced Thursday night.

They were very emotional, Humphrey said.

ben.poston@latimes.com

Follow @bposton on Twitter.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this story.

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A man accused of killing three homeless men and injuring two others is mentally incompetent to stand trial, a San Diego judge ruled Friday.

Jon David Guerrero, 39, will be sent to a state hospital in San Bernardino County until his doctors determine that competency has been restored.

Meanwhile, his criminal case will remain suspended.

Superior Court Judge Steven Stone made the ruling after reviewing a psychological evaluation completed by Dr. Matthew Carroll, a psychiatrist in San Diego.

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Carroll was not able to question Guerrero in person, despite two attempts in September and October, because the defendant repeatedly refused to be interviewed.

The doctor made his recommendations based on a review of police and medical records, including documentation of Guerreros extensive mental health issues, Deputy Public Defender Dan Tandon said.

Based on Carrolls recommendation, the judge also authorized doctors to administer anti-psychotic medications to Guerrero involuntarily if needed.

The defendant is accused of committing violent attacks on five homeless men over a 12-day period in July. He was arrested shortly after a pair of officers in Golden Hill encountered the last victim, who was screaming in pain.

The first victim, Angelo DeNardo, was found early July 3 under a freeway bridge in Bay Park. A railroad spike had been driven into the 53-year-olds head and chest. He was then lighted on fire, Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said.

A second man was found critically injured in the Midway District on July 4. He had a railroad spike driven into his sinus cavity. He survived his injuries, but was rendered blind, Harvey has said.

Shawn Mitchell Longley was found dead in Ocean Beach on July 4; Derek Vahidy, who was injured on July 6 but died later; and a final victim, found screaming and bloodied on July 15, each were injured with a railroad spike, the prosecutor said.

When Guerrero was arrested, police found a mallet and railroad spikes in his backpack, along with identification belonging to two of the victims, authorities said. A bucket that contained rocks, railroad ties and more spikes was found in his downtown apartment.

Guerrero faces three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Because he has been deemed mentally incompetent for trial, it means he is unable to understand the court proceedings and assist in his own defense.

The judge ordered the defendant to be sent to Patton State Hospital for a maximum of three years. If Guerreros mental competency is restored sooner than that, his criminal case would resume.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijans Financial Markets Supervision Chamber has prepared a mechanism to support the banks that are important for the banking system, chairman of the chambers board of directors, Rufat Aslanli said at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, industry and entrepreneurship on Oct. 21.

Based on international experience, we identified the criteria for the banks important for the banking system and prepared a support mechanism in case of need. Today, there is a decision to support two banks - International Bank of Azerbaijan and Bank Standard, said Aslanli.

As you know, in accordance with the decree of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, rehabilitation of the International Bank of Azerbaijan and its capitalization are underway at the moment, he added. As for Bank Standard, the government has taken steps to keep it in the system but after considering a number of scenarios, we realized that rehabilitation of the bank is impossible - rehabilitation costs were twice the cost of its closure. Therefore, it was decided to shut down the bank.

Bank Standards license was revoked on Oct. 1 and the bank declared its bankruptcy on Oct. 4.

Bank Standard was established in 1995. It was one of the largest private commercial banks in Azerbaijan and one of the market leaders in terms of deposit amount.

The International Bank of Azerbaijan was founded in January 1992.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
The campaign for a March ballot measure that supporters say would restrict out-of-scale development throughout Los Angeles received a boost this summer when Hollywood actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio backed the initiative.

Except, it turns out, he didnt.

Two months after the actors name was first associated with the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, a representative for DiCaprio said the actor is neutral on the measure.

Confusion over DiCaprios endorsement was reported earlier by Curbed LA and Vox.

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The campaign director for the ballot measure took responsibility for the endorsement flap.

I exchanged a number of emails with his publicists in August and I thought we had received final word, in this exchange, confirming his support for the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, Jill Stewart said in a statement. I apparently misunderstood. We apologize to Mr. DiCaprio for this misunderstanding.

The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative would temporarily block real estate projects that require exemptions from key city development rules on height, density and overall size. But critics argue that such a moratorium would reduce the citys housing stock, increase rents and exacerbate the citys problem with homelessness.

In August, DiCaprios name was among those signed to a letter sent to Mayor Eric Garcetti that demanded an overhaul of the citys planning process. The letter specifically asked the city to stop the practice of allowing developers to sponsor environmental impact reports and prohibit ex parte communications between developers and elected officials or members of the city Planning Commission. The group also asked for a new General Plan that would dictate what types of developments are allowed in the citys neighborhoods.

Critics of the ballot measure seized on the confusion over the Oscar winners endorsement.

Its not clear whether the initiatives backers lied about DiCaprios support or just misunderstood it. Neither would be surprising, since their building moratorium is built on a mixture of half-truths, bad math and outright deceptive statements, a statement from the Coalition to Protect L.A. Neighborhoods and Jobs said.

alice.walton@latimes.com

Twitter: @TheCityMaven

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A man was fatally stabbed by a co-worker at the Wilshire Country Club in Hancock Park on Thursday night and a suspect has been taken into custody, authorities said.

The victim, Emmanuel Bravo, 28, of Los Angeles, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Los Angeles police Officer Aareon Jefferson.

An argument broke out about 8:45 p.m. Thursday in the kitchen area of the country club, where Bravo was an employee, police said.

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A man pulled out a kitchen knife and stabbed Bravo, then ran from the scene, said LAPD Lt. John Radtke.

Erick Antonio Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of murder about 11 a.m. Friday, Radtke said. Hernandez is being held on $2-million bail.

The country club is at 301 N. Rossmore Ave. Multiple employees witnessed the incident, but no patrons were in the restaurant when the stabbing occurred, Radtke said.

The victim and the suspect were involved in an ongoing dispute, but it was unclear what it was over.

They just obviously didnt like each other, Radtke said.

Anyone with information should contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (213) 382-9470.

ben.poston@latimes.com

Follow @bposton on Twitter.

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UPDATES:

5 p.m. This story has been updated with information about the suspect and the incident.

This article was originally published at 11:55 a.m.
As cars and trucks crawl along a congested Southern California freeway, a dark-haired driver rests her head on her hand in frustration.

The narrators voice breaks in with a tantalizing suggestion: If Los Angeles County voters approve a tax increase for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Nov. 8, they will reduce their time stuck in traffic by 15% a day.

For the record: An earlier version of this article said Measure M would lead to transportation investments of $210 billion over four decades. The correct figure is $120 billion.

What the advertisement doesnt mention is that Measure Ms promised traffic relief would not arrive until 2057.

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The analysis that the ad cites did not conclude that traffic will flow faster in 2057 than it does today, nor that traffic will noticeably improve over the next few years. Barring a recession or a major increase in the cost to drive and park, experts say, congestion in Los Angeles will continue to get worse.

We think our ads are very clear about the fact that Measure M will reduce traffic, and the alternative will not, said Yusef Robb, a spokesman for the Yes on M campaign, which funded several ads running in English and Spanish on cable and local channels.

Officials at Metro, who are barred from advocating for the measure, offered a series of lukewarm assessments about the ads claims that an estimated $120 billion in transportation investments over four decades will reduce the time youre stuck in traffic by 15% a day.

Its not exactly right, said David Yale, a senior executive officer, but its not a big leap of faith to dumb it down, if you will, like that.

Said Metro spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas: Theres a whole lot more behind it. It doesnt get into minutiae.

Our ads are very clear about the fact that Measure M will reduce traffic, and the alternative will not.  Yes on M spokesman Yusef Robb

Earlier this year, Metro hired Cambridge Systematics to examine what effect 10 highway projects and 15 new transit projects proposed in Measure M would have on congestion over time.

Without any upgrades to freeways or rail lines, the firm found, the 12.5 million people projected to be living in the county in 2057 will spend nearly 5.5 million hours delayed in traffic each day.

If Metro finishes the two dozen biggest highway and transit projects listed in Measure M, researchers found, the daily hours of delay would drop 15% to 4.6 million hours.

The 15% decrease would apply only to the time that drivers are delayed by slow traffic, not the total time spent commuting, Metro officials said. They added that the finding should not be applied to individual drivers because commutes can vary dramatically by location and time of day.

Traffic is likely to get worse whether or not rail is built.  INRIX economist Bob Pishue

Although such studies use the best information available, the results are still estimates. There are many unknowns, from where Angelenos will live and work in four decades to what effect autonomous vehicles could have on traffic.

Its commonplace for ballot initiative campaigns to hire their own experts, much like defense attorneys, who come up with results that prove their thesis, Robb said. Were proud that our ads rely on independent, credible and conservative traffic-reduction estimates.

The analysis did not take into account the estimated $22.5 billion that would be allocated for transportation improvements in cities, such as pothole repairs and left-hand turn signals, Robb added.

Measure M would raise the countys base sales tax rate by a half-cent in 2017 and would increase to 1% in 2039 after another half-cent tax expires. It requires a two-thirds majority to pass, always a high hurdle.

The measure, which Metro says would raise $120 billion in revenue over its first four decades, would fund more than a dozen new rail lines and extensions, including a rail tunnel through the Sepulveda Pass and lines to Pacoima, Artesia, Claremont and Torrance.

Metros half-cent sales tax increase would fund more than two dozen highway and transit projects across the county over the first four decades. (Lorena Iniguez / Los Angeles Times )

Emphasizing traffic relief to sell one of the most ambitious transit expansion plans in modern history underscores the political reality of a car-choked region in which four in five residents drive to work.

The lions share of Metros funding, and the capital for the construction of the regions 105-mile passenger rail network, come from three half-cent sales taxes approved in 1980, 1990 and 2008. All were advertised with drivers in mind. (The 2008 tax was dubbed Measure R, for traffic relief.)

Earlier this year, Metro launched a major advertising campaign on their website and on billboards across the county, reminding commuters that Metro eases traffic.

Transportation officials say a network of new lines, as well as more transfer points within the system, will dramatically increase transit ridership and reduce congestion on the freeways  a claim that researchers have contested.

Traffic is likely to get worse whether or not rail is built, said Bob Pishue, a senior economist at traffic data company INRIX. In some cases, he said, congestion may be slightly less bad if a rail line is built.

Voters who arent regular bus or rail riders often support transit initiatives because they hope it will make their own drive easier, Pishue said.

But if space on a freeway opens up, another car typically fills it. So-called induced demand, coupled with more people and more jobs, makes it difficult to reduce congestion in major cities over time without charging people more to drive.

Transit is trying to achieve a lot of other things other than reducing the hours of delay in traffic.  Metro senior executive officer David Yale

Aggressive tolling could immediately reduce L.A.s congestion, Yale said, and could lead to a decrease in traffic over the next few years. But, he added, those mechanisms are so unpopular and so hard to implement that we just dont see it happening.

When the first phase of the Expo Line opened between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City in 2012, officials heralded it as a way to reduce traffic on the 10 Freeway.

While the $1.5-billion route encouraged transit use and helped residents nearby reduce their daily driving, the Expo Line did not have a significant impact on speeds on the 10 or on major streets nearby, USC researchers found.

The findings were a reminder, researchers said, that politicians should be more realistic in how transit is sold to the public.

Most rail transit should be seen as an alternative to congestion, rather than the relief for congestion, Pishue said.

Measure M tax revenue would subsidize fares for seniors, students and the disabled, and new rail construction could help commuters add walking and biking into their daily routines, Yale said.

In the Metro-funded study, researchers noted that Measure M would make rail and bus rapid transit available to more job centers and to more transit-dependent Angelenos.

Transit is trying to achieve a lot of other things other than reducing the hours of delay in traffic, Yale said. This system will have more options.

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Esperanza Calderon stared at Sister Maria Socorro with half-closed eyes. The nun hunched over her as she reclined in a living room chair, wrapped in a blanket and slowly but inexorably dying.

As the 70-year-old womans sister clasped her hand, Socorro held a book open across her palms. Together the three women prayed.

Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, the woman followed along in Spanish, her voice fragile. But one word from you would be enough to heal me.

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A sister with the Servants of Mary, Socorro has spent many of her nights and dark, early mornings in the homes of the dying. Each night, a volunteer picks her up around 7 p.m. and drives her to her destination: a tiny stucco house just a few miles from the South Los Angeles convent.

The congregation was founded in Spain in 1851. As nurses, they worked during cholera epidemics and wars, and later in Mexico during revolutions. Now, more than 2,000 sisters work in 128 convents throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

The sisters prefer to minister in patients homes, but also work in hospices, orphanages and hospitals. And when needed, they take care of their own.

Many of their patients are immigrants, others born and bred in Los Angeles. Some pray to another God or to none at all. To the sisters, it doesnt matter.

Sister Maria Socorro gives holy communion to Yolanda Calderon at the beside of her sister, Esperanza. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times )

A tumor embedded itself in Calderons brain. Three years ago, doctors told her she had six months to live. She had a stroke about two years later. She cant walk. Calderons sister does almost everything for her, until late in the evening when the nun arrives.

The womans first name, Esperanza, means hope in Spanish. Socorro means help.

The bed is the cross, said the 46-year-old nun, who is also a trained nursing assistant. Christ is the patient.

Before getting Calderon to bed, Socorro gives her Communion. She reaches into a bag and pulls out a white handkerchief embroidered with the image of a red cross, a chalice, wheat and grapes  signs of the Eucharist. She unwraps the cloth and opens the small golden box it encases, reaching for the host.

Esperansita, she calls Calderon, who lifts her mouth toward the wafer in the sisters hand, and intones: The body of Christ.

Almost 30 years ago, a teenage Maria Roman went to a retreat hoping to persuade her little sister Sofia not to become a nun.

Sofia wanted to explore her options for a religious vocation and Maria, then 18, wouldnt have it.

You know, you can never go out if you become a nun, Maria warned her.

Sister Maria Socorro, center, mingles with priests and fellow nuns after a first vows ceremony. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times )

Sofia begged her older sister to go with her to the womens retreat in their native city of Puebla, Mexico. It was the only way their father would let Sofia go. Socorro said she couldnt bear watching her sister cry so she said yes.

More than 100 girls attended the retreat, but there wasnt enough food for all of them. They slept crammed together as if in barracks. The morning showers were frigid.

On the last day of the trip, as they sat in a pew for Mass, the priest began telling the Biblical story of the boy Samuel, who heard someone calling his name one night. He got out of bed and ran to the priest, Eli, but Eli told Samuel that it was not he who had called the boy.

This happened several times, the girls at the retreat were told, until Eli told Samuel that it was God speaking to him. Finally, when he realized he was being called, the boy spoke with God.

Socorro said the story she and her sister heard that day affected her deeply.

That passage was for me, she said. God was calling me.

Within a year, Maria would become Sister Maria Socorro, joining the Servants of Mary.

On a Friday night, Socorro asks Esperanza Calderon whether shes cold. She smooths two diaper pads covering the sheets and tucks the frail woman in.

I cry when they pass, or when I am comforting the family. Its normal. Its human.  Sister Maria Socorro

Afterward, she reaches into the leather overnight bag she brings to each home she visits. She pulls out a blood pressure monitor and wraps a cuff around Calderons skinny arm.

Minutes later, the nun and Calderons sister stand over her bed, heads bowed as they pray three Hail Marys. Yolanda Calderon kisses her sister on the forehead.

Socorro said the quiet before dawn breaks gives her time to pray and fortifies her to face death every night. Like other sisters in her order, she only stays with each patient for a month at a time. To stay longer could allow the women to become attached to their patients  and vice versa.

You get to know them, she says. I cry when they pass, or when I am comforting the family. Its normal. Its human.

Sometimes, she said, her patients ask her questions she cant answer. Why me? Why am I suffering? God has a better purpose for you, she tells them.

Sister Veronica cares for Sister Iris, who has dementia, in the cloistered area of the Servants of Mary convent in Oxnard. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times )

She hopes that she can help them die with dignity. She has seen men and women too afraid to sleep, afraid that they wont wake up. One man struggled to breathe at night, grunting in pain under an oxygen mask. He tugged at his clothing and yanked at the masks tubes.

Socorro hears the blankets rustle as she speaks. Calderon opens her eyes, which scan the living room in the dark, searching for the nun. People dont like dying alone  and dying, by its nature, is a lonely labor.

Around midnight, the nun tells Calderons sister to get some sleep.

Beneath the dull light of the cabinet behind her, she cracks open her Bible, asking God to watch over Esperanza Calderons soul. In the living room, she is surrounded by a crucifix, an image of Jesus and statues of the Virgin Mary.

After she finishes meditating, she begins to sew the handkerchiefs used to clean and cover the Communion chalice in church.

At 3 a.m., Calderon wakes up to use the bathroom. Socorro helps her to the commode beside the bed, then tucks her back in. As Calderon falls back to sleep, the sister opens her copy of a book written by Pope Francis.

The sun hasnt peeked over the horizon when she reaches the front stoop at the convent just after 5 a.m. Socorro greets her sisters, then stops by the chapel to pray the rosary. She helps prepare breakfast and cleans up around the house, finally crawling into bed around noon.

At night, shell stand vigil again.

sarah.parvini@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini

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Police say two people were arrested in connection with a shooting outside a San Francisco high school that left four students wounded earlier this week.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that San Francisco Police Department spokeswoman Officer Giselle Talkoff confirmed the arrests but did not provide their names, ages or genders. Two other suspects have not been found.

The gunfire rang out as students were leaving campus Tuesday, striking a female student who was believed to have been targeted and three other teens. All are 15.

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The shooting happened in the parking lot of the June Jordan School for Equity, a public school with a curriculum emphasizing social justice and opposition to violence.

The female victim remained in a hospital Thursday and is expected to recover. School officials say the three male juveniles wounded in the shooting were treated and released from a hospital.

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It sounds like a Halloween prank, but Sacramento police say it was all too real.

Authorities say a homeless woman led them to a decomposed body after she was seen walking down the street with a human skull on a stick.

Police told KTXL-TV that the woman was spotted Wednesday on Connie Drive.

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Police stopped her at an abandoned house.

Sgt. Bryce Heinlein says the woman told them she had found the skull and led them to an abandoned homeless camp about two blocks away. Thats where officers found the rest of a decomposing body.

The coroner will determine the identity of the remains and the cause of death.

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The sister of Alfred Olango has filed a claim against the city of El Cajon, saying the officer who fatally shot her brother last month was negligent.

Attorney Dan Gilleon, who is representing Lucy Olango, said in the claim that Officer Richard Gonsalves had ignored his training when he aggressively confronted Olango  despite being told by dispatchers that the man may be mentally ill.

The claim also asserts Gonsalves should have used less-than-lethal force or de-escalated the situation until a Psychiatric Emergency Response Team arrived. The team of mental health professionals is specially trained to assist officers dealing with people who are experiencing a mental health crisis.

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The lawsuit is demanding that officers follow the rules so the rest of us can have faith that we can call 911 and a loved one wont get shot and killed, Gilleon said Thursday.

Lucy Olango called 911 three times because her brother wasnt acting like himself the afternoon of Sept. 27. Dispatchers referred to the call as a 5150, which can refer to an incident involving a person who is mentally ill.

Two officers arrived nearly an hour after her first call, the claim said. Following a brief interaction, Olango, 38, pulled a vaping device out of his pants pocket and pointed it at the officers in a shooting stance, police said. One officer fired a Taser at him, and Gonsalves shot him with his gun. The shooting occurred about a minute after the officers arrived.

The claim also blames the department for the shooting, saying sexual harassment allegations against Gonsalves in 2015 indicated he was unfit for duty. Gideon said the officer, who was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant, should have been fired.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells said he stands by the decision at the time to keep Gonsalves on the police force. He said his city manager and human resources department extensively investigated the matter.

Im confident that they took the matter very seriously, Wells said.

Gilleon said his client feels guilt and regret for trusting the El Cajon Police Department and calling them for help.

Lucy Olangos claim, a precursor to filing a lawsuit, asserts that she suffered emotional distress in the wake of the shooting. It asks for more than $10,000 to cover economic damages for medical expenses and lost wages.

lindsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com

david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Winkley and Hernandez write for the San Diego Union-Tribune

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A Montana district court judge who caused a public uproar by imposing a two-month sentence on a father for repeatedly raping his 12-year-old daughter is about to step down from the bench.

But it will be retirement, not the public firestorm and petition to impeach him, that will send Valley County District Judge John McKeon packing Nov. 30. The judge had announced he was ending his 22-year judicial career in September, a month before he issued the controversial Oct. 4 sentence that launched a fast-moving effort to remove him from office.

McKeon nonetheless will depart with the sound of protest in his ears for rejecting the 25-year sentence recommended by prosecutors.

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The sentence may not be a popular decision by certain members of the general public, McKeon said in a statement, but it is a just and proper decision given the record before the court and the law the court is sworn to uphold.

A change.org petition to impeach the judge drew 3,000 signatures on its first day a week ago and as of Friday had swelled to more than 80,000 names, more than 10 times the population of Valley County, Mont., where McKeon presides.

It is time to start punishing the judges who let these monsters walk our streets, the petition says.

Launched by a group called Justice4Montana, the drive is the latest example of voters pushing back against judges they believe have handed down lenient sentences, a movement driven by Internet activism.

The targets have included another Montana judge, G. Todd Baugh, who issued a 30-day sentence to a former high school teacher who raped a 14-year-old student. Baugh had also put blame on the victim, saying she was as much in control of the situation as the teacher. The girl committed suicide before the case went to trial, and public pressure led to judicial censoring of Baugh and a far harsher sentence for the ex-teacher  10 years in state prison.

In Orange County last year, an online effort to remove Judge M. Marc Kelly from the bench failed when it fell short of the necessary signatures. Kelly had sentenced a 20-year-old man to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl, though prosecutors contended that state law mandated a term of 25 years to life.

Most prominently, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky is still trying to stave off a recall drive after sentencing Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman last year. Turner, who has already completed his sentence, is a free man, U.S. Senate candidate and Orange County congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said last month. And yet women who have been sexually assaulted are still prisoners of fear.

In Montana, organizers of the McKeon impeachment point out that the judge sentenced the 40-year-old father to 60 days of incarceration with credit for time already served, meaning he will only serve 43 days for the brutal sexual assault, which prosecutors described as repeated molestations and rapes. The Times is not naming the father in order to protect the girls identity.

Organizers acknowledge on the petition site that the state Judicial Standards Commission must review this case to right this wrong, but in the meantime, we can ensure Judge McKeon doesnt get to retire and collect a paycheck from taxpayers after failing to fulfill his duty as a judge.

They did not explain how an impeachment process could begin and end prior to McKeons retirement in about six weeks. According to Montana law, either two-thirds of the state Legislature must vote for impeachment to get the ball rolling or a judicial commission must recommend McKeons impeachment be considered by the state Supreme Court.

A plea agreement between the father and prosecutors had recommended a 100-year sentence with 75 years suspended. The father would also have to enter into a sexual offender treatment program and pay costs of therapy and treatment for the daughter.

McKeon said the 25-year punishment did not fit the crime. He cited four issues he had to consider in sentencing  the degree of harm, public safety, recovery of the victim and reintegration of an offender.

He noted that the mans mother and wife urged the court to be lenient and cited a sentencing exception that permits psychiatric treatment in lieu of prison time in some cases. McKeon also gave the man a 30-year suspended sentence, meaning he could be sent to prison if he violates conditions of his probation.

A member of the Montana Sex Offender Treatment Assn., Michael Sullivan, said at the sentencing that the father could be safely treated and supervised as a sex offender in the community, the Billings Gazette reported. McKeon said the father may have no contact with the daughter and must go through treatment.

The father got the sentence he deserved, McKeon said, because the court cannot ignore these legal standards.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

Indias Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Baku to participate in the 4th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Indian intergovernmental commission in the end of October, the Azerbaijan Entrepreneurs Confederation said Oct. 21.

In the framework of her visit, a meeting of entrepreneurs of both countries will be held Oct. 25. Mutual investments and other issues are to be discussed at the meeting.

Deputy Economy Minister Sahil Babayev, President of Azerbaijans Confederation of Entrepreneurs Mammad Musayev, Head of Azerbaijans Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) Rufat Mammadov and others will also take part in the event.

According to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, trade turnover between India and Azerbaijan amounted to $316.4 million as of January-September 2016, about $277 million accounting for export to India.

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Public employees in California are not only much more likely to receive a pension than their counterparts in the private sector, but their pensions have an unusual degree of protection under law. Thanks to a doctrine called the California rule, pension benefits for current public employees may not be reduced after theyve started work. Any change that lowers the value of one aspect of a pension has to be offset by improvements elsewhere that are worth at least as much.

In other words, the pension elevator can go up (even retroactively), but it cannot go down. And as a result of this inflexibility, numerous local governments around the state have struggled to cover the growing cost of the pensions theyve promised.

At the California Public Employees Retirement System, for example, the gap between the amount owed to current and future retirees and the amount set aside is about $100 billion. And because they couldnt legally reduce the pensions value or cost, the only real options for government employers were to lay off staff, deny pay hikes or try to persuade their unions to accept less costly pension plans for new hires. Those moves have put a squeeze public services  and the employees who provided them.

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Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers responded four years ago with a pension reform law that reduced the maximum benefits for future state and local workers  those hired after Jan. 1, 2013. It also barred pension spiking  the practice of lumping unused sick leave and vacation time, hours spent on call and other forms of compensation into the pay on which a pension is based  for all employees.

After the financially troubled Marin County Employees Retirement Assn. implemented the ban on pension spiking, however, workers there sued, saying the new state law cut their benefits in violation of the state Constitution. A Superior Court judge upheld the ban, and in August a three-judge panel on the Court of Appeal agreed in a 40-page opinion that took direct aim at how courts have been interpreting the 1983 state Supreme Court decision that buttressed the California rule. The opinion, written by Justice James Richman, held that pension benefits that workers have not yet accrued can, in fact, be reduced. And those reductions do not have to be offset, Richman wrote, as long as the pensions are still reasonable.

This is a fair reading of the law. The benefits workers have already accrued and that are promised by their current contracts should be sacrosanct; the ones they have not yet earned for work they have not yet performed should be subject to limited amendment if necessary to ensure the health of the pension fund. This can serve the employees interests too  for example, they may prefer to increase their pension contributions in order to avoid layoffs or pay freezes. Nor is anyone served when local governments go bankrupt, raising the possibility of cutting benefits for current retirees too.

But its not clear just how much latitude Richmans ruling gives governments. Thats why the Supreme Court should agree to hear the Marin County employees appeal and clarify what a reasonable pension means. State and local governments need more flexibility to tackle the enormous challenge that their pension obligations present. But there also need to be clear limits on how far governments can go in adjusting the benefits that current workers may accrue in the future.

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Whenever women make a claim on roles that have belonged to men, this is what theyre told: You dont belong. You cant handle it. Here are this years variations: You dont look presidential. You dont have the stamina.

The same negative litany was heard repeatedly when the historically male Ivy League colleges and universities were contemplating co-education. For generations it had been an article of faith that women did not belong there. When the men in charge of these institutions decided in the late 1960s that they had to admit women, it wasnt out of high-minded regard for equal rights; they acted on the basis of self-interest. Applications from the most talented male high school students were starting to decline. Those young men  the colleges called them the best boys  wanted to go to college with women. Admitting women was a deliberate move on the part of schools such as Yale and Princeton to recapture their hold on talented men.

But where university administrators saw strategic advantage, many alumni saw heresy. My university, Princeton, affords a case in point.

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A member of the class of 1936 objected to diluting Princetons sturdy masculinity with disconcerting, mini-skirted young things...

If Princeton goes coeducational, a member of the class of 1932 declared, my alma mater will have been taken away from me, and PRINCETON IS DEAD. A member of the class of 1936 objected to diluting Princetons sturdy masculinity with disconcerting, mini-skirted young things cavorting on its playing fields.

Disrupting the special spirit, the cherished all-male camaraderie that made Princeton so successful, was bad enough. Perhaps more important, as a member of the class of 1955 argued, educating women would diminish Princetons contribution to the nations service, since women would never use their education and talents in public service to the same extent as a male who spends full time at his profession. In short, for every woman admitted to Princeton, a man  a potential leader  would be denied that opportunity.

Princeton was by no means unique. The same objections to coeducation were heard at Yale, among other places. The president of Yale, Kingman Brewster Jr., caused a significant stir in the first year of undergraduate coeducation by assuring alumni that the university was committed to producing 1,000 male leaders, making plain that undergraduate women were merely add-ons at Yale, and definitely not material for the halls of power.

Thirty years later, in the early 2000s, women would account for half the undergraduates at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth, and they were beginning to be named presidents of Ivy League universities. When Shirley Tilghman became president of Princeton in 2001, she named a woman as provost. Soon there were senior women administrators throughout the university: dean of the college, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, dean of engineering, dean of admission. One disgruntled member of the class of 1940 doubtless spoke for many alumni when he called the Princeton administration a damned matriarchy.

Misogyny is not such a surprising response to such a fundamental change. To retreat from such discomfort, condescension and anger, one needs to be able to imagine women as leaders. Proof of concept helps: Tilghmans appointment at Princeton was soon followed by Amy Gutmann, who succeeded Judith Rodin at Penn, Ruth Simmons (and later Christina Paxson) at Brown, and Drew Gilpin Faust at Harvard. It is no longer surprising to find women in as many as half the presidencies in the Ivy League.

In the corporate world, too, it is no longer surprising to find women running Fortune 500 companies (Mary Barra at General Motors, Meg Whitman at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Virginia Rometty at IBM, Irene Rosenfeld at Mondelez International and Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo).

Every step of this kind matters. Each female CEO, governor, senator and Supreme Court justice is another proof of concept demonstrating that what men have done, women can do too. Their accomplishments expand our vision and set a context in which we learn to imagine women as leaders.

A century after American women won the right to vote, when women comprise more than half the population of the United States and more than half of American college students are women, it is beyond question that a woman would run for president. And it is wholly plausible that she not only looks the part but that she can succeed in the job.

Nancy Weiss Malkiel is the author of  Keep the Damned Women Out: The Struggle for Coeducation.

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To the editor: Any effort to proselytize minor children (except ones own) should be swiftly and effectively countered. If, for example, a Satanic priestess tried to convert a youth whose parents were raising him to be a Christian, Id be fine with laws subjecting her to civil or criminal penalties. Same goes for anyone who tries to convert an atheist couples child to Christianity. (Yes, an after-school Satan Club could be coming to your kids grade school, Oct. 19)

The problem with allowing any religion to be promoted on public school grounds is that parents cant be present to check the overwhelming influence of faculty members and peers. Although after-hours participation in a schools evangelical Good News Club may nominally be voluntary, a student who declines may be viewed as an infidel, to be socially marginalized or ostracized.

Im no fan of Satanists, but I applaud their effort to open After School Satan Clubs at schools that indulge Good News Clubs. There may be no better way to persuade public school administrators that their campuses should be kept free of religion.

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Aaron Mills, Solana Beach

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To the editor: The soul of Venice is not homeless people sleeping on a sidewalk. Its the creative spirit of people being able to be creative. If youre struggling to physically survive, theres no room for such spirit. (Fears mount over a homeless plan that residents say will end Venice as we know it, Oct. 18)

Outsiders have always mistaken the carnival aspect of the boardwalk for the spirit of Venice. The real creative aspect of this area was made up of those living and working here in their studios or workshops. Venice once had the feel and the affordability that allowed people to express their creativity. It was a national and international melting pot where every eccentricity or expression was instantly accepted.

This was the spirit of Venice.

That has been replaced with software programmers working on a computer 10 hours a day, the trendiest fashion street in the U.S. and the highest number to date of homeless fighting for a joint and a meal. I dont see how you can even mention the word spirit.

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Michele Castagnetti, Venice

..

To the editor: Venice residents opposed to locating services for homeless people in their neighborhood  as Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin proposes for the area  do not want to see these individuals in their alleys, doorways and parks. But these same residents would rather not have these people housed in their area either.

Sounds like an insupportable position to me. People, you dont get to have it both ways.

People who say they dont want formerly homeless people (as they would be once they have housing) in their neighborhood because they are afraid for the safety of their children are apparently ignorant of the fact that about 90% of children who are abused are harmed by their parents or someone they know, not by some random stranger down the street.

My suggestion is that people grow up and face the reality that all of us are in this together.

Marsha Temple, Los Angeles

The writer is executive director of the nonprofit Integrated Recovery Network.

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To the editor: As a 34-year working-class, sober resident of Venice, I have witnessed the homeless  or roofless, as they like to call themselves nowadays  transform this community from the creative oasis it was to todays downright creepy environment. Many of these homeless, many of whom originate from different cities and states, are young, drug- and alcohol-addicted and like the freedom to party at the beach.

Those who insist, as Bonin does, on expanding homeless services in Venice must also embrace its future not as a tax-producing tourist attraction, but as a community about to clothe itself with cardboard and duct tape.

Michael Ryan, Venice

..

To the editor: It pains me to say it, but some of my Venice neighbors sound to me like Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump when they talk about the homeless. Build a wall translates into make them go somewhere else. Immigrants are rapists and murderers becomes putting me and my children in jeopardy.

Lets get real: Homeless people need a community too. Denying them the opportunity for affordable housing seems like a good way to ensure that they continue living on the street.

Bravo to Bonin for taking on this charged issue and talking some sense about it.

Chris Tilly, Venice

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Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorses marijuana legalization initiative By Patrick McGreevy Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday endorsed a marijuana legalization initiative. ((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) ) Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday became the latest high-profile politician to endorse an initiative on next weeks ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California. Villaraigosa is considering whether to run for governor in 2018 amid a field that already includes Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a leading proponent of Proposition 64. I took my time on this measure because I wanted to make sure it included protections for children and public safety, Villaraigosa said in a statement. In evaluating the measure in its entirety, I am convinced there are enough safeguards to make it a workable proposition. The Proposition 64 campaign welcomed Villaraigosas endorsement at a time when one recent poll indicated slightly fewer than half of Latino voters support the measure. Were glad to have it, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the campaign. Facebook

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Conservative group spends $3.5 million on Central Valley race once considered safe By Sarah D. Wire The Congressional Leadership Fund is pouring another $1.5 million into the race between Rep. Jeff Denham and Democrat farmer Michael Eggman. The group, which is endorsed by House Republican leaders, and works with the American Action Network, has now spent $3.5 million in the race. The race was initially viewed as an easy win for Denham (R-Turlock), but has become increasingly uncertain in recent weeks. The district is being closely watched as an indicator of how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might affect down-ballot candidates. Democrats have spent more than $6 million in the district. The Congressional Leadership Fund and American Action Network have spent $45 million in 32 districts nationwide so far and have aired ads in other California House races, including in the nearby 21st District race between Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and attorney Emilio Huerta and the 7th District race between Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. The groups newest ad in the 10th District race begins running on television Tuesday. It calls Eggman, an almond and bee farmer, an extreme liberal and a rubber stamp for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) because he supports the Affordable Care Act. It previously ran an ad against Eggman that used news footage from the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack. ------------ FOR THE RECORD 2:14 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the Congressional Leadership Fund as the Conservative Leadership Fund. ------------ Facebook

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The Rev. Al Sharpton and civil rights leaders hold rally in support of Proposition 61 By Christine Mai-Duc The Rev. Al Sharpton kicks off a rally and march in support of Proposition 61, the California ballot measure that seeks to lower the price state agencies pay for prescription drugs. The Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders gathered at a rally Monday morning to support Proposition 61, the ballot measure that seeks to lower the price state agencies pay for prescription drugs. Sharpton appeared alongside black community leaders, including Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor and head of the National Urban League, and Kevin Sauls, pastor of a South L.A. church. This issue is very simple, Sharpton said to a crowd of about 40 supporters. Its about the right of people to afford what they need, and they need to have accessibility that is affordable with prescription drugs. He likened the issue of prescription drug affordability to a civil right, and recycled the well-known Yes We Can slogan from President Obamas 2008 election to urge voters to pass Proposition 61. Sharptons appearance came a day after he and Morial stumped for the measure at seven different churches in South Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The significance of bringing in people of color is that we are the ones who disproportionately are impacted by the prices and impacted by the need for healthcare, Sharpton said in an interview afterward. I think its a civil right for people to be able to afford healthcare in the wealthiest nation in the world. Appearance of Sharpton, New Orleans mayor Marc Morial and LA pastor follows Sharpton's visits to two South LA churches Sunday for Yes on 61 pic.twitter.com/redBvU8WWZ  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) October 31, 2016 In a statement, No on Proposition 61 spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks pointed to support for the opposition campaign from groups like the California NAACP, and the California League of Latin American Citizens. Higher drug prices resulting from Prop. 61 will decrease access to care, Fairbanks said. Thats a policy step in the wrong direction. The Rev. Al Sharpton at a Yes on Proposition 61 rally in downtown Los Angeles. (Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Voters are being asked whether they want to cast more votes in future elections on big public works projects By John Myers (Russel A. Daniels / Associated Press) Voters casting a ballot for Proposition 53 on election day are, in effect, choosing more voting on more propositions in future elections. The ballot measure, bankrolled by a wealthy Stockton agribusiness owner, seeks to force voter approval of a particular type of borrowing for large public works projects. Its most likely impact, in the near future, would be ballot measures on a landmark water project and on Californias high-speed rail effort. The propositions backer, Dean Cortopassi, argues its all about more transparency when it comes to government debt. His critics suggest theres more to it than that. Read More Facebook

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This congressional race could be one of the Republicans worst nightmares By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Jeff Denham represents the Modesto area in Congress and is up against Democratic beekeeper Michael Eggman, the same man he beat just two years ago by 12 points. Denham first won his seat in 2012 even as a majority of his constituents voted for President Obama. When Denham (R-Turlock) started this latest campaign, most observers thought he would probably win. But some now wonder if Denhams 10th District race will be an example of what Republicans fear across the country. Will conservatives expected to win actually lose because voters arent excited about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? Read More Facebook

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Rep. Loretta Sanchezs day on the campaign trail: Two ribbons cut, one candle lit, and jabs made at her Senate rival By Phil Willon U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez shows Clifford Young, president of the West Valley Water District, where to cut the ribbon for the grand opening on a new water treatment plant Saturday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) With less than two weeks to go before election day, U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez bounced from the Inland Empire to Monterey Park on Saturday as she tries to drum up support for her uphill Senate bid. Sanchez, the U.S. representative from Orange, started her day with a gaggle of other Inland Empire politicians at the grand opening of a $23-million water treatment system in Rialto, using the occasion to lay out her record on water issues during her 20 years in Congress. Sanchez told the crowd of about 60 that shortly after she was elected to Congress, two members of a local water board approached her about a way to deal with Californias serious drought. They said, we need to convince people that were going to take toilet water and were going to clean it up enough for people to drink it, Sanchez said. They said, we cant get anyone to champion this for us. Well, no wonder. Sanchez said they won her over, and she helped deliver federal funding for Orange Countys Groundwater Replenishment System to do just that. The system uses treated waste water to recharge the local groundwater basin and provides enough water for nearly 850,000 residents. After the event, Sanchez accused her rival in the Senate race, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, of having little grasp of the complexities of Californias drought and water crisis. One of the biggest differences between my opponent and myself is that I actually talk about issues, I actually meet with people, I actually try to figure out whats going on, Sanchez said. Ive not seen anything about her. Ive not seen any policy. All I see is commercials on TV. U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) officially opens the childrens Diwali celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Chino Hills on Saturday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) A few hours later, Sanchez raced over to Chino Hills to open the Kids Diwali Celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple, a family-friendly event filled with carnival rides, booths and food. She thanked festivalgoers, saying they were setting a good example for the rest of the country at a time when the presidential election is filled with such meanness. This is a time where through tradition and through culture you can show Americans the better part of people, Sanchez said. You give the rest of us hope. After listening to Sanchez speak, Kay Mistry, a volunteer at the festival, said he still wasnt sure who he will vote for in the Senate race. He said he was aware that Harris, whose mother emigrated from India, went to a Hindu temple as a child. Im not sure that matters to me, said Mistry, 48, of Chino Hills. Im pretty conservative. Sanchez attends her second ribbon cutting of the day, this time for Halloween in the Park in Monterey Park. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) The Orange County congresswomans final stop of the day was in Monterey Park, where she helped cut the ribbon to open citys Halloween in the Park festival. After the ceremony, Sanchez mingled with the crowd, handing out campaign fliers. Arnold Jeung, 62, stuck the flier in his back pocket. He said he didnt know much about Sanchez or Harris. Im not sure what Im going to do, said Jeung, a Republican. I might not even vote. Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: The lowdown on the states big down-ticket races By John Myers Perhaps more than any other recent election season, races for seats in the California Legislature and U.S. Congress are being reshaped by the broad, national discussion. In short, its the Trump effect. On this weeks episode of the California Politics Podcast, we take an overview of some of states most closely watched down-ticket races. Theres new polling data in the U.S. Senate race that suggests a sizable number of voters will skip casting a ballot. Meanwhile, President Obama had endorsed candidates all the way down to the state Assembly level. Im joined by Marisa Lagos of KQED News and Anthony York, author of the Grizzly Bear Project website. Facebook

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California, your official presidential write-in options include Bernie Sanders and Evan McMullin By Christine Mai-Duc Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is one of five officially certified write-in candidates for president in California. (Christopher Dolan / Associated Press) California Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the names of the five officially qualified write-in candidates for the presidential race in California, along with their vice presidential running mates. Contrary to popular belief, votes for write-in candidates only count when the candidate is officially certified. (That means votes for Mickey Mouse, Giant Meteor, or Chuck Norris will not be counted.) The officially qualified write-in candidates are: Laurence Kotlikoff for president and Edward Leamer for vice president

Mike Maturen for president and Juan Munoz for vice president

Evan McMullin for president and Nathan Johnson for vice president

Bernard Bernie Sanders for president and Tulsi Gabbard for vice president

Jerry White for president and Niles Niemuth for vice president Now, that doesnt mean that Sanders and the other candidates wanted to be recognized as official write-ins. California law only requires that 55 electors sign on to declare a person a write-in candidate, not that the person consent, according to a statement from the Secretary of States Office.

A full list of each candidates electors can be seen here. Write-in votes for these candidates will not be reported until the counties send their final vote certifications after the post-election canvass period, meaning a write-in vote will take longer to count. You might be wondering: Does spelling count? The Secretary of State says election officials will accept a reasonable facsimile of the spelling of a candidates name. For example, Joe Smith and Joseph Smith would both be accepted. Facebook

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Dueling ads aim to persuade Latinos on proposition to legalize marijuana in California By Patrick McGreevy With a poll indicating Latino voters lag in their support for a ballot proposition that would legalize recreation marijuana in California, the campaigns for and against the measure are launching dueling ads aimed at that large demographic. A poll Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Proposition 64 is favored by a majority of likely voters in California, including a majority of all ethnic groups, except Latinos. Latinos support is just under half at 47%. The campaign against the ballot measure will launch its second ad on Spanish language television, titled Asusta or Scary on Halloween. The ad warns if approved, Proposition 64 could eventually lead to radio and television ads for marijuana candy. Federal law prohibits such ads on broadcast stations, and the initiative prohibits television advertising aimed at minors if federal law ever changes. The campaign in favor of the ballot measure said Friday it has launched new counter TV ads targeted to the Los Angeles area, where there is a large Latino audience. One ad, for Spanish language television, labels as falso, or false, the claims that there will be television commercials for marijuana candy. A second ad, in English, features a mother of teenagers saying she appreciates that Proposition 64 has important safeguards for families, like strict product labeling and child-proof packaging of all marijuana products and banning edibles that would appeal to a child. The two sides each claimed Friday that the polls are favorable to their cause. The polls highlight the lack of support by the Latino community because they know their neighborhoods will have to face the problems that recreational marijuana creates, said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the opposition campaign. Not true, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the Proposition 64 campaign. Polls show that Latino support for Proposition 64 and marijuana decriminalization has been increasing as they learn how communities of color are being disproportionately targeted for marijuana arrest and prosecution, he said. Facebook

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorses ballot measure to repeal the death penalty in California By Jazmine Ulloa (Win McNamee / Getty Images) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) on Friday announced her support for a proposition that would repeal the death penalty in California, calling the practice cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment to the Constitution. Even the most heinous of crimes can be punished without killing, she said. As Pope Francis said in his address to Congress, where he reaffirmed his advocacy for the global abolition of the death penalty: every human person is endowed with an unalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Pelosi is among a string of top political leaders, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and celebrities to come out in support of Proposition 62, which would replace the punishment with life in prison without parole and apply life sentences retroactively to death row inmates. The initiative is one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot. She also is among fewer political leaders to denounce the death penalty itself on moral grounds. I oppose the death penalty because too many defendants have not had access to appropriate legal counsel; because poor people  especially in communities of color  have been disproportionately charged with capital crimes and sentenced to death, compared with more affluent defendants; and, so many people have been exonerated with DNA evidence. It is time for us to take a moral stand. Read More Facebook

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Obama endorses Emilio Huerta in his Central Valley race against Rep. David Valadao By Sarah D. Wire (Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times) President Obama on Friday endorsed 21st District congressional candidate Emilio Huerta, the Democrats campaign announced. I am proud to endorse Emilio Huerta for the United States House of Representatives, Obama said in a statement released by the campaign. In Congress, Emilio will be a fighter for Central Valley working families. Emilio isnt afraid to take on tough challenges, and hell fight for more and better access to clean water, good jobs with fair wages, and an education system that works for every child. Emilio is the kind of smart leader who will build on what weve accomplished and move our country forward, and thats why I know Californians can count on Emilio Huerta. Huerta, an attorney and son of labor rights icon Dolores Huerta, is challenging Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley district. Obama had already endorsed six California Democrats. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was in the district Thursday to campaign for Valadao. Hes in the middle of a swing through California to support vulnerable House Republicans. David Valadao is exactly the type of representative Central Valley families and those involved in the agriculture industry need. He understands the issues impacting the area, because thats been his life. David was born in the Central Valley, he grew up there, he went to school there -- and he even met his wife there. In Congress, he has led the fight on water, veterans issues, and education, Ryan said in a statement. Facebook

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Comedian Kathy Griffin pokes fun at tobacco company ads By Liam Dillon The tobacco industry-funded television advertisements against the Proposition 56 tobacco tax increase are ubiquitous. They all generally have the same message: The money from the tax hike would go to Medi-Cal, the states low-income healthcare program, and therefore benefit the doctors and insurance groups that are helping finance the measure. Comedian Kathy Griffin decided to spoof the advertisements follow-the-money message in a video she released on Twitter Tuesday. Hey @YesOn56...I had to get involved! #YesOn56 https://t.co/ZXURPBZYZP  Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) October 27, 2016 Griffin highlighted that tobacco companies had funded the advertisement, which is clear when you read the fine print at the end. So in general just be careful of these opposite ads, Griffin said, dressed in a similar gardening outfit as the actress in the No on 56 ad. Or in general white ladies gardening. You can watch Griffins full spoof here: Facebook

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Los Angeles County Bar says expediting the death penalty system will compromise justice By Jazmine Ulloa The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has joined opponents of a Nov. 8 ballot measure that intends to expedite executions in California, saying it would likely compromise access to justice at all levels of the court system. In a letter released late Wednesday, the organization, which comprises more than 20,000 members, said Proposition 66 would require appellate courts to hear initial death penalty appeals, without providing the roughly $100 million needed to fund additional judges, staff and resources. LACBA opposes Proposition 66 based entirely on its damaging effect on the operation of an already over-taxed judicial system, and most importantly, the resulting lack of access to justice for California citizens, states the letter signed by Margaret Stevens, the associations president. The association said it took no position on the death penalty itself, its effectiveness, morality or social merits. But its opposition to the ballot measure comes as top Los Angeles County officials, including Sheriff Jim McDonnell and Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, have announced their support. Proposition 66 has drawn wide support and funding from law enforcement officials and organizations that argue Californias death penalty must be preserved and reformed. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown launches TV ad against Prop. 53s change to state revenue bonds By John Myers Its a nuanced pitch from Gov. Jerry Brown, asking California voters to oppose an effort that would give them a vote on future big infrastructure projects. But Brown has more than $15 million in campaign cash to make his case against Proposition 53, in a TV ad that began on Thursday. Proposition 53 asks voters to add revenue bonds of $2 billion or more to the list of government borrowing that requires statewide voter approval. Unlike general obligation bonds, which are paid back by taxpayer dollars through the states general fund, revenue bonds are paid back with fees charged to users of projects like bridges, dams and buildings. Brown takes aim in the ad at the fact that 53 is paid for by one millionaire, Central Valley agribusiness owner Dean Cortopassi. In an interview this week, Cortopassi called revenue bonds a blank check to sell debt forward into the future. Proposition 53 could force statewide votes on two high-profile infrastructure projects: Californias plan for a high-speed train system and the construction of twin underground tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California. Facebook

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New citizens can still register to vote Nov. 8 even though the California deadline has passed By Sophia Bollag Thomas Macariola, center, fills out a voter registration form after a naturalization ceremony on Oct. 26 in Sacramento, where a cardboard cut-out of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was among the witnesses. (Sophia Bollag / Los Angeles Times) Alex De Leon, a 30-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, was among more than 400 people who became U.S. citizens at a ceremony in Sacramento on Wednesday. After the program concluded, he walked outside and filled out his voter registration papers. The registration deadline to vote in the Nov. 8 election for most Californians was Monday. But a 2012 state law allows people like De Leon, who became citizens after the deadline, to register late. To vote, they must bring proof of citizenship and California residency to show to an official at a county election office. As a precaution against voter fraud, theyre not allowed to vote at a neighborhood polling place or with an absentee ballot. Read More Facebook

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A new poll shows Californians remain ready to legalize the recreational use of pot By Patrick McGreevy (David Zalubowski / Associated Press) A majority of Californias likely voters continue to favor legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, but the level of support has dipped from a reported 60% a month ago to 55% this month, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday night. The latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found 38% of those surveyed oppose Proposition 64 and 6% are undecided. But the basic finding is that the initiative would still pass with a majority vote if the election were held today, according to Mark Baldassare, the institutes pollster and president. The numbers have been favorable, consistent, and exactly where we expected and wanted to be at this point, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the Proposition 64 campaign. The poll was conducted Oct. 14-23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4% at a 95% confidence level. Proposition 64 is supported by 66% of Democratic likely voters and 56% of independents, but 60% of Republicans are opposed. Just under half of Latino likely voters (47%) would vote yes, while majorities of other racial/ethnic groups (65%) and whites (55%) would do so, the poll report said. Support is highest, at 78%, among those age 18 to 34. The opposition campaign said the campaign for Proposition 64 has turned voters away from the measure. It is clear that voters are realizing that Prop 64 is a 62-page mess that helps the marijuana industry tap into the California market, said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the campaign against the initiative. Those polled were also asked whether they have ever tried marijuana and, if so, if they used it in the last year: 18% said they have tried marijuana and used it in the last year, while 25% said they have tried it, but not in the last year. Updated at 9:30 am to include comments by the campaigns. Facebook

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New poll shows Kamala Harris leading Californias U.S. Senate race by a 2-to-1 margin By Phil Willon U.S. Senate candidates Kamala Harris, left, points a finger toward rival Loretta Sanchez during their debate at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday, Oct. 5. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) With ballots already being cast, State Atty. General Kamala Harris leads by a more than a two-to-one margin over her rival in Californias U.S. Senate race, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. The survey showed that 42% of likely voters supported Harris, compared to 20% who favored her opponent, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Among the remainder, 20% of voters were undecided and 18% said they will not vote for either candidate by election day on Nov. 8. The results are dramatically different that those in a PPIC released on Sept. 21, when Harris had just a 7-point lead over Sanchez. But the new poll numbers are closely aligned with results in the June 7 primary, when Harris received 40% of the vote and Sanchez came in second with 19% in a race with 34 candidates on the ballot. In a PPIC poll in July, Harris also had 38% support among likely voters and Sanchez 20%. From the start this has been a race in which Harris, who did very well in the primary, has had a large advantage, said PPIC President Mark Baldassare. Loretta Sanchez hasnt been able to, in any of our polls, get above 25% Unlike the PPICs surveys in July and September, the new poll included the ballot designations for the two Senate candidates, listing Harris as Attorney General of California and Sanchez as a United States Congresswoman. Both Harris and Sanchez are Democrats. There also have been a few major developments in the Senate campaign since Sept. 21, including the Oct. 5 Senate debate at Cal State Los Angeles where Sanchez caused a stir by dabbing as her finale. The following day, U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein endorsed Harris. Both Harris and Sanchez are trying to succeed Boxer, who is retiring after serving four terms in the Senate. According to the new PPIC poll, Harris is favored over Sanchez across all general income and education levels of voters, as well as among both men and women. Harris also leads in these major regions of the state: Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, Orange and San Diego counties, and the Inland Empire. Latinos are the only major cross-section of likely voters who favor Sanchez over Harris, by a margin of 41% to 33%, the poll shows. Harris also gained support from Republicans and independents over the past month, mostly likely from voters who previously said they would not vote. Still, more than a third of likely Republican voters said they would not vote for Sanchez or Harris, and 16% of independent voters also plan to take a pass. The two Democrats are facing off in the highest-profile contest between two members of the same party since California adopted a top-two primary election system. Facebook

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Will the Defense Department fix the National Guard bonus repayment problem? California congressional reps are skeptical By Sarah D. Wire (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press) Some members of Californias congressional delegation arent satisfied with a Defense Department plan to verify whether thousands of California National Guard members fairly received bonuses for enlisting during the height of the Iraq war or must repay the money. They said Wednesday that they want a detailed plan by the time Congress returns in mid-November. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) organized a call so that Californias 53 House members could question the Defense Department about how it plans to fix the problem, which was first reported Sunday by The Times. Members werent sure exactly how many of their colleagues were on the call. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday ordered the Pentagon to pause efforts to claw back the enlistment bonuses. He said the suspension would continue until he was satisfied that our process is working effectively. Congressional members told The Times that Defense officials said they plan to increase the number of employees reviewing the cases and expect all of them will be examined by July. After the call, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) said she was still outraged and wants a more detailed plan from the Defense Department. There was definitely a level of skepticism that they would move forward on this in a very fair and evenhanded way, Brownley said. Department officials told the delegation there are 13,800 questionable bonus cases in California. Of those, 4,000 have been cleared as properly eligible and 1,200 cases identified as possible fraud, meaning the guard member was not eligible or did not complete the contract. The department still must review the remaining 8,600 cases. (The case numbers relayed to members of Congress on Wednesday differ slightly from those provided to The Times by the department.) Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) said the Defense Department told members its plan is to clear up to 100 cases a day. They will give everybody a chance to go through the panels and make their case, she said, even the 1,200 identified as possible fraud. Brownleys staff said some Guard members were told to pay back more than $60,000. Many of the bonuses were at least $15,000. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said that in many cases, Guard members werent spending money they knew they werent supposed to receive, and that the Pentagon should have the burden of proving the soldier knowingly took a bonus they werent supposed to get. In the vast majority of cases, soldiers accepted these bonuses in good faith, Schiff said. You dont call them up years later and say, We shouldnt have offered that and try to collect. The department will give the California members another briefing when Congress returns Nov. 14. Brownley said several members told the department they would go ahead with legislation to forgive the bonus debt for at least some Guard members if a detailed plan was not ready by then. Facebook

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Latinos in California are motivated to vote against Donald Trump, and that could affect a lot of other races By Sophia Bollag Voters make their way in and out of a polling place at the House of Mercy in Los Angeles in November 2012. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Latinos make up the largest ethnic group in California, but are often underrepresented at the polls. This year, however, experts say they expect good Latino turnout in November, thanks largely to the heated presidential election that is motivating many Latinos to vote against presidential candidate Donald Trump and his anti-immigration rhetoric. They stand to have considerable impact on many down-ballot races in California, as well as on the outcome of many statewide propositions. Read More Facebook

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Tom Steyer is now the biggest donor in the effort to raise the tobacco tax By Liam Dillon Billionaire Tom Steyer is now the largest donor in the effort to raise the states cigarette tax by $2 a pack. With a $3.5-million donation to the Yes on Proposition 56 campaign Tuesday, Steyers total spending on the race has reached $11.3 million. Thats more than a third of the $31 million the primary Yes on 56 committee has raised and more than all the money raised during a similar, but failed, effort to increase the tobacco tax four years ago. Steyer, who is a major donor to state and national liberal causes, is the focus in two Yes on 56 television advertisements. Hes said hes motivated to spend to limit youth smoking and the memory of his mother, a smoker who died of lung cancer. Steyer also is frequently mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2018. The No on 56 campaign, which is almost entirely funded by tobacco companies, has raised $71 million. Facebook

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California congressional reps say they didnt know so many Guard members were being forced to repay enlistment bonuses By Sarah D. Wire Some of Californias members of Congress say Californias National Guard did not explain in 2014 how many guard members were being forced to repay enlistment bonuses. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ordered the Pentagon to suspend all efforts to collect reimbursement from the nearly 10,000 California National Guard members who were improperly given bonuses as an incentive to reenlist at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier in the week, a senior California National Guard official said it told the states members of Congress two years ago the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action. After The Times first reported the problem Sunday, most of Californias 55 members of Congress signed onto letters to Carter, or House and Senate leaders, asking for an immediate fix. On Wednesday, they praised the Defense Department for halting the clawbacks and said Congress needs to stop the process entirely and refund the Guard members who already have repaid money. Still, some members took issue with the California Guards characterization of what it told the California delegation two years ago. Staff in members offices said the Guard broadly mentioned the clawbacks in a 2014 letter detailing its policy goals for the year, but officials didnt meet with members of Congress in person or by phone, and didnt otherwise tell them about the scale of the issue. Such letters are fairly common from groups working with Congress. If they would have come and said, Youre going to have thousands of combat veterans having their wages garnished and tax liens being put on them, we would have been all over this, said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). That was never communicated to us. Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles) said neither the Pentagon nor California Guard officials told him about the large number of soldiers ordered to repay bonuses, though his office had received complaints from individual soldiers. I have no record of receiving any formal notice of this widespread issue from any department  federal or state. The only record I have is of individual cases of service members who approached my office to get help, and we are working with these individuals who have served our country to make sure they are treated fairly, he said. Several high-ranking members of the delegation said this week they first heard of the scope of the problem from The Times reporting. The California Guard also sent members of Congress a suggested provision that would have allowed debt waivers for the affected soldiers in the 2015 defense authorization bill. Reps. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) initially pushed for the provision but later abandoned the effort, and it didnt appear in the final bill. Cook and Denham said they dropped the effort after being told the Pentagon already had the power to waive the debts. Guard officials said they were told the provision was discarded because waiving the debt would have cost the Pentagon money, requiring the estimated costs to be offset with cuts elsewhere in the defense budget. For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Denham declined to discuss why he dropped the provision to waive the debt. He dropped the effort after being told the Pentagon already had the power to waive the debt. Facebook

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Ted Cruzs old gang called into action to help California GOP By Phil Willon Ron Nehring, a former aide in Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid, chats with visitors at the California State Fair in Sacramento during his 2014 campaign for lieutenant governor. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid may be history, but his supporters in California are banding together to help GOP candidates locked in tight down-ballot races. Ron Nehring, the former state GOP chairman who was a top Cruz booster, said the focus will be turning out Republican voters and recruiting volunteers to work on a list of hotly contested congressional and legislative races selected by the California Republican Party. Among those pinpointed are Vista Rep. Darrell Issa, who faces his toughest challenge since being elected to Congress in 2000, and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, who is trying to unseat Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove. It is 100% exclusively boots on the ground, Nehring said. Michael Schroeder, who was co-chairman of Cruzs campaign in California and also served as the state GOP chairman, said Republican turnout in the Golden State is expected to be down because of the controversies surrounding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Having Trump at the top of the November ballot also will motivate more Democrats to vote, and that could endanger GOP candidates in close races throughout the state, he said. Trumps campaign is a lost cause in California at this point, Schroeder said. Trump said he was going to drive Hispanic turnout, and I think hes right -- but not in the way hes hoping for. Californias Cruz alumni have a website and on Monday night held a conference call with 75 former Cruz organizers asking them to activate their local political networks to help with the effort, Nehring said. Other Republicans theyll work to protect or elect: Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford and Steve Knight of Palmdale.

Assembly members Catharine Baker of San Ramon, David Hadley of Manhattan Beach, Tom Lackey of Palmdale and Young Kim of Fullerton.

State Senate candidates Mike Antonovich of Glendale, Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita and Ling Ling Chang of Diamond Bar. Facebook

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Central Valley congressional race shifts to a toss-up By Sarah D. Wire (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The 10th Congressional District race between Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and Democrat Michael Eggman is now a toss-up, the nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report announced Tuesday. The contest in the heavily Latino Central Valley district had been rated lean Republican, meaning the analysts thought Eggman had a chance, but they expected the third-term Republican to be reelected.The Cook Political Report now lists several California House districts held by Republicans as toss-ups, including Rep. Darrell Issas seat in the 49th District and Rep. Steve Knight in the 25th District. This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman. Denham won their 2014 encounter with 56% of the vote, but this year, there is the added unknown of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps effect on other races and whether his unpopularity will drag down other candidates. For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Rep. David Valadaos race in the 21st District is listed as a toss-up. It is listed as leaning Republican. Facebook

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U.S. Rep. Ami Bera: Soldiers who served our country should not be penalized for the mistakes of others By Sophia Bollag Urging @DeptofDefense today to immediately stop ordering @theCAGuard members to pay back their enlistment benefits. pic.twitter.com/Ti6bzWJias  Ami Bera, M.D. (@RepBera) October 24, 2016 U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) wrote to top Department of Defense officials Monday urging them to stop asking veterans to repay enlistment bonuses. The Pentagon has ordered nearly 10,000 California Guard soldiers to repay bonuses that were improperly awarded to them, The Times reported Saturday. With his letter, Bera joined the chorus of lawmakers who have condemned the action, calling on the Pentagon to waive the soldiers debts. Soldiers who served our country should not be penalized for the mistakes of others, wrote Bera, who faces a tough reelection battle in his Northern California district. I urge the Department to halt the collection of these bonuses at this time to prevent placing more service members in financial hardship. Facebook

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Crime victims oppose the death penalty in Yes on Prop. 62 ads By Jazmine Ulloa In new online ads released Tuesday by proponents of Proposition 62, which seeks to repeal the death penalty in California, crime victims urge voters to end the system and bring peace to grieving families. Proposition 62 would replace the ultimate punishment for murder with a sentence of life in prison without parole, ending a lengthy appeals process that some victims say has interfered with their healing. It is one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot. In one of two videos, which campaign officials say are geared toward swing voters, Beth Webb tells viewers she has had to face the death row inmate who killed her sister and seven others in a hair salon almost 50 times in court. Him sitting there, soaking up all of the attention, loving it, its disgusting, she says. The commercials come as proponents of the opposing measure on the ballot, Proposition 66, have released their own ads over the last few days, urging voters to reform the system, not end it. In one of those videos, a murder victims mother says no punishment other than the death penalty is appropriate for the twice-convicted sex offender who abducted her child. Read More Facebook

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Common, Russell Simmons, Shailene Woodley among celebrities pushing to legalize weed in California By Patrick McGreevy Common at the 2015 Academy Awards (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Top celebrities including Common, Tim Robbins and the author of the Orange is the New Black memoir are joining forces in what they are calling Artists for 64"  the effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana in California. A show of force announced Tuesday includes rapper and actor Common; music producer Russell Simmons; Ty Dolla $ign; actors Danny Glover, Olivia Wilde, Tim Robbins, Sarah Silverman, Shailene Woodley of The Divergent series, Jesse Williams of Greys Anatomy and Michael K. Williams of the HBO series The Wire; and Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Womens Prison. Jay Z, who last week put out a video calling the war on drugs an epic fail, also signed on to the effort. In California, the question on whether to legalize marijuana for adult use is a policy change that will have a lasting impact on historically marginalized communities, Glover, the star of films including the Lethal Weapon series, said in a statement posted on Artists for 64. Marijuana laws have been used as a tool by law enforcement to racially profile, harass, intimidate and criminalize mostly young African American and Latino men for decades. I am shocked and saddened by the harm that marijuana criminalization brings, especially for communities of color, Wilde said in a statement. The campaign against Proposition 64 said Hollywood celebrities are not the most credible endorsers, charging they are out of touch with the reality of drug abuse in many communities in the state. Today the No on Prop 64 campaign did a press event in Fresno with faith and community leaders who know that the problems that recreational marijuana creates will impact these communities and neighborhoods across California not Hollywood, said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the opposition campaign. In a video produced by Dream Hampton and included on the website, former Golden State Warrior Al Harrington talks about how marijuana helped him overcome pain and inflammation during a staph infection and helped his grandmother with her glaucoma. Im a California voter and Im voting `yes for Prop. 64, he says. Williams spoke from personal experience. Im in recovery and dont use marijuana, and my Christian faith is my rock when it comes to staying sober, he said in a statement. But I dont believe people should be arrested for marijuana anymore. California can lead the country by voting yes on Prop 64. Drug Policy Action, an advocacy group backing Proposition 64 to legalize the drug for recreational use, paid for the site. Facebook

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Californias Congress members knew the Pentagon was trying to get back bonuses from soldiers, official says By David S. Cloud The California National Guard told the states members of Congress two years ago that the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action, according to a senior National Guard official. What form that communication took and whether the members of Congress understood the scope of the problem at the time is unclear. On Monday, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying that Congress should pass legislation to halt the Pentagon debt recovery as soon as we gavel back into session after the Nov. 8 election. Other California congressional members, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, also sent letters to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter about the matter. Read More Facebook

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Proposition 56 and the great vape tax debate By Liam Dillon (Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP/Getty Images) Turn on any TV in California and you know that all the talk surrounding the Proposition 56 tobacco tax has been about cigarettes. But if the initiative passes next month, e-cigarettes will also be taxed like traditional cigarettes for the first time  a huge tax increase that could boost the price of a typical 30-milliliter bottle of e-liquid by $10. Read More Facebook

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State ethics watchdog asks court to force assemblymans campaign to turn over documents for investigation By Christine Mai-Duc Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) greets people after participating in a candidates forum in Torrance. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) The campaign of Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) has delayed turning over documents related to an official investigation into his campaign practices, according to court documents filed by the state Fair Political Practices Commission. The investigation grew out of a complaint from Hadleys opponent, Democrat Al Muratsuchi, that claims Hadleys campaign was illegally coordinating with an independent expenditure committee that also supported Hadley. In a letter to the FPPC, Muratsuchi claimed Hadleys campaign and Spirit of Democracy, a group funded mostly by Republican donor Charles Munger, Jr., shared consultant Steven Presson during at least part of the primary campaign for Assembly District 66. In court documents filed Oct. 13, FPPC special investigator Garrett Micheels said he initially emailed Hadley Aug. 4, asking him to voluntarily provide certain records to the commissions enforcement division. The records requested included emails, letters and text messages between Jan. 1 and June 7 between Presson and the Hadley campaign, or any other individuals or groups concerning the Hadley race. The next day, Presson responded that the campaign would require a subpoena to avoid possible public exposure to sensitive emails within the Hadley campaign regarding our strategy. After a subpoena was issued on Aug. 12, Micheels said in court documents, Hadley retained attorney Steve Churchwell, who asked for extensions to produce the documents at least three times, but never provided the records. On Sept. 27, Hadley produced some of the documents, court filings say, but wrote to explain that he was withholding his communications with Presson because there are hundreds or thousands of such correspondences that contained sensitive/confidential campaign communications that he said he had not had the time to review. As of Friday, the FPPC says, they have not received the rest of the documents requested. There is only one reason Hadley would conceal documents, and that is because he is guilty and is trying to hide the evidence, said Mike Shimpock, a consultant for the Muratsuchi campaign. A Hadley campaign spokesman declined to comment and Churchwell did not return a request for comment. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Facebook

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New ads urge California voters not to repeal the last defense against killers By Jazmine Ulloa In two new television ads, police officers and prosecutors urge California voters not to repeal the death penalty on Nov. 8, calling it the last defense against killers. The commercials, released late Monday by the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., are part of the No on Prop. 62, Yes on Prop. 66 campaign. The effort aims to defeat Proposition 62, which would replace the ultimate punishment for murder with life in prison without parole, and to support Proposition 66, which would change and limit how and how often death row inmates can appeal. The pro-death penalty campaign has drawn broad support and funding from law enforcement organizations across the state. The Correctional Peace Officers Assn. alone has donated nearly $600,000 since last September. Ive seen what the worst among us can do, killings so brutal families never recover, Sgt. Dan Cabral of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Assn. tells viewers in one ad. Its why we have a death penalty. The second ad features the case of serial killer Charles Ng, who has spent 17 years on death row for the rape, torture and slayings of at least 11 victims. This is cruel punishment for the families, Sharon Sellitto, one victims sister, says in the video. Read More Facebook

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GOP Rep. Darrell Issa returns fire after President Obama rips his campaign mailer By Phil Willon Vista Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Monday he was disappointed but not surprised by President Obamas criticism of him for using the presidents photo in a campaign mailer. At a fundraiser in La Jolla on Sunday night, Obama said Issas primary contribution to Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere. The president called Issa shameless for using his image in his reelection campaign. Im disappointed but not surprised that the president, in a political speech, continues to deny accountability for the serious scandals that happened under his watch where Americans died overseas and veterans have died here at home, Issa said in a statement released by his congressional campaign Monday. Youd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks Ive done too much to hold Washington accountable. Ive worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it and will continue to do so. Issa is running his toughest congressional campaign to date, an increasingly nasty race that has been declared a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Issas Democratic challenger in the 49th Congressional District, retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate, has criticized the congressman as a Washington insider and supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In the political mailer sent out by the Issa campaign, the congressman said he was pleased with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored that provides victims of sexual assault legal protections in the federal criminal justice system. At the Sunday night fundraiser, Obama ripped Issa as a guy who, because poll numbers are bad, has sent out brochures with my picture on them touting his cooperation on issues with me. Now that is the definition of chutzpah, Obama said. Issa once called Obama one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times. While chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he led investigations into the Benghazi attack, the Internal Revenue Service scandal, the botched Fast and Furious gun sting and other actions by the Obama administration. Facebook

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California Democrats remember Tom Hayden for pursuits close to home By Michael Finnegan (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times) Top California Democrats remembered Tom Hayden on Monday as an influential activist whose pursuit of liberal causes extended far beyond his best-known work leading protests against the Vietnam War. Tom took up causes that others avoided, Gov. Jerry Brown said. He had a real sense of the underdog and was willing to do battle no matter what the odds. Hayden died Sunday in Santa Monica after a long illness. He was 76. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recalled Haydens work negotiating a gang truce in Venice, along with his contributions to an anti-sweatshop ordinance to prevent worker exploitation. Tom Hayden was a giant who never stopped pushing for peace and justice, and inspired a generation of change agents to bring new voices and overlooked perspectives to the decision-making process, Garcetti said. Hayden, classified by the FBI as a rabble rouser in the 1960s, was prosecuted by President Nixons Justice Department in the raucous Chicago 7 trial after violent clashes with police at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His conviction was dismissed on appeal. He went on to serve in the state Assembly and Senate for a total of 18 years. John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party, recalled two measures that Hayden got passed. One allocated $250,000 to buy tattoo removal machines for imprisoned youth so they could cut their gang ties. The other set up a program for parents to use tax-free accounts for savings dedicated to their childrens college education. These bills didnt get a lot of attention at the time, but they have had a far-reaching impact on young peoples futures, said Burton, who led the state Senate when Hayden was a member. The Senates current leader, Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles, said Hayden was well ahead of the curve on issues involving the environment, social justice, gang intervention and urban peace, access to higher education, domestic violence and much more. Hayden, he said, distinguished himself as a paragon of political integrity and a great intellect. Facebook

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Secretary of States office holds voter registration drive at the Capitol on the last day to register in California By Sophia Bollag .@CASOSvote staff are outside the Capitol today to register new voters. Today is the deadline to register in CA. pic.twitter.com/vNovU1jNla  Sophia Bollag (@SophiaBollag) October 24, 2016 The Secretary of States office is holding a voter registration drive outside the Capitol today, the last day to register in California before the November election. The offices staff registered about 20 people in the first couple of hours, said Milena Paez, who works in the offices elections division. Many people had also stopped by the booth to ask where their polling place is or check their voter registration status, she said. LaRhonda Sayles-Willis, who recently moved to the Sacramento area, said she saw the booth as she walked down the street and stopped by to see where she was registered. She ended up re-registering to vote to be on the safe side and said shes particularly motivated to vote for Hillary Clinton. I really oppose her opponent. I just dont like the guy, the 56-year-old said. I just dont think hes a good representation of the United States. Ada Avelar, 21, said she decided to register because she recently moved to the United States from Mexico City to attend Sacramento State University. Avelar is an American citizen. She said she saw the booth on her way back from having lunch with a friend and decided to register right there. I was like, its a sign, she said. I have to do it. Facebook

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Assemblywoman Patty Lopez vows not to give up on reelection despite lack of party support By Christine Mai-Duc Patty Lopez watches as ballots are counted in her 2014 race against then-incumbent Raul Bocanegra, who she bested by fewer than 500 votes. ( (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)) On a recent weekend, with just three weeks to go until the November election, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon made a whirlwind tour of five of the most hotly contested races in the state, stumping for Democratic candidates. Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando), who faces a stiff challenge from former Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, was not one of them. Instead, she spent part of her Saturday walking through a community street festival, handing out fliers with a handful of volunteers. Ive been blocked from my party, but my district knows who is Patty Lopez, she said. Sometimes I feel disappointed, but thats not stopping me from doing what I need to do. In 2014, Lopez shocked many when she eked out a win against Bocanegra by a margin of less than 500 votes. With six Democrats on the ballot in this years primary, Lopez received just 27.2% of the vote, a distant second to Bocanegras 44.4%. Despite this, and the fact that the California Democratic Party has endorsed her challenger, Lopez says she is a woman of faith who believes 100 percent that shell be reelected. Read More Facebook

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Obama says Darrell Issa is shameless for praising him in campaign mailer that is the definition of chutzpah By Sarah D. Wire At a California fundraiser Sunday night, President Obama called Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) shameless for using the presidents photo on a recent mailer and praising him after years of criticizing the Obama administration. Issa is facing an unexpectedly tough race this year as the eight-term Republican squares off against political novice former Marine Col. Doug Applegate. Issas primary contribution to the United States Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere. And this is now a guy who, because poll numbers are bad, has sent out brochures with my picture on them touting his cooperation on issues with me, Obama told the crowd, according to a transcript, at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in the La Jolla home of donor Christine Forester. Now that is the definition of chutzpah. The Vista Republican has been a frequent critic of Obama and has called him one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times. The campaign mailer said Issa was pleased with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored into law. Issa was one of 40 House members who co-sponsored the legislation, which provides some sexual assault victims legal protections in the federal criminal justice system. The president is in Los Angeles today and Tuesday for a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live and two fundraisers, including a $100,000-per-ticket fundraiser at DreamWorks Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenbergs home tonight that is completely closed to the press. Facebook

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The district where water is more important than all other campaign issues By Sarah D. Wire (Sarah D. Wire/ Los Angeles Times) In Californias Central Valley, the nations most productive agricultural region, the drought drives everything. And the ongoing fight over how much water flows could be the reason Democrats havent been able to win in the 21st Congressional District with a national race even though 47% of registered voters there are Democrats. Heres a look at the role of water in the race between Rep. David Valadao, and attorney Emilio Huerta. Read More Facebook

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What happens if both death penalty measures are approved by voters on Nov. 8? By Jazmine Ulloa (Pat Sullivan / Associated Press) California voters are weighing dueling death penalty propositions on the Nov. 8 ballot, one that seeks to repeal the system and another that aims to speed it up. If both pass with a majority, the initiative with the most yes votes would supersede the other. If both fail to garner the votes, then the status quo remains, a frustrating prospect for many as advocates on both sides of the issue say the system is broken. California has more than 740 inmates awaiting execution, the largest death row population in the country. Their appeals go directly to the state Supreme Court and take 25 years to process. Both capital punishment measures would require current prisoners to work and pay restitution to victims. But Proposition 62 would repeal the death penalty in California for first-degree murder and replace the sentence with life in prison without the possibility of parole. It also would apply retroactively to offenders already sentenced to death. Proposition 66 would designate lower trial courts to take on initial challenges to convictions and limit successive appeals to within five years of a death sentence. It also would require court-appointed lawyers who dont take capital appeals to represent death row inmates. Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: Propositions, polling and parole By John Myers The fact that there are 17 propositions on the statewide ballot has not only made things hard on voters, its been almost impossible for pollsters to sample opinion on so many issues. But one new poll looks at some of the least talked about measures, and its our first topic on this weeks California Politics Podcast. The poll suggests a lot of voters remain undecided about several of these low-profile proposals. We also take a detailed look at one of the most contentious ballot fights, the effort by Gov. Jerry Brown to revamp state prison parole rules through Proposition 57. Im joined on this weeks episode by Marisa Lagos of KQED News. Facebook

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In No on 62, Yes on 66 campaign ad, murder victims mother urges California voters to keep the death penalty By Jazmine Ulloa In three online ads released Friday, Sandra Friend tells California voters they should fix the states death penalty system, not end it. The 43-year-old mother has been a crime victims advocate since Robert Boyd Rhoades sexually abused and killed her 8-year-old son, Michael Lyons, two decades ago. She is now serving as one of the main voices behind a campaign that is working to defeat Proposition 62, which would repeal the death penalty, and in favor of Proposition 66, which seeks to speed up executions. Voters will weigh the dueling capital punishment initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot. Both would require current death row inmates to work and pay restitution to victims, but would take opposing approaches to what the measures both call a broken system. Rhoades, who abducted Lyons on his way home from school in Yuba City, is one of 740 death row inmates in California. Executions have been on hold since 2006, when the states lethal injection protocol was challenged in court. Friend tells viewers it has been difficult coming to terms with the fact that her son was murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender. I am living a parents worst nightmare, she says. Facebook

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Former state Sen. Ronald Calderon sentenced to 42 months in prison on corruption charge By Joel Rubin Former state Sen. Ronald S. Calderon was sentenced in Los Angeles on Friday to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in a federal corruption case. The Montebello Democrat, who served in the state Senate for eight years ending in 2014, admitted in a plea deal in June that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a hospital executive in return for official favors. Federal prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence for a charge where the maximum possible penalty was 20 years. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, who handed down the sentence to Calderon, said five years was too severe but that a significant prison sentence was needed to punish Calderon and send a message to other elected officials that corruption will not be tolerated. The crime is significant, she said during the court hearing. This is a true public corruption case. Striking a defiant tone throughout, Calderon refused to admit any wrong-doing or to apologize during the court hearing. My goal was always to do the right thing for California, he said. At no point did I intend to break the law. He said he ultimately decided to plead guilty in order to spare his family the ordeal of a trial, but persisted in his innocence, saying he never agreed to any quid pro quo to benefit himself or his family. Unemployed and tens of thousands of dollars in debt, Calderon said professional relationships had been ruined as had his relationship with his brother. My reputation is destroyed, Calderon said. Snyder was unmoved. I did not really hear Senator Calderon accept responsibility or apologize, she said. It was really about himself. Calderon, 59, had pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud as part of a plea in which he admitted to accepting trips to Las Vegas, jobs for a son and daughter, and cash for him and his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon. Tom Calderon was sentenced last month to one year in federal custody for laundering bribes taken by his brother. The Calderon family was politically powerful for decades in California. A third brother, former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was not implicated in the corruption scandal. Ronald Calderons nephew, Ian Calderon, is a state assemblyman, the last family member in state elected office. He was not alleged to have any part in the corruption scheme. Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief opposing Calderons request to serve time with home detention or be released for the brief time he already spent in jail. Here, defendants trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature, Jenkins wrote. Read More Facebook

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Accusations fly in the congressional race for this Northern California swing district By Sophia Bollag Democratic U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, left, shakes hands with his Republican challenger, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, after their debate Tuesday in the race for the 7th Congressional District seat. (Jose Luis Villegas / Associated Press) Questions about character have been dominating the congressional race between Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. Both candidates have been plagued by allegations of wrongdoing. Beras father was recently sentenced to jail for illegally funneling money to two of his sons past campaigns. Jones faces allegations he sexually harassed a subordinate at the Sheriffs Department more than a decade ago, which he denies. Theyre competing in a divided district that leans Democratic, but not by much. In 2014, Bera beat his Republican challenger by less than a percentage point. This race is always one of the closest races in the country, he said. Read More Facebook

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Loretta Sanchez says she got death threats after she voted against the Iraq war By Phil Willon Rep. Loretta Sanchez, after her speech Thursday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez on Thursday urged ROTC cadets at UCLA to have the courage to challenge politicians who call for ill conceived uses of military force such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. We need military leaders that understand the limits of our military power, said Sanchez, who has served in Congress for two decades and sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Why is it that every generation and every president has to learn that all over again? The Orange County congresswoman made the comments during an address to ROTC cadets at UCLAs Pauley Pavilion. Sanchez said her experience on the House Armed Services Committee made her question the long-term implications of the Iraq invasion, and whether the U.S. might find itself bogged down in a war in the Middle East. In 2002, Sanchez was among the 133 House members who voted against the authorization of military force against Iraq. It was a lonely time, Sanchez told the cadets. [When] I came back to Orange County, I was spit on. I received death threats. The congresswoman told the cadets the military is just one part of a national security strategy that includes intelligence gathering, diplomacy and the use of the countrys economic strength. Because so much is at stake, the use of our military should always be a last resort, Sanchez said. Sanchez is running against fellow Democrat and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for Californias U.S. Senate seat. She says her expertise on national defense and terrorism are among the reasons shes the most qualified candidate. Facebook

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Tobacco companies claim proponents of cigarette tax will use the new revenue to enrich their top executives By Liam Dillon Tobacco companies have unveiled a new claim in their campaign against the $2-per-pack increase in cigarette taxes on the November ballot. In a television advertisement that debuted over the weekend, the No on Proposition 56 campaign contends that the doctors and health insurance groups financing the initiative wrote it to avoid external oversight over the money going to low-income patient care. They even exempted themselves from the new audit requirements, the ad states. They can use the new revenue to enrich their top executives, and theres no requirement to treat even one more patient. The claim rests on a part of the Proposition 56 initiative that creates new auditing rules to govern where the new tax money would go. But it ignores the litany of state and federal auditing requirements to which Medi-Cal, the states low-income health program, already is subject. First, heres a little background about how the money from Proposition 56 would get spent. Assuming fewer people use tobacco because of the tax increase, the tax would raise about $1.27 billion next year, according to an estimate from the Legislative Analysts Office. Of that amount, $710 million  about 56%  would go to Medi-Cal, primarily to increase the payment doctors and other healthcare providers receive when they treat patients. The remaining dollars go to back-filling current state and local sales taxes and other programs because fewer people will buy cigarettes, doctor and dentist training and anti-tobacco efforts. The initiative kicks in $400,000 a year to audit the agencies receiving the money. Beth Miller, spokeswoman for the No on 56 campaign, said that opponents like that state and local agencies will be audited if the measure passes. The criticism is that the provisions dont go far enough. It would have been nice to have those audit requirements also apply to those end users, so to speak: the hospitals, the insurance companies and the doctors, Miller said. Medi-Cal providers, however, get audited all the time. The states Department of Health Care Services does internal audits and investigations through an entire department of about 700 employees and a $50-million budget dedicated to reviewing the programs under its jurisdiction, including looking at the financial records of Medi-Cal providers. Beyond that, the California State Auditor has issued at least two wide-ranging audits involving Medi-Cal providers in the last five years on the states oversight of managed-care plans. And the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General also audits programs and providers that receive federal dollars for low-income patients. One recent federal audit of California that examined pediatric dental providers happened last May. Miller contended that the audits required under Proposition 56 are more transparent than the existing state and federal programs. Mike Roth, spokesman for the Yes on 56 campaign, said the initiative has plenty of safeguards to ensure the tax money is spent wisely, including the auditing provisions. This is another desperate and deceitful red herring from tobacco companies, and it takes the cake as far as their flagrant lies about Proposition 56, Roth said. Heres the full ad: UPDATES: 3:03 p.m.: This post was updated to include the full video of the advertisement. This article was originally published at 2:00 p.m. Facebook

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Central Valley congressional race that once leaned Republican is now a toss-up, report says By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report now say its a toss-up whether Republican Rep. Jeff Denham or Democrat beekeeper Michael Eggman will win the 10th Congressional District race. The race had been rated leans Republican since last fall, indicating that the analysts expected Denham to keep the seat, but felt Democrats had a chance. This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman. Denham won in 2014 with 56.4% of the vote. Democrats have worked for months to tie vulnerable House Republicans to the rhetoric of their presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and this race is one where Trumps effect down the ballot could be most visible. Denham has said he disagrees with Trumps rhetoric, but hasnt backed off supporting him, a move that could prove unpopular in the Central Valley district where at least 40% of the population is Latino. Three Republican-held seats in California are now considered toss-ups. The other two are representing the 25th Congressional District, held by Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), and the 49th Congressional District, held by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista). Facebook

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California Senate leader endorses gun control initiative despite differences with its author, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom By Patrick McGreevy California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, left, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, applaud at Gov. Jerry Browns State of the State speech in January. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Despite political differences with its author, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) on Thursday endorsed Proposition 63, which would expand Californias already tough gun control laws. Proposition 63 was proposed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and would outlaw large-capacity ammunition magazines, require background checks for those buying bullets, require lost or stolen guns to be reported quickly, make stealing a firearm a felony and provide a process for newly convicted felons to relinquish their guns. De Leon and Newsom have both been working on gun control issues for years and both have aspirations for higher office. Newsom is running for governor in 2018. Some in the De Leon camp thought when the initiative was proposed last year that it was being used to try to take over an issue on which the senator has been a leader. The two disagreed earlier this year on the best way to achieve gun control aims, with De Leon publicly calling on Newsom to drop his initiative and allow the Legislature to act, and Newsom refusing, charging that the Legislatures proposals were not extensive enough. In the end, the Legislature approved several bills, including one by De Leon that requires background checks for ammunition purchasers, even though a similar proposal is included in the Newsom initiative. The Legislature also mandated that its background-check plan would supersede the one in Proposition 63. On Thursday, De Leon made no mention of the differences. Earlier this year, our Legislature passed the most sweeping and important package of gun safety laws in the nation, increasing nationwide momentum and grass-roots outcries for common-sense safeguards against gun violence, De Leon said in a statement. I endorse Proposition 63 because we must send a powerful and united message to the national Gun Lobby that California will not capitulate to political bullying or compromise the public safety, he added. The differences between the two politicians were highlighted noted by Richard Grenell, co-chairman of the Coalition for Civil Liberties, which is campaigning against the initiative. This is a prime example of why people should trust law enforcement on this question before self-interested politicians, Grenell said. Just a few months ago, de Leon asked Newsom to repeal Prop 63. De Leons statement was released a day after Newsom ruffled some feathers in the De Leon camp when he told the Sacramento Press Club that his initiative accomplishes things that state officials could not. Newsom noted that 11 other states have enacted the requirement that stolen guns be reported. There have been legislative attempts and they have failed multiple times here in the Capitol, Newsom said. The Legislature did approve such a bill this year, but it was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July. The political dispute between the two leading Democrats surfaced last year when De Leon acted to slash a third of Newsoms staff, notifying him that two Senate employees who had been on loan to the lieutenant governors office were being reassigned. UPDATED at 1:10 pm to include comment from opponent of initiative. Facebook

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No fight from the business community over the proposed tobacco and income tax hikes By Liam Dillon (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Business groups often make up a triumvirate with Republicans and taxpayer advocates against tax increases. But on the two tax hikes on the 2016 California ballot, major business leaders are mostly staying away from the fight. They tend to dislike the income tax extensions promised by Proposition 55, but arent campaigning against them. And some are even backing Proposition 56s cigarette tax increases. Read More Facebook

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Almost half a million Californians have already voted by mail, with a surge in some hotly contested races By John Myers (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Early data compiled from local elections officials shows a surge of ballots being returned in the mail, especially in some of the most closely watched races this election season. A report compiled by Political Data Inc. shows almost 408,000 ballots cast in just the first eight days of voting, with more than half of those ballots arriving in local election offices Wednesday. As weve reported before, election day in California is now more like an election month. A majority of the states voters cast their ballots away from traditional polling places, and political professionals can closely monitor which voters in any given race have turned those ballots back in. The report also shows strong early voting in some of Californias most talked about congressional races. In the hotly contested reelection race of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), more than four times as many ballots have been returned so far compared to the 2014 general election. And even though Republicans have an eight-point registration advantage in Issas district, the ballots cast so far have skewed more Democratic. In early voting, the two major parties are almost even in the number of votes cast. Issa, facing a tough race against Democrat Douglas Applegate, recently sent out a campaign mailer trying to appeal to local voters who support President Obama. Compared to the first few days of the 2014 general election, substantially more ballots have also been cast in the Central Valley races featuring Reps. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and David Valadao (R-Hanford). In both districts, Democratic voters are outpacing GOP voters in early ballot returns. While none of the data offers information on how those ballots were cast -- these are only totals received by county officials -- the early numbers may offer a glimpse at how energized some parts of the electorate are in this contentious campaign season. Facebook

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What will Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom focus on in his run for governor? Aging infrastructure among issues By Patrick McGreevy California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in Los Angeles in April. (Nick Ut / Associated Press) Signaling that his gubernatorial campaign will shift into higher gear after next months election, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he is working on a plan to double spending on roads and other infrastructure since the Legislature failed to act this year. This is going to be something you will be hearing a lot more from me on over the course of the next number of months, a very aggressive infrastructure proposal, Newsom said in a speech to the Sacramento Press Club. The former San Francisco mayor is running for governor in 2018. He noted that the governor and Legislature did not reach an agreement on a transportation funding program in the face of a $130-billion backlog in state and local road repairs. Legislative Democrats proposed a $7.4-billion plan earlier this year that would raise the gas tax by 17 cents a gallon. Thats about twice the size of an earlier plan by Gov. Jerry Brown. Weve got to more than double our investment in infrastructure in this state, Newsom said, adding the problem has reached code red in California. Plans by the governor to use proceeds from sale of cap-and-trade credits have merits, he said. Separately, Newsom said he continues to support the vision of a high speed rail system for California but said I remain concerned about the finances. He said the private sector must step up to provide more of the money as the project cost has close to doubled from its original $33 billion price tag. Newsom acknowledged that he has work to do to introduce himself to voters outside his home base. I think a lot of the state really doesnt know me yet, he said, adding he sees it as a great opportunity to tell his story. He declined to comment on the gubernatorial candidacy of state Treasurer John Chiang and possible runs by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer. Im not focused on those others, he said. Im focused on what we have before us. Facebook

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L.A. activist is building his AIDS organization into a political powerhouse with two November ballot measures By Christine Mai-Duc (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) When Michael Weinstein launched his AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the late 1980s, he had a coffee can for donations and a $50,000 budget to provide end-of-life care to those dying of the disease. Today, hes grown the nonprofit into a $1.2-billion operation that manages hundreds of clinics and pharmacies globally, and has quickly become a major political player in California, and, he hopes, nationally. AHF, as it is known, is sponsoring two initiatives on Californias November ballot: Proposition 60, which would require adult film actors to use condoms during sex scenes, and Proposition 61, which would bar state agencies from entering contracts to purchase drugs where the price is higher than that paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Thats quite a feat in a state as expensive as California, and in a political year as crowded as 2016. Were doing things on a scale that we havent before, Weinstein said in a recent interview from his office in a Hollywood high-rise. Read More Facebook

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These janitors are giving up sleep to knock on doors for Hillary Clinton By Sarah D. Wire Yamilex Rustrian, left, of North Hollywood, and Leticia Soto of Los Angeles check Las Vegas addresses to visit to encourage voters to support Hillary Clinton. (Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times) Early Saturday morning, Yamilex Rustrian sat with her mother and other janitors assembled at long tables in the old mortuary that is home to the SEIU United Service Workers West. They ate ham, cheese and bean sandwiches as they waited for the final workers to get off the late shift. At least one came still dressed in her blue smock. The group of janitors and their children made a quick trip to Las Vegas over the weekend to knock on doors for Hillary Clinton, and got home Sunday just in time for the late shift. Each had their reasons to join the more than 150 union members who made the trip. Read More Facebook

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Federal prosector seeks 5 years for former California Sen. Ron Calderon in corruption case By Patrick McGreevy A federal prosecutor has recommended that former state Sen. Ron Calderon be sentenced to five years in prison as part of a federal corruption case that rocked the California state Capitol. Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief urging the federal judge to not show leniency to Calderon, who in June entered a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Here, defendants trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature, Jenkins wrote ahead of Fridays sentencing date. The prosecutor noted that only one fellow politician wrote a letter of support for Calderon, a Montebello Democrat. In defendants plea agreement, he admitted to participating in two substantial and complex bribery schemes that entailed multiple forms of bribes, concealment and sophisticated money laundering, the prosecutor wrote. Here, defendant sold his vote not just to help pay for the expenses of living beyond his means, but for the more banal and predictable aims of corruption  fancy luxuries, fancy parties and fancy people. An attorney for Calderon has asked the judge to sentence the former lawmaker to time already served in jail during his booking or home detention. Jenkins proposed that Calderon be sentenced to five years in custody, one year of supervised release, a $7,500 fine and 250 hours of community service. Facebook

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A new Jay Z video says pot should be legal in California and calls the war on drugs an epic fail By Patrick McGreevy Rapper Jay Z has weighed in to support Proposition 64, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California, calling the war on drugs an epic fail, in a YouTube video, which also describes how the effort filled prisons with young African American and Latino men. Young men like me who hustle became the sole villain, Jay Z says as the video depicts the deterioration of a neighborhood drawn by artist Molly Crabapple. The one-minute video was produced by the group Drug Policy Action from a longer animated video that addressed the general issue of drug prohibition, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the campaign. The shortened video, titled The War on Drugs from Prohibition to Gold Rush, ends with a new, written message urging people to vote for Proposition 64, adding, We can stop the harm on Nov. 8. Jay Z agreed to have the video tailored to the Proposition 64 campaign, Kinney said. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who helped qualify the initiative, praised the rapper on Twitter, writing Thank you, Jay Z, for your strong voice for social justice & co-creating this new @Yeson64 video! Facebook

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Bay Area congressman Eric Swalwell got married over the weekend By Sarah D. Wire View Instagram post Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) and Brittany Watts, a sales director at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, got married on Friday. They were married at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. Before being elected to Congress, Swalwell worked in the courthouse as a prosecutor with the Alameda County district attorneys office. Here is the couples wedding announcement. The congressman also posted an image of the couple cutting their wedding cake on Instagram. Facebook

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Los Angeles top elections officer talks about voter fraud and polling place intimidation in Reddit chat By John Myers The questions posed by Reddit users on Monday to the top elections officer in Los Angeles ranged from small problems over where to cast an early ballot to broader concerns about election security. Dean Logan, Los Angeles Countys registrar of voters, attempted to answer almost all of them during the hourlong online conversation. Asked about intimidation of voters at the polls, possibly inspired by criticisms over comments by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, Logan said the question has been popping up a lot in his office. We, of course, encourage people to observe all elements of the process, but any disruption of voters or intimidation of voters is unacceptable, he wrote. Another Reddit user asked whether all ballots mailed or dropped off at a polling place are counted. Any valid and timely received vote by mail ballot will be counted and included in the certified election results, Logan wrote. I am always surprised by this question. Logan said that officials mailed some 1.8 million ballots last week to Los Angeles Countys permanent absentee voters, with one-time requests for ballots by mail being sent out this week. Asked by one Reddit user about a potential way to commit voter fraud with absentee ballots, Logan said it is important to note that the voter doing so would be signing an oath under penalty of perjury. He also agreed with one questioners concern that voter turnout was too low, and suggested that a new state laws significant expansion of voting by mail may help. I think the model of voting we use is somewhat outdated and unfamiliar to new voters, Logan said. Facebook

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Kamala Harris and her husband made $1.17 million in 2015, according to report on their tax returns By Phil Willon Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris files to run for the U.S. Senate in February at the Los Angeles County Registrar with her husband, Douglas Emhoff. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) The 2015 tax returns filed by U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris and her husband, Los Angeles attorney Douglas Emhoff, show that the couple earned $1.17 million that year, according to reports. Harris tax returns, which were viewed and first reported by the Sacramento Bee, also showed that the California attorney general and her husband paid $450,000 in state and federal income taxes. Harris campaign spokesman Nathan Click said journalists are being allowed to view the tax returns by appointment only. Harris rival in the Senate race, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, provided her 2015 tax return to the Orange County Register and will not make those tax records available to other journalists until after that news organization publishes its story, said Sanchez campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino. Harris and Sanchez have net worths that likely run in the millions, according to federal and state financial disclosures. Facebook

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Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopens  and his daughter and grandson get a tour By Christine Mai-Duc Christopher Cox, grandson of Richard Nixon, talks to reporters during a tour of the newly renovated Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopened Saturday, after a 10-month renovation that sought to reframe the narrative of the 37th presidents life and legacy. The $15-million remake brings to a close a more than decade-long effort to bring greater legitimacy to a library that historian and Nixon scholar Stanley Kutler once called just another Southern California theme park whose reality level was slightly better than Disneyland. We wrote about the librarys new exhibits a couple of months ago, and the challenge of building an unflinching portrait of a complicated man. In attendance were Henry Kissinger, Nixons former secretary of State, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Nixons daughter and grandson, Tricia Nixon Cox and Christopher Nixon Cox. Times photographer Mark Boster attende
The contrast in the 2016 presidential election was as evident Thursday as it has ever been: Donald Trump spoke to a largely white audience in Ohio, a state that has traditionally picked presidents but finds itself somewhat marginalized this year.

Soon after, Michelle Obama, the nations first African American first lady, campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Arizona, a state where Latinos have changed the political environment so much that Republicans may well lose there for only the second time since 1948.

The dramas surrounding the Trump campaign have sometimes obscured an underlying reality of 2016: Trump and Clinton are running for the same job, but they are talking to and being sustained by two different Americas.

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Theres the old one  a distinction not of age alone, but cultural perspective and outlook  that Trump appeals to as he courts white, rural voters and social conservatives. His support base is heavy with voters uneasy with the turns the country has taken in recent years and, broadly speaking, more comfortable with an era when white men like Trump ran things.

And theres the new America, the one Hillary Clinton has homed in on with her appeals to women, gay and lesbian Americans, the young, and minorities.

Clinton is not a perfect representative of that new America  in part because of her long tenure on the political scene. But the themes on which she has conducted her campaign and popular surrogates like the Obamas have helped shore up her connection. So, too, has her historic reach to become the first woman president.

The focuses of the two candidates echo their parties strengths Republicans with older and whiter voters, Democrats with younger, more culturally and racially diverse ones.

Their slogans also show their aim: Clintons is Stronger Together, an appeal to the patchwork of groups, many of them flexing new political muscle, that make up her base. Trumps is Make America Great Again, a proposition that harks back to a time when a different, more homogeneous order prevailed.

Trump has never identified his target era, but his cultural references seem to push back decades. Thursday, at a rally in Delaware, Ohio, in a conservative and partly rural area north of Columbus, he brought up The $64,000 Question, a quiz show that went off the air in 1958.

In Arizona, before a diverse crowd of thousands, the first lady evoked groups that were often ignored in that era as she delivered a ringing speech on behalf of Clinton.

We are a nation built on differences, guided by the belief that we are all created equal, she said. Hillary knows that our country is powerful and vibrant and strong, big enough to have a place for all of us and that each of us is a precious part of the great American story.

At his rally, Trump spoke, as he almost always does, to a crowd made up almost completely of white voters. In what has become a common refrain, he framed the election in apocalyptic terms: Either we win this election or we are going to lose this country, he said.

My family came here for opportunity, and Donald Trump is taking that away. Hes taking America out of America.  Omeliah Nembhard

To his followers, that threat is all too real. Judy Krauss, a 70-year-old retired teacher who attended the Trump rally, said she worries that leftist liberals are changing America for the worse.

Theyre already in the schools, already in the media, already in the Republican Party, she said.

Michelle Churma, wearing a pin on her shirt with an image of a machine gun and the phrase Plead the Second  a reference to the 2nd Amendment  said she feared the country would go in an awful direction if Clinton is elected.

Theres an America that holds fast to the Constitution  the idea that everyone has an equal chance, she said. The other believes everyone has to have the same stuff  the government owes me.

Earlier this fall, at a shopping mall not far from the rally site, representatives of the other America spoke of their discomfort with Trump.

Were married; hes not OK with that, said Terri Glimcher, 60, of Powell, Ohio, as she sat in the food court with her wife, Tammy McKey. They were able to marry after the Supreme Court legalized gay unions last year. He wants to overturn that. And thats scary.

Downstairs in another part of the mall, Omeliah Nembhard, 21, said that she was no big fan of Clinton but that Trump struck at the fears of her immigrant family, which moved here from Jamaica.

My family came here for opportunity, and Donald Trump is taking that away, she said. Hes taking America out of America. 

The version of America seen at the ballot box has changed dramatically over the years.

Only a generation ago, in the 1992 election, according to statistics kept by the U.S. Election Project, more than 87% of the electorate was white. By 2012, that figure had fallen to 74%.

Rising most rapidly, and expected to rank even higher in November, are Latino and Asian voters. The Pew Research Center estimated a 17% jump in eligible Latino voters between 2012 and 2016, with a potential 16% increase in Asian voters. The number of eligible white voters was expected to rise a mere 2%.

Where the demographics are headed is undeniable. By 2065, according to another Pew study, only 46% of the American population will be white, down from 62% last year. All told, Latinos, blacks and Asians will make up 51% of the country. While voting performance lags because those populations are younger, they will inevitably be eligible to vote.

The Republican Party, in a report written after the 2012 presidential election, acknowledged that the party had a problem due to the changing face of the nation.

The nations demographic changes add to the urgency of recognizing how precarious our position has become, said the report by the Republican National Committee. America is changing demographically, and unless Republicans are able to grow our appeal, it said, the changes tilt the playing field even more in the Democratic direction.

In this campaign, the different Americas have played out not only in the crowds attending the candidates rallies but the topics emphasized by the presidential rivals.

Trump speaks of law and order and respect for law enforcement. Clinton praises police, but also proposed a plan to help prevent the shootings of young minority men.

Trump talks about the need to curb illegal immigration and ominously suggests that Islamic terrorists have developed a Trojan horse to cross the border into this country. Clinton talks of divided families and the need for immigration reform to bring out of the shadows those here illegally.

Wednesday nights debate underscored the candidates loyalties from the first question, about the Supreme Court. Clinton in a matter of two minutes mentioned womens rights, the gay and lesbian community and her desire to change the rules regarding campaign financing, a favorite issue among young voters.

Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide

We stand up and basically say: The Supreme Court should represent all of us, she said.

Trump, after mentioning a dust-up with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, stressed his desire for the court to uphold the 2nd Amendment, which he described as under absolute siege. He indicated he did not support any of the gun restrictions supported by Clinton, even those that command large majorities among Americans.

He also objected to abortion rights  later saying he hoped that the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision would be overturned.

They were speaking about the court and to the two Americans, one powerful in the past, the other reaching for power in the present.

Decker reported from Las Vegas and Bierman from Delaware, Ohio.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

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Updates on California politics
In a Northern California swing district, mudslinging and allegations of wrongdoing have been the focal point of what will likely be one of the tightest congressional races in the state.

Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) faces a tough reelection battle for his seat in the 7th Congressional District against Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a Republican. Bera is under scrutiny due to revelations that his father illegally funneled money to two of his past campaigns. Jones has been confronted with allegations that he sexually harassed a subordinate at the Sheriffs Department more than a decade ago, which he denies.

In Beras last election, 39 percent of registered voters were Democrats and 36 percent were Republican, according to data from the nonpartisan California Target Book. Nearly 20 percent registered with no party preference.

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Bera eked out a narrow victory in that election, winning by less than a percentage point.

This race is always one of the closest races in the country, Bera said. Its pretty evenly split Democrat and Republican, much like our entire country is.

In August, Beras father was sentenced to a year and a day in jail for illegally funneling money to his sons congressional campaigns in 2010 and 2012. The congressman has denied knowing anything about the scheme, in which his father paid or reimbursed donors for campaign contributions, allowing him to effectively exceed the legal maximum in individual contributions.

My father made a grave mistake, he told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. Had we known what was going on, we would have put a stop to it immediately.

Jones campaign has been plagued by allegations of sexual harassment. In a court deposition, a female deputy working for Jones said he made multiple unwanted sexual advances to her more than a decade ago, the Sacramento Bee reported in July. Jones has denied the allegations.

At an event at his campaigns Carmichael office earlier this month, Bera used the allegations and Jones stance on immigration to compare his opponent to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has recently faced claims of sexual harassment from multiple women.

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Is there anyone in this room who thinks Donald Trump would be a good president? he asked, drawing laughs from the crowd of roughly 20 volunteers and staffers. We can prevent Donald Trumps clone from becoming a member of Congress.

Jones himself has said he decided not to vote for Trump because of his comments about women. At a debate between the two candidates on Tuesday, Jones pointed to a video of Trump that surfaced earlier this month.

In the video, Trump bragged about kissing and groping women without their consent. Jones said he supported Trump for his policies, not his character, until the video surfaced.

He was talking about things that weve arrested people for, Jones said. I had to depart from him at that time.

At the debate, Bera said Jones should have come out against Trump sooner, citing the presidential nominees previous controversial comments about women and a Gold Star military family.

Polls indicate Republicans will stay in control of the House in November. But Trumps diminishing popularity in recent weeks has given Democrats an opportunity to erode the GOPs majority, drawing increased interest to races in swing districts like Californias 7th.

Outside groups have spent nearly $4 million to influence the race, most of which has gone to opposition campaigns, according to data from the California Target Book. During the debate, Jones sought to draw a contrast between his campaign and Beras by pointing out that the negative ads against Bera were produced by outside groups, not his campaign. The Bera campaign has run a television ad blasting Jones over the sexual harassment allegations.

Jones garnered attention in 2014 when he posted a YouTube video urging the president to reform the U.S. immigration system. The video was prompted by the killings of two Northern California policemen who were shot by an immigrant who was in the U.S. illegally. In the eight-minute clip, Jones criticized amnesty policies and a lack of action by the president to address problems with the immigration system.

Although he has staked his political reputation on his immigration stances, Jones has sought to distance himself from Trump.

He said at the debate that although he thinks the country needs to secure its border, that does not mean a 2000-mile wall, referencing Trumps frequent pledge to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Bera said he favors a comprehensive immigration reform plan.

The candidates have also clashed over climate change. Although both candidates said they support policies to combat climate change, at the debate only Bera said he was convinced climate change was caused by humans.

There is a body of evidence supporting it either way, Jones said at a press conference after the debate. I dont know what to believe, I truly dont.

Bera and Jones have also pointed to their opposing stances on gun control. Bera wants to ban people on the no-fly list from buying guns, but Jones says the list shouldnt be used because it has errors and is overseen by a political appointee. They also differ on the California death penalty: Bera said he would likely vote to end it, and Jones said it should remain in place.

But like much of the discussion surrounding the race, the Tuesday debate kept circling back to questions about each candidates integrity.

Youre choosing whos going to be your next representative, Bera said at the conference. Its about character.

sophia.bollag@latimes.com

Follow @SophiaBollag on Twitter.

ALSO

Rep. Ami Beras father sentenced to prison for funneling money to his sons campaigns

Rep. Ami Bera comes in first in 7th Congressional District

Updates from Sacramento
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on application of the Law on Amending Tax Code of Azerbaijan adopted by the countrys parliament September 30.

The amendments stipulate removing the value added tax (VAT) for the goods transshipment services directly related to transit cargo transportation.

The VAT rate in Azerbaijan is 18 percent.

Currently, cargo transit through Azerbaijan is carried out via the East-West (the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) and the International North-South Transport Corridor.

Some 33.24 million tons of cargos were transported through the territory of Azerbaijan in January-August 2016. Out of this figure, 14.6 percent (4.86 million tons) accounted for the transit transportation.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Former state Sen. Ronald Calderon, once the most powerful member of a politically influential family, was sentenced Friday in Los Angeles to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in a federal corruption case.

The Montebello Democrat, who served in the state Senate for eight years ending in 2014, admitted in a plea deal in June that he had accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a hospital executive in return for official favors.

Federal prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence for a charge for which the maximum possible penalty was 20 years. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, who handed down the sentence to Calderon, said five years was too severe but that a significant prison sentence was needed to punish Calderon and send a message to other elected officials that corruption will not be tolerated.

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The crime is significant, she said during the court hearing. This is a true public corruption case.

In addition to three and a half years in prison, Calderon was sentenced to one year supervised release and 150 hours of community service, but no fine. Instead of having Calderon taken into custody immediately, Snyder granted him a reprieve, allowing him to surrender to prison officials in January.

Mr. Calderon betrayed the public trust, said U.S. Atty. Eileen Decker. A basic premise of our society is that elected officials will not exchange their votes for monetary gain and thats what Mr. Calderon did.

Mark Geragos, Calderons attorney, suggested during the court hearing that his client should serve no time in prison. He alleged that the government had entrapped Calderon and raised the former lawmakers poor health. The former state senators legacy has been ruined by his guilty plea in the case, he added.

This is going to be the opening paragraph of his obituary, unfortunately, Geragos told Snyder.

When Snyder rebuffed Geragos appeal and said Calderon needed to spend some amount of time behind bars, Geragos switched tactics, asking her to consider a two-year sentence.

Striking a defiant tone throughout, Calderon, 59, refused to admit any wrongdoing or to apologize.

My goal was always to do the right thing for California, he said. At no point did I intend to break the law.

Faced with the prospect of going to trial on nearly two dozen charges that could have sent him to prison for many years, Calderon said he had been put in a tough situation when the government proposed its plea agreement.

He said he ultimately decided to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud in order to spare his family the ordeal of a trial, but persisted in his innocence, saying he never agreed to any quid pro quo to benefit himself or his family.

Calderon, his voice wavering with emotion at times, then told Snyder of the toll the case has taken on him and his family, saying he had learned a hard lesson.

Unemployed and tens of thousands of dollars in debt, he said he was not only banned from running for public office again but had been stripped of his real estate license and had been unable to get a job. His wife, he said, would likely have to declare bankruptcy and sell their house.

I had so much potential for life after politics, he bemoaned.

Professional relationships had been ruined as had his relationship with his brother, he said.

My reputation is destroyed, Calderon said.

Snyder was unmoved.

I did not really hear Sen. Calderon accept responsibility or apologize, she said. It was really about himself.

Snyder said that after listening to Calderon she was tempted to tack on several months to his sentence, but chose to stick with the 42 months.

Calderon learned his fate a month after his brother former state Assemblyman Tom Calderon was sentenced to a year in federal custody for laundering bribes taken by his brother.

Updates from Sacramento 

As part of the plea, Ronald Calderon admitted accepting trips to Las Vegas, jobs for his adult son and daughter and cash for him and Tom Calderon.

In exchange, Calderon advocated for legislation that would help a hospital owner. He also acknowledged that he had pushed for a law to give tax credits to independent films while an undercover FBI agent posing as a film producer showered him with bribes.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief urging the federal judge for a prison sentence for the former state senator, who had asked to be allowed to serve time in home detention or be released after the brief time he already served in jail.

Here, defendants trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature, Jenkins wrote.

Here, defendant sold his vote not just to help pay for the expenses of living beyond his means, but for the more banal and predictable aims of corruption  fancy luxuries, fancy parties and fancy people, Jenkins wrote, attaching to the file a photo Calderon took with rappers Nelly and T.I. at a Las Vegas event.

The Calderon family was a political dynasty for decades in California. A third brother, former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was not implicated in the corruption scandal. Ronald Calderons nephew Ian Calderon is a state assemblyman and the last family member in state elected office. He was not alleged to have any part in the scheme.

The indictment of Ronald Calderon in 2014 was part of an ugly chapter for the state Senate, which saw two other members also suspended after being charged with crimes.

Former Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco was sentenced in February to five years in prison for doing political favors in exchange for campaign cash in a separate scheme. Former Democratic state Sen. Roderick D. Wright served a brief jail sentence in 2014 after he was convicted of eight felony counts, including perjury and voting fraud, for lying about living in his state Senate district.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said Friday that with the sentencing of Calderon, the Senate can close the book on a very dark period in its history.

But its lesson will not be forgotten  that those who seek to trade a sacred trust for self-enrichment will be disgraced and punished, he added. There is no room for corruption in this house of democracy.

Good government advocates, including Kathay Feng of California Common Cause, were generally supportive of the judges decision. The sentence of three [and a half] years sends a message that bribery does not pay, Feng said.

Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), whose district overlapped Calderons and who had been first to call on Calderon to resign, said, Today, our community received some justice for his crimes, She added that the dark cloud over our community will live with us longer than Calderon serves in prison.

Patrick McGreevy reported from Sacramento and Joel Rubin reported from Los Angeles.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com; joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow @mcgreevy99 and @joelrubin on Twitter

ALSO

Sen. Ron Calderon surrenders to authorities in corruption case

Ex-Assemblyman Tom Calderon is sentenced to a year in federal custody in bribery case

Former state Sen. Ron Calderons guilty plea in corruption case marks blow to political dynasty

UPDATES:

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional quotes.
U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris had a particularly good day earlier this month. In the morning, she landed endorsements from the states two U.S. senators and hours later, from her perch as California attorney general, she announced the arrest of an Internet CEO on allegations of sex trafficking.

Both stories attracted a flurry of news coverage up and down the state and across the U.S., providing a lift not only to Harris national profile but also to her ongoing Senate campaign against Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

But while trumpeting endorsements is nothing new for a campaign, the publicity Harris received after the arrest of backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer demonstrated the political advantages high-profile incumbents have while they are appealing to voters for reelection or higher office.

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When it comes to attracting positive news coverage, Harris has had a distinct edge over Sanchez, who has represented her Orange County congressional district for nearly 20 years, said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC.

There is only one California attorney general and there are 435 members in the House of Representatives  53 in California alone. Harris is based in California; Sanchez is more than 3,000 miles away in Washington.

The attorney general can make executive decisions and file criminal charges against wrongdoers. To pass legislation, members of Congress must win over a majority of both the House and Senate, which has been all the harder for Sanchez since her Democratic Party has controlled the House for only four years of her 20-year tenure. Some of Sanchezs biggest accomplishments, including her efforts to protect members of the military from sexual assaults, have ended up as amendments tucked deep inside bills winding through Congress.

Harris has two big advantages. First of all, she represents the entire state of California, while Sanchez represents only 1/53 of the state, Schnur said. Second, the United States Congress is extraordinarily unpopular with most Californians and most Americans. Harris has the benefit of being able to talk about being Californias top crime fighter and public safety officer.

News coverage increases candidates name recognition among voters, which is essential in a state as vast as California, but it does so without costing their campaigns a dime in political advertising, Schnur said. An aggressive and effective advertising campaign in this state, with some of the most expensive media markets in the nation, can run in the tens of millions of dollars.

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said its essential for incumbents to take advantage of free media to get their record out and display their qualifications for office.

But you have to be careful not to play it as being part of the status quo, or being part of the problem and not part of the solution, Lake said.

In just the last few weeks, the attorney general has appeared in Fresno to announce a new cyber crime center to assist local law enforcement, released a new database of firearm sales data in the state and announced the indictment of Ferrer  all of which made headlines.

On Wednesday alone, Harris released an annual report on her agencys efforts to combat elementary school truancy and The Times also reported that her office had served Wells Fargo with a search warrant, looking for evidence that bank workers criminally stole customers identities to create unauthorized bank accounts.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) in September speaks at a gathering of fellow members of Congress and leaders in Long Beach to call for attention to the cargo delivery crisis due to the bankruptcy of one of the worlds biggest container-shipping companies, Hanjin Shipping Co. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

The 2015 oil spill in Santa Barbara County was another example of the advantage Harris, Californias top law enforcement official, has over Sanchez in regard to visibility.

A month after an oil pipeline spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude, Harris walked along Refugio State Beach to assess the damage  with newspaper and TV news camera crews capturing it all  and vowed swift prosecution of any criminal wrongdoing that investigators might uncover.

Sanchez expressed her concerns about the oil spill two days later, at an event in Long Beach. Sanchez called for federal action but, unlike Harris, Sanchez had little power to take action as a member of the minority party in Congress.

Harris returned to Santa Barbara in May to announce a 46-count indictment of the company that operated the pipeline, Plains All American Pipeline.

Anyone that violates the law in endangering our wildlife and our oceans is going to be held accountable, Harris said into a bouquet of TV and radio microphones at a news conference announcing the charges.

In July, Harris was interviewed by Jake Tapper on CNN after the fatal police shootings of two black men triggered a wave of protests nationwide. Harris said Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by a Minnesota police officer during a traffic stop, would be alive today had he been white.

Former state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said that, among California politicians, the state attorney general comes second only to the governor when it comes to generating news. And the attorney general is often seen in a more favorable light, he said.

Its a visible office. Almost everything the attorney general does people approve of, said Lockyer, who served as state attorney general and treasurer, as well as president pro tem of the state Senate and as a state assemblyman. Theyre fighting crime, protecting the environment, protecting kids. Theres not a lot of PR negative there.

Many of Harris official press conferences are held at the attorney generals offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the states two largest media markets, not at the state Capitol in Sacramento.

Lockyer, who supports Harris, dismisses speculation that press conferences may be purposely staged just to benefit an ongoing political campaign, especially as attorney general.

You just dont have that luxury, Lockyer said. Theres just so much thats going on there, and every day the attorney general makes decisions that have an impact on the people of California, the environment or the business of California.

Though more challenging for Sanchez, the congresswoman has attracted a fair amount of coverage centered on her job in Washington, especially as a member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.

Since announcing her bid for Senate in May 2015, Sanchez has appeared on CNN to discuss the threats posed by Islamic State, on MSNBC to give her assessment of the March terrorist attack in Brussels and on PBS NewsHour to talk about the case of accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Sanchez is a frequent guest on local and national Spanish-language stations, and is often interviewed in both English and Spanish about national immigration policy.

But the attention is not risk-free, as Sanchez found out in December after a terrorist attack in San Bernardino left 14 people dead. Sanchez was interviewed by several news outlets, and in an interview with Larry King, she suggested that 5% to 20% of Muslims support a caliphate, a strict Islamic state. The comment attracted immediate criticism from Muslim organizations and has dogged Sanchez throughout the Senate campaign, though the congresswoman insists that her statement has not been refuted by any credible source.

Youre a much bigger target, and youve got a record, said USC political scientist Ann Crigler. The attention is on you, and you have to have good behavior all the time.

Along with the favorable publicity Harris has received as attorney general, shes also come under fire on high-profile cases. Earlier this year, some civil rights activists and members of Californias Legislative Black Caucus criticized Harris for opposing legislation that would require her office to independently investigate fatal police shootings. That, too, has followed Harris throughout her campaign.

And during the campaign, Harris critics questioned why the attorney general defended a California Coastal Commission permit that allowed more than 300 million pounds of nuclear waste to be buried at the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant site in northern San Diego County.

I am the lawyer for the state, Harris said during a debate held the month before the June primary when asked about defending the Coastal Commission. I cannot talk about that.

Public scrutiny and acclaim are all part of the territory for high-profile elected officials, Crigler said. Most politicians have an eye on reelection or being elected to a higher office, so it makes sense that they think strategically about attracting the most positive coverage they can about their achievements and points of view.

Can they abuse it? Yeah, they probably can, Crigler said. But its not that easy to do.

Election 2016 | California politics news feed | Sign up for the newsletter

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon

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Buttressed by the support of top Democrats, Kamala Harris shores up her lead after U.S. Senate debate

Backpage says criminal charges by Kamala Harris are election year stunt

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Updates on California politics
Hillary Clinton probably spoke for a lot of Americans with a joke she told at Thursday nights Al Smith dinner, an annual charity fundraiser in New York.

In less than three weeks, she said, the country will get the news its been wanting to hear: This election will be over very, very soon.

By most accounts  polls, the behavior of elected officials in both parties, reporting from key states  the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Is it, really?

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Good afternoon, Im David Lauter, Washington bureau chief. Welcome to the Friday edition of our Essential Politics newsletter, in which we look at the events of the week in the presidential campaign and highlight some particularly insightful stories.

COULD THIS BE BREXIT REDUX?

For years, the surest sign that a candidate was losing has been the ghost of Harry Truman popping up in campaign-rally speeches. To keep up the spirits of their supporters  and perhaps themselves  underdogs love to trot out a reminder of the 33rd president, standing with a triumphant grin on his face, holding up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune with its infamous Dewey Defeats Truman headline.

Brexit is the new Truman.

I dont believe the polls any more, Donald Trump proclaimed to the crowd at a rally earlier this week in Colorado Springs. Believe me folks, were doing great, he said. This is another Brexit.

Could he be right?

Upsets do happen. Sometimes longshots do win. But the analogy to Brexit has two big flaws: It misrepresents what happened in Britain and misreads whats taking place in the U.S.

Brexit  the British referendum on whether to exit the European Union  passed in June, 52%-48%. The result caught many in Britain by surprise, including financial-market traders who had bet heavily on Britain staying in the EU after two late polls showed the Remain side winning.

Since then, a narrative has taken hold that the polls were wrong. They werent, at least not in any big, consistent way. About half the polls in the final month showed the Leave side winning. The polling average on election eve showed a near tie, and the trend line showed Leave steadily gaining ground.

The real lesson of Brexit is not that the polls were wrong, its that opinion leaders and market traders refused to believe the surveys that showed their preferred side losing and bet on the ones that told them what they wanted to hear.

So, what about the current U.S. polls? There are some, most notably our USC/Los Angeles Times Daybreak tracking poll, that show Trump and Clinton in a near tie.

As I wrote at the end of August, the Daybreak poll, because of the way its designed, presents something of a best-case scenario for Trump  one in which he succeeds in getting large numbers of previous nonvoters to cast ballots for him. When your best case is a near tie (a lead of 0.7 percentage points as of Friday morning), thats not much to go on.

And, of course, the Daybreak poll is very much an outlier among surveys. Here are some frequently asked questions about the poll and why it differs from other surveys.

Being an outlier doesnt mean a poll is wrong, but in the vast majority of cases, the average of polls provides the most accurate forecast. On average, polls currently show Clinton leading by about seven points.

Its also notable that the poll shows a large majority of respondents believing that Clinton will win. That question about voter expectations is often more reliable than the standard one about which candidate people plan to support. The group that believes Clinton will win includes a lot of Trump supporters who have begun to predict their candidate will lose.

Taking the long view, a seven-point Clinton lead has been the norm in this race since Trump secured the GOP nomination. The exceptions were two stretches  the period immediately before and after the GOP convention and the week in mid-September that was dominated by stories about Clintons health.

Since scientific polling of U.S. elections began, theres no example of a presidential candidate coming back in the final weeks from the sort of deficit Trump now faces. Could it happen? Sure. But, if it does, as Truman said, it will be one for the books.

DONT FORGET THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

As our interactive electoral map shows, Clinton currently leads in more than enough states to secure the White House. She could end up getting more than 350 electoral votes, based on current polls. Weve updated the map to reflect the latest information on where the states stand.

Now you get to play political strategist and try out as many scenarios as you like.

THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS

With the presidential race seemingly increasingly out of reach, Republicans are shifting resources to try to hold onto control of Congress. The partys hold on the Senate is particularly endangered.

In Nevada, Lisa Mascaro took a look at one key race, in which Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is making a last stand before he retires, doing all he can do ensure that the successor he picked, Catherine Cortez Masto, wins the election.

Mark Barabak looked at a neighboring state, Arizona, a traditionally Republican place that is now a toss-up in the presidential race, although not in its Senate contest, where John McCain seems to be holding on for reelection.

The rising number of Latino voters is one reason why Trump polls badly in Arizona. But Barabak looked at another, less examined, key to the state: Trumps weakness among Mormon voters. Aversion to Trump among Mormons also may cost him a defeat in Utah, as well, and could tip the balance in Nevada.

Heres an overview of where the race for control of the Senate stands.

STORIES NOT TO MISS

This was the week of the final debate, of course. Heres how we scored it, round by round. The 90 minutes were dominated by a single sentence from Trump in which he pointedly said he would not pledge in advance to accept the results of the election. As Cathy Decker wrote in her analysis, that one line totally overshadowed what was otherwise Trumps best debate performance.

Beneath such theatrics lie some powerful demographic realities that are shaping U.S. politics. Those were on clear display this week, particularly in dueling rallies by Trump and First Lady Michelle Obama, as Decker explained.

From New York, Barbara Demick reported on the travails of affluent Manhattan residents who have discovered that this year, living in Trump Tower comes with a side of controversy.

Matt Pearce took a deep look at Trumps history of real estate deals in Southern California. He frequently has tried to close a big deal in the L.A. area, but has never quite managed to do so.

Trump has been warning his supporters constantly to be on the lookout for signs of election rigging. As Noah Bierman and Mike Memoli reported, the problems he warns about mostly have election officials rolling their eyes.

But as David Savage reported, the election system still has lots of flaws. Pennsylvania is one state where a truly close election could be problematic because the states 1980s-era voting machines dont provide a paper trail that could be verified in case of a dispute.

Finally, while Clinton is winning the race, one area in which she has consistently lagged is in building a network of small donors. Chris Megerian and Mike Memoli reported on how her finances have developed and her continuing reliance on big contributors.

QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP, CLINTON? WEVE GOT ANSWERS

Where they stand on issues, what theyve done in their lives, their successes, their failures, what their presidencies might look like: Weve been writing about Clinton and Trump for years, and weve pulled the best of that content together to make finding what you want to know easier. So check out All Things Trump and All Things Clinton.

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That wraps up this week. My colleague Christina Bellantoni will be back Monday with the weekday edition of Essential Politics. Until then, keep track of all the developments in the 2016 campaign with our Trail Guide, at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.
A new study in mice suggests an unlikely cure for jet lag: oxygen deprivation.

When the animals breathed air with about one-quarter to one-third less oxygen than usual, they adapted to a six-hour time change more rapidly than mice that breathed regular air, according to a report published Thursday in the journal Cell Metabolism.

For the record: A previous version of this story said the air in a city thats 8,000 feet above sea level has less oxygen than a city at sea level. The primary difference is that the atmospheric pressure is lower in a high-altitude city, and that decreases the amount of oxygen that gets into the bloodstream.

Oxygen is essential to humans, mice and other animals. The cells in our bodies need oxygen to convert carbohydrates into energy. Thats why we breathe it in all the time.

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A team of researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of Bristol in England suspected oxygen might be useful for another reason as well  keeping our circadian systems in sync.

The circadian system makes sure that all of the bodys cells are in tune with our master internal clock. Our daily cycle of eating and fasting helps with this. So does our body temperature, which falls in the hours before we go to sleep, then rises as we prepare to wake up.

The researchers realized that both eating and temperature regulation are tightly linked to oxygen consumption, they wrote.

To learn more about oxygens role in regulating circadian rhythm, the scientists monitored oxygen levels in the blood and tissues of mice. Sure enough, they found that the mice consumed more oxygen when they were exposed to darkness (this is their active phase, since they are nocturnal) and consumed less oxygen when exposed to light (when they rest).

Next, they conducted experiments with mouse cells cultured in laboratory dishes. The cells were exposed to varying amounts of oxygen, and researchers checked to see which genes were expressed.

Some of the dishes were put on a cycle that had them toggling between 8% oxygen and 5% oxygen over a 24-hour period. Others lived exclusively in an 8% oxygen environment. The researchers found that the cells exposed to varying levels of oxygen became synchronized to a new rhythm.

In a final step, the team got mice habituated to a cycle of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. Then they made a one-time adjustment that sped up the schedule by six hours, mimicking the effects of jet lag. The difference was the equivalent of flying from Chicago to London.

The mice normally breathed air with 21% oxygen (just as people do in the real world). But for 12 hours before the clock was shifted forward, some of the mice got only 16% oxygen. These mice adapted to the new lighting schedule considerably faster than their counterparts, as judged by their eating, running and sleeping, the researchers reported.

The team also tested a scenario that dialed back the oxygen to a mere 14%, though only for two hours. This short pulse of oxygen deprivation was enough to help mice get over their jet lag more quickly, according to the study.

It remains to be seen whether the same approach would work for humans, who (unlike mice) actually have to cope with jet lag. The researchers argue that its worth figuring out  especially since its possible for airlines to increase the amount of oxygen in the passenger cabin of certain planes.

The air in a typical airplane cabin contains about 16% oxygen. The effect is comparable to being in a city thats up to 8,000 feet above sea level. (Californias Mammoth Lakes, for instance, is 7920 feet above sea level.) But this reduced amount of oxygen makes some passengers feel airsick. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for instance, makes it possible for airlines to increase the cabin pressure by pumping in more oxygen.

Although it might make passengers more comfortable while theyre in the air, the extra oxygen could make them more miserable once theyre back on the ground.

The aviation industry is investing substantial funds and efforts to improve and increase the cabin oxygen levels to 21% O2, the study authors wrote. This should be reconsidered in view of the beneficial effect of reduced oxygen levels in jet lag recovery that are reported here.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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During the Vietnam War, Burbank residents baked cookies and sent them packaged in film canisters to troops serving overseas, recalls Mickey DePalo, chairman of the citys veterans committee and an Army veteran. He said he got some and so did some of his buddies who were from Burbank.

He was also one of the fortunate ones to get care packages and mail from his family.

That mail from home means a lot, DePalo said.

The effort was undertaken by, among others, Doris Vick, one of DePalos colleagues on the veterans committee and a veteran who served during World War II. They may not use film canisters anymore, opting for cardboard boxes instead, but this weekend marks the fifth year area locals will take up a similar effort to brighten the holidays for post-9/11-era service members.

On Saturday, community members and volunteers from various service organizations will gather to package up donated health and comfort items into U.S. Postal Service priority mailboxes as part of an annual Thank-A-Soldier event.

It really speaks to how grateful our city is, said Paul Sessum, team leader at the Burbank Keller Williams office, which sponsors the event and has hosted it in its parking lot at 401 S. First St. since 2011. Its not just the things in that box, its the energy ... and thats our city.

The event supports the nonprofit Hands Across the Battlefield, which was created after Sept. 11, 2001 by DePalos friend and fellow Vietnam veteran Marc Cutter, a Burbank High School alumnus who died in 2011, and Cutters wife, Karen.

Sessum said he expects hundreds of volunteers to fill nearly 1,000 boxes this year, up from fewer than 200 the first year.

You should see my offices, Sessum said. Theyre just packed full of stuff [for the troops].

However, Sessum said its not about the number of boxes, but about who shows up to volunteer and about the community.

The event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to the public and will feature more than a packing party. There will be music performed by bands with members from the Keller Williams office in Glendale and a Wells Fargo office, as well as free food provided by Handy Market.

There will also be bounce houses and face-painting activities for children. Admission is free with a donation of cash or one of the simple items from the troops wish list, such as white crew socks, disposable razors, protein bars or paperback books. A full wish list is available online at the events Facebook page at https://bit.ly/kwthankasoldier.

Letters from local students will be included in the boxes and a letter writing-station at the event will allow residents to create their own messages of support for the troops. There will also be a photo booth with wacky props, Sessum said, and photos will be included in the care packages.

Though its called Thank-A-Soldier, it benefits members of all the military services, he said, not just the Army. He said a Marine Corps color guard will be on hand, and members of the other services will also be milling around and taking part.

Those who cant show up on Saturday can still participate in the effort by dropping off donations in advance at one of Burbanks Public Library branches, or four other locations.

Keller Williams in Burbank at 401 S. First St.

Keller Williams in Glendale at 889 American Way #408.

Burbank City Federal Credit Union at 1800 Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank Tennis Center at 1515 N. Glenoaks Blvd.

The care boxes go not just to local residents serving overseas, but to service members from other areas of Southern California, DePalo said. Donations have also come from as far away as Calabasas, where someone donated Girl Scout cookies, and San Diego, from which a bunch of paperback books were mailed, he said.

Our goal is to get as many [boxes] out as we can prior to the holidays, DePalo said, which he said means sending about 100 boxes a week. Its a big, community-wide effort.

--

Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland
Re: Responses to For the first time in nearly 50 years, more Americans are against the death penalty, In Theory, Oct. 18. I had thought that the LDS church believed in the Judeo-Christian Bible. In each of the first five books of the Bible, the Torah and the Law in Judaism, God specifically mandates the death penalty for premeditated murder. The Hebrew word for kill used in the King James version has been modified in every important update of that interpretation to refer to premeditated killing.

As for atheist Roberta Medford, I dont get her opinion that the death penalty is an immoral abomination. These are strange terms from someone who doesnt believe there is any ultimate accounting for ones actions during life. I would like her to explain why it would be moral to let the two recent killers of three local policemen to go on living.

Mel Wolf

Burbank

..

Measure B doesnt fly

Here are my six reasons for voting no on Measure B.

As I see it, we are giving up our rights for future expansion of gates, terminals and development to three airport commissioners appointed by the City Council, instead of residents voting for commissioners.

Excavation in that former Lockheed area which had toxic dumping will release new toxins into our air. We may have days where residents need to stay inside their homes and use masks for breathing outdoors.

Traffic congestion will be severely impacted throughout Burbank. The FEIR states that impact of traffic is less than significant, but that is based on a 2015 report of only passengers using the airport. Many thousands of large trucks carrying debris will be employed as well as multiple thousands of trucks hauling materials and supplies during the course of the construction.

The FEIR is more than 4,100 pages. Its cross-referenced and hard to follow in terms of clarity. Many responses in Volume 6 are the same, quote: This comment does not specifically address the analysis contained in the Draft EIR. Therefore the comments regarding the [fill in the blank] are acknowledged and will be forwarded to and considered by the Authority decision-makers. This gives no resolution to the questions.

NextGen will bring many more planes using a satellite system and change flight patterns, bringing more noise, pollution and traffic to Burbank.

The FAA has not determined that the Burbank Airport is unsafe. They would have shut it down long ago if that was the case. A letter from the FAA Administrator dated Dec 19, 2002, states we believe that operations in the present location can continue safely in the future as in the past.

Frank Macchia

Burbank

..

Reading is its own reward

Regarding your front page picture and article, R.L. Stevenson Elementary students slime their principal after successfully reaching reading goal, which shows the principal of Stevenson Elementary School covered in green slime.

I taught in Burbank Unified School District for more than 37 years and was shocked to see this picture of a student pouring slime on the principals head. This reward was promised to the student body if they read for more than 100,000 minutes over the span of two weeks.

Its commendable that the students accomplished this reading milestone. But to reward students with such a funny, degrading activity is sending the wrong message. Being disrespectful under any circumstances in unacceptable. Educators, cant you come up with a simple reward, something positive that they can all enjoy? You should be emphasizing respect, courtesy and politeness. These are the qualities that earn recognition.

It is upsetting to me to see adults encouraging disrespectful behavior. I hope I never hear about this type of reward again in the BUSD. This article does not belong on the front page of your paper!

Marilyn Deal

Burbank

..

BCCs holiday event slated

Burbank Coordinating Council is hosting its first annual holiday basket event and you are all invited. The Spirit of Giving luncheon on Friday, Nov. 4, will celebrate Honorable Emily Gabel-Luddy and the Burbank Fire Department. Emcee Marsha Ramos will welcome everyone at 11:30 a.m. to First Presbyterian Church, 521 E Olive Ave., to enjoy both lunch and holiday music, including carols with our honorees.

Sponsorships at $250, $500, and $1,000 offer the opportunity for listing online and in our program and include tickets to luncheon. Individual seats are only $50 each and all are available through Paypal on our website, www.burbankcoordinatingcouncil.org.

This is a chance to spend a delightful time, sing, eat, and help Burbanks needy families too. All profits go directly into food and gifts for nearly 550 families. Contact us anytime by sending an email to ccholidaybaskets@aol.com.

Janet Diel

President

Burbank Coordinating Council

..

Disabilities council to meet

The Advisory Council on Disabilities is meeting on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m. at the Community Service Building, 150 N. 3rd St., Burbank. All are invited.

Please come and share your observations and concerns about how we can work together to make Burbank more easily accessible for all abilities.

We have a list of some of the barriers to be reviewed and would like your input to add to and resolve these issues.

Please feel free to email me at doc@kidfind.org or call us at (818) 216-9377.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Dr. Albert Schloegel

President

Burbank Advisory Council on Disabilities
The Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce is supporting a local ballot measure that would increase the sales tax in the city to 9%, from 8%, as a way to help the city reach financial sustainability.

The chamber board voted unanimously in support of Measure HH at its meeting Tuesday, said Mary Parsons, chamber president and chief executive.

We feel it is imperative to the health of our business community, Parsons said Thursday. Safety of our citizens and businesses should always be of the highest priority, and no reasonable alternative to offset our growing debt has been offered.
Two memorial signs honoring fallen firefighter Kevin Woyjeck, who died in an Arizona wildfire three years ago, are scheduled to go up next year beside the 405 Freeway through his hometown of Seal Beach.

The signs, reading Hotshot Firefighter Kevin J. Woyjeck Memorial Highway, were recently unveiled to Woyjecks father, Los Angeles County fire Capt. Joe Woyjeck, his mother, Anna, and their two children after they worked with Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) for the past year.

The last couple of years have been kind of a blur, said Joe Woyjeck, 55. Its a humbling experience that a little part of the freeway in my sons hometown will be in memory of him.

On June 30, 2013, Kevin Woyjeck, 21, along with his elite Granite Mountain Hotshot crewmates, were trying to subdue a wildfire in Yarnell, Ariz., but were overtaken by flames. Nineteen of them, including Woyjeck, died in the deadliest wildland firefighting disaster since 1933.

Plans to honor him with a memorial sign began after his mother saw a veterans memorial highway sign on the way home from Arizona last year. Joe Woyjeck said they wanted to do the same for their son.

The couple got in touch with Allen and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) about having the stretch of the 405 between the 22 and 605 freeways dedicated to their son.

In May, the Woyjecks were invited to the state Assembly when the legislation passed unanimously.

Its unimaginably difficult to lose a family member like that, but by commemorating Kevin and his life and what he was passionate about, I think it will bring a lot of happiness to the family and community, Allen said.

Kevin Woyjeck, who was born and raised in Seal Beach, showed an early interest in becoming a firefighter. As a boy, he would visit a firehouse with his father. Shortly after turning 15, he became an Explorer with the Orange County Fire Authority.

He worked as a firefighter in South Dakota and as an emergency medical technician to gain experience. He returned home and went to El Camino Fire Academy.

In April 2013, the Los Alamitos High School graduate joined the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew.

As a fire captain, Joe Woyjeck knew the risks of being a Hotshot, but he and his son always maintained a good relationship, he said.

As parents, our whole life we [are] protecting our children and putting them on bicycles with helmets, using seat belts and air bags, he said. I was always proud but nervous for my son.

Woyjeck said he is disappointed [the freeway] cant be named after all the Hotshots but is glad his son will be remembered in his hometown.

He was a happy kid, always smiling and always instilling in our children to do the right thing, he said.
Deputy Chief David McGill will leave his post in Newport Beachs Police Department next year to take the reins of the Sedona Police Department in Arizona.

McGill, who has been second in command of the Newport Beach department since 2012, last week accepted a job as chief of police in Sedona, a town of roughly 10,100 residents about a 30-mile drive south of Flagstaff.

McGill is expected to start there in January. He and his wife, Kim, bought a home in Arizona about four years ago with the intention of eventually moving there.

The 54-year-old has spent nearly his entire life as a Newport Beach resident. He moved to Balboa Island as a child and fell in love with always being a few steps from the beach. He raised his three now-grown children in Newport and currently lives there with his wife, Kim.

Im a beach guy, he said. I have salt water in my veins and Ill never get that out. But this is a new chapter for us. Were excited for the change.

Earlier this year, McGill competed against dozens of other applicants for the top job in the Newport Beach police force after then-Chief Jay Johnson announced his retirement. In March, Jon Lewis, another deputy chief and a 25-year department veteran, was tapped for the position.

McGill said he was disappointed but told Lewis he would support him during the transition.

There are no sour grapes between us, McGill said. I cant say enough good things about him. He got the nod and its his turn. Now its my turn to command somewhere else. It just worked out.

Mayor Diane Dixon said she has enjoyed partnering with McGill on policing issues on the Balboa Peninsula, where he lived for years, and is sad to see him leave.

We will miss him, she said. Dave and ... Kim are great supporters of the community. Sedona is lucky to have them both.

McGill won the top job in Sedona over candidates from across the country. The recruitment process, which took several months, consisted of multiple telephone and in-person panel interviews and exams.

He started his law enforcement career at the Los Angeles Police Department in 1987 after graduating from UC Irvine with a bachelors degree in biological sciences. He steadily climbed the ranks during his 25-year stint with the LAPD, taking assignments in the detective division, internal affairs, the fiscal and support bureau and the anti-terrorism division.

In 2000, McGill earned a masters degree in public administration from Cal State Long Beach. At the time, he said, he had every intention of working in Los Angeles the rest of his career.

But he jumped at the chance to help police his hometown when he saw an opening for one of the two deputy chief positions in Newport Beach. He was hired in 2012 as deputy chief overseeing the patrol and traffic division.

Most recently, McGill has been in charge of the detective division. Hes also president of the California Peace Officers Assn. and a member of Speak Up Newport, the Freedom Ride project and the Newport Harbor High School mentorship program.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
Edison High Schools 32nd annual Model United Nations Conference took place in Huntington Beach on Oct. 15-16.

Model United Nations (MUN) is a national, competitive debate organization, and Edisons program is one of the top 100 teams in the nation.

Students discussed pressing issues from around the world while representing a specific country and upholding that countrys policies and standards.

Over 600 student delegates attended the conference and participated as members of committees like the 4th Specialized Political Decolonization, which dealt with topics such as the Western Sahara dispute and the future privatization of space.

Debates led by chairpersons, including myself and Sahil Telang, were lively and heated as delegates contemplated the security of desert regions and the legalities of mining rights in space. Other MUN seniors at Edison directed each of the other 18 committees as they handled similarly fascinating and controversial geopolitical issues.

Secretaries-General Tyler Bond and Rebecca Hogan were responsible for the overall success of the event: running all the logistics for the conference, including contacting MUN faculty advisers and coordinating committee chairpersons.

Awards were given out at the end of the conference for creative, comprehensive and feasible solutions that may one day be put into action for the official United Nations.

Delegation awards were given out to Huntington Beach and Mira Costa high schools for their overall, school-wide participation and success in the committees.

MAX RIVERA is a senior at Edison High School in Huntington Beach.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The volume of cargo transportation between Russia and Azerbaijan increased by 20 percent for the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period last year, the Federal Road Agency of the Ministry of Transport of Russia said in a message Oct. 21.

At the same time, the road transportation market of the two countries is divided almost in parity ratio between the carriers: currently, the share of Russian carriers is 53 percent, and the share of the Azerbaijani ones is 46 percent.

The growth of foreign trade and road transportation volumes between Russia and Azerbaijan is the impetus for large-scale development of the International North-South Transport Corridor, the message reads.

The economic corridor project with a total length of 7,200 kilometers is aimed at the creation of the optimal opportunities for the movement of transit cargo from India, Iran, countries of the Gulf to the territory of Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, and further in Northern and Western Europe, the message said.

This fact was noted by representatives of the two delegations during the meeting of the Azerbaijani-Russian Joint Commission on cooperation in the field of international road transportation, according to the message. The event took place October 20-21 in Baku.

The Russian delegation was headed by Director of the Department of State Policy in Automobile and Municipal Passenger Transport at the Russian Ministry of Transport Alexey Bakirey.

The delegation also included Deputy Director General of Russian Agency of AutomobileTransport Ruslan Luzhetsky.

The Azerbaijani delegation was represented by the head of the State Road Transport Service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport.

"During the meeting the sides agreed on a preliminary number of permits for 2017-2019, the message said. Some 18,000 permits are envisaged for bilateral and transit cargo transportation, 1,800 permits for the transportation of goods to / from third countries and 1,000 permits for the irregular passenger transport.

The Russian delegation put forward a proposal for the Azerbaijani colleagues to consider an issue of increasing the term of the authorization for a regular bus service up to five years as in the Russian regulations. Currently, the authorization remains valid for one year in Azerbaijan.

The delegations agreed that the changes can be made to the protocol to the existing agreement on visa-free trips of citizens of Russia and Azerbaijan," the message said.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Lights Up was a fixture on Glendales social scene for many years. Produced by Oakmont League, the fundraiser began in 1955 and quickly became a popular community event.

Some time ago, the late Doris Boyer lent me a program book from the 1956 production. Recently, while looking through the thick book, I realized it was literally a blast from the past.

MORE: Read previous columns about Glendales past >>

The first page set the scene: Lights Up, directed by David C. Jones, of Jerome H. Cargill Productions, on Nov. 16 at Hoover Highs Auditorium. The orchestra, yes, orchestra, was conducted by Lyman Gandee. Lucille Silverstone was credited as rehearsal pianist.

Mrs. Ray Kidd, general chair, was assisted by a committee of nearly 20 women, all listed by their husbands name (remember this was the 1950s). But President Celeste Gages first name was used with her welcome message on the next page.

Next was a full-page ad from Cal Cannon, station manager for KIEV, the choice spot 870 on the dial at 102 N. Glendale Avenue, Glendale 6, California.

Another full-page ad was from Judds, at 234 N. Brand Blvd., where you could buy a short, silk-satin evening dress strapless above and belling skirt below in black, white, pink or ruby for $129. Judds was open until 9 p.m. on Fridays, and even better, had free parking. Its phone number was Citrus 3-1197.

A photo of a cute baby girl named Carol Ann Richard (now Burton) was on a page-six ad sponsored by Electronic Specialty Co. and Shavex Corp.

Chazans Interiors, at 425 Brand, bought a full-page ad, as did Webbs, but it was the many small ads that caught my eye: Ace Vacuum At Your Service at 412 S. Central Ave.; Henrys Restaurant at 520 E. Colorado Blvd.; Crawfords Shopping Centers at 1200 N. Central Ave. and Garlicks Pet Shop at 318 N. Glendale Ave.

George Haney & Son bought an ad to promote their GE and Frigidaire appliances, and Paulines Chicken Pie Shop and Restaurant noted it had free parking at 338 N. Orange.

The Glendale Swimming School displayed a photo of Corrine McGeagh, Mildred Dalany and Cleo Hanssen. Billys Delicatessen, with manager Jack Whitten, was at 216 N. Orange Ave. and H. L. Moe Co., for plumbing, heating and air conditioning, was across from the Gas Co. at 123 N. Maryland Ave.

Reinies, quality merchandise at 238 N. Brand, bought a half-page ad, as did Art Frosts DeSoto and Plymouth dealership at 801 S. Brand. Bistagne Bros Auto Shop, at Chevy Chase Drive and Verdugo Road, offered its services, as did Fayes on Honolulu Avenue.

Lights Up featured singing, dancing and skits and many a husband was roped into appearing on stage, sometimes in less-than-flattering costumes.

After the show, members reconvened at Oakmont Country Club, where chef Johnny Blackwell set out a buffet supper.

Proceeds went to philanthropies such as Glendales Community Chest; the YMCA ($29.75 sent a boy to Camp Fox on Catalina Island for eight days); Los Angeles Orthopaedic Foundation (for the nursery ward) and Hathaway Home for Children.

More 1956 recipients were the March of Dimes and the YWCA pool fund, plus the Hear Foundation.

Now, 60 years later, Oakmont League continues to raise funds for its many philanthropies and for scholarships to local high school and community college students.

--

Readers Write:

Joanne Hedge, president of the Glendale Rancho Neighborhood Assn., emailed a note of appreciation for the June 2 column about the Disney-renovated Grand Central Air Terminal. She noted that the Rancho neighborhood is adjacent to the Grand Central campus and that they are party to the years Disney grew into what it is today.

--

Jill Benone, who moved to Las Vegas in March, emailed about a great surprise she received via Facebook. A tile in my name was installed in the Dads Club patio, saying nice things about [my] service to Verdugo Woodlands. I had no idea about this, although I suspect Nina Garguilio-Lopez and Nancy Greene were the instigators. Anyway, just goes to prove what I suspected  I may reside in Las Vegas, but I really live in Glendale  Verdugo Woodlands, to be exact.'

--

KATHERINE YAMADA can be reached at katherineyamada@gmail.com or by mail at Verdugo Views, c/o News-Press, 202 W. First St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Please include your name, address and phone number.
James Rez, who spent about five years as Glendales city manager during his 30 years in municipal government, died from pneumonia on Oct. 14 in Glendale. He was 91.

Rez was born in Santa Ana after emigrating from Budapest, Hungary, at the age of 12. He later joined the Navys V-12 college training program, spending two years at Occidental College, followed by Officer Candidate School at Notre Dame.

After tours in Europe and the Pacific, Rez returned to Occidental for graduate school to study political science. During his studies, he took an internship with the city of Glendales personnel department.

Although for a short time Rez considered teaching public administration, he eventually worked as assistant personnel director in Glendale from 1953 until 1959. Rez then returned to his hometown and filled a similar role for both the city of Santa Ana and the Newport Mesa Unified School District at the same time.

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Married in 1951, Rez met his wife, Nancy, through the Occidental Greek system, then they had their son, Dave, in 1957 and daughter, Peggy, in 1959.

He was working in public service at a time when there really werent a lot of bloated salaries, Dave Rez said. I know that he never made a lot of money working there. It was not one of his considerations when taking any job. It was more about doing what he loved.

James Rez returned to Glendale in 1967 as the citys personnel director, then was promoted to assistant city manager in 1974. Beating out 60 other candidates, he succeeded Hugh McKinley in 1983 as Glendale city manager until he retired in 1988.

He developed a loyalty to Glendale, Dave Rez said. In a weird way, I think of Glendale as his hometown even though he wasnt born there.

Rich Sokolowski first met James Rez during an interview process for a position as an administrative intern with the city of Glendale. Sokolowski was mentored by James Rez and later developed a lifelong friendship, recently celebrating James Rezs 91st birthday in March.

He was very supportive. He always tried to guide you. He always tried to find out what were your goals, what were your objectives, Sokolowski said. Outside of work, he was a very personable friend, always there when you needed him. Its really hard to put into words how I feel about him.

After retirement, James Rez volunteered at the Metropolitan Water District, representing Glendale on its board of directors. He also volunteered two 5 a.m. shifts a week at the City of Hope in Duarte, inspired by a successful prostatectomy at the cancer center 25 years ago.

When he wasnt volunteering, James Rez spent his retirement fishing with his dog Zachary.

Richard Hughes, a former consultant for Glendale, met James Rez after being hired to conduct a study on the police department and, like many others, stayed friends with him well after retirement.

Jim was one of the finest public servants I had the privilege to work for. He had the highest ethics, the persistence to get important things done, a humility and a marvelous sense of humor, Hughes said. His frame of reference in making decisions was what is best for the public.

Rez is survived by his son, Dave, and daughter, Peggy.

James Rez will be cremated, with plans to have his ashes scattered along with his late wifes ashes near the family cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains.

--

Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
American and Southwest will take you to Pittsburgh and back for $268, including all fees and taxes. The round-trip deal out of LAX is subject to availability, of course, and requires flights to be taken Monday through Thursday, or on a Saturday. The deal is available for flights through April 24. But move quickly: Tickets must be purchased by Thursday (Oct. 27).

Info: www.southwest.com, (800) 435-9792; (800) 433-7300, www.aa.com

Source: Airfarewatchdog.com

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Travel@latimes.com

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Caviar, that most luxurious of delicacies, is getting the star treatment at one Las Vegas eatery. Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace has opened a room that will serve nothing but caviar dishes.

This is a place to unwind in style its located in the restaurants lounge  and spend a lot of money on plates of fish eggs.

Guests can meet celebrity chef Guy Savoy at the room Nov. 2 to 6.

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You can order an ounce of Golden Osetra caviar (one of the worlds best, from Russian sturgeon) for $375 or Siberian Baerii Caviar for $195.

Or you can try a sampler Colors of Caviar for as little as $47 for a half portion, $95 for whole. And a Salmon Mi Cuit swimming in a sea of caviar, $65 for half portion, $130 for whole.

What goes best with caviar? Champagne of course. You can snag a glass of Krug Grand Cuvee for $29 or select other varieties.

The Caviar Room is open 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays. For information or reservations, contact Restaurant Guy Savoy, (702) 731-7286

After a salty indulgence in the Caviar Room, you be ready to down some vodka at Minus5 ice bar at Mandalay Bay. Its open daily until at least 2 a.m.

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South Africa said Friday it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court at The Hague, raising fears of an African exodus from a tribunal established to prosecute the worst crimes against humanity.

Human rights activists quickly expressed dismay that South Africas governing African National Congress, known for its iconic struggle against apartheid, had rejected the court and its central tenet that no matter how powerful the perpetrators of the worst abuses, they could still face international justice.

Simon Adams from the New York- and Geneva-based Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect, tweeted that it was a terrible decision for South Africa.

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This decision strengthens the hand of mass atrocity perpetrators everywhere and lengthens the dark shadow of impunity, he said.

Adams said the struggle against apartheid in South Africa had been a global one, adding that South Africas former president Nelson Mandela had placed human rights at the center of his countrys foreign policy when he was leader.

South Africas announcement came days after the East African nation of Burundi said it would quit the court, raising fears that some of the courts other vehement critics in Africa, like Kenya and Uganda, would also pull out.

The ICC began operating in 2002, four years after the signing of its founding instrument, the Rome Statute. It initially had widespread support in Africa, who made up 34 of its 124 signatories (before the recent withdrawals).

But after prosecutors pursued cases against sitting presidents  Sudans Omar Bashir and Kenyas Uhuru Kenyatta  African leaders began to complain that the court was biased against the continent.

One of the courts biggest weaknesses has been its inability to arrest Bashir, who was indicted 11 years ago for alleged crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. The lack of action has been blamed, in part, on countries  including South Africa  that signed the Rome Statute and were obliged to arrest Bashir, yet refused to do so.

Bashir visited South Africa last year for an African Union summit and was able to leave the country, despite a High Court order for his arrest.

The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of global conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court of obligations contained in the Rome Statute, South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said in a letter informing the United Nations secretary-general of the countrys intention to withdraw from the court in one years time.

The court has also been weakened by the refusal of major powers such as the United States, Russia and China to join it.

South Africas decision was criticized by rights groups in South Africa who said that legally the country couldnt leave the court without a parliamentary vote. However, Minister of Justice and Corrections Michael Masutha said the government planned to submit a bill to ratify the withdrawal.

Masutha said South Africa would remain a beacon of light in upholding human rights, but would pursue this objective through continental bodies such as the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights.

South Africa remains committed to the fight against impunity and holding those who have committed crimes against humanity and other serious crimes accountable, he told a news conference in Pretoria.

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT

UPDATES:

10:55 a.m.: This article was updated with comment from the South African government.

This article was originally published at 9:20 a.m.
Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes divorce from the United States may have ended before it began.

On Thursday, Duterte, while in Beijing on a state visit, announced a separation from the U.S. by the Philippines  a top U.S. ally since the 1950s  in favor of closer economic and military ties with China.

America has lost now, Duterte, 71, told a crowd of Chinese and Filipino business leaders in the Great Hall of the People, a stately meeting hall abutting Tiananmen Square. And maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. Its the only way.

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Members of an indigenous group and activists burn a U.S. flag during a protest Friday calling for the immediate pull-out of U.S. troops in the Philippines. (Noel Celis/AFP )

Then came the damage control.

Duterte seemed to scramble early Saturday, saying he will not cut diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the U.S.

Its not a severance of ties. What I mean was a separation of foreign policy, he told reporters in his home city, Davao, according to the Philippine news website GMA News.

Let me clarify. The president did not talk about separation, Philippines Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines on Friday, joining a small chorus of high-ranking Philippine officials and elites to denounce, walk back, or express bafflement at their presidents words.

The country would not stop trade and investment with the U.S., Lopez said.

Four Philippine senators sought clarification on Dutertes comments, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella called Dutertes remarks merely an assertion that we are an independent and sovereign nation, now finding common ground with friendly neighbors.

Duterte, in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday afternoon, agreed to resume bilateral talks over the South China Sea, where competing territorial claims have poisoned the two countries relationship for years.

The Philippine president, for his rapprochement, walked away from the meeting with $13.5 billion worth of trade deals with China.

In this visit, bilateral relations have fully recovered and the two countries will return to the track of dialogue and consultation to address maritime issues, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters after the signings.

Yet Dutertes comments have caused some blowback at home, where many citizens view the U.S. favorably and hold China in deep contempt. On Friday, Albert del Rosario, the Philippines former foreign minister, called Dutertes shift in foreign policy a national tragedy.

We must be with responsible nations with whom we share our core values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, he said in a statement. To stand otherwise, is not what Filipinos are; it is not what we do; it is not what is right.

U.S.-Philippine economic, military and grassroots ties run deep. The countries military relationship dates to a defense treaty signed in 1951, and the U.S. operates several military bases on Philippine territory. U.S. companies have invested nearly $5 billion in the country, especially in the call center and data processing industries. About 2.6 million Filipinos live in the U.S.

Duterte has vowed to end joint military exercises and naval patrols in the South China Sea and called for U.S. forces to leave the southern island of Mindanao, where the Philippines is combating several terrorist and separatist groups.

Yet Duterte has a reputation for making crude, hyperbolic and self-contradicting statements, leaving politicians  both in the U.S. and the Philippines  unsure of what he actually hopes to achieve. He has hurled profanity at Obama, the European Union and the pope; he has apologized, then doubled down on his insults.

During his presidential campaign this spring, Duterte said that he would shelve concerns over the South China Sea in return for Chinese economic aid; then he vowed to personally ride a jet ski to contested islands and adorn them with a Philippine flag.

Also during the campaign, Duterte promised to solve the countrys endemic drug problem by declaring open season on anyone involved in the drug trade, without regard for human rights or due process. Since his June 30 inauguration, thousands have lost their lives.

The U.S. has repeatedly criticized Dutertes anti-drug campaign; China has only praised it.

U.S. officials have said that Manila has not notified them of any policy changes.

Weve seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently which is inexplicably at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments, said the U.S. Embassy press attache in Manila, Molly Koscina, in a statement.

For our part, we will honor our alliance commitments and treaty obligations, she continued. And of course, we expect the Philippines to do the same.

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As tensions over Taiwans national identity reignite, tourists from mainland China avoid the island
A Taiwanese tour guide stood outside the National Palace Museum and waited for crowds she didnt expect to see.

Last October, the line snaked through the lobby, out the front door and across the outdoor pavilion. This year, about a dozen people stood at the admissions counter.

Chinas weeklong National Day sees a global migration of millions, with an onslaught of visitors to Taipeis hillside gallery. The museum boasts one of the worlds most expansive collections of Chinese art, an array of imperial jade, ancient bronze vessels, calligraphy and rare books.

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But the citys premier draw this month lacked many of the people who generally fill its halls: tourists from mainland China.

Mainlanders are going elsewhere, said Tung Meng Ching, 40, the tour guide who looked out at a half-empty lobby. Our president, Tung said, trailing off, you know.

The absence reveals a deepening rift over Taiwans national identity. Mainland tourism has dropped 20% since June, weeks after President Tsai Ing-wen took power and declined to endorse the notion that Taiwan and the mainland are part of one united China.

During the holiday, half-filled tour buses drove through Taroko Gorge National Park and hotels flashed vacancy signs along the beachfront east coast.

Each side blames the other for the drop, with Taiwanese officials accusing a heavy-handed mainland government of blocking travel and Beijing administrators slamming the islands leaders for making tourists feel unwelcome. The discord underscores the challenge Taiwan faces as it weighs economic dependence on Beijing against greater autonomy for the island.

The decline is mostly due to the mainlands political interference and restriction on mainland tourists visiting Taiwan, said Chiu Chui-cheng, spokesman of the Mainland Affairs Council, the agency that handles policies with China.

Mainland travel agents received implicit government orders to limit island-bound travel, Taiwans Travel Quality Assurance Assn. warned earlier this year  more a nudge than a directive.

Several Chinese travel agencies cited a decrease but did not attribute it to government intervention.

Chinese officials deny capping tourists. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang, at a news conference last month, linked the tourism decline to the Taiwanese governments refusal to support a tacit agreement that only one China exists, albeit with different interpretations. Beijing refers to this as the 1992 Consensus.

We are very clear about the reason causing the loss to Taiwans tourism-related industry, he said. Whoever started the trouble should end it.

The Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment.

Thousands of tourism workers recently took to Taipeis streets to demand help restoring those numbers. Taiwans Central Bank governor late last month called falling tourism a risk to economic growth.

The travel slump is particularly telling because both sides have touted tourism in recent years as a sign of improved relations after a 60-year stalemate. Mainland visitors to Taiwan reached a record high last year, according to the Chinese government, making up about 40% of tourists to the island.

And yet Chinese group travel during the holidays first four days dropped 56% from last year, according to the islands National Immigration Agency.

Mainland visits to Russia during the so-called Golden Week rose 103%. Chinese travel to Japan jumped 34% from January to August compared with the same period last year.

The refusal to acknowledge one China reduces ordinary citizens motive to go to Taiwan, said Liu Xiangping, head of Nanjing Universitys Institute of Taiwan Studies.

Mainlanders from more rural areas can only visit Taiwan on group tours, some of which warn participants about avoiding spots where the false flag is flown or visiting government departments.

Tensions grew in July when a tour bus caught fire in Taiwan and killed 24 mainland Chinese. The Beijing News covered its entire front page with the image of a blazing vehicle. Officials derided the islands safety measures.

Beijing has suspended official communication with Taiwan, and sought to edge it out of global organizations. The International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets aviation industry standards, declined to invite the self-governing island to its meeting last month. It had to participate in this summers Olympics as Chinese Taipei.

The relationship has developed from a stalemate to confrontation, said Nathan Liu, an international affairs professor at Taipeis Ming Chuan University.

China has considered Taiwan a runaway province since 1949, when Nationalist Party forces lost a civil war to Communist rebels and fled across the Taiwan Strait. The island governs itself as a democracy.

Former President Ma Ying-jeou accepted the one China philosophy and signed a flurry of deals to promote trade and investment. But Tsais independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party unseated Mas Nationalist Party in January in an upset that highlighted apprehension about the mainlands reach.

Now some worry about losing that economic safety net. Eight Taiwanese local leaders who support the one China policy recently traveled to Beijing to discuss how to steer tourism toward their cities.

Wu Kuan-ting, a tour coordinator at the Presidential Office Building, said the line outside has slumped from thousands to hundreds.

Most of us would like to keep [the relationship] the way it is, said Wu, 24, standing near red velvet ropes. The tourism industry is facing a lot of change and its quite a big problem.

While he spoke, workers on the other side of the building installed the grandstand for Tsais first National Day speech.

Tsai, in her holiday address, said Taiwan would not bow to pressure from China, even as she advocated talks and a continued relationship. The island celebrates its National Day nine days after the mainland, to mark an uprising that led to the demise of Chinas last imperial dynasty.

Taiwanese officials have tried to reduce Beijings economic hold on the island by looking to Southeast Asia. But its unclear that will cover the gap.

The political tensions belie cultural ones. Some Taiwanese view Chinese visitors as abrasive and loud, while Chinese occasionally complain they feel disrespected.

Theyre always trying to antagonize us; they think theyre so special, said Leon Wei, 27, a Beijing tech worker who has little interest in visiting the island. The latest issues, he said, might reinforce this antagonizing.

And yet many younger mainlanders embrace the opportunity to visit a place that calls itself the Heart of Asia. Even during this years holiday, Chinese tourists sampled sweet oyster omelets in Taipeis night markets and peeked at back-alley shrines in the historic southwestern city of Tainan.

Gong Kunning leaned off the ledge of a mountaintop temple at Taroko Gorge, attempting a group photo with her selfie stick.

People here are warm and kind-hearted, said Gong, 26, a finance worker in the southern city of Shenzhen. Shed traveled to Taiwan once before but returned because her friends wanted to go.

Just say I love the culture, she said, as the other women whispered for her to stop talking. Its too sensitive.

Nicole Liu and Yangzhi Yang from the Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report.

Meyers is a special correspondent. Follow her @jessicameyers on Twitter.

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Its squalid and dangerous, crowded and muddy  and home to thousands of migrants desperate to reach Britain.

French officials said Friday the sprawling encampment known as the Jungle, outside the port city of Calais, will be closed in the next few days and its inhabitants sent to hundreds of reception centers across the country -- a move that threatens to set off a new wave of anti-migrant sentiment.

The camp has been seen as a symbol of the failure of President Francois Hollandes government to deal with the migrant crisis roiling all of Europe. Human rights activists decry miserable living conditions in the camp, and inhabitants are often injured or killed trying to make their way to Britain aboard trains or trucks heading into the Eurotunnel under the English Channel.

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In French towns where the migrants will spend up to four months awaiting a determination as to whether they can apply for asylum or are to be sent home, there are already signs of angry dissent. Many of the migrants are from war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria; others, including many from African nations, are trying to escape desperate poverty.

In one small southern town, Beziers, the far-right mayor caused a stir recently when he put up posters reading ominously: Theyre coming. Demonstrations have been staged in other communities, despite efforts by French officials to calm fears.

The camp and the fate of its inhabitants have already emerged as contentious issues in Frances presidential elections, to be held next year.

After Britains June vote to exit the European Union, there has been a groundswell of sentiment in France in favor of revoking an agreement that essentially puts Britains southern frontier on French soil, allowing British officials to carry out border checks there.

French center-right politician Alain Juppe, considered the presidential front-runner, said this week that such checks should take place on the English side of the channel.

We cannot accept making the selection on French territory of people that Britain does or doesnt want, he told the Guardian newspaper. Its up to Britain to do that job.

A tent is painted with the British flag at the Jungle migrant camp in Calais, France (Philippe Huguen / Getty Images )

Far-right politicians have long seized on the burdens and disruptions caused by the camp, adding fuel to fears galvanized by a string of terrorist attacks. Those attacks included the July truck rampage in the Riviera city of Nice carried out by a Tunisian deliveryman, and the slaying of a French priest by two teenagers of Algerian descent who claimed allegiance to Islamic State.

After months of delays  including a court challenge on humanitarian grounds, which was rejected this week  French officials on Friday unveiled their timetable for closing the camp. On Sunday, authorities will fan out and inform migrants  6,486 of them, by official count  that they must gather at 8 a.m. Monday at a huge hangar adjacent to the camp.

From there, they are to be sorted into groups depending on age, family and special conditions such as being unaccompanied minors or otherwise vulnerable. Buses are to begin leaving that day, and the camps dismantling is meant to be completed within a week, officials said.

But all may not go according to plan. Activists advocating free movement for the migrants have previously staged protests, and may seek to do so again. Heavy security is expected to be in place, with more than 1,200 police deployed to oversee the operation.

Hollande, facing a tough battle for reelection, plans to visit Calais on Monday as the dispersal is getting under way.

The unpopular French leader has been trying to lay the groundwork for temporarily resettling the migrants around the country. On a recent visit to the city of Tours, where some of the migrants are to be sent, he cited the unacceptable conditions in the camp, and pointed to the hardships that many there are fleeing.

Some migrants have spent years in the camp  various precursors have existed around Calais since 1999  and many in Frances political establishment view it as a problem that has resisted all attempts at a solution. The camp was partly disassembled this year, but even more migrants arrived, nearly doubling its population.

In an effort to minimize animosity in the host cities and towns, the reception centers are to be relatively small, holding between 40 and 50 people, authorities said. Unaccompanied teens and children are to be housed separately from adults.

Hollande has tried, at least indirectly, to make a case that France needs to do its part to help migrants, noting that Germany saw some 1 million arrivals last year. That position appears to have only increased his unpopularity, however.

Britain has barred most of the migrants from entry, citing European Union rules requiring that they seek asylum in the first European country they reach. It has accepted small numbers of unaccompanied minors with family ties in the United Kingdom, and humanitarian groups are pressing Britain to take in more.

But anti-immigrant sentiment in Britain, illustrated by the Brexit vote, has muted calls for larger numbers to be resettled. Last weeks arrivals triggered a social media outcry over whether they were all genuinely under 18, or lying about their ages. Humanitarian groups said the youths had all been carefully assessed before being fast-tracked for family reunions in Britain, but that hardships made some appear older than they were.

At the camp, conditions have only become more wretched over the years. Most people live in tents or makeshift shacks, or even sleep in the open. Sanitation is poor and disease is rampant. Medical care is limited; all the migrants are to receive medical checks at the reception centers when they arrive next week.

laura.king@latimes.com

Twitter: @laurakingLAT
Mexican authorities said they hope the arrest of a former police chief who had been a fugitive for more than two years will help them solve one of the countrys most notorious human rights cases: the disappearance and presumed murder of 43 students.

Felipe Flores Velazquez, 58, was arrested Friday without incident in Iguala, the town in Guerrero state where the students were last reported alive in September 2014. At the time, he was the police chief there.

Renato Sales Heredia, head of the National Security Commission, said at a news conference Friday in Mexico City that Flores was detained after visiting his wife in Iguala.

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He is being held on suspicion of organized crime and kidnapping, Sales said. The investigations indicate that this person was one of those responsible with coordinating the operation that turned into aggression against the students, he said.

In a Twitter message, Mexican Atty. Gen. Arely Gomez said the arrest and the prospect of testimony from the ex-chief should help clarify the facts of Iguala.

Flores arrest adds to a growing roster of detentions in a case that has become an extreme embarrassment for the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Officials say they have arrested 131 people in connection with the mass disappearance, mostly local police and suspected drug gang members. The former mayor of Iguala and his wife are also among those detained. Some detainees have alleged torture by Mexican authorities.

Still, despite all the arrests, court cases, testimony and publicity surrounding the case, there is still no definitive answer as to what happened to the students on that evening. Many in Mexico fear that their precise fate will never be known.

The students, from a teachers school in the rural town of Ayotzinapa, had hijacked several buses and were planning to join a protest. But they were detained by police in Iguala on the evening of Sept. 26, 2014. They have not been seen since.

Not long after the students disappeared, so did the police chief. He was long seen as a key figure in piecing together what happened.

Various theories have surfaced, some contradictory.

Mexican authorities have said the students were picked up by police and handed over to a drug gang, which executed them and set their remains ablaze.

But families of the students, forensic experts, an international investigative commission and others have questioned the official findings. The bodies have never been found.

While the federal government has repeatedly denied any cover-up, the case has come to symbolize a corrupt system in which criminals and cops work hand in hand.

Cooperation between local police and drug traffickers and other organized crime groups has been documented in Guerrero state and elsewhere in Mexico.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Cecilia Sanchez in The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

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An ad for a breath freshener in India has left Pierce Brosnan both shaken and stirred.

The former James Bond star has objected to the unauthorized and deceptive use of his image in a marketing campaign for Pan Bahar, a brand of the Indian-made mouth freshener called pan masala.

Brosnan said he had signed a contract to endorse a breath freshener/tooth whitener with all natural ingredients.

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But chewing pan masala  usually sold as a mixture of betel leaf, areca nut, clove, cardamom and tobacco  turns users saliva blood-red saliva, which they then spit out and is a main reason for the proliferation of No Spitting signs across Indian cities.

Doctors say pan masala has been linked to mouth cancer and that areca nut can be addictive. Many Indians find its use disgusting, and its hardly a product one would associate with Britains suavest spy.

So there was widespread surprise when images of Brosnan, sporting that familiar tuxedo and a luxuriant white beard, began appearing this month in a national campaign for Pan Bahar.

Pierce Brosnan selling pan on the front page of the Times of India.



The Asian Century is upon us. pic.twitter.com/Kj5nsLdkqj  Iain Marlow (@iainmarlow) October 7, 2016

Incidentally, 007 is the average number of teeth that a Pan Bahar chewer has.  What *really* happened though? (@Wootsaw) October 7, 2016

Some users of social media suspected Brosnan had been duped.

Incidentally, 007 is the average number of teeth that a Pan Bahar chewer has.  What *really* happened though? (@Wootsaw) October 7, 2016

Brosnan was deeply shocked and saddened upon learning what he was endorsing, according to a report Thursday in People magazine, and demanded that Pan Bahars manufacturer, Ashok & Co., remove his image from all its products.

He was particularly distressed that the product contained tobacco.

As a man who has spent decades championing womens health care and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahars unauthorized and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products, Brosnan said.

I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to ones health.

Akhil Jain, chief executive of Ashok & Co., said there was some confusion over the ad.

Wait for a few days we are in touch with Mr. Brosnan and his team and hope to sort the matter out as soon as possible, Jain told the Mint business daily.

A James Bond-style spoof video accompanying the ad campaign, shot by Indian filmmaker Chakri Toleti, showed Brosnan using the blue lid of a Pan Bahar tin to knock out his enemies. Brosnan then reads the tagline, Pan Bahar: Class never goes out of style.

Indians mocked the confusion on social media, with comedian Atul Khatri tweeting that Brosnans ignorance about the product shows how effective the British Secret Service is.

Parth M.N. is a special correspondent.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

The World Bank increased its forecast for oil demand in 2016 and 2017.

World oil demand for 2016 is projected to increase by 1.2 million barrels per day (1.3 percent) to an average of 96.3 mb/d, the bank said in its Commodity Markets Outlook, published in Oct.

In its previous report published in July the World Bank forecasted oil demand to an average of 96.1 million barrels per day.

In the new Commodity Markets Outlook, oil demand in the countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is projected to rise by 0.1 mb/d, with increases in Europe offsetting declines elsewhere. Non-OECD oil demand is projected to rise by 1.1mb/d (2.3 percent), led by increases in China and India but at the slowest pace since 2009.

In 2017, global demand growth is expected to rise by 1.2 mb/d (1.3 percent), with most of the growth projected outside the OECD, and a small increase in North America.

In the Commodity Markets Outlook published in July, the global oil demand was expected at 96.1 mb/d  similar with 2016 demand.

According to the WB data, world oil demand expanded by 1.5 mb/d (1.6 percent) year-on-year in the 1Q2016, but only 1.3 mb/d (1.4 percent) in 2Q2016. The slowdown occurred in both OECD and non-OECD regions. Demand growth is estimated to have slowed further to 0.8 mb/d (0.8 percent) in the third quarter, with all of the reduction in the OECD.

Non-OECD oil demand growth began the year rising 1.4 mb/d, or 3 percent, in 1Q2016 , but slowed to around 0.9 mb/d in the second and third quarters, the Commodity Markets Outlook said. Much of the recent weakness was in East Asia, with China recording little growth in the third quarter due to slowing industrial use and other temporary factors, such as heavy flooding that impeded transportation. Indias demand remained robust, rising 0.3 mb/d, or 8 percent, year-to-date.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
With an Iraqi government-led offensive underway to oust Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, militants Friday staged an attack in the oil hub of Kirkuk designed to divert forces from the frontlines, officials said.

More than 60 civilians were killed in attacks in Kirkuk, about 95 miles south of Mosul, and the death toll was expected to rise as security forces battled the militants in residential areas late into the night.

Also, a missile strike at a Shiite shrine outside the city late Friday killed at least 15 women and wounded about 50, according to Hassan Barham, an official with one of Kurdistans main political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

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Ali Husseini, a local spokesman for the Badr Shiite militia, said the attack struck a gathering of female mourners. Women could be heard shrieking in video uploaded by activists.

Ali Dalagi, an Iraqi army spokesman, said the strike came from a plane, and that the army was investigating.

U.S. coalition forces conducting Mosul offensive airstrikes released a statement saying they were investigating, but that it appeared they were not responsible.

We cannot associate this with any coalition strikes in the area, the statement said, adding that the coalition, adheres to targeting processes and procedures aimed to minimize risks to non-combatants.

Iraqs skies have become crowded in the last year as warplanes from a bevy of international and regional countries have conducted strikes against Islamic State.

In addition to those killed in the attack on the shrine, at least 63 people died and a hundred were wounded in clashes across the city, said Brigadier General Azad Jalal, assistant police chief in Kirkuk.

Jalal said it was unclear how many of those killed and wounded were police and security forces.

He said up to 70 militants staged the attack, and were stationed at the Al Snobar and Cihad Hotels and a mosque in the southern Domiz neighborhood. The Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported that 10 Islamic State snipers were on the loose in Domiz.

Jalal said some of the fighters came from outside the city.

They were wearing ISIS clothes with long beards. They started their attacks with the help of some sleeper cells inside the city and we think those cells came with [displaced persons], Jalal said. Their goal was to distract us from Mosul offensive.

Islamic State claimed responsibility in a statement, saying its knights of the caliphate seized control of 10 neighborhoods, destroyed military vehicles, besieged the provincial government building, killed and injured people including an officer.

Militants also released photographs of themselves raising the Islamic State flag over a Kirkuk clinic.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also general commander of Iraqi forces, has ordered additional troops to Kirkuk to assist in clearing the remaining ISIS militants from the city, the prime ministers media office has announced on its official Twitter account.

It has been almost two years since the last attack in Kirkuk, home to 10% of Iraqs oil reserves. Kirkuk is also a fulcrum for political and ethnic tensions, with the potential to make or break national reconciliation between Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen.

It was expected that ISIS sleeper cells would make a move in Kirkuk one day, Kirkuk Gov. Najmaldin Karim told Rudaw. Now that the Mosul offensive has started, they want to boost their own morale this way.

The Mosul offensive led by Iraqi troops began Monday with the help of Kurdish, tribal, militia forces and U.S. coalition airstrikes. Islamic State fighters seized the city of 1.2 million two years ago and have been fighting bitterly as Iraqi troops enter surrounding villages, attacking with mortar shells, snipers and suicide bombs.

Fridays attack in Kirkuk was multi-pronged: In the northwest, four militants armed with suicide vests stormed a power station and killed at least a dozen workers. At least one detonated his vest; all three died, officials said. Fighters also attacked hotels, police stations and other government buildings, according to reports and video posted by Rudaw.

Officials canceled Friday prayers and issued a curfew for the city of 900,000. Highways into the city were closed as Kurdish troops streamed in.

Kirkuk residents who claimed to be aiding security forces posted photographs online of uniformed, armed militants stalking their streets. Islamic States Amaq news agency posted images of militants roaming after nightfall on foot, while others posted video of a truckload of fighters. Images broadcast on local television showed what appeared to be dead or injured fighters.

Late Friday, Islamic State snipers fought with security forces at three downtown hotels, taking hostages as human shields. But all were freed and security forces assumed control of the hotels, a peshmerga commander told Rudaw.

Aso Mamand, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan politburo, told Rudaw that the militants who stormed the city had been captured, killed or driven out. By 11 p.m., he said gunfire had ceased and the city was calm.

Analysts said the diversionary attack was one of several Islamic State staged across the country since the offensive started.

Patrick Martin, an analyst focused on Iraq at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said militants didnt attack Kirkuk oil facilities and that they were more likely trying to draw Kurdish forces back from the east side of Mosul.

Even if they ultimately lose Mosul, Martin said, Islamic State fighters, can delay the operation, they can make it very slow and painful and lay the groundwork for their return.

Also Friday, he said, two Islamic State suicide bombers attacked a tribal leader about 170 miles south of Kirkuk outside Samarra. On Wednesday, Islamic State fighters launched suicide car bomb attacks against Kurdish troops west of Mosul. On Tuesday, they attacked tribal forces southeast of Kirkuk.

ISIS remains a serious threat despite recent losses, he said, and the Kirkuk attack shows, that ISISs defensive measures extend across the whole country.

Islamic State released statements claiming to control portions of Kirkuk, but Kemal Kirkuki, a Kurdish peshmerga commander there, insisted the city, is still under the control of the security forces.

They use tactics to pose as [displaced persons] and attack from inside. We must be very careful and take it very seriously. We will not allow them to stay in Kurdistan, Kirkuki said of Islamic State.

Soldiers were on alert along the frontlines Friday.

Bartella, a Christian town about 20 miles east of Mosul, was recaptured from Islamic State Thursday, but Maj. Gen. Maan Al-Saadi, a commander with Iraqs Counter Terrorism Force, said forces remained wary of militants lurking a few miles west.

Theyre trying to regroup there today and mount another attack, Saadi said as he stood at the edge of the city, where intense gunfire sounded and plumes of smoke loomed.

Hennessy-Fiske is a Times staff writer and Bulos is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Wael Resol in Irbil contributed to this report.

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U.S. service member killed by bomb blast in northern Iraq

Dispatch from the front lines: Intense fighting as Iraqi forces drive toward Mosul; U.S. service member killed

Inside the underground hide-out of an Islamic State leader

UPDATES:

10:45 p.m.: Updated with Iraqs prime minister ordering more troops to Kirkuk.

2:00 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional details on attacks in Iraq and reaction.

1:00 p.m.: This article has been updated with information on a missile strike and additional comments from officials.

1:50 a.m. Oct. 21: Updated with the deaths of 11 power plant workers.

This article was first published at 11:55 p.m. Oct. 20
A tunnel leading to the underground hide-out of an Islamic State leader killed in the Iraqi forces-led Mosul offensive was outfitted with extremist graffiti, electricity, appliances, stockpiles of food and, potentially, booby traps.

We found some of their mortar shells over there under the tunnels, Kurdish Brig. Gen. Fayak Hassan Rashid said Thursday from a command post in the village of Shakoli, about 20 miles east of Mosul. You can find everything in the tunnels: They put food, mattresses, refrigerators.

Rashids Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, made the discovery after winning a battle against extremists in Shakoli on Monday. They killed more than 50 Islamic State fighters, but two peshmerga charged with clearing mines from the area died when a tunnel exploded, and two more were injured, Rashid said.

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At least one house across town near another tunnel was booby-trapped, packed with explosives. Peshmerga troops said the explosives were defused Thursday.

As the offensive launched by the government Monday to drive Islamic State from its last major Iraqi stronghold advances, militants are leaving a trail of rubble and deadly traps. The destruction does not bode well for Mosul, a densely populated city of 1.2 million, where residents who fled say militants have left trenches filled with burning oil and minefields.

The rapid advance has opened a window into how Islamic State rule gripped towns across Iraq, including the takeover of homes to build tunnels and hidden living quarters.

The extremist group captured Mosul and the surrounding area in 2014. Since the offensive began Monday, 5,640 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations. Humanitarian groups expect 200,000 to be displaced in the first two weeks of the offensive, with up to a million uprooted by the time its over in a region where millions have already been displaced. Iraqi officials have urged civilians to shelter in place, but already several thousand have fled the Mosul area.

Ibrahim Hussein, 23, a peshmerga fighter, stands near a tunnel leading to the underground hide-out of an Islamic State leader reportedly killed in Shakoli, Iraq, during this weeks Mosul offensive. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

Bombs and artillery fire could be heard Thursday in Shakoli, near the front line of Bartella, an Assyrian town 12 miles east of Mosul. Nevertheless, some civilians were returning to villages retaken by Iraqi forces.

Many returning to Shakoli were Shiite Muslims, members of the Shabaq religious minority who faced brutal treatment at the hands of Islamic States Sunni Muslim fighters. The militants had piled tires in front of their houses to burn as a smokescreen, but didnt get the chance, peshmerga commanders said. The militants wore suicide vests, but all but one who was taken prisoner were killed in a gunfight.

The Islamic State fighters had trashed many homes with mines and other explosives and packed dirt to the ceilings in some places to prevent their tunnels from being detected by drones from the air. It was unclear how soon displaced families could move back, if ever.

A network of earthen tunnels snakes beneath Shakoli and other villages surrounding Mosul, hide-outs for fighters trying to avoid U.S. coalition drones and airstrikes. In at least one case, a tunnel was cut so deep through the foundation of a house it was difficult to see the bottom.

Advancing forces in other villages have filled the tunnels to prevent militants from returning to hide. But Kurdish commanders in Shakoli said they left the tunnels open for civilians to inspect and help assure them that Islamic State fighters were gone.

The tunnel built for the Islamic State leader, or emir, in Shakoli was about 6 feet high and several feet wide, large enough to fit his grill, freezer of meat and stockpiles of rice, potatoes and fruit.

Hazim Fathi Ali, 52, a driver now living in Irbil, looks over books left behind in his damaged residence in Shakoli, Iraq. Some of the books turned out to be Korans. Ali kissed them reverently. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

Above an opening in the tunnel, graffiti scrawled on a wall proclaimed, There is no God but Allah the Islamic State and was signed The horrifying Abu Sarhan.

Peshmerga soldier Ibrahim Hussein had been through the tunnel and believed it to be free of traps. He led the way to the emirs windowless living quarters, wood paneled with gold-tone outlets, a clock and plenty of cushioned bedding. There was soap, cologne, medicine, lightbulbs and reading glasses.

Tucked into a gap above one wall panel was a cache of religious books, newspaper clippings about bombings and two notebooks with animal doodles and handwritten notes.

The first, a spiral pocket notebook, contained religious verses. The second, a larger notebook in which the emir had written his name, Abu Ayman Hawi Aslan, included penciled notes that appear to detail Islamic State strategy for ruling the area and conducting mortar attacks. They included measurements, computer instructions and some English, such as GPS, accuracy and elevation.

We will choose the location of enemy and then we will press enter, one Arabic note said.

Hussein, 23, tucked the notebooks into the pants pocket of his uniform. He would later deliver them to a commander who said they would prove useful in identifying Islamic State militants who they expect will try to pose as civilians to slip back into the area.

Hussein emerged from the tunnel after about 15 minutes to find a civilian examining the ruins of his nearby home. Explosions and gunfire could be heard in the distance from Bartella, where Iraqi special forces were fighting Islamic State.

This was the first time Saddam Mohammed Hussein, 42, a handyman, had seen his orange cinder-block house in two years. He fled east to Irbil when Islamic State seized Mosul and the surrounding towns.

Half of the village residents just came to get their things and left, he said.

About 65 families lived in Shakoli before Islamic State arrived, he said. On Thursday, there was a parade of trucks on the main road through town as residents returned and departed with rugs, furniture and satellite dishes.

How can we live here  build a tent? We cant live inside the houses anymore, said Husseins mother, Turkieh Ismail, 65.

At the tunnel entrance under a few olive trees, Hazim Fathi Ali, 52, a driver who owns the yellow house above it, had also returned Thursday from Irbil for the first time with his wife and 16-year-old son.

The Iraqi village of Shakoli outside Bartella on Thursday. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

As his wife picked through the ruins trying to see what could be salvaged, Ali said he could move back only if the house were razed and he received help from the government to rebuild.

We cant live here anymore, he said, as his son called him over to see the graffiti and the dirt that filled their house.

Suddenly, a neighbor yelled a warning to Alis wife, who was about to enter a shed behind the house.

Be careful! Dont go further! Dont check all parts of the house. There are mines and some booby traps, the man called from atop a nearby wall.

She backed off.

Ali wanted to return, but felt conflicted. He tried to close the metal gate, and in the grass discovered an unexploded mortar shell. There was another on the other side of the gate. He left it open. There was nothing for anyone to take anyway.

Its impossible to return. But this is the place I was born. So of course I will return, he said.

His wife gathered a pile of books the militants had left behind, which turned out to be Korans. Ali kissed them reverently before they left for Irbil. This holy book doesnt belong to them, he said. God belongs to all of us.

Only later would a peshmerga commander mention that Islamic State militants had left a Koran in a nearby village as a trap, rigged to explode when opened.

Reached at home, Ali said that he might take the Korans to a peshmerga commander, but that they did not appear to be booby-trapped.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

@mollyhf

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) is an excellent project, and to realize it, more significant gas reserves from the Southern Gas Corridor are needed, said Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in her interview with the Caspian Energy journal.

This is a 520 km long pipeline, which would connect the gas pipeline system of the Republic of Croatia (of Croatian regions Lika and Dalmatia) with the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). This would be achieved by continuing construction of a branch from the Adriatic city of Split towards the port of Ploce and further on via Montenegro up to Albania, where the IAP would be linked with the TAP, explained Grabar-Kitarovic.

In addition to Croatia, the countries included in the project are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, but the envisioned route of the gas pipeline would just cross the territory of Albania, Montenegro and Croatia, with the construction of a branch for Bosnia and Herzegovina, she noted.

The Croatian president said also that by means of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline, gas from the Caspian region would be transported directly to European buyers, and the construction of the floating LNG terminal on Krk opens up a possibility for the transport of gas all the way to Poland.

It should be noted that Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR is one of the technical consultants of the IAP.

The IAP will provide deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to several countries of South-Eastern Europe. The capacity of the pipeline will amount to five billion cubic meters of gas per year.

TAP has already signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation with the developers of this project, in particular with companies of Plinacro (Croatia), BH-Gas (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Geoplin Plinovodi (Slovenia), as well as with the governments of Montenegro and Albania.

There has been created a TAP-IAP joint working group that gathers regularly to synchronize the timing both pipeline projects and coordinate the technical issues of interconnection.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor project. Other sources can also join this project at a later stage.

As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of TANAP and TAP.

The 870-kilometer TAP pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south. The pipelines initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of expanding it to 20 billion cubic meters.



TANAP project, worth $9.2 billion, envisages transportation of gas of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey.



Gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018, and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipelines (TAP) construction, it will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Turkeys Cengiz Holding is in talks with Russia on partnership in the construction of marine hydraulic structures for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the south of Turkey, head of the board of directors of Cengiz Holding, Mehmet Cengiz said Oct. 21, Anadolu Agency reported.

The Russians need a partner and we are discussing the conditions, Cengiz said. However, our company wont be able to cope with such work alone, either. The work may be held with the support of other companies. We will clarify this issue before early 2017.

The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in construction and operation of Turkeys first nuclear power plant Akkuyu near the city of Mersin in southern Turkey was signed in 2010.

The project's cost nears $20 billion. The Akkuyu power plant is projected to generate about 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Estonia Taavi Roivas and Prime Minister of Finland Juha Sipila witnessed the signing of a 187 million euros investment in the Balticconnector  the first gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia on Oct. 21, said the European Commission on its website.

The Balticconnector pipeline will consist of three sections: 22 km Finnish onshore, 80 km offshore and 50 km Estonian onshore. It enables the transport of 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day with flows running in both directions.

This gas interconnector will end the energy isolation of Finland which is largely dependent on a single supplier, said the EC. When the gas starts flowing by 2020, this project will unite the Eastern Baltic Sea region with the rest of the EU energy market.

Alongside the Gas Interconnector PolandLithuania (GIPL), the Balticconnector will contribute to increasing energy security and solidarity in the region.

As part of the EU's Energy Union strategy, the EU is committed to building missing energy infrastructure links and ensuring that every member state has access to at least three different sources of gas, said the message. Integrating the Baltic Sea region with the rest of the EU is a priority for the European Commission.
A Lehigh University doctorate degree student was behind bars Friday morning after running up $1,733 on his officemate's credit card, university police said.

Lehigh University doctorate student Jinze Li, 27, of Bethlehem, is charged with access device fraud, theft and receiving stolen property after buying items with a fellow student's credit card, university police report. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Jinze Li, 27, of the 200 block of Webster Street in Bethlehem, used the card without permission to buy three things at B&H Photo Video Co., police said.

Xia Zhengyu, also a doctorate candidate, told police on Thursday that the company told him Jinze made the purchases, police said. When confronted, Jinze at first denied Xia access to the browsing history on his computer but then relented, police said. Xia was able to find the purchases in Jinze's account, police said.

When Jinze was interviewed Thursday by police, he denied making the purchases but admitted to receiving and opening the packages, police said.

He still had one of the items, police said.

Jinze was arraigned before District Judge Robert Hawke on three counts of access device fraud, one count of theft and one count of receiving stolen property, court papers say. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail and remained jailed on Friday morning, records show.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Nov. 2 in District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez's South Bethlehem court.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Things are sizzling at Hamilton Crossings. You can now get a burger at the huge Lower Macungie Township shopping complex.

The fast-casual burger chain SmashBurger has opened the doors to its first-ever Lehigh Valley location at Hamilton Crossings, where stores and eateries have been gradually launching operations this year.

Smashburger emphasizes fresh ingredients and never-frozen patties, promising a "better burger." The chain has about 400 corporate and franchise restaurants running in 38 states and nine countries. The Lehigh Valley location opened Oct. 3.

A regular burger costs $5.39, or get a bigger version for $6.39. Grilled or crispy chicken sandwiches will run you $6.29.

The menu also features salads, black bean burgers, fries, onion rings, and veggie frites. Haagen-Dazs shakes come in candied-up flavors like salted caramel Butterfinger, or keep it classic with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

For a quasi-local option, they're also serving a "Philly Smashburger" with grilled onions, Cheez Whiz and Gulden's Mustard on a pretzel bun for $6.69 (or $7.29 for the larger one.)

Local co-owners Kevin Murphy, Dan Hill, Gene Giordano and Dan O'Shaughnessy have previously opened seven other Smashburgers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Another is landing in Brookhaven in December.

Hamilton Crossings has been host to a number of highly anticipated retailers. The Lehigh Valley's first Whole Foods and Nordstrom Rack opened in recent months, and new locations for Target and Dick's Sporting Goods are also drawing customers.

Shoppers are still awaiting the opening of the area's first wholesale club Costco. Developers have said they're looking for all the stores to be up and running by the end of November.

For more information about Smashburger, called 610-398-3000 or check out smashburger.com.

Andrew Doerfler may be reached at adoerfler@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @adoerfler or on Facebook.
Some Phillipsburg residents didn't have water Friday morning and some students have a delayed start of school due to a main break about 2:30 a.m. on Warren Street.

The break was at the bottom of the street near the railroad bridge, Mayor Stephen Ellis said, and the road was closed to Center Street.

"The school opening is dependent upon which pipe is broken: large or small main," Ellis said in a text.

The school district said Phillipsburg Primary School and the Early Childhood Learning Center were on a two-hour delay. The old middle school, now Phillipsburg Elementary, was open, Ellis said.

School district Superintendent George Chando said a decision would be made by 8:45 whether school can open. Both buildings are affected by the break, he said. Ellis and Chando later said the schools indeed would open on a two-hour delay.

The primary school and kindergarten at the learning center will have an arrival time of 10 a.m.; preschool at the learning center will be 10:15 a.m., Chando said.

When school opens, students should walk on the right side of Warren Street "on the site of old Keystone Packaging," Ellis said.

The break was reported at 2:48 a.m. at 599 Warren St., according to the Warren County Department of Public Safety.

It wasn't immediately clear how many customers were affected or when service might be restored. Ellis said if it was a small main the repair could be relatively quick, but a large main break could close the street all day.

He later said the initial break was fixed but a second break was found and that also was fixed.

A spokeswoman for Aqua New Jersey couldn't immediately be reached.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon will visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, October 2429, the US Department of State said.

Through Under Secretary Shannons trip, the United States looks forward to strengthening durable government-to-government and people-to-people ties with Central Asia, the Departments of State said.

On October 24, Shannon will travel to Astana, Kazakhstan where he will meet with government officials and alumni of U.S. exchange programs. He will also visit the 2017 EXPO site and tour Kazakhstans National Museum.

In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, October 2627, Shannon will meet with government officials, members of parliament, and civil society leaders. He will speak at the American University of Central Asia, meet with the universitys C5+1 Youth Council representatives, and visit the Urkun Memorial.

Finally, Shannon will travel to Tashkent and Samarkand, Uzbekistan to meet with senior government officials, business and civil society leaders, and visit several cultural heritage sites, including the Registan and the burial site of former president Islam Karimov.

This will be Shannons first visit to Central Asia. He will commemorate each states 25 year anniversary of independence and highlight the strong and growing partnerships between the Central Asian states and the US government through Secretary John Kerrys C5+1 initiative, a platform for discussion and joint regional action on issues of common interest.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to six months in jail having been convicted of selling heroin to undercover gardai on four separate occasions.

Andrew Madden (38), with an address at 34 Birchwood Drive, Tallaght, but formerly living in Portarlington, appeared before last weeks district court on a bench warrant, after he previously failed to appear to face the charges.

Inspector Oliver Baker gave evidence that the accused sold heroin, valued at 50, to two undercover gardai on November 20, 2015, at Kilnacourt Woods, Portarlington.

The accused again sold heroin, valued at 40, to undercover gardai on November 26, at Kilnacourt Woods.

On December 2, Madden sold 50 of heroin to undercover gardai, again at Kilnacourt Woods, and on January 13, 2016, he sold 20 of heroin to undercover gardai, at the Maxol Filling Station in Portarlington.

Insp Baker said that the arrests came as a result of a national garda operation targeting drug dealers.

The accused has previous convictions, including robbery and drug offences.

Defence, Mr Declan Breen said the facts of the case spoke for themselves.

At the time, Madden was living in Portarlington and had a history of drug addiction, particularly heroin, and had amassed a number of convictions.

He attended for treatment in 2011 and got clean of drugs, but in June of 2015 he experienced difficulties in his relationship at home and started back on cannabis, then on heroin.

Mr Breen said his client then got involved in drug dealing, which led to his losing his partner and daughter.

Defence handed in a letter showing his client had completed 16 weeks of a 20-week treatment course for his addiction, but he left before the end of the course to take up work.

The accused continues to engage with aftercare for his addiction, said defence.

Mr Breen went on to say that Madden was now completely clean of all drugs.

Judge Catherine Staines said she had every sympathy for the accused and his drug addiction, but he knew the misery caused by heroin and he had been caught dealing on a number of occasions.

The judge said that the court had to mark the seriousness of the offence, and she imposed six months in prison.

Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 21.

By Demir Azizov Trend:

Milly Tiklanish (National Revival) Democratic Party submitted a package of necessary documents for registration of the presidential candidate for the Uzbek Presidency, the Uzbek Republican press center on covering the elections told Trend Oct. 21.

Milly Tiklanish approved Deputy Speaker of the lower house of Uzbekistans Parliament Sarvar Otamurodov as a presidential candidate at its congress.

Four political parties of Uzbekistan are allowed to participate in presidential election.

Uzbekistan is to hold an early election due to the death of Islam Karimov, who passed away after suffering a stroke at the age of 79 on Sept. 2. Among the presidential candidates are Shavkat Mirziyoyev from UzLiDeP, Sarvar Otamuratov from Milly Tiklanish Party, Nariman Umarov from Adolat Party, and Hotamzhon Ketmonov from PDPU. Uzbekistan presidential election is scheduled for Dec. 4, 2016.

Documents presented to the CEC include a request for registration from the parties leaders, decision and record of the partys supreme body on nomination of the candidate, the candidates statement with a consent to run for president, as well as subscription lists in his support with signatures of not less than 1 percent of the total number of all voters in Uzbekistan (214,350 people).
Eulogy delivered by Laois Offaly Garda Chief Supt John Scanlon at the 40th Anniversary Mass in St Michael's Church Portarlington for the late Michael Clerkin who died in an IRA bombing on the Laois Offaly border on October 16 1976.

This mass marks the remembrance of the events of the 16th of October, 1976, when five members of An Garda Siochana, Sergeant Jim Cannon, Garda Michal Clerkin, Garda Gerry Bohan of Portarlington, with Detective Garda Ben Thornton and Detective Garda Tom Peters responded to a anonymous call that a number of armed men were at a disused farm house and that these men would attempt to murder the then Fine Gael Minister Oliver J Flanagan.

Having planned the search these members courageously went to this farm house to search and confront this gang. What unfolded was the luring of these men to house that had been booby trapped with a bomb.

The death of Garda Michael Clerkin and grievous wounding of the other members that attended puts these events among the darkest days of An Garda Siochana. These events should never be forgotten. Garda Clerkin was 24 years of age when these events took place.

From a historical prospective some 200 people had been killed in the Northern Troubles. Garda Michael Renoylds had recently been murdered, the British Ambassador, and a Civil Servant, Ms Judith Cook, who was accompanying the Ambassador was also killed in Dublin.

On the night of 16th of October an hour before the events at Garryhinch, president of Ireland had signed the Emergency Powers Act into Law, against this backdrop Garda Clerkin and his colleagues made their way to Garryhinch.

The sacrifice of Garda Clerkin & other members of An Garda Siochana during these times ensured that the rule of Law and democratic rule of Ireland was protected and endures to this day. It is sometimes difficult to reflect and think we are living in the same country today. The sacrifices of these members of An Garda Siochana and their families has undoubtly contributed to the peace we enjoy in this country today and goes to the core of the culture of An Garda Siochana to protect and serve the people of Ireland.

Whereas some people will forget these events, for others it will not be possible to forget, the scars of injury and suffering of the families is everlasting.

On my own behalf and on behalf of the men and women of An Garda Siochana, I want to bare testimony to the men on that night and to ensure them that their deeds of bravery and their sacrifices will not be forgotten.

My thoughts in particular on this day are with the families of the late Garda Clerkin and of the former Detective Garda Peters who suffered horrendous injuries on the night and is unable to be with us here today.

In the past number of months I have discussed this case with the Garda Commissioner and I have prepared a submission for the award of Scott Medals to be considered for all of the members present at Garryhinch on the night.

I also want to place on record my gratitude and that of An Garda Siochana to the local people of the area who made their way to the house on that night, who with their bare hands assisted the Gardai (our colleagues) on the night in digging the survivors from the rubble.

An Garda Siochana is one of the few professions in Ireland where there is a risk that those who go to work will not return to their families and loved ones.

My thoughts on this day also are with Garda Michael Clerkin's girlfriend of that time, Betty Cooper, the members of the other emergency services who attended and all of the members of An Garda Siochana who were serving on that night and stationed in the Portlaoise District at that time.

It is now clear, with the benefit of hindsight, that Garda Clerkin did not die in vain, and that his sacrifice has ensured that the peace we enjoy today will be part of his legacy and that the proud tradition of An Garda Siochana and an unarmed policing service. His memory will not be forgotten.

May he rest in peace.

Delivered at St Michael's Parish Church, Portarlington on Saturday, October 15.
Legendary racehorse Moscow Flyer has passed away at the age of 22.

The Irish National Stud, on the outskirts of Kildare town, announced the news this morning.

The horse had been in retirement at the Kildare facility since 2012, living alongside other Living Legends including Kicking King, Beef Or Salmon and Hardy Eustace, and proved a firm favourite with visitors.

Moscow Flyer was owned by Brian Kearney and trained by Jessica Harrington. Jockey Barry Geraghty was on board for most of his career.

His list of wins include the 2002 Arkle Challenge Trophy, the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2003 and 2005 and two Tingle Creek victories. Kate Harrington also piloted him to victory in the 2007 Punchestown Festival charity flat race in 2007, a year after he retired, which was his last visit to the winners enclosure.

Owner Brian Kearney wishing Moscow Flyer a happy 20th birthday in July 2014 at the INS

During his time at the Irish National Stud, the horse made public appearances promoting the Irish Horse Welfare Trust. The horse had been reportedly suffering with colic prior to his death.

Moscow Flyer will be forever immortalised through his fearless jumping, those historic battles against titans of the sport Azertyuiop, Flagship Uberalles & Well Chief. He epitomised National Hunt racing at its finest with the highs and lows, the thrills and spills and the gladiatorial nature of our great sport, said the Irish National Stud in a statement today, Friday.

Moscow Flyer will be sorely missed by all at The Irish National Stud. Our thoughts go out to all connections and to his adoring fans.
Leitrim County Council is conducting a feasibility study to help identify a site and promote the idea of a hotel in Manorhamilton to benefit all of North Leitrim.

It is agreed by North Leitrim councillors and council officials that a hotel in the area is necessary for the development of tourism and for an economic injection to the area.



It was pointed out this week that up to 100,000 people visited Glencar Waterfall last year but they did not venture further into the county. Cllr Justin Warnock stated North Leitrim is losing money every week as locals have to travel outside of the county to celebrate weddings, funerals and other events.



Leitrim County Council presented a number of potential ideas to progress Manorhamilton and to attract more jobs and visitors.



Top of the councils list is looking at the feasibility of a large accommodation provider such as a hotel.

They told members of the district they are working hard to establish a site for a hotel in Manorhamilton.

The council put forward a number of potential ideas to enhance the capital of North Leitrim at Manorhamilton's Municipal meeting on Monday, October 17.



Collaborating with the REDZ (Rural Economic Development Zones) report the council presented a variety of opportunities to enhance the town, attract investors and increase the number of visitors.



CEO Of Leitrim County Council Frank Curran attended the meeting to discuss some of the plans for Manorhamilton.

He said following the REDZ report the council will be looking at zoned lands beside Meranda and the Backlands as potential development sites for businesses.



The Excol garage, behind Supervalu and the Clooneen site were also identified as potential for business development.

The council are currently talking to the owners of the Backlands site and are working on an infrastuctural audit with a view to creating a brief on the town for potential investors.

He added they will be looking into developing Manorhamilton Castle as a tourist site and are currently appealing the Greenway application which failed.

The council put forward a number of ideas to enhance the town and this included the possibility of demolishing St Clare's Hall, the old school and other vacant and derelict buildings on entrance roads.

The council want to introduce a shop front incentive scheme, integrate older buildings and set out a guide for the heritage area.



The local authority said they will also be taking another look at the one way system in the town.

Future plans will also look at creating more town parking spaces and making the town more cycle friendly.

The feasibility study for a hotel in the town attracted much support from local councillors and it was agreed a hotel is needed to benefit all of North Leitrim and to keep visitors for longer in the area.



The meeting also heard that if works ordered to be carried out on the derelict Abbey Manor Hotel, Dromahair are not completed by November 1, potential legal action may arise from the council against the registered owners.
Its that time of year again  the TEAM HOPE Christmas Shoebox Appeal 2016!

Sincerest thank you to all who donated shoeboxes, money and raffle prizes last year. We sent a total of 450 shoeboxes (135 filled from last years fundraiser events) so that was a massive 450 happy children last Christmas!

This year TEAM HOPE shoeboxes from Ireland will go to street children, orphans, children in hospital, poor families, victims of war and other needy situations in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union e.g. Romania, Kosovo, Albania and Africa e.g. Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda.

For families living on less than 1 a day, Christmas is just another ordinary day - nothing special, no Christmas tree, no presents BUT your shoebox will bring a little hope and a lot of laughter and smiles to children who have very little.

A shoebox (the lid and bottom must be wrapped separately) should include the following ESSENTIAL items:

1. WEAR - a hat/scarf/gloves/t-shirt/ flip-flops etc.

2. WASH - a Toothbrush and toothpaste, a facecloth and soap  no shower gels or liquids please

3. WRITE - a copy, pencil, pencil parer, eraser and colours

4. WOW - This is the fun part!

Examples are: little doll/small teddy, sunglasses, hairbrush, cars, farm animals, bracelets, make up, playing cards, a small ball, colouring book, hair bobbins, stickers, yo yos etc.

5. Sweets (not chocolate) should also be included and must be in date to at leastMarch 2017

6. An envelope with the postage fee of 4.00

The last collection date for Shoeboxes is 7th November 2016. Shoeboxes can be left into Carrick and Drumshanbo Libraries and the Arch Bar, Jamestown.

If you feel you do not have the time to fill a shoebox, a monetary donation can be given and a shoebox will be filled on your behalf.

Following last years fundraising success we will also be holding a couple of fundraising events so keep your eyes peeled for further details!

If you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact Aoife McDermott on (087) 9780586 or contact us through our Facebook page.
Sinn Fein will be supporting the anti-fracking bill coming before the Dail next week, according to Martin Kenny TD for Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan and South Donegal.

Deputy Kenny said: Sinn Fein will be supporting this bill to prohibit fracking in this state. In fact, my colleague Brian Stanley TD and I introduced an amendment to the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960, to the same effect last June.

In this constituency I am following in the pioneering footsteps of my predecessor, former TD Michael Colreavy, who worked tirelessly during his term to research the devastating effects of fracking and to bring forward legislation to ban the process North and South.

Unfortunately, such pieces of legislation go through a lottery process to get onto the order paper in the Dail and ours has not yet come up. We will support this Bill however.

I notice that Deputy McLoughlin is introducing his Bill during Private Members Time and that it is not coming forward as government legislation. I hope that his party and their colleagues in Fianna Fail will support it and prevent this destructive form of exploration taking place.

Sinn Fein will do all in its power to ban fracking on Irish soil, North and South, including supporting this bill in the Dail next week.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 20

By Umid Niayesh  Trend:

Every year some 300,000 Iranians leave the country, according to Mohammad Arbabi, secretary of the 33rd Annual Congress of Iranian Psychiatric Association.

The figure, which is almost equal to population of a city, includes 150,000 high-educated young Iranians, Arbabi said, Tasnim news agency reported Oct. 20.

Iran has suffered high degrees of brain drain in the past, as many talented students ended up in Western universities, further deciding to stay, after finishing their education.

A 2010 report by Iranian parliament suggested that at least 60,000 of total people who left the country that year were academic elite.

The political crackdown following the 2009 presidential election protests is said to have created a refugee exodus of the Iranian elite.

A report by the International Monetary Fund in 2009 indicated that Iran tops the list of countries losing their academic elite with an annual loss of 150,000 to 180,000 specialists. This is equivalent to a capital loss of $50 billion.

The number of Iranians residing abroad is estimated at 5 to 6 million people.

Javad Ghavam Shahidi, the chairman of the High Council on Iranian Expatriates Affairs, said in 2014 that almost 7 percent of Irans total population is living abroad.

Iranians mostly live in North America, Europe, Gulf states, Turkey, Australia and the broader Middle East.
Hillary Clinton has apparently had psychology experts advising her on how, among other things, to needle Donald Trump in the Presidential debates. Those experts deserve a medal for services to the USA. Clintons debate strategy has been a masterclass which will be written about for decades. Those experts have helped smoke out Donald Trumps true colours in the debate theatre, rather than leaving it to when he might have become President.

The fact that in Wednesday evenings debate he was reduced to saying Such a nasty woman and Youre the puppet! No youre the puppet betokens game, set and match to Clinton, I suggest.

The universally-headlined exchange from the debate (see transcript) was this one:

CHRIS WALLACE (Moderator): But, sir, there is a tradition in this country  in fact, one of the prides of this country  is the peaceful transition of power and that no matter how hard-fought a campaign is, that at the end of the campaign that the loser concedes to the winner. Not saying that youre necessarily going to be the loser or the winner, but that the loser concedes to the winner and that the country comes together in part for the good of the country. Are you saying youre not prepared now to commit to that principle? DONALD TRUMP: What Im saying is that I will tell you at the time. Ill keep you in suspense. OK?

Its not a great leap to suggest that when Trump used the word you there, that you could be extended from the moderator to the American people. The moderator was asking questions on their behalf, after all.

So Trump is telling the American people that he will keep them in suspense about whether or not he will accept a bedrock principle of the United States of America  a concession by the Presidential election loser once the result has become clear and irrevocable. Trumps statement is as unprecedented as the marked lack of handshakes between the two candidates before or after this weeks debate.

I thank commenter Daniel Walker for reminding me of John McCains concession speech in 2008. Its worth reviewing. It is widely accepted to be the most graceful, dignified and magnanimous concession speech in the history of the American Republic. It really is brilliant.

Surely its not beyond Donald Trump, if he loses  which bookie Paddy Power has already accepted he will, to blurt out a least a thousandth of the sentiments of the graceful speech by John McCain, is it?

Or does he really believe his own statements about there being large-scale voting fraud?

The chief concern of a non-concession by Trump is that it may result in a debilitating undermining of confidence in the US democratic system. It is even conceivable that a sizeable chunk of the US populace may consider taking the law into their own hands.

If you want to know what that looks like, then I suggest a study of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Range. Or take a look at these two beauties, and their extraordinary armed starefest outside of a Democratic congressional candidates campaign office in Virginia.

Ill leave the last word to Professor Richard Reuben of the University of Missouri, quoted on the Guardian website:

This is not Bush v Gore. There were legitimate questions about the vote after the votes were cast. The case went through the legal process and Gore graciously accepted the supreme courts decision, as problematic as that was. This is a premeditated attempt (by Trump) to delegitimize the result of any decision that doesnt go his way  unprecedented in American politics in my lifetime.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
A LIMERICK man who attempted to travel to Iraq to fight Isis was detained by airport security in London before his flight was due to depart.

David Hayes, from Kileely, was due to travel to an Assyrian base near Mosul, Iraq, where he would take up arms in the fight against Islamic State.

He has been left disheartened after being detained by anti-terrorism police in Gatwick Airport, who said that despite his honourable intentions they could not permit him to travel.

Mr Hayes told the Limerick Leader that he feels a strong moral obligation to help the people who are suffering under Isis atrocities.

Speaking before his journey, he explained his reasons for wanting to join the Assyrian military group Dwekh Nawsha.

Ive been observing what Isis are doing in Syria and Iraq and throughout the world, he said.

David was struck with the urge to take action when he saw a disturbing photograph of a child who had been killed by Islamic State.

When I saw that, something in my heart just said I have to do something, he said.

I felt morally obligated to not just be a casual observer and have an opinion on Facebook about it, but to actually volunteer.

So thats what I said to the Assyrian people, I told them that I want to put myself forward.

That was two years ago, in 2014, he said.

The Dwekh Nawsha is a military organisation set up to defend Iraqs Assyrian Christian minority. The group also fights to retake land controlled by Isis, and is an ally to the Iraqi armed forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against Isis.

A descendent of 1916 hero John Devoy, David likens this cause to that of the Irish rebels.

The Assyrians are fighting for their survival, he said.

Youre asked to commit to three months. You cant just land as a volunteer and after two weeks decide youre out, that its not for you.

Im a little bit scared, yes. Im a little bit nervous, but I feel duty bound to go ahead and do it, he said.

Although stopped from travelling this time, David Hayes said that he is still exploring ways to help the Assyrian people.

No, I haven't given up in regards to Isis or any grouping that threatens our way of life and who oppress and murder others.

This week began with news that an operation has begun to retake Mosul by Iraqi armed forces and allies.
A FARMER has said he is prepared to go on hunger strike or drive nails through his hands outside the Dail in a crucifixion style protest if his land is sold out from under him.

Michael O'Brien, of Bulgaden, Kilmallock, is fighting through the courts to keep his land - some 123 acres and worth over 1m - the majority of which has been in his family for 300 years.

However, the bank, through its defence, is seeking for him to sell a portion of it to repay debts in the region of 171,000.

The defendant said he has no liquid cash to repay his debts, but is willing to sell a portion of it if a binding, rock solid legal document is produced by the bank.

Specifically, Mr OBrien objects to the term strictly without prejudice on legal documents, as he is afraid it could afford the bank leeway to claim more land from him.

I have to bite the bullet but Im afraid theyll look for more and that any deal I do with them could be broken, added the bachelor.

Never will a square inch of it be sold [without his consent]. I wont walk out of here [his house] without an awful battle. Im prepared to go all the way. I will go on hunger strike or be crucified before my land is taken, he told the Limerick Leader.

The civil dispute, which is due back in court next month, dates back over a decade when Mr O'Brien, 53, sought a loan from AIB to pursue a new venture in the horse transportation business with associates in Spain. However, he said he was lucky to come out of it with my land and the shirt on my back.

Affidavits presented in court show that Mr O'Brien deposited the title documents relating to 58 acres of his land in April 1999, by way of equitable mortgage to be held as continuing and collateral security.

Then in April 2002, he deposited the title documents relating to a further 64 acres of land.

An order in October 2007 declared that the defendant was indebted to AIB to the sum of 128,335.19, with interest accruing.

A private investigator has hired by the plaintiffs to determine other legal entitlements over the land, and the local parish priest was also contacted to identify whether some of his relatives were deceased.

Appearing before Judge Gerald Keys in Limerick Circuit Civil Court last month, Mr OBrien said that he had discharged of the services of his legal team, John Lynch based in Newcastle West, and wished to represent himself in court, saying that he was not pleased with the way things have gone.

Mr OBrien told Judge Keys that he wants a binding deal with AIB, particularly a written rather than a verbal agreement.

The banks arent the best for doing deals with as you know, replied the Judge.

Objecting to another adjournment of the case, AIBs defence argued that the case has now gone on for 10 years. I dont care how old they [the civil bills] are. The banks have had their way for long enough, said the Judge.

Barry C. Galvin & Sons in Cork, who are acting on behalf of AIB, said they could not comment on the case, when contacted by the Limerick Leader.

His case has been adjourned to November 8.
STANDING in one of the three enormous soundstages that have been constructed at Troy Studios, Limerick woman Trish Long  head of Disney in Ireland and a Troy board member  underlined its potential.

I think this is really, really big, not just for Limerick, but for Ireland, explained Long, who is perhaps uniquely positioned to comment on Troy and its potential impact on Limerick.

It is really exciting that overnight we have become the biggest studio space in Ireland. And that is phenomenal for Ireland and for Limerick and for the Mid-West. So here we are on the west coast with now, potentially, in the next few months, a major studio opportunity here.

The Limerick woman had visited the film set of the live action Beauty and the Beast in Shepperton Studios in Surrey not long before visiting Troy for the first time.

It was my first time down, none of this work had been done. It was weird coming from such a bustling, in action set, to a building that I remembered as the old Dell building, where many friends and family had worked over the years.

I walked in, and Siun (Ni Raghallaigh, director of Troy) brought me into soundstage A and I just looked up and saw how tall it was, how high the ceilings were  I had just come off the set of Beauty and the Beast, which was huge  and I looked up and said yes, this is possible. I just felt, this could work.

This shell of a building being renewed and having a new life, could bring a whole other layer of life to Limerick and the Mid West.

Just minutes before this, Troy director Siun Ni Raghallaigh had given a tour of the soundstage, explaining that a lot of our investment has gone in (to) soundproofing these buildings.

This is what it is all about, this is what a film studio is about, this is where it happens - this is where the magic happens, she told the gathered group of politicians and other interested parties, to a smattering of applause.

Ms Ni Raghallaigh  CEO of Ardmore Studios, some of the main players in which are also involved in Troy and which was put up for sale this week  gave a rare interview to the Leader, in which she said that Troy was now in selling mode.

I wish I had a crystal ball  that I do not have, so I cannot answer that question, she said, when asked when production will begin at the studio, which Troy has leased from the council through its investment arm Innovate Limerick.

Of course people are interested in Ireland full stop - as a production location. And the fact that now we have this facility coming on stream soon makes it even more interesting, so that is all I can say, we just have to wait and see how it all goes, she said.

Asked about Limericks potential as a filming location  which is what the new Film in Limerick website was set up to promote  she said: I think it is fantastic because anything that comes to Ireland tends to stick around Wicklow and opening up the west coast, I think we have a treasure trove here and this is new.

The door opener here for inward productions is the film tax credit, that is basically what attracts people in initially. After that, we have to sell it and we have to compete and compete very hard with other territories.

The 350,000 sq ft facility, which played host to 800 people on a film industry open day on Saturday, boasts three massive soundstages, one running to 30,800 sq ft and two at 18,000 sq ft. Crucially, the height of the high bay' area in the former Dell building rises to about 60 feet, the crucial element. There are dressing rooms and an in-studio laundry, and Ms Ni Raghallaigh expressed the hope that a locally trained crew would be fastracked ahead of the planned 2020 time period.

The principals in Troy were all remaining tight lipped about when production will start, but it is expected that shooting will start early in the new year.

Troy chairman Joe Devine said the huge interest in the studio showed that this is real and it is going to be big.

There is a real opportunity to grow film and television production activity in Limerick and across the Mid-West region. Troy, in common with all studios, is an enabler for job creation and skills development and our aspiration and hope is that this shall significantly add to local employment.

New website to sell Limerick

The new Film in Limerick website is aimed at putting Limerick in the shop window for film producers.

The website, driven by Innovate Limerick, is a one stop shop for producers looking at coming to the region, Mike Cantwell of Innovate said. It was launched in tandem with an open day at the studio that drew 800 people keen to work in the industry.

The open day at Troy Studios is the first significant step in preparing film crews for an international film industry on the west coast of Ireland, he said.

Innovate Limerick has created Film in Limerick which is a shop window for national and international film producers looking for possible locations to shoot in Limerick and the Mid-West region.

This one-stop shop will provide all the information a film producer needs while showcasing the landscapes, buildings, accommodation and expertise which the region has to offer, he added.

Troy director Siun Ni Raghallaigh said the website was a resource that will no doubt prove invaluable as part of our strategy to grow film production infrastructure in Limerick and the Mid-West region.

The open day was a roaring success for Troy, Innovate, the Irish Film Board and Screen Training Ireland, the latter who were hosting it, with the involvement of the education and training board and third level institutions in the region. The aim is to produce a locally trained crew to work in Troy.

Attendees heard from those working in the industry including director Peter Foott, costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh  who is from Limerick  plus those from heads of departments working in production, accounts, camera and lighting.

The Rubberbandits were invited to talk about the creation of their art, with Blind Boy holding the huge audience in thrall with a hilarious insight into how the duo have created some of their viral hits.
Tehran, Iran, Oct. 21

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

CEO of Irans South Oil Company Bijan Alipour has said the import of oil equipment that has Iranian-made rivals has been banned.

He said currently 7 percent of the companys equipment is made inside Iran, Tasnim news agency reported October 21.

Alipour said that the last Iranian fiscal year (which ended March 20), the company found 100 percent of its drilling and on-ground facilities equipment from inside the country, while gaining access to 8 percent of chemical materials it needed domestically.
Oct 21, 2016, 1 PM

World War II prisoner of war mail, such as this returned undeliverable letter, sometimes had a hard time finding POWs at the end of the war, because they were often moved to avoid advancing Allied troops. The addressee of this letter, Capt. Raymond S. Hal

By John M. Hotchner

The heart of the sender of the letter shown nearby must have skipped a beat when it was returned with the notice, Returned to Sender By Direction of the War Department Undeliverable as Addressed.

On its way back to Massachusetts, the cover received a June 20, 1945, machine cancel on the back in New York.

The letter was sent March 22, 1945, to prisoner of war Capt. Raymond S. Hall at a POW camp in Poland. A search on the Internet revealed that Capt. Hall was captured by German troops Sept. 19, 1944, in Holland.

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Hall was the regimental chaplain for the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and was sent to a officers-only camp in Poland, Oflag 64. (Information about this camp can be found on the Oflag 64 Association website.)

The Soviets liberated the camp Jan. 23, 1945. But, in anticipation of this loss, the Germans marched those Oflag 64 prisoners who could walk westward to other camps in Poland and ultimately in Germany. Some escaped along the way. Those POWs who made it to Germany were liberated by the 14th Armored Division in April.

Captain Halls record shows that he was returned to military control on March 19, 1945, but how was a bit of a mystery to me until his obituary was found on the Internet in the archives of The New York Times. He died June 21, 1970.

According to the obituary, Hall was known as the parachute parson during the war and was discharged with the rank of major.

It also reports, Taken prisoner, he was held in prison camps in Germany and Poland for four months before he was able to escape to Russia. After reaching United States authorities in Odessa, he returned to this country.

I am glad that the return of the letter did not signal an unfortunate end for Capt. Hall. In fact, I hope that news of his repatriation might have reached the letter writer before the undeliverable letter did.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Turkeys Armed Forces have destroyed 40 positions of the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group and six positions of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria as part of the Shield of the Euphrates operation, said a message posted on the website of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces.

As a result of bomb attacks, IS militants were forced to retreat from their positions, losing opportunities for tactical maneuver in the northern Syrian city of Al-Bab.

Three militants of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were killed during operations Oct. 20, according to the message.

On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force, with the support of the coalition aircraft, launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo.

The operation was dubbed the Shield of the Euphrates.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The IS, YPG and PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

The US supports Turkey's participation in operations against the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said.

He made the remarks Oct. 21 during the meeting with Turkish Minister of National Defense Fikri Isik, Anadolu Agency reported.

Carter said Turkey's interest in the developments in Syria and Iraq is justified.

The United States will support Turkeys measures to secure its borders, he said.

On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the Shield of the Euphrates name.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives. Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Three Islamic State militants have stormed a power plant north of the city of Kirkuk in Iraq, killing 21 people, Fars news agency reported Oct. 21.

Reportedly, four Iranian engineers were among the killed.

Iraqi police say three Islamic State militants have stormed a power plant north of the city of Kirkuk, killing 11 workers, including two Iranians, before blowing themselves up, ABC News reported earlier.

Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali says the suicide bombers entered the facility early on Friday, took 10 workers hostage, and asked to be taken to the Iranians who worked there. One of the workers took them to the Iranians before escaping. The militants then killed the Iranians and the other workers, and detonated their explosive vests when police arrived.

The attack took place in the town of Dibis, to the north of Kirkuk city, where another militant assault was underway.

Kirkuk is some 170 kilometers (100 miles) from the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have been waging a wide-scale offensive since Monday.
Turkey and Russia are in a constant contact on the situation in Iraqs Mosul, where the operation to liberate the city from the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group started, a diplomatic source in Ankara told RIA Novosti.

We are discussing this topic, said the source. The Turkish side is concerned about the situation there.

On the night of October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stated about the start of the military operation to liberate Mosul from the militants of the IS.

Iraqi military forces and police forces, as well as the Kurdish formations supported by the Air Force of the US-led coalition against the IS began a massive offensive on Mosul.
How low can they go?

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (L) speaks as Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks on during the third U.S. presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada (Image credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

One of the many memorable lines to emerge thus far from the 2016 presidential election cycle was not uttered by either of the candidates, but by First Lady Michelle Obama, during her speech at the Democratic National Convention on July 25.

Obama shared a family motto that shaped their reactions to cruel and hateful taunts: "When they go low, we go high."

The sentiments in Obama's words are admirable, particularly considering that the accusations and insults that have been flung during this election cycle are especially ugly. At the third and final presidential debate on Oct. 19, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton needled Republican nominee Donald Trump about being Russian president Vladimir Putin's "puppet," and about encouraging Russian espionage against Americans. When he boasted about his "beautiful apartment," she remarked that it had been built with Chinese steel  which is frequently imported illegally to the U.S., she had said earlier. [We Fact-Checked the Science Behind the Republican Party Platform]

Meanwhile, Trump suggested that $6 billion went missing from the State Department under Clinton's watch, accused her of deleting 33,000 emails "criminally," said that Putin had "outsmarted her at every step of the way [sic]," and capped it off by muttering, "Such a nasty woman," while Clinton was speaking about Social Security.

But this is far from the first time in American history that vitriol has poisoned the air during a political season. In fact, the tradition of tearing down one's opponent in the most vicious manner possible extends back to some of the earliest presidential face-offs. Here are five elections where candidates were really hitting below the belt.

Thomas Jefferson vs. John Adams (1800)

(Image credit: PD-US)

When Federalist John Adams ran for president against Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson, many felt that the future of the young nation hung in the balance, and people representing both candidates used extremely colorful language to denounce the opposition, according to news reports at the time. [Why Did the Democratic and Republican Parties Switch Platforms?]

According to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation website, a newspaper editor and Jefferson supporter named James Callender wrote in the pamphlet "The Prospect Before Us" that John Adams possessed "that strange compound of ignorance and ferocity, of deceit and weakness."

As if that weren't enough, Callender also called Adams a "hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."

The Foundation further recounted that Jefferson's political opponents labeled him "nothing but a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father," and claimed that he enjoyed the taste of fricasseed bullfrog.

Andrew Jackson vs. John Quincy Adams (1828)

(Image credit: PD-US)

During this particular presidential campaign  referred to by historians as the dirtiest in America's history  Andrew Jackson was accused of multiple murders and acts of violence, according to the Miller Center, a nonpartisan center for political research and discourse at the University of Virginia.

Meanwhile, Jackson supporters charged that John Quincy Adams spent his tenure as the first U.S minister to Russia procuring American virgins for the Czar.

Even Jackson's mother was considered to be fair game by the newspapers of the day, and was referred to in an editorial as "a common prostitute, brought to this country by the British soldiers." Jackson's wife, Rachel, was hounded as well, as a loose woman and bigamist who married Jackson before she was legally divorced from her first husband. Dubbed "an American Jezebel," she suffered greatly under the strain of relentless and vicious attacks from the press throughout the campaign, and died of heart failure just over one month after her husband won the election.

Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen Douglas (1860)

(Image credit: PD-US)

Abraham Lincoln's opponents were not kind about his somewhat rustic appearance, with the Charleston Mercury calling him a "horrid looking wretch, sooty and scoundrelly (sic) in aspect, a cross between the nutmeg dealer, the horse swapper and the night man," the Miller Center reported.

But Lincoln and his supporters also resorted to taunts about Stephen Douglas' looks, mockingly calling the much shorter Douglas "the little giant" and even distributing a handbill suggesting that while on the campaign trail, Douglas was a lost child whose mother was very worried about him.

Douglas fired back, describing Lincoln as "the leanest, lankest, most ungainly mass of legs, arms and hatchet-face ever strung upon a single frame. He has most unwarrantably abused the privilege which all politicians have of being ugly," Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote in "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" (Simon and Schuster, 2005).

Grover Cleveland vs. James G. Blaine (1884)

(Image credit: PD-US)

Jeering rival chants dominated the 1884 election race between Republican presidential candidate James G. Blaine and Democrat Grover Cleveland.

Blaine was pilloried by Democrats for taking bribes from railroad companies for political favors, a rumor that was only confirmed when an incriminating note turned up, bearing his instructions at the bottom to "kindly burn this letter." This soon spawned gleeful chants of "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine; Continental Liar from the State of Maine," the University of California at Santa Barbara reported.

Cleveland, however, inspired a chant as well. After it was discovered that he had fathered an illegitimate child 10 years earlier, Cleveland was greeted with taunts of "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?"

But the Democrats wrested control of the taunt after Cleveland won the election, changing it to "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!"

Richard Nixon vs. Edmund Muskie (1972)

(Image credit: PD-US)

Edmund Muskie was considered a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1972 election against Republican Richard Nixon  perhaps too strong, as disparaging rumors about Muskie began to mysteriously circulate while he was on the campaign trail, and they eventually derailed his chances, Politico.com reported.

While Muskie was campaigning in New Hampshire, voters described getting rude phone calls at odd hours from people who claimed they were working for Muskie. He was also accused in a letter published in the Manchester Union Leader of using the word "Canuck," a disparaging term describing French Canadians.

Later, in Florida, letters written on Muskie campaign stationary that contained disturbing stories about fellow Democratic candidates were widely circulated to voters. The letters accused one candidate of drunk driving and another of fathering a child with an underage girl, and were clearly meant to make Muskie look bad.

The last straw occurred at a Muskie press conference in Miami, when someone released wild mice bearing tags reading, "Muskie is a rat fink." Muskie withdrew from the presidential race and George McGovern advanced to run against Nixon.

The truth emerged years later  during the hearings that followed the Watergate break-in  revealing that two Nixon staffers had coordinated the entire smear campaign that led to Muskie's downfall.
Multiple people have died in a home fire in the town of Nehawka, Nebraska Fire Marshals Office said in a new release, Sputnik International reported.

The incident was a "structure fire with parties still inside the residence," the release stated on Thursday.

Although the Fire Marshals Office was able to confirm multiple deaths, it was not able to confirm a specific number, the release stated.

However, local media has reported that six people died in the fire.

Local firefighters attended to the fire of the affected two-story home, the release noted. An autopsy will be performed to properly identify the victims, according to the release
How much screen time is healthy for kids? Parents who are unsure of the answer can turn to a new set of guidelines put forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The new recommendations outline how much time kids  ranging from infants to adolescents  can spend watching TV and engaging with other media that involves using a screen.

"Families should proactively think about their childrens media use and talk with children about it, because too much media use can mean that children dont have enough time during the day to play, study, talk or sleep," Dr. Jenny Radesky, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the new recommendations, said in a statement. "Whats most important is that parents be their childs 'media mentor.' That means teaching them how to use it as a tool to create, connect and learn." [7 Signs Your Child Is an iPad Addict]

Screen time for children younger than 18 months should be avoided, except in the case of video chatting, according to the recommendations, which were published today (Oct. 21) in the journal Pediatrics.

Parents of children ages 18 months to 2 years who choose to introduce digital media into their children's lives should choose high-quality programs, and they should watch these programs with their kids to help them understand what exactly they are seeing, according to the recommendations.

The parents of children ages 2 to 5 years should limit kids' screen time to 1 hour per day, according to the recommendations. As with children under the age of 2, parents should also view such media together with their children, to help them understand what they are seeing and how it might apply to the world around them, the researchers recommended.

For kids ages 6 years and older, parents should place consistent limits on how much screen time they are allowed per day. Parents should also make sure that kids do not use digital media at the expense of activities that are important for their health, such as sleep and exercise. [Children's Sleep: New Guidelines on Shut-Eye for Kids]

Parents should also designate specific "media-free" times for the family, such as dinnertime, for example. In addition, certain areas of the home, such as bedrooms, should also be deemed "media-free," according to the recommendations.

The recommendations also offered guidance on how parents should talk to their kids about online behavior. For example, parents should teach kids to treat others with respect, both online and offline. They should also talk to kids about their safety in online environments, the researchers recommended.

The new recommendations are a reminder that parents should be very selective about the types of apps and programs that they allow their children to use, said Dr. Minu George, the chief of general pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center, in New Hyde Park, New York, who was not involved in the new recommendations.

For example, if an app is labeled as "educational," that does not automatically mean that it is good for children to use it, George said.

"Just because it says it is educational does not mean that it is something that will help the child grow and develop well," she told Live Science. "There is nothing that can replace that intimate interaction between children and their parents."

Originally published on Live Science.
In 1760, Scottish poet James Macpherson published a volume of poems he claimed to have translated from the Gaelic works of a third-century Scottish bard named Ossian. The poems were an enormous hit and a major inspiration to the nascent Romantic period in literature and art.

They may also have been fakes  or, at least, far less authentic than Macpherson claimed. Early critics, including English poet Samuel Johnson, pointed out the poems' similarities to Irish mythology and that Macpherson never produced any ancient documents indicating the origin of the works.

Now, a new analysis of the relationships among the characters in the "Ossian" poems suggests they share more in common with their Irish cousins than their author would have liked to admit. The social structure of the world of "Ossian" is more similar to that seen in Irish mythology and less similar to that seen in the Homeric epics that Macpherson touted as being similar to the Scottish work. [Top 10 Beasts and Dragons: How Reality Made Myth]

"It shows a similarity to the works he's trying to distance himself from, and it shows a distance from the works that he's trying to associate himself with," said study author Justin Tonra, a researcher in digital humanities at the National University of Ireland Galway.

Centuries of controversy

When Macpherson published his epic, the British army had just defeated the claimant to the English throne, Charles Stuart and his Jacobite supporters, and Scottish culture was being suppressed in an effort to instill loyalty to Great Britain. Macpherson's translations were thus a matter of national pride, and he strove to compare his epic to the works of Homer, Virgil and other highly regarded Classical sources.

Over the past 250 years, the debate over "Ossian" has evolved from a black-and-white "Were the tales of 'Ossian' real, or did Macpherson make it all up?" to a more nuanced conversation about oral history, mythology and Macpherson's input as an author, Tonra told Live Science.

"Our sense is that Macpherson did collect narratives and took down oral poems [around Scotland] and used them as sources," Tonra said. "He would have also used older manuscript sources that were available in libraries in Scotland. He takes these sources but applies this quite modern slant to them that is his own particular style." [Cracking Codices: 10 of the Most Mysterious Ancient Manuscripts]

Tonra and his colleagues  including some who work in statistical physics, about as far from the literary discipline as you can get  joined forces to conduct what's known as a network analysis on the earliest versions of the Ossian poems. This kind of analysis essentially quantifies all of the relationships in an epic poem and characterizes them as positive or negative. The result is a spider-web-like visualization of the society depicted in the poems.

"You can't get a comprehensive picture of network structure from just reading the narrative, because there are too many characters," Tonra said.

Comparative literature

A visualization of the social structure of the world of the Scottish epic "Ossian." There are 748 relationships among 325 characters. (Image credit: Yose, et al. Advances in Complex Systems)

The researchers compared the "Ossian" network structure to those in Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" as well as to the "Fenian Cycle" of Irish mythology, a series of poems about the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill.

The 748 relationships among 325 characters in the Ossian created a network more like those in the Irish myths than the Homeric epics, the researchers found. (The difference comes down to the probabilities that nodes representing characters will have small or large numbers of relationships, or "edges.") The paper, available on the preprint website arXiv, was published Oct. 19 in the journal Advances in Complex Systems.

The analysis can't definitively prove whether Macpherson was intentionally fraudulent when he published the "Ossian," Tonra said, but it does show that the Irish influence is strong.

"There is potentially some subconscious element of the Irish narratives that transfers to Macpherson's own," Tonra said. "Or it may tell us that this story does travel between the two Celtic nations."

Macpherson argued that the Irish tales were adapted from Scottish myth, while many Irish critics argue vociferously that it was Scotland who borrowed the myths from Ireland. The direction of the travel isn't clear, but the desire to assert a national identity remains strong 250 years later, Tonra said.

"While we were doing this research earlier this year and late last year, the whole Brexit debate was happening, and Scottish identity was reasserting itself as not really in tune with the larger beliefs in the U.K.," Tonra said, referring to the vote over whether the United Kingdom should leave the European Union. Scotland voted to stay 62 percent to 38 percent, and Northern Ireland also favored staying in the E.U., though the overall U.K. vote was to leave.

"It really stuck me," Tonra said, "that there are continuing echoes of these national identities, particularly of the Celtic nations."

Original article on Live Science.
Milk from Tasmanian devils could be used in the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, new research from Australia finds.

The devils are marsupials, meaning that their teensy young hop into their parents' pouches after birth to finish developing, and in a new study, researchers found that the marsupial's milk contains several powerful peptides called cathelicidins, which can act as natural antibiotics.

Humans have one cathelicidin, but Tasmanian devils have six, and their fellow marsupial opossums have 12, according to the researchers. Tests of the Tasmanian devils' cathelicidin found that the peptides were capable of killing antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

The scientists said they suspected that marsupials, because of their unusual reproductive physiology, have particularly powerful chemicals in their milk to help their young develop. [Marsupial Gallery: A Pouchful of Cute]

"Marsupials give birth to highly underdeveloped young after a very short gestation period of only up to 30 days," Emma Peel, lead author of the new study and a Ph.D. candidate in veterinary science at the University of Sydney, told Live Science in an email.

"After birth, the young continues to develop in the mother's pouch, which contains a diverse range of bacteria, some of which could be harmful," Peel said. "Given [that] the young does not have a fully functioning immune system, this led us to question how it survives within a 'dirty' pouch."

Peel and colleagues found that the antimicrobial peptides within the mother's milk and pouch were able to kill bacteria in the pouch, as well as fight against superbugs.

As antibiotic drugs have become overused, bacteria have adapted, making the drugs less effective. Superbugs, which are resistant to many of the drugs traditionally used to combat infections, are now some of the most harmful bacteria known to humans.

Lab tests showed that the peptides in Tasmanian devils' milk are effective against superbugs from the groups Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococci.

"Tasmanian devil peptides highlight the potential of marsupials to provide new alternatives to antibiotics in the future," Peel said. "Sequencing the genomes of more marsupials will allow us to identify and explore the antibacterial activity of antimicrobial peptides in other marsupials."

The research is still in its early stages, and further development is needed before the tests can move beyond lab dishes, Peel said. It is also possible that with further research, scientists will find other applications for the milk peptides, she said.

"As yet, we haven't explored peptide functions other than killing bacteria, but perhaps Tasmanian devil peptides could be a superfood in the future," Peel said.

The study was published (Oct. 11) in the journal Scientific Reports (opens in new tab).

Originally published on Live Science.
If you were trying to catch up on the latest news or check out what was trending on Twitter this morning, you might have received a message that said that your browser couldn't connect to the server. Twitter, Reddit, Spotify and even news sites such as CNN experienced a widespread outage early today due to a so-called DDoS cyberattack that affected many users on the East Coast of the United States, according to several news outlets. How does this attack work, and what does it do?

The culprit behind the outage is what's known as a distributed denial-of-service attack, or DDoS, which was mounted against a company called Dyn DNS. It's one of the more common types of cyberattack, though today's incident was a bit more widespread than usual, because most attacks focus on one site. One of the largest DDoS attacks ever targeted the BBC sites and its on-demand media service, reported The Hacker News.

A DDoS attack works by essentially overloading the target server with requests to connect. This is not unlike overwhelming a receptionist at a big company with phone calls, bombarding the phone lines with calls. [The 8 Craziest Intelligence Leaks in US History]

Ordinarily, a phone call comes in, and it can be directed to the right person or extension. Sometimes, lots of calls come in and a secretary can put you on hold before eventually connecting the call. But now, imagine if the number of those incoming calls goes way up. The poor receptionist can't field all of the calls at the same time, so lots of people would end up on hold for longer periods of time, while other callers wouldn't be able to get through at all, because all the lines are busy.

With a DDoS attack, replace phone calls with requests to connect to a website via the internet. Essentially, the server gets overwhelmed. The "distributed" part of the acronym is because the requests can come from many places, and, as the name suggests, and can deny the website's service to others. DDoS attacks can take a number of forms, but the basic principle is the same: take up all the bandwidth with lots of traffic.

To mount a DDoS cyberattack, a hacker needs lots of machines that are set to make a request. One way to get lots of requests to a website is to send out a bot. A bot (short for "robot") is a program that will do things automatically, such as try to connect to a website, or carry out some computing tasks. Bots have a lot of legitimate uses in distributed computing, such as when there's a task that no one machine can handle on its own. But, bots have become more famous in recent years for their use in cyberattacks.

One way to distribute a bot to many computers is via a virus, or malware, according to Incapsula, one of many providers of Internet security and DDoS defense. Such malware can operate in the background and the infected computer user isn't even aware of what's happening.

There are also voluntary DDoS attacks, such as what's known as a Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC), according to Radware. This is a simple program that's designed to flood servers with connection requests and it's often used to "stress test" networks. LOIC has also been used for more malicious means, including by the hackers group Anonymous when they used the program to attack the Recording Industry Association of America site in 2010. LOIC is considered to be a relatively primitive program now, because the kinds of attacks it mounts aren't always distributed and can thus be traced to a single IP address  in other words, a single computer. But, the principle is the same one that's used in more sophisticated hacks. [Best Hacks by the Hacktivist Group 'Anonymous']

In the case of today's DDoS attack, though, more than one website was affected. This is because instead of flooding a single site with connection requests, the attacker went after Dyn, which provides part of the Domain Name System, or DNS. The DNS is the directory that your computer connects with to match a website name  for instance, Google.com  to a string of numbers, which is the IP address (similar to the way you look up a phone number by name in a phone book).

An attacker flooded Dyn with traffic, which overwhelmed the company's ability to handle it. As such, whenever a user tried to connect to Twitter, for instance, he or she wasn't able to do it, even though Twitter itself was still operational. Another way to think about it is if you went to a library to look up a number in a phone book, but someone hired a bunch of people to grab all the copies before you could get there.

As of Friday afternoon it appears the attacks are ongoing, though the exact details have yet to be determined.

Original article on Live Science.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

Belarus has obtained the right to hold the second European Games in 2019.

The decision was adopted as a result of voting at the 45th session of the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), which is being held in Minsk, BelTA agency reports.

Belarus received the majority of votes. The country needs to create the organizing committee and draw up plans for the preparation of the sports events in close cooperation with the relevant committees of the EOC.

On Oct. 21, during the meeting with the Acting President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Janez Kocijancic, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus is ready to host the second European Games in 2019.

Lukashenko noted that the EOC can always count on Belarus.

Belarus is not a superpower, but it pays great attention to sports, said the Belarusian president.

We all made a historic decision and will gather European athletes here for our Olympiad in 2019, said Lukashenko.

He noted that he is familiar with talks of the Belarusian side with the EOC leadership. In this regard, he suggested not to hurry in determining certain details.

He added that there is also the issue of youth competitions in 2019.

Janez Kocijancic, for his part, noted that he sees the Belarusian president not only as the countrys leader, but also as a friend on the Olympic movement.

All that you have said, fully coincides with my opinion and my approaches, he said.

Kocijancic also noted that he had attended a number of sports events in Belarus and noted the presence of an excellent infrastructure for holding global sporting events.

All the feedback, we received, was not just positive, but also full of enthusiasm, he said. Therefore, we praise your willingness to hold the second European Games.

The EOC acting president believes that the European Games in Belarus should be a qualifying stage before the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

It should also be another opportunity for Belarus to show its uniqueness and authenticity in sports, and of the country as a whole for the rest of Europe, added Kocijancic.

The First European Games were held in Azerbaijans capital, Baku, in 2015.
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Senior IDA bosses are getting away with blue murder in attracting overseas investment to County Longford.

That was just one of several stinging remarks to be levelled at the state development agency last week as the ongoing fallout from the Cameron jobs announcement intensified.

The US multinational confirmed its plans to cut 170 posts at its Longford town manufacturing plant two weeks ago, pointing the finger squarely at the downturn in the oil and gas industry.

Local politicians took aim at that decision at a County Council meeting last week and at a consequent meeting of the local authoritys Corporate Policy Group (CPG) in the wake of the impending job cuts.

Cllr Mark Casey, a former Cameron employee himself, said all 18 elected members should have been invited to attend and address the IDA and other state agencies about their concerns.

All the councillors had a right to be at that meeting, he said, while venting his ire at Cathaoirleach Mick Cahill.

It was poor judgement on your behalf, he told the Ballymahon-based councillor.

The IDA is getting away with blue murder. There is 170 people affected and those 170 jobs are gone out of Longford on a whimper - on a whimper.

Cllr Paul Ross agreed. Like his Independent counterpart, he said that questions over the Cameron decision still remained.

Another to speak out was Cllr Peggy Nolan. She said agreeing with Cllr Casey on matters of local interest was not something she was accustomed to.

In this instance, however, she confided she had little option but to row in behind the Lanesboro politician.

I put my name on a ballot paper and in doing so I was entrusted by the people who elected me to look after their interests, but I was disenfranchised when this meeting took place, she maintained.

Cllr Micheal Carrigy, meanwhile, was keen to stress there were five IDA-sponsored visits to Longford this year.

They must have been ninjas, shouted an incensed Cllr Casey as proceedings threatened to boil over.

The anger and increasing animosity directed towards the IDA didnt end there.

Cllrs Mae Sexton and Martin Mulleady both hit out at the apparent lack of representation small counties like Longford were getting from the state agency.

There has been nothing brought to this county since I was a TD and I can say that hand on heart, said an infuriated Cllr Sexton, claims which were backed up by Cllr Mulleady.

I am 12 and a half years in this council and I have not met one person from the IDA or Enterprise Ireland in that time, he raged.

Chief Executive Paddy Mahon attempted to restore calm, saying he advised Cllr Cahill to call a meeting in the wake of the Cameron announcement.

This, he said, was done in order to provide as full and up to date a position as possible to elected members over the emerging situation.

He also revealed that the Council, through its Local Enterprise Office (LEO), intended making an application to the European Globalisation Fund to help those affected by the Cameron decision.

A further update on the progress made by the Councils CPG is expected to return before the Council at its December meeting.
Preparatory work aimed at readying Center Parcs planned 233m leisure resort in Ballymahon for construction is to get underway in just over ten days time.

The UK short break holiday provider has announced plans to erect security fencing and commence tree felling at its 395 acre site at Newcastle Wood from November 1.

As a consequence, members of the public are advised access to the site will be strictly off limits from the evening beforehand.

However, those wishing to avail of Newcastle Wood can still do so through the locally named Jacks Gate and Newcastle Bridge.

Center Parcs advises the local community that security fencing around the 395 acres Center Parcs site at Newcastle Wood will be installed and tree felling activity will commence on Tuesday, 1stNovember 2016, a statement outlined.

For health and safety reasons, there will be no public access to the Center Parcs site from the evening of Monday, 31st October. Access to the remainder of Newcastle Wood - via Jacks Gate and Newcastle Bridge - will not be impacted in any way.

Its envisaged work on the perimeter footpath around the site will get underway in late November for completion by early Spring next year.

For more on this story, see next weeks Longford Leader.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

Moscow is concerned over Turkeys air strikes on the territory of Syria, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, RIA Novosti reports.

We are very concerned about what is happening. As far as I understand, we are talking about the strikes on areas populated by the Kurds, Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow, answering a question on how Turkey's air strikes on Syrian territory can affect the situation around Aleppo.

Turkey is a member of the coalition which was formed by the US, and it has clearly stated that the coalition is built with the sole purpose of fighting the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) and Jabhat al-Nusra, he said.

Lavrov expressed hope that the US, as a commander of the coalition, will do its best for the coalition to stick to the announced purpose.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Now celebrating its 45th anniversary, AKF has helped more than 1 million low-income dialysis patients access lifesaving medical care.

Melville, NY - October 19, 2016 - The American Kidney Fund (AKF), the nations largest nonprofit organization serving people with, and at risk for, kidney disease, will honor a local nephrologist and a biopharmaceutical company at its regional fundraising event, A Pairing For Prevention, to be held Nov. 1, 2016 at Terrace on the Park in Queens, New York.

The community that cares for people with kidney disease knows how devastating this condition can be physically, emotionally and financially, said LaVarne A. Burton, president and chief executive officer of the American Kidney Fund. The support of the New York region for our programs and services helps to ensure that we can fulfill our mission of helping people fight kidney disease and live healthier lives.

The corporate honoree, Retrophin, is dedicated to delivering life-changing therapies to people living with rare diseases who have few, if any, treatment options. The companys work in kidney disease centers on cystinuria, a rare and chronic genetic disorder characterized by the formation of cystine kidney stones, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare condition characterized by progressive scarring of the kidney that often leads to end-stage renal disease.

We are honored to be recognized by the American Kidney Fund, and stand alongside the organization in its efforts to serve the community of patients impacted by kidney disease, said Stephen Aselage, CEO of Retrophin. As a company that is dedicated to developing new treatments and broadening access to our approved medications, we share in AKFs mission to ensure that kidney patients receive the care they need.

David S. Goldfarb, M.D. will also be honored at the event as the areas Nephrologist of the Year. Dr. Goldfarb is chief of nephrology at the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, clinical chief of nephrology at NYU Langone Medical Center, and professor of medicine and physiology at NYU School of Medicine. In his efforts to care for others, Dr. Goldfarb complements his vast medical expertise by drawing upon his own experiences as a patient who has had kidney stones.

All funds raised at A Pairing for Prevention will support the mission of AKF, ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. Now celebrating its 45th anniversary, AKF has helped more than 1 million low-income dialysis patients access lifesaving medical care.

To learn more, or to purchase tickets, please visit the event webpage or contact AKFs Northeast Regional Office at (516) 513-5247.

About the American Kidney Fund

As the nations leading nonprofit working on behalf of the 31 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling 1 in 5 U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Retrophin

Retrophin is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company dedicated to delivering life-changing therapies to people living with rare diseases who have few, if any, treatment options. The Company's approach centers on its pipeline featuring clinical-stage assets targeting rare diseases with significant unmet medical needs, including sparsentan for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disorder characterized by progressive scarring of the kidney often leading to end-stage renal disease, and RE-024 for pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), a life-threatening neurological disorder that typically begins in early childhood. Research exploring the potential of early-stage assets in several rare diseases is also underway. Retrophin's R&D efforts are supported by revenues from the Company's commercial products Thiola, Cholbam and Chenodal. For more information, please visit Retrophin.com

The American Kidney Fund (AKF), the nations largest nonprofit organization serving people with, and at risk for, kidney disease, will honor a local nephrologist and a biopharmaceutical company at its regional fundraising event, A Pairing For Prevention, to be held Nov. 1, 2016 at Terrace on the Park in Queens, New York.

The community that cares for people with kidney disease knows how devastating this condition can be physically, emotionally and financially, said LaVarne A. Burton, president and chief executive officer of the American Kidney Fund. The support of the New York region for our programs and services helps to ensure that we can fulfill our mission of helping people fight kidney disease and live healthier lives.

The corporate honoree, Retrophin, is dedicated to delivering life-changing therapies to people living with rare diseases who have few, if any, treatment options. The companys work in kidney disease centers on cystinuria, a rare and chronic genetic disorder characterized by the formation of cystine kidney stones, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare condition characterized by progressive scarring of the kidney that often leads to end-stage renal disease.

We are honored to be recognized by the American Kidney Fund, and stand alongside the organization in its efforts to serve the community of patients impacted by kidney disease, said Stephen Aselage, CEO of Retrophin. As a company that is dedicated to developing new treatments and broadening access to our approved medications, we share in AKFs mission to ensure that kidney patients receive the care they need.

David S. Goldfarb, M.D. will also be honored at the event as the areas Nephrologist of the Year. Dr. Goldfarb is chief of nephrology at the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, clinical chief of nephrology at NYU Langone Medical Center, and professor of medicine and physiology at NYU School of Medicine. In his efforts to care for others, Dr. Goldfarb complements his vast medical expertise by drawing upon his own experiences as a patient who has had kidney stones.

All funds raised at A Pairing for Prevention will support the mission of AKF, ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. Now celebrating its 45th anniversary, AKF has helped more than 1 million low-income dialysis patients access lifesaving medical care.

To learn more, or to purchase tickets, please visit the event webpage or contact AKFs Northeast Regional Office at (516) 513-5247.

About the American Kidney Fund

As the nations leading nonprofit working on behalf of the 31 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling 1 in 5 U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Retrophin

Retrophin is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company dedicated to delivering life-changing therapies to people living with rare diseases who have few, if any, treatment options. The Company's approach centers on its pipeline featuring clinical-stage assets targeting rare diseases with significant unmet medical needs, including sparsentan for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disorder characterized by progressive scarring of the kidney often leading to end-stage renal disease, and RE-024 for pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), a life-threatening neurological disorder that typically begins in early childhood. Research exploring the potential of early-stage assets in several rare diseases is also underway. Retrophin's R&D efforts are supported by revenues from the Company's commercial products Thiola, Cholbam and Chenodal. For more information, please visit Retrophin.com
Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Hart will continue to call for the resignation of Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Venditto - hands out rolls of toilet paper with the message: "WIPE OUT CROOKS IN OYSTER BAY AND ALBANY."

Thousands of rolls of toilet paper continue to be handed out to local residents reading: thousands of rolls of toilet paper to local residents that have a picture of Venditto on it, along with the message "WIPE OUT CROOKS IN OYSTER BAY AND ALBANY."

Oyster Bay, NY - October 20, 2016 - Dr. Dean Hart, an Oyster Bay Assembly candidate, denounced his opponent Assemblyman Michael Montesano, also from Oyster Bay, for not joining fellow state Republican lawmakers from Long Island in calling for embattled Town Supervisor John Venditto to resign his office amidst the overwhelming avalanche of federal corruption charges unleashed today.

"Did Assemblyman Michael Montesano get lost on his way to the press conference where his fellow Republican State Senate buddies called for Nassau County Executive Ed Mangao and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto to resign, or is he so mired in the cesspool of Oyster Bay corruption that he can't move anywhere?" asked Oyster Bay Assembly Candidate Dean Hart of his opponent. "I think we should at least be able to agree that given the fiscal catastrophe that our county and town finds itself in, Town Supervisor Venditto is no longer in any type of position to be able to help our community."

Hart has previously called for the resignation of Oyster Bay Supervisor Venditto because of his terrible fiscal management, as well as for his ties to indicted restaurateur Harendra Singh and convicted Oyster Bay Planning Commissioner Frederick Ippolito.

Hart will continue to make his case for Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Venditto to resign by continuing to hand out thousands of rolls of toilet paper to local residents that have a picture of Venditto on it, along with the message "WIPE OUT CROOKS IN OYSTER BAY AND ALBANY."
Family & Parenting, Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Long Island State Parks will host several safe and fun events for Halloween weekend.

Long Island, NY - October 19, 2016 - The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced that the following travel restrictions will be in effect at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center, specifically on Kings Park Boulevard.



Beginning Friday, October 28th, 2016, additional patrols of the property will begin. Increased patrols, conducted by the New York State Park Police and New York State Park staff, will be in effect until November 1, 2016. Only vehicles with appropriate reason will be authorized to travel the roadway during this time period. The restriction will be enforced to prevent access to a site potentially hazardous to individuals health and safety. After November 1, the New York State Park Police and State Park staff will continue regular patrol and monitoring of the grounds and buildings.



Long Island State Parks will host several safe and fun events for Halloween weekend. Connetquot River State Park will host a Bat Bonanza indoor program from 7 to 9 p.m. on October 28. On October 29, the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach will host a Halloween Myths program from 10:00am to 12:00 noon. Belmont Lake State Park will host a Great Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular Sail from 3-6:00pm on Saturday, October 29. Some events require pre-registration and/or an admission fee, please check the website.



The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 65 million people annually. A recent study found that New York State Parks generates $1.9 billion in economic activity annually and supports 20,000 jobs. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Individuals can turn in drugs anonymously, whether the drugs were prescribed to them or not.

Prescription Drug Take-Back Days are organized twice a year by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in conjunction with state and local officials to provide a safe, convenient, and legal way to dispose of unused prescription drugs so that they are not susceptible to abuse.

New York, NY - October 20, 2016 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today marked the 11th annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day by urging New Yorkers to dispose of unused drugs at Take-Back Day sites and drop boxes that are available year-round. Prescription Drug Take-Back Days are organized twice a year by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in conjunction with state and local officials to provide a safe, convenient, and legal way to dispose of unused prescription drugs so that they are not susceptible to abuse. Individuals can turn in drugs anonymously, whether the drugs were prescribed to them or not.

Eliminating access to unused prescription drugs in medicine cabinets is a simple and effective tool in our fight against the opioid abuse epidemic that is tearing apart families across our state, said Attorney General Schneiderman. I encourage all New Yorkers to dispose of unneeded drugs at a local site on Take-Back Day, and to visit the Department of Health website to locate a year-round drop box.

Prescription drug overdoses, and the related problem of heroin overdoses, are a growing epidemic across New York State. Studies have found that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. The goal of take-back days is to eliminate that path of access.

New York State has been a leader in successfully addressing the prescription drug abuse crisis in a number of ways. Attorney General Schneiderman led the effort to enact the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act, or I-STOP, a comprehensive law to fight prescription drug abuse that created year-round medication drop boxes. I-STOP expanded on the model of the take-back day to make medication drop boxes available year round for the safe and legal disposal of unused prescription drugs. The I-STOP legislation, signed into law in 2012, established New York as the first state in the nation to mandate that physicians consult a real-time database  where pharmacists report every prescription they fill for a schedule II, III, IV, or V narcotic  to check a patients history before prescribing one of these powerful drugs. I-STOP mandated the rescheduling of hydrocodone to Schedule II, which ended automatic refills for this highly abused drug. The law also made New York the first state in the nation to mandate eventual universal e-prescribing.

In 2015, the New York State Department of Health announced that doctor shopping, a practice in which an individual attempts to obtain the same or similar prescriptions from multiple physicians, was down 75 percent in the first four months of ISTOP, and down 90 percent since 2014. I-STOP has been credited with helping reduce prescription drug abuse by addressing the problems of doctor shopping and the use of stolen or falsified prescriptions. In the programs infancy, more than 45,000 prescribers conducted approximately 2.4 million searches in the database. In the first three days of operation, these searches identified more than 200 instances of apparent doctor-shopping. With the help of the medical community, the State of New York has made substantial progress in alleviating the problems associated with opioid drug abuse.

Attorney General Schneidermans Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has brought 40 cases since Jan 1, 2014 involving healthcare workers who diverted controlled substances in nursing homes or similar settings. Many of these defendants reported substance abuse problems starting from over-prescribed opioids, and exacerbated by the ready-availability of surplus pills in the workplace, at home and in their communities. Many of these defendants started their careers as dedicated healthcare workers, but succumbed to addiction in ways that made them put their problems ahead of the safety of the patients in their care. These cases often result in patients not getting necessary medications, or in the patients healthcare records falsely indicating that they received the required narcotics that were actually consumed by their caregivers.

I-STOP vastly enhances the effectiveness of New Yorks prescription tracking system. Its goal is to enable doctors and pharmacists to provide prescription pain medications, and other controlled substances, to patients who truly need them. At the same time, it arms them with the necessary data to detect potentially dangerous drug interactions, identify patterns of abuse by patients, doctors and pharmacists, help those who suffer from crippling addictions and prevent potential addiction before it starts. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works to identify prescription drug abuse and fraud in the healthcare field, to ensure that those responsible receive the help they need, while fighting to ensure that the medical needs of vulnerable New Yorkers arent subject to the whim of a caregiver whose judgment is clouded by addiction. These efforts, along with National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, will continue to make great strides towards quelling the opioid abuse epidemic that continues to tear apart families across our state.

For more information on the Drug Take-Back initiative, visit the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) website. Those looking to dispose of unwanted medications can find a list of local collection sites here.

Attorney General Schneiderman thanked the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration and the New York State Department of Health for organizing National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events across New York State.

Attorney General Schneiderman encourages nurses struggling with substance abuse to contact New York States Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) at 1-800-457-7261, or by visiting here.
Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the sentence of LI internist Dr. Anand Persaud for illegally selling prescriptions for the narcotic medication oxycodone.

Long Island, NY - October 20, 2016 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the sentence of Long Island internist Dr. Anand Persaud for illegally selling prescriptions for the narcotic medication oxycodone. Persauds sentence of six months incarceration to be followed by five years of probation occurred today following Persauds May 2015 guilty plea to Criminal Sale of Prescriptions for a Controlled Substance and Criminal Tax Fraud in the 4th degree. Persaud was arrested in July of 2013 by the New York State Attorney Generals Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) as the result of a long- term investigation into his medical practice.

Its unconscionable that a doctor, a trusted licensed professional, would violate his professional duties and abuse his license to traffic in prescriptions for narcotics, said Attorney General Schneiderman. As this investigation and prosecution shows, my office will hold accountable those who have contributed to the growth of the prescription drug abuse epidemic in New York State.

MFCUs investigation disclosed that Persaud maintained a two-tiered practice. He had medical patients, those with regular medical issues, who were charged $110 for an office visit, and a bogus pain management practice, where patients with substance abuse problems were charged $250 or more for a prescription for a controlled substance. Such patients needed counseling and treatment for their addictions, but instead were enabled by such practices.

In pleading guilty on May 1, 2015, Persaud admitted that on January 15, 2013, he knowingly and unlawfully sold a prescription for Oxycodone to a patient for $250 in cash. He acknowledged that the patient, who presented as being insured by Medicaid, had no complaints other than supposedly suffering from opiate withdrawal. In writing her a prescription for oxycodone, Persaud admitted that he neither ordered, nor conducted any tests, did not take a medical history or conduct a physical exam, and did not request any supporting documentation of any type from the patient; only the $250 in cash. New York doctors may not prescribe narcotics to persons with addiction problems except in the course of a bona fide substance abuse treatment program.

On two other occasions, Persaud admitted, he wrote additional prescriptions for Oxycodone for the same patient in exchange for cash and admitted that between January 1st, 2011 and July 30th, 2013, he wrote prescriptions for Oxycodone to more than ten other patients, all under similar circumstances. For each, the prescription was medically unnecessary, Persaud admitted, and in each instance he failed to conduct a physical examination, order testing or secure supportive documentation or a medical history but did accept either $250 or $300 in cash from each patient in exchange for the prescription.

In committing all of the above, Persaud acknowledged he acted outside the good faith practice of his profession. As a result, on August 24, 2016, Persaud lost his license to practice medicine by the New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

At the time of his guilty plea, Persaud also acknowledged filing a false New York State tax return on April 10, 2012. Persaud admitted he underreported his income on his 2011 New York State personal income tax return by approximately $67,000; an amount that included cash income he and his wife had derived from selling prescriptions for narcotics. On May 1, 2015, Persauds wife, Bibi Shazeeda Persaud, similarly pled guilty to filing a false tax return and on June 19, 2015, was sentenced to five year term of probation.

Sentence today was imposed by Hon. Francis Ricigliano, Acting Supreme Court Justice, Nassau County.

Attorney General Schneiderman thanks the Rockville Centre Police Department, and in particular, Commissioner Charles Gennario, Lieutenant James Vafeades and Detective Frank Marino, for their assistance during this investigation.

The investigation was conducted by Investigators Steven Broomer and Thomas Dowd with the assistance of Deputy Chief Investigator Kenneth Morgan and NYC Regional Chief Auditor Thomasina Smith.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Crystal Barrow of the Attorney Generals Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with the assistance of NYC Regional Director Christopher M. Shaw. Thomas OHanlon is MFCUs Downstate Chief of Criminal Investigations. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney.
Tech & Science, School & Education, Nature & Weather, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Over 900 students and teachers from eighteen different schools grades three through twelve will join natural resource experts to engage in hands-on citizen science exploration.

Long Island, NY - October 18, 2016 - Over 900 students and teachers from eighteen different schools grades three through twelve will join natural resource experts to engage in hands-on citizen science exploration at twenty-three sites on the Peconic Estuary this Friday. The event is the seventh of nine A Day in the Life events taking place this fall.



A Day in the Life features students exploring and collecting firsthand information to learn how their river and estuary fits into the larger ecosystem. Students will examine the physical and chemical aspects of each aquatic ecosystem, such as where freshwater and salty seawater meet, the amount of sediments, nitrates, phosphates, and oxygen levels in the water, as well as conduct biodiversity inventories of the flora and fauna in and around the rivers and estuary from the headwaters to the mouth of the river. Their work will determine the health of the aquatic ecosystem and biodiversity of the Peconic Estuary.



Locations within the Peconic Estuary will include the North and South Forks and Shelter Island.



The A Day in the Life event is coordinated by the Central Pine Barrens Commission, Brookhaven National Lab, NY State DEC and the Peconic Estuary Program.



A Day in the Life helps students develop an appreciation for and knowledge of Long Islands river and estuary ecosystems and collect useful scientific data, said program coordinator Melissa Griffiths Parrott. It teaches students to become stewards of water quality and connected to Suffolk Countys spectacular natural resources.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2016

Girl Scouts' handmade patriotic quilts warm veteran residents hearts, body and soul.

Best friends Miranda Rago and Eviana Holmes of Troop 590 dedicated their Take Action service project to the aging soldiers, quilting patriotic patchworks to warm the veterans residing at the Center.

Commack, NY - October 21, 2016 - Twenty-four U.S. military veterans at Twenty-four U.S. military veterans at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center were literally blanketed with love by two local Girl Scout Cadettes working on their Silver Award. Best friends Miranda Rago and Eviana Holmes of Troop 590 dedicated their Take Action service project to the aging soldiers, quilting patriotic patchworks to warm the veterans residing at the Center.

According to Rago, the inspiration for their service project came as a result of her volunteer work at Gurwin. My mother has worked at Gurwin for 27 years, said Rago. I participated in the Centers teen volunteer camp this year, and found out that Gurwin has a lot of residents who are veterans. We decided that this would be the perfect group to present our quilts to.

The 14-year-old sewing novices were taught the skill by a troop leader specifically for the project, stitching two dozen lap blankets from squares of denim cut from donated jeans by family and friends. The Cadettes decorated each blanket with American flags and other symbols, as well as messages of gratitude for the veterans service.

Resident Jerome Greenberg, a U.S. Army Air Force veteran, was very touched by the gift. It was so nice of them to honor me, he said. Its beautiful.

Thanking them for their thoughtfulness, Dawn Lettau, CTRS, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at the Gurwin Center, said, These Cadettes have warmed the hearts of our veterans, many of who served during World War II, Vietnam or in Korea. Reaching out to remember our veterans with their beautiful handmade gifts has touched the lives our residents and staff. We are grateful that they chose to honor our courageous veterans in such a unique way.

The Silver Award is the highest honor a Cadette can earn before moving on to become a Girl Scout Senior as a freshman in high school. Both girls are from Selden and attend Newfield High School.
Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press Releases
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation on Friday and expressed commitment to further development of the Russia-Israeli relations, the Kremlin press service said, Sputnik reported.

Russia and Israel maintain an active political dialogue, holding regular political consultations. There are also regular delegation exchanges at various levels.

"Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu with his birthday and the Jewish holiday of Sukkot celebrated these days. The leaders also exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the 25th anniversary [October 18] of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel and expressed commitment to further development of the multifaceted bilateral cooperation," the press service said.

The USSR and Israel established diplomatic relations in May 1948, then broke them off in June 1967. In 1987, consular relations were resumed, followed by the full resumption of diplomatic relations in October 1991. In December 1991, an Israeli Embassy in Moscow and a Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv were opened.

Russia and Israel have signed 19 intergovernmental agreements and work to improve the legal infrastructure of Russian-Israeli cooperation. Israel is an important trade and economic partner for Russia, with bilateral ties in industry, agriculture, high technology and more.
Resuming its provocations in the South China Sea, the Pentagon conducted a new freedom of navigation patrol near Beijings land reclamation projects, receiving a warning from Chinese vessels, Sputnik reported.

As part of its efforts to challenge Chinas "excessive maritime claims," the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur sailed near the Paracel Islands, where Beijing has constructed a series of artificial landmasses.

"This operation demonstrated that coastal states may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise under international law," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Friday.

This was the fourth such operation in the past year, and the Decatur was shadowed by three Chinese ships. The Chinese Defense Ministry called the patrol illegal and provocative, and claimed that the Peoples Liberation Army Navy vessels warned the Decatur to leave the area.

A highly-contested region through which roughly $5 trillion in international trade passes annually, most of the South China Sea is claimed by China, but there are overlapping claims by Brunei, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

The United States has no claims in the region, but it has pressured regional allies to help stymie Chinas growth. Recently, however, the Philippines has begun to move away from its partnership with the US. Newly-elected President Rodrigo Duterte has taken steps to become closer with China.

"I have separated from them, so I will be dependent on you for all time," Duterte said, referring to Manilas new reliance on Beijing.

"But do not worry. We will also help as you help us."

Its hard to imagine that this latest "freedom of navigation" patrol was not related to Washingtons anxiety over the Philippines.

Pentagon officials have maintained that such patrols will persist.

"The US Navy will continue to conduct routine and lawful operations around the world, including in the South China Sea, in order to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of sea and airspace guaranteed to all," Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said in July.

"This will not change."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

Frances Foreign Minister Jean Marc-Ayrault will visit Turkey, Greece and Cyprus Oct. 24-25, RIA Novosti reported Oct. 21 citing French Foreign Ministry's spokesman Romain Nadal.

During his visit to Turkey, the foreign minister will particularly discuss the situation in Syria and Iraq, according to the report.

The minister will discuss the main issues of topical agenda in Europe and the world, in particular, Syria, Iraq, the fight against the IS and migrant problems, said Nadal during a briefing Oct. 21.

He added that Ayrault will also meet with the representatives of political parties and civil society.
The Taliban has surrounded yet another provincial capital in Afghanistan and recently launched an attempt to overrun it. The Taliban is now threatening six of Afghanistans 34 provincial capitals in Afghanistan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal, and its operations are not nearly confined to one region of the country.

On Oct. 16, the Taliban assaulted Maimana, Faryabs capital, from three directions, and attacked the citys airport and an Afghan Army base, but were rebuffed by Afghan forces, according to TOLONews. Taliban fighters withdrew to bases to Khaja Sahib Posh and Pashtun Kot districts after failing to achieve their objectives.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense said that the Taliban was attempting to free prisoners from Maimanas jail, and claimed that hundreds of fighters were killed or wounded during the attack, Khaama Press reported.

The Taliban used its sanctuary districts surrounding Maimana to launch this assault. The Taliban controls the district of Pashtun Kot and contests Khwaja Sabz Posh. These two districts encircle the provincial capital.

The Taliban contests at least seven of Faryabs 15 districts, and controls one more, according to a study by The Long War Journal.

The attack on Maimana took place one day after the Taliban ambushed the convoy of Afghan First Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the leader of the ethnic Uzbek and Turkmen-dominated National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Party. The Taliban claimed it killed 50 hirelings including 5 commanders and wounded more than 100 in the ambush. Afghans Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah claimed Dostum was wounded. His office later denied that Dostum was injured.

Dostums convoy was ambushed while he was traveling to Ghormach district, which was overrun by the Taliban on Oct. 11. Afghan forces claimed to have retaken control of Ghormach today.

The situation in Faryab has been deteriorating for well over a year. In Oct. 2015, the group seized control of Ghormach, Garziwan, and Pashtun Kot districts, and attempted to overrun Maimana. Over the summer, the Taliban seized more than 100 villages in little over a week in the districts of Almar, Qaysar, and Shirin Tagab districts, RFE/RL reported. The head of the Faryab Provincial Council said that the capital was under threat and outside district centers, most areas are under Taliban control.

The Taliban has put significant pressure on six of Afghanistan 34 provincial capitals. The Taliban is on the outskirts of two capitals in the north (Kunduz City and Pul-i-Khumri in Baghlan), two in the south (Tarin Kot in Uruzgan and Lashkar Gah in Helmand), and two more in the west (Farah City and Maimani in Faryab).

In order to threaten these capitals, the Taliban has focused its operations in the rural districts of Afghanistan. These districts are vital to the Talibans insurgency. The areas are used to recruit and train fighters, raise funds, resupply, and launch attacks into the population centers. This strategy was explained by Mullah Aminullah Yousuf, the Talibans shadow governor for Uruzgan, in April 2016. Despite the success the Taliban has had employing this strategy, General John Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan and the Resolute Support mission, has downplayed the Talibans control of rural areas.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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Culture / Events

The SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS has begun and we bring you a rundown of what you missed at last nights kickoff and WOW Anniversary party.

Oct 21, 2016 | By Robbie Wilson

The inaugural SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS kicked off at Raffles Marina Thursday night. Friends from the media and VIP guests were on hand to enjoy a sneak peek at what can be expected over the coming days. Band on the Run got the crowd going with a rocking performance, followed by speeches from Raffles Marina President, Francis Lee, the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, His Excellency I Gede Ngurah Swajaya and Executive Director of the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS, Gael Burlot.

This was followed by a spectacular lion dance performance in the main atrium of the marina clubhouse. Guests then headed out to the Jet Lounge for a spot of mingling, some groovy tunes from the DJs and champagne from Perrier-Jouet (who also had their own very lovely lounge next door on the lawn).

The evening didnt stop there. World of Watches (WOW), Singapores premier watch periodical, held its 15th anniversary party overlooking the yachts at the marina. Guests from the watch trade and business partners from the global editions of WOW partied the night away. As Olivier Burlot, CEO of Heart Media reminded the crowd at the party, WOW has grown from a local title to having a footprint across Asia, with eight editions now.

Being that this party celebrated the world of watches and WOW, there were also showcases of what fine watchmaking is all about.

Swiss manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre showcased their Atelier Reverso collection. For those of you that dont know, the Reverso is a properly iconic watch and Jaeger-LeCoultre was on hand to offer guests of the event the opportunity to customize their straps, dials and case back engravings.

Swiss watchmaking powerhouse Omega went a slightly different way with their display at the party. The firm showed off their unrivalled antimagnetic collection of watches and gave guests a demonstration of why they should care about the effects of magnetism on their watches. They demonstrated how household appliances magnetic fields have an effect on quartz and mechanical watches and how that differs from Omega Master Chronometers, which are built specifically to completely resist such fields.

One lucky guest also won Leopard Catamarans Lucky Draw. An incredible bare boat charter onboard the Leopard 40 sailing catamaran from Ao Po Grand Marina in Phuket, Thailand. The trip is worth $8,600 and the winner and seven friends will enjoy the beautiful Andaman Sea next year.

The SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS is open to the public from October 21 -23rd. An expected 5,000 visitors will be in attendance.
The Benefits of Renting a Luxury Villa for a Gold Coast Getaway

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Dutch Ambassador to China Sent Back to the Netherlands After Discovery of Alleged Affair

The ambassador of the Netherlands to China was suspended after having an affair with his staff. (Photo : Getty Images)

Ron Keller, the ambassador of the Netherlands to China and Mongolia was suspended from his post after news of his affair with a staff of the embassy in Beijing. Dutch tabloid De Telegraaf leaked the story.



Keller is single and was stationed to be the representative of the kingdom of the Netherlands to China and Mongolia. He was also the Dutch representative to Turkey, Russia and the Ukraine. His return to China is now unknown.



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According to the Dutch embassy's website, "Before this new post Ron Keller used to hold the position of Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey (2013-2015), Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2009-2013) and he used to be the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Ukraine (2005-2009)."



The Dutch tabloid also reported that the 58-year-old ambassador and the staff from the embassy had an affair that was "the talk of the embassy." They met in Keller's home and exchanged nude photos.



Foreign dignitaries and their constituents are warned against engaging in personal intimate affairs with Chinese personnel. Several accounts of a "honey trap," or luring of people to provide state secrets is a common occurrence.



A famous "honey trap" incident transpired when a British official was caught in a honey trap and lured into a hotel room where he was drugged and robbed of his Blackberry and half the contents of his briefcase.



The Dutch embassy described Keller and stated, "Mr. Keller has graduated from the University of Amsterdam with a degree in Economics. He enjoys various sports, is a music lover and is interested in history.



"With his team at the Embassy and the various Consulate Generals and Netherlands Business Support Offices, Ambassador Keller hopes to contribute to a further strengthening of the cooperation and friendship between the Netherlands and the People's Republic of China and Mongolia."


This handout image of the giant, active galaxy NGC 1275, obtained Aug. 21, 2008, was taken using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys in July and Aug. 2006. (Photo : Getty Images)

The most recent astronomical estimation that there might be ten times more galaxies than what was previously thought has triggered curiosity among world scientists. The technology is being pushed forward to craft even more powerful telescopes which do not miss out on hidden galaxies.



China has decided to up-its-game, push technology to its limit and set up the proper framework required to build such a powerful generation of telescopes. The evidence for a huge swath of galaxies previously invisible has compelled space exploration to move on to the next level and take a step into the vast unexplored territory out there.



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The next generation of telescopes would have high aspirations. Zheng Chai from the University of California told Xinhua that there's a strong need for space-telescopes and massive ground-based facilities to accommodate the next generation telescopes.



President Xi Jinping highly emphasized the need for astronomical advancements in order to propel scientific innovation and progress. China is on its way to become a strong player in this field, remarked Cai.



Given the infiniteness of the universe we dwell in, it becomes very difficult to observe distant galaxies, especially those that were born since the dawn of this universe. Since the '90s NASA, with help of its Hubble Space Telescope, conducted a research to study early galaxies.



By manual counting, astronomers estimated that there were about 200 billion galaxies in the universe. Recently, however, this has turned out to be a huge underestimate. A team of astronomers led by Christopher Conselice at Britain's University of Nottingham has rendered the 1990's research speechless.



After re-analyzing observational data with more precise and elaborate mathematical models, the scientists assessed mass distributions of galaxies at variable distances. Through this they came to the inference that a large number of small galaxies too far from earth go undetected by current telescopes.



These missing and relatively smaller galaxies may seem merged within colossal galaxies easily visible via telescopes. The astronomers have inferred that the number of galaxies in the universe may be ten-folds more than what was previously claimed. As if the previous number wasn't big enough.



According to China Daily, the country has embarked upon two telescope projects that may be effective in observing extremely distant galaxies. These comprise of a space-station optical telescope and a ground-based optical telescope. The projects are large-scale astronomical projects China has ambitiously taken into its hand.



The telescope's sensitivity will be at par with that of the Hubble Deep Field telescope, but instead will have the ability to observe a larger patch of sky and fully analyze it. The space-station telescope will be a sub-project under the recent Tiangong-2 project whereas the ground-project is expected to start off in 2019.






President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan greet dignitaries before boarding an Air China plane at Manchester airport at the end of their state visit to Britain on Oct. 23, 2015, in England. (Photo : Getty Images)

In order for another high leap towards achieving more market, world's second-largest aviation industry: the Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines laid the foundation of their southern branch in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, on Sunday.



All three State-owned airlines are now competing against each other in three main cities, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou out of their original bases.



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Earlier, Air China, based in Beijing, marched into South China's market with the help of Shenzhen Airlines.



China Eastern and Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines both set up branches in Beijing, and Air China and China Southern both have branches in Shanghai.



According to the Global Times, the moves suggest that the companies are becoming more money oriented rather than quality-oriented. The head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China revealed that he hopes that the three airlines would stay in their respective bases and build their hubs in their territories.



However, winning more flight slots seems to be the priority. China Aviation Daily reported that China Southern announced in June that its Airbus A380 jumbo brought in profit to the company after so many years because it's more suitable for bigger flights such as those starting in Beijing, but it was also observed that there's a lot of competition in wining those flights.



21st Century Herald provided the information that China Southern has a more prominent market share in Guangdong than China Eastern which enjoys a share of 11 percent. On the other hand, China Eastern now treats six cities in Guangdong Province by holding 120 flights daily including flights to three cities overseas.



It also plans to open 60 more airlines by 2020 which would cater to international flights as well, from Guangzhou to Australia and America. In the coming times they may break through the second-largest label to the world largest.






Some of the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, are covered with protective plastic as they were being restored. (Photo : Getty Images)

A BBC report about the Terracotta Warriors of northern China was contradicted by a Chinese archaeologist who said that her statement was taken out of context and her remarks about Western influence on the 8,000 life-sized figures were overstated.



On Oct. 12, BBC released a report which said that some archaeologists believed that the Terracotta Warriors discovered at the Tomb of the First Emperor in today's Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, may have found its inspiration from Ancient Greece.



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The BBC article quoted Li Xiuzhen, senior archaeologist from the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum, as saying, "We now think the Terracotta Army, the acrobats and the bronze sculptures found on site were inspired by ancient Greek sculptures and art."



But Li told the Xinhua News Agency that she was quoted out of context in the article and the BBC reporters have ignored much of the information she told them.



"I think the terracotta warriors may be inspired by Western culture, but were uniquely made by the Chinese. BBC overstated my remarks about Western inspiration and ignored main points I made during the interview," Li told Xinhua.



According to the Chinese archaeologist, many factors contributed to the creation of the Terracotta Warrior that includes local nature and cultural environment, soil, the craftsmen and the traditional funeral culture.



Li also objected to the article in which her quotes were put before the statement made by Professor Lukas Nickel of the University of Vienna. She said Nickel's opinion is contrary to her own, but the reported made it appear as though they share a similar idea.



In the article, Prof. Nickel said, "I imagine that a Greek sculptor may have been at the site to train the locals."



"I am an archaeologist, and I value evidence. I've found no Greek names on the backs of Terracotta Warriors, which supports my idea that there was no Greek artisan training the local sculptors," Li clarified.


Demand for US Mints Silver Eagles has Returned with a Vengeance

As gold and silver step back slightly to sit and wait for US economic data to be released later today we bring you news of the US Mint Silver Eagle demand that has Returned with a Vengeance as reported by silverseek.com.

Last month it seemed some of the heat had come out of the US Mint Silver market when sales had failed to maintain the momentum seen in the first five months of the year when between 5.9m and 4 million coins had been sold each month.

But things have dramatically picked up. Sales of US Mint Silver Eagles in the month of October have reached 2,925,000, 75% higher than those seen in September when just 1,675,000 were sold, reports silverseek.com. Buyers have already bought more than the previous record month of June when they snapped up some 2,837,000. Given Octobers buying patterns commentators now expect sales to touch 4,000,000 in total should the pace continue.

Silver Eagle sales this year lift the tally higher than all but five of the years in the last thirty.

Last year sales reached 47 million coins, and have reached over 35.35 million coins this year. At present the buying pace is not keeping up with the record year that was 2015, but it isnt far off. Were 80% through the year and sales are 71% of last years total.

The sales figures for October-to-date are not that surprising when you consider the 1 million coins that were shifted in 24 hours by the US Mint earlier this month as the price fell to $17.65/oz. source

One reason for the drop off over the summer may have been the silver price. Last July, the sub $15/oz price of silver saw investors snapping up coins from authorised dealers, this year summer saw highs of over $20/oz prompting some buyers to draw a profit.

silverseeker.com also draws our attention to Gold Eagles which are also set to outperform Septembers sales numbers of 94,000 compared to 84,000 this month to-date. If buying remains at pace, sales could reach 130,000 coins making this month the highest of 2016 beating the January record of 124,000.

Unlike Silver Eagles, Gold Eagles buying rate has outpaced that seen in 2014 and 2015. In the months from January to September, 692,000 ounces were sold, an increase from 670,000 in 2015 and 379,000 in 2014.

All of this is clearly positive news given Thomson Reuters (and the FTs trumpet fare) reported that net sales volumes to retail investors in the US of gold and silver coins and bars fell 40 to 50 per cent in the third quarter.

Coining the landscape

Silver and gold coin sales have been an interesting indicator of economic and political sentiment, over the years but none more so since the financial crisis in 2008.

Between 1987- 2000, fifteen SilverEagles were sold for every 1oz Gold Eagle. This nearly doubled between 2001 and 2007 when the ratio climbed to 29:1. But post financial crisis in 2008 things really exploded. In the first six years (2008- 2014) the ratio averaged 49:1.

In March this year the ratio hit a huge 141.59 times more Silver Eagles sold than gold, this has gradually fallen and in August this year the ratio fell to just 25.61 Silver Eagles to every one Gold Eagle sold.

Given that global production of silver has recently only been about 8.5 times more than gold, you can see where we are going in terms of shortages.

As Goldcore reported, in 2015 the US Mint, Royal Canadian Mint and Perth Mint each set new records for silver coin sales. This has seemingly continued this year against a backdrop of increased political uncertainty as earlier this year the Royal Mint reported a surge in demand for coins following the Bank of Englands decision to cut base rates to 0.25% in August.

Future for silver

Longer term, we expect silver to return to and surpass the nominal silver bullion high of $50/oz seen in 1980 and very nearly again in April 2011.

The fundamentals for the silver price remain strong, as they do for gold which many expect to see bottom out at $1,250/oz.

Countries continue to import silver for industrial and technological purposes and whilst mining companies are bringing up more silver than ever before their capital is low, which implies future shortages in both the gold and silver supply chains.

At present the US dollars strength is driven by the weakness of other currencies, this will remain the case as any other factors (namely a rate hike) are unlikely take effect prior to the US election.

This will no doubt impact gold and silver which look out over a horizon that includes Brexit, a tricky French election, Italian referendum (both of which may rock the Euro) and a struggling banking sector including RBS and Deutsche Bank which are both down this year.

So whilst the market is distracted by a seemingly strong dollar, its important to remember that the situation that is keeping it strong will remain after an election which will no doubt take its toll on it. This will only be good for gold and silver, and in the meantime why not take advantage of cheaper silver coins.

Read Silverseeks piece here.

Gold Prices (LBMA AM)

21 Oct: USD 1,263.95, GBP 1,033.79 & EUR 1,160.69 per ounce

20 Oct: USD 1,269.20, GBP 1,034.65 & EUR 1,156.75 per ounce

19 Oct: USD 1,269.75, GBP 1,031.29 & EUR 1,154.97 per ounce

18 Oct: USD 1,261.65, GBP 1,031.15 & EUR 1,145.33 per ounce

17 Oct: USD 1,252.70, GBP 1,029.59 & EUR 1,139.58 per ounce

14 Oct: USD 1,256.15, GBP 1,028.79 & EUR 1,140.08 per ounce

13 Oct: USD 1,258.00, GBP 1,029.93 & EUR 1,141.76 per ounce

Silver Prices (LBMA)

21 Oct: USD 17.51, GBP 14.34 & EUR 16.08 per ounce

20 Oct: USD 17.60, GBP 14.35 & EUR 16.03 per ounce

19 Oct: USD 17.69, GBP 14.38 & EUR 16.11 per ounce

18 Oct: USD 17.65, GBP 14.37 & EUR 16.03 per ounce

17 Oct: USD 17.40, GBP 14.30 & EUR 15.83 per ounce

14 Oct: USD 17.47, GBP 14.28 & EUR 15.86 per ounce

13 Oct: USD 17.59, GBP 14.40 & EUR 15.95 per ounce

This update can be found on the GoldCore blog here.

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HCA announced Friday that the head of one of its Florida hospitals will take over as chief executive officer of LewisGale Regional Health System on Nov. 14.

Brian Baumgardner will oversee LewisGale Medical Center in Salem and its community hospitals in Montgomery, Alleghany and Pulaski counties. He has served as president and CEO of HCAs West Florida Hospital in Pensacola.

LewisGale is recognized as an excellent hospital with an excellent staff. This is an honor and a privilege, Baumgardner said in a telephone interview.

He said his leadership style promotes open communication in which he and employees get to know each other.

Im very approachable. People will see me in the hallways. The executive team will be on the floors talking to the staff. I will be visible, available and approachable, he said. People call me Brian. Mr. Baumgardner is a retired gentleman in northern Georgia.

Most of his career has been with hospitals in Florida. He joined HCA in 1993.

A news release announcing his appointment notes that his accomplishments in Pensacola include the hospital being named a 100 Top Hospital by Truven Health Analytics in 2015 and being rated as a top performer in six key quality measures for four years by the Joint Commission, an accrediting agency.

Baumgardner has already met with board members, senior leadership and several physicians and was impressed with their passion to provide care. He also found the area stunningly beautiful and a good fit for his outdoor lifestyle.

Baumgardner received his bachelor of science, masters of business administration and masters of health science from the University of Florida.

Bob Archer, chairman of LewisGales board of trustees, said Baumgardners experience and expertise is a perfect fit for our health system. Equally important, it is evident that Brian places a significant emphasis on creating a culture of open, transparent communication, as well as teamwork.

Baumgardner and his wife, Marie, plan to move to the area during the next month. He replaces Jon Bartlett, who announced in June he planned to return to his home in Colorado.

In addition to four hospitals, LewisGale Regional Health System includes two regional cancer centers and six outpatient centers. It has 3,300 employees and a $245.6 million payroll. The for-profit health system, owned by HCA, reports it paid $31 million in taxes and provided $43.1 million in uncompensated care last year.
A Roanoke judge set bail at $250,000 for a military contractor accused of supplying defective armored vehicles to the military during the Iraq War.

Federal prosecutors objected to setting conditions of release for William Robert Whyte, who has pleaded not guilty.

Whyte, 71, was arrested last month in Canada, where he lives, and taken under an extradition order to Roanoke. He was the owner and CEO of Armet Armored Vehicles Inc., which had a Danville office, and has been jailed on 12 criminal fraud counts, court records say.

At his trial, scheduled for Dec. 1 in U.S. District Court in Danville, federal prosecutors say they intend to show Whyte and the company shipped vehicles in 2006, 2007 and 2008 to the Joint Contracting Command in Baghdad that he knew did not meet contract specifications to withstand armor-piercing bullets and land mines. The government seeks repayment of $2 million given to the company, consisting of about $1.2 million paid for six vehicles and an advance of $825,000 paid to help Armet manage cash-flow problems, court papers said.

Its not clear from court papers where the vehicles were made. Armet also had operations in Florida and Canada.

A resident of Ontario, Whyte has lined up temporary housing in Roanoke County until the completion of his trial and strongly wants to be released, lawyers and a witness for Whyte told U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Ballou.

A federal prosecutor urge Ballou to hold Whyte.

Hes not here voluntarily, said assistant U.S. attorney Heather Carlton, who noted that Whyte fought his extradition. He has the ability to flee.

Justice officials believe the Canadian government might not be willing to extradite him a second time because of extensive work involved in the recent extradition, which took from mid-2013 until September, she said.

Armets Danville office has closed, according to testimony. Whyte has no family or other ties to Virginia. He lives with his wife and children north of Toronto in a multimillion-dollar home, said John Schoeneweis, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Attorney Tom Bondurant, who represented Whyte, described his client as upstanding with prior military and law enforcement experience. He succeeded in business before the federal investigation, Bondurant added. He will share a rented Roanoke County home wwith a friend and former Toronto police officer who is being paid to assist with Whytes legal defense, Bondurant said.

Ballou authorized Whytes release if he furnishes a $250,000 bond secured by a like amount of cash or $250,000 in real estate and stays at the local home full-time except for medical appointments, meetings with lawyers and church. He would have to wear an electronic device with GPS tracking. Whyte doesnt have any valid passports, the judge was told. As of Friday afternoon, he was still in custody.

Defense lawyers asked the trial judge to dismiss all criminal charges. The request says that a jury examined the same vehicle transactions during a 2015 trial of a false claims lawsuit brought by a former Armet employee, and ruled for Whyte and the company. The action was a whistleblower case filed on behalf of the government.

The government does not get two bites of the apple, according to the request, which has not been scheduled for a hearing.

Carlton indicated she disagrees. She described the presentation of evidence at the 2015 trial as limited, involving only the former employees testimony and parts of depositions of Whyte and a defense expert. Twenty-five witnesses will present the governments case at the criminal trial, she said.
STUART  An Ararat man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in an incident in which he allegedly led Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith on a high-speed chase  while the suspects wife and twin 13-year-old sons were in the car he was driving.

Sammy Wayne Smith, 44, pleaded guilty in Patrick County Circuit Court to two counts of felony child endangerment and one count each of felony eluding law enforcement, misdemeanor reckless driving and misdemeanor drive on suspended license-second offense.

Judge G. Carter Greer ordered a presentence report and set sentencing for Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.

The commonwealths evidence alleges the following:

On March 29, 2016, at about 2:10 p.m., Dan Smith, while discharging his duties as sheriff in Patrick County, observed a white Toyota Celica traveling on Ararat Highway in excess of the speed limit. Upon activating his radar (which was checked before and after and found to be true and accurate), the sheriff found the driver (later identified as Sammy Smith) allegedly driving the car more than 81 mph.

The sheriff activated his blue lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop and Sammy Smith allegedly sped off. The sheriff pursued Sammy Smith on public highways in excess of 90 mph on 55 mph zone roads. At times, Sammy Smith allegedly would cross into the oncoming traffic lane while maneuvering through curves.

After a pursuit of several minutes, the sheriff was able to bring Sammy Smiths car to a stop. Sammy Smith allegedly would not exit his vehicle at the sheriffs request, so the sheriff had to break the glass of the drivers door and assist Sammy Smith out of the car.

Sammy Smith allegedly was found to be operating the vehicle without liability insurance, without valid registration and while his license was suspended indefinitely. Sammy Smith had a previous conviction for driving while suspended on April 1, 2011, in Patrick County General District Court.

Also in Patrick County Circuit Court on Thursday, John Edgar McAdams failed to appear on charges of felony strangulation, misdemeanor domestic assault and battery, and misdemeanor destroying property less than $1,000. Judge Greer issued a capias for McAdams arrest for fail to appear and revoked bond on the three charges.

Two criminal complaints allege the following:

Sharon Hill, of Stuart, stated that on March 28, 2016, her then-live-in boyfriend, John McAdams, became upset with her and allegedly beat and choked her. While she was being choked, it was difficult to breathe, she said. She also said that while he allegedly was choking her, he allegedly pushed her up against a door, causing a pane of glass valued at $10 to break.

On March 29 Deputy Linda Martin spoke with Hill about the alleged March 28 incident and observed obvious hand/finger marks on Hills throat and upper chest area, her arms and her chest area.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin and can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com.
After Its Appearance on TV Soap 'Ode to Joy,' Australian Cereal Weet-Bix Goes to China Under New Name Nutri-Brex

Australian cereal Weet-Bix rebrands to Nutri-Brex in China. (Photo : Getty Images)

Following the sales growth of Weet-Bix in China after it was featured on a popular Chinese soap opera Ode to Joy, the Australian company Sanitarium has announced that it will increase its cereal exports to China under a new name Nutri-Brex.



The almost century-old cereal has been a common breakfast for generations of Australians and New Zealanders, and the growing trend in China to switch to Western-style breakfast has stirred Sanitarium to bring Weet-Bix there.



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The rebranding to Nutri-Brex, which is also the same name Sanitarium used for its exports to Britain, was essential to differentiate the Australian brand from Weet-a-Bix, a Chinese brand by the company Bright Foods.



The export of Weet-Bix in China started eight years ago, but the sales significantly ascended after it was seen on an episode of Ode to Joy in May of this year. Sanitarium said that its exports to China has increased from one to six containers a month.



Some Chinese consumers even paid $50 per box at some stores and an even higher $55 from online shops. But with the export supplies, Sanitarium said that the price will be more reasonable at around $8 to $12, and the cereal will be available at 1500 retail stores.



Although the name is different, everything else in Nutri-Brex is the same as that in Weet-Bix. According to Todd Saunders, general manager of Sanitarium, they are both made in the same factories with the same ingredients and the same 90-year-old recipe the company has been using.



Taiwanese-Chinese TV star Alyssa Chia was chosen by Sanitarium as its product ambassador. Considering her 17 million social media followers, Sanitarium sees Chia to be a great help in pushing the sales even further in China.



On another news, this expansion in China has brought up an old issue of whether Weet-Bix was started in Australia or in New Zealand.


COLLINSVILLEA Henry County judge found enough probable cause Thursday to send the murder case against Adrian Purcell to trial.

Purcell is accused of robbing and killing 20-year-old Damian Antony Ferrell of Fieldale on March 8. General District Court Judge Marcus Brinks sent all of the charges against Purcell forward, including first-degree murder, robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession/transportation of a firearm by a convicted violent felon.

During Thursdays hearing, Purcells lawyer, Harold Slate II, asked the judge to reject any testimony from two of the commonwealths witnesses. He argued they had credibility issues and that there were discrepancies with their testimony.

Judge Brinks denied the motion.

Slate was referring to commonwealths witnesses Kaitlynn Dowling, Damian Ferrells girlfriend, and Laura Ferrell, Damians mother. Dowling, Damian Ferrell, Laura Ferrell, her boyfriend, and Damians younger siblings lived in a home at 167 Chadmore Drive in Fieldale, according to Dowling. The robbery and murder occurred at that home.

Dowling testified she initially told law enforcement that she didnt know the four people who came to the home on Chadmore Drive on the date in question and didnt know why they were there. That was a lie, she admitted, adding she told deputies that because a rifle was stolen during the robbery, her boyfriend was killed, a gun had been pointed at Laura Ferrell, and Dowling feared the suspect(s) would return and kill everyone in the home.

Dowling testified when she went to the sheriffs office a short time later, she gave law enforcement a truthful statement, including that she knew three of the four men who came to the house: Kerry Marcel Scales Jr., Sean Demetrus Goddard and Malik Davon Galloway.

Slate pointed out that Dowling was asked to identify the fourth man in a photo lineup, and she identified someone with more than 90 percent certainty. However, that person was not Purcell, Slate pointed out.

When Slate asked her about that discrepancy, Dowling said the eye area of the person in the photo lineup was similar to Purcells eyes, and the eyes were what she focused on.

Dowling pointed to Purcell at least twice in court Thursday in identifying the man who shot her boyfriend and said she was 100 percent certain Purcell was that man. On the night of the murder, the shooter had a beard, she said. Purcell was clean-shaven in court Thursday.

Dowling also said she had not drunk alcohol or smoked drugs the night of the incident and that no drugs were in the home that night.However, a prosecutor previously stated that investigators found marijuana in the home.

Slate also contended there were discrepancies between parts of Dowlings and Laura Ferrells testimonies, with respect to how the man who shot Damian Ferrell was dressed and how the man who pointed a gun at Laura Ferrell was dressed. Dowling maintains it was the same man (Purcell) who both shot Damian Ferrell and pointed a gun at Laura Ferrell before he left.

On Thursday, Laura Ferrell identified Purcell as the man who pointed a gun at her. His eyes are the one thing I will never forget, she said.

In response to questions by Slate, Laura Ferrell said she was convicted of stealing about 12 years ago in the city of Martinsville.

Henry County Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Jessica Henson argued that the commonwealth met its burden and presented sufficient evidence for the judge to find probable cause. She said Dowling explained why she initially gave a false statement to law enforcement  she was scared for the lives of the people in the home. Henson also said that Dowling identified Purcell as the man who fatally shot her boyfriend and that Laura Ferrell identified Purcell as the man who pointed a gun at her.

Deputy Cameron Stone of the Henry County Sheriffs Office testified Thursday that he was the first officer to arrive after the shooting was reported to dispatch. After arriving at the home at 167 Chadmore Drive on March 8, he was led inside and to a back bedroom where a man later identified as Damian Ferrell was on the floor, with an apparent gunshot wound to his upper left shoulder and bleeding from his mouth. Stone said he did CPR on the man for between 45 seconds to two minutes until EMS personnel arrived and took over. The man was not responding to CPR, Stone said,

Stone said several people, perhaps friends and/or relatives, were at the home when he got there, and he took statements from everyone.

Dowling testified the robbery and murder occurred in the bedroom that she and Damian Ferrell shared. She testified that she, Damian and others were hanging out in that bedroom on the night in question. At one point, Malik Galloway texted Damian Ferrells phone saying he was coming over to buy weed (marijuana) from Damian, Dowling testified. About 11:30 p.m. or 12 a.m., a vehicle arrived at the home, and then Galloway, Scales, and Goddard (all of whom she and Damian knew) and a man she didnt know (who she now identifies as Purcell) came into the home and into or near their bedroom, she testified.

Dowling said a rifle, a clip for the gun and her wallet (which had personal identification and $5) were lying on the bed.

At a previous court hearing, Dowling testified multiple guns were on the bed.

At one point, Purcell pulled out a small gun, like a .22 that could fit in his palm, and fired a shot, then told Damian, Give me the money and drugs, and fired seven or eight more shots, Dowling testified. She said Damian tried to escape but was shot and fell.

Dowling testified that Galloway grabbed the rifle on the bed and Purcell grabbed the clip and her wallet before the four men fled.

Laura Ferrell testified that at one point, about midnight or a little after, she was awakened from sleep in another bedroom when she heard what sounded like a scuffle and popping noises. She opened the bedroom door and a man with a beard pointed a gun at her. When I opened the door I could hear him say, Where is it? I shut my door back and locked it, she testified.

That man, whom she identified Thursday as Purcell, was holding a smaller-size gun, she said.

She dialed 911.

Slate did not put on evidence during Thursdays hearing.

Judge Brinks said the autopsy showed Damian Ferrell suffered three gunshot wounds and the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

Galloway (of Collinsville), Scales (of Bassett) and Goddard (of Martinsville) all were charged in the robbery and murder, but in May a judge found insufficient evidence to move forward with the cases against Scales and Goddard. The judge did find probable cause to move forward with the charges against Galloway, who is charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, use of firearm to commit felony and possession/transportation of a firearm by a felon.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin and can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets have been distributed for the event. (Photo : Getty Images/Tom Pennington)

Hundreds of people stormed out on Amy Schumer during her comedy show at the Amalie Arena after she ranted insults against Donald Trump, which took place on Oct. 23, Sunday. This angered some people in the audience.



According to Tampa Bay Times, the comedian mocked Trump halfway the show and even called one of his supporters on stage to explain why he would vote for the Republican candidate. The man said he supported Trump because he distrusted Hillary Clinton.



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The situation got out of hand when the 35-year-old comedian called Trump "an orange sexual assaulting, fake college starting monster." Her comments were met with loud booing from her audience, with over 200 people walking out.



Schumer is known for her controversial topics, which include, sexual assault, gun control, and the ongoing presidential debate. The 35-year-old comedian's remarks on Trump were considered too intense, political, and biased while some of her fans linked her attitude to the fact that she was a supporter of Hillary Clinton.



After the show, many fans took to twitter to vent out their disappointment on the occurrence. Most of them even asked Schumer not to be very political and instead focus on entertaining her audience.



Schumer was seen actively participating in Clinton's campaign in Florida back in March. Pictures where she was interacting with fans at the Clinton campaign resurfaced the internet, raising more concern on her vocal opinion towards Trump.



The comedian's insights on sexual assault were reportedly connected to the fact that she was a victim of sexual assault. She, however responded to the attacks on her twitter account saying that she was grateful to the 8400 fans who did not walk out during the show.



While some of Schumer's fans thought that she went too far into politics during the show, she told Vanity Fair that her position as a comedian was to make people laugh and also tell the truth. She added that she was happy to continue in that tradition.



Meanwhile, Trump revealed through his twitter account that voter fraud has posed a lot of threat to the integrity of the United States. He insisted that there were many things in play that contribute to a possible case where the elections will be rigged.



President Barack Obama, responded to Trump's claims asking him to stop whining about a possible fraud in the elections and instead focus on winning the hearts of voters. Obama added that it was unprecedented for a presidential candidate to discredit a poll before it actually took place.



Here is a clip on Schumer's controversial statement on Trump:










Time to move on

Several weeks ago I offered some thoughts about I-73, whose gestation period would by now have produced about nine baby elephants. I essentially ended my letter by saying decide what to do and go do it. I understand that these things take time, but it appears to my feeble brain that yet another baby elephant will appear before we decide that. A writer from South Carolina, which has moved no I-73 dirt as far as I can tell and which is in competition with Virginia for best underfunding of highways, tells us to keep the faith on I-73. Fine.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, our local governments seem to do what governments do best - talk. When last I opined, the I-73 connector route or alternatively the US-58 connector route had not been nailed down and at least one property owner objected to a route near or on her familys land.

I think it is fair to say that most Americans are fed up with our bickering, non-productive Congress. I dont know how much bickering is going on about I-73, but it looks rather unproductive.

A decade ago, arguing about the route of I-73, delayed it, possibly removing it from consideration from the 2009 stimulus bill. Reviewing the history of that bill will inform you that it was supposed to be twice its size. Regardless of which clown is elected next month, a major highway bill is likely in the next 18 months. It would be ironic if our quibbling once again removed us from consideration for highway funds.

Sen. Bill Stanley says we need local commitment. He is right. Our major commitment is $100k a year to lobby our Congressional representatives to represent us. The only thing we appear to be accomplishing is warming our hands as we sit on them.

Vince Stone

Martinsville

Focus on the south

Regarding the need for Interstate 73 through Henry County, North Carolina is building I-73 around Greensboro and has stated where it will meet the Virginia state line. All we need to do is build I-73 around Ridgeway and connect it to the US-220 Bypass. We would then have interstate from the south end of Henry County to Bassett Forks. That wouldnt bring it to the Patriot Centre, but it ought to be enough to market the area as being on an interstate. It looks like our opportunities lie more to the south, anyway.

Gael Chaney

Henry County

Beware of the microphone

According to Donald Trump, the election is rigged and further, the media is out to get him. They want to see him lose his chance to be president.

Donald Trump cannot avoid microphones. The microphone causes him to say stupid things. It has been doing this to Donald for well over 10 years. It turned a 60-year-old man into a foul mouthed female predator, but he passed it off as locker room talk. Now a more mature Donald Trump continues to offend women, including Megan Kelly, Rosie ODonnell, beauty queen Alicia Machado and others. So, it is the microphone that causes him to blurt out no one respects women more than me. The list goes on and on and he backs it all up by frequently saying believe me.

So maybe it is the medias microphone that draws out his absurd statements. You said it, Donald. Beware of the microphone, it is rigged.

John Rehder

Ridgeway,
What could it hurt? The caller just didnt see anything wrong with the situation. In fact, she thought it was a great idea. Now what could it hurt is a question Ive long been familiar with, from my teenage years jumping off cliffs to when for some reason I decided to run with the bulls for my 30th birthday. It just might not be the best idea when talking about the economy.

The question involved a vote coming up for the Henry County Board of Supervisors. Next Tuesday, theyll make a decision either to support or reject a resolution asking the state General Assembly to create a Transportation Tax District for this area. The idea is to raise the local sales tax to help pay for road projects. Actually, who are we kidding? The idea is yet again to come up with a way to make Interstate 73 a reality.

Ive never seen such a push to support something that promises so little in return. Where is the data that proves the benefits of I-73 for this year? Its not in the eight-year-old economic impact study, which even supporters admit has never been updated. Its not in the lectures or discussions from state and federal politicians, who all use the same data, again from eight years ago. Dont tell me how big an impact this will have on Virginia. Tell me how this specifically helps Martinsville and Henry County. Roanoke would make out great, but how do we benefit? A couple of distribution centers? The report doesnt even promise that. It says we could compete for those, and maybe, if we offer enough incentives, we could make it happen. So if we increase the sales tax and then find some federal or state funding, then before we can actually see benefits, we have to spend yet more money (or give away years of tax revenue) in tax incentives to get on the playing field.

But heres my question. Do we really believe jobs arent coming here because we dont have a shiny new interstate? Theres a travel nursing position thats been sitting open for more than a month in Martinsville. It offers paid housing, travel reimbursement and insurance. Theres an opening for a Class B mechanic in Collinsville. Did lack of an interstate stop those from being filled? Theres an opening at the Center for Pediatric Therapies in Martinsville for a Speech Language Pathologist. I dont think thats staying open due to lack of a road. There are good paying jobs here. Im talking full-time $40,000 and above spots. Theyre sitting open right now. Why? Because people dont have the training or experience needed. If the jobs arent being filled now, what makes us think itll magically be easier once I-73 is here? What changes once the road is built?

If we want better paying jobs, then we have to get the training needed to fill those spots. A road or the lack thereof doesnt change that fact. We could recruit 10 or 15 distribution centers, but they wont come, unless theres a trained workforce or the prospect of one. Have we looked at what possible distribution centers would be interested in this area? Most of those have specific needs, so we have classes ready to train people, to take those positions? If not, are we in discussion about possibly adding those classes to New College Institute or Patrick Henry Community Colleges offerings?

Right now, sales tax in this area is at 5.3 percent. If the district was approved, the city and county could raise that to 6 percent, keeping the extra revenue and using it for transportation. Henry County staff members estimate it would bring in $2.8 million each year.

What exactly can be promised, if this went forward? No politician can promise it will lead to I-73 being built. Its also worth pointing out that if the district is set up, it would be a regional thing, with money pooled for projects. That means you cant even promise Henry County sales tax revenue would go for Henry County projects. If the regional group decides that money is better spent in Franklin County, then to Franklin it will go. If youre asking me to pay more for things, then help me understand what Im going to get for that extra investment.

Brian Carlton is the editor of the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at brian.carlton@martinsvillebulletin.com
The saying goes that there are lies, damned lies and statistics. To this list we must add diplomacy, which is lying raised to the level of an art form.

Diplomacy is part of war and is the political equivalent of war. The purpose of diplomacy is to conceal the real war aims of a given state from its citizens and to lay the blame for war and all its attendant horrors and crimes on the other side.

We see this now expressed in a laboratory fashion in the current hue and cry over Aleppo. Day after day the public in the West is submitted to a constant barrage of horror stories about the deliberate bombing of hospitals and aid convoys, heart-breaking images of injured children and dead bodies of civilians being dug out of the rubble.

It is only natural that such images arouse profound feelings of horror and disgust among any people with normal human feelings. But these feelings can easily be manipulated by those who are experts in the business of shaping public opinion according to certain interests. It is the duty of Marxists to cut across the fog of propaganda, to expose its cynical nature and to lay bare the real interests that lie behind it.

Boris bluff and bluster

In an emergency House of Commons debate, Boris Johnson, the official court jester of the Conservative Party, said that he would like to see protests outside the Russian Embassy against the bombing of civilian targets in Aleppo. It is worth asking why he has never called for protests outside the Saudi Arabian embassy against the bombing of civilian targets including schools and hospitals in Yemen.

In his tirade against Russia, the British Foreign Secretary warned that it risked becoming a "pariah" state. He assured the House that the UK government was "taking the lead" over Syria. It seems odd then that he did not explain why such a leading player had not been invited to the talks on Syria in Lausanne, Switzerland that were due to take place the following weekend.

It is even more puzzling that the Russian "pariah" state was not only invited to Lausanne, but played a rather important role in the proceedings. This little detail tells us far more than a dozen speeches by Boris Johnson. Despite the absurd pretensions of its government, Britain is no longer capable of playing a leading role in world politics, and after Brexit it is even less relevant in the eyes of Washington.

The appointment of a circus clown as Foreign Secretary was the final cherry on the cake of Britains declining prestige in the world. Having failed to invite either Britain or the EU to the conference table where all the important decisions were taken, the Americans at least had the delicacy to come to London to tell the British and other Europeans what they had decided in their absence.

Standing as close to the American Secretary of State as decency would allow, Boris Johnson resembled a respectful butler waiting for orders to serve his master his afternoon tea. All the time Kerry was speaking, the British Foreign Minister stood nodding his head in total agreement, pretending not to notice that every word that Kerry uttered was like a kick directed at a most sensitive part of his anatomy.

Rejecting the demands for military intervention in Syria, Kerry remarked acidly: I havent seen a big appetite in Europe for people to go to war. I dont see the Parliaments of European countries ready to declare war; I dont see a lot of countries deciding that thats the better solution here.

In a barely disguised rebuff to the man standing beside him, he added: Its easy to say wheres the action, but what is the action? I have a lot of people who have a lot of trouble defining that. And he concluded we are pursuing diplomacy because those are the tools that we have.

The expression on Boriss face was a painful struggle between obsequious respectfulness and an inane grin. He looked like a poodle dog wagging its tail in the presence of his master, and that is the precise nature of the so-called special relationship between Britain and America.

Who is responsible?

It is by no means our intention to justify Vladimir Putin who stands for the interests of the Russian capitalist oligarchy, not those of the Russian people, the working class or the people of Syria. Like their counterparts in the West, the Russian leaders deal in international politics from the standpoint of their own selfish interests.

Nevertheless, we must point out it was not the Russians who plunged the Middle East into bloody chaos. The present catastrophe is the direct result of a brutal act of aggression organised by an American president and a British prime minister who repeatedly fed the public with a pack of lies. If we are talking about atrocious acts, mass murder, the deliberate bombing of hospitals and schools, the torture of prisoners and the killing of little children, the first people that should be brought before an international court of justice would be George W Bush and Tony Blair.

The mass media and the governments that manipulate them have taken all the necessary steps to draw a thick curtain over these crimes and concentrate on the far more interesting subject of the brutality of the man in the Kremlin. The shrill propaganda against Russia has provided the perfect excuse to bury the damming Chilcot enquiry and divert attention away from the criminal actions of Britain and the United States that caused this mess in the first place.

Just as a criminal wears gloves before committing a robbery or murder, those who organise the most piratical acts of aggression present themselves as the champions of peace, humanitarianism and democracy. An excellent example of this is the hue and cry over Aleppo. The Americans and Russians agreed a ceasefire that was supposed to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid to a number of besieged cities in Syria, including Aleppo. But this ceasefire broke down within a few days. The West immediately blamed Russia and its Syrian allies. What are the facts?

The first condition of the agreement was that that the Americans would put pressure on the so-called moderate Syrian opposition to distance itself from the Jihadists. But this was impossible, since the only effective fighting forces against the Assad government are Jihadist outfits like Al Nusra (which recently changed its name to Jabhat Fatah Al Sham). The moderate opposition is militarily insignificant and entirely dependent on the Jihadis without whom they would collapse immediately.

It is no secret that Jabhat Fatah Al Sham is linked to Al Qaeda and has exactly the same reactionary ideology and methods as ISIS. In fact, it was set up by ISIS at the beginning of the war to secure a stake in the American backed flow of men and money into Syria.The lines of division between ISIS and Nusra are extremely vague. In ideological terms, nobody can say where Jabhat Fatah Al Sham ends and ISIS begins. Moreover, the distinction between the so-called moderate opposition and the Islamic extremists is a fiction.

Al Nusra is backed by Turkey and the Gulf States (especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar) which supply it with weapons and unlimited funding. Moreover, the sophisticated arms that the US has supplied to the tiny US supported groups are merely a thin cover for support for the Jihadis. They operate as tiny groups within the umbrella of huge Jihadi organisations who could crush them any time they choose. Very often the loss of US support by these groups has just meant that they have reintegrated into the Jihadi organisations.

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, explained the breakdown of the ceasefire as follows:

The first obligation envisaged by this deal was to separate the terrorists from the moderate opposition with whom the US coalition works. This provision has yet to be fulfilled despite the fact that back in February 2016 they said they could do it in two weeks or so. The obligation to unblock Castello Road to provide safe humanitarian access to Eastern Aleppo was set forth in great detail in the Russia-US agreement, including specific distances for withdrawing government troops and opposition forces. Again, the US said that it was unable to honour this obligation because the opposition was not listening to them. And there are many other examples like this. (My emphasis, AW) It seems that it is for the very reason that the US was unable to fulfil its commitments regarding the withdrawal of forces along Castello Road that they decided to withdraw from these agreements or suspend them, if not slam the door on them. They chose to present the situation differently. In fact, there was a specific reason behind this failure: they undertook an obligation to make the opposition retreat by fifteen hundred metres. The government troops were withdrawing, but the opposition tried to take over the vacated territory immediately. However, instead of admitting the specific cause that resulted in the failure of the agreements, the US opted for an abstract explanation. They argued that Russia was unwilling to put an end to hostilities that inflict suffering on civilians. We are used to this kind of rhetoric, so we keep working at it.

Lavrov's aversion also appears to coincide closely with observable events. Western television showed scenes of an alleged offensive of rebel forces (during the ceasefire) that apparently succeeded in occupying an area that had been under the control of the Syrian army. In fact the Syrian army was withdrawing from this area under the terms of the ceasefire. The rebels who had no intention of observing the ceasefire, took advantage of the situation to seize territory which shortly after was retaken by the Syrian army. Of such stuff are myths and propaganda legends made.

Of course, Lavrov and Putin have their own axe to grind, and there is no obligation to accept this version of events. But several things are clear. Firstly, everybody knows that the rebels were determined from the very beginning to sabotage the ceasefire. They desperately wished to avoid a situation where the Americans and Russians could combine to launch an effective campaign against the Jihadis.

Therefore the rebels made it clear from the beginning that they could not and would not observe the ceasefire. The moderates were unwilling and unable to break with the Jihadis, and the Americans were not prepared to break with the moderate allies. That is the real reason why the ceasefire collapsed. In reality it was dead before it was born.

The ceasefire received a mortal blow when the Americans bombed the Syrian army killing up to 100 soldiers who were fighting against ISIS around the besieged city of Deir Ezzour which is in dire need of relief. The attack on Syrian army units by warplanes of the US led coalition forces was a clear provocation that was evidently part of a plan to break the ceasefire.

The explanation put forward by the Americans that this was an error is simply absurd. The Americans and their allies possess the most sophisticated instruments of surveillance, and it simply beggars belief that they could confuse Syrian army units with the rebels. The Russians say that they have evidence that this attack was planned in advance, and we have no doubt that this was in fact the case.

Human shields in Aleppo and Mosul

The Russians made an offer to establish a corridor that would allow safe passage out of Aleppo, not only for civilians but also to fighters - even with arms. Channel 4 News, which is heavily biased in favour of the opposition, admitted that this same method has been carried out in many areas. If it has not been carried out in Aleppo it is simply because the rebels have not accepted this offer.

This means that a small group of Jihadi fanatics are holding the population of East Aleppo to ransom, using them in effect as human shields in the face of attacks by the regime and its Russian allies. They are attempting to use the resulting carnage as propaganda in order to whip up support for their cause. The fate of the civilians of Aleppo is of little or no consequence to them.

The United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura offered to personally accompany the 900 or so Al Nusra fighters out of Aleppo in order to remove Russia's excuse for bombing the city. The Russians immediately agreed, but the rebels did not. In fact, several corridors that were already established for civilians to travel to government controlled western Aleppo have been shut down by the rebels, and civilians trying to leave the area have been attacked.

The hypocrisy of the West stands glaringly exposed if we compare the attitude of the media in relation to Aleppo to its coverage of the recent offensive to retake the city of Mosul in the Iraq. One has the distinct impression that this offensive is intended as a means of compensating the West for the imminent loss of Aleppo.

According to the media reports, a coalition composed of the Iraqi army, Kurdish forces and Shiite militias is steadily advancing on that city, backed by airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition. It is said that the fall of Mosul is inevitable. However, these reports are undoubtedly excessively optimistic. The forces of ISIS have had many months to fortify their defences and the attackers will meet with ferocious resistance as they get closer to the city. The real battle for Mosul has not yet begun.

Mosul has one and a half million inhabitants, in contrast to the 200,000 or so in East Aleppo. In order to take it, the attacking forces will have to subject the city to an intense bombardment by air and land. Despite all the claims about smart bombs the fact is that all bombing is indiscriminate and leads inevitably to civilian casualties. The scale of the slaughter in Mosul will make the bloodshed in Aleppo pale into insignificance. Already the United Nations is warning of a humanitarian disaster on an unprecedented scale.

By what means do the coalition forces propose to avoid civilian casualties in Mosul? In the case of Aleppo, the Russians offered to provide an escape route for civilians and even rebel fighters. In Mosul the coalition is dropping leaflets advising the population to stay indoors and take shelter! Even a child can see that hiding in houses on which bombs are being dropped is hardly a recipe for saving lives.

As if to prepare world opinion for the coming carnage, the media is already saying things like: in such a densely populated city, civilian deaths are inevitable. No doubt the same media will shed tears over the loss of life in Mosul, but will describe it as collateral damage, a regrettable consequence of the cynical policy of the Jihadists who will use the civilian population as human shields. The fact that the jihadists in Aleppo are using precisely the same tactic is conveniently overlooked.

Sanctions on Syria

An internal 40-page UN assessment of the effect of sanctions on aid delivery, written by a key UN official entitled Humanitarian Impact of Syria-Related Unilateral Restrictive Measures, was leaked by the investigative publication The Intercept. It exposes the stinking hypocrisy of the US and EU, and the cynicism of their accusations against Syria and Russia for impeding the delivery of UN aid supplies to besieged cities in Syria.

The EU has imposed wide-ranging prohibitions on commercial and banking dealings with Syria, as well as control of the export of "dual use" items that might have some security application. US sanctions are even more extensive, imposing a blanket ban on exports to Syria or financial dealings with the country. This includes foreign produced goods of which the US content is more than 10 per cent of the value of the finished item.

There are supposedly means available for purely humanitarian goods to reach Syria, but that is a lie. The embargo was supposed to target President Bashar al-Assad and contribute to his removal from power. Instead it is making it more difficult for foodstuffs, fuel and healthcare to reach the mass of the people.

The leaked email shows that the main effect of US sanctions was to obstruct emergency assistance to civilians. Five years of bloody civil war and severe economic sanctions have plunged over 80 percent of Syrians into poverty, up from 28 percent in 2010. The sanctions have contributed to a 300 per cent rise in the price of wheat flour and a 650 per cent rise for rice, following a doubling of fuel prices in the last 18 months.

The report describes sanctions as a principal factor in degrading Syrias health care system. Syria was once largely self-sufficient in pharmaceuticals, but many plants were in the Aleppo area and have been destroyed or rendered unusable by the fighting. The email says that many medicine-producing factories that have survived the fighting have been forced to close because of sanctions-related restrictions on raw materials and foreign currency.

In 2013 the sanctions were eased but only in areas controlled by the opposition. In other words the control of humanitarian aid is being used as a weapon of war. At the same time, the CIA began directly shipping weapons to armed insurgents at a colossal cost of nearly $1 billion a year, pouring fuel on the flames of the conflict.

On October 11 Counterpunch.org published an article by Patrick Cockburn - an award-winning writer on The Independent who specialises in analysis of Iraq, Syria and wars in the Middle East  on the effects of the West's Economic Sanctions on Ordinary Syrians that says:

In effect, the US and EU sanctions are imposing an economic siege on Syria as a whole which may be killing more Syrians than die of illness and malnutrition in the sieges which EU and US leaders have described as war crimes. Over half the country's public hospitals have been damaged or destroyed. Syrian doctors in Damascus complained to The Independent about the difficulty in obtaining medicines and spare parts for medical equipment purchased before the war.

Living conditions have fallen disastrously with the electricity supply about three hours on three hours off even in the capital because maintenance and spare parts for the electricity system have both been hit by sanctions. Since power has become too expensive many Syrians live without electricity. The article concludes: As Syrians sit in the dark, US and EU sanctions are combining with war to destroy their country.

The role of the UN

The Syrian army, with the backing of Russia and Iran, is advancing remorselessly and the fall of Aleppo is only a matter of time. That would change the whole direction of the war to the advantage of Assad and his Russian allies. The Americans are desperate to halt this offensive. This, and this alone, is the reason for the propaganda barrage.

Lacking the physical means of intervening militarily to halt the offensive, Washington attempted to mobilise world public opinion. It decided to play the card of the United Nations. The United Nations never has -and never will - prevented war or played any progressive role whatsoever in world politics. It is merely a forum where the big powers can debate secondary questions, but which can never decide anything fundamental. In the last analysis, the great powers do whatever suits their interests. The smaller nations in fact count for nothing.

John Kerry gave voice to his anger and frustration by saying that the bombing of civilians in Aleppo could amount to a war crime. His words were faithfully echoed by Boris Johnson in the British parliament and by Matthew Rycroft, Londons UN ambassador and by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It was as though they were all reading from the same script. And indeed they were.

The UN Security Council voted on two rival resolutions on the fighting, one drafted by France calling for a halt to airstrikes and a second by Russia that proposed a ceasefire but, sad to say, made no mention of halting the bombings. Russia naturally vetoed the French-drafted resolution. The bombing continued as normal.

The council moved to the second vote on the Russian-drafted text, but it failed to gather enough votes to pass. The Russian ambassador called it a spectacle, which was a pretty fair description. He said, no one wins and we need to go back to diplomacy. But diplomacy deals in words, whereas in war it is not words but deeds that decide. While the diplomats wrangle about words, the Syrian-Russian-Iranian alliance continues to conquer territory on the ground. In the end that is all that matters.

Their war crimes, our mistakes

The great majority of the coverage in the Western media concerning Aleppo has concentrated on the plight of the civilians in the eastern part of that city that is occupied by the rebels. Little or nothing is said about the situation of the population in West Aleppo, which is daily subjected to indiscriminate shelling and mortar fire by the Jihadis in the East.

Civilian areas, schools and hospitals are routinely targeted by Islamists' mortar and rocket fire. Many children in government-controlled areas have been killed and mutilated. An elementary school, which lies around one kilometer away from the front line, was recently severely damaged by rockets coming from Islamist-held eastern Aleppo.

"Our school is constantly coming under fire from terrorists," a local resident told Russia Today. "Just yesterday, a shell landed in the schoolyard. Thank goodness our children were already in the classroom and no one got hurt."

Hassan, a 10-year-old boy born deaf and mute, has lost his leg in the shelling, but he was fortunate enough to survive. "The day before yesterday he was playing with other boys in al-Hamadaneyah area when the shell landed there," one of Hassan's relatives explained. "One of the boys was torn apart completely and my nephew had his foot blown off."

When a hospital run by the international medical humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Aleppo was bombed by Russian and Syrian warplanes killing 50 people, it was immediately denounced as a brutal war crime. However, on 3 October 2015, when a United States Air Force AC-130U gunship attacked the MSF Trauma Centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing 42 people and wounding a great many more, there was no such response.

The Pentagon announced that it was not a war crime because it resulted from unintentional human error and equipment failure. The US military said that the aircrew were "unaware" that they were firing on a hospital. Yet the US army has very sophisticated technology and is able to distinguish even the smallest targets with precision. Moreover, the Pentagon itself admitted that MSF had followed all proper procedures in notifying the US of the location of the hospital.

MSF has said consistently that it cannot be satisfied solely with a military investigation into the Kunduz attack. But its request for an independent and impartial investigation by the International Humanitarian Fact Finding Commission has gone unanswered.

Saudi atrocities in Yemen

The Saudi war on Yemen has imposed a state of siege on the whole country that is producing a humanitarian disaster. According to the UN, an estimated 10,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in 2015.

"The scale of suffering as a result of the ongoing conflict in Yemen is shocking. An estimated 21.2 million people, which constitutes nearly 80% of the total population, need humanitarian assistance. Almost half of those in need are children," said UNICEF Yemen Representative Meritxell Relano to CNN. Yet for the past 18 months, Western public opinion has remained poorly informed, if informed at all, for Saudi Arabia is our ally.

Hospitals and schools are routinely bombed by the Saudis. According to the Yemen Post, no fewer than 178 schools have been attacked. All major infrastructure has been targeted and destroyed or seriously damaged. The aim is clear: to destroy all the elements of civilised life and bomb the people of Yemen back to the Stone Age.

Yemen is the poorest country of the Arab world. It is also the country with the least amount of freshwater and consequently very dependent on food imports. The country imports 90% of its food. The Saudis have deliberately targeted food depots and ports. Its warplanes have destroyed the cabins of the giant cranes that were used to lift heavy containers from ships to storage in the ports, thus rendering the cranes unusable. This is only possible because the planes deliberately aimed at these targets. There is no question of any mistake. Yet it is admitted that British and American officers are participating together with the Saudi air force, to help them with their targeting.

UNICEF reports that 1.5 million children are currently malnourished in the country, 370,000 of them severely. Children that are no more than living skeletons are dying every day of starvation. There is absolutely no doubt that the Saudis are using starvation as a deliberate tactic to destroy the Yemen. If this is not a war crime, it is difficult to understand what a war crime consists of.

Very late in the day the media has begun to pay a little more attention to this criminal war. There has even been some timid criticism of British and American arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which are sustaining the war. But the lucrative arms sales continue unabated.

What is rarely mentioned is that British and American forces are actually involved in the war. US forces facilitate and support logistical operations, US ships patrol the sea around the country to maintain the embargo that condemns children to death by starvation. US planes participate in aerial refuelling missions so as to allow the Saudi bombers and jets to sustain their bombing campaign uninterruptedly without wasting time with landing and refuelling.

British and American troops also participate in the main operation rooms to select and coordinate targeting. Their success has been impressive. The aim of the Saudi pilots has improved so much that, in addition to a large number of schools, hospitals and food depots, they were able to successfully bomb a funeral, killing hundreds of people in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

After initially denying everything, the Saudis eventually admitted that this had in fact taken place. But it was not, of course, a war crime (only Russians are guilty of that) but merely a regrettable incident. The British and American government also expressed their regret  and continue to sell bombs, rockets and bullets to permit the Saudi monsters to slaughter the people of Yemen to their hearts content.

American warships have been helping maintain the criminal blockade by which the Saudis prevent food from reaching starving people. Shiploads of wheat and other foodstuffs are held up for long periods so that most of it is rotting and inedible when it finally reaches the warehouses. Last week the Houti rebels fired rockets at American ships which were aiding the siege. The latter have launched missiles against the rebels. Thus, the US has begun directly participating in the war against the people of Yemen.

We must do something!

People like Boris Johnson say we need to do something about Syria. The question is, as Mr. Kerry so eloquently expressed it: do what? One idea that is frequently repeated is to impose no fly zones as a means of defending the civilian populations against (Russian) bombing. It is presented as a humanitarian measure. In reality, it would be no such thing.

The safe zones under discussion would actually serve to protect the rebels from Russian and Syrian bombs and give opposition fighters places to congregate and resupply. One can think many things about Assad and Putin, but one thing that they are not is stupid. Why would they agree to a measure that was calculated to tie their hands behind their backs and allow their bitter enemies to regroup and rearm?

Furthermore, this apparently reasonable proposal raises very serious practical difficulties. Who has the aircraft and the military resources, the logistics and command and control systems to protect the proposed zones, that is, to protect them for an indefinite period of time? That is impossible without putting a large number of troops on the ground. Who will provide such a force? The Americans say to Europe: After you, gentlemen! To which the Europeans reply: No, my dear Sir, after you!

Militarily, Americas current policy is limited to the employment of Special Operations forces to train and support the Iraqi military, and Arab and Kurdish forces fighting against ISIS in Syria. About 300 US special ops troops are already on the ground in Syria helping train and giving advice to the Kurdish fighters in Syria. In Iraq about 5000 US Special Forces are embedded in the various Kurdish and Iraqi militias many of whom are openly hostile to the Americans. This reveals the weakness of US imperialism in this situation.

It is said that Obama is considering arming the Kurds. But the administration has been dithering on this issue for a long time. Although they are the most effective fighters against ISIS, they are looked upon with suspicion by Turkey. And since Turkey is a key US ally, Washington cannot go too far in offending Ankara. At best the Kurdish fighters will receive some small arms and ammunition, but not the kind of heavy equipment like anti-tank or anti-aircraft weapons that would make them a formidable fighting force. As always the rights of the Kurds and the cause of democracy in Turkey must therefore take second place before the interests of US imperialism.

Some misguided individuals on the Left have foolishly swallowed the propaganda of the imperialists with regard to Syria. They support the demand for a no fly zone without considering the implications. This demand is both utopian and reactionary. It is utopian because the imperialists are unable and unwilling to introduce it. It is reactionary because it implies that the interests of the Syrian people can be served by appealing to these same imperialists.

We have heard this song before. The same people demanded that something must be done in Libya. Something was done. The imperialists intervened to overthrow Gaddafi. What was the result? The people of Libya are suffering under an even more horrific reactionary regime than the one that existed previously.

Tony Blair argued that something had to be done to overthrow the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Something was done. The imperialists invaded and occupied Iraq. What was the result? The result was the catastrophe that has engulfed not just Iraq but the whole of the Middle East, ending in the human catastrophe that we now see. It is the duty of Marxists to fight first and foremost against their own capitalist class, their own imperialism.

Our first duty in Britain is to conduct a ruthless struggle against the Conservative government and its ally American imperialism. We must expose the cynical interests that lie behind the hypocritical propaganda, oppose foreign military adventures, and explain that the imperialists can never under any circumstances play a progressive role in the Middle East or any other part of the world. To do anything else is to play into the hands of the ruling class and imperialism, miseducate the working class and end up directly in the camp of reaction.

London, 21st October, 2016
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Delcie D. Bean is the CEO of Paragus Strategic IT in Hadley, which provides strategy, support, and management of IT (Information Technology) to small and medium-sized businesses between Hartford, Conn., and Brattleboro, Vermont.

(submitted photo)

HADLEY -- Paragus IT will celebrate Friday its employee stock ownership program along with the beer entrepreneur who helped inspire it.

In June, Paragus announced an employee stock ownership program (ESOP) valued at approximately $1.6 million. The plan distributes ownership of 40 percent of the company to its more than 40 employees.

In a news release Thursday, Paragus announced that the plan is officially a "go."

To celebrate, Paragus is bringing in the founder of Harpoon Brewery, which has one of the country's most high-profile employee stock ownership programs. Dan Kenary will sit down with Paragus founder and CEO Delcie Bean for a conversation about how the program works and what it means for businesses, clients and customers, according to a news release. They also plan to enjoy some of Harpoon's seasonal beers.

Bean said in a news release:

"Everyone here is very excited about the ESOP. For us, it's about fueling growth by giving everyone a direct stake and a personal investment in the future of the company. But lots of people on the outside still have questions. This is a fun way to team up with a great company with a similar vision and get everybody up to speed -- and have a couple of beers doing it."

In June, Bean said he expected the share of the company owned by employees to grow beyond 40 percent. Staff members begin to vest in the program after a year of service, then vest at 20 percent per year over five years. They are then fully vested in the program after six years. The program accounts for the service of employees who worked for Bean before the stock ownership plan got started.

Bean had been the sole owner of the company. He started his information technology support business in 1999 when he was a sophomore at Amherst Regional High School. Back then, if you wanted to hire him you had to promise to come pick him up.

He changed the company name to Paragus in 2011 in honor of Hadley's famous asparagus. Paragus provides business computer service, computer consulting and other services to companies around the region from Brattleboro, Vermont, to Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Bean's concern that the region needs an IT workforce led him to help create Tech Foundry, a computer training program in Springfield that works cooperatively with many local employers.
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Barry Bostwick, right, with Susan Sarandon in a scene from the 1975 movie "Rocky Horror Picture Show."

(20th Century Fox photo)

Looking back, actor Barry Bostwick says "41 years ago, we had no idea 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' would take on the life it has."

The actor, who played Brad Majors in "Rocky Horror," will lead a pair of screenings of the cult film classic at Worcester's Hanover Theatre on Friday, Oct. 28, and the College Street Music Hall in New Haven, Conn. on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Billed as "The 40th Anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Film Screening Party with Barry Bostwick," the event will feature a costume contest, a "question and answer" session with Bostwick, and perhaps most importantly, an emphasis on audience participation throughout the screening of the film.

In the years since "Rocky Horror," Bostwick found fame in "George Washington," its sequel "George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation," "Scruples," "War and Remembrance", and "Spin City."

As Bostwick, 71, noted in a recent interview, he's not even sure what he's going to do - or how audience members will respond.

"It's going to be a party. We're going to have fun. This is fresh territory for me. I've done a few conventions where I'll do a question and answer panel, and this is a bit different," said Bostwick. "I can really interact with folks and make fun of them for a half hour," he said.

For the uninitiated, Bostwick said that many of the night's elements, from costumes to participation from audience members versed at rehearsing the movie's script, are foundations of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" theatrical experience.

"When I did this thing last weekend, it was one of the first times I actually stood up in front of a crowd and did this. I was reviewed by the local paper as being "crassly funny" and I realized, hopefully I was crassly funny in a way that wasn't too offensive, but I shouldn't be expecting to be invited back," said Bostwick of a recent appearance.

"Every night is different. I have to look at the temperature of the room before knowing how far I can go and how rude I can be - hopefully nobody will throw their props at me before the movie actually starts," he said.

Joking aside, Bostwick said he's hoping to speak in front of the cult classic's most enthusiastic fans.

"I'm hoping that the audience will be filled with members of the church of 'Rocky Horror' and I can get them to yell "amen" many times. We'll see. I don't have a script for it," he said.

When asked about Rocky Horror Picture Show's legacy, Bostwick said it comes down to one thing: the film's ability to resonate with its fans.

"This kind of movie and this type of theater experience didn't exist before 'Rocky Horror.' It was invented by the fans, the fans have kept it alive, and all our love and attention goes out to those fans" he said.

"People found something to act out and identify with though this movie. They've found friends to identify with, and they have accepted who they are through the experience of this movie. It's something meaningful to me to be part of someone's growth and acceptance of themselves because of our little farce," Bostwick said.
One of the silver ingots discovered at Minjiang River in Sichuan Province and believed to be part of the treasure of rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong. (Photo : New China TV/YouTube)

One story passed on from generations to generations tells about ships--too many for ones fingers to count--set on fire during a battle as they sail a river heading to an unknown destination. As they burn, the river swallowed them up--together with the gold and silver items they carried.



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Another version--but still referring to the same ill-fated trip across the same river--narrates that as enemy ships chase and attack a group of fleeing rebels, their leader ordered his men to dump into the river the gold and other precious items stored in their ships.



Those who share this ancient tale would go into details by disclosing the setting of this lore: 17th-century China--the later part of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)--in a river called Min Jiang (Min River) in central Sichuan Province.



They likewise never fail to identify the central character of the story: Zhang Xianzhong, a name uttered in history classes and perhaps cursed upon by those who encountered him or read about him.



Now how about the gold and the silver sinking-dumping part?



This 21st century, that legend became a historical fact.



When Legends Become True



It seems to all start 11 years ago--sometime in 2005.



During an irrigation project at Minjiang River in the ancient town of Jiangkou in Pengshan District, Sichuan Province, one of the workers--a local farmer named Yang Fuhua--found a silver ingot, according to the Global Times.



News about the discovery spread like wildfire, and the quest have since ensued for what people believe to be Zhang Xianzhongs fabled treasure.



According to a Dec. 2010 report by the same news site, every day, some 300 people would look for it at the said river.



That same year, the government named the Pengshan section of the river--where Zhangs ships capsized--as Jiangkou Chenyin Historic Site.



In Dec. 2015, ten archaeologists confirmed the authenticity of the items found in Minjiang River in 2005 and 2011, reported China.org.



And, lo and behold, some of them serve as proofs that indeed, gold and silver items went down with Zhangs ship and convoy in that river more than 350 years ago.



Some of the silver ingots found have inscriptions revealing information pertaining to his army of bandits; moreover, a gold plate engraved with 29 Chinese characters indicates a decree of sorts by Zhang himself.



Weighing 730 grams and measuring 12 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide, the gold plate was classified as a Grade One relic.



Locals As Modern-day Bandits?



Liao Mingfang, the party secretary of Shuangjiang Village at the time of the interview, said to the Global Times that officials from Pengshan Cultural Relic Bureau would ask people to quit the search at the river to no avail.



Well, who would stop when something as valuable as a Ming Dynasty relic could be sold at a sum way higher than what a farmer could make from just toiling the land?



Liao said that a piece of jewelry would fetch as high as 50,000 yuan.



That amount, by the way, also happens to be the maximum fine the Chinese government can impose on anyone concealing or refusing to hand over cultural relics discovered, based from Article 74 of Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Protection of Cultural Relics.



In April 2015, under the Ministry of Public Security, 3,000 top police officers conducted investigations. On their own version of treasure hunt, they unearthed something bad: illegal relic traders operate in more than 10 cities and provinces, reported Caixin.



In 2014, Meishan police learned about unauthorized nighttime excavations at Minjiang River. From the said investigations, it was learned that this 2014 incident was part of the activities of the illegal traders.



Leader, Looter, MurdererA Glimpse of Zhang Xianzhong



A former soldier of the Ming army born from a poor family in Shaanxi Province, Zhang Xianzhong (1606-1647) formed and led his own group of bandits and revolted against the Ming government.



Zhang not only opposed the authorities of his time and raided territories--killing government troops and civilians while doing them--he also pillaged, which explains the treasures.



His genocidal armies, as described by William T. Rowe in his book, Crimson Rain: Seven Centuries of Violence in a Chinese County (2007), aided him in committing brutal acts.



Zhang and his men were a force to reckon with.



In War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900-1795 (2005), author Peter Lorge said that they shattered a formidable battalion composed of 10,000 men from the imperial army.



Rowe, a John Hopkins University Chinese history professor, said that in Sichuan, Zhang engaged in one of the most hair-raising genocides in imperial history.



Another professor of history, Yingcong Dai affirmed such atrocity in her book The Sichuan Frontier and Tibet: Imperial Strategy in the Early Qing (2010), where she wrote that while in Sichuan, Zhang massacred innumerable people.



Now that the truth behind the story regarding the lost treasures of Zhang was validated by their sporadic discoveries, local officials, the police force and archaeologists jointly ensure that such treasures will not be lost again, this time, to illegal trading.






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Speaking at the Center for Human Development's 12th annual "Through Her Eyes" conference Friday at the MassMutual Center, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey told those gathered any child in Massachusetts could be a meeting or a click away from human trafficking.

(Anne-Gerard Flynn photo)

SPRINGFIELD -- Speaking at the Center for Human Development's 12th annual "Through Her Eyes" conference Friday at the MassMutual Center, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey told those gathered any child in Massachusetts could be a meeting or a click away from human trafficking.

Human trafficking, she said, happens across the commonwealth, is not confined to certain households and is a crime that requires focus on demand.

"Every day in our office we fight against the prevailing myth that human trafficking doesn't happen in Massachusetts," Healey told the crowd of 400, many of whom work in the area of social services.

"Human trafficking for a lot of people is something that happens in another place, another land, involves people who speak a different language, come from a different country and it certainly doesn't involve young people. But, we know that is not the case. Trafficking is happening in Massachusetts and we know that human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world. It is happening here in Springfield, Boston and all across this state."

Healey added it happens in "rural, suburban and urban communities," and "to kids as young as 12 and 13 years old from all walks of life ... it is something that could happen to anyone's family.

"We know the tools that traffickers use to exploit and degrade human beings and we know how easy it is for them to fall prey to these traffickers," said Healey, adding this will be stopped in part by "ending demand."

"Our focus needs to be on those who go out and buy sex. Those who would exploit someone's daughter, son, sister or brother. That is what human trafficking is about," she said.

Healey said her office recently looked at what searches were done over a two-day period in downtown Boston -- home to many of the state's financial services firms, high tech companies and law firms, she noted -- and discovered that there were "20,000 attempts online to pay for sex in a 48-hour period."

The yearly CHD conference, which this year focused on sexual exploitation, is aimed at a variety of professionals, including social service providers, and community leaders who work with young women at risk. Healey praised the conference's focus on such women as pioneering over the years.

Brenda Myers-Powell delivered the morning's keynote address, "Combating Sexual Exploitation in Young Women."

Presenters of the day's 16 workshops addressed the "most current methods and practices for helping girls at home, in school and in society face challenges from trauma, neglect, aggression and addiction."

Brenda Myers-Powell delivered the morning's keynote address, "Combating Sexual Exploitation in Young Women." Myers-Powell, co-founder of an organization that works to prevent human trafficking, was molested from the time she was very young. She worked on the streets for decades until, at age 40, with help from social services, she embarked on a better life and helped found the Dreamcatcher Foundation.

Springfield resident Kerriann Van Allen, a 36-year-old CHD employee who was attending her first conference, said she would like to see more initiatives, like Myers-Powell's, to help victims of sexual abuse.

"In this day and age, there are so many people who don't help, so she was very impressive and it was very heartfelt," Van Allen said. She said that she liked how Myers-Powell addressed stereotypes and stigmas within abusive relationships and how all parties need help to stop the abuse.

Healey was introduced by Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni, who prior to Healey's talk echoed that human trafficking is "not a foreign problem."

"This is here in Western Massachusetts. ... It is problem that spans all places, all jurisdictions, including Western Massachusetts," said Gulluni whose office was a sponsor of the conference. He said his office is focused on educating the public on the issue, understanding why victims engage in prostitution and prosecuting the traffickers who "profit from girls and women selling their bodies."

Healey said her office has made addressing human trafficking a priority as well as the training and coordination of law enforcement and resources for victims. She defined it as "selling people for sex or labor. We see both in our office."

"These are crimes that know no geographic or demographic or economic divide. It happens to people from all walks of life," Healey said.

"It is the teenager who may run away to escape bullying or to escape sexual abuse or violence in her own home and then goes to the mall and is picked up by a trafficker or pimp who promises to take care of her but later forces her to sleep with multiple men each night. It is the woman who is struggling with addiction who is picked up outside the methadone clinic, exploited by a trafficker looking to take advantage of her vulnerabilities. It is the immigrant who may be far from home who has very few options for work or safe housing or food and who ends up in a life of sexual servitude in order to put food on her kids' table or send money back home."

Springfield resident Kerriann Van Allen, a 36-year-old CHD employee who was attending her first conference, said she would like to see more initiatives, like Myers-Powell, to help victims of sexual abuse.

Healey said the victims her office sees are "younger and younger."

She said studies show that three out of four women exploited in prostitution have also been raped and sexually assaulted.

"Nearly all experience physical violence and most all suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder at levels similar to those of combat veterans," Healey said.

In 2011, governor Deval Patrick signed "An Act Relative to the Commercial Exploitation of People" that went into effect in February 2012. In her talk, Healey noted this law for the first time "established state crimes for human trafficking that involve sexual servitude or forced labor. The law also enforces penalties for John crimes that address demand for commercial sex because, for far too long, sex purchases have been given a free pass despite the degradation and exploitation they inflict on their victims day in and day out."

Healey said through her division's work, some 20 individuals have been charged with human trafficking since the 2011 law was passed and that "any number of active investigations are ongoing right now." A Springfield area couple was charged with human trafficking and federal prostitution-related charges in December.

Healey said her office has made addressing human trafficking a priority as well as the training and coordination of law enforcement and resources for victims. In a reference to the buying of sex online, she added that her office has a zero tolerance for commercial sex and has urged other employers to do this as well.

"There is a need to take care of one's own house, one's own company and make sure the word goes out to a potential buyer out there that this is not a victimless crime, that at the other end, is someone's mother, or sister or son, a human being who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," Healey said.

She called human trafficking a "top priority" of her office, and, in a reference to CHD and other service providers, one that needs "everyone at the table."

"When I think about the victims of human trafficking, I think about the victims and survivors who are brave, who are courageous that I have had the privilege of meeting through the work of our office," Healey said.

Kimberley A. Lee, CHD's vice president of development, said having both Healey and Gulluni at the conference, "validates the importance of the conference and this year's topic."

"Human trafficking is a problem which requires the combined efforts of social services and criminal justice. Attorney General Maura Healey's presence here today highlights her commitment to working with providers as partners to address this and other community issues affecting girls and young women."

She called Myers-Powell and her talk an "inspiration to those who have not only been affected by the trauma of human trafficking, but also the many providers in attendance today who are responsible for helping them to heal."

The day also included a morning panel, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: Addressing The Needs of Victims: A Collaborative & Coordinated Response.
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State Auditor Suzanne Bump attends Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe's 37th annual clambake at the Springfield Elks Lodge 61 in Springfield in August.

(Dave Roback / The Republican file)

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Parole Board is failing to properly collect supervision fees from parolees, an audit by State Auditor Suzanne Bump found.



When fees are collected inconsistently, as was found by this audit, it creates confusion and ultimately is a disservice to those seeking to reenter society," Bump said in a statement.



The audit took a random sample of 70 parolees. It found that 44 of them did not pay a total of close to $10,000 in supervision fees. Some of them made partial payments, but 25 made no payments. There were no documents indicating that the parolees had faced any sanctions for failing to pay the fees.



In total, in Fiscal 2015, the Parole Board assessed just under $800,000 in supervision fees, but failed to collect nearly $200,000 of that.



Bump wrote that the Parole Board should take steps to collect fees and levy sanctions when the fees are not paid.



Parole Board officials told auditors that they were more worried about safety issues, and things like employment and counseling, than about nonpayment of fees.



"The primary goals of parole supervision are to ensure that the parolee becomes a law-abiding and productive member of society," the Parole Board wrote in response to the audit. "These goals are best met by pursuing education, employment, positive peer/family relationships, and addressing any criminogenic needs via counseling and/or self-help."

The board wrote that sometimes, parolees are exempt from fees because of financial hardship. In other cases, it is not always clear from the beginning that a parolee cannot pay his fee. It can also be difficult to collect fees during a short supervision period. Many parolees struggle to pay fees because of a lack of employment, debts, and other legal obligations such as restitution.

"In cases where parolees are otherwise compliant with the law and supervision, punishing parolees via incarceration for non-payment of fees would also run contrary to best parole practices and contrary to sound fiscal principles," the board wrote, noting that the supervision fee is $80 a month, and it costs $4,400 a month to incarcerate someone.

The general issue of fees for criminal justice defendants is one lawmakers are looking at more broadly. Although the state has an interest in collecting the money that it is owed, advocates for the poor worry that defendants are being penalized and even incarcerated solely because of their poverty. A state Senate committee is currently studying the issue of the fees and fines assessed against often poor criminal defendants, and what those fees mean for defendants' ability to rejoin society.



An audit released by Bump's office in January found that the court system also had not properly collected probation supervision fees.





Audit Report - Massachusetts Parole Board by Shira Schoenberg on Scribd
File Photo of a THAAD missile launch. (Photo : Getty Images)

As North Korea accelerated on its nuclear weapons development and rocker launch tests, the country also made clear that as a form of protection it is capable and willing to launch preemptive nuclear attacks against U.S. targets. And the United States' curt response to the threat - the planned deployment of THAAD interceptors in South Korea.



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THAAD, according to Business Insider, is a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery that the Pentagon will soon deploy in South Korea. "It is America's most advanced and highly mobile missile-defense system," the report said, adding that Seoul soon hosting the defense weapons is to counter-balance the rising threat from Pyongyang.



As the same report noted, North Korea just logged its eighth Musudan missile test this 2016 and both U.S. and South Korean officials are not taking the development. While majority of the test firings conducted so far have been largely deemed as failure, the Nokor threat is for real given that the nation has been acknowledged with clear nuclear capabilities.



The North Korean's perfecting its rocket or missile capabilities, which could happen soon, should be worrisome. As it stands now, the Musudan missile can hit targets in Guam and Japan and it's no secret that the North Korean military is aiming for mobile mode of delivery - the use of submarine.



Again, if significant progress will be achieved soon by Pyongyang on launching Musudan missiles using submarines then the continental United States will be within the firing range.



"A submarine launch poses an especially grave threat since it could catch the United States and allies by surprise," one analyst was reported by Business Insider as saying.



The U.S. government through Defense Secretary Ash Carter has condemned the threat voiced out by North Korean officials recently. "Any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response ... That's why we are adapting our force structure on the peninsula, most recently by agreeing as allies to deploy THAAD to defend against North Korean missile threats," Carter said.



The THAAD battery deployment, Business Insider said, will complement the existing Patriot defense system already in place in South Korea. The latter will form the country's upper tier defense while former will serve as wall for short-range missiles.



Carter said that South Korea equipped with THAAD will mean that the U.S. and its allies in the region will be steps ahead in the face of North Korea's nuclear threats.



Originally, the U.S. has planned for Seoul to be THAAD-ready by end of 2017 but defense strategist are looking to accelerate the deployment soonest, obviously in answer to North Korea's increasing nuclear capabilities, somehow making the country a more serious threat to America than Russia or China is.


In 1999, then-Maryland Governor Parris Glendening was under pressure from J.W. "Bill" Marriott Jr. for millions of dollars to keep the hotel giant Marriott International in the state.

Wrestling with how to respond, Glendening stepped into the Annapolis office of fellow Democrat Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., who offered some advice.

"He said, Listen, you dont want to be the governor who lost Marriott to Virginia, " Glendening recalled recently.

By Jonathan OConnell

Full Story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2016/10/21/the-trap-that-causes-states-to-give-millions-to-corporations-like-marriott/
SBA 504 Loans offered statewide! Real estate and equipment, acquisitions, renovation, and new construction. Low, fixed-rates up to 25 years with as little as 10% down.
In October 2021, Dale Carnegie Training will commemorate its 109th anniversary with this annual program: The Dale Carnegie Global Day of Giving.

The event will unite Dale Carnegie offices around the world as they deliver special training programs to local schools, non-profits and other charitable agencies that provide services to young people.

For more than a century, Dale Carnegie has supported global communities by transforming the lives and career potential of people through human relationship skill building. Dale Carnegies thriving franchise network, spanning 90 countries, is committed to helping its local communities prosper.



The Global Day of Giving will focus on providing leadership and life skills to youth and the agency staff workers who support young people. With over 100 Dale Carnegie offices worldwide participating  including centers in Mauritius, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, England, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Vietnam and many others  several thousand young people are expected to benefit from this event.

Over the years, Dale Carnegie Franchisees have dedicated immense time and resources to enriching their communities, continuing our founders legacy through deep and longstanding local relationships, says Joe Hart, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training. We are thrilled to mobilize our unsurpassed global network as a single unit in October.

In the local context Dale Carnegie Mauritius has reached out to its loyal partners who have selected and nominated some of the NGOs and foundations they collaborate with through their various CSR programmes and invited them to participate in the workshop.

The 2-3 hour Global Day of Giving workshop is personalized to suit the needs of each individual local agency, and will focus on one of three themes: Leadership Development, Stress Management, and/or Intentional Living. The goal is to provide underserved youth and agency staff workers with techniques that will improve their communication skills, strengthen their people skills, and enhance their success at work and in daily life.

For over 100 years, Dale Carnegie has been a part of the local landscape, helping leaders at every level achieve greater influence and be more effective. We believe the human relationship principles this company is built on need to be shared widely. This initiative is a great way to provide transformational skills development to people who might not otherwise have a chance to attend one of our courses, says Hart.

We want to be sure that our young people, especially our at-risk populations, have the skills they need to succeed in life. I cant think of a better way to celebrate our founding than by helping others make a change for the better.

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Les membres du gouvernement ont pris note du retrait de Maurice la liste grise du GAFI, de la presentation du Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Bill au Parlement.

1. Cabinet has taken note of the Public Statement issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) with regard to Mauritius after its Plenary that ended on 21 October 2021, wherein Mauritius significant progress in improving its AML/CFT regime has been highlighted. The FATF has indicated that Mauritius has strengthened the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and addressed related technical deficiencies to meet the commitments in its action plan regarding the strategic deficiencies identified in February 2020. Mauritius is therefore no longer subject to the FATFs increased monitoring process. Mauritius will continue to work with ESAAMLG to further improve its AML/CFT system.

Cabinet has also taken note of the congratulations extended to Mauritius by several fellow countries upon Mauritius successfully completing the FATF Action Plan ahead of the timelines despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and for the significant progress achieved within the short period of time and, in turn, expressed its special thanks in respect of the technical support lent by international agencies and friendly countries.

Cabinet has further taken note of the appreciation expressed by the Prime Minister, as Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on FATF Listing, to all officials, enforcement agencies/institutions, stakeholders and relevant actors of the financial services industry who have contributed to Mauritius success.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Bill. The main object of the Bill is to repeal the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act and to replace it by a new legislation to provide for:

(a) increased compliance with the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime through the provision of additional criminal offences related to cybercrime and cybersecurity, improved investigation techniques and increased international cooperation;

(b) the implementation of a Critical Information Infrastructure Protection policy;

(c) the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Committee; and

(d) international cooperation and mutual legal assistance in cybercrime matters.

3. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle to fast track the implementation of the National Flood Management Programme, which was announced in the Budget Speech 2021-2022 in order to mitigate flooding problems in various regions across the island and to build resilience to flash floods and cyclones. A new company in the name of Drains Infrastructure Construction Ltd, which shall be fully owned by Government, will be incorporated. The Drains Infrastructure Construction Ltd will initially be called upon to implement urgent major drain projects across the Island in highly vulnerable areas identified by the Land Drainage Authority. These projects comprise mainly cut-off drains on mountainous slopes, major swales and flood attenuation basins in order to evacuate floodwater and protect impacted localities. An estimated sum of Rs10.4 billion will be spent over the next three years to implement the projects.

4. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent Meeting of the High Level Committee on the Elimination of Gender Based Violence which was held under the chairpersonship of the Prime Minister to look into, inter alia, the progress made in the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan on the Elimination of Gender Based Violence in Mauritius (2020-2024) which was launched on 25 November 2020.

5. Cabinet has taken note of the latest developments regarding the OECD/G20 proposal for the adoption of a Global Minimum Tax for large multinational enterprise groups.

Cabinet has further taken note that a Tax Technical Working Group has been set up at the level of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development under the chair of the Solicitor General. The Technical Working Group has been tasked to carry out an assessment of the implications of the Global Minimum Tax for Mauritius and to make appropriate recommendations to Government.

6. Cabinet has taken note of the status of major infrastructural projects which are being implemented by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, including the New Cancer Hospital at Solferino, the New Flacq Teaching Hospital, the New Moka Eye Hospital, the Renal Transport Unit, Mediclinics and Area Health Centres.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Education (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2021 and the Private Secondary Education Authority (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2021. The purpose of the amendment is to allow a student who is born between 2000 and 2015 and who attains the age of 21 during the period starting 01 January and ending 31 May in a school year to remain at a secondary school up to the end of that school year. As a result, students whose school year have been extended by six months in view of the modified school calendar induced by COVID-19 and who would have attained the age of 21 years before the end of their last academic year would be able to remain in school up to the end of that year.

8. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius joining the Commonwealth Blue Charter Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Action Group. The Commonwealth Blue Charter was launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018 in London. It is an agreement by all 53 Commonwealth countries to actively cooperate for addressing ocean-related issues and meet commitments for suitable ocean development. The Action Group will collaborate with partners at national, regional and international levels, in addressing identified priority ocean issues specifically related to MPAs of its member countries. Its stated objectives are, inter alia, to:

(i) establish a network for exchange of experiences, expertise and information amongst Commonwealth countries; and

(ii) promote the need for establishment of new MPAs and expansion of existing MPAs.

9. Cabinet has taken note of the release of the Digital Quality of Life Index 2021 Report by the private Cybersecurity firm Surfshark, in which Mauritius is ranked second in Africa, and 74th globally, based on a first time assessment by Surfshark. For the 2021 report which was released in September this year, the research concerned 110 countries or 90 percent of the global population, including Mauritius and other African Countries. The research ranked countries based on five fundamental pillars that define the quality of digital life, namely internet affordability, internet quality, e-infrastructure, e-security, and e-government.

10. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 242.9 million cases have been reported globally, of which 220.1 million persons have been successfully treated.

With regard to Mauritius, as at 21 October 2021, there were 528 active cases of COVID-19, out of which 31 were admitted at New ENT Hospital. Over the period 14 October to 20 October 2021, 18 deaths were attributed to COVID-19.

Cabinet has also taken note that there were five active cases in Rodrigues and all were asymptomatic.

Cabinet has further taken note of progress in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. As at 22 October 2021, 899,632 persons had received a first dose of vaccine (representing 71.1 percent of the population). 841,458 persons had been fully vaccinated (representing 66.5 percent of the population). 14,707 persons had received a booster dose. 27,900 adolescents aged between 15 to 17 years had received a first dose of vaccine.

11. Cabinet has taken note of the postponement of the annual Civil Service Kermesse and the Public Service Excellence Award 2021 to next year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

12. Cabinet has taken note that the Mauritius Ports Authority, in collaboration with the International Bunker Industry Association and its local representative Celero Group would organise a conference and training on Bunkering on 18 and 19 November 2021 at Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Balaclava. The objective of the Bunkering Conference and training is to showcase Port Louis Harbour as a Bunkering Hub as well as an important maritime logistics and transport hub in the region. Around 100 participants, including foreigners, are expected to attend the Conference.

13. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism to France in the context of the 42nd Edition of the International French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa, which was held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

op Resa is a leading annual event for the international travel and tourism industry, providing a platform for over 35,000 tourism professionals, decision-makers and opinion leaders, as well as 1,700 exhibitors from around the world, to discuss tourism and travel-related topics, analyse trends, accelerate business networking and formulate strategies for the next season.

During the Top Resa event, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism had a series of meetings with key stakeholders to obtain direct feedback from the travel trade and to explore strategies for sustainable tourism growth in the COVID-19 pandemic context.

14. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the 15th Session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15), that was recently held virtually and of the intervention of the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade during the Plenary of the Conference. The UNCTAD Conference is held every four years and is the highest decision-making body of the organisation. During the Conference, member states assess current trade and development issues, and formulate global policy responses. The UNCTAD 15 Conference dealt extensively with the COVID-19 pandemic and deliberated on the capacity of developing countries and least developed countries to respond and recover from it. During his intervention, the Minister, inter alia, emphasised on the systemic deficiencies highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the multilateral system whether be it in trade and development, international finance, investment, cooperation or technology transfer. He also underscored key actions taken by Government to sustain the economy by providing several types of fiscal support, including a wage assistance scheme to preserve jobs.

15. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation in Dubai where he attended the Global Business Forum on Africa 2021. The Global Business Forum on Africa 2021 which had as theme Transformation through Trade aimed at analysing synergies that exist between the United Arab Emirates and Africa, and how this relationship between the two regions could drive progress to realise a shared vision for the future. In the sidelines of the forum, the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation discussed issues of collaboration with Ministers from various African countries.

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Kodak Ektra has a large rear 21MP camera (Photo : YouTube / Btekt)

Kodak Ektra is serious when it comes to smartphone photography as the device is mostly a camera than a phone itself thanks to its advanced camera features.



The new Kodak Ektra camera smartphone has just recently launched in the United Kingdom for $550 which is more expensive than usual. They are trying to garner the attention of users who want to capture moments and share them quickly online.



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Kodak Ektra Specs



First and foremost, the smartphone's camera is not at all that special compared to the other devices in the market although it has a higher MP than usual. Kodak Ektra has a 21MP rear camera with an aperture of f2.0, New Atlas has learned.



It has all the usual bells and whistles for a smartphone camera such as optical image stabilization (OIS), HDR, phase detection autofocus and even 4K video recording capability.



For the front snapper, the Kodak Ektra has 13MP which is above average compared to other smartphones in the market. However, it does not really defeat the outrageous 41MP camera found on the Nokia Lumia 1020.



Photographers would also find the SLR dial mode on the phone familiar. There are several modes available for capturing photos such as Bokeh, Panorama, Video, Night, Sport, Macro and HDR.



Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke said in a statement:"Kodak has a rich history in imaging technology and the launch of the KODAK Smartphone today demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bringing the latest advances in photography to consumers."



Unfortunately, Kodak did not make the phone themselves considering that they are not a smartphone company in the first place. The Kodak Ektra was made by the Bullitt Group based in the United Kingdom.



Bullitt was also the company that developed and made the CAT smartphone for heavy duty use out in the field, TechCrunch reported. Their expertise in making specialized smartphones suits them well to be the ones building the new device from Kodak.



Kodak Ektra is also powered by a MediaTk MT6797 Helio X20 Deca-core processor for the chip. The camera is powered by a Sony sensor and it supports the ARCSOFT night shot technology for low-light situations.






On Thursday 2nd September 2021, Emirates Flight, EK 701 from Dubai and Air Mauritius Flight, MK 015 from Paris will land at SSRIA with a total of 331 passengers.

On Friday 3rd September 2021, Turkish Airlines, TK 176 from Turkey, Kenya Airways, KQ 270 from Nairobi and Air Mauritius Flight, MK 852 from Johannesburg will land at SSRIA with a total of 138 passengers.

After completion of all formalities, these passengers will be conveyed directly to Hotels/Resorts/Quarantines.

The public is hereby reminded that access to SSRIA is prohibited and consequently the relatives of passengers concerned are advised to refrain from calling thereat.

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The six inmates broke out of a prison in Ismailiya; one has since been shot and another arrested

A civilian was killed and a police major was shot in the head during a prison break on Thursday night in Ismailiya governorate, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

According to an informed source in Ismailiya security directorate, six inmates managed to escape from El-Mostakbal central prison when one of the inmates claimed to be ill and the others took the weapon of the prison guard who came to his aid.

The source added that there was an exchange of fire inside the prison between the armed inmates who received help from outside and security forces, leading to the death of a nearby resident who was caught in the crossfire and the injury of five policemen, including a police major who was shot in the head.

One of the six inmates who absconded was arrested on Friday and another was shot and killed by police in Ismailiya.

The injured police major was transferred in critical condition to Maadi military hospital by helicopter. Three low-ranking policemen and a prison guard were injured as well.

The civilian who was killed was named as Ahmed Abdel-Razek, 35.

The six escapees include four convicted earlier this year of kidnapping a Saudi businessman in April, according to Al-Ahram.

The Ismailiya prosecution is currently investigating the incident.

El-Mostakbal central prison is a temporary detention for prisoners who are being tried, or retried, in nearby courts; after sentencing they are transferred to prisons across the country.

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The recent terrorist attack at Beir Al-Abd, 80km from Arish, which resulted in the deaths of 12 Egyptian soldiers and officers, brought to mind similar attacks against security checkpoints in Karm Kawadis, Al-Safa and elsewhere.

It had been thought the killing of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis leader Abu Doaa El-Ansari and other members of the terrorist group in April had delivered a debilitating and long-term setback to extremists' attacks in North Sinai.

In an official communique Egyptian army spokesman General Mohamed Samir reported that 12 heroes of the armed forces died and six were wounded in an attack by an armed group of terrorist elements on Friday morning against a security checkpoint in North Sinai, using four-wheel drives.

Samir added that in the exchange of gunfire that occurred between the soldiers and the attackers 15 terrorists were killed.

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, which began calling itself the Islamic State's Sinai Province following its declaration of allegiance to the IS militant group in November 2014, claimed responsibility for the Beir Al-Abd incident. The Egyptian army retaliated by targeting terrorist hideouts identified on the basis of intelligence reports.

At dawn on Saturday 15 October, several air force units undertook a reconnaissance of the target areas and, after ascertaining the coordinates carried out intensive air strikes that lasted three hours, said an official statement issued by the Armed Forces General Command last weekend.

The Revenge for the Blood of the Martyrs, as the statement named the operation, resulted in the destruction of areas where terrorist elements were concentrated, as well as the destruction of collection points for arms and ammunition and of seven four-wheel drive vehicles.

The statement added the armed forces were currently targeting a number of takfiri elements who carried out criminal operations and the elements that aided and abetted them.

The interior ministry also issued a statement reporting it had thwarted two attempts to smuggle large quantities of weapons and ammunition into North Sinai from a farm located on the border of Sharqiya and Ismailiya governorates and from a weapons cache in the governorate of Beni Suef, south of Cairo.

According to the statement, police arrested a group of terrorist elements after confiscating hundreds of rifles and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Location of the Beir Al-Abd attack

Mohamed Diban, son of a tribal sheikh from Beir Al-Abd, says the terrorist attack occurred 40km outside the town, in the direction of Nakhl and Jaal meaning towards central Sinai.

The area has generally been regarded as safe and stable, which is why no one had imagined that it would experience an attack of this sort, Diban said. On the demographics of the area and the possibility of terrorist connections, Diban said.

The area is not populous. There is no agricultural or farming activity. It is sparsely inhabited by Bedouins and, for the most part, the local Bedouins have the reputation of being calm and peaceful. Some are employed by local cement factories and quarries and there is probably some trafficking in drugs and illicit arms. The social environment is not one noted for religious extremism. Even where extremism exists, it cannot be compared to Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, Diban said.

Such information makes the location of the attack even more striking. This is the first time the Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has launched a major operation outside Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Arish. It suggests the organisation retains support bases, structures and the ability to mobilise.

A new front

The site of the attack indicates the group retains some capabilities despite the attrition it has sustained since the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood. Security expert Khaled Okasha believes the attack reveals the old triangle of drugs, arms and terrorism entering a new dynamic.

Okasha argues that these are keys that Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis uses  smuggling arms and drugs for profit, involving local inhabitants and then redirecting the criminality it thus establishes for its own purposes.

The shift in the location of operations the attack represents has created a new front for counter-terrorist operations and demands a wider deployment of security forces.

One of the hallmarks of success in the fight up to now was that it had succeeded in keeping the organisation surrounded and restricted to Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Arish. The shift to a new area means redeployment and a heavier security burden. Even when some elements managed to enter the Nile valley area  there was always the possibility of infiltration  they were very small cells that were easily neutralised, says Okasha.

New place, old techniques

The technique used in the Beir Al-Abd attack was the same as in the Karm Kawadis attack and in other attacks against stationary checkpoints that resulted in large numbers of casualties,  says Ahmed Kamel, a security studies researcher at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.

This means the group carrying out the operation had undertaken surveillance and intelligence gathering in advance," Kamal believes.

"They surveyed the terrain and conducted reconnaissance in the immediate vicinity. This entails two types of monitoring, one performed by specialised teams from within the group and the other performed by people from outside the group. These outsiders may be recruited locally but there is also the possibility of security infiltration. A month before the latest terrorist incident two police conscripts from the Arish first precinct police station were arrested on suspicion of leaking information to terrorists in exchange for money," says Kamal.

Kamel also believes Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis conducted its reconnaissance activities at a time when the security agencies own intelligence gathering on the group was at a low.

Even if they had information indicating movements or that something was happening they were not able to deliver a pre-emptive strike. The security services will need to reassess their sources. Either they need to recruit new sources, which is difficult given Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has killed a number of Sinai residents whom it thought were informers, or they can try to plant moles inside the organisation, which is even more difficult, Kamal added.

Is the organisation restructuring itself?

Expert sources who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly say Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has been seriously undermined.

What we are now facing, says one Sinai-based military source, is an organisation desperate to show it still exists and is capable of mounting attacks.

The military delivered a critical blow in the first week of August this year, eliminating the organisationss leader Abu Doaa El-Ansari and destroying its communications systems, machinery and the like. However, in Sinai, reorganising and rearming are relatively easy regardless of the security agencies efforts to halt arms smuggling operations.

Regional context

For several months it had been thought that Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis was moribund, as appears to be the case with the mother organisation in Iraq and Syria, especially given the operation to liberate Mosul which began this week and ongoing anti-IS operations in Syria. But experts now fear a new crisis as IS members scatter across the region.

The visit to Cairo this week by the head of the Syrian National Security Bureau Ali Mamlouk should be seen in this context, says Okasha.

There is the spectre of a renewed [jihadist] returnees crisis and, in light of the coming confrontation to eliminate such organisations from Syria altogether, it is feared the crisis will explode in neighbouring countries. The purpose of Mamlouks visit was security coordination and intelligence exchange."

"Cairo has also made its position clear with respect to its national security strategy and its relationship with Syria. It is coordinating with Iraq and Jordan, both of which are alert to possible developments following the collapse of IS in the course of the ongoing military campaign against it.



*This story was first published at Al-Ahram Weekly.



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Six others were injured when a public bus collided with a microbus

Eight people were killed and seven others were injured on Friday when a public bus collided with a microbus in Nasr City, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

A security source told MENA news agency that the public bus driver was arrested by security forces following the accident.

A source at the health ministry told Al-Ahram Arabic website that nine ambulances were dispatched to the site and the injured were transferred to the Medical Insurance Hospital in Nasr City.

The source added that two of the injured were in critical condition.

The bodies of the dead were transferred to Zeinhom morgue in Cairo.

Horrifying photos of the accident have been circulating widely on social media.

Deadly traffic accidents take place on a daily basis in Egypt, largely due to poor road safety, badly maintained infrastructure, and loosely enforced traffic regulations.

In 2015, a total 14,548 road accidents were recorded by Egypt's official statistics agency.

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Authorities said Thursday they arrested a Marion man and charged him with making threatening remarks to his ex-wife while leaving court.

Lt. Andy Manis of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office charged Joseph William Fortune, 46, of 125 Joes Drive in Marion, with felony violation of a domestic violence protection order.

On Friday, Sept. 2, the date the incident occurred, Fortunes ex-wife, Crystal, had an active domestic violence protection order against him.

While coming out of the old House Theater where District Court was being held that day, Joseph yelled threatening statements to Crystal, which were overheard by other deputies and court officials, according to a report.

Fortune received no bond at the time of the arrest, but has since been released from jail.
The McDowell News wants you to help us honor our veterans.

A special section of the newspaper dedicated to honoring veterans is now in the works and it will be published on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The McDowell News is asking readers to contribute photos of veterans who have served or who are now serving our country and some brief information.

They have until Friday, Oct. 28 to submit them and there is no cost to do so.

Advertising Assistant Susan Gossett said this special full-color edition will feature photographs of veterans whether they are alive or dead. You are also asked to include the full name of the veteran, the persons branch of military and the persons years of service from beginning to end.

The veteran to be included can be retired from the service or now actively serving in the military.

The newspaper is hoping this special section will allow readers to remember or honor their loved one who have worn the uniform in the past and also pay tribute to those who are now serving our country.

Although the newspaper will naturally focus on veterans from McDowell County, you can honor someone who lived or is living somewhere else. They can also be from any war or armed conflict in American history.

To submit a photo and the information, you can drop by The McDowell News office, located at 136 Logan St. You can also visit the link www.mcdowellnews.com/contest to submit photos and information. You can also email them to sgossett@mcdowellnews.com.

About Veterans Day:

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on Nov. 11, that honors military veterans, that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.  Source: Wikipedia.
According to Russia's transport minister, Egypt is planning to implement all of the recommended security measures by the end of 2016

Egyptian authorities have implemented most airport security measures demanded by Russia with the remaining ones to be put in place in coming weeks, an aide to the Egyptian interior minister, Hisham Bastawi, said on Friday.

A biometric system of employee access to airports, which monitors the time of arrival and departure of staff, is among the measures to be implemented, according to Bastawi.

"Russian experts during their last visit asked the Egyptian authorities for a number of additional measures, which have been implemented for the most part."

"Several remaining simple measures will be taken in the coming weeks," Bastawi told Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper in an interview.

On Thursday, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said that Egyptian authorities were planning to complete the measures to ensure security at the airports by the end of 2016.

Russia grounded flights to and from Egypt after an Airbus A321 plane en route to St. Petersburg crashed soon after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh on 31 October 2015.

All 224 people aboard died as a result of the crash that was classified by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) as a terrorist attack.

The return of Russian flights to Egypt would mean the country could once again receive large numbers of Russian tourists to boost its ailing tourism industry, which is a major source of much needed foreign currency for Cairo.

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Russia summoned the Belgian ambassador on Friday in a spat over Moscow's claim that Belgian jets killed six civilians near Syria's Aleppo, the foreign ministry said.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed to AFP that Belgian ambassador Alex Van Meeuwen had gone to the ministry earlier Friday in response to a summons.

The Russian defence ministry on Wednesday said that six people were killed and four injured by airstrikes in the Aleppo region while two Belgian F-16 planes were present in the region.

Belgium has denied the claim and demanded that Russia formally withdraw it. On Wednesday, it summoned the Russian ambassador to Brussels to protest.

Belgium said that a map with a flight path on it provided by Moscow showed the aircraft identification numbers did not belong to the Belgian Air Force.

However Russian defence minister spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Thursday that Moscow was confident of its information.

"Russia has effective air defence capabilities, allowing it to carry out 24-hour monitoring of air activity practically over the whole territory of Syria and beyond its limits," he said.

Belgium announced in May that it would extend its F-16 air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq into Syria after deadly IS-claimed bomb attacks in Brussels in March.

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Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned an Islamic State assault in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk and says four Iranians were killed in that attack.

The official IRNA news agency quoted ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi as saying that another three Iranians were wounded in the assault.

IS launched a wave of coordinated attacks in an around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early on Friday that appeared to be aimed at diverting security forces from a massive offensive underway around the IS-held city of Mosul.

The police chief in a town north of Kirkuk says IS militants attacked a power plant there, killing 11 workers, including two Iranians, before blowing themselves up. It was not immediately clear if Iranians were targeted in other attacks.

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Two years after Univisions KDTV first announced plans to move from its San Francisco headquarters, the station has finally relocated to San Jose.

KDTV had been based in the 41st floor of a skyscraper in San Franciscos Financial District since 1998. It was previously housed further south in the city, in an industrial park on Palou Ave.

The move was prompted by the high cost of doing business in San Francisco and an opportunity to be closer to where most of the markets Hispanic population lives.

KDTV broadcast its first newscast from the new location on Monday, October 17.

Radio stations: KSOL (98.9/99.1), KBRG (100.3 Mas Variedad), and KVVF (Hot 105.7/100.7) also relocated to San Jose.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place in January of 2017.
by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, October 21, 2016

A favourite game of mine is to ask people which is the first draconian law from Brussels they are hoping to soon see the back of when Brexit becomes a reality. To a person, nobody can put their finger on a terrible law imposed from Brussels, and it's the same with GDPR. Sure, there are rumblings that it's yet another hurdle marketing has to leap over, but I have yet to find a compelling argument against it.

In fact, quite to the contrary, when it comes to email marketing there is every reason to adopt the stricter opt-in principles of GDPR. These have come up in conversations with industry insiders, such as a recent discussion at the Festival of Marketing in London, as well as an excellent column recently published in Computer Business Review.

To put it very bluntly, the counter argument to anyone grumbling about GDPR is very simple. Why wouldn't you want to embed a culture of opt-in within your lists? Why would you want to carry on working in a grey area when you can instead strive for greater clarity? The really crucial part is that anybody who truly understands email marketing sees the bigger picture, compared to those who fret about the short term implications.

Yes, email lists will contract. When you repermission a list to make sure consent is up to date, not everyone will sign up again. At the same time, multiple tick boxes for opt-in options may mean that more potential customers than in the past will elect to not receive any communication or perhaps more likely, clearly define fewer areas of your business they are interested in. So the number of people you can potentially reach by hitting "send" will absolutely go down.

The first point here is that vanity metrics will never get you anywhere. Just ask a national newspaper that can claim tens of millions unique users per month yet is still in the red. Smaller lists are not necessarily a bad thing because percentage wise, metrics can only improve. If you have a smaller, yet engaged, audience it stands to reason that the deliverability rates will go up because your emails are not being ignored, ending up in spam or being deleted -- they still will be, of course, but to a lesser extent. If anything, then, GDPR isn't really about giving marketers something, but rather taking away something awful that creeps in for brands just as much as consumers -- apathy.

Emailing only those people who want to hear from you and find you still relevant can only mean your emails will appear to ISPs to be more desirable and far less "spammy."

So there's no getting over it -- GDPR is going to take a lot of work, but it will be worth it. At the recent Festival of Marketing, for example, the UK lifeboat charity the RNLI stated that going fully opt-in was likely to cost it 500,000 in donations, as people elected to drop-off lists. However, it also gave the charity a wake-up call. Those who were choosing to remain were generally older. The charity had been served notice that it needed to strategise a better way to connect with younger people, a lesson it is working on now. It could have kept sending out the same messages and been ignored by younger demographics and appeared spammy, without ever realising, or it could have gone fully opt-in and have a lack of youth engagement made blatantly clear.

Personally, I think the charity chose the right option, don't you?
Will the recapture of Iraqs second city mean the end of the Islamic State group?

The campaign to liberate Mosul, the Islamic State militant group's last major stronghold in Iraq, began at dawn on 17 October.

The go-ahead signal followed extensive coordination between the central government in Baghdad and a host of parties including local tribal forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga, Shia militias and the Iraqi army.

Ground forces will be supported by the 5,000 American troops in Iraq. There is also the question of what role Turkish forces will play along the border.

Recapturing Mosul, the last urban stronghold of IS in Iraq, is of huge symbolic and practical significance. It is the city in which IS declared its caliphate following the militant groups 2014 blitzkrieg.

From Mosul it expanded its territorial towards Anbar and Fallujah.

Ihsan Al-Shamri, advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, told Al-Ahram Weekly the loss of Mosul effectively ends the IS presence in Iraq.

Iraqi and international analysts say the balance of forces on the ground definitively favours the coalition fighting IS. IS has an estimated 5,000-7000 fighters in Mosul who are now surrounded by an estimated 70,000 troops.

They include 3,000 soldiers from the Iraqi who have been trained in counterterrorism combat by US advisers.

The coalition also enjoys massive superiority when it comes to defence equipment and control of the airspace above Iraqs second city.

The majority of Iraqi soldiers have been deployed along three axes: Bashiqa, Al-Qiyara (the primary thrust of the ground offensive) and Kirkuk.

A fourth axis, leading toward the Syrian border, has been left open, presumably to serve as an escape route for IS forces in the hope that this will help minimise civilian losses in Mosul.

The citys civilian population is estimated at 1.5 million.

Mohamed Qashqush, a military advisor at the Nasser Military Academy, speculates that there are two possible explanations for leaving such an opening. The first is that the Saudis and Americans struck a deal to leave a corridor through which IS elements would be able to flee to Syria.

It is a theory is based on leaked information which both Washington and Riyadh deny.

Of course they would deny it, says Qashqoush. But the fact remains they both have an interest in allowing such elements to regroup in Syria.

The second possibility posited by Qashqoush is that the corridor is simply an attempt to lure fleeing IS fighters into a trap.

Despite the balance of forces being heavily in favour of Iraqi/coalition forces a host of concerns will prevent too rapid an advance. Prime among them is the fate of civilians.

The UN High Commissioner of Refugees anticipates that a million, or about two-thirds, of Mosuls inhabitants could attempt to flee the city.

There are also fears that IS might resort to using chemical weapons.

What happened to Iraqs chemical arsenal is not known, says Qashqoush. There are members of the former Iraqi army that have entered the IS command structure.

They have the know-how to use these weapons. There have been a number of reports indicating that IS managed to get control of some of these weapons.

Will an Iraqi victory in Mosul really mean the end of the organisation in Iraq?

Egyptian security and strategic expert Khaled Okasha argues that defeat for IS in Mosul will not automatically end its presence in Iraqi territory.

He points to Egypts own experience in Sinai where the army succeeded in delivering a critical blow to Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis in its stronghold in the Arish-Rafah-Sheikh Zuweid triangle, eliminating the leader of the Sinai Province group and a large number of key commanders in the IS affiliate.

Yet the group was still able to launch an attack last week in Beir Al-Abd. The elimination of the organisations command and a successful siege do not, says Okash, mean that the organisation itself disappears.

Al-Shamri, who accepts such reservations, insists the battle will be a definitive turning point. What it will not do is eradicate the radical ideas that produce the seemingly never-ending chain of terrorist organisations in Iraq, Syria and Sinai.

Nor can anyone predict the consequences that will follow when IS fighters are dispelled to other extremist breeding grounds such as Libya and sub-Saharan Africa.

In short, we can only speak of defeating as opposed to eliminating IS and its affiliates, whether in Iraq, Syria or Egypt, says Al-Shamri.

After the operation to liberate Mosul was launched President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi spoke with Iraqi Prime Minster Haider Al-Abadi to convey several messages, foremost among them the need to protect civilian lives and safeguard Iraqs territorial unity and cohesion.

We share the same enemy, says Al-Shamri. Egypt and Iraq have been growing closer. Cairo has supported Iraq from the outset of its confrontation against IS. It has offered arms. There is security cooperation."

"I would also argue there is a need for a political-security-military coalition to confront the challenges because we are on the same side in this battle. It is time for the Arabs to set aside some of their differences when it comes to dealing with Iraq. I also believe it possible to broaden the coalition by bringing on board Russia, for example. Certainly there needs to be coordination with Moscow when it comes to pursuing the organisation in Syria, he said.

In this context, of course, comes the issue of Egypt coordinating with the Syrian regime.

The head of Syrian intelligence was in Cairo this week for talks with his Egyptian counterpart, the first publicised meeting of its kind.

Okasha believes the purpose of the talks was to coordinate security positions in preparation for the scattering of IS members.

The dissemination of fragments of the organisation across the region is a natural outcome of any definitive blow to IS, says Ali Bakr, an expert on Islamist movements.

Experience shows IS fighters who manage to escape after the collapse of their organisation will head to neighbouring countries and attempt to blend in with the local population as they go underground. Many will be arrested. Some countries will want to deport those elements, others will want them to stand trial in Iraq and Syria.

Though military coordination between Baghdad and the Kurdish Peshmerga has been successful there remains the spectre for regional clashes erupting, a possibility that is exemplified by the Turkish military presence at the Bashiqa camp and Ankaras insistence on taking part in the battle in the face of Iraqi objections.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using an old Ottoman agreement as his pretext for intervening in Iraq, and in Mosul in particular, says Turgut Oglu, Middle East director of Zaman newspaper in Turkey.

The Turkish government, headed by Benali Yildirim, supports this argument, as does the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). However, there is a political dimension behind it all, and it has to do with Erdogans regional position, especially with respect to Iran, the most powerful player in Iraq due to the Shia Popular Mobilisation units which have played a leading role in the destruction and demographic changes in northern Iraq," Oglu said.

"This, according to Erdogan, compels Turkey to act. But the policy he is following is extremely dangerous, not least because there is also an agreement between Erdogan and IS in Iraq and Syria. In short, he is using IS to confront Iran. He is also adopting rhetoric about the need to protect Sunnis in Iraq, a dangerous ploy because it will ultimately reproduce the conflict in the form of another sectarian war, he added.

Erdogan is using all these strategies and tactics to escape from domestic crises inside Turkey. He is doing so even though it means deceiving the Iraqis in order to support extremism in Iraq and create the conditions for a future sectarian war. Most worrying are predictions that the battle for Mosul could drag on, increasing the prospects for such a scenario."

*This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly.



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by Ari Rosenberg , Op-Ed Contributor, October 21, 2016

I walked up Fifth Avenue yesterday. As always, the sidewalks in the upper 50s were overflowing with tourists. This area of New York City is where the most prestigious retail brands in the world reside, including Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Valentino. On this day, however, the brand tourists were reacting to, swarming around taking pictures with unbridled excitement, was the name emblazoned on Trump Tower.

Im not as interested in politics as I am in the marketing of each candidates brand -- and Donald Trumps run for president may be the most brilliant native ad campaign of all time.

Advertisings first promise is to raise awareness, right? Is there a platform out there that can rack up more media exposure then running for President of the United States? Now factor in the efficiency of using other peoples money to fund this media plan, and this becomes the most efficient advertising campaign of all time, too.

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Before Trump entered the Republican primary, his name was at best a cocktail party topic. Today, he has the complete attention of almost 300 million people in the United States. Millions more over there are asking whats going on over here with this Trump guy.

Each candidate clearly wants to win this race. However, unlike Hillary Clinton, who has been working toward the presidency since she entered the business of politics, Trump saw running for president as an amazing business opportunity where he wins even if he loses.

Rumors of launching Trump TV aside, Trumps core real estate business is no longer building things directly. He is in the business of licensing the Trump brand to other developers who then go on to build hotels, condos, and other kinds of properties. By having these developers pay for the rights to attach the Trump name to a project, the Donald cashes in before a room gets rented. Developers get to charge a premium price because the Trump brand, with all the gold trimmings, is affixed to the property.

This presidential run has made the Trump name exponentially bigger domestically and internationally, which in his business mind will fuel further expansion of his real estate licensing business. Only time will tell if this strategy works, but there is no denying the gain in brand awareness he has already achieved for almost zero dollars of his own.

Both candidates are pathetically reckless with the truth. Both are significantly flawed. However, when Hillary Clinton speaks about the issues, she does so with more authenticity, based on her experience working in government. The only time Trump truly sounds authentic is when he speaks about himself. Anything outside of that circle, and he sounds far less authentic -- just like native advertising.

On Nov. 9, for better or worse, Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States -- and Donald Trump will say he never really wanted the job. This will leave his supporters feeling duped, the same way native advertising makes consumers feel when they recognize they gave their hard-earned attention to content with a hidden agenda.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, October 21, 2016

After more than three decades as MetLifes spokespooch, Snoopy has been grounded as the brand is moving away from a traditional product-development model to one driven by customer insights, says CEO Steve Kandarian.

No more big-nosed beagle in the flight cap and goggles chasing the Red Baron on Metlifes airship. No more television commercials featuring a smiling Snoopy navigating lifes treacherous waters to sell insurance. Cuddly Snoopy hitting a home run? Out, write Christine Hauser and Sapna Maheshwari for the New York Times.

Created by cartoonist Charles Schulz, the Wall Street Journals Leslie Scism writes, Snoopy now appears on everything from MetLife blimps to the companys marketing and sales materials. But that need to reach consumers will shrink when MetLife spins off the bulk of its U.S. life-insurance business in the first half of 2017. Afterward, MetLife will sell mostly to corporate clients in the U.S., including life, dental and other insurance to employers for their workers, as well as annuities to pension plans.

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MetLife said in July that the U.S. retail unit its spinning off will be called Brighthouse Financial  a name that embodies promise to consumers. It filed a registration statement with the SEC earlier this month but no date has been set for the separation.

A blue and green stylized M will now serve as the MetLifes logo in the flying aces (and would-be novelists) stead as part of a global rebranding effort unveiled yesterday. The new tagline  MetLife.Navigating life together  is evident on the Web site today. The company says substantial changes to its customer experiences  will ultimately impact all customer touch-points from the Web site to customer service to its sales process to ensure a more focused, simplified interaction.

Not that Snoopy didnt perform his duties admirably when the world was less overwhelming even if insurance companies were seen as cold and distant, says Esther Lee, global chief marketing officer of MetLife, in a statement announcing the brand platform that will roll out globally through 2017 after the company interviewed more than 55,000 customers.

Snoopy helped drive our business and served an important role at the time. We have great respect for these iconic characters. However, as we focus on our future, it's important that we associate our brand directly with the work we do and the partnership we have with our customers, she said.

Print ads appear in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post this morning; new broadcast ads will break in December.

The new look was created by agency and brand consultancy Prophet, which was heavily involved in helping MetLife redefine its overall brand strategy late last year, a move that helped trigger the decision to rebrand. It also gave the agency a leg up in the ensuing pitch process, reports I-Hsien Sherwood for Campaign.

We had a very in-depth knowledge of the desired personality of the brand, says Craig Stout, associate partner and creative director at Prophet. We created a symbol that could tell that story  two pieces coming together creating a new monogram.

But the logo is just the central cog in an all-encompassing design system that also includes a new color palette and strategies for typography, photography and illustration, Howard Pyle, SVP for customer experience and design at MetLife, tellsSherwood.

It is decidedly more contemporary.

The people who grew up with Peanuts, who really feel that strong nostalgia, are not the majority of people MetLife is trying target, Breagin Riley, a marketing professor at Syracuse Universitys Whitman School of Management, tellsThe Christian Science Monitors Ben Rosen. The old way is just not working anymore for them.

Charles Schultz gang of cartoon characters will endure in other advertisements, sponsorships and endorsements however.

The Peanuts brand has more than 700 licensing agreements in about 100 countries, according to SEC filings, reportsCNNMoneys Jill Disis  including relationships with Hallmark, Warner Bros. and Target.

Snoopy is still a terrific brand and is a character people know and have fond feelings for, Timothy Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management tells Disis.

That said, maybe he wasnt the best choice to front an insurance company.

Snoopy is an endearing character, but it doesn't represent financial savvy, Calkins suggests. Nobody thinks of Snoopy and says, That is a really sophisticated investor right there.
by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, October 21, 2016

I'm a music junkie and lyricist. I probably attend a dozen concerts annually, but try to hold out for the small venues and the best seats. Ask me the top three things I would bring to a deserted island and music would be on the list. So imagine my delight to discover that Bing, with the help of TuneIn, now allows streaming music lovers to discover more than 10,000 radio stations and formats through a search query from a browser, with many more stations coming in the next few months.

Go to Bing.com, search for "online radio stations," and click through the carousal to find everything from talk radio to music such as KYGO-FM, a country station in Colorado. The list focuses on stations east of the Mississippi rather than west, but the selection of available stations to find from this Internet search provides a good start to listen live. TuneIn lets you share the link on Twitter.

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The combination of search, paid search and radio, especially when that radio station is based 2,000 miles away, brings an interesting ad-targeting opportunity for national advertisers to reach a local audience and local advertisers to reach a national audience based on the listener's location and taste in music or talk radio. It also supports cross-channel and cross-device ad targeting. Think live search ad targeting or radio through programmatic media channels.

Consider this. While in my teens a good friend and I would stay up all night searching for radio stations across the country using an AM radio. Yes, an AM-band radio. AM had the stronger signal during that time. In the middle of the night, maybe 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., when most radio and broadcast stations signed off the airwaves, you could use an AM radio receiver to tune into those stations with strong signals -- sometimes as far away as Colorado from Long Beach, California.

I'm not an engineer, but it seems to me that advertisers could use addressable radio, similar to the way addressable TV works, to target Texas-based consumers listening to a Baton Rouge, Louisiana radio station. I'm not referring to Pandora or other Internet-based stations, but traditional broadcast radio stations. No mobile app needed.

Aside from loving music, I'm grateful that I am old enough to have experienced the more simple things in life, especially in a world filled with so much noise.
by Wayne Friedman , October 21, 2016

Total TV advertising spending pulled back in September versus the previous month -- with overall media spending up modestly.

Overall media spending for the month grew 4%, with digital media rising, part of a long series of double-digit percentage levels, 17%, according to Standard Media Index. Big digital media gainers here were pure-play social media, up a big 72%; pure-play video gaining 32%.

Another big category improver: All TV network based digital advertising -- up 16%.

But other linear TV ad revenues pulled back somewhat -- 1% -- against soaring gains in August, largely due to the Olympics. For September, national broadcast was down 6%, with national cable networks inching up 1%.

The best news for TV networks was with national TV scatter advertising deals -- up a strong 29% versus the same month the year before.

But scatter couldnt deliver overall positive results to the networks, due to declining upfront advertising deals for the month -- set in the weak June/July 2015 market -- which was down 9%. Upfront TV deals for TV networks can represent 60% to 75% of their overall national media spending.

Local TV/cable advertising rocketed up 24% amid the environment of heavy political advertising. National spot TV and national syndication were flat.

Magazines were down 13%, with newspapers losing 28% and radio slipping 2%. In contrast, out-of-home advertising grew 10%.

Standard Media Index data comes from actual spending by media agencies representing approximately 80% of all U.S. agency spend.
by Larissa Faw , October 21, 2016

Visit Santa Barbara is repositioning its travel advertising to shift perceptions of Santa Barbara as not just an average beach town, but an active destination that offers a diversity of experiences.

Developed with agency Cutwater, the "Miss Nothing" campaign suggests revival and a world of new and attainable luxury.

"As more consumers are spending their extra income on travel and experiences rather than products, the travel and tourism category is increasingly becoming a crowded and competitive space," says Chuck McBride, CCO, Cutwater. "Recognizing that the brand needed to disrupt conventions and set new standards for authentic travel experiences in Santa Barbara, [we created] a brand platform that elicits the emotional feeling of experiencing Santa Barbara while also building on the established equity of The American Riviera brand."

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The black and white creative uses modern art direction to feature activities like yoga, sailing, cuisines and the music scene to highlight Santa Barbara's variety of adventures. "Visitors literally and figuratively 'Miss Nothing' when in Santa Barbara."

The campaign includes 15- and 30-second spots, print and digital executions. The media mix will primarily target Northern California markets and include additional buys in non-stop fly markets such as Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, Denver and Dallas. The goal is to generate mid-week hotel bookings and overnight visitation during the off season.

Cutwater won the VSB account earlier this year.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, October 21, 2016

A federal appellate court in California has agreed to decide whether consumers can proceed with a class-action lawsuit against AT&T over the company's data-throttling practices.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced on Thursday that it would hear the consumers' appeal of a trial judge's decision to send the case to arbitration.

The legal dispute dates to 2014, when three California residents alleged in a class-action complaint that AT&T duped people by selling "unlimited" mobile broadband plans, throttling users who hit monthly caps ranging from 3GB to 5 GB.

From 2011 until 2015, AT&T allegedly throttled more than 3.5 million customers with "unlimited" data plans. The company recently revised its throttling practices, and now only slows down customers who exceed 22 GB in a month. AT&T also now only throttles those users when the network is congested.

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Earlier this year, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen granted AT&T's request to send the case to arbitration. He ruled that the consumers signed contracts that require arbitration of disputes on an individual basis. The consumers are now seeking to reverse that decision.

The Federal Trade Commission also sued AT&T over the slowdowns. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit dismissed the FTC's lawsuit in August, ruling that the FTC lacks authority to sue common carriers like AT&T. Last week, the FTC asked the court to reconsider that decision.

In addition to the class-action lawsuit and the FTC litigation, AT&T still faces the prospect of Federal Communications Commission sanctions. Last June, that agency proposed fining AT&T $100 million for allegedly failing to adequately disclose its throttling policies to consumers.

The FCC alleged in a notice of apparent liability that AT&T's failure to explain its throttling policies to consumers violates its duty to transparently disclose its broadband practices.

AT&T is contesting the FCC's proposed fine.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, October 21, 2016

IgnitionOne, which once solely supported search engine advertising, has been quietly realigning its business model to focus on data, algorithmic approaches and machine-learning technology to deliver targeted ads across multiple channels programmatically.

"It's the straw that stirs the drink," says Roger Barnette, president at IgnitionOne. "We started as a search company, so it seems natural to morph into more of a data business when you think about how the data impacts search."

As Google and Bing build out their services, IgnitionOne will continue to focus on that data that supports ad-copy creation and ad targeting. It's also about modifiers based on a transaction and how search on a mobile phone in a specific geolocation supports clients like Bridgestone, Fiat, General Motors, LaQuinta, and Land Rover, which are listed as clients on the company's Web site.

Perhaps the reason for the realignment shows up in the quarterly digital marketing report IgnitionOne publishes each quarter.

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In the third quarter of 2016, the IgnitionOne report shows that in the third quarter of 2016, among the company's clients, advertising spend less on U.S. paid search ads running on Google. About 4% in the third-quarter, compared with the prior year-ago quarter, as the search giant looks for other ways to monetize advertising. The decline on desktop began earlier this year.

Mobile search spend rose despite overall downward trend. Advertisers spent 14% more in the quarter, compared with the year-ago three months.

Interestingly, advertisers working with IgnitionOne spent more on Google display ads and much less on Facebook.

U.S. programmatic display rose 23% YoY in the third quarter, and Facebook spend fell 22% as the company plans to shutter Facebook Exchange in November 2016.
by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, October 21, 2016

We don't yet know exactly what, if any, effect Wednesday night's debate had on the state of the 2016 presidential race. Polls take a few days to complete, giving news media a larger role in shaping opinions of debate performances and defining what the takeaways are.

Many across the political spectrum were deeply troubled by some of Trumps comments in Las Vegas on Wednesday evening, especially his failure to accept the election results. However, it was clear his debate performances have improved over time.

He got better at deflecting attacks from Clinton, until he couldnt take it anymore. No, youre the puppet! he sputtered, when Clinton spoke of Vladimir Putin's election hacking. His attacks on Hillary were stronger and more precise, until he went too far, such a nasty woman.

If Trump had a few cycles under his belt, this race might have turned out differently.

Before the first debate on September 26, Clinton and Trump were virtually tied 52-48 in FiveThirtyEight's NowCast projection. Barely three days later, Clintons odds of winning on Nov. 8 had shot up to 78%  and she hasnt looked back since.

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Third debates dont usually have much of an effect on presidential races, and this last one will likely follow the trend. While Trumps base may have been galvanized once more by the attacks on Clinton and a better-than-usual early performance from their nominee, Trump made no attempt to win over the all-important demographics of college-educated white women and minorities.

This might be the first time in more than 60 years that Republicans lose the college-educated white vote.

It has been clear all along that Hillary Clinton and her team prepared extraordinarily well for each of the debates. She had a whole primary cycle against one of the strongest debaters weve seen in a long time in 2008 and a hard-fought primary in 2016.

Trump had a reality-show-like primary cycle, where insults reigned and structured policy answers were mocked.

To paraphrase what Ive heard these past few months: If Donald Trump was more malleable, less impulsive and had just listened more to his Republican colleagues, Clinton could have lost the race.

Instead, Hillary Clinton looks well on her way to being the youngest woman ever to serve as president, as she mused yesterday evening at the Al Smith dinner in New York City.
The question of whether drug abuse increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and other mental illnesses has been a hotly debated topic for decades. New research from Denmark that includes data from more than 3 million individuals takes an in-depth look at the conundrum. Share on Pinterest The relationship between drug abuse and schizophrenia is complex. There has been a wealth of research on the impact that alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs might have on the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. However, it is a difficult area to study, and previous research has been controversial and often contradictory. As one example, many earlier studies could not take into account co-abuse; in other words, people who abuse a number of compounds. Dr. Stine Mai Nielsen and Prof. Merete Nordentoft, from Copenhagen University Hospital, Mental Health Center in Denmark, recently embarked on one of the largest studies of its type. Their findings, presented at this years International Early Psychosis Association (IEPA) meeting in Milan, Italy, add another piece to the puzzle.

Schizophrenia and drug abuse To dive into this question, the team of investigators used data from 3,133,968 individuals born between 1955-1999 from nationwide Danish registers. In all, they identified more than 200,000 cases of substance abuse and over 21,000 schizophrenia diagnoses. Data was analyzed using a range of statistical measures; they also controlled for a number of factors including gender, urbanity, other psychiatric diagnoses, co-abuse, parents immigration to Denmark, parents economic status, and psychiatric history. The team found that abuse of any substance increased the risk of developing schizophrenia. The increased risks were as follows: Cannabis: 5.2 times

Alcohol: 3.4 times

Hallucinogenic drugs: 1.9 times

Sedatives: 1.7 times

Amphetamines: 1.24 times

Other substances: 2.8 times. The authors concluded: We present a large scaled population-based cohort study analyzing a wide variety of substances. Our results illustrate a robust association between almost any type of substance abuse and an increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. Although the results are clear, an age-old problem with the research remains: it is impossible to prove whether the abuse caused the schizophrenia or vice versa. It is a possibility that someone who is predisposed to schizophrenia is more likely to abuse drugs; similarly, individuals could be susceptible to both developing schizophrenia and substance abuse. The authors note that the relationship between mental illness and drug abuse is likely to be incredibly complex.
From TV to smartphones and tablets to social media, the lives of children and adolescents are dominated by 24/7 media exposure. The key to a healthy balance between digital life and real life, for kids, is to make healthy media choices by managing the time spent with various media. The American Academy of Pediatrics have released a new set of guidelines to help parents and families do just that. Share on Pinterest The AAP states that media can be used as a tool to support the family connection when used together. The focus of the updated recommendations lies with parents not only paying attention to the amount of time their children spend on digital media but also how, when, and where they use the media. To support the guidelines, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have released an interactive, online tool for families to create their own personalized Family Media Plan. Families should proactively think about their childrens media use and talk with children about it, because too much media use can mean that children dont have enough time during the day to play, study, talk, or sleep, says Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral expert and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI, and lead author of the first policy statement, Media and Young Minds, which focuses on infants, toddlers and preschool children. Whats most important is that parents be their childs media mentor. That means teaching them how to use it as a tool to create, connect and learn, she adds.

Parents should not feel pressurized to introduce devices to infants While media use alone has not been identified as the leading cause of any health problems in the United States, experts say that excessive media use can contribute to many health risks, including obesity, lack of sleep, school problems, aggression, and behavioral issues. The statement advises that with the exception of video chatting  that has been shown to help toddlers learn new skills and social interactions  all digital media should be avoided before the age of 18 months old. The guidelines note that parents should not feel pressurized to introduce technology to their child early, and reassure that interfaces are so intuitive that their child will figure them out quickly once they do start using them. For children aged 2-5 years, the statement recommends that media should be limited to 1 hour a day and should involve a high-quality program or activity that parents and kids can view and engage with together. Digital media has become an inevitable part of childhood for many infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, but research is limited on how this affects their development, says Dr. Radesky. Dr. Radesky points out that research is solid in children over age 3 and shows that high-quality programs like Sesame Street can help children learn new ideas and improve literacy and social outcomes. However, under 3, toddlers immature brains have a hard time transferring what they see on a screen to real-life knowledge. We dont yet know if interactivity helps or hinders that process. What researchers do know, she adds, is that early childhood is a time of rapid brain development where children need time allocated to play, sleep, learn to handle emotions, and build relationships. While research suggests that excessive media use can distract children from these activities that play an essential part in their development, the AAP highlight that families can maintain a healthy balance.

Using devices to soothe children limits their ability to regulate emotions The AAP caution that while many apps that parents find are located under the educational category in stores on smartphones and tablets, a majority are not evidence-based and include little to no input from developmental educators. Highlights from the recommendations include banning digital media an hour before bed, turning off devices not in use, and ensuring that bedrooms, mealtimes, and a majority of parent and child playtime remain screen free. The authors advise that while digital media may be a useful tool to soothe children while on a plane or during a medical procedure, media should not be used as the primary method of calming down a child. According to Dr. Redesky, using devices as a regular soothing strategy limits a childs ability to regulate their emotions. Despite the best intentions of limiting time using media, it has become ingrained in the culture of daily life. Families, therefore, have to be realistic about healthy ways to use media from an early age while setting time constraints. Video chatting with grandparents, watching science videos together, putting on streaming music and dancing together, looking up new recipes or craft ideas, taking pictures and videos to show each other, having a family movie night. These are just a few ways media can be used as a tool to support family connection, Dr. Radesky says. For children aged 18-36 months, it is crucial that adults interact with their child during media use and help their child understand what they see on screen and how it relates to the world around them.
German lawmakers called for a crackdown on anti-government extremists Friday in response to the killing this week of a police officer by an adherent of the so-called Reich Citizens Movement.

The 32-year-old officer died a day after being shot in the Bavarian town of Georgensgmuend on Wednesday. Officials had ordered the 49-year-old shooter's hoard of firearms confiscated because he was deemed unfit to own them due to repeated clashes with authorities.

Stephan Mayer, a lawmaker with the governing conservatives, said Germany's domestic intelligence agency should consider monitoring the Reich Citizens Movement, a loose grouping with links to nationalist parties and far-right groups.

The movement refuses to acknowledge the authority of the post-war Federal Republic of Germany and has been compared to the U.S. sovereign citizen movement.

"There need to be consequences from this case," Mayer told the Berliner Zeitung daily. "The Reich citizens aren't just pests and oddballs, but also criminals who oppose the state."

Irene Mihalic, a former police officer and lawmaker with the opposition Green Party, said security agencies had underestimated the threat posed by Reich citizens.

She told German public broadcaster ARD that authorities had known for some time that the movement was "very aggressive and in parts armed."

Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said the domestic intelligence agency had been asked to carry out a "careful examination" of whether authorities' assessment of the movement needs to be changed, but cautioned against haste.

"This is an appalling incident ... but one that was caused by an individual," he told reporters in Berlin.

"We should take a very close look, and that is happening," he said. "Whether a different assessment is reached regarding the extremist potential will come out of this examination."

On Thursday, a self-styled Reich citizen attacked police officers in the eastern town of Salzwedel. The 43-year-old man had refused to comply with dog licensing laws, said police spokesman Gerd Schoenfeld.

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Bowel cancer patients treated in hospitals where large amounts of clinical research is taking place are more likely to survive - even if they themselves are not involved in the clinical trials, a study by the University of Leeds has found.

Researchers found that more people survived operations in these types of hospitals and patients were also more likely to still be alive when followed up five years afterwards.

In fact, there was a nearly four per cent increase in the five-year survival rate for those treated in highly research-active hospitals.

"It's important to note that these improved outcomes were seen across all bowel cancer patients within these hospitals and not just those in the clinical trials," said Dr Amy Downing, a senior research fellow at the University of Leeds, and lead author of the study.

"We think that being more involved in research leads to better protocols, improved knowledge and better-trained staff, and this benefits the whole patient population."

Co-author Matt Seymour, Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Medicine at the University of Leeds, added: "The effects may seem small - just a few per cent - but for a cancer that affects more than 40,000 people in the UK every year a few per cent means a lot of lives.

"We have long known that clinical research is crucial for discovering better treatments to help future generations of patients, but this study tells us something new.

"It shows that, by getting involved in research trials, hospitals may 'up their game' and provide better care for all the patients they treat even in the short term, long before the results of those trial are known."

For the study, which is published in the journal Gut, the researchers looked at data from 209,968 patients diagnosed with bowel cancer in England between 2001 and 2008.

The hospitals treating these patients were then split according to the percentage of patients taking part in clinical trials; those with more than 16 per cent of bowel cancer patients involved in trials over the course of a year were classed as having high research levels that year.

The researchers found that death rates in the first 30 days after surgery were 6.5 per cent, and 41 per cent of bowel cancer patients were still alive five years after their initial diagnosis, in hospitals with zero years of high-research participation.

But death rates after surgery dropped to five per cent, and 44.8 per cent of patients survived for more than five years, in hospitals with four or more years of high-research participation (i.e. 16 per cent or more patients involved in clinical trials a year, for four of the years between 2001 and 2008).

Most of the hospitals conducting high levels of research were district general hospitals and the effects were not limited to cancer 'centres of excellence', said Peter Selby, Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Leeds and co-author of the study.

"Our results allow investigators to show patients, healthcare commissioners and policymakers that being treated in a hospital active in clinical research is strongly associated with better outcomes for bowel cancer patients," Professor Selby concluded.

"The data provide an additional incentive to integrate research into standard medical care."

Professor Peter Johnson, chief clinician for Cancer Research UK, said: "It's crucial that NHS Trusts are involved in research and offer patients all possible opportunities to participate.

"To achieve this, clear leadership is needed. This is why NHS England needs to publish a plan for how it will deliver on its duty to promote and support research in the NHS."

Health minister Lord Prior, whose policy areas include academic health research and the Cancer Drugs Fund, also welcomed the finding.

"I am proud of the world-leading clinical research taking place in our hospitals which appears to also be having a positive impact on the lives of people suffering from bowel cancer," he said.

"The fact that even patients at research-active hospitals who aren't on clinical trials have better outcomes demonstrates the hugely powerful benefit of research in all aspects of healthcare."

The trial data that the study used was from the National Institute for Health Research's Clinical Research Network.

Article: High hospital research participation and improved colorectal cancer survival outcomes: a population-based study, Downing A, et al., Gut, doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-311308, published online 19 October 2016.
A Canada-US study led by Luis Barreiro, a professor at the University of Montreal's Department of Pediatrics and researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, has demonstrated that Americans of African descent have a stronger immune response to infection compared to Americans of European descent. The study establishes for the first time this difference in immune responses and shows that it is mostly genetic - inherited from our ancestors and influenced by a relatively recent natural selection. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell.

The study was conducted among 175 Americans, half of which were of African descent, the other half being of European descent, in collaboration with the University of California, Wayne State University, Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, and Duke University.

While the immune system of African Americans responds more strongly, Professor Barreiro is careful to qualify it as better: "The immune system of African Americans responds differently, but we cannot conclude that it is better, since a stronger immune response also has negative effects, including greater susceptibility to autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease. Too much inflammation can damage organs and leave sequelae. In short, a strong immune response can be beneficial in some areas but a disadvantage in others.

Susceptibility to inflammatory diseases

The immune system reacts to infection by causing inflammation (redness, heat, swelling, etc.) to neutralize and eliminate the infection. It was already known to scientists that African Americans are more susceptible to autoimmune inflammatory diseases and thus more likely to suffer from tuberculosis or scleroderma, for example.

The laboratory experiment

The 175 participants in Professor Barreiro's study provided blood samples, from which were extracted macrophages - cells of the immune system whose role is to kill pathogens responsible for infection. The research team then infected the macrophages with two kinds of bacteria (Listeria and Salmonella) to observe various immune responses: after 24 hours of infection, the macrophages from African Americans killed the bacteria three times faster. The research team also uncovered the molecular mechanisms acting on the genes responsible for these differences in immune responses. "This is one of the firsts of our study," said Barreiro. People of African and European descent have intermingled over the past centuries, and we are even able to determine which part of an individual's immune system is associated with African ancestry and which part with European ancestry."

Why these differences?

"Although we found these differences in immune responses between African and European Americans, we are still unable to demonstrate what evolutionary pressures led to the observed differences. One of our hypotheses is that in the prehistoric period, after human populations had migrated out of Africa, they were exposed to fewer pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites), which reduced the immune response and thus tissue inflammation. This reduction in the immune response (and inflammation) was most likely an advantage because of the adverse consequences of acute or chronic inflammation, which are major contributors to the development of autoimmune inflammatory diseases."

Another hypothesis is that the weaker immune response detected in Europeans is the result of a less vigorous natural selection in an environment in which there were fewer, or at least different, pathogens compared to Africa.

The role of Neanderthals

Neanderthals also played a role in the immune response to infection. Neanderthals, before disappearing, colonized Europe, but not Africa. In the process, they mixed their genes with African Cro-Magnons, who were spread throughout Europe. The analysis of Barreiro's team shows that about 3% of the genes involved in the differences in immune responses between African and European Americans come from Neanderthals!

What next?

"There is still much to do. For example, we have not yet studied the immune response to viruses and parasites. In addition, genetics explains only about 30% of the observed differences in immune responses. Our future studies should focus on other factors, emphasizing the influence of the environment and our behaviour. The idea is to find immune mechanisms to help understand why some individuals react differently from others in the presence of certain viruses and bacteria," said Barreiro.

About Luis Barreiro

Luis Barreiro specializes in the evolution of immune responses and was named one of the "40 under 40" (most promising researchers) published in 2014 by the prestigious journal Cell. The first time he set foot in a laboratory after completing his graduate studies in biotechnology at the University of Lisbon in his native Portugal, he found his vocation. After graduating, he obtained a six-month internship in mycobacterial genetics at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Within five years he had completed a doctorate in human population genetics. After receiving his Ph.D., Barreiro moved to the United States, where he did a postdoctoral fellowship in functional genomics at the University of Chicago's Department of Human Genetics.

Today, the same theme runs through Luis Barreiro's work at the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center, which he joined in 2011. He is the holder of the Canadian Research Chair in Functional and Evolutionary Genomics of the Immune System. The main project of his laboratory is to discover and define the genetic bases of the variations underlying the differences in immune responses between individuals and human populations. While Barreiro's team is among the two or three groups in the world interested in immune responses and their genetic basis, it is the only one to explore this issue among different species of primates.
About 150 million years ago, snakes roamed about on well-developed legs. Now, two University of Florida researchers have discovered how snakes' legs eventually disappeared.

Snakes lost their legs due to a trio of mutations in a genetic switch - known as an enhancer - that controls the activity of a gene required for limb development, according to research by Martin Cohn, Ph.D., a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the UF College of Medicine, and Ph.D. candidate Francisca Leal. The findings appear in the journal Current Biology.

Taken together, the mutations in the enhancer of a gene known as Sonic hedgehog disrupt a genetic circuit that drives limb growth in snakes. Cohn and Leal made their discovery by studying genetic activity in developing python embryos and by comparing DNA sequences of snake and lizard genomes. While some snakes, such as cobras and vipers, are completely limbless, pythons and boa constrictors have retained some vestiges of their leg structures.

In embryonic pythons, Leal and Cohn found that the three mutations work cumulatively to abolish a region of the Sonic hedgehog enhancer where proteins bind to DNA, known as transcription factor binding sites. That affects the way genetic information is ultimately transcribed. Essentially, the enhancer functions like a genetic "switch" that turns on the Sonic hedgehog gene during limb formation. With three activators of the switch deleted in pythons, the Sonic hedgehog gene only flickers on before going silent, ending the process of leg growth in the embryo.

"It's exciting to know the precise nucleotide changes that are responsible for limb reduction," Cohn said.

Surprisingly, the rest of the genetic machinery for developing legs has remained in place for millions of years and still exists in pythons and boa constrictors. Leal and Cohn found that python embryos form leg "buds" and turn on the entire genetic program needed to make legs, but the circuit breaks down after the Sonic hedgehog gene switches off.

Although the Sonic hedgehog enhancer is degraded, other enhancers remain intact, including those that facilitate the activity of a gene called Hoxd13, which is needed to build hands and feet. The researchers found the cellular beginnings of the entire leg skeleton, all the way to the toes, in python embryos. But by the time the young pythons hatch, all that remains is a tiny rudiment of the femur.

"The results tell us that python limb development progresses much further than we knew before. They make embryonic legs but the cells don't complete the process of skeletal development," Cohn said.

So while pythons and boas retain rudimentary legs, more advanced snakes ultimately lost their legs altogether. The work by Leal and Cohn helps to explain exactly how that happened. In the laboratory, they found that completely limbless snakes such as cobras and vipers show more extensive decay of the Sonic hedgehog limb enhancer than pythons and boa constrictors.

During the past 20 years, other scientists have described snake fossils with functional hind legs outside their rib cages. The fossils are estimated to be at least 90 million years old, and while at least one of these species likely retains the legs of its limbed ancestors, some scientists believe that legs re-evolved in other snakes. Cohn thinks that their discovery of a transitory leg skeleton in python embryos shows the relics of ancestral snake legs and could have provided the raw material for limbs to re-appear. The mutations that eliminated snake legs likely arose around 100 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous period, according to Cohn and Leal's genomic studies.

In 1999, Cohn published groundbreaking research detailing the molecular basis of limb loss during snake evolution. He credits Leal, who has a background in herpetology, for wanting to revisit the topic now that technology has advanced the understanding of snake genomics.

Because some of these transcription factor binding sites had not yet been discovered in mammals, the latest findings also create an opportunity to go back into mouse models and perhaps even humans to look for mutations in the same genomic regions, Cohn said. While there are no immediate plans to do that, he said the findings in snakes demonstrate the power of evolutionary and comparative biology to pave new roads for biomedical science.

Leal said it is thrilling to confirm that certain snakes have retained the molecular machinery for making limbs for millions of years.

"This surprising conservation and the specific modifications in the snake genome are a clear testament of their ancestry. Snakes clearly evolved from limbed ancestors and their genomes demonstrate this," she said.

The research was supported by funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a Maryland-based science philanthropy that funds biomedical research and science education.




First time ever in India, thewith mission to reduce the global and region burden of the stroke to be held in Hyderabad.Disclosing this in a press note issued in Hyderabad today, Stephen Davis, President, World Stroke Organization (WSO) and Congress Co-Chair, Dr Werner Hacke, Congress Oversight Committee Chair and Incoming President of WSO and Dr. Jeyaraj Pandian, Congress Co-Chair from India informed the meet will kick off on October 26 at Hyderabad International Convention Center in Hyderabad. The Congress will conclude on October 29, 2016.Dr. C. Laxma Reddy, Minister for Health, Government of Telangana will formally inaugurate the meet.The World Stroke Congress is held once in two years and it is being organized for the first time in India at Hyderabad. The Congress is jointly organized by WSO and the Indian Stroke Association (ISA). Nearly 2100 delegates are expected from all over the globe. The congress will be inaugurated at 19.15 on 26th October at HICC.WSO is the worlds leading organization in the fight against stroke. Today, WSO has more than 3700 individual members and over 60 society members from 85 different countries. WSOs mission is to reduce the global burden of stroke through prevention, treatment and long term care. WSO collaborates closely with the World Health Organization (WHO).Stroke is a major cause of disability and death worldwide. A large proportion of strokes occur in low and middle income countries like India. In India alone 1.7 million new stroke cases occur every year. Stroke affects young people in India during their productive period of life. Stroke care infrastructure is developed mainly in private hospitals but the vast majority of public hospitals are ill-equipped to treat stroke patients. The treatment expenses are borne by the patients and relatives and hence there is a huge economic burden on the family. The neighboring countries in south Asia also face a similar problem of a huge burden of stroke with a poor infrastructure to tackle the situation stated Dr Jeyaraj Pandian.The congress will have joint sessions with World Health Organization, World Hypertension league, Asia Pacific Stroke Organization, European Stroke Organization, American Stroke Association, World Federation of Neurorehabilitation, Indian Federation of Neurorehabilitation and Indian Academy of Neurology. These important sessions will focus on key issues related to stroke care and policies said Prof Werner Hacke. Dr Hacke also stated that the WSO will be releasing the Road Map for stroke care during the conference.Dr VG Pradeep Secretary of the ISA mentioned that as an Association we are supporting many young neurology trainees, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists with a travel grant to participate in the congress. Dr Subash Kaul, Dean of Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad and the President of Indian Academy of Neurology stated that the WSC will be a great opportunity for the Indian Neurologists and stroke professionals from South Asia to interact with stroke experts from across the world.Some of the distinguished speakers include Dr Pooja Khatri (USA), Dr Andrew Demchuk (Canada), Prof Peter Sandercock (UK), Prof Valeria Caso (Italy), Prof Michael Brainin (Austria), Prof Hans-Christoph Diener (Germany), Prof Geoffrey Donnan (Australia), Prof Lawrence Wong (Hong Kong), Prof S Martins (Brazil).There will be a one day session on stroke support organization and post stroke hobby exhibition. Dr Uppal President of Indian Stroke Association commented that this congress will have a huge impact on the development of stroke care services in the region and in India.The Congress, Dr. Pandian said, will provide a cutting edge educational and scientific experience, focusing on the latest developments in acute management, rehabilitation and long term care.


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PD Dr. Olaf Gro, group leader at the TUM Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry , has been working together with his team to investigate Imiquimod. This medication has been successfully used to treat viral skin infections and certain types of skin cancer since 1997. The scientists have now published their results in the journal Immunity.Imiquimod is an immunomodulatory agent, which means it triggers an immune reaction which causes the body's immune system to attack modified cells. For several years, this process was the medication's only known mechanism of action. However, in the meantime it has been shown that imiquimod also triggers other processes in the body. On one hand, imiquimod directly impairs the growth of cancer cells. On the other hand, Imiquimod activates a complex within cells of the immune system termed the inflammasome. While the inflammasome is very important for our body's ability to defend against infection, uncontrolled activation of the inflammasome can lead to inflammatory diseases. "We think that these other mechanisms of action of Imiquimod might contribute to the efficacy or adverse side effects of the medication," says Olaf Gro.Imiquimod specifically activates the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is a special type of inflammasome that responds to tissue stress and cellular damage. Olaf Gro and his team were able to show that NLRP3 is activated because Imiquimod impairs the respiratory chain in mitochondria. The respiratory chain is a series of mitochondrial protein complexes that generates the energy, in the form of a molecule called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short, that cells need to survive."Inhibition of the respiratory chain by imiquimod not only impairs ATP production, but also results in the production of toxic oxygen radicals," explains Dr. Ritu Mishra, one of the two primary authors of the study. "Imiquimod causes an especially large amount of radicals to be released. In contrast to other substances that intervene in the respiratory chain but generate a lower amount of radicals, here a threshold value is exceeded that results in the activation of NLRP3.""There is a lot of excitement about generating new anti-inflammatory medications by targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome," says Dr. Christina J. Gro, also one of the study's primary authors. "We hope that our research will lead to the design of medications that can prevent dangerous hyperactivation of the NLRP3 inflammasome that may occur in diseases like gout and multiple sclerosis." Olaf Gro and his team are following-up on this study by investigating whether the effect of imiquimod on the mitochondria is the mechanism behind the unexplained finding that imiquimod directly inhibits growth of cancer cells. After that, they plan to investigate new chemical substances related to Imiquimod in order to find out how the various effects of the medication can be uncoupled.Source: Eurekalert
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Led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, an international team concluded that men are likely to choose monitoring once presented with the choice.For the study, researchers analyzed data from Sweden's National Prostate Cancer Register, one of the few such national databases in the world (and for which nothing comparable exists in North America).The monitoring called active surveillance, relies on regular blood tests, physical exams, and the periodic biopsy, or sampling, of prostate tissue to screen for any signs of a tumor's growth before therapy is considered.The move to active surveillance, averts the risk of sexual dysfunction, as well as bowel and bladder problems that frequently accompany traditional therapies."The main conclusion here is that if the majority of men in Sweden have adopted this management strategy for very low- to low-risk prostate cancer, then more American men might choose this option if it were presented to them," says lead study investigator and urologist Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc.Among the study's key findings was that from 2009 to 2014 the number of Swedish men with very low-risk cancer choosing active surveillance increased from 57% to 91%, and men with low-risk cancer choosing this option rose from 40% to 74%.The authors report, the number of men in both groups who chose to simply wait, do no further testing, and postpone therapy unless symptoms develop, a, dropped by more than half.Loeb, an assistant professor in the urology and population health departments at NYU Langone, and a member of Perlmutter, says that while increasing numbers of American men diagnosed with early-stage disease are choosing active surveillance, they still account for less than half of those for whom it is an option."Our findings should encourage physicians and cancer care professionals in the United States to offer such close supervision and monitoring to their patients with low-risk disease," says Loeb. More American men opting for active surveillance, she adds, "could go a long way toward reducing the harms of screening by minimizing overtreatment of non-aggressive prostate cancer."Loeb says recent studies have suggested that some men with early-stage disease who opted for treatment, later regretted it because of lingering problems, such as incontinence and impotence.A large study also recently showed no difference in death rates a decade after diagnosis between those who chose active surveillance and those who chose immediate treatment, Loeb says. Meanwhile, there is a greater risk of side effects among men undergoing therapy.However, that this pattern has not been confirmed for the Swedish men in the current study.Source: Medindia
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The findings, in patients with NF1, may lead to a better understanding of the genetic roots of autism in the wider population. The findings are published in the journalStudying 531 patients at six clinical centers in the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Australia, the researchers found that mutations in the NF1 gene that cause the disease also contributed to autistic behaviors in almost half of the patients."NF1 is caused by mutations in a single gene - NF1," said first author Stephanie M. Morris, an instructor in neurology. "Our research indicates that this single gene also is associated with autism spectrum disorders in these same patients. That may make it possible to look downstream from the gene to find common pathways that contribute to autism in the wider population."NF1, the disorder caused by NF1 mutations, usually appears during childhood. Symptoms can vary in severity, but they include cafe au lait spots, which are flat, brown spots on the skin. Other symptoms include tiny nodules on the iris of the eye, nerve tumors, bone deformities such as a curved spine or a bowed lower leg, and optic gliomas, tumors of the optic nerve. Kids with NF1 also can have learning disabilities."In the 25-plus years that I've taken care of kids with NF1, we've only recently started to recognize that these children also often have symptoms of autism," said senior investigator David H. Gutmann, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology and director of the Washington University NF Center. "In the past, we didn't really understand the association between NF1 and autism, but now we have new insights into the problem, which will allow us to design better treatments for children with NF1 and autism."The findings also could help scientists who study the genetics of autism understand how mutations in a single gene can contribute to symptoms of autism, such as problems with social and language skills and repetitive behaviors."What's unique about our findings is that it's likely mutations in the NF1 gene are driving most of the symptoms of autism in children with NF1," said the study's other senior investigator, John N. Constantino, the Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. "Here, we have a single-gene disorder that affects a fairly large number of people and is causing autism in a significant number of those who are affected. This work could provide us with an opportunity to study a single gene and figure out what it is doing to cause autistic syndromes."Constantino said most autism spectrum disorders are influenced by multiple genes but that isolating this one gene can aid efforts to learn how other, unrelated genes may interact along that same pathway to contribute to autism in people who don't have NF1.Learning how those various genes come together to cause symptoms eventually could lead to better treatments. But already the findings are benefiting children and families treated at the Washington University NF Center."We've been able to screen children at our center, identify autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit disorder and problems with executive cognitive function," Morris said. "And when we identify these deficits in kids, we can tell their parents, inform their schools and enable these children to get the resources and support they need - specifically academic and social support - to improve their quality of life."Source: Eurekalert
As soon as you board a flight, you are asked to either switch off your phone or turn on flight mode which means that for the entire duration of the trip, you are entirely cut off from your favourite world  social media. Well, it seems that Air India might come up with an alternate soon for you all, given that its in talks with BSNL to work out a feasible plan of installing Wi-Fi on board and has even asked the company to give an estimated cost of the same.

 wikimedia

A few days ago, we reported that the Patna railway station, which offers free Wi-Fi service to the travelers, had topped the list in terms of internet searches and most of the data was used to watch porn! Seeing that there is more privacy in the flights (not by much though), it would definitely be interesting to see what kind of things people search for and if its what we are assuming it to be, lets see if it can beat the train stations record.

The onboard internet service may be available on Air Indias long-haul nonstops to North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia. Additionally, Air India is also in talks with a few international onboard internet providers.

 pexels

A senior official from the airlines said, We are keen to have the internet on board as AI operates the longest flights out of India and this is a facility that is being increasingly provided by several leading global airlines. He further added, However, we are first trying to find out how much the project costs, and if found feasible, we will like to have the same on our aircraft. Reportedly, the Air India chief Ashwani Lohani recently met his counterpart from BSNL Anupam Srivastava to take things forward.

In fact, two years back, Air India had approached Geneva-based OnAir which provides both mobile connectivity and the internet on aircrafts. However, the airline was told that according to Indian rules, it needed a local server for them to broadcast the signal. So, while its still in its nascent stage, we really hope that these Wi-Fi services take off (no pun intended)!

Just in case you got excited thinking that your boring flights will now turn interesting, make sure that your headphones are correctly plugged in and you dont have any agony aunt or middle-age crisis suffering uncle sitting next to you. After all, you dont want them to hear the moaning and weird noises pop out of your tablet or mobile phone!

H/T: The Times Of India
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday he was confident that Turkey would take part in the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group.

"I think there is agreement there in principle," he said after a visit to Turkey, following tensions between Ankara and Baghdad that have alarmed Washington.

"Iraq understands that Turkey as a member of the counter-ISIL (IS) coalition will play a role in counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and secondly that Turkey since it neighbours the region of Mosul has an interest (in) the ultimate outcome in Mosul," Carter said.

"I am confident that we can work things out and there are things that would be productive for Turkey to do and we just need to work through these practicalities."

A senior US defence official indicated that Turkey could provide medical or humanitarian support, or train Iraqi forces.

Earlier on Friday, Carter met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top officials during his short visit to Turkey, a crucial ally in the fight against IS.

Baghdad has called for the withdrawal of hundreds of Turkish troops from Bashiqa near Mosul where they have been deployed to train Iraqi fighters for the battle for the jihadist stronghold.

Ankara fears that the operation to retake Mosul could be spearheaded by Shiite militia and also include Kurdish militia vehemently opposed by Turkey.

Carter also saw a military and political role for Turkey in an eventual assault on the Syrian city of Raqa where IS has established its de facto capital.

"Likewise, Turkey will have a role ultimately in the collapse of Raqa and then as a party in the region will have an interest in making sure that the governance of Raqa is one that is reflective of the population there," he said.

"We want to get ISIL out of Raqa, we want to do that as soon as possible and we want the victory to last."

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Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines on Friday said it has banned Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from all of its flights with immediate effect after reports of fire risk.

"Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices can no longer be transported on person, in carry-on baggage, in checked bags or as air cargo on all Turkish Airlines flights with immediate effect," the company said in a warning note to passengers on its website.

The airline did not detail the reasons for the ban, but it comes after reports of exploding batteries and fires, which have led to numerous injuries.

That prompted the South Korean electronics giant to recall all Note 7 phones, including replacements. Samsung has also stopped producing the flagship handset.

German carrier Lufthansa had announced on Tuesday its ban on Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from all of its flights.

Japan this month said it barred all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from airplanes, following moves by US regulators and a string of carriers that banned the recalled devices over fire risk concerns.

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The antiquities ministry objects to the sale of artefacts owned by the Toledo Museum of Art at Christie's in New York

The Egyptian antiquities ministry is trying to prevent the sale of Egyptian artefacts by Toledo Museum of Art at Christies in New York next week.

To benefit its acquisitions fund, the Ohio-based museum has put up for auction a collection of 64 works.

The sale is to be made in two auctions; the first is from 19 to 26 October and will include a selection of 24 pieces from across ancient Greece, Rome, the Near East, and Egypt with highlights including a Cypriot limestone head of a male votary and an Egyptian bronze cat.

The second auction will be from 21 to 24 October and will be an online auction via Christies, offering an additional 40 pieces.

Upon the detection of the auctions on the internet, the ministry has undertaken all legal, legitimate and diplomatic procedures to stop them taking place and to recover the ancient Egyptian artefacts, an official told Ahram Online.

Supervisor-general of the Antiquities Repatriation Department at the ministry, Shaaban Abdel Gawad, told Ahram Online that the ministry has contacted the directors of UNESCO and the International Committee of Museums, as well as Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to cooperate with the Egyptian embassy in the United States to take all the procedures to withdraw the Egyptian artefacts, stop their sale and return them to their country of origin.

The National Committee for Antiquities Repatriation led by Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany has met to discuss the incident and methods to stop the sale.

Abdel Gawad described the sale of the Toledo Museum of Arts property as unacceptable because it runs counter to the original Enlightenment role of museums as cultural and archaeological institutions.

He went on to say that the ministry has recently played a major role in returning stolen and illegally smuggled antiquities. A total of 1,200 objects have been recovered within the last seven months.

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(Beijing)  Ping An Bank, a unit of China's second-largest insurer, has selected two executives of Ping An Securities, a sister subsidiary, to take top positions at the bank as part of its new focus on retail banking, sources familiar with the situation said.

Forty-six-year-old Yang Zhiqun, Ping An Securities' general manager, was appointed executive deputy president of the lender, while Guo Shibang, 51, will become the bank's assistant board chairman, the sources said. Both posts are new.

Last week, Xie Yonglin, 47, deputy general manager of Ping An Insurance Group and chairman of Ping An Securities, was nominated as the lender's chairman.

The personnel changes still need the approval of the bank's board and shareholders, as well as China's banking regulatory body.

The personnel moves come as the bank is bringing its retail banking services into focus. All the three newly nominated executives have years of experience in the industry.

Yang was in charge of establishing the sub-branch of Ping An Bank in Guangzhou in 2009. Guo was once the general manager of the retail service department of China Mingsheng Bank in the northeastern port city of Dalian in 2011. A year later, he later became the chief supervisor of financing services for small businesses in the head office of Ping An Bank in Shenzhen.

Xie joined Ping An Insurance Group in 1994, and was in charge of retail services from 2006 to 2013 as director of operation and deputy president in Ping An Bank.

In early August, Liu Shuyun, assistant to the president and head of the bank's Beijing branch, was arrested. Caixin learned from sources close to the investigation that Liu may have violated regulations related to the bank's investment-banking business.

Contact reporter Dong Tongjian (tongjiandong@caixin.com); editor Ken Howe (kennethhowe@caixin.com)
(Beijing)  China's securities regulators have seen a mini-boom in applications to form mutual fund companies ever since a regulatory change made it less costly to create such investment firms.

From July to September, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has received requests from 15 companies to create mutual fund management firms, according to the CSRC's website. Only six such applications were filed in the first six months of the year.

The surge occurred after the CSRC said in July that a company can apply for a mutual fund license before it finishes most of the preparation for its mutual fund business, according to several people from investment fund companies.

Under previous requirements, companies had to prove that they had rented offices, hired employees, and installed infrastructure and software needed for the new operation before trying to get a mutual fund license. Maintaining these facilities and personnel while the CSRC reviewed a firm's request could be very costly because the process would often take more than a year, according to the sources.

Changing the rule was part of the government's effort to streamline administrative procedures and encourage the development of mutual funds, a CSRC spokesperson said when announcing the new regulation.

At the end of August, there were 104 mutual fund firms in China, including 44 with foreign investors, according to the Asset Management Association of China. Together they managed more than 8.5 trillion yuan ($1.3 trillion) worth of assets, roughly the same as all private funds, according to the association.

Some private funds managers are seeking to enter the mutual fund industry. Shanghai Rosefinch Investment Management, which had about 20 billion yuan worth of assets under management last year, for example, filed an application with the CSRC to transform itself into a mutual fund company. Large private fund company Shanghai Chongyang Investment also applied for a mutual fund license last year.

As of Sept. 31, the top 10 largest mutual fund companies managed assets worth 4 trillion yuan combined, accounting for 47.1% of the market's total, according to Zhao's report. From 2010 to 2014, the ratio had been about 50% every year, the report says.

Contact Wang Yuqian (yuqianwang@caixin.com); editor Ken Howe (kennethhowe@caixin.com)
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Transportation Coatings. The company offers water and solvent-borne products and systems to repair damaged vehicles for independent body shops, multi-shop operators, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) dealership body shops. It also provides functional and decorative liquid, and powder coatings used in various industrial applications, including architectural cladding and fittings, automotive coatings, general industrial, job coaters, energy solutions, HVAC, appliances, industrial wood, coil, and oil and gas pipelines; and coatings for building materials, cabinet, wood and luxury vinyl flooring, and furniture market under the Voltatex, AquaEC, Durapon, Hydropon, UNRIVALED, Tufcote, and Ceranamel for liquid coatings; and Alesta, Nap-Gard, Abcite, Teodur, and Plascoat brands for powder coatings. In addition, the company develops and supplies electrocoat, primer, the basecoat, and clearcoat products for OEMs of light and commercial vehicles; and coatings systems for various commercial applications, including HDT, bus, and rail under the Imron, Imron Elite, Centari, Rival, Corlar epoxy undercoats, and AquaEC brands. It also sells its product under the Audurra, Challenger, Chemophan, ColorNet, Cromax, Cromax Mosaic, Durapon 70, Duxone, Harmonized Coating Technologies, Imron ExcelPro, Lutophen, Nason, Spies Hecker, Standox, Stollaquid, Syntopal, Syrox, Raptor, U-POL, and Vermeera brand names. The company was formerly known as Axalta Coating Systems Bermuda Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. in August 2014. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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.
GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.
The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley  Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley  Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business.

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Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; prepaid programs and management services; commercial credit and debit payment products and solutions; and payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts. It also provides value-added products and services comprising cyber and intelligence solutions for parties to transact, as well as proprietary insights, drawing on principled use of consumer, and merchant data services. In addition, the company offers analytics, test and learn, consulting, managed services, loyalty, processing, and payment gateway solutions for e-commerce merchants. Further, it provides open banking and digital identity platforms services. The company offers payment solutions and services under the MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus. Mastercard Incorporated was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.
The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Alfa Consulting, Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.

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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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The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

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Tidewater Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore marine support and transportation services to the offshore energy industry through the operation of a fleet of marine service vessels worldwide. It provides services in support of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production, as well as windfarm development and maintenance, including towing of and anchor handling for mobile offshore drilling units; transporting supplies and personnel necessary to sustain drilling, workover, and production activities; offshore construction, and seismic and subsea support; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction; and various specialized services, such as pipe and cable laying. The company operates and charters deepwater vessels, including platform supply and horsepower anchor handling tug supply vessels for use in transporting supplies and equipment from shore bases to deepwater and intermediate water depth offshore drilling rigs and production platforms; towing-supply vessels for use in intermediate and shallow waters; and crew boats, utility vessels, and offshore tugs to transport personnel and supplies from shore bases to offshore drilling rigs, platforms, and other installations. It also operates offshore tugs for use in tow floating drilling rigs and barges; and assisting in the docking of tankers, as well as in pipe and cable laying, and construction barges. The company serves oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production companies; mid-sized and smaller independent exploration and production companies; foreign government-owned or government-controlled organizations, and other related companies; drilling contractors; and other companies, such as offshore construction, windfarm development, diving, and well stimulation companies. As of December 31, 2021, it owned 135 vessels. Tidewater Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Under Armour, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the developing, marketing, and distributing performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth. The company offers its apparel in compression, fitted, and loose fit types. It also provides footwear products for running, training, basketball, cleated sports, recovery, and outdoor applications. In addition, the company offers accessories, which include gloves, bags, headwear, and sports masks; and digital subscription and advertising services under the MapMyRun and MapMyRide platforms. It primarily offers its products under the UNDER ARMOUR, UA, HEATGEAR, COLDGEAR, HOVR, PROTECT THIS HOUSE, I WILL, UA Logo, ARMOUR FLEECE, and ARMOUR BRA brands. The company sells its products through wholesale channels, including national and regional sporting goods chains, independent and specialty retailers, department store chains, mono-branded Under Armour retail stores, institutional athletic departments, and leagues and teams, as well as independent distributors; and directly to consumers through a network of 422 brand and factory house stores, as well as through e-commerce websites. It operates in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Under Armour, Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.
The two Americans killed in a suspected insider attack in Afghanistan this week were on a routine inspection to check the inventory at an Afghan ammunition dump on the outskirts of Kabul when they were gunned down, a military spokesman said Friday.

Army Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, of Fairview, Illinois, and contractor Michael G. Sauro, 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma, were on a mission Wednesday for the Afghan Defense Ministry when they drove up to the entry point at the Ammunition Supply Point, said Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and the NATO Resolute Support mission.

"They had not started the inspection" when a man wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire, Cleveland said in a video briefing from Kabul to the Pentagon. The gunman was shot dead by Afghan security.

Cleveland said the U.S. could not confirm that the incident was an insider, or "green-on-blue," attack since the Afghans have yet to identify the gunman.

Riney entered active-duty service in July 2012 as a petroleum supply specialist, the military said. He had been assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, since December 2012.

Riney was on his second tour to Afghanistan. His awards and decorations included the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.

Sauro was assigned to the Defense Ammunition Center, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, in Oklahoma, the Defense Department said. He traveled to Afghanistan last month for his third deployment and was scheduled to return to the U.S. in March.

A U.S. soldier and two other U.S. civilians employed by the Defense Ammunition Center were injured in the incident. The soldier was reported in stable condition. Civilian Richard "Rick" Alford was in stable condition and civilian Rodney Henderson suffered minor injuries, the center said, adding that they will both return to the U.S., The Associated Press reported.

If confirmed as an insider attack, it would appear to be the first since a U.S. soldier was killed and two others were wounded in April 2015 by an Afghan soldier in southeastern Jalalabad.

More than 150 U.S. and coalition troops have been killed and more than 180 have been wounded in insider attacks in the Afghan war, according to The Long War Journal. The insider attacks peaked in 2012 when 44 attacks killed 61 U.S. and coalition troops.

The suspected insider attack Wednesday came as the struggling Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), backed by U.S. airstrikes and advisers, sought to fend off Taliban offensives from northern Kunduz to southeastern Helmand province, Cleveland said.

The U.S. military estimates that the Afghan government controls about two-thirds of populated areas while the Taliban controls about 10 percent, he said.

Helmand province "continues to be the Taliban's main effort," Cleveland said. The 215th Corps of the ANDSF is struggling to prevent the Taliban from taking the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, but Cleveland said the U.S. is confident that the Taliban will not succeed.

In January, the commander of the 215th Corps and two brigade commanders were sacked for corruption and poor leadership, and a new commander was installed.

Cleveland confirmed that the 215th Corps commander installed in January has now been sacked himself for poor leadership, and a new commander took over earlier this month.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Two soldiers from the Michigan Army National Guard took first place in the 2016 International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Sgt. Saykham Keophalychanh and Sgt. Nicholas Mitchell of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, outshot 41 other two-man sniper teams from around the world Oct. 17-21, according to a Benning press release.

A team from the Army Special Forces Sniper School placed second, and a team from the 19th Special Forces Group took third place. The names of the second- and third-place teams will not be released because the soldiers are in Special Forces, according to Fort Benning officials.

Teams from the active Army, Army Reserve, National Guard and Marine Corps competed in the event, as well as teams from the Department of Homeland Security, and the Covington, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; and Maryland police departments.

There were also sniper teams from Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Canada and Germany.

A team of Irish snipers took first place in last year's competition, beating out Marine and Army Ranger teams.

This year's competition took place on firing ranges across Fort Benning and tested the competitors' physical fitness and mastery of sniper skills, including target detection, stalking, land navigation and marksmanship.

The 96-hour competition featured 21 day and night events, a three-mile run with weapons and equipment, an eight-mile ruck and very little sleep.

The three Army teams taking first, second and third place is significant compared to the service's shooting performance in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Five soldiers and one Marine were shut out in the shooting competitions after finishing behind competitors from such countries as Russia and China in 50-meter rifle, 10-meter air rifle, 25-meter pistol, and double trap shotgun events.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
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.
Senior Islamic State leaders often called "high-value targets" are believed to have fled Mosul ahead of the ongoing Iraqi offensive, but enough militant field commanders remain to direct what is expected to be a bloody fight for the city, U.S. military officials said Friday.

The officials said they had seen a similar pattern in Ramadi and Fallujah of ISIS leadership seeking to escape as opposing forces mounted an assault. They stressed that the whereabouts of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who used a Mosul mosque to declare the creation of an ISIS "Caliphate" in June 2014, were still unknown.

The U.S. estimates that 3,000-5,000 ISIS fighters will remain once the Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga units are ready to begin the assault on the city itself.

About 1,000 of the ISIS militants are believed to be foreign fighters, who would be the most likely to put up an effective resistance, said the officials, who spoke on grounds of anonymity and on condition that they not be quoted directly.

On the fifth day of the Mosul offensive, ISIS was putting up what the officials described as moderate resistance to the Iraqi and Kurdish units sweeping through mostly abandoned desert villages on Mosul's outskirts.

The attacking forces were moving through what was called a disruption zone, where small groups of ISIS fighter were using snipers, mortars and suicide car bombs to delay and harass the assault.

The officials said the suicide and small-arms attacks carried out by ISIS in Kirkuk, east of Mosul, on Thursday were part of ISIS' plan to disrupt the offensive. They said no forces were diverted from the Mosul offensive to deal with Kirkuk.

ISIS has used off-the-shelf drones to drop small amounts of explosives on advancing units, but the tactic has been ineffective and has not caused any casualties, the officials said. ISIS is also expected to try chemical warfare, using sulfur-mustard or chlorine gas to slow the advance, but the officials were confident that the offensive would continue.

The officials said they could not confirm United Nations reports that ISIS militants have taken 550 families from villages around Mosul, possibly to use as human shields in the battle.

"We are gravely worried by reports that ISIS is using civilians in and around Mosul as human shields as the Iraqi forces advance, keeping civilians close to their offices or places where fighters are located, which may result in civilian casualties," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said in a statement.

"There is a grave danger that ISIL fighters will not only use such vulnerable people as human shields but may opt to kill them rather than see them liberated," al-Hussein said, using another term for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

A day after a U.S. service member died of wounds from an improvised explosive device that hit his vehicle, U.S. and coalition warplanes conducted four airstrikes on multiple targets near Mosul in support of the offensive, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement.

The strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and two staging areas, destroying an ISIS headquarters building, 23 fighting positions, eight ISIS vehicle bombs, six ISIS-held buildings, six vehicles, five mortar systems, three heavy machine guns, a tanker truck and a command-and-control node, the task force said.

In addition, nine heavy machine gun positions, five sniper positions, four mortar positions, an artillery system position and 11 ISIS tactical units were suppressed, it added.

The death of the U.S. service member was the fourth in combat since ISIS took over large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014. More than 100 U.S. advisers and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to guide airstrikes have moved forward with the Kurds and Iraqis in the offensive.

In Ankara on Friday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met with his counterpart, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik, and said later that Turkey and Iraq had reached a tentative agreement that would allow for a Turkish role in the liberation of Mosul.

Carter, who also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said there was an "agreement in principle" on Turkish involvement that could include Turkish aircraft joining coalition airstrikes. Turkey and Iraq have been at odds over the presence of a Turkish military contingent on the outskirts of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul.

Carter was to go next to the United Arab Emirates and then on to Paris and Brussels for NATO ministerial meetings on the anti-ISIS campaign.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Britain will pardon thousands of men previously convicted for homosexuality under the new so-called "Turing Law," named for Alan Turing, a well-known, gay British mathematician who helped crack the German Enigma code during World War II.

Under the plan announced Thursday, the government would pardon anyone who was previously convicted of consensual sex acts with a member of the same gender.

Those who are still alive can apply to have their records expunged through the "disregard process." Those who have already died will receive an automatic posthumous pardon.
Iraqi Security Forces this week began a long-awaited offensive on the town of Mosul in northern Iraq to flush Islamic State militants out of their last stronghold in the country.

But months before, aircraft from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit were already preparing for the assault by strategically eliminating weapons and fighters in the region.

AV-8B Harriers based aboard the USS Boxer conducted 45 combat sorties over Mosul and Al Asad, Iraq, eliminating 20 targets over the course of 27 days. Col. Anthony Henderson, commanding officer of the MEU, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that targets ranged from machine gun bunkers and mortar positions to fighters who were maneuvering against Iraqi Security Forces.

"From the anecdotal feedback, it diminished not only ISIL's capacity for some of its strengths, which were the ability to shoot indirect fire, the ability to maneuver its fighters," Henderson said, using an acronym for the Islamic State. "I also think that it encouraged the Iraqi Security Forces that they still had a U.S. commitment to support them as they were attempting to battle ISIL."

The six Harriers aboard the Boxer would conduct three-aircraft missions, covering some 1,600 nautical miles to and from the ship's position in the Mediterranean, Henderson said.

The amphibious ready group carrying the 4,400 Marines and sailors also spent time in the Gulf of Aden, where they conducted maritime security operations in the Yemeni seaport of Al Mukalla, patrolling the waters in support of United Arab Emirates efforts to thwart efforts by Al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP] to control the region.

Traveling in the small rigid-hulled inflatable boats commonly used by Naval Special Warfare operators, Marines and sailors spent more than 40 days patrolling the region, inspecting dhows, or sailboats, in the harbor for signs of illicit activity such as weapons smuggling or fighter movements.

Henderson said the troops completed their patrols without any major incidents. And while this month Navy ships in the Red Sea were targeted by missiles launched from the coast of Yemen, Henderson said there were no attacks of that nature.

"Pretty much, they knew we were out there, so they were less inclined to move across waterways to provide those types of supplies," he said. "And that was the effect we wanted with that."

The Marines and sailors did, however, come across several dhows carrying hundreds of refugees from nearby Somalia. Sometimes, he said, they'd have been drifting for days and the people on board would be dehydrated in the hot Middle Eastern sun. The troops determined the refugees did not require medical care, but offered them supplies and information.

"We helped them at sea," Henderson said. "We gave them water, food -- pointed them in the direction they were trying to go."

In total, the MEU was deployed for 213 days, returning home to California on Sept. 12 after participating in multiple high-profile training missions and operations.

"We trained very aggressively to the closest point of failure," Henderson said of how the MEU prepared for the deployment. "We assessed, we learned, and we trained again."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
The Defense Department has released the name of a decorated sailor killed in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq.

Chief Petty Officer Jason C. Finan, 34, of Anaheim, California, died Thursday of wounds sustained in the blast, officials said. Finan was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Three out of Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

Finan joined the Navy in 2003. He had been awarded Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Naval Parachutist and Diver insignia and had received many decorations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V device and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, according to Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, a spokeswoman for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.

According to a Navy announcement, Finan was serving in an advisory capacity to Iraqi forces fighting against Islamic State militants in Iraq at the time of his death.

He is the first service member to die in support of the Mosul offensive, assisting Iraqi Security Assistance Force efforts to take back the northern population hub from Islamic State control.

Finan died four days after the offensive began.

"The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the Sailor we lost," Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, commander of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command/NECC Pacific, said in a statement.

Officials have said more than 100 U.S. military advisers and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers have traveled with attacking forces in support of the assault on Mosul, to guide airstrikes and serve in an advisory role.

The announcement came a day after the Pentagon identified the name of a U.S. soldier and American civilian killed in an insider attack in Afghanistan. Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, of Fairview, Illinois, and Michael G. Sauro, 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma, died in Kabul of wounds received from encountering hostile enemy forces.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
The amphibious transport dock San Antonio has moved into the Mediterranean to replace the amphibious assault ship Wasp in conducting airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Libya.

U.S. Africa Command announced Friday that the San Antonio would conduct a relief in place with the Wasp to allow the mission to continue.

An AfriCom spokesman, Charles Prichard, told Military.com the San Antonio would contribute UH-1Y Huey Venoms and AH-1W SuperCobras from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit's aviation combat unit, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 (reinforced). Notably, the San Antonio is not equipped with AV-8B Harriers, which had been the primary strike asset for the Wasp.

"USS San Antonio is more than capable of sustaining the current mission," Prichard said. "The sailors and Marines of the Wasp [Amphibious Ready Group]/22nd MEU team will receive follow-on tasking and continue their deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleet area of operation."

Both the San Antonio and the Wasp are part of the 22nd MEU, which deployed from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in June. The Wasp has been in the Mediterranean since Aug. 1, when the U.S. began airstrikes over Libya at the request of the country's government of national accord in efforts to retake the key city of Sirte from ISIS militants.

The ship initially contributed AV-8B Harriers as strike aircraft, then added AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters to provide close air support on these strike missions.

So far, U.S. assets have conducted 330 strikes since the mission, Operation Odyssey Lightning, began, AfriCom officials said. That's an average of more than four strikes per day.

The San Antonio is a smaller class of ship than the Wasp, designed to carry roughly half as many personnel and a smaller complement of rotorcraft on its flight deck.

In a release, AfriCom officials said they plan to continue to provide precision airstrikes in support of Libyan forces as they fight to take back compounds and structures used by the Islamic State to launch attacks on friendly forces.

"The airstrikes have significantly reduced Daesh's ability to utilize heavy weapons and enemy fighting positions, as well as having reduced the number of vehicle-born improvised explosive devices intended for attacks on [government of national accord]-aligned forces," the command said in the release, using another term for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

This has already been an eventful deployment for the San Antonio. The ship was among those targeted by missiles launched from off the coast of Yemen as it transited through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb on its way around the Arabian peninsula and up to the Mediterranean, according to a public Facebook post by Navy Capt. Darren Nelson, commanding officer of the San Antonio.

The ship emerged unharmed, and Nelson praised the crew for "performing flawlessly in defense of the ship."

The 22nd MEU is likely to remain deployed in the Middle East and Pacific areas of operations until early next year.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.

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A strike at Pennsylvania state colleges has affected thousands of veterans and there is no end in sight. The VA says GI Bill students shouldn't worry - yet.

The strike affects more than 100,000 students with more than 3,000 GI Bill recipients among them at the 14 schools within the Pennsylvania state university system. The affected schools are:

Bloomsburg University

California University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney University

Clarion University

East Stroudsburg University

Edinboro University

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown University

Lockhaven University

Mansfield University

Millersville University

Shippensburg University

Slippery Rock University

West Chester University

The strike began October 19 and an affected first-year student at Millersville University told military.com that she had been told that "depending on the length of the strike the semester may be extended or breaks shortened to make up for lost time, or the semester could be completely cancelled and tuition refunded if the strike was lengthy".

The VA says the strike is considered "a school closure due to an emergency situation" and as such GI Bill recipients would continue to be paid for up to 28 days.

This is the first shrike in the state university system's 34 year history.
The terror threat in Europe, a strong dollar and uncertainty over the U.S. presidential elections have eroded the confidence of the globe's big-spenders, holding luxury purchases flat in 2016, according to a study released Thursday.

Spending on luxury apparel, accessories and other personal items is expected to hold steady at 249 billion euros ($273 billion) this year, a study by Bain Consultancy for the Altagamma association of Italian high-end luxury producers. Add in spending on luxury cars, yachts, jets, cruises, hotels, fine art, design and food, and the market tops a stunning 1 trillion euros.

As political events and monetary policy exert greater influence on luxury spending patterns, brands have turned their focus to wooing buyers in their home countries rather than counting on tourist arrivals to buoy sales, said Bain partner Claudia D'Arpizio.

"This is not happening by default," D'Arpizio. "Brands are refocusing on the local customer base and working to develop products that are more affordable and more inclusive to meet their needs."
Righty Stephen Strasburg and outfielder Bryce Harper  arguably the Nationals two most important players  are both on track to participate in a full and normal Spring Training in 2017, agent Scott Boras tells Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter links). That appears to be positive news for the Nats, who went without the former for the postseason and endured persistent whispers that the latter was dealing with shoulder problems.

In the case of Strasburg, Boras says that hes expected to be capable of maintaining a typical offseason throwing program in advance of camp in February. The key rotation piece, who inked a $175MM extension early in the 2016 season, was diagnosed with a flexor mass strain in his right forearm. He had at least been throwing to keep open the possibility of a postseason appearance, had the Nats advanced, though that never seemed particularly likely. Needless to say, Washingtons outlook for 2017 and beyond depends quite a bit on whether it receives a healthy and effective Strasburg.

As for Harper, the superstar will begin his usual offseason strength and conditioning program, according to Boras. Thats essentially non-news, but it seemingly confirms that theres no significant shoulder health issue that was left unaddressed during the preceding season  as a pair of reports from SIs Tom Verducci had suggested. Or, at least, it suggests that any such issue can be resolved without resorting to any treatment or procedure that would disrupt Harpers normal workout routine.

Still, some mystery seemingly endures. The Nats maintained all along that they were not aware of any such injury, and even reportedly posed the question directly to Harper  who said he was healthy. Boras declined comment on the subject despite having weighed in on several other notable clients own health matters in recent years, raising some eyebrows. Now, Morosi says on Twitter that Boras has previously confirmed an injury, citing a recent story from Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. His comments there were seemingly ambiguous: Boras noted that Harper played with limitations at times but also seemingly hinted that those were not necessarily related to a specific, ongoing physical ailment (let alone one that wasnt being publicly acknowledged or addressed).

Whatever is truly going on, it appears that Harpers health wont be a limitation as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2016 season. The 24-year-old was still solid overall for the Nats, with a .243/.373/.441 batting line and 24 home runs, but he fell off badly after a torrid start and didnt come close to his productivity in the prior year. In 2015, Harper won the NL MVP award after swatting 42 long balls and slashing a ridiculous .330/.460/.649. Whether he can return to being that kind of force could go a long way toward deciding the Nationals fortunes in 2017  and shaping the course of his own future.
CANTON, MI -- Chad Wilson didn't want to leave Ann Arbor, but he also knew there was no way he could make his business all he wanted it to be if he stayed.

So Wilson made the tough decision to close Dick Tyler's Tavern - formerly World of Beer - and focus on his two new World of Beer locations in Canton and Woodhaven.

The first of those two bars will open on Monday, Oct. 24, when World of Beer Canton starts tapping beer. The bar is located at 42820 Ford Road in Canton, about 20 minutes from Ann Arbor.



"We kept everything that was good about World of Beer to begin with and just made it better," Wilson said.

The biggest change from the Ann Arbor location to Canton is the size of the space and how many customers the venue can hold. Wilson said the small floorplan in Ann Arbor made it really tough on the business.

"It just wasn't what we were anticipating. The parking situation was a nightmare and it was just cramped. It was too small," Wilson said. "We learned our lesson and we decided we wanted to go much bigger."

The new bar also will have a full food menu - something that wasn't an option in Ann Arbor - an expanded tap system with 50 beers on tap and, of course, more than 550 bottled beers for sale.

"The food is made fresh daily in house," Wilson said. "We use fresh beer in a lot of recipes. That's one of the things we really love that we didn't have the ability to do in Ann Arbor."

Wilson said the venue can seat 300 people when the heated outdoor patio is in use. The 6,000-square-foot building offers more than three times the occupancy that the Ann Arbor location did.

Along with a full menu and expanded taps, the bar will also have a "cask engine" for cask ales and an infusion tower at the bar that can add various flavors and notes to beers that aren't normally for sale. Special tap takeovers from different breweries are also planned in the coming weeks.

General Manager Matt Valentino said there will be live music two days a week and special events that will be promoted on the bar's Facebook page.

Valentino said he knows how important the Michigan beer scene is, and he said World of Beer is going to focus on promoting locally-made beers. And while more established brands like Founders and Bell's will definitely be part of the rotation, lesser-known Michigan breweries also will be highlighted.

That being said, World of Beer will continue to bring brands from outside the state as well.

"We are going to highlight our Michigan beers. We're proud of brewers here in Michigan," Valentino said. "But we're also World of Beer, and we also want to be able to offer different types of beer from different states and countries."

So far, Valentino estimates World of Beer has hired between 65 and 75 employees to work in the bar and the kitchen. He plans on having 15 servers on duty during the opening weeks to handle the anticipated demand.

To prepare, the bar will be doing a pair of soft openings for friends and family only before the doors officially open on Monday.

"We are absolutely ecstatic to get into this community, be open and serve great craft beer and tavern food," Valentino said.

On Wednesday, Oct. 26, World of Beer is hosting a silent auction and offering door prizes from 6 to 9 p.m. to benefit the Carter and Friends Foundation to raise awareness of Spina Bifida. All proceeds from that evening will go to the foundation.

Wilson said he expects the Woodhaven location to open a month-and-a-half after the Canton location.
WILLIAMS TWP, MI -- Authorities have issued a warrant for a 34-year-old Bentley woman police say drunkenly drove the wrong way on Interstate 75 while nude, causing a crash.

The incident happened just before 6 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30. Michigan State Police 1st Lt. David Simon said investigators on Friday, Oct. 14, received results of the Crime Lab's blood analysis, which indicated the woman had a blood alcohol content of 0.19. In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol level reaches 0.08; a person is considered super drunk when his or her blood alcohol level hits 0.17.

Troopers' reports were then forwarded to the Bay County Prosecutor's Office for review. Authorities on Wednesday, Oct. 19, issued a warrant for the woman on a charge of third-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

As of Friday, Oct. 21, the woman is not in police custody.

The crash on Sept. 30 happened on the interstate south of Parish Road in Bay County's Kawkawlin Township. Bay County Central Dispatch was first notified of a vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-75 at approximately 5:42 a.m. A witness called 911 to report seeing a vehicle get on southbound I-75 the wrong way from Wilder Road. The caller told officials the vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lanes.

Central Dispatch received 20 to 30 calls alerting them to the wrong-way driver, police have said. At about 5:50 a.m., a caller reported the crash, the release states.

Kawkawlin Township Fire Department officials, Mobile Medical Response personnel, and state police troopers responded.

The initial investigation indicates the woman was driving north in the southbound lanes of I-75. While traveling in the lane nearest the median, her vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by a 43-year-old Standish man. His vehicle also had been traveling in the lane closest to the median, according to police.

The Standish man was able "to take evasive action and avoid a direct head-on collision," a police press release stated.

After the vehicles collided, the wrong-way driver's vehicle traveled off the west side of I-75. The other vehicle came to rest on I-75 in the right traffic lane.

Police have said the woman was naked in her car. Troopers provided her with blankets before she was transported via ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The woman's name is being withheld pending arraignment in Bay County District Court.
HOLLY TWP, MI - After Private First Class Milton Bullis went missing in action in North Korea more than 50 years ago, it was a part of his brother that helped bring him home.

A memorial service was held Friday morning at Great Lakes National Cemetery Friday morning for the Detroit native that was taken as a prisoner of war amid the Korea War while serving as a medic during the conflict.

It wasn't until Donald L. Bullis Sr.'s DNA was used by a recovery team in the mid-2000s that his brother's remains were found.

Milton Bullis was born on Feb. 8, 1931, the youngest of eight children to Edward and Edna Bullis, and not a shy person growing up in the Motor City.

"Milton was unreserved and full of energy and always ready for action," said Rev. Stephanie Sorenson, pastor of Life Enrichment Center, during the service that included a flyover by military helicopters and 21-gun salute.

The brothers would scuffle as siblings do from time to time, Sorenson said, but "There was an unbreakable bond between them."

The pair shared a fondness for art and would sketch alongside one another and both siblings volunteered for the military, just a few years apart.

While Don Bullis served two years in peace time after World War II, he said Milton enlisted with things began to "boil over" in Korea.

Milton Bullis was a member of the Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division when he was sent to shipped to Korea in November 1950, after North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950.

Chuck Erickson, Milton's nephew, had a chance to meet a few soldiers at the service that told him his uncle saved three Native American soldiers on the battlefield.

"He was already a hero," Erickson said. Now, he's a superhero."

The company lost nearly half of its men days into a delaying action headed south to Kunu-ri and when ordered to withdraw, Milton Bullis was not found.

He was declared missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950.

"When we first got the news he was missing, we were hopeful they would find them and get them released before anything happened," said Don Bullis during a luncheon at the Grand Blanc Veterans of Foreign Wars post following the service.

But his brother had been taken captive and embarked on a treacherous, miles-long march in the Korean countryside.

"They weren't feeding him very much to eat, (soldiers) were dropping dead while they were marching," said Don Bullis, whom spoke with a friend his brother's in the company that made it home.

The group marched under the cover of night, Don Bullis said, to avoid American reconnaissance planes that would circle overhead and stake out a new city, town, or village every morning to pause before the next evening.

It was during those breaks when Milton Bullis would check the group, to find out if any soldiers had died the previous day. Some of them were beaten, with at least one soldier shot in the head.

Milton Bullis was declared dead on March 31, 1951 by the U.S. Army and posthumously given the rank of Corporal.

"I never forgot about him, but life goes on," said Don Bullis, of Grand Blanc. "He was gone 66 years and I've been married twice and I've raised seven children during that period."

But it all snapped back after he received a letter in 2004 to provide a blood sample along with another relative as the recovery team prepared to go into North Korea to try and find any soldiers left behind.

"It was my DNA that convinced them that was him," said Don Bullis, with Milton's remains found during the 37th Joint Recovery Activity in Unsan Province, North Korea.

He was given a book outlining the search, including some pictures of what the recovery group found, but Don's daughters have covered up some of the photos with black paper.

"I don't really care to look at them," he said.

The last remaining sibling, Don Bullis chose to inter part of his brother's ashes at the military cemetery, but he also kept part of them to never be apart from Milton again.

While he'll never be able to get those years back they were apart, Don Bullis was glad to receive some closure after the decades.

"A certain degree, yes. He was born here and now he's back," he said. "Today was a good day."
FLINT, MI -- The preliminary examination for two people charged with murder in connection to a June 10 house fire in Flint that left three children dead is scheduled to continue next month.

Genesee District Judge M. Cathy Dowd ordered a Nov. 14 court date for testimony to continue from witnesses following a Thursday appearance by Erica Marie Starkey, of Flint, and Rodney Dale King Jr. of Burton.

The charges stem from the fire on Vermilya Avenue that led to the deaths of Starkey's 4-year-old son Kaydon Hull, 13-year-old daughter Onyah Starkey, and Brianna Beaushaw, a 14-year-old friend of the daughter.

Andrea Legendre, assistant prosecuting attorney, examined Michigan State Police Detective Tpr. Stacey Moore on Thursday, Oct. 20 about the days following the fire during which she questioned both Starkey and King Jr. about the events that led up to the blaze.

King Jr. turned himself in to police after spotting himself in a news report as a person of interest in the fire after a still image was released from video surveillance, Moore testified, and spoke with her at the Flint Police Department.

"He stated that he had in fact been at the house and he got mad that Ms. Starkey had not come back with any crack cocaine, so he wanted to burn some of her clothes that were on the couch," Moore said.

He was unaware there were any children in the house at the time after allegedly starting the fire with a cigarette, Moore testified, before King left the home.

Starkey initially told investigators she didn't know King, but she later altered her story to admit they'd met prior to the fire, Moore testified.

She was not at home when the fire began, but Starkey later returned after finding out about the incident. A 911 call went out at 6:05 a.m. June 10 and Flint firefighters responded by 6:14 a.m.

Moore testified the front door of the home had a piece of wood across because Starkey said her son knew how to get outside and she hoped to avoid him leaving without her knowledge.

Kaydon Hull and Onyah Starkey were taken to Hurley Medical Center where they were pronounced dead the same day. Beaushaw died from her injuries two days later.

King and Starkey did not speaking during Thursday's testimony by Moore, both looking down a majority of the hearing and holding a tissue in their hands, wiping away tears at times.

Starkey was removed from an Oct. 6 preliminary examination for her emotional well-being, Dowd told the courtroom prior to Thursday's proceedings.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The community is invited to meet the four finalists for the president's position at Grand Rapids Community College during their visits in November.

Each candidate will have the same schedule for their one-day visit between Nov. 14 and 17. The four finalists announced on Oct. 14 are: L. Joy Gates-Black; Amy Fugate, Christina Royal, and Bill Pink, the only internal candidate.

President Steven Ender is retiring on June 30. In addition to the Board of Trustees, the finalists will meet with multiple stakeholders, including the community, students, faculty and staff, and Ender's cabinet, composed of his senior leadership.

GRCC will be taping the two larger forums planned in the afternoon - the campus presentation and interview with the Board of Trustees. A link will be made available for the public to view those sessions.

The day for each candidate begins with breakfast with the board at 7:45 a.m., followed by a series of public meetings and interviews that conclude at 4:45 p.m.

Here is the public stakeholder schedule:

 8:45 to 9:30 a.m. - Meet with Ender's cabinet in Room 118 of the Applied Technology Center (ATC), 151 Fountain St. NE.

 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. - Meet with the community and the college's Diversity/Inclusion Team in the ATC Auditorium.

 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. - Meet with students in the ATC Auditorium.

 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Faculty meet and greet in the ATC Auditorium.

 12:45 to 2 p.m. - Lunch with Executive Leadership Team in the ATC Room 118.

 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. - Campus presentation in the ATC Auditorium. All faculty, administration, and staff are invited. The topic is to be determined.

 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. - Board of Trustees interview in the ATC Auditorium.

The board expects to name Ender's replacement on Monday, Nov. 21.

Below are the finalists and the day their visit is scheduled:

 Monday, Nov. 14: Bill Pink, vice president and dean of workforce development at Grand Rapids Community College. Prior to GRCC, he was the vice president of academic affairs at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City. Pink earned his bachelor's degree in education from Oklahoma Christian University, a master's in education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and his Ph.D in curriculum, instruction, and leadership from the University of Oklahoma

 Tuesday, Nov. 15: L. Joy Gates-Black, vice chancellor for academic affairs and student access, at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, TX. Prior to joining Tarrant, she was vice president of student success and enrollment manage at Eastfield College in Dallas, TX. She received an undergraduate certificate and master's degree in education from Cambridge College and earned a doctorate degree in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University.

 Wednesday, Nov 16: Amy Fugate, vice president of academic affairs at Mott Community College in Flint. Fugate came to Mott in 2006 after serving as dean of Humanities and Fine Arts at Kansas City Kansas Community College. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education leadership from the University of Kansas, a master's degree in communication studies from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree in speech communication from Northern Michigan University.

 Thursday, Nov. 17: Christina Royal, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Inver Hills Community College Campus, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Prior to joining Inver Hills in 2013, she was the associate vice president for e-learning and innovation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's in educational psychology from Marist College in New York, and received her doctorate of education and instructional design from Capella University.


In Washington, the White House said it has not received any officials requests from Manila to change cooperation between the two countries.

Chuckling as he spoke, Duterte said that now he was separate from the United States, he would also be dependent on China for a long time.

In his speech, Duterte also called Americans "discourteous people" who are too loud for Asian sensibilities. He said he likes China because it does not go around insulting people.

"America has lost now. I have realigned myself in your ideological flow, and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world, China, Philippines and Russia. It is the only way."

"In this venue, your honors, I announce my separation from the United States, both in military, not maybe social, but economics also," he said, speaking at a business forum late Thursday. His remarks to the crowd of business people and officials triggered a roaring round of applause.

In what could be a serious setback for Washington and its pivot to Asia, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced his country's "separation" from the United States, following high-level talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing.

 Big Win

Duterte has been criticizing the United States for weeks now and hinting that a breakup with Washington was imminent. But his pledge to cut both military and economic ties was the furthest he has gone.

It is not clear how the divorce proposal with the United States will play out at home, where a vast majority of Filipinos have positive views of America and economic and military ties are not insignificant.

Nicholas Thomas, a professor at the City University of Hong Kong said the announcement is a big win for Beijing that will give it an opening to consolidate its position in the region.

"China has had a rotten 12 months and you can probably go back even further than that as well," Thomas said. "But this (the announcement) does give President Xi a significant international victory, and now the question is whether it can be sustained and what is the follow through."

Ties between the Philippines and China hit rock bottom in July when an international court ruled in favor of a case Manila had filed against Beijing and its claims in the South China Sea.

In 2012, China seized Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground that has become a key source of contention between the two countries. The two did not mention the issue in public following meetings on Thursday, but they did reach 13 cooperation agreements, including those for tourism, transportation, infrastructure, and financing.

China has also pledged support for Duterte's controversial and deadly war against drugs that has left more than 2,300 dead. Manila's Treasury Secretary Ramon Lopez said the two countries will sign $13.5 billion in deals before the visit wraps up on Friday.

Duterte came to China with a laundry list of requests, including help with infrastructure and building up of Philippines' railways, but one key issue, fishing rights did not get addressed.

 Milestone Visit

Before traveling to Beijing, Duterte said he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to operate in the Scarborough Shoal area. A top Chinese diplomat said the two would resume long-stalled diplomatic and defense talks, the lack of any resolve could disappoint some at home.

Liu Zhenmin argued that disputes in the South China Sea were not the sum total of relations between the two sides. In addition to lifting restrictions on the import of fruit, Liu said China would also end a travel advisory that discouraged tourists from traveling to the Philippines.

"Everyone can see that the agreements we have signed this time, including cooperation between the two countries' coast guard departments marks the start of the two countries' maritime cooperation," Liu said.

On Thursday, Duterte met with China's Premier Li Keqiang and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Referring to the two as brothers, President Xi said he hoped the "milestone" visit would "fully improve" ties.

"[I] hope [we] can follow the wishes of the people from the standpoint of mutually essential and common interests, and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on friendly footing and improve the relationship in all aspects," Xi said.

For China, with its tightly controlled media and online censorship, dictating the narrative regarding the wishes of the people may be easier. But for the Philippines, and Duterte, that is likely to be an issue that is harder to manage.
Ionia County Motorcycle Crash

Motorcycle involved in an Ionia County crash Thursday, Oct. 20 (Photo courtesy of Ionia County Sheriff's Office)

(Ionia County Sheriff's Office)

IONIA COUNTY, MI - A 45-year-old Lyons man was killed after he went off the road on his motorcycle Thursday, Oct. 20, according to the Ionia County Sheriff's Office.

The man was traveling west on E. Blue Water Highway (M-21), when he drifted off the road to the right and hit the trees.

Police said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released at this time.

The crash remains under investigation.
WALKER, MI -- Custom Profile Inc. says it has bought Bemis Manufacturing Company's plastics profile extrusion business.

Terms of the deal with the Wisconsin-based manufacturer weren't disclosed.

The new operation is why the Walker-based plastic parts maker, at 2535 Waldorf Ct NW, is adding a second location at U.S. 31 and Hall Street. The Michigan company expects to hire 30 new employees for the new 75,000 square-foot facility.

"This acquisition is a perfect fit for both Custom Profile and Bemis Manufacturing Company," Custom Profile CEO John Boeschenstein said in a statement. "Bemis has built an incredibly strong extrusion business which aligns to both our culture and market experience. We are now in the position to provide improved support and expanded capabilities to our customers worldwide."

The new business unit will expand the firm's reach into in the healthcare and automotive sectors.

With the new business, Custom will produce medical burette chambers manufactured in a cleanroom setting using UV and screen printing, precision clips for automotive seats and battery covers and waterproof cable protectors.

The 115-year-old family-owned firm will continue to manufacture those products in its Sheboygan Falls facility until operations transition to Custom's Grand Rapids and Juarez, Mexico factories.

The injection molding company is selling its extrusion business to focus on its private-label products and component parts operation, Boeschenstein said.

Custom is a major manufacturer of plastic profile extruded products primarily for the office furniture, appliance, recreational and RV industry, and point of-purchase markets.

The firm ranks 78th on Plastics News' list of the top 100 Pipe, Profile & Tubing Extruders in the U.S.
After the debate, Clinton called Trump's refusal an effort to "blame someone else for where he is in the campaign." VOA spoke to Donald Trump Jr. after last night's debate in Las Vegas, Nevada where he praised his father's performance, and responded to a question about the candidate's reluctance to commit to accepting the election results, saying "all we want is a fair fight."

"I will look at it at the time," Trump said Wednesday night during the last of three presidential debates with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas, Nevada. He added that he believes the media has "poisoned" the minds of voters against him and that his opponent, Clinton, should never have been allowed to run.

Trump and Democratic contender Hillary Clinton are ramping up for the final stretch of a contentious U.S. presidential campaign season one day after Trump reinforced his narrative that the election process is 'rigged' by refusing to say he would accept the results of the vote.

Trump initially said Thursday he would "totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win," but later clarified his position that he would do so by reserving the right to challenge them.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump indicated Thursday he would conditionally accept the result of the Nov. 8 election. "I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result," Trump told supporters at a campaign event in Delaware, Ohio.

 Post-debate Campaigning

The Clinton campaign has hit the ground running the day after the debate, dispatching a team of influential surrogates to several battleground states. At a campaign rally for Clinton in New Hampshire Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump's allegations that the U.S. election might be "rigged" and fraught with fraud, saying his stance threatens the democratic process.

President Barack Obama will make a campaign appearance Thursday afternoon in Florida, which has 29 electoral votes up for grabs, more than any other battleground state.

First Lady Michelle Obama will attend a campaign rally on Clinton's behalf in the key state of Arizona, while Vice President Joe Biden hopes to extend Clintons narrow lead in New Hampshire with an appearance in the city of Nashua. Clinton running mate Tim Kaine will spend Thursday attending two campaign events in the battleground state of North Carolina.

 Criticism of 'Rigged' Election Allegation

Richard Herrera, an associate professor at Arizona State University's School of Politics and Global Studies, said Trump's statement about the election results is "unprecedented" for a major party nominee and could be a turnoff for voters who are still undecided.

"That's questioning the legitimacy of our own political system, which I don't think people buy into," Herrera told VOA. "They may not like government so much, and trust in government is low at this point, but they don't really question that when they vote it's not going to matter."

Despite Trump's allegations of a rigged election process, instances of election fraud in the U.S. are uncommon. For example, in a comprehensive study conducted by former Loyola Law School Professor Justin Levitt, now a Deputy Assistant Attorney General, 31 cases of voter fraud were found between 2000 and 2014, a period during which more than one billion ballots were cast.

 Russian Espionage

One of the most contentious sections of the debate featured Trump and Clinton sparring over Russia's espionage activities and accusations they are working to help Trump's campaign.

"They have hacked American websites, American accounts of private people, of institutions, then they have given the information to WikiLeaks for the purpose of putting on the internet," Clinton said. "This has come from the highest levels of the Russian government, clearly from [President Vladimir] Putin himself, in an effort, as 17 of our intelligence agencies have confirmed, to influence our election."

Trump said he does not know Putin and reiterated his stance that better U.S.-Russian relations would be beneficial to the U.S. He added that Putin has "no respect" for Clinton or President Barack Obama.

Herrera said there is a long history of Americans being wary of Russia and that there remains an uncomfortable feeling about being too friendly with the Russians. He said Trump is not likely to gain support by saying the source of the hacks remains unknown and suggesting such cyber-attacks against Clinton would be a good thing.

"For voters for whom that matters, our relationship with Russia as well as Russian influences, they would not gravitate toward his views," Herrera said.

Shirley Warshaw, a professor of political science at Gettysburg College, said Clinton has been annoyed by the hacking of Democratic National Committee e-mails and those from her own campaign, and that if Republicans had instead been the victims "they would be beside themselves."

"The United States government has said very clearly that this was done by a foreign power, particularly the Russians, and Mr. Trump denied it," she told VOA.

Warshaw also said there was nothing new in terms of policy in this debate, which meant it did not change anyone's mind. "This is campaign rhetoric that they've both been out on the campaign trail saying it over and over again, and essentially what both of them had was the same stump speech that they've been giving day in and day out," she said. "If you took each of them off the debate they could easily have been giving a speech somewhere."
Police in southern Korea have arrested a suspect in the murder of three Koreans in the Philippines, in a fresh twist to a grisly saga first linked to a spate of vigilante killings.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Thursday said the suspect, surnamed Kim, was arrested in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

Earlier this month, the bodies of a Korean woman and two men were found in a sugar cane field in Bacolor, a town of around 30,000 people north of Manila.

They had gunshot wounds to their heads and their hands and legs were bound with duct tape, a hallmark of thousands of extrajudicial killings that have convulsed the Philippines in recent months.

Police said Kim lived in the Philippines when the murders took place and had been close to the victims. He returned to Korea on Oct. 13, a day after the murders.

Police are also searching for another Korean man in his 30s surnamed Park, who was also close to the victims and is believed to be still in the Philippines.

Kim and Park have been business associates for many years, police said.

The three victims had been under investigation on charges of defrauding investors of W14.8 billion in a boiler room scam in Korea (US$1=W1,128). They fled the country when they found out that they were wanted by police.

"The three victims and the suspects did not know each other in Korea but appear to have met in the Philippines," a police spokesman said. "We have reason to believe that the two suspects committed the crime to get their hands on the victims' money."


Lee must now file for divorce again in the Seoul Family Court. Lee (46) filed for divorce in Suwon in October 2014, and the local court granted the request because the couple effectively separated in 2007. But her estranged husband Im Woo-jae (47) appealed the ruling earlier this year.

The Suwon District Court on Thursday voided the divorce of Samsung heiress Lee Boo-jin because it had no jurisdiction to rule in the matter.

According to law, the jurisdiction for a divorce lies with a court where they lived together if one of them still occupies the home.

The Suwon court did not elaborate, but Im's lawyer said the judge acknowledged the law concerning jurisdiction. But Lee's attorney said the ruling is "extremely regrettable" and said his client may consider an appeal.

The acrimonious proceedings began in October 2014. Im refused to divorce Lee claiming he wanted to "protect his marriage" even though he had moved out of the marital home seven years earlier.

He lost but refused to claim a share of the couple's W1.2 trillion fortune until June this year, just before new rules on asset division cases came into force (US$1=W1,128).


business RBI may heed banks' request for tweaking S4A guidelines CNBC-TV18 learns from sources that RBI could be mulling a few tweaks to the S4A of Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets. Banks have requested the regulator to consider their plea for a more watered-down version of the scheme which splits a loan into sustainable and unsustainable parts.
business Health Canada may lift export ban on DRL's Andhra plant: Srcs Canadian drug regulator Health Canada may soon allow Dr Reddy's Labs to reinstate exports from its Srikakulam facility, according to people privy to the development, reports CNBC-TV18's Ekta Batra. The move may also mean a go-ahead from US FDA as well for exports from the Andhra Pradesh facility.
you are here:
North Korea and China have been engaged in massive illicit offshore trading near their sea border to avoid international monitoring, a source said Thursday.

The source in China said dozens of Chinese ships have converged off the coast of Cholsan, North Pyongan every day to trade goods away from prying eyes at the land border. They trade not only food, construction materials, agricultural goods and daily necessities but also coal and iron ore, according to the source.

Chinese authorities have pledged to obey sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council in April, "but have yet to crack down on the offshore trade," the source added.

The smuggling operations have apparently allowed the North to raise enough money to pass out gifts ahead of the Workers Party anniversary celebrations in May.

A government source here confirmed the story. "We are receiving accounts of coastal trade being conducted between North Korea and China dealing in food, minerals and daily necessities. The amount is quite significant, especially from fisheries products."

The source said the offshore trade is not recorded in Chinese customs data. Trade between China and North Korea officially amounted to US$5.5 billion last year, but an intelligence source here said the illicit trade is estimated at another $2.2 billion.

Choe Kyong-hee at Hanyang University, a North Korean defector, said, "China may appear to be strengthening sanctions against trade with North Korea, as seen in the crackdown on Hongxiang Industrial Development Co., but illicit trade between the two countries will continue."

Meanwhile, North Korea has apparently increased exports of fisheries products to China and Russia in spite of the sanctions.

Voice of America on Wednesday cited Chinese customs data that put North Korea's exports of fisheries products to China in the first eight months of this year at around $110 million, up 70 percent on-year. Unlike coal and iron ore, there have been no moves by the international community to sanction North Korea's exports of fisheries products.


The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
North Korea botched the launch of another mid-range missile on Thursday morning, five days after the last one blew up shortly after lift-off.

The launch came around 7 a.m. Thursday, shortly after the foreign and defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. met in Washington to discuss a response to the nuclear and missile threats from the North.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff here said the North fired the missile from an air base in North Pyognan Province but it fizzled shortly afterwards. Seoul and Washington believe that it was a missile they insist on calling "Musudan" after its original launch pad, though the official North Korean name is Hwasong-10.

It was the eighth failure of a Musudan launch since April, though one launched June 22 completed a steep trajectory of over 1,000 km. "It seems that the North pressed ahead with the launch in a bid to show its resistance to international pressure," a military source here said.

On Saturday, the missile was also launched from an inland area rather than the east coast. "We expect that the North will keep attempting to launch missiles until it succeeds as it did in June," the source added.

The JCS again dragged its heels announcing the launch, letting the U.S. steal a march on the announcement, though it did not wait 19 hours as it did last time.

"South Korea's Aegis ships or Green Pine radar can detect North Korean missiles only after they come up above a certain altitude due to the curved surface of the earth. They failed to detect the launch probably because the missile exploded below the altitude," another source said. "We have to rely on information from the U.S.' early warning satellite system for North Korean missiles shortly after they are fired."


October 21, 2016 Assad Says The "Boy In The Ambulance" Is Fake - This Proves It From an interview with the Syrian President Bashar Assad by the Swiss SRF 1 TV Channel published October 19 2016: Journalist: This young boy has become the symbol of the war. I think that you know this picture. President Assad: Of course I saw it. Journalist: His name is Omran. Five years old. President Assad: Yeah. Journalist: Covered with blood, scared, traumatized. Is there anything you would like to say to Omran and his family? President Assad: Theres something I would like to say to you first of all, because I want you to go back after my interview, and go to the internet to see the same picture of the same child, with his sister, both were rescued by what they call them in the West White Helmets which is a facelift of al-Nusra in Aleppo. They were rescued twice, each one in a different incident, and just as part of the publicity of those White Helmets. None of these incidents were true. You can have it manipulated, and it is manipulated. Im going to send you those two pictures, and they are on the internet, just to see that this is a forged picture, not a real one. We have real pictures of children being harmed, but this one in specific is a forged one. Assad was half wrong. The picture, printed on page 1 of newspapers all over the "western" world, was not "forged". It is a real picture from a White Helmet "rescue" video distributed by the Aleppo Media Center (AMC) (which is funded by the French French Ministry of Foreign Affairs). But the scene was carefully staged and we immediately recognized it as staged when it appeared. It was staged like many other "rescue" scenes with "kids saved" by the U.S./UK/D/J/NL financed White Helmets and their associated media. Look for yourself, trust your eyes. The "boy in an ambulance" scene features two identifiable kids. Omran and his sister. Below are pictures of what we believe are the same kids in different scenes. Here is the girl at another occasion. We will call this scene 1:

bigger The Houston Chronicle reported about this scene and the picture carries this caption: An 8-year-old girl named Aya calls out for her father after an airstrike in Syrian on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. Another picture from the same Chronicle spread:

bigger This combined one is captioned: Left: 8-year-old Aya in her everyday life in Syria. Right: 8-year-old Aya after an airstrike in Syria. Notice the age as well as the girl's favorite colors - light turquoise and pink. Compared to the left picture the hair on the right looks powdered and artificially teased. While there is trickle of "blood" on her face and on her dress no wound is visible. The Chronicle story is sourced to CNN which includes a short (staged) video and adds: The video and images were posted online by a pro-opposition activist group, Talbiseh Media Center. It shows an 8-year-old girl in a medical facility, her hair and body covered with dust. There's blood tricking down her forehead, her nose. She looks confused and scared and keeps calling out for her father.

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Aya was pulled from under rubble along with her family members when an airstrike hit their home in Talbiseh on Monday. Talbiseh, a large town in northwestern Syria, is about 10 kilometers north of Homs. A screenshot detail from the video: The "blood" looks remarkably glossy, unlike natural blood which dries and looks dull pretty fast. The uni-color shirt the girl wears has no arms. Now the same girl in a different "rescue" scene. We will call this scene 2.

bigger The truck in the background has a "White Helmets" logo on the door. A detail of the above picture. It is the same girl as in scene 1. The hair again seems powdered and teased: Notice: Same habitus, same appearance, same wild hair as in scene 1; no visible wounds; turquoise shirt but with short arms; jeans with glitter Here is the girl at scene 2 in an ambulance:

bigger Same shirt and pants as above, no wounds, no pain and not attended to by anybody. Compare this with the video capture of scene 1 the Chronicle and CNN reported on. We strongly believe it is the same girl. Now what seems to be a different take of scene 2. A "White Helmet" carries the girl and a boy. Notice the same clothing as in the other scene 2 pics above. The pic as well as some of the above from scene 2 was running in the Daily Mail on August 27. The incident is claimed to be the aftermath of a "barrel bombing" in the Bab al-Nairab neighborhood in east-Aleppo.

bigger Why would two different men carry and "rescue" the girl. She, like the boy, looks fine - same cloth as above, no wounds, no damage to the extremities, no crying - just curiosity. A detail of the faces in that picture: A detail of the boy's face: Now to the "boy in an ambulance" scene. The boy and the reportedly 8-year old girl on August 17 in the Qaterji neighborhood in east Aleppo introduced as "Omran Daqneesh and his sister." (pic source):

bigger The just "rescued" kids sit quietly but completely unattended to in a brand-new 100,000 ambulance. No shock therapy was initiated, no Trendelberg position or at least laying down flat. No one talks to them despite half a dozen photographers being around them. Details of the kids - here the boy has the powdered and teased "wild hair" look. Are these the same kids as in scene 2 above? President Assad believes they are. We agree. We also believe that all three scenes above are staged. The girl is the same in all three scenes. Her younger brother appears in scene 2 and 3. The White Helmets apparently "rescued" the girl in three different incidents on or about August 17, August 27 and October 10 in three different locations. Isn't that a remarkably elysian miracle? Or is it all part of the serial production of elaborately staged anti-Syrian propaganda? Delivered by a marketing organization (vid) funded by "western" governments and various similar financed opposition "media organizations". Trust your eyes. Posted by b on October 21, 2016 at 18:07 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
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Photographer Susan Dillon has traveled the world and won an award for a photograph shed hoped shed snapped at just the right moment, Yangtze Boatman. Dillon was on a trip to China and says it was one of the most difficult shots shes takena boatman waiting for his turn to guide a tourist longboat in a stream off the Yangtze River.

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Dillon says the longboats carried about 16 people and were guided by two standing boatmen with paddles at the stern. The boats could only turn around at the top of the stream by men pulling ropes on land.

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I had spotted this boatman on the dock awaiting his turn to paddle a boat while watching us, says Dillon. He was dressed in a flimsy blue uniform and handmade sandals. In the seconds it took me to climb into the boat, I grabbed this shot, never expecting to get it, but hoping.

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The resting boatman was looking at her, and so the photo is more of a portraitone that took a blue ribbon at a contest in Mountain View.

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Dillon, a Morgan Hill resident for 31 years, says she had to work up to the point of getting her work shown. I recall asking a 26-year-old kid named Maurizio [Cutrignelli] to hang my very first show at his restaurants old location. In 1991, Dillon helped found Gallery Morgan Hill, but it later dissolved in 2007. She is currently the treasurer of the Valle del Sur Art Guild, which helps artists place their work in restaurants, community centers and other locations. Dillon will present a new exhibition at Maurizios Restaurant, now through Dec. 2., at its current location on First Street off Monterey in Morgan Hillincluding photographs from Italy.

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My business grew slowly, she says. As part of her long history as a working artist in the area, Dillon has been selling note cards featuring local landmarks and coast scenes at BookSmart in Morgan Hill since the late 1980s. However, she never took portraits, shooting only one wedding before deciding that kind of photography wasnt for her.

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I entered lots of art shows and competitions. Then I stopped doing that because I was happy with my work, and I didnt feel the need to have it judged anymore. In the mid 90s, one of her photos was on the cover of the program for the Gilroy Garlic Festivala wine glass with gold streamers coming out of it.

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While Dillon does photograph local sites, most of her images come from her extensive national and international travels. The Old World has a look I find interesting, she says. In recent months, Dillon has shown some of her Old World Western European work at Morgan Hills Centennial Recreation Center, and a Southwest exhibit of works shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at Sinaloa Restaurantalso in conjunction with Valle del Sur.

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In 2015, Dillon starting printing her photos on canvas. I like doing old buildings and stairways because of the texture and composition, she says.

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As an artist, Dillon says shes always striving to do better. There is no one photograph I consider a complete failure, because I am always learning and hopefully improving from my mistakes.

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Dillon says she always wanted to be an artist. In her youth, she loved to draw and took painting lessons, but she took a more practical route out of school and worked as a medical technologist for five years.

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She got her inspiration in photography from her sister, who had been in Japan teaching at schools for the Department of Defense and came back with a camera. When her sister started taking pictures of Dillons children, Dillon thought, I can do that. That was 40 years ago.

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After buying her own camera, Dillons children quickly tired of being the subjects of her photography habit, so she began to expand her education on the subject. She took classes and met friends from Carmel with whom she went to Vermont for a conference.

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She found great inspiration from Imogene Cunningham, studying her work deeply. Dorothea Langes famous Dust Bowl imagesparticularly the desperate expressions on the childrens facesserved as another muse for Dillons work. Dillon was also drawn to a painter, John Register, who had a show in the San Jose Museum of simple subjects in paintings, people looking alone.

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Dillon says she has always been drawn to simple composition. But beyond that, theres a feeling of isolation or loss in these artists work that also exists in Dillons. In Amused, Dillons clown is not engaged with patrons, but lost in a reverie while seated by an archway in Germany. Likewise, in Dillons Holy Ladies? the subject is a group of beggars in Florence, Italy, who dress like nuns in whitefacehoping to gain more attention and sympathy from the crowds.

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As Dillon walked through the crowded streets, shes looked for what was drawing everyones interest, intending to get the best shot without drawing the her subjects attention.

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Such effort is evident in her award-winning photo of the Yangtze Boatman. Dillon says she was caught in the act of shooting a photoshe didnt realize it until she arrived home from her trip. One may have trouble finding her work anywhere online. Im not very good at marketing, she admits, adding that shes working on a new website.

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When shes not photographing people, Dillon says, Instead of the big picture, I like more angles and lines. My design is more simple, but I need a focal point with angles. A boat on a beach in Ireland, Water Weary, captures this essence. Another piece, Lismore Castle, Ireland, shows a castle taken through a window, providing more angles. There are lots of photos of doors and windows. Its like trying to find something artistic within it; like the corner of it or the doorknob. I also did this at the Mission in San Juan Bautista.

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She continues: Men love to be photographers because they love all equipment. Lots of lenses. But Dillon works with only two lenses. To me, its what you see and what you capture. Its not about the equipment.

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Dillon photographs with either a 18-55mm or 55-200mm zoom lens. When its sunny, she uses a polarizer, which deepens the intensity of the color. Its like putting sunglasses on your camera, she says. I sometimes do a little bit of Photoshop on my computer, but only to keep it natural looking. Sometimes I do nothing. Sometimes just to brighten color a bit.

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Dillon says her eyes are her best tool, being awareseeing. Besides my tripod, I have been happy with two lenses most of the time. I shoot mostly in the early morning and late in the day for the best light.

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Among the places shes been, Dillon says China was amazing.

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Hidden from the world for centuries by the Great Wall, it has preserved its history and architecture in the Forbidden City as well as other historic places, she says. The water city, Suzhou, reminds one of Venice on a small scale. Xian has the terra-cotta warriors. The country has so many beautiful and unique subjects and ancient ruins, all wonderful photo ops. It can be overwhelming!

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But there are still places Dillon still longs to capture.

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Cuba is said to be like going back in time, she says. The diverse architecture of Havana and its Colonial, Spanish and Moorish influences offer much in the way of design and texture, which I love. I feel Cuba would be a fascinating place to visit as well as an opportunity for me as a photographer.

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It took Dillon a long time to get used to a digital camera after she switched. I was afraid of taking too many pictures and using up all the film, she says. She had to retrain herself.

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To capture an image, Dillon doesnt alter or move anything; she physically moves herself around the subject. You dont set up the shot, she says. The shot is there, and you try to find it. She finds ways to be creative in her choice of angle or subject. For instance, she did an entire show based on a bicycle theme from multiple locations.

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Dillons a bit of a wordsmith, too, as seen with her bicycle pieces. I try to be clever in titles, she says, such as the old-fashioned, rusty bicycle with a basket of flowers called FTD. Another in the bicycle series, Basket Case, has a tilted blue basket thats nearly falling off. A photo of a bicycle with flat tires, parked against the front of a home in Ireland, is called Flats.

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Over the years, Dillon says shes simplified her approach to composition even more than her influences have. I think Ive realized that the whole picture isnt as interesting as part of it. Thats why Im not a landscaper. Its hard, she explains. We were in Denali National Park, Alaska. You cant capture the feeling of the hugeness of the feeling of being there. She looks forward to seeing her photos of Alaska. But with a recent trip to Portland and Victoria, she hasnt yet had time to take a good look at what a small fraction of an ancient glacier may look like from the other side of her lens.

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Susan Dillons work will be on display as part of Valle del Surs Art About Town series. Catch her photography now through Dec. 2 at Maurizios Restaurant, at 25 E Main Street, Morgan Hill.


If you listen to any rock radio station in the universe, what you hear is a descendent of Phil Chess. He died this week at his home in Tuscon, Arizona, at the age of 95. For all of the changes of format and sound that rock music has undergone through the years, none of it would have ever existed or, at the least, been the same were it not for Chess.

When the history of American music is documented, most recognize the roots in the blues, but too often they dont dig too deeply into that part of the history. If American blues music is the cradle of rock music civilization, then Phil and Leonard Chess are like Moses.

Two boys, Fisjel and Leszor Cysz, came to Chicago in the late 1920s with their father. As Jewish Polish immigrants, they understood full well what it meant to exist in the margins of their society. The family changed their name to Chess and boys became Phil and Leonard. Their family ran a junk yard in the predominantly black South Side of Chicago. Eventually, the brothers would sell the junkyard in order to open a music club, the Macomba Lounge. For blues and rock music, that may have been the most important small business investment ever. From the Macomba, Aristocrat records would be born and then the name changed in 1950 to Chess Records with its studio at 2120 S. Michigan Ave.

Chess Records became the primary dispenser of the blues legends like Etta James, Howlin Wolf, Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters to the masses in 1950s America and England. Called race records in those days, the electric blues born on the South Side and shared by the Chess brothers laid the foundation for the rock musicians, even the ones out of Memphis. Before Chess Records, blues music was segregated to the juke joints and occasional acetate recordings, but seldom if ever widely distributed. Their records may have been the single most important development leading to the emergence of Sun Records, the British Invasion (the Rolling Stones named an instrumental 2120 South Michigan Avenue in homage to the impact Chess Records made on them), and the psychedelic electric rock sounds of the 1960s.

Chess Records was the bridge to early rock music with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. If someone wanted to truly understand the birth of rock 'n roll, theyd go back farther than Sun Records in Memphis to Chess Records. As Muddy Waters once famously put it, The blues had a baby and they named it rock 'n roll.

As Jewish Polish immigrants, the Chess brothers must have heard something in the blues that made sense to their experience. In an era when the mainstream media seems incapable of perceiving any kind of nuances in social relations and conflicts, it is more than worth noting that the plight of immigrants in the 1930s and '40s likely wasnt all that different from the treatment of blacks. Race was one form of prejudice and irrational fear, but class, religion and ethnic background were other forms. Rock music as we know it was born from the margins  most prominently through two immigrant brothers who distributed records widely disregarded as a novelty.

The loss of Phil Chess is a reminder that the music we celebrate today has a deep history. Without Chess, there would be no Beyonce, Pearl Jam, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, Imagine Dragons or Justin Timberlake. Every now and again, its good to remember these things dont just happen.

Jonathan Henley is the host of Road Signs radio show, which airs Sunday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight on 1065 The End. Contact Henley via email at roadsigns@1065.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roadsignsradio. Read past columns and join his blog at www.1065.com/onair/road-signs-51152/.
A couple of months ago, I had a nasty chore that I have to perform every so often. I had misquoted what a politician said in 1992, and a co-worker noticed the discrepancy. I wrote a correction, which my employer, the Chicago Tribune, promptly published.

Does making a mistake like that cause me pain? Well, yes, sort of like the pain I'd get from being bitten by a wolverine and then dousing the wound with Tabasco. But sometimes mistakes happen, and when they do, the Tribune makes a point of letting our readers know.

It's not hard to get a correction when a reputable newspaper gets something wrong. Wednesday's edition of The New York Times included 13. The Wall Street Journal had four. The Tribune had none, but it prominently featured a phone number and an email address, inviting readers to report errors.

Donald Trump tells voters the news media do not provide honest information. "They will attack you. They will slander you. They will seek to destroy your career and your family," he insists. "They will lie, lie, lie, and then again they will do worse than that."

Funny thing. As an opinion columnist, I've written dozens of columns disputing, contradicting, rebutting and even ridiculing him. I've met him and his campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, and emailed with her.

Yet neither of them nor anyone else associated with his campaign has ever asked for a correction of anything I've written. If I'm one of the journalists lying about him, why don't they point out my false claims and force the newspapers that publish my columns to set the record straight?

Maybe they've been too busy meeting with his attorneys about the lawsuits he's planning. After The New York Times ran a story about two women who said he had sexually assaulted them, Trump threatened to sue for libel. His wife, Melania, threatened to sue People magazine after one of the alleged victims, a People writer, recalled a chat with her on the street.

Neither lawsuit will ever come to pass. If he were to sue the Times, Trump would have to undergo interrogation about these and other accusations. His ex-wives and girlfriends could be deposed. So could his children, his friends, his enemies and his employees, past and present.

From those depositions, the Times' lawyers might learn a lot of things that Trump would rather they didn't. In spite of all his bluster, Reuters reports, he hasn't sued a newspaper for libel since 1984  when he took the Chicago Tribune and its architecture critic to court for disparaging a skyscraper he had proposed. Trump lost and apparently learned a lesson.

It's harder for a public figure to win a libel suit than it is for a private individual, because the legal requirements are different. But even a famous person has only to prove that the newspaper published a false story that harmed his or her reputation and knew or should have known the story was false. (Melania Trump would have no chance suing People, because the offending passage, true or not, wasn't damaging.) Such lawsuits rarely get filed  and even more rarely succeed  because news organizations hardly ever do what the defamation laws punish.

Trump's fulminations against the coverage of his campaign are equally hollow. He doesn't ask for corrections because, as a rule, there is nothing to correct.

Newspapers routinely acknowledge when they get facts wrong, because their credibility is all they have. Trump doesn't admit or retract falsehoods, because his falsehoods are deliberate.

PolitiFact has documented that 53 percent of his statements are entirely false and only 4 percent are entirely true. (For Hillary Clinton, the figures are 12 percent entirely false and 24 percent entirely true.)

He thinks the news media are biased against him. What they are really biased against is his flagrant, incessant lying about matters large and small.

Clinton has told her share of lies  which the news media have exposed. The difference is that her misstatements are limited in number and scope, while he emits a never-ending torrent of outlandish fictions, which he goes on repeating long after each one has been exposed. His approach is a repudiation of the very idea that factual reality matters, which happens to be a sacred tenet of honest journalism.

Trump spouts brazen misinformation every time he opens his mouth, and he resents being called on it. But when he makes war on the truth, he shouldn't be surprised to find the news media mounting a defense.

Steve Chapman blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chapman. Follow him on Twitter @SteveChapman13 or at www.facebook.com/stevechapman13. To find out more about Steve Chapman, visit www.creators.com.
They are sentenced to a year and a half in jail and must serve the time alongside ordinary criminals.

Some 6,088 young men chose prison rather than mandatory military service over the decade from 2006 to 2015, over 99 percent on religious grounds, according to Defense Ministry data Thursday. That boils down to 600 a year, or just 0.24 percent of all 250,000 annual conscripts.

Hopes are fading for an alternative to Korea's mandatory military service after decades of calls from pacifists and religious groups to spare conscientious objectors the martial ordeal.

Successively more conservative administrations over the last decade have scotched several attempts in the National Assembly to legislate an alternative social service, saying the move is at odds with "public sentiment."

The last administration to consider the move was President Ro Moo-hyun's in 2007, but it never got round to completing it.

Korea is in a unique situation among rich industrialized nations in forcing all young men regardless of their convictions to complete military service.

West Germany introduced alternative service at the height of the Cold War in 1960, with communist East Germany at its doorstep, and even Taiwan permitted alternative service for conscientious objectors on religious grounds in 2000 despite China's continuing claims on the island.

But opponents say that South Korea is uniquely placed because it remains officially at war with North Korea, and there is insufficient public support for an alternative.

In data submitted to the National Assembly early this month, the Defense Ministry said alternative service "can be abused" as a way to evade military service, and there is "not enough consensus" seeing it as anything other than a privilege for followers of "certain religions."


The foreign and defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. met in Washington on Wednesday and agreed to create an "extended deterrence strategy and consultation group" to deal with the nuclear menace from North.

The aim of the group is to show Pyongyang that Washington's resolve to deal firmly with provocations is not just short-lived, as brief visits to the South by U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and strategic bombers might suggest, but that it is in it for the long haul -- hence presumably the word "extended."

That is no doubt a noble ambition, but this is not the first time that Seoul and Washington have set up working groups and joint committees of one kind or another. They created a similar body in 2010 following the Norths second nuclear test in 2009, expanding it after the third nuclear test in 2015.

But while the consultative committee consulted, North Korea conducted two more nuclear tests and fired countless numbers of ever-improving missiles. Skeptics would be right to ask how a consultative group will be able to thwart a North Korean nuclear or missile attack.

What South Koreans are afraid of in the current inward-looking political climate in America is that the U.S. will not be able to step up to the plate in an emergency if that would put American lives in danger. Unless South Koreans can be fully confident that the U.S. nuclear umbrella will function without fail when the South is attacked by the North, no consultative body will be enough to ease jitters here.


When stock markets are falling I can quite understand that privately-owned companies and their advisers are nervous about launching an IPO. I do not understand why getting shares away in a buoyant market is so difficult. The implication is that either there is something wrong with the company or the proposed flotation price is simply unrealistic.

Yet complaints about the state of the market have resurfaced of late on the London Stock Exchange despite the surge in share prices since the initial drop following the Brexit vote.

Waste management group Biffa (BIFF) went ahead with its IPO this week but at 180p a share, well below its 220p-270p target range. Biffa announced plans to float a month ago when the FTSE 100 was around 6,800 points. By close of play last Friday, just before Biffa went ahead, the index was at 7,000. The FTSE 250 was just under 18,000 points, about the same as a month earlier.

Biffa did at least make it to market, although it needed its three private equity owners, who were looking for an exit from their investments, to buy extra shares to fill a hole. Fitness chain Pure Gym, vehicle parts manufacturer TI Fluid Systems and doughnut maker Krispy Kreme UK gave up on the idea. Software services company Misys is, like Biffa, a better know name but, also like Biffa, it has been forced to slash the amount it hopes to raise.

So what exactly is supposed to have gone wrong with the market? It has admittedly been turbulent, but no more so than it was earlier in the year, well before the referendum, when 100 point movements in the FTSE 100 were commonplace.

I have not bought shares in a flotation since British Gas  now Centrica (CNA), which was back when we had our first female prime minister. Now Im beginning to remember why I find them too uncertain.

Some Hints on Chintz

A delegate reader at the London Investor Show, Malcolm Ransome, approached me and asked my opinion on furnishings and clothing group Laura Ashley (ALY), a company I had not looked at for quite some time.

Nothing in what follows can take away from my admiration for the Malaysian interests that rescued Ashley when it was at rock bottom. It is a miracle that the chain has not only survived but has been profitable for several years. However, such admiration comes nowhere near to persuading me to invest.

Although the main shareholder, MUI, has 35% of the shares, other companies where chairman Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Peng has an interest take the total to 60%. I do not invest in companies that are majority controlled because often minority shareholders have little say.

I might be persuaded otherwise if the figures were compelling but they are not. The most recent results covered 74 weeks to the end of June. Sales held up well even after allowing for the fact that comparisons were with a 53-week period. Profits, however, were little changed, which was effectively a large fall since they were spread over a longer period.

The dividend was raised from 2p to 2.5p, but that was also effectively a decrease and the dividend has been barely covered for the past five years. The shares were 35p in May last year but have slid to around 20p now, which means the yield is about 10% based on an annual dividend of 2p while eps is in single figures. That reflects the degree of risk.

I have bought stuff from the Bromley store and been happy with it and with the staff there. I wish I could be kinder about the shares. The best I can say is that they are a high-risk investment.

Rodney Hobson is a long-term investor commenting on his own portfolio; his comments are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice.
The number of single households nationwide reached 5.2 million last year, making them the biggest group of any households ahead of couples and the nuclear family.

Last year some 206,000 people bought plane tickets or tours for one person from Korea's biggest travel agency Hana Tour last year, up nearly five-fold from 2011. At online travel agency Interpark Tour, the number of people who bought single airline tickets or tours increased an average of 54 percent annually from 2013 to 2015.

More and more Koreans are happy to travel the world on their own as traditional collective values erode.

Online shopping site G9 polled 966 users in July and found that 58 percent have traveled alone. Some 47 percent of respondents in their 20s and 30s said they wanted some time to themselves, and 42 percent of people in their 40s and over said traveling alone is more comfortable.

Japan was the most popular destination for single travelers, followed by Thailand, Hong Kong, Western Europe and the Philippines.

"As airline tickets to cities like Tokyo and Osaka are relatively cheap and they are good places for shopping and food, it's convenient to go there on your own," a Hana Tour staffer said.

Low-cost carrier Jin Air is offering solo travelers discounts on tickets for international flights to eight cities including Hong Kong, Osaka, Taiwan and Cebu to sell leftover seats.

But singles also holiday Korea on their own. "The change from traveling in groups to traveling independently and then to traveling alone is a global trend," said Prof. Lee Ki-jong at Kyunghee University. "And now that solo travel is becoming the norm, a lot of people no longer feel awkward about traveling alone."
Lenders pass the higher cost of funds onto consumers in the form of higher mortgage rates. Under this scenario, mortgage interest rates could rise up to the full amount of 30 to 40 basis points.

Lenders absorb the higher cost of funds due to competition.

Lenders become more stringent on approval guidelines in order to continue to take advantage of the cost savings offered by portfolio insurance. As such, borrowers could potentially be held to a maximum amortization period of 25 years.

One of Canadas largest banks has opined on the impact the portfolio insurance changes will have on mortgage rates.Starting November 30, lenders will only be allowed to purchase portfolio insurance for loans that cost less than $1 million, are owner occupied, have an amortization period no longer than 25 years, among other stipulations.This could mean higher mortgage rates, according to TD Bank, which laid out three scenarios that could come to pass as a result of the rule change in its latest report, entitled New Mortgage Rules to Reinforce Soft Landing in Canadian Housing.Portfolio insurance helps lenders reduce the cost of raising capital and all monoline lenders utilize it to compete with the big banks.And portfolio insurance is becoming more ubiquitous.Portfolio insurance accounted for 20% of all new mortgage insurance put in force with CMHC in the first half of 2015, but accounted for 40% during the second quarter of this year, TD Bank said. In particular, the increased use of portfolio insurance has helped alternative lenders offer competitive pricing on mortgages.
In its Wednesday (October 19) statements, Canadas central bank warned that the national economy will experience slight declines in output amid new federal mortgage rules, which are projected to dampen home sales numbers.The Bank of Canadas report revealed lower growth forecasts for this year and the next due in large part to slower near-term housing resale activity, even as it maintained its key policy rate of 0.5 per cent. The BoC adjusted its forecasts to 1.1 per cent in 2016 and 2 per cent in 2017, downward from 1.3 per cent and 2.2 per cent, respectively.In its Monetary Policy Report, the central bank predicted a major shift in the home building industry as developers might set their sights on constructing smaller homes, BNN reported.The BoC also forecast a 0.3 per cent decline in real GDP by the end of 2018 as a result of the regulatory changes, with the economy getting back in shape only by the middle of that year.Speaking to members of the press, Governor Stephen Poloz said that the BoC governing council raised the possibility of increasing monetary stimulus in order to speed up the return of the economy to full capacity.However, we identified a number of significant uncertainties... Importantly, the governments actions to mitigate risks in the mortgage market were not seen as an impediment to easier monetary policy.
The City of Isle of Palms moved to have an emergency berm built in front of properties threatened by erosion in Wild Dunes and along Ocean Boulevard following Hurricane Matthew.
Spooky sites Fall is the season of holiday spectacle in Moorpark. In December, of course, Pinedale Road transforms into Candy Cane Lane and dazzles visitors with Santa splendor. But for those who...

Local hula group inspires global connections When the pandemic ushered everyone indoors, Moorpark resident and longtime dancer Lisa Rauschenberger decided to get people back outsidesocially distanced, of course. She began to hold weekly hula lessons at...

Teens face high stakes in the Oval Office A press room befitting Americas commander in chief was set up inside the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. Journalists and others gathered inside. Ladies and gentlemen, I need you all...
The Department of Justice is planning to sue Moodys over the ratings it gave mortgage-backed securities in the time leading up to the 2008 financial meltdown, according to USA Today.



The ratings agencys shares dropped nearly 4.4% to $103.35 in morning trading after it disclosed the information.



According to USA Today, DOJ prosecutors wrote to Moodys that a civil complaint would be filed against the ratings company and its Moodys Investors Service unit. The Justice Department is alleging that the company committed federal violations when assigning ratings to residential mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations.



Shoddy ratings of mortgage bonds and CDOs played a part in the 2008 meltdown. It has been alleged that Moodys and other agencies habitually inflated ratings in order to win more ratings contracts  essentially giving passing grades to failing bonds.



Moodys isnt the only ratings agency thats been under Justices crosshairs. In 2013, Standard and Poors was sued by the DOJ. In 2015, S&P agreed to pay nearly $1.9 billion to the DOJ, 19 states and the District of Columbia, according to USA Today.


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Multiple law enforcement agencies made a large bust Wednesday that included more than 700 12-packs of Dos Equis beer, a marijuana plant and numerous firearms, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Brothers Byron Arana, 32, and Wilmar Arana, 29, were arrested Wednesday and charged with a Class A misdemeanor of selling alcohol without a license, which is a TABC violation.

The Austin Police Department, along with the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, seized more than $100,000 in U.S. currency, 20 various firearms, a large marijuana plant and  most interestingly  719 12-packs of Dos Equis beer.

RELATED: 4 children hospitalized after SUV falls from I-10 into S.A. River

The seizure happened after APDs SWAT Team fulfilled a search warrant for a location in the 300 block of Old San Antonio Road in Dale, about 38 miles south of Austin.

APD started investigating this case after $90,000 worth of alcoholic beverages were reportedly stolen in September from the Capital Distributing Company in September.

APD Sgt. Maurice Forshee said in an interview with mySA.com that he had never seen this large of a quantity of alcohol stolen before.

"It's unusual to see that much alcohol stolen and then recovered," Forshee said.

RELATED: 27-year-old woman guilty of using Backpage.com to pimp 14-year-old girl

He said he believes the thefts occurred over a period of a couple weeks. He also expects there to be more arrests in this case.

"This is just the beginning of this investigation," Forshee said.

The two suspects arrested face other pending charges stemming from the weapons recovery and the theft of the beer.

The Bastrop County Animal Cruelty Unit was also called out to the scene to take care of animals that were found on the property, Forshee said.

RELATED: Unsolved, brutal murder of S.A. restaurant manager in walk-in cooler now in DPS crosshairs

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Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office View Photos

Jamestown, CA  Firefighters arrived on the scene to find flames shooting out of the front of a mobile home in Jamestown.

The fire was called in just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night in the 17000 block of Woods Way near Rolling Hills Boulevard in the Rolling Hills area.

Tuolumne County Sheriffs officials indicate that a resident was able to get out of the home safely and was standing outside when fire crews pulled up. However, two dogs were trapped inside the home. Firefighters were able to rescue one but unfortunately the other pet perished in the blaze.

Sheriffs officials report the flames did not spread to any other structures or nearby vegetation and no evacuations were needed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Florida voters will decide on four state constitutional amendments in November.

Amendment 1 deals with the future of solar energy in Florida. Amendment 2 will legalize medical marijuana.

Amendments 3 and 5 are related to property taxes. Here is what they mean.

Amendment 3 provides property tax relief to first responders disabled in line of duty

Amendment 5 fixes previous amendment providing special tax exemption for some seniors



FLORIDA DECIDES COVERAGE: Latest headlines | How to vote in Florida

AMENDMENT 3 SUMMARY

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to authorize a first responder, who is totally and permanently disabled as a result of injuries sustained in the line of duty, to receive relief from ad valorem taxes assessed on homestead property, if authorized by general law. If approved by voters, the amendment takes effect January 1, 2017.

What is Amendment 3 about?

Amendment 3 lets the legislature offer a complete or partial property tax break for first responders who have been permanently disabled in the line of duty. It applies only to the first responder's homestead property. Floridians can only designate one property as a homestead property, usually a permanent residence.

How much of an exemption is it?

Basically, they would not pay property taxes on their home. A similar exemption already exists for widows of veterans and first responders killed in the line of duty.

Who qualifies?

The amendment defines a first responder as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, firefighter, an emergency medical technician or paramedic.

What kind of injury qualifies a first responder?

The injury has to render the first responder completely and permanently disabled, and that injury must be sustained in the line of duty. A first responder with a chronic condition or disease that is not an injury may qualify only if it was caused in the line of duty alone. An example might be first responders who worked at ground zero after 9/11 and later were diagnosed with a respiratory disease that rendered them incapable of work.

Central Florida has seen several law enforcement officers incapacitated in the line of duty in recent years.

Reporter Bailey Myers spoke to former Orange County Deputy Adam Pierce and former Orlando Police Officer William Anderson last month about the amendment. Both say it will provide welcome financial relief as these officers struggle to pay everyday bills on top of their medical bills.

AMENDMENT 5 SUMMARY

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to revise the homestead tax exemption that may be granted by counties or municipalities for property with just value less than $250,000 owned by certain senior, low-income, long-term residents to specify that just value is determined in the first tax year the owner applies and is eligible for the exemption. The amendment takes effect January 1, 2017, and applies retroactively to exemptions granted before January 1, 2017.

What does this amendment do?

Basically, Amendment 5 fixes another constitutional amendment.

In 2012, voters approved an amendment that provided low-income, longtime Florida seniors with a bigger homestead exemption.

The problem is, residents were only eligible for it if their home was valued at less than $250,000. When their home's value went up beyond that $250,000 threshold, they were no longer eligible for the special exemption.

This amendment fixes that.

How does it work?

Say you bought your home in the 1980s. Fast forward to 2013, after the amendment passed. You're 65 years old or older. Your home is worth $205,000. You live on a fixed income not exceeding $20,000 a year. You qualify for the special exemption.

Now it's 2016. Your home is now worth $260,000. Under the constitution as it is currently written, you would lose your special exemption. Your property taxes go up  possibly to unaffordable levels.

If Amendment 5 passes, you will not lose that exemption, even though your home's value exceeds $250,000. The exemption will remain based on your property value when you first got the exemption.

Who qualifies for the exemption?

You must be a legal and permanent resident of Florida, 65 years old or older, making no more than $20,000 a year. You also must have lived in your home for no less than 25 years, according to the amendment.



The amendment takes effect Jan. 1, 2017. What if I got my exemption before that?

The amendment retroactively applies to all exemptions granted before Jan. 1, 2017. So the change means you should be able to keep your exemption.

Reporter Sarah Panko spoke to Lake County residents about Amendment 5 last month. One Mount Dora resident said that without the amendment, he would not be able to afford the home he built more than 30 years ago.
More than a thousand teachers, bus drivers and secretaries from around the state packed an Orlando convention hall Friday to see Bill Clinton, who is on a two-day bus tour of Florida.

Bill Clinton speaks to educators' conference in Orlando

He's on a 2-day bus tour of Central and North Florida

Clinton is touting wife's plans for economy, college debt



The former president addressed the annual Florida Education Association conference.

The meeting hall at the Rosen Center on International Drive may have looked like a big party Friday, with videos on big screens and people dancing, but the FEA conference is also serious business for the organization, which sets policies, resolutions and priorities for the year.

"The meetings are interesting," said Jill Castellano, vice president of the Teachers Association of Lee County. "We're going over legislation, we're talking about budget. I absolutely love my career. I love working with kids. They change my life every day."

Castellano is a high school social studies teacher. This is her fifth or sixth conference where she's served as a delegate.

"I'm excited to see what Hillary's going to do," she said. "I'm glad they're coming out to speak to teachers because it shows they care and they want us to be involved in the process."

Just after 9:30 this morning, Clinton hit the stage to a cheering room.

.@billclinton hits the stage in #Orlando -- about 40 min late -- to address @FloridaEA. He kicks off bus tour today. @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/viaUbxj0e7  Julie Gargotta (@juliegargotta) October 21, 2016

"First, I came here to say thanks. Second, I asked you to help. Third, I'm here to say you're an important part of our future. We can't make it without you,"he said.

He addressed several issues sensitive to his audience, such as alleviating college debt, retraining people for jobs and rigorous testing.

"We are close to being able to rise together again, and I believe that having the right education and training policies, and college affordability policies are key to that," Clinton said.

Clinton also came to stump for his wife, sharing specific instances of when Hillary fought for education in the past. He regaled the audience with stories of Hillary lobbying for pre-K education, long before it was the norm, and working to get disabled children back into schools.

The FEA has endorsed Hillary Clinton, just as the national teaching organizations did as well.

With less than three weeks until the general election, now is a crucial time not just for the candidates but also their surrogates, who also have been criss-crossing the country trying to fire up their base to get out and vote.

Jill Castellano hopes that whomever wins the Nov. 8 general election, that they focus on children and education.

"We have to give every child in the United States their best chance," she said. "And education is the only way to equalize the playing field."

After Friday's Orlando visit, Clinton is scheduled to hit Jacksonville, Panama City and Pensacola late Friday and Saturday.



Hundreds waved signs with Hillary Clinton's logo before Bill Clinton's speech Friday, Oct. 21, 2016 at the Florida Education Association conference in Orlando. (Julie Gargotta, staff)
Standing in for Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Mike Fox, PHCEDC Board President Danny Glenn give the groups quarterly activity report to the Plainview City Council at Thursdays work session.

Glenn, who will soon be handing over the reins of the EDC to successor V.O. Ortega, explained that Fox and the EDC leadership has been focusing on three key areas  retention of current business and industry, recruiting new industry and growing the local workforce.

Starting with recruitment, Glenn reported that the EDC has meet with a business owner and his wife from Chicago who is visiting Texas with plans to relocate their business from Illinois. Initially the firm is expected to employ about 40, with peak employment of about 100. The couple has made multiple visits to Plainview.

Fox also has meet with representatives of BNSF concerning a wind energy prospect seeking a location with rail access for an off-loading facility.

Another new prospect is seeking a site for a logistics center situated along the Ports-to-Plains Corridor.

Concerning a referral from the High Ground of Texas, Glenn said an ag-related prospect has made a visit. The firm requires about 100 acres of irrigated land. It would initially employ 80 to 100 with potential growth of up to 250.

Glenn added that the Plainview Business Park steering committee has met with its engineering consultants and is in the process of visiting various industrial parks to help gain ideas for Plainviews project.

In the area of business retention, Glenn thanked the city for its assistance, along with the county, Chamber of Commerce, EDC and civic groups for their help with staging last months celebration marking the 30th anniversary of the Wal-Mart Distribution Center. More than 3,500 hamburgers and a 1,000 hotdogs were prepared and served to local Wal-Mart associates and their families as part of the celebration. They all were very appreciative of what we did for them without us trying to cut any corners, Glenn said.

He added that Fox and EDC officials have been meeting with representatives of a local corporation who are seeking to expand their operation by perhaps moving to a larger facility.

In the area of workforce development, he said the EDC will fund a $10,000 grant during 2017 to enhance the Plainview High School Career and Technology Program. The school will be able to leverage the grant to receive a total of $27,000 in funding for the purchase of career and technology software from Microsoft, a walk-in cooler, midge welder and other items. The whole idea behind this is that we need to grow our own employees, and help develop a highly trained workforce for our local employers.

To help tell the organizations story, Glenn reported that Fox during the past quarter has presented programs to several groups, including the Plainview Board of Realtors and Plainview Lions Club, and attended the annual Ports-to-Plains conference in San Angelo. He will next be attending the FAB Tech Show in Las Vegas which brings together companies involved in metal forming and fabrication.

The EDCs quarterly board meeting is set for 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the PHCEDC/Chamber of Commerce building.
Board members from the Texas Plains Trail Region gather around the Quanah Parker Arrow at the Plainview Point Kill Site on Thursday while on a tour of important sites in Plainview. Sixteen board members meet in Plainview on Thursday for their quarterly meeting, spending the morning at the Fair Theatre with key city leaders. Their afternoon itinerary included tours of the new water park, pumpkin patch and corn maze, a stop at the Plainview Point Kill Site and a visit to the new Jimmy Dean Museum. The Texas Plains Trail Region covers 52 counties across the Texas Panhandle-South Plains. On hand for the afternoon tours are Tai Kreidler (left), Paula Hatfield, Patty Pharis, Vicki Hamblen, Plainview Main Street Manager Melinda Brown, Main Street Assistant Tori Huddleston and Barbara Brannon, Texas Plans Trail executive director.
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Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. is developing plans for a regional office in Midland as it doubles down on its Delaware sub-basin acreage in West Texas, according to a company spokesman.

John Christiansen said Anadarko expects to use revenue generated from a $2 billion purchase of Gulf of Mexico deep-water assets to fund further growth in Anadarkos Delaware sub-basin operations and the DJ Basin, which is in northeastern Colorado. Anadarkos holdings are part of the larger Permian Basin, a major oil and gas field that is producing nearly 2 million barrels of oil a day, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

Anadarko is looking to increase production in West Texas from 41,000 barrels a day in the second quarter to 130,000 barrels of production a day by 2021. The company produces roughly 243,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day at its Colorado wells.

Christiansen said the company was already well positioned to integrate its new Gulf of Mexico assets into its existing infrastructure, creating a free flow of money that it could direct into its on-shore U.S. shale assets.

He added that Anadarkos Eagle Ford operations in South Texas produce 75,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. But the company wont invest the new revenue into the Eagle Ford shale. The company currently doesnt operate any rigs in the region while it runs six drilling rigs in West Texas.

rdruzin@express-news.net

@druz_journo
NuStar Energy has bought 1.15 million barrels of crude oil and refined product storage at the Port of Corpus Christi, the company announced in a news release Friday morning.

The San Antonio-based company said it bought the assets from Martin Midstream Partners, which announced on Thursday that it was divesting its Corpus Christi terminal assets for at least $107 million.
Capt. Raj Vaswani / SFPD / / San Francisco Police Department

A 21-year-old man fleeing gunfire on a San Francisco street Friday sped in a bullet-ridden car to the front door of the Bayview Police Station, where authorities say he sought help for a gunshot wound.

The victim, whose name was not released, drove onto the sidewalk and parked his car right outside the doors of the station at 201 Williams Ave. about 10:30 a.m., said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a San Francisco Police Department spokesman.
San Antonio has been dubbed the best city in Texas by a Forbes writer because everyone seems to like San Antonio.

Scott Beyer, a contributor to Forbes, lived in four Texas major cities for a month each and gave his analysis in a recent article. He said residents of Austin, Dallas and Houston often called each other "pretentious, vapid, over-consumptive or some combo of the three." But not San Antonio, "everyone seems to like" it, he said.
Albany

The city school board approved an enrollment plan Thursday night for a temporary new middle school that's on track to open next fall.

The new school, located at 50 North Lark St., will draw students currently attending elementary schools on the city's north side, including Arbor Hill Elementary School, North Albany Academy, Schuyler Achievement Academy and Sheridan Preparatory Academy. It will serve students in grades 6-8.

It will also enroll current seventh-graders at West Hill Middle School, which the district plans to close in June. That school was never meant to be permanent, officials have said. It opened in 2015 to accommodate students suddenly displaced by charter school closures, but officials claimed from the start that the space was not appropriate for long-term use.

"I just want to make sure that everybody understands this is the middle school enrollment for our interim location," board member Rose Brandon said.

The school board agreed in August to use the Lark Street site on a temporary basis  from three to five years  as the grade-configuration committee searches for a permanent site to accommodate the district's rapidly growing elementary and middle school population.

The committee may very well decide it should be the permanent site, officials said, but it needs more time to explore options and gather data. The district owns the building  once home to New Covenant Charter School  and has been using it to house its Alternative Learning Center, which served roughly 80 students last year. That program would relocate to other space in the district.

The district is asking voters to approve a $6.5 million plan to renovate the three-story building so that it's facilities are similar with the district's other middle schools.

A referendum has been scheduled for Jan. 10, 2017. If approved, the school would open next fall at no new cost to taxpayers. About $5.2 million worth of renovations would be covered by state aid and $1.3 million would be covered by the district's capital reserve fund.

bbump@timesunion.com  518-454-5387  @bethanybump
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BRIDGEPORT  If re-elected to the General Assembly for a second term, Andre Baker would no longer juggle more than one elected office.

Baker, a Democrat representing the 124th House District, resigned his seat on the Board of Education in mid-August after winning the primary for the House race. He said he was encouraged to do so by voters he met on the campaign trail.

They wanted me to go back up there (but said), give up that board seat so you can spend more time representing us,  Baker said. It really made me think about what I was doing.

Baker, a 53-year-old funeral home owner, was first elected in 2014 after serving on the City Council. He said he is part of a strong team  all Democrats  representing Bridgeports interests at the state Capitol in Hartford.

We did a lot of things together, Baker said.

His opponent, Republican Jose Quiroga, argued that the city should diversify its legislative delegation with some GOP members.

For many years, only one party (has had) control in the city, said Quiroga, who ran unsuccessfully for the same seat four years ago. What (do) we have from it? ... Like Mr. Trump say, we have to wake up.

But is the heavily minority 124th House District, which includes the East Side and East End, ready for presidential candidate Donald Trumps controversial  some argue toxic  brand of Republicanism?

I support Mr. Donald Trump, Quiroga said. I agree with all his visions, all his views.

For example, Quiroga said, he agrees with Trumps immigration policies, including the candidates pledge to build a wall on the border with Mexico.

While the federal government controls and enforces immigration laws, Connecticut lawmakers have in the past proposed, if not passed, programs sympathetic to undocumented immigrants. In 2013, for example, the General Assembly voted to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses.

I am not against immigration to the U.S., Quiroga said. I immigrated here 35 years ago. But I am against illegal immigration.

Baker said Trump is not a popular figure in the district. And Baker added that he has never met Quiroga.

Quiroga said he would also try to do something about Bridgeports high taxes, like backing a state-mandated cap limiting how much municipal elected officials can hike their taxes.

The mayor (Joe Ganim) said he was not going to raise the taxes, and he (raised) the taxes, Quiroga said.

Local budgets rely in large part on state aid. Baker said Bridgeports delegation worked hard during the prior session, at Ganims request, to successfully convince the Legislature to temporarily reduce Bridgeports pension fund payments, which lessened the need for additional taxes.

And Baker said he looked forward to the funding opportunities for Bridgeport after a state Superior Court Judge in September ruled the states school aid formula  which municipalities have long complained is unfair  irrational.

I really want to be able to work on this formula, Baker said, adding: Ill do whatever I can, to help lower taxes in Bridgeport.
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BROOKFIELD  School enrollment will continue to decline over the next decade, according to a consultants report that is likely to shape key Board of Education decisions in the coming years.

Milone and MacBroom consultants, which last issued its enrollment projections two years ago, said the expected decrease in student population is likely to be less precipitous than once thought.

The projections continue to show an enrollment decline, but at a moderated level based on key trends and indicators, said Tim Baird, a planner at the consulting firm.

School population has trended downward since 2004-05, when there were over 400 more students than the 2,640 reported last school year, according to the report.

The number of students is predicted dip to about 2,400 in 2020-21 and to 2,200 by the fall of 2025.

Enrollment in the districts two elementary schools, which is more difficult to predict than that of the middle and high schools, is expected to decline from 905 students in 2015-16 to a low of 746 students in 2021-22 before beginning to rebound, the report said.

The consultants projections, which are based on birth rates, housing data and current enrollment, among other criteria, are largely in line with those seen in recent years in Brookfield and neighboring towns.

Baird, speaking at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, said the firm predicts a slight uptick in births over the next five years. He said there has also been a rebound in the housing market, which cratered following the Great Recession in 2007 and 2008. Those factors, he said, might lead to a rebound in elementary school populations beginning in the 2022-23 school year.

More Information Brookfield School Enrollment K-12 Projections 2017-18 2,561 2018-19 2,502 2019-20 2,451 2020-21 2,449 2021-22 2,390 Source: Milone & MacBroom consultants See More Collapse

He also said the firm is monitoring a recent spike in the number of children born in Brookfield who enter kindergarten five years later. If that continues, he said, the overall projections would likely increase, but it it is too soon to determine if that is a trend or an anomaly.

We wanted to caveat that this rise in the birth-to-kindergarten ratio is an important factor in driving future enrollments," Baird said. We did not want to overcorrect based on one year of change in this indicator.

Baird noted that more than 1,100 apartments, condos and townhomes have been approved recently in Brookfield, but those developments are unlikely to bring many children into the district.

A lot of the new development were seeing across the community is geared toward seniors with some age-restricted type of developments, Baird said. Even the non-age-restricted developments are unit styles that, in general, are less attractive to families.

He estimated that one or two-bedroom apartments typically generate about four students per 100 units. But, he said, when older residents downsize, more single-family homes become available that are more attractive to younger families with children.

Bob Belden said if the enrollment trends hold, it will have a significant impact on the school district.

Were used to having well over 200 graduates in a single year, Belden said. "But the incoming classes at the kindergarten level are more in the 140 to 150 range throughout this projection. If it stays down at that level, that population will steadily decline as you graduate bigger classes. That will affect our schools in different ways.

The enrollment data will be used by a committee studying whether to replace or renovate Huckleberry Hill School, which houses third and fourth grades. The committee is expected to review the districts building capacity and grade configuration, including the possibility of moving fifth grade from the middle school, where it is now, to the elementary level.

Board member Eve Sturdevant, who sits on the Huckleberry committee, questioned the accuracy of the projections and asked whether the consultants had factored in children who are being raised by grandparents, which she said is an increasing trend across the state.

I just want to make sure were looking at the total picture and I dont want to then say, Oh my gosh, why didnt we take this into account or that into account?  Sturdevant said. We know the trend is going on in Connecticut right now.

Vice Chairman Paul Checco, also on the committee, said that the projections should be used as a guide, even though some fluctuations are to be expected.

Theres big variables there and anytime youre planning a capital project, theres a little bit of a crap shoot going on, Checco said. We dont want to overbuild and have people say, Why are there five empty classrooms? And we dont want to under build and have people say, Now its over capacity.

awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster
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GREENWICH  A soft voice called 20 names, the victims of domestic violence, ages 7 months to 71 years, who were killed in Connecticut this year.

Around the room, candles flickered in front of bowed heads.

The audience was solemn and saddened, but hopeful for change.

At the YWCA Greenwichs Domestic Abuse Services annual candlelight vigil on Thursday, a crowd of about 45 gathered to remember the victims, rejoice for the survivors and raise awareness about the pervasive issue of domestic abuse.

Domestic violence is rampant in our community, said Meredith Gold, director of Domestic Abuse Services of the YWCA Greenwich. It is the most investigated violent crime by the Greenwich police and the number two crime overall.

The evenings speakers defined the crime: Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to get and maintain power and control of another person within an intimate relationship, such as among married, engaged or dating couples or people with a child in common. The violence can take many forms, from physical to psychological to financial or technological.

Its effects are often more serious than the black-and-blue or broken bones; the abuse has lasting emotional impacts and sometimes is fatal.

No, its not just on one side of town, Gold said. Our clients represent our entire community.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

The YWCA Greenwich provided counseling in 2015 to 2,770 adults and children living in Greenwich who have experienced or witnessed domestic violence.

Head held high, one victim from Greenwich shared her story during the vigil.

I also used to think of domestic violence as very physical and wholly violent, she said.

Now, after the threats, the manipulation and the attacks she experienced at the hand of her childs father, even while pregnant, she knows better, she said.

There are so many faces of domestic violence, she said.

And she said that thanks to help from the YWCA and many other supports, her story is now a happy one.

I feel the opposite of the miserable that he wished on me, she said. Now, hes the miserable one.

The YWCA Greenwich has held vigils each October to bring awareness to domestic violence for more than a decade. The ceremony on Thursday evening honored the work of the organization, which is the only licensed provider of free and confidential services for domestic violence victims in Greenwich.

Also honored was Lee Fitzpatrick, the YWCA Greenwichs 2016 recipient of the Purple Ribbon Award, which honors the dedicated work of a YWCA staff member or volunteer to the YWCAs Domestic Abuse Services.

Our program is better for having you on board, our clients are better for all you have done to support them and personally, I am better for having known you, said Gold of Fitzpatrick.

Greenwich resident Barbara White attended the vigil.

I think its very important to support the voice of this experience, said White about domestic violence. More people here need to know it exists.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
BRIDGEPORT  Despite a public furor over the school district eliminating funding for five school resource officers, the city quietly started funding them instead, school and police officials confirmed this week.

Police Lt. Paul Grech said the city has established a force of 10 school resource officers and two of them are stationed at Bassick High School.

Nonetheless, arrests in city schools tripled in the first six weeks of the school year compared to last year.

So far this year, Bassick has had 18 arrests, compared to none over the same period last fall.

Districtwide through Monday, there were 22 school-based arrests, compared to seven last year, with none at Bassick.

Central High School has had three arrests so far this year, compared to none last year. And there was one at the Fairchild Wheeler campus, compared to none last year.

Grech and others say the Bassick arrests are primarily due to clashes between students who live in the PT Barnum housing project and the Greene Homes housing project.

An Oct. 7 fight in the cafeteria accounted for 10 arrests after two security guards at the school were injured.

If you take away arrests at Bassick, with whats going on there, we are basically on track for what we were last year, Grech said.

More Information  School arrest through 10-17: 2016-2017 School Year 2015-2016 School year Bassick 18 Harding 3 Central 3 Marin 1 FCW 1 Read 1 Waltersville 2 Source: Bridgeport Public Schools See More Collapse

Grech, meanwhile, said the two police officers stationed at Bassick are the same ones who were there last year. Bassick is the only city school with dedicated police in addition to security guards. The districts 36 other schools all have security officers and share the remaining school police who are dispatched to the schools as needed.

Budget casualty

School district funding for police officers was one of the casualties of the districts 2016-17 budget-balancing efforts. At the time, board members said the city was welcome to pick up the cost.

Grech said the department hired some of the laid-off school police and transferred others from the patrol division to work in the role. The training process can take up to a year.

In the meantime, parents like Kate Rivera, a social justice advocate who has a daughter at a Fairchild Wheeler, said she worries that the department wont have enough officers versed in how to respond appropriately to adolescent behavior and special needs, and be able to de-escalate situations.

They need to be able to recognize undesirable behaviors are part of normal teenage development which should not be blown out of proportion and made into an arrest that puts a child in the criminal justice or juvenile justice systems unnecessarily, Rivera said. Police responding to school calls must all be aware of community resources like the Juvenile Review Board ... that practices restorative justice techniques.

The Juvenile Review Board program is an alternative to arrest for youth who have committed minor crimes. Dana Forry, program director for the board, said so far this school year, referrals to her agency by school police  26  are on par with last year.

The last thing we want to do is make an arrest, Grech said. An arrest is a last resort.

Grech said he continues to be consulted before any student is arrested.

In case of the cafeteria fight at Bassick, Grech said the injury of staff made it a zero-tolerance situation, requiring an arrest.

Tomas Ramirez, Bassicks new principal, said from what he has observed, the school police do focus on mentoring and counseling students about the decisions they made, how they could have prevented them and the consequences of those decisions.

They also work to educate parents on the choices that were available to their sons and daughters and how their children made the wrong choices, Ramirez said.

Interim Schools Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz, who worked to school the officers, said an emergency plan is being put in place to work on the Bassick situation.

We need to be aggressive in re-establishing a safe and secure environment within the school, Rabinowitz said.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; @lclambeck
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WASHINGTON DEPOT  When Elizabeth Bowry was growing up in Richmond, Va., her dad would record episodes of "Gilmore Girls" when they aired during the early-morning hours on the local TV channel.

Bowry would save the tapes to watch on the weekends with her best friend. The two aspired to grow up and together open a country inn like the two major characters in the long-running show. Things didnt turn out that way, but the friends have always held the Gilmore Girls in their hearts.

"Its a way of life," Bowry said.

It was this love that inspired Bowry to join about 1,200 other Gilmore devotees for a three-day fan festival this weekend in the town credited with inspiring the show.

"Gilmore Girls," which aired from 2000 to 2007 on the WB network, followed the relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter in a small Connecticut town. It had a strong following that has only grown in the years since it left the air, thanks to the shows syndication and now with a four-episode revival scheduled to begin Nov. 25 on Netflix.

During the first day of the festival Friday, mothers and daughters, groups of friends and couples paused to snap pictures of themselves framed by Washingtons fall foliage, many wearing outfits inspired by Gilmore characters or T-shirts printed with various catchphrases from the show.

Fans ambled around town popping in shops and watched the pilot episode on a giant screen in a tent theater before hitting up food trucks and local restaurants for a more casual version of the Friday night dinners that were a staple of the show.

Some residents had been concerned that the festival would overwhelm the small town, essentially increasing the population by 35 percent. But state police reported no traffic problems and churches and other organizations posted signs welcoming fans to town.

Michael Maddalena, a volunteer from Warren, said he and his wife decided to help with the festival to support local businesses and make the participants feel welcome.

"Being full-time residents, we wanted to make sure the businesses can survive in this slow time," he said. "Its a shot in the arm for the town."

Valerie Sedelnick, co-owner of the Washington Supply Company, said fans from all over the world have stopped into the store, where they met a volunteer dressed as Luke, one of the show's beloved characters, serving free coffee.

"The fans are excited its happening," Sedelnick said. "Theyre so appreciative that weve welcomed them into town. Theyre all saying Thank you as they leave."

She said she hopes the festival inspires some to relocate to Washington and raise their children.

As the day went on, groups and individual fans began to link up, creating new friendships.

Stacy Diefenbach, 36, of Hamilton, N.J., said she visited Washington last year to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the shows premiere, but didnt encounter many people familiar with the show. She said she was excited to visit it this time with hundreds of other fans.

I would love to meet more people who I can tweet and talk about the revival with, she said. Gilmore Girls brings people together.

That sentiment was true for Ashley Cromwell, of Halifax, Mass., and Christina Tassi, of Brewster, N.Y., both 23, who bonded over the show while students at the University of New Haven.

"No matter where youre watching it, it feels like home," Cromwell said.

Tassi added, "We bonded over it, too, because it brings good memories when youre homesick."

As soon as they heard of the festival, they texted each other and ordered tickets so they could see each other again after graduating.

The festival sold out within 11 hours of its announcement in August.

This was the first time many in attendance had been to Washington, or even Connecticut.

Samantha and Wendy Goble, a mother and daughter from Athens, Ohio, drove 10 hours to be at the festival. The duo loves the shows witty dialogue and unique characters. Samantha Goble said she wanted to come visit the inspiration for the town as soon as she learned about it and was excited the festival gave her that chance.

"She keeps saying, This is beautiful, can we live here?" Wendy Goble said.

kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345; @kkoerting
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BRIDGEPORT  John Soltis began the week in the same role he has had in last past two years  running the Black Rock library.

But by Thursday, Soltis was in charge of not just Black Rock, but the other four branches of the citys library system.

The library board, after months of delays and hand-wringing, fired Director Scott Hughes on Wednesday and elevated Soltis to temporarily assume his duties.

Hughes, placed on probation since February over concerns about his poor management and communication abilities, would have celebrated his 10th anniversary in Bridgeport next April.

I consider Scott a friend. Im sorry that things have gone this way, Soltis said in an interview. I think the last year has been the most difficult in my (32-year) career at the library. And we need to heal from that.

Both Soltis and Board President Jim ODonnell emphasized Soltis promotion will be short-lived.

Hes the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike, ODonnell said.

ODonnell hoped to hire an interim director within six weeks so the board can then turn its attention to a search for Hughes permanent replacement. Hughes was one of the citys few black department heads, and he and some of his allies have accused the board of discrimination.

ODonnell emphasized that the search will include reaching out to organizations representing minority library professionals.

I think its too ambitious to have it done within six months, ODonnell said. But certainly within nine.

With three new libraries in the planning stages, it is crucial to return stability to the directors office. But the transition to the post-Hughes era will likely not be a smooth one.

Hughes has a lawsuit filed earlier this year pending in state Superior Court questioning the legitimacy of the library board. And the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities continues to investigate the discrimination complaint Hughes lodged in May, alleging the library board held him to different standards than his predecessors who were white.

On top of those, Hughes, according to his attorney, Josephine Miller, may fight his termination in court as well.

Hughes was not present at Wednesdays full board meeting  he took a sick day  or when the personnel subcommittee discussed his performance the week prior  he took a personal day. Hughes has not returned several phone calls seeking comment.

But Miller was in the audience on Wednesday. Miller on Friday said she had yet to speak with her client, but indicated Hughes was not going to leave the $116,000 job quietly.

I do have a record of being a fighter on behalf of my clients, so you can be sure well be contesting that with every legal means available to us, Miller said.

Former state Sen. Ernest Newton, who, along with other minority community leaders, have been vocal supporters of Hughes, said they hoped he will fight the termination.

I went out on a limb when staff expressed concern and I thought it was the usual the troops grumble because they dont like a little discipline being invoked,  ODonnell said. But over time, we came to realize the staff had really legitimate concerns.

He noted the board had even footed the bill for Hughes to attend the Harvard University School of Government in 2010  something Hughes promotes on his online resume.

ODonnell said the board also had Hughes on probation for so long in deference to his allies who, unfortunately, do not have the facts to assess what that level of performance and engagement was.

Even as the board awaits Hughes response to their decision, members are being targeted. On Monday the City Councils Miscellaneous Matters Committee is scheduled to convene to discuss efforts by Council members loyal to Hughes to dissolve the entire board or at least eject some of its members.

The committee is co-chaired by Councilman Richard Salter who, ironically, is the Councils liaison with the library board but has not been showing up at their meetings to witness firsthand the boards sometimes contentious interactions with Hughes.

One elected official who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the situation found fault with Hughes and with his bosses on the library board and thought it was time for both to go.

Mr. Hughes didnt do his job well and the board didnt do their job supervising him, this person said. There needs to be a new director. But there also needs to be a fresh start on the board.

Library employees offered different reactions to Hughes firing.

Nancy Sweeney, hired in 1989 and head of the Newfield branch, said staff members critical of the library director who wanted him gone long ago are left wondering what his next move will be.

This has been going on for so long, its sort of a cautious celebration, Sweeney said.

Other employees, hesitant to be quoted in the newspaper, expressed mixed feelings, saying the staff has been divided over Hughes performance, making this a difficult several months.

A lot feel it could have been handled differently, and others that might be a little too happy, said one staffer.

Were there legitimate reasons (to criticize Hughes)? I would say yes, said another. But both sides (Hughes and the library board) should have come together in a more adult fashion. As my grandfather would say, Both sides share mud on their shoes. 
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THE REVS. SHERRI AND MICHAEL MEYER-VEEN: Pastors of the Schoharie Reformed Church, which received a Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grant.

Background: Born and raised in Michigan, she near Grand Rapids, he in Pentwater, they met at Hope College in Holland where she graduated with a degree in biochemistry and he with one in religion, and married in 1998. They have master of divinity degrees with cross cultural studies concentration from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and served for three years at Faith Reformed Church in Norwalk. She received a doctor of ministry from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Thirteen years ago, they came to lead the Schoharie Reformed Church. Their children are Samuel, 9, and Sophia, 5.

How do you divide responsibilities in the pulpit?

Sherri: We share most everything and often alternate preaching, but Mike takes more responsibility for worship planning and I do for strategic planning and special projects. For 10 years, we were half-time. Now Mike is three-quarters and I am one-half. I was project manager for nine years until 2014 at the Capital Region Theological Center in Albany.

What kind of congregation do you lead?

Michael: It is a diverse mix, some older retired folks, some younger families bringing kids, some business people, some schoolteachers. We have about 100 members and for regular worship, between 50 and 75. Since the flood of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, worship attendance has changed but we also gained new members.

More Information National light on Schoharie The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program awarded grants totaling $6 million to 146 congregations - including mainline Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and nondenominational churches - in 37 states. The program, administered by Christian Theological Seminary, this year lets congregations support their pastors with the gift of time away from ministerial duties. Pastors use the respite for reflection and renewal, which often includes travel, scholarly research and experiences with different cultures and traditions. See More Collapse

Congratulations on the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grant.

Sherri: It is an honor to be a part of the program.

Michael: The overall theme was "What will make your heart sing?" Our theme in the application was reconnecting  to ourselves, to God and each other.

Sherri: We took into consideration the toll Irene has taken, how we have worked to repair and to reconnect. My proposal was do to that through relationship and nature. Mike's was music and food.

Michael: Music has always been an important part of my life and my spirituality. My father was a band director and he inspired my love for music. While I have occasion to minister through music in the church I am looking forward to reconnecting with my love for multiple varieties of music in a deeper way through this sabbatical.

How will the grant be used?

Sherri: It adds up to $50,000 with $15,000 for the church and $35,000 for ministry the pastors' renewal plan, largely for travel expenses. We will have an all-church retreat at Camp Fowler as a part of the church plan, since it brings together all those things  music, food, nature, relationships. We will have some individual retreats, some as a couple, some trips as a family with our children as well. In July, we are planning one big trip over the pond: two weeks in Great Britain  my grandmother was British and we still have relatives there  and we will go for one week to Iona, a monastic community off of Scotland, while my mother watches the children.

When I was the board chairwoman of SALT  Schoharie Area Long Term  the bishop and general secretary of the Lutheran Church of Zimbabwe visited us. They were very encouraging and invited us to visit. While churches are losing ground in this country, they are growing in Zimbabwe due to their response to AIDS and with humanitarian aid. After Scotland, we will go to Harare, Zimbabwe, and be there two weeks. We will travel a bit and also visit Victoria Falls on the border with Zambia.

 Azra Haqqie
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STAMFORD  Thomas Madden wants the city to be a hub for innovation.

The citys director of economic development is working with the Stamford Partnership to develop a presentation for the state to consider providing an annual grant for innovation districts.

The districts, which the partnership hopes to scatter throughout the city, are geographic areas where startups, modern manufacturing businesses, co-working spaces and gathering places are clustered in a cohesive neighborhood, said Jackie Lightfield, executive director of the Stamford Partnership.

An innovation district is part of what we need to get the people with the best new ideas to work together ... One of the things were looking at is autonomous vehicles in the city, and finding a place for that industry to grow here, Madden said. We want to create an environment that attracts innovators and start-ups and tech guys.

Stamford Partnership is sharing a $35,000 grant with the city to facilitate the planning of innovation districts.

In Connecticut, innovation districts are state-funded and state-recognized hubs for entrepreneurial development through CTNext, the states business development entity.

One of the cool things about Stamford is that we have so many ingredients for what makes an innovation district, but weve never put them all together, she said. Some of them remain hidden or not as visible, so the innovation districts are designed to increase connectivity between the citys creative individuals and businesses.

The partnership, which is a quasi-public organization that works closely with the citys department of Economic Development, recently won the initial planning grant from CTNext, which allocates funding for the development of an Innovation Places Master Plan.

In the early stages of planning, Lightfield and Madden have assembled a small steering committee to identify and engage Stamfords biggest innovators.

We have a really great group of people from the private sector, the nonprofit sector and the city side to work on an application for the state to create this innovation district in Stamford, Madden said.

The Stamford team could be eligible for an annual $5 million grant for five years to create innovation districts.

Lightfield said the first step will be to recruit the appropriate businesses and creative minds. As part of that effort, the partnership will hold a screening of Startup Generation, a documentary about the new age of entrepreneurship, at the Ferguson Library next month.

This is part of our effort put on events and workshops for people to talk about innovation and solicit feedback, Lightfield said. We want to provide those individuals with opportunity to share some of the innovations they are making.

nora.naughton@scni.com; twitter.com/noranaughton
STAMFORD  A federal jury has cleared two city police officers of wrongdoing for using a Taser to subdue a man carrying a gun on the West Side eight years ago.

Officer Andrew Czubatyj and Sgt. Richard Phelan were named in the civil complaint filed by the attorney for Santos Morales, an undocumented Guatemalan man who was seen carrying a gun near the Discovery Cafe on Stillwater Avenue on Aug. 31, 2008.

This case was meritless, said Dana Lee, Assistant Corporation Counsel for the city of Stamford. The actions taken by Phelan and Czubatyj were not only reasonable under the circumstances, but exemplary police work.

The officers responded to a report of a man waving a gun and threatening people on Stillwater Avenue.

Police said they ordered Morales, then 43, to drop the weapon several times and to get on the ground. The instructions were given to Morales in English and Spanish and he finally dropped the gun, but refused to get on the ground, police said.

When Morales grabbed for something in his pants, Czubatyj shot him with the Taser from between 14 to 16 feet.

However, Morales continued to struggle with officers and refused to bring his hands around from underneath him so he could be handcuffed, according to testimony provided during the three-day trial.

Czubatyj used his Taser twice more by depressing the trigger of the electronic weapon until Morales complied, the officers testified.

They cant just yank his arms out from underneath him, Lee said. If he had a second weapon, someone could have got hurt.

According to Morales complaint against the officers, the gun belonged to an unknown man who threatened one of his friends inside the Discovery Cafe.

Morales attorney, Richard Cunningham, said his client grabbed the gun and walked outside and was pointing at the fleeing man who brought the weapon into the restaurant as police arrived.

The weapons charges against Morales were dropped in 2011.

The jury decided they had reason to not hold the officers liable and they had reason to do so, Cunningham said. I had hoped that it would have gone the other way.
LUBBOCK -- The Texas Tech University System announced Friday the appointment of Plainview native Gary Barnes as vice chancellor and chief financial officer (CFO). Barnes begins his duties Dec. 1.

Barnes will coordinate an annual operating budget of more than $2 billion and will be responsible for the overall financial strength and stability of the Texas Tech University System. He will also manage multiple offices and services at the Texas Tech University System, including Treasury & Cash Management, Risk Management, Information Technology, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Office of Investments.

Gary brings a wealth of leadership and finance experience to the system, Chancellor Robert L. Duncan said. The Texas Tech University System is at a pivotal time in its history with growing enrollment, unprecedented philanthropic support and new academic programs. We are excited for Gary to join the team to ensure our continued success and financial strength.

Barnes succeeds Jim Brunjes, who announced his retirement in March after serving the Texas Tech University System as CFO for 17 years.

Barnes has nearly 40 years of experience in higher education financial services, leadership and management. Currently, he is the associate vice president for finance and university controller at Texas A&M University where he leads and directs financial operations for the university, which had a $1.7 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year 2016. Barnes is responsible for identifying, analyzing and leading key accounting and financial initiatives.

I am honored to be a part of the Texas Tech University System, Barnes said. I am excited to be a part of Chancellor Duncans exemplary leadership team and look forward to working with the system staff, as well as the outstanding leadership teams at our four universities.

Before his tenure at Texas A&M, Barnes served as the vice president for business and finance and CFO at West Texas A&M University at Canyon with oversight of a $136 million budget and 276 employees. At West Texas A&M, Barnes also served as associate vice president and controller, director of accounting and assistant director of business services before being named CFO.

Barnes earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University. He and his wife Cindy are the parents of two adult sons, Ryan and John, and a daughter-in-law, Kristen.
According to the 1996 Resource Manual of the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) evolved from the Day of Unity held in October 1981 and conceived by the National Coalition against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became an entire week devoted to a range of activities conducted at the local, state, and national level. In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed and in 1989, the first national domestic violence toll-free hotline went live. The activities conducted were as varied and diverse as the program sponsors but had common themes, which remain a key focus today: Mourning those who have died because of domestic violence, celebrating those who have survived and connecting those who work to end violence.

It hardly seems possible that nearly 30 years have passed since that first Domestic Violence Awareness Month and while the United States has made strides toward curing this often deadly disease, we still have more work to do. The good news from what President Obama said in his annual proclamation for Awareness Month is that Rates of domestic violence against females have dropped by nearly three quarters. Sadly the other statistic he offered is that Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are still suffering from domestic violence by an intimate partner.
Oct. 23, 1946: The husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Locke joined the local American Legion Post this week. They are thought to be the first couple to join the local organization together.

--The womens new bowling league started off with a bang with the Phillips 66 team leading the league.

--Bounding Bobby Layne, field general, passer and punter for the University of Texas Longhorns, is in his third season of play.

Oct. 23, 1976: The Hale County Sheriffs Department is continuing its investigation into the theft of between 800 and 1,000 pounds of rib eye steak rolls, valued at approximately $2,500, from the local MBPXL beef packing plant.

--The Texas Department of Health Resources has issued a permit to the City of Hale Center for the operation of a sanitary landfill. The 10-acre landfill is located about 1.5 miles southwest of Hale Center.

--Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carters aunt, Emily Dolvin, is shown in a photograph visiting with Mrs. J.W. Walker while in Plainview campaigning on behalf of her nephew.

Oct. 23, 1996: U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm is leading in Texas public opinion polls and reaping newspaper endorsements in his bid for re-election.

--Local educators agree with their counterparts across the state that efforts to revise state education curriculum standards will likely put more fiscal responsibilities onto local public schools in the years to come.

--A quarter-century after they split up, the Beatles are having their hottest year ever. Gross sales, television rights and video sales are expected to earn $735 million this year.
US defense chief vows 'overwhelming' response once DPRK launches nuclear weapon successfully

2016-10-21 09:45

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S. July 25, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Thursday that the United States would make an "overwhelming" military response if Pyongyang was to ever successfully launch a nuclear weapon.

The United States "strongly condemns" the missile test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) last night, said the Pentagon chief, noting the attempt, "even in failing, violated several UN Security Council resolutions."

"Make no mistake: any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response." he warned at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo at Pentagon.

The South Korean Defense Minister told reporters that Seoul and Washington will consider "permanently deploying US strategic assets on a rotational basis" in a bid to back up US commitment to defend South Korea from DPRK's nuclear and missile threats.

The United States and South Korea will enhance cooperation on both the maritime and cyber security, Carter added.

Earlier on Thursday, a spokesman for the DPRK National Aerospace Development said in a statement that the DPRK will continue to send more satellites into space under its national blueprint for space development, refuting claims by South Korea that the true intention behind it is not for peaceful purposes.

The statement came amid South Korea's strong denunciation of the DPRK over its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile last night, which Seoul's military presumed to have failed. It was the second failed launch in less than a week and the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month.

On Wednesday, Carter reiterated the US commitment to provide "extended deterrence, guaranteed by the full spectrum of US defense capabilities" to South Korea and other allies in the region.

"The recent dramatic increase in North Korean nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches remind us of the grave threat it poses to our collective security," he said at the start of the talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and their South Korean counterparts. The term "extended deterrence" refers to the use of US nuclear force to deter attacks on its allies.

Kerry, despite high concern and strong opposition in East Asia, said at the talks that the United States would deploy the highly controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea "as soon as possible."

However, the saying that the US-built THAAD can counter the nuke and missile threat from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is merely a ruse, many analysts in the region argue, fearing its deployment will only worsen the already extremely volatile situation on the Korean Penninsula.

China and Russia have expressed strong opposition to the THAAD deployment as the system far exceeds South Korea's actual defense needs and would directly threaten the strategic security of the two countries.
Syria accuses Turkish airstrikes of killing 150 in Aleppo

2016-10-21 09:45

A man rides a bicycle near damaged ground in the rebel held besieged al-Sukkari neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria October 19, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

DAMASCUS -- The Syrian army on Thursday accused Turkish airstrikes of killing 150 people in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo a day earlier, state news agency SANA reported.

The general command of the Syrian army said the Turkish airstrikes on towns and villages in the northern countryside of Aleppo had targeted "innocent people" and constituted a "dangerous development that will further complicate the situation."

Meanwhile, the army threatened to down any Turkish plane that would violate the Syrian airspace.

"Any further violation to the Syrian airspace by the Turkish warplanes will be dealt with by downing them with all possible means," the statement said.

The Turkish air forces and tanks have been backing several rebel groups in an operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield, which aims primarily at thwarting the advance of the Kurdish forces near the Turkish borders, and dislodge the Islamic State (IS) group from the areas they hold in northern Syria.
Ceasefire violations deepen uncertainty of peace process in Yemen

2016-10-21 16:45

A homeless family eats lunch along a street in Sanaa, Yemen, October 20, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

SANAA -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group traded accusations with Saudi Arabia on Friday over breaching a ceasefire mediated by the United Nations, deepening the uncertainty of the peace process in the country.

The UN-brokered 72-hour ceasefire, meant to last for three days, came into effect on Wednesday midnight.

According to a statement released by Houthi-run media, a Thursday night air strike by the Saudi-led coalition killed three civilians in the northern province of Saada.

The coalition accused the Houthis of firing rockets on the southern Saudi cities of Jazan and Najran, killing two civilians, according to a statement by Saudi official media.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said its troops in the Yemeni central province of Marib shot down three missiles fired by Houthis late on Thursday.

The ceasefire is aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid supplies to the war-stricken cities.

UN officials hoped the truce would be extended to pave the way for resuming stalled peace talks and to end the war.

Previous attempts to cease fire between warring parties in Yemen had hardly been observed, with all sides involved in the conflict trading accusations of violating the truce.

Ceasefires backed by the UN are frequently interrupted.

On March. 23, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, announced that a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen was scheduled to begin in April, and peace talks scheduled to begin in Kuwait.

However, the Houthis accused Saudi-led coalition warplanes of killing seven Houthi followers in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on May 8, which triggered the Houthi and Saleh delegations to walk out of the talks in protest.

A woman begs along a street in Sanaa, Yemen, October 20, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

A day later, the warring parties came back to the peace table in Kuwait and in June the UN special envoy said that "after extensive discussions with the participants, the main principles that will guide the next phase of Yemeni talks had been established."

Talks continued while Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition accused each other of violating the ceasefires.

On Oct. 17, the UN declared that a 72-hour ceasefire between Houthi fighters and their rival Saudi-backed exiled government forces will take effect at 2359 local time (2059 GMT) on Oct. 19.

However, the ceasefire became fragile after the warring sides traded accusations of breaching it.

The conflict in Yemen began after Arab-spring style 2011 mass protests that eventually forced former President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power.

The Houthis, supported by Saleh, seized the Yemeni capital Sana'a and some other Yemeni cities in September 2014, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The Houthis and their ally forces loyal to Saleh have controlled most of Yemen's northern regions since September 2014, while the Saudi-backed Hadi's government has worked with its tribal allies in the southern provinces they recaptured from Houthi rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 with an air force campaign to restore Hadi to the power and roll back Houthi gains.

The 19-month civil war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians.
Editors Note: The Reporter-Telegram sent a questionnaire to all school board candidates. Included was a question about what they expect in the next superintendent. Check out their answers here.

What is the most important things the Midland ISD school board will do in 2017? Picking a new superintendent is priority No. 1 if Thursday nights school board candidate forum is any indication.

Talk about the selection of a new superintendent and MISD leadership dominated the forum, conducted by the League of Women Voters and Negro Business and Professional Women at a packed Carrasco Room at Midland College.

Candidates for District 1, James Fuller and Ernie Garcia, District 4, John Kennedy and Rachel Stone, and District 7, Margy House and Bryan Murry, spoke to the frustration of a community whose school district has seen performance and achievement data on the decline for about a decade.

And when it came to the expectations of a new superintendent, it was basically unanimous that the status quo isnt acceptable.

More for you MISD school board candidate Q&A

We need to find a superstar, not the same old, same old, Kennedy said.

While former Superintendent Ryder Warrens name didnt come up too much, there wasnt a lot of fondness expressed for the legacy he left behind when he departed Midland for the same position at a school district on the outskirts of the Metroplex.

I went to Ryder four years ago and said we are in trouble, Stone said after the forum. I had teachers, parents, even a few administrators come to me and say Hey, this is what is happening and we need to do this and that. It was coming from everywhere. ... I was meeting with Ryder and telling him this was happening. Those teachers didnt feel I could use their name, and as long as I didnt have names for him, he was ignoring it.

Garcia said being able to hire a new superintendent was a reason he made the decision to run for school board. He said Midland ISD needed someone with strong and bold leadership.

House, a teacher whose 26 years in Midland includes 20 years of experience at MISD, said time in the classroom helps her to know what Midland ISD needs in a superintendent: a strong, decisive leader and someone who realizes the work being done in the classroom.

Murry called for someone who is dynamic, innovative and a person who could operate as the districts CEO.

The only incumbent on the panel was Fuller, who has decades of experience on MISDs board. He said the board has been plagued by transparency issues and the next superintendent should be an education leader and courageous enough to be transparent with everyone on the board and in the community.

Fuller said interim Superintendent Rod Schroder has been that type of leader, coming in and running the numbers on what we as a district have done, have not done and what we have to do.

That is the kind of candid, up-front utilization of data that we need, Fuller said. We needed it in the past, and it wasnt there. But that breath of fresh air has come through the district and it is invigorated the teachers. It has invigorated us to the point that we can say now, We can do this.
Early-bird breakfast

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-10-21 08:46

Xie huang tang bao, or crab-roe soup dumpling (left) and tang gan si, or shredded tofu in soup. [Photo by Owen Fishwick/China Daily]

I'm not normally one for early starts. But the breakfast in Yangzhou is something to wake up early for, I'm assured by my Chinese colleagues.

And so, on a brief trip to the historical city, I find myself up before the sun preparing to tuck in to something I've never tried beforezao cha.

Zao cha, or early breakfast tea, is something of an institution in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. It is an early-morning meal where delicious small treats are served with a variety of steaming hot teas.

You might say it sounds similar to any other breakfast ritual that takes place throughout the worldthat's where you'd be wrong. Zao cha in Yangzhou is a traditional, cultural and overwhelmingly social event.

As the soporific effects of the night before wear off, I descend a case of winding steps which take me to a sunken quadrangle, hemmed in by ornate Qing Dynasty buildings. I am immediately struck by how many people are crammed into the space belowmy interest is piqued. Over to the left a squadron of elderly men and women, probably fitter than me, perform tai chi in unison. To the right, another hefty group sit on benches chatting and listening to Yangzhou ditties. Straight ahead is what they are all here waiting for, the true purposeYe Chun Teahouse.

Ye Chun was first established in 1877 as a place for Yangzhou locals to enjoy good tea and good food. Over the years the restaurant has become synonymous with zao cha, with people lining up in the early hours to get a table so they can enjoy the food, the hot tea and most importantly a good chat with friends.

Luckily for me, a Chinese colleague managed to wangle us a table and so we were able to go straight inside. Just as the decor of the restaurant carries a distinct and intricate woody theme, so does the aroma, the smell of earthy steeped tea filling the air.

The Qing Dynasty-styled architecture of the Ye Chun Teahouse (left) in Yangzhou and a pot of tea which is served with a variety of small treats. [Photo by Owen Fishwick/China Daily]

At the table, a squat clay teapot, the size of a softball, sits upon a wooden board. Our waitress informs us of the many varieties of tea available, including unique blends served only in the restaurant. Not being a tea sommelier, I take a pot-luck pick and am pleasantly surprised by its strong but not bitter flavor.

The first food to arrive is tang gan si, or shredded tofu in soup. The thoroughly enticing dish of thin-sliced tangles of tofu looks like a mini mountain, floating in a lake of boiling broth, adorned with small shrimp snowflakes. Its salty and slightly umami taste is right up my street.

The next dish is san ding bao, or three-diced bun. This looks more familiar to me, seemingly just a baozi, a soft steamed bun with some sort of fillinga particular breakfast favorite of mine, I might add. But san ding bao is no ordinary baozi: stuffed with sliced pork, chicken and bamboo shoots, then steamed and served. Ye Chun's soft dough is made even softer from the use of a traditional method of fermentation, which I'm told is a trade secret.

The final dish to arrive is what I have been secretly waiting for all morning, xie huang tang bao, or crab-roe soup dumpling. Appearing on a stout pedestal and looking more like a cocktail than a breakfast snack, it is only apt that this dish comes with a straw. Staring up at me is a large bag or pouch made of the thinnest of thin dough. Inside the delicate orb is a fresh and fragrant crab roe soup. Now, every soup I have ever had has come in a bowl and swiftly moved, via a spoon, to my mouth or down my shirtnot in a small bag. This is where the straw comes in. By carefully piercing the skin of the dough you are able to slowly suck the delicious crab contents from within. This dish is truly a delight to behold and well worth a waitits fresh, aromatic flavor pervades the palate, leaving me with a sweet aftertaste.

After filling my belly and feeling utterly content with my delicious meal, I ascend the steps and look back down on the courtyardpeople still queuing to get a taste of what I'd just had.

As I walk to work, the morning sun crests the tops of the trees in the distance and it dawns on me why so many people wake up every day for Yangzhou's zao cha. I think I'll start getting up early more often.

Contact the writer at owenfishwick@chinadaily.com.cn
Border Patrol agents on Wednesday found a Salvadaoran teenager who they said was abandoned in the South Texas brush near Laredo for several days without food and water.

The teenager got lost after the group of immigrants he was with fled from Border Patrol agents, said Doyle Amidon, the division chief of operations for the Laredo Sector. The teen was lost in the brush for three days before agents found him in a remote area of ranch land northwest of Laredo, Amidon said.
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SAN ANTONIO  State Rep. Laura Thompson, an independent who won a special election earlier this year and is up for re-election in less than three weeks, turned herself into jail Thursday on a family violence charge stemming from a past incident, according to officials.

Thompson, who represents Texas House District 120, turned herself in Thursday morning on an outstanding warrant for a Class A misdemeanor charge of assault with bodily injury to a family member.

"She's innocent," said Lisa Jackson, a spokeswoman who described Thompson as a "law-abiding citizen."

RELATED: Bexar County Democrats fail to get independent candidate removed from ballot in HD 120

Thompson was in jail for less than an hour before bonding herself out, officials said.

"In the state of Texas, anyone can make allegations. Nothing has been proven,' Jackson said.

Thompson, 59, is the first independent to serve in the Texas Legislature in more than 50 years.

She faces Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, a Democrat, in the Nov. 8 election. The seat was previously occupied by longtime state Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, a Democrat.

More for you Greg Casar gets major boost from political superstar

A warrant was issued for Thompson's arrest in 2013, but was never executed, according to online court records. The incident occurred in Sept. 2012.

RELATED OPINION: Court cases causing problems for Bexar County election official

Jackson said a "concerned citizen" contacted Jackson and told her that she was going to be arrested Thursday.

"This is a charge from 2012 that Rep. Thomspon was unaware of, once she was made aware because she is a law-abiding citizen  she went down immediately and turned herself in," Jackson said.

Her opponent Hawkins said Thompson's turning herself in may have just been a political strategy.

"This is one of the biggest publicity stunts I could imagine," Hawkins said. "I'm prepared to get to the finish line and they're coming out with all this stuff, getting her into the media at any cost."

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Staff writer Jacob Beltran contributed to this report.

kparker@mysa.com

Twitter: @koltenparker
SAN ANTONIO  A short police chase in Alamo Heights Thursday night put one woman in the hospital and a man behind bars, according to police.

The incident started at about 9:45 p.m. Thursday near Wild Rose Avenue and Buttercup Drive, when a traffic stop turned into a pursuit.
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Two men accused of shooting another man in the head during a drug deal in order to rob him were arrested Wednesday night.

Donnye S. Green, 20, and Fabian X. Pena, 19, each face a charge of capital murder. Their bail was set at $500,000.

Angelo Polendo, 37, was found motionless and bleeding from his head in the street on Oct. 11 at North Sabinas and Lombrano streets when officers arrived, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

EMS transported him to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:29 a.m., according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

His mother Alyssa Polendo, 55, said he was a loving son and charismatic friend, recalling through tears that when she was called to serve in Desert Storm, she had to leave him with her mother when he was 10.

When police recovered Polendo's wallet from the scene and handed it to Alyssa Polendo, she found her Army National Guard ID from 27 years ago tucked inside.

"It broke my heart," she said, adding that she has heard changing stories from multiple people on what led to the shooting.

Polendo served 14 years in prison and his parole would have been completed in December. His mother said he didn't check in with his parole officer on Oct. 5, which was unusual.

Witnesses told police Polendo was one of several people inside a vehicle that had pulled up at the intersection for a drug deal, and that a man approached from behind the vehicle before several gunshots were fired, the police affidavit states. Someone in another vehicle got out to check on him but got back in the vehicle and drove off, a witness told police.

Days later, a witness told investigators that Pena said he shot Polendo and then ran over him with a vehicle, the affidavit states. The witness added that Pena was anxious as he recounted the events, according to the affidavit. Witnesses said Green was with Pena when Polendo was shot, the document states.

Green and Pena were still in jail as of Thursday night.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
SAN ANTONIO  A 25-year-old man came home from lunch to find another man inside his Northeast Side residence with his significant other Friday morning, prompting a fatal dispute, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

David Morin faces a charge of first-degree murder for the stabbing death of a 24-year-old man, whose identity will be released by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office at a later time.
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SAN ANTONIO  A 28-year-old woman was arrested Friday for her alleged role in the death of a 2-year-old child, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Erika Jones faces a first-degree felony charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury in the death of 2-year-old KLanie Reyes.

RELATED: SAPD: Man comes home for lunch, kills another man visiting his significant other

Investigators located Jones in the 11000 block of Spring Rain Drive on the Northwest Side Friday at about noon, and was taken into custody without incident.

SAPD spokesman Douglas Greene said investigators are unsure exactly how Reyes suffered the injuries she did, but investigators know the girl was in the care of Jones at the time of the alleged incident on Aug. 12 that led to Reyes death.

RELATED: State Rep. Laura Thompson arrested on family violence charge in San Antonio

Reyes was transported with severe injuries to her head to Methodist Childrens Hospital, where she died five days later. The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office determined Reyes died due to complications of blunt force injuries to the head and her death was ruled a homicide.

Jones was the girlfriend of the victims father at the time of the incident. Their current status isn't known.

Greene said the charge was not capital murder or murder because investigators at this time have not been able to prove intent to harm the child, although Greene also said the case is still ongoing.

RELATED: Suspect in August fatal shooting facing new charges

If convicted, Jones faces five to 99 years or life in prison.

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twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
SAN ANTONIO  Two people were transported in serious condition Thursday to area hospitals after driving a vehicle into a dry cleaners building, according to police.

The crash occurred at about 10:50 p.m. Thursday in the 2200 block of Quintana Road, where a vehicle crashed into the Save Cleaners & Laundry.
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Republican Rep. Brian Babin came out to bat for Donald Trump after his comment calling Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" during the final presidential debate on Wednesday.

Babin appeared on Fox News' radio "The Alan Colmes Show," where they discussed Trump's performance.

READ MORE: Local Trump fans fear a 'rigged' election, too

"You think it's appropriate to call her a nasty woman?" asked Colmes.

"Well I'm a genteel Southern gentleman, Alan," Babin said.

"So does that mean no?" Colmes asked.

"No, I think sometimes a lady needs to be told when she's being nasty," Babin replied. "I do."

READ MORE: Donald Trump: I will 'totally accept' results of the presidential election 'if I win'

Trump's "nasty woman" comment about Clinton came during the final moments of Wednesday's heated debate, when the Republican presidential candidate interjected after Clinton said "my Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it."

The comment sparked reaction from women across the nation, many of whom took to social media to express their outrage. Read more about the response in Kyrie O'Connor's essay on HoustonChronicle.com.

Babin represents Texas' 36th Congressional District, which includes Jasper, Newton, Polk, Tyler, Orange, Hardin, Liberty, Chambers and a portion of southeastern Harris County.

Click through above to see other comments Trump has made about women.
What a concept: A debate that focused on issues.

Supreme Court. Immigration. 

Oh, wait. That was nice while it lasted.

In what amounted to final arguments on why they should be president, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump debated Wednesday night in gambling mecca Las Vegas. The stakes for the candidates  and Americans  couldnt be higher.

We suspect that much of the post-debate coverage will correctly focus on Trumps dangerous refusal to say outright that he will accept the results of the election. But more than the previous two debates, there was a forceful attempt to keep the candidates focused on issues, thanks to Fox News moderator Chris Wallace.

National debt and entitlements? These have been given short shrift in this campaign and the issues were at least raised, if not always clearly answered. But then there were, of course, the spats  charges and counter charges. Trump clearly got under Clintons skin more than the previous debates  such a nasty woman, he said. And she returned the favor, emphasizing his sexist, belittling statements on women and declaring that this is the real Trump.

But, there was a welcome concession from Trump. While he did not concede that Russia was responsible for hacks and the Wikileak documents embarrassing to Clinton, he did say he would condemn any foreign interference in U.S. elections.

It was a debate of substantive questions on issues -- and equally substantive deflection by both candidates.

There was a question on whether her concern for the Clinton Foundation sparked pay to play practices while she was secretary of state, and Clinton swerved to the worthiness of the foundations work  and to Trumps foundation, which he used to buy portraits of themselves and give contributions to a Florida attorney general contemplating whether to act on Trump University.

Trump shipped jobs to Mexico; despite his anti-immigration rhetoric, hired undocumented immigrants to help build his buildings; and bought Chinese steel and aluminum (which tied to a question on Chinese dumping). And he essentially said he wouldnt do these things if Clinton had done her job as senator and secretary of state.

On the assessment by experts that the numbers dont add up in his economic plan  he changed the subject to NATO. Later he said his plan would spur such economic growth that it would pay for itself. Clinton simply rejected the notion that her plan doesnt similarly pay for itself with taxes on the wealthy.

But on the portion on fitness for office, we saw a truly disturbing Trump. Wallace, noting his statements about a rigged election, asked if Trump would accept the results of the election if he lost. He said, I will look at it at that time and later, I will tell you at that time.

Clinton correctly blasted his statement as horrifying. Trump then said, She shouldnt be allowed to run, just in that respect (the election) is rigged.

And what were left with at the end of this final debate and with less than three weeks to go until the election, is what weve had from the beginning of this interminably bitter campaign: Two flawed candidates, but one with a much greater store of flaws  Trump. Two candidates with starkly different policy positions, but one with firmer grasp of facts and domestic and global realities  Clinton. One with slogans masquerading as foreign policy  Trump  one with actual experience and policies, Clinton.

On allegations of improper sexual conduct, Trump was simply unconvincing, denying the stories of the nine women who have stepped forward to say he has done what he bragged about in that 2005 video clip. At one point, he said the Clinton campaign was behind the charges. Clinton deflected a question about her husbands sordid past. Which is not all that bothersome since hes not running for president.

But, despite the spats, there were clear policy differences that can guide voters at the ballot box. On the Second Amendment, Clinton backs reasonable regulation such as comprehensive background checks. Trump does not.

On abortion, Trump says he will nominate justices who will, like him, be pro life. Clinton says she will defend Planned Parenthood from defunding and stand strong for Roe v. Wade.

On Syria, safe zones for Clinton, after negotiations. From Trump, no real prescriptions, just deploring Clintons alleged role in the Mideast morass  a mess that has existed generations.

This debate  as with the two previous and the entire campaign  had a scorched earth quality to it. Its been one for the ages and one we hope never repeats itself in tone and tenor.

Nov. 8 cant come too soon. But in this debate, despite the spats and deflections, Clinton again demonstrated a firmer grasp of the issues.
Its been quite a week for police news. The lead story Wednesday on the front page of the San Antonio Express-News was headlined Trump says S.A.s mayor should be feeling shame.

The reference, of course, was to a phalanx of San Antonio police who were assigned to guard Trump during a recent fundraising trip here. The Trump campaign posted video of the officers in red Trump Make America Great Again caps as they said goodbye to the presidential candidate at the airport.

The wearing of political caps while on duty and in uniform is clearly against police policy, as admitted by police union President Mike Helle. Helle did ask that the officers not be severely punished and got his wish. While six supervisors received written reprimands, 17 officers were assessed only counseling.

That, plus a mild public spanking by Mayor Ivy Taylor, who said on Facebook she was deeply disappointed by the officers actions.

It was this that apparently drew Trumps ire, as expressed at the end of a 12-minute fawning interview Tuesday with Joe Pags, a nationally syndicated conservative talk show host based at WOAI in San Antonio.

You can imagine if they put on a crooked Hillary hat, that would have been just fine, Trump said when Pags brought up the disciplinary action.

Right, said Pags, who appears to know Mayor Taylor only a bit better than Trump, who assumed she was a man. Exactly a year ago the Clinton campaign put Taylors name on a list of Texans who had endorsed her, only to suffer public embarrassment when Taylors office quickly announced that she had done no such thing and would not do so.

Not only has Taylor said she wants to honor San Antonios mayors office as a nonpartisan position, but she is very aware that she won her office with solid support from the citys conservative North Side precincts. She would neither wear a Hillary hat in public, nor look the other way if SAPD officers did.

Last weeks news featured several positive police stories.

The Los Angeles Police Department held an awards ceremony that for the first time honored officers with a Preservation of Life medal. It goes to officers who, often at some risk to themselves, de-escalate potentially violent situations.

Milwaukee has a similar awards program, as does Philadelphia, which has given out 44 Medals of Tactical De-escalation since last December.

This week, the president of one of the nations largest police organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, issued a formal apology for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in societys historical mistreatment of people of color.

That reminded me of a story told to me years ago by the late Ray Hildebrand, a San Antonio cop for 27 years. He recalled as a rookie patrolling the East Side in the early 1960s with a storied veteran.

Hildebrand said the veteran one afternoon took him inside a bar, where without provocation he cold-cocked a black man who was peacefully nursing a beer.

I think it was a test, Hildebrand said. He wanted to see if I would rat on him.

The apology issued on behalf of the police chiefs did not mention current conditions or controversies. But clearly work remains, as we are reminded by a local story in the news.

Mayor Taylors Police-Community Council met this week for the first time in public at Sam Houston High School, not far from the site of the bar Hildebrand spoke of. At the meeting, Chief William McManus announced that two-thirds of officers have body cameras now, and the rest should get them by early summer. He also said all officers will receive training in implicit bias.

Its all part of making America great  for everyone.

This column appeared as a commentary on Texas Week with Rick Casey, which airs Fridays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. on KLRN.
Rep. Rick Galindo has earned re-election to the Texas House District 117 seat.

A Republican in a swing district that sweeps across northwest and southwest Bexar County, Galindo demonstrated commendable commitment to his constituents in his first term in the Legislature. He has also dramatically improved his knowledge of issues.

Voters should reward his hard work with another term.

Galindo is facing former state Rep. Phil Cortez, a former city councilman who represented the district for one term before losing to Galindo in 2014.

Galindo, 35, is an outspoken advocate for public education, and he has said his top priority is improving school finance. He is also an advocate for improving mental health care in Bexar County. As a member of the majority party, he is in a strong position to get bills passed for his district and the greater region.

His signature accomplishment during his first term was a bill that became law requiring all high-rise senior living centers in San Antonio to have fire sprinkler systems. The law was in response to the fatal Wedgwood Apartment fire in December 2014 that killed six people.

He has also been a strong proponent of improving the perpetually troubled South San Antonio Independent School District. His leadership was instrumental in the Texas Education Agency assigning a conservator there.

For the upcoming session, he plans to prioritize legislation that would allow residents to vote on city annexation. We have concerns about such a stance since non-city residents so often drive on city roads and visit city parks, but its an example of how he advocates on his districts behalf.

Galindo is a moderate, who represents the views of his district well. He should be given another term.
As you savor your new access to Cuban cigars and rum  thanks to recent directives by the Obama administration  contemplate what you still arent allowed to do when it comes to Cuba.

Restricted travel and trade are still the law of the land. A congressionally-imposed embargo remains in place. That must change.

The exceptions for travel and trade have grown thanks to the administrations rapprochement with Cuba. But these have been derided by the GOP-controlled Congress as appeasement to a Cuban regime that still stifles rights and imprisons dissidents.

You know, like China, with which the U.S. enjoys some $546.7 billion in trade. The U.S. is Chinas largest trading partner. Even with sanctions, U.S. trade with Russia was $23.3 billion in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

On Oct. 14, the Obama administration lifted the $100 limit on bringing Cuban rum and cigars into the country and on cargo-ship travel between the two countries. This is the sixth and last round of regulatory changes from this administration and is intended to make it difficult for a future administration to undo engagement.

How do the two major party candidates stand on lifting the embargo? Hillary Clinton wants Congress to get rid of it and wants to further normalize relations with Cuba. And perhaps surprisingly, Donald Trump has said he favors the opening with Cuba.

But the bigger stage for further normalization lies with Congress. This has long been thought to be a nonstarter. This is because of Cubas record on human rights, members have said, but, given U.S. trade with certain other countries, a more reasonable conclusion might be centered on the clout anti-Castro Cuban-Americans have had on this topic. Also a factor: How the politics play out in Florida, long a battleground state in U.S. presidential elections.

That clout, however, is diminishing as the demographics in Florida sway to other-than-Cuban Hispanic.

But the reasons for normalizing relations further with Cuba should have little to do with politics and more about how we want relations to look post-Castros. And it is about the amount of business denied to U.S. firms  estimated between $1.2 billion to $4.84 billion annually.

Texas, a national leader in foreign exports, is certainly poised to benefit.

Engagement will lead to more of the same  and, perhaps, a different outlook from whatever regime follows and Cubans as a whole as they encounter more Americans up close and personal.

However this election turns out, lifting this relic of the Cold War must be high on the policy agenda.
Congratulations, Mayor Ivy Taylor, you have been Trumped.

Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump recently griped about San Antonios mayor on the radio waves, telling talk show host Joe Pags Pagliarulo that Taylor should be ashamed that 23 police officers were reprimanded for donning Trump caps.

The officers had escorted Trump during a fundraising visit here. They were disciplined because it violates city policy to promote such personal political views while on duty. Officers on duty are expected to be impartial.

Taylor had said she was deeply disappointed by the officers conduct.

That strikes us as a reasonable response from the mayor to a relatively small issue. It is disappointing that on-duty officers didnt use better judgment. They should have known better.

But since Trump graced Taylor with his fleeting attention span, we cant help but make an observation: She is imminently more qualified to be president than the Republican nominee.

Taylor trumps the Trump by every important measure. A Yale graduate with a masters degree from the University of North Carolina, she is better educated. As mayor of the seventh-largest city in the nation and a former city councilwoman, she has significant elected experience. He has none.

She understands and thinks about policy. He really gets Twitter. We have no doubt evangelical voters would prefer her, and she has a history of bipartisan support. Trumps a bit shaky on those fronts.

Were not saying you should print your Taylor 2020 bumper stickers. But what does it say about a presidential nominee who doesnt measure up to the local mayor? Sad!
Contributed / Stamford Police Department

STAMFORD  Police are asking the publics help to identify a man suspected of stealing a cellphone at a Bank of America branch last month.

The theft was reported on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the banks 383 W. Main St. branch, according to the report.
Contributed / Stamford Police Department

STAMFORD  New York authorities have extradicted a city teen who police say dropped a loaded gun during a foot chase and is a suspect in several shootings.

Police said Tyreik Gantt, 19, was returned to Stamford on Thursday from New York where U.S. Marshals late last month tracked him down to his aunts apartment in upper Manhattan.
New York brokerage firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased the Hilton San Antonio Hill Country Hotel & Spa near SeaWorld San Antonio, property records show.

The five-story, 227-room hotel and meeting venue was purchased on Tuesday for an undisclosed price by GSPYR San Antonio, a company controlled by Goldman subsidiary Special Situations Investing Group II, state corporate filings show. The company has two addresses listed: one for Goldmans New York headquarters, and another for its office in Irving.

The hotels previous owner was PD San Antonio Associates, which had owned it since 2007 and is linked to the Dow Hotel Company of Seattle and New Jersey-based PGIM Real Estate, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, state corporate filings show.

Goldman Sachs spokesman Michael DuVally declined to comment on Friday morning. Representatives of Dow Hotel and PGIM Real Estate werent immediately available for comment.

The hotel, at 9800 Westover Hills Blvd., opened in early 2002 as the Radisson Hill Country Resort. In 2009, it became a Hilton franchise and underwent $6 million of renovations. It has three outdoor pools, two restaurants, a spa and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space, according to its website.

The 6.7-acre property that includes the hotel was assessed at $23.3 million this year, according to the Bexar Appraisal District.

For more on this story, visit ExpressNews.com or read the Saturday edition of the San Antonio Express-News.

rwebner@express-news.net

@rwebner
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Yves here. It might be possible to see the Bank of England article that makes baseless arguments against fining banks for predatory and crisis-inducing conduct if it pointed out that imposing costs on corporations was a poor remedy and the right approach was to punish executives instead. But we see no such argument here.

This paper is particularly distressing since it walks back some of the work of the Bank of Englands former director of financial stability, Andrew Haldane, widely regarded as one of the most original and astute economists of his generation. In a Haldane paper Ive cited often, The $100 Billion Question, Haldane treat the cost of periodic financial crises as an externality, just like pollution. The correct remedies, depending on the level of social costs versus private gain, are taxes or other costs to make the actual cost of the product reflect the true societal cost, or prohibition. With a simple back of the envelope workup, Haldane demonstrates that the the cost of financial crises are so high that making the banks bear them would wipe them out. In other words, banking as now constituted is destructive from the standpoint of the community as a whole. It is purely predatory. That means aggressively restricting bank risk-taking (prohibition) and regulating them so they operate as utilities is the preferred approach.

Yet notice how the Bank of England article whinges about requiring banks to bear far less then the true cost of their reckless and self-serving activities, and relies on dubious economic claims to justify its conclusions.

By Bill Black, the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One and an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Jointly published with New Economic Perspectives

Elite bankers and the pathetic economists who serve as apologists for their frauds specialize in proving our family saying that it is impossible to compete with unintentional self-parody. The subtitle of the WSJ article providing the latest proof is Fines on banks translate into $5 trillion of reduced lending capacity, bank says. The bank referred to is the Bank of England, which is supposed to be the UKs primary bank regulator. To be kind, the study by BOE is so embarrassing that a better descriptor of the BOE would be fraud enabler.

The roughly $275 billion in legal costs for global banks since 2008 translates into more than $5 trillion of reduced lending capacity to the real economy, Minouche Shafik, a deputy governor of the Bank of England, told a New York conference of regulators and bankers Thursday.

BOEs methodology and logic (which it did not make public) are easy to guess. It is not sufficient that elite banksters are able to become wealthy from leading the worlds most destructive financial frauds with impunity from prosecution, civil suits, and enforcement actions. It is vital that the banks no longer be fined for conducting these massive frauds. When banks are fined they lose some of their profits from these epidemics of frauds, bid-rigging cartels, predatory lending, aiding and abetting elite tax fraud, and money laundering for terrorists and violent drug cartels. For the sake of brevity, I will call these collectively fraud proceeds. Banks remain highly leveraged despite modest increases in capital requirements, so the BOEs staff is assuming that each dollar of fraud proceeds that the banks lose to fines reduces total bank size by $18.18. They are assuming that the typical bank has a miserably inadequate capital requirement of slightly over five percent.

There are a number of fatal problems with BOEs logic and (unstated) methodology. First, under the BOEs logic the more profitable banks become by defrauding their customers the faster the economy will grow. The bank CEOs who led the three most destructive epidemics of financial fraud in history were apparently Soviet-style (pun intended) Heroes of Capitalism. Except, of course, what they actually drove was a massive financial bubble that produced the Great Recession. The projected loss of GDP in the U.S. due to the Great Recession is $24.3 trillion  and the loss of eurozone GDP is far larger because their economic losses have occurred over a far longer time and have been far deeper than in the United States. Only central bank economists would be so dogmatically divorced from reality and so moral challenged that they would think that allowing banksters to keep their fraud proceeds and avoid all accountability for their crimes would be good for the economy.

Why would making additional fraudulent and predatory loans be good for the economy? Unsurprisingly, the BOE leader did not even discuss this issue. They simply assume, contrary to the relevant criminology and economics literature, that when banks make more loans it means the economy most grow productively. The opposite is true when the loans are fraudulent and predatory.

Second, the BOE has falsely assumed that the banks are lending less because they are capital-constrained. Overwhelmingly, however, corporations are sitting on enormous cash positions. They are not investing because of their CEOs perverse incentives and because of weak demand arising largely from austerity. If the corporations are not eager to borrow, then lending by banks will be reduced. The WSJ journalists did make a related point about the BOEs flawed logic.

In the U.S. at least, banks in recent years have attributed tepid lending growth to lack of demand, not their inability to supply credit.

If anything, banks have been awash in deposits, which they have struggled to put to work. Over the eight years since the crisis took hold in the third quarter of 2008, loans as a percentage of deposits have averaged about 74%, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data. This means banks have had firepower to make additional loans.

Third, even if banks that committed these epic frauds were not lending because they were capital-constrained because of the loss of some of their fraud proceeds to fines, they could respond by raising their capital. That would be good for them and the world, but bad for bank CEOs. Bank CEOs make sure that their compensation systems are perverse, so increased bank capital (which reduces leverage) can reduce the bonuses of all bank officers and employees. Bank CEOs overwhelmingly structure the compensation systems to be perverse from the perspectives of the public and the shareholders. Bank CEOs ensure through these perverse incentives that banks will be run in their self-interest, so they typically oppose proposals to substantially increase bank capital.

The key question is whether the BOE presented this financially illiterate logic in order to signal that there should be an end to recoveries by UK victims of epic predation by all their major banks through the indefensible sale of payment protection insurance (PPI) and an end to the (rare) prosecutions of the worlds largest bid rigging cartels (Libor and FX). We know from releases of documents from the House Financial Services Committee that the UK successfully intervened to press the U.S. Department of Justice not to prosecute HSBC or any of its officers for its eager actions for roughly a decade to launder roughly $1 billion in drug proceeds for the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel.
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Yves here. I recall when I was starting this blog ten years ago how one country would give all expecting mothers a new baby package not long before the delivery date. I cant remember the details, but it included things like a crib, nappies, and if I recall correctly a baby blanket and maybe even some food. The arrival of the package was apparently cherished by parents and seen as part of the welcoming of the soon-to-arrive child. This seemed like a wonderful social equalizer as well as a helpful investment in newborns.

This post describes how historical racial deficits require even more in the way of corrective childhood investments. And even though this article correctly focuses on big basics, like adequate nutrition, there are other large and real barriers to social mobility, whether due to race or class. For instance, a woman I knew in Australia was the daughter of an orphan who was the only white in orphanage where all the other children were stolen generation Aboriginals. He spent his life in a very poor area of northern Australia where this woman was born. She managed to escape her heritage of poverty by someone in a well-off nearby family taking an interest in her and helping her get additional education, which critically included elocution lessons. Her acquired plummy accent was an enormous boost when she applied for jobs after university. She became a successful marketing professional in Sydney.

Now admittedly she was nowhere near as badly burdened as abos are, who are still horribly discriminated against in Australia. But I am sure she would say that her parents did everything for her they could have, but her rise in social status was almost entirely dependent on the intervention of a rich benefactor.

Mind you, I am not saying there are easy answers. But I am saying that even for whites from disadvantaged backgrounds in a pretty egalitarian society like the Australia of 50 years ago, the you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps myth is a convenient excuse for a bad status quo, and even more so in countries with serious economic and racial disparities.

By Lynn Parramore, Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for New Economic Thinking. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website

As an undergraduate at Brown University in the 1970s, William Darity, Jr. expected to learn the reasons behind the inequality hed seen all around him growing up in the Middle East and North Carolina. He realized pretty quickly that economists were not going to be much help.

Darity, the son of North Carolinians, spent his first eight years in Lebanon and Egypt while his father worked for the World Health Organization, then lived until the age of twelve in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. During the Jim Crow era, he visited his grandmother in a town where a railroad track divided the city into black and white sections, marking two separate economic worlds.

At Brown, Darity was disappointed by how his teachers explained why some people reap the benefits in a society and some dont. Most taught that some individuals and groups grew more prosperous than others because of differences in education  what economists refer to as human capital. Labor economists tended to say that educational differences meant that some people were more productive than others, which explained why some flourished and others languished in the long run. They believed that competitive markets would ensure that everybody ended up earning according to what they produced. Those with higher earnings were able to save more, and so they accumulated more wealth over the course of their lifetime.

Darity wondered, then, why disparities persist, even when markets are competitive. Black Americans, for example, are paid less than their white counterparts at every level of education.

Motivated by what he describes as youthful hubris, Darity got a Ph.D. in economics and set out to change the way economists deal with these issues. Today he is the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics and the Director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. With a group of colleagues that include Darrick Hamilton and James Stewart, he has developed a framework for understanding the inequality problem, which he calls stratification economics. The new approach interdisciplinary and integrating economics with psychology and sociology 

expands the boundaries of how economists analyze intergroup differences.

The traditional approach says that educational attainment is a consequence of parental investment, says Darity, but it doesnt explain how parents can feasibly make those investments. The explanation he puts forth is a blow to the long-cherished view of America as a land of equal opportunity, where its not supposed to matter who your parents and grandparents are or how much money they have.

But that, says Darity, is the key. In his view, the capacity of parents and grandparents to invest in their children is contingent on their wealth position.

Parental wealth and the provision of inheritances as well as gifts over the parents lifetime can support the young person and give them a foundation for their own basis for wealth later, he explains. The greater the wealth position of your parents, the greater the degree of economic security that you experience during your childhood, so that youre more likely to have better levels of health and a better sense of confidence about your ability to be successful in a society.

The real driver of inequality, then, is not an individuals level of education and productivity, but the resources that parents and grandparents are able to transmit.

This has strong implications if were looking at racial and ethnic differences in the accumulation of wealth, Darity observes. This can be tied to  especially if were thinking about black/white differences  the long-term consequences of enslavement; the Jim Crow period; and social policies that created wealth for whites but didnt do so for blacks, like the GI Bill and the subsidization of the purchases of homes with public funds which is disproportionately made available to whites. [Black veterans had limited choices of colleges and often could not take advantage of the GI housing provisions].

Many social scientists have sought cultural explanations for racial disparities, rather than the structure of stratification Darity proposes. For example, sociologist and former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Labor Secretary under President Lyndon B. Johnson, argued in his influential 1965 report, The Negro Family: The Case For National Action, that the high rate of families headed by single mothers was in large part to blame for economic inequality. Darity notes that this line of thinking has very deep roots.

If you go back to W. E. B. Du Bois study, The Philadelphia Negro, it kind of runs along two paths. One path is focused on the impact of discrimination on peoples earnings and their occupational status, but another path concerns issues surrounding family structure and the like that fall directly into the path of the dysfunctionality kinds of arguments.

The cultural explanation is appealing to policymakers because it excuses them from the challenge of remedying inherited stratification through large-scale reforms.

Theres actually something convenient about those arguments in the sense that if you took them seriously, it would mean that blacks were fully capable of engaging in the self-correction to improve their situation, so there would not necessarily be any need to rely upon social policy that would require the political support of whites, says Darity.

But he believes that this self-correction logic applies only in exceptional cases.

Obviously there are always going to be individuals who are outliers, who accomplish great things with minimal resources. But if were thinking about patterns at the average, then I think one of the most dramatic statistics that weve discovered in the work that weve been doing is that blacks with a college education, that is, blacks who have a college degree, have two-thirds of the net worth of whites who never finished high school. Thats a stark sense in which somebody has taken personal responsibility, has been motivated, has achieved, but theres not the same payoff.

Some hoped that the Obama presidency might herald a new era of economic equality, but those dreams have yet to be fulfilled. Darity notes that Obamas speeches emphasize ending a culture of victimization and the taking of personal responsibility. That kind of message is not very different from the position that would be taken by the researchers at the Manhattan Institute [a conservative think tank], he says. Essentially what hes done is to embrace a set of arguments that attribute racial disparities primarily to dysfunctionality in the black community.

Darity is unimpressed.

If you buy the black dysfunction story, then the key is for young black men to pull up their pants or the equivalent, he says. But thats a very different policy from saying, well, we should assure all Americans a human right to work. Or even if we dont talk about an employment guarantee, then at least the basic income guarantee.

If were concerned about black-white disparities specifically and we want to have a race-specific policy, then I think we have to start talking about a program of reparations [for slavery]. (Darity and his wife, Kirsten Mullen, are currently completing a book that details how a reparations program might be executed, due to hit the shelves by mid-2017).

If we are not willing to pursue race-specific policies, Darity argues, then we need universal programs that are race-conscious in the sense that they will disproportionately benefit the most disadvantaged groups even though they are programs that everyone is eligible for. One such program would be a Federal job guarantee.

Darity has also worked with economist Darrick Hamilton to devise a wealth redistribution program through Baby Bonds, which would help put Americans on more equal footing without confiscating any existing wealth.

Thats essentially the provision of a trust fund to each newborn infant, but while its universal its not uniform. The amount would be contingent upon the wealth position of the childs family. We think in terms of a $50 endowment for a child of somebody like Bill Gates, but a $50-$60,000 endowment for children whose families are in the lowest quintile of the wealth distribution.

And because racial disparity in income, wealth and employment is so deeply embedded in the structure of U.S. society, he says remedying it will require truly transformative policies.

Asked if there have been improvements in the way academic economics tackle issues of inequality since his student days in the 1970s, Darity does not have particularly good news:

Actually, I think its shifted even further to the right so that alternative approaches are even more marginalized now, he says. The ideological content of economics is masked somewhat by the high degree of technical requirements. So in some respects I think economics is even less open than it was when I was first exposed to the field.

Darity has seen positive signs in the work of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the efforts of economist Joseph Stiglitz, and the Roosevelt Institute, which recently put out a report drawing heavily upon stratification economics as a frame for analysis. He hopes to get a paper published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives on stratification economics that would expose a larger audience of economists to the ideas.

His work suggests that until economists deal with the reality of the structural dimension of inequality, racial disparities will not only be a stain on American society, but will continue to limit Americas broader economic prosperity.
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Yves here. The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation flagged an important recent paper that describes yet another way that 401(k) plans fleece investors. This new ruse it exposes should give members of the public cause for pause as Wall Street denizens like Blackstones Tony James, who is a leading adviser of Hillary Clinton, prepare to insert a big tube directly in veins of all American workers to suck money into mandatory retirement accounts. As we discussed in a post earlier this week, this scheme is a two-fer: a stealthy way to displace Social Security over time, and immediately enrich the purveyors of high-fee strategies with poor recent performance and/or dubious prospects, namely hedge and private equity funds.

Weve embedded the paper, It Pays to Set the Menu: Mutual Fund Investment Options in 401(k) Plans, at the end of this post. It looks into whether 401 (k) plans engage in an abuse that occurs on a widespread basis at brokerage firms: having salesmen (induced by bonus sales credits) put customers into inferior in-house mutual funds over better performing outside products or index funds. Bear in mind that the rise of wrap accounts was to prevent retail broker churning of accounts that invested in individual securities, and for mutual fund accounts, to reward the firm well enough to as to remove the incentive to taking advantage of their discretionary authority. But the howling from brokers and other purveyors of retail investment services over the Administrations plan to impose a fiduciary duty on brokers managing retirement assets says that there is still a yawning chasm between retail firms claims about how they put customer interests first versus reality.

This is why the article by Veronika Pool, Clemens Sialm, and Irina Stefanescu shows yet another way that financial firms prey on unsophisticated investors.

Mutual funds manage nearly half of 401 (k) assets. Many operators of fund families (think Fidelity) are in a conflict-of-interest position by being the plan administrator. That means they are in the catbird seat of determining which funds are on the menu presented to plan participants. The author created a large custom data set to investigate whether plan investors were stuffees by virtue of being presented with inferior choices, specifically, adding funds from the administrators in-house roster and not removing them even when they proved to be dogs.

The study focused on open architecture plans that included offerings from both the administrators fund family and outside products. The authors found the administrators stacked the deck in favor of their own funds:

Our results reveal significant favoritism toward affiliated funds. Mutual funds affiliated with the service provider of a 401(k) plan are significantly less likely to be removed from the plan menu than unaffiliated funds. The biggest relative difference between how affiliated and unaffiliated funds are treated occurs for the worst-performing funds, which have been shown to exhibit significant performance persistence (Carhart, 1997). For example, mutual funds ranked in the lowest decile based on their prior three-year performance have a deletion rate of 25.5% per year if they are unaffiliated with the plans trustee and a deletion rate of just 13.7% if they are affiliated with the trustee. On the other hand, funds in the top performance decile have a deletion rate of around 15% for both affiliated and unaffiliated trustees. Similarly, we find that the propensity to add funds to 401(k) menus is less sensitive to performance for affiliated funds than for unaffiliated funds.

Now in theory, investors might be vigilant enough to recognize that their interests are not being well served and will avoid the lousy funds from the administrators fund families. But not surprisingly, these fund operators persist in these bad practices because they work. Again from the article:

Consistent with studies documenting that DC plan participants are naive and inactive (Benartzi and Thaler, 2001; Madrian and Shea, 2001; Agnew, Balduzzi, and Sunden, 2003), we show that participants are generally not sensitive to poor performance and do not undo the menus bias toward affiliated families. This in turn indicates that plan participants are affected by the affiliation bias.

Oh, but maybe the fund administrators are not evil! Maybe they have inside information that the doggy funds performance is on the verge of being turned around, say by appointing a better fund manager. Nope:

affiliated funds that rank poorly based on past performance but are not deleted from the menu do not perform well in the subsequent year. We estimate that, on average, they underperform by approximately 3.96% annually on a risk- and style-adjusted basis. These results suggest that the menu bias we document in this paper has important implications for the employees income in retirement.

Now admittedly, affiliated funds in these 401 (k) plans in toto perform better on some important measures, such as overall fees, asset turnover, and volatility of returns. But that appears to be due in large measure to the fact that the administrator includes more in-house index funds than third-party ones.

Needless to say, weve inveighed regularly about 401 (k) plans as an inferior retirement vehicle due to their high and regularly non-transparent fees, abuse of float (they take their sweet time to move funds from one fund to another), and sometimes unduly limited options (for instance, restricted choices on international funds and REITS, which offer an element of asset class diversification). This paper provides further confirmation that 401 (k)s need far more scrutiny and oversight.

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Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
An appeals court decision declaring that the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's must serve at the pleasure of the president might have more far-reaching implications than even the judge who wrote the opinion might want.

The ruling in PHH v. CFPB found that a single clause in the Dodd-Frank Act establishing the agency  stipulating that its director could only be removed "for cause"  violates the constitutional separation of powers because it vests executive authority in a single person who is not accountable to the president.

The ruling effectively set the precedent that federal agencies can be headed by an executive single director who answers to the president or can be an independent regulatory commission which does not.

That is a new constitutional standard that may impact a host of other agencies run by a single director, said Richard Horn, former senior counsel at the CFPB.

"There's not just two specific categories of agencies, executive and independent  it's more of a spectrum," Horn said. "This could affect agencies that typically one might think of as independent."

Aaron Klein, an economist with the Brookings Institution and former Treasury official, said the bright line laid out by the ruling would have immediate implications for the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which was established in 2008 under President George W. Bush, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, formed in 1863 under President Abraham Lincoln.

"It immediately begs the question, 'Does this apply to the FHFA and the OCC?'  two agencies created under Republican presidents which have single agency heads that are largely appointed and removable by similar processes," Klein said. "When judges set precedents like this, they impact more than just the case before them."

The constitutional basis of independent executive agencies is somewhat convoluted and, with the exception of the OCC, relatively recent. The first independent federal agencies began cropping up in the early 20th century with the passage of the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Reserve. But in 1935 the Supreme Court handed down a ruling, Humphrey's Executor v. United States, that affirmed Congress' authority to create independent federal agencies and to limit the President's authority to remove the head of such an agency if it so chooses.

Since that time, several independent agencies have proliferated with varying degrees of executive oversight  the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, etc.

The FHFA was formed as a successor to the Federal Housing Finance Board, which regulated the Federal Home Loan banks, and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which oversaw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the two agencies were not structured the same. The FHFB had a five-member board while Ofheo was run by a single independent director. When the FHFA was created, it retained Ofheo's structure.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who authored the PHH ruling, said in his opinion that the FHFA  along with the Social Security Administration and Office of Special Counsel  may have single directors but are distinct from the CFPB because it exercises the executive branch-derived power of "bringing law enforcement actions or imposing fines and penalties against private citizens for violation of statutes or agency rules."

The OCC, meanwhile, was formed as an offshoot of the Treasury in order to oversee the creation and disbursement of a national currency  a novel concept at the time. But while the OCC ostensibly answers to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Comptroller has certain protections that are not afforded to most department heads.

The Comptroller may not be dismissed except "upon reasons to be communicated by [the president] to the Senate", and the Treasury Secretary "may not delay or prevent the issuance of any rule or the promulgation of any regulation by the Comptroller of the Currency, and may not intervene in any matter or proceeding before the Comptroller of the Currency (including agency enforcement actions), unless otherwise specifically provided by law."

One former Treasury official speaking on the condition of anonymity said that, based on its present construction, the ruling would make the OCC into a totally subservient arm of the Treasury.

"I presume that the court would have found unconstitutional a statute that prevented the president from interfering in any legislative, regulatory or enforcement actions by the CFPB," the former official said. "It's hard to see how equivalent provisions in current law restricting the Secretary of the Treasury's authority over the Comptroller would be any more constitutional."

Klein said another question would be whether regional Federal Reserve Banks might be considered constitutional by the same logic. The Supreme Court decided in its 2010 ruling in Free Enterprise Fun v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act had violated the constitutional separation of powers by creating a commission  the PCAOB  that was appointed by the SEC and whose members could only be removed for cause.

"That same [theory] is true for the PCAOB as it is for the regional Federal Reserve banks, which are appointed by the Federal Reserve Board and who have regulatory responsibilities  and, by the way, are run by single heads," Klein said.

But the PHH ruling might have other effects as well. Walt Mix, head of the financial services practice at Berkley Research Group, said having the CFPB director more accountable to the president would have the secondary effect of making the agency more akin to other bank regulators. That, in turn, could incentivize the CFPB to act in a more coordinated fashion with other agencies.

"The ruling makes the other federal bank regulatory agencies  the OCC, the Fed, FDIC  more coequal with the CFPB because it's no longer the case that the director of the CFPB has to be removed for cause," Mix said. "The CFPB will more likely work more closely with the other agencies."

Horn said that one other uncertain effect of the ruling is whether it would require CFPB's rules to go through the White House Office of Management and Budget before being approved  a step required for cabinet-level agencies but one from which CFPB and other bank regulators are exempt.

"The executive order that directs agencies to submit their final rules to OMB for review relies on a specific definition of independent regulatory agenciesthat explicitly excludes CFPB, as well as other banking agencies," Horn said. "That hasn't changed  or at least the court didn't say if that would change based on their opinion."

But all of this relies on the assumption that the PHH ruling will stand, Klein said. The CFPB has not yet publicly indicated whether it will appeal the decision, but most analysts assume that it will. The agency filed a brief in an unrelated case on Oct. 14 that sharply criticized the ruling, saying it has "no basis in the text of the Constitution or in Supreme Court case law" and "is not likely to withstand further review."

Klein said that, depending on who wins the White House and who is appointed to the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, there is still more reason to believe that Kavanaugh's opinion will be overturned.

"There is a long history of corporate interests who sue [over] regulation under a wide variety of theory  including regulatory structure  where usually courts following precedent have upheld the law," Klein said.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is far outpacing her Republican rival Donald Trump in campaign contributions from mortgage bankers and brokers, but the industry's lackluster donation activity exposes a sense of apathy toward candidates who have not made housing policy a focal point in their campaigns.

In an election year dominated by controversy and big personalities, contributions activity from the mortgage industry has remained relatively muted, but still up from the recent midterm cycles. This year, there's been just over $5 million in mortgage industry donations, down from $5.5 million four years ago and $6.5 million in 2008, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that tracks political donations on its website, OpenSecrets.org.

Nowhere is this low level of giving more clear perhaps than in the presidential race, where the two major party candidates are on track to have received the smallest amount in donations since the 2000 election.

"There's been a lack of discussion on housing from either candidate," said Bill Cosgrove, owner and CEO of Union Home Mortgage who served as chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association in 2015. "You don't know who to donate to and who to support."

As of October 17, Clinton has received $274,785 in donations from the mortgage industry. While that figure is above the roughly $239,000 that President Obama raised for his 2012 campaign from the mortgage industry, it is otherwise the lowest amount given by the industry to a Democratic candidate since former Vice President Al Gore in 2000.

Indeed, Clinton's haul this year is just slightly ahead of the $255,723 she raked in from the mortgage industry during her 2008 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But if Clinton's donations activity from mortgage professionals is muted, then Trump's is practically nonexistent. The real estate tycoon turned presidential candidate has only received $51,210 from supporters within the mortgage industry, which is the lowest total for any major party candidate since 1996.

To put that figure into further perspective: Trump still trails presidential primary also-rans former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Bernie Sanders in total campaign contributions from the industry, excluding money to outside groups. That point is also underscored when looking at donations to political action committees. For instance, Quicken Loans' Dan Gilbert donated $1.25 million to America Leads, the super PAC that supported New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump has run a somewhat untraditional campaign as far as fundraising is concerned  he has self-funded much of his campaign and really only began raising money in earnest in July. But the discrepancy between Clinton and Trump in terms of fundraising is much more pronounced when comparing donations made by the mortgage industry.

Among all donors, Clinton has raised roughly twice as much in campaign funds as Trump, not including money donated to outside groups. But among mortgage industry donors, Clinton has received five times what Trump has.

And the concerns factoring into the nationwide conversation about this election are likely being duplicated, if not magnified, within the mortgage industry. Discussion has drifted toward talking "about personalities and the character of the candidate rather than the substantive issues relative to housing policies," Regina Lowrie, president and CEO of consulting firm RML Investments and former MBA chairman, said in an email.

"There continues to be improvement with diversity within the industry, especially with women," Lowrie said. "Certainly, given the events of recent weeks, one can understand why more women would likely support Clinton than Trump."

But Trump's lackluster support from the mortgage industry does strike some as surprising given his background as a commercial real estate developer.

"While he develops commercial real estate and resorts, I think the man gets the machinations of a transaction," said Brian Montgomery, vice chairman of The Collingwood Group and a former Federal Housing Administration commissioner. "In the abstract, you could think that's a positive for the mortgage industry."

Beyond Trump's real estate background, there are further concerns that a Clinton administration would not bring meaningful change for the industry, particularly regarding concerns of overregulation. Clinton, Lowrie said, "seems to be more focused on expanding housing's reach." That is perhaps a reflection of the Democratic Party's housing platform, which aims to promote fair lending and government programs.

"If she does win, I think the industry could expect more of the same," Montgomery said.

Consequently, Montgomery said that professionals in the industry may now be shifting their focus to congressional races "to build a firewall" that would keep a potential consecutive Democratic administration in check.

And if past precedent is any indicator, the mortgage industry may want to prepare for a Clinton White House. With the exception of Mitt Romney in 2012, the presidential candidate who received the most in donations from the mortgage industry has won in every election since 1992.
The (relatively) new boss at Fifth Third Bancorp certainly has a lot of irons in the fire.

Greg Carmichael, who succeeded Kevin Kabat nearly a year ago as the Cincinnati company's chief executive, on Thursday outlined the steps he's taking to reposition the $143 billion-asset company. A less risky balance sheet and improved returns are high on his priority list, although it may take a while to check those boxes.

"You don't see it now, but you will see it in the future when chargeoffs and nonperforming assets are at a more normalized level and [there are] lower loan losses," said Terry McEvoy, an analyst at Stephens.

Carmichael's three-pronged plan, dubbed Project North Star, seeks a blend of cost cuts and revenue enhancements by 2019 that are supposed to be worth $800 million a year. About $265 million of that total is slated come from the expense cuts; some of the revenue growth is supposed to come from new consumer lending initiatives.

Beyond the $800 million goal, Project North Star aims to improve return on equity and return on assets, which were 12.8% and 1.44%, respectively at Sept. 30. Additionally, he wants the company's efficiency ratio to consistently fall below 60%; the ratio was 55.5% in the third quarter, but it was over 60% in the first two quarters of this year.

Many of the initiatives are well underway. Fifth Third will either sell or close a total of 150 branches before Jan. 1, generating about $72 million in savings each year. More branches could be cut as customers continue to move to mobile and online banking, Carmichael said, though he did not give any estimates of future branch reductions.

"It really is driven by the consumer preferences. And you are seeing that migration ... to our mobile apps, our digital capabilities," Carmichael said during a conference call Thursday to discuss third-quarter results.

However, efforts to rein in expenses will nevertheless be bumpy. Noninterest expense in the third quarter rose 3% year over year to $973 million.

Fifth Third has already started to de-risk its balance sheet, in part by shifting its held-for-investment mortgages toward high-quality credits, said Bain Rumohr, an analyst at Fitch Ratings. Additionally, its exposure to commodities such as coal fell to $35 million from $391 million a year ago.

"We are essentially out of the coal business," Frank Forrest, chief risk officer, said during the call.

Finally, Carmichael hopes to spur loan and fee-income growth by tilting Fifth Third's loan book more toward consumer lending. Currently, the mix stands at 61% commercial and 39% consumer. He declined to provide a target mix.

In a bid to boost home lending, Fifth Third plans a total overhaul of the technology platform that underpins its mortgage business. It is replacing a "legacy IBM platform" with a single loan-origination software package from Black Knight Financial Services.

The IBM platform "is not very efficient and it doesn't have digital capabilities for documents, signatures and workflow management," Carmichael said. "The new platform is completely digital. We will have a complete reengineering."

Carmichael has also closed Fifth Third's brokered mortgage business, which had represented 30% of its mortgage volume. Instead, Fifth Third will emphasize retail, direct and correspondent mortgage sales. Mortgage banking income has declined in the short term, falling 7% in the third quarter to $66 million. But Carmichael "wants to grow the mortgage business."

Moreover, Carmichael wants to increase lending in credit cards and boost fee revenue from insurance. "We have a good credit card offering, but not a great offering," he said. "We think the card business could be a significant opportunity for us."

But not every consumer category is getting a push, as Fifth Third is pulling back from indirect auto lending.

In the final analysis, Fifth Third's strategy has some debatable elements, such as its decision to sell down its position in its Vantiv payments subsidiary, said Christopher Wolfe, an analyst at Fitch Ratings.

"Their current performance has not been in line with their peers," Rumohr said.

Fitch on Oct. 4 cut its rating for the bank to negative from stable because in recent quarters its earnings have underperformed its rivals after outperforming them in previous years. The rating was also lowered because if Fifth Third follows through on its stated intention to sell off some or most of its stake in Vantiv, then it will lose the income that it has been receiving from Vantiv, although selling it will generate a gain, Fitch said.

Project North Star could help Fifth Third become a more consistent performer, though it may take a while to come to fruition, Wolfe said.

"They're obviously looking at ways to improve their core earnings," he said.
Harvard gives undocumented immigrant a free ride

Universities and federal funding favor undocumented immigrants

(NaturalNews) When an American child is born in a hospital, a Social Security number is given to document that the child is a US-born citizen. Today, parents might want to think twice before registering their child as a number in the US system. Surprisingly,One undocumented illegal immigrant was not only admitted to Harvard; he was also offered a free ride and had his travel expenses exclusively paid for! His name is Dario Guerrero, and he's speaking loud and proud about the advantages that his undocumented status gives him in the US.You can almost hear the excitement in Dario Guerrero's words: "[T]hey gave me a full ride. This meant I wouldn't have to worry about student loans or quarterly tuition payments; that I always had a place to stay away from home; that I could travel every semester, on Harvard's dime, back to California; that my parents would never have to worry whether I'd finish school. Those are luxuries few people, documented or not, ever have."That's right, the undocumented Dario Guerrero is not only riding the gravy train, but he's speaking freely about it in, with no enforcement to become a documented US immigrant.Guerrero didn't even know he was an undocumented alien most of his life. In high school, he found out that his Social Security number and name didn't match. That's when his parents finally relayed the message to him. His parents told him that they were undocumented Mexican immigrants too, that they overstayed their visa when Dario was three years old. They told Dario that they gave him his brother's Social Security number.After high school, Dario applied to several schools and was rejected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Williams University. An email from an MIT admissions officer told him, "For (undocumented) students, the only way we can admit them at this time is as an international student. They would then need to leave the U.S. and return through an international border."After the MIT rejection, he went into Harvard on a whim and was surprised to hear the admissions officer proclaim,He jumped on the deal, flabbergasted: "They didn't care about immigration status."Talking to, Dario said, "I used to think that being undocumented was a disadvantage to me. I used to mourn the fact that I was different. But ultimately I realize that it was because of, not in spite of, my identity -- as an undocumented Chicano -- that I was [] been able to do what I did."Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, is also flabbergasted at the current state of affairs at universities: "This is outrageous. Colleges are applying an informal affirmative action on behalf of illegal aliens. If you are an illegal alien who is reasonably bright, your chances of getting into an Ivy League college are almost better if you are an illegal alien than if you are an American citizen."He commented further, "The government hasn't tied immigration status to college admissions, so there's no legal prohibition against a college admitting illegal immigrants ."Krikorian stated one glaring problem with this situation, showing how the federal government favors undocumented immigrants while discriminating against American citizens. "A college is not allowed to discriminate on basis of race and still get federal funds, but with regard to legal resident status for college students, the government doesn't seem to care." He said thatAn excited Dario Guerrero told the, "The opportunity to one day join the 6.2 percent (of high school students admitted to Harvard) or the 1 percent, or even just the 100 percent of legal residents who live without fear of deportation is worth crossing the border for."
Class-action lawsuits make sense to consolidate laborious discovery process and help ensure victory

(NaturalNews) The makings of what could become the first successful class-action lawsuit against the world's most evil corporation are giving a much-needed boost to the movement for clean food. Agri-giant Monsanto will soon face a barrage of lawsuits from a number of law firms over cancer-causing agents in its popular Roundup herbicide, which is reportedly making many people sick.Two cases were recently filed in federal court in East St. Louis, and others are waiting in the wings to join them. Since the suits all claim the same thing  that glyphosate causes cancer  they may eventually be conjoined and filed as a class-action against the chemical behemoth, whose most popular herbicide was earlier this year declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to cause cancer.Since WHO released the findings through its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a prestigious body made up of scientific experts from all around the world, Monsanto has been the subject of increasing scrutiny over its popular herbicide product, which has been sprayed to the tune of tens ofof pounds globally since the product was first released commercially.Monsanto claims that the IARC's conclusion that glyphosate probably causes cancer is bunk, and that it's been "thoroughly discredited and rejected by the rigorous scientific research of governmental authorities around the world." But plaintiffs in the various cases, as well as legions of independent scientists, wholeheartedly disagree, citing evidence that glyphosate is responsible for causing a number of different cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Since each individual case involving Roundup will be required to conduct extensive discovery concerning the safety, development and marketing of the herbicide going back to the mid-1970s, the plaintiffs in dozens of cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois are hoping to combine their efforts in order to increase their chances of success."Each Plaintiff will need to conduct the same complicated regulatory and scientific discovery (spanning over 40 years) to demonstrate that exposure to Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," a motion for the class-action states, as quoted by"To date, a few of the Roundup Cases have commenced discovery, but that discovery is being conducted under different, and sometimes conflicting, judicial constraints and orders. Centralizing these cases before one [Multidistrict Litigation] Judge to ensure that the discovery is done once for all claimants makes sense."The filing in Southern Illinois is strategic, as the midwestern state is the largest producer of soybeans, the vast majority of which are Roundup-Ready, genetically-modified (GM) soybeans manufactured by Monsanto . The Southern District of Illinois court is also located just 20 miles away from Monsanto's St. Louis headquarters.But the cases aren't limited to just the Midwest. Lawsuits are springing up all across the country, as farmers and consumers alike report serious health effects from exposure to glyphosate and the foods upon which it's being sprayed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently filed a notice in the Federal Register concerning plans to have an eight-member scientific panel review IARC's findings in order to reach a consensus.Concerns over glyphosate's continued use not only on GM crops but also on wheat as a pre-harvest desiccant have prompted many Americans to start growing their own food at home using tools like the Food Rising Mini-Farm Grow Box 2.0 . Many others are taking the litigation route, as studies confirm that glyphosate is linked to causing breast cancer, endocrine disruption, cutaneous melanoma and many other forms of chronic disease.
(NaturalNews) The Clinton Foundation is no stranger to public scrutiny, most of which has been centered around its donations and use of money. However, the organization's beneficiaries, if you can really call them that, have their own story to tell  one that is wrought with exploitation and disenchantment.On the surface, the Clinton Foundation seems like a decent non-profit corporation. The foundation's website details the many avenues by which they purport to help people across the world. "What began as one man's drive to help people everywhere grew quickly into a foundation committed to helping people realize their full potential. Because the best thing we can do together is give others the chance to live their best life stories."Of course, when they aren't waxing poetic on the web, the Clintons are generally up to no good.The truth is that the Clinton Foundation actually had a tremendous potential to do something great, but they chose to help themselves, and their ilk, rather than those less fortunate. And no place greater depicts this squandered potential than Colombia.Colombia is a country that has been devastated by drug wars, lopsided development and decades of conflict . The nation has also been a point of focus for the Clinton Foundation. Bill and Hillary have become quite close with the country's ruling party, visiting the country many times. Of course, Colombia is also home to Canadian financier Frank Giustra's oil and gas holdings, and he's one of the Foundation's largest individual donors. But surely, that has nothing to do with their interest in the country.Recently, The American Media Institute (AMI), a nonprofit news service based in Alexandria, Virginia, partnered with Fusion to investigate what, if any, impact the Clinton Foundation has had on Colombia . Together, they interviewed more than 50 people in the country, and found that the Colombian reality was a stark contrast to what the non-profit claims about its work.Many of the Clinton Foundation's so-called "success stories" were critical of the organization's effect on their lives. For example, labor leaders and activists say that the programs launched by the non-profit harmed the environment and caused indigenous people to be displaced. The people of Colombia also say that the Clinton Foundation's programs helped Giustra acquire a larger share of the nation's energy and mining resources. Wealthy people helping other wealthy people become richer?Giustra was also involved with a now-bankrupt oil company that used the Colombian military and surveillance programs to quash a strike being led by its workers. The aforementioned oil company also worked very closely with the Clinton Foundation The Clinton-Giustra partnership in Colombia was supposed to be a thing of greatness  and the foundation certainly reported it as such. Fusion interviewed dozens of young women who took part in their training programs, business owners who sought to utilize their programs and people who worked for their largest donor's oil company. What they found was that many of these people felt that they had been led on by the foundation, and got nothing from it.Sandra Valdivieso is the owner of a fish market named Pescaderia Perlamar del Caribe. In 2013, she joined the Clinton Foundation's "Acceso Oferta Loca" program  which was supposed to help match poor business owners with bigger, wealthier corporations and boost business. Valdivieso says they helped her business at first, but things changed after just a few months. Instead of selling directly to buyers, Accesso wanted her to start selling her fish to them  at a much lower price point. Accesso would then re-sell the fish, acting as a middleman and reeling in all the profits for themselves. Valdivieso left the program, stating that she was worried that she would lose her business if she remained.Legendary local oil-workers' union leader, Rafael Cabargas, was dismissive of the Clinton Foundation and Giustra's efforts in Colombia. Indeed, Cabargas seems to have no illusions about the true nature of these so-called altruists."They are doing nothing for workers. I don't even know what they are doing in this country other than exploiting poverty and extracting money."
Company profits tanking

Are consumers rejecting 'organic traitors?'

(NaturalNews) The financial outlook for Whole Foods Market continues to look grim, as consumers seeking natural and organic products continue to take their business elsewhere.As far back as 2014, then-CEO John Mackey admitted that the company was hurting due to an explosion in the number of stores selling organic groceries."The growing demand for fresh, healthy foods , the offering of natural and organic products is expanding everywhere [in] new stores, existing stores and online," Mackey said.The company has also been hit by several recent scandals, including allegations of price-gouging, and more recently, of colluding with Monsanto to ensure the passage of a bill that bans the labeling of foods made with genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ).Whole Foods was in a vulnerable financial position even before the recent scandals erupted. Organic and natural food sales have exploded in the United States in the past decade, largely due to the entry of new players into the organic grocery market. This broke what had been an all but de facto monopoly for Whole Foods.Organic food sales were $11 billion in 2004. By 2014, they had more than tripled. The combined organic and "natural" foods market had grown to $48 billion by 2012  from just $6 billion in 1998.A watershed moment for organic foods availability  and perhaps the beginning of the end for Whole Foods  came when Walmart entered the market in 2014, introducing a store-brand organics line priced 25 percent lower than its other organic products.Then, last year, New York regulators accused Whole Foods of price gouging and cheating customers with false weights and measures. The company settled the charges, but the scandal only increased its image as an overpriced store that eats up your "Whole Paycheck."The company's same-store sales have fallen every quarter for the past year, with another 2.1 percent drop expected for this quarter. Overall company earnings are predicted to fall both this year and next year. And the company's stock has tanked, falling in 2014 and 2015 to a current level of 50 percent below the 2013 high. This year, the stock has fallen more than 10 percent more.These factors left the company in a vulnerable position when food prices as a whole fell, causing an across-the-board drop in profits for all grocery stores.A factor overlooked by many financial analysts, but potentially significant for the Whole Foods customer base, is the company's collusion in the recent passage of the Denying Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act 2.0. Posing as a GMO labeling bill, the DARK Act 2.0 actually banned all GMO labeling initiatives passed by state or local governments. Within two years, the government is now supposed to roll out a completely voluntary labeling initiative that requires consumers to call a 1-800 number or use a smartphone to scan a QR code for GMO ingredient information.To top it off, the bill defines "GMO" so narrowly, that 95 percent of GMO products currently on the market are allowed to be labeled as non-GMO  including products made with corn or soy with the Bt or Roundup Ready traits.Where does Whole Foods come in? According to the Center for Food Safety and small organic farmers groups, the DARK Act 2.0 would never have passed if major organic foods companies  including Whole Foods  had not lent their support to the bill, joining forces with Monsanto and the Grocery Manufacturers Association.Other major "organic traitors" include UNFI (the country's largest organic and natural foods wholesaler) and the Organic Trade Association, which represents companies such as Organic Valley, White Wave and Smuckers.Ninety percent of U.S. residents support mandatory labeling of GMO foods.
A new study has indicated that when it comes to a road rage, women drivers are more prone to lose their cool compared to their male counterparts, as reported by the Daily Mail.

A study of one thousand UK drivers by Hyundai discovered that women are 12 percent angrier on an average than men when they are behind the wheel. The study that made use of sensors fitted on the drivers' hands indicate that the weaker sex has ingrained "early warning system" because of which they get inflamed quicker.

Patrick Fagan, a behavioral psychologist from London-based Goldsmiths University and conductor of the study stated that the two main dominant factors that drivers experience are happiness-associated to the sense of freedom given by a car-and infuriation, when drivers are of the notion that they have lost control.

The study also discovered that Brits have an inclination towards driving because of the feeling of independence (10 percent), mobility (19 percent) and freedom (51 percent). It was also found that drivers in the country love to sing while driving.

Women perform much better compared to men on verbal and emotional intelligence, said Fagan. He added that according to evolutionary theory, our early female ancestors developed a strong sense of fear for things that posed danger to them and their loved ones in the cave while men were out hunting. The instinct of "early warning" still remains active among women, which is why women drivers are heavily sensitive to unfavorable stimuli.

Tony Whitehorn, CEO Hyundai, said that the company is constantly working hard to have a better understanding of the factors that impacts the behavior of people when they are driving. By studying the emotions of drivers, Hyundai wants to help them have a great driving experience, added Whitehorn.

Fagan along with Hyundai built the globe's first Driving Emotion Test (DET), a study that involves facial coding technology, galvanic skin response, a heartache monitor and eye-tracking analysis to find out how a particular stimulus impacts human emotions while driving.
For the first time, SpaceX will reuse a Dragon spacecraft for cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2017.

According to Benjamin Reed, director of commercial crew mission management at SpaceX, the company was planning to launch a used Dragon capsule on its 11th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) cargo mission to the space station scheduled early next year.

"We will be reflying our first Dragon capsule on CRS-11," Reed said during a presentation at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) on Oct. 13, as reported by Space News. This will allow the company to close the Dragon 1 line and focus on the development and production of a next-generation version of the spacecraft, the Dragon 2, capable of both crew and cargo missions. This new version will have greater cargo volume than the current Dragon model.

While the Dragon spacecraft is originally designed to be reusable, SpaceX's contract with NASA requires the use of a new spacecraft for every cargo mission. According to Reed, the company has been working with the space agency to prove that the spacecraft could be reused safely for additional cargo missions.

"It's a great example of the partnership we have with NASA," Reed said in a statement. "We've carefully gone through a process of proving that you can reuse various components all the way up to a whole system, and how you certify that.

According to Reed, the biggest challenge in the spacecraft's reusability would be how to prevent saltwater from entering the capsule after descending and splashing down in the ocean. "We've been working hard to update the capsule, to ensure that you don't have to worry about the seawater issue," he sad.

In addition to the current resupply contract, NASA has also awarded SpaceX with another contract (CRS-2) for additional cargo missions earlier this year, for which the company plans to use a version of the Dragon 2.

The CRS-2 missions will be using "propulsive" landings, which is when the capsule lands on a landing pad using its SuperDraco thrusters instead of splashing down in the ocean. This capability will allow NASA to immediately retrieve the cargo returned by the spacecraft, and at the same time build up experience for propulsive landings for the crewed version.
Berkeley church parishioners whose house of worship burned last month during a devastating three-alarm fire will be praying at a nearby synagogue for the foreseeable future.

Beginning Sunday, members of the First Congregational Church of Berkeley will be praising God and holding Sunday School at Congregation Beth El on Oxford Street. While followers of different faiths, but the church and temple describe themselves as followers of a liberal, progressive tradition. Church services are held on Sunday, while the Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday. That's a big reason, Senior Minister Molly Baskette said the invitation worked out so well.

In an email to the congregation, Rabbi Yoel Kahn and Board President Jill Siegel said it was an important mitzvah, or good deed, to allow the church to use its space  including its limited parking space. And the two called up a Deuteronomy quote, You must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt to explain the welcoming decision.

Kahn said in a phone interview on Friday that he's received about 50 emails from congregants saying how wonderful the idea is. The synagogue will not be charging the church any rent.

The church suffered a major fire on Sept. 30, and it will likely take months for parishioners to return to their sanctuary on Channing Way first built in 1925.

For its part, Baskette thanked the synagogue, whom she approached on the eve of the Jewish New Year about the possibility of shared space, in a message to her parishioners: "They have been at every turn eager, kind and faithful to their core values of welcoming the stranger. We look forward to worshipping in their beautiful space, and seeing what fruit our relationship may bear in the form of shared programming.
San Francisco police late Thursday investigated another suspicious device, this time at the San Francisco Mission Police Station on Valencia Street.

The device was later deemed safe, official said.

The investigation followed another police response to suspicious device several hours earlier in the night. The police activity prompted a shelter in place for the 100 block of Duboce Avenue, police said.

The suspicious device was found at a nearby skate park, police said, and a bomb squad was called to the scene.

The bomb squad rendered the device safe and the shelter in place was lifted at about 8:50 p.m.

Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Hall of Justice was put on lockdown while police investigated a bomb threat in the area of 7th and Harrison streets.

The investigation also shut down Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 101 for nearly three hours in the area.

San Francisco police said that a suspicious note left on a car on the 400 block of 7th Street prompted the investigation, but declined to describe its contents.
NBC Bay Area has learned that the San Francisco Fire Department is facing yet another harassment scandal in its ranks.

The latest allegations involve a veteran captain who had been in charge of an elite rescue dive team housed at Station 7 in the city's Mission District.

Jon Del Bino was a captain in charge of one of San Francisco Fire's elite rescue dive teams. Sources tell NBC Bay Area he is now the subject of a harassment investigation.

The investigation was launched after Del Bino was told he could be suspended 10 days for allegedly ordering an African American firefighter to dive 30 feet past what he was certified to dive.

After that probe, several firefighters under his command claimed Del Bino would routinely make disparaging comments about women and African Americans. There are also claims that he inappropriately touched female firefighters.

SFFD Chief Joanne Hayes-White on Thursday would not comment specifically about the Station 7 probe.

"We do have multiple investigations underway on a multitude of things, which is not unusual for a department this size of 1,500 members," Hayes-White said. "We're staying on top of things and I'm respecting the process that will run its course."

The investigation is the latest in a series of recent issues for the department.

NBC Bay Area was first to report the command shakeup at Station 2 in Chinatown after a female firefighter reported a pattern of intimidation and harassment by fellow firefighters.

The alleged intimidation and harassment included someone urinating in her bed and feces being left in the women's locker room.

The department is also investigating claims Ken Lombardi, who has been demoted from assistant deputy chief to captain, sexually harassed a civilian subordinate.

And just this week Hayes-White issued a new bulletin requiring every member of the department to undergo sexual harassment training by the end of the year.

"More training is good training," Hayes-White said. "We just want to make sure everyone has reinforced reminders that everyone is entitled to a workplace free of harassment."
Dozens of people attended a community meeting with San Francisco police and wanted to know how the officer shot last Friday night is doing.

Officer Kevin Downs has been released from the hospital, but is now in a rehab facility to address paralysis in an arm and leg.

"The shot fractured Kevin's skull, missed a main artery by a centimeter and paralyzed his right leg and right arm," Acting Chief Toney Chaplin said.

Police said a security guard at the Lakeshore Plaza called police late Friday after pepper spraying a man he described as combative. That man was later identified as Nicholas McWherter.

Police said McWherter shot Downs with a .22-calibur Ruger as Downs got out of his patrol car. Officers found the Pacifica native an hour later near Stern Grove.

"He came out firing, officers returned fire. It was a shoot out," Chaplin said.

McWherter died on Sunday. McWherter's family said he was mentally ill.

Police said they found nearly two dozen rounds in the bushes where he was hiding. The department said it is also reviewing body camera video from several officers.

Resident Nancy Rubin hopes Thursday's meeting is the first of many.

"There needs to be a lot more dialogue with community," she said. "Now most are feeling PTSD -- kids heard gun fire, saw people running, heard grenades. It's traumatic."
Four people were arrested this week for allegedly beating a San Ramon man after he confronted them for being too loud in his neighborhood, police said.

The victim, Casey Pletz, said late Friday night he heard the four young men yelling outside of his home, near Walt Disney Elementary School at Pine Valley Road.

"Just being loud in the middle of the night," Pletz said.

When the noise increased and got closer to his home, the 23-year-old Pletz confronted the group and told them they needed to leave.

Instead, Pletz said one of the suspects, later identified as 19-year-old Jordan Manibusan, started beating him.

Manibusan, a jiu-jitsu fighter, would not stop.

"So I ended up getting choked out until I was unconscious," Pletz said.

Another person, later identified as 20-year-old Zachary Kennedy, and two juveniles also got involved, according to Pletz.

"They proceeded to kick me in the face and body," Pletz said.

He suffered a broken nose, a bruised kidney, a fractured cheekbone and several cuts and bruises.

Neighbor Kellie Schultz saw the attack from her porch before another neighbor stepped in.

"If our neighborhood hadn't come out, I think that he could have been killed," Schultz said.

Pletz said the neighbor who came to help scared the attackers off and saved him.

Police on Thursday said they arrested all four suspects in the past 24 hours.

Manibusan was arrested Tuesday when police served a search warrant at a San Ramon home. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and felony battery.

Manibusan was booked into the county jail in Martinez on $80,000 bail, according to police.

On Thursday morning, officers arrested Kennedy, a Danville resident, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and felony battery.

Kennedy is also being held on $80,000 bail.

Also on Thursday morning, police arrested two 17-year-old San Ramon residents on suspicion of the same offenses as the two men, police said. The youths are being held in the county youth detention center in Martinez.

Meanwhile, Pletz, a professional skier and skateboarder, is focusing on recovering.

"I am doing alright though, healing," he said. "It's all a matter of time now."

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Pletz pay for his medical bills.
San Francisco Police on Thursday said they arrested two people in connection to Tuesday's shooting at a high school in San Francisco's Excelsior District.

San Francisco police told NBC Bay Area both of those arrested were juveniles.

Four 15-year-old students, three males and one female, were injured in the shooting that occurred just as June Jordan School for Equity at 325 La Grande Ave. was letting out for the day.

Police on Wednesday said one suspect pulled out a gun in the school parking lot and began shooting as everyone ran. As many as four suspects then fled west on Brazil Avenue.

One student suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack, but district officials today said all four are recovering.

Students said the entire school joined together for a peace circle on Wednesday morning.

Interim Superintendent Myong Leigh said she understood that the shooting was committed by a "small group of outsiders unaffiliated with the school" who appeared to be targeting a particular student for reasons that remain unclear.

Police have said the other students injured in the attack appear to have been bystanders.

"I need to state emphatically that this isolated event, although awful, should not be viewed as a negative reflection on JJSE," Leigh said, describing the school as an intentionally small school that emphasizes social justice, preparation for college and "rigorous, independent thinking."

Bay City News contributed to this report.
The two-year anniversary of the shooting death of Laquan McDonald was met with protests and calls for change from hundreds of demonstrators.

With some declaring Oct. 20 Laquan Day, protesters are expected to gather for a day of action to commemorate his life.

An event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Chicago Police Headquarters, where demonstrators are set to speak out at a Chicago Police Board Hearing, demanding the termination of all police officers involved with falsifying police reports in efforts of covering up [McDonalds] death.

Seventeen-year-old McDonald was shot 16 times on Oct. 20, 2014, by a Chicago officer. Police claimed at the time McDonald has lunged at them, but dashcam video released last year showed McDonald apparently walking away when he was shot.

Officers at the scene said McDonald was told numerous times to drop his knife, but the dashcam video of the shooting had no audio.

Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder in McDonald's death; he had pleaded not guilty. Several other officers involved in the case face administrative charges, including making a false report.

Many have questioned the handling of the case over the last two years, with a grand jury set to consider whether or not police officers lied in connection with the shooting.

A woman who witnessed the fatal police shooting has filed a federal lawsuit claiming she was detained by police and pressured to change her story shortly after the shooting.

Two years ago Laquan McDonald lost his life tragically and unnecessarily," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "His death was a wake-up call for our city on an issue that has challenged the city for decades, and brought a renewed commitment to a public conversation about policing and community relations. But more than just breaking from the past, we will continue working together across the city to build a brighter future by restoring trust between residents and our officers, and implementing the reforms necessary to prevent this from happening again.

More than 600 people have said on Facebook they plan to attend the Thursday evening event.
A longtime Democratic activist said that contrary to Donald Trumps allegations at Wednesday's debate, he had no role in any secret plan to instigate violence at Trump rallies.

Robert Creamer told NBC5 Investigates, Aside from the fact that we didnt want to--why would we provoke the crowd? Donald Trump did it from his own podium.

At issue: rowdy confrontations between pro-and-anti-Trump forces outside his campaign events, including a notable rally at the UIC Pavilion last March which became so raucous that the candidate canceled his appearance. Conservative activist James OKeefe claims in a new video to have secretly recorded Creamer and his associates discussing the plants they supposedly placed in the crowds to goad Trump supporters into violence.

We have mentally ill people that we pay  make no mistake, activist Scott Foval is heard boasting on the tape. If youre there and youre protesting and you do these actions, you will be attacked at Trump rallies. Thats what we want.

I was wondering what happened with my rally in Chicago and other rallies where we had such violence, Trump declared during Wednesday evenings debate as he pointed across the stage at his Democratic opponent. Shes the one, and Obama, that caused the violence.

On the tape, Foval appears to brag of his association with Creamer, a longtime Democratic strategist who is married to Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

Bob Creamer is diabolical and I love him for it, he says. Theres a script of engagement. Sometimes the crazies bite, and sometimes the crazies dont bite.

But Creamer, chief of the firm Democracy Partners, adamantly disavows Fovals claims.

He was not a contractor at the time he made the statements in April, he told NBC5. The things he described were contrary to the policies of Democracy Partners---never happened.

He would not speculate about why Foval made the claims he did, in conversations which he was not aware were being recorded. Creamer accused the Trump forces of committing dirty tricks of their own.

James OKeefe, the discredited individual behind this well-orchestrated spying scheme directed at our firm, uses methods that would make Richard Nixon and the Watergate burglars proud, he said in a statement. OKeefe executed a plot that involved the use of trained operatives using false identification, disguises, and elaborate false covers to infiltrate our firm and other consulting firms, in order to steal campaign plans, and goad unsuspecting individuals into making careless statements on hidden cameras."

The Associated Press reported that O'Keefe and Project Veritas often target Democratic groups with hidden cameras and false identities. O'Keefe filmed hidden camera footage at an office of community organizing group ACORN, portraying workers there as engaging in criminal activity, which led to the end of the group.

His 2010 scheme to film illegally at the office of Mary Landrieu, then a Democratic U.S. senator for Louisiana, resulted in O'Keefe being convicted, according to the AP.

In excerpts on the edited video that Project Veritas recently released, Foval seems to boast of the ease with which campaign events can be disrupted.

Its a matter of showing up, to want to get into the rally with a Planned Parenthood t-shirt, he said. Or Trump is a Nazi, you know? You can message to draw them out, and draw them to punch you.

Two police officers were injured and five protesters arrested at the Chicago event, with the taxpayers shelling out over $100,000 in police overtime. As a result of the fallout from the video, Creamer severed his relationship with Foval, and announced he was stepping back from his responsibilities working with the Clinton campaign.

Because I did not want to be a distraction from this campaign in the last two and a half weeks, he told NBC5. I did not want to be a lightning rod.

Creamer made news of his own 10 years ago, when he was convicted of fundraising irregularities surrounding his former consumer group, Illinois Public Action. He was sentenced to five months in prison for bank fraud and an associated tax charge. He is a longtime Democratic consultant, working on the campaigns of, among others, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and now congressman Mike Quigley.

The news website DNA Info reported Thursday that Twitter was bursting with anti-Trump posters who facetiously wondered where their paychecks might be.

Trump, Chicago didnt need to be paid to express our dislike for you, Christopher Mikell said in a tweet posted Wednesday night. We just aint got none.

Activist Jedidiah Brown put it even more succinctly.

I need Donald Trump to please tell me where I can get my $1,500 for standing against him at the Chicago rally.
The shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald two years ago, on Oct. 20, 2014, has become the defining moment of a mayor, his police force, the criminal justice system and a city that for decades resisted with all its might the notion that a code of silence dictated who got justice and who did not.

Even Jamie Kalven, the independent Chicago journalist who first broke the story of the 2014 killing of the teenager, shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke, admits being stunned at it's impact.

"It is extraordinary," he said this week. "Ive never seen anything like it. I couldnt have imagined it."

Alderman Pat O'Connor, Rahm Emanuel's City Council floor leader, does not disagree.

"I think it has changed, definitely changed the way the city operates going forward," O'Connor said in an interview in his City Hall office.

It hardly started out that way.

A police involved shooting.

A kid with a knife  according to the now discredited official version  who was out of control.

"He lunged at police," asserted Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden on the scene that night.

Ultimately, police dash cam video would prove that not to be true.

It was something City Hall and CPD knew within hours of Laquan McDonald's death. But the general public did not. Not until a year later, November of 2015, when a Cook County judge ordered the release of the video.

"Everybody saw in a very incredible way this young man being shot," O'Connor said.

"It has affected not just questions of police accountability and police-community relations but really every dimension of our public life in Chicago," Kalven said.

The ramifications were immense. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired. State's Attorney Anita Alvarez voted out of office. Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with murder and entered a plea of not guilty. Police reports showed a cavalier attitude by higher ups signing off on police reports that proved untrue. Federal prosecutors began to probe. The Justice Department opened a pattern and practice investigation. And the mayor was humbled as his popularity plunged.

"I know that the citys efforts have been an honest attempt to make sure that we are making changes," Pat OConnor argues. And there have been structural changes.

The Independent Police Review Authority, tasked with probing police shootings, was cast aside in favor of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

But perhaps most significantly, police video evidence is to be released publicly within 60 days. In McDonalds case it took 13 months for the city to be forced by a Cook County judge to release the damning pictures.

But it is how the system works  and worked the night of October 20, 2014  that most concerns the journalist Jamie Kalven. What took place, he argues, went far beyond a cover-up.

"A cover-up would be a matter of a relatively small number of people conspiratorially suppressing something, he said, adding he thinks this is the way our institutions work. And I think we are all reckoning with that."

As is the family of Laquan McDonald, who released a statement on this second anniversary of his death reading:

Laquans death at the hands of Jason Van Dyke was a brutal and senseless act of violence.

Time has not dulled the pain of this tragic loss to his mother, his sister and the rest of his extended family.

We thank all of the people who have honored Laquans memory and continue to advocate for police reform.

We look forward to the day when Jason Van Dyke will be held responsible for Laquans senseless murder and everyone involved in trying to cover up this criminal act is held accountable.

Only then will justice truly be served.

Today, two special prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice continue to investigate.

As defining moments go, the case of Laquan McDonald still grips Chicago.
Archbishop Blase Cupich, who will be elevated to cardinal in November, has a special blessing for the Chicago Cubs, The Chicago Sun-Times Michael Sneed reports.

Hey, Im storming heaven on their behalf, Cupich told Sneed.

Cupich also reportedly said to the Ricketts family, who own the Cubs, that hes pulling for them.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who will attend Cupichs elevation ceremony in Rome, saw the archbishop at Wrigley Field, NBC 5 reported last Friday, only hours before Cupich learned he would be named cardinal. Later, the mayor called to congratulate him. Emanuel told NBC 5 he was sitting a couple seats ahead of me at Wrigley, and I said  I just happen to say congratulations, he thought I knew, thats how he thought of it Sunday morning, no I was just saying congratulations.

Sneed reports that Cupich even has a Cubs capin addition to a yarmulke decked out with the North Side teams logo given to him by a rabbi that hes considering giving to the pope while in Rome.
A soldier from Illinois was killed in Afghanistan Thursday, the Department of Defense announced.

Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, of Fairview, died of wounds received after encountering hostile enemy forces in Kabul, the department said in a news release. In a separate release, the Department of Defense said Riney was killed with civilian Army employee Michael G. Suaro, 40, or McAlester, Oklahoma.

Riney entered active duty service in July of 2012 as a petroleum supply specialist and was last assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Calvary Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas since December 2012.

Riney had previously deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from July 2014 to February 2015, the news release said. He also deployed from June 2016 to October in support of Operation Freedoms Sentinel.

Riney's awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, four Army Achievement Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and NATO Medal.
Two Chicago firefighters were hurt while battling a massive fire in a Little Village neighborhood industrial park early Friday on the Southwest Side.

Emergency crews responded about 3:15 a.m. to the factory yard near 25th Street and Rockwell, according to Chicago Police.

The fire started at a wooden pallet shop and spread to a muffler business, Chicago Fire Dept. Deputy Commissioner Mike Callahan told reporters at the scene.

By 4:45 a.m., a fifth alarm was called along with a hazardous materials response and an EMS Plan I, bringing about 25 fire engines, five ambulances and more than 200 firefighters to the scene.

The blaze was under control by about 5:30 a.m., Callahan said. Two firefighters were taken in good condition to Rush University Medical Center, one with a minor shoulder injury and the other with shortness of breath.

The pallet shop was destroyed, Callahan said.

Crews were still putting out hot spots at 6:15 a.m. The cause is under investigation.
A 50-year-old woman was killed by a Takata air bag inflator in California, the 11th confirmed fatality tied to ruptures in the company's air bags in the United States, officials said Thursday.

The woman was driving a 2001 Honda Civic when she was killed Sept. 30 in Riverside County, according to a news release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The air bags can inflate with too much force, which can cause their metal interiors to rupture and spew shrapnel into the vehicle.



The problem touched off what is now the largest auto recall in U.S. history. More than 69 million inflators have been or will be recalled in the U.S. and more than 100 million worldwide.

More information about the Takata air bag recalls can be found here.

The government urged people to go to safercar.gov and enter their vehicle identification number to see if their car or truck is being recalled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Even those Maharajas who wanted to join the Indian Union were wary of losing their power and privileges, but Kerala Varma VII was the staunchest supporter of a united Kerala.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said Friday that the state is taking every precaution possible to ensure that election day goes off without any issues.

Specifically, she said any notion that Connecticuts elections can somehow be manipulated or altered is a scare tactic because of the mechanics involved.

First of all, local elections in Connecticut use very little modern technology when it comes to actual voting an tabulating.

"We don't use the electronic system on election day, Merrill said. So anyone who is worried that the lists are going to be altered or hacked, we're still voting on paper lists. Those lists are printed one week in advance."

Even the vote tabulating machines arent connected to the internet and they provide reports on all activity of the machine itself, meaning state election officials could analyze the data and very quickly see whether something has been done to the internal mechanism.

Merrill added, There are many many checks and balances that ensure that in Connecticut we are using every best practice."

Concerns over the sanctity of the election process have been raised in the last week by GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump who said he would not accept the results of the election, unless he won.

Trump later said he would accept any result and added that he would reserve his right to challenge results in court.

Connecticut GOP Chairman JR Romano said he, too, reserves the right to challenge elections that may have seen issues arise, but said hes confident in a legitimate outcome.

I love this country. I love our process. This is how the Republic works.
Friday will mark the five-year anniversary of the disappearance of Angel Garcia, who was last seen riding his dirt bike in Hartford on Oct. 21, 2010.

Garcia's mother, Laura Otero-Suazo, is praying for a miracle and asking the Connecticut community for help.

"Please help, come forward and dont let this die," Otero-Suazo said.

Her then 19-year-old son was last spotted on a stolen red dirt bike near Colt Park in Hartford.

"(He) was with his friends, then all of a sudden he left on his own, which is something that he never, never does and that was the last of him," Otero-Suazo said.

It's been 1,825 days since the mother last spoke to her son.

"Not on Facebook, his bank accounts or social security. Nothing. No activity whatsoever," Otero-Suazo told NBC Connecticut.

Otero-Suazo said as far as she knows, her son didn't have ongoing problems with anyone.

Friends and family are still praying for Garcia's safe return.

"I will never - until my last breath - never let go of that hope, never, never. My instinct as a parent tells me he is still alive," Otero-Suazo said.

Describing the mother's shattered heart isnt easy.

"Sometimes, I fantasize and I live in this make-believe world that is out there, hanging out and hell be home later on and I know its not real," she said.

Tips to police, Otero-Suazo says, havent seen success.

"False leads, thats all theyve gotten. I admire Detective Anthony Rykowski. Hes been very good. On case since start. To this day, makes sure he calls me on a monthly basis," she said.

Otero-Suazo has one last plea for the public.

"Please help me. You dont have to give your name, or your information, just a hint," she said.
Mold, leaks and broken windows.

Those are just some of the health and safety violations discovered in the neglected Church Street South apartment complex across from New Havens Union Station.

An attorney for Church Street South families filed a class-action lawsuit in New Haven Federal Court Thursday morning.

Even if they rebuilt it, I wouldnt want to come back, former resident Personna Noble told NBC Connecticut, looking up at her now boarded up apartment.

Noble is among the many residents seeking damages from the propertys owner, Northland Investment Corp., a real estate company based in Newton, Massachusetts.

I had mold in my bathroom, and my downstairs closet and I had water damage on my wall and my living room, Noble said of her old apartment.

Both of her sons have asthma.

I took them to the doctors and they said we shouldnt be living in there, Noble said.

Nobles apartment is one of the many units at Church Street South deemed uninhabitable by officials.

Apartments that should be decent, safe and sanitary have been allowed to deteriorate by the landlord, Attorney David Rosen said. What were seeking for them is money damages for what theyve lost, everything from illness, to homelessness.

Before finding a home in New Havens tight housing market, Noble and her boys had to stay in three hotels.

Our clients have for the most part been evacuated like refugees, Rosen said.

Not having a kitchen while in hotels was difficult for Noble, who works in the food industry.

Everywhere else was like one microwave, one refrigerator, I couldnt even go food shopping the way I wanted to go food shopping for my kids. It was a mess, she said.

Now settled in her new home, Noble said she is pleased residents are taking action in court against the property manager.

Glad that Im out of here, she said. Im really glad.

It will be up to the court to decide how much the Church Street South families should be compensated, Rosen said.

A spokesperson for Northland said in an email the company does not comment on pending litigation.
A Torrington parks and recreation employee is being accused of selling drugs in a school zone, police said.

In August, police received complaints about a Department of Public Works members were stealing city-owned property.

During the investigation, David Sarasin was found selling prescription drugs during his work hours at the Parks and Recreation town garage and the Besse Pool, which located near the Torrington High School, during swimming hours, police said.

Sarasin, 49, of Torrington, was charged with sale of narcotics and the sale of narcotics in a school zone. He was released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 31.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are expected.
When seconds mattered, a North Texas police officer made an impact that will last a lifetime. And on Wednesday, the family of the 3-year-old boy whose life he saved got to thank its hero.

"Go give him a hug," Bethany Hoover told her 3-year-old son, Brayden Geis, sending him over to Granbury Police Officer Chase Miller.

There was a lot of meaning in that hug, a thank you too big for words for what Miller did last week.

"I thought my life was over when it happened. I mean, he is my life," Hoover said of her son.

Brayden was visiting his mother at work when he spiked a fever, had a seizure and stopped breathing.

"His eyes were rolling further and further in the back of his head, and it was just something you never want to see your son do," said Brayden's father, John Geis.

Miller was close by and heard the call on his radio. Even though he wasn't directly dispatched, Miller came straight over, making it to the scene long before an ambulance. He calmly took Brayden from his frantic mother and immediately started CPR.

"Just trying to get him breathing," Miller said. "Everything else that's going on around you doesn't matter at that point."

Miller got out a breathing mask and had Brayden's dad continue chest compressions until he started breathing again.

"He was crying and it was just relief immediately," Hoover said.

Granbury's City Council honored Miller for his quick thinking Tuesday night. But a hug from Brayden's little arms is all he needs.

"It feels good to know that he's all right," Miller said. "I'm very thankful."

Thankful doesn't begin to cover it for Brayden's mom and dad. Their little fireball is back at it like nothing happened, though his parents will make sure he knows the story.

"He's going to know who saved his life," John Geis said.

Miller and his wife are expecting their first child, and Brayden's mom gave him some advice: never let go.

The two families plan to stay in touch for a long time.
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan was wedged between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Thursday evening at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner, calling his seat "the iciest place on the planet."

And while the two presidential candidates traded sharp barbs on the dais, in private, Dolan revealed, they demonstrated a kindness toward each other rarely seen in public.

In an exclusive interview with the "Today" show Thursday, Dolan described a touching moment after he asked Clinton and Trump to pray with him.

"After the little prayer, Mr. Trump turned to Secretary Clinton and said, You are one tough and talented woman, Dolan said.

Clinton responded, "Donald, whatever happens, we need to work together afterwards."

Though the two candidates "are kind of awkward together," Dolan noted "the purpose of the evening is to break some of the ice, and thanks be to God, it works.

The annual white-tie gala in Manhattan, often the last time the two presidential nominees share a stage before Election Day, is traditionally a time when campaign hostilities are set aside.

It wasn't this year.

Trump and Clinton offered tough takedowns of one another, with many in the well-heeled crowd turning on the Republican nominee midway through his remarks and showering him with jeers.

Trump, who had drawn big laughs earlier in the speech, appeared to lose the room as he repeatedly dug in with caustic swipes at Clinton, drawing rare boos at a charity event meant to raise money for impoverished children throughout New York.

He appeared to straddle the line when he talked about how "listening to Hillary rattle on and rattle on" has made him better appreciate his longtime nemesis Rosie O'Donnell. But he then seemed to cross it when he referred to her as "corrupt" during a lengthy riff on the FBI's investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

"Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission. How corrupt do you have to be to get kicked off the Watergate Commission? Pretty corrupt," he said to loud boos and at least one call demanding he get off the stage.

He then almost appeared to segue into the standard attack lines of his rally speeches, setting aside jokes to bring up material contained in hacked Clinton campaign emails.

"Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private," he said to growing jeers. "Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics."

Clinton also veered into personal digs, making one joke in which she said the Statue of Liberty, for most Americans, represents a symbol of hope for immigrants.

"Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a '4,'" Clinton joked. "Maybe a '5' if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair."

Trump and Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer. And when they entered and took their seats, they did not greet each other or make eye contact, though they did shake hands at the conclusion of the roast.

Most eyes were on Trump, who infamously glowered through Obama's jokes at his expense during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and is not known for being self-deprecating.

Some of his jokes landed well, drawing laughs from both the crowd and Clinton.

His biggest laughs came as he talked about Michelle Obama getting rave reviews for a recent speech. "They think she's absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case," he said to whoops and laughs.

And some of his attack lines flashed a sense of humor that has been mostly absent from the grueling campaign. Clinton was the first one to laugh when Trump joked that she had bumped into him earlier in the night "and she very simply said 'Pardon me'"  an unsubtle reference to the Republican nominee's frequent declarations that his opponent should go to jail.

Clinton, meanwhile, was more self-deprecating than Trump, joking that she's taken a break from her "usual nap schedule" to attend and suggesting that the audience should be pleased she's not charging her usual fee for speaking in front of potential donors.

But she also got in some digs at Trump, a few of which drew scattered jeers. Clinton said she understood why Trump was leery of teleprompters because they can be difficult to follow and "I'm sure it's even harder when you're translating from the original Russian."

The dinner is named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928. And fittingly for an event named after a man nicknamed "The Happy Warrior," the occasion has produced dozens of memorable presidential jokes  and sincere moments of goodwill that have remained largely absent from the 2016 campaign.

"I can't wish my opponent luck," John McCain said in 2008, turning toward Obama, "but I do wish him well."

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Catherine Lucey contributed reporting.
Authorities said two people were arrested in the theft of ammunition from a Texas trooper's patrol SUV parked outside the officer's home.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said one person was arrested Thursday in Amarillo, where the burglary happened hours earlier. Lt. Bryan Witt said the other person was captured in Canyon, where a car believe used by a fleeing man was found.

Amarillo police said the incident happened Thursday morning as the trooper was heading for work, walked toward his marked SUV and found a man inside. The trooper ordered the man to surrender.

The man jumped into a nearby car and sped away as the trooper opened fire. There were no immediate reports of anyone hurt.

Witt said the man threw out the ammunition while fleeing.
The City of Dallas is revisiting the feasibility of bringing light rail directly to Dallas Love Field.

At a city council meeting this week, Dallas Aviation Director Mark Duebner told council members they should expect a briefing in the coming months about a plan to run an extension from Dallas Area Rapid Transits existing Bachman station.

As first reported by The Dallas Morning News, the light rail line would reach Love Field by way of a proposed north entrance to the airport. The north entrance and exit become possible in 2017 when a former runway near Denton Drive is fully closed to air traffic, according to Duebner.

The city has been actively looking for a way to connect Love Field with a DART Light Rail station for many years, Duebner told NBCDFW.

Duebner said that money for a potential rail line through Love Field was set aside more than a decade ago, but the project quickly became too expensive.

The millions once earmarked for a possible DART station at Love Field were eventually spent on the new street car project that connects Downtown Dallas to Oak Cliff, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Mastercard gave banks a deadline of Oct. 21 to ensure they have EMV smart chip readers installed in ATMs.

The reason for the chips is to provide extra security. By missing the deadline, the liability for any fraud may now fall on the banks.

Only about 33 percent of ATMs are currently chip enabled, according to a Mastercard official.

For those in North Texas, many people say that stores are getting with the program. But bank ATMs, not so much.

"It's hit or miss for us," chip card user Nick Tomlinson said. "I haven't used the chip card at an ATM. The ones we use, it's not available."

This isn't the last of the deadlines, as gas stations are expected to have chip readers by next October.

If you notice any fraudulent charges on your card, be sure to report them to your bank immediately.
An Oregon firefighter who's being hailed as a hero for evacuating a building before a powerful gas explosion in a popular Portland shopping district says the blast threw him up to 20 feet.

"Next thing I knew there was an explosion from the basement all the way to the third floor, each level just went off simultaneously but there was a little delay between each one," said Portland Fire & Rescue Lt. Peter St. John.

St. John said he blacked out after the blast and woke up in pain.

"And then I looked at my right leg, I knew it was broken right away and called a 'mayday,' just trying to get crews to me, I didn't know what else to do, I was just stuck," said the 7-year PF&R veteran.

Both of his legs were broken. Fortunately, Engine 3 Firefighter-Paramedic Bret Kimple, was there to protect and treat his Lieutenant, despite being injured himself.

Read more on this story at KGW.com.
A king who died a half a world away is being remembered in North Texas.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand reigned for 70 years. His death was announced Oct. 13. He was 88 years old.

For 30 days, through Nov. 12, chants will echo through Buddhist temples around the world, including the Buddhist Center of Dallas.

"This is the worst experience I have in my life, and I think it is for everyone in Thailand," said Dallas resident Yodvadee Poekachaipatt.

For the Thai community, Adulyadej symbolized more than a monarch.

"The people of Thailand consider him to be our fathers of our country. He is our father," said Dr. Ken Theppote, of Dallas.

Images of the king are found in every Thai home and temple around the world.

The king visited North Texas in 2004, receiving an honorary degree in music composition from the University of North Texas.

"Love for jazz music, which we all know the University of North Texas support the King dearly, and they continued to foster his jazz musics," Theppote said.

Adulyadej was known for his compassion and for unifying a nation. His influence doesn't end with death.

Mourning will continue in Thailand for a year.
Selena Quintanilla, often called the Queen of Tejano music, was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in Denton on Friday.

The music icon is one of the first two inductees selected to join the hall posthumously, and one of five members of the 2016 induction class.

She joins the dozens of other great women honored in the hall at Texas Woman's University in Denton and was selected for the honor by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Known by just her first name, Selena was murdered in 1995 at the age of 23 by an obsessed fan in Corpus Christi.

Carlos Saenz, a member of Fort Worth's popular Latin Express, said Selena was a fresh female voice in a genre that had been dominated by men.

"Huge, huge, huge impact," he said. "She made it cool for girls to play music in the Tejano industry."

Carlos Saenz's brother, Leo, said Selena took Tejano music from a regional to global level.

"She made it not only nationwide but worldwide," Leo Saenz said.

A memorial in Corpus Christi still draws thousands of fans.

"It's very emotional because you know she just died so tragically and she still had a lot of things to do," Carlos Saenz said.

Jennifer Lopez portrayed Selena in a movie after her death, a role so popular it propelled Lopez to stardom in her own right.

Abbott attended Friday's hall of fame induction ceremony at Texas Woman's University and called Selena an example of "dreaming big and working hard to achieve those dreams."

Also in attendance, and accepting the late singer's award, was her sister Suzette Quintanilla, who told the crowd that Selena would have been honored to be given the "powerful award for women."

"I am forever grateful to be a part of this powerful legacy she had left behind," Suzette Quintanilla said, with a tear. "The impossible is possible, it is, because we are still talking about her 21 years later."

"I won't be surprised if we are talking about her in another 20 years because her impact was that heavy," Leo Saenz said.

Other inductees into the hall of fame included aviation pioneer Emma Carter Browning, entrepreneur Susie Hitchcock-Hall, NASA executive Ginger Kerrick and University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator.

NBC 5's Brian Scott contributed to this report.
A Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission undercover sting Thursday afternoon targeted underage alcohol sales in North Texas.

"To make sure they're selling responsibly, not selling to underage minors," said TABC Sgt. Matthew Kelso.

Undercover agents went to 20 locations in Euless and Bedford. An 18-year old informant went into each location, trying to buy beer.

"They use a valid ID that actually tells their age," Kelso explained.

"Grabbed a 25-ounce Bud Light, went to the counter, purchased it," the informant told NBC 5. "Didn't even check ID."

The informant said he was surprised, because the one of the busts was at a QuikTrip in Euless.

"I was kind of excited to be honest," he said. "It was my first QuikTrip!"

The QuikTrip that TABC undercover agents said sold beer to their informant was located right next door to a QuikTrip regional office. Someone inside the office stepped outside to ask what was happening. NBC 5 asked him what that policy was for selling alcohol.

"What's our policy?" he asked. "Our policy is to check ID."

The QuikTrip was one of two businesses busted for underage alcohol sales during the sting. The other was a Chevron in Bedford.

TABC agents say on average they bust 10 percent of the businesses targeted in a sting. The focus is safety.

"When you're talking about teenagers  minors  not only are they inexperienced operators of a vehicle," explained Kelso. "Add in alcohol and you've got an extremely dangerous, deadly situation."

A recent study shows 20 percent of high school students admit getting into a car with someone who has been drinking behind the wheel. This week is National Teen Safety Driver Week. According to the Centers for Disease Control, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers.
Police in Denton issued a warning to University of North Texas students after two people were robbed near campus early Thursday morning.

UNT police said a male student was riding a bike in the 1600 block of West Hickory Street at 12:30 a.m. when a male and female approached him from behind, took his cell phone and ran to a red four-door vehicle driven by a third person.

Thirty minutes later, another male student was walking near the intersection of Beatty Street and Eagle Drive when he was also approached from behind by a male and female. Denton police said the man and woman took the student's cell phone and backpack and ran to a red four-door driven by a third person.

No weapons were displayed or violent threats made during either incident.

No serious injuries were reported.

UNT sent an alert to students reminding them to always walk in numbers, stay in well-lit areas and keep car doors locked. They also asked the public to report suspicious activity by calling 911, their Criminal Investigations Division at 940-565-3006 or Crime Stoppers at 940-369-8477 (TIPS).
Fast-growing Collin County is gearing up for the Nov. 8 election.

This part of the Metroplex has seen a 50-percent increase in voters from four years ago.

That means more election workers are needed. They have to be an equal balance of Republicans and Democrats.

The county is conducting 10 training sessions with the ultimate goal of keeping the process secure.

Recent suggestions of a rigged election do not sit well with many of the volunteers being trained at the election center in McKinney.

"I dont see at all that there is a possibility for any fraud. You have crossed all your Ts and dotted your Is very securely, said election volunteer Emma Tabley-Stafford.

She joined nearly 50 others for election judge training in Collin County.

They spent Thursday making sure they are up to date on all polling place laws and procedures. And most in the group have lots of experience.

Ive worked different capacities as a volunteer, voter register, election judge, election clerk, poll watcher to make sure the elections are run fairly and efficiently, said volunteer Bill Trible.

Collin County Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet rejects accusation that its possible to rig the election.

It is frustrating and I would hate to think that we lose any voters because they dont believe the system is secure," Sherbet said. "You have a lot of safeguards built into the auditing of the process, of the tracking of the process, and of the physical security of the process. It may not be perfect, but I can tell you it is so decentralized it would be very difficult to do anything on a widespread basis, almost impossible.

With a nearly 50-percent increase in registered voters in Collin County the focus for these poll workers has become keeping lines short and moving on election day.

I'm leaving today very sure that I can give you 100 percent service, said Tabley-Stafford.

Collin County has 73 voting centers so even on election day people can vote anywhere within the county.

And helping those lines is the fact 70 percent vote early.

Early voting begins Monday.
What to Know A DDoS attack crippled domain name server company Dyn Inc on Friday morning, and a fresh attack started Friday afternoon

The attacks rendered sites like Spotify, Twitter and SoundCloud difficult or impossible to reach

The White House says government agencies are looking into what happened

A third wave of denial-of-service attacks on a key piece of internet plumbing was resolved by late Friday, said the company that was targeted.

Internet infrastructure company Dyn Inc. told CNBC earlier in the day that the third wave was underway, causing more disruptions after dozens of the world's most popular websites were taken largely offline Friday morning.

The White House said it was aware of the situation and that the Department of Homeland Security was looking into it; a senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the FBI has been investigating as well. U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News Friday afternoon that they did not know who was responsible for the attacks, though one source said involvement by North Korea had been ruled out.

Dyn, which runs domain name servers, said on its website that it was subject to a distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack. Domain name servers translate website names to the numeric Internet Protocol addresses behind them. Dyn, headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, is one of the larger companies in that business.

Major internet services including Spotify, Twitter, Paypal, Reddit, the PlayStation Network, Netflix, SoundCloud and a number of media websites were difficult or impossible to reach early Friday.

DownDetector.com

DownDetector.com, a popular website for checking internet outages, showed a sharp and simultaneous spike in users reporting sites being inaccessible just after 7 a.m. ET and again around noon.

Service providers including Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable and AT&T were also affected.

Dyn told CNBC that it was being hit by "tens of millions of IP addresses" Friday afternoon, around 4:15 p.m. ET. They said one of the sources of the attack is devices like DVRs, printers, and other appliances that are connected to the internet, collectively known as the "Internet of Things."

Dyn said normal service was restored just over two hours later. But on its website it reported a new attack as of 11:52 a.m. ET that was still underway a half hour later.

"(We) have begun monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Our Engineers are continuing to work on mitigating this issue," the company said on its status update page.

Later Friday, Dyn released a statement saying the third attack "has been resolved."

https://twitter.com/nixgeek/status/789501537844199425

The extent of the effect was not clear as the attacks unfolded  Twitter experienced partial outages throughout the day.

"The earlier issues have resurfaced & some people may still be having trouble accessing Twitter," the company wrote on its support account at 12:55 p.m. ET. "Were working on it!"

After four and a half hours of problems, Twitter reported that Dyn had mitigated the attacks and that Twitter was once again available to all its users.

Dyn said it was "still investigating and mitigating the attacks on our infrastructure," though a monitoring issue was resolved, it tweeted shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

On social media, people reported renewed difficulty accessing Spotify in Europe, as well as problems with photos and video on Twitter. DownDetector showed fresh spikes in outage reports for sites including PayPal, Netflix and Pinterest.

The attacks immediately renewed fears about the security of the Internet's core infrastructure, particularly with the presidential election - already the subject of hacking concerns - less than three weeks away.

(Comcast is the owner of NBC parent NBCUniversal.)

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
The drying up of Utah's Great Salt Lake is beginning to have significant economic consequences, and that seems to have stirred up a hint of turbulence among the lake's varied stakeholders.

With the north part of the lake at its lowest level in recorded history, the lake's biggest mineral company is calling for action no later than December on a long-standing plan to punch a hole through a railroad causeway.

For years, the causeway has been acting like a gigantic dam across the body of the lake.

The plan to breach the causeway was delayed to December because of concerns about the impact on the lake's brine shrimp population. So this week, officials of Compass Minerals launched a media push to argue against any further delays.

In spite of the company's worry, it's not clear at this point if any agencies, businesses or interest groups will actually push for another postponement.

The issue swirls around a railroad causeway built in 1959. It crosses the Great Salt Lake on an east-west line dozens of miles west of Ogden.

Several years ago, Union Pacific closed two culverts in the causeway because they were collapsing and threatening the stability of the railroad bed. That action severed the connection between the lake's north arm and south arm, in effect creating two very different lakes.

The south arm gets all the incoming fresh water from three major rivers while the north arm gets almost no fresh water. Over the years, the north arm has become extremely salty and now evaporation is shriveling it up.

"The north arm is now 3.5 feet lower than the south arm, which is unprecedented," said Joe Havasi, director of natural resources for Compass Minerals.

Read more on this story at KSL.com.
Rapper/actor RZA finally spoke out Thursday in the ongoing dispute between Azealia Banks and Russell Crowe.

On Monday, Banks charged Crowe had physically assaulted and hurled racial slurs at her during a weekend dinner party in Beverly Hills. Banks was a guest of RZA at the party and until now had been silent about what transpired.

"I invited her to meet me at the BHH Polo Lounge. Yet I had also planned on spending some time with my Buddy RC in his suite, so I asked him if she could join. He says "cool Bobby" so I invited her," RZA wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. "Before the night is over Azealia is insulting half the room she becomes loud and obnoxious. There was nothing funny about her behavior. I felt a little embarrassed because she was my guest."

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RZA wrote the verbal abuse escalated when Banks allegedly threatened to cut a girl in the face with a glass before grabbing and attacking another guest.

"Russell blocked the attack and expelled her from the suite," RZA wrote. "Seeing is believing and I saw her behave as an obnoxious erratic individual and in the circles I frequent this was unprecedented....THIS IS NOT A RACE OR GENDER ISSUE. I did not hear Russell call her a N::gg:::: I'm not trying to protect Russell from anything he is a man of his own Caliber."

Prior to RZA's statement Banks was insistent on her version of events and told E! News she was demanding a public apology from Crowe.

Calls to Crowe's representatives were not returned.

NBC has also reached out to a representative for Banks.
The voice of a former "Power Rangers" actor charged with killing his roommate filled a courtroom Thursday, when a 911 audio tape was played of him saying the two had gotten into an argument over the actor's then-girlfriend.

Ricardo Medina was arrested in January on suspicion of stabbing his roommate, Joshua Sutter, several times in the abdomen a year earlier at their house in Green Valley, California.

Thursday's preliminary hearing was supposed to decide whether there's enough evidence to prove a crime was committed.

"Damn it, Josh. Why did you do this, man? Why did you make me do this?" Medina can be heard saying in the recording.

Medina's attorney, Allen Bell, said his client was acting in self-defense. He hopes the judge will toss the case.

"Obviously it would be a victory for the defense if he was not held to answer," Bell said.

Sutter's family thinks there is no doubt Medina was the aggressor.

"Josh don't have that in his heart to attack anybody," said Donald Sutter, the victim's father.

Sutter's father and sister were both in the courtroom as the prosecutor laid out graphic photographs of the crime scene and autopsy.

"It's the first time we've seen those photos so it's a massacre, it's awful," Rachel Kennedy said.

The sole witness of the incident is Medina's ex-girlfriend.

In court, she said she couldn't remember much about that night, except that she didn't think the stabbing with the samurai-type sword would be so severe as to lead to Sutter's death. She described the stabbing as "a poke."
Water-dropping aircraft attacked a brush fire that sent smoke Friday afternoon over a northern San Fernando Valley neighborhood.

The fire was reported in the 12600 block of Maclay Street in Sylmar. No buildings were threatened, but firefighters were positioned near houses to prevent the fire from spreading to residences, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

At least three firefighting aircraft responded to the riverbed area northeast of the 210 Freeway.

The fire burned about 2 acres as of 2 p.m.

Maclay Street was closed for the firefight.
A 27-year-old construction worker who fell 60 to 70 feet Friday into a well in Bel-Air has died, firefighters said.

The man was found face down, motionless and "beyond medical help," said Briand Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Search-and-rescue specialists were called to pull him out.

Firefighters were summoned at 2:48 p.m. to the 900 block of North Bel Air Road, where the man had fallen into a 4-foot sump well, according to Humphrey.
Firefighters said they would resume their search Saturday for human remains that may be inside a burned mansion in Mount Washington.

A fire ripped through a 9,000-square-foot hillside home Thursday night. Three tenants had to be pulled from the burning home and a 74-year-old woman was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, officials said. The cause of the fire was not known.

The structure was so badly damaged that fire officials said its walls were "teetering."

"There is still currently fire moving up the inside of those walls, so we have to be very cautious about how we proceed," said Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Tim Ernst. "So we're actually going to have to start dismantling the building from the top down so we can get to the void where we believe the missing occupant is located."

That made it unsafe for search teams to go in. Searchers believe they might have found remains, but they didn't know whether they were human.

Authorities sent several cadaver dogs through the window of the second floor of the home on Sea View Avenue to search on Friday.

Neighbors say an 84-year-old man owns the home and rents out rooms to more than a dozen tenants.

Witnesses said the owner warned the others about the fire, but then was seen going back into his bedroom and shutting the door. They suspect he might have gone back in to rescue a litter of puppies.
We teleported ourselves into AltspaceVR to hang out with people in virtual reality.

NBC4s Conan Nolan and Mekahlo Medina joined up with other users for a virtual discussion about the propositions on Californias ballot this November.

In "Pot, Guns & Death: A Conversation about California Propositions," we discussed three hotly debated props involving the death penalty, gun regulations and marijuana.

We spoke with a live audience of people from around California and the world to discuss and help you make an informed decision about some controversial propositions.
A group of law enforcement officials gathered in downtown Los Angeles Thursday to blast a measure on the November ballot billed as an effort to keep "non-violent" convicts out of prison, saying the proposition will put dangerous people back on the streets.

"Do we really need more parolees and hard-core criminals on the streets? That's what Proposition 57 does," said Brian Moriguchi, president of the Professional Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles.

The proposition, backed heavily by Gov. Jerry Brown, would allow parole consideration for people convicted of "non-violent" felonies after serving the minimum amount of time required as part of their sentence and authorize the awarding of sentence credits for rehabilitation, good behavior and education.

It would also give judges the final say over whether juvenile offenders at least 14 years old should be prosecuted as adults. Brown and other backers of the measure insist it will put an emphasis on rehabilitation, reducing the likelihood of felons to commit new crimes.

They also deny that it will put violent offenders back on the streets, and even non- violent offenders eligible under the proposition would have to prove they are rehabilitated and do not present a danger to the public before they are released.

But Moriguchi and other officials -- including Sheriff Jim McDonnell, District Attorney Jackie Lacey and county Supervisor Mike Antonovich -- said the measure is essentially an effort by the state to relieve its prison- overcrowding problem at the expense of community safety.

Moriguchi said the recent killings of Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Steve Owen and Palm Springs police Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose Gilbert Vega were carried out by parolees. Antonovich said Proposition 57 will follow the path of legislation known as AB 109, which redirected some low-level offenders to county jails instead of state prisons, often leading to them serving less time than they otherwise would.

He said that legislation was also expected to apply to only "non- violent" offenders. "What happened? Seventy percent are either high-risk or very high risk," Antonovich said. "It's time that we wake up and get realistic," he said. "We need to protect our communities, we need to protect our people. ... We need to unite to return this state to a Golden State where it's safe to walk the streets instead of having fear where people in the community are now having to buy private security to supplement the local law enforcement to protect their property and protect their lives and families."

Supporters of the measure deny allegations that the measure would result in felons being automatically released from prison or authorize parole for violent offenders.

"Overcrowded and unconstitutional conditions led the U.S. Supreme Court to order the state to reduce its prison population," Brown and other supporters wrote in its ballot argument in favor of the measure. "Now, without a common-sense, long-term solution, we will continue to waste billions and risk a court-ordered release of dangerous prisoners. This is an unacceptable outcome that puts Californians in danger -- and this is why we need Prop 57."
A Los Angeles city panel is scheduled to take up a landmark status application submitted for downtown's Hotel Cecil, a nearly century old hotel that has largely been associated with mysterious deaths and murders over the years.

The Cultural Heritage Commission will consider on Thursday an application submitted on behalf of the 14-story hotel at 640 Main St. that states the Beaux Arts style design and noteworthiness of its architect, Loy L. Smith, makes it eligible as a historically and culturally significant site.

Built in 1924, Hotel Cecil was known as an affordable lodging option for traveling businessmen, but in later decades gained notoriety for its connections to the various deaths and murders that occurred there or were linked to people who stayed there. It was reportedly the home of serial murderer Richard Ramirez, better known as the Night Stalker, in the mid-1980s.

In recent months, the building has been undergoing renovations by New York City-based real estate company Simon Baron Development, which leases the hotel and is looking to turn it into a trendier destination. The hotel that now operates in the building goes by the name Stay on Main.

Hotel Cecil made headlines in 2013 when 21-year-old Canadian Elisa Lam disappeared after checking into the hotel. Elevator surveillance video of Lam acting strangely around the time she disappeared was shared widely on the internet.

Lam was found dead a few weeks later in the building's rooftop water tank after guests complained about the plumbing and the water appearing discolored.

The hotel caught the attention of Ryan Murphy, creator of the FX show "American Horror Story," who used it along with other downtown Los Angeles sites as the model for Hotel Cortez, the setting for his show's 2015 season.
A Connecticut elementary school is canceling its Halloween parade and banning students from wearing costumes in school this year.

The principal of Lillie B. Haynes in Niantic sent a letter to families on Wednesday with the decision and said school leaders made the decision with input from staff members.

This decision was based on many factors including safety and exclusion of students," Principal Melissa DeLoreto said in a statement. "With increasing societal safety concerns, the number of adults who attend this event, some in costumes, poses a potential safety threat.

School officials said students in past years have been excluded from participating because of religion and cultural beliefs.

We believe school day activities must be inclusive for all students and we must be sensitive in regards to holidays and celebrations of religious, cultural or secular nature, DeLoreto wrote. Please know classroom celebrations will continue to take place however, they will be Fall themed, not Halloween.

DeLoreto said classroom teachers will send home information about the celebration.

"I think it's a little overreaction -- knee jerk," said parent Shawn Prevost, whose two nieces and a nephew attend the school with his daughter. "But it's one thing that happens. As parents you have to explain to them the reasons behind it."

But another parent noted that there are other ways to celebrate Halloween in town, including at East Lyme's "Trick or Trunk" event.

NBC Connecticut also reached out to the superintendent, but has not heard back.
Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy hosted Floridas Future  The Medical Marijuana Debate.

The event served as an opportunity for students, faculty members, staff and members of the community to learn about the health, political, legal and social issues related to Floridas proposed Constitutional Amendment 2, or Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative.

Amendment 2 will be up for a vote on November 8 of this year.
Police have arrested a South Florida man accused of sexually assaulting two females as they walked to their bus stops earlier this month.

William Feltz, 49, was arrested for armed sexual battery, kidnapping, armed robbery, and firearm possession by a convicted felon, Miami-Dade Police said Friday.

Feltz remained behind bars without bond Friday, jail records showed. It's unknown if he's hired an attorney.

The first assault occurred Oct. 13 at a bus stop in the area of Northwest 109 Street and 8 Avenue. The 16-year-old victim was walking to the bus stop when Feltz approached and forced her behind a nearby dumpster at gunpoint, where he robbed and sexually assaulted her, police said. He then fled in a gold in color, 4-door, Infinity Q30.

Feltz assaulted a 19-year-old woman walking to a bus stop in the area of Northwest 102 Avenue and 29 Avenue a few days later. Police said he approached her on foot, robbed her at gunpoint and dragged her behind the bushes where he sexually assaulted her.

According to the police report, the woman punched Feltz in the face and was able to escape and flee on foot.

Investigators were able to link the two incidents and identify Feltz as the subject.
Officials say the fatal shootings of a three people found in a car along U.S. 41 in southwest Florida may be connected to the killing of a woman in Miami.

The bodies of a man, woman and a girl were discovered shot to death in a car in Collier County near the Miami-Dade County line on Thursday.

Authorities received a call of a Chevy Malibu parked along the road around 9:30 a.m. A witness told police he could see a woman inside and thought she was asleep. When he returned around noon, he went over to investigate. He noticed blood in the car and called 911.

Miami police spokesman Lt. Freddie Cruz told reporters his department was contacted by Collier County authorities to check on the well-being of a woman. When officers went to her apartment on Northwest 51st Avenue, they found her dead from apparent stab wounds.

"It's a puzzle we're putting together, all I can say is it's a tragic incident," Cruz said.

Neighbors said a family had lived in the apartment for many years.

"The police never go to that building, never," neighbor Celia Ruiz said. "I don't know what happened. I'm surprised, very surprised."

Collier County investigators said the people in the car died in a murder-suicide.

The identities of the victims have not been released.
Police are searching for the thieves who broke into a Northwest Miami-Dade home Friday and held a family at gunpoint.

The suspects forced their way into a home located along the 1200 block of West Randall Park Drive and Northwest 18 Court.

Investigators say shortly after 2 a.m. Friday morning, Jose Morales, Moises Morales and Yomaris Olivia arrived at their home.

As they exited their vehicle, they were approached by three men wearing dark clothing, bandannas and wielding guns. The armed men ordered them to the ground and demanded money.

The thieves entered the home where the additional victims, Angie Mena and her two children, were inside. The men then went on to ransack the home.

The suspects fled on foot as officers arrived.

Jose Morales was pistol whipped as more demands for money were made. Morales sustained a minor laceration to the head. No other injuries were reported.

The armed robbers are described as three males between 25 to 30 years old. Their vehicle is described as a newer model black Chevy Tahoe.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

The is a developing situation; check back for updates.
A mom-to-be who lost her newborn baby while in custody of Miami-Dade Corrections says her child would be alive if the corrections department had done the right thing.

"By the time that I gave birth he wasn't alive, he didn't make it," Amanda Garcia told NBC 6 Thursday. "I just think it's insensitive. It's like inhumane, like why would you put somebody through that?"

The 18-year-old was excited about being a mom, snapping selfies and posting photos of the sonogram pics on social media. But Garcia says her dreams were dashed a few days ago when the baby she was naming Enrique Lazaro died at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

"The right to keep my baby safe and they didn't even give me that right," Garcia said. "They should have helped me when they could have."

Garcia received a 60-day sentence after a dispute she had with her sister at their home. She said she couldn't afford the cost of an anger management program, so 22 weeks pregnant, she chose the two-month jail term.

"All together it was about maybe $3,000, almost $4,000, which I don't have," she said. "Sixty days sounded better than 180 and spending all this money."

NBC 6 obtained Garcia's official records and didn't find anything to indicate Garcia had been in trouble before.

Court records showed Judge Veronica del Pino told corrections that "Garcia's pregnancy has been deemed high risk" and that Garcia "provided a letter ordering bed rest and daily medication for the high-risk pregnancy."

The judge also wrote that it was "highly recommended that this defendant serve her prison sentence with all credit for time served at South Miami Hospital."

Garcia's jail records indicate the corrections department got the message. Her jail booking card says "sent 60 days at South Miami Hospital." Yet Garcia told NBC 6 that never happened.

"I had to sit in the rear lobby in TGK for three days," she said.

NBC 6 reached out to Miami-Dade Corrections for comment but haven't heard back.

Garcia says she never got any real medical attention until it was too late and after one visit to the hospital her baby didn't survive. It was her fifth day in corrections custody.

"Corrections, they neglected me, they really did. I thought I went into this situation with my paperwork and everything thinking they would accommodate my situation," she said. "You know, being an inmate obviously I am not going to get rights everyone else does but you would think I would have the rights to my health."

Garcia says the doctors at Jackson all tried to help her at the hospital but the worsening situation had gone to far. She said the judge let her out on probation after losing the child.
Stop the presses! Nathan Lane, John Slattery and John Goodman are just three of the big names on stage in a swell revival of the frenetic comedy The Front Page, now on the boards at The Broadhurst Theatre.

Written nearly a century ago by former newspapermen Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, The Front Page was the basis for His Girl Friday, the classic screwball film starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.

Broadways grand-looking new production, helmed by Jack OBrien (Its Only a Play), is split into three acts: Each begins and ends with a bang, in this case the popping of a camera flash illuminating in relief whomever happens to be on stage.

With so many characters to introduce, it takes a while for The Front Page to hit its stride. Lane, the top-billed star as foul-mouthed editor Walter Burns, doesnt make his entrance until the end of the second act, more than 90 minutes in, when things really pick up.

Before then, we meet the motley reporters in the press room of the Chicago Criminal Courts Building, who are panting with anticipation over the impending execution of a cop killer. When the convict escapes, scurrilous Chicago Examiner journos Hildy Johnson (Slattery) and Burns find themselves with the proverbial scoop of a lifetime.

Lane is in classic form as a single-minded editor with a heart of icea guy who knows a local exclusive will sell more papers than a story about a million people killed in an earthquake on the other side of the Pacific. He earns serious guffaws for a bit where he tries, and fails, to move a roll-top desk across the press room.

We need only wait a beat for the laughter when Slattery, of AMCs Mad Men, tells his colleagues that hes giving up newspapers for an advertising job in Manhattan. Like Lane, hes adept with the physical comedy, and seems to be having a great time.

Goodman doesnt fare quite as well in a one-note role as the sheriff whose ineptitude allows killer Earl Williams (John Magaro) to flee. The big gold star he wears on his chest underscores his characters cartoonishness.

Jefferson Mays (Oslo) is hysterical as the germ-a-phobe reporter and aspiring poet in the press room. Its good to see fine actor Dann Florek as the mayor who is more concerned with his reputation than justice.

Micah Stock, as an oafish cop named Woodenshoes, mimes his Tony-nominated coat check attendant from Its Only a Play, with similar success. There is enormous love for Robert Morse (How to Succeed on stage and screen, and Mad Men), who appears in a couple of brief scenes as an easily befuddled courier.

Like the industry it satirizes, The Front Page shows its age: The cast is jarringly lily white. Women are an afterthoughtHalley Feiffer, as Hildys fiancee, Peggy, lives to serve her betrothed. Both Holland Taylor (as Peggys interfering mother) and Sherie Rene Scott (as an absolute loon in love with the murderer) meet ignominious, if somehow not fatal ends.

But, the pros in The Front Page know how to manage the material and deliver an ink-stained good time. This is a period piece that hearkens back to a time when reporters carried flasks and an HR rep would be tossed out a window if she introduced a dialogue about harassment or proper workplace behavior.

The Front Page, through Jan. 29, 2017 at The Broadhurst Theatre. Tickets: Starting at $104.72. Call 212-239-6200.

Follow Robert Kahn on Twitter@RobertKahn
What to Know Zymere Perkins, 6, died Sept. 26 after what prosecutors say was months of abuse by his mother and her boyfriend

The medical examiner has determined he died from fatal child abuse syndrome in a homicide

City officials have acknowledged that the mother, Geraldine Perkins, was investigated five times for abuse allegations

The city medical examiner has determined that Zymere Perkins, the 6-year-old New York City boy who died last month last week after allegedly being abused by his mother's boyfriend, died from fatal child abuse syndrome.

That means he showed evidence of acute and chronic abuse and neglect that ultimately led to his death, according to the medical examiner's office. The manner of death was homicide.

Zymere Perkins died Sept. 26 after what prosecutors say was months of abuse by his mother and her boyfriend. On the day he died, his mother's boyfriend allegedly beat him with a broomstick and hung him by his shirt over the back of the bathroom door, apparently enraged when the boy defecated in the living room of their Hamilton Heights apartment.

Zymere was left on the bed unconscious and when he didn't wake up, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

NYPD detectives, who investigated Perkins' case, raised over $9,000 to help pay for the boy's wake and funeral on Oct. 7.

"It was the least we could do," one detective told The New York Post. "The poor kid went through hell."

"He didn't get a chance to live his life," a former neighbor named Jamal said at Zymere's funeral at the Church of the Open Door in Brooklyn. "For his life to be taken so suddenly, I'm heartbroken."

"No little kid should be taken like that," said another neighbor, Jiniah Spruill.

The boy had spent time in a homeless shelter with his mother before living in the squalid, roach-infested Hamilton Heights apartment, sources have told NBC 4. He had not been attending school this year.

Both his mother, Geraldine Perkins, and her boyfriend, Rysheim Smith, were arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child. The charges could be upgraded after the medical examiner's ruling.

City officials have acknowledged that the mother was investigated five times for abuse allegations.

Mayor de Blasio has said that Zymere Perkins' death was "an unacceptable tragedy" and added that "the buck stops here."

Gladys Carrion, the commissioner of children's services, admitted in a tearful interview with the I-Team that "we can't keep every child safe."

Carrion said in the interview Tuesday that "just one fatality is one too many" but declined to discuss any details about the boy's case. She said that it was too early to characterize whether her agency dropped the ball and added that the staff who handled Perkins' case were in bad shape.

Five ACS employees were placed on modified duty after Perkins' death, and Carrion didn't rule out the possibility she could be fired.
A New Jersey State trooper received a surprising letter from a driver he'd pulled over to ticket last week.

New Jersey State Police posted on its Facebook page Thursday a praise-filled note from Dave Coskey, general manager of Longport Media, a company that owns and operates radio stations in southern New Jersey.

In the letter, Coskey expressed how impressed he was with Trooper 7515s dedication to encouraging drivers to slow down and save lives.

He could have easily handed me the summons and walked away. But he didnt, Coskey wrote. It was pretty obvious that this trooper was really interested in safe driving on the Parkway.

Coskey was driving his wifes car on Sunday when he was pulled over. He admitted that her German car has a bit more pep than [his] Jeep and he wasnt paying as much attention to his speed as he usually did. It was the first time he had been pulled over in 15 years, Coskey wrote.

After the trooper handed Coskey his summons, he explained that there had been some recent fatal accidents on the Parkway and the NJSP was working to make the Parkway a safer place to drive. But the troopers concern didnt stop there.

He finished by asking me as I departed to please use the shoulder as an acceleration lane and that he would remain behind me to help make it safe to re-enter the highway  which he did, Coskey wrote.

After reflecting on the interaction, Coskey wrote a letter to the NJSP to express his appreciation of how well the trooper had presented himself.

I never expected to be blown away by an interaction with a trooper after being stopped, Coskey wrote. His demeanor and actions are a credit to the State Police.

The trooper is adamant about remaining anonymous, the New Jersey State Police Facebook page reads. "He told us that he wants no recognition for just doing his job. Well, he's doing a phenomenal job!"
Police are looking for the men who disguised themselves as utility workers to get inside a Queens home, then pulled out a gun on a man once they got inside.

The men allegedly knocked on a door on Park Crescent in College Point on Thursday afternoon and told the person who answered that they were Con Edison workers there to check on the homes power meters, according to the NYPD.

The resident, who asked not to be identified, told NBC 4 New York that the two suspects were wearing Con Edison uniforms and had what appeared to be a meter reader. He said he let the men in and led them down to where the power meters were.

""They check the meter with a con Edison scanner I'm thinking everything is normal," he said.

But then, he said both men pulled out guns and told him to open the door. He said his fiancee saw the men and started screaming, which startled the two gunmen.

The two gunmen then ran out of the home and took off in a dark Jeep, according to authorities. They didn't make off with anything.

The encounter left many on edge in the neighborhood, and several people called 911 when they saw NBC 4 crews knocking on doors in the area.

Representatives for Con Edison said they weren't sure how the gunmen got a hold of equipment for the utility. They urged residents to check for company badges before letting anyone claiming to be a utility worker in their home.

Anyone with information on the men should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
What to Know New Jersey legislators granted themselves subpoena power Thursday as they begin to look into last month's crash in Hoboken

The bill compels witnesses to testify and produce documents related to NJ Transit's financial and operating practices

More than 100 people were injured and one woman was killed in the Sept. 29 crash

The New Jersey Assembly voted to grant its judiciary committee the power to issue subpoenas as it begins to investigate last month's fatal crash in Hoboken.

The lower house of the New Jersey Legislature voted 71-0 to approve the bill, AR185, which compels witnesses to testify and provide documents related to NJ Transit's financial and operating practices.

The committee will convene at 10 a.m. Friday for a joint meeting with the state Senate's oversight comittee to start looking into the accident. State Transportation Commissioner Richard Hammer is expected to appear.

"We're not to be trifled with," Assemblyman and panel chairman John McKeon said. "This involves safety."

NJ Transit officials and regional transportation exports have been invited to testify on funding, operations and safety concerns at the agency. Train control technology will be another key point of focus.

The crash occurred Sept. 29 when a NJ Transit train crashed into Hoboken Terminal platform after the engineer failed to slow down as it approached, killing one woman and injuring more than 100 others.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the train was traveling at 21 mph  more than twice the 10 mph speed limit  before it went past the bumping post at the end of the track.

The NTSB is still investigating the crash. It may be over a year before the investigation results are released.

NJ Transit had a significantly higher accident rate during that span than the rest of the nation's 10 largest commuter railroads, ranked by weekday ridership, and had the highest rate of accidents attributed to human factors, such as speeding and drug impairment. In all, the accidents have caused more than $6 million in damage and injuries to 13 passengers.
Two New Jersey parents were accused of hiding drugs in their toddlers diaper, while another father was allegedly spotted passed out in his car while gripping a hypodermic needle alongside his sleeping daughter, according to authorities.

Toms River police said they arrested 26-year-old Mckay Greenwood, 32-year-old Erica Richter, and 39-year-old Richard Olivadotti in a pair of unrelated cases. All three parents face drug charges.

First, on Oct. 14, authorities said they cuffed Greenwood after officers allegedly spotted the man passed out in his car in a Seaside Heights shopping center.

When officers arrived on scene, they saw the unconscious 26-year-old gripping a loaded hypodermic needle in the drivers seat and his sleeping 3-year-old daughter in the car. Police said they also found several envelopes thought to contain heroin.

Three days later, police said they confronted Richter and Olivadotti in a parking lot in Skyview Park after they saw Richter vomiting by her car. As they approached, they smelled what they thought was marijuana and found the drug, along with several prescription painkillers.

After they brought the parents and their 2-year-old son back to police headquarters, they found a second bag of marijuana in the toddlers diaper.

All three parents face child endangerment and drug charges, authorities said. It wasn't immediately clear if any of them had attorneys.
What to Know Developer Menachem Stark was abducted as he left his office during a snowstorm in 2014; his partially burned body was found the next day

On Friday, brothers Erskin Felix and Kendall Felix were charged in connection with Stark's death

In September, 29-year-old Kendel Felix was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Stark; he is the cousin of the two Felix brothers

Two brothers have been charged in connection with the abduction and killing of a Brooklyn real estate developer more than two years ago.

The NYPD said Erskin Felix, 38, was charged with first-degree kidnapping Friday morning. Kendall Felix, 28, was charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.

The charges are in connection with the January 2014 death of 39-year-old Menachem Stark, a prominent member of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect who was forced into a minivan and abducted as he left his Williamsburg office during a snowstorm. His partially burned body was found in a Long Island trash bin the next day.

Erskin Felix was arrested in Manhattan on Thursday and Kendall Felix was arrested at a police station when he went to look for his brother later in the day, police said.

In September of this year, 29-year-old Kendel Felix was convicted of kidnapping and murder in Stark's death.

Prosecutors said Felix did construction work for Stark and believed he owned him money. Felix told authorities that he only intended to kidnap and rob Stark, but he died during a struggle.

Police said in September that accomplices of Felix were under investigation, although they didn't identify anyone by name.

Kendel Felix is the cousin of the two Felix brothers arrested Thursday, according to the Kings County District Attorney.

Kendel Felix was supposed to be sentenced on Wednesday, but his sentencing was pushed back to November 2 for reasons that weren't immediately known. He faces up to 25 years in prison. Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available.
A 44-year-old woman has been charged in Brooklyn with stealing $160,000 in cash and gold jewelry from two Chinese immigrants in an elaborate scam by convincing them there was a curse on their families.

Prosecutors say Xuekun Su (SHWAY'-koon SOO'), of China, was arraigned Thursday on larceny charges as a hate crime. It wasn't clear if she has a lawyer who could comment on her behalf.

Prosecutors say the woman told the separate victims she was a clairvoyant. They said she convinced them she could remove the fatal curse if they gathered all their cash and jewelry together in a bag to be blessed.

After the bags were blessed, the victims later discovered the cash and jewelry were gone.

If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison.
A Milwaukee police officer who fatally shot a black man in August, sparking several nights of unrest, has been charged with sexually assaulting a man two days after the shooting, after they watched coverage of the riots on television at a bar, authorities announced Thursday.

Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, was arrested Wednesday, according to a statement from the Milwaukee Police Department. The adult male victim, identified only as AV1, told police on Aug. 15 that Heaggan-Brown had sexually assaulted him while off duty, according to the criminal complaint. That was two days after Heaggan-Brown fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith, who police said was holding a gun when he was shot after a brief chase.

Heaggan-Brown took the victim to a bar late on the night of Aug. 14 where they drank heavily and watched TV as coverage of the protests aired, the criminal complaint said. The victim told investigators that Heaggan-Brown bragged that he was the boss and that there were "no limitations" on how he lived and that he could do whatever he wanted "without repercussions," the complaint said.

The victim told police the day after the alleged assault that he had trouble remembering everything that happened after they left the bar but that he felt drugged. He said he woke up to Heaggan-Brown sexually assaulting him. His eyes teared up as he recounted the details, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, the man was nearly unconscious when Heaggan-Brown took him to St. Joseph's Hospital early on Aug. 15. The officer told a security guard who helped him wheel the man inside that the man had had too much to drink and was "completely out, zonked out of his gourd," the complaint said.

But when nurses began providing aid, it said, "AV1 flipped out." It quoted him as saying, "Help me, help me, he was touching me." The terrified man grabbed the security guard's arm with "a little child death grip." And after he was secured in a four-point restraint, out of sight from the defendant, he exclaimed: "He raped me, he raped me," the complaint said.

Later that morning, Heaggan-Brown texted his mentor, Sgt. Joseph Hall, saying he had messed up "big time," the complaint said.

"Need your help big time. ... But need to handle this the most secret and right way possible," the text read in part. The sergeant told investigators that Heaggan-Brown claimed the sex was consensual but "admitted that AV1 was messed up and acting funny while at the defendant's residence."

Using photographs and other data from the officer's cellphone, the complaint said, investigators determined that Heaggan-Brown offered two other people money for sex several times  in December 2015 and in July and August of this year  and that he sexually assaulted another unconscious person in July, and photographed that victim naked without that person's consent.

The charges include two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault, two misdemeanor prostitution counts and one felony count of capturing an intimate representation of a person without consent.

Police said Heaggan-Brown is suspended and in custody, and they have launched an internal investigation. Chief Edward Flynn scheduled a news conference for 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Online court records didn't list an attorney who could comment on Heaggan-Brown's behalf.

The head of Milwaukee's police union issued a statement saying it's imperative that the facts dictate the outcome.

"The Milwaukee Police Association is proud to represent 1600 truly professional officers," the union's president, Mike Crivello, said in a statement. "In any large organization there may be a time that one, or a few discredit the overall; this is by no means reflective of the overwhelming majority of good officers."

Heaggan-Brown joined the police department in July 2010 as an aide. Like Sylville Smith, Heaggan-Brown is black. He was assigned to patrol the city's heavily minority north side.

Flynn has said that Smith was fleeing from a traffic stop when he was shot. Heaggan-Brown's body camera showed that Smith was shot after he turned toward an officer with a gun in his hand, according to investigators.

Smith's death sparked two nights of violence in the Sherman Park neighborhood, with several businesses burned. It also ramped up long-festering racial tension in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice investigated Smith's death and has turned the case over to Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm for a charging decision. It's not clear when a decision in that case will be made.
Former "Playboy" model Katie May's death in February was caused by a chiropractic procedure to her neck, the Los Angeles County coroner's office told NBC News.

May died on Feb. 4 due to a "manipulation of the neck," the coroner's office said. Her death was ruled an accident.

On Friday, the American Chiropractic Association offered condolences to May's family, but defended chiropractic neck procedures.

"Our sympathy goes out to the family of Katie May," they wrote in a statement. "With respect to the safety of neck manipulation, its important to understand there are risks and benefits to all treatments; however, the best available evidence indicates there is no causal relationship between neck manipulation and stroke."

"Millions of neck manipulations are performed safely in the U.S. every year, providing patients relief from common forms of neck pain and headache, and helping them to get back to their normal activities," the statement continued.
A few dozen of Montgomery Countys new $3,600-a-piece police radios had to be returned to the manufacturer, Motorola, after they inexplicably shut off at times, county officials said Thursday.

The 30 or so police radios that didnt work properly were part of an initial rollout of 300 to four towns in the county, which has now postponed handing out the rest of the more than 3,000 scheduled to be given to all municipal police departments, deputy public safety director John Corcoran said.

Corcoran said the initial plan was to have all the radios in operation by the end of 2016, but that schedule has now been pushed back into 2017. The four towns that were initially given the new radios are Norristown, Cheltenham, Montgomery and Abington.

Roughly 10 percent were just arbitrarily shutting off and they werent giving the field user any reason for it, he said. It could have been a very real safety hazard.

The new radios are part of a $36 million overhaul of the countys emergency communications network.

Dead spots in emergency radio coverage have also been addressed as part of the overhaul, which began in 2012.

Twenty-nine of 30 new giant antennas have been erected or are currently in construction. The lone antenna yet to be built or approved remains in the middle of a zoning dispute in Upper Merion.

First Assistant County Solicitor Josh Stein said Thursday that the county will bring its plan for the last antenna before Upper Merions zoning board in the near future. Township officials have demanded that the county go through the zoning process like any other applicant would in requesting a variance to existing zoning code. The county will have to seek approval of a new, higher tower at a site along Hughes Road where a shorter tower already exists.

Several residents along Hughes Road are against the proposal, according to some local and county officials.

The new delay to completing the emergency communications overhaul, having Motorola reissue the radios, is a setback, according to Corcoran, but he added that no police officer or resident in any of the four towns were put in harms way because of the faulty devices -- luckily.

its an issue and were working to fix it. But it didnt cause any safety issues before we found it out, Corcoran said. Nobody was endangered before we discovered the problem.

The original schedule announced in August for handing out the radios to all of the countys municipalities was by the end of September. All fire and EMS departments were then to have their new radios by October.

The county secured funding of more than $6 million for all of the new radios through the Delaware Valley Regional Finance Agency (DVRFA). The municipalities will have to pay back the county for the cost of the radios, but the county is not charging interest that came with the financing from the DVRFA.

In Norristown, the radios cost $326,000, officials said in August.

In 2009, Philadelphia officials were forced to embark on an overhaul of its emergency dispatch system because of faulty Motorola radios. The city did agree to keep Motorola as its radio provider, but officials said switching to a new provider would have cost millions more and at least five years to complete the transition.

At the time, some officers said they were forced to keep their cell phones nearby in case the unreliable hand-held radios conked out on them. The city agreed to pay Motorola $34 million to upgrade its system.
An eastern Pennsylvania man abused four girls over a series of years, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Child Abuse Unit.

Detectives charged Jerry Negron, 36, with multiple counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault and corruption of minors.

During the DA's office investigation, detectives discovered that the girls, aged 7 to 15, were allegedly sexually abused by Negron from 2005 to 2015.

The Children's Alliance Center assisted with the investigation by interviewing the girls, who investigators said are all related.

The victims revealed that Negron sexually abused them at different locations in Mt. Penn Borough, Lower Alsace Township and Blue Marsh Lake, said investigators.

A judge arraigned Negron Friday afternoon and sent the Reading man to Berks County Jail after he wasn't able to post $250,000 bail, said court records.
Authorities cited documentary filmmaker and former three-time Philadelphia mayoral candidate Sam Katz after finding small amounts of marijuana, said Philadelphia Police.

A police spokesperson told NBC10 told authorities found marijuana on Sam Katz Thursday morning at Philadelphia International Airport.

Katz said he was heading to Florida for a weekend fishing trip, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer. He said he hasn't smoked marijuana in years and thought he would do so again.

"This will not go down as one of the smart moves I've made," Katz told Philly.com.

Katz said he put marijuana in his suitcase and that federal Transportation Security Administration officers found it as he passed through security. He said the officers seized the marijuana and gave him a $25 ticket. He also missed his flight and had to make alternate travel arrangements.

Katz ran for mayor in the 90s and early 2000s.
Police suspect a man and woman stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of Toys R Us merchandise as part of an organized scheme targeting stores along the East Coast.

The shoplifting team has traveled between New Jersey and Maryland, robbing stores for months, said Toms River Police in a news release Friday.

Authorities say some information was developed that may link them to Toms River but there are no victims in the township, said police.

The suspects may be traveling in a four-door Cadillac, said police.

"Toys R Us is working closely with the Toms River police to investigate this situation," said the company in a statement to NBC10.

Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to call Toms River Police Det. John Bajcic at 732-349-0150 ext. 1278 or by email at jbajcic@trpolice.org. You can also send a private Facebook message.
Freak storms packing up to 100 mph winds hit Pennsylvania early Friday, sending floodwaters into hundreds of homes and causing a pipeline rupture that dumped more than 50,000 gallons of gasoline into a stream, threatening drinking water supplies. One man was killed when a tree crashed into his home.

The storms dumped up to 7 inches of rain on western and central Pennsylvania, triggering mudslides, turning roads into rivers and sweeping away at least two homes. Hundreds more were damaged in Centre County, home to Penn State's main campus.

Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the state's National Guard to help in the recovery efforts after the storm left a trail of destruction stretching 150 miles. The toll included downed power lines, destroyed vehicles and damaged railroad beds.

The (Lock Haven) Express reported a popular retired teacher was killed Thursday night in Clinton County when a tree crashed into his home. The man had been on the second floor and was tossed from his home by the impact, landing on his back in the driveway.

Winds there reached up to 100 mph, said National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Evanego.

About 100 residents were forced from their homes in the Bald Eagle Valley, including about three dozen residents of a personal care home, Centre County Commissioner Steven Dershem said.

In hard-hit Lycoming County, emergency crews used boats to help residents from their homes and survey the damage to roads and bridges.

Firefighters banged on doors in Old Lycoming Township near Williamsport, evacuating residents in the middle of the night.

"We thought nothing was going to happen, then all of a sudden, a few minutes later, the whole road was covered in water," resident Brent Getger told WNEP-TV.

"It was crazy because I was woken up by my sister. She said we have to evacuate, we have to get everything packed up," he said.

The flooding caused a Sunoco Logistics gasoline pipeline to rupture, spilling an estimated 54,600 gallons into a tributary of the Loyalsock Creek and threatening the water supply of several thousand customers.

Pennsylvania American Water said its treatment plant along the Susquehanna River in Milton  downstream of the spill  might be impacted, and asked customers to conserve water in case the plant had to be shut down. Residents would be served by a second, unaffected treatment plant if the Milton plant had to be taken offline, the company said.

Two other water systems, serving customers in Sunbury and Shamokin Dam, are also potentially impacted by the spill, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Sunoco Logistics said crews were using skimmers to remove gasoline from impacted waterways and erecting containment booms downstream.

The storm took most residents by surprise.

Mark Collister was trapped in his Old Lycoming Township mobile home Thursday night when a stream spilled chocolate-colored water from its banks and blocked the road.

"We knew we were going to get the rainstorm, but not as quick as it was," he said.

The water had receded enough for him to get to work Friday, but, with more rain in the forecast Friday night, he left early. Other residents took advantage of the lull Friday to start cleaning up, power-washing mud from their homes.

Jim Heverly, who lives less than 50 feet from Lycoming Creek and was forced to evacuate, called it the worst flood to hit his neighborhood in more than a decade.

At least one bridge across the Loyalsock Creek in Montoursville was wiped out, according to Ruth Miller, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
The sister of a man shot and killed last month in a confrontation with El Cajon Police officers claimed Thursday the agency was negligent in training and supervising an officer who handled the call with a cowboy attitude."

Alfred Olango, a 38-year-old Ugandan refugee who came to the U.S. over 20 years ago, was shot by police on September 27.

His sister, Lucy Olango, filed a claim for damages with the City of El Cajon alleging the officer who fired the fatal shots handled her 911 call for help with a cowboy attitude and demeanor.

Lucy Olango called police that day because her brother was not acting like himself, police said. ECPD officials said Olango was reported to be acting erratically, walking in and out of traffic.

Video of the shooting shows Officer Richard Gonsalves approaching Olango in the parking lot of a strip mall and then firing several rounds just moments later.

The claim alleges that Gonsalves provoked Alfred into taking foreseeable defensive measures which Officer Gonsalves then used as false justification to kill him.

El Cajon police said Olango refused multiple instructions to remove his hand from in his pocket before he pulled out an object and held it in front of him like he would be firing a gun. The object was later determined to be a vaping smoking device with an all-silver cylinder measuring approximately 1 inch in diameter and 3 inches long.

Lucy Olangos claim alleges that the officer did not wait for the citys Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) to arrive and did not use nonlethal ways of controlling the situation.

"Officer Gonsalves acted negligently in both his pre-shooting tactical conduct and decisions, e.g., to escalate to deadly force very quickly and without warning, not to wait for P.E.R.T., not to use non-lethal alternatives, and to instead confront and provoke Alfred, as well as his decision to shoot an unarmed man," the claim states.

ECPDs PERT was working another police call at the time.

Officer Gonsalves drew his firearm and aggressively confronted, chased, and cornered Alfred, the claim alleges adding that the department did not adequately train or supervise the officer.

The family also alleges the officer had demonstrated unfitness prior to the day of the shooting including issues with substance abuse, acts of violence and emotional problems.

As NBC 7 has reported, Gonsalves was accused of sexually harassing another ECPD officer by sending inappropriate texts and photos in 2013.

The officer is a 21-year veteran of the department. He was on administrative leave which is routine after an officer-involved shooting.
Seven elementary school students became sick Friday after ingesting pills they mistook for jelly beans, according to a San Diego Unified School District spokesperson.

The group of third grade students at Washington Elementary School on State Street in Little Italy started feeling sick before 10 a.m.

One child found the pills and handed them out to other kids thinking they were jelly beans, said district spokesperson Jennifer Rodriguez.

Instead, they were green tea supplementary pills the mother had left in the backpack after using it for a recent trip, the district said.

The children were checked by the school nurse and sent back to class. None was taken to a hospital or medical center, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the incident appears to have been accidental.
A sailor with the U.S. Navy based in Coronado, California, was the American service member killed in Iraq Thursday, Defense Department officials confirmed Friday.

Chief Petty Officer Jason C. Finan, 34, died Thursday from injuries suffered by an "improvised explosive device," or roadside bomb, officials said.

Finan was from Anaheim, California, and was serving in Iraq with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 in an advisory capacity, according to the Pentagon.

"The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the Sailor we lost," said Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command/NECC Pacific, in a news release.

Finan was the first U.S. service member to die in combat since the launch of a massive operation to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul earlier this week.

More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units, and hundreds more are playing a supporting role in staging bases.

As of early this month, there were 4,565 U.S. troops in Iraq, according to the Pentagon. That doesn't include another 1,500 troops considered there "on temporary duty," whose number changes daily, according to the U.S. officials.

Three other service members have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led coalition began launching airstrikes against IS in August 2014.
The San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) has issued a critical appeal for platelet donations.

High demand and recent regulation changes regarding donor eligibility have resulted in a significantly low stock of platelets for SDBB, and other blood banks across the country.

The local bank is the primary supplier of blood to the majority of hospitals in San Diego County, providing platelets for use in trauma wards and surgical centers. Transplant, chemotherapy and radiation patients often need platelets to survive.

According to the SDBB, platelets only have a five-day shelf life, which makes donations during shortages that much more significant. Donors with A+, B+ or AB are the best candidates for platelet donation.
A man implicated in a high-profile series of attacks on homeless men around San Diego over the summer is not mentally competent to stand trial, a San Diego County judge decided on Friday.

During the hearing on Friday morning, the judge determined that Jon David Guerrero, 39, was not mentally capable to assist in his own defense. Criminal proceedings have been suspended.

The San Diego man faces three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of arson.

On Friday, as he sat in court to learn his fate, he was shaking and making strange noises.

A doctor testified that Guerrero was not competent and said he should be transferred from jail to a mental hospital to receive treatment.

The defendant will be transferred, prosecutors said, once there's an opening at the state hospital.

Guerrero is accused in five attacks that began July 3, and authorities believe he acted alone.

The dramatic homicide investigation first surfaced when police found the badly burned body of 53-year-old Angelo de Nardo near train tracks in Bay Ho. Investigators say they believe the homeless man died before he was set on fire.

Police released surveillance video of a man seen in a convenience store buying gasoline and a gas can minutes before De Nardo's body was discovered. The man wore a distinctive green Mao-style hat, like the one Guerrero was wearing at his arrest.

On July 4, two homeless men were discovered attacked within an hour of each other in Bay Ho and Ocean Beach in the early hours of morning around 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.

They both suffered severe trauma to the upper body. 61-year-old Manuel Mason remains in critical condition. 41-year-old Shawn Longley died from the vicious assault.

On July 6, 23-year-old Derek Vahidy was found attacked and lit on fire in Pantoja Park near State and G Streets. He later died in the hospital.

Guerrero was arrested on July 15 after a fifth man was attacked at 18th and C streets.

Prosecutors have said Guerrero used railroad spikes to impale the victims as they slept.

It's unclear when criminal proceedings for Guerrero will resume. He can stay at the state hospital for up to three years.
Abortion became a topic in the debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for the first time Wednesday night when moderator Chris Wallace focused on access to what he called "late-term, partial-birth" procedures.

"Well, I think its terrible," Trump said. "If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby.

"And, honestly, nobody has business doing what I just said, doing that, as late as one or two or three or four days prior to birth," he said. "Nobody has that."

Abortion is one of the most polarizing social issues in America. A May 2016 Gallup poll showed that 29 percent of respondents believed it should be legal under any circumstances, 50 percent only under certain circumstances, and 19 percent illegal in all circumstances. Only 2 percent of those surveyed had no opinion.

"Late-term abortion" is a non-medical term that varies in definition. Most laws agree that it encompasses abortions near the end of the second trimester, when viability -- the fetus' ability to exist independently of the mother -- comes into question. There are three methods used in "late-term" abortion: dilation and evacuation, where the contents of the uterus are surgically removed after dilating the cervix; early labor induction; and intact dilation and extraction, in which the fetus is taken out as it appeared in the womb and which is widely prohibited.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of reproductive rights, only 1.2 percent of abortions in the United States occur after 21 weeks gestation. Despite their infrequency, Columbia University professor Rachel Adams said that "late-term" abortions have been a hot topic in the political sphere and have served as a means for conservatives to promote an anti-abortion agenda.

"It allows you to make a more viable argument that you're talking about a baby and not a fetus, which I think is a more dividing ethical line," said Adams, who specializes in gender and sexuality studies.

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Americans' attitudes toward late-term abortion seem to be changing as a result of microcephaly, the birth defect that can be caused by the Zika virus. A July poll from Harvard University and STAT, the Boston Globe's publication about health and medicine, found that 61 percent did not think a woman should be able get an abortion after 24 weeks, while 23 percent did. But if the respondents were told that there was a serious possibility that the fetus had microcephaly caused by Zika, the numbers flipped: 59 percent favored allowing a woman to get an abortion and 28 percent disapproved.

Adams criticized Trump's incendiary language of "rip(ping) the baby out of the womb" for its violence toward women and the use of the charged word "baby" for an unborn fetus.

Others took exception to Wallace referring to "partial-birth abortion" in his question.

"Partial-birth abortion is a political term, it's not a medical term," said Laura Ciolkowski, the associate director at Columbias Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality. "The language that we use to talk about abortion really matters."

Terminology aside, Trump's comments revealed a lack of knowledge of gynecological medical practice, according to experts.

"First of all, theres no such thing as ninth-month abortions," Ciolkowski said. "We call that Cesarean sections."

Lisa Perriera, a staff physician at Philadelphia Women's Center and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University, called Trump's comments at the debate "completely medically inaccurate."

"Abortion procedures are usually performed until viability, which is nowhere near complete nine-months of pregnancy," she said.

Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, has also told Politifact that if there was a risk to a mother's life on her due date "the treatment for that is delivery, and the baby survives.

In Pennsylvania, "viability" is legally defined as 23 weeks and six days, but almost all of Perriera's patients have abortions within the first trimester. Among those who don't, it's usually due to a problem with access to healthcare. Because many are on government-issued Medicaid, their procedures aren't covered by insurance and they have to save to be able to afford an abortion, which takes time.

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In the rare event of an abortion after 23 weeks and six days, it's often a situation when "the baby is incredibly sick," and the mother finds out late in the pregnancy, Perriera said.

In the debate, Trump said that if his nominees were appointed to the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade would be reversed "automatically" and issues of abortion would be legislated by the states.

Overturning Roe v. Wade would just make abortion unsafe, according to Perriera.

"It will have really dramatic health outcomes for women," she said. "You will see more women try to self-induce abortion and possibly have an increase in deaths from unsafe abortion."

Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, said Donald Trump would block access to Planned Parenthood, attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade, and believed women should be punished for having an abortion.

The comment was a reference a March 30 town hall event when Trump told MSNBC's Chris Matthews that women who had abortions should receive "some form of punishment." He walked back those remarks the same day to say that women should not be punished.

"Make no mistake, Donald Trump would ban abortion in this country," Richards told NBC. "And that's why women will be the reason he's not elected this November."

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Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the moment the candidate mentioned reversing the 1973 Supreme Court case "was literally when Donald Trump support bottomed out with independents... His willingness to say that puts him on the wrong side of the vast majority of Americans."

After pushing hard for moderators to ask candidates about abortion access since the primary debates, NARAL activists were thrilled to see Wallace highlight the issue.

"The voters were able to hear a pretty stark contrast in the two candidates," Hogue said.

Some conservatives were annoyed Trump did not directly answer the question of whether he wanted Roe v. Wade overturned.

Evan McMullin, the independent presidential candidate, tweeted: "Why can't @RealDonaldTrump actually say the words 'I want Roe v Wade overturned?' I'm the only pro-life candidate in the race."

Why can't @RealDonaldTrump actually say the words "I want Roe v Wade overturned?" I'm the only pro-life candidate in the race #Debates2016  Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) October 20, 2016

Others denounced Clintons position.

"Hillary is an extremist on abortion and admitted last night that she is part of a very small, extreme minority of Americans who believe there should be zero restrictions on abortion throughout all nine (months) of pregnancy for any reason," Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, wrote to NBC, emphasizing that she was commenting in a personal, and not official, capacity as a Christian and mother of four.

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"While demanding that crimes against children in war torn countries must stop and touting her pro-toddler agenda, she clearly stated that she thinks everyone is worthy of life except children still in their mothers' womb," Hawkins wrote. "You can't claim you are for all rights of women while simultaneously demanding the right to kill pre-born children, half of which are female."

Matt Batzel, national executive director at American Majority Action, tweeted, "Trump: Ripping the baby out the womb, may be okay with Hillary, but is NOT OKAY WITH ME #debatenight #prolife #neverhillary."

Trump: Ripping the baby out the womb, may be okay with Hillary, but is NOT OKAY WITH ME #debatenight #prolife #neverhillary  Matt Batzel (@MattBatzel) October 20, 2016

However, few pro-life organizations have directly addressed Trump's comments during the debate.

Clinton has taken a position that abortions should be "safe, legal, and rare." In the debate, she emphasized that abortion policy has to take into account the life and health of the woman, especially during "late-term" procedures.

"You should meet with some of the women that I have met with, women I have known over the course of my life," Clinton said on Wednesday night. "This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make. And I do not believe the government should be making it."

Many abortion-rights supporters were cheered by Clinton's performance.

"Hillary did a wonderful job of bringing it back to the real crisis of access in this country," said Hogue with NARAL Pro-Choice America. "We have now a presidential candidate in Hillary Clinton --partly because she's a woman, partly because she's an excellent leader -- (who) has chosen to listen to real stories of women."
What to Know Decision 2016: Vote Your Power is a pre-election millennial panel on the presidential election,.

It's happening Nov. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lisner Auditorium, The George Washington University.

And it's free to attend! Interested participants should RSVP online.

On Tuesday night, a for-millennials, by-millennials nonpartisan event got young people talking about the issues that matter to them and why their vote counts.

In partnership with DMVFollowers, Brightest Young Things and Rock the Vote, NBC4 hosted Decision 2016: Vote Your Power at Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University. During this panel discussion, the next generation's leaders facilitated a discussion on issues important to young people in the upcoming presidential election.

This free, nonpartisan event was the brainchild of NBC Washington social media editor Brittany Johnson, and was geared toward getting millennials to talk politics and to get out to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

The panel included Shermichael Singleton, owner of political consulting firm Singleton Strategies; KellyAnn Kirkpatrick, who works for Clearly Innovative, a black-owned mobile solutions firm; Kathleen Hunt, a senior at The George Washington University, and Darius Baxter, co-founder of GoodPartners, an organization bringing opportunities to disadvantaged communities.

NBC4's Aaron Gilchrist moderated the event.
Fairfax County Public Schools failed to ensure a teacher who pleaded guilty to assaulting a student had his Virginia teaching license revoked, which allowed the man to find another teaching job and later assault another young student.

According to an investigation by the News4 I-Team, former Hayfield Secondary School English teacher Brad Norton escaped having his teaching license revoked in 2004, despite the guilty plea, because Fairfax County Public Schools did not submit the necessary paperwork to the Virginia Department of Education.

The school districts failure to do so prevented Norton from being red-flagged and disqualified from employment as a public school teacher elsewhere, including in Maryland. For more than a decade, Virginia and Maryland have shared databases and records of teacher license revocations, ensuring teachers who have lost licenses because of sexual misconduct are flagged if they cross state lines to find new jobs.

Norton, who avoided prison time in Virginia, found a new teaching job in Baltimore County in 2007 and was arrested in October 2012, accused of sexually assaulting a student at Randallstown High School. Police reports and internal school district memos and letters obtained by the I-Team showed similarities between the two cases. In both, Norton was accused of touching the boys on their stomachs and penises, after asking each boy if they worked out. Both incidents occurred in Nortons classroom, according to the records.

Norton pleaded guilty to the Baltimore County misdemeanor assault in 2013.

Not until weeks after Nortons 2012 arrest in Baltimore County did Fairfax County Public Schools finally send the requisite paperwork to the Virginia Department of Education to revoke Nortons teaching license.

State education department letters and emails obtained by the I-Team under the Freedom of Information Act show the Virginia Department of Education sent Fairfax County Public Schools a letter and handwritten note of reminder in March 9, 2005, alerting the school district that it had not sent in the necessary paperwork to revoke Nortons teaching license. Virginia Department of Education officials told the I-Team it does not have a record of a response from Fairfax County Public Schools to the departments March 9, 2005 letter.

Fairfax County Public Schools declined to answer the I-Team questions about how or why it failed to submit the necessary paperwork for Nortons license revocation promptly after his guilty plea to assault. The school district instead issued a statement saying, Due to legal restrictions, FCPS cannot comment on specific personnel matters. However, the teacher license revocation process for voluntary resignations that was followed by FCPS in 2004 is no longer the process used by FCPS and it is not current practice. In order to ensure teachers' licenses are revoked, even when voluntarily surrendered, FCPS initiates and files with Virginia Department of Education all of the necessary paperwork to revoke a teacher's license in an expedited manner.

The Virginia Board of Education voted to formally revoke Nortons teaching license in 2013. David Foster, who served as board president in 2013, would not detail the deliberations or discussions held in Nortons case, because those discussions occurred during a closed-door executive session of the board.

Foster said the findings of the I-Team indicate a mistake was made by someone to allow Norton to escape the revocation of his license. Something definitely went wrong for this to happen, he said. The whole system is designed to prevent this from happening."

Brad Norton declined to comment when reached by the I-Team. The father of the Maryland victim said the assault incident has had an enormous impact on his family.

In a statement to the I-Team, Baltimore County Public Schools said the criminal background check system used in 2007 for prospective employees did not flag or alert Nortons 2004 criminal case. In the statement, Baltimore County schools said the case is not publicly listed on the Virginia court system website. The school district said the fingerprint-based FBI report it used for new employees would not have included specific details of Nortons 2004 case when it was conducted in 2007.

Baltimore County Public Schools said it has since upgraded its background check system.

Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough and Ashley Brown, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper.
A man and a woman were arrested early Friday after narcotics officers found crack, heroin and other drugs at a home that operated as a licensed daycare center in Pasadena, Maryland.

Anne Arundel County Police searched the home in the 7800 block of Centergate Court at about 5:30 a.m. Friday. They said they took precautions to ensure that the search was done before any children arrived for the day.

Police say they found heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, Oxycodone, Tramadol, Carisoprodol and drug paraphernalia "indicative of distribution."

Detectives seized the following, police said:

7 capsules containing trace amounts of heroin

2 baggies of crack cocaine weighing about 6.83 grams total (approximate street value $700)

20 pills of 15mg Oxycodone (approximate street value $300)

2.53 grams of marijuana (approximate street value $40)

3 pills of 50mg Tramadol (approximate street value of $30)

1 pill of 350mg Carisoprodol (approximate street value $10)

controlled dangerous substance distribution paraphernalia (digital scales, packaging materials)

$710 in cash

Two people who live in the home were arrested.

Bruce Edward Dabrasky Jr., 37, and Elizabeth Ann Ocus, 34, are facing multiple drug possession and intent to distribute charges. They are also each facing three counts of reckless endangerment, and Dabrasky was also charged with one count of evidence tampering.

A representative from the Maryland State Department of Education's Department of Childhood Development was on site for the search, police said.

The Department of Social Services for Anne Arundel County is also investigating.
Five teens have been charged for spray-painting vulgar and racist graffiti on a historic schoolhouse in Ashburn, Virginia, police say.

Three 16-year-old boys from Sterling, one 17-year-old boy from Sterling, and one 16-year-old boy from Ashburn, have been served juvenile petitions, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. They were connected to the crime earlier this month.

The spray-painted messages on the schoolhouse included vulgar images, swastikas and racist phrases such as "White Power."

According to the sheriff's office, the Office of the Loudoun Commonwealths Attorney determined the case did not meet the legal requirements for a hate crime.

Police charged the teens with felony destruction of property and misdemeanor entering property of another for the purpose of damaging it. They have been charged as minors.

The one-room schoolhouse was built in the 19th century to educate African American children. Two weeks after the vandalism, volunteers worked to restore the historic building.
Residents in two Southeast Washington neighborhoods are on high alert after bullets from two separate shooting struck homes, windows and cars.

Someone opened fire along Naylor Road at about 10 p.m. Thursday. The bullets pierced a window, entering an occupied apartment.

A woman and several children were sleeping inside the apartment when the bullets came through the front window.

"She said, 'I was sleep Mr. Trantham. When I woke up, all I saw was dust and smoke coming down from the ceiling.'," said Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Paul Trantham.

No one was injured, but residents say the incident could have ended tragically.

"They didn't shot nothing but this front widow and this side wall, which leads to our hallway. Anybody could've been walking in that hallway," one resident said.

Police are also looking into another shooting that happened around the same time. A number of cars parked at the Stanton Glenn Apartments in Southeast D.C. were shot.

It's not clear whether the two incidents are connected or whether either building was targeted.
A man whose 1987 class ring was stolen finally has it back, thanks to a Fairfax County evidence technician who decided to try to track down its owner.

Greg McCarthy graduated from Bartlesville High School in Oklahoma back in 1987. In 2014, he discovered his class ring and some money were missing from his home in Burke, Virginia.

"We got robbed," McCarthy said on a Skype. "Needless to say, the money was never found. After a day or so, [I realized] my class ring from high school was missing, with the date of 1987, when I graduated 29 years ago."

Then, in March of this year, Fairfax County Police were called to investigate a vehicle break-in in Burke.

An officer found in a glove left behind in the car -- and inside the glove was that 1987 class ring, Fairfax County Police said. The victim of the car break-in had never seen the ring before, which was packaged as evidence.

It wasn't until a few months later that Evidence and Property Technician David Patterson rediscovered the ring and began looking into its ownership, police said.

"I looked on the inside of the ring and there were three initials. The name 'Greg' was on the outside of the ring," Patterson said in a YouTube video posted by Fairfax Police.

He used these clues to call the high school in Oklahoma where the ring was from and learned the identity of the owner: Greg McCarthy, whose parents still lived in the town. McCarthy's parents contacted their son to tell him the ring had been found.

McCarthy, who is a colonel in the Marines Corps and currently stationed in Africa, said he was glad to finally have the ring back in a Skype call with Fairfax Police.

"How anybody traced it back to me, I have no idea, but I'm most grateful," he said.
What to Know Court records show what the two 18-year-olds and two 17-year-olds accused in the murder of Mason Atkins told police.

Atkins was shot and killed in Charles County, Maryland, after he and his friends left a party and clashed with young people in another car.

High school senior Talivah Salahuddin was identified as a suspect after a school resource officer recognized her in surveillance footage.

One of the four young people charged in the death of 18-year-old Mason Atkins in Maryland last month was seen with a gun in the days before the shooting and afterward, a fellow suspect and an unnamed witness told police.

Charging documents obtained by News4 shed new light on the tragedy that is shaking communities in Anne Arundel County, where Atkins lived, and 40 miles to the southwest in Charles County, where the crime occurred and the suspects' families live.

Tyreq Tilghman, 18, had a black handgun "a few days" before Atkins was shot and killed, suspect Kevin Jones, 18, told police.

Tilghman was seen with a black handgun again after the shooting, a witness told police. That witness, who the Charles County Sheriff's Office did not identify, told police they saw Tilghman take a gun from the rear center console of the car that he, Jones and two 17-year-old girls were riding in the night three members of the group admitted to clashing with Atkins, the documents say.

Atkins, a cadet at a volunteer fire department, died Sept. 25 after he was shot along a dirt road in La Plata. He argued with Jones, Tilghman and 17-year-old Talivah Salahuddin after both groups crashed a party and were told to leave, the suspects and two surviving victims told police.

Courtesy of family

Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington declined to comment on whether prosecutors have identified Tilghman as the suspected gunman, or if the murder weapon was recovered.

The prosecutor said anyone responsible for Atkins' death will be held responsible.

"We're going to everything we can, as we do in all these cases, to achieve justice," he said Friday by phone. "We're going to do our part to hold these guys accountable."

Tilghman told police he did not have a gun, charging documents say. No information on his lawyer was available, and on Thursday a family member declined to speak at their home.

All four suspects were charged with murdering Atkins, attempting to murder a second male in the car and assaulting a third male in the car. The teen girls are seniors at St. Charles High School in Waldorf, where the men also live. All four young people are being held without bond.

The charging documents reveal the four suspects' and two surviving victims' accounts to police of what happened the night of the murder.

The trouble began early the morning of Oct. 25 when "words were exchanged between Atkins and the occupants of the suspect vehicle," one surviving victim told police. Atkins was seated in the front passenger seat of a 2003 Chevrolet Yukon, both surviving victims told police.

As the Yukon was stopped on Mona Farm Place in La Plata, a black car passed them, one surviving victim said. Shanya Milstead, the 17-year-old driver of a 2010 Ford Focus, said Jones asked her to pull over and she did, she told police. Charging documents do not provide the account of anyone else on why Milstead stopped the car.

Jessica Glazer/NBC

The surviving victims told police that two young men got out of the car and confronted Atkins, who remained seated in the car. Salahuddin told police she also got out of the Ford Focus to confront the other carful of young people.

One surviving victim told Atkins that the shorter of the two men had "some type of object" in his hand, the documents say.

The taller man hit Atkins several times through the open window, and Atkins sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, both surviving victims told police. The shorter man then raised a handgun and fired "one or two" shots into the car, one surviving victim said.

Jones stands 6-foot-4 and Tilghman stands 5-foot-8, court documents say.

The second surviving victim told police he heard the shots but did not see who fired.

One surviving victim then saw that Atkins had been shot in the neck and was bleeding profusely. He then realized he also had been shot, he told police.

The victims fled and drove 4 miles away, to Popes Creek Road in Newburg, police said. They called 911 and police responded about 1:45 a.m. Atkins was pronounced dead.

Two 18-year-old men and two 17-year-old girls are facing murder charges in connection to a deadly shooting in Charles County. Investigators used surveillance video from a nearby gas station to help track down their suspects. News4s Pat Collins reports in La Plata.

The suspects fled and went to the Exxon gas station at Route 301 and Route 6 in La Plata, police said. A witness told police that at about 1:50 a.m. they saw a black car pull in, a young woman buy two bottles of water and two young men pour the water on their faces. Police said they then found that surveillance footage confirmed the witness's account.

Photographs of the young woman who bought the water were distributed to members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office, police said. A school resource officer identified her as Salahuddin, a student at St. Charles High School.

All four suspects were interviewed by police on Oct. 11, more than two weeks after the crime. They gave police various accounts of the shooting, charging documents say.

Jones admitted being present during the shooting and said only he and Tilghman stood on the passenger side of the car, where Atkins was sitting, the documents say.

Tilghman said a shooting occurred and said Jones was alongside him outside the car, but said he did not have a gun, according to the documents.

Milstead said she saw Jones "motioning as if he is throwing punches," and then heard gunshots, the documents say.

And, according to the documents, Salahuddin said a shooting did not occur.

NBC Washington

One of Milstead's lawyers, Cynthia Goode Works, said she believes that the college-bound honors student will be cleared.

"What happened on September 25, 2016 was a tragedy that resulted in the death of one young man, and physical injury to another. However, Shanya Milstead [was] not involved in the shooting of either of these young men, had nothing to do with the shooting and is completely innocent of all of the charges filed against her," Works said in a statement. "[...] We have confidence in the American judicial system, and expect her full exoneration once all the facts come to light."

Family members of Jones and Milstead declined to speak at their homes on Thursday. Salahuddin's lawyer did not respond to an inquiry, and no one answered the door at her home on Thursday.

Jones' lawyer is questioning the legality of how police identified the 18-year-old, searched him, seized his property and obtained statements from him, a court motion filed by attorney Thomas Mooney says. Mooney did not respond to inquiries.

All four suspects are due in court Wednesday.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police at 301-609-6513. Tips may be made anonymously by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, sending a text message with CHARLES to CRIMES or by visiting www.tipsubmit.com. A reward of as much as $1,000 is offered.

Kelvin Henry contributed reporting.
A Sterling, Virginia, woman has been charged with felony assault after she poured a window cleaning agent into the coffee maker at her job over several weeks, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.

Mayda Rivera-Juarez, 32, was arrested Friday after several of her former coworkers reported the incident.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, several of Rivera-Juarez's coworkers became ill after drinking the tainted coffee.

The sheriff's office did not name the business where Rivera-Juarez's worked, but said it is located in the 45000 block of Ocean Court in Sterling.

Rivera-Juarez is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
Vice President Joe Biden will visit Burlington, Vermont, Friday morning to discuss the White House's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

Biden will speak at the University of Vermont, discussing the effort to accelerate research and to improve the lives of cancer patients.

Friday, Burlington will learn what the University of Vermont and UVM Medical Center are doing for cancer research, precision treatment, and genome mapping.

He will also lead a round-table discussion on cancer and its many impacts on individuals and the community.

Included on the panel for the discussion is the Williston-based Cancer Patient Support Foundation.

The non-profit provides financial assistance, funds counseling services, and acts as a resource to people across Vermont and northern New York through their diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

"It's hard to imagine a family that hasn't been touched by cancer, in some way," said Sarah Lemnah, the executive director of the Cancer Patient Support Foundation. "It's a bad club that most of us belong to. And it would be great if we could find a way to close that loophole so we dont belong to that club anymore."

Lemnah said she plans to discuss with the vice president some of the pressures facing cancer patients in rural America. One example is the challenge and cost of securing transportation to treatment, which could be far away from where patients in rural Vermont live, Lemnah noted.

Cancer is personal for Biden. His son, Beau, died of brain cancer in May of 2015.
Hundreds gathered Thursday to celebrate the life of a beloved Vermont priest and educator.

Rev. Michael Cronogue was a fixture on the campus of St. Michael's College in Colchester for more than 30 years.

Father Cronogue died October 13 at age 68, after suffering a medical emergency in his campus office.

In addition to his long tenure as a professor and college trustee, Cronogue was the former director of campus ministry at St. Michael's College, and a leader of the society of St. Edmund.

Many St. Mike's students encountered Cronogue through the campus organization he founded in 1990, called MOVE  the Mobilization Of Volunteer Efforts.

According to MOVE's website, nearly 70 percent of students participate in the service organization in some way before they graduate. The site notes that figure is the highest participation rate of any campus organization.

Friends, colleagues, students, and alumni attended a funeral Mass for Cronogue Thursday afternoon on the college campus. It was so well-attended, guests were parking in a nearby field, with college staff and Colchester police officers helping direct traffic.

The services were streamed live online, for people who could not attend.

"Theres been over 100,000 Facebook signatures on his bereavement pagehis funeral page," Bishop Christopher Coyne of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington told necn before the service. "That's just the kind of response that you're seeing. As the president of the college said, I didn't realize how many lives he touched until people just started calling me and seeing me and talking about him."

In addition to his work on campus, Cronogue volunteered with causes across Chittenden County, including the Ronald McDonald House of Burlington and working with the homeless through the Committee on Temporary Shelter.

Cronogue was buried in the Merrill Cemetery at St. Michael's College, across the street from campus.
A new poll shows Governor Maggie Hassan has a slight lead over Incumbent Senator Kelly Ayotte.

Ayottes favorability ratings have declined in recent months while Hassans have remained stagnant. With less than three weeks before Election Day, only half of New Hampshire potential voters have decided which candidate will receive their vote.

According to the latest WMUR Granite State poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, only 50% of likely general election voters say they have decided who they are voting for, 15% are leaning towards one candidate, and 35% are still undecided.

The study also reports 46% of voters would vote for Hassan, 38% would vote for Ayotte, 13% are undecided and 3% would vote for someone else.

Although Ayotte has become increasingly popular in recent months, Governor Hassan has maintained favorability during the election cycle. 50% of New Hampshire voters say they have a favorable opinion of Hassan while only 39% view Ayotte favorably.

This years race will likely be the most expensive election in New Hampshire history and could determine who has control of the U.S. Senate.
The man who robbed a bank in Simsbury last Friday may also be the suspect in other robberies in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

On Oct. 14, a bank robbery happened at TD Bank on 714 Hopmeadow St. at 10:19 a.m., police reported.

The robber showed a note demanding money and left on foot after getting some, according to police, who said he made no threats of a weapon.

Simsbury Police said the man appears to be the same suspect at bank robberies in Norwich, Connecticut, Brattleboro, Vermont and Westerly Rhode Island.

The man police are looking for appears to be in his 30s. He is around 5-feet-6 tall, and has a salt and pepper beard.

Police said the TD Bank robbery in Brattleboro happened on Oct. 7.

Simsbury Police ask anyone with information or anyone who recognizes the man in the photos to call them at 860-658-3145.
A 19-year-old is due in court, charged in a shooting that inadvertently hit a 13-year-old sleeping in his home in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Police say the stray bullet went through a third-floor bedroom window, hitting Juan Delgado.

Christian Garcia, of Everett, was picked up by state police in Andover Thursday.

necn caught up Delgado as he returned home from the hospital.

He and his mom said they're not staying in the home because they don't feel safe.

Delgado said he's grateful for the support.

Police said Garcia is one of two suspects who police say opened fire on people in a park, right next to the victim's home.

Police said tips from neighbors helped them make this arrest.
Two New Hampshire men plead not guilty to charges in connection with an explosion at an LGBTQ newspaper box in Salem, Massachusetts.

John Richard and Lawrence Gilman appeared in Salem Superior Court Friday morning. They are charged with malicious damage of over $250 and placing an incendiary device in the newspaper box.

Richard and Gilman are accused of destroying a newspaper box for The Rainbow Times in Downtown Salem in August.

Initially, police were treating the incident as a hate crime because the publication covers the LGBTQ community, but investigators did not find clear evidence that a hate crime had occurred.

Publisher Gricel Ocasio of The Rainbow Times spoke to necn. She said she is disappointed that these crimes were not charged as hate crimes, but they are glad that the two suspects are being held allegedly responsible for what happened.

The suspects were released on their own recognizance. They will be back in court on Dec. 7.
A Maine landlord has been found not guilty of manslaughter in connection with a 2014 fire that killed six people in a building he owned.

If he had been convicted, Gregory Nisbet would have been the first landlord in Maine to be found guilty of manslaughter in an accidental fire.

"We're disappointed, the families are disappointed," said prosecutor Bud Ellis, after the Judge Thomas Warren announced Nisbet was found not guilty of six manslaughter charges.

He was found guilty of one misdemeanor fire code violation, and faces a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"We knew from the beginning it was a difficult case," said Ellis.

It was a difficult decision for the family members of the six victims: David Bragdon, Chris Conlee, Nicole Finlay, Maelisha Jackson, Steven Summers and Ashley Thomas. Some family members cried, others walked out of the courtroom as soon as the judge said "not guilty."

All of the family members declined to be interviewed, but one left the courtroom calling the verdict "ridiculous."

The accidental fire, blamed on improper disposal of smoking materials, started the morning of Nov. 1, 2014 at 20 Noyes Street in Portland, after several of the tenants returned home from a Halloween party.

Prosecutors argued if landlord had made sure there were working smoke alarms and had adequate exits from the building, the tenants could have escaped and survived.

"Based on the evidence, there was a reasonable possibility that they were overcome by carbon monoxide before they could have or would have attempted to exit," said Judge Warren.

While Nisbet's attorney said his client was satisfied with the verdict, he was still saddened.

"Nothing is going to alleviate the tragic nature of this and the pain and sorrow that Greg Nisbet is feeling," said his attorney, Matt Nichols. "That's going to be with him the rest of his life."

Prosecutors said there is at least one good thing to come out of this: landlords and inspectors seem to be taking rental property safety more seriously.

"The fire marshal made clear that the day after this, their phones were rMaine landlord Gregory Nisbet has been found not guilty of manslaughter in connection with a 2014 fire in an apartment house he owned that killed six people.inging off the hook," said Ellis. "Landlords were calling, they wanted inspections. Our hope is that more is done as a result of this, so this kind of tragedy doesnt happen again."

In a statement, Portland City Manager Jon Jennings said the city has taken several steps as a result of the fire: creating the Housing Safety Office, implementing rental housing registration, and increasing inspections.

Nisbet's sentencing date has not yet been set. A wrongful death lawsuit is pending, brought by the families of the victims.
Quiet Waters Christian Retreat in Bungay is holding a gentle day retreat exploring healing in the Kingdom of God.

Quiet Waters Christian Retreat in Bungay is holding a gentle day retreat exploring healing in the Kingdom of God.

Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more

Norfolk ministry coaching duo are guest speakers Former church leaders and now freelance ministry coaches, Jonathan and Paige Squirrell, are the guest speakers at the next dinner of Norwich FGB on Monday, November 21. Read more

Bringing light to Halloween Anna Price encourages Christians to engage positively with Halloween rather than hide away, on what many see as the darkest night of the year. Read more

First service takes place at Norwich church site SOUL Church hosted around 400 people for a special service on the site of their new building on Heartsease Lane. Read more

Dereham draws up list of warm places for winter As rising energy prices make it harder to heat homes, churches in Dereham are leading the way in creating warm spaces where people can go. Read more

South Norfolk church scoops national award A medieval Anglican church in a tiny hamlet in South Norfolk has won a national award and a 10,000 boost. Read more

Dereham churches help people to help themselves A group of churches in Dereham have launched an ambitious project which aims to meet needs in the town, including the provision of food and skills training. Read more

Executive assistant and nursery manager jobs SOUL Church is a vibrant, welcoming and growing church in Norwich. They are seeking an organised and versatile Executive Assistant to provide key support to the churchs Senior Pastors, as well as a qualified Nursery Manager to head up SOUL Nursery. Read more

Halloween light in Gorleston church On Halloween this year, St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston will be preparing to welcome around 200 families to experience their Light on a Dark Night event. Read more

An opportunity for Norwich to pray for the nation Rev Nigel Fox, who has served as a Methodist Minister for 15 years in Norwich, shares an open invitation to pray for the nation at a crucial moment. Read more

Norwich church seeks musicians Kingdom Ambassadors International Church is appealing for instrumentlists, keyboardists and guitarists to be part of their worship experience. Read more

Please keep Rishi in your prayers Andy Bryant urges us to pray for our political leaders, especially the new Prime Minister, and avoid unhelpful judgementalism. Read more

Emilys art boosts growing Yarmouth foodbank A pupil at a primary school in Bradwell has been selling her pictures in order to raise money for the Yarmouth and Magdalen Foodbank, which is expanding its capacity and is seeking more volunteers. Read more

Patrick Regan helps Norwich to bounce forwards On Saturday St Stephens in Norwich hosted Bouncing Forwards as part of a national tour by the mental health charity Kintsugi Hope. Read more

Painting and biblical feasting in Overstrand There will be opportunities to improve your painting skills and indulge in some biblical feasting next month at the Pleasaunce in Overstrand in North Norfolk. Read more

National award for Dereham Christian bookshop The Green Pastures Christian bookshop in Dereham has won a national award for providing boxes of Christian books to 21 local schools. Read more

Norma's care home jigsaw challenge complete A resident at Norwich-based care home Corton House has completed an incredible 70 jigsaw puzzles in celebration of the homes 70th anniversary this year. Read more


TV historian's new book launch on Julian of Norwich TV historian's new book launch on Julian of Norwich

Historian, author and television presenter Dr Janina Ramirez will launch her new book on the life and times of Julian of Norwich at a free event in Norwich Cathedral on November 4.

Medieval art historian and television presenter Dr Janina Ramirez will launch her new book Julian of Norwich: A Very Brief History in the nave of Norwich Cathedral on Friday, November 4 at 7pm-8.30pm.



Dr Janina Ramirez, an Oxford University historian, recently presented the BBC 4 documentary, In Search of the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich broadcast in July which was directed by Norfolk Christian Sally-Anne Lomas.



This new book, published by SPCK Publishing, is a historical introduction to Julian of Norwich, exploring the social, political and religious factors that formed the original context of her life and writings, and considers how those factors affected the way she was initially received. It asks what was her impact on the world at the time and what were the key ideas and values connected with her?



At the launch Janina will be discussing what we know about Julian of Norwich, and why she believes the Mother of English literature deserves to be seen as the female Chaucer or the female Thomas More.



Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, about the 14th century mystic Julian, Dr Ramirez said: She is a remarkable mind and her voice is just so distinctive and so unlike anything else that went before or came after.



She continued: I dont know of anything better thats been written to help us through difficult times. We need people to tell us that all shall be well. She was not fully of her time, she is not fully of ours; her words resonate across the centuries to all people.



Dr Ramirez said: I know the people of Norwich hold Julian close to their hearts, and they are right to do so. She is your local saint, and not just a saint but a scholar and a genius. Talk about her, read about her, spread her name to everyone you can.



The book launch at Norwich Cathedral is an open event and free to attend with copies of the book available at a discount on the night to buy and to have signed.



Quoted extracts have been taken from an interview of Dr Janina Ramirez by Rowan Martell for the EDP published on Tuesday, October 18.




Karan Pillai By

Tracking city-based businessmen across the globe, who are collaborating with bigwigs and picking up accolades.

STARTING from automobile company Ashok Leyland (they launched Indias first indigenous electric bus earlier this week) to FMCG conglomerate CavinKare, with presence in over 20 countries, Chennai-based enterprises have been making impactful forays into foreign lands for a while now. More recently, weve been noticing startups setting up offices abroad, picking up awards along the way (think Freshdesk). In fact, one such player, Zoho Corporation, after setting up an office in California, saw their client base increase so much that they are now investing a fortune in an upcoming data centre in the country. We speak with four entrepreneurs who are making an impact on foreign shores and inspiring others.

Vijay Karunakaran

Fourteen years at Intel taught Vijay Karunakaran a thing or two about man-management. This came in handy when he started InGage in 2013, developing gaming software, and augmented and virtual reality services. He now has offices in the US and Singapore, and launched his first one in Dubai two weeks ago. The laurels that came his way (his sister app development platform, Buzztm, recently featured in NASSCOMs list of the top 12 startups this year) barely reveal the challenges that he faced when setting up shop outside the country. Language barriers, cultural differences and long distance management are all major obstacles that crop up when you have businesses abroad, he says. Despite that, he has managed to get 100 customers in the last two months. We are not surprised. After all, he is the man who developed Karbonn Kochadaiiyaan, the 4D augmented reality app themed on Rajnikanth. Details: myingage.com

V Ramakrishnamoorthy

Backed by clients like Google and Microsoft, Impiger Technologies has developed over 500 apps so far, including their latest ones for US-based restaurant chains like Applebees and IHOP, and Chennai-based companies like Fenner India and Rane Group. Owner V Ramakrishnamoorthywho started overseas operations in Dallas, USA, in 2005, and has since employed over 300 people across the globe (of which 280 are in Chennai and Coimbatore)believes that the differences between domestic and international deals lie in factors like pricing. His company currently gets 25 per cent of its revenue from Google. That said, they are going to collaborate with the Landmark Group in Dubai, along with the citys law department (offering an automated mobile interface for lawyers to check documents on the go). Details: impigertech.com

Umesh Sachdev

It may have taken nine long years, but when Umesh Sachdev was selected as one among the Top 10 Millennials Changing the World by the Time magazine this June, the world sat up and took notice. His app, Uniphore, excels in developing speech recognition software and allows users to interact with their digital devices in their native languages. Launched in 2007, it now has over 70 enterprise clients and four million users, and features in the list of companies ranked by Deloitte Technology Fast 500. With this background (plus six patents to boot), Sachdev started his international expansion in 2014. Before heading to bigger markets like Europe and USA, we chose Philippines, Singapore and Dubai. Once we tested our potential there, we decided to tie-up with partners in the US, he says. He believes that Chennai has a good product talent pool. Hence we have set up our product office here and services offices in Bengaluru, he shares, adding that they will be focussing on the US and Asian markets for the next two-three years.

Details: uniphore.com

Sid Vishwanathan

Many of you may remember CardMunch, the app that created digital versions of business cards. It was acquired by LinkedIn in 2011, only to be shut down later after the social network moved on to Evernote. Its founder, Sid Vishwanathan currently owns Sweetness Technologies, an app that allows users in San Francisco to send personalised gifts to their loved ones, along with video greeting cards. Looking back, he says, I spent almost four years at LinkedIn working on CardMunch. But as an entrepreneur, the itch to start something new never goes away and I decided to go back to the drawing board, he shares, lamenting that talented entrepreneurs from India have a tough time setting up businesses as non-resident founders in Silicon Valley. Over a five-year period, we processed nearly 100 million business cards, thanks to my workers, the majority of whom are from Chennai, he adds. He advises young entrepreneurs to find solutions to domestic problems before thinking of going international. Details: sweetnessapp.com

Tracking city-based businessmen across the globe, who are collaborating with bigwigs and picking up accolades. STARTING from automobile company Ashok Leyland (they launched Indias first indigenous electric bus earlier this week) to FMCG conglomerate CavinKare, with presence in over 20 countries, Chennai-based enterprises have been making impactful forays into foreign lands for a while now. More recently, weve been noticing startups setting up offices abroad, picking up awards along the way (think Freshdesk). In fact, one such player, Zoho Corporation, after setting up an office in California, saw their client base increase so much that they are now investing a fortune in an upcoming data centre in the country. We speak with four entrepreneurs who are making an impact on foreign shores and inspiring others. Vijay Karunakaran Fourteen years at Intel taught Vijay Karunakaran a thing or two about man-management. This came in handy when he started InGage in 2013, developing gaming software, and augmented and virtual reality services. He now has offices in the US and Singapore, and launched his first one in Dubai two weeks ago. The laurels that came his way (his sister app development platform, Buzztm, recently featured in NASSCOMs list of the top 12 startups this year) barely reveal the challenges that he faced when setting up shop outside the country. Language barriers, cultural differences and long distance management are all major obstacles that crop up when you have businesses abroad, he says. Despite that, he has managed to get 100 customers in the last two months. We are not surprised. After all, he is the man who developed Karbonn Kochadaiiyaan, the 4D augmented reality app themed on Rajnikanth. Details: myingage.com V Ramakrishnamoorthy Backed by clients like Google and Microsoft, Impiger Technologies has developed over 500 apps so far, including their latest ones for US-based restaurant chains like Applebees and IHOP, and Chennai-based companies like Fenner India and Rane Group. Owner V Ramakrishnamoorthywho started overseas operations in Dallas, USA, in 2005, and has since employed over 300 people across the globe (of which 280 are in Chennai and Coimbatore)believes that the differences between domestic and international deals lie in factors like pricing. His company currently gets 25 per cent of its revenue from Google. That said, they are going to collaborate with the Landmark Group in Dubai, along with the citys law department (offering an automated mobile interface for lawyers to check documents on the go). Details: impigertech.com Umesh Sachdev It may have taken nine long years, but when Umesh Sachdev was selected as one among the Top 10 Millennials Changing the World by the Time magazine this June, the world sat up and took notice. His app, Uniphore, excels in developing speech recognition software and allows users to interact with their digital devices in their native languages. Launched in 2007, it now has over 70 enterprise clients and four million users, and features in the list of companies ranked by Deloitte Technology Fast 500. With this background (plus six patents to boot), Sachdev started his international expansion in 2014. Before heading to bigger markets like Europe and USA, we chose Philippines, Singapore and Dubai. Once we tested our potential there, we decided to tie-up with partners in the US, he says. He believes that Chennai has a good product talent pool. Hence we have set up our product office here and services offices in Bengaluru, he shares, adding that they will be focussing on the US and Asian markets for the next two-three years. Details: uniphore.com Sid Vishwanathan Many of you may remember CardMunch, the app that created digital versions of business cards. It was acquired by LinkedIn in 2011, only to be shut down later after the social network moved on to Evernote. Its founder, Sid Vishwanathan currently owns Sweetness Technologies, an app that allows users in San Francisco to send personalised gifts to their loved ones, along with video greeting cards. Looking back, he says, I spent almost four years at LinkedIn working on CardMunch. But as an entrepreneur, the itch to start something new never goes away and I decided to go back to the drawing board, he shares, lamenting that talented entrepreneurs from India have a tough time setting up businesses as non-resident founders in Silicon Valley. Over a five-year period, we processed nearly 100 million business cards, thanks to my workers, the majority of whom are from Chennai, he adds. He advises young entrepreneurs to find solutions to domestic problems before thinking of going international. Details: sweetnessapp.com
By PTI

NEW DELHI: An increased investment in irrigation is essential to double farm income and NABARD has a big role to play by disbursing funds and helping farmers increase productivity, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

He said NABARD has envisaged providing Rs 80,000 crore for irrigation funding of which about Rs 19,700 crore will come in the current fiscal.

"Investment in agriculture is necessary both for social and economic reasons. If we have to double farm income then we have to increase agriculture output and for that irrigation is a necessity as we cannot depend on monsoon alone," Jaitley said.

Of the Rs 19,700 crore to be given by NABARD in the current fiscal, Rs 1,500 crore was today disbursed to National Water Development Agency which is under the administrative control of Ministry of Water Resources. Jaitley said he expects the money to be utilised on a fast track basis to achieve the target of doubling farm incomes by 2022.

"Historically, states in which agriculture sector output has grown 8 per cent annually, the respective governments are re-elected.

So it is a necessity that agriculture output is increased," he said. In his 2016-17 Budget, Jaitley had said that a dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs 20,000 crore.

As per the government, implementation of 89 irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) has been languishing. Fast tracking it will help irrigate 80.6 lakh hectares.

These projects require Rs 86,500 crore over five years. "We will ensure that 23 of these projects are completed before March 31, 2017," Jaitley had said in Budget speech. Speaking on the occasion, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said this is the first time that NABARD is releasing funds for funding irrigation. "We have to ensure that farmers have access to water to boost agriculture," Bharti said, adding that the languishing projects are expected to be completed by December 2018.

NEW DELHI: An increased investment in irrigation is essential to double farm income and NABARD has a big role to play by disbursing funds and helping farmers increase productivity, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. He said NABARD has envisaged providing Rs 80,000 crore for irrigation funding of which about Rs 19,700 crore will come in the current fiscal. "Investment in agriculture is necessary both for social and economic reasons. If we have to double farm income then we have to increase agriculture output and for that irrigation is a necessity as we cannot depend on monsoon alone," Jaitley said. Of the Rs 19,700 crore to be given by NABARD in the current fiscal, Rs 1,500 crore was today disbursed to National Water Development Agency which is under the administrative control of Ministry of Water Resources. Jaitley said he expects the money to be utilised on a fast track basis to achieve the target of doubling farm incomes by 2022. "Historically, states in which agriculture sector output has grown 8 per cent annually, the respective governments are re-elected. So it is a necessity that agriculture output is increased," he said. In his 2016-17 Budget, Jaitley had said that a dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs 20,000 crore. As per the government, implementation of 89 irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) has been languishing. Fast tracking it will help irrigate 80.6 lakh hectares. These projects require Rs 86,500 crore over five years. "We will ensure that 23 of these projects are completed before March 31, 2017," Jaitley had said in Budget speech. Speaking on the occasion, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said this is the first time that NABARD is releasing funds for funding irrigation. "We have to ensure that farmers have access to water to boost agriculture," Bharti said, adding that the languishing projects are expected to be completed by December 2018.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The office of a private finance firm, located at Mariappanapalya was targeted for the second time. On Friday, a gang of unidentified men made away with gold worth over Rs 90 lakh. According to a complaint filed at Kumbalgod police station, the robbers dressed as police officials entered the Muthoot Mini Finance office at around 7.30 pm on Thursday night.

After all the employees had left office, they handcuffed the manager and took him to Machohalli near Nelamangala. There, he was assaulted by the accused who demanded that he disclose some sensitive information of the branch. On Friday early morning, they brought him back to the office and made away with the gold. There was footage of the incident, as the finance firm's office did not have CCTV or other security arrangements.

Second incident: This is second incident reported at the same office. On August 14, 2012, the manager of Muthoot Mini Finance Pvt Limited was shot from a pistol in a robbery bid around afternoon. N Sudhakar (58), the manager had survived with bullet injuries. Three robbers identified as Rahul, Aravind Jain and Amjad Khan were accused of the incident. However, the accused are still at large.

BENGALURU: The office of a private finance firm, located at Mariappanapalya was targeted for the second time. On Friday, a gang of unidentified men made away with gold worth over Rs 90 lakh. According to a complaint filed at Kumbalgod police station, the robbers dressed as police officials entered the Muthoot Mini Finance office at around 7.30 pm on Thursday night. After all the employees had left office, they handcuffed the manager and took him to Machohalli near Nelamangala. There, he was assaulted by the accused who demanded that he disclose some sensitive information of the branch. On Friday early morning, they brought him back to the office and made away with the gold. There was footage of the incident, as the finance firm's office did not have CCTV or other security arrangements. Second incident: This is second incident reported at the same office. On August 14, 2012, the manager of Muthoot Mini Finance Pvt Limited was shot from a pistol in a robbery bid around afternoon. N Sudhakar (58), the manager had survived with bullet injuries. Three robbers identified as Rahul, Aravind Jain and Amjad Khan were accused of the incident. However, the accused are still at large.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Activist litigant 'Traffic' KR Ramaswamy, whose crusades against political banners in public places have got him a court-appointed armed police personnel for security, was booked for allegedly spreading rumours about the health of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The Central Crime Branch of the Chennai City Police registered two FIRs against Ramaswamy following two complaints that he had posted a video message on social networking sites on Jayas health, which soon went viral.

With this, there are as many as 55 cases have been registered for allegedly spreading rumours about the health of the chief minister, who has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chennai since September 22.

The cases were booked after Kishore K Swami, who identifies himself as an AIADMK supporter, and another person, Vijayraj, complained to the police last week. Ramaswamy has been booked under IPC sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot- if rioting be committed- if not committed), 503 (Criminal intimidation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

There have been several arrests including cadres and sympathisers of rival parties, and even others including two bank officials who were held after an AIADMK woman cadre involved in a self-help group, also a customer of the bank, complained that she overheard the officers talking ill about the chief minister  among themselves.

This has led to protests from opposition leaders including DMK seniors, who charged the police of targeting rivals of the ruling party. Two DMK cadre even moved the Madras High Court, alleging that the State police was coercing them into deleting their social media account.

CHENNAI: Activist litigant 'Traffic' KR Ramaswamy, whose crusades against political banners in public places have got him a court-appointed armed police personnel for security, was booked for allegedly spreading rumours about the health of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The Central Crime Branch of the Chennai City Police registered two FIRs against Ramaswamy following two complaints that he had posted a video message on social networking sites on Jayas health, which soon went viral. With this, there are as many as 55 cases have been registered for allegedly spreading rumours about the health of the chief minister, who has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chennai since September 22. The cases were booked after Kishore K Swami, who identifies himself as an AIADMK supporter, and another person, Vijayraj, complained to the police last week. Ramaswamy has been booked under IPC sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot- if rioting be committed- if not committed), 503 (Criminal intimidation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief). There have been several arrests including cadres and sympathisers of rival parties, and even others including two bank officials who were held after an AIADMK woman cadre involved in a self-help group, also a customer of the bank, complained that she overheard the officers talking ill about the chief minister  among themselves. This has led to protests from opposition leaders including DMK seniors, who charged the police of targeting rivals of the ruling party. Two DMK cadre even moved the Madras High Court, alleging that the State police was coercing them into deleting their social media account.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: More skeletons emerged from the closet as East Medinipur police along with Kolkata Police arrested three more persons in connection with the human sacrifice that took place in a village in the southern district of the state on October 14.

The beheaded woman was identified as 31-year-old Parvati Sarkar by her husband Sanjiv Sarkar and mother Bani Sardar in Midnapore morgue on Thursday. She was said to know murderer Rampada Manna very well. Those arrested by the police and taken to Tamluk are also relatives of deceased Parvati. Interrogations revealed that Rampada was a barber in the locality in Kolkata where Parvati used to live with her husband and two teenaged children.

Parvati often used to seek religious assistance after which she started building trust on him, sources said. Earlier claims of Ramapad of meeting the victim in Mecheda station was all made up, a police source told Express. Meanwhile, police is looking into the adultery angle behind the human sacrifice murder.

KOLKATA: More skeletons emerged from the closet as East Medinipur police along with Kolkata Police arrested three more persons in connection with the human sacrifice that took place in a village in the southern district of the state on October 14. The beheaded woman was identified as 31-year-old Parvati Sarkar by her husband Sanjiv Sarkar and mother Bani Sardar in Midnapore morgue on Thursday. She was said to know murderer Rampada Manna very well. Those arrested by the police and taken to Tamluk are also relatives of deceased Parvati. Interrogations revealed that Rampada was a barber in the locality in Kolkata where Parvati used to live with her husband and two teenaged children. Parvati often used to seek religious assistance after which she started building trust on him, sources said. Earlier claims of Ramapad of meeting the victim in Mecheda station was all made up, a police source told Express. Meanwhile, police is looking into the adultery angle behind the human sacrifice murder.
By Online Desk

Reacting to Pierce Brosnon's apology for endorsing Pan Bahaar paan masala, Piyush Pandey executive chairman and creative director of Ogilvy & Mather (India and South Asia) said on Friday that his apology seems half hearted and sounds like a bit of a lame excuse for not knowing what it was.

While talking to a national newspaper, Pandey added, I hear that he has offered an apology to his fans but there is no threat to take the company to court to sue them or anything. So I dont how serious he is about this. Only time can tell.

Pierce Brosnan, the 007 face, in an interview with an international media house on Thursday, broke his silence on the controversy around him endorsing an Indian product called Pan Bahar Paan Masala.

In a statement, displaying his utter disappointment towards the portrayal of his image, Brosnan said, As a man who has spent decades championing womens healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahars unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala product. I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to ones health.

Although the poster of the advertisement says that the product is "Nicotine and Tobacco free", the question arises whether Brosnan was accurately communicated about the ingredients of the product.

According to the same media report, Brosnans contract says he was to advertise a breath freshener/tooth whitener, which would not include an ingredient that turns saliva red.

He had also agreed to advertise a single product only, and that it was presented as all natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient."

Then what does Pan Masala exactly contain?

By definition, Pan Masala is supposedly a mixture of betel leaf with lime (Gutkha), areca nut (Supari), clove, cardamom, mint, tobacco, and certain herbs.

Pan chewing is a tradition which dates back to thousands of years and is consumed by an estimated 200-400 million people, mainly Indo Asians and Chinese. In fact, India is the largest consumer of betel nut in the world.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) accept the scientific evidence that chewing betel quids and areca nut is carcinogenic to humans. The main carcinogenic factor is believed to be areca nut. A recent study also found that areca nut paan, with and without tobacco increased oral cancer risk by 9.9 and 8.4 times, respectively.

Not just this, back in 2012, a ban order by Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration highlights the risk posed by magnesium carbonate (locally known as chunna) present in pan masala, which leads to hyper magnesia, and sometimes even cardiac arrest.

Even pan masala brands marketed as 100% tobacco free contain high levels of nicotine and other chemical additives, as revealed by a study commissioned by the Ministry of Health.

So under such circumstances, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has clearly stated, While products like Pan Masala and Supari are not banned for sale or from advertising by law, the ASCI code does not permit the use of celebrities in advertisements of products which by law require health warning on its pack or cannot be purchased or used by minors."

All Akhil Jain, CEO , Ashok & Co Pan Bahar Ltd in a report had to say was: Pan Bahar is a premium brand and a master blend, and needed a face that supports this positioning. Brosnan is an epitome of style, maturity and sophistication.

Did Pan Bahar manipulate Brosnan's contract?

Brosnan, who was the ultimate target by social media that gave mixed responses to his support for the Indian product, added that Pan Bahar had grossly manipulated advertorials with media houses to falsely present him as a brand ambassador for their line of products, which he writes is in violation of my contract".

Brosnan has already initiated action to take down his image from all the endorsement by Pan Bahar. Meanwhile, the actor has also put out his apologies to all those he may have offended through this incident...

Reacting to Pierce Brosnon's apology for endorsing Pan Bahaar paan masala, Piyush Pandey executive chairman and creative director of Ogilvy & Mather (India and South Asia) said on Friday that his apology seems half hearted and sounds like a bit of a lame excuse for not knowing what it was. While talking to a national newspaper, Pandey added, I hear that he has offered an apology to his fans but there is no threat to take the company to court to sue them or anything. So I dont how serious he is about this. Only time can tell. Pierce Brosnan, the 007 face, in an interview with an international media house on Thursday, broke his silence on the controversy around him endorsing an Indian product called Pan Bahar Paan Masala. In a statement, displaying his utter disappointment towards the portrayal of his image, Brosnan said, As a man who has spent decades championing womens healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahars unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala product. I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to ones health. Although the poster of the advertisement says that the product is "Nicotine and Tobacco free", the question arises whether Brosnan was accurately communicated about the ingredients of the product. According to the same media report, Brosnans contract says he was to advertise a breath freshener/tooth whitener, which would not include an ingredient that turns saliva red. He had also agreed to advertise a single product only, and that it was presented as all natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient." Then what does Pan Masala exactly contain? By definition, Pan Masala is supposedly a mixture of betel leaf with lime (Gutkha), areca nut (Supari), clove, cardamom, mint, tobacco, and certain herbs. Pan chewing is a tradition which dates back to thousands of years and is consumed by an estimated 200-400 million people, mainly Indo Asians and Chinese. In fact, India is the largest consumer of betel nut in the world. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) accept the scientific evidence that chewing betel quids and areca nut is carcinogenic to humans. The main carcinogenic factor is believed to be areca nut. A recent study also found that areca nut paan, with and without tobacco increased oral cancer risk by 9.9 and 8.4 times, respectively. Not just this, back in 2012, a ban order by Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration highlights the risk posed by magnesium carbonate (locally known as chunna) present in pan masala, which leads to hyper magnesia, and sometimes even cardiac arrest. Even pan masala brands marketed as 100% tobacco free contain high levels of nicotine and other chemical additives, as revealed by a study commissioned by the Ministry of Health. So under such circumstances, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has clearly stated, While products like Pan Masala and Supari are not banned for sale or from advertising by law, the ASCI code does not permit the use of celebrities in advertisements of products which by law require health warning on its pack or cannot be purchased or used by minors." All Akhil Jain, CEO , Ashok & Co Pan Bahar Ltd in a report had to say was: Pan Bahar is a premium brand and a master blend, and needed a face that supports this positioning. Brosnan is an epitome of style, maturity and sophistication. Did Pan Bahar manipulate Brosnan's contract? Brosnan, who was the ultimate target by social media that gave mixed responses to his support for the Indian product, added that Pan Bahar had grossly manipulated advertorials with media houses to falsely present him as a brand ambassador for their line of products, which he writes is in violation of my contract". Brosnan has already initiated action to take down his image from all the endorsement by Pan Bahar. Meanwhile, the actor has also put out his apologies to all those he may have offended through this incident...
By PTI

The 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival opened at iconic Royal Opera House here today, where 175 films from 54 countries will be screened.



On the occasion, veteran director-writer Sai Paranjpye, known for helming popular films like "Sparsh" and "Chashme Buddoor", was feted with Indian Excellence in Cinema Award.



The 78-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee was recognised for her valuable contribution to Indian cinema. Besides films, Paranjpye has written and directed many Marathi plays like "Jaswandi", "Sakkhe Shejari" and "Albel".



She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2006 in recognition of her artistic talents.



"When people give lifetime achievement awards, may be it is a subtle hint to say you have done enough. I feel privileged to receive the award from Jaya Bachchan in this magnificent phoenix theatre," Paranjpye said.



Actress Jacqueline Fernandez hosted the event at the iconic Royal Opera House, which reopened after eight years of restoration.



Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, credited with movies likes "Still Life" and "The World", became the recipient of the International Excellence in Cinema Award at the Festival.



He received the award at the hands of actor Aamir Khan.



"It is my first time in Mumbai and in India. I am thrilled to be here. When I was very young, I saw 'Awara' and the film had a very deep impression. I have myself become 'awara' in the movie industry. I hope I continue being that," Jia said.



Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza, Jackie Shroff, Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap, Imran Khan, Zoya Akhtar and Kunal Kapoor were present at the opening night.



The film festival will screen 175 films, including features, documentaries and short films from 54 countries.



Actress Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut "A Death in the Gunj" will be the opening film, to be screened tomorrow.



American drama film "Manchester by the Sea", directed by Kenneth Lonergan, will close the fest.



Turkey has been selected as the country in focus.



While cine lovers will miss the critically-acclaimed Pakistani film "Jaago Hua Savera", which was dropped from the line-up owing to protest threat, the festival has made space for interesting movies like "Azaad", "Trapped", "An Insignificant Man" and Priyanka Chopra's maiden Marathi production "Ventilator".

While "Azaad" is a short film, which has been presented



by acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, "An Insignificant Man" is a political thriller, chronicling the journey of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from a social activist to a controversial politician. It was earlier screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.



"Trapped", directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and starring Rajkummar Rao, is about the survival story of a man who gets stuck in an empty high rise without food, water or electricity.



The film will be screened as part of the new section 'Spotlight' to celebrate the diversity of the Indian cinema.



'Spotlight' is a segment of films that recognises Indian cinema's historical trajectories, celebrates its creative impulses and explores its futures.



The upcoming Marathi film "Ventilator" is directed by "Ferrai ki Sawari" helmer Rajesh Mapuskar. The film revolves around an ailing senior member of a family, who is being put on the ventilator just days before the popular Ganpati festival, leading to varied degrees of speculation and panic amongst the large coastal clan he belongs to.



The film will be screened under the section 'Marathi Talkies'. This segment has been launched to celebrate the Marathi cinema.



Other films to be showcased this year at Marathi Talkies are "Vakratunda Mahakaya", "Bioscope" and "Rajwade and Sons".



American filmmaker Cary Fukunaga will attend the festival and conduct a special masterclasson October 25at a suburban multiplex in Andheri. It will be the "True Detective" helmer's maiden visit to India.



The cast and crew of superhit film "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander" will reunite at the festival's 'Movie Mela' and share their experiences and memories on the making of the 1992 cult youth-based film.



The cast will be part of a panel which will include superstar Aamir Khan, Mamik Singh, Deepak Tijori, Deven Bhojani, Aditya Lakhia, Kiran Zaveri and Pooja Bedi along with Director Mansoor Khan and choreographer Farah Khan.



The 'Movie Mela' will be a two-day event to be held at Rangmandir in suburban Bandra.

The venue will be transformed into a movie carnival with



figurines of famous movie characters, merchandising and conversations with celebrities throughout the festival.



Also, a book on veteran filmmaker Nasir Hussain, known for helming hits like "Teesri Manzil", "Tumsa Nahin Dekha" and "Yaadon Ki Baarat", will be launched at the festivalon October 22.



The book titled "Music, Masti, Modernity the Cinema of Nasir Husain" is written by Akshay Manwani.



The launch will be followed by a panel discussion about 'Hussain's cinema' and how it has shaped generations of directors.



The panel will include Hussain's nephew and actor Aamir Khan, director Mansoor, writer Manwani and producer Nuzhat Khan.



The festival is open from October 20 to 27.

The 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival opened at iconic Royal Opera House here today, where 175 films from 54 countries will be screened. On the occasion, veteran director-writer Sai Paranjpye, known for helming popular films like "Sparsh" and "Chashme Buddoor", was feted with Indian Excellence in Cinema Award. The 78-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee was recognised for her valuable contribution to Indian cinema. Besides films, Paranjpye has written and directed many Marathi plays like "Jaswandi", "Sakkhe Shejari" and "Albel". She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2006 in recognition of her artistic talents. "When people give lifetime achievement awards, may be it is a subtle hint to say you have done enough. I feel privileged to receive the award from Jaya Bachchan in this magnificent phoenix theatre," Paranjpye said. Actress Jacqueline Fernandez hosted the event at the iconic Royal Opera House, which reopened after eight years of restoration. Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, credited with movies likes "Still Life" and "The World", became the recipient of the International Excellence in Cinema Award at the Festival. He received the award at the hands of actor Aamir Khan. "It is my first time in Mumbai and in India. I am thrilled to be here. When I was very young, I saw 'Awara' and the film had a very deep impression. I have myself become 'awara' in the movie industry. I hope I continue being that," Jia said. Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza, Jackie Shroff, Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap, Imran Khan, Zoya Akhtar and Kunal Kapoor were present at the opening night. The film festival will screen 175 films, including features, documentaries and short films from 54 countries. Actress Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut "A Death in the Gunj" will be the opening film, to be screened tomorrow. American drama film "Manchester by the Sea", directed by Kenneth Lonergan, will close the fest. Turkey has been selected as the country in focus. While cine lovers will miss the critically-acclaimed Pakistani film "Jaago Hua Savera", which was dropped from the line-up owing to protest threat, the festival has made space for interesting movies like "Azaad", "Trapped", "An Insignificant Man" and Priyanka Chopra's maiden Marathi production "Ventilator". While "Azaad" is a short film, which has been presented by acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, "An Insignificant Man" is a political thriller, chronicling the journey of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from a social activist to a controversial politician. It was earlier screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. "Trapped", directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and starring Rajkummar Rao, is about the survival story of a man who gets stuck in an empty high rise without food, water or electricity. The film will be screened as part of the new section 'Spotlight' to celebrate the diversity of the Indian cinema. 'Spotlight' is a segment of films that recognises Indian cinema's historical trajectories, celebrates its creative impulses and explores its futures. The upcoming Marathi film "Ventilator" is directed by "Ferrai ki Sawari" helmer Rajesh Mapuskar. The film revolves around an ailing senior member of a family, who is being put on the ventilator just days before the popular Ganpati festival, leading to varied degrees of speculation and panic amongst the large coastal clan he belongs to. The film will be screened under the section 'Marathi Talkies'. This segment has been launched to celebrate the Marathi cinema. Other films to be showcased this year at Marathi Talkies are "Vakratunda Mahakaya", "Bioscope" and "Rajwade and Sons". American filmmaker Cary Fukunaga will attend the festival and conduct a special masterclasson October 25at a suburban multiplex in Andheri. It will be the "True Detective" helmer's maiden visit to India. The cast and crew of superhit film "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander" will reunite at the festival's 'Movie Mela' and share their experiences and memories on the making of the 1992 cult youth-based film. The cast will be part of a panel which will include superstar Aamir Khan, Mamik Singh, Deepak Tijori, Deven Bhojani, Aditya Lakhia, Kiran Zaveri and Pooja Bedi along with Director Mansoor Khan and choreographer Farah Khan. The 'Movie Mela' will be a two-day event to be held at Rangmandir in suburban Bandra. The venue will be transformed into a movie carnival with figurines of famous movie characters, merchandising and conversations with celebrities throughout the festival. Also, a book on veteran filmmaker Nasir Hussain, known for helming hits like "Teesri Manzil", "Tumsa Nahin Dekha" and "Yaadon Ki Baarat", will be launched at the festivalon October 22. The book titled "Music, Masti, Modernity the Cinema of Nasir Husain" is written by Akshay Manwani. The launch will be followed by a panel discussion about 'Hussain's cinema' and how it has shaped generations of directors. The panel will include Hussain's nephew and actor Aamir Khan, director Mansoor, writer Manwani and producer Nuzhat Khan. The festival is open from October 20 to 27.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Director Ayan Mukherjee has said that his close friend Actor Ranbir Kapoor is worried about the controversy surrounding the release of his upcoming romantic drama "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".



Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, the movie has drawn ire of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which has threatened to stall its release in theatres, slated during Diwali on October 28.



"Ranbir is tensed, everyone is worried about how things are unfolding. He is hoping for the best," Ayan told reporters here at the opening of 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival.



Actress Richa Chaddha also voiced her support for the Karan Johar-directed film.



"If one film could finish terrorism, we could have banned many other films earlier," she said at the event.



Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.



"Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been in the eye of controversy since the Uri attack last month, following which various sectors have been demanding a ban on Pakistani artistes from working in India.



Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka.

MUMBAI: Director Ayan Mukherjee has said that his close friend Actor Ranbir Kapoor is worried about the controversy surrounding the release of his upcoming romantic drama "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, the movie has drawn ire of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which has threatened to stall its release in theatres, slated during Diwali on October 28. "Ranbir is tensed, everyone is worried about how things are unfolding. He is hoping for the best," Ayan told reporters here at the opening of 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival. Actress Richa Chaddha also voiced her support for the Karan Johar-directed film. "If one film could finish terrorism, we could have banned many other films earlier," she said at the event. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been in the eye of controversy since the Uri attack last month, following which various sectors have been demanding a ban on Pakistani artistes from working in India. Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Dasanglu, the youngest of former Chief Minister Kalikho Puls three wives, is likely to be fielded by Arunachals ruling alliance partners-the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) and the BJP  as their joint candidate in the November 19 bypoll.

Kalikho Puls wife Dasanglu

We (PPA) have decided that one of Puls three wives should be the joint candidate of the PPA and BJP. We will soon sit together with them (BJP) and take a call, PPA chairman Kamen Ringu told Express.

As regards the choice of candidate, we have left it to Puls three wives. They have to decide who among them will contest and under the banner of which party, he said.

But Dasanglu claimed that both the PPA and BJP knew she would contest the polls. They know I am the one who will contest the polls. I have already started the groundwork, she told Express.

The BJP confirmed it would be a joint candidate. It will be a joint candidate since the BJP and PPA are in the alliance. The chief minister is away in Tawang. Let him return. We will discuss it and decide, said State BJP president Tapir Gao.

The Congress has not taken any decision yet on whether to contest the polls, the partys state unit chief Padi Richo said.

The bypoll for the Hayuliang Assembly seat was necessitated after Pul was found hanging at his official residence in Itanagar on August 9. A forensic report, submitted last week, confirmed the initial suspicion that he committed suicide.

Dasanglu said her family would soon collect a copy of the report from the police.

GUWAHATI: Dasanglu, the youngest of former Chief Minister Kalikho Puls three wives, is likely to be fielded by Arunachals ruling alliance partners-the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) and the BJP  as their joint candidate in the November 19 bypoll. Kalikho Puls wife DasangluWe (PPA) have decided that one of Puls three wives should be the joint candidate of the PPA and BJP. We will soon sit together with them (BJP) and take a call, PPA chairman Kamen Ringu told Express. As regards the choice of candidate, we have left it to Puls three wives. They have to decide who among them will contest and under the banner of which party, he said. But Dasanglu claimed that both the PPA and BJP knew she would contest the polls. They know I am the one who will contest the polls. I have already started the groundwork, she told Express. The BJP confirmed it would be a joint candidate. It will be a joint candidate since the BJP and PPA are in the alliance. The chief minister is away in Tawang. Let him return. We will discuss it and decide, said State BJP president Tapir Gao. The Congress has not taken any decision yet on whether to contest the polls, the partys state unit chief Padi Richo said. The bypoll for the Hayuliang Assembly seat was necessitated after Pul was found hanging at his official residence in Itanagar on August 9. A forensic report, submitted last week, confirmed the initial suspicion that he committed suicide. Dasanglu said her family would soon collect a copy of the report from the police.
By PTI

PUNE: Amid a raging debate over the issue of triple talaq, an 18-year-old Muslim woman, who was recently divorced as per the Islamic tradition, has refused to accept the talaq and decided to take up the cudgels against the "abhorrent practice".

Arshiya Bagwan alleged that soon after her marriage two years ago, her in-laws started torturing her. She was sent back to her parents' house in Baramati town near Pune, where she received a divorce notice from her husband a few days back, with the word 'talaq' written three times.

Narrating her ordeal in a press conference organised by Muslim Satya Shodhak Mandal here today, Arshiya said she was married to one Mohammad Kazim Bagwan, a vegetable trader in the city at a tender age of 16.

"After six months of marriage, my mother-in-law started torturing me for not conceiving. However, even after I became pregnant, the harassment continued," she said.

Arshiya, who is now a mother of an eight-month-old boy, said due to the constant quarrels and disputes at home, she was packed off to her parents' house by her in-laws recently.

"I tried to resolve the matter with my husband mutually. However, he also started avoiding me and even stopped taking my calls. A few days back, I got a shock of my life, when I received a notice from my husband in which he had declared thrice that he was giving me talaq," she said.

As the woman was not willing to accept the talaq given in an "unilateral" way, she approached the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal, a city-based reformist organisation.

"Though I received the notice from my husband, I do not accept it and will go to the family court against this arbitrary method of separation," she said.

Arshiya, who had to cut short her education after completing Class XI, said that she always wanted to study further, but could not do so after marriage.

"I will now pursue my education and will work with Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal (MSM). I will help women from Muslim community, who have been subjected to such abhorrent practices," she said.

Shamshuddin Tamboli, president of MSM said that the organisation will support Arshiya and all those women in similar situation.

"In the coming days, we plan to hold symposia and meetings across the state to create awareness about triple talaq, polygamy and various other practices," he said.

The organisation is planning to start a signature campaign against triple talaq.

PUNE: Amid a raging debate over the issue of triple talaq, an 18-year-old Muslim woman, who was recently divorced as per the Islamic tradition, has refused to accept the talaq and decided to take up the cudgels against the "abhorrent practice". Arshiya Bagwan alleged that soon after her marriage two years ago, her in-laws started torturing her. She was sent back to her parents' house in Baramati town near Pune, where she received a divorce notice from her husband a few days back, with the word 'talaq' written three times. Narrating her ordeal in a press conference organised by Muslim Satya Shodhak Mandal here today, Arshiya said she was married to one Mohammad Kazim Bagwan, a vegetable trader in the city at a tender age of 16. "After six months of marriage, my mother-in-law started torturing me for not conceiving. However, even after I became pregnant, the harassment continued," she said. Arshiya, who is now a mother of an eight-month-old boy, said due to the constant quarrels and disputes at home, she was packed off to her parents' house by her in-laws recently. "I tried to resolve the matter with my husband mutually. However, he also started avoiding me and even stopped taking my calls. A few days back, I got a shock of my life, when I received a notice from my husband in which he had declared thrice that he was giving me talaq," she said. As the woman was not willing to accept the talaq given in an "unilateral" way, she approached the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal, a city-based reformist organisation. "Though I received the notice from my husband, I do not accept it and will go to the family court against this arbitrary method of separation," she said. Arshiya, who had to cut short her education after completing Class XI, said that she always wanted to study further, but could not do so after marriage. "I will now pursue my education and will work with Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal (MSM). I will help women from Muslim community, who have been subjected to such abhorrent practices," she said. Shamshuddin Tamboli, president of MSM said that the organisation will support Arshiya and all those women in similar situation. "In the coming days, we plan to hold symposia and meetings across the state to create awareness about triple talaq, polygamy and various other practices," he said. The organisation is planning to start a signature campaign against triple talaq.
K Shiva Kumar By

Express News Service

MYSURU: The temple town of Nanjangud is gearing up for a show of strength of Congress with a party workers meet in the run up to bypolls.

It will be the first rally post the resignation of veteran Congress leader V Srinivasa Prasad. The meet has drawn attention of all political parties as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself will address the party workers.

Siddaramaiah, who has taken the polls seriously in his home turf and fears that any setback in bypolls would spoil the political prospects of Congress in 2018 Assembly election, has shown personal interest as he doesn't want to take chances.

He has also assigned PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa and Co-operation Minister H S Mahadeva Prasad to mobilise all party leaders from wards and panchayats. The local leaders are also in touch to ensure that not many follow behind Prasad in Nanjangud that is dominated by Veerashaiavas , Dalits, Nayaka and other communities.

It is also expected that Siddaramaiah, who had maintained silence and refused to react to Prasads criticism is likely to reply and clarify that he is not at fault in sacking the dalit leader from the Cabinet.

According to sources, dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge and others have also prevailed upon Siddaramaiah to clarify as Prasad has trained his guns at Congress leaders Kharge, Parameshwara and Digvijay Singh accusing them of hijacking Congress and auctioning ministerial berths.

On the other side, Congressmen fear that criticising Prasad in harsh words would backfire as he might gain sympathy and mobilize dalits and non-Congress votes. They fear that it would further give Prasad and opposition parties to brand Siddaramaiah as anti-dalit. The focus has shifted to keep Congress voters intact and also bring in Veerashaivas to Congress fold.

Minister H C Mahadevappa and others have decided to bring only important leaders in first phase and organise two mega rallies in the run up to the polls and launch more than `100 crore development works.

Our focus is on development of the constituency and strengthening the Congress and not to target or reply to those making baseless charges. The people of the state and district know what the Congress government has done in past three years. We want our programmes to speak, said Mahadevappa.

The Congress leaders have decided to go slow in announcing the candidate for bypolls till Prasad makes his decision public and opposition parties make their stand clear in bypolls.

However, the war of words and mud-slinging would set the stage for another high-voltage electoral battle in the CMs native district.

MYSURU: The temple town of Nanjangud is gearing up for a show of strength of Congress with a party workers meet in the run up to bypolls. It will be the first rally post the resignation of veteran Congress leader V Srinivasa Prasad. The meet has drawn attention of all political parties as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself will address the party workers. Siddaramaiah, who has taken the polls seriously in his home turf and fears that any setback in bypolls would spoil the political prospects of Congress in 2018 Assembly election, has shown personal interest as he doesn't want to take chances. He has also assigned PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa and Co-operation Minister H S Mahadeva Prasad to mobilise all party leaders from wards and panchayats. The local leaders are also in touch to ensure that not many follow behind Prasad in Nanjangud that is dominated by Veerashaiavas , Dalits, Nayaka and other communities. It is also expected that Siddaramaiah, who had maintained silence and refused to react to Prasads criticism is likely to reply and clarify that he is not at fault in sacking the dalit leader from the Cabinet. According to sources, dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge and others have also prevailed upon Siddaramaiah to clarify as Prasad has trained his guns at Congress leaders Kharge, Parameshwara and Digvijay Singh accusing them of hijacking Congress and auctioning ministerial berths. On the other side, Congressmen fear that criticising Prasad in harsh words would backfire as he might gain sympathy and mobilize dalits and non-Congress votes. They fear that it would further give Prasad and opposition parties to brand Siddaramaiah as anti-dalit. The focus has shifted to keep Congress voters intact and also bring in Veerashaivas to Congress fold. Minister H C Mahadevappa and others have decided to bring only important leaders in first phase and organise two mega rallies in the run up to the polls and launch more than `100 crore development works. Our focus is on development of the constituency and strengthening the Congress and not to target or reply to those making baseless charges. The people of the state and district know what the Congress government has done in past three years. We want our programmes to speak, said Mahadevappa. The Congress leaders have decided to go slow in announcing the candidate for bypolls till Prasad makes his decision public and opposition parties make their stand clear in bypolls. However, the war of words and mud-slinging would set the stage for another high-voltage electoral battle in the CMs native district.
George Poikayil By

Express News Service

KASARGOD: Families of the missing persons believed to be with the Islamic State (IS) said messages from them had dried up.

We know nothing about them now or how they are faring there, said the mother of Dr Ijaz Rahman, 34, who is among the 21 persons missing from Kerala and believed to be in an IS-controlled province in Afghanistan.

The last message the mother received was on September 11, from Asfaq Majeed, her sisters son, who is also believed to be in the IS with his wife. The message said Dr Rahmans wife Rifaila gave birth to a girl on September 6, said the mother. Since then we have got no message and dont know how they are doing, she said.

The mother said most of the communication was done by Majeed. Among the 21 who left home, three women were pregnant. In August, Fathima, formerly known as Nimisha Kumar, wife of Eeza alias Bexin Vincent gave birth to a child. The couple is from Palakkad. All of them are believed to be together somewhere in Afghanistan, going by the phone code.

Ajmala, 22, wife of Shiyaz, 28, who is the brother of Dr Rahman, was also pregnant with their first child when she left home.

Dr Rahmans mother said the police had returned the mobile phones they took away to glean information. Apart from phones taken from Asfaqs house, they have returned all our phones, she said. Seventeen persons from in and around Padna and Trikaripur reportedly went missing late May and among them 12 of them are related or close friends.

KASARGOD: Families of the missing persons believed to be with the Islamic State (IS) said messages from them had dried up. We know nothing about them now or how they are faring there, said the mother of Dr Ijaz Rahman, 34, who is among the 21 persons missing from Kerala and believed to be in an IS-controlled province in Afghanistan. The last message the mother received was on September 11, from Asfaq Majeed, her sisters son, who is also believed to be in the IS with his wife. The message said Dr Rahmans wife Rifaila gave birth to a girl on September 6, said the mother. Since then we have got no message and dont know how they are doing, she said. The mother said most of the communication was done by Majeed. Among the 21 who left home, three women were pregnant. In August, Fathima, formerly known as Nimisha Kumar, wife of Eeza alias Bexin Vincent gave birth to a child. The couple is from Palakkad. All of them are believed to be together somewhere in Afghanistan, going by the phone code. Ajmala, 22, wife of Shiyaz, 28, who is the brother of Dr Rahman, was also pregnant with their first child when she left home. Dr Rahmans mother said the police had returned the mobile phones they took away to glean information. Apart from phones taken from Asfaqs house, they have returned all our phones, she said. Seventeen persons from in and around Padna and Trikaripur reportedly went missing late May and among them 12 of them are related or close friends.
Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing activities of the South Indian module of the Islamic State (IS) has launched search for two accused persons hailing from Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram, who are currently abroad. The NIA has been examining digital evidences collected during the investigation to ascertain involvement of more persons in the case.

The agency has arrested seven among the 15 members of the IS module that had been operational in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is on the lookout fifth accused Mohammad Fayaz Abdul Salam alias Ali, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad. Also, Sidhik Hul Aslam of Vembayam in Thiruvananthapuram has been arraigned as the eighth accused. Since both the accused are suspected to be in the Gulf, the agency has sought assistance of the Interpol.

Meanwhile, the NIA interrogated sixth accused Navas of South Ukkadam in Tamil Nadu and seventh accused Shaikh Shafiullah of Coimbatore, who were active in the 15-member Telegram group that charted out strategies of the organisation.

We have interrogated the two accused on two occasions, and gathered clear evidence indicating their involvement in the case. Their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets are currently being examined by experts, said an NIA official.

Meanwhile, members of the IS module busted at Kanakamala revealed they were familiar with some of the 21 persons who went missing from Kerala to join the terrorist organisation in Afghanistan. It is also learnt that the arrested persons communicated with the IS leaders in Afghanistan, who used different names.

Thodupuzha-native Subahani Haja Moideen, the 11th accused who was arrested from Tirunelveli is currently in the NIA custody. The probe showed that Subahani had received `20,000 from his handlers for purchasing the explosives.

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing activities of the South Indian module of the Islamic State (IS) has launched search for two accused persons hailing from Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram, who are currently abroad. The NIA has been examining digital evidences collected during the investigation to ascertain involvement of more persons in the case. The agency has arrested seven among the 15 members of the IS module that had been operational in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is on the lookout fifth accused Mohammad Fayaz Abdul Salam alias Ali, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad. Also, Sidhik Hul Aslam of Vembayam in Thiruvananthapuram has been arraigned as the eighth accused. Since both the accused are suspected to be in the Gulf, the agency has sought assistance of the Interpol. Meanwhile, the NIA interrogated sixth accused Navas of South Ukkadam in Tamil Nadu and seventh accused Shaikh Shafiullah of Coimbatore, who were active in the 15-member Telegram group that charted out strategies of the organisation. We have interrogated the two accused on two occasions, and gathered clear evidence indicating their involvement in the case. Their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets are currently being examined by experts, said an NIA official. Meanwhile, members of the IS module busted at Kanakamala revealed they were familiar with some of the 21 persons who went missing from Kerala to join the terrorist organisation in Afghanistan. It is also learnt that the arrested persons communicated with the IS leaders in Afghanistan, who used different names. Thodupuzha-native Subahani Haja Moideen, the 11th accused who was arrested from Tirunelveli is currently in the NIA custody. The probe showed that Subahani had received `20,000 from his handlers for purchasing the explosives.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Friday de-empanelled Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital at Bhubaneswar, four days after a fire mishap in the private hospital claimed 24 lives.



The Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) has intimated the Medical Superintendent of the hospital about the de-empanelment of health facility.



In the wake of the fire incident in IMS and SUM Hospital on October 17 and disarray in the treatment of patients in the hospital, it has been decided by the Government to de-empanel the hospital with immediate effect, the DMET order stated.



Since the proposed de-empanelment is resorted under exceptional circumstances in the interest of poor patients of the State, the formality of one month notice as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has not been adhere to, the order added.



Earlier, SUM Hospital was an empanelled health facility under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF).



While the City police had arrested four employees of the hospital including the Medical Superintendent on Tuesday, principal promoter of the health institution Dr Manoj Ranjan Nayak had surrendered before the police in the wee hours on Thursday.



The police on Friday took Nayak on two-day remand for interrogation. He is being interrogated at an isolated location.



Meanwhile, with three more patients succumbing at the hospitals where they were undergoing treatment, the death toll in connection with the hospital inferno touched 24.



The deceased have been identified as Biswanath Behera of Dumduma area in Bhubaneswar, Rashmita Swain of Balipada area in Puri district and Sk Qurban of Khurda. While Behera and Swain died at Capital hospital, Qurban succumbed at SCB Medical College and Hospital during treatment.



On the day of incident, 19 persons had reportedly died of asphyxiation triggered by the blaze.

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Friday de-empanelled Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital at Bhubaneswar, four days after a fire mishap in the private hospital claimed 24 lives. The Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) has intimated the Medical Superintendent of the hospital about the de-empanelment of health facility. In the wake of the fire incident in IMS and SUM Hospital on October 17 and disarray in the treatment of patients in the hospital, it has been decided by the Government to de-empanel the hospital with immediate effect, the DMET order stated. Since the proposed de-empanelment is resorted under exceptional circumstances in the interest of poor patients of the State, the formality of one month notice as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has not been adhere to, the order added. Earlier, SUM Hospital was an empanelled health facility under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF). While the City police had arrested four employees of the hospital including the Medical Superintendent on Tuesday, principal promoter of the health institution Dr Manoj Ranjan Nayak had surrendered before the police in the wee hours on Thursday. The police on Friday took Nayak on two-day remand for interrogation. He is being interrogated at an isolated location. Meanwhile, with three more patients succumbing at the hospitals where they were undergoing treatment, the death toll in connection with the hospital inferno touched 24. The deceased have been identified as Biswanath Behera of Dumduma area in Bhubaneswar, Rashmita Swain of Balipada area in Puri district and Sk Qurban of Khurda. While Behera and Swain died at Capital hospital, Qurban succumbed at SCB Medical College and Hospital during treatment. On the day of incident, 19 persons had reportedly died of asphyxiation triggered by the blaze.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Coming under all-round pressure following the fire mishap at Bhubaneswar's Sum Hospital, Odisha minister of state for health and family welfare Atanu Sabysachi Nayak resigned on Friday accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy that has claimed 25 lives.



Chief minister Naveen Patnaik said he has forwarded the minister's resignation to governor S C Jamir for acceptance. "Nayak sent me his letter of resignation. He has resigned on moral grounds and I have accepted it. I have forwarded it

to the governor for his acceptance," Naveen told mediapersons at the Secretariat here.

Atanu Sabyashachi Nayak's portfolio has been given to finance minister Pradip Amat; his information and public relations portfolio has been allotted to forest and environment minister Bikram Keshari Arukha.

Atanu Nayak is the first minister to have resigned in the fourth term of Naveen patnaik's BJD government in Odisha.

Opposition political parties in the state welcomed the resignation of Nayak, but said he has been made a scapegoat. "Why is the chief minister not resigning," asked the leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra. "Naveen Patnaik should be inspired by the step taken by his junior colleague."

He said the health and home (fire services) departments were both responsible for the mishap. "So how can the minister of one department resign and the minister of another continue in his office," he said, and aded that the chief minister is guilty of several omissions as a result of which fire safety guidelines were not complied with by the hospital.

Odisha BJP president Basant Panda also demand the resignation of the chief minister. "The chief minister should take moral responsibility for the fire mishap and follow Nayak's step," he said.



Odisha's health department has been in the news in recent months over several issues, starting from the Dana

Majhi incident in Kalahandi to the spread of Japanese encephalitis in Malkangiri which exposed the lack of adequate health infrastructure at the district level.

BHUBANESWAR: Coming under all-round pressure following the fire mishap at Bhubaneswar's Sum Hospital, Odisha minister of state for health and family welfare Atanu Sabysachi Nayak resigned on Friday accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy that has claimed 25 lives. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik said he has forwarded the minister's resignation to governor S C Jamir for acceptance. "Nayak sent me his letter of resignation. He has resigned on moral grounds and I have accepted it. I have forwarded it to the governor for his acceptance," Naveen told mediapersons at the Secretariat here. Atanu Sabyashachi Nayak's portfolio has been given to finance minister Pradip Amat; his information and public relations portfolio has been allotted to forest and environment minister Bikram Keshari Arukha. Atanu Nayak is the first minister to have resigned in the fourth term of Naveen patnaik's BJD government in Odisha. Opposition political parties in the state welcomed the resignation of Nayak, but said he has been made a scapegoat. "Why is the chief minister not resigning," asked the leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra. "Naveen Patnaik should be inspired by the step taken by his junior colleague." He said the health and home (fire services) departments were both responsible for the mishap. "So how can the minister of one department resign and the minister of another continue in his office," he said, and aded that the chief minister is guilty of several omissions as a result of which fire safety guidelines were not complied with by the hospital. Odisha BJP president Basant Panda also demand the resignation of the chief minister. "The chief minister should take moral responsibility for the fire mishap and follow Nayak's step," he said. Odisha's health department has been in the news in recent months over several issues, starting from the Dana Majhi incident in Kalahandi to the spread of Japanese encephalitis in Malkangiri which exposed the lack of adequate health infrastructure at the district level.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Seven years after struggling on the streets with barely anything even to hide his body, 30-year-old Abrar Ahmed would have never dreamt of reuniting with his family in Uttar Pradesh.

The frail, naked man with disabilities, who was found crawling under the hot sun near Olympia Techpark in Ekkatuthangal, was rescued in June last by the organisation, Udavum Karangal, thanks to the initiative by a social worker with the organisation, P N Sundaresan.

Sundaresan said that Abrar had a history of having undergone psychiatry treatment. After regular counselling and interaction, he revealed details about his family that hails from a village near Hasimpur in Muzaffar Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.

As he was missing for nearly seven years, the family members thought he had died. Once the family got the news about him from us, his father and brother cried with joy. His brother Gulzar rushed to Chennai, Sundaresan said.

Abrar has a big family with eight siblings, including six sisters, all of whom have been married. His parents are still alive and were affectionate towards him.

He is said to have taken psychiatric treatment at Meerut and Delhi for one year. He was non-cooperative with the family members. He didnt want to be a burden to the family and hence disappeared from his house in a state of depression, said Sundaresan.

These days even a physically normal person with mental illness is rejected by the society and even family members. We were heartened to see a person with physical disability and mental disturbance, who is completely dependent on caretakers, is wanted by the family with full affection and love. He was restored to his brother Gulzar, added the social worker.

His organisation has developed a mobile application to reach out to destitute, psychiatric patients and senior citizens for whom there is none to care. Those who find any person in distress can access the app and direct them to the organisation.

The app, he added, would provide a platform for people, especially the tech-savvy youth, to do their bit for social service.

There are a lot of people who are ready to help both physically and through financial contributions, but are still to find a way to do it. The app, Helpers Choice, has been developed to encourage such people, he said.

This app can be accessed internationally, but it has a limited scope for physical operation beyond rescuing patients and destitutes in areas where Udavum Karangal has functioning homes  Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruvannamalai.

CHENNAI: Seven years after struggling on the streets with barely anything even to hide his body, 30-year-old Abrar Ahmed would have never dreamt of reuniting with his family in Uttar Pradesh. The frail, naked man with disabilities, who was found crawling under the hot sun near Olympia Techpark in Ekkatuthangal, was rescued in June last by the organisation, Udavum Karangal, thanks to the initiative by a social worker with the organisation, P N Sundaresan. Sundaresan said that Abrar had a history of having undergone psychiatry treatment. After regular counselling and interaction, he revealed details about his family that hails from a village near Hasimpur in Muzaffar Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh. As he was missing for nearly seven years, the family members thought he had died. Once the family got the news about him from us, his father and brother cried with joy. His brother Gulzar rushed to Chennai, Sundaresan said. Abrar has a big family with eight siblings, including six sisters, all of whom have been married. His parents are still alive and were affectionate towards him. He is said to have taken psychiatric treatment at Meerut and Delhi for one year. He was non-cooperative with the family members. He didnt want to be a burden to the family and hence disappeared from his house in a state of depression, said Sundaresan. These days even a physically normal person with mental illness is rejected by the society and even family members. We were heartened to see a person with physical disability and mental disturbance, who is completely dependent on caretakers, is wanted by the family with full affection and love. He was restored to his brother Gulzar, added the social worker. His organisation has developed a mobile application to reach out to destitute, psychiatric patients and senior citizens for whom there is none to care. Those who find any person in distress can access the app and direct them to the organisation. The app, he added, would provide a platform for people, especially the tech-savvy youth, to do their bit for social service. There are a lot of people who are ready to help both physically and through financial contributions, but are still to find a way to do it. The app, Helpers Choice, has been developed to encourage such people, he said. This app can be accessed internationally, but it has a limited scope for physical operation beyond rescuing patients and destitutes in areas where Udavum Karangal has functioning homes  Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruvannamalai.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Government has constituted the committee comprising experts in various fields to advise the State Disaster Management Authority on issues relating to natural calamities as per the Disaster Management Act, 2005, on October 18 last.

K Satyagopal, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration, is the Chairman and Chandra Mohan, Secretary, Revenue department, is the Co-Chairman. Eighteen others are inducted as its members. Director of disaster management will be the convener.

The formation of the committee followed a directive from the Madras HC in September.

The first meeting will be held not later than a week, the Advocate-General told the Bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, when a batch of PILs came up on Thursday.

Counsel for petitioners and the AG requested more time to examine the disaster management plan. The bench adjourned the matter till November 15.

Corpn bracing for monsoon

With the northeast monsoon just a few days away, the Chennai Corporation is on its toes, in a bid to evade a catastrophic scenario like the floods last December.

According to a release by the Corporation, a review meeting, headed by Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary K. Phanindra Reddy, was held to discuss monsoon preparedness work.

The Corporation said that 1,229 km storm water drains had been desilted and 33 new drains and 52 integrated drains built. Forty two rescue teams and 103 motor boats are also in place. Fifteen IAS officers to monitor the progress of work have also been appointed.

On Friday (21-10-2016) at 3 pm, the residents welfare associations and NGOs may meet the respective zonal officers and discuss their suggestions or grievances, the release said.

CHENNAI: Government has constituted the committee comprising experts in various fields to advise the State Disaster Management Authority on issues relating to natural calamities as per the Disaster Management Act, 2005, on October 18 last. K Satyagopal, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration, is the Chairman and Chandra Mohan, Secretary, Revenue department, is the Co-Chairman. Eighteen others are inducted as its members. Director of disaster management will be the convener. The formation of the committee followed a directive from the Madras HC in September. The first meeting will be held not later than a week, the Advocate-General told the Bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, when a batch of PILs came up on Thursday. Counsel for petitioners and the AG requested more time to examine the disaster management plan. The bench adjourned the matter till November 15. Corpn bracing for monsoon With the northeast monsoon just a few days away, the Chennai Corporation is on its toes, in a bid to evade a catastrophic scenario like the floods last December. According to a release by the Corporation, a review meeting, headed by Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary K. Phanindra Reddy, was held to discuss monsoon preparedness work. The Corporation said that 1,229 km storm water drains had been desilted and 33 new drains and 52 integrated drains built. Forty two rescue teams and 103 motor boats are also in place. Fifteen IAS officers to monitor the progress of work have also been appointed. On Friday (21-10-2016) at 3 pm, the residents welfare associations and NGOs may meet the respective zonal officers and discuss their suggestions or grievances, the release said.
By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: After the recent Sivakasi fire incident that killed 8 and injured 10 at a cracker factory, yet another fire incident has come to light, this time at Coimbatore. A building housing cracker godown has caught fire and three are feared to be trapped inside. The intensity of the accident is yet to be ascertained, while the fire service personnel continue their rescue operations.

Further details awaited.

Yet another cracker fire reported in Tamil Nadu, this time at Coimbatore. @NewIndianXpress  gopu mohan (@gopumohan_TNIE) October 21, 2016

Fire continues, even as Fire Service personnel are rescuing persons stuck inside the godown. Three rescued so far @NewIndianXpress  gopu mohan (@gopumohan_TNIE) October 21, 2016

Three feared trapped inside the building housing cracker godown in Coimbatore. Fire yet to be fully doused @NewIndianXpress  gopu mohan (@gopumohan_TNIE) October 21, 2016

COIMBATORE: After the recent Sivakasi fire incident that killed 8 and injured 10 at a cracker factory, yet another fire incident has come to light, this time at Coimbatore. A building housing cracker godown has caught fire and three are feared to be trapped inside. The intensity of the accident is yet to be ascertained, while the fire service personnel continue their rescue operations. Further details awaited. Yet another cracker fire reported in Tamil Nadu, this time at Coimbatore. @NewIndianXpress  gopu mohan (@gopumohan_TNIE) October 21, 2016 Fire continues, even as Fire Service personnel are rescuing persons stuck inside the godown. Three rescued so far @NewIndianXpress  gopu mohan (@gopumohan_TNIE) October 21, 2016 Three feared trapped inside the building housing cracker godown in Coimbatore. Fire yet to be fully doused @NewIndianXpress  gopu mohan (@gopumohan_TNIE) October 21, 2016
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Bringing cheers to the AIADMK cadre, the latest update on the health of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa from Apollo Hospitals today said "the chief minister is interacting and progressing gradually."

The news has come exactly a month after Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo hospitals here.

The last bulletin on her health was issued on October 10 and since then, there has been no updates even as many unconfirmed reports said that her health has been improving steadily.

"The chief Mlminister continues to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and passive physiotherapy," said the bulletin.

It added that the team of experts of the Critical Care Group, senior cardiologists, senior respiratory physicians, senior consultants of the Infectitious Diseases Department, senior endocrinologist and diabetologist of Apollo hospitals have been treating her.

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital on the night of September 22 and she has been treated for the past one month there.

CHENNAI: Bringing cheers to the AIADMK cadre, the latest update on the health of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa from Apollo Hospitals today said "the chief minister is interacting and progressing gradually." The news has come exactly a month after Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo hospitals here. The last bulletin on her health was issued on October 10 and since then, there has been no updates even as many unconfirmed reports said that her health has been improving steadily. "The chief Mlminister continues to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and passive physiotherapy," said the bulletin. It added that the team of experts of the Critical Care Group, senior cardiologists, senior respiratory physicians, senior consultants of the Infectitious Diseases Department, senior endocrinologist and diabetologist of Apollo hospitals have been treating her. Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital on the night of September 22 and she has been treated for the past one month there.
By Express News Service

TIRUVANNAMALAI: Once bitten, twice shy, so the saying goes. But this quack seems not to have learnt his lesson yet as he was arrested once again here on Thursday for practising medicine without proper qualification.

According to police sources, Arun (45), who was out on bail after his arrest on a similar charge, had administered an injection to a road construction worker, who died within a few hours.

Sources said Suresh (30) from Aradapattu village near Veraiyur in the district suffered a leg injury while in Kerala some four days ago. After he returned to Tiruvannamalai late on Wednesday, he visited Arunachala Clinic run by Arun.

He was administered an injection by the doctor. But within a few hours of reaching home, he swooned. Though the family members rushed him to Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital, he was declared brought dead.

Based on an alert from the hospital, a special team led by Tiruvannamalai Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Service N Rajendran, tahsildar and deputy superintendent of police raided the clinic functioning on Thirukovilur Road.

The team found that Arun has not completed MBBS and has been running a clinic prescribing allopathic medicines for several years. They also seized the medicines, injections vials and saline bottles stacked in the house.

His qualification is yet to be ascertained. He was arrested twice on the same charge in Tiruvannamalai district. In addition to allopathy, he also prescribed siddha and homeopathy medicines, Rajendran told Express.

Police sources said Arun was booked only under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC . After receiving the autopsy report, if needed, the FIR will be altered to book him for causing death, a police officer added.

TIRUVANNAMALAI: Once bitten, twice shy, so the saying goes. But this quack seems not to have learnt his lesson yet as he was arrested once again here on Thursday for practising medicine without proper qualification. According to police sources, Arun (45), who was out on bail after his arrest on a similar charge, had administered an injection to a road construction worker, who died within a few hours. Sources said Suresh (30) from Aradapattu village near Veraiyur in the district suffered a leg injury while in Kerala some four days ago. After he returned to Tiruvannamalai late on Wednesday, he visited Arunachala Clinic run by Arun. He was administered an injection by the doctor. But within a few hours of reaching home, he swooned. Though the family members rushed him to Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital, he was declared brought dead. Based on an alert from the hospital, a special team led by Tiruvannamalai Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Service N Rajendran, tahsildar and deputy superintendent of police raided the clinic functioning on Thirukovilur Road. The team found that Arun has not completed MBBS and has been running a clinic prescribing allopathic medicines for several years. They also seized the medicines, injections vials and saline bottles stacked in the house. His qualification is yet to be ascertained. He was arrested twice on the same charge in Tiruvannamalai district. In addition to allopathy, he also prescribed siddha and homeopathy medicines, Rajendran told Express. Police sources said Arun was booked only under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC . After receiving the autopsy report, if needed, the FIR will be altered to book him for causing death, a police officer added.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who has been accused of indulging in sedition and unlawful activities in support of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an outfit banned in India, was acquitted of the charges by a lower court here on Thursday.

No charges against the accused under Sec. 124-A of the IPC (sedition) and 13 (1) (b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (supporting unlawful activity), are proved, Arul Murugan, III Additional Sessions Judge, said on Thursday. This court acquits the accused, the judge added in a crowded court.

The charge against Vaiko was that on October 20, 2008, he spoke allegedly infringing upon the sovereignty of Indian nation and hailed the LTTE, which fought for an independent Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the army of the island-nation.

Speaking on the topic Ilangaiyail nadapathenna (what is happening in Sri Lanka ?) at a closed door meeting at Rajah Annamalai Mandram exactly eight years ago on October 20, Vaiko lashed out at the Centre for aiding Sri Lanka in its alleged efforts to decimate the LTTE.

During questioning, Vaiko admitted that he did address the meeting. He, however, denied the charge of sedition. He had talked only about the plight of Tamils and their pain and sorrow and not against the sovereignty of India, he had claimed.

The Q branch wing of the State police filed the case of sedition and unlawful activity against Vaiko.

During the trial of the case, prosecution witnesses, who were mostly policemen, stuck to their position against him, though several others had turned hostile. Vaikos speech copy in CD form and its transcripts were also submitted to the court in evidence, earlier.

CHENNAI: MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who has been accused of indulging in sedition and unlawful activities in support of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an outfit banned in India, was acquitted of the charges by a lower court here on Thursday. No charges against the accused under Sec. 124-A of the IPC (sedition) and 13 (1) (b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (supporting unlawful activity), are proved, Arul Murugan, III Additional Sessions Judge, said on Thursday. This court acquits the accused, the judge added in a crowded court. The charge against Vaiko was that on October 20, 2008, he spoke allegedly infringing upon the sovereignty of Indian nation and hailed the LTTE, which fought for an independent Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the army of the island-nation. Speaking on the topic Ilangaiyail nadapathenna (what is happening in Sri Lanka ?) at a closed door meeting at Rajah Annamalai Mandram exactly eight years ago on October 20, Vaiko lashed out at the Centre for aiding Sri Lanka in its alleged efforts to decimate the LTTE. During questioning, Vaiko admitted that he did address the meeting. He, however, denied the charge of sedition. He had talked only about the plight of Tamils and their pain and sorrow and not against the sovereignty of India, he had claimed. The Q branch wing of the State police filed the case of sedition and unlawful activity against Vaiko. During the trial of the case, prosecution witnesses, who were mostly policemen, stuck to their position against him, though several others had turned hostile. Vaikos speech copy in CD form and its transcripts were also submitted to the court in evidence, earlier.
By Express News Service

KARIMNAGAR: In a shocking incident, a youngster who eloped with his lover was murdered by the relatives of his lover in broad daylight in public glare in Karimnagar district of Telangana State on Thursday.



The victim fell in love with a girl and the duo eloped to get married at a temple in LMD area of Karimnagar. Knowing that their daughter is getting married against their wishes, the girl's parents and relatives reached the temple where they attacked the youngster. The youth was stabbed and done to death by the girl's relatives. The incident took place at Taapala Laxminarsimha Swamy temple in LMD colony of Thimmapur mandal.



The deceased, Mahankali Anil (22), used to work in a water purification plant located at Vijayapuri colony in Karimnagar mandal.



Anil fell in love with Hastapuram Mounika, who recently completed her intermediate, and their love came to the notice of the girl's parents.



A few months back, Mounika's parents sent the girl to Hyderabad on the pretext of studies so that she does not meet Anil.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) J Rama Rao said that on an earlier occasion, Anil took away Mounika and both got married. However, Mounika was a minor at that time.



The girl's parents then lodged a case of kidnap against Anil and the latter was arrested also.



Recently Mounika completed 18 years and on Wednesday, Anil and Mounika eloped again to get married. After noticing that Mounika is missing from house, her parents registered a complaint on Wednesday night at Karimnagar Rural Police Station.



Meanwhile, the duo planned to get married at the Taapala Laxminarsimha Swamy temple and reached the temple with some friends.



Coming to know that they were reaching the temple, nearly 10-15 relatives of Mounika reached there. They dragged Anil out of the temple and attacked him indiscriminately. The attackers slit the throat of Anil and as he collapsed, they attacked him with boulders leading to his instant death.



After confirming that Anil breathed his last, they took away the girl along with them from the temple.



Commissioner of Police VB Kamalasan Reddy visited scene of offence directed the police officers to nab the accused persons. Police suspect that nearly 10 persons were involved in the murder. Special teams were formed to nab the accused.



Temple heaven for Love marriages:



Lord Taapala Laxminarsimha Swamy temple is locally known for love marriages. Several lovers, who elope from as far as Karnataka, Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh and also other parts of Telangana, come to the temple to get married. The temple committee performs marriages only after collecting photos, Aadhar cards and other documents.



Nearly 2000 above love marriages held at temple in front of Lord Laxminarsimha Swamy.

KARIMNAGAR: In a shocking incident, a youngster who eloped with his lover was murdered by the relatives of his lover in broad daylight in public glare in Karimnagar district of Telangana State on Thursday. The victim fell in love with a girl and the duo eloped to get married at a temple in LMD area of Karimnagar. Knowing that their daughter is getting married against their wishes, the girl's parents and relatives reached the temple where they attacked the youngster. The youth was stabbed and done to death by the girl's relatives. The incident took place at Taapala Laxminarsimha Swamy temple in LMD colony of Thimmapur mandal. The deceased, Mahankali Anil (22), used to work in a water purification plant located at Vijayapuri colony in Karimnagar mandal. Anil fell in love with Hastapuram Mounika, who recently completed her intermediate, and their love came to the notice of the girl's parents. A few months back, Mounika's parents sent the girl to Hyderabad on the pretext of studies so that she does not meet Anil. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) J Rama Rao said that on an earlier occasion, Anil took away Mounika and both got married. However, Mounika was a minor at that time. The girl's parents then lodged a case of kidnap against Anil and the latter was arrested also. Recently Mounika completed 18 years and on Wednesday, Anil and Mounika eloped again to get married. After noticing that Mounika is missing from house, her parents registered a complaint on Wednesday night at Karimnagar Rural Police Station. Meanwhile, the duo planned to get married at the Taapala Laxminarsimha Swamy temple and reached the temple with some friends. Coming to know that they were reaching the temple, nearly 10-15 relatives of Mounika reached there. They dragged Anil out of the temple and attacked him indiscriminately. The attackers slit the throat of Anil and as he collapsed, they attacked him with boulders leading to his instant death. After confirming that Anil breathed his last, they took away the girl along with them from the temple. Commissioner of Police VB Kamalasan Reddy visited scene of offence directed the police officers to nab the accused persons. Police suspect that nearly 10 persons were involved in the murder. Special teams were formed to nab the accused.Temple heaven for Love marriages: Lord Taapala Laxminarsimha Swamy temple is locally known for love marriages. Several lovers, who elope from as far as Karnataka, Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh and also other parts of Telangana, come to the temple to get married. The temple committee performs marriages only after collecting photos, Aadhar cards and other documents. Nearly 2000 above love marriages held at temple in front of Lord Laxminarsimha Swamy.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

Guwahati: After a brief lull, one more rhino was killed by the poachers in Assams Kaziranga National Park. According to forest officials, the poachers had sawed off the animals horn and took it away. They said the carcass was retrieved from the Balipukhuri forest of the parks Agoratali range on Friday.

The forest guards had heard gunshots on Wednesday night and subsequently, carried out a search but got nothing. This is the fifteenth rhino to have fallen prey to the bullets of poachers in Kaziranga so far

this year. Statewide, the figure is 18.

The states Forest Minister Pramila Rabi Brahma had rushed to the park on Friday on learning about the incident. It is a very unfortunate incident. We thought the series of measures, which we have put in place, would help thwart the attempts of poachers but they still managed kill the rhino, she told Express.

A section of the poachers is from Nagaland. The Assam Police say the horns are smuggled through

Nagaland and into the South East Asian countries.

During a meeting with his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang at Kaziranga on Monday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had highlighted these issues and sought the cooperation of the neighbouring state.

We primarily raised two issues  the involvement of Naga poachers in the killing of rhinos in Assam

and the smuggling of the horns via Nagaland. Lets see what they do, the Assam Forest Minister said.

Over 250 rhinos have been killed by the poachers in Assam since 2001. The animal is killed for its

horn, considered an aphrodisiac. A rhino horn is sold at Rs 1 crore in the international black market.

According to Assam Police, the poachers also include a section of the militants. Apart from the one-

horned rhinos, the 429-sq km Kaziranga National Park is home to large breeding populations of

elephants, tigers, wild water buffalos, swamp deer etc.

Guwahati: After a brief lull, one more rhino was killed by the poachers in Assams Kaziranga National Park. According to forest officials, the poachers had sawed off the animals horn and took it away. They said the carcass was retrieved from the Balipukhuri forest of the parks Agoratali range on Friday. The forest guards had heard gunshots on Wednesday night and subsequently, carried out a search but got nothing. This is the fifteenth rhino to have fallen prey to the bullets of poachers in Kaziranga so far this year. Statewide, the figure is 18. The states Forest Minister Pramila Rabi Brahma had rushed to the park on Friday on learning about the incident. It is a very unfortunate incident. We thought the series of measures, which we have put in place, would help thwart the attempts of poachers but they still managed kill the rhino, she told Express. A section of the poachers is from Nagaland. The Assam Police say the horns are smuggled through Nagaland and into the South East Asian countries. During a meeting with his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang at Kaziranga on Monday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had highlighted these issues and sought the cooperation of the neighbouring state. We primarily raised two issues  the involvement of Naga poachers in the killing of rhinos in Assam and the smuggling of the horns via Nagaland. Lets see what they do, the Assam Forest Minister said. Over 250 rhinos have been killed by the poachers in Assam since 2001. The animal is killed for its horn, considered an aphrodisiac. A rhino horn is sold at Rs 1 crore in the international black market. According to Assam Police, the poachers also include a section of the militants. Apart from the one- horned rhinos, the 429-sq km Kaziranga National Park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, tigers, wild water buffalos, swamp deer etc.
By Associated Press

BARTELLA: In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a pre-dawn assault on an Islamic State-held town east of the besieged city, and the U.S. military announced the first American combat death since the operation began.

U.S. officials said the American service member died Thursday from wounds sustained in a roadside bomb explosion north of Mosul. More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases.

The American had been operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga, the U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details.

Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the U.S. advisers who are with them. The Islamic State group, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

As they charged toward the town of Bartella, nine miles (15 kilometers) from Mosul's outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favored weapon in the IS arsenal: armored trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. The militants' signature battlefield tactic, the weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists' biggest urban bastion.

The pre-dawn assault on Bartella was part of a multi-pronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul,Iraq's second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire.

The U.S.-trained special forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraq'smost professional and least sectarian fighters, and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against IS. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

IS militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armored Humvee, Lt. Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari told The Associated Press.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

"After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble," said Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari. He said IS had few defenses in the town, which was almost completely empty of civilians. "They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs," he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains northeast of Mosul descending from their positions and charging toward the front line.

Under cover of mortar and gunfire, the Kurdish troops used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches dug by the militants as part of their defense of the IS-held village of Barima, then advanced with their armored vehicles toward the extremists' positions.

Military operations also appeared to be underway in the town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where thick smoke could be seen billowing up. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from peshmerga positions high above.

Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told a news conference late Thursday that the special forces had succeeded in retaking Bartella. But Iraqi forces were still facing stiff resistance inside the town shortly before he spoke, and past advances against IS elsewhere in Iraq have often proved fleeting.

Soldiers stationed a few miles (kilometers) from Bartella said they watched as some 20 car bombs exploded in the town over the course of the day, each one sending a plume of smoke into the air. By late afternoon the skies over Bartella were black.

IS has used the tactic in past battles to wreak havoc among front line troops, but Iraqi forces have become better at stopping the suicide attackers.

"We destroyed the bombs with tanks," Sgt. Maj. Qusay Rashid said. "They are sending all these car bombs now because we're at the beginning of this huge battle. They are trying to put up their best defense."

After Bartella, Iraqi forces advancing toward Mosul will begin to hit villages and suburbs where civilians still live, a factor that will further complicate military operations that rely heavily on artillery and airstrikes to clear territory.

Mosul is home to more than a million people, and rights groups fear a potential humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said Mosul may fall sooner than expected. The campaign to retake the city, which began Monday, had been expected to last weeks, if not months.

Speaking by video transmission to a conference in Paris focused on post-liberation planning for Mosul, the Iraqi leader said the Iraqi "forces are currently pushing forward ... more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign."

The Islamic State group captured Mosul and the surrounding area during a lightning advance across northernIraq in the summer of 2014, and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque.

Iraqi forces crumbled that summer, beating a humiliating retreat and leaving weapons and vehicles behind. But the special forces held together and fought back, and since then they have played a central role in retaking cities and towns from the extremist group.

The force was created by U.S. Special Forces shortly after the 2003 invasion to hunt down top insurgents and stage commando raids, but its mandate has since expanded. Its members include Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and its human rights record is better than other forces taking part in the operation.

Mosul is a Sunni majority town, and many fear the involvement of state-sanctioned Shiite militias in the operation could stoke sectarian tensions. The Shiite militias have said they will not enter the city itself.

But even among the special forces there are traces of sectarian fervor. Many of the black Humvees that rode into battle in Bartella were decked with Shiite religious banners in addition to Iraqi flags.

Ali Saad, a 26-year-old special forces soldier, said Kurdish forces had asked them to take down the religious banners, but they refused.

"They asked if we were militias. We said we're not militias, we are Iraqi forces, and these are our beliefs," he said.

BARTELLA: In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a pre-dawn assault on an Islamic State-held town east of the besieged city, and the U.S. military announced the first American combat death since the operation began. U.S. officials said the American service member died Thursday from wounds sustained in a roadside bomb explosion north of Mosul. More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases. The American had been operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga, the U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details. Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the U.S. advisers who are with them. The Islamic State group, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city. As they charged toward the town of Bartella, nine miles (15 kilometers) from Mosul's outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favored weapon in the IS arsenal: armored trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. The militants' signature battlefield tactic, the weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists' biggest urban bastion. The pre-dawn assault on Bartella was part of a multi-pronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul,Iraq's second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire. The U.S.-trained special forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraq'smost professional and least sectarian fighters, and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against IS. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul. IS militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armored Humvee, Lt. Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari told The Associated Press. He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information. "After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble," said Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari. He said IS had few defenses in the town, which was almost completely empty of civilians. "They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs," he said. Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains northeast of Mosul descending from their positions and charging toward the front line. Under cover of mortar and gunfire, the Kurdish troops used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches dug by the militants as part of their defense of the IS-held village of Barima, then advanced with their armored vehicles toward the extremists' positions. Military operations also appeared to be underway in the town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where thick smoke could be seen billowing up. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from peshmerga positions high above. Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told a news conference late Thursday that the special forces had succeeded in retaking Bartella. But Iraqi forces were still facing stiff resistance inside the town shortly before he spoke, and past advances against IS elsewhere in Iraq have often proved fleeting. Soldiers stationed a few miles (kilometers) from Bartella said they watched as some 20 car bombs exploded in the town over the course of the day, each one sending a plume of smoke into the air. By late afternoon the skies over Bartella were black. IS has used the tactic in past battles to wreak havoc among front line troops, but Iraqi forces have become better at stopping the suicide attackers. "We destroyed the bombs with tanks," Sgt. Maj. Qusay Rashid said. "They are sending all these car bombs now because we're at the beginning of this huge battle. They are trying to put up their best defense." After Bartella, Iraqi forces advancing toward Mosul will begin to hit villages and suburbs where civilians still live, a factor that will further complicate military operations that rely heavily on artillery and airstrikes to clear territory. Mosul is home to more than a million people, and rights groups fear a potential humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said Mosul may fall sooner than expected. The campaign to retake the city, which began Monday, had been expected to last weeks, if not months. Speaking by video transmission to a conference in Paris focused on post-liberation planning for Mosul, the Iraqi leader said the Iraqi "forces are currently pushing forward ... more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign." The Islamic State group captured Mosul and the surrounding area during a lightning advance across northernIraq in the summer of 2014, and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. Iraqi forces crumbled that summer, beating a humiliating retreat and leaving weapons and vehicles behind. But the special forces held together and fought back, and since then they have played a central role in retaking cities and towns from the extremist group. The force was created by U.S. Special Forces shortly after the 2003 invasion to hunt down top insurgents and stage commando raids, but its mandate has since expanded. Its members include Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and its human rights record is better than other forces taking part in the operation. Mosul is a Sunni majority town, and many fear the involvement of state-sanctioned Shiite militias in the operation could stoke sectarian tensions. The Shiite militias have said they will not enter the city itself. But even among the special forces there are traces of sectarian fervor. Many of the black Humvees that rode into battle in Bartella were decked with Shiite religious banners in addition to Iraqi flags. Ali Saad, a 26-year-old special forces soldier, said Kurdish forces had asked them to take down the religious banners, but they refused. "They asked if we were militias. We said we're not militias, we are Iraqi forces, and these are our beliefs," he said.
By The Daily Telegraph

Theresa May last night (Thursday) called on EU leaders to impose tough sanctions on Russia over Syria because of its "sickening atrocities" on Aleppo.

The Prime Minister used a dinner at the European Council to warn Russia was "undermining the political process and killing people".

She condemned Moscow's aggression in Syria as the Royal Navy escorted two Russian naval groups off the coast of the UK.

Mrs May told EU leaders: "It is vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop these appalling atrocities, these sickening atrocities, in Syria."

Number 10 sources indicated that she wants the EU to consider travel bans on Russian generals and push for war crimes trials if there is enough evidence to go to the International Criminal Court. It is understood that the EU is now considering imposing sanctions on Russia over Syria.

The move came as a flotilla of eight Russian vessels led by the country's only aircraft carrier was expected to sail into the English Channel as early as today on its way to the Mediterranean to join a renewed assault on Aleppo.

Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said the 55,000 tonne Admiral Kuznetsov was last night "being marked every step of the way" through the North Sea by HMS Duncan.

At the same time a pair of Russian corvettes was due to be escorted by HMS Dragon up the west coast of France towards the UK. The two groups of warships are expected to meet south

of the Channel to create what Nato diplomats have called the biggest Russian surface deployment since the end of the Cold War.

Western intelligence reports predict the arrival of the warships in the Mediterranean will herald a renewed bombing campaign on the only large Syrian city still in opposition hands.

Sir Michael said the Russian deployment through the Channel was aimed at "testing" British capabilities.

He said: "The Russian fleet that is now sailing from the North, presumably down into the Mediterranean, is clearly designed to test the alliance. It's being marked every step of the way by the Royal Navy and ships and planes of other Nato members as well.

"It's clearly designed... to test our response, and any weaknesses in the alliance and we must make sure we respond in due measure. That fleet will be marked, shadowed every inch of the way."

A former top Russian military officer said the arrival of the flotilla in the Mediterranean would bring the Russian naval presence to the same level as that of the US.

He said the bolstered Russian presence may deter America and its allies from taking military action against Syrian government forces.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is carrying 15 MiG 29k and SU33 fighter-bombers and 10 helicopters. Meanwhile, the UN hopes to begin evacuating wounded civilians from Aleppo for the first time today after Russia extended a temporary ceasefire.

The Russian military said its aircraft and those of the Syrian regime would refrain from bombarding the city until at least this evening, opening a potential window for the UN to get injured people to safety.

If the UN operation is able to go ahead it will be the first time since August that humanitarian agencies have been able to reach the wounded of east Aleppo, where around 275,000 civilians are trapped.

Yet Western intelligence reports indicate the arrival in the Mediterranean of the Admiral Kuznetsov will herald a renewed bombing campaign on the only large Syrian city still in opposition hands.

The Syrian military said it would open up eight "humanitarian corridors" to allow civilians to leave east Aleppo and said rebel fighters could also leave the city so long as they laid down their weapons.

But shooting broke out near one of the corridors yesterday morning and there was no sign that either fighters or civilians were coming out of besieged areas. Some east Aleppo residents said they were eager to leave but were afraid to try to come out while others said they were determined to stay in their homes and refused to be displaced.

"Even though I need to leave because of the deteriorating living conditions caused by the siege and the

lack of food or work, I don't want to risk my life or my family's by being among the first to leave," said Mohammed Shayah, an unemployed father of four.

Syrian rebel groups said the Russian ceasefire was a ploy designed to sow division in the eastern half of the city and allow Moscow to blame the rebels for the continued fighting. Russia said it was an earnest attempt to get relief to civilians and try to end the long-running battle over Syria's largest city.

As the uneasy standoff continued into the early afternoon, the Syrian regime broadcast messages into east Aleppo using loudspeakers.

"We will extend every help from shelters to hot dishes and facilities that offer you medical treatment," the Syrian military told civilians. To the rebels, it warned: "Drop your weapons, this is your last chance."

Theresa May last night (Thursday) called on EU leaders to impose tough sanctions on Russia over Syria because of its "sickening atrocities" on Aleppo. The Prime Minister used a dinner at the European Council to warn Russia was "undermining the political process and killing people". She condemned Moscow's aggression in Syria as the Royal Navy escorted two Russian naval groups off the coast of the UK. Mrs May told EU leaders: "It is vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop these appalling atrocities, these sickening atrocities, in Syria." Number 10 sources indicated that she wants the EU to consider travel bans on Russian generals and push for war crimes trials if there is enough evidence to go to the International Criminal Court. It is understood that the EU is now considering imposing sanctions on Russia over Syria. The move came as a flotilla of eight Russian vessels led by the country's only aircraft carrier was expected to sail into the English Channel as early as today on its way to the Mediterranean to join a renewed assault on Aleppo. Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said the 55,000 tonne Admiral Kuznetsov was last night "being marked every step of the way" through the North Sea by HMS Duncan. At the same time a pair of Russian corvettes was due to be escorted by HMS Dragon up the west coast of France towards the UK. The two groups of warships are expected to meet south of the Channel to create what Nato diplomats have called the biggest Russian surface deployment since the end of the Cold War. Western intelligence reports predict the arrival of the warships in the Mediterranean will herald a renewed bombing campaign on the only large Syrian city still in opposition hands. Sir Michael said the Russian deployment through the Channel was aimed at "testing" British capabilities. He said: "The Russian fleet that is now sailing from the North, presumably down into the Mediterranean, is clearly designed to test the alliance. It's being marked every step of the way by the Royal Navy and ships and planes of other Nato members as well. "It's clearly designed... to test our response, and any weaknesses in the alliance and we must make sure we respond in due measure. That fleet will be marked, shadowed every inch of the way." A former top Russian military officer said the arrival of the flotilla in the Mediterranean would bring the Russian naval presence to the same level as that of the US. He said the bolstered Russian presence may deter America and its allies from taking military action against Syrian government forces. The Admiral Kuznetsov is carrying 15 MiG 29k and SU33 fighter-bombers and 10 helicopters. Meanwhile, the UN hopes to begin evacuating wounded civilians from Aleppo for the first time today after Russia extended a temporary ceasefire. The Russian military said its aircraft and those of the Syrian regime would refrain from bombarding the city until at least this evening, opening a potential window for the UN to get injured people to safety. If the UN operation is able to go ahead it will be the first time since August that humanitarian agencies have been able to reach the wounded of east Aleppo, where around 275,000 civilians are trapped. Yet Western intelligence reports indicate the arrival in the Mediterranean of the Admiral Kuznetsov will herald a renewed bombing campaign on the only large Syrian city still in opposition hands. The Syrian military said it would open up eight "humanitarian corridors" to allow civilians to leave east Aleppo and said rebel fighters could also leave the city so long as they laid down their weapons. But shooting broke out near one of the corridors yesterday morning and there was no sign that either fighters or civilians were coming out of besieged areas. Some east Aleppo residents said they were eager to leave but were afraid to try to come out while others said they were determined to stay in their homes and refused to be displaced. "Even though I need to leave because of the deteriorating living conditions caused by the siege and the lack of food or work, I don't want to risk my life or my family's by being among the first to leave," said Mohammed Shayah, an unemployed father of four. Syrian rebel groups said the Russian ceasefire was a ploy designed to sow division in the eastern half of the city and allow Moscow to blame the rebels for the continued fighting. Russia said it was an earnest attempt to get relief to civilians and try to end the long-running battle over Syria's largest city. As the uneasy standoff continued into the early afternoon, the Syrian regime broadcast messages into east Aleppo using loudspeakers. "We will extend every help from shelters to hot dishes and facilities that offer you medical treatment," the Syrian military told civilians. To the rebels, it warned: "Drop your weapons, this is your last chance."
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: A petition seeking Field Marshal's status for Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was today dismissed by the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.

When judge asked the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose, Dawn reported today.

In his order, Justice Farooq said: "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law."

The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed".

Petitioner Sardar Adnan Saleem had sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest.

The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Sharif launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.

It said Sharif had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

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.

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.

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.

ISLAMABAD: A petition seeking Field Marshal's status for Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was today dismissed by the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post. Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard. When judge asked the petitioner's counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose, Dawn reported today. In his order, Justice Farooq said: "No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law." The order declared that the petition was "without merit and dismissed". Petitioner Sardar Adnan Saleem had sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest. The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Sharif launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress. It said Sharif had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. 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. 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. 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.
By The Daily Telegraph

"You have come, you are here! Alhamdulillah (Thank God)!" the villagers cried, running out from their homes to greet the Iraqi army vehicles.

One elderly woman fell to her knees, before ripping off her black face veil and bursting into tears.

The Iraqi troops arriving yesterday in the village of Khalidia, south of Mosul, were the first outsiders that most of the residents had seen for more than two years. The Daily Telegraph, embedded with the 91st Brigade, witnessed the moment it was liberated from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

Ululating soldiers shot their Kalashnikovs into the air as they celebrated their victory in the dusty plains of Nineveh.

A column of tanks and armoured vehicles flying the Iraqi, as well as Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia flags, poured into the village at midday.

White cotton rags fluttered on top of houses close to the front line, signalling to the army not to shoot.

Unlike almost all the other towns and villages which have been liberated since the start of the offensive, Khalidia is found largely intact and with its civilians still in situ.

Gen Ghassan Mohammed Wajeeh said that victory had come swiftly due to the help of the residents, who had the previous day sent their commander text messages detailing the Isil fighters' location and a map of where they had planted IEDs.

The coordinates were sent to the US-led coalition, which has a control centre a few miles south-west in the town of Qayyarah. An air strike at dawn yesterday destroyed the jihadists' final holdout.

"It was a joint effort by the people of Khalidia, the army and the coalition," Gen Wajeeh said, as he went around shaking each officer's hand.

The troops came down from their tanks to pose with babies and hand out cigarettes, which had been contraband under Isil.

"We are so happy to see you, it has truly been worse than hell," said Amina Abdullah, who looked much older than her 65 years. Her black niqab lay abandoned on the floor. "It feels like this is our salvation, that somehow I was dead and now I am alive."

She said that since Isil took control in 2014, it had ruled the village of some 1,500 residents with an iron grip, telling them what to wear, what to eat and even when they were allowed to leave their homes.

"There were 40 of them holding us here," she said, sitting on a thin mattress with several of her grandchildren kneeling beside her. "All of them Iraqi and Syrian except for one Chinese Uighur. The oldest was 45 and the youngest was 10. The 10-year-old was put on patrol and told to keep an eye out for people breaking the rules."

She pointed to the family's car, which had been hidden under a blanket in the garage. "We haven't used it for more than two years, only the fighters were allowed to drive."

As a last act of spite, the jihadists had set fire to as many cars as they could to stop the villagers leaving.

Yesterday, the local sheikh ushered everyone to his home to celebrate their new freedom with a feast.

He sacrificed his last two goats to eat with the bread the soldiers had brought. "Every week Daesh (Isil) brought their own food in from Mosul, we weren't allowed any of it," Mohammed Ibrahim said, using the group's Arabic name.

"It was just bread and goats' milk for us," he said, stroking his smooth chin as he took a drag of a cigarette - both of which would have been unthinkable just the day before.

He had been whipped by the Islamists many times for minor infractions such as not having a long enough beard, smoking, or being caught out after the strict sunset curfew.

He took another packet of the local brand tobacco from one of the soldiers, who was passing them out to the men in the room.

After the meal, the commander stood up abruptly and announced that the troops must leave quickly in order to reach the next village before dark.

The Daily Telegraph followed their tanks and watched from the hill overlooking the battle as it unfolded.

Gunfire crackled and mortar fire sent grey plumes into the sky, already an apocalyptic black from the smoke from oilfields that have been burning uncontrollably in the nearby town of Qayyarah.

Then, there were three powerful explosions.

"Do not worry," one officer said, "we are just trying to get rid of the last Daesh, we're just trying to scare them away in case there are any there still hiding."

Watching from the hill was Sgt Adnan Aziz Ali. It was a particularly emotional moment for him: the village of Tel Shahir that the troops were fighting for up ahead was his home town.

In 2014, he was forced to flee with his wife and children, leaving his three brothers behind to an unknown fate.

He has had little contact with them in that time, save for a few snatched phone calls.

The brothers did not have any money, as Isil forbade them from working, so Sgt Aziz transferred credit to their phones each month so they can talk. His brothers would have been killed if Isil had known they were related to an Iraqi sergeant.

"They know about the battle, that we are coming for them," he said. "For two years now I have not been able to smile or be happy, knowing we are separated. When Tel Shahir falls I will smile once more."

He also hopes to see his old house, which is now occupied by refugees who fled another Isil village.

He said he will not ask for his home back after all that family has been through, but will move in with his brothers, to be closer to them. "I will never forgive myself. I was a soldier and I was supposed to protect them," he said. "I will never forgive myself." u?

The US military said yesterday that an American serviceman had died from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq.

The military did not release details of where the death occurred or who the individual was. US advisers are accompanying Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul. It is understood to be the fourth death of a US serviceman in the country since the beginning of America's Operation Inherent Resolve against Isil in 2014.

"You have come, you are here! Alhamdulillah (Thank God)!" the villagers cried, running out from their homes to greet the Iraqi army vehicles. One elderly woman fell to her knees, before ripping off her black face veil and bursting into tears. The Iraqi troops arriving yesterday in the village of Khalidia, south of Mosul, were the first outsiders that most of the residents had seen for more than two years. The Daily Telegraph, embedded with the 91st Brigade, witnessed the moment it was liberated from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). Ululating soldiers shot their Kalashnikovs into the air as they celebrated their victory in the dusty plains of Nineveh. A column of tanks and armoured vehicles flying the Iraqi, as well as Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia flags, poured into the village at midday. White cotton rags fluttered on top of houses close to the front line, signalling to the army not to shoot. Unlike almost all the other towns and villages which have been liberated since the start of the offensive, Khalidia is found largely intact and with its civilians still in situ. Gen Ghassan Mohammed Wajeeh said that victory had come swiftly due to the help of the residents, who had the previous day sent their commander text messages detailing the Isil fighters' location and a map of where they had planted IEDs. The coordinates were sent to the US-led coalition, which has a control centre a few miles south-west in the town of Qayyarah. An air strike at dawn yesterday destroyed the jihadists' final holdout. "It was a joint effort by the people of Khalidia, the army and the coalition," Gen Wajeeh said, as he went around shaking each officer's hand. The troops came down from their tanks to pose with babies and hand out cigarettes, which had been contraband under Isil. "We are so happy to see you, it has truly been worse than hell," said Amina Abdullah, who looked much older than her 65 years. Her black niqab lay abandoned on the floor. "It feels like this is our salvation, that somehow I was dead and now I am alive." She said that since Isil took control in 2014, it had ruled the village of some 1,500 residents with an iron grip, telling them what to wear, what to eat and even when they were allowed to leave their homes. "There were 40 of them holding us here," she said, sitting on a thin mattress with several of her grandchildren kneeling beside her. "All of them Iraqi and Syrian except for one Chinese Uighur. The oldest was 45 and the youngest was 10. The 10-year-old was put on patrol and told to keep an eye out for people breaking the rules." She pointed to the family's car, which had been hidden under a blanket in the garage. "We haven't used it for more than two years, only the fighters were allowed to drive." As a last act of spite, the jihadists had set fire to as many cars as they could to stop the villagers leaving. Yesterday, the local sheikh ushered everyone to his home to celebrate their new freedom with a feast. He sacrificed his last two goats to eat with the bread the soldiers had brought. "Every week Daesh (Isil) brought their own food in from Mosul, we weren't allowed any of it," Mohammed Ibrahim said, using the group's Arabic name. "It was just bread and goats' milk for us," he said, stroking his smooth chin as he took a drag of a cigarette - both of which would have been unthinkable just the day before. He had been whipped by the Islamists many times for minor infractions such as not having a long enough beard, smoking, or being caught out after the strict sunset curfew. He took another packet of the local brand tobacco from one of the soldiers, who was passing them out to the men in the room. After the meal, the commander stood up abruptly and announced that the troops must leave quickly in order to reach the next village before dark. The Daily Telegraph followed their tanks and watched from the hill overlooking the battle as it unfolded. Gunfire crackled and mortar fire sent grey plumes into the sky, already an apocalyptic black from the smoke from oilfields that have been burning uncontrollably in the nearby town of Qayyarah. Then, there were three powerful explosions. "Do not worry," one officer said, "we are just trying to get rid of the last Daesh, we're just trying to scare them away in case there are any there still hiding." Watching from the hill was Sgt Adnan Aziz Ali. It was a particularly emotional moment for him: the village of Tel Shahir that the troops were fighting for up ahead was his home town. In 2014, he was forced to flee with his wife and children, leaving his three brothers behind to an unknown fate. He has had little contact with them in that time, save for a few snatched phone calls. The brothers did not have any money, as Isil forbade them from working, so Sgt Aziz transferred credit to their phones each month so they can talk. His brothers would have been killed if Isil had known they were related to an Iraqi sergeant. "They know about the battle, that we are coming for them," he said. "For two years now I have not been able to smile or be happy, knowing we are separated. When Tel Shahir falls I will smile once more." He also hopes to see his old house, which is now occupied by refugees who fled another Isil village. He said he will not ask for his home back after all that family has been through, but will move in with his brothers, to be closer to them. "I will never forgive myself. I was a soldier and I was supposed to protect them," he said. "I will never forgive myself." u? The US military said yesterday that an American serviceman had died from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq. The military did not release details of where the death occurred or who the individual was. US advisers are accompanying Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul. It is understood to be the fourth death of a US serviceman in the country since the beginning of America's Operation Inherent Resolve against Isil in 2014.
By The Daily Telegraph

'I will keep you in suspense," said Donald Trump at the Las Vegas debate, like an illusionist before a great reveal. He's a showman, this is what he does. But his refusal to say whether or not he'll accept the legitimacy of the election result on November 8 alarmed rather than delighted the audience. It suggests that his campaign will continue even if he loses. That President Hillary Clinton won't be allowed to get on with her job.

How extraordinary is this threat? Not as much as Left-wing pundits say. Election results have been contested before. Some Republicans accused John F Kennedy of stealing the election in 1960; the 2000

Florida recount tested the limits of American democracy. Harbouring doubts about such an enormous, flawed process is rational. In the Las Vegas debate, Trump cited a 2012 Pew study that found 1 in 8 electoral registrations may be inaccurate - although it did not conclude that fraud is widespread. Throw into this mix Clinton's reputation for corruption and Trump seems borderline rational.

It is more unusual for candidates to question an election before it's actually happened, however (it's not unheard of though, as the Democrats complained about a break-in at their Watergate hotel HQ in the run up to the 1972 presidential election - to the uninterest of American voters). Worse, Trump's unqualified dislike of his opponent, attacks on the media, use of the word "rigged" etc, prepares his fan base not so much for defeat as enemy occupation followed by guerrilla war. The logic of his conspiracy talk is that there will have to be a resistance.

A chance for Trump to make money, too. His family is believed to be exploring the creation of a new television network. Programming would likely be limited at first to Trump's monologues and some cheap reality TV - but the size of his vote in the primaries suggests an audience exists. Again, this is not a first.

The Sarah Palin Channel, a subscription service, launched in 2014 ... and shut down in 2015.

Most failed presidential tickets fade away or "retire" into regular political service - as John Kerry did when he later became Secretary of State. But what can a candidate who has no party influence, no obvious fallback option, do next? Trump, like Palin, may choose to continue his presidential campaign through the press and speeches. To engage in a constant excavation of his defeat - threatening to do it all over again.

American political history is full of such figures. George C Wallace, the segregationist Democrat, ran for the presidency four times from 1964-76 and operated a sort of Southern court in Alabama. Ross Perot, the Texan businessman, took nearly a fifth of the vote in 1992 and hung around for the next four years marshalling opposition to free trade. In other words, one does not need elected office or even an election victory behind you to sustain relevance. On the contrary, spectacular defeat - of the variety Trump faces - could translate into political longevity. Unlike Mitt Romney, a decent but dull moderate, Trump will go down representing something. The "lower" he goes, to borrow Michelle Obama's language, the higher will be the esteem of his fans. As far as they're concerned, he is being crucified for telling the truth.

I'm left thinking: "How can Clinton govern?" Millions of Americans will believe she stole this election; others will regard her election as a fluke. She is disliked. I can detect no popular constituency for her agenda. If the Republicans retain the House then she will struggle to implement it. Trump has signposted a change in US politics - the death of orthodox thinking and spin. Yet his implosion has elevated a woman who most obviously represents the past. She has the smell of a one-term president. The two-party system will resurface eventually.

It would be helpful if Trump exercised silence in the years to come. He almost certainly won't. Therefore it falls to mainstream Republicans to offer an opposition to President Clinton that is firm but patriotic. In four years' time they must nominate a candidate who acknowledges the changes which Trump has accurately identified blowing through American society and politics. But he or she must win by forging unity instead of exploiting division.



'I will keep you in suspense," said Donald Trump at the Las Vegas debate, like an illusionist before a great reveal. He's a showman, this is what he does. But his refusal to say whether or not he'll accept the legitimacy of the election result on November 8 alarmed rather than delighted the audience. It suggests that his campaign will continue even if he loses. That President Hillary Clinton won't be allowed to get on with her job. How extraordinary is this threat? Not as much as Left-wing pundits say. Election results have been contested before. Some Republicans accused John F Kennedy of stealing the election in 1960; the 2000 Florida recount tested the limits of American democracy. Harbouring doubts about such an enormous, flawed process is rational. In the Las Vegas debate, Trump cited a 2012 Pew study that found 1 in 8 electoral registrations may be inaccurate - although it did not conclude that fraud is widespread. Throw into this mix Clinton's reputation for corruption and Trump seems borderline rational. It is more unusual for candidates to question an election before it's actually happened, however (it's not unheard of though, as the Democrats complained about a break-in at their Watergate hotel HQ in the run up to the 1972 presidential election - to the uninterest of American voters). Worse, Trump's unqualified dislike of his opponent, attacks on the media, use of the word "rigged" etc, prepares his fan base not so much for defeat as enemy occupation followed by guerrilla war. The logic of his conspiracy talk is that there will have to be a resistance. A chance for Trump to make money, too. His family is believed to be exploring the creation of a new television network. Programming would likely be limited at first to Trump's monologues and some cheap reality TV - but the size of his vote in the primaries suggests an audience exists. Again, this is not a first. The Sarah Palin Channel, a subscription service, launched in 2014 ... and shut down in 2015. Most failed presidential tickets fade away or "retire" into regular political service - as John Kerry did when he later became Secretary of State. But what can a candidate who has no party influence, no obvious fallback option, do next? Trump, like Palin, may choose to continue his presidential campaign through the press and speeches. To engage in a constant excavation of his defeat - threatening to do it all over again. American political history is full of such figures. George C Wallace, the segregationist Democrat, ran for the presidency four times from 1964-76 and operated a sort of Southern court in Alabama. Ross Perot, the Texan businessman, took nearly a fifth of the vote in 1992 and hung around for the next four years marshalling opposition to free trade. In other words, one does not need elected office or even an election victory behind you to sustain relevance. On the contrary, spectacular defeat - of the variety Trump faces - could translate into political longevity. Unlike Mitt Romney, a decent but dull moderate, Trump will go down representing something. The "lower" he goes, to borrow Michelle Obama's language, the higher will be the esteem of his fans. As far as they're concerned, he is being crucified for telling the truth. I'm left thinking: "How can Clinton govern?" Millions of Americans will believe she stole this election; others will regard her election as a fluke. She is disliked. I can detect no popular constituency for her agenda. If the Republicans retain the House then she will struggle to implement it. Trump has signposted a change in US politics - the death of orthodox thinking and spin. Yet his implosion has elevated a woman who most obviously represents the past. She has the smell of a one-term president. The two-party system will resurface eventually. It would be helpful if Trump exercised silence in the years to come. He almost certainly won't. Therefore it falls to mainstream Republicans to offer an opposition to President Clinton that is firm but patriotic. In four years' time they must nominate a candidate who acknowledges the changes which Trump has accurately identified blowing through American society and politics. But he or she must win by forging unity instead of exploiting division.
By PTI





WASHINGTON: Major internet services including Twitter, Spotify and Amazon suffered service interruptions and outages today as a US internet provider came under sustained cyber attack.

The internet service company Dyn, which routes and manages internet traffic, said that it had suffered a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on its domain name service shortly after 1100 GMT.

Service was initially restored within about two hours but close to three hours later the company said again said it was responding to an attack.

"Our engineers are continuing to work on mitigating this issue," the company said on its website close to 1700 GMT.

The cyber attack meant that millions of internet users could not access the websites of major online companies such as Netflix and Reddit as well as the crafts marketplace Etsy and the software developer site Github, according to media reports.

The website Gizmodo said it had received reports of difficulty at sites for media outlets including CNN, The Guardian, Wired, HBO and People as well as the money transfer

service PayPal.

Dyn, which is headquartered in New Hampshire, said the attack went after its domain name service, causing interruptions and slowdowns.

Scott Hilton, executive vice president for products at Dyn, said in a statement today morning that a "global DDoS attack" had been launched on its Managed DNS infrastructure on

the US east coast.

A map published by the website downdetector.com initially showed service interruptions for Level3 Communications, a so-called "backbone" internet service provider, across much of the US east coast and in Texas.

However later today the affected areas had spread to parts of the Midwest and California. Similar maps for Netflix and Twitter website specifically showed areas of outage in Europe.

The US Department of Homeland Security told AFP it was monitoring the situation.

"We're aware and are investigating all potential causes," said DHS spokeswoman Gillian Christensen.

Amazon Web Services, which hosts some of the most popular sites on the internet, including Netflix and the homestay network Airbnb, said on its website that it had resolved problems by 1310 GMT only to begin addressing similar problems three hours later in a different region.

Domain name servers are a crucial element of internet infrastructure, converting numbered Internet Protocol addresses into the domain names that allow users to connect to internet sites.

WASHINGTON: Major internet services including Twitter, Spotify and Amazon suffered service interruptions and outages today as a US internet provider came under sustained cyber attack. The internet service company Dyn, which routes and manages internet traffic, said that it had suffered a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on its domain name service shortly after 1100 GMT. Service was initially restored within about two hours but close to three hours later the company said again said it was responding to an attack. "Our engineers are continuing to work on mitigating this issue," the company said on its website close to 1700 GMT. The cyber attack meant that millions of internet users could not access the websites of major online companies such as Netflix and Reddit as well as the crafts marketplace Etsy and the software developer site Github, according to media reports. The website Gizmodo said it had received reports of difficulty at sites for media outlets including CNN, The Guardian, Wired, HBO and People as well as the money transfer service PayPal. Dyn, which is headquartered in New Hampshire, said the attack went after its domain name service, causing interruptions and slowdowns. Scott Hilton, executive vice president for products at Dyn, said in a statement today morning that a "global DDoS attack" had been launched on its Managed DNS infrastructure on the US east coast. A map published by the website downdetector.com initially showed service interruptions for Level3 Communications, a so-called "backbone" internet service provider, across much of the US east coast and in Texas. However later today the affected areas had spread to parts of the Midwest and California. Similar maps for Netflix and Twitter website specifically showed areas of outage in Europe. The US Department of Homeland Security told AFP it was monitoring the situation. "We're aware and are investigating all potential causes," said DHS spokeswoman Gillian Christensen. Amazon Web Services, which hosts some of the most popular sites on the internet, including Netflix and the homestay network Airbnb, said on its website that it had resolved problems by 1310 GMT only to begin addressing similar problems three hours later in a different region. Domain name servers are a crucial element of internet infrastructure, converting numbered Internet Protocol addresses into the domain names that allow users to connect to internet sites.
PK Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: In response to desperate pleas from the highly indebted Sri Lankan government, China has agreed to convert Sri Lankas debt in at least one major non-performing project into equity, so that the enterprise is run on a commercial, profit making, joint venture basis.

Sri Lankas Finance Minister, Ravi Karunanyake, told the media on Thursday, that a Chinese company has agreed to convert a debt of US$ 1.1 billion incurred for the construction of the Hambantota Port, into 80 per cent equity and to run the project as a commercial venture jointly with the government of Sri Lanka.

Karunanayake did not reveal the name of the Chinese company but said that the deal is to be signed in the coming week.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has already said that a Chinese partner has been found to take over the debt incurred in constructing the Mattala Airport (known as the worlds emptiest airport) into equity and run it on a commercial basis jointly with the Sri Lankan government.

Sri Lanka owes to China a staggering US$ 8.4 billion.

Karunanayake said that the conversion of debt into equity in Humbantota port and Mattala airport with Chinese participation, will secure investments of over US$1.1 billion. To make the port and the airport work ,government has got the Chinese to invest in an Economic Zone in the area spread over 15,000 acres. International companies ,including Indian companies, have been contacted to invest in the zone.

COLOMBO: In response to desperate pleas from the highly indebted Sri Lankan government, China has agreed to convert Sri Lankas debt in at least one major non-performing project into equity, so that the enterprise is run on a commercial, profit making, joint venture basis. Sri Lankas Finance Minister, Ravi Karunanyake, told the media on Thursday, that a Chinese company has agreed to convert a debt of US$ 1.1 billion incurred for the construction of the Hambantota Port, into 80 per cent equity and to run the project as a commercial venture jointly with the government of Sri Lanka. Karunanayake did not reveal the name of the Chinese company but said that the deal is to be signed in the coming week. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has already said that a Chinese partner has been found to take over the debt incurred in constructing the Mattala Airport (known as the worlds emptiest airport) into equity and run it on a commercial basis jointly with the Sri Lankan government. Sri Lanka owes to China a staggering US$ 8.4 billion. Karunanayake said that the conversion of debt into equity in Humbantota port and Mattala airport with Chinese participation, will secure investments of over US$1.1 billion. To make the port and the airport work ,government has got the Chinese to invest in an Economic Zone in the area spread over 15,000 acres. International companies ,including Indian companies, have been contacted to invest in the zone.
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SERMON

Having arrived at the mountain of God, she described the road by which she had come, without any pretension but to obey him who commanded her in the name of the Lord. With exquisite simplicity and unconsciousness of self, she related the works accomplished for her Spouse; made over to her daughters the lessons of her own experience; and described the many mansions of that castle of the human soul, in the centre of which, he that can reach it will find the holy Trinity residing as in an anticipated heaven. No more was needed: withdrawn from speculative abstractions and restored to its sublime simplicity, Christian mysticism again attracted every mind; light reawakened love; the virtues flourished in the Church; and the baneful effects of heresy and its pretended reform were counteracted.[1]

If we are true Christians, we must desire to be ever with Jesus Christ. Now, where are we to find this loving Saviour of our souls? In what place may we embrace Him? He is found in two places: in His glory and in His sufferings; on His throne and on His cross. We must, then, in order to be with Him, either embrace Him on His throne, which death enables us to do; or else share in His cross, and this we do by suffering; hence we must either suffer or die, if we would never be separated from our Lord. Let us suffer then, O Christians; let us suffer what it pleases God to send us: afflictions, sicknesses, the miseries of poverty, injuries, calumnies; let us try to carry, with steadfast courage, that portion of His cross, with which He is pleased to honour us.[3]





NOTES

[1] Arrivee donc a la montagne de Dieu, elle fit le releve des etapes de la route quelle avait parcourue, sans autre pretention que dobeir a qui lui commandait au nom du Seigneur ; dune plume exquise de limpidite, dabandon, elle raconta les uvres accomplies pour lEpoux ; avec non moins de charmes, elle consigna pour ses filles les lecons de son experience, decrivit les multiples demeures de ce chateau de lame humaine au centre duquel, pour qui sait ly trouver, reside en un ciel anticipe la Trinite sainte. Il nen fallait pas plus ; soustraite aux abstractions speculatives, rendue a sa sublime simplicite, la Mystique chretienne attirait de nouveau toute intelligence ; la lumiere reveillait lamour ; et les plus suaves parfums sexhalaient de toutes parts au jardin de la sainte Eglise, assainissant la terre, refoulant les miasmes souls lesquels lheresie dalors et sa reforme pretendue menacaient detouffer le monde. Prosper Gueranger, Lannee liturgique, Le temps apres la Pentecote, Tome V, 12eme ed. (Tours: Maison Alfred Mame et Fils, 1925), p. 457. [Gueranger]. English translation: Prosper Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, Time after Pentecost, Book V (Fitzwilliam, NH: Loreto Publications, 2000), pp. 396-397. [GuerangerEng].

[2] Souffrir ou mourir! Gueranger, p. 462. English translation : GuerangerEng, p. 401.

[3] Si nous sommes de vrais chretiens, nous devons desirer detre toujours avec Jesus-Christ. Or, ou le trouve-t-on, cet aimable Sauveur de nos ames ? En quel lieu peut-on lembrasser ? On ne le trouve quen ces deux lieux : dans sa gloire ou dans ses supplices, sur son trone ou bien sur sa croix. Nous devons donc, pour etre avec lui, ou bien lembrasser dans son trone, et cest ce que nous donne la mort, ou bien nous unir a sa croix, et cest ce que nous avons par les souffrances ; tellement quil faut souffrir ou mourir, afin de ne quitter jamais le Sauveur. Souffrons donc, souffrons, chretiens, ce quil plait a Dieu de nous envoyer : les afflictions et les maladies, les miseres et la pauvrete, les injures et les calomnies ; tachons de porter dun courage ferme telle partie de sa croix dont il lui plaira de nous honorer. Gueranger, pp. 468-469; GuerangerEng, pp. 406-407.













The country of the Czech Republic and the city of Prague was much blessed by the visit last week of His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. His Eminence visited several places, giving public lectures in defense of Catholic doctrine on marriage and the family and celebrating pontifical liturgies in theIn this post, I will simply share photos from the Mass on Saturday, October 15, at Strahov Abbey, a house founded in 1143 as part of the Premonstratensian order and well known for housing the relics of St. Norbert himself.This Mass was one of the most splendid I have ever had the privilege of attending. The capacious Baroque church was packed with faithful of all ages, including quite a few little children, which was heartening to see. A large number of clergy, including the abbot, the prior, and many of the Norbertine canons, assistedMinisters were provided by the Institute of Christ the King, whose founder and head, Msgr. Gilles Wach, was also present. The liturgy, for the feast of St. Teresa of Jesus, was conducted with the utmost beauty and reverence. The choir sang with great finesse Palestrina'sand a number of other Renaissance motets; the organist, for his part, was simply outstanding as an improviser. The final 10-minute improvisation on the popular hymn tune that had just been sung by the congregation was positively Brucknerian in scope.His Eminence has graciously given NLM permission to publish his sermon for the feast of St. Teresa. It is a most beautiful meditation on this great Carmelite saint. A gallery of photos may be found at the end.Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, VirginBasilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MaryPremonstratensian Abbey of StrahovPrague15 October 20162 Cor 10, 17-18; 11, 1-2Mt 25, 1-13It brings me profound joy to offer the Pontifical Mass in this most beautiful church dedicated to Our Savior and to His Immaculate Mother under her title of the Assumption. I am grateful to almighty God Who has granted me to make pilgrimage to the historic Premonstratensian Abbey of Strahov and to pray at the tomb of Saint Norbert. I thank Father Abbot and all of the canons of the Abbey for their most warm hospitality, and I thank all who have prepared so well the celebration of the Pontifical Mass. In a particular way, I thank the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest for providing the assistance for the Pontifical Mass, even as I am deeply grateful for the presence of Monsignor Gilles Wach, the Founder of the Institute. With deepest esteem and gratitude, I acknowledge the presence of Knights and Dames of the Grand Priory of Bohemia of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, of which I am privileged to be the Cardinal Patron. I take the occasion to express once again my gratitude to Lucie Cekotova and to all who have worked with her to organize my visit to your beloved homeland, the Czech Republic. In deepest gratitude, I offer the Holy Mass for the intentions of the Church in the Czech Republic and the intentions of Strahov Abbey.Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor of the Church. We recall the heroic sanctity of her life and its many fruits, including the reform of the Carmelite Order, which she carried out together with Saint John of the Cross, and her spiritual writings which continue to inspire and strengthen many souls to seek more perfect union with God. The life and death of Saint Teresa open our eyes to contemplate the mystery of Christs love, which is daily at work in our souls. Dom Prosper Gueranger, commenting on todays feast, extolled the great gift of her spiritual writings:Christ called Saint Teresa to give herself totally  in every fiber of her being  to Him, in order that she might bring His light and love to her brothers and sisters. From His glorious pierced Heart, Christ poured forth the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit into the heart of Saint Teresa, so that, she, as His bride through religious profession, could be the effective sign and instrument of His pure and selfless love.Reflecting upon her life in Christ, we come to understand the words of Saint Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians. Addressing the members of the Church at Corinth, who had come to life in Christ through Saint Pauls sacred ministry, Saint Paul declares: [F]or I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God. For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Cor 11, 2). The grace of the Holy Spirit, which came into the life of Saint Teresa of Avila and comes into our lives through the Apostolic ministry, espouses the Church as His Bride to Christ, her one and only Bridegroom. The jealousy of Saint Paul for the members of the Church is the jealousy of Christ Who does not want anyone who has become one with Him through faith and baptism to stray from Him and, thus, lose the gift of eternal salvation in Him.The Parable of the Ten Virgins helps us to understand the mystery of Christs life at work in the life of Saint Teresa and in each of our lives, producing a rich harvest of holiness of life (cf Mt 15, 1-13). At the same time, it makes clear that Christs life in us depends upon our free response, our response of love to His immeasurable and ceaseless love of us in the Church. The wise virgins treasure, most of all, their consecration to the bridegroom and, therefore, they take care that their lamps always burn brightly to receive the bridegroom at his coming. So, too, we who belong totally to Christ, by the works of His love, keep ourselves ready to meet Christ at His Coming, both in the circumstances of our daily Christian life but also on the Last Day, when He will return in glory to restore all creation to the Father. Like the wise virgins, we know that there is nothing more important than to be vigilant, at all times, in waiting for Christ and in welcoming Him into our lives. Our Lord speaks to us at the conclusion of the Parable of the Virgins: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour (Mt 25, 13).The foolish virgins grow careless about the gift of their bond with the bridegroom. His coming, therefore, takes them by surprise, and they are not ready to welcome him. So, too, we are tempted to lose the sense of wonder at the great mystery of Gods love which rescues us from the snares of Satan and fills us with divine love. In little and big ways, we are tempted to be inattentive to daily communion with Christ through prayer, devotion, participation in the Holy Eucharist, the daily examination of conscience and act of contrition, and the regular meeting with Christ in the Sacrament of Penance. Instead of giving our hearts totally to Christ, as we are called to do, we begin to live more and more for ourselves and for certain earthly goods and pleasures which, at any given moment, can distract us from the true source of our freedom and joy, Christ, our one and only Bridegroom.Saint Teresa is a powerful example of the heroic virginal love of Christ, to which we are all called. From her first intimation of Christs call to the religious life, she responded with all her heart. No matter how much resistance she encountered on the way of following Christ in the religious life, especially in the reform of the Carmelite Order, whether it came from her family, from her fellow religious in the Order, or from the society in which she was living, Christ was always first in her life. In a most wonderful way, her joy in spending hours in prayer, especially before the Most Blessed Sacrament, was a sign of her wisdom and fidelity as a bride of her Eucharistic Lord. As a wise virgin, she, through prayer and the life of the Sacraments, kept an abundance of oil for the lamp of her daily Christian living, so that she was always ready to meet our Lord, at His coming.May Saint Teresa of Jesus teach us to persevere in trust, as she did in the face of much opposition and many trials. May she assist us in accepting with joy our suffering with Christ, so that we may enjoy with Him the unending joy of His Resurrection. Referring to Saint Teresas motto, To suffer or to die,[2] Dom Prosper Gueranger, citing the great preacher Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, reminds us of the timeliness of the spiritual doctrine of Saint Teresa, embodied in her life and death:With Saint Teresa, we are certain that, if only we give our hearts to Christ, our one and only Bridegroom, the evils we encounter in our personal lives and in society will be overcome by the immeasurable and enduring truth, goodness and beauty of Christ, which is made visible to us in the Sacred Liturgy, above all, in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. May Saint Teresa teach us to imitate her in fidelity to prayer and devotion, and to the life of the Sacraments, above all the Holy Eucharist and Penance, so that Christ may transform us and our world, in accord with His unceasing desire that all men be one with Him, that all men be saved for eternal life.Let us now lift up our hearts, one with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus through His Eucharistic Sacrifice. Resting our hearts in His Most Sacred Heart, we will find the healing of our sins and the strength of divine love, in order to do Gods will in all things. Let us, with Mary Immaculate and Saint Teresa of Jesus, be confident that, from His Sacred Heart, there flows unceasingly and without measure the grace of the Holy Spirit, which overcomes sin in our lives and in the world, and prepares us and the world to welcome our Lord, at all times and at His Final Coming, with our lamps burning brightly.Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.O Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us.Saint Joseph, Foster-Father of Jesus and true Husband of the Virgin Mary, pray for us.Saint Norbert, pray for us.Saint Teresa of Jesus, pray for us.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.Photographs  Lucie Hornikova, from Clovek a vira
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Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth).
A new genetic testing method developed at Western University called LipidSeq can identify a genetic basis for high-cholesterol in almost 70 per cent of a targeted patient population. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, researchers were able to pinpoint specific areas of a person's DNA to more effectively diagnose genetic forms of high-cholesterol, which markedly increase risk for heart attack and stroke.

Dr. Rob Hegele, a Distinguished University Professor at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and a scientist at Robarts Research Institute says this new method provides a more cost-effective way to find these genetic links rather than sequencing the entire genome. By pre-identifying patients who have a personal and familial history of high-cholesterol, LipidSeq was able to find a genetic mutation in 67 per cent of those tested.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"Previous studies showed little yield in doing genetic testing," said Hegele, who is also an endocrinologist at London Health Sciences Centre, a Lawson Health Research Institute scientist and a world-leading expert in lipid metabolism disorders. "This new method shows there is a benefit, especially when you can add the extra step of medically selecting those with a familial history of the disease."

The study, published online today in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, used the LipidSeq method on 313 patients with LDL cholesterol levels above 5.0 mmol/L who had been referred to the lipid clinic at LHSC. From those patients, LipidSeq was able to identify a genetic mutation in 67 per cent. Fifty-four per cent were single gene mutations, and the other 13 per cent were polygenic DNA variants, meaning they were a combination of multiple bad genes inherited together. The study also showed that the percentage of individuals with an identified genetic component increased as cholesterol levels in the patient increased.

LipidSeq has already been licensed for use in the U.S. to help clinicians identify patients with genetically-based high-cholesterol in order to guide drug prescriptions. Hegele says that while statins, a typically prescribed class of drugs for high cholesterol, work well in the majority of the population, they don't bring cholesterol down to target levels in those with severe genetic-forms of the disease. A new class of biologic drugs came onto the market in Canada last year, and while more effective for treating high-cholesterol, they are also more expensive.
In the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of genetic risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease in African Americans, a research team has identified two regions of the genome (loci) associated with ulcerative colitis only in people of African descent.

The study was led by Emory University, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Cedars-Sinai and is published online in the journal Gastroenterology.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic autoimmune diseases that affect as many as 1.4 million Americans. Patients with these inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have immune systems that attack their own intestines, resulting in inflammation. Although historically a disease of the developed world and populations of European ancestry, recent years have seen a steady increase in reported cases of IBD in African-Americans.

In more than 1,000 studies of IBD genetics in white and Asian populations, more than 200 susceptibility loci for IBD have been identified in populations of predominantly European ancestry, and at least 35 loci have been identified in Asians, with a few that appear to be Asian-specific.

The research team hypothesized that a high-density GWAS of IBD in African-Americans could identify population-specific variants, further define IBD genetic architecture, and expose novel disease mechanisms.

"Although most human gene mapping has been done in people of European background, inflammatory bowel disease is not race-specific," says Subra Kugathasan, MD, professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and corresponding author of the study. "Genome-wide studies lag behind in non-European populations, and African-Americans are the last group not to be studied specifically. As new therapies are developed, it will be important to know the genotype of individuals we are treating."

In the current study, conducted at 35 institutions in the United States and Canada, researchers used the genome-wide association study (GWAS) chip to perform high-density, genome-wide scans including 2,345 cases of African Americans with IBD (1,646 with Crohn's disease, 583 with ulcerative colitis, 116 with unclassified IBD), and 5,002 individuals without IBD (controls).

The study identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) -- at ZNF649 and at LSAMP -- with genome-wide significance in ulcerative colitis. These SNPs are very specific to sub-Saharan Africans and are not found in any other populations - making these findings unique and novel. This is the first time African- specific loci are known to contribute to IBD, and these loci will be added to the already known 200+ loci in IBD to further expand the IBD genetic architecture. The team also found evidence of overlapping genome-wide associations for ulcerative colitis and IBD in African- Americans and other populations.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"The hope for genetic advances is that we will be able to develop new therapies and more personalized approaches to managing these chronic and potentially debilitating diseases," says Dermot McGovern, MD, PhD of Cedars-Sinai and co-senior author with Kugathasan and Brant. "These benefits should be available to all sections of society. This study is important, as it extends these possible advances to the African-American population, who may be at risk of more severe IBD."

The study's first author was Steven Brant, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Meyerhoff Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center. In addition to Brant, Kugathasan and McGovern, the study was authored by 40 other physicians and researchers in the United States and Canada.

"The detection of variants associated with IBD risk in only people of African descent demonstrates the importance of studying the genetics of IBD and other complex diseases in populations beyond those of European ancestry," say the authors.

In a previous study using the Immunochip genotyping platform, and also published in Gastroenterology, the research team had evaluated more than 1,500 African-American patients with IBD -- including 1,088 with Crohn's disease and 361 with ulcerative colitis -- from 35 IBD centers across North America and used 1,797 African-Americans without IBD for comparison. They found that gene variants within three of the most highly associated regions for Crohn's disease in whites -- NOD2, interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) and a region on chromosome 5 known as 5p15.1 -- are also important risk factors for Crohn's disease in African-Americans.

The authors summarize: "This first GWAS of AA IBD has demonstrated unique, African specific loci, as well as loci that are shared across multiple populations. While some of these shared loci contain unique association patterns and African specific risk variants, many contain universal risk variants (like HLA-DRB1) or risk variants that have arisen from European admixture (like NOD2).

"Given our results and the evolution of IBD genetics research in non-European populations, it is clear that further studies with larger sample sizes in the AA population are needed to identify additional population specific variants and novel loci, as well as more fully characterize the role of risk variants established in other populations on the development of IBD in AAs. Such research is paramount to allow for the future benefits of IBD genetics research, from risk prediction and family counseling to targeted therapies and eventually disease preventive strategies to be available for the under-studied AA population."
Today the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released recommendations for healthy exposure to digital media in childhood, and an interactive online tool to help families achieve this.

With the rapid development in digital media, many children are now brought up in a world where mobile phones, laptops and tablet devices play a central role in their lives. It is now common to see children texting on the street or sitting in a restaurant with headphones on and eyes glued to the screen of a tablet.

Although digital media can enrich a child's learning experience, excessive use can endanger healthy development. Children may spend less time outside playing with their peers in favor of sitting alone playing computer games or communicating via social media. In this way, children can lose out on important physical activity and social interactions.

Furthermore, staring at phone or computer screens can impair the quality of a child's sleep, which can be detrimental to their development and achievement potential. It is therefore important that parents set expectations and boundaries to make sure that a sensible balance is maintained between the use of media and other engaging activities.

Dr Chassiakos lead author of the technical report highlighted "Parents play an important role in helping children and teens navigate the media environment, just as they help them learn how to behave off-line".

Dr Radesky, author of a policy statement on the use of media in infants, toddlers and pre-school children, explains:

Families should proactively think about their children's media use and talk with children about it, because too much media use can mean that children don't have enough time during the day to play, study, talk, or sleep... early childhood is a time of rapid brain development, when children need time to play, sleep, learn to handle emotions, and build relationships. Research still suggests that excessive media use can get in the way of these important activities".

The AAP recommends that screen media other than video-chatting should be avoided in children younger than 18 months. Children aged up to the age of 5 years may watch up to one hour of high-quality programming. Such viewing, however, should be with supervision to help the child understand what they are seeing and relate it to everyday life. From age 6 years, children can use media by themselves but within consistent limits to make sure that such activities do not preclude adequate sleep, physical activity and social interaction.

It is important that families have media-free times together, such as meal times, and that there are media-free locations, such as bedrooms, within the home. Parents themselves should also limit the time they spend using mobile devices since high usage is associated with fewer verbal and nonverbal interaction between parents and children and may be associated with more parent-child conflict.

To help families achieve a healthy balance of media and other traditional activities, the AAP have developed a range of resources and an interactive, online tool so families can create a personalized Family Media Use Plan.

Sources
NPS MedicineWise has this week launched a new health professional program on ankle and knee imagingdeveloped in conjunction with musculoskeletal experts and in line with RANZCR, Australian Physiotherapy Association and Australian College of Nursing Choosing Wisely Australia recommendations and RACGP clinical guidance for MRI referral.

Australian data suggests that about 20% of all the sprains and strains managed by GPs in Australia in 201112 were ankle injuries, and about 5% were knee injuries. Ankle ultrasounds are requested in almost 40% of newly presenting casesdespite Australian guidelines not recommending ultrasound to investigate ankle sprains.

The new ankle and knee imaging program provides health professionals with an update on the latest imaging recommendations for the type of acute knee and ankle injuries that are commonly seen in general practice. The program includes key factors to consider when deciding whether to refer for imagingand, when imaging is indicated, guidance on selecting the most appropriate imaging modality.

The program also emphasises the importance of good physical examination skills, which in combination with patient history can be as good as imaging in diagnosing these injuries.

Dr Andrew Boyden, NPS MedicineWise Medical Adviser says that determining whether an investigation is indicated can be challenging in clinical practice, in both balancing the benefits for appropriate investigation with the potential harms, while also managing patient expectations.

One factor to consider in balancing the risks and benefits of imaging is that the discovery of incidental findings can lead to unnecessary tests or treatments and their associated risks. Notably, incidental meniscal tears seen on MRI are reasonably common in the general adult population, particularly in older people, he says.

Patients can benefit through gaining a better understanding that in the case of strains, imaging is often unlikely to make any difference to management or speed of recovery.

The program provides an update and refresher on physical examination to diagnose acute ankle and knee injuries such as fracture, ACL tear and meniscal injury and lateral ankle sprain and provides resources to assist GPs provide reassurance to patients that imaging is not always required to investigate ankle and knee injuries. The program outlines:

Guidelines (Ottawa Rules, RACGP) that promote physical examination and history-taking to identify likely ankle and knee injury

Indications and considerations following knee and ankle injury which warrant imaging and the imaging modality to request.

Role of conservative management

How to talk with patients when theyre expecting/requesting imaging which may not be clinically indicated.

The ankle and knee imaging program includes:

Educational visits for GPs  register your interest now

Choosing Wisely Australia campaign  view RANZCR, Australian Physiotherapy Association and Australian College of Nursing recommendations for imaging for acute ankle injury

An NPS MedicineWise Action Plan to help health professionals have good conversations with patients about the best care for their injury, and to assist patients with self-management of ankle sprains and routine knee injuries

Health professional publication Medicinewise News: Acute knee pain presentations in middle-aged patients: what role does MRI play?

Interactive online case study for GPs

New evidence-based, best practice videos demonstrating physical examination tests and Ottawa Rules for the diagnosis of common acute ankle and knee injuries.

Further information

For more information, go to nps.org.au/ankle-knee-imaging
A new study has identified a mechanism used by tumors to recruit stem cells from bone and convert them into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that facilitate tumor progression. This work, which pinpoints the specific biochemical pathways and cell signaling molecules involved in these processes, could lead to new therapeutic targets for suppressing tumor growth, as discussed in an article in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com/).

A team of researchers from China, led by Xue Yang and Xiong-Zhi Wu, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, and Tianjin Medical University and General Hospital, describe their results in the article entitled "bFGF Promotes Migration and Induces Cancer-associated Fibroblasts Differentiation of Mouse Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Promote Tumor Growth (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/scd.2016.0217)." The authors show that breast cancer cells use basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) signaling to help them attract bone mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and induce their conversion into CAFs. They present evidence of the pro-tumor effects of stem cell recruitment and CAFs, primarily through their effects on the tumor microenvironment.

"Here we have for the first time a mechanistic underpinning of how a tumor might recruit MSCs and induce their conversion to cancer-associated fibroblasts which then facilitate tumor progression," says Editor-in-Chief Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI. "The crucial role of bFGF signaling provides not only a greater understanding of the process, but also suggests therapeutic targets."
New York: AT&T Inc is in advanced talks to acquire media conglomerate Time Warner Inc, and a deal could come as early as this weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported.



The talks around the cash-and-stock deal have come together quickly, the Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.



Time Warner's shares were up 8.2 percent at $89.77 in late morning trading. AT&T was down 2 percent at $37.87.



Time Warner, which has a market value of about $65 billion, is an attractive target because of its premium cable channel HBO, the CNN news network, film studio Warner Bros and other media assets.



AT&T, which has a market capitalisation of about $238 billion, has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse, buying satellite TV provider DirecTV last year for $48.5 billion.



Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes has not been willing to sell in the past. The company rejected an $80 billion offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc in 2014.



AT&T and Time Warner were not immediately available for comment.



Bloomberg reported on Thursday that executives of both the companies had discussed various business strategies, including a possible merger, in recent weeks.




Yes sir, my team has reached out to him...already taken care of  https://t.co/14w1oS3k9d  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 20, 2016

Actor Akshay Kumar has offered help to Ravi Shrivastava, the ailing producer of his first film Dwarpaal.It was a Twitter user Sanyog Shrivastava, who pointed out to Kumar that the producer had no money and needed his help. The actor replied stating his team had reached out to the ailing producer.Ravi Shrivastava was the producer of the first project Akshay signed as an actor in 1991. The movie titled Dwarpaal was shelved and the actor debuted with the film Saugandh in 1992.Shrivastava was the one who helped Akshay in getting a role in the movie Saugandh."Yes sir, my team has reached out to him...Already taken care of," the 49-year-old actor wrote on Twitter in reply to one of his followers, who shared the link of the article on the ailing producer.Reportedly, Shrivastava has worked in over 250 Bollywood projects.Apart from that, Shrivastava has also designed posters for movies like Biwi Ho To Aisi, Teri Meherbaniyan, Hukumat, Tehelka. But now, in this hour of need, no one remembers him.With input from PTI
Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House is about to turn gold to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, for a night.



New South Wales Premier Mike Baird will visit the Opera House next Friday night to witness its colour change, Xinhua news agency reported.



Before that, Baird is expected to attend the traditional Hindu ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art here.



Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus worldwide, falls on October 30 this year.


The Indian border guarding force launched an aggressive offensive against the Pakistani firing, BSF said in a release, adding seven Rangers and a terrorist were shot dead in the retaliatory firing.

"You cannot take any chances. The guard is up. Troops are alert and vigilant and keeping a close watch. It is because of this alertness that we have foiled the infiltration bid," the IG said.

The Border Security Force on Friday said it had killed seven personnel of Pakistani Rangers and a terrorist while retaliating to a ceasefire violation on the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in which one BSF jawan was injured. The Pakistani army, however, said none of its soldiers was killed.Pakistani Rangers, the border force of Pakistan, resorted to sniper attacks at Indian posts at Hira Nagar in Kathua at 9.35am, BSF said.The Pakistan Army claimed there was no loss of life on its side. "Indian claim of hitting or killing any Pakistani soldier/Ranger with firing at anytime of today at LOC/working boundary absolutely false," Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said.Earlier in the day, one of the BSF constables, Gurnam Singh, was injured in a sniper fire attack by Pakistani Rangers on Friday morning in the same area. Singh, whose condition is considered to be critical, was evacuated with the cover fire to Government Medical College, Jammu.This firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated and that has claimed the casualties of Pakistani forces, the BSF release said.Fridays exchange of fire came a day after BSF foiled an infiltration bid by four to six militants, aided by cover fire by the Pakistani troops, in Bobiyan village of the same Hira Nagar Sector.At least one militant was injured or killed in that action by BSF on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday as he was seen being dragged by his associates.Earlier in the day, BSF Inspector General (Jammu) Frontier D K Uphadayaya said the ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers had taken place in two sectors.There were two ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers in Bobiya in Hira Nagar sector of Kathua district and Pargwal belt of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district today (Friday). We are replying in a befitting manner. We have inflicted heavy losses to them," he said.He said troops are on alert and mechanism is put in place to foil any attack by Border Action Teams (BATs) of Pakistan."Yesterday (Thursday) night fire was expected and they have retaliated and in this, one of our jawans has been injured. But we have also given the befitting reply and effected heavy loses on them," the BSF official said."They not only failed to infiltrate into this side but have also lost their lives and I have come to known through sources that one among them has been killed. They came back and befitting reply was given to them," he said.He said the terrorists are desperate to infiltrate into India and that is why they are trying time and again."Jammu is their main target to do some damage over here, which we will not allow. The morale of troops is very very high," he said, adding, "For me, IB is always very sensitive. We will have to be in strong position to give them befitting reply the way they want the reply."
New Delhi: Barely an hour after Rita Bahuguna Joshi switched to the BJP, and pictures of her with Amit Shah went viral, the mood in the Congress was mixed.



While party spokespersons were asked to go strong on Rita and call her an "opportunist" belonging to a "family of betrayers", there was another group which was strangely silent. Not all of them were "friends" of Rita . But what was common was that they all belonged to that part of the Congress which was increasingly being sidelined and looked over by the "new boys" in the party as Rahul and his team have come to be called.



Sitting quietly in his office, a senior general secretary, who at one time was seen often with Sonia Gandhi but never with Rahul Gandhi, offerred a cup of tea. He said, "I won't offer you tea bags, but the old-style brewed chai. I don't like the present fad of instant stuff." Then he looked up and smiled deeply.





The import of his comment was not lost. The veterans are slowly being eased out or forced to opt out. It's begun to sink in that they are irrelevant now. This general secretary said in response to a question on what will happen to the Congress: "Congress is now beyond any samasya and samaadhan" ( It's now beyond seeing and solving a problem ).



Rita's exit from the party is a sign that many no longer consider it a viable option. And especially for the veterans who want to stay relevant and pursue an active career in politics.



Sources tell News18 that there are many more waiting to cross over. Indications are that Congress working committee could be called any time between November 3 to 16 in which a call will be taken on Rahul's ascent in the party. This may finally end the leadership confusion, but will it settle the position of the seniors as well?



Digvijaya Singh, who has always said Rahul should take over, said:"I have maintained that it's high time the seniors take a back seat and let the young take over. Their time has come". Digvijaya Singh is one of the few belonging to the earlier generation who have managed to build bridge from Sonia Congress to Rahul Congress.



Many others who are not so lucky are waiting to press the exit button at the first opportunity. While some are those who have nothing left to do, a few others are those who are facing heat over their financial investments and deals.



Among them is a former chief minister who, sources say, has sent out feelers to the BJP that the government should go soft on their probe on him and if need be he is ready to quit the party.



In fact, Jayanthi Natarajan had faced this allegation from the Congress when she quit and blamed Rahul Gandhi for her exit.



Congress said Jayanthi was worried that BJP government would probe financial irregularities during her tenure as environment minister so she decided to buy peace.



After Rahul took over as vice-president many of these seniors got the message that they were a misfit in his scheme of things.



However, they decided to wait it out in the hope that Rahul would look at them kindly. That has so far not happened, and they are now making alternative plans.



One such person told News18, "I still have the political fire in me. I don't see Congress coming back any time soon. And the BJP seems to be the rising star and why should I not reach out to them."



The same leader accepted that every new leader brings his own team. And this usually means the easing out of the old. But there is a way to do it this, the senior leader told me.



"We ask for appointments and one hearing. But they just shove us out and when we plan to leave they call us names like betrayers and opportunists," said the leader.





But the Congress has a different take.



"The party gives you identity. None of us is bigger than the party. There are good and bad times and the brave and loyal stick on," said Raj Babbar.



Well, Manish Tewari was criticised for not having fought the elections, but was soon forgiven as Punjab elections approached and he was seen as someone useful to the party.



A senior leader from Uttarakhand said: "There are different yardsticks for different people. Some are quickly forgiven, especially those who can speak English. While others have to constantly go through agni pariksha."



Every party, especially in its bad days, faces exodus. And those who leave often abuse and strongly criticise leaders while doing so. But for the Congress the dangerous sign is that, as Rahul is poised to take over, there are many who are ready to stay on if Sonia still calls the shots.



Not a good sign for a prince who is about to be crowned.
At a Ted Talk in 2009, Nigerian storyteller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spoke about the danger of a 'single story'. She said her American roommate was shocked by her English. "She asked where I had learned to speak English so well, and was confused when I said that Nigeria happened to have English as its official language. She asked if she could listen to what she called my 'tribal music', and was consequently very disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey.For the world at large, there is a single story about Africa. It is a dark continent, with hardly any education, roads or healthcare facilities."For Irom Chanu Sharmila too, there has mostly been that single story of a frail young woman with food pipes permanently fixed to her nose for force feeding, as she continued to fast against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act. For 16 years while she languished in that one room inside Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, this was the single story about her. It is that story of a "living martyr", of an "iron woman" which Sharmila wants to break free from.Amidst the cacophony of noises, including some almost violent protests against her breaking the fast, Sharmila has remained steady. On July 26, when she declared her intent to break her fast, she said she would contest the upcoming polls. On August 9, after breaking the fast she said she needed 20 good candidates. And now as she launches her party PRJA or the People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance, Sharmila claims four of the twenty candidates have been finalised.She has so far put on a brave face, challenging the Chief Minister, "I want to become the chief minister to repeal AFSPA. Since Ibobi has kept all sections of the people in his constituency satisfied they may reject me. But I want to know whether people in other districts in general and the hills in particular are well looked after. Since my mission is to repeal AFSPA, I am throwing the gauntlet to the chief minister", in a way, breaking the single story of a passive fast with a direct political challenge.The last time I met her was last month when she was living in a retreat on the outskirts of the capital town. She had excitement in her eyes on the plans ahead and also in the freedom she now had. Something which was so brutally snatched away from her during those 16 years. She would excitedly point towards some of the rare birds that flew around. We asked her how it felt to be free again, she said words were not enough to express that . Almost as a proof, she gave us guavas which she had plucked after climbing a tree during her morning walk that day.But amidst this enthusiasm there was an unspoken feeling of being betrayed. Probably she has not been able to come to terms with how civil society reacted after she broke her fast. Probably the fact that her brother didn't take her home weighs heavily on her mind as she decides to travel the new path.While the jury is still out on Sharmila's support base , the fine art of electioneering is probably her biggest challenge today. Twenty candidates are not enough, you need dedicated cadres, polling agent for every booth, and to manage all of that , a lot of funds. Sharmila is currently being supported by a motley club of activists and friends. She faces the uphill task of setting up the organisation for her new party. When Sharmila first began her fast, there would be hundreds of women doing a relay hunger strike along with her, but that support base has dwindled over the years. The core team has also withered away.Sources close to her says she wants the party to maintain equal distance from both Congress and the BJP. But she did meet Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Admi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The meeting took place last month, when she was in Delhi. About a month before the meeting a couple of AAP leaders were spotted in Imphal, some say a meeting between them and Sharmila took place in Imphal . The meeting was however not about joining AAP but on tips Sharmila wanted to float a party.Given the fact that both have had a civil society background, these survival mantras could be crucial if she has to survive in this big bad world of electoral politics. But the fight isn't going to be an easy one. The Manipuri mothers' groups who were openly acrimonious to her, have now calmed down. But it looks unlikely that they will actively work for her party's success. Somewhere, that single story of 'fasting Sharmila' seems too predominant to cede space to the other story of 'Sharmila in action'.Manipur has had an Ibobi Singh-led Congress government for the last 15 years. BJP has emerged as the biggest challenge to the incumbent Congress. What can queer the pitch for Sharmila even more is the possibility of Olympian Mary Kom leading the charge or being the face of BJP's election campaign. The winning team of Ram Madhav and Himanta Biswasarma is often seen camping in Imphal. As the BJP tries to put up a strong fight, it also makes Sharmila's game difficult against a government which is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave.Will she survive? What will she do if the polls send her to political oblivion? But then did anyone expect AAP to win 67 seats in Delhi? As Babloo Loitongbam, one of the most respected face in Imphal's civil society points out, "When she started the fast there was hardly a single camera, no one even knew her, but on the day she broke her fast, there were more cameras than Imphal had ever seen before.Don't give up on her just yet."
Thiruvananthapuram: Leggings and jeans don't look professional for young doctors. At least that is what authorities at Government Medical College Trivandrum said. A circular by the Vice-principal states that necessary steps should be taken to make students follow the dress code.



The dress code states students should dress neat and clean. Girls should wear formal dress which is either saree or churidhar with hair put up. They are not allowed to wear leggings, jeans or short tops and boys should wear formal dress with shoes, no jeans, T-shirts or any other casual dress.



When contacted DR K Girijakumari, Vice Principal of the government medical college said, "This is not a new rule. We have been issuing this every year. The idea behind this is that the students should come neatly dressed. Right now many dress very shabbily."



But when asked about the logic behind banning leggings she said it was an institutional level decision. But after the media reported the issue the Vice principal said, "If the students have any protest they can come and discuss with us. We are their teachers. Our only idea was that they should dress neatly and professionally."



Students said that when the first years join they are told about the dress code and given a printed paper but this is the first time in the middle of the academic section such a circular was issued for students of all years.



Student representatives said that they also understand the part that they should dress neatly but banning jeans and leggings is not acceptable.



Student say that many a time they don't protest worried about the internal and viva marks. The students association is now planning to write a letter to the principal in this regard.



Some faculty members too are unhappy with this dress code. Dr Santosh Kumar, president of confederation of medical college doctors and Deputy Superintendent of medical college hospital said that the decision is irrational, unscientific and gender biased. He added that the main issue is the undemocratic way in which this was done and there should have been a discussion with students.



Dr Santosh Kumar said, "Some years back only saree was allowed. Changes should be made in the dress code according to changing times. Who decides what is pleasing for the patients? If you are allowing female students to wear saree then male students should be allowed to wear Mundu also? What is wrong with leggings."



The doctor added that he had voiced his opinion in the meeting of the HOD's and hospital administrators.



Meanwhile, the Vice Principal said that if students have any issues they can hold discussions.
Jammu: A BSF jawan was on Friday injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire for the fourth consecutive day along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district.



BSF troops had on Thursday foiled a major infiltration bid in the same area by a group of six terrorist.



"Pakistani Rangers resorted to small arms firing on a forward border out post (BoP) along the IB in Bobiya area of Hiranagar sector in the district at 0945 hours today," BSF officer said, adding the Indian troops retaliated.



Pakistani troops used small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm mortars bombs to target Indian positions, he said.



Indian and Pakistani troops are exchanging fire for past four days in the sector.



"BSF troops guarding the borderline took positions and retaliated, resulting in the exchange which continued for over 15 minutes," he said, adding one BSF jawan was injured in the firing.



According to unconfirmed reports, a Pakistani ranger was either injured or killed in retaliatory action.



With this, the number of ceasefire violations along the IB and the LoC in the state after surgical strikes by the Indian Army in PoK has risen to 31.



Pakistani troops had o Thursday heavily shelled areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.






Los Angeles: Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan says he is distressed by the deceptive use of his image in Indian pan masala brand's advertisement.



The actor said that he was deeply shocked and saddened to learn the pan masala product he was advertising may include ingredients that can cause cancer, reported People magazine.



Brosnan said he has the "greatest love and affection for India and its people."



"As a man who has spent decades championing women's healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar's unauthorized and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products. I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one's health," Brosnan said in a statement.



The 63-year-old James Bond star said his contract stated that he was to advertise a "breath freshener/tooth whitener," which wouldn't include an ingredient that turns saliva red.



According to the actor he agreed to advertise a single product only, and that it was presented as "all-natural containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient."



"Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting women's healthcare and research programs that improve human health and alleviate suffering," the statement continued.



Brosnan has demanded the company to remove his image from all their products, and assured that he had no knowledge that he was endorsing items that would have a negative or painful reaction in India.



"I shall endeavor to rectify this matter. In the meantime, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to all whom I have offended," the statement concluded.



The actor received a lot of flak and was even trolled on Twitter for featuring in advertisement of the pan masala brand.



Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan says he is distressed by the deceptive use of his image in Indian pan masala brand's advertisement.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday paid homage to the police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty as the nation marked the National Police Commemoration Day.



Singh laid a wreath at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Director of the Intelligence Bureau Dineshwar Sharma and other senior police and paramilitary officers.



The National Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 to remember the martyrdom of security personnel.



"On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day today, I salute all those brave police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty," Singh said.



The Director of the Intelligence Bureau said that 473 policemen were killed in the line of duty in various parts of the country between September 2015 and August 2016.



The day is observed in the memory of the policemen who were killed while taking on Chinese forces at a place called 'Hot Springs' in Ladakh in 1959 when they were guarding the Indian border.



Other paramilitary forces like CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB and NSG will hold events at their respective locations to mark the say.


New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed Parsvnath developers to hand over possession of a flat in its Gurgaon project to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in two days.



A bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said "the possession of flat shall be handed over to the respondent in two days" and said Rathore should not pay any more amount to the developer.



The apex court said the issue of compensation to be paid by the realty firm to Rathore for the delayed possession would be dealt with at a later stage of the hearing.



During the hearing, counsel appearing for the builder said the flat was ready and they could handover possession.



Rathore had booked a flat in Parsvnath's Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it. The firm was to deliver the flat in 2008-09. In January this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had directed the builder to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.



Earlier, the apex court had rapped real-estate firms for making tall claims to purchasers which remained unfulfilled due to inordinate delay in completing the housing projects.



The court had on October 18 directed the SC registry to disburse Rs 12 crore, deposited by real estate firm Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd, to 70 home buyers on pro-rata basis after proper identification.



It had also directed the firm to deposit Rs 10 crore by December 10 with Supreme Court registry.



The apex court's observation had come after Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd had said it would give the flats to 70 home buyers, who are before the court, by December 17.








New Delhi: Cross-border terrorism victims should be looked through the prism of human rights, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) should seriously examine these cases by going beyond the conventional perspective of violations, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.



"State was all mighty, police has all the power, that their excesses constitute violation of human rights, that is the conventional view. But today, there are people and organisations consciously and deliberately raising the flag of terrorism. Children, their parents and security personnel too are killed. Terrorists come and kill with impunity; CRPF jawans have their vehicles tossed up in a blast and they are killed... what about the human rights of the victims and their family," Prasad asked.



He was speaking at a function here to mark the foundation day of the NHRC.



"When we talk of human rights, we must consider human rights of victims of terror also," he said.



"There are conventional scheme of things on rights issue, but there are people who are abusing their rights with AK-47 in their hands, with grenade bombs with instigation from across the border, and killing the innocent with impunity, we need to revisit the concept of the rights of these victims' family," the minister said.



"Human rights of victims of terror as well as family members of men who sacrifice their lives fighting terrorists should also be protected," he said in a tweet.



The Law and Justice Minister, who also holds the portfolio of Electronics and Information Technology, said there is need

to focus on the rights of people suffering from HIV-AIDS and cancer as well.



"What about the discrimination faced by people with HIV, and cancer? Human rights encompass right to life and equality, gender justice and dignity too," he said.
Akhilesh himself was not too involved in it but he did have some suggestions after he heard the first version of the song. His suggestion was to have local instruments of UP in the audio track to make it earthy and connected, and have a Bhojpuri version too," Rizwan says.

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On November 3, Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will be embarking on a samajwadi Vikas Yatra to launch the election campaign of the party. Though the route of this yatra is yet to be worked out, the song that will be played has been decided.The focus of the jingle, written and composed by Rizwan Siddiqui, is to "repackage Akhilesh as a youth icon, on his personality rather than the promises netas make during elections".The 40-year-old filmmaker, a resident of old Lucknow, got in touch with Akhilesh in August, and soon he was on the job, designing an audio-video campaign for the Chief Minister.Over the next few weeks, Rizwan and his team, who work out of an editing studio in Indiranagar in Lucknow, will come out with the films, which will be broadcast on LEDs and cinema halls in Uttar Pradesh as part of the campaign.He narrates an incident recently near Clarks-Avadh Chowk that inspired his jingle  his interaction with 21-year-old Alok Tiwari who had voted for Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. He was a first-time voter then. Rizwan says Tiwari told him that "Akhilesh inspired him as a leader for the state but for the Centre it is Modi.Rizwan is quick to highlight that he designed the advertising campaign for the BJP during the Delhi elections in 2013, adding that he had also made such films for the Congress in the past. An art director and filmmaker, Rizwan's film Khaleel Khan Ke Faakhtey was showcased at the London film festival and Osian recently.An LLB from Lucknow University, Rizwan worked with several top-end advertising agencies in Delhi and Mumbai before returning home to Lucknow for its "easy lifestyle and kebabs".The recent upheaval in the Samajwadi Party's first family has meant that Akhilesh has not been able to give any time to discussions on films and other aspects of advertising. Rizwan doesn't mince his words and says like an UP voter this time  "This election is about Akhilesh, SP is nothing without him."
Chennai: DMK chief Karunanidhi was seen as the icon of Tamil identity when India was in transition. His third son Stalin was born on March 1, 1953, the same year when MGR joined the DMK. He was named after Joseph Stalin of Russia. Stalin along with his brother Alagiri grew up in a politically charged environment when leaders, including Anna, Kamraj and MGR, were active in the Dravidian era.



Stalin got his fathers permission to start the youth wing in Gopalapuram when he was still in school. He made his first public appearance for the DMK in 1967. He then started organising rallies for students and got more people to join the party. Stalin made headlines in 1976 when he was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) on the orders of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In 1982, he led the DMK youth wing and two years later, he was made the secretary of the youth wing. It may be noted that this was DMKs pet project and was a huge driver for the party.



MK Stalin became an MLA in 1996 and since then has taken charge of various roles, including Mayor of Chennai and treasurer of the party. Stalin was made the Deputy Chief Minister in 2009. Karunanidhi cited health reasons for making Stalin the second in command in the government. It was evident then that the move was meant to pave the way for Stalin to be his successor. The succession question arose when Karunanidhi hinted that he may retire from active politics when his dream projects are complete. Alagiri in an interview to a Tamil magazine indirectly said that there is nobody with the capability to replace the DMK supremo.



The DMK chief in 2014 suspended his elder son Alagiri from the partys primary membership, intervening in the tussle between the two sons. This move came after Alagiri attempted to fuel trouble within the party. DMK has time and again maintained that Alagiri has been indulging in anti-party activities but Karunanidhi told CNN-News18 in 2014, Alagiri came to my house on January 24 and complained regarding Stalin and troubled me and used harsh words. Alagiri told me Stalin will die in three months. No father can tolerate such words against his son.



Stalin has been the heir apparent to the DMK throne. In September 2015, MK Stalin began a two-month tour of all the 234 constituencies in the run-up to the 2016 assembly polls. This is the time he also launched a campaign -- Namakku Naamey (we for ourselves). While the DMK did not come to power this time, it won 89 seats, making it the strongest opposition in the history of Tamil Nadu. Stalin was made the Leader of the Opposition in May 2016.



On Thursday, in an interview to Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, the DMK chief said, Stalin is someone who has worked very hard from a young age. He has dedicated his life for the party and I naturally see him as political heir. I do not yearn for Alagiri."



Political observers say that Stalins succession is not new and that the party has reiterated time and again that Stalin will succeed Karunanidhi. Sumanth Raman, a political observer said, There is nothing new in Karunanidhis statement. The DMK chief has reiterated his statement this time. For the last many years, Karunanidhi has spoken about it. This is the de-facto thing to happen. There has never been a second opinion. Stalin has been active in the partys functioning. I dont see any scope for any misunderstanding within the DMK because Alagiri is not there at the moment. Stalins taking over is only a question of the timing.



Gnani, another political observer said, Karunanidhi made this clear two years ago. It is a settled issue. Stalin has taken over the party already. Party is under his control. Formally he hasnt become the President yet.




Chennai: Complying with a directive of Madras High Court, Tamil Nadu government has constituted a 20-member advisory committee of experts from various fields to assist the state Disaster Management authority at times of natural calamities.



State Advocate General on Friday filed in the court a copy of the October 18 government order constituting the committee headed by Dr K Satyagopal, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration.



The court had directed constitution of the committee during the hearing of a batch of petitions which found fault with the state government over release of excess water from Chembarmakkam Reservoir during December last year allegedly leading to the deluge in the city and suburbs and raised issues related to disaster management.



Revenue Secretary Chandra Mohan is the co-chairman of the committee that also comprises 18 experts in related fields. It was further informed that the Director of Disaster Management Authority will be the convener of the committee.



The first meeting of the committee would be held not later than a week, the Advocate-General told the court, which adjourned the matter to November 15 for further hearing.
London: Britain said on Thursday it would keep a close eye on a fleet of Russian warships approaching British waters on their way to the eastern Mediterranean.



The Norwegian military on Wednesday released pictures taken by surveillance aircraft of the fleet, which includes the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy battle cruiser, sailing in international waters.



British defence minister Michael Fallon said the Royal Navy would be watching closely.



"When these ships near our waters we will man-mark them every step of the way," Fallon said. "We will be watching as part of our steadfast commitment to keep Britain safe."



Russia's TASS state news agency said in July that the Admiral Kuznetsov would take part in a Russian operation in Syria from October to January. The warship would carry 15 Su-33 and MIG-29K jet fighters and over 10 Ka-52K, Ka-27 and -31 helicopters, it said.



Images released by the Ministry of Defence showed a British destroyer in the foreground and vessels it said were part of the Kuznetzov fleet in the background.



Russia, which has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with an air campaign against rebels fighting him, including in the besieged city of Aleppo, told the Norwegian armed forces the warships were on their way to the Mediterranean Sea, Norwegian media reported.




Washington: Secretary of State John Kerry has described North Korea's government as "an illegal and illegitimate regime."



Kerry used the unusually tough language as he met Kuwait Foreign Minister Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah on Friday and credited the Gulf nation for its efforts in countering the North's proliferation activities.



Kerry said Kuwait has "recently taken steps to curb flights and to make sure that revenues from workers are not sustaining an illegal and illegitimate regime in North Korea."



The U.S. routinely condemns North Korea's nuclear and missile tests as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions and is also deeply critical of the North's human rights record.



It is less typical for U.S. officials to question directly the legitimacy of the hereditary regime of leader Kim Jong Un.




San Francisco: Donald Trump's attorneys asked a US judge to bar accusations about his personal conduct that have arisen during the presidential election campaign, which would include allegations of sexual misconduct, from the upcoming civil trial over Trump University.



Students at Trump University claim they were defrauded by its real estate seminars.



Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has faced allegations from women that he inappropriately touched them. Trump has denied those accusations.



In a court filing late on Thursday, attorneys for Trump said evidence and statements from the election campaign should be barred from trial because they could unfairly prejudice the jury. The trial is set to begin on Nov. 28.



Evidence including Trump's campaign speeches, tweets, his tax issues and controversy over his personal charity should not be considered by jurors, the filing said.



"Before trial begins in this case, prospective members of the jury will have the opportunity to cast their vote for president," Trump's lawyers wrote. "It is in the ballot box where they are free to judge Mr. Trump based on all this and more."



Trump's lawyers had argued that the lawsuit, filed in 2013 in a San Diego federal court, should be dismissed because the New York real estate mogul, while personally involved in developing the concept and curriculum, relied on others to manage Trump University by the time the plaintiffs purchased seminars.



Trump set off an uproar earlier this year when he accused the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, of being biased against him because of the Trump's pledge to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico. Curiel was born in Indiana and is of Mexican descent.
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Ian Alleyne: I am not fazed

At 6 am on Tuesday, High Court marshals accompanied by armed police officers visited one of Alleynes homes located at Rivulet Road, Couva and removed a quantity of household appliances and gym equipment. The items were levied upon for his failure to pay $734,000 as ordered by the court in a defamation matter involving contractor Junior Sammy, his son Shaun as well as Junior Sammy Contractors Limited.

Alleyne told Newsday he expects the bailiff to return in seven days time since the items seized including a fridge and stove were way below current dollar value.

He felt they were after his newly acquired studio equipment valued at thousands of dollars. But they parang the wrong house, said Alleyne.

Why would you come to that house when you know the value of whatever is in that house could never amount to the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I heard from a very good source they were looking for my studio equipment. He wanted it made clear that the he does not own the expensive equipment purchased for his new studio. That has been already bought but it is not on my name, Alleyne said. He told Newsday it is hard raising $734,000 on his own. Yesterday (Tuesday) was total embarrassment and demoralising, but so far I have weathered the storm. His eight-year-old son Israel Ian, an American citizen and wife Miranda Lorna, may have to consider returning to the United States to live because of how they were all exposed on Tuesday, Alleyne said.
Dow Just Had Its

Best Month Since 1976
(Newser)  If your visions of high-profile hedge fund managers include frenetic scrambling through paperwork, fielding endless phone calls, and scouring the Internet during never-ending workdays, those don't apply to Steve Edmundson, the investment head of Nevada's $35 billion Public Employees' Retirement System, the Wall Street Journal notes. Where other states' retirement systems try to come up with the most complex investments possible to beat the markets, the 44-year-old Edmundson has a different philosophy when it comes to day-to-day trading: "Do as little as possible, usually nothing," as the Journal puts it. And by "nothing," that means not obsessing over the daily fluctuations in oil prices, the elections, or even what Janet Yellen is up toan approach that's rare among managers of large pension funds, the New York Times noted last year in an article about Edmundson.

This laissez-faire tactic has served Edmundson well: His system's returns over anywhere from one to 10 years are competitive, if not better, than the pension systems of other states, including the largest public oneCalifornia's. Even Edmundson's desk looks like it's his first day on the job, with just basic office supplies, a few family pics, and a printerno fancy Bloomberg Terminal to monitor real-time market info. Edmundson is able to kick back by keeping the system's stocks and bonds in low-cost index funds, though one investment strategy expert (who held the job before Edmundson) concedes "doing nothing is harder than it looks" when it comes to showing such restraint. Edmundson's minimalist philosophy even carries over to lunch: He brings leftovers or a sandwich from home so he doesn't have to spend $10 each day. (A typical Steve Edmundson day, in the Wall Street Journal.)
(Newser)  Back in July, police in New York announced they were looking for a group of female grifters involved in a "Chinese blessing scam" that has taken off in Brooklyn's Asian neighborhoods, reports Jezebel. The women were said to eavesdrop on conversations to figure out what problems a person was having, then approach the person claiming to have "special powers" to solve said problemsfor the right price. Now police have allegedly caught one of those women, 44-year-old Xeukun Su of China, and accused her of approaching two different victims over the spring and summer and running off with $160,000. In Brooklyn, Xuekun faces eight counts including grand larceny as a hate crime, which carries a 25-year max sentence. She's being held on $250,000 bond and has been charged similarly in Queens.

Xuekun allegedly convinced a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant in April to hand over $140,000 cash and gold jewelry in a bag because her family was cursed; she said the objects would be blessed, and that the woman shouldn't open the bag for a long time in order to break the curse. (When the woman opened the bag, it was empty.) A second woman, a 54-year-old Chinese immigrant, suffered the same fate in June with $19,000 cash and more gold jewelry. But the New York Post reports that Xuekun's attorney says she is a victim herself, having been smuggled into the country with the promise of a better life: "She was told that she had to do certain things. She did not want to do these things. Her involvement was little, if any." Police are urging the public, especially in the Chinese community, to "avoid falling prey" to the scam. (This con has a happy ending.)
(Newser)  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad apparently believes there's such a big shortage of injured children in his country that people have to forge photos of them. In an interview with a Swiss television station this week, the leader was confronted with a haunting photo of 5-year-old Omran Daqneesh, who was injured in an August airstrike in Aleppo. "I think you know this picture. His name is Omran and he is 5 years old," the interviewer said. "Scared, covered in blood, traumatized. Is there anything you would like to say to Omran and his family?" In response, Assad slammed the White Helmet rescuers and claimed: "This is a forged picture and not a real one."

Omran's rescue was caught on video, and doctors have confirmed that they treated him. He "was scared and dazed at the same time. He wasn't crying at all. It seemed like he had been asleep when it happened," a surgeon told ABC News. Omran had an easily treated scalp wound, but his 10-year-old brother died of injuries suffered in the same airstrike. In the Swiss interview, Assad said getting rid of "terrorists" in Aleppo was the only way to protect civilians. "I'm not attacking people; I'm defending the people," he said. (Weeks before protests against his rule began in 2011, Assad insisted Syria would remain stable because he was meeting the people's needs.)
(Newser)  The story of an Italian woman who died after giving premature birth to twins isn't turning out to be a straightforward "complications during childbirth" story, with her family now claiming her doctor refused to perform a life-saving abortion, reports the BBC. On Sept. 29, Valentina Milluzzo was rushed to a hospital on the east coast of Sicily with complications in her 19th week of pregnancy, and she went into premature labor. For more than two weeks she was more or less stable, but things took a turn for the worse on Oct. 15: Her lawyer says one of the fetuses developed severe breathing issues, and as her own condition deteriorated, the doctor taking care of her refused to carry out an abortion she requested, reportedly noting he was a "conscientious objector" and saying, "I will not intervene as long as it's alive," Deutsche Welle reports. Milluzzo miscarried both fetuses, got an infection, and died Oct. 16.

Italian doctors are indeed a conservative lot when it comes to abortions, with government figures showing about 70% of OB-GYNs there balked at terminating pregnancies in 2013; in Sicily, that stat rose to nearly 88%even though abortion is legal up to 12 weeks, and after that if the life of the mother is in danger or the fetus has severe problems. Doctors are able to register as conscientious objectors to abortions, but sources tell the Ansa news agency this particular doctor wasn't registered. The hospital's argument: Even if it were a conscientious objection (and the hospital says the doctor never claimed that), outside specialists are recruited to carry out abortionsbut since Milluzzo miscarried naturally, there was no need for outside help to be brought in. In the meantime, Milluzzo's burial has been put off until the investigation into her death is complete. (This woman live-tweeted her 48-hour trip to get an abortion.)
(Newser)  A new communications behemoth may be emerging soon: Insiders tell Bloomberg that over the last few weeks, senior execs from AT&T and Time Warner have been discussing strategies including a possible merger. Reuters notes that telecom companies like AT&T have been making a "land grab" for media companies in recent years, and a merger would give AT&T assets including HBO, CNN, and Warner Bros. studios.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Time Warner is valued at $65 billion and AT&T at $238 billion. A merger of the two would create an entity big enough to create major antitrust concerns, and it's not clear whether a Clinton or Trump administration would allow the deal. Time Warner shares jumped 4.7% after merger rumors surfaced Thursday, while AT&T shares fell 1.8%. (Verizon's deal to buy Yahoo has run into difficulties.)
(Newser)  Praising Hitler is never a good move, even more so when you're a high-ranking state lawmaker. And yet: Kansas' House Speaker Pro Tem Peggy Mast described a quote from Hitler as "profound" in a since-removed Facebook post on Thursday. "Great quote from Hitler in the video," the Republican wrote, apparently forgetting to include a link. "Please listen to it closely. His words are profound! Let's start using discernment." Later, she said she'd meant to imply Planned Parenthood uses "the same tactics and deception used by Hitler regarding innocent lives" and shared a link to a transcript of testimony given before Congress by an anti-abortion activist, who used a Hitler quote on propaganda while speaking out against Planned Parenthood, per the Wichita Eagle.

That Hitler quote: "The receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan." In her testimony, Gianna Jessen made this connection, per the New York Daily News: "Planned Parenthood uses deception, the manipulation of language and slogans, such as a womans right to choose, to achieve their monetary aims." Mast added she "was not in any way agreeing with Hitler's words," but the damage was done. "How is there a great quote from Hitler?" House Speaker Ray Merrick's chief of staff commented. (Read more Adolf Hitler stories.)
(Newser)  Russia apparently wanted to send officials to monitor the Nov. 8 US election in three states and is very upset it was turned down, USA Today reports. Russian officials sent requests to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas asking to be allowed to have monitors at polling locations there. According to Politico, those three are among the 12 US states that have laws on the books that prohibit foreign observers from being at polling places. Texas and Oklahoma cited those laws in their rejections of the requestwhich Russian officials called "very harsh"while Louisiana blamed recent flooding and said it would be happy to reconsider in 2020. This apparently didn't go over too well, and Russian state-sponsored media is now blaming the US State Department.

One Russian lawmaker is accusing the US of "suffering from some sort of persecutory delusion," saying the US imagines "that Russians want to distort their elections." But so far, that's exactly what it appears Russia has been trying to do this year, a former Pentagon official says: "Russia has forfeited the role of independent observer." Meanwhile State Department spokesperson Mark Toner reiterates it's up to individual states if they allow foreign officials to monitor elections and calls this "nothing more than a PR stunt" from Russia. US elections are typically monitored by foreign officials as part of a multilateral group, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But Russia refused to participate in the OSCE this year. And as Slate puts it, Russia deciding it needs to monitor US elections on its own has "such an obvious agenda." (Read more Russia stories.)
(Newser)  Two of the most well-known names in vacuum cleaners have ended a two-year legal battle over just how much their products suck, the AP reports. Dyson, the British technology company known for its upscale vacuums, and SharkNinja Operating LLC, a Massachusetts-based company known for its infomercials and lower-priced vacuums, had sued each other over advertising campaigns in which they claimed their vacuums had significantly more suction or were better at deep-cleaning. Each company accused the other of violating state and federal laws through false and misleading advertising. A trial was set to begin Monday in federal court in Boston, but late Thursday, the companies filed a notice in court saying both sides had agreed to dismiss their claims. Both companies agreed to pay their own legal fees and costs and declined to discuss the decision to withdraw the lawsuits.

The battle began in 2014, when attorneys for SharkNinja sent a letter to Dyson saying it planned to introduce a new vacuumthe Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away Uprightthat would make Dyson's claim that some of its vacuums had "twice the suction power of any other vacuum" on the market" false. Dyson acknowledged that its claim became false once Lift-Away came out, but insisted it took prompt steps to eliminate the "twice the suction" advertising from the market, including spending nearly $1 million to replace packaging. But SharkNinja sued, saying Dyson dragged its feet, hindering sales and market growth of Shark's Lift-Away vacuum. Dyson filed counterclaims against SharkNinja over an upright stick vacuum known as the Rocket introduced in September 2013. The product packaging box for the Rocket included a promotional statement claiming it "deep cleans carpets better vs. a full size Dyson." A footnote said the claim referred to only one Dyson vacuum, but Dyson argued in court filings that the footnote was too small and inconspicuous. (Read more vacuum cleaners stories.)
Emergency Physicians were advised to be more aware of "spontaneous esophageal rupture" or medically known as Boerhaave syndrome after a reported incident of a man in California who entered a ghost pepper-eating contest landed himself in the hospital with a 1-inch hole in his esophagus.

"This case serves as an important reminder of a potentially life-threatening surgical emergency initially interpreted as discomfort after a large spicy meal," the authors conclude in Journal of Emergency Medicine where the case was published.

What is Boerhaave Syndrome?

Boerhaave first described the spontaneous rupture of the esophagus in 1724. It is a rare condition encountered by emergency physicians, with a high mortality rate. It typically occurs after forceful emesis.

Boerhaave syndrome is a transmural perforation of the esophagus to be distinguished from Mallory-Weiss syndrome, a nontransmural esophageal tear also associated with vomiting.

When patients die from a ruptured esophagus, the cause of death is likely a rapid and fatal infection.

Facts About Ghost Peper

The ghost pepper, or also known as "bhut jolokia," in its native India, is one of the hottest chili peppers in the world with a score "heat" of more than 1,000,000 of Scoville heat units (SHU) which is more than twice as hot as habanero.

Eating a single seed from a ghost pepper can cause severe burning in the mouth that lasts up to 30 minutes.

Ghost pepper ingestion case that leads to esopha Esophageal Rupture

A man who entered a ghost pepper-eating contest was rushed to the Emergency Department (ED) with severe abdominal and chest pain subsequent to violent retching and vomiting.

A CT scan of the man's chest appeared to show of spontaneous esophageal perforation and a left-sided pneumothorax. It means that his esophagus was torn and that his left lung had collapsed. The man was intubated and have been brought to emergency surgery.

During the operation, the surgeons found 1- inch tear in the man's esophagus. The tear was leaking food from the mixture of the hamburger.

The surgeons repaired the man's esophagus and re-inflated his lung, then placed him on a feeding tube so that his esophagus could heal. The patient was extubated on his 14th day in the hospital and on the 23rd day was discharged with a gastric tube in place. The gastric tube was only temporary until the esophagus healed.

Importance of Esophagus

The importance of esophagus is can be observed in as how many times you eat and drink. For everytime you swallow something you will feel your esophagus as it transport your food on your stomach by coordinated contractions of its mascular lining.

This case of Esophageal Rupture After Ghost Pepper Ingestion hopefully served to us to be more cautious in eating ghost pepper. Share this information to your love ones.
If you see Apple power adapters, cable and syncing chargers that are too cheap to be true, then youre probably correct. Some consumers recently bought genuine bad quality Apple product in Amazon, and they are starting to complain. Now, Apple is stepping up to stop these perverse activities in Amazon - well, it is about time.

According to Patently Apple, a lawsuit was filed in California on Monday against a New York-based company Mobile Star LLC. Apple earlier purchased power products directly from Amazon and found out that they were counterfeits. They looked like the actual Apples products, with boxes carrying the Apple logo, but had sham Apple serial numbers printed on it. In fact, Apple claimed that out of 100 iPhones and power products they purchased in Amazon, nearly 90% of them were counterfeit!

In the lawsuit, Apple maintained that, Counterfeit power products, such as those supplied by Mobile Star, pose an immediate threat to consumer safety because, unlike genuine Apple products, they are not subjected to industry-standard consumer safety testing and are poorly constructed with inferior or missing components, flawed design, and inadequate electrical insulation.

The potential safety hazard is alarming. Apple argued that, These counterfeits have the potential to overheat, catch fire, and deliver a deadly electric shock to consumers while in normal use.

Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson assures consumers that Amazon will not tolerate the sale of counterfeits. In a statement, he said, We work closely with manufacturers and brands, and pursue wrongdoers aggressively.

While Apple maintains that despite constantly monitoring retailers such as Amazon in its battle against counterfeits, fake Apple products continue to spread, increasing by the year.

Counterfeit products are fairly easy to spot. Apple retails power products at $35 while the ones sold on Amazon costs $9.35. So if the offer is almost too good to be true, then it probably is.
Samsung recently got back from the saddle. Despite its heavy losses with the recall and end of production of its Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is releasing a new "C" line of smartphones.

In a report by GSM Arena, the Samsung Galaxy C9 has already received certifications from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States and Telecommunications Equipment Certification Centre in China (TENAA), which will be revealed today. The smartphone runs through Snapdragon with 652 chipset, has a 6-inch full HD display with Super AMOLED display. It comes with 6GB RAM, and 64 GB of internal memory. The camera features a combo of 16 megapixels front-facing and 16 megapixels rear-facing camera with whopping 4,000 mAh battery.

The specs of Samsung Galaxy C9 is similar to that of Oppo R9s Plus. "Both phones include slot antenna design on the back," according to a report by Phone Arena. "The Galaxy C9 Pro will be priced at an equivalent of $474 USD, $45 cheaper than Oppo's handset," it adds. The smartphone comes in Silver, Gold and Rose Gold colors, with a home button fingerprint scanner. It measures 6.9mm and comes with a pre-installed Android 6.0.1 and TouchWiz.

The Samsung Galaxy C9 has an antenna design, with 3 narrow lines along the top and the bottom, sporting the same color as the back plate. The Android Authority agrees with the design, stating that, "But the part about TENAA's images that captured the most attention is the new antenna design."

The recent rumors and goings-on about Samsung's new Galaxy C9 show that this South Korean brand has not lost its luster - yet. Even the leader of the free world did not spare the brand of ridicule, recently releasing a joke about Samsung in relation to Obamacare. Hopefully they have already learned from their mistakes. After all, consumers might not be forgiving if they keep the fire burning.
New Delhi:

BJP MP Varun Gandhi strongly rejected allegations on him of leaking defence secret to middleman Abhishek Verma, terming them as totally ridiculous and said that he would quit politics if one per cent of the allegations against him are true.

Varun Gandhi became the centre of a controversy on Thursday over allegations that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma and arms manufacturers after being honey trapped, a charge he stoutly denied.

At a press conference, Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav released a letter written by Edmonds Allen, a New York-based lawyer, to the PMO last month that Varun was honey trapped and compromised by Verma.

Also Read: Varun Gandhi under attack over allegations of leaked defence deals

He alleged that Verma blackmailed Varun, a member of the Defence Consultative Committee, into sharing sensitive information on crucial arms matters.

Varun rejected these charges, saying he has not met Verma since 2004 and threatened to file a defamation suit against Bhushan and Yadav over the charges.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Mi-17 1V helicopter evacuated 18 lying casualties and 3 sitting patients on Thursday evening when the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and rolled into a deep gorge in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

At least 22 people were killed in the incident and thirty others injured due to accident on Thursday.

On receiving the information about the accident a helicopter was on standby and the unit technicians raced to air craft to help launch it without causing any delay.

The helicopter got airborne within 20 minutes of the first message being received.

When helicopter reached the spot it was already dark and there were obstructions, the pilot manoeuvred the helicopter into the narrow field.

As the last of the 18 lying casualties and 3 sitting patients embarked, the crew were ready to depart from the makeshift helipad.

Taking off in the dark, the crew navigated in the dark, using their years of experience and professional acumen to keep clear of obstructions in the route.

As the helicopter came to a stop the patients were disembarked into ambulances to immediately commence the lifesaving measures.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A major cyber-attack at the back-end system of a bank has suspected to compromised at least 32 lakh debit cards used in ATMs that are suspected to have exposed cards and PIN details to malwares at the back end.

The unprecedented data breach forced several banks to either replace or ask customers to change the security codes of their ATM-cum-debit cards.



News Nation Digital talked to Kanishka Kumar Dhibar, AGM, IDBI Bank, who gave a cautious insight about the incident.



In Dhibar's opinion, some foreign agency might have caused the breach which is, as for now, difficult to geographically locate as the hackers are shifting from one server to another to avoid detection. The hackers might have used malwares that remain dormant for about 5-6 months. They get activated later on and start collecting data through bank's system.



Dhibar also indicated that the breach can be used to syphon-off money from bank accounts or make payments to any third-party country. However, it is difficult to assess how sensitive the breach is as there has been no monetary loss reported to the RBI by any of the banks.



Also read: Debit card security breach: Cards fraudulently used in China and USA while customers were in India, says NPCI

Excerpts:



1. What significant measures should banks adopt while tying up with a third-party service provider for its ATM network and payment gateway mechanism



Answer: There are approved policies in terms of security and confidentiality and the third-party service providers are well aware of the terms and conditions but the risks are always high. Banks and service providers also undergo internal IT audits and IT information system check on a regular basis. Somehow, such breach may occur and banks consider them as operational risks. Even after adapting optimum precautions there are chances of a breach.



2. The banks have come in their defence by stating that it was more of a back-end security breach, with no intrinsic flaws in their system. How true is the same in your opinion?



Answer: From back-end we mean where the data is usually kept. So even a mail containing virus or a pen-drive infected with a malware can breach the back-end. Such things should be handled carefully and there are approved guidelines but no matter how much precautionary steps are taken, there is no surety how the things are taking place on a daily basis. There is always a chance of a breach and that can be costly.

3. What measure should a customer take on his behalf if his account/card has been breached due to such a security lapse?



Answer: A customer should be very attentive each time he receives a transaction alert through a mail or an SMS from his bank. He should pay attention to all the details about his bank debits. In case of any discrepancies, he should contact the bank authorities without delay. If such a situation arises, he can request the bank to freeze his account for a time being to avoid big monetary losses. While using online banking from a cyber cafe, a customer should ensure that the connection and the landing page he is getting on the computer is secured as such system are prone to malware breaches. So a customer should be well-informed and educated in such matters.

Also read: 32 lakh debit cards affected by security breach: HDFC, SBI, Yes Bank, ICICI and Axis worst hit

4. Are a large number of third-party transaction on ATM machines of a specific bank vulnerable to malware attacks? If so, can an alternative mechanism be thought of?

Answer: See, the online banking system and the advent of ATMs has changed the orthodox way of money transactions. On one hand it has made life easier for customers, on the other, it is prone to hacking. So it is a double-edged sword that should be dealt with very carefully.



5. Is it safe for customers to withdraw money from ATM of other banks if there is an urgency?



Answer: It is absolutely safe.



6. From a common man's perspective, how safe is his/her money in the Indian banks which have been affected by the security breach?



Answer: The customers shouldn't panic as their money is safe with the banks. The Indian banking system is very robust and banks are capable in keeping their money safe.
New Delhi:

One Border Security Force soldier was injured on Friday as Pakistani troops opened fire at the Bobiya post in Hiranagar sector, Jammu and Kashmir.



According to reports, the BSF unit retaliated after the Pak troops opened fire on the camp.

Update:

#BSF has gunned down a Pakistan ranger in Hiranagar sector



Earlier in the morning, Indian Army and J&K Police launched a massive search operation to weed out a terror hideout in Baramulla in Kashmir Valley.

Also read: Pakistan violates ceasefire at Bobiya, Rajouri and Samba sector; Indian forces retaliate

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New Delhi:

The National Zoological Park also known as the Delhi zoo remained temporarily closed for the fourth consecutive day on Friday over reports of a bird flu outbreak.

Development and general administration minister Gopal Rai visited the park to take stock of the situation.

"I visited the National Zoological Park with the zoo director following reports of a bird flu outbreak. There is no need to panic as the government is taking appropriate measures in this regard," Rai tweeted.

Rai is also expected to visit the poultry market in Gazipur later in the day.

The deer park in the city has also been closed as a precautionary measure. According to a notice issued by the DDA authorities and the National Zoo Authority, Delhi zone, all the gates of the park will remain closed for five days starting from October 20.

Read | Bird flu in Delhi Zoo: Health ministry calls meeting; close monitoring going on

In Madhya Pradesh, eight birds have died in Gwalior zoo in the past 48 hours from the infection, ANI quoted officials as saying.

Officials said that samples have been sent to the Jabalpur Veterinary University for investigation.

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Washington:

Britain has deployed warships to monitor a Russian aircraft carrier group and other vessels on Friday as they sailed through the North Sea and the English Channel reportedly en route to Syria's coast.

The frigate HMS Richmond escorted the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its task group in the Norwegian Seanorth of the UK between Iceland and Norway. The Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan has sailed from Ports mouth to monitor the group as heads south toward theNorth Sea. The Royal Navy regularly shadows ships, and is being supported in this instance by the Royal Air Force.

Russia is one the few countries which have the capability to deploy such a force,an aircraft carrier and supporting warships. "It's a clear and military signal that Russia is back on the international stage," said Peter Roberts, a senior research fellow for sea power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute.

The ships are sailing in international waters, so NATO forces such as those of Norway, the Netherlands and Britain will watch them go past without challenge.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alliance navies would monitor the Russian ships "in a responsible and measured way."

"We are concerned that the Russian carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which will increase humanitarian and human suffering," Stoltenberg said in Brussels.

The Russian navy deployment will increase its fire power inSyria, where it has conducted an air campaign in support of President Bashar Assad's army for more than a year. It comes amid an offensive by Assad's troops on Aleppo,backed by Russian warplanes, which has caused international outrage.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has urged her European Union partners to unite in condemning Russia's role in Syriaand bring an end to what she called Moscow's "sickening atrocities" there.

Russia announced a break in fighting in Aleppo on Friday, andthe Syrian military, using loudspeakers, called on residentsto evacuate. There was no sign of such a move. The pause to allow supplies into the besieged city comeseven as a US-backed offensive intensifies to recapture thecity of Mosul in Iraq from Islamic State militants. With turmoil in the Middle East, Russia is keen to showthat it is capable of expeditionary warfare in Syria.

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Kirkuk:

Suicide bombers attack Kurdish government buildings in Iraqs Kirkuk and killed 16 at an Iranian-run construction site further north on Thursday as troops advanced on jihadist bastion Mosul.

There was no immediate claim for the attacks but nearly all such raids have been carried out by the Islamic State group, which is attempting to defend its last major Iraqi trong hold against a massive military offensive.

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 40 kilometres northwest of Kirkuk, the mayor said.

"Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0830 IST), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians," Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP.

A police lieutenant colonel confirmed the casualty toll. The mayor said the attack led to clashes with security forces, who managed to kill one of the bombers before hedetonated his vest.

The other two blew themselves up once they were surrounded, he said. Hours earlier, a commando of suicide bombers armed with rifles attacked multiple locations in Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city 240 kilometres north of Baghdad, security sources said.

A Kurdish intelligence officer said four suicide bombers attacked the main police headquarters in the city at around3:00 am.

"The security forces managed to shoot one of them dead,the other three blew themselves up," he said. Several other targets in the south of the city wereattacked by what the officer said were members of IS, sparkingclashes with security forces that were still ongoing fivehours later.

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Ghaziabad:

Four people with two minors were taken to the Ghaziabad hospital after being beaten up and their private parts injected with petrol in Ghaziabad by a Politician's brother, allegedly on suspicion that they had stolen a mobile phone.

Doctors said they will need surgery to help with their body functions until they heal completely. The brother of a local Samajwadi Party leader, identified as Rizwan, is among the two who have been arrested and charged with "unnatural offences" besides other crimes.

Rizwan and his two friends Akil, Nadeem filled syringes with petrol from his bike and injected it. Rizwan and Akil have been arrested but Nadeem is missing.













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Jaipur:

An elderly couple was allegedly murdered in front of their differently-abled son at their residence, police said on Friday.

"Prabhati Lal (70) and his wife Sarju Devi (68) were strangulated to death last night. The bodies were recovered from the house today," DCP West Ashok Gupta said.

The couple had two sons, one of whom is vision and hearing impaired and lived with them, he added.

According to police, Lal was looking to sell a plot of land and had contacted several buyers in that connection.

"Initial investigation reveals that he took money from a party but did not hand over the land. This might be the reason behind the murder," he said, adding that the matter was being probed.

The bodies were taken to SMS hospital's mortuary for post-mortem.

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New Delhi:

A Pakistani journalist was allegedly slapped by a policeman while doing a live show in Karachi.A

Saima Kanwal who works with K-21 news channel, was manhandled by a Frontier Constabulary (FC) trooper.A

Kanwal was shooting for a live report on problems faced by citizens at Nadra registration office and the trooper who was deployed there as a guard tried to stop her.

The video of the incident is being shared extensively on social media platforms.

What is this? Will Sindh Govt stay silent on this as well? We stand with Saima Kanwal. Shame on Sindh Govt pic.twitter.com/SB014HSpIx a Farhan Khan Virk (@FarhanKVirk) October 20, 2016

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday directed Parsvnath developers to hand over possession of a flat in its Gurgaon project to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in two days.

A bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said "the possession of flat shall be handed over to the respondent in two days" and said Rathore should not pay anymore amount to the developer.

The apex court said the issue of compensation to be paidby the realty firm to Rathore for the delayed possession wouldbe dealt with at a later stage of the hearing.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for the builder said the flat was ready and they could hand over possession. Rathore had booked a flat in Parsvnath's Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it. The firm was to deliver the flat in 2008-09.

In January this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission(NCDRC) had directed the bulider to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.

Earlier, the apex court had rapped real-estate firms for making tall claims to purchasers which remained unfulfilled due to inordinate delay in completing the housing projects.

The court had on October 18 directed the SC registry to disburse Rs 12 crore, deposited by real estate firm Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd, to 70 home buyers on pro-rata basis after proper identification.

It had also directed the firm to deposit Rs 10 crore by December 10 with Supreme Court registry. The apex court's observation had come after Parsvnath Buildwell Pvt Ltd had said it would give the flats to 70 homebuyers, who are before the court, by December 17.

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New Delhi:

Promising swift action on the debit card data compromise issue, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das on Friday said there is no need to panic over the feared security breach that affected over 32 lakh cards.

The government, he said, has sought a detailed inquiry report into the issue and appropriate action will be taken once it is received. "Customers should not panic because these hackings aredone through computer and trail can easily be reached, they should not be alarmed.

Whatever action has to be taken, it will be done with speed," Das said on the sidelines of a German government event. In the biggest-ever security breach affecting the Indian banking sector, 32 lakh debit cards of various public and private sector banks are feared to have been 'compromised' by cyber malware attack in some ATM systems.

Several banks, including state-owned SBI, have recalled anumber of cards while many others blocked the ones suspected to have been compromised and asked their customers to change PIN (personal identification number) before use.

Fraudulent withdrawals have been reported from 19 banks sofar while complaints have been received from a few banks that their customers' cards were used fraudulently abroad, mainly in China and the US while the customers were in India.

Yesterday, department of financial services Additional Secretary G C Murmu said only about 0.5 per cent of the total debit card details were compromised while the remaining99.5 per cent cards are completely safe and bank customers should not panic.

There are around 60 crore debit cards operational in India, of which 19 crore are indigenously developed by RuPay while the rest are Visa- and Master Card-enabled.

"Since the data compromise took place from specific machines within a particular time period, it is just a limited issue and banks have asked their affected customers to replace their card or change their PIN," Murmu had said, adding that other cards are not affected at all.

The umbrella body of all retail payments system in India the National Payments Corporation of India on Thursday said all affected banks have been alerted by card networks.

Of the 32 lakh cards affected due to the malware function,6,00,000 were RuPay enabled ones. Complaints of fraudulent withdrawals have come from 641 customers and the total amount involved is Rs 1.3 crore as reported by various affected banks, NPCI said in a statement.

Talking about India-Germany relations, Das said various development agencies from Germany have committed 1.1 billion euro to be spent over the next year. Funding is being done in the area, which is a priority for the government like renewal energy, Clean India and Clean Ganga, he further said.

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New Delhi:

Countrys largest bank and commercial lender State Bank of India, has now advised its customers to use the banks own ATM network after the reports of major security breach of about six lakh debit cards issued by the bank.

The Bank advised to use SBIs ATM network only as a pro-active measure. Meanwhile, the bank is also aiming at replacing around six lakh debit cards within two weeks.

ALSO READ: (SBI and its subsidiary banks block 6.25 lakh debit cards after suspicious transactions at third-party ATMs)

Reports suggested that the Hitachi Payment Services were infested with malware that helped the cyber attackers to lift personal information from the cards (once you swipe to make your transaction) thereby releasing all the personal details to make fraudulent transactions.

For the Bengal circle the bank is aiming at disbursing Rs 1,000 crore towards retail credit during the festive season. To avoid any future instances of fraudulent practices, banks have been alerting the customers about the breach by asking them to change the security PIN or even replacing the cards.

ALSO READ: (32 lakh debit cards affected by security breach: HDFC, SBI, Yes Bank, ICICI and Axis worst hit)

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New Delhi:

With over 32 lakh debit cards compromised in India's largest banking security breach, the government on Friday went into damage control mode, assuring customers that there is no cause for alarm and prompt action will be taken.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asked RBI and banks to submit a report on the issue.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India, as many as 641 customers across 19 banks have been duped of Rs 1.3 crore using stolen debit card data.

The government asked regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as well as banks to provide details of the data breach and also preparedness to deal with cyber crimes.

"Have sought a report in the debit card issue. The idea is to contain the damage," Jaitley told reporters here.

Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said a report has been sought on all aspects.

"There is no cause for alarm, the integrity of IT system of banks is robust and whatever action is required, the government will take promptly," he told reporters here.

The government, he said, is seized of the matter and reports have been called from RBI and banks to know what exactly has happened.

A preliminary input "sort of report" has already come in and the government is awaiting further details from the final report, he said.

"After getting the report... whatever action is required, necessary action will be taken by the government," he said. Earlier, speaking on sidelines of a German government event, Das said, "Customers should not panic because these hackings are done through computer and trail can easily be reached... they should not be alarmed. Whatever action has to be taken, it will be done with speed."

Of the debit cards affected, about 26.5 lakh are on Visa and MasterCard platforms while 6,00,000 are on RuPay. The breach reportedly involved some 90 ATMs.

While Visa and MasterCard, in separate statements, have stated that their own networks had not been compromised, Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Payment Services, which manages some of the ATM network processing, was investigating the matter, including whether there was a malware problem.

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Islamabad:

Militant group Hizbul Mujahideen's chief Syed Salahuddin has sought Pakistan military's help over the Kashmir issue and mocked India's claims of "surgical strikes" in PoK.

"The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions? Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the mujahideen," Dawn newspaper quoted Salahuddin as saying.

Salahuddin, who is also chairman of and United Jihad Council (UJC), also promised to change the map of the region.

"If the mujahideen get military support, not only Kashmir will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change," he said.

Without elaborating the details of military support he asked for, Salahuddin said Indian military power cannot be defeated through diplomacy.

Mocking India's "surgical strikes" claims, Salahuddin said Indian troops did not have the courage or capability to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to conduct any such operation. "The propaganda has made India a laughing stock in the comity of nations," he said.

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New Delhi:

Security has been increased in New Delhi district in anticipation of a protest by JNU students before the Home Ministry at Raisina Hill on October 21.

The students have accused the university administration and police of being callous in tracing a missing student, Najeeb Ahmed.

Vehicular movement has been blocked on Raisina Road and police, and paramilitary forces have been deployed at and around the area after police received information that the university students would arrive here to stage a protest, a police official said. Ahmed has been missing from the JNU campus since Saturday.

Also Read: JNU students detained for protesting outside Home Ministry

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had orderedthe Delhi Police to set up a special team to trace Ahmed on Friday, evenas the agitating students decided to change their mode of protest after keeping the Vice Chancellor and some other topofficials under siege for over 20 hours.

Also Read: JNU missing student row: Delhi Police forms special investigation team following direction from Home Minister Rajnath Singh

The agitating students had said they decided to change their mode of protest and will no longer confine VC M JagadeshKumar and other officials of the university.

Also Read: JNU student missing row: VC, other officials come out of 'captivity' after a day of confinement

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday quoted Delhis garbage problem as alarming and asked the concerned authorities and AAP government to prepare a scheme for its timely disposal.

AAP governments plea of keeping its MLAs out of the ambit of cleanliness of the national capital was also rejected by the Supreme Court. AAP mentioned in the plea that it is the job of local bodies to keep garbage problem in check.

"It's a bully who blames others for problems. Don't say MLAs have no responsibility in keeping the city clean. You have large number of MLAs and you must ask them to spread awareness about keeping the city clean," the SC said.

"Garbage mounds near landfill sites are above 45 metres. These are almost like towers as like Qutub Minar. Height of Qutub Minar is 73 metres and these mounds are more than half the size. It's an alarming situation. Who is going to deal with it? You (government) have to deal with the problem," a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Adarsh Kumar Goel said.

The observations came when Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar appearing for Delhi Chief Secretary pointed out that near three landfill sites at Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa, there are garbage mounds of the height of 45 metres.

The bench asked Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the AAP had MLAs across Delhi who could create awareness among the people about garbage disposal.

Mehra said the MLAs have to look after several other responsibilities including construction of drains, sewers and roads in their constitutencies and asking them to create awareness was "just too much".

"Don't say that. It has to start from home. Your MLAs, your elected representatives, they should sensitise the people. Don't say that MLAs do not have responsibilities," the bench said.

The court while directing that MLAs of Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa areas to attend meetings with all stakeholders, also enquired about how much amount does each MLA get for local area development. It was informed that each MLA got Rs 4 crore as local area development fund.

The bench asked the Delhi government that it should be ready for future eventualities and not take measures only when the problem arose.

"You have to be ready for the situation. Now that avian flu cases are being reported, Deer Park has been closed. Dengue and Chikungunya cases are now low. You have to be ready for all situations," the bench said.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Supreme Court of India on Friday agreed to examine the rising cow vigilantism across states in the wake of recent cases of violence, against Dalits and Muslims.

The court was hearing a petition by Congress leader Tehseen Poonawalla that demanded a ban on gau rakshaks.

This courts decision may soon give an impetus to the ongoing debate on the cow vigilantism, violating human rights by targeting minority groups in the name of religious sentiments.

Incidents like Una, Dadri lynching have already intensified the debate on whether such fanaticism makes sense when it comes to human rights and security?

The debate on cow slaughter is not new however, there has been widespread outrage over cow vigilantism while there are many who demand ban on cow slaughter. Now the court has asked center and six states to respond by November 7, the next date of hearing.

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New:

In the wake of apprehending of a few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulating rumours regarding chief minister J Jayalalithaa's health status, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice HL Dattu said on Friday arrest may not be an answer and there are other avenues for checking rumour-mongering.

"People have the fundamental right to express. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer," Dattu said.

Dattu was addressing a press conference in Delhi to mark the foundation day of the NHRC.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, rumours have been running rife about her health on social networking platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.

To scotch such rumours, the local police have formed a team comprising private cyber experts to keep a watch on those who spread false information about the health and warned of stern action against those involved in such acts.

Jayalalithaa is still undergoing treatment at the hospital. Police have filed 43 cases so far over the rumour-mongering about her condition.

28-year-old, Mani Selvam, a bank employee, hailing from Ottapidaram Taluk, Tuticorin and 42-year-old Bala Sundaram hailing from Pammal, Chennai, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch personnel, police had said on October 13.

Two other persons were earlier arrested for allegedly spreading such rumours. Three specialists from AIIMS in Delhi had also flown in to Chennai for her treatment early this month.

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Mumbai:

Superstar Salman Khan has wrapped the Manali schedule of his upcoming film "Tubelight" directed by Kabir Khan.

The 50-year-old actor was filming in the beautiful locations of Himachal Pradesh for past two months.

"It's a wrap for @beingsalmankhan Manali schedule #Tubelight #Eid2017 We have 3 more days to go," Kabir tweeted along with a black and white picture of Salman sitting on wooden stairs.

The actor previously shot for the film in the picturesque locations of Ladakh.

The movie marks third collaboration of the actor-director duo, who have previously worked on blockbuster "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Ek Tha Tiger".

"Tubelight" also stars Chinese actress Zhu Zhu. The movie will hit the theaters on Eid next year.

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Mumbai:

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says he is not in favour of banning Pakistani actors from working in India.

Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, filmmaker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been at the receiving end of MNS' ire.

The party has said it won't allow the release of the film, which is set to arrive in theatres on October 28.

When asked if politics is getting mixed up with cinema, Dibakar told PTI, "It is nothing new. It has always been happening. But I am completely against banning Pakistani actors in India."

The "Khosla Ka Ghosla" director said it totally depends on the director who is facing the backlash, on how he reacts to the situation.

He was speaking at 'Half Ticket Young Adult Script Writing Workshop' at the ongoing 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival with Star.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.

Johar's multi-starrer film has been at the centre of a controversy since the Uri terror attack last month.

In the aftermath of the terror strike, various sectors demanded a ban on Pakistani artistes from the film industry.

Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka.

Director-actor Pooja Bhatt also criticised the demand to stall the movie's release, saying it has nothing to do with nationalism.

"It is neither nationalism nor blackmail. It is schoolyard bullying at its best & worst," Pooja tweeted.

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New Delhi:

The Border A Security Force (BSF) said on Friday that at least seven Pakistani rangers and a militant were killed and three others sustained injuries in retaliatory firing by Indian troops in Kathua along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir. "During the intermittent firing of small arms and area weapon, one militant and seven Rangers were shot dead," ANI quoted the BSF as saying.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has denied the claims. aIndian claim of hitting or killing any Pak soldier/Ranger with firing at anytime today at LOC/ working bdry absolutely false,a DG Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Pakistan, General Asim Bajwa said.

aPakistan Rangers befittingly responded. No loss on Pak side. Indians resorted to unprovoked firing in Shakargarh sector today,a he added.

The BSF's response came hours after one of its jawan was injured in firing by the Pakistani troops at the Bobiya post in Hiranagar sector of the state. A Pakistan Rangers, the border force of Pakistan, resorted to sniper attacks at Indian posts at Hira Nagar in Kathua at around 9.35 AM, BSF said.

The Indian border guarding force launched an aggressive offensive against the Pakistani firing, BSF said in a release, adding seven Rangers and a terrorist were shot dead in the retaliatory firing.

Seeking to suggest that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, the BSF said "source input" claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of 5 Rangers.

The strong response by the BSF came after one of Constables Gurnam Singh was injured in a sniper fire attack by Pakistani Rangers this morning in the same area.

Singh, whose condition is considered to be critical, was evacuated with the cover fire to Government Medical College, Jammu.

Earlier in the morning, the Indian Army and the state police launched a massive search operation to weed out a terror hideout in Baramulla in Kashmir Valley.

During intermittent firing of small arms and area weapon one militant and seven Rangers were shot dead: BSF a ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

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Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is interacting and progressing gradually, Director of Medical Services, Apollo Hospital in Chennai said on Friday. The hospital said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister continues to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and physiotherapy.

Earlier on Friday, NHRC Chairperson HL Dattu said arrests of people on the issue of rumours over Jayalalithaas health may not be an answer and that there are other ways of dealing with it.



People have the fundamental right to express. The Supreme Court has spoken a lot on this. It has in a recent judgement also upheld the right. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer. There are other avenues to check rumour-mongering, he told reporters.



The remarks of Justice Dattu, a former Chief Justice of India, come in the wake of a series of arrests in few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulating rumours regarding Jayalalithaas health status.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Friday dismissed yet another PIL in connection with the health of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, terming it as one more publicity interest litigation.



The PIL, filed by Dr G Pravina, sought setting up of an expert life saving committee, headed by the Chief Secretary. The petitioner said the panel should comprise specialist doctors from government hospitals and one member from the judiciary.



When the petition came up for hearing, the court dismissed it, stating, We completely fail to understand the intervention sought to be made by the petitioner in the matter of this nature and it is for the people concerned to determine the nature of treatment. It is one more publicity interest litigation.



On October 6, the court had dismissed another PIL petition as publicity interest litigation. Social activist Traffic K R Ramaswamy had sought a direction to authorities to spell out the real status of Jayalalithaas health condition.



Dr Pravina contended that Apollo Hospital retained the Chief Minister with unexplained necessity. The hospital had retained her for 20 days without explaining sufficient medical cause for such a longer treatment, she said in her petition.



68-year old Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London, besides a three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, had also examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support.

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New Delhi:

JNU students, who have been consistently agitating since the last six days over a missing student, staged a protest outside Home Ministry on Friday alleging inaction by authorities in tracing him. Nearly 100 students were detained in the aftermath of the protest.

With the agitated students keeping Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar and other university officials confined to the university's administrative block for over 20 hours, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had directed Delhi Police on Thursday to set up a Special Investigating Team (SIT) and trace the missing student.

Also Read: Security tightened in anticipation of JNU students' protest in front of Home Ministry

A student of School of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, allegedly went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before. An FIR for kidnapping and wrongfully confining a person was lodged at Vasant Kunj North police station yesterday after the police received a complaint from the student's guardians.

"It has been seven days and there is no sign of Najeeb. he was beaten up in front of senior warden of the hostel, security personnel and many students. All the eyewitnesses have given statement against the identified students but they are roaming freely," JNU Students Union President Mohit Pandey said.

Also Read: JNU missing student row: Delhi Police forms special investigation team following direction from Home Minister Rajnath Singh

According to police officials, around 80-100 students were detained as a preventive measure. Security was beefed up at Raisina Hill in anticipation of the protest.

Vehicular movement was stopped on Raisina Road and police and paramilitary forces were deployed in and around the area after police received information that the university students would arrive to stage a protest.

Also Read: JNU student missing row: Watch News Nation Exclusive interview with VC Jagadesh Kumar

The students also submitted a memorandum to Home Ministry officials demanding speedy investigation into the case. JNUSU decided to change the mode of their protest afterconfinement of the VC and around 12 other officials attracted criticism from various quarters.

Najeeb's family, which has been camping inside the JNU campus for five days, also joined them in the protest on Friday.

Also Read: JNU student Najeeb Ahmad goes missing after an altercation with ABVP activists

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Bhubaneswar:

Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Friday resigned as the Health Minister of Odisha following the fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives. Nayak handed over his resignation to resignation to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The Odisha CM has accepted the resignation and has sent it to the Governor. "Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has resigned on moral grounds, I have accepted his resignation and sent it to the Governor, said Patnaik.

The opposition Congress and BJP had demanded the resignation of Nayak. The fire tragedy, in the backdrop of the death of over 50 children due to Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri district, has come as a major ammunition for the opposition which had demanded Nayakas resignation.

On Thursday, the Odisha BJP had lodged a police complaint against Patnaik and naming them as accused in the SUM Hospital fire incident. Lodging the complaint at Capital police station here, the party demanded that Patnaik and Nayak be made co-accused in the case.

(With PTI inputs)

Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has resigned on moral grounds, I have accepted his resignation & sent it to the Governor: Odisha CM pic.twitter.com/T5NAf5YsEc a ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

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New Delhi:

Rocky Yadav who is accused of shooting Aditya Sachdeva on May 7 after verbal battle between the two is in the headlines once again for misbehaviour. Displaying hooliganism, Rocky manhandled journalists soon after coming out of jail.

Rocky was behind the bars for murdering Aditya in a case of road rage, who overtook his vehicle. Rocky Yadav is son of suspended JD-U MLC Manorma Devi and a historysheeter Bindi Yadav.

ALSO READ: (Bihar road rage: Accused Rocky Yadav confesses he shot Aditya Sachdev)

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejasvi Yadav says, Justice would be done to the family of the bereaved, when asked about the incident. Such incidents are on rise and point finger towards deterioration of law and order situation in the state.

ALSO READ: (Bihar road rage: JD(U) MLC's son Rocky Yadav arrested for killing 20-year-old Aditya Sachdeva for overtaking his car)

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New Delhi:

Congress on Friday latched on to biggest debit card breach in India to take pot shot at the Narendra Modi government telling the Prime Minister that it should take credit for this first ever "surgical strike" from hackers in the US and China.

"In China, Russia, Indonesia, the US, there are hackers who have stolen lists of 65 lakh card holders. While these lists were being stolen, the nations 'Chowkidar', Narendra Modi was sleeping," party spokesman Ajoy Kumar told reporters.

Demanding that the government make a full disclosure on the extent of this "theft", he wanted it to inform all those affected by this leak and ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their loss.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. And these lists were stolen on Modiji's watch. This government has a habit of saying that it is the first government to do anything. Well it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," he said suggesting that it should take credit for this 'surgical strike'.

He lamented that instead of the NDA government fulfilling its promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in each citizen's account by bringing back black money stashed abroad, "money is being taken out of the people's account in Modi's India".

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New Delhi:

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday recommended a total penalty of Rs 3,050 crore on incumbent players Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular for denying interconnection facility to newcomer Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have been slapped with a fine of Rs 50 crore for 21 circles each (except J&K). Idea faced the same amount of penalty for 19 circles each.

Reliance Jio, which launched its services on September 5, had approached Trai alleging that incumbent players were denying it sufficient number of interconnection ports leading to huge call failures on its network.

The regulator recommended to the Department of Telecom imposing penalties on the big three players after it found that the operators were non-compliant with licence conditions.

Denial of interconnection "appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti consumer", Trai said. The regulator stopped short of recommending cancellation of their telecom licences saying it may lead to "significant consumer inconvenience".

Reliance Jio has said its customers are facing 75 per cent call failures on Airtel, Vodafone and Idea cellular networks due to insufficient interconnection facility provided by the incumbent operators.

As per the service quality norms, not more than five out of 1000 calls should fail at the point of interconnect.

Coming down heavily on the erring operators, the regulator went to the extent of saying that the non-compliance of licence terms and condition "warrants" recommendations for revocation of licence.

"However, the authority is mindful of the fact that revocation of the licence will entail significant consumer inconvenience and therefore in view of the larger public interest involved, the authority recommends a penal action of Rs 50 crore per LSA (circle)...," it said.

When contacted, the companies refused to comment on the issue.
Pune:

Amid a raging debate over the issue of triple talaq, an 18-year-old Muslim woman, who was recently divorced as per the Islamic tradition, has refused to accept the talaq and decided to take up the cudgels against the abhorrent practice.

Arshiya Bagwan alleged that soon after her marriage two years ago, her in-laws started torturing her. She was sent back to her parents house in Baramati town near Pune, where she received a divorce notice from her husband a few days back, with the word talaq written three times.

Narrating her ordeal in a press conference organised by Muslim Satya Shodhak Mandal here today, Arshiya said she was married to one Mohammad Kazim Bagwan, a vegetable trader in the city at a tender age of 16.

After six months of marriage, my mother-in-law started torturing me for not conceiving. However, even after I became pregnant, the harassment continued, she said.

Arshiya, who is now a mother of an eight-month-old boy, said due to the constant quarrels and disputes at home, she was packed off to her parents house by her in-laws recently.

I tried to resolve the matter with my husband mutually. However, he also started avoiding me and even stopped taking my calls. A few days back, I got a shock of my life, when I received a notice from my husband in which he had declared thrice that he was giving me talaq, she said.

As the woman was not willing to accept the talaq given in an unilateral way, she approached the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal, a city-based reformist organisation.

Though I received the notice from my husband, I do not accept it and will go to the family court against this arbitrary method of separation, she said.

Arshiya, who had to cut short her education after completing Class XI, said that she always wanted to study further, but could not do so after marriage.

I will now pursue my education and will work with Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal (MSM). I will help women from Muslim community, who have been subjected to such abhorrent practices, she said.

Shamshuddin Tamboli, president of MSM said that the organisation will support Arshiya and all those women in similar situation.

In the coming days, we plan to hold symposia and meetings across the state to create awareness about triple talaq, polygamy and various other practices, he said. The organisation is planning to start a signature campaign against triple talaq.

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Allahabad:

Fifty-three passengers and crew members on board an Allahabad-New Delhi plane had a close shave on after the aircraft developed a technical snag and had to make an emergency landing minutes after take off, a senior official said.

Airport Director S R Mishra said the Air India flight no 9604, carrying 48 passengers, including a child, and five crew members, took off at 14:48 hours from the Bamrauli Airport here.

"At 14:54 hours, the pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control and informed that something was amiss with the engine and it needed to make a landing at the airport immediately," he told PTI.

He said full arrangements were made and the aircraft landed smoothly without requiring any emergency procedures.

The aircraft remained air-borne for about 14 minutes and may not have travelled more than five or six nautical miles, he said.

"All passengers and crew members are safe," Mishra said.

He said the passengers who desired cancellation of their tickets were given a refund.

"Those who needed an alternative arrangement, went by a taxi hired by us to Varanasi from where they boarded a flight for New Delhi," he added.

He said the incident is unlikely to affect air traffic between Allahabad and New Delhi.

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NEW MILFORD  Joel Spector died Oct. 13, but his art  lifelike portraits with piercing eyes  live on in a local gallery.

Eying Spectors work on a recent rainy day was Greg Mullen, owner of the Gregory James Gallery, which showed some of Spectors work in May. Mullen had bought one drawing, a portrait Spector had done of his own daughter, but kept several on display because of their beauty.

If I was made of money, Id own all of them, Mullen said.

He pulled a few more Spector drawings from a closet.

Theyre always around, he said.

Spector, a beloved artist who first came to America from Cuba just after Fidel Castro took power, died after a months-long battle with esophageal cancer. He was 67.

He was just 12 when he came to America with his sister as part of Operation Peter Pan, a mass exodus of unaccompanied children from Cuba, but he wasnt lonely for long, said Rowena Spector, his wife.

He soon made many friends across New York and Connecticut, she said. She didnt fully appreciate how many until more than 200 people attended his funeral, she said.

We were shocked, she added.

Spector, who made his living as a commercial illustrator and portrait artist, went kicking and screaming when the family moved from New York to New Milford in 1990, he soon become an arts institution in the small town.

He reached a level that most of us aspire to and never get to, said Diane Dubreuil, chairman of the towns Arts Commission. Spector had been on commission for more than a decade, she said. And his work  both his art and his volunteering  didnt go unnoticed.

You could tell it was his, Dubreuil said of Spectors portrait work. To do it you have capture their spirit, and he could do that.

He was also generous with his time and critiques, Dubreuil added.

He just liked everybody, she said. There are days as an artist when we all need encouragement and he was always there for me.

Spector was also on the towns Film Commission. Although his portraits could fetch upwards of $10,000, he did the commissions fliers for free.

He was one of the film groups founders, said chairman Valerie Lorimer. He was the quiet man with great ideas who also happened to be a brilliant artist, she said.

Rowena Spector met her husband when he she was working for a fashion house that was searching for an illustrator, she said.

She first picked Joel for an ad campaign, she said, then picked him as a spouse. They married and soon outgrew their New York apartment, which was busting at the seams when children Max, Ari, Jacob and Saskia began arriving.

In New Milford, Spector became involved in the Jewish community as well as the arts world. He was a longtime member of Temple Sholom, where his funeral services were held Oct. 16.

In lieu of gifts, the family asks that donations be made to the Temple.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
El Chapo extradition: Mexico judge rejects appeal

Mexico,Immigration/Law/Rights,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Thu, 20 Oct 2016 IANS

Mexico City, Oct 21 (IANS) A Mexican court has denied drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's appeals against extradition to the United States, the Mexican Prosecutor-General's office said on Thursday.

A district court in Mexico City had rejected five stays of proceedings filed by Guzman's defence team and refused to block the extradition of the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Xinhua news agency quoted the office as saying in a statement.

After the decision was made to extradite Guzman earlier this year, the five stays were filed in May and originally approved by a judge.

One of the judges overseeing the case, Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias, was murdered near Mexico City on Tuesday.

However, the decision by this court does not mean Guzman's extradition is certain as his defence team has announced it will appeal.

Following the announcement on Thursday, Guzman's lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said that "the final word, as we have always said...will be" with the Supreme Court.

The drug lord is currently being held in a federal prison in Ciudad Juarez, in the northern state of Chihuahua, while two district courts in California and Texas are demanding to try him for drug-related crimes.

Last week, the Mexican government said it hoped to extradite Guzman in early 2017.

Mexican army and naval operatives arrested the drug trafficker on January 8 in the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, six months after he made a dramatic escape from the Altiplano maximum security prison in the central State of Mexico.

--IANS

lok/
Russia concerned over terror groups sabotaging UN aid in Aleppo

Russian Federation,Immigration/Law/Rights,Defence/Security, Fri, 21 Oct 2016 IANS

Moscow/Damascus, Oct 21 (IANS) Russia has voiced concern over militants of Al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups sabotaging United Nations efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo and preventing civilians from leaving the city.

"Both Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, along with other organisations cooperating with them, are ultimately sabotaging UN efforts to restore the delivery of humanitarian assistance to eastern Aleppo, with our support, with the support of the Syrian government," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"They explicitly shell those routes through which such humanitarian aid can be delivered," Lavrov added.

"At the same time, they prevent the civilians leaving eastern Aleppo by using threats, blackmail and brute force," Lavrov told a press conference, Sputnik news reported.

Lavrov said that according to Russian intelligence, all the groups which have been operating in Aleppo are "one way or another under the command" of Al-Nusra Front, "which controls eastern Aleppo."

Moscow is also concerned that the Al-Nusra Front militants were refusing to leave Aleppo despite Russia's and Syria's goodwill gesture in the city, Lavrov said.

"We are concerned that despite those gestures of goodwill gestures undertaken by Moscow and Damascus in regard to the situation in Aleppo seeking to normalise it, we see that the Nusra Front militants are refusing to leave the city," Lavrov added.

According to the Russian Minister, other militant groups in Aleppo have also not left the city.

Russia stopped carrying out airstrikes on eastern Aleppo on Tuesday.

A humanitarian pause began on Thursday, when six corridors were opened for civilians who want to escape the part of the city controlled by rebels and terrorists, as well as to allow for aid to be delivered.

Two corridors have also been opened for rebels, who will be allowed to leave with their weapons, RT news reported.

Later on Thursday, the humanitarian pause around Aleppo was extended for another 24 hours, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

Meanwhile, UN Human Rights Council in Geneva chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has termed the siege and bombardment of eastern Aleppo "crimes of historic proportions", and accused all parties of violating international humanitarian law in Syria.

In a video speech Zeid said armed opposition groups are firing mortars into neighborhoods of western Aleppo, but "indiscriminate airstrikes across the eastern part of the city by government forces and their allies are responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties."

Around 500 people have been killed and 2,000 injured since Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, launched an assault on the east a month ago.

--IANS

ask/rn
OTTAWA, Oct. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will travel to the Middle East  visiting Jordan, Israel and the West Bank  from October 29 to November 6, 2016.

The visit will focus on security, refugee resettlement, and development issues  as well as promoting stronger innovation and education ties with the region.

In Jordan, the Governor General will visit a refugee camp and the Queen Rania Teacher Academy.

In Israel, he and Mrs. Johnston will visit Technion University to discuss student diversity. The Governor General will receive an honorary doctorate for his contribution to the Canada-Israel innovation relationship. His Excellency will also participate in a panel discussion on sustainability and environmental innovation at Bethlehem University, in the West Bank.

Quote

"Canada is committed to deeper engagement in the Middle East. Canada's policy in the region reflects what Canada is all about: defending our interests alongside our allies, working constructively with partners to build long-term peace and stability, and working to alleviate the suffering of those forced to flee their homes  including through resettlement."

- Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick Facts

This will be the first time a Canadian Governor General conducts State visits to Jordan and Israel and a visit to the West Bank . The Governor General will be accompanied by a delegation of parliamentarians and civil society leaders.

and and a visit to the . The Governor General will be accompanied by a delegation of parliamentarians and civil society leaders. During his time in the Middle East , the Governor General will meet with a number of political leaders including: His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , as well as Jordan's Prime Minister H. E. Dr. Hani al-Mulki; Israel's President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ; and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas . He will also meet with researchers, innovators, and education partners to explore how to deepen Canada's ties within the Middle East .

, the Governor General will meet with a number of political leaders including: His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn of the Hashemite Kingdom of , as well as Prime Minister H. E. Dr. Hani al-Mulki; President and Prime Minister ; and Palestinian Authority President . He will also meet with researchers, innovators, and education partners to explore how to deepen ties within the . Jordan is a valued partner for Canada in the Middle East given its peaceful vision for the region, strong bilateral trade links, and close collaboration on refugees.

is a valued partner for in the given its peaceful vision for the region, strong bilateral trade links, and close collaboration on refugees. Canada values its steadfast relationship with Israel . Relations between the two countries are multifaceted and have been enhanced in recent years through increased cooperation in several areas, including trade, investment and innovation.

values its steadfast relationship with . Relations between the two countries are multifaceted and have been enhanced in recent years through increased cooperation in several areas, including trade, investment and innovation. Canada remains committed to working with the Palestinian Authority, with whom we have a strong relationship.

remains committed to working with the Palestinian Authority, with whom we have a strong relationship. A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the only viable option to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

For further information: PMO Media Relations: 613-957-5555
OTTAWA, Oct. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Homelessness in Canada remains at crisis levels, but for the first time in more than 25 years, there is hope, according to the State of Homelessness in Canada 2016 released today in Ottawa by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.

The report presents recommendations to the Government of Canada for the upcoming National Housing Strategy and shows not only how homelessness could be eliminated, but that ending homelessness is achievable and affordable.

"It's great to know that Canada is coming back to a National Housing Strategy," said Stephen Gaetz, Director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. "This is an opportunity to correct more than 25 years of inadequate investment, which has led to our current affordable housing crisis. It is also an opportunity to end homelessness in Canada once and for all."

"We agree with the government's National Housing Strategy objective to ensure all Canadians have safe, decent and affordable housing," says Tim Richter, President of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. "But we must act most urgently for those for whom a lack of housing can be a matter of life and death  people experiencing or at risk of homelessness."

The report recommends an investment of $4.474 billion in 2017-2018 or $43.788 billion over a 10-year period, representing an annual increase of $1.818 billion more than the federal government is projected to spend on affordable housing in 2017-2018. That is only an additional $50 per Canadian annually or less than a $1 per week to prevent and end homelessness in Canada. It's worth noting that homelessness currently costs the Canadian economy over $7 billion per year.

"The good news is we know what to do to solve homelessness: targeted affordable housing investment, community systems planning, Housing First, prevention and federal leadership will get us there," said Gaetz. "And importantly, we also know solving homelessness will be far cheaper than ignoring it."

Modern mass homeless in Canada is primarily the result of shrinking federal investment in housing beginning in the 1980s. As homelessness in Canada has grown, the face of homelessness has changed. What began as a phenomenon primarily impacting older single men now includes women (27 per cent of the homeless population), seniors (24.4% of shelter users), and youth (18 per cent of the homeless population). Indigenous Peoples are 27 to 33 per cent of shelter users and are 10 times more likely to use homeless emergency shelters, yet only represent only 4.3 percent of the Canadian population.

State of Homelessness in Canada: 2016 key recommendations:

Adopt a national goal of ending homelessness with clear and measurable outcomes, milestones and criteria Renew and expand Homelessness Partnering Strategy focusing on Housing First, prevention and building coordinated homelessness systems A new federal/provincial/territorial framework agreement that defines local leadership on homelessness and housing investment Targeted strategies to address the needs of priority sub-populations including youth, veterans and Indigenous peoples Retain and expand existing affordable housing stock Implement a National Housing Benefit Affordable housing tax credit Review and expand investment in affordable housing for Indigenous peoples

Homelessness by the numbers:

35,000 Canadians are homeless on a given night. 235,000 Canadians are homeless at some point every year.

In the last 20 years Canada's population has grown more than 30% but federal funding for affordable housing has dropped more than 46 per cent. This has meant at least 100,000 units of affordable housing were not built.

population has grown more than 30% but federal funding for affordable housing has dropped more than 46 per cent. This has meant at least 100,000 units of affordable housing were not built. Today over 1.5 million Canadian households live in core housing need, with over half of those households living in extreme core housing need (living in poverty and spending over 50 per cent of their income on housing).

There has been a steady decline in the number of Canadians using shelters in the last 10 years. In fact, in 2014 there were almost 20,000 fewer people using emergency shelters than in 2005

While there are fewer people using shelters, but those that are using them are staying longer.

The national occupancy rate  how full shelters are  increased by more than 10% between 2005-2014

Most shelter stays are brief with youth and adults staying on average 10 days. But for seniors (50+) and families, the average length of stay is twice as long

The complete State of Homelessness in Canada 2016 report is available here: http://www.homelesshub.ca/SOHC2016

SOURCE Canadian Observatory on Homelessness

Image with caption: "Report on the State of Homelessness in Canada 2016 (CNW Group/Canadian Observatory on Homelessness)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161020_C3290_PHOTO_EN_800237.jpg

For further information: Media Contact: Michael Powell, Impact Public Affairs, 613-233-8906, [email protected]
The National Interest illustrates how the first Gulf War prompted China to update its military.

In 1990 Chinas military was inferior to Iraq and Iraq was vastly inferior to the USA

By 1990, the technical sophistication of the PLA had deteriorated to the degree that Iraqi forces enjoyed a considerable advantage over their Chinese counterparts.

The Iraqi Air Force included MiG-23s, MiG-25s and MiG-29s, while the PLAAF relied on Chinese-produced copycats of the MiG-21, as well as older aircraft such as the MiG-19. Similarly, the Iraqi air defense system, which had failed to incur major damage on waves of attacking American aircraft, was at least as sophisticated as the systems China was capable of employing.

The Chinese had also discovered, through access to Iraqi tanks captured by the Iranians in the Persian Gulf War, that the Iraqi T-72s that presented no challenge whatsoever to the U.S. Army  and were considerably superior to extant Chinese tanks.

Quality and Technology and Air Power were more important than large quantities

The balance between quality and quantity has shifted back and forth historically. In the Chinese Civil War and in Korea, the PLA took advantage of numbers and tactical effectiveness to defeat (or at least level the ground with) more technologically sophisticated opponents.

In 1990, the US-led coalition cut through quantitatively superior Iraqi forces like a hot knife through butter.

The PLA hadnt quite been on autopilot in the 1980s, but the pace of reform in the military sector had not matched that of social and economic life in China.

Modernization effort

China took immediate steps to update its military technology, generally through purchasing the most-advanced Soviet hardware.

Strapped for cash, Russia was eager to make deals, and didnt worry overmuch about the long-range consequences of technology transfer.

China also attempted to acquire technology with military applications from Europe, but sanctions associated with the Tiananmen Square massacre hamstrung this effort. Finally, China accelerated efforts to increase the sophistication of research and development in its own military-industrial base.

Along with the changes in technology came changes in doctrine and in expectations for how war would play out. The PLA began to emphasize air power more than ground power, and in particular, investigated the potential for long-range precision strike.

SOURCES- National Interest
China and the Philippines could begin exploiting long-untapped energy reserves in the South China Sea, according to reports coming out of this weeks meeting between Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte and high-ranking Chinese officials  including a Thursday sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping  in Beijing. How soon that may happen remains unclear, however, as Duterte cautioned reporters that he has not been empowered by his Congress to finalize any energy exploration deal with his Chinese counterparts.

Earlier reports by Philippine newspaper the Inquirer suggested that Beijing and Duterte were set to enter into an agreement to explore for energy sources in a part of the South China Sea close to the Philippine coastline. China has long sought to exploit what it believes could be more than 100 billion barrels of oil and hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas lurking beneath the South China Sea. However, a litany of overlapping territorial claims in the region by the more than half-dozen nations rimming the South China Sea has rendered broad energy development there a nonstarter.

The fact that potential joint development of offshore energy deposits in the region is even being discussed underscores the tectonic shift in regional foreign policy undertaken by Duterte since winning the Filipino presidency in May.

For China, one of the seas key prizes is Reed Bank, a tablemount (an underwater mountain) near the Philippine coast rich in untapped oil and gas deposits.

The Philippines is worried about energy security, and running out of time. The Malampaya gas field, a key source of energy for the nations main island of Luzon (home to the capital, Manila), is due to run out in 10 years or so. It takes about six years to set up infrastructure for a new project.

We will have rotating brownouts in Luzon if we dont develop a replacement area, a substitute area, and that substitute area is really the Reed Bank, Antonio Carpio, a senior judge, said on Oct. 14. Carpio noted that 80% of the Philippines EEZ in the South China Sea falls within Chinas nine-dash line.

Manilas state-run Philex Petroleum has the controlling stakes in two stalled concessions, the 880,000-hectare SC-72 at the Reed Bank and the 616,000-hectare SC-75 off the island of Palawan.

According to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford, one concession  SC 72  contains 2.6-8.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That would be as much as triple the amount discovered at the Malampaya project, an offshore field that powers 40 percent of the main island of Luzon, home to the capital Manila.

In the business forum that was the focus of Dutertes visit, China agreed to loan $9 billion to the Philippines, and 13 pacts were signed between the two nations, marking partnerships on maritime cooperation, financing, transport, drug-busting and more. Jinping has previously said that he admires Dutertes drug-fighting tactics.

If Philippines Duterte does completely flip to China, including allowing China instead of the USA to use Philippines airbases, then this would completely alter the geopolitical situation in the South China Sea.

SOURCES  CNBC, Quartz
Aircraft manufacturing giant and lessor, Airbus Group, has expressed intention to open an operational office in Nigeria.

President of the Airbus Group for Africa, Vincent Larnicol who joined a delegation led by Ambassador of France in Nigeria, Denys Gauer made this known on Thursday on a visit to the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika.The Airbus Executive informed Sirika of the Groups interest in plans by government to attract concession in the sector.The Airbus Group for Africa, Vice President told Sirika that the company has expanded upon on its strong European roots to move forward on an international scale with fully owned subsidiaries in the United States, China, Japan, India and in the Middle East with spare parts centres in Hamburg,Frankfurt, Washington, Beijing, Dubai and Singapore.There is also engineering and training centres in Toulouse, Miami, Wichita, Hamburg, Bangalore and Beijing; and more than 150 field service offices around the world.The intention to open an office in Nigeria, Airbus said is a mark of confidence in the governments agenda for the aviation industry.This is just as the group informed Sirika of its interest in governments plans to concession the nations airports as well as the establishment of a national carrier.He commended governments plan to establish an aircraft leasing company in view of the inherent difficulties in acquiring new aircraft.According to him, Airbus, in its desire to get closer to its customers, is also actively developing engineering, manufacturing and service capabilities in Europe, China, India, Russia, the Middle East, Singapore and the United States. This, he said also informed the decision to establish its presence in Nigeria with the opening of an operational office.In response, Sirika informed the delegation that the vision of the government for the sector include, among others; the establishment of a private sector-driven national carrier, concession of the nations major airports to make viable.He said : Our plan is to make the airports attain global standards, repositioning domestic airlines to make them competitive and profitable, establish Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities as well as the development of human capital for the anticipated expansion of the sector.According to the Minister, the plan of the Buhari government was to gradually reposition the Nigerian Aviation industry in such a way that would turn the nation into a regional hub for air transportation, given the ICAO forecast of a quadruple growth for the nations air travel in the next ten years.He expressed Nigerias preparedness to collaborate with all genuine partners, insisting, however, that government decisions and actions would always be guided by the protection of national interests.Sirika said: The vision of the Buhari Administration for the Aviation sector has continued to attract global industry players into the country with the desire to be part of the expected reforms and developments, the latest being the visit from a delegation from industry giant, the Airbus Group of France.
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria has observed that all the arms of government are corrupt, but assured Nigerians that no sec...

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria has observed that all the arms of government are corrupt, but assured Nigerians that no sector of the society will be spared in the ongoing fight against corruption, which he identified as a canker-worm too endemic to be overlooked.Osinbajo said what is happening in the country, especially the high level of poverty in the system and many other menaces bedevilling the country was a direct consequences of corruption that has permeated every sector of the economy.The countrys number two man, while responding to the request of Governor Ayodele Fayose on the construction of an airport in the state, said Ekiti state deserves an airport but I have discussed what we need in return with his Excellency.The Federal government will continue to give support to every project that will fast-track development in each of the states of the federation. We know how important is this airport to Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), he said.Osinbajo, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti on Friday during the 2016 convocation ceremony of the university, said the countrys citizens need re-orientation to wipe out corruption that has permeated every institution of government.The Vice President said: I have great respect for Chief Afe Babalola because of his stand against corruption. Sometimes in 2002, Chief Babalola argued the case for the establishment of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission(ICPC) where he let the court realized that corruption is the greatest problem of our nation.All the institutions of government, I mean the executive, legislature and the judiciary are corrupt. What we need is seriousreorientation. So, value reorientation is a key weapon to fight corruption.That was why the present federal government is intervening , because if we refuse every facet of the country will fail. We must act fast and deal with the situation as quickly as possible, he pointed out.Osinbajo advised the graduands to be multi-skilled to be able to compete under the present economic situation, advising thatYou must be trustworthy and honest apart from being skillful and resourceful to be able to make a great impact in the future ahead of you. You must reflect on the values they have inculcated in you in the institution and be conscious of the fact that Nigeria, your country must be great and through which this can be achieved with your contributions.Earlier, Fayose pleaded with the federal government to inject the airport project in the 2017 appropriation bill, stating that the request represents the interest of the generality of Ekiti populace.
Burkina Fasos government said Friday it has foiled a vast conspiracy aiming to overthrow the president and sieze power by force.

Burkina Fasos government said Friday it has foiled a vast conspiracy aiming to overthrow the president and sieze power by force.A group of about 30 men plotted to free prisoners involved in the countrys September 2015 coupe attempt and attack the presidential palace, said Interior Minister Simon Compaore.According to the minister, the coup was planned for October 8 and called for detaining certain authorities. Blaise Compaore was forced from power in October 2014 following a popular uprising against his attempts to change the constitution to remain in office.The attempted 2015 coup was staged by troops from the presidential guard loyal to the ex-leader but was blocked by street protesters and by the army, which attacked the plotters barracks.
Charly boy has come out to discuss why he decided not to vote in the 2015 elections between GEJ and President Buhari.

Charly boy has come out to discuss why he decided not to vote in the 2015 elections between GEJ and President Buhari.In his words:k am.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja has dismissed a N500 million suit brought against former Peoples D...

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja has dismissed a N500 million suit brought against former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Olisa Metuh, his wife, Kanayo and one of their security aides, Oche Gambo.In a judgment on Thursday, Justice Folashade Ojo held that the plaintiffs  the management of an Abuja-based private school  British Nigerian Academy (formerly attended by Metuhs son, Derrick) and two of its staff  Kola Pele (Vice Principal) and Hamzat Maftau (a teacher) failed to prove their case against the defendants.The plaintiffs had sued Metuh and others for allegedly forcing themselves into the school premises on February 19, 2011 and assaulting two of the schools staff, who confiscated Derricks mobile telephone.The plaintiffs, in the suit, marked: FCT/HC/CV/4248/2011 stated that Metuhs wife and son visited her (Metuhs wifes) nephew, Kamsi Aghaji (a student) when an official of the school, Miss. Amauche Igbe, who saw Derrick giving his phone to some students in the boys hostel, in violation of school rules (that no phone allowed in hostels) seized the phone.They further stated that, on being unable to secure the release of her sons phone, Kanayo invited her husband, who alleged stormed the school premises with armed policemen and allegedly assaulted Pele and Maftau for refusing to release his(Metuhs) sons phone.The plaintiffs prayed the court to declare among others, that the actions of the defendants on February 19, 2011, at the school amounted to trespass and unlawful entry to the plaintiffs school premises.The urged the court to award N500million damages against the defendants (N150m in special and general damages for assault, harassment, intimidation, mental pain, severe humiliation and injury to the person and personal integrity of Pele and Maftau; N100m for exemplary damages for trespass and unlawful entry into the school premises and N250m aggravated damages for grave injury caused to the commercial reputation and protective integrity of the school.After analysing all evidence led by parties at trial, Justice Ojo resolved the three issues identified for determination against the plaintiffs. She noted that the failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their case.On whether the presence of the defendants in the school premises on the day of the incident was unlawful, as claimed by the plaintiffs, the judge noted that the plaintiffs, even though pleaded the schools newsletter (which they claimed contained notices of students relatives visiting days) they neglected to tender it in evidence.Justice Ojo held that the only inference one could draw from plaintiffs failure to tender the newsletter, which was necessary to prove their claim of trespass, was because its content did not support their case.The judge held that the plaintiffs could not prove that the defendants were in the school premises, on the day of the incident, unlawfully as the plaintiffs failed to prove that claim.In holding that the plaintiffs failed to also establish their claim of assault, the judge noted that even where it was the plaintiffs case that the incident of assault occurred in the presence of some school staff, students and their parents, the plaintiffs failed to call some of those, who they claimed witnessed the incident.It was a staff of the 1st plaintiff (Miss. Amauche Igbe) that seized the phone from the 2nd defendant and handed over same to the 2nd plaintiff. The saidMiss. Amauche Igbe did not testify in this case and no reason was given for her failure to testify.In the face of the denial of the plaintiffs case by the defendants, I am of the view that the failure of the plaintiffs to call any other witnesses is fatal to their case. The plaintiffs evidence is that other people were present when the assault took place. The people include the staff and students of the school.In the present circumstance, I am of the view that the plaintiffs have failed to prove, by the preponderance of evidence that they were assaulted by the defendants on the day in question, the judge said.She added that having held that the plaintiffs could not establish trespass against the defendants their prayers for injunctions and damages cannot be granted.The alleged misconduct of the defendants, which allegedly brought pains, harassment, etc to the plaintiffs has not been proved. In conclusion, I find that the plaintiffs have failed to prove their case against the defendants and same is dismissed in its entirety, Justice Ojo said.
Fresh reports filtering in has it that Nigeria's former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has been rearrested. Adeyanju Deji, fo...

Mr Fani-Kayode Released

Adeyanju Deji, former Director of New Media for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP announced the arrest this afternoon. According to him, Fani-Kayode was arrested outside the Federal High Court Ikoyi, Lagos state.learnt that Mr. Fani-Kayode was on Friday arrested by operatives of the anti-graft body, as he left the Federal High Court premises in Lagos.NE recalls that on May 9, 2016, the former Aviation Minister, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode honoured the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).He arrived at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja on Monday morning in a police convoy.The EFCC operatives had laid a siege to Mr Fani-Kayodes residence on Friday but later withdrew after almost six hours.Officers of the EFCC had visited his Maitama home at about 10:00am local time, inviting him for questioning on Monday, May 9, only to return at midday with armed men, seeking his arrest.The EFCC said it was carrying out its functions, claiming that Mr Fani-Kayode had a case to answer over the Peoples Democratic Partys election funds.Mr Fani-Kayode said he was surprised at the turn of events after he had promised to show up with his lawyer on Monday.He was the Director of Publicity for former President Goodluck Jonathan and PDPs campaign Organisation before the general election of 2015.On July 15, 2016, Mr Fani-Kayode was released from EFCC custody after meeting his bail conditions.He was released at about 6:30pm in Lagos on Friday after over two months.The former Aviation Minister, shortly after his release told Channels Television, I give thanks to God that I am free after 67 days in detention.This was the worst experience of my life but God was with me all the way. I suffered immeasurably but I count it all as joy.I am innocent of all charges and I look forward to defending myself vigorously in court. These charges are politically motivated and I have been severely punished for my political views and criticisms of the government.Mr Fani-Kayode was arrested by the anti-graft agency over alleged 1.5 billion Naira fraud and has been charged alongside a former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman; a firm, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited; and one Jimoh Yusuf.The Federal High Court had granted bail in the sum of 250 million Naira each, to Mr Fani-Kayode, Nenadi Usman and Danjuma Yusuf who are being tried by the EFCC for allegedly stealing and laundering about 4.9 billion Naira.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday struck out the suit of former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Mr. ...

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday struck out the suit of former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, challenging his suspension from the House.The judge, Justice John Tsoho, struck out the matter after Jibrins Counsel, Mr. Chukuma Nwachukwu, told the court that his client had filed a notice of discontinuance.Tsoho decline the request of the defendants for a N200, 000 cost, holding that the defendants were strong institution and personality.At the hearing, Jibrins counsel, Nwachukwu, told the court that there was a notice of discontinuance filed on Oct. 11, urging the court to discontinue the matter.The Counsel to the defendants, Mr. Kalu Onuoha, did not oppose the application, but asked for a cost of N200,000 for the processes filed by them.He said the defendants filed many processes in this case before the court went on vacation in July 2016.Nwachukwu, however, opposed the application with the fact that the defendants did not filed any defence in this matter.It will be recalled that Jibrin, a lawmaker from Kano State, was suspended by the House of Representatives for 180 legislative days.The embattled legislators suit seeking to stop the House was still pending in court.
A Justice of the Supreme Court yesterday accused Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Science Minister Ogbonnaiya Onu of being th...

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who was arrested by Department of State Services (DSS) operatives for alleged corruption, blamed it all on his refusal to cooperate with the duo, who he said had requested him to influence some electoral cases in their favour.He alleged that Amaechi and Onu asked him to assist them in relation to the governorship election disputes in Ekiti and Ebonyi states.Justice Ngwuta alleged that Amaechi, who claimed to be acting on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, wanted him to facilitate the annulment of Ayodele Fayoses election so that Kayode Fayemi (Minister of Solid Mineral) could participate in a rerun election.Justice Inyang Okoro has also accused Amaechi of trying to bribe him.Justice Ngwuta said Onu had sought his help to facilitate the victory of the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the Ebonyi State governorship election dispute.Justice Nqwuta, in his October 18, 2016 letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, accused DSS operatives of planting the money they claimed to have recovered in his home there.My Noble Lord, I am a victim of my own resolve never to violate my sacred oath of office as a judicial officer. Politicians and their collaborators have been hunting me on that account.It started in Ebonyi State where I was falsely accused before a panel set up by NJC in August 2000. It was replicated in 2009 when I was pulled from my division, Calabar, to preside over a motion filed by Senator Andy Uba seeking to be a Governor without going through the process of election. In each case I was exonerated.My present plight started sometime between 2013 and 2014. I represented the then Chief Justice of Nigeria in an event organised in the International Conference Centre. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi came in late and sat next to me at the high table.He introduced himself to me and we exchanged contacts. A few weeks after, Fayoses case was determined in the Court of Appeal. Amaechi called me by 6.45 am. He said he had come to see me, but was told I had left for my office.When he said he would return in the evening, I demanded to know what he wanted, but he would not tell me. He did not come that evening but came the following morning when I was already prepared to go to work.He begged me to ensure that Fayoses election was set aside and another election ordered for his friend Fayemi to contest. I told him I would not help him and that even if I am on the panel I have only my one vote.After the Rivers State governorship election was determined by the Court of Appeal, he called to tell me his ears were full and he would like to tell me what he heard. I told him I was out of Abuja at the time.On my return, he came in the evening and even before he sat down he barked You have seen Wike. I asked him whether that was a question or a statement. Then he made a call and asked me to speak with someone. The man he called said he was a DSS man. We exchanged greetings and I handed the phone to him.Next, he said Oga is not happy. I asked him who is the unhappy Oga and he answered Buhari. I retorted go and talk to his wife. He got very angry, and left, remarking we shall see several times.Your Lordship may recall one morning when I pleaded not be on the panel for Rivers Appeal. Your Lordship said I was already on the panel and asked me to explain why I made the request to be excluded.When I explained what transpired the previous night, Your Lordship told me Amaechi had also attempted to influence other Justices. My Lord, on the day we heard the appeal with your Lordship presiding, we were allowed lunch break at 4.20 pm.The moment I got into my chambers he, Amaechi, called. When he told who was calling, I said to him, Your Excellency, you want to issue more threats? He replied Have you been threatened before? I replied I know a threat when I hear one even if veiled. In any case I will not talk to you and I switched off my phone.The people who failed in their attempt to destroy me in Ebonyi in 2000 and in Enugu in Andy Ubas case in the Court of Appeal, Enugu in 2009 are now supplying Amaechi with information to fight me for my negative response to his demands, especially my answer to his statement that Oga was not happy.On the role allegedly played by Dr. Onu, Justice Ngwuta added:When the governorship election appeal from my state, Ebonyi, came to the Court of Appeal, one Mr. Igwenyi, a senior staff of Federal Judicial Service Commission came to my chambers and told me that the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu had pleaded with him to convince me to see him, Dr. Onu.I asked him to call Dr. Onu; he did and I wanted to know why he wanted to see me. He said it was confidential. I asked when he wanted to see me and he said he would like me to come in the evening. I told Igwenyi that he would have to take me to Dr. Onu in his car and bring me back.I had wanted him to listen to what Dr. Onu had to say, but when we arrived, Dr Onu put him in a different room. He asked me whether I know the Hon. President of the Court of Appeal and I told him that His Lordship was my Presiding Justice in the Court of Appeal, Benin division.He asked of my relationship with the PJA and I said it was cordial. He nodded his head several times in apparent satisfaction.He told me that the candidate for the Labour Party was ready to switch over to APC if he could help him win the appeal in the Court of Appeal and that in appreciation of the undertaking to come over to his party, he had obtained the services of three Justices of the Court of Appeal to ensure victory for Labour Party.He said he needed one to convince the PJA to include his three Justices of the Court of Appeal in the five-man panel to hear the appeal. I told him I would not help him and that I could not in good conscience convey such request even to a Customary Court Judge.He was disappointed and asked me whether I knew the husband of the PJA. I told him I did not know the man. I bid him good night and left. Igwenyi joined me in the passage and when he drove me back to my home I told him what Dr. Onu wanted. Igwenyi apologised to me and assured me that he would not have bothered me if he had known what Dr. Onu wanted me to do.
Another Justice of the Supreme Court, whose home was raided by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, Justice Sylvester Ng...

Another Justice of the Supreme Court, whose home was raided by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, has opened fresh can of worms, alleging that operatives of DSS, planted hard currency in his house.He also alleged that his ordeal was a result of his refusal at various times to help the All Progressives Congress, APC, pervert justice in governorship election disputes involving Ekiti, Rivers and Ebonyi states.This came as operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said, last night, that a Federal High Court judge, Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia gave herself up to the commission, after EFCC claimed she feigned illness and was on admitted in the hospital. She is one of the judges being investigated by the commission, which invitations she had repeatedly turned down. Justice Ngwuta, in a letter dated October 18, which he forwarded to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the National Judicial Council, NJC, specifically fingered the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and Minister of Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, as those who approached him on behalf of the APC.In the letter, entitled: Invasion Of My House In The Night, Planting Of Huge Sums Of Money In Different Currencies, Purported Recovery Of The Money, Carting Away Of My Documents And Other Valuable Items And My Subsequent Abduction By Masked Operatives Of The DSS Between Friday, October 7 And Saturday, October 8, 2016, Ngwuta, said Amaechi begged him to facilitate the removal of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State. He further disclosed that shortly after the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Amaechi also called him on phone and said Oga is not happy.According to Nwguta, I asked him who is the unhappy Oga and he answered Buhari. I retorted go and talk to his wife. He told the CJN that the Minister of Technology, on the other hand, wanted him to convince the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to facilitate the declaration of candidate of the Labour Party as winner of the last governorship election in Ebonyi State. He said Onu revealed to him that the LP candidate was ready to switch over to the APC once the judgment was in his favour. Ngwutas letter to the NJC, a copy of which was sighted by NE yesterday, read: Some days before Friday, 7th October, 2016, I started feeling symptoms of malaria attack. Any malaria drug keeps me drowsy and sleeping for days and since I had to go to work I decided to hang on until Friday to take the drug after work.I returned from work late Friday afternoon, had a meal and took the medication I got from Dr. Ukah of the Supreme Court Medical Centre. By 7.30 pm I was already in bed having switched off my hand sets. After a little while, my house maid knocked on the door to my bedroom. I reluctantly dragged myself to the door. She told me that a group of people wanted to see me.I told her to inform whoever wanted to see me that night that I do not see visitors in the night, that they could come to see me in day time. I went back to sleep. I could not tell how long later that I heard knocks on the door. I ignored the knocks but when my house girl continued knocking on the door, I managed to get up and opened the door. She told me that some people said that the President sent them to me.I got out of the room to find that a large number of people some of whom wore face masks and hand gloves were everywhere in the ground floor. I told my house maid to ask the people to meet me in my study next door to the bedroom. They rushed into my study; one of them said his name was John. He flashed a card to me and showed me what he said was a search warrant. My vision was blurred as a result of the malaria and the drug I took. They had drawn guns. I was terrified and I thought they had a more sinister mission than a mere search.I made to know whether the Chief Justice of Nigeria knew of their mission. One of them contemptuously spat Who is Chief Judge of Nigeria? I brought out my handset to call the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, they would not let me do so. Rather, they collected my three phones and another phone that I had discarded.I lay down on the seat in the parlour downstairs while they turned everything upside down on the ground floor. When they finished downstairs, they demanded that I should show them the rooms on the next floor. Again I had to lie down on the seat in the room, while they turned everything upside down. I had to go to another seat when they wanted to upturn the seat I occupied. One of them saw the sum of forty thousand naira (N40,000.00) and one thousand naira notes in one of the drawers. He was excited and called their lead who saw the money and said this is not the kind of money we came to pick. They left the N40,000.00. In the next bedroom, I lay on the bed out of sight of the wardrobe from which they brought some boxes and brief cases and travelling bags. All the bags and briefcases and travelling bags except one contained only magazines, papers and some old clothing. Some were empty. Only one small bag was locked with a padlock and this was the only bag that contained money.They directed me to come over and remove the padlock. I retrieved the key from the side pocket of the bag and removed the padlock and returned to my bed. They put the bags together by the toilet door. They called me again and asked me whether the bags were my property and I answered they were my property. None of the bags were opened in my presence nor in the presence of my housemaid who was the only person in the house with me at all material times. Some of them stayed in the room while I took them to my study. At this time, I became very dizzy and I had to return to lie down on a seat in the parlour and a man with a gun and a face mask stood over me while I dozed.He followed each time I went to the toilet. Another one followed my housemaid each time I asked her for water. There was no way out of the house. They were at all doors. Those searching and those outside the house went into the house through the main door, kitchen door and back doors.They went in and out of every room, including the room in which the bags were kept. I dozed intermittently but my house girl was kept sitting on the steps and was able to observe them coming through the kitchen door but she could not see those who came from back doors, took the second steps and went in and out of the rooms on the upper floor. After many hours, they came down to the sitting room downstairs and told me they were going to bring down the bags. I was speechless when I saw them bringing out huge bundles of different currencies from the bags that had contained only magazine papers and old clothes and some were empty. Some were contained in multi-coloured plastic bags which they tore and discarded.They put the money in different bags and brief cases and then proceeded to count a large amount of N5, N10, N20 and N50 notes, which were the change I returned each time I went to shop over the years. They kept waking me up to ask how I came about the small denomination of naira notes.No one asked me any question about the huge sums of money they put in the bags. One of them came to where I was lying down and ordered me to sit up. One of the gun men, who stood a few feet from me, came and stood next to me with his gun drawn. I was ordered to sign a paper which they said contained a list of what they were taking away. Confronted with the life-threatening situation, I made an instant mental decision that it was better for me to comply with their orders and stay alive to tell my story rather than get shot and killed on the pretext that I attacked them or that I tried to escape. I signed the paper and wrote my name as ordered. No one told me what offence I was alleged to have committed.No one told me of any petition or allegation against me. The only bag that contained money was the small bag I locked with a padlock which I unlocked when ordered to do so. The bag contained the sum of $25,000, 10 and a brown envelope containing the sum of N710,000 which was a monthly allowance paid to me for September 2016. In the brief case, which I carry to my office daily, I had the sum of N300,000 and some loose change.The above are the only sums of money taken from me along with my phones, papers and other household items. I do not know how they came about the huge sums of money I saw for the first time in my parlour on the early hours of Saturday, 8th October, 2016. The various sums of money alleged to have been recovered from me were said to be in the social media in the early hours of Saturday, 8th October, 2016 when the invaders were yet to complete their search.They took me away in their vehicle but before they drove away, they ordered my housemaid to get in and lock the house and not to ever come out or let anyone into the house. It was when I saw DSS in the premises into which they drove me that I realized my invaders were agents of a Federal Government Department. Prior to getting into the premises, I thought that the invaders were even armed robbers or kidnappers, more so when I was not questioned by anyone about anything.Then I became much more disturbed not only for myself but for the future of this great Nation, Nigeria. I could not convince myself that any agency of the Federal Government, in a democratic setting, could for any undisclosed reason, violate the rights of a Nigerian citizen, a Judicial Officer and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, for that matter with such impunity. I thought that the democratic government had been overthrown and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) abolished or suspended. Then the next phase of the ordeal started.I was taken to a room where I met my learned brother, Hon. Justice John Inyang Okoro, JSC. He looked spent and so were other Judicial Officers both serving, sacked and retired. No one told me anything or asked me any question till late in the night when they drove for over one hour to a place they called Villa. They took Justice Okoro and myself into a room that contained only a bed with a discarded, stained old mattress and both of us had to share it for the night.There was no towel, no soap and worst of all there was no toilet paper. We slept in our clothes, went under the tap and used our handkerchiefs in place of towels. The next day, Sunday, we were driven back to the office. I was taken to a room where two operatives fired questions at me in quick succession.I answered as much as I could in the circumstances. I pleaded with them to tell me why I was abducted and detained and subjected to endless questioning. I also asked why everyone kept mute over the huge sums of money allegedly recovered in my house but none of the two men would answer my question. We were allowed to go home Sunday night only as a result of the intervention of the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed, GCON. We were ordered to return on Monday and since then, we have been reporting daily to them. On Friday last week, I was ordered to report by 10 am. Justice Okoro and I were required to appear before the Judiciary Committee of the Senate. We told our stories to the Senators and rushed from them to meet our interrogators. On one particular occasion, I was taken to, and locked up, in their different rooms.Each room had only a table and a set of chairs and I was kept for about one and half hours in each room. No one was with me in any of the rooms. Reason for my travails My Noble Lord, I am a victim of my own resolve never to violate my sacred oath of office as a Judicial Officer. Politicians and their collaborators have been hunting me on that account. It started in Ebonyi State, where I was falsely accused before a panel set up by NJC in August 2000. It was replicated in 2009 when I was pulled from my Division, Calabar, to preside over a motion filed by Senator Andy Uba, seeking to be a Governor without going through the process of election.In each case, I was exonerated. My present plight started sometime between 2013 and 2014. I represented the then Chief Justice of Nigeria in an event organised in the International Conference Centre. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi came in late and sat next to me at the high table.He introduced himself to me and we exchanged contacts. A few weeks after, Fayoses case was determined in the Court of Appeal. Amaechi called me by 6.45 am. He said he had come to see me but was told I had left for my office. When he said he would return in the evening, I demanded to know what he wanted but he would not tell me. He did not come that evening but came the following morning when I was already prepared to go to work. He begged me to ensure that Fayoses election was set aside and another election ordered for his friend Fayemi to contest.I told him I would not help him and that even if I am on the panel I have only my one vote. After the Rivers State Governorship election was determined by the Court of Appeal, he called to tell me his ears were full and he would like to tell me what he heard. I told him I was out of Abuja at the time.On my return, he came in the evening and even before he sat down, he barked: You have seen Wike. I asked him whether that was a question or a statement. Then he made a call and asked me to speak with someone. The man he called said he was a DSS man. We exchanged greetings and I handed the phone to him. Next, he said Oga is not happy. I asked him who is the unhappy Oga and he answered Buhari..I retorted go and talk to his wife. He got very angry, and left, remarking we shall see several times. Your Lordship may recall one morning when I pleaded not be on the Panel for Rivers Appeal. Your Lordship said I was already on the Panel and asked me to explain why I made the request to be excluded.When I explained what transpired the previous night, Your Lordship told me Amaechi had also attempted to influence other Justices. My Lord, on the day we heard the appeal with your Lordship presiding, we were allowed lunch break at 4.20 pm. The moment I got into my Chambers, he, Amaechi, called. When he told me who was calling, I said to him, Your Excellency, you want to issue more threats? He replied: Have you been threatened before? I replied I know a threat when I hear one even if veiled. In any case, I will not talk to you and I switched off my phone.The people who failed in their attempt to destroy me in Ebonyi in 2000 and in Enugu in Andy Ubas case in the Court of Appeal, Enugu in 2009 are now supplying Amaechi with information to fight me for my negative response to his demands, especially my answer to his statement that Oga was not happy.This infuriated him and as he stormed out he said he would deal with the situation. The incident I will narrate below may or may not bear on this case. When the Governorship Election appeal from my State, Ebonyi, came to the Court of Appeal, one Mr. Igwenyi, a Senior staff of Federal Judicial Service Commission came to my Chambers and told me that the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu had pleaded with him to convince me to see him, Dr. Onu. I asked him to call Dr. Onu; he did and I wanted to know why he wanted to see me. He said it was confidential.I asked when he wanted to see me and he said he would like me to come in the evening. I told Igwenyi that he would have to take me to Dr. Onu in his car and bring me back. I had wanted him to listen to what Dr. Onu had to say but when we arrived, Dr Onu put him in a different room.He asked me whether I knew the Hon. President of the Court of Appeal and I told him that His Lordship was my Presiding Justice in the Court of Appeal, Benin Division. He asked of my relationship with the PJA and I said it was cordial. He nodded his head several times in apparent satisfaction.He told me that the candidate for the Labour Party was ready to switch over to APC if he could help him win the appeal in the Court of Appeal and that in appreciation of the undertaking to come over to his party, he had obtained the services of three Justices of the Court of Appeal to ensure victory for Labour Party. He said he needed one to convince the PJA to include his three Justices of the Court of Appeal in the five-man panel to hear the appeal. I told him I would not help him and that I could not in good conscience convey such request even to a Customary Court Judge.He was disappointed and asked me whether I knew the husband of the PJA. I told him I did not know the man. I bid him good night and left. Igwenyi joined me in the passage and when he drove me back to my home I told him what Dr. Onu wanted. Igwenyi apologised to me and assured me that he would not have bothered me if he had known what Dr. Onu wanted me to do. In addition to the above, I have been subjected to visits to the DSS offices.I was made to stay idle for the whole day, without food or even water. On 17th October, 2016, I went to the DSS office to collect my passports as directed. I was to be there by 10 am but I arrived by 9.30 am and I was assured that I would return to my office in no time. I was kept there till 3.45 pm before I was questioned on the passports till 5.00 pm. After that, one of them took the passports to his boss. He returned an hour later, handed me my passports and told me he had finished with me but that only the man in whose office I was could let me go. I was only allowed to go about 10 pm with a warning to report at 10 am on 18th October 2016.From 9.30 am to 10 pm I was not given water or food. I am on my way to the DSS office and who knows if and when I will be allowed to leave the place. My Lord, the facts stated here in can be verified. Attached is an Affidavit deposed by me in the Supreme Court Registry to this effect. Yours faithfully Ogbonnaya Onu reacts Reacting to the allegation, Press Secretary to the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Taye Akinyemi, said: Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu is one politician who has remained credible since advent of democracy in Nigeria. When all politicians in the country were decamping to the ruling party, he never did. Even when many advances were made to influence him, he never did.In the current dispersion, he is where he is today as a result of the effort he put along with other patriotic Nigerians to bring the ruling APC to power.In all his political career, he has never been seen to be negative. By his age and status, he has no reason to do that, he could not have connived with anybody to pursue such mission.If he is going to do anything for this country, it is going to be in the national interest. Whoever is saying that is only trying to raise an issue where non exist.This allegation is nothing but an attempt to truncate democracy. Ogbonnaya Onu can never be part of such a plan. Anybody accusing him of such should look for something else. Ogbonnaya Onu can never be part of a process that will truncate the wheel of democracy.
Striking Ogun State workers on Thursday alleged that thugs suspected to be loyal to Governor Ibikunle Amosun beat up public servants and l...





Striking Ogun State workers on Thursday alleged that thugs suspected to be loyal to Governor Ibikunle Amosun beat up public servants and labour union leaders as workers started their indefinite strike over unremitted cooperative union deductions and unfriendly labour practices.It was gathered that some labour leaders and union members who had gathered at the secretariat of the state Nigeria Labour Congress around 8am on Thursday were attacked by the thugs.One of those beaten, who pleaded anonymity, said, The thugs came in a Toyota Camry and some others came on motorcycles; they descended on union leaders and some of us who had gathered at the secretariat, beating us blue, black.The thugs covered the number plate of the car, in order to shield the identity of the owner from being traced. This is sad.The state NLC chairman, Akeem Ambali, who confirmed the attack on workers and labour leaders, said he had noticed some people trailing him since Monday after he addressed the press briefing where the strike was announced.Ambali said two of the labour leaders and some members were attacked by the thugs, who the workers alleged were Governor Ibikunle Amosuns loyalists.He said, This is the first time in the history of this state that workers will be attacked by the agents of the state. We have heard that some people have hired some thugs to attack us. But we thought it was all a rumour. But we were shocked this morning when some thugs came in a black Toyota Camry with number plate LND 555 BD to the place where the labour leaders were standing at Kuto roundabout.They beat up two labour leaders, Comrade Benco and Comrade Olayemi, among others.The NLC office has been sealed off by 30 armed men, but I have gathered that two cultists have been trailing me.My life is not safe and I have gone underground. My life is not safe with this government, he said.
A former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commi...

A former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of how a former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, handed over $5.377m cash to Governor Ayo Fayose.He said the cash, which was put in a green military trunk by the ex-minister, was given to Fayose in the presence of nine PDP elders.He listed those who witnessed the collection by Fayose as a former Secretary to the State Government, a senator, two members of the House of Assembly, a former Director-General and others.Aluko, it was learnt, had one-and-a half hours hostile encounter with Obanikoro.Upon receiving the large suit case (box) and a key to open it, he said, Fayose and Obanikoro retired into an inner room of Spotless Hotel for a brief discussion.Aluko made the revelation during a grilling by the EFCC team against the backdrop of the ongoing probe of how the ex-minister shared the N4.745billion wired to a company linked to him by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).The N4.685billon was transferred to Sylva McNamara Limited out of which N60million ($5.377m) cash was personally given to Fayose by the ex-minister.Obanikoro however told the EFCC team that he gave Fayose the cash in the presence of PDP elders including Dr. Tope Aluko.According to a source, Aluko told the detectives: The ex-minister brought the $5.377million cash to Spotless Hotel for Fayose in a green military trunk. He was accompanied by four military men.Obanikoro handed over the trunk and a key to Fayose in the presence of nine eminent PDP elders in the state.Holding a piece of paper, Obanikoro later entered into an inner room in the hotel for a brief discussion with Fayose. Maybe the paper was for Fayose to acknowledge the receipt of the cash.Upon coming out, Fayose opened the trunk with the key and we all saw it was filled with dollars. We had a list of how we wanted to use the money but we had not expended the Naira cash at hand.Fayose, who asked me to call other PDP leaders, later took the trunk to his room at the hotel for safe keeping. That was the last we heard about the cash.Another source in EFCC claimed that Aluko and Obanikoro had about one-and-a half hours of unfriendly encounter before interrogators.The source said: Both Obanikoro and Aluko were brought to the interrogation room by EFCC detectives. They asked if Aluko had ever met the ex-minister, the ex-PDP Secretary in Ekiti State said: Obanikoro was the liaison personnel between the Presidency and Fayose.He confirmed that he had met with the ex-minister at a meeting in Abuja before the delivery of the money.Aluko also admitted that he was present when Obanikoro brought the over $5.377m cash to Governor Ayo Fayose.The EFCC had uncovered how Sylva McNamara, which was incorporated in November 2011, was used for the slush funds from ONSA.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked recent allegations that the multinational telecommunications company, MTN, brib...

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked recent allegations that the multinational telecommunications company, MTN, bribed some officials of the commission to reduce a fine leveled against it.Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau at the NCC, Abdullahi Maikano, who debunked the allegation while speaking to journalists at a Customers Town Hall Meeting in Effurun, Delta state on, said no staff of the commission had taken bribe, explaining that MTN settled a part of the fine in bulk and agreed to pay the remaining part in installments.Maikano, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau, Dr Femi Atoyebi, at the event also emphasised the essence of the customer feedback outings like the town hall meeting, noting that most of the policy changes being rolled out by the commission over time were actually drawn from reports of such events.Responding to a question on the bribery allegation, Maikano said no NCC official was bribed. I repeat, nobody bribed any NCC official on that MTN fine issue, quote me.NCC is a very responsible organisation under the able leadership of our Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Umaru Garba Danbatta. He has provided that quality leadership, which cascaded down to the least of the staff.No NNC staff will ever take bribe. Challenge me if you see one. That allegation is not true. You read in the papers what MTN has done; they have paid some amount and they are to pay the rest in installments. So, that case is actually settled, he said.On the usefulness of the customer/service providers/ agencys interface being rendered by the town hall meeting, he said its not true that NCC has not been doing anything about complaints arising from town hall meetings. We are not just here for jamborees.Everything that is going on here is being recorded and we will play them back. We do a comprehensive report on every outing to the management and make recommendations. Some of these policies that you see being rolled out by NCC come out from reports from meetings like this, he said.The high-point of the event, which was attended by customers of various networks, representatives of service provider companies, customer rights bodies and officials of the NCC, was the free interaction session, when many customers had the opportunity to air their feelings about the services some of the companies had been rendering.
It was all jubilation and glamour as the crown prince of Benin, His Royal Highness, Eheneden Erediauwa, emerged the 40th Oba of Benin King...

It was all jubilation and glamour as the crown prince of Benin, His Royal Highness, Eheneden Erediauwa, emerged the 40th Oba of Benin Kingdom and received his staff of office from the Edo State Government on Thursday.Erediauwa also announced the name he had chosen to bear as Oba Emuare II and would be addressed as Omo nOba nEdo Uku Akpolopkolo, Oba Ewuare II, after Oba Ewuare I, who reigned in 1440 AD.Oba Ewuare II, who was crowned in the early hours of Thursday at the Usama palace before he proceeded on foot accompanied by a retinue of Benin chiefs, members of traditional societies and thousands of residents to the symbolic Omi River, where he was paddled through a bridge.The new king later moved to the Urho-Okpota hall, amidst cheers, dancing and drumming from a surging crowd of residents, where he received the staff of office from Governor Adams Oshiomhole at about 4.06pm.Present at the ceremony were top government functionaries led by President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajumobi; his Osun State counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola, and Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo the Gombe State governor.Traditional rulers from across the 36 states also graced the event.Among them were the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III; the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi; the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe; the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, and the Otaru of Auchi, Alhaji Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III.In his maiden address, Oba Ewuare, said that the over nearly two-week coronation activities provided him the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the cultural ideals of the Benin Kingdom, which he said, would be sustained during his reign.He explained that he would pay due attention to matters concerning the uplift of the Benin tradition, security, welfare of the people and palace reformation.To that extent, we shall faithfully discharge this sacred responsibility. We shall pay due attention to all matters of custom and tradition, focusing on real issues of security of our communities and the welfare and development of our people, he added.Oba Ewuare continued, We shall carry out reforms in palace administration in order to be adequately responsive to our peoples sincere and deep longing for justice, equity and stability.We shall strive to ensure that conflicts are resolved between individuals, families and communities along the principles of social justice. We shall use cultural diplomacy as a veritable tool for the promotion of harmonious relationships with our neighbours far and near.The Oba said that having shrunk to one state from parts of Lagos, Asaba and even Dahomey, it was imperative to sustain the Benin Empire by promoting the language from one generation to the other, through its enshrinement in the school curricula.He also said that to promote tourism, through arts and crafts, two special purpose vehicles  Benin Royal Dynasty Trust and Benin Royal Academy for the Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Benin Traditional Council, had already been established.The new monarch, who paid glowing tributes to his late father, Oba Erediauwa, and mother, described him as the true symbol of the Benin cultural heritage and added that he enjoyed and benefited from the late Obas love more than anyone else.In his honour, the Oba announced the establishment of the Oba Erediauwa Annual Lecture Series, through the investment of N10m in a trust fund, adding that the proceeds would be used to support an annual and well researched yoration on any subject in Benin history, public administration or Edo language.Oba Ewuare II also bestowed a posthumous title of Iyoba on his late mother, Princess Ikuoyemwen Akenzua, and lauded her efforts in teaching him to work hard in order to succeed.He added, I therefore stand before you as the 40th Oba of Benin, a direct descendant of Oranmiyan, the son of Oduduwa, whom the Benin people of that era knew as Ekaladeran, their self-exiled prince who later became ruler in Ile-Ife. The Benin people recognise Oduduwa and his origin but it is not our place to force this recognition on others outside our boundaries.The history of the world is a shared one and there will certainly be unexpected connections in the future. This is, thus, a time for unity and not divisiveness, a time for mutual respect, recognising that our wholeness as people is so much more than the sum of our parts.The monarch, who unveiled his new royal crest, also urged well-meaning Nigerians to contribute to the development of the state.While congratulating the 40th Oba of Benin, President Buhari expressed confidence that he would build on the legacies of his later father, whom he described as a man of integrity.We are gratified that with your meritorious service as ambassador to various nation and you sterling work in the oil and gas stand you out in fulfilling the obligation of your ancestor.He said, All those who know you are convinced that you will discharge your responsibility with great wisdom and integrity that your great ancestors have always displayed.On behalf of the President and government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you on this historic occasion and assure you of support, especially the Royal Dynasty Trust, for youth employment and poverty alleviation.On his part, Oshiomhole, who was the first civilian governor to present a staff of office to an Oba of Benin, said that Oba Ewuare emergence was a unifying factor among the different political divides in the state.He also pledged the support of the state government to ensure the continuous development of the state.
More than 25 Nigerians have been arrested in Kenya for staying in the East African country longer than their visas permitted, the Kenya Im...

BREAKING;

Over 25 Nigerians arrested today in Nairobi; Kasarani, Roysambu, Mirema area for being in the country illegally after their...  Immigration Kenya (@ImmigrationDept) October 21, 2016

More than 25 Nigerians have been arrested in Kenya for staying in the East African country longer than their visas permitted, the Kenya Immigration office has said.In a series of tweet to alert Kenyans on Nigerians flouting the immigration laws, the Kenyan immigration office said any foreigner seeking accommodation in the country must show valid documentations to be admitted.Over 25 Nigerians arrested today in Nairobi, Kasarani, Roysambu, Mirema area for being in the country illegally after their visa validity elapsed. Please give report if any around your area, the office said.
The Governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola has urged Nigerians to practice birth control and curb excessive desire for foreign food items...

The Governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola has urged Nigerians to practice birth control and curb excessive desire for foreign food items in order to survive recession.The governor said this on Thursday in Osogbo while hosting some youth who just returned from a training sponsored by the state government in modern agricultural technique at Germany.He explained that his governments decision to send the youths for the agriculture programme is to boost food production in the state, adding that this will bring about a positive boost in food production.The governor advised the youths not to be idle as they wait on the government to fulfill its promise to offer financial support.According to him, Nigeria is in economic crisis especially as the nations economic mainstay, oil, was cheap on the international market.The production capacity had reduced significantly due to the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.Besides, we also face food crisis and if we are unable to feed ourselves, then there is problem. We believe, as a government, that we must produce what we consume.The first panacea out of the food crisis is for us as a people to drastically curb our excessive taste for foreign foods.We should patronise our local foods rather than spend huge but scarce foreign exchange on importation of rice.Aregbesola stressed that this would help in reducing the rate of poverty in the state, adding that now is also the time for our people to practice birth control and control our population.
The police in Lagos are on the trail of some suspected robbers, who allegedly hijacked a tanker laden with 33,000-litre fuel valued at N4....

The police in Lagos are on the trail of some suspected robbers, who allegedly hijacked a tanker laden with 33,000-litre fuel valued at N4.5m on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.The robbers were also said to have abducted the vehicles escort, Shittu Oluwasegun.It was learnt that the product was to be delivered to a filling station in Ore, Ondo State, before the tanker was hijacked in the Sagamu, Ogere, Ogun State end of the expressway.The police said a man, identified simply as Lateef, from whom the tanker was hired to transport the fuel, allegedly connived with the robbers.Our correspondent gathered that the owner of the product, Muyideen Adebayo, had sometimes in September, rented the tanker for N170,000 through one Muyideen Abdulhameed and Tunde Adeleke, who reportedly presented themselves as managers.The robbers, who were reportedly five in number, including Lateef, ambushed the tanker driver and the escort, Oluwasegun, around 7.30pm on the expressway.They allegedly hijacked the tanker and whisked Oluwasegun away in a car.When we got to Ogere, Lateef stopped the driver and said he was the owner of the tanker. He left with the driver for about an hour before they came back.Immediately the driver and I entered the vehicle to continue our journey, a car waylaid us. One of the occupants pointed a gun at me, forced me into the car and drove off. Lateef was among them. They later dropped me off near a bush after collecting my mobile phone, Oluwasegun told the police.PUNCH Metro learnt that the case was reported at the Trinity Police Station and referred to the Special Ant-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, leading to the managers arrest.One of the suspects, Adeleke, said, I dont know anything about the robbery. I am a truck driver. Muyideen (Abdulhameed) told me that he rented out tankers. Mr. Adebayo met with me and said he needed a tanker to transport fuel to Ore. I introduced him to Muyideen and they discussed. He paid N100,000 in advance.Abdulhameed, who is also a truck driver, said, I dont have any truck or tanker. The tanker in question is owned by Lateef and I rented it from him for that trip. When I was told that the tanker had been stolen, I immediately called him but he didnt pick my calls. He later switched off his phone.I dont know where he lives. We met at a prison in Ogun State.The two suspects were subsequently brought before an Ikeja Magistrates Court by a police prosecutor, Inspector Benedict Aigbokhan, on three counts bordering on conspiracy and robbery.The charges read in part, That you, Muyideen Abdulhameed, Tunde Adeleke and others at large, on September 9, 2016, at about 7.30pm along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the Ikeja Magisterial District, while armed with a gun and other weapons did kidnap one Shittu Oluwasegun, the escort in charge of a Daf tanker with number plate, AAA871XB, loaded with 33,000 litres of petrol, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 269 (1) and punishable under Section 269 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail by the presiding magistrate, Mrs. O. Olanipekun, in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties each in like sum.The case was adjourned till November 17, 2016.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged universities and other tertiary institutions in the country to key in to the anti-corruption crus...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged universities and other tertiary institutions in the country to key in to the anti-corruption crusade of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.He said the tertiary institutions are well placed as moulders of the future generations to spearhead a national orientation against corruption which he described as a cankerworm as too endemic to be overlooked.Osinbajo who stated this on Friday at the 4th Convocation of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) stressed that no sector of the Nigerian society will be spared in the fight against corruption.The Vice President called on the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature to join hands together to fight graft to a standstill adding that the leadership of the law profession to which he (Osinbajo) and ABUAD Founder/Chancellor, Chief Afe Babalola belong should support the Federal Government in the anti-corruption war.A total of 912 ABUAD students graduated with 61 bagging First Class Honours. Ariyibi Olawale Emmanuel, from the Geology Department who scored 5.00 CGPA to emerge as the best graduating student won a cash prize of N1 million from the Founder.President, Central State University, Wilberforce Island, Ohio, United States, Prof. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond; President, Coscharis Group, Mr. Cosmas Maduka and Ibadan-based industrialist, Chief Raymond Zard were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees at the convocation.Osinbajo showered encomiums on ABUAD Founder for his stand against corruption which saw to the establishment of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the emergence of Hon. Justice Emmanuel Ayoola as its first Chairman.The Vice President said: My learned senior, Chief Afe Babalola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, appeared in a famous case in 2001 appeared for the Federal Government in which he said that corruption is the greatest hindrance to our development.I have great respect for Chief Afe Babalola because of his stand against corruption. Sometimes in 2001, Chief Babalola argued the case for the establishment of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) where he let the court realized that corruption is the greatest problem of our nation.What we need is serious reorientation. That is why ABUAD is a great university because it teaches learning, character and morality. So, value reorientation is a key weapon to fight corruption.That was why the present federal government is intervening, because if we refuse every facet of the country will fail. We must act fast and deal with the situation as quickly as possible.He noted that what is happening in the country, especially the high level of poverty in the system and many other menaces bedeviling the country, was a direct consequences of corruption that has permeated every sector of the economy.Responding to Governor Ayo Fayoses request for an airport in Ekiti State, Osinbajo said the Fountain of Knowledge deserves such a project noting considering its importance to an institution like ABUAD.Osinbajo added: Ekiti State deserves an airport but I have discussed what we need in return with His Excellency (Fayose).The Federal government we continue to give support to every project that will fast-track development in each of the states of the federation. We know how important is this airport to Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti(ABUAD).Offering some advice to the graduating students, Osinbajo urged them to learn skills that will enhance their value and also develop and maintain integrity.He said: You must appreciate that this is the age of multi-tasking and multi-skilling is crucial today. One must today learn to be a master of himself and you must be technology savvy in whatever you choose to do.Talent is nothing if you are not diligent; integrity is important because lack of integrity may come back to haunt you because you may need the recommendation of somebody.Osinbajo stated he never had misgiving for Babalolas competence to run an all-inclusive university, on the strength of his achievements as the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos between 2001 and 2008.Fayose advocated the inclusion of the Ekiti Airport in the 2017 Appropriation Bill saying the project will be in the overall interest of the people of the state.The governor urged the federal government to replicate all the good virtues ABUAD represents in the federal universities, describing the only private university in the state as a reference point to other universities not only in the country, but in Africa at large.
Yakubu Gowon, former military head of state of Nigeria, has apologised to Niger Delta communities for the neglect they have suffered in th...

Yakubu Gowon, former military head of state of Nigeria, has apologised to Niger Delta communities for the neglect they have suffered in the hands of the successive governments.Gowon, who was the special guest of honour at the premiere of Oloibiri, a movie about the Niger Delta, urged the government; across all levels, to be humble enough to dialogue with aggrieved people.Watching through the movie, I cannot help but feel with the plight of Oloibori and all other oil producing communities and their people in the land. I agree that the movie mirrors a clear manifestation of the collective negligence and failure of leadership in successive governments in our country, said Gowon.Looking back today, I must confess here that the people of Oloibiri have felt badly neglected and of course, they are hurt.We must, however, acknowledge as a nation and as a people that along the way, we have made mistakes, clearly Oloibiri community has not been treated fairly, they deserve or sympathy, consideration, and collective resolve to develop this once vibrant community.The 82-year-old Plateau indigene also urged the government to seek ways of redressing the wrongs of the past.I move as a former head of state to offer the nations profound regrets and my personal apology to the good people of Oloibiri with the prayers to the present and future government at all levels in the land to work towards redressing the wrongs of the past to these people.I also request the people of Oloibiri to forgive the oversight and mistakes of the government and the corporate government of Nigeria.I have great faith in our youth in the Delta region. The future is yours if you keep it whole, you will be able to build a better country than we would leave to you today. It is up to you to love your country, defend it whether good or bad but try to make it right.In the Delta region, do not go on destroying all these facilities that you would need to develop, for Gods sake, stop doing that because you are hurting yourself and you are hurting the nation as a whole.The movie premiere, which held on Thursday at the Muson centre,Onikan, had dignitaries like Onyeka Onwenu, Chris Anyaoku, Olu Jacobs and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, in attendance.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has given Justice Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court one week to withdraw the bribery...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has given JusticeInyang Okoro of the Supreme Court one week to withdraw the briberyallegation he made against Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon.Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, or be ready to go to jail for contraveningthe Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offence Act 2000.The demand is contained in a statement issued on Thursday in PortHarcourt, signed by State APC Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Davies IbiamuIkanya.The statement berated Justice Okoro for his wild and baselessallegation as contained in his letter to the National Judicial Council(NJC) following his recent arrest by the Department of State Service(DSS) for alleged corruption.The party noted that while the judgement in the Rivers Stategovernorship election dispute was given by the Supreme Court onJanuary 27, 2015, Justice Inyang Okoro in his letter to the NJCclaimed that Rt. Hon. Amaechi tried to bribe him on February 1, 2015to influence a ruling made four days earlier and nine months to alertthe public about the alleged bribery attempt!One does not need a soothsayer to see that Justice Okoro is veryconfused and thinks that by mentioning the name of Amaechi in hisletter, he would deceive Nigerians and play down the gravity of hissins and crimes against Rivers State people and Nigeria as a whole,Rivers APC said.Continuing, the statement said: If we may ask Justice Okoro, whyshould Amaechi or anybody attempt to bribe him for an electionupturned by both the Tribunal and the Appeal Court? An election widelycondemned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), theinternational community and both local and foreign observers whomonitored the shambolic exercise in the course of which over 200 ofour members were slaughtered like chicken just to install Chief NyesomWike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in power at all cost?Rivers APC drew Justice Okoros attention to the provisions of theCorrupt Practices And Other Related Offence Act 2000, which makesfailure to report bribery or a bribery attempt a crime that attractsboth a fine and a jail term. Below are the relevant provisions of thesaid Act:(23)-(1) Any public officer to whom any gratification is given,promised, or offered, in contravention of any provision of this Act,shall report such gift, promise or offer together with the name, ifknown, of the person who gave, promised or offered such gratificationto him to the nearest officer of the commission or police officer.(2) Any person from whom gratification has been solicited or obtained,or from whom an attempt has been made to obtain such gratification, incontravention of any provision of this Act, shall, at the earliestopportunity thereafter, report such soliciting or obtaining, orattempt to obtain the gratification together with the name, if known,or a true and full description of the person who solicited, orobtained, or attempted to obtain the gratification from him, to thenearest officer of the commission or police officer.(3) Any person who fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply withsub-sections (1) and (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall onconviction be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousandnaira or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to bothfine and imprisonment.For failing to report the fictional bribery attempt by Amaechi,Justice Okoro has committed an offence that attracts up to two yearsimprisonment. We are hereby giving him one week to retract hisworthless and satanic letter and apologise to Amaechi or we may beforced to set in motion a machinery to invoke the Corrupt PracticesAnd Other Related Offence Act 2000, Rivers APC said.The party commended the DSS for taking the bold step to bring corruptjudges to justice. It urged the NJC not only to assist the FederalGovernment in this fight against crimes against our nation but to alsooverturn the injustices meted to the various states and organs bythese agents of darkness in the Judiciary, as this is the only way toatone for the blood of our dead members shed with impunity during thediscredited 2015 elections in Rivers State.
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania -- A bill to reform to the Delaware River Port Authority was approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly this week, while its twin in New Jersey remains stuck in committee.

However, it appears the bill that passed the Pennsylvania assembly Tuesday is doomed anyway. Gov. Tom Wolf has promised to veto it.

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale points to the Ben Franklin Bridge during a press conference to announce bi-state legislation to reform the Delaware River Port Authority, Thursday, April 24, 2014. With him are, from left, New Jersey Senator Joe Pennacchio, Pennsylvania Representative Mike Vereb, Pennsylvania Senator John Rafferty and DRPA member John Dougherty. (Staff Photo by Tim Hawk/South Jersey Times)

The DRPA is a quasi-governmental transportation authority that operates PATCO rail as well as four bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To be enacted, the bills require legislative approval in both states, as well as Congress.

Republican legislators proposed the two bills in 2014, a few years after the New Jersey comptroller released a report accusing the DRPA of wasteful spending, including using millions of taxpayer dollars on "economic development" projects that benefitted powerful businesspeople and politicians.

The bills seek to limit the DRPA staff salaries and perks, make agency records subject to public records laws, and ban political activity using the DRPA resources. They would also ban the economic development spending, though the DRPA said it stopped the practice in 2013.

After the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved State Sen. John Rafferty's bill Tuesday, Gov. Wolf made it clear that he will veto it when it gets to his desk because of a provision that allows the senate to confirm his appointments to the DRPA board.

Jeffrey Sheridan, a spokesman for Wolf, said the governor agrees with everything else in the bill but believes that provision is just one of several attempts by Republican legislators to take power away from the governor.

The governor's office tried to negotiate with Rafferty over this part of the bill, Sheridan said.

"He would not compromise," he said. "It's not a big give."

Meanwhile, the New Jersey version of the bill remains in the Senate Transportation Committee. That's where it was referred after being reintroduced in January. That's also where the first version of the bill died in 2015, when the legislative session expired.

"It's a shame," said New Jersey Sen. Joe Pennacchio, who sponsored the bill. He said all the efforts to reform transportation authorities are currently focused on fixing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

At this point, he said, "I would just love for it to be heard in committee."

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
OCEAN VIEW -- A woman who found a memory card containing thousands of recent wedding photos has located the couple after her request for help finding them went viral.

WPVI 6 said Tammy Tozer connected with the owner, a resident of Berlin, Germany, who was in New York performing with the Berlin Radio Choir. She said in a Facebook post Thursday she was planning on meeting him in New York to hand over the photos.

Tozer found the card on the ground while visiting the World Trade Center Friday with her husband and 12-year-old son. When she discovered what the card contained, she immediately launched an online campaign to find out to whom the card belonged.

Viewers on social media recognized the location where the photos were taken, Schnbrunn Palace in Vienna. WABC 6 reached out to the palace and confirmed the location, and the palace also agreed to help with Tozer's search by sharing her post among its own Facebook page subscribers.

"Social media can be the best thing ever or the worst thing," Tozer told WABC 6. "It's definitely proving to be an amazing thing here. I've reached a lot of people."

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Barack Obama

School 34 in Jersey City will be renamed for President Obama after a final vote by the school board on Oct. 20, 2106. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

(AP Photo)

JERSEY CITY -- School 34 will be renamed Barack Obama Elementary School after a final vote by the school board last night capped an eight-month effort by a state assemblywoman to name a city school after the nation's first black president.

The board voted 7-0-1 in favor of the move, with Lorenzo Richardson abstaining. John Reichart, the board's vice president, was absent.

The renaming effort was led by Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, D-Jersey City. Reached by phone this afternoon, McKnight described herself as "overjoyed."

The idea to rename a Jersey City school for Obama originated with McKnight's uncle James Johnson, a resident of her legislative district, and is intended to inspire students of the pre-k through eight school, located on Kennedy Boulevard in the city's Greenville section.

"Now, let's get President Obama to come to Jersey City for the celebration!" McKnight wrote on Facebook on Thursday night after the vote.

Asked to respond to critics who said a school renaming should not have been one of her priorities, McKnight said, "It wasn't about me, it was about the children. I wanted to prove to them that when you go after something and involve the community, amazing things happen."

The nine-member board in August voted against a measure that would have renamed School 34 for Obama, with critics of the measure saying they had concerns about the process that led a board committee to choose Obama over other suggestions, including Marilyn Roman, a sitting board member.

Last month, the board reconsidered its earlier decision and unanimously advanced the same measure after McKnight rallied about 100 people in support of it. Last night's vote makes the renaming official.

McKnight said she is working with the school's principal on a date for the unveiling of the new name.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
FLEMINGTON - Two Pennsylvania men, already facing a number of burglary and theft charges in a five-county burglary spree in the Lehigh Valley, have been indicted in connection with eight Hunterdon County break-ins.

William C. Meleschuck, 33, of Allentown, Pa., was charged with multiple burglary, theft and weapons possession charges in a 26-count indictment handed down by a Hunterdon County Grand Jury on Thursday.

Joseph T. Blose, 42, of Allentown, Pa., was charged with one count each of third-degree burglary, theft and conspiracy in one of the break-ins, according to the indictment.

Items reportedly stolen include two handguns, a Gucci watch, a television and jewelry.

In August, the pair, along with Meleschuck's brother, Douglas T. Meleschuk, 32, of Whitehall Township, were charged in Pennsylvania in connection with burglaries that occurred over a seven-month period, from the fall of 2015 to January, according to a news report on wfmz.com.

The Hunterdon County thefts took place from November of 2015 to February.

The investigations and arrests resulted from collaboration between the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Franklin Township Police Department and the Clinton Township Police Department, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III said.

"I would like to commend the collaborative effort of the multiple agencies involved in the investigation that led to the arrests and indictments of Mr. Meleschuck and Mr. Blose," Kearns said.

Meleschuck is currently being held in the Lehigh Valley County Jail in Pennsylvania. No information on if Blose was also in jail or out on bail was available on Tuesday.

The report stated, in connection with the Pennsylvania thefts, William C. Meleschuk faces 60 counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief; Douglas T. Meleschuk, 37 counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, access device fraud and criminal mischief; and Blose, 41 counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, access device fraud and criminal mischief.

All three are being held in Lehigh County Jail on $250,000 bail.

Pennsylvania authorities said an estimated $39,000 in various items - from jewelry to power tools - were stolen. The trio apparently used a gold-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee in each of the thefts.

In Hunterdon County, several police departments reported theft investigations involving the same kind of vehicle being seen canvassing neighborhoods and leaving the scene of burglaries.

In 2009, William C. Meleschuk, then 26, was sentenced to 14 to 28 months in prison followed by three years of state probation after he plead guilty to a single count of receiving stolen property. He had fenced more than $3,255 in antiques stolen from a Bethlehem Township, Pa., home.

The homeowner said at the time about $8,000 worth of antiques also stolen had not been recovered. During sentencing, William C. Meleschuk denied having broken into the home.

Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito said at the sentencing he believed William C. Meleschuk knew who committed the burglary and that he had a bigger role in the crime.

According to the trial coverage, William C. Meleschuk reportedly was suffering from a drug habit, "and Zito said that left him with no respect for a family's cherished heirlooms. 'They only represent something you can get money for to buy drugs,' Zito said."

In all, eight homes were entered in Franklin Township, Clinton Township, Alexandria and Union townships in Hunterdon County.

William C. Meleschuck's 26-count indictment include one for second-degree certain persons not to have weapons; eight for third-degree theft; six for third-degree burglary; four for fourth-degree criminal mischief; two each for second-degree burglary, fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon; and one count of third-degree conspiracy.

According to the Hunterdon County indictment, William C. Meleschuck:

Allegedly broke into a home on Pine Hill Road in the Annandale section of Franklin Township on Feb. 1 and stole a Gucci watch, Sanyo television and a jewelry box with assorted jewelry. On the same night he allegedly broke into a Grandin Road residence in Annandale and stole a pillowcase and jewelry.

On Jan. 21, he reportedly broke into a home on Cokesbury Road in Annandale section of Clinton Township and stole a jewelry box with jewelry inside.

On Nov. 25, 2015, he allegedly broke into a Sweet Hollow Road home in Alexandria and took two pillowcases, a LCR Ruger revolver and ammunition.

On Nov. 18, 2015, he reportedly entered a Myler Road home in Alexandria and stole unspecified items. On the same night, he allegedly entered a residence on Mount Salem Road and took two pillowcases, jewelry and a K38 Smith and Wesson revolver.

On Nov. 18, 2015, he reportedly broke into a home on Baptist Church Road in Union Township and stole jewelry

William C. Meleschuck and Joseph T. Blose also allegedly broke into a building on a Route 179 property in Alexandria on Feb. 8 and stole cash and jewelry.

The total amount of all the items taken was not available as of Friday morning.

Craig Turpin may be reached at cturpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @NJeditor. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Delaware Valley High School missign class ring 1989

Delaware Valley High School's 1988 yearbook, plus the initials J.L.B. etched inside the ring made the mystery not so very hard to solve. (courtesy photo)

When Jennifer McNally comes up to Milford for Thanksgiving, she will be reunited with her Delaware Valley High School ring, which had been missing since 1989.

Former Hunterdon County residents Paul and Jennifer McNally live in North Carolina with their seventh-grade daughter Tess. (courtesy photo)

"I always felt guilty about losing that ring," says McNally. "My parents had bought it for me, and I felt irresponsible. I did not, of course, think of the ring often after 25-plus years, but it would cross my mind when I'd see a class ring."

The words may sound gloomy, but McNally, speaking from her North Carolina home, is laughing while she says them. She is amused and pleased that her 1988 Del Val High School ring has been found.

After graduating, she "was working for a vet, doing lots of pet sitting in the Clinton area." A Clinton friend offered to have the ring cleaned, "and he lost it. That was in 1989, and I never saw it again. I am actually very intrigued as to where this ring has been hiding for all these years!" says McNally.

Cindy Bridge, administrative assistant to Del Val's principal, recalls that someone in Clinton had been cleaning out an old car before selling or junking it, and found a tiny blue velvet bag containing the '88 class ring and passed it to her. That was about a year ago.

Earlier this month, hoping some publicity might discover the owner, she took the ring to library aide Rick Epstein, who also maintains the school's Facebook page. The 1988 yearbook was consulted, and three girls were found who might be a match with the J.L.B. initials etched inside the ring.

Those names were duly publicized. "I must say I was so shocked when I received multiple texts with the forwarded Facebook message," says the former Jennifer Lynn Bottomley.

"The ball started rolling when Jeff Witter sent the Facebook info to my friend Kim LaFevre who contacted me. Then I received an excited message from my sister-in-law Kathy Petro, too, and multiple messages from other family. Someone even contacted my parents in Virginia to try to locate me."

Jennifer and Paul McNally (Del Val Class of 1984) were married in 1991 in St. Thomas Episcopal Church, one mile from their old high school. Serving as best man was Chuck Cooper, brother of Cindy Bridge, who had been custodian of the ring for a year, never suspecting she was personally acquainted with its owner. "Strange connection," notes McNally.

The couple moved to Chicago in 1998 and then on to their current location near Charlotte, N.C. She is a physical therapy assistant. She and her husband have a seventh-grade daughter named Tess.

Tess "was not very impressed with the ring story -- just concerned with my picture in the yearbook and asking why didn't I have retakes done," Mom reports wryly.

Paul McNally's parents, former owners of Milford's Mac Supply hardware store, reside in Milford, and his four siblings and various nieces and nephews still live in the area, too. So Paul and Jennifer McNally will be returning to Hunterdon for Thanksgiving.

One of those nieces is Leah Petro, who is an aide at Del Val High School. The ring has been entrusted to her to hand off to its owner over the turkey and cranberry sauce.

"Too bad there's nothing especially dramatic about the mystery of the missing ring," says McNally, "But the story still makes me smile." And that smile was passed along to the principal's assistant in the form of flowers delivered to her office with a note of thanks.

McNally adds, "Thank you to everyone involved who passed on Facebook posts and made distant calls to track me down, and to Rick for writing the final chapter. I did keep special mementos from my years at DVR, and it will be great to add this."

Submitted by Rick Epstein
new-jersey-state-prison-c63b93d67eef2f37.jpg

TRENTON - A social worker at the New Jersey Department of Corrections claims her supervisor ignored her, gave her poor evaluations and generally mistreated her for a year because of her race, according to a lawsuit filed Sept. 12.

In the suit, Victoria Williams-Faux, an African-American social worker with the DOC, detailed a series of issues she had with her boss, the social work supervisor at the department in 2015. Williams-Faux believes the issues arose between the two because her supervisor was biased against African American employees.

In the suit, Williams-Faux claimed her supervisor had made comments like, "you act like a ghetto girl," to African-American women she works with.

A DOC spokesman said he could not comment on pending litigation. An attorney representing Williams-Faux did not immediately return a call for comment.

The problems started in February of 2015 when Williams-Faux was promoted to an assistant social work supervisor position at the New Jersey State Prison. Almost immediately, her supervisor told Williams-Faux that she wanted another woman, who was white, to get the promotion over Williams-Faux, according to the lawsuit.

From there, Williams-Faux claimed the supervisor continued to mistreat her by giving Williams-Faux poor evaluations, not giving her adequate instructions on protocol and "isolating" her from her coworkers by not inviting her to a meeting, according to the suit.

When Williams-Faux filed a complaint against the supervisor in June of 2015, she claims the situation worsened, as her supervisor began to intentionally ignore Williams-Faux, according to the suit.

The supervisor "often pretended not to see or hear plaintiff," the suit said.

Williams-Faux claimed in the suit that the discrimination continued throughout 2015, even as she requested a transfer from the department. In January, a coworker and "cohort" of the supervisor, filed a complaint against Williams-Faux for having a bible and allegedly offensive picture on her desk, according to the suit. Williams-Faux was demoted to the position of Social Worker 1 the following month, the suit said.

In the suit, Williams-Faux has named the state, the DOC, New Jersey State Prison and her supervisor for the alleged incidents, which, she said still affect her.

"Plaintiff continues to experience negative consequences as a direct result of her complaints of race discrimination," the suit said.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman
HANOVER -- A Sussex-based company was recently fined by federal labor authorities in connection with a fatal accident at the new Hanover firehouse this past February in which two workers were killed by a falling five-ton generator.

Joseph Donahue, 25, of Montague, was pronounced dead at the scene after a strap gave way on Feb. 18 and a generator being hoisted by a crane fell on him and Robert Derkacs, Jr., 45, of Vernon. Derkacs was taken to Morristown Medical Center where he died from his injuries hours later.

IP&E Rigging, a non-union company, was fined $9,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for two violations for allegedly failing to properly instruct employees and failing to ensure the materials being hoisted were rigged to prevent unintentional displacement.

The company, which is also known as Industrial Process and Equipment, was initially fined $14,000, but, after it contested the violations, an informal settlement reduced the fine to $9,000.

IP&E Rigging owner John Stearns told NJ Advance Media Friday morning the accident was a "terrible tragedy" for the families of both men. The accident, Stearns said, was especially personal because Donohue was married to his daughter.

Stearns, however, disputed OSHA's violations and said he'd settled the matter "so that the families of those that were lost did not have to continually and constantly relive the tragic facts of that day."

"We have learned that when something tragic like this happens there are but three choices: You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you. We have certainly become stronger as a family," Stearns said in a statement. "We have had to. We also understand and appreciate that each day is a gift. And at IPE, that tragic day serves as a constant reminder when we are on job sites that everyone is responsible for safety, not just the contractor doing the work."

He continued: "With respect to the citations issued by OSHA, IPE emphatically disputes the factual assertions that alleged that our employees were not properly trained, were not properly qualified and were not provided safety equipment."

Stearns said his employees were properly trained and certified crane operators both at the time of the accident and at present, and that IPE had provided documentation to OSHA affirming this.

OSHA previously fined Industrial Process and Equipment $2,100 in Oct. 2012 for allegedly endangering employees by exposing them to crushing hazards.

Three other companies -- Precision Building and Construction, the general contractor; City Erectors; and Boz Electrical -- were also involved in the project but were not found to have violated safety regulations with regard to the February accident.

Each of those companies, however, have also been previously cited by OSHA for various safety violations.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK--Bridget Anne Kelly, who authored the now-infamous "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" email, finally took the witness stand Friday to tell a federal jury her side of the story in the Bridgegate scandal that led to her indictment in a bizarre scheme of political retribution.

Looking calm and self-assured, the 44-year-old former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Chris Christie began what is expected to be several days of testimony about her role in the September 2013 toll lane shutdowns at the George Washington Bridge which were aimed at causing massive traffic disruption in Fort Lee.

Kelly is on trial with Bill Baroni, the one-time deputy executive director of the Port Authority, which operates the bridge. The two are charged with nine counts of conspiracy and fraud in connection with the scheme. Prosecutors allege the plot was hatched to punish Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, after he declined to endorse the Republican governor for re-election.

Earlier on Friday, Mike DuHaime, Christie's long-time political strategist, testified that minutes before a news conference in December 2013, at which the governor insisted his top staffers had assured him they had no knowledge of the George Washington Bridge lane closures, the governor spoke with him on the phone.

The conversation lasted five minutes and ended just moments before Christie walked out of his office into a room packed with reporters and TV news cameras.

The governor claimed no one in his office knew anything about the lane closures. But by that time, DuHaime testified that he had confirmation from David Wildstein that Kelly was aware of the closures and that emails existed that proved she knew.

DuHaime's conversation with Christie was at the forefront of defense attorney Michael Critchley's grilling of DuHaime, who blanked on details of his conversation with the governor.

"I don't recall if I passed along email information to the governor," DuHaime told jurors.

It was the second time DuHaime talked to Christie over the phone that morning and occurred after a flurry of calls DuHaime had with Wildstein and former Christie aide Bill Stepien, according to evidence in the trial.

But there was no mention of DuHaime's phone conversation with Christie in the notes of the administration's internal review of the scandal, dubbed the Mastro Report, and DuHaime insisted he couldn't remember if he passed what he knew then along to the governor.

The new details emerged as Critchley has worked for weeks to instill doubt among jurors that his client, Kelly, was the mastermind of the political revenge scheme.

"This is 13 minutes before he's going out and giving a press conference and you just called Wildstein," Critchley pressed DuHaime. "Did you tell him ... that David Wildstein also said there were emails?"

DuHaime, speaking publicly for the first time about the closures, insisted he couldn't "remember the specifics" of those conversations. But phone records presented as evidence in the trial proved DuHaime at the time shared numerous calls with Wildstein, Stepein and Christie.

The key witness for the prosecution in the case remains Wildstein, a former political blogger and Christie loyalist hired to a $150,000-a-year patronage job at the Port Authority, who has admitted being the architect of the lane closure plan. He testified that he realized that taking out three local access toll lanes dedicated to Fort Lee traffic could almost certainly cause paralyzing gridlock in town, serving as a "leverage point" against Sokolich.

Baroni, who testified earlier this week, said he had believed the lane closures were a legitimate traffic study into the "fairness" of having three toll lanes at the world's busiest bridge used for cars and trucks coming out of Fair Lawn. He admitted he never responded to increasingly frantic calls from the mayor, but claimed that he had been told that any disclosure would "skew" the results of the study.

But it is Kelly who faces the most graphic evidence in the high-profile case. She was the one who sent an email to Wildstein a month before the lane closures--and a day after she reconfirmed that Sokolich would not be endorsing the governor for re-election--that said: "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

Wildstein replied: "Got it."

Kelly will also have to explain texts she exchanged with Wildstein the week of the lane closures, including one on Sept. 10, 2013, the second day historic traffic backups in Fort Lee, after the two saw a message sent by to Baroni by Sokolich.

The Fort Lee mayor, who testified he could not get Baroni to return his calls, told him: "Presently we have four very busy traffic lanes merging into only one toll booth... The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help please. It's maddening."

"Is it wrong that I am smiling?" she asked Wildstein after seeing a copy of the Sokolich message.

"No," he responded.

"I feel badly about the kids. I guess," she said.

"They are the children of Buono voters," replied Wildstein, referring to Barbara Buono, then the Democratic nominee challenging Christie in the gubernatorial race. "Bottom line is he didn't say safety."

Kelly will likely be challenged as well by prosecutors on why she directed a subordinate to delete an incriminating email indicating she knew that Sokolich was being ignored by as the traffic problems in his borough mounted.

Kelly at the time headed the governor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, or IGA, which became a virtual arm of the Christie re-election campaign, handing out so-called "goody bags" in the form of grants, tickets to sporting events and other public resources to officials who backed the governor in his quest for a second term.

Wildstein, in his testimony, said his job was to support the political goals of the Christie administration at the Port Authority. He had a role in determining the allocation of grants and exclusive tours of Ground Zero for those officials considered likely to support the governor.

He testified that he took his direction of Kelly as his direct representative with the governor's office, but also said that her former boss, Stepien, was well aware of the traffic plan he concocted to pressure Sokolich.

Stepien, who served as Christie's campaign manager, has not been charged in the case.

In his testimony, Wildstein also claimed the governor had been told of the traffic troubles in Fort Lee as they were ongoing. The governor has denied any knowledge of the lane closures and has been charged with no wrongdoing in the scandal that played a major role in derailing his failed presidential bid.

The defense in the case has focused much of its efforts at showing that several high-level administration officials knew in the immediately aftermath of the Fort Lee closures that Kelly and Baroni had been aware of what was going on.

Wildstein testified that as the fallout from the scandal grew, he told people inside the governor office that both Kelly and Baroni were on emails in connection with the toll lane shutdown, including the governor's spokesman, Michael Drewniak.

But it was not until Jan. 9, 2014, after the "time for traffic problems" email leaked from a legislative committee came to light, that the governor--then gearing up for his long-anticipated run for the presidency--called a press conference and fired her.

But her attorney, Michael Critchley, has repeatedly told the jury that Kelly had taken her direction from others higher up in the administration. And he pointedly noted that on the day she sent the "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," she had lunch with the governor.

Kelly is a single mother of four who lives in Ramsey. Her mother and friends have been sitting in the courtroom and while she says little, she greets reporters there to cover the proceedings every morning.

At the defense table, she occasionally shakes her head in disagreement during testimony and has sometimes appeared tearful at the mention of her children.

On Thursday, several character witnesses appeared on her behalf.

Patricia Molloy, president of Immaculate Heart Academy, said she had known Kelly her entire life.

"She was like a surrogate niece to me," she told the jury. "I have never had the experience of Bridget not being completely honest and truthful."

Jennifer Lessieu, a friend since childhood, said they were both raised to be truthful and honest.

"She's somebody I would turn to, if in need," she said.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
NEWARK - In an emotional day of testimony, Bridget Anne Kelly refuted the charges against her in the Bridgegate scandal, telling a jury she told Gov. Chris Christie in advance about the plan to close toll lanes at the George Washington Bridge in 2013, and had gotten his approval for what she thought was a legitimate traffic study.

She denied ever having any knowledge of the bizarre scheme of political retaliation alleged by federal prosecutors.

And she asserted that other higher-ups in the governor's inner circle were all well-aware of what was going on in Fort Lee, long before it played out, and that no one seemed that concerned about it.

"It just wasn't a big deal," she said.

Kelly described working for a mercurial governor with a quick temper that also left her "gun shy."

At the same time, the author of the now-infamous message "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" called what has long appeared to be the smoking gun in the case an innocent response to what she called a "crazy plan" by David Wildstein, the admitted mastermind of the lane shutdowns.

Kelly said Wildstein told her he wanted to realign local toll lanes to reduce travel time for commuters on the main approaches to the bridge, and wanted the governor's approval. She said she was parroting his language that the realignment would temporarily cause traffic problems in Fort Lee, and only wanted to let him know the governor had agreed to the plan.

Bridget Kelly testifies in her own defense in federal court in Newark. (Jane Rosenberg | For NJ.com)

"If I had said 'time for a traffic study,' we wouldn't have all known each other," she told jurors.

The governor has repeatedly denied any advance knowledge of the lane shutdowns in Fort Lee, which came to light as he was preparing to run for national office, and played a role in the collapse of his presidential campaign.

He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

In a statement released Friday the governor's office refuted Kelly's testimony.

"As the governor has said since January 9, 2014, the governor had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and he had no role in authorizing them. Anything said to the contrary is simply untrue," said Christie spokesman Brian T. Murray.

Kelly is on trial with Bill Baroni, the one-time deputy executive director of the Port Authority, which operates the George Washington Bridge. The two face nine counts of conspiracy and fraud charges in connection with the alleged plot to deliberately create gridlock in Fort Lee.

Wild stein, who pleaded guilty, testified the closures were intended as political payback to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for not endorsing Christie's re-election bid. In his testimony, he also said that Kelly and Baroni helped to orchestrate the revenge plot from the beginning.

Speaking publicly for the first time since her indictment last year, Kelly described working for a governor who was often intimidating and not at all shy about tossing around expletives when he was unhappy.

In the wake of the September 2013 fire on the boardwalk in Seaside Height--which occurred the same week that the toll lanes in Fort Lee were being closed--Kelly tearfully recounted the governor being sharply critical of an event she planned to bring together cabinet members with local business leaders.

Her idea, she said, was for the panel to be moderated by the governor.

"What do you think I am, a f------ game show host?" he demanded. She said the governor then threw his water bottle and it hit her arm.

"Were you afraid of the governor?" asked her attorney, Michael Critchley.

"Yes," she replied.

"He was a big tough guy, eh?"

"Yes."

At the same time, she testified that the governor himself sought to freeze out Steve Fulop after the Democrat was elected mayor of Jersey City. She told the jury she had planned a "mayor's day" meeting to bring together members of the administration with the incoming mayor, but the event was suddenly called off.

Prosecutors have pointed to that cancellation as another example of the how the governor's Office of Intergovernmental Relations, which was headed by Kelly, systematically punished elected officials who would not endorse Christie. But Kelly said she had no idea why the event was dropped.

She told the jury she was ordered by Kevin O'Dowd, the governor's chief of staff, to have each department call Fulop's office one-by-one and cancel.

Christie, she said tearfully, later marched into the office and declared, "No one's entitled to a f------ meeting."

She said the governor told her later to "continue to ice Fulop--that no one was to talk to Fulop."

Kelly, the final defense witness in a case that has gone on now for five weeks, had a high burden in taking the witness stand.

Wildstein, a $150,000-a-year patronage appointee at the Port Authority, testified that his job was to support the political goals of the Christie administration. He said he took his direction of Kelly as his direct representative with the governor's office.

The first talk of the lane closures in Fort Lee happened in the summer of 2013, Kelly testified.

Kelly said Wildstein had called her that summer with what he called "a weird idea even by my standards."

She said he wanted to conduct a traffic study by shutting down several toll lanes dedicated to Fort Lee. She said Wildstein thought the lanes were unfair and caused traffic from the main approaches to the bridge to move much slower because they had fewer lanes.

"He told me it was a backroom political deal with the former mayor of Fort Lee. The mayor owned a bank and there was traffic backup in front of that bank," she said of the three lanes dedicated to a local access ramp.

Wildstein said he thought after initial traffic jams in Fort Lee, drivers would adapt and that Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would ultimately be able to take credit for quicker access into New York, Kelly testified.

But first, Wildstein wanted Kelly to talk to the governor, which she did, she testified.

"I said, governor, by the way, I spoke to Wildstein about ... the Port Authority doing a traffic study," Kelly said.

"He said, 'OK, why are we doing this?'" Kelly recalled of Christie's reaction.

After she explained, the governor, at first, didn't "really react."

Then he said he was fine with it. "Typical Wally," she said he remarked, referring to Wildstein's pen name as an anonymous political blogger when he wrote under the name of Wally Edge.

Kelly said the governor told her to run it by O'Dowd.

Within "a few hours," Kelly texted O'Dowd asking for time to talk to him, she said. "I told him that I had spoken to the governor," Kelly recalled.

O'Dowd didn't have any objections, she said.

But the governor did have one question, Kelly said. He wanted to know about the status of his office's relationship with Sokolich.

Kelly said she thought Christie asked the question because Wildstein acknowledged there would be significant traffic problems in Fort Lee.

Kelly described being embarrassed that she didn't have a better understanding of the administration's relationship with Sokolich to relay to the governor, but she didn't go into further detail about Christie's concerns or their discussion about Sokolich.

Kelly, whose testimony continues on Monday, still must explain texts she exchanged with Wildstein the week of the lane closures, including one on Sept. 10, 2013, the second day of historic traffic backups in Fort Lee, after the two saw a message sent by Sokoloich. The mayor, who testified he could not get Baroni to return his calls, had complained: "Presently we have four very busy traffic lanes merging into only one toll booth... The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help please. It's maddening."

"Is it wrong that I am smiling?" she asked Wildstein after seeing a copy of the Sokolich message.

"No," he responded.

"I feel badly about the kids. I guess," she said.

"They are the children of Buono voters," replied Wildstein, referring to Barbara Buono, then the Democratic nominee challenging Christie in the gubernatorial race. "Bottom line is he didn't say safety."

Earlier on Friday, Mike DuHaime, Christie's long-time political strategist, revealed that minutes before a news conference in December 2013, at which the governor insisted his top staffers had assured him they had no knowledge of the George Washington Bridge lane closures, the governor spoke with him on the phone.

The conversation lasted five minutes and ended just moments before Christie walked out of his office and was met face-to-face with a room packed with reporters and TV news cameras.

The governor claimed no one in his office knew anything. But by that time, DuHaime testified, that he had confirmation from Wildstein that Kelly was aware of the closures and that emails existed that proved she knew.

DuHaime's conversation with Christie was at the forefront of Critchley's grilling of DuHaime, who blanked on details of his conversation with the governor.

"I don't recall if I passed along email information to the governor," DuHaime told jurors.

A few weeks later in January, after the "time for traffic problems" email leaked from a legislative committee came to light, the governor called another press conference and fired her.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Terrance Jacques, 25, escaped from Municipal Court early Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 18, 2016), but surrendered to police at noon Wednesday, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.(Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office)
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
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WASHINGTON  Seeking a successful health care sign-up period despite troubling new challenges to his namesake law, President Barack Obama wants to make sure people start enrolling on Nov. 1. Thats when the window opens for choosing 2017 health plans under the Affordable Care Act.

Obama made that pitch during an appearance Thursday at Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida, and urged young adults to sign up. Obama also touted improvements to the U.S. health care system under the 5-year-old law.

Under the law, more than 21 million previously uninsured people are now covered. Consumers are also covered by new protections in the law, including allowing children to stay on their parents plans through age 26 and not having to pay for preventive care.

The president said millions of Americans now know the financial security of health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act.

Its worked, he said, even while allowing that the program isnt perfect. No law is.

But not everyone is buying it.

Republican Donald Trump says the law is a disaster and would replace it.

Premiums are rising by double digits in many parts of the country and some major insurers have pulled out of the program, leaving consumers with fewer choices next year.

Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said this week that she expected 13.8 million people will sign up for 2017 coverage, a modest increase over the 12.7 million consumers who picked health insurance plans during open enrollment for this year.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama has laid out ideas for tweaks he thinks would improve the law, including allowing for a public option to increase competition. Under the public option scenario, the government would create and run a health insurance agency to compete with other private health insurance companies in the U.S.

But any changes would have to await the new Congress that gets seated in January, Earnest said. The current Congress is one thats dominated by Republicans who have voted more than 50 times to repeal the law, but have not once in the last six years actually put forward their own alternative proposal, he said.

Congressional budget analysts estimate there are about 9 million people nationwide with individual policies purchased outside the health care law. The administration estimates that about 5 million are eligible to buy coverage under the law, and half of those  about 2.5 million people  have incomes that would qualify them for subsidies if they checked.

The three-month enrollment season that begins Nov. 1 is the final one for Obama, who wants to help it be a success.

One issue with the law is that insurers say most of those who signed up for coverage turned out to be sicker than expected, which is costing companies money. Young adults, who generally are healthier, make up a disproportionate share of the people who are still uninsured. The administration says it will work aggressively to encourage more of them to sign up for coverage to help stabilize the program.

Thats where Obama comes in. Officials are counting on a strong sign-up season to validate the presidents signature domestic program, and for a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 presidential election to shut down the Republican campaign for the laws repeal.

Obama pushed the Affordable Care Act through Congress in 2010 to help millions of people.
Six new fellows were named and two team awards were bestowed at Thursday nights induction ceremony held at Horseshoe Casino for the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana at Ivy Tech Community College.

In all, the largest class in the societys 12-year history was announced, with 377 new individual and associate team members welcomed. The Society of Innovators discovers and celebrates innovation in Northwest Indiana.

Nominations for the honors come from Jasper, Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Pulaski and Starke counties.

The selection of our individuals and team members culminates a rigorous six-month process based upon nominations reviewed by leaders serving as reviewers and judges, said OMerrial Butchee, director of the Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. Our goal is to select the most innovative individuals and teams in our seven counties.

Society Chairman Richard Marrell, founder of an innovative prosthetics firm, told the audience you invent alone but you innovate together.

He told the story of his mother, who suggested an idea for using the mounds of sawdust accumulating in his shop for a new product.

Collaboration can come from surprising places when you let your guard down and listen to what people have to say, Marrell said.

Inducted as fellows into the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana at Ivy Tech Community College were:

Jon Groth, area director/principal, Porter County Career and Technical Education, Valparaiso, who led the innovative repurposing of an historic 1912 Grand Truck rail depot into a 21st century classroom. Groth worked with community leaders and volunteers to raise funds and relocate the historic building.

Chancellor Thomas L. Keon, Ph.D., launched and led the unification of two campuses into a single university called Purdue University Northwest. This is a first in Indiana and one of a handful of unifications of this nature in the nation involving innovative educational mergers.

Elizabeth Lynn, Ph.D., Valparaiso University, founded the Center for Civic Reflection, a national center that developed and refined an innovative, applied use of the humanities to illustrate issues of concern through reflective dialogue. The Center has trained more than 7,000 facilitators and led more than 20,000 people in public, community and workplace dialogues.

Sandra Chimon-Peszek Rogers, Ph.D., Director of the Calumet College of St. Joseph Biophysical Chemistry Department and a researcher into Alzheimers disease, launched an innovative curriculum that combines lectures with hands-on lab work that especially helps struggling students.

Mayor Joseph Stahura of Whiting transformed a sleepy company town into an evolving 21st century destination. This shift had its roots in the 2004 tax crisis that led to an innovative entrepreneurial culture that reinvigorated the community.

Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Superintendent, Michigan City Area Schools, championed transformation by overcoming missed opportunities and demonstrating an innovative spirit of collaboration involving the community, county and school system. Among other initiatives, she launched the first NIPSCO Energy Academy; the first STEM public elementary school, and the first construction technology program in Indiana leading to apprenticeships.

The societys new Accelerating Greatness Award for Team Innovation was bestowed on Urschel Laboratories Inc., of Chesterton. The company has pioneered a transformation in technology and created an entrepreneurial culture among its 400 employees that have made it the global leader in food cutting technology. The company is now owned by its employees.

The Societys Chanute Prize for Team Innovation was awarded to The Grand Calumet River Partners in Restoration, which transformed the Grand Calumet River, with more than 80 percent of the river coming alive again over the past decade. Once called the most polluted river in the world, this massive cleanup grew out of the 2004 Grand Cal Consent Decree.

Principal partners in the Society of Innovators are ArcelorMittal, Bukva Imaging, Doherty Imaging, Horseshoe Casino, Krieg DeVault, Lakeshore Public Media, NIPSCO, Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly, SMDG, and The Times Media Company. The Center for Workforce Innovations is a community partner.
INDIANAPOLIS  A Hobart man convicted last year of murder after shooting up a Hammond bar and killing a sleeping patron is not entitled to any reduction in his 65-year prison term, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

On Nov. 1, 2013, Jose Gutierrez and a friend were drinking and using cocaine at the Michigan Avenue Bar when they got into an altercation with other customers and were made to leave, according to court records.

Gutierrez then got a gun from his vehicle, walked back to the bar and fired up to 13 shots through the outside wall near where one of the men he was arguing with was seated.

Records indicate that instead of hitting his target, one of Gutierrezs bullets struck the head of 30-year-old Jose Herrera, of Chicago, who was sleeping one table over, killing him. Another bar patron was shot in the foot.

A Lake County jury convicted Gutierrez, now 27, of murder and battery with a deadly weapon. Hes serving his 65-year sentence at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to the Department of Correction.

In his appeal, Gutierrez argued that prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence that he intended to kill Herrera.

The appeals court, in a 3-0 ruling, found that under Indiana law when the evidence shows a defendant intended to kill one person, and by mistake or inadvertence kills another, the defendant still can be found guilty for the murder of the person who was killed.

Under the doctrine of transferred intent, the evidence is sufficient to support Gutierrezs conviction for murdering Herrera, the court said.
MUNSTER  Charges were filed Tuesday against five people in two separate crimes, including an armed robbery at the Target store and a smash-and-grab burglary at a T-Mobile store, police said.

Tuajuan G. Kennedy, 21, of Evanston, Illinois; Antonio A. Epps, 32, of Skokie, Illinois; and Trevor Collins, 49, who has addresses in Chicago and Calumet City, are accused of robbing the Target, 8005 Calumet Ave. in Munster, on Sept. 19, according to Lake Criminal Court records.

Two men walked into the story about 10:50 p.m. Sept. 19, broke into a glass display case and took electronics, police said. On the way out, one of the men displayed a gun and told employees not to follow them.

The three also were charged in connection with a burglary in Plainfield, Illinois, Munster police Lt. Ed Strbjak said.

In a separate case, charges were filed against three Illinois residents who first came to the attention of local police three people were arrested Oct. 12 after an officer interrupted a burglary at a Crown Point Radio Shack.

Joaquan ONeal Glasper, 18, of Las Vegas, Dionte Akeem Shaffer, 24, of Markam, and a 17-year-old from Markham are accused of throwing a brick through a window at T-Mobile, 7842 Calumet Ave. in Munster, about 3:30 a.m. Sept. 23 and stealing items. They're each facing felony burglary charges in the that case.

Shaffer also is facing charges in connection with burglaries Oct. 12 in Crown Point and Hobart, court records show.
GARY  The Lake County coroner's office has identified three people recently killed in separate incidents in Gary.

Steven Marquand has been identified as the 40-year-old Cedar Lake man fatally shot late Tuesday in the city's Glen Park section, according to a coroner's office spokeswoman.

Police say Marquand was shot at a gas station at Maryland Street and 48th Avenue, but taken in a vehicle to the area of 50th Avenue and Maryland, where someone called emergency workers for help. He was pronounced dead about 9:40 p.m. at the scene.

The coroner's office has also identified the 37-year-old woman fatally struck by a driver while she was on foot Sunday in the city's Midtown section.

Braisha Summers was pronounced dead at 9:15 p.m. from blunt force trauma in the 2000 block of Broadway, according to a coroner's spokeswoman.

The coroner's office did not have record of Summers' last known address. Her death was ruled an accident.

A 22-year-old shot to death at a gas station on the city's East Side was also identified. Samuel Lockett, address unknown, was killed during a fight with another man about 4 a.m. Oct. 13 in the 1000 block of East 21st Avenue.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man was taken to an area hospital for treatment, according to police.
Police are asking residents in rural Dyer to remain vigilant following a home invasion Thursday afternoon.

Lake County sheriffs police were dispatched about 2 p.m. to the 14500 block of West 85th Place after a man reported someone forced entry to his side door, department spokesman Mark Back said.

The man told police he heard a knock at his door but didnt answer because he wasnt expecting anyone. When he looked out, he saw a man at his door and a silver sedan in his driveway.

A short time later, the resident heard a loud noise and found his side door open. He yelled and saw the same man walking away toward the silver sedan, Back said.

Nothing was reported stolen, possibly because the man was able to quickly confront the intruder, Back said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriffs crime tip hotline at (800) 750-2746. Anyone who sees a suspicious person or vehicle should immediately call 911.
VALPARAISO  A Gary man was sentenced Friday afternoon to 30 years behind bars after pleading guilty to repeatedly striking a 21-month-old boy while in bed together at a Portage mobile home park two years ago, which resulted in the boys death.

Hopefully you all can forgive what I did, Christopher Shaffer said to the young victims family. If not, I understand.

Shaffer will be required to serve 75 percent of his sentence, but can shave off additional time by participating in various prison programs. He was also given 10 years of probation.

Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek said Shaffer acted out of rage and went back to sleep after knowing the child was dead.

That obviously is troubling, she said.

Defense attorney Larry Rogers said Shaffer told him he does not know the identity of his father and was raised by his grandmother great-grandmother.

Shaffer was abused by several of his mothers boyfriends and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Rogers said.

These young men are the products of their early environment, he said.

Rogers had represented Porter resident Thomas Reichler earlier in the day, who was sentenced to 62 years behind bars for shooting and killing a Portage man outside his home.

Reichlers grandmother told the court how the young man had been abandoned by his mother three days after birth and was repeatedly rejected and mistreated by her throughout his life.

Shaffer initially told investigators he punched what he thought was a pillow while sleeping on the night of Oct. 4, 2014, only to discover it was Juanzo Vargas. He told police he rolled over after realizing what he did and went back to sleep because it was too late. Shaffer blamed his actions on night terrors.

Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper said, What a sad, tragic situation.

She pointed out that Shaffer has had 35 conduct reports while at the jail, but no prior criminal history.

The doctor conducting the autopsy believes Vargas died from blunt force trauma, police said. The boy suffered a lacerated liver, bruised pancreas and internal bleeding.

The incident occurred in a mobile home in the 500 block of Camelot Manor. The dead boys aunt lives in the mobile home, which she shares with the owner, who is a pastor from a small Gary church, according to police. Shaffer is a member of the church and had reportedly been staying at the mobile home most weekends.

The doctor said the injuries occurred two to six hours prior to the morning 911 call.
HAMMOND  A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against a Hammond couple who sued the city and a police officer in 2014 after the officer shot and killed their dog while responding to a complaint about it running loose.

U.S. District Chief Judge Philip Simon found Norma Maldonado and Dario Lemus failed to show Officer Timothy Kreischers actions were unreasonable and ordered their claims against Kreischer and the city dismissed.

Kreischer was dispatched about 3:15 p.m. June 9, 2014, to the 6500 block of Jackson Avenue after a woman reported a loose dog, records show.

Lilly, a 60-pound mixed-breed dog, was wearing shock collar intended to keep her in the yard. When Kreischer showed up, he spotted Lemus in the backyard and waved Lemus to the front, court records said.

Before Lemus came out, the dog charged Kreischer. The officer retreated but realized an invisible fence had failed to stop the dog, according to court records.

Kreischer testified during proceedings in the case that the dog lunged at him and barred its teeth, so he fired his gun when the dog was within 1 foot of him.

Lemus testified the invisible fence was operable but likely wasnt effective, because the dog had repeatedly crossed its boundary line. He admitted he turned the collar off while en route to a veterinarian because it was still shocking the dog, court records said.

Simon wrote in an opinion and order that none of the evidence presented by Lemus and Maldonado refuted Kreischers version of events.

That undisputed scenario establishes that Kreischers response by shooting the dog was objectively reasonable, whether it occurred in the frontyard at the corner of the house or in the parkway between the sidewalk and the street, Simon wrote.

The couples lawsuit included a hint at another claim that several children at the home were dangerously close to Kreischer when he fired the gun. However, Simon found they offered no evidence and the childrens testimony failed to support such a claim.
VALPARAISO  Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper said she thought she had seen it all until witnessing the video of Thomas Reichler shooting a Portage man to death in front of his wife and children.

Harper cited 19-year-old Reichlers lengthy criminal history, beginning with an arrest at the age of 11 for arson and burglary, before sentencing him Friday to 62 years behind bars for murdering 36-year-old Alexius Tapia.

Reichler showed no obvious reaction to the sentence. He will be required to serve at least 75 percent of the term.

I wish I could take it back, but I cant, he said shortly before sentencing.

Reichlers grandmother, Joanne Reichler, told the court how the young man had been abandoned by his mother three days after birth and then repeatedly rejected and mistreated by her throughout his life.

I cant imagine the scars in Thomas brain, she said. I cant even imagine.

Harper acknowledged the troubled childhood and lauded Reichlers grandmother for her efforts to help him, but said he continued to offend nonetheless.

The offenses have continued while Reichler has been behind bars in the murder case and has involved 66 incident reports, including one of throwing boiling water on a fellow inmate, according to county police Detective William Marshall.

Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek choked up as she redirected the focus to the loss and suffering of Tapias family, including his young children.

His youngest child will never know her father, Polarek said.

Tapias older sister, Lupita Cruz, cried as she told the court that she has never suffered as much pain as she is over her brothers death and in watching his children grow up without him.

Every child he had, he loved and he was ripped away from them, she said to Reichler, as he stared down and away from her. They will never be the same.

A jury found Reichler guilty in August of murdering Tapia outside his Portage home, after the Southfield Estates homeowner caught Reichler and the others stealing from his vehicles the morning of Dec. 12, 2014.

Jurors were also shown a video captured by Tapias home surveillance system, showing him running out his front door with a handgun around 5:30 a.m. on the day in question, to confront a young man breaking into one of his vehicles, who police later identified as Reichler.

The grainy video, shot in the pre-dawn darkness shows Tapia pulling Reichler back toward the house. Tapia is seen ducking after Reichler pulls out a gun and fires it toward Tapias head. Tapia then turns back toward Reichler and is shot in the upper abdomen by Reichler.

Rogers said Friday that Reichler continues to claim he acted in self defense.
INDIANAPOLIS  Many Americans were shocked Wednesday night when Republican Donald Trump suggested at the final presidential debate that he might not immediately accept the results of the Nov. 8 election.

But legal, electoral and political experts in Indiana and Illinois agree that Trump generally is right to take a wait-and-see approach, since its impossible to predict what might happen on Election Day or whether legal action will be needed to determine the final outcome, even though the possibility of a rigged national election is all but non-existent.

Its hard to draw a conclusion until you actually have the election, said former Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter, a Republican originally from Lowell. Sometimes there can be miscounting of votes or irregularities that are not necessarily criminal, and thats what gets fixed in a recount.

Carter said theres nothing particularly dangerous about Trump advising his supporters that hell protect his interest in a fair outcome.

After all, he said, there are processes in place for candidates to review and contest election results, just as Democrat Al Gore did in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.

Gore didnt take the position of conceding in advance or saying that I accept the results without any challenge. I think most candidates are that way, Carter said.

Im not aware of any organized effort in recent times to do anything to thwart the results of an election.

It can happen here

Carter, who has more experience than perhaps any Indiana attorney general in ferreting out voter fraud, said another reason to wait is that the effects of electoral misdeeds may not be immediately apparent on the night votes are counted.

Lake County, and East Chicago specifically, is an example of where there may be rumors and thoughts about irregularities prior to an election, and theyre not fully going to be exposed until after that, Carter said.

In 2003, East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick appeared to have lost his re-election bid until mailed-in absentee ballots counted several days later gave him a razor-thin margin of victory.

However, further investigations by Carter and Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, no relation, determined Pastrick campaign workers fraudulently produced many of those absentee ballots.

Ultimately, 47 people would be convicted of various crimes out of that election.

The Indiana Supreme Court later overturned the result and voters replaced Pastrick with his chief opponent, George Pabey, in a special fall 2004 election.

Pabey was removed from office in 2010 following his conviction for misuse of public funds.

Statewide rigging virtually impossible

Illinois and Indiana authorities say there are safeguards in place to ensure that the type of election rigging Trump has warned about is virtually impossible.

Jim Tenuto, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, noted there are 109 individual election authorities across the state, each responsible for counting its own ballots.

Its hard to imagine how you would put something together to rig an election, Tenuto said.

The Illinois attorney generals office also takes steps each election to uphold the integrity of the voting process, said spokeswoman Annie Thompson.

Our office will be sending out teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators to monitor elections throughout the state to make sure that voters rights are protected, Thompson said. We encourage voters to contact our office if they encounter suspected improper or illegal activity, and we will have hotlines up on Election Day.

Earlier this month, the Illinois attorney general, U.S. attorney and state elections board quickly met with Kankakee County officials in response to dueling allegations of voter fraud and intimidation.

That area is home to one of this years most hotly contested Illinois House races.

Firing up the base

Political science professor Andrew Downs said he heard gasps Wednesday at the debate watch party he was attending when Trump said he might not accept the election results.

But after thinking about in his office at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, Downs said he realized technically, legally that is the correct answer, since the law provides numerous methods for a candidate to challenge or correct the vote count.

Downs is doubtful Trump will be able to pile up enough electoral votes to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, or even come close, making any localized ballot counting errors all but irrelevant to the national outcome.

But he said Trump certainly has his reasons for claiming the election could be rigged.

He manages to motivate his base, I dont mean the Republican base, but the pro-Trump base to get excited a little bit longer and thats all good for him, Downs said. But the problem for him, I think, is his base is not big enough to win an election.

At the same time, Downs said, Americans who arent supporting Trump are rightfully shocked by his rhetoric.

It is dangerous to say things like that because youre talking about institutions that for a couple hundred years weve trusted to pick the winners of the election, he said. To say youre not going to accept them says you dont trust the entire system.

Trump steps back

Trump clarified his position in a speech Thursday joking that he happily will accept the results  If I win.

He later committed to participating in a peaceful transition of power.

Of course I would accept a clear election result, Trump said. But I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result, and always I will follow and abide by all of the rules and traditions of all of the many candidates who have come before me.
CROWN POINT  A 26-year-old Gary woman, charged with murder in the stabbing death of her boyfriend, Dan Lamarr Hardy, made her first appearance in court Thursday before Lake County Criminal Court Judge Clarence Murray.

On Oct. 8, Hardy was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital Northlake with stab wounds to his abdomen. He died later that morning. Cynequia Latria Glover was arrested on Oct. 9 and is being held without bond in the Lake County Jail.

Glover appeared in court with Lake County Public Defender Susan M. Severtson.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Glover and Hardy began arguing the morning of Oct. 8 after returning from a party to a second floor apartment in the 2000 block of West 5th Avenue. The partys host told investigators that Glover became upset because Hardy was talking with a female friend and that Glover began to swing at and bite Hardy.

The court records contain conflicting versions of the fight that took place in the apartments kitchen.

In one report from Gary police officers who were first on the scene, Glover said she was making potatoes and when she turned around, Hardy walked into the knife. However, in a walk-through of the crime scene, a detective from the Gary Violent Crimes Division reported that he saw blood and obvious signs of a struggle, but no potatoes or any other type of food being prepared.

When the couple arrived home, Hardys brother, Guy Parks, who was babysitting Glovers four children, said Glover swung a fire extinguisher at Hardys head. Although he didnt see the stabbing, Parks told police he heard a noise and his brother say Oh, you stabbed me and Glover respond Yes, I did.

Glover said during an audio/video recorded statement to Lake County detectives that Hardy hit her and pulled her hair. She said she went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife to defend herself and that the two began fighting over the knife.

Ms. Glover advised that she did not mean to stab him, but it happened during the struggle over the knife, the affidavit states.

In the court documents, Glover admitted she has an anger problem when she drinks alcohol. However, she said the couple had a history of domestic violence and that Hardy had been arrested twice. Hardys mother told police Glover had battered Hardy before.

Glover will return to Murrays courtroom Dec. 8 for an omnibus hearing.Stahura said the projects will be reviewed this week and bids will be prepared.

Construction on those two projects could begin as soon as spring and the total cost for both is expected to be about $500,000.
Bipartisan cooperation is a leading theme of The Times Editorial Boards congressional endorsements this year.

Willingness to reach across party lines to consider the best ideas, not the strictly partisan ones, is an essential quality to mitigate gridlock and verbal sniping characterizing Congress in recent years.

For that and many other reasons, longtime Region incumbent U.S. House Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., and U.S. Senate candidate Todd Young, R-Ind., earn our strong endorsements heading into the Nov. 8 election.

U.S. House District 1

Visclosky has long demonstrated his ability to work with members of both parties in Congress for the benefit of Northwest Indiana. He continues to passionately lead the political charge for important Region development projects, including the proposed South Shore commuter rail expansion and double-tracking plan to speed up Region commutes.

We've repeatedly hailed this as an important project to spur development, better connect Region employees to a plethora of good-paying Chicago jobs and attract more young professionals to live in Northwest Indiana.

We also back Visclosky's steadfast stances on seeking fair international trade, particularly in the realm of the steel industry, which is so important to our Region. And his credibility in working with heavy industry to reclaim unused lakeshore industrial sites for recreational purposes has been a major step toward improved quality of life.

Visclosky's opponent, Libertarian Donna Dunn, opposes South Shore expansion. But the results of a Nielsen-Harris poll, commissioned by One Region and published last year, show 84 percent of Region respondents want improved access to good-paying jobs, and 90 percent believe attracting young talent is key to economic growth.

Young professionals seek transportation options that often don't involve cars. Visclosky's South Shore Line efforts respond to this trend.

We applaud Dunn for attempting to provide voters with a choice in the election, but she falls short of Visclosky's proven ability to build and improve our Region.

Indiana U.S. Senate seat

On the U.S. Senate side, Todd Young, currently a colleague of Visclosky's in the House, impressed us with his ability to devise creative solutions that dont necessarily require extra spending.

As the representative of Indianas 9th U.S. House district, Young has made a strong push, in concert with members of both major parties and the Obama administration, toward federal welfare reform.

Young, a former Marine intelligence officer, is well versed in veterans issues and wants to bring his problem-solving approach to fixing deficiencies in the federal government's provision of veteran medical benefits and services for veterans.

He seems to have a firm grasp on foreign concerns but also exhibits understanding for pressing issues specific to Northwest Indiana.

Young has reached out to federal, state and local leaders in the East Chicago lead crisis, offering ideas on funding and additional public housing for residents who must be relocated.

Young also supports the South Shore commuter rail extension and double-tracking proposals.

During his endorsement interview, Young praised Visclosky for the congressman's willingness to reach bipartisan accord on important issues.

We believe Young and Visclosky would set aside party differences in bolstering Indiana's congressional stake.

Young's opponent for the open Senate seat, former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, has better name recognition. Bayh has served in the past as U.S. senator, governor and Indiana secretary of state.

But Bayh seems to have joined the 2016 Senate race as an afterthought, tagging in for Democrat Baron Hill, who won the Democratic nomination in the May primary but then stepped aside to let Bayh run.

Bayh left political office in 2011, noting congressional gridlock had become too great. Now he claims to be rejoining the race in 2016 to fight against gridlock.

We also can't ignore Bayh's past political connections to Northwest Indiana political elements that were bad for our Region. Bayh was a political ally of disgraced former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, whose administration was the target of a federal racketeering lawsuit and presided over the concrete-for-votes scandal.

A vestige of the Pastrick administration, Merrillville lawyer Michael Pannos, had been helping spearhead Bayh's local campaign earlier this year, according to local Democratic leaders. Pannos, who was Indiana Democratic Party chairman when Bayh was governor, was at the center of a lawsuit alleging misuse of public East Chicago casino dollars for private business purposes.

Pannos' company, Second Century, settled that lawsuit out of court.

It's time for a fresh face and ideas in the U.S. Senate, not old vestiges running on name recognition.

Young is our best chance for elevating the seat.
INDIANAPOLIS  The family of one of Jared Fogles victims in the child pornography case that led to the former Subway pitchmans imprisonment is dropping their lawsuit against him.

A motion filed Thursday in federal court in Indianapolis requested that the lawsuit be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought back to court.

Attorneys for the girl in March sued Fogle, the former head of his anti-obesity charity, Russell Taylor, and Taylors wife. Prosecutors said Taylor used cameras hidden in his Indianapolis-area homes to secretly film minors and shared some images with Fogle.

Ron Elberger, one of the lawyers representing Fogle, tells The Indianapolis Star hes pleased with the dismissal and that there was no settlement between the parties.

The girls attorney, Mike Stephenson, declined to comment on the decision, telling WRTV only that the court filing speaks for itself.

Fogle, a 39-year-old former suburban Indianapolis man, was sentenced last year to more than 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to distributing and receiving child pornography and traveling out of state to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Fogle has paid restitution to 14 victims, but they can still sue him for additional money.
GARY  What do local hospitals do if a patient refuses lifesaving care?

It turns out the facilities have staff members dedicated to handling such ethically charged decisions.

Two of those employees spoke at a conference Wednesday at Indiana University Northwest about medical and biological ethics. The forum coincided with the inaugural World Bioethics Day, an initiative of the United Nations, as well as IUNs common campus book for 2016-17, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, about a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells were taken without her knowledge for use in medical research.

Jana Lacera, director of the institutional review board and bioethics for Community Healthcare System, gave the example of a Jehovahs Witness who declined a lifesaving blood transfusion because it went against his religion. The patients family said he had received blood before, had mental health issues and that Jehovahs Witness was just his religion of the month. The physician wanted to administer blood, too.

Ultimately, Lacera said, patients have the final say. We as a health care team have to honor their decisions, she said.

If the hospital deems the patient capable of decision-making, Lacera said, all it can do is inform him or her of the available treatment options and consequences of foregoing care. While physicians can withdraw from the case, they cant go against the patients wishes.

But sometimes a patient is in coma or on life support. In that case, if the person doesnt have an advanced directive or assigned health care representative, its up to the family as to what happens next (if the individual has no family, there are volunteer advocates who can get involved).

And loved ones arent always on the same page. Linda Kraiko, interim chief nursing officer for Franciscan Health Dyer, Hammond and Munster, relayed the case of six siblings who split, 50-50, on whether to take their mother off life support.

Kraiko consulted with the hospital attorney, who advised her that a majority would have to rule. She and the medical staff returned to the family and further explained the options on the table and their mothers medical outlook. Eventually five of the six siblings agreed to take her off life support.

What would have happened if we remained 3-3? Kraiko asked. Thats why its good to have an advanced directive from the patient ... or have one person to make those decisions.

She noted that the Franciscan Physician Network now has a palliative care representative who works with patients in physician officers to develop advanced directives before they end up in the hospital.

Anya Matwijkiw, professor of ethics and human rights at IUN, noted that bioethics is a newly recognized concept, one that emerged after World War II. During the Holocaust, the Nazis performed numerous medical experiments on prisoners, where, for instance, they tested the bodys capacity to endure pain, cold and high altitudes. After the second world war, the model was never again in the human rights corridor, she said.

However, Gianluca Di Muzio, an IUN professor philosophy, pointed out that abortion was being debated in ancient times, though not always, as it is now, over the rights of the fetus. He said some Greek and Roman philosophers supported abortion for population control, while others railed against women who used it to maintain their looks or hide affairs.

Marc Rodwin, the keynote speaker and a law professor at Bostons Suffolk University, said another ethical concern in the medical field is when a doctor has a conflict of interest, usually of the financial variety.

He gave the example of a physician that buys an ownership in a local physical therapy practice. The more referrals the doctor makes, the more money he earns.

Conflict of interest can cause physicians to use the wrong kind of services, overuse services or underuse services, he said.

He noted that bioethics has traditionally consisted of four major tenets: letting patients decide their own treatment, avoiding harm, doing good and being just. But, he added: Avoiding conflict of interest should be added to the key principles of bioethics.
Given the ridiculous proliferation of mattress stores, one would think the quest for a good nights sleep is the most vital endeavor confronting the human species. But when it comes to the sleeping habits of kids, that concern is actually very real, and parents may not be paying enough attention to just how much this issue can affect the overall health and well-being of their youngsters.

Adequate sleep is very important for both the physical and mental health of a child, says Dr. Lisa Gold, a pediatrician with the Franciscan Physician Network in Crown Point. When a child is not getting enough sleep or restful enough sleep, it can lead to attention issues, behavior issues and memory issues, and even depression symptoms for some kids.

As with most other areas of health, sleep issues and recommendations vary based on age.

Babies

While new parents may disagree, babies actually sleep quite a bitas much as 12-16 hours a day, including naps. But because this sleep is often broken into shorter, unpredictable and inconvenient intervals, parents can feel as though the child isnt sleeping enough. Gold says that exhaustion is often to blame for parents who get into bad sleep habits with their babies, from letting a child fall asleep with a bottle to giving in and sleeping with the childboth of which lead to dependency that can be hard to break.

"In the first six months, parents are often talking with me at their healthy checkups about sleep problems that theyre having, Gold says. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases some bad habits have been created, so the goal is to try and retrain the child."

Gold encourages parents with babies to establish a very well-defined bedtime routine, which might include a bath, story and general winding-down of noise and activity in the household. The goal is to create a calmer environment, so that by the time the child is placed in their own sleep area, they have a restful mind and can then fall asleep on their own.

Elementary/Middle-School Kids

While the particulars will change and evolve as a child gets older, Gold says the concept of a nighttime routine should extend into the school years as well. This can be a challenge as kids begin to take on more homework and extracurricular activities.

The family schedule or the childs after-school schedule may not always allow for the proper amount of sleep at night, she explains. Sometimes families are over-scheduled, and while many of those extracurricular activities are good for a childs overall physical well-being, they have to be balanced with the need for adequate sleep.

Teens

Things tend to get even busier in the teenage years. Couple that with the fact that teens prefer to stay up later, and you have a recipe for potential chronic sleep deprivation.

I have some adolescents who are sleep deprived and their bodies are so fatigued because they have so much homework and so many activities, and by the time theyre done theyre not in a restful state, Gold says. Its hard to go from using your brain completely to turning it off and expecting your body to be asleep within 20 minutes. The American Academy of Pediatrics has actually given recommendations for later high school start times because a young adolescent brain is configured to be up more during late-night hours than morning hours.

Regardless of a childs age, Gold says its important to talk to kids about sleep and pay attention to any changes in sleep patterns or behaviors, because what may seem like a minor issue now could lead to bigger or more serious problems down the road.

Sometimes parents assume that their kids are getting good quality sleep, but they may not be, so its important to talk to your kids about their sleep from time to time and make sure everything is okay, she says. Mention any sleep issues or concerns to your health provider, because sleep issues are always easier to address earlier rather than after theyve become bad habits or routines. Sleep is such an important part of a childs overall health, so it should always be part of the discussion.
The late Amanda Bachs parents Sandy and Bill never imagined that their daughters violent death by her ex-boyfriend Dustin McCowan, could help save others lives.

But her legacy continues through a teen advisory council in Porter County and the Caring Place, which created The Amanda Forum to bring awareness to youth about healthy relationships and the dangers of domestic teen violence.

On Thursday, more than 160 Lake County students and representatives from East Chicago Central, Griffith, Munster, Hobart and Crown Point high schools participated in a workshop designed to encourage discussion about issues related to dating violence, facilitated by The Amanda Forum youth outreach coordinator Denise Koebcke. Also in attendance were Amandas parents, in support of the nonprofits mission to impact community youths.

Every time I watch that opening video, it really tears me up inside, Bill Bach said. Through all of the pain that we live with every day, it gives us a bit of comfort knowing that sharing her story may save someone else. If we save one life, it is worth it and we feel like its doing a lot more than that already.

Teens were busy throughout the day watching videos, participating in discussions, activities and even played games in order to develop social skills with each other.

All the table discussions were led by the Amanda Forum teen advisory council made up of Valparaiso High School students.

We are here because we care about your future, Koebcke said. Research shows one in three teens is being affected by violence. The worst part is that 81 percent of parents have no idea its even going on.

Koebcke pleaded with teens to keep open relationships with their parents, family and friends because they are the ones that truly value and love you.

I think the workshop is great because it speaks to us and gets us thinking about things that happen in everyday life, said Davonya Adams, an East Chicago Central freshman. Its something different and forces us to talk about difficult issues that are not easy to talk about. Working with other schools taught us we all share very common interests in many things.

The workshop was a result of a $3,000 grant awarded to the Munster Rotary Club from Rotary District 6820 and intended to impact the community through education and service initiatives. Meals were donated by Strack & Van Til.

This grant has given us a wonderful opportunity to reach many youth, and bring about an awareness to an important topic that impacts many, said Martha Rivas-Ramos, Munster Rotarian. Seeing these students interact and develop relationships and address important topics is very inspiring.

Munster High freshman Grace Gozdecki feels that the workshop has piqued her interest to get more involved with the organization and take the leadership skills back to school and share with others.

The work of The Amanda Forum is incredible and Im excited about being part of it, and I would love to get more involved and make a difference in my school, said Gozdecki.

Amanda Forums Koebcke feels both male and female teens are affected by violence, whether it be physical or emotional. A new component to the workshops is a discussion centered on the LGBT community and addresses concerns and misunderstanding.

There are a lot of issues regarding bullying and a lot of it is done 24/7 with social media and pure acts of anger and hatred, said Koebcke. Getting teens to sit down and have a meal and dialogue makes a huge difference. Our program is about reaching out to young people and letting them know there is someone here that cares and is willing to support them.
NEW YORK - The city's police commissioner is standing by his claim that the NYPD failed in the fatal shooting of an emotionally disturbed Bronx woman.

This, despite criticism from the head of the sergeants union who denounced the mayor and commissioner for calling the Tuesday night shooting of 66-year-old Deborah Danner unjustified.

Investigators say Danner, who suffered from schizophrenia, was armed with a bat when she was shot by Sergeant Hugh Barry.

James ONeill says police were called to her Castle Hill apartment four times in the past and officers were aware Danner was emotionally disturbed.

"We were called to that apartment to help someone; we ended up killing her. To me, that's an agency failure. And every police officer knows when they use deadly physical force, they're accountable for that," O'Neill said.

Barry has since been placed on modified dutystripped of his badge and gun.

Earlier this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio accused Barry of not following training or protocol.

He did not use his Taser.

The President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association says de Blasio and ONeill are rushing to judgment and Barry was forced to defend himself.

The Bronx DA's office will still look into the case.
Through acquisitions, loans and his own keen eye in culling the Fricks permanent collections  the benefactor specified in his will that nothing from them could ever leave  Mr. Munhall organized a host of memorable exhibitions: of vintage French clocks, busts by Jean-Antoine Houdon, watercolors by Francois-Marius Granet and much more.

Magic is made, Mr. Russell wrote, but on the scale of chamber music.

As chief curator, working under five museum directors, Dr. Munhall was responsible for acquisitions, publications, conservation, lectures, gallery exhibitions and the catalogs accompanying them. The Fricks holdings now include about 1,100 works, overseen by a curatorial staff numbering more than two dozen.

Dr. Munhall was regarded as an expert on the 18th-century French painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze, and in 1976 he organized what was described as the first exhibition devoted to him. It was mounted at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco and the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, France.

That show did not appear at the Frick, but in 2002, as its chief curator emeritus  he had retired in 2000  Dr. Munhall organized an exhibition of the artists drawings there. (It also traveled to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.)

Edgar Joseph Munhall was born on March 14, 1933, in Pittsburgh, the son of Walter Munhall, who became the chief engineer of the citys water department, and the former Anna Burns, a teacher.
A listing of discussions, film screenings, cultural activities and walking tours in New York City.

Information on events for possible inclusion in Spare Times should be sent to weekend@nytimes.com by Friday at 5 p.m. for publication the following week. Longer versions of Around Town and For Children listings are in a searchable guide at nytimes.com/events.

Museums and Sites

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: DARK UNIVERSE (continuing) With the return of the Hayden Planetarium, which had closed in August for renovations, comes the latest space show, Dark Universe. Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the film explores mysterious dark matter and dark energy, and the ways scientists are working to improve their understanding of these phenomena. Every half-hour from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, to 5 p.m. on weekends, Central Park West and 79th Street, 212-769-5200, amnh.org.

BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY: TRUMAN CAPOTES BROOKLYN: THE LOST PHOTOGRAPHS OF DAVID ATTIE (continuing) Behind this new exhibition  40 photographs of Capote and Brooklyn Heights taken by David Attie in 1958  is the story of a sons rediscovery of his fathers long-lost work. Mr. Attie died in 1982, when his sons were very young. One of them, the television writer Eli Attie, has spent the last few years exploring his fathers archive for the first time; in the process he found photos his father had taken to accompany the Truman Capote essay A House on the Heights, which appeared in Holiday magazine in February 1959. Few of the photos were published, and the magazine included none of the Capote portraits. Now they are on view in an intimate show that feels like both a celebration of and an elegy for an unrefined Brooklyn that once earned the provocative opening line in Capotes essay: I live in Brooklyn. By choice. 128 Pierrepont Street, near Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, 718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org.

INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM: ON THE LINE: INTREPID AND THE VIETNAM WAR (through Oct. 2, 2017) Visitors familiar with this museum are likely to be well aware of its flight deck, perhaps even some of its wartime history. During the Vietnam War, the Intrepid served three tours overseas between 1966 and 1969. Now, in an exhibition set in the space where crew members lived and worked, the museum tells their stories with artifacts, film clips and photographs. Pier 86, 46th Street and 12th Avenue, Clinton, 877-957-7447, intrepidmuseum.org.
A selected guide to dance performances in New York City.

Full reviews of recent dance performances: nytimes.com/dance. A searchable guide to these and other performances is at nytimes.com/events.

 AMERICAN BALLET THEATER (through Oct. 30) Ballet Theaters fall season continues with the premiere of Her Notes, by the choreographer Jessica Lang, to the music of Fanny Mendelssohn, Felixs talented but stifled sister. The coming week offers more performances of Alexei Ratmanskys handsome portrait of male camaraderie, Serenade After Platos Symposium; Frederick Ashtons intimate midcentury study in pure classicism, Symphonic Variations, and his delicate Monotones I and II; Twyla Tharps large-scale The Brahms-Haydn Variations; Benjamin Millepieds Greek-inspired Daphnis and Chloe; and George Balanchines Prodigal Son. At various times. David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, 212-496-0600, abt.org. (Brian Schaefer)

BALLETCOLLECTIVE (Thursday and next Friday) As a member of the New York City Ballet corps, Troy Schumacher often performs classics. But as a choreographer, both for City Ballet and BalletCollective, his own plucky troupe, he likes to experiment with collaborators. This week, he introduces two new works that take inspiration from music and architecture, pairing the architects Carlos Arnaiz and James Ramsey with the composers Judd Greenstein and Ellis Ludwig-Leone. A handful of Mr. Schumachers City Ballet colleagues do the dancing (1:15). At 7:30 p.m., Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, at Washington Square South, Greenwich Village, 866-811-4111, nyuskirball.org. (Schaefer)

JEROME BEL (through Oct. 31) Known as the philosopher of dance, Jerome Bel is more concerned with concepts than choreography, challenging ideas of what constitutes dance. The results can be brilliant or amusing or infuriating, or some combination. The Crossing the Line Festival offers a broad look with The Show Must Go On (1:30), featuring 20 performers with headphones reacting awkwardly to pop songs the audience cant hear (Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, 212-242-0800, crossingthelinefestival.org); Jerome Bel (0:50), a starkly pared-down duet between a man and a woman, both nude (Thursday through Oct. 29, at 8 p.m., the Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, Chelsea, 212-255-5793); and Artists Choice: Jerome Bel/MoMA Dance Company (0:30), featuring museum staff performing sporadically throughout the day in the museums atrium (Thursday through Oct. 31 at various times, Museum of Modern Art, 212-708-9400). (Schaefer)
The Hugo Boss Prize, one of the most prominent international awards for visual artists, this year marking its 20th anniversary, will go to Anicka Yi. Ms. Yi, a South Korean-born, New York-based artist, uses elements like fragrances, food and fermentation to turn art toward a more whole-body experience.

Ms. Yi, 45, was chosen from a field of six nominees, several of whom are much better known in the art world, including the painter Laura Owens; the choreographer Ralph Lemon; and the artist-activist Tania Bruguera, who was arrested in Cuba, her homeland, last year while conducting politically provocative performances.
PARIS  The tax fraud trial of Guy Wildenstein, the billionaire international art dealer, ended here Thursday night and a prosecutor asked the tribunal of judges hearing the case to sentence Mr. Wildenstein to two years in prison on charges that he helped shield a vast art collection in a maze of foreign trusts.

The tribunal at the Palais de Justice will now spend nearly three months weighing a decision in the case that ensnared Mr. Wildenstein, 70, his nephew and his estranged sister-in-law, along with his team of Swiss and French legal advisers and foreign trust companies. Authorities are also asking the judges to levy a 250 million euro fine (about $275 million) on Mr. Wildenstein, who is president of Wildenstein & Co. in New York art gallery.

On Thursday, Olivier Geron, the lead judge on the tribunal, set Jan. 12 as the date that judges will deliver a ruling on the case, which started a month ago.

Monica dOnofrio, the prosecutor on the case, has demanded severe punishment for Mr. Wildenstein, calling the familys financial operations the longest and the most sophisticated tax fraud in contemporary France. Part of a newly created financial prosecution unit, she called for an actual sentence of four years in prison for Mr. Wildenstein with two of those years suspended.
For Sarai, the video became like a home movie forever on repeat. My mom was always checking it, Sarai said. My dad was playing it when he was washing clothes.

It all came together through a mix of accident and authenticity.

Sarais father, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, is from Costa Rica. Her mother, Diana Gonzalez, is from Peru. They came to the United States when they were about Sarais age. Devout Catholics, they met in church. Mrs. Gonzalez is a computer analyst at a Newark hospital and Mr. Gonzalez left his job as a construction engineer to be a stay-at-home father. Sarai is the oldest of their three daughters, and as a child, she would sing everywhere. Mother Goose,  Mrs. Gonzalez said. The microphone, that was her best friend. And she was always self-assured. In her mostly pink bedroom, a hand-painted sign says, I am awesome!

Last year, recognizing her charisma, Sarais parents enrolled her in a program run by Actors, Models and Talent for Christ, or A.M.T.C., a Christian talent and modeling ministry. She traveled to Orlando, Fla., and was picked up by an agent in New York. But it was her father who saw the casting call for the video on an actors database.

The director, Torben Kjelstrup, also entered the picture almost by chance. Mr. Kjelstrup, who lives in Copenhagen, won a contest to make the video for Soy Yo, which is off Bomba Estereos 2015 Grammy-nominated album, Amanecer.

He didnt intend to make a political statement. He was inspired by the message of the song  about being yourself, he said  and by a photo of his girlfriend from high school. She had braces, red hair, this incredibly ugly track suit, he said. She just had something.
1. Could Donald Trump actually challenge the results on Nov. 8?

Well, he could try.

But the electoral process differs from state to state, and it would be a mammoth and expensive undertaking to attempt in more than one.

Mr. Trump campaigned in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and Hillary Clinton encouraged early voters in Ohio. Above, a Nascar truck in Talladega, Ala.
Richard Nicoll, the British fashion designer who took a distinctively Modernist approach with candy-colored palettes and sculptured creations that attracted a celebrity clientele, died on Friday in Sydney, Australia. He was 39.

The cause was a heart attack, his family said. The New South Wales Police said they were preparing a report for the coroner.

The London-born Mr. Nicolls designs have been worn by Kylie Minogue, Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Julianne Moore, among other celebrities.

He designed capsule collections for Topshop and Fred Perry, freelanced for Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, and was the creative director at Cerruti, from 2009 to 2011, and at Jack Wills, from February 2014 to October 2015.
Thats more or less what the Times vice president and assistant general counsel David McCraw told Mr. Trumps lawyers in a letter he wrote last week. The letter went viral after it was published by The Times. More than a million people read it on The Timess website. The letter topped the papers most emailed list for days. Mr. McCraws inbox was flooded with well-wishes and adulation  and also a marriage proposal. He received a standing ovation at a staff meeting.
In Electoral College 101" the political humorist Mo Rocca consults a third-grade class on the fairness of the Electoral College.

Indeed, its not just third graders who may be wondering: What is the Electoral College, why do we have it, and is it the best way for our country to choose the next president?

Students

1. Watch the seven-minute film above. While you watch, you might take notes using our Film Club Double-Entry Journal (PDF) to help you remember specific moments.

2. After watching, think about these questions:

 What moments in this film stood out for you? Why?

 Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know  or thought you knew?
Beneath a gray sky threatening rain, a police band sounded the somber chords of the Navy Hymn on Thursday as Mayor Bill de Blasio silently observed officers lifting a black sheet from a police memorial wall in Lower Manhattan to reveal 18 new names of those who died in the line of duty.

Hours later, Mr. de Blasio presided over a ceremony at a Harlem station house for one of those officers, Detective Randolph Holder, who was killed while pursuing an armed suspect along the East River a year ago.

Let us never forget this hero, he told Mr. Holders family and others in attendance.

The solemn rituals, with the mayor surrounded by top police officials and uniformed officers, were in sharp contrast with the events of the day before, when Mr. de Blasio sat alone in the Blue Room of City Hall and condemned a different sort of killing: that of Deborah Danner, a 66-year-old black woman with a history of mental illness, who was fatally shot in her home by a police sergeant.

The death of Ms. Danner thrust Mr. de Blasio again onto the tightrope between a community angered by a seemingly avoidable killing by the police, and rank-and-file officers who have been skeptical of his leadership since he ran on a reform agenda.
The no-show job has long played a central role in the annals of crime and corruption in New York, offering an efficient way for crooked politicians, union officials, mobsters and all manner of miscreants to funnel kickbacks and bribes to friends, family members, business associates and even themselves.

But a federal prosecutor, in announcing on Thursday the indictment of the Nassau County executive, his wife and another government official, suggested that the defendants and a restaurateur had elevated the tradition to a delectable art: The restaurateur paid the executives wife $450,000 over a few years for a job that included work as a food taster at one of his businesses, a purported vocation that led some in the restaurant world to turn up their noses.

Among them was Ruth Reichl, the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine for a decade, a former restaurant critic for The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times and an author now at work on a memoir about her years at Gourmet.

Often, big-deal P.R. people will come into restaurants and critique the menus for chefs, she said, referring to public relations executives who specialize in the restaurant industry. But Ive never heard of anyone being employed as a food taster at a restaurant. Thats nonsense.
An appeals court in Manhattan ruled on Thursday that a reporter for The New York Times could not be subpoenaed to testify at a coming trial about her jailhouse interview with a man accused in the decades-old murder of a 4-year-old known as Baby Hope.

In a two-page decision, the appeals court found that notes by the reporter, Frances Robles, from her interview with the man were not critical or necessary to his prosecution by the Manhattan district attorneys office. The court based its ruling on what it called the consistent tradition in this state of providing the broadest possible protection to the sensitive role of gathering and disseminating news of public events.

The decision was the latest twist in a case that has touched on issues of journalistic privilege and coerced confessions and has baffled the police for more than 20 years.

We are grateful to the court for recognizing how important this issue is not just to The Times and to Ms. Robles, but to journalists everywhere, David McCraw, vice president and assistant general counsel of The New York Times Company, said. Its important that our reporters be allowed to give voice to people who are incarcerated, and this subpoena threatened to silence those voices.
At one Detroit school, just 4 percent of third graders scored proficient on Michigans English assessment test. At another, 9.5 percent did. Those students are among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed last month that asserts that children have a federal constitutional right to the opportunity to learn to read and write.

Illiteracy is the norm at those slumlike schools and others in Michigans biggest city, according to the plaintiffs. The facilities are decrepit and unsafe. The first thing some teachers do each morning is clean up rodent feces before their students arrive. In some cases, teachers buy the books and school supplies, even the toilet paper.

Lawyers for the students are arguing, in effect, that Michigan is denying their clients the right to a minimally adequate education, an issue that has been raised over the years in courts in other states under their state constitutions.

In Connecticut, a state judge last month ordered sweeping changes to reshape the states public schools after concluding that Connecticut is defaulting on its constitutional duty to provide all students with an adequate education. The judge concluded that the states funding system had left rich school districts to flourish and poor school districts to flounder.
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He has done it in scattered bursts rather than all at once, but Donald Trump has now laid out a comprehensive attack on this countrys democratic traditions.

The first piece of the attack is to argue that his opponent should not even be able to run against him. She shouldnt be allowed to run. Its crooked  shes  shes guilty of a very, very serious crime, he said at this weeks debate. He was referring, he explained somewhat vaguely, to what she did with emails and so many other things.

The second line of attack revolves around the idea that this election  the one between him and his illegitimate opponent  is rigged and rife with cheating. By now, youve probably seen one of the many sober debunkings of these fictitious claims of widespread voter fraud. But Trump has dominated the news over the past day-and-a-half by saying he may not accept the elections result as legitimate, unless he wins.
Democrats need a net gain of five seats to control the Senate next year, four should Hillary Clinton win. Among the most closely contested states is Pennsylvania, where Pat Toomey, the incumbent Republican, is engaged in an expensive and sometimes nasty battle with Katie McGinty, his Democratic challenger. Ms. McGinty seems on the upswing as Donald Trumps campaign implodes, and now leads Mr. Toomey by less than a percentage point.

Ms. McGintys working-class roots  she is one of 10 children born to a Philadelphia policeman and a restaurant hostess  inform her advocacy. She would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 over four years, and on the whole shows far greater sensitivity to the needs of the jobless and middle-class families than her opponent.

And while she seems at times an awkward and inexperienced campaigner, she is not inexperienced in the ways of government. As chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality in the 1990s, she helped organize the Clinton administrations successful counterattack against efforts by the Republican Congress to undermine the nations basic environmental laws. Later, as Pennsylvanias environmental chief, she helped push the state toward greater use of cleaner energy sources like wind and solar, not only as a way to combat climate change but as a source of new jobs in an aging rust-belt economy.

There were eyebrow-raising moments during her tenure in state government, as when the agency she led made grants to a nonprofit group that employed her husband, prompting stricter ethics rules. She later took a lucrative board position at an energy company shed assisted while in state office.
As the day of my termination approached and I felt my babys kicks and wiggles, I simultaneously wanted to crawl out of my skin and suspend us together in time. I wanted him to know how important he was to me, that the well of my grief and love for him would stretch deeper and deeper into the vastness of our familys small yet limitless life. He may have moved inside me for only five months, but he had touched and shaped me in ways I could never have imagined.

To Donald J. Trump and politicians like him, a late-term abortion is the stuff of 80s slasher films. You can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother, Mr. Trump said during Wednesday nights debate, a description void of consideration for women, medical professionals or the truth. Such politicians would have you believe that women like me shouldnt get to make the choice I made. That our baby, despite his tiny misshapen heart and nonexistent aorta, should have a chance to live, even though that life might have lasted mere minutes. Even though that life would have been excruciatingly painful. These politicians are ignorant of the sacrifices and blessings that come with carrying a pregnancy (let alone a nonviable pregnancy). They do not understand that a majority of women who have late-term abortions are terminating desperately wanted pregnancies.

I am fortunate to live in a state that allows abortions after 20 weeks. At least 13 states restrict such procedures; 15 more have moved to defund Planned Parenthood, where many low-income women go for reproductive care.

Many women have made the kind of difficult decision I had to make. When it happens to you, they come out of the woodwork. Friends, neighbors, colleagues. A friend of my mother-in-law said to me early on, You will always carry this loss, but someday, it wont define you.

As the two-year anniversary of my abortion approaches, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that we made the right decision for our family  and that our government has absolutely no place in the anguish which accompanies a late-term abortion, except to ensure that women and their families have the right to make their choice safely and privately.
Im only an amateur historian. But I am an expert on my own life and career. So to bring it around to more contemporary slights: Hispanics are the most underrepresented ethnic group in film and television. Saturday Night Live has only just hired its first Latina comic. Are we really to believe there are so few funny Latinos? We are similarly marginalized in business and corporate life.

This exclusion sends a painful message to every Latino child about how he is seen and judged. Latino people face a double challenge: to create our own positive self-image while battling against the way the broader society portrays us. Without textbooks in schools that do justice to our contributions to the making of America, and without media representation expanding to include more Latin faces and voices, we are vulnerable to a demagogue like Mr. Trump claiming that we are all drug dealers, rapists and criminals.

But a range of studies find no link between violent crime and immigration. The fact is that immigrants as a group commit far fewer crimes than the rest of the American population. Almost every immigrant is just here to make a better life for himself.

That can be hard to do when the states where many immigrants live  Texas and Arizona in particular  gerrymander Latino communities out of political power and limit funding to their neighborhoods. Latinos arent uniformly liberal; some are conservative because of their religious beliefs or fiscal views. And yet if all of the eligible Latinos voted, a number of states would turn from red to blue.

We need a Latino Spring in this country. We need to demand power and equal opportunity. A friend of mine recently did a small experiment to tease out anti-Latin sentiment. She sent out two resumes for an acting job with her picture attached. She happens to be very dark skinned (morena, as we say in Spanish). On one resume she used her own traditionally Latina-sounding name, while on the other she used a traditionally white-sounding name. The Latina name received zero callbacks while the white name received a few responses.

Where else is this racial profiling going on while we are living while Latin? It is going on while we are working for the promotion that doesnt come, while we are trying to rent an Airbnb for vacation but no one will respond, while we are hoping to make our childrens lives better than our own.

Latinos need to demand our place in American history, and in corporate, political and social fields. We must demand an equal share of the American dream, and not accept a downgraded version of it. We need to stop accepting exclusion over persecution. In this critical election, and in the future, I urge you all to register and vote, to be counted and heard.
The torture itself was horrific enough. Beatings, hangings, sleep deprivation, waterboarding, mock executions  a litany of abuse authorized by the United States government against terrorism suspects held in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and for which no one in any position of power has ever been held accountable.

But taking fuller stock of the damage inflicted during those dark and brutal days is a continuing task. A series by The Times that began this month details the psychological and emotional scars that haunt the men, potentially hundreds, who suffered at the hands of interrogators at secret C.I.A. black sites around the world and at the military detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

A disturbingly high number of these men were innocent, or were low-level fighters who posed so little threat that they were eventually released without charge. Yet despite assurances from lawyers in the Department of Justice that enhanced interrogation techniques should have no negative long-term effects, The Times found that many of the men still suffer from paranoia, psychosis, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder related to their abuse. They have flashbacks, nightmares and debilitating panic attacks. Some cannot work, go outside, or speak to their families about what they went through.
For his bookshop and website One Grand Books, the editor Aaron Hicklin asked people to name the 10 books theyd take with them if they were marooned on a desert island. The next in the series is the director Christopher Guest, whose new film, Mascots, is out on Netflix now. He shares his list exclusively with T.

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

It is difficult to pick one Dickens novel, but this one has everything for me  a plot with multiple twists, unforgettable characters that are as alive today as when it was written and a deeply emotional core. It is also tremendously funny.

A Childs Christmas in Wales, Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas was the first writer to reach my heart. His work is musical and essentially a painting with words. It still feels like a dream to immerse myself in this piece.

Passage to Juneau, Jonathan Raban

Raban takes the reader on a literal and metaphorical journey. It is autobiographical, historical and filled with sharp observations about the connection between humans and the natural world.
SAN FRANCISCO  The chairman of Sequoia Capital, a prominent venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, caused a hubbub late last year when he said the firm did not have female investors in the United States because it did not want to lower its standards.

Now Sequoia says it has hired its first female investment partner in the United States.

She is Jess Lee, 33, an entrepreneur and the former chief executive of Polyvore, a fashion start-up that allowed customers to clip, save, style and shop for clothing online. She begins at Sequoia in November and will be a partner in the firms current fund. Her hiring was reported earlier by Bloomberg.

Were thrilled to welcome Jess to Sequoia, said Roelof Botha, a partner. Her rare blend of product and design sensibility, leadership and grit will make her a tremendous asset to Sequoia founders and our team.

Ms. Lee said in a statement that she couldnt be more excited to join Sequoia to help the next generation of founders build transformative companies.
Good morning.

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Is California a healthy place to live?

The state often conjures up images of pristine beaches and yoga-perfected bodies.

But a new study on public attitudes toward health and wellness suggests the answer isnt so obvious.

For the study, conducted by the Field Research Corporation, a polling company, nearly 2,200 Californians were interviewed by phone about whether they viewed their communities as healthy or safe places to live.

Poll questions delved into issues like access to medical care and stores that sell affordable, nutritious food as well as the cleanness of the air and tap water.
CHICAGO  In a pointed rebuke to the Environmental Protection Agency, an internal watchdog concluded on Thursday that the agency should have acted more swiftly to warn residents of Flint, Mich., that their water was contaminated with lead.

The report, issued by Arthur A. Elkins Jr., the inspector general for the E.P.A., blamed the federal government for inaction in Flint, echoing the sentiments of many Republicans who have said for more than a year that the agency failed in its oversight role.

Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan, a Republican, has said that while he accepts his share of blame for the contamination of Flints water, he also believes officials on the local and federal levels were partly responsible.

In an 11-page report, Mr. Elkins said that E.P.A. officials had enough information and authority to issue an emergency order under the Safe Drinking Water Act as early as June 2015. At that time, officials knew that systems designed to protect Flint drinking water from lead contamination were not in place, residents had reported multiple abnormalities in the water, and test results from some homes showed lead levels above the federal action level.
WASHINGTON  A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a military commissions conviction of a prominent Guantanamo Bay detainee on the charge of conspiracy to commit war crimes, salvaging a rare successful outcome for the troubled tribunals system.

But the divided ruling left unresolved a broader legal question that could help determine whether the tribunals system takes root as a permanent alternative to civilian court for prosecuting terrorism suspects, or fades away after the handful of current cases come to an end.

That question is whether the military commissions can be used to prosecute additional terrorism defendants for conspiracy. That charge, which is useful for trying people suspected of participating in a terrorist organization, is considered a crime under domestic law, but it is not a war crime recognized by international law. Generally, tribunals are used to prosecute war crimes.

There is still no resolution of this basic constitutional question that has been dogging the commissions since their inception, said Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas. The court let this one conviction stand, but in the process, it didnt actually settle the fight.
WASHINGTON  Hillary Clinton made it abundantly clear Wednesday night that if she defeats Donald J. Trump next month she will enter the White House with the most contentious relationship with Russia of any president in more than three decades, and with a visceral, personal animus toward Vladimir V. Putin, its leader.

We havent seen a you-cant-trust-these-guys tone like this since the days of Ronald Reagan, said Stephen Sestanovich, who served in President Bill Clintons State Department and is the author of Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama. But even that was more a systemic criticism of the Soviet Union. This is focused on Putin himself.

In a reversal of political roles, Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic candidate, is the one portraying Mr. Putin as Americas newest archenemy, whose underlings hack into her Brooklyn campaign headquarters, bomb Syrian civilians and threaten Ukraine and NATO allies in Europe. For a woman who presented a big red reset button to her Russian counterpart in March 2009 (with the word incorrectly translated into Russian), the change in tone was more striking than ever in her debate with Donald J. Trump.

She, and the Obama White House, insist they were on the right course until Mr. Putin decided he had more to gain from reviving Cold War tensions than from a quarter-century effort to integrate with the West. Now, much of the Democratic foreign policy establishment has become as hawkish as Mrs. Clinton on the subject of Russia, a view that seems almost certain to outlast the campaign.
BALTIMORE  A former intelligence contractor stole the equivalent of 500 million pages of government documents over two decades of work at seven companies, including top-secret plans for an operation against a hostile country, prosecutors said in papers filed in Federal District Court here on Thursday.

The prosecutors also said that the former contractor, Harold T. Martin III, who worked for the National Security Agency and other military and intelligence agencies, kept an arsenal of 10 firearms at home in Maryland, including an assault-style rifle and a loaded handgun that he kept illegally in his car.

Mr. Martin, 51, a computer expert and Ph.D. student, was arrested Aug. 27 after he posted something on the internet that drew the attention of F.B.I. agents investigating the appearance of highly classified N.S.A. hacking tools for sale on the web. The bureau is trying to determine whether Mr. Martin, who is said to have taken the hacking tools home, was the source of the material offered at auction by people calling themselves the Shadow Brokers.

Mr. Martin was initially charged with theft of government property and mishandling of classified information, violations carrying a maximum sentence of 11 years. But the new filing said prosecutors planned to charge him with violating the Espionage Act and committing other felonies, crimes that could put him in prison for decades if he is convicted.
It is a scene reminiscent of other countries and other times: An angry candidate defies the will of the voters and hurls venom at the democratic process. Threats of jail are issued against political opponents. There is even loose talk of armed insurrection.

With his assault on the legitimacy of the presidential election, Donald J. Trump threatens to touch off a humiliating spectacle unseen in the United States since the country became a global power.

Diplomats and elected officials in both parties fear that Mr. Trump, if he loses, will inflict grave trauma on the electorate and severely undermine the international reputation of an American political system known for revering the peaceful transfer of power.

Though he trails Hillary Clinton by a wide margin in most polls and has been abandoned by much of his own party, Mr. Trump still commands a powerful bully pulpit that he may use to amplify his unsupported claims that American democracy is a fraudulent system.
In her debate on Wednesday with Donald J. Trump, Hillary Clinton for the first time emerged as the clarion-voiced advocate for women whom many liberal women had been longing for  especially the younger voters she had largely left cold throughout the Democratic primaries.

Speaking on abortion rights, a defining issue for an older generation of feminists, Mrs. Clinton dispensed with Democrats longstanding caveat that the procedure should be rare, and strongly defended womens right to control their own bodies without government interference.

More tellingly, Mrs. Clinton also seemed to speak to a new generation of women  and to many young men  by assailing Mr. Trump over sexual assault and harassment, saying his dismissals of the allegations against him by multiple women showed that he thinks belittling women makes him bigger.

He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, Mrs. Clinton said firmly. And I dont think there is a woman anywhere who doesnt know what that feels like.
HAMMOND, Ind.  With accusations of rigging and voter fraud hanging over this years elections, alarms are set off by the mere suggestion of irregularities in the registration and voting process. So when questions were raised in Indiana this year about suspicious registration forms, the matter quickly snowballed, leading to a sweeping investigation, supported by the Republican secretary of state and led by the State Police.

The contention was that some voter registration forms submitted by the Indiana Voter Registration Project, which set out this year to sign up thousands of African-Americans to vote in the state, were missing key information or appeared fraudulent. The State Police descended on the groups headquarters this month, and conservatives have pointed to the case as a possible example of ineligible voters being recruited to sway elections.

The Indiana Voter Registration Project insists there was no wrongdoing, pointed out that the states governor, Mike Pence, is the Republican vice-presidential candidate and asserted that the investigation was politically motivated. They invited federal authorities to come in and look for themselves.

The state investigation is ongoing, with no resolution assured before the Nov. 8 election, when Indiana voters will select a new governor and United States senator; and help choose a new president. This is how the controversy unfolded:

THE CLAIMS Debbie Hoskins, the elected clerk of Hendricks County, said she noticed problems several weeks ago with roughly 10 voter registration forms submitted by the Indiana Voter Registration Project.
SAN FRANCISCO  At the start of 2014, President Obama assigned his trusted counselor, John D. Podesta, to lead a review of the digital revolution, its potential and its perils. When Mr. Podesta presented his findings five months later, he called the internets onslaught of big data a historic driver of progress. But two short years later, as chairman of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, Mr. Podesta would also become one of the internets most notable victims.

On Thursday, private security researchers said they had concluded that Mr. Podesta was hacked by Russias foreign intelligence service, the GRU, after it tricked him into clicking on a fake Google login page last March, inadvertently handing over his digital credentials.

For months, the hackers mined Mr. Podestas inbox for his most sensitive and potentially embarrassing correspondence, much of which has been posted on the WikiLeaks website. Additions to the collection on Thursday included three short email exchanges between Mr. Podesta and Mr. Obama himself in the days leading up to his election in 2008.

Mr. Podestas emails were first published by WikiLeaks earlier this month. The release came just days after James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, and the Department of Homeland Security publicly blamed Russian officials for cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee, in what they described as an effort to influence the American presidential election.
But a range of studies find no link between violent crime and immigration. The fact is that immigrants as a group commit far fewer crimes than the rest of the American population. Almost every immigrant is just here to make a better life for himself.

That can be hard to do when the states where many immigrants live  Texas and Arizona in particular  gerrymander Latino communities out of political power and limit funding to their neighborhoods. Latinos arent uniformly liberal; some are conservative because of their religious beliefs or fiscal views. And yet if all of the eligible Latinos voted, a number of states would turn from red to blue.

We need a Latino Spring in this country. We need to demand power and equal opportunity.

A friend of mine recently did a small experiment to tease out anti-Latin sentiment. She sent out two resumes for an acting job with her picture attached. She happens to be very dark skinned (morena, as we say in Spanish). On one resume she used her own traditionally Latina-sounding name, while on the other she used a traditionally white-sounding name.

The Latina name received zero callbacks while the white name received a few responses.

Where else is this racial profiling going on while we are living while Latin? It is going on while we are working for the promotion that doesnt come, while we are trying to rent an Airbnb for vacation but no one will respond, while we are hoping to make our childrens lives better than our own.

Latinos need to demand our place in American history, and in corporate, political and social fields.

We must demand an equal share of the American dream, and not accept a downgraded version of it. We need to stop accepting exclusion over persecution.

In this critical election, and in the future, I urge you all to register and vote, to be counted and heard.
MEXICO CITY  The lush Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, Mexico, suffered all kinds of mismanagement during the nearly six years that Javier Duarte was governor.

Tens of millions of dollars meant for social programs were diverted to phantom companies. Older people were so impoverished by looting of the states pension funds that they marched in protest. The states main university was stripped of much of its budget. And all the while, Veracruz was plagued by violence, including the murder of 17 journalists, according to figures compiled by a special state committee.

Now it has all appeared to have caught up with Mr. Duarte. Last week, he resigned the governorship, 48 days before the end of his six-year term. Then a federal judge this week issued an arrest warrant for him on racketeering and money-laundering charges. Mr. Duarte, who has denied the charges, vanished before he could be taken into custody.

For Mexicans, the sight of a public official accumulating an inexplicable fortune while in office is bitterly familiar. It is much more unusual to see such officials called to account, and the question raised by the Duarte case is whether it is a turning point. Will it be the first of many such prosecutions meant to seriously address corruption, or just a one-of-a-kind escape valve for public pressure?
LONDON  If youve recently seared the London and Broadway stages with a tempestuous performance in A View from the Bridge, why not move on to a play that asks you to battle the mother of all storms?

Thats one way of linking Mark Strongs career-defining role in the acclaimed revival of Arthur Millers play with his less showy but scarcely less compelling work in the new David Hare play The Red Barn. The director Robert Ickes production opened Monday night here at the National Theaters Lyttelton auditorium, where it plays in repertory through Jan. 17. Remarkably, it represents Mr. Hares 17th new play at this address.

While the role of the Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie Carbone required Mr. Strong to let rip with clamped-down passions, the actor does an about-face as a bespectacled Yale graduate named Donald Dodd who prefers to implode and turn inward, to possibly lethal effect.

Speaking in self-reproachful terms of having lived life with the handbrake on, Mr. Strongs fearful Donald sounds like a 1969 Connecticut equivalent of Chekhovs abject Uncle Vanya, whose play Mr. Icke directed at the Almeida Theater earlier this year. (He also won this years Olivier Award for best director for an earlier Almeida staging of Aeschyluss Oresteia.)
Carol Burnett is returning to television  with an assist from Amy Poehler.

ABC said on Friday that it was developing a new comedy, starring Ms. Burnett and produced by Ms. Poehler.

Ms. Burnett was the star of her own celebrated variety show, which ran from 1967 to 1978. In recent years, however, her TV appearances have mainly been cameos in shows like Mad About You, Glee and Hawaii Five-O. She has never been the star of a sitcom.

The ABC project, which does not yet have a title, will be a multicamera comedy about a family that is on the brink of buying a dream house though it comes with a catch: They have to live with the current tenant, an older actress played by Ms. Burnett.

The show was given the so-called put pilot commitment, which means ABC spent a good amount of money to land the project (there was apparently plenty of competition). That, combined with the heavyweight talent involved, makes prospects of the shows pilot being made much better.
Wells Fargo wont be putting the scandal over sham accounts behind it any time soon.

Emerging evidence that the victims of the scandal were often the banks most vulnerable customers  including Mexicans who spoke little English, elderly people with memory problems and college students opening their first accounts  has added fresh fuel to the fire.

It was like lions hunting zebras, said Kevin Pham, a former Wells employee. They would look for the weakest, the ones that would put up the least resistance.

Former employees told The New York Times about their experiences of working at Wells Fargo:

 One described how she started drinking hand sanitizer to ease her anxiety about the work she had to do there.
LONDON  Even in this moment of fierce reassessment of the merits of free trade, the deal promoting commerce between the European Union and Canada seemed like a safe bet to secure political blessing on both sides of the Atlantic.

So as the agreement appeared dead on Friday  collapsing in the face of unrelenting opposition from Wallonia, the French-speaking portion of Belgium, where dairy cows have run of the land  it underscored the extent to which trade has become politically radioactive around much of the globe.

Liberalized trade has amplified economic growth, but the spoils have been largely monopolized by wealthy and corporate interests. Recriminations over the resulting economic inequalities are now so ferocious that modern history has been altered: The phase of globalization that began with the ending of World War II is essentially over.

In the seven decades since that conflagration, world leaders have forged a series of increasingly large and complex trade deals, pinning hopes for peace and prosperity on the value of turning wartime adversaries into commercial partners.
TOKYO  Nintendo unveiled its latest piece of video game hardware on Thursday: the Nintendo Switch, a shape-changing console that doubles as a traditional home-based machine and a smaller portable device. Gamers will have until March, the official launch date, to decide whether its a must-have. (Nintendo hasnt set a price yet.) Investors got to weigh in faster, though, and the initial review was not encouraging. Nintendos share price fell 6.6 percent on Friday in trading in Tokyo.

What is the Nintendo Switch, and whats riding on it?

The Nintendo Switch is an all-in-one gaming machine, essentially a compact processor with removable controllers and a screen, which can be configured for playing at home (with a television) or on the go. It is a big deal for Nintendo, the Japanese game giant, which has fallen behind rivals in hardware. Nintendo reshaped the console market in the mid-2000s with its innovative Wii, whose motion-sensitive controllers and relatively simple games dramatically expanded the audience for gaming, attracting millions of so-called casual players. But Nintendos follow-up, the Wii U, has disappointed. Last year, the PlayStation 4, from Sony, outsold the Wii U almost threefold, and the Xbox from Microsoft has also done better.
SAN FRANCISCO  Major websites were inaccessible to people across wide swaths of the United States on Friday after a company that manages crucial parts of the internets infrastructure said it was under attack.

Users reported sporadic problems reaching several websites, including Twitter, Netflix, Spotify, Airbnb, Reddit, Etsy, SoundCloud and The New York Times.

The company, Dyn, whose servers monitor and reroute internet traffic, said it began experiencing what security experts called a distributed denial-of-service attack just after 7 a.m. Reports that many sites were inaccessible started on the East Coast, but spread westward in three waves as the day wore on and into the evening.

And in a troubling development, the attack appears to have relied on hundreds of thousands of internet-connected devices like cameras, baby monitors and home routers that have been infected  without their owners knowledge  with software that allows hackers to command them to flood a target with overwhelming traffic.
The mystery of Bob Dylans Nobel Prize deepens.

This week, after days in which Mr. Dylan made no public mention of being named the latest Nobel laureate, close readers of his official website noticed a few words in an announcement about a new edition of his complete lyrics: Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

It seemed an acknowledgment, and possibly a clue that Mr. Dylan, 75, would accept the honor  something that is usually not in doubt for Nobel winners. But it has become an open question given Mr. Dylans silence on the issue, along with comments this week by Sara Danius, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which bestows the award. Ms. Danius said that she did not know Mr. Dylans plans because, although she had spoken to an intermediary, she had not spoken to the songwriter directly.

And then that brief notice disappeared without explanation.

Representatives of Mr. Dylan did not respond to a question about the change, and the academy has made no further comments. (Simon & Schuster, Mr. Dylans book publisher, proudly notes his Nobel, along with the French Legion of Honor, a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.)

Mr. Dylan has played five concerts since the Nobel announcement, and fans have been monitoring his every move for signs of a reaction. In Las Vegas, he played a guitar, perhaps for the first time in four years. At Desert Trip in California, he played Why Try to Change Me Now, the 1950s chestnut by Cy Coleman and Joseph A. McCarthy that is on Mr. Dylans recent album Shadows in the Night (although he has played the song more than 70 times on tour since last year). Do they mean anything? As with everything Dylan, its hard to guess.
With another body discovered in Brentwood, N.Y., this week, the Suffolk County Police Department has announced its response: the arrest of what it said were 35 members of MS-13, a gang with roots in El Salvador and Los Angeles that has long been terrorizing the Long Island town.

Its a significant percentage, Timothy Sini, the Suffolk police commissioner, said in an interview on Friday. This is not 1 percent  this is a major shot against the criminal enterprise.

Mr. Sini said it was only the beginning. Five of the 35 people arrested, he said, are violent, high-ranking gang members who are in federal custody, having been charged under the RICO organized crime act.

On Monday, the police found skeletal human remains in the woods near the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, which they identified on Thursday as belonging to Jose Pena-Hernandez, 18. His body was the sixth found in Brentwood in a little over a month.
NEWARK  The former aide to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey at the center of the political plot to close access lanes at the George Washington Bridge broke her long silence in federal court on Friday, saying that the idea to close the lanes had been sold to her as a policy matter to move traffic more rapidly across the Hudson River, and that the governor had signed off on it.

The former aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, was the author of the email that set off the so-called Bridgegate scandal when it was revealed in January 2014: Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.

In her testimony in court, where Ms. Kelly is now charged with directing the lane closings to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., after he did not endorse the governor, that bold directive sounded more like bureaucratic churning.

Ms. Kelly, ostracized by the governor as a rogue and a liar after her email was exposed, came off as a newly promoted employee who had been eager to please her boss, Mr. Christie. She had witnessed his temper up close, she said: Upset with an idea she had in a meeting, he once threw a water bottle at her; shortly before the lane closings, he had told her to cancel meetings with the mayor of Jersey City after he too declined to endorse the governor, who said that no one was entitled to a meeting, using an expletive. So Ms. Kelly was careful to follow his instructions.
To the Editor:

Re Grieving Thailand Looks Warily to Royal Heir" (front page, Oct. 15):

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn accompanied King Bhumibol Adulyadej since childhood in fulfilling various public duties. Contrary to the articles assertion, the crown prince retains the loyalty and support of the Thai people. The allegations regarding him are based on hearsay and speculation and have no bearing on how he has performed and will perform.

Bhumibol, a King of the People, Leaves Them to the Generals, by Paul Handley (Op-Ed, nytimes.com, Oct. 13), portrayed King Bhumibol as a political manipulator who supported efforts to topple governments and blamed him for the shortcomings in Thai politics and democratic development.

The king always performed his duties in a nonpolitical way, consistent with the limitations of his authority. Far above the turmoil of Thai politics, he provided stability and guidance.

As for the lese-majeste law, despite the kings unease, he was not in a position to change it, as legislative power lies absolutely with Parliament, and the law was a reflection of the majority of Thais refusal to tolerate any criticism of their beloved king.
Delmore Schwartz, the poet, wrote of the beautiful American word, Sure.

To anyone raised as I was in the crimped confines of a wearier continent, Europe, that little word is indeed a thing of beauty, expressing a sense of possibility, an embrace of tomorrow, openness to the stranger, and a readiness for adventure that no other country possesses in such degree. It is the most concise expression of the optimism inherent in the American idea.

It is also something incommunicable until lived. To the outsider, America may appear by turns vulgar or violent, crass or childish, ugly or superficial, and of course it can be all of these things. Jonathan Galassi, the poet and publisher, has written of the American cavalcade, Philip Roth of the indigenous American berserk, and there is a gaudy, raucous, cinematic tumult to American life that is without parallel. Relentless reinvention is what America does; that is not always pretty. But beneath it all reside a can-do straightforwardness and directness that are the warp and weft of the American tapestry.

Will you come with me?

Sure.

No questions asked. Sure I will. The word is at once strong and soft, reassuring above all. The American experiment unravels without this.

The spirit of Sure stands in contrast to the culture of impossibility and the fear of failure that often undercut European enterprise. Bitter experience of repetitive cataclysm has taught Europe to be wary of risk. Perhaps the French brick wall contained in the phrase pas possible, a frequent response to my inquiries during the years I lived in Paris, best expresses this mind-set. Call it the spirit of Non. No wonder Europe does social protection better than innovation.
A dark splotch on Mars most likely marks the remnants of a spacecraft that tried to land there this week, the European Space Agency said on Friday.

Officials at the space agency had not been optimistic about the fate of the Schiaparelli lander but lacked conclusive evidence that it had been destroyed. During its six-minute trip through the Martian atmosphere, the lander at first appeared to be operating well, but it stopped sending data after the ejection of its heat shield.

Schiaparelli was part of ExoMars 2016, a joint mission by the European and Russian space agencies.

On Thursday, NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, passing overhead, took photographs of the area, which revealed two new features on the landscape, compared with what the orbiter had seen in May.
Dr. Bywater had been interested in assigning sounds to proteins since the 1990s. After hearing a song Dr. Middleton had composed called Redwood Symphony, which opens with sounds derived from the trees DNA, he asked for his help.

Using a process called sonification (which is the same thing used to assign different ringtones to texts, emails or calls on your cellphone) the team took three proteins and turned their folding shapes  a coil, a turn and a strand  into musical melodies. Each shape was represented by a bunch of numbers, and those numbers were converted into a musical code. A combination of musical sounds represented each shape, resulting in a song of simple patterns that changed with the folds of the protein. Later they played those songs to a group of 38 people together with visuals of the proteins, and asked them to identify similarities and differences between them. The two were surprised that people didnt really need the visuals to detect changes in the proteins.

Dr. Bywater and Dr. Middleton think turning data to sounds may help scientists spot differences in proteins  which are important for understanding their function  more easily. It also provides a new path to engaging students otherwise turned off by science and math.

You get the impression that youre hearing something, that its got patterns or its changing, said Dr. Middleton. I think theres a lot of potential to that.

Another researcher, who studies patients with hearing motion synesthesia, a miswiring of the brain that allows them to hear sounds when they see movement or flashes, agreed.

I think they have an interesting approach, since people are better at getting certain patterns using sound than vision, Melissa Saenz, a neuroscientist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, wrote in an email.
The Castiglioni family, the founding force behind the Italian brand Marni, is getting out of fashion.

On Friday, it was announced that Consuelo Castiglioni, Marnis longtime creative director and the woman who built the brand from its roots as a family fur operation into a fashion force with a gallerists edge, was stepping down. Francesco Risso, a 33-year-old former Prada designer and a name unknown outside the industry, will take her place.

A company spokesman added that Ms. Castiglionis husband, Gianni Castiglioni, formerly the president of Marni, was also leaving the brand, as were the Castiglionis daughter, Carolina, who focused on communications, special projects and childrens wear, and their son, Giovanni, who worked in operations.
The lawsuit was filed against Eric T. Schneiderman, the state attorney general, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City of New York.

New York lawmakers, including State Senator Liz Krueger, one of Airbnbs primary legislative foes, counter that they had the Communications Decency Act in mind when they drafted the bill, which is why it holds the hosts responsible for advertising illegal listings and does not impose any fines on Airbnb.

This is an issue that was given careful, deliberate consideration, but ultimately these activities are already expressly prohibited by law, Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said in a statement.

Mr. Schneiderman said in a statement: Airbnb cant have it both ways: It must either police illegal activity on its own site, or government will act to protect New Yorkers. Austin Finan, a spokesman for Mr. de Blasio, said in a statement, We would apply this tool, just as we do our current ones, to hold bad actors accountable.

Regulators and affordable housing advocates around the world worry that Airbnb is making it easier to illegally rent out apartment units for short stints to travelers, taking units off the market for full-time residents and driving housing costs higher. Mr. Azzopardi said that illegal rentals compromise efforts to maintain and promote affordable housing by allowing those units to be used as unregulated hotels.

Airbnb made several attempts over the past few months to convince Mr. Cuomo to veto the bill, a move that would have rankled Democrats, Republicans and affordable housing advocates. The company commissioned a study to show that voters support Airbnb and it has used a super PAC valued at $11 million to pay for ads explaining where different legislators stand on the short-term rental business.

Since 2010, it has been illegal in New York to rent out a whole apartment for fewer than 30 days. But some tenants and landlords have ignored those rules and have been using Airbnb to rent out their apartments for much shorter periods.
MONTCLAIR, N.J.  Pale and shaky, the girl races down the aisle of the theater, up the steps and onto the stage, where she stands in front of a microphone like a nervous soloist drafted into a school show. Clutching a sheet of lyrics, she begins to sing the Irish national anthem, Amhran Na bhFiann (The Soldiers Song), in a voice thats sweet and clear. Then she coughs and chokes, her blood spattering the white paper.

This is Mollser, whose song acts as a prelude in Sean Holmess Abbey Theater revival of Sean OCaseys The Plough and the Stars. Set during Irelands 1916 Easter Rising against the British, the play has always been leery of nationalism, scornful of the romance of war and outraged at the needless suffering that poverty brings. In a blistering contemporary production that doubles down on all of that, Mr. Holmes repeatedly pushes the consumptive young Mollser (Rachel Gleeson) toward the center, where we cant ignore her pain.

Presented over the weekend by Peak Performances at the Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University, the show was rather slow going during a first half that too often feels distant and disconnected  though even then it was easy to see why the play was greeted with riots at its world premiere at the Abbey, in Dublin, a decade after the insurrection. Taking place largely in a grim and hulking Dublin tenement, it offers no illusions of heroism, and plenty of human folly.

Relentless bickering and ridiculous personal skirmishes are the rule among the residents of the building, where the mismatched newlyweds Nora (Kate Stanley Brennan) and Jack (Ian-Lloyd Anderson)  a commandant in the Irish Citizen Army  share their apartment with his cousin (Ciaran OBrien) and her uncle (James Hayes), who cannot bear each other.
A 2014 report in the journal Electoral Studies  roundly criticized by other researchers as methodologically flawed  suggested that registration procedures are lax enough that as many as one in 15 non-United States citizens living in the country could have mistakenly cast ballots in the 2008 election. A 2012 study by the Pew Center on the States, cited by Mr. Trump on the campaign trail, concluded that 24 million registrations were outdated or invalid, 1.8 million registrants were dead and 2.75 million were registered in more than one state.

But even the study that Mr. Trump cited pointed to inefficient administration, not fraud. In a series of tweets, David Becker, the primary author of the study, said the study found no evidence of noncitizen voter registration or voting, and no evidence of voter fraud because of out-of-date records or deceased people still on voting rolls. He said voter rolls are more accurate now than when the study was done in 2012.

And, perhaps most important, the principal fraud that Mr. Trump and most Republicans assail, and the only one that voter identification laws address  voters who intentionally misrepresent themselves at polling places  is exceedingly rare, experts say. They add that it is almost impossible to perpetrate on a scale that would affect the results of a national election. Democrats also note that with Republican domination of state governments, voting nationwide is increasingly overseen by Republicans.

No national database of voter fraud cases exists. But a study by Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who currently works in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, uncovered only 31 credible claims of voter impersonation between 2000 and 2014, out of one billion ballots that were cast. An Arizona State University journalism project reviewed 2,068 allegations of election fraud between 2000 and 2012 and concluded that only 10 had involved misrepresentation.

Corrupt Officials

More common and largely unaddressed, but still rare, are fraudulent mail-in ballots and corruption among election officials.

Fraud charges are a staple of American politics, and once were frequently true. Terre Haute, Ind., was infamous for a 1914 scandal in which the mayor rigged voting machines, bought off voters, registered thousands of nonexistent voters and arrested nosy poll watchers.

But if thievery has not vanished since then, its scope has shrunk markedly: Four Troy, N.Y., officials and party workers were convicted in 2011 of creating false absentee ballots that may have swung local elections. And the next year, Indianas chief elections official, Secretary of State Charlie White, was convicted of six felonies involving voter fraud, including submitting a false ballot.
A judge who sentenced a Montana man to 60 days in jail for incest with his 12-year-old daughter is facing a firestorm of criticism and an impeachment effort by those who view the sentence as far too light.

The state had recommended the 40-year-old father of three serve a 100-year prison sentence with 75 years suspended  in effect, 25 years  and the dismissal of two other incest charges as part of a plea deal.

A father repeatedly raped his 12-year-old daughter, the Valley County deputy attorney, Dylan Jensen, said during the sentencing hearing on Oct. 4, according to reports.

But in handing down his sentence, Judge John C. McKeon of Valley County District Court noted that lawyers for the defendant could argue for a less-severe punishment if an evaluator recommended treatment in a local community.
I called DeSoto Brown, the chief historian and archivist at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Mr. Brown says he still gets a charge when he walks the streets of Mr. Obamas neighborhood.

The Hawaiian islands are small and physically very far away from everything else in the world, Mr. Brown said. Theres been this disbelief for someone like me that arguably the most powerful man on the planet was born on this island and grew up on this island. Its kind of astonishing.

Mr. Brown said he had relished the chance to give out-of-town guests the Obama childhood tour.

The tour includes the Baskin-Robbins, where Mr. Obama worked as a student, the now timeworn concrete apartment building where he lived with his grandparents and the prestigious Punahou School, a private high school with elegant stone buildings and lush playing fields, where Mr. Obama graduated from in 1979.
LAS VEGAS  For all the millions of dollars spent on this election, the outcome may come down to people like Megan Blas.

A 25-year-old college student who grew up in Guam, Ms. Blas spends up to 32 hours each week knocking on doors, canvassing voters and logging responses. There are hundreds like her in Nevada, which is serving as a fierce proxy fight for the ground war between outside groups supporting Democrats and Republicans. They are using advanced analytics and old-fashioned legwork to meet the most basic of election objectives: turning out the vote.

For years, outside groups have been building political organizations that target voters in highly refined segments, then make a final push to get their supporters to the polls, in many cases supplanting the role once played by political parties. It has become as much science as art, with mass accumulations of data. But in the final weeks, it is human contact from people like Ms. Blas that can make the difference in a close election like the Senate race here.

Ms. Blas works for a Democratic-aligned super PAC, For Our Future, reaching out to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders scattered across Las Vegas. One afternoon last week, she hopped out of a charcoal-gray Mazda and headed up the sidewalk past rows of identical tile-roofed condominiums, looking for the solitary dot on her cellphone map that identified a potential voters name, age and gender.
She also portrayed herself as a candidate who could attract independent, undecided and even Republican voters unhappy with Mr. Trumps campaign. I want to say something to people who may be reconsidering their support of my opponent, she said. I know you still may have questions for me, I respect that. I want to answer them. I want to earn your vote.

Her stop here marked the start of a rare multiday tour of swing states as the Clinton campaign revved up its efforts to decisively defeat Mr. Trump on Nov. 8, including releasing a powerful minute-long ad featuring Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq. The ad featuring Mr. Khan, who was attacked by Mr. Trump after he spoke at the Democratic convention, will run in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, as well as other crucial states.

With Mrs. Clinton holding a healthy lead in most national polls, Democrats have turned their focus to trying to ensure victory by as large a margin as possible, deploying Michelle Obama in Arizona and President Obama in Florida. The larger the victory, the less Mr. Trump and his supporters can claim foul play, Mrs. Clintons allies said.

A month ago, Ohio seemed to be aligning as a Trump stronghold, as its large bloc of white working-class voters responded to Mr. Trumps economic populism and America-first message. But the state is now back in play, with a poll from Suffolk University in Boston showing a tied race.

Mrs. Clintons afternoon rally at a community college in Cleveland, the heart of Democratic strength in Ohio, was aimed at increasing early voting, which began last week.
At least three American states have turned down Russian requests to monitor polling locations during the election on Nov. 8, as United States officials portrayed the overture as little more than a Russian public relations stunt.

Russias consul general in Houston, Alexander K. Zakharov, wrote letters dated in September to officials in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma requesting that a Russian officer be present for a short period of time, when convenient, with the goal of studying the U.S. experience in organization of voting process.

But United States officials have been wary of Russia meddling in the election, and the American government formally accused Russia of being responsible for recent hacks surrounding American political campaigns.

The Russian requests come as Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, has claimed that the election will be rigged. United States officials, including Republican leaders, have forcefully denied that claim.
In 30 years of marriage, Nancy Fagin had never told her husband about the handling  how, as an eighth grader volunteering at a small natural history museum in Chicago, she was sexually molested by a security guard.

That changed last week. As the couple discussed Michelle Obamas speech condemning Donald J. Trumps treatment of women as intolerable, Ms. Fagin, 62, who spent her career running a specialty bookstore in Chicago, turned to her husband and said that something had happened to her.

I just sort of had to say that, Ms. Fagin later said in an interview.

Her husband, Ron Weber, 75, said he responded by talking about how his former wife had also been assaulted.

Its widely occurring, and most women dont bring it up, he said.

Far from the campaign trail, the shock waves about Mr. Trumps crude language, captured in a recording, and accusations against him of sexual assault by numerous women are reverberating through marriages and relationships across the country. Couples say they are talking to each other about the degradation of women in new ways and revealing assaults that had been buried for years.
But there were also cases in which victims arguably would have lived had they been in a state with tighter firearms restrictions, because it would have been harder for their attackers either to get guns or to carry them in those circumstances. That includes several of nine attackers who were dangerously mentally ill but still met the federal standard for gun possession.

Image John R. Houser, 59, had a number of run-ins with the law before going on a killing rampage at the movie theater in Lafayette. Credit... Lafayette Police Department

For instance, Mr. Housers two forced hospitalizations for mental illness  lasting from one week to almost a month  did not disqualify him from buying a gun under federal or Alabama law because no court had involuntarily committed him for treatment. Yet in at least six states, his history of illness and violence would probably have barred him from possessing a gun or made it extremely hard to obtain a permit to buy one.

Heath Taylor is the sheriff in Russell County, Ala., where Mr. Houser lived and legally bought the handgun used in his assault. He said Mr. Houser should have been barred from gun ownership years before he opened fire in the Louisiana theater.

The country has to address this, Sheriff Taylor said. Im not for labeling someone as mentally ill for the rest of their lives, but there are warning signs that should prevent the purchase of a gun, and we are just not doing it.

Background checks: Slipping through the net

In two earlier articles, The Times analyzed the 358 shootings last year  almost one a day  in which at least four people, including attackers, were killed or wounded.

For this article, focusing only on the fatal shootings in which at least one attacker was identified, we sought to determine whether those assailants legally possessed their weapons, what type of gun was used and whether tighter gun laws might have averted their assaults.
John Oxford, a professor of virology at Queen Mary University of London and an expert in microbiology, said he would never let a dog lick his face, The Hippocratic Post reported.

It is not just what is carried in saliva, he said. Dogs spend half of their life with their noses in nasty corners or hovering over dog droppings so their muzzles are full of bacteria, viruses and germs of all sorts.

What other illnesses can be transmitted?

Other infections, such as hookworms and roundworms, can be transmitted in a practice called coprophagia, in which animals ingest one anothers stool or by licking each others anuses, Dr. Nandi said in an email.

Dr. Joe Kinnarney, the immediate past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, said in an interview that one study calculated that a puppy could have as many as 20 million to 30 million roundworm eggs in its intestinal tract in one week. He said a clients child at his practice in Greensboro, N.C., nearly lost an eye from a roundworm infection.

It is conceivable that a dog with fecal material in its mouth could transmit an intestinal parasite to a human through licking, but that is rare, Dr. Sarah Proctor, a clinical assistant professor and the director of the veterinary technology program at the University of New Hampshire, said in an email.

More commonly, a parasite can be contracted by ingesting contaminated soil  via a home garden, for example  where pets have left their droppings.

President Obama even touched on the subject in an interview with Wired magazine that was published in August:

I still dont let Sunny and Bo lick me, because when I walk them on the side lawn, some of the things I see them picking up and chewing on, I dont want that, man, Mr. Obama said, laughing.
South Africa has become the second African country to announce that it plans to leave the International Criminal Court, a decision that campaigners for international justice say could lead to a devastating exodus from the embattled institution.

The move on Friday came three days after Burundis president signed a decree making his country the first to withdraw from the court, which had planned to investigate political violence that followed the presidents decision last year to pursue a third term.

There is a real chance that there will now be large-scale African withdrawals, said David L. Bosco, an associate professor of international studies at Indiana University who has written a book on the court. The Burundi decision was easy to dismiss as a government seeking to avoid direct scrutiny; South Africas is much more significant. The African Union has been a forum for anti-I.C.C. sentiment, and countries like Kenya and Uganda may now seek to capitalize on the momentum.

Henry Oryem Okello, a Ugandan minister, told The Associated Press on Friday that his country was undecided about whether to remain in the court, and that the hot issue of African participation might be taken up at an African Union summit meeting in January.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti  The ghosts of 2010 haunt Haiti.

They hover over the recovery effort for Hurricane Matthew in its every aspect: the Haitian governments insistence on coordinating aid, the modest numbers of deaths registered, the struggle to raise sufficient funds, even the blight of cholera now terrorizing remote stretches of the countryside.

There is logic to much of it. After the 2010 earthquake, aid groups took over. They worked around a government as devastated as its capital, undermining billions of dollars in aid and the very people it was meant to help.

For now, the government has put a stop to that.

My biggest challenge is for donors to understand this time that they must work with us, said Jocelerme Privert, the interim president of Haiti, during an hourlong interview in his office. They must understand that everything will go through us, and trust that we have control of the situation.

The lessons of wasted aid, and its duplicative and disorganized delivery, have grounded the governments belief that what is done this time must be sustainable.
MEXICO CITY  Mexicos federal police on Friday arrested a fugitive former municipal police chief who is a major figure in the investigation into the disappearance of 43 college students in September 2014.

The former chief, Felipe Flores Velazquez, was in charge of the local police force on the night that the students vanished in the city of Iguala, which is in the southern state of Guerrero.

The Mexican government says that police officers handed the students over to members of a local drug gang, who killed them and then burned the bodies. International human rights experts have cast doubt on the investigation.

The Mexican authorities have detained 128 suspects in the case, but Mr. Flores, who was at large for two years, had eluded them until now.
The mother who tried to dissuade that scum from smoking is very brave, Chen Lan, a writer with a wide following on social media, wrote in a post on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter. This world still has some hope.

Violence against women is a persistent problem in China and has received new attention in an era when closed-circuit videos are routinely leaked online. This year, a video that showed a woman being dragged down a hallway in a four-star hotel as bystanders stood idle prompted widespread outrage.

Tobacco use divides strictly along gender lines in China, with about half of adult men smoking, according to the World Bank, compared with only about 2 percent of adult women. The government has tried to limit smoking in public places, but the tobacco industry wields significant power.

On social media sites on Friday, many people praised the bravery of the woman, who was identified only as Ms. Li in Chinese news reports.

A user named Miss ShaOu wrote: I hate it every time I smell smoke in the elevator or see other people smoke. I curse them 10,000 times in my heart.
CALAIS, France  They left their countries, mostly Afghanistan, Ethiopia or Eritrea. They traveled with smugglers, walked across countries and continents, crossed mountains and rough seas, and endured airless trunks, thieves and muggers.

And many are just 10 to 17 years old.

They are the 1,300 or so children of the Jungle, as the sprawling migrant camp outside the French port of Calais is known. Most have arrived here without family, sometimes with the blessing of parents, sometimes not.

After harrowing journeys, they have camped with some 6,000 to 10,000 other migrants, depending on who is doing the counting, awaiting a chance to sneak into Britain to reunite with family or friends. They speak no French, little English, and their futures are anything but certain.

The fates of these young people have become a major sticking point in determining the Jungles shaky future. The French government announced plans on Friday to demolish the camp for the second time this year, starting Monday. But first it needs to figure out what to do about the children.
LONDON  London City Airport was declared safe on Friday, several hours after 500 people were evacuated in what the authorities had described as a possible chemical incident.

Passengers and airport workers were evacuated from the small airport after some people felt unwell. Less than four hours later, the Fire Brigade said it had found no evidence of any unusual chemicals, leading to speculation about what had caused the panic in the first place.

Ambulance staff treated 27 patients onsite; the London Ambulance Service said that all were treated for minor breathing difficulties and two were hospitalized, but provided no further details.

Firefighters and police officers wearing protective equipment made two complete sweeps of the airport, but no elevated readings were found and the building was ventilated, searched and declared safe, the Fire Brigade said.
If  or when  diplomacy fails, the will to defend eastern Aleppo will be diminished, he said.

Many military analysts see the Admiral Kuznetsov as merely a 200-pound gorilla, and consider it a gamble to play gunboat diplomacy with a lumbering tub fit for the scrap heap. The latest excursion is only the eighth long-distance mission for the aircraft carrier, which has been something of a lemon from the start.

I would sum up its history as tortured, Mr. Nordenman said.

The carrier underwent repairs from 1996 to 1998, from 2001 to 2004, and in 2008, and its deck and electronic plant were replaced in the past two years, according to Russian news reports.

It is expected back in dry dock after the Syria deployment because its propulsion system needs to be replaced.

Whenever it went to sea over the years, the Admiral Kuznetsov was prone to accidents.

The United States Navy came to its aid during one Mediterranean training exercise in 1996, when the machinery used to distill fresh water from seawater malfunctioned, leaving its crew of nearly 2,000 sailors with a severe shortage of fresh water. The carrier polluted the Irish Sea at one point with a gigantic oil spill, and a fire on board killed a crew member in 2009.

The technology used to launch airplanes is considered obsolete. Most modern carriers fling their fighter jets skyward with a kind of catapult, allowing them to carry a full contingent of fuel and weapons. Planes launched from the Admiral Kuznetsov wobble aloft from a sort of ski jump, forcing them to take off without a full load.

The warship will hug the Syrian coastline, allowing planes to perform bombing runs and return to the ships deck before running out of fuel, according to an unidentified source cited by the Tass news agency.

The deployment will include the first of the new MiG-29K/KUB fighters, a modernized version of that MiG jet, and the Su-33a, as well as 15 helicopters, according to Tass. This is a potent force, said Prokhor Tebin, a Russian who writes a blog about the countrys navy.
ERBIL, Iraq  Facing a broad offensive from Iraqi and Kurdish troops, the Islamic State has defended villages around Mosul with its signature tactics of suicide car attacks and roadside bombs. But on Friday morning, militants attacked the strategic oil city of Kirkuk, far to the east, in the manner of a conventional army.

Dozens of uniformed Islamic State fighters, some of whom were believed to be part of sleeper cells and others who drove into the city in vehicles, assaulted Kirkuk, setting off gun battles in the heart of the city that lasted from dawn into the night. Imams shut down all mosques in the city, canceling Friday Prayer, as the city was turned into an urban battle zone that was livestreamed for much of the day by Kurdish news outlets.

The battle scenes and the sound of automatic gunfire in Kirkuk were reminiscent of the Islamic States brazen march across northern Iraq two years ago, when Mosul and other cities were first seized by the group.

The groups sudden counterattack on Friday also involved suicide bombings on police positions inside the city, and gunmen later took up positions in a mosque, a school and a hotel, and on top of other buildings. The government quickly instituted a curfew, ordering civilians to shelter indoors.
Families and aid workers worry that the Islamic State will use civilians as human shields, as they did earlier this year in the fight for Falluja. The United Nations on Friday said the group was holding 550 families as shields near Mosul.

Many of the displaced so far  5,640 people in the first days of fighting, the United Nations said  are from villages south of Mosul, in a region where the Iraqi Army and the federal police are pushing north from a rear staging base in Qaiyara, where American soldiers are advising the Iraqis.

To get there, New York Times journalists drove south this week from Erbil, along cratered roads whose only traffic seemed to be flatbed trucks carrying military vehicles and pickup trucks full of government fighters. On the horizon the parched moonscape met a wall of black smoke from the oil wells the Islamic State has set ablaze as a cover from airstrikes. Checkpoints, flying the flags of the Kurdish pesh merga, the Iraqi Army or a revered Shiite martyr, lined the road.

At the base in Qaiyara, a group of federal policemen grabbed their rifles, and we piled into their minivan for a tour of some of the villages. As we drove through the dusty towns, children waved and cheered, and the policemen tossed them water bottles.
GENEVA  The top United Nations human rights official on Friday called the weekslong bombardment and siege of rebel-held parts of Aleppo crimes of historic proportions that had turned the ancient Syrian city into a slaughterhouse.

As a humanitarian pause in attacks, declared unilaterally by Russia, entered a second day  and as the besieged rebel-held eastern side of the city had a respite from the Syrian and Russian airstrikes that have devastated the area  the United Nations official, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, called for a war crimes investigation.

The comments by Mr. al-Hussein, the high commissioner for human rights, came in a videotaped statement at the opening of a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The 47-member council later adopted, 24 to 7, a resolution that called for an immediate end to the bombing of Aleppo. The resolution also asked the United Nations commission of inquiry monitoring human rights in Syria to investigate events in the city, identifying those responsible for war crimes and other violations. Sixteen council members abstained.
A spokesman for the United Nations, Stephane Dujarric, said Thursday the company did not disclose any association with a company or individual prohibited from being engaged in procurement, as it is required to. The case will be brought forward to the Vendor Review Committee for deliberation, Mr. Dujarric added.

Nikolai and Pavel Ustimenko were named in a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme at the United Nations in 2007. At that time, an internal United Nations investigation concluded that they had engaged in criminal acts, including bribery, corruption and money laundering. Through another company, Avicos, they were selling aviation insurance to airlines that contracted with the United Nations.

Russian companies are well known for securing aviation contracts with the United Nations. But the case of Abakan Air in Syria is unusual because Russia is a combatant in a conflict that the United Nations has tried and failed to end.

Critics say that while the United Nations has to be pragmatic in using companies that agree to operate in dangerous war zones, the use of a Russian company to feed people in a government-held town can fuel the suspicions of those who already regard the United Nations as an ineffective intermediary in the conflict.

We already know aid is being provided based on peoples perceived political affiliation, said Widney Brown, program director for Physicians for Human Rights, which has been an outspoken critic of Russian and Syrian bombings of hospitals. Then if aid is being delivered by a party to the conflict, it reinforces the perception  and the reality  that the delivery of aid is highly politicized.

According to the United Nations latest estimate, more than 800,000 Syrians live in what it considers to be besieged areas; activists say the number is higher. Most of those people live in rebel-controlled areas besieged by government soldiers and pro-government militia members. Deir al-Zour is unusual: It is held by Syrian forces but surrounded by members of the Islamic State.

Since April, an Abakan cargo plane has been regularly parachuting 20-ton pallets of food into Deir al-Zour: chickpeas, salt, bulgur, rice, oil. Airdrops are very expensive. The United Nations has spent more than $34 million so far for the drops, which cost about $250,000 each.
Youve just landed in Beijing, Rio de Janeiro or Christchurch, New Zealand, and youre greeted at the airport by a clutch of adoring locals.

What is the polite way to greet them? Do you bow, or proffer your hand, or prepare to envelop the assembled strangers in an American-style embrace?

More important: To kiss or not to kiss?

The world may be increasingly globalized, but when it comes to greeting practices, local customs still prevail  and things can get awkward when, say, a hug-loving American businessman meets his Japanese counterpart for the first time. (Best just to bow.)
In the 1990s, art found a new medium. Anarchic and unconstrained, the World Wide Web attracted an oddball collection of people ready to do almost anything and call it art. Often their work looked weird and amateurish, with pixelated graphics, tinny chiptune music and garish colors. But what it lacked aesthetically it made up for in conviction.

In Australia, four women who styled themselves VNS Matrix posted a Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century, followed by a vagina-framed poster in which they joyously proclaimed themselves saboteurs of big daddy mainframe. In Moscow, a young woman named Olia Lialina created My Boyfriend Came Back From the War, a forking narrative, poignant and oblique, that combined text with grainy black-and-white imagery. An anonymous woman in Amsterdam, eventually identified as Martine Neddam, built a brightly colored site that purported to be the home page of a 13-year-old named Mouchette, after the girl in the 1967 Robert Bresson film who finds a life of torment and abuse too much to bear.

In the early days of the web, art was frequently a cause and the internet was an alternate universe in which to pursue it. Two decades later, preserving this work has become a mission. As web browsers and computer operating systems stopped supporting the software tools they were built with, many works have fallen victim to digital obsolescence. Later ones have been victims of arbitrary decisions by proprietary internet platforms  as when YouTube deleted Petra Cortrights video VVEBCAM on the grounds that it violated the sites community guidelines. Even the drip paintings Jackson Pollock made with house paint have fared better than art made by manipulating electrons.

Now the digital art organization Rhizome is setting out to bring some stability to this evanescent medium. At a symposium to be held Thursday, Oct. 27, at the New Museum, its longtime partner and backer, Rhizome plans to start an ambitious archiving project. Called Net Art Anthology, it is to provide a permanent home online for 100 important artworks, many of which have long since disappeared from view. With a $201,000 grant from the Chicago-based Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, Rhizome will release a newly refurbished work once a week for the next two years, starting with the 1991 Cyberfeminist Manifesto. By 2018, Rhizome will be presenting works by artists such as Cory Arcangel and Ms. Cortright.
McBride isnt a naturalistic writer; if youve read Girl, you know that already. Her words dont bother with the where  were in London, but the city is the city  or the who, what or when. Its the mid-1990s, and Eilys a drama student and Stephens an actor/writer, but they could be other people, living other lives. In Girl, there were no names; in The Lesser Bohemians, Stephen and Eily dont inhabit a world  they are the world.

They spend most of their time shut in a small room having sex or talking. The reader is shut in with them. Its claustrophobic in the same way that being in your own head is claustrophobic. In our own heads, were always talking to ourselves. In our own heads, the words dont go neatly through the day and night as a commentary on life. There are no conclusions. We are disjointed, elliptical, a jotting pad. Our thoughts are more like graffiti than text: Silent in his room. Cigarette. Sit or shift? I halfly dress. Stay or leave? What do men expect? What would I like? To know exactly what he considers to be the right what now.

We talk to make sense of the intensity and randomness of our minds. We talk to relieve the emptiness of our minds. In McBrides fiction, thats how it is. The interior process is outworked into language where the gaps are left as gaps: Gloom. Him. Thin and long cat limbs stretched wrong-way on the bed. Limp in the aftermath. Head to the side. Wash between my legs. The anger though.

One of McBrides strengths as a writer is that she doesnt fill in just for the sake of it. The Twitter-style brevity of her sentences  with none of the Twitter-style banality  ensures that its the reader whos filling in the gaps, not of story or intent but of language. The readers mind runs alongside hers, and our sentences can, if we want them to, run past hers. In that sense, she really isnt a control freak, unlike James Joyce, whose prose is a be-saved or be-damned baptism by total immersion. McBride isnt an old-fashioned despot writer. The take-it-or-leave-it arrogance is absent. The confidence and the capacity are as good as anyones, male or female, but (and Im not going to attribute it to gender, though its something that might be discussed sometime) theres an openness, an inclusivity, a distinct lack of God-almightyness, that makes reading her such a pleasure.

And the time has come round again for some experiment. Modernism took a battering in Anglo-American fiction and criticism from the 1950s right through to the switch of the century. There were exceptions, of course, but not a lot of encouragement for fiction writers working against traditional forms or using non-naturalistic ways of telling stories. Poetry and theater fared far better.
The devil is in the detail. Talking about moments when excruciating gallstone pains made him believe he was soon to die, Montaigne remarks: When I looked upon death as the end of my life, universally, then I looked upon it with indifference. Wholesale, I could master it: Retail, it savaged me; the tears of a manservant, the distributing of my wardrobe, the known touch of a hand, a routine word of comfort discomforted me and made me weep.

It is the details that attach us to life and arouse our emotions. A hound, a horse, a book, a wineglass and whatnot, Montaigne observes, all had their role in my loss. Reasoning and accumulated wisdom, he goes on, may give us some insight into human grief, but it is the small things, picked up by ears and eyes  organs which can be stirred by inessentials only  that will really have an impact. So we might be aware of, but not greatly moved by, the plight of Syrian refugees until the photograph of a dead child face down in the sand triggers our emotions and has us bursting into tears.

Having made these observations, Montaigne embarks on what might best be described as a creative writing lesson in reverse. Literature, he points out, is adept at exploiting this aspect of our psychology; it focuses on evocative inessentials to stimulate our emotional response. Generally unmoved by the human condition, we nevertheless disturb our souls with fictional laments. It hardly even matters that they are invented: The plaints of Dido and Ariadne in Virgil and Catullus arouse the feelings of the very people who do not believe in them.

And he asks a question that no one asks these days: Is it right for the arts to serve our natural weakness and to let them profit from our inborn animal-stupidity? Aside from its astute selection of moving detail, art is constantly in the business of manipulating our emotions, as if this were an end in itself. This, after all, was Platos objection to the arts and every kind of artistic effect  that it was manipulative and potentially mendacious. Or simply a waste: How often, Montaigne asks, do we encumber our spirits with yellow bile or sadness by means of such shadows?
When Mr. Graves and his colleague filed their suit in 1999, improper recruiter compensation among for-profit schools was a hot topic. Paying commissions to sales representatives, after all, encouraged the schools to bring in students whether or not they were likely to succeed.

Students were paying $35,000 for their ITT educations, court records show. And the company was paying incentives to recruiters, a practice that was supposed to bar it from retaining payments made by the government in connection with financial aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965.

In late 2000, the Education Department cited compensation violations at Computer Learning Centers, a for-profit education company, and demanded $187 million from the company, which filed for bankruptcy in early 2001. (Mr. Levy filed a successful whistle-blower suit against Computer Learning Centers.)

The Education Department came under fire after the Computer Learning Centers collapse. The blowback from Wall Street was huge, Mr. Levy recalled. The Education Department got all the blame for putting the school out of business.

Beginning in 2001, with George W. Bush in the White House and Republicans ruling the House of Representatives, the winds were shifting in favor of for-profit colleges. In late May, the complaint was unsealed and details about the incentive compensation practices became public. By this time, ITT had hired the powerful Washington law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to represent it.

The day the case was unsealed, Representative Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, introduced legislation to change the federal statute on incentive compensation at schools. The bill still barred the granting of bonuses in return for enrollments, but it contained a loophole that would allow recruiters to receive salaried pay that reflected their productivity.

For-profit colleges gave full-throated support for the bill. On June 20, 2001, Omer E. Waddles, an ITT executive vice president who soon after became its president, testified before the House, arguing that the current law prevented for-profit schools from hiring and retaining personnel. It also meant that owners and managers of for-profit colleges could not participate in the financial successes of their schools, Mr. Waddles said.
So I landed my first real job out of school in the Department of the Army, which was not my hearts desire. But I threw myself into it, and after a few months remarkable things started happening for me.

Like what?

This whole area of defense and national security, which I never knew or cared about, was really interesting and important work. And I had a great boss who took an interest in me, became a mentor and opened some doors.

From that first job, every single job Ive had has been in defense  sometimes in government, sometimes in the private sector. And now Im secretary of the Air Force. How cool is that? What a privilege. And it all started with a great big failure and a dream that was never realized.

Whats your advice on how to get a mentor?

Even if your company or agency doesnt have a formal mentorship program, dont let that stop you. A mentor can be anybody in your environment, but it tends to be somebody older than you and somebody whos done things that you aspire to do.

What I tell people, and Ive done this myself, is that if you see somebody like this, just introduce yourself and ask them if they would be willing at some point to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you and tell their story of what worked for them, what didnt work, and how their story unfolded in life and how they got to be where they are today.

I find that 95 percent of people will give you a half-hour and a cup of coffee. And dont we all love talking about ourselves and sharing our insights in life? You never know how broadening your network and hearing some of those failures and successes that other people have lived through might impact your life.

What have been some leadership lessons?

I have learned about the importance of communication, in what you say and what you write. But the most important part of all when you get to a leadership position is to be a good listener. People forget sometimes that an important part of communication is listening, so that you understand where somebody else is coming from. Then you can adjust your leadership style a bit to them.
Ms. Kawakubo, 74, has built a thriving business on a number of more wearable lines (Comme des Garcons Play, a non-fashion line of basics that has a heart with eyes as a logo, and Comme des Garcons Shirt, which is pretty self-explanatory), and she has a canny ability to balance art and commerce that has allowed her, as Mr. Bolton said, to use the runway as a platform to express her thought processes. But she is known for her more abstruse constructions, and those will be showcased at the Met.

(The exhibition will feature 100 to 120 pieces from 1981, when Ms. Kawakubo first began showing in Paris, up to the present; the commerce part will be on view in a store that acts as an extension of the exhibition.)

This differentiates her work from most of what has been highlighted in recent Costume Institute blockbusters such as China and Manus x Machina, for example, which connected fashion to the popular conversation  the rise of the East, the obsession with technology  in part by displaying lots of very pretty clothes.

More often than not, those clothes were sourced from major heritage brands, which then became co-hosts of the opening gala, helped sponsor the show (or the conglomerates that owned them did) and used the opportunity to dress many boldface-name guests at the party. Whose images then became core parts of their marketing campaigns.

Yet pretty is not a word Ms. Kawakubo has much interest in. Nor is party. (She has never attended a Met gala.) Nor is celebrity. Comme des Garcons ad campaigns have featured a bird, fish, fruit and a comic strip, but never a famous actor, and the brand has no official face.
Despite summerlike temperatures, the fall social calendar was in full swing. The Frick Collection held its autumn dinner on Oct. 17 at its Upper East Side house. Keep a Child Alive, co-founded by Alicia Keys, hosted its annual ball on Oct. 19 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, raising $2 million for H.I.V. care in sub-Saharan Africa. The National Committee on American Foreign Policy held a dinner on Oct. 19 at the Metropolitan Club. And the New York Womens Foundation, which bills itself as the nations largest womens grant-making fund, presented its fall gala at the Plaza Hotel on Oct. 13.
Growing up on Long Island in the 1970s, I kept a copy of Judy Blumes Are You There, God? Its Me, Margaret, in its classic lavender-tinted paperback edition, tucked away in a closet in my playroom with the vague intention of returning it to the local library, someday. As months went by and I read and reread the novel upward of a half-dozen times, it became clear that I would never give it up. I imagined thousands of dollars of fines accruing and ultimately an arrest followed by some period of detention. Wasnt the involvement of law enforcement the only proper response to an abject refusal to relinquish something so precious?

Like Margaret Simon, I was an only child suspicious of suburban idyll. I consumed the book, as I would go on, in my 20s, to consume anything by Richard Yates or John Cheever, seeking assurances that a lawn was a poor means of generating certain existential satisfactions. The novel begins with its heroine forced to leave Manhattan, with all of its enrichments, when her parents decide to move to the suburbs (for all of the reasons parents have always decided to move to the suburbs). Please help me God, Margaret implores. Dont let New Jersey be too horrible.

For women who grew up in the 1970s and early 80s  nurtured in the fictions of Ms. Blume, Paul Zindel and Norma Klein among others, writers for whom an urbane brand of social realism was the only reasonable metier  the arrival of the Twilight franchise a decade ago, with its enormous success, signaled a gloomy period of regression for the young-adult novel. The first of the Twilight books appeared in 2005, two years after Arnold Schwarzenegger became the governor of California amid sexual assault allegations that prompted relatively little of the outcry now bedeviling Donald J. Trump. A distinct product of Bush-era gender politics rather than a renunciation of them, the series ultimately has its heroine forfeit a chance to go to Dartmouth to stay home and tend to her half-vampire baby, one conceived after a night of violent sex that leaves her body bruised with a husband who is at least 100 years old.
PPP-funded transport projects worth $667.6 billion Updated: 2016-10-21 09:13 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - Public-private partnerships (PPP) funded transportation projects totaled 4.5 trillion yuan ($667.6 billion) as of April 2016, official data showed.

The sector was the top destination for PPP investment by the same time, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT), quoting data from the PPP center under the Ministry of Finance.

Some 11 toll roads, to the tune of 70 billion yuan, were selected to pilot PPP in five provinces in 2015, the MOT said.

The sector is expected to see rising investment throughout the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), which calls for joint efforts from the ministry, financial institutions, science and technology research agencies as well as involvement of private investment, said MOT official Zhao Chongjiu.

The rise of transportation PPP projects accords with the country's ongoing supply-side structural reform drive, said Hu Yuefei, vice president of Ping An Bank, calling it a "major shortcut" in upgrading the sector.

China has explored infrastructure and public works PPP projects since late 2013, amid growing concerns over rising local government debt.

PPP will become the leading investment model for China's transportation infrastructure projects, industry experts said.
On a recent Saturday in the southwest corner of Central Park, scores of children swarmed an immense 40-by-15-foot rock. As they climbed, leapt and navigated a crevasse, one boy offered his appraisal.

If it was a restaurant, it would be a Michelin four-star, said Cole Carin, an 8-year-old from the Upper West Side. (Michelin operates on a three-star rating system. Whether the third grader knew this is beside the point, or maybe it was exactly his point.)

Lucas Martin, a lanky 11-year-old from Park Slope, Brooklyn, took in a clear view of treetops and the Midtown Manhattan skyline before sliding down the rocks eastern ridge. Is it hard to climb? It depends where you go, Lucas said. Some parts are more easier than others, and some parts are more vertical. Is sliding down the rock scary? Shrugging, he said, You get used to it, and you just do it.

Although Cole and Lucas were in a parkour class together, there is no official course requirement or fee to enjoy this ancient outcropping of bedrock in the middle of Manhattan.
SYDNEY  Once, while I was looking at an apricot-colored vintage dress at a stall on the Upper West Side in New York, imagining myself in it, drinking gin cocktails on the Riviera, my former partner whispered in my ear: You know, there comes a day when wearing old-lady dresses is no longer ironic.

Ouch. I was 36. And apparently not even a lamb dressed as mutton, but fast approaching mutton dressing as jerky  if we accept that the way women dress can be likened to the life stages of a sheep.

Deflated, I left that pretty dress hanging on the wire fence surrounding those markets on West 76th. But I still wear vintage.

So what does it actually mean to dress like an old lady? Or even just dress your age? Women are more often criticized for dressing like younger, not older, versions of themselves. When you reach 40, youre suddenly inundated with advice about age-appropriate wear.
ZAGREB, Croatia  I woke one morning 24 years ago to find a war all around me. The night before I had been at a concert for the Partybreakers, a punk band from Belgrade. Id had too much beer and I had a headache. Bursts of gunfire were audible, along with the explosions of the mortar shells that would rain down on Sarajevo for the next three and a half years.

I dont know what it was like when the war first came to Aleppo, Syria. Only the people still living there do  thousands of men, women and children who have now been under siege for years. From the perspective of an ordinary citizen, lets say a 25 year old with literary and musical interests, the siege starts without warning and comes out of nowhere.

Yes, the papers and the TV have been reporting for months about how the situation in the country is growing more complicated, how conflict is brewing among political opponents, and how in the provinces there has already been fighting. But as long as a city continues to live its normal, placid life, which is the sort of life it lives up until the very last instant and the final quiet evening, war seems impossible. You look at your dog and your books, the spider in the corner of your room spinning a web that tomorrow will catch its first little fly, and you cant imagine that the next morning all this, including the dog and the spider, will be caught up in war.

At the beginning of Bosnias war, Sarajevo had some 400,000 inhabitants. Aleppo, before its war, was five times larger. Sarajevo was founded about five centuries ago. Aleppo is one of the oldest cities on earth, in the part of the world that brings together Europe and the East, where the Abrahamic religions  Judaism, Christianity and Islam  were born and grew up. It was there at the emergence of our civilization. Not so long ago, just 150 years back, the two cities were under the same monarch. Sarajevo was the last great city at the western boundary of the Ottoman Empire, while Aleppo was the greatest city on its eastern side.
Numb noses or not, buildings are rushing to aromatize. ScentAir, the company behind the fragrances for 21 West End and Westins White Tea, says multifamily properties have been the largest growing segment of its business for the last three years.

The North Carolina-based company now provides fragrances for 67 residential buildings in the New York area. While some properties, like 21 West End, choose fragrances from an existing catalog, others want something original. Find the perfect scent and a resident  or, more important, a prospective one  could walk through the door, inhale and feel at home.

Dawn Goldworm is the scent director for 12.29, the New York fragrance design company she founded with her twin sister, Samantha. Dawn Goldworm says smell is often an overlooked element of the luxury experience, which is surprising considering our sense of smell is so interwoven with our moods and feelings. If you walk into a building that has the most beautiful architecture and the most incredible design youve ever seen, and it smells like the pollution and the trash outside in New York City, youre not having a luxury experience, she said.

Last year, the Goldworm sisters, who have designed fragrances for Lady Gaga and Valentino, created Craft, a signature fragrance for the real estate developer DDG. Now, the lobbies of all DDG properties, including the condos XOCO 325 on West Broadway and 41 Bond, share a sultry aroma. What exactly does Craft smell like? Ask an olfactory expert, its like talking to a sommelier about a fine wine: The scent is very much plain, with the warmth of wood milk, Dawn Goldworm said. But also a slightly creamy ambery, textural feeling with all these natural wood notes.

All this sniffing makes me wonder: What if you dont like what you inhale? Smell evokes emotions and memories, including those wed rather forget. If the lobby mural is not to your liking, you can avert your gaze and move along. Not so with a distinct perfume. Like it or not, it will greet you like an eager puppy whenever you walk through the door.
Collins and Washington Avenues serve as the main traffic arteries on the east side of South Beach, but Ocean Drive, which is closest to the beach, is where most of the action is. Dont try to drive (or call a taxi or rideshare) on Ocean on weekend nights, by the way  traffic is bumper to bumper.

I headed to the Palace Bar, on the corner of Ocean and 12th Street, a popular club and restaurant known for its weekend sidewalk drag queen shows. When I arrived, a mixed crowd of men and women were eating and drinking while two topless young men gyrated for tips. The activity inside the Palace spills out onto the sidewalk, where there are covered tables that provide some shelter from Miamis frequent flash rainstorms.

Thats how I ended up at the Palace in the first place  I was seeking refuge when it suddenly started to pour (not the first or last time this would happen during my trip, though this was before Hurricane Matthew battered Florida). Theres an interesting mixed reaction to the rain in South Beach: Some people run for cover; many others, who are wearing very little clothing to begin with, seem completely unbothered. I was one of the former and stumbled upon the Palace right when it happened to be starting one of its famous drag shows. A beautiful, statuesque drag queen in full hair and makeup stood on the sidewalk, eyes closed, in deep concentration.

Palace security cleared the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, making the pavement into a long runway. The music began, and the drag queen started to dance and strut up and down the length of the sidewalk, lip-syncing a Beyonce song while onlookers waved dollar bills. At the end, the sidewalk audience burst into applause and the drag queen, who was also the M.C. for the rest of the evening, took the microphone. Thank you so much, she said breathlessly. Please stick around for more homosexuality after the break.
What are they, and who uses them?

The so-called 403(b) plans are tax-deferred workplace retirement investment accounts, which are similar in many ways to their more widely used counterparts, 401(k) plans.

They are typically offered to employees of public school systems, religious organizations, private schools and universities, as well as nonprofit organizations, including charities and hospitals.

Corporations that want to offer retirement plans must generally offer 401(k)s. The rules are different for public schools, which generally must offer 403(b)s, consultants say. Nonprofits and religious groups have some flexibility, but offering 403(b)s often can be simpler for them as employers.

Why do they exist?

These accounts predate 401(k) plans. When Congress introduced 403(b) plans in 1958, they were viewed as supplemental pensions for teachers, and the only permissible investments were annuities, according to tax experts and consultants. The plans themselves, named for a section of the tax code, were called tax-sheltered annuity arrangements. Mutual funds werent available until 1974.
PARIS  Last year, France was the worlds fourth largest market for art and antiques. The country generated a stable 6 percent of the $63.8 billion of global sales made in 2015 by auction houses and dealers, according to the Tefaf Art Market Report , published in March.

This year that market, with Paris as its hub, has been a lot less stable. A succession of terrorist outrages stretching back to November has deterred overseas visitors, resulting in noticeable shortages of American and Asian clients at events such as the PAD Paris fair in April and last months Biennale des Antiquaires. But 11 months after the Bataclan attacks, would international demand return to Paris for the Foire Internationale dArt Contemporain (FIAC), the centerpiece of the biggest week in Frances contemporary art market calendar?

The 43rd edition of this grande dame of contemporary fairs, which previewed on Wednesday, saw the number of exhibitors in the Grand Palais increase to 186 from 173. For the first time, FIAC, owned by Reed Exhibitions, spilled across a pedestrianized Avenue Winston Churchill into the Petit Palais, where large sculptures from fair exhibitors mixed with the museums permanent collection.

But while these initiatives seemed to broaden the scope of the event, this years fair also dispensed with FIAC Off(icielle), its two year-old satellite fair of 50 emerging galleries. Slick Art Fair, co-founded by Johan Tamer-Morael and Aude de Bourbon Parme, whose 10th edition last year featured 31 galleries, was also canceled here.
He was speaking at a conference on VSED, billed as the nations first, at Seattle University School of Law this month. It drew about 220 participants  physicians and nurses, lawyers, bioethicists, academics of various stripes, theologians, hospice staff. (Disclosure: I was also a speaker, and received an honorarium and some travel costs.)

What the gathering made clear was that much about VSED remains unclear.

Is it legal?

For a mentally competent patient, able to grasp and communicate decisions, probably so, said Thaddeus Pope, director of the Health Law Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minn. His research has found no laws expressly prohibiting competent people from VSED, and the right to refuse medical and health care intervention is well established.

Still, he pointed out, absence of prohibition is not the same as permission. Health care professionals can be reluctant to become involved, because they want a green light, and there isnt one of those for VSED, he added.

The question grows much murkier for patients with dementia or mental illness who have specified VSED under certain circumstances through advance directives. Several states, including Wisconsin and New York, forbid health care surrogates to stop food and fluids. (Oregon legislators, on the other hand, are considering drafting a bill to allow surrogates to withhold nutrition.)

The question intrigues bioethicists. Can your current competent self cut off nutrition and hydration for your future demented self? In a handful of court decisions, judges have declined to enforce such directives.

Can VSED be comfortable and provide a peaceful death?

The start of it is generally quite comfortable, Dr. Quill said he had found, having cared for such patients. The not-eating part comes fairly easily, health professionals say; the seriously ill often lose their appetites anyway.

Coping with thirst can be much more difficult. Yet even sips of water prolong the dying process.

You want a medical partner to manage your symptoms, Dr. Quill said. Its harder than you think.
Suppose there was a deli in Lower Manhattan that specialized in halal food, mostly the Pakistani kind. And lets say this place also sold absolutely delicious, well-seasoned samosas for a pittance. And the place was really close to your house, a constant temptation but a kind of comfort, too.

Would you want the whole world to know about it, and lines out the door and all that? Neither would I. Thank you for understanding.

Really, the best samosas are made at home, though, and that information Ill gladly share. I have been practicing.
Chinese official proposes free trade area for SCO members Updated: 2016-10-21 10:44 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - A free trade area should be set up to facilitate regional economic cooperation between members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a senior Chinese official said Thursday.

Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming made the proposal at an SCO economic forum.

He also called for the establishment of an SCO development bank, which would provide funding for regional projects together with other multilateral funds and development banks, to be expedited.

Most SCO members are also members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and should actively implement the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement to cut trade costs by 10-15 percent and remove restrictions in service trade, Qian told the forum.

He called for better coordination and more policy transparency in cross-border investment, noting that protectionism must be avoided.

Investment in infrastructure, industrial cooperation, agriculture and high-tech areas should be expanded between SCO members, Qian said.

The SCO, an inter-governmental organization founded in Shanghai in 2001, groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, covering over 30 million square km and accounting for a quarter of the world's population.

It has Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey as dialogue partners.
Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump are in the final sprint of spending on television advertising, which has been vastly lower than in previous elections.

Mrs. Clintons advertising strategy has been consistent over the course of the general election, focusing primarily on Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. As she extends her lead in the polls, she may be looking to expand the electoral map by booking television advertising in Arizona and Texas.

Mr. Trump is also making an offensive play in the final weeks. He has $2 million of advertising booked in Virginia, a state he briefly focused on at the start of September. Mrs. Clinton has not run ads in Virginia for months, and she is ahead in the polls there by nine points.

This election year has been an interesting anomaly. Outside groups have spent far less on the presidential election this year than they did in 2012. Travis Ridout, a professor of government at Washington State University and co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, noted that swing states were blanketed in ads four years ago. The groups that were investing the millions upon millions in ads in highly saturated media markets just weren't happy with the returns they were getting, he said.

Steve Passwaiter, general manager of the Campaign Media Analysis Group at Kantar Media, attributed some of the decline to Mrs. Clintons and Mr. Trumps high name recognition and decades in public life. Advertising, he said, would be much more important for candidates trying to sell themselves to voters for the first time.
Tel Iskuf Mosul Baghdad IRAQ Fires Narawan Batnaya Borima Northern Kurdish forces Fazeliya Tel Kayf Nejmuk Fires Tel Yabis Baybokh Bashiqa Extent of ISIS Control on Oct. 21 SMOKE PLUME Fires Bazwaia Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers Bartella Mosul Tahrawa Mixed Iraqi forces to the south Southern Kurdish forces Hamdaniya Fires 2 miles Tel Iskuf Mosul Baghdad IRAQ Fires Narawan Batnaya Borima Northern Kurdish forces Fazeliya Tel Kayf Nejmuk Tel Yabis Baybokh Bashiqa Extent of ISIS Control on Oct. 21 SMOKE PLUME Fires Bazwaia Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers Bartella Mosul Tahrawa Fires Mixed Iraqi forces to the south Hamdaniya Southern Kurdish forces 2 miles Tel Iskuf Mosul Baghdad Batnaya Narawan IRAQ Northern Kurdish forces Fazeliya Tel Kayf Nejmuk Fires Tel Yabis Bashiqa Extent of ISIS Control on Oct. 21 SMOKE PLUME Fires Bazwaia Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers Mosul Bartella Tahrawa Fires Mixed Iraqi forces to the south Hamdaniya Southern Kurdish forces 2 miles Batnaya Narawan Mosul Northern Kurdish forces Baghdad Fazeliya IRAQ Nejmuk Tel Yabis Bashiqa Extent of ISIS Control on Oct. 21 SMOKE PLUME Fires Iraqi forces and American advisers Mosul Bartella Tahrawa Southern Kurdish forces Mixed Iraqi forces to the south Hamdaniya 2 miles Tel Iskuf Mosul Baghdad IRAQ FIRES Narawan Batnaya Borima Northern Kurdish forces Fazeliya Tel Kayf Nejmuk FIRES Tel Yabis Baybokh Bashiqa Extent of ISIS Control on Oct. 21 SMOKE PLUME FIRES Bazwaia Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers Bartella Mosul Tahrawa Mixed Iraqi forces to the south FIRES Southern Kurdish forces Hamdaniya 2 miles Mosul Batnaya Narawan Baghdad IRAQ Fazeliya Northern Kurdish forces Tel Yabis Bashiqa Extent of ISIS Control on Oct. 21 Fires Iraqi forces and American advisers Mosul Bartella Southern Kurdish forces Mixed Iraqi forces to the south Hamdaniya 4 miles Source: Landsat. Satellite imagery analysis by The New York Times

The smoke plumes in this image are from bombings, American airstrikes and smoke screens created by Islamic State militants, who have tried to conceal their movements from coalition aircraft.

The main push toward Mosul is coming from the east, where Iraqi and Kurdish troops captured several villages in the first days of the campaign.

Iraqi counterterrorism forces, supported by American advisers, came under heavy attack from suicide car bombs and improvised mines as they advanced through the village of Bartella. An American service member was killed by a roadside bomb near there.

2 Bartella Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers 2 Bartella Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers 2 Bartella Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers Bartella Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers 2 2 Bartella Iraqi counterterrorism forces and American advisers

Kurdish fighters were securing villages on two different fronts. On the first day of the assault, a pesh merga force set out to clear a string of 10 villages east of Mosul.

On Thursday, a larger force north of Mosul started pushing toward the city in three main groups, starting from the villages of Tel Iskuf, Narawan and Bashiqa. Artillery barrages and coalition airstrikes were called in to soften the Islamic States defenses, but roadside bombs were dense along main routes.

Telskuf SMOKE PLUME Batnaya Nejmuk Tel Yabis

The battle for Mosul, which is defended by as many as 4,500 Islamic State fighters, could take weeks or months. Iraqi and Kurdish forces are pushing now to surround Mosul and cut off escape routes before they enter the city.

According to a historian inside Mosul, the Islamic State has bombed the provincial government building, increased its presence in the streets and placed car bombs and booby traps across the city.
Parents praise capability of Kiwi teachers

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Louise Green says teachers will welcome a new report finding that nine out of ten Kiwi parents believe their childs teacher is very capable.The ASG Parents Report Card released today also found that 87 per cent of parents think that their childs teacher is highly educated.This supports the findings of an OECD study earlier this year, which showed that New Zealand teachers are among the most professional in the world. Unlike many countries, that quality is consistent across schools, regardless of decile, said Ms Green.In the ASG study, 11% of parents rated their childs teacher as capable or below, with some raising concerns about teachers being bogged down in the curriculum or a lack of training to deal with different educational needs.The report suggested that the concerns of parents could also highlight a gap in their understanding of what teachers do in the classroom, and proposed that involving parents more in their childrens day-to-day learning could change such parental perceptions.
Furnishing fine design via the internet Updated: 2016-10-21 07:10 By Chen Yingqun(China Daily Europe)

Although based in Amsterdam, Fabian Nijlant thinks about China all the time.

Every day, his main concern is about the tastes of the millions of Chinese consumers on the other side of the internet.

Nijlant is the director of China of Flinders, a major online retailer of premium furniture, lighting and home accessories in the Netherlands.

The company sells 15 brands and almost 200 products to Chinese consumers through the Tmall Global platform. It aims to increase its range to 25 brands and 500 products by the end of the year.

"We're growing rapidly. Next year we expect to grow 400 percent," he says.

It now sells a wide variety of products from different European designers and brands to Chinese consumers.

"While it is quite hard to determine the taste of the Chinese consumer, we aim to continuously expand our assortment with more products. Design relates to your personal taste, so by expanding our assortment we try to give the Chinese consumer a broad choice," Nijlant says.

The latest annual global cross-border survey by online payments service provider PayPal and French market research firm Ipsos found that 35 percent of Chinese online shoppers looked overseas for goods in 2015, compared with 26 percent in 2014.

Safety, convenience and authenticity are the top drivers for Chinese consumers who do cross-border shopping.

Flinders launched its Tmall Global store at flinders.tmall.hk in April 2015. Nijlant says it gives Chinese consumers the ability to buy beautiful, distinctive and genuine design products from great European brands.

"We saw that only a limited number of European brands were available in China and even fewer design brands were sold online. We have all these brands in stock in our Dutch warehouse and we guarantee the authenticity of the products. This made us think that opening a store on Tmall Global would be a good idea," he says.

With an e-commerce background and having managed several e-commerce businesses active in Europe and the US, Nijlant said he only discovered e-commerce in China four years ago.

"And now I can say that e-commerce in China is truly the most advanced in the world - which makes it interesting to be active in, but at the same time very challenging because it's very different compared with Europe," he says.

Moreover, he says the Tmall Global platform from Alibaba allows foreign merchants to open a store, arranging international money transfers and offering an attractive logistic solution from Europe.

"Altogether this lowers the threshold for entering the Chinese market," he says, adding that Flinders also sells to other countries much closer to the Netherlands, like Belgium and Germany.

Nijlant says Chinese consumers value design products and are increasingly willing to pay a premium price. But they prefer to get in touch with the merchants before buying, sometimes because they have questions about the products or sometimes just because they want to be sure that everything is "real".

"What I'm personally happy with is that we also succeed at selling products that are less known by their brand but stand out purely from their design," he says.

"I see the cross-border e-commerce market as an attractive way for merchants to enter the Chinese market, and for Chinese consumers as an easy and convenient way to purchase products from abroad," he says.

He says the future for cross-border e-commerce is bright. However, the future will also depend on how regulations evolve. For example, when taxes for cross-border e-commerce go up, the consequence will be that product prices will go up as well.

Once prices get seriously higher compared with the price of a similar product at home, the Chinese consumer won't buy anymore via the regular cross-border marketplaces and will find other ways to get it, he says.

chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page7)
A severe drought spreading rapidly across Alabama is forcing conservation measures and worrying farmers, and forecasters said Thursday there wasn't much relief in sight.

The latest federal assessment said an extreme drought covers the northern two-thirds of Alabama, and the northeastern counties are driest. Forecasters said no drought-busting storms were predicted through next week.

David Dorton, director of public affairs for the city of Auburn. said the Water Works Board of the City of Auburn is enacting a Phase 1 Drought Watch effective Monday. Lee County has been listed in the "warning" drought declaration level.

Dorton said the board has an ample supply of water for public health and emergency purposes but is asking customers to participate in voluntary conservation measures such as using watering yards at efficient times (after 8 p.m. and before 8 a.m.) as well as taking shorter showers and not letting the water run while brushing teeth or washing dishes by hand.

With lake levels falling and some streams slowing to a trickle, Birmingham's water system will soon start charging extra for excessive water use, and cattle ranchers are watching pastures dry up in north Alabama.

The Alabama Forestry Commission, which has banned outdoor fires, said more than 900 wildfires have burned more than 11,000 acres statewide in the last month. Gov. Robert Bentley last week declared a drought emergency for 46 of the state's 67 counties.

The U.S. Drought Monitor, compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center, said all 4.7 million of the state's residents are affected by the dry weather.

In north Alabama, Colbert County cattle farmer Steve James said the grass he normally feeds his herd is parched.

"It looks like February in my pastures," James told the TimesDaily of Florence. "The grass is just gone. I had hay in good shape, I thought, but I had to start feeding early."

The state's rainfall situation is far worse than one year ago, when only about a quarter of Alabama was experiencing a drought. Federal statistics show about 98 percent of Alabama is now in a drought.

The Birmingham Water Works said it will implement stage three of its drought management plan, which includes a surcharge of 200 percent for residential and other customers for excessive water use. Al.com reported the utility's drought plan calls for surcharges to go into effect on Nov. 19.

Scattered showers popped up across north Alabama on Thursday and the National Weather Service predicted chances of strong storms followed by cooler weather. But the chances of rain are decreasing into the weekend and next week. The Forestry Commission said fire conditions could actually worsen after the showers because of reduced humidity.

Only .03 of an inch of rainfall has been recorded in October in northwest Alabama, according to the National Weather Service office in Huntsville, and September's rainfall total only reached half an inch. Much of central Alabama hasn't had substantial rain since August.
Writing's on wall as old-style archaeology goes digital Updated: 2016-10-21 07:10 By Yang Yang(China Daily Europe)

In 1900, a Taoist priest named Wang Yuanlu discovered a cave in Dunhuang, Gansu province, packed with tens of thousands of volumes of Buddhist sutra.

Six years later the Hungarian-British archaeologist Marc Aurel Stein arrived in Dunhuang, followed soon after by the French archaeologist Paul Pelliot. Both paid a pittance for priceless treasures from the cave, and both took photos of it and its surroundings.

When you compare those photos with ones taken recently, the extent of the irretrievable loss that Dunhuang and the world have suffered over the past century or so becomes clear. Colors on many of the murals and statues have faded, and blurry areas have become more expansive as a result of oxidation and damage inflicted by people.

A lot of the damage happened in the 1950s and 1960s when artists tried to make facsimiles of murals and when archaeologists tried to survey and map the caves.

Clockwise from left: 3-D printed Buddhist sculptures; Cameramen use scaffolding to capture the images on a smoked roof; A digital and immersive experience of the cave. Photos Provided to China Daily From top: 3-D point cloud technology helps photographers to have a better rendering of the murals; Dunhuang Academy now uses high-resolution cameras to capture the images of the murals.

In recent years, the growing number of tourists has increased the amount of carbon dioxide and humidity in the atmosphere and the exposure of relics to light and other elements has sped up their deterioration.

In an effort to minimize the the damage, since July visitors have had to apply online to visit the caves. The number is limited to 6,000 a day.

Before beginning their tour proper, visitors go to the Mogao Grottoes Visitor Center to watch two 20-minute films, including one about the seven most valuable caves in terms of artistic achievement.

Since the end of last month it has been possible for people around the world to see online 3-D views of the caves, and virtual reality devices can be used to view the images.

"Over the past three decades, especially in recent years, we have been developing digital technology that can be used not only to preserve images of the relics, but also to help archaeologists record detailed information about the caves and help artists make facsimiles of the murals," says Wu Jian, director of the digital center of Dunhuang Academy, a research institute devoted to studying and preserving the Mogao Grottoes.

Cai Weitang, 59, an archaeologist, joined the academy in 1978. He is among the first to have applied digital technology in his work.

Earlier, all field surveys and mapping were done by hand, Cai says.

"We had to erect scaffolding so we could measure the higher parts of the caves."

A typical old-fashioned tool kit for an archaeologist in Dunhuang included a compass, a tape, a set square, a steel tape, a plummet and a home-made square grid.

The grid, usually one or two meters long, consisted of a handful of lines, fixed horizontally and vertically to form squares of about 1 square centimeter.

When surveying and mapping a mural, Cai put the grid in front of it without touching it. For example, if he planned to copy the lines of an eye on the picture, he would find three points on the grid, jot them down and connect them with lines. In this way, he could slowly build a collection of the outlines of the murals and colored statues.

As well as keeping accurate records of the murals and statues, archaeologists need to do the same for the caves, including taking high-definition photos, so that if one day they are destroyed for any reason, records will yield enough information to allow the grottoes to be fully and accurately replicated.

In the past, after the lines were drawn on gridded paper, they needed to be copied onto imitation parchment.

"It's an extremely complex job, and very time-consuming," Cai says, adding that there were too many inaccuracies through measuring with rudimentary tools.

"People draw differently. Some are good, some bad. They have very different styles."

Dunhuang Academy was founded in 1944 by Chang Shuhong. At the very beginning, the intention was to keep comprehensive archaeological records, but until the 1990s the project was behind schedule.

It planned to publish 100 volumes of records for the UNESCO World Heritage site, covering everything in the Mogao Grottoes, the nearby Yulin Grottoes and Western Thousand-Buddha Cave.

The first of the 100 volumes, published in 2011, included caves numbered from 266 to 275.

Generally, using the old method, it would take two to three people five to six years to survey a cave.

"We will now be able to finish all the surveying and mapping in four years thanks to 3-D point-cloud scanning technology," Cai says.

This technology enables users to collect detailed information about the subject based on points chosen during scanning, so that the detail of a curved surface or complicated structure and lines can be accurately captured.

It takes the scanner one to two hours to finish scanning a whole cave.

After scanning, the processed digital information generates a drawing of the cave's structure and the outline of the statues. But the shapes of eyes and noses on murals do not reproduce clearly, so archaeologists need to make revisions using high-definition photos.

"It's our first try," Cai says. "The new method cuts the work time by one third, and it's much more accurate."

Recently a reproduction of Cave 320 of the Mogao Grottoes was on display at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The exhibition, opened in May and ran until September.

Ma Qiang, 53, director of the academy's fine art institute, is one of the artists who took part in the project. He spent four years creating facsimiles of the 6-sq m mural on the eastern wall of Cave 320.

Since 1981 when the 17-year-old Ma first arrived at Dunhuang Academy after failing the national college entrance examination, he has finished facsimiles of more than 30 murals in the Mogao Grottoes.

In the 1950s, the State Bureau of Cultural Relics received an old-fashioned slide projector from Poland as a gift, Ma says. Zheng Zhenduo, then head of the bureau, gave the projector to the Dunhuang Academy.

Ma recalls that the projector was still being used in the 1980s. If artists at that time wanted to create a facsimile of a mural they would first go to the cave to use rulers to measure its dimensions and record the information in notebooks.

Photographers, from the photographic section, that later became the digital center, would then take 10 black-and-white pictures of the whole mural.

"I would get the slides of 10 photos and then I took the projector and the slides to bigger caves, like No 61 or 98," Ma says.

After setting up a board and spreading two layers of Chinese art paper on it, Ma turned on the projector and put the images in. These were then projected onto paper. The size of the image could be adjusted according to the size appropriate for the cave.

With the mural's image projected on paper, Ma was able to trace the lines - even broken or unclear ones - and draw them.

However, after the projector had been on for 30 to 40 minutes the slides would get too hot and start to distort. So he then had to take a break to wait for the machine to cool down and for the slides return to their original state.

Ma would later go back and see what lines had been completely missed or incorrectly shown.

Usually, it would take an artist a year to do the first draft and revise it, and another year to color it.

"The most important thing is to understand the spirit of those murals and how their unique style developed in different historical periods," Ma says.

Sometimes the same Buddhist stories are presented in different styles.

Ma cites as an example the classic story about a prince who sacrifices himself to feed tigers.

Cave 428 and Cave 254 have murals that present the story, but the one in Cave 254, completed during the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-557), is in the Han ethnic style, looking more unrestrained and free, compared with that in 428, drawn during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), which is more ornamental.

Because of the complicated procedure, copying a 6-sq m mural would take two or three people two years to complete.

"Now it's easier for me to do a copy," Ma says. "But I have a lot of other work to do and it took me four years, from early 2012, to finish the facsimile of the mural on the east wall of Cave 320. I had to do the management work, write papers and do my own artistic work - last year he completed 500 ink and wash paintings.

"This time we used 3-D point-cloud technology to collect digital information for the whole cave. Based on that, we can build a wooden model of it and draw the outline of the murals."

Based on the outlines produced by the technology and the high-definition photos provided by the digital center, artists fill in colors made from stones such as turquoise, malachite and cinnabarit, and add finer lines that have been missed by the scanner.

"We still need to go to the caves to see the original murals and study their history and artistic styles so we can understand the spirit of the works in those years," Ma says.

The high-definition photos sometimes can be misleading to inexperienced artists.

"They focus too much on the broken or missing parts, and overlook the whole," Ma says.

Wu says the focus of future work at the digital center will be on studying how to present the digital information to audiences.

Ma believes artists' work based on 3-D printed copies of the murals will become the norm.

In June, the Dunhuang Academy presented 3-D printed Buddhist sculptures and their holographic images at the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) Scientific Innovation Exhibition in Beijing, attracting a great deal of attention.

"If the new technology can do the job, we will let it. We artists do what it cannot, such as adding to the thickness and granular sensation of the copies."

yangyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page1)
Trade without frontiers Updated: 2016-10-21 07:10 By Chen Yingqun(China Daily Europe)

How e-commerce breaks down barriers to worldwide shopping

Mother-to-be Zhang Yuan has been busily buying things for the baby and herself - but almost all of them are being mailed from overseas. They include feeding bottles from Japan, milk powder from New Zealand, body lotion from the United States and clothes from the United Kingdom.

"I want safety and good quality for myself and the baby. Some products from overseas are quite good and easy to get now. I just bought them from various e-commerce platforms and in a few days, or a few weeks, they will arrive in Beijing," she says.

Zhang, 30, is one of the many Chinese consumers who are passionate about overseas brands and products. The latest annual global cross-border survey by online payments service PayPal and French market research firm Ipsos found that 35 percent of Chinese online shoppers looked overseas for goods last year, compared with 26 percent in 2014.

Exhibition areas for cross border e-commerce platforms are set up at the Zhengzhou National Community Fair in October. China's cross-border e-commerce has been growing over the past few years. Sha Lang / For China Daily Employees arrange parcels in cross border e-commerce in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. Gong Xianming / For China Daily

Safety, convenience and authenticity are the top drivers for Chinese consumers who do cross-border shopping, says Patrick Foo, vice-president and general manager of PayPal's cross-border business for the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

Chen Tao, a senior e-commerce researcher at Analysys, a Beijing internet consultancy, says that China's cross-border e-commerce is still at an early development stage.

"It has not reached the rapid-growth stage yet, but there will definitely be bigger potential in the future," he says.

Chen says that in the past Chinese consumers mostly bought maternity, child and beauty products through cross-border online shopping, but now they buy a wide variety of items, such as health products, electronic goods and clothes.

"Chinese consumers' demands have been upgraded. They now have higher requirements for quality, safety and variety, but at present domestic products still can't fully meet their requirements. That is why more people are turning to cross-border shopping," he says.

China's cross-border e-commerce has been growing over the past few years. Statistics from the China E-Commerce Research Center show that, in 2015, China's cross-border e-commerce transactions totaled 5.4 trillion yuan ($800 billion, 730 billion euros, 660 billion pounds), a year-on-year increase of 28.6 percent. In the first half of 2016, transactions totaled about 2.6 trillion yuan, representing year-on-year growth of about 30 percent.

Amazon China said recently that since it launched its cross-border e-commerce strategy, Chinese consumers placed more than 10 million orders, sent directly from Amazon's overseas sites. In the first half of this year, purchases by Chinese customers from Amazon's overseas sites were four times the figure for the previous year.

A large number of Chinese e-commerce companies, such as Alibaba, JD.com and NetEase Koala, have developed their cross-border e-commerce businesses to help connect global sellers with Chinese consumers.

Rafael Jimenez, a business development expert at the EU SME Center, says that worldwide interest in China's e-commerce market has grown significantly in the past few years. Take search volume on Google as a simple example. There was a spike in the number of times that the term "China e-commerce" was searched for in April this year, quite possibly following the government's recent tax policy changes applied to cross-border e-commerce transactions, and then again the introduction of the "positive list", he says.

Various countries have established partnerships with Chinese e-commerce platforms to reach the country's consumers. Canada launched its pavilion in Alibaba's Tmall Global platform ahead of the G20 leaders' summit in Hangzhou, providing Chinese consumers with access to Canadian brands, including yoga apparel-maker Lululemon and Clearwater Seafoods.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attributes the huge potential of online shopping to the rapid growth of the Chinese middle class.

"That means a bigger market for quality Canadian food, like beef and pork, but also for lobster and cherries," he said during his official visit to China in September.

Russia also launched its pavilion in Alibaba's Tmall Global platform in September, featuring Russian commodities such as food, toys, tourism and many others. Alibaba now has 16 countries' pavilions on its platform.

Research by consultancy Accenture and Alibaba shows that the value of cross-border business-to-customer e-commerce is set to grow from $230 billion in 2014 to $994 billion in 2020, accounting for almost 30 percent of all B2C e-commerce.

The Ministry of Commerce has forecast that the volume of cross-border e-commerce in 2016 will reach 6.5 trillion yuan and will soon account for 20 percent of China's foreign trade.

Gianfranco Casati, group chief executive for emerging markets at Accenture, says that in January the State Council approved the establishment of 12 more zones in China, including Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing. These are designated exclusively for the development of the cross-border e-commerce industry and have preferential tax policies and streamlined customs clearance procedures.

Chen says that to better regulate cross-border e-commerce, the Chinese government has also unveiled several policies this year, such as the positive list of cross-border e-commerce products in April, regulations on milk powder and certain cosmetics later.

"These regulations are necessary for a healthy market and fair competition," he says.

Cross-border e-commerce has also been recognized as having huge potential to boost global economic activity, especially the development of small and medium-sized companies.

Jack Ma, executive chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, has called for the establishment of an electronic world trade platform (eWTP). The aim is to reduce barriers to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their trading capabilities worldwide.

Ma views the eWTP as an international cooperation mechanism, led by the private sector and driven by businesses with support from governments. Through public-private dialogue, and by discussing, exploring the best practices to promote cross-border e-trade and building up related regulations and standards, it can create a fertile soil for the development of the internet economy and e-commerce worldwide.

The platform "is going to be fundamental for the world economy for the next 20 or 30 years, and for this century", Ma said before the 2016 B20 Summit in Hangzhou in September. Recognized by many industry observers as an effective way to boost the development of small and medium- enterprises, the eWTP initiative appears in the final B20 Policy Report.

Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, says he endorsed the proposal to establish an eWTP.

"The solution for today's economic slowdown is to increase inclusion in global trade and improve the involvement of SMEs," he says. "The eWTP will provide SMEs with a transparent and open platform to sell their goods and services globally, thus facilitating their inclusion in cross-border e-trade."

But he also says the final goal should be e-commerce without borders that gives consumers freedom to shop online without limitations.

Chen adds that the eWTP would be a supplement to the current global trade system and regulation, which could reduce protectionism. For SMEs globally, it could help reduce costs and help them compete in a fairer environment with big companies.

"The eWTP has been initiated by Chinese companies and will build a trade framework that Chinese companies are familiar with, so it will also provide opportunities to speed up globalization," he says.

But Jimenez says that although the eWTP looks very beneficial in principle for international trade, especially for SMEs, and some of the overhead of international trade could be substantially reduced, he predicts it will not be easy to implement. The Chinese e-commerce ecosystem is in some ways unique and probably not as easy and quick to integrate as some of the proponents of the eWTP believe, he says.

chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn

The opening ceremony of an international container port for cross-border e-commerce in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Jack Ma, executive chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, has called for the establishment of an electronic world trade platform to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their trading capabilities worldwide. Provided to China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page1)
Every ounce of my body felt like it was being squeezed, the surrounding air pinning me to my seat as gravity was tested.

My abs felt like they were in my throat. My ears popped. My face was doing weird  and Im sure unflattering  movements I couldnt control.

Dont throw up. Please dont throw up.

A GoPro was mounted in the seat of the L-39C Albatros, the plane used by the Breitling Jet Team, with the camera locked on me as the plane flipped and spun and otherwise performed acrobatics over a mountain range just outside Los Angeles.

I did not want footage of my projectile vomit turning upside down and slapping me in the face to reach the Internet.

With the Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow on the horizon (rehearsal is today, the shows are Saturday and Sunday) organizers let a few media people into the cockpits of jet planes that will soar and twirl and generally freak people out this weekend in the skies over Surf City. Why? To get a taste of what its like to ride in one of these sleek aircraft and share it with readers.

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The event will bring together the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and the Breitling Jet Team as well as a handful of historical planes, some dating to World War II.

The idea was spawned about two years ago, when producer Mike McCabe was looking for a venue for a new air show. One of his staffers asked him if hed ever heard of Huntington Beach. Being from New York, he hadnt.

After looking at maps and graphs, we thought, Theres potential here, he said.

There are a number of reasons why. Huntington has a long stretch of spacious beach where spectators can set up chairs, plus perpetually great weather.

The big question for us is, How many folks are going to come out to see the air show this weekend? We live in an area that has a real high interest in aviation, he said. Were expecting to see a lot of people out here.

There are, according to McCabe, about 300 air shows around the country each year. Only about five are as big as the one that starts today. And if all goes well this year, he said, theres potential that the Huntington Beach show could grow to be the biggest and best air show in the United States.

No small goal for us, he joked.

Our group met up at Long Beach Airport, and it was during our safety briefing that my stomach first started to turn.

A safety video explained how the L-39 was created to train fighter pilots. It has a top flight speed of 465 mph and in a dive can reach 565 mph.

There were the serious parts  like how to eject by pulling red handles wedged between the thighs, and the part where we had to sign our life away, with promises that we or our loved ones will not hold Breitling responsible if harmed or killed.

Gulp.

Rest assured, everything will be fine, the calm voice on the video said.

Pilot Jacques Bothelin gave a quick briefing on what we were going to do up in the air.

The seven jets would line up in a formation  what the Breitling team is known for  and sometimes would be less than 10 feet apart.

Because our local air space is complex, (LAX, John Wayne and Long Beach airports all share space) our test flight was near Burbank, over a mountain range east of Los Angeles.

The first maneuver would be a loop, he explained. During the loop, we would experience 4 Gs, the slang for G-force, which is a measurement of the type of acceleration that causes weight. Or something like that.

Four Gs is about four times a persons weight, he said.

What does it mean? Youre going to feel pressure, which is normal, he explained.

Contract your abs. Your blood is going to the lower part of your body. Contracting your abs helps to keep the blood in the upper part of the body. What happens? You have no blood in your brain. You can black out.

Double gulp.

I was partnered with pilot Georges-Eric Castaing, a Frenchman with a thick accent who had my life in his hands.

Hes a 45-year-old former fighter pilot who has been on the Breitling team for three years. His favorite part of the job is traveling the world, with shows taking him to Asia and Europe and now, Huntington Beach. This weekend will be their last show in the United States before the planes are taken to Florida, dismantled and sent back to Europe.

So am I going to throw up? I ask him before we get into the plane.

Oh, no, youll be fine, he reassures me.

So has anyone thrown up on your flight before?

Of course, its a jet plane, he said.

Wait, what?

Our takeoff was mild. We soared over the ocean with Catalina in the distance, hovered above Orange County homes and crossed into Los Angeles County, getting a birds-eye view of downtown skyscrapers.

Our planes then settled into what Castaing called the Avengers formation: three jets in front, two on the sides, and mine in the back with another jet. It was similar to how flocks of birds soar, tilting and turning as a single unit.

After a while, I even loosened my death grip on the straps that crossed over my shoulders and relaxed as I soaked in the scenery.

Until we flipped.

That takes me back to where I started the story, mentally telling myself, forcing myself, to not throw up as we flipped upside down. The gravitational force pinned my body down and crushed my insides.

OMG we are upside down! OMG we are still up side dooooooowwwwwn.

Think of the craziest, wildest roller coaster youve ever been on. Now, multiply that feeling by about 1,000.

After our first loop, we went for a barrel roll. It was less intense. I was even able to force my face to smile during the spin, even though it gave that same holy-moly feeling.

If this ride gives just a small taste of what spectators are going to see over Surf City, its going to be quite the show.

My heart was still racing as we made our way back to the airport. Thankfully, alive and vomit-free.

IF YOU GO:

WHERE: The show center will be at Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway, between Huntington City Beach and Huntington State Beach, but it could be visible along the coastline from Brookhurst Street to the Huntington Beach Pier.

COST: Viewing is free, but a VIP admission area will be available at show center, where there will be access to upgraded seating options for premium viewing, upgraded food vendor options, and more. Tickets and more information can be found can be found at hbairshow.com

WHEN: Airshow hours are noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Rehearsal will be on Friday.

PARKING: Arrive early. Beach parking is $25 on Fri. and $30 on Sat. and Sun. Garage parking in town will be normal rates.

SHUTTLE: A shuttle from Goldenwest and Ellis Avenue is available for $40 per car; get researvations (required) at events.goground.com/airshow.

EARS: Itll be loud. Wear ear protection

Contact the writer: lconnelly@scng.com
Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. About the same time, she began covering the 42-miles of Orange County coastline, focusing on lifestyle, environment, surf culture and anything having to do with the beach. Her coastal coverage now extends up the California coast into Long Beach and the South Bay.
WASHINGTON  A U.S. Navy warship on Friday passed through waters claimed by China near disputed islands in the South China Sea, the Defense Department said, drawing Chinese condemnation.

A department spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, said the destroyer ship USS Decatur conducted the transit operation near the Paracel Islands. He said it was done in a routine, lawful manner without ship escorts and without incident.

A Chinese defense ministry statement called it a gravely illegal act and intentionally provocative. The Chinese navy sent a guided missile destroyer and an escort vessel that spotted and verified the American ships and warned them to leave, the statement said.

Ross said there was just one U.S. vessel involved.

The Paracels, a group of islands and reefs, are occupied by China but are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Ross said the ship passed within an excessive claim of territorial waters by China between two land features, although it did not go within 12 nautical miles of them.

He did not specify where in the Paracels the ship sailed.

The U.S. Navy has now conducted four freedom-of-navigation operations in the past year in the South China Sea, where China has reclaimed land on a massive scale to assert its claim to disputed features  mostly in the Spratly islands that lie further south.

China has looked dimly upon the U.S. operations, which it views as meddling in waters where the U.S. does not have territorial claims. Fridays operation comes a day after the leader of the Philippines, one of the six governments with claims in the South China Sea, announced during a visit to Beijing his nations separation from the United States, as it seeks to deepen ties with China.

Ross said the operation was unrelated to any such event.

The Chinese statement accused the U.S. of being a troublemaker in the South China at a time when under the joint efforts of countries in this region the situation is developing positively.

Under these circumstances, for the U.S. to deploy ships to violate Chinese territorial waters is to wish for the whole world to be in chaos and to cause troubles from which the U.S. can profit, the statement said.

Ross denied the operation was provocative.

He said the U.S. conducts these operations on a regular basis around the world. He said the operation demonstrated that coastal states may not unlawfully restrict the navigation rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea that all states are entitled to exercise under international law.

This operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims, not territorial claims to land features. The United States has been clear that we take no position on competing territorial sovereignty claims to naturally formed land features in the South China Sea, he said.

Associated Press writer Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report.
A local ambulance companys legal battle against what it contends are illegal emergency-service monopolies has expanded to a dozen Orange County cities.

In a series of complaints filed over the past month, attorneys for AmeriCare MedServices have demanded jury trials involving a wide swath of local cities, attempting to push municipal officials to open up competitive bidding for ambulance services.

Several of the lawsuits target competing CARE Ambulance Services, listing it a co-defendant and alleging that the company conspired with the cities to monopolize the market and exclude other providers.

People benefit from competition, said Aaron Gott, an attorney representing AmeriCare. Lower prices, better service. They are not getting that right now.

The lawsuits target both cities that run their own ambulance services, as well as cities that have exclusive contracts with private companies such as CARE.

Mike Lyster, the city of Anaheims spokesman, said the decision of who provides emergency-medical services is one of the citys most critical responsibilities.

California law recognizes this and gives Anaheim the ability to select an exclusive ambulance provider to work in partnership with Anaheim Fire & Rescue paramedics, Lyster said. This local control provides efficiency, accountability and allows us to deliver the highest level of service to our residents, businesses and visitors.

Officials with Newport Beach, one of the latest cities to be named in an AmeriCare complaint, said that the lawsuit is without merit.

Newport Beach City Attorney Aaron Harp indicated that the state health and safety code expressly allows the city to continue to provide pre-hospital medical service. Harp said Newport Beach is coordinating with other cities to respond to the lawsuits in an attempt to save taxpayer resources.

Costa Mesa, also among the cities facing a lawsuit, declined to comment on the allegations in the complaint. But spokesman Tony Dodero confirmed that the city is currently evaluating what our next steps will be and considering the option of a joint effort with multiple agencies.

Complaints have not been filed so far against most of the cities that contract with the Orange County Fire Authority, including Santa Ana, Irvine and most of South County.

AmeriCare describes itself as a family-owned business that operates emergency services in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.

The various lawsuits contend that the alleged monopolies allow those involved to provide minimal quality and speed of service without regard to market demand. The lawsuits seek monetary judgments.

Gott said AmeriCare and its attorneys have not decided whether to pursue legal action against cities in other counties.

Contact the writer: semery@scng.com
SANTA ANA  As Latinos have for generations in Santa Ana, Cafe Calacas Frank Farias brought out a plate of pan de muerto, or bread of the dead  Mexican sweet rolls traditionally baked in the weeks leading up to Dia de los Muertos.

A few City Council members and officials relaxing in the outdoor seating area on Thursday morning partook in the pastries, paired with cafe de olla, a sweet, cinnamon-infused coffee. The cafe on Fourth Street is in the lobby of the former West End Theater, which opened in 1915 and often screened silent films with live piano music providing background ambiance.

Farias, 29, and his business partner revamped the mom-and-pop shop that sold sugar skulls into a contemporary Mexican cafeteria offering traditional dishes with a modern twist.

Its about bringing back memories of people who enjoy the traditional Mexican places, said Farias, who co-owns the cafe.

That mix of preserving a rich Latino history while integrating new ideas and the next generation is what earned downtown Santa Ana the prestigious designation of one of five Great Neighborhoods  and the only one in the western U.S.  by the American Planning Association.

The planning organization announced the recipients earlier this month and its board members presented the award on Thursday evening at the Spurgeon Promenade before several hundred community members.

Since 2007 when it launched the Great Places in America program, the association has recognized five neighborhoods, five streets and five public spaces each year that demonstrate exceptional infrastructure, amenities, cultural identity and innovative and sustainable practices.

Kurt Christiansen, a member of the associations national board, on Thursday complimented the citys plazas, the many outdoor eating places and the walkability of the downtown.

A lot of downtowns close at 5 and there isnt any nightlife, he said, as a band played and people enjoyed food from nearby restaurants. Theyve done a wonderful job with the streetscape.

Councilwoman Michele Martinez, whose ward includes downtown, said the area began transforming into an inclusive place about four years ago, when affordable housing entered the adjacent Lacy neighborhood and a sunshine ordinance was established.

At the end of the day, its because we finally decentralized government and gave the power to the people, she said. We all know when we have the magic of relationships  its what makes a place.

Sales tax revenue annually in the downtown area from general retail, food products and professional services has been on the rise, from $761,864 in 2010 to $1.1 million in 2015, according to the citys economic development specialist, Marc Morley.

The biggest thing that is happening is property values are skyrocketing. The density makes us attractive  people can walk everywhere, City Manager David Cavazos said.

But some residents disagree that the change has been for the better.

About a dozen activists with Chicanos Unidos, an Orange County social justice organization focusing on Santa Ana, crashed the citys celebration, chanting, Dont support gentrification! and False narrative! as city officials delivered their speeches.

At least 30, mostly Latino businesses have been displaced from the downtown in the past six years, Chicanos Unidos organizer Gaby Hernandez said.

The association that gave it to them claims that they were able to develop this community with the inclusion of the community, which has not been the case, she said.

The protest baffled city leaders and business owners including Ryan Chase, 33, a longtime downtown property owner who rebranded the area where the celebration was held from Fiesta Marketplace to East End and created the foodie destination 4th Street Market.

We got voted the best downtown in the country, Chase said. Somehow its a bad thing. I dont get it.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7762 or jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
Its a spirited race for Fountain Valley City Council, four candidates have thrown their hats into the ring.

Incumbents Cheryl Brothers, whose term as mayor expires this year, and Councilman Steve Nagel are seeking to hold onto their seats. Kim Constantine and Patrick Tucker, two active residents, are also running for the seats, both for the second time.

The Fountain Valley View reached out to each candidate to get a sense of their ideals and how they might approach a leadership role in the city. We also asked their views on a proposed 1 percent sales tax increase on the November ballot and their views on how to bring in new businesses to bolster the tax base.

See their answers (everyone was limited to 75 words) below.

CHERYL BROTHERS

Q. What are the skills, qualities or accomplishments that make you the best person for this job?

A. I completed the California League of Cities City Council Leadership Academy with the highest level of achievement. In 1994, I was a member of the Committee that revised the FV General Plan for the first time and made many land use decisions with local residents in mind. I am a recognized leader in the area. Frequently serve on committees and commissions, often in leadership roles. I worked for the First District Supervisor for 6 years. I have a complete understanding of government financing.

I can make tough decisions and work to keep taxpayer costs down with a high level of service.

Q. With the recurrent deficits in the city budget, what is your position on the proposed 1 percent sales tax increase? If it fails, how would you solve the chronic budget shortfalls?

A. I support the 1% sales tax. It allows the city to burn the mortgage in 18 years and be debt free. It allows the city to maintain streets, parks, police and fire services at their current level. The tax will be paid by people who work and shop in the city not our residents. If Measure HH does not pass, since our police and fire are 75% of the budget, that is the only place left to cut. The place to make the most savings would be to close a fire station and reduce 12 positions.

Q. What specific measures would you like to see taken to attract new business and build the citys tax base and business climate?

A. I support the specific plan zoning in our 405 freeway corridor  The Crossings Plan. The flexible zoning in this area would allow a mix of uses that would encourage new businesses to consider locating in an area that has over 300,000 cars pass through each day. Since the development would be close to the freeway, it would not be necessary for workers and visitors to drive through residential areas to get to work or home.

KIM CONSTANTINE

Q. What are the skills, qualities or accomplishments that make you the best person for this job?

A. Im very involved attending all City Council, Strategic Planning, and Planning Commission meetings so I immediately learn important information firsthand. I helped stop the Clear Channel billboard Council tried to erect by the 405 Freeway and am the lead on stopping Council majoritys excessive 20-year sales tax increase that will have many negative financial impacts on residents and businesses. I offer common sense, dedication, and hard work in the absolute best interest of our city.

Q. With the recurrent deficits in the city budget, what is your position on the proposed 1 percent sales tax increase? If it fails, how would you solve the chronic budget shortfalls?

A. I am a no on Measure HH, the excessive 20-year, 1% sales tax increase with financial negatives to our residents and businesses and have been spreading awareness. If passed, residents will pay more for delivered appliances no matter in which city purchased, same for purchases that require DMV registration. The City spent $620,000+ on FV Crossings, the largest redevelopment in our history, without doing financials. I support responsible development and thorough budget review with cuts.

Q. What specific measures would you like to see taken to attract new business and build the citys tax base and business climate?

A. An overhaul of our conditional use permit process and fees is in order so we may achieve a business friendly reputation. Additionally, our City Manager knows my eagerness to take part in a brainstorming team to develop and promote a lucrative spend your disposable income where you live program to help drive sales to our local businesses and retain them. It would be a three-way win: for the city, our local business, and the consumer.

STEVE NAGEL

Q. What are the skills, qualities or accomplishments that make you the best person for this job?

Serving on the Council for eight years and City Fire Department for nearly 30 years gives me proven leadership experience and operational knowledge of all essential services, infrastructure, and neighborhoods, including county and state agencies. My knowledge through education and work experience helps me serve as council member, but also represent Fountain Valley on various county and state boards/committees.

Q. With the recurrent deficits in the city budget, what is your position on the proposed 1 percent sales tax increase? If it fails, how would you solve the chronic budget shortfalls?

A. I support Measure HH, the proposed 1 percent sales tax. If passed the tax measure will ensure 911 services remain intact by providing a reliable source of locally controlled funding that cannot be taken by Sacramento. Maintaining our 911 Response Police-Fire /Essential City Services and paying off debt is my top priority. If Measure HH fails, I will continue to support economic development and meeting with landowners to promote revitalization of shopping centers necessary to bring name brand or new businesses stimulating the economy, thus increasing sales tax revenues to the City. I would only consider senior program full cost recovery and public safety cuts as a last resort.

Q. What specific measures would you like to see taken to attract new business and build the citys tax base and business climate?

A. I have supported and acted on updating the City website and relaxing City sign code. The website offers vital information on opening and conducting business in Fountain Valley. City staff is taking a proactive approach finding available locations, finding businesses and assisting with licensure and permitting process. As council member, I will encourage staff to look to area cities for established thriving business models to bring to Fountain Valley.

PATRICK TUCKER

Q. What are the skills, qualities or accomplishments that make you the best person for this job?

A. Keen listener, negotiating and conflict resolution skills. I have been loyal 29 years at current employer from entry level with 3 stores to VP overseeing 18 retail tire sores in SoCal. I am a team builder and work well with contemporaries.

Q. With the recurrent deficits in the city budget, what is your position on the proposed 1 percent sales tax increase? If it fails, how would you solve the chronic budget shortfalls?

A. I am opposed to the EXCESSIVE tax proposal. To ask for $11.5 million per year to cover a $1.7 million shortfall is unconscionable. The current administration has a spending and prioritizing problem, not a revenue issue. If it fails, how would you solve the chronic budget shortfalls? STOP overspending and negotiate sane and reasonable contracts made in the best interest of our residents and citizens, the folks who voted me in to have oversight of the City finances & practices.

Q. What specific measures would you like to see taken to attract new business and build the citys tax base and business climate?

A. Make the business license process more streamlined and reasonable and fair fees charged with common sense & logic.  Listening skills.
SANTA ANA  When Jeffrey Scott Jones slashed his neck with a standard-issue razor blade Wednesday in an Orange County courtroom following a child sex-assault conviction, he became the latest statistic in a growing safety problem within the nations judicial system, according to a security expert.

Violence in U.S. courtrooms is on the rise despite efforts by many states, including California, to implement more stringent security measures, said Nathan Hall, a senior consultant for the National Center for State Courts, in Denver.

Even though we have best practices in place and better resources, we still see it happening, he said. Its hard nationally to solve this.

From 2005 to 2012, there were 406 violent acts at court buildings across the U.S., including 29 in California, according to a study by Halls organization (Statistics after 2012 were not available).

The Judicial Council of California, the rule-making branch of the California court system, does not track violent incidents.

On Thursday, Orange County sheriffs investigators were reviewing surveillance video to determine how the 56-year-old Jones, free on bond, got a razor blade behind metal detectors and into a courtroom where he cut his throat.

We dont know if this was something he brought in, or something he located in the courthouse, Orange County sheriffs Lt. Mark Stichter said.

Several people inside the court didnt immediately know that Jones had cut himself until his head hit the table and blood gushed from his neck.

Jones, who faces 68 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a girl in Huntington Beach, remained hospitalized under guard Thursday. His injuries were reported to not be life-threatening.

Prosecutors will decide whether to charge Jones in connection with the slashing after the Sheriffs Department completes its investigation, said Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for the Orange County District Attorneys Office.

Gwen Vieau, spokeswoman for Orange County Superior Court, said she did not know if any other defendants had tried to harm themselves in the courthouse in the past.

However, there have been other violent incidents.

In March, defense attorney James Crawford was injured when he got into a fight in a hallway with an Orange County District Attorneys Office investigator.

Also, in 2008, a man jumped to his death from a 9th-floor balcony in the court building after being convicted of child molestation.

Violence can happen during any court proceeding, especially those involving divorce and child custody, said Bill Raftery, a senior analyst for the National Center for State Courts.

Family law and probate cases are often highly charged, said Raftery, adding there should be at least one officer in each courtroom regardless of the type of hearing. People can lash out.

In the Orange County courthouse, every criminal case has at least one deputy in the room, while for civil cases deputies will be brought in if deemed necessary and otherwise there is one on the floor and there also always a couple at the buildings entrances. Many others are behind the scenes, with such chores as manning the holding facility in the basement.

Metal detectors, certainly, are not fool proof in stopping weapons from being smuggled into court buildings. For example, the internet is rife with non-metallic knifes and other weapons that manufacturers claim can pass through the detectors.

Innocuous items can be altered or manufactured to be smuggled into areas where weapons are prohibited, Raftery said.

Staff writer Sean Emery contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@scng.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline
Re: The morality of preserving the death penalty [Opinion, Oct. 20]: I completely agree with keeping the death penalty in California. The people on death row are unfortunately extremely violent and need to suffer the consequences of their despicable deeds.

The public should not have to pay to house, feed and maintain their health care for the rest of their lives. I also think that the number of appeals needs to be limited and a speedy death (say 5 years at the most instead of 20) is also needed. People need to remember the fact that an innocent person has never been executed in our state and that only the very guilty are punished in this way.

Janis Shekerlian

Laguna Niguel

Wrong on Prop. 53

Re: Yes on Proposition 53 [Opinion, Oct. 14]: The Register Editorial Board got it wrong on Proposition 53. Prop. 53 is an attack on local control funded by a wealthy landowner from Northern California. The measure was written to specifically target a major water supply project that is desperately needed to ensure water reliability for Southern California, but is opposed by rich land owners surrounding the San Francisco Bay Delta. Unfortunately, the fallout from this single issue proposition would be much greater than intended. Requiring a state-wide vote on major infrastructure projects would mean that voters in San Francisco can control the fate of infrastructure projects in Orange County.

Prop. 53 jeopardizes local communities ability to address our crumbling infrastructure. Our communities already suffer from a massive backlog of local infrastructure needs, including outdated water supply and delivery systems, unsafe bridges, overpasses and freeways. Moreover, Prop. 53 is especially dangerous because it fails to contain an exemption for emergencies. In cases of earthquake or flood, state and local governments may need to wait as long as two years in order to get voter approval to begin rebuilding damaged or destroyed roads, freeways, bridges, hospitals and water delivery systems. Voters should reject the selfish ploy of a rich Northern California land owner. Vote no on 53.

Bryan Starr

Irvine

Senior Vice President, Orange County Business Council
No halfway measures for dog lovers Updated: 2016-10-21 07:11 By Chris Peterson(China Daily Europe)

City dwellers in China go all-out to make their canine pets happy, from swimming pools to cinemas

News that Beijing may get its first dedicated animal ambulance triggered an interest in finding out about the current status of pets in China, focusing on dogs.

I should say at this point that a) I am a dog lover and b) we won't worry here about the hackneyed stereotype stories about eating dogs.

The animal ambulance, about which my colleague writes elsewhere in China Daily, shows that Chinese people in the country's huge cities care about animal welfare.

Enter "dogs in China" into an internet search engine and you get some amazing results.

I had no idea, for example, that city dwellers in Beijing are subject to a one-dog policy, with restrictions on the size of the pet.

Despite that, there are apparently more than 1 million dogs registered as pets in Beijing, and Shanghai has an estimated 750,000 pet pooches.

But here's what I love about China. When people embrace something like dog ownership, there are no half measures - and if they are not content with just owning a pet dog, then there is a bewildering array of services now available.

Live in an apartment where you can't keep a dog for practical reasons? Then head to a dog zoo just north of the capital where for $1 an hour you can rent a dog and walk it around the zoo grounds.

Fancy a high-end pet dog? Best head for Beijing KPK World Pet Zoo, where, I am reliably informed, foreigners, wealthy Chinese and movie stars shop for poodles at $1,500, Yorkshire terriers at $2,000 and $10,000 for a Pekinese.

I have no way of confirming this, but the New York Times once claimed that Beijing offers services that would make most British dog owners - and we coined the phrase "man's best friend" - green with envy.

There are dog-treat stores, websites dedicated to dog ownership, dog social networks and dog swimming pools. There was even, for a time, a bring-your-dog cinema and a bring-your-dog bar, although history doesn't say what happened to them.

Going away? You can board your pet dog at a kennel in Beijing which offers a guaranteed hour's play a day for your pet, a weekly bath and a website which carries the latest pictures of your dog every Monday.

Britons have always loved their dogs, and there are few restrictions on what you can own - American bull mastiffs, bred mainly for fighting, are banned, but every other breed has its followers.

For me, child-friendly Golden Retrievers have, off and on, been part of my life, starting with Nimbus when I was a kid and the last one, Shutan Hopscotch, to give his full name, who brought joy to my family for 14 years.

Pet care in the UK is the responsibility of various charities, the leader of which is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Dogs are the specialty of Dogs' Trust, which boasts that it never euthanizes a healthy dog, and also coined the phrase "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas".

It seems Britons have more in common with China than they realized.

Chris Peterson is managing editor, Europe, for China Daily. Contact him at chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page11)
BARTELLA, Iraq  In a significant escalation of the battle for Mosul, elite Iraqi special forces joined the fight Thursday, unleashing a pre-dawn assault on an Islamic State-held town east of the besieged city, and the U.S. military announced the first American combat death since the operation began.

U.S. officials said the American service member died Thursday from wounds sustained in a roadside bomb explosion north of Mosul. More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units in the offensive, and hundreds more are playing a support role in staging bases.

The American had been advising members of the Iraqi Kurdish force known as the peshmerga, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss details.

Roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices pose a particular danger to advancing Iraqi forces and the U.S. advisers who are with them. The Islamic State group, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years, has prepared extensive defenses in and around the city.

As they charged toward the town of Bartella, 9 miles from Mosuls outskirts, the Iraqi special forces faced another favored weapon in the IS arsenal: armored trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. The militants signature battlefield tactic, the weapons offered a glimpse at what Iraqi forces can expect as they close in on the extremists biggest urban bastion.

The pre-dawn assault on Bartella was part of a multi-pronged operation on eastern approaches to Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city. Attack helicopters strafed militant positions as they advanced amid a hail of gunfire.

The U.S.-trained special forces, officially known as the Counter Terrorism Service, are widely seen as Iraqs most professional and least sectarian fighters, and have served as the shock troops in previous campaigns against IS. They are expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

IS militants unleashed at least nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armored Humvee, Lt. Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari told The Associated Press.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five Iraqi soldiers were wounded. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

After we break them in Bartella, everywhere else, they will crumble, said Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari. He said IS had few defenses in the town, which was almost completely empty of civilians. They just left some snipers and suicide car bombs, he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdish forces announced a simultaneous attack, with peshmerga fighters deployed on mountains northeast of Mosul descending from their positions and charging toward the front line.

Under cover of mortar and gunfire, the Kurdish troops used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches dug by the militants as part of their defense of the IS-held village of Barima, then advanced with their armored vehicles toward the extremists positions.

Military operations also appeared to be underway in the town of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, where thick smoke could be seen billowing up. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from peshmerga positions high above.

Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told a news conference late Thursday that the special forces had succeeded in retaking Bartella. But Iraqi forces were still facing stiff resistance inside the town shortly before he spoke, and past advances against IS elsewhere in Iraq have often proved fleeting.

Soldiers stationed a few miles from Bartella said they watched as some 20 car bombs exploded in the town over the course of the day, each one sending a plume of smoke into the air. By late afternoon the skies over Bartella were black.

IS has used the tactic in past battles to wreak havoc among front line troops, but Iraqi forces have become better at stopping the suicide attackers.

We destroyed the bombs with tanks, Sgt. Maj. Qusay Rashid said. They are sending all these car bombs now because were at the beginning of this huge battle. They are trying to put up their best defense.

After Bartella, Iraqi forces advancing toward Mosul will begin to hit villages and suburbs where civilians still live, a factor that will further complicate military operations that rely heavily on artillery and airstrikes to clear territory.

Mosul is home to more than a million people, and rights groups fear a potential humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said Mosul may fall sooner than expected. The campaign to retake the city, which began Monday, had been expected to last weeks, if not months.

Speaking by video transmission to a conference in Paris focused on post-liberation planning for Mosul, the Iraqi leader said the Iraqi forces are currently pushing forward  more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign.

The Islamic State group captured Mosul and the surrounding area during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque.

Iraqi forces crumbled that summer, beating a humiliating retreat and leaving weapons and vehicles behind. But the special forces held together and fought back, and since then they have played a central role in retaking cities and towns from the extremist group.

The force was created by U.S. Special Forces shortly after the 2003 invasion to hunt down top insurgents and stage commando raids, but its mandate has since expanded. Its members include Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and its human rights record is better than other forces taking part in the operation.

Mosul is a Sunni majority town, and many fear the involvement of state-sanctioned Shiite militias in the operation could stoke sectarian tensions. The Shiite militias have said they will not enter the city itself.

But even among the special forces there are traces of sectarian fervor. Many of the black Humvees that rode into battle in Bartella were decked with Shiite religious banners in addition to Iraqi flags.

Ali Saad, a 26-year-old special forces soldier, said Kurdish forces had asked them to take down the religious banners, but they refused.

They asked if we were militias. We said were not militias, we are Iraqi forces, and these are our beliefs, he said.
SANTA ANA  The city has decided to allocate surplus funds toward hiring a housing navigator dedicated to placing homeless individuals at a new Civic Center shelter into homes.

At least a dozen units are ready for homeless clients to move in, according to Paul Leon, CEO of the Illumination Foundation, one of several service providers working with the city at the encampment-filled Civic Center.

City staff recommended that $45,510 in unspent funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address homelessness in fiscal year 2015-16 be used toward hiring a new full-time housing navigator, as proposed by the Illumination Foundation.

Santa Ana Council members on Tuesday voted 5-0 in favor of amending a rapid re-housing agreement with the foundation to contribute to the salary for the new housing navigator. The total would not exceed $150,510 for service through June 30.

In our observance and in our evaluation of best practices nationwide, we felt that housing navigators are frequently used, said Judson Brown, the citys housing division manager.

Illumination Foundation has three housing navigators working in Anaheim and parts of Santa Ana, but the new hire would be the first to concentrate solely on homeless people at The Courtyard, the old downtown Santa Ana bus terminal that opened earlier this month as a 24-hour homeless shelter.

Housing navigators have the difficult job of identifying housing that is appropriate for homeless clients taking into consideration challenges they may face  mental illness, substance abuse, medical issues or not being accustomed to housing, Leon said.

Weve had a housing navigator for about four years and it took her about a year to build a relationship with the apartment owner, Leon said, Because we need to establish trust when we put a homeless client in there, that we are going to keep an eye on them.

Leon said the foundation is starting to interview candidates for the new position and hopes to bring someone on board within two weeks. An apartment complex with six units and a house with six rooms in Santa Ana are vacant and available.

In addition, Orange County philanthropists purchasing properties for the foundation to house homeless clients have four housing complexes in escrow that could be ready for occupants in six months, he said.

What were really concerned about right now is  I never thought Id say this  but we have a lot of housing on line, Leon said. Theres a little bit of a bottleneck right now and we dont want to wait for the navigator to move them in because that is the worst thing, is if you have an apartment empty.

About 461 chronically homeless people reside in the Civic Center area, according to a city staff report.

The new housing navigator will be responsible for increasing the number of units available for chronically homeless people, in part by getting more landlords to participate in assistance programs. The navigator will also be tasked with encouraging owners of vacant units to rent them to homeless individuals with rental assistance.

Though hired by the Illumination Foundation, the housing navigator will coordinate and obtain units for any homeless service provider in the Civic Center.

Brown said putting funds toward the navigator will contribute to the citys partnership with Orange County to reduce homelessness in the Civic Center.

We are very pleased with the progress that the county has made in opening up The Courtyard, Brown said. From our initial assessments, it appears theyve made substantial progress for The Courtyard to become operational.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7762 or jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
Howard Knohl will be in the audience at Sothebys when the Manhattan auction house sells more than 300 of the rare books, nearly all of them published in England before 1700, which the Orange County radiologist collected over the past three decades.

Yet while Knohl truly hopes that they sell for a good price  and with prestige names like William Shakespeare, John Milton and John Dunne among them they should  it wont be easy to see them go, he says.

Its going to be bittersweet, says Knohl, 79. I have this conflict. Id like to see the books sell. But every one that sells therell be a pang in my heart that will be difficult to deal with.

Such is the life of a collector, and collectors the Howard and Linda Knohl most certainly are.

In 1984, Linda Knohl gave her husband a 19th century medical text, triggering his interest in rare books. Around the same time, Howard Knohl bought his wife a painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, a 19th century traditionalist French painter she admired.

Since then the couple have filled Fox Pointe Manor, their home in the Peralta Hills neighborhood of Anaheim, with more books and more paintings  as well as collections of such unusual decorative arts as match safes and canes  to the point that their combined holdings total more than 80,000 pieces.

Knohl says that while hes sold books before hes never parted with this many at one time. The reason for the sale, he explains, is partly the reason why he accumulated so many books and other collectibles in the first place.

I am an inveterate collector and if you know collectors you know collectors never save money, Knohl says. Whenever they make a penny they go out and buy something else.

So when retirement loomed I didnt have a lot of equity, he says. For me to survive as I lived I knew I would have to sell something.

Knohl says he let Sothebys put together the initial list of books to sell, after which he took a few off the list and added others in. The 327 volumes eventually selected are unusual not just for the rarity of their vintage but for the breadth of topics between their covers, says Richard Austin, head of the Sothebys books and manuscripts department.

It really came down to wanting to provide a very broad selection from a very eclectic collection, Austin says. When you look at the books that Dr. Knohl collected, theyre mainly from the 17th century and before, but he didnt confine himself, he bought from every field.

Its an incredibly fertile period. You have Shakespeare, Milton, John Dunne, but there are wonderful sporting books, very good travel.

Scanning through the auction catalog certain volumes jump out. The Shakespeare, Fourth Folio, first issue, published in 1685, carries the highest estimated sale price of $70,000 to $100,000.

He wrote individual plays and every once in a while hed combine the plays and put them out in a single volume, Knohl says of the Shakespeare. And he did four folios. The first and third I could never afford, theyre the most expensive. The second and fourth were within reach of what I could acquire.

The desirability of others might not seem obvious at first but as Austin explains the value of a rare book is a peculiar thing to consider. Take Robert Venables The Expreiencd Angler, a book on fishing published in 1662.

Its complete and theres only been one other complete copy sold in 40 years, Austin says of the book for which the sale price is estimated at $25,000 to $35,000. Not only have a lot of (Knohls books) been off the market since he acquired them in the 80s but in many cases theyd been off the market for years before that.

Others seem delightful just for the titles they received back when titles might include 30 or more words. A Warning-Piece to All Drunkards and Health-Drinkers, Faithfully Collected From the Works of English and Foreign Learned Authors of Good Esteem, begins the title of one book, which then continues, With Above One Hundred and Twenty Sad and Dreadful Examples of Gods Severe Judgements Upon Notorious Drunkards.

Add in the engraved illustrations of sad drunkards meeting their end  One being drunk attempting to swim is drownd, for instance  and you know some collector will meet the estimated price of $2,500 to $3,500.

The Knohls, who have been married 55 years, were born in the waning years of the Great Depression to working-class families. Growing up, the idea of collecting rare books or art was far beyond their imagination, Howard Knohl says. But through hard work, a long and successful medical practice, and discovering that collections can be built smartly if you find the right niche, they amassed a museum-worthy collection that fills many of the 30 rooms in their 11,000 square foot house.

One of the things I was most proud of was that I was never wealthy, Knohl says. People laugh, they see the things I have and think Im wealthy, and theyre right. But this is an ordinary mans collection and part of what I want to do in the time I have left is to show people that if they invest the time and learning about any part of art they, too, can collect art the way I have.

When he started buying old books in the mid-80s a first edition Hemingway might sell for $1,000, while the much older medical books that first attracted him could be had for $400, he says.

I couldnt afford to buy Rembrandts so what i did was I went back and researched the time of Rembrandt and found that the artist that Rembrandt felt was the best artist at the time was (Gerard) de Lairesse, which I could afford.

The Knohls often let charities and other groups use Fox Pointe Manor for events. Howard Knohl says he gets great pleasure for people enjoying what he and Linda Knohl have put together.

Plans for the future are still being developed but its likely that the books might be donated to a university, some of the art will go their children with others donated to various museums that have expressed interest, and some of the smaller, more unusual collections  such as the match safes, small decorative boxes used to hold matches in the past  might be spun off into their small museum. After all, the Knohls have more of them anyone else in the world, Howard Knohl says.

The auction at Sothebys on Wednesday wont be easy. I think when youre a collector its like pulling a piece of your heart out when you let something go, Howard Knohl says. But its the right time, he adds.

And in any case, its possible there wont be empty spaces on his shelves for long. When asked whether hes still in the market to buy Knohl doesnt hesitate.

You got some you want to sell? he says. Yeah, Im still looking.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7787 or plarsen@ocregister.com
Marche Moderne, well regarded as the best French restaurant in Southern California, is leaving its South Coast Plaza location for a swankier venue in Newport Coast.

The bistro, owned by husband-and-wife team Florent and Amelia Marneau, is taking over a space formerly occupied by Tamarind of London at Crystal Cove Shopping Center, the Irvine Co. announced Friday. When it opens next year, Marche will join Javiers, Bluefin and Mastros Ocean Club as one of the key restaurant anchors at the 14-year-old center along Pacific Coast Highway.

We are looking forward to welcoming a celebrated culinary icon such as Marche Moderne to Crystal Cove Shopping Center, Easther Liu, chief marketing officer for Irvine Company Retail Properties, said in a statement. Marche Modernes lauded French cuisine remains in a class all its own, and we cant wait to see what Chef Florent Marneau and (pastry chef) Amelia Marneau have in store for us here in coastal Orange County.

The exit marks the end of a near decade-long relationship between the Segerstrom family and the Marneaus, who took over the old Troquet penthouse space at the luxury mall in April 2007. At the time, the dynamic culinary duo were rising stars in Orange County.

He had dazzled diners while at the helm of Pinot Provenace, part of mega-chef Joachim Splichals expanding Southern California empire. Amelia, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, had earned a reputation as one of the best pastry chefs in Orange County.

In an exclusive interview Friday, Amelia Marneau said she and her husband have been in talks with the Irvine Co. for about a year. Excited about the high-profile coastal location, the Marneaus approached the developer after Tamarind of London closed last October.

A lease deal was finalized this week.

We decided we wanted to move on, said Amelia Marneau. After 10 years, its really nice to get a fresh new location, a new environment.

Marche is closing at the end of January, and will reopen at Crystal Cove center in the spring. Amelia Marneau said Marche fans can expect a revamped design with an open kitchen and a new menu. The couple is planning a complete overhaul of the 4,200-square-foot restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining space, about 140 seats, roughly 20 more than the mall location.

It will be a very new look, but some hints of familiarity. The menu is going to be amazing, Amelia Marneau sounding exuberant during a phone interview on Friday morning.

While traditional Marche favorites, such as foie gras and coq au vin, will remain on the menu Amelia Marneau said her husband is excited to introduce some new dishes, as well.

We have a lot more ideas. Were going to have more details later, she said.

With higher volume foot traffic expected at Crystal Cove, Amelia Marneau said Marche will expand its hours when it reopens at the center.

Well have a lot of draws from the hotels and Laguna Beach guests, she said. Its definitely higher profile. Well be open a little earlier and later.

The French native Florent Marneau enrolled in cooking school at 13 and had earned a certificate by 16. At 18, he was serving French officers during his mandatory military service.

Serendipity led him to Orange County in 1990.

He was on his way to find a hotel gig in Tahiti but never made it. A stop in Laguna Beach to visit his brother, led to an introduction to Pascal Olhats  chef-owner of Tradition by Pascal in Newport Beach. After learning of the 20-year-olds culinary training, Olhats  a popular French chef in Orange County  hired him as a line cook.

Marneau said he learned discipline from Olhats, working his way up to chef in four years and acquiring a green card along the way. The Orange County restaurant scene was heating up, and Marneau was tapped to open Aubergine in Newport Beach with veteran restaurant entrepreneurs Tim and Liza Goodell.

While at Aubergine, he met Amelia, a young pastry chef who had just returned from a stint at Hotel de Crillon, a three-star Michelin restaurant in Paris.

Marneau eventually moved on to Patina Restaurant Group, making Pinot Provence one of the best French restaurants in Orange County.

After 10 years with Patina, he and his wife decided to strike out on their own with Marche. To be successful, he had hoped to serve at least 50 a day. The first few nights, the couple served 200-400 diners.

Over the years, Marche has earned rave reviews from respected restaurant critics, including the Registers Brad A. Johnson. Its one of the few restaurants in Orange County Johnson has given 3 1/2 stars. Hes never awarded 4 stars here.

When Im here, I feel as if I could be in Paris. The pace is always calm and transcendent. Even though it is in the most prestigious wing of South Coast Plaza, this is not a pretentious restaurant, Johnson wrote in 2013 review.

In a statement, South Coast Plaza spokeswoman Debra Gunn Downing said the mall is proud of being part of the success of Marche Moderne. She wished the Marneaus the best in their new endeavors.

We are looking forward to announcing a replacement as we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2017. Change is essential in ensuring that our dining scene is always fresh and dynamic, Gunn Downing said.

Amelia Marneau said its been a great 10 years at South Coast Plaza, but its time for a change.

We adore the Segerstrom family. We could have definitely stayed at South Coast. It would have been very easy for us to stay there. However, the next step in Marches longevity is to get a new location.

Marche Moderne will be at Crystal Cove Shopping Center, 7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

Register staff writer Anne Valdespino contributed to this report.
You cant keep your gun.

Grenades, knives, bombs, other tools of war  you cant keep those either. When you leave the military, no matter who you are or what you sacrificed, your boots are yours but your tools belong to the government.

And it is that seemingly reasonable rule that caused Trevor Maroshek so much pain.

What if your weapon, the one you trained with for years, the one that never left your side, the one that saved your life, what if your weapon curled up next to you at the end of a long day?

What if your weapon was your dog?

Maroshek, now 38, a Navy SEAL from San Clemente, wrote letters as he prepared for retirement in 2011, asking permission up the chain of Navy command to keep Chopper, a jet black German Shepherd who helped kill Taliban combatants, injured his back jumping out of a helicopter and took shrapnel in his left eye. Chopper had become his companion, his lifeline, his calming influence.

For a year and a half, Maroshek fought the bureaucracy and was told no.

It was like someone said you cant keep your kid, said Maroshek, who became a civilian on Jan. 1, 2012.

Chopper, in the eyes of the Navy, was a weapon.

One hell of a weapon.

  

In the 1990s, Maroshek was a skater punk and a surf rat. He went to Dana Hills High, then Saddleback College. He worked as a bartender. But the focus of his life was staying upright on teetering boards. He was pretty good, too, competing in surf contests and gathering up a few surf-wear sponsors along the way.

I was your normal O.C. kid, he said.

When he was 18, he needed some direction in his life so he walked into a Navy recruiting office on Avery Parkway. He said he wanted to become a SEAL. He was told no thank you. It must have been my skater punk look, he said.

Four years later, on Sept. 11, 2001, Maroshek was in a liquor store buying cigarettes before heading to the beach. He heard a woman say, Were under attack.

My heart dropped, said Maroshek, who was 23 years old. I shed a tear. I was really angry and perplexed.

Within weeks of the terrorist attack, Maroshek went back to the recruiting office on Avery Parkway. This time, they accepted him. He signed up to become a Navy SEAL.

He loved the extreme, just-about-to-pass-out difficulty of the training.

I was so happy to be there, he said. It was the best time of my life. The harder the training, the better.

In 2004, Trevor Maroshek became a member of SEAL team 7.

  

Maroshek took an oath preventing him from giving too many details about his deployments.

But he gave enough.

He remembers nearly losing his life in 2005 during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.

On the trail of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, Maroshek was the navigator, always in the lead Jeep.

Maroshek used a laptop computer to plan the routes. On this particular mission, he remembers the road was rendered impassable by a giant hole. He slowly maneuvered his team around the hole, off the road, past a cemetery.

And his Jeep accidentally detonated an improvised explosive device.

Shrapnel flew all around him as the Jeep flipped.

It rocks you, he said. It rattles your head.

The traumatic brain injury he suffered was the worst of his combat injuries, which included a broken hand, broken ribs and fractured skull. Still, he wanted to keep going back to the fight.

Maroshek was in San Diego, packing for another deployment in 2007 when his platoon chief asked him if he liked dogs.

Who doesnt like dogs? he said.

Without any discussion, Maroshek had a new job at the Adlerhorst International kennel in Riverside. He was disappointed but he didnt complain.

His assignment: Teach a dog how to be a warrior.

  

Chopper had come from the Czech Republic.

He was a 100-pound police dog, and he had won contests for the speed which he could find human targets on obstacle courses. Chopper also had earned a surly reputation. He had bitten three of his handlers.

When I first saw him, I didnt want to open the gate, Maroshek said. He looked like a werewolf. I picked him because he was the scariest dog there.

They trained together for eight weeks. Maroshek learned Choppers language  fas is attack, los is release and heel is return to the side of your handler.

Chopper got so good Maroshek could shine a laser pointer on a person in a crowd and Chopper could maneuver through the people and take down the target.

The first test of their relationship came on the ride back to San Diego.

Maroshek was warned not to put Chopper in the cab of his truck. The dog, he was told, would attack him while they were driving.

Maroshek didnt follow that order. He put Chopper on the seat next to him, but he held a knife in his left hand just in case the dog went for his throat.

If you attack me, I will kill you, Maroshek told the dog. Then he tossed him a piece of beef jerky. The dog stayed nicely on his seat.

If he was a werewolf, he turned out to be a sweet werewolf.

They stayed at the Residence Inn in San Diego just before they shipped out for more training  in sub-zero conditions at the North Pole, through river crossings and mountain passes in Mammoth.

Maroshek, feeling confident, took Chopper to the hotel bar.

A beautiful woman approached. Can I pet your dog? she asked.

Today, that woman, Rujuta Dighe, is his Marosheks wife.

  

Afghanistan. January, 2010.

The Americans took a small town. They rounded up the villagers and put them in a building on the east end. They rounded up the Taliban fighters and put them in a building on the west end.

The Americans used those buildings as strongholds, positioning their artillery to prepare for the Talibans inevitable quest to re-take the town.

When they got word that a Taliban attack was imminent, they sent out Maroshek, Chopper and a couple other Navy SEALS to see if the threat was real.

It was the middle of the night. Maroshek, with his night vision goggles, and Chopper took the lead.

They came across an abandoned motorcycle, which was the preferred mode of Taliban transportation. They knew the enemy was nearby.

Chopper became agitated, and Maroshek let him go.

Fas, he said.

What happened next is as heroic as it was cinematic.

Chopper darted into the brush. Maroshek could hear his dog fighting and the screams of overwhelmed men.

Suddenly, a man leaped out of the bushes with Choppers jaw locked on his ribcage. Maroshek shot the man in the head.

Los, Maroshek said. Chopper released. Heel, he said. Chopper returned to his side.

With the dog safe, Maroshek used an automatic weapon to spray the brush. All the Taliban fighters were eliminated.

When he examined the bodies, Maroshek noticed something.

They all had dog bites.

They never had a chance, Maroshek said.

And one of those Taliban fighters had a detonator, which they later found was connected to a 600-pound cache of explosives that was buried under the building at the east end of town. The same one the Americans had used to house the villagers.

Chopper had saved them all.

He got a steak that night, Maroshek said.

  

Trevor Maroshek raised his hand.

After almost a decade in the Navy, he said he needed help. His body was breaking down, and so was his mind. He was having nightmares, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Thats when he asked if Chopper could retire with him. He was told there was no procedure for retiring a dog. He was told that the Navy didnt want a war dog released into a civilian neighborhood. Maroshek lives in Imperial Beach, south of San Diego.

He wrote letters that went to the Navys Judge Advocate General and then the Commodore of the Navy.

For 18 months, the answer was no.

It made him very sad, very distressed, said his wife, Rujuta. It was quite a process, but he was very diligent.

When his first requests were denied, Maroshek changed the argument. He signed up for the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Md. Its a healthcare center for veterans.

He asked if his service dog could come with him. He updated his letters to the Navy explaining that he needed Chopper to help him deal with his PTSD. Doctors wrote letters on Choppers behalf. The Commanding Officer of Naval Special Warfare Support Activity took up Marosheks cause: I support the adoption  as a key partnership for a long and full life of MPC Chopper. Their matured friendship, devotion and dependence on each other is an invaluable bond that will enhance the lives of both service members.

Finally, on April 7, 2011, Maroshek got a letter from the Commander of the Naval Special Warfare Group One.

Request is approved was all it said.

And Chopper could go home with Maroshek.

That was the best day of my life, Maroshek said.

Rujuta remembers Chopper jumped into her husbands arms. That was one of the happiest days ever, she said.

Trevor Maroshek checked into NICoE with Chopper by his side.

  

Today, Maroshek and Chopper and Choppers son, Thor, live in a suburban home in Imperial Beach. Maroshek and Rujuta have a 13-month old daughter named Sasha. Chopper, who is 11 years old, has the run of the house. He plays with the baby sweetly.

He is a gentle giant, Rujuta said. Hes never given me or the baby one growl.

He greets visitors by rubbing his head against their legs. If he was ever a werewolf, that side of him appears to be long gone.

Maroshek now operates The Seal Dog Foundation, a non-profit organization in which he pairs service dogs with veterans.

He thinks often about the legacy he and Chopper left behind.

Now SEALS can keep their dogs, he said.

Contact the writer: ksharon@scng.com
Californians going to the polls on Nov. 8 will find more than 300 measures to raise taxes. And despite multiple legal decisions limiting the practice, municipal officials in California may be paying outside consultants to run the campaign to sell you on your local tax measure.

In short, government officials use the publics money to persuade the public to give government officials more money.

If you think thats strange, you have good company. In the 1976 case Stanson v. Mott, the California Supreme Court established the principle that would seem to govern the space where government reaches out like the muscular and fully clothed God in Michelangelos The Creation of Adam and encounters a single naked, relatively powerless American voter. The judges put it plainly: A fundamental precept of this nations democratic electoral process is that the government may not take sides in a election contests or bestow an unfair advantage on one of several factions.

The justices allowed that providing information and opinion  educating the public  is a legitimate function of government officials.

But how do we decide whats political and whats merely educational?

In the 2009 landmark case Vargas v. City of Salinas, the court returned to the distinction between information and campaigning, and the style, tenor or timing standard, says Thomas Brown, city attorney for St. Helena, California, and a partner in the Oakland offices of Burke Williams & Sorensen.

The potential danger to the democratic electoral process is not presented when a public entity simply informs the public of its opinion on the merits of a pending ballot measure or of the impact on the entity that passage or defeat of the measure is likely to have, says Brown. The threat to the fairness of the electoral process arises when a public entity devotes funds to campaign activities favoring or opposing such a measure.

But throughout the state, public officials increasingly turn to campaign consultants. Wave a magic wand and you can declare that politicking educational.

Take the city of Stanton. In the run-up to a controversial 2014 local sales tax measure, city officials in Stanton made 16 payments totaling $85,970 to Lew Edwards Group, an Oakland-based political consulting firm.

The consultants Stanton proposal indicates the relationship was always about winning a campaign. Sent to city officials on March 18 of that year, that document declares Lew Edwards Group the California leader in Local Government Revenue Measures.

Lew Edwards Group has successfully enacted more than $30 billion in California tax and revenue measures with a 95 percent success rate, including $2.34 billion in successful tax and bond measures in Orange County alone, the proposal says. In a separate PowerPoint document prepared for the city, company officials said they achieved political success in Orange County despite the opposition of the OC Register in all cases.

The companys 2011 presentation to the California Society of Municipal Finance Officials is equally political. Titled New Taxes: How to Get to Yes, the presentation features a section on transforming informational studies into what sounds remarkably like campaign material. That section is called Turning Theory into Reality: How to Convert Your City Studies and Polling Results into a Winning Campaign.

The consultants website warns, A Public Agency cannot, at any time, engage in a partisan campaign. But the site goes on to offer advice about turning over campaign responsibilities to an outside group.

In the months leading up to Election Day 2014, Stanton residents were invited to community meetings where local elected officials, city staff and county firefighters and sheriffs deputies warned them about Stantons crippled finances. When they returned to their homes, residents were hammered by official mailers predicting a public-safety catastrophe if the sales-tax measure failed. Invoices show the city (i.e., the taxpayers themselves) paid Lew Edwards for at least three mailers in the last six weeks of the campaign.

Supporters of such spending  generally public officials themselves  say government has a responsibility to educate. And now its possible for government officials to argue further, that they have a First Amendment right to support ballot measures. In the Vargas v. City of Salinas case, Salinas officials ultimately filed an anti-SLAPP suit against the plaintiffs, two local citizen watchdogs who had filed suit to stop the city from spending public dollars on a campaign. Revealing how far weve drifted from a fear of government power, a court ultimately sided with Salinas, and ordered the watchdogs to pay the citys $200,000 legal bill. The plaintiffs have since declared bankruptcy.

There may yet be a new ending in Stanton. There, critics of the 2014 sales tax rallied, and late last year qualified a repeal measure for the November ballot.

But once again, those citizens will be fighting more than City Hall. Records obtained by the California Policy Center show Stanton officials signed a new contract with Lew Edwards Group. This time, officials say theyll spend no more than $25,000. But like the last big contract, this one ends just days before Election Day.

Will Swaim is vice president of communications at the Tustin-based California Policy Center, and was founding editor of OC Weekly.
Dave Jones, Californias Insurance Commissioner, has lifted a page from Hillary Clintons playbook for the rescue of Obamacare  the so-called public option. The public option would probably look a lot like Medicaid. Its proponents give it a less pejorative name to lull people into a false sense of confidence that the market for private health insurance would not be harmed more than it already has by Obamacare. However, the public option would surely lead to more of the same problems Medi-Cal has experienced  poor access to care and exploding costs to taxpayers.

The term, public option, first appeared back in 2008, when Barack Obama proposed it during the Democratic presidential primary. It was pulled out of the Obamacare bill as it wound through the Senate, because Democrats knew voters were wary of starting yet another government health bureaucracy on top of Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration. The public option never made it into Obamacare, which its strongest proponents now admit needs fixing before every private health insurer bails out of its broken exchanges. Fast forward to 2016, and candidate Clinton has now lifted Obamas 2008 public option as her preferred Obamacare fix.

It is extremely unlikely Congress would ever approve a public option. So, Mr. Jones proposes putting California taxpayers on the hook for a state-specific version. The wheels are falling off Obamacare in California. UnitedHealthcare, the nations largest health insurer, only participated in the states exchange, Covered California, for one year before deciding to bail out. Participants are much older and sicker than the administration or health insurers expected. So, premiums are spiraling up, beyond peoples ability to pay.

Covered Californias average premium hike next year will be 13.2 percent. This month, beneficiaries are receiving individual notices about increases. For many, the hike will be much greater than 13.2 percent because of the way federal tax credits reduce net premiums. California Healthline reports a 56-year-old woman in Los Angeles just learned her premium will jump 57 percent next year.

Covered California is already responsible for a significant taxpayer-funded cash flow. Currently, only a very small share is borne by the state. That will change if a public option relieves beneficiaries of their sky-high premiums. Last March, Covered California had just under 1 million policies in force, covering almost 1.4 million enrollees. Total annual 2016 premiums would amount to $6.8 billion.

However, nine of 10 enrollees pay significantly discounted premiums, because the insurers who write the policies receive significant tax credits to induce them to participate. Only $2.4 billion of the estimated total 2016 premium will have been paid by enrollees. Fully $4.4 billion will have been funded by federal taxpayers. So, if the public option eliminates enrollees responsibility to pay premium, state taxpayers would be on the hook for $2.4 billion.

But wait, theres more! The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services estimates there are 313,000 Californians who are eligible for subsidized health insurance in Covered California, but chose to buy unsubsidized individual policies outside the exchange.

If they are similar to the current enrollees, they would add almost half a billion dollars to the state taxpayers tab. Now, we are up to $2.9 billion at 2016 rates. Next years rate increases would increase the taxpayer burden significantly. Recall a 13.2 percent rate increase translates into a higher increase in net premiums because of the design of the federal tax credits. Under Californias public option, those increases would be borne by the state. And after 2017 come 2018, and 2019. Those billions of dollars will add up pretty quickly.

And for what? Narrow networks that will shrink even further under these cost pressures, as the government and insurers squeeze doctors. Neither a federal or state public option can rescue Obamacare. Insurance Commissioners and other state politicians disappointed with Obamacares outcomes must demand Congress to start again, on a reform that puts patients first.

John R. Graham is a Senior Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco and the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas.
HUNTINGTON BEACH What solace Jennifer Paige gets is that when her husband died he was likely happy.

Eddie Paige suffered a fatal heart attack Sunday while on a break from an aerial shoot he was conducting near the Huntington Pier. He was 60.

Im glad he died while he was doing something he loved, said Jennifer Paige, his wife of 25 years. Id proably be freaking out if he had died in a car crash.

Eddie Paige, a 40-year resident in the city and popularly known as Drone Eddie for the aerial still photographs and videos he shot of Huntington Beach and its environs, had become a fixture at local events and could talk endlessly about his aerial photography.

He used his drone for videos of the annual Duck-a-thon charity, the Fourth of July Parade and the Blessing of the Waves, among many events.

One day, when a group of surfers did a paddle-out for a friend who died, Paige volunteered to shoot it and had the surfers arrange themselves in the water in the shape of a heart.

Hed do those things out of the goodness of his heart, Jennifer Paige said.

Heart to heart, that was Eddie Paige.

According to his wife, Paige only took up aerial photography about three years ago at her insistence.

I said You need a hobby. If you dont find one, Ill strangle you. Jennifer Paige recalled. It became his life.

Donna Howell, a family friend, said Paige rarely took half-steps.

When he was into whatever project he was doing, it became his whole life, Howell said.

When Paige wasnt flying  something he took so seriously that he would often eschew alcohol if he was taking the drone out  he was helping others, either passing along tips or teaching people how to fly. When Paige sold one of his used drones, it came with a personalized flight lesson.

He also had become an expert on federal regulations for drone use and was providing input to the city in its ongoing attempts to draft ordinances for drone use and photography.

When Paige and his wife traveled, he often brought the drone. He shot videos of Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City that ran in several magazines. He shot in San Francisco, Vancouver, Canada and up and down the California coast.

He always checked in with local officials and studied drone use ordinances before filming, his wife said.

To Huntington Beach locals, however, he was best known for his seemingly endless collection of photos and videos featuring the iconic Huntington Beach Pier at sunrise and sunset.

On the day he died, Paige posted a video on his DroneEddie facebook page in advance of the upcoming Breitling Huntington Beach Air Show, promoting the event and warning that the air space is a drone-free zone during the weekend.

Paige was born April 15, 1956 in Los Angeles. He liked to joke that the date was tax day, the day the Titanic sunk and Abraham Lincoln died.

Im the only good thing that happened that day, he would say.

A third-generation Angeleno, Paige joined the Navy at the age of 17.

He wanted to do too much in life, he had to get started early, Jennifer Paige said.

According to her, in Paiges five years in the Navy, he was involved with the airlift during the fall of Saigon, earned two Purple Hearts and was even stationed at the White House briefly, where he worked in telecommunications.

After leaving the service, he built several telecommunication companies, moved to Huntington Beach and met Jennifer, and together they raised her three sons.

He became my boys father, Jennifer Paige said.

As Paiges interest in his photography grew, sometimes to the detriment of his business, his wife said he was looking into ways to sell his telecommuncation business and make a living shooting and selling his aerial art. One of his goals was to shoot all the piers along the coast of California.

He had a lot more to do, she said.

Paige is survived by his wife; his mother, Ruth Goldman, 87, of Los Angeles; brothers Steven Goldman of Oregon, Bruce Paige of Houston and Larry Paige of Riverside; sister Lynn Pezez of Lancaster; stepsons Roy McDowell, 35, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Timothy McDowell, 32, of Huntington Beach; Patrick McDowell, 30, of Honolulu; and two step-grandchildren, Damon Futo and Brooklyn Paige McDowell.

A candlelight vigil for Paige will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Huntington Beach Pier. Details for further commemorations are pending.
LONDON  Thousands of men who were convicted under now-abolished British laws against homosexuality are to receive posthumous pardons, the government announced Thursday. Those who are still alive can will be eligible to have their criminal records wiped clean.

The Ministry of Justice said the pardons apply to men convicted for consensual same-sex sexual relations before homosexuality was decriminalized several decades ago. Men living with convictions can apply to the government to have their names cleared.

Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said the government was trying to put right these wrongs.

It is hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offenses who would be innocent of any crime today, he said.

Calls for a general pardon have been building since World War II codebreaker Alan Turing was awarded a posthumous royal pardon in 2013.

The computer science pioneer helped crack Nazi Germanys secret codes by creating the Turing bombe, a forerunner of modern computers. His work helped shorten World War II, and he was an innovator of artificial intelligence.

After the war, Turing was prosecuted for having sex with a man, stripped of his security clearance and forcibly treated with female hormones. He died in 1954 at age 41 after eating an apple laced with cyanide.

A few other countries, including Canada and New Zealand, are considering pardons for people convicted under now-repealed laws against gay sex.

Gay-rights advocacy groups in the United States said they knew of no U.S. state which had contemplated similar action.

However, the U.S. military  after lifting a ban that prevented gays from serving openly in the ranks  adopted a policy which enabled gay soldiers who had been forced out to upgrade their discharges from dishonorable to honorable.

Sex between men remained illegal in England until 1967  and even later in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The age of consent for gay people was not lowered to 16, the same as for heterosexuals, until 2001.

Many gay rights campaigners welcomed Thursdays announcement. But some said the government should go further and issue a blanket pardon, rather than making men apply individually to have their criminal records vacated.

Others said they wanted an apology, not a pardon.

To accept a pardon means to accept that you were guilty. I was not guilty of anything, said 94-year-old writer George Montague, who was convicted of gross indecency  then a commonly used charge for sex between men  in 1974.

I think it was wrong to give Alan Turing, one of the heroes of my life, wrong to give him a pardon, Montague told the BBC. What was he guilty of? Being born only able to fall in love with another man.
Proposition 66 is an ill-conceived attempt to fix Californias failed death penalty system, and its poorly written provisions will increase the risk of executing the innocent. The initiative proposes to re-make Californias capital punishment process to be more like the fast track in Texas, even at a time when Texas, to its credit, has begun to seriously investigate the unreliability of certain forms of forensic science evidence and the problem of prosecutorial misconduct that has led to wrongful convictions and executions of the innocent.

Cameron Todd Willingham was one of those innocent people. In 1991, Willinghams house caught fire and tragically killed his three little girls. Willingham tried to save his daughters, but the fire rapidly engulfed the house. Using invalid science, the fire marshals incorrectly testified that Willingham spread accelerant throughout his house and intentionally set the fire. A jailhouse snitch, claiming he was promised nothing, also testified to a confession. Willingham was convicted of arson murder and sentenced to death.

Willinghams innocence became clear as arson science evolved. Days before his execution in 2004, one of the worlds leading arson scientists submitted a report informing the courts and the governor that the conviction was based on flawed science that had been discredited for more than a decade. But the execution proceeded anyway.

Since then, the nations leading fire scientists and the Texas Forensic Science Commission have reviewed the evidence in the Willingham case and agreed it was unreliable. The Texas State Fire Marshal has begun a review of old arson cases. And the Texas Bar has brought disciplinary charges against the prosecutor who tried Willinghams case because a deal with the jailhouse snitch was not disclosed to the defense.

Exonerations in capital cases are not rare lightning strikes. Since 1989, California exonerated three men sentenced to death in the same period that it executed 13 individuals. A 2014 study by the National Academy of Sciences recently calculated a false conviction rate in capital cases of at least 4.1 percent. Prop. 66 would increase the chance of executing innocent people by stripping away protections that prevent unjust executions. It would sharply limit the ability of defendants to introduce new evidence of innocence. It would require inexperienced attorneys to take on death penalty cases, increasing the likelihood of mistakes, while impairing the rights of individuals to raise these concerns in court.

Ensuring innocent people are not executed takes time; Prop. 66 cuts that time short. Seven of the last 10 exonerations across the country occurred 25 years or more after the death sentence was imposed. Prop. 66 attempts to rush executions by enforcing arbitrary time limits for appeals and preventing courts from considering new evidence.

Prop. 66 has other unintended consequences as well. The nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office estimates that Prop. 66 will cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars with additional unknown costs in the future. The initiative will add two more layers of government bureaucracy by requiring local county courts to handle death penalty appeals first, before sending those cases to the state Supreme Court, potentially causing more delays.

Truth be told, the best way to prevent the execution of the innocent, save $150 million annually of taxpayer money and relieve overburdened courts is to vote yes on Prop. 62, which repeals the death penalty and substitutes life without the possibility of parole. In contrast, Prop. 66 promises a speed up that will never happen, values expediency over fairness and accuracy, dramatically increases costs and assures that California will execute the innocent  a morally intolerable event by anyones calculus. Vote no on Prop. 66.

Barry Scheck co-founded the Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
China pursues active role in Syrian solution Updated: 2016-10-21 07:11 By Harvey Morris(China Daily Europe)

China is pursuing an active role in finding a solution to the Syrian conflict, as leaders of the so-called BRICs countries ended a summit meeting in the Indian state of Goa Oct 16 with a call for a resolution of the civil war.

The declaration, which called for an agreement that reflected the legitimate aspirations of its people and urged action against terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State, followed a bilateral meeting at the summit between China's President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at which the two leaders exchanged views on Syria.

For reasons of history and geography, China has tended to maintain a relative distance from the conflicts that have afflicted the Middle East in recent years. However, Beijing has been signaling a closer engagement with Middle East issues since Xi made his first presidential visit to the region in January, including trips to regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In forums such as the United Nations Security Council, China and Russia have over the years consistently pursued a policy of nonintervention in the affairs of other sovereign states unless it is at the request of the states in question, as was the case with Syria's appeal for military support from the Russians.

Beijing and Moscow have been increasingly wary since they allowed the UN to mandate a humanitarian no-fly-zone over Libya in 2011 which they believe was then misused by Western powers to legitimize military intervention in that country.

Since Xi's Middle East visit in January, Beijing has named its first special envoy for the Syrian conflict. The appointment of Xie Xiaoyan, a career diplomat, was described by officials when it was announced in March as an indication of Beijing's proactive engagement in helping to tackle a crisis that could only be solved by peaceful means. Among Xie's first visits were trips to Damascus and Moscow.

With continuing bloodshed in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, and elsewhere, and the near-breakdown of US and Russian efforts to secure a cease-fire amid mutual accusations between Washington and Moscow, the prospects for peace now appear even slimmer than when Xie was appointed.

On the ground, China has increased its engagement with the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. In August, Rear Admiral Guan Youfei visited the Syrian capital to mark 60 years of relations between the two countries and to reiterate China's support for Syrian independence and sovereignty.

Guan met Fahad Fahd Jassim al-Freij, the Syrian defense minister, and the two sides agreed to further Chinese involvement. On a visit that also included talks with a senior Russian officer in the Syrian capital, Guan highlighted China's active role in seeking a political solution.

In that context, China is defining its own policy on Syria that appears aimed at enabling it to play an active role of its own in an eventual Syrian settlement. While broadly supporting Moscow within the Security Council, China nevertheless abstained in a vote on Syria in September that Russia vetoed. Russia complained that the French-sponsored resolution calling for an end to the bombing of Aleppo was distorted and would provide cover for terrorists.

Venezuela was the only country to vote with Russia. China's abstention, rather than being seen as an attempt to isolate Moscow, could better be regarded as Beijing's contribution to an even-handed approach to cool the tempers between the main protagonists in the Security Council.

The author is a veteran foreign affairs commentator. Contact the author on harvey.morris@gmail.com. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page11)
The date was Oct. 23, 1956.

It was close to 9 p.m. Tens of thousands of people  many of them college students  marched upon the Radio Budapest building to broadcast their demands to the communist government dominated by the Soviets. Topping the list was their demand for the Soviets to leave Hungary  and take their tanks with them.

Laguna Beach resident Elizabeth Varo Rozsnyais husband, Zoltan, was in that crowd, which was angered and roused to a frenzy by Hungarian Communist Party leader Erno Geros cold dismissal of their demands.

The situation escalated and that was when we heard the first machine gun firing  rat-a-tat-tat, Rozsnyai, now 89, recalled. The Hungarian Revolution had begun.

Zoltan Rozsnyai, a young orchestra conductor at the time, made it home. Days later, after the revolution ended, he escaped with his wife and 3-year-old daughter to Vienna to escape capture and imprisonment. There, he formed the Philharmonia Hungaric, an orchestra consisting of Hungarian refugee musicians. The family moved to San Diego in 1967 when Rozsnyai became the music director of the San Diego Symphony.

Like Rozsnyai, for many Hungarian families that settled in Orange County and around Southern California, the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution being observed Sunday, brings back memories of the uprising and fleeing their country with little but the clothes on their backs.

More than 200,000 Hungarians were forced to risk the dangerous crossing of barbed wire border fences and mines to flee to Austria and what was Yugoslavia. At least 3,000 people, hailed as martyrs by the Hungarians, were killed as they stood up to the Soviet Army.

Following the revolution  which is believed to have weakened the position of the Soviets in Europe  thousands of Hungarians were arrested, with 13,000 imprisoned and hundreds executed. The age limit for the death penalty was reduced at the time to 16.

For Hungarians, the sacrifices made for the sake of democracy during the revolution are among the most glorious chapters of their national history.

The Orange County families that came to the U.S. as refugees are remembering the heroes who stood up for their homeland and fought for what they believed in, said Judith Kastely-Ruzicska, co-director of Orange County Hungarians.

When you talk about expat communities in Orange County, Hungarians are not even mentioned, she said. Thats because we look like natives, we learned the language and we assimilated.

But thousands of Hungarians live in the area and many of the older families, like Rozsnyais, came here as political asylum seekers soon after the 1956 revolt, Kastely-Ruzicska said. There is no data available for the exact number of Hungarians in Orange County, she said.

Louis Boyer, 81, of San Clemente, lived through the 19 days of the revolution as an ambulance driver for a military hospital in Budapest. He drove doctors and nurses and picked up fighters and innocent civilians who had been shot and wounded.

I remember this one particular incident where families had lined up outside a bakery for bread, he said, adding that food was scarce at the time. That was when (the Soviets) fired at them. There were women in that line holding little children. That stuck with me for a long time.

Boyer also remembers getting shot at  a lot.

Bullets whizzed past my shoulders and ears as I was driving, he said. I hated it. But I never fired a gun.

Boyer, a retired Boeing engineer, still recoils at the mention of guns.

He would drive around mostly at night because there was less shooting after dark. He would be told to leave those who were dead on the street and pick up only those who were still moving.

Boyer also remembers anguished parents coming to the hospital looking for their children among the wounded.

When you heard that gut-wrenching scream, you knew that a parent had found their child, he said. It was heartbreaking to watch.

He saw the bloodied faces and bodies of the wounded in his nightmares for a while. And then, with time, they faded away.

Boyer was decorated for bravery during the revolution and for assisting the wounded. He fled a month after the revolt with a couple of his friends to Austria and moved to the U.S. shortly afterward.

The Hungarian refugees from the time of the revolution came here with a thankful heart, said Tibor Farkas, 76, of Orange, a retired subsystems manager at Boeing, who started the website 56erhungariansinamerica.org to tell the stories of those who came to the U.S. after the revolt.

Farkas said he even helped resettle Vietnamese refugees who escaped the communist regime in their homeland after the fall of Saigon.

I understood what they were going through, he said. They had been oppressed by communists just as we were.

Zsolt Bor, 67, of San Clemente, was just 7 during the revolution.

I remember collecting empty shells lying on the street and bringing them back home because they were so shiny, he said. My father was so angry. I was punished.

The revolution was short, but its effect was big and was felt around Europe, Farkas said. The Soviet Unions tyranny was not as strong as before and other countries in Europe understood the power of a peoples revolution.

This generation of Hungarians in Orange County seems to view the current refugee crisis differently.

We went through a long process to come to America, Bor said, adding that they even had to prove that they were not Nazis. It was a process that ensured that we would become productive citizens.

Also, there were few cultural differences, he said.

When you dont assimilate, its not good, Bor said. It just creates more tension.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com
SAN FRANCISCO  Thousands of critically endangered baby toads are en route to Puerto Rico from the Oakland Zoo.

Thursdays flight marks the second year the Oakland Zoo has taken part in a breeding program to re-establish the green, brown, red and yellow Puerto Rico crested toad on its home island. Zoological manager Adam Fink says the zoo uses wine fridges and rain chambers to simulate conditions that adult toads need to breed.

Fink and others spent Wednesday netting, bagging and counting 4,069 week-old tadpoles for their flight in an airline cargo hold. Wildlife officials expect to receive the tadpoles later Thursday in Puerto Rico. Theyll be released in protected ponds on the island.

The Puerto Rico crested toad had been thought extinct until biologists found a few survivors in 1984.
A Fountain Valley doctor faces possible state Medical Board discipline for alleged sexual misconduct toward a female patient, according to legal documents made public this week.

Dr. Arfa Babaknia, who practices family medicine, is accused of sexual abuse and/or misconduct stemming from a 2015 visit with a patient who sought treatment for a urinary tract infection.

The documents say that Babaknia examined the patient without anyone else in the room and touched her genitals without a medical reason to do so. During the exam, he repeatedly asked about her first sexual experience, the documents say.

Babaknia did not return a phone call Thursday seeking comment.

The board has the authority to discipline doctors with punishments ranging from a public reprimand to loss of license to practice. To look up a doctors disciplinary record, visit mbc.ca.gov.

Contact the writer: cperkes@scng.com 714-796-3686
DELAWARE, Ohio  Donald Trump insisted Thursday that he wont cede the right to contest the outcome of the presidential election, even as Democrats and Republicans expressed concern that his position threatened to upend Americas tradition of peaceful power transfers. But in a small gesture of civility, he suggested that he would not dispute the result if the outcome of the race was clear.

Trumps reluctance to pledge absolutely that he will honor the election outcome follows a rocky performance in the third and last presidential debate and comes as the candidates set off for the frenzied final stretch of campaigning ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

On Thursday, Trump continued to rally his supporters with conspiracy theories about how the race was rigged against him, but he did make clear there was one result he would not challenge under any circumstance.

I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election  if I win, Trump said to cheers at a rally here.

Saying that George W. Bush might have lost the 2000 election to Al Gore if he had made a pre-election pledge not to challenge results, Trump said he would not take that option off the table. He did, however, try to ease concerns that he was planning to throw the country into post-election turmoil.

Of course I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result, he said, appearing to accept the possibility of defeat. I will follow and abide by all the rules and traditions of all of the many candidates who came before me, always.

He added, Bottom line, were going to win.

Polls show Trump trailing Hillary Clinton in many crucial battleground states and facing close races in states that usually back Republicans, increasing the possibility that he could lose the election by a big margin in the Electoral College.

Because contested election results must happen on a state-by-state basis, a stinging defeat could render Trumps threats to dispute the results a moot point.

To emphasize that, the Clinton campaign initiated a new fundraising pitch imploring supporters to help run up the score.

We cant just beat this guy, Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for Clinton, wrote to potential donors. Weve got to beat him so definitively that Hillarys victory is undeniable.

Clintons running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, said he hopes voters will give the Democratic ticket a mandate in the election so that Trump cant cast doubt on the outcome.

Democrats seized on Trumps comments Thursday as evidence that he is not fit to be president.

President Barack Obama, speaking at a rally in Miami, skewered Trump for complaining of a rigged system and rejected the notion that an election in a country as large as the United States could be manipulated. He said Trump was weakening the country by casting doubts about the validity of the election.

When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in peoples minds about our elections, that undermines our democracy, Obama said. Youre doing the work of our adversaries for them.

The uproar over Trumps potential unwillingness to abide by the results of the election threatens to further unravel a candidacy already in sharp decline. Trump has fallen well behind Clinton in the polls after her three strong debate performances and as Trump has faced escalating accusations that he sexually assaulted women.
OAKLAND  The Oakland Police Department, already reeling from a large-scale sex scandal involving several of its officers, announced Thursday that another officer was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution and obstruction of justice charges in an unrelated case.

Oakland police said they arrested Ryan Walterhouse, 26, Wednesday night when he reported to work. Investigators say Walterhouse was placed under surveillance about three weeks ago after a colleague reported suspicions of Walterhouse to a supervisor.

The Alameda County district attorneys office charged Walterhouse with two felony obstruction charges and a misdemeanor count of soliciting a prostitute. He is charged with twice tipping off a prostitute to police stings earlier this month.

It is completely outrageous, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said at a news conference announcing the arrest.

Deputy Chief John Lois declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation. Lois said Walterhouse joined the department in 2014.

Walterhouse was released from jail early Thursday morning, Alameda County jail records show. Its unclear if he is represented by counsel. Oakland Police Officers Association President Barry Donelan didnt return a phone call or email inquiry.

Lois said Walterhouses arrest was unrelated to the ongoing sex scandal involving the teenage daughter of a department dispatcher. The teen says she slept with 29 Bay Area officers while working as a prostitute

Three police chiefs and four officers have been fired or quit the department since the sex scandal became public in June.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley said seven current and retired San Francisco Bay Area officers are being charged criminally for their alleged involvement with the teenager. Two officers have been charged with having underage sex with teenager.

The Associated Press generally doesnt identify victims of sexual crimes.
Every year, in the second week of October, millions of Roman-Catholic devotees from all over Brazil descend on the city of Belem to attend Cirio de Nazare, the countrys largest religious festival, and to touch a 400-meter-long piece of rope believed to have the power to heal the sick.

Cirio de Nazare has been celebrated intermittently in Brazil since 1793. The event revolves around a small statue of Nossa Senhora de Nazare (Our Lady of Nazareth), an artifact supposedly sculpted in Nazareth that is believed to have performed miracles in medieval Portugal, before being lost in Brazil. Legend has it that a cattleman found it in a canal during the 1700s, but every time he took it out of the water, it would disappear, only to be found again in the original place it was discovered. The people of Belem believed that it was Our Ladys wish to remain there, so they built a church there, which would later become todays Nazare Basilica.

The celebration lasts two weeks, but the climax of the event is on the first Sunday, when the small statue is taken from the citys Catedral da Se to the Nazare Basilica, on a flower-bedecked carriage pulled by thousands of devotees. The night before the procession about 15.000 devotees queue in front of the cathedral to secure a place near the 400-meter-long piece of rope used to pull the carriage through the city. Men and women align on two separate lines, and by 10 a.m. on Sunday, the human density around the rope reaches an incredible 10 people per meter.

Photo: Osmar Arouck/Wikimedia Commons

As the statue of Nossa Senhora de Nazare begins its 3.5km journey to Nazare Basilica, over 2 million people accompany it through the streets, singing to the chants aired by the speakers along the path, to salute the passage of the Virgin. The most devoted of them squirm and and grope to get a hand on the rope pulling the vehicle, and those that are successful struggle to keep their grip. Its a daunting task, as the procession moves at a snails pace, and the high humidity and temperature (often around 40 degrees Celsius) make it hard to breathe.

Fainting is common during the five-to-nine hours it takes for the procession to reach its destination, but volunteers and doctors are always standing by to provide swift medical attention and evacuate sufferers. Getting to them is not the easiest thing in the world, as the area around the rope is so densely packed, that those feeling sick couldnt escape it even if they wanted to. Many of the barefoot supplicants finish the journey on their knees, with barely enough stamina to keep from passing out. They view the rope as a link between the Saint and her followers, and most of them would rather collapse then let go.



But even as the procession reaches its destination, the devotees dont loosen their grip one bit. Instead they wait for someone to cut the rope in small pieces, maneuvering the tight space between their hands, so they can keep them as holy souvenirs of their struggle and evidence of their strong faith. The tiniest thread of rope is believed to have miraculous healing powers, and many believers go through this whole ordeal in the hopes of curing themselves or their loved ones of serious health conditions.

This year, the pressure on the rope was so great that it broke halfway through the procession. It is estimated that 8,000 people got the chance to reach it.

Sources: Lonely Planet, Plus55, Valerio Berdini Photography
Lisa Kersey

For healthcare PR and marketing professionals, intentional communications has never been more important to the brand. Unprecedented consolidation in the industry continues as providers shift their business models from being rooted in volume to driving value. Whats more, technology has changed the way consumers, patients and even employees communicate, seek information and define the news.

For healthcare communicators, these changes will fundamentally impact the way people perceive and experience your brand. Not to mention creating new risks to manage. The way you communicate can make or break your brand. In fact, according to a report published by Harvard Business Review, based on a global survey of nearly 600 executives across health and other industries, effective communications was identified as one of the top three factors most likely to bring success. And its worth noting that it ranked second only to delivering a high level of customer service.

The good news is that most healthcare providers already are focusing on delivering a higher level of service, primarily through patient experience initiatives. The bad news is that most are not investing in enhancing communications. So while healthcare communicators have traditionally been thought of as promoters of the top line, todays healthcare market requires them to be equally adept at protecting the bottom line.

Building reputation through change

If theres one constant in healthcare right now, its change. And if theres a second, its ineffective communication, particularly during times of change, which is unfortunate, since every organizational change represents either an opportunity to build your brand or detract from it.

Sometimes, providers are so focused on the change itself, that communication about the change from a brand perspective is all but lost. Other times, organizations lack good infrastructure for effective communication to deliver meaningful information and engage with stakeholders. Either way, providers are investing millions of dollars in new business models and technologies, as well as new affiliations intended to improve their market position and long-term sustainability. Ironically, at the same time, they are shortchanging themselves on the potential benefits of these changes, and even losing money by short-circuiting communications.

A McKinsey study examined projects across 40 companies and assessed, among other things, the effect of organizational change management on a projects ROI. The study findings are clear:

For companies with strong change management, every dollar spent yielded a 43 cent gain.

For companies with weak change management, very dollar spent resulted in a 65 cent loss.

Just as the strongest brands are built from the inside out, so too, the best return on investment occurs when you galvanize internal audiences around a change first. As providers continue to be challenged on top line revenue because of declining reimbursement trends and increased risk-based contracting, guarding the bottom line is essential, especially in times of change.

Protecting reputation through crisis

Speaking of protecting the bottom line, leading healthcare providers are proactive when it comes to crisis communications and preparedness. While the cost of recovering from a crisis varies by organization and the strength of the brand going into the crisis, no one doubts that the cost is real. Just ask Chipotle. Or Texas Health Presbyterian.

For healthcare providers, the stakes are especially high and the opportunities vast, as evidenced by the unrelenting headlines. Yet, most hospitals continue to be reactive when issues hit home. Outside of plans and drills for managing natural disasters, most hospitals and health systems lack a robust plan to help prepare them for protecting their reputation, no matter the size or source of the issue or event. But why? The answer: most healthcare organizations are dealing with the immediate burning fires. If there are no flames, it will have to wait. But waiting cant be an option if you are serious about protecting your reputation. And in the era of risk-based models of care, its prime time for healthcare communicators to demonstrate their role in minimizing organizational risk and the associated cost.

Consider this estimate: A recent IBM study estimated the cost of lost business resulting from a data breach at $1.57 million. Included in this estimate were increased cost of customer acquisition and diminished goodwill.

Here are four tips to help you prepare for managing a crisis and minimizing reputational fallout.

Imagine your risk. Invest a few hours of time to engage with your communications team and key stakeholders to identify scenarios for which you are at risk. What scenarios have you dealt with in the past? What have your competitors experienced? What are you seeing in the headlines? Be thorough but also be realistic. Then categorize and prioritize your scenarios.

Conduct an audit. This will help you understand your reputational risk and enable you to identify and correct any deficits in process, resources, infrastructure or approvals that may be needed. Do you have key policies and procedures in place to manage a crisis? Do you have key spokespeople and identified subject matter experts? Have they been media trained? Do you have draft messaging prepared, including social posts? Do you have a dark site?

Create/revise your reputation management plan. Based on your risk imagination exercise and results of the audit, create a detailed playbook. This should include processes, procedures, resources, roles and responsibilities, decision trees, messaging, media training schedules, scenario-based training schedules, post-crisis evaluation exercise and dates for future revisions (annually is advised).

Invest in scenario-based training. There is no better way to prepare for a crisis than to pretend like youre in one and evaluate your performance in a safe environment. From your imagination exercise, choose a few of the most likely near-term crises as the basis for your training session. Participants should be members of the team most likely to be impacted by these scenarios.

Just as providers are shifting their conversations and business models from managing sick care to promoting wellness and prevention, healthcare communicators would be wise to shift from reactive crisis planning to proactive reputation management. Because when it comes to a crisis, the fallout goes well beyond the immediate financial impact. Its about restoring relationships and trust with key stakeholders. And the cost of reputation recovery is much greater if youve neglected to invest ahead of time.

* * *



Lisa Kersey, MHA, is Vice President at PadillaCRT.
Patrick Hirigoyen

If Thursday nights Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is any indication, our two presidential candidates share a needed room for improvement in one important category: humor.

Room for improvement may be an understatement. Based on his performance at the event, Donald Trump would receive a grade of F. Several of his jokes not only fell flat, but were embarrassing to those at the event and others watching on TV.

Hillary Clinton, by comparison, did better, but even she couldnt avoid throwing some barbs at her opponent, as well as at someone who isnt even running. Clintons grade: C.

The dinner is a glitzy, formal event held every four years by the Archdiocese of New York to raise money for Catholic Charities. Named for the first Roman Catholic to be nominated by a major party for President, its an occasion for the candidates to come together in a spirit of camaraderie, joke about themselves and enjoy the evening not as partisans, but as Americans.

In recent years, candidates have made the occasion a memorable campaign high point. See: John McCain (2008), Mitt Romney (2012), and Barack Obama (2008 and 2012).

But not this time. When they could have to inserted some humor and respect into what has been a dispiriting campaign, Trump and Clinton still resorted to partisan  even cheap  personal attacks.

Crossing lines

First, lets recognize some lines that did show a mature sense of humor. Trump:

You know, Cardinal Dolan and I have some things in common. For instance, we both run impressive properties on Fifth Avenue. Of course, his is much more impressive than mine. Thats because I built mine with my own [pause] beautifully formed [longer pause] hands.

Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it, its fantastic. They think shes absolutely great. My wife Melania [as Trump said this, the camera showed her shaking her head and smiling, clearly in on the joke] gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case.

Hillary accidentally bumped into me, and she very civilly said pardon me. [Pauses as many in the room laughed]. And I very politely replied, let me talk to you about that once I get into office.

The last one started to cross the line from self-deprecating to sniping, but the room laughed, and if hed stopped there, he wouldve been okay.

In her remarks, Clinton also brought some very funny lines:

This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here.

As youve already heard, its a treat for all of you, too, because usually I charge a lot for speeches like this.

Now Ive just got to say, there are a lot of friendly faces here in this room. People Ive been privileged to know and work with. I just want to put you in a basket of adorables.

But she, too, couldnt resist attacking her opponent:

Because this is a friendly dinner for such a great cause, Donald, if at any time you dont like what Im saying, feel free to stand up and shout Wrong! while Im talking.

Come to think of it, its amazing Im up here after Donald. I didnt think hed be OK with a peaceful transition of power.

And Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny you ever gave it.

It should be pointed out that, through these jokes, Trump continued to smile, but at the next quip Clinton, too, started to lose the room:

People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, [here, the groans started], maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

And, without any need or reason, Clinton took an entirely unnecessary swipe at former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was at the dinner:

Many dont know this but Rudy actually got his start as a prosecutor going after wealthy New Yorkers who avoided paying taxes. But as the saying goes, if you cant beat him, go on Fox News and call him a genius.

Giuliani didnt smile at that one. Based on the crowd reaction, many in the room werent amused either.

How to bomb

As news reports have highlighted, Trumps turn at the lectern included snipes that not only werent funny, but elicited boos and catcalls:

Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate commission [stunned silence, followed by some boos].

Weve learned so much from Wikileaks. For example, Hillary believes its vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private [more boos].

For example, here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics [even louder boos and shouts from the crowd].

Comedy club audiences have a term for Trumps performance: he bombed.

Comics will tell you that it isnt easy to be funny. Speechwriters acknowledge how difficult it can be to write humor that effectively suits an occasion, audience or speaker.

But I would suggest that humor may be the most underrated leadership quality today, especially among politicians. Presidents who have possessed a good sense of humor have employed it to disarm opponents, gain voter support and earn wide respect.

Presidential humor takes many forms. For some, it has been displayed in intelligent wit; for example, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

For others, its through self-deprecation. This, in fact, may be the most powerful form of presidential humor: it shows the voters that youre not arrogant, but a humble human being people can admire and identify with.

Along with Romney, McCain and Obama, others with this talent have included Al Gore and the Presidents Bush (both George H.W. as well as George W.). All of them pale in comparison to the master of self-deprecating presidential humor, Abraham Lincoln.

The Al Smith dinner is a highly visible, much-anticipated opportunity for the presidential candidates to display that quality. The ones who have done so have shown how humor can help bridge the political divide that hobbles our country today.

Sadly, both of this years candidates failed in that regard. As a result, they not only brought embarrassment and discomfort to those at the event, but also let down the voters, who crave leaders who can display confidence, optimism, hope and even joy.



* * *

Patrick Hirigoyen, APR, is Principal of The Hirigoyen Group, a public relations and communications consulting firm. He provides senior management counsel in public relations strategies and tactics; his clients have included a variety of financial and professional services firms. Additional information is at www.thehirigoyengroup.com.
Toyota unveiled the all-new Tacoma in 2016, and boy was it a long time coming. After a 10-year life cycle for the second-generation truck, a period when Tacoma was the best-selling mid-size truck and dominated the market so well that many manufacturers simply left it entirely, it was simply time for something new.

Fortunately, Toyota didnt skimp and just do a minor facelift with the new Tacoma. It brought a lot to the table in the new mid-sizer, including a modernized interior, a more efficient engine with comparable performance to the previous one, and quite a few tweaks to the exterior styling (along with big improvements in aerodynamics). The thing we love most about the third-gen Tacoma is the new TRD Off-Road version, because not only does it offer new off-road features and upgraded Bilstein monotube shocks, it also offers a bigger, tougher rear axle not offered on any other model (and no air dam!). The new Tacoma TRD Off-Road wasnt just stickers and floor mats  it actually offered noteworthy off-road features.

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While the TRD Off Road is good, the 2017 TRD Pro is intended to be better. Toyota is taking the Tacomas off-road performance to another level with its TRD Pro, and it might seem a little confusing at first that the new Tacoma TRD Pro is actually based on the TRD Off Road package. But what separates the two is the Pro adds additional next-level performance upgrades and a unique styling package. Toyota invited us on an adventure across the Pacific to the island of Maui to test drive the new truck, and after our short trip to the Hawaiian Islands we have a pretty good handle on how the TRD Pro differs and whether or not its worth the extra coin.

Whats Pro About This TRD Package?

If youre wondering whats so different with the TRD Pro, or more specifically why its any better than the TRD Off-Road package, allow us break it down. The biggest addition for the Pro is in the suspension department in the form of new Fox remote-reservoir shocks. While the TRD Off-Road package already offers upgraded suspension in the form of Bilstein monotube shocks that are 1.5 inches in diameter, the TRD Pro employs much larger front and rear 2.5-inch Fox shocks. The Fox shocks have larger, 66mm aluminum bodies that allow for quick heat dissipation. The rear shocks are the same size but also feature piggyback reservoirs for additional oil capacity to help keep temperatures low and reduce cavitation so the shocks keep performing even in the most demanding off-road terrain.

The 2.5-inch Fox shocks offer improved performance, but they also provide additional lift over the TRD Off-Road package. The front coilover Fox shocks, when paired TRD-tuned Eibach springs, provide two inches of lift to give the truck a heightened, more aggressive stance that also improves the approach and departure angles for the truck on the trail (though the actual ground clearance between models doesnt change). To complement the changes up front, Toyota features TRD-tuned progressive-rate leaf springs.

Toyotas goal for the TRD Pro s to provide a next-level off-road truck that doesnt sacrifice on-road handling, towing or payload capacities  so essentially make it better off of the highway without ruining its other truck qualities. These Fox shocks are a huge part of the equation because they feature internal bypass position-sensitive damping, so not only are they larger to accommodate bigger internal pistons and additional oil to dissipate heat and reduce shock fade, but they also feature different internal damping zones to adapt to the conditions. The front shocks features five compression zones and three rebound zones, while the rears feature seven compression zones and four rebound zones. What this basically means is the Fox 2.5 shocks can adjust on the fly to constantly changing trail conditions. Fox also employs a new base valve on the shocks to basically eliminate cavitation (air mixing with the oil to reduce the oils ability to dampen). The shocks actually provide slightly softer damping, and to compensate and reduce understeer Toyota added a larger front stabilizer bar to handle the increased height and roll of the truck.

The Pro features a blacked-out TRD 16-inch wheel fitted with Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain tires that are reinforced with Kevlar. Whats most interesting about the wheels isnt so much the murdered-out look but the fact that they feature an offset that actually widens the track width of the truck by 1 inch for added stability on and off of the highway.

With the suspension updates making up a large majority of the TRD Pros performance features, there are no major changes to the engine, as the 3.5-liter Atkinson-cycle V6 powers the truck. A TRD cat-back stainless-steel exhaust is added to give the truck a slightly more aggressive growl. The exhaust also provides a small bump in performance by reducing backflow, though Toyota doesnt quote any specific figure.

Additional upgrades on the TRD Pro include a beefy, 1/4-inch aluminum front skid plate, which Toyota says is upgraded from previous designs to include a trap door to make oil changes a far simpler task. For additional trail illumination, Rigid Industries LED fog lamps are employed that feature split optics to provide considerably more illumination. Toyotas chief truck engineer Mike Sweers noted the key task in working with Rigid was to make sure the lights were compliant with stock vehicle regulations (which they are).

In the looks department, there are a lot of tweaks on the TRD Pro to make it stand out. The obvious ones include the TRD Pro logo on the side of the truck and blacked-out badging on the tailgate, TRD Pro stitching on the leather seats (Toyota opted for leather on this version because customers werent fond of mud trapping in the previous fabric seats), a TRD Pro shift lever and floor mats. The front projector-beam headlights feature black bezels and the rear taillights do as well. You might also notice the TRD Pro has a hood scoop, as the hood design from the TRD Sport is borrowed for the Pro to give it an aggressive look.

Since the TRD Pro is essentially a premium off-roader, there isnt much in the way of options (though there are a few your local dealer would be happy to sell you). The configuration is limited as well, since the truck will only be offered in a Double Cab (four-door) version, with the 3.5L V6 standard equipment with the option of either a manual transmission (starting at $40,760) or an automatic (starting at $42,760).

Impressed Impression?

Driving the Tacoma TRD Pro in Hawaii is hardly what wed call a tough day in the office. So, were going to take a helicopter to a private ranch near Hana on Maui to drive the truck for the first time? Yeah, of course, sign us up. The phenomenal setting for our event didnt detour us from our goal of the trip: find out if this off-road package takes the Tacoma to the next level.

In our last test of the Tacoma TRD Off-Road for our 2016 Mid-Size Shootout, a test in which the new Tacoma ended up on top, we praised the truck for its effortless confidence off-road. The Tacoma TRD Off-Road offers a composed off-road suspension package thats great in fast-paced open desert conditions or more technical hill climbs and rock crawls, and the ground clearance, departure and approach angles compared to the rest of the class makes the truck feel right at home in the dirt.

The TRD Pro takes all of those positive attributes and makes them better  much better. The heightened stance of the TRD Pro is the first thing noticed when stepping into the truck, but as we started to cruise around the lumpy ranch roads that see consistent rain throughout the year it was clear the additional travel and larger shocks make the truck even more composed when the going gets rough.

Our trip to Hawaii proved to be a great test, as a large downpour of rain just hours before our arrival to Hana Ranch made the conditions pretty sloppy. Our first stop was dubbed the race course, and the muddy, greasy conditions in someone elses truck just meant pure fun for us. It was so muddy in some turns that youd easily overshoot corners, finding unforeseen bumps and ruts, but the truck just took it all in stride. The conditions were so muddy that practically any tire would get gunked up and full of mud, but it was clear in this section the weak spot of the truck is the Goodyear Kevlar all-terrain tires. For us, they simply arent an aggressive enough to match the rest of the trucks capabilities. Its an easy fix, but wed just like to see something more suited to the truck on this turnkey package.

Throughout the day, we had plenty of opportunity to test the front and rear automatic limited slip differentials and the selectable rear locker (exactly the type of addition we like to see on a true off-road package). Although we griped about the tires a little bit the TRD Pros traction in just about everything we threw at it was great. There wasnt really anything we encountered that put the truck out of its comfort zone.

Two systems Toyota highlighted during our event were the Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control, functions found on the TRD Off Road and the TRD Pro. Multi-Terrain Select is pretty simple to use overall, as you simply adjust the dial for the system to the appropriate terrain and the truck helps control wheel spin to provide additional traction where needed. Easy peasy.

Toyota took us to another portion of the ranch to test Crawl Control system, and it had a few good demonstrations ranging from mild to a little more wild. Crawl Control, which is activated via a button and dial on the overhead controls, puts the truck into a slow-speed off-road setting that works only when the truck is in 4WD Low. Crawl Control allows the driver to focus on steering the truck in challenging spots while the system takes over the controls for throttle and braking, although you do have the ability to select the speed the truck will ascend or descend a section but all settings are within only a few mph at very slow speeds. To clarify which Crawl speed the truck is in, the LED instrumentation speed will also alert the driver so he doesnt have to take his eyes off the trail to look at the overhead dial.

After testing the system on a moderate downhill section with a tight hairpin exit turn, we later took a more epic downhill adventure down a trail of broken down lava rock. Like a version of a lava-rock sand hill, the decent had two sections, both of which had at least a portion that was basically a controlled slide. Using Crawl control, wed ease into each downhill portion and straight out the truck for the short slide. The system works as intended and forces the driver to simply take on one job  steer! Weve never been a big fan of descent control systems like Crawl Control, as wed prefer to control every aspect of the vehicle to stay in tune with the trail because to us thats half the fun. That said, this trip gave us a little better perspective on how Crawl Control can even be useful to the experienced off-roader, and as weve seen in previous demonstrations the system does a great job of helping get unstuck as well.

An Honest Off-Road Truck

Toyota aimed to create the most capable off-road truck in its class without sacrificing its on-road performance. Although we spent all of our time for this impression off of pavement, in our book Toyota has hit the mark. The TRD Pro adds on true performance off-road suspension, some additional lift, and enough design cues to make the truck special and unique enough to warrant its existence versus just offering some of the upgrades as add-on parts.

The first incarnation of the Tacoma TRD Pro in 2015 was a decent truck but it still felt a little rough around the edges, which wasnt a big surprise since that generation had one foot out the door. After a break in 2016, Toyota returned for the upcoming 2017 model year with a truck that simply feels more complete, and the whether thats due to having more time to tinker with the suspension or its the switch from Bilstein shocks on the 2015 TRD Pro to the 2.5 Fox internal bypass shock on the 2017 model, the truck just feels more dialed in compared to the previous version. One thing worth nothing is the TRD Pro also get the same updates the 2017 Tacoma will, which is mainly a new power rear sliding window.

Pricing for the truck isnt exactly cheap, but considering its pretty close to a turn-key truck (even though we would want to swap out the tires) the pricing of about $41,000 for the manual and roughly $43,000 for the auto isnt ridiculous. Color choices include Barcelona Red Metallic, Cement and Super White. The truck will also be covered by Toyotas basic limited warranty, which includes 3 years/36,000 bumper to bumper and 5 years/60,000 miles for the powertrain.

The bottom line is the Tacoma TRD Pro is a great mid-sized off-road truck. If you think you might want one, keep in mind they are only offered in limited quantities (about 5,000 or so) and they are already in dealerships now.

MORE TOYOTA STORIES

2016 Mid-Size Truck Shootout

Toyota, Expedition Overland and an Epic Off-Road Journey
Family structures throughout Ireland have certainly changed beyond what would have been considered the traditional family unit, that of a man and a woman who are both in their first marriage.

There are thousands of what is termed 'cohabiting couples' in Offaly  who are not getting the tax breaks of those enjoyed by married couples.

Although this new family unit is becoming more and more common, in the Dail recently Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan said, in response to a Private Members Question, that the tax treatment of different categories of couples, arise from the objective of respecting the Constitutional requirements to protect the institution of marriage.

He also said that, any change in the tax treatment of cohabiting couples can only be addressed in the broader context of future social and legal policy development in relation to such couples and implementing changes to the tax treatment of such couples would be difficult, intrusive and time-consuming.

However, Irelands leading protection specialist, Royal London believe that perhaps the Government need to give greater thought to making changes  no matter how difficult.

Royal London undertook research to gauge peoples perceptions on some of the emerging issues in relation to the new fluid family unit. Irelands leading protection specialist commissioned IReach to conduct a survey of 1,000 people throughout the country of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds to ascertain whether or not they would support a change in the tax treatment of couples who choose not to get married  but who are still in long-term committed cohabiting relationships.

Michelle Murphy, Royal London Broker Consultant in Offaly commented, As cohabiting couples are, by far, the fastest-growing type of new family unit in Ireland perhaps its time that theyre considered within the current tax regime. While the Ministers position around the complexity of making any alternations to the current tax regime is understandable, our survey shows there would be a lot of public support for change.

What our survey revealed is that a significant majority (79%) of people think couples who choose not to marry but who are in long term committed relationships should be given the same tax treatment as married couples.

Marriage isnt for everyone and it appears from the results of our study that most people dont have any issue with a more equitable tax treatment for those who choose not to tie the knot.

The survey revealed that women (81%), older adults (82%) and those from Connacht/Ulster (82%) are most likely to think long terms couples should have the same tax treatment as married couples. Interestingly, young adults (25%) are most likely to be against the proposal.

Michelle continued, Ooer the last 20 years the family structure has been through a lot of change. Two of the biggest influencers have been constitutional changes; firstly the removal of the ban on divorce in 1995 and more recently the legalisation of same sex marriage. While these changes have altered what the Irish state regards as a family structure, they have also shaped the make-up of the modern family unit. Today its accepted that many couples may choose not to get married and scenarios like living together and having children before marriage have become more common.

Throughout the country the number of unmarried couples living together long-term, or what the Census describes as cohabiting couples, is on the rise. A sizeable portion of these couples have children establishing the cohabiting couple as a new family unit.

Michelle continued, according to the latest CSO statistics, the number of cohabiting couples in Ireland has been on the increase. Figures rose from 77,600 in 2002 to 121,800 in 2006 accounting for 11.6% of all family units, before rising to 143,600 or 12% in 2011. Id be confident that well see that figure growing even further in the findings of this years Census. However the cohabiting couple family unit is one which is not yet catered for by Irelands tax laws. At the moment, you have to be married or in a civil partnership to be entitled to any tax relief based on your relationship status.
2016 organ transplants may set record Updated: 2016-10-21 07:12 By Wang Xiaodong(China Daily Europe)

China sees rapid increase in donations, with tenfold increase possible in coming decade

The total number of organ transplants performed in China is expected to reach 15,000 this year, a record high and an increase of nearly 50 percent over last year.

Since procuring organs for transplant from executed prisoners was banned last year, the number of donations has increased rapidly, senior officials and experts say.

Last year, about 10,000 transplant surgeries were performed nationwide, Huang Jiefu, former minister of health and director of the China Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee, said at the 2016 China International Organ Donation Conference in Beijing on Oct 17.

Huang Jiefu (center), former minister of health and director of the China Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee, says last year about 10,000 transplant surgeries were performed nationwide at the 2016 China International Organ Donation Conference in Beijing on Oct 17. Zou Hong / China Daily Doctors bow to an organ donator to show respect before the operation in June in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. Ji Xin / For China Daily

The total includes transplants using organs from living donors.

The number of people whose organs were donated after death in China this year reached 2,950 as of September, an increase of 50 percent compared with the same period last year, said Wang Haibo, director of the China Organ Transplant Response System, which is responsible for organ distribution and sharing.

This could make China the second in the world, behind the United States, in the number of organ donors by the end of the year, he said.

Data show that the total number of donated organs harvested after death last year in China exceeded 7,700, more than the totals for 2013 and 2014 combined.

"A new page has been turned" with China's establishment of a transparent organ donation and transplant system, Huang says.

China stopped using organs from executed prisoners on Jan 1 last year, when voluntary donations became the only legal source for transplants.

"Much corruption existed in the allocation of organs procured from executed prisoners," Huang says.

"The Chinese government has adopted a zero-tolerance attitude toward such behavior," he adds.

To improve and better regulate the procedure, the Organ Procurement and Allocation Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association was established on Oct 16.

It will "play a role of management and supervision over the sector and formulate related standards", he says.

Marti Manyalich, president of the International Society of Organ Donation and Procurement, says China has made great progress in promoting organ donations and transplants in the past few years.

The ratio of organ donors among Chinese, which is now more than 2 per million population, could increase tenfold in the next 10 years, which means China could nearly meet its demand for transplants, he adds.

China can make quicker progress by learning from countries such as Spain, which has one of the world's top organ donation ratios, he says.

Like many other countries, China faces a severe shortage of organs, with about 300,000 people waiting for transplant surgeries each year, according to Xinhua News Agency.

wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page15)
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Lust for property divorced from what really counts Updated: 2016-10-21 07:12 By Lin Jinghua(China Daily Europe)

In their rush to improve their property portfolios, couples are overlooking one important thing

Today, more than ever in China, possessing a home is central to getting married and starting a family.

In fact, the issue of buying a house can often either make or break a marriage.

One old saying propounded that only after buying a house and marrying should one embark on a career.

Our forebears wouldn't have nursed for a second the proposition that their descendants put off marriage on the grounds of a lack of housing - or indeed abandon a marriage to bolster one's property portfolio.

But that is exactly what is happening now.

For a long time, city dwellers in China did not own property. Indeed, 30 years ago many young people could not get married because they possessed no living space.

Then it was one's danwei, essentially one's employer, which allotted housing to its married staff. They had to apply and then wait in line for their turn to move into any vacant room that became available.

A young couple who landed a small room in a big courtyard or shared a two- or three-bedroom apartment with another family considered themselves lucky. The queue was long, and it often took several years for anything to turn up, particularly for young people, because seniority and length of service was a key factor in determining who to give housing to.

It also depended on where you worked. If you worked in a strong state-owned company or a public institution you were likely to stand a better chance of landing a room with low rent.

Any man looking for a bride and who happened to work in a small factory was doomed in his quest, because his employer would have been unable to supply him or any of its workers with accommodation.

This sort of welfare-oriented distribution of housing ended in the late 1990s thanks to a policy change under which housing was declared to be property that anyone had the right to buy. Couples were then able to buy the apartment they lived in relatively cheaply.

Some businesspeople developed residential communities in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and the property market began to grow.

It was also a time when anyone could buy as many properties as they liked, and essentially anywhere, so long as they could afford it, and some people began to borrow money so they could buy several properties.

One of my cousins in Shanghai was one of them, and he has since experienced the drastic changes in the property market.

He was single until he was 38 because of a lack of housing. He is now 68. Thanks to the reform and opening-up policy, he left the small factory he worked for and started a business trading in textiles. He bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Pudong area of Shanghai after the city started to develop real estate in the 1990s. He has bought two properties in the city over the past 20 years. For him it is the best investment he has ever made, and he has encouraged friends and relatives to do likewise.

Life has been kind to him, his wife and their son. But early this year he told me he was going to divorce. The reason was simple: He wanted to buy another property, and heard that the government planned to tighten rules on home buying to cool the property market.

Under the new policy, a family in Shanghai can buy up to two properties, but for the second one the couple needs to pay a 50 percent deposit. Anyone with two residential properties already is barred from buying any more.

Those buying their first home need pay only a 20 percent deposit. He said that if he and his wife divorced, and their properties were in her name he would be regarded as a first-time buyer if he bought another property.

"The idea is bizarre," I told him, not wishing to encourage him in any way.

"You already have three properties, so why risk your marriage just to get another one? If your wife (who is 16 years younger) took off with all the properties, you would be left with absolutely nothing -no houses and no family."

But he said he was confident enough of their relationship, and he saw it as a surefire investment with a great return.

However, it turned out that there was an age limit of 60 on applying for the low-deposit loan, so that killed his grand scheme.

"So why don't you let your wife do it?" I joked.

"She said she's not sure about me," he laughed.

Many couples with plans similar to my cousin's have been lining up to get divorced and registering what they had under one person's name. The idea is that once the house purchase is finalized, the happy pair get back together. At least that is the plan.

But it does not always work out that way. My cousin told me of a woman in Shanghai who apparently quite liked the look of her divorce papers and decided to respect them to the letter, keeping their two properties and leaving her now ex-husband with a new property and a 3 million yuan loan.

Soaring house prices in big cities have driven people to the property market, but why are the Chinese so fixated on owning property?

The biggest driving force, apart from the traditional desire to own a home, is poor rental housing and the inordinate desire to make a financial killing. Housing is considered as the most reliable investment.

"The first property I bought in Pudong cost 200,000 yuan ($29,800; 27,000 euros; 24,300 pounds) and is now worth 2 million yuan," my cousin says.

As for the rental issue, a friend of mine tells of how happy he now feels owning a property after years of landlords and real estate agencies taking advantage of him.

Housing is a complex social and economic issue in which all of us have a stake, and surely sitting at the bottom line we should see much more than piles of cash.

That cash may in turn buy you piles of bricks and mortar, but who would swap that for the happiness of a marriage built on true love?

linjinghua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page21)
Terry Moore was home Thursday afternoon, tending to his bedridden wife and nursing the grief of his sons sudden death last month when his cellphone rang.

Terry? said a voice, both familiar and surprising. This is Joe Biden.

The longtime Omaha labor leader and the vice president of the United States spent the next 20 minutes talking. For this phone call on this day, they were not Democratic Party compatriots. They were not politicos hashing over the latest in election news. Instead, they were a couple of 73-year-olds, a pair of grieving fathers who know all too well how difficult it is to bury a child.

Biden learned that bitter lesson early, when at age 30 he lost his wife and baby daughter in a Christmastime car crash in 1972. His two sons, then ages 3 and 2, were seriously injured. In 2015, Bidens eldest son, Beau, died at age 46. Beau was a decorated Army major and former Delaware attorney general who suffered from brain cancer.

Moore has lost a daughter, Tawni, who died in her sleep in 1993 at age 28. He lost a granddaughter, Lita Lee Virgilito, who died in a Bellevue house fire in 2003 at age 10. And on Sept. 7, Moore lost his son, Terry Jr., who had a heart attack at home at age 47.

Terry Jr. lived at home and had been a fixture in his fathers political and social circles  as well as his own Omaha ones  his entire life. He was born with Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder that can impair brain function, though Terry Jr. was highly functional. He could drive and hold down a job, and he endeared himself to just about everyone he met.

One of the disorders characteristics is high sociability. When Crossroads was a happening mall, Terry Jr. was usually there, holding court. He was lovingly called The Mayor of Crossroads.

At his wake in September, so many people came that they crowded out of the doors of St. John Catholic Church on Creighton Universitys campus, down the front stairs and around the fountain. Moore said at least 1,000 people had come, and many were strangers who shared their own grief and condolences.

Its been over six weeks, but Moore said the loss still feels acute.

I miss him like you cannot believe, Moore said of his son. Its a hole that never fills. He was my son, my friend, my buddy, my companion.

Bidens surprise call, which was verified by the Vice Presidents Office, came about 3 p.m.

He believes its important to reach out to friends, family members and colleagues at critical times, a spokeswoman said.

It was a picker-upper.

I can tell you that he is genuine, Moore said of Biden on Friday. He had a heart of gold. When hes talking to you, you can feel the strength and honesty in him. He knows youre hurting.

Moore said the two go way back.

He said he organized a local benefit for Biden in the 1980s, when the then-U.S. senator from Delaware was running for president. Moore said he had brought his son to the event, at a Holiday Inn, and Terry Jr. went to Biden like a magnet. Moore said he knows Bidens sister, Valerie Biden Owens, who has played a major role in her brothers political campaigns.

Moore said the two men have more in common than their political leanings. Both have been in their careers a long time, entering at relatively young ages. When Biden was sworn into his first term as a U.S. senator, in 1973, he was just 30  the minimum age for that job. He was then one of the youngest people to become a senator. Moore said that he became the youngest central body labor leader elected as president when he took the reins of the Omaha Federation of Labor about 41 years ago, in 1976.

Both men are also Catholics who take great comfort in their faith. That was a major talking point in the Thursday phone call, Moore said.

He said Biden told him that through the grace of God, youll make it through, each day at a time.

Moore said the call was emotional for him. He said his voice cracked several times. Biden would tell him to take his time.

Your son is in a far better place, Biden said to him. Yours is a tough hill to climb. You have to climb it.

And the vice president suggested that Moore did not have to climb that hill alone.

He gave me his cell, he gave me his home number, Moore said. He said, You call me. 

Moore said they didnt talk about the previous nights presidential debate or that nights Al Smith dinner, a regular political event that benefits Catholic charities. Politics, in fact, did not come up.

It was strictly about my son and me, Moore said, and him and Beau.

After the call was over, Moore felt buoyed. And sad.

He shared the experience with his wife, Tania, who has leukodystrophy and is on a ventilator.

But the one person who would have gotten the biggest kick out of that phone call was gone. Terry Sr. couldnt share it with his son.

Instead, he had to rely on what Biden had told him and what he already knows from his faith and past losses  that our loved ones are with us even when we cant see them.

And that somewhere in heaven, Terry Jr. was probably bragging: The vice president called my dad!
A typical guest.

Thats how Yvonne Villalpando remembers Anthony Garcia when he checked into the West Des Moines Motel 6 on Mothers Day 2013.

Garcia arrived hungry that evening and asked Villalpando for the best taco spot.

He didnt have cuts on his hands. He wasnt bleeding. Not sweaty or nervous.

A normal guy, defense attorney Robert Motta Jr. argued, not someone who could have killed two people hours earlier, as prosecutors allege.

But even Villalpandos testimony on the 14th day of the quadruple-murder trial fits with the states theory  that Garcias check-in time meant that he had plenty of time to drive the two hours from Omaha to the motel just off Interstate 80.

Villalpando first thought she gave Garcia his room key about 5:30 p.m. May 12, 2013  two hours after her shift started.

But records show it was actually at 6:58 p.m.

Garcia received a call at 5:18 p.m. that pinged off a cell tower near Atlantic, Iowa, Omaha police Detective Derek Mois had testified last week.

Prosecutors believe Roger and Mary Brumback were killed at their west Omaha home in the late afternoon, then Garcia headed back to his home in Terre Haute, Indiana, staying the night in West Des Moines.

About 30 minutes after Garcia checked in, he emerged with a small woman with short hair and a tattoo, Villalpando testified.

The couple left the lobby and returned about an hour later.

I have to acknowledge everyone that passes through, Villalpando said. Thats our rules.

She figured that the woman, who wasnt with Garcia at check-in, was hiding at first so that Garcia could pay for one person instead of two.

Villalpandos testimony capped a short lineup for the defenses third day of testimony.

The jury could begin deliberating as early as Tuesday.

But first, they had to sit through  for the second time  an exhaustive and complicated explanation of Garcias phone and Apple iCloud records.

Officer Nick Herfordt had already testified for the state, explaining that he found Whitepages.com searches for Roger A. Brumback in the web history of Garcias iPhone that police recovered from his sport utility vehicle after his arrest July 15, 2013.

But Giovanni Masucci, a digital forensic scientist who analyzed Herfordts reports on the devices and not the data itself, testified Friday that he found red flags in Herfordts procedures:

 Proper protocol is to videotape or take photos as a forensic examiner extracts the data, Masucci said. That was not done.

Its kind of vague, actually, his process and what hes done, Masucci said.

 Herfordt used his wiped and formatted iPhone 3G to download Garcias iCloud data. But the clean phone still held Herfordts SIM card, Masucci said, which contains text messages, phone numbers and carrier information. That could lead to contaminated data, he said.

 Garcias phone contains web searches and Wi-Fi connections on July 27, 2013  nearly two weeks after Garcia was arrested.

What that tells me is somebody touched the phone after the fact and nobody put that in the call logs, Masucci said.

Yet during cross-examination, Masucci acknowledged that he didnt have the evidence property logs or chain of custody forms in the reports he reviewed.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine argued that the defense didnt give Masucci all of the sufficient information in order to make a complete conclusion.

During Masuccis testimony, defense attorneys had searched for Brumback in Herfordts summarized report of the data entries. Nothing showed up.

But prosecutors downloaded the raw data and also searched for Brumback, and a Whitepages entry appeared.

You didnt decide to look at the raw data? Kleine asked.

I didnt have access, Masucci said.

You didnt ask to see it, either? Kleine pushed.

I was tasked to look at what I was hired to look at, Masucci said.

The defense hoped that two other witnesses would help bolster their idea that the Brumbacks were killed at night or the following day, meaning Garcia couldnt have committed the act. A husband and wife who live near the Brumback home said they didnt hear gunshots on May 12, 2013, between 3 and 5 p.m.

They also testified that their televisions volume was turned on high for the husbands mother, who also had a loud oxygen machine.

The attorney acrimony that has been a staple of the Garcia trial added another page Friday.

After jurors were dismissed, prosecutors noted that a police report entered during their questioning of a defense expert contained a list of evidence that Judge Gary Randall had not allowed: namely, items from Garcias SUV when he was arrested.

Those items: his phone, which the expert was testifying about; a .45-caliber gun; a crowbar; a sledgehammer; a stethoscope; and a Louisiana State University lab coat. (FBI agents have testified that they feared Garcia was going to harm someone else at LSU on the day they pulled him over in southern Illinois.)

The defense hadnt objected to that police report when it was entered. And at the bench, defense attorney Jeremy Jorgenson argued it was just a demonstrative exhibit, not admissible as evidence. Randall informed him that wasnt the case.

Motta accused prosecutors of lying and being sleazy in getting the list admitted into evidence.

Motta called Kleine a jackass.

Hot, Kleine stepped toward Motta. The two argued.

Kleine then turned to the judge and told him to take the report out of evidence.

Kleine said he was afraid that if the judge didnt, Garcia will be able to claim he has incompetent counsel.

Now that was excessively mean, Randall said.

And him calling Don a jackass isnt? Beadle chimed in.

Motta: He called me a jackass first.

Kleine and Beadle called on Randall to reprimand Motta. The judge had ordered Motta to sit down three times and threatened to hold him in contempt on Thursday.

They have lied to the court, they have lied to us, Kleine fired at the defense.

Well, we think youre liars, too, Motta casually replied.

As the two sides continued to squabble, Randall dismissed them.

Take it out of my courtroom if youre going to do this, he said.

*****

Daily recaps

Day 10 recap: FBI agents scrambled to arrest Anthony Garcia after tracking him to hotel

Day 9 recap: Detective tells jurors how Anthony Garcia went from being a name on a file to the prime suspect

Day 6 recap: Prosecutors in Anthony Garcia case turn to motive: grudge from 2001 firing from Creighton med center

Day 4 recap: As prosecution in Garcia case tries to establish when couple was killed, forensic expert says Mary Brumback fought for her life

Day 3 recap: Testimony shifts to grisly scene at Roger and Mary Brumback's home in third day of Anthony Garcia trial

Day 2 recap: Police detective testifies he suspects 11-year-old boy was killed before housecleaner

*****

More trial coverage
Lending a touch of style Updated: 2016-10-21 07:12 By Xu Junqian(China Daily Europe)

Ladies, do you want to look your best for that important event? Do you just want show off on social media?

Now there's no need to invest in a designer gown you might only wear a handful of times.

Instead, why not just rent it?

Following in the footsteps of sharing economy giants such as Airbnb and Uber is Xu Baizi, an entrepreneur who runs Ms Paris, an online fashion rental platform that allows women to pick from a staggering selection of more than 10,000 designer dresses.

Capitalizing on several converging trends in China including the widespread use of social media and the growing need to look good at important functions or high-profile parties, Ms Paris offers people a cost-effective way to be stylish.

After all, according to Xu, who comes from Shanghai, women on average purchase 64 articles of clothing every year, with half of them being worn just once or twice.

"When we typed 'I have nothing to wear' on Weibo (China's equivalent of Twitter), we got more than 4 million results," said the 34-year-old, a fashion lover who once had 25 table-height boxes of clothes that still had their tags on.

Xu estimated that women of her age usually attend five or six weddings every year, in addition to dozens of company galas as well as business or private cocktail parties.

"Every girl wants a brand-new look for a different occasion. Nowadays, the virtual audience on WeChat has become equally important," she says.

Ms Paris, which stocks designer brands including Vera Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and Marchesa, allows customers to rent clothes at between 10 to 20 percent of the item's retail value. A strapless Valentino gown on Ms Paris can be rented for 359 yuan ($53; 48 euros; 43 pounds), almost the same price or cheaper than a Zara dress.

Customers will also have to place a refundable deposit of between 500 and 1,000 yuan. Each dress on the platform is rented a maximum of 10 times, after which it is put up for sale.

Ms Paris is the first startup project by Xu, a Columbia University graduate with a bachelor's degree in operations research, who had always yearned to add a feminine touch to the male-dominated tech industry.

Before this startup, Xu worked at several investment banks and had helped a number of tech companies venture into overseas markets as well as to go public.

Xu admits that Ms Paris, or nushenpai in Chinese, was partly inspired by Rent the Runway, one of the leading clothes rental platforms in the world that was launched in the United States in 2009. Rent the Runway currently has more than 5.5 million members and is valued at around $800 million.

Since its launch in March last year, Ms Paris has been enjoying triple-digit growth in visitors and orders, and currently has an impressive membership of more than 100,000 people, more than the combined total of several of its competitors. Up to 80 percent of the platform's members are based in major cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

Earlier this year, the company received $300 million in a funding round led by China Growth Capital. Xu said that the money would be used for inventory maintenance such as dry cleaning and increasing brand awareness in new markets.

The brand's success, Xu says, comes down to its positioning.

"The most popular clothes that are rented on the platform are those that retail between 2,000 to 4,000 yuan. This range is more than accessible for the middle classes in the US, but in China, it's between an affordable purchase and a luxurious investment," she says.

Xu also notes that the biggest challenge for her at the moment is raising awareness about her brand and having more people try her services.

"Before I started, my biggest concern was that people might not return the dresses. But this has only happened fewer than five times out of the hundreds of thousands of dresses we have leased," she says.

According to Yu Yue, an investor from CGC, the "cloud closet services" offered by Ms Paris actually compete with the soaring fast fashion business instead of just similar players in the industry.

"People nowadays care more about how they look on their social network postings than about what they have in the closet," says Yu.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page20)
Dont sweat it, at least not yet, a blue-ribbon panel of state officials was told Thursday.

Reforms enacted in 2015 to reduce overcrowding in Nebraska prisons havent worked as quickly as projected, but thats not unusual, said officials with the Justice Center of the Council of State Governments, which helped craft the changes.

Another state, Pennsylvania, that enacted similar reforms, saw two years pass before prison overcrowding figures began to decrease significantly, said Bree Derrick, a program director at the Justice Center, which has helped about 25 other states craft such reforms.

Not every state starts out of the gate with a substantial drop, Derrick said.

Nebraskas reforms, designed to avoid expensive prison construction while punishing nonviolent offenders in ways other than expensive imprisonment, became law a year ago. But the states prison population has dropped by only about 100 inmates, to 5,292 inmates, when it was estimated to drop to about 4,900.

During a two-hour meeting at a conference center in La Vista, the reasons for the slower progress were detailed for a 23-member committee, headed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, Speaker of the Legislature Sen. Galen Hadley and Chief Justice Mike Heavican of the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Among the reasons: It took significantly longer than anticipated for the State Corrections Department to adopt a new risk-assessment test that helps identify inmates ready for parole, and it appears that judges arent opting for more probation sentences  rather than trips to prison  for low-level felons, as called for in the reforms.

Derrick and another Council of State Governments official, Sara Friedman, said they expect Nebraskas reforms to show more significant reductions in coming months. They cited positive trends, such as fewer Class IV felons being sentenced to jail or prison overall, an increase in parole hearings, and a rise in inmates being released early on so-called supervised release.

There are always bumps along the way, Friedman said.

Nebraska embarked on a so-called justice reinvestment process with the Council of State Governments three years ago as the states prisons neared 160 percent of capacity, and a consultant recommended $262 million in new prison construction.

To avoid costly new prisons and to decrease repeat crimes, state lawmakers passed legislation intended to use several lower-cost alternatives to incarceration, such as probation, earlier parole and problem-solving courts, such as drug courts, that impose strict supervision to help people overcome addictions and get into productive jobs.

By 2020, the reforms were projected to reduce state prison populations by 1,021 inmates  about the size of the states largest prison. That would put Nebraskas prison system below 140 percent of capacity, a benchmark used by federal courts to intervene, and a line that can be  but hasnt been used by the governor to declare an overcrowding emergency and release inmates.

After Thursdays meeting, both Gov. Ricketts and a key legislative leader, Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, expressed optimism that the reforms will eventually accomplish their goal.

Weve made progress, Ricketts said. We have much more work to do.

Ricketts and others on the committee said it took Nebraskas prison system several years to get into its current condition  with problems that include high worker turnover and an increase in assaults on staff, as well as overcrowding  and it will take several years to work out of them.

I have all the confidence in the world that this is going to work, Krist said.

Heavican added a note of caution at a time when the state is in the midst of a budget crunch that includes a hiring freeze on jobs considered non-mission-critical, which excludes the Corrections Department.

If this process is not properly funded, it will fail, the states top judge said. This has to be prioritized.

The state has already allocated $26 million for a 160-bed expansion of a state prison in Lincoln and authorized the construction of a 100-bed dormitory at a community corrections facility in the capital.

Corrections last month also proposed a $75 million addition that would house elderly and mentally ill inmates in Lincoln. That idea will be debated during the 2017 legislative session.

Officials on Thursday also called for appropriate spending on data collection, to ensure that the reforms are working, and to hire a coordinator to ensure that the reforms are enacted. There is also a proposal to increase salaries of state parole officers, so they match those given to probation officers.

One other discussion Thursday was whether the prison reforms are causing sharp upticks in jail populations across the state, including in Sarpy and Douglas Counties.

Derrick said the data show a large increase in those two counties in inmates who are being held for probation violations, which would be a result of the prison reforms. But, she said, there were other reforms that were supposed to offset such a rise, and there is insufficient data to determine why that hasnt happened.
These dogs must be good sports.

For nearly a decade, Omaha resident Heather Ingraham, 36, has fashioned elaborate costumes for her three dogs, Charlotte, Sophia and Walter, for Halloween. They have donned various costumes, including birds, characters from The Wizard of Oz, an alien and space cadets, and zoo animals.

This year, the canine threesome has an under the sea theme, with Charlotte and Sophia dressed as mermaids and Walter in a shark costume.

This year, I became certified as an open water diver, so that got me on the marine theme, Ingraham said. She planned to do a shark cage dive while on a recent trip to Africa, but the dive didnt pan out. I had sharks on the brain.

Ingraham hand-made the costumes and the underwater backdrop that she used for the dogs photo shoots. The only pieces that werent hand-made: Charlotte and Sophias dog wigs, which were special ordered from China. Even with the elaborate costumes and display, Ingraham said the dogs are good about sitting still.

When I take their pictures, I give them lots of treats, so they know costumes and a camera mean treats, she said. Sophia always looks grumpy. Shes older, and she lost a tooth so she always has a little bit of a scowl.

Ingraham, who is a diamond buyer for Borsheims Fine Jewelry, adopted all three dogs, separately, from the Nebraska Humane Society with her husband, Matt.

Charlotte, a 14-year-old rat terrier, was the first pup the couple adopted, followed by Sophia, a 13-year-old long-haired Chihuahua, and then Walter, an 12-year-old rat terrier-Chihuahua mix. Sophia had been rescued from a puppy mill and Walter had been brought in from a dog-breeding operation.

While she and her husband dont have children, the dogs are dressed and ready for trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

It takes Ingraham roughly a month to create each costume, but she starts planning a year ahead of time. This year, she worked on the costumes during the summer.

Ingraham started creating canine costumes nine years ago when Charlotte was her only dog. That year they entered a costume contest at Petco. Charlotte was dressed as a lobster and Ingraham was a chef.

In 2015, she opted for a farm scene, with Walter dressed as a rancher and Charlotte and Sophia as cows.

One of my favorites was where I was an astronaut and Charlotte and Sophia were astronauts and Walter was an alien, Ingraham said. That and the year we did The Wizard of Oz where I dressed up as Dorothy and they were dressed up at the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.

In 2014, the trio  dressed as two flowers and a bee  won Martha Stewarts national Francesca and Sharkeys Halloween Canine Costume Contest. As a grand prize, Ingraham and her pets won a basket filled with pet treats.

The group has also won the costume contest at Petco, 72nd and Dodge Streets, for several years. In the last 10 years, Team Ingraham has only lost once: to a dog dressed as Michael Jackson.

The prizes are nice, but I really enjoy the fun of it, she said.
Young man  or young woman  there's no need to feel down.

But a group of local teachers want their students to know that drugs aren't the answer.

This week, Bell Elementary School in Papillion got a jump on celebrating Red Ribbon Week, while most Papillion La Vista Community Schools buildings will observe it Oct. 24-28.

On Thursday, students at Bell Elementary marked "Follow Your Dreams, Don't Do Drugs" Day by dressing up as their dream career.

As part of that, the school's third-grade team dressed up as musical group The Village People, to enforce the message "It takes a village."

Red Ribbon Week activities are planned throughout the Papillion-La Vista Community Schools. Elementary and middle school students will wear red ribbons, sign banners in schools where they pledge to be drug-free and theme days, which invite students to participate in spirit dress.

The National Red Ribbon Campaign has been organized since 1985 by the National Family Partnership to raise awareness of the destruction caused by drugs in America. Find more information at redribbon.org.
To a crowd of about 1,500, journalist and television host Lisa Ling told stories of courageous women shes met all over the world.

As the keynote speaker for the Womens Fund of Omahas annual Lead the Change event on Thursday, Ling told of brave young women in Tehran, Iran, protesting conservative Islamic modes of dress. They wanted to know about America and asked if she listened to Metallica and watched Baywatch.

That culture shock, she said, taught her to take off her American-style glasses and see stories from all angles.

It propelled me to want to tell those stories, Ling said. The audience applauded as she said shes aghast by a media environment that allows people to yell at each other on air rather than tell meaningful stories.

Ling said there are many womens stories that she wants people to hear  from those of mothers in prison to shocking narratives of young women lured into sex trafficking.

Hearing those stories takes a toll, weighing heavily on her heart and mind, she said.

One such story is that of a 23-year-old woman living in Norfolk, Nebraska, with her 4-year-old daughter. Ling spent a weekend with the woman last year, interviewing her for the Oct. 30 episode of her show This is Life on CNN.

Every other weekend and every other Tuesday, the mother drops off her child with the man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman.

Nebraska law takes away parental rights when the perpetrator is convicted of first-degree sexual assault. The offender in the Norfolk case was originally charged with first-degree sexual assault but pleaded to a misdemeanor charge of third-degree sexual assault.

Two months after the assault, the woman found out she was pregnant. She decided to keep the child and five months after she gave birth, the father came to her parents home, asking to see the child.

A judge eventually granted the man supervised visits, and the woman said she has had to learn to co-parent with a man she never wanted to see again.

Ling told part of the womans story to the audience on Thursday, saying she was in disbelief that a system designed to protect a victim would allow this to happen.

Ling said 17.7 million American women are victims of rape or attempted rape and 32,000 will become pregnant. About one-third of those women decide to keep the baby.

Im truly heartsick, I could not believe what I was seeing, she said of watching the woman give her child to the man for a weekend.

This has got to change, Ling said.

The woman, who attended Lings talk in Omaha on Thursday, said she hopes that sharing her story nationally will finally bring change for mothers like her.

She testified in 2014 in support of proposed legislation that would make it more difficult for an offender to seek parental rights to a child conceived through a sexual assault.

At the time, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha expressed concerns that parental rights could be cut off for men who have been wrongly accused or whose convictions are later overturned.

The attorney who represented the father in the visitation matter said then that its better to let the courts decide whats best for children on a case-by-case basis.

The 2014 legislation was introduced by then-State Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln. Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue introduced a similar bill at the start of 2015 but it was postponed indefinitely this spring.

Garretts office said he will meet with new senators in November to come up with a plan to reintroduce the bill.

The woman said that even though she hasnt yet seen a change in state law, she has seen a change in herself. I can stand up for myself now, she said.

Her therapist, Liane Bode, said over the last year shes watched her client go from a victim to an advocate. She is independent and able to speak up. Its incredible.

The mother said looking at her daughter reminds her of why she is still fighting for change. The 4-year-old with the long, dark curls was eager to tell people at the event that she dreams of being an animal doctor and a people doctor because she wants to help everyone.

I love my daughter and none of this is her fault, the woman said.

Ling has a daughter about the same age as the Norfolk womans and commended the mother for her bravery.

Ling encouraged the women in the room to remember that once they know about an injustice, they cant pretend they dont know.

Ive always been under the belief that if women dont help each other, no one else will.

* * * * *

Womens Fund grant recipients

The Womens Fund of Omaha awarded grants Thursday to local nonprofits making a positive impact on the lives of Omahas women and girls. This years recipients:

 $25,000 to Santa Monica Inc.

 $32,000 to the Sisters of Notre Dame, Hotel/Motel Training

 $20,000 to Justice for Our Neighbors-Nebraska, Domestic Violence Access to Justice

 $15,000 to Girls Inc., Sexpertise

 $15,000 to Nebraska Childrens Home Society, Teen Chat

 $25,000 to Womens Center for Advancement, Emergency Funds

 $14,500 to Nebraskans for Civic Reform, CIRCLES

 $11,000 to the Latino Center of the Midlands, Joven Nobel Youth Program

 $10,500 to Urban League of Nebraska, Inc., Girls Summer STEAM Academy

 $10,000 to Legal Aid Nebraska, Elder Access Line

 $10,000 to Midlands Latino Community Development Corporation, Latina Women Go Forward

 $5,000 to Omaha Girls Rock, Afterschool Leadership Program

 $10,000 to Intercultural Senior Center, Shoulder to Shoulder

 $5,000 to Lutheran Family Services, Ambassadors English as a Second Language Mentoring Program

 $5,000 to Nebraska Childrens Home Society, Raising Your Grandchildren
Off and on rain expected today, but it looks like some will be seeing more than others. Find out who has the best chance of rain and when it will all come to an end in our updated forecast.
Some Burt County families were allowed back into their homes Thursday, three days after being forced out by a deadly leak of anhydrous ammonia.

Magellan Midstream Partners, owners of the interstate pipeline that ruptured Monday night, said all families except those living within 2 miles of the leak were allowed to return. Its not known how many families and people that applied to.

The leak was at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and County Road P, a rural area about halfway between Tekamah and Decatur.

Originally, 23 households and about 40 people were evacuated.

Air quality in the immediate area around the leak remained unsafe Thursday and roadblocks were to remain in place, Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said at midday Thursday.

Highway 75 and County Road P remained closed Thursday night.

Weiss said there wasnt an estimated time for an all clear.

The cloud of deadly gas flowing from the pipeline claimed the life of a farmer, Philip Hennig, who had gone to investigate.

The NTSB investigates pipeline accidents. A preliminary report could take weeks to complete, Weiss said. A full report into what happened, why it happened and any recommendations could take a year or more, he said.

Matt Connealy, a Burt County Board member, said each household returning home was to be accompanied by an air quality expert who was to make sure the home was safe.

The monitoring of every building is whats slowing them down, he said.

Connealy said officials hope to have Highway 75 open by early Friday.

The company wants to be certain everything is clear before opening the road.

They arent finding problems, they are just being very cautious, he said.
DECATUR, Neb.  Cattle graze in the rolling hills south of town, next to fields of green alfalfa and tree-lined ravines. It is a beautiful, pastoral scene. Its almost like nothing happened.

But a little more than a mile away, hazmat crews are working at the site of an anhydrous ammonia leak, an incident that led to the death of a well-respected local farmer and caused about 40 people to have to evacuate for days.

On Friday, the day of Phillip Hennigs funeral, most of those who had been forced to leave were able to return home. Of the 23 households that had to quickly evacuate Monday night and early Tuesday, all but one were able to return by Saturday.

The evacuation order was still in effect for those who live in five houses within a mile of the leak as of Friday night. Magellan Midstream Partners, the operator of the pipeline, those residents would be able to return home Saturday.

U.S. Highway 75 between Decatur and Tekamah was reopened Friday, as were most of the gravel roads in the area. But County Road P, near the site of the leak, remained closed.

Those who returned home said they were glad to get back to something resembling normalcy. But in at least one case, there was still trepidation.

Matthew Gammel, 51, lives a bit more than 2 miles north of the leak. As he talked to a reporter Friday afternoon, leaves blew north across his driveway.

Youre a little bit wary if you are going to get sick, he said. Wind is out of the south. That makes everything a little bit more scary.

Gammel is a heavy-equipment operator for Douglas County. Normally his commute to the Omaha area takes about an hour. But put up in the Super 8 in Onawa, Iowa, he had to leave the motel at 4:20 a.m., drive to the incident command center at the Decatur fire station, get an escort to his farm so he could feed his 110-pound dog, Tank, and his horse, Steiner, both of which remained on his farm, drive to Omaha, then repeat the process on the way home.

I cant sleep if Im not here, he said. I dont know if youve ever lived out on the road, but its not fun.

Steiner is now drinking twice the amount of water as normal, but otherwise appears healthy. Tank isnt eating much. Gammel is not sure whether that has anything to do with the anhydrous leak or not.

Magellan spokesman Bruce Heine said there had been no reports of animal injuries or deaths, but he said Magellan would cover the costs of any leak-related veterinarian treatments.

Magellan will continue to cover the expenses of the evacuees.

Gammel is a distant relative of Hennig, as are many in the Decatur area. He and many others attended his funeral at First Presbyterian Church in Tekamah.

Its wonderful to be back, said Hennigs mother, Velma, an evacuee who also had returned. It was just wonderful to have that support from the community, she said.

Normal life in many ways was returning. Abby Mathistad, 29, was preparing for out-of-state guests traveling to the Nebraska/Purdue game Saturday.

Its great to be home, she said. Im frantically cleaning before they get here.
'Grandpa Italy' promotes Yunnan Updated: 2016-10-21 07:12 By Li Yingqing in Kunming and Zhang Zhihao in Beijing(China Daily Europe)

Retiree seeks to help the magical land he has come to love

Corrado Politi, a 75-year-old Italian travel expert, has a white beard, a bulbous nose and a jolly smile. The locals often call him Santa Claus or "Grandpa Italy" - but he likes to introduce himself as a native of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Politi received a doctorate in law from the University of Florence. He speaks eight languages and has worked for the European Foundation for Management Development and other nonprofit organizations.

After retirement, Politi began traveling around the world, and China became his favorite destination. He has visited more than 20 times in the past 15 years, promoting tourism cooperation between Asian and European countries. He was an international adviser for the China Tourism Academy in 2008.

Corrado Politi attends a tourism festival in Dehong, Yunnan province. Huang Daxiang / China Daily

But he had never visited Yunnan province until he was captivated by flower-woven elephants displayed at a booth in the Yunnan exhibition area of an international tourism event.

Five days later, he found himself backpacking through the province with its snow-capped mountains, rice terraces, lakes and deep gorges, home to a large number of ethnic groups. His first trip only lasted a week, due to his visa expiring, but the journey left a lasting mark.

"It is like a fairy tale to me," he says. "After returning home, I still couldn't keep my mind off Yunnan. I read everything about this place and couldn't wait to visit this magical land again."

Since then, Politi has visited Yunnan every year, staying at his friend's home in Taiping town in Kunming, the provincial capital. Although Politi doesn't speak much Mandarin, he still greets his friend's neighbors every time he sees them.

During his stays, he explores the province with Huang Linwu, director of the Yunnan Tourism Development Committee, whom he befriended at the tourism event.

"He has become so familiar with Yunnan culture that we often joke how he is a Yunnan native born in Italy," Huang says.

At the Long Street Banquet, a traditional Jingpo ethnic festival in Yunnan, Politi danced with the locals, wearing a white fez with stars and fur beads. Later, he put on a Jingpo jacket and ate from a basket of traditional Yunnan food with friends.

Politi says the good weather, clean air and fresh food in Yunnan have worked wonders for his diabetes and hypertension.

"But I love the kind inhabitants the most," he says.

Once, during a rainstorm, Politi's car was stuck in mud near a village in Lyuchun county. Local villagers rushed to help and afterward declined Politi's offer of money, saying it is only natural to help others.

"People here are so nice, so welcoming. I wish to do something for them, for the economy," Politi says.

In 2013, he became the international marketing adviser for the Yunnan provincial tourism committee, promoting the province on the world stage.

In 2014, the first direct air route between Paris and Kunming was opened. When packing for Yunnan's tourism promotion event in Europe, Politi removed his personal belongings to make room for more pamphlets. At the event, he spoke in fluent Italian and French to introduce Yunnan to travel agents.

Contact the writers at zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page22)
A 42-year-old Schuyler, Nebraska, man was killed Thursday morning in a two-vehicle crash east of Columbus, Nebraska.

The Colfax County Attorneys Office said Clemente Vasquez Carreto was killed in the 5:40 a.m. crash on U.S. Highway 30 about 3 miles west of Richland, Nebraska.

A passenger, Julio Laz Pol, 35, also of Schuyler, was critically injured. He was taken by medical helicopter to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha with internal and spinal injuries, authorities said. They said he was expected to survive.

Vasquez Carreto and Laz Pol were heading to their jobs in Columbus when the crash occurred, officials said.

The Colfax County Sheriffs Office said witnesses told deputies that the 2002 Toyota Corolla driven by Vasquez Carreto was westbound in the northern lane of Highway 30. A 2002 Ford Explorer driven by Leopoldo Alvarado Adame, 35, of Columbus was eastbound on Highway 30.

The Sheriffs Office said witnesses also told deputies that Alvarado Adame was passing a slower-moving eastbound vehicle when the Explorer skidded, crossed two traffic lanes and struck the Corolla. The Sheriffs Office said the Explorers front end struck the drivers side of the Toyota.

Vasquez Carreto was pronounced dead at the scene, the County Attorneys Office said.

Alvarado Adame was taken to Columbus Community Hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.
LINCOLN  Six Lincoln Correctional Center employees, including senior management, were disciplined Friday in connection with the June escape of two dangerous inmates.

A Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said one employee was terminated, one demoted, two suspended without pay and two put on disciplinary probation.

Dawn-Renee Smith would not name the employees, citing state personnel rules. She also refused to say what they had done or failed to do to warrant disciplinary action.

The actions stemmed from a critical incident review undertaken after the June 10 escape of two inmates, Armon Dixon and Timothy Clausen, from the medium-maximum-security prison.

Smith said it took until now to finish investigating the employees roles and to afford them due process.

In June, Corrections Director Scott Frakes said multiple agency missteps allowed Dixon and Clausen to escape by hiding in laundry carts.

Neither inmate was on the roster of inmates approved to pass through a turnkey into the laundry area.

The two talked their way in, telling prison employees that they were going to start working in the laundry and that the roster had not been updated.

Staffers added them to the list  without getting proper approval  and let them pass at 7:20 a.m. with the other inmate workers.

In the next couple of hours, the two disappeared  but were never noticed as missing.

The last formal inmate count was at 5:15 a.m. The next one was not scheduled until the evening meal. Hourly informal checks were missed.

Meanwhile, Clausen and Dixon apparently managed to sneak into laundry carts that were loaded  without being thoroughly searched  onto a truck bound for the departments central laundry facilities at the Tecumseh State Prison.

Shortly after the truck left the Lincoln facility, a caller to 911 reported seeing two men wearing what appeared to be prison garb running in a field.

The two then stole a truck and drove off with law enforcement officers in pursuit. After crashing the truck near the State Capitol, they disappeared into the neighborhood.

Dixon surfaced the following day in Lincoln. He was arrested three hours later when he emerged from a storm sewer drain.

Clausen was captured on June 15 when Omaha police, responding to an anonymous tipster, found him at the Spencer Apartments complex in northeast Omaha.

After the escapes, the Corrections Department did a critical incident review to determine what additional security and procedural measures needed to be taken to prevent future escapes.

The review resulted in enhanced security policies, procedures, protocols and practices, including increased control of inmate movement to and from work locations and a change to the procedures for vehicles entering and exiting the facilities.

Mario Peart, who was the warden at the Lincoln Correctional Center at the time, retired July 1. His retirement was announced two weeks after Frakes had reassigned him to the departments central office during the review.

Dixon and Clausen now are housed at the Tecumseh prison.

Dixon, 37, is facing charges of escape while being held on a felony and of being a habitual criminal. A Lancaster County judge has set his trial for the jury term that begins Feb. 6.

Clausen, 52, originally was charged with felony escape. A court hearing is set for Tuesday on a motion by prosecutors to amend the complaint against Clausen.

Both Clausen and Dixon are serving significant sentences for sex crimes and other offenses.

World-Herald staff writer Emily Nohr contributed to this report.
The author is the senior U.S. senator from Nebraska.

This is a case about executive power and individual liberty. So began last weeks U.S. District Court of Appeals decision, which ruled that an oft-touted pet project of the Obama administration was structurally unconstitutional.

That project is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and power is its aim, specifically regulatory power.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established in 2011 with the purpose of protecting consumers from predatory financial practices. Like Obamacare, this agency was created by rushing legislation through a Democrat-controlled Congress in 2010. Also like Obamacare, its problems were made manifest as soon as it took effect.

The agency threatened private businesses and enacted harmful, ill-advised regulation and enforcement actions. It did so across vast swaths of American economic life, including credit cards, auto lending and leasing, student loans and home mortgages, to name a few.

In Nebraska, community banks and credit unions are among the entities feeling the effects of the agencys misguided rules. My constituents have told me they worry that the compliance costs associated with the agencys rulemaking will eventually put them out of business.

Consider: Under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, credit unions and other mortgage lenders are required to submit mortgage-related data to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Despite this, the agency proposed, in a recent rulemaking, to add even more data points, in some cases more than doubling the amount lenders are required to collect and report.

Financial institutions now fear they will have to hire additional lawyers and fewer loan officers, ultimately reducing their ability to offer loans in their local communities.

Everyone agrees that community banks and credit unions did not cause the financial crisis, yet this agency still heaps burdensome regulations and data collection requirements upon them.

Because Dodd-Frank gave the agency deference in interpreting federal consumer financial law, it went largely unchecked by the courts until this decision. The court ruled that the agencys structure is not only overbearing, but also unconstitutional.

Specifically, it decried how the bureau operates under a single director rather than a multi-member board: The CFPBs concentration of enormous executive power in a single, unaccountable, unchecked director not only departs from settled historical practice, but also poses a far greater risk of arbitrary decision making and abuse of power, and a far greater threat to individual liberty, than does a multi-member independent agency.

The original design of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau included a five-member board of overseers. At the time, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Barney Frank, then-Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren and President Barack Obama all supported this plan.

But one-party control of Congress and the White House emboldened the agencys proponents to scrap that idea. They chose to consolidate power in a single person.

Make no mistake: This consolidation of power is the crux of the matter. The court made this point clear, stating that the current director, Richard Cordray, enjoys more unilateral authority than any other officer in any of the three branches of the U.S. Government, other than the president.

For the past two Congresses, I have introduced legislation to transition the agencys leadership from a single director to a bipartisan, five-member board.

The Consumer Financial Protection Board Act is a commonsense measure that would create the agency originally intended by advocates. Each member would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Congress should pass this legislation.

The court correctly identified power and liberty as the fundamental principles at issue with the bureau. The courts decision and my legislation work to strengthen liberty.

Defenders of the agencys current structure, knowingly or not, are promoting power. No doubt they believe their intentions to be pure. But as John Adams once wrote to Thomas Jefferson, power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views, beyond the comprehension of the weak.

The American people prefer power to be checked. So do I. The administration should, too.
Bacon doesnt know 2nd District

In looking and listening to Republican Don Bacon and Democrat Brad Ashford, Ive found Ashford is the better choice to represent Nebraskas 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He has done more for Omaha and the military in the two years hes been in office than was done by his predecessor in his entire career. Ashford brought President Barack Obama here so he could experience firsthand landing at Offutt Air Force Base, thereby helping obtain funding for the repairs needed for the runway. He also helped devise a public-private solution for veterans health care.

Ashford doesnt follow the Democratic Party line, even angering Nebraska Democrats because of some votes. He has worked across the aisle whenever possible.

Ashford is interested in the entire 2nd District while Bacons ads do not show much knowledge of our district.

Brad Ashford is the best person to represent the 2nd District.

Jean Seibel, Bellevue

OPPD needs Moody

Craig Moody, candidate for the Omaha Public Power District board Subdivision 5, will bring the breath of fresh air needed by our power utility.

I was grateful when his small business, Verdis Group, helped my employer, Nebraska Medicine, save money while lowering our carbon footprint by becoming more energy efficient. This is the same type of forward thinking that is long overdue at OPPD.

Moodys service on various Omaha nonprofit boards and planning committees demonstrates both his leadership abilities and his dedication to making this city a better place. His knowledge of the energy industry and his background in business and finance, combined with his commitment to transparency, affordable electricity and development of Nebraskas clean energy opportunities make Craig Moody the ideal candidate for OPPD.

Melissa Bees, Bellevue

Bradleys background will aid NRD

Larry Bradley is my top choice for the Subdistrict 3 seat on the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. Bradley is the pro-environment candidate and has three science degrees that go hand in hand with natural resource management. He served on the NRD board previously and made common-sense decisions on budget issues, conservation flood control and recreational trails.

Bradley is also a veteran of the U.S. Army.

He is, by far, the best selection for NRD Subdistrict 3. He should be elected.

Tim Lonergan, Omaha

Dont change course on death penalty

It appears our civilization has evolved as the number of people who favor capital punishment has dramatically declined. Nebraskans will be voting this November whether to retain the Legislatures 2015 ban of the death penalty.

Nebraska has not executed a criminal in nearly 20 years, so the argument that the death penalty is a deterrent doesnt fly. Another argument is that the Bible supports it (Matthew 5:38: For you have heard it said eye for eye and tooth for tooth).

However, the next verse clarifies that statement (I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other).

Reality is that the death penalty costs Nebraskans $14.6 million annually  to prosecute cases, defend against appeals and house the condemned. There have been at least 156 people on death row who have been exonerated and freed nationwide. Catholic Church leaders and other religious leaders oppose the death penalty, and families of murder victims experience prolonged grief when capital cases drag through the appeal system.

There is a very good alternative to the death penalty: life without parole.

Remember, a retain vote supports upholding the ban on the death penalty and a repeal vote supports reinstatement of the death penalty.

Elaine Bernhardt, Giltner, Neb.

She is ready, he is not

Kudos to this newspaper for having the wisdom and courage to endorse Hillary Clinton for president. It should have been a no-brainer, but in our heated political environment, it was possibly a bit risky.

Clinton is eminently qualified for the presidency. Her opponent, for a great number of reasons, clearly is not presidential material  by any measure. Its actually an embarrassment for our country to have his name on the ballot.

Gary Welch, Bellevue

Making the case for Trump

I am not shocked but am disappointed that The World-Herald endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

My disappointment is in your discussion of Donald Trump. You only list the cons about Trump, no pros.

I have one significant pro for Trump, which I have had for all 17 Republican candidates  the type of Supreme Court justices they will nominate. Trump has released a list of justices he will consider, but Clinton hasnt. She has said that her nominees will support same-sex marriage and late-term abortion.

Trump, the editorial said, is impulsive. However, he has surrounded himself with level-headed people like Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani and highly qualified intelligence advisers who will certainly keep him in line.

G.H. Kuhn, Omaha

GOP has only itself to blame

Before Trump supporters blame Republicans like myself who are part of the Never Trump and Never Hillary camp for the monumental loss that is less than a month away, they should take a look in the mirror.

This epic landslide defeat sits entirely in the lap of those foolish enough to support and nominate the most profoundly unfit candidate that the Republican Party has ever chosen.

Smarter pundits than I were saying for more than a year that Donald Trump was the only one of the 17 candidates who would lose to corrupt Hillary Clinton.

I dont think the stink would ever wash off of my hand if I pulled a lever for either major party candidate.

John Bowen, Omaha

Her deceit is paying off

Despite all the WikiLeaks revelations, too many voters will still vote for Hillary Clinton. If this was 30 years ago, her career would have been finished.

Instead she stands with her head held high, running for president.

The sad thing is that she probably will win  with most of the media, the wealthy, giant corporations and President Barack Obama behind her, how can she lose?

Lou Totilas, Kimballton, Iowa

Walking in their shoes

About 100 Nebraska Medical Center nurses, nurse managers, social workers and chaplains walked about a half mile as part of a refugee simulation arranged by Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, an organization that resettles refugees (A half-mile walk in refugees shoes, Oct. 14 World-Herald).

During their walk, workers had to go through checkpoints, just like most refugees have to do. At each station, former refugees told stories of their own lives and what they had gone through.

This was a great learning experience for people, even if they have different views on refugees. Its goal was to help people empathize with the increasing number of patients who are immigrants or refugees.

As someone whose parents were refugees, I believe that there is no better way to learn what one has gone through until you are told firsthand of ones experience or you go through it yourself.

Theresa Nguyen, La Vista
BJP demands NIA probe into killings of RSS, party activists

Bengaluru

oi-PTI

Bengaluru, Oct 21: Stepping up its attack on the Congress government in the wake of a brutal murder of an RSS worker, BJP today petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vala demanding an inquiry by NIA into killings of party and RSS activists.

The party has blamed blamed "unholy nexus" of "Jihadists" and Marxists for the killing.

The delegation led by state party chief B S Yeddyurappa and Leader of opposition Jagadish Shettar met Vala under and alleged that the Congress government "is bent upon allowing the killers to have a field day" and is not keen to trace the assailants involved in any of these cases.

Also alleging Congress' of indulging in "vote-bank politics", they appealed to the Governor to prevail upon the state government to hand over the cases to National Investigating Agency to "unearth the motive and expose" the perpetrators of the crime.

Rudresh, a 35-year old RSS worker, was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne men who struck him with machete on Kamaraja Road last Sunday when he was returning home on a bike after attending a Sangh event.

Stating that Rudresh's was the latest in the series of killings of activists belonging to "Nationalist School of Thought" in the last two years, the memorandum cited a list of incidents about Hindutva activists "who have fallen victim to PFI goons".

"The attacks are executed systematically. In all the mentioned attacks, the weapons used are more or less the same (long swords and tamancha) and the modus operandi adopted by the attackers is almost the same," it said.

BJP said the attacks have been taking place in quick intervals in various parts of Karnataka, especially in coastal Dakshina Kannada district, and the attackers are perpetrating the crime with "impunity and escaping with felicity."

Noting that not one case has reached its logical end, it said the disturbing trend is that the Congress government has been "predetermining the course of investigation" by "deliberately" making "loaded" remarks almost immediately after the crime with a "sinister design" to "prejudice" the investigating officers.

"Our charge is that the government has directed the police to take this line in all such cases involving BJP and Sangh Pariwar Activists," it added.

Alleging that BJP has every reason to suspect that there is a "pattern, a design and a diabolical motive" behind these killings of RSS/BJP workers, the party said it also suspects the "unholy nexus of the Jihadists and Marxists", a deadly combination, behind these killings.

"Going by the pattern, design and modus operandi, it is almost sure that the workers of the Popular Front of India are involved. These elements are being provided with intellectual and moral support by Marxists," it said.

"In so far as the diabolical motive is concerned, the PFI, in league with the Marxists, wants a communal flare up so that the BJP and Sangh Pariwar outfits can be blamed. It suits the vote-bank politics of the Congress," it added.

PTI
Is al-Ummah shadowing as ISIS in South India?

Bengaluru

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, Oct 21: It has been said that recently a module of the ISIS was busted in Kerala. Nearly 6 people were arrested last week for being part of an ISIS module. However, if one looks at the issues that this module was trying to address, it gets back to targeting judges, courts and Hindu leaders.

These issues are very similar to the ones that have been raised by local groups from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Since the arrest of Abdul Nasar Madani, in connection with the Bengaluru serial blasts case, groups sympathetic to him have been raising questions.

Officials say that there have been three blasts outside courts in 2016-Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh) and Kollam (Kerala) on April 7 and June 15 respectively and Mysore court blast on August 1. All of these were meant to send across a message to the judiciary. These blasts were attributed to a group known as the Base Movement which has strong roots in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

In this context one must also look into the blast outside the BJP office in Malleshwaram in 2013. Investigators had found that this attack was carried out to send a message to the BJP government in Karnataka which had ordered the arrest of Madani.

Shadow outfits

There have been a series of arrests across India and it was claimed that these people were part of an ISIS module. Intelligence Bureau officials had said that most of these groups comprised former members of the Indian Mujahideen.

Also read: Kodaikanal was a target for ISIS module in South India

IB officials also do not rule out the possibility of the ISI, Pakistan nurturing them and asking them to attack in the name of the ISIS. By doing so, the ISI gets the deniability that it needs.

Even in the modules busted in South India, this could be the case. The issues raised by them are similar to the ones raised by the Base Movement, originally the al-Ummah. The al-Ummah is an active outfit strong in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and has been accused of targeting the judiciary and Hindu leaders. Officers say that this is something that will be probed into.

Those arrested will be questioned in connection with the blasts at Chittoor, Kollam and Mysuru. These three blasts had taken place outside the courts. The al-Ummah, which backs Madani, wants to send out a message to the judiciary and hence is targeting the courts.

Further the module, believed to be that of the ISIS, has also spoken about targeting judges and Hindu leaders which again is an agenda of the al-Ummah.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that the possibility of the al-Ummah shadowing as the ISIS cannot be ruled out completely. The youth arrested are locals and there is a possibility of a link with the al-Ummah.

"This needs to be investigated further and to find out if they were trying to shadow in the name of the ISIS so that they could have a deniability factor," the officer also adds.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, October 21, 2016, 15:48 [IST]
Airbus to send its first A350 to China Updated: 2016-10-21 07:13 By Zhu Wenqian(China Daily Europe)

Booming growth of long-haul international routes calls for wide-body aircraft, executive says

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Group SE says it expects to deliver its first A350 to Chinese airlines in the second half of next year and is bullish about the country's demand for wide-body aircraft, fueled by fast-growing long-haul international routes markets.

An A350 test aircraft will start its China tour in November, with the debut in Haikou, Hainan province, after which it will be demonstrated at the Zhuhai Airshow, before visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, the company said last week.

Visitors walk past an Airbus A350 on display at the Singapore Airshow. Reuters

Currently, more than 40 A350 aircraft are in operation internationally. China Eastern Airlines ordered 20 A350-900 aircraft in April. Air China ordered 10 of those earlier. In September, Sichuan Airlines signed a letter of intent to lease four more.

China's long-haul market has been surging as the number of direct international flights to and from China skyrocketed 150 percent in the last five years, mainly fueled by the growth of the middle class and relaxed visa policies.

From 2010 to 2015, the number of Chinese who traveled abroad jumped by an annual average of 16 percent, and 200 million individual Chinese are expected to travel overseas by 2020, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In the first half of 2016, Chinese airlines transported 25.2 million people on international routes, jumping 27 percent year-on-year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China

"China's booming growth of international flights, especially those long-haul routes, requires wide-body aircraft. The A350 is suitable for those airlines with complete international flight networks," says Eric Chen, Airbus China President and CEO.

Airbus says it expected that between 2014 and 2034, air traffic in China will have an annual growth rate of 6.9 percent, mainly from domestic flights in China, and flights between China and the US, and China and Western Europe. Globally, the average growth rate will reach 4.6 percent.

Boeing Co said last month that it expects China's wide-body fleet to triple in size over the next two decades.

"There is a rapid growth of international travel volume in China, with the traffic of some routes increased exponentially. The trend will continue, and the high amount of international travel is likely to drive the demand for wide-body aircraft," says Li Xiaojin, a professor at Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin.

The A350 has 280 to 366 seats and is the first Airbus aircraft with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fiber.

Airbus' US archrival Boeing signed an agreement with China Southern Airlines on Oct 12 for a dozen B787s, the main competitor with the A350.

"We have firm confidence in the China market and will continue to expand industrial cooperation with Chinese enterprises. We will also collaborate with more Chinese interior cabin suppliers and provide more opportunities for them to enter the world market," Chen says.

Airbus (Beijing) Engineering Center, a joint venture between Airbus and Aviation Industry Corp of China, participated in the design of the airframe of the A350, and some 5 percent of the airframe is manufactured in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page27)
In a first, two inmates of Institute of Mental Health tie the knot

Jayalalithaa recovering well, communicating through gestures

Chennai

oi-Vicky

Chennai, Oct 21: While there have been no medical bulletins issued from Apollo hospital where Jayalalithaa is currently undergoing treatment, reports suggest that the Tamil Nadu CM is recovering.

Meanwhile, Professor Richard Beale, consultant intensivist, who was called in earlier from UK for Jayalalithaa's treatment, is expected to return to Chennai on Sunday even as reports suggest that Jayalalithaa's health has improved and she is responding well to treatment and would be out of the hospital soon.

The Hindu, while quoting informed sources, says that the CM is able to sit up and communicate through gestures. "While the respiratory support continues, she will be able to communicate verbally once the tracheostomy tube is removed," the report stated.

The report also mentions that she has made great progress and she is completely off sedation during the day.

Also read: AIADMK leader on Jaya's health: Amma responding well to treatment; talking to people

The team of specialists treating her, calibrated the drug dosage, which led to the success in treating the continuing issue of pulmonary oedema. The mitral valve infection was treated effectively and, as a result, fluid accumulation in the lungs has been halted, the report further stated.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK says that she has progressed very well under the daily monitoring of doctors and specialists.

The AIADMK's spokesperson, C R Saraswathy told reporters in Chennai that she is taking rest as per doctor's advise. "She is completely well and will come home soon. God is by her side," she also said.

OneIndia News
Fact check: Did AISA Students Fake Injuries During Violence At JNU?

Deprivation point to be brought back for PhD students in JNU

200 JNU students detained over protests related to missing student

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Oct 21: Over 200 students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were detained on Friday while they were demanding swift action to locate a missing student, Najeeb Ahmed.

Ahmed went missing from the university campus on an October 15 night, after allegedly entering into a brawl with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members.

The students were led away by police when they reached the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of the capital.

They were taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. The students kept a steady chant of anti-police slogans while being detained.

The police have set up a Special Investigation Team to trace Ahmed.

IANS
Comment: Bengaluru's flyover not a walkover, but the finest steel has to go through the hottest fire

India

oi-Oneindia

By Brijesh Kalappa

Traffic patterns in Bengaluru have changed substantially in recent years, with businesses increasingly shifting to areas near the international airport in Devanahalli. As a result, the stretch of road between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal has become one of the busiest roads in the city today, with over two lakh vehicles passing through it daily. It is this problem that lakhs of commuters are facing everyday that the government is trying to solve by putting up a 6.7 km-long steel flyover on this stretch, against which there's an ongoing, well-organised but motivated campaign.

[Gallery: Protest against Construction of Steel Flyover Kannada News Events]

True, the steel flyover will cost upwards of Rs. 1,500 crore, but if you add up the cost of fuel and productivity losses that lakhs of people and businesses are currently suffering daily due to the absence of such a structure, you will see that the proposed flyover is well worth it!

True, also, that some 816 trees will be cut down to make way for the flyover, but to make up for that loss of greenery, some 60,000 ornamental plants are proposed to be planted. What's more, environmentalists would also do well to urge Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to plant trees on the thousands of acres of land recovered from squatters by his firm initiative.

More importantly, a steel structure will cause the barest minimum of inconvenience to commuters while it is being put in place because, unlike while building a concrete flyover, the steel structure is pre-fabricated in a casting yard and is brought to the site to be put in place. Moreover, the load of a steel structure on the ground below will be approximately only one-eighth the load of a concrete one of the same size.

If these arguments are not enough to convince the naysayers, let's ask, who started down this steel bridge road in the first place? It was the previous BJP regime, which appointed M/s STUP Consultants Pvt Ltd, issuing two work orders in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The consultant interacted with all stake-holders and came to the conclusion that the Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal stretch is the shortest and most effective alignment. Now, though, it is the same BJP, through one of its associate members, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekar, that is stalling the project that they originally conceived of!

But leave the politics of it aside for a moment, let's ask what the people want. In its outreach exercise, the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) invited suggestions from experts and the public on this project. Of the 299 responses it received, 219 were in favour of the steel bridge, while 80 people were opposed to it. Should 80 people be allowed to stop a project that will benefit 80 lakh people? Or, do the naysayers believe, as Richard Nixon once said, "the finest steel has to go through the hottest fire."

To be sure, a magnificent steel structure will elevate the aesthetics of the city, just as Brooklyn Bridge does it in New York's Manhattan or the Harbour Bridge does in Sydney. But perhaps, there's a powerful lobby for which this will become an eyesore.

The cement lobby is furious, because not an ounce of cement will be used to build this steel flyover. Moreover, a set of local contractors are angry because the government has called a global tender to execute this project rather than handing the project to them. Mixed up concretely in all this is our ultra-rich Rajya Sabha MP who feels the need to prove his utility to his BJP backers as his current term nears its end.

It's a powerful group alright -- of cement manufacturers, local contractors and a Rajya Sabha MP -- that is spending an enormous amount of money to thwart the project. But the people of Bengaluru are sick and tired of the time and money wasted on the city's roads, and will not fall into the well-laid trap of these lobbyists.

(Brijesh Kalappa is legal adviser to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah)
J&K: Jawan martyred, 4 injured in Poonch as Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC

Bangladesh border guards say BSF 'started firing', BGB then 'fired in self-defense'

Chhattisgarh: Home Guard jawans help tribal woman deliver baby on river bank in rain-hit Bijapur

News flash: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Rajouri

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Oct 21: Delhi zoo remains temporarily closed for the fourth day over bird flu scare. Meanwhile, more than 200 flights in and out of Hong Kong cancelled as Typhoon Haima approaches.

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

12.00: Indian Army retaliated as Pakistan violated ceasefire in Rajouri, heavy sheling on LoC in Majokote.



11:15 pm: Pakistan violates ceasefire in several areas of RS Pura sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

11:00 pm: India enters the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup final, defeated Thailand with a score difference of 73-20; to play against Iran tomorrow.

10:30 pm: Few rounds of small arms have been fired from Pakistan side in RS Pura Sector.

9:40 pm: We are thinking of approaching SC, we should get a good lawyer from the Bihar Govt to fight there: Mother of Aditya Sachdeva

9:30 pm: They used all sorts of weapons. If they begin again, will give them a reply again they should remember that: DK Upadhyay, IG BSF Jammu Range

9:15 pm: Pakistan denied BSF's caim of killing seven Pakistani Rangers.

9:00 pm: Indians resorted to unprovoked firing in Shakargarh sector today: General Asim Bajwa, DG ISPR Pakistan

8:50 pm: An earthquake measuring 4.2 mangnitude occuered in India-Bangladesh border.

8:40 pm: Gave a befitting response, so Pakistani Rangers were rattled & fired again today morning: DK Upadhyay, IG BSF Jammu Range

8:15 pm: Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has resigned on moral grounds, I have accepted his resignation & sent it to the Governor: Odisha CM

8:00 pm: Odisha Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak gives his resignation to Odisha CM.

7:50 pm: Hira Nagar firing: Pak Rangers injured one BSF trooper Constable Gurnam Singh, he was evacuated & his condition is critical: BSF

7:40 pm: BSF launched an offensive in response to a sniper attack of Pak Rangers at 9:35 this morning in Hira Nagar Sector of Jammu.

7.15 pm: One dead in the fire that broke out in a cracker godown in Gandhi park area of Coimbatore.

7.10 pm: TN CM Jayalalithaa continues to be under treatment & observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support & physiotherapy: Apollo Hospital.

7.00 pm: Sum Hospital fire mishap: Founder Manoj Nayak taken into remand by police.

6.30 pm: President Pranab Mukherjee speaking at inaugural session of National Initiative On Strengthening Arbitration And Enforcement in India.

6:21 pm: Delhi: FM Arun Jaitley speaking at the inaugural session of National Initiative On Strengthening Arbitration And Enforcement.

6:10 pm: Death toll in fire at Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar rises to 24 after a person succumbed to injuries today.

5:55 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on October 24.

5:50 pm: Party is going through worst crisis & says it will be difficult to win 2017 election if this continues: Beni Prasad Verma.

5:42 pm: Allahabad-New Delhi AI flight returns after takeoff due to technical glitch.

5:38 pm: CBI issues look-out circular against NRI arms dealer Vipin Khanna in Embraer deal case to prevent him from leaving the country.

5:32 pm: Amid scare, Delhi government rules out any threat to human beings due to birdflu or avian influenza.

5.26 pm: Technical glitch forces Allahabad-New Delhi Air India flight to return to Allahabad airport (UP) after being airborne for sometime.

4.57 pm: Border villagers being moved to safer places in bulletproof vehicles after Pakistan violates ceasefire in Kathua, J&K.

4.45 pm: Fire breaks out in a cracker godown in Gandhi park area of Coimbatore, TN.10 people fear trapped, fire tenders at the spot. Rescue ops underway.

4.31 pm: Section 144 imposed; protesters detained and taken to Parliament police station, says Delhi ACB chief M K Meena.

4.25 pm: JNU student on Najeeb Ahmad missing case: JNU students protest near Rail Bhawan, Delhi.

4.16 pm: Suicide note and audio clips proved that she was facing harassment, we have registered the case and investigation is underway: Deependra Pathak on Lalita suicide case.

4.13 pm: Kabaddi player Rohit Chillar arrested by Delhi Police from Mumbai in case of abetting his wife's suicide. Transit remand given till 23rd Oct.

16.07 pm: Coast guard ships Atulya and Aryaman commissioned today at Kochi by SK Kohli, IDAS, Financial Advisor to Defence Services.

4.02 pm: We have now reached a level of maturity in governance which helps us distinguish between an erroneous and a corrupt decision: Arun Jaitley

3.59 pm: Interim parole of Subrata Roy extended till Nov 28th; Sahara deposited Rs.200 crore today and will deposit Rs.200 crore more by Nov end.

3.45 pm: We have now reached a level of maturity in governance which helps us distinguish between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, says Arun Jaitley.

3.29 pm: I haven't read the order, but we have full faith in the Indian judiciary. We have already put forward our concerns, says BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur.

3.16 pm: Special Friday prayers performed by Muslims and AIADMK cadres for the speedy recovery of TN CM Jayalalithaa in Chennai.

3.10 pm: Firing by Pak at Bobiya post in Hiranagar sector (J&K) underway, 1 BSF jawan injured & 1 Pak ranger gunned down.

3.05 pm: Samples have been sent to Jabalpur forensic lab; as a precautionary measure, we've closed down the area: Veterinarian Upendra Yadav on Bird flu.

2.45 pm: MoS MEA Gen V K Singh met Vice Minister for Labour and Social Development of Saudi Arabia today in Riyadh to facilitate the return of stranded Indian workers in Saudi Arabia & thank Govt of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their full cooperation in solving the problem.

2.39 pm: No truck will be allowed to enter mandi sans a fitness certificate from Oct 23;Team of vets, department and mandi officials will be formed: Gopal Rai.

2.15 pm: LGBT community protests against state and central govt alleging that authorities are not considering their demands in Bengaluru.

2:05 pm: CBI to file chargesheet in Sheena Bora murder case: Report.

2:00 pm: Infiltration bid foiled by Army in Sawjian sector of Poonch district (J&K) along the LoC. One jawan injured. More details awaited.

1:50 pm: We've to follow their instructions anyhow, but we'll look at every aspect of game: Anurag Thakur on SC directions.

1:44 pm: Government has sought report on Debit Card misuse; idea is to contain damage, says Arun Jaitley.

1:37 pm: SC asked the Delhi govt "what are your plans to clear garbage" "You have to plan for the future. You don't have to react to a situation".

1:35 pm: Govt's policy is very clear; We're in favour of peace, but we've zero-tolerance towards terror: MoS PMO Jitendra Singh.

1.29 pm: Ceasefire from 1240 hrs using small arms and automatics, being responded by Indian troops.

1.20 pm: We've to follow their instructions anyhow, but we'll look at every aspect of game: BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur on SC directions to Lodha Panel.

1.02 pm: PIL, which had been filed in Apex court, sought action against gau rakshaks in the light of recent incidents of violence by cow vigilantes.

1.00 pm: The Supreme Court has agreed that it would hear a petition to examine the issue of cow vigilantism across the country.

12.59 pm: BCCI to include DRS (Decision Review System) on a trial basis during the India vs. England Test series, 2016.

12.52 pm: Govt's policy is very clear; We're in favour of peace, bt we've zero-tolerance towards terror, says MoS PMO Jitendra Singh on CM Mufti's statement.

12.39 pm: BSF recovered 5 packs of suspected heroin in village Daukey of Attari sector (Punjab) at Indo-Pak international border.

12.30 pm: Customers need not worry; probe is underway and whatever action required will be taken: Shaktikanta Das, DEA Secy on debit card data theft.

12.25 pm: Cybersecurity is an important matter; detailed reports have been asked from the banks over security breach: Shaktikanta Das, DEA Secratary.

12.20 pm: Lalita suicide case: Pro-Kabaddi league player and Lalita's husband Rohit Chillar has been arrested by police.

12.00 pm: Supreme Court tells Lodha panel to appoint an auditor who will scrutinise BCCI's accounts. SC also directs panel to fix a limit on the financial transaction that BCCI can carry out.

11.50 am: Tokyo (Japan): Priests from India perform non-stop yagya for 9 days to clean Japanese environment

Tokyo (Japan): Priests from India perform non-stop yagya for 9 days to clean Japanese environment pic.twitter.com/CMPs4iQcDh  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

11.12 am: Even Pakistan has to help us as we both have to live together. We discuss about films, but Wagah border is still moving: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti.

11.10 am: Suicide attackers target government buildings in Iraq's Kirkuk: Security officials.

10.58 am: We have to create an environment of peace and tranquillity in J&K, AFSPA is not permanent: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti

We have to create an environment of peace and tranquillity in J&K, AFSPA is not permanent: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti pic.twitter.com/t7BvnnDGGa  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

10.55 am: A powerful earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 6.6 shakes western Japan, but no danger of tsunami.

10.52 am: Cricket board BCCI shouldn't release funds until state associations commit to Lodha panel recommendations, says Supreme Court.

10.47 am: Supreme Court order on BCCI implementing Lodha reforms will be out anytime soon.

10.30 am: One BSF jawan injured in firing by Pakistan at Bobiya post in Hiranagar sector (J&K).

9.57 am: Senior Congress leader Amarinder Singh and Asha Kumari to meet party vice President Rahul Gandhi at 10:30AM over upcoming Punjab elections.

9.30 am: J&K: Anti militancy search operation on terror hideout started by army and police in Baramulla.

9.15 am: ACB officials conduct raids at the residence of Narsimha Reddy, Bill Collector of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, in Kukatpally.

8.40 am: Barack Obama has said that Hillary Clinton is the only candidate in this race who has devoted her life for a better America.

8.20 am: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh attends police Commemoration Day being observed at Police Memorial Ground, Chanakyapuri, Delhi.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh attends police Commemoration Day being observed at Police Memorial Ground, Chanakyapuri, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/1oRqK6gRa6  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

8.00 am: Delhi zoo remains temporarily closed for the fourth day over bird flu scare.

Delhi zoo remains temporarily closed for the fourth day over bird flu scare. pic.twitter.com/OugRsBCPmN  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

OneIndia News
SC raps AAP govt, says garbage mounds "like Qutub Minar" in Delhi

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 21: An "alarming" situation prevails in Delhi as the garbage mounds near three landfill sites here are "like Qutub Minar", the Supreme Court today said as it rapped the Delhi government for not doing enough to dispose of the huge quantity of waste.

It also asked the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators to create awareness about garbage disposal among the people here. "Garbage mounds near landfill sites are above 45 metres.

These are almost like towers as like Qutub Minar. Height of Qutub Minar is 73 metres and these mounds are more than half the size. It's an alarming situation. Who is going to deal with it? You (government) have to deal with the problem," a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Adarsh Kumar Goel said.

The observations came when Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar appearing for Delhi Chief Secretary pointed out that near three landfill sites at Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa, there are garbage mounds of the height of 45 metres.

The bench asked Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the AAP had MLAs across Delhi who could create awareness among the people about garbage disposal.

Mehra said the MLAs have to look after several other responsibilities including construction of drains, sewers and roads in their constitutencies and asking them to create awareness was "just too much". "Don't say that. It has to start from home. Your MLAs, your elected representatives, they should sensitise the people. Don't say that MLAs do not have responsibilities," the bench said.

Mehra contended that garbage collection and disposal was the work of local bodies and not the lawmakers.

"It's a bully who blames others for every problems. You are just blaming everybody. Don't say MLAs do not have any responsibility to keep the city clean," the bench said.

The court while directing that MLAs of Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa areas to attend meetings with all stakeholders, also enquired about how much amount does each MLA get for local area development. It was informed that each MLA got Rs 4 crore as local area development fund.

The bench asked the Delhi government that it should be ready for future eventualities and not take measures only when the problem arose. "You have to be ready for the situation. Now that avian flu cases are being reported, Deer Park has been closed. Dengue and Chikungunya cases are now low. You have to be ready for all situations," the bench said.

PTI
Naxalism is down, but it is still Indias greatest challenge: Rajnath Singh

No documents will be asked or biometric taken for NPR: Home Ministry

Wonder why home minister chose not to go to AIIMS but to private hospital: Shashi Tharoor

HM Rajnath Singh reviews situation along Indo-Pak border

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 21: Home Minister Rajnath Singh tonight reviewed the situation along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir where BSF shot dead seven Pakistan Rangers and a terrorist while retaliating to a ceasefire violation.

On receiving the news, the Home Minister, who was in Mumbai, called up Director General, BSF, K K Sharma and took stock of the situation along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.

Senior Home Ministry officials are also in regular touch with BSF officials and monitoring the situation along the border, they said.

The Home Minister earlier had said that BSF should not fire the first shot towards Pakistan but if fired upon by Pakistani forces, BSF should not count the bullets and retaliate forcefully.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, October 21, 2016, 22:53 [IST]
In a first, two inmates of Institute of Mental Health tie the knot

Jaya rumour case: Arrest may not be an answer, says NHRC

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 21: In the wake of apprehending of a few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulated rumours regarding Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's health status, NHRC chairperson Justice H L Dattu today said arrest may not be an answer and there are other avenues for checking rumour-mongering.

"People have the fundamental right to express. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer. There are other avenues to check rumour-mongering," he told reporters.

He was addressing a press conference here to mark the foundation day of the the National Human Rights Commission which was born in 1993.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, rumours have been running rife about her health on social networking sites like Facebook and WhatsApp.

[Jayalalithaa recovering well, communicating through gestures]

To scotch such rumours, the local police have formed a team comprising private cyber experts to keep a watch on those who spread false information about the health and warned of stern action against those involved in such acts.

She is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, amid rumour-mongering on her health condition, and police have registered 43 cases so far.

28-year-old, Mani Selvam, a bank employee, hailing from Ottapidaram Taluk, Tuticorin and 42-year-old Bala Sundaram hailing from Pammal, Chennai, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch police, Chennai Police had said on October 13.

Two persons were earlier arrested for allegedly spreading such rumours.

Three specialists from AIIMS in Delhi had also flown in to Chennai for her treatment early this month.New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) In the wake of apprehending of a few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulated rumours regarding Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's health status, NHRC chairperson Justice H L Dattu today said arrest may not be an answer and there are other avenues for checking rumour-mongering.

"People have the fundamental right to express. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer. There are other avenues to check rumour-mongering," he told reporters.

He was addressing a press conference here to mark the foundation day of the the National Human Rights Commission which was born in 1993.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, rumours have been running rife about her health on social networking sites like Facebook and WhatsApp.

To scotch such rumours, the local police have formed a team comprising private cyber experts to keep a watch on those who spread false information about the health and warned of stern action against those involved in such acts.

She is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, amid rumour-mongering on her health condition, and police have registered 43 cases so far.

28-year-old, Mani Selvam, a bank employee, hailing from Ottapidaram Taluk, Tuticorin and 42-year-old Bala Sundaram hailing from Pammal, Chennai, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch police, Chennai Police had said on October 13.

Two persons were earlier arrested for allegedly spreading such rumours.

Three specialists from AIIMS in Delhi had also flown in to Chennai for her treatment early this month.

PTI
Karunanidhi fought for the Right to hoist tricolour for chief ministers and made this idea a reality

Karuna urges PM to withdraw move to shift CIPET to Delhi

India

oi-PTI

Chennai, Oct 21: Opposing Centre's move to shift the Head Office of CIPET from here to Delhi, DMK today urged for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to withdraw the proposal.

"This move has no convincing reason or acceptable logic, and in fact it is a retrograde step," DMK chief M Karunanidhi told the Prime Minister in a letter.

The people of Tamil Nadu in general and the labour unions in particular "are very much agitated over the proposed move" to shift the head office of Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) to Delhi, he added.

CIPET, coming under the Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, was established here in 1968, "with an avowed objective of promoting plastic tools and dye-making industries in India," Karunanidhi said.

"It was registered under the Societies Registration Act, incorporating in it that the Head Office should be located at Chennai only," he said, adding, CIPET has grown into a premier institution of plastics engineering and technology with 27 Centres spread across the country.

CIPET had gained a reputation of continuously running on profits as well as international recognition "and it occupies a pride of place in the plastics engineering and technology map of India," he said.

Over a period of time, CIPET's head office here has built-up at par with international standards and equipped with all the high-end equipments, Karunanidhi said and recalled that the issue had come up during previous NDA government too.

"When a similar move was in the offing during the tenure of the NDA government at the Centre, headed by A B Vajpayee, I, as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, raised a strong voice of dissent and took up the issue with the Prime Minister," he said.

"Finally Suresh Prabhu, then Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, wrote to me on 30-11-1999, affirming that there was no proposal to shift the CIPET headquarters outside Tamil Nadu. Such was the helpful attitude adopted by Vajpayee government in responding to the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

Karunanidhi sought Modi's "immediate intervention" on the matter and to respect "popular demand of Tamil Nadu," to withdraw the proposal to shift CIPET head office from the city.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, October 21, 2016, 16:29 [IST]
Not just Varun Gandhi but many have fallen prey to honeytraps

India

oi-Vicky

A former partner of an arms dealer named Abhishek Verma has said that BJP MP, Varun Gandhi was honeytrapped into leaking information about defence matters. It was also alleged that Gandhi was blackmailed with photographs taken with foreign escorts.

Varun Gandhi, however, has denied the allegations and said that if this is even one per cent true, he would quit politics.

Sex and seduction in espionage is something that has been used forever. It is often used against army and intelligence officials and sometimes against politicians. In simple words, a honeytrap is a trick used by intelligence agencies to get information.

A honeytrap refers to a strategy of using an attractive person to entrap or get information from someone. The term 'honeytrap' was first used in the world of espionage.

There have been several cases of honeytraps reported from across the world. Influential officials and politicians have fallen victim to this age old trick and have passed on sensitive information.

Also read: Honeytrapped? Varun Gandhi under attack over defence deals, threatens defamation case

One of the most famous cases that comes to mind in this context is that of Mata Hari or Margaretha Geertruida. A Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan, she was convicted of being a spy. She was executed by the firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.

Some famous honey trap cases

One of the most famous cases in India is that of K V Unnikrishnan, an officer with the Research and Analysis Wing. He had been honeytrapped by a Pan Am airhostess, who in reality was a US intelligence officer.

Unnikrishnan was posted at the R&AW office in Chennai and was dealing with the LTTE. He was arrested and jailed in 1987 on charges of leaking out sensitive information.

Another case from India reported in the 1990s was of an officer at the Naval attache in Islamabad. He was alleged to have been honeytrapped by a nurse in Karachi and lured into leaking information for the ISI.

While he tried to convince the authorities in India that he had appointed her to work for India, on interrogating him further, he broke down and confessed. He was dismissed from service, but not jailed as no concrete information about him passing on information could be found.

The case relating to a Liberal Democratic MP, Mike Hancock too had made headlines. A 26-year-old Russian named Katia Zatuliveter is said to have had an affair with the MP from UK. The MP was part of the defence committee of the British Parliament. While the MI5 wanted to deport her, she filed a case under the special immigration commission. Her case was upheld.

Also read: Varun refutes being 'honey trapped' by arms dealer

In the 1950s, an Indian diplomat was honeytrapped in Moscow. After being confronted by the KGB, who had pictures of him with the woman, he informed the Indian ambassador about the issue. Jawaharlal Nehru, who was also the external affairs minister at that time, let him off with a caution.

Another case in recent times was that of Madhuri Gupta. She was posted as the second secretary, press and information at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. She was arrested in 2010 on the charges of passing on information to ISI agents whom she had befriended.

In 2010, Anna Chapman, a Russian national, was arrested on suspicion of working for the Illegals Program spy ring under the Russian Federation's external intelligence agency, the SVR. She was to befriend American politicians and gather sensitive data and classified information. She was arrested and pleaded guilty. Chapman, however, was deported to Russia as part of a prisoner swap.

In 2014, Benjamin Bishop, a US Defence Contractor pleaded guilty to giving up state secrets to his mistress who was a 27-year-old Chinese national. He had an affair with her for three years and is said to have shared several defence secrets.

OneIndia News
PM Narendra Modi chokes up as he talks about Morbi tragedy | Video

Modi to inaugurate int'l terminal at Harni airport tomorrow

India

oi-PTI

Ahmedabad, Oct 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Vadodara tomorrow to inaugurate the international terminal at Harni airport.

He will also attend a programme to distribute artificial limbs and other implements to more than 8000 'Divyangs' (disabled persons) in the city.

It will be Modi's first visit to Vadodara after becoming PM in May 2014. In last Lok Sabha elections, Modi got elected from both Vadodara and Varanasi seats, but he retained latter.

"After arriving in Vadodara tomorrow afternoon, the PM will first inaugurate the newly-built international terminal at the city airport and then he will attend Divyang camp at Navlakhi ground," said an official of Gujarat Information Department.

The state-of-the-art terminal, built at the cost of Rs 160 crore, is spread over 18,120 sq mt and can handle 700 passengers (domestic plus international) per hour. It will have 18 check-in counters. The airport is located in Harni area on the outskirts of Vadodara.

After the function, Modi will head to Navlakhi ground, where artificial limbs, tri-cycles and other assistive devices will be distributed to over 8000 'Divyangs'.

The event has been jointly organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Kanpur-based Artificial Limb Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), and Vadodara district administration, stated a government release.

This will be Modi's fourth visit in last three months to his home state, where Assembly elections are due next year.

On his 66th birthday on September 17, Modi had inaugurated various irrigation and drinking water projects in the tribal district of Dahod.

He had attended a Divyang camp at Navsari in south Gujarat. In August, he had visited Gujarat twice - once to condole death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj at Botad district and then to inaugurate the ambitious Sauni Irrigation Scheme in Jamnagar district.

PTI
Uncertain waters for shipping sector Updated: 2016-10-21 07:13 By Carmen Ho(China Daily Europe)

Slow global growth and China's shift to a service economy pose a serious threat to the industry

Shipping companies all over the world are scrambling to stay afloat as the consequences of years of overoptimism catch up with them. Many new vessels that were ordered when business was good are only now coming online, and sit empty as trade continues to slow.

Companies in the industry went on a spending spree more than a decade ago, ordering larger ships based on the assumption of increasing global trade in consumer goods and raw materials - in large part from China but also from developed and developing economies that were enjoying boom times.

Shipbuilders, port operators and container lines were all eager to profit from China's insatiable demand for everything from iron ore to designer shoes.

A freighter approaches the port of Lianyungang in Jiangsu province. The economic slowdown in China means that the country is importing less raw materials, affecting the shipping sector. Wang Jianming / For China Daily

From 2004 to 2008, exports of cars, machines, construction materials, handbags and food skyrocketed, lifting charter rates along with them. Global trade grew about 6 percent per year. But within two years of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the onset of the global financial crisis, the trend had taken a sharp turn downward.

Today, the global economy remains sluggish and the economic slowdown in China means that the country is still the largest, though a more moderate, contributor to global growth. Shipowners that bought vessels during the heyday of global trade now have too much space to fill.

"How can it be worse?" says Luo Meifeng, director of the IMC-Frank Tsao Maritime Library and Research& Development Centre at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

"The whole world economy is bad. Trade is pretty low. Every country is trying to improve through the virtual economy rather than increase production. Nobody wants to buy," says Luo, who is also an associate professor with HKPU's department of logistics and maritime studies.

"The whole world is not in a good situation. It's like the 1930s - nothing new is pushing us forward."

That may sound pessimistic, but it may also be true.

From the 1990s to the global financial crisis, exports only increased, and quite rapidly at that. Trade between countries grew at an average of about 6 percent a year. Most of it was delivered by sea, and two-thirds of global seaborne trade was carried in containers.

But in 2012, growth rates in global trade dropped sharply to 3 percent - half of what they once were. And in 2015, for the first time since the 2008 recession, global GDP grew faster than worldwide container-shipping traffic.

Shifts in manufacturing have also contributed to the shipping industry's decline. Companies are increasingly building factories locally in the markets where products are sold. US giant General Electric, for example, is building factories in Asia to avoid shipping products from the United States.

Exports as a percentage of global GDP dipped from 30.7 percent in 2012 to 29.3 percent in 2015, according to data from the World Bank. That may not sound like a significant change, but global GDP in 2014 was an estimated $77.6 trillion. So even this small drop in the value of trade as a percentage of GDP adds up to over $1 trillion in trade that did not happen. That is a lot of containers not moving.

Meanwhile, China's economy is expected to grow by a little more than 6 percent this year and next, according to the International Monetary Fund - in sharp contrast to its double-digit growth in the past decade.

The country is transforming from an economy based on manufacturing and exports to one that is services oriented.

China is buying less oil, iron ore and other raw materials that had provided an essential push for the growth of emerging economies like Brazil and Russia. The latter two are currently in deep recession. The plunge in oil prices is also affecting Saudi Arabia and other oil exporters like Malaysia.

Countries with less income will import less from other countries. And while other sectors have sought to adjust to this difficult cycle, it has had no mercy on the shipping industry, which was caught at a critical moment, ordering more ships and expanding capacity.

Some companies are undergoing major overhauls of their business structure. Maersk Line, the world's largest container shipping company, plans to make around 4,000 jobs redundant within the next few years.

Merger and acquisition activity is high, such as French container shipping operator CMA CGM's $2.4 billion purchase of Neptune Orient Lines, a global transportation company that was established in 1968 as Singapore's national shipping line. Mitsui OSK Lines, NYK Line and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha in Japan might also merge under the pressure of their investors.

Such mergers are helping companies stay afloat in this painful period through cost reduction and shared resources. Complex financing structures and low-cost leasing have kept capacity figures artificially high.

But none of these moves solve the problem of overcapacity and a general lack of flexibility to adapt to the changing global economy.

"I don't think there's going to be a big change in the industry as governments are still helping the big (shipping) companies. These big companies are risky because governments always help them. But I think the only way to rebalance the supply and demand now is to throw away old ships," says Yang Dong, assistant professor with HKPU's department of logistics and maritime studies.

Instead of being scrapped, the excess ships are being bought and managed by shipping companies. And there is a continuing list of orders for new construction, with investors harboring unrealistic expectations for double-digit returns.

The high oil prices of a few years ago led shipping companies to order more efficient, energy-saving vessels, even bigger than before. Mediterranean Shipping Company's Olympic series of 20 ultralarge container ships, for example, each have a capacity of 19,200 containers. The idea behind so-called megaships is that they reduce the cost per unit transported.

But few vessels now manage to fill their container slots. This size-based strategy poses a great danger to the already sinking industry, as further increases in surplus capacity in the market will inevitably push shipping rates even lower.

In mid-February 2015, the cost for shipping a container from Shanghai to the US West Coast was $2,265. By late August this year, that price had plummeted nearly 50 percent to $1,153. In early September, rates bounced back up to $1,746 but remain far below the earlier peak, according to the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index.

Ships operating on the main routes, such as those between Asia and Europe, are sailing without full loads. Hamburg Sud, for example, recently transshipped 10 percent fewer containers than a year ago, due to the slower economic growth in China and also the sanctions on Russia and Ukraine.

Some vessels are sitting idle in ports, a business nightmare for shipowners. Expiring charter contracts are either not being renewed or are being renewed at only a fraction of previous rates.

In early February this year, the Baltic Dry Index dropped to less than 300 for the first time in its history. The index measures cargo rates for raw materials and is a key indicator of changes in the global economy.

The index is significantly lower than it was even in 2008, the year of the financial crisis. This year was set for a major recession in the shipping industry right from the beginning.

As China's growth direction moves away from manufacturing and toward a more self-sustained economy, and with no other economy likely to replace China as the world's growth driver, it is unclear how the shipping industry's future will pan out.

For China Daily

( China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page26)
Why is BJP not bringing Uniform Civil Code across the country: Kejriwal in Gujarat

Muslim cleric criticises Modi government move on Uniform Civil Code

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kolkata, Oct 21: A leading Muslim cleric on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of hatching a conspiracy to "impose" the Uniform Civil Code in a bid to polarise the nation, and called for a nationwide road blockade to protest the move.

With two Muslim Trinamool Congress MPs - Sultan Ahmed and Idris Ali - by his side, Tipu Sultan Mosque Imam Syed Noor-Ur- Rahaman Barkati appealed to all communities to join hands to oppose the Centre's plans.

"The Modi government is trying to polarise the nation on communal lines by imposing the UCC on us. We won't accept it. We are totally opposed to it.

"I appeal to all Hindus, Muslims, Christians, the Dalits and other communities to join hands," Barkati said while speaking at a protest demonstration in front of the Tipu Sultan Mosque.

Hyderabad emerges as hub of campaign against Uniform Civil Code

"We will organise a nationwide road blockade on the issue. I urge everybody to participate in this. We will also hold a rally at the Park Circus Maidan soon," he said.

Both Ahmed and Ali univocally expressed their opposition to any move to impose UCC.

"It will only end up jeopardising the country's unity. We won't allow any interference in our religious matters," said Ahmed.

IANS
NGT raps UP Jal Nigam for non-compliance of order

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 21: Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam today faced the National Green Tribunal's ire for its failure to comply with a 2015 order directing it to seal all hand pumps which were releasing contaminated ground water in six districts in the western part of the state.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar pulled up the authorities for not complying with its November 2015 order and asked why a joint affidavit has not been filed yet.

"It's shocking. Why don't you read the order and comply with it," the bench said and granted the last opportunity to UP Jal Nigam to comply.

The authorities sought more time to complete the process of dismantling the hand pumps after which the tribunal granted them a week's time and posted the matter for October 28.

"Authorities say they need more time. In the interest of justice, we give last opportunity and grant one week's time. Put up the matter for further hearing on October 28," the bench said.

The green panel was hearing a petition filed by NGO Doaba Paryavaran Samiti head C V Singh, a retired scientist of Haryana Pollution Control Board, who has alleged that due to consumption of contaminated ground water over 50 villagers have died in western Uttar Pradesh of cancer.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for petitioner, sought that heavy cost be imposed on state authorities so that they get a lesson as children were also dying after drinking contaminated water, contending that the people were suffering due to the failure of the authorities.

During the hearing, the bench asked whether the state government was providing potable water to the poor villagers of thse six districts, to which the state's counsel replied in affirmative.

The tribunal was also informed that the government was in the process of dismantling the hand pumps and its completion required some more time.

The bench had earlier observed that it was the fundamental duty of the state government to look after the health and environment of villagers.

In November last year, the bench had directed UP Jal Nigam to forthwith seal the hand pumps of all western UP districts which were releasing contaminated ground water.

PTI
Rita Bahugana's exit: How does it impact the BJP and Congress

India

oi-Vicky

Rita Bahugana Joshi quitting the Congress and joining the BJP on Thursday was an event keenly watched by political observers. While the Congress says that it is not a big loss, the BJP hopes to send a strong message to its upper caste voters in Uttar Pradesh.

Those who are watching developments in Uttar Pradesh closely, say that she had been pushed to a position of irrelevance in the Congress and this was one of the main reasons why she decided to quit.

The question now is how does the BJP gain? In Rita Bahugana's exit, the BJP will send a strong message to the Brahmin voters in Uttar Pradesh. While observers say that the message may not be too loud, there is a perception that is created which is likely to act in favour of the BJP.

Joshi's exit from the Congress sends out a message that all is not well in the party.

Also read: Setback for Congress in UP: Senior party leader Rita Bahuguna joins BJP

Further it also sends out a message since matters are bad within the Congress, senior leaders are quitting to join the BJP to have a longer political inning. It is more about perception as far as this issue is concerned, say the political observers.

The Congress, however, does not seem to be too worried. The party says that she was in charge of Uttar Pradesh during the previous elections and the party fared badly. Congress had to bring in Sheila Dixit from Delhi to send a message to the Brahmin voters. This itself is an indicator that they were ready to risk sidelining Joshi in UP.

For Joshi, the task ahead was a tough one. She had won the Lucknow Cantonment seat in 2012. However, this time around she is up against Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

For her to win this seat this time is extremely crucial as her political future would depend on it. Observers feel that had she stayed back in the Congress, it would have been tough for her to win this seat. "By joining BJP there is a better chance for her to retain this seat," observers also feel.

Also read: Bahuguna a betrayer, Amit Shah amassing army of traitors: Congress

Joshi's exit does convey a message that all is not well in the Congress and BJP will hope that more would join her. However, as pointed out earlier by the observers, Joshi's presence in the party would be more about perception and the voters thinking that the Congress is on a shaky ground.

Congress, on the other hand, maintains that it is not a big loss. Her relationship with Prashant Kishor, the party poll strategist, was uncomfortable. She felt that the old guard was being ignored.

Congress also feels that it needs to make room for younger leaders with more energy. It may be a psychological blow for the Congress and a victory for the BJP but the difference that Joshi will make in the UP elections, is something that only time will tell.

OneIndia News
This is 21st century, where have we reached in name of religion: SC on hate speeches

Special anti-corruption courts in every district: SC to take up plea next week

Supreme Court to examine plea seeking action against cow vigilantes

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 21: The Supreme Court today agreed to examine a plea seeking direction to the Centre and some states to take action against so-called cow vigilantes who are allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy asked the Centre and six states-- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand -- to file their replies to the plea.

"We will examine the plea. Reply to be filed by the respondents," the bench said. The apex court , however, did not issue any notice to the Centre and the states and asked the petitioner, Congress activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, to serve the copy of petitioner to the parties.

Poonawalla, in his plea, said violence committed by these 'Gau Raksha' groups have reached to such proportions that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently declared them as people who are "destroying the society".

The plea alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protection of cows and other bovines and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country".

Cow vigilantes kill BJP worker transporting cattle in Udupi

"The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading fast to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes," the petition said.

It also sought a direction to remove alleged "violent content" uploaded on social media and hosted by the cow protection groups. The plea sought to declare as "unconstitutional" section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, and Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which provide for protection of persons acting in good faith under the Act or rules.

"These laws and the protection granted therewith act as a catalyst to violence perpetrated by these vigilante groups," it said. Seeking action against the vigilantes, the petition said the atrocities committed by them were punishable under various provisions of IPC and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989.

PTI
Delhi govt bans soaps, detergents not conforming to latest BIS parameters to curb pollution

It took 70 years for Yamuna to get this dirty, can't be cleaned in 2 days: CM Kejriwal

Stay on Yamuna beautification cheers activists

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Agra, Oct 21: Greens on Friday hailed a court ruling on a Yamuna beautification project in Vrindavan that was seen as a threat to heritage structures, ghats and ASI-protected temples.

Despite protests from activists, construction work on the floodplains of the Yamuna began a month ago.

The activists had urged the Uttar Pradesh government to seek no-objection certificates from the departments concerned and the National Green Tribunal.

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday stayed the beautification project.

"We complained to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has clear guidelines on starting construction close to heritage and protected structures. The ASI registered an FIR against the government departments, but the work did not stop," said Shravan Kumar Singh, Vice President of Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

Petitioner Madhu Mangal Shukla said the High Court had stayed all construction work on the project. The next date of hearing is November 28.

Of the many ancient ghats along the Yamuna, only a few remain now.

"The Yamuna earlier helped in natural flood control, groundwater recharge and promoted biodiversity. Encroachment and dumping of garbage over the years have posted a threat to the river system," said one activist.

IANS


TN leaders meet President over Cauvery issue

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 21: A delegation of opposition parties in Tamil Nadu today met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention in the setting up of Cauvery Management Board, a demand Karnataka is opposed to.

The leaders belonging to these parties later lashed out at the "defiant" attitude of Karnataka in complying with the apex court orders over release of waters from Cauvery and alleged they are making the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu into a "begging bowl".

A delegation of People's Welfare Front (PWF) leaders, headed by CPI national secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja, submitted a memorandum to the President containing their demands.

"Cauvery does not belong to any particular state. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are riparian states and they have same rights over the river. We requested the President to safeguard the rights of Tamil Nadu and to speed up the Constitution of Cauvery Management Board," Raja told reporters outside the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

[Cauvery: SC reserves verdict on maintainibilty of appeals filed by Kar, TN]

MDMK leader Vaiko, who was part of the delegation, said that the alleged denial of water has resulted in a loss of Rs 8,000 crore to Tamil Nadu this year.

"Karnataka's denial of water, which was legitimately alloted to us, has resulted in a total loss of Rs 8,000 crore to the state this year. We fear that our rice bowl is becoming a begging bowl due to this," he said. "The Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final verdict came in 2007 and the state of Karnataka remains defiant even after the apex court had ordered to release of water for us," Vaiko added.

The PWF leaders criticised Karnataka also over its plans of constructing two dams on the river, expressing apprehensions that it will result in a drought-like situation in 16 districts of Tamil Nadu including its capital Chennai.

"We requested the President to consider our concerns regarding these issues to which he assured to take necessary steps." Vaiko said.

When asked about the Front's silence over the issue for the past two years even after the publication of award in the Central government Gazette, Vaiko said the Front had not taken up the issue in the way it has now as the previous UPA government had not ruled out the formation of the Board.

"But now, it's the Modi government which is saying that it won't constitute the Board. They are denying us justice, therefore prompting us to raise the issue now," Vaiko added. Besides Raja and Vaiko, the delegation comprised state leaders of various other political parties including CPI(M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, VCK president Thol.

Thirumavalavan and its secretary D Ravikumar, along with CPI leader T K Rangarajan.

PTI
Barack Obama hits out at Trump for lack of commitment to accept election results

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Oct 21: US President Barack Obama slammed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for refusing to commit that he would accept the results of the general elections, saying allegations of voter's fraud and rigging of the elections is "dangerous" and "undermines our democracy".

"When you suggest rigging or fraud, without a shred of evidence, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in the American history to suggest that he will not concede, despite losing the vote, and then says that he will accept the results if he wins, that is not a joking matter," Obama said on Thursday at an election rally in Florida.

"Most of the Republicans have acknowledged that there is no way to rig an election in a country this big. I don't know if Trump has ever been to an actual polling place where you have Democrats and Republicans who are in charge of taking the votes," he said.

Trump's allegations, Obama said, are more than just the usual standard lie. That is dangerous because when you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy.

"Then you are doing the work of our adversaries for them," he said. "Because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters; that those who occupy the seats of power were chosen by the people.

Also read: Will totally accept election results if I win: Donald Trump

"Even when your preferred candidate loses, even when you are the one who is running and you lose, you have got to see the bigger picture and say that here in America, we believe in democracy, and we accept the will of the people," the president said.

Obama said if there was any rigging, it would be to the disadvantage of the Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as many of the battle ground states like Ohio, North Carolina and Nevada have Republican Governors. Trump, he said, has nothing to offer but "anger and grievance and blame."

"His closing argument asks: What do you have to lose? Well, I am here to tell you: Everything. You know how much progress we have made, despite the opposition, despite the forces of discrimination, despite the politics of backlash. And that progress doesn't stop with my presidency. We are just getting started," he said.

"So progress is on the ballot, civility is on the ballot, tolerance is on the ballot, justice is on the ballot, equality is on the ballot, our democracy is on the ballot," Obama said.

PTI
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Smartphone batteries emitting over 100 toxic gases: Scientists

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

London, Oct 21 Not just catching up fire or exploding as you sleep next to them, dozens of dangerous gases are being produced by the batteries found in billions of consumer devices like smartphone and tablet, scientists have warned.

The team has identified more than 100 toxic gases released by lithium-ion batteries, including carbon monoxide, which can cause strong irritations to the skin, eyes and nasal passages and harm the wider environment.

According to the researchers from the Institute of NBC Defence and Tsinghua University in China, many people may be unaware of the dangers of overheating, damaging or using a disreputable charger for their rechargeable devices.

"Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are being actively promoted by many governments all over the world. The lithium-ion battery is used by millions of families, so it is imperative that the general public understand the risks behind this energy source," said Jie Sun, lead author and professor at the Institute of NBC Defence.

The dangers of exploding batteries have led manufacturers to recall millions of devices.

Dell recalled four million laptops in 2006 and millions of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices were recalled in 2016 after reports of battery fires.

But the threats posed by toxic gas emissions and the source of these emissions are not well understood.

Sun and her colleagues identified several factors that can cause an increase in the concentration of the toxic gases emitted.

For example, a fully charged battery will release more toxic gases than a battery with 50 per cent charge.

The chemicals contained in the batteries and their capacity to release charge also affected the concentrations and types of toxic gases released.

"Dangerous substances, in particular carbon monoxide, have the potential to cause serious harm within a short period of time if they leak inside a small, sealed environment, such as the interior of a car or an airplane compartment," Sun noted in the study published in the journal Nano Energy.

Almost 20,000 lithium-ion batteries were heated to the point of combustion in the study, causing most devices to explode and all to emit a range of toxic gases.

The researchers now plan to develop this detection technique to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries so they can be used to power the electric vehicles of the future safely.

IANS
Activists campaign to boycott 'Pak friend' China products in Jaipur

Jaipur

oi-PTI

Jaipur, Oct 21: Campaigns calling for boycott of Chinese products have impacted sales of those items by up to 40 per cent here with many people preferring to buy India-made products only during their festive shopping.

In the wake of escalating tension between India and Pakistan after the Uri attack, activists have been running campaigns on roads and on social media platform to boycott products from 'Pakistans friend' China.

A trade body has ascertained that there has been a 30-40 per cent impact on goods like decorative lights which records huge sales during Diwali, whereas a slight impact has also been felt on China-made electronic goods.

In an internal survey, we found that the sale of decorative Chinese lights and other similar products has declined by 30-40 per cent in recent days.

Demand of electronic items like LCDs and others made in China has also declined by 10-15 per cent while this impact is 2 per cent on mobile phones, Suresh Agrawal, president of Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry (FORTI), told PTI.

He said that FORTI has been conducting an internal survey for the past several days and members of the federation are giving their feedback on the demand and sale of Chinese products. Consumption of Chinese products has come down in recent days.

Be it decorative items or any other product, people are preferring Indian products over Chinese goods. Looking at the trend, traders are also avoiding placing orders for Chinese goods, Ajay Vijayvargiya, Secretary of Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh, said.

Shyam Meena, a decorative light trader lfrom the walled city area, also acknowledged the decline in sale. 

The sale is no doubt down this time. Most of the customers are demanding Indian lights. The impact of the call to boycott Chinese products is high.

"Last year, I ordered goods worth Rs 10 lakh approximately, but I have not ordered that much (this year), he said. Large number of Chinese products ranging from idols, portraits of Hindu Gods and Goddesses to decorative lights which bear no indication of the product being manufactured in China are in the market at cheaper prices, yet people are showing awareness in purchasing the items," said Sandeep Gupta, an activist.

Gupta, a chartered accountant by profession, takes out a few hours every day to go to the streets and markets to call for the boycott of Chinese products. Shaheedon ko de do Shradhanjali, China ke Samano ko do Tilanjali (Pay homage to the martyrs, boycott products from China) is the slogan written on a banner which he carries with him on a jeep. Chinese products are sometimes very difficult to identify.

The list of Chinese products is very long and people as well as traders will have to show awareness against them.

The impact will be visible when the market of electronic goods will be affected, he said. Gupta added that the young generation is quite aware on this issue. Why should we buy Chinese products, a friend of Pakistan? We will buy Desi things, an engineering student, Bhaskar Verma, said.

PTI
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Supreme Court agrees to examine Gau Rakshaks issue

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Oct 21: The Supreme Court on Friday said that it would examine a petition relating to the issue of Cow Vigilantism across the country.

A petition had been filed in the Supreme Court against the Gau Rakshaks in the light of the recent incidents of violence. In the petition it was contended that the violence committed by Gau Rakshaks had reached such proportions that even Prime Minister had recently declared them as people destroying the society.

It was alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protecting cows and other bovines and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country".

"The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes," the petition said.

Also read: PM Modi at MyGov Townhall: These self-styled 'Gau Rakshaks' anger me

The petition sought a direction to remove the alleged "violent content" uploaded on social media and hosted by the cow protection groups.

The plea sought to declare as "unconstitutional" section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, and Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which provide for protection of persons acting in good faith under the Act or rules.

"These laws and the protection granted therewith act as a catalyst to violence perpetrated by these vigilante groups," the petition also said.

OneIndia News
Europe as engine of new growth Updated: 2016-10-21 07:13 By Yang Ziman and Zhang Li in Nanning(China Daily Europe)

Manufacturer roars into developed markets with machines that match latest emission standards

Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co Ltd, the largest internal combustion engine manufacturer in China, aims to tap developed markets in Europe by cooperating with top European engine producers, according to top executives of the company.

Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Yuchai Machinery has been the standard-setter as far as Chinese internal combustion engines are concerned. Its assets are worth 32.7 billion yuan ($4.9 billion; 4.4 billion euros; 3.9 billion).

A Yuchai worker assembles a diesel engine at a workshop in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. More than 90 percent of Yuchai Machinery's sales are now concentrated in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. Provided to China Daily

"We always look up to the emission standards of Western countries, staying ahead in technological capacity. Now, we are building engines that meet the Euro 6 emission limits that have been in effect in Europe since 2013," says Guo Deming, deputy Party chief of Yuchai Machinery.

China is going to implement the fifth generation of national emission standards in an all-round way in 2017, which are the equivalent of the Euro 5 emission limits observed in Europe from 2008 to 2013.

Under the Euro 6 emission limits, soot emission per kilometer must be lower than 5 milligrams and nitric oxide per kilometer lower than 80 milligrams, which are one-fifth and one-fourth respectively of the Euro 4 standards.

"Automobile emissions that meet the Euro 6 standards are even cleaner than the average air quality in Beijing," says Guo.

Keeping up with the top standards helps Yuchai Machinery to enter developed countries, where recognition of Chinese brands is not high, according to Huang Yi, deputy general manager of Yuchai Sales Company.

"Developed countries have mature market economy rules. Having a presence in these countries is a touchstone for our own competence. We will suffer great losses if our products in these markets are found to be problematic, which is a driving force for us to keep improving the quality of our products," says Huang.

At the moment, more than 90 percent of Yuchai Machinery's sales are concentrated in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa, where infrastructure construction is taking off. The 10 member-countries of ASEAN represent its largest market. In 2015, they accounted for sales of 30,000 units out of the total overseas sales of 40,000 units.

Yuchai Machinery has been collaborating with FEV GmbH in Germany, one of the top three automobile engine companies in the world, Ricardo Plc in Britain and AVL List GmbH in Austria. It has a research center in Aachen, Germany, where the RWTH Aachen University acts as a talent pool for FEV.

Yuchai Machinery recently signed an agreement with MTU, a German manufacturer of large diesel engines and complete propulsion systems, to establish a joint venture. This will use MTU's technologies related to its S4000 engine series to produce high-end, high-power and high-speed auto engines in both China and overseas.

Meanwhile, the company is cooperating with Brunel University in Britain on oil and gas hybrid power research.

"Hybrid power is the future. It is used in high-end cars, which consume slightly over 3 liters of oil per 100 kilometers. As emission standards increase, new energy engines will enjoy a bigger market," says Huang.

Yuchai Machinery invests 3.5 percent of its revenue in research and development. It has more than 3,000 patents, with 500 to 600 new ones coming up every year. Even though it is strictly controlling its operational costs at the moment, the R&D investment has never been cut.

"Consistent research efforts have put Yuchai Machinery on a par with foreign brands. It first distinguished itself from foreign competitors in the bid for bus engines for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Since then, Yuchai Machinery has been the major automobile engine supplier for major events such as the Two Sessions (the annual gatherings of the Chinese national legislative and political advisory bodies) and the Hangzhou G20 Summit," says Huang.

Yuchai Machinery has 15 offices and 133 service stations overseas that help sell its products to 170 countries and regions. In 2015, overseas markets accounted for 11 percent of total sales.

From 2011 to 2015, the company exported 166,000 engines to overseas markets, up more than 50 percent compared with the 2006-10 period.

Yang Qiu in Guangxi Daily contributed to the story.

Contact the writers at yangziman@chinadaily.com.cn and zhangli@chinadaily.com.cn

( China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page28)
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Rise of China offers benefits, say nations Updated: 2016-10-21 07:13 By Zhong Nan(China Daily Europe)

Most people in Central and Eastern European countries covered by the Belt and Road Initiative hold a positive outlook toward China's economic growth, believing the momentum will continue for the next 10 years, according to a survey released on Oct 14.

Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed says they believed the Chinese economy has stable growth, while 33 percent says it is on a fast track, according to the 2016 Chinese Enterprise Global Image Survey Report on Central and Eastern Europe.

The survey, published by China International Publishing Group, polled 2,000 residents ages 18 to 65 in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Romania between July and September.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to boost trade and connectivity across Asia, Europe and Africa. It involves 60 countries and regions with a total population of 4.4 billion.

Global cooperation in infrastructure, logistics and production capacity is the biggest highlight of the Belt and Road Initiative, says Wei Jianguo, vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

According to the survey, 55 percent of interviewees believe that Chinese companies are able to bring quality and bargain products to their markets, and 42 percent think Chinese businesses will help create jobs.

Major infrastructure projects have been launched in Central and Eastern Europe, including a railway hub project in Lodz, Poland, and steel and nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic with investment from Shanghai-based CEFC China Energy Co.

Wei says countries in Central and Eastern Europe are especially interested in collaborating with China on infrastructure projects.

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co, one of China's biggest solar power companies, has begun talks with at least 10 companies in Central and Eastern Europe for solar projects.

Yang Ming, Yingli's deputy general manager, says Central and Eastern European countries have a growing need for solar energy, which gives Chinese companies the opportunity to diversify their markets.

But the survey found that only 37 percent of respondents have a favorable impression of Chinese companies, compared with 74 percent for Japanese companies and 61 percent for those from the United States.

"It is urgent for Chinese companies to stop bringing managers from home after investing in manufacturing facilities or research branches in Europe," says Zhao Qizheng, former head of the State Council Information Office.

Localization will be the key to their success, he says.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page28)
BYD signals jump from electric cars to monorails Updated: 2016-10-21 07:13 By Chai Hua in Shenzhen(China Daily Europe)

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is entering the railway transportation market with its announcement of plans to build a monorail service in Shenzhen.

Known as the Skyrail, it will take around two years to build, one-third the time for building an average metro system, and at about 20 percent of the cost, according to the company.

With an investment of 5 billion yuan ($743 million; 676 million euros; 611 million) over five years, BYD aims to solve the traffic jam problem in crowded cities caused by population increases.

At the ceremony, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said the city of Shantou in Guangdong province had signed a contract with BYD to build a 250-kilometer-long Skyrail system, and another 20 cities are in negotiations to introduce the new transportation system.

"Skyrail could integrate with the current public transportation system in a bid to establish a multidimensional network linking spaces underground, on the ground and in the air," Wang says.

It can run as fast as 80 km per hour, with delivery capacity of about 10,000 to 30,000 passengers one way each hour.

After the 4.4-km Skyrail started operations on BYD's Shenzhen campus, railway transportation officially became the company's fourth core business after IT, automobiles and new energy.

Wang says BYD is determined to be the first private company in China to enter the railway transportation industry.

On Oct 11, Wang also signed a contract worth 60 billion yuan with China Development Bank for strategic cooperation in the monorail system industry.

Peng Qi, an automobile industry analyst in the research center of China Merchants Securities, says the development of the Skyrail depends on how many orders it could successfully get, and that needs to be negotiated with local governments.

He believes the new system is suitable for third- and fourth-tier cities, as well as linking suburbs and downtowns in first-tier cities, but he is afraid smaller cities can't afford the cost.

The advantage of BYD's Skyrail is its low cost, he said.

He compares the Skyrail to an aerial electronic bus, saying BYD has comprehensive resources for manufacturing electronic buses, including electronic motors, battery and electronic controls, so the company only needs to outsource track manufacturing.

grace@chinadailyhk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page27)
EU should develop united China stance Updated: 2016-10-21 07:13 By Fu Jing(China Daily Europe)

Expert calls on Europe to form its own vision for future relationship instead of following in footsteps of the US

The EU must develop its own vision and capabilities within the triangular relationship involving itself, Beijing and Washington, instead of merely following in the footsteps of the United States.

Pierre Defraigne, a veteran think-tank economist and long-standing senior employee of the European Union, sent this "last-chance" message to Brussels, saying it's vital that the EU listen if it is to maximize its potential in the evolving global system and be on better terms with Beijing.

Pierre Defraigne, a veteran think-tank economist and long-standing senior employee of the European Union. Fu Jing / China Daily

"What we need is the capacity of the EU to coordinate its general strategy with China and the US," says Defraigne, who is executive director of the Brussels-based think tank Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation.

Defraigne, who spoke to China Daily from his home in Brussels, is among the city's most frequent speakers at seminars and debates. He hopes to trigger quality debates about European integration and Beijing-Brussels relations - ideas that grew out of his work over many decades as one of the EU's senior civil servants.

Defraigne, who has been in his think tank role since 2008, believes Brussels has lost its way in its dealings with Beijing as Europe has focused on dealing with the challenges of mass migration, terrorism, rising unemployment and Brexit.

Sitting on a sofa, surrounded by books in his quiet study decorated with Chinese art, he says relations between China and most EU members are vibrant in terms of trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural exchanges.

And many European state leaders have forged closer personal relationships with their Chinese counterparts, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, as they have deepened strategic cooperation.

"But when they are together (as the European Union), they want the EU to be tough with China," Defraigne says. "I think they are playing a double game, and it puts the EU in an extremely uncomfortable position because of this lack of unity."

He says the stance freezes the Brussels-Beijing relationship and means difficulties cannot be solved.

As a veteran official who has worked as a cabinet head for two European commissioners, Defraigne says the EU's poor interaction with China is not the result of its wanting to cause offense but a reflection of its being "helpless" to unite its members.

And in the absence of a united front, the EU has relied heavily upon Washington in formulating its stances toward Beijing. He says this means the EU is no longer a separate entity.

"It is EU-American leadership," he contends.

There are many examples of the EU's inability to make the decisions needed to move the Brussels-Beijing relationship forward. For years, Brussels has failed to lift an arms embargo against Beijing. It has also failed to grant market economy status to China, which is now the world's second-biggest economy.

He says it seems as if Brussels is not ready to fulfill the commitments it agreed to when Beijing was admitted to the WTO, something Defraigne was closely involved in while working as cabinet head for trade commissioner Pascal Lamy.

Defraigne believes the fact that Brussels takes its lead from Washington means it is not able to make "seemingly strategic decisions".

Currently, the EU says a stronger relationship with Washington is high on its agenda. The European Commission's website puts the EU-US partnership among its top 10 priorities.

But Defraigne says Brussels must reprioritize.

"I am quite optimistic that Brussels will adjust its mindset," he says. "Now, Brussels needs to take action in pushing forward the triangle relationship of China, the EU and US, under the framework of global governance reform."

He suggests the construction of a new platform for dialog.

"Ideally, this should be a submechanism under the G20 where leaders can meet," Defraigne says.

He believes such a mechanism would help Brussels better position itself in the changing global system and urges both the EU and US to note what is happening with China, at home and abroad.

He says China has done well in implementing structural reforms since the 2008-09 financial crisis that originated on Wall Street, something that led him to call for the reform of models of capitalism.

But he says the United States has found it extremely difficult to implement such changes because of political reasons, market forces, lobbyists and global companies that have overwhelmed the political system.

"I don't think the EU is under pressure to the same extent as New York and Washington, but our firms are as big and powerful as the American ones," Defraigne says. "But the key point is there: Politics must take over from the markets. When you have broken the system, you have to change the system. This is what China is doing."

He says the United States and Europe should also follow China's lead in domestic reforms and accumulating public-sector wealth, which is crucial for those on the lower rungs of the social ladder.

Internationally, Defraigne says, it is encouraging that Beijing is taking the lead on issues, especially in pushing the Paris climate change agreement into effect, which will happen on Nov 4.

China is on the way to achieving changes in its economic growth pattern toward green competitiveness, which will positively influence global engagement on sustainable development, he says.

But he believes some forces in the US are hesitant to implement the obligations taken on by President Barack Obama.

Defraigne believes China's active role in pushing the Paris agreement forward is as important as its joining of the WTO 15 years ago, when it was an existing structure built up by the West for its own benefit.

"Now, China is among the founding actors of this new branch, whose impact has become more and more important," he says. "For me, China's joining the Paris agreement is a good movement for the future and the world."

And China is actively engaging in many other ways. It has fairly completed its mandate as a member of the WTO and proven to be a faithful member. Its RMB currency has now joined the basket of currencies in the Special Drawing Rights category of the International Monetary Fund.

"And, in addition to the Paris agreement engagement, I personally think China is on the right track," he says. "We have to enjoy that development and now be up to the challenges."

As for the US, Defraigne says the future should be about changing its attitude and becoming more proactive, while for Europe, it should be about achieving unity.

"The unity of Europe is a huge problem for the stability of the world economy today. It is the most serious challenge for this union and the prosperity of the world," he says.

"Our vision of ourselves is always developing to be a main actor in multilateralism and cooperation but if we are not able to achieve unity, the EU will become a threat to the world economically."

For years, Defraigne has been a close China watcher and has read many books on the country. He has tried to understand its history and believes it is important to know the full development of politics in China because it is a unique system.

In China, because of the Confucian tradition, many families have a sense of belonging, which is more important than markets and technology, he says:

"When I observe the actions of the Chinese people, they are actively defending their interests. They are not passive citizens but active citizens. If the government can capture the demands of Chinese citizens and its long civilization, it will have a better future."

Yao Yueyang contributed to this story.

fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/21/2016 page32)
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All the News That's Fit to Print

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New York Times slogan, "All the News That's Fit to Print"

There was a time a free press existed in America, acting as was intended under its 1st Amendment right granted under the Constitution. It was skeptical of the government, did real investigative reporting and was unafraid of exposing government wrongdoing.

The time in mind was the early 1970's with the Washington Post's exposing the Nixon administration's "Watergate" conspiracy, unraveling the affair that eventually made Nixon resign in disgrace.

Of course that's ancient history now as the Washington Post has betrayed its honored history becoming nothing more than a war mongering neo-con propaganda rag and "regime change" booster.

Unfortunately it's not just the Post. This is not a new revelation but bears repeating; the entire corporate owned supposed free press MSM in America has become an "unofficial" organ of the state masquerading as a free press under the banner of the Constitution in effect shredding the document acting as a complicit handmaiden of the state.

There is no investigative reporting. Assertions made by the government are not checked for validity. Everything related by the government is accepted as a given then regurgitated verbatim by the MSM to the people. That certainly wasn't what Jefferson had in mind when he said, "an informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny of the government." Or for that matter Franklin's admonition "...a republic if we can keep it".

The New York Times essentially the nations newspaper hardly represents the slogan on its masthead, "All the news that's fit to print". That's a cruel joke. Check out a few recent articles [1] by investigative reporter Robert Parry who reveals the Times' descent into a tool for disinformation, misinformation, unsubstantiated conclusions based on faulty evidence, engaging in absolute falsehoods and misleading the public.

The Times' continues to reference opponents to President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria as "moderates". There are no "moderates". They're nothing more than foreign proxy, mercenary jihadists trained by the CIA, supplied with US arms, paid by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other GCC countries and funneled through Turkey and Jordan into Syria. Whatever indigenous, Syrian "Arab Spring" opponents of Assad that may have initially existed in 2011 have long since been co-opted and joined with al Nusra terrorists. Meanwhile Assad's Syrian Arab Army in coordination with Hezbollah and Iranian fighters supported by the Russian and Syrian air force are taking on these terrorists in East Aleppo and may soon be victorious. Though the Times' refers to the siege of eastern Aleppo as the Russians and the Syrian air forces destroying hospitals and killing innocents. That's what's reported by the supposed humanitarian "White Helmets" who are nothing more than a western, corporate funded, armed group of play actors in Eastern Aleppo embedded with the terrorists staging atrocities then blame it all on Russian and Syrian bombing. Check out independent investigative journalist Vanessa Beeley [2] who reveals the true nature of the "white helmets".

The point being: what the American people are receiving from their government and the corporate MSM is propaganda. Assertions are made, conclusions drawn with no factual evidence presented. When evidence comes forth reported in the alternative media which conflicts with the "official" story it's simply ignored. It's history. Whether it's 9/11, authorizing torture, drone assassinations, CIA initiated coups of legitimate foreign governments dressed up as the peoples asserting themselves and overthrowing a corrupt leader as Iran in 1953 and Chile in 1972. Meanwhile people in Crimea seeing the coups in Kiev in February 2014 legitimately calling for a referendum to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian federation is portrayed by the US and MSM as an illegal Russian takeover.

So if the people are misinformed, presented distortions of events, falsehoods and lies by the government and the MSM there is no longer an "informed citizenry". It's a citizenry that's been fed endless propaganda, indoctrinated and made fearful of terrorists and terrorism in the governments endless war on terror..

And now here we are subjected to another presidential election campaign extravaganza, the two major party candidates hated, 3rd party candidates prevented from participating in the debates which are strictly controlled by the Democratic and Republican National Committees, leaks of collusion between the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee preventing any possibility of Bernie Sanders becoming the Democratic nominee while untold millions in dark money flood the entire political process as a result of SCOTUS ruling in favor of Citizens United in 2010 with Justice Anthony Kennedy presenting the majority opinion stating "We now conclude that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption".

"Citizens" is probably the most outrageous SCOTUS ruling since the Plessy vs. Ferguson "separate but equal" ruling in 1896 upholding racial segregation laws for public facilities. That ruling stood until it was overturned in SCOTUS 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling outlawing segregated schools.

Will it take 50 odd years to overturn Citizens? If so it'll take more than god to help us.





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Operations Plan:

1 -- Step 1A: You, Mitt Romney, make millions of dollars by buying troubled companies, increasing their debt and then allowing them to go bankrupt, all with the result of reaping millions of dollars (and parking your plundered earnings in offshore tax havens) ( http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/matt-taibbi-reveals-how-romney-made-his-fortune-it-aint-pretty-and-he-shouldnt-be ).

2 -- Step 1B: You, Mitt Romney, make millions of dollars by buying trouble companies and then closing them and shipping their jobs overseas (and parking your plundered earnings in offshore tax havens) ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/romneys-bain-capital-invested-in-companies-that-moved-jobs-overseas/2012/06/21/gJQAsD9ptV_story.html ).

3 -- Step 1C: You, Mitt Romney, attempt an effort to make millions of dollars by teaming up with a Chinese company (Haier Group) to purchase an American company (Maytag), with the result of attempting to send those jobs to China (the effort failed) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=amvfWt5_l3z8&refer=asia ).

4 -- Step 1D: You invest in companies (Stream International and Modus Media) to assist American companies to outsource technical support services, thus shafting jobs in the United States.

5 -- Step 1E: You increase your earnings by taking advantage of tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas ( http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/04/fact-check-tax-break-for-shipping-jobs-overseas/ ) and "sticking it" to the middle class who have to make up for lost governmental revenue.

6 -- Step 2: You hide the possibility that you, Mitt Romney, as the Republican nominee for President, are a felon for not paying US taxes on foreign earnings (hidden in a Swiss bank account before a whistleblower blew the whistle on some of those accounts) by not reporting your tax returns prior to 2010. Review of those tax returns would indicate whether or not you took part in the IRS forgiveness program of 2009, thus proving you violated the laws of the US and were a felon. ( http://middleclasspoliticaleconomist.blogspot.com/2012/07/is-noose-closing-around-romneys-tax.html ).

7 -- Step 3A: You obtain potential votes from uninformed voters by changing your positions at any moment in time and then changing your positions again and again (you are well known as being a "flip flopper" and "Mr. Etch-A-Sketch"). Of course, obtaining the maximum number of potential voters is required to get your poll numbers within the margin of error in order to safely carry out the final step of your Operation Plan (indicated below).

8 -- Step 3B -- You hide the fact that you are a pathological liar by lying at the Republican National Convention, lying at the Presidential Debates, and lying all throughout your Presidential campaign. ( http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/08/mitt-romney-616-lies-in-33-weeks/ ; http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32719.htm ; http://truth-out.org/news/item/11943-at-last-nights-debate-romney-told-27-myths-in-38-minutes ); http://truth-out.org/news/item/11983-gingrich-admits-romney-wasnt-honest-about-tax-plan-during-debate ; http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/04/debunking-romneys-90-billion-lie/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+IM-cleantechnica+(CleanTechnica) ; http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2012104110/its-been-one-week-debate-how-many-lies-has-romney-told ; http://hinterlandgazette.com/tag/mitt-romney-lied-under-oath-stemberg-divorce-case ; etc., etc., etc.). This is required to get your poll numbers within the margin of error in order to safely carry out the final step of your Operation Plan (indicated below).

9 -- Step 3C -- You hide the fact that you were a Bishop in a church (some Christians call it a "cult") ( http://www.biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Mormons.html ) that was "founded on deception and continues to build upon that deception and can be interpreted as a religious Ponzi scheme and swindle" ( http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32806.htm ; http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/02/how-mormon-doctrine-shapes-romneys-world-view/ ) and "has little respect for women" ( http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/30/an-ex-mormon-woman-looks-back-at-the-church/ ). You take advantage of the fact that Christian Fundamentalists will hold their noses and vote for a Mormon in order to get rid of "the black guy" in the Oval Office with the result you will get your poll numbers within the margin of error in order to safely carry out the final step of your Operation Plan (indicated below).

10 -- Step 3D: You hide the fact that several Catholic bishops (speaking on behalf of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops) stated that the proposed Ryan budget "fails a basic moral test" (http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/08/paul-ryan-bishops-not-in-accord-on-budget/ ), and the "Nuns on the Bus" stated "it does not adequately provide for the care of the poor and the vulnerable" ( http://www.newoxfordreview.org/note.jsp?print=1&did=1012-notes-moment ).

11 -- Step 4A -- You hide the fact that you and the Republican Party exist to serve the oligarchs, plutocrats and corporate masters against the needs and wishes of the 99% (http://archive.truthout.org/bill-moyers-money-fights-hard-and-it-fights-dirty64766?print ; http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13542 ). This failure to communicate is required to get your poll numbers within the margin of error in order to safely carry out the final step of your Operation Plan (indicated below).

12 -- Step 4B -- You hide the fact that you and the Republican Party are against women's right to "choose", have access to health services, use contraception, define rape, and enjoy a myriad of other women's rights. This failure to communicate is required to get your poll numbers within the margin of error in order to safely carry out the final step of your Operation Plan (indicated below).

10 -- Step 3D: You hide the fact that several Catholic bishops (speaking on behalf of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops) stated that the proposed Ryan budget "fails a basic moral test" (http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/08/paul-ryan-bishops-not-in-accord-on-budget/ ), and the "Nuns on the Bus" stated "it does not adequately provide for the care of the poor and the vulnerable" ( http://www.newoxfordreview.org/note.jsp?print=1&did=1012-notes-moment ).

11 -- Step 4A -- You hide the fact that you and the Republican Party exist to serve the oligarchs, plutocrats and corporate masters against the needs and wishes of the 99% (http://archive.truthout.org/bill-moyers-money-fights-hard-and-it-fights-dirty64766?print ; http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13542 ). This failure to communicate is required to get your poll numbers within the margin of error in order to safely carry out the final step of your Operation Plan (indicated below).

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Trojan Horse at TTIP demonstration in Europe. TTIP may hijack Jill Stein's green New Deal by making job stimulus impossible for US cities by including government procurement provisions that would make US infrastructure projects part of a common labor mark

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From its inception in 1995, the major goal of the WTO has been creating common markets for goods and services. Previous to the WTO's creation, the services part of the trade equation "Everything you cannot drop on your foot" was not receiving much attention, with services being thought of as mostly an in country thing, with services in a given country mostly being performed by the country's own workers. However, that is rarely the least expensive, highest value way to do things, or so say management consultants who advocate for the global value chains approach. Its claimed that a large portion of the world's GDP could be saved by optimizing who does what where and when. Certainly, thats where the money is - services are as much as 80% of developed country markets, especially the US. Many people would say, leave well enough alone, but there are those who see huge opportunities for US and EU companies opening up by embracing global value chains.



So, starting in 1995 with the WTO GATS, a number of deals are hoping to end what is claimed to be widespread "protectionism" in services, starting with the higher paid occupations and working downward. Large numbers of workers in developed countries and small and medium sized businesses that could not take advantage of global value chains might lose jobs and businesses, but that loss would be offset is hoped by much higher profits for business owners and MNC stockholders. In order to hurry the changes along, a number of new efforts have been undertaken. They include new trade deals, that focus on services or include some services, and an attempt to revive an existing deal, a new proposal to the WTO to facilitate trade alleged to have already been committed to under the 1995 WTO GATS.

es may be about to change that.

An Indian WTO proposal for a new "Trade-Facilitation Agreement on Services" could bring a lot of changes to both developed and developing countries by vastly increasing whats known as "Mode Four" intra-corporate business travel across borders, to work, for long periods, up to six years per visa.

The 1995 WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services ("GATS") is a complex agreement, however some of its goals, are fairly straightforward. However, they don't represent good policy because the agreement is so far reaching that it has the effect of overruling democratic rule to provide an unprecedented level of inflexible control, in the form of a sort of "Ratchet" ever increasing privatization and channeling public goods into private profits. As such it is a truly evil agreement in that it has a powerful magnifying effect on poverty, its effectuates a race to the bottom and disempowers workers, attempting to create a state of extreme dependence in critical areas on amoral multinational corporations. Its core assumptions are faulty, such as the assumption that increasing profits by cutting wages is a gain that will somehow trickle down to society. Also, in many areas, its truly wrong to claim that reduction of government interference (regulation) for corporations is a positive thing. Especially when it comes to public services It "knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" in that it tries to force privatization of essential services - override and privatize -- ending the provision of public services, ignoring the fact that in many areas, market failures have necessitated government involvement for strong reasons. It attempts to increase cross border trade in services (70-80% of all jobs) by lowering the barriers to corporations trading them across borders in every way possible, even to the point of changing long sacrosanct policies, national laws have to be disciplined by GATS if they fail to support its goals. when they can be framed as standing in the way. These changes can occur virtually anywhere, as laws and policies of all kinds might effect trade, even if this was not intended. In many areas this can have very disruptive effects, for example, constraints on health care, education and other services policy basically blocked large portions of the Democratic platform a few months ago. The public was never made aware of this fact. The existing and pending trade deals seem to me to also block virtually all of Jill Stein's platform, for different reasons. The same with Bernie Sanders platform before it.

GATS Mode Four is a guest-worker program, which allows multinational corporations to use their cheapest (or any) workers wherever they want.

It also allows temporary staffing companies to do the same thing. Many companies make legitimate use of the program, many others abuse it as a source of guaranteed profits, because of the still substantial wage gradients between countries. Such wage gradients exist because of a great many factors, and its not wise to attempt to force workers in different countries to directly compete solely on the basis of price. That strikes me as an attempt to whitewash the fact that governments have in many cases failed their peoples and low wages are often the result of historical factors. In the final analysis its the problem of the people of a country when a government has become unresponsive to their needs, and people should have the right to dump one set of politicians and replace them with others and thereby effectuate changes in policy. However, GATS and the raft of more recent agreements attempt to change that in a way which would be illegal were the world made aware of it sooner. Make no mistake of it, GATS and its progeny (the new T-deals) if allowed to perpetuate their policy traps, will destroy democracy in almost every respect that matters to people, by ending any hope at economic improvement for them, instead channeling any positive changes brought by technology (which normally by saving labor should be helping people live better) instead that new surplus value is channeled to corporations and used to further deprive people of the means of the various sustainable means of life, all of which become commodities that must be sold for the highest price possible. .

Nowhere is this race to the bottom more evident than in the world of work that the trade deals try to bring about. As national borders previously served as means of differentiating markets and wage levels, they attempt to give corporations a way of bypassing them, thats (generally) not available to workers and their families. "Temporary service providers" do not exist as people, only as units of the skill they bring to the table, which must be formally documentable, auto9matically excluding those with real world experience in favor of degree holders. However they gain no rights whatsoever outside of those bestowed upon them by being attached to a certain employer and their presence in a host country is attached to and dependent on the position they perform. When the job ends they must leave, and if they are fired they must leave. Their wages will quite likely be low, perhaps much lower than H1-B workers, as it seems that "prevailing wage" rules that apply to public employers will perhaps not apply due to WTO requirements that any national law be "not more burdensome than necessary to ensure the quality of the service". So, its probable that the entire term of employment must be performed for the rate negotiated at the beginning. (when they may have far less experience, experience that under normal conditions would justify increases in wages, especially in areas like IT where skills drive wages more than in many other areas.) . What will they be paid? From a number of sources, what I have been able to glean is that it seems that the Mode Four workers pay is between the worker and their employer, and may not be subject to US regulation (as they will be subcontractors) so it may well be anything they agree upon. Therefore the situation is guaranteed to produce abusive relationships because it is much like the infamous "karfala" sponsorship program used in the Middle East.

Therefore, I think this entire approach is a mistake. The trade deal enabled cross border trade in workers has the potential to become a huge and problematic loophole in worker protections which gets abused widely, but which gains a foothold because of the huge amounts of corrupting financial incentive provided by greed.

This greed will be framed as benevolence in giving work 'opportunities' to developing countries. (however, those opportunities would still exist without the agreement, and probably be much better in terms for the employees, ie. those actually doing the work. So I think that "opportunity" is not what its cracked up to be, instead its a system designed to siphon as much of the value away from the working people and encourage corruption.

What about the customers, will money saved be passed on to customers/taxpayers/patients/etc?

In the case of healthcare -- an important area that may soon be faced with a involuntary change which will likely be presented as "requiring" this shift on a large scale.

I don't think lowered prices could explicitly be passed on, and remain GATS-legal (!) so I think we would be naive to expect any change at all.

Before the lies begin, it must be said that WTO rules on financial services regulation might well prevent a government from mandating that money saved by using very low cost healthcare workers or shipping the poorer sick patients requiring inpatient (hospitalized) care overseas to be treated where costs were lower- be passed on to patients. Doing that would defeat the whole goal, INCREASING PROFITABILITY. This is the change GATS has wrought, under the surface.

This strong possibility needs investigation and discussion because of a disturbing possibility, that, we might soon lose the parts of the ACA which require that insurance companies offer insurance to all patients (guaranteed issue) due to a feature -- standstill- of the 1998 financial services portion of the GATS agreement)

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Who Voted?

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Reprinted from neweconomicperspectives.org by William Black

In a plutonomy there " are rich consumers, few in number, but disproportionate in the gigantic slice of income and consumption they take. There are the rest, the "non-rich", the multitudinous many, but only accounting for surprisingly small bites of the national pie.

Citigroup, in 2005, years before Occupy Wall Street, identified the tiny slice of Americans receiving this "gigantic slice of income and consumption."

In early September [2005] we " introduced the idea that the U.S.is a Plutonomy -- a concept that generated great interest from our clients. [T]he top 1% of households account for 40% of financial net worth, more than the bottom 95% of households put together. [These inequalities are] almost entirely driven by the fortunes of the top 0.1% (roughly 100,000 households).

Citigroup sounded a note of caution about the rise of the Imperial CEO, which it termed the new "Managerial Aristocracy." Their depredations could only continue as long as shareholders and voters failed to reclaim control of their corporations and nations.

[This top group represents a] Managerial Aristocracy indulged by their shareholders. Society and governments need to be amenable to disproportionately allow/encourage the few to retain that fatter profit share. The Managerial Aristocracy, like in the Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties, and the thriving nineties, needs to commandeer a vast chunk of that rising profit share, either through capital income, or simply paying itself a lot.

Citigroup made clear that the New Democrat's and their Republican counterparts' embrace of policies that enhanced crony capitalism would cause the already obscene inequality to increase.

We project that the plutonomies " will likely see even more income inequality, disproportionately feeding off a further rise in the profit share in their economies, capitalist-friendly governments, more technology-driven productivity, and globalization.

Lest there be any doubt where Citigroup was coming from, they evoked Ayn Rand's fantasy in Atlas Shrugged that the Managerial Aristocracy was akin to the stud on the cover of cheesy romance novels -- "the muscular arms of " entrepreneur-plutocrats."

The earth is being held up by the muscular arms of its entrepreneur-plutocrats, like it, or not.

Really? The data Citigroup cited said nothing about the plutocrats helping the overall economy much less the earth. The story that Atlas held up the earth was a myth. There is no "up" when it comes to earth and gravity is quite reliable in holding earth to paths that we can predict. The plutocrats despoil the earth and are the gravest threat to life on earth. Picturing the Managerial Aristocracy as muscular unpaid laborers selflessly protecting the earth is a farcical lie -- but Citigroup was writing for the Managerial Aristocrats it hoped to attract to its "wealth" divisions and knew that the Trumps of the world demand abject sycophancy.

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By Robert Weiner, Mahmoud Elsharawy and Ben Lasky

More than 200 people died when a boat loaded with at least 450 immigrants capsized off Egypt's north coast on Sept. 21. Families, friends, entire villages flocked from every corner of Egypt to the structurally deficient port of Rashid to claim their loved one's bodies. The vessel, said to be destined for Italy, carried migrants with dreams of a better life including the vast majority under 18 years old. It is easy to hold the government accountable for the failure of saving those innocent young souls. But still unexplained is why youth, in their prime, exert so much effort to get on a boat, putting their lives in jeopardy on a one-way trip.

Samy Mosbah, is a merchant one of us (Mahmoud Elsharawy) used to see almost every week in Cairo as a loyal customer at his clothes store and a friend. He was always opening up to speak. Once he mentioned his brother who lives in Germany and his journey to cross the other side of the sea.

"After three days of my brother's departure, I received a phone call from him. He said with a terrified voice, 'Samy please save me. We were being turned in to another gang and they demand a ransom, otherwise we will be beheaded.'"

He leaned in his chair and said, "I had no choice, I paid the ransom."

Mosbah, leads a decent life in Egypt. His brother could have followed suit. But his aspirations of a brighter future led him to take the risk and escape Egypt, which has become in the eyes of many Egyptians, a big jail.

The cost of that risky trip strip most of those families of thousands of dollars in mandatory "gang protection" profit costs, with the families hoping that if their young offspring made it to Italy, they would have a better future. Traffickers and brokers manipulate the victims' family minds, promising a redemption from their abject poverty once their under-aged sons and daughters land on European soil.

The world knows that poverty is a dire situation throughout the world. That's why the Global Citizen Festival was held on Sept. 29 in Central Park, New York City. The concert festival, a yearly event put on by the Global Poverty Project, has the goal of "ending extreme poverty" by 2030.

Part of that goal should be through education and job training. MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell founded Kids in Need of Desks (KIND) in 2010, which provides students in Malawi with desks, a problem not even thought of in the U.S. Since its founding, the number of students with desks in Malawi has doubled. Oprah Winfrey founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa in 2007. The school's goal is to create leaders who will give back to the community. However, these countries' citizens should not depend on wealthy media representatives to cure poverty.

Population growth is also an issue that contributes to poverty. Egypt's regimes view its growing population as a burden that overconsumes the subsidized energy and food. The government is not doing enough to prevent such catastrophe. These regimes have had no plan except exporting millions of Egyptians to countries looking for a labor supply -- Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Yet now these countries are suffering their own economic problems caused by falling oil prices and war. What adds insult to injury is that the vital tourism industry has dried up since the political turmoil, taking away billions of dollars in foreign currency and millions of jobs out of the Egyptian economy. However, the economic hardship is not the only reason young Egyptian risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean.

The uprising against Hosni Mubarak was caused by the inequality of opportunity in Egypt as well as political repression. Yet years later, the situation is worse. The loss of hope bolsters that feeling among youth that they are outsiders.

The choice to travel abroad is limited to the highly qualified people who are eligible to study or work and who go through a rigorous process.

To make an analogy, most Egyptians are in the same boat, at this point a semi-capsized one. Egypt needs the education and skills to better the lives of its young people, and make the dangerous decision to try and flee less appealing. The truth is, Middle Eastern nations need to spend some of their money from billions of dollars in military aid and use it instead for education and training of their young people. The alternate funding should be mandated by the giving countries, like the U.S. From 2011-2015, America gave Egypt $6.5 billion. That's a lot of teens who would not need to sail to their deaths. The funding would also give hope in-country, in nations like Egypt, to youth who otherwise are emigrating from desperation.

In addition, because youth now feel like they are jailed, countries abroad could provide job training to young immigrants before sending youth back to their homelands.

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Since 1974, the American Psychiatric Association has held it to be a violation of medical ethics for psychiatrists to make public statements about public figures whom they have not formally evaluated. For this reason, we American voters cannot turn to psychiatrists to help us judge the character of American political candidates. Fortunately, we do not need the psychiatrists' help.

This rule against making psychiatric diagnoses of public figures is called the Goldwater rule. In 1964, the editors of Fact magazine reportedly asked more than 12,000 psychiatrists to render an opinion about whether the Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater, was psychologically fit to serve as President of the United States. More than 2000 psychiatrists reportedly responded. Many of the respondents concluded that Goldwater was mentally unfit for the Presidency. Some even argued that Goldwater had a psychosis, such as paranoid schizophrenia. However, it should have been clear even to a lay audience that Goldwater was not schizophrenic.

People with schizophrenia often have auditory hallucinations, which means that they hear voices when no one is speaking. People with schizophrenia may suffer from paranoid delusions, which are false and illogical beliefs, such as the idea that their mind is being controlled by a radio transmitter that a dentist has implanted in one of their fillings. People with schizophrenia also suffer from a general incoherence of thought, and they have problems with motivation and organization. Goldwater had none of those problems.

People with schizophrenia often find it hard to hold any sort of a job or to maintain social relationships. In contrast, Goldwater had been successful in many areas of life. After his father's death, Goldwater successfully managed his family's business (an upscale department store in Phoenix, Arizona). He served as a transport pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He retained a commission in the U.S. Army Air Force Reserve for many years afterward. He had twice been elected to the U.S. Senate. (He was later re-elected to the Senate three more times.) That is not the resume of someone with paranoid schizophrenia. As Wilbert Lyons, MD, of Sellersville, Pennsylvania, put it, "I served as a flight surgeon in the USAF. I speak with authority when I say that Sen. Goldwater could not be a jet pilot if he were emotionally unstable." Thus, it was silly for psychiatrists to offer such a diagnosis for Goldwater.

By offering these nonsensical diagnoses of Goldwater, many psychiatrists presumably hoped to make Goldwater look bad. Instead, they made psychiatry look bad. Back in the 1960s, psychiatric diagnoses were often based on what the psychiatrist imagined was going on in a patient's subconscious mind. Thus, two psychiatrists could come up with wildly different diagnoses when presented with the very same patient. This problem stemmed from flaws in the first edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-I). The second edition (DSM-II), issued in 1968, was not much better.

By the early 1970s, it had become obvious that the DSM-II was practically useless. To be useful, a diagnostic label has to be reliable and valid. Reliability means that different psychiatrists would be likely to give the same diagnosis to the same patient for the same problem. Validity means that the diagnosis is useful for some practical purpose, such as guiding treatment decisions. A system of diagnostic labels can be reliable but invalid. For example, psychiatrists might all agree that the patient is a Capricorn, but that information is not useful medically. On the other hand, any system that is unreliable is automatically invalid. If the diagnoses are being handed out by sheer luck of the draw, then the diagnoses are meaningless.

In the mid 1970s, the APA attempted to solve this problem by rewriting the DSM. The purpose of the DSM-III was to provide a system of diagnoses that would be reliable and valid and that would be useful to government employees (especially those at the Food and Drug Administration) as well as to psychiatrists. For this reason, the DSM-III and subsequent editions of the DSM have included clear diagnostic criteria in plain English. Of course, once you read those criteria, you will realize that a shockingly large number of public figures would qualify for a diagnosis of antisocial or narcissistic personality disorder.

To decide whether to support a political candidate, you do not need to be a psychiatrist. However, you do need to be a good judge of character and public policy. You need to be able to tell whether a candidate has a track record of supporting policies that are actually good for the public. To his credit, Goldwater was generally clear about what he was against and what he was for. Goldwater was against the legacy of the New Deal and against the Civil Rights Movement. He hated labor unions. He wanted to undermine Social Security. Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act, and he opposed the creation of Medicare. In contrast, he was for the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam. Fortunately, most Americans liked Social Security and were horrified by the prospect of nuclear war. In 1964, the incumbent President Lyndon Johnson was talking about expanding civil rights and eradicating poverty. As a result, Lyndon Johnson won the election in a landslide.
Well, I watched the final debate last night. Once again, it pointed up the debate format's limitation and the absence of alternatives to the duopoly of Democrats vs. Republicans.

Specifically, it made me miss the voice of Green Party candidate, Jill Stein.

Her absence on the debate stage prevented voters from hearing her viewpoint on vital issues virtually excluded from the three personality-focused brawls between Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton. I'm referring to income inequality, student debt, climate change, public transportation, disease prevention, and the continuing need for 9/11 transparency to blunt its rationale for insane military expenditures and endless war.

Liberal funnyman, John Oliver, recently endorsed such exclusion in a strained barely-comic monologue that merits comment not only because of its shallowness, but because it discouraged expanding the narrow parameters of current political debate. (See Stein's own response to Oliver here.) In his routine, Oliver attempted to disqualify Dr. Stein because she raised the very issues just indicated. More specifically:

She looks too nerdy.

Her plan for relieving student debt lacks specific detail.

She chose not to explain the intricacies of "quantitative easing" in a press conference.

Even as a physician with 27 years' experience, she (like everyone else btw) is not completely certain about possible connections between vaccines and autism.

She agrees that the recently declassified pages from the government's 9/11 report justify further investigation into that signal event that even Official Inquiry leaders, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, say was "incomplete and flawed."

She was part of a 1990s folk rock band whose lyrics contain a poetic device (paradox) that Mr. Oliver apparently doesn't grasp -- specifically, the apparent contradiction, "silent thunder."

She is not a perfect candidate.

Ignored in all of this is the fact that Jill Stein's positions are identical with those of Bernie Sanders who (now that he is no longer a candidate) has been nearly canonized by people like Oliver. In fact, Dr. Stein invited Sanders to join her on the Green Party ticket; she would run, she offered, as his V.P.

Ignored too were the actual lyrics of candidate Stein's songs that (unlike Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton) dared to raise the issue of climate change -- as well as specifics about child and maternal health. Instead, Oliver focused on Stein's voice [which turns out to be about as (dis)pleasing as Bill Clinton's saxophone on Johnny Carson or Michelle Obama's dancing with Jimmy Fallon.]

However, the most significant omission from Oliver's denunciation was the importance of voting for Dr. Stein in red states. If Stein garners only 5% of the national vote, her name can appear on presidential ballots in many states in the next election cycle, Even more importantly, the Green Party will receive millions of dollars in campaign funds in 2020.

So, red state Democrats (like me in Kentucky) concerned about overcoming the dominance of the duopoly, and about continuing the Bernie Revolution should discount Oliver's shallow criticisms and recognize their vote for Jill Stein as a small, but significant step towards reaching the Green Party's important 2020 goals.
From Wallwritings

The Atlantic, a magazine in print since 1857, does not hand out a presidential endorsement except when it feels one of the two choices is a serious danger to the nation.

It has made a U.S. presidential endorsement only three times in its history.

The first was in 1860, when James Russell Lowell, the founding editor of The Atlantic, argued that the Republican Party, and Abraham Lincoln, the Republican nominee, "represented the only reasonable pathway out of the existential crisis then facing the country."

That crisis was one of the animating causes of The Atlantic's formation in 1857, the abolition of slavery.

The Atlantic's second presidential endorsement came 104 years later, when in 1964 the publication endorsed incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson, over his Republican challenger, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater.

Edward Weeks, writing on behalf of the magazine, cited Lowell's words from 1860, before making his case for the election of President Johnson, who would, The Atlantic believed, "bring to the vexed problem of civil rights a power of conciliation which will prevent us from stumbling down the road taken by South Africa."

The Atlantic's third endorsement arrived this month, 52 years after its Lyndon B. Johnson endorsement.

The Atlantic's 2016 choice is Hillary Clinton.

In its Clinton endorsement, the magazine's current editors refer back to language from the 1964 decision to select Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater, using words that resonate in this current 2016 campaign:

"We think it unfortunate that Barry Goldwater takes criticism as a personal affront; we think it poisonous when his anger betrays him into denouncing what he calls the 'radical' press by bracketing the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Izvestia. "There speaks not the reason of the Southwest but the voice of Joseph McCarthy. We do not impugn Senator Goldwater's honesty. We sincerely distrust his factionalism and his capacity for judgment."

In 2016, The Atlantic acknowledges that "our position is similar to the one" in which its editors found themselves in 1964.

"We are impressed by many of the qualities of the [2016] Democratic Party's nominee for president, even as we are exasperated by others, but we are mainly concerned with the Republican Party's nominee, Donald J. Trump, who might be the most ostentatiously unqualified major-party candidate in the 227-year history of the American presidency."

By calling its Clinton endorsement Against Donald Trump, the magazine makes clear that its major rationale in supporting Clinton is to warn voters of the dangers of a Trump victory on November 8.

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Nitinol Medical Devices Market to reach a value of US$17.3 bn by 2019

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Transparency Market Research as announced the publication of a new research report that examines the global nitinol medical devices market in great depth. The research report, titled Nitinol Medical Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019, offers an evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the market with the help of a SWOT analysis and assesses the threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of customers (buyers), bargaining power of suppliers, and intensity of competitive rivalry with Porters five forces analysis.Get Sample Research Report with ToC:According to the research report, the global nitinol medical devices market for semi-finished goods was worth US$1.5 bn in 2012 and is expected to register a remarkable compounded annual growth rate of 7.30% to reach a valuation of US$2.5 bn by 2019. On the other hand, the global nitinol medical devices market for final medical components was worth US$8.2 bn in 2012 and is expected to register a CAGR of 11.10% to reach US$17.3 bn by the end of 2019.In the past few years, the number of vascular disorders, such as carotid artery disease, venous disease, renal artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, and stroke have witnessed an unfortunate rise. The underlying current for this trend is the growing number of obese people and the subsequent demand for invasive surgery techniques, which has led to the growth of the global nitinol medical devices market. As this situation continues, the growth in the demand for nitinol medical equipment will also continue. Additionally, acceptance of nitinol medical equipment and a rise in the manufacture of various medical devices that use nitinol is also expected to propel the growth of this market in the near future.The global nitinol medical devices market is segmented on the basis of type, components, and geography. The types of nitinol medical devices in the market are: semi-finished raw material and final medical components. The semi-finished raw material segment is further sub-segmented into tubes, wiring, and others such as ribbons and sheets. The final medical components segment is further divided into stents, guidewires, and others. Geographically, this market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World.In terms of regions, North America dominated the nitinol medical devices market in 2012. However, analysts predict that the Asia Pacific market for nitinol medical devices will grow at a rapid pace in the next three years. Furthermore, amongst the types of devices, the wiring sub-segment is expected have a CAGR of 8.2% from 2013 to 2019, while the stents sub-segment is estimated to leap forward at a pace of 13.20% CAGR in the same time frame.Some of the important players profiled in the global nitinol medical devices market are Nitinol Devices & Components, Inc., Custom Wire Technologies, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Cook Medical, Inc., and C.R. Bard, Inc. The research report also explains the competitive landscape in complete detail and shares important statistics pertaining to the financial overview, research and development activities, investment outlook, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and business and marketing strategies for the near future.Browse Research Report on Global Nitinol Medical Devices Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
Global Industry Trends for Process Analytical Technologies for Pharmaceuticals Market

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Stringent regulations monitor pharmaceutical product manufacturing. Since pharmaceutical products directly relate to health and life of an individual, every step of pharmaceutical product manufacturing is under strict vigil and is considered a crucial affair. In a report, titled Process Analytical Technologies for Pharmaceuticals Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016  2023, Transparency Market Research (TMR) studies the importance of process analytical technologies in analyzing, evaluating, and controlling the pharmaceutical product manufacturing.Get Sample Research Report with ToC:In terms of service, the process analytical technologies market can be segmented into calibration, database management system (DBMS), and consultancy. Based on application, coating, lyophilization, evaporation, compression, packaging, raw material selection, and others constitute the key segments in the global process analytical technologies market.Regionally, the market is spread across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World (RoW). Currently, North America and Europe enjoy the leading share in the market as these regions boast sophisticated healthcare infrastructure. However, TMR predicts growth witnessed by the market in Asia Pacific and across a few emerging economies in RoW to outpace that witnessed in developed regions. The accelerating investment in pharmaceutical infrastructure and technologies across developing economies will create lucrative opportunities for the process analytical technologies market.Spurred by aforementioned factors, TMR projects the process analytical technologies for pharmaceuticals market to grow at a robust pace between 2014 and 2020. Growth witnessed by the market will be particularly high in developing economies as they exhibit higher spending on technological advancements. Furthermore, the market is expected to gain from the higher investment in research and development of novel therapeutics. Besides this, stringent approval process for drugs and medical devices will aid the expansion of the process analytical technologies market.Following the recent technological advancements, the advent of several new medical devices is expected in the forthcoming years. The launch of these devices is likely to bolster opportunities for the process analytical technologies providers. With government and international agencies mandating various tests during pharmaceutical product manufacturing, the demand for process analytical technologies is expected to rise considerably during the forecast period.On the flip side, the lack of skilled professionals, threat of false results and malfunctions, and high cost of instruments will pose challenge to the process analytical technological market. It is critical to mitigate these concerns for key players to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period.Some of the companies operating in the global process analytical technologies market are Honeywell, Tektronix, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Danaher Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Fluke Biomedical, and Carl Zeiss AG.Browse Research Report on Global Process Analytical Technologies for Pharmaceuticals Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
2016 Global Smart TV Demand and Shortage, Development Trend, Analysis with Forecast 2020

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The global smart TV market research report not only provides a broad perspective of the international industry, but also scrutinizes the market for smart TV in China. Aspects such as history of market development, technology and product development, competitive landscape, key countries and regions, and development trends for the global and China smart TV market have been covered, along with a comparative analytical study on the two. Japan, Europe, and the U.S. are three of the other regional markets that the research study examines, with focus on leading suppliers and countries for the period of 2009 to 2014 and 2015 to 2020.Historical and forecast information pertaining to production, capacity, price, cost, production value, profit, market position, gross margin, products, company contact information, customers, imports and exports, demand, supply, and shortage,cost structure, growth drivers and inhibitors, and other sis included while studying the various regional markets for smart TV.An analysis of technical data and manufacturing plants has been included in the report, which covers leading suppliers of smart TVs, their capacity, technology sources, commercial production date, and status on research and development. In addition, the report also includes details on manufacturing plants distribution, raw material sources, product specification, cost structure of products, supply import and import consumption, upstream raw materials, downstream client survey, equipment, marketing channels, proposals, industry development trends, key distributors, status and characteristics of marketing channels, key consumers, regional and environmental regulations, policies, and requirements, business models, revenue structure, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and other strategic alliances.For More InformationOther similar Report SampleResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.ResearchMoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesBlog -866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),+1-518-621-2074,Email to: sales@researchmoz.us,
Great New Book

http://www.kevinwbates.com

http://www.kevsword.org

Still Beautiful The Color of Beauty: Powerful New Book of Poetry Spans Lifes Journey; Written as a Companion for those Reaching Out to God & Loved Ones.Its a window into a past thats still with us todayWritten from the heart and experiences of Kevin Bates, Still Beautiful fuses fun, family love, spiritual, emotional and thought-provoking poetry to guide readers through lifes triumphs and defeats. Built into three compelling sections, every reader will find verses that resonate with their past, present and future place in Gods world.For Release on October 14th 2016Katy, Texas  Kevin Bates has spent his entire life embracing the power of other peoples words; through both human authors and the word of God. Now for the third time, he is taking his own thoughts and wisdom public through a book of poetry that can only be described as life-changing.Still Beautiful has something for everyone; for the successful, the abused and anyone craving that glimmer of hope that makes life great.Synopsis:Still Beautiful takes readers on a path of nostalgia; a time where Black is beautiful wasnt just a phrase, it was a way of life. Its filled with illustrations through out from renowned artist Stephen Cole giving the poetry more effect.Kevins words paint memorable portraits of social injustices, marches, afros, family unity, family love and grandmas cooking. His poems show unity is important in getting through tough times and no matter the issue Black is the color of Beauty.These poems are spiritual, fun emotional and thought provoking. Thus making this book a great companion: for all those reaching out to God, family or a loved one. Kevin strongly believe God and family before anything else and you will come through.If you have ever been deeply in love had your heart broken, been abused, lost a loved one or if you wander what lies beyond what is seen without the naked eye, or maybe if you're just wanting to have fun...This book is for you.It is vital that my poetry spans as much of lifes spectrum as possible, as people from all walks of life require vital inspiration and empowerment, explains Bates. I have come to know first-hand the power of words, and am so honored to now be reaching out to those in need.Continuing, The first section contains poetry that is the base of the book poems about injustice and family love. The second section is called Through the Fire and is a tribute to my son who was strong and fought back from a near death experience we are so happy to have him here. The third section is called Sad & Painful deals with the sum-total of lifes journey, including how we grow as we travel and how each experience dictates how we come through the other side.Bates sees wide appeal for his work.Copies of this book should be in every home, school, office.and just about everywhere else! There is nobody it doesnt reach out to and nobody it cant touch. I hope reading it is as life-changing as it was to construct these verses, he adds.Still Beautiful is October 14th through his website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble & I-BooksFor more information, visit the authors website:. Blog:About the Author:I am a devoted reader and writer. Each day is spent wandering in the world of words. Never lost just going to different places. My frequent reader miles are piled up with many words. Gaining many thoughts then sharing with friends and family. Ive learned words shared correctly through speech or in print can be very powerful. I hope to share them with you so we come to an understanding not to be powerful but to be your brother under God.As a kid my mother brought me into the world of words. She would read with her sweet angelic voice taking me so far away doing things I never done before. Living the adventures of the people she read about. She teaching me the words she thought I do not know. Soon afterward when I asked her to read another she would tell me to pick a book off the shelf & to read it myself.Contact: Kevin Bates / 832-594-3469 / kbatespoet@gmail.comNew book of poetry20902 Thorn Berry Creek Ct
International Consortium for Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (GND) taps varvis platform for large-scale genomic data collection

www.limbus-medtec.com

www.gnd.academy

Vancouver, Canada  The International Consortium for Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, GND, will use the varvis software platform, developed by Limbus Medical Technologies GmbH, Germany, to collect and analyze several thousand whole exome and whole genome data sets.Rami Abou Jamra, coordinator of the GND consortium from the University of Leipzig, Germany, explained: We plan to collect many thousand cases of neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autosomal recessive intellectual disability. We plan to use the data to describe most of still unknown genes of autosomal recessive intellectual disability, and to describe networks of proteins and clustering of phenotypes. Our goal is to ease diagnosing cases of neurodevelopment disorders and thus to enable going to the next step; understanding the pathomechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders. The varvis platform in combination with the allexes reference data network enables us to achieve this goal.Establishing members of the GND consortium are Rami Abou Jamra from University of Leipzig, Joseph Gleeson and Anne Gregor from Rockefeller University and UCSD, and Hans van Bokhoven and Arjan de Brouwer from Radboud University Medical Center. The GND consortium invites all interested scientists and physicians to participate in this international, academic, non-profit effort.Ben Liesfeld, Managing Director and co-founder of Limbus, commented: We are very excited to support such an ambitious and far-reaching project. Our software platform, a CE marked medical device software, has specifically been designed to support data collection and analysis at this scale. Our two-level data protection mechanism makes data exchange for this purpose possible at once.The data from GND will eventually augment the reference data that is available to Limbus customers through allexes.About varvis: the clinical decision support system varvis, designed by Limbus Medical Technologies GmbH, Rostock, Germany, is a cloud-based software system to filter and evaluate genetic sequencing data and optimized for clinical workflows. varvis is a Class I medical device compliant with EU regulations. For more information about varvis, visitAbout GND: The GND consortium is an academic and international initiative to advance knowledge of the causes of recessive neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). These include intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. GND aims at a large meta-analysis of whole exome or whole genome sequencing data. For more information, visitLimbus Medical Technologies GmbHSchillerplatz 118055 RostockGermany
Vogtlins digital mass flow meters are the winners of the Flow Control Innovation Award 2016

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Swiss designer and manufacturer of precision flow instrumentation Vogtlin Instruments AG is proud to announce, that the innovative digital mass flow meters of the red-y compact 2 series have been choosen as the winner for this years Flow Control Innovation Award!The journal Flow Control has honored the fluid handling industrys ongoing commitment to manufacturing excellence through an annual Innovation Award for nearly two decades. Each year, Flow Control presents the latest innovations and technology breakthroughs in the industry based on an open nomination and reader voting process.In this years nomination process Vogtlin has prevailed against other industry leaders like Siemens, Sierra Instruments and Endress+Hauser!This award reinforces our long-standing commitment for innovative high-tech products in the field of gas flow measurement and control.red-y compact 2 meter: The mass flow meter with award-winning Fingerspitzengefuhl!Fin-ger-spit-zen-ge-fuhl [noun] is a German term, meaning instinctive feel or tact and sensitivity literally meaning finger tips feeling.The mass flow meters of the red-y compact 2 series are characterized by powerful technology, intelligent functions and numerous innovations: Backlit touch screen technology Extended alarm functions Multi gas, in SS and aluminum Over 20 user-configurable flow units Battery, Micro-USB or 1230 Vdc powered Accurate, no drift, 100 : 1 turndown ratioFind more information on red-y compact 2 series online:Flow Control Innovation Award 2016 Website:About Vogtlin Instruments AGEstablished in 1986, Vogtlin Instruments AG is a Swiss designer and manufacturer of precision flow instrumentation. Vogtlin became a member of the TASI group in 2011. The division TASI Flow delivers flow meter, flow control and dispensing solutions. TASI Flow products are developed, customized and serviced through technical centers in the US (Wisconsin), in Europe (Germany, Switzerland and the UK) and China (Beijing and Shanghai).Vogtlin Instruments AG  flow technologyLangenhagstrasse 14147 Aesch, Switzerland
Global Reed Switch Device Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2021

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Reed Switch Device consists of a pair of ferromagnetic reeds, which overlap at their free ends (contact area) at a very small distance and are hermetically sealed in a glass tube. When in the presence of a magnetic field, the reeds become magnetized to opposite polarity, thus attracting each other and closing contact. Like many other great inventions, reed switches were born at Bell Laboratories, invented there in the mid-1930s by Walter B. Elwood. Today, reed switches are still in common uses.Published by: GIR (GlobalInfoResearch)Catalog: ElectronicsPublishing Date: Oct 2016Single User License: USD 3480Corporate Users License: USD 4680Delivery time: 24 hoursPages: 109Tables and Figures: 139Full information [url]Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Reed Switch Device in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversOKILittelfuse (Hamlin)RMCIPStandex-MederNippon AlephHSI SensingCotoPIT-RADWARPICSTGHarbin Electric GroupZhejiang XuruiMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)Latin America, Middle East and AfricaMarket Segment by Type, coversForm AForm BForm CMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoReed RelaysMagnetic SensorsThere are 13 Chapters to deeply display the global Reed Switch Device market.Chapter 1, to describe Reed Switch Device Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Reed Switch Device, with sales, revenue, and price of Reed Switch Device, in 2015 and 2016;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2015 and 2016;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Reed Switch Device, for each region, from 2011 to 2016;Chapter 5, 6, 7 and 8, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 9 and 10, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2011 to 2016;Chapter 11, Reed Switch Device market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2016 to 2021;Chapter 12 and 13, to describe Reed Switch Device sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, appendix and data source.BettySales DirectorE-mailbetty@globalinforesearch.comTel: HK:00852-58197708 USA:0013479661888Add: Room 1902 Two International Finance Centre 8 Finance Street, Central Hong KongWebsite:GlobalInfoResearch is a customer interest-based suppliers. Is in the best interests of our clients, they determine our every move. At the same time, we have great respect for the views of customers. With the improvement of the quality of our research, we develop custom interdisciplinary and comprehensive solution. For further development, we will do better and better.GlobalInfoResearch will with excellent professional knowledge and aexperience to carry out all aspects of our business. At the same time, we will fully look for information, to give a more comprehensive development.GlobalinforesearchRoom 1902 Two Interational Finance Centre 8 Finance Street,Central Hong KongUSA:0013479661888 HK:00852-58197708Email Id: marco@globalinforesearch.comWebsite:
Prevent Childhood Vision Loss: Dr. Mandi Conways Mission

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http://www.drmandiconway.com/

World-renowned retinal specialist Dr. Mandi Conway was asked by the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation to speak at the 2016 Juvenile Arthritis Conference in July at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix.Dr. Conway highlighted the plight of children who have severe vision problems even leading to blindness as early as 18 months old due to complications of JA. Unfortunately, children with JA cannot verbalize to their parents that they are having vision problems. Because parents are unaware of their childrens vision problems, it can lead to life-altering consequences for their childs future. Dr. Conway further emphasized the importance of educating physicians and expanding awareness of the need for early screening to curb childrens vision loss and potential blindness through effective eye treatment.Parents are usually surprised when they realize their childs eyes are affected by JA and sadly, by the time this is diagnosed, the eyes may already have significant damage already says Dr. Conway.For this reason, Dr. Conway and the University of Arizona teamed up with the Arizona Ophthalmological Society (AOS) Foundation to make eye screening more accessible to children. This partnership is supporting the Mobile Eye Clinic that serves the population of Arizona. University of Arizona is supporting their quest to accelerate the program by providing medical students and faculty from the Department of Ophthalmology to help man the mobile clinics and conduct the pediatric eye screenings.Dr. Conway stated that This is a perfect outreach program for the University and the Department of Ophthalmology and it is a great way to give back to the community.The Mobile Eye Clinic conducts free eye screenings for children. Since vision problems are among the telltale signs of JA, early screenings will help prevent these children from vision loss because of the disease. By bringing the Mobile Eye Clinic to Arizona Communities, the vision of many children with JA may be saved.About Juvenile ArthritisJuvenile arthritis affects over 294,000 Americans under the age of 18. Classified as an autoimmune disorder, it causes pain, joint swelling, and stiffness that can become debilitating over a period of time. To make things worse, 10 to 20 percent of children who suffer from JA are at risk of developing severe uveitis, an eye problem that may eventually lead to blindness. If left untreated, it can cause vision problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, permanent vision damage, and blindness.About Dr. Mandi ConwayDr. Mandi Conway is considered as one of the most renowned retinal specialists in the world. In the last two decades, she has given hundreds of oral presentations related to research and other ophthalmology-related topics. She has even spoken internationally in the Dominican Republic, Central America, Rome, Hong Kong, and Venice, among others. A forerunner in the industry, she also has over 100 publications in scientific journals and books.Dr. Conway specializes in medical and surgical retinal care, including Retinal Examinations, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Macular Degeneration, among others. She is currently the Interim Chair of Ophthalmology at the University Of Arizona College Of Medicine, and teaches Clinical Ophthalmology at the Tulane University College of Medicine in New Orleans.Arizona Retinal Specialists provides exemplary Retinal Medical and Surgical Care for the eyes of clients in Sun City West Arizona and the surrounding area with focus on degenerative retinal eye diseases. More information about Dr. Mandi Conway and the Arizona Retinal Specialists may be accessed atand Dr. Conway's website19052 N R H Johnson Blvd, Sun City West, AZ 85375
Allen Maintenance Inc. One of Michigans Premiere Commercial Cleaning Corporations

Allen Maintenance Inc. prides itself on being the best commercial cleaning service provider in the State of Michigan. After all, competition is fierce!Much unlike competitors, Allen Maintenance Inc. provides local corporations and small businesses, commercial cleaning services, deeply rooted in professionalism.This is because, over the last 25 years since establishing this Lincoln Park business, owner Jerry Allen, has chosen to slide on his latex gloves and fight germs and bacteria, alongside, his trained employees.In fact, Jerry confesses that doing so, enables his business to meet the demands of this nasty industry, by fighting stubborn germs and bacteria that dwell in common places, such as file cabinet top surfaces and drawer handles; to light fixtures, door handles, and even desktop telephones.As a result, Allen Maintenance Inc. insist in adhering to ethics and sanitation procedures adopted by the Worldwide Janitorial Cleaning Industry Association.And even though, Allen Maintenance Inc. thrives to adhere to industry association professional protocols, this service provider also believes- it is their duty to educate local corporations and businesses, on the best germ fighting agents to use internally, to combat the spread of viruses such as Influenza, especially during the fall and winter months.After all, even the Michigan Department of Community Health adheres to policies requiring the use of Environmental Protectant Agents, to stamp out bacteria and germs.Still even with the use of EPA agents, germs and bacteria often make cleaning internal environments challenging. This is because, most germs and bacteria are unseen; and unless businesses are diligently implementing sanitation procedures daily and/or weekly; the buildup can be a challenging task to eliminate.However, unfortunately, not all Michigan businesses and/or corporations seem to have a genuine concern about the internal and external appearance of their business environments. A fact proven by Allen Maintenance Inc. trained employees, who often visit local businesses searching for new contracts. Such surprise visits often result in discovering just how filthy many Michigan businesses really are.Yet for those businesses that do have genuine concerns, and seek to build alliances with a trusted, reliable, professional service provider, working with Allen Maintenance Inc., is the best alternative to help eliminate your germ and bacteria buildup woes.Therefore, take action today! And begin working with a professional sanitation service provider, who can help your business achieve the goal of being a safe and healthy environment.Allen Maintenance Inc, was established 25 years ago, by Jerry Allen, in Lincoln Park, MI. Today, services are provided in the following counties in the Eastern District of Michigan: Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw, Monroe, and Livingston. Current clients include: Bridgestone Firestone and Pepsi Bottling Company.Allen Maintenance Inc.4224 Dix-Toledo HwyLincoln Park, MI 48146313.383.4840Press Contact:Brad Fowler, C.P.M.A.
North America is the Largest Wound Dressing Market due to Increase in Burn Cases, Growing Awareness and Increase in Volume of Surgeries

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The global wound dressing market was valued at $9,989.6 million in 2015, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% during the period 2016 - 2022. The wound dressing market is growing due to increasing chronic wounds and increasing awareness about wound dressing products. Increasing cases of diabetes leading to pressure ulcers is further generating an increased demand for ound dressings.Based on wound dressing type, the advanced wound dressing segment is expected to witness faster growth during the forecast period. Among the various applications, the surgical wounds segment accounted for the largest share in the global market in 2015; and it is expected to witness growth at 7.3% CAGR during 2016  2022.In 2015, North America held the largest share in the global wound dressing market whereas, Asia-Pacific market is expected to witness fastest growth, with a CAGR of 7.5% during the period 2016 2022.Explore Report with Detailed TOC at:Advanced wound dressing is used to treat chronic wounds, which fail to heal properly in timely manner. Advanced wound dressings include foam dressings, hydrocolloid dressings, film dressings, alginate dressings, hydrogel dressings, collagen dressings and others. The other advanced wound dressing consists of chitosan, elastin and hyaluronic acid for the treatment of chronic wounds.However, high cost associated with the usage of advance wound dressings is the key restraint in the growth of wound dressing market worldwide. The high cost of advanced wound dressing, such as foams, hydrocolloids, film, alginate, hydrogel and collagen, limits the affordability of the users. As a result, consumption of advanced wound dressing decreases despite higher therapeutic efficiency, hampering the growth of global wound dressing market.Browse Related Report at:Some of the key companies operating in the global wound dressing market include 3M Company, Smith and Nephew plc, Medtronic plc, Johnson and Johnson, Molyncke Health Care, DermaRite Industries LLC., Derma Sciences Inc., Hollister Incorporated, ConvaTec and DeRoyal Industries Inc.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:AbhishekExecutive  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-Free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-Free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)
Aluminium Foil Packaging Market driven by Rising Demand and Consumption of Consumer goods in Emerging Countries

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The aluminium foil roll is resistant to water and many chemical components. Combining materials with the foil makes it opaque and therefore, protects sensitive products from light exposure. The foil also has various benefits, such as being a good oxygen barrier, fine forming properties, and the fact that it can maintain the freshness of the product for a long period. Aluminium is highly attractive and an effective packaging material. Aluminium foil packaging can be used to hold, protect, decorate, or dispense a wide range of materials. It is available in thickness ranging from 6 to 200 microns. Its unique properties facilitate its usage for storage, distribution, and marketing of many consumer and industrial products. There are different variants of aluminium foils available in the market such as plain, laminated, lacquered, and printed. Food, beverages, healthcare, and tobacco are the major end markets of the aluminium foil industry. The aluminium foil packaging market is expected to witness a steady stable growth over the forecast period. Increase in both, demand and consumption of consumer goods is expected to drive growth of the market for aluminium foil packaging in the emerging economies. China is expected to account for nearly half of the overall market share in the coming years. The global aluminium foil packaging market is expected to expand within a range of low to moderate CAGR in the coming years.Get PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:Projected increase in the demand and consumption of consumer goods in emerging countries, such as China, is expected to drive growth of the aluminium foil packaging market over the forecast period. Rise in the disposable income in developing countries is also favoring growth of the market currently. As the transition from fresh foods to packaged foods is recent, awareness about aluminium foil packaging in the emerging countries across the globe is still very less, which clearly showcases the growth potential that the market has in such countries. Less production and volatility in raw material prices is the major factor expected to restrain growth of the aluminium foil packaging market over the coming years.The aluminium foil packaging market is segmented based on type and application. By type, the global aluminium foil packaging market is segmented as plain, laminated, lacquered, and printed. Based on application, the market is segmented into food and beverage packing, pharmaceutical use, technical use, container foil, household foil, heat exchangers, and strip and foils for tubes.Based on geography, the aluminium foil packaging market is segmented into seven regions, namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. Consumption and demand for aluminium foils has been observed to be the highest in China. Currently, food & beverage and construction industries are the biggest end users of aluminium foil packaging in China. Meanwhile, the market for aluminium foil packaging in North America and Asia is steadily growing.Some of the key players in the global aluminium foil packaging market are Amcor Ltd., Novelis Inc., Coppice Alupack Ltd., Ardagh Group, Comital Group, Danpack International B.V., Toyo Aluminium Ecko Products, Co., Ltd., Novelis Eurofill Ltd., Flexifoil Packaging Pvt. Ltd., and Alcoa Inc.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
The Mobile Security (mSecurity) Bible to 2014 - 2020  Industry Presents an In-Depth Assessment of the Global Mobile Device, Network Security Market and Key Market Drivers

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The Mobile Security (mSecurity) Bible: 2014 - 2020 - Device Security, Infrastructure Security & Security Services Size and Share Published in 2014-04-24 Available for US$ 2500 at Researchmoz.usDescriptionTo Access the Full Report, Please Visit :Mobile networks around the globe generate more than 86 Exabytes of traffic annually. The immense volume of traffic together with the growing adoption of open source Operating System (OS) platforms such as Android has opened up new security threats. Mobile malware, SMS spam, cyber attacks and unlawful eavesdropping are an ever-increasing problem for enterprises, consumers and mobile network operators around the globe.This has in turn led to significant investments in integrated security appliances and content security gateways by both enterprises and mobile network operators, besides opening doors for emerging submarkets such as mobile Security as a Service (SECaaS).On the devices front, installation of anti-malware/anti-virus client software is fast becoming a de-facto requirement for most smartphones and tablets. Furthermore, mobile device OEMs are also integrating advanced biometrics such as fingerprint sensing into their smartphones and tablets, amid growing popularity of security sensitive opportunities such as mobile payments.Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that mobile device and network security investments will account for nearly $11 Billion in 2014 alone. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 20% over the next 6 years.The Mobile Security (mSecurity) Bible: 2014 - 2020 report presents an in-depth assessment of the global mobile device and network security market, and covers four individual submarkets. In addition to covering key market drivers, challenges, future roadmap, value chain analysis, deployment case studies and vendor service/product strategies for each submarket, the report also presents comprehensive forecasts for the mobile device and network security market from 2014 till 2020. Historical revenue figures for 2010  2013 are also presented. The forecasts and historical revenue figures are individually segmented for four submarkets, 17 product/service categories, six geographical regions and 34 countries.The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet covering quantitative data from all figures presented within the report.Topics Covered:The report covers the following topics:An in-depth analysis for four individual submarkets and their associated product/service categories: Mobile Network Infrastructure Security Software & Appliances, Mobile Device Client Security Software, Mobile Device Security Hardware and Mobile Security & MDM ServicesValue chain analysis for each submarketKey market drivers and challenges for each submarketKey trends for each submarketCase studies on product/service deployment for each submarketProfiles and strategies of over 70 key players in the marketStrategic recommendations for vendors, enterprises and wireless carriersMarket analysis and forecasts from 2010 till 2020Historical Revenue & Forecast Segmentation:Market forecasts and historical revenue figures are provided for each of the following submarkets and their 17 product/service categories:Mobile Network Infrastructure Security Software & AppliancesIntegrated Security Appliances (Hardware & Software)Content Security GatewaysSMS/MMS Content Security GatewaysMobile Device Client Security SoftwareAnti-Malware/Anti-Virus Client SoftwareBack Up & Restore SoftwarePrivacy Protection SoftwareGet a Sample Copy of the Report:Mobile VPN Client SoftwareRemote Locking SoftwareRemote Tracking SoftwareEncrypted Communications (Voice/Data) SoftwareEncrypted Storage SoftwareMobile Device Security HardwareSemiconductors/Embedded Chip SecurityNFCBiometricsMobile Security & MDM (Mobile Device Management) ServicesOn-premises Mobile Security MDM ServicesCloud Based Mobile SECaaS (Security as a Service)Mobile Identity Management ServicesThe following regional and country markets are also covered:Regional MarketsAsia PacificEastern EuropeLatin & Central AmericaMiddle East & AfricaNorth AmericaWestern EuropeCountry MarketsArgentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, USAInquiry on this report:Key Findings:The report has the following key findings:Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that mobile device and network security investments will account for nearly $11 Billion in 2014 alone. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 20% over the next 6 yearsEnterprises and mobile network operators have made significant investments in integrated security appliances and content security gateways (including those specific to SMS/MMS security)The installation of anti-malware/anti-virus client software is fast becoming a de-facto requirement for most smartphones and tabletsMore than half of all enterprises allow the use of employed owned mobile devices on their networks. Enterprises thus continue to aggressively adopt SSL VPNs in their mobile security strategies to ensure connection security in addition to activity monitoring and controlMobile Device Management (MDM) services providers are eyeing on opportunities for cloud based mobile security services that extend existing security policies to enterprise mobile devices to help secure data, reduce risk and protect the enterprise, which has created a new submarket for mobile Security as a Service (SEaaS)As mobile networks move towards an all-IP environment, wireless carriers are increasingly taking an interest in RAN centric security products that can mitigate security threats to air interface signalingKey Questions Answered:The report provides answers to the following key questions:How big is the mobile device and network security market, and what particular submarkets does it constitute?Who are the key players in each submarket?How is the value chain structured for each submarket and how will it evolve overtime?Which regions and countries will witness the highest percentage of growth in mobile security spending?What is the outlook of anti-virus, anti-malware and VPN client software adoption for mobile devices?Will recent privacy scandals have a negative impact on mobile security spending in the coming years?What known malware families are most dangerous for modern smartphones?What are the prospects of NFC as an authentication solution?What are the security vulnerabilities of LTE and WiFi networks?What are the prospects of RAN centric security products?How will M2M and the associated IoT ecosystem affect the mobile security market?How is BYOD adoption affecting enterprise mobile security strategies?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ bit.ly.ru2.gsr.awhoer.net/1TBmnVG
Americas is the largest market for hemodynamic in 2015 followed by APAC and Europe.

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The global healthcare industry is witnessing a rapid shift in terms innovative and advanced technologies which are applied to enhance the convenience of the individuals. The players are broadening the product offering in the hemodynamic market space and constantly investing significantly in R&D to develop an innovative monitoring solution with minimal incision procedure.Hemodynamic monitoring systems are among the emerging products in the healthcare industry. The ability of these devices to measure the blood pressure and oxygen content inside the arteries, heart and veins have triggered the demand of the hemodynamic monitoring systems into a number of advanced applications. The growing awareness among the clinical practitioners to deploy these advanced devices for patient treatment is also laddering up the market for the Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems.Browse 140 Pages of research on Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Market Analysis - By Type (Minimally Invasive, Non-invasive, Invasive); Product (Pulmonary, Cardiac, Disposables) -Forecast (2016-2021) @North America is the most important end user in terms of geography for Liquid Handling Systems on the back of increasing adoption in clinics as the introduction of non-invasive technology spurs utilization of hemodynamic monitoring. The growing ease of use of these devices and customer preference for non-invasive medical procedures is set to increase adoption of non-invasive systems. The Global Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Market will grow at CAGR of 7.5% and reach $2.27 billion by 2020. There has been a philosophical change from static approach to functional approach due to the evolution of non-invasive technology replacing the existing invasive technology.Hemodynamic Monitoring System MarketEarlier, only physicians were supposed to initiate the CO monitoring, as catheters need to be inserted in a patients body, however, advent of less-invasive and non-invasive devices have revolutionized the industry outlook. Now, the concern individuals such as nurse, respiratory-therapist, and anesthesia technician are also able to do the elementary functions. The numbers of private practitioners and clinicians for CO monitoring are growing exponentially, which in turn, open the new vistas for hemodynamics monitoring to grow in the future. The advanced hemodynamics monitoring system aids the clinician to balance the oxygen supply and demand of a severely ill-patient and plays a pivotal role in enhancing surgical recovery by enabling suitable tissue and organ-perfusion, and ultimately patient outcomes and survival.The Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Market has been analyzed by key products such as: Pulmonary Artery Catheters (PACs) Cardiac Output Monitoring Systems and Disposables.In this report, the Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems market is further segmented into type, end user and geography. Types include Minimally-invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring System, Non-invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring System and Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring System. Major end users wherein these systems are used are hospitals and clinics.Get Sample Brochure of the Report @The following are the key players profiled and analyzed in the report: GE Healthcare Philips Healthcare Draeger Medical Edward Lifesciences Deltex Medical Systems LiDCO GroupAmericas is the largest market for hemodynamic in 2015 followed by APAC and Europe. APAC market has been witnessing significant rise in health issues such as cardiac-cases, hypertension, and so on, which in turn increases the demand for hemodynamic monitoring system in the regions.Order Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Market Analysis Report (2016  2021) @About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.Contact us:Sales ManagerMayur S2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statessales@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343
Ride on the A2P SMS growing wave with Wavecell

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Even though OTT messaging such as Whatsapp, took the world by storm by replacing P2P messaging, enterprises and SMBs are steadily increasing their use of A2P messaging for their businesses.According to Juniper Research, the global SMS market will be worth around $112.9 billion by 2019.There has been a consistent increase in demand from more operators and other similar players seeking opportunities to increase their SMS revenue streams by partnering with domestic and global A2P messaging service providers.Here are the top 3 factors you should look out for when finding suitable A2P partners:1) Routing expertiseA reliable partner carefully curates its pool of partners and connectivity providers to ensure that their customers enjoy first-class connectivity for every single country that they cover.Wavecell does just that. We also consistently build solid relationships with local carriers and main telecoms players to maintain a high quality level, an awareness of the local constraints and to best-adapt the routing configurations enabling your business operations.2) Secured and scalable technology and constant innovationCompanies involved in the A2P SMS business, definitely require a secured and stable platform to deal with the routings, potential security threats, reports / statuses and more.We, at Wavecell, take our platform rather seriously. We have been constantly evolving over the last 5 years towards the highest industry standards. Our internal R&D team priority is to constantly optimize our scalability, connectivity, deliverability performances and maintaining high security standards whilst deploying innovative solutions.3) Consider partners with a growing regional presence and a proven track-recordTo optimize your A2P revenue streams, work with the right partners who are strong in their areas of focus and show a proven and ever-improving track record. Does the partner have a substantial client database or is able to ensure the delivery of high-volumes of SMS traffic?Our Wavecell team not only reach out to startups, ecommerce and developers, we also actively engage enterprises to optimize their local and global communication infrastructure. To date, we drive SMS API for the biggest marketplace company in APAC, the strongest on-demand ride booking business in South East Asia, several leading eCommerce, FinTech, OTT companies and more.Wavecell brings telecom services to any web or mobile application through simple APIs and interconnections connecting to a World-class cloud communications platform. Also, we are excited to be at WAS#4 in Dublin on 31 October to 02 November 2016.Catch us there  well be happy to have a chat with you:Wavecell brings telecom services to any web or mobile application through simple APIs and interconnections connecting to a World-class cloud communications platform.Eliza Koo, Marketing Communication Manager6221 1521eliza.koo@wavecell.com18 Cross Street, China Square Central, #09-01, Singapore 048423
Global Automotive Diagnostic Scan Tools Market Trends, Size, Share, Development and Demand Forecast to 2022

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The global automotive diagnostic scan tools market has been growing steadily during the past few years. The major factors driving the automotive diagnostic scan tools market are stringent emission norms, increasing number of automotive workshops and increase in usage of electronics in automotive sector. The increasing number of aftermarket repair shops and growing vehicle electronics complexity are increasing the demand of these tools. Factors such as wireless scanning tools and software repair and diagnostic data are the opportunity for the automotive diagnostic scan tools market. The major factor restraining the automotive diagnostic scan tools market is the increase in raw material cost.Browse Report at:Automotive diagnostic scan tools are arrangement of electronic software and devices that are used as diagnostic system interface in the vehicles. Their usage in the automotive sector is increasing because of the changing consumers inclination towards automated diagnostic system from manual system. These are used for the purpose of analyzing and detecting any malfunction in electronic systems in vehicles. These tools also help in upgrading and reprogramming the control modules in automobile. Todays diagnostic scan tools are very efficient and refined, which are able to analyze very complex codes while executing diagnosis in the vehicles body, chassis and powertrain. They are used in auto workshops and service stations for every type of automobile.Europe was globally the largest market for automotive diagnostic scan tools in 2015, followed by North America and Asia-Pacific. Germany, France and Spain contributed highest to the growth of the European automotive diagnostic scan tools market in 2015. Some of the major factors driving the growth of the European automotive diagnostic scan tools market include increasing demand for improved, accurate, and quick diagnosing tools.Browse Related Research:North America was globally the second largest market for automotive diagnostic scan tools in 2015 owing to the growing number of vehicle fleet in the region and increase in the number of auto service stations and workshops. The automotive diagnostic scan tools market is projected to witness the highest growth in Asia-Pacific during forecast period. The shift of automotive industry towards Asia-Pacific is expected to persist in the long run, as the purchasing power and requirement to own personal vehicle is strong in the region.Some of the major competitors in the global automotive diagnostic scan tools market include Delphi Automotive PLC, Softing AG, Noregon Systems Inc., AVL List GmbH, General Technologies Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, ACTIA Group, Vector Informatik GmbH, Denso Corp., and DG Technologies.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:AbhishekExecutive  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)
Global Scale Inhibitors Market: Latest Trends, Demand and Analysis by 2021

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Scale inhibitor or antiscalants are chemical materials used in manufacturing industry to reduce or to check the formation of scale. Scale inhibitors are extensively used in various industries that include power generation plants, mining & construction, water & waste water treatment, oil & gas, food & beverage, and various environmental protection industries. The amount of formation of scale precipitate depends mainly on the temperature, operational pressure, water incongruity and mineral content within the water.Checkout full Report:Scales are the precipitates formed on surfaces of the various machinery and equipment that comes under regular contact with water. Scales are normally water-soluble precipitation solids that become fully or partially insoluble when the overall temperature increases. Oil and gas industry is one of the major end user of scale inhibitors. The water used in oil and gas industries is chemically treated with scale inhibitors such as phosphonates, to reduce or check the scale formation on machineries and equipment that are used during various production stages of oil and gas such as production wells, water and disposal wells, flowlines and surface equipment.On the basis of various chemical properties associated with scale inhibitors, the global inhibitor market is broadly categorized in four segments namely phosphonate scale inhibitor, carboxylate/acrylic scale inhibitor, sulfonate scale inhibitor, and other scale inhibitor. Based on the various end user applications, the scale inhibitor market is broadly categorized under power & construction industry, mining industry, oil & gas industry, water and wastewater treatment industry, food and beverage industry, and others. Phosphonate scale inhibitor is one of the most popular and extensively used scale inhibitors in various industries including food and beverages industry. It grasped the highest market share in 2013.Water & waste water treatment is one of the largest and fasted growing end user applications of the scale inhibitor market. The growing waste water treatment plants and upcoming government projects towards water and waste water treatment, such as Indias Namami Gange projects, coupled with rising potable water demand, due to ongoing surge in urbanization in emerging markets such as China and India is expected to drive the demand in water & water treatment sector of the market.North America is the largest market of scale inhibitors followed by Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Together, these three regions accounted for around 80% of the total scale inhibitors market. Country wise, the U.S. is the largest market of scale inhibitors in world. China, Japan and India are leading market in Asia Pacific. Rest of the World (RoW) that includes the Middle East, South America and Africa is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecasted period. Brazil and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are two of the fasted growing regional market of scale inhibitor in RoW.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:Some of the major companies operating in global scale inhibitor market include, Clariant International Ltd., Kemira Chemicals Inc., Ge Power & Water Process Technologies, BASF SE., Solvay Rhodia, Bwa Water Additives., Ecolab (Nalco Champion)., Akzonobel Oilfield Ashland Inc., Cytec Industries Inc., The Dow Chemical Company., Gulf Coast Chemical Llc., Henkel Ag & Co. and Innospec.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Vascular Stents Market Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2015 - 2021

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Vascular Devices are used in the treatment of diseased blood vessel in heart and brain. Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is the most common form of vascular disease which is characterized by the accumulation of plaque in the arteries which carrier blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Atherosclerosis is the primary indication for PAD globally. Other risk factors related to PAD include Smoking, High blood pressure, Diabetes and High cholesterol.Request to view Report Page :Peripheral Arterial Disease is most common in the lower extremity region. The diagnosis and treatment of PAD varies from individual to individual. Treatment of PAD can be performed surgically or by minimally invasive procedures. Use of the vascular stents is the usual and widely accepted form of treatment for PAD.The global prevalence of PAD is around 3-12%. More than 200 million people globally are suffering from PAD. AS per CDC, approximately 8 million people in the United States have PAD, including 12-20% of individuals older than age 60.With the aging population, there is a rising prevalence in the Peripheral Arterial Disease. PAD patients are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, with age affecting up to more than 20% of the patients. Stents manufacturers are continuously focusing on the technology and launching of new devices such as Drug-Eluting Stents as minimally invasive procedures are widely accepted across the globe.Development in imaging techniques, there is significant improvement in accuracy and safety in vascular surgery implantations resulting in increase in the number of stenting procedures.However, high cost of these stents and procedures act as a major barrier for this market.Global vascular market is further segmented into following types:Fem-pop Artery StentsIliac Artery StentsRenal Artery StentsCarotid Artery StentsInfra-pop StentsWith rapid technological advancement and wide acceptance of stenting procedures among patients with PAD, the global vascular stents market is expected to witness a significant growth in the forecast period (2015-2025).Depending on geographic regions, global vascular stents market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa.North America dominates the global vascular stents market due to the significant spending power of large segments of the population and technological advancement. With the increase in procedure volumes and Europes healthy reimbursement system, this market is expected to experience a rapid growth. Asia-Pacific is the fastest emerging market for global vascular stents because the cost of surgery is reasonable as compared to other regions.Some of the key market players in global laparoscopic devices market are Cordis Corporation, Abbott Vascular, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, C.R.Bard, Inc, Covidien Plc, Cook Medical and W.L. Gore & AssociatesRequest for Sample Report and Table of content @ :The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global Silver Amalgam Alloys Market is Expected to Witness a Steady Growth by 2026

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Silver amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and copper and used for dental applications. Amalgams are generally crystalline in structure with the exception of those with high mercury content which are liquid. Some of the important characteristics of an amalgam are dimensional change, compression strength, flow and creep. The dimensional change characteristics deal with an amalgams ability to expand and contract depending on its use. The compression strength characteristic is the ability of amalgams to resist fracture which is an important prerequisite for any restorative materials. The strength of silver amalgam depends on the composition of the alloy.Checkout full Report:Silver amalgams alloys are also known as dental amalgams and are used for dental fillings. Silver amalgams are popular dental restorative material because of their low cost, strength, durability and ease of application. They are long lasting, have a better performance than other fillings, applicable for broad range of clinical performance and are of better quality. However, its popularity is diminishing today because of concerns of mercury toxicity, allergic potential and inferior aesthetics quality. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended labeling of dental amalgam products, which includes a warning against using the product in patients who have an allergy to mercury. In addition, it has a warning that dental professionals follow a proper protocol while handling dental amalgams and a statement mentioning the risks and benefits of dental amalgam so that patients and dentist can make informed decisions.The continued use of silver amalgam in dental applications will be a major driving factor for silver amalgam industry. The FDI World Dental Federation has reaffirmed the safety of use of silver amalgams in dentistry and hence it is used by dentists all around the world. Majority of dental restorations depend on silver amalgams and hence it has a significant market. However, development of viable substitutes, growth of dental composites market and lack of awareness could hamper the growth of this market.The market for silver amalgam is worldwide as it is recommended by FDI World Dental Federation for use in its dental applications. The use of silver amalgams is quite popular in Asia Pacific, especially the emerging markets such as China and India due to its low cost and wide availability. The American Dental Association has also approved the use of silver amalgam for dental restorative procedures and hence it is used by majority of dentists in the U.S. However, the use of silver amalgam is declining in Europe with Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Austria and Finland reducing the use of silver amalgam for dental applications.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:Some of the key players in this market are DPM limited, Sirona, Nobel Biocare, Straumann, Astra Tech, Megagen, Osstem Implant Co. Ltd, Avinent Implant Systems, Zimmer Holdings, Inc, MIS Implants Technologies Ltd, Intra-Lock International and CAMLOG Implant Systems among others. Straumann and Nobel Biocare are leading players in this market with significant global market share. Straumann, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, has collaborated with multiple research institutes, universities and clinics to develop a broad range of dental implant products. The company has presence in major markets of Asia Pacific, South America, Europe and North America. Nobel Biocare, headquartered in Kloten, Switzerland has manufacturing plants for dental implants in Sweden, U.S. and Israel. It offers innovative dental implants and dental prosthetics to its clients and is listed at the SIX Swiss Exchange.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Sludge Treatment Chemicals Market: New Growth Opportunities By 2021 - PMR Report

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Sludge is produced largely from the treatment of waste water in the industries. It consists of pathogens, microorganisms and many other chemicals. Its disposal is expected to be one of the major environment related concerns in the recent years. The sludge generated has to be treated properly before disposal. Moreover, the reuse of treated sludge in agricultural processes is increasing the demand for sludge treatment. This has led to a rise in the demand for sludge treatment chemicals in the recent years. Coagulants and flocculants are used in the sludge treatment processes for removal of solids, sludge thickening, solids dewatering and many more. Coagulants are classified as organic coagulants and inorganic coagulants.Checkout full Report:Flocculants are of two types cationic flocculants and anionic flocculants. According to the environmental agencies, the volume of the sludge produced must be reduced. This is done by the sludge treatment chemicals. However, the global sludge treatment chemicals market is anticipated to witness a moderate single digit growth in the forecast period.Rapid industrialization in the developing countries is increasing the production of sludge, thus making the removal of sludge important. This in turn, is expected to drive the demand for sludge treatment chemicals in the near future. Stringent government regulations pertaining to the treatment of sludge in industries is expected to boost the demand for sludge treatment chemicals in the upcoming years. Companies are striving to decrease the toxicity in the industrial sludge, thus the demand for sludge treatment chemicals is anticipated to boost in the forecast period. The growing chemical industries coupled with the rising metal processing industry is expected to be a major demand driver for the global sludge treatment chemicals market in the upcoming years.The major key players in the sludge treatment chemicals market are continuously struggling for product development through extensive research and development. Development of odour control products and product differentiation is proving to be a trend in the global sludge treatment chemicals market. Moreover, the reuse of treated sludge in agriculture or as an admixture in cement is anticipated to prove to be a traction in sludge treatment chemicals market.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:The global sludge treatment chemicals market is segmented into seven key regions on the basis of geography as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Japan. North America holds the largest market position in the global sludge treatment chemicals market. United States is expected to continue be the largest consumer of sludge treatment chemicals in the forecast period. Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing region with maximum CAGR in the global sludge treatment chemicals market. The rapid industrialization in the developing countries such as India and China is expected to boost the sludge treatment chemicals market in the upcoming years.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Automotive HVAC Market Would Register a Healthy Growth Rate During the Forecast 2020

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HVAC stands for heating, ventilation (replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality) and air conditioning (altering the properties of air to make the indoor air more comfortable). Ventilation is the process which includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of air within the space. HVAC is a technology that provides indoor and vehicular environmental comfort. Automotive HVAC systems main purpose is to provide thermal and acceptable air condition within the vehicle.Browse through the full Report @Present generation vehicles are equipped with many innovative technologies which differ in functions performed, cost and application. These features make the vehicle more comfortable for the traveler. Global Automotive HVAC market can be divided on the bases of vehicle type (passenger cars, LCVs (light commercial vehicles) and HCVs (heavy commercial vehicle) and technology component (automatic and manual). Passenger cars dominate the global automotive HVAC market due to increasing demand for private vehicles. In case of technology, automatic technology dominates over manual technology.Asia-Pacific has the largest market share for automotive HVAC market, followed by North America and Europe. Asia-Pacific region is expected to maintain its dominance in the coming future owing to larger vehicle production and demand in countries such China, India, and Japan. India and Chinese markets are expected to dominate global automotive HVAC market owing to their increasing population and increasing domestic production.In current era, people spend a large portion of their time on road travelling in their private vehicle or other means of public transport. Hence rising amount of time spent by people in travelling is driving the global automotive HVAC market. Also, growing popularity of private vehicle over public transport is further expected to increase demand for automotive HVAC technology. Additionally, increasing income level coupled with wide choice of private financing has made it easy for the customers to spend more on private vehicle rather than traveling on public transport. This may further add on to the increasing demand of automotive HVAC technology especially in the developing nation such as India and China.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @Automotive HVAC market is dominated by established players. Some of the major companies operating in the global automotive HVAC market are Air International Thermal Systems, Brose GmbH & Co., Xiezhong International Holdings Limited., Valeo SA, Toyota Industries Corporation, Sanden Corporation, Keihin Corporation, Johnson Electric, Gentherm Inc., Denso Corporation, Delphi Automotive LLP., Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Japan Climate Systems Corporation and Visteon Corporation.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Welding Consumables Market To Reach US$ 11.8 Bn in 2016

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The extensive use of arc welding and oxy-fuel welding processes in the manufacturing of automobiles and machinery has generated considerable demand for flux and filler metals as welding consumables. As a result, the global market for welding consumables is expected to witness a significant growth in 2016, reaching the market value of US$ 11,835.8 Mn at a y-o-y growth rate of 5.4% over 2015. Furthermore, the global demand for welding consumables will also be influenced by the rising trend of automating welding processes in automobile and construction industries.The lack of skilled labour for fabrication welding processes is expected to trigger the need for welding automation technology and generate mounting demand for welding consumables. The growth of the global welding consumables market is also expected to be driven by the rapid industrialisation, the surging real estate sector and the rising number of end-use welding applications. On the contrary, the stagnant adoption levels of advanced welding technologies in developing countries is anticipated to curb the overall growth of the global welding consumable market.Request Free Report Sample@Based on the type of welding consumables, the global market is anticipating a stellar growth by the stick electrodes consumables. The stick electrode segment will continue the dominance in terms of the global market share and account for over 40% by the end of 2016. However, the segment is expect to contend with stiff competition from flux-cored wires and solid wires due to their cost-effectiveness.Based on the welding techniques, the arc welding segment will continue to dominate the global market and account for US$ 8,256.4 Mn revenues by 2016-end. On the other hand, the booming automotive industry and the growing production of multipart machineries will incite the use of resistance welding and oxy-fuel welding in 2016 and beyond.By applications, the use of welding consumables will be elevated in the building & construction industries and the automotive& transportation sector. Also, the soaring consumption of welding consumables in marine applications is anticipated to develop additional growth opportunities for the global welding consumables market.Send An Enquiry@In 2016, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is projected to be the most lucrative region for the growth of the global welding consumables market and will exhibit more than 30% of the global market share. The booming real estate sector in APEJ countries such as China and India will drive the demand for welding consumables in the construction industries. North America and Latin America are also expected to favour the growth of the welding consumables market, owing to the rising adoption of advanced welding technologies in manufacturing industries.The increasing need for automating the welding processes has influenced the business expansion of major welding consumable manufacturers. Hyundai Welding Co., Panasonic Corporation, Fronius International GmbH, The Lincoln Electric Company, Denyo Co. Ltd., Kemppi Oy, Tianjin Bridge Welding Materials Co. Ltd., Colfax Corporation, Air Liquide, voestalpine AG, Arcon Welding Equipment, and Illinois Tool Works Inc., among others, represent the key players of the global market for welding consumables.Long-term Outlook: In terms of market value, the global welding consumables market is forecasted to register a 5.5% CAGR and generate absolute $ opportunity of US$ 8,295.4 Mn during the forecast period 2016-2026. APEJ region will continue to be the most lucrative region, expanding at a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Therapeutic Vaccines Market to Register a Strong Growth By 2015 to 2021

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A vaccine is a biological medical product designed to stimulate antibodies inside human body. Vaccine helps in providing immunity against various infectious diseases. Some of the common types of vaccine include inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, DNA vaccines and recombinant vector vaccines. Vaccines may be prophylactic and therapeutic. Therapeutic vaccine is a biological combination designed to develop immunity against a diseased cell or tissues. Therapeutic vaccines are developed to treat ailments from various cancers, HIV and Alzheimers disease. Therapeutic vaccine is used for cure and prevention of cancer whereas prophylactic vaccines are only used for prevention of cancer. Therapeutic vaccines are specially designed for HIV positive people who have healthy immune system. HIV virus damages human immune system, which results into weaker immune system and thus leading to less ability to fight with microorganisms. Therapeutic vaccines spur the immune system to attack targeted tissue. A therapeutic HIV vaccine is also known as treatment vaccines. Some of the drugs used for HIV treatment include atripla, epzicom, prezista, truvada, kaletra, isentress, reyataz and viread. In addition, there are large numbers of therapeutic vaccines which are under clinical developments. Therapeutic vaccines are also used to treat cancer as they provide greater bioavailability and specificity with minimal side effects. Some of the side effects associated with therapeutic vaccines are swelling, redness, soreness and pain at the site of injection. In addition, mild-flu like symptom is another side effect for therapeutic vaccines.Request to view Report Page :North America followed by Europe is dominating the global therapeutic vaccines market due to increasing accessibility and affordability of highly expensive tests for HIV and cancer. Rising technological support for the development of new vaccines is also fuelling the growth of the North American therapeutic vaccines market. Asia is expected to be the fastest growing market in coming five years due to rising prevalence of various infectious diseases and aging population.In recent time there is increased use of therapeutic vaccines due to rising incidence of diseases such as cancer and HIV. Technological advancements in HIV diagnosis and rising number of clinical trials for HIV and cancer vaccines are some of the key factors driving the growth of the global therapeutic vaccines market. In addition, increasing awareness among people for severe diseases and increasing R&D investments for therapeutic vaccines are also fuelling the growth of the therapeutic vaccines market. However, higher cost of vaccines and less availability of therapeutic drugs are some of the key factor restraining the global therapeutic vaccines market. In addition, stringent regulation for the approval of therapeutic vaccines is also inhibiting the global therapeutic vaccines market.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @ :Human papillomavirus mediated malignancies could develop an opportunity for the growth of the global therapeutic vaccines market. Adverse side effects of therapeutic vaccination could lead a challenge for the growth of the global therapeutic vaccines market. Some of the trends for the growth of the global therapeutic vaccines market are rising number of product innovation and rising number of mergers and acquisitions. Some of the major companies operating in the global therapeutic vaccines market are Agenus, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Argos Therapeutic Inc., Merck & Co., Celldex Therapeutic Inc., Cytos Biotechnology AG and Dendreon Corp.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Tungsten Market: Dynamics, Segments, Size and Demand to 2016-2022

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Tungsten, also known as Wolfram, is a greyish-white metal having lustrous appearance with a good corrosion resistance properties. Tungsten is widely used in its alloy form because pure tungsten is expensive and even difficult for machining. Its alloy consists of nickel, iron or copper added in tungsten. Tungsten is also available in powder form known as tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder and its size ranges from 0.40 microns to 17.50 microns and is used in end mills, circuit board drills and nozzles. Fine tungsten carbide powders are used for inserts and cutting tools, whereas ultra-coarse and medium powders are used for wear and die parts, road construction bids. Global tungsten market is anticipated to grow by a decent single digit CAGR in coming future. The global tungsten market has its consumptions in the sector of steel alloys, mill products, cemented carbide, and chemicals. China is a dominant supplier of tungsten having the maximum market share in the global tungsten market in terms of consumption as well as supply.Checkout full Report:Growing end use industries such as automotive industries and increase in the demand of wear resistant materials is anticipated to boost the market of cemented carbide and ultimately will drive the global tungsten market. Tungsten has its application in electronic and electrical components such as electron emitters, lead-in wires and electrical contacts and these industries are forecasted to grow, leading to the increase in global tungsten market. The ability of tungsten to withstand arcing and resistant to corrosion makes it suitable to be used in voltage regulators, though demand of these application is minor but it still contributes in the global tungsten market.The global tungsten market can get hampered due to the recent economic slowdown in China, as China has the largest market share in mining of tungsten. Tungsten use is forecasted to decline in the lighting application due to the introduction of fluorescent and LED bulbs that has replaced the incandescent bulbs.The global tungsten market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The Asia Pacific region is dominating the global tungsten market, China continues to be the leader in the supply and consumption of tungsten in the global tungsten market because of its vast tungsten reserves and support of the Chinese government to the tungsten product industries. India will represent a modest growth rate in global tungsten market due to its expanding manufacturing sectors. North America will contribute in the growing global tungsten market with the increasing construction spending in the region. Latin America will witness an above average growth in the global tungsten market by its rising durable goods sector. The expanding automobile industry in Europe makes it a valuable market in global tungsten market. The Middle East and Africa is at a nascent stage in tungsten market, but is having a bright future prospects in global tungsten market.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:Some of the manufacturers of tungsten and its alloys are, Buffalo Tungsten Inc., Mahavir Metal Corporation., Federal Carbide Company., H Cross Company., T&D Material Manufacturing., Global Tungsten & Powders Corp., Midwest Tungsten Service.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Waterborne Coatings Market is Expected to Witness a Steady Growth by 2020

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Waterborne coatings are green substrates using water as solvent to dissolve a resin, making them environment friendly and easy to apply. These coatings usually contain approximately 80% of water with minimum quantities of other solvents such as glycol ethers. As per the U.S. and European regulations of waterborne coatings to have a VOC content less than 3.5 gallons of water, these are considered eco-friendly in nature. Various types of coatings such as water-soluble paints, water-dispersible paints, latex paints and water-based alkyds are used for a variety of applications including automotive, industrial, architectural, wood, and packaging.Checkout full Report:Significant investments from certain large scale companies such as BASF SE, AkzoNobel, and Valspar among others to expand in quite a few countries of Asia Pacific and Latin America have been witnessed. Demand for green coatings in these regions have still been in the development and are anticipated to have a huge potential in the near future. Moreover, focus on R&D activities in the green coatings industry coupled with product innovation has also contributed to the growth of the market.Growing demand for non-hazardous, eco-friendly, low VOC green coatings from the end-user industry are expected to boost the demand for waterborne coating over the next few years. In addition, growth of the automotive and construction industry has also been the current growth factors for waterborne coatings. However, increasing use of other better performing green substrates such as powder coatings is expected to hamper the growth of the waterborne coatings market.North America was the largest consumer for waterborne coatings. However, future market growth is expected to be from Asia Pacific. Green coatings are expected todominate the market over the next few years due to the expansions by the major manufacturers in emerging economies such as China and India in the region.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:AkzoNobel, Asian Paints Limited, BASF SE, Hempel A/S, Jotun A/S, Masco Corporation, PPG Industries Inc., Rpm International Inc., The Valspar Corporation, and Tikkurila OYJ among others are some of the key players involved in the waterborne coatings industry.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Xanthan Gum Market: Information, Figures and Analytical Insights by 2021

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Xanthan gum is a microbial polysaccharide used as a thickener in several industries such as food and beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical. It is also known by other names such as bacterial polysaccharide, and corn sugar gum. Xanthan gum is manufactured by fermenting corn sugar with a bacterium named Xanthomonas Campestris. After the consumption of food containing xanthan gum, it swells in the intestine and stimulates the digestive tract. Xanthan gum also slows the absorption of sugar in the digestive tract and functions like saliva to lubricate the mouth of people who have Sjogrens syndrome. Xanthan gums are also used in drilling activities in the oil and gas sector. Food and beverage is the key end-use industry for xanthan gum and the bakery and confectionary industry accounts for the largest demand.Checkout full Report:The growth of end user industries is the key driver for the global xanthan gums market. Rising disposable income is propelling the demand for food and cosmetics, which is consequently boosting the demand for xanthan gums. The consumption of convenience foods that contain xanthan gums has also increased significantly in the recent past. The increasing population and a growing economically-active population in Asia Pacific is further increasing demand for on-the-go foods. Increasing government investment in healthcare is also boosting pharmaceutical sales across the globe, which is driving the xanthan gums market.A mounting demand for gluten-free foods is also driving the xanthan gum market. Xanthan gum is used in the gluten-free baking process for several products such as cookies, cakes and pancakes, muffins and quick breads, breads, pizza dough, and salad dressings. Among these, xanthan gum is used in large quantities in the preparation of pizza dough. The nutritional characteristic of xanthan gum further increases its acceptability, as it contains carbohydrates and fiber. One of the greatest restraints for the xanthan gum market is the availability of guar gum as a substitute. However, guar gum is mostly used in ice cream and pastry fillings, whereas xanthan gum finds its largest use in the manufacturing of bakery products. Another restraint for the xanthan gum market is that it is not suitable for people with certain allergies.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:Asia Pacific dominated the global xanthan gum market in 2014 owing to increasing demand for bakery and confectionary products from countries such as China, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Europe also has a large share in the xanthan gum market thanks to its large bakery and confectionary industries. Key players in the global xanthan gum market include Danisco, Cargill, Pfizer Inc, Jungbunzlauer, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), CP Kelco, and Fufeng Group Company Ltd.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Topical Antibiotic Pharmaceuticals Market Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2016 - 2022

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Topical antibiotics pharmaceuticals are used to treat infections of the skin and are commonly applied as creams and ointments. Antibiotics are agents that destroy or inhibit the growth of microorganisms, which are sensitive to them. Few topical antibiotics are sold without prescription from physicians and are available in several forms such as ointments, creams, sprays and powders. Topical antibiotics prevents infection caused by bacteria which get into minor scrapes, burns, and cuts. Treating minor injuries with antibiotics allows faster healing. If the injuries are left untreated, the bacteria will multiply and create redness, itching, swelling, oozing, and causing pain. Untreated infections can ultimately spread and become more serious. Soft tissue and dermal bacterial infections are one of the most commonly occurring conditions amongst people accounting for over 25 million visits to physicians every year. Most of these infections are minor and chronic in nature causing irritation and can be treated as outpatient procedures. Topical antibiotics are a large generic group of pharmaceutical products catering to the treatment of these commonly occurring conditions. A large variety of bacteria such as Staph aureus, Streptococcus viridians, Enterococcus faecalis and Staph pyogenes are responsible for these infections.Request to view Report Page :Patients with poor hygiene, weak immune system and compromised epidermis and close contact with people having epidermal diseases are prone to get affected. Developments in technology are believed to play a critical role in the growth topical antibiotics pharmaceuticals market during the forecast period. Topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals are some of the most commonly used products by the general public. Topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals used for a range of conditions from prevention of infection in cuts and grazes to the management of mild to moderate cases of acne. The market for topical antibiotics has been considerably due to increasing awareness of these OTC products among the lesser literate. Rising resistance of bacteria against drugs has led to development of several new antibiotics that are analogous to existing drugs such as nadifloxacin and triclosan in the past decade. Topical antibiotics comprise of approximately 40% of the global antibiotics market the remainder being accounted to oral antibiotics. Although they have an important role to play in skin infections, only restraint for topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals is their use generally is limited to short-term use and for the mild to moderate forms of infections.Topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals market is classified on the basis of product type, distribution channel er and geography.Based on the product type, the global topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals market is segmented into the following:OintmentCreamSuspensionPowderBased on the type end user, the global topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals market is segmented into the following:Hospitals ClinicsPrivate ClinicsRetail Pharmacies and Drug Storese-commerceThe global market for topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals market is highly fragmented in terms of market players due to high amount of active pharmaceutical generic ingredients used in the preparations. This generic nature has led to the creation of several global players in the market. The Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has particularly significant market opportunity in developing countries where hospital acquired MRSA infections occur commonly. Recent FDA regulations direct anti-septic soap and hand wash manufacturers to provide suitable clinical data for efficacy of their products against normal wash before promotion.On the basis of geography, global topical antibiotic pharmaceuticals market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America and Europe maintains its highest contribution primarily due to a significantly high usage of pharmaceutical preparations as compared to Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World which is still deeply rooted in using unani therapies for topical disease conditions.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @ :Some notable companies manufacturing topical antibiotic pharmaceutical products include Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Perrigo Company plc, Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Pfizer Inc., Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc. Fera and Watson pharmaceuticals.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Automotive Garage Equipment Market Forecast By End-use Industry 2016-2026

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The global automotive garage equipment market is rapidly evolving from a traditional repair services provider to a modern computerized and electronic diagnostic solution provider. The legal regulations imposed by authorities in developed countries such as the U.S., Europe and Japan to reduce emissions and to increase passenger safety have constrained vehicle manufacturers to enhance the automotive safety technologies in vehicles. As a consequence the garages have had to constantly update their existing equipment and machinery to keep pace with the evolving technologies and to keep the vehicles in good running condition.The growth of automotive garage equipment market is relational to the growth of the global automotive industry. Additionally, automotive industry has grown steadily, owing to number of factors such as rising standard of living, ongoing development in urban and rural areas, and improvement in road infrastructure has further driven automotive garage equipment demand in the market. The automotive garage equipment market is dependent on the growing vehicle parc, sales, production, increasing average miles driven, rising spending on vehicle maintenance. This have led to grow the global market for automotive garage equipment.The automotive garage equipment market is going through high innovations and technological advancements in recent years and one of them is the automotive asymmetric and symmetric lifts. These technological advancements and innovative equipment contributes to spur the global automotive garage equipment market.Request Free Report Sample@Global Automotive Garage Equipment Market Dynamics:Drivers:Increasing vehicle production and enhanced average aftermarket spend on vehicle maintenance are the primary factors which are driving the automotive garage equipment market.A key growth driver is expected to be the automotive garage equipment kits concept wherein companies offer a complete set of equipment targeted at an application.Restraints:The most significant restraints associated increased complexity of automotive electronics architecture in vehicles.Additional training for technicians to handle advance garage equipment acting as growth restraints in the global automotive garage equipment market.Global Automotive Garage Equipment Market Segmentation:Global automotive garage equipment market is segmented on the basis of vehicle type as follows: Passenger Cars, LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle), HCV (Heavy Commercial Vehicle).Global automotive garage equipment market is segmented on the basis of garage type as follows: automobile dealerships, franchise general repairs, specialty shops, locally owned repair shops, others.Global automotive garage equipment market also segmented on the basis garage equipment as follows: Mechanical handling and testing equipment, Diagnostic instrumentation, and others. Mechanical handling and testing equipment further segmented as: Brake testers, wheel aligners, wheel balancers, tire changers and others. Diagnostic instrumentation further segmented as: Engine analyzers, hand-held diagnostics, others. Others garage equipment further segmented as Battery chargers, air-conditioning service, headlamp testers, and others.Global Automotive Garage Equipment Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global automotive garage equipment market can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (Japan), Japan, Middle East and Africa.Request For TOC@On the basis of region, Asia Pacific (APEJ) is expected to be the growth engine of automotive garage equipment market in the coming years. As an outcome of growth in the vehicle production which in turn is resulting in increase in demand of automotive garage equipment in Asia Pacific countries such as China, India, and South Korea. Japan, Latin America and Middle East & Africa are expected to grow at a steady rate over the forecast period. The North America and Europe are matured market for automotive garage equipment market.Global Automotive Garage Equipment: Market PlayersSome of the key market participants in the global automotive garage equipment market are:Arex Test Systems b.v.GETECH (Garage Equipment Technology)Boston Garage Equipment Ltd.Gemco Equipment Ltd.Tecalemit Garage Equipment Company LimitedRobert Bosch GmbHContinental Automotive GmbHLKQ CoatingsManatec Electronics Private LimitedATS-ELGIABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Intravascular Ultrasound Systems Market Dynamics, Segments and Supply Demand 2016-2026

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Intravascular Ultrasound Systems (IVUS) is an imaging method with which we can visualize a coronary artery from the inside out. Intravascular Ultrasound Systems are usually designed in such a way that the individual can have a complete view of the coronary artery blockade using a catheter which is attached to an ultrasound probe at one end and the other end is attached to a computerized ultrasound equipment.The inside out view helps to find out the sent sizing, fixation, and in confirmation that the stent implanted are appropriately placed with full expansion of the stent, which fits tightly round around vessel wall. By this the cardiologist sense that the information acquired by the IVUS medium can a make a huge different in knowing how well the patients are treated and can obtain accuracy about the stent placement with reduced complications.Now a days the IVUS diagnostic procedure is majorly used in coronary interventions where it determines and provides the qualitative information about the composition of the plaques and its echogenicity strategies. IVUS demonstrates the consistency of the plaque (soft, fibrous, calcific or mixed) and its differentiation from thrombus.IVUS instrumentation overview:The Intravascular Ultrasound is designed with two major components i.e.Catheter with a miniaturized transducer at its tipConsole containing the electronics necessary to reconstruct the imageThe imagining is captured by the frequency of the ultrasound which varies type of vessels which is to be scanned.Request Free Report Sample@Often used frequency is 20 MHzVascular imagining for a medium sized vessel is 12.5 - 50 MHzVascular imagining for a large vessel such a aorta is 12.5 - 20 MHzSmaller vessels require high frequency of probes within a range of 30-40 MHzTwo types of catheter systems are, one with an end-hole which are delivered over the guide wire, and those which do not have an end-hole and are introduced directly through the sheath.The transducer design have been approached into two basic ways, i.e.Phased-arrayMechanical typeIn the phased-array systems, there are multiple transducer elements (32-64) which are in arranged in an array are activated sequentially to generate the image.Mechanical probes rotates an electric transducer at 1800 rpm, which has the capacity to produce 30 images per second.Intravascular Ultrasound Systems Market: Drivers and RestraintsThere is drastic Increase in the number percutaneous coronary interventions and number of stent procedures. Major Lot of population now a days prefer less invasive procedures, the technological advancements in image guided therapeutic treatment and growing incidence of cardiovascular disease led to the increase in the intravascular ultrasound systems market.The drawback for the IVUS is the high cost, lack of uniform reimbursement and threat from optical coherence tomography.Intravascular Ultrasound Systems Market: SegmentationThe global market for intravascular ultrasound systems are broadly classified on the basis of product type, applications and end user.Based on product type, the intravascular ultrasound systems market has been segmented as follows:IVUS consolesIntegrated ConsolesCart version ConsolesIVUS cathetersMechanical/Rotatory CathetersStatic Electric/ Phased Array CathetersAccessoriesPullback devicesGuide wiresIntroducer SheathsBased on application type, the intravascular ultrasound systems market has been segmented as follows:IVUS coronary diagnostic marketIVUS coronary intervention marketIVUS coronary research marketIVUS non-coronary /peripheral applications marketBased on end user, theintravascular ultrasound systems market has been segmented as follows:HospitalsCancer InstituteIntravascular Ultrasound Systems Market: OverviewThe global Intravascular Ultrasound Systems market is expected to expand at healthy CAGR owing to increasing adoption of the products across the world. Among end users, hospital end user segment is expected to account for maximum share due to requirement of advanced healthcare infrastructure and low cost.Request For TOC@Intravascular Ultrasound Systems: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, the global intravenous ultrasound systems market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Among all the regions, North America will continue to lead the global market for intravenous ultrasound systems due to high purchasing power. Asia- Pacific is expected to account for second largest share in global market primarily due to increasing number of cardiac surgeries. Regional overview can be a directly proportional to the population.Intravascular Ultrasound Systems: Key PlayersKey players operating in the global intravenous ultrasound systems market are Volcano Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, Terumo Corporation, Infra ReDx Inc, Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Silicon Valley Medical Instruments Inc, and Avinger Inc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Treatments for Syndromes of Progressive Ataxia and Weakness Disorders is Expected to Witness a Steady Growth by 2020

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Ataxia is a neurological condition, characterized by lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movement. Ataxia causes head trauma, stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), tumor and toxic reaction. Progressive ataxia and weakness disorders are related to damage, degeneration or loss of neurons of the brain which leads to muscle coordination disability.Request to view Report Page :The global market for treatments of syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders is categorized based on various drugs used for treatment of progressive ataxia syndromes, drugs for progressive weakness syndromes and by technology. The progressive ataxia syndrome segment is further sub-segmented into major diseases, such as Friedreich's ataxia, Gertsman-Straussler-Scheinker disease and Machado-Joseph disease. The progressive weakness syndrome segment includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary spastic paraplegia, hereditary neuropathies, progressive bulbar palsy and multiple sclerosis. The technology segment is further sub-segmented into small molecules based therapies and monoclonal antibody.In terms of geography, the U.S. and Canada holds major market share of treatments for syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders market in North America. In Europe, Germany, France and the U.K are major markets for treatments of syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders.Globally, treatments for syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders market are growing due to novel drug development and rapid technological advancement for treatment of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders. Some of the major technological advancement involved in growth of the market are protein mis-folding, gene mutation and stem cell therapy. In addition, increased collaborations between industry players for development of new therapies is a key trend for the market.However, patent expiries of major drugs hampers growth of the treatments for syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders market. Moreover, stringent regulations and standard requires for approval process of new drugs impede growth of the treatments for syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders market. Several government agencies, such as FDA and European Medicines Agency, are responsible for the approval of every drug. In addition, the approval process takes a very long time to approve a specific drug.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @ :Some of the major companies operating in the treatment for syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders market are Abbott Laboratories, Acorda Therapeutics Inc., American Regent Inc., Baxter International Inc., Biogen Idec., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cadila Healthcare Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company, Glaxosmilthkline Plc., Sanofi, Roche Holding Ltd., Pfizer Inc. and Novartis AG.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Wireless Patient Monitoring Market Poised for Steady Growth in the Future

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Despite high level of medical observation, medical monitoring and record maintenance by a physician or a nurse, it is difficult to keep in mind/track the various patient data/information for over a period of time. Hence, the Patient Monitoring System (PMS) is invented.To reduce the human error and to lessen the burden of doctor about the patients health there exists a methodology for monitoring patients from any location with the use of GSM network and Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI).PMS measure the physiological signs in continuous or at regular intervals. This would be used in monitoring physiological signals which includes ECG, Respiratory effects, Blood Pressure both in Invasive and Non-Invasive Methods, oxygen levels in human blood, body temperature, and other electrophysiological conditions, etc.This has led to the improvised version of PMS which can get Wireless Patient Monitoring System (WPMS) into the patients life. WPMS made the patient monitoring much sophisticated and reliable to the patients living in the remote areas. The patients can easily send their health information to the respective physicians at any given time from any location at any time. This has led many innovations in the present health care sector with many therapeutic areas covering through WPMS.The WPMS are majorly used in hospitals and residents which help the nursing staff to easily manage the data of different patients and carry on the ad-hoc emergency cases. The patients are asked to follow proper guidelines on how to use the WPMS at specific periods. Providing data to the physicians helps to maintain records for a longer period.Working principle of WPMS consists of three elements categorized as patient units, main controller units and observer units. The basic functional principle includes heart rate sensor, temperature sensor, ECG sensors, GPS modems, BP sensors, GSM modems and microcontroller.Request Free Report Sample@The PMS device on multiple sensor and electrodes used for receiving physiological signals like as SpO2Finger Sensors, ECG Electrodes, Blood Pressure Cuff and Temperature Probe to measure the physiological signals.Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems Market: SegmentationThe global market for Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems are broadly classified on the basis of product type, application and end user.Based on Product type, the Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems has been segmented as follows:Cardiac Monitoring DevicesECG MonitoringBP MonitorsHeart Rate MonitorsFetal Heart Rate MonitorRespiratory Monitoring DevicesRespiration Rate MonitorSpirometersSleep Apnea MonitorHematological MonitorsBlood Glucose MonitorProthrombin Time MonitorMulti-sign MonitorsBased on application type, the Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems has been segmented as follows:Asthma MonitoringChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease MonitoringCongestive Heart Failure Monitoring DeviceCoronary Heart Disease Monitoring DeviceCancer Monitoring DeviceDiabetes Monitoring DeviceOther Disease MonitoringBased on end user, the Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems has been segmented as follows:HospitalsHome healthcareNursing homesOther (including first responders, institutional, physician offices, and military)Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems Market: Drivers and RestraintsThere are large number of patient pool prefer to manage health checkup from remote place, increase in the health awareness, the technological advancements in data recording for a longer period of time, therapeutic treatment and growing incidence of cardiovascular disease led to the increase in Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems.The drawback for the Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems is the high cost, lack of uniform reimbursement.Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems Market: OverviewThe Global Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems market is expected to expand at healthy CAGR owing to increasing adoption of the products across the world. Among end users, hospital end user segment is expected to account for maximum share due to a requirement of advanced healthcare infrastructure and low cost.Request For TOC@Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, the global wireless patient monitoring systems market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Among all the regions, North America will continue to lead the global market for wireless patient monitoring systems due to high purchasing power. Asia- Pacific is expected to account for the second largest share in the global market primarily due to increasing number of medical interventions. A regional overview can be a directly proportional to the population.Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems: Key PlayersKey players operating in the global Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems are American TeleCare, Cardiocom, Carematix, Cybernet Medical Corporation, Drager Medical, GE Healthcare, GlobalMedia Group, Honeywell HomMed.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Foodservice Market: Increasing Demand for Customized Food Menus to Act as Growth Driver, Says TMR

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A new study by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled Foodservice Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 20132019, offers an all-inclusive market assessment by evaluating the key trends, opportunities, challenges, and future prospects of this market. The markets past and the current performance has also been examined thoroughly while preparing this study.Download exclusive Sample of this report:As per the research report, the increasing demand for customized food menus, together with fresh ingredients in the food, is likely to propel the global market for foodservices in the coming years remarkably. However, the high cost incurred in maintaining the hygiene, quality, and the consistency of food, alongside the need for a large workforce, is anticipated to hamper the growth of this market to some extent in the near future. The implementation of several government regulations pertaining to food safety is also expected the act as a restraining factor.The global foodservice market can be studied on the basis of the foodservice system, end-use application, and the geography. Based on the foodservice system, the market can be categorized into conventional, assembly service, centralized, and ready prepared. According to the research study, the most favored among them are conventional foodservice systems. However, ready prepared foodservice systems are likely to gain momentum across the world significantly over the next few years.Based on the end-use application, the worldwide foodservice market can be classified into restaurants, schools and colleges, corporate office, and universities. Over the years, school and colleges have been registering an extensive application of foodservices, states the report.Geographically, the market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Currently, North America holds the leading position on account of a large pool of restaurants and food chains. Europe and Asia Pacific are also projected to witness steady growth in this market over the forecast period, notes the study.The research report also studies the competitive landscape of the global market for foodservices at length. It reviews the profiles of the key foodservice providers in order to identify the current market hierarchy. As per the report, Guest Services, Sodexo, Compass Group, Aramark Corp., and Centerplate are some of the leading providers of food services across the world.Browse Full Report With ToC:Other prominent players in this market are Abela & Co., Yum! Brands, Starbucks, McDonald's, Restaurant Brands International, Domino's, Autogrill Group, BiRite Foodservice Distributors, CulinArt, Bon Appetit Management, Gordon Food Service, Jollibee Foods, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Papa John's, Sysco Corp., Truitt Bros, White Castle, Jack in the Box, and AVI Foodsystems.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sapphire (Gemstone) Mining Industry - Know NextGen Technological Advancements, Professional Survey and Future Mining Industry Trends  2024.

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Sapphire Mining Market: OverviewSapphire is an aluminum oxide that falls under the corundum metal category. Under general use, sapphires qualify as a jewelry item. Certain sediments or rock formations are the major natural sources for sapphires. Artificial or synthetic sapphires are also manufactured for industrial purposes of the remarkable hardness of sapphires and of aluminum oxide in general. These sapphires are used in some non-ornamental applications, including infrared optical components, such as in scientific instruments, wristwatch crystals, movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of very special purpose solid state electronics, especially integrated circuits and LEDs.View exclusive Global strategic Business report :Most sapphires come from countries with strict guidelines on how mining may proceed. In Sri Lanka, mining is regulated so the land is protected from over-use. Here, sapphire mining is restricted to small-scale operations where heavy machinery is forbidden. Natural untreated sapphires are rare and are mined in a manner that ensures a stable market and secures the deposits for future generations. Strip mining such as in some emerald mining operations creates tremendous environmental damage and only benefits a few large companies that have the capital for a large-scale operation. This type of mining also results in a market that will fluctuate heavily when new deposits are found, as the new production will flood the market and prices will drop. Some sapphire producing countries do not allow mining activities that damage the environment or create unstable economic conditions. These responsible fair trade laws are regulated well and have existed for years.Sapphire Mining Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe sapphire mining market is affected by certain positive drivers, namely the increasing demand of sapphire for the production of jewelry and LEDs. Secondly, new deposits and mining sites have been recently discovered in parts of Australia and South Africa that have attracted a lot of companies to start exploration and mining of the gem.Despite the positive growth, the industry has been facing certain restrictions in terms of extraction methods and the extent of extraction allowed. Government regulations have been put into place over concerns of ecological imbalance and environmental hazards that sapphire mining has caused over the years.Sapphire mining has had a major impact on agricultural lands as well. Intensive capital requirement and availability of expertise for operations are also some of the factors that have hindered the progress of sapphire mining. Despite all the limitations, new opportunities lie in store. With the advent of new eco-friendly mining technologies, sapphire mining could see a spur of growth in the near future.Sapphire Mining Market: SegmentationMost of the worlds sapphire production and mining is carried out in Australia in the Asia-Pacific region followed by Sri Lanka, Myanmar Thailand, Laos, Malawi and Cambodia. The state of Montana in the U.S. leads the market in the North American region. No significant deposits have been discovered in Europe; hence sapphire mining there is limited. The African region also boasts a significant sapphire production dominated by Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar and South Africa.The sapphire mining market can be classified by the mode of mining undertaken for extraction i.e. from alluvial deposits or from primary underground workings. Mining depends on the content of the surrounding materials and the depth of the mine. Among these the shallow reserves can be penetrated by simple hand mining methods. Deeper ground is mined by digging shafts, while some fields consist of large-scale open-cut mining lease operations involving the use of heavy earthmoving equipment.Complete Report with TOC :Sapphire Mining Market: Companies Mentioned in the ReportA few companies that are involved in sapphire mining are Sino Resources Mining Corp Ltd., Coolamon Mining Pty. Ltd., Herbert Drilling Coy., The Natural Sapphire Company and Lapigems Gem CompanyThe report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Global Palm Oil Market: Environmental Impact of Oil Palm Plantations to Restrict Expansion, says TMR

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The global palm oil market is driven primarily by the rising awareness about its health benefits, according to a new report from Transparency Market Research (TMR). The report examines the historical development trajectory of the global palm oil market in detail and presents studied forecasts regarding the markets development in the coming years. The report uses industry-standard analysis tools to ensure the accuracy of the predictions, which are based on a solid analysis of the palm oil markets present and past figures. The report is titled Palm Oil Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2016  2024.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Palm oil is one of the most popular vegetable oils due to its low trans fat content and relatively inexpensive production process. As an effective vegetable oil, palm oil is primarily used in the food and beverage and cosmetics industries, though other applications of palm oil are rising to the fore. Bakery products such as biscuits and breads, processed and ready-to-eat foods such as instant noodles, chocolate, ice cream, and cereals are among the leading applications of palm oil in the food and beverage industry, while lipsticks, detergents, and candles are some of its other key applications.One of the prime drivers for the global palm oil industry is the cost-effectiveness of palm plantations, which yield more oil per hectare than any other source of vegetable oil. Palm trees also live longer than most other vegetable oil crops, making it profitable as well as sustainable to establish a foothold in the palm oil industry.Regionally, Asia Pacific is the leading contributor to the global palm oil market. This is primarily due to the dominance exhibited by Indonesia and Malaysia, which are likely to remain the leading producers of palm oil in the coming years. Southeast Asia is also one of the leading consumers of palm oil, thanks to the steady demand for noodles and the rising demand for various modern cosmetics.On the other hand, the adverse environmental impact of oil palm plantations is likely to constrain the global palm oil market in the coming years. In leading palm oil producers such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, as well as in African palm oil producing countries such as Benin, palm plantations have often encroached upon rainforest areas. The use of peat land for oil palm plantations, which requires drainage of the area and harms the local wildlife, has also become common in recent years. This has led to public opposition, which is likely to remain strong over the coming years.Browse Full Report With ToC:The report examines the competitive landscape of the global palm oil market by profiling leading players such as Boustead Group, Alami Group, ADM, Musim Mas Group, and the United Palm Oil Industry Public Company Limited.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Data Center Design and Construction Market - Global Industry, Size, Share, Growth, Trends Forecast 2020 : TMR

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The rapid growth in the amount of data consumed and generated by various organizations, businesses and individuals has led to rise in demand for data storage leading to the increase in number of data centers. Globally, data centers are emerging as computational hubs for end-users and enterprises. The number of data centers is increasing rapidly to cater to the demand for computing requirement and growing digital content. This growth in number of data centers is leading to the growth of data center design and construction market. Further, the demand for enterprise-wide digital content and growth of data centers is driving the demand for data center services across the globe.The key issue related to data center design and construction is energy consumption. It is important for the data center manufacturers to analyze factors such as energy use, power and cooling capacity, energy efficiency of components/equipment used, computational fluid dynamics and thermal zone mapping. Analysis of these factors enables designing of optimum solutions for energy consumption in a data center. Additionally, it is important to consider the carbon emission from the data center to meet the environment protection standards. On the basis of type of datacenters, the market is segmented as public data centers, scientific computing data centers, co-location data centers and private data centers. Public data centers are those which are accessible to public domain. Scientific computing data centers are used for scientific purposes by national laboratories. Co-location data centers are those where the equipment, bandwidth and space is available on rental basis. Private data centers are those which are owned and operated by the organizations using the servers.Get Sample PDF file of Data Center Design and Construction Market :On the basis of components and power supply data center design and construction market is classified under four broad categories namely, Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. Tier 1 data centers are those in which there are non-redundant components and offers single up-link and servers. Tier 2 data centers have redundant components providing higher capacity than Tier 1. Tier 3 data centers have features of Tier 1 and Tier 2 data centers along with multiple uplinks and dual power providing equipments. Tier 4 data centers have dual power supply for every component including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and offer the highest capacity. Data center design and construction market is currently dominated by the Tier 4 data centers. However, the rising adoption of cloud based services by several small and medium sized business organizations will boost the growth of Tier 2 and Tier 3 data centers.Geographically, North America dominated the market for data center design and construction. However, the expansion of large business organizations in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America and exponentially growth in data consumption is leading to the increasing demand for data centers in these geographies. Moreover, the availability of resources such as land and labor in these geographies is further boosting the growth of data center design and construction market. Additionally, the improving communication network infrastructure in countries such as India, China and Brazil offers potential growth opportunities for data center design and construction companies. However, the government regulation and variation in tax policies in different geographies are challenging factors for the growth of data center design and construction market.The market for data center design and construction is fragmented in nature and this market is witnessing number of new players. DPR Construction, Balfour Beatty Plc, Holder Construction, Group LLC, Turner Construction Company, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Mortenson Construction, Structure Tone, Skanska USA, Gibane, Carlson Design Construct, JE Dunn Construction and Holfmann Construction are some of the major players in global data center design and construction market. Stalco Construction, Clark Group, Jones Lang LaSalle, Walsh Group and Lend Lease are some of new players in data center design and construction market.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldAbout Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Chile Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market Shares, Strategies, And Forecasts to 2022

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"The Report Chile Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market Outlook to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalDatas new report, Chile Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market Outlook to 2022, provides key market data on the Chile Cardiovascular Surgery Devices market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segments - Beating Heart Surgery Systems, Cardiopulmonary Bypass Equipment, Perfusion Disposables and Chest Drainage Catheters and Units.Note: This is an on-demand report and will be delivered within 2-3 business days of the purchase (excluding weekends)The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Scope- Market size for Cardiovascular Surgery Devices market segments - Beating Heart Surgery Systems, Cardiopulmonary Bypass Equipment, Perfusion Disposables and Chest Drainage Catheters and Units.- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2008 to 2015 and forecast to 2022.- 2015 company shares and distribution shares data for Cardiovascular Surgery Devices market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Chile Cardiovascular Surgery Devices market.- Key players covered include Medtronic plc, Maquet Holding B.V. & Co. KG., Terumo Corporation and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 31.2 List of Figures 32 Introduction 42.1 What Is This Report About? 42.2 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market Segmentation 42.3 Definitions of Markets Covered in the Report 53 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile 63.1 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), 2007-2014 63.2 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), 2014-2021 83.2.1 Beating Heart Surgery Systems Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2007-2014 103.2.2 Chest Drainage Catheters and Units Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2007-2014 123.2.3 Perfusion Disposables Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2007-2014 143.2.4 Beating Heart Surgery Systems Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2014-2021 163.2.5 Chest Drainage Catheters and Units Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2014-2021 183.2.6 Perfusion Disposables Market, Chile, Revenue ($m), by Segment, 2014-2021 203.3 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Volume (Units), 2007-2014 223.4 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Volume (Units), 2014-2021 243.4.1 Beating Heart Surgery Systems Market, Chile, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2007-2014 263.4.2 Chest Drainage Catheters and Units Market, Chile, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2007-2014 283.4.3 Perfusion Disposables Market, Chile, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2007-2014 303.4.4 Beating Heart Surgery Systems Market, Chile, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2014-2021 323.4.5 Chest Drainage Catheters and Units Market, Chile, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2014-2021 343.4.6 Perfusion Disposables Market, Chile, Volume (Units), by Segment, 2014-2021 363.5 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Average Price ($), 2007-2014 383.6 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Average Price ($), by Segment 2007-2014 403.7 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market, Chile, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2007-2021 424 Cardiovascular Surgery Devices Market Pipeline Products 425 Appendix 445.1 Research Methodology 455.1.1 Coverage 455.1.2 Secondary Research 455.1.3 Primary Research 455.1.4 Company Share Analysis 465.1.5 Distribution Share Analysis 465.1.6 Benchmarking 465.2 GlobalData Consulting 475.3 Contact Us 47MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Gas Leak Detectors Market Representing a CAGR Of 5.29% Through 2015 To 2020

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Gas Leak Detector Market - Asia Pacific to Witness Highest Growth by 2020,The global gas leak detectors market accounted for US$ 2,312.2 Mn in 2014 and while exhibiting a CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period. The Global Gas Leak Detector Market is expected to reach US$ 3143.67 Mn by the end of 2020, representing a CAGR of 5.29% through 2015 to 2020.View Sample Report @Key driving factors, identified in the global gas leak detectors market are stringent government safety norms, growing investment in oil & gas and chemical Industries and increasing commercial and residential infrastructure development. However, lower profit margin due to intense competition, deferred investments in oil and gas might pose a challenge towards the growth of the global gas leak detector market. Some of the major trends identified in the global gas leak detector market are the use of internet of everything (IoT) and artificial neural network technology and gas leak detectors.The global gas leak detector market report is categorically split under four sections namely: market analysis by region, applications, product type and technology. The report analyses the global gas leak detector market in terms of market value (US$ Mn) and volume (Million Units).From a regional perspective, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe together contributed 50% of the global gas leak detector market value in year 2014. Whilst Asia Pacific excluding Japan contributed total 35%, making it the largest geographical segment in the global gas leak detector market. The Middle East and Africa gas leak detector market is projected to grow at promising CAGR of 6.27% through the forecast period.To Know About Latest Report Click Here:About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Tech-nology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Elec-tronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business deci-sions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solu-tions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016

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"The Report External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalData's Medical Devices sector report, External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016" provides an overview of External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices currently in pipeline stage.The report provides comprehensive information on the pipeline products with comparative analysis of the products at various stages of development. The report reviews major players involved in the pipeline product development. It also provides information about clinical trials in progress, which includes trial phase, trial status, trial start and end dates, and, the number of trials for the key External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices pipeline products.This report is prepared using data sourced from in-house databases, secondary and primary research by GlobalData's team of industry experts.Get Sample Copy Of This Report At :Scope- Extensive coverage of the External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices under development- The report reviews details of major pipeline products which includes, product description, licensing and collaboration details and other developmental activities- The report reviews the major players involved in the development of External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices and list all their pipeline projects- The coverage of pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from Early Development to Approved / Issued stage- The report provides key clinical trial data of ongoing trials specific to pipeline products- Recent developments in the segment / industryReasons to buyThe report enables you to -- Formulate significant competitor information, analysis, and insights to improve R&D strategies- Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage- Identify and understand important and diverse types of External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices under development- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies- Plan mergers and acquisitions effectively by identifying major players with the most promising pipeline- In-depth analysis of the products current stage of development, territory and estimated launch dateTable of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 61.2 List of Figures 112 Introduction 122.1 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Overview 123 Products under Development 133.1 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 133.2 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Pipeline Products by Territory 143.3 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Pipeline Products by Regulatory Path 153.4 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Pipeline Products by Estimated Approval Date 163.5 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Ongoing Clinical Trials 174 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Pipeline Products under Development by Companies 184.1 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Companies - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 184.2 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 215 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Companies and Product Overview 245.1 A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics Company Overview 245.1.1 A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 245.2 ActiveCare, Inc. Company Overview 255.2.1 ActiveCare, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 255.3 Agali Technologies, Inc. Company Overview 275.3.1 Agali Technologies, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 275.4 AirStrip Technologies, Inc. Company Overview 295.4.1 AirStrip Technologies, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 295.5 ALR Technologies Inc. Company Overview 305.5.1 ALR Technologies Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 305.6 Apogee Technology, Inc. Company Overview 365.6.1 Apogee Technology, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 365.7 ARC Devices Ltd. Company Overview 375.7.1 ARC Devices Ltd. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 375.8 Aseptika Ltd Company Overview 385.8.1 Aseptika Ltd Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 385.9 Barron Associates, Inc. Company Overview 395.9.1 Barron Associates, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 395.10 Baylor College of Medicine Company Overview 425.10.1 Baylor College of Medicine Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 425.11 BioSensics LLC Company Overview 435.11.1 BioSensics LLC Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 435.12 Boston Scientific Corporation Company Overview 445.12.1 Boston Scientific Corporation Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 445.13 Brain Tunnelgenix Technologies Corp. Company Overview 465.13.1 Brain Tunnelgenix Technologies Corp. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 465.14 BrightOutcome Inc. Company Overview 475.14.1 BrightOutcome Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 475.15 CorTronix Biomedical Advancement Technologies, Inc. Company Overview 49MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Medical Devices Report On Hearing Aid Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016

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MarketResearchReports.Biz presents this most up-to-date research on " Hearing Aid Devices - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016 "GlobalData's Medical Devices sector report, Hearing Aid Devices - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016" provides an overview of Hearing Aid Devices currently in pipeline stage.The report provides comprehensive information on the pipeline products with comparative analysis of the products at various stages of development. The report reviews major players involved in the pipeline product development. It also provides information about clinical trials in progress, which includes trial phase, trial status, trial start and end dates, and, the number of trials for the key Hearing Aid Devices pipeline products.This report is prepared using data sourced from in-house databases, secondary and primary research by GlobalData's team of industry experts.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Scope- Extensive coverage of the Hearing Aid Devices under development- The report reviews details of major pipeline products which includes, product description, licensing and collaboration details and other developmental activities- The report reviews the major players involved in the development of Hearing Aid Devices and list all their pipeline projects- The coverage of pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from Early Development to Approved / Issued stage- The report provides key clinical trial data of ongoing trials specific to pipeline products- Recent developments in the segment / industryReasons to buyThe report enables you to -- Formulate significant competitor information, analysis, and insights to improve R&D strategies- Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage- Identify and understand important and diverse types of Hearing Aid Devices under development- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies- Plan mergers and acquisitions effectively by identifying major players with the most promising pipeline- In-depth analysis of the products current stage of development, territory and estimated launch dateTable of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 51.2 List of Figures 62 Introduction 72.1 Hearing Aid Devices Overview 73 Products under Development 83.1 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 83.2 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products by Segment 93.3 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products by Territory 103.4 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products by Regulatory Path 113.5 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products by Estimated Approval Date 124 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products under Development by Companies 134.1 Hearing Aid Devices Companies - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 134.2 Hearing Aid Devices - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 145 Hearing Aid Devices Companies and Product Overview 155.1 ADTS Ltd Company Overview 155.1.1 ADTS Ltd Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 155.2 Advanced Bionics, LLC Company Overview 165.2.1 Advanced Bionics, LLC Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 165.3 Audiodontics, Inc. Company Overview 185.3.1 Audiodontics, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 185.4 Cochlear Limited Company Overview 195.4.1 Cochlear Limited Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 195.5 Hannover Medical School Company Overview 215.5.1 Hannover Medical School Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 215.6 iHear Medical, Inc. Company Overview 235.6.1 iHear Medical, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 235.7 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Company Overview 245.7.1 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 245.8 University of California, Irvine Company Overview 255.8.1 University of California, Irvine Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 255.9 University of Strathclyde Company Overview 265.9.1 University of Strathclyde Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 266 Hearing Aid Devices- Recent Developments 276.1 Sep 23, 2016: Siegfried Russwurm to resign by mutual agreement from the Siemens Management Board 276.2 Sep 22, 2016: Teladoc Appoints Former Pfizer Vice Chairman and CFO David Shedlarz to Board of Directors 276.3 Sep 13, 2016: iHear Medical Granted Key Patents for Innovative Online Hearing Solutions Platform 286.4 Sep 08, 2016: ReSound Strengthens Smart Hearing Portfolio with New Mini BTE 286.5 Sep 06, 2016: Cochlear unveils Kanso, a first-of-its-kind hearing technology to treat severe to profound hearing loss 29MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
New breakfast concept in Zurich

A new Breakfast delivery company launching in Zurich.Larger mission of the new announcementDalou is the company that is gonna change your morning from grey to sun. Most probably breakfast is the least important meal of the day for you. You just dont find the time and you would rather stay in bed than cook a full english breakfast. Breakfast use to be the most important meal of the day with cooked meat, cream and butter, bread and cheese. But our generation for practical and nutritive reasons replaced that by a yellowish bowl of cornflakes and a glass of pasteurised juice taken between a youtube video and an email.We stand against that!!Our idea is that breakfast should be a quality moment thanks to good food and good company.To fit that in your busy lifestyle, Dalou uses technology for the order and incredible artisan for the food.What is new about Dalou?Dalou is an easy interface that allows you to order your next breakfast in less than a minute. But what is unique about us is that you have the possibility to create a breakfast (set time, place and budget) and we will invite the participants to choose what they want (within the budget you define of course). This system increases the end consumer satisfaction and reduce the waste generated by overordering. You can also order all the food you want with our classic menu interface. Our mission is then to collect all the products from our artisanal bakeries and juiceries, make the packages and dispatch them by bicycle to your office. We only work with local, fresh products to insure that both the quality of the products and their nutritive value is outstanding.Quotes from CEO:On the concept:  When I tell people about Dalou, at first I can see a weird look in their eyes. They must think, like many others, that breakfast is a toast or a bowl of cereal at home. Then the look changes as soon as you develop on the necessity of breakfast, the time constraint of workers to eat something good and balanced before going to work. I can spend hours explaining how it is important to have a good breakfast for your energy level, your weigh and your general mood. But you only have to try at home or with us at the office to have a full breakfast with vitamins, carbs, lactose ect... You will see the difference and get our pointOn the market: We are super proud of being able to launch our service here in Zurich. Switzerland represents a very interesting market for us both for its high demanding consumer and its traditional focus on quality of life. Indeed we are able to find very high quality products, and most importantly people who appreciate them. At the moment we are focusing our effort in advertising our product, but soon we will work on opening a second city in Switzerland.Global trend and us:Breakfast market moving forward:Breakfast is starting to interest more and more people. In the last years, Breakfast accounted for the majority of the restaurant industry growth in the US. Both in home and away morning mealsare forecast to grow by 5% in the next two years. More generally the number of breakfast occasion per capita in 2015 grew to reach 361, up 11 occasions in 5 years. Similar evolution is being seen in the UK. According to M&C Allegras Foodservice Food To Go, breakfast on the go grew by 7 to 11.7%. Although the number of Britons going out for lunch and dinner fell in 2012, the number of out of home (OOH) breakfast occasions surged by 8.4 per cent to 1.14 billion, according to the study by NPD Crest.Why can we see this recent changes?The market is underserved not because people dont like breakfast but because dont have thetime to eat a good breakfast. In fact the first reason for people to skip breakfast is the time constraint. Just in the US, 31 million of consumer are skipping breakfast everyday. About 13million people dont eat breakfast in the US just because they dont have time for that. In Switzerland about 30% of the people dont eat breakfast.What about the people that only have the time for a small bowl of cereal, would they not want a healthier and better breakfast? About 70% of the Swiss declared that the two most important factors for breakfast are the healthiness and rapidity of the meal.The market is slowly adapting to this new demand with major fast food brand increasing their breakfast offer (MacDonalds, Starbucks and Pret a manger). In fact 80 percent of restaurantmorning meals were purchased from quick service restaurants.We want to take that to another level by providing fresh and delicious breakfast with no wait!!History of the company:Dalou was founded at the start of this year by Wladimir dHarcourt as a student project in London. After having worked for Foodora, a leader in premium food delivery service in Europe he realised how two huge markets were underseved: the breakfast delivery and the B2B food delivery. He decided to combine both to offer a new food delivery concept that would privilege quality of products over diversity, personal preferences, and conveniency. After having launch in February 2016, the company grew week by week proving the concept. When leaving university, Wlad decided to make this business his full time occupation. To take the idea to a professional level, he recruited Stanislas Jallot, a friend that just graduated from Warwick Buisness school after having developed a bike rental system on his campus and worked in different start up in the UK and in South America. This new team met its first success after a week of work with the successful at the Kickstart Accelerator in Zurich. Kickstart was an incredible opportunity for the Dalou team to be in contact with different industry leaders (From UBS to Migros), mentors and other start ups. This was an incredible opportunity to launch in Zurich and improve the product. After a month of work to adapt the concept (from Breakfast to Znuni), start the legal incorporation, recruiting the partners: we launched our concept in Zurich.Dalou25 Selnaustrasse, 8001 ZurichWladimir d'Harcourt, CEO Dalou
Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market to Rise at 9.1% CAGR 2015-2022, Changing Food Trends Propel Market

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Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market: SnapshotThe rate of international food trade has picked up speed over the past decades, giving rise to larger volumes of trading in horticulture, processed foods, and seafood. Supplying the proper methods to transport these highly perishable foods and beverages are the manufacturers of commercial refrigeration equipment, thus gaining a higher ground in terms of market growth rate. The promise of growth appears to remain strong over the coming years owing to the growing demand by consumers for food from across the world. There has, for instance, been a significant increase in production rates of aquaculture from Peru and seafood in India, Indonesia, and China due to a growing global demand. This high demand forms the primary driver that commercial refrigeration equipment makers can look forward to.PDF Sample For Full Details with Technological breakthroughs is @Commercial refrigeration, however, has to compete against the growing scope of alternative cooling solutions, such as temperature-controlled packaging. Most of these alternatives can provide effective cooling solutions that can be availed in many sizes and shapes, thereby causing the usually large area taken up by commercial refrigeration equipment seem more cumbersome.The overall global market for commercial refrigeration equipment is expected to progress at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2015 to 2022. By the end of 2016, this revenue is expected to reach US$ 39.44 bn, and by 2022 is expected to reach a valuation of US$66.88 bn.Massive Horticulture and Seafood Demand from APAC Boosts Commercial Refrigeration NeedsAsia Pacific, the region that holds the leading food industry in the world, is a key target for most globally prominent commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturers. The fact that economies in this region are also emerging and progressing at a strong pace adds to the demand for food within the region itself, further boosting the need for commercial refrigeration. Additionally, the rising consumer trends based on growing disposable incomes is fuelling the demand for a greater rate of international food and horticulture trading.North America is another major consumer of foods that require commercial refrigeration. One of the key reasons for this is the promotional work done by the AFFI to increase the consumption of frozen foods in the U.S. North America has a greater proportion of imports over exports of foods, including meat. While this is an advantage for many commercial refrigeration equipment makers, the recent changes in government regulations that will steadily replace older refrigeration systems with modern, greener units are something that each concerned player needs to look out for.Food Service Industry Demand for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment ImprovesHotels, restaurants, and the massive chain of transportation and storage that they use for food and beverages constitutes the leading application for commercial refrigeration equipment. Freezers, refrigerators, ice machines, refrigerated display cases, and beverage refrigeration equipment are in very high demand across the global food service industry. With equipment such as beverage refrigeration equipment being required by practically every food service avenue, manufacturers of commercial refrigeration equipment also focus on development of components to improve efficiency and reduce space taken.The key providers of commercial refrigeration equipment in the world currently include Daikin Industries, Ltd. United Technologies Corporation  Unit (Carrier), Dover Corporation, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Hussmann Corporation, Metalfrio Solutions SA, and Beverage-Air Corporation (Ali S.p.A).Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Research Details Developments In Global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Industry 2016 Market

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Qyresearchreports include new market research reportGlobal Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Market Professional Survey Report 2016 to its huge collection of research reports.The global market for Dairy Alternative (Beverage) is the key subject of analysis of a new market intelligence study. The report offers detailed information regarding the primary factors that are driving and hampering the overall growth of the global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market. The research report provides an in-depth overview of the regulatory framework of the market and furnishes details concerning the different plans, rules, regulations, and policies, giving a clear understanding of the key factors that may have an effect on a number of decisions in the Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market across the globe.Furthermore, a detailed overview of the current trends in the global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market has been provided in the scope of the research report in order to explain the shift in consumer preference in recent years. The data for the research study has been collected with the help of primary and secondary research techniques, vital inputs from industry experts, and recent news in the market.For more info, get a Sample PDF with TOC:The research study throws light on primary elements of the global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market, such as key growth opportunities, projected future insights, primary information, and feasibility analysis of new projects in the market. The definitions, applications, manufacturing process cost structure, product portfolio, and product classifications of the global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market have been highlighted in the research report to help the stakeholders and decision-makers accurately study the potential opportunities in the global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market.Furthermore, the research study analyzes the key players engaged in the global Dairy Alternative (Beverage) market and offers an in-depth vendor analysis for the same. The financial overview, product portfolio, recent developments, and SWOT analysis of the key market players have been discussed in the research report. The key strategies adopted by the prominent players have also been included in the study to guide the existing as well as new players in the market.Table of ContentsChapter One Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Industry Overview1.1 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Definition1.1.1 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Product Pictures & Product Specifications1.2 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Classification & ApplicationBrowse Complete Report with TOC @Chapter Two Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.1 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Raw Material & Equipments Supplier and Price Analysis2.2 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Labor & Other Cost Analysis2.3 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.4 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Manufacturing Process AnalysisChapter Three Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3.1 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Capacity and Commercial Production Date3.2 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Manufacturing Plants Distribution3.3 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Dairy Alternative (Beverage) R&D Status and Technology Sources3.4 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Raw Materials Sources AnalysisChapter Four Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Production by Regions, Technology and Applications4.1 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Production by Regions(such as US, EU, China and Japan etc)4.2 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Production by Product Type & Application4.3 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Price by key Manufacturers4.4 2010-2016 US & China Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis4.5 2010-2016 Europe and Japan Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis4.6 2010-2016 US and China Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Supply Import Export Consumption4.7 2010-2016 Europe and Japan Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Supply Import Export ConsumptionChapter Five Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Sales and Sales Revenue by Regions5.1 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Sales by Regions (such as US, EU, China & Japan etc)5.2 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Sales Revenue by Regions (such as US EU China Japan etc)5.3 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Sales Price by Regions (such as US EU China Japan etc)5.4 2010-2016 Dairy Alternative (Beverage) Demand by ApplicationsRead More @About Us :QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.Contact US:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Corrugated Boxes - Global Market Outlook (2016-2022)

According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Corrugated Boxes market is expected to grow from $59.89 billion in 2015 to $80.78 billion by 2022 with a CAGR of 4.4%. Growing urban population, growth of the e-commerce industry, and demand for pharmaceutical supplies are the key factors driving the market growth. Furthermore, factors such as increase in manufacturing activities, growth in the spending by consumers for packaged products are favorable factors which help in growing the demand for corrugated boxes. On the other hand, issues such as greenhouse gas emission during production and volatility of raw material costs hinders the growth of the market. Availability of substitute products to corrugated boxes is also a hurdle for the market growth.The slotted boxes segment dominates the market share. Slotted boxes are used for shipping a variety of products such as cups, mugs, and books among others. Food & beverages is the major end-use segment of the market. North America accounted for the largest share in global corrugated boxes market followed by Europe. Asia Pacific is expected to witness huge growth due to rapid industrialization, particularly in emerging economies such as India and China.Some of the key players in global corrugated boxes market include Archis Packaging, Bates Container, Bio-PAPPEL SAB de CV, Carter Holt Harvey, Cascades Inc., Clarasion, DS Smith PLC, Dunapack Packaging, Georgia-Pacific LLC, International Paper Company, Kapstone Paper and Packaging Corporation, Mondi PLC, Packaging Corporation of America, Rengo Co. Ltd., Roch-Tenn, Smurfit Kappa Group, Sonoco Products, U.S. Corrugated, and Westrock Company.Box Types Covered: Rigid Boxes Folder Boxeso One Piece Foldero Five Panel Folder Slotted Boxeso Full Overlap Slotted Boxes (FOL)o Half Slotted Containers (HSC)o Regular Slotted Containers (RSC) Telescope Boxeso Half Telescope Design Containero Full Telescope Design ContainerMaterials Covered: Medium Linerboard Other MaterialsPrinting Technologies Covered: Lithography Printing Flexography Printing Digital Printing Other Technologieso Gravure Printingo Screen Printingo Offset PrintingPrinting Inks Covered: Hot Melt-Based Ink Solvent-Based Ink Uv-Curable Ink Water-Based InkOther End-Use Industries Covered: Chemicals Electronic Goods Food & Beverages Glassware & Ceramics Home & Personal Care Goods Paper Products Textile Goods OthersRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsWe offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC 17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, USA
New Report Shares Details About The Global Castor Oil-Based Polyols Industry 2016 Market

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Qyresearchreports include new market research reportGlobal Castor Oil-based Polyols Market Research Report 2016 to its huge collection of research reports.The global market for Castor Oil-based Polyols is the key subject of analysis of a new market intelligence study. The report offers detailed information regarding the primary factors that are driving and hampering the overall growth of the global Castor Oil-based Polyols market. The research report provides an in-depth overview of the regulatory framework of the market and furnishes details concerning the different plans, rules, regulations, and policies, giving a clear understanding of the key factors that may have an effect on a number of decisions in the Castor Oil-based Polyols market across the globe.Furthermore, a detailed overview of the current trends in the global Castor Oil-based Polyols market has been provided in the scope of the research report in order to explain the shift in consumer preference in recent years. The data for the research study has been collected with the help of primary and secondary research techniques, vital inputs from industry experts, and recent news in the market.Download The exclusive Sample of this report:The research study throws light on primary elements of the global Castor Oil-based Polyols market, such as key growth opportunities, projected future insights, primary information, and feasibility analysis of new projects in the market. The definitions, applications, manufacturing process cost structure, product portfolio, and product classifications of the global Castor Oil-based Polyols market have been highlighted in the research report to help the stakeholders and decision-makers accurately study the potential opportunities in the global Castor Oil-based Polyols market.Furthermore, the research study analyzes the key players engaged in the global Castor Oil-based Polyols market and offers an in-depth vendor analysis for the same. The financial overview, product portfolio, recent developments, and SWOT analysis of the key market players have been discussed in the research report. The key strategies adopted by the prominent players have also been included in the study to guide the existing as well as new players in the market.Table of ContentsChapter One Castor Oil-based Polyols Industry Overview1.1 Castor Oil-based Polyols Definition1.1.1 Castor Oil-based Polyols Product Pictures & Product Specifications1.2 Castor Oil-based Polyols Classification & ApplicationTo Browse a Complete Report with TOC Visit @Chapter Two Castor Oil-based Polyols Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.1 Castor Oil-based Polyols Raw Material & Equipments Supplier and Price Analysis2.2 Castor Oil-based Polyols Labor & Other Cost Analysis2.3 Castor Oil-based Polyols Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.4 Castor Oil-based Polyols Manufacturing Process AnalysisChapter Three Castor Oil-based Polyols Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3.1 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Castor Oil-based Polyols Capacity and Commercial Production Date3.2 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Castor Oil-based Polyols Manufacturing Plants Distribution3.3 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Castor Oil-based Polyols R&D Status and Technology Sources3.4 2016 Global Key Manufacturers Castor Oil-based Polyols Raw Materials Sources AnalysisChapter Four Castor Oil-based Polyols Production by Regions, Technology and Applications4.1 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Production by Regions(such as US, EU, China and Japan etc)4.2 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Production by Product Type & Application4.3 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Price by key Manufacturers4.4 2010-2016 US & China Castor Oil-based Polyols Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis4.5 2010-2016 Europe and Japan Castor Oil-based Polyols Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis4.6 2010-2016 US and China Castor Oil-based Polyols Supply Import Export Consumption4.7 2010-2016 Europe and Japan Castor Oil-based Polyols Supply Import Export ConsumptionChapter Five Castor Oil-based Polyols Sales and Sales Revenue by Regions5.1 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Sales by Regions (such as US, EU, China & Japan etc)5.2 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Sales Revenue by Regions (such as US EU China Japan etc)5.3 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Sales Price by Regions (such as US EU China Japan etc)5.4 2010-2016 Castor Oil-based Polyols Demand by ApplicationsFor Latest Research Reports Visit @About Us :QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.Contact US:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Comparative Analysis: Global Urgent Care Centers Market, by Geography, & 2020

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The global urgent care centers (UCCs) market has several private companies operating urgent care chains in the market such as AFC/Doctors Express, FastMed Urgent Care, MD Now, Concentra Inc., CareSpot Express Healthcare LLC, MedExpress, MinuteClinic LLC, NextCare Urgent Care, Pateint First and U.S. HealthWorks Inc. Also, a large number of small market players are trying to enter and establish in the urgent care centers market. This has resulted in a highly fragmented market for UCCs industry with large number of urgent care chains accounting for less than 1% of the total market. Moreover, many private insurance firms are also becoming attracted towards the UCCs market.Get Sample Research Report with ToC:Cost Effective Visits and Faster Service Maintain UCCs on the Growth FrontUrgent care centers provide immediate care services to patients with minor injuries. The service time and quality of health care services in a UCC are better than that in an emergency department (ED). Additionally, the fee per visit paid by a patient, whether with health insurance or not, in UCCs is much lower than the fee paid in EDs. These advantages of UCCs over EDs are expected to increase the number of visits to UCCs, thus driving the growth of the global urgent care centers (UCCs) market.Moreover, appointment flexibility provided by UCCs coupled with reduced waiting time has increased their popularity amongst patients. A surge in the population of insured people is also driving the urgent care centers market. The considerably low cost of treatment is attracting a large pool of insured patients. Furthermore, the growth of UCCs is backed by many private and public investors, thus increasing the pace of growth of urgent care centers exponentially.Unavailability of Physicians Likely to Harm Visits to Urgent Care CentersContinued shortages in the number of physicians are likely to limit the growth of the market and it will worsen in the next few years according to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) survey report. This can adversely affect the growth of the UCCs market. However, the effect of this restraint could be alleviated with physician assistants and nursing practitioners compensating this deficiency to some extent.Another impediment to the growth of the UCCs market is the high initial cost required for the set-up of the urgent care centers. Apart from the establishment costs, a large number of patient visits per week are required to meet the huge operational costs of UCCs.North America Leads With a Substantial Margin Owing to High Adoption Rate of UCCsBy geography, the global UGCs market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). North America, which was the leading segment by value in 2013, is anticipated to retain its leadership with a share of 73.6% in 2020. Europe, which stands second, is expected to lose its share by the end of 2020 due to lack of interest shown by private investors.In terms of services, illness is the leading segment by revenue and is anticipated to remain the largest segment until 2020. However, screening services represent the fastest growing segment.The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, Urgent Care Centers Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020.Browse Research Report on Global Urgent Care Centers Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
Europe Metallocene Catalyst Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2021

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SummaryMetallocene catalysts are the combination of a transition metal and cyclopentadienyl. It is a molecular structure with a well-defined single catalytic site, consisting of an organometallic coordination compound in which one or two cyclopentadienyl rings (with or without substituents) are bonded to a central transition-metal atom; used to produce uniform polyolefins with unique structures and physical properties. Metallocene catalysis is a rich and fertile technology with major implications for the polyolefins industry.Get Sample Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Metallocene Catalyst in Europe market, especially in Germany, UK, France, Russia, and Italy.This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversTotalLyondellBasellGraceIneosMarket Segment by Countries, coveringGermanyUKFranceRussiaItalyMarket Segment by Type, coversNormal metallocene catalystDinuclear metallocene catalystMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMetallocene Polyethylene (PE)Metallocene Polypropylene (PP)Buy Complete Report Visit @There are 14 Chapters to deeply display the Europe Metallocene Catalyst market.Chapter 1, to describe Metallocene Catalyst Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Metallocene Catalyst, with sales, revenue, and price of Metallocene Catalyst, in 2015 and 2016;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2015 and 2016;Chapter 4, to show the Europe market by countries, with sales, revenue and market share of Metallocene Catalyst, for each country, from 2011 to 2016;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2011 to 2016;Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to analyze the key countries, with sales, revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 12, Metallocene Catalyst market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2016 to 2021;Chapter 13 and 14, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Appendix and data source.Enquiry For Discount Visit @Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite:
Releases New Report on the Global Customer Experience Management (CEM) In Telecommunication Market

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CEM can be defined as a management technique that acquires relevant information about the customer, through different types of interactions. This acquired data is useful for improving the customers experience in the future. Customers experience develops over a period of time, influenced by the services offered to them. When a customer is ready to purchase more than one service, it becomes essential for the company to generate a complete profile of its customers. Having the clear understanding of customers experiences, will help telecom providers to offer improved services that meet an individuals needs. Many companies are coming up with interactive ways to better understand their customers experience. This transformation is helping the telecommunication industry grow tremendously. The major drawback here is investing time and money to cater to every individual customers requirements. Developing a virtual agent to tackle the issues generated by the customer, also calls for large investments for developing and training. Even after putting in a huge amount of money, the customer might not be satisfied with the response.Customer Experience Management (CEM) in Telecommunication Market: DriversCustomers are becoming more aware about the services offered to them, and are equally keen in helping companies to offer better services. Many companies are realizing the importance their customers experience hold, and are using this to improve the standards of the products they offer. This is driving the growth of the market. However, the cost involved in the digitization of the customer experience management is impeding the growth of the market.Request Free Report Sample@Customer Experience Management (CEM) in Telecommunication Market: SegmentationThe segmentation of customer experience management can be done on the basis of types of interaction, verticals, organization, application market and region. The types of interaction could be classified into human to human interaction, and machine to human interaction. Human to human interaction could be further sub segmented on the basis of medium of communication, i.e., in the branch or store, on call, on web chat, on social media, and e-mail. Machine to human interaction can be sub segmented on the basis of medium of communication into, on call, on web chat, on social media, and through interactive applications. On the basis of verticals, it is segmented into telecommunication service providers and companies manufacturing telecommunication devices.Customer Experience Management (CEM) in Telecommunication Market: Regional OutlookThe customer experience management market is expect to grow vastly in the coming years. North America and Europe are the expected upcoming leaders in this market, owing to the fact that their telecommunication industry has long been investing in customer interaction. Whereas, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa are expected to see a moderate growth in their market.Visit For TOC@Customer Experience Management (CEM) in Telecommunication: Competition LandscapeSome of the key players in the market are, Adobe Systems Inc., Tech Mahindra, SAP SE, Medallia, IBM, Oracle Corporation, Verint Systems, Amdocs Inc., Hewlett-Packard Development Company, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Ericsson, Cisco Systems Inc. and Clarabridge. Recently, McorpCX, Inc., a customer experience software and consulting leader, acquired a leading company in customer experience management called, PersonaDrive, Inc. Companies grow their market by following business strategies like acquisition, partnerships and others.About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Dental Diagnostic and Surgical Equipment Market to grow at a CAGR of 5.53% during Forecast period 2016-2020

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Albany, NY, Oct 21: Dental diagnostic and surgical equipment are used for the diagnosis and treatment of dental problems such as gingivitis, tooth decay, dental caries, periodontitis, injury, and other forms of oral cancers. Dental problems and oral diseases have been on the rise globally and have thus facilitated the increase in the use of dental diagnostic and surgical equipment for treatment and care. Advances in diagnostic and surgical equipment have improved the quality of care offered to patients. Dental imaging and surgical devices can also be customized according the specific needs and features. The 3D imaging and laser technologies are gaining popularity as they minimize pain and ensure fast recovery.The global dental diagnostic and surgical equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 5.53% during the period 2016-2020. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global dental diagnostic and surgical equipment market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sale of dental diagnostic and surgical equipment.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEAGet a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Dental Diagnostic and Surgical Equipment Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Biolase Inc.- Danaher Corp.- Midmark Corp.- PLANMECA Oy- Sirona Dental Systems Inc.Other prominent vendors- Acteon- A-dec- Aribex- ASAHI Roentgen- Being Foshan Medical Equipment- Bien-Air- DCI International- DentalEZ- Dentatus- Dentsply- GC Corporation- Henry Schein- KaVo Dental- MinXray- Morita- Nakanishi- NOUVAG............................Enquiry at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Memristor Market Segments and Key Trends 2016-2026

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Memristor is an innovative electric component consists of memory resistor, two terminal electrical component related to the magnetic flux linkage as well as electric charge. The memristor has properties of both memory element and resistor. The electrical resistance isnt constant but it depends on current flowed through it and resistance depends on how much electric charge flowed in what direction in the past. The device has memory history. When current flows in a direction resistance increase, and current flows in opposite direction resistance decreases. Memristors can replace the flash memory. The advanced technologies and rapid innovations enables create opportunities for the companies. The global memristor market anticipated to exhibit a significant CAGR as well as annual growth rate over the forecast period.Memristor Market: Drivers and restraintsThe memristor market can be driven by the following factors, increased chip performance can be done by addition of transistors on circuit. The higher densities increase the problem of heat generation which affects the devices. Memristor enables replace the increasing number of transistors on a circuit. Memristor enables replace D-RAM. The computers using the D-RAM lack of ability to retain information once they shut down. Memristors can remember voltage and no need to reboot the computer. Increased applications of memristors enables drive global memristor market. Increased awareness among the people regarding the technological advancements and innovations in computers enables create lucrative opportunities for the memristors market. Regulatory bodies are implementing stringent regulations towards maintain the required quality of products is major challenge for the market. However, lack of skilled professionals is the major challenge and memristor costlier than the conventional devices, which may hamper the global memristor market.Request Free Report Sample@Memristor Market: SegmentationGlobal Market can be segmented as following typesBased on RAM4 GB8 GB16 GB32 GB64 GBBy Product TypeStatic RAM (S-RAM)Dynamic RAM (D-RAM)EPROMMemristor Market: OverviewGlobal memristor market is gaining uptake in surge across the globe due to increased awareness among people. The memristor has its significance such as it can replace flash memory and D-RAM. The global memristor market is witnessed a significant CAGR as well as annual growth rates over the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Memristor Market: Region-Wise OutlookGlobal market is segmented into seven key regions, those are North America (N.A), Latin America (L.A), Eastern Europe (E.E), Western Europe (W.E), Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Japan.North America is anticipated to have a maximum market share in global market due to increased awareness among the people in the countries like US and Canada. Asia-Pacific follows North America in terms of market share in global memristor market owing to the drastic change in Asian countries economy as well as information technology industries in India and china. European region is expected to witness a significant contribution in global memristor market. The global memristor market is anticipated to account for significant CAGR as well as lucrative opportunities for the companies over the forecast period.Memristor Market: Key playersSome of the key players areToshiba CorporationSanDisk CorporationIntel CorporationFujitsu Ltd.Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Cypress Semiconductor CorporationIBMHewlett PackardSeagate Technology LLC.SK HynixSony CorpSpeak To Analyst@About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Human Reproductive Technologies Market, by Contraceptive Technologies by 2019

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A recent report on the global human reproductive technologies market has been published by Transparency Market Research. The report, titled Human Reproductive Technologies Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Procedures, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019, projects this market to expand at a CAGR of 2.20% during the period from 2013 to 2019. The market is estimated to stand at a valuation of US$27.1 bn by 2019.According to the World Health Organization, in 2010, about 1.9% of the female population worldwide in the age group of 20-44 years was unable to conceive the first child. The growing prevalence of infertility has been attributed to a number of environmental and socio-economic factors. The various human reproductive technologies have witnessed increasing popularity in the past couple of years for the treatment of infertility among both men and women.With the rise in female employment, there has been a growing trend of a delay in conception. Factors such as pollution, smoking, stress, and obesity have led to an increase in infertile population. The growing prevalence of unwanted pregnancies, initiatives taken by governments and NGOs to promote contraceptive products, and the implementation of favorable policies such as the Affordable Care Act has propelled the growth of the global human reproductive technologies market.Request a PDF Brochure with Report Analysis:However, limited insurance coverage and the side effects of contraceptive drugs and devices might hamper the growth of the market during the forecast period. The global human reproductive technologies market has a significant opportunity to grow with the rise in medical tourism, government support for the treatment of infertility, and the presence of a strong pipeline of contraceptive drugs.The market for contraceptives stood at a valuation of US$16 bn in 2012. During the forecast period, the market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 5.5%. In 2012, the oral contraceptives segment witnessed the highest demand due to the availability of contraceptives as an over-the-counter drug.The key regions in the global human reproductive technologies market are Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. In 2012, North America emerged as the leading region in the market, followed by Europe. North America is predicted to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. However, the market is projected to register the fastest growth in Asia Pacific due to the increasing awareness about contraceptives, high population density, and rise in disposable income.Some of the major players in the global human reproductive technologies market are Bayer AG, Abbott Laboratories, Actavis Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Church & Dwight Co. Inc., Merck KGaA, Warner Chilcott plc, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Merck Serono, Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cook Medical Inc., and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. The report discusses some of the key attributes of the market players including their business strategies, product portfolio, and recent developments. Through a SWOT analysis, the report identifies the future growth opportunities for the market vendors.Browse Research Report on Global Human Reproductive Technologies Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
Gas Insulated Substation Market will reach US$ 35.83 Bn, at CAGR of 10.31% By 2024.

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This research study analyzes the gas insulated substation market in terms of revenue (US$ Bn). The market has been segmented on the basis of voltage and geography. For the research, 2015 has been taken as the base year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2016 to 2024. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional and country level from 2015 to 2024. The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the gas insulated substation business. The report also includes the key market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the gas insulated substation market. These market dynamics were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive industry analysis of gas insulated substations with the help of Porters Five Forces model. This analysis helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the market structure and profitability of the gas insulated substation market. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition.According to this report, the gas insulated substation market revenue stood at US$ 14.75 Bn in 2015 and is projected to reach US$ 35.83 Bn by 2024 at a CAGR of 10.31% from 2016 to 2024.Get PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights :The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the gas insulated substation business in the U.S. There are currently numerous drivers of the market. One of the most prominent drivers is the compact size and reliability of gas insulated substations. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the gas insulated substation market on the basis of revenue realization and industrial growth. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market in different regions.The gas insulated substation market was analyzed across four regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World. These regions are further segmented by country and voltage of installed gas insulated substations globally. Voltage range (0 to 72.5 Kv and above 72.5 Kv) has been provided for each country and region. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the gas insulated substation market. Some of the key manufacturers of gas insulated substations are ABB Group, Eaton Corporation Plc., Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., General Electric Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Crompton Greaves Limited, and Toshiba Corporation. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.Gas Insulated Substation Market: By RegionNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of WorldGas Insulated Substation Market: By VoltageMedium ( 72.5 KV)High (> 72.5 KV)ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Now Available - Worldwide Achiote Powder Market Report 2016-2026

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Achiote powder is extracted from the seeds of ever green shrub Bixa Orellana, commonly known as annatto. Achiote is traditionally being used as spices, food color, and medicinal purpose and as commercial dye. Achiote is originated from Mexico and being used for decoration, rituals and in paintings since 16th century. It is traditionally being used as coloring and flavoring agent in Latin America.In central and South America seeds were originally used to make red body painted and lipstick, and hence achiote is sometimes called as lipstick tree. Oil can also be extracted from achiote and used in different dishes for giving them nice color. Apart from seeds plant leaves have medicinal properties and also used in skin diseases treatment.As looking at achiotes properties and important uses achiote powder global market demand is high.Achiote PowderMarket SegmentationAchiote powder market is segmented on the basis of its applications in different industries. In condiments or spices, as a dye in textile industries, as food colorant in bakery and other food products, in cosmetics and in Pharmaceutical industries. Achiote powder is traditionally being used and sold as spice in the South American market. As containing color pigments it is being used in textile industry as natural dying agent .Uses of achiote powder in cosmetic industry is quite popular as traditionally being used in lipsticks as well as in skin infections. It has been popular as medicine recently due to its therapeutic properties like antifungal, antimalarial laxative, antibiotic and many more, and its medicinal properties have derived its market demand.Request Free Report Sample@Achiote powder market is further segmented on the basis of its forms. Achiote powder is available in market in different forms as water soluble extracts, mainly used in the water based food items and water based products. Another form is oil soluble extract for oil soluble products and cosmetics. And dry spray form is also available in market.Archiote powder market is later segmented on the basis of region asLatin America, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia pacific excluding Japan and Japan. Where Peru from America and Kenya from Africa are the major exporter of achiote. Japan possess major import market for achiote powder as all synthetic coloring is banned in japan.Achiote Powder Global Market TrendsAchiote powder possess significant demand in all the regions due to its therapeutic, food ingredient applications. Increasing emphasis on Ayurveda medicines, natural dyes, and natural food colorants is a major trending factor for achiote powder market.Also banning of certain synthetic pigments/colorants by major players like Japan. And research and development in plant medicines sector is another market trend setter for achiote powder market due to its therapeutic properties.Visit For TOC@Achiote Powder Market DriversAchiote powder is in high demand due to its applications in several industries. Principle factor driving market demand are continuous rising demand for natural colorants products due to rising regulations on uses of synthetic color agents in food and other materials by various governments. Also growing health consciousness in consumers and hence rising market demand for natural products based cosmetics and pharmaceutical products becoming another market driver for achiote powder.In countries like Peru achiote powder uses and production is high as traditionally known for its medicinal properties. In Japan, Europe and North America markets achiote powder is highly sought due to high regulated uses of synthetic colorants. In Japan market the uses of synthetic colorants are banned and hence recent years Japanese market has grown as another major exporter of achiote powder. In Europe Netherlands and UK are the major users of achiote powder as a colorant for hard cheese and uses in margarine. In North America U.S. market is the major exporter of achiote powder from Peru.Achiote PowderMarket Key Players:Achiote tree has been traditionally grown and marketed in Latin American countries, however Peru and Kenya are the major exporters of the achiote powder.Small volume producers and exporters market includes the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Colombia, Angola in Africa, and India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines in Asia.Speak To Analyst@Key players operating in achiote powder market include Brownana Gh Ltd.,MG Natura Peru SAC, Mama Sitas, Marven bio chem, Amerilure, Kolorjet Chemicals Pvt.Ltd., Denton Spice Company, SENSIENT Pharmaceuticals etc.About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Urinary Collection Device Market To Increase at Steady Growth Rate

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Urinary collection device (UCD) is a medical product helps in managing urinary output, hygiene required for long term medical care and collection of urine sample for urinalysis which include detection of various disorders such as urinary tract infection. Urinary collection device is used as a backup to bladder urine collection system or to prevent accidental leakage primarily among patients who stay in the hospital for long time and need bed rest. Urinary collection device is also used during spaceflight, in military fighter aircraft that are not equipped with toilets help pilots to empty their bladder who are required to fly aircraft for several hours, and among patients suffering from urinary incontinence disorder. Urinary collection device also helps in minimizing the contamination of urine specimen with bacterial flora from the patients and minimize the risk of urine leakage and odor. Urinary collection device is useful during travel or where the accessibility to a toilet is difficult.Urinary Collection Device Market: Drivers and RestraintsIncreasing aging population along with risk of urological disorders such as urinary incontinence, rising demand for hygiene products and reimbursement policies are the factors expected to drive the growth of global urinary collection device market. Increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease, rising demand for cost effective reusable products and self-monitoring devices are some other factors expected to fuel the growth of global urinary collection device market. However, complications associated with wear of device, difficulty in device maintenance, increasing in the risk of urinary tract infections during urinary drainage, difficulty in disposal of product, chances of skin irritation are the factors that may hamper the growth of urinary collection device market.Request Free Report Sample@Urinary Collection device: SegmentationThe global urinary collection device market has been classified on the basis of product type, raw material and end user.Based on product type, the global urinary collection device market is divided into following:Urine Sample SystemUrine Sample ContainerUrine Sample TubeUrine Sample BottleUrinary CatheterFoley CatheterIntermittent CatheterExternal CatheterUrine BagsUrinary Leg BagsUrinary Bedside BagsUrinary Belly BagsBased on raw material type, the global Urinary Collection Device Market is divided into following:LatexSiliconePlasticRubberBased on end user type, the global Urinary Collection Device Market is divided into following:Home Care SettingsNursing FacilitiesClinicsDiagnostic LaboratoriesHospitalsVisit For TOC@Urinary Collection device: OverviewBased on urine catheter product type segment, intermittent catheter is the most common type of catheter used to collect urine. On the other hand, external collection device is an alternative to Foley catheter used to manage urine output among patients. Enhancement in the standardization of device maintenance and fitting procedures helps in increasing the urine catheter drainage capacity along with less chances of injurious associated with catheter. The urinary collection devices are designed for precise groups of pathogens such as viral, chlamydia, bacterial and parasites. Urinary sample tubes helps in avoiding urine leakage during transportation and maintains urine sample from contamination for 48 hours without refrigeration. Also, helps in preventing from false positive or bacteria overgrowth. Based on urine collection bags, belly bag is the novel product introduced for both men and women who have a Foley catheter to collect urine. Belly bags are more effective than urine leg bags which helps in prevent from involuntary catheter extraction and enhance mobility of urine bag.Urinary Collection device: Regional OverviewDepending on geographic region, urinary collection device market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America held largest share in the urinary collection device market followed by Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific owing to high incidence of chronic diseases, favorable reimbursement policy, rise in research & development activities and developed healthcare infrastructure. The developing nations in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa hold huge potential for growth in the urinary collection device market, due to increase in the awareness about hygiene care, rising per capita income and living standards along with increase healthcare expenditure.Speak To Analyst@Urinary Collection device: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global urinary collection device market are Teleflex, Medline Industries, Inc., Hollister Incorporated, Coloplast Ltd., Braun Melsungen AG, CR Bard Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Covidien Plc, CooK Medical, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and BD.About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Furniture Market Trends, Size, Shares, Analysis and Market Future 2016-2020

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Albany, NY, Oct 21: With the growing population, increase in the number of single-parent families, and the booming real estate industry worldwide, the market has been growing steadily year-on-year over the last few years. Vendors are sometimes unable to cope with the costs of production for reasons such as the rapid obsolescence of production technologies and the high cost of modernization and power, which are challenges that hinder the growth of the market. Revenue growth in the market will be driven by the rising demand for premium and designer furniture.The global furniture market to grow at a CAGR of 4.18% during the period 2016-2020. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global furniture market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report takes into account revenue generated from retail sales of home and office furniture. Home office furniture has been considered under the office furniture segment.Get a Sample Research PDF with TOC:Technavio's report, Global Furniture Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Ashley Furniture- IKEA- Steelcase- Williams-SonomaOther prominent vendors- 9to5 Seating- Amazon- ATG Stores- AFC Systems- Bed Bath & Beyond- Berco Furniture Solutions- Clarin- Carrefour- Costco Wholesale- Creative Wood- Global Upholstery- Godrej & Boyce- HNI- Herman Miller- J.C. PenneyEnquiry at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
GCC Algae Biofuel Prospects Market Analysis, Trends, Forecast, 2014-2020

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Algae was first discovered as a fuel alternative in 1978 under the leadership of US president Jimmy Carter at a time when fuel prices were high, demand was high, and supply was low and depleting at the same time, the costs of exploring fuel fields and carrying out oil refining procedures were exorbitantly high and continued to skyrocket. Algae biofuel is an alternative fossil fuel that uses algae to generate Biodiesel, Biobutanol, Bio gasoline, methane, ethanol, hydrogen derived renewable fuel and jet fuel. Half of algaes composition by weight is a lipid oil. This has been targeted to convert it into bio diesel that will burn more efficiently than the conventional petroleum.A new concept of alga culture has come up to produce bio fuels. Algae costs more per unit than other bio fuel crops but is claimed to yield 10 to 100 times more fuel per unit area. In 2014, the prices of oil were between US $ 56 to US $ 120 per barrel. The cost of producing micro algal biomass in 2014 was US $ 2.95/kg through photo bioreactors. If the annual biomass production capacity is increased to 1000 tons then the cost will reduce to US $ 1.5/kg for a litre of crude oil. The extraction of biofuels from algae is largely dependent on organic solvents such as benzene. The companies that are working on innovating algal biofuel technology are Algenol Biofuels Inc., Blue Marble Productions, Solazyme Inc., Sapphire Energy Inc., Diversified Technologies Inc., Origin Oils Inc., Proviron Industries nv, Oilgae and Genifuel Corporation.Request Free Report Sample@Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is estimated to achieve 1.6% of the world GDP according to the World Bank. The GCC crude oil production in 2020 is forecasted to be approximately 24 million barrel/day. Although GCC countries are the leaders in fossil fuel production, but are taking initiatives for large scale production of renewable sources of energy.Algae biofuels presents a great opportunity to compensate the environmental impact of the oil and gas industries in the GCC. GCC has a wide coastline that stretches across its countries and is ideal for algae production. The carbon dioxide emissions from oil and power refineries can be effectively utilized and the climate is also favourable for algae cultivation. The waste water treatment plants are also a vital source of algae. Bio fuel is likely to be an addition to the energy mix of GCC countries in the foreseeable future, rather than a competitor to petroleum based oil. This scenario in GCC will be a reality in the long run if the technology required for it, for instance, photo bioreactors becomes a feasible option.Visit For TOC@The US Government strongly backs the research on bio fuels and is pledged to invest US $ 24 million to commercialize algae based biofuels. Several Governments now have started funding initiatives to make biofuel commercially available for satisfying the future wants of the world and it will impact GCC positively. The world needs a new form of fuel that is clean, sustainable, environment friendly, renewable and cheap. Bio fuels is likely to be a success story and an economically accessible alternative that will save it from the energy crisis.About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Specialty Pulp and Paper Chemicals Market to Expand at 4.5% CAGR 2014-2020 Driven by High Demand from Packaging Industry

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) has announced the addition of a new market study on the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market. The report is titled Specialty Pulp and Paper Chemicals Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020.According to the report, the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market, which was valued at US$18.67 bn in 2013, is expected to reach US$25.41 bn by 2020, expanding at a 4.5% CAGR between 2014 and 2020. The growing demand for tissues, graphic papers, and diazo papers is expected be the reason behind the markets growth. The report states that the global demand for specialty pulp and paper chemicals was 28,283.8 kilo tons in 2013, in terms of volume.Download exclusive Sample of this report :Specialty pulp and paper chemicals are the raw materials required for the production of specialty papers. These chemicals are mixed with paper pulp for the production of specialty papers. Specialty pulp and paper chemicals offer benefits such as reduced water and energy consumption. This is expected to boost the demand for specialty pulp and paper chemicals.The growing demand for different types of specialty papers from the packaging industry has led to the growth of the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market. Paper is utilized in large quantities for primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging of various perishable and non-perishable goods. The development of the packaging industry is thus expected to drive the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market in the future. There is an increased demand for specialty papers from the medical sector, offices, and retail stores, subsequently boosting the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market. Furthermore, the use of paper in print media such as magazines and newspapers is expected to fuel the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market in the future.Stringent regulations regarding the use of chemicals for the production of specialty papers are currently acting against the markets growth. However, the development of next generation enzymes for the manufacturing of specialty papers is expected to open new opportunities for the growth of the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market in future.The global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market is segmented on the basis of product and region. On the basis of product, the market is segmented into process, functional, basic, and bleaching chemicals. Of these, the functional chemicals segment accounted for 45% of the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market in 2013. Moreover, the segment is expected to witness the highest growth between 2014 and 2020, owing to the rising demand from the packaging industry for colored paper in varying sizes and thickness.On the basis of region, the market is segmented into Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. In 2013, Asia Pacific and Europe collectively accounted for over 70% of the global demand for specialty pulp and paper chemicals. Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth in the market during the forecast period. South America is also expected to witness significant growth owing to the installation of new capacities for paper and pulp industries. North America and Europe are expected to witness slow growth in the coming years owing to the shift of the manufacturers of pulp and paper chemicals to South America and Asia Pacific.Browse the full Specialty Pulp and Paper Chemicals (Bleaching Chemicals, Process Chemicals, Functional Chemicals and Basic Chemicals) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020 report atThe report profiles leading players operating in the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market such as: AkzoNobel N.V., Ashland, Inc., Kemira Oyj, BASF SE, Nalco, and Dow Chemical Company.The report segments the global specialty pulp and paper chemicals market as follows:ProductBleaching chemicalsProcess chemicalsFunctional chemicalsBasic chemicalsRegionalNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificSouth AmericaRest of the WorldContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Logistics Outsourcing Market Poised for Steady Growth in the Future

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Logistics outsourcing, most commonly known as third-party logistics is a process or operation of sub-contracting industrial functions like cross-docking, inventory keeping, warehousing and transportation to a third party or supply chain management provider. Third party logistics providers include raw material suppliers, distributors and other value-added service providers. These services are generally integrated and used together to provide end-user convenience. The decision for outsourcing logistics by a parent company is generally dependent on company size, complication of logistics and relative economic benefits of outsourcing.Logistics outsourcing includes contracting of material management, supply chain management, distribution management, shipment packaging and channel management. E-business web portals and stores are in extensive need of on-clock dispatch and delivery services offered by outsourced logistics providers. The advantages associated with the logistics outsourcing market are  improvement of suppliers capability due to the use of information technology, specialization of operation, focus on core competencies and uniform growth. However, lack of monitoring control over logistics and risks associated with vendor reliability are some of the drawbacks of this market.Request Free Report Sample@Regions across the globe with an attractive logistics outsourcing market, in terms of contract logistics, include North America and Southeast Asia. RoW (Rest of the World) is showing growth in inter-regional logistics. Major factors driving the development of logistics outsourcing market are globalization, time-proportional economy, presence of virtual organizations, improved customer awareness, strategic concerns to achieve more flexibility and better IT infrastructural support. On the other hand, loss of logistics, poor transportation, local protection regulations and lack of post-outsourcing measurements are some of the factors hampering growth of this market.The global logistics outsourcing market is segmented on the basis of service type, transport media used and geography. The market can vary in service type as simple service, combined service, consulting service and value-added service. On the basis of transport media used to handle logistics, it can be classified into air freight, ocean carriers, railways and trucking. The market can be categorised on the basis of geography into North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Middle East & Africa.Visit For TOC@Globalized product availability, demand for product individualization in terms of logistics, on-time delivery, just-in-time inventory, agility in time response transport, big data analytics and atomization of shipment are some of the global market trends guided by technological innovations like remote tracking and monitoring using RFID tags and EDI-based location of the shipment. Analytics based on big data is providing better accuracy of frequency of tasks and decision-making capabilities. There is a continuous insourcing trend by online retailers (like Amazon.com) for inventory so as to be more cost-effective and unified in terms of operations, and to emphasize on outsourcing for end-product transportation services only. These technological up gradations continuously enhance services provided by outsourced logistics providers.Exel Logistics (U.K.), Menlo Worldwide Logistics (U.S.), FedEx (U.S.), Ryder Logistics (U.S.) and Tibbett and Britten (U.K.) are some of the key outsourced logistics providers. These companies have a wide global presence and provide multi-sector services. They are continuously trying to reach influential market and customers by means of removing bottlenecks related to international shipments and reducing cost through geographical spread of inventory. The market in Asia-Pacific region shows a steady and consistent growth through service innovations by companies, so as to attract economic customers. The companies need to shift their focus from integrated services to offering broad range of products & services portfolio. With more focus on growing B2C sector, the scope for logistics outsourcing will extend towards value-added and specialized services.Speak To Analyst@About Us:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The Value Of Global Acyclic Hydrocarbons Trade Plummeted

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According to recently published IndexBox research World: Acyclic Hydrocarbons - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020 (), the global trade in acyclic hydrocarbons amounted to 18,818 million USD in 2015. That value fluctuated wildly over the period under review, falling by 32% in the last year, after standing stable from 2012-2014.The Republic of Korea continued its dominance in global acyclic hydrocarbon supplies. In 2015, exports from the Republic of Korea totaled 2,049 million USD, which accounted for an 11% share of global exports. Japan, the Netherlands, USA, and the UK were the other key global suppliers of acyclic hydrocarbons in 2015, with a combined share of 34.1%.Japan (+10.1% per year) and the Republic of Korea (+3.2% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. Japan significantly strengthened its position in the global export structure, growing its share from 5% in 2007 to 11% in 2015.On the other hand, China (21%, based on value terms), Belgium (15%), Germany (8%), USA (7%), and the Netherlands (7%) were the leading destinations of acyclic hydrocarbon imports in 2015. Imports to China grew at a rapid pace of +12.9% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, Germany significantly contracted imports of acyclic hydrocarbons over the same period. China's share in global imports increased significantly (+13 percentage points), while the share of Germany illustrated negative dynamics (-5 percentage points).Source and figures:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Country: United KingdomAdress: 44 Main Street Douglas South Lanarkshire Scotland ML11 0QWWebsite:
Companies in Produced Water Treatment Systems Market Focusing on Tertiary Patented Products to Steal a March on Competitors, says TMR

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Expanding their global footprint and signing strategic cross-border contracts is expected to be the mainstay of companies aiming for global growth in the produced water treatment systems market, finds Transparency Market Research in a new study. Entities such as Schlumberger Water Services, Alderley Plc, and Siemens Water Technology are actively pursuing the development of tertiary patented products to steal a march on the competition. These initiatives will eventually lead to better service and product differentiation, prompting smaller companies to follow suit.TMRs projections show that by 2020, produced water volumes will surpass the 340-bn barrel mark. This in indicative of a massive opportunity for companies offering produced water treatment equipment and services.Interpret a Competitive outlook Analysis Report with PDF Brochure:With Produced Water Reinjection Becoming Customary, Investments in Produced Water Treatment Systems to RiseAcross the world, it is now common practice to reinject produced water given the stringent government regulations at play and the overall scarcity of water. This trend is creating hitherto unexplored opportunities for companies in the produced water treatment systems market. In 2014, while 68% of the 201.4 bn barrels of produced water generated worldwide from oil and gas wells was disposed of, the rest was treated and injected back into oilfields at onshore and offshore locations.This trend is expected led to a sizeable increase in produced water volume worldwide, reaching 340 bn barrels by 2020. At 23% from 2014 through 2020, offshore reinjection is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR and will be followed by onshore reinjection.Besides this high-impact driver, factors such as the rising ratio of oil-to-produced water and an inclination toward unconventional oil exploration are driving investments in produced water treatment systems, observes TMR.Opportunity for Produced Water Treatment Systems to Touch US$2.6 Bn by 2020 in North AmericaProduced water treatment systems are expected to account for a market worth US$2.6 bn in North America by 2020. North America is also the clear leader in the global produced water treatment systems market. With crude oil production in North America projected to rise steadily through 2020, the demand for produced water treatment systems in the region is projected to remain strong.With Asia Pacific and Europe trailing North America, the two regions collectively comprised 43% of the global produced water treatment systems market in 2014. The demand for produced water treatment systems in Latin America is expected to grow substantially through the forecasting horizon.Aging Oil Wells Act as Spur to Development of Highly Efficiency Products and ServicesThe types of produced water treatment systems can be broadly classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary. Of these, secondary systems generated about 38.6% of the total market revenue in 2012 given the pressing need to cut oil content in produced water.However, the growing number of tertiary systems-especially the patented offerings combining the benefits of primary and secondary treatment systems as a bundled or packaged service-will witness strong adoption in the near future. So much so, that securing patents on innovative tertiary systems will lend players a strong edge over their counterparts, says a TMR analyst. This will consequently lead to tertiary treatment systems displaying a 9.1% CAGR from 2014 and 2020  the highest among all types of produced water treatment systems.Complete Report with TOC :Produced water treatment systems represented a global market with a valuation of US$3.78 bn in 2012, which will rise to US$6.16 bn by 2020 at a CAGR of 6.1% between 2014 and 2020.This analysis is based on a report, titled, Produced Water Treatment Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2012 -2020, published by Transparency Market Research.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
The Growth in Global Trade of Amino-Resins, Phenolic Resins and Polyurethanes Lost Its Momentum

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-amino-resins-phenolic-resins-and-polyurethanes-in-primary-forms-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/news/the-growtn-in-global-trade-of-amino-resins-lost-its-momentum/

www.indexbox.co.uk

According to recently published IndexBox research World: Amino-Resins, Phenolic Resins, And Polyurethanes (In Primary Forms) - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020 (), the global trade in amino-resins, phenolic resins and polyurethanes (in primary forms) amounted to 14,458 million USD in 2015, fluctuating perceptibly over the period under review. A notable drop in 2009 was followed by recovery over the next five years, until exports decreased again. Overall, there was an annual increase of +3.2% from 2007 to 2015.Germany continued its dominance in the global supplies of amino-resins, phenolic resins, and polyurethanes (in primary forms). In 2015, Germany's exports of amino-resins, phenolic resins, and polyurethanes (in primary forms) totaled 2,483 million USD, which accounted for a 17% share of global exports. USA, Belgium, China, and the Netherlands were the other key global suppliers of amino-resins, phenolic resins, and polyurethanes (in primary forms) in 2015, with a 37% combined share of global exports.China (+18.8% per year) and the Netherlands (+15.6% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. China significantly strengthened its position in the global export structure, growing its share from 3% in 2007 to 8% in 2015.On the other hand, China (10%, based on value terms), Germany (7%), USA (6%), France (5%), and Italy (4%) were the leading destinations of imports of amino-resins, phenolic resins, and polyurethanes (in primary forms) in 2015. Imports to USA grew at a quick pace of +5.9% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, China and Germany slightly contracted their imports of amino-resins, phenolic resins, and polyurethanes (in primary forms) over the same period. The USA's share of global imports increased by 1%, while the shares of the balance of leading importers illustrated negative dynamics.Source and figures:Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Country: United KingdomAdress: 44 Main Street Douglas South Lanarkshire Scotland ML11 0QWWebsite:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.
Aluminium Trade Languished Amid Continuous Negative Price Trend

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-aluminum-unwrought-not-alloyed-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/news/aluminium-trade-languished-amid-continuous-price-trend/

www.indexbox.co.uk

According to recently published IndexBox research World: Aluminum (Unwrought, Not Alloyed) - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020 (), the global trade in unwrought aluminum amounted to 20,941 million USD in 2015, showing strong fluctuations over the period under review. A significant drop in 2009 was followed by recovery over the next two years, until exports decreased again. Overall, there was an annual decrease of -2.9% from 2007 to 2015.Russia remained the global leader in exports of unwrought aluminum. In 2015, Russia's unwrought aluminum exports totaled 3762.6 million USD, which accounted for an 18% share of global exports. Australia, Canada, UAE, and Iceland were the other key global suppliers of unwrought aluminum in 2015, with a 36% combined share of global exports.United Arab Emirates (+21% per year) and Iceland (+1% per year) were the only global leaders in exports that showed positive growth over the period under review. The balance of key supplying countries reduced their exports of unwrought aluminum from 2007 to 2015. UAE notably strengthened its position in the global export structure, growing its share from 1% in 2007 to 7% in 2015.On the other hand, Japan (13%, based on value terms), USA (12%), Republic of Korea (9%), Germany (7%), and Turkey (6%) were the leading destinations of unwrought aluminum imports in 2015. Imports to Turkey grew at a rate of +5.6% per year from 2007 to 2015, while the remainder of key importers contracted their imports of unwrought aluminum over the same period. Turkey's share of global imports increased by 3%, while the shares of the balance of importing countries illustrated negative dynamics or remained the same.Source and figures:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Country: United KingdomAdress: 44 Main Street Douglas South Lanarkshire Scotland ML11 0QWWebsite:
Biodegradable Superabsorbent Materials Market & Industry Development Analysis Report Till 2022

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/12138-biodegradable-superabsorbent-materials-market-report

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-12138

http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-12138

www.decisiondatabases.com

DecisionDatabases.com offer Biodegradable Superabsorbent Materials Market Research Report. This Report covers the complete Industry Outlook, Growth, Size, Share and Forecast till 2022.For More Information about this Report:The report on global biodegradable superabsorbent materials market evaluates the growth trends of the industry through historical study and estimates future prospects based on comprehensive research. The report extensively provides the market share, growth, trends and forecasts for the period 2015-2022. The market size in terms of volume (KT) and revenue (USD MN) is calculated for the study period along with the details of the factors affecting the market growth (drivers and restraints).A glimpse of the major drivers and restraints affecting this market is mentioned below:A. Drivers> Growing demand for disposable diapers> Rising demand for adult incontinence productsB. Restraints> Low product prominenceGet Free Sample Copy of this Report @Furthermore, the report quantifies the market share held by the major players of the industry and provides an in-depth view of the competitive landscape. This market is classified into different segments with detailed analysis of each with respect to geography for the study period 2015-2022.The comprehensive value chain analysis of the market will assist in attaining better product differentiation, along with detailed understanding of the core competency of each activity involved. The market attractiveness analysis provided in the report aptly measures the potential value of the market providing business strategists with the latest growth opportunities.The report classifies the market into different segments based on product and application. These segments are studied in detail incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country level. The segment analysis is useful in understanding the growth areas and probable opportunities of the market.The report also covers the complete competitive landscape of the worldwide market with company profiles of key players such as Amereq Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Company, BASF SE, Exotech Bio Solutions Ltd., Itaconix Corporation, JRM Chemical, Inc., Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd., Nuoer Chemical Australia Pty Ltd., SNF Floerger and TryEco LLC. A detailed description of each has been included, with information in terms of H.Q, future capacities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial overview, partnerships, collaborations, new product launches, new product developments and other latest industrial developments.SEGMENTATIONS IN THE REPORT:1. By Product:> Polyvinyl Alcohol> Polyitaconic Acid> Polyacrylamide> Polysaccharides2. By Applications:> Disposable diapers> Adult incontinence products> Female hygiene> Agriculture> Medical> Others3. By Geography:> North America (NA)> Europe (EU)> Asia Pacific (APAC)> Latin America (LA)> Middle East & Africa (MEA)Order a complete Biodegradable Superabsorbent Materials Market Research Report @DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor,Fountain chambers,Nanabhai Lane,Fort, Mumbai - 1E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Web:
Specialty Printing Consumables Market Europe: Move to Digital Printing Inevitable for Sustainable Returns

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16067

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/europe-specialty-printing-consumables-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

TMR estimates that the Europe specialty printing consumables market will exhibit a 3.7% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. As a result, the market, which had a valuation of US$20.22 bn in 2015, is expected to reach US$28.21 bn by 2024. In terms of product variety, the segment of toners, which occupied nearly 51% of the market in terms of revenue, dominated in 2015. The segment is also expected to retain its dominance over the forecast period. In terms of geography, the market in Germany emerged as the most prominent consumer of specialty printing consumables in 2015. The market in Germany accounted for over 31% of the Europe market in the said year.Download PDF Brochure for Market Insights on Europe Specialty Printing Consumables atRising Adoption of Advanced Technologies to Bolster Markets Growth ProspectsThe Europe market for specialty printing consumables is chiefly driven by the rising use across the textile industry for textile printing applications, availability of effective technologies for printing processes, and rising applications in the packaging industry. Rising applications in the form of packaging printing and label printing are expected to make the packaging industry one of the key growth drivers of the Europe specialty printing consumables market in the near future. The growing volume of exports and online orders for products through e-commerce websites will add to the rising demand for printing consumables in the packaging and labelling sector in Europe.Availability of cost effective and less time consuming printing techniques such as 3D printing are becoming a growing trend in the Europe specialty printing industry. The rising adoption of such technologies is opening new and diverse growth avenues for manufacturers of specialty printing consumables in the Europe specialty printing consumables market. In addition to this, the increasing adoption of technologies such as mobile and cloud printing are also expected to lead to growth opportunities for new players in the market in the next few years.In the highly competitive and fragmented Europe specialty printing consumables market, a notable transformation has been observed from focus on traditional printing technologies such as lithographic and offset printing to digital ones such as laser printing in the past few years, observes a recent report by Transparency Market Research. This trend is expected to gain strength with time and an increasing number of companies operating in the specialty printing consumables market are expected to venture into the field of digital printing in the near future. Many companies, such as Electronics for Imaging, Inc., which acquired Reggiani Machine in 2015, a leader in digital textile printing machines, are already making their move into the world of digital printing.View Report atAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Efficient market hypothesis in the art world

Havana, 21 October 2016  The researcher in charge of the project Fidel Mico Catalogue Raisonne (FMCR) is pleased to announce relevant findings on the primary market of the painter Fidel Mico. The influence of new information on the stock market has been well-documented, at least, from 1969 (Int. Econ. Rev. 10 (10): 1), and postulated as the efficient market hypothesis. Observations of this phenomenon basically suggest that unanticipated public information is efficiently incorporated into the stock market (Stu. Bus. & Econ. 8 (2): 60  67), but reports of these financial processes in other markets are not usual. A good example is the art market where information asymmetry is the dominant force.Six events seem to have been influential in the primary market of the painter Fidel Mico. Four group exhibitions in local galleries (2003 - 2004) were the starting points of a sudden demand growth. More than 20 paintings were sold at the artists studio by that time. After a falling in 2005, the effect of the International Art Fair Artbo 2005, in Bogota, was remarkable in 2006 when Mico sold 12 paintings in one year. It is interesting to note that a similar effect was observed after Micos paintings were shown in exhibition at the 48th Annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival in February 2011. It may be concluded that the demand of Micos art has reached between 10 and 12 paintings per year after group exhibitions in different countries. Therefore, the impact of a solo exhibition in the primary market of this artist could be stronger.The first two peer-reviewed articles dealing with Micos art (Art Documentation. 34 (2): 349  353, and J. Mass Comm. & Journalism. 5 (3): 251) were published in 2015, but these and a group exhibition in Mexico, without impact on the media, did not yield the expected demand growth. Measurable results of the strong form of the efficient market hypothesis were not observed when abundant insider information was published from 2012 (Catalogue Raisonne, Virtual Galleries, and Books), which suggests that the weak form of the hypothesis is prevalent in this case. These findings also suggest the extreme volatility surrounding the primary market of the painter. A deeper investigation on this issue could include extending data to price in the primary and secondary markets after group and solo exhibitions, and expanding the analysis to the impact of other types of artistic events. Art investors should pay more attention to these phenomena for designing realistic business strategies, and closely watch market development of the contemporary Cuban art, because this is an artistic movement with unusual characteristics and a wide price range between 5 000 and 400 000 USD (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 19th, 2014).Art investors can benefit from this type of findings by active participation in the entire process for developing the market of emerging and established artists that have not received enough recognition to keep stable price profiles. Obviously, demand fluctuations result in price oscillations destroying business plans intended for making partial investments that do not include the whole process of market development. Incomplete investments attract collectors to the primary market until the end of the window time opened after new information has been efficiently incorporated into the art market, temporally improving demand. Consequently, investors cannot get maximum profit, because it was harvested at the primary market where artists could not keep stable price profiles in absence of enough public recognition. Particularly, the market of this artist looks like a financial call option for bulls, without excluding bears and pigs, but not for chickens. Taking into account the available data of recent successful stories of Cuban landscape paintings at major auction houses, sales of Micos paintings could range between 10 and 12 million USD per year from a strike of 500 000 USD, assuming probability between 95 and 100%, and annual volatility between 30 and 40%. Three years later, the fear market value of any Micos painting could range between 2 and 3-fold the strike.ContactJose A. Buxado, MSc.Researcher in charge of the projectFidel Mico Catalogue Raisonnee (FMCR).Rodriguez N 14, entre Maboa y Rabi, apto. 1,Rpto. Santos Suarez, Municipio 10 de Octubre,La Habana, Cuba.The Fidel Mico Catalogue Raisonne is a research project devoted to investigate the career of the Cuban contemporary painter Fidel Mico. This project has been submitted to the Catalogue Raisonne Scholars Association and the International Foundation for Art Research.Rodriguez N 14, entre Maboa y Rabi, apto. 1, Rpto. Santos Suarez, Municipio 10 de Octubre, La Habana, Cuba.
Update: 5 years after wife's death, ex-Gladstone cop found guilty of arranging killing

A Clackamas County jury on Friday found former Gladstone police Sgt. Lynn Edward Benton guilty of orchestrating the 2011 killing of his wife in her beauty salon.

A jury of nine women and three men deliberated over five days before returning guilty verdicts against Benton for aggravated murder, criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and attempted murder in the death of Debbie Higbee Benton in Gladstone.

The case will now move to the penalty phase as the same 12 jurors consider whether Benton, 54, should be sentenced to life in prison or put to death. Those deliberations will begin Tuesday.

The decision came after five weeks of testimony from more than 70 people. Benton didn't testify in his own defense.

Family members of both Benton and his dead wife were in tears as the judge read the verdicts to a courtroom packed with about 60 people. Benton, dressed in a black jacket and pants, later was led out of the courtroom by four deputies.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined immediate comment.

The Gladstone Police Department and city of Gladstone issued a statement less than an hour after the decision, offering "our condolences and deepest sympathies" to Higbee Benton's family.

"Debbie was a beloved member of our community and missed by those who knew her," they said. "There are no winners in this case and these lives are forever altered."

Tony Stephens, Higbee Benton's brother, got hugs from several investigators as he was leaving the courtroom.

"It's been a long six years," Stephens said afterward. "We are so happy to have this verdict come in the way it did -- guilty on all charges. Debbie is looking down on us and she is very happy right now."

He said he still has a recording on his phone of her voice that he listens to.

He thanked all the investigators, prosecutors and staff at the courthouse who have worked on the case or helped his family. He and his sister attended the trial almost every day.

Judy Gustafson, a family friend of Benton's, sat with Benton's father, mother and sister for several minutes after the courtroom cleared.

"Every ounce of evidence in this case was manufactured by the prosecution," Gustafson said. "Coincidences were handled like they were circumstantial evidence and they were coincidences. It's just a really, really badly handled investigation and prosecution."

Benton's family members all declined comment.

***

THE CASE

Benton was the first person tried in his wife's death. Susan Campbell, Benton's longtime friend, and Jason Jaynes, Campbell's son, also are accused of aggravated murder in the case. Campbell, 58, was once the prosecution's key witness whose cooperation secured grand jury indictments against Benton and her son. Jaynes, 36, is scheduled for trial in March. No trial date is set yet for Campbell.

Higbee Benton, 54, was found lying on her back in a storage room at the salon she had owned for at least 20 years. It was about 8:40 p.m. on May 28, 2011. She had been shot, beaten and strangled. Three people discovered her body - a friend who had come looking for her when she missed a dinner gathering, a firefighter and Benton. The friend initially found the salon locked and had gone to a bar next-door for help. An off-duty firefighter at the bar called Benton, and all three headed to the salon.

A county deputy medical examiner initially misdiagnosed the bullet wound and determined Higbee Benton had died of natural causes. Her body was re-examined the next day and the death was ruled a homicide.

THE ACCUSED

At the time of his wife's death, Benton had been a police officer for more than 20 years spending all but a year with the department in Gladstone, a town of about 12,000. He also was a CPR instructor, former homicide investigator, paramedic and public information officer for the Gladstone Police Department.

He met Higbee Benton in 2008 and they married in October 2010. Born Lynne Irene Benton, the sergeant spent the majority of his law enforcement career as a woman and began transitioning to male in 2010 before he wed Higbee Benton. He legally changed his name to Lynn Edward Benton.

After Higbee Benton's death, Benton was placed on leave from the police department. He never returned. He was fired in December 2011 after an internal investigation concluded he violated city policy by having pornography on his work-issued laptop. The investigation also alleged Benton engaged in a sham marriage to a Brazilian man in the '90s so the man would qualify for U.S. citizenship. No charges were ever filed in the marriage case.

Benton worked as a Greyhound bus driver until his arrest in November 2012 on suspicion of orchestrating the death of his wife.

THE PROSECTION

Prosecutors alleged:

-- Benton conspired with Campbell and Jaynes to kill Higbee Benton sometime after Jan. 1, 2010. He offered them $2,000 to kill her and arranged a job for Campbell at Higbee Benton's salon so Campbell could carry out the plot, making it look like a robbery.

-- Higbee Benton didn't die when Campbell shot her with the lone bullet in a .25-caliber pistol. Campbell called Benton in a panic, then left. The sergeant went to the salon with Jaynes and watched as Jaynes beat and strangled his wife. They both then returned to work.

-- Benton stood to gain financially and professionally from his wife's death. Higbee Benton had told others that her husband was becoming more aggressive with her since transitioning to male, including causing her to tear her rotator cuff in her shoulder. Benton wanted to prevent the allegations from affecting his police job. Benton admitted to police after his wife's death that he once held her against a wall. He said he moved in with his sister a month before his wife died because he was nervous she may make allegations that could affect his career.

-- Jaynes took part because he owed Benton a favor for shelving a 1999 police investigation into Jaynes, who was the suspect in a sexual abuse case.

-- When Benton responded to the scene, he appeared to check only his wife's pulse and declare her dead.

-- Benton had a personal cell phone that he appeared to hide from investigators until it rang in his jacket pocket during an interview with a detective. He claimed he didn't use the phone often, but records showed nearly 300 incoming and outgoing calls on the phone between March 2011 and May 2011. The majority of the calls involved Campbell's cell or home phone, including one suspected to have been made by Campbell to Benton after she allegedly shot his wife. Investigators found Jaynes and Campbell deleted all their texts from the day of Higbee Benton's death.

-- Benton also tried to cause his wife to overdose on her prescription fentanyl sometime in or after February 2011, but she survived.

THE DEFENSE

Defense attorneys said:

-- There's no physical evidence of an agreement to kill Higbee Benton nor any physical evidence that the fentanyl overdose attempt occurred.

-- No physical evidence shows Benton and Jaynes participated in the killing.

-- Investigators found no phone calls or texts among Campbell, Jaynes and Benton showing they met at the salon that night.

-- Witnesses told police that Benton was visibly distraught upon discovering his unresponsive wife. He checked only her pulse because he was experienced enough to recognize when someone was dead.

-- Investigation mistakes included the medical examiner's fumbling the original cause of death and no testing for DNA evidence on Higbee Benton's neck and other places on her body.

-- The large number of phone calls between Benton and Campbell wasn't unusual because they had been friends a long time. Campbell was once a caretaker for Benton's grandmother and watched Benton's Jack Russell terrier. There's no evidence Benton deleted anything from any of his phones seized by police.

-- Benton told police that Campbell was likely the last person to see his wife alive because she worked at the salon and had been trying to help Benton and his wife reconcile.

-- Higbee Benton never filed any police reports of domestic violence against Benton.

KEY TESTIMONY

The prosecution's key witness was Travis Layman, a repeat felon who was held with Benton in protective custody at the Multnomah County Jail for at least three months in 2015 and said the two became friends.

Layman testified that Benton confessed to the entire plot that led to his wife's death, enlisting Campbell and Jaynes because he "didn't have the nerve" and saying that he should have stopped trying to kill Higbee Benton after an unsuccessful attempt using fentanyl.

Layman agreed to testify in exchange for a possible reduced sentence in a robbery case against him.

The defense later called another inmate who testified that Layman had lied about the fentanyl attempt. Layman denied lying.

OTHER DEFENDANTS

Jason Jaynes has never admitted to having a role in Higbee Benton's death. He was charged with aggravated murder after another jail inmate told investigators that Jaynes admitted that he helped kill Higbee Benton as a favor to Benton. He's serving a sentence of more than 14 years in prison for third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy and using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct related to the 1999 sex abuse case. Police reopened the investigation after discovering it while investigating Jaynes in the Higbee Benton murder case.

Susan Campbell was arrested June 3, 2011, and pleaded guilty in 2012 to attempted aggravated murder as part of a cooperation agreement with prosecutors to testify against Benton and Jaynes in exchange for a 10-year sentence that later was increased to 16 years after she was convicted of witness tampering in her son's sex crimes case. She also pleaded guilty in a separate drug case and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Clackamas County Circuit Judge Kathie Steele revoked the cooperation agreement just before Benton's trial after determining Campbell had repeatedly violated the deal.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
spinningwheel.jpg

Check out this incredible spinning wheel spotted at the 2016 Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Isn't it gorgeous?

(Mary Mooney/Staff)

Fiber Rhythm Craft & Design is having an anniversary sale this weekend. "We moved into our space on SE Milwaukie Ave just two years ago this coming week," the store writes. "To celebrate we're holding a Weekend Anniversary Sale! Saturday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 23, only . . . Skein yarns, cone yarns, notions and books on sale! Up to 50 percent off! (Discounts not to be combined. We will apply your best discount to each order) Visit us this weekend to save!" Fiber Rhythm Craft & Design is at 3701 S.E. Milwaukie Ave. in Portland.

Local indie dyer StitchJones is having an online sale. Use code FALLCOLORS2016 at checkout and get 15 percent off everything in the store. The sale runs through Monday, Oct. 31.

Local designer Shannon Squire has a new shawl pattern, and a new deal via Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Here are the details: "Tina has created so many stunning gradient sets in her awesome single-ply fingering weight Featherlight, each seriously more want-inducing than the last, and all absolutely perfect for The Spell Shawl," Shannon writes. "With your purchase of the pattern, you get a 15 percent off discount code for a gradient set of your very own! We're going to be casting on in my Ravelry group on Halloween, so make sure you hop on it soon in order to ensure you get your yarn in time for the cast on."

What'd I forget? I have post-vacation brain and have been slammed this week at work, so I know I'm missing all kinds of fibery goodness. Let me know in the comments, and I'll update.

UPDATE I: Dublin Bay Knitting Co. is having a pet costume contest with a yarny prize! "Do you dress up your pets in Halloween costumes?" the store writes. "We want to SEE! The winner for best pet costume will receive a free skein of Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace, (limited to stock on hand). The fine print...the Dublin Bay staff picks the winner. All photos will be posted in an album on our Facebook and/or Instagram pages, (so if you don't want your little pumpkin online, you'll have to skip this contest)." To enter, post your pictures on the store's Facebook page. "We can't wait to see all those cuties. The winner will be announced on Halloween! A side note...Dublin Bay Dad Ken would also like pictures of any wounds incurred while dressing the victims, I mean, trick-or-treaters!" Dublin Bay Knitting Co. is at 1227 N.W. 11th Ave. in Portland.

-- Mary Mooney

mmooney@oregonian.com

503-412-7020; @MaryKnitsPDX
Grief is so often dealt with privately, leaving hidden the mystery of how we begin to heal following a tragedy.

Wendy Westerwelle, a legendary Portland actress and comedian, lived life under the bright lights, on stage. And when her husband of 35 years suddenly died last week, she went public with her pain.

And because Westerwelle was the narrator, what she said was equal parts tears and humor, raw pain and truths about herself, her husband, their marriage and letting go -- all of which provided a lesson into the power of our shared humanity and what happens when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

In other words, real.

Westerwelle found her husband, Mark Larsen, dead in the hot tub of their Southeast Portland home. Every morning, he would meditate and then soak in the tub. Westerwelle, 69, made coffee, went to find him and discovered his body. No cause of death has yet been determined. He was an artist, set designer and masseuse.

"Mark was 70, but he was in perfect health," Westerwelle said. "The night before, he came into the kitchen, kissed me and said he was the happiest he's ever been. Now he's gone."

Once again, Westerwelle was left behind.

Born and raised in Chicago, she was still young when her parents divorced. Her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Westerwelle was 11. She cared for her mom for nine years until she died. Westerwelle then married, and her husband died six years later of leukemia.

Her acting comes from a place of compassion, wisdom and kindness, from much suffering in her life. She infuses her characters, real and fictional, with elements of her life and pain.

But in this latest role, she had no director, stage or script. In the hours after her after her husband's death, Westerwelle decided to go public, starting on social media. The outpouring of strangers and friends, locally and nationally, overwhelmed her.

"My heart was bleeding," she said. "Then it became filled with awe and gratitude."

She received calls, emails and comments, many of them from strangers. Fellow actors, former students, co-workers, friends and neighbors visited Westerwelle's house to be with her.

"My rabbi came," she said. "It was Yom Kippur, the biggest Jewish holiday. I told him he needed to be at the synagogue to help find parking places for the Jews who come once a year."

In person and on stage, the charismatic Westerwelle has always been larger than life.

She took Portland's theater world by storm when she arrived in the early 1970s. She appeared in the original cast of "Angry Housewives," and numerous other productions as well as teaching acting and theater. She wrote and starred in "Soph: A Visit with the Last of the Red Hot Mamas," which took her to Hollywood for a few years. Back in Portland, played Dr. Ruth Westheimer in a one-woman show. She's now rehearsing "Golda's Balcony," a play, opening in March, on the life and times of Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel.

Westerwelle's never been shy about discussing her own issues. A few years ago, she wrote and acted in a play based upon hitting rock bottom. Westerwelle, who weighed nearly 270 pounds, lost her balance, fell and broke both knees. It took five firefighters to get her into an ambulance. Because she was so heavy, she developed an embolism and ended up in the ICU where she nearly died. She admitted she was a food addict. She now weighs less than 140, check in daily with a sponsor and attends three to four food addict support group meetings each week.

When her husband died, after decades of performing on the stage, giving it all for her audiences, Westerwelle had the audiences come to her. It was perhaps the best, and most important, encore of her career.

"They got me laughing again," she said. "If I can't laugh and be funny, I'm going to jump off a cliff."

Just that quickly, the healing began. Because of the support, Westerwelle decided to have a public memorial at the park.

"Thank you for coming," Westerwelle said. "It's really comforting."

She blew her nose loudly into a handkerchief.

"Boy, that's nice," she said to the sound of laughter.

People spoke and paid tribute. A good friend played guitar and sang one of his original songs.

Wendy, typically, got the final scene.

"I ate pie yesterday," she admitted. "But no more. Mark would be so pissed at me. We had a 35-year marriage. It was fiery, wild and all about love. He told me that I was a handful, but he'd love me until the day I died. Then he'd go find someone else."

Westerwelle gave the several hundred people in attendance a glimpse into real life and real relationships.

"Mark was extremely patient," she said. "I'm not. You know that about me."

She said the couple's morning routine never varied. Her husband told her he wanted to hold her for 11 seconds.

"He'd get to nine and I'd say I had to go," Westerwelle admitted. She asked the crowd to come forward, surround her and then hug someone.

For 11 seconds.

And then she began to count.

--Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224

@thallmanjr
Two people working in a marijuana processing business in Astoria were taken to Legacy Oregon Burn Center late Wednesday after an explosion rocked the building.

The blast - the first involving a legal cannabis enterprise in Oregon -- remains under investigation but early indications point to butane as a possible cause, officials said.

The business, Higher Level Concentrates, uses the highly volatile gas to make hash oil. The explosion is under investigation by Oregon OSHA, an agency whose mission is worker safety and health.

Two OSHA compliance officers were dispatched to the scene Thursday, said Aaron Corvin, an agency spokesman, who stressed the inquiry is in its early stages.

Higher Level Concentrates is on the Oregon Health Authority's list of 127 state-authorized marijuana processors who can make oil for the medical marijuana market.

The business also has submitted its application for a processor license to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency overseeing recreational marijuana; that application is pending, said agency spokesman Mark Pettinger.

Astoria police and firefighters responded to a report of an explosion about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday near Portway and Industry streets in the city's west end. In addition to Higher Level Concentrates, the building houses a dispensary, Sweet Relief, which was damaged in the blast.

Officials said the explosion occurred in the basement where the extraction business is located.

Gary Reynolds, owner of Sweet Relief, said two of his employees were in the shop when they felt the building rumble.

"One of the guys came from down below and told everyone to get out," Reynolds said. "He was burned up pretty good."

He said his employees ran from the building, which was quickly engulfed in smoke.

Three people working in Higher Level Concentrates escaped; two were burned and are being treated at the Portland burn center.

The blast victims were identified as William "Chris" West, 40, and Jacob Alan Magley, 34, both of Astoria. West is one of the owners of the business. The extent of their injuries is unknown; both men were in stable condition late Thursday, police said.

Jason Oei, 43, a second business owner, was at the scene at the time and wasn't injured.

Making hash oil using butane can be a dangerous endeavor. For years, the activity was unregulated and underground, carried out by home producers who often misunderstand the risks associated with butane. The gas, a cheap and flammable solvent, is used to extract tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, from marijuana flowers and leaves. It can quickly fill an enclosed space, where something as ordinary as a pilot light can ignite a fireball.

The dangers led to a law, signed earlier this year by Gov. Kate Brown, that makes unlicensed production of marijuana extracts a felony. The provision is intended to target homemade butane hash oil operations.

The law left existing commercial - yet unregulated - processors in in a gray area as the state transitioned to a fully regulated recreational market. As a stopgap, the state allowed these businesses to apply for an interim registration that protects them from criminal prosecution.

State officials said none of the businesses that applied for registration have followed through, most likely because they plan to pursue a license with the liquor control commission.

But even without being registered, extraction companies must follow state rules for processing, officials said.

"There are limitations on what they can do when they make those extracts and prohibitions on how they can make those extracts," said Andre Ourso, manager of the state's medical marijuana program. "If we went in there and we found they were doing things they weren't allowed to do, they would not get a registration from us."

The liquor control commission hasn't yet inspected the extraction facility and the business hadn't submitted paperwork showing its equipment meets state safety standards for marijuana processing.

Pettinger said it's premature to say how the blast might impact the company's prospect for a state license.

"Perhaps they had all the correct and adequate safeguards in place," he said. "I don't want to prejudge them before we have all the information."

Butane-fueled explosions are relatively common in Oregon and elsewhere in the country. Earlier this year, a butane-fueled explosion shook a Parkrose home, where three children, including an infant, were present. No one was injured.

In August, a BHO-related explosion leveled a Medford home. In 2013, a blast in a Gresham garage killed a Portland man and severely burned his friend.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
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In this June 2012 photo, former Gov. John Kitzhaber swears in Ellen Rosenblum as Attorney General. Rosenblum, who had at that point won the 2012 Democratic primary for the position, was appointed to serve the last six months of the term of predecessor John Kroger. Kroger had left to become president of Reed College.

(Oregonian/OregonLive file photo)

That no major-party candidate filed to run against Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum until the day before a filing deadline speaks volumes about the uphill race a challenger faces in unseating her.

Rosenblum, a former state appeals court judge and assistant U.S. attorney who has served the past four years as the overseer of the state's justice department, faces almost certain re-election to the position. While her main opponent, Republican Daniel Zene Crowe, brings an impressive record as a former U.S. Army judge advocate and lawyer for the Veterans Justice Project, he lacks both name recognition and an organized campaign to be considered a viable alternative. The mismatch in campaign contributions -- Rosenblum has a 4-to-1 advantage over Crowe -- only reinforces the lopsided nature of this race.

But the lack of a credible challenger is a disappointment because it would have forced Rosenblum to outline how she'll improve her stewardship in a second term.

Among the concerns: She has been slow to investigate public officials or public agencies accused of corruption or misconduct. Her high-profile efforts to reform public records law have, so far, resulted in milquetoast recommendations that don't address the biggest flaws. And personnel issues, including a federal judge's scathing criticism of two justice department attorneys and a bizarre episode in which a DOJ investigator targeted a DOJ civil rights attorney for innocuous tweets, rightfully raise questions about the department's management.

To be fair, Rosenblum has notched some successes that merit returning her for a second term. She successfully commanded attention to the problem of elder abuse, leading to the creation of a team that will prosecute those accused of abusing or scamming the elderly. She has worked with attorneys general from other states to deliver multimillion-dollar settlements to Oregonians from pharmaceutical companies and for-profit colleges. She advocated for improved confidentiality protections for victims of sexual assault at Oregon colleges.

The agreement with Oracle to end litigation over the failed Cover Oregon health insurance exchange project comes in as a half-win. A resolution was certainly necessary to stem the state's hemorrhaging of millions in legal fees. But a settlement largely consisting of free software and customer service is an unsatisfying end to a $6 billion lawsuit that claimed racketeering by Oracle.

Perhaps her biggest win was something that Rosenblum didn't even highlight in her interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board. Lawyers and investigators with DOJ's charitable activities division diligently pursued the case of a nonprofit Northeast Portland foster home, turning up evidence that the director was using state money meant to care for foster kids instead on designer clothes and vacations for herself. That discovery led to media and legislative investigations that showed top Department of Human Services officials ignored complaints of abuse and neglect for years. The revelations triggered a change in DHS' leadership and a new law, both of which can be traced to the work that the charitable activities division did by putting the interests of Oregonians -- not state agencies or officials -- first.

That's the philosophy we hope to see Rosenblum embrace more. Unfortunately, too often, it seems that the justice department's role as legal counsel to state agencies takes precedence.

Consider the hesitance she showed in acting on allegations of influence peddling by Gov. John Kitzhaber and first lady Cylvia Hayes. Rosenblum initially sat on the sideline, declining to comment because her agency represents the governor's office. She finally announced an investigation just four days before the governor agreed to resign. Similarly, she initially resisted calls for a criminal investigation into the state energy department's issuance of tax credits to a solar-panel project that appeared to violate program requirements.

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Rosenblum's management also deserves closer scrutiny. She said she has yet to talk with U.S. District Judge Michael McShane regarding harsh criticism he leveled in March at two assistant attorneys general over their litigation tactics. And while she has taken some actions in response to a DOJ investigator targeting DOJ civl rights attorney Erious Johnson, she acknowledged that there's more work to be done to address the underlying issues that led her staff to misinterpret as threats his supportive Black Lives Matter messages and a tweet of the Public Enemy hip-hop group's logo.

Despite Rosenblum's shortcomings, she is the stronger pick over her challenger, Crowe, whose confrontational intensity seems better suited to a courtroom than to a managerial role requiring collaboration.

Oregonians should vote for Rosenblum, but also hold her more accountable for holding others accountable.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Read the full list of editorial endorsements.
pt.smart.2.4/20/05

SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) volunteer, Marri-Beth Serritella, and kindergartner, Isaiah Parks read a book at Vernon Elementary School.

(Fredrick d. Joe/Staff)

Chris Otis

In 1991, a group of business and community leaders came together to address the fact that Oregon's children were reading below grade level. They sought a way for the private sector to actively support our public education system, with an eye toward a stronger future work force.

With their vision and perseverance, Start Making A Reader Today (SMART) was born. It's a uniquely Oregon model that blends early reading support, access to books and community engagement to positively impact literacy outcomes and provide equitable opportunity for all kids.

This year, SMART celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since its inception, 125,000 volunteers have donated more than 3.9 million hours of one-on-one reading time with more than 188,000 children. The economic impact of those volunteer hours is nearly $90 million. Over that time, SMART has also given away 2.4 million books to kids to take home and keep.

By supporting children and families with increased access to culturally relevant and engaging books and one-on-one reading support, SMART increases opportunities for children to build motivation and a love of reading that is important for future academic success.

This hard work and dedication to empower Oregon children to be motivated, enthusiastic readers has been recognized at the national level. In 2014, the U.S. Library of Congress awarded SMART the American Prize for Literacy, which is presented annually to an organization that has made a significant and measurable contributions to increasing literacy levels.

SMART was founded on the idea that communities play a critical role in supporting children's education. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we want to thank our volunteers, educators, donors and advocates, as well as parents and families across the state. The SMART staff is continually in awe of their generosity and commitment to fundamentally change the lives of children. We couldn't do it without them.

There's still much work to do and many more kids to reach. According to the 2015-16 Oregon Smarter Balanced Assessment, 53 percent of Oregon third-graders didn't meet state reading standards. Research shows that children who do not learn to read by the third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school than their reading-proficient peers. And that number triples for children in low-income households.

However, an independent study by the Eugene Research Institute reveals that fifth-graders who participated in SMART as first-graders are 60 percent more likely to reach state reading benchmarks than are similar students who did not participate. SMART students develop reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension significantly faster and maintain these gains even after completing the program.

Share your opinion

Submit your essay of 700 words or less to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.

SMART remains actively committed to helping all children achieve reading benchmarks and eliminating the education gap in our state. I invite Oregonians across the state to join us. We have programs in 28 of our 36 counties, including more than 90 cities and towns across our great state. With as little as one hour per week, you can help empower the next generation for more successful futures through books and reading.

Chris Otis is the executive director of SMART (Start Making A Reader Today).
Shay Fields

Colorado's Shay Fields, left, scores a touchdown past Stanford's Dallas Lloyd (29) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, in Stanford, Calif.

(Ben Margot/AP)

AP RECAP: Colorado 10, Stanford 5



STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Phillip Lindsay rushed for 131 yards despite being held out most of the second half and Colorado overcame a sloppy day offensively to beat Stanford 10-5 on Saturday to become bowl eligible for the first time in a decade.

Chris Graham kicked a 23-yard field goal with 2:13 remaining after being benched following two earlier misses, propelling the Buffaloes to their first win over the Cardinal since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.

Colorado (6-2, 4-1) went into the day tied with Utah for first place in the South division and inched one step closer toward a possible berth in the conference title game despite an off day by the offense.

The Buffaloes missed three field goals and had a touchdown called back by a pass interference penalty but held the Cardinal to three points while winning for the fourth time in five games. Quarterback Sefo Liufau passed for 135 yards with one touchdown despite being sacked six times.

Stanford (4-3, 2-3) failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season despite getting running backChristian McCaffrey back in the lineup.

The Buffaloes intercepted Stanford quarterback Ryan Burns three times, twice on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter to stall the Cardinal's comeback hopes.

***

What: Colorado Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1) vs. Stanford Cardinal (4-2, 2-2)

When: 12 p.m. PT, Saturday, Oct. 22

Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.

Line: STAN -2.0 | Over/under: 49.5

On TV: Pac-12 Network

How to watch online: Live stream available at pac-12.com/live or the Pac-12 Now app

Series history: Stanford owns the all-time series record, 6-3, against Colorado, including five consecutive wins.

Previous meeting: The Cardinal beat the Buffaloes 42-10 last season in Boulder.

Follow along for live scores and updates from Colorado-Stanford.
SALEM -- A new interim deputy director has been named for the Oregon Department of Corrections.

Brian Belleque

The agency said in a news release that Corrections Director Colette S. Peters appointed Brian Belleque to the position, effective Thursday.

The appointment follows the resignation of Kim Brockamp, who was appointed to the job in January 2015.

The agency says Belleque has worked in corrections since 1983 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Southern Oregon State College.

He became a lieutenant and captain and then institution security manager at the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem. Belleque has also held the position of superintendent at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem and was previously the penitentiary's assistant superintendent of security.

He's been the Westside Institutions administrator since 2009.

"Mr. Belleque's experience with this agency will be invaluable as we continue to focus on safety and security, accountability, and successful re-entry for those in our care and custody," Peters said in a statement. "He cares deeply about our team and is committed to improving the health and wellness of our corrections professionals who have one of the toughest jobs in public safety."

-- The Associated Press
The exchanges between Gov. Kate Brown and Republican challenger Bud Pierce remained mostly mild Thursday night in their fifth and final debate, but both candidates tried to draw clear contrasts with one another in making their late pitches to voters.

In the hourlong event, sponsored by KGW-TV and The Oregonian/OregonLive, Brown defended her 25 years of elected service in arguing why Oregonians should elect her Nov. 8.

She talked up a minimum wage increase passed under her watch, said Oregon should consider a carbon tax to confront climate change and demanded more money for foster children.

Pierce, meanwhile, held up the governor's record as the very reason to support his candidacy, saying he wouldn't have supported the minimum wage increase that started taking effect in July and that the state should live within its means.

"My opponent and her party have been in charge for more than two decades in this state," Pierce said. "They can't solve the problems that need to be solved and they need to be replaced with people who can."

Brown disagreed, saying, "My opponent over the past cycle has been blaming me for everything that's gone wrong for the last multiple decades. I'm surprised he hasn't blamed me for the eruption of Mount St. Helens."

Both candidates are seeking to fill the final two years of the term John Kitzhaber would have served if he hadn't resigned in February 2015 amid controversy over an influence-peddling investigation.

The candidates found some areas of seeming agreement. Both said they'd be willing to sign legislation giving courts the power to temporarily take guns from someone in a mental health crisis. And neither would look to limit gambling revenue from the Oregon Lottery.

But they more often disagreed.

Brown argued repeatedly that government should spend more on early childhood education, foster care and homelessness. She said a budget plan put forth by Pierce this month, which would look to save money by finding efficiencies in government operations, "denies basic reality."

"I've seen recipes longer than that," she said.

Pierce, a Salem oncologist, supported some governmental actions, but repeatedly argued for reductions in regulations, saying that land-use restrictions in parts of the state have crimped growth.

He disagreed with Brown's willingness to consider a tax for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, saying that transportation projects that could reduce congestion vehicle idling times would accomplish more.

The candidates revisited the domestic violence issue that exploded nationally after one recent debate, when Pierce's comments that educated women aren't "susceptible" to abuse drew heavy criticism.

He subsequently apologized for the comments, which came after Brown had said she was a victim of domestic violence. Thursday night, asked what he'd learned about the culture of silence around abuse, he said, "What we need to do is absolutely change the culture so that people making the accusations are safe."

Brown asked voters to stand with someone who'd made a career out of helping and defending victims. Glancing at Pierce, she added, "And not someone who just learned about these issue just two weeks ago."

Later, when the candidates were asked whether sexual abuse allegations against Donald Trump should disqualify the Republican presidential nominee, Pierce said they would if true and said more investigation is needed. Brown said she believed Trump's accusers and said he should quit the race.

The candidates also sparred over Measure 97, which would impose a gross receipts tax on corporations whose annual sales in Oregon exceed $25 million. If approved, the measure would raise an estimated $3 billion a year.

Brown said the measure would provide stable revenue for such as education, the Oregon Health Plan and long-term health care for seniors. Pierce said the measure would hurt private-sector jobs and cost families.

With less than three weeks before the election, Pierce has considerable ground to make up, according to a new poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive and KGW-TV.

The poll, which surveyed 608 registered voters between Oct. 4 and Oct. 14, gives Brown a 14-point lead over her Republican opponent.

Oregon voters haven't elected a Republican governor since 1982, and it's been 14 years since a Republican was elected to any statewide office.

-- Dana Tims

503-294-7647; @DanaTims
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Some of Oregon's 250,000 new "motor voters" have never received one of Oregon's famous mail-in ballots -- until now.

(Oregonian file photo)

Oregon has roughly 250,000 new voters who were automatically registered to vote when they got or renewed their driver's license this year.

Those "motor voters," who make up one-tenth of the state's registered voters, are expected to constitute roughly 5 percent of people who cast ballots by the Nov. 8 deadline.

That tiny sliver of total turnout won't upend the state's political landscape or be a deciding factor in most races. But those new voters may yet leave their mark on Oregon.

They could change the outcome in some of the closest races on the fall ballot, including apparent neck-and-neck battles for secretary of state and over the $3 billion-a-year Measure 97 corporate tax.

Pollster Mike Riley, in a survey commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive and KGW, specifically set out to find those new voters to plumb their views. Riley's polling found that voters who said they'd been automatically registered will likely cast about 5 percent of ballots.

And because those voters tend to be younger, more liberal and in line with Oregon's current trajectory, Riley said, that could skew votes toward Democrats and in support of left-leaning positions on measures.

For example, though margins of error were large, Riley found that voters automatically registered by the Department of Motor Vehicles were 20 percentage points more likely to favor Democrat Brad Avakian over Republican Dennis Richardson as Secretary of State.

One motor voter, Tom Riddle, says he's too new to Oregon to know whom he favors in the that race, or pretty much any other state or local contest.

But the information technology specialist has closely followed news about the presidential race and is eager to cast a write-in vote for his choice, Bernie Sanders.

He doesn't seriously expect Sanders to win. But he does expect the Democratic National Committee will get a message about how it should treat non-establishment candidates.

Riddle, 32, grew up in Oregon but lived in several other states since college. He said he's happy his native state had a system to automatically make him a voter when he moved back and got a driver's license about six months ago.

Nationwide, he said, "I think we should have automatic registration."

Oregon was the first state to approve motor voter registration. Since then, four others have followed, and dozens more are considering it.

The Oregon Bus Project worked with then-Secretary of State Kate Brown to push automatic registration in 2013. By the time the system passed the Legislature, in 2015, Brown was the governor who signed it into law.

The bill was approved on strictly partisan lines, over the objection of Republicans who complained using driver license information to register people to vote could lead to ID theft and undermine people's privacy.

Bill Currier, chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, said he thinks unregistered voters' impact on election results will be "negligible," because their numbers will be small and their vote choices will be highly unpredictable and perhaps unorthodox.

"These are people who were choosing not to vote for a reason," he said.

Nikki Fisher, executive director of the progressive Bus Project, said the group was looking to get more people, especially millennials, to vote. But she didn't disagree that many of those voters will lean left.

About half of Oregon's motor voters have turned out to be younger than 35. Fisher's group been working hard to mobilize newly registered voters to fill out ballots.

She contends many are highly interested in "holding large corporations accountable" with Measure 97 and in assuring funding for Oregon's Outdoor School programs, through Measure 99.

"We constantly hear about those issues from young people," she said.

So far, motor voters seem to be sorting themselves into two groups: The large majority, 89 percent, have been content to remain unaffiliated with any party -- the default setting when the state automatically registers a voter. The rest sent back paperwork offering them the chance to pick a party.

The law also allows people to opt out of registration entirely. Nine percent of people who would have been automatically registered were not registered for that reason.

Fisher, citing turnout in the May primary, said motor voters who join parties are very likely to turn in ballots - slightly more likely, in fact, than voters in the same party and age bracket who registered on their own initiative.

Among automatically registered voters who joined a party, 50 percent became Democrats, 38 percent signed on as Republicans, and 11 percent joined the Independent Party of Oregon. The rest joined smaller parties.

Unaffiliated voters tend to turn out at far lower rates than partisan ones, and conventional political science says automatic voters who declined to register by party will prove even less likely to vote.

But those assertions are almost all based on patterns in states where voters have to go to the polls during voting hours on election day, a higher bar than filling out a ballot on one's own timetable at the kitchen table or over drinks with friends.

Paul Gronke, a Reed College political science professor who specializes in studying voting behavior, said the ease of mail-in ballots-- along with Oregonians' general propensity to participate in civic life - could drive turnout as high as 35 percent to 40 percent among motor voters.

"If they get to half, that will be a huge accomplishment," Gronke said.

Gronke's estimate is far higher than smaller-scale experiments in other places have suggested, he said. Some of those suggested that fewer than 10 percent of automatically registered voters would cast ballots, he said.

Just because motor voters cast ballots, however, does not mean they will vote in down-ballot races, Gronke said. Currier agreed.

"Anyone who is new into the system is going to be less informed about these issues," Gronke said.

Researchers in Oregon and elsewhere plan to examine turnout patterns among motor voters to learn more about how automatic registration plays out, he said.

In addition, he said, several political groups are testing different get-out-the-vote strategies, as a real-world experiment.

They plan to check after the election for answers to an all-important question: How do you get people who didn't take the initiative with registration to follow through and vote?

Fisher said her group, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and others are spending time trying to teach new voters, no matter their affiliation, about the finer points of Oregon's vote-by-mail system.

One key message: All votes remain secret. Even though Oregon voters have to put their names and signatures on their ballot envelopes, no one will see what candidate or measure a voter chose. Elections workers can tell only whether someone cast a ballot.

Volunteers also plan to tell new voters not to let the length of the ballot -- with a host of city council races, tax measures, obscure offices and inscrutable charter changes -- keep them from casting a vote in races they care about.

"We encourage them to vote from the top down the bottom," Fisher said. "But we tell folks they don't have to vote for everybody. They can turn in their ballot marked only for the races they want to."

-- Betsy Hammond
A new poll shows Republican Dennis Richardson, who lost his bid to unseat Gov. John Kitzhaber in 2014, locked in a virtual dead heat with Democrat Brad Avakian in their race for secretary of state.

With only 18 days before the Nov. 8 deadline for ballots, Richardson is leading Avakian 34 percent to 33 percent, according to a poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive and KGW-TV. That's within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.97 percentage points.

But almost as many respondents -- 26 percent -- said they have yet to decide how they'll vote. Pollster Mike Riley, whose Riley Research Associates conducted the survey, said those undecided voters will likely decide the race.

And Avakian, the state's labor commissioner, may be facing the bigger hurdle, Riley said. Fully 27 percent of Democrats said they are undecided, while only 16 percent of Republicans gave that response.

"It's very possible that a significant number of undecided Democrats are likely to end up favoring Avakian on election day," Riley said. "But, at this point, it's pretty clear that people in his own party are just having a hard time pulling the trigger for him."

Jim Moore, a political science professor at Pacific University, agreed.

"This has turned into our closest statewide race, which is not a surprise," he said. "What is a surprise is how weak both candidates are in giving voters a reason to vote for them."

Pollsters phoned 608 registered voters between Oct. 4 and Oct. 14. Both landlines and cell phones were included. Because many new voters have registered this year, pollsters allowed new and less likely voters to participate, provided they indicated they were either "certain" or "extremely likely" to turn in ballots.

Amy Price, 46, of Glendale, confessed she's an undecided Democrat.

"I just got the voters' pamphlet and need to do a lot of online studying this weekend," she said. "I still have a lot of questions about both candidates."

Riley said undecided nonaffiliated voters might also play a role in the outcome. Four in 10 of those voters haven't made up their minds yet, according to the poll. For those registered with minor parties, the figure is 27 percent.

"If I'm Richardson, I'd be very concerned about those undecided voters," Riley said.

They could make a big difference."

Richardson, a longtime legislator, is trying to become the first Republican in 14 years to win a statewide election in Oregon. Avakian is equally as intent on helping maintain his party's dominance in statewide contests.

Many of the findings mirror polls in other statewide races this year. Richardson, for instance, leads among likely male voters, while Avakian is drawing considerably more support from women.

That same gender split is also playing out in Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's race against Democrat Hillary Clinton, and in Republican Bud Pierce's run against Gov. Kate Brown.

Thomas Hughes, another poll participant, is a registered with the Independent Party of Oregon independent in Multnomah County. However, Avakian has his vote.

"He seems like a real guy," said Hughes, 70. Mentioning reports of Avakian's past financial woes, involving unpaid taxes, Hughes added, "He's been in trouble, but who hasn't? People can relate to that."

Avakian's strategy should lie in energizing all those undecided Democratic voters, Riley said.

"If I were him, I'd be begging and pleading to get fellow Democrats to stick by their guns and stand by me," he added.

The poll also showed support for the candidates split along other lines.

Richardson, for instance, is leading among 45- to 54-year-olds (42 percent to 36 percent), with Avakian leading among 18- to 34-year-olds (32 percent to 21 percent).

Gender presents a similar schism. Richardson leads among men (40 percent to 29 percent), while Avakian is ahead with women (36 percent to 28 percent).

The poll also illuminated stark splits along geographic lines. Forty-four percent of voters in the Portland metro area - Clackamas, Washington, Columbia and Multnomah counties - support Avakian. That compares to 23 percent support for Richardson.

Meanwhile, in the poll's 13-county eastern Oregon bloc, Richardson outpolled Avakian 54 percent to 14 percent.

Holly Mack, a Republican in Umatilla County, has no doubt that Richardson will get her vote.

"I'm just a straight-line Republican all the way," said Mack, 45. "I've seen a lot of Richardson campaign fliers and he seems like a good fit for the job."

A remaining bright spot for Avakian could be the state's new automatic registration system, which added nearly 250,000 new voters, according to state records. One-third of those so-called "motor voters," registered after transactions with the Department of Motor Vehicles, support the Democratic candidate, Riley said, with only 13 percent backing Richardson.

"Richardson's path to victory lies in getting more participation from older voters," Riley said. "With Avakian, it's just the opposite. If he gets a big participation among younger voters, he likely wins."

-- Dana Tims

503-294-7647;
Brown-Pierce.png

Gov. Kate Brown faced off against her Republican challenger, Bud Pierce, in an hour-long debate Friday hosted by the City Club of Portland. The session marked the second of five scheduled debates between the candidates. (AP/Oregonian)

For the last time before Nov. 8, Republican challenger Bud Pierce and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown will take the stage for a public debate at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The hourlong event is will be hosted by KGW-TV and The Oregonian/OregonLive. Watch live on KGW (Channel 8). Or catch live streams -- one down below, but also at www.kgw.com or at KGW's and The Oregonian/OregonLive's Facebook pages.

Brown, a longtime legislator twice elected Oregon secretary of state, is running for the right to finish Gov. John Kitzhaber's fourth term. She was appointed governor after controversy over an influence-peddling investigation led Kitzhaber to step down in February 2015, weeks after he was re-elected.

Pierce is a longtime Salem cancer doctor who's never before held elected office. He spent heavily from his own pocket to secure a place in the general election, beating former gubernatorial candidate Allen Alley.

Questions will come from viewers and readers, but also from a panel of journalists: Tracy Barry, KGW anchor and the event's moderator; Laural Porter, anchor and host of KGW's Straight Talk program; Hillary Borrud, state politics reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive; and Steve Duin, a veteran columnist for The Oregonian/OregonLive.
A 29-year-old father who attacked his 3-month-old son so forcefully that the boy is now nearly brain dead was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.

Although the boy is now blind and will never talk, walk, see, eat normally or even comprehend that he exists, Oregon law doesn't allow defendant Awes Sheikhuna to receive a prison term longer than what Multnomah County Circuit Judge Bronson James imposed.

The judge said that limitation in the law is "shocking." The law allowed Sheikhuna to receive a minimum of 7 1/2 years to a maximum of 10 years for the crimes he was convicted of -- first-degree assault and first- degree criminal mistreatment.

Of all the young boy's life-altering disabilities, one is especially striking, James said.

"He has no sense of feeling," James said. "And it struck me that this child that was so injured can never be comforted ... is forever walled off. ...The last contact that this child will ever know is a harmful one."

During an eight-day trial in September, jurors learned that Sheikhuna was alone with his two sons, ages 3 months and 2 years, in the boys' Southwest Portland apartment on June 15, 2015. Sheikhuna didn't live with the boys and was watching them for their mother while she was at work.

He called 911. Paramedics arrived to find the baby, Anwar, unconscious, limp, cold and on the verge of dying.

Prosecutors Amanda Nadell and Amity Girt contended that the infant's brain damage and spinal injury could be caused only by an assault by his father -- or a car accident or fall from a multi-story building, neither of which happened that day. Prosecutors said Sheikhuna viewed Anwar as a difficult baby and lashed out at his son when he'd had enough.

Defense attorneys Adam Dean and Brett Hall contended that Sheikhuna hadn't hurt the boy, rather his son's condition developed from natural causes, such as a blood clot.

The jury unanimously found Sheikhuna guilty.



On Thursday, Nadell said the boy has suffered "the worst injury imaginable short of death itself." The boy's brain almost entirely has dissolved, she said.

All that's left, prosecutors said, is Anwar's brain stem, which controls basic functions such as breathing and heart rate. Doctors expect the boy to need round-the-clock care and be in and out of the hospital for the rest of his life, however long that may be.

If the boy ultimately ends up dying from his injuries months or even years from now, prosecutors could seek more serious criminal charges against Sheikhuna. The crime of murder has no statute of limitations and calls for a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.

Sheikhuna's attorneys asked for the minimum prison sentence that Oregon law allows -- 7 1/2 years -- so he can get out as soon as possible and start making money to go toward his son's significant needs.

Sheikhuna's wife, Rahma Galow, asked the judge to be as lenient as possible because he's the only support that she and their sons have. She said she and her husband are refugees from Somali and they immigrated to the United States to leave so many difficulties behind.

"He's a good father to my two children," Galow said, through an interpreter. "I have two children who really need their dad. ..."Please, I'm begging you."

The judge told Galow that he's sorry for all that she's been through.

Although the judge sided with the prosecution and gave Sheikhuna the longest term he could, James said he wouldn't make any recommendations about whether the father can see his children once he's released from prison and on post-prison supervision. That decision will be up to supervision officers.

Sheikhuna's supervision is expected to last about 10 years. With time off for good behavior, he could end up serving 9 1/2 in prison.

-- Aimee Green

503-294-5119
A 20-year-old man accused of robbing a North Portland Walgreens with a deadly weapon Wednesday is facing four felonies, according to police and court records.

Employees told police two people hopped the pharmacy counter, demanded narcotics, got an undisclosed amount of drugs and left without further incident around noon Wednesday. Marquise Trevon Moore is accused of being one of the robbers.

Police are still looking for another suspect. One of them had a gun, Portland police said in a news release. It wasn't clear whether that gun is the deadly weapon described in court records.

Officers arrested Moore that evening. He's facing two counts apiece of first- and second-degree robbery and is being held in Multnomah County's Inverness Jail on $1 million bail.

Moore returned to the Portland area from California a bit more than a month ago, according to processing documents filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. His mother lives in North Portland, according to the documents.

He was arrested in January in a California robbery, documents show. He reported that he doesn't use drugs.

The Walgreens is at 2829 N. Lombard St.

Police ask anyone who has information about the robbery suspects to call detectives at 503-823-0405. The robbery remains under investigation.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
The woman killed in a hit-and-run crash last week in Southeast Portland was a devoted mother who worked to prevent sex trafficking and had adopted and raised her biological niece, her cousin said Tuesday.

Robin Marie Parks, 34, was heading home to Gresham after a day of college, work and shopping when a driver T-boned her and left the scene with two passengers Thursday night, according to her cousin and police.

A woman called 911, held her hand and prayed for her until responders asked her to move, said Honor LaVaque, a cousin and spokeswoman for Parks' family. Parks was alive when responders arrived, LaVaque said, and they cut her from the car.

Parks died shortly after she was put in an ambulance, her cousin said. A police spokesman said Tuesday the crash is still under investigation.

LaVaque, who called Parks her best friend, described her as a devoted mother who loved karaoke and country line dancing and aspired to stop sex trafficking rings in Oregon.

"She was simply someone who loved people," said LaVaque, 34, who lives about three miles from her cousin. "All she wanted to do was make people happy and change the world for better. ... Most people care more about themselves than the rest of the world. That's not her."

Parks took in her twin brother's daughter, Melody, when Melody was about 2 years old as a foster parent then later adopted her. Parks graduated from Mt. Hood Community College in June 2015 with an associate's degree in social work. And she got the "job of her dreams," counseling and trying to help young women and girls get out of sex trafficking.

Then she became the victim of a hit-and-run crash.

"She just didn't take herself or her life too horribly seriously," LaVaque said. "She said life was always too short to be angry or upset for too long a period of time."

LaVaque described spending more days than not with Parks while they were kids. Parks had a bubbly personality, played violin and enjoyed pop music.

But "it was more about the people she considered family than anything else," LaVaque said, noting Parks and her mother lived together. "She was always so focused on the people she loved."

Parks said she'd never have kids because she wanted to devote herself to Melody, now 13, LaVaque said. She said Parks had put off school to raise Melody.

Parks was taking classes in pursuit of a Concordia University bachelor's degree in social work, LaVaque said.

Still, LaVaque said, her cousin was carefree, considering she had a lot on her plate.

She was compelled to combat sex trafficking, LaVaque said, because "it broke her heart seeing all these poor girls being stolen away and victimized."

A public service will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at Clinton Street Bible Chapel, 18255 S.E. Clinton St. in Gresham. LaVaque asks well-wishers to donate to Oregonians Against Trafficking Humans.

Police ask anyone who has information about the identities of the three males who left the crash scene to contact Officer Phil Maynard at 503-793-3809 or phillip.maynard@portlandoregon.gov. The crash happened last Thursday night on Division Street at 139th Avenue.

Parks' death is one of 34 traffic fatalities in Portland this year, according to police.

Portland averaged 33.25 traffic deaths per year from 2000 to 2015, according to the 2015 Portland Traffic Safety Report.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
fiber-14_Ben_Felten_cc.jpg

The election results in Lake Oswego could send a larger signal of whether voters in Oregon have any appetite for municipal telecom service.

(Ben Felten/Creative Commons)

Don't like your choices for internet service? In Lake Oswego, voters have a chance to demand their own.

A November ballot measure asks residents whether the city should back a new fiber-optic network that promises superfast, "gigabit" internet service for $60 a month. A private company would build and own the network, but the city would be on the hook if signups don't meet expectations.

Some advocates of making internet service more accessible have called on municipalities to treat broadband service as a utility, like water and electricity. They say rising prices and notoriously lousy customer service follow when one or two companies control regional markets.

Opponents warn against government intrusion in the private sector and financial risk to the city.

The election results in Lake Oswego could send a larger signal of whether voters in Oregon have any appetite for municipal telecom service.

The measure isn't binding, so the City Council could reject the project even if voters support it. Or the city could, conceivably, go ahead even if voters say no.

City Manager Scott Lazenby, who proposed the fiber project, said he expects council members will abide by election results.

"They still have mixed feelings about it, but they're the ones that put the advisory vote on the ballot," Lazenby said. "So my sense is if it does pass, the majority would be inclined to go ahead with it."

If voters do give the green light, Lake Oswego would have the largest municipally supported internet service in Oregon. Sandy, Monmouth, Independence and Ashland have also built local networks, with varied results. Nationally, city broadband networks remain very unusual.

Portland and Hillsboro have each studied the possibility of building municipal fiber networks, but each rejected the idea as too expensive. In both those cases, plans called for the cities to finance and own their networks.

Preliminary estimates last winter suggested Lake Oswego's 105-mile network would cost $32 million to build. Lake Oswego wouldn't actually build or finance its project, though, or operate it when it's complete.

Plans call for contracting with a Lake Oswego company called Symmetrical Networks, which says the investment firm Texas Pacific Group would provide the cash to build the network. The city would have an option to assume ownership of the project in 30 years for $1.

In return, Lake Oswego would provide a financial guarantee that at least 35 percent of the homes and businesses in the city would sign up to use the network. The city has roughly 16,000 households and 5,300 businesses, suggesting close to 7,500 customers would need to come on board.

If subscriptions fall well short of that, Lake Oswego's annual bill to make up the difference could conceivably run in the millions of dollars.

Lake Oswego's City Council voted 6-1 in January to move ahead on the project but punted when faced with a final decision, sending the project to voters instead.

Most Lake Oswego residents already have a pair of internet options to choose from: Comcast and CenturyLink. Each offers connections cheaper than the city's proposed fiber network, albeit at considerably slower speeds.

CenturyLink has begun offering fiber service at 1-gigabit per second in some Lake Oswego homes, matching the speeds Symmetrical promises. CenturyLink's service is now available in "hundreds" of homes, according to the company, which said it will eventually be available to 5,000 households in the area.

But CenturyLink charges $80 a month for the service -- $20 more than Symmetrical's proposed price. And to get that price, CenturyLink subscribers must bundle the fiber connection with cable TV service.

It once appeared Lake Oswego would have a third option: Google Fiber. But that company put its plans for the Portland area on a shelf in July and is exploring a less expensive wireless alternative instead. There's no timetable for when Google might decide whether to proceed.

Symmetrical has been waiting for the vote for eight months. Working with municipalities can be "more complicated than one might expect," company chairman Kevin Padrick acknowledged, and he said the company is exploring other business models.

But he said Symmetrical remains committed to the project -- if Lake Oswego wants to proceed.

"We still have the funding sources. We still have the plan," he said. "So nothing's changed from our perspective."

-- Mike Rogoway

mrogoway@oregonian.com

503-294-7699

@rogoway
So it's come to this. First Russia hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta in an attempt to influence the U.S. presidential campaign. Now it's trolling us about Donald Trump's obsession with a "rigged" election.

Russia, officially concerned about the legitimacy of the U.S. election, has "sought to send monitors to U.S. polling stations for the Nov. 8 vote," USA Today reports.

U.S. poll monitors are frequently requested by countries where democracy is fragile or threatened, in large part because America's strong democratic traditions have long been the envy of much of the world. This year, however, other countries are worried about the U.S.

The Organization of American States, for one, is sending election observers to the U.S. for the first time. Among the international-cooperation group's concerns: restrictive new voter-identification laws in some states and the possibility of voter intimidation at the polls.

"The United States has never done it before," Organization of American States democracy secretary Francisco Javier Guerrero told the Washington Post, referring to the OAS' planned presence at the U.S. polls. "But of course, this is a unique election."

Russian observers will not be joining the OAS, however. The State Department rejected Russia's request to send monitors, calling it a "PR stunt." In state media reports this week, Russia trumpeted the U.S.' refusal to allow Russian poll watchers.

This is, of course, only the latest Russian provocation, which is a source of dispute in the U.S. presidential campaign. Despite receiving a classified briefing on the DNC/Podesta email hack, Trump, the Republican nominee, refuses to accept the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia is behind it. Retired Gen. Michael V. Hayden, a former CIA director, said Trump's viewpoint "defies logic."

The Republican nominee has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign. Putin, meanwhile, appears to hold a grudge against Clinton, believing the Democratic nominee tried to bring about his downfall in 2011 when she was U.S. secretary of state and he was facing large-scale protests across Russia. "She set the tone for certain actors inside the country; she gave the signal," the Russian strongman said at the time. "They heard this signal and, with the support of the U.S. State Department, started actively doing their work."

For weeks, Trump, who is flagging in the polls, has warned that the U.S. election is "rigged" against him and that there will be massive voter fraud in inner-city communities.

"I just hear such reports about Philadelphia," he said at a rally in Pennsylvania last week. "I hear these horror shows, and we have to make sure that this election is not stolen from us and is not taken away from us."

Trump added: "This election will determine whether we remain a free nation or only the illusion of democracy."

At Wednesday's final presidential debate, he refused to say he would definitely accept the result of the election, insisting, "I'll keep you in suspense."

The next day, he again addressed his stance on the looming election result. "I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States," he said, "that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election -- if I win."

He hasn't made clear whether he was joking.

-- Douglas Perry
Portland advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy jumped into the most Portland possible trade Friday: the food cart game. The political food cart game.

The cart, called "Donald Trump's BS," started serving sandwiches at about 11 a.m. in Pioneer Courthouse Square.

BS stands for "baloney sandwiches."

"With 18-days to go and our fate in the hands of American voters," the agency said in a statement Friday, "a new food truck has arrived in the mecca of food cart culture to serve sandwiches to the people, with a healthy dose of factual information."

I love a great baloney sandwich as much as the next person, but Portland's newest food cart is the worst. #TrumpServesBS pic.twitter.com/wWWQY43l8d  Jeff Duncan (@dunkcfpd) October 21, 2016

The sandwiches, which are actual, real, free baloney sandwiches, are wrapped in gold paper and messages fact checking various statements that the Republican presidential nominee has made during the campaign.

The food cart is only temporary. It will appear again Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. while supplies last.

If you can't make it down to Pioneer Courthouse Square, you can live vicariously through the many posts on Instagram and Twitter or just watch the ad on repeat while eating a homemade baloney sandwich.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
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Northern Michigan author Bill O. Smith will sign copies of his book, Four a.m. December 25, today and Saturday at Midland Mall. He is set up in a booth near J.C. Penney, and is scheduled to be at the mall until 9 p.m. both days.

Smith said all profits from book sales will go toward these veterans groups: Air Force Enlisted Village, Air Warrior Courage Foundation, Our Military Kids Inc. and Cherryland VFW Post 2780 Relief Fund.

The 32-page hardcover book, which retails for $19,95, tells the story of one soldiers homecoming, and is intended to honor all who serve others with strength and kindness, according to the author. Smith dedicated the book to his father, Capt. Robert A. Smith, who served in the Army Air Forces in World War Two.

The book, published by Sleepytime Press and illustrated by Glenn Wolff, is also available at amazon.com, billosmith.com and Michigan book stores; profits from these sales also will be donated to the veterans groups.

At the end of his tale, Smith challenges readers to answer extra credit questions about holiday traditions in Hong Kong, Australia, Chile and France, inviting them to turn back to various scenes in the book. Theres more to each illustration than meets the eye at first glance, so the questions and second look lead to a better understanding of what is depicted and the deeper meaning of Christmas around the world.

Smith also is the author of two other picture books, the best-selling Chickadees at Night and The Chickadee Spirit.

More information, http://billosmith.com
After seven years at the helm, Ken Santa announced that he would retire from his position as president and CEO of the Castle Museum and Historical Society of Saginaw County. His last day on the job will be Dec. 30.

My wife retired a few months ago, and she urged me to consider doing the same, Santa said. It is not a decision I take lightly because this has been a great opportunity and I have made lots of friends in my time here.
Central Michigan University Research Corporation (CMURC) expansion into Uptown Bay City seeks to give entrepreneurs and businesses across the region access to growth and job creation resources that have the power to boost the economy.

The 5,000 square foot space will feature coworking, flexible work space, board room, kitchen and corporate partner VIP room while also providing tenants access to a team of service providers that aid in business development. There will also be collaborative opportunities with business experts to give entrepreneurs a chance to exchange ideas and solicit advice.

CMURC will locate in the 35-acre waterfront development, by Shaheen Development, with global corporations and local companies.

The vision of Uptown Bay City and CMURC perfectly align. Both organizations are dedicated to the growth and development of the Great Lakes Bay Region, embracing an entrepreneurial spirit to inspire future leaders, said Samuel Shaheen, president and CEO of Shaheen Development and construction partner of CMURC. At Uptown, CMURCs clients will be surrounded by additional world-class organizations such as The Dow Chemical Co., Michigan Sugar, McLaren Bay Region and more than $100 million in investments to date. We are thrilled and honored to welcome a visionary leader, Erin Strang, and her dynamic CMURC team to Uptown Bay City.

The team works with local businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and Central Michigan University to harness and make available the intellectual, technological and material resources that help businesses thrive.

Since its inception, CMURC has been the ideal environment for growing or establishing a business. CMURC is more than a space in which to work. CMURC provides:

 Ideation and commercialization programs that build the foundation every entrepreneur needs,

 Entrepreneurial insight,

 Networking experiences that provoke sharing and deal flow,

 Scalable facilities, and

 Experiences that foster connections and growth.

CMURC partners with professionals that entrepreneurs need, including but not limited to, graphic designers, lawyers, accountants and engineers, allowing them to grow their business. Over the past three years, entrepreneurs at CMURC have launched a variety of companies--resulting in over an $18 million injection into the Great Lakes Bay Regions economy.

Located along the Uptown riverfront, the 90,000 sq. ft. mixed-use Uptown Place building features both commercial and retail opportunities.

The first floor galleria will feature a selection of unique retail, food, and restaurant opportunities in a covered arcade, while floors two through four feature a diverse portfolio of commercial space.

For more information about CMURCs expansion, programs and spaces, visit www.cmurc.com
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department.

Wednesday, Oct. 19

5:31 a.m. A Jasper Township woman, 39, reported she saw a person looking through her homes windows using a flashlight. The suspect fled, and deputies found nothing suspicious.

7:41 a.m.  Property was stolen from two vehicles parked in the 3200 block of Dartmouth Drive.

2:11 p.m.  Police were called to a Grove Street address to investigate a sexual assault.

2:52 p.m.  Police made arrests for driving on a suspended license and on a warrant after a crash at North Saginaw Road and Campau Drive.

3:01 p.m.  A deputy was called to a Jerome Township school after a person was seen placing compact discs on cars. The man, age 26, said he just wanted people to hear the music he produced. The man was told to get permission before placing items on cars.

3:37 p.m.  A Lee Township homes mailbox was damaged.

7:52 p.m.  A motorist was cited in the 1900 block of South Saginaw Road for driving without insurance.

9:08 p.m.  A motorist was arrested at Wisconsin and East Haley streets for driving on a suspended license.

10:10 p.m.  Police were sent to a report of a felonious assault in the 1000 block of Eastlawn Drive.
To the editor:

The League of Womens Voters Forum on Thursday strongly reinforced my intention to vote for Bryan Mielke, who is running for the Michigan House, the 99th District. Bryan has a wonderful wife and children and is a small businessman in our community.

The primary reason I support Bryan Mielke is that he has the highest possible integrity and he is beyond reproach. As a trustee on the board of Union Township, Bryan has worked to counteract backroom dealing that was contrary to taxpayer interest. He will fight financial corruption and dishonesty in Lansing. Bryan will work against gerrymandering which cheats citizens of their right to vote, against Citizens United which has engulfed our political scene with floods of billionaire money and against the appointment of emergency managers by Republicans, which resulted in the poisoning of many citizens in Flint, among other things.

As a small businessman himself, Bryan Mielke knows how to encourage new jobs in small businesses, in contrast to Michigan Republican leaders who gave more than a billion dollars to big business which was not tied to jobs in Michigan.

Finally I am extremely disappointed by the completely dishonest and misleading Trump-like TV ads in support of Bryans opponent, Roger Hauck. Whether you are a Republican, Independent or Democrat, it is clear that Republican Donald Trump and Roger Hauck have no business imposing their dishonest and unscrupulous ways on our community.

CHARLES NOVITSKI

Mount Pleasant
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker flown by the 912th Air Refueling Squadron from March Air Force Base, Calif., provides refueling capabilities to a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 while both units participate in the Vigilant Shield 2017 Field Training Exercise Oct. 20, 2016, in the high Arctic. This years exercise sees North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) building on previous years training successes when deploying air assets and personnel to the far north to exercise sovereignty operations in North Americas northern aerospace and in the high Arctic. This exercise provides crucial training opportunities for numerous military personnel with a variety of aircraft and assets from Canada and the United States to improve interoperability and to demonstrate NORADs ability to defend North America.
SPRINGFIELD  A ruling by a McLean County judge that the state's sex offender registration mandate is unconstitutional has been reversed by the Illinois Supreme Court.

In a ruling released Thursday, the Supreme Court disagreed with Judge Robert Freitag's July 2015 decision that a requirement that sex offenders report all internet sites they use violates their free speech rights.

Mark Minnis, 23, of Normal is charged with failure to register his home address with local police, missing the deadline by three days in August 2014. As part of his registration requirement, he disclosed two email addresses, but did not list Facebook and eBay accounts he uses, according to court documents.

Minnis' defense lawyer Stephanie Wong argued to Freitag that the law needs to be "more narrowly tailored" to protect a sex offender's free speech rights.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court disagreed with the lower court decision, finding that the internet disclosure requirement "is tailored to avoid chilling more speech than necessary, or in other words, to lessen the number of unconstitutional applications."

The Supreme Court decision comes in response to an appeal of Freitag's ruling by the state.

In arguments in May to the Supreme Court, Assistant Attorney General Joshue Schneider said the disclosure of online identities used by offenders and the forums they visit is needed "to protect the public from recidivist sex offenders."

The internet must be closely monitored by authorities, said Schneider, to make certain offenders are not taking advantage of potential victims.

Online venues "allow people to interact less cautiously," said the state prosecutor, adding that "the risks are magnified in some respects online."

Daaron Kimmell with the Office of State Appellate Defender, countered that free speech rights are lost in the enforcement of the statute that "bars free speech for too many people who present little or no risk."

An evaluation of sex offenders  including offenders like Minnis who were juveniles when the sex crime occurred  could more adequately determine a person's risk to offend again, said Kimmell.

The defense lawyer called Minnis' case "a great demonstration of how this system can go wrong."

Joining the defense with supporting briefs in favor of Freitag's interpretation was the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Freedom Foundation, a non-profit group concerned with free speech and privacy in the digital world.

Minnis' case was sent back to the local court for proceedings that were put on hold after Freitag's ruling.
EUREKA  The smell of lighter fluid was still faintly noticeable after volunteers from the Eureka-Goodfield Fire Protection District put out a fire in a parking lot at Eureka College.

It was among many clues left behind for students in assistant professor William Lally's criminal justice course on evidence collection and preservation.

The fire was set in a plywood room set up in a parking lot this week. The room, built for Lally's class by students in the theater department, contained old furniture, carpeting, a lamp, table, trash can and television set. It resembled a dorm room, without a bed.

It cost about $350 to put together, said Lally, but the experience was priceless for his students.

It's pretty cool  the mere fact that we get a hands-on learning experience instead of sitting in a classroom, said senior Nate Atkins, a criminal justice major from Bloomington. We get to practice what we've learned.

The students worked in teams of four taking pictures, sketching diagrams, interviewing firefighters and making other observations. They looked for pour patterns and points of origin and recorded unusual odors and smells. Each team will write an investigative report as part of the exercise.

For Caitlin Ketterer, a senior in criminal justice from Bloomington, it was an opportunity to use not only what she has learned in Lally's class, but also what she learned in the fire science program at the Bloomington Area Career Center.

It gives us a chance to do something that is really important for our job, said Ketterer, who would like to work for the Bloomington Police Department after graduation.

Lally likes to give his students tangible experiences.

They can experience the intensity of the fire. They can feel the heat. They can smell the accelerant in the air. You can't do that with a video, he said. Instead of just explaining, they get the experience.

Eureka Fire Chief Craig Neal, a trained fire investigator and instructor, gave students advice on how to carry out their investigation.

Not only look on the inside, you look on the outside, Neal told them. You're scanning the crowd.  Look around the entire area. Take photographs of everything.

It's not the first time the theater department has helped Lally with his criminal justice classes.

They help me with a lot of things, said Lally. We've had scenario training with their actors before.

He would like to have the arson investigation become an annual part of the class, perhaps constructing a cinder block room that could be reused each year, to hold down the cost. The room's contents that were burned in the blaze were old furniture and other items that were broken or no longer used in campus residence halls, he said.
EUREKA  The next president of the United States needs to assert more leadership on the international stage, according to a former U.S. ambassador and presidential aide who spoke at Eureka College on Thursday.

Roman Popadiuk, ambassador to Ukraine under President George H.W. Bush and deputy press secretary in President Ronald Reagan's second term, said the United States has taken a back seat in recent years in areas such as Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin moved in and took territory with little resistance.

Now Putin also is asserting Russian influence in Syria, propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad amid the ongoing civil war.

I see Putin as a throwback to the czarist and Soviet eras, said Popadiuk. Right now, he's been successful  because a vacuum exists.

Assad was emboldened when the United States did nothing after he crossed the red line and used chemical weapons.

If you're going to use a threat, be sure you can carry it out or the next guy will call your bluff, Popadiuk said.

Although Popadiuk said it is important to always use diplomacy first, he emphasized that diplomacy can only work if you put some force behind it.

Popadiuk participated on a panel with Arya Amirie, a former Middle East policy adviser to Reagan, at a special program presented by Eureka College and the Peoria Area World Affairs Council.

Amirie, a 1962 Eureka College graduate, also presented a talk on the Islamic State, its ideology, its growth and a strategy for its demise.

In his talk, Amirie said the keys to defeating the group also known as ISIS or ISIL include:

 Persuading Saudi Arabia and other Arab states not to finance religious schools worldwide.

 Having imams at U.S. mosques and Islamic centers and religious leaders in Sunni Arab states be more vocal in discrediting ISIS.

 Giving Sunnis autonomy in Iraq and Syria, as the Kurds in Iraq have received.

Because so much of the fighting and oppression in the region has been between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, Amirie said it will be very difficult to get the country to work together as a unified populace.

They have to have hope that they can have their own autonomy and they will be safe, Amirie said before his talk. The issue of safety is currently the most important issue for them.

Popadiuk said, ISIS eventually will be defeated, but terrorist elements will continue to exist.

To keep them down, the Arab-Israeli conflict, economic development and human rights all must be addressed, according to Popadiuk.
BLOOMINGTON  Pantagraph-area election officials said Thursday they don't take Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's claims the Nov. 8 election may be rigged personally, and they expressed confidence in the balloting process.

Its purely politics, said McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael, whose office oversees voting in the county outside Bloomington.

"I didnt interpret it to be, 'The election officials are rigging it,' said Logan County Clerk Sally Turner. "I took it as hes trying to say it toward the media.

With recent polls showing the presidential race slipping away from him, Trump has repeatedly raised the specter of a rigged election despite experts saying there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud heading toward Election Day or in previous presidential contests.

Trump refused during Wednesday's debate with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to commit to accepting the results of voting. On Thursday, Trump pledged to fully accept the outcome  but only if he wins  and later said said he would accept "a clear election result" but reserved his right to "contest or file a legal challenge" if he loses.

Criticism mounted Thursday from people who said his comments threaten to undermine faith in American democracy.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 GOP nominee, called the peaceful transfer of power "the pride of our country."

"A concession isn't just an exercise in graciousness," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who lost the 2008 presidential election to Barack Obama, on Thursday. "It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility."

Paul Shannon, executive director of the Bloomington Election Commission, said Trump has the right to question the system.

His beliefs are his beliefs, and if he wants to challenge the election, thats one of his rights," he said. "There is a process set up in the election code as to what he has to do.

The local election officials said, however, that Trump's supporters should not follow his direction to serve as volunteer poll watchers or intimidate voters they feel are illegitimate.

Judges have been asking, 'What do we do if we have anybody cantankerous or who shouldnt be at the polling place,' and we say, 'If they dont have proper ID, call 911.' Theres no room for that, Michael said.

All three said they don't expect any intimidation issues.

I dont, and the reason why is, in the state of Illinois, if youre not in the act of voting, you must leave the polling place, Shannon said. Well instruct our judges to call the police and have people escorted off the property.

"That's what (voters) should do instead of trying to take care of it themselves, said Turner.

I didnt even think about Logan County having any kind of turmoil at the polls (until an election judge asked)," she added. "Maybe theyre talking about it in large communities, but theyre not talking about it in Logan.

Turner issued a statement Thursday spelling out the process by which counties protect against voter fraud, including strenuous equipment testing and protection; mandatory training and bipartisan selection of judges; and spreading out responsibility for ballots.

It would take so many people colluding to throw an election, said Michael. "Weve never had anyone to even investigate yet, and we hope it stays that way.
"Although I would love for the citizens to be able to have their say on the ballot ... my duty is to apply the law here," Circuit Court Judge Scott Kording said.
INDIANAPOLIS  Many Americans were shocked Wednesday night when Republican nominee Donald Trump suggested at the final presidential debate that he might not accept the results of the Nov. 8 election.

Legal, electoral and political experts, however, disagree somewhat on whether Trump is generally right to take a wait-and-see approach. Its impossible to predict what might happen on Election Day or whether legal action will be needed to determine the outcome, even though they say the possibility of a rigged election is virtually nonexistent.

Its hard to draw a conclusion until you actually have the election, said former Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter. Sometimes there can be miscounting of votes or irregularities that are not necessarily criminal, and thats what gets fixed in a recount.

Carter, a Republican, said theres nothing particularly dangerous about Trump advising his supporters that hell protect his interests in a fair outcome.

After all, he said, there are processes in place for candidates to review and contest election results, just as Democrat Al Gore did in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.

But Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, sees it differently.

Mooney said Trumps statements should give pause to voters of all political stripes.

Thats hugely dangerous, he said. To satisfy his own ego, basically, he is calling into question some of the fundamental, bedrock principles of American democracy.

Mooney cited the 2000 election as an example of a smooth transition of power after a contentious race.

Carter, who has experience in ferreting out voter fraud, said another reason to wait is that the effects of electoral misdeeds may not be immediately apparent on election night.

East Chicago, Ind., Mayor Robert Pastrick appeared to have lost his 2003 re-election bid until mail-in absentee ballots counted several days later gave him a razor-thin margin of victory.

However, further investigations determined that Pastrick campaign workers fraudulently produced many of those ballots.

Ultimately, 47 people would be convicted of various crimes out of that election, and the Indiana Supreme Court later overturned the result.

However, researchers widely agree that in-person voter fraud is extremely rare.

Illinois authorities say there are safeguards in place to ensure that the type of widespread election rigging Trump has warned about is virtually impossible.

Jim Tenuto, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, noted there are 109 individual election authorities across the state, each responsible for counting its own ballots.

Its hard to imagine how you would put something together to rig an election, Tenuto said.

The elections board issued a statement Thursday outlining its safeguards, which include public testing of voting equipment prior to Election Day and the presence of five election judges, both Democrats and Republicans, at each of the states roughly 10,000 voting precincts.

The board encourages those who are concerned about the integrity of the process to volunteer as election judges.

The office of Democratic Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan takes steps each election to uphold the integrity of the voting process, spokeswoman Annie Thompson said.

Our office will be sending out teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators to monitor elections throughout the state to make sure that voters rights are protected, Thompson said. We encourage voters to contact our office if they encounter suspected improper or illegal activity, and we will have hotlines up on Election Day.

Madigans office, the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of Illinois and the state elections board quickly met with Kankakee County officials earlier this month in response to dueling allegations of voter fraud and intimidation. That area is home to one of this years most hotly contested Illinois House races.

Political science professor Andrew Downs of Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne heard gasps at a debate viewing party Wednesday when Trump said he might not accept the election results.

But after thinking it over, Downs said he realized technically, legally that is the correct answer since the law provides numerous methods for a candidate to challenge or correct the vote count.

Downs is doubtful Trump will be able to pile up enough electoral votes to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, or even come close, making any localized ballot counting errors all but irrelevant to the national outcome.

But he said Trump certainly has his reasons for claiming the election could be rigged.

He manages to motivate his base.  The pro-Trump base gets to get excited a little bit longer, and thats all good for him, Downs said. But the problem for him, I think, is his base is not big enough to win an election.
Despite arresting more than 200 people in a sex trafficking sting and rescuing more than 80 juveniles, one 14-year-old female teenager was dead due to drug overdose. According to authorities, she was forced to ingest Xanax while being forced into prostitution.

The four alleged traffickers of the teenager were arrested in the nationwide operation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The mother of the 14-year-old said that the suspects knew they had teenaged girls and they intended to traffic both of her daughters.

People reported that a friend of the 14-year-old and her sister, who is 15 years old, was the reason behind them being lured into a sex trafficking ring. The suspects were identified as 20-year-old Karla Michelle Quiros Alsina, 26-year-old Arthur Lee Coleman III, 19-year-old Avorice Jeno Holman and 22-year-old Jose Ignacia Santiago-Sotomayor. It is believed that the trafficking took place between Aug. 8 and 14.

The two sisters were reportedly forced to participate in the commercial sex trade and the victims were shown firearms and threatened that they would kill anyone who interfered with the sex trafficking ring. The 14-year-old was reportedly advertised via Backpage.com and Alsina was responsible of driving her to the men who paid to have sex with her.

The girls also reportedly told their mother they were with a friend and were spending time at that friend's place. They communicated with their mother saying that they were okay via calls and texts.

All four of the suspects were held without bond at the Orange County jail. They are all charged with first-degree murder, human trafficking of a child and racketeering.

The 14-year-old was said to be taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The vehicle was driven by Alsina. They arrived at the hospital at around 11:48 a.m. but the teen was already dead in the backseat. Officials questioned Alsina for hours but was released eventually as it has not yet been ruled a homicide.

The older sister of the teen returned to her family when her mother and a friend sent an Uber driver to pick her up from the suspects' home. This was the same morning when the 14-year-old died. The 15-year-old is now back in school but is under police protection, WFLA reported.

Court dates regarding their initial appearance and what the punishments may be if proven guilty are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, sex trafficking is considered a form of modern slavery that exists not only in U.S. territories but as well as all over the world.
Three years after the death of a teacher in Danvers, Massachusetts, her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit as they are still looking for answers as to how the murder happened. The teacher, Colleen Ritzer, was killed by her own 14-year-old student in 2013.

People reported that the wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the town where the teacher was killed. As per the lawsuit, the plaintiffs said that they are seeking for answers to many questions that have surfaced as a result of the "horrific events culminating in the death of Colleen on Oct. 22, 2013." The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday.

The teacher was only 24 years old when she was strangled, raped and killed by then-14-year-old Philip Chism. They were at the Danvers High School and Ritzer was murdered at the bathroom of the school. Chism was convicted in December and was ordered to serve at least 40 years in prison. His sentenced for rape and murder was imposed to be served one after the other.

In the lawsuit, the family is questioning how Chism was able to commit such heinous acts on campus in the afternoon without anybody being able to notice. The lawsuit also claims that the death of Ritzer resulted in negligent infliction of emotional distress.

After Ritzer was attacked into a women's restroom, she was dragged into the woods. A Danvers High School maintenance worker was allegedly told to clean up the blood in the restroom where the killing took place. However, police officials were not called. Chism was arrested only hours after the incident.

CBS also reported that there were surveillance videos working at the time that Ritzer was killed and raped. However, no one seemingly watched the cameras.

It is believed that Chism has severe mental illness and has been suffering from a psychotic disorder since he was 10. He was tried as an adult as he was deemed to be fit to stand trial. An expert for the defense said that when Chism raped and killed Ritzer, he was responding to the command of the hallucinations in his head.

If the family of Ritzer will be awarded compensation, they will use the money to enhance school safety programs. In addition, they will also contribute to third-party nonprofit organizations to continue the legacy of Ritzer.
A teenage girl died after another teenager stabbed her after they fought inside a Metrobus in Washington D.C., October 17. Police reports indicated that the two were in a fight that led to the victim's death.

In an article published by NBC Washington, the victim, 17-year-old Kaelia Minor was on her way home after doing some dance rehearsal from her school when Kyla Jones, 18, attacked her. Based on what the police have gathered, the two already had their issues for quite some time and it was that night that Jones wasn't able to take it anymore that she ended up killing Minor.

Jones surrendered to the police and was apprehended on October 18. Second-degree murder while being armed was filed as her case. Minor's family was relieved after Jones' arrest. The victim's cousin, Chenna Latta, spoke on behalf of Minor's family saying they forgive Jones for what she did because they believe that God wants them to do so. But they won't deny that they are hurt by what she did.

WTOP also reported this story saying Minor's mother, Docia Proctor, was devastated by the death of her only child. She still couldn't believe and accept that she just lost her child that fast and in that manner. The mother of the deceased teen recalled how beautiful her child was and she felt that her child was taken from her.

Minor was just recently accepted to college, as she was in her senior year at Calvin Coolidge. Her mom said she was even the captain of their school's dance crew and was doing well with her grades academically. It wasn't fair that she just died from a fight with another schoolmate, which no one still knows the reason behind it.

What do you think could be the cause of the feud between the two teenage girls? This is not the first time a teenager was involved in a murder crime. Check out the video below and see another story like this.
Do not massage babies with either sunflower or olive oil, the experts strongly advised parents. These oils can weaken the barrier that blocks infections and allergens and stops water loss, according to a new study led by Dr. Alison Cooke and run from St. Mary's Hospital in Central Manchester, UK.

Numbers of childhood eczema in U.K. for kids between 2 and 15 years of age stood at just five percent in the 1940s compared to the 30 percent today, DigitalJournal has learned. Concerned with the increasing rate of kids having eczema in U.K., researchers test the effects of olive and sunflower oils on the skin of babies which were recommended by midwives for a baby dry skin.

To gather data, researchers recruited 115 healthy infants in Saint Mary's Hospital. The newly born babies were split into three clusters: no oil, sunflower oil and olive oil. The babies were rubbed with few drops of oil two times a day for around 28 days to a part of the skin. Then the researchers analyzed the skins of babies.

The study which was published in National Center for Biotechnology Information's official website revealed that skin of babies treated with olive and sunflower oils revealed the slow growth of skin barrier protection. Furthermore, both babies treated and not treated with oils showed no great differences in scores of trans-epidermal water loss or TEWL and erythema or pH.

Skin barrier protection is a barrier protection with blocks made out of cells and held close together by lipid lamellae. Alison Cooke, head of the study, noted that if the skin barrier protection. However, then cracks appear which let water out and foreign bodies through.

The study also discovered that babies applied with oils tend to be much hydrated. However, researchers do not recommend the use of these oils on babies' skin as effects of olive and sunflower oils on lipid layer of baby skin were not understood fully yet.

Though a study run from South Asia discovered that sunflower oils include an antimicrobial effect that could benefit infants born prematurely in evolving nations, the Manchester researchers do not endorse the use of these oils for healthy babies in U.K. The researchers wished to do more studies on this matter with various oils as well as also study possible connections to eczema.
There was nothing special with the school picture of a toddler girl although her superman suit and a sweet embrace to a Superman doll became interesting. Nonetheless, the deaf community in the social media made it a viral one because of their keen senses to see the hearing aid that the little girl was wearing.

Kaylieann Steinbach, 3, is a great fan of superheroes as she dresses up almost any costumes from Spiderman to princesses. She decided one day to wear the Supergirl costume for her preschool photo this year.

"I had a normal school day outfit picked out for her," Kaylieann's dad, Austin Steinbach said in an interview with PEOPLE. "But when she saw it, she said, 'No, Supergirl!'

Austin thought his wife would be mad to see her not wearing a uniform for the preschool photo. However, when mom Jami, 28, saw her toddler's school picture, she thought it was priceless.

"She thought the picture was adorable," Austin stated. "Especially the prom-style pose with her Superman doll!"

Austin shared his daughter's school photo on Reddit, and he did not expect it would go viral. "It's surreal. But what I'm most surprised about is the reaction from the deaf community," Austin told PEOPLE.

The hearing aid was a very small detail in the photo. But when the deaf community saw it, their happiness to see a sweet smile from the little toddler gone lavishly and inspired many.

Kaylieann is 75 percent deaf. Austin and Jami still do not know the reason as doctors were not able to provide answers yet.

The National Deaf Children Society believes that children become deaf because of certain reasons like Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD), Cleft palate, Glue ear, Meningitis, Cholesteatoma, Otosclerosis, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Enlarged vestibular aqueducts, Genetic syndromes associated with hearing loss, or Microtia and atresia.

Kaylieann's hearing got impaired when she was two years old. Her parents do not deprive her of love and comfort as she gets through with this.

Watch here below other photo of the cute toddler:
Teen suicide can be contagious like yawning. Young men and women who are often obsessed with fashion trends are highly susceptible in following habits that their peers exhibit such as drinking, smoking, drugging, speeding and even suicide.

According to research, suicide is contagious with 2-3 times high rates in people between ages 15 and 19. There are many reasons responsible for suicide being contagious. Suicide prevention lawyers strongly oppose social media claiming it to be responsible for increasing the number of suicides among teens. As per a study by Julie Cerel president-elect of American Association of Suicidology, said that one suicide could develop suicidal thoughts stronger in the person who knows the victim than in general people. NewsWeek reported.

The identified causes for teen suicide are family arguments, relationship breakups, physical and emotional abuse as per Colorado's Child Fatality Prevention System. Regional factors are playing a significant role - residing near Army and Air Force bases, as children of people in the military services tend to have more suicidal thoughts and influence to their peers.

Another leading cause of teen suicide is being "copycat." A teenager suiciding builds a massive social network with millions of followers, which attracts peers to commit it for fame and partying in heaven.

Few signs should be known by teenager's parents, teachers, and companions. As per Teen Suicide, four out of five of the suicide attempts have shown these signs: losing interest in regular activities be at work, extracurricular activities and studies. Intake of alcohol, drugs, and smoking can also be a sign; changes seen in the daily schedule and habits like food, sleep, play, etc.

Teen suicide is often seen in those who do not respond to appreciations, frequently bored, lose interest in the work they love to do. They also give verbal hints: "I want you to know something, in case something happens to me" or "I won't trouble you anymore." And these things are few examples of the things that should be monitored or be given a closer look.

Parents and companion need to be extra-careful in such situations. They should talk to teenagers when there are suicide stories in the media, guide them with what they see and how should they understand the event. Watch their movements and be cautious of their daily habits. By doing these simple steps, you may be able to prevent a horrible ending.
"Madam Secretary" Season 3 Episode 3 is suggested to see Elizabeth McCord (Tea Leoni) engage in an agreement with the Chinese foreign minister to help some United States environmental activists. Elizabeth's husband Henry (Tim Daly), on the other hand, is said to conduct his own investigation on the hacker of Jason's laptop according to the latest tweet from the show's official account. The search for Elizabeth's enemies also continues on the next episode of "Madam Secretary" Season 3.

"Madam Secretary" Season 3 Episode 3 is speculated to follow Elizabeth in China as she tries to negotiate for the freedom of the U.S. environmental activists, Cartermatt reported. The environmental activists were apparently mistaken as spies when they protested on the damages caused by China to the South China Sea reef. It remains to be what could Elizabeth compromise to free the U.S. environmental activists from the Chinese government.

"Madam Secretary" Season 3 Episode 3 is also expected to see Henry begin searching for the people behind the hacking of Jason's laptop. It seems that things are getting serious after Henry found the note in Jason's locker from the previous episode of "Madam Secretary" Season 3. The note states, "We can get to your family anytime," Parent Herald reported.

Who is cyberstalking the McCords? Henry starts his own investigation on Sundays new #MadamSecretary. pic.twitter.com/vUOUia4E1X  Madam Secretary (@MadamSecretary) October 20, 2016

Because of this, the McCord children might be in danger which worries the couple. In a recent tweet from "Madam Secretary" official Twitter, a photo of Henry was seen with a caption that teased Henry is set to begin investigating on his own. Will Henry be able to identify their enemies soon?

Henry is also said to ask the FBI to check on one of the former students of Elizabeth on the next episode of "Madam Secretary." Henry apparently suspects that he is the McCord family cyber-stalker. However, Henry might still need to do some digging as it seems that a big personality is behind all the incidents.

"Madam Secretary" Season 3 airs every Monday on the CBS. What can you say about the latest "Madam Secretary" spoilers? Let us know your thoughts in our comment section after checking out the preview of the next episode below.
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Foxconn is Apple's primary device partner who acquired Sharp back in March and is already ramping up their OLED capabilities so that they could be listed as an Apple supplier for future OLED displays. In fact Foxconn surprised the market by stating that Sharp would begin delivering OLED displays as early as next year or by 2018. That's still two years ahead of schedule. Foxconn now wants to also be able to supply Apple with more iDevice components and believe it or not, their next move may be into making ARM processors.

The news that's hitting the wire now is that the Foxconn Technology Group is trying to expand its foothold in the semiconductor industry by partnering with SoftBank Group-owned ARM to create a chip design center in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Shenzhen is already home to Foxconn's China headquarters and now it seems that the coastal city may play an even more vital role in the Taiwanese manufacturing titan's future, with Apple also expanding operations in the area.

Earlier this month when Chief Executive Tim Cook visited Shenzhen, Apple, which accounts for more than 50% of Foxconn's annual revenue, announced that it will set up a research and development center in the coastal city, coinciding with Foxconn's move to deepen ties with local authorities.





During Cook's trip, Gou accompanied him to meet Chairman Xu Shaoshi of China's National Development and Reform Commission and other senior Shenzhen officials.

Without elaborating Gou told China's Shenzhen Satellite TV last week, at around the time when Foxconn signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shenzhen government to work together on semiconductor technology and startup incubators that "We want to get into semiconductor design and production."

Sources familiar with the plan said that Foxconn is working with ARM, the British innovator whose chip technology is adopted by 95% of smartphones worldwide, to create a chip design center in Shenzhen, without providing details.

Meanwhile, the new Foxconn-ARM chip design center is being created following close collaboration between Gou and SoftBank Chairman and Chief Executive Masayoshi Son.

Gou and Son have also been working together closely on other business opportunities. Foxconn has been making SoftBank's humanoid robot Pepper, and the two companies have been investing in renewable energy and startups together in India. They also have formed a joint venture with China's e-commerce giant Alibaba to market Pepper worldwide.





An industry executive said that "There is always the possibility that Foxconn's major customers including Apple may want to outsource some simple chips at start, and Foxconn will definitely want to secure those new businesses if it has the capability."

The report further noted that Gou also has great interest in the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market.

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A Guest-post By Tom Clements

When I first discovered Buddhism, I was severely depressed and was looking for a way out of the squalid depths of misery and despair an illness like depression inflicts on an individual. Following the dharmic path enabled me to become more altruistic, compassionate and made falling into destructive patterns of routine self-absorption impossible. When you delight in making others happy and shift your focus to others, it really is difficult to be bitter and cynical. Hatred turns to love and pain dissolves into happiness. If it werent for my discovery of Buddhist psychology in particular, I doubt I would be alive today.

However, I discovered a problem later on in my practice which began to trouble me and caused me to temporarily lapse back into a negative mind-set. Many Buddhists I began talking to and affiliating with struck me as so devout, so attached to Buddhism itself as to appear wrapped up in their own self-image, wearing Buddhism almost as a fashion statement and idolising the dharma as an enlightened lifestyle above all others. This very egocentric attachment to Buddhism is problematic and a trap that many people seeking enlightened lifestyles, especially those from a Western background, fall into. Chogyam Trungpa points these dangers out in his classic book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism as does the Dalai Lama frequently in his speeches to foreign audiences whom he warns to guard against being attracted by the exotic patina of Eastern disciplines.

Another issue trap I fell into was to hoarde Buddhist literature and to greedily devour books on the subject to the point that the original dharmic ethos of restraint and generosity was lost on me. I was consuming so much information on the subject that I began to lose the simple compassion that is so vital to Buddhist practice. Id spend my evenings trying to get my ahead around impenetrable and arcane ideas in Zen and Dzogchen that I lost the time I could have spent volunteering or doing charity work. My own depression actually returned slightly as soon as I became to agonise over the finer points of the dharma and how to reconcile certain concepts with my own secular Western worldview. Eventually, I gave up, let go and decided that reading about too much into Buddhism is in and of itself problematic and vain. Now instead of reading heavy-going and esoteric literature on the subject or as soon as I begin to think too much about what can be a very esoteric discipline, I feed the birds, I make my grandmother tea, I tidy my room or I spend time preparing a simple meal, remaining mindful of what I am doing the entire time. Whenever my mind strays, or I begin to feel anxious about reconciling elements of living an Eastern way of life in a Western environment, I focus on everything outside of me and realise how much I have to give to this world. The hungry birds need my kindness, my grandmother reciprocates the generosity I show her and the earth says thank you when I recycle my cans.

In reality, I often see more altruism in those who grind through reality without ever pursuing a spiritual path than those who obsess over it. The smiling and stoical Afghan shopkeeper in my shop for example, is in many ways a better Buddhist than those who meditate and chant mantras every day. The not-especially-bright but sweet-natured young man who works at the station helping disabled customers onto the train is a far better Buddhist than me. In fact, being Buddhist is nothing if it means you arent contributing to the wellbeing of others. Its a vain and problematic label with no inherent meaning if you wear it as fashion statement, you over-intellectualise it or you boast about it on Twitter.

The dharma must never be removed from completely plain and ordinary everyday experience. When someone the other day asked me what Buddhist rituals I do, I replied to them I make tea for my grandmother.
Rich Mullins had such a low tolerance for B.S. Im convinced that, had he lived longer into the digital age, Rich would still never have become a blogger. He wouldnt be on snapchat or instagram, and theres no way he wouldve been on Facebook. But twitter? I could see that.

Rich was a master of the one-liner. Good songwriters work with an incredible economy of words. Rich knew how to craft great one-liners and how to set them up. He was also not short on opinions. Every time I was around Rich I felt like he was constantly apologizing for the last time he saw people and offended them. I love that.

Rich had very strong political opinions, too. He had these great zingers, like: Democracy isnt necessarily bad politics, its just bad math. Or, Lord, save me from Washington. I poked around to find a few of his great thoughts on politics and copied them below. If you get a minute to hop on Youtube & listen to a few songs, I promise itll do your heart good.

I think for a long time I believed that there would be political solutions because, growing up in America, you endure several political campaigns and these people make promises and they say, we will do this and we will do that and you believe them because you dont know any better. And I really believed for a long time that this was all going to work. And I thank God now for Richard Nixon and for Gerald Ford and for all those people who betrayed any confidence that the American people could have in their government who said that the leadership of this country is not accountable to the people who elect them and who made so clear what we now know that no government works. And I wanted the government to work.

I think the big problem is that, as Christians, we forgot that our identity is wrapped up in Christ and for a long time we bought into the illusion that the will of the masses would be more generous and more benevolent than the will of one dictator. But democracy isnt necessarily bad politics, its just bad math. A thousand corrupt minds are just as evil as one corrupt mind.

See, I think a lot of my songs are really political. I think nobody gets it, but its hard for me to divide up my politics and my religious convictions. Theres something offensive to me about having an American flag in a church building. When the CIA pretended to be missionaries and caused trouble in Chile so that all missionaries were kicked out, I think that makes the United States the enemy of the kingdom of God. I think a government that requires 18-year-old boys to register for the draft is anti-life. See, all the pro-lifers, they only think life is sacred if you are a fetus. I agree that life is sacred to fetuses, but I also think its sacred to 18-year-olds. Where were you people when Nixon was in the White House? When Lyndon Johnson was escalating the war? Not that I necessarily think that everybody has to be a pacifist; I dont. But it does seem funny to me that so many people who are anti-abortion are pro-capital punishment. So many people who are anti-capital punishment are pro-abortion.

I believe its better for any organization to go the wrong way together than to go different ways separately.

Im very hurt at the apathy in the church. Im very hurt over the determination of the government to destroy life and its not simply over the abortion issue. Anyone who has any awareness at all of Wounded Knee, not only the first Wounded Knee but what happened there, what 20 years ago, whatever. You kinda go, there can be no doubt that governments that are controlled by men are without exception anti-life and anti-Christ.

Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in your beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken.

The other thing is, as a Christian musician, because youre playing to an audience that is made up of a lot of people who have a very diverse kind of conviction There are people who really believe that you must be a Republican in order to be a Christian. There are people who really believe that you must take an abstinence position. There are people who are very anti-war, and they think you must be anti-war. And there are all these people who take all these different things about what you as a Christian are supposed to be. So you end up spending a lot of time trying to defend why you are not this or why you are not that. And what I have realized is boy, I am not accountable to everyone that I meet on the street. I need to be accountable somewhere, and this is driving me crazy.

I am very hurt at the apathy in the church. I am very hurt over the determination of the government to destroy life I do long for heaven. Someday God will destroy injustice. Someday there will be a judgment because we have a loving and a forgiving Father. Maybe we will survive it I enjoy the idea of a corporate identity. When I come into church I am no longer Rich Mullins, a music education student. I am no longer Rich Mullins a guy who grew up in Indiana. I am no longer Rich Mullins a guy who has a record contract. All of a sudden I am a member of the kingdom of God.

Why do the nations rage? Why do they plot and scheme? Their bullets cant stop the prayers we pray in the name of the Prince of Peace.
Patna: Patna Divisional Commissioner Anand Kishore who is a very busy man these days wearing different hats each day  be it planning for a new park in Patna, strategizing on how to attain the status of 'Smart City' for Patna, or trying to pull the battered and wounded Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) by its boots  was once again busy worrying about the slow progress in the upcoming Prakash Utsav celebration to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs.

"We don't have much time now. We need to get all our resources together and get to work on a war-footing level. There is so much to be done in terms of security arrangements, repairing roads and street lights, and making sure traffic is managed properly, among many other things," the Commissioner said.

Kishore then outlined his plan to monitor progress in Patna City by posting senior bureaucrats in strategic locations to review all activities and submit a report on daily basis to analyze developments.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj, District Magistrate Sanjay Agrawal, Vaishali District Magistrate Rachna Patil, City Commissioner Abhishek Singh were among more than two dozen officials and senior bureaucrats were present at the meeting.

The Divisional Commissioner further said that the district administration was going to hand over 12 acres of land near Kangan Ghat to the Gurudwara Management Committee on Friday where it would hold 'langars' for the visitors during the celebration. He further said that work on lighting between Gandhi Maidan and Gurudwara would be completed by October 30.

The meeting was held at the Ramdeo Mahto Community Hall near Mangal Talab in Patna City.

Over five lakh Sikhs from around the world are expected to attend the event that begins on December 25 and ends on January 5, 2016.
CONFERENCE: Iranian Architects and Architecture: Transition from Traditional to Postmodern

10/21/16

Source: Iran Heritage Foundation



The Azadi Tower in Tehran



Organised by: Iran Heritage Foundation

Organising committee: Dariush Borbor (RILIS), Dr John Curtis (IHF), Astrid Johansen (IHF)

Date: Saturday 12th November

Venue: Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP

Description

The main focus of this conference is to look at the evolution of 20th century architecture in Iran, concentrating on the transition from traditional to postmodern architecture.

On the whole, there has been limited research on the evolutionary aspects of the 20th century post-Qajar architecture of Iran. The essential difference between the development of modern architecture in Europe and Iran is that in Europe architecture was evolutionary encompassing several centuries and accompanied by new technologies, whereas in Iran it leaped from traditional to modern in less than a century.

The purpose of the conference is to discuss and evaluate the overall shortcomings and successes of modern architecture in Iran, as well as recognize the achievements of Iranian architects and the works they have created.

Programme

A detailed programme will be available to download soon. The list of speakers includes: Leila Araghian (Diba Tensile Architecture); Dariush Borbor (Research Institute and Library of Iranian Studies) (RILIS); Azar Djamali (Azar Djamali Architect Ltd); Mehran Gharleghi (Studio INTEGRATE); Omid Kamvari (Kamvari Architects); Ali Madanipour (Newcastle University); Mina Marefat (Georgetown University); Alireza Sagharchi (International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism) (INTBAU); Arash Tabibzadeh (Sharestan Consultants)

Tickets

Tickets : 20 book now

Friends of IHF discount available



If you would prefer to pay by cheque, please make it payable to IHF and send this along with your contact details to: IHF, 63 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LP

For any inquiries please contact astrid@iranheritage.org, Tel: 020 3651 2121





About: The Iran Heritage Foundation is a non-political UK registered charity with the mission to promote and preserve the history, languages and cultures of Iran and the Persianate world. The objectives of the Foundation are achieved by organising and supporting activities of cultural or scholarly merit. IHF programmes include sponsoring teaching posts and fellowships at universities and museums, giving grants for academic research and cultural activities, and organising regular events and conferences, both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Please support Iran Heritage Foundation

IHF receives its funding from individuals, businesses and philanthropic institutions. We accept no funds from any government or political organisation. Please support IHF by clicking on the link below. For other ways of giving, and for US donors please visit our Giving page.
The last of three gang members was convicted Thursday of the murder of a 15-year-old Rialto boy shot to death in February 2012 in front of San Bernardinos Arroyo Valley High School, officials announced Friday.

A jury found Lemonta Maddox, 22, of San Bernardino, guilty of second degree murder in San Bernardino Superior court, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County District Attorneys office.

A separate jury had already found Taron Anderson, 21, and Lavelle Miller, 20, both of San Bernardino guilty Tuesday also of second degree murder in the fatal shooting of Anthony Dewayne Mitchell.

Anderson and Miller, were both teens at the time of the slaying and Maddox was 18, according to police records. The juveniles were tried as adults and are facing 40 years to life in prison, according to the release.

On Feb. 27 2012 during an argument in the 1100 block of North Wilson Street, a block east of the high school where Mitchell had once been a student, officers found Mitchell in the street with several gunshot wounds. The boy was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.

Moments before the shooting, according to Deputy District Attorney Christine Masonek, who prosecuted the case, a school police officer was parked at the intersection near the school watching the area for potential violence due to a recent spate of violent incidents in the area.

Another unknown gang member, however, distracted the officer causing the officer to chase after him in the opposite direction which provided an opportunity for the shooter to execute the victim, Masonek said in the release.

All three men are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15.
A Jurupa Valley housing complex for veterans in need is set to break ground this winter, thanks in part to Habitat for Humanity Riverside.

The 26 one-story, single-family homes have front yards and backyards and will surround a neighborhood park. Residents will be provided supportive services and no-cost education workshops to help them move forward with their reintegration into civilian life.

The new homeowners will be working not only to help build their own homes but also those of their neighbors.

According to Kathy Michalak, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Riverside, that creates an immediate sense of community and pride of ownership. And the residents have a lot to be proud of; the plans for the homes are beautiful and offer impressive amenities.

Affordable housing does not mean tacky. We build quality, Michalak said. Our homes are Energy Star-rated, equipped with solar and have finishing touches that last. Our houses are sometimes the best in the neighborhood.

The Riverside branch of the organization, founded in 1988, has had its most prolific home-building year. It serves the cities of Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Moreno Valley, Riverside and Jurupa Valley, as well as the unincorporated areas in between.

For the Jurupa Valley project, the organization has partnered with the California Department of Veteran Affairs, Riverside Economic Development Agency and the city of Jurupa Valley.

Habitat for Humanity is best known for building affordable housing through the support of sponsors and volunteers.

However, the homes arent just given away.

People think we do this stuff for free, but we dont, Michalak said. The homeowners buy them. They are zero interest and affordable, but they still have to qualify, attend classes, help build them and pay a mortgage. Its a hand up, not a handout.

Recently, Habitat for Humanity Riverside received a grant from the S.L. Gimbel Foundation Fund at The Community Foundation.

Habitat will need an especially large volunteer army to help with the veterans project.

The organization is continually looking for support.

That includes skilled laborers, but anyone over 18 can help with construction, and those 14 years old and over can help with landscaping.

Our biggest challenge is funding home repair projects for seniors, Michalak said. Sometimes all it takes is a couple of $500 donations. And you just need to know how to hold a paintbrush and a roller to volunteer.

About 80 projects a year involve critical home repair, Michalak said.

Another way the community can help is by visiting Habitats ReStore at 2180 Iowa Ave. in Riverside. The store carries building materials, appliances, furniture and a variety of other items donated from the public and big box stores and sold at a discount. All proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity.

The ReStore is a way everyone can support Habitat and get something out of it as well, Michalak said. However, nothing stays long and the products change over frequently.

Information: 951-787-6754 or habitatriverside.org
A man who led law enforcement officers on a multi-county chase while high on drugs, ultimately stopping on the Riverside Freeway in Corona where a standoff ensued, was sentenced today to six months in jail and four years probation.

Hector Pablo Vasquez, 44, was arrested in July following the pursuit, which ended at the 91 Freeway and Promenade Avenue.

Earlier this month, Vasquez pleaded guilty to felony evading and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Under the plea agreement, the Riverside County District Attorneys Office dropped misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended license and brandishing a replica firearm in a threatening manner.

Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Vasquez fled from Costa Mesa police during an attempted traffic stop shortly before 1 a.m. on July 14.

The defendant  initially thought to be the same man wanted in connection with a series of murders in Phoenix  drove onto Interstate 405 and then onto Interstate 605, where CHP officers took the lead.

Witnesses confirmed that Vasquez was armed with a handgun, prompting officers to take extra precautions, according to CHP Officer Dan Olivas.

Vasquez eventually transitioned to the 91 in Corona, where he reversed course, turning back westbound. However, the defendants 2015 Subaru Forrester gave out in the fast lane, Olivas said.

Vasquez refused commands to exit the vehicle, at which point the CHP shut down both the west- and eastbound sides of the freeway just after 2 a.m.

The CHP requested the help of the Corona police SWAT unit, whose members deployed around the Subaru in what turned into a nearly three-hour standoff with a full freeway closure, Olivas said.

The defendant emerged from the car at 5:05 a.m. and flung his pistol, a pellet gun, across the eastbound lanes. He was then taken into custody without further incident, and investigators soon confirmed that he was not the suspected serial killer from Arizona.

According to court records, Vasquez has a prior misdemeanor conviction for DUI.
An effort that started with letters mailed to fellow law enforcement officers thanking them for doing things the right way has blossomed into the Spirit of the Law Awards ceremony, which will be Saturday in San Jacinto.

Ricky Jones created the award in 1984, when he was a Los Angeles sheriffs deputy. He wanted to recognize law enforcement personnel who went above and beyond to show compassion and care for their community.

Saturdays ceremony will honor law enforcement agencies and officers, as well as businesses and individuals who provide positive contributions to the community.

Jones was motivated to create the award by his drill instructor, who he said instilled both the meaning of the letter of the law  following the rules and laws without question  and the spirit of the law  bringing common sense and understanding to each individual case.

Jones later started working with a committee to find recipients, and letters became certificates in 2013. Saturday will mark the first public ceremony.

This year, with the killings of 44 police officers, I was asked to go public with the award, Jones wrote in a message. Since I live in the (San Jacinto) Valley, I wanted to reach out to see whom in the valley gave in the same spirit as the police officers I had known or heard of over the years. I wanted to honor them also.

One of the recipients will be Randy Jones, pastor at Valle Vista Assembly of God.

In secret, after serving families for 34 years, its nice to know others notice, said Randy Jones, who is not related to Ricky Jones.

The Jones Family Trust is funded from money Ricky Jones earned during his consulting work on films such as Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer.

Friends from Hollywood asked me to allow them to make a public ceremony honoring my fellow officers and others who live and work in the spirit of the law, or, as I based it on, the good Samaritan, he wrote.

There are so many wonderful folks and organizations that give to so many, like my brothers and sisters in law enforcement. We want to honor them also.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@scng.com
Olympic athlete Brenda Martinez is often asked one question when she competes across the country.

Whats the name of her hometown?

I take a lot of pride in where I come from and a lot of times people think Im making up the name of Rancho Cucamonga, Martinez recently said while being recognized by the city.

Martinez, a former UC Riverside runner, had a disappointing finish in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro semifinal of the 1,500-meters.

The Rancho Cucamonga City Council presented Martinez with a certificate of recognition during Wednesdays council meeting.

Growing up in our community, we are truly proud of you and recognize your family for the support and sense of community pride they instilled in you, said Councilman Sam Spagnolo, who acknowledged he was star-struck being in the presence of an Olympic star.

The athlete said she has made a lot of sacrifices through the years but has always felt the support from her hometown.

When Martinez stepped on the line at Rio, she said she felt that support.

I like taking bits of Cucamonga around the world, even though people dont know the name, she joked. I take a lot of pride in this town. Im proud of the city and them having my back.

Martinez began her passion for running in the city of Rancho Cucamonga when she was 5 years old and her parents put her in an after-school track club. She attended Cucamonga Middle and Rancho Cucamonga High schools, graduating in 2005 with numerous accolades in track and cross country.

Spagnolo said Martinez was the first member of her family to graduate college. She ran for UC Riverside and was named All-American three times.

For the past four years, Martinez has hosted an annual summer camp in Big Bear, all expenses paid, for 10 to 12 female high school runners with daily runs and clinics about confidence, healthy living and positive thinking, Spagnolo said.

In addition, with the help of her running sponsor, New Balance, Martinez gives running shoes to young runners so they, too, can have the resources they need to pursue their dream to run, he said.

You are a shining example of what our community represents; you  and your parents  are to be commended for your contributions and reaching for your dreams, Spagnolo said.

San Bernardino County Board Supervisor Janice Rutherford also praised Martinez.

You have inspired all of us, and touched all of us. Thank you for lifting us up and reminding us whats great in this world and whats great in this community, she said.

Contact the writer: lmarquez@scng.comTwitter: @JournaLiset
State Sen. Richard Roth and his Republican challenger, Richard Reed, agree that the economy and the need for more local jobs are among the top issues facing Riverside Countys 31st Senate District.

Roth, a Riverside attorney and retired U.S. Air Force major general, was elected to the California Senate in 2012. He was among several Democrats to get elected then despite the region being a Republican stronghold.

Roth served in the Air Forces legal branch, the Judge Advocate Generals Corps (JAG), and formerly chaired the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Board.

Reed, also an attorney living in Riverside, served a four-year term on the Riverside County Republican Central Committee. Before that, he ran for the Riverside County Board of Education more than a decade ago.

Reed, who once ran an acting company and served on the Riverside Dickens Festival board, said hes running against the incumbent senator in the Democrats first re-election bid so that the seat doesnt go unchallenged.

I felt it my duty as a Republican to step up to the plate, Reed said.

Name: Richard Brent Reed

Age: 65

Resides: Riverside

Party: Republican

Family: One daughter, one grandson

Occupation: Attorney

Education: California Baptist College (now California Baptist University), bachelor of arts in English, magna cum laude; UC Riverside, secondary teaching credential and history/theater arts minors; California Southern Law School, juris doctorate

Interesting Fact: I have been a teacher, a playwright, an actor, a director, an attorney and a businessman. Just before my father retired at age 92, I resolved to take him to a different continent every year. Our first trip was to South America, where we both hang glided over Ipanema Beach.

What is the most important issue facing your district? One of the great challenges facing communities in the 31st State Senate District is high unemployment. Countywide, unemployment is hovering around 7 percent, as opposed to 5.6 percent statewide. To address this problem, I would create enterprise zones to encourage entrepreneurs to establish businesses in economically challenged areas with unusually high unemployment, such as: Jurupa Valley (6.9 percent); Mead Valley (6.9 percent); Perris (7.3 percent); and Moreno Valley (7.3 percent). Tax credits for hiring benefit employees, employers and the local economy.

What sets you apart from your opponent? I am not a career politician. I have owned and/or run several businesses in Riverside County, so I know the value of entrepreneurship to the local economy and the negative impact that high taxes, burdensome regulations and business-hostile government policies can have on business. I also taught history in the public school system. History teaches that government intrusion into the lives of citizens is often an obstacle to happiness and success. I believe in the principles enshrined in the Constitution and in the traditions that made America great. I do not believe in government-as-usual.

Name: Richard D. Roth

Age: 65

Resides: Riverside

Party: Democrat

Family: Married to Cindy Roth, one daughter, one granddaughter

Occupation: State senator

Education: Miami University (Ohio), bachelor of arts, political science; Emory University, juris doctorate.

Interesting Fact: As a U.S. Air Force veteran, I enjoy flying. I also enjoy spending time with my 3-year-old granddaughter.

What is the most important issue facing your district? I believe creating good-paying jobs is essential to our local economy and way of life, and am proud of my bipartisan record in delivering more local jobs. By successfully working to relocate the California Air Resources Boards emissions testing facility to Riverside, and by creating incentives to have the Air Forces new strategic bomber aircraft built here in California using California workers, we have created thousands of new jobs. I am looking forward to continuing to work to increase job opportunities for all Inland Southern Californians and preparing our region for the jobs of the 21st century.

What sets you apart from your opponent? From funding the UCR School of Medicine, to successfully relocating the CARB emissions testing facility to Riverside, which will create hundreds of local jobs, to delivering jobs for veterans and improving the federal VA benefits claims backlog so our veterans no longer have to wait an average of 600 days to receive the benefits they deserve, I am proud of my record of working across the aisle and delivering for all Californians. It is this bipartisan record of results that I am most proud of, and I look forward to continuing to deliver even more for our region and state.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@scng.com
Six crews from the California Conservation Corps are journeying from San Bernardino to Louisiana for a month-long cleanup effort from August floods that nearly crippled the region.

The 79 volunteers, who come from the San Bernardino, Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, Pomona, San Diego and San Luis Obispo centers, departed in a 13-vehicle convoy last week from the San Bernardino center on a three-day trek to Baton Rouge.

Once there, the young corps members will assist others in the cleanup.

One of the corps members, Yolanda Westbrook, 23, is originally from Louisiana and is excited to return to help people in need.

This is a chance to go there and help those in desperate times, she said. Its an opportunity to be there when someone is down and help them with whatever they need.

The volunteers will spend the next month living at an emergency camp set up at the Louisiana National Guards Gillis W. Long Center in Carville.

Twelve of the crew members participating are from the San Bernardino area.

Rene Lopez, 22, of San Bernardino welcomes the opportunity to help those dealing with disaster.

I joined the corps to align myself and do something to help others and our environment, he said. This is my opportunity to be part of something larger than myself and making this world a better place by helping others.

At least 13 people died and thousands lost everything they own in the catastrophic flooding in August, according to a recent American Red Cross report.

The devastating flooding in Louisiana has forced thousands of people from their homes with just the few things they could take with them, a Red Cross news release said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards recently said the flooding has resulted in an estimated $8.7 billion in damage.

Funding for the work  muck and gut buildings, remove carpet, drywall and flooring in many flood-ravaged homes  is provided through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

Another corps member, Indian Springs High School graduate Guadalupe Mondragon, 19, of San Bernardino, said she is excited to travel to help those in need.

I know theres so much devastation from the flooding, but this is a chance for me to give back to others who really need us at this point in their lives.

Contact the writer: dsaunders@scng.com Twitter: @crimeshutterbug
Longtime San Jacinto Unified School trustee John Norman will face political newcomer Jeremy Fontes to represent Trustee Area 3, which covers primarily the northern and western portion of the nearly 10,000 student district.

Norman, a retired educator, has been on the board since 2000 and is seeking a fifth term. Fontes, an air reserve technician, was educated in San Jacinto schools.

Area 1 trustee Trica Ojeda and Area 2 trustee Willie Hamilton are unopposed and will be reappointed to their seats.

Trustees are paid $252 monthly and eligible for health and welfare benefits equal to those offered to district employees.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@scng.com
Mr Thomas Scurfield, an international economic analyst, has lauded Ghanas revenue management system in the petroleum sector and called on other African countries to emulate the example.



He said the West African countrys concept of establishing the stabilization and the heritage funds is in a right direction which ought to be lauded.



Mr Scurfield, however, expressed discomfort that Ghana has no robust fiscal regime to achieve desirable benefits in the petroleum and the extractive sector.



He told journalists attending a 14-day regional training course on oil, gas and mining in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania that African leaders ought to cut drastic spending to reduce the debt crisis, which is a leading cause of economic turmoil in Africa.



Being attended by about 24 reporters  eight each from Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda, the course is organized by the Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) in collaboration with Penplusbytes, an International ICT Journalism in Ghana and the African Center of Media Excellence in Uganda.



He said enough and judicious utilization of revenue from the extractive sector would spur socio-economic growth and development on the continent.



Mr Scurfield said countries like Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda had abundant natural resources and there is the need for these countries to do comparative analysis and check the weaknesses and strength of various fiscal regimes before these resources are tapped.



He said according to the reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), developing countries lose 100 to 300 million dollars of tax revenue through tax avoidance.



Tax avoidance, he explained, remains one of the biggest economic challenges for developing countries saying inefficient taxation of extractive activities and the inability to fight abuses of transfer pricing by multinational enterprises also remains a significant cause of tax base erosion.



Mr Scurfield asked the participants to go back to their countries and do in-depth investigations to ensure that revenues from the extractive sectors are utilized judiciously to facilitate accelerated national development.

Source: GNA









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Mr Sylvanus Kofi Adzornu, Head of the Urban Development Unit at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development says rural urban migration is the cause of slums in Ghana.



He said the population of Accra and Kumasi alone put pressure on the infrastructure and social amenities, therefore creating slums in the city.



Mr Adzornu was contributing to a discussion on Affordable Housing Network organised at the United Nations Habitat III Conference held in Quito, Ecuador on Wednesday.



He said the politicisation of important issues in Ghana was one of the major problems that set back the country's development, adding: "Our institutions must be working without any politics.



It is an offence for people to build on water ways in Ghana, but people build on water ways with impunity with no respect for our laws."



The Head of the Urban Development Unit said there was the need for uniformity and equal disbursement of public funds and state houses in all parts of the country to reduce rural-urban migration, which was the major cause of slums in our cities.



He said it took many countries a number of years to develop their cities and Ecuador was no exception.



The UN Habitat III Conference is a platform to ratify and adopt the New Urban Agenda which would focus on Sustainable Urban Development, including issues such as housing, slum prevention and upgrading, climate change, protection and public safety.



The Habitat III, the third conference in line with the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 2016 is aimed at invigorating and securing a renewed global political commitment to sustainable urbanization to focus on the implementation of a New Urban Agenda, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.

Source: GNA









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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Ghana is participating in the UNs Housing and Sustainable Development (Habitat III) conference, Quito, Ecuador.



The objective of Habitat Conference, the third conference in line with the bi-decennial cycle,1976, 1996 and 2016, is to invigorate and secure renewed global political commitment to sustainable urbanisation to focus on the implementation of a New Urban Agenda, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.



It is also to assess the accomplishments to date, address poverty, identify and address new and emerging urban challenges for the establishment of the New Urban Agenda.



On the theme: New Urban Agenda, the Habitat III is first major global conference since the 2030 Agenda entered into force in January 2016, and will offer an opportunity to discuss the opportunities that urbanisation brings to the implementation and achievement of the SDGs.



The Habitat III Conference has, as its mission, the adoption of a New Urban Agenda an action-oriented document which would set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development.



It is also creating an opportunity for rethinking the way we build, manage, and live in cities through drawing together cooperation with committed partners, relevant stakeholders, and urban actors at all levels of government as well as the private sector.



The Habitat III serves as a platform to determine the New Urban Agenda.



Ghana's Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has mounted an exhibition centre at the forum to showcase a number of projects and programmes initiated by the Ministry to promote urban development in Ghana.



Mr Charles K. Dondieu, Chief Director of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, who led the Ghanaian delegation, said the forum would offer Ghana an opportunity to share with the international community Ghana's urban development agenda.



It is also offering Ghana a platform to learn from other jurisdictions their success stories, compare notes and develop a common agenda, Mr Dondieu told the GNA.

Source: GNA









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A section of hawkers who sell the Kalyppo fruit juice have slammed Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah over his recent campaign against the purchase of the product.



The Chief of Staff, while addressing party supporters in the Brong Ahafo town of Wenchi, cautioned Ghanaian adults against consuming the fruit juice because it is not good for their health.



Julius Debrah said the drinks contain a lot of sugar meant to boost the growth of children. They are therefore not meant for adults.



He claimed adults who take very sweet fruit juices would go down with a sickness called Kalyppolities.



I am pleading with you that you the adults here if you take Kalyppo, the sugar content can leave you with some sickness so please dont take it, he said in Twi to the supporters who shouted Noooo. The Chief of Staffs comment comes barely a month after an image of the flagbearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo sipping the drink in between campaigns went viral on social media.Attempts by some NDC functionaries to mock the NPP leader triggered what has become known in Ghana as #Kalyselfie.



NPP executives and supporters, in their bid to solidarise with Mr Akufo-Addo, circulated their pictures on social media, especially Facebook sipping the juice.



And hawkers and other sellers who claim that has seen a boost in their sales slammed the chief of staff for making what they called baseless comments.



According to them, Julius Debrah by his comment was discouraging people from patronizing the fruit drink which has seen a boom in patronage.



You and your government have failed to provide jobs for us, we sell on the streets and kalyppo is moving in recent times after the picture went viral and now you are encouraging people to stop patronizing itwhat work do you want us to go and do?, some of the angry hawkers told Adom News.



They further urged the Chief of Staff to be circumspect about his comments and desist from making such claims in future.

Source: adomonline.com









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Kennedy Agyapong, New Patriotic Partys fire brand and a great critic of Madam Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of Ghanas Electoral Commission (EC), has described the decision by the former to disqualify 12 flagbearers from the 2016 General Election contest as a bold one.



Aside Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduoms Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) and Dr. Nasigri Mahamas People National Conventions (PNC) disqualifications which he said saddens him, the Member of Parliament said the EC Chair has taken the right step in bringing sanity into the December polls.



Meanwhile, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, a lawyer in an interview has opined that the court can nullify the ECs decision to disqualify the aspirants from the December polls if it is proven that the election body failed to draw their attention within the stipulated time, to make corrections on their nomination forms.



But a deputy Communications Director at EC, Yusif Ayuba, speaking on Citi FM on Monday morning, argued that the Commission followed due procedure in vetting and announcing the status of the respective political parties aspiring for presidency in the upcoming General Elections, so they are not at fault.



We made it clear that they must make sure that they meet all the requirements in law to be able to qualify to become candidates. For the forms that they submitted to the Electoral Commission, we went through it and we realized a number anomalies. Those who brought the forms early we notified them to come and pick them and make sure that they do the correction and resubmit them within the stipulated time in law, he observed.



The Electoral Commission did its homework well. We did due diligence to the information that they provided and based on the requirement of law, we disqualified persons who did not meet those requirements, he added.



Basing his comments on the statement by the deputy communications director of which he believes it is true, Kennedy Agyapong who was speaking on Badwam Political talk show on Adom TV on Tuesday Morning, emphasized that the EC chair has not done anything wrong but must be commended for her boldness.



When asked why he was being lenient with Madam Charlotte Osei, for whom he has been criticizing ever since she was appointed the EC chair, Kennedy Agyapong pointed out that, his comments tells the world that he is discerning and not bias.



I am not bias, I will commend her when she is right and criticize her when the need be, he stated.



He was however shocked that people were not concerned about the insults flagbearer of All Peoples Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga, has rained on the EC chair, adding that it would have been a different thing altogether if he was the one.







Source: myradio360.com









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THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) on Wednesday proved that its claim of winning the Asawase seat in Kumasi is not a fluke. The largest opposition political party drew one of the largest crowds at the Asawase Constituency in recent times.



The occasion was when Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP presidential candidate, was visiting the place as part of his Ashanti Regional campaign tour.



News of the huge crowd would certainly cause a nightmare for Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the area.



The charged crowd followed Nana Akufo-Addo through the principal streets of Aboabo, singing victory songs; and the number even increased at the Aboabo school, venue of a mammoth rally.



NPP parliamentary candidate for Asawase, Alidu Seidu, recently drew a similar crowd during a health walk in the area.



The elated-looking party loyalists were heard singing, Time Aso, which literally means Its Nanas time to become president, as well as time out for President John Mahama.



Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who looked cheerful, stood in an open-top vehicle as he responded to cheers from the people.



Not Bragging



He indicated that he was not bragging when he promised that a government under him would transform the country and make it better for the masses to live meaningful lives.



He has consequently charged the electorate to vote for him to become president, stressing that his government would bring the needed renaissance into the ailing economy.



I challenge you to vote for me as your next president and I will implement pragmatic polices to improve your living conditions at a lightning rate, the NPP leader told a charged crowd of party supporters at the rally.



He said the only way for the country to experience massive transformation is for the electorate to vote President Mahama and his incompetent NDC government out of office.



I urge you to vote President Mahama and his team out of office and replace them with Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP in order for you to experience the development that you are craving for, he appealed.



Nana Akufo-Addo stated that his government would implement policies that would lead to the creation of jobs for the unemployed.



Zongo Development Fund



He reiterated his earlier promise that an NPP government would introduce the Zongo Development Fund to help develop the deprived Zongo communities of the country.



Nana said the massive crowd that he had seen at Asawase had given him hope that certainly, the NPP would snatch the seat and also win the presidential election.



He urged the electorate to vote massively for Alidu Seidu, Asawase NPP parliamentary candidate.

Source: Daily Guide









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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The chief of the Kpassa traditional area Ubor Konja Tansan VI, has commended Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom for accomplishing what others at seeking the Office of the President to do.



Welcoming the Progressive Peoples Party presidential candidate to his palace in Kpassa, Ubor Konja said the many achievements of Dr Nduom makes him the preferred choice as president.



If left for me alone I will say Dr Nduom should be the president of Ghana. What he has done in private life shows he can do should we give him the opportunity to be president.



He has done a lot as an individual; he has already done what many who seek the office are only wishing to do. He has brought a bank to us; we never believed we could have a bank here. So we are grateful and Ghana is grateful to you Dr Nduom.









In response, Dr Nduom thanked the chief and people of Kpassa and Ghana for their unflinching support towards his quest to be president.



I thank you (Ubor) and Ghanaians for your support. Now nowhere do I go without people noticing that the PPP is here.



I do not need car from Ghana; I dont need a house from Ghana neither do I need a shoe from government. I want to bless others with the blessings God has bestowed on me. I want to be president so that we will work hard and help alleviate the poverty and give Ghanaians a good life.



Dr Nduom was on his dont waste your vote on those who have failed you tour from the northern Volta through to the three northern regions.

Source: Agyemang Akwasi/ ATV









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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Deputy Education Minister Samuel Okujeto Ablakwa says NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addos decision to chicken out of an invitation to debate President Mahama is a testimony of the long held view among the generality of Ghanaians that Nana Addo is no match for the President.



He said unlike Nana Addo, president Mahama is very much on top of his brief to the extent that he (President Mahama) is rather having to chase Nana Addo for a debate which is unprecedented.



The Deputy Minister said he believes Nana Akuffo Addo is not interested in debating president Mahama for fear that the numerous falsehoods hes peddling will be exposed through such an exercise.



This is a significant development in our countrys democratic journey because this is the first time a sitting president is rather requesting for a debate with his main political arch rival. This has never happened before and I think the president has to be commended for that. This shows president Mahama is on top of his brief, he is confident, and more important is very clear in mind where Ghana is at the moment and where he intends to take this country.



President Mahama who had turned down an IEA proposal for a debate between him and the opposition leader has over the past few weeks been pushing for a one-on-one challenge with the three-time flagbearer.



He told the Volta Star in an interview Thursday that such a debate will enable him and Nana Addo to justify the claims they are both making on the performance of the economy.



But the NPP has described the Presidents call as hypocritical. They argue the President should have taken up the IEA debate request if he was interested in debating their candidate.



Spokesperson for the NPP presidential candidate Mustapha Hamid has told the media they are not ready to debate the president now since their focus is on the campaign.



According to him the president cannot pick and choose when and where he wants to have a debate with Nana Akuffo and expect that everything will come to stand still just to accept his invitation.



But speaking on good morning Ghana on Accra based Metro Tv, Mr Okujeto Ablawka said the NPPs excuse is untenable because the president has never said he will never debate Nana Addo. He explained that the decision not to participate in the IEA debate was a party decision because the party had issues with the platform.



We never said we will never debate Nana Addo. The IEA didnt organize the debate well in our view and so we decided not to participate. How can that be interpreted to mean that we run away? There are other equally qualified state agencies that are capable of organizing a debate and as we speak we are getting a lot of invitation from other organization including some faculties at the University of Ghana who have formerly written to us for our participation in a debate. Why does it have to be the IEA as if to say they are the only institution capable of doing it he said.



He adds that the NPP must admit their partys flag bearer doesnt have what it takes to debate the sitting president and no amount of excuses will justify the decision not to participate.



Like I said Nana Addo has only confirmed the long held perception that he cant debate president Mahama and so has only found an excuse to chicken out of such an important exercise. The man has been going round peddling all kinds of falsehood about the president and his administration and now that he has an opportunity to come and correct these misinformation he is running away? Its a bad decision in my view

Source: Citizens Mail









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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President John Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot call for a one-on-one debate at their whim, Dr Eric Opoku Mensah, a political communications lecturer, has said.



He told Regina Borley Bortey on 12Live on Class91.3FM that though debates are very important for the democratic process  it cannot be called to satisfy the whims of any particular campaign or any presidential candidate so its unfortunate that the call is coming at this point in time.



Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it will never accede to the Presidents one-on-one debate challenge with main opposition flag bearer Nana Akufo-Addo.



The partys Director of Communications, Nana Akomea, told Moro Awudu on Class91.3FMs Inside Politics programme on Thursday, 20 October, that it was amazing that President Mahama, after refusing to be part of the Institute of Economic Affairs debate for presidential candidates, was now pushing for a one-on-one with Mr Akufo-Addo.



Also, Mr Akufo-Addos spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid has said if President Mahama is really serious about debating his boss, he should do the proper thing by officially writing to the office of Nana Akufo-Addo to that effect, rather than throwing challenges on the airwaves.



Mr Mahama has thrown several challenges to Mr Akufo-Addo for a one-on-one debate. In a recent interview with Ovation International, Mr Mahama accused Nana Akufo-Addo of running away from his debate challenge.



On Thursday, 20 October, Mr Mahama, during an interview with Volta Star Radio in the Volta Region where he is on a four-day tour, repeated his debate challenge to Mr Akufo-Addo.



I think debates are very important. When I threw the first challenge, I threw it because a lot of misinformation was being thrown all over the place, and Nana Akufo-Addo and his running mate continue to misinform the Ghanaian public and that is why I said we should have a one-on-one debate.



If we have a one-on-one debate  Ghanaians will be able to tell who is telling the truth and who is not telling the truth. They [NPP] say the economy is in crisis, if we had a debate, youll show why you think the economy is in crisis, the documents are all there, the statistics are there, and, so, I believe that Ghanaians deserve a debate between myself and Nana Akufo-Addo and I hope that he will rise to the occasion, Mr Mahama said.



Responding to Mr Mahamas challenge, Mr Hamid told Kwadwo Asare-Baffour Acheampong (KABA) on Asempa FMs Ekosii sen political talk show on Thursday, 20 October that: First of all, he [Mr Mahama] should walk the talk, not the talk. He should focus on the work given to him to do by the people of Ghana. That is the most important thing. It isnt debates that will change the living conditions of Ghanaians.



Secondly, Mr Hamid said, if he [Mr Mahama] really wanted to debate Nana Akufo-Addo, why then did he ditch the IEAs presidential debate with the excuse that it was not necessary? So when did he realise that debates are very important? That is called hypocrisy. Mr Mahama doesnt believe in debates and he has clearly demonstrated that.



Thirdly, he added: If the president really wants a debate, he shouldnt be resorting to the media to invite Nana Akufo-Addo to one. Is that how to invite people to a debate? Even for weddings, invitation cards are distributed and, so, what is he talking about? The President is not being truthful. It is a half-hearted tactic that he is using.



Asked if his response amounted to a rejection of the presidents challenge, Mr Hamid said because that invitation is not necessary, he should walk the talk, not talk the talk. Everyone in Ghana knows talk is not necessary but rather doing the work the president has been given to do.



He, however, noted that lets see what happens should another organisation apart from the IEA decide to organise a one-on-one debate between the two politicians.



In Dr Opoku Mensahs view, The decision by the NDC not to debate these past few months was an unfortunate decision, adding:  I was really surprised to hear that the president was now calling for a debate.  It is rather unfortunate for this call to come at this time because from what I gather from everything that the president has spoken about, it seems the president is now only calling for a debate because there have been certain allegations levelled against him and he wants an opportunity to correct that and I dont think that is fundamentally helpful to the democratic process.



  So at the time the president decided he wasnt going to participate in the debate, the NDC figured out that so far as their campaign strategy is concerned, a debate or no debate was not going to take away or add to their electoral capital but now, for whatever reason, they have realised that a debate is necessary if they are supposed to make any further gain so far as their campaign is concerned he said.

Source: Classfmonline









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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File this one under Oh Bloody Hell, Why Do Dickheads Have To Ruin Absolutely Everything.

Surf-watching cameras at Sydneys Freshwater Beach were found to have been hacked so that online streamers (read: voyeuristic wankers) could ogle totally oblivious sunbathers.

Popular live-streaming site SURFit allows users to scope out their favourite spots before heading out. The site also grants users rudimentary control of a cameras focus on the waves, but cameras were deliberately trained on the beach instead of the surf for some time earlier this month.

A surfer and frequent user of the service anonymously reported to the Manly Daily that whoever controlled the camera on October 10 was basically panning in and out checking out different girls. Screenshots obtained by the publication support that claim.

A spokesperson for SURFit told the Manly Daily the system had been hijacked for dodgy purposes, and that at least one of the cameras involved has been replaced with bolstered security features.

Speaking to the paper, Sydney University law professor Barbara McDonald said the offence obviously breaches common decency, but might dodge any specific criminal classification.

Sometimes these sorts of conduct which slip through the different cracks and end up being a breach of nothing and really it ought to be a breach of something.

As it stands, the service still offers a myriad of streamable vantage points across Freshwater Beach, Manly, Dee Why, and Narrabeen-Collaroy for punters who arent using the service just to be creepy fucks.



Source: news.com.au / Manly Daily.

Photo: @tigertim85 / Instagram.
Walking human gaff Donald Trumps performance in yesterdays debate thrashed from the horrendously misinformed (what constitutes late-term abortion) to the hilariously childish (No, YOURE the puppet).

But it was his lightly detailed answer to a question on conflict in the Middle East that set something in motion, and that something was Trump Book Reports.

When asked by the moderator  Fox News Chris Wallace  for his response to dealing with this conflict, Trump replied by saying that the US was giving Iran bundles of cash as big as this stage and giving Syrian rebels lots of money, lots of everything. We dont know who the rebels are.



That lead to political commentator Dan Diamond to make this observation:

Trump is the kid who didnt read the Aleppo chapter but has to give the book report now.  Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) October 20, 2016

And later, Twitter user Antonio French made the same observation:

Trumps foreign policy answers sound like a book report from a teenager who hasnt read the book. Oh, the grapes! They had so much wrath!  Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) October 20, 2016

Thus, #TrumpBookReports was born. Enjoy!

#TrumpBookReports Why didnt they just use the Ring? They made bad deals. Believe me, if I were in charge wed have the Ring AND Mordor.  Sarah McLaughlin (@sarahemclaugh) October 20, 2016

.@PatrickRothfuss Ned Stark. I like Wardens of the North who dont get killed, okay. One pretty daughter, one nasty one. #TrumpBookReports  Charlotte Moore (@cavaticat) October 20, 2016

Gatsby? Never heard of him.

Later: I know Gatsby very well.#TrumpBookReports  CHRISTOPHER AMMON (@tweetatchris) October 20, 2016

It took Low Energy Harry Potter 7 books to defeat Voldermort. Sad! I would have beat him in the first book! #TrumpBookReport  Historical Trump (@HistoryDTrump) October 20, 2016

#TrumpBookReports Winnie the Pooh, fat. Eeyore, low energy. Tigger, on drugs, believe me. (Sniff) Kanga, what a nasty woman.  ConservatismDontWork (@ConservDontWork) October 20, 2016

Hamlet? Such a disaster. Cant decide to be or not. Bigly indecisive. And Ophelia? Not my first choice.#TrumpBookReports  K. Daniel Gleason (@KDanielGleason) October 20, 2016

Oedipus was a loser. I like people who arent blind, OK? But if Jocasta was my mother, perhaps Id be dating her.#TrumpBookReports  Melissa Turcios (@meliss_turcios) October 20, 2016

Noah was so bad. Ill deport the animals. All the animals love me. Ill build a beautiful ark. God will pay for the ark. #TrumpBookReport  James Melville (@JamesMelville) October 20, 2016

#TrumpBookReports The Odyssey. Supposed to be a poem. Didnt even rhyme. Worst thing Homer Simpson has ever written.  Eric Hanke (@Eric_Hanke) October 20, 2016

It was the best of times. Wrong. It was the worst of times. Many people were saying it. These 2 inner cities. Disasters. #TrumpBookReports  Michelle Vicari (@Eggface) October 20, 2016

Charlie wins chocolate factory. It was rigged, folks. Believe me #TrumpBookReports  ladycheff (@galbaseballgeek) October 20, 2016

I am a prideful man, very prideful. Her? No pride. And prejudices. Millions. I have millions of prejudices. #TrumpBookReport @AntonioFrench  melissa wagner (@melissa_wagner_) October 20, 2016

The half blood prince isnt really a prince folks. Dont believe the crooked media. Its all lies. Fiction and lies. #TrumpBookReport  Laura Gauthier (@murk112) October 20, 2016

The Giving Tree. Tremendous tree. Gives away all its branches for free. Awful. Would have negotiated better deal. #TrumpBookReports  Ben Rosen (@BenSethRosen) October 20, 2016

I caught her in the rye, I caught her everywhere-I dont even askthey love it when you just grab them em in the rye. #TrumpBookReport  NastyGirlsReallyRule (@girlsreallyrule) October 20, 2016

That Tiny Tim, what a loser. With his crutches. Hes just looking for a handout, folks. Thats all I gotta say. #TrumpBookReports  Jennifer Bieman (@JenBieman) October 20, 2016

Hamlet was weak, so weak. He couldnt make up his mind. I can, believe me. Ive made up my mind very much better than him. #TrumpBookReport  James Morrison (@JamesPMorrison) October 20, 2016

There was a Lion, okay? King of the Jungle. And the Witch? Lemme tell you, nasty. And the Wardrobe, so luxurious. The best. #trumpbookreport  Richard Winters (@rwinter2) October 20, 2016

Catch-22. Why only 22? No stamina. When I catch, Ill double that. Catch-44. Best catcher ever. #TrumpBookReports  Scott Gould (@scott_gould) October 20, 2016

At least Voldemort is a leader, unlike what we have in this country. They wont even say his name. Sad! #TrumpBookReports  Pat Garofalo (@Pat_Garofalo) October 20, 2016

Let me tell you, Im going to make expectations great again. We used to have great expectations. The best! Not any more. #TrumpBookReports  Beth Gibson (@MissBethGibson) October 20, 2016

Believe me, she loved to eat, that very hungry caterpillar. No self control. Sad! #TrumpBookReports  Alissa Umansky (@a11ssa) October 20, 2016

You know who that bell tolls for? It tolls for me. Weve got great bells up in Trump Tower. Best bells Big beautiful bells #TrumpBookReports  jonathankoren (@jonathankoren) October 20, 2016

Is Moby Dick small? I guarantee you theres no problem. I guarantee. #TrumpBookReports  Rebecca Cohen (@GynoStar) October 20, 2016

Little Women? Look at their Facebook page. That Jo walked in front of me, and I dont think so, folks, I dont think so. #TrumpBookReport  Jennifer Weiner (@jenniferweiner) October 20, 2016

Seriously, though. This guy gets it.

This #TrumpBookReports is our one reward for enduring the debate.  Jason DeMeo (@jasondemeo) October 20, 2016

Photo: Getty / George Napolitano.
CONTENT WARNING: This article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse and may cause distress to some readers.



A Year 7 student who was indecently assaulted while on school camp was later blamed by the schools principal for the bullying that resulted, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse has heard.

The student, who attended The Kings School in Parramatta, Sydneys west, was sleeping in April 2013 when he rolled over and saw another boy had ejaculated on his sleeping bag.

When he told his friends, the boys began teasing him mercilessly. According to council-assisting the inquiry David Lloyd, the students began calling the boy  identified only as CLC  cum rag and cum dumpster.

Yet when the incident was reported to Headmaster Dr Timothy Hawkes, he not only failed to report the incident to police  later claiming to have misunderstood an email from his Deputy Headmaster  but blamed the boy for his own bullying.

Dr Hawkes said that CLC bore some of the blame and responsibility for the bullying, because he did not report the camp incident when it occurred, Mr Lloyd said. In a subsequent letter  Dr Hawkes said to CLCs parents that one of the principal people to keep the cadet camp incident secret from the school and CLCs parents for so long was CLC.

Charges were never laid, but one of the perpetrators left the school and two others were suspended. CLC later transferred to St Ignatius College, Riverview in Year 11 and reported a positive experience after being supported by students and a counsellor.

Its just one of several horrifying stories that were heard before the Royal Commission yesterday, which is hearing evidence about responses to harmful sexual behaviour at three unnamed New South Wales primary schools, three faith-based private schools (Kings, St Ignatius, and Trinity Grammar School), and Shalom Christian College private school in Queensland.

Mr Lloyd used his opening address to say Trinity staff knew about the sexual abuse of a Year 7 student, identified only as CLA, for a month before action was taken.

Between 11 August 2000 and 7 September 2000, at least some staff at the school were aware of multiple written accounts of students who alleged that there had been repeated incidents of rape or simulated rape of young boys in the boarding house by the use of a wooden dildo and other implements, he said. Yet no notification of the detail of these incidents was given to the NSW Police or the Department of Community Services.



CLAs father broke down before the enquiry describing how his son was tied up and raped at least 50 times by two wooden dildos nicknamed Excalibur and Anaconda made in woodwork class.

We had no idea of the nature of the assault  that it was actually rape, said the father, explaining how they were not told of the details of their sons assault by the school, and instead read them in a police transcript.

He said he believes that Trinity staff had no idea how to deal with an incident of this magnitude and tried to bury it, failing to expel the students when he requested they do so, and the headmaster even suggesting CLA live with him on campus as a solution.

I feel like the school leadership was only interested in protecting the school, he said.

Source: ABC / The Australian.



Photo: TimHawkes.com.



If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, or if you would like to speak to a trained counsellor, please contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or the National Child Abuse Helpline on 1800 99 10 99.
Legal experts have begun to question the effectiveness of the Jury Act in regards to social media posts after a juror on the Gable Tostee murder trial was discovered to have used Instagram to discuss the case.

Yesterday, Tostee was found not guilty of murder or manslaughter in relation to the 2014 death of Warriena Wright, but those verdicts were delayed by an hour in light of the social media posts. Its a huge no-no for jurors to discuss their deliberations with the public, as those discussions could influence the trial itself.

At the time, the defence applied for Justice John Byrne to call a mistrial. While Justice Byrne eventually found the posts to be disappointing, he later deemed the posts were not serious enough to throw the verdict out.

The juror, who cant be named, didnt discuss any specifics of the case in the Insta posts. Regardless, Justice Byrne admonished the juror with this hefty rebuke:

That juror will discover when she accesses her Instagram account that many members of the public have commented on her decision to communicate with others during the course of the trial.

Now, Queenslands Attorney General Yvette Dath is examining the current guidelines to avoid a more serious breach in the future. Although jurors were repeatedly informed of the regulations juries operate under, a spokesperson for DAth said she will determine whether there any improvements that can be to existing arrangements.

Queensland University of Technology lecturer James Morton also told the ABC that we may have to take another step and quarantine jury members from phones and outside communications until they reach a verdict, in the same way jurors themselves face a kind of quarantine.

Tostees lawyer Nick Dore today told the ABC that he believes similar incidences will keep occurring.

The judges in all trials give directions for it not to occur but how do you really police people in their own home when they go home?

Justice Byrne wont take any extra steps against the juror in question, but if the Act is changed to reflect this very 2016 dilemma, the next juror to break their silence might just face punishment by default.

Source: The Australian / ABC.

Photo: 9 News Australia / Twitter.
Theres a bloke in Canberra who is likely pretty unhappy right now. Why, you ask?

THIS. THIS IS WHY.

CONTENT WARNING: HORRIFIC IMAGE AHEAD.





Photos: Canberra Times.

Yep, you know what youre looking at.

That is thirty-five deliciously tasty, frosty cold, refreshing as hell cases of beer. Pulverised into pitiful smithereens. Dead as a doorknob. Smooshed. So very dead and smooshed.

Now, as gut-wrenching as it is to glimpse such an image, you cannot imagine the hell that the bloke who did this went through.

So imagine this: those cases beer were meant to be the booze for A WEDDING, and the man in question was THE GROOM.

The groom and three of his mates were transporting the cases to the venue in preparation for the big day, but one of the utes lost its load on Cotter Road in Watson, ACT today.

A witness to the horrific incident said the groom was mortified, but a bunch of dutiful citizens stopped their cars to help the men sweep up the glass and clean everything up:

The guys were really grateful for the help. There was a great community spirit out there.

That what the Aussie spirit is all about, people! It is pretty much, like, federal law that you must assist a fellow countryman if they find themselves in one of the most tragic predicaments an Aussie can find themselves in: smashing a case of newly-purchased beer.

If you smash 35 in one go, however, you need a whole damn community to help and console you.

And in an even *more* Aussie news, people are now offering to donate cases of beer to the happy couple who lost most of their wedding booze. As per the Canberra Times,

And as is the way with kind-hearted Canberrans, we have had some offers from people who would like to donate a case or two to the still, we hope, happy couple. If the bride or groom or any of their friends are out there please email megan.doherty@fairfaxmedia.com.au and well make sure the donations get to you.

This has been PEDESTRIAN.TV, bringing you the most Australian news story that could ever possibly be thought of.

Source: Canberra Times.

Photo: Simpsons.
Sydney dance teacher Grant Davies, whose abuse of his students over the course of a decade were heard by the Child Abuse Royal Commission, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 18 years.

The 41-year-old former director of the RG Dance Studio in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Chiswick pled guilty to 28 child sex offences, including sexual intercourse with a child and using children to make child pornography.

Along with testimony from Davies victims, some photos and text messages were discovered by his wife who told the Royal Commission she felt sick to [her] stomach.

I was shocked and horrified.

Davies actions were predatory and persistent, Judge Jennie Girdham told the court during sentencing. His sentencing was delayed earlier this year due to a mental health evaluation.

He will be eligible for parole in May 2034.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo: Facebook.
Amid the drudgery of each US presidential election cycle, theres one brief moment of respite. A single night where the nominees can keep their policy positions on ice, loosen up by just a fraction, and simply roast the hell out of each other.

Its called the Al Smith Dinner, and its a ritzy white-tie affair held with the intention of raising funds for Catholic charities in New York City. Presidential candidates have been invited to speak at the event for yonks, and its generally the last time opponents share a stage before the actual election.

So, what did Donald Trump do with his last appearance right next to Hillary Clinton, at an event that looked like something The Joker would hijack? He very nearly blew it. Bigly.

During a caustic speech that mostly missed the memo (Make it funny, Donald), Trump inveighed upon the Democratic nominee with little tact and even less self-awareness. The NYC socialites hes spent a lifetime trying to impress very nearly booed him off the stage after he straight-up said that Clinton was pretending not to hate Catholics:

Heres video of Trump getting booed down during his set at the Al Smith Dinner pic.twitter.com/025zgItcfy  Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) October 21, 2016

His half-baked jabs about her email scandal and Wikileaks were also DOA.

For what its worth,

Trump did actually got one good dig in. Still, when your punchline is based around the premise of jailing a political opponent when you become president, the joke is pretty bloody uneasy:

Trumps roasts were in accordance with well, what we know about his actual roast. Writers from his 2011 Comedy Central Roast recently revealed Trump as someone who doesnt really get jokes, nor the endearing power of self-deprecation. Perhaps the most humility he showed during the event was when he hung a modicum of shit on wife Melania Trump for plagiarising that speech from Michelle Obama.

Clinton, however, was much more open to being a comedic target. In her speech, she played off right-wing conspiracies about her health by saying she took a break from [her] rigorous nap schedule to attend. She also dampened the impact of Trumps Wikileaks barbs by offering her own:

I said no to some jokes that I thought were over the line, but I suppose you can judge for yourself on Wikileaks in the next few days.  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 21, 2016

Then, a personal favourite: Clinton said Trump sees the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4. Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

If you have the fortitude, you can watch both of em go hogwild right here:

Source: New York Times.

Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty.
After thousands of Facebook commenters have spent the past few weeks dedicated to expertly explaining how a heist of USD $11 million was a blatantly fake insurance scam to somehow solve her husbands (USD $53 million) debt, the aforementioned security footage showing the escape of Kim Kardashian-Wests attackers has been released to the public.

Frances M6 Yahoo News first released the footage, which is from a street-side CCTV camera close to the Hotel de Pourtales (commonly known as the No Name Hotel) where Kim was attacked.

The footage shows the five men who allegedly robbed the reality tv star approach the hotel complex at around 2:19 am on October 3rd; three are riding bicycles and two are behind on foot.

Judging by the time code on the video, they fled the apartment only 49 minutes later.

One man appears to be carrying a large bag on the handlebars of the bike, which is thought to be carrying USD $11 million (AUD $14 million) worth of Kims jewellery  including her engagement ring from Kanye West  as well as one of her personal mobile phones.

WATCH:

French police have stated that while the footage has been important to the investigation, the images are extremely blurry and they have therefore not been able to identify the men.

Kardashian has been spotted only once since the incident (and that was only tentatively venturing to the airport in order to privately fly back to her family home in Los Angeles), and is still recovering.

Yesterday  after some technical difficulties  Kourtney Kardashian told Australias TODAY that her sister was not doing great.

A source told People earlier in the week that she is still having a difficult time and has zero desire to resume her old life.

Source: M6 / People.

Photo: Raymond Hall / Getty.
Rudy Giuliani speaks at Boy Scouts of America's Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Rudy Giuliani speaks at Boy Scouts of America's Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner Thursday evening at the Lancaster Marriott, Sept. 29, 2016. James Robinson | jrobinson@pennlive.com

(James Robinson)

While some Republicans are condemning Donald Trump for saying the general election is "rigged," former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said the presidential nominee would be "stupid" to accept the votes before they've been tallied.

The skepticism is appropriate, especially if the race with Democrat Hillary Clinton is close, he said.

"Suppose she wins Pennsylvania by 50 votes," Giuliani said Thursday to reporters.

Democrats would "steal a lot more than 50 votes in Philadelphia," Guiliani said. "I guarantee you of that. And I'll tell you how they will do it -- they'll bus people in who will vote dead people's names four, five, six times . . . or have people in Philadelphia paid to vote three, four and five times."

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections, disagrees.

"Situations in which someone impersonates another voter or votes more than once are so extremely rare as to be virtually non-existant," said department spokeswoman Wanda Murren. "There is a rigorous process that provides substantial safeguards when checking in voters at the polling place."

Because voters have to sign in when they get to the polls, and an election official matches the signature, someone trying to vote fraudulently would face obstacles, she said.

"To impersonate someone, a wrongdoer would have to be able to sign like the person, know that the person has not already voted and be confident that none of the poll workers in the polling place personally know that person," Murren said.

Between 2000 and 2016, there were approximately 28 alleged and investigated cases of voter fraud in Pennsylvania, according to the Department of State. Seventeen of those cases resulted in convictions:

Six resulted from impersonation fraud or unlawful voting at the polls.

Five resulted from fraudulent registrations.

Four resulted from the fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

Two resulted from perjury or falsification of election counts.

Of the remaining 11 allegations, five were dismissed, two cases are actively pending, and the remaining four incidents have an "unknown" investigation status, according to the Department of State.

The Department of State also took issue with Guiliani's "50 votes" claim.

Pennsylvania has an automatic recount provision that gets triggered if the margin of victory is less than 0.5 percent of the total votes cast.

"A 50-vote margin in a presidential race would very likely trigger the recount without any candidate having to request it," Murren said.

Philadelphia officials are also working to combat fraud.

The district attorney's office is planning the "largest Election Fraud Task Force ever," according to Billy Penn.

Assistant District Attorney Peter Berson, who leads the city's task force, said the office always ramps up its headcount during presidential years.

During off-year elections, the district attorney's office assigns 10 to 15 people to monitor voting. This year, there will be 60, Berson told Billy Penn.

They will look into complaints about voter fraud, intimidation and disputes.

"This is a highly-contested election, so we've upped our assignments...There's going to be a higher turnout and we need more bodies," Berson told Billy Penn.

There's added pressure this year after Trump has repeatedly encouraged supporters during his Pennsylvania campaign stops to watch polls in Philadelphia.

Democrats have a significant voter registration advantage in Philadelphia. For example, Republican nominee Mitt Romney didn't receive any votes from the city's 59 precincts in 2012, according to state records.

The district attorney's office said every assistant district attorney and detective, who is not required to be in court on Nov. 8, will be available to monitor polls throughout the city, Billy Penn reported. Where they will be dispatched has not been finalized.
The Derry Township Police Department has warned residents of a possible phone scam.

The caller is disguising the origin of the call to appear as though it has been placed by the "Township of Derry."

The phone number also appears to be a local number; not a township number, however.

The caller also has a foreign accent, police said.

Police have advised anyone who receives such a call to not give any information out and to hang up.

Anyone who is a victim of this scam and has provided personal or financial information to the caller, is asked to contact Derry Township police to file a report at 717-534-2200.
river sunset.jpg

Daniel Martin, of Harrisburg, caught this sunset image of the Pennsylvania Turnpike bridge over the Susquehanna River.

(DANIEL MARTIN)

Update: Storm caused breach; water suppliers on alert

WARRENSVILLE -- Communities downstream from Williamsport that take their drinking water from the Susquehanna River have been alerted there could be gasoline in the stream.

An 8-inch Sunoco Logistics pipeline was breached about 3 a.m. Friday in northern Lycoming County, allowing an estimated 55,000 gallons of gasoline to get into Wallis Run, a tributary of Loyalsock Creek that flows into the river's West Branch at Montoursville.

As of late Friday afternoon, there was no confirmation any of the gasoline has reached the river, Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields said.

The Department of Environmental Protection says that as a precaution, Shamokin Dam has closed its intake and Aqua PA is amenable to an emergency interconnect to serve the borough if needed.

PA American-Milton is prepared to close its intake from the river if necessary and has asked customers to conserve water, DEP says. An alternative source of water is insufficient to meet the full demand, it says.

The Sunbury Municipal Authority is currently using its Little Shamokin Creek source, it says.

A drop in pressure alerted the Sunoco Logistics Control Center of a problem with the pipeline and it was immediately shut down, Shields said.

Emergency response personnel were dispatched to the scene and federal, state, county and local officials were notified, he said.

The breach occurred along the stream in Gamble Twp. so the extent of the damage will not be known until the water recedes, Shields said.

One family has been placed in a hotel because gasoline odors in their home, he said.

Skimmers are being used to remove gasoline from the top of the water and containment booms are being erected downstream as water conditions permit, he said.

Although the cause of the break will not be determined until investigators can reach the pipeline, it is believed the heavy rain overnight that caused flash flooding and embankment erosion were factors, Shields said.

It is not known how long the pipeline that runs from Sunoco's Montello terminal in Sinking Spring and Buffalo, New York, will remain out of service, he said.

A command center for all agencies involved in the incident has been established at the Eldred Twp. Fire Hall in Warrensville.
Time is running out if the Legislature this session is going to address an issue with natural gas royalty payments.

"I'm fighting to keep it alive," Rep. Garth Everett, R-Lycoming, said Thursday. "We just want to get it up for a vote."

He is the prime sponsor of a bill that would amend the Guaranteed Minimum Royalty Act of 1979 to ensure lessors' payments would not fall below the required 12.5 percent.

The bill was scheduled for a vote this week but it was not called up.

Everett said he has been told the more than 20 amendments will be considered Monday with a floor vote scheduled Tuesday.

The majority of the amendments are designed to kill the bill but a few would improve it, he said.

He accused the Marcellus Shale Coalition and lobbyists for natural gas companies of trying to kill the measure.

Everett drafted the bill because payments to landowners in many cases decreased after a 2010 state Supreme Court allowed drilling companies to consider the cost of moving gas from the wellhead to market in calculating royalties.

Some landowners in Bradford County have complained their royalties have been reduced to little or nothing and in some cases they have received bills.

In Pennsylvania, royalties are measured at the wellhead, the Marcellus Shale Coalition points out.

The difficulty is calculating royalties at the wellhead is the gas must be transported to the marketplace to be sold, it says.

Deducting post-production costs is the proper way to determine the value of the gas at the wellhead on which royalties can be calculated, a legal assessment of the Supreme Court ruling claims.

Post-production cost were not a factor in 1979 and Everett doubts lawmakers then thought landowners would be receiving less than 12.5 percent of the sale price of gas.

The coalition and other opponents claim the bill is unconstitutional because it would apply to existing leases. Everett says he has a plethora of legal opinions to the contrary.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition contends "a lease is a binding contract and any disputes that may arise will always be most effectively resolved by the courts.

"With the current market realities putting incredible pressure on energy producers and royalty owners, it's absolutely critical that lawmakers turn their attention to encouraging natural gas infrastructure development and use, especially among our manufacturers and power generators."

Although next week is the end of the current legislative session, Everett said if his measure passes the House, there is a way to get the bill through the Senate quickly if leadership agrees.

However, state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, said accomplishing that would virtually impossible, especially if the Senate had amendments.

Unless both houses pass the bill it will die and would have to be re-introduced when the General Assembly reconvenes in 2017.
PennLive joined dozens of other websites - including Twitter, PayPal, Etsy and Spotify - across the country this morning in an internet outage reportedly caused by a cyber-attack.

For many hours today, we were unable to post anything to pennlive.com. During the outage, stories were posted directly to PennLive's Facebook.

Manchester, New Hampshire-based Dyn Inc. said its server infrastructure was hit by distributed denial-of-service attacks, which work by overwhelming targeted machines with junk data traffic. The attack had knock-on effects for users trying to access popular websites from across America and even in Europe, affecting sites such as Twitter, Netflix and PayPal.

Broad Effects

The level of disruption was difficult to gauge, but Dyn provides internet traffic management and optimization services to some of the biggest names on the web, including Twitter, Netflix and Visa. Critically, Dyn provides domain name services, which translate the human-readable addresses such as "twitter.com" into an online route for browsers and applications.

Steve Grobman, chief technology officer at Intel Security, compared an outage at a domain name services company to tearing up a map or turning off GPS before driving to the department store. "It doesn't matter that the store is fully open or operational if you have no idea how to get there," he said in a telephone interview.

Jason Read, founder of the internet performance monitoring firm CloudHarmony, owned by Gartner Inc., said his company tracked a half-hour-long disruption early Friday in which roughly one in two end users would have found it impossible to access various websites from the East Coast. A second attack later in the day caused disruption to the East and West Coasts as well as impacting some users in Europe.

"It's been pretty busy for those guys," Read said. "We've been monitoring Dyn for years and this is by far the worst outage event that we've observed."

Read said Dyn provides services to some 6 percent of America's Fortune 500 companies. "It impacted quite a few users," he said of the morning's attack. A full list of affected companies wasn't immediately available, but Twitter, Netflix, PayPal and the coder hangout Github said they briefly experienced problems earlier Friday.

Hackers Claim Responsibility

Members of a shadowy hacker collective that calls itself New World Hackers claimed responsibility for the attack via Twitter. They said they organized networks of connected "zombie" computers that threw a staggering 1.2 terabits per second of data at the Dyn-managed servers.

"We didn't do this to attract federal agents, only test power," two collective members who identified themselves as "Prophet" and "Zain" told an AP reporter via Twitter direct message exchange. They said more than 10 members participated in the attack. It was not immediately possible to verify the claim.

Dyn officials said they did not know who was behind the attacks or if they were orchestrated by a state-backed group or online activists or pranksters. They said they have received no claim of responsibility, but are working with law enforcement.

The collective, @NewWorldHacking on Twitter, has in the past claimed responsibility for similar attacks against sites including ESPNFantasySports.com in September and the BBC on Dec. 31. The attack on the BBC marshalled half the computing power of Friday's onslaught.

The collective has also claimed responsibility for cyberattacks against Islamic State. The two said about 30 people have access to the @NewWorkdHacking Twitter account. They said 20 are in Russia and 10 in China. "Prophet" said he is in India. "Zain" said he is in China. The two claimed to be taking "good actions."

Another collective member the AP previously communicated with via direct message called himself "Ownz" and identified himself as a 19-year-old in London. He told the AP that the group -- or at least he -- sought through hacking only to expose security vulnerabilities.

During the attack on the ESPN site, "Ownz" was asked if the collective made any demands on sites it attacked, such as demanding blackmail money. "We will make one demand actually.. Secure your website and get better servers, otherwise be attacked again," he said.

The Vulnerable Internet

For James Norton, the former deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security who now teaches on cybersecurity policy at Johns Hopkins University, the incident was an example of how attacks on key junctures in the network can yield massive disruption.

"I think you can see how fragile the internet network actually is," he said.

Dyn said in a series of statements that it first became aware of the attack around 7:00 a.m. local time and that services were restored about two hours later. A little more than two hours later, the company said it was working to mitigate another attack. A Dyn spokesman didn't respond to questions seeking further information about the online onslaught.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the situation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday. He said he had no information about who may be behind the disruption.

Security experts have recently expressed concern over increasing power of denial-of-service attacks following high-profile electronic assaults against investigative journalist Brian Krebs and French internet service provider OVH .

In a widely shared essay titled "Someone Is Learning How to Take Down the Internet," respected security expert Bruce Schneier said last month that major internet infrastructure companies were seeing a series of worrying denial-of-service attacks.

"Someone is extensively testing the core defensive capabilities of the companies that provide critical internet services," he said.
The victim in Thursday night's fatal accident in Lebanon County was Timothy M. Brickley, 29, of Hollow Run Lane, West Chester.

Brickley was driving south on Butler Road at a high rate of speed, Cornwall police said, when his vehicle struck a tree and caught fire. The crash occurred between Lebanon Valley Rail Trail and Old Mine Road just before 7 p.m,

The investigation into the crash is continuing, police said Friday.
DiSanto Snafu.jpg

The John DiSanto for Senate camp said it's not responsible for a campaign flyer that features a photo of Harrisburg police Chief Thomas Carter (pictured center), which Carter said was used without his permission. DiSanto is pictured left. At right is Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who said "We want to make sure the Harrisburg Police Department remains politically neutral and independent."

(File)

The Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania Political Action Committee claims responsibility for the flyer for a candidate in the 15th District senatorial race that drew fire from Harrisburg officials Wednesday.

Harrisburg police Chief Thomas Carter said he didn't give permission for his photo with Republican candidate John DiSanto to be used on one of the candidate's campaign flyers and said he hasn't endorsed him.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse also criticized use of the photo, which shows the chief shaking hands with DiSanto, and said he wants to make sure the police department stays politically neutral.

Leo Knepper, executive director of the Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania, said the flyer clearly says in the address line that it was paid for by PAC CAP.

He said the photo was in the public domain, taken from DiSanto's Facebook page. Knepper said he doesn't believe the photo implies an endorsement by the chief, as it is part of a montage of the candidate meeting other members of the Harrisburg community.

The DiSanto for Senate camp denied responsibility for the flyer, saying it came from a third-party group, and it asked for an apology from the Harrisburg officials.

Joyce Davis, Harrisburg spokeswoman, said Thursday there is "nothing to follow up on."

The Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania PAC is a conservative group extolling limited government, economic freedom and personal responsibility.

Joe Aronson, executive director of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, charged Thursday that state Sen. Scott Wagner, who is chairman of the Senate Republican campaign committee, funds the CAP PAC and is supporting DiSanto's campaign.

Knepper said while Wagner was a former contributor to the CAP PAC, he has not made any direct contributions since he was elected.

Aronson said DiSanto made a $2,500 contribution to CAP-PAC in July 20, 2015.

Campaign contribution records available online at the state Department of State website list that contribution from DiSanto.
faculty strike

Millersville students Kelsey Fulton and Sean Strange show their support for faculty ahead of word Friday afternoon that an agreement had been reached.

(Ivey DeJesus | idejesus@pennlive.com)

MILLERSVILLE - A 66-year-old professor of biology at Millersville University, Joel Piperberg has only ever missed three days of work: Those would be the last three days during which Pennsylvania's state faculty was on strike.

On Friday afternoon, shortly after 4 o'clock, word spread across social media that the three-day strike had ended with the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties reaching a tentative settlement with the State System of Higher Education.

"I'm glad it's over," Piperberg said. "It will be good to get back in the classroom."

An identified picketer was ready for rain Friday afternoon. What he got in addition was a settlement.

Piperberg had been picketing side-by-side with other faculty by one of the main campus entrances since Wednesday. He had been picketing since 9:30 a.m. Friday when by afternoon the skies opened, unleashing torrential rain. Piperberg and his fellow picketers didn't budge, but donned slickers and rain ponchos just in time to get the news that the strike was over.

"This wasn't on my bucket list, but it was something I had to do. It seems to have had an effect," he said.

No details about the agreement were available; they are expected to be released Monday. PennLive was told that the deal was worked out through backdoor channels and not face-to-face meetings between the negotiating teams.

The strike, which began on Wednesday, disrupted classes for the more than 105,000 students who attend Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities.

"I'm glad it's over," said Kayle Rafferty, a senior. "I'm glad we can get back to normal and forget about this and move on."

Rafferty, like many students across campus, learned about the news on Twitter just moments after the agreement was reached.

"I screamed, 'The strike is over!' " she said.

Regan McMinn, also a senior, said she was pleased at the prospect of getting back in the classroom. For McMinn, an early childhood special education major, the strike put on hold the announcement of her upcoming five-week field assignment at a local school district.

"There was a lot of pressure," she said. "But I was in full support of the faculty. I was happy to see they were advocating for themselves but I'm happy it's over and I can resume my education."

Talks broke down amid disagreements over cost-saving initiatives and salary changes that the State System was trying to work into its next faculty agreement.

The faculty had been working under an expired contract since June 30, 2015. This was the first time the system has experienced a strike in its 33-year history.

"This is what we had been working for all along," said Chuck Ward, a philosophy professor. "I credit the solidarity between faculty and students."

Aaron Haines, an assistant professor of biology, stressed that Millersville faculty was only as successful as the students.



"The union prepares me with the confidence and focus I need to help my students succeed," he said, moments after seeking shelter from the pouring rain out on the picket line. "The better students do, I know I'm doing something right."

By late afternoon, amid a pouring rain, campus had cleared out. But just a few hours before, under sunny skies, campus had a marked festive flavor to it, with band students entertaining and pumping up the picket lines outside the library.

Students said they had been taking advantage of the down time from classes to hit the books.

"A lot of students are at the library trying to catch up on their work," said Sean Strange, a senior and computer science major. "They really want to be ready when classes resume."

Sara Wiberg, a senior who took some time out midday on Friday to take in the festive scene outside the library, said she was concerned that the strike was hurting her education.

"They want to get back in the classroom," she said of her fellow students. "I definitely think it's hindering my education that I can't go to class, but also it's a great way to bring faculty and students a whole new experience on its own. We're seeing professors outside the classroom fight for what they love - they do that already in the classroom - but this shows they really care."

The State System had been notifying students to attend classes, but most Millersville students surveyed by PennLive on Friday said their classes had been canceled.

"I had to go on Wednesday, but then someone from the state came in and dismissed us," said Mitchell Buell, a sophomore, who like many other students said his classes have been canceled.

Buell said most students had used the time off from class wisely.

"Most students are studying," he said. "Most of them want to be prepared for when they go back in the classroom and not be caught off guard."
Diamond, Long.jpg

Republican incumbent Rep. Russ Diamond, left, and Democrat Jake Long, right, are seeking the 102nd District house seat in the Nov. 8, 2016 election.

(submitted)

Two Annville Township residents who call themselves reformers are vying for the 102nd District seat.

Republican Rep. Russ Diamond, who is finishing his first term, faces Democrat Jake Long, a former Hershey Chocolate Company factory worker.

Two years ago, Diamond defeated a field of three that included Long, as well as Independent Robert McAteer and write-in candidate Wanda Bechtold. In this year's Republican primary, Diamond defeated Tom Houtz, while Long was unopposed.

Diamond, 53, a former truck driver and recording business owner, launched his political career when he founded CleanSweep, a grassroots group that successfully unseated candidates who voted for the 2005 legislative pay raise.

Long, 69, a Hershey Chocolate Company factory worker who retired in 2007 after 42 years, says he is also a reformer. "I do believe our government needs to change," he said. "People are tired of politicians playing games."

The two candidates differ on issues including property tax reform, minimum wage and right to work.

Diamond said property tax reform, which so far has failed to pass, would be his first priority if re-elected. He supported House Bill 76, which would increase sales and earned income tax to lower property taxes. But he said it was held back by legislators in districts that would lose revenue.

Diamond said he hopes the legislature pursues House Bill 504 in the next term, which he feels has a better chance of passage.

Long disagrees with HB 76, saying it doesn't provide a stable revenue source, with earned income and sales tax varying with economic conditions, and doesn't close enough tax loopholes.

Long advocates an extraction tax on natural gas to provide more money for education.

Long would also like to see a change in the state constitution to come up with new forms of tax revenue for school districts. He also believes property taxes for senior citizens should end when they reach a certain age and income.

Diamond opposes an extraction tax, which he said this depressed market would further diminish production. "Funding state government with such a volatile commodity is not smart policy with reliable results," he said.

Diamond cited the vape shop tax, which he opposed, which he said has shut down vape shops.

Regarding senior citizens, Diamond said while he sympathizes with their plight as homeowners, relief needs to be provided to all groups.

"Property rights do not increase with age; they're the same for everyone. If we grant relief only to seniors, the burden would then fall on working Pennsylvanians to make up the difference," he said.

One potential source of new revenue Diamond supports is video gaming terminals for clubs, which he said could bring $500 million in revenue to the state. But so far, it hasn't passed.

He said he has also fought against Gov. Wolf's proposals to send more money to failing school districts such as Philadelphia and Chester-Upland.

As for a constitutional amendment on school taxes, Diamond said he doesn't see the need, as he said sales, income and property taxes are the only available revenue sources.

Public pension reform is also needed, Diamond said. In addition to changes for new employees, he believes unions need to make some concessions for current workers, but not existing retirees.

"We can't put it all on the taxpayers, and we can't let those in the system fall over the cliff. We have to meet in the middle and that comes with some concessions," he said.

Minimum wage, other issues

Long supports increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, as there hasn't been an increase in 10 years.

Diamond said "Raising the minimum wage is not the answer. The answer is to make markets more free so people can move up the income ladder at will."

If minimum wage goes up, cost of products and services will also go up, along with salaries already at or over the new minimum wage, he said.

Term limits is another difference between the candidates.

Long advocates term limits for legislators, and would like to see a maximum of three terms.

Diamond said he opposes "artificial" term limits. "If you have a good legislator in office, you should be able to keep them, no matter how long they've been there," Diamond said. If a legislator is bad, he said "it's pretty easy to throw him out," as CleanSweep showed.

Long also opposes passage of right to work laws, which take away compulsory union membership in the workplace. "I don't think that's the way to economic prosperity," Long said.

Lowering the corporate net income tax and closing the Delaware loophole would do more to bring jobs, along with more education, training and infrastructure, Long believes.

Diamond comes down on the side of right to work.

"I am absolutely against forcing someone to join a union," he said. "I believe unions have done great things, but once you swing the pendulum that you have to join to get a job, it's absolutely wrong," Diamond said.

Long also advocates voter reforms, including moving voting to the weekend to make it easier for working people; same-day registration; pre-registering 16- and 17-year-olds; and a "no excuse" absentee ballot.

Diamond, on the other hand, said he hasn't seen any voter reform measures that would do "anything substantial to improve state government. I would, however, consider supporting a non-partisan primary system where all candidates could compete on a level playing field with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election."

Both support gun rights.

Long said he believes adequate background checks need to be in place to prevent criminals and those with mental problems from getting guns. Owners also have a responsibility to store them safely, he added.

Diamond said he supports HB 2258, which would allow membership organizations to sue and recover expenses from cities and towns that have enacted gun ordinances that exceed state law.

Long said people should vote for him because "I am an honest man, and I do reflect mainstream thought in my district. If I give a promise I will follow through. I won't play games - people are tired of politicians playing games."

Diamond said he believes his record stands for itself.

"When I was sent here in 2015, it was to represent Lebanon County values - I'm pro-gun, pro-life, pro-business, pro-free markets. I believe I have stood up for all those values, and have shown through my efforts on the House floor that I am an effective legislator," he said.

Diamond cited his support to legalize medical cannabis, including two amendments he added, and passage an industrial hemp bill, which he believes will be a "billion dollar industry for Pennsylvania farmers."

Long said he would support veterans and is an advocate of medical marijuana to help those with PTSD and other illnesses.

The 102nd District includes Annville, Bethel, Cold Spring, Heidelberg, Jackson, Millcreek, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, Swatara, Union and West Lebanon townships and the boroughs of Cleona, Jonestown, Myerstown and Richland.
Western-Union

A 'grandparent scam' calls for people to wire money allegedly to rescue their grandchildren in other countries.

It's easy to see why the scam works: It targets grandparents. Or more precisely, it takes advantage of their near unshakable impulse to help a young relative in distress. And they fact grandparents often have fast access to money, quite possibly in the form of their life savings.



The latest victim is a 78-year-old woman in Somerset County, Pa. On Friday morning, her voice broke at times while describing what the scammers said, and how she and her husband felt upon realizing they had been taken.



The initial call came Wednesday, when someone sounding exactly like their grandson called and said he had been injured in a car accident in the Dominican Republic and needed money for medical care. The Somerset County grandmother, who didn't want her name published, wired the requested $800.

Another call came Thursday. This time a different young man spoke, explaining that, during the car accident, they had hit a pregnant woman, now in the hospital. They had been drinking. Another $800 was needed. The grandmother asked to talk to her grandson. The caller said he couldn't come to the phone because he was in front of the judge.



Her husband raised the possibility of a scam. But what if it wasn't? "If we didn't sent the money, what would they do to him," she said. They headed for Western Union. Seeing them again wanting to wire a large sum overseas, the clerk said it's probably a scam. But the Somerset grandmother couldn't stop thinking of her grandson on the phone, and felt they couldn't risk not sending the money. The clerk refused.

So they went to a Wal-Mart. That clerk also suspected a scam and refused to wire the money. The clerk explained she always suspects a scam when someone older than about 60 wants to wire a large sum overseas.

Following the clerk's advice, they went to state police. The caller pretending to be a friend of her grandson had given a call back number. The plan was for the grandmother to call it and say a family friend wanted to talk to him, and then hand the phone to a state trooper. But upon hearing his voice the caller hung up.



At that point the grandmother contacted her daughter, who texted the grandson. He was at work at his new job in Pittsburgh. It's unlikely the Somerset grandparents will ever get back the $800.



On Friday, the grandmother marveled the scammers' ability to provide convincing details. The fake grandson, a recent college graduate, told of traveling to the Dominican Republic with a group of friends for a wedding. That's where the drinking that led to the accident took place. The scammers now how to push the right buttons. It was so convincing that, upon learning alcohol was involved, the grandfather worried the incident would affect his grandson's new job. The fake grandson said they shouldn't tell his mother. He said his grandparents were the only people he could turn to. It matched their relationship with their real grandson. "It just sounded like my grandson talking ... they have that story down pat," she said.



Many people have fallen for that story, or a variation of it.



Like the flu, the so-called 'grandparent scam' seems to constantly evolve, taking in new victims despite warnings from state attorney generals and organizations including AARP. The scammers know that when a grandparent received a call from a young relative pleading for help, their instinct is to do so. AARP in its warnings has told of a Washington couple who lost nearly $90,000 over several days to a caller they believed was their grandson.



A story involving a terrible accident is a common one. Sometimes a "doctor" gets on the line. Sometimes a fake grandchild will speak, explaining he or she can only talk briefly. Sometimes the grandchild is in trouble with the law, and someone pretending to be a police officer will get on the line. Sometimes the relative's car has broken down and the relative needs money to get it fixed. Sometimes they are stuck at a foreign airport and need money to pay customs to return home. It's common for the young relative to beg the grandparent not to tell their parents about the situation. In virtually all cases, the situation is urgent and the money must be wired immediately.



But a request for money that must be wired immediately is a scam in virtually every instance, according to law enforcement officials.



It's surprisingly easy for the scammers to get the needed information. Sources include obituaries, social networks, hacked email accounts and sources such as marketing databases.



The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office several years ago put out a warning saying an urgent request to wire money overseas is always a scam. And once the money is wired, it will never be recovered, say law enforcement officials.



AARP has offered this advice:

First, resist the pressure to act quickly. That piece of advice comes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The fake grandchild says it's an emergency in order to bypass your natural hesitation before parting with your money. Slow things down to short-circuit the scam.

Second, ask questions: what's your mom's name? What's your favorite pet's name? Where were you born? Your fake grandchild will flunk the test.

Third, ask for a phone number: if it's really a relative, they won't be shy about providing contact information. If it's a "doctor" or "police officer," they should be able to provide an office number. Yes, any phone number provided by a scammer will be fraudulent. However, you will be comforted that if it's really your grandchild, the number will be legitimate and you can call him back after doing your own careful research.

Finally, and most important, hang up and call your grandchild's home number or mobile phone number, and call his parents. You will discover he's safe and sound. In the incredibly rare instance that the call actually came from a relative, you may call him or her back and make payment arrangements.

What else you can do?

As the FBI points out, "Never wire money based on a request made over the phone or in an email... especially overseas. Wiring money is like giving cash - once you send it, you can't get it back."

Remind your family members not to announce on websites such as Twitter and Facebook that they're leaving on vacation. The Internet is global, exposing them and their families to literally billions of Web surfers - some of whom know how to illegally profit from the information.

Also, make sure to keep your family members' updated contact information easily accessible so that you may easily find out for yourself the whereabouts of your loved ones.

If you fell for it:
STATE COLLEGE -- Plans to make college more affordable were welcomed by Penn State University students Friday during a speech from vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine.

Kaine spoke to a large crowd at the HUB-Robeson Center on the Penn State University campus in State College, painting a picture of what he says a Hillary Clinton presidency would look like: working to improve the economy, helping people grow small business, shattering the glass ceiling for women and promoting equality and acceptance.

Clinton and Kaine's plans to make college affordable received a lot of support from the crowd, most of which were PSU students. Kaine said they want to make college debt free, offer free tuition to students whose families make under a certain amount and help graduates that are currently suffering from college debt.

"You should not have to mortgage your future to prepare for your future," Kaine said.

State College serves as an enticing pool of voters for presidential candidates. There are nearly 40,000 people living in State College, plus the thousands of Penn State students filing absentee ballots.

In addition, Pennsylvania has proven to be an important swing state in this election. As a result, Donald Trump and Clinton have blitzkrieged the state with countless campaign stops, events and attack ads.

Although Pennsylvania has been a toss up for much of the general election season, polls show Pennsylvania is leaning Democrat. A recent Emerson College poll shows Clinton leading Trump 45 percent to 41 percent.

Kaine played up the important role Pennsylvania plays as the Keystone State in the election.

"We call you the Keystone State because you're key," Kaine said. "You're key to our election on Nov. 8."
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teplitz-disanto.jpg

When it comes to property tax elimination, the 15th state senatorial district candidates - Democratic incumbent Rob Teplitz (left) and Republican challenger John DiSanto - views can be confusing.

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Up and down the ballot this Nov. 8, Pennsylvania voters will cast some seriously important votes.

From the fight for control of the White House and the United States Senate to Congress and Pennsylvania's statewide row offices, consequential races abound.

But as the late U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill once famously observed, "all politics is local." And Keystone State voters don't have to look any farther than their own backyards for some high-stakes elections.

That's because all 203 members of the state House and half the 50-member state Senate will be on the ballot. Both are controlled by substantial Republican majorities.

And with the exception of the local board of supervisors or school boards, it is the level of government with the most direct impact on Pennsylvanians' daily lives.

In Dauphin and Perry counties, voters face a clear and distinct choice in the 15th Senate District election between Democratic incumbent Rob Teplitz and his Republican challenger, the developer John DiSanto.

Since his election in 2012, Teplitz, 45, of Susquehanna Twp., has worked to serve his constituents by opening district offices in both York (which was part of the district until it was redrawn to favor Republicans) and Perry counties. By all accounts, he has been a visible presence there.

Being a member of the minority party has forced Teplitz to work across party lines to see his legislation passed. That's an admirable trait in a time of hyper-partisanship and political gridlock.

Teplitz notably worked with GOP lawmakers as a member of the Basic Education Funding Reform Commission.

He reached across the aisle again to collaborate with such noted fiscal conservatives as Sens. John Eichelberger of Blair County and Mike Folmer of Lebanon County to win passage of a municipal debt reform package intended to prevent a repeat of the disastrous fiscal policies that brought Pennsylvania's capital city to the brink of insolvency.

Working with state Rep. Patty Kim, D-Dauphin, Teplitz successfully inserted $5 million in emergency service reimbursements to Harrisburg in the 2013-14 state budget under former Gov. Tom Corbett.

Despite that clear win, Teplitz ultimately voted against the spending plan, as a whole. He was rightfully criticized for trying to have it both ways. Demonstrating an independent streak, he voted with Republicans in the unsuccessful push to remove former Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office.

DiSanto, 56, is the former president of mega-developer Triple Crown Corp. He is now a crop farmer.

He was recruited to run by Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York, chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, who has painted a crosshairs on Teplitz's back as he looks to further expand the GOP's 30-seat majority.

In a campaign unusual in its nastiness, DiSanto has accused Teplitz of distorting his "record." Though as someone who has never held elected office, DiSanto has no record to distort.

In an interview with PennLive's Editorial Board, DiSanto hit on familiar GOP themes, including pension, property tax and school funding reform. He repeatedly stressed his desire to roll back government mandates and the regulations that he said were shackling businesses.

When asked for specifics, however, he was hard-pressed to cite concrete examples of the regulations and mandates he would seek to repeal, suggesting he had given them little consideration beyond their attractiveness as talking points.

Both men have offered government reform proposals worth considering.

Teplitz, a co-chair of a bipartisan and bicameral reform caucus, supports reducing the size of the General Assembly. And he's the architect of bill that would impose stiff consequences if the state budget isn't done on time.

DiSanto, meanwhile, says he'll only serve two four-year terms if elected. And he's passing on the costly suite of healthcare and retirement benefits that tend to encourage lawmakers to outstay their welcome in the Capitol.

Given the choice between an experienced lawmaker with a clear record of achievement and a well-meaning newcomer who nonetheless would be little more than a reliably Republican vote in a chamber already top heavy with GOP lawmakers, the Editorial Board of PennLive/The Patriot-News endorses Rob Teplitz for re-election.
Women's Resource Center adapts to meet rising domestic abuse concerns

With many victims unable to reach out during the pandemic, the Women's Resource Center had to find new ways to connect.
$11 billion missing at PDVSA - Venezuela's Congress committee



Venezuela congressional probe says $11 billion missing at PDVSA while Rafael Ramirez, presently Venezuela's envoy to the United Nations, in picture, as Venezuela's Energy Minister and PDVSA CEO

CARACAS

Petroleumworld.com 10 21 2016

A report by a Venezuelan congressional commission accused Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) [PDVSA.UL] of corruption on Wednesday, saying about $11 billion in funds went missing from the state-run oil company while Rafael Ramirez was at the helm from 2004-14.

"It is more than the (annual) budget of five Central American countries," said Freddy Guevara, comptroller commission president and a member of one of Venezuela's hardline opposition parties, alleging widespread malfeasance at the state oil producer.

"We're talking about $11 billion they cannot justify," he added, as he presented a report by the legislative body that audits the state.

PDVSA, which manages the world's largest oil reserves, brings in about 95 percent of Venezuela's export revenues and has been the country's financial engine during 17 years of leftist rule in the OPEC member nation.

Critics have long accused PDVSA of corruption, but the company has maintained it is the target of a right-wing smear campaign, led by the United States and compliant international media, to sabotage socialism.

Neither PDVSA nor Ramirez, currently Venezuela's United Nations envoy, responded immediately to requests for comment on the report by the commission headed by Guevara.

Venezuela is engulfed in a protracted economic crisis exacerbated since 2014 by a sharp decline in world oil prices.

Raising the specter of default, cash-strapped PDVSA said on Monday it "could be difficult" to pay large looming debt commitments if a proposed $5.3 billion bond swap does not go through.

"If PDVSA is unable to pay its international creditors ... it is because they robbed this money," said Guevara, a former student leader and member of the Popular Will Party. As he addressed his fellow lawmakers, he flicked between slides illustrating what he described as various cases of wrongdoing at PDVSA, repeating: "Where is the money?"

MULTIPLE CASES

The congressional investigation focuses on 11 cases, ranging from known scandals in an Andorran bank and PDVSA pension funds to alleged overpricing in purchases of oil equipment.

The accusations are based in part on documents from PDVSA, auditor KPMG [KPMG.UL] and foreign investigations.

Interviews with a KPMG representative showed the company had informed PDVSA's auditing committee of "frauds," the report said.

"The representatives of PDVSA had FULL KNOWLEDGE of the existence of administrative irregularities," the report reads, adding KPMG has not provided further details, citing confidentiality policies.

The U.S. Justice Department has said there is a large, ongoing investigation into bribery at PDVSA.

In the most high-profile case to date, a Venezuelan businessman pleaded guilty in a U.S. court in June to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for his role in a scheme involving PDVSA officials. U.S. authorities have linked more than $1 billion to the scheme.

In the Andorran case, the United States alleged last year that a bank there had facilitated the laundering of $4.2 billion of Venezuelan money.

In addition to the 11 cases documented in the report, Guevara told Reuters the commission was currently investigating another six.

One slide displayed by Guevara titled "Those involved," showed dozens of arrows pointing at Ramirez, who served as Venezuela's oil czar for a decade before being sent to the U.N.

The commission called on the National Assembly to deem Ramirez "politically responsible" for the irregularities and recommended a "no-confidence vote" against current PDVSA President Eulogio Del Pino.

"We're seeking lawsuits - criminal and civil - against all those involved here," Guevara said, adding he had not received any official reply from PDVSA or its current and former executives.

The investigation may have little impact, however, as President Nicolas Maduro's government has sidelined Congress since the opposition won control in a December vote and the Supreme Court has annulled all its major decisions.

Ruling Socialist Party lawmakers did not attend Wednesday's session, where the commission approved the report.

PDVSA's Del Pino has in recent weeks accused media and opponents of inventing lies about the company. He personally filed a lawsuit for defamation against one Venezuelan newspaper after it said PDVSA was in financial trouble.










Will OPEC follow through with its production cut?

OPEC price war offers meager rewards as U.S. shale survives

LONDON

Petroleumworld.com 10 21 2016

OPEC price war offers meager rewards as U.S. shale survives

When the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries started its price war, the U.S. shale boom looked doomed.

Two years and one OPEC policy u-turn later, executives at the annual Oil & Money conference in London painted an upbeat outlook for shale, with giants like Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips saying the industry hasn't just survived the bust, but will continue to have a global influence.

"We have confirmed the viability of a very large resource base in North America," said Exxon Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson. "Never bet against the creativity and tenacity of this segment of our industry."

The consequences will reverberate through the energy industry and the world economy. A cohort of shale producers ready to boost output when prices rise could cap any recovery at about $60 a barrel for the next couple of years, regardless of any OPEC moves to cut production. Instead of falling victim to the Saudi-led battle for market share, Tillerson said the industry will provide the spare capacity to meet future demand.

Warning Bells

It's a view that puts Tillerson at odds with some of the industry most powerful voices, including Khalid Al-Falih, the Saudi energy minister, and Patrick Pouyanne, the CEO of French oil giant Total SA. Both men warned that two years of low prices and investment cuts have left the global industry ill equipped to supply enough oil by the end of the decade.

"Many analysts are now sounding warning bells about future supply shortfalls and I am in that camp," Al-Falih said.

Whether a shortage arrives by the turn of the next decade is yet to be seen. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said that oil prices of about $50 to $60 a barrel can stimulate enough supply for short-term needs until 2020. The Paris-based adviser has also warned about the long-term impact of unprecedented cuts in spending.

In the meantime, the industry's nearly unanimous view is that shale output can grow again. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects crude production to start rising again in the first quarter of 2017, reaching 8.8 million barrels a day by the end of next year from about 8.4 million now.

That would still be short of the 9.6 million barrel-a-day peak in June 2015. Still, after a two-year price war the industry has emerged battle-hardened, with executives saying over panel discussions and cocktail parties in London that they are more optimistic now they can weather low prices.

ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance told the conference on Tuesday that U.S. shale output will "come back strongly" supported by lower costs. New oil wells are viable in the Permian, Eagle Ford and Bakken shale basins at just $40 a barrel, he said.

"The oil price is essentially unchanged from the conference last year, but the tone from the companies seemed more optimistic," said Lydia Rainforth, oil equity analyst at Barclays Plc in London. "Most speakers at the conference referenced $50 to $60 a barrel as a reasonable oil price for the oil market near term."

Junk Bonds

In an unusually open speech, Andrew Gould, board director at state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said that a $50-to-$60 a barrel price would be "sufficient to develop the low-cost resources to provide increases that will be necessary over the next three to four years."

West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. oil benchmark, which closed at the highest price in 15 months on Wednesday, lost 74 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $50.86 at 12:48 p.m. London time.

Perhaps the best indicator of the changing fortune of shale is the plunge in yields of junk energy debt. At its worst in February, investors sold off shale bonds, pushing yields to a record 21 percent. Today, they are trading at 7 percent, a level similar to when oil traded at about $100 a barrel.

"The equity and debt market is open for U.S. shale companies", said David Foley, CEO of Blackstone Energy Partners LP, the private equity fund. After a two-year hiatus, initial public offerings have returned to the American oil patch, with Extraction Oil & Gas LLC raising $633 million this month.

It isn't just shale producers expressing more optimism. Major oil companies also hailed a new environment, with BP Plc CEO Bob Dudley saying the company will be able to balance its books next year at about $55 a barrel, not far above current prices.

For OPEC, there's cause for both celebration and concern. After a two-year war downturn that wreaked economic havoc in several member countries, oil is trading at the highest level in more than a year and the prospect of a return to $30 or lower seems remote. While the group can claim that it has successfully set a floor for prices, the resilience of its rivals means the ceiling may not be too far away.








Never really was big in the Bigfoot scene until last month out in the middle of the woods in Waterloo-Pinckney for small game/backpacking trip with my buddy. Got there last night around 1130pm. We set up our camp by about 1230. Around 2am we wake up and my buddy mentions to me about how cold it was. We hear footsteps around 20 to 25 feet away from us. We both are just laying still at this point, just to hear what's with us. The most loud, freakiest, inhuman yell/scream/roar is shouted towards us twice before it took off fast from us with heavy two footed running. The only remotely close animal I've heard make this sound are mountain lions and cougars. The way it was running sounded two footed (as opposed to a four legged gallop, and the sound of it crashing through the woods made us realize it was BIG) We joked about it being a Bigfoot... Then we saw how much he's seen in these parts of Michigan. We think it must have seen us in the dark. We moved into the car for the night after this.



Background: both my friend and I are Marine Reserves, and have been raised to be very avid outdoorsman. My father and I are into bushcrafting and backpacking, my mom is into car camping, and my friends parents are avid hunters, backpackers, and his mom was DNR. We're no strangers to the woods and wildlife, and have experienced a lot of nature and different animals and sounds that are part of our natural habitat in Michigan. This is unlike anything either of us have heard.

I'd say that it was running fairly quickly, because it was screaming as it was moving, and the screams moved pretty quickly as well as the sounds of its foot impacting the ground. Which also sounded like longer strides, as the impact wasn't very close together. Probably about the strides I'd take, maybe slightly longer, and I'm 6'2. As for where the screams were when we heard them, I couldn't tell you if they were high or low. They weren't ground level but being between 5-7 feet above the ground, I couldn't give you the specifics. It was so incredibly loud that it just filled the forest. - Man claims to encounter Bigfoot while camping in Michigan

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First off, it's hard for me to summarize this stuff. My family and I don't have just an event to explain. Strange things have happened for years, so long it isn't uncommon to see something not star like in the night sky. I'd imagine the things unexplained probably correlate to one source, and possibly by explaining myself to people with the right knowledge base I can figure out more information on this issue for my whole family so here's my attempt.When I was around 7 the first strange thing took place. I was about to lay down for bed. When I laid back, I closed my eyes, but immediately after was bombarded with any memory I've ever had in a third person perspective. The strangest part on this was the speed of the memories flying by my mind's eye and the memories that would be randomly stopped on, as if everything that had ever happened to me was viewed in a flipbook. When I opened my eyes out of the fear of knowing what was going through my mind wasn't what I was truly thinking, I saw the most beautifully white light. Words can't do justice to the brilliance. A silhouette arose from the vastness of white towards me. I tried to rationalize it as a family member being 7 & clueless, but it emerged what looked to be a woman, tall & slender, in a floor-length white gown, and the most compassionate eyes. Eyes kinder than any I've ever seen a human have, true compassion was in them. I immediately feared that was the white light from what church had told me I'd see before death, and being 7, I was not ready so I closed my eyes tight and opened them back up. Everything shot into a tiny ball of light when I reopened them and shot away. I could explain strange things about radio frequency being audible after that, but for lack of wanting to type, we'll slide past that.For years, until I was 15, I can't recall anything strange. I lived in the woods, but we moved when I was 15 to live with my aunt for a couple months. That's when we started seeing what we refer to as 'nonstar' now.One night I was lying in bed and felt that sensation of someone looking at you in the same room, but from the up above. You habitually look towards the energy when someone directs it at you so I looked up and saw what was looking I guess, a red, green, yellow, and blue light hovering outside my window. Weird, but I didn't want to admit that I saw it so I kept it to myself for the first couple weeks. Until I had a pretty good idea to when I could get my mother and aunt to see what I was talking about. It would appear around 10 every night and so I felt confident sharing. We watched it with binoculars and decided to call it a weather balloon after a week or so, so it wasn't abnormal to have outside and go on with life.From then to around a year ago I would have times when I'd see it, but when it's not daily, it doesn't seem as significant to me, but it's getting stranger now.Around a year ago, I saw a beautiful blue asteroid fall behind my great-grandmother's house across the road from my driveway while coming home one night. I kept looking up when I turned mostly because I wanted to keep my eyes ready to see another of whatever I just saw. When I turned though, I made eye contact with the same thing that was outside my window every night for months, that I was aware of, when I was 15. I woke up my mother to show her, but she said it's been there every night for about a week now. If it was going to hurt us, it would already, go to bed.I did, but the next night I got her and my sister involved in watching it. We watched it for around 30 minutes out of our kitchen window. It hovered, figure-eighted, floated down and up gracefully while changing its lights. I got my sister's telescope and saw the bottom which looks like a strip of lights going really fast. As we were watching, a pack of coyotes came to our back yard and started howling. At that moment, a bright blue shot out of the bottom for around a two second time, strange. I'm trying to figure out what it is, and in the process read a few things. It sounds like the people in 1976 in Tehran saw a similar object. It pulsates lights quickly, in different patterns. It can have four smaller ones in a diamond shape that appear to do different light patterns around it. What troubles my sister and me most from it is the heaviness that you feel on the top of your head when it's out and the strangest vibration sound that is heard through the house when it's there.I'm from a small town, you don't declare you are seeing things in the sky in a place like I grew up so we're really in the dark about what this is and it's still affecting us so any information about what that is would be amazing! I know how it sounds, but I really am doing this as a last resort for answers. We've also started seeing a low to the ground yellow orb that looks more like the white light I saw as a little girl when it's higher in the sky. That started last week. Within the week I've seen it with others twice. It moves about, the one we see routinely hovers until mornings. Then it either slowly flies away or dims until its gone.Now I also saw I could click that black helicopters have been sighted and they honestly have given me the worst experience out of my family's unexplained files as I like to call them. We see them fly over routinely, and that doesn't bother me until they start doing things that I can't believe is by policy.My sister and I were sitting in our living room watching something on Netflix. Then Boom! It sounded like a bomb, one second, the rumble started. It came closer and closer until it hit the glass of the front house windows. There was a strong, violating vibration that shook every organ of my body, saw it shake the ground, my sister, and hit the back of the house windows. We jump up and hold one another. We both, from what we just felt, thought we must've just been attacked by an enemy of our country. Then here comes the black helicopters. There were at least 8 of the regular black helicopters and then a black double winged helicopter in the middle. Immediately after seeing that coming towards the house, I ran towards the back door so they could watch me watch them doing whatever they were doing because it upset me. My sister came too with her phone out and got a great picture of the big one in the middle's back hatch open. I don't have the file to send now, but can if you'd like to see. We went in to look up what had shaken through us on her computer, with three fire walls. We find what it was, spot on with our picture. Her computer goes black. She immediately started getting expressive because of what had happened. She explained that her computer was hacked and wiped. When it reloaded it loaded to the sites she used the day prior. If violating us with a vibrational frequency or whatever it was wasn't enough, violating computer usage too. That's awful. We got back to the site though and found out what it was. A new model of the line of unmarked helicopters from ft.Campbell that is to be used in military services in battle scenarios. We read the hatch would only be open during battle scenarios so why did we feel and see what we did? If you have any information, any idea as to what happened, especially about the helicopters antics, I'd be forever grateful. I don't like the idea of this happening to my family again without knowing what it is. Thanks for reading a brief summary on the strange happenings I am tired of knowing nothing about! Please let me know what you think is happening if you are educated on these topics! -**********A Sicilian priest and a soldier have been arrested for sexual abuse, which they carried out under the guise of spiritual 'healing', local media reported on Friday.The pair, both based in Palermo, used the pretext of liberating victims from demonic possession in order to abuse women and children. The two were named by media as Salvatore Anello, 59, who belonged to the Capuchin order, and Salvatore Muratore, 52, who worked for the Italian army in Palermo.The men reportedly convinced victims that they were possessed by evil spirits, before carrying out a 'healing prayer' in their homes which involved "repeatedly touching their genitals", Palermo Today reported.Anello was arrested at dawn on Friday morning and is being held in police custody, following a six-month long investigation into Muratore, who was a member of a local prayer group, and claimed to be able to perform exorcism.Muratore is thought to have abused at least four women and one girl, while the priest is charged with abusing two women and three minors.According to La Stampa, prosecutor Giorgia Righi said Muratore "took advantage of victims in a state of psychological fragility", and justified his groping by saying he was freeing the 'demon of lust'.The army said Muratore would be suspended immediately and that it would co-operate fully with investigations. - Exorcist priest and soldier arrested for sex abuse in Italy **********Two men camping out in the Michigan wilderness claim to have possibly encountered Bigfoot.A self-described avid outdoorsman posted about the experience on Reddit.Some in the comment thread responded, suggesting it was a cougar. But the user insists it was definitely running on two feet.**********
This series, Crooks, tells the forgotten stories behind some of the most outlandish crimes, and criminals, in Philadelphia history. See below for how to access these archives for yourself.



In 1938, as the United States continued to pull itself out of the Great Depression, unemployment rates in Philadelphia were around 25 percent.

Exploiting the financial consternation, two cousins from South Philadelphia that year initiated a murder-for-hire scheme preying on Italian immigrants that resulted in one of the most notorious crime sprees in city history.

Not all of their victims were even accounted for, but it was estimated that 50 to 100 people died.

For their efforts, Herman and Paul Petrillo were executed by electric chair in 1941: Paul in the spring, and Herman on Oct. 20.

Facing their own financial straits through the years, spaghetti salesman Herman Petrillo had become skilled in counterfeiting, while tailor Paul Petrillo had developed talents for insurance scams. They joined forces with another cousin, Morris Bolber, and created a "matrimonial agency" matching widowed women with new husbands, usually hapless Italian immigrants.

But they didn't do it in the name of love.

The criminal masterminds would also initiate life insurance policies for these new husbands, and see to it that they succumbed to "accidental" deaths shortly thereafter. Bolber would help file insurance claims to capitalize on a provision in the policies that allowed for double payment if the death was accidental.

The "accidents" ranged from drownings to poisonings, which led the local press to name the gang "Arsenic Incorporated."

The scam, which eventually included up to 24 participants, started to unravel in October 1938. Police were getting suspicious as more immigrants of similar circumstances were dying, their toxicology reports showing elevated levels of arsenic. One victim, a poor Italian laborer named Ferdinand Alfonsi, provided the link police needed to confirm a larger criminal conspiracy.

And then a snitch came forward.

Upholstery cleaner George Myers had approached Herman Petrillo for a loan to save his business. Herman said he would pay Myers $500 in cash to kill Alfonsi, after repeated attempts to poison the laborer were unsuccessful. Myers was instructed to hit Alfonsi with a lead pipe and then arrange the body to make it seem as if the dead man had suffered an accident. Uncomfortable with the agreement, Myers alerted the head of the Philadelphia branch of the U.S. Secret Service, which was already eyeing Petrillo for counterfeiting.

An undercover agent posed as a hit man and contracted with Petrillo to kill Alfonsi for the same $500. At the same time, the agent tried to get Petrillo to sell him counterfeit money.

While the money was being organized, Alfonsi was hospitalized with a serious ailment, and Petrillo called off the hit. In a conversation with the agent after Alfonsi's admittance, Petrillo said Alfonsi must have nine lives because Petrillo had given him enough arsenic to "kill six men," according to old news accounts.

Before his death, Alfonsi told police he had applied for life insurance several times, but his wife intercepted the mail and told him he was not approved. Investigators learned after Alfonsi's death that he had been approved for the insurance, and his wife was the beneficiary of a policy totaling more than $8,000 ($136,000 in today's dollars).

In the spring of 1939, 24 people were indicted, including the Petrillos, Bolber, and some of the so-called "black widows." Most were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Petrillos were sentenced to death.

About this Series:

Using the digital archives of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, Crooks tells the forgotten stories behind some of the most outlandish crimes, and criminals, in Philadelphia history. *Search the archives for yourself and subscribe for full access.*
Finally trashed by @realDonaldTrump. Will still reserve him a seat on the Blue Origin rocket. #sendDonaldtospace, Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos tweeted last December.

This was in response to Donald Trumps Twitter (TWTR) tirade claiming that Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, bought the newspaper for purposes of keeping taxes down at his no profit company, Amazon.

At the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit on Thursday, Bezos said at first, his instinct was to take Trumps personal attacks in jest. But, Bezos realized that its crucial for him to defend US democracy, which he said is being threatened by Trumps candidacy for president.

I should not have taken it lightly, he noted. One of the things that makes our country as amazing as it is is that we are allowed to criticize and scrutinize our elected leaders. There are other countries where if you criticize your elected leader youll go to jail, or worse, you may disappear.

Bezos said anyone running for president has the obligation to be as transparent as possible with the American populace.

The appropriate thing for a presidential candidate to do is to say, Im running for the highest office in the most important country in the world. Please scrutinize me. That would signal great confidence. That would be the leader thing to do, he said.

Instead, Bezos suggested, Trumps attacks on media and his claims that the election is rigged are just creating hostility and anger, without providing a solution.

Trying to chill the media and threaten retribution isnt appropriate. We have freedom of speech in this country. Its written in our Constitution. Except for our norms and behaviors, [the] Constitution is just a piece of paper, he said. We are not a new democracy. It is inappropriate for a presidential candidate to erode it around the edges. They should be trying to burnish it  not erode it.

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Chief Digital Officer Susan Poulton, left, works with Jacki Wahlquist, right, development coordinator at the Franklin Institute, as she tries out the HTC Vive Virtual Reality Head Mounted Display at the Franklin Institute. Read more

Barbara Maxwell, 79, leaning on a cane and wearing a cutting-edge HTC Vive virtual reality headset, stared with rapt attention in the general direction of a blank wall.

"I hear the sea!" she said to no one in particular. Then, looking off to her right, she met a blue whale face to face.

"Gosh, I'll say he's close!" she murmured. "He winked at me."

Maxwell, of Fairmount, a volunteer at the Franklin Institute, was there to help staffers practice introducing visitors to a new virtual reality experience called the Holodeck, where they can try out the latest in immersive and mindblowing VR technology, like the Vive and Oculus Rift.

It's part of a push into virtual reality across the museum, which plans to distribute thousands of Google Cardboard VR headsets and to place pop-up VR stations in the exhibits Your Brain, the Giant Heart, and Space Command to showcase relevant content, like brain surgery or tours of the International Space Station.

Franklin Institute staffers believe it to be the most extensive VR experience in any museum in the world. It reflects a broader investment in technology for the museum, which hired its first chief digital officer, Susan Poulton, last year and next week will launch an expansive mobile app. The "geo-fenced" app knows to toggle between an on-site mode, with features like an interactive museum map with turn-by-turn navigation (guided by 250 Bluetooth-enabled beacons), and an off-site version where viewers can access science content, including a library of curated VR science videos, from anywhere.

"The first public display of television was here at the Franklin Institute in the 1930s," said Larry Dubinski, the museum's president. "So that notion of making the latest and greatest technology accessible continues with this."

Right now, Poulton believes VR is the latest and greatest. Google Cardboard, a low-cost viewing device at $15, first put it within reach of the masses, and this summer, long-awaited Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets finally shipped to consumers (at least those willing to pay a few thousand dollars for an at-home VR set-up).

At the Franklin Institute, which will officially launch its VR initiative Tuesday, visitors will get the chance to explore immersive content such as a walk around the ocean floor, an encounter with a blue whale, and a three-dimensional painting session with TiltBrush, a dazzling VR app that allows users to build layers of color all around them.

On one level, it's just cool to see. On another, it's meant to serve as a model for institutions around the world, Poulton said.

"It's demonstrating that museums can be on the forefront of evolving technology instead of waiting for those technologies to play out. Museums are not traditionally seen as at the bleeding edge of new technology -- they're seen as these dusty old places -- but that's an important evolution museums have to go through. This is an important exercise in the future of museums."

The VR initiative represents an initial investment of about $500,000, which is modest by museum standards, and much of the content will be based in pop-up viewing stations.

"We're looking to demonstrate that this doesn't have to be an all-in, multimillion dollar experience," Poulton said. But, she added, museums need to be more nimble, and to think about developing projects over months, not years.

That's particularly crucial in showing technology, which is evolving quickly. Poulton hopes to bring in even more cutting-edge systems; she's trying to obtain a Microsoft HoloLens, a VR headset that's still in development. And she wants to be ready to pivot to whatever's next. That could be augmented reality or "mixed reality," a technology that would bring the three-dimensional immediacy of VR into experiences laid over the real world.

Augmented reality may well be the next step in the Franklin Institute's digital evolution.

"Pokemon Go definitely catapulted augmented reality into the public realm," Poulton said. Before, the general public wasn't used to walking around, holding up their phone as a filter to the world around them. "Now, it's a behavior a lot more people are familiar with, and comfortable with."

For now, the museum is working to expand its own VR library, which includes content from partners like NASA and Surgical Theater, which created abbreviated versions of content designed for physician training. Poulton also hopes to become a training hub for VR filmmakers and to partner with them to generate more content. So far, she's worked on one VR film, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The video takes viewers on a dive off the research vessel EV Nautilus to a depth of 600 feet below the ocean surface.

"Our goal is to educate and inspire," Dubinski said. "When you look at virtual reality, what a great way to do that."
Richie Says...

The region with the green overlay is that of the Vancouver Coast and Mountains.

Some of the Best Photos from Squamish and Pemberton:

Wade Simmons samples some of Squamish's singletrack. Image by Margus Riga.

On the south side of town is Britania Beach and the views are unbelievable. Image by Ale Di Lullo.

Rock slabs litter the woods and James Doerfling makes quick work of this one. Image by AJ Barlas.

Squamish was one of the first towns to have a machine build trail like those found in bike parks. Image by AJ Barlas.

After a big day in Squamish, be sure to hit Mags 99. Image by Ale Di Lullo.

Pemberton is littered with stunning views of its own. Image by AJ Barlas.

If you are keen to climb, then Pemberton is the place where you will be rewarded. Image by Sterling Lorence.

Mike Kazimer hits up some old school DH trails in Pemberton. Image by Sterling Lorence.

The views in the background make the trip to Pemberton one that you will always remember. Image by Nathan Hughes.

Videos that represent Squamish and Pemberton:

Check Out The Trails:

Other Useful Links:

The Vancouver, Coast, and Mountains region offers diversity at many levels; the interface between urban and wilderness, accessibility of metropolitan lifestyle with trails right out your back door, difficulty ranging from gnarly to family friendly, a mix of old school and new, and the birthplace of the North Shore style of freeride. Its a place where any self-respecting mountain biker will feel at home.A single track assault on your riding senses from Sid Slotegraaf and Ricky Federau:Squamish's Reuben Krabbe is a professional photographer and he wants to show you his town:The BCBR makes Squamish an annual stop during its week-long event. The trails and community show the riders nothing but a good time:Squamish-based, WC DH and EWS racer, Miranda Miller shows us some road, XC and DH trail offerings in her hometown:Growing up in the Sea to Sky really helps to shape one's youth, imagine if you grew up like Seth did:James Doerfling and Sid Slotegraaf tear up the trails in Pemberton, BC:Pemberton's annual Nimby Fifty XC race brings out riders from all over to take on the beautiful trails above town:Blake Jorgenson is a professional photographer from the Sea to Sky region and he's shot in the Pemberton zone for years:Freeriding is alive and well in Pemberton:Classic Pemberton trails with Max Horner:Images by Margus Riga, AJ Barlas, Sterling Lorence, Rob Dunnet, and Ale di Lullo.
* Canadian trade minister heads back to Canada

* EU Commission believes process not over -source

* Ball is in EU's court, says member of Canadian government

* Raises concerns of impact on other EU trade deals (Adds Canada saying ball is now in EU's court)

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Canada's trade minister walked out of talks in Belgium on Friday, declaring that the European Union was incapable of sealing a planned transatlantic free trade deal designed to boost growth in both economies.

All 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but Belgium cannot give assent without backing from its five sub-federal administrations, and French-speaking Wallonia has steadfastly opposed it.

The agreement, the EU's first with a G7 country, would according to supporters increase trade between the partners by 20 percent, boosting the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($13 billion) per year and Canada's by C$12 billion ($9 billion).

A visibly shaken Chrystia Freeland, Canada's trade minister, emerged after a full day of talks with chief Canadian and EU trade negotiators and Walloon Premier Paul Magnette.

"Canada has worked, and I personally have worked, very hard. But it is now evident to me, evident to Canada, that the European Union is incapable of reaching an agreement - even with a country with European values such as Canada," she said.

"Canada is disappointed and I personally am disappointed, but I think it's impossible," she continued, adding she was heading home.

A source in the EU's executive European Commission said it had not yet given up hope of reaching a deal. Separately, EU trade commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom said in a tweet she was sad talks had halted, but still hoped to find a solution.

Wallonia is home to about 3.5 million people, less than 1 percent of the 507 million Europeans CETA would affect, but the EU's flagship trade project rests on the will of its government.

It continued to have concerns about the threat of surging pork and beef imports from Canada and an independent court system to settle disputes between states and foreign investors, which critics say may be used by multinationals to dictate public policy.

Story continues

Many EU leaders also suspect the local government in Namur of using its devolved powers to play domestic politics.

CETA was in theory due to be signed at an EU-Canada summit next Thursday in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"We feel we've done everything we can do. The ball is in their court," Freeland's deputy, David Lametti, told reporters in Ottawa. Asked whether Canada had any more room to be flexible, he replied: "It's fair to say we would continue to negotiate in good faith."

A source familiar with the matter said Trudeau had set a deadline of Monday to decide whether to fly to Brussels. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

IMPACT FOR BREXIT?

Failure to strike a deal with such a like-minded country as Canada would call into question the EU's ability to forge other deals and undermine a bloc already battered by Britain's vote to leave and disputes over Europe's migration crisis.

The walkout came as leaders concluded a two-day EU summit in Brussels with trade policy the main topic set for Friday. European Council President Donald Tusk, chairing the summit, said that Europe's credibility was at stake.

The issue is greater than just a trade deal with Canada, the EU's 12th-largest trading partner.

If CETA fails, the EU's hopes of completing similar deals with the United States or Japan and opening up new talks with partners such as Australia and New Zealand would be in tatters.

Britain, which plans to form a new trading relationship with the EU 27 after it has exited the bloc, may be watching with concern.

"If there are all these disagreements to have a simple trade agreement with Canada, just imagine an agreement with the United Kingdom," said Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Geert Bourgeois, premier of Belgium's Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, called the deadlock over CETA a disgrace.

"It beggars belief... It is a disgrace for Europe. If there is one task Europe has, it is to conclude trade deals. We are way too small to do this on our own," he told Reuters.

Walloon's lawmakers share concerns voiced by many on the European left that CETA, and a stalled plan for a similar deal with the United States, risk watering down consumer, labour and environmental protections and granting power to multinationals.

($1 = 0.9200 euros)

($1 = 1.3330 Canadian dollars)

(Additional reporting by Alissa De Carbonnel and Alastair Macdonald and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels, David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by John Stonestreet and Dan Grebler)
Born in London in 1922, he was interested in astronomy from an early age. He had hoped to attend the University of London, but during World War II, many universities were relocated to the countryside for protection, and Whitaker stayed close to home to help support his ailing mother. He found a job with Seimens, where he worked on a secret project to pump fuel across the English Channel to Allied forces in France. The project, coincidentally enough, was called PLUTO: PipeLines Under The Ocean.

At Seimens, Whitaker checked the quality of pipeline samples using spectroscopy. He was happy to learn the technique, he told me, because, "Whooothey use spectroscopy [to study] stars, don't they?"

After the war, he landed a job at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he found he there was ample telescope time available on nights when the moon was up.

"'That darn moon puts a light up in the sky at night so we cant take long exposure pictures of our faint galaxies'This was the general thought at the time," he said. "The moon was just a dead lump of rock that everyone knows about."

At the time, the International Astronomical Union's official moon map, published in 1935, was hand-drawn. Whitaker began updating it in his spare time, and in 1955, he met Gerard Kuiper at an IAU conference in Dublin, Ireland. At one session, Kuiper announced he was seeking feedback for a project to create a photographic lunar altas. Out of all the attendees at the conference, Whitaker was the only person to write Kuiper and express interest.

The two struck up what Whitaker deemed a "lively correspondence," in which Whitakerbearing no academic degreespolitely but confidently explained to Kuipera leading astronomerhow the atlas might be improved. Kuiper valued the input, and the Whitaker family moved to America in 1958 to join Kuiper at the University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory. Two years later, the team relocated to Tucson to found the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, one of the world's first research institutions dedicated to planetary science.

During the 1960s, the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory went on to publish three more lunar atlases, the latter of which was created using a large, NASA-funded telescope in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Today, the lab continues to be at the forefront of planetary exploration; science operations for the HiRISE camera and OSIRIS-REx, for instance, are carried out here.

And it all started with a small handful of scientists that included Whitaker.

After the landing of Surveyor 1 in 1966, panoramic surface photographs were matched with Lunar Orbiter imagery to pinpoint the lander's location. Whitaker didn't agree with the results, and decided to perform his own analysis"a little more carefully, probably," he said. He came up with an alternate set of coordinates and published them in Science, and NASA, in Whitaker's words, decided, "Oh. I think he's right."

When Surveyor 3 landed in 1967, NASA sought out Whitaker's help directly: "You're the guy who found Surveyor 1you can find Surveyor 3. Please?" After 23 hours of work, he succeeded.

During Apollo 11's descent, Neil Armstrong famously altered the lunar module's trajectory at the last minute to avoid a field of boulders. Before NASA could visit more ambitious sites in subsuquent Apollo missions, engineers and managers still wanted to demonstrate a bulls-eye landing. The agency needed a known location on the surface to use as a target, and thanks to Whitaker, they had one: Surveyor 3.

Apollo 12 landed near Surveyor 3 in late 1969. Upon seeing the spacecraft during their first moonwalk, astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean were overjoyed:
A new website created by Demand Progress aims to give the public unfettered access to thousands of taxpayer-funded nonpartisan and unclassified reports, previously available only to anyone who paid for access or was staffing Congress. The new site shares all reports from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) that were available on Congresss internal websiteover 8,000 in total.

The CRS acts as an arm of the legislative branch, researching and reporting on topics of interest to Congress. Its work, funded by the taxpayers, is high quality non-partisan research and analysis, but has never been readily available to the public. CRS has repeatedly argued against releasing its products, citing various legal, cost, technical, and other issues, and Congress has yet to tell CRS to make those products public.

POGO has long carried the torch for releasing CRS reports, emphasizing the rights of taxpayers to access information that should be publicly availablecalling it Washingtons Best Kept Secretand debunking CRSs arguments for secrecy. Others countered the CRSs arguments, as well, including former CRS researcher Kevin Kosar.

Still, Demand Progress addressed some of the concerns raised by CRS, adding a disclaimer about copyright to the reports and redacting the names and contact information of researchers.

Through the site EveryCRSReport.com, the public can access the same unbiased and unredacted research and analysis that Members of Congress read. As a resource, it is a great boon for journalists, students, and any taxpayer seeking insight on issues of public debate. The site has over 8,200 downloadable and searchable reports, and shares its code through GitHub. By becoming open source, the site increases access to developers that can build in more features and help make CRS reports even more accessible.

EveryCRSReport.com sorts everything into 31 subjects, and each subject has an RSS feed that will update anyone interested in following specific policy research published by the Congressional think tank.

The push to get CRS itself to release the reports isnt over. This year, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and John McCain (R-AZ) and Representatives Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced bipartisan bicameral legislation as the most recent Congressional effort to grant public access to these reports.

In the meantime, EveryCRSReport.com may send visitors on a deep dive into US relations with Venezuela or on a coding spree to help improve access and add features to the site. For the bipartisan coalition of groups that advocated for this public release and online access, it may send us into a victory dance to culminate over 20 years of advocating for free taxpayer access to CRS reports. The most important reaction, though, should be to take advantage of the same unredacted high-quality research that has been informing Members of Congress for decades.
Yesterday when Modoc (CA) County Sheriffs Deputy Jack Hopkins was shot and killed responding to a disturbance call he became the fourth California officer killed in the line of duty this month.

On Oct. 6, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Sgt. Steve Owen was fatally shot as he responded to a burglary report.

Trenton Trevon Lovell, 27, was charged with murdering Owen, attempted murder of a second sheriffs deputy, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts each of residential robbery and false imprisonment, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Days later, Palm Springs Police officers Lesley Zerebny, 27, and Jose Gil Vega, 63, were shot and killed in what officials said was a planned attack.

Riverside County Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin said John Hernandez Felix, 26, was prepared for the Oct. 8 attack and set up a trap. Felix ambushed the officers as they stood outside his door, Hestrin said.
Officer Richard Cintolo (Photo: Boston PD)

One of two Boston Police officers who were shot in East Boston last week has been released from the hospital.

Boston Police announced via Twitter Wednesday Officer Richard Cintolo was discharged from the hospital.

Hes happy to be home and grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support, Boston Police said.

Officer Matt Morris, the second officer injured in the shootout, is still recovering in the hospital, WHDH TV reports.

Boston Police responded to a call for a possible domestic incident at 136 Gladstone St. before 11 p.m. on Oct. 12 night.

Kirk Figueroa, 33, is accused of shooting two officers in Boston following a domestic incident. Figueroa was sworn in as a constable in the city of Boston in July of 2016.

Figueroas roommate said they had been arguing about the apartments heat when Figueroa threatened him with a knife.

When police arrived on the scene, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said Figueroa displayed a rifle and opened fire. Officers exchanged gunfire with Figueroa, who was wearing a ballistic vest, before he was shot and killed.
VIDEO: Palm Springs Chief at Fallen Officers' Memorial: It's Time to Stop Ignoring "Red Flags"

At Tuesdays memorial for two slain Palm Springs, CA, police officers, the citys police chief gave this powerful speech:

Good morning.

I say good morning because, although we are all gathered here today because of the tragic loss of peace officers Gil Vega and Lesley Zerebny, today people throughout our country will learn how wonderful these two Palm Springs guardians were, the way they lived and what they left behind.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Lesleys husband, Zach, their 4-month-old daughter Cora and the entire Zerebny family, Lesleys father David, mother Luanne and her extended family.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Gil Vegas wife, Susana, your 9-year-old daughter Vanessa, Gils seven adult children, and the entire Vega family.

The city of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Police Department appreciate the time that all of you have taken out of your lives to come to our wonderful city to support the families of our fallen heroes and our police department.

It is my understanding that we have agencies present from throughout the United States, so I will start off with providing you with an understanding of our police department and our community.

We are allocated 96 sworn officers, 41 non-sworn support staff. We have a permanent population just shy of 50,000 that can double on any given day given that our city is a very popular tourist destination.

The city subscribes to the belief that the people are the city. Like no place else is our brand. We have an office of neighborhood involvement that coordinates the effort of 42 organized neighborhoods within the city limits of Palm Springs. Two officers, a sergeant and a lieutenant are assigned to every single neighborhood. We attend quarterly, bi-annual and annual meetings.

We have a tremendous relationship with our community and our local tribe, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Our police department has a Citizens Police Academy, LGBT Outreach Committee, Police Advisory Board, and we collaborate with the Human Rights Commission to create equality for all who live, work and visit this great city.

We do not experience much gang-related crime, and we did not experience any homicides this entire year  up until this tragedy. So, with all this in place, how does such a tragedy occur in such an environment with so many people working together every day to make this city a better place for all to enjoy.

All I can say is this: The threat to law enforcement throughout our country is very real. No community is exempt to such a tragedy.

The subject  and I say subject because I refuse to identify him by name. He doesnt meet the definition of a man in my book, so therefore I will proceed with subject. The subject responsible for this tragedy grew up within Palm Springs, attended our schools and lived a life of criminal behavior.

On Oct. 8, he murdered two of our officers and injured a third. What a very troubling time this is in that the moral compass has shifted to the degree in that a subject such as this one chose to arm himself with a rifle and murder officers simply because they responded to a call for service regarding a family disturbance

Enough is enough.

Our law enforcement brothers and sisters throughout the country are growing tired of this unacceptable behavior. People need to start taking responsibility for their own households and stop ignoring the signs of escalating violent behavior.

Interrupted by applause.

Start paying attention to the red flags that are evident in all tragic events. The Pulse Nightclub Tragedy in Florida. The terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. The murder of our Palm Springs police officers and countless other tragedies. They all had red flags that could have been brought to the attention of local law enforcement before it escalated to these levels.

For example, reading some of the Facebook posts of this subject responsible for the assassination of our officers, clearly depict  in my mind  a ticking time bomb. His friend was contacted by a local news outlet and quoted as saying "He was known to do drugs and carry weapons." When asked about the killing of our officers, we was also quoted as saying "Believe me, it dont surprise no one that knew him."

Quit ignoring the signs. Give a call to local law enforcement and give them the opportunity to address these subjects before it turns tragic. Keeping the community safe is a shared responsibility.

Now more than ever, our officers are trying to maintain peace and order during some of the most difficult times in policing history. We need to work harder with our communities to identify potential threats, because if we do not, we will continue to see grieving families. Children left behind without a mother or a father. And forever-changed police officers who are growing tired of these senseless acts of violence.

I want to take the time to address the Palm Springs Police Department retirees seated to the front right hand side of our room. Retired chiefs, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, detectives, officers and non-sworn staff  as you might imagine, I have a good understanding of the circumstances our officers found themselves in on Oct. 8. I understand their approach, their reaction when they are fired upon, their tactical movements in an effort to re-position, cover each other, assess the threat and engage in a fierce firefight, develop a plan to extract downed officers and subsequently arrange for the transport of the three injured officers.

The majority of this occurred with line-level officers that ranged from Officer Vegas 35 years of experience to an officer that just completed the field training program and, in fact, he was on his fourth day on his own. No one of the officers had a SWAT background, yet every single officer responded in the same manner  as a team. Tactics were on point. Decisions were quick. And they were all in, until the end. That says an awful lot about our field training officers and our line-level supervision and preparing our field personnel to address to most dangerous situations they can possibly face.

Sit there proudly knowing that we all walk in the footsteps of those who came before us. And know we all now walk in the footsteps of two heroes of our chosen profession.

Shortly, you are all going to hear from family and friends of Officer Vega and Officer Zerebny, You are going to learn that they are far more than police officers. They had a family just like you. Take the time to absorb what you see, what you hear and what you feel. Make a pledge to yourself that you will do a better job in your effects to strengthen the relationships you have with those around you all in an effort to never see, hear or feel the pain that we were all experiencing today.

To all my brothers and sisters, in our chosen profession, you are all supported, you are all loved and you are all appreciated. May you be blessed, for you are trying to keep the peace in the most difficult time in the history of policing.

Transcript by the Desert Sun.
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Its not just Donald Trumps presidential campaign that is crumbling in recent days. New polling indicates that he may be bringing down the Republicans Senate majority with him.

A survey released from WMUR/UNH on Thursday shows Democratic Senate candidate Maggie Hassan pulling into a nine-point lead over Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte in the New Hampshire Senate race.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

U.S. Senate:

Ayotte (R) 39%

Hassan (D) 48%

(WMUR/UNH, LV, 10/11-17)  PollingReport.com (@pollreport) October 20, 2016

The poll represents a seven-point shift toward the Democrat since the pollsters last survey and could be the difference-maker when it comes to Democrats winning a majority in the chamber.

The surge of momentum for Hassan comes on the heels of two major events: 1. The implosion of Donald Trumps campaign, and 2. Ayottes comments earlier in the month in which she said that Trump is a person children could look up to.

Well, I think that certainly there are many role models that we have, and I believe he can serve as president, and so absolutely I would do that, Ayotte said after being asked if she would consider the Republican nominee a role model.

Ayotte was forced to walk back the comment, saying she misspoke, but the damage clearly appears to be done.

The numbers out of New Hampshire are also consistent with polling out of other key states, like Nevada, which has shown a surprising late surge of momentum for Democratic Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto. After trailing in most polls throughout the year, Cortez Mastos recent surge now has her leading the race by an average of 2.3 percentage points.

According to FiveThirtyEights forecast, the Democrats now have a 73 percent chance of retaking the Senate on Nov. 8, and its in large part because of these two key races.

Donald Trumps unraveling presidential campaign is clearly taking a toll on down-ballot Senate races with less than three weeks until Election Day.
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President Obama dropped a truth bomb on Donald Trump that was so devastating that Republicans will be feeling its shock waves for years to come.

Video:

Watching Obama talk about Trumpwith the sound offis amazing pic.twitter.com/0JzHlU2mdQ  Andrew Katz (@katz) October 20, 2016

While speaking for Hillary Clinton in Miami, FL, President Obama said:



This is more than just the usual standard lie, Obama said forcefully, speaking at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Miami. Because when you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence, when last night, at the debate, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in American history to suggest that he will not concede despite losing the vote and then says today that he will accept the results if he wins  that is not a joking matter.

I want everybody to pay attention here. That is dangerous. Because when you try to sow the seeds of doubt in peoples minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy. Then youre doing the work of our adversaries for them. Because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters, that those who occupy the seats of power were chosen by the people.

Republicans want the American people to look at Donald Trump as the exception, not the norm. The truth is that Trump is more representative of Republican voters than Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, John Kasich, or any of the other non-Trump faces that the GOP may put forward in the future.

The Presidents remarks illustrated how Trump is doing real damage to the Republican Party. In the future, Republicans are going to be known to the majority of the country as the party that nominated Donald Trump and his dangerous rhetoric to occupy the Oval Office.

Republicans spent the previous eight years trying make forgot about the presidency of George W. Bush. The GOP may spend another 8-80 years trying to make America forget about Donald Trump.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

Most Americans are aware that although the current political climate is increasingly dysfunctional with Republicans being led by a truly despicable presidential candidate, neither Donald Trump, the Republican Party nor its base represent all of America. It may appear that there is nothing good about this country or its people with the hate, bigotry and divisiveness dominating a fair portion of the population, but it is not typical of all Americans; a fact most people around the world comprehend. However, that is not the view from Iran or China and Americans have Donald J. Trump to thank for that sad, but true, fact.

For the first time ever, the Islamic Republic of Iran broadcast live the second, and third, American presidential debates to demonstrate the gross lack of virtues of liberal democracy. Key to the anti-American propaganda is Donald Trump where, in the first debate, he was busy trying to deny allegations of sexual assault and threatening to throw Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in prison. Even in Iran criminals get a trial, but Trump portrayed America as a lawless backwater where a presidential candidate can cavalierly just threaten to toss his rival in jail.

Trump portrayed America as an immoral and lawless nation to such an extent, and great delight of Irans leadership, that they abandoned any current anti-American propaganda crusade and instead aired last nights debate in Las Vegas. In fact, the debate was broadcast live on three television channels to allow Iranians that speak English, Persian, or Arabic to learn firsthand what the merits of American democracy according to Donald J. Trump look like live and in color on Iranian television.

Apparently, the Iranian leadership wants the entire Iranian population to observe exactly what is wrong with the so-called shining city on a hill, and exactly what a fair portion of the American populace believes in and supports; greed and an immoral, bigoted television celebrity who does not represent the majority of America. It is true he represents the very worst and lowest of this countrys population, but those malcontent haters certainly do not represent the majority of Americans.

Although the official position in Iran, and other anti-Western regimes, is that Americas leaders are amoral, greedy, and prone to violence, it is likely the Iranian Supreme Council reveled in allowing Donald Trump to make the case for them on live television. Iran, or China for that matter, has no need for anti-American propaganda when Donald Trump is delivering for them on a daily basis and during two widely-viewed national political debates.

As reported at Slate, Irans government-controlled media tends to enforce an official line depicting Washington as corrupt and aggressive, and Donald Trump fulfilled that depiction perfectly in the two debates aired on Iranian television. And, according to Bloomberg, besides broadcasting the debates live to demonstrate Americas dysfunctional politicians, a big recent hit on Iranian TV is House of Cards; the Netflix original program that portrays a Washington insider as a power-hungry and murderous manipulator in a nasty government environment. House of Card is wildly popular in Iran and massively popular in communist China; particularly among senior communist party leaders who see the television portrayal of Washingtons sordid underbelly as an accurate portrayal of American government to sell to their population.

As noted above, Donald Trump is big news around the world, but particularly so in Iran since the emergence of video of him boasting about using his wealth and celebrity status to sexually assault women with impunity. Photos and caricatures of the Republican standard bearer have dominated Iranian newspapers, such as the moderate Jahan-e Eqtesad, a daily paper that recently asked in a headline emblazoned across a photo of a finger-wagging Trump, Is this the end of the populist?

If they didnt already, most Iranians now tend toward believing that Donald Trump epitomizes the Ugly American; violent, loud, entitled, crazy and patently immoral. A 60-year-old taxi driver in Tehran said, I was watching that blond man on TV, on the news - and he says the most violent, awful things. Another Iranian, a 34-year-old teacher in Tehran who declined to give his full name said, I dont want Trump to win because he seems crazy and he doesnt really seem to know anything about Iran. And, the academic and broadcast authority adviser for Iranian television, a man named Izadi, said this weeks programming was particularly important because although a show like House of Cards is Hollywood, its fiction. Were not talking about fiction when we talk about Trump; its reality and its a sad reality.

Izadi will not get much argument from a majority of Americans who also see Donald Trumps rise to dominate the Republican Party as a very sad reality; for America, its population, and its reputation around the world. Most Americans probably are unaware that citizens of other countries, including Middle Eastern Muslim nations, are more finely attuned and informed about American politics and the government than the majority of Americans; the majority of whom (74 percent) are stumped when asked to name the three branches of Americas government. Whatever comprehension world citizens may have had about America being a little friendlier and saner under President Obama than the previous Republican administration has been put in question by the likes of Donald Trump and his rabidly hateful base.

Americans do have a lot to be proud of because in the final analysis this country is exceptional, but with Donald Trump leading one of the two major political parties, that pride is overshadowed by anti-American propaganda courtesy of Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party. Although it is a source of shame for decent Americans, the Iranian government likely is pleased that Donald Trump provided a stellar bit of anti-American propaganda that did more damage than anything the Supreme Council could have ever fabricated and they likely send him their heartfelt gratitude for doing their dirty anti-American propaganda work without any expectation of remuneration.
A major fallout from the housing crisis has improved to the lowest level since then.

Distressed sales  foreclosures and short sales  as a percent of residential sales fell to 4% in September.

That's the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors' record keeping began in October 2008.

After the economic crisis, many homeowners sold their homes for less than the amount owed on their mortgage to avoid entering foreclosure, or a bank takeover for non-payment.

Distressed and short sales made up about a third to half of all sales in 2012.

But as home prices rose and the economy improved, the number of distressed sales fell. Foreclosed homes made up 3% of sales in September, while short sales were just 1%.

distressed house sales COTD

In September, total existing home sales rose by 3.2% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.47 million in September, according to the NAR. Sales rose as first-time homebuyers faced less competition in the market from others who were looking to close deals before the start of the new school year.

Economists had forecast that sales increased by 0.4% in September at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million, according to Bloomberg.

The housing market continues to face an inventory crunch, which is lifting prices. Total housing inventory rose at the end of September, but was still down 7% from a year ago. It has fallen year-over-year for 16 straight months.

Homes were sold the quickest in San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver.

"Unfortunately, there won't be much relief from new home construction, which continues to be grossly inadequate in relation to demand," said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist, in the release.

Still, economists are optimistic on the housing market's outlook.

"Current mortgage rates hovering near historic lows combined with increases in wages remain the key drivers of growth in the housing market, as they continue to soften the impact of rising prices and offer consumers increased leverage and buoyed home-buying power," said Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American, in a preview.





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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

As this column has noted more than a couple of times during this terribly long presidential campaign, it is a fairly big deal when a candidate is considered so incredibly superior to their opponent that some media outlet, like a newspaper, gives a ringing endorsement. Although endorsements for Republican standard bearer and bigoted fascist Donald J. Trump have been few and far between, it would be negligent and unfair to ignore an endorsement from his staunchest demographic; particularly after commenting on endorsements for Hillary Clinton by the Washington Post and New York Times. So, in the spirit of fairness, it was probably very good news for the Trump campaign that the Ku Klux Klans official newspaper endorsed the hotel magnate and white supremacist on Wednesday.

In the latest edition of the KKKs official newspaper, the Crusader, the one with a picture of Donald Trump gracing the cover, the editors gave Donald J. Trump a glowing endorsement and support for his candidacy and promised that Trump is finally bringing about a resurgence of white supremacy.

It is noteworthy that the KKK is second only to the Republican Party as Americas largest de facto white identity organization. It is only the past year that the GOP abandoned its typical electoral strategy of using subtle dog whistles to garner a majority of white racists votes and opted for overt white racism. Since that abandonment is primarily due to Donald Trump abandoning any pretense of dog whistle racism and bigotry, the Ku Klux Klan feels emboldened that one of their brethren is seeking the highest office in the land. Trump has given white supremacists a clear signal that making America great again means making America white and Christian; something the Founding Fathers opposed and the Constitution prohibits.

In part, the Crusaders endorsement sought to clarify whatever misconception voters might have had that Donald Trumps campaign slogan, Make America Great Again, is not in any way, shape or form race neutral or about freedom of religion. The KKK paper wrote:

Make American Great Again! It is a slogan that has been repeatedly used by Donald Trump in his campaign for the presidency. You can see it on the shirts, buttons, posters and ball caps such as the one being worn here by Trump speaking at a recent rally . . . But can it happen? Can America really be great again? This is what we will soon found out! While Trump wants to make America great again, we have to ask ourselves, What made America great in the first place? The short answer to that is simple. America was great not because of what our forefathers did  but because of who are forefathers were, America was founded as a White Christian Republic. And as a White Christian Republic it became great.

So, not only is the KKK endorsement categorically racist, it is fundamentally false. White supremacists are either liars on par with their hero or too stupid to comprehend America was never founded as a white Christian Republic according to the white Founding Fathers. But that is not the point. The point is that Trump has incited the white supremacist sect in America and now that he is their champion, he can stop the pretense that he is not a white supremacist that fits perfectly with the KKK mold. This endorsement should not be a surprise because barely two weeks ago the editor of the white supremacist website Daily Stormer, Andrew Anglin, told the Los Angeles Times that Virtually every alt-right Nazi I know is volunteering for the Trump campaign.

With his campaign struggling, it is not certain whether Mr. Trump will embrace the white supremacist newspaper endorsement or pretend he has never heard the term white supremacy. It is, after all what he said in the past. Just six months ago when reporters asked Trump about earning an endorsement from the former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, Trump lied and said, I dont know anything about what youre even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacist. So I dont know. I dont know. I know nothing about white supremacists.

Of course everything issuing forth from Donald Trumps racist mouth is a lie, but to say he knows nothing about white supremacists has got to be on the same mendacity level as claiming he respects women. For example, Fortune reported that for not knowing anything about white supremacists, it is curious that Donald Trump has personally retweeted at least 75 separate posts directly from other white supremacists.

And, this is not just down to Donald Trumps white supremacist leanings. The leadership of the Republican Party gladly accepted the white supremacists support for the GOP standard bearer when, during Trumps acceptance speech at the RNC, the Party displayed Twitter comments of a known racist on four large screens around the venue for all the other white supremacist Republicans to see, to celebrate, and to draw encouragement from.

Although Donald Trump has worked diligently to earn an endorsement from the Ku Klux Klan, and although the GOP has been pandering to the white supremacist crowd for decades, it is fair to say the Republican Partys white supremacy and rank racism is now popular among the faithful and considered mainstream on the right.

Of course the Crusaders endorsement is not the kind of support, or characterization, any decent human being would relish. However, with Donald Trump struggling to garner electoral support and to feed his oversized ego, it is fair to say that Trump will accept the endorsement as a sign that the time is right to officially ramp up his appeal to bigots and hate-mongers on the fringes of the alt-right Nazi movement with a new campaign pledge to make America white and Christian like the KKK demands.

image: OccupyDemocrats
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In an op-ed appearing in Time, Frankin Roosevelts grandson, Frank Roosevelt, cites FDRs words, that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Acknowledging the truth of this, he says, there is only one logical step to take:



On one hand, we can choose a candidate who is thoughtful, steady, and hopeful about Americas future and wants to work together with everyone to build it. On the other, we can choose a candidate who plays off fear, offering policies of hate and division that risk tearing our country apart.

Frank Roosevelts praise of Hillary Clinton is unstinting. He explains,

True leaders believe in the strength of their people. Hillary believes that the American people can weather any storm if they do it together. Over the course of her illustrious career, she has demonstrated the toughness, compassion, and temperament that one must have to meet the challenges of the highest office in the land. She knows that leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the roomits about having an open mind and a steady hand. And just like my grandfather, shes determined to bring everyone together. She believes that in this great country it is our duty to ensure that no one is left out and everyone has a fair shot at success, especially our children.

Roosevelts coalition fell apart after his death in early 1945. Conservatives who had long bridled at the threat to the old status quo posed by the New Deal, were quick to organize and attack. A lesson that can be taken from this is that it is more difficult to bring people together than it is to tear them apart.

As a result, our country endured McCarthyism and Hollywood blacklisting. There were anti-communist witch hunts and the pervading wisdom of the era was that there was no effective difference between liberals and communists.

Our nation saw ideological tests. Trump wants to bring those back. He wants to introduce a new generation to the horrors of McCarthyism.

Donald Trump is capitalizing on these old fears and animosities. Like Republicans then, he claims he wants to make America great again by taking it back from subversive foreign elements. As then, so now, as Trump points to globalism (which he once advocated) and Jews (international banking) as the enemy.

Frank Roosevelt points out that,

When it comes down to it, Trump has made clear he does not believe in the biggest asset of Americaour people.

Unless theyre Trumps angry white base. Like the Republicans of the McCarthy era, Trump does not see anyone who is not white and at least ostensibly Christian as deserving of our countrys blessings.

As Frank Roosevelt says, Hillary Clinton embodies FDRs spirit while Donald Trump uses fear in order to benefit only himself.
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Trump surrogate and former Republican Gov. Jan Brewer might have handed the state to Hillary Clinton by proclaiming that Trump will carry the state because Hispanics dont vote.

The Boston Globe reported:



There are other states right now that are very close contests, but even if we manage to pull off a win [it] would not have that same symbolic significance as Arizona, said Brian Fallon, the Clinton campaign press secretary. I think that speaks to demographic changes in the country that are really upending the normal map.

Some Republicans dismissed the notion that Democratic-leaning Hispanics will become a significant enough force to tip the balance to Clinton.

Nah, former Arizona governor Jan Brewer said in an interview. They dont get out and vote.

It sounds like Brewer was issuing a challenge to Arizonas Hispanic voters. If Hispanic voters set out to prove the former governor wrong, they will not only validate the perception of their growing political power. Arizona Hispanics will also play a big role in sending Hillary Clinton to the White House while rejecting Donald Trump.

Donald Trumps surrogates have been some of the worst enemies of the Republican Party during the 2016 election. There were reports one month ago that Latino anger at Trump was motivating them to get out and vote for Clinton in Arizona.

Jan Brewers comments may launch the wave that turns Arizona blue in November.

Brewer says that Hispanics dont vote, so it is up to them to prove her wrong.
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Bridget Kelly, a former top aide to Gov. Chris Christie, is speaking on the witness stand and detailing all of Christies knowledge about the illegal bridge closures that could land the New Jersey Republican in prison.

Andrea Bernstein of WNYC tweeted the details of Kellys testimony:

BREAKING #BRIDGEGATE: Frmr Christie aide Kelly says she got OK from gov for traffic study before she sentTime for traffic problems email 1  Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) October 21, 2016

2/ BREAKING BRIDGEGATE Kelly said Christies response to info the @PANYNJ was doing a study Whats our relationship with Mayor Sokolich?  Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) October 21, 2016

BREAKING BRIDGEGATE 3/ Kelly says she discussed Mayor Sokolichs public safety complaints with Christie on 9/11/13, while closures were on  Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) October 21, 2016

BREAKING BRIDGEGATE 4 Kelly, in tears sez Christie threw a water bottle at her and said What do you think I am a fucking game show host?  Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) October 21, 2016

Bridgegate Defendant says Christie knew about the lane closures and gave his consent before she sent Time for some traffic problems email pic.twitter.com/M2rV20gf7j  Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) October 21, 2016

A judge had already found probable cause and issued a criminal summons for a complaint of official misconduct in office against Gov. Christie. The case is now with the Bergen County Prosecutors Office, which will determine if a criminal indictment will be issued against Christie.

Kellys testimony flies directly in the face of Christies claims that he knew nothing about what his top aides were doing. Her testimony is gigantic in the respect that it provides the prosecutors investigating Christie with an eyewitness account of what the governor knew and when he knew it.

The dots are being connected in the Bridgegate case, and Kellys account is another piece of the puzzle that could end with Chris Christie facing up to ten years in prison for violating New Jerseys official misconduct in office law.
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Pizza has been a constant in Brian Kesslers life, from the time he got a job in a pizzeria as a teenager until the day he met his wife in a pizza joint. Read moreIggy's Pizza Shop is now open in Mount Pleasant
Watchdog/Public Service Editor

Glenn Smith is editor of the Watchdog and Public Service team and helped write the newspapers Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, Till Death Do Us Part. Reach him securely on Signal at 843-607-0809 or by email at gsmith5@protonmail.com.
EL Education CEO says a hotel employee recorded audio of an employee for the nonprofit that works in several SC school districts, mentioning both Lexington County and critical race theory, but someone spliced together the audio in a deceptive way to create a false political controversy. Read moreFox News used 'false and crudely edited' audio to target SC schools, nonprofit CEO says
This month will mark the 83rd anniversary of the Soviet Union's attack on Finland in November 1939, when the Soviet Goliath pounced on the neighboring David. It started a conflict that became one of the most intensely brutal engagements of the Second World War, much of it in temperatures 30  Read moreCommentary: Are Russian leaders headed for another winter war?
Former leper Miyo Maki prepares for the "tenbo" collection by Takafumi Tsuruta during Tokyo Fashion Week (AFP Photo/Kazuhiro Nogi)

Tokyo (AFP) - At 83 Miyo Maki had never manicured her nails, thickened and deformed due to leprosy, a disease she was diagnosed with when she was just 10 years old.

But on Wednesday, as she marked her birthday, the former leprosy patient proudly displayed her shiny artificial nails, applied by a manicurist, ahead of a catwalk appearance at the ongoing Tokyo Fashion Week.

Later that day, she walked down the runway, wearing a white lace dress and basking in the limelight long denied to her and other leprosy patients because of an overwhelming stigma against the disease.

"Ah, it was amazing," she said after the show, clutching a bouquet of flowers against her chest.

"I turned 83 today. This is the best birthday I've ever had.

"I think this show represents a step forward in the history of leprosy," she said.

Like thousands of other former patients relegated to leper colonies in Japan, Maki lived a cloistered life, battling stigma despite being cured.

Leprosy has long been a curable disease after a medicine called Promin was introduced as a successful treatment in the 1940s.

Although leprosy has been almost eradicated globally, the disease still affects 200,000 people a year.

Former lepers continue to face discrimination due to the mistaken belief that the disease remains contagious even after patients are cured.

The visible aftereffects of the disease, which can leave the face and limbs deformed, have also made it difficult to eradicate the prejudice.

- Forced seclusion -

At Tokyo Fashion Week, Maki appeared in a show by designer Takafumi Tsuruta under the banner of his "tenbo" brand, that sought to portray the indignities suffered by lepers.

Men dressed as officers -- one wearing a jacket printed with the words, "No Leprosy" -- swooped in to take away a model who was playing the role of a leper.

Tsuruta's runway presentations regularly feature a diverse line-up, and Wednesday's show was no exception, using models who were blind, in a wheelchair, or transgender, in addition to former patient Maki.

Story continues

"Fashion is a tool to send messages in a harmless, approachable way," Tsuruta said after the show.

"Leprosy has been a universal issue, feared in the world for thousands of years.

"Even though it is now a curable disease, people still suffer from stigma and discrimination," he added.

In Japan, patients were pushed into seclusion and many were forced into abortions or infanticide because of policies that forbade them from having children.

A 2005 official probe found formalin-treated samples of 114 fetuses or babies at six state-run sanatoriums.

Japan only ended its policy of forced seclusions in 1996, 89 years after it was put into place. The national parliament issued an apology and offered compensation to patients in 2001.

The "tenbo" show featured a tribute to the babies who were terminated at the hands of sanatorium officials.

At one point during the presentation, Maki and other models sang a Japanese folk song about remembering home.

The experience brought back painful memories of Maki's early years at the Zenshoen sanatorium in western Tokyo, where she still lives.

She said she would venture out and climb up a hill to look over in the direction of home, where she was not allowed to return.

"On this runway... she is not just modelling but also fighting the stigma by taking each step," Tsuruta said.
Electric vehicles arent a panacea. They dont reduce traffic congestion or the need to spend billions of dollars repairing and expanding our highways, the way mass transit, ride sharing and more walkable and bicycleable communities can. To the contrary, they make it more difficult to pay for the necessary upgrades, because despite some modest steps, politicians here and elsewhere have been unwilling to change our tax laws to ensure that vehicles using little or no gasoline pay their fair share for those improvements. Read moreEditorial: SC electric vehicle expansion helps state in multiple ways
In the wake of last month's presidential debate, "body-shaming" has become one of the media's favorite buzzwords. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton criticized her Republican opponent Donald Trump for calling Alicia Machado, the 1996 Miss Universe pageant winner, "Miss Piggy" and "an eating machine" because she had gained some weight. Since then, around-the-clock news networks have played the soundbites on a loop and tapped dozens of commentators to opine on the topic.

Meanwhile, the fashion community has been leading its own conversations about body- and weight-shaming, in hopes of making it a thing of the past. From fashion shows to photo shoots, more designers and brands are doing their part to help ensure that women of many shapes and sizes see reflections of themselves on the runway and in ad campaigns.

At New York Fashion Week last month, 16 plus-size models walked the runway, making it the most body-positive season ever, according to the Fashion Spot's Runway Diversity Report.

"I just wanted to have different sizes. That's all it was," designer Christian Siriano told NBC's "Today" Style. He cast five full-figured models for his spring 2017 runway show. "But it's great that it made such an impact."

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Eight transgender models and a number of models older than 50 also were featured, the report said. Retail chain J.Crew and designer Tracy Reese celebrated their customers' individuality by inviting everyday people to take part in their fashion week presentations.

"They are friends of the brand, members of our team and all people we admire. They range in age from 13 to 70," J.Crew creative director and president Jenna Lyons said about the models. "They're students and parents and grandparents. Professionals, artists, teachers and activists. Each one has their own unique style and beauty, and it has been an incredible experience to approach a fashion show from this point of view."

Some brands also are rethinking how they cast their ad campaigns. Pittsburgh-grown e-retailer ModCloth enlisted employees, shoppers and models for its swimwear shoot this summer. Last year, it made headlines for dropping the term "plus-size" from its website, which caters to sizes XS through 4X.

In 2014, the intimates brand Aerie, a division of South Side teen clothing retailer American Eagle, launched #AerieReal, a bold move to stop retouching models and to diversify what those models look like. Earlier this year, the label named British model, columnist and National Eating Disorder Association ambassador Iskra Lawrence  who was dropped by her agency at age 15 because she was told her hips were too big  the campaign's official "role model." (In an interview in Seventeen last week, Lawrence criticized a photographer earlier in her career who heavily photo-shopped her images to make her appear thinner.)

"They're encouraging people to uplift one another no matter what your size," said Mandy Holesh, the Pittsburgh-based writer behind thecurvyblogger.com. In May, the brand flew her to New York City to take part in an #AerieReal photo shoot. "Everyone was just walking around in their lingerie hanging out and eating doughnuts and relaxing. It was amazing. I had to really embrace this."

Trending topic

Holesh started her website about six years ago as a platform for voicing her frustrations with the fashion industry's inherent bias toward women with thinner bodies. Since then, she's watched body-positivity go from something that only a few people were blogging about to a trending topic on social media.

For Lane Bryant's new #ThisBodyIsMadeToShine fall campaign, the longtime leader in plus-size women's apparel gave actresses Danielle Brooks and Gabourey Sidibe and models Ashley Graham, Candice Huffine and Alessandra Garcia the chance to rebut degrading comments made about their bodies online.

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"I hope I never let myself get that big," one says. Sidibe's response: "By big you mean amazing and beautiful and fabulous, right?"

Also for fall, the retail chain collaborated with Glamour on a special edition of the magazine called Fashion For You, which spotlights styles for sizes 12 and up.

Despite the progress, there's still work to be done. Although New York Fashion Week saw an increase in plus-size models, other areas of diversity, such as models of color, declined a bit this season, according to the Runway Diversity Report. Also, time will tell if some of these newcomers to the body-positivity trend are just looking to attract media attention or have a true commitment to serving more sizes.

"I really feel like the world is slowly figuring this out," Holesh said. "It's definitely refreshing to see."
Two men are making the democratic process a little bit easier for the Somali community this election cycle.

Many in the local Somali community feel left out of the election, or that they haven't connected with candidates, said Ahmed Aden, a certified Somali court interpreter and co-founder of Engaged Local Citizens.

Even with all the TV ads and mailings, candidates are not getting their message to the Somali community, and they're not always addressing the issues that are most important to people.

So Aden teamed up with Mascuud Xaaji, a fellow court interpreter, to create an organization that will cut through all the noise. The goal is to help Somali-Americans get the facts and learn about candidates before heading to the polls in November.

While Aden and Xaaji are used to giving a voice to the parties they represent in court, they decided it was time to amplify that and focus on driving political involvement for the Somali community in Rochester.

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"It seemed like their participation and their voice is almost absent from elections, especially local elections," Aden said. "It's sort of like our small version of MTV's "Rock the Vote."

Engaged Local Citizens, a non-partisan organization, will host a voter forum Sunday that will be translated into Somali for community members whose English may not be the strongest, Aden said. Though most speak English, many feel comfortable discussing complex political issues in their native language.

Candidates for school board, city council, county board and Legislature plan to attend.

Ahmed said he and Mascuud reviewed data from previous elections, and discovered that even though the Somali population in Rochester is growing, it's very underrepresented in local elections.

"It's just the chatter in the town," Aden said. "There's a lot of things that need to be addressed, and having a forum  would hopefully give them a little bit of an idea of what every candidate is about."

The Minnesota State Demographics Center estimates the Somali population is anywhere from 1,300 to 2,300 people in Olmsted County, according to Susan Brower, Minnesota state demographer. Though not all of those people are eligible to vote.

Aden and others have been visiting coffee shops, stores and the mosque, handing out fliers and calling on people to spread the word about Sunday's event. He created a flier, which he translated into Somali, and has placed it at many local businesses.

Voters like Abdihakim Arap, of Rochester, said education issues like all-day pre-k are important to him, with four young children. He also pointed to improving relations between police and the Somali community, and wants to address a way for qualified Somali-Americans to join the police force here in Rochester.

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Others, like Eid Ali, say immigration, peace and security, and keeping Somali youth busy and away from gangs is important. He and Abdi Farah said things like jobs and taxes are also key issues.

"You know, people are here now, they're U.S. citizens, there's nothing more important than exercising your rights as a citizen, especially when it comes to voting," Aden said. "Our job, Mascuud and I, is to educate people  you're here now, you're a U.S. citizen, you work, you pay taxes, you are a part of the community, and so let your voice be heard  be a part of the process."
Ahkeem Brown

Age: 26

Occupation: Owner and founder of Brown Advocating Inc.

Political experience: None.

What are the top three spending priorities of the city?

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Right off hand, one of my main issues is climate change. Spending money to make sure our environment is clean and safe for the future. Another is corruption in law enforcement. Too much money is spent on funding unnecessary training for police officers in small towns and a lot of places in Minnesota. They're spending too much money on law enforcement, and it goes toward killing. Putting more money into the community for more housing opportunities for people under the poverty guidelines, so there are more places for people to live and feel safe here.

What steps should the city take to encourage growth?

Starting with making it more diverse, more welcoming to other cultures. Make the housing more available for different kinds of people so everyone can feel welcome here and live.

How would you balance historical preservation vs. business growth?

I would like to preserve the natural beauty and history of Red Wing while still making it available for people to live here without taking away the culture of Red Wing, so people understand where they are living.

Sean Dowse

Age:67

Occupation:Retired in 2015 after 25 years as executive director of the Sheldon Theatre.

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Political experience:None.

What are the top three spending priorities of the city?

City budget: I will work with city staff on budgets to ensure our spending is effective, efficient and sustainable. We need to plan so that we can continue to meet the basic needs of everyone living in Red Wing regardless of the tax base. Infrastructure improvements: Continue to invest in improving Red Wing's infrastructure with projects such as the Red Wing River Town Renaissance project, the new Wisconsin bridge and projects to maintain our natural and cultural resources. Public safety: Ensure that our police, fire and emergency service departments have sustainable resources they need to protect our community and citizens now and in the future. I also will work to engage our minority communities more fully in dialogue with the city.

What steps should the city take to encourage growth?

I support the formation of a community development corporation focused on the downtown, because the city needs an organization poised to act strongly and swiftly developing and supporting public/private partnerships for economic growth in Red Wing. Through the mayor's power of appointment, I will encourage the city's boards and commissions and Red Wing 2020 to foster a culture of creativity, innovation and joint entrepreneurial endeavor. I will partner with Red Wing attractions, events and its hospitality industry, bringing them together to unify the city's efforts to increase tourism.

How would you balance historical preservation vs. business growth?

I don't see a new conflict between Red Wing's historic assets and business growth in the near future. If a conflict arises, the city has a process in place to balance the long-term benefits of preservation with the need for growth. That process needs to be transparent and engage citizens in active participation.

Kevin Serres

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Age:54

Occupation: Owner, Kevin's Pilot Cars.

Political experience:None.

What are the top three spending priorities of the city?

Education is No. 1. Fixing the streets and tourism. We should try to get a college in this town. We have the vocational technical institute, but we should have a four-year college, too. What you should ask them is where they will cut spending.

What steps should the city take to encourage growth?

First, we got to get housing. There's a lack of housing in Red Wing for the middle class. There are either slum apartments or high end houses. I think there's a lack of tourism in Red Wing. Red Wing is supposed to be a tourist town, and they don't do anything to promote tourism.

How would you balance historical preservation vs. business growth?

The city of Red Wing should be left alone. They shouldn't be tearing down old Victorian homes to put up parking lots. There should be no eminent domain for the government to take control of people's property. There are plenty of places on the north side of Red Wing for growth. Once the buildings are gone, they are gone forever.

David Harris

Age:81

Occupation:Retired surgeon.

Political experience:Red Wing School Board, delegate to state conventions.

What are the top three spending priorities of the city?

Providing activities and programs that will bring youth into the community. Renew RW as a place of growth and opportunity. Promote Red Wing's commercial and recreational assets. Keep the city safe and beautiful.

What steps should the city take to encourage growth?

It needs to provide activities that will attract youth, both children and young adults. That includes better schools, and it includes jobs.

How would you balance historical preservation vs. business growth?

My honest reaction is business growth needs to come ahead of historical preservation. Historical preservation is important, but it mustn't come at the expense of sound business. Red Wing has a long history of preservation. One of the things you may recall is the Irish Row Houses that existed that are now a supermarket. I always felt it was time for them to give way to a profit-making supermarket. I'm a real lover of history, and I think history is something to learn from and not necessarily something to repeat.
Wabasha County

Learn about Peregrine falcons

WABASHA  Learn more about one of the sky's best hunters from falconer Jackie Fallon of the Midwest Peregrine Society at the National Eagle Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, according to the eagle center's website.

Fallon, a longtime member of the MPS, will discuss her work with these unique raptors and share information on these birds, the fastest members of the animal kingdom.

Dodge County

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Citizen-Living Saving Awards to be presented

MANTORVILLE  Three public service entities and three citizens will receive awards during the next meeting of the Dodge County County Board on Tuesday.

The Claremont First Responders, Dodge Center First Responders and Dodge Center Ambulance will be recognized with Citizen - Life Saving Awards. The citizens will receive Citizens' Letters of Recognition, which is "awarded for an act of noteworthy citizenship that is deserving of office-wide and/or public recognition." The Sheriff's Office will present the awards at 6:30 p.m. that night.

Fillmore County

Spring Valley woman candidate for national FFA post

SPRING VALLEY  Valerie Earley of the Spring Valley-Wykoff FFA Chapter is one of the 40-plus candidates from across the nation that will be interviewing at the 2016 National FFA Convention for a National FFA Officer position.

National FFA Officers are responsible for promoting agricultural literacy and developing policies that shape the future of the organization.

The Spring Valley-Wykoff FFA Chapter, led by Kristal Brogan, is where Earley began her involvement in FFA years ago, and her agricultural roots tie back to her family's crop and livestock farm. She studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she in majoring in Agricultural Education.

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Houston County

St. Mary's to host 50th annual Holiday Bazaar

CALEDONIA  St. Mary's Catholic Church in Caledonia will host its 50th annual Holiday Bazaar Oct. 30. Donations are currently welcome, such as handmade items, sweets, gift cards and live auction items.

There will be a roast beef dinner served in Holy Family Hall. The church is at 513 South Pine St.

Contact Helen Olson at 507-725-5743 if interested in helping with the dinner, or Sandy Privet at 724-2102 or Renee Orth at 495-3291 with questions about the bazaar.

Winona County

Evan to be CEO of Merchants Financial

WINONA  Greg Evans, the Winona Market President and Chief Banking Officer for Merchants Financial Group, will take over as President and CEO of the company Jan. 31, 2017.

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Rodney Nelson, who currently holds those positions, will retire that date. He has been with Merchants since 2000, a group that services 21 locations in southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin.

Evans has been with the organization since 1989 and been president for the Winona Market since 2013.

Goodhue County

Riverine food webs to be discussed

RED WING  Winona State biology professor Michael Delong will present on "What We Know about Riverine Food Webs and How Humans Impact Them" at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Goodhue County Historical Society.

The talk is free for children and GCHS members and $5 for non-members. Those who attend the talk will be able to tour the Water/Ways exhibit at no additional charge.

Delong will explore the modern ecological challenges facing the Upper Mississippi River, while tying each organism in the ecosystem together. His research focuses on the ecology of large river systems, with an emphasis on the Upper Mississippi.

Mower County

Agent to donate portion of IRA to charity

AUSTIN  Mike Ruzek, a retired agent of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, has taken advantage of the Charitable IRA legislation recently made permanent.

He is transferring a portion of his individual retirement account into an Austin Area Foundation charitable fund that will benefit the greater Austin community forever.
WABASHA  Just what does a hill of beans amount to?

In Wabasha, it can help in the fight against breast cancer to the tune of $20,000.

For about 20 years, said Tom Crowley, administrator of St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Wabasha, the hospital has been benefitting from the generous work of local farm families who donate their time, seed, fertilizer and sweat to the Field of Dreams.

The "field" is about 40 acres of land that is either owned by the hospital or donated by local businesses and farmers that is planted each year  alternately with corn or soy beans  and harvested for the benefit of the hospital.

"Jake Abbot, who owned our local mortuary, got this rolling," Crowley said. "If you'd come to a wake or a funeral, he'd ask if you could help plan the crops."

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Crowley said the funeral home owner then rallied support not only from farmers but from fertilizer and seed companies as well.

Once the crop came in, it was sold and the proceeds were donated to a yearly project to benefit the hospital.

This year, the $20,000 will go toward a tomosynthesis mammography machine  or 3D mammography  that costs about $400,000. "People come a distance for our services," Crowley said. "This is the new state of the art screening for breast cancer. It lends itself to fewer false positive and false negative tests."

Jim Schurhammer said he has been helping with the planting and harvesting of the Field of Dreams for nearly 20 years. This year's soybean crop was another labor of love for the hospital and the community.

"It doesn't take us that long," he said of the small plot of land. "I suppose I put in about 20 hours of spring work, planting and harvesting." Schurhammer also provides the seed, he said, while other farmers do the tillage or supply the fertilizer. "I'm assuming the fertilizer store gives them a pretty good deal on it."

And when the crop was brought in during the last week of September, the yield was enough for just more than $20,000. The best year he remembered was when corn was near $8 a bushel. That check hit $50,000.

"It's probably the most popular question I've been asked since the beans were harvested," Crowley said. "They want to know, 'How much did you get for the beans?'"

For the record, the 62 bushels per acre sold at $9 a bushel. "It was a great crop," Crowley said.

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And next year they'll do it all again. Schurhammer, his wife, Cathy, their son Travis and daughter Jenny along with John and Gene Marx, Tony and Ron Wallerich and others will sit down in February, decide who will do what work and get ready to plant a new crop of dreams.

"Our group of farmers get together in January of February," Crowley said. "They agree on who will do what, and what we'll provide support for."
For the first time in at least two decades, Olmsted County Public Health has stepped in to shut down a business due to what are being described as "imminent health and safety concerns."

The Homestead Motel , located at 1600 Marion Road in Southeast Rochester, had its license suspended Oct. 13 by Public Health officials after months of warnings and dialogue failed to correct a series of code violations, including a strong presence of feces.

According to Public Health, a list of the violations includes: "very minimal water flow in the bathroom and a shower was not functional for its intended purpose;" rooms with "accumulated filth;" moisture collecting on the electric panel; condensation on the walls and water accumulation on the floor, causing mold; windows with broken glass; cooking regularly occurring in rooms with extension cords, creating a "significant" fire hazard; and inoperable smoke detectors, among other things.

Calls to the motel seeking comment were not successful.

It's unclear how many rooms were occupied at the venerable 11-unit motel when its license was suspended, but those people have received assistance from county officials to find other accommodations.

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"Our main concern is for the health and safety of the motel guests," said Dawn Beck, associate director of Olmsted County Public Health.

Homestead Motel has operated near Longfellow Elementary School and McQuillan Field for decades, but Sky High Investments LLC became the owner and operator in 2012.

Rochester's Kevin Taylor is listed as the agent and manager of the LLC, according to the latest LLC filing with the Minnesota Secretary of the State's Office. Sky High Investments is listed "in good standing" with the state. The Post Bulletin was not successful in its attempts to contact Taylor.

Kari Etrheim, Olmsted County Public Health's communications director, says that the decision to suspend the motel's license was a last resort after a lengthy period of non-compliance.

"The issue really stems back several months, if not years, where we've been trying to work with ownership and management to correct several issues without much support," Etrheim said. "In my almost 20 years working here, this is the only time we've ever done this. We don't do this lightly. We take closing a business very seriously."
The man who was killed in a head-on collision Thursday night has been identified as 26-year-old Nicholas Hamblin, of Byron.

The two-car crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. Highway 63 and Olmsted County Road 21, north of Rochester, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The car driven by Hamblin was northbound on U.S. 63 when it collided with a pickup driven by Jerome Walch, the State Patrol said.

Hamblin's airbag deployed, but he was not wearing a seat belt, according to the State Patrol.

Walch, 63, of Rochester, and his passenger Julie Walch, 56, were taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not considered life threatening.

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Authorities blocked the intersection up to White Bridge Road Northeast. The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office and the Wabasha County Sheriff's Office assisted the State Patrol.
By Joshua Franklin and Oliver Hirt

BERN (Reuters) - Switzerland urged U.S. officials to consider the global importance of UBS and Credit Suisse in a recent meeting ahead of potential fines for Switzerland's two big banks over claims they mis-sold mortgage-backed securities, a top Swiss diplomat said.

Like with German rival Deutsche Bank, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into whether UBS and Credit Suisse mis-sold residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) in the run-up to the 2007-09 financial crisis.

News broke last month the DOJ had demanded a $14 billion fine from Deutsche, far more than analysts had expected and raising fears UBS and Credit Suisse could also face stiffer penalties. Deutsche has said it will fight the size of the DOJ fine.

In a meeting this month with representatives from U.S. regulators, the Federal Reserve and the banking sector, Joerg Gasser pointed out the significance of UBS and Credit Suisse to the banking system.

"I emphasised to the officials the importance of the Swiss financial centre for the global financial architecture and the systemic relevance of both big Swiss banks and their international importance for financial stability," Gasser, head of the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters, a branch of the finance ministry, told Reuters on Thursday.

Moves by the Swiss government on behalf of its banks in the RMBS case follow steps by the German government to help Deutsche secure a swift settlement, according to sources in Berlin.

Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer said it was looking increasingly unlikely there would be a resolution in the Swiss banks' RMBS cases, as well other legal issues facing Swiss institutions, before the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election.

"We had once hoped that these things would be dealt with before the election," Maurer told Reuters. "But now we do not have the impression there is a lot of eagerness for this."

Just prior to news of the possible $14 billion Deutsche fine in September, JP Morgan analysts estimated UBS and Credit Suisse faced fines of around $2 billion each.

Story continues

Credit Suisse's litigation provisions at the end of 2015 totalled 1.605 billion Swiss francs ($1.6 billion). As of the end of June, UBS had set aside $988 million in litigation provisions for the RMBS case.

Earlier this month a French parliamentary report said Europe should challenge the United States over its increasingly aggressive use of extraterritorial laws that have cost European companies - especially banks - billions in fines and other settlements.

France's biggest bank BNP Paribas had to pay a $9 billion fine to U.S. authorities over violations of American sanctions against other countries. The French government has criticised in recent years what it considers the over-reach of the U.S. legal system.

($1 = 0.9927 Swiss francs)

(Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
As Iraqi and Kurdish troops began the operation to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State, with help from U.S. advisers and air power, my mind flashed back to my visit to the city in 2003.

It was not long after U.S. troops had first seized control from Saddam Hussein's forces. Gen. David Petraeus, then commander of the 101st Airborne, was reaching out to the leaders of this multiethnic, but mainly Sunni, Arab city.

But, as I walked around Mosul's city hall, one official pulled me aside, and warned presciently, in a whisper: "Saddam's men are growing beards and moving into the Sunni mosques. When the Americans leave, they will return as Islamists." Sure enough, when U.S. troops pulled back, Sunni Islamist jihadis emerged; they morphed over the years  through several iterations  into the Islamic State.

So the nagging question is what happens on the day after the Islamic State, when the jihadis are driven out of Mosul and surrounding Nineveh province. If the military plan succeeds, will there be any political follow-up to prevent Sunni grievances from producing a son of the Islamic State?

Right now, no such political plan is in sight. And no one understands the danger of such a political vacuum better than the Kurds.

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"The big worry on our part is who is going to govern Mosul and Nineveh and how," I was recently told by Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the smart, thoughtful representative of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government in Washington.

What the Kurds fear most is that, absent a prior accord between the Baghdad government and the Kurdish region, the liberation of Mosul and Nineveh will only lead to new fighting. Even worse, outside powers, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, might fight a proxy war over who controls Mosul and its surroundings, backing different Sunni or Shiite factions.

Why should Americans care, you ask? Because out of such Iraqi chaos (along with the Syrian chaos next door) can grow new jihadi movements, or even wars between Arab countries.

And because there still is a slim chance that  with renewed cache from helping liberate Mosul  the United States could help mediate the Iraqi politics of the post-Islamic State era.

To understand how, let's look at the main players who will be competing for turf when the Islamic State is defeated, as it will be, perhaps sooner than many expect. (Warning: these details may give you a headache; but they are key to understanding the perils of post-Islamic State Iraq.)

First, the Kurds. Right now the Kurds and the Iraqi government are on reasonable terms because Baghdad needs Kurdish fighters to help liberate Mosul. But the Kurds already hold parts of Nineveh that they seized from the Islamic State over the past two years; they want those areas to become part of an independent Kurdish state, or, at minimum, to be part of a confederation loosely linked with the rest of Iraq.

Those new boundaries, and the fate of Kurdish-populated sections of Mosul, need to be negotiated with Baghdad. Without such talks, the post-Islamic State era could see fighting between the Iraqi army and the Kurds.

Second, the Iraqi Shiites. The country's Shiite prime minister, Haidar Abadi, has made efforts at co-existence with Sunni Arabs and Kurds. However, the country's powerful Shiite militias, directed from Tehran, are eager to eclipse the Iraqi army and play a major role in liberating Nineveh, if not Mosul. (Iran would like to secure a territorial corridor through Nineveh to next-door Syria, where it supports Bashar al-Assad.) If those Shiite militias enter the Nineveh fray, they are likely to take bloody revenge against the majority of Sunnis there, whom they blame for the crimes of the Islamic State. The Shiite militias may also fight the Kurds for Nineveh turf.

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Third, the Iraqi Sunnis. Deprived of their patron, Saddam Hussein, some bitter Sunnis backed al-Qaida and then the Islamic State. But the bulk probably could have been wooed by a smart Shiite leader who offered them some political carrots. Instead, Iraq's Shiite leaders, under Iranian pressure, mainly used sticks; they have yet even to permit a Sunni tribal national guard to fight the Islamic State. The defeat of the Islamic State opens the door for a new deal, perhaps offering Sunnis one or two federal states that would motivate them to squelch any remaining jihadis. But if Shiite militias surge into Nineveh, that will end hopes for co-existence.

Fourth, the outside meddlers, Iran and Turkey. Tehran wants a weak Iraq that it controls through Shiite militias; Ankara has dreams of an Ottoman empire redux, and has sent a few hundred troops into Iraq against the wishes of Baghdad. They, along with the Saudis, could stir up trouble by pushing their Iraqi proxies to fight each other.

So you can see the need for a post-Islamic State political accord among Iraqi factions that works out the lines between Arabs and Kurds in Nineveh and Mosul. It would also have to give Sunnis some hope while assuaging Shiite fears of a Sunni power revival. And it would have to delineate who would control what within post-Islamic State Nineveh province (including safe areas for the Christians and Yazidis for whom the province was their historic home).

Such an accord is probably a pipe dream, especially if Iraq's neighbors refuse to keep their paws off the country. But absent a deal  which would require serious U.S. diplomatic help  post-Islamic State Iraq is likely to look pretty ugly. And you can be certain the jihadis will be back under some new name.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
State taxes and spending create a big divide in the race for Senate District 21, which features a pair of Red Wing natives.

Incumbent Matt Schmit , who is seeking his second term, is being challenged by Mike Goggin , who says he wants to improve his district by fighting tax increases, reckless spending and unneeded government regulation and mandates.

2013 tax bill

Asked for a specific example of where Schmit fell short, Goggin points to the 2013 tax bill, which held $2 billion in new taxes, including a warehouse tax credited with causing Red Wing Shoes to change course on an expansion project.

"They shelved a $20 million warehouse because of the tax that was included in the tax bill in 2013," the former Red Wing Shoes employee told the Post Bulletin Editorial Board.

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After the bill was passed, Wing Shoes President Dave Murphy said it delayed a decision to invest $20 million-plus in a new distribution center in Red Wing. However, the tax was never enacted. It was repealed before taking effect.

Schmit said he knew the 2013 bill, which also included a farm implement tax, was flawed. At the same time, he noted it also included $1 million for natural disaster help that Red Wing needed. "Anytime you have an omnibus bill, you're going to have things in there that you don't like," he said, noting he worked with fellow senators to repeal the warehouse and farm implement taxes as soon as possible.

As for supporting other taxes in the 2013 bill, Schmit said he was keeping a campaign promise to balance the budget after years of government shutdowns, which motivated him to seek the Senate seat.

He said that effort helped Minnesota move from years of budget deficits to a budget surplus, which has improved the state's economic outlook during his first term.

Rail

The political opponents are able to find some common ground. While neither believes the debate over Twin Cities light rail should have held up other legislative decisions, they said there is a need to ensure state transportation funding benefits all forms of transportation. "We need to make sure we're looking out for what's best for everyone in Minnesota," Goggin said, noting he saw the benefits of light rail while living in Colorado.

Both candidates also voiced opposition to the high-speed rail line proposed between Rochester and Minneapolis. While Goggin has signs posted on his vehicle to note his clear opposition, Schmit has a more nuanced approach. He said he'd oppose any system that doesn't offer benefits to residents in the corridor, but noted the state legislature has limited power. "We simply don't have many tools for regulating railroads in Minnesota," he said.

Health care

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Talking about problems with rising costs for residents who obtain health insurance through the MNsure exchange, both candidates said the system must be fixed and predict it will be the Legislature's No. 1 issue in 2017.

Both want to seek federal permission to reduce mandated districts and find new options for people to access insurance. Goggin suggests creating co-ops, and Schmit points to looking at existing programs, such as MinnesotaCare or state employees' insurance programs.

However, Schmit noted the discussions, which have already started will be difficult. In a district on the dividing line for MNsure rates, Schmit noted lawmakers in other districts have voiced opposition since a change will increase costs for their constituents.

While Goggin says he's willing and trained to work on such negotiations, Schmit has already demonstrated he is able to tackle the conversation by being part of initial talks and facing likely opposition from metro-area party leaders.

Additionally, in his first four years, the Red Wing senator has shown he can be a voice to push for priorities in his district. He has become one of the state's loudest proponents for funding rural broadband to keep all Minnesota residents and businesses competitive.

We'd like to see that initiative turned to fixes for MNsure, and we believe Schmit has the voice and burgeoning experience to do it. That is why the Post Bulletin Editorial Board is endorsing Matt Schmit for re-election on Senate District 21.



Learn more

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The Post Bulletin Editorial Board endorsements are offered to provide one view of candidates for local and regional offices.

We encourage you to do your own research as you get ready to vote.

To find out more about the candidates in Minnesota Senate District 21, visit their websites:

 Matt Schmit

schmitforsenate.com

 MIke Goggin

www.gogginforsenate.com

For information on polling places and sample ballots, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website at www.sos.state.mn.us.

Upcoming endorsements:

Saturday

Minnesota House, District 25A

Duane Quam vs. Linda Walbruch

Minnesota House, District 25B

Duane Sauke vs. Fran Bradley

Monday

Minnesota Senate, District 25

Dave Senjem vs. Dale Amorosia

Tuesday

Minnesota House, District 26A

Tina Liebling vs. Will Waggoner

Minnesota House, District 26B

Nels Pierson vs. John Austinson

Wednesday

Minnesota Senate, District 26

Carla Nelson vs. Richard Wright

Endorsements published:

Oct. 10: Olmsted County Board, District 3

Oct. 11: Olmsted County Board, District 7

Oct. 12: Rochester City Council, Ward 2

Oct. 13: Rochester City Council, Ward 4

Oct. 14; Rochester City Council, Ward 6

Oct. 15: Rochester City Council president

Oct. 17: Rochester School Board, Seat 1

Oct. 18: Rochester School Board, Seat 3

Oct. 19: Rochester School Board, Seat 7

Oct. 20: Minnesota House, districts 21A and 21B

Past endorsements are online at postbulletin.com/opinion
Al Gore is back in the news. Not because of his lame appearances on the campaign trail on behalf of Hillary Clinton (imagine how unenthusiastic young voters must be about Clinton for her to think she needs a 68 year-old has-been to fire them up), but because of Donald Trumps refusal to say in advance that he will accept the results of this years election.

This generated instant, mindless criticism of Trump which, in turn, led Republicans to cite Al Gores refusal for some time to accept that he had lost the 2000 presidential.

The point is a fair one, but not as a criticism of Gore. The ex-VP did nothing wrong in vigorously contesting the 2000 election and Trump has done nothing wrong by stating that he might not accept the outcome of this years contest.

Gore received more votes than George Bush. He lost the election because he lost Florida. But in Florida, as Charles Krauthammer elegantly put it at the time, Bushs margin of victory did not exceed the margin of error inherent in an imperfect election process.

Thus, Gore had every right to litigate over Florida and to do so aggressively. Considering the stakes of any modern presidential election, I would be appalled if a Republican candidate facing the scenario Gore faced in 2000 did anything less than Gore did to contest the outcome. Such a hypothetical Republican would be flogged mercilessly by those who criticize Gore for putting American through prolonged litigation over, and uncertainty about, the 2000 result.

Once Gores appeals were exhausted, he gave a gracious speech in which he accepted the outcome. Whether he ever came to terms with it is another matter (at a recent appearance with Clinton, he brought up Florida 2000). I doubt that, in his place, I could ever fully have moved on.

Some Democrats were far less gracious than Gore. They insisted that the Bush presidency was illegitimate. Thus, its amusing to hear the mostly feigned outrage over Trump refusal to exclude the possibility that he wont accept a Clinton victory.

But the hypocrisy of many of the liberals who wag their finger at Trump doesnt mean that Al Gore behaved improperly when he pulled out all of the lawful stops in the hope of winning the incredibly tight 2000 presidential election. A candidate unwilling to fight that hard really shouldnt run for president.
 The best laugh line of the week comes fromwhere else?the New York Times, which ran an op-ed about how Trumps hypermasculinity is causing problems for the raising of boys. Heres the punch line from the piece:

Even at my sons preschool, the childrens interest in Mr. Trump led to a circle-time discussion about bullying.

Ah yes, circle time. Wonder if that preschool had circle time discussion of President Clinton back in 1998?

 The creepy clown scare is a perfect metaphor of this election cycle, but the whole thing is getting out of hand. A county in Mississippi is banning clown costumes completely. And the clown menace has even spread to Australia:

THE creepy clown craze that has America on high alert has spread to Australia, with copycat pranksters sparking warnings from police that dressing up and scaring people is no laughing matter. . . Yesterday, police in south-west Sydney issued a stern warning to would-be clown pranksters following sightings reported on social media in Minto, Ingleburn and Campbelltown.

Maybe people should just dress up in sombreros instead. Oh, wait. . .

 Regular reminder: It is an outrage that half of all Americans are below the median! Im sure Bernie Sanders has lots of ideas to fix this.

 If you dont mind the foul language, one of the best explanations for the rise of Trump, as understood by reference to popular movies, appears in the most unlikely place, Cracked: How Half of American Lost Its F**king Mind. The analysis of the piece doesnt actually match up to the headline, and is quite sympathetic to Trumpers and highly critical of our ruling class.

 Interesting to see ABC News cover the story of Russias potential war preparations in much the same way we did in The Gathering Storm about 10 days ago.

 Finally, from the How Can They Tell? Department: Philosophy Professors Receive Packets of Poop. Sounds like a great time-saver to me.
Donald Trump has drawn criticism for saying of Hillary Clinton during last nights debate: What a nasty woman. Supposedly, this remark will hurt Trump. If so, it may be because Trump, having so viciously attacked Republicans like Ted Cruz and George W. Bush and having repeatedly called Clinton a liar and a crook, lacks standing to call anyone nasty.

There is no doubt, however, that Clinton is a nasty woman. I think all but her most hard core supporters recognize this.

That Clintons State Department security team considered her nasty has been widely reported based on FBI documents from its investigation of Her Highness. The depth of its dislike for Clinton comes through in this report in the New York Post, via Debra Heine of PJ Media, that members of her security detail privately snickered after she fell down and broke her arm.

Its hard for me to imagine disliking someone to the point of being happy she sustained a serious injury. But then, I never had to work for Hillary Clinton.

One agent told the Post:

We sort of got the last laugh. It was kind of like payback: Youre treating us like s**t. Hey karma is a b*tch! We were smiling to ourselves.

Clinton reportedly made things worse by blaming the security team for her tumble:

She blamed us for breaking her elbow, saying it was our fault and we could have prevented that. Shes bad news.

Bad news on multiple fronts.

Stories of Clintons rudeness and contempt for those who protect her date back to her days as First Lady of Arkansas. They persisted through her time as Americas First Lady (and lets not forget the Travelgate scandal). Now, its clear from FBI documents that Clinton remains a very nasty woman.

Trump is nasty too. But the accounts Ive read suggest that he treats the people who serve him well. A number of them vouched for this in speeches at the Republican Convention.

Still, Americans dont perceive Trump as less nasty than Clinton. Its a pity that the GOP didnt nominate a conservative who projects the personal decency that Hillary so plainly lacks.
Ignorance and anti-Trump bias continue to prevail in the denunciations of Donald Trumps statement that he doesnt know yet whether he will accept the result of the presidential election. For example, Michael Gerson asserts that Trumps lack of belief in the fairness of our electoral system is disqualifying in a presidential candidate.

Gerson notes that the fairness of our electoral system has been hard-won through a long history of strife and courage. But if the system has become unfair to a significant degree, the hard work will be undone unless those victimized by unfairness speak up.

The claim that Trump has broken faith with American tradition by not promising in advance to accept a loss would be news to Rutherford B. Hayes and Andrew Jackson. Throughout his term as president, Hayes was commonly referred to as His Illegitimacy because of the intense controversy that surrounded his victory in 1876. (Without getting into the weeds of that election, Hayes victory seemed unfair at the time. However, given the abuses against Blacks who wanted to vote Republican  the party of Hayes  in the key Southern states around which the electoral controversy centered, it may well be that Hayes would have won a completely fair election).

As for Jackson, if complaining about election unfairness is disqualifying, Old Hickory should never have been president. In 1824, he was denied the presidency when the election went to the House of Representatives. Four candidates had split the electoral vote. Jackson had a plurality, but lacked a majority.

In the House, Henry Clay, one of the four candidates, helped swing the election to John Quincy Adams who had run second, well behind Jackson in the popular vote. Adams went on the name Clay his Secretary of State.

Jackson and his followers cried corrupt bargain throughout the four unhappy years of Adams presidency. In the 1828 election, Jackson romped to victory over Adams.

I dont think it has ever been established that Adams and Clay made a corrupt bargain, and there is reason to doubt that they did. In those days, the Secretary of State position usually went to the most prominent politician affiliated with the presidents party or faction (a tradition that was revived when President Obama made Hillary Clinton his Secretary of State). Henry Clay fit that description in 1825.

Moreover, Adams and Clay had worked together as diplomats. They spent well over a year (if my memory serves) in Belgium negotiating an end to the War of 1812.

To be clear, they didnt spend the entire period negotiating. The British engaged in shameless stalling. During the down time, it is said that Adams and Clay saw each other only for a brief time each day  the time early in the morning when Adams rose to write in his journal and Clay returned to their hotel in Ghent after a night on the town.

Still, the two respected each other. Clay was the natural choice to be Adams Secretary of State without regard to the House election. Moreover, it may well have been that most members of the House simply preferred Adams to Jackson.

As for Trump, he erred politically by not stating categorically, as he did in the first debate, that he will accept the election result. But his refusal to say this was not the egregious offense against American democracy that his detractors make it out to be.
Although some might not agree, I think winter is a beautiful time of year. Everything is covered in white, puffy snow, and its no longer sweltering outside. These are all perks to me, if you forget about the icy roads and power outages. One of the nice things about todays mobile workforce is that a lot of people are able to work from home on snowy days. Many employers no longer see the purpose of forcing workers to brave the highways to come to work, when they can easily do the same job at home. This is a great philosophy to have, but what if an employees home loses power?

This is a struggle that many people face during the winter months; freelancers encounter this problem all year long thanks to stormy weather and unforeseen incidents. The American Red Cross has some helpful tips on how to stay safe and prepare for a power outage, though.

First of all, the organization points out that you should make sure to turn off all lights and computers when not in use. The last thing you want is for your laptop to be plugged into the wall for no good reason when the power goes out. If theres a surge, that could spell bad news for your computer and everything on it.

The American Red Cross also suggests replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent lights, as this will help reduce the amount of energy being used. Aside from changing the lights, you can also save energy by washing your clothes in cold water, and only washing full loads at a time. All of these tricks can help save energy, which is essential to coping with a power outage.

Even if an outage is only a few hours, it is still a major painespecially if you work from home. Ive had the power go out on me while writing an article in the past, and let me tell you, its not fun to lose all that work. Although the American Red Cross has some helpful tips when it comes to energy conservation, these methods wont ensure that your power will stay onitll just better your chances.

The only way to make sure that your work doesnt suffer while working at home during an outage is to invest in uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems. With a UPS, youll be able to continue your work for a period of time, or at least complete your current tasks before shutting down properly. Either way, if you invest in a UPS, you dont have to worry about losing any critical information, no matter whats going on outside your window.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi
PR-Inside.com: 2016-10-21 21:26:01

ASKER, NORWAY (21 October 2016) - TGS will release the financial statement for Q3 2016 on 28 October 2016 at approximately 7:00 am CEST.

Kristian Johansen (CEO) and Sven Brre Larsen (CFO) will present the results at 9:00 am CEST at the Hotel Continental (Teatersalen) in Oslo, Norway. The presentation is open to the public. The presentation can be followed live on the internet at www.tgs.com.

The slides from the presentation will also be available in PDF format on the TGS website.

Kristian Johansen and Sven Brre Larsen will host a conference call on 28 October 2016 at 3:00 pm CEST (9:00 am New York time). Attendees may want to call 5-10 minutes before 3:00 pm CEST (9:00 am New York time) to ensure registration and access.

Norwegian attendees are invited to call +800 51084 or +47 2100 2610

International attendees are invited to call 0800 358 6377 or +44 (0)203 043 2003

US attendees are invited to call +1 800-274-0251

Participants will need to quote the following confirmation code when dialing into the conference: 1217777

A Q&A session will follow a short introduction, based upon the presentation issued in the morning. To pose a question, please press *1.

A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after. To access replay of the TGS conference call:

dial +47 23 50 00 77 (Norway) or +44 (0)207 660 0134 (International) or +1 719-457-0820 (US)

replay access code 1217777 followed by # (pound-sign)

A replay of the conference call will also be available at www.tgs.com.

Company summary

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) provides multi-client geoscience data to oil and gas Exploration and Production companies worldwide. In addition to extensive global geophysical and geological data libraries that include multi-client seismic data, magnetic and gravity data, digital well logs, production data and directional surveys, TGS also offers advanced processing and imaging services, interpretation products, and data integration solutions.

For more information visit TGS online at www.tgs.com.

Forward-looking statements and contact information

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include TGS' reliance on a cyclical industry and principle customers, TGS' ability to continue to expand markets for licensing of data, and TGS' ability to acquire and process data products at costs commensurate with profitability. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSLO:TGS).

TGS sponsored American Depositary Shares trade on the U.S. over-the-counter market under the symbol "TGSGY".

For additional information about this press release please contact:

Sven Brre Larsen

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +47 90 94 36 73

Will Ashby

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Time to Reclaim Nigeria

By Chido Onumah

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy, 2011

280 pages

Nigeria is Negotiable

By Chido Onumah

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy, 2013

460 pages.

We Are All Biafrans

By Chido Onumah

Parresia, 2016

216 pages.

Before it became the politically correct chant on the opportunistic lips of those who are currently mongering the phrase among the political elite, civil society organisations and social media denizens, one individual was sufficiently concerned about the vile state of his country to have earlier expended no less than a quarter of a century chronicling all that ails Nigeria, and the measures needed to restore her to good health. He wanted Nigeria reclaimed. He wanted Nigeria renegotiated. He wanted Nigeria restructured. And, urgently, too. This has been quite a tall call.

With a trilogy of books of essays collected and published between 2011 and 2016, Chido Onumah has stirred up a nation-awakening debate that will not recede any time soon. His passion to put a human perspective to the dry factual staple of reportage that the practiced journalist served set him on the path to essay writing. And this was rewarded with Riding The Tiger, his first article written for a national newspaper being published in the Punch newspaper on December 18, 1991. Since then he has written over five hundred essays for newspapers, magazines and online journals in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, to expose the individuals, institutions and events that have leveled Nigeria its sordid present state.

The apt question posed by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor, State of Osun, in the speech presented on his behalf at the launch of the first book of the trilogy, Time To Reclaim Nigeria, is still pertinent: How do you begin to reclaim a nation you never owned? By the time one has navigated the heartfelt thoughts of the author in the first book, one is left in no doubt about Chido Onumahs proof of ownership of his Nigerianness. The same feeling described in different words by Derek Walcott thus: Islands can only exist if we have loved in them.





Are the currently divided Nigerian citizens across ethnic, religious and class divisions, ready to own and drive the process of remaking their respective nationalities into a greater harmonised and equitable federal union? Are Nigerians ready to tread this same path that was prophetically counselled long ago..?

Two hundred and eighty-eight pages, forty-six essays and three appendices after, the author discharged the responsibility of claiming ownership of his country by way of the intensity of his passion and commitment so genuinely felt in most of his nation-critiquing articles. If the number of readers whose comments are published in a section of the book is a fair measure of the significance of the books contents to national discourse, then fifty Nigerians within the country and across the world acclaiming the timeliness of Time To Reclaim Nigeria in 2011 is quite a hefty figure.

The biggest of the three compendiums and perhaps the one that stirred the biggest controversy when it was published and presented in Abuja in 2013, perhaps because of its title, is the second book, Nigeria Is Negotiable! The blurb on the front cover of the book also conveys the intents of the author in clear terms with the uncompromising words of Bola Ige, the assassinated Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, and also former Governor of old Oyo State:

There are two basic questions that must be answered by all of us Nigerians. One, do we want to remain as one country? Two, if the answer is yes, under what conditions? One hundred and twenty four essays and two appendices after, the author leaves no one in doubt regarding his call to his compatriots from every region in Nigeria to start a fresh discussion on national renewal in the face of the cumulative evidence of state failure besetting the nation.

If the title of the second sounded rather militant and alienating to some, the third set of essays, We Are All Biafrans, rings more expansive and conciliatory. We. Are. All. Biafrans. What a dare to bury the ethnic stereotype attached to that Biafra word, forever! What a deconstructive and inspired clincher of a title! And the nation suddenly went agog when the public presentation was held months ago at the YarAdua Centre, Abuja. And no less than the voice of former Nigerias Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, literally gave his imprimatur to the basic thesis of the last book of the trilogy: restructure Nigeria, urgently.

The front page splash the book event received in most of the major national newspapers and the widespread discussion it also generated across social media weeks and months later, finally vindicated the efforts of the author to awaken the nation to what needs to be done urgently to ensure national integration, stability and development in Nigeria.





I recall my first meeting with the author in Abuja in 2007 when, as pioneer coordinator of the civil society arm (Fix Nigeria Initiative) of the crime prevention unit, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), artists and cultural producers were drafted by his office from across Nigeria into the high-minded brawl against corruption during the Nuhu Ribadu days.

Chido Onumah is a Nigerian journalist. He has worked as a journalist and rights activist in Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, USA, India, and the Caribbean. He has been involved, for more than a decade, in media training for professional journalists, as well as promoting media and information literacy in Africa. He is currently coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), an Abuja, Nigeria-based pan-African centre dedicated to a fresh vision of media and information literacy as a key component in the education of young people in Africa.

I recall my first meeting with the author in Abuja in 2007 when, as pioneer coordinator of the civil society arm (Fix Nigeria Initiative) of the crime prevention unit, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), artists and cultural producers were drafted by his office from across Nigeria into the high-minded brawl against corruption during the Nuhu Ribadu days. I returned to Lagos after the event feeling moved by this self-effacing but highly committed individual.

By the time we met again in 2011, of course the affairs of state in Nigeria had deteriorated dangerously and he had left the EFCC. Chido Onumah has always been involved in personal and professional capacities to lift his nation from its prolonged season in a dehumanising abyss. And we were sharing random thoughts on the Nigerian polity at his home in Abuja, in the surrounding gloom ensured by the absence of power, that the idea of collecting his essays for immediate publication took up an urgency that drove both of us and the rest of the editorial team to get the first of the trilogy of books, Time To Reclaim Nigeria, published and presented after thirty days in Abuja.

The rest is the story of a nation-stirring trilogy that is still resonating nationwide. And continent-wide also, as the author has just done a trip to South Africa to present the third book, We Are All Biafrans. The theme of the third book is also the basis for the invitation he received months ago to deliver a keynote speech by a Nigerian community in the United States of America this October.

Are the currently divided Nigerian citizens across ethnic, religious and class divisions, ready to own and drive the process of remaking their respective nationalities into a greater harmonised and equitable federal union? Are Nigerians ready to tread this same path that was prophetically counselled long ago by the great Awo in his 1947 treatise, Path To Nigerian Freedom; and, also reinforced by Raph Uwechue in his sobering, Reflections On The Nigerian Civil War-Facing The Future (1971). A positive adoption of these heartfelt and pragmatic ideas, ultimately, will be the true historic achievement of The Chido Onumah Trilogy.

A Conversation Around the Chido Onumah trilogy



PT: If a nation is not merely a mosaic of myths and narratives that leaders and citizens alike mouth and recycle, then we may not be wrong to say a nation is what a nation does. Your trilogy on the Nigerian situation posits a thesis clearly that we are stuck with a predatory and repressive nation where the only order that endures here is disorder  from which your first book prays we should be reclaimed. That your second book pleads we have the good sense to negotiate ourselves out of. That your third book hopes we will bond together to restructure into a modernised and truly humanised new order in Nigeria? Does this random summary speak to what you have been about when you marked your 50th birthday with the nation-awakening book with an equally inspired title, We Are All Biafrans?

CO: Yes it does. I dont know if it is my upbringing, my ideological persuasion and training or the fact that I have moved around a lot, interacted with people from different cultures, backgrounds, religions, etc., but I always find myself trying to understand why we are so insular. When I look at people, it is their humanity that I see. It may sound surreal, but that is exactly the way I feel. Mentally, I struggle very hard to compartmentalise people. I think that explains my fascination with the National Question in Nigeria. I dont think we can modernise or make progress as a country until we deal with Nigerias existential crisis. To that extent, We Are All Biafrans speaks to that reality: that we are all humans in the space called Nigeria and we need to collectively deal with the challenges that that reality throws up.

PT: Your essayistic interventions are distinguished not only for their polemical tenor and thrusts against our nations unjust order, but also for making clear to every reader the class conflict involved with the macabre struggle of the ethnic nationalities for supremacy in the political, economic, social, cultural and religious spheres of the nation. Is this a fair rendering of your concerns in what I have taken liberties to call the Chido Onumah Trilogy?

CO: You have touched on a very critical issue in this discourse about Nigeria. There are clearly two dimensions to the crisis and I sincerely believe we have to approach it accordingly. Unfortunately, there are some on the Left who dont want to see it that way. They argue that the problem is class, pure and simple. While I agree, for example, that the suffering masses can be found in every nook and cranny of the country, we cant also deny the fact that even within the ruling class, there is a hegemonic group. To that extent, we can see and feel the difference and tension even among the suffering people. I would be happy to deal with our crisis as a purely class issue but the reality is that it is not. The National Question in Nigeria is real.

PT: The colonial intervention in every sense came through an external force, and, formally ended in 1960. Some would also say that was also the beginning of the reign of what the Italian cultural theorist, Antonio Gramsci, termed, domestic colonialism, which has not made national integration and national development possible. How do you respond to this view?

CO: This is a very touchy issue. Unfortunately, it is real and alive. The way our hegemonic power blocs and ruling elite have carried on since independence, there is no other way to describe it other than internal colonialism or to use Gramscis words, domestic colonialism. Look at the situation in the Niger Delta and the Nigerian states response to demands and agitations of citizens there. Not even the external colonisers would have behaved the way our internal colonisers are behaving. They seize resources, hand out crumbs to those in whose territories the resources are located and barely pay attention to the environmental crisis going on there. Take the issue of creation of local governments: Lagos that has more people than Kano has twenty local governments, while Kano has forty-four. Or even the issue of revenue allocation where land mass is a factor. There are many examples we can cite. It is this hegemonic reality that makes national integration and therefore development impossible

PT: In a 2010 keynote address, What Nigeria Means To Me, Chinua Achebe, in his typically frank prose said: Our 1960 national anthem, given to us as a parting gift by a British housewife in England had called Nigeria our sovereign motherland. The current anthem, put together by a committee of Nigerian intellectuals and actually worse than the first one, invokes the father image. But it has occurred to me that Nigeria is neither my mother nor my father. Nigeria is a child. Gifted enormously, talented, prodigiously endowed and incredibly wayward. He counsels later in the essay that this wayward child should be coaxed along the path of useful creative development. Do you share this view/and how should this coaxing be done?

CO: I share Achebes position completely. Nigeria is a nation of great potentials. But it has remained just that: a country of great potentials. How do we coax the country to unleash its potentials? It is a difficult question, one that goes to the very foundation of the country. My view is that we have to create a nation out of the contraption that was handed over to us by the colonialists. Once that is done, all other things, as the saying goes, will be added to unto us.

PT: A very pertinent question was posed by Wole Soyinka in his 1997 book of essays, The Open Sore of a Continent, which also connects with the thematic preoccupations in the Chido Onumah Trilogy: When is a nation? Would you say your three books have done enough in the collective search for an answer? And I have your second and third books in mind  Nigeria Is Negotiable and We Are All Biafrans. Second, do we become a nation the moment we recognise that we are all disadvantaged as isolated and mutually antagonistic tribes and will forever be if we continue to place the ethnic above the national interest? And perhaps, agreeing on new terms of bonding together might save the union?





I hate to sound like a broken record but we cant do any of the things that will set us on the path of development if we dont craft a vision of the kind of nation we want to build first. Do we want to build an inclusive and modern nation or do we wish to maintain a neo-colonial and neo-feudal society in the 21st century?

CO: Without sounding immodest, I would say the three books have covered almost all grounds in an attempt to understand and find answers to what ails Nigeria. And I dont mean the details. I am focused more on the big picture because if we dont deal with the issue of nationhood, we cant deal with the specific, whether we are talking about education, health, etc. The books are not in any particular order. The first one, Time to Reclaim Nigeria is a clarion call for Nigerians to reclaim the country, to save it from the brink. I remember the governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, posing the question in his keynote speech during the public presentation: How do you reclaim what you never owned? What he was referring to actually was that we have to deal with the existential crisis in Nigeria. And I think my response, though not deliberate, was the second book, Nigeria is Negotiable. The argument basically is that we have to collectively agree on what Nigeria means to us and reorder the country accordingly based on this new vision. And the last book, We Are All Biafrans, is to say Nigerians all over the country are going through one form of marginalisation or oppression. But we wont become a nation by simply assuming that we are all marginalised or oppressed. What makes us a nation is the issue you raised at the end of your question: how do we place the national interest above the ethnic allegiance? We need to fashion out and agree on new terms of engagement. That is the only way to save Nigeria. As I noted in one of the essays in the last book, Nigeria was created in the image of the colonisers; we have to recreate Nigeria in the image of the 170 million people who call this place their homeland. It is going to be a huge challenge, but it is doable.

PT: The amalgamation of 1914 has accorded Nigeria an exceptional status within Africa and beyond, Ali Mazrui has argued. He gave some reasons for his thesis: population, three pivotal ethnic groups, etc How far can we rely on this rather flattering statement against the background of all of Nigerias obvious failure to modernise and become a stable federation, a century after the amalgamation, and fifty-six years after independence from colonial rule?

CO: Mazruis analysis is spot on. It touches on the strength of Nigeria which if harnessed can make the country a global contender. But again there is the other side of the argument. I am open to be corrected, but I dont know of any other country where you have three dominant ethnic nationalities. In a sense, it is the struggle for power and control among these three major groups that is responsible for much of the mess we have found ourselves. The same thing applies to religion. We have a balance of forces between the two major religions, Christianity and Islam. In a way, it is a good thing in that neither will seek to dominate. But in our own case, it has been a source of immense tension. Perhaps, the fact that no group can really dominate through and through without the support of other groups should help us wake up to the reality that it is time to make Nigeria work by building a stable federation.

PT: You would have thought that by now Nelson Mandelas endearing words on Nigeria would have effected a positive change in the depressing state of the nation since he spoke with Hakeem Baba-Ahmed in South Africa in a December 2013 conversation. What comes to mind whenever you read these words from Mandela: The world will not respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect. The Black people of the world need Nigeria to be great as a source of pride and confidence. Nigerians love freedom and hate oppression. Why do you do it to yourselves?

CO: What can I say? It makes your heart bleed when you realise the potentials of the giant of Africa, a country that ought to be the pride of the Black world, still on its knees. We have managed to fulfill every negative prophecy of the Black race or the developing world. It all goes back to the existential crisis in the country that I have spoken of and written about for more than two decades now. There is no way we can develop unless we build a nation first. We are afraid of one another. A fear and mistrust that was built into our history and psyche by the colonialists. I dont I know of any other country where the evil machinations of colonialism manifested more than in this country. In Nigeria, the British colonialists overdid themselves in showcasing the infernal project that was colonialism. But hey, its been 56 years since the colonisers departed. We cant continue to whine. We know what the problems are. We should face them squarely.

PT: We can mark the beginning of another 100 years by devising a grand human development plan that will transform our most vulnerable communities and their citizens. We can draw up a human rights charter that vows to protect all Nigerians, and commit to ensuring that no Nigerian should ever have to live without access to clean water, habitation, basic sanitation and food. Every child should have access to routine immunisation and a school where they are guaranteed basic literacy and numeracy skills. We must include in our plan the creation and opening up of innovative job opportunities for all able-bodied citizens who want to work. We must commit to solving ethnic skirmishes using a bottom-up approach. These words are from Fatima Akilus essay, A Wasted Century. Do you share the view in the title of the essay? And do you think her recommendations here have a chance of being realised within the present political context?

CO: Of course, I share Akilus views. There is always the fear that if you try to paint the true picture of the Nigerian tragedy, you are abused and called names. And I have had my fair share of people calling me names because I interrogate or insist that we must interrogate our current reality; a reality captured in the essay by Fatima Akilu. But we shouldnt let that deter us. I hate to sound like a broken record but we cant do any of the things that will set us on the path of development if we dont craft a vision of the kind of nation we want to build first. Do we want to build an inclusive and modern nation or do we wish to maintain a neo-colonial and neo-feudal society in the 21st century? Unfortunately, we cant build that new Nigeria of our dreams within the present political context, because it is a context that is divisive, exploitative, antithetical to development, wasteful and prone to corruption.

PT: It is crucial to determine what will help change the tide against women and girls. Twenty years after the creation of a ministry of women affairs  a feat Nigeria was proud of achieving as one major milestone from the Beijing Platform for Action, it must be painful for those who fought and advocated for its creation to admit that things have not gone the way it was imagined. Having a ministry for women has not significantly improved the life of Nigerian women. At our most generous, the ministry has prevented things from getting worse. This quote is from Ayisha Osoris July 13, 2015, essay, Being Female in Nigeria. What in your view is the gender dimension to the idea of restructuring Nigeria?





At least, under colonialism, the colonialists knew they had to maintain a country for them to have a territory to govern and to call their own. In the case of our ruling class, which is also comprador, the country is taken for granted. They think or believe that nobody can push them anywhere like the colonialists. So they rape and dispossess with impunity

CO: You have raised an interesting issue. It is one issue that seems to have been forgotten or pushed to the back burner of national discourse in Nigeria even among those on the Left. In the true sense of restructuring for development we need to deal with a number of questions: the National Question, The Gender Question and, of course, the Religious Question. There are so many encumbrances that women face in Nigeria, some economic, some religious, some ethnic, some political, some social, etc. As a nation, we need to address these challenges. Women constitute half, if not more, of our population and to make them adjuncts in the process of nation building will only spell doom for the country.

PT: In an essay titled, Why We Have Been Restructuring, thats also a refreshing response to your third book, Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, dropped what read like a timely reminder to all participating in this debate: I am all for restructuring of Nigeria but let us all remember the objective is not restructuring in itself but, as Herbert Macaulay articulated at the beginning of the debate in 1946, RESTRUCTURING TO TRANSFER POWER TO CITIZENS. Also, in an earnest essay, The country we wish to see, your great mentor Edwin Madunagu reiterates this need to focus on the long-forgotten citizens as the basis for preserving or altering the status quo: I am passionate about the unity of Nigeria but not unity at all costs. It must be unity on the basis of the long-suffering, long-cheated and long-abused masses of Nigeria; not the unity of the cemetery or the unity of the predator and state robbers against the masses, he wrote. The question remains: how will this ongoing debate being conducted among the elites and I daresay above the heads of the long forgotten citizens, not be another distractive exercise that will end up altering nothing?

CO: That is exactly my point. I dont support restructuring for the sake of restructuring or for the benefit of particular ethnic nationalities. My sense of restructuring is to reorder the Nigerian society not just to avert the internal colonialism that is currently going on, but to give succour to millions of toiling and working people across the country. Dr. Jibrin raises a very important point. We have been restructuring for a long time. Unfortunately, the restructuring that has taken place so far has been done by the hegemonists for their interest. The new restructuring that we are clamouring for should not only be thorough but should be inclusive. The challenge, therefore, is how do we mobilise the mass of our people so that they understand and take charge of the restructuring debate that is going on currently for their own benefit. We cant continue to throw around weasel words like, The unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. We cant force unity or maintain it through the barrel of a gun. This is one very simple lesson Nigerias hegemonic elite has refused to learn. When every part of the country  and I dont think there is any part that is asking for too much or more than its fair share  feels a sense of belonging, a sense of justice, then there would be no need to worry about the unity of the country. As long as we have what the late Odumegwu Ojukwu described as the unity of Jonah in the belly of the whale, we will continue to have crisis. The masses and working people, I believe, have an important role to play in reshaping this new narrative.

PT: Two important readers of your first book, Time to Reclaim Nigeria, seemed to have offered an instructive diagnosis and a self-indicting prescription on the present crisis. Harry Garuba says in his Foreword: Reading through Chidos pieces brought that feeling of perspicacity that hindsight provides, except that the catalogue of malfeasance neither seemed to have faded nor diminished. It was like returning to an old wound that simply refuses to heal or be cauterized no matter how you try. And then, Ayo Obe, in her review: Its the people, the rubbish we put up with, the nonsense that we cheer and applaud, the crumbs we accept, our astonishment and gratitude that those whom we elected into office do anything for us at all, as if that is not what they are supposed to do. Its us, the People. How does the badly wounded populace understand that it possesses the might to alter this dehumanising status quo?

CO: Thats always the challenge. Some people have argued that Nigeria deserves the leaders it gets; that it is because we have allowed the nonsense, to use Ayo Obes word, to go unchallenged, that we have the kind of country we have today. In a way, those who push this argument are correct. But we must also understand the nature of Nigerias ruling elite, one far worse than the British colonialists, that has created the kind of society that has reduced the majority of citizens to supine animals whose daily preoccupation is to eke out a living. At least, under colonialism, the colonialists knew they had to maintain a country for them to have a territory to govern and to call their own. In the case of our ruling class, which is also comprador, the country is taken for granted. They think or believe that nobody can push them anywhere like the colonialists. So they rape and dispossess with impunity; they steal and acquire property as if there is no tomorrow. For them, there is nothing like enlightened self-interest. They appropriate money meant for education and health to themselves, which explains why over 10 million Nigerian children  the future prospects of this country  are not in school; it explains why Nigeria is in the company of Pakistan and Afghanistan as countries where polio remains endemic. But our ruling elite will be mistaken to think that this apathy will last forever.

PT: Also, two submissions by your well-respected compatriots and the reviewers of your second and third books, Nigeria is Negotiable and We Are All Biafrans, seem to sum up your long-running concern  restructuring Nigeria. In the words of Nnimmo Bassey: The book wraps up on a very concrete note. It sees the planned centenary of the amalgamation of the nation as wrong-headed and suggests that it should be a most auspicious moment to negotiate Nigeria. We agree that there must be something basically wrong with a position that we should celebrate the day we were forced into a union and have since then been disallowed from even simply having a conversation about the nature, state, purpose and future of such a union.

And in the words of Chidi Odinkalu: Part of the reason for Nigerias failure in constructing a functional state, thirdly, is our collective tendency towards convenient amnesia. Nigeria, Chido Onumah, the author argues, has not engaged with those that it excludes. According to him, Nigeria has not engaged with Biafra and there is a lot that is still unresolved about the civil war. But its not just Biafra and that tumultuous period of our history. There is a lot that is unresolved about Nigeria as a whole and about many aspects of our existence as a country. Nigeria has not engaged with June 12, just as we have not engaged with Boko Haram, to mention only two of the more recent episodic convulsions that threaten the very foundation of the country. In a sense, the Biafra experience could be a metaphor for the many unresolved problems that confront us as a country.

Chido Onumah, our prophet of nation-reclamation, of a re-negotiated and restructured Nigeria, how urgent is the urgency of NOW?

CO: I wish I had words to describe the urgency of now. Nigeria is in a very deep crisis and unless we do something, and urgently too, this country will end up like DR Congo or Somalia. Unfortunately, our rulers are fiddling while the country burns. We have been managing the Nigerian crisis for too long and I think we have really run out of options. I laugh when I hear some Nigerians say we are a resilient people, that we have survived a civil war and that we will survive any crisis, as if a nation is an eternal construct. They fail to understand the underlying architecture of the country; that Nigeria was rigged to fail by those who created it. That, in a sentence, explains the urgency of Now!





For me, a satisfactory outcome of a restructured Nigeria would be when our states function; when they are allowed to unleash their full potentials by allowing them to control their resources; when they are allowed to maintain their own electoral bodies; when states have their own police so that they can enforce the laws made by their state assemblies; when our local governments function

PT: There have been several provocative responses to the equally provocative titles and content of your trilogy on the Nigerian condition. Can you share some of?

CO: The responses have been quite interesting. Some people have argued that there is nothing to reclaim about Nigeria or that Nigeria is not negotiable. I have been tagged an alarmist, an angry writer, one who has issues with Nigeria, whatever that means. Some friends, even comrades have referred to me as a nation wrecker, and I dont know whether in jest  not that I really care though. You have to have a nation before you can wreck one. I think my role as a writer is to provoke conversation and debate around issues that I am passionate about; issues that I think are in the interest of the majority of our citizens. It is left for Nigerians really to decide what they want to make of the country.

PT: There are some of your readers, some of whom you have referred to as your longstanding comrades, who have not only deliberately misread your work, but have taken it upon themselves to keep obfuscating the serious issues you have been raising about the dire state of the nation. Do you sometimes think, maybe, they have a point?

CO: Not at all. But I still maintain the friendships. Just as I noted earlier, there are amongst my friends those who deliberately try to paint me in a different light; those who say, Chido cant be trusted. The question then is: Trusted to do what? To keep quiet and allow our people to continue to go through the current indignities in the name of national unity or one nation? Some even say I have a hidden agenda or an ethnic agenda; that I dont write or speak like a pan-Nigerian patriot. I have stopped responding to those people. I am not the enemy of Nigeria. These people, who think we live in a perfect society, are the real enemies of the country. For them, Nigeria is working because it favours them. I am fifty. I have taken this position for twenty-five years. There is really no going back. Of course, I am always willing to bow to superior arguments.

PT: Now, beyond the obfuscations, what in specific terms does restructuring Nigeria, NOT, mean? Can you name some?

CO: I am not sure my time permits me to do this. But I will name a few. And here I can only speak for myself. As you well know, there are many views on restructuring as there are ethnic groups in Nigeria. First and foremost, restructuring for me is not about balkanising the country; second, restructuring is not about creating new homelands for ethnic nationalities  Nigeria is no longer the sum total of its ethnic nationalities; third, restructuring is not a silver bullet  a cure-all for our problems; fourth, restructuring is not against any particular group; fifth, restructuring is not meant to favour any particular group. I could go on and on.

PT: In the interest of your compatriots who wish to give you a hearing, what, to your mind, would constitute the contents of a process to restructure Nigeria?

CO: What restructuring means to me is to alter the power dynamics in the country. We must understand that this country was granted independence in 1960 as a federal republic. The military did a lot to destroy the foundation of this country. And here, I am not talking about corruption, the abuse of human rights, and the destruction of national ethos. If you look around the world, almost every other place that the military intervened, except in Nigeria, they managed not to tamper with the structure of those countries. What it meant in those places was that at the termination of military rule, it was easier for some of these societies to pick themselves up and build institutions to counter the negative impact of military dictatorship. But once the structure was affected, it amounted to recreating the country. Unfortunately, for Nigeria the civilian governments that were put in place in the name of democracy, again by the military, as opposed to the votes of Nigerians, simply imbibed the military ethos and carried on without care. What would constitute the contents of a process to restructure Nigeria would be to destroy the current hegemonic power base at the centre and devolve power to the people, to communities, local council and the states. Allow states to create local governments, as they deem necessary.

PT: What, in your view, will represent a satisfactory outcome of a restructured Nigeria?

CO: For me, a satisfactory outcome of a restructured Nigeria would be when our states function; when they are allowed to unleash their full potentials by allowing them to control their resources; when they are allowed to maintain their own electoral bodies; when states have their own police so that they can enforce the laws made by their state assemblies; when our local governments function; when citizenships rights are recognised and protected; when there is no distinction between indigene and settler. That is the new Nigeria I dream of. And I believe it is possible!
Police in Cote dIvoire arrested opposition figures and used teargas to disperse demonstrators gathering on Friday to protest against a new draft constitution.

The new draft constitution was due to be voted on in a referendum later this month.

President Alassane Ouattara said that the new constitution will turn the page on a decade of political turmoil and civil war.

However, the opposition leaders have called the document a step backward for democracy in French-speaking West Africas largest economy.

Police in riot gear broke up the planned march in the commercial capital Abidjan as demonstrators were gathering early on Friday.

In addition to firing teargas at the still small crowd of around 50 people, officers were seen striking protesters with batons.

We came here democratically to say no to this constitution, and Ouattara is throwing us in prison.

He can keep doing this, but we will also continue, said opposition politician Mamadou Koulibaly as he was bundled into a police truck.

Aboudramane Sangare, who heads a hard line faction of ex-president Laurent Gbagbos FPI party, was also driven away by police along with around 20 other opposition supporters.

The government spokesperson, Bruno Kone, said he was not aware of the incident, while an interior ministry communications official declined to comment.

Ivorians will vote on the constitution on October 30.

Ouattara promised during his re-election campaign in 2015 to remove the constitutions requirement for presidential candidates to have parents who are both born in Ivory Coast.

The clause has been a sore point in a country that has long attracted immigrants from neighbouring countries and was used by Ouattaras opponents to bar him from elections, becoming a symbol of exclusion, particularly of northerners like him.

Nationality was at the heart of a crisis that began with a 1999 coup and included 2002-2003 civil war that split Ivory Coast for eight years.

Ouattara finally won election in 2010, although his victory sparked a second war that killed more than 3,000 people.

The draft constitution approved by parliament earlier this month softens the controversial nationality clause.

However, it also makes other changes, including the creation of a senate and the post of vice-president, which the opposition says are designed to further entrench Ouattaras political coalition.

(Reuters/NAN)
Prosecutors in the U.S. states of North Dakota and Washington should drop all charges against three independent documentary filmmakers arrested while filming environmental activists interfering with oil pipelines, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Filmmakers Deia Schlosberg and Lindsey Goodwin-Grayzel, as well as Goodwin-Grayzels cameraman, Carl Davis, were arrested with activists from the group Climate Direct Action on October 11, and subsequently charged with a range of felonies, including conspiracy and burglary, as participants in the coordinated, multistate protest, according to press reports.

Recording civil disobedience and arrests is news-gathering, not conspiracy, said Robert Mahoney, CPJs deputy executive director. Prosecuting filmmakers for covering protests sends a chilling message. We call on authorities in North Dakota and Washington to drop these troubling charges and to stop interfering with journalists doing their jobs.

Schlosberg, the founder of the Pale Blue Dot Media Company, told CPJ that she faces a maximum sentence of 25 years on conspiracy charges for filming activist Michael Foster as he broke into a facility of the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline in North Dakota and closed a pipeline valve. Schlosberg said that she was arrested along with Foster and his fellow activist Samuel Jessup on October 11 and jailed for 53 hours before being released on bail.

According to the criminal complaint, which CPJ has reviewed, prosecutors claim that Schlosberg conspired with Foster and Jessup to damage the pipeline. The complaint says that Schlosberg was recruited to film the action and that she travelled in the same vehicle as the activists. If convicted either of the charge conspiracy to theft of property or conspiracy to theft of service  Schlosberg told CPJ that the court could convict her of one or the other felony, but not both  she could face 20 years in prison, in addition to a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to tampering with or damaging a public service.

Schlosberg, who recently produced the third filmin an Emmy award-winning series about natural gas production in the United States, told CPJ that she was not involved in the protest but that she was recording it as part of her work as a documentary filmmaker who focuses on environmental issues. She said she travelled with the activists, filming interviews in the car. She told CPJ that she was on public property and that she identified herself as a journalist at the time of the arrest.

A spokesperson at the office of North Dakota Pembina County states attorney, Ryan Bialas, told CPJ that the office had no comment on the case.

In Washington, filmmaker Lindsey Goodwin-Grayzel and her cameraman Carl Davis face felony charges for robbery and trespassing after filming activist Ken Ward as he broke into a Trans Mountain Pipeline facility in Skagit County and attempted to shut down a pipeline.

According to her website, Goodwin-Grayzel is working on a short documentary film following Ward. Her attorney, Neil Fox, told CPJ that she was filming in Skagit County as part of this project.

Shes doing a documentary. Shes not an activist who is part of some concerted action or the film arm of Greenpeace. Her lifes work is to make documentary films, Fox told CPJ in a telephone interview.

If convicted, Goodwin-Grayzel faces a maximum penalty of a total of 30 years in jail, fines of $46,000, or both, on charges of second-degree burglary, trespassing, criminal sabotage, and assemblage of saboteurs, according to a statement the filmmaker emailed to CPJ.

The Skagit County Prosecuting Attorneys Office did not immediately respond to CPJs request for comment.

Goodwin-Grayzel has previously worked on films about suicides, national parks, and electronic medical records, according to her website.

Cameraman Carl Daviss lawyer, Brit Mercer, told CPJ that her client faces the same charges as Goodwin-Grayzel. Davis has worked on documentaries for museums and aquariums, Mercer told CPJ. Davis had not coordinated or worked with the activists in any way, she said.

This is a terrifying affront to the First Amendment. He was a journalist hired to do a jobno more, no less, Mercer told CPJ.

Activists shut down pipeline facilities in the U.S. states of Washington, Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota on October 11 to protest global warming.

The arrest of the reporters filming the direct action comes shortly after broadcast journalist Amy Goodman was charged with trespassing for filming protests against a pipeline project in North Dakota. The charges were eventually dropped, and a court dismissed a second charge of rioting, Goodman reported on her show.
As the agitation for the independent state of Biafra continues, Edet Akpan, a retired major-general from Akwa Ibom State, has explained why it was impossible for the people of the south-south region of the country to be part of it.

Nigeria fought a horrendous three-year-old civil war between 1967 and 1970, to stop Biafra, led mainly by the Igbos in south-east, from seceding.

Todays Akwa Ibom, and other states in the south-south, were part of the south eastern region at the time, and would have formed the breakaway republic if the secession had succeeded.

Pro-Biafra supporters have staged a series of protests lately, resulting in deadly clampdown by security forces.

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra, was arrested in 2015 and has remained in detention for more than one year now, charged for alleged treason.

Lack of trust has always been on between the Igbo and the minorities, Mr. Akpan, a former director general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

Mr. Akpan said Akwa Ibom and other states in the south-south would prefer to stay in Nigeria, instead of supporting the agitation for Biafra.

Mr. Akpan said the Nigerian state was a larger entity, with room for the minorities to maneuver. It is much better than a region that you dont feel (that you) belong. If you are suppressed as a minority (in Biafra) where do you cry to? he said.

The retired general said Biafra lost the war because the minorities in the then eastern region didnt agree with the Igbo for a separate country because they were not sure that their future was secured in an Igbo-controlled nation.

I remember one Igbo leader who said, Dont worry the quarrel between the Igbo and the minorities is that between a husband and wife. Oh, this place almost went into flame. Then it was asked, Who is the husband and who is the wife? You see, the lack of trust is still there.

Mr. Akpan supports the call for restructuring of the Nigerian state, but not necessarily to go back to regionalism. It was time for the country to practice fiscal federalism, he said.

You can keep the existing states, so long as you are not going to create states every other year. There was a national conference that took care of the issue of restructuring. The report is available. Some real autonomy for the states. I may not accept state police because of abuse. The autonomy should be more on economic matters.

Mr. Akpan said the activities of Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants, and the Biafra agitators were indicators that all was not well with the country.

He said what the Igbo want wasnt really Biafra, but genuine integration into the Nigerian state, after the civil war. They want to feel that an Igbo man can one day become the president of Nigeria.

They (Igbos) should seek whatever they want within the framework of the Nigerian state, he said.

He expressed confidence in the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari to salvage the country.

I know he (Buhari) has integrity. I know he means well (for the country). The suffering that we see is temporary.

If he was not the president now, to plug a lot of loopholes that have been in place all along, the money we have been getting now would have been so small. If we had had a president who would have closed his eyes to corruption, it would have been much worse (than what we are seeing), he said.
Nigeria is a multi-religious country in which the two main faiths, Christianity and Islam, are sub-divided into numerous sects and groups, not all of which accept each other. Our Constitution protects all of them by guaranteeing religious freedom. Any attempt to deprive any religious group of the freedom to practice its religion runs the risk of provoking a major conflict with that group.

It is in this context that PREMIUM TIMES wishes to call attention to the dangers associated with the widespread attacks on Shiites, a Muslim religious movement, in various parts of Northern Nigeria. The attacks are directed at members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Nigerias foremost Shia group.

It would be recalled that the Kaduna State Government recently issued a legal notice in relation to the Commission of Inquiry Report on the Clash Between the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN). The Order, which came into operation on October 7, 2016 declares that: the Society that bears the name, style, guise or nomenclature of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, is hereby declared an Unlawful Society in Kaduna State.

The justifications for the order, according to the Kaduna Government, are the imperative for the promotion and protection of public safety, public order, public morality or public health; and/or the rights and freedom of all persons in Kaduna State.

The Order is anchored on the findings of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the clashes between the group with the appellation Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Nigerian Army in Zaria between December 12 and 14 2015. The findings, the government says, draw attention to acts, which if allowed to go unchecked will constitute danger to the peace, tranquillity, harmonious co-existence and good governance of Kaduna State.

The Commission itself was very problematic because although one party, the Nigerian Army, participated with a huge array of lawyers, the other party to the confrontation, the IMN, neither sent memoranda nor appeared before it. They stayed away because they had lost hundreds of their people who were killed by soldiers, with many more arrested and jailed, while their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, had been in detention with the SSS since December last year. They also pointed out that some members of the Commission of Inquiry had been on record proposing that Muslims should kill members of the Shia religious group. It was therefore not surprising that they boycotted the Inquiry. As such, the fact of the matter is that the Commission heard only one side of the story.

Nonetheless, the Commission of Inquiry was categorical in its findings that the Nigerian Army was wrong in shooting its way through the blockade set by the IMN that led to the initial killing of seven members of the IMN. The Commission also found that the claim by the Army that the IMN had a large stockpile of dangerous weapons was false as they could only produce one locally made pistol and some catapults, knives, swords and bows and arrows as evidence of the purported large arsenal of arms. The Commission therefore concluded that the use of lethal force by the Nigerian Army leading to the massacre of 347 members of the movement was wrong, illegal and punishable. The Commission subsequently recommended that steps should immediately be taken to identify members of the Nigerian Army who acted contrary to their Rules of Engagement and professional ethics and participated in the killings of the IMN members and other citizens between December 12 and 14, 2015, with a view to bringing them to justice by prosecuting them.

Rather than punishing the Nigerian Army for its crimes, what we have witnessed so far is the proscription of the movement. Many of the members have also been attacked and killed since the proscription order.

The Nigerian media were awash with reports of attacks and killings on Wednesday, October 12. Early that morning, four members of the Shia sect were reportedly killed in the Tudun Wada area of Kaduna South Local Government Area, when some irate youth attacked them, burning down the residence of the groups leader in Kaduna and demolishing the Shiites Islamic school in the area. The police in Sokoto have also reported that hoodlums killed a Shia member in Tudun Wada quarters of Sokoto North Local Government Area en route to a procession.

There was also a violent confrontation at Tamaje area of Sokoto South Local Government between a mob and sect members. In Katsina State, the police said at least three persons died during a clash between its officials and members of the IMN in Funtua, Funtua Local Government Area of the state. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Abdullahi, said two policemen were injured during the clash. According to him, the police arrested 46 persons comprising men and women for participating in the banned procession. He said the incident occurred when members of the Shia group attempted to burn the Police Area Commanders office in the town during the procession.

The IMN released a statement last Wednesday stating that at least 13 of its members were killed in multiple clashes with the police and some hoodlums in Funtua, Sokoto and Kaduna. Some States  Kaduna, Katsina, Kano and Kebbi had earlier banned the groups annual procession.

The alleged reason for the attacks where that they were commemorating a religious rite called Ashura, which involves processional marches. Over the years, these processions have been done peacefully in many parts of the country. This year, however, there were concerted attempts by both security agencies and other Islamic groups to stop them.

The Order of the Kaduna State Government has clearly become a trigger that unleashed these attacks on members of the Shia community all over the country. It is estimated that there are about three million members of this religious community across Nigeria and it is highly irresponsible for state governments to proscribe their operations.

One of the most dangerous convictions is for members of a religious community to believe that their freedom to exercise their faith, according to their belief, is being embargoed. Also, in this situation, the detention of the Shia leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife since December last year, with no charges filed against them, is frightfully unacceptable. Their followers have been demanding and demonstrating for their release and all the security agencies have been doing is attacking them.

Members of the IMN believe that the Nigerian Government is trying to kill their leader. So far, the army has killed six out his seven sons and now his organisation has been proscribed in Kaduna and Plateau States, while members of the sect are being attacked all over the country. It appears that there is an attempt to push the Shiites in Nigeria to popular revolt. We have enough insurgencies and violent conflicts in Nigeria and PREMIUM TIMES calls on authorities and the civil populace to beware of pushing our country toward more violent conflicts.

PREMIUM TIMES is aware that the attack on Shiites also has an international dimension. In Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, Sunni forces under the leadership of Saudi Arabia have been attacking Shiites in proxy wars. The majority of Nigerians have indicated no interest in being drawn into these proxy wars. It is important to know that the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) is not just an organisation, it is a Shiite Islamic religious movement. The religious movement has about three million members and has branches in all 36 states in the country and banning them could lead to a series of violent clashes all over the country. There is no doubt that banning the organisation would be understood by its members to mean banning their constitutional right to practice their religion.

PREMIUM TIMES believes that the argument for the proscription  that they are not registered  is a flimsy one. It is true that the IMN is not registered. The Nigerian Constitution however allows citizens the freedom of association and movement with or without registration. There are thousands of religious and other associations operating in the country without registration. Members of the IMN should be free to associate, as long as they respect the laws of the country and do not infringe on the rights of others. Nigeria must step back from this dangerous trend that could lead us into stoking yet another religious crisis.
Telecoms firm, MTN, accused of illegally repatriating $13.8 billion from Nigeria, said on Friday it failed to comply with the law requiring issuance of Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs) within 24 hours of conversion because it was a mere administrative requirement.

At the opening of investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Banks, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, into the transfer, MTN said that circumstances beyond its control necessitated its decision to move funds without following the law.

The senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, had on September 27 accused MTN of outsmarting the Nigerian financial regulatory laws to obtain a CCI within 24 hours before moving the money out of the country without the required authorisation.

Mr. Melaye said the repatriation was carried out between 2006 and 2016 in connivance with the Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, and four commercial banks, namely Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Diamond Bank and Citi Bank.

The CCI is a requirement under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) financial and miscellaneous provisions Act.

But, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, said it was practically impossible for the company to comply with the 24 hours required to issue the CCI before moving funds.

The requirement to issue a CCI within 24 hours of conversion is an administrative requirement, Mr. Moolman said in a statement on Friday from Johannesburg, South Africa.

As such, the CBN has the authority, and indeed we believe approved the banks applications to issue CCIs outside the recommended time frame.

Often, for various reasons (such as not having all the required documentation for instance), it is not possible to issue a CCI within 24 hours, and the Central Bank of Nigerias Forex Manual contemplates such situations by asking that the banks refer to the CBN for approval.

He said no dividends were declared or paid until the CCIs were issued and finalised, adding that MTN Nigeria only requested CCIs for Foreign Capital that was imported into Nigeria, and dividends were externalised on CCIs.

As the investigation commenced, Bloomberg news reported the value of the shares of the telecom giant slumped to a six-year low.

The report said the stock declined 2.3 percent to 107.50 rand (about N2, 424.82) by the close of the market in Johannesburg, the lowest since July 2010, stretching the slide to 13 percent since the allegations were first raised in September.
At least 83 Nigerian soldiers, including a commanding officer, are still missing days after they came under a Boko Haram attack, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

Top level military sources monitoring the development told this newspaper that the soldiers were still missing in action as of Friday morning, four days after the attack.

The Army confirmed the attack in a statement on Tuesday, but has not given further updates. It did not also admit 83 soldiers were missing.

The latest update from several military personnel, follows our earlier report on how Nigerian troops drowned in a river as they scampered for safety in the face of a superior firepower from the terrorists.

While about 22 of the fleeing soldiers were later rescued by their Nigerien counterparts and dispatched to a hospital in Diffa, southern Niger, several others were fatally wounded after Boko Haram opened fire on them when they jumped into the River Yobe.

The Army leadership has established contact with the 22 soldiers including two that sustained serious gunshot wounds recuperating in the Niger hospital, PREMIUM TIMES understands.

The missing Commanding Officer of 223 Tank Battalion in Gashigar, was identified as K. Yusuf, a lieutenant colonel.

Military sources said the troops could not withstand Boko Haram because they had only two light armour tanks to work with.

Even the two tanks were withdrawn from the battlefront in Damasak to Gashigar, leaving soldiers in Damasak and other small units nearby with no tank.

May God touch the heart of our dear president to equip the Army, the source said. How have we offended him that has made him not to equip us as promised? one source said. May God touch his heart to forgive. Our men are dying daily here.

Besides the poor equipment, the renewed show of strength by Boko Haram has frightened many, coming after months of relative success by Nigerian troops.

Since the beginning of this year, the Army had maintained that troops were clearing the sects remnants across the troubled Northeast as a precursor to a new phase of winding down combat operations.

The Buhari administration claimed credits for the improved morale of the troops which had made it possible for previously displaced residents to return to their communities and commence rebuilding efforts.

Corruption returns

But high-ranking sources on the ground told PREMIUM TIMES the latest setback was because poor morale had returned to the battlefield.

On the day they were dislodged, troops morale was at the lowest ebb and troops were not ready to face the terrorists, security sources said.

The sources said the soldiers have had to endure months of unpaid salaries and their allowances also being held by their superiors.

All military sources who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES asked that their identities be protected because of the sensitivity of the issue.

This turn of event had compelled some commanders on the battlefield to go out of their way in search of financial support to keep their men fed  albeit poorly.

The cause of the low morale was due to their being fed once a day and the insensitivity of the authorities to pay them their allowances, the source said. Only part payment of their allowance for August has been paid to date.

The commanders on the ground go out of their ways to incur debt in order to feed their troops.

The ration cash allowance meant for feeding was last paid for the month of August. So the Commanding Officers on the ground are the worst hit, the sources said.

The sources blamed alleged greed of a few brigade commanders for the situation the troops now find themselves.

Some brigade commanders reduce the official feeding ration of N500 per day to a meagre N300 just to make money. Our findings reveal that most locations outside Maiduguri only feed their troops once a day with mostly beans, the sources said.

The sources said this insatiable craze for quick money bears a stark similarity with what obtained under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

The last administration doled out a lot of money to the theatre of operations which was mismanaged, the source said.

Other sources said the current pain is part of the consequences of a new distribution policy put in place by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, who came in a little over a year ago.

The present Chief of Army Staff, in his good effort to minimise waste, decided to check these excesses by reducing maintenance allowance for the various units by half.

So the commands are not too happy with the development and have resorted to looking into troops feeding money, one source said.

They, nonetheless, described the policy as a patriotic one which was put in place to check the commanders use of allowances by to settle political godfathers and patronise women.

Army spokesman, Sani Usman, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments.

Nigerian troops are fighting alongside their counterparts from Cameroon and the Republic of Niger.

Mondays development marked the first time in more than two years that Nigerian troops would come under superior firepower that required foreign military personnel to come to their rescue.

A similar incident last occurred in August 2014 when about 480 troops crossed the border into Cameroon while fleeing Boko Haram.

The insurgency, which began in 2009, has left approximately 20,000 people dead and displacement of millions.

Boko Haram leaders recently engaged in negotiation with the Nigerian government which led to last weeks release of 21 of the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.
Nigerias immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, will be re-arraigned before an Abuja division of the Federal High Court on November 16 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf.

Mr. Dasuki was formally arraigned before two judges in the same court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, until his counsel, Joseph Daudu, sought the merger of the two charges. The two cases were for Mr. Dasukis alleged roles in a total N41 billion scam.

Mr. Daudu said the charges brought against his client in both courts were of similar content. He made a request, pursuant to sections six and thirty-six of the 1999 constitution, as well as various sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, requesting the courts to consolidate the charges.

The counsel to the prosecution, Rotimi Jacobs, did not object the application. The cases were then forwarded to the Chief judge of the Court, Ishaq Bello, for consideration of the application for merger.

On Friday, the case resumed before one of the judges handling the matter, Mr. Baba-Yusuf, after hours of private deliberation by counsel and the court.

Mr. Baba-Yusuf announced the decision of the Chief Judge to bring both charges before one court, hence the continuation of the matter before his court.

The prosecution counsel, Mr. Jacobs, then informed the court that since the case had come before a single judge, the issue of merger would no longer be necessary.

He said his client was ready to carry on with both charges in the same court.

It appears that all the lawyers are tired of the undue delay of these two cases, the EFCC counsel said. We agreed that the two cases go before the same judge and the CJ has transferred the case before Justice Affen to the court of Hon. Justice Baba-Yusuf, so thats where we are.

The issue of consolidation will not arise again; once the two cases are before the same judge, the issue of consolidation will not arise, Mr. Jacobs added.

The November 16 re-arraignment could involve either both cases or the new one just given to Mr. Baba-Yusuf.

Mr. Dasuki was formally arraigned in one of the charges before Mr. Baba-Yusuf alongside four others, namely: Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance at the office of the NSA, Aminu Baba-Kusa, former NNPC Executive Director; and two companies, Acacia Holding Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.

He is facing multiple charges for alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of arms during the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

He is also facing trial for alleged possession of firearms.

He has remained in detention since he was last arrested in November last year despite decisions for his bail by Nigerian and ECOWAS courts.
The former director of media and publicity of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode, was on Friday arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as he emerged from a corruption trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

A former aviation minister, Mr. Fani-Kayode was in court for the trial of the alleged diversion and misappropriation of N4.9 billion campaign fund when he was picked up by the anti-graft commission. Others charged alongside the outspoken former minister were ex-finance minister, Nenadi Usman, one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.

All the accused pleaded not guilty and had been granted bail.

The 17-count suit was adjourned to November 14 after the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, presented the witness evidence for the day.

But as soon as Mr. Fani-Kayode stepped out of the court room, he was accosted and subsequently arrested by two operatives of the EFCC. He was whisked away in a white Toyota Hiace bus.

Interestingly, the opposition politician on Thursday released a statement about a plan by the EFCC to arrest him today at the court premises.

I have been reliably informed by my sources within the EFCC that they are planning to re-arrest and detain me again for as long as possible even though I have been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos, he said.

Fresh charges were filed against me by the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 7. These charges border on baseless and false claims that I received N26 million from the NSAs office in 2014. These are politically-motivated charges and there is no truth in or substance to them whatsoever.

The case has been assigned to a judge and the date for arraignment has been set for November 10 before Justice Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja. My lawyers were in court for the original date of arraignment on October 14 but for some curious reasons the EFCC did not show up on that day.

The matter was therefore adjourned till November 10 and my lawyers have given an undertaking to the judge to ensure that I am in court on that day. They have also written to the EFCC to that effect and our letter was acknowledged by them.

Yet the EFCC is still planning to arrest me probably at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos if I appear there on October 21 to attend my trial on the trumped up and politically-motivated charges concerning the presidential campaign funds.

If they do arrest me then they seek to detain me for as long as possible. Whichever way, they will come and I am ready for them. I am not running, he added.

The last few days have been busy for the controversial former aviation minister. On Monday, his wife, Precious, was briefly held by the law enforcement officials after she tried to withdraw money from an Access Bank account flagged by the EFCC in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State. She was carrying her 8 months baby at the time.

Mr. Fani-Kayode said EFCC gave no prior notice that the account was flagged and promised to sue the commission and Access Bank.

She (his wife) has never been formally invited by the EFCC or asked any questions about her transactions and neither have they written to her on any issue even though they are always sending letters to my house and sending people there.

We intend to sue the bank and to sue the EFCC for this illegal and wicked action. They have no right to do this. If they want to see my wife all they need to do is to invite her. We have nothing to fear. They do not need to be so primitive and barbaric to people.

I was paid N30 million in cash  witness

Meanwhile, at the hearing of the alleged 4.9 billion fraud suit Friday, the EFCC presented its first witness, Idowu Olusegun, a media consultant with Paste Poster Company Limited. Mr. Olusegun told the court that he received N30 million in cash from the Mr Fani-Kayode. He said he had signed a N24 million media consultancy contract with the Goodluck Jonathan campaign organization.

He said he further negotiated with the organisation to print size A2 flyers for N50 each and N20 each to print A4 flyers. He said after he completed the printing job, he was invited to the office of the organisation in Abuja and given N30 million in cash.

He told the court that he asked why he was being paid in cash, but was told by one Mr. Oke, his contact person in the organisation, that cash was the approved means of payment.

Mr. Olusegun also told the court that apart from the N30 million paid to him, there is also an outstanding payment of N24 million which was not paid to his company.

Judge seizes Fani-Kayodes phone

There was a mild drama during the trial after the judge, Sule Hassan, ordered that the mobile phone of Mr. Fani-Kayode be seized after the accused phone rang out.

The judge also warned a member of the defence team to stop sipping water in the court without first asking for permission to do so.

The court is not a market place, there must be order and sanity, he said.
The National Judicial Council has said that it will not ask the judges accused of corrupt practices to step down as it has no powers to do so.

The NJC stated this on Friday in response to the demand by the President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Abubakar Mahmoud, that the seven judges arrested for corruption last week be asked to step down pending when they are cleared or found guilty in court.

In its response signed by its acting director of information, Soji Oye, the NJC said Mr. Mahmouds advice is unacceptable to the NJC; as it breaches the 2014 Revised Judicial Discipline Regulations formulated by NJC pursuant to Section 160 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

The NJC also said Mr. Mahmoud was present when it took an earlier position condemning the raid of the judges homes by the State Security Service (SSS) a fortnight ago.

Details later
A cross section of Abuja residents on Friday advised against public condemnation of cosmetic surgery meant to enhance human beauty.

They gave the advice in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria.

According to them, developments in medicine can be applied for the benefit of the people.

They also said that cosmetic surgeries done in other countries to adjust some body parts to enhance peoples looks could add value to the lives of the people.

Kenny Omotosho, a stockbroker in the FCT, said it was about time people were allowed to leverage on the medical sophistication to correct parts of their ugly bodies.

He said I understand that African societies frown at alterations to the body, but the truth is that such a norm is fading very fast as a result of globalisation.

Come to think of it, is it bad for anyone to change his or her looks if it is affordable?

We all have some sorts of insecurity or parts of our body we wished slightly changed or improved upon. The cosmetic surgery has come to handle such anomalies.

Another FCT resident, Juwan Bright, a marketer, said that the huge population of young people in the country understood that looks played a great deal in ones level of success or otherwise.

He said that when I was younger, I had a mole on my face that bothered me so much.

When I was in High School, I told my father I wished it was removed, but he advised against it.

My father said it was an act of nature and that I should live with it, but it tended to erode some level of confidence in me until I became mature.

Comfort Dabeng, a beautician, said many of her clients had undergone cosmetic surgery, adding however that it had its dangers.

She also said she had clients who would want to undergo cosmetic surgery if they could.

My clients at times have skin problems that they wish they can correct with surgery but they use makeup to cover and disguise the problems.

Moreso, there are risks in cosmetic surgery such as infection during recovery and accidental deaths from improper anaesthesia, especially when people go to cheap doctors.

Despite the possible risks however, I know many people who are still willing to have cosmetic surgery to improve a facial feature or lose weight.

The only thing holding most Nigerians back from cosmetic surgery is the high cost of the procedure.

If the procedures were cheaper, we would all look exceptional and superb.
The unfolding confrontation between security agencies and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria could evolve into a full-blown sectarian unrest if not urgently addressed, an intelligence firm warned Friday.

SBM Intelligence, a strategic intelligence analysis provider, said the brewing crisis represents a threat to a society barely back on its feet from the recurring hits it has taken from the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency.

The warning came amid nationwide apprehension over frequent clashes between the IMN members on one hand and the police and hoodlums on the other in a few states across northern Nigeria.

The chaos is directly blamed on the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, as the fallout of his October 7 proscription order against the Shiites in his state.

Mr. El-Rufais proclamation was welcomed in other northern states such as Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Plateau where similar measures were put in place.

Reports from the states said some hoodlums had taken the law into their hands and are now actively marking down the Shiites for attacks.

Mr. El-Rufai and other governors havecondemned the violence and warned of grave consequences for anyone suspected in extrajudicial attacks on IMN members.

SBM Intelligence warned in August that Nigerian security agencies were already overstretched and military personnel could be found in 30 of the 36 Nigerian states.

In its latest observation, which was made available to PREMIUM TIMES in an email, the organisation said Nigerias history is replete with similar occurrences in the past and warned Nigerian leaders to exercise caution so as to avoid a repetition.

In dealing with the unfolding Shiite crisis, we are going down a well-worn path, but with a twist, SBM Intelligence said.

When this is situated within the context of the latent threat of a Boko Haram resurgence; the escalating situation in the Middle Belt; the continuing militant activity in the Niger Delta; the IPOB/Biafra movements which though not in open conflict, could be ignited if not handled appropriately; the current handling of the Shia crisis with force across such a vast space could be problematic, and could potentially overstretch the army so much that they are unable to contain the threat.

SBM Intelligence said banning the Shiites IMN contradicted the Nigerian constitution which guarantees the fundamental rights of citizens; and could spark a crisis that would be difficult to contain.

Any similar crisis with the Shiite would not be a straightforward battle, because unlike Boko Haram which depends on a largely illiterate fellowship, they are a lot more sophisticated.

Within their ranks, the Shiites boast of well-educated intellectuals who are embedded within the Nigerian state and spread across the country. The threat is one of a reported two million strong coordinated group with a robust foreign backing, in Iran.

The consequence of engaging this group like earlier done with Boko Haram would be far-reaching, devastating and possibly apocalyptic, the firm said.

There are also possibilities that the actions taken by Mr. El-Rufai and other northern governors were in furtherance of a discrete agenda being pushed by Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Sunni Islam country, SBM Intelligence said.

We must realise that it is unwise to drag Nigeria into becoming a proxy site for the battle between Wahabism on the one hand and Shiism on the other.

The actual powers in the Middle East that are the sources of this conflict, Saudi Arabia and Iran, wisely keep the battles away from their own territory and fight in other peoples countries.

They are unrestrained in causing untold destruction and devastation since these proxy battlefields arent their own homes, an attitude that can be seen in how they have behaved in places like Yemen.

They will be even less concerned about destruction in a far-away African country, so long as their proxy battle continues. We must wisely eschew this, SBM Intelligence said.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Thursday inaugurated the Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals, to enforce a new law prohibiting open grazing by cattle in the state.

Mr. Fayose mandated the agency to rid the state of the menace of herdsmen, warning that he would not watch the killing of the people and their sources of livelihood destroyed under the guise of cattle rearing.

The inauguration, which took place at the government house, was attended by traditional rulers, the police, the army, NSCDC, local hunters and other residents.

The Prohibition of Cattle and other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti State law states in part, that no person shall cause or permit any cattle or other ruminants belonging to him or under his control to graze on any land in which the Governor has not designated as ranches, no cattle or other ruminants shall by any means move or graze at night and that cattle movement and grazing are restricted to the hours between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm.

The law prescribes punishments for offenders. Herdsmen found in possession of firearms and other offensive weapons can be charged with terrorism, and would be made to pay for property or farm products destroyed by the cattle.

The law also gives the government powers to confiscate erring cattle.

Mr. Fayose said 5,000 cows could not be equated with the lives of human beings killed daily by herdsmen across the country.

He said only timid and compromised leaders would allow their people to be killed while they fold their arms on the altar of politics.

Supporters and beneficiaries of open grazing have argued that cows, like human beings have rights to move freely in any part of Nigeria and one question I have always asked is; what happens if poultry farmers, pig farmers, ostrich farmers or even snake farmers decide to exercise this same rights to freedom of movement of their animals? said Mr. Fayose.

Imagine a situation where snake farmers also release their snakes to the streets and other peoples farmlands to look for what to eat as being done by cattle farmers.

The reality we must all face is that cattle farming is not different from fish farming, snake farming, poultry farming, snail farming, etc.

Therefore, if fish farmers are providing their own ponds and poultry farmers building their own pens, while also buying feed for their animals, there is no reason cattle farmers should not also provide their own ranch and feed their cows without encroaching on other peoples farmlands.

He insisted that in Ekiti, those who want to practice cattle farming, must do so at designated locations.

In line with the law, any cow found destroying peoples farmlands will be confiscated and sold with proceeds handed to people whose farmlands were destroyed while herdsmen found with arms will face terrorism charge, he declared.

The police and other security agencies have the duty to enforce the Prohibition of Cattle and other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti State Law, 2016 as well as other laws duly made by the State, by seeing to it that offenders are arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

To complement the police and other security agencies, we have set up the Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals (EGEM), trained them and have them well equipped. I therefore inaugurate them today and urge them to perform their duties in the overall interest of Ekiti State and its people.
Abdulmumin Jibrin, a former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, has filed a fresh suit against the leadership of the House.

Mr. Jibrin filed the suit at the Federal High Abuja on Friday shortly after he withdrew the one of August 9 challenging plans to stop his suspension.

The former chairman of appropriation committee is seeking N1 billion as damages for his suspension.

He had made damning allegations against the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, his Deputy, Yussuf Lasun; Chief Whip, Ado Doguwa; Minority Leader, Leo Ogor; and nine other members, accusing them of padding the 2016 budget.

Jibrin, in the fresh suit, urged the court to declare his suspension as a violation of his fundamental human right to freedom of expression.

He prayed the court to declare that the resolution passed by the House of Representatives suspending him was in breach of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

He asked the court to restrain the House of Representatives from preventing him from participating in the committees of the House or accessing the legislative chambers to perform his legislative duties.

Justice John Tsoho has fixed November 22 for hearing of the suit.

Earlier, Mr. Tosho had struck out a suit filed by Mr. Jibrin, challenging his suspension from the House after his counsel Chukuma Nwachukwu asked for discontinuance.

In the withdrawn suit, Mr. Jibrin had attempted to stop the alleged plan by Messrs. Dogara, Lasun and other principal officers to suspend him.

(NAN)
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, says the federal government has approved N4 billion to provide health and tackle malnutrition in parts of northeast Nigeria.

Hundreds have died in the past months from severe malnutrition in the Internally Displaced Persons camps.

Speaking in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Thursday, the minister said the approved funds would be specifically spent on health and nutrition matters in the troubled region.

Mr. Adewole spoke during a zonal roundtable for officials of states primary health care development agencies (PHCDA), ahead the flagging off of Saving One Million lives Program for Results (SOML-P4R).

The SOML-P4R is an initiative of the Federal Government, as part of its effort to improve maternal and child healthcare through a result-based partnership with states ministries of health.

He said the federal government had set up a presidential task force for the northeast, to be headed by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, to address critical areas of need in the sub-region.

Focal areas are water, environment, health and nutrition.

In six months, we want to restore sanity in these four sectors, said the health minister. I want to tell you that each sector is chaired by a minister. I chair the sub-committee on health and our budget has been approved for the northeast. That budget will entail spending of N4 billion on health and nutrition in the northeast  with emphasis on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

He however warned the benefitting states not to convert the SOML-P4R funds into their various states budget for health. Rather, he said, they should see it as an addition to what they may have budget for healthcare.

We are going to score each states on how much they have budgeted for health; and we should also be able to give them reward for that.

Save One Million Lives is an addition and it should be seen as such. Unlike in the past, we would want to record what we have done with the money; how many lives have we save; how many cases of child mortality have we addressed; and how much improvement do we put in governance, structures and processes in the health sector. If we discover that there is no performance, there will be no reward; and the reward is more money allocation, he said.

On the issue of the resurgence of poliomyelitis, the minister said between now and December, the federal government will be vaccinating about 41 million Nigerians against polio.
The police in Bauchi State have arrested 14 men linked to kidnapping in parts of the state, a statement said.

The police public relations officer (PPRO), Bauchi state command, Mahmoud Mohammed, who issued the statement on Friday, said two persons were rescued from the kidnappers.

Mr. Mohammed, a superintendent of police, said the alleged kidnappers were arrested on Thursday when when a joint force of the police and local vigilante personnel carried out a raid on their hideouts.

In a bid to stem the tide of kidnapping and cattle rustling in the state, a unit of police detectives attached to Anti-kidnapping Unit/SARS had in collaboration with civil security outfits called Danga Security and Vigilante group stormed the suspected kidnappers hideouts around Jauru, Jange, Bahago, Felu and Geji forests  all in Toro LGA of Bauchi State, said the PPRO.

The operation was successfully carried out and yielded positive results, especially with the rescue of two hostages, he said. He Added that the team also recovered five motorcycles, three fabricated guns, one single-barrel gun and some mobile (phone) handsets.

The statement listed the suspects as Umar Gwamna, 19; Ibrahim Yahaya, 25; Hussaini Hamisu, 20; Salisu Adamu, 20; Salmanu Hamisu, 23; and Ibrahim M. Hussaini, 25.

Also on the list are Abdullahi Hamisu, 23; Yahaya Mai Saje, 21; Lukman Hamisu, 18; Nasiru Halilu, 20; Sani Abdullahi, 35; and Musa Audu,22.

The others are Rabiu Adamu, 20; and Mohammed S. Abdullahi, 40.

The police spokesman said all the suspects are from Janas district of Toro local government area of the state.
Activities of commercial sex works are overshadowing those of exhibitors and traders at the 2016 Jos Trade Fair, holding at the Jos Polo Field, in Jos North local government area of Plateau state.

A PREMIUM TIMES reporter at the trade fair Thursday night noticed hordes of young sex workers brazenly soliciting patronage by male participants at the event.

One of the young workers, who refused to give her name, said the illicit trade was booming because the cold weather in the city made exhibitors and visitors from outside the city disposed to their services and other available forms of hospitality.

She said the charges ranged from N1500 to N2000, depending on the personality of both the man and lady. She added, as a lady, if you appear shabby, people will price you cheaply.

Illicit trade in sex is however not the only odd business noticed by our reporter at the venue of the event on Thursday night.

Officials issuing ticketing at the gate increased the fare to N200, even though the tickets still bore the official price of N100.

Some of the officials were also noticed giving free passage to some visitors, especially ladies.

The trade fair was declared open on October 18 by the deputy governor of Plateau state, Sonni Tyoden. It will run until Thursday next week.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Tyoden assured participants of security in the state.

At the Plateau state local government pavilions, 17 council areas of the state displayed different types of sold minerals and varieties of improved food crops.

Bulus Dareng, the president of the state chamber of commerce, industry, mines and agriculture (PLACCIMA), who are organizers of the trade fair, said the products being exhibited by both local and foreign exhibitors had been certified by the Standards Organization of Nigeria, SON.

Mr. Dareng said the participation of foreigners at the trade fair will boost the economy of Nigeria.

We have put everything in place to provide a fertile ground for cross fertilization and exchange of ideas, technology, innovations and professional services through the trade fair.

The PLACCIMA president reiterated that adequate measures had been put in place for the security of exhibitors and visitors.

We are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of lives and properties of everyone. Security personnel will be at strategic positions to monitor happenings within the vicinity of the trade fair. Security network at the trade fair will be on 24-hour surveillance, and once caught (for any infraction), the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear.

The special adviser to the state governor on media, Dan Manjang, said the trade fair was being staged to prove that permanent peace has returned to the state and to showcase to the world that the state was safe for investment.

About 3000 exhibitors and 70,000 visitors are participating at the trade fair.
The Kaduna State Government has earmarked over N4 billion for the Kaduna Metropolitan Rapid Rail Transport project to begin in 2017.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the amount is part of the N24.06 billion provided for projects under the State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport in the 2017 budget.

Governor Nasiru El-Rufai had on Wednesday, October 12, presented an appropriation bill of over N215.9 billion to the State House of Assembly for approval.

The estimate for the 2017 fiscal year included N85.5 billion for recurrent expenditure and N130.3 billion for capital projects.

The first phase of the intra-city Kaduna light rail project will link Rigachikun with the refinery.

The government indicated that funds for the rail project would be sourced through a loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The state government also voted N2, 445,160,730.00 for the ongoing state trunk road project, while township road projects will gulp N7,705,788,694.58 in the fiscal year. 

According to the breakdown, the government equally earmarked N1.5 billion for the construction and acquisition of new state government administration buildings and N500 million for street lights.

(NAN)
Nine men suspected to be responsible for series of kidnappings in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have been arrested by the police.

The police, in a statement on Friday, gave the names of the arrested men as Daniel Gabriel, 33, said to be the gang leader, Alaso Igodo, 23, and Akeodi Aselemi, 34.

Others are: Ayibinmoter Livinus, 25; Anikunka Anikunka, 33; Biebele Elijah, 34; Efiya Anda, 34; Daniel Lessor, 31; and Isaac Reuben, 27.

The statement, signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, said the men were behind the recent abduction of some residents of GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt main town, Borikiri General Area and the YKC axis of Woji in the state.

One AK 47 riffle, four AK 47 magazines with 42 live ammunition, four face masks, and a green-colour Mazda Saloon car were recovered from the suspects, the police said.

The police said they have also arrested one Temmi Enormi, a wanted member of the busted gang which had kidnapped some residents of an Estate in Isheri area of Lagos State. The suspect, according to the police, was arrested in Lagos.
A former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission plans to re-arrest and detain him indefinitely.

In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, the erstwhile spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign organization, said the commission was planning to re-arrest him, even though he had been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

I have been reliably informed by my sources within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that they are planning to re-arrest and detain me for as long as possible once again even though I have been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos, he said.

According to the statement, fresh charges were filed against him by the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 7 on allegations that he received N26 million from the National Security Advisers office in 2014.

These are politically-motivated charges and there is no truth in or substance to them whatsoever, he said.

He explained that the case had been assigned to a judge and the date for arraignment had been set for November 10 before Justice Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

My lawyers were in court for the original date of arraignment on the 14th of October but for some curious reason the EFCC did not show up on that day, he said.

The matter was therefore adjourned till 10th November and my lawyers have given an undertaking to the Judge to ensure that I am in court on that day. They have also written to the EFCC to that effect and our letter was acknowledged by them.

Because of that the matter is now seized of the court yet the EFCC are still planning to arrest me probably at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos after I appear there on Friday 21st October to attend my trial on the trumped up and, again, politically-motivated charges concerning the presidential campaign funds.

If they do not arrest me then they will arrest me and seek to detain me for as long as possible soon after that. Whichever way they will come and I am ready for them. I am not running.

Mr. Fani-Kayode accused the commission of being a willing and able tool in the hands of the hawks and hardliners in the Buhari administration, who are acting on orders.

They are desperate to keep me out of circulation and off the streets and I have been reliably informed that they were ordered to ensure that that is the case by the Presidency, he alleged.

They are also eager to arrest and detain my wife and my eight-month-old son just to hurt and spite me even though they have done absolutely nothing wrong.

By the time I am in their custody they will start churning out all manner of garbage and lies to the media about me and my family and they will say all sorts of things about supposedly new matters which they have just discovered and fresh allegations.

They will even claim that I have admitted to certain crimes, that I have been badly implicated and that I in turn have implicated other people.

Please do not believe a word of these dirty lies when they start flowing. It is called disinformation and the EFCC indulge in it all the time.

Mr. Fani-Kayode said he knew about the plan for over a month ago, saying he was not deterred nor scared.

The more evil they do to me, the more the coals of fire will pour on their heads. Also the more the President will continue to fail woefully and have all manner of strange and inexplicable problems, he said.

Wickedness and wicked men never last. No matter what they do to me that is my consolation. They are bullies and cowards and they have no shame. My only crime is that I have spoken the bitter truth to power and I am very proud of that.

He also said he stood by every word he said about the present government, which he described as corrupt and inept.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said Mr. Fani-Kayodes allegations were mere speculations.

I dont respond to speculations, he said.
TRENTON  The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill to forgive certain student loan debt after a borrowers death or total permanent disability.

On top of an already painful grieving process, some families have actually been harassed by loan collectors. That should never happen in New Jersey, said co-sponsor Assemblyman Bruce Land, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic.

Bill S-743/A-2761 was approved by the Assembly last month. It goes to Gov. Chris Christie for his signature.

The measure applies to loans issued under the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students program. The low-rate loan program helps New Jersey residents attend eligible in-state or out-of-state schools.

How Hurricane Sandy benefited New Jersey wetlands GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Sometimes there is an upside to disaster, even one as big as Hurricane Sandy.

It also provides loans to out-of-state students attending a school in New Jersey.

If an eligible student borrower enrolled in the NJCLASS Loan Program dies or becomes permanently disabled, the bill requires the state to fully discharge the obligation for the student and the parent or guardian who cosigned the loan.

In some cases, a spouse ends up widowed and struggling to support a family and then they are hit with a student loan bill on top of it all. This bill will make sure that doesnt happen, said co-sponsor Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic.

The bill also allows deferment of loan payments for borrowers who are temporarily totally disabled.

 Michelle Brunetti Post
The New Jersey Sierra Club will host a discussion Oct. 25 on Hurricane Sandy, what happened four years ago and what has been done since to mitigate future storm damage.

The Brick Township event examines how Sandy changed the environment, said Director Jeff Tittel, and whether state policies and planning will be enough for the next storm. The event is open to the public.

Hurricane Sandy should have been a wakeup call to protect us from climate change and sea level rise. Instead, (Gov. Chris Christies) administration has perpetuated failed policies of the past, and in some cases made things worse, said Tittel.

Our coast will see an increase in sea level rise by 1 foot by 2050, but really thats 1-3 feet with ebb and flow, he said. We should be rebuilding more sustainably here at the shore and throughout the state to reduce flooding.

 Michelle Brunetti Post
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Windows and walls are crumbling at the county jail, and some inmates are even able to make weapons out of the failing infrastructure, Cape May County Sheriff Gary Schaffer said.

The security issues and the facilitys overcrowding have led the county to build a new, $37 million, 85,000-square-foot jail.

Work on the new facility began in August, Schaffer said.

Theyre laying the foundation very shortly, he said.

Panel discussion on Hurricane Sandy then and now The New Jersey Sierra Club will host a discussion Oct. 25 on Hurricane Sandy, what happened 

After 10 years of failed inspections and facing costly alternatives, the county had no other choice but to give up on its old jail, he said.

Overcrowding has led to deterioration at the 40-year-old facility, which Schaffer said was not built properly.

It has hollow walls, he said, noting the building was required to have reinforced walls. It wasnt constructed right years ago when it was built.

A fence was erected outside the facility to tighten security, but that doesnt address the overcrowding problem, he said.

The facility can house 188 inmates. Currently we have anywhere on a given day from 245 to 255, he said.

Schaffer said the state Department of Corrections has cited the county for overcrowding, which he said could result in the state prohibiting the county from accepting new inmates or forcing the county to send some of the existing inmates to a different facility. Schaffer estimated it could cost more than $7,000 a day to house inmates at another facility, not including transportation costs.

He said overcrowding also exposes the county to class-action lawsuits. Complaints about overcrowding have continued for more than a decade.

In 2006, an inmate accused of theft filed a civil rights complaint in federal court alleging he had to sleep on the floor of the jail and that he was stepped on and urinated on as a result.

Religious groups face choices with seaside beach retreats For seaside religious retreat houses, it has become a matter of innovate or die.

The complaint was dismissed after court personnel could not track him down after he was released.

The new, prefabricated building will hold as many as 340 inmates and will be within 30 feet of the old jail at the Crest Haven Complex. The old jail will be torn down and become a parking lot.

Warden Don Lombardo said the jail will be energy-efficient, modernized with tighter security and require no new officers.

Our new facility is direct supervision, thats the wave of the future in corrections, Lombardo said. The officers know more of whats going on in the institution, which can stop the flow of contraband within the facility.

He said the technology improvements will allow the corrections officers to do more with the same amount of manpower, saving money for taxpayers.

Lombardo said one of the biggest burdens on taxpayers from the jail is the cost of medical bills. The new jail includes a medical wing, Schaffer said, which will decrease hospital runs for inmates and costs for the county.

Last year, we had $536,000 in outside medical bills, Schaffer said, in addition to a $1 million annual contract with a private medical firm for in-house doctors and nurses.

Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton said the new jail will not result in new taxes for county residents.

The decision to build the new facility was not made without careful consideration of costs and safety, Thornton said. The new jail will meet all the current (DOC) mandates and will meet the needs of the county well into the future.

He said the new design will yield a substantial savings in operating costs and, more importantly, improve the safety of the corrections officers and support staff.

Thornton spoke after Schaffer presented plans for the jail at a recent freeholder meeting. Schaffer said other options were considered, including rehabilitating the old jail, estimated to cost $29.5 million.

The evaluation process began eight years ago. One of the options considered was closing the jail and housing inmates in another facility at a cost of about $12 million annually.

A second option was regionalization. Schaffer said a study is being conducted to evaluate regionalizing county jails in New Jersey. It could take seven to nine years to determine costs per county, decide on a central location and determine construction time, he said.

A third option was rehabilitation of the existing jail. Schaffer said the renovations would have brought the jail up to current DOC mandates for housing, but it would still have had an aging HVAC system and deteriorating infrastructure. He said there was also a cost to move inmates during the rehabilitation.

The new jail is expected to be open in spring 2018.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Sometimes there is an upside to disaster, even one as big as Hurricane Sandy.

For birds, there were bright spots after the storm, Paul Castelli, senior wildlife biologist for the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, said at the fall meeting of the New Jersey chapter of the Wildlife Society on Wednesday.

Sandy flattened the dunes at Forsythes Holgate property at the southern end of Long Beach Island, said Castelli, giving beach-nesting birds such as piping plovers more habitat to raise young.

Many of them are endangered or threatened, and since the storm their numbers and success are through the roof, Castelli said.

The storm also unleashed a tide of funding for the area, including about $10 million for the refuge to both make repairs and strengthen its resiliency against future storms.

There are also funds for organizations to carry out marsh restoration and living shoreline projects.

The meetings theme was Coastal Restoration in the Face of Climate Change. It was held in the old refuge headquarters, which is being replaced by a new building under construction. The Wildlife Societys mission is to promote excellence in wildlife stewardship.

Post-hurricane funding included money for pilot programs for marsh restoration near Avalon and Stone Harbor on the Atlantic Ocean side and in the Fortescue section of Downe Township on the Delaware Bay, said Dave Golden of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The marshes had shown signs of degradation from rising sea waters and the impact of boat wakes, he said.

That project, which has a large number of partners, including the Nature Conservancy and the New Jersey Department of Transportation, is reusing sediments from channel dredging to replenish marshes that have been threatened by erosion and rising sea waters.

Federal Sandy money to the tune of $880,000 is also funding living shoreline projects at Gandys Beach on the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County, said Katie Conrad, biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The service is constructing 3,000 feet of living shoreline and breakwater to restore 337 acres of salt marsh and adjacent uplands, according to its website.

Conrad said different materials are being used at various sites there, from coir logs made of coconut fibers to cement interlocking blocks for creating oyster reefs to oyster shell bags created by schoolchildren.

The idea is to encourage native marsh grasses to grow along stream edges with the help of coir logs. And the blocks and oyster shell bags give oyster spat a place to attach to and grow. The new reefs will both reduce damage from wave action on Gandys Beach and improve water quality through oyster filtering, Conrad said.

The Nature Conservancy estimates Gandys Beach has lost about 500 feet since 1930, she said.

Forsythe is partnering with other agencies on two other marsh restoration projects, said the refuges wildlife biologist Vinnie Turner.

Those do not involve post-Sandy funding, he said.

Instead, at Cedar Bonnet Island, Forsythe is working with the DOT to create wetlands on the site. The state department is paying for the project and had to create wetlands to mitigate the effect of a Route 72 bridge project, Turner said.

Cedar Bonnet is a small dredge spoils island off Route 72, just before the causeway hits Long Beach Island. It was created when the intracoastal waterway was dredged, he said, and the soils have tested negative for pollutants.

Until recently, it was an uplands with heavy cover and limited wildlife habitat, Turner said during a Wildlife Society field trip Wednesday.

Now, part of the island has been dredged to create wetlands, and marsh grasses are beginning to grow.

Hundreds of thousands of Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens (native wetlands grasses) plugs were hand-planted, Turner said. A network of criss-crossing lines of fiber above the plantings keeps the geese away, he said.

But Turner said the uplands portion of the project, where the dredged materials were put, is now too acidic for native trees and shrubs to grow. So some clean fill must be brought in to cap it to a depth of about two feet, which will delay planting until next spring.

Once complete, there will be a walking trail on site that will make the island a place for birdwatching and enjoying nature, he said. Barring unforeseen complications, it should be done by mid-2018, Turner said.

The last stop on the field trip was a Forsythe property in Barnegat Township that is a freshwater impoundment created by dikes long ago as a mosquito control measure, Castelli said.

It is too expensive and difficult to maintain the dike system in the face of rising sea water, and the Ocean County Mosquito Commission believes a tidal marsh would be more effective in controlling the biting bugs, Castelli said.

So the commission is removing dikes to allow the acreage to revert to a tidal marsh, he said. That work will begin soon.

This story has been updated to reflect that Gandys Beach has lost about 500 feet since 1930.
For seaside religious retreat houses, it has become a matter of innovate or die.

Innovate is what the Brothers of Christian Schools did when they built a new 14-bedroom house in place of their decrepit 135-room retreat center in Ocean City, which was torn down in 2014.

It was built in an era when the brothers were a lot younger, Brother Joseph Juliano, director of the orders Eastern North American district, said of the old retreat center. Back in the day, we were 400 to 500 brothers strong.

At one time, religious houses at the shore thrived, either as places for lay people to attend retreats or as places for priests, nuns and brothers to recharge near the beach. But many religious orders, facing declining enrollment and financial difficulties, have had to either get rid of their old, large beachfront properties, often worth millions of dollars, or find new ways to raise money.

Earlier this month, the Sisters of St. Joseph, a Philadelphia-based order, announced plans to sell their Cape May Point retreat house, St. Mary by-the-Sea, to a nature preservation organization in five years. In 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia sold its 19-room villa on Ventnors Boardwalk for more than $4 million to help cover a $17 million deficit in its budget.

Nuns considering knocking down Cape May Point retreat house CAPE MAY POINT  The Sisters of St. Joseph, a group of nuns based out of Philadelphia, are c

But not all orders have given up on their South Jersey retreat houses.

The Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point, just down the road from St. Mary by-the-Sea, realized early on that it needed to do more than just serve as a vacation home for brothers and priests. The property, located across the street from the beach, was purchased in 1962 and began offering family retreats in 1970, said Anthony Fucci, the centers director.

It kind of grew from there, Fucci said.

Now, the center offers year-round programs specialized for young adults, high school students, men, women and families. It draws people from other parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and even Ohio, Fucci said.

For us, the ocean plays a huge role for making it attractive for families to come here, said Fucci, adding it would be a tough sell if the retreat were on the mainland.

Jonathan Oldham, director of the Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, a large, nondenominational Christian retreat facility nestled near the bay on Long Beach Island, said being near the water is beneficial for prayer and reflection.

Its very interesting that Jesus did a lot of his ministry by the water, Oldham added.

The website for the Bible Conference, which took over a vacant hotel in 1941, lists retreat prices ranging from $100 to $195 for a weekend, depending on preferred accommodations. Its also open year-round.

We want to give a place for people to get away from the culture, Oldham said. They kind of leave their cellphones at home. We dont have TVs.

The Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have been operating the Villa Maria by the Sea in Stone Harbor as a retreat house for nuns since 1937. Thanks in part to a fundraising surfing contest called the Nuns Beach Surf Invitational, it still provides a place for the sisters, whose mother house is at Immaculata University in Pennsylvania, to spend a week at the shore each summer.

For the Christian Brothers, the transformation of their Ocean City retreat house was for convenience and made financial sense, Juliano said. He said the old facility was in such bad shape that the second and third floors couldnt be used due to fire code violations.

The old building was knocked down, and the area was divided into four lots. The brothers put three lots up for sale and used the money to build their new residence, he said.

The new retreat home has air conditioning, heat and an elevator, unlike the old facility. However, the old facility had a chapel and areas where the brothers could tutor local children in the summer, Juliano said.

Now, its basically just a rest or vacation house for the brothers who want to go down, Juliano said.
The state Senate approved a bill Thursday that would require independent investigations of police-involved deaths.

The Senate passed the bill, S-2469, by a 23-10 vote.

The bill would require the Attorney Generals Office, rather than a county prosecutor, to handle an investigation and prosecution whenever a death occurs during an encounter with a police officer or other law-enforcement official.

The attorney general would present evidence concerning the officers action to a state or county grand jury in a court and county outside of where the death occurred, according to a statement from the Senate Majority Office.

Any investigation of police-involved fatalities should be fair, it should be thorough and it should result in justice being served, said Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, a sponsor of the bill. Its also important that the public has faith and confidence in the impartiality of these investigations. The publics trust in the criminal justice system is critical. Its best for law enforcement and its best for the residents of the communities they serve and protect.

Under the bill, any resulting legal actions would also be pursued in the outside jurisdiction. If an indictment is returned, a judge would designate a county of venue other than the county in which the death occurred for the trial.

The issues that have existed in urban areas and in communities of color for far too long can no longer be ignored. We have an obligation to take action in a real and meaningful way, said Sen. Ronald Rice, another sponsor. Ensuring that any fatal shootings that involve local law enforcement are immediately transferred out of the local jurisdiction is vitally important.
Raising a tax is painful, especially in New Jersey with its nation-leading tax burden. The recent bipartisan increase in the gasoline tax, effective in 10 days, ends the only break residents got on a major tax.

Gov. Chris Christies side of the compromise was to get a significant reduction in other taxes to offset the 23-cent rise per gallon of gas. This included (eventually) a 3/8-cent per dollar drop in the 7 percent sales tax, a $100,000 exemption from personal income tax for retired join filers and the elimination of the N.J. estate tax.

On balance, the increases and decreases favor retired people and those with significant estates. Most others will pay more, depending on how much they drive, especially the length of their commutes.

The Legislatures Democratic leaders got additional revenue for the Transportation Trust Fund, although not as much as they wanted. The existing 14-cent gas tax is only enough to cover debt service.

There are plenty of foes of the tax deal across a broad political spectrum, often a sign of effective compromise.

The progressive N.J. Policy Perspective saw it as starving the general budget with offsetting tax cuts that disproportionately favor affluent residents. The N.J. Sierra Club added it provides only a temporary fix for the transit fund, which it figures will be over-indebted and dysfunctional again in less than a decade.

Most officials and many in the public think more revenue for transportation infrastructure is needed. The states gas tax had been the second-lowest in the nation. Now it will be the sixth-highest. The exception is the state chapter of the conservative Americans for Prosperity, which says the existing gas tax would be sufficient if it werent spent wastefully.

The N.J. Chamber of Commerce had nothing but praise for the agreement, saying it would contribute to economic growth. Its business-owning members will save a lot from the end of the estate tax.

As weve said before, we think the alternative suggested by the N.J. Business & Industry Association would have been fairer. That would have reduced the sales tax more (by half a percentage point), giving more of an offsetting break to lower- and middle-income residents. It also would have left the estate tax in place for estates valued at more than $5.5 million.

We think the changes will be a negative for South Jerseys drive-in tourism industry in the short term, eliminating the cheap gasoline visitors enjoyed or even sometimes counted on. Longer-term, the break on retirement income should help the region realize its potential as a mecca for retirees.

Meanwhile, citizens cant be blamed for figuring the winners in this bipartisan tax deal are the construction unions favored by Democrats and the wealthy business interests favored by Republicans. Theyll be looking at next years race for governor to see whether at least one party will reliably put the general public first.
Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos thinks it would be wrong to oust someone from a company board for donating to Donald Trump.

At the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, a question was raised about whether or not Bezos thought venture capitalist Peter Thiel should be removed from Facebooks (FB) and other boards for reportedly giving $1.25 million to Trumps campaign.

Bezos said that he thought it would be wrong to remove someone from a company board for differing political viewpoints.

We dont want to live in a country where you cant associate with people who have wildly different opinions, he said. I want to work in a country where you can work side by side.

He added: Its way too divisive to say, If you have this political opinion you cant sit on my board.

The question about Thiel was also raised during a panel on Wednesday with three tech luminaries offering differing views. One of those panelists, venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, said that he would kick off the board member.

For what its worth, Bezos isnt convinced Trump has a strong chance of winning the election.

[Peter Thiel] is a contrarian, Bezos prefaced. You just have to remember contrarians are usually wrong. Conventional wisdom is usually right.



Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance.

Read more:

Kyle Bass warns the clock is ticking for Chinas banking system

Jim Chanos uses this 7-point checklist for companies hes going to short

Why Jim Chanos is thoroughly unimpressed by Tesla
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.




/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

CAMARILLO, California, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BNK Petroleum Inc. (the "Company") (TSX: BKX) is pleased to announce that, in connection with its previously announced short form prospectus offering of common shares of the Company (the "Shares"), on a "commercially reasonable efforts" basis, at a price of C$0.20 per Share (the "Offering"), the Company has agreed with GMP FirstEnergy, as co-lead agent on behalf of a syndicate including Haywood Securities Inc., as co-lead agent, and Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. (collectively, the "Agents"), to increase the amount of the Offering from up to 55,000,000 Shares to up to 70,000,000 Shares for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$14,000,000.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through various affiliates and subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale oil and gas properties and concessions in the United States. Additionally the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release contains forward-looking information including statements regarding the Offering and the use of proceeds therefrom and the timing thereof. The use of any of the words "target", "plans", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information is based on management's expectations and assumptions, including that the Company will obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the other conditions to closing the Offering will be satisfied. Forward-looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: any of the assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company will be unable to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the other conditions to closing the Offering will not be satisfied in a timely manner or at all, and the other risks identified in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form under the "Risk Factors" section, the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and the Company's other public disclosure, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to take into account important factors that could cause actual costs or results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause actual results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking information included in this release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

THIS NEWS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY OF THE SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "U.S. SECURITIES ACT") OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM SUCH REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE.

For further information: Wolf E. Regener, +1 (805) 484-3613, Email: investorrelations@bnkpetroleum.com, Website: www.bnkpetroleum.com

Related Links

http://www.bnkpetroleum.com



SOURCE BNK Petroleum Inc.
DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of BRICS Fuel Oil Supply and Demand, 2005- 2025: Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Forecasts of Fuel Oil Production and Consumption under Current Market Dynamics" report to their offering.

BRICS Countries Fuel Oil Outlook report provides detailed analysis and forecast of Fuel Oil consumption patterns and supply scenario in all key Fuel Oil markets in BRICS Countries. Forecasts of production and demand of each of the Fuel Oil markets in BRICS Countries are provided annually from 2005 to 2025.

Drivers and challenges of industry growth in each of the BRICS Countries countries are analyzed. Further, information on current refining capacity, refining complexity along with planned refining infrastructure details are also provided in the BRICS Countries Fuel Oil outlook report.

Historic data is taken largely from government ministries and companies involved, ensuring highest accuracy of the data. Further, forecasts are made through our sophisticated methodology considering current market conditions and future prospects. Fuel Oil Forecasts for each market are evaluated by in-house experts and also validated by industry professionals to ensure utmost accuracy and certainty.

The research work also provides information on leading refining companies in each country along with business profiles of three leading Fuel Oil suppliers in the region. All latest industry developments in BRICS Countries Fuel Oil are also provided in the report.

Scope

- Annual forecasts of country wise Gasoline consumption and Gasoline production from 2005 to 2025

- All key Gasoline markets across Asia Pacific are analyzed in detail

- Refining, coking, FCC and Hydrocracking capacity outlook for each of the refining markets in Asia Pacific are provided from 2005 to 2020

- Drivers and Challenges of operating and or investing in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- Details of all planned refining projects in each of the Gasoline markets in Asia Pacific

- Details of leading Gasoline suppliers in Asia Pacific markets are provided

- Company profiles of three leading refining companies in Asia Pacific Gasoline markets

- All largest Gasoline industry developments in Asia Pacific Gasoline

Key Topics Covered:

1. Tables & Figures

2 Executive Summary

3 Brazil LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

4 Russia LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

5 India LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

6 China LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

7 South Africa LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

7 South Africa LPG Production and Consumption Outlook to 2025

8 Business Profiles of Leading Refiners

9 Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fgnf6w/the_future_of

About Research and Markets

Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

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SOURCE Research and Markets
"Danlaw products complement HiRain's longstanding knowledge in the Chinese automotive market. Our customers can now produce complete verification results for their electronics more quickly, with local expertise," said Liang Shao, Manager of the Control & Visualized Simulation Department of HiRain.

Mx-Suite's embedded software test tool is designed to help automotive ECU module suppliers produce their products more efficiently and with higher quality than traditional methods. Using intuitive graphical diagrams, software requirements are easily documented with performance criteria and tolerances, therefore simplifying software validation. The tool provides traceability from requirements, through design and test cases, allowing engineers to test development concepts using virtual prototypes before electronics are available. Mx-Suite validates models (MIL), executes tests on developer-written or auto-coded software (SIL), as well as runs tests with bench and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) equipment. Danlaw provides the tools, training, and professional services to help its clients take advantage of Mx-Suite's value. Mx-Suite is used extensively across body, powertrain, safety and infotainment systems.

"HiRain has a long track record for automotive component development and strong engineering expertise to support Danlaw's Mx-Suite test tool within its extensive customer base," said Dan McClung, VP Operations of Danlaw. "We will also be collaborating on engineering projects in China and supporting global customers utilizing our companies' respective strengths."

ABOUT HIRAIN

Since founded in 1998, HiRain Technologies has become one of the leading Chinese suppliers for development tools, automotive electronic products, consulting and training services. At present, HiRain has nine offices, located in major cities in China, including two manufacturing plants in Beijing and Shanghai.

ABOUT DANLAW

Danlaw is a global leader in connected car and automotive electronics. Our family of 800 people live, breathe, and create innovative technology for some of the world's largest car makers. Over thirty years ago, we designed software for the first 8-bit Electronic Engine Control module, and today, we continue to develop forward-looking technologies. We focus our efforts on R&D to stay ahead of rapidly changing industry needs in an increasingly connected world. Danlaw is known for ground-breaking technology, efficient development, and adaptive solutions for dynamic environments. Our Engineering Solutions Group provides solutions for embedded systems development and testing for Embedded Control Units (ECUs), vehicle network communications, and embedded software engineering tools.

Related Links

http://www.danlawinc.com



SOURCE Danlaw, Inc.
DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Dendritic Cell and Tumor Cell Cancer Vaccines Market, 2016-2030" report to their offering.

The Dendritic Cell and Tumor Cell Cancer Vaccines Market, 2016-2030 offers a comprehensive analysis of the current market landscape and future outlook of the growing pipeline of products in the therapeutic vaccines segment of the immuno-oncology domain.

Currently, there are five types of such vaccines; these are dendritic cell vaccines, tumor cell vaccines, antigen / peptide vaccines, DNA vaccines and anti-idiotypic vaccines. This report is focused on the recent developments and the future potential of dendritic cell vaccines (dendritic cell loaded vaccines) and tumor cell vaccines (tumor cell loaded vaccines).



During the course of our study, we identified a variety of dendritic cell and tumor cell cancer vaccines across various stages of development. More than 75% of these product candidates are currently in the clinical stages of development. With a rich development pipeline, this segment of the immunotherapy market has managed to capture the interest of several strategic investors and venture capital firms.



USD 1.5 billion has already been invested in this domain in past five years. Owing to the existing unmet demand for safe and effective cancer therapies and given the innate advantages of immunotherapies, we believe that dendritic cell and tumor cell cancer vaccines present lucrative opportunities for both therapy developers and investors alike.



One of the key objectives of the report was to understand the primary growth drivers and estimate the future size of the market.



For this purpose, we took into consideration the following parameters:



- The dendritic cell and tumor cell vaccines pipeline, including marketed, clinical and preclinical therapies, in terms of phase of development, key players, type of donor and target indications.

- The existing and emerging technology platforms used for the development of innovative variants of cancer vaccines.

- The partnerships that have taken place in the recent past covering clinical trial collaborations, research collaborations, manufacturing and services agreements, license agreements specific to technology platforms and agreements related to the co-development and co-commercialization of promising candidates.

- Various investments and grants received by companies focused in this area including capital raised from IPOs and subsequent offerings.

- The performance of competing drug classes, complex manufacturing processes, batch-wise variability and other inherent threats to growth of the market in the short and long term.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Preface



2. Executive Summary



3. Introduction



4. Cancer Vaccines



4.5. Regulatory Guidelines for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines



5. Market Overview



6. Dendritic Cancer Cell Vaccines



7. Tumor Cell Cancer Vaccines



8. Key Technologies



9. Venture Capital Funding



10. Partnerships And Collaborations



11. Market Forecast



12. Conclusion



13. Interview Transcripts



14. Appendix: Tabulated Data



15. Appendix: List Of Companies And Organizations



Abramson Cancer Center

Accelovance

Accord Research

Activartis Biotech

Adaptive Biotechnologies

Aduro Biotech

Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT)

American International Radio

American Red Cross Society

Ames Seed Capital

Amphera

Aptiv Solutions

Argos Therapeutics

Artwell Biotech

Aspire Capital

Asset Management Ventures

Asterias Biotherapeutics

Aurora BioPharma

Aurora Funds

AVAX Technologies

Bar Elan University of Israel

Basic Pharma

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)

(BCM) Beijing Tricision Biotherapeutics

Benitec Biopharma

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre

BioLife Solutions

Biomira

BioSante Pharmaceuticals

BioTime

BioTime Acquisition

Brightline Ventures

Bristol- Myers Squibb

Bundang CHA General Hospital

Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec

Caladrius BioSciences

Caliber Biotherapeutics

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

California Institute of Technology

Canadian Brain Tumour Consortium (CBTC)

Cancer Research Technology (CRT)

CANCER RESEARCH UK

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

Cascadian Therapeutics

Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre

Cell Therapy Catapult

Celldex Therapeutics

Cellin Technologies

CELLMED Research

Champions Biotechnology

Charles University

Chicagoland Investors

Chiltern International

China BioPharma Capital I

Chongqing Lummy Pharmaceutical

CiMaas

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

Clinipace Worldwide

Clough Capital Partners

Cognate Bioservices

CORFO

CruCell

CryoPort

CyTuVax

Dana Farber Cancer Center

DanDrit Biotech

Danube Hospital Vienna

DCPrime

Delta-Vir

Dendreon Corporation

Department of Defense (CDMRP)

Department of Immunology of the 2nd Medical School of Charles University

Dong-A ST

Drexel University

Duke University

Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports

Ehime University Hospital

Elios Therapeutics

Emperor Franz-Josef Hospital Vienna

ES Cell International Pte

European Medicines Agency (EMA)

European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)

Feldkirch State Hospital

Ferrer International

FONNDEF

Forbion Capital

Foresite Capital Management

Franklin Advisers

Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

Genentech

Geron Corporation

GISCAD Foundation

Gradalis

Green Cross Corporation

GSK

Guangzhou Trinomab Biotech

Hakutokai Takao Hospital

Heat Biologics

Horizon Technology Finance Corporation

ICON

Immatics Biotechnologies

Immunicum

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics

Immunotherapy of Cancer (ITOC)

Innovation Agency

Innsbruck Medical University

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and the Institute of Chemistry of Polymers

Intersouth Partners

Intracel Corporation

Invetech

Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA)

Iowa State University Research Park Corporation (ISURP)

(ISURP) Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Janus Capital Management

Jennison Associates

Jikei University School of Medicine

Johannes Kepler University Linz

Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

(JHU) Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC)

JW CreaGene

Karolinska University Hospital

King's College Hospital

Kirin Brewery Pharmaceutical Division

Kiromic

Kitasato Institute Hosptital

Kyowa Hakko Kirin

Laboratorio Pablo Cassara

Leaders in Oncology Care (LOC)

Lumira Capital

Maastricht University Medical Centre

Medical Centre Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center

Masarik University Brno

Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio)

Maxim Group

Mayo Clinic

MD Anderson Cancer Centre

Medical Corporation Hakutokai

Medical Corporation Isokai

Medical School of Charles University

Medical University of Graz

Medical University of Hannover

Medical University of Vienna

Medigene Immunotherapies

Medinet

Merck

Merix Bioscience

Midwest Melanoma Partnership (MMP)

Mizuho capital

MNX Global Logistics

MolecuVax

Morningside Group

Morningside Ventures

National Cancer Institute

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

National Health Service (NHS)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National University Corporation Kyushu University

National University of Singapore (NUS)

(NUS) NeoStem

Neovii Biotech

NewLink Genetics

Northwest Biotherapeutics

Novartis

NovaRx Corporation

Novella Clinical

Oncobiomed

OncoSec Medical

Oncothyreon

OrbiMed

Oxford Finance

Pan Am Cancer Treatment Center

Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI)

PDC*line pharma

PerImmune

Pfizer

PharmaCell

Pharmacenter Hungary

Pharmstandard International

Piedmont Angel Network

Pique Therapeutics

PPF Group

Prima BioMed

Progenitor Cell Therapy (PCT)

ProImmune

ProVaccine

Pure MHC

Regeneus

Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

RimAsia Capital Partners

Roche

Rockefeller University

Rudolfstiftung Hospital Vienna

Sachsische Aufbau Bank

Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Saint-Gobain

Salzburg Provincial Hospital

Sarah Cannon Research UK

Saronic Biotechnology

School of Medicine of Keio University

Scottish Medicines Consortium

SDS Capital

Shenzhen Hornetcorn Bio-technology Company

Significo Research

SIGNIFIX

Socius Life Sciences Capital Group

SOTIO

Square 1 Bank

St. Anna Children's Cancer Research

Stanford University

State Institute for Drug Control

Swissmedic

Sydys Corporation

TapImmune

Targepeutics

Technomark Life Sciences

tella

Tessa Therapeutics

The Immune Response Corporation

The Investment Syndicate (TIS)

The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI)

(VGTI) Theradex

Therapeutic Solutions International

TheraTest Laboratories

TI Pharma

Tianyi Lummy International Holdings Group

Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies

TransCure bioServices

Trianta Immunotherapies

TVAX Biomedical

TVM Capital

UCB

United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)

United Therapeutics

UniVax

University Hospital Motol of Prague

University of British Columbia

University of Chile

University of Maryland

University of Minnesota

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Southern California

University of Texas

University of Zurich Medical School

Uppsala University

US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Vaccinogen

Valeant Pharmaceuticals

Van Herk Group

Vastra Gotalandsregionen

Wagner-Jauregg Linz

Wasatch Funds Trust

Wilmington Investors Network

Woodford Investment Management

WuXi AppTec

XEME Biopharma



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8pcb9s/dendritic_cell

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
All topics discussed by eminent speakers at the European Shingo Conference in Copenhagen will relate to lean processes, strategies for leadership and implementation

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has set November 30 through December 2, 2016 as the dates for the European Shingo Conference. The purpose of this conference is for attendees to hear leaders in manufacturing, healthcare, services and other industries speak about their experiences with the principles, behaviors and systems that enable organizations to achieve excellence.

Along with site tours of local companies, topics of the conference will include six sigma innovation, the relationship between HR and continuous improvement, creating a principle-based culture, embedding the Shingo Guiding Principles and other similar topics. Some of the prominent speakers at the conference include:

Hakan Forss from King

Christian Houborg from H. Lundbeck A/ S Denmark

from H. Lundbeck A/ Sean Kelly from Abbott Diagnostics (2016 Shingo Prize recipient)

Shahir Rona from Novo Nordisk A/S

from Novo Nordisk A/S Kenneth Snyder from the Shingo Institute

from the Shingo Institute Billy Taylor from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Ida Gremyr from Chalmers University of Technology

Marc Noppen from University Hospital Brussels

from University Hospital Brussels Mustafa Kemal Altay from Bosch

Attendees are encouraged to pre-register for the conference by visiting http://shingo.org/events/europe.

During the conference gala, there will be two awards presented to these recipients:

Lake Region Medical of Ireland

Matias Thurer and Charles Protzman , authors of Card-based Control Systems for a Lean Work Design

Attendees of the European Shingo Conference will have ample opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals in a highly relevant and social atmosphere. With plenty of networking opportunities throughout each day, attendees will be able to develop new contacts and beneficial relationships. They'll also be able to infuse their organizations with the Shingo Model to help transform their cultures to make continuous improvement a reality.

Past attendees of the conference have reported various benefits from attending. To maximize these benefits, the Shingo Institute recommends that organizations send three or more leaders and/or managers to the event. Experience has shown that this maximizes the likelihood that the principles learned at the conference will be incorporated in the culture, behavior and systems of the organization.

About the Shingo Institute

The Shingo Institute is home of the Shingo Prize, an award that recognizes organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture that fosters continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota advisor, Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo distinguished himself as one of the world's thought leaders in concepts, management systems and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Production System.

Drawing from Dr. Shingo's teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model which is the basis for its several educational offerings, including workshops, study tours and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute's licensed affiliates. For more information on workshops, affiliates, or to register to attend the European Shingo Conference, please visit www.shingo.org.

CONTACT: Dominic Bria

Shingo Institute

Phone: +1-435-797-0771

Email: dominic.bria@usu.edu





Related Links

http://www.shingo.org



SOURCE Shingo Institute - Utah State University
The accelerating pace of marijuana legalization in the United States has certainly grabbed headlines around the world in the past few months. Four states (and the District of Columbia) already allow the use of recreational marijuana. And next month five more will vote on similar legalization  California, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts and Arizona. Meanwhile, medical marijuana has been given the green light in half of all U.S. states.

Legal cannabis sales in the United States jumped 17 percent, to $5.4 billion, in 2015 and are expected to grow by 25 percent this year, to $6.7 billion, according to Arcview Market Research. By 2020 legal cannabis sales in the United States are projected to hit $21.8 billion.

But America's hardly the only place rethinking its stance on cannabis. As states rewrite the rules on the legality of the drug, other parts of the world are making their own changes.

Globally, $150 billion was spent last year on marijuana, said Scott L. Greiper, president of Viridian Capital Advisors. Almost all of that was done illegally. But as legalization efforts grow, angel and venture capital investors are getting interested in companies specializing in weed.

The Arcview Investor Network, for instance, has put $84 million into 130 companies in the cannabis sector since 2013, with most of those investments coming in the past 1.5 years. And a growing number of those investors are looking beyond U.S. borders. There are a number of countries where there are exciting opportunities, say experts in this sector.

Of all of those, there's none more intriguing to investors than Canada. The Great White North was the first country to legalize medical marijuana on a federal level in 2001, and it's widely expected to legalize recreational use within the next year. (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made legalization one of the cornerstones of his campaign and has kept up the push for it since being elected.)

Canada's stance to limit the number of licenses for growers, distributors, etc., is of special interest to investors. That practice by the state opens up the possibility to create large, robust companies. And venture firms are happy to back those. The three leading Canadian cannabis companies  Aurora Cannabis, Aphria and Canopy Growth  have each raised nearly $30 million from investors, Greiper noted.

Story continues

"We don't see that size of investment activity anywhere in the world for a single company in the cannabis marketplace," he said. "Canada is the most mature of the legal cannabis marketplaces in the world."

Israel is another country that has been on investor radars. Medical marijuana has been legal there since 2007, which has allowed the medical research-and-development community to begin digging deep into the DNA of cannabis to look for pharmaceutical products the plant can yield beyond smoking it or infusing it into edible products.

"Israel has been at the forefront of medical cannabis research for years now," said Troy Dayton, CEO and co-founder of The Arcview Group. "They've been creating a fertile environment for medical research."

Australia is a newcomer to the field, having federally legalized marijuana for medical and scientific purposes earlier this year, but the country has quickly become an area of interest. So far, roughly 10 public companies have emerged in the sector, including MMJ PhytoTech and MGC Pharmaceuticals, says Harrison Phillips, an analyst at Viridian. And most have partnered with Canadian firms to spur growth.

"Australia has moved to the forefront of medical marijuana by leveraging Canadian expertise," he said.

Likewise, Spain is still at the beginning of pot reform, but it's showing a lot of potential. The country hosts Spannabis, Europe's largest cannabis trade show. And though it's still a quasi-legal substance (to legally partake, you must join a private smoking club to purchase it), the country has been called the "New Amsterdam" by enthusiasts (who previously flocked to the Netherlands capital, which has made a tourist industry of legal marijuana since 1976).

More from Global Investing Hot Spots:

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"It looks a lot like the California industry did in the late '90s and early 2000s, where you have a quasi-legal situation happening, where the public is fine with it and the government is OK with it, but it's not yet taxed and regulated," said Arcview's Dayton. "There is an industry there that's ripe for growth."

For other countries, it's still too early to say if they'll be attractive areas for cannabis-focused investors. In Uruguay, where the drug has been legal since 2013, the government limits the price to around $1 per gram, muting business opportunities for now. Jamaica may have a rich cannabis history  Bob Marley can lay claim to one of the drug's cultural icons  but the country is still rolling out its programs, and no major companies have emerged yet. Chile, similarly, where at-home consumption has been decriminalized, is still an immature market.

Now Mexico is just starting to consider the idea of legalization, though Dayton says the results of the ballot issues in California and Arizona (where voters will decide this November whether to legalize recreational marijuana usage) could sway that argument one way or another. If the U.S. border states OK recreational pot, he says, it's likely only a matter of time before Mexico follows suit.

 By Chris Morris, special to CNBC.com




GOTHENBURG, Sweden, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Lynk & Co: Challenging Auto Industry Conventions

LYNK & CO is a new brand with the ambition to challenge the conventions of the automobile industry, addressing the needs and preferences of the new global and connected generation

A Geely Auto Group brand, designed and engineered in Sweden

Every model will feature electrified powertrains

First in the range will be the LYNK & CO 01 - a bold and tech-laden SUV

Full premium specification and characteristics as standard

Full mobile connectivity as standard - working in partnership with Ericsson, and exploring unique routes to market with Alibaba and Microsoft

The most connected car to date, built around an open API and inviting developers' creative ideas to enrich the automotive experience

Creating new ways of owning and using a car, with built-in sharing functionality and ownership solutions

Replaces traditional 'trim levels' with simple selection of fully equipped fixed-price collections, drawing inspiration from fashion and technology sectors

Offering a new route to market, with direct interaction between manufacturer and consumer, personalized services and hassle-free ownership at the most competitive price point

Based on Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), shared with Volvo

Sold throughout the world, from 2017 in China , followed by Europe and U.S.

Our industry has been refining design and engineering successfully for decades - but not so much the distribution and ownership model. Our customers' values and preferences have evolved dramatically. It is time for us to step into the future and reinvent the model to become a comprehensive solution for mobility and lifestyle.

This is LYNK & CO - introducing a premium, state of the art range of cars - at the most accessible of price points, challenging and redesigning every link in the chain. Our aim is to enrich and simplify car ownership by redefining how they are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used.

Alain Visser, Senior Vice President of LYNK & CO

The LYNK & CO 01 will be followed by models 02, 03 and so forth as a full range - reflecting the brand's idea of simplifying and challenging industry conventions, right down to model names.

The design brief was simple: the cars should stand out from the crowd and appeal to a global audience. Acknowledging that our users are extremely tech-savvy - our interior design reflects this and feels familiar in the context of new technology.

Andreas Nilsson, Head of LYNK & CO design

We have developed state-of-the-art cars that are strong, lightweight, efficient, fun to drive and packed full of technology.

Mats Fagerhag, CEO of CEVT (China Euro Vehicle Technology) Geely/Volvo R&D center

About LYNK & CO

LYNK & CO is the new global car brand addressing the needs and preferences of a global connected generation and challenging car industry conventions. Its products are designed and engineered in Sweden and will be sold globally, starting with the 01 in China in 2017 followed by Europe and the U.S.

LYNK & CO is a brand from Geely Auto Group, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group - the owner of Volvo Cars and London Taxi Company. Geely Auto Group is one of China's largest car manufacturers.

Visit us at http://www.lynkco.com

Contact: +44-07391-015-151, media@lynkco.com

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qydaNhBUOp8

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161019/431033 )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161019/431034 )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161019/431035 )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161019/431036 )

SOURCE LYNK & CO
DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Herceptin (Trastuzumab) Biosimilar Clinical Trial Insight" clinical trials to their offering.

The Herceptin (Trastuzumab) Biosimilar Clinical Trial Insight report gives comprehensive clinical insight on 37 biosimilar version of Herceptin drug in clinical pipeline. Currently there are 4 biosimilars in Phase-III trials and are expected to be commercially available in next 5-8 years. Currently 3 biosimilar version of Herceptin are commercially available in India and Iran for the treatment of Breast cancer. The patent on Herceptin expired in 2014.

Trastuzumab or Herceptin is a recombinant DNA derived humanized monoclonal antibody that interferes with the HER2/Neu receptor. It is the most common biological therapy used particularly for breast cancer, against the Her2+ receptor which stands for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-positive. In some cancers, notably certain types of breast cancer, HER2 is over-expressed, and causes cancer cells to reproduce uncontrollably.

Herceptin, one of Roche's three HER2+ breast cancer drugs, recorded a 15% sales increase in the US and a 10% rise overall. Sales were driven by longer duration of treatment in combination with Perjeta, another HER2+ breast cancer treatment from Roche, for both early and advanced breast cancer. China and Brazil also contributed to strong growth in Herceptin sales.

It costs around US$ 70,000 for full course treatment, thus allowing the big blockbuster for Roche with the sales of US$ 6.79 Billion in 2015; it is the drug that remained third best seller after about 15 years on the market. Roche has changed the trade name of the drug and has re-introduced an affordable version of the same in the Indian market. The new drug named Herclon would cost approximately INR 75,000 (US$ 1122) in the Indian market.

Biocon Limited, a pharmaceutical in India had received Marketing Authorization from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for its biosimilar Trastuzumab being developed jointly with Mylan, for the treatment of Her 2+ metastatic breast cancer. The regulatory approval for biosimilar Trastuzumab in India is the world's first biosimilar version under the brand name of CANMAb.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Herceptin (Trastuzumab) Clinical Insight

1.1 Clinical Introduction

1.2 Company Partnerships & Agreements

1.3 Patent Analysis by Indication

1.4 Brand Names by Country/Region

Herceptin Biosimilars Clinical Insight by Company

2. BOW 040

3. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - ISU Abxis

4. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Allergan/Amgen

5. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Alteogen/Cristalia

6. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - AryoGen Biopharma

7. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Axxo

8. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Biocad

9. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - BIOCND/Genor Biopharma

10. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Biocon/Mylan

11. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Bionovis/The Instituto Vital Brazil

12. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - BioXpress Therapeutics

13. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Celltrion

14. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Curaxys

15. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Dong-A ST/Meiji Seika Pharma

16. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Dr. Reddy's Laboratories

17. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Gedeon Richter

18. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Hanwha Biologics

19. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Harvest Moon Pharmaceuticals

20. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Hetero Drugs

21. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - International Biotech Center Generium

22. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Mabion

23. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - mAbxience

24. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Nanogen Biopharmaceutical

25. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical/Aprogen

26. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Oncobiologics

27. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Paras Biopharmaceuticals

28. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Pfizer

29. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - PlantForm Corporation

30. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Polpharma

31. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - ProBioGen AG/Bio Farma Indonesia

32. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Reliance Life Sciences

33. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Samsung Bioepis

34. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Shanghai CP Guojian Pharmaceutical

35. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Shanghai Henlius Biotech

36. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - STC Biologics

37. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Therapeutic Proteins International

38. Trastuzumab Biosimilar - Zydus

39. Trastuzumab Glyco-optimised - Glycotope

40. Trastuzumab Subcutaneous

For more information about this clinical trials report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lrq3xm/herceptin

About Research and Markets

Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

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SOURCE Research and Markets
LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The University of Antwerp announces the first clinical trial using cognitive health specialist MyCognition's scientifically-designed video game training and assessment, to alleviate the cognitive deficit accompanying breast cancer treatment.

Whilst extensive research focusses on eradicating tumours, awareness of breast cancer's cognitive impact pre-and-post treatment is growing. Exact causes are unknown but an estimated 30% of patients experience 'chemo-fog', chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. Additionally, neurotoxic effects of some treatments affect cognitive function, significantly impacting patients' quality of life.[1] This trial aims to improve understanding of how breast cancer impacts cognition, and if it can be improved post-treatment.

This is the first clinical trial using a scientifically designed, clinically-validated cognitive assessment tool (MyCQ) and video game as a non-invasive medical device intervention. MyCQ assesses cognitive function across five key domains, with the resultant data personalising the training programme. In Antwerp 40 female breast cancer patients will take the MyCQ assessment, with half randomised to complete the training. Results are expected in 2017/18.

Dr Anne Bellens, University Hospital of Antwerp:

"Breast cancer sufferers often experience a reduced quality of life after treatment completion. The majority of research into treatments focus on preventing tumour growth, and the spread of the disease. I'm so excited about the trial using MyCognition's cognitive training and assessment tools and programmes. This new approach offers people with breast cancer hope that an intervention could be effective in assessing and minimising the cognitive impact of the disease in patients, significantly improving their quality of life."

Keiron Sparrowhawk, MyCognition founder and CEO:

"MyCognition's mission has been to help individuals with cognitive deficits. We are proud to be working with Dr Anne Bellens to carry out this ground-breaking clinical trial, which we hope will change the lives of patients by improving their cognitive function through the use of MyCQ."



Dr Nicola Winstone, Against Breast Cancer:

"Of course it's great news that more people are surviving for longer after being treated for breast cancer but their quality of life often suffers due to side effects of treatment. Clinical trials with easy-to-use interventions such as MyCognition's cognitive programmes are important to see if cognitive decline can be prevented or reversed."

--------------------------------------------------

1. Wefel, J. S., Kesler, S. R., Noll, K. R. and Schagen, S. B. (2015), Clinical characteristics, pathophysiology, and management of noncentral nervous system cancer-related cognitive impairment in adults. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 65: 123-138. doi:10.3322/caac.21258

Morgan Rossiter, +44-(0)2031953240

SOURCE MyCognition
DUBLIN, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Iran Oilfield Services Market- By Application (On-Shore, Off-Shore), By Type, By Region Opportunities & Forecast 2021" report to their offering.

Iran is forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 13% during 2016-2021, on account of anticipated increase in oil & gas E&P activities

In 2015, onshore oilfield services segment accounted for a majority share in Iran's oilfield services market; however, the offshore oilfield services segment is forecast to exhibit higher growth during 2016-2021. Directional drilling and hydro fracturing services accounted for the largest share in the oilfield services market in Iran, followed by mud engineering services, wireline services, oil country tubular goods services, etc.



On account of removal of sanctions, advent of foreign players and anticipated rise in capital inflows, oilfield services market in Iran is expected to grow by 2021. Further, as a result of signing of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with P5+1 nations, in 2015, Iran is cutting down on its nuclear enrichment activities and is focusing towards increasing its crude oil production.



This in turn is expected to result in augmented demand for oilfield services during 2016-2021. In Iran, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Mashhad regions accounted for the largest share in the oilfield services market, in 2015, on the back of large scale oil & gas exploration and production activities being undertaken in these regions.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. Industry Structure



5. Value Chain of Oilfield Services



6. E&P Cash Flow Life Cycle



7. Global Oilfield Services Market Overview



8. Iran Oil & Gas Scenario



9. Iran Oilfield Services Market Outlook



10. Iran Oilfield Services Market, By Application



11. Iran Oilfield Services Market, By Type



12. Technology Development



13. Market Dynamics



14. Pricing Analysis



15. Policy & Regulatory Landscape



16. Iran Economic Profile



17. Competitive Landscape



- CNPC Bohai Drilling Engineering Company Limited

- Dana Energy Company

- Great Wall Drilling Company Limited

- Mehran Engineering &Well Services

- National Iranian Drilling Company

- Overseas Technical Services Kish (LLC)

- Petro Danial Kish Company

- Sea Land Engineering and Well Services

- Well Services Of Iran (Schlumberger Methods)

- Wide Pars Energy-Gostar Drilling and Exploration Company(PEDEX)



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/cshwv7/iran_oilfield

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Today, online money pot Leetchi.com, has launched its service in the UK.

Leetchi.com is an easy, fast and secure money collection platform that allows anyone to create a 'money pot' in less than a minute and invite others to help finance projects such as group gifts for birthdays, baby showers and co-workers, as well as fundraising for projects, charities and events.

With the trust in UK charities at a record low, people are relying on donation-based crowdfunding to help fulfill fundraising targets and remove charities from the equation all together. In order to maximise this rising trend and offer a better service to its 200k UK customers already utilising the Paris-based platform, Leetchi.com has integrated the GBP. Leetchi.com is available in four languages: French, English, Spanish and German, and people can contribute to money pots from over 150 countries.

Leetchi.com offers lower fees than any other online group-gifting platform. Unlike existing platforms in the UK market, it is completely free to create a money pot and launch a campaign. To reduce costs further, Leetchi.com's extensive list of partner sites means that you can spend your money pool with no additional fee - making the 'project to purchase' process completely free.

Whether it's to fundraise for a project, charity or event, Leetchi.com's money pots set your projects in motion. The integrated fast and secure payment system allows people to donate to money collections with just one click. In addition, advanced social media integration allows users to easily share their money pots across Facebook and Twitter, encouraging your fundraising efforts to go viral. Not to mention they have the most competitive pricing on the market (2,9% above 2000).

Celine Lazorthes, CEO and founder of the Leetchi Group, comments " We are very excited to launch Leetchi in the UK and to provide users with the option to finance projects in GBP. Leetchi has revolutionised the way people raise money for group- gifting and is now bringing an alternative fundraising and gifting service for projects in the UK."

About Leetchi:

Leetchi.com, the leading online money collection site with more than 6 million users in 150 countries and a team of 65 employees. The Leetchi Group forecasts that more than 400million will be raised using the platform in 2016. Acquired by French bank Credit Mutuel Arkea in 2015,

Today, Leetchi.com is available in four languages: French, English, Spanish and German, and people can contribute to a money pot from over 150 countries.

SOURCE Leetchi.com
One of the focus will be the Transportation Ministry proposal of a cut in transshipment costs in a bid to boost competitiveness and yield more volume into the country's hub ports.

"We are concerned that there are a lot of ports that conduct direct call. If the transshipment cost is lower, then there will be more goods going to Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak, and it will be cheaper than direct call," said Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, referring to two of the country's major ports in Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java.

The ports that are slated to serve as hubs include Kuala Tanjung (North Sumatra), Bitung (North Sulawesi), Makassar (South Sulawesi), Sorong (West Papua), as well as Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak.

The new concept will strengthen Tanjung Priok's role as a domestic and international hub port as imported goods will transit through it.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121014/HK92339LOGO-d

ABOUT the organizer

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest commercial organizer in China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global network of 31 offices and 1,300 staff in 24 major cities. We operate in 20 market sectors with 230 exhibitions and conferences, 21 trade publications, 18 online products for over 2,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. www.ubmasia.com

Contact Person: Abdi Fajrin

Phone Number: +62 21 2930 5959

Email: Abdi.Fajrin@ubm.com

Related Links

http://www.ubmasia.com



SOURCE UBM
RYE BROOK, New York, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NYPPEX, a leading technology-driven secondary private equity advisor, transfer administrator and data provider, has just released a Client Memorandum: Weak 3Q2016 Exits to Cause Lower Secondary Bids Ahead.

Its findings included the following:

1. The trend of weak IPO and M&A exit volume worldwide started in the 3Q2015 has continued through the 3Q2016.

2. This exit trend is causing lower distributions from private equity funds by 40-50% year over year according to investors surveyed by NYPPEX.

This exit and distribution trend is likely to result in lower secondary bid prices in 2017 on average, as projected by NYPPEX.

3. In the 3Q2016, Asia Pacific private equity funds experienced the highest volatility in secondary bids from -3.05% for interests in Distressed Debt funds to +6.73% for Natural Resource funds, driven by slower economic growth and demand from China. European private equity funds experienced increases in secondary bids despite the June Brexit vote. U.S. private equity funds experienced stable secondary bids driven by secondary investors seeking a safe haven.

Note: Secondary bid indications as estimated by NYPPEX.

4. If capital calls increase in the 1Q2017, NYPPEX projects limited partners will incur negative cash flows (capital calls vs. distributions) from more private equity funds, a similar scenario to the negative cash flow period of 2008-2012.

5. NYPPEX recommends that investors review cash reserves and access to liquidity vs. projected liabilities for calendar year end 2016 and 2017 budgets.

To request a copy of this NYPPEX Client Memorandum, please email data@nyppex.com with your name, title and organization.

About NYPPEX Holdings

Established in 1998, NYPPEX is a leading technology-driven secondary private equity advisor, transfer administrator and data provider.

NYPPEX has provided over $8 billion in secondary private equity liquidity to investors in over 26 countries for (a) interests in private funds (e.g. buyout, venture, natural resources, real estate, hedge funds etc.), (b) unregistered securities in private (and thinly traded listed) companies and (c) their respective derivative instruments.

Clients include financial institutions, public and private pensions, government sponsored enterprises, corporations, endowments, foundations, private wealth groups, alternative investment firms, private companies and their advisors worldwide.

The NYPPEX Qualified Matching Service ("NYPPEX QMS") is recognized in a 2004 Private Letter Ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in connection with IRS Regulation 1.7704. The NYPPEX QMS enables private partnerships to permit additional secondary interest transfer volumes by meeting the requirements for a QMS safe-harbor exemption.

The NYPPEX Portfolio Pricing Service provides secondary bid indications on interests in over 12,300 private equity funds headquartered in over 110 countries. Subscription rates are $195 per fund priced quarterly. NYPPEX price data is taken into consideration by institutions to meet Topic 820 Fair Value provisions for GAAP and IFSR compliant financial statements.

NYPPEX is regulated in the U.S. by the SEC and FINRA. Member SIPC.

Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York. www.nyppex.com

For more information, please contact:

Robin Starr Bond, SVP, NYPPEX

rbond@nyppex.com

+1.914.305.2808

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

Related Links

http://www.nyppex.com



SOURCE NYPPEX Holdings
BONN, Germany, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

PAYBACK (an American Express company), Germany's leading loyalty programme as well as largest multi-channel marketing platform and artegic, consulting and technology provider for digital CRM, expand their collaboration. In addition to operating the e-dialogue platform for newsletters and campaigns, PAYBACK is now looking at realising new and innovative applications. PAYBACK is one of the largest marketing platforms wordwide and reaches more than 30 million customers in Germany through offline, online and mobile channels with over 28 million users. Core of the digital dialogue marketing platform is a content processing and workflow solution developed by artegic for the efficient collaboration between PAYBACK and over 650 partners and agencies. By using artegic's content processing solutions, PAYBACK has already been able to cut more than 25% of its total expenditure of time invested in the creation of newsletter campaigns. Furthermore, artegic sends email communication and lifecycle communication on point balance of the PAYBACK users via its own international delivery platform PAYBACK and artegic have been working together since 2010.

Digital dialogue is one of the most important communication channels for PAYBACK with its 28 million users. PAYBACK benefits from artegic's up-to-date real-time CRM & marketing automation platform. This enables PAYBACK to approach users with customised communication at the right moment and in the right context without time delay. Users receive suitable communication on their mobile terminal devices in less than 10 seconds after using their PAYBACK card at the check-out. Current data, such as point balance, are processed in real time.

In 2015 alone, 500 million coupon emails with offers from partner companies were sent via artegic technology. Thanks to the user-specific individualised emails, partner companies achieve different goals from customer retention to customer intensification and up-selling or cross-selling. For maximum relevancy, the communication is sent in several thousand different, highly individualised variants so that every user will receive content which is attractive to him.

Individualising Through Automated Content Processing

Without process automation and a high performance processing and real-time data integration, the large volume and the high degree of individualisation could not be managed economically. artegic technology offers a powerful base with its ELAINE Real-time Marketing Automation core. Real-time data can be updated during the campaign run and content can be contextually adapted e.g. when a user opens an email. artegic has received multiple awards for its innovative implementation of real-time marketing abilities, including the International and German Stevie Award and the ECO Internet Award.

"We are very happy that with artegic we have an experienced email technology provider at our side for our agile development of new and innovative real-time marketing products", says Sandra Prinzenberg, Director Multichannel & Lifecycle Management at PAYBACK.

To secure the necessary process efficiency, artegic developed an automated content processing solution for PAYBACK which can display the complex content condition logic in an efficient way. This solution includes the adoption of planning data and campaign briefings from Excel-based ELAINE campaign sheets, the creation of teasers via an integrated online graphic editor, as well as the workflow management for the coordination of granular changes and the clearing of partners and service providers. The most important requirements from PAYBACK on the email marketing technology employed, are the display of the content condition logic, comprehensive abilities for marketing automation, the support or display of the creation and approval process, as well as the highest level of data security, reliability and send quality.

"Due to our highly individualised marketing, we have a very complex environment. artegic offers the necessary technical solution to successfully and efficiently display the process including the communication personalised in real time. With ELAINE, we have found the most suitable technological platform for our highly demanding tasks. artegic supports us to consistently master new requirements and innovative approaches", says Mark Brauch, Director Digital Direct Marketing at PAYBACK.

"Individualised marketing on this level requires the processing of a large number of granular contents. The ability of quick and efficient content processing can be seen as the core of relevant and target-specific communication in the digital dialogue. In the collaboration with PAYBACK, we are looking forward to being able to realise internationally highly demanding tasks in this area", explains Stefan von Lieven, CEO at artegic AG.

Downloads

artegic AG - Know-how and Technology for Online CRM

artegic AG supports companies in the construction of loyal and profitable B-to-B and B-to-C customer relations via online channels. Our service portfolio includes strategic consulting, technologies and business services for online CRM and dialogue marketing via email, mobile and social media.

With the online CRM technology ELAINE FIVE, artegic offers a unique high-performance solution for the comprehensive realisation of campaigns, as well as marketing automation based on self-sharpening analytical customer profiles. artegic received the eco Internet Award for its trend-setting implementation of data privacy requirements.

Internationally, each month, approximately 2.7 billion emails, SMS and social media messages are sent via ELAINE FIVE. As an associated company of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, artegic draws on the know-how of the latter, as well as the expertise from long-standing best practice with renowned clients, such as RTL, PAYBACK, Web.de, REWE, maxdome, Hyundai and the German Federal Ministries of Finance and Justice.

artegic is certified company-wide by TUV Rheinland, according to the international standard for IT and Data Decurity ISO/IEC 27001.

Your contact at artegic:

Sebastian Pieper

artegic AG

Zanderstrae 7

53177 Bonn

+49(0)228-22-77-97-57

pr@artegic.de



SOURCE artegic AG
LONDON, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

What: The Africa Renewable Energy Forum

When: 2-4 November 2016

Where: The Four Seasons Hotel, Marrakesh



As South Africa's DOE and IPP Office prepares to export the success of its IPP Renewable Energy programme to 11 other governments at the 'Africa Renewable Energy Forum' in Marrakech next month, leaders of over USD19bln of investment capital gather with private sector developers and banks to prescribe 'success breeds success' for the energy sector.

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Joining the forum, 300 market leading investors, 105 speakers, 17 Government Ministers and Senior Government Representatives, 14 Heads of Utilities and Regulatory Authorities from across the continent, the government of Morocco, Egypt and South Africa will discuss a 'North South Renewable Energy Corridor' and the importance of a balanced procurement programme drawing on the challenges and success of investors in South Africa.



Other attendees from Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia include Akon Lighting Africa/Solektra International, MASEN, Africa50, Africa GreenCo, AfDB, IPP Office, Smart Energy Finance, Wartsila, Green Climate Fund, Venturi Renewable Energy, ONEE, IFC, AREI Delivery Unit, COP22, UNFCCC, IRESEN, GIZ, Clifford Chance, ADEREE, CGEM, Attijariwafa Bank, OCP Group, ENGIE, IRENA, MCA, OPIC, Global Nexus, AFD, JBIC, Harith General Partners, Energy Investments Company (SIE), Solar Reserve, Mainstream Renewable Power, GRIDCo, VRA, Senelec, Ethiopian Electric Power, AER-Mali, PURC, CREE-Mali, AFUR, MEDREG, CRSE, ZERA, DLA Piper, Norton Rose Fullbright, Acwa Power, ERA, PowerHive, DBSA, Aldwych International, ITOCHU Corporation, ABB, ACS, Green Yellow, Sunna, Platinum Power, Sumec, Energy Transfo, AELEX, Clear Blue, Caterpillar, White & Case, eleQtra, OECD, ERM, Baker & Mckenzie, Jacobs Engineering S.A., ECOWAS, ECREEE, Schneider Electric, Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency, Kijani Energy Finance, Eversheds Windiga Energy, Eranove, Phoenix Solar AG, ORION, Shell, Rencore Energy, Mitsubishi Corporation, OST Energy, JINKO SOLAR, Generale du Solaire, Chemonics International, Global Wind Power, Powerchina, Fieldstone Africa, Algerian Solar Company, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Vestas, ERANOVE, Energy and Climate Change Center, Sofreco, Enel Green Power, Clifford Chance, Ernst & Young LLP, Grupo Cobra, Voltalia, Chemonics International, State Grid Corporation of China, Eren Renewable Energy, DNV GL, Consolidated Power Projects Group Africa, African Legal Support Facility, ANR, Mayer Brown, Infra Invest, Rencore Energy, Venturi Renewable Energy, ib vogt GmbH, Total, Bouygues energies & services, Enara Capital, Star Scientific, Iseme, Kamau & Maema Advocates, Clear Blue Technologies, Powerchina Zhongnan Engineering Corporation, Tekfen Construction and DEG.



Download the final brochure



EnergyNet's Group Director commented: "We've held some fantastic meetings in the past with the best developers, investors and the most proactive governments, but this meeting is something else, the level of investor and the joined up thinking of multi-governments is extraordinary. From our conversations it's clearly all about building the right partnerships so that when the deals are done they're with proven and bankable partners using the best technology and investment tools - we're very excited!"



The early bird rates expires this Friday 21st October, so if you're planning to attend as a delegate, make sure you register online this week to save $580 or alternatively contact arf@energynet.co.uk quoting the code ARF_EBR for further information.

Contact: Patricia Carbonell, +44(0)7807756401

SOURCE EnergyNet
Obama Is Making Two Huge Mistakes in the War on ISIS in Mosul

The long-anticipated battle to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, is the biggest test to date for President Obamas strategy against ISIS and other terrorist groups active in the Middle East.

The chances of success are decidedly mixed. Paradoxically, the forces assembled against the Islamic State may succeed only to hand Obama another Mideast failure.

Related: The Battle for Mosul: Has the US Backed an Incompetent Commander in Iraq?

Reports from the front line Thursday said the offensive to retake Mosul is moving faster than military planners had expected. Iraqi units and Kurdish Peshmerga were successfully clearing outlying villages in preparation for a decisive attack on the city itself.

So far, so good. This battle pits roughly 90,000 coalition soldiers with multinational air and logistics support against an ISIS force the Defense Department estimates at 3,000 to 5,000. While its still early, prospects for a battlefield win are promising.

But a battlefield victory has precisely zero to do with whether Obamas anti-terror strategyoften tagged his doctrineproves out.

Since he outlined his strategy at West Points 2014 commencement ceremony, Obama has sought to put local forces in the front of the war against ISIS and other radical militants, assigning modest numbers of U.S. troopsroughly 2,500 in this caseto advise, spot artillery targets, ease communications, and the like.

The success of this strategy can be measured only after the fighting ends and Mosul stabilizes (or not) under something resembling normal conditions. Think of the Bush administrations 2003 invasion of Iraq. All too grandly, officials likened it to the conclusive battles against Japan in 1945, after which a highly elaborated bureaucracy took control in Tokyo and remade the nation after years of careful forethought.

Related: Factbox: Once-tolerant Mosul site of Iraq push against Islamic State

Nothing of the sort ensued in Iraq, of course: There was no post-victory plan. The result was years of disorder, violence, sectarianismand, eventually, the rise of the Islamic State.

Story continues

Grimly enough, we ought to brace ourselves to watch as the Obama administration makes the same mistake again.

Study Obamas plan as he outlined it in that much-noted West Point speech. Its a military strategy and little more. At this point the fatal flaws as the U.S. applies the approach in Mosul are two:

 First, the Obama administration isnt listening to itself when it repeats incessantly that theres no military solution to the Middle Easts too-numerous conflicts. In the run-up to this weeks mobilization there was too little diplomacy to secure the many-sided coalition backing this effort and too little political work on the ground.

There is already squabbling about which forces will enter Mosul once the Islamic States occupation is broken. The Kurdish Peshmerga, which opened a direct attack on Mosul late Thursday, have promise to withdraw when the fighting ends because Turkey counts them terrorists threatening its national security.

Related: For U.S. and Obama, Mosul Campaign Is Calculated Risk

The ever-mercurial President Erdogan, meantime, insists that Turkish troops will participate in the invasion and a post-victory occupation, even as Baghdad asserts they are unwelcome on Iraqi soil.

On the ground, Mosuls infrastructure is all but destroyed. Water and electricity supplies are intermittent at best; schools, if they are still standing, barely function; theres nothing in the municipal treasury, and the economy, needless to say, is nearly nonexistent.

Whos going to manage all this? Wheres the administration-in-waiting? What will the postISIS political culture look like? Washington has offered no answers.

On this score, Mosul is the perfect illustration of a truth the Obama White House simply cannot grasp: Order anywhere in the Middle East cant be restored until a holistic strategy involving experts in many disciplines are brought into the policy process. It will cost money, yes, but not as much as what a lot of analysts now call our endless war.

Related: ISIS Crushes Rebellion Plot in Mosul as Army Closes In

Second, Washington is ducking problems inherent in the very composition of the forces fighting to retake Mosul. This battle has post-victory sectarian violence and disorder written all over it.

The main forces moving on Mosul are the Iraqi Security Forces, or I.S.F., which number 54,000 to 60,000, and the Kurds, who field 40,000 troops. But Sunni tribal militias and Shia militias backed by Iran, totaling 16,000, are also in the fight. News reports say the I.S.F. is tasked to keep these groups from raising sectarian banners as they head into battle.

Its not a foregone conclusion, but there is a clear danger that the multi-force fighting for Mosul will import all the sectarian animosities across the Middle East into the city once it drives out ISIS.

Washington, in other words, now risks landing back at square one. In its official announcements, the Pentagon makes virtually no mention of sectarian elements in the antiISIS coalition. But the Gulf States, which are Sunni-dominated, assert that the Iranian-backed Shia militias will turn Mosul into a catastrophe.

You have to wish none of this will come to be. In the best outcome, a nonsectarian political culture will materialize in postISIS Mosul, and the Sunni and Shia communities will learn to co-exist as they long had prior to the 2003 invasion.

Is anybody rushing to the bank on that prospect?

Mosuls object lesson for Americans is perfectly clear: Once again, military considerations are too prominent in the U.S. policy process and the State Departments role too diminished.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
BERLIN and HONG KONG, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VTech Holdings Limited (VTech, HKSE: 303), the world's leading manufacturer of cordless phones and a global leader in electronic learning products, and Snom Technology AG (Snom), the world's first and a leading brand of professional and enterprise VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephones, announced today the two companies have entered into a binding definitive agreement under which VTech will acquire 100% share capital of Snom. The acquisition will be financed through internal resources.

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"VoIP is the future of business communication and the industry is now transitioning to a cloud-based Unified Communications environment. As a pioneer in this field, Snom is constantly developing new and advanced IP technology solutions to meet the needs of businesses worldwide," said C.H. Tong, President of VTech Telecommunications Limited. "The main synergies of the acquisition will be in hardware and software development, expanded market channels in VoIP telephony, and improvement in operational efficiency."

"We are excited to be joining VTech which will support our continued focus on developing and supplying the best business telephones in the world," said Andre Deloch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Snom. "The combination of VTech and Snom will strengthen the product portfolios and technological leadership of both companies in VoIP industry."

The transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.

About Snom Technology AG

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Berlin Germany, Snom is a German multinational corporation and the world's first and a leading brand of professional and enterprise VoIP telephones. Snom's German engineering is globally renowned for robust, high-quality and feature-rich business telephones that are designed exclusively for the trained and certified professional IT and PBX installer. All of Snom's products are universally compatible with leading PBX platforms operating under the SIP standard, with over 4 million end-point installations globally. Snom products are sold through distributors to Value Added Resellers across the world. For more information, please visit www.snom.com.

About VTech

VTech is the global leader in electronic learning products from infancy to preschool and the world's leading manufacturer of cordless phones. It also provides highly sought-after contract manufacturing services. Founded in 1976, VTech has been a pioneer in the electronic learning toy category with cutting-edge and innovative products that provide fun and learning to children across the world. By leveraging decades of success, VTech provides a diverse collection of telecommunication products that elevate the consumer experience with state-of-the-art technology and design. The Group is also one of the world's leading electronic manufacturing service providers, offering world-class, full turnkey services to customers in a number of product categories. The Group's mission is to design, manufacture and supply innovative and high quality products in a manner that minimizes any impact on the environment, while creating sustainable value for its stakeholders and the community. For more information, please visit www.vtech.com.

For inquiries, please contact:

VTech Holdings Limited Grace Pang, Head of Corporate Marketing +852 26801703 grace_pang@vtech.com Snom Technology AG Heike Cantzler, Head of Marketing +49 30 39833 103 heike.cantzler@snom.com





Related Links

http://www.vtech.com



SOURCE VTech
ASCHHEIM, Germany, October 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

- Partnership Centred on Tax-free Services and Alternative Payment Methods

- Pilot Project Launched in Singapore

For merchants, the integration of value added services including those that are 'tax free' and alternative payment procedures at the Point of Sale (e.g. Alipay, WeChat) is becoming increasingly important. Wirecard, one of the leading suppliers of electronic payment and risk management solutions, and Premier Tax Free, a company in the Fintrax Group and a leading supplier in the field of tax free services, have joined forces to offer merchants even more alternatives and greater flexibility. In addition, Wirecard will integrate Premier Tax Free's services into its value added service portfolio. An integral element of the cooperation is the mutual acquisition of customers for integrated payment processing services.

Gary Byrne, Head of Worldwide Strategic Partnership & New Markets at Premier Tax Free is delighted at the prospect of the future partnership: "Our customers seek innovative Point of Sale payment technologies. In collaborating with Wirecard, we shall now be able to offer them these products more quickly and at lower prices."

To facilitate this additional customer service, Wirecard and Premier Tax Free are making use of the most modern Point of Sale payment technology. The solution works independently of traditional Point of Sale terminals as the entire process is conducted via Wirecard's ConnectedPOS technology. The software can be directly installed in a merchant's till system, or in the case of a payment terminal, installed independently of the till system. Exchanging the existing infrastructure is not necessary and existing hardware can continue to be used.

Markus Eichinger, Vice President Value Added Services at Wirecard: "Using alternative payment methods, for example Alipay or WeChat Payment, to offer integrated tax-free services is a logical move as both services are used by the same customer group. However, our Connected POS technology offers even more benefits than this. For example, a tax-free receipt is generated automatically after payment. The process is therefore greatly simplified for merchants."

The first phase of the collaboration will begin in Singapore, where both companies are active, before being expanded into other markets over the course of next year.

About Wirecard:

Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on Twitter @wirecard.

About Premier Tax Free:

Premier Tax Free is a company in the Fintrax Group. With over 30 years of experience, the Fintrax Group is one of the world's leading companies in the area of tax-free shopping, credit card processing and point-of-sale technology, offering simple, fast and reliable services to international shoppers, merchants, partner banks and acquirers.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49 (0) 89 4424 1363

Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com



SOURCE Wirecard AG
Yellowfin ranked first for product Usability and customer Validation, and third overall, in the 2016 Ventana Research Mobile BI Value Index

LONDON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics software vendor, Yellowfin, has ranked first for product Usability and customer Validation in Ventana Research's 2016 Value Index for Mobile Analytics and Business Intelligence.

For more on Yellowfin's Mobile BI capabilities, GO HERE: http://www.yellowfinbi.com/YFWebsite-Platform-Mobile-Analytics-83654

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Yellowfin ranked third overall in the 2016 Value Index for Mobile BI -- a comparative independent research report that benchmarked the top 13 providers of mobile analytics in the BI industry -- and was "one of the most consistent performers" according to the study. Additional vendors were evaluated, but not included in the final Value Index, as their offerings did not satisfy a sufficient number of criteria to warrant inclusion.

Yellowfin "moved up significantly" compared to its sixth place finish in the previous version of Ventana Research's Mobile BI Value Index, which was published in January 2014 and assessed technology vendors' ability to deliver reporting and analytics to mobile devices.

"Yellowfin ranked first in Usability and Validation," said Ventana Research Senior Vice President and Research Director, David Menninger. "We consider ease-of-use to be an important criterion in this Value Index because organizations consistently identify Usability as an important evaluation criterion in our analytics and Business Intelligence benchmark research. Yellowfin's clean, modern user interface and strong support for Collaborative BI helped its Mobile BI offering emerge at the top for ease-of-use."

The study evaluated vendor Mobile BI products across seven categories. Five were product-oriented and assessed Usability, Manageability, Reliability, Capability and Adaptability. The remaining two categories focused on customer assurance issues -- Vendor Validation and Total Cost of Ownership / Return on Investment.

"Yellowfin's performance in the 2016 Value Index for Mobile BI demonstrates our ability to deliver a uniquely intuitive and collaborative experience for business users," said Yellowfin Co-Founder and CEO, Glen Rabie. "Yellowfin's integrated approach to Mobile BI means that any content created via the core Yellowfin application is immediately accessible on any mobile device."

Yellowfin offers customers the ability to receive mobile analytics out-of-the-box, on any device or platform at no additional cost, via native applications for the iPhone, iPad, hybrid HTML 5 application for Android devices or Web-browser.

Results from Ventana Research's 2016 Value Index for Mobile BI indicated that the ability to access reporting and analytics functionality via mobile devices was no longer something that organizations could manage without.

The Value Index for Mobile BI is a fully independent, research-based undertaking. It is neither sponsored nor influenced by technology vendors.

About Yellowfin

Yellowfin is a global Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics software vendor passionate about making BI easy. Founded in 2003 in response to the complexity and costs associated with implementing and using traditional BI tools, Yellowfin is a highly intuitive 100 percent Web-based reporting and analytics solution. Yellowfin is a leader in Mobile BI, Collaborative BI and Embedded BI, as well as Location Intelligence and data visualization.

Over 10,000 organizations, and more than 2 million end-users across 70 different countries, use Yellowfin every day. For more information, visit www.yellowfinbi.com

For regular news and updates, follow Yellowfin on Twitter (@YellowfinBI), LinkedIn (Yellowfin Business Intelligence), YouTube (Yellowfin Team) or email pr@yellowfin.bi to subscribe to Yellowfin's free e-newsletter.

For further media information, interviews, images or product demonstration, please contact:

Lachlan James, Yellowfin Global Communications Manager on +61 (0)3 8617 4954, +61 (0)431 835 658 or lachlan.james@yellowfin.bi

Related Links

http://www.yellowfinbi.com



SOURCE Yellowfin
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel insurance is meant to protect you from financial distress, not send you into it. The travel insurance experts at Squaremouth share four tips on how to avoid overspending the next time you buy a travel insurance policy.

DON'T: Insure More Than Necessary

Travel insurance is intended to cover the money you will lose if you cancel your trip. Generally, you only need to insure your prepaid and non-refundable expenses. If that amount increases after you buy a policy, you can call your provider and increase your insured trip cost.

"If you can cancel all your hotels for just a small penalty, insure the cost of the penalty rather than the full amount of the hotels," said Squaremouth Product Manager Adam Rusin. "A lower trip cost generally means a lower premium, and you're still covered for the amount you would lose if you canceled."

DO: Compare Your Options

Travel insurance policies are not "one size fits all." Take a few minutes to research your choices using a travel insurance comparison site like Squaremouth, and determine what coverage you need. Call and speak to an agent if you aren't sure.

"We get a lot of calls from travelers looking for advice, or trying to understand and compare the coverage they're being offered by their cruise or tour operator," said Squaremouth Customer Service Director Jessica Harvey. "Customers are often surprised to see so many other options that offer the same or better benefits at a lower price."

DON'T: Upgrade to Cancel For Any Reason

While the Cancel For Any Reason upgrade offers greater flexibility to cancel your trip, it can increase the cost of a policy by as much as 40%, and it only reimburses a portion of your trip cost. There's no reason to pay more if your concerns are covered by standard travel insurance.

"The most common concerns we see are generally covered by standard cancellation policies, such as canceling due to an illness or a family member passing away," said Squaremouth Quality Assurance Manager Emily Phinney. "We don't recommend Cancel For Any Reason unless someone has a unique concern that isn't otherwise covered."

DO: Buy the Least Expensive Policy

A higher price tag doesn't necessarily mean better service or better benefits. Once you decide what coverage you need, choose the most affordable policy with that coverage.

"We always recommend purchasing the least expensive policy that meets your needs, as long as it's with a reputable provider," said Squaremouth spokesperson Rachael Taft. "Good indicators are a high A.M. Best Rating and some kind of external accountability, like the Zero Complaint Guarantee we have for providers on Squaremouth."

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

Squaremouth compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

Available Topic Expert:

Rachael Taft

[email protected]

(727) 264-5174

SOURCE Squaremouth

Related Links

http://www.squaremouth.com


DALLAS, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (DHBA) has honored Fishman Jackson Ronquillo partner Marcos G. Ronquillo with this year's La Luz Award for his contributions to the legal profession and dedicated service to the Hispanic community. La Luz, which means "the light," is the group's highest honor. It was presented during the Hispanic Bar's recent Noche de Luz celebration.

Mr. Ronquillo is the former president of the Mexican American Bar Association of Dallas, the DHBA's predecessor organization, and former chairman of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"The DHBA works to bring attorneys in the Dallas-Fort Worth area together for the purpose of supporting the Hispanic community," said Mr. Ronquillo. "I am deeply honored to be recognized by my peers."

Learn more about Mr. Ronquillo here.

Mr. Ronquillo has more than 35 years of trial experience representing governmental agencies and Fortune 500 companies in high-profile controversies where public policy and social concerns collide in the courtroom.

He currently serves on the Smithsonian Latino Center Advisory Board and New America Alliance Board of Directors. He is a former member of the Board of Advisors of George Washington University Law School and former national chairman of the University of Notre Dame Hispanic Alumni Association.

The DHBA said Mr. Ronquillo embodies the La Luz Award "because he has paved the way for the success of the Hispanic community throughout his career. His integrity and hard work make him a model for all Hispanic attorneys."

Mr. Ronquillo is a past recipient of the State Bar of Texas Presidents' Special Citation Award and Outstanding Lawyer of the Year Award from the Texas Mexican Bar Association. He was selected in 2016 by Latino Leaders Magazine as one of the "top 25 Hispanic Attorneys" in the country.

The Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, formerly the Mexican American Bar Association of Dallas, unites Hispanic attorneys to promote the social, economic, educational and civic advancement of the North Texas Hispanic community by making the legal system more accessible to its needs.

Fishman Jackson Ronquillo PLLC provides its clients with top quality representation in business transactions and litigation in Texas and throughout the United States. The firm has attorneys with extensive expertise in real estate development, investment and finance as well as corporate, mergers and acquisitions, securities and business law representation. Visit the firm at http://www.fjrpllc.com/.

For more information, please contact Sophia Reza at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Fishman Jackson Ronquillo PLLC

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MIAMI, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ADDvantage Technologies Group, Inc. (AEY), announced that it has acquired the assets of Triton Miami, Inc., a leading provider of new and refurbished enterprise networking products, including desktop phones, enterprise switches and wireless routers. Triton was advised in the sale by Peter Berg, a Managing Director for Transworld M&A Advisors.

Triton, based in Miami, Florida, primarily sells products to brokers and end-users across the U.S. through a dedicated sales force and e-commerce program. Triton maintains a broad inventory of products from various manufacturers, with a majority of its sales coming from Cisco and Polycom products.

"With a diverse customer base and broad line of product offerings, Triton has established a highly profitable business that generated approximately $2.1 million in EBITDA from $13.5 million in revenue over the past twelve months. We see many areas where our two businesses overlap or are complementary in nature, making this a highly attractive acquisition for ADDvantage," commented David Humphrey, President and CEO of ADDvantage Technologies.

"We appreciate the trust that Triton Datacom placed in us to help them find the perfect acquirer. We were able to effectively bring the company to market and generate maximum value for the shareholders while also maintaining complete confidentiality throughout the process," said Peter Berg. Transworld M&A Advisors specializes in selling business with revenues above $5 million

Ross Himber, founder and President of Triton stated, "We are enthusiastic about joining the ADDvantage Technologies team as it has a solid reputation in the telecommunications industry. With Peter Berg's diligence and guidance, this complex deal concluded quickly and we are ready for the next phase of our business. Triton now has the opportunity to further grow its business by leveraging the financial strength and experience of ADDvantage, while still maintaining the overall structure and core values that have made us successful."

About ADDvantage Technologies Group, Inc.

ADDvantage Technologies Group, Inc. (AEY) supplies the cable television (Cable TV) and telecommunications industries with a comprehensive line of new and used system-critical network equipment and hardware from a broad range of leading manufacturers. The equipment and hardware ADDvantage distributes is used to acquire, distribute, and protect the communications signals carried on fiber optic, coaxial cable and wireless distribution systems, including television programming, high-speed data (Internet) and telephony. In addition, ADDvantage operates a national network of technical repair centers focused primarily on Cable TV equipment and recycles surplus and obsolete Cable TV and telecommunications equipment.

ADDvantage operates through its subsidiaries, Tulsat, Tulsat-Atlanta, Tulsat-Arizona, Tulsat-Nebraska, Tulsat-Tennessee, Tulsat-Texas, NCS Industries, ComTech Services and Nave Communications. For more information, please visit the corporate web site at www.addvantagetechnologies.com.

About Transworld M&A Advisors, LLC

Transworld M&A Advisors is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transworld Business Brokers, LLC, Florida's largest business brokerage firm with 9 offices around Florida and over 100 professionals. Last year, Transworld completed 350 closed business transactions throughout the State of Florida.

Transworld M&A Advisors specializes in the sale of businesses with more than $5 million in Revenues.

Transworld is also a principal shareholder of Transworld Business Advisors which is the fastest growing Business Brokerage firm in the country with over 100 offices in 34 states and 12 countries.

The information in this announcement may include forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, which address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from these statements. A complete discussion of these risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's reports and documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Transworld M&A Advisors

Related Links

http://www.transworldma.com


TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Taiwan-based vaccine provider Adimmune (4142 TT) successfully placed NT$ 1.5 bn (~US$ 48 mn) guaranteed convertible bonds due 2021 (the "Bonds"). This is the largest fund raising event in Taiwan's healthcare sector in 2016.

The net proceeds of the issue of the Bonds will be used primarily to support its strategy of investment in innovative vaccines and expansion into new markets; the remaining proceeds will further strengthen Adimmune's financial position.

Adimmune's aseptic filling line has already obtained US cGMP certification, and the recombinant 4 strains seasonal flu vaccine, in collaboration with Protein Sciences Corporation, has been approved by US FDA. These vaccines are expected to start commercial production in 2017 with sales commencing in the US the same year.

In Europe, a Phase III non-inferiority clinical trial of 4 strains seasonal flu vaccine was recently launched in Belgium. The recruitment of the trial is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 and approval to be obtained by third quarter of 2018, pending results of the trial. In addition, Adimmune has applied for the approval of 4 strains seasonal flu vaccine in Taiwan and is expected to obtain approval by 2017.

"We are very grateful for the strong institutional investor support of our convertible bond issuance," stated Vic Chang, CFO of Adimmune. "It is a challenging time globally for innovative biotech companies to raise funds and we feel that the success of this issuance is indicative of how Adimmune's dedication and potential in this sector has been recognized by the investment community."

Adimmune's 9-month revenue for 2016 was up 90% YoY, ahead of market expectations. The strong growth is on the back of new orders from Japan and the US, as well as an expanded vaccination plan by the Taiwan government.

About Adimmune: Adimmune is the No.1 flu vaccine provider in Asia to obtain US, EU, China and Taiwan cGMP, and will obtain Japan cGMP in 2017. The Company has ample capacity in flu vaccine of 25mn doses/year and pre-filled syringe (PFS) of 25mn doses/year. Its solid capability in high-quality commercial scale human vaccine manufacturing has enabled Adimmune to expand its business to China, Europe, Japan and the US. Currently Adimmune is the largest provider of flu vaccine (3 strains) and sole provider of Japanese Encephalitis vaccine and Tetanus vaccine in Taiwan. Adimmune is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (4142 TT). For more information, please visit http://www.adimmune.com.tw.

SOURCE Adimmune
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MasterCard and British Airways Visa Signature Card tied for first place as best airline credit card, according to CreditCards.com. Top rated airline cards complement cardholders' frequent flier miles memberships with a bevy of rewards bonuses and travel-centric perks, such as priority boarding and premium travel credits. Click here for more information:

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/best-airline-cards.php

The panel of experts were impressed with The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card's valuable rewards program, which starts with a sign-up bonus of 30,000 miles for spending at least $1,000 in the first three months, offers two AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on American Airlines purchases, and rewards cardholders with a 10 percent bonus at the end of each year. Judges also noted that the American Airlines card's terms are somewhat less expensive than other airline cards.

"This was a close contest," says CreditCards.com senior industry analyst Matt Schulz. "However, with no annual fee for the first year, the lowest APR of our finalists and a yearly bonus of 10 percent of your redeemed miles back each year, the Citi AAdvantage card was the winner in my book."

The British Airways card stood out the panel due to the card's well-above-average sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after spending at least $3,000 in the card's first three months. Additionally, the card also offers a number of valuable perks, including a free companion ticket every year you spend at least $30,000 on your card and no foreign transaction fees. The British Airways card also awards more points on airline purchases  three points per dollar  than many of its competitors.

"Ultimately, the British Airways Visa Signature card is the one I'd add to my card portfolio," says CreditCards.com Editor-in-Chief Daniel P. Ray. "Despite its $95 annual fee and recent devaluation, it has the flexibility to earn a place in the wallet of an aspiring globetrotter.

"The generous earning scheme helps you build points rapidly, and the multiple partnerships let you spend them around the world."

To help choose the best business credit cards, CreditCards.com consulted business and personal finance experts and nominated three finalists. A panel of five judges  including three independent experts and two members of the CreditCards.com staff  separately evaluated the three finalists and ranked them in order of preference. The card with the best average rank was chosen as the winner.



About CreditCards.com:

CreditCards.com is a leading online credit card marketplace, bringing consumers and credit card issuers together. At its free website, consumers can compare hundreds of credit card offers from America's leading issuers and banks and apply securely, online. CreditCards.com is also a destination site for consumers wanting to learn more about credit cards. Offering advice, news, features, statistics and tools, CreditCards.com helps consumers make smart choices about credit cards. In 2015, over 27 million unique visitors used CreditCards.com to find the right credit card to suit their needs.

For More Information:

Katie Yates

VP, Corporate Communications

[email protected]

917-368-8677

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151014/276819LOGO

SOURCE CreditCards.com

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The decision to upgrade the department's SCBA technology was made after an extensive and comprehensive evaluation process, conducted by the Boston Fire Department Training Division with the full support and cooperation of Boston Firefighters Local 718 IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters).

"The G1 SCBA represents the most advanced technology available in critical personal protection and is the flagship of MSA's product line for the fire service market," said Nish Vartanian, President, MSA Americas. "We're incredibly proud to establish this new partnership with one of the oldest and most respected fire departments in the United States. But more importantly, we're honored that the Boston Fire Department has entrusted MSA with the responsibility of protecting the men and women who keep the residents of Boston safe each day."

For the Boston Fire Department (BFD), the new SCBA technology supports the department's many efforts to reduce the incidence of cancer among firefighters, as well the number of annual joint and muscular injuries sustained by firefighters on the job.

Boston Fire Commissioner and Chief of Department Joseph E. Finn has been a vocal advocate for change  in Boston and throughout the entire fire service community  when it comes to deploying new tactics and using new equipment that improve the overall health, safety and welfare of firefighters. In 2014, with this vision in mind, Commissioner Finn established the department's first Safety, Health and Wellness Division with a goal of making Boston a model department as it relates to the health and wellbeing of its more than 1,450 firefighters. On Thursday of this week, Commissioner Finn addressed industry leaders on this same topic as the opening keynote speaker at the annual Firehouse (magazine) Expo in Nashville, Tenn.

Commissioner Finn noted that since 1990, more than 160 Boston firefighters have died from cancer. And every year another 20 firefighters, on average, are diagnosed with the disease. He added that the department has also seen more than 150 neck and shoulder injuries in a calendar year. These statistics were a key factor in the department's decision to deploy new practices and evaluate new protective equipment, including SCBA technology.

"Obviously it's vital to wear protective gear during a fire," Commissioner Finn said. "But as flames are extinguished and the fire begins to smolder, firefighters risk severe exposure to dangerous heat and smoke toxins, and therein lies the cancer health threat," he said. "What we're working to emphasize is the need to wear protective equipment after a fire has been extinguished, and then to properly clean that equipment to reduce additional exposure risks."

The groundbreaking design and ergonomic features of the MSA G1 SCBA were a key factor in Boston's selection of the new SCBA technology. As the single largest new product development effort in MSA's 102-year history, the G1 is the most technologically advanced, streamlined, balanced, and customizable SCBA the company has ever produced.

Unlike conventional designs, the G1 SCBA has no electronics on its facepiece. In addition, the unit's unique ergonomic design, combined with an adjustable waist belt and wide shoulder straps, allows more SCBA weight to be carried on a firefighter's hips. Collectively, these features make the SCBA more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time.

In addition to these innovations, the G1 SCBA includes improved voice amplification and a "Central Power" unit that powers the entire SCBA from a single, rechargeable battery compartment. It also comes equipped with darkness- and smoke-piercing "buddy lights" that provide visible indicators, from any angle, of critical air supply data.

For MSA, Mr. Vartanian commented that the SCBA contract with Boston represents the beginning of a new and exciting partnership. "As a company whose sole mission is safety, MSA is incredibly proud to be associated with a department that is regarded as the industry leader when it comes to advancing firefighter safety. Boston is one of the most progressive and respected fire departments in the country and, as part of our Voice of the Customer process, we will certainly be seeking their input on future product development initiatives," he concluded.

About MSA

Established in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated is the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures. Many MSA products integrate a combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive product line is used by workers around the world in a broad range of markets, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, the construction industry, mining and the military. MSA's core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, industrial head protection products, fire and rescue helmets, and fall protection devices. With 2015 revenues of $1.1 billion, MSA employs approximately 4,600 people worldwide. The company is headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, Pa., and has manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With more than 40 international locations, MSA realizes approximately half of its revenue from outside North America. For more information visit MSA's web site at www.MSAsafety.com.

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SAN DIEGO, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bumble Bee Foods S.a r.l. and Bumble Bee Holdco S.C.A. announced today that they will issue their reports for the third quarter of 2016 via IntraLinks on or prior to November 14, 2016. A conference call to discuss Q3 2016 financial results will be held at 11:30 a.m. EST on November 17, 2016. Qualified investors will receive notice via IntraLinks regarding the call-in number.

An audio replay of the call will be available to qualified investors until midnight on March 15, 2017.

About Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee Holdco S.C.A. owns Bumble Bee Foods S.a r.l. which owns Bumble Bee Foods, LLC and Connors Bros. Clover Leaf Seafoods Company. On a combined basis, they represent North America's largest branded shelf-stable seafood company. Bumble Bee and Clover Leaf offer a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardine, and specialty protein products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands including Bumble Bee, Brunswick, Snow's and Beach Cliff, and in Canada under the Clover Leaf and Brunswick brands.

For more information on Bumble Bee, visit www.bumblebee.com.

SOURCE Bumble Bee

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Financial Highlights

 Revenue at  2,039 crore; up 8% QoQ

 EBITDA at  1,039 crore; up 31% QoQ; highest in the last 5 quarters

 Net profit at  779 crore; up 117% QoQ; highest in the last 6 quarters

 Strong free cash flow of  1,565 crore even at low oil price; solid Cash and Cash Equivalents position of  24,339 crore

Operational Highlights

 Average gross oil and gas production across assets steady at 196 kboepd

 Additional production from Mangala EOR up from ~42 kboepd to ~52 kboepd; RJ production marginally up by 0.5% QoQ to 167,699 boepd

 RJ water-flood operating cost at 10 quarters low, reduced by 12% QoQ to US$ 3.9/boe; blended operating cost also reduced by 10% QoQ to US$ 5.8/boe

Development / Exploration Highlights

 RDG - 8 new wells brought online after completion of the 15-well hydro-frac campaign; Implementation of Phase-1 to increase the gas production to 40-45 mmscfd by mid CY17, Phase-2 to increase it further to upwards of 100 mmscfd and condensate to ~5,000 boepd

 Aishwariya EOR - 21% reduction in spend from US$19/bbl to $15/bbl as a result of Opex and Capex optimization; IRR improved from 10% to 20% even with reduced Brent assumption from US$ 45 to US$ 40/bbl

 Bhagyam EOR - 17% reduction in spend from US$ 18/bbl to US$ 15/bbl as a result of Opex and Capex optimization; IRR improved from 10% to 15% even with reduced Brent assumption from US$ 45/bbl to US$ 40/bbl

 Aishwariya Barmer Hill - >30% reduction in well completion cost to sub US$ 4.5 million per well; 15-20% reduction in capex of US$ 300 million for EUR of 30 mmbbls; Production from stage-1 expected in current fiscal year

 Palar-Pennar - The program for drilling the commitment wells is being advanced and drilling is now planned to commence in Q4 FY17

 Rajasthan - Focus on identification of new plays, appraisal of new discoveries, and processing of the new 3D seismic data over high priority areas within the RJ block

Corporate and Regulatory Developments

 On July 22, 2016, Cairn India Limited and Vedanta Limited revised the terms of the proposed merger between Cairn India Limited and Vedanta Limited which was initially announced on June 14, 2015. As per the revised terms, upon the merger becoming effective, non-controlling i.e. public shareholders of Cairn India will receive for each equity share held, one equity share in Vedanta Limited of face value 1 each and four 7.5% Redeemable Preference Shares in Vedanta Limited with a face value of 10 each. No shares will be issued to Vedanta Limited or any of its subsidiaries for their shareholding in Cairn India Limited.

NSE and BSE have provided their 'No Objection' to the proposed merger and shareholders of Cairn India Limited, Vedanta Limited and Vedanta Resources Plc and the secured and unsecured creditors of Vedanta Limited have approved the Scheme with requisite majority. The Scheme is now subject to the approval of the jurisdictional High Courts and other regulatory approvals and is expected to be effective by the end of this financial year. Vedanta Limited will continue to be listed on the BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited, with American Depositary Shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Redeemable Preference Shares to be issued to the public shareholders of Cairn India Limited will also be listed on the NSE and BSE.

 The PSC extension writ is sub judice in the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi.

 In respect of crude export writ, the High Court while setting aside the writ, has noted that the parties are at liberty to refer the matter to dispute resolution as per contract.

Mr. Sudhir Mathur, Acting CEO of Cairn India commented:

"I thank our shareholders on approving the planned merger with Vedanta Limited to which the market has responded very positively.

The Cairn India team has delivered a net profit of  779 crore for the quarter ended September 2016 in a challenging oil price environment. This is the highest quarterly profit for the company over the past six quarters and is reflective of our industry leading technological and operational capabilities.

Our efforts to monetize our world class resource base through improved economics have resulted in the key projects - RDG Gas, Bhagyam and Aishwariya EOR becoming viable by achieving the desired IRR even at Brent at US$ 40 per barrel."

Operational Review

During Q2 FY17, Cairn had a gross production of 18.1 mmboe across all the assets, of which working interest production was 11.6 mmboe. Gross Sales was 17.6 mmboe averaging at 191,579 boepd.

Average Daily Production Units Q2 FY17 Q1 FY17 q-o-q (%) Q2 FY16 y-o-y (%) Total Gross operated* Boepd 206,230 206,455 (0%) 214,247 (4%) Gross operated Boepd 196,399 196,861 (0%) 205,361 (4%) Oil Bopd 189,873 190,305 (0%) 197,685 (4%) Gas Mmscfd 39 39 (0%) 46 (15%) Working Interest Boepd 125,575 125,391 0% 128,021 (2%)  Rajasthan (Block RJ-ON-90/1) Total Gross operated* Boepd 176,691 175,760 1% 176,281 0% Gross operated Boepd 167,699 166,943 0% 168,126 (0%) Oil Bopd 164,833 164,547 0% 165,585 (0%) Gas Mmscfd 17 14 20% 15 13% Gross DA 1 Boepd 151,880 150,699 1% 147,443 3% Gross DA 2 Boepd 15,820 16,244 (3%) 20,683 (24%) Gross DA 3 Boepd - - - - - Working Interest Boepd 117,390 116,860 0% 117,688 (0%)

Ravva (Block PKGM-1) Total Gross operated* Boepd 19,889 20,664 (4%) 27,162 (27%) Gross operated Boepd 18,823 19,637 (4%) 26,064 (28%) Oil Bopd 16,736 17,014 (2%) 22,491 (26%) Gas Mmscfd 13 16 (20%) 21 (42%) Working Interest Boepd 4,235 4,418 (4%) 5,864 (28%)

Cambay (Block CB/OS-2) Total Gross operated* Boepd 9,650 10,031 (4%) 10,805 (11%) Gross operated Boepd 9,877 10,281 (4%) 11,172 (12%) Oil Bopd 8,304 8,744 (5%) 9,609 (14%) Gas Mmscfd 9 9 2% 9 1% Working Interest Boepd 3,951 4,113 (4%) 4,469 (12%)

* Includes internal gas consumption

Operations

Rajasthan (Block RJ-ON-90/1)

Gross production from Rajasthan block was marginally up by 0.5% QoQ to an average rate of 167,699 boepd, aided by continued strong volumes from Mangala EOR and inline performance from Bhagyam and Aishwariya. Total production for the quarter was 15.4 mmboe and the cumulative production was at 369 mmboe by the end of the quarter. Encouraging results from Mangala EOR, driven by enhanced well productivity and new wells coming online, increased the additional production from EOR to an average of 52,000 boepd in Q2 FY17 from 42,000 boepd in Q1 FY17. Continued reservoir management including production optimization and maximization of liquid handling capacity helped maintain strong performance from Bhagyam and Aishwariya. Satellite Fields delivered an improved performance as production increased ~10% QoQ to an average of ~3.9 Kbopd in Q2 FY17. Total oil sales for the quarter was 14.9 mn barrels, at an average rate of 162,207 bopd.

Gas production from RDG increased from 28 mmscfd in Q1 FY17 to 33 mmscfd in Q2 FY17, amounting to 3 bcf, helped by superior initial well productivity post conclusion of the hydro-frac campaign. An additional 8 wells were brought online during the quarter after completing the fraccing of 15 wells in Q1 FY17. Total gas sales were 1.6 bcf, at an average rate of 17.2 mmscfd.

The water-flood operating cost in Rajasthan was further reduced to the lowest level in last 10 quarters at US$ 3.9/boe in Q2 FY17 from US$ 4.4/boe in Q1 FY17 through optimization of facility maintenance and work-over activities. Blended operating cost was also reduced significantly to US$ 5.8/boe from US$ 6.4/boe through contracts renegotiation and higher captive power generation while maintaining the injection of polymer at the target level of 400 kblpd.

Maintaining a strong focus on safe operations and asset integrity, the average facility uptime was over 99% in Q2 FY17. Lost Time Incident (LTI) free man-hours for Rajasthan Projects crossed 30.6 million since last LTI.

A routine operational and statutory maintenance shutdown at the Mangala Processing Terminal has been rescheduled in November from the earlier plan of September. The opportunity will be used to create tie-ins for ongoing new facility enhancements, development projects and future growth projects.

Ravva (Block PKGM-1)

Ravva continues to deliver strong performance with a cumulative production of 280 mmbbls of crude and 347 bcf of gas, demonstrating a good reservoir management practices helping achieve ~50% recovery, far in excess of the initial resource estimates. In Q2 FY17, the production from Ravva declined by 4.1% QoQ to an average rate of 18,823 boepd, amounting to 1.7 mmboe.

Incremental opportunities are being targeted to sustain the production rates. Optimization of gas lifted wells, addition of new zones, network optimization to reduce back pressure and water shut-off by zone isolations have helped arrest the natural decline. For Q2 FY17, 1.3 mmbbls of crude and 1.2 bcf of gas were sold, averaging 13,963 bopd of crude oil and 13 mmscfd of gas, respectively.

With a continued emphasis on asset integrity, Ravva recorded an uptime of 99.9% in Q2 FY17. Maintaining its high safety standards, Ravva asset recorded over 5.3 million LTI free man-hours since last LTI.

Cambay (Block CB/OS-2)

Cambay has also maintained an in-line performance having produced ~27 mmbbls of crude and ~228 bcf of gas, with an overall recovery of ~30% since inception in 2002. In Q2 FY17, the production was lower by 3.9% QoQ at an average rate of 9,877 boepd, amounting to 0.9 mmboe. Continued reservoir management practices and production optimization activities helped offset the natural decline impact. During the quarter, 0.8 mmbbls of crude and 0.9 bcf of gas were sold, averaging 8,883 bopd of crude oil and 9.4 mmscfd of gas, respectively.

Facilities recorded an excellent uptime of ~100% in Q2 FY17 and LTI free man-hours of 3.7 million.

Development

With an aim to enhance recovery from the large base of HIIP at 7.8 billion boe across assets and monetize the resources of over one billion boe in Rajasthan, efforts are on to improve economics through productivity enhancement and cost reduction. Following developments were made in this direction in the key projects:

Gas Development at RDG Field

In-line with the focus on improving productivity and enhancing recovery through technology adoption, the expected ultimate gas recovery has increased by 26% compared to the initial estimates. Successful completion of the 15-well hydro-frac campaign with encouraging results for initial well productivity and improved reservoir characterization helped increase recovery estimates till 2030, including condensate, from 74 mmboe to 86 mmboe. Higher recovery potential and cost reduction have improved the rate of return to 25-30% from 20% earlier.

The project is being developed in a phased manner to realize capital efficiency while maintaining production growth and is progressing on track. As part of Phase-1, 8 out of the 15 wells have been brought online and will start adding to the production as per plan. Rest of the wells are also planned to be brought online by December 2016. Contract for low cost augmentation of the existing facility will be awarded in October 2016. Tendering for enhancement of existing pipeline capacity is in advance stage and contract is expected to be awarded during Q3 FY17. Completion of Phase-1 is expected to increase the gas production to 40-45 mmscfd by end of 1H CY17. For Phase-2, tendering activity for new gas processing terminal and drilling rig is ongoing as per plan. Tendering process for gas evacuation pipeline, planned to be built by GSPL Gasnet Limited, is also progressing well with bids expected in October 2016. Completion of Phase-2 will increase the gas production upwards of 100 mmscfd and condensate production to about 5,000 boepd.

Polymer flood in Bhagyam and Aishwariya

With an objective of enhancing recovery from MBA fields in addition to 30-35% estimated from water-flood operations, polymer flood program should provide a further recovery of 10-12%. Initially, the program will provide an incremental oil production of 45 mmbbls from Bhagyam and 15 mmbbls from Aishwariya till 2030 as development is planned in the favourable region to reduce drilling and facility cost. Scope optimization and higher operating efficiency have reduced the cost significantly, helping improve the project economics.

For Aishwariya EOR, the cost optimization efforts brought down the total of development and operating cost further by ~21% to US$ 15/bbl from US$ 19/bbl during the quarter. This has helped improve the return to 20% at US$ 40/bbl of Brent price from 10% at US$ 45/bbl. The field development plan will be submitted in October 2016. Polymer injection is planned to begin in 1H CY18 subject to approval of the plan.

For Bhagyam EOR, the cost optimization efforts brought down the total of development and operating cost further by ~17% to US$ 15/bbl from US$ 18/bbl during the quarter. This has helped improve the return to 15% at US$ 40/bbl of Brent price from 10% at US$ 45/bbl. Significant progress has been made on the multi-well polymer injectivity test to improve injection rate modelling. Based on the test results, a revised field development plan is expected to be submitted to the JV in 1H CY17. First polymer injection is planned in Q1 CY19.

Barmer Hill

Barmer Hill has a significant growth potential with a large HIIP base of 1.4 billion boe and expected ultimate recovery of 8-10%. At present the focus is on developing Barmer Hill formation of Aishwariya and Mangala by utilizing the infrastructure already in place, in-line with return based capital investment approach. Well completion cost for lateral wells was further reduced by over 30% to sub US$ 4.5 million per well through frac optimization and well construction design improvements, surpassing the expectation of US$ 4.5-5 million as indicated earlier. A substantial progress has been made in reducing the surface facility cost by leveraging existing infrastructure.

For Aishwariya Barmer Hill, cost savings from drilling and completion activities, and surface facility will drive 15-20% reduction in the development cost of US$ 300 million for a EUR of about 30 mmbbls till 2030. Development is planned in stages to de-risk the investment. First oil from Stage  1 is expected during the current fiscal year.

For Mangala Barmer Hill, water-flood pilot has been initiated to increase field pressure and oil recovery. Development plan will be prepared after incorporating the pilot results.

For other tight oil fields including V&V, DP and NL, internal studies and field pilots are being carried out to optimize and finalize the development plan.

Satellite Field

The objective to unlock opportunities in Satellite Field is being pursued through improvement in the economics by bringing down the cost. Options to realize cost efficiency are being evaluated such as building pipeline between NI and Bhagyam fields to reduce trucking cost, utilizing gas to generate electricity instead of flaring it, optimizing well intervention expense through effective use of low cost alternatives. Progress has been made on the preparation of development plans for key satellite fields at a minimal development cost. For Guda, discussion with the JV partner for development of Stage-1 is ongoing.

Exploration

Rajasthan

Exploration activities will continue focussing on seismic data processing and interpretation. In order to enhance the current portfolio, efforts are on integration of all available data and identification of high impact new plays.

In Raageshwari field and adjoining areas, Azimuthal processing of the newly acquired 3D seismic data has helped in the reservoir characterization and fracture delineation. Processing of 3D seismic data has been completed for 'Air Field South' area and is ongoing for DP field. Data interpretation and processing are underway to identify new prospects in these fields that will act to replenish the exploration prospect inventory.

Other India and International Assets

Palar-Pennar (Block PR-OSN-2004/1): The program for drilling the commitment wells is being advanced and drilling is planned to commence in Q4 FY17. The JV is engaging with the MoPNG for proportionate revision of work program commitment from three wells to two wells in view of lack of access to the full block area.

KG Offshore (Block KG-OSN-2009/3): Cairn continues to engage with the MoPNG for an extension contingent upon full lifecycle clearance from Ministry of Defence. Phase-I was up to 8th March 2016. Interpretation of the new seismic volumes has resulted in identification of four prospects and a number of smaller leads over different play types.

KG Onshore (Block KG-ONN-2003/1): ONGC, the development operator, has submitted the Field Development Plan (FDP) to the Management Committee (MC). The FDP is being reviewed by the MC.

South Africa (Block 1): The prospect inventory for the block has been finalised. Assessment of exploration potential of inboard plays is ongoing to provide other drilling options. A decision on the proposed legislative changes to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 2002 and the consequent applicable fiscal regime for progressing into the second exploration license phase is awaited.

Financial Review

 Crore Q2 FY17 Q1 FY17 q-o-q (%) Q2 FY16 y-o-y (%) Net Revenue 2,039 1,885 8% 2,242 (9%) EBITDA 1,039 794 31% 973 7% Margin (%) 51% 42%

43%

Reported PAT 779 360 117% 326 139% Margin (%) 38% 19%

15%

EPS ()  Diluted 4.14 1.92 115% 1.73 139% Cash EPS () 7.86 6.73 17% 7.36 7%

Note: Numbers for Q2 FY16 have been restated as per IndAS requirement

Average Price Realization Units Q2 FY17 Q1 FY17 q-o-q (%) Q2 FY16 y-o-y (%) Cairn India US$/boe 41.8 38.0 10% 43.7 (4%) Oil US$/bbl 41.7 37.9 10% 43.7 (4%) Gas US$/mscf 7.5 7.1 6% 7.0 7%

Revenue for the quarter increased 8% QoQ to  2,039 crore as discount to Brent for Rajasthan crude declined substantially from US$ 8.2/bbl to US$ 4.3/bbl, implying a reduction in discount from 18% to 9.3%. An improvement in differential between Bonny Light and Brent, and strong refining crack for fuel oil and waxy residue helped reduce the discount. Overall realization was up by 10% QoQ to US$ 41.8/boe as Rajasthan crude realization increased by 11% to US$ 41.6/bbl. Brent price was relatively flat on average basis at US$ 45.8/bbl. Consequent to higher revenue, net profit petroleum increased by 19% to  771 crore including  662 crore for Rajasthan block. Net royalty was  417 crore with Rajasthan share of  414 crore.

Continued drive for cost optimization has reduced the water-flood operating cost for Rajasthan further by 12% QoQ to US$ 3.9/boe, the lowest in last 10 quarters. Reduction in facility and well maintenance expenses through streamlining the maintenance activities and work-over programs helped lower the operating cost. Blended operating cost for RJ was also reduced by 10% QoQ to US$ 5.8/boe while maintaining the polymer injection in Mangala at target rate of 400 kbpld.

EBITDA margin improved further from 42% in Q1 FY17 to 51% in Q2 FY17 due to higher revenue and reduction in operating cost. EBITDA for the quarter also increased by 31% QoQ to  1,039 crore. DD&A charges accounted on entitlement interest basis were lower by 4% QoQ to  782 crore. Other income was stable at  535 crore. Forex gain was recorded at  64 crore due to 1.4% appreciation in Rupee versus US Dollar on closing basis.

Net profit after tax was highest in the last six quarter as it increased significantly by 117% QoQ to  779 crore on account of higher EBITDA, lower depreciation and forex gain. A higher profit resulted into Earnings per share of  4.1 for Q2 FY17. Cash EPS was also up 17% QoQ to  7.9 due to higher EBITDA.

Total free cash flow for Q2 FY17 was at  1,565 crore. Net capital investment was  45 crore with 86% spent on development work and 14% on exploration activities. Positive free cash generation further strengthened the cash and cash equivalent position to  24,339 crore (US$ 3.7 billion), of which 68% is invested in rupee funds and 32% in dollar funds.

Health, Safety, Environment, Quality and Sustainability

Cairn India's strong commitment to health, safety, environment, quality and sustainability has helped sustain excellent HSEQS performance over the years. Rajasthan asset won "D.L. Shah Gold Quality Award" at the 11th National Quality Conclave in recognition of effective quality management in Mangala EOR project. Additionally, Mangala Well Pad-18 received the 'Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award' for the year 2016. An intensive 3-month campaign on raising awareness about 'Hazard Identification' was successfully completed.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Maintaining focus on social development, a good progress was made during the quarter. Extension of operations was received for the first set of plants under the safe drinking water project through innovative demand generation and awareness initiatives. Key developments at the Cairn Centre of Excellence (CCoE) included quality job offers for trainees, partnerships with Government agencies and unique working models developed by students. On the occasion of 'World Youth Skills Day', Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation, Government of Rajasthan awarded CCoE with the best training partner award for December 2015. A set of major awards were received in different categories during the quarter such as the '6th Asia Best CSR Practices Awards 2016' in Singapore, the 'National CSR Leadership Award' at the National CSR Leadership Congress organised by World Sustainability Organization for the CCoE and Safe drinking water project, and the 'CSR Impact Award' at India CSR Summit 2016.

FY17 Outlook

With an aim to create long term value to the shareholders, Cairn India will remain focused on monetizing its Rajasthan resource base. A net capital investment of US$ 100 million is estimated for FY17, including 20% for exploration activities and 80% for development of RDG Gas project and completion activities of Mangala EOR. The gross production from Rajasthan for FY17 is expected to be maintained at FY16 level. Efforts are ongoing to further improve the economics of key projects  Bhagyam and Aishwariya EOR, Barmer Hill and Satellite Fields, at low oil prices and the pre-development investment is underway to ensure project readiness for the development with grant of extension of PSC. The company retains the flexibility to raise its capital investment as oil prices improve and aims to generate a healthy cash flow post capex so as to retain the ability to pay dividends.

Contact

Media Relations

Arun Arora, Chief Communication Officer

+91 124 4593039; +91 8826999270; [email protected]

Cairn India Limited Fact Sheet

On 9 January, 2007, Cairn India Limited was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. Cairn India is a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited; part of the Vedanta Group, a globally diversified natural resources group.

Cairn India is headquartered in Gurgaon in the National Capital Region. The Company has operational offices in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Cairn India is one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in India. Together with its JV partners, Cairn India accounted for ~27% of India's domestic crude oil production for FY16. Average gross operated production was 203,703 boepd for FY16. The Company sells its oil and gas to major PSU and private buyers in India.

The Company has a world-class resource base, with interest in seven blocks in India and one in South Africa. Cairn India's resource base is located in four strategically focused areas namely one block in Rajasthan, two on the west coast of India, four on the east coast of India and one in South Africa.

The blocks are located in the Barmer Basin, Krishna-Godavari Basin, the Palar-Pennar Basin, the Cambay Basin, the Mumbai Offshore Basin and Orange Basin.

Cairn India's focus on India has resulted in a significant number of oil and gas discoveries. Cairn India made a major oil discovery (Mangala) in Rajasthan in the north west of India at the beginning of 2004. To date, thirty eight discoveries have been made in the Rajasthan block RJ-ON-90/1

In Rajasthan, Cairn India operates Block RJ-ON-90/1 under a PSC signed on 15 May, 1995 comprising of three development areas. The main Development Area (DA-1; 1,859 km2), which includes discoveries namely Mangala, Aishwariya, Raageshwari and Saraswati is shared between Cairn India and ONGC. Further Development Areas (DA-2; 430 km2), including the Bhagyam, NI and NE fields and (DA-3; 822 km2) comprising of the Kaameshwari West Development Area, is shared between Cairn India and ONGC, with Cairn India holding 70% and ONGC having exercised their back in right for 30%.

In Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, Cairn India on behalf of its JV partners operates two processing plants, with a production of over 34,000 boepd for FY16.

The farm-in agreement was signed with PetroSA on 16th August, 2012 in the 'Block-1' located in Orange basin, South Africa. The block covers an area of 19,898 sq km. The assignment of 60% interest and operatorship has been granted by the South African regulatory authorities.

For further information on Cairn India Limited, kindly visit www.cairnindia.com

Corporate Glossary



Cairn India Cairn India Limited and/or its subsidiaries as appropriate Company Cairn India Limited Cairn Lanka Refers to Cairn Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cairn India Cash EPS PAT adjusted for DD&A, impact of forex fluctuation, MAT credit and deferred tax CFO Cash Flow from Operations includes PAT (excluding other income and exceptional item) prior to non-cash expenses and exploration costs. CPT Central Processing Terminal CY Calendar Year DoC Declaration of Commerciality E&P Exploration and Production EBITDA Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation includes forex gain/loss earned as part of operations EPS Earnings Per Share FY Financial Year GBA Gas Balancing Agreement GoI Government of India GoR Government of Rajasthan Group The Company and its subsidiaries JV Joint Venture MC Management Committee MoPNG Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas NELP New Exploration Licensing Policy Normalized net profit Net profit before exceptional items NRM National Rural Mission ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited OC Operating Committee PPAC Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell Qoq Quarter on Quarter Vedanta Group Vedanta Resources plc and/or its subsidiaries from time to time Yoy Year on Year

Technical Glossary



2P Proven plus probable 3P Proven plus probable and possible 2D/3D/4D Two dimensional/three dimensional/ time lapse Blpd Barrel(s) of (polymerized) liquid per day Boe Barrel(s) of oil equivalent Boepd Barrels of oil equivalent per day Bopd Barrels of oil per day Bcf Billion standard cubic feet of gas Tcf Trillion standard cubic feet of gas EOR Enhanced Oil Recovery FDP Field Development Plan HIIP Hydrocarbons Initially In Place LTI Lost Time Incident MDT Modular Dynamic Tester Mmboe million barrels of oil equivalent Mmscfd million standard cubic feet of gas per day Mmt Million Metric Tonne PSU Public Sector Utilities SPM Single Point Mooring PSC Production Sharing Contract





Field Glossary

Barmer Hill Formation Lower permeability reservoir which overlies the Fatehgarh Dharvi Dungar Secondary reservoirs in the Guda field and is the reservoir rock encountered in the recent Kaameshwari West discoveries Fatehgarh Name given to the primary reservoir rock of the Northern Rajasthan fields of Mangala, Aishwariya and Bhagyam MBARS Mangala, Bhagyam, Aishwariya, Raageshwari, Saraswati Thumbli Youngest reservoirs encountered in the basin. The Thumbli is the primary reservoir for the Raageshwari field

Disclaimer

This material contains forward-looking statements regarding Cairn India and its affiliates, our corporate plans, future financial condition, future results of operations, future business plans and strategies. All such forward- looking statements are based on our management's assumptions and beliefs in the light of information available to them at this time. These forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to significant risks and uncertainties; and actual results, performance and achievements may be materially different from those expressed in such statements. Factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ from expectations include, but are not limited to, regulatory changes, future levels of industry product supply, demand and pricing, weather and weather related impacts, wars and acts of terrorism, development and use of technology, acts of competitors and other changes to business conditions. Cairn India undertakes no obligation to revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in Cairn India's expectations with regard thereto or any change in circumstances or events after the date hereof. Unless otherwise stated the reserves and resource numbers within this document represent the views of Cairn India and do not represent the views of any other party, including the Government of India, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons or any of Cairn India's joint venture partner

For further information, please contact:

Communications

Roma Balwani

President  Group Communications, Sustainability & CSR

Tel: +91 22 6646 1000

[email protected]

Investor Relations

Ashwin Bajaj

Director  Investor Relations

Tel: +91 22 6646 1531

[email protected]

Vishesh Pachnanda

Manager  Investor Relations

Sunila Martis

Manager  Investor Relations

About Vedanta Limited (Formerly SesaSterlite Ltd.)

Vedanta Limited is a diversified natural resources company, whose business primarily involves producing oil & gas, zinc - lead - silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium and commercial power. The company has a presence across India, South Africa, Namibia, Australia and Ireland.

Vedanta Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed company. Governance and Sustainable Development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company is conferred with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 'Sustainable Plus Platinum label', ranking among the top 10 most sustainable companies in India. To access the Vedanta Sustainable Development Report 2016, please visit http://sustainabledevelopment.vedantaresources.com/content/dam/vedanta/corporate/documents/Otherdocuments/SDreport2015-16/Vedanta%20SDR%20FY%2015-16.pdf

Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information please visit www.vedantalimited.com

Vedanta Limited

(Formerly known as SesaSterlite Limited)

Vedanta, 75, Nehru Road,

Vile Parle (East), Mumbai - 400 099

www.vedantalimited.com

Registered Office:

SesaGhor, 20 EDC Complex,

Patto, Panaji (Goa) - 403 001

CIN: L13209GA1965PLC000044

Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking statements"  that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "should" or "will." Forwardlooking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different that those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.



SOURCE Vedanta Limited
CLEVELAND, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Orchid, Cleveland's upscale floral shop has been selected by Yelp to attend their annual Coast-to-Coast event in San Francisco, California. Urban Orchid is one of just 100 businesses in North America, and the only business in Northeast Ohio to receive this honor.

See why Urban Orchid has been chosen to represent business leaders: http://www.theurbanorchid.com/theurbanorchid/

With the selection, Yelp will fly Urban Orchid owner Brandon Sitler to the Coast-To-Coast: Community Powered Progress! event that brings together local business leaders from 80 North American markets, November 14-16, to celebrate their achievements as well as to network, discuss technology and share best business practices to assist them to continue to grow.

Sitler has over a decade of floral industry experience under his belt, opened Urban Orchid in 2011 and quickly built a reputation as one of the best florists in the Cleveland metropolitan area, earning dedicated clients and a steady flow of awards and accolades.

"I am thrilled to be recognized by Yelp Community Managers for our business accomplishments and reputation in the Cleveland community," said Sitler. "We work hard at Urban Orchid, and to be selected is an honor. The added bonus of traveling to the Yelp headquarters in San Francisco to share ideas and network with other top performers from all over North America should be both educational and inspiring."

Jeff Zelmer, Marketing & Operations Director added, "Being chosen for this award by Yelp is quite an honor. We are so grateful to our customers for taking the time to share their experiences with Urban Orchid on the Yelp site and for making us the best reviewed florist in Northeast Ohio."

About Urban Orchid

Urban Orchid is an upscale floral and gift boutique located in the historic Cleveland, Ohio neighborhoods of Ohio City & Little Italy. Urban Orchid specializes in custom weddings, events, and everyday floral needs. The shop dedicates itself to using local artists, growers, and suppliers to help create exclusive items perfect for all your gift giving occasions.

Contact:

Jeff Zelmer

Marketing & Operations Director

Urban Orchid

1455 West 29th Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

(216) 785-3618

[email protected]

http://www.theurbanorchid.com

https://www.facebook.com/UrbanOrchid

https://twitter.com/urbanorchidflor

https://www.yelp.com/biz/urban-orchid-cleveland

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SOURCE Urban Orchid

Related Links

http://www.theurbanorchid.com


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials from Colorado Springs Utilities and NextEra Energy Resources joined local community leaders today to celebrate the commissioning of the Clear Spring Ranch Solar Array south of Colorado Springs.

"This project helps Colorado Springs Utilities meet its renewable energy commitments and diversify its energy production portfolio, while enjoying the economic advantages of solar power," said Matt Handel, vice president of Development for NextEra Energy Resources. "Gov. Hickenlooper and the state Legislature deserve a lot of credit for creating a supportive environment and policies for the cost-effective deployment of renewable resources."

The 10-megawatt single-axis array features approximately 42,000 solar panels capable of powering approximately 3,000 average homes. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources developed and built the ground-mounted solar array and will own, operate and maintain it over the term of a 25-year agreement with Colorado Springs Utilities. Colorado Springs Utilities will continue to own the Clear Spring Ranch land.

"This is a very exciting project for us in that it is our first utility-scale solar array. All of our customers will benefit from this clean, renewable energy generated right here in the Pikes Peak region," said Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte. "This array also moves us significantly closer to achieving our Energy Vision, which requires 20 percent of our total electric energy be produced through renewable sources by 2020."

Throughout the term of the agreement, the array is expected to generate enough solar energy to offset more than 18,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would have been produced if the electricity had been generated using fossil fuels.

The Clear Spring Ranch project created approximately 100 jobs during the construction phase, and is expected to generate approximately $1 million in property taxes over its life.

NextEra Energy Resources

NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, "NextEra Energy Resources"), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 18,260 megawatts of generating capacity, which includes megawatts associated with noncontrolling interests related to NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP), primarily in 25 states and Canada as of April 2016. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

Colorado Springs Utilities

For generations, Colorado Springs Utilities has provided electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services to the Pikes Peak region. As a community-owned utility, our customers enjoy competitive prices, exceptional hometown service, responsible environmental practices and a voice in how their utility operates.

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SOURCE NextEra Energy Resources, LLC

Related Links

http://www.nexteraenergy.com


SEATTLE, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Documentary filmmaker Brian Nunes and his small camera crew spent a total of 16 days on a working oil and gas exploration rig off the coast of Alaska. He is seeking funds on Kickstarter to turn the incredible footage into a film.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/431041

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/431042

The Machine - A Documentary Film The Machine - A Documentary Film

Synopsis:

The Machine is a "fly on the wall" film that transports you to a working jack-up rig exploring for oil and natural gas in the unforgiving Cook Inlet (aka Kitchen Lights). Its striking visuals, minimalist soundtrack and fascinating "salt of the earth" characters seek to create an experience rather than preach politics.

About the Filmmaker:

Brian Nunes is an award winning Seattle-based filmmaker. This will be his fifth major film project, fourth as a director. His first feature, Find Your Way: A Busker's Documentary, won multiple awards on the festival circuit and screened at the CBGB Music and Film Festival, the largest film and music event in the country by attendance. His latest feature (HEART: Flatline to Finish Line - writer / editor) is in the process of securing distribution.

As a filmmaker Brian is interested in looking at things in new ways - shining a light on topics that people may have already made their minds up about.

The Team:

Dan McComb is the principal photographer for The Machine. Dan is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker with a long list of high profile clients. His work as a photojournalist has appeared in newspapers and magazines including Time and Newsweek. Some of his more recent work as a director of photography was for Emmy-winning director Michael King and two-time Oscar nominee Kirby Dick.

Lisa Cooper assisted in producing and provided sound for the project. She is currently a senior producer for a creative agency that specializes in branding, marketing and story-telling.

Filmmaker's statement:

The oil and gas industry is something everyone is talking about but few know much about - other than its wild profitability. Like it or not, though, we must come to terms with the fact that all our modern conveniences and advanced medicines are tied to the fossil fuel industry in some way.

If we are to survive the fossil fuel age and enter a clean, renewable future - the technologies that get us there will have been made possible by the very industry they were designed to save us from. Perhaps we will look back on this age of dirty fuels and wonder how relics like this clunky behemoth were able to give birth to the clean, efficient and renewable energies that saved the planet.

Campaign:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/buskerdoc/the-machine-1/

Company:

http://www.worldtreefilms.com

Contact Information:

Brian Nunes, Director

www.briannunes.com

(832)-421-1424

SOURCE Brian Nunes

Related Links

http://www.briannunes.com


RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Dominion Midstream GP, LLC, the general partner of Dominion Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: DM), today appointed a new director, Harris H. Simmons. The appointment brings the size of Dominion Midstream's board to six.

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of the general partner, said:

"Dominion Midstream welcomes Harris Simmons to its board of directors. The limited partnership and its thousands of unitholders no doubt will benefit from his lifetime of leadership not only in the financial and energy sectors, but also in countless communities throughout the Western United States."

Simmons, 62, formerly lead director on the board of directors of Questar Corporation until the Dominion Resources, Inc.-Questar Corporation merger, is chairman and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake City-based Zions Bancorporation. In his more than 35 years with the Zions organization, he has served in a variety of positions. Simmons was named CEO in 1990 and added chairman to his duties in 2002.

His other corporate board experience includes O.C. Tanner Company and National Life Group. In addition, Simmons has led or sat on a number of boards in the Salt Lake City community, including Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, Utah Youth Village, the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Utah Board of Regents, and the Utah Foundation.

Simmons received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Utah in 1977 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1980.

Dominion Midstream is a Delaware limited partnership formed by Dominion Resources, Inc., to grow a portfolio of natural gas terminaling, processing, storage, transportation and related assets. It is headquartered in Richmond, Va. For more information about Dominion Midstream, visit its website at www.dommidstream.com.

SOURCE Dominion Midstream Partners

Related Links

http://www.dommidstream.com


BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) today announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire the business assets of Calvert Investment Management, Inc. (Calvert), an indirect subsidiary of Ameritas Holding Company. In conjunction with the proposed acquisition, the Boards of Trustees of the Calvert mutual funds (Calvert Funds) have voted to recommend to Fund shareholders the approval of investment advisory contracts with a newly formed Eaton Vance affiliate, to operate as Calvert Research and Management, if the transaction is consummated.

Calvert is a recognized leader in responsible investing, with approximately $12.3 billion of fund and separate account assets under management as of September 30, 2016. The Calvert Funds are one of the largest and most diversified families of responsibly invested mutual funds, encompassing actively and passively managed U.S. and international equity strategies, fixed income strategies and asset allocation funds managed in accordance with the Calvert Principles for Responsible Investment. As a responsible investor, Calvert seeks to invest in companies that provide positive leadership in their business operations and overall activities that are material to improving societal outcomes.

Founded in 1976, Calvert has a long history in responsible investing. In 1982, the Calvert Social Investment Fund (now Calvert Balanced Portfolio) was launched as the first mutual fund to oppose investing in South Africa's apartheid system. Other Calvert innovations include the first responsibly managed fixed income and international equity funds, and pioneering programs in shareholder advocacy, corporate engagement and impact investing.

"I am extremely pleased that Eaton Vance has chosen to make Calvert the centerpiece of its expansion in responsible investing," said John Streur, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calvert. "By combining Calvert's expertise in sustainability research with Eaton Vance's investment capabilities and distribution strengths, we believe we can deliver best-in-class integrated management of responsible investment portfolios to investors across the U.S. and internationally. Eaton Vance is the ideal partner to help Calvert fulfill its mission to deliver superior long-term performance to clients and achieve positive impact."

"As part of Eaton Vance, we see tremendous potential for Calvert to extend its leadership position among responsible investment managers," said Thomas E. Faust Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eaton Vance. "By applying our management and distribution resources and oversight, we believe Eaton Vance can help Calvert become a meaningfully larger, better and more impactful company."

Completion of the transaction is subject to Calvert Fund shareholder approvals of new investment advisory agreements and other closing conditions, and is expected on or about December 31, 2016. Because the transaction is structured as an asset purchase, liabilities in connection with Calvert's previously disclosed compliance matters and other pre-closing obligations will remain with the seller. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

"The acquisition of Calvert provides significant potential benefits to Eaton Vance shareholders, both long-term and near-term," said Laurie G. Hylton, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Eaton Vance. "Calvert is a leading brand in one of the most promising categories of investing, and we expect to help them achieve substantial growth over time. Reflecting the current profitability of acquired operations and anticipated cost savings, we also expect the transaction to be immediately accretive."

Eaton Vance is a leading global asset manager whose history dates to 1924. With offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, Eaton Vance and its affiliates managed $343.0 billion in assets as of September 30, 2016, offering individuals and institutions a broad array of investment strategies and wealth management solutions. The Company's long record of providing exemplary service, timely innovation and attractive returns through a variety of market conditions has made Eaton Vance the investment manager of choice for many of today's most discerning investors. For more information, visit eatonvance.com.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors that may be beyond the Company's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Eaton Vance Corp.

Related Links

http://www.eatonvance.com


HOUSTON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE) has scheduled a webcast at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, 9 a.m. Central Time, on Thursday, October 27, to discuss its third quarter 2016 financial and operational results. The company's third quarter earnings press release is scheduled to be issued after the New York Stock Exchange closes trading on Wednesday, October 26, 2016.

The webcast may be accessed online through the company's website at epenergy.com in the Investor Center. Materials to be discussed during the webcast will be available in the Investor Center one hour prior to the webcast. A limited number of telephone lines will be available to participants by dialing 888-317-6003 (conference ID# 9459098) 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

A replay of the webcast will be available through Friday, November 25, 2016 on the company's website in the Investor Center or by dialing 877-344-7529 (conference ID# 10093763). If you have any questions regarding the dial-in procedures, please contact Bill Baerg at 713-997-2906.

The EP Energy team has a passion for finding and producing the oil and natural gas that enriches people's lives. As a leading North American oil and natural gas producer, EP Energy has a proven strategy, a significant reserve base, multi-year drilling opportunities, and a strategic presence in a number of the country's leading unconventional resource areas. EP Energy is active in key phases of the E&P value chainacquiring, developing and producing oil and natural gas. For more information about EP Energy, visit epenergy.com.

Contact

Investor and Media Relations

Bill Baerg

713-997-2906

[email protected]

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SOURCE EP Energy Corporation

Related Links

http://www.epenergy.com


SAN DIEGO, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Everyday Health, Inc. (NYSE: EVDY) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to Ziff Davis, LLC. Everyday Health operates digital marketing and communications platform for healthcare marketers primarily in the United States.

On October 21, 2016, Everyday Health announced it had signed a definitive merger agreement with Ziff Davis. Under the terms of the agreement, Everyday Health stockholders will receive $10.50 a share in cash.

The investigation concerns whether the Everyday Health board failed to satisfy their duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for Everyday Health shares of common stock. Nationally recognized Johnson & Weaver is investigating whether the proposed deal price represents adequate consideration, especially given one Wall Street analyst has a $17.00 price target on the stock.

If you are a shareholder of Everyday Health and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ([email protected]) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number where you can be reached.

About Johnson & Weaver, LLP:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonandweaver.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Contact:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Jim Baker, 619-814-4471

[email protected]

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SOURCE Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Related Links

http://johnsonandweaver.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Exiger, the global regulatory risk and compliance firm, has been chosen by the University of Cincinnati (UC) to act as the independent Monitor of the University of Cincinnati Police Department (UCPD). The Monitor will oversee the implementation of reforms detailed in Exiger's June 2016 report, following its completion of a four-month comprehensive review of the UCPD's policies, procedures, practices, training, and technology. Exiger's report will be used as the baseline for the University to enact voluntary reform in an effort to transform the UCPD into the gold standard for campus policing.

Exiger will act as Monitor for a three-year period beginning on November 1, 2016. In the first 90 days, Exiger will provide the University with an outline of deadlines for assessments, reviews and audits. The monitorship will include providing quarterly status updates, conducting site visits and providing monthly progress updates.

As the external Monitor, Exiger will:

Assess progress towards implementing the recommendations of the Final Report

Report on the status of reform implementation

Work with the UCPD to address any barriers to implementation

Provide clear guidelines on all steps necessary for compliance

Provide technical assistance to the UCPD as requested

Jeff Schlanger, President of Exiger Advisory, will act as Primary Monitor. Mr. Schlanger joined Exiger from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where he was Chief of Staff to District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance. Mr. Schlanger has held a number of senior advisory roles in both the public and private sectors, including acting as Deputy Primary Monitor of the Los Angeles Police Department. Mr. Schlanger has also served as Special Counsel to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity, and has led independent investigations for various state and local police agencies. Serving as Deputy Monitor will be Chief Roberto A. Villasenor, the former Chief of Police for the Tucson Police Department and a member of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century policing. In addition, Charles Ramsey, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner, who also served as co-chair of President's Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, will provide his expertise for the assignment.

"Exiger is honored to have been selected to serve as the Independent Monitor by the University of Cincinnati," said Mr. Schlanger. "By introducing an Independent Monitor, UC is further demonstrating its commitment to reforming its police department through independent oversight of the adoption and implementation of best practices. Moreover, the voluntary acceptance of independent oversight sets a significant example for both universities and municipalities across the nation of how building trust with the public can be accomplished."

Members of Exiger's team include:

Jeff Schlanger , Managing Director and President of Exiger's Advisory Group, and the former Chief of Staff in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and former Deputy Primary Monitor for the Los Angeles Police Department Consent Decree

, Managing Director and President of Exiger's Advisory Group, and the former Chief of Staff in the District Attorney's Office and former Deputy Primary Monitor for the Police Department Consent Decree Roberto A. Villasenor , former Chief of Police for the Tucson Police Department and a member of President Obama's Task Force on 21 st Century policing

, former Chief of Police for the Police Department and a member of President Obama's Task Force on 21 Century policing Charles Ramsey , former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and the co-chair of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing

, former Police Commissioner and the co-chair of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing John Thomas , Chief of the University of Southern California Office of Public Safety, and a 21-year veteran of the LAPD

, Chief of the Office of Public Safety, and a 21-year veteran of the LAPD Beth Corriea , attorney and risk management consultant to police departments including the NYPD

, attorney and risk management consultant to police departments including the NYPD Sandy Jo MacArthur , 35-year veteran of the LAPD, where she oversaw the implementation of the LAPD Consent Decree requirements

, 35-year veteran of the LAPD, where she oversaw the implementation of the LAPD Consent Decree requirements Mark Porter , Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for Brown University , and a 30-year veteran of higher education law enforcement management

, Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for , and a 30-year veteran of higher education law enforcement management Nola M. Joyce , former Deputy Commissioner for Philadelphia Police Department, and former Chief of Staff of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

, former Deputy Commissioner for Police Department, and former Chief of Staff of the Metropolitan Police Department of the Maggie Goodrich , Chief Information Officer for the LAPD where she manages IT Bureau operations

, Chief Information Officer for the LAPD where she manages IT Bureau operations Patrick Harnett , public safety consultant to police departments and to agencies across the United States , and a 32-year veteran of the NYPD

, public safety consultant to police departments and to agencies across , and a 32-year veteran of the NYPD James McShane , Vice President of Public Safety for Columbia University , and a 24-year veteran of the NYPD

, Vice President of Public Safety for , and a 24-year veteran of the NYPD Denise Lewis , consultant in the area of compliance monitoring and police performance auditing, and a 14-year veteran of the LAPD

, consultant in the area of compliance monitoring and police performance auditing, and a 14-year veteran of the LAPD Elizabeth Carreno, Community Relations Manager for the USC Department of Public Safety

For more information on Exiger, please click here.

About Exiger

Exiger is a global regulatory risk, and compliance firm. Exiger arms governments, institutions and multinational corporations with the practical advice and solutions they need to prevent compliance breaches, respond to risk, remediate major issues, and monitor ongoing activities. Exiger was initially launched to lead the court-appointed monitorship of HSBC, the largest, most comprehensive monitorship to date. Exiger works with regulators in the U.S., UK, and around the world to evaluate the effectiveness of HSBC's money laundering and sanctions compliance controls across its approximately 6,000 offices operating in nearly 70 countries. In addition to its monitorship engagements, Exiger works with clients worldwide to assist them in effectively managing their critical compliance challenges while developing and implementing the policies, procedures, and programs needed to identify and avoid them in the future. Exiger has offices in New York City, Hong Kong, London, Silver Spring, Singapore, and Toronto. For more information, please visit: www.exiger.com

Contact:

John Roderick

J. Roderick, Inc.

For Exiger

631-584-2200

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160613/378374LOGO

SOURCE Exiger

Related Links

http://www.exiger.com


ExtremeTerrain has donated $15,000 to the program and pledged to match up to $100,000 of employee's donations as well. The initial donation is enough to send 2 classes of students on a 5-day backpacking or canoeing expedition where they will learn the skills they need to assume leadership roles and how to take positive approaches to life's challenges, which is at the center of Outward Bound's philosophy.

On Friday October 21st, Three ExtremeTerrain employees accepted the challenge to take part in the program "Building Adventure," where they rappel down 29 stories from atop of a Center City Philadelphia skyscraper. Along with the Co-Founders Andrew and Steve Voudouris, three employees were chosen through company-wide voting to join thememployees who embodied one of ExtremeTerrain's core values: Ambitious.

All 5 of the participants made their way down to the city from the Malvern headquarters in two of the ExtremeTerrain Wranglers that are heavily modified for ambitious adventures off-road.

ExtremeTerrain is humbled and honored to be able to work with Philadelphia Outward Bound Schools to help get children out in the wilderness to learn lifelong values and skills that will further them personally as well as professionally. In the future, ExtremeTerrain will continue to work with Philadelphia Outward Bound School by sponsoring outdoor classes for children in the Spring. While rappelling down the side of a building was an exciting adventure that was ideal for a group of Jeep enthusiasts, providing access to education outside of the classroom was the true reward of the day.

About ExtremeTerrain

ExtremeTerrain.com is a leader in providing enthusiasts with aftermarket Jeep Wrangler parts. Located just outside Philadelphia, PA, ExtremeTerrain is dedicated to providing Jeep Wrangler owners with the best parts at the best prices while also ensuring the conservation and protection of off-road trails. As a rising Inc. 500 Top Internet Retailer, the company currently employs 350 people and is actively hiring.

Visit http://www.extremeterrain.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431451

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431453

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431452

SOURCE ExtremeTerrain

Related Links

http://www.extremeterrain.com


By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - S&P raised its outlook on France's "AA" long-term sovereign credit rating to "stable" from "negative", citing labour and tax reforms introduced in the last two years, in a boost to President Francois Hollande's Socialist government. In the first positive rating action for France since the loss of its triple-A in 2012, the U.S. rating agency said the reforms carried out since Hollande's pro-business U-turn in 2013 should boost job creation, competitiveness and public finances. "The clearest evidence that the measures are gradually taking effect is the improvement in France's non-financial corporations operating margins," S&P said in a statement. In July, the Socialist government forced through parliament reforms designed to make France's protective labour laws more flexible, in part by allowing firms to tailor pay and work terms to their needs more easily. It was the second time in as many years the government invoked a rarely used constitutional decree to force reforms through parliament, after it passed the so-called Macron law in 2015 to deregulate a raft of sectors of the economy and loosen rules banning Sunday trading. The move comes just six months before a presidential election, which opinion polls show the unpopular Socialist government is expected to lose. The loss of France's top-notch credit rating in January 2012, only a few months before the last presidential elections, had given ammunitions to Hollande's ultimately successful campaign against former president Nicolas Sarkozy. On Friday, Finance Minister Michel Sapin welcomed S&P's rating action. "The reforms we introduced are paying off since all the rating agencies are now confident in France's prospects," he said in a statement. S&P also praised the declining cost of employment in France, citing a 43 billion euro ($48 billion) payroll tax credit scheme Hollande launched to reverse years of lost competitiveness. Under the scheme, known as the Tax Credit for Competitiveness and Jobs or CICE, firms can seek a tax credit of 6 percent of their wage bill on salaries worth up to 2-1/2 times the minimum wage, making employing French workers cheaper. That has boosted company margins back to pre-financial crisis levels of 2008. However, S&P said it expected growth to fall short of the government's 1.5 percent target for this year and next, pencilling in just 1.3 percent and 1.2 percent respectively. Although it judged the government's 3.3 percent public deficit target for this year achievable, S&P said the 2.7 percent target for 2017 would be harder to reach, expecting the shortfall to be closer to 3 percent, the EU-mandated limit. (Additional reporting by Jessica Kuruthukulangara in Bengaluru; Editing by Larry King and Diane Craft)
The TERRAIN study evaluated men with metastatic CRPC and the results from this study were published in the Lancet Oncology. The updated label includes data that enzalutamide reduces the risk of radiographic progression or death by 40% compared with bicalutamide, showing a median rPFS of 19.5 months for the enzalutamide group versus a median of 13.4 months for the bicalutamide group (hazard ratio = 0.60 [0.43, 0.83]; 95% confidence interval) based on an analysis recommended by the FDA. The safety profile of enzalutamide was consistent with results of earlier enzalutamide trials.

"The addition of data from the TERRAIN trial continues to build the body of evidence that demonstrates the clinical impact XTANDI can have for patients living with metastatic CRPC," said Steven Benner, M.D., senior vice president, therapeutic area head for oncology development, Astellas. "Advances in scientific knowledge as seen through clinical trials like TERRAIN would not be possible without the participation of hundreds of patients, family members and clinical investigators, and we thank them for their valuable contributions."

According to the American Cancer Society, each year approximately 181,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and an estimated 26,000 men will die of the disease in 2016.1 Up to 40 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer who undergo therapy develop metastatic, or advanced, prostate cancer.2 In the U.S., the five-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer patients with metastatic disease is 28 percent, compared with 100 percent for prostate cancer patients with non-metastatic disease.3

"We are pleased with the FDA's decision to update the XTANDI label with these data from the first and largest comparative trial that demonstrated safety and efficacy of enzalutamide compared to bicalutamide," said Mohammad Hirmand, M.D., interim chief medical officer at Medivation, Inc., which is now part of Pfizer. "We believe these data will help physicians better understand the differences between enzalutamide and bicalutamide for their patients living with metastatic CRPC."

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a positive opinion on April 1, 2016 recommending approval of a type II variation to include data from the TERRAIN trials in the European label for XTANDI.

About the TERRAIN trial

The Phase II TERRAIN trial enrolled 375 chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic CRPC in North America and Europe. Radiographic progression-free survival was defined as the time from randomization to the first objective evidence of radiographic progression as assessed by Independent Central Review or death, whichever occurred first. The trial was designed to evaluate patients who were randomized 1:1 to receive enzalutamide at a dose of 160 mg taken orally once daily versus bicalutamide at a dose of 50 mg taken once daily.

Grade 3-4 adverse reactions were reported in 38.8% of enzalutamide-treated patients and 37.6% of bicalutamide-treated patients. Individual Grade 3 or higher adverse events largely occurred at a similar rate (<1% difference) between the enzalutamide vs. bicalutamide treatment groups, with the exception of hypertension (7.1% vs. 4.4%), diarrhea (0% vs. 1.1%) and back pain (2.7% vs. 1.6%). Two seizures were reported in the enzalutamide group and one in the bicalutamide group. The most common Grade 1-4 adverse reactions (incidence 10%) occurring during treatment and more common in the enzalutamide-treated versus bicalutamide-treated patients included asthenic conditions, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, hot flush, hypertension, diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infection, and weight loss.

About XTANDI (enzalutamide) capsules

XTANDI (enzalutamide) capsules is an androgen receptor inhibitor that blocks multiple steps in the androgen receptor signaling pathway within the tumor cell. In preclinical studies, enzalutamide has been shown to competitively inhibit androgen binding to androgen receptors, and inhibit androgen receptor nuclear translocation and interaction with DNA. The clinical significance of this mechanism of action (MOA) is unknown.

XTANDI is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Important Safety Information

Contraindications

XTANDI is not indicated for women. XTANDI can cause fetal harm and potential loss of pregnancy.

Warnings and Precautions

Seizure occurred in 0.5% of patients receiving XTANDI in clinical studies. In placebo-controlled studies, 8 of 1671 (0.5%) patients treated with XTANDI and 1 of 1243 (0.1%) patients treated with placebo experienced a seizure. In patients who previously received docetaxel, 7 of 800 (0.9%) patients treated with XTANDI experienced a seizure and no patients treated with placebo experienced a seizure. In a placebo-controlled study in chemotherapy-naive patients, 1 of 871 (0.1%) treated with XTANDI and 1 of 844 (0.1%) patients treated with placebo experienced a seizure. In bicalutamide-controlled studies conducted in chemotherapy-naive patients, 3 of 380 (0.8%) patients treated with XTANDI and 1 of 387 (0.3%) patients treated with bicalutamide experienced a seizure. Permanently discontinue XTANDI in patients who develop a seizure during treatment.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) In post approval use, there have been reports of PRES in patients receiving XTANDI. PRES is a neurological disorder which can present with rapidly evolving symptoms including seizure, headache, lethargy, confusion, blindness, and other visual and neurological disturbances, with or without associated hypertension. A diagnosis of PRES requires confirmation by brain imaging, preferably MRI. Discontinue XTANDI in patients who develop PRES.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions ( 10%) that occurred more commonly ( 2% over placebo) in the XTANDI patients from the two placebo-controlled clinical trials were asthenia/fatigue, back pain, decreased appetite, constipation, arthralgia, diarrhea, hot flush, upper respiratory tract infection, peripheral edema, dyspnea, musculoskeletal pain, weight decreased, headache, hypertension, and dizziness/vertigo. In the bicalutamide-controlled study of chemotherapy naive patients, the most common adverse reactions ( 10%) reported in XTANDI patients were asthenia/fatigue, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, hot flush, hypertension, nausea, constipation, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, and weight loss.

In the study of patients taking XTANDI who previously received docetaxel, Grade 3 and higher adverse reactions were reported among 47% of XTANDI patients and 53% of placebo patients. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 16% of XTANDI patients and 18% of placebo patients. In the placebo-controlled study of chemotherapy-naive patients, Grade 3-4 adverse reactions were reported in 44% of XTANDI patients and 37% of placebo patients. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 6% of both study groups. In the bicalutamide-controlled study of chemotherapy naive patients, Grade 3-4 adverse reactions were reported in 38.8% of XTANDI patients and 37.6% of bicalutamide patients. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 7.6% of XTANDI patients and 6.3% of bicalutamide patients.

Lab Abnormalities: In the two placebo-controlled trials Grade 1-4 neutropenia occurred in 15% of XTANDI patients (1% Grade 3-4) and 6% of placebo patients (0.5% Grade 3-4). Grade 1-4 thrombocytopenia occurred in 6% of XTANDI patients (0.3% Grade 3-4) and 5% of placebo patients (0.5% Grade 3-4). Grade 1-4 elevations in ALT occurred in 10% of XTANDI patients (0.2% Grade 3-4) and 16% of placebo patients (0.2% Grade 3-4). Grade 1-4 elevations in bilirubin occurred in 3% of XTANDI patients (0.1% Grade 3-4) and 2% of placebo patients (no Grade 3-4).

Infections: In a study of patients taking XTANDI who previously received docetaxel, 1% of XTANDI patients compared to 0.3% of placebo patients died from infections or sepsis. In the placebo-controlled study of chemotherapy-naive patients, 1 patient in each treatment group (0.1%) had an infection resulting in death.

Falls (including fall-related injuries) occurred in 9% of XTANDI patients and 4% of placebo patients in the two placebo-controlled trials. Falls were not associated with loss of consciousness or seizure. Fall-related injuries were more severe in XTANDI patients, and included non-pathologic fractures, joint injuries, and hematomas.

Hypertension occurred in 11% of XTANDI patients and 4% of placebo patients in the two placebo-controlled trials. No patients experienced hypertensive crisis. Medical history of hypertension was balanced between arms. Hypertension led to study discontinuation in < 1% of all patients in each arm.

Drug Interactions

Effect of Other Drugs on XTANDI Avoid strong CYP2C8 inhibitors, as they can increase the plasma exposure to XTANDI. If co-administration is necessary, reduce the dose of XTANDI. Avoid strong CYP3A4 inducers as they can decrease the plasma exposure to XTANDI. If co-administration is necessary, increase the dose of XTANDI.

Effect of XTANDI on Other Drugs Avoid CYP3A4, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 substrates with a narrow therapeutic index, as XTANDI may decrease the plasma exposures of these drugs. If XTANDI is co-administered with warfarin (CYP2C9 substrate), conduct additional INR monitoring.

Please see Full Prescribing Information at https://www.astellas.us/docs/us/12A005-ENZ-WPI.pdf?v=1 for additional safety information.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.

Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1800FDA1088.

About Astellas

Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. We focus on Urology, Oncology, Immunology, Nephrology and Neuroscience as prioritized therapeutic areas while advancing new therapeutic areas and discovery research leveraging new technologies/modalities. We are also creating new value by combining internal capabilities and external expertise in the medical/healthcare business. Astellas is on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at www.astellas.com/en.

About Pfizer Oncology

Pfizer Oncology is committed to pursuing innovative treatments that have a meaningful impact on those living with cancer. As a leader in oncology speeding cures and accessible breakthrough medicines to patients, Pfizer Oncology is helping to redefine life with cancer. Our strong pipeline of biologics, small molecules and immunotherapies, one of the most robust in the industry, is studied with precise focus on identifying and translating the best scientific breakthroughs into clinical application for patients across a wide range of cancers. By working collaboratively with academic institutions, individual researchers, cooperative research groups, governments and licensing partners, Pfizer Oncology strives to cure or control cancer with its breakthrough medicines. Because Pfizer Oncology knows that success in oncology is not measured solely by the medicines you manufacture, but rather by the meaningful partnerships you make to have a more positive impact on people's lives. Learn more about how Pfizer Oncology is applying innovative approaches to improve the outlook for people living with cancer at http://www.pfizer.com/research/therapeutic_areas/oncology.

Pfizer Disclosure Notice

The information contained in this release is as of October 21, 2016. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about XTANDI (enzalutamide) capsules and a label update to include the results of the TERRAIN study, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things,uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of the label update; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical trial commencement and completion dates and regulatory submission dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results, including unfavorable new clinical data and additional analyses of existing clinical data; whether and when any drug applications may be filed for any potential additional indications for XTANDI; whether and when any such applications may be approved by regulatory authorities, which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of XTANDI; risks related to the ability to sustain and increase the rate of growth in revenues for XTANDI despite increasing competitive, reimbursement and economic challenges; dependence on the efforts and funding by Astellas Pharma Inc. for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of XTANDI; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.

Astellas Forward-Looking Statement

In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development), which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

References

American Cancer Society. "Cancer Facts and Figures: 2016." "Current and emerging treatments in the management of castration-resistant prostate cancer." David Shapiro and Basir Tareen . Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2012;12(7):951-964. National Cancer Institute. SEER Cancer Statistics Factsheets: Prostate Cancer. Available at seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html. Accessed October 5, 2016 .

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SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.

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CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global public relations leader Porter Novelli (PN) today announced that it has been named public relations agency of record for Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief and food rescue organization.

Through a network of 200 member food banks, Feeding America serves 46 million people annually. Last year, the organization provided more than four billion meals through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs.

As public relations agency of record, Porter Novelli will develop and implement strategies in partnership with Feeding America's communications team. Specifically, Porter Novelli and Feeding America will engage in deep analysis of existing programming, resources and messaging while identifying opportunities for new partnerships, innovations and strategies that will further Feeding America's mission. Drawing on Porter Novelli's experience in the space, the team also will work to bring attention to the intersection of hunger and health.

"We are honored to be named public relations agency of record for Feeding America, and to develop a comprehensive approach that thinks creatively, works collaboratively and acts in partnership to help Feeding America eradicate hunger," said Maisha Pearson, vice president, Porter Novelli Chicago. "Porter Novelli's history is rooted in the development of strategic communications plans for causes as critical as Feeding America's. We will leverage our internal resources and Feeding America's extensive network to raise awareness among key audiences."

Feeding America's mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage everyone in the country in the fight to end hunger. With the support of their generous donors, partners and advocates, the Feeding America network is helping to meet the nutritional needs of families across the country.

"With Porter Novelli's support, we can connect new audiences with domestic hunger," said Angela De Paul, Vice President of Communication for Feeding America. "Raising awareness for the 1 in 8 people who face hunger in America will help us meet the existing need and ultimately fulfill our work to end hunger."

ABOUT FEEDING AMERICA

Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

ABOUT PORTER NOVELLI

Porter Novelli is one of the world's leading public relations agencies and is represented in all major markets. With a focus on effective stakeholder communications and adopting a holistic, media-neutral approach, Porter Novelli develops public relations programs that deliver value and impact to its clients' business. Porter Novelli was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1972 and is a part of Omnicom Public Relations Group. For more information, please visit www.porternovelli.com.

ABOUT OMNICOM PUBLIC RELATIONS GROUP

Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

Media Contacts:

Maisha Pearson  Porter Novelli Chicago

(312) 552-6321; [email protected]

Ross Fraser  Feeding America

(312)641-6422; [email protected]

SOURCE Porter Novelli

Related Links

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"All I could think about was my husband and two young girls -- how I wanted to spend more time with them," Carpen said.

Carpen and her husband met with her gynecologist and, much to their relief, she told them about a certain specialist at NYU Lutheran whom she described as an expert at treating her condition.

Gloria Soto, 54, a paraprofessional who works with kids with special needs, had a slightly different experience. She was already in menopause when she noticed "spotting," along with cramps on her left side. When a D&C showed cancer cells, she sought a second opinion from another gynecologist who told her firmly that she should be seen by a gynecologic oncologist.

Both Carpen and Soto were referred to Ghadir Salame, MD, a member of NYU's Perlmutter Cancer Center who has earned a well-regarded reputation among ob/gyn colleagues in the New York metro region for his expertise in treating endometrial cancer using robot-assisted surgery.

"Endometrial cancer in women is often caused by unopposed estrogen, a hormone produced by the ovaries in pre-menopausal women and by conversion from adipose cells (fat tissue) in post-menopausal women," Salame explains. According to the American Cancer Society, women who are overweight are twice as likely to develop endometrial cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight.

Salame also adds: "Estrogen-dependent endometrial cancer generally has a better prognosis than non-estrogen dependent."

Signs of endometrial cancer can include post-menopausal bleeding or irregular menstruation. "Approximately 10 percent of post-menopausal bleeding is cancer related but as with most cancers, early diagnosis is critical to a good outcome," Dr. Salame emphasizes.

It hardly mattered to both women that they had to travel quite a distance -- Carpen from Jamaica, Queens, and Soto from Coney Island -- to get to NYU Lutheran in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. Within a week of their diagnoses, both made appointments to see Dr. Salame. He recommended that each undergo surgical staging which includes a removal of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes and lymph node sampling.

Robot-assisted surgery is Salame's preferred approach for treating clinically early endometrial cancer. "The procedure is safe, requires only a few small incisions, and provides excellent visualization of the tissues that need to be removed," he says. "Also, patients experience little pain that requires medication, often without even an overnight hospital stay, a faster recovery and return to normal activities."

Soto had her hysterectomy at the end of July  and was sitting up shortly after surgery. She opted for an overnight stay but was back to work at a summer day camp five days later. Carpen, who had her surgery in mid-August, also opted to stay overnight, and experienced very little post-surgical pain. She went home early the next day. She is up and about, and only refrains from heavy lifting for the time being.

A week following their surgery, Carpen and Soto both received good news from Dr. Salame: Their pathology reports confirmed that the endometrial cancer had been removed. In addition, they did not require further treatment such as chemo or radiation therapy.

Even with the good news, a much-relieved Carpen still could not bear to say the "C" (cancer) word without her voice breaking. "I am so grateful to Dr. Salame," she says. "I have been around all kinds of medical and health professionals, but he is one of the special ones!"

Dr. Salame's office is located at NYU Lutheran Medical Arts Pavilion, 8714 Fifth Avenue. For an appointment, please call 718-630-8610.

Media Inquiries:

Neal Gorman

Phone: 718-630-8316

[email protected]



Colin DeVries

Phone: 718-630-7414

[email protected]

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This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE NYU Lutheran Medical Center
BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- G2 Capital Advisors announced today that Christopher Casteleyn has joined the firm as a Vice President and Connor Grogan has joined as an Associate. Christopher will be based in the San Francisco office and will focus on M&A and financing transactions across G2's various industry practice groups. Connor will be based in the Boston office and will focus on financial analysis for our M&A, financing, and restructuring clients.

Chris brings over 13 years of experience in corporate finance and banking and spent the last six years in the financial services industry advising clients on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining G2, Christopher was Vice President at Antares International Partners Inc., an international boutique investment bank based in San Francisco and Paris. He was responsible for all aspects of merger, acquisition and divestiture processes including sourcing and pitching new clients, leading processes, positioning companies, running due diligence and negotiating final contracts. Based on the extensive number of cross-border transactions Christopher has executed, he has a deep understanding of how to manage business and cultural differences. During his time at Antares, Christopher was involved in transactions across a variety of industries including aerospace and defense, building products, health and beauty products and services, mail and postal services, consumer products and information technology services. Christopher graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and earned the Certified Public Accountant designation. He also holds an MBA from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specialization in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking.

Connor joins G2 as an Associate in Boston and will focus on providing advisory services and financial analysis. Prior to joining G2, Connor was an Associate with Stout Risius Ross, Inc., in its Valuation and Financial Opinions practice. While at SRR, Connor performed transaction advisory analyses in support of fairness and solvency opinions for merger and acquisitions, private-equity backed leveraged buyouts, and divided recapitalizations. In addition, Connor provided valuation and consulting services for both public and private companies for bankruptcy and restructurings, distressed transaction advisory, tax litigation, merger and acquisition due diligence, and financial reporting. Connor has worked across diverse industries including aerospace and defense, industrials, energy, software, telecommunications and media. Connor graduated from The College of William and Mary with a BA in Economics and Finance. He also holds a series 79 license.

"We are thrilled to have been able to attract such talented and capable individuals to our team," said Jeffrey Unger, CEO of G2. "In keeping with our strategy of operational and financial experience, Chris and Connor bring an ideal set of experiences and leadership to our organization."

In addition to growing the team, today G2 launched an updated version of their website g2cap.com. The new site aims to showcase their breadth of service capabilities and highlight the G2 team's expertise and experience.

SOURCE G2 Capital Advisors

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RICHLAND, Wash., Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IsoRay, Inc. (NYSE MKT: ISR) (the "Company"), a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications for the treatment of prostate, brain, lung, head and neck, and gynecological cancers, today announced that it will hold its fiscal 2017 annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (MST), at 8701 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. The board of directors has established October 26, 2016 as the record date for determining shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting.

The annual meeting date represents a change of more than 30 days from the anniversary of the Company's fiscal 2016 annual meeting of shareholders. As a result, the Company has set a deadline of October 31, 2016 for the receipt of any shareholder proposals for inclusion in the Company's proxy materials. Proposals submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, must comply with the requirements set forth in Rule 14a-8. Shareholder proposals not submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 must comply with the requirements set forth in the Company's bylaws. The Company intends to view any proposals received after October 31, 2016 as not having been received within the time periods set forth in Rule 14a-8 or the Company's bylaws, as applicable. Any proposal submitted outside this timeframe will not be considered timely and will be excluded from consideration at the annual meeting.

Proposals and notices of proposals should be mailed to: IsoRay, Inc., 350 Hills Street, Suite 106 Richland, WA 99354, Attn: Corporate Secretary.

About IsoRay

IsoRay, Inc., through its subsidiary, IsoRay Medical, Inc., is the sole producer of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds, which are expanding brachytherapy options throughout the body. Learn more about this innovative Richland, Washington company and explore the many benefits and uses of Cesium-131 by visiting www.isoray.com. Join us on Facebook/Isoray. Follow us on Twitter @Isoray.

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SOURCE IsoRay, Inc.

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RESTON, Va., Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a global science and technology solutions company, was awarded a prime contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to provide systems administration and maintenance services for X-ray and imaging technology. This hybrid firm fixed-price time and materials contract has a one-year base period of performance, and includes four one-year options. If all options are exercised, the contract carries a total value of approximately $155 million.

Under this award, Leidos will help the CBP's efforts in securing the Nation's borders, by providing post-warranty support for fielded technology. This includes Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) gamma imaging and X-ray equipment like Leidos' VACIS inspection systems, Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM), and Radiation Isotope Identification Devices (RIID). Through the company's maintenance and support efforts, the CBP will be able to better maintain operational readiness and ensure the equipment is functioning appropriately.

"We are pleased to continue our support of the CBP mission by providing critical administration and maintenance services," said Tim Reardon, President of Leidos Intelligence and Homeland Security. "Through our efforts, the CBP will be better able to secure land border crossings, airports, seaports, and rail crossings within the United States and abroad."

About Leidos

Leidos is a global science and technology solutions leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 33,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported pro forma annual revenues of approximately $10 billion for the fiscal year ended Jan. 1, 2016 after giving effect to the recently completed combination of Leidos with Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions business (IS&GS). For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 30, 2015, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

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SOURCE Leidos

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Sarwark debated in favor of Proposition 205 and argued that it would stop jailing citizens on minor possession charges, which are currently felonies under Arizona law. On the other hand, Vann argued the Proposition should first decriminalize marijuana before its legalization. Arizonans can vote for Proposition 205 on November 8, 2016.

QallOut Founder and CEO Yazan Madanat remarks, "This is exactly the kind of debate QallOut was created for. Here we have the highest ranked administrator of the Libertarian Party directly interacting with a party member about an issue they both are passionate about. We had live viewers posting video comments in real-time, which the debaters addressed throughout the live debate."

Madanat adds, "People are yearning to debate and challenge their own opinionswe just created a more convenient and lively way to cater for this need."

You can watch the full debate between Nicholas and Vann here.

For press enquiries or questions, please contact QallOut's Co-Founder & CEO at [email protected]

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WtY5IBOBPY&feature=youtu.be

SOURCE QallOut.com

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CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago is famous for food, but it's not just deep dish pizza that gets mouths watering. The city's flavorful sandwiches are a must-eat for both locals and visitors to the Windy City. One of the classics, Chicago Italian Beef, originated on the South Side of Chicago, is made with tender Italian beef, thinly sliced and piled high on a sub. Peapod, the country's leading online grocer, has partnered with Buona, makers of the original and official Italian Beef of the Chicago Cubs, to deliver its famous beef to Windy City residents, helping customers create their own versions of the sandwich right at home.

Buona Beef

Together with Buona and Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Peapod is donating $1 for every tub of Buona Italian Style Gravy & Sliced Beef purchased during the months of October and November to help fight cancer. This money will go to the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundationa foundation dedicated to raising money for cancer research.

Chicago's Best

Buona is the latest product featured in Peapod's Chicago's Besta selection of local and specialty food products that are exclusive to the Chicago area. Buona will be joining the ranks with more than 30 other local favorites like Carson's and Lou Malnati's.

"Our Chicago's Best line has been immensely popular, giving us the opportunity to partner with local vendors like Buona and offer our customers a hometown favorite straight to their doors," said Tony Stallone, Peapod's VP of Merchandising. "Chicago shoppers can now purchase classic Italian Beef with their regular groceries and help support Anthony Rizzo and his foundation's mission."

"We're excited to offer Chicago residents the chance to have Buona Beef delivered right to their doorstep," said John Gill, Marketing Director of Buona. "Not only will they be able to enjoy delicious and mouthwatering sandwiches in the comfort of their own home, but they'll also be helping to fight cancer with their purchase."

To shop Buona Beef on Peapod, visit www.Peapod.com online or on the free mobile app and tablet.

ABOUT PEAPOD

Peapod  an Ahold USA company  is the country's leading Internet grocer, serving 24 U.S. markets throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Founded in 1989 as a smart shopping option for busy households, today Peapod has delivered more than 37 million grocery orders. Customers can order online or on Peapod's free mobile app for delivery to homes and workplaces or choose to pick-up at over 200 convenient locations. For more information on Peapod, call 1.800.5.PEAPOD (1.800.573.2763), e-mail [email protected] or visit www.peapod.com.

ABOUT BUONA

Buona first opened in Berwyn, IL 35 years ago and is still family owned. The company has expanded to 17 locations with plans to expand 3-4 locations per year. Defining the next-generation beef-stand as a place that is the perfect blend of old-school indulgence in Chicago classics and next generation menu choices- made with a focus on fresh, scratch-made food. For more information on Buona, visit www.Buona.com, Twitter and Facebook.

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SOURCE Peapod

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CANTON, Mass., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the state's largest union and professional association for registered nurses and health care professionals, announces its endorsement and strong support for Sarah Hewins, Democratic candidate for the 2nd Plymouth State Representative seat.

"Sarah Hewins is committed to her community, working for many years as both a volunteer and elected town official to better the lives of everyone around her," MNA President Donna Kelly-William said. "Hewins has pledged to support front-line nurses as they fight for safe patient limits, workplace violence protection and other health care priorities. She will be a strong voice for the vulnerable on Beacon Hill."

Hewins, a Carver resident, has been elected three times to the Carver Board of Selectmen and twice to the town's planning board. She has been a conservation agent for 15 years, having earned a master's degree and doctorate from Princeton University.

Hewins has also spent two decades volunteering in the community, including at the Carver Public Library and as co-founder and Executive Director of YPAC, the Young Peoples' Alliance of Carver, Inc., an after-school program for middle-schoolers founded on drug and substance abuse prevention.

"As a state representative I will fight to protect our youth from drug abuse, will properly fund our public schools and promote regional economic cooperation for smart, sustainable business growth," Hewins said. "I also plan to work closely with the MNA to help nurses provide safe and effective patient care in a challenging health care environment."

The 2nd Plymouth District includes all of Carver, Wareham, and Middleboro precincts 3 and 6.

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association

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In the U.S., the Philips IntelliSite Digital Pathology Solution is presently cleared as an aid to the pathologist in the detection of HER2/neu. The newly completed clinical validation study by Philips will be submitted to the FDA, with other data and information, in support of a de novo submission that, if cleared by the FDA, would result in expanded indications for use.

"Philips is committed to working alongside regulators and pathologists to better understand and evaluate the clinical validity of this technology," said Russell Granzow, General Manager, Philips Digital Pathology Solutions. "I wish to thank our clinical partner sites for their diligence during this seminal study."

In one of the largest studies ever conducted to directly compare the use of digital pathology to optical microscopes, 16 pathologists at four clinical study sites  Cleveland Clinic, University of Virginia, Miraca Life Sciences and Advanced Pathology Associates  conducted approximately 16,000 reads across 2,000 cases.

The non-inferiority study was designed to evaluate the difference in major discordance rates between diagnoses made with digital pathology or microscope. To measure this, the study had pathologists read slides obtained from cases at least one year old for which a main diagnosis was available. With this existing diagnosis serving as the point of comparison, pathologists then read and diagnosed each case both digitally and optically with a washout period of four weeks in between. The pre-specified endpoint for the primary analysis of this study was set on a maximum of four percent difference in major discordance rates. This study endpoint successfully achieved the acceptance criterion with a final discordance rate of outcome of the study being only one percent.

"Pathology is a subjective field that is dependent on how the eye of each pathologist views what appears in the microscope. Defining how to measure and assess just how this process compares to a digital reading is complex," said Dr. Clive Taylor, the principal investigator. "The design of this study holds the original diagnosis to be the truth and that provides us with a base to compare all readings by all pathologists in the study."

"Proving that digital reads are not inferior to optical reads creates a foundation for a FDA submission that, if cleared, would allow for the shift to a digital operation that, in turn, may reap the additional benefits of collaboration, workflow efficiency and the use of precise tools for measurement and counting," adds Dr. Michael Feldman.

Philips IntelliSite digital pathology solution is an open platform that integrates ultra-fast slide scanners, an image management system and web based pathology case viewer. To learn more about Philips' innovation in digital pathology, visit Philips Digital Pathology Solutions website and follow @Philips_Path.

* In the European Union, the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution is CE Marked under the European Union's 'In Vitro Diagnostics Directive' for in vitro diagnostic use. In Canada, the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution is licensed by Health Canada for in vitro diagnostic use. In the United States, the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution is indicated for in vitro diagnostic use for Manual Read of the Digital HER2 Application. The Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution is registered for in vitro diagnostic use in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Middle East.

For further information, please contact:

Hans Driessen

Philips Digital Pathology Solutions

Tel: +31 6 10610417

E-mail: [email protected]

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. The company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2015 sales of EUR 16.8 billion and employs approximately 69,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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SOURCE Royal Philips

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Via a NASA-led citizen science project, eight people with no formal training in astrophysics helped discover what could be a fruitful new place to search for planets outside our solar system  a large disk of gas and dust encircling a star known as a circumstellar disk.

A paper, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and coauthored by eight citizen scientists involved in the discovery, describes a newly identified red dwarf star, AWI0005x3s, and its warm circumstellar disk, the kind associated with young planetary systems. Most of the exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system, that have been imaged to date dwell in disks similar to the one around AWI0005x3s.

The disk and its star are located in what is dubbed the Carina association  a large, loose grouping of similar stars in the Carina Nebula approximately 212 light years from our sun. Its relative proximity to Earth will make it easier to conduct follow-on studies.

"Most disks of this kind fade away in less than 30 million years," said Steven Silverberg, a graduate student at Oklahoma University and lead author of the paper. "This particular red dwarf is a candidate member of the Carina association, which would make it around 45 million years old. It's the oldest red dwarf system with a disk we've seen in one of these associations."

Since the launch of NASA's Disk Detective website in January 2014, approximately 30,000 citizen scientists have performed roughly two million classifications of stellar objects, including those that led to this discovery. Through Disk Detective, citizen scientists study data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission (WISE), the agency's Two-Micron All Sky Survey project, and other stellar surveys.

"Without the help of the citizen scientists examining these objects and finding the good ones, we might never have spotted this object," said Marc Kuchner, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Fight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who leads Disk Detective. "The WISE mission alone found 747 million objects, of which we expect a few thousand to be circumstellar disks."

The eight citizen scientist co-authors, members of an advanced user group, volunteered to help by researching disk candidates. Their data led to the discovery of this new disk.

"I've loved astronomy since childhood and wanted to be part of the space program, as did every boy my age," adds Milton Bosch, a citizen scientist co-author from California. "I feel very fortunate to be part of such a great group of dedicated people, and am thrilled to partake in this adventure of discovery and be a co-author on this paper."

Disk Detective is a collaboration between NASA, Zooniverse, the University of Oklahoma, University of Cordoba in Argentina, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Space Telescope Science Institute, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Carnegie Institution of Washington, University of Hawaii and Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

To learn more about opportunities for the public to participate in NASA science and technology projects, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/solve

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SOURCE NASA

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LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- National Tenant Network officers from NTN Northwest and NTN Arizona are in Hawaii this week for the National Association of Residential Property Manager's Annual Convention, held this year at the Grand Wailea Resort on the island of Maui. More than 800 NARPM members are expected to attend the convention. NTN's new advertising direction reminds property managers that making the best choice when it comes to tenant selection need not be difficult. In fact, NTN subscribers have access to a variety of tools that are not only easy to use, but are designed to increase profits, for both property management companies and property owners.

The new "RelaxNTN makes life easy" campaign is a perfect fit with the NARPM Convention. Although many seminars and workshops are on the schedule, conference attendees will certainly take advantage of the island's multitude of "relaxing" activities. "There is no better location for the new marketing launch than Hawaii," says Edward Byczynski, NTN founder and CEO.

"The Hawaiian Islands are the epitome of relaxation and also boast the largest NARPM chapter in the country. We are pleased to introduce our new marketing message to our friends and associates at NARPM, and value their continuing support for our unequaled approach to resident screening."

National Tenant Network has been an industry leader and innovator for more than three decades. That longevity comes with the expertise that NTN subscribers expect and rely on for managing risk. Any risk management program must begin with tenant selection, which is the cornerstone of all NTN products and services. NTN has consistently provided its subscribers with services that were developed to enhance this most important step in the rental process.

National Tenant Network serves its subscribers through more than 20 regional offices across the country, maintaining local contact and providing superior customer service and data quality. NTN collects and reviews local housing court data daily, not relying on third party data providers. As a result, NTN's data is current and correct, an absolute necessity in today's housing market. This year, the company celebrates 36 years of "making life easy" for its subscribers. For information on becoming an NTN subscriber, go to www.ntnonline.com or call 800.228.0989.

CONTACT:

NTN, Inc.

Edward F. Byczynski

525 SW First Suite 105

Lake Oswego, Or 97034

Phone 1.800.228.0989

[email protected]

Web site www.ntnonline.com

SOURCE National Tenant Network

Related Links

http://www.ntnonline.com


RYE BROOK, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NYPPEX, a leading technology-driven secondary private equity advisor, transfer administrator and data provider, has just released a Client Memorandum: Weak 3Q2016 Exits to Cause Lower Secondary Bids Ahead.

Its findings included the following:

1. The trend of weak IPO and M&A exit volume worldwide started in the 3Q2015 has continued through the 3Q2016.

2. This exit trend is causing lower distributions from private equity funds by 40-50% year over year according to investors surveyed by NYPPEX.

This exit and distribution trend is likely to result in lower secondary bid prices in 2017 on average, as projected by NYPPEX.

3. In the 3Q2016, Asia Pacific private equity funds experienced the highest volatility in secondary bids from -3.05% for interests in Distressed Debt funds to +6.73% for Natural Resource funds, driven by slower economic growth and demand from China. European private equity funds experienced increases in secondary bids despite the June Brexit vote. U.S. private equity funds experienced stable secondary bids driven by secondary investors seeking a safe haven.

Note: Secondary bid indications as estimated by NYPPEX.

4. If capital calls increase in the 1Q2017, NYPPEX projects limited partners will incur negative cash flows (capital calls vs. distributions) from more private equity funds, a similar scenario to the negative cash flow period of 2008-2012.

5. NYPPEX recommends that investors review cash reserves and access to liquidity vs. projected liabilities for calendar year end 2016 and 2017 budgets.

To request a copy of this NYPPEX Client Memorandum, please email [email protected] with your name, title and organization.

About NYPPEX Holdings

Established in 1998, NYPPEX is a leading technology-driven secondary private equity advisor, transfer administrator and data provider.

NYPPEX has provided over $8 billion in secondary private equity liquidity to investors in over 26 countries for (a) interests in private funds (e.g. buyout, venture, natural resources, real estate, hedge funds etc.), (b) unregistered securities in private (and thinly traded listed) companies and (c) their respective derivative instruments.

Clients include financial institutions, public and private pensions, government sponsored enterprises, corporations, endowments, foundations, private wealth groups, alternative investment firms, private companies and their advisors worldwide.

The NYPPEX Qualified Matching Service ("NYPPEX QMS") is recognized in a 2004 Private Letter Ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in connection with IRS Regulation 1.7704. The NYPPEX QMS enables private partnerships to permit additional secondary interest transfer volumes by meeting the requirements for a QMS safe-harbor exemption.

The NYPPEX Portfolio Pricing Service provides secondary bid indications on interests in over 12,300 private equity funds headquartered in over 110 countries. Subscription rates are $195 per fund priced quarterly. NYPPEX price data is taken into consideration by institutions to meet Topic 820 Fair Value provisions for GAAP and IFSR compliant financial statements.

NYPPEX is regulated in the U.S. by the SEC and FINRA. Member SIPC.

Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York. www.nyppex.com

For more information, please contact:

Robin Starr Bond, SVP, NYPPEX

[email protected]

+1.914.305.2808

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE NYPPEX Holdings

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http://www.nyppex.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PR Boutiques International (PRBI), the worldwide collaborative network of boutique public relations firms, has added two new members to its prestigious group: Lubbers De Jong based in Amsterdam and MSR Communications based in San Francisco. The organization is now 40 member agencies strong, with representation in 14 countries.

MSR Communications is a full service PR agency specializing in enterprise technology, mobile and internet technology and consumer lifestyle brands. Founded in 1999, clients include Connect Solutions, CPP, CLustrix, Cynny, Waterline Data, EPI24, Kentico, Virtual Clarity, LogTrust, Janrain. As CEO/Principal, industry veteran and founder Mary Shank Rockman leads a talented team of associates, always striving to deliver clients new thinking and creative approaches to each challenge through powerful storytelling.

Lubbers De Jong is a PR and Digital Marketing agency that focuses on the technology sector, including: information technology; fintech; marketing-tech; clean-tech; workplace tech; startups and scale ups. Example clients include Red Hat, Plantronics, Bynder, Infor and Startupbootcamp. Its team members provide trusted counsel to clientele throughout the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg, as well as internationally. Team Lubbers De Jong works to ensure results for its clients to fuel growth, brand communications, content marketing and digital connections. Established in 1987, Peter Keijzer is the current owner of the agency.

"We continue to grow PRBI domestically and abroad to be a true global consortium of PR leaders with both geographic and industry expertise," said Lee Weinstein, PRBI President and President of Weinstein PR located in Portland, Ore. "The knowledge sharing, comradery and new business opportunities shared among our members is incredible. To be a small agency able to leverage global perspectives and vast leadership talent is a huge advantage and one of the many reasons PRBI continues to thrive."

Through collaboration in PRBI, member agencies offer the personalized, senior-level expertise of the boutique firm combined with the broad, global reach and market specialization of much larger agencies. For more information about PRBI, visit prboutiques.com. Read the PRBI Blog to stay up to date on agency happenings and the latest industry trends. To find out more about where PRBI members are located globally, visit the PRBI website.

Follow PRBI on social media: Twitter: @PRBoutiquesIntl Facebook: PRBoutiquesIntl.

About PR Boutiques International:

PR Boutiques International (PRBI) is an international network of boutique public relations firms. The principals of member firms are experienced practitioners who have held senior positions in large PR agencies and/or corporations but now put service first and work directly with clients. PRBI members excel in meeting a huge range of client needs in a large number of industries. Members' services include corporate public relations, consumer PR, health care PR, investor relations, crisis management, businesstobusiness PR, economic development PR, notforprofit, academia, government, financial, technology, legal, multicultural and international PR. Member practitioners have won the highest levels of professional awards, with qualifications ranging from PhDs to former top journalists. They also represent memberships in the most noteworthy international public relations and business associations.

SOURCE PR Boutiques International

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http://www.prboutiques.com/


ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Randstad US, one of the largest HR services and staffing companies in the country, announced today that Linda Galipeau, CEO of Randstad North America, has received the 2016 Bridge Award from Emory University's Executive Women of Goizueta (EWG) affinity group.

Presented at the 13th annual Advancing Women in Leadership Conference, the Bridge Award recognizes a senior business leader who has a demonstrated track record of creating opportunities for others, championing diversity and producing results for the betterment of the workplace and community. The honoree must embody the value of the award through professional and personal accomplishments and is a pioneer, helping others bridge the gap between potential and achievement.

"I am humbled to accept an award that so closely aligns with Randstad's mission to shape the world of work," said Linda Galipeau, CEO of Randstad North America. "We have taken many steps internally at Randstad to ensure that there is a diverse team of leaders in place, many of whom are women. I am grateful to the EWG leaders and community for this honor and for organizing an event for women to come together and encourage each other to remove barriers, promote diversity and develop into stronger leaders."

"Linda personifies the Bridge Award in the actions she takes as the leader of our organization and I am thrilled she has received this recognition from EWG," said Michelle Prince, SVP of talent management, Randstad North America. "Linda paves the way for women to advance in leadership positions at Randstad and is an inspiring role model outside the organization as well. She is committed to building a strong internal culture, investing in professional training programs, encouraging volunteerism, supporting leadership growth and enabling development and individual career paths for all employees. Linda also extends her commitment to building the professional development of others by volunteering her own time to corporate social responsibility initiatives."

"Linda is an excellent recipient for this award. Not only is she breaking the glass ceiling in her role as CEO, but she's creating a strong, internal culture where many members of her leadership team are female, and development and career paths are a priority. Externally, Linda helps female leaders to advance to leadership positions. She has hosted events that bring clients and prospects together to discuss how companies can build more diverse leadership teams, and armed attendees with actionable insights they can apply to their own career advancement. The Executive Women of Goizueta, an affinity group whose mission is to create a community that facilitates, promotes and inspires personal and professional leadership for alumnae of the Goizueta Business School of Emory University," commented Lucy King, vice president of commercial markets at Appriss and president of EWG.

For more information about Randstad, visit www.randstadusa.com.

For more information about the conference or Executive Women of Goizueta, contact [email protected].

About Randstad

Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $24.5 billion global provider of HR services. As one of the largest staffing organizations in the United States, Randstad provides temporary, temporary-to-hire and permanent placement services each week to over 100,000 people through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations.



Employing 5,300 recruiting experts, the company is a top provider of outsourcing, staffing, consulting and workforce solutions within the areas of engineering, finance and accounting, healthcare, human resources, IT, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration and sales and marketing. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com and access Randstad's panoramic U.S. thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.

About the Executive Women of Goizueta

The mission of the Executive Women of Goizueta (EWG) is to create a community that facilitates, promotes, and inspires personal and professional leadership for Goizueta women. EWG hosts a variety of annual events designed to help Goizueta women encourage each other to remove barriers, promote diversity, and develop into stronger leaders. These events include the Advancing Women in Leadership conference (www.etouches.com/ewg2016), a speaker series featuring business and academic experts, as well as networking opportunities and discussion forums. For more information, visit www.emoryewg.com.

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/executivewomenofgoizueta/

On Twitter: www.twitter.com/ewgemory

SOURCE Randstad US

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) acknowledges that it has received a non-binding proposal from British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) to purchase the approximately 58 percent of RAI common stock that BAT does not currently own.

The RAI board of directors, consistent with their fiduciary duties, will evaluate the offer from BAT and respond accordingly.

Web and Social Media Disclosure

RAI's website, www.reynoldsamerican.com, is the primary source of publicly disclosed news, including quarterly earnings, for RAI and its operating companies. RAI also uses Twitter to publicly disseminate company news via @RAI News. It is possible that the information we post could be deemed to be material information. We encourage investors and others to register at www.reynoldsamerican.com to receive alerts when news about the company has been posted, and to follow RAI on Twitter at @RAI News.



ABOUT US

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc.; American Snuff Company, LLC; Niconovum USA, Inc.; Niconovum AB; and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is the second-largest U.S. tobacco company.

R.J. Reynolds' brands include Newport , Camel and Pall Mall.

R.J. Reynolds' brands include , Camel and Pall Mall. Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc. manufactures and markets Natural American Spirit products.

American Snuff Company, LLC is the nation's second-largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products. Its leading brands are Grizzly and Kodiak.

Niconovum USA , Inc. and Niconovum AB market innovative nicotine replacement therapy products in the United States and Sweden , respectively, under the ZONNIC brand name.

, Inc. and Niconovum AB market innovative nicotine replacement therapy products in and , respectively, under the ZONNIC brand name. R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company is a marketer of digital vapor cigarettes, manufactured on its behalf by R.J. Reynolds, under the VUSE brand name in the United States .

Copies of RAI's news releases, annual reports, SEC filings and other financial materials, including risk factors containing forward-looking information, are available at www.reynoldsamerican.com. To learn more about how Reynolds American and its operating companies are transforming the tobacco industry, visit Transforming Tobacco.

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SOURCE Reynolds American Inc.

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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Managed hosting provider RoseHosting.com, a service of Rose Web Services LLC, has updated their portfolio with new and exclusive One-Click Install Cloud Servers. The affordable, user-friendly cloud servers are powered by SSDs and have up to 32GB of RAM. They also include RoseHosting's exclusive One-Click Installer, allowing you to install servers with applications of your choice with a single click. RoseHosting customers that have their exclusive One-Click Install (OCI) Cloud Servers will have dedicated 24/7 technical support led by a team of expert Linux administrators with over 15 years of average experience.

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The main features of their OCI Cloud Servers are the lightning-fast response times and a fully-optimized integration of the applications provided with their managed servers. What makes their servers different is that everyone can install as many applications as they want, on as many domains as they want, while also having 24/7 support staff available for help with anything related to their server.

Their OCI Cloud servers run on the latest version of Ubuntu and a LEMP stack, while all applications are always updated to their latest stable version, thus ensuring the highest performance and security. Every server comes with full weekly backup, server monitoring, and website migration, all included for free, with no hidden fees or setup costs. This is all backed by their 100% uptime guarantee and 5 star average user reviews.

"We're excited and proud to launch our OCI Cloud Servers," said Brian W., a senior RoseHosting sales executive. "We worked hard to optimize them and make them perfect for our users. One of the things we've always set as a priority is 100% customer satisfaction and a user-friendly experience. We've made everything as easy as possible for our customers, from purchasing a server to deploying applications."

Server applications are becoming more and more complex, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to properly install and configure them. Some of them are getting slower and slower as they are updated with new features. With a pre-optimized, one-click install solution, you can get a secure website up and running in just a few minutes. RoseHosting's OCI system is lightweight and optimized for smooth and lightning-fast performance.

Users wanting to try RoseHosting's OCI Cloud Servers can do so easily with help from RoseHosting's EPIC 24/7 Support team.

About Rose Web Services LLC

Rose Web Services LLC is a privately owned St. Louis based company, in business since 2001. Back then, they were the first and only company in the world to offer commercial Linux virtual servers. Now, they offer several hosting solutions to thousands of customers around the world. Their data center is located in St. Louis, Missouri, less than 100 miles from the population center of the USA.

Related Links

RoseHosting.com

OCI Cloud Hosting

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com.

SOURCE Rose Web Services LLC

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http://www.rosehosting.com


MIAMI, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) has scheduled a conference call for 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Friday, October 28, 2016, to discuss the company's third quarter 2016 financial results. The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations website, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. There is no passcode or meeting number. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We also own a 50 percent joint venture interest in the German brand TUI Cruises and a 49% interest in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and have a minority interest in smaller regional brands. Together, these brands operate a combined total of 49 ships with an additional thirteen on order. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 490 destinations on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com.

SOURCE Royal Caribbean

Related Links

http://www.royalcaribbean.com


SAN DIEGO, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Energy's Mexican subsidiary, Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova) (BMV: IENOVA), will announce its third-quarter 2016 earnings at 7 p.m. EDT, Oct. 27.

IEnova executives will conduct a conference call at 11 a.m. EDT, Oct. 28.

Investors, media, analysts and the general public may listen to a live webcast of the conference call at IEnova's website, www.ienova.com.mx, by clicking on the appropriate audio link. For those unable to obtain access to the live webcast, the teleconference will be available on replay a few hours after its conclusion by dialing 001 (855) 859-2056 and entering passcode 7914 8599#.

Briefing materials will be posted on IEnova's website by 7 p.m. EDT, Oct. 27.

IEnova develops, builds and operates energy infrastructure in Mexico. As of Dec. 31, 2015, the company had invested more than US$4 billion in operating assets and projects under construction in Mexico and is one of the largest private energy companies in the country. IEnova is the first energy infrastructure company to be listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2015 revenues of more than $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 17,000 employees serve more than 32 million consumers worldwide.

Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Sempra International's underlying entities include Sempra Mexico and Sempra South American Utilities. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's underlying entities include Sempra Renewables and Sempra Natural Gas.

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SOURCE Sempra Energy

Related Links

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CORRALITOS, Calif., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of the United Nations Universal Children's Day, Six Seconds, the Emotional Intelligence Network, will sponsor a global event focusing on the well being of children. With so many children facing challenging odds, whether they are seeking refuge from war-torn countries, or hunger, Six Seconds believes that one way to help is to focus on building empathy and strengthening relationships through emotional intelligence.

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Volunteers in 75 countries will hold free workshops to equip children and their adults with the social and emotional skill required to bring children's rights to action. The free emotional intelligence workshop kits are available for anyone to access by request on 6sec.org/children.

The Emotional Intelligence for Children's Day celebration, or #EQChildrensDay, will increase awareness of the essential role that emotional intelligence plays in our children's well-being, in our relationships with them; and in turn, in their capacity to make a positive difference in the world.

Starting on November 1, 2016, each week leading up to Universal Children's Day, participants will get EQ kits with resources, tools, and tips to practice emotional intelligence around three essential themes: EQ for Self Awareness, EQ for Relationships, and EQ for Our World. Then, on Nov 20, everyone involved will be invited to the 11:20/11:20 celebration  with a 24-hour feed of sharing pictures, stories, feelings  focused on children. For more information on emotional intelligence and the #EQChildrensDay campaign, see www.6seconds.org.

The United Nations declared Universal Children's Day to encourage societies to support the wellbeing of children. November 20th is the anniversary of the signing of Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely-signed human rights legislation in the history of the world.

Led by Six Seconds, Heart Beings, and CrowdRise, The Children's Day celebrations will create a long-lasting impact as participants will spread enthusiasm and skills for EQ beyond the event, remembering and talking about this as a catalyst for positive change. Children and adults will have specific skills and practical tools they will use everyday and into the future and organizations participating will have added support and revenues to expand their work spreading emotional intelligence.

The campaign includes Tools for emotional intelligence

In addition to the free workshops, volunteers in the project will receive downloadable free games, activity guides and conversation starters for adults and children to practice emotional intelligence.

Fundraising for EQ orgs

Through a special page on CrowdRise, organizations focused on the wellbeing of children will be able to raise funds to increase emotional intelligence skills for their staff members and the children they serve. This will multiply the power of EQ #ChildrensDay allowing efforts to sustain.

Stories of Positive Change

HeartBeings will feature stories of the beautiful work organizations are doing to make the world a better place by infusing emotional intelligence. HeartBeings celebrates what nourishes us, so we can all keep our hearts and minds focused on making the world better.

Six Seconds is a nonprofit organization researching what works in Emotional Intelligence and sharing best practices via methods & tools that are Global, Scientific, Transformational. We teach the skills of emotional intelligence to fill the "missing link" needed for people to become more aware, intentional, and purposeful so individuals, teams, organizations, families, schools and communities flourish.

Rachel Goodman, Communications Manager

831-419-9047

[email protected]

SOURCE Six Seconds

Related Links

http://www.6seconds.org


Asian geopolitics and the Philippine economy could undergo profound changes if Manila ends up breaking historic military and economic ties with the U.S. to ally with China instead.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced the "separation" during a state visit to China on Thursday, ending speculation as to whether or not he would follow up on previous threats of "breaking up with America."

Speaking to an audience in Beijing, the outspoken leader said that he had "realigned" himself to China's ideological flow. "Maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia . It's the only way," media quoted him as saying.

Philippine policymakers released a statement following his speech, clarifying that their county was not turning its back on the West and adding that Asian integration was long overdue. On Friday, Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines that his country would maintain its trade and economic ties with the U.S.

In recent weeks, the President has ramped up anti-American rhetoric while simultaneously cozying up towards the world's number two economy to gain Chinese funds and distance his country from the U.S., which has criticized the extra-judicial killings under his war on drugs.

The U.S. State Department said it was "baffled" by the comments. "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the President meant," said spokesman John Kirby, adding that America wasn't the only one feeling bewildered. "We have heard from many of our friends and partners in the region who are likewise confused about where this is going."



"Cutting ties with the U.S. doesn't mean cutting all ties. It simply means the unequal, special relations will have to end," Ramon Casiple, executive director at Quezon City-based think tank Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, told CNBC.

One example of these special ties is the visa process. "The Americans can enter the Philippines anytime without visas. Why? Why don't we make it reciprocal?" Duterte said during his Beijing speech.

Story continues

So, tighter entry requirements for Americans could be on the table, Casiple suggested. Other measures may include changes in access to resources, tax credits and preferential custom tariffs on industries controlled by Americans, or rules regarding U.S. custody of American servicemen undergoing criminal trial, he continued.

Indeed, any form of separation is unlikely to be official in nature given just how strategic of an ally the U.S. is to Manila, analysts said.

"The Philippines depends on the U.S. not just for military cooperation but also for economic support. American firms have invested a lot in the electronic industry. Remittances from the U.S. are large, and a lot of business process outsourcing (BPO) is also by American firms into the Philippines," pointed out Trinh Nguyen, Asia-Pacific economist at investment bank Natixis.

Remittances and the BPO sector are key pillars of the Philippine economy, contributing 10 and 6 percent, respectively, to annual gross domestic product. So if Duterte really did end economic ties, as indicated, it could significantly hit the domestic economy in terms of trade and labor movements, Nguyen added.





The move could also alter the balance of power in Southeast Asia.

Neighboring Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are already at odds with China over territorial claims to the South China Sea, a conflict that has weighed on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The bloc was under pressure to produce a united stance on the issue during a July meeting but failed to do so after Cambodia, upon China's request, blocked any mention of The Hague's court ruling on the matter in an official statement marking the end of the summit.

Now that the Washington can no longer count Manila as a steadfast ally in Southeast Asia, that could provide Beijing with leverage to expand its grip in the already-tense region, suggested Joseph Franco, research fellow at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"Expect the Indonesians to buff up their presence in the Natunas [islands located in the South China Sea], or for Malaysia to patrol more into its claims."

Still, many were skeptical as to whether Duterte's remark on Thursday indicated a true change in policy.

"Part of me is thinking that this is all just posturing. After the U.S. elections, you could expect the Duterte administration to come back to Washington ... Duterte and his minions are far from being the master chess players they think they are, they are just muddling and bumbling through every day," commented Franco.

The administration has yet to officially execute the breakup request as Washington has not received any formal notice.

Duterte had previously threatened to end a key U.S.-Philippine military pact that would eject American troops from the island nation, but it's unclear whether he will actually do it. The countries carry out 28 joint military exercises each year , while around 107 U.S. troops are involved in surveillance operations against militants in the southern Mindano province.

"Let's see if his words are just to win new friends or will translate to shifting out of the U.S. influence. .. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Nguyen echoed.

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PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 top-tier investors from five continents will gather in Kansas City for the Kauffman Fellows Reunion VC Summit from October 24 to 25. The summit will highlight global trends in venture capital and focus on the explosive growth of the Midwestern startup scene, the transformation of agriculture and future investment opportunities in agtech, and the innovative spirit of the Midcontinent region. The conference marks the 8th Kauffman Fellows global summit, with previous events held in Singapore, Dublin, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, New York City, Mexico City, and Tokyo.

This ecosystem immersion conference will feature an array of venture capitalists, CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs from the Midwest and around the globe. Keynote speakers Steve Case, CEO of Revolution, and Brad Feld, Managing Partner of the Foundry Group, will both address challenges and opportunities of investing outside Silicon Valley. Their speeches will be livestreamed during the event on the Kauffman Fellows website.

Mark Kvamme, Founder of Drive Capital, Freada Kapor Klein, Partner at Kapor Capital, and a host of other industry leaders will focus on developing diverse talent, opportunities, and capital formation in the U.S. heartland. On Monday October 24, a major announcement will be made by Kauffman Foundation CEO Wendy Guillies about an exciting new partnership between the Foundation and Kauffman Fellows, which will accelerate capital formation expertise across the Midwest.

"I'm excited to welcome Kauffman Fellows to my home town for this year's VC summit," said Keith Harrington, Partner at Fulcrum Global Capital and member of Kauffman Fellows Class 20. "I'm thrilled that KC's entrepreneurs have a chance to connect with top investors from around the world. By co-sponsoring the event, the Kauffman Foundation is honoring the spirit of Mr. K's entrepreneurial legacy."

The Kansas City summit is also a reunion. The Kauffman Fellows Program developed inside the Kauffman Foundation in 1995 as part of Ewing Marion Kauffman's vision to support entrepreneurs by promoting better relationships between venture capitalists and founders. This 8th Kauffman Fellows global summit celebrates the organization's renewed partnership with and roots in the Kauffman Foundation.

Kauffman Fellows describes its community of nearly 500 Fellows from 40 countries as "Smart Connected Capital" and plans to showcase similar efforts in the heartland. The summit will take place Monday October 24 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and Tuesday October 25 at the Kauffman Foundation.

This strictly closed-door, invitation-only event is open to the media all day Monday and during the Tuesday morning agenda. Tuesday afternoon's sessions are closed to all but invited guests. Please send speaker-interview requests in advance.

About Kauffman Fellows

Kauffman Fellows offers a two-year innovation and leadership program based in Silicon Valley, now in its 21st year, with nearly 500 Fellows investing billions into startup communities globally. Graduates lead venture capital, government, corporate, university, and startup innovation efforts around the world. Kauffman Fellows has a strong commitment to diversity and actively recruits women and minorities. Inspired by Ewing Marion Kauffman and his legacy of shared ownership, accountability, and experimentation, we measure success in enduring new businesses that generate long-term returns for principals, investors, and society as a whole.

Rusty Dornin

Director of Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

www.kauffmanfellows.org

415-999-7806

SOURCE Kauffman Fellows

Related Links

http://www.kauffmanfellows.org


SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartisan Technology, a prominent Chinese mobile hardware producer, has introduced a new operating system, Smartisan OS 3.1, with over 200 new features and improvements, delivering a more enjoyable and efficient user experience. Smartisan Technology plans to open source two of OS 3.1's innovative features  "Big Bang" and "One Step"  which it hopes will become the new standard for the next generation of Android phones and secure its future as a solid contributor to the Android community.

The announcement came with the unveiling of the newest additions to Smartisan Technology's smartphone lineup, the M1 and M1L. The new M-Series phones feature top-of-the-industry hardware configurations and stunning craftsmanship. The M1 and M1L began sales in China on Smartisan's official website and other major Chinese ecommerce platforms such as JD.com, Tmall, Suning and Yihaodian, beginning from 11 p.m. on Oct 18.

"With innovative new features like One Step and Big Bang, our new OS 3.1 brings smartphone functionality to the level of the desktop and beyond, allowing smartphone users to work more efficiently and accomplish tasks which previously could only be done on PCs," said Mr. Yonghao Luo, Smartisan's Chief Executive Officer. "We are committed to open sourcing our revolutionary Big Bang and One Step features to encourage more developers to upgrade how people interact with their smartphones. We also expect Google will consider applying these new features to Android's underlying mechanisms, and make it a new standard for the next generation of Android phones, providing all users with greater convenience and efficiency."

"We have always been dedicated to producing smartphones that feature superior craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. We are proud of the new M-Series, which showcases our ability to marry art and technology in a smartphone that truly makes life easier for the user. It's a phone for Android users, by Android lovers."

Robust New Operating System: Introducing Smartisan OS 3.1

Smartisan launched its new OS 3.1 operation system at 10 p.m. on October 18, 2016. Among the 200 new and upgraded functions, the new OS includes a voice input system that offers 97% accuracy for dictated text. The new system also adds two revolutionary new features: "One Step" and "Big Bang".

With "One-Step", users can easily drag-and-drop most file types, including pictures, documents or snippets of text from one app to another, or send them to any contact. Similar to how one "drags-and-drops" files on a PC, this feature significantly improves the efficiency of interaction between different APPs.

"Big Bang" solves the editing problem on the mobile screen. Through "Big Bang", users can select sentences or paragraphs and separate them into smaller fragments. Users can then easily select, search, edit or share the selected words. Big Bang goes beyond basic text editing, and allows users to edit words within photos as well.

These two features improve efficiency of use, allowing users to enjoy the freedom and control of their content which was previously only available on the desktop.

Slick New Hardware

Inheriting the concise and elegant design philosophy of all Smartisan product lines, the Smartisan

M-Series smartphones employ a symmetrical design with buttons on both sides of a seamless metal mid-frame. The M-Series boldly adapts new materials and manufacturing technologies, combining the proximity sensor and receiver to ensure a sleek, unique design. Both phones are available in Mocha-Gold Leather, White-Matte Aluminum or a limited-edition White-Chrome Stainless Steel.

M1 offers 4G RAM + 32G of storage and the M1L offers 4G RAM + 32G or 6G + 64G storage. Both phones use the new generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 mobile processor, which runs at a top speed of 2.35GHz and gives the M1/M1L the best CPU performance among current Android phones.

Smartisan M1 features a 5.15 inch JDI 1080p screen and the Smartisan M1L has a 5.7 inch 2K resolution screen, both covering over 95% of the NTSC color space. The new phones both feature a 23 megapixel Sony camera offering superb optical and electronic image stabilization and auto-focusing capabilities, 4K videos and photos with a maximum resolution of 5488 x 4112 pixels.

Both versions support Dual SIM Dual Standby to give consumers the highest degree of flexibility. Embracing the rapid development of mobile transactions in China, the Smartisan M-Series features

in-app fingerprint recognition, allowing consumers to quickly and safely use popular mobile payment services such as WeChat Pay, Alipay and Union Pay. Supporting its feature rich design, the Smartisan M1 and M1L are equipped with long-lasting, high efficiency 3050 mAh and 4080 mAh batteries, respectively, and super-fast 24W QuickCharge 3.0 charging technology.

Ongoing contributions to the Android community

Smartisan announced that it will open source "One Step" and "Big Bang" to the Android community, with the intention that they will become standard features in the next generation of Android.

This is not the first time the company has made the Android community a business priority. Smartisan has donated tickets sales from its new product launch events to the open source community since 2014. In 2016 alone, over 10,000 developers and tech-enthusiasts attended its events. In celebration of this milestone, Smartisan will donate approximately 3 million RMB from sales of tickets of this year's and last year's launch events to OpenSSL Software Foundation and the OpenBSD Foundation, two Android open source service organizations.

The innovative spirit that drove the development of the M-Series is at the core of Smartisan. Founded by Mr. Yonghao Luo, a former English teacher, in 2012, the Smartisan T1 was the first smartphone from mainland China to be honored with a 2015 iF Design Gold Award. Internationally recognized as one of the top design competitions, the 2015 iF Design Awards featured 4,783 products submitted by 2,102 participants from 53 different countries.

About Smartisan:

Smartisan Technology, whose business focuses primarily on the sale of smartphones, digital products and related services. Our mission is to draw upon a spirit of artisanship and perfectionism to create consumer electronic products that offer a first-rate user experience and improve people's quality of life. The English name "Smartisan" is a combination of "smart" and "artisan," signifying "artisanship in the smartphone era." In the Android smartphone field our team stands out for its exceptional talent both in the design of graphical user interfaces and user experience and in the industrial design of hardware.

Smartisan Technology was founded in May, 2012.

Press Contacts:

Larry Hsu

Marketing Communication Director

Smartisan Technology

Phone: 010-64391922

Email: [email protected]

Phillip Lisio

The Foote Group

Phone: +86 (21) 62305097

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Smartisan Technology
OREM, Utah and OXFORD, England and LONDON, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah Valley University (UVU) and the Glaziers' Livery Company today announced that Christ Church, Oxford University and the Glaziers' Art Fair will include an exhibition of Roots of Knowledge, a significant work of stained glass, prior to its permanent installation in the library at UVU in Orem, Utah.

Conceived by artist Tom Holdman and UVU President Matthew Holland, Roots of Knowledge combines the work and guidance of 40+ professional artists, 26 UVU scholars and 350+ UVU students. The permanent installation will be unveiled on Nov. 18 to coincide with the university's 75th anniversary.

Roots of Knowledge's 80 stained glass windows, totaling 10 feet by 200 feet and containing 60,000 pieces of glass, depict humanity's quest for knowledge since the dawn of time.

"We are honored to have this major work of art showing at Glaziers' Hall and with the support of the venerable Glaziers' Company, which has played such a prominent role in the history of London's decorative arts," said UVU President Matthew Holland. "Roots of Knowledge combines art and education to chronicle world history and humanity's quest for progress, including Great Britain's many contributions to society  from the Crystal Palace and the Iguanodon sculptures to Shakespeare, Stonehenge and Wolseley Motors."

Six panes from Roots of Knowledge will be displayed at Christ Church in Oxford on Oct. 22 and in the Glaziers' Hall Library on Oct. 25 and 26. For more information on the Glaziers' Art Fair event, visit https://glaziersartfair.com.

About Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University is home to nearly 35,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college, and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah's largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees.

About The Glaziers' Company of the City of London

The Glaziers' Company is one of the City of London's historic medieval Livery Companies, or craft guilds. The history of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass dates back to 1328. It was incorporated by Royal Charter and granted Livery in 1638. The Company, which plays a full part in the civic life of City of London, maintains strong links with those practicing the art and craft as glaziers and painters of glass.

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SOURCE Utah Valley University

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ATLANTA, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE: STI) announced today it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of the operating subsidiaries of Pillar Financial, LLC. The assets include Pillar's multi-family lending business, which is comprised of multi-family affordable housing, healthcare properties, senior housing, and manufactured housing specialty teams. The assets also include Chicago-based Cohen Financial's commercial real estate investor services business, offering loan administration and advisory services, as well as their mortgage banking business. Pillar is one of a select group of independent Agency lenders that holds licenses with all three agencies: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration. The acquisition of the Agency multi-family lender strategically expands the commercial real estate capabilities of SunTrust.

"This acquisition will enhance our commercial real estate platform by providing our clients with full access to the Agency programs currently licensed to Pillar. In addition, SunTrust will offer Pillar clients access to a number of expanded products and capabilities including bridge loans, equity for affordable housing developments, and a full suite of capital markets capabilities through SunTrust Robinson Humphrey," said Mark Chancy, SunTrust Wholesale Banking executive.

"SunTrust and Pillar make a fantastic combination since there is very little overlap in our capabilities, yet there is tremendous synergy and compatibility. Our management team is energized to serve our clients with the significant product offerings of SunTrust," said Anand Gajjar, CEO and senior managing director of Pillar Financial, LLC.

Following completion of the acquisition, the Pillar team will join the SunTrust Commercial Real Estate (CRE) line of business, which is part of the Wholesale Banking Segment. Gajjar will report to Kathy Farrell, Commercial Real Estate executive. CRE provides banking and capital markets solutions to commercial real estate developers, owners and operators on a national and regional basis through its SunTrust Community Capital, REIT, Institutional Real Estate, Homebuilder, Regional CRE, and Real Estate Investment Banking platforms.

The transaction is expected to close before year-end, subject to receiving Agency approvals and satisfying other closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. SunTrust Robinson Humphrey served as financial advisor to SunTrust for this transaction. Beekman Advisors acted as the strategic advisor for Pillar.

About SunTrust Banks, Inc.

SunTrust Banks, Inc. is a purpose-driven company dedicated to Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being for the people, businesses, and communities it serves. Headquartered in Atlanta, the Company has three business segments: Consumer Banking and Private Wealth Management, Wholesale Banking, and Mortgage Banking. Its flagship subsidiary, SunTrust Bank, operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states, along with 24-hour digital access. Certain business lines serve consumer, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients nationally. As of June 30, 2016, SunTrust had total assets of $199 billion and total deposits of $153 billion. The Company provides deposit, credit, trust, investment, mortgage, asset management, securities brokerage, and capital market services. SunTrust leads onUp, a national movement inspiring Americans to build financial confidence. Join the movement at onUp.com.

About Pillar Financial, LLC.

Pillar is a direct lender for multi-family and healthcare properties, serving clients across the U.S. in more than 20 major markets. The Company's lending platform consists of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, and CMBS products. Pillar provides a full array of financing solutions, covering market-rate and affordable family housing, student and senior housing, manufactured home and RV communities, as well as healthcare properties such as assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing facilities. Through its Chicago-based Cohen Financial affiliate, Pillar provides access to a highly rated, primary and special servicer, offering customized solutions to a broad array of institutional investors and lenders, as well as customized mortgage banking and advisory consulting services for commercial real estate capital borrowers. For more information, visit www.pillarfinance.com.

SOURCE SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.suntrust.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Texas Association of Realtors and TREPAC announced the slate of candidates receiving its support in the November general election.

Texas Association of Realtors Chairman Leslie Rouda Smith commended the candidates for their commitment to protecting private-property rights.

"The Texas Association of Realtors supports these candidates because they are committed to protecting the rights of Texas property owners at the state and federal level," Smith said.

"We expect the Texas Legislature to make property-tax relief a priority during the 85th legislative session, and we're looking forward to working with lawmakers to find a sustainable solution for property owners in Texas."

Statewide Offices

Supreme Court of Texas, Place 3 Debra Lehrmann Supreme Court of Texas, Place 5 Paul Green Supreme Court of Texas, Place 9 Eva Guzman

U.S. House of Representatives

District 1 Louie Gohmert District 2 Ted Poe District 3 Sam Johnson District 4 John Ratcliffe District 5 Jeb Hensarling District 6 Joe Barton District 7 John Culberson District 8 Kevin Brady District 9 Al Green District 10 Michael McCaul District 11 Mike Conaway District 12 Kay Granger District 13 Mac Thornberry District 14 Randy Weber District 15 Vicente Gonzalez District 17 Bill Flores District 18 Sheila Jackson Lee District 19 Jodey Arrington District 20 Joaquin Castro District 21 Lamar Smith District 22 Pete Olson District 23 Will Hurd District 24 Kenny Marchant District 25 Roger Williams District 26 Michael Burgess District 27 Blake Farenthold District 28 Henry Cuellar District 29 Gene Green District 30 Eddie Bernice Johnson District 31 John Carter District 32 Pete Sessions District 33 Marc Veasey District 34 Filemon Vela District 35 Lloyd Doggett District 36 Brian Babin

Texas Senate

District 1 Bryan Hughes District 4 Brandon Creighton District 6 Sylvia Garcia District 11 Larry Taylor District 12 Jane Nelson District 13 Borris Miles District 18 Lois Kolkhorst District 19 Carlos Uresti District 20 Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa District 21 Judith Zaffirini District 22 Brian Birdwell District 24 Dawn Buckingham District 26 Jose Menendez District 27 Eddie Lucio Jr. District 28 Charles Perry District 29 Jose Rodriguez

Texas House of Representatives

District 1 Gary VanDeaver District 2 Dan Flynn District 3 Cecil Bell District 4 Lance Gooden District 5 Cole Hefner District 7 Jay Dean District 8 Byron Cook District 9 Chris Paddie District 10 John Wray District 11 Travis Clardy District 12 Kyle Kacal District 13 Leighton Schubert District 14 John Raney District 15 Mark Keough District 16 Will Metcalf District 17 John Cyrier District 18 Ernest Bailes District 19 James White District 20 Terry Wilson District 21 Dade Phelan District 22 Joe Deshotel District 23 Wayne Faircloth District 24 Greg Bonnen District 25 Dennis Bonnen District 26 Rick Miller District 27 Ron Reynolds District 28 John Zerwas District 29 Ed Thompson District 30 Geanie Morrison District 31 Ryan Guillen District 32 Todd Hunter District 33 Justin Holland District 34 Abel Herrero District 35 Oscar Longoria District 36 Sergio Munoz, Jr. District 37 Rene Oliveira District 38 Eddie Lucio III District 39 Armando "Mando" Martinez District 40 Terry Canales District 41 Robert "Bobby" Guerra District 42 Richard Pena Raymond District 43 J.M. Lozano District 44 John Kuempel District 45 Jason Isaac District 47 Paul Workman District 48 Donna Howard District 49 Gina Hinojosa District 50 Celia Israel District 51 Eddie Rodriguez District 52 Larry Gonzales District 53 Andrew Murr District 54 Scott Cosper District 55 Hugh Shine District 56 Charles "Doc" Anderson District 57 Trent Ashby District 58 DeWayne Burns District 59 J.D. Sheffield District 61 Phil King District 62 Larry Phillips District 63 Tan Parker District 64 Lynn Stucky District 65 Ron Simmons District 66 Matt Shaheen District 67 Jeff Leach District 68 Drew Springer District 69 James Frank District 70 Scott Sanford District 71 Stan Lambert District 72 Drew Darby District 74 Alfonso "Poncho" Nevarez District 75 Mary Gonzalez District 76 Cesar Blanco District 77 Evelina Ortega District 78 Joe Moody District 79 Joe Pickett District 80 Tracy O. King District 81 Brooks Landgraf District 82 Tom Craddick District 83 Dustin Burrows District 84 John Frullo District 85 Phil Stephenson District 86 John Smithee District 87 Walter "Four" Price District 88 Ken King District 89 Jodie Laubenberg District 90 Ramon Romero, Jr. District 91 Stephanie Klick District 92 Jonathan Stickland District 93 Matt Krause District 94 Tony Tinderholt District 95 Nicole Collier District 96 Bill Zedler District 97 Craig Goldman District 98 Giovanni Capriglione District 99 Charlie Geren District 100 Eric Johnson District 101 Chris Turner District 102 Linda Koop District 103 Rafael Anchia District 104 Roberto Alonzo District 105 Rodney Anderson District 106 Pat Fallon District 107 Kenneth Sheets District 108 Morgan Meyer District 109 Helen Giddings District 110 Toni Rose District 111 Yvonne Davis District 112 Angie Chen Button District 113 Cindy Burkett District 114 Jason Villalba District 116 Diana Arevalo District 117 Rick Galindo District 118 John Lujan District 119 Roland Gutierrez District 120 Barbara Gervin-Hawkins District 121 Joe Straus District 122 Lyle Larson District 123 Diego Bernal District 124 Ina Minjarez District 125 Justin Rodriguez District 126 Kevin Roberts District 127 Dan Huberty District 128 Briscoe Cain District 129 Dennis Paul District 130 Tom Oliverson District 131 Alma Allen District 132 Mike Schofield District 133 Jim Murphy District 134 Sarah Davis District 135 Gary Elkins District 136 Tony Dale District 137 Gene Wu District 138 Dwayne Bohac District 139 Jarvis Johnson District 140 Armando Walle District 141 Senfronia Thompson District 142 Harold Dutton, Jr. District 143 Ana Hernandez District 144 Gilbert Pena District 145 Carol Alvarado District 146 Shawn Thierry District 147 Garnet Coleman District 148 Jessica Farrar District 149 Hubert Vo District 150 Valoree Swanson

About the Texas Association of REALTORS Political Action Committee (TREPAC)

For more than four decades, the Texas Association of REALTORS Political Action Committee (TREPAC) has provided a powerful voice to protect the needs of real estate professionals and property owners. TREPAC is a voluntary, nonprofit organization. The voluntary investments received go toward supporting issues that directly affect Texas property owners. TREPAC specifically uses these voluntary investments to help elect local, state, and national public officials with a record of preserving private-property rights and keeping homeownership affordable in Texas. As a political action committee, TREPAC complies with all state and federal campaign contribution laws.

About the Texas Association of REALTORS

With more than 100,000 members, the Texas Association of REALTORS is one of the largest not-for-profit professional membership associations in Texas. The association represents Texas REALTORS involved in all aspects of real estate and advocates on behalf of the real estate industry and private-property owners. For more information, visit TexasRealEstate.com.

CONTACT: Jaime Lee

Texas Association of REALTORS

512.370.2152

[email protected]

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SOURCE Texas Association of Realtors

Related Links

http://www.texasrealestate.com


Mr. Stallings tested Goodyear LSW Super Single tires in a head-to-head test with Michelin standard duals. He chose two fields with comparable historical data and planted Pioneer 2089YHR seed corn purchased from Rowling Moxley Ag in Charleston, MO and Bayer Credenz 4878 soybeans purchased from MRM Ag Services in East Prairie, MO. Agronomic oversight for the test was provided by agronomists, Jake Mikels and Brandon Dirnberger, from Wheat Tech Agronomy. Last spring the test plots were planted in alternating rows with two identical New Holland T-8 255 hp tractors and 16-row Kinze 3600 planters. The first tractor was fitted with Michelin duals 380/80R38 on the front set at 20 psi and 480/80R50 rears set at 15 psi. The second tractor was fitted with Goodyear LSW1000/40R32 fronts at 12 psi and Goodyear LSW1100/45R46 rears at 8 psi.

The tire depth measurements taken during the corn planting are shown here, with an average of 1.580 with Goodyear LSW Super Singles vs. 2.550 with Michelin Duals.



Tire Depth  Corn Planting

Goodyear Farm

Tires LSW Super

Single Tires Michelin

Dual

Tires Median 1.625 2.625 Min 0.500 1.000 Max 2.875 4.250 Range 2.375 3.250 Std Dev 0.515 0.634 Avg 1.580 2.550

Increased compaction is a result of running standard OEM duals. Additionally, the pressure of the narrow duals causes rutting between the tires. That pinch row effect from narrow duals showed a negative impact on yields, through stunted root growth development and poor seed germination. The following graphic shows the center line of corn rows in reference to the tire track for both tractors. The 20 percent increased footprint of the Goodyear LSW Super Singles reduced ground-bearing pressure. As you see can see in the photo of the corn stalk comparison from the growing season, the LSW-equipped tractor produced taller and healthier corn (the stalks on the right).

In September, results from the corn harvest showed that the test plot with the Goodyear LSW Super Singles yielded 5 bushels more per acre compared to the Michelin duals; on average, 179.01 bushels per acre vs. 174.01 bushels per acre, respectively. That is a $16 per acre advantage to Mr. Stallings' bottom line, without taking into consideration the 5% savings on fuel cost. The results of the soybean harvest showed that the Goodyear LSW Super Singles yielded 6 bushels more per acre compared to the Michelin duals; on average, 83 bushels per acre vs. 77 bushels per acre, respectively. That yield increase translates to almost $60 per acre advantage, which is tremendous for a farmer's bottom line. With those corn yield increases alone and the set up that Mr. Stallings uses, a farmer could pay off an LSW upgrade in less than a year.

Titan has another test site in northwest Illinois that is expected to back up the findings from the southeast Missouri trial. Taylor commented, "Titan's entire LSW team is very excited about this news as it's been a priority to get real data on how good these tires are for farmers and confirming Titan's statement that these tires make every piece of equipment perform better. I'm very happy for all of the Titan team and look forward to working with farmers and dealers to increase their yields. The OEMs will realize the benefits of the Goodyear Farm LSW technology and will be shocked that they could have had these LSW tires on their equipment five years ago."

Stallings also commented that area farmers are coming to see the LSW Super Singles and asking him about the yield increase. In fact, Frank Stallings (cousin of Mark), loves the T-8 with Goodyear LSW Super Singles and has shared his success with the tires on Facebook.

This winter Taylor will start attending various FFA meetings talking about the Goodyear LSW Super Singles. Taylor commented, "I'll enjoy talking to them. We support numerous FFA organizations across the country. These kids are the future of ag in America and they need to be aware of the innovations available to their farms."

Titan is also testing benefits of Titan LSW tires on construction and mining equipment and will share results once available.

Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI), a holding company, owns subsidiaries that supply wheels, tires and assemblies for off-highway equipment used in agricultural, earthmoving/construction and consumer (including all terrain vehicles) applications. Titan Tire Corporation is one of North America's largest manufacturers of off-highway tires. Production facilities are located in Freeport, Ill.; Bryan, Ohio; and Des Moines, Iowa; which also serves as the headquarters for the tire group. The company manufactures two distinct brands  Titan and Goodyear Farm Tires  known for their quality craftsmanship, unique tread designs and excellent durability.

Please send all reader and sales inquiries to: [email protected]

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Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431321-INFO

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431322

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161021/431323

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SOURCE Titan International

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SALT LAKE CITY and OREM, Utah, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah Valley University (UVU), Utah's largest institution of higher learning and Utah Education Network (UEN), a nationally recognized innovator in broadband and broadcast delivery of educational services for educators and students, today announced plans to create companion curriculum and field trips to accompany the Roots of Knowledge stained glass undertaking soon to be a fixture on the UVU campus. The bold and large-scale permanent public art installation will debut Nov. 18 and mark the culminating moment of UVU's 75th anniversary celebration. Tapping the ancient storytelling art form of stained glass, while uniquely adapting it for a modern, secular setting, UVU is creating both a singular artistic landmark on campus and a powerful engaged learning model for the state.

Roots of Knowledge will be comprised of 80 individual panes that will span an epic 10 feet in height and 200 feet in length when completed. A fusion of art, education, and public space, Roots of Knowledge starts with the dawn of humanity and ends with the present day. The series of stained glass windows chronicles the human quest for intellectual advancement and progress. The panes are vibrantly colored glass paintings and interpretations of world history, including major inventions such as the Mayan Calendar and the printing press; important figures such as Joan of Arc and the Kangxi Emperor; and the American Civil Rights Movement; and thousands of other historical figures, tools and events. The sweeping panorama begins with a life-size depiction of one of the oldest living trees, the bristlecone pine Methuselah, in spring, and its roots and branches travel chronologically, interlacing like the strands of a DNA chain across all 80 panes. Altogether, Roots of Knowledge incorporates 60,000 pieces of glass, as well as actual rock, fossils, coins, meteorite, petrified wood and coral.

Conceived by Utah artist and former UVU student Tom Holdman and UVU President Matthew Holland, Roots of Knowledge combines the work and guidance of 40+ professional artists, 26 UVU scholars and more than 350 UVU students.

"Roots of Knowledge is an extraordinary blend of art, education and history and we immediately recognized its potential as a learning platform for teachers and students," said Laura G. Hunter, Chief Operating Officer for UEN. "In our role as an aggregator and producer of curriculum resources, we are honored to join with UVU to extend the reach of Roots of Knowledge through rich educational materials and field trip opportunities for students and teachers across Utah. Our approach in creating curriculum builds on the wonderful engaged-learning model behind the creation of Roots of Knowledge and embodied at UVU."

The UEN curriculum will be tailored to a variety of subjects  such as social studies, math, science and language arts  and will include coursework related to field trips to view the Roots of Knowledge windows. The Roots of Knowledge curriculum will include lesson plans and discussion activities to help students understand the purpose of this art project as well as the history it depicts.

"As one of the nation's premier education networks, UEN will be an invaluable partner in helping UVU bring the myriad educational lessons encapsulated in Roots of Knowledge to millions of Utah's students," said President Holland. "We believe that this major art project, which has been in the works for over a decade, will not just teach students about world history, but will also help them understand the contribution each and every one of them can make to this world."

The partnership between UEN and Roots of Knowledge exemplifies UVU's engaged learning philosophy. As one of the four core themes of UVU, engaged learning immerses students in real-world contexts within their curriculum and activities outside the classroom. UEN, which provides broadband infrastructure and support to Utah public education, higher education and libraries, will be providing web-based educational outreach, including video clips, virtual tours and other resources, to complement the Roots of Knowledge installation. Distance education programs will also be developed for students unable to visit the campus.

Roots of Knowledge Fast Facts:

80 panes

60,000 pieces of individual glass

Combines the work and knowledge of more than 40 professional artists and 26 UVU scholars

350+ UVU students participated in the project, as painters, project managers, programmers, designers and artists

Additional Resources:

Roots of Knowledge: http://www.uvu.edu/rootsofknowledge/

UVU Twitter: https://twitter.com/UVU

UVU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UVUwolverines/

Utah Education Network: http://www.uen.org/

About Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, and is home to nearly 35,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college, and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah's largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees, with emphasis on undergraduate education and engaged learning.

About Utah Education Network

The Utah Education Network (UEN) is a statewide broadband and broadcast network established by the Utah Legislature in 1989 that offers a scope of Broadband Infrastructure, Interactive Video Conferencing and Instructional Resources to more than 800,000 students and educators statewide.

In 2014, the Utah Education Network (UEN) and the Utah Telehealth Network (UTN) merged to form the Utah Education Telehealth Network (UETN), one of the nation's premier education networks. The UETN brings together two well-established organizations that provide critical statewide services to Utah and connects all Utah school districts, schools, and higher education institutions to a robust network and quality educational resources.

About Holdman Studios

Based in Lehi, Utah, Holdman Studios has been designing glass art since 1988. It has been commissioned worldwide to design and create various projects in glass, each unique in its own style and design. Many projects have been completed for commercial buildings, private residences, religious institutions and public art projects. Under the leadership of Tom Holdman, the Holdman Studios' team of artists designs every stained glass window from scratch. The studio's work is on display in all 50 states and several countries worldwide.

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SOURCE Utah Valley University

Related Links

http://www.uvu.edu


NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- View:

The Vietnamese mobile market has experienced strong growth in the past and the uptake of 3G and fibre broadband has been robust in 2015, demonstrating the rising inclination towards both mobile and fixed data usage. We continue to retain a positive view on the adoption of premium services and advanced networks, although we believe that the governmental restrictions on 4G rollouts could restrict telecoms operators' abilities to satisfy growing data consumption needs - in the short term at least. MobiFone is once again in the spotlight with the government looking to sell 49% of the company. We believe that a good foreign investor could inject a strong and positive impetus for renewed competition in the marketplace and drive forward the uptake of 4G services in the coming years.

Latest Updates & Industry Developments



- We are forecasting 134.1mn mobile subscribers by end-2020, for a 136.6% penetration rate. Out of this number, 55.9mn will be 3G/4G connections. However, the figure is distorted by inactive prepaid subscriptions and multiple SIM ownership.



- MobiFone's partial privatisation is once again dominating the Vietnamese telecommunications agenda with Australia's Telstra and Norway's Telenor both interested in the operator. We hold a favourable view of the foreign entrants looking to compete in Vietnam as it could provide new competition and drive forward the uptake of advanced services and new technologies, especially with the country not yet having officially rolled out 4G services.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p0163840-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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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
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 15 : India and Russia on Saturday signed 16 agreements across diverse sectors following delegation-level talks co-chaired 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 inter-governmental agreements (IGAs) for procurement of the S-400 air defence system and construction of 1135.6 series of frigates through partnership between Russian and Indian shipyards.

Another agreement was signed to set up a joint venture to manufacture the Ka-226T helicopter in India.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for setting up an investment fund of $1 billion by the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

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 between Gazprom and Engineers India Limited (EIL) for the joint study of a gas pipeline to India from Russia and other areas of cooperation.

According to a 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 Russia's Roscosmos on mutual allocation of ground measurement gathering stations for Russian space-based navigational system GLONASS and Indian regional navigational system NAVIC.

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.

An MoU was signed between India's Department of Science and Technology and Russia's Federal Agency for Scientific Organisations.

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.
Dhaka, Oct 17 : At least four mid-level leaders of the banned New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh militant faction, the group behind the July 1 Dhaka terror attack, have sneaked into India, Bangladesh police said.

The police, after raiding different places to arrest leaders and supporters of New JMB group, said that at least four out of 12 mid-level JMB leaders have sneaked into India while others remain out of their radar. The Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh follows the ideology of Islamic State.

"Four of them left the country after the Gulshan attack and have now been staying in India," a high official of the police's Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, requesting anonymity, confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.

Police also said the New JMB leaders have been recruiting fresh members amid a police crackdown that began after the July 1 Gulshan cafe attack.

Law enforcers have killed over three dozens of New JMB members including its military and operations chief Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, mastermind of the Dhaka cafe attack, and his close associates since the Holey Artisan Bakery attack that claimed the lives of at least 24 persons, mostly foreigners.

Identities of the 12 mid-level leaders, including a woman, were found after interrogating several arrested members of the group and examining the laptop of Tamim Chowdhury recovered from his den in Narayanganj, police said.

The four who have fled to India are identified as Sohel Mahfuz alias Hatkata Mahfuz, Ripon, Khalid and so-called "big brother" Junayed Hasan Khan.

The others who are believed to be in Bangladesh include Iqbal, Manik, Mamun, Azadul Kabiraz, Badal and female wing leader Jebunnahar Shila.

Apart from these 12 leaders, the investigators are looking for three top-tier leaders - Gulshan attack coordinator Nurul Islam Marjan, IT wing in-charge Basharuzzaman alias Abul Bashar alias Chocolate and trainer Jahangir alias Rajib Gandhi.

However, the investigators have not been able to trace the chief of the New JMB, who is identified as Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif by the IS.

The matter of fresh recruitment came to light after the latest raid on a New JMB den at Patartek of Gazipur last week. Some of the seven militants killed during the raid were recruited after the Gulshan attack, police added.

Monirul Islam, chief of the CTTC unit, said that they had already taken different initiatives to stop New JMB's recruitment, "but it cannot be done by the police alone. The relatives also need to be aware of the changing behaviour of their near ones," the Dhaka Tribune quoted him as saying.

Another high official of the CTTC unit said that they had not been able to arrest the top leaders of New JMB since they do not use any technological devices. "So we have to work manually - interrogating arrestees and observing a certain area for a long."

Sanowar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner of the CTTC unit, suspects that after the death of Tamim in Narayanganj and Faridul Islam alias Akash in Patartek raids, the New JMB's operations wing leadership would now go to Marjan, a former student of Chittagong University linked to Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.
Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), Oct 18 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a dig at Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, saying "Do I need to tell you about his identity?", alluding to the corruption charges against him.

Hailing former Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Ministers of the state, Modi said, "Shanta Kumar ji is remembered as 'Paani Wale CM' and Dhumal ji (Prem Kumar Dhumal) as 'Grameen Sadak Wale CM'."

"And we all know about this Chief Minister. What is the identity of the present Chief Minister? Do I have to say this here?" said Modi.

"This is the difference. The BJP CMs dedicated themselves to providing water and roads. But the others who came...what all did they not dedicate to themselves!" he added.

Modi inaugurated three power projects -- Koldam HEP (4x200MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67MW) of SJVN -- having the total generation capacity of 1,732MW.

Talking about Koldam hydro power plant, Modi said: "The project was signed with Russia to build Koldam Dam Hydropower Project in 1962 on Satluj river. This project was delayed by successive governments. When Atal ji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) became the Prime Minister, he gave a push to the project."

Modi also described Himachal Pradesh as "Devbhoomi" (land of gods) and "Veerbhoomi" (land of the brave).

"Atal ji hamesha maanate the, ki agar unka koi dusra ghar hai to wo Himachal hai (Atal ji always considered Himachal his second home)," Modi said.
Hyderabad, Oct 18 : Telangana and Illinois in the United States on Monday signed an MoU for cooperation in various fields, including smart state solutions, e-governance, entrepreneurship, innovation, business incubators, job creation and best practices.

Under the smart state solutions, Illinois will introduce "Array of Things" sensors for monitoring air pollution in Telangana.

Telangana's Principal Secretary (Industries and Commerce) Arvind Kumar signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Chicago with Hardik Bhatt, Secretary of Innovation and Technology and State Chief Information Officer of Illinois.

State Minister for Industries and Commerce and Information Technology K.T. Rama Rao and Consulate General of India in Chicago Ausaf Sayeed were present on the occasion.

The two states will share best practices, tools and processes for disaster and emergency management, data management, data analytics, open data and Intelligent Transportation Systems, according to a statement from the minister's office here.

Rama Rao is on the second leg of his business visit to the US to promote Telangana as an investments destination.

The MoU aims to promote entrepreneurship in both the states by facilitating interaction between entrepreneurs and holding hackathons for high citizen impact applications.

Under the agreement, the two states will also work to establish UI Labs, an innovation accelerator, in Telangana and to replicate innovation labs in Telangana back in Illinois.

It also aims to promote innovation in the industry of Illinois and Telangana.
Moscow, Oct 18 : Russian and Syrian air forces have halted airstrikes against Syria's Aleppo on Tuesday ahead of a humanitarian pause set for Thursday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

"This will ensure the safety of exit of civilians via six corridors and to prepare the wounded in the eastern part of Aleppo for evacuation," Xinhua news agency quoted Shoigu as saying.

By the start of the humanitarian pause, Syrian troops will withdraw to a certain distance, allowing the militants with their weapons to freely leave eastern Aleppo by two corridors, he said.

He also urged countries that have influence on the armed groups in the eastern part of Aleppo to persuade their leaders to cease hostilities and leave the city.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Monday announced a pause in strikes against rebel-controlled areas in the city of Aleppo for eight hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 20.

Russian warplanes and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have restarted strikes against rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement reached between Moscow and Washington last month.
Washington, Oct 19 : A recently leaked e-mail from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign has showed that they considered three retired military top brass for the post of vice president, a media report said.

Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta wrote in an e-mail dated March 17 suggesting "first cut" veep candidates in "rough food groups", The Hill news reported on Tuesday.

Marine General John Allen, Navy Admiral William McRaven and Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, all retired, were listed in one group.

Gen. Allen delivered a high-profile speech endorsing Clinton at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year, in a move that was criticised by some other retired officers who believe retired military brass should not take such a prominent role in politics, lest the military become politicised.

Admiral McRaven, currently Chancellor of the University of Texas and a former SEAL (Sea, Air and Land Team), developed and oversaw Operation Neptune Spear, the special operations raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011.

Admiral Mullen, currently a professor at Princeton University, last served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, under both Presidents George W. Bush and current President Barack Obama. Admiral Mullen was in the White House situation room with Clinton during the bin Laden raid.

The campaign later vetted Navy Admiral James Stavridis (retd.), Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and former Commander of Nato Supreme Allied Command-Europe and European Command, for Vice President.

Republican nominee Donald Trump and Clinton both have tried to appeal to veteran and military voters, in a campaign season where national security has been a top issue for voters.

Clinton eventually chose senator Tim Kaine, who belonged to one of the "food groups".
Dhaka, Oct 19 : A leader of the Janata League, a front organisation of the ruling Awami League in Bangladesh, succumbed early on Wednesday to injuries sustained in a deadly attack the previous night, media reported.

Sheikh Swadhin Monir, President of Fatulla Awami Janata League, was attacked near his house in Fatulla upazila of Narayanganj on Tuesday night, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Monir's nephew Ashraf Hossain said: "My uncle had a feud with local Swechchhasebok League leader Mir Hossain Miru relating to the business of cable connection in the area."

"Miru's supporters stabbed my uncle and two aunts while they were returning home from a relative's house on Tuesday night."

The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where Monir succumbed to his injuries.

DMCH police outpost SI Bachchu Mia said: "Monir died at the hospital around 6.00 a.m. today."
Mexico City, Oct 21 : A Mexican court has denied drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's appeals against extradition to the United States, the Mexican Prosecutor-General's office said on Thursday.

A district court in Mexico City had rejected five stays of proceedings filed by Guzman's defence team and refused to block the extradition of the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Xinhua news agency quoted the office as saying in a statement.

After the decision was made to extradite Guzman earlier this year, the five stays were filed in May and originally approved by a judge.

One of the judges overseeing the case, Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias, was murdered near Mexico City on Tuesday.

However, the decision by this court does not mean Guzman's extradition is certain as his defence team has announced it will appeal.

Following the announcement on Thursday, Guzman's lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said that "the final word, as we have always said...will be" with the Supreme Court.

The drug lord is currently being held in a federal prison in Ciudad Juarez, in the northern state of Chihuahua, while two district courts in California and Texas are demanding to try him for drug-related crimes.

Last week, the Mexican government said it hoped to extradite Guzman in early 2017.

Mexican army and naval operatives arrested the drug trafficker on January 8 in the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, six months after he made a dramatic escape from the Altiplano maximum security prison in the central State of Mexico.
Havana, Oct 21 : Cuba and the US have signed an agreement to cooperate on cancer research, authorities said.

Signed on Thursday by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell and Cuban Minister of Health Roberto Morales, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) involves implementation of joint research projects, meetings, and workshops related to cancer control, in a bid to promote their exchange of information and best practices on the matter, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This agreement on cancer research and control is very important because we know it is a big issue in both countries and we are excited to work together to make progress in this field," said Burwell after signing the accord.

The document will allow both countries to work jointly on the detection and treatment of cancer as well as learning from each other' s experiences in different environments.

She also expressed willingness to cooperate with the Cuban side on cancer prevention.

"We know that this disease is a factor that causes lots of deaths in Cuba and in the US and it's our firm conviction to work along Cuban institutions," she added.

Meanwhile, Morales said the agreement was a new step within the framework of an accord signed in June in which both nations agreed to exchange information on different topics in the health sector.

The Cuban health official, while highlighting the importance of the deal, noted that the US economic embargo on the island still weighed on burgeoning Havana-Washiington cooperation.
Guwahati, Oct 21 : Hundreds of people blocked National Highway (NH)-37 on Friday against the Assam government's revoking its decision to create a South Kamrup district.

Hundreds of people in Kamrup district's Chhaygaon area took to the streets and blocked movement of all vehicles, including ambulances.

The protests have led to snapping of road communication between Western Assam districts and Guwahati city.

Reacting to the agitation, Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Mukesh Sahay appealed to the people not to take the law in their hands.

"If someone takes law in their hands, we are going to deal with strictly," the DGP said.

The Assam cabinet had recently revoked the decision to create South and East Kamrup districts for lack of infrastructure.

The former Congress-led government had announced creation of five districts -- South Kamrup, East Kamrup, Charaideo, Biswanath and West Karbi Anglong.

However, the three others will be created.
Patna, Oct 21 : Bihar Police has ordered the arrest of a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV)principal for not taking timely action in a Dalit student's thrashing in the school premises in August, police said on Friday.

"An arrest warrant against Muzaffarpur Kendriya Vidyalya's Principal, Ravi Ranjan, was issued on the basis of a probe report conducted by senior police officers," a police officer said.

He said that raids were being conducted to arrest Ranjan.

Ranjan was earlier suspended by the Kendriya Vidyalya Sangathan (KVS), while 14 other teachers of the school were transferred on Wednesday following a probe by a three-member team of the school.

After the report found involvement of the school authorities to suppress the incident, "Ravi Ranjan was suspended by KVS for not taking timely action on the victim's complaint," a KVS official said.

The shocking incident of thrashing had surfaced after a video went viral on social media.

The school authorities were forced to lodge a police complaint on October 13.

The victim's family had also lodged a police complaint on Monday naming the accused students, who had thrashed and humiliated their child in a classroom.

School authorities and teachers were also made co-accused in the family complaint, the police said.

A chargesheet was filed against two of the accused students on Thursday, who were arrested and sent to remand home.

The accused are brothers, who had reportedly threatened the victim of dire consequences if he defied their diktat.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : The CBI on Friday registered a case against a UK-based NRI arms dealer, two foreign firms and some unknown Defence Ministry officials regarding alleged kickbacks in the purchase of three Embraer aircraft in a $210 million deal in 2008.

The FIR was registered against arms dealer Vipin Khanna, two private firms based in Brazil and Singapore, and some unknown Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials regarding the procurement of EMB-145 aircraft from Brazilian Embraer company, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Devpreet Singh told IANS.

They were booked under charges of criminal conspiracy and Prevention of Corruption Act.

The officer said the CBI also conducted searches at certain premises of Khanna and others in Delhi on Thursday and recovered some incriminating documents.

Khanna, 87, is reportedly accused of receiving nearly $6 million from Embraer, the world's third largest aircraft-maker, to broker the deal. It is alleged the payoffs were routed through Austria and Switzerland.

The CBI sources said the UK-based NRI's name also figured in another defence deal probed by the agency. Khanna was probed by the CBI in connection with the oil-for-food scam in 2006, wherein his son Aditya Khanna was named the main beneficiary.

In its initial enquiry, the CBI found that the DRDO officials moved a proposal for purchase of the three aircraft from Embraer on a single vendor basis as a result of mediation by Khanna, and the firm secured the contract for supplying the aircraft.

The CBI official said that a purchase agreement was allegedly signed between Embraer and DRDO on July 3, 2008 for supply of three modified Embraer Aircraft EMB-145 for $210 million.

The deal was signed to build indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems for the Indian Air Force.

"In lieu of facilitating the agreement or deal between Embraer and DRDO, the firm paid an amount of $5.76 million to Khanna through a Singapore based company during 2009," the official said.

The amount of $5.76 million was used by a private person to influence the officials of DRDO for the contract to supply the Embraer aircraft, the official said.

Leading Brazilian newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo' had also reported that Embraer allegedly paid commissions to Khanna to finalise the deal with India.

The CBI on September 16 registered a Preliminary Enquiry in the case on a reference from the Defence Ministry over accusations that Embraer employed an agent to facilitate various contracts for AEW&C project with DRDO for procurement of three fully modified EMB-145 aircraft.

The agency converted the Preliminary Enquiry into a First Information Report (FIR) after it collected enough evidence to show illegalities in the Embraer aircraft deal, the sources said.

The first aircraft was delivered in 2011 and the remaining two in 2013.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : The University of Chicago and the Delhi government on Friday announced three winners in the first-of-a-kind crowdsourcing competition "Urban Labs Innovation Challenge: Delhi" that looked for innovative ways to reduce pollution in the capital.

The winners include Chakr Innovation Pvt Ltd which will pilot their device that captures more than 70 per cent of particulate pollution from diesel engines and converts it to black ink and paints.

The second winner, Climate Foundation and Tide Technocrats Pvt Ltd, will employ devices that turn rice straw into biochar to enrich agricultural soil and prevent the heavy air pollution from rice straw burning.

The third winner, Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, will deploy cool roofing solutions in Delhi slums to bring down indoor temperature and allow dwellers to conserve energy and improve their productivity and quality of life.

"With three promising winners chosen, the Delhi government now looks forward to collaborating with the talented academic minds at University of Chicago to carry out these innovative ideas to improve environment and the lives of our citizens," said Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who felicitated the winners.

The winners of the challenge -- a project of the Tata Centre for Development that is supported by Tata Trusts -- together received over Rs 2 crore, a statement said.

They will now use the awards money to work with the University of Chicago Urban Labs' Energy & Environment Lab, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago's India team (EPIC-India) and the Delhi government to implement and test their ideas.

"We believe the projects will reduce pollution in Delhi and hope to prove how successful such innovative partnerships can be at generating evidence-based programs that work," added Anna Agarwal, Senior Manager, the Challenge for the University of Chicago-India.

The winners were selected from among nearly 250 students, researchers, entrepreneurs, non-profit and for-profit organisations and citizens from across the country and around the world.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : Ridiculing Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the potential breach of debit cards security, the Congress on Friday demanded full disclosure of the extent of the breach and compensation to the affected card holders.

Over three million debit cards issued by various public and private banks are said to have been exposed to a potential risk of data breach.

"This government has a habit of saying that it is the first in doing anything. Well, it is the first government to let lists of cardholders get stolen," Congress spokesman Ajoy Kumar told the media here.

"There are very few occurrences of this magnitude in the world. While these lists were being stolen, the nation's 'chowkidar' (watchman) Modi was sleeping," he said.

Besides demanding full disclosure of the data theft, Kumar said the central government must compensate card-holders who have suffered loss due to the security breach.

"We demand that the Modi government makes a full disclosure on the extent of this theft. They must inform all those affected."

"The common man, whose hard-earned money has been taken out of their accounts, should get back their money. The government must ensure that the banks compensate all card holders for their losses," said Kumar.

He said hackers in China, Russia, Indonesia and the US were behind the security breach.
Jammu, Oct 21 : The Pakistan Army on Friday fired at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district as the Indian army foiled an infiltration bid elsewhere in Poonch district of Jammu region.

"Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire on the LoC in Rajouri district by using automatics and small arms to target Indian positions. Firing by Pakistan troops started at 12.40 p.m. Our troops effectively retaliated," Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.

He said intermittent exchanges were still on in this sector till last reports came in.

An infiltration bid was foiled by vigilant Indian troops in a densely forested area on the LoC in Poonch sector on Friday, he added.

"On noticing some suspicious activity, alert troops challenged a group of two-three infiltrators who were attempting to sneak into the Indian side through the LoC.

"The group of terrorists opened fire, which was responded to in equal measure by the troops, forcing the group to flee back into the Pakistani side."
Moscow, Oct 21 : Russia's Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft carrying three crew members has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) "Poisk" module two days after its launch, the Russian Mission Control Center said on Friday.

The three crew members -- two Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko and US astronaut Shane Kimbrough -- are expected to move to the space station in the next several hours, Sputnik news quoted the space centre as saying.

The spacecraft is scheduled to undock from ISS on October 30 with the previous crew Anatoly Ivanishin from Russia, US astronaut Kathleen Rubins and Takuya Onishi from Japan. Its landing on the earth is planned for the same day, the space centre added.

The new two-day flight plan aims at testing all systems of the new spacecraft, according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos.

The Soyuz MS is the latest and most advanced version in the Soyuz TMA family. It features modernised communications and navigation systems, and also has more efficient solar panels, which will significantly increase its energy performance, RT news reported.

Russia on Wednesday successfully launched the spacecraft from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of the spacecraft had been postponed in September due to technical problems.

The other remaining launches in 2016 include the Soyuz MS-03 manned spacecraft, which will be launched on November 16 and the Progress MS-04 space freighter launch on December 1.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : Over 200 students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were detained here on Friday while demanding swift action to locate missing fellow student Najeeb Ahmed.

Ahmed went missing on October 15 night from a university hostel after a brawl reportedly with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members.

The students were led away by police when they reached the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of the capital.

They were taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. The students kept a steady chant of anti-police slogans while being detained.

The police have set up a Special Investigation Team to trace Ahmed.
Madrid, Oct 21 : Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco extended his contract with Atletico Madrid by two years, until 2022, the Madrid team announced on Friday.

Carrasco, who joined Atletico in the summer market last season, played 43 official matches last season and scored five goals,reports Efe.

In the current season he has played 11 matches and scored five goals, four of them in the last two games, three at Granada on Saturday in La Liga and one in Russian side Rostov on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Ranchi, Oct 21 : Maoist guerrillas set on fire a road roller and thrashed labourers in Jharkhand's Bokaro district on Friday, the state police said.

According to the police, the guerrillas raided the camp office of a private company involved in road construction work at Banchatra village of Bokaro district.

The guerrillas later fled from the area.

The police said that the guerrillas probably attacked the company's men and materials because it refused to pay up the money the Maoists demanded from it.

According to the police, the Maoists extort crores of rupees from private companies involved in road construction and other development work in the state.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state.
Dhaka, Oct 21 : Bangladesh police on Friday said they have identified dead militant Abdur Rahman as chief of the banned New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the outfit responsible for the July 1 Dhaka cafe terror attack.

The anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Benazir Ahmed said at a press briefing that Rahman, who allegedly jumped to his death from a five-story building during an October 8 raid in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, was the ameer of the New JMB terror group, and went by the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif.

The RAB said his real name was Sarowar Jahan, son of Abdul Mannan and Saleha Khatun, who are residents of Thumribhuja in Bholahat upazila of Chapainawabganj.

RAB said Abdur Rahman was found involved in activities of the banned JMB from 1998.

The RAB earlier claimed they recovered a passport and a driving licence from his flat on October 8. His name was mentioned as Abdur Rahman in the document.

Rahman died in RAB custody at Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital hours after he sustained injuries after falling from a building during an RAB raid in Ashulia, Savar, on October 8 evening, Prothom Alo reported.

Meanwhile, the RAB said they found evidence pointing to the involvement of New JMB in the killing of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Gulshan last year, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Benazir said documents recovered at Rahman's den in Ashulia suggest that the group may have been involved in the murder, however, they are still investigating the matter.

Cesare Tavella, an aid worker and veterinary surgeon, was shot dead at Gulshan in September last year. He had been living alone in Dhaka and worked on food security issues for a Dutch aid organisation.
Jammu : Jammu Oct 21 (IANS) Seven Pakistani troopers and a militant were killed in a retaliatory firing by Indian security forces in a clash on the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

"In a befitting reply to a sniper attack by Pakistan Rangers in Hiranagar sector of Jammu frontier, BSF launched an aggressive offensive. During intermittent firing, one militant and seven Rangers were shot dead," a Border Security Force statement said.

The clash followed firing from Pakistan Rangers in which one BSF trooper was critically injured on the International Border in Hiranagar.

The clash was the latest in a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan since the September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army on terror launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, officials said.

"The (Friday) ceasefire violation by Pakistan occurred at around 9.30 in the morning (in Kathua district). It was effectively retaliated by us," an officer of the Border Security Force (BSF) told IANS.

"A BSF soldier suffered a bullet injury. He has been evacuated to the Government Medical College, Jammu. His condition is critical," the officer said.

The injured trooper was identified as Constable Gurnam Singh.

The ceasefire violation comes a day after BSF troopers on Thursday foiled a major infiltration bid on the International Border.
Washington, Oct 21 : WikiLeaks has revealed US President Barack Obama's private e-mail address by publishing hacked e-mails, in another potentially embarrassing document dump targeting the Democrats, a media report said.

"WikiLeaks reveals first batch of US President Barack Obama e-mails sent via secret address," WikiLeaks, the Julian Assange-founded open secrets site, tweeted on Thursday -- implying that even more of Obama's private communications would be released.

According to the New York Post, the site published seven messages involving an e-mail address purported to be that of the commander-in-chief: bobama@ameritech.net.

One exchange was dated the evening of November 4, 2008 -- Election Day. John Podesta, co-chair of Obama's transition team, urges Obama not to accept an invitation to a G-20 meeting in November 15 on the global financial crisis should outgoing President George W. Bush invite him that night after Obama is officially elected.

Podesta attached a memo the transition team prepared weighing the pros and cons of going to the summit.

"On the chance that President Bush would raise this with you tonight, I wanted you to be aware that it is the unanimous recommendation for your advisors that you NOT attend," Podesta said.

When the G-20 convened in Washington, Obama was absent.

An e-mail message sent on Thursday to Obama's alleged address didn't bounce back immediately -- signalling it could still be a working account.

The White House declined to comment. The US intelligence authorities believe Russia orchestrated the widespread cyber attacks into Democratic Party-related e-mails.

The Obama messages were among some 23,000 e-mails stolen from Podesta, who now serves as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, the New York Post reported.

The alleged Obama e-mails were from 2008 when the young Illinois senator was about to win his historic White House bid and was assembling a transition team. The e-mails largely address staffing a transition economic team and adding diversity to a future Obama administration.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : After scrapping its tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now scouting for single-engined jets and has sought information from global aviation majors for this.

Lockheed Martin (LM) received the request last Friday and responded to it on Monday, a company official said on Friday.

Swedish aviation major Saab and US aviation giant Boeing have also been approached as the IAF looks to replace its obsolete Soviet-era single-engined MiG-21s that have been dubbed "flying coffins" due to their frequent crashes.

Boeing does not have a single-engined aircraft to offer and Saab will be soon be responding with its latest Gripen NG.

Jan Widerstrom of Saab India said in a statement: "Saab AB has received the request. We are happy to declare that we view this request in a very positive way and we will formally respond to it."

Sources in the industry suggest that India may purchase more than 100 aircraft.

This would make up for the aircraft that could not be acquired due to the scrapped tender as the IAF has already signed a $9 billion contract to acquire 36 Rafale jets from Dasault Aviation of France.

Speaking to IANS, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Fali Major said: " If indeed there is letter issued by IAF asking for information on single engine aircraft, then it is to asses the possibility of the Make in India project to supplement the (indegenous) Tejas (light combat aircraft) which is being manufactured in India."

"Single engine does make sense, both in terms of category and role played by the MiG- 21s. It make sense to have fourth generation single-engined aircraft to supplement the Tejas production line. These are proven aircraft and it will be easy to establish a production line in India," Major added.

The Rafale, the Gripen and the F-16 were in contention for the scrapped IAF tender. The Gripen and F-16 were the only single-engined aircraft in the fray.

Thus, sources said that finalising this deal may not take very long.

(Rohit Srivastava can be contacted at rohit.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Oct 21 : The JNU Students Union in a letter to the Union Home Minister on Friday sought its intervention and asked it ensure the safety of the missing student, Najeeb Ahmed, after the detained protesters were released by the Delhi Police.

Over 200 students were detained at the Parliament Street police station when they came to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Friday afternoon. The protest was scheduled against the alleged laxity of the police and the university in locating the missing Ahmed.

The letter deplored the role of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) officials so far in the matter and requested the ministry to constitute a committee with proper mandate and logistical support to search for Ahmed.

The memo, which was submitted to Home Ministry Director Rakesh Mittal, also termed the attack as "communally motivated".

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by the police based on the FIR lodged in the case by Ahmed's mother.

The JNU has been on the boil since the disappearance of Ahmed on October 15 after he was beaten up by a group of students allegedly associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the RSS.

The incident occurred on the night of October 14 at the Mahi-Mandavi hostel inside the campus when an ABVP student, Vikrant, went to Ahmed's room to talk about hostel conditions.

A mob of 25-30 students reached the hostel immediately and beat up Ahmed, eyewitnesses told IANS. Leaving his phone and laptop behind, Ahmed disappeared the next day. He has remained untraced since then.
Umiam (Meghalaya), Oct 21 : Bollywood actors Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor on Friday expressed their keenness to return to Meghalaya, which is also known as abode of clouds, to shoot more films.

"I have fallen in love with Meghalaya courtesy Rock On 2... The natural beauty here is very rare. Every person on the crew felt sad when it was time to go back from here," Akhtar told journalists at Ri Kynjai resort before serenading the crowd at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender at Bhoirymbong in Ri-Bhoi district.

Shraddha Kapoor, who was also at the press conference, said: "Shillong is one of the places where it is difficult for me to go back home."

"I have been here four times from the time the film was shot. This is my favourite place, and it's very hard to say goodbye to Shillong. People are lovely and we all feel at home. It is a dream to be part of Rock On 2," she said.

The "Rock On 2", which will be released on November 11, was shot in several locations in eastern part of Meghalaya.

Meghalaya has a lot of potential with beautiful spots and the hospitality. We enjoyed the hospitality during the shooting of the film, they said.

"People here are lovely, and have inherent love for music. We also fell in love with the place as we start the journey of the film. As Shillong has many rock bands that also performed in different cities, we felt it incomplete if no band from here is involved in the movie," Akhtar said.

When asked if he plans to shoot more films in Meghalaya, Akhtar said "every film calls for its location setting, and its own backdrop. I do hope more movies come and shoot here and have the creative experience that we had and enjoy this amazing place".

On the controversy not to allow Pakistani artistes feature in Indian films, Akhtar said when things were "good", nobody was complaining about working with each other.

"It's not only films, there are lot of export and import, and lot of exchanges that happen. It's a way beyond that film industry can imagine.

"It affects a lot of things and we need to weigh the pros and cons of the issue. Personally, I believed there is certain distinction to be made between artistes and others," Akhtar added.
Chandigarh, Oct 21 : Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, -- who was questioned by the NIA after the Pathankot air base attack in January -- has now been booked on the charge of sexual assault, police officials said here on Friday.

This followed an inquiry by a senior police officer into a complaint submitted by seven woman constables against the Superintendent of Police.

He has been booked under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code at the Gurdaspur City police station.

Punjab Police Additional Director General Gurpreet Deo held the inquiry on the joint complaint by the women constables working under him.

Earlier, Salwinder was booked in August on charges of rape of a woman and corruption by the Punjab Police.

Salwinder was in the news after he said he was abducted by Pakistani terrorists on January 1, a day before the terrorists attacked the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.

The Pakistani terrorists had reached the IAF base from the India-Pakistan border using his Sport Utility Vehicle and attacked the Pathankot base, 250 km from here, in a pre-dawn attack on January 2.

He was questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials over his claims of abduction but given a clean chit.

Salwinder also courted controversy after the Punjab DGP ordered an inquiry into bigamy accusations levelled against him by a woman based in Tanda town in Hoshiarpur district. The woman alleged he had secretly married her and they even have a teenage son.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : Provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), which do not distinguish between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, are hampering the process of recovering non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, by state-run banks, the government said on Friday.

"I can tell you in settling current lot of NPAs, it is this one problem alone which is also creating challenges before officials of various public sector banks," Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

"Today, a private sector bank has a liberty to settle its NPAs, and officers of public sectors banks are constrained by provisions of the 1988 PCA Act," Jaitley said in his address to the Accountants General Conference, organised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

"I think this distinction needs to be finally stated. The corrupt decision must be punishable, the erroneous decision can only give you a post facto analysis so that the system is wiser by that experience," he said.

The Finance Minister said the PCA's existing provisions give a lot of discretion to the investigating officer in deciding whether a gain accrued was fair or unfair.

"People transact with governments to earn money...so a gain in transaction is inevitable. Whether that gain is a fair gain or unfair gain, that distinction is to be determined, which puts a decision maker, particularly the civil servant, in a very difficult position in a large number of government departments," he said.

Declaring that the time had come for a liberalised regime that distinguishes between an erroneous and a corrupt decision, Jaitley said the banks will have to enforce their rights and take effective action to recover NPAs as it is constraining their capacity to lend.

"We are now coming to a stage where a lot of effective steps both in terms of policies and legislative has been framed and therefore banks will now have to enforce their rights in the larger interest of the economy, because if money keeps lying blocked in a particular section, then your capacity to lend to others is adversely affected," he said.

Gross NPA of public sector banks has surged from 5.43 per cent (Rs 2.67 lakh crore) in 2014-15 to 9.32 per cent (Rs 4.76 lakh crore) in 2015-16.

The Finance Minister also said that India has not been a tax compliant country and introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would make it one.

"We haven't been a tax-compliant society. Disincentivising use of cash, making tax rates conducive to compliance are all steps being taken," he said.

"We are testing deliberative democracy and maturity of Indian democracy in the GST Council," he added.

Following the third meeting of the GST Council here earlier this week, Jaitley, who chairs the body, announced that it had almost reached a consensus on compensating states for loss of revenue under the proposed GST regime, which will permit a decision on the new tax structure at the next meeting slated for November 3-4.

The government has set the target of implementing the pan-India GST from April 1, 2017.
Shillong, Oct 21 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday called for regulating trade on the international border in northeast India.

He said absence of legal trade led to illegal activities across the borders, which has a dangerous fallout for India as a whole.

Sangma was addressing a two-day international seminar on 'Border Trade in North East India: A Politico-Economic Perspective' organised by Women's College here.

Referring to pre-Independence days when trade flourished in the remotest and most difficult border areas, the Chief Minister regretted that no advantage had been derived from border trade after 1947 and that the northeast borders have became areas of conflict and poverty.

Sangma said the opening of two border 'haats' in 2012 -- one at Kalaichar in South West Garo Hills and Balat in East Khasi Hills -- was meant to promote the age-old trade relations with Bangladesh. These not only brought economic benefit but also promoted people-to-people contacts across the borders.

"Given the success of these border markets, Meghalaya has submitted a proposal for setting up 22 more border 'haats', of which four have been sanctioned," he said.

Earlier, Indian Institute of Management-Shillong's Board of Governors Chairman Falguni Rajkumar termed South-East Asia as a divided family broken down by state politics and stressed the need to restore the dynamics of exchanges across the borders.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : With no substantial evidence of Muslim aggression against the Hindus in Kairana town of western Uttar Pradesh, it is the "politics of fear" which is at play here, National Minorities Commission member Farida Abdullah Khan said on Friday.

During a recent visit to Kairana (Shamli district) and Muzaffarnagar, Khan said the local administration in Kairana "categorically denied any Hindu-Muslim tension on the ground", or any evidence of Hindus leaving homes due to Muslim aggression.

"Kairana has always been a Muslim-majority town. The reports that the town's demography changed dramatically after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots with a lot of Muslim influx is strange," Khan, who relinquished office on Friday, told IANS.

The National Human Rights Commission recently suggested in its report that around 30,000 Muslims had migrated to Kairana, which changed the demography of the town. It also suggested that the migrated Muslims were indulging in crime in Kairana.

"I spoke with Muzaffarnagar administration and they said that they do not know of any large-scale migration from the district to the adjoining Shamli. Movement of 30,000 people is not something that can go unnoticed," she said.

"The Kairana administration did acknowledge that there is crime in the region. But they said there is no evidence of newly-settled Muslims, not more than a few hundred families, indulging in crime," she added.

The NHRC in its report on the alleged exodus of Hindu families from Kairana, had observed: "At least 24 witnesses stated that the youths of the specific majority community in Kairana pass lewd/taunting remarks against the females of the specific minority community in the town."

Since Muslims are in majority in Kairana, the majority community here implies the Muslims.

"First they (certain politicians) created a fear among the Muslims, now they are trying to foment fear among the Hindus that they are in danger from the other community. This is politics of fear they are playing," Khan said.

She said that as per the information gathered by her through interaction with the local administration, civil society groups and the local residents, the story of migration of some families -- both Hindus and Musims -- from Kairana is similar to the story from any other mofussil town.

"People migrate from small towns to bigger cities in serach of better employment and work opportunities. Same is the case with Kaiarana," she said.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : The government has held talks with Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF) of Manipur to find an amicable solution to their long standing demands.

Second round of talks was held on October 19, in New Delhi. KNO and UPF indicated their demands in the presence of senior representative of the Manipur government, an official statement issued here said.

Talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. Next round of talks will be held in consultation with the Manipur government, and KNO and UPF, it added.

The decision to hold talks with the government of Manipur, and KNO and UPF militant groups of the state was taken earlier this year to find a permanent solution to their demand for homeland.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : The BJP on Friday did not officially react to the demand for the resignation of party MP Varun Gandhi over claims that he was "honey trapped and compromised" by defence middleman Abhishek Verma. Party leaders said Gandhi had already cleared his position and it was for him to deal with the issue.

Most of the party leaders contacted by IANS refused to comment, saying Varun Gandhi is capable of defending himself.

"Varun has clarified his position over the controversy. Party doesn't need to comment further. He is capable enough to defend himself," a BJP office-bearer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

Another party leader, who also refused to comment officially or be identified, said, "The matter pertains to Varun and allegations are personal."

Gandhi, who represents Sultanpur constituency in the Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday termed the allegations as baseless.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Friday attacked the BJP over the controversy surrounding Gandhi and demanded his resignation.

"Varun Gandhi should resign from Lok Sabha on moral grounds," the party said in a tweet.

The Congress said BJP President Amit Shah should specify what action he was taking over allegations faced by Gandhi. "Will he hold an inquiry to ascertain the truth," Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar asked.

Swaraj Abhiyan leaders on Thursday released a letter written by US-based lawyer C. Edmonds Allen to the Prime Minister's Office alleging that Gandhi was "honey trapped" into leaking defence secrets by defence middleman Abhishek Verma.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : The Supreme Court on Friday ordered real estate major Parsvnath Developers to hand over the possession of a flat in Gurgaon to Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore within two days.

The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting had booked a flat in Parsvnath's Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 paying around Rs 70 lakh for it. The flat was to be delivered by 2008-09.

Directing the developer to deliver possession of the flat within two days, the apex court bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said the question of interest and compensation for the delayed possession shall be taken up by the court at a later date.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) earlier in January had directed the builder to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.

Parsvnath Developers Ltd had moved the Supreme Court against the NCDRC's order.
Kolkata, Oct 21 : A leading Muslim cleric on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of hatching a conspiracy to "impose" the Uniform Civil Code in a bid to polarise the nation, and called for a nationwide road blockade to protest the move.

With two Muslim Trinamool Congress MPs - Sultan Ahmed and Idris Ali - by his side, Tipu Sultan Mosque Imam Syed Noor-Ur- Rahaman Barkati appealed to all communities to join hands to oppose the Centre's plans.

"The Modi government is trying to polarise the nation on communal lines by imposing the UCC on us. We won't accept it. We are totally opposed to it.

"I appeal to all Hindus, Muslims, Christians, the Dalits and other communities to join hands," Barkati said while speaking at a protest demonstration in front of the Tipu Sultan Mosque.

"We will organise a nationwide road blockade on the issue. I urge everybody to participate in this. We will also hold a rally at the Park Circus Maidan soon," he said.

Both Ahmed and Ali univocally expressed their opposition to any move to impose UCC.

"It will only end up jeopardising the country's unity. We won't allow any interference in our religious matters," said Ahmed.
European leaders have ruled out introducing a fresh bout of sanctions against Russia for its role in the Syrian conflict, with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi leading the argument against more economic punishment for the country.

After nine hours of talks on Thursday night, Renzi successfully fought against including a reference to new immediate sanctions in the EU's worded summit statement released Friday. He said to reporters in Brussels, "I think that to refer in the text to sanctions makes no sense."

Renzi positioned himself on the opposite side of the debate to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, all of whom want to exert the maximum pressure  including sanctions if necessary - on Russia in a bid to encourage President Vladimir Putin's armed forces to desist from their continued assault on Aleppo.

The besieged Syrian city has suffered from the killing of hundreds of civilians and currently counts around 275,000 people as trapped within its confines, after months of indiscriminate attacks, including on children, aid convoys and hospitals, according to Reuters.

Russia's involvement over the past year has successfully weakened the position of rebel fighters and shored up Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

Despite the omission of sanctions from the EU's latest official statement, President Hollande, emerging from talks in Berlin on Wednesday night with Russia's Putin and Germany's Merkel, insisted the measure was not definitively off the table yet.

"At this stage, there are no sanctions linked to the Russian intervention in Syria," Hollande told reporters.

"If there are new massacres, bombing, we'll need to start by sanctioning the Syrians who are responsible; if it continues bombing, Russia will also expose itself to a response from the EU, but we're not there yet," he added.

In further developments on Friday, the top United Nations human rights official, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, described the ongoing siege and bombing of eastern Aleppo as "crimes of historic proportions," according to Reuters.

Story continues

Meanwhile, Britain's government minister for Africa and the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, pointed the finger more directly, saying, "Russia, you are making the situation worse, not solving it," according to the news agency. This came during a specially convened session of the United Nations Human Rights Council called by London to begin an inquiry into the attacks.

A lack of appetite for further complicating ties with Moscow extended beyond Italy, with Dutch Prime Minster Mark Rutte discussing with the group his continued difficulty in getting his people to support an EU free trade deal with ex-Soviet state Ukraine and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel telling CNBC in Brussels that it was essential for the "27+1" members of the EU to reach a "common solution".

Earlier this week, EU High Commissionner Federica Mogherini displayed her lack of enthusiasm for sanctions, telling reporters, "You know, I personally tend to focus on the fact that the European Union doesn't only have sanctions in its toolbox, we have many other instruments we can use."

But measures already attempted by EU leaders, including a French-led attempt to enforce a cease-fire in Syria, via the United Nations Security Council, and a formal condemnation of Russia's airstrikes on eastern Aleppo have had little effect.

And although Russia told the United Nations it would cease bombardment of the area for 11 hours a day for four days, a fleet of Russian warships carrying fighter bombers was seen headed for Syria as the European leaders continued their discussion on Thursday, as part of a naval operation that NATO believes aims to up the attack on Aleppo, according to Reuters.

The debate and threat of measures, which could potentially also end up harming Italy's economy which has close ties to Russia, comes at a difficult time for Renzi who is now fully focused on an impending domestic referendum over his reform agenda, on which he has staked his political career.

Additional reporting by CNBC's Nancy Hulgrave.



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(Corrects 7th paragraph to show Nelson Goh was with Hin Leong previously)

By Chen Aizhu

BEIJING (Reuters) - Singapore investment firm New Silkroutes Group Ltd is set to launch two new China-focused funds worth $1.6 billion in total and is looking to expand its oil trading business with Chinese customers following a restructure.

The former loss-making information technology firm repositioned itself last year as an investment company under new management led by Goh Jin Hian, a former healthcare executive and son of Singapore's former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

The group expects to obtain Singapore licenses shortly for a $600 million healthcare fund and another with a minimum size of $1 billion focused on energy infrastructure, company executives told Reuters in an interview in Beijing.

"We're interested in allocating funds in infrastructure like oil storage or even a stake in a refinery," said chief executive Goh.

Seed funding of $200 million for the healthcare fund has been agreed with a private Chinese group involved in aluminium smelting and property, the executives said.

New Silkroutes' energy business, the International Energy Group, currently contributes about 90 percent of group turnover and is expected to generate revenue for the year ending June 2017 of $225 million, up four fold from a year earlier, they said.

The unit, which started as a gas oil and fuel oil trader, is branching into crude oil. This week, it appointed Nelson Goh, previously of Singapore oil trading firm Hin Leong Group, as head of crude oil, adding to an oil products trader and coal trader.

The company aims to work with more Chinese customers, expanding trades in renminbi, the Chinese currency, to attract new business in oil and coal, the executives said.

The firm intends to pre-sell oil cargoes to customers and receive payment in yuan in the form of 90-day letter of credits.

New Silkroutes reached a deal this week to work together with a unit of state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, CSEMC on oil procurement from the Middle East and as well as investing in storage facilities.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Voltage has invested heavily in both our Technology Platform and our People to ensure that our clients achieve maximum success in the extremely competitive online ad space.

Santa Monica, California based Voltage Media Inc., a leading provider of SEM Technology and Services to both Advertisers and our Ad Agency Partners alike has been selected as a Google Premier Partner. The newly created Google Premier Badge is designed to distinguish Partners that have demonstrated the ability to meet stringent Google criteria. It also marks certain specialization skills sets within an Agency so that Advertisers can feel comfortable in knowing that the Agency they Partner with has the experience to create, manage and optimize various channels within the Google ecosystem.

Voltage Media is excited to be awarded this newly created designation and committed to continually meeting or exceeding the criteria that Google uses for Premier Partner Certification. According to Voltage Medias EVP, Mark R. Brown, Voltage has invested heavily in both our Technology Platform and our People to ensure that our clients achieve maximum success in the extremely competitive online ad space.

About Voltage Media, Inc:

Voltage Media, is a certified Google Premier Partner and a leading Agency assisting advertisers to generate Ecommerce Sales via; PPC, Google Shopping, Bing Shopping, Remarketing, Mobile Advertising, Amazon, Social Media, Video, etc. The Voltage S3 Platform is a powerful programmatic solution that gives advertisers a competitive advantage in the SEM space coupled with highly skilled Account Managers. Voltage clients continually beat industry averages in sales revenue growth while achieving their desired ROI targets.

Visit Voltage Media Inc., a leader in next gen Ecommerce Technology and Services. To learn more please visit: http://www.voltagemedia.com

Press Release Contact Information:

Mark R. Brown, EVP Sales + Marketing

Phone: 310.261.4203 Email: Mbrown(at)voltagemedia(dot)com
On October 8, 2016 participants from companies located in the Philadelphia area took part in the Fit Company Challenge, a corporate wellness event hosted by the Fit Company Institute providing area companies an opportunity to show the importance of living a fit and healthy lifestyle. Participants worked in teams of 3 to 4 towards completing a variety of fitness stations tailored to challenge the team members current fitness level and earn points towards their companys overall score.

In the inaugural Philadelphia Challenge, Success Rehabilitation took the top overall spot in the Large Team division. The Fit Company Challenge was such a positive experience for our team and the team building that took place was extremely special, said team captain Thomas McCurnin. Every day at Success Rehabilitation we watch individuals with traumatic brain injuries push their physical and cognitive capabilities to the max, with the goal of getting better every day. It was so impressive to watch our entire team push our physical capabilities for one day, for one common goal. We truly rallied together and supported one another, thank you Fit Company for giving us the opportunity to come together as a cohesive unit for fitness and fun.

Safeway Group LLC took the 2nd overall spot in the Large Team Division and their team captain Diego Villaruel is already looking forward to the next Philadelphia Challenge. The Fit Company Challenge helped my team gain a perspective on their fitness goals, said Diego Villaruel. It allowed the team to say hey I want to be able to complete this course better next year. The challenge helped raise an immense amount of awareness as to where we want to be fit and health-wise in the future. Thank You Fit Company.

On event date, with the help of over 20 volunteers assisting the contenders, participants challenged their strength, conditioning, power, agility, and ended with a test of endurance in order to show their companies and colleagues that they practice what they preach. Participants used their involvement to bring out company team members, and family members to cheer them on and promote the importance of having fun and effective corporate wellness programs at their companies.

The challenge was held at Penn Park, located in downtown Philadelphia on the University of Pennsylvanias campus.

The following is a list of the top finishers in Philadelphia that participated in the 2016 Fit Company Challenge:

Fittest Companies by Division

Large Division

1) Success Rehabilitation Inc.

2) Safeway Group LLC

Medium Division

1) ORS Partners

2) BlackTree Healthcare Consulting

Small Division

1) Dudnyk

2) Premier Dental Products Company

3) Scully Company

Micro Division

1) Pentec Health

Fittest Teams By Course

Course 1  Level 3

1) Success Rehabilitation Inc. (Tie) - #649



Heidi Jones

Kelly Cook

Beth Koenig

Kate Schenk

1) Success Rehabilitation Inc. (Tie) - #650



Padraig Tangney

Kevin Tangney

Morgan Tangney

Charlie Barrett

2) Success Rehabilitation Inc. - #646



Thomas McCurnin

Jess McCurnin

Matt Barrett

Holly James

3) Safeway Group LLC - #670



Sam Tedesco

Vivianna Tedesco

Jamie Matos

Ezequiel Matos

Course 1  Level 2

1) ORS Partners - #652



Greg Kristopher

Amanda Benton

Kyle Berger

Mel Evans

2) ORS Partners - #654



John Degnan

Tracy Sidoriak

Chris Royer

Heather Langdon

3) Pentec Health - #671



Nicole French

Scott Shepski

Kevin Leszega

Kim McGee

4) Success Rehabilitation Inc. - #647



Erica Place

Bobbi Gerstenberg

Brea Pina

Kim Constantini

Course 1  Level 1

1) Scully Company - #661



Carl Franke

Wayne Greagori

Renee McIntyre

Brittany Johnson

2) ORS Partners - #655



Nick Guldin

Bridgette Sands

Chris Betzler

Helen Betzler

3) Dudnyk - #642



Yvette Bailey

Janda Hill

Kathie Carnes

Dawn Hastings

4) Premier Dental Products Company - #641



Mark Williams

Alan Kegerise

George Robbins

Course 2  Level 3

1) BlackTree Healthcare Consulting - #657



Mike Freytag

Hannah Motlewski

Jordan Cichon

2) Success Rehabilitation Inc. - #650



Padraig Tangney

Kevin Tangney

Morgan Tangney

Charlie Barrett

3) Safeway Group LLC - #670



Sam Tedesco

Vivianna Tedesco

Jamie Matos

Ezequiel Matos

4) ORS Partners - #654



John Degnan

Tracy Sidoriak

Chris Royer

Heather Langdon

Course 2  Level 2

1) Dudnyk (Tie) - #644



Brielle Winstein

Sari Schwartz

Mike Hawkins

1) Pentec Health (Tie) - #671



Nicole French

Scott Shepski

Kevin Leszega

Kim McGee

3) ORS Partners (Tie) - #655



Nick Guldin

Bridgette Sands

Chris Betzler

Helen Betzler

3) Safeway Group LLC (Tie) - #664



Josselyn Villalta

Reyna Aguilar

Howard Willis

Steven Mulraney

Course 2  Level 1

1) Scully Company - #661



Carl Franke

Wayne Greagori

Renee McIntyre

Brittany Johnson

2) Premier Dental Products Company - #640



Donald Loughin

Carolyn Owens

Ann Coyne

3) Dudnyk - #642



Yvette Bailey

Janda Hill

Kathie Carnes

Dawn Hastings

4) Premier Dental Products Company - #641



Mark Williams

Alan Kegerise

George Robbins

Course 3  Level 3

1) Success Rehabilitation Inc. - #648



Joanne Tangney

Pat Tangney

John Pozzi

Kathleen Jones

2) Success Rehabilitation Inc. - #650



Padraig Tangney

Kevin Tangney

Morgan Tangney

Charlie Barrett

3) Success Rehabilitation Inc. - #646



Thomas McCurnin

Jess McCurnin

Matt Barrett

Holly James

4) Safeway Group LLC - #670



Sam Tedesco

Vivianna Tedesco

Jamie Matos

Ezequiel Matos

Course 3  Level 2

1) Dudnyk - #644



Brielle Winstein

Sari Schwartz

Mike Hawkins

2) Safeway Group LLC - #663



Ashley Jones

Frank Biondo

Lonnie Reeves

Morgan Reeves

3) Dudnyk - #643



Charles DiSantis

Elizabeth BUtterfield

Rich Wenzke

4) Premier Dental Products Company - #639



Alicia Kunnmann

Jared Kunnmann

Karen Giannone

Chuck Barthold

Course 3  Level 1

1) Pentec Health - #671



Nicole French

Scott Shepski

Kevin Leszega

Kim McGee

2) BlackTree Healthcare Consulting - #673



Alyssa Reed

Michelle Chicosky

Anthony Juliano

3) ORS Partners (Tie) - #655



Nick Guldin

Bridgette Sands

Chris Betzler

Helen Betzler

4) BlackTree Healthcare Consulting (Tie)  657



Mike Freytag

Hannah Motlewski

Jordan Cichon

Organizations that came out as course partners to assist contenders on event day include 



War Horse Barbell Club

Self Embodiment Fitness

Professional Touch Fitness

About the Fit Company Institute, LLC:

The Fit Company Institute is based in Austin, Texas and is dedicated to help companies thrive through fitness. The Fit Company Challenge helps companies be their best by creating the most productive, focused, energetic, happiest, and cohesive teams possible.

Find more at http://www.fitcompany.com and upcoming events in Phoenix, Houston, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
The new frontier of AI right now lies at the understanding of the world and of natural language by machines. We have yet to discover how to teach machines to communicate with humans.

REWORK are pleased to announce their first event in New York, following successful editions in San Francisco, Singapore, Boston and London.

The Machine Intelligence Summit is a unique opportunity to meet influential data scientists, technologists, world-leading researchers, entrepreneurs and software engineers all in the same room. Discover how advanced machine intelligence will impact your business and prepare for the smart artificial intelligence world.

How are intelligent algorithms transforming industry and society today and in the years to come?

The new frontier of AI right now lies at the understanding of the world and of natural language by machines. We have yet to discover how to teach machines to communicate with humans. This is extremely hard and seems to be only possible if machines can have an understanding of how the surrounding world works. Antoine Bordes, Research Scientist, Facebook.

The summit will take place in New York on 2-3 November, with 200+ experts discussing artificial neural networks, image recognition, natural language processing, data mining, video classification and speech recognition.

Speakers include:



Antoine Bordes, Research Scientist, Facebook

Tara Sainath, Senior Research Scientist, Google

Clement Farabet, Senior Software Engineer, Twitter

Avneesh Saluja, Machine Learning Scientist, Airbnb

Alexander Statnikov, VP of Digital Modeling & ML, American Express

Kamelia Aryafar, Senior Data Scientist, Etsy

Nicholas Roy, Professor, Robotics, MIT

Soumith Chintala, AI Researcher, Facebook

Hanlin Tang, Senior Algorithms Engineer, Nervana Systems

Sessions will include:



Why AI Must Be Biased, and How We Can Respond

Artificial Intelligence: Where Are We Now?

Multi-Modal Deep Learning: Connecting Text to Images?

Multichannel Signal Processing with Deep Neural Networks for Automatic Speech Recognition

Extracting Customer Insights at Airbnb

Applying Machine Intelligence in Agriculture

Mixed Reality Maps for Autonomous Cars and Future Value Added Services for Passengers

Machine Vision Applications in Finance

Tickets & Registration

Limited tickets are available for this event! Previous events have sold out, so book early to avoid disappointment. For further information and to register, go to: https://www.re-work.co/events/machine-intelligence-summit-usa-2016

Use the discount code MINY20 for 20% off tickets to the summit.

About RE.WORK

RE.WORK is a platform of events bringing together breakthrough technology, cutting- edge science and entrepreneurship shaping the future of business and society. For more information, view the full line-up of events here: http://www.re-work.co or contact hello(at)re-work(dot)co

For media inquiries, interviews and images, please email: Diane Bedat at dbedat(at)re-work(dot)co
Kanan Makiya examines Ba'ath Era documents recovered by the Iraq Memory Foundation. Photo Credit: Ashley Gilbertson We encourage all who wish to have a deeper understanding of the Middle East to attend.

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) will present its 12th Annual Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service to critically acclaimed author, Kanan Makiya, at its 2016 Annual Dinner on Nov. 17 at The Union League of Philadelphia. Co-chairs, Marina Kats, Ronald J. Naples, and the Hon. Dov S. Zakheim, will begin receiving guests at 6:00 p.m. with dinner and the presentation Beyond Dysfunction and Devastation: Iraq, the Arab Spring, and Lessons for Today with Makiya and Trudy Rubin, award-winning foreign affairs columnist, to follow. Seating is limited and can be purchased for $300 per person. For more information about the event and corporate sponsorship opportunities, contact Eli Gilman at egilman(at)fpri(dot)org or at 215-732-3774 x 103.

Kanan Makiya is a heroic figure who throughout his life has upheld the right of every human being to be treated with dignity, said FPRI president Alan Luxenberg. He richly deserves the Ben Franklin Award, and we encourage all who wish to have a deeper understanding of the Middle East to attend.

During the presentation, Rubin will interview Makiya on the occasion of the publication of The Rope - a murder mystery and a poignant story of a militia man, his closest friends, and family  all working at cross-purposes after the invasion of Iraq. The book illuminates the failures not so much on the part of Americans but on the part of Iraqis in a way that nonfiction is ill-equipped to do. Guests of the event will receive a complimentary copy at the conclusion of the event.

Born in Baghdad, Makiya has been described as the Arab worlds Solzhenitsyn for courageously bearing witness to unspeakable cruelty. In 1989, he published his first book Republic of Fear, under the pseudonym Samir al-Kahlil, exposing the personality cult surrounding the bizarre rule of Saddam Hussein. In 1994, under his real name, Makiya released Cruelty and Silence: War, Tyranny, Uprising, and the Arab World, which denounced those in the Middle East who failed to speak out loud the unpalatable truths about widespread repression.

In 2003, Makiya founded the Iraq Memory Foundation, an NGO based in Baghdad and the US. The foundation has collected and digitized nearly 10 million pages of Bath era documents. Makiyas many essays have appeared in the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement and many more. Makiya is currently the Sylvia K. Hassenfeld Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University.

Rubin is an award-winning foreign affairs columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and a member of The Inquirer's editorial board. Prior to joining The Inquirer in 1983, she was Middle East correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, covering Israel and the Arab world, and lived in Jerusalem and Beirut.

ABOUT THE FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is dedicated to bringing the insights of scholarship to bear on the foreign policy and national security challenges facing the United States. It seeks to educate the public, teachers, students, and offer ideas to advance U.S. national interests based on a nonpartisan, geopolitical perspective that illuminates contemporary international affairs through the lens of history, geography, and culture. For more information about the FPRI, please visit http://www.fpri.org.

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1218 Search specializes in strategic recruitment for critical corporate leadership positions. The companys goal is to deliver a premier talent search experience to clients who utilize 1218 Search services to meet their exacting resource criteria and needs.

The 1218 Search Team is a highly effective group of senior search and sourcing professionals who are deeply rooted in a wide range of industry verticals including Consumer, Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, Higher Education, and Life Sciences. The firm is focused on specific functional roles including Clinical, Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, and Technology. 1218 Search proprietary databases and extensive networking capabilities enable the firm to quickly and efficiently bring targeted talent solutions to its clients.

Leading 1218 Search is Managing Partner Tim Bosse, a senior executive and veteran of the staffing and recruiting industry for over 20 years. He has led large scale and strategic recruitment initiatives within the healthcare, information technology, life sciences, and energy industries. Tim has deep expertise in talent acquisition, workforce management programs, recruitment process outsourcing, and contingent labor solutions.

I am both excited and proud to be leading this strategic initiative with 1218, Inc., said Tim Bosse. I am looking forward to working closely with all of the 1218 companies. Our deep client loyalty, cutting edge Salesforce.com technology and our domestic and offshore resources will help bring our clients the very best search and sourcing experience possible.

The addition of 1218 Search to our exceptional family of companies is a natural extension of our international capabilities, said Nick McCune, 1218 Inc. Founder and CEO. Under Tim Bosses leadership, 1218 Search will bring a new and exciting offering to our clients worldwide.

About 1218, Inc.

A global leader in consulting innovation, 1218, Inc. and its family of professional consulting companies [Regents Consulting Group, Convectus Solutions, Axcero Global, and 1218 Search] were each founded with unique delivery capabilities. From systems implementations and upgrades to managed services, 1218, Inc. has developed a track record for measurably improving client productivity, effectiveness, and profitability.

Learn more at: http://www.1218inc.com
More than 100,000 Liberians will receive the gift of clean water for the first time thanks to the money raised at this event. More than half of these people are children.

Access today announced that its partner The Last Well (TLW) recently raised $700,000 in donations and pledges at a worship and benefit night. Hosted by Maclean Bible Churchs Tysons campus, the event saw 1,560 people attend in person and a further 487 tune in to watch online.

I am profoundly grateful to everyone at Maclean Bible Church for their incredible generosity, said TLW founder and director Dr. Todd Phillips. This event resulted from one member of their congregation being inspired by our Thirst documentary, and shows the massive impact that a single person can have on our world.

The money donated and pledged at the event will fund more than 225 water projects, which will include drilling new wells and rehabilitating existing ones in communities across the West African nation of Liberia.

More than 100,000 Liberians will receive the gift of clean water for the first time thanks to the money raised at this event, Phillips said. More than half of these people are children.

As one of the worlds poorest nations and with a tumultuous recent history of several bloody civil wars, Liberia faces unpresented challenges to meet its citizens most basic needs, the most pressing of which is clean water. In towns and villages that lack this, diseases such as cholera and dysentery  long since eradicated in richer Western nations  are an everyday problem which impact children and the elderly most of all. Thats why TLW aims to provide the entire nation with clean, disease-free water by the end of the decade, as well as sharing the Good News of the Gospel with every Liberian.

To date, TLW has reached over 1.1 million Liberians through more than 1,800 water projects. But to meet its ultimate goal, TLW still needs the funds to reach 850,000 more Liberians with 2,300 additional new water wells. Anyone wishing to help start a fundraising project on TLWs website or make a recurring or one-off donation. Those wishing to send a check can do so to:

The Last Well, attn. Jennifer Holland

2255 Ridge Road, Suite 206A

Rowlett, TX 75087

About The Last Well

The Last Well exists to do something that has never been done: provide access to clean water for the entire nation of Liberia  border to border  and offer the Gospel to every Liberian we serve by 2020. At the same time, were encouraging the next generation of Christ-followers to live out Gods purpose for the church and to be the agent of change for the world, regardless of the need. Learn more at http://www.thelastwell.org.

About Access

For more than 15 years, Access has developed electronic forms management solutions that eliminate the unnecessary expense, risk and inefficiency of paper forms. Our 100 percent paperless technology enables organizations in any industry to capture, manage, sign and share forms data without printing or scanning. Learn more at http://www.accessefm.com and help Accesss partner The Last Well bring clean water and the Gospel to Liberia at http://thelastwell.org
On Saturday, November 12 at 7:30pm in UCLAs distinguished Royce Hall, the American Youth Symphony (AYS) orchestra, led by esteemed maestro David Newman, performs the film score to the 1980s time-travel classic Back to the Future live-to-picture. Just before the concert, at 7pm, leading film and television music writer Jon Burlingame will moderate a Q&A with the films distinguished composer, Alan Silvestri. The film's screenwriter Bob Gale will also be in attendance.

A fundraising dinner precedes the concert while a fun filled 80s-themed after-party follows it, complete with DJ, stocked bar, and all-American fare, including Pinks Hotdogs. Ticket prices range from $15 (concert and Q&A), $45 (concert, Q&A, and after-party), and $350 (all-inclusive fundraising dinner).

Reserve your tickets today at https://aysymphony.org/tickets/

Back to the Future Live-to-Picture is the ninth installment in the American Youth Symphonys Hollywood Projects series, which has canvassed the work of John Williams, Danny Elfman, Jerry Goldsmith, Michael Giacchino, and now Alan Silvestri. A multiple Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee, and Grammy and Emmy winner, Silvestri is the creator of exciting and memorable scores for countless major motion pictures, including Forrest Gump, Marvels The Avengers, and Castaway.

An alumnus of AYS, David Newman has been a stalwart supporter and leader on the Board of Directors for many years, and has served as conductor for every Hollywood Project concert. A celebrated creator of music for cinema, Newman has scored over 100 films including War of the Roses, Matilda, Serenity, and Anastasia, for which he holds an Academy Award nomination. Newman is also a highly sought-after conductor, and has worked with orchestras throughout the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and many more. He is currently on a mini-tour performing live, with orchestra, movies such as West Side Story, Back To The Future, Star Trek Into Darkness, and E.T.  The Extra Terrestrial.

The Hollywood Projects have been widely praised as showcasing the technical prowess and musical maturity of the AYS orchestra, with Justin Craig of Film Score Monthly writing: The American Youth Symphony stands high, mastering the challenge of performing film music with all its unconventional meters and rhythms. Dont be deceived by the label of youth orchestra; the AYS is the real deal. The projects are made possible by the support of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, BMI, and AYS donors and sponsors.

The American Youth Symphonys mission is to inspire the future of classical music. AYS is made up of a diverse group of over 100 exceptionally talented musicians between the ages of 15 to 27. Competitively selected, these musicians represent extraordinary talent from all over the world. Each member receives invaluable training, as well as generous financial support and unique opportunities to perform in front of large, enthusiastic audiences. AYS has been heralded as the finest youth symphony on earth and musicians often go on to find employment with some of the worlds most renowned symphony orchestras.

American Youth Symphony concerts are offered for free or significantly reduced admission. By gifting the community with remarkable performances at world-class venues, the American Youth Symphony remains committed to creating access and opportunity for everyone to experience the inspiration of this beautiful art form.

For interviews or features please contact Classic PR Services at classiccauley(at)gmail(dot)com or (310) 503-0101.

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Paragon Healthcare executive leadership revealed the results of an extensive four month renovation of their San Antonio Residence and Rehabilitation Center(SARR) recently at 7703 Briaridge Drive with hundreds of health professionals and community members attending the much anticipated unveiling. Our company believes in providing the highest quality of care while ensuring our patients feel as closely tied to home as possible, said Monica Abrego-Elmer, Regional Director of Marketing for Paragon. With in-suite tablets and technology designed to keep patients connected to family combined with a facility designed to keep people engaged with their daily habits and lives; we are truly delivering the highest standard of care and comfort for our patients.

The spectacular renovation, originally envisioned and then implemented by Steve Klahr, Director of Special Projects at Paragon Health Care Group provides 30 private suites and can serve up to 80 patients in total. According to Abrego-Elmer, by paying attention to the details, keeping patients active in basic daily activities, delivering high quality amenities, excellent dining and quality rooms; Steves original vision now helps those who are with us to stay focused on what they need to do to heal. Our smaller size and family centered approach also ensures our patients feel well taken care of.

The State of Texas has an average re-hospitalization rate of 19% after rehabilitation in other facilities while the SARR facility maintains a 5 star rating and less than 8% re-hospitalization. With 94% of patients returning home after receiving services, Paragons San Antonio facility and programs are making an impactful difference for the areas aging community.

Much of the new facility was designed in conjunction with local businesses and professionals like Scott and Greta Yeglic of Built to Bloom. The Built to Bloom team created the redesigned courtyard by hand to include a putting green, fountains, and other amenities for the enjoyment and application of rehabilitation needs in daily life.

Along with the new amenities and grounds also comes the new Rhythms Plus Cardiac Program to help patients speed their recovery from cardiac related diagnosis. Our center is wonderful, but we know that all of it is done to serve our patients and their families. With programs like Rhythms Plus, we are able to help patients to promptly regain good health and quality of life, said Facility Administrator, Kate Phipps.

Additional information on SARR as well as the Rhythms Plus Cardiac Program can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIpgvguWbU. For more information on the San Antonio Residence and Rehabilitation Center or to schedule a tour, contact Don Pilcher at 210-341-6121 or visit http://www.saresidence.com.

Paragon Healthcare Group provides consulting post-acute services to providers throughout Texas, the Midwest and East Coast. We are dedicated to helping skilled nursing, hospice, home health and rehab providers improve the quality of life of their residents and staff. Our pioneering collaborative model has been instrumental in helping thousands of seniors experience higher quality, more compassionate care.
Steve McLaughlin, the only experienced candidate for commissioner of public lands Every day, we all use paper and wood products, and Steve is the best choice for a balanced supply of these products while working to protect our forest health.

With just weeks to go in the 2016 election, Washington state labor groups are rallying around Steve McLaughlin for Commissioner of Public Lands.

This week, McLaughlin added two more crucial endorsements to his campaign, including the Association of Western Pulp & Paper Workers (AWPPW) and the Washington Machinists Council. This is in addition to more than 20 major agricultural, labor, business, tribal and trade organizations, as well as the scores of other current and former elected officials, wildlife experts and small family forest owners who have already endorsed McLaughlin for state lands commissioner.

The Association of Western Pulp & Paper Workers Union represents thousands of Washingtonians who work in pulp and paper manufacturing industries, said Greg Pallesen, vice president of the AWPPW. AWPPW members are very concerned about fiber supply, forest practices, endangered species and environmental issues that impact our jobs and our environment. And like Steve McLaughlin, our AWPPW members are dedicated to the conservation of our environment while taking into account the economic stability of the workforce and our surrounding communities. We share Steves desire to seek a balance between jobs and best practices for forest protection  between a sustainable yield of forest lands to promote forest health and good paying family wage jobs, he said.

Every day, we all use paper and wood products, and Steve is the best choice for a balanced supply of these products while working to protect our forest health.

Dan Morgan, president of the Washington Machinists Council, said McLaughlin is the right leader to manage Washington states natural resources and the thousands of employees within the Department of Natural Resources.

The Washington Machinists Council, representing more than 45,000 workers in Washington state, including thousands of woodworkers, recognizes the qualities of a good leader. Steve McLaughlin is that leader and he has expressed his commitment to the men and women whose jobs depend on working state forests. That is why the Washington Machinists Council has endorsed Steve McLaughlin for Washingtons Commissioner of Public Lands.

Public Lands Commissioner oversees management of more than 3 million acres of trust land in Washington State for the benefit of schools and other beneficiaries. The position is responsible for managing the states Department of Natural Resources, as well as oversight of the states natural areas and aquatic reserves. The commissioner also oversees land transactions and serves as chair of the states Forest Practices Board. The Seattle Times reports that temperance is needed in our next lands commissioner.

About Steve McLaughlin Steve McLaughlin is a lifelong conservationist and avid climber, hiker, hunter, and fisher. As a career naval officer, McLaughlin led complex organization with thousands of employees. He oversaw both forestlands and aquatic lands for the U.S. Navy (Everett Homeport has 5,000 acres of timber and extensive tidelands) and helped conserve one of the last stands of old growth in lowland Western Washington. McLaughlin is supported by labor unions, Native Americans, farm and business groups, and veterans, among others. For more on Steve McLaughlins campaign, visit http://www.mac4lands.org. Paid for by Steve McLaughlin for

State Commissioner of Public Lands, P.O. Box 1001, Seabeck, WA 98380
iBusiness Magazine does an excellent job keeping businesses current on the best solutions, and were honored to have been featured on the cover of this latest edition

SyncDog, Inc., the leading ISV for mobile application containerization, today announced SentinelSecure, its containerized mobile security software, is the featured cover story in the most recent edition of iBusiness Magazine. For seven years, iBusiness Magazines bi-monthly publications have focused on highlighting innovative enterprise solutions for businesses using cross-platform technologies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google. iBusiness Magazines featured article on SyncDog analyzes IT security challenges brought about by the proliferation of BYOD in enterprise environments, and details how IT administrators can leverage SentinelSecure to secure enterprise data from vulnerabilities originating in mobile computing.

The SentinelSecure containerized workspace provides a secure data platform that encrypts and transports data between the enterprise and secure, sandboxed applications running on employees mobile devices. The workspace protects client enterprise networks with a secure, partitioned FIPS 140-2 certified* container on both iOS and Android devices and secures data both at rest and in transit using AES 256-bit encryption.

iBusiness Magazine does an excellent job keeping businesses current on the best solutions, and were honored to have been featured on the cover of this latest edition, said SyncDog CEO, President, and Founder Jonas Gyllensvaan. Many CIOs and CISOs are not doing enough to secure enterprise data from the vulnerability inherent in growing numbers of BYOD users. SentinelSecure is designed to give IT administrators and technicians security and control over enterprise data as it is accessed from mobile devices.

New Release of SentinelSecure Version 2.5

SyncDog has just released SentinelSecure version 2.5, including industry-specific container configurations for Healthcare and U.S. Government Department of Defense workflows. Version 2.5 adds significant security enhancements, increased application offerings in the secure mobile workspace, and FIPS 140-2 certification* from NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). The SentinelSecure container has been designed to address four main workflows for users accessing enterprise file stores and applications: Secure Communications, File Management, Secure Internet/Intranet Access, and Secure Location-based Services. Available secure applications include:



SharePoint

Enterprise and Local Chat

Geo-location Services

DropBox

A Personal Information Management (PIM) suite

File Annotation

Office Suite

Secure Mobile App Management & Development

Briefcase

File Sync

and many others

See the full list of available applications within the SentinelSecure container, here.

SyncDogs Partner Ecosystem

SyncDog has been actively building its partner system over the last year, securing certified APIs for the option to integrate SentinelSecure with a broad network of EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) providers. This flexibility allows customers the choice to deploy SentinelSecure as a standalone container or as a complementary layer of security to existing EMM investments, including:

MobileIron EMM

Snow Software EMM

Notify Technology EMM

Apperian Mobile Application Management Platform

SentinelSecure also has field integration with most name-brand EMM and MDM (Mobile Device Management) solutions.

About iBusiness Magazine

iBusiness Magazine  business innovation solutions  is the distinct choice for business end-users who are using cross-platform technologies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google. Unlike any other magazine, iBusiness Magazine focuses on providing information around business and enterprise solutions running on mobile and desktop technologies. For more information, visit ibusinessmag.com.

About SyncDog, Inc.

SyncDog is the leading independent software vendor (ISV) for building secure infrastructure frameworks that protect enterprise networks from cyber breach from mobile computing sources. The SentinelSecure product line for application containerization and IoT (Internet of Things) module monitoring provides the industrys most proactive approach to securing enterprise mobility computing.

The SentinelSecure data security solution delivers military-grade (FIPS 140-2 certified,* AES 256-bit) secure mobile device partitions or containers that can secure emails/contacts, calendar items, IM apps, Internet browsers, mobile file stores and other business apps provisioned on personal devices to be used in a BYOD setting.

For more information on SyncDog products, please click here.

*FIPS 140-2 Certicate #2687 | See listing on NIST.gov here.
Staff Members from U.S. Vets Long Beach Were in this together, were all dedicated to getting veterans employed and promoting supportive practices in the workplace. There is no other venue or opportunity for this type of collaboration to happen. Its truly unique."

On October 13- 14, 2016, Swords to Plowshares hosted a two-day conference in San Francisco, California for our partners in the California and Texas Veteran Employment Collaborative. The dual-state Employment Collaborative is funded by the Walmart Foundation and consists of 10 organizations from California and 4 from Texas that provide employment and job training services for veterans, and wrap around care to remove barriers to successful employment and increase veterans overall health and economic stability.

This two-day conference brought nearly three dozen employment service professionals and provided training through technical assistance workshops:



Providing employment services to veterans, leveraging employment and training models and resources

Leveraging Federal and State employment initiatives with representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Veterans Affairs

Round table discussion on challenges and best practices in employment services

Measuring impact through program evaluation

Effective fundraising and leadership for program sustainability

This two-day conference gave us the opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise for reaching, engaging, and increasing successful employment outcomes for underserved veterans; establish best practices for serving veterans and collecting program data to inform program delivery, and leverage our knowledge of building sustainable programs. We can get lost in the day-to-day work of serving veterans, and its great to come together and learn from one another, promote best practices, and continue our partnership, says Megan Zottarelli, Assistant Director of the Institute for Veteran Policy at Swords to Plowshares and grant administrator for this project. Were in this together, were all dedicated to getting veterans employed and promoting supportive practices in the workplace. There is no other venue or opportunity for this type of collaboration to happen. Its truly unique.

The overall goals of the dual-state Employment Collaborative are to help veterans prepare for, obtain and retain gainful employment and to increase veterans overall health, economic stability and ability to successfully transition to civilian life.

About Swords to Plowshares:

Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides case management, mental health assessment and referral, rapid re-housing and eviction prevention services, employment and training, supportive housing, and legal benefits assistance for low-income, homeless and at-risk veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Swords to Plowshares promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities. Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting our website at http://www.stp-sf.org.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. We have stores in 28 countries, employing more than 2.2 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. We are helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where we operate and inspiring our associates to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Womens Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. To learn more about Walmarts giving, visit http://www.foundation.walmart.com.
Crawford Technologies Customers have asked for a solution that ensures secure delivery of sensitive information and collaboration capabilities in the cloud, and the combination of Riptide and Box provides a straightforward and viable answer to those requests.

Crawford Technologies announced its support for Box in the Cloud. This new enhancement to the Riptide Server product allows organizations to automate the secure delivery of documents from repositories to users inside or outside their organizations using the cloud-based Box system.

Many organizations struggle to find ways to extend their confidential information and documents to their customers, partners, regulators and supply chain staff in a secure, automated fashion. A secure, cloud-based system like Box provides an ideal solution to facilitate this sharing of information.

Riptide has the ability to pull documents from multiple repositories such as IBM FileNet, IBM Content Manager OnDemand, bundle the documents together, convert them to any format and deliver them securely through Box, where they can be accessed from any device via the cloud.

As the ECM market undergoes change from established on-premises ECM systems to new cloud-based solutions, we feel that this solution offers organizations the best of both worlds as well as a short implementation timeline and the least re-tooling, said Ernie Crawford, President of Crawford Technologies. Customers have asked for a solution that ensures secure delivery of sensitive information and collaboration capabilities in the cloud, and the combination of Riptide and Box provides a straightforward and viable answer to those requests.

An ideal document delivery infrastructure, Box provides easy internal and external file sharing, and allows organizations to stop sending unsecure, large attachments via email. It provides enterprise-grade security allowing people to sync securely with end-to-end encryption.

With Riptide, organizations can scale their content solutions as their needs grow with Boxs integrations across IBM solutions, as well as leading business applications. It facilitates customized Box shared links with passwords, expiration dates and controlled download access.

Riptide is available immediately, and can be purchased from Crawford Technologies, IBM and selected partners. Crawford Technologies will be demonstrating the software at the IBM World of Watson conference in Las Vegas October 23  26.

About Box

Founded in 2005, Box is transforming the way people and organizations work so they can achieve their greatest ambitions. As a leading enterprise content platform, Box helps more than 66,000 businesses, including General Electric, KKR & Co., P&G and The GAP securely access and manage their critical information in the cloud. To learn more about Box, visit http://www.box.com.

About Crawford Technologies

Crawford Technologies is an award-winning, worldwide leader in print-stream conversions, document re-engineering, high-volume document workflow, document accessibility and archiving software solutions. For 20 years, Crawford Technologies has expanded its solution offerings in Customer Communications Management (CCM), Enterprise Output Management (EOM), Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Document Accessibility markets. CrawfordTech is dedicated to helping organizations improve their customer communications delivery systems so people can receive their documents in their format and channel of preference.

For media and other enquiries please contact the Crawford Technologies Press Office:

North America Tel: +1-416-923-0080

UK Tel: +44 (0)20 3289 4724

media(at)crawfordtech(dot)com

http://www.crawfordtech.com
The city of Springfield has contracted with Woolpert to provide a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Master Plan and an Airport Layout Plan for the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. It will be exciting to lay out the future of the airport and help grow and maintain this vibrant facility.

The city of Springfield has contracted with Woolpert to provide a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Master Plan and an Airport Layout Plan for the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. The plan will outline and detail the existing configuration of the airport as well as how it will evolve over the next 15-20 years.

The project is primarily funded by the FAA, with additional funding support from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the city of Springfield.

Woolpert will evaluate existing and future airport infrastructure needs, including roadways, runways, taxiways, navigational aids and buildings. It also will look at the airports administrative functions, finances, economic development opportunities, environment and wildlife management, modernization and sustainability, facility alternatives and implementation, and public outreach.

Chris Snyder, Woolpert project manager, said airports today face many challenges. In addition to identifying and developing growth opportunities, Snyder said airports must always consider the continued cost and manpower to maintain existing infrastructure with limited financial budgets.

As an industry-leading airport planning, engineering and geospatial consulting firm, Woolpert has worked with more than 1,500 airports and military air bases around the world and is actively engaged with the FAA and its processes. The firm also is known for its work providing unmanned aerial system (UAS) or drone capabilities to private companies as well as local, state and federal government clients.

The 178th Wing, a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard (ANG), stationed at the airport, transformed from a Fighter Wing to an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. It supports the Predator Unmanned Aerial Systems Combat sorties abroad and is home to a NASIC unit connected to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Airport Manager Don Smith said the airport is ramping up its support of UAS flight activity, especially with the Air Force Research Lab and various educational/research partners, and is trying to attract more UAS activity to the airport. Sinclair Community College is a teaming partner with Woolpert on the Master Plan project, lending its expertise to the UAS planning aspects.

Were intent to stay on the leading edge of this technology, Smith said.

Snyder agreed, adding that hes looking forward to working with the city to maximize the vast potential of the airport.

It will be exciting to lay out the future of the airport and help grow and maintain this vibrant facility, Snyder said.

The project will get underway this month and is expected to be complete by mid-2018.

About Woolpert

Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. With a dynamic R&D department, Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. Woolperts mission is to help its clients progressand become more progressive. For over 100 years and with 23 offices across the United States, Woolpert serves the needs of federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces. The firm currently is doing business in all 50 states and in five foreign countries. For more information, visit woolpert.com or call 937-531-1258.
Underground Elephant's Award Winning East Village Headquarters Underground Elephant's headquarters received an Orchid award for its it takes a village concept, which was inspired both by the 83-year-old warehouse location as well as the idea that a companys success relies on the collaboration of its employees.

Underground Elephant, a San Diego-based digital marketing company, was awarded a San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF) Orchid Interior Design award for their new headquarters in East Village. With over 150 nominees, the Orchids & Onions are awarded in honor of San Diego achievements in architecture, design, and historic preservation.The design award was presented to Underground Elephant at the historic Spreckels Theatre in San Diego on October 13th.

Located in the historic Wellman-Peck building in downtown San Diego, Underground Elephants new office unites history and innovation through a juxtaposed design. The space was recognized by the SDAF with a design award for its it takes a village concept, which was inspired both by the 83-year-old warehouse location as well as the idea that a companys success relies on the collaboration of its employees. CEO Jason Kulpa and BASILE Studio worked to bring the vision to life in the downtown space. Regarding the development project, Principal and Lead Designer Paul Basile says, Inspired by the notion of San Diego as a City of Villages, we worked with Jason to ensure this strategy was at the forefront of the overall design. From the schoolhouse constructed from salvaged timber to the 100-year-old olive trees to the beer and coffee bars that pour only San Diego-brands, Underground Elephant is a model for how 21st century offices should be designed, with the place and employee well-being in mind. The completion of the 3-year project required community collaboration of many San Diego organizations including the Downtown San Diego Partnership, East Village Association, Cruzan TR Produce, and the office of Mayor Faulconer.

Throughout the development project, Kulpa wanted to ensure the space and design embodied the companys unique culture. I wanted our company to place permanent roots in San Diego, and it was crucial to find a space that reflected the transparent and collaborative nature of our company, says Kulpa. With an open floor plan, the warehouse was designed with a variety of shared working spaces including an indoor park area, sunken living room, two glass-walled conference rooms, and a submerged speakeasy-style bunker. The companys bar, known as the Watering Hole, also serves as a space for employees to share creative ideas over pints of hosted Ballast Point beer.

Underground Elephants award-winning headquarters and East Village location attracted technology company Hewlett Packard to film their latest product release video in the space, which is now featured on their website.The office was also spotlighted in an Inc.com feature about unique company bathrooms, as the design includes a bathroom in full view of the street as another nod to the companys dedication to transparency. On October 21st, the office will be the first stop on SDAFs revamped Orchid Tour Program, where members of the public will have a chance to tour all of this years design award winning spaces.

About Orchids & Onions:

Orchids & Onions is a subset program of the non-profit San Diego Architectural Foundation. Nominations for the awards are open to the public throughout the year, which serves the organizations mission of promoting awareness for San Diegos architectural feats. Since the programs revamp in 2006, Orchids & Onions annually judges a wide variety of nominations to help educate the community about built environment design. In addition to a judges panel, the public is also encouraged to participate in Peoples Choice voting each September.

About Underground Elephant

Headquartered in Downtown San Diego, Underground Elephant is an award-winning marketing technology company that develops programmatic advertising platforms in order to bring transparency and efficiency to the buying and selling of structured lead generation media. The company's robust portfolio of enterprise-grade tech solutions enhances the connection between enterprises and their prospective clients by delivering highly efficient pathways to organic sales conversations. Learn more at http://undergroundelephant.com/.
Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee International, will be among the speakers celebrating Drucker Day at Claremont Graduate University on November 5. "Weve gathered speakers who can address [Peter Drucker's] vision of management as a human enterprisea liberal art-- and with that special kind of socially responsive leadership." -- Drucker School Dean Tom Horan

In this complex world of global organizations, it might seem ironic that success begins with a contemplative mind. Yet, mindfulness has emerged as a linchpin in a spectrum of critical management practices.

The role of mindfulness and connections to leadership and social impact serves as a central theme of Drucker Day 2016, held November 5, under the auspices of the Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University.

Opening remarks will be given by Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee International, on the critical relationship existing between mindfulness and management practice.

Behars keynote remarks will kick off a day of public conversations devoted to The Leadership Arc: Managing Self to Society. This years slate of speakers will share their insights into management and the spectrum of the leadership experiencefrom the micro-level of individuals to the macro-level of companies, organizations, and their impact on society at large.

A core Drucker idea is that you cant manage other people unless you manage yourself first, explains Jeremy Hunter, a member of the Drucker School faculty and Founding Director of the Executive Mind Leadership Institute. Hunter will introduce Behar, who is the best-selling author of Its Not About the Coffee: Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks.

Other Drucker Day speakers will include: Partners Federal Credit Union President and CEO John Janclaes, Global Category Leader Bridgette Bell of Pizza Hut International, Virgil Roberts of Bobbitt and Roberts, and several members of the Drucker School faculty.

More than 300 people are expected to attend this years Drucker Day; Drucker School Dean Tom Horan says the event serves as a strong reminder of the abiding lessons of the man who is widely considered the father of modern management.

Peter Druckers concepts resonate so strongly in our contemporary moment, explains Horan.For this years Drucker Day, weve gathered speakers who can address his vision of management as a human enterprisea liberal art-- and with that special kind of socially responsive leadership. We want attendees to understand not only that Druckers concepts are timeless, they are extremely relevant to where our society is now.

Register Now: For a full schedule of Drucker Day and to register, visit: http://drucker.cgu.edu/events/drucker-day-2016/

Media inquiries: contact Nick Owchar, executive director of communications for CGU.

Drucker Day 2016

Leadership Arc: Managing Self to Society

November 5

Garrison Theater

231 East 10th Street

Claremont, Calif.

91711

8:30 a.m.  5 p.m.

************

A member of Claremont Graduate University, the Drucker-Ito School of Management focuses on instilling management skills that enable our graduates to have remarkable careers and make a difference in the world. The school embraces Peter Druckers philosophy that the practice of management requires a holistic perspective, blending analytical skills with a firm grasp of the human dimension of business. Drucker students learn these skills in small classes taught by internationally-renowned professors who have extensive professional experience and award-winning academic credentials.
Were excited to support the largest one-day startup conference in Germany as its mission of helping founders build the next generation of outstanding companies closely aligns with our focus over the last 11 years. ~ Frank Bretschneider, cleverbridge

cleverbridge, a provider of global subscription billing solutions, announces cleverbridge Product Owner Frank Bretschneider, Director of EMEA Sales Michael Dittmar and Legal Counsel Dr. Timm Neu will present at StartupCon 2016 to be held October 27 at the LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany. The three experts will lead a Global Monetization Workshop: How to Sell Products & Services Online Around the World starting at 1:30 p.m. cleverbridge is also a sponsor of the event, which is one of largest conferences in Germany for entrepreneurs, investors and incubators designed to educate, inspire and connect entrepreneurs.

In this interactive workshop, the three senior cleverbridge monetization and compliance experts will shed some light on the challenges that companies typically face when they start selling their products and services in new global markets. They'll lead discussions on trends in consumer behavior, ecommerce and subscription business models and time-to-market, as well as share tips for staying compliant with global regulations around data security and privacy.

Were excited to support the largest one-day startup conference in Germany as its mission of helping founders build the next generation of outstanding companies closely aligns with our focus over the last 11 years, said Bretschneider.

Bretschneider is an expert in technology  from conceptualization to implementation and ongoing technical platform operation  and has more than 20 years of experience in online sales for software and digital services. At cleverbridge, he creates scalable, secure and high-performing billing and monetization solutions for global subscription businesses. Prior to cleverbridge, Bretschneider worked closely with clients to identify and respond to market changes and drive project success as a team lead at element 5 AG. He studied Business Informatics at the University of Cologne, Germany.

Prior to joining cleverbridge, Michael Dittmar served as Team Lead of Merchant Development and Senior Manager of Strategic Accounts at Klarna, leading a team in charge of some of the companys largest and most important accounts. Before Klarna, he worked as an Associate Director of Strategic Accounts for Digital River.

As legal counsel of cleverbridge, Dr. Neu focuses on international IT, IP and contract law. He also leads strategic and corporate legal consulting, international negotiations and contracting, and the management of the companys legal department in Germany. In the legal and compliance fields, Neu specifically analyzes multi-national regulatory requirements and developments with regards to consumer protection law, ecommerce purchase processes, customer approvals, payment providers, as well as terms and conditions. Prior to joining cleverbridge in 2013, he primarily dealt with IP law, moral rights, as well as film, TV, software, stage, print and new media licensing. He holds degrees from Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Universite de Paris X and Cornell Law School.

With 150 speakers, 250 investors and 500 one-on-one pitches, StartupCon focuses on helping founders build, scale and fund the next generation of outstanding companies. This years event will also feature StartupExpo, the first startup exhibition in the area, with 300 startups presenting their ideas and products to a large audience of future partners, customers, investors and incubators. Other speakers for StartupCon 2016 include Jorg Binnenbrucker, Tim Schumacher, Heiko Hubertz, Oliver Flaskamper, Malte Krueger and Arun Pudur, among others.

Schedule a meeting with cleverbridge at StartupCon 2016 to learn how we can help you maximize recurring revenue streams and provide the best possible customer experience by contacting inquiry(at)cleverbridge(dot)com.

To learn more about cleverbridge, please visit http://www.cleverbridge.com.

About cleverbridge

cleverbridge provides global subscription billing solutions that help companies build long-term customer relationships and grow recurring revenue streams. With its flexible, cloud-based billing and monetization platform, cleverbridge integrates seamlessly with client systems, simplifies subscription business models and delivers an optimized online customer experience. Leveraging cleverbridge expertise, technology and services, clients monetize products and services more effectively, rapidly expand their global subscriber base and maximize customer lifetime value. Headquartered in Cologne, Germany, cleverbridge has offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Tokyo. For more information, visit http://www.cleverbridge.com.
We are just ecstatic to celebrate the 20th Annual Sandhill Crane Festival here in Lodi, says Nancy Beckman President and CEO of Visit Lodi! Conference and Visitors Bureau.

The wetland habitat in the Central Valley provides a winter haven for these birds like no other. The sights and sounds of these birds will leave visitors in awe.

The cranes migrate from Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, and settle in the surrounding Lodi area for a well-deserved winter rest. The festival celebrates the return of the Greater and Lesser Sandhill Crane as well as over 100 different kinds of birds and wildlife in the region.

For 20 years, Lodis Sandhill Crane Festival has celebrated the return of the cranes. In partnership with the City of Lodi, the Festival continues this November, welcoming an ever-growing circle of friends to our community to share the wonder of the Sandhill Crane.

Every year excited visitors can expect to enjoy a variety of workshops, exhibits, nationally recognized guest speakers, well-known local and regional artists, musicians and other performers, guided tours and unique birding items for sale. The workshops consist of family and childrens programs as well as hands-on exhibits, origami and activities for the kids.

We are just ecstatic to celebrate the 20th Annual Sandhill Crane Festival here in Lodi, says Nancy Beckman President and CEO of Visit Lodi! Conference and Visitors Bureau. The festival provides visitors an incredible opportunity through tours and classes to view and learn about these amazing birds. One doesnt need to be an avid birdwatcher to fall in love with this event.

General Admission is Free!

General admission to the Sandhill Crane Festival is free. There is no charge for most of the events at Hutchins Street Square, including the Art Show, workshops and presentations, and Exhibit Hall.

Nature Tours

Costs vary per tour. For information, cost, and times, please see the tour schedule. http://www.cranefestival.com

WHEN: November 4-6, 2016

WHERE: Hutchins Street Square  Lodi, CA

INFORMATION: 800-581-6150  info(at)cranefestival(dot)com
Fruition a CSC Company We are proud to support the larger service management ecosystem, including the itSMF FUSION 16 Awards recognizing Service Management excellence, said Marc Talluto

itSMF USA is proud to announce Fruition Partners, a CSC company, as the exclusive FUSION 16 Award Sponsor for this years Next Generation Service Management Awards. The Next Generation of itSMF USA Awards celebrate and recognize success in service management, among individuals, teams, and Local Interest Groups and Communities of Interest. Award winners will be announced before the 1,600 industry leaders and practitioners who are expected to attend this year's FUSION 16 Conference on Nov. 1-4, 2016 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Award categories include:

Service Management in Action Award

This award recognizes and celebrates excellence in Service Management (SM) relevance and business outcomes.

Contributor of the Year Award

This award recognizes and celebrates individual Service Management excellence and participation in the SM industry and itSMF.

LIG/CoI Excellence Awards

The awards in this category recognize Local Interest Groups (LIG)/Communities of Interest (CoI), such as:



High Performance LIG/CoI of the Year, and

Upstart LIG/CoI of the Year

"We appreciate Fruition Partners, a CSC company, and their strong support for the larger itSMF USA community, tangibly recognizing the excellence in IT Service Management and the corresponding business outcomes and results," said Pamela Erskine, President itSMF USA.

"We are proud to support the larger service management ecosystem, including the itSMF FUSION 16 Awards recognizing Service Management excellence," said Marc Talluto, global service management practice leader, Fruition Partners. "Service Management excellence is a key differentiator for companies delivering true value added services to their customers and measurable results to their stakeholders."

Learn more at http://www.itsmfusa.org/awards

###

About Fruition Partners, a CSC Company

Fruition Partners, a CSC company, is a global technology-enabled services firm focused on elevating service management to the cloud. The company combines practical experience with technology-enabled tools and services to help organizations attain success throughout the entire Service Management process. Fruition Partners is a Gold Sales and Gold Services Partner of ServiceNow, the leading enterprise cloud company. Fruition Partners team of over 400 cloud-integration experts accelerates service management and ensure clients experience the cost and performance benefits quickly and easily. The company is a trusted partner to some of the worlds most respected organizations including Target, General Electric (GE), Delphi, Tulane University, Virteva, John Lewis, Boots, and various trusts within the UK National Health Service. For more information on Fruition Partners visit http://www.fruitionpartners.com.

ABOUT itSMF USA

itSMF USA, a chapter of itSMF International, is the independent professional organization and forum for IT Service Management professionals in the US. A not-for-profit organization, itSMF is a prominent player in the ongoing development and promotion of IT Service Management (ITSM) best practices, standards and qualifications in the United States. This network of industry professionals, white papers, webinars, podcasts, conferences and other resources creates an opportunity for individuals and organizations to connect, learn and grow. For more information, visit http://www.itsmfusa.org/
Farmobile

Farmobile, the farm data company, today announced follow-on funding provided by Anterra Capital and existing investors. The funding will be used to build additional functionality and further scalability of the companys hardware device, the PUC (Passive Uplink Connection), an internet-connected device that helps farmers collect, store, and share complete data sets from their fields, regardless of machine type or format.

After three years of engineering and testing the Farmobile platform, the company has built its next generation of hardware and software capabilities. Specifically, Farmobile is using the funding to roll out PUCv4, the newest version of its hardware device, and other innovative features, including universal file transfer.

File transfer will provide farmers the ability to remotely move prescription files and A-B lines across multiple machines as well as from the desktop to the cab and back. Traditionally, users had to physically move files in and out of the cab on a thumbdrive. The file transfer capability  part of Farmobiles data collection technology  will enhance the digital connection between farmers and their local advisors.

To grow our leading market position in farm data, we are rolling out the next generation of hardware and software. We've worked directly with farmers and their trusted advisors for three years, rapidly iterating our hardware and software based on their feedback and pain points, said Jason Tatge, CEO of Farmobile. We are bringing our latest capabilities to the market to deliver the absolute best data services available."

Farmobile specializes in the seamless collection, storage and processing of data from farmers machines using an easy-to-install, pre-configured PUC device. The company gives farmers independent and transparent ownership of their data with no hidden terms.

To learn more about Farmobile, please visit: http://www.farmobile.com.

About Farmobile:

Farmobile is the farm data company. We help farmers own their data outright.

Our products and services are used to collect, store, touch, share and sell valuable agronomic and machine data to vetted third parties. After all, data is among the most valuable commodities a farm produces. Farmobile is proudly based in Overland Park, Kansas, in the heart of the Midwest.

The most resilient farmers in the world use Farmobile. Secure your data in one place today at http://www.farmobile.com.
Rigaku Corporation is pleased to announce its attendance at the 2016 Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SWRM) in Galveston, Texas, November 10-13, 2016.

Rigaku is presenting its lines of bench-top X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy instrumentation at Table 16.

The event will be held at the Galveston Convention Center and will focus on innovations in energy and medicine. The event will include a variety of symposia topics including analytical, biological, computational, inorganic, medicinal, organic, physical, and polymer chemistry.

About Rigaku

Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on general-purpose analytical instrumentation and the life sciences. With hundreds of major innovations to their credit, Rigaku companies are world leaders in X-ray spectrometry, diffraction, and optics, as well as small molecule and protein crystallography and semiconductor metrology. Today, Rigaku employs over 1,400 people in the manufacturing and support of its analytical equipment, which is used in more than 90 countries around the world supporting research, development, and quality assurance activities. Throughout the world, Rigaku continuously promotes partnerships, dialog, and innovation within the global scientific and industrial communities.

For further information, contact:

Michael Nelson

Rigaku Global Marketing Group

tel: +1. 512-225-1796

michael.nelson(at)rigaku(dot)com
EmPOWER Center of The Claremont Colleges "We are so excited for the tremendous resources this grant will bring to the 7Cs. It will help strengthn and expand our efforts and go a long way in helping to build a community of care at the colleges." ~Rima Shah, EmPOWER Center director

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women recently announced The Claremont Colleges will receive a grant totaling $749,998 to help students who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. The DOJ award will strengthen existing resources and fund new programming and supportive services delivered by the EmPOWER Center, established in 2015. The funding will benefit students from all seven of The Claremont Colleges, which include Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and Pitzer Colleges; and graduate schools Keck Graduate Institute and Claremont Graduate University. The Claremont Colleges were among 45 colleges and universities in the nation, and the only higher education institutions in California, to receive the DOJ award.

We are extremely pleased to be able to expand the important work of assisting the seven campuses deliver effective, comprehensive, and coordinated strategies supporting survivors, reducing campus sexual violence, and improving our institutions responses to these incidences, said Charlotte Johnson, Scripps vice president for student affairs and dean of students, who will serve as lead administrator for the funding. Johnson and Sharon Basso, vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Claremont McKenna College, jointly oversee the EmPOWER Center on behalf of The Claremont Colleges.

Johnson explained that funds assigned to the project will support services, education, and programming provided by The Claremont Colleges, Claremont University Consortium, and community partners, which include House of Ruth, Project Sister, and the Claremont Police Department. Johnson anticipates the funding will allow the EmPOWER Center and its partners to serve more than 12,500 students at The Claremont Colleges over the next three years. The DOJ funding further underscores The Claremont Colleges leadership role in addressing these issues, Johnson added.

Under Director Rima Shah, the EmPOWER Center has significantly increased the number of students reached through orientation and other year-round education programs to build awareness and prevent sexual and dating violence on campuses, has established an expanded 7C student advisory board whose members meet monthly, and collaborates closely with student advocate groups who provide confidential peer-to-peer support. Since its official opening in January 2016, the seven-college program has also successfully doubled its in-house counseling hours; increased awareness about resources; successfully launched a healthy masculinity initiative aimed at involving male-identifying students across the consortium in programming around consent, rape culture, and healthy relationships; implemented confidential support groups and collaborative trainings for professional and student staff who most often come in contact with survivors.

In addition to the work of the EmPOWER Center, each college supports its own Title IX office to combat sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and sexual violence.

We are so excited for the tremendous resources this grant will bring to the 7Cs. It will help strengthen and expand our efforts and go a long way in helping to build a community of care at the colleges, said EmPOWER Center director, Rima Shah.

The EmPOWER Center serves undergraduate institutions Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and Pitzer Colleges; and graduate schools Keck Graduate Institute and Claremont Graduate University, the seven-college consortium known as The Claremont Colleges. EmPOWER Center seeks to collaborate closely with students, staff, faculty, and community partners to build awareness and sensitivity around issues related to sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking through prevention education, information dissemination, and training programs for students, staff, and faculty. The Center also provides counseling and holistic support to 7C students impacted by these forms of violence.
fflya airline app on an Airbus A340 fflya is a game changer

AS-IP Tech, Inc. (OTCMKTS: IPTK) announced today that fflya, the worlds first Bluetooth Smart airline connectivity solution, has been commissioned on an A340.

fflya is an inflight connectivity revolution that provides free app messaging and destination savings that will enhance the passengers flight experience and allow the airline to earn revenue without having to charge.

fflya substantially reduces equipment costs and eliminates the high cost of satellite transmission by combining a proprietary satellite protocol with a Bluetooth Smart network capable of connecting every passenger on-board with a single Bluetooth hotspot.

Company CEO Ron Chapman said, fflya is a game changer because until now airlines have had only two expensive ways to connect via satellite in an aircraft  a proprietary link for the cockpit and Wi-Fi for the cabin. On the ground people are communicating more than ever using apps, with the common belief that messaging is free. fflya now meets this societal expectation in the air by delivering free app messaging and more for passengers.

fflya provides value-added services that allow the airline to promote its brand, extend the digital reach and generate revenue in a way never seen before.

Significantly, airlines can test the unique fflya platform without any modification to the aircraft. fflya is a self-contained portable system including Satcom and custom window antenna that classifies as a carry-on device so there is no aircraft certification required.

Click here to read more about the A340 fflya program.

AS-IP Tech, Inc. will be demonstrating fflya at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) on 24-27 October 2016 Booth 1937.

About AS-IP Tech, Inc.

AS-IP Tech, Inc. is leading the world in Bluetooth Smart connectivity solutions for aircraft. The company management has a thirty-year history of flying new communication technologies worldwide. Over the past decade the focus has been on creating an alternative method to connect passengers with the aim of reducing the high costs of inflight connectivity. AS-IP successfully launched the first product on business jets in 2014 and a further two years of Research and Development saw the evolution of fflya, the worlds first Bluetooth Smart airline connectivity solution.

Safe Harbor Disclosure

This press release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "intend," "project," and other terms with similar meaning. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's projections and expectations are disclosed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified by such cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.
The Secrets to Superior Employee Management as Stated in Our Human Resource Masters Degree

London School of Marketing has released a blog post, exploring why effective staff management is so important, and how it can be achieved in the workplace. Mentoring and motivating staff members is essential if you want to improve your businesss performance, the post explains. Managing employees effectively also has a positive impact on staff retention, reducing the time and money spent on replacing team members.

Well trained staff who feel positive about their roles can help take your business to the next level, said LSM chief marketing officer Anton Dominique.

Thorough training, streamlined systems and good morale are essential if you want to get the best possible results from your team.

The blog post emphasises the importance of communicating closely with employees, developing a clear understanding of what motivates and frustrates them. The best HR managers hold regular meeting with team members to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and help them to progress within the company.

The post goes on to explain how LSMs Human Resource Masters prepares students for a career in HR. Students develop all the skills and knowledge they need to excel in this rewarding industry, including communication, critical evaluation and HR ethics.

The full blog post, including a more detailed look at effective employee management, can be viewed here. The internationally recognised qualifications offered by the school, including its Human Resource Masters degree, can be viewed at http://www.londonschoolofmarketing.com.

London School of Marketing delivers accredited marketing and business qualifications, and offers professional courses from recognised professional bodies such as CIM, EduQual and academic qualifications on Marketing, Business, Finance, Law and HRM from Anglia Ruskin University and The University of Northampton. Based in Central London, they are a QAA approved institution. The school also has offices in Sri Lanka, a network of Local Access Points (LAPs), and online programmes of learning.
Russ DiGilio, Founder and Owner of Duck Donuts Franchising Company LLC, has been named the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. I would not be where I am today, nor would Duck Donuts be experiencing such growth, without the love and support of my family, the hard work and devotion of my Duck Donuts team, and the best donut fans in the world.

Russ DiGilio, Founder and Owner of Duck Donuts Franchising Company LLC, has been named the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC (Capital Region Economic Development Corporation).

I am incredibly honored to receive this award from The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, says DiGilio. Its extremely humbling to be in the company of such an elite group of movers and shakers who impact our local communities in powerful and positive ways. I would not be where I am today, nor would Duck Donuts be experiencing such growth, without the love and support of my family, the hard work and devotion of my Duck Donuts team, and the best donut fans in the world.

Each year, chamber member businesses and individuals are honored at the Catalyst Awards for their outstanding contributions to the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and the community. In addition to Entrepreneur of the Year, categories include the Athena Award, Business Diversity Champion, Catalyst Award, Government Leader of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Small Business of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year. Recipients will be recognized at the annual awards event on Wednesday, November 30, at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at 5:30 p.m.

An entrepreneur, by definition, is a person who organizes and manages an enterprise with considerable initiative and risk. Russ DiGilio took an idea and added the initiative to open a freshly made donut shop at his favorite beach. He then created a franchise model and partnered with other entrepreneurs who understood his vision and business model to grow into an award-winning donut enterprise. From the original shop in Duck on North Carolinas Outer Banks, to his new store and training facility on the Carlisle Pike in Hampden Township, Russ joins a notable list of successful, local entrepreneurs. Duck Donuts is proof that central Pennsylvanias entrepreneurial spirit is a powerful engine for building businesses and creating jobs, says David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.

DiGilio ignited his donut venture in 2006 in hopes of solving a family vacation problem: Our family wanted a place to buy warm, delicious, and made-to-order donuts at the Outer Banks, and when we couldnt find one, we decided to start our own, he says. Our motto from day one has been Keep it simple. We sell donuts with a side of smiles and pride ourselves on making the perfect donut for every customer every time.

In 2013, the first franchise location was opened in Williamsburg, Virginia. We were approached so many times to consider franchising that we finally had to embrace the idea, says DiGilio. Loyal followers begged for a Duck Donuts in their communities and now, as of October 2016, there are 28 open stores and 110 locations signed to contract in 13 states.

Its been an exciting journey working beside Russ as he developed Duck Donuts in the most organic way, says Gary McAneney, COO and brother-in-law. He is a leader who cares and genuinely wants the best for his communities and employees. Our team at Duck Donuts is thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved achievement of our friend and trailblazer, Russ DiGilio.

A family favorite at beach towns across America and expanding to cities like Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta, Columbus, Houston and Austin, Duck Donuts is built on a fun family experience. We love to see the smiles on childrens faces as they watch their donut being made, and were equally excited about the opportunity to provide 25-40 new jobs at every location, says DiGilio. When I see the impact that one idea can have on the economy, its motivating and humbling. To date, weve been able to create more than 1,200 new jobs.

DiGilio and his wife, Christy, have five children, all of whom are integral to the family business. After raising his family in Mechanicsburg, DiGilio decided to locate the company headquarters in his hometown in 2016.

Before diving into the hospitality industry, DiGilio was Founder/President of The Autumn Group, a management company for long-term care facilities where he owned and operated senior and assisted living facilities. He has over 30 years of health care experience.

DiGilio holds a BA in Psychology from West Chester University. A member of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, the West Shore Chamber, and the Mechanicsburg Chamber, Russ is passionate about giving back to the community. Franchise-wide, Duck Donuts has a program titled Quack Gives Back and each month Duck Donuts make a difference in every community they serve.

ABOUT DUCK DONUTS

Duck Donuts was founded in 2006 by Russ DiGilio in Duck, North Carolina. His intention? To solve a family vacation problem: Our family wanted a place to buy warm, delicious, made-to-order! donuts, and when we couldnt find one, we decided to start our own.

By 2011, Duck Donuts had expanded to four Outer Banks locations and the donut business was so successful that DiGilio was continuously approached about franchise opportunities and by fans who begged for a Duck Donuts in their communities. The first franchise opened in Williamsburg, VA, in 2013 and there are now 28 open franchise locations.

Duck Donuts store openings are scheduled for:

Gaithersburg, MD  November 2016

Columbus, OH  November 2016

Stafford, VA  December 2016

Hilton Head, SC  December 2016

Jacksonville, NC  December 2016

Orlando, FL  December 2016

Knoxville, TN- December 2016

Charleston, SC  January 2017

THE DUCK DONUTS EXPERIENCE

We discovered that the most powerful marketing advantage we have is the aroma of warm donuts wafting from every store. Our light vanilla cake donut is a little crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, made fresh right in front of you, hand-dipped in hot icing, and sprinkled with your choice of delicious toppings and drizzles. Its that simple.

Children love to stand on the strategically placed step in the waiting area, allowing them to see the entire process, as the donut machine cooks and carries their donuts down the line, where they are dipped, topped, packaged, and served warm in the box. Duck Donuts serves its own signature coffee blendsRiptide Roast, Light House Blend, and Sunset Pier Decaf with new special seasonal flavors changing throughout the yearand offers breakfast options, as well as catering services. Indoor and outdoor seating is available at most locations. For customers who dont have a Duck Donuts in their neighborhood, or wish to gift a delicious box of Duck Donuts to someone far away, order specialty Flash Frozen donuts at http://www.DuckDonuts.com.

To learn more or to share your Duck Donuts experience, Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, or send us a Tweet.

ABOUT THE HARRISBURG REGIONAL CHAMBER & CREDC

The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC serves as a catalyst for promoting growth and quality of life in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties by providing a unique blend of business, community and economic development and advocacy services under one roof to boost our economic vitality and livability as a region. The Chamber & CREDC has been accredited with five stars from the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Emory's Laney Graduate School and the Letters of Samuel Beckett Project mark the publication of The Letters of Samuel Beckett, 1966-1989," the final volume in the series. For Samuel Beckett, letters were first of all a human exchange: They were a means of keeping in touch, of spanning distance and time.

This month, Emory Universitys Laney Graduate School and the Letters of Samuel Beckett Project celebrate the publication of The Letters of Samuel Beckett, 1966-1989 by Cambridge University Press, the fourth and final volume of the Letters editions.

Each volume spans critical periods of the acclaimed Irish-born writer's work. Becketts letters reveal a man whose life and art offer paradigms for the cross currents of the 20th century, extending the limits of fiction, drama, poetry and criticism.

Beckett wrote drama for stage, radio, television and film. The letters show how the visual arts and music compelled his attention and reveal the influence of paintings on his stage images and musical forms on the patterns of his prose.

Close associations with theater artists, painters and musicians resulted in much collaboration during his lifetime, just as his texts have continued to inspire artists, composers and other writers to create new work.

The newly released Volume IV reflects the publics and the medias increased attention and, with it, a huge influx of letters from old friends and new correspondents. In spite of this, Beckett found ways to retain the privacy necessary for his writing.

Exploring the possibilities of television

The period covered by Volume IV is one that sees the publication and production of many new works. Beckett explored the possibilities of television as he worked closely with technicians in Stuttgart and London to realize Ghost Trio, ... but the clouds..., Nacht und Traume and Quad.

In his stage plays, Beckett found the dramaturgical means to focus audience attention analogous to what the television camera would permit. He expanded the presence of the personal interior through recorded sound, in such works as That Time, Footfalls, Rockaby, Ohio Impromptu, Catastrophe and Quoi ou.

Beckett also continued to write poetry during his final years, ranging from the brief, often witty Mirlitonades to the open-ended musing of Comment dire. Although he became increasingly impatient with his own physical limitations, Becketts letters during this time remained responsive to the needs of others.

Publishing Beckett's letters

In 1985, Samuel Beckett authorized founding editor Martha Dow Fehsenfeld to publish his correspondence. Lois More Overbeck was asked to join the project that same year, and from 1985 until his death in 1989, Beckett himself helped to facilitate their research through access and interviews.

In 1990, the project became affiliated with the Laney Graduate School at Emory, and, with Laneys support, received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as the Florence Gould Foundation. In 1992, the American University of Paris became a center for the edition in France. The editorial team also expanded to include George Craig and Dan Gunn.

For Samuel Beckett, letters were first of all a human exchange: They were a means of keeping in touch, of spanning distance and time, says Overbeck, the project's managing editor. Both the tempo and immediacy of contemporary communication suggests that Becketts letters may be among the last great literary correspondences.

Becketts correspondence is copious, totaling more than 16,000 letters. The letters, however, are scattered across the globe in both public and private collections.

For nearly 30 years, the Beckett editorial team consulted and transcribed all extant letters to make the selections included in all four volumes of The Letters of Samuel Beckett. The complete edition comprises letters selected for their bearing on his work, including some 2,500 letters with another 5,000 quoted in the annotations.

The edition also contains all of Becketts writing  published, unpublished or abandoned  including his criticism, reviews, essays on arts, descriptions of paintings that are later transposed into stage images, and observations on musical composition that inform the patterns of his prose.

Engaging generations of students

The Letters of Samuel Beckett is a treasure for scholars, artists, critics and diverse audiences who hold Becketts work in highest esteem. But the project has also been professionally important to graduate students who credit their involvement for developing a breadth of transferrable professional skills that have continued to shape their careers.

Lisa Tedesco, dean of the Laney Graduate School, says she appreciates the opportunities that the project has presented to students at Emory and the American University of Paris.

The graduate experience is devoted to rigorous research and meticulous scholarship, says Tedesco. The discipline and focus required to cull, analyze and translate the incredible body of Becketts correspondence has developed skillsets in our students that go far beyond literary research.

For Laney alumna Laura Barlament, the Letters experience helped her to develop communication and collaborative skills. I learned about establishing relationships. I have seen how to ask questions astutely. I have experienced how a community of scholars from different disciplines can work toward a common goal," she says.

For alumnus Brian Cliff, the experience exposed him to a professional network. My work with The Letters of Samuel Beckett not only helped me to develop and refine essential critical and research skills, but exposed me to a web of contacts that will be of great help to me over the course of my career," he notes.

And for Jennifer Nesbitt, her participation shaped the way she conducts research. The most obvious benefit I have derived from the project has been greater knowledge, skill and resourcefulness in research," she explains. "It has taught me to follow threads of information to a larger picture and to develop a key scholarly aptitude: the hunch.

The project also benefitted from the work of scholars at the end of their academic careers, as volunteers from Emory's Emeritus College, made up of retired faculty, offered their time, expertise and experience to proofread manuscripts and proofs with editors.

Commemorating Beckett's impact

Becketts letters are pivotal for scholars and students of Becketts work, but at the same time, they are also very human and accessible. As David Sexton recently noted in the London Evening Standard, every one of them, however brief, is a considered act by Beckett. Each is an example of how he conducted himself. Taken together they constitute a substantial addition to his body of writing.

Tedesco agrees. The importance and influence of Becketts work to the arts, culture and thought is well known and specially regarded, she says. One of the beautiful things about the 'Letters' project and the editions created is to see Becketts work  and Beckett himself  illuminated in an entirely new way.

"The 'Letters' have breathed immersive life into Becketts philosophies, his artistic processes, his keen and critical observations of himself, the world, and other work, and much more," she says.

The publication of The Letters of Samuel Beckett, 1966-1989 is being celebrated through a series of events this fall at Emory and throughout the U.S. and Europe.

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A well informed patient is a patient who is ready to make an educated decision about having plastic surgery. - Senior Editor of Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town, an online plastic surgery news and information community, makes finding the right doctor easier than ever thanks to a new series of articles recently published on their website. The articles spotlight the qualities and board certifications ideal doctors should possess in a number of medical specialties.

According to the senior editor of Cosmetic Town, Trying to decide which doctor to place your trust in for a cosmetic surgery procedure can be overwhelming. Some doctors have more experience and training than others and it can be tough trying to find the right doctor for you. Our new series of articles addresses what to look for in a doctor in a variety of procedures. Some of the surgical options covered include thigh lift, neck lift, hair restoration, eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty.

When asked what inspired the series of articles, the senior editor said the articles provide vital information necessary to make an informed decision. They tell patients what board certifications they should look for in a doctor, give pertinent information about the procedure they are interested in undergoing and what questions they should ask the doctor before making the final decision to undergo surgery. A well informed patient is a patient who is ready to make an educated decision about having plastic surgery.

Each of the articles are written to provide an in-depth look at a particular cosmetic surgery category. The senior editor stated that Cosmetic Town has the ability to educate and inform the public about cosmetic surgery which will help patients achieve their surgical goals. We plan on expanding and updating the article series in the near future to cover even more surgical procedures with the more current medical information available.

About Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town is an online cosmetic medicine publication that also features doctors who were endorsed and highly recommended by their peers. This reliable and streamlined database allows users to easily navigate the website and access the information they need with just a click of a button. Users can also stay informed and get the latest news on plastic surgery by reading the regularly updated news section. Visiting the forum page is also another way for users to stay engaged and keep each other up to date.
In 2013, the family of Tia Palermo, a longtime resident of Livingston County, established a scholarship at Scripps College in her memory.

Through her dedication and hard work, Tia supported herself as she obtained a bachelors degree in education. One of her daughters, Zoe Ravich McNitt 12, attended Scripps College, a private womens liberal arts college in Southern California. She says, My parents both believed in the power of womens education, and my mother adored the Scripps College campus and what the college stood for as a womens institution.

Scripps College welcomes applications from students in the upstate New York counties of Livingston, Wyoming, Orleans, Genesee, Erie, Niagara and Monroe to apply for admission. If admitted, an incoming student from one of these counties who demonstrates financial need would be eligible for the Tia Palermo Scholarship, which provides anywhere from a partial to a full scholarship as determined by that students demonstrated financial need.

For more information about applying to Scripps College, please visit http://www.scrippscollege.edu, call (909) 621-8149, or email admission(at)scrippscollege(dot)edu.

For questions about applying or about financial aid, please visit: http://www.scrippscollege.edu/admission/. Interested parents or students may also contact Patrick Moore, Director of Financial Aid at Scripps College at 909-621-8275 or pmoore(at)scrippscollege(dot)edu.

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Scripps College was founded in 1926 by Ellen Browning Scripps, a pioneering philanthropist and influential figure in the worlds of education, publishing, and womens rights. Today, Scripps is a nationally top-ranked liberal arts college and womens college with approximately 980 students, and is a member of The Claremont Colleges in Southern California. The mission of Scripps College is to educate women to develop their intellects and talents through active participation in a community of scholars, so that as graduates they may contribute to society through public and private lives of leadership, service, integrity, and creativity.
Eight attorneys from the Retail Industry Group at international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP will serve as faculty lecturers and roundtable speakers at the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) US Shopping Centre Law Conference. The annual conference, which is being held in Hollywood, Florida Oct. 26-28, draws more than 1,400 retail real estate leaders to share industry-specific knowledge and insight from leading authorities.

Two shareholders, Howard K. Jeruchimowitz and Neil Oberfeld, will serve as faculty and moderate general sessions or seminars. Additionally, Michelle D. Gambino, Danielle Gonzalez, Glenn A. Kleinbaum, Ilene K. Kobert, Matthew A. Brandt, and Nick McGrath will lead roundtable sessions.

Gambino, a litigation shareholder in the firms Northern Virginia office, will lead the Exclusives After Winn-Dixie and Its Progeny: When Exclusive-Use Covenants Get Personal roundtable. Her clients include project owners, developers, lenders, contractors, specialty subcontractors, design professionals, and sureties in the real estate and construction industry. Gambino was lead lawyer in the retail and industry setting case of Lord & Taylor v. White Flint (8:13-cv-01912), where the jury awarded $31m to Lord & Taylor in lost profits tied to White Flints closing of the mall to build a mixed-use project.

Gonzalez, real estate shareholder in the firms Miami office, will weigh in on the Sink or Swim: From Piers to Ports, the Unique Issues You Should Consider when Retail Leasing Space that is Underwater roundtable. Gonzalez focuses her practice on the acquisition, financing, leasing, and disposition of retail, office, industrial, and multifamily residential properties throughout the United States.

Jeruchimowitz, a litigation shareholder in the firms Chicago office, will moderate The Real World: Leases in the Courtroom. He represents owners, developers, landlords, and tenants in landlord-tenant and shopping centre disputes, mechanics liens, foreclosures, and construction disputes, as well as banks and lenders in bank and mortgage litigation. Jeruchimowitz is on the Board of Editors for ICSCs Shopping Center Law & Strategy publication.

Kleinbaum, a real estate shareholder in the firms New York office, will lead the Health Care Leases - Avoiding the Headaches roundtable. He represents "big box" retailers in connection with the acquisition, leasing, and development of free-standing retail locations and anchor locations in shopping centers.

Kobert, a real estate shareholder in the firms Miami office will lead the Sports Authority and the Pitfalls of Co-Tenancy Provisions roundtable. Kobert concentrates her practice in various areas of commercial real estate law, representing land owners and developers, tenants, buyers and sellers.

Oberfeld, a real estate shareholder in the firms Denver office and co-chair of the firms National Leasing Practice, will moderate Whats New under the Sun? Recent Case Law Affecting Shopping Centres. He assists national and regional retailers, developers, institutional owners, and investors in real estate and general business matters. Oberfeld serves on the ICSC Legal Advisory Council, as well as the Planning Committee for ICSC Annual Law Conference.

Brandt, a real estate associate in the firms Chicago office, will moderate the Issues Landlords Face in Leasing to Franchisees roundtable. Brandt focuses his practice on retail, office, and industrial leasing, acquisitions, sale, and development.

McGrath, a real estate associate in the firms Denver office will lead the Dear Retail Tenant, Welcome to Your Condo Unit roundtable. McGrath focuses his practice on a wide variety of real estate transactions, including acquisitions, leasing, planning, financing, and development.

Warren J. Karp, chair of the firms Global Retail Practice; Jason M. Toon, co-chair of the firms National Leasing Practice; James J. Caserio, co-chair of the firm's Chicago Real Estate Practice; and Carole Miner Schuman, real estate attorney in the firms New York office, will also attend the conference.

About Greenberg Traurigs Retail Industry Group

A Chambers & Partners Band 1-ranked practice since 2007, Greenberg Traurigs Retail Industry Group provides innovation and flexibility in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment. The team of nearly 100 attorneys serves clients from offices in more than a dozen locations around the world. They draw from distinct legal disciplines to guide clients with thoughtful planning and creative strategies to address emerging issues facing the retail industry, to reduce risk, and to enhance business operations, productivity, and profitability. Regardless of location, industry involvement, or consumer interface, the firms retail team is highly qualified to assist with many retail industry legal matters.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 2,000 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No. 1 on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, second largest in the U.S. on the 2016 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com.
More of our new customers are coming to us because someone posted a great review about us on Facebook

Miamis leader in sliding glass door repair service, Express Glass, is proud to announce an upgrade to the company Facebook page. Providing personal reviews for excellent glass repair service has risen in popularity, not only on Google and Yelp but also on Facebook. Sliding glass door repair customers can now easily rate and review the revamped Facebook page.

More of our new customers are coming to us because someone posted a great review about us on Facebook, commented Yaniet Santos, general manager at Express Glass. Yes, its flattering and tells us we are meeting our goals to offer the best in customer service. It also reminds us that upgrading our Facebook site helps the community better share their ratings and experiences about us.

To review the Express Glass Facebook page for Miami, go to; https://www.facebook.com/expressglassfl. The page has been revamped to better support community communication. To review more details about Miami sliding glass door repair, please go to: http://www.expressglassfl.com/miami-glass-window-repair/. Emergency glass repair information as well as 24/7 glass replacement is available for review.

Miami Elects to Share Expert Sliding Glass Door Repair Service on Facebook

The 2016 presidential debates have vitalized political pundits and the social media world. Fresh news regarding Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is immediately shared across internet news sites and community platforms daily. Republicans, democrats and independent voters alike review the candidates and share opinions. The popularity of Facebook has not been lost on the DNC and GOP as both campaigns post videos and information about the candidates frequently. In Miami, while the community shares political views on Facebook, sharing experiences regarding local services has become more popular too. If a Florida property owner needs to search for the best sliding glass door repair team in Miami, Facebook may be the first place to check for reviews.

Express Glass, Miamis experts in sliding glass door repair has announced a revamp to the company Facebook page. Locals searching for emergency 24/7 sliding glass door repair service and support can easily review the updated social media page. Articles about broken window glass and helpful tips have been included to better support the community. Florida locals can rate service and review the latest in glass repair technology. Whether a Miami homeowner elects to have old windows replaced or add high-impact glass to patio doors, the choice can be easy. The best in sliding glass door repair can be found in Miami.

About Express Glass Repair and Board Up

Express Glass and Board Up Service Inc. is a family owned and operated glass repair business with more than 20 years of experience. Their professional technicians and the large variety of inventory make Express Glass the top glass repair service. If customers are looking for Miami sliding glass door repair or Ft. Lauderdale glass repair as well as glass repair in West Palm Beach, please reach out to the company for a free estimate. If customers need a 24/7 Sliding Glass Door repair service in Miami or Boca Raton or Miramar, technicians are standing by. The company specializes in sliding glass door repair and window glass repair; technicians will handle any glass replacement situation efficiently. Home or business glass repair is the company's main priority.

Express Glass Repair and Board up

http://www.expressglassfl.com/
Moty Ginsburg with his son Dean, at today's conference hall "Being the 4th company among construction companies on a nationwide level is a major success for us" says Moty Ginsburg, Treeium CEO

Treeium Inc., a California based home remodeling company focused on eco-sustainability, is set to receive an award for ranking No. 114 in Inc. magazines 35th annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive list of Americas privately held fastest-growing companies. The company will be recognized in the INC 5000 gala to be held in San Antonio, TX on October 20th.

Treeiums CEO, Moty Ginsburg, will be attending the Inc 5000 Conference and Gala with his son Dean Ginsburg, who recently graduated from Miami University and is now following in his fathers footsteps and branching into the construction industry. The both of them are very excited to represent the company: Being the 4th company among construction companies on a nationwide level is a major success for us, says Moty Ginsburg. And its an incentive to keep working to improve our services.

Treeium made it onto the list for 2nd year in a row, thanks to an incredible 2,874% Growth in the past 3 years. That can be understood as an impressive achievement for the company, given how competitive the INC 500 ranking has become, with the average company growing 433% on the same time frame. Complete results and stats about the Inc. 5000 can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

The award is one of the many accomplishments the company has reached this year. In addition to the being named one of Americas fastest-growing private companies in the Inc. 5000 list, Treeium was recognized at No. 30 on the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 list and launched its #TreeiumGivesBack program for people in need.Find out more information on Treeiums website: treeium.com

About Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000

Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is an American monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the Inc. 500. The Inc. 500 is an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the United States, introduced in 1982. The Inc. 5000 is an expansion of the Inc. 500, which ranks the countrys top 5000 fastest-growing private companies and also features a special ranking of the top 10% of the list as the Inc. 500.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of the starting calendar year, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales.

About Treeium, Inc.

Treeium is a general contracting company based in California with over 24 years of experience in eco friendely remodeling. We believe that change starts from the inside out, and that the home is a great place to start. We believe that every need can be answered by a green solution which is why we offer remodeling services that help our customers create their dream homes in an efficient, sustainable, healthy way for both their families and the planet.
Every literary genre has its subgenres, but there is perhaps no genre so packed with niches as horror fiction. Youve got your supernatural horror, postapocalyptic horror, fantasy horror, sci-fi horror, comedy horror, and then all the vampire, werewolf, and zombie horror. Its a long list of genres for the long list of authors who self-publish in this increasingly fractured and versatile category.

Some horror writers are making a killing at self-publishing, but thats far from the norm. More likely, self-published horror writers are seizing independence to get out work that isnt finding a home with traditional pressesand many of them are passionate enough to keep going despite making little profit.

[Horror] is a genre with rabid, but small, fan bases and obsessive authors; its a hard genre to sell, says Martin Kee, who has self-published several horror works that also tie in elements of sci-fi and fantasy, including A Latent Dark, The Umbral Wake, and Bloom: Or, The Unwritten Memoir of Tennyson Middlebrook, all exclusively on Amazon. Horror isnt for everyone, and I think a lot of people who might enjoy horror steer clear because they think its just gore. Other people just dont want to feel scared or anxious. They just dont want that stuff in their head. I respect that, but theres such a broad spectrum of horror out there, I think people would be surprised what they end up liking. Ive even been told by readers of Bloom that they didnt even know it was the book they wanted to read until they read it.

J.E. Mayer, author of a number of horror novels, including An Anger at Birth, based on the true story of a teen serial killer, links many readers reflexive disinterest in horror fiction to their dislike of slasher stories and movies, and insists that slasher fiction isnt representative of the horror genreat least not anymore. Horror is just coming back as a strong genre in general, Mayer says. Slasher stories dominated the public attention for some time, and traditional horror tales became associated with [them], and thus horror received a bad name in publishing. [Unless] you were Stephen King, if you wrote horror, you were seen as writing gore.

To be clear, no one is claiming that gore is dead, but rather that the playing field has opened tremendously, and thats thanks in part to self-publishing. Many indie horror writers find that, had it not been for self-publishing, theyd never have been able to get their hard to sell ideas out into the world.

Saved by Self-Publishing

I chose to self-publish simply to be read, says Joe Schwartz, whose eighth book, the horror novel Stabco: You Need Nothing Else, is now available on Amazon. The odds of getting someone substantial to publish your work when youre basically just getting started are less than awful.

That traditional publishers simply dont have the time or resources for your work is a sentiment that all too many horror authors can relate to. Trent St. Germain, who published the horror novel The Incubus and the Others with Kindle Direct in the summer of 2015, estimates that he received between 30 and 40 rejections from agents before venturing out on his own.

I lost track of how many agents I queried, says St. Germain, who recently signed a book deal with the small publisher Black Rose Writing. I thought Id have more credibility and grow my audience if I found a publisher. But now that I look at things, and the more reading I do online, it feels like the lines are more blurred between self- and traditional publishing, though with self-publishing you keep most of the money.

Tam Francis published the short story collection Ghostoria: Vintage Romantic Tales of Fright using CreateSpace, Nook Press, and Smashwords because she didnt think a short story collection would be of interest to a traditional publisher. I feel that publishers dont publish short story collections unless [the author] is famous or has won a big contest, so I thought I would publish Ghostoria to try out self-publishing and see if I liked it, says Francis, who has since launched a hybrid small press, Plum Creek Publishing, with several other writers. Right now Im happy with self-publishing.

Francis notes that she put about $300 into her book and has made $400, a number shes content with, given that her initial goal was simply to break even. Unless someone wants to turn my book into a movie, Im not sure I see a point in having a traditional publisher.

John D. Conroe, author of 11 self-published books, 10 of which are in the series the Demon Accords, also doesnt see the point of having a traditional publisher, and notes that if he could give one piece of advice to his younger self, it would be to not even bother with traditional houses. My advice would be to skip the traditional query process and go straight to Kindle Direct Publishing, says Conroe, who still works a day job but thinks he could get by on his books alone. Focus on writing good books, invest in editing and cover art, and dont look back.

Susan Goggins, who writes as Raven Hart, is in the process of making the leap to self-publishing, in part because she doesnt like how slowly traditional publishing houses operate. By the time [Ballantine] released the first of our vampire seriestwo years after we submitted the [manuscripts]my writing partner and I missed out on the booming subgenre of vampire books and paranormal romance, she says. Even more tragically, my writing partner Virginia Ellis died before the first book came out. That control over timing is so important. Now that Goggins has fulfilled her five-book contract with Ballantine, shes decided to continue her vampire series on her own, though she hasnt decided which route to go, finding the amount of choices dizzying to the point of being stressful.

Then there are authors such as Jason S. Ridler, who self-published the dystopian vampire thriller A Triumph for Sakura because he was advised by agents that a book featuring a Japanese female lead and an African-American man wasnt marketable. None of the major houses at that time, in 2011, were regularly publishing books with multicultural casts, Ridler says. I thought I could dodge all those bullets by not dealing with publishers at all. My understanding is that its starting to change, but back then the culture was reacting negatively against that stuff.

Ridler notes that A Triumph for Sakura has been his most successful work, and has done well particularly among women. But success doesnt mean bundles of money. At best I make $20 a month, he says. Ridler blames himself for the paltry profits:Im not aggressively promoting, and I dont care about being a rock star bestselling author. The time I have left on this planet has to be spent doing things I care about. Relentless promotion and book tours arent bad things, but Id rather spend time being better as a writer.

Such are the sentiments of Ania Ahlborn, who self-published the horror novel Seed in 2012, after being courted for months by a big-name agent who ultimately decided not to take her on. I was so crushed and angry because Id been so close, she says. So I threw everything aside and wrote Seed and did it with no expectation and nothing to lose. Thats when I discovered Kindle Direct and, because I was bitter, I said, Forget it, Im not going to write another query ever again. 

Ahlborn didnt have to. Seed took off, and within six months of its publication, Amazon Studios asked to buy the movie rights. At that point I was overwhelmed, so I hired an agent, Ahlborn says. We negotiated two book deals with Amazon, and then a second contract with Simon & Schusters Gallery imprint.

Though shes happy with her publisher, Ahlborn feels strongly about the merits of self-publishingafter all, if she hadnt done it, she wouldnt have gotten the book deal in the first place.

The Challenge of Discoverabilityand Endless Promotion

Like self-published authors in every genre, indie horror writers are tasked with managing all aspects of their books, from cover design to publicity. Writers success is often determined by the amount of work they put in, and many horror authors insist on spending the extra money to get a quality cover and professional editing. After that, it really comes down to reaching readers, and that can be tricky because theres just so much work with which to compete.

The key issue nowadays is discoverability, says Jana Oliver, the author of a number of self-published horror novels, including the Demon Trappers series (which she continued on her own when St. Martins Griffin stopped publishing it after book four), and the nonfiction book Socially Engaged: The Authors Guide to Social Media, coauthored with Tyra Burton. There are thousands of books out there, and you have to find a way to stand out so readers can find you in that vast sea of stories. It is not an easy task. A top quality website is vital, some sort of social media presence certainly helps (Facebook, Twitter, perhaps Pinterest or Instagram), along with having the patience of Job. I find consistent social media interaction helps, as well as lots of networking. Treating your readers with respect should be a given. I allocate about 30 minutes per day, sometimes longer, for marketing and promotion. Truth is, it probably should be more.

Oliver says that until this year she was self-supporting, and after changing some directions in her writing, hopes to be so next year, too. Frequent publications are the key, and I only put out one book last year, so that affected my income level, she notes. Some writers publish four or more books a year. It all depends on their personal commitments, how fast they write, and the length of their books. From what I can see, a regular and robust publication schedule certainly helps feed your readers desire for scary stories.

Willow Rose, who has self-published 39 books since 2011, is constantly feeding her readersand marketing her books is literally her husbands full-time job. My husband used to take care of everything else, too, like covers, the interior design of the e-book and paperbacks, but now we have hired someone to deal with all that so he can focus on the promotion part, said Rose. We use the Web pages [that have] loads of subscribers, like BookBub and Robin Reads. Through them we get out to thousands, sometimes millions, of readers all at once. We also have our own newsletter that we send out whenever we have a bargain or a new release. This means a new release quickly generates sales and ends on a bestselling list the day after it is released. And soon after it has plenty of reviews, which gives the book life. Some of my readers read a new book in 1012 hours and then post a review afterwards. Furthermore, we use Facebook ads that target horror readers. I use my Facebook profile as my way of keeping in close contact with my readers to tell them of new releases, bargains, etc.

Rose notes that she makes six figures a year. Certainly its not just the heavy marketing that helps push her workits the style and accessibility of her books. She focuses on making likable characters and building suspense, and steers away from gore. She also aims to make even the most far-fetched nightmares seem completely realistic, and like they could happen to you.

Horror is a tickling sensation in your stomach; its not supposed to make you want to throw up, Rose says. I build up suspense, make people like the characters, and then let horrible things happen to them, but no more than what I think the reader can take. I think often horror writers are too focused on the bloody and scary stuff that they forget you have to really care about the characters for it to be suspenseful.

Nicole Audrey Spector is a Los Angeles writer whose work has appeared in the Atlantic, the New Yorker, and Vice.
For the very first time, the names of two British childrens book luminaries will appear together on a picture-book cover. Author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Helen Oxenbury have teamed up to create The Giant Jumperee, centering on a rabbit who, with help from his animal pals, tries to discover what self-proclaimed scary creature is lurking in his burrow. Unveiled here is the cover of the book, which is due from Dial on April 17 with a 75,000-copy first printing. The Giant Jumperee will be published simultaneously in the U.K. under Penguin Random House U.K.s Puffin imprint.

Donaldson, a former U.K. Children's Laureate, has received numerous awards for her books, which include the international bestsellers The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom. Though she has written more than 100 picture books, the author originally penned The Giant Jumperee in 2000 in a different genre. I wrote this story as a play for an educational publisher who was looking for some short plays to be read or acted by school reading groups, she explained. Its based on a traditional tale of which Id come across several versions, about a little character tricking some bigger ones by pretending to be a monster, but I built on that to come up with the Jumperee and the rhymes this baby frog uses to scare the other animals.

It didnt take Donaldson long to realize that the dialogue-driven story might work as well on the page as on the stage. Almost as soon as the play was published, she recalled, I thought, Oh, what a lovely picture book that story would make  why didnt I save it for that? When the opportunity arose to publish a picture-book version with Puffin, I was delighted to revisit and adapt it. I am thrilled that a story I have always loved is to be presented to a picture-book audience.

A longtime fan of Oxenburys picture books, Donaldson said she was over the moon when the illustrator signed on to the project, and was pleased that their collaboration was such a close one. The British editor, Anna Barnes, got the two of us together at an early stage, along with the designer, Goldberry Broad, she said. That is something that doesnt often happen, at least in my case. We discussed the story and how Helen might interpret it, but really it was up to her.

Creative Minds in Sync

Oxenburys vision for the story was very much to Donaldsons liking. Helens art has a lovely classic feel, suitable for a traditional tale, the author said. I really didnt want someone terribly wacky, as I find that if the straight characters in a story look too stylized and cartoon-y that actually can detract from the humor of the denouement. But at the same time, they needed to be definite individuals, and thats what Helen has created so well. I especially like the well-meaning elephant and the wry, eye-rolling mother frog. And I love the scene where the animals finally get the joke and roll around in hysterics.

Broad, a freelance art director who worked with the illustrator on King Jack and the Dragon and Captain Jack and the Dragon, said, Helen has a remarkable talent for capturing the characteristics and proportions of real animals, and also the environment and landscapes surrounding them, she noted. She also has this magical way of giving the animals expression and anthropomorphic character that really bring the story to life, making the action and dialogue believable and dramatic. On top of this, her art style is warm and wonderfully loose and expressive, with her use of pencil line and wash. It's a perfect match for Julias text.

The art director explained that designing the cover for The Giant Jumperee was a challenge, since the characters name is a made-up phrase that doesnt conjure up an obvious image. The solution, according to Broad, was to focus on the other animals rather than the mysterious title character. We tried quite a number of alternative designs, none of which quite worked to show the gentle charm of the story, she said. The variety of scale of the animals also caused problems, so showing them in a seated group manages to overcome this issue and, I think, creates a warm and touching scene. The cover shows us that the book is as much a tale of friendship and of helping each other as it is of intrigue and humor.

On this side of the Atlantic, Dial publisher Lauri Hornik praised The Giant Jumperee as the quintessential read-aloud, due to both pieces  text and artwork. Julia is so very good with rhyme and repetition, and Helens illustrations have a such a sense of mystery and magic  and yet innocence  and the way she depicts animals is darling.

Hornik welcomed the books cover design as very warm and accessible, with a satisfying edge. Helens cover art has prey and predators hanging out together in a chummy group, she said. The scene has a hint of that harmless mischievousness that both Julia and Helen have reveled in throughout their careers. I love that about their work. Joining these two masterful figures in the picture book world is an event  and is very exciting!

The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson, illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Dial, $17.99 Apr. 2017 ISBN 978-0-7352-2797-2
A new store opens in Ottawa; a New Mexico store experiments with a local press; a Pennsylvania store becomes one of the black-owned bookstores coming back; and more.

Prairie Fox Books Opens in Canada Today: Gabriella Crivilare, her brother Ethan Olson, and their parents, Mary and Gregg Olson, who co-own Rock Paper Scissors, opened a bookstore in the former location of the Book Mouse, which closed in August. Crivilare said that Prairie Fox Books will hold author events and book parties and promote reading programs as did the Book Mouse. It is also keeping store cat Sonny.

UNM Press Corner Opens at UNM Bookstore: The bookstore will celebrate its new partnership with the University of New Mexico Press, which includes a dedicated display of press titles, on October 27 with a signing with several press authors. We have long felt that the press should have more presence in our store, said Lisa Walden, UNM Bookstore retail and marketing division manager, and believe that what we have built together accomplishes that goal.

Laurel Book Store in Oakland Seeks a Partner: In her State of the Store Address to mark the bookstores 15th anniversary (its second in its downtown location), owner Luan Staus announced that she is looking for a business partner with ideas and energy. The potential for growth is great, she wrote. Those interested should contact her directly.

Black-owned Bookstores Ready for the Next Chapter: Although the number of black-owned bookstores has declined precipitously, only 54 remained in 2014, some are coming back. The public outpouring following a newspaper article about Hakims in Philadelphia being on the verge of closure last year re-energized owner Yvonne Blake. Since then she has added a cafe and hired younger staff to help her run the store.

Bookshop Santa Cruz Celebrates Its First Half Century: The Santa Cruz, Calif., bookstore began its birthday celebration by funding three Artful Reading Benches in parks around the city to encourage families to read together. The final one will be dedicated later this month. On Sunday, the bookstore will hold a launch party for A Light in the Midst of Darkness, which chronicles the history of the store. A birthday bash is slated for November 4, followed by a weekend-long sale.
After a months long search for new owners for their beloved Bay Area bookstore, Kate Levinson and Steve Costa announced that they have selected two experienced San Francisco booksellers to take over the store.

Out of 27 serious letters of interest that Levinson and Costa received, they chose Stephen Sparks and Molly Parent. They represent the next generation of creative and energetic booksellers, and we couldnt be happier to have such capable and likeable stewards for Point Reyes Books, said Costa and Levinson in announcing their decision.

We've always dreamed of having our own store and when the possibility of buying a charming bookstore in one of the most beautiful places on the California coast, just an hour north of San Francisco, came up, we jumped for it, said Sparks.

The pair, who are planning a November wedding, will take over Point Reyes in January 2017.

Sparks, who has been a book buyer and manager at Green Apple Books since 2007, will stay on at Green Apple through the fall. He will take on a similar role at PRB, where he will run the store on a day-to-day basis and do the buying, as well as the book events. Parent, who met Sparks when she was working at Green Apple, will continue to work at 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing center founded by educator Ninive Calegari and author Dave Eggers, into the foreseeable future. Shell handle communications for PRB and will spend time at the bookstore on weekends and during events.

When they do take the helm, Sparks and Parent are planning very few changes. One of the great things about PRB is that its already a successful and beloved bookstore, said Sparks. He will continue to stock new and used books, primarily in literary fiction, poetry, cookbooks, natural history, and childrens. But he will expand the inventory with a broader selection of small and independently published books.

Parents and Sparks are also planning to extend store hours and add a few new programs, including a subscription club and delivery service. Otherwise, said Sparks, [we] will continue to do what Kate and Steve did so well: maintain a strong event series, work with the local community, and provide friendly service.

One change that they will make is to operate the store as a Benefit Corporation (or B Corp), a for-profit company that demonstrates its commitment to sustainability, transparency, and responsibility to social and environmental causes. PRB will be the second bookstore in the country after Curious Iguana in Frederick, Md., to organize this way. It is more common in larger companies like Patagonia.

As they get ready for the transition, Sparks and Parent have launched an Indigogo campaign to raise $30,000 to revamp the inventory and store systems. This will supplement the money that they have already received from investors. Sparks and Parent credit Levinson and Costa with helping them make connections with potential investors and facilitating conversations to enable them to purchase the store.
Emer O'Sullivan's The Fall of the House of Wilde: Oscar Wilde and His Family is an impressively comprehensive biography that's equal parts political history, literary criticism, and Shakespearean tragedy. O'Sullivan selects 10 details from her book.

Everyones heard of Oscar Wilde  cultural icon and homosexual martyr, and one of the first modern celebrities. What few know is he owed his most outstanding qualities  his advanced intellectualism, his ostentation, his hedonism, his hauteur, his progressive sexual values  to his parents. Here are some facts from my biography, The Fall of the House of Wilde, you might not know.

1. America was where the young Irishman became Oscar Wilde. He went there in his 20s to lecture on Aesthetics, it was an empowering experience. The American media ridiculed him  for his clothes, his effete mannerisms. He never flinched, he was fearless. Indeed, he learned to use the constant glare of the press to his advantage. His eloquence, wit, and theatrics made excellent copy. He triumphed in the end. He returned with the confidence of a superstar and was thereafter a transatlantic celebrity. One of the first to become famous for nothing other than being himself.

2. Oscars father, Sir William Wilde, was the subject of a scandalous court case. One of the most accomplished Victorian men of his generation (eye and ear surgeon, historian, archaeologist), Sir William was accused of rape by Mary Travers, a long term patient. Travers used every trick in the book to humiliate Sir William. She wrote a pamphlet presenting him as a misfit of a doctor, one who used chloroform to numb his patients into sexual submission. The pamphlet, together with extracts from love letters he wrote her, were distributed by newspaper boys all over Dublin, into the letter box of the Wilde home for the children to see, into the homes of patients and friends, sold on the streets for a penny, they even followed Sir William into to the Metropolitan Hall, where he had come to deliver a prestigious annual lecture on Irelands history. Mary kept up this campaign until the trial six months later, tarnishing Sir Williams reputation.

3. Oscars mother, Lady Jane Wilde, was involved in Irelands 1848 uprising. A journalist, poet, literary critic and translator, Jane penned a notorious editorial in the Nation calling on the country to rise up against British colonialism. She stood outside her conservative, Protestant background and reminded the British government that Catholics too were entitled to human rights. She dared to say what was then scarcely thinkable  that imperialism could not survive as it was exploitative and self-serving. As a consequence, she too had her moment in court.

4. One of Oscar Wildes role was that of Victorian husband and father. In his late 20s Oscar married the beautiful Constance Lloyd, Anglo-Irish like himself. They produced two gorgeous boys, Cyril and Vyvyan. For a few years, Oscar charmed parties with his witty wordplay and lived in a bubble of beauty and domestic harmony, so was to all appearances a happy family man. But Oscar was a master at artificiality. He had no appetite for the domestic or for stability. Two years into the marriage, Oscar met Robbie Ross, then a 17-year-old Canadian, and they became lovers. Robbie moved into the Wilde home in Chelsea, where he stayed for a few months, as friend to Constance and lover to Oscar.

5. It was Lord Alfred Douglas, not Oscar, who coined the famous phrase, the love that dare not speak its name. Homosexuality was then typically clothed in euphemisms like Greek love. The technical term homosexuality was coined as recently as 1869. It then became the focus of physicians and lawyers. Many countries in the 1870s introduced or revised their legal codes governing sexual congress between consenting adults. Britain revised its laws to make them more stringent. Those convicted of acts of gross indecency between men were sentenced to two years in prison and hard labour. Oscar would be caught by a legal gesture.

6. Oscar instigated his own trial. It was Oscar who took the Marquess of Queensberry, Douglass father, to court, not the reverse. Queensberry accused Oscar of posing as a sodomite. He could have ignored the slander  after all he was engaged in homosexual liaisons. But Oscar stupidly sued. Inevitably he lost his case. The image of an aggrieved father, trying to shield his son from moral corruption, together with evidence of Oscars priapic pursuits, won the day for Queensberry. With rude suddenness, Oscar went from being the celebrated playwright of the day, then with two hits running in Londons west-end, to being stigmatised as a criminal.

7. Oscars brother, Willie Wilde, married one of the most formidable American women of her generation, Mrs. Frank Leslie. A barrister-cum-journalist, Willie had no appetite for work. He sought refuge in marriage and thought his fortunes blessed when he became the fifth husband of Mrs. Frank Leslie, a newspaper magnate, best known as the owner of the Popular Monthly. Mrs. Leslie was a blend of 18th century grande dame and 20th century business executive. Energetic, self-promoting, dynamic, and 15 years Willies senior, Mrs. Leslie and Willie were hopelessly mismatched. The marriage was over in a year. Willie, in her words, refused to work. He thought what America needed most of all was a leisure class. Willie returned to London and sunk lower into debauchery and apathy, until drink brought on an early death.

8. Oscar had three illegitimate siblings, a brother and two sisters. Sir William fathered three children by two separate women, their identities remain unknown. The first, Henry Wilson, was 13 when William married Jane. He was commonly referred to as Williams nephew. His two daughters, Emily and Mary, were reared by Williams eldest brother. The women were burnt to death in their early 20s. Emilys crinoline dress caught a flame from an open fire. Mary tried to save her sister, but her dress also went up in flames. It is not known whether Jane, Oscar or Willie knew Sir William was their father.

9. Oscar was one of the most vilified men of his generation. The American press frequently treated Oscar as a freak. One of the most brutal snipes appeared in the Washington Post in 1882: a cartoon comparing Oscar to a simian figure identified as the Wild Man of Borneo. Oscar holds a sunflower, the monkey a coconut. The accompanying piece asks, "If Mr. Darwin is right in his theory, has not the climax of evolution been reached and are we not heading down the hill toward the aboriginal starting point?" From reading this few would have guessed that Oscar was one of the best classicists of his generation, having achieved the rare feat of a double first at Oxford.

10. The details of Oscars priapic pursuits were aired in court, making his trial one of the most scandalous of the nineteenth century. The evidence given by Charles Parker, one of the most brash of Oscars "rent" boys, stands as a model. Parker told the Victorian court: "I was asked to imagine that I was a woman and that he was my lover. I used to sit on his knees and he used to play with my privates as a man might amuse himself with a girl." Lest we forget, the Victorians were still uncomfortable with the public display of a womans ankle. Little wonder the curtain came down on the age of decadence and a new age of intolerance set in.
No, the printed book is not deadin fact, confirms the latest research from the Pew Research Center, print books are showing surprising staying power. But reading still faces stiff challenges from other electronic media, and beyond format changes, the Internet has forever changed the way people connect not only to books, but to each other. PW caught up Pew executive director Lee Rainie, to talk about Pews latest survey on peoples book reading habits, and the future of reading.

I was a little surprised that the media coverage of your latest survey report, released last month, focused so much on the finding that print books are still hanging on. Was that a major take-away that you saw here?

Yes, and we stressed it in our write-ups of the findings in part because it continues to surprise people that printed books have life, which maybe cuts against the conventional wisdom that the printed book is, you know, struggling.

What surprised me is that we're witnessing an e-book boom, with huge numbers of self-published authors coming into the market, and yet the average number of books being read isn't rising, a trend that runs counter to what we see with other media, where consumption is up. Are publishers missing an opportunity here?

I'm not sure about missed opportunities. The fact of the matter is that there's a large market for books in this country, at least in the sense of people still reading them at minimal levels, and there are a lot of people who read lots of books. And it strikes me that the publishing industry is innovatingthe number of genres, formats, and in more ways in which they are marketing and finding pathways to readers. You know, they're working at it.

But as the number of e-books being published has ramped up, and people can now take a library around in their pockets, wouldnt you expect an increase in the average number of books read?

Yes, when supply increases, you would think that that would affect demand. But of course, this is not taking place in a static universe. The number of other claimants on people's time and attention is also growing, and book publishers are not just competing against each other, they're competing with a host of other enterprises that are making pretty compelling pitches to people for their time. With so many ways people can allocate their time now, I think the surprising thing for us is that books are holding their own.

 "There is a class of Americans who just can't get enough books, and if they can't be with the format they love, they love the format they're with." 

Pew first started looking at peoples reading habits in 2011, and a lot has changed since then. Has the survey evolved, too?

Well, we did a quite extensive survey about the state of reading when we began this work in 2011. In 2011, benchmarking was an important thing to do because e-books were coming of age, and we had just gotten a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to do research that they hoped would be useful to librarians trying to figure out their futures. So we believed that getting a big, rich, broad fix on the state of reading and the state of book in 2011 was a logical starting point. In subsequent surveys, we haven't gone into that much detail, in part because our sense is that people's book reading habits are not changing dramatically year-to-year. It's not like their political views, where measuring it with a lot of regularity makes sense because people change as circumstances change. In book reading, year-to-year, there's not that much change.

One of the things that has changed, however, is the devices people are reading on. There is a big uptick in people using tablets and phones, and not so much dedicated e-book readers. So, you have people who are on the move, people who have commutes and things like that are taking along a device that's makes books accessible to them in circumstances that aren't classic book-reading circumstances. So now, books can be omnipresent in people's lives, if they want them to be. And our data are very clear that there is a class of Americans who just can't get enough books, and if they can't be with the format they love, they love the format they're with.

How might you change or augment future surveys?

It would be fun to do genre-specific queries. I think people want to know much more about what's going on with romance novels, or with coloring books, science fiction, or biographies. The other thing that I think will show up in our work in years to come is how traditionally book-centered stuff changes with the rise of virtual reality and augmented reality. If you look at the folks who think smartly about the future of books, they've been predicting this for a while. Some publishing houses have given it a little bit of a try. It hasn't really become enormously compelling yet, but that moment is in our future is my guess. Today people can access factoids, or real-time information, like how to get to somewhere. But also, they can be transported to a much richer world of the imagination. So trying to watch for that and capture the moment when it sort of reaches its tipping point would be something that would be important for us to do.

In 2012, Pew concluded that e-book readers are sort of a breed apartthey read double the number of books as print readers, on average. They read more for pleasure, and for research. And they buy more books. But as the market has changed in recent yearsthe major publishers have raised prices, for examplee-book sales have declined. Does your data suggest that e-book readership has stalled?

The word we've used is plateau. Stalled isn't quite right. The growth rate has declined, which is not the same as, you know, measuring e-book consumption through sales statistics. But our data show that the number of people who are reading e-books has slowed down just in the last five years. But, again, thats an interesting part of this story, because, remember back to 2008-2010, predictions of the death of printed books were fairly abundant, and there was this palpable sense that the disruption was going to be abrupt and complete, and that e-books would essentially take over the world. That hasnt happened.

If e-book readers are such power readers, though, as your 2012 data suggested, isnt this e-book plateau a real problem for publishers?

So, there are a lot of reasons why books have staying power. And one of the things we hear when we talk to consumers about print books is that print is a fabulous technology. Ink on a page is amazingly portable, longlasting, sharable. Print is still amazingly attractive to people. And, my general sense is that readers are happy with their pathways to books.

Now, speaking to your earlier notionthat we have this explosion of supply now in an e-book agee-books are only one of any number of disruptions that have occurred in the book world over the past generation. But if you look at Gallup numbers, they suggest that the number of book readers overall and the number of books read overall really hasn't changed all that much. The number of book readers has shrunk a bit, and the number of non-book-readers has grown a bit. Thats there, and its meaningful, but its not hugely striking. So I think, overall, the story is that through this boom in the supply side of the story, the demand side has been relatively stable.

Beyond your work with Pew, you co-authored a fascinating book called Networked, and I wanted to ask you about that book, because, we seem to talk about digital in publishing most often as it relates to the format of e-books. But the Internet has more fundamentally changed the world for books, hasnt it?

Yeah, so, in the book, our grand argument is that the basic atomic unit of social life in the modern age is different from the basic unit of social life of days gone by. People today are now living more in loose, far-flung networks, and these looser networks are a different kind of social phenomenon than the tight-knit groups of the past. People today have a lot more relationshipsand strands of relationshipsthan their ancestors did. Today you can be part of a fan group that's global for a particular author, or genre, and it doesn't matter whether you find like-minded folks in your local community. You can share what you know with all of those other fans, wherever they are. And that's a big change in human experience.

Also, there's this fluidity of connection and contact with relevant things today that is distinct from the past, where people didn't have the capacity to pick their friendsin the past, your friends came with whoever lived next door. Today you can join groups, and move away from groups at various times, and reignite relationships at times when you're reminded of them, or when you feel like you have a need. Now, people will wring their hands and say isn't it awful that people today have these tangential, unimportant strands of relationships? But the other side of that story is that it is really efficient to deal with your relationships today. You dont have to remember them all the time, but every once in a while, when you express a need on Facebook or Twitter, for example, you get feedback, and learn a greater diversity of things than you ever could get by just saying something over a bar stool at the local tavern.

That feedback loop is key, I believe. Where the Internet was once viewed by some as infinite shelf space, understanding and tapping these new networks offers a huge opportunity for publishers, does it not?

There are two ways off the top of my head that I can think of that book publishers might sort of expand their notion of what this networked reality means for them. At the first level, every product can be a communityso if you find an audience for a piece of work, an author, a genre, whatever, you've got a built-in fan base and a fan base that you can much more readily identify now than in the past, and once you know who they are and what they want, you can better meet their needs.

The second thing is that in this world where people have to work to learn things and to have their needs met, booksand the knowledge that comes with bookscan be really important nodes in people's networks. You know, people as they try to navigate this ever more complicated world, publishers and librarians serve themselves well by thinking like a friend, by thinking like, "I'm a really smart part of your network. Here's how I can serve you.

Editor's Note: PW interviewed Raine prior to the Frankfurt Book Fair, not at the show itself.
The 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair wrapped up on Sunday, October 23, and as of Friday morning (the final professional day before the public descended on the fair), organizers said professional attendance was slightly above last year, marked by brisk rights dealing in the LitAg, where, for a third year in a row, a record number of agentsmore than 700had registered.

But politics and current eventsincluding the crackdown on free speech in Turkey, the Syrian refugee crisis, fallout from Brexit, and even the contentious U.S. electionhung over the 2016 fair. From the opening press conference through a number of talks and panels, threats to free speech in Turkey proved a prominent point of concern. Following a failed coup in July, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shuttered upward of 30 publishers and newspapers, and jailed or dismissed thousands of authors, academics, and journalists.

Stand by us, the other Turkey, pleaded exiled Turkish journalist and newspaper editor Can Dundar, who presented the German translation of his new memoir, We Are Arrested: A Journalists Notes from a Turkish Prison, on Wednesday morning at the fair, sitting alongside his literary agent, Nermin Mollaoglu, of Istanbuls Kalem Agency, and fair director Juergen Boos. Dundar urged greater Western engagement in Turkey, telling attendees that Erdogan had effectively ended freedom of speech as we know it. Asked if she feared for her own security in representing dissident Turkish writers, Mollaoglu replied: It is a risk, but I like this risk. It is something I must do for myself, my agency, my future, and my country.

In an interview with PW, Boos acknowledged the heavy political overtones of this years fairand stressed that organizers would not shy away from addressing such issues. We have to engage, Boos said. Its not just a Turkish problemit is a problem we have all over the world right now, and I think we as an industry have to do something about it. We have to speak. Its really about freedom to speak, and freedom to publish. What we have at Frankfurt is a cultural product, and it depends on freedom. The publishing industry will have to take action.

Political clouds notwithstanding, most attendees expressed optimism and confidence in the world book market. Despite all the crises that people are talking about in the industry, you dont feel it here, said Wei Dai, business-development manager at the German firm MVB, which is developing a Books in Print product for Brazil.

I was walking around the French Pavilion, and all of these people are speed-booking, working very quickly to make deals, observed Catherine Fruchon-Toussiant, a journalist with Radio France International. It will be interesting to see what happens next year, she addedFrance was announced as the 2017 Guest of Honor.

Meanwhile, despite the general consensus that Brexit was a problem for the long termespecially the uncertainty it bringsthe news wasnt necessarily all bad for all English publishers in Frankfurt. Provided you export more than you import, the currency devaluation is going to be beneficial, said one senior British publisher who requested anonymity, referring to the 20% drop in the value of pound since the referendum, which translates into a sort of Brexit discount on British rights. It has made British publishing more competitive.

Others, however, noted that for large conglomerates, the currency issues all come out in the wash. And the general consensus was that the vote to leave the European Union will ultimately be negative for British publishing, affecting both the Europeans employed in London who may want to leave, and those trying to recruit Europeans to work in the U.K.

New Directions

On the fairs professional side, the Business Club, now in its third year, is really taking off, Boos said. A lot of people who dont have a stand but want to be discovered use the Business Club. He added that the fair will look at expanding the Business Club, and possibly other options to further serve the growing number of startups and smaller firms who want do business in Frankfurt.

Another positive change this year was adding space near the rights center for publishers on the Tuesday before the fair opened, bringing meetings that were once scattered across Frankfurts hotel bars and coffee shops onto the fairgrounds. That space will likely be expanded next year, too, fair organizers said.

And the fairs newest addition, the Arts+ conference, which featured a one-day program and a hall with various new creative tools, including virtual and augmented-reality demos, also received positive reviews. The highlight was British artist David Hockney, who showed off his drawings done on an iPad. David Hockney went over really well, Boos said, conceding that he initially had some concerns about whether the 79-year-old artists message would come off as an ad for the iPad. But what you had was one of the worlds most famous artists actually telling us that you have to reinvent yourself all the time. He was doing Polaroids, collage, now the iPadthis is the message to our industry.

Read all our coverage of the fair.
Even when authors wade into the uncharted future or an alternate reality, they still need to get the details right. This is especially true of military-themed speculative fiction, whose readers are drawn to details including strategy plans, epic battle descriptions, and weaponry specs.

In some cases, credibility is borne by the authors experience. Thats a key selling point for Angeleyes (Baen, Nov.), the latest installment in Michael Z. Williamsons Freehold Series (102,000 print units sold, per Nielsen BookScan). In the new book, Angie Kaneshiro, a former soldier, returns to service as a war begins between Earth and its colonies.

The authors experience shows in the way he depicts battle strategies, gear, and the mind-set of the characters, says Toni Weisskopf, publisher at Baen, and informs his vision of what the armed forces of the future might look like.

Williamson is a veteran in both senses of the word, having served in two branches of the U.S. military and published over a dozen novels, Weisskopf says. The author knows what it feels like to be a soldier and return home, bringing this knowledge to the book in a way that rings true for readers.

Joe Zieja, a former Air Force captain who later worked as a government analyst, launched a comedic space opera trilogy with 2016s Mechanical Failure (Saga). He returns with Communication Failure (June 2017), in which the hero of his first novel is thrust into the role of admiral and is required to make decisions that could imperil the galaxya scenario that is played for laughs as well as dramatic tension.

Other titles take a more sober view of current debates happening over government and war, such as fighting terrorism and the repercussions of globalization. Taiyo Fujiis Orbital Cloud (Haikasoru, Mar. 2017), set in 2020, brings the war on terrorism into outer space, as a shooting-star forecaster, a NORAD staff sergeant, and a billionaire entrepreneur embark an on international effort to fight space-based terrorists.

Techno-terrorism is at the center of Dogs of War (St. Martins Griffin, Apr. 2017), ninth in Jonathan Maberrys Joe Ledger series, which mingles SF with horror elements. The series launched with Patient Zero (2009; 86,000 print copies sold, per BookScan), in which Ledger is recruited to stop a bioweapon that turns humans into zombies.

This installment finds him tackling terrorists whose weapons include robot dogs that deliver WMDs, and plague-spreading sex cyborgs. Though these sound like far-fetched threats, the books editor, Michael Homler, says that Maberry aims to take real-world events and touch them up slightly.

Robyn Benniss debut, The Guns Above (Tor, May 2017), speaks to the political moment from a more personal angle. The military fantasy focuses on a nations first female airship captain, as she not only has to outgun enemies in a high-stakes space battle, but also overcome sexist doubts from her crew and superiorsdifficulties that would read as anything but far-fetched to todays readers.

David Webers long-running Honor Harrington series, which launched in 1993 with On Basilisk Station, also stars a military heroine, one who lives in the fourth millennium. Baen will publish book 14, Shadow of Victory, in November. Weisskopf says the author has worked to stay a step ahead of the times in discussing political themes of what government can and should be, how they go wrong, and how they can be put right againor not.

In After the Crown (Orbit, Dec.), K.B. Wagers delves into military space opera as the Indranan Empire, ruled by gun-runner-turned-empress Hail Bristol, teeters on the brink of war.

The book is the sequel to 2016s Behind the Throne, the authors debut; PW gave starred reviews to both titles, praising the taut suspense, strong characterization, and dark, rapid-fire humor of the first and the action, tension, and constant interplay among the characters in the second.

Reimagining the Past

Writers who delve into alternate timelines have an additional set of concerns, since their stories may incorporate real people who exist in living memory,

Gregory Benford, in The Berlin Project (Saga, May 2017), considers what might have happened if the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project had built the first atomic bombs by the summer of 1944 and had bombed Berlin.

Benford, an astrophysicist, is a much-lauded author of SF; his awards include a Nebula for 1980s Timescape. For his new novel, he drew on the accounts of several members of the Manhattan Project, including his father-in-law, on whom the storys protagonist is based.

Another established author, Harry Turtledovewhom PW called a master of alternate history in a 2008 profileoffers a different answer to the nuclear question in Armistice (Del Rey, July 2017). He builds on the premise that in the 1950s, President Truman follows General MacArthurs advice and drops a nuke in the Korean War, leading Russia to retaliate.

The books editor, Anne Groell, says that although the book is set in the pastand an alternate one at thatits themes will resonate with a modern audience. During a time when global politics are so fraught, she says, when countries developing or using their nuclear capabilities remains a real concern, its salient to see the potential ramifications of such an act through the eyes of everyday folks.

Return to the main feature.
- The 3D Printing Club will hold an open house for the opening of its new space at the Prototyping Studio in the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. The event is 3-5 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 27). An informal information session will be held for students, faculty, staff and individuals from the industry as part of the event.

 Faculty and staff honors:

- The University Professional Continuing Education Association - Central Region honored Purdue with two awards at its conference on Oct. 18 in Indianapolis. The 2016 Celebration of Excellence in Teaching Award was given to Ellen Gundlach, continuing lecturer in the Department of Statistics, for successfully demonstrating her exemplary service to the profession and institution with her online course in statistics (STAT 113). The Mature Program Award - Non-credit was given to Purdue University Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programs and instructor Gary Bennett, professor of entomology. This is a series of nine integrated pest management courses that has been running via correspondence and now online since the mid-1970s.

 Alumni honors:

- Mike Moses, a 1995 graduate with degrees from the College of Science and College of Engineering, has been named president of Virgin Galactic. Moses, who joined Virgin Galactic in 2011 as vice president of operations, will now oversee Virgin Galactic's human spaceflight program.

 Student honors:

- A student team from Purdue Polytechnic Institute finished second in the Conexus Indiana Logistics Case Competition. The contest challenged students to develop a solution to a real-world logistics business case that replicated issues industry leaders face in high-tech logistics environments. Sixty-five Indiana students from 17 colleges and universities participated. As part of the finish, the Polytechnic Institute team of Michael Schramm, Cole Mason, Matt Schnell and Erika Horton received $2,000.

 Rankings:

- The Art and Design Department has been ranked in the nation's top 40 programs by the Community for Accredited Online Schools. "Art and design programs at Purdue University give students access to four computer laboratories, numerous libraries with art and design books and journals, and an on-campus art gallery," the website said. "Students also have an opportunity to gain relevant experience in the arts through on-campus employment as gallery assistants, photography lab monitors and slide library or shop assistants." The department is part of the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts.
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. (TNS) -- This is the breeding season for Wisconsin's small but growing elk population, and a period when wildlife officials warn they are especially vulnerable to curious onlookers.

But local cranberry growers are worried about a difference disturbance: The elk themselves, trampling through cranberry beds as the fruit is ready for harvest. Those worries prompted the state's Department of Natural Resources to pay nearly $250,000 on fencing this year to keep elk out of cranberry farms.

"I think that the DNR has bent over backwards to accommodate the growers," said Al Jacobsen, a local supporter of elk reintroduction who believes growers' worries are overblown. Despite few reports so far of elk-caused damage, the cranberry industry fears that as the population grows, so will damage.

Over-hunting wiped out elk in Wisconsin in the late 1800s. Since 2015, the DNR has released 73 elk imported from Kentucky in forested areas east of this western Wisconsin city about four hours north of the Quad-Cities.

Wisconsin has a five-year agreement with Kentucky to provide up to 150 wild elk, with the remainder joining another herd near Clam Lake in northern Wisconsin. There, reintroduction began in 1995 and now stands at about 160.

The DNR estimates the current Black River Falls elk population in the low 60s, attributing losses to pre-existing health conditions, wolves and vehicle accidents. Biologists estimate the local herd could grow to 390 animals.

But higher numbers could mean greater conflict.

"The overall idea of putting 800-pound animals in this part of the state we have viewed as problematic," said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.

"It's right in the middle of an area with a high-value agricultural crop," he said. "There is going to be more human interaction in this part of the state, and if an animal wanders out onto I-94, it's going to be ugly."

The 320-square-mile area east of Black River Falls and north of the interstate is largely composed of state and county forests. It's also home to 16 cranberry farms.

Already, elk have wandered outside a core zone and have had to be captured and brought back.

Jim Bible of the Brockway Cranberry Corp. said twice last month he saw a cow and calf, "standing right in the middle of a cranberry bed." His 86-acre farm lies east of Lake Wazee, just outside the zone.

During August, September and October, elk can destroy cranberries in fruit stage and the buds of next year's crop, Bible said.

"There is damage that is being done," he said.

So far it's been minimal. One grower reported $153 in cranberry damage last year, according to the DNR records. This year, a corn grower reported losing nearly 600 bushels of corn valued at about $2,000.

Other damage has occurred, but farmers have not filed claims, the growers said.

With pressure from the cranberry industry, the DNR paid $243,772 for 8-foot-high fences on five properties within the core zone. The cranberry growers want similar help for farmers operating outside the zone.
When Illinois voters go to the polls on Nov. 8, they will be asked to vote on an amendment to the Illinois Constitution commonly referred to as the lockbox amendment. The wording of the question, which appears at the top of your ballot, is confusing, so here is what it means.

If approved, it would add a section to the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution that says money generated from transportation-related taxes and fees can only be used for transportation. That includes motor fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, and other taxes and user fees dedicated to public highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, ports or airports.

The amendment, being pushed mainly by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and construction trade groups, would prohibit the legislature and local governments from using state transportation funds for non-transportation projects.

If you vote yes, you are supporting the amendment and blocking lawmakers from spending those funds elsewhere. A no vote opposes the amendment and allows lawmakers to continue to use their discretion in how transportation dollars are spent.

Support is widespread and bipartisan, yet we reluctantly encourage you to vote no.

Lockbox or straight-jacket?

Given the state of affairs in Illinois these days, it is tempting to remove decision-making power from the Legislature. We would prefer that the Legislature not raid highway funds -- or any other funds -- for other purposes.

Back in September, members of Citizens to Protect Transportation Funding, made up of business groups and unions, told our editorial board that since fiscal year 2003 over $6.8 billion set aside for transportation projects was spent elsewhere. They are right that Infrastructure development and maintenance is essential to a healthy state and the backlog of projects to upgrade Illinois roads, bridges and mass transit is astonishing and embarrassing.

But the Illinois Constitution is meant to be a broad document. Amending it specifically to protect one single source of funds opens up a Pandoras Box where bad things can happen.

A key reason for the financial problems Illinois faces today is the inability to deal with its pension fund liabilities because of the Supreme Courts strict interpretation of such a provision in the 1970 Illinois Constitution.

Legislators already have a way to assure that the transportation fund is not raided for other projects -- its called self control. Voters too have a way to assure that transportation and road funds are used for that purpose. If legislators raid funds and voters dont agree with the actions, they can vote them out of office.

Approval of this amendment will only serve to encourage other willy-nilly constitutional amendments on behalf of other causes. That would further tie our legislators hands causing even more funding problems than we already have in Springfield.

To pass, the amendment must either get a yes vote from at least 60 percent of the people voting on the amendment or by a majority of everyone voting in the election overall.

Passage of this measure is an admission of failure and an indication that we have given up on any solutions to our budget problems in Springfield. Its too soon to surrender that fight.
A Phoenix, Ariz., man entered a negotiated plea Thursday in Henry County Circuit Court to Class 1 felony possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Kevin E. Ponce, 21, also will have two years mandatory supervised release and must pay court costs and a $300,000 street value fine. Class X charges of trafficking and possession with intent to deliver were dismissed. Judge Jeffrey O'Connor accepted the plea agreement.

Illinois State Police stopped Mr. Ponce and his co-defendant Jesus Jimenez-Gonzalez, 21, also of Phoenix, on Interstate 80 at about 9 a.m. July 12. After a second trooper arrive, the first had his K-9 do a free-air sniff of the GMC pickup the men were in. That led to the detection of 101 pounds of cannabis in an air compressor in the cab of the truck.

Mr. Jimenez-Gonzalez said they were taken the drugs to the East Coast, according to court documents.

Mr. Ponce had no prior criminal history.

Mr. Jimenez-Gonzalez has a Dec. 8 pretrial hearing.
An Indiana man was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon.

Gregory F. Young, 37, of South Bend, Ind., pleaded guilty June 16 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to one count of unlawful transport of firearms, court documents say.

On Nov. 20, 2015, he and his girlfriend were driving west on Interstate 80 in Henry County when they were stopped by an Illinois State Police trooper for a traffic violation, a Department of Justice news release says.

Mr. Young was wanted on an Indiana arrest warrant for a parole violation and was taken into custody. A search of his vehicle yielded a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, an SKS semi-automatic assault rifle with nine magazines; more than 200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, marijuana and heroin.

Mr. Young had been convicted in Indiana as a felon, according to the release. Mr. Young told police he had the weapons for protection because there was a "hit" out on him over a drug money dispute.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro prosecuted the case. Contributing investigative agencies included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
An Indiana man arrested for having 21 pounds of cannabis in his vehicle on Thursday entered a negotiated plea to Class 1 felony possession in Henry County Circuit Court and was sentenced to four years in prison.

James M. Haitz, 35, of Merrillville, Ind., was arrested Nov. 18 on Interstate 80 by Illinois State Police after being stopped for following too closely. A K-9 check of the vehicle led to a search that detected two bags in the rear of their vehicle with 21 pounds of cannabis.

Judge Jeffrey O'Connor accepted the plea agreement.

In addition to the prison term, Mr. Haitz will have two years mandatory supervised release and must pay court costs and a $63,000 street value fine. His only prior arrests were 16 years ago for a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence and criminal recklessness.

The case of his co-defendant Aaron D. Bittner, 42, of Crown Point, Ind., is pending.
A federal judge in Rock Island has granted a government request to keep $107,520 taken from a Massachusetts couple in a Henry County traffic stop in 2012.

Judge Sara Darrow forfeited the money after Adam and Jennifer Perry of Ashburnham, Mass., failed to answer questions about their relation to the seized money, according to the court order giving the money to the government.

The money was taken from the couple Oct. 25, 2012, after an Illinois State Police trooper stopped them for speeding, according a complaint filed May 8, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.

During a subsequent search of the Perrys' vehicle, officers found a suitcase with numerous plastic bags containing currency hidden in the lining, along with additional money in Mrs. Perry's wallet.

Officers also found two black duffel bags, two vacuum sealers, two one-gallon plastic ice cream tubs and an electronic scale. Officers say one duffel bag "smelled strongly of raw cannabis." The other, they say, was filled with vacuum sealer bags, permanent markers, masking tape and desiccant packets.

After the Perrys were questioned, they were released, but the money and their Toyota Tundra was turned over to the government. U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis asked the Court to forfeit the Perrys' money and car to the government, unless the Perrys proved they obtained the money through legal means.

Mr. Perry said in a letter filed Dec. 2, 2015, that he should not have to prove his innocence. "You should be treating me innocent until proven guilty and not denying me my right to counsel," he said.

He said he "does not have to and will not answer" any of the state's attorney's questions. However in the same letter he also listed five ways in which he had recently legally obtained money. He said he had received two settlements, one from work and one from an insurance policy; sold various motor vehicles; received an insurance payout from a collision; and worked a job that paid over 20 dollars an hour for a full year.

The Perrys did not answer further questions posed by the government about how they came to have the money.

Mr. Perry requested the government return his property, saying he is partially disabled and his wife is fully disabled and that they need their only vehicle to get to doctor's appointments and even to the grocery store.

In a motion for default judgment filed July 12, 2016, U.S. attorneys asserted there was "probable cause" to believe the Perrys used or intended to use the property for illegal drug activity.

Judge Darrow later granted the motion.
A Rock Island man was sentenced Thursday to 57 months in prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon.

Michael Andrew Ford, 22, pleaded guilty June 16 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to one count of unlawful transport of firearms, court documents say.

On Dec. 2, 2015, Rock Island police investigating a drug robbery and shooting issued an officer safety advisory that Mr. Ford and two others might try to retaliate against the alleged robber, a Department of Justice news release says.

A few hours later, Moline Police saw and searched Mr. Ford and two others in a parked car. Mr. Ford, a convicted felon, was carrying a loaded .38 caliber handgun, the release states.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro prosecuted the case. Contributing investigative agencies include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rock Island Police Department.
MOLINE  Illinois' efforts to widen John Deere Road are almost finished for the year, with work expected to resume as soon as possible in the spring on the $51 million project.

When completed in 2018, John Deere Road will have an extra lane in both directions from 38th Street to 70th Street.

The work now underway is an expansion of the intersection with 41st Street, according to John Wegmeyer of the Illinois Department of Transportation. The goal, he said, is to have it open before Thanksgiving.

"It'll make that less congested," Mr. Wegmeyer said.

Other work  removing the curbs and widening the shoulders on the westbound lanes of John Deere Road, as well as adding temporary pavement to allow two-way traffic next year while the new eastbound lane is added  already has been completed, he said.

The 2017 work could start as soon as March if the weather allows, Mr. Wegmeyer said.

In 2018, the eastbound lanes will be two-way as workers complete the project, adding the new lane for west-traveling traffic.

So far, this year's work has cost about $8 million. That price tag probably will be $10 million by the time the year's work ends, Mr. Wegmeyer said.

Some businesses around 41st Street and John Deere Road are looking forward to the intersection's update. The improvements come at a cost for them.

"It'll be awesome when it's all done," said Jordan Krol, manager of Stashu's Pizza & Deli, Thursday morning said as he got dough and other supplies ready. The improvements will allow much easier access, he said.

The current work, he noted, has led to a drop in business.

Congestion and delays in the intersection have been significant enough to prompt people with limited lunch break time to go elsewhere, he said. Some regulars who might have come in weekly before now may be visiting monthly.

"We're still good," he said. "But it's not how like a normal summer (or fall) would be."

He said his regulars still do come, and the restaurant appreciates it.

People also still come in from the nearby Heritage neighborhood, Mr. Krol said. Construction workers on the project also come in for lunch.

Nearby, at West Music, there were already four or five customers in the store shortly after its 10 a.m. opening.

Patrick Downing, who heads the piano department at West, said he has seen less in-store traffic, but guitar repairs and piano sales are good. The store recently finished its large-scale rentals for bands and orchestras, he said. The latter is a big chunk of the instrument store's business.

Mr. Downing said he and the other staff appreciate people coming in, despite the construction. He also expects the end result of the project will be an improvement.

"Overall, I think it's going to be very good once it's all done," he said.
Message to school boards & teachers:

On Friday, I opened my Dispatch/Argus newspaper and viewed the picture of Bill Clinton posing with an attractive high school student in the gym at Davenport North High School.

My first thought was why the school board allowed Bill Clinton access to a high school designed and built to provide a place to educate our youth to read, write, arithmetic and respect the flag of our country and our national anthem, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I pray the Sherrard School board will never allow our schools to grant access to any political party, to advance their agenda.

My sons Mark, Tom, Scott and Mike graduated from Sherrard and learned respect for our flag and the national anthem and the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

What have we become? Shame on you Bill and Hillary, and Barrack Obama for bringing this great country to the brink, morally, economically and internationally.

Marvin "Bud" Kammerman,

Milan
These same do-gooders allowed all kinds of foreign aliens to come into our country, go to our schools, colleges, and air-plane pilot navigator schools, thus giving them the knowledge and ability to steal four of our airplanes full of passengers, use two of them as weapons to destroy the two New York towers and kill thousands of our citizens, use the third one to damage our Pentagon and kill hundreds more citizens. If it had not been for a few brave patriots, they would have used the forth to destroy our Capitol and kill a lot of politicians.
G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
The bidders include:

- Bombardier Transportation South Africa (with Strategic Partners Group and Bombardiers British subsidiary to provide maintenance services)

- CRRC E-Loco Supply (CRRC Zhuzhou South Africa and Matsete Basadi), and

- Egoli Rail Consortium (Alstom South Africa, EOH Intelligent Infrastructure and Ubumbano).

In addition to new rolling stock, the contract calls for the expansion of depot facilities to accommodate the larger fleet as well as upgrading of signalling systems.

According to Gautrain CEO Mr Jack van der Merwe, a request for proposals will be issued to the shortlisted bidders next month and financial close is anticipated towards the end of 2017.

Vadi says the Gauteng government requires the winning bidder to provide at least 65% local content.

Additional trains are required to increase capacity during the morning and evening peaks, when some services experience overcrowding.

All Gautrain services are currently operated by a fleet of 24 four-car Bombardier Electrostar EMUs, which were introduced when the network opened in 2011-12.
Ernie Anastos, anchor of the 6:00 news on WNYW-TV Fox 5 New York, is one of the best broadcast journalists Ive come across in numerous television appearances during my nearly 25 years at Railway Age.

Ernies credentials are, to say the least, impressive: A New York Hall of Fame Broadcaster, he has won more than 30 Emmy awards and is the first and only New York TV anchor to receive a Lifetime Emmy Award, the highest honor given by The New York chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The New York Times described Ernie as the ubiquitous anchorman who has captured the love and respect of New Yorkers. Ernie has covered major stories that have shaped the past three decades, among them the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. He met with Fidel Castro in Cuba to produce a series of special reports on the anniversary of the Cuban revolution, traveled to the war-torn countries of El Salvador and Nicaragua, and has interviewed past world leaders, among them Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev and Desmond Tutu.

Frankly, Im honored that a journalist of Ernies stature wanted to talk to Railway Age about important, very public issues involving the railway industry. Theres too much misinformation being disseminated in the general media about railroads and railroad safety (like our Federal Railroad Administrator calling air brakes Civil War-era technology). Im always willing to accept media invitations because I believe I can at least try to explain and interpret things in a way that the general public can understand.

What youll see on the video is a roughly four-minute conversationlive TV appearances tend to occur in the blink of an eye to a person being interviewed. Why you wont see is a private preparatory meeting in the green room prior to the broadcast. When I arrived at the Fox 5 studios, I was expecting to meet with a producer and then go on the air cold, not knowing what to expect. Instead, I was told Ernie was going to meet with personally. I wasnt expecting this! Well, he came in, sat down with me with material he had prepared. We spent the next 15 or so minutes discussing what we were going to cover. Ernie put me at ease and listened intently to what I had to saya consummate professional, very engaging. Aside from a desire to have a useful, substantive on-air discussion in a very limited time frame, he had no agenda, no pre-conceived notions.

How refreshing. Ernie, anytime you want to talk railroads, Ill be happy to oblige.
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Speak truth to powerthe sacred and deep cultural oath of the CIA and broader intelligence communityreminds intelligence analysts of their responsibility to provide unvarnished, non-politicized assessments to policymakers. And yet, these days speak truth to power may ring hollow for many analysts, not because organizations and leaders in the U.S. system politicize intelligence, but rather because the onerous coordination and review process has too often resulted in watered-down and less impactful analysis. Unlike in the academic community where a diversity of views based on the same evidence is encouraged, the intelligence community actively admonishes against it in favor of a review process meant to build a consensus, even if one does not exist. The end product of this bureaucratic process, known as the corporate product, purposefully masks analytic disagreement in favor of presenting a united analytic line to the policymaker.

Indeed, the corporate product has been around for ages. However, it was reinvigorated in the 1980s by then-Deputy Director of the CIA Robert M. Gates, who in 1992 as Director of Central Intelligence told a CIA audience ( PDF ) that they must discard the academic mindset that says their work is their own, and they must take into account the views of others during the coordination process. Scholar Richard Betts would later accurately observe that intelligence products are supposed to represent the best judgments of whole organizations, not single authors. Now considered standard practice throughout the intelligence community, the corporate product is designed to avoid confusing policymakers with too many disparate views. Moreover, rigorous peer and management review is believed to strengthen analysis. So why change anything

The remainder of this commentary is available at warontherocks.com

Derek Grossman is a senior project associate at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

This commentary originally appeared on War on the Rocks on October 20, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
The ESPN App has been launched across Spanish-speaking Latin America, with local editions available in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.





The mobile app, which promises a more personalised experience on smartphones and tablets, is available on Android and iOS devices. With the same capabilities and functionality as the US edition, the app showcases ESPNs content on one screen, featuring personalisation, alerts, videos and highlights, audio and customised local news.Making ESPNs flagship app available in Latin America represents another great step in our development of a truly global digital platform that puts ESPN on the home screen of every fan, said John Kosner, executive VP, ESPN digital and print media. The app will allow us to better serve the fast-growing audience of fans in the region, where most consume ESPN content on mobile devices.The apps Spanish-language content is created and managed by ESPN editorial teams across Latin America and around the world, including those in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Miami and Los Angeles.ESPN has launched eight editions of the ESPN App and ten editions of ESPN.com since debuting in the US 18 months ago. Australias edition of the ESPN App is slated to launch in early 2017.
As major stakeholders in the Middle East Satellite TV industry, the members of the Coalition, which was formed in March 2014, share information and align strategies to prevent copyright infringement in the Middle East. Piracy has always been a huge issue in the MENA region : the Coalition says that statistics show that over the past six months a total of almost 200 Western content infringements and over 4,000 Arabic content infringements occurred.In its ninth meeting in Amsterdam, the Coalition gathered MENA stakeholders from the satellite broadcast industry  such as Eutelsat, Arabsat and Gulfsat  as well as content producers and distributors including MBC, OSN, Rotana, ART, CNE and the MPA. The members agreed that co-operation between the stakeholders had to be a key priority. The meeting also revealed that pirate channels were operated by a handful of individuals and agreed on how better to identify and take actions against them.Satellite TV piracy has relied upon everyone ignoring or being ignorant of the rules, of the individuals behind the pirate channels and of the major companies who profit by selling services to the pirates. Our coalition is step by step removing the cloak from this murky sector, remarked MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett.We are very encouraged by the progress made so far by this important coalition but it is equally clear that all lot still needs to be done, added Okke Delfos Visser, head of the legal department of the MPA in Europe, Middle East and Africa. It has been our experience that progress in this area can only be made when stakeholders constructively work with each other. Curbing TV piracy is essential to keep growing legitimate TV channels thereby enhancing the consumers viewing experience, reinvesting money into the creation of new high-quality content and securing millions of jobs worldwide.
ITVs lavish and rather unexpectedly huge hit Victoria has been recommended for a second series by the UKs largest commercial broadcaster.





The series was produced for ITV by Mammoth Screen, written by Daisy Goodwin who will also be executive producing the sequel alongside Mammoth Screens Damien Timmer and Kate McKerrell, and produced by Paul Frift. In the lead role will be Jenna Coleman as the young Queen Victoria whose name has become synonymous with 19th century Britain, stars alongside Tom Hughes as Prince Albert. Launched at the end of August 2016, the series averaged almost eight million viewers, making it the top rated drama of the year so far.Commenting on the recommission, ITVs director of TV, Kevin Lygo, said: "Mammoth and Daisy Goodwin have brought the characters so vividly to life in this series, and we're thrilled with the reception for Victoria. We're pleased to be able to confirm that Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes will return to continue the story on ITV.Series two is likely to air by the end of 2017. In addition to being on the UK free to air service, the broadcasters ITV Choice subsidiary will exclusively broadcast the series return across Asia and the Middle East.
Investigators ask court to put Russian nationalist Demushkin under house arrest

MOSCOW, October 21 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  Investigators have asked the Presnensky District Court of Moscow to put Russian nationalist Dmitry Demushkin, who is charged with inciting hatred and enmity, under house arrest, RAPSI learned from the courts press-service.

Earlier Demushkin has told RAPSI about his arrest and potential detention. He specified that these measures may be related to violation of written undertaking not to leave the place.

I have filed a petition for a march (Russian March ed.), I was arrested and I will be taken for detention in the Presnensky Court,  Demushkin said.

The Moscow City Court ruled the return of a criminal case against Russian nationalist Dmitriy Demushkin, who was accused of publishing extremist materials on the Internet, to be lawful, RAPSI learnt in the courtroom on Monday.

Therefore, the court upheld a ruling of the Moscow Nagatinsky Court, which stated that the case should be returned to the Prosecutors Office for reinvestigation.

As Demuskin has informed RAPSI earlier, two expert assessments contradicting one another were included in the case materials.

Demushkin stands charged with inciting hatred and enmity towards, and violation of human dignity of a group of people not ethnically Russian.

On the prosecutions insistence, the hearings were held behind closed doors.

According to the investigators, in 2011-2013 Demushkin was publishing extremist articles on one of his social network pages trying to incite hatred and enmity against a group of people.

Dmitriy Demushkin was a leader of the banned extremist groups such as Slavic Union (SS) and Ethnopolitical organization Russians.

This May, Russias Supreme Court upheld a ruling of the Moscow City Court, which banned The Russians from carrying out their activities in the territory of the Russian Federation after reviewing a claim lodged by the Prosecutors Office, supported by the Justice Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Later, Dmitry Demushkin, the movements leader, announced its dissolution.
Russias request for Yaroshenkos extradition forwarded to US Department of Justice

MOSCOW, October 21 (RAPSI)  The Russian embassy has submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice a request for extradition of pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving a 20-year sentence in the U.S. for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, RIA Novosti reported on Friday citing Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights.

The U.S. authorities are to consider the request in accordance with the established procedure, the agency quoted Dolgov as having said.

According to Yaroshenkos attorneys, consideration of the issue can take several months. We hope that they would not protract this procedure, Dolgov said.

In September, Yaroshenko in an interview to Izvestia newspaper claimed that U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons asked him to sign a document on transfer to Russia.

According to Yaroshenko, such transfer is regulated by the Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons adopted in 1983. Yaroshenko noted that several years ago the Russian Justice Ministry made a request to transfer the pilot to Russia under conditions of the Convention but U.S. side rejected this motion.

Yaroshenko said that he did not want this petition to be presented by the U.S. side and that he would prefer to sign a petition offered by the Russian Justice Ministry since he is not sure about motivation of the U.S. authorities.

Nevertheless, the pilot signed the petition on September 13.

Konstantin Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia on May 28, 2010 and flown to the United States soon afterwards. On September 7, 2011, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for colluding to smuggle cocaine into the United States. He was caught after replying to an advertisement posted by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who claimed they were selling a cargo plane for $1.

He is serving time in the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey.

In late May, a US court rejected his appeal for a retrial. Russias Foreign Ministry said this is evidence that Yaroshenkos conviction was politically influenced.

It was reported in February 2014 that Yaroshenko experienced strong migraine headaches and heart pain, which could be symptoms of a possible heart attack. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the pilots health and pledged to continue working to ensure respect of his rights in the United States.
Howard Fischer, wearing a white shirt and khakis, leans back into a window seat at a juice bar in Greenwich, Connecticut, sips a cold-brewed Mexican mocha and shares his angst.

Its miserable, miserable, the 57-year-old manager of $1.1 billion Basso Capital Management says of hedge fund returns over the past few years. If thats the normal expectation, I dont have a business.
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Teresa Giudice is looking forward to her 17th wedding anniversary on October 23.

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The 44-year-old "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star revealed how she and imprisoned husband Joe Giudice plan to celebrate the occasion in an interview with E! News published Monday.

"I don't know if I'm going to go to see him that day, just because I have to check my girls' schedule," Giudice said. "We put our kids first. Then I'll probably go see him the following day."

"He said he has a surprise for me and that he wrote me a song. I gotta pitch it out there -- he wants John Legend to sing it to me," she shared. "I send him cards all the time, and he said he's sending me a special card, too."

"We're going to be married 17 years. I can tell he's really into me still, which is a good thing," the star added. "I can't wait for him to come home and he can't wait to come home, so obviously we're doing something right."

Teresa and Joe Giudice were sentenced to 15 and 41 months in prison, respectively, in October 2014 for fraud.

Giudice completed her sentence early in December: Joe Giudice is serving his at Fort Dix federal correctional institution.

"We've always been close but when you go through things like this either it can break you or make you stronger as a family or as a couple, and obviously it's doing that for us," the star told People in September.

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"If anything, you know what they say, when you're away from each other it makes the heart grow fonder? It's definitely doing that for us," she added.

Teresa and Joe Giudice share four daughters, 15-year-old Gia, 12-year-old Gabriella, 11-year-old Milania and 7-year-old Audriana.

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
Jacob Worthington is only 25, but has a life filled with stories and accomplishments including dedicated service to the U.S. military, being an accomplished chef and refined juggling skills.
This image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown shows Denis Arndt, left, and Mary-Louis Parker during a performance of "Heisenberg." (Joan Marcus/Boneau/Bryan-Brown via AP)

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By MARK KENNEDY, AP Drama Writer

NEW YORK (AP)  Don't be frightened off by the title of the Broadway play "Heisenberg." There's no need to brush up on any quantum physics or mathematical inequalities. All you need to know is a simple idea: The whole is more than the sum of its parts.

"Heisenberg" is as stripped down as theater can get  two chairs, two tables, two actors, one slender script. But Simon Stephens' play also is as sumptuous an experience as theater gets.

Quirky, lovely, funny, powerful and special, "Heisenberg" opened Thursday at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre starring Mary-Louise Parker and Denis Arndt as unconventional lovers who, it turns out, might be perfect for each other.

Whether this fragile play would successfully make the leap from its perch at a 150-seat off-Broadway space where it made its debut last year to its new home in a 660-seat Broadway theater was a big question.

Have no fear: Director Mark Brokaw upped the intimacy level by putting bleacher seats on much of the stage, making the venue into a poor man's theater-in-the-round. Then he let Parker and Arndt do what they do best.

In the play, babble-mouthed 42-year-old Georgie from New Jersey randomly meets a bored 75-year-old Irish butcher, Alex, in a London train station and the two begin a strange courtship. Georgie reveals she is somewhat broken and Alex must endure plenty of lies before the real Georgie is revealed.

Both are lonely souls and Georgie benefits from Alex's quiet patience, while Alex comes alive with fresh wonder around Georgie. Their age gap is commented on, but not as important as you might think.

Stephens sides with love  in whatever way it comes  and he embraces human mutability. Of personalities, Alex says: "They're never fixed. They can always change. They mean nothing." Later, he turns to Georgie: "We hold very different perspectives on experiences we imagine we're sharing, don't we?"

The title comes from a strange aspect of quantum physics called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which says it is impossible to measure both the speed and position of an object at the same time.

Georgie nicely reduces it down to this: "If you watch something closely enough you realize you have no possible way of telling where it's going or how fast it's getting there." It fits naturally into a script that celebrates randomness and predictability.

Stephens, who adapted "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" for the stage, does nothing less than alchemy here. He captures new love and old love at the same time, hope and fear, the new world and the old. He's turned the simplest of tales  boy meets girl  into an unexpectedly rich thing with just two chairs, two tables and two actors.

___

Online: http://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/2016-17-season/heisenberg
Chris Allejo, the director of operations for the spaying and neutering program run by the animal welfare group Poi Dogs and Popoki, pets cats at feral cat colony near Honolulu on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. Conservationists are concerned about the number of feral cats roaming Hawaii because cat feces washing into the ocean can spread toxoplasmosis, which can be deadly for endangered Hawaiian monk seals. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

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By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP)  Two wildlife issues have collided in Hawaii, pitting one group of animal defenders against another in an impassioned debate. The point of contention? Deadly cat poop and the feral felines that produce it.

Federal researchers believe feces from the legions of stray cats roaming Hawaii is spreading a disease that is killing Hawaiian monk seals, some of the world's most endangered marine mammals. Some conservationists advocate euthanizing those cats that no one wants, and that has cat lovers up in arms.

"It's a very difficult, emotional issue," said state Sen. Mike Gabbard, chairman of a committee that earlier this year heard a proposal to ban the feeding of feral cats on state land. The panel abandoned the bill after an outcry.

"It struck a nerve in our community," he said.

The problem stems from a parasite common in cats that can cause toxoplasmosis, a disease that has killed at least five female Hawaiian monk seals and three males since 2001, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"While eight seals may not sound like a lot of animals, it actually has pretty large ramifications for an endangered population where there's only about 1,300 seals in existence at this point in time," said Michelle Barbieri, veterinary medical officer for NOAA's Hawaiian monk seal research program. Scientists believe monk seals become exposed by ingesting contaminated water or prey.

Stray cats, meanwhile, have no predators in Hawaii and have ballooned in numbers across the state. Some 300,000 feral cats roam Oahu alone, according to marketing research commissioned by the Hawaiian Humane Society in 2015.

Felines are the only animals that can shed Toxoplasma gondii eggs, or oocysts. The parasites enter their digestive tract through infected prey, then multiply in the small intestine and produce eggs. Cats excrete the eggs in their feces, which researchers believe washes into the ocean and accumulates in invertebrates along the sea floor.

The eggs can survive in fresh water, saltwater and soil for up to two years, and any warm-blooded animal can become infected.

California sea otters have died from toxoplasmosis, and it's one of the major reasons the Hawaiian crow, alala, is extinct in the wild. Toxoplasmosis is rarely problematic for people with healthy immune systems, but it's why doctors advise pregnant women not to handle kitty litter.

Many cities struggle with feral cats, but the problem is particularly acute in Hawaii because of its sensitive ecosystem and at-risk native species, experts say. Only two mammals are native to Hawaii: the hoary bat and the Hawaiian monk seal.

"Everything else here deer, sheep, goats, cats, mongoose  they're all invasive. They're all introduced," said Angela Amlin, NOAA's acting Hawaiian monk seal recovery coordinator.

Marine debris, climate change, predation and human interaction all threaten the survival of Hawaiian monk seals, agile swimmers with rigid whiskers and big, round eyes. Adults grow to be about 7 feet long and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds.

Feral cats present their greatest disease concern, Amlin said.

"As conservationists, what we really have to look at is this is what Hawaii's native ecosystem includes, and cats are unfortunately not part of that," Amlin said. "When it comes to the feral cat population, there should be a program in place to bring in these animals, adopt the ones that are adoptable and humanely euthanize those that are not."

Others take offense to that notion.

Classifying animals with labels such as native and invasive creates a "hierarchy in which the protection of certain animals comes at the suffering of others," Hawaiian Humane Society President and CEO Pamela Burns wrote in a letter opposing the state Senate bill that would have banned feeding cats on state land. She contended the 300,000 figure overstates the problem because the study counted the number of outdoor cats people were feeding and might have missed instances where multiple people fed the same cat.

Those who care for stray cats advocate trapping, neutering and spaying to help control their population.

The University of Hawaii's Manoa campus, in Honolulu, started a feral cat management program  with authorized feeders trained in tasks like trapping and feces disposal  after the stench and mess from hundreds of cats prompted complaints, especially when children at a campus daycare center got flea bites, said Roxanne Adams, director of buildings and grounds.

The program started in 2011 and appears to have reduced the number of felines, she said.

Euthanizing cats is unacceptable unless they're extremely sick, said Alicia Maluafiti, board president of animal welfare group Poi Dogs and Popoki.

"I totally disagree with the ... generalization that cat people love cats more than these endangered species," Maluafiti said. "What we just don't advocate is the wholesale killing, the extermination, of one species" for another.
Darren Michael Brown of Anderson shields his face from a photographer's camera during what was to have been his sentencing in Shasta County Superior Court. Also shown is Shasta County Deputy Public Defender Jeremy West.

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Darren Michael Brown of Anderson, who really didnt want to have his photo taken, had his sentencing postponed Friday for the second time this week in Shasta County Superior Court.

The 29-year-old Brown, who pleaded guilty last month to 10 felonies, including extortion and lewd acts with children, was arrested last year on suspicion of coercing at least four underage teenage girls to send him sexually explicit images of themselves.

Brown is set to be sentenced on Nov. 4 and is facing five years in prison under a plea bargain. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

He was arrested in November as part of a multiagency investigation that began in Illinois.
Jack Hopkins

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By Sean Longoria of the Redding Record Searchlight

A second procession for slain Modoc County Sheriff Deputy Jack Hopkins is set for Saturday as his body is taken from Redding to Girdner Funeral Chapel in Yreka.

The procession begins at 9:45 a.m., as his body leaves the Shasta County Coroner's Office on Veterans Lane.

The procession will proceed to South Bonnyview Road and then continue east before getting onto northbound Interstate 5 for the 98-mile trip to Yreka.

The public is welcome to show its support along the route, according to a message from the California Highway Patrol in Redding.

The first procession was Thursday when Hopkins body was escorted from Alturas to the coroners office in Redding.

Funeral preparations for the 31-year-old Modoc County sheriffs deputy, who was shot and killed Wednesday while responding to a disturbance call, are still pending, the sheriffs office said Friday.

Meanwhile, a criminal case against deputy Jack Hopkins alleged killer had not yet been filed as of the close of business hours on Friday afternoon.

Jack Lee Breiner is accused of fatally shooting Hopkins as the deputy responded to a domestic disturbance Wednesday morning south of Alturas. Breiner also allegedly shot at Modoc County Sheriff Mike Poindexter following Hopkins killing before Breiner was shot by the sheriff after a pursuit, officials have said. Breiner was taken to a Redding hospital for treatment, authorities have said.

Modoc County District Attorney Jordan Funk was in trial most of Friday, according to his office. Workers there said they had no information to share on when a criminal case would be filed against Breiner.

Funk on Thursday, however, said he wasnt sure a case would be filed this week. Breiner could face the death penalty if convicted of murder of a police officer.

The outpouring of support for Modoc County continued Friday, a day after an emotional press conference in Alturas and somber procession across three North State counties that led to the Shasta County Coroners Office for an autopsy of Hopkins.

A funeral for Hopkins will likely take place next month in Yreka, though final arrangements still are being worked out. Officials are meeting with Hopkins family in Siskiyou County next week, sheriffs spokeswoman Janie Bell said.

We are just fielding a lot of phone calls and just a tremendous outpouring of support from law enforcement agencies all over the country, Bell said, noting law enforcement departments in Canada also are showing support.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, also offered his condolences Thursday on his Facebook page.

Deputy Hopkins answered the call to protect the public with the utmost pride and courage, and his loss is felt deeply, the congressman said. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this tragic time.
Nathan Solis/Record Searchlight

State Sen. Ted Gaines (center) meets with Economic Development Corporation of Shasta County Director Tony Giovaniello (left) during a visit to the Shasta Venture Hub on Thursday where tech startup Cloud Wise Academy employs three interns designing websites.

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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

The carpeted hallway at the Shasta Venture Hub was quiet when state Sen. Ted Gaines paid a visit Thursday morning.

Several company logos marked the doors in the hallway as Economic Development Corporation of Shasta County Director Tony Giovaniello detailed the history of tech startups in Redding.

Shasta EDC staff has played up Redding's potential as a destination for tech startups and the Venture Hub in north Redding is an example of a workforce busy behind closed doors.

Giovaniello categorizes the EDC's role in two categories: recruiting companies from outside the county and growing the local economy from within.

But retooling an economy that once relied on forestry and agriculture is a challenge and something that needs to be explored, Gaines said.

"(The economy) has not completely recovered from those challenges and the recession. This is a great opportunity to work with the economic development in the county and the (Chamber of Commerce) to focus on technology and startups," Gaines said.

Giovaniello introduced Gaines to Cloud Wise Academy CEO Joe Mckenna and three interns designing a website.

Intern Sean Kittrick, 23, said he didn't know what he wanted to do after graduating from college with a degree in literature.

Jake Hinton, 31, and Roderick Dusio MacDermott, 20, could relate and all three met in a website-for-beginners' class at the Venture Hub. The three are employed with the company as they get a taste for designing a website for a client.

"It clicked for me about a month ago, that this is something I could do," said MacDermott who is on active duty with the U.S. National Guard and delivers pizza in his spare time.

During his visit to Redding, Gaines met with Jonathan Anderson of the Good News Rescue Mission and toured the emergency room at Shasta Regional Medical Center to learn about mental health services.

Local revitalization efforts in Redding and the burgeoning startup industry should be on Gaines' mind when he thinks of Redding, Redding Chamber of Commerce President Jake Mangas said.

The two briefly met while the senator was in Redding.

"Having a senator come here to learn about our economic plans is vital," Mangas said. "We like to think that when he leaves and is in other parts of the state he can say: 'They're doing great work in Redding.'"
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Siskiyou County is asking a Sacramento court to drop a lawsuit that alleged county officials were committing voter intimidation targeting the Hmong community.

In the past two weeks the county has asked the Eastern District Federal courts to dismiss the lawsuit, because there is no basis to the claim, according to a statement from the county's legal representative.

The initial lawsuit alleged voter intimidation and marijuana cultivation enforcement activities by Siskiyou County officials that targeted the Hmong community.

Siskiyou County legal representative Jim Underwood said Sheriff Jon Lopey, County Clerk Colleen Setzer and other employees did not break any laws and as a result are asking the courts to drop the lawsuit.

The statement goes on to say that there is no basis of voter intimidation, because nine of the 10 plaintiffs in the lawsuit are registered to vote in Siskiyou County and seven of the plaintiffs voted in the June primaries.

A court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1st in Sacramento.
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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

Siskiyou County is asking a federal court to drop a lawsuit that alleges county officials intimidated Hmong voters.

The county argued in a filing this month there is no basis to the claim, according to a statement by Siskiyou County's legal counsel.

The lawsuit filed by 10 Hmong residents alleges they were the direct victims of a wider case of intimidation that disenfranchised about 250 out of 360 potential voters in their community. The suit names Sheriff Jon Lopey, Siskiyou County Elections Clerk Coleen Setzer, Secretary of State employee Alex Nishimura, Siskiyou County, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as defendants.

A spoksamn for the California Secretary of State's Office has acknowledged its investigators asked local law enforcement to accompany them while looking into alleged voter fraud. That investigation is at the core of the federal lawsuit by Hmong residents, who said gun-toting deputies terrified them.

Details of the state office's involvement came to light through documents released to Lopey's attorney and the Record Searchlight under California Public Records Act requests.

Two investigators from Secretary of State Alex Padilla's office spent three days tracking down members of the Hmong community in rural Siskiyou County, according to records.

The case is full of contradictory accusations, including one that Lopey's deputies overstepped their protection role by warning the residents not to vote and that they brandished their weapons in an intimidating way. Lopey has strongly denied all such accusations.

A statement by the county's legal counsel says there is no basis for the claims of voter intimidation because nine of the 10 plaintiffs in the lawsuit are registered to vote in Siskiyou County and seven of the plaintiffs voted in the June primary.

The county has hired outside counsel to defend the suit.

Siskiyou County legal representative Jim Underwood said Lopey, Setzer and other employees did not break any laws and as a result are asking the courts to drop the lawsuit.

"Given all of these facts, and because the plaintiffs who are registered to vote continue to be able to do so by mail, the county believes that the court will eventually determine that their claim of 'voter intimidation' rings hollow," Underwood said in the statement.

A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1 in Sacramento.
Record Searchlight file photo

Virginia Anderson (right) is shown in court with Deputy Public Defender Stacey Madsen during one of her previous court appearances.

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By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight

The long-awaited trial of a Redding woman accused of driving under the influence of drugs in a 2014 traffic wreck that killed motorcyclist Hayley Marie Riggins is expected to get underway next week in Shasta County Superior Court  as long as a courtroom is available.

Virginia Lyn Anderson, 54, is scheduled to appear Friday morning before Superior Court Judge Cara Beatty for a trial readiness conference.

That conference will determine whether the attorneys are ready to proceed and to try to find a judge and available courtroom for the trial.

Attorneys told the Record Searchlight they are ready to go to trial next week. The trial is expected to take about three weeks.

Redding police have said Anderson was driving under the influence of methamphetamine and other drugs when she ran a red-turn arrow on April 24, 2014, at Buenaventura Boulevard and Placer Street and collided with the 27-year-old Riggins, the mother of a then 1-year-old daughter.

It was during Anderson's last court appearance in June when Beatty, who apparently has grown tired with all the numerous trial delays in the case, told her she would be standing trial on Oct. 25.

"You will go to trial (on that date) unless hell freezes over," she said.

There's certainly been a number of delays in the case, which has long angered and frustrated the family and friends of Riggins.

Anderson was initially scheduled to stand trial Nov. 12, 2014, but her trial has been postponed at least seven times.

Most recently, her March trial, which was close to picking a jury, was rescheduled for next week after the public defender's office filed an emergency writ with the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento to put the trial on hold.

At the center of the writ were the felony charges filed against Anderson.

She was initially charged with second-degree murder in the crash that killed Riggins.

But that charge was dismissed  twice  after separate judges ruled that prosecutors failed to show that Anderson acted with a deliberate disregard for human life.

She was later charged with DUI causing injury and a great bodily enhancement, a lesser offense than vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Although it's a lesser offense, it carries a greater punishment.

And Anderson's public defenders said prosecutors, who denied the claim, circumvented the intent of the law by that change, saying her alleged conduct falls squarely within the specific statute parameters of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and she should have been charged as such.

Anderson faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of the current charges against her, but would have faced about four years in prison  or possibly jail  if she had been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

The appellate court, however, denied the public defender's office request to consider the issue, and the state Supreme Court has now done likewise.

It's expected, however, the public defender's office will refile its request with the appellate court should Anderson be convicted at trial.

Anderson, whose criminal history includes a 1996 arrest on suspicion of methamphetamine possession, reportedly admitted to police using methamphetamine and other drugs before the fatal crash.
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When Edward Snowden swiped a trove of classified information from the National Security Agency and released it to journalists, he exposed deep flaws in the way America's intelligence community secures its most sensitive computer data. The NSA and the federal government embarked on reforms meant to never allow a breach as devastating and extensive as Snowden's to happen again.

Those reforms included overhauling the way Washington conducts background checks on people given access to classified information, a new task force to create and enforce security rules for agencies that handle sensitive data, and cutbacks in the number of employees allowed access to top secret material. Booz Allen Hamilton, the consulting firm that employed Snowden and the recipient of billions of dollars in contracts with the U.S. intelligence community, last year teamed up with Raytheon to create a service that records an employee's activity on his or her computer screen.

Two weeks ago, though, the government announced the arrest of another NSA contractor and former Booz Allen employee: Harold Thomas Martin III allegedly took home reams of top secret data over the course of many years. And Martin's arrest sends a clear message  those NSA reforms weren't enough.

Should we construe this episode as Snowden 2.0? Not exactly. We've been bird-dogging the case, hoping for answers to the questions it raises. But much remains opaque. What we do know may say more about the agency than about Martin.

Martin, 51, a Navy veteran from Glen Burnie, Md., has been charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, and theft of government property. The latter charge is the more serious, and could mean up to 10 years in prison if he's convicted. Federal prosecutors say Martin took home documents and digital data "critical to a wide variety of national security issues."

But investigators aren't convinced Martin had leaked anything to anyone. He may simply have been stockpiling or even working with the data, though if that's the case, the feds still want to know why. If Martin's a hoarder rather than a leaker, that would distinguish him from Snowden, seen by some Americans as a traitor and by others as a whistleblower. What's indisputable is that Snowden shed light on the massive amount of surveillance carried out by the federal government.

Nevertheless, there's plenty that the NSA needs to worry about. While investigators say Martin's removal of data from the NSA dates to the 1990s, long before Snowden's activities came to light in 2013, some of the material Martin took dates to 2014, after the NSA instituted post-Snowden reforms to safeguard sensitive data. Thus Martin's case casts doubt on the effectiveness of those reforms.

The government says Martin is suspected of taking classified computer code the U.S. has developed to hack into a foreign government's computer networks, The New York Times reported. Investigators also want to know if he was connected in any way to the leak of those techniques, which appeared online in August. With that information, Moscow or Beijing could thwart cyberoffensive moves made by the U.S., and even retool the techniques for their own use. Even if Martin didn't leak the code, someone else certainly did  and that's just as worrisome for an NSA that was supposed to have learned its lesson from the Snowden episode.

Martin's arrest also renews questions about giving so much intelligence work to private contractors  specifically to Booz Allen. The McLean, Va., company has failed to show it can ensure its employees don't pose security risks to the agencies that hire them. The U.S. is not in a position to abandon its reliance on contractors for intel work  the volume of work involved necessitates outside help. But the government should demand that Booz Allen scrutinize its employees more closely.

People who know Martin have been quoted as saying he loves his country, and isn't the type to sell or leak secrets. As his case wends its way through the courts, we'll find out if that's true. Nevertheless, his arrest shows that the NSA is far from firewalled against inside threats.

At a time when Russia has dramatically stepped up its hacking activities and other countries and groups pose similar cyberthreats, this country needs to feel confident that its own cybercapabilities and top secret data remain exactly that  top secret.

This editorial originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight

Modoc County sheriff's officials are consoled Thursday at the Shasta County Coroner's Office after the procession of Modoc County sheriff's deputy Jack Hopkins, who was killed Wednesday investigating a family disturbance call outside of Alturas.

SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight The procession for slain deputy Jack Hopkins makes its way down California Street on Thursday In Redding. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Local law enforcement officers paid their respects Thursday in Redding at the Shasta County Coroner's Office to Modoc County sheriff's deputy Jack Hopkins who was killed Wednesday investigating a family disturbance call outside of Alturas. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Local law enforcement personnel join a procession Thursday in Bella Vista for Modoc County sheriff's deputy Jack Hopkins who was killed Wednesday investigating a family disturbance call outside of Alturas. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Local law enforcement joined the procession Thursday in Bella Vista for Modoc County sheriff's deputy Jack Hopkins who was killed Wednesday investigating a family disturbance call outside of Alturas. Related Photos Procession for Modoc deputy Jack Hopkins

By Joseph Szydlowski, Amber Sandhu and Sean Longoria, Redding Record Searchlight

A somber procession through three counties brought a slain Modoc County deputy to Redding Thursday for an autopsy, as investigators identified a 47-year-old convicted sex offender as his alleged shooter.

Jack Lee Breiner shot and killed deputy Jack Hopkins Wednesday during a confrontation as Hopkins was responding to a report of a domestic disturbance, Undersheriff William "Tex" Dowdy said during an emotional news conference in Alturas Thursday morning.

Dowdy also said Breiner tried to kill Modoc County Sheriff Mike Poindexter in a shootout after fleeing the scene of Hopkins' killing, officials said. He said Poindexter managed to shoot Breiner, ending the standoff but not fatally wounding him.

The intentional killing of an on-duty police officer is punishable by the death penalty, Modoc County District Attorney Jordan Funk said. However, he said it's too early to say what charges Breiner will face.

"It's conceivable charges could be filed relatively quickly  I don't know whether it would be the end of this week or not," Funk said. "Much of it has to do with the suspect's medical condition and when he can appear in court."

Breiner is a registered sex offender and was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, according to California's Megan's Law database.

The incident began around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when Hopkins responded to a family disturbance call at a property about 8 miles south of Alturas and confronted Breiner, Dowdy said.

Breiner's shot killed Hopkins on impact, investigators allege.

Dowdy said Breiner fled in a car and Poindexter, who was also responding to the call, caught up with him.

In an exchange of gunfire, Dowdy said, Poindexter hit Breiner. Breiner was taken to a Redding hospital for treatment, where he remains hospitalized.

Poindexter suffered minor wounds during the confrontation with Breiner but returned to duty immediately, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"The Modoc County Sheriff's Office and the entire law enforcement community of our region and state grieves the irrevocable loss of deputy Hopkins," Poindexter said in a news release. "I am grateful for the extraordinary allied-agency assistance we have received and we are thankful for the countless expressions of support we have received in the aftermath of Jack's tragic death. Our thoughts and prayers go out to deputy Hopkins, his family, his co-workers, his many friends and to all those impacted by this tragic and senseless loss of a dedicated law enforcement professional and friend."

The Butte County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Lassen County Sheriff Dean Growden, is handling the criminal investigation into the murder of Hopkins and attempted murder of Poindexter.

The California Highway Patrol is handling the administrative investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

More than 15 North State law enforcement, firefighting and other agencies, in addition to the Los Angeles Police Department, have offered assistance.

The case remains under investigation and the Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call 233-4416.

Hopkins began working for Modoc County last year after working for the Alturas Police Department. He has five siblings and a dog, Bandit.

A memorial service for Hopkins is being planned, though a location and time haven't been set.

"It's a very tough time for our department," Dowdy said. "It's a tough time for law enforcement. It's an extremely tough time for his family. For the most part our law enforcement family has joined together and we're in absolute support of his family. Whatever they need, we're available for them."

Funk said it's too early to say whether a trial could be held in Modoc County.

"We would file the case here and hope to prosecute it here," he said.
We support healthy competition among telcos, says Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha.

Though a large chunk of spectrum remained unsold in the recent auctions, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha tells Kiran Rathee theres no reason for a review of the process.

On the entry of Reliance Jio, the minister said it would mean healthy competition and better services in the sector. Edited excerpts:

Do you believe telecom sector is heading towards stability and why?

Yes, it is the transparent policies of the government in allocation of resources, adopting policies for ease of doing business, encouraging domestic and foreign investment, which have led to an era of stability. All that is setting the stage for a sustainable growth path.

While the sector saw a revolution between 2000 and 2003, when mobile services were on a growth trajectory, data services are now following a similar path.

A large quantum of spectrum remained unsold in the recent auctions. Isnt there a need to take a fresh look at the process?

I dont think that there is a need to have a fresh look at the process of auctioning of spectrum. We had a successful auction recently. Trading and sharing of spectrum also allow operators to acquire or add spectrum according to their commercial decisions. Trading also provides an exit route to an operator, which is not able to continue in the sector .

The auction did not get the desired proceeds from telcos. Will DoT be able to meet the revenue target of about Rs 98,000 crore in the current financial year?

The highest-ever sale of spectrum with a total of 964.80 MHz across bands took place recently. This exceeded 928.55 MHz sold during the last four auctions in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 put together. We also managed to get the highest ever upfront revenue (Rs 32,000 crore).

In addition, the government will get about Rs 4,800 crore as service tax on spectrum (introduced from this year). The revenue target is Rs 70,000 crore, which the department is confident of achieving, although the Budget documents mention a figure of Rs 98,000 crore.

The premium 700-MHz band did not draw a single bid. Will there be a re-auction of the airwaves after price reduction?

The government will take a decision about the next auction in due course.

The government has changed the upfront payment for above 1-GHz airwaves to 50 per cent. Do you think it was one of the reasons why operators did not bid aggressively?

I dont think that increase in the upfront payment for above 1-GHz had any effect on the bidding behaviour. You will note that 175 MHz of spectrum out of 222 MHz in 1,800-MHz band, all 320 MHz spectrum in 2300-MHz band and 370 MHz out of 600 MHz in 2500-MHz band was sold in this auction apart from 85 MHz out of 360 MHz in 2100-MHz band. This proves that there is no change in the bidding behaviour for above 1-GHz band.

With the launch of Jio, the fight in the sector has turned murkier. Will the government intervene?

The government supports healthy competition among various service providers for betterment of customers in terms of quality of service and tariffs. The department will intervene at an appropriate time.

Moving on to the area of virtual communication, do you think there is a need to strengthen security in the system to insulate ourselves from the possibility of cyber wars?

With growth in telecom and its applications like machine-to-machine communication, security of communication devices is a major concern and DoT is keeping an eye on these concerns. The department issues guidelines from time to time to make the communication devices secure from external threats.
Can Everstone overcome the challenges that previous owner HUL could not, as it tries to rebuild Brand Modern?

Three months after private equity fund Everstone completed its acquisition of Modern Foods Enterprises from HUL, the brand is in for a makeover.

With new products that cater to health conscious bread-buyers and a proposed bakery chain, the label is getting ready for a new life at 50. But can Everstone overcome the challenges that previous owner HUL could not, as it tries to rebuild Brand Modern?

We will make it more relevant and contemporary. We feel that the brand has the ability or the potential that can be leveraged in other fresh bakery categories. While retaining the past glory, a new road map has been laid out, said Aseem Soni, CEO Modern Foods.

Soni also wants to strengthen the brands pan-India presence and leverage the familiarity many Indians have with the label to develop new ventures. To do that, he will have to take on a slew of small regional brands and the battalion of unorganised bakers -- the two big factions that control the Rs 5,000 crore bread market in the country. It will also have to contend with the force of the Britannia brand that dominates several segments of the bread market today.

Beating the past

Modern started its life as a public sector unit brand. When HUL took it over in 2000, the key challenges it faced were ensuring profitability, quality and reach said a company official who preferred anonymity. He says that things began to unravel when nearly 50 per cent of Moderns business, which came from the UP government, was pulled out for reasons he does not want to go into. To address this challenge, HUL focussed on extending the brand to affiliated segments such as rusk, cakes, muffins and others.

The challenge was ensuring quality and longevity given the perishable nature of the product. Breads have a shelf life of just five days. And it is here that the might of small regional players comes to the fore; with nimbler operations, limited quality checks and low overheads, they are able to get past the big brands.

When Modern was sold by HUL, it had six manufacturing units and over 60,000 distribution points. Everstone will have to develop and deepen the supply lines if it has to expand the brand footprint. Soni said the focus now would be on upgrading the portfolio and production systems. The company has said that it aims to grow its revenue four times in the next five years to Rs 1,000 crore from around Rs 260 crore and would look at growing both organically and inorganically.

Adding value

Having turned around the business and built a sustainable growth model, we believe that the sale to Everstone will unlock the full potential of the Modern brand, HUL had said at the time of the handover. Under the new team, the company is looking at products that specifically address health and fitness related issues.

Over the next year, Everstone says, it will roll out products which will be developed under a new R&D facility. Till now, the focus has been on white and brown breads largely. However given the swift strides being made in multi grain breads and other such products that cater to the wellness segment, Modern does not want to be left behind.

It is also looking to cash in on the growing consumer need for convenience foods and has just launched ready-to-cook chappatis in Kerala. The company claims it was received well and it is selling around 60,000 chappatis a day. Next stop, Modern parathas.

The new owners of the brand believe they can leverage the strong connection that Modern has with many consumers. It reaches a million families every day according to Everstone, which translates into as many consumers willing to try new products from a trusted label. However, to really cash into this potential, the company will have to build a more robust chain between its manufacturing facilities and distribution outlets.

Soni says the brand must look at doing better where it already has a presence and explore new markets, especially those the brand abandoned. He says that Modern will be relaunched in these markets with a fresh product line. Its portfolio of about 400 SKUs will be expanded and non-bread segments such as cakes, health rusks and cookies will grow. In five years company says that the contribution of non-bread categories will go up to 30-35 per cent from the current 10-12 per cent.

New markets, new look

The brand is currently strongest in four southern states and in Maharastra and Kolkata. It can be found in 35 cities where it has between 35-70 per cent share of the market. The objective is to strengthen its presence in these regions with existing and new offerings.

For the new markets, or markets the brand had exited, the plan is to develop and engage in brand building initiatives. The packaging and pack graphics will also be modernised, Soni said.

Modern is also looking at changing its franchisee strategy. It wants greater control over quality and a bigger say in how the brand reaches the customer.

Image used for representational purposes only.
More than the traditional Dravidian political rivalry thats now on display, its boiling down to father-son one-upmanship within the DMK, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

For a chip of the old block, M K Stalin, politician-son of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi, is making feeble yet continual attempts at bringing back the missing civility in southern Tamil Nadus Dravidian political discourse.

If he is getting less cooperation from the ruling All India Anna DMK under Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, nearer home, his octogenarian father, steeped still the past, too would not want to have any of it -- or, so it seems.

After Jayalalithaa returned to power in May 2016, at the end of a very controversial election and even-more controversial counting process, which was stalled for no reason in a substantial number of constituencies towards evening, only to be revived without question hours later, Stalin made the first visible departure from mutually antagonist Dravidian political traditions at the top, by attending the chief ministers swearing-in ceremony.

Stalins presence got into another avoidable controversy over ego clashes, when it was pointed out that as the Leader of the Opposition with substantial numbers in the newly-elected assembly, Stalin and his senior colleagues, all of them senior ex-ministers in the state, were allotted seats in the back rows.

Given the public mood, especially among the younger-generation voters that the competitive and destructive politics of the two Dravidian majors had done enough damage to the state and its fair name and image, CM Jaya too rose to the occasion.

She issued a statement that she was unaware of Stalin and Cos decision to participate in the swearing-in ceremony, and would have given appropriate directions for them to be properly seated in the front rows had her staff kept her informed.

The fact that CM Jaya readily conceded that such regular and formal decisions on the seating arrangements for the prospective Leader of the Opposition, who anyway was a former deputy chief minister of the state, had to be taken at her level -- and were not even brought to her notice -- tell a story of its own in terms of probity, civility and protocol in such matters, that too only in Dravidian Tamil Nadu.

Though Stalin did not make a mountain of the controversy, Karunanidhi would have none of it. It was not as his chosen heir-apparent had been insulted, no. In sheer desperation after having been denied chief ministers position for a sixth time, he criticised the AIADMK leadership for being autocratic and more...

Anyway, Stalins initiative, as he had taken the lead earlier too when Jaya won the elections and was sworn in CM, did not stop there. But the AIADMK response stopped just there.

Despite a welcome opening of the new assemblys maiden session, where Stalin praised the new speaker, chosen/re-nominated by the ruling party naturally, and offering full cooperation to the chair and also the government, the response seemed poor.

There have since been instances after instances when the DMK ended up having to stage continual walk-outs, at times from the whole days proceedings, after the chair allegedly denied them adequate chance to put across their arguments, or respond to political charges being levelled against erstwhile party governments and/or its leadership.

There has already been an instance of speaker P Dhanapal suspending all 79 DMK legislators from the assembly. Its now being agitated before the Madras high court, where the assembly aecretariat has cited precedents vide then AIADMK Opposition members when the DMK was in power.

More recently, Stalin moved with the welcome political trend of rival party leaders visiting bed-ridden CM Jaya at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. Its by now well-known that visitors are barred from seeing/meeting the CM, and had to make do with a briefing from the doctors and/or second-line ministerial colleagues of Jaya.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took the plunge, so did Stalin, like other regional and national leaders before and after them. He had earlier issued a statement, wishing the CM a speedy recovery.

The AIADMK supremo had done so when Karunanidhi as CM had been hospitalised for his by-now-famous spinal surgery in 2009.

Karunanidhi himself had issued a statement, wishing Jaya a speedy recovery, but could not resist the temptation of raising avoidable queries about her health and medical condition.

Speaking for Jayas AIADMK cadres of all, Karunanidhi even sought Jayas photograph in hospital to be published for quelling rumours. Though as a former CM and party leader, he may have been within his right to seek such clarification, it was not the kind of political response expected of a veteran in his place.

Thus when acting governor C Vidyasagar Rao re-allocated portfolios under Jayas care to Finance Minister O Panneerselvam and also authorised him to chair cabinet meetings, even while clarifying that she continued to be the shief minister, Karunanidhi once again raised objections.

Latching onto the Raj Bhavan release on the re-allocation of portfolios, he sought clarification to the claims that the arrangement was being done on the chief ministers advice.

Karunanidhi wanted to know how, when and where did Jaya give such an advice, which in a way was a constitutional requirement all the same. This was after Stalin as the Leader of the Opposition had lost no time in welcoming the governors decision.

Needless to say, its a difficult situation for the state administration, and even more for the ruling AIADMK leadership, as the Constitution has not provided for such contingencies.

Stalins attestation of the governors decision was a welcome relief also from past Dravidian political behaviour under similar or near-similar situations.

More than the traditional Dravidian political rivalry thats now on display, its boiling down to father-son one-upmanship within the DMK, where generational gap in terms of restoring the long-missing political civility, is finding the desired space.

It was thus that after Stalin visited Jayalalithaa at the hospital, Karunanidhis other wife and party MP Kanimozhis mother, Rajaththi Ammal, too called on the chief minister.

After governor Vidyasagar Rao re-allocated portfolios to Panneerselvam, Stalin lost no time in welcoming the decision. Once again, Karunanidhi flew off at a tangent, and questioned the governors decision, on the lines indicated.

Likewise, after Stalin had called on cabinet-in-charge Panneerselvam, two-time former chief minister, to submit a memorandum on the Cauvery water dispute with neighbouring Karnataka, it was Karunanidhi who seemingly despatched the DMKs four Rajya Sabha members -- it has none in the Lok Sabha -- under Kanimozhi, to call on President Pranab Mukherjee with a memorandum of his/their own.

If Stalins initiative in calling on OPS was as political as anything else, it also implied that as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, the obvious Karunanidhi decision to despatch Kanimozhi and Co to Delhi meant that it was more out of spite for the son than anything else.

Over the past couple of years already, its becoming already clear that Stalin, as against Karunanidhi, was/is acquiring greater acceptance, both among new-generation party cadres and non-committed voters, who had gone with the DMK, to whatever extent they desired, in elections 2016.

Cleary, it was a vote for their faith in expectations from Stalin, not his father or other family members. In context, the ruling DMKs defeat in the 2011 assembly polls in the state owed more to the family feud than even the 2G scam and the like, as the TN voters have for long approached political corruption with near-equanimity and fatalism of the Indian kind.

The younger generation in Tamil Nadu, be it politician, bureaucrat or the commoner, they have not known political civility, as elsewhere in the country or had been known to the state before Dravidian political rivalry came to dominate the electoral scene.

In the days after Independence, when rationalist, anti-Brahmin Dravidian political ideologue and social reformer, Periyar E V Ramaswami Naicker was at daggers drawn with then Governor-General C Rajagopalachari, Rajaji for short, on ideological issues, he sought only the latters advice on taking a much younger Maniammai as his second wife after the first had left the scene.

When incumbent Congress national president and former Chief Minister K Kamaraj was defeated by a DMK student leader P Sreenivasan in the formers native Virudunagar assembly constituency in the historic 1967 polls, DMK founder, C N Annadurai, was known to have chided party cadres who were celebrating the fall of the giant.

Months later, when Annadurai fell seriously ill, Kamaraj was known to have spent long hours in the hospital along with other senior party leaders, alongside the DMKs Karunanidhi, MGR and the rest.

Kamaraj was also known to have talked to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for fast-tracking Annadurais America visit at the time for hospitalisation, in an era where everything about foreign travel was restrictive -- even for Union ministers and state chief ministers, independent of party loyalties.

Its another matter that when friend-turned-political-foe MGR had died, Karunanidhi was among the first to visit his suburban Ramavaram home in Chennai, only to be turned out by the formers self-appointed political aides of the time, almost with a vengeance.

Later, the very same coterie ensured that Jaya, who was already a senior AIADMK leader by her own right, would not be allowed anywhere near MGRs body, whether in home or when it was kept for the teeming public to pay their last respects, ahead of a State funeral becoming of an incumbent chief minister.

Today, at a time when civility of the kind was seeking to make a comeback, Karunanidhi, owing to inter-party rivalry and intra-party equations, including family feuds that had done in the DMK for long, seems to be singing a tune thats not to the liking not only of the general public but also of the average party cadre, who at his own level no more has issues with a rival at his level, whether blood relative or otherwise.

Image: DMK leader M K Stalin. Photograph: Courtesy, M K Stalin's Facebook page.

N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Director, Observer Research Foundation, Chennai Chapter.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Goa. Photograph: BRICS/Facebook.

The BRICS summit made clear that China's support for Pakistan is unwavering.

China will continue to pressure India to ease tensions with Pakistan and resolve the Kashmir dispute, says former RA&W officer Jayadeva Ranade.

The recent BRICS summit in Goa on October 15-16 gave this economic entity, which has since its creation at China's instance largely lingered on the margins of international economic activity, considerable publicity.

Despite the unprecedentedly lengthy 109 point, 7,000-word Goa Declaration, bilateral issues overshadowed the summit.

On centre-stage were the palpably strained India-China relations.

Noticeable was the sharp divergence in views between the two countries on crucial issues like combating terrorism and China's opposition to India's efforts to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group and, implicitly, the United Nations Security Council.

Discussions at the summit and its agenda anticipatedly highlighted China's unstinting commitment to Pakistan and projected Pakistan as a factor in India's relationships with China and Russia.

India's priority was to use the forum to emphasise Pakistan's role as a sponsor of terrorism.

It tried to advance efforts to isolate Pakistan by getting the Goa Declaration to include a condemnation of Pakistan.

In the end it didn't succeed due to China's opposition.

The presence of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member countries did, however, help to bolster India's charge against Pakistan.

Russia too while extending support avoided any reference to Pakistan.

India additionally used the forum to discuss contentious bilateral issues with China and reassure Russia that Indo-Russia relations remain unaffected by the growing proximity between India and the US.

While there was no public reference at the BRICS summit to the recent Russia-Pakistan military counter-terrorism exercises, India's unhappiness at this had been voiced earlier by its ambassador to Moscow.

Whether the sizeable arms deals concluded with Russia at the summit succeed in cooling Moscow's dalliance with Islamabad remains to be seen.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the BRICS summit in Goa. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Well before Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival at the summit, Beijing had given clear indications that it would not back off from its opposition to India's admission to the NSG.

It had also declared that it would neither yield ground on the issue of blocking India's efforts at the UN Sanctions Committee to list Pakistan-based international terrorists Syed Salahuddin, Muhammed Sayeed, Zaki-ur Rahman and Masood Azhar.

Beijing, which since April 2015 been urging India to ease tensions with Pakistan and resolve the Kashmir issue, on this occasion too sought to pressure India on the issue.

Pertinent is the article in China's official English language Global Times on October 11, which reacting to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks, candidly asserted that India's decision to seal the borders with Pakistan in Kashmir will damage India-China relations.

In a clear and frank enunciation of the official Chinese view, it quoted Hu Zhiyong, research fellow of the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, as saying 'India is making a very irrational decision, since no exhaustive investigation has been conducted after the Uri incident, and no evidence proves Pakistan is behind the attack.'

'The country's decision reflects its Cold War mentality,' Hu said, 'and would only cause deeper hatred among residents living in Indian- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Since Pakistan is China's all-weather strategic partner, India's decision would make China-Pakistan-India relations more complicated.'

Pointing to China's direct interest in the matter, Hu added that 'a peaceful resolution on the Kashmir disputes is in the interest of China's homeland security, especially its western regions.'

China came to the BRICS summit with clear objectives.

Top on its agenda was to prevent any negative developments that could mar the atmosphere or tarnish China's image.

Second was to prevent Pakistan from being named by BRICS as a State that sponsors terrorism.

On the economic front it was keen to get the BRICS nations to agree to designate themselves as a free trade zone; promote the New Development Bank and get it international acknowledgement as a global financial institution; and persuade India to sign on to the 'One Belt, One Road.'

Senior Chinese officials and China's official media had commented prior to the BRIS summit that the member-nations need to revive their economies and, in this context, proposed a free trade zone.

IMAGE: Foreign ministers of the BRICS countries with the agreements signed at the BRICS summit in Goa. Photograph: BRICS/Facebook

In his remarks at the summit, Xi referred to the need for such an arrangement.

China has for years been pushing for a Free Trade Agreement with India to allow its goods greater and unlimited access to India's market.

This has been resisted also because of the barriers unilaterally imposed by China on India's highly competitive Pharma, IT, healthcare etc sectors and the $54 billion trade deficit in India-China bilateral trade.

Chinese trade laws are also well known to be arbitrary, with portions classified as secret often being cited as unpleasant surprises.

There was no agreement on the free trade zone.

On October 13, another Global Times article authored by Li Zongyi, senior fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, raised two issues on China's agenda.

'BRICS countries,' Li wroted, 'also coordinate frequently in global and regional security issues. All the countries are major powers in their regions and have their own concerns. Therefore, it is normal that their views over regional affairs differ.'

Thereafter, he inserted the Kashmir issue with India's efforts to label Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism and observed: 'As for the decades-long Kashmir issue, BRICS countries can only play a mediating role rather than support one side while isolating the other. They cannot simply label a country as "supporter of terrorism".'

In his remarks on October 16 in Goa, Xi also spoke about the need to find a 'political solution' to 'regional hotspots' and called for concrete efforts and a multi-pronged approach that address both 'symptoms and root causes' to global challenges like terrorism.

'Regional hotspots' is Beijing's codeword for Kashmir and this reference should be viewed in the backdrop of earlier suggestions by Chinese leaders to mediate in the Kashmir dispute.

Xi also pushed the 'One Belt, One Road' concept saying, 'Through the BRICS summit, India wants to advance its Act East policy and promote linkage between India and some South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, which are also partners in China's One Belt and One Road initiative.'

For India the BRICS summit made clear that China's support for Pakistan is unwavering.

It underscored that China will continue to pressure India to ease tensions with Pakistan and resolve the Kashmir dispute and that Beijing has made this a pre-condition for improving India-China relations.

By pointing to its strategic interests in the area, China has indicated its direct interest in Kashmir.

Jayadeva Ranade, former additional secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, is president of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.
IMAGE: Border Security Force men patrol near International Border in Jammu. Photographs: PTI Photo

The Border Security Force on Friday said it had killed seven personnel of Pakistani Rangers and a terrorist while retaliating to a ceasefire violation on the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in which one BSF jawan was injured.

Pakistan Rangers, the border force of Pakistan, resorted to sniper attacks at Indian posts at Hira Nagar in Kathua at around 9.35 am, the BSF said.

The Indian border guarding force launched an aggressive offensive against the Pakistani firing, the BSF said in a release, adding seven Rangers and a terrorist were shot dead in the retaliatory firing.

Seeking to suggest that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, the BSF said source input claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of 5 Rangers.

The strong response by the BSF came after one of Constables Gurnam Singh was injured in a sniper fire attack by Pakistani Rangers on Friday morning in the same area.

Singh, whose condition is considered to be critical, was evacuated with the cover fire to Government Medical College, Jammu.

This firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated and that has claimed the casualties of Pakistani forces, the release said.

Fridays exchange of fire came a day after BSF foiled an infiltration bid by 4-6 terrorists, aided by cover fire by the Pakistani troops, in Bobiyan village of the same Hira Nagar Sector.

At least one terrorist was injured or killed in that action by BSF during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday as he was seen being dragged by his associates.

IMAGE: Children show parts of a mortar shells fired from across the LOC by Pakistan in village Panjgrain, Rajouri district in Jammu.

Earlier in the day, BSF Inspector General (Jammu) Frontier D K Uphadayaya said the ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers had taken place in two sectors.

There were two ceasefire violations by Pakistani Rangers in Bobiya in Hira Nagar sector of Kathua district and Pargwal belt of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district on Friday.

We are replying in a befitting manner. We have inflicted heavy losses to them, he said.

He said troops are on alert and mechanism is put in place to foil any attack by Border Action Teams of Pakistan.

You cannot take any chances. The guard is up. Troops are alert and vigilant and keeping a close watch. It is because of this alertness that we have foiled the infiltration bid, the IG said.

Yesterday (Thursday) night fire was expected and they have retaliated and in this, one of our jawans has been injured. But we have also given the befitting reply and effected heavy loses on them, the BSF official said.

IMAGE: BSF Jawan Gurnam Singh being shifted to GMC Hospital.

They not only failed to infiltrate into this side but have also lost their lives and I have come to known through sources that one among them has been killed. They came back and befitting reply was given to them, he said.

He said the terrorists are desperate to infiltrate into India and that is why they are trying time and again.

Jammu is their main target to do some damage over here, which we will not allow. The morale of troops is very, very high, he said, adding, For me, IB is always very sensitive. We will have to be in strong position to give them befitting reply the way they want the reply.

Giving further details, the BSF spokesman said today (Friday) at about 0935 hours (9.35 am), Pakistan targeted a duty mound of BSF in Hira Nagar Sector of Bobiya BoP (Kathua district) and seriously injured young and brave Contable Gurnam Singh.

Gurnam, a resident of Bhaleshar-Magowali in R S Pura tehsil of Jammu, was mainly instrumental in repulsing infiltration on the intervening night of October 19-20, the BSF spokesman said.

Pakistani Rangers also started unprovoked fire in Kathua, Samba and Paragwal sectors of Jammu and befitting and calibrated reply was given by brave BSF troops, he said.

Pak Rangers also used heavy 82 Mortar fire in Hiranagar sector and equally retaliated by BSF and firing stopped at 1700 hours (5 pm), the spokesman said.

Though one brave soldier of BSF suffered serious injury, morale of troops is very high to counter and defeat any type of activities and aggression from Pak side, he said.
School principal suspended, vice-principal and 14 other teachers transferred after a video emerged of a boy being thrashed by other schoolboys.

M I Khan reports from Patna.

Days after a video of two students beating up another student in Bihar went viral on social media, an arrest warrant was issued against the school principal for not taking timely action and informing the authorities about the incident.

The police are looking out for Ravi Ranjan, the now suspended principal of the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

The arrest warrant was issued following a probe report submitted by Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashish Anand and Muzaffarpur City Superintendent of police Anand Kumar, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of police Vivek Kumar said.

On Wednesday, October 19, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan suspended the principal and transferred the vice-principal along with 14 teachers in connection with the incident on a three-member probe team's recommendation.

The report found that the school authorities had tried to suppress the incident.

The incident came to light when the video of two sons of a murder accused mercilessly beating a Dalit student went viral on social media.

The purported video of the incident shows the two brothers -- one a Class 12 student, the other a Class 11 student -- pushing and thrashing the victim in the presence of other schoolmates on September 25.

The maternal grandfather of the victim, a Class 12 student, lodged a case at the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe police station in Muzaffarpur on Monday, October 17.

The complaintant stated the family is terrified because the father of the two brothers is a notorious criminal lodged in a jail outside the district in a murder case.

The two errant students have been sent to a remand home even as the police assured the victim's family security.

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha, who hails from Bihar, directed KVS officials to initiate stern action against the accused students and school officials.
United States First Lady Michelle Obama has taken a dig at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying decent men do not demean women as she appealed to the Americans not to tolerate such kind of behaviour from any man.

Addressing an election rally in Phoenix, Arizona in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Michelle contrasted the vision of America that the former secretary of state offered to the reality TV stars vision which was grounded in hopelessness and despair.

Men of all backgrounds and walks of life agree that decent men do not demean women and we shouldnt tolerate this behaviour from any man, let alone a man who wants to be the president, Michelle said.

Campaigning in favour of Hillary, the 52-year-old First Lady made a forceful case against Trump at the rally.

In this race, we have a candidate whose vision for our country is completely and utterly lacking in hope. A candidate who tells us that our country is desperate and weak, that our communities are in chaos; that our fellow citizens are a threat. A candidate who calls on us to turn against each other, to build walls -- to be afraid, she said.

Terming Hillary as a friend, Michelle said the former secretary of state had a different perspective about the country which had everything to do with upbringing.

Hillarys mother was an orphan, abandoned by her parents. Hillarys father -- (a) small business owner -- stayed up nights, pouring over his books, working hard to keep their family afloat, she said.

When you grow up like us -- doing your best to keep it all together -- you come in contact with all kinds of people. And yes, you witness a lot of struggles and hardships. But let me tell you, you also see so many triumph, so much beauty, so much joy. Thats my life.

So you learn empathy. You learn compassion. You learn that folks may not look or think like you, but when it comes to what really matters in life -- our values and our dreams -- were not all that different, Michelle said.

But Trump comes from a different place, she said.

Right now, we are at a crossroads, in this election and in this country, where were being presented with two very, very different visions for how we move forward as a nation.

One candidate is offering a vision that is grounded in hopelessness and despair - a vision of a country riven by division and ruled by fear; a country where some folks get all the breaks, and the rest of us are left behind. Thats one vision of America, Michelle said.

But, fortunately, another candidate in this race, Hillary, knows that the country is powerful, vibrant and strong, and big enough to have a place for all of us, and that each of us is a precious part of the great American story, she said.

Hillary believes in equality; inclusion; liberty and justice for all. That each of us should have the chance to fulfil our potential and build our shared future.

That is Hillarys vision for America. And Hillary doesnt just have a powerful vision for this country -- she has the policies to actually make that vision a reality. And isnt that what weve been looking for in this election? she said.

Image: First Lady Michelle Obama waves to the crowd as she speaks at an Arizona rally in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Photograph: Ralph Freso/Getty Images
He was accorded a hero's welcome by supporters of his parents. M I Khan reports from Patna.

Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Yadav, who is accused of killing a Class 12 student in the infamous Gaya road rage case, walked out of jail on Friday evening after getting bail from the Patna high court.

However, parents of the victim Aditya Sachdeva, whom Rocky allegedly shot dead for overtaking his SUV in Gaya town, said that they will challenge Rockys bail in the apex court.

Rocky Yadav was released from Gaya central jail, where he was lodged since May, after he was granted bail by the Patna high court, a police official in Gaya, about 100 km from Patna, said.

Rocky was accorded a heros welcome by supporters of his mother, former Janata Dal-United Member of Legislative Council Manorama Devi, and father Bindi Yadav, a gangster-turned-politician and businessman.

Sweets were distributed and fire crackers were burst when Rocky reached at the palatial house of his parents in A P colony in Gaya, a Rashtriya Janata Dal leader close to Bindi Yadav said.

Rocky was granted bail by the Patna high court on Wednesday.

Adityas mother Chanda Sachdeva said, We will not sit silent. We will fight for justice in the Supreme Court now.

Earlier, the Bihar government also said that it will move the SC against bail granted to Rocky.

The Bihar government will file a petition in the Supreme Court to challenge Rocky Yadav bail, Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore had said on Thursday.

He said like in the case of former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, an accused in a murder case and RJD MLA Rajballabh Yadab, accused of raping a minor, the state government will seek cancellation of Rockys bail.

Rocky had allegedly shot dead Aditya, son of a businessman, on May 7 after the latter overtook his vehicle in Gaya town.

According to police, Rocky confessed to killing Aditya. He was lodged in the Gaya Central Jail till Wednesday.

Earlier, his father Bindi Yadav, co-accused in the case, was also granted bail by the HC.

According to chargesheet filed by the police in the case, Rocky was driving a new silver Land Rover, which costs around Rs 1.5 crore, and was armed with a licenced Italian pistol when he got into a fight with Aditya and his friends, who were returning home after a birthday party in Gaya town.

Aditya had overtaken Rocky in his Maruti Swift car and in the altercation that followed, Rocky allegedly shot the teenager.
In the era of social media, one needs to be careful about what one puts out, as you never know when they will come back to haunt you.

On Thursday, October 20, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

At her press conference, she announced that her switch was owing to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's poor leadership.

And while she slammed the Congress for its politics over the Indian Army's surgical strikes, Twitterati did what it does the best -- dig up her old tweets on her new party.

Here are some of them:

Clearly, Joshi wasn't impressed with Narendra Modi's speeches and the way the BJP functions in the Lok Sabha.

Remember the Kanhaiya Kumar sedition controversy?

Joshi wasn't hesitant about slamming the PM for being quiet on hate speeches by his ministers.

Joshi also criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and actress Hema Malini, the BJP MP from Mathura.

She took a dig at Fadnavis on how he had allotted land to Hema Malini in Mumbai at cheap prices.

On Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, Joshi took a dig at Modi for not adopting socialism and secularism.

She didn't just criticise just the PM and the BJP. She also slammed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for its communal ideology.

And remember the time Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spoke out against the Congress and other 'intellectuals, saying they practised 'ideological intolerance' against Modi?

Well, this is what Joshi had to say about it.

Compiled by Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com
National-level kabaddi player Rohit Kumar was on Friday detained in Mumbai while his father surrendered in Delhi in connection with the alleged suicide by his wife Lalita who had accused him and her in-laws of harassment.

Rohit, who is in the navy, was detained by a team of Delhi Police in Mumbai at noon, said Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner of Police (South West) in Delhi.

Rohits father, Vijay Singh, also surrendered around noon at the Nangloi police station in the national capital and was questioned, said a senior police officer.

Vijay was a sub-inspector in Delhi Police and had been dismissed from service, he said.

Lalita had allegedly committed suicide on October 17 at her parents house in Nangloi and in her suicide note as well as audio and video clips left behind she had alleged that her in-laws harassed her for minor issues and Rohit asked her to go away from his life.

A case was registered against Rohit and his parents and two Delhi Police teams had been formed to arrest Rohit and his parents.

Rohits parents had left their home in Kanjhawla and gone into hiding after Lalita committed suicide.
Odishas Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Friday resigned in the wake of death of 25 people in a hospital fire tragedy, while opposition parties asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to follow suit on moral grounds.

Mr Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has sent me his letter of resignation. He has resigned on moral grounds. I have accepted it and sent it to the Governor," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters on Friday.

The minister, who was also holding Information and Public Relations portfolio, put in his papers as police began interrogation of the arrested SUM Hospital owner Manoj Ranjan Nayak.

Manoj Nayak was arrested and sent to jail on Thursday. He was taken by police on a two-day remand on Friday.

Sources said the ministers resignation came barely a few hours after police began grilling Manoj Ranjan Nayak. The opposition had accused the health minister of shielding the owner of the fire-ravaged hospital.

Opposition parties, which had been demanding the ministers head to roll since the fire tragedy took place on Monday evening, also alleged that Atanus wife was an employee of Sikshya O Anusandhan University, headed by Manoj Nayak.

This apart, it was alleged that both Khurda District Collector Niranjan Sahoo and Director, Department of Medical Education and Training P C Mohapatra failed to take action against SUM Hospital because of the ministers close proximity with Manoj Nayak, who also hailed from Kendrapara district as the minister.

However, the minister had for the first time on Thursday admitted that there were lapses in fire safety measures in SUM Hospital where the blaze killed 25 people. The hospital had violated fire safety norms and other guidelines.

The hospital was also accused of overlooking a 2013 advisory of the government to improve firefighting apparatus.

As soon as the chief minister announced the resignation of Nayak, opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party began gunning for him.

We welcome Nayaks resignation. However, it will be proper if the Chief Minister also resigns on the same moral ground. This is because people died in fire which is under home department headed by Patnaik, said OPCC spokesman Ganeswar Behera.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress said, There cannot be a neutral probe unless Patnaik resigns as he is also the home minister. The hospital fire was because of the mismanagement in both the health and home departments. If the health minister resigns on moral ground, why not the Home Minister as well?

BJP state president Basant Panda said, The chief minister should also resign on moral ground.

Maintaining that the chief minister cannot escape responsibility for the tragedy, Panda said the BJP would launch a state-wide campaign demanding Patnaiks resignation.

The Odisha BJP had on Thursday lodged a police complaint against both the chief minister and Atanu Nayak, naming them as accused in SUM Hospital case.

Nayak was not immediately available for comments on his resignation.
A Border Security Force jawan was injured on Friday as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Rajouri and the International Border in Kathua district, prompting the Indian forces to retaliate strongly.

BSF troops had on Thursday foiled a major infiltration bid in the same area by a group of six militants.

"Pakistani soldiers resorted to indiscriminate firing from 1240 hours on the Indian Army posts along the LoC in Rajouri sector," a defence spokesman said.

"The Indian Army is responding strongly. The exchange is going on," he said.

A BSF officer said, "Pakistani Rangers resorted small arms firing on a forward border outpost along IB in Bobiya area of Hiranagar sector of Kathua district from 0945 hours Friday."

"BSF troops guarding the borderline took positions and retaliated, resulting in the exchange which continued for over 15 minutes," he said, adding one BSF jawan was injured in the firing.

According to unconfirmed reports, a Pakistani ranger was either injured or killed in retaliatory action.

Pakistani troops used small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm mortars bombs to target Indian positions, he said.

With this, the number of ceasefire violations along the IB and the LoC in the state after surgical strikes by the Indian Army in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has risen to 31.

Indian and Pakistani forces are exchanging fire for past four days in the sector. Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire five times in past four days.

Pakistani troops had on Thursday heavily shelled areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan army said Pakistani and Indian troops today exchanged fire across the working boundary.

It said the exchange took place in Shakargarh sector in Punjab province. "No loss of life or property has been reported so far," a Pakistani military statement said.

The exchange of fire started at 9 AM and continued for half an hour, it said
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rupa Ganguly leads a protest march near West Bengal chief minister Mamata Baerjee's residence in Kolkata against the recent attack on Union Minister and party leader Babul Suprio. Photograph: PTI Photo

Congress workers torch Rita Bahuguna Joshi's poster in Lucknow after she left the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sprinkles mustard seeds as farming resumes in Singur at the demolished Nano car plant site after a decade. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI Photo

A girl shows a mortar shell fired from across the Line of Control by Pakistan in village Panjgrain, Rajouri district of Jammu on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supporters conduct special prayers for speedy recovery of party supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in front of Apollo hospital in Chennai on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

A woman with her daughter collecting water Chestnuts from the polluted part of Dal Lake in Srinagar on Thursday. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Photo

Members of Jamiat Ulama -E- Maharashtra protest against Uniform Civil Code in Mumbai on Thursday. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

Fire fighters try to douse the fire that broke down at a godown containing crackers in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Punjab Police Director General of Police Suresh Arora inspects intoxicants in Amritsar on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates the MMTC Festival of Gold in New Delhi on Thursday. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Army jawans and Jammu Kashmir Police during a search operation after dozens of rusted grenades and bullets were recovered during excavation in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo
A full-fledged medical facility is being set up at her sprawling bungalow in Neelankarai outside Chennai.

Following the tremendous improvement in her condition, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa may soon be discharged from Apollo Hospital in Chennai, where she was admitted on September 22.



The team of doctors treating her at Apollo expect her condition to improve further by Sunday and thereafter will discharge her.



A highly-placed hospital source in Chennai told Rediff.com that though she is still under respiratory support, the CM is able to sit up on the bed in a reclining position.



The mitral valve infection has been treated effectively and as a result the fluid accumulation in the lungs has been halted.



To ensure that Jayalalithaa continues her treatment post-discharge, a full-fledged medical facility is being set up at her sprawling bungalow in Neelankarai outside Chennai.

As an alternative, a temporary medical set-up is also being readied at Siruthavur, 15 kilometre from Chennai.



Jayalalithaas confidante Sasikala Natarajans family is considering moving the CM to either of these two locations in order to avoid any media focus.
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The International Gift Festival returns this weekend to First Christian Church, 1420 N. Third St.

For three days, visitors can view items for sale from around the world. Participants include more widely known groups such as Eternal Threads and Ten Thousand Villages, as well as those such as local resident Bryan Furr, who offers items from Peru and Guatemala.

Items include jewelry, home decor, clothing and even holiday pieces, such as Nativities. The products are sold at fair trade prices to help artisans make a living in their respective communities.

Hours are 6-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

The event will take place in the church's activity building, located off Beech Street between North Third and North Fourth streets.
BALLINGER  This was the shortest historical marker I'd ever seen.

I'd driven down to Runnels County, intrigued by an email sent by McMurry University professor Bill Libby. You know, I'm always down for a little bit of exploration, and Bill suggested I take a look at Maverick the next time I was near Ballinger.

A search of the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas online helped me locate the ghost town. When I pulled up to the marker Wednesday afternoon on State Highway 158, the text seemed rather brief.

It states that the community was named for Samuel Augustus Maverick, who owned land in the area in the mid-1800s. There was a post office inside a store, which was owned by Marion Cobb in 1883, but then the town moved a mile east. In 1889 a school was built. At its peak, Maverick had three stores, three churches, two gas stations, a barbershop and a Woodmen of the World hall.

In 1940 the population was 69, and 40 years later it had dropped to 31. The entry said the population remained through 2000, but I couldn't find any census data on the community for that year or for 2010, when the county's total population was listed as 10,501.

As far as the town went, aside from a few houses and what looked like an abandoned school, there was hardly anything left. It was time to do a little digging, and it turned out the man had a significant role in Texas history.

Maverick arrived in San Antonio before the siege of Bexar 181 years ago, in October 1835. The battle is regarded as the first major campaign of the Texas Revolution, and with an army of Texas volunteers outside the town, Maverick was put under house arrest.

The diary Maverick kept has provided historians with a vivid account of the siege through his release Dec. 1 of that year.

On March 2, 1836, Maverick sneaked out of the Alamo, and past the Mexican troops surrounding it, to attend the independence convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos. He and another delegate represented the Alamo garrison. Maverick arrived March 5, and, sadly, the Alamo fell the next day.

Some years later after the revolution, Maverick and his family settled for a brief time on Decros Point on Matagorda Bay, about halfway between Freeport and Port Aransas. It's located on the Matagorda Peninsula, which separates the bay from the Gulf of Mexico.

When the family moved back to San Antonio in 1847, Maverick left a herd of cattle on the peninsula with slave caretakers. Apparently, those calves liked to go for walks, and nobody seemed interested in branding them. It led to the term 'maverick,' initially used to describe an unbranded calf that's left the herd. It's also come to mean someone who strikes out on his or her own, going against the common will of the group.

But in my research, it didn't strike me that Maverick was all that much of a maverick. He did advocate staying with the Union before the Civil War, but when he saw secession was coming whether he wanted it or not, Maverick joined the Confederacy.

My sense, though, is that he joined the cause mostly out of loyalty to Texas. Maverick had lost a lot of friends establishing the Republic; he was going to stick with it whatever the future might bring.

Besides, he had a serious investment in the state. Runnels County was established in 1858, along with 23 other counties, from pieces of Bexar and Travis counties. In 1851, Maverick owned nearly 140,000 acres in west Texas. By the time of his death in 1870 that number had more than doubled.

Recognition of his investment in acreage led to naming a county after him along the Rio Grande. The sentiment apparently was shared in a small corner of Runnels County.

Runnels City was the county seat until 1888, when it was moved to Ballinger, and cattle were the central commodity of the county in the years following the war. Not much remains of Runnels City other than a granite marker along Farm-to-Market Road 2887 beside a wheat field and a cemetery about a mile south toward Ballinger.

It was at the turn of the century when cotton and other crops took over from cattle. The Texas State Historical Association lists acreage increasing from 48,000 acres in 1900 to 232,000 acres in 1910. That's still apparent  I saw a lot more cotton than cattle on my adventure.

But that cotton crop won't be around for long. Some farmers appear to be spraying their crops with herbicide already, prepping them for harvest before the first frost.

Those brown stalks join the trees along U.S. 277 that are beginning to mirror the warmer colors of the fall.

Late in the day back in Ballinger, I sat in my car looking over my notes and pictures. Two men rode past me on lawn mowers, and I contrasted that sight with what the county was like when it was founded 160 years earlier. Horses, tractors or lawn mowers  men still work that land.

Thanks in part, of course, to a real Maverick.
Abilene Christian University's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication honored three distinguished alumni during the 24th annual Gutenberg Celebration Thursday.

The dessert reception and awards ceremony in the Hunter Welcome Center was part of ACU's homecoming celebration.

Honorees were:

Alicia Pierce, director of communication for the Texas Secretary of State in Austin;

Luke Hejl, general manager of Social Factor in Fort Worth, a company that tailors social media for businesses;

Jennifer Allen, founder and CEO of Asperger's 101, a nonprofit resource related to high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome.

'We created the award to recognize alumni for their professional achievement,' said Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chairwoman of the JMC department. 'The event is also a great way for students to network and make job connections.'

Honorees each year are nominated by alumni and faculty and must have graduated more than 10 years ago to be eligible.
Donald Trump showed a bit more self-control in the third and final presidential debate Wednesday night than he had in the previous two. His back and forth with Hillary Clinton was more substantive, thanks in part to firm guidance from moderator Chris Wallace. But all of that was overshadowed by Trump's breathtaking refusal to say that he will accept the results of the election.

'I will look at it at the time,' he said. 'The media is so dishonest and so corrupt ... they poison the minds of the voters ... She should never have been allowed to run for the presidency.'

Clinton rightly called his stance a 'horrifying' repudiation of U.S. democracy. Respecting the will of the voters has since the end of the Civil War allowed for a peaceful transition of power that has made this country the envy of the world.

Next to that, policy issues seem small. Yet the policy discussion was clarifying also, exposing as it did Trump's ignorance of  or is it distaste for?  facts and policy. He again insisted that the North American Free Trade Agreement has sucked jobs from the country, when economists have found otherwise. He indicated the debt would take care of itself under his economic plan because 'we will have created a tremendous economic machine,' which is pure snake oil. Incoherently, he attacked Clinton for favoring open borders but also favoring a border wall.

In another striking moment, Trump denied that the Russian government has been meddling in this election, refusing to accept the judgment of the country's intelligence community. Clinton said 'the most important question' was whether Trump would acknowledge Moscow's interference. Trump at first declined to do so, saying he doubted the reports by U.S. intelligence agencies. He avoided any criticism of Russia's Vladimir Putin, repeatedly insisting it would be 'good' to get along with Russia, with no mention of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other actions that have made getting along difficult.

As if to prove Clinton's point that Trump would withdraw U.S. leadership from the world  to Putin's delight  the Republican nominee doubled down on his insistence that NATO countries and other allies 'have to pay up,' and he absurdly took credit for forcing reforms on the decades-old alliance. Clinton, by contrast, insisted that the United States benefits from engagement in the world, which used to be a consensus view on presidential debate stages.

When Wallace turned to the scandals that have dominated the past month, Trump incorrectly insisted that the women who have come forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct have been 'debunked.'

Clinton managed to dodge some questions, including on communications that took place between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department under her leadership.

She rightly said that she would not worsen the national debt as Trump would, but she could not refute Wallace's point that she has no plan to reduce it. She had no clear answer on how she could impose a no-fly zone over Syrian airspace now controlled by Russia.

These are gaps that would have been probed and tested in a normal campaign. They fade to the status of trivia in the face of an opponent who will not accept the basic rules of American democracy.

The Washington Post
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A court in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong has upheld a bribery conviction against the former head of the rebel village of Wukan, amid accusations that the authorities forced him to "confess" on local television.



Lin Zuluan, former ruling Communist Party secretary for Guangdong's Wukan village, was handed a 37-month jail term and a U.S.$60,000 fine after a court in Foshan city found him guilty of taking bribes and of other charges last month.



Lin, 72, had led a grassroots land protest campaign over the unauthorized sale of Wukan's farmland by his predecessor in 2011.



But few in Wukan believed his confession, which came after two other protest leaders received similar convictions, to be genuine.



Yu Pinjian, a defense lawyer hired by Lin's family but prevented from carrying out his instructions by police, told RFA the result didn't come as a surprise.



"It is extremely common to see initial rulings upheld on appeal in China's judicial system," Yu said. "We weren't surprised by this outcome."



But he said the appeal was worth bringing, in order to highlight illegal actions by the authorities in securing Lin's "confession."



"My personal opinion is that this is highly inappropriate in terms of due legal process," Yu said. "In the past few days the Supreme People's Court and Procuratorate and ... law enforcement agencies have issued a joint statement forbidding the use of such confessions as evidence of a person's guilt."



"So it's clear that these televised confessions don't fit in with those requirements."



Lawyers blocked



Henan-based rights lawyer Chang Boyang agreed, adding that the authorities had prevented from him exercising his right to a fair trial.



"Lin Zuluan's family hired several lawyers including Ge Yongxi and Yu Pinjian," Chang said. "But they were prevented from acting on his behalf by the judicial authorities and under huge pressure from police."



"Then, the authorities broke the rules by forcibly appointing a lawyer for him, [which isn't] supposed to happen according to the law."



"But China's law enforcement agencies currently regard their own laws as expendable trash, and blatantly break their own rules," he said.



Lin's arrest prompted weeks of daily protests by thousands of residents of Wukan, who said the charges against him were a form of political retaliation by officials in nearby Lufeng city.



Constitutional affairs scholar and former delegate to the National People's Congress (NPC) Yao Lifa said the result shows that little has changed in China, in spite of the election of Lin and other former protest leaders to their village leadership in 2012.



"There is generally no change at all in the original verdict on appeal," Yao said. "The only hope of a change in verdict lies with the emergence of new and very strong evidence. Then it might happen."



"Without that, there's no chance" he said.



Bribery charges



In 2011, the provincial government unexpectedly sided with Wukan, overriding officials in nearby Lufeng in a move that observers said was likely linked to attempts by then provincial leader Wang Yang to gain promotion.



The removal of Xue Chang and subsequent village elections were held up as a model of grassroots democracy in China at the time.



But since provincial leader Hu Chunhua took over in Guangdong in 2012, several former protest leaders from Wukan have been jailed on alleged "bribery" charges.



Last June, villagers persuaded Lin to mastermind a new land petition campaign, but he was detained before he could launch it, setting in motion more than 80 days of consecutive street protests.



In Hong Kong, a group of around a dozen protesters gathered outside Beijing's representative office in the former British colony, chanting: "There is no crime in fighting for your rights! Release the Wukan villagers now! Release Lin Zuluan!"



Pan-democratic lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki, who attended the protest, said a number of villagers remain in detention following a recent crackdown on daily demonstrations in Wukan over the summer.



"We call on the central government to release Lin Zuluan and all wrongfully detained Wukan villagers now behind bars," Kwok said.



"Countless Wukan villagers were beaten up and detained, and that makes us very angry," he said. "We call for the corrupt officials behind this to be arrested and given a heavy sentence."



Reported by Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Lucy Lu and Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




An armed Myanmar border guard walks beside a fence along the river dividing Myanmar and Bangladesh in Maungdaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Oct. 15, 2016.

Myanmar border authorities have started building 30 new patrol stations along the countrys border with Bangladesh in an effort to beef up security in the volatile northern part of Rakhine state following deadly attacks on border police earlier this month, a government official said Friday.

The new stations will be built along the border in Maungdaw township as a security measure for displaced residents when they return home, said Chan Thar, Rakhine states social welfare minister.

There are already 96 border patrol stations in the area, he said.

We have been building 30 more security posts, so there will be 126 posts, he said. We started building them yesterday. We will deploy more security police as well.

Army soldiers and police swept into the area after the deadly Oct. 9 raids on three border patrol stations in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships during which nine officers died.

Clashes between security forces and groups of armed men that followed have forced thousands of residents to flee to other parts of Maungdaw, neighboring Buthidaung township, and Rakhines capital Sittwe.

Security forces, who have so far killed about 30 alleged insurgents and captured 29 others, have locked down the area to hunt for roughly 400 others involved in the attacks, whom they believe to be local Muslims who have received funding and training from Islamists abroad.

Returning home

About 3,000 residents have fled the hostilities and sought refuge in monasteries, schools and other public buildings in other parts of Maungdaw, in neighboring Buthidaung province, and in the state capital Sittwe.

Women and children who stayed in Maungdaw returned to their homes yesterday now that their villages are peaceful and more secure, said Min Aung, Rakhines city development minister.

Most of the 1,100 displaced people staying in Sittwe have registered with authorities to return to their homes, he told RFAs Myanmar Service.

The state government will provide security to ensure they return safely and will supply them with food for two weeks, he said.

The hundreds of state-run schools that authorities closed after the attacks will reopen on Monday and Tuesday, he said.

Humanitarian organizations, however, contend that the violence has displaced some 3,000 ethnic Rakhine people and as many as 15,000 Rohingya, according to a news release issued Friday by Human Rights Watch.

The New York-based group called on the Myanmar government and army on Friday to ensure that food aid deliveries reach the Rohingya and other vulnerable groups, despite security measures that have cut off assistance to people.

Recent violence in northern Rakhine State has led the army to deny access to aid agencies that provide essential health care and food to people at grave risk, said Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director.

The United Nations World Food Programme said that although the government has recently permitted the resumption of food assistance to 37,000 people in Buthidaung township, 50,000 people remain without food aid in Maungdaw township, according to HRW's news release.

Myanmars Rakhine and Chin states share an approximately 200-mile (320-kilometer) border with Bangladesh, much of it mountainous.

Reported by Min Thein Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Chinese authorities in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang have enshrined in law a campaign preventing ethnic minority Muslim parents from "forcing" them to follow their faith.

From Nov. 1, regional legislation will take effect that adds "forcing or coercing children to participate in religious activities" to existing legislation preventing juvenile crime.

China already has a Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency Law dating back to 2012 that places criminal responsibility on the shoulders of parents, teachers and other responsible adults, should a minor become involved in crime. It makes no mention of religion.

Now, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government has amended its regional version of the law to include religious activities, which are assumed to be linked to "separatism, extremism and terrorism," in the list of criminal acts a child may be drawn into.

It also provides for children who are found taking part in religious activities to be sent to "specialized schools for correction."

"No parents or other guardians or relatives of minors shall organize, induce or force minors to participate in religious activities," the law states.

"[They] shall not propagate extremist ideology ... lure minors into wearing extremist clothing or logos," it said.

The head of the politics and law office of the Aksu municipal education department told RFA's Uyghur Service the policies extend to family life restrictions that are "the same every part of the country."



"If anybody under 18 prays, fasts, learns religion, or follows someone to pray or go underground religious places to learn, these are all deemed illegal," said the official.



"Since underage kids do not have sound judgment and a sound sense of self control, parents should be responsible for them. If such things were to happen, parents would be punished," the official added.

Guidelines for schools

China has vowed to crack down on what it calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, and regularly conducts "strike hard campaigns including random, nighttime police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including clothing and personal appearance.

Chinese authorities in Xinjiang routinely target men wearing beards and traditional robes and women wearing veils among the Turkic-speaking, mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group.

And while Beijing blames Uyghur extremists for a string of violent attacks and clashes in recent years, critics say repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009.

Uyghur members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and government employees have long been banned from carrying out key pillars of their faith, including fasting during Ramadan.

The new law also issues guidelines for the region's schools, requiring them to "guide minors to consciously resist ethnic separatism, extremism and terrorism."

However, rejection of separatism, extremism and terrorism appeared to be closely linked to the rejection of any religious belief whatsoever.

Schools should "advocate science and the pursuit of truth, while rejecting ignorance and superstition, to resist extremist fads on campus," it said.

Children who do not comply can be referred to "specialist schools" where they will receive "correction," the law says.

The law comes after authorities across the region, particularly in the Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian), Kashgar (Kashi), and Aksu (Akesu) prefectures, began to put heavy pressure on Uyghur parents and guardians of children and teens in 2014 to sign pledges promising not to allow them to take part in any religious activity.

Families whose children study the Quran or fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have already been hit with hefty fines, but the new law is the first to target the children themselves for punishment.

Policy is a provocation

Staff in educational institutions are also being required to sign pledges to avoid any sort of religious activity or else of loss their jobs, according to the World Uyghur Congress, an international organization that represents the interests of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and abroad.

And the controls remain after children turn 18, the legal threshold for adulthood in China, with Uyghurs often still needing the permission of their employers to practice as Muslims or to join a mosque.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, said the law is aimed at eliminating religious belief among the next generation of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

"With this law, China wants to put further restrictions in place to force Uyghurs to give up their religious beliefs," Raxit said.

"If the younger generation loses its faith as a result of coercion, then the next generation of Uyghurs won't have a religion," he said.

But he said the policy is unlikely to succeed.

"The Uyghurs' belief in Islamic education is inextricably linked to their culture," Raxit said. "When [Christians] in the West go to church, of course they take their kids along, and it's the same with Uyghurs and Islam."

"This policy is a provocation that will spark a further resistance and lead to more unrest in the region," he said.

Ilshat Hasan, president of the Uyghur American Association, told RFA the measures were "oppressive and extreme" and "clearly show that China is reaching its hands even into the family."

Xinjiang-based rights activist Hu Jun said the move is part of an ever-broadening security crackdown in Xinjiang.

"This is happening everywhere now, where they are forcing people not to do this, or not to take part in that," Hu said. "They will stop at nothing."

"They're going over the top now," he said. "It won't work, and it's going to cause a backlash of ill-will against the government."



Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service, by Ho Shan for the Cantonese Service, and by Kurban Niyaz and Gulchehra Hoja for the Uyghur Service. Translated by by Luisetta Mudie and Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered police, immigration and aviation authorities to "use all ways and means" to prevent opposition leader Sam Rainsy from returning from exile, as he has pledged to do before elections in 2017 and 2018, RFA's Khmer Service learned on Friday.



Sam Rainsy, president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), has been out of the country, living in France or traveling since November 2015, the latest of many stints in exile to avoid what supporters and analysts say is persecution at the hands of long-time strongman ruler Hun Sen.



He has vowed to return to help the CNRP contest local elections set for 2017 and national elections scheduled for 2018, and recently reached out to King Norodom Sihamoni to seek a pardom for himself and other opposition figures convicted or jailed by a legal system controlled by Hun Sen.



But there is no order for Sam Rainsy arrest.



The order to ban Sam Rainsy from entry came in a letter circulated by the Council of Ministers ordering the General Department of Immigration to work with agencies including the Secretariat of Civil Aviation to keep him out of the country. Immigration spokesman Keo Vannthan told RFA he received the cabinet letter on Oct. 18.



The letter ordered airline companies operating flights to Cambodia to stop Sam Rainsy from boarding planes to Cambodia and to report to authorities in the event he purchases a ticket to Cambodia. Any plane carrying Sam Rainsy would be turned back without being allowed to land in the country, said the letter.



Although there was no new arrest order, immigration police are required prevent him from entering the country, it said.



Sam Rainsy, however, told RFA in a call-in radio show on Friday that he will "definitely return to Cambodia during the 2017 election campaign" regardless of whether his request for a royal pardon is granted or rejected.



"I am not surprises about the government's order. But the letter shows that I am not guilty, that I did nothing wrong, since it only bans me from entering Cambodia, but does not call for my arrest,he said.



"I do not want to cause trouble to passengers aboard the plane with me. It is not necessary for me to enter Cambodia via plane. I can enter Cambodia by sea or by land.



Sam Rainsy cited the precedent in 2013, when King Sihamoni granted him a royal pardon. At the time Hun Sen had signed off on the Royal Pardon, which absolved Sam Rainsy of defamation charges, allowing him to return to Cambodia without being put in jail.



Even though he was ineligible for candidacy in the 2013 general election, thousands of his supporters thronged the streets when he returned.



In November 2015, Sam Rainsy was removed from parliament by the Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, when a warrant was issued for his arrest after being convicted of defaming former Foreign Minister Hor Namhong with the claim that the CPP politician ran a prison in the 1970s for the bloody Khmer Rouge regime.



Reported by Vuthy Huot and Vuthy Tha for RFA's Khmer Service. Tranlated by Yanny Hin. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
For a few heady days in the autumn of 1956, Hungarians rose up and retook the streets from their Soviet hegemon. Soviet troops eventually reentered Budapest and crushed the uprising. But despite their eventual defeat, the Hungarian rebels of 1956 inflicted what would come to be known as "the first tear" in the Iron Curtain. Today, the exact locations of many of the most iconic photographs of the uprising can be determined, revealing that while politics have changed, the historic streets of Budapest remain remarkably similar.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says Turkey and Iraq have reached a tentative agreement that could allow Turkish forces to take part in the campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS) fighters.

Carter said after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, and Defense Minister Fikri Isik in Ankara that details still need to be worked out and Baghdad needs to give a final approval but that Iraq understands that Turkey "will play a role" in counter-IS operations in Iraq.

Relations between Iraq and Turkey have been plagued in recent months by the presence of Turkish forces at the Bashiqa camp north of Mosul.

Iraqi officials have demanded the Turkish forces leave Iraq but Turkey has rejected those calls, saying its forces were asked to come to Iraq to train forces that are fighting IS militants.

Erdogan has voiced frustration that Turkey has not been asked to be more closely involved in the U.S.-backed operations to force IS fighters from Mosul, which was once part of the Ottoman Empire.

Carter -- who said Washington supports a role for Turkey in the Mosul operation -- noted that humanitarian aid and other nonmilitary assistance was also a possibility for Ankara.

"But now we're down to the practicalities of that...and that's what we're working through."

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he is not optimistic about reaching a deal that would pave the way for a trade agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which was rejected by Dutch voters in a referendum in April.

All of the EU's other members have approved the free-trade agreement, but the fate of the deal has been complicated by the Dutch vote.

EU leaders asked Rutte to come up with a political compromise at their summit on October 20-21 in Brussels, with the goal of preserving the trade deal while assuaging voter fears it could lead to deeper military and financial ties with Ukraine in the future.

But Rutte said he told EU leaders on October 20 that he was not optimistic about finding a compromise that would satisfy all parties, though he said he will keep trying in negotiations with the Dutch parliament, Ukraine, and the EU.

While the Dutch vote against the trade deal was nonbinding, Rutte said he feels he must honor it.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, meanwhile, said as he visited Holland on October 20 that he was optimistic the trade deal eventually will be ratified by all EU members.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
European Union leaders have pledged to keep all options open to respond to atrocities committed in Syria by Russia and President Bashar al-Assad's regime, but stopped short of explicitly threatening Moscow with sanctions.

Despite strong rhetoric against Russia's air bombardment of the Syrian city of Aleppo, the leaders' summit meeting in Brussels on October 21 failed to agree on a tough joint statement sending a clear message to Moscow that it could face punitive measures.

Italy's prime minister prevailed upon other European leaders to exclude tough language favored by France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other EU powers that would have explicitly threatened sanctions against Russian individuals and organizations that support the Syrian regime.

Meanwhile, as EU leaders debated ways to take a unified approach toward President Vladimir Putin, Russian warships steamed toward Mediterranean waters off Syria in what could signal an escalation of the conflict, to the alarm of NATO.

"Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU," said European Council President Donald Tusk, who said the meeting that stretched past midnight also featured discussions of Russia's violations of EU air space, its disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, and interference in political processes of the EU and beyond.

"We had a sober assessment of the reality and no illusions," he said, and the bloc's leaders agreed it was important to stay unified in their approach to Russia.

The final EU statement strongly condemns attacks on civilians by Russia and the Syrian regime, calls for a lasting cease-fire, and declares that the EU stands ready to consider "all available options if these atrocities continue."

French President Francois Hollande said "all options are open for as long as there is not a cease-fire that is respected and for as long as there is an intention to destroy this town, Aleppo, a town of martyrs."

The United Nations said on October 20 that Russian and Syrian bombing of Aleppo has killed nearly 500 people in the past month, and large parts of the city will face severe food shortages by the end of this month.

The division within the EU over how tough it should be on Russia for its aggression in Syria is influenced by the economic and energy ties various European states have cultivated with Moscow.

Under sanctions imposed in 2014 over Russia's aggression in Ukraine, trade with Russia has dropped by around 30-50 percent in a number of European countries.

Italy, which in the past had particularly close economic ties with Moscow, has struggled with stagnant economic growth and has particularly chafed under the Ukraine sanctions.

Those concerns appeared to be behind Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's move to soften the language adopted by the EU by excluding a phrase explicitly threatening sanctions -- "further restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities supporting the [Syrian] regime" -- should atrocities continue.

Italy was aided in persuading other European powers to dilute the sanctions threat as Russia earlier in the day had instituted a cease-fire in Aleppo that it said would last for 11 hours each day for the next four days to allow humanitarian deliveries and the evacuation of the wounded.

"We have approved a document that recalls the need to get as quickly as possible to an agreement, to a real truce and to a political transition process that we have been awaiting for a while," Renzi said after the summit meeting. "But I think that there is no point in also adding here a reference to sanctions."

"We should do everything possible for a peace deal in Syria, but it's difficult to imagine that this should be linked to further sanctions on Russia," he said.

Taking a harder line, British Prime Minister Theresa May said before the meeting that it was "vital that we work together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling atrocities, its sickening atrocities, in Syria."

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas also advocated a tough policy toward Moscow and Assad.

"They have the ambition of turning Aleppo into a new Grozny. This is absolutely unacceptable," he said, referring to the destruction of the Chechen capital in 1999-2000 by Russian troops.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the language agreed in the end leaves the door open to sanctions, as she has advocated.

The EU "cannot accept these inhuman bombardments," she said after the meeting. "If this kind of violation continues, of course we will envisage all available measures in order to react to this."

Merkel added: "I think there was fairly broad agreement concerning the strategic options on Russia."

But Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven said the EU was divided over new sanctions on Russia. "I don't think there is unity now... But I think it should be on the table, that this is an option for the future," he said.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak


Militants armed with assault rifles and explosives have attacked targets in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk in an assault claimed by the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

The October 21 attack comes as the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces are making a major push to drive IS militants from Mosul, northwest of Kirkuk.

Security officials said on October 21 that attackers wearing suicide vests targeted government buildings in Kirkuk as well as a power plant outside the city.

Reports said at least 18 members of the security forces and workers at the power station, including two Iranians, were killed, along with around 10 militants.

Kirkuk Governor Najmadin Karim blamed the attack on IS sleeper cells.

He said Kurdish fighters and Iraqs counterterrorism forces were in control of the situation.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city some 290 kilometers north of Baghdad and 170 kilometers southeast of Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
An Iraqi-led coalition that includes Kurdish and U.S. Special Forces has now begun its campaign to drive the extremist group Islamic State (IS) from its stronghold of Mosul, the groups second-largest city. Dabiq, the site of what IS suggested would be an apocalyptic battle signaling the end times, and a town central to ISs ideology, fell just a week earlier -- without even a fight. IS is losing territory everywhere; the "dawla," or "state," that IS has brutally carved out over the past two years, is being torn apart.

But the seemingly inevitable collapse of ISs self-proclaimed caliphate will not spell the groups demise. Despite its pretensions of statehood, IS has always been a terror group, albeit one that managed to conquer large parts of Syria and Iraq, and like all terrorist organizations, once it is driven from its main urban holdings it will melt away into the villages and the towns and the desert to fight like the insurgency group it has always been.

As IS recedes in Iraq (though for how long and to what extent remains in doubt) and faces increasing pressure in Syria, a broader question naturally arises: What does this mean for the broader conflicts in the two countries that have been raging for longer than IS has been involved in either nation?

And herein lies the problem. Neither Iraqs internal strife nor Syrias civil war, both of which IS has exacerbated with its fastidious brutality and sophisticated propaganda, can be solved militarily. In Iraq, Sunni-Shia tensions -- and bloodshed -- will remain, even if IS is finally defeated. In Syria, with Russia and Iran backing Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, the opposition cannot defeat the regime; meanwhile, Damascus is in no position to win back all the areas it has lost. A bloody stalemate is the only foreseeable future.

Which means that the problems must be solved politically, and solved with the support of fellow Middle East states and the West. The question is: How committed is the West to solving the Syrian crisis?

Diplomatic Wavering Breeds Uncertainty

Recent events are instructive here.

Around three weeks ago, in what was something of a minor scandal, the British authorities confiscated the passport of Syrian anti-Assad activist Zaina Erhaim when she arrived at Londons Heathrow Airport. The Syrian authorities, she was told, had reported it as "stolen." It was only thanks to a second passport that she was able to enter the country.

Arguably, the United Kingdom was, in effect, clamping down on Syrian dissenters; it was doing Assads dirty work for him. To make it worse, as Erhaim told RFE/RL in an e-mail, "This has not just happened to me. I know five activists/journalists who discovered that their passports were reported stolen when applying for visas in Turkey. So obviously the regime is publishing the passport numbers of all of those who dare to challenge its crimes and are trying to speak out [against them] in the West."

What makes her situation yet more surreal is that Erhaim is a "Chevening Scholar" -- an award sponsored by the British state for "future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers." She continued: "They [the U.K. government] are technically following the rulebook, despite the fact that what they are dealing with is a war criminal persecuting a journalist. They clearly still consider Assads regime as a legitimate government."

The U.K. government's actions might have been made even more shameful by the pro-Assad propaganda that subsequently emerged from them. As Erhaim explained: "They acted as the arm of Assad in helping to silence me and others. Russia state media then wrote about this incident proudly, showing off that the regime they support is still treated as a legitimate government."

Actions like this only serve as evidence to those Syrians fighting Assad on the ground that they are likely to get nothing in the way of any significant help from the West -- that, in fact, the West seeks to keep Assad in power. And the more Syrians who believe this, the more will flock to the ranks of IS or other anti-Western organizations that they see as arguably the most effective force in fighting the regime's brutality.

The more that powers like the United Kingdom and, critically, the United States, are discredited as honest brokers, the less likely the Syrian rebels are to trust them in negotiations to try to reach a political settlement -- the only way to stop the bloodshed. Instead, they see little in the way of significant assistance and much in the way of horror as Russia enters the war, ostensibly to strike at IS but in reality to strike at them and anyone else who threatens their puppet Assad and their naval facility at Tartus.

Meanwhile, Assad's other major backer, Iran, which made a deal over its nuclear program with Washington and other world powers last year, is slowly being integrated back into the international fold, while its proxy Shi'ite militias on the ground in Syria continue to kill their Sunni counterparts.

As far as IS is concerned, it's a perfect storm. Taken together, the propaganda value these various factors yield is enormous and ensure that as it suffers defeat after the defeat on the ground IS will continue to draw yet more Sunni recruits -- left with almost no other choice -- to its black flag.

And in the meantime, the perennial victims in this ever-expanding catastrophe are, of course, the Syrian people.

Erhaim concluded: "This will be my last trip to the West. I have no space whatsoever on my second passport, which is 9 years old and has no more free pages for stamps or visa, and is anyway expiring next year. So I will be joining the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who are no ones, residents of nowhere. I will have no papers, no residency, no bank account, no work, and no future. I hope the U.K. government, which gave me the 'Chevening scholarship,' is feeling proud."

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
Pakistan's top court has ruled that schizophrenia does not fall within its legal definition of mental illness, clearing the way for the execution of a mentally ill man.

Doctors in 2012 certified Imdad Ali as being a paranoid schizophrenic, after he was sentenced to death for the 2001 murder of a cleric.

His lawyers say the 50-year-old man is unable to understand his crime and punishment.

But in a ruling issued on October 21, the Supreme Court said schizophrenia is "a recoverable disease, which, in all the cases, does not fall within the definition of 'mental disorder'."

Pakistan has executed more than 400 of an estimated 8,000 death row prisoners since reintroducing the death penalty in 2014, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Ali could now be executed as early as next week.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa
Russian officials say rescuers are rushing to the site where a helicopter has crashed on the Yamal Peninsula.

The Transport Department of the Ural Interior Ministry said an Mi-8 helicopter carrying 22 passengers and three crew members had gone down on October 21 near the community of Novozapolyarny, about 70 kilometers from the city of Novy Urengoi.

One report said at least three people were injured in the incident.

The Transport Department said the helicopter was en route from the village of Suzunskoye, in the territory of Krasnoyarsk, to Novy Urengoi.

Officials said the weather conditions were bad in the area and that rescuers were going to the area on snowmobiles.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Russia says a report that Egypt has agreed to sell two French-made Mistral warships to Russia for $1 is "utter nonsense."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 21 that the comment about such a deal made by Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz the previous day is based on unreliable sources.

Peskov said the comment -- made by Macierewicz during a parliamentary debate -- can be explained by a "background of heightened commotion [currently] reigning in Warsaw."

Macierewicz told reporters on October 21 that he got the information "from good sources." He added that "if Egypt would now withdraw from this operation it would be a gain for world peace."

France originally built the two Mistrals -- which are amphibious assault ships that carry helicopters -- for Russia.

But Paris canceled the sale to Moscow after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

France had to refund the 950 million euros ($1 billion) that Russia had prepaid for the ships. French officials then sold the ships to Egypt.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov also dismissed Macierewicz's statement, calling it "silliness" and "nothing but TGIF (Thank God it's Friday) nonsense."

Based on reporting by AP and TASS
The deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council has said that the Sambo martial art strengthens Russia's unity.

Rashid Nurgaliyev told journalists in Russia's Siberian city of Novosibirsk on October 21 that the popularization of the sport around the world also helps promote Russian culture and language abroad.

Thats because Sambo is "primordially Russia's wrestling" and its regulations are in Russian, Nurgaliyev said.

Sambo is a Russian acronym that stands for "self-defense without weapons."

"That means we are a peaceful country bringing peace to all the countries of the world," according to Nurgaliyev.

Meanwhile, Russian Sambo Federation President Sergei Yeliseyev said the development of the martial art would be "a response to Western sanctions" imposed against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Sambo was developed in the Soviet Union.

Its main founder, Vasily Oshchepkov, died in prison as a result of dictator Josef Stalin's purge campaign in the 1930s after being accused of being a Japanese spy.

Based on reporting by sambo.ru and Interfax


Russia has summoned the Belgian ambassador to Moscow in a dispute over the Kremlin's claim that Belgian warplanes killed Syrian villagers.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Belgian envoy, Alex Van Meeuwen, had gone to the ministry on October 21 in response to a summons.

The Russian Defense Ministry says radar evidence shows that two Belgian F-16 fighter jets struck the Kurdish village of Hassajek near Syria's border with Turkey on October 18, killing six civilians and wounding four.

But the Belgian Defense Ministry has dismissed the evidence Russia offered as "totally groundless and unsubstantiated" and demands a "formal retraction" of the claim.

Belgium has summoned the Russian ambassador to Brussels over the incident.

Based on reporting by AFP and TASS


The Russian military has continued to press its claim that a Belgian air strike killed six Syrian villagers despite Belgium's demand for a retraction.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on October 20 that Russia has radar evidence that two Belgian F-16 fighter jets struck the Kurdish village of Hassajek near Syria's border with Turkey on October 18.

But the Belgian Defense Ministry dismissed the evidence Russia offered as "totally groundless and unsubstantiated" and demanded a "formal retraction."

Belgium had summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident and said he provided no new proof in a "disappointing" hour-long meeting on October 20.

But Konashenkov said that Russian radar tracked the Belgian jets from the moment they took off from a base in Jordan and offered a highly detailed description of their mission over Syria.

Konashenkov said Belgian Defense Minister Steven Vandeput was "either deliberately misleading the Belgian and global public, or his subordinates along with their American counterparts were deceiving the Belgian leadership.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax


Russia's Labor Minister Maksim Topilin has proposed introducing a tax on unemployed Russians, calling them "social parasites."

Topilin told journalists in Moscow on October 21 that those individuals who claim to be unemployed should be taxed 20,000 rubles ($320) a year.

The minister used the word "tuneyadsty," or social parasites, which in Soviet times was used to define individuals who didnt have a job and who were punished with prison terms.

Joblessness was decriminalized in the Soviet Union in April 1991.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 21 that the Kremlin was not discussing Topilin's proposal.

Based on reporting by Meduza, TASS, and Interfax


Serbia says its decision to send aid to Syria is purely a humanitarian gesture and not a sign of taking sides in the civil war.

A Russian plane carrying Serbian aid of food, medicine, and clothes departed for Syria late on October 20, amid strained relations between the West and Russia over its backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Serbian Labor Minister Aleksandar Vulin said on October 21 that the "aid is for people in Aleppo.

"I don't know if they support Assad or not, but we know they need help," he added.

Although Serbia has opened negotiations to join the EU, it remains Moscow's closest ally in the Balkans and has refused to join sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine.

On October 19, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic complained that the EU was putting "absolutely unacceptable" diplomatic pressure on the Balkan country to impose sanctions against Moscow.

An EU foreign policy report earlier in the week said Brussels "will continue to call on Serbia to progressively align with the EU" on foreign policy.

Based on reporting by AP


Authorities in the Russian city of St. Petersburg have closed the high-profile case of a Tajik child's death in the city's custody.

The Investigative Committee in St. Petersburg said proceedings were officially closed on October 20 "due to the absence of crime in the case."

Five-month-old Umarali Nazarov died on October 14, 2015, a day after his parents were briefly detained in St. Petersburg and accused of violating migration rules.

Russian officials said the child had died in hospital after suffering respiratory problems.

The parents challenged this, insisting the boy was healthy.

Russian authorities agreed to open a probe into the child's death only after an outcry not only from Tajik migrants and human rights activists in Russia, but government officials in Tajikistan as well.


Tajikistan began joint antiterror drills with China on October 20 near the border with Afghanistan as part of Beijing's drive to boost security in the region.

Tajikistan's Defense Ministry said the exercises would last until October 24 and involve at least 10,000 troops as well as military vehicles and helicopters.

Tajik authorities said last month that China would be building infrastructure to increase security on the 1,300-kilometer border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, which is a haven for drug traffickers.

China and Tajikistan entered into an antiterror alliance with Pakistan and Afghanistan earlier this year.

Security issues in former Soviet Central Asia, a region that borders China's restive Xinjiang province, were once the exclusive preserve of Russia.

But China has dramatically increased its presence in the region and a suicide attack against the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan in August highlighted Beijing's security concerns.

Kyrgyz authorities blamed the attack, which injured three people and resulted in the attacker's death, on radicals from the Uyghur community, a mostly Muslim minority from Xinjiang.

The U.S. security footprint in the region has shrunk since Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan ended agreements for bases used in U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AFP and RFE/RL's Tajik Service


Russia resumed its military blockade of Ukrainian ports on October 30, halting the supply of grain supplies largely headed to low-income nations and reigniting fears of a spiral in global food prices.

The United States immediately criticized Russia's actions, accusing it of "weaponizing food" to gain leverage in its failing invasion of Ukraine.

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.

Russia announced a day earlier it would suspend its participation in a UN-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets, to export grain after accusing Kyiv of staging a drone attack against its Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine has rejected the accusations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on October 30 that he was "deeply concerned" about Russia's decision to halt its participation in the July deal, which helped reverse skyrocketing food prices that threatened to put millions at risk of starvation.

Guterres said he would delay his departure for the Arab League summit in Algiers by one day to work on saving the grain deal.

Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported on October 30 that 218 ships involved in grain exports are currently blocked -- 22 loaded and stuck at ports, 95 loaded and departed from ports, and 101 awaiting inspections.

Ukraine's grain exports are a key revenue source for the country, whose economy has been decimated by Russia's eight-month war. They are also a critical source of food for countries in Africa and Asia.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to resume its participation in the deal, warning it was "exacerbating" an already dire food crisis impacting largely poor countries.

"Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry. In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started," he said.

In a post on Twitter, European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also urged Russia to revert its decision.

The July deal allowed Ukraine to resume exports of grain, other foodstuffs, and fertilizer, including ammonia, through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor from three of its Black Sea ports.

To implement the deal, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN set up a Joint Coordination Center (JCC) to inspect vessels headed to and from Ukraine traveling along the corridor. Turkey played a major role in brokering the agreement.

Russia on October 30 announced it was suspending its participation in the JCC, including inspecting ships off Istanbul. Earlier in the day, Turkey said the JCC would continue inspecting ships on October 30 and 31.

The JCC had inspected 11 shipments on October 30 with more than 100 waiting for clearance.

Analysts have been warning for the past two months that Russian President Vladimir Putin would look for an excuse to pull out of the deal to pressure the West over its continued military aid to Ukraine.

Kyiv has used that military aid with effectiveness, driving the Russians back in the northeast, east, and southeast since launching a counteroffensive in September.

"Given Ukraine's successful counterattack, the fighting there isn't going Russia's way. Putin, who is used to engaging in dialogue from a position of strength, finds he does not have so many ways of putting pressure on the West at his disposal. Threatening to torpedo the grain deal is one of his few remaining options," Aleksandra Prokopenko, an independent analyst, wrote in a September 16 note posted on the website of Washington-based think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

In a video address after Russia's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the move "a completely transparent attempt by Russia to return to the threat of large-scale famine for Africa and Asia." Zelenskiy called for Russia to be expelled from the Group of 20 leading global economies (G20).

U.S. President Joe Biden called Moscow's decision "purely outrageous."

The July 22 grain deal was intended to last 120 days with the option for renewal on November 19 "if no party objects," the UN said on October 28.

Moscow has asked the UN Security Council to meet on October 31 to discuss the reported attack on its Black Sea Fleet at the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in the early hours of October 29.

Russia's Defense Ministry said drones were used in the attack and that one Russian ship, a minesweeper, was damaged.

Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry said Kyiv would try to continue using the Black Sea shipping corridor as long as possible.

Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Russian state television that Moscow was prepared to "supply up to 500,000 tons of grain to the poorest countries free of charge in the next four months."

With reporting by Reuters
Ukraine says Russia is refusing to hand over jailed Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov.

Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Serhiy Petukhov posted a copy of the refusal letter on Facebook on October 21, in which Russia's Justice Ministry says it is "impossible" to transfer Sentsov to Kyiv because he holds Russian citizenship.

Sentsov became a Russian citizen in March 2014, when a Russian law conferred citizenship on all residents of the Crimean Peninsula, according to the letter.

Crimea's Russia-backed authorities convicted Sentsov in 2015 of conspiring to commit terrorism on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

Sentsov, a native of Crimea, was a vocal opponent to Russia's annexation of the peninsula in March 2014.

Amnesty International described his trial as "fatally flawed."

Based on reporting by AP and Interfax
The mayor of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, has pledged to publicize the names of those who apply for divorces in an attempt to keep married couples together.

Appalled at the failure of so many marriages, Rakhmonbek Usmanov says he will begin broadcasting on TV and publishing in a major newspaper the names of the unhappy husbands and wives.

Speaking at an official meeting on October 17, Usmanov cited a state report on divorce rates in the countrys 14 regions for the first nine months of 2016 that showed Tashkent leading the way with a 32 percent failure rate.

The next highest divorce rate -- in Uzbekistans eastern Jizzakh region -- was only 14 percent. Most regions had a rate of less than 10 percent.



Usmanov said the names will be broadcast at 11 p.m. every 15 days on the Tashkent Telekanali program and published in the Tashkent Oqshomi (Evening Tashkent) newspaper.

A number of influential figures -- including chief Tashkent imam Anvar Tursunov, Deputy Prime Minister for Womens Affairs Elmira Bositkhonova, Tashkent Prosecutor-General Batyr Kudrathadzhaev, and police chief Bahodir Kurbanov -- attended the Tashkent meeting, which was dedicated to social affairs.

Usmanov, who was appointed mayor of Tashkent by then-President Islam Karimov in 2012, said he thinks the threat of being named publicly will curb the urge to divorce.

But he warned that if there wasnt a significant drop in the divorce rate, he would start putting pictures of the unhappy couples on TV.

Mothers-In-Law Vs. Wives



Usmanov, 56, also blamed the often antagonistic relationships between the wives and their mothers-in-law for the failed unions, saying those two are the single greatest cause of divorces in Uzbekistan.

Wives in Uzbek society are frequently seen as beholden to their mothers-in-law and obligated by custom to clean for them and perform many other duties. Those relationships often become testy and lead to many disputes.



Usmanov's name-and-shame effort is not the first time the mayor has caused controversy in Tashkent.





In late March, he declared that streetcars in the city of 2 million were "ineffective" and rails that carried the trams would be "gradually dismantled." The decision came not long after the city had purchased 20 new streetcar engines and wagons from a Czech firm to the tune of some $20 million.

Usmanov recently angered Tashkent denizens by declaring many of the citys splendorous trees -- most of which were planted during the Soviet era -- diseased and a hazard to residents, and he said they would need to be chopped down.



Critics saw that as an excuse to remove the trees and make room to expand the streets in the absence of the streetcars. Others were angered that where trees were replanted, they were only small fir trees that are not well-suited to the climate in Tashkent, with its dry summers and mild, moist winters.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service and Alisher Siddique


Costa says she picks up the phone, but reality is the opposite
A federal judge has sanctioned the Virginia Attorney Generals Office for improper conduct and ordered it to pay the expenses  amounting to $7,674  incurred by a Richmond law firm over a wasted trip to a state prison.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson took the action last week after McGuireWoods complained it hired a court reporter and sent a lawyer from Charlottesville to Sussex II State Prison in Waverly to question a corrections officer who the Attorney Generals Office said was involved in an inmate assault case but who, in fact, was not.

Longtime court observers described the sanction as highly unusual and rare in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, particularly when it involves the Virginia Attorney Generals Office.

Anderson ordered that McGuireWoods be compensated for the billable time the lawyer spent traveling to and from the prison, mileage, the cost of the court reporter and the costs incurred by bringing the motion for sanctions. An affidavit filed Thursday indicates the two sides agreed to a payment of $7,674.36.

Bob Lewis, a spokesman for the law firm, said the firm is representing inmate James H. Raynor at no cost and the money would be donated to the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

Michael Kelly, a spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office, said Friday that John Michael Parsons, an assistant attorney general involved in the case, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation of the matter.

We certainly hold high standards around here, and in this case, the officer was misidentified and the wrong officer was presented for deposition . . . its certainly an unusual thing, Kelly said.

The corrections officer in question said that prior to her deposition last month, no one from the Attorney Generals Office or the Virginia Department of Corrections had asked her if she was the officer who escorted Raynor, the plaintiff, to a medical clinic in 2013 after he was assaulted by an fellow inmate.

Raynor, represented by McGuireWoods, alleges in his suit that another officer failed to protect him during the assault. McGuireWoods was appointed to represent Raynor by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The clerks office of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, which stretches from Alexandria through Richmond to Hampton Roads, does not keep track of how often lawyers are sanctioned by judges.

In its motion for sanctions filed on behalf of Raynor last month, McGuireWoods reported that it attempted to resolve the dispute by asking the Attorney Generals Office to reimburse the firm for the wasted time and costs, but the Attorney Generals Office was unwilling to do so.

In a written response to McGuireWoods motion for sanctions, the Attorney Generals Office denied any wrongdoing and explained the mistake was made in part by wrongly interpreting the officers signature on a logbook as meaning that she was the officer who escorted Raynor to the infirmary.

The Attorney Generals Office reported that it spoke with the officer on the telephone before the deposition but only to discuss her availability. The office wrote that McGuireWoods own client was the best person to remember who escorted him to the medical unit and wrote that McGuireWoods had an independent obligation to do some minimal degree of legwork before scheduling a deposition.

According to a transcript of a hearing last Friday, Parsons told Anderson he believed the officer in question was the correct one based on the logbook entry and an email.

Anderson, in rejecting part of the offices argument, said, I dont think any lawyer in this court has to go back and ask another lawyer whos made a statement: Have you verified . . . the statement you just made?

I really dont understand that argument in any way whatsoever, and Im surprised that someone in your position would be making that kind of argument before the court. I view this as a failure on your behalf  or the defendants behalf  to make a reasonable inquiry as to the statement that you made.